It was roughly noon, the sky was gloomy as per usual and there was a slight chill in the wind but the sun was making a valiant effort today, peeking out from clouds occasionally. Maya was standing in front of the gym sweeping fallen wisteria petals from the ground, and into a pile. It was peacefully quiet up on the temple hill.
She glanced at the newly converted gym. It had once been a building for ceremonial battles. A place for celebration and tradition. Any details about these battling ceremonies had been lost to time, according to the villagers, but one traveler had suggested a gym would function just as well. Maya had recalled the gym in Snowpoint and hesitantly agreed to the creation of a gym at the temple. One of the artisan's in town had even kindly made a few intricate gym badges in the shape of Elly.
Maya wasn't terribly eager about a challenger coming though. She had learned a lot and was a little more confident... but she thought she could hardly be a good gym leader. (Didn't know how to start so feel free to waltz up. Send your selected Pokemon to Akane please.)
Z walked up to the large temple that was the gym. He had taken a short break from his gym challenges to do some traveling and had come across this gym as he went along. He decided that his team could use the training and Z decided to take the challenge so see if they could match up to this gym. He also hoped to see how another gym leader did things, as he ran a gym himself and hoped to get some pointers. Sparky stood beside him as they walked through the doors.
"Hello," said Z, "I'm here to formally challenge this gym for its badge."
Maya dropped her broom at the sudden declaration of this stranger. As she did, Bo took a flying leap from a tree and into the pile of wisteria petals, sending the purple flowers exploding everywhere. Maya blew said petal out of her face. It was unusual to have visitors from outside, hardly anyone knew about this place yet. Being cursed and all.
"S-sure," she said as Dororo appeared and scooted Bo out from the flower petals and back inside. "Right this way." She stepped toward the gym and opened the two wooden doors. Sun spilled in from the open part of the roof into the middle of the ground, which was painted to look a little more like a gym floor. Only the rectangle center of the gym was dirt and the rest of it was raised wooden floors. Some wisteria flowers had drifted their way in and blew about. The rest of the the gym was dim save for the blue flamed lanterns along the sides of the paper screens. Maya walked over and stood on the other side of the gym on the wooden platform.
"Well then let's begin," she said as smoothly as she could manage. "Do you know my rules?"
"Yes," said Z, "three pokemon with two being used and one substitution. Will there be a time limit or an item ban as well?" Z plucked three pokeballs from his necklace and put them in his pocket to be used in the battle. He kept his cloak on, as he wasn't trying to be showy this time, as this wasn't a contest. Sparky went to the sidelines where she sat down to watch the match and she took the rest of Z's balls. Once she sat down, Z's Haxorus, Metagross, and Sylveon emerged so they could watch the match as well.
"No such thing," Maya said, retrieving a plain Pokeball. "I mean no there will none of those. Sorry you will have to forgive me I am... rather new at this."{/font]
Dororo, who held the tiny little Togepi named Fable, Bo, and Wallace also sat at the sidelines, watching their trainer's first battle as a gym leader. Honestly, Dororo was a little worried. Maya had become strong... but he could still remember that child he had shielded and protected as her world fell apart.
"Well then I suppose we shall begin?" Maya said, legs shaking. She gave the Pokeball a throw. "All right give it your all Wire!" Out burst a crackle of what appeared to be electricity that zipped around before taking the form of... well Maya didn't know what it was. All she knew is that it spewed water for some reason when she gave Wire a strange plug she found. As for Wire... well it sort of appeared from nowhere and followed her around till she stuck it in a Pokeball. He wasn't as cheeky as Elly but he was prone to pranking.
"Rororororororo!" Wire squealed, turning about, popping and snapping with sparks.
Z pulled a pokeball out of his pocket and smiled, "Let's go, Pokeball!" The pokeball opened and Volt, Z's Electivire, appeared in a bright flash of light, letting out a roar of power when it appeared. "Shall we begin this game?" asked Z with a smile. Z's other pokemon watched from the sidelines, eating popcorn containers filled with pokeblocks and poffins as they watched the battle. Sparky even had a small flag that said 'Go Z'.
An Electivire huh? Maya thought. That could prove to be troublesome to Wire. As far as she knew only one move would really work... Regardless she would have to make it work. She would have to.
With that in mind she had to be careful. But there was something familiar about this trainer... had she met him before?
Aki appeared then fluttering in through the opening in the ceiling and perched on the edge of the roof to watch the battle curiously. Bo, upon seeing the other Pokemon from that new fellow cheering smiled. She leapt up and began giving cheerful bleats, letting out small sparks of light. Fable waved her tiny arms and cheered as well.
"Volt," said Z, "lets begin this battle with an Ion Deluge!" Volt let out a roar and emitted energy from his body that took the form of glittering ions that hung in the air around the pokemon. Z knew the effects of this attack and had chosen it because of how that strange pokemon that the gym leader had chosen looked like it was probably a water type. That was also why he chose to begin the battle with the raw electrical power that Volt carried within him.
Maya couldn't detect what exactly had happened, other than her sleeves cling with static to her skin and a few fly away pieces of hair from her braid sticking and crackling. The electric typing was going to be a problem but at least Wire's additional electric typing should give it a resistance or at least neutralize the additional damage a water type would take. So there was that.
The main issue was Wire's move pool... it is too limited. So frankly she only had one viable choice in the move department.
"Volt," said Z, "Counter with a Thunderbolt!" Volt roared and shot a blast of lightning from the two horns on its head that slammed into the torrent of water and traveled along it until it reached the pokemon that was spraying the jet of water. Z smiled. he was spot on that this pokemon was a water type and he was glad he chose volt to lead the battle off, as he was his main counter for water types in battle.
Wire sparked and crackled with the hit of electricity but it didn't stop the Hydro Pump. The explosion of water at high pressure slammed into the electric Pokemon as Wire shook off the crackle of electricity. It wasn't like it didn't hurt, it did, but his electric typing saved it from being super effective. He couldn't have done more damage to Wire if he had hit him with an Ice Beam.
Wire however, give an indignant staticy screech because, that still did hurt. Maya was going to have to get creative with Wire's Hydro Pump, considering how limited it was in usage. "All right Wire, Hydro Pump the ground!"
She didn't relish pretty much destroying the dirt field into a muddy mess but it was just mud. That could be cleaned right? Soon the entire field beneath the two Pokemon turned into a sticky and muddy slick. However, Wire merely floated above it all, looking rather pleased with it's self.
"Volt," said Z, "get in close and hit it with your Strength!" Volt roared and charged as fast as it could through the mud. The ions in the air gathered around its body causing him to glow and spark with electricity as he charged at the water-ghost pokemon. The ions in the air transformed the powerful normal-type attack into an equally powerful, electric-type attack. Just as Z had planned when he used the attack.
Now Maya saw what game this stranger, which she now recognized as Z that fellow from Eira's contest, was playing at. It was actually very clever... but he seemed to be going about this all wrong. He would realize that soon no doubt.
The electrically charged Strength hit Wire hard but it held out, pushing back. Maya bit her lip in worry before finally deciding. She would play this as long as she could manage.
"Hydro Pump! Right in his face!" She shouted and counted. That was three. Wire, gripped the Electivire, let loose a burst of high pressure water, right into the other Pokemon's body, sending it flying away from it. (Rotom is Water/Electric in this form and electric attacks do normal damage: www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/479.shtml )
"Alright then," said Z, "if electric won't work, try brick break instead!" Volt roared again and charged it's fists with white energy before rushing at the strange pokemon, intending to pummel it with all the strength in its body until it would cry for uncle. Volt had a bit of a problem with using excessive force in battle, but Z never addressed it as that was usually exactly what he wanted from his powerhouse of a pokemon when he sent him into battle. (is there a ceiling above them?)
Maya frowned, not pleased with this Pokemon's sudden turn of mood. This wasn't the proper way to battle. Battling wasn't supposed to be like this at all. At least not in this place.
"Z, while I do understand the will to win I would greatly appreciate it if you did not let your Pokemon rampage like that..." She said it much less confidently than she hoped, her voice wavering. Wire was looking rather tired as well... drooping slightly. Oh well... "Wire, Volt Switch!"
Wire sparked and spluttered as it turned into a volt of pure electricity and flew into the Electivire. Predictably it didn't do much and instead Wire zipped back into its Pokeball. Instead out popped Elly from her dusk ball and took the place of Wire. The Brick Break slipped through her ghostly form harmlessly. (No the very middle of the gym has a hole in the ceiling)