# Part 2 The coach and the master

Author: LPN
Tags: Fighting, Pokemon.adventure, Transformation

The  
coach and the master

The next morning Cory started to teach Dash  
about the rules of the poke battle championship. To qualify one needed a team  
with a minimum of three members and defeat a number of type masters that  
resided in various towns and villages.

"There are a total of seventeen type  
masters, each a master of his or her type. When you defeat one of them they  
give you a pin representing their type. You only need eight pins to qualify,  
but the more you have the higher your rank becomes."

"Okay, it seems simple enough," Dash  
stated. "So, how many pins do you have right now?"

Cory started drawing circles on the floor  
with her front leg.

"Well, none. But there is supposed to be a  
type master right here in this town. We were heading here when we met you."

She continued to tell him that that the  
type master was supposed to be a steel type and she had planned on Sune's fire  
moves to win the match.

"I'll stay out of the way and support her  
with my poison powder attack to..."

"That won't work," Dash interrupted. "Steel  
types are immune to the poison condition. It is better to use your razor leafs.  
They won't do much damage to a steel type but they can hit multiple targets and  
gradually wear them down. Just make sure to avoid being hit by any powerful  
moves."

 

"Okay that's great! Let's go right away!"  
Cory began to move towards the door.

"Wait! We can't go yet," Dash said as he  
moved to stop her. "I need more information to make a suitable strategy."

After a couple of hours Dash had gotten all  
the information he figured was relevant. Cory knew the moves aromatherapy,  
tackle, razor leaf and poison powder while Sune knew ember, roar, quick attack  
and fire spin. Unfortunately they did not know what kind of pokemon this steel  
master was but as long as the difference in power was not too great he reasoned  
they had a fair chance of winning.

On their way to the type master's challenge  
area on the outskirts of the village a voice called out to them.

"Ey! Use them runts who had a tussle with  
that Slitter mook?"

The speaker was a ryhorn about half as big  
as the archanine, Clint, who they had met the day before. He wore a similar  
scarf to Clint, indicating that he was part of the village peace keeping team.  
When they nodded yes he continued...

"The name's Earp, I'm the leader of the  
group Clint sent to catch Slitter but the warmit was gone when we arrived in  
the forest, but thanks to ye all we have a good hunch 'bout where he's hiding.  
Just wanted to tell use to be careful if ye leave town."

 

They thanked Earp for the warning and  
continued on their way. The challenge area looked like an open field about the  
size of a tennis court. There was a deep mote, half filled with water,  
surrounding it and two wooden bridges at each end was the only way on or off  
it.

"Okay, let's have a fast run through of the  
plan," Dash said. "The match is two versus two, so Sune will use fire spin to  
immobilise one opponent and team up with Cory to take out the second opponent  
before the first can break lose."

Sune and Cory nodded as the trio went over  
one of the bridges.

"We're here to challenge the steel master!"  
Cory called. "Is anyone there? Ally wally oxen free!"

Three figures emerged from a house on the  
other side of the arena and crossed the other bridge. As they stopped in front  
of them, the bridges on both sides retracted into the sides of the mote,  
trapping them on the arena.

"You know, if you just checked the house  
first, you wouldn't have had to yell," commented the largest figure, a four  
legged pokemon covered in heavy armour. "Anyhow, the battle is three on three,  
the team which knocks out all the members of the other team wins."

 

"Wait! I'm only the coach," Dash objected.  
"I wasn't supposed to fight."

"Should have thought of that before  
entering the arena bub. You can always hop in the mote. Falling in there counts  
as being knocked out. The fight starts at the sound of the gong."

"It is okay, Dash," Sune told him. "You  
don't have to fight."

"No," Dash replied. "This might actually  
work to our advantage." He sized up the competition before continuing, in a  
much lower voice so the other team could not hear them. "The one that looks  
like a pair of spinning gears is a klink. He should be our first target. The  
yellow one that looks like she got a meat eating plant on the head is a mawile,  
she is both fast and strong so we must restrict her movement. The last one is a  
lairon. He is part rock type so fire attacks won't do as much damage as to an  
ordinary steel type. He will be our toughest opponent."

As soon as the gong rang Cory sent a flurry  
of razor leafs at the opposing team while Sune trapped the lairon in a vortex  
of swirling flames with her fire spin attack. Dash sent his sand attack towards  
the mawile as she dodged Cory's razor leafs. The attack missed but stopped her  
long enough for Sune to be able to trap her in another fiery vortex. The klink  
had recovered from Cory's razor leaf volley and sent a bolt of electricity  
towards her with his thunder shock attack. The electric move caught her of  
guard so she failed to dodge. Luckily grass types like her was resistant to electrical  
attacks so the damage was not too bad. Before the klink could do anything else  
it was hit with a swarm of embers from Sune. The attack did massive damage and  
sent the klink spiralling to the ground. Dash rushed in and delivered a tackle  
that sent it spinning right into the swirling fire that imprisoned the mawile,  
knocking her over.

 

"Cory, now!" Dash commanded.

On cue Cory launched another volley of  
razor leafs. When they passed through the flames they caught on fire and caused  
the occupants inside to cry out as they were pelted with burning razor leafs.

"Okay, that's enough!" exclaimed the  
mawile. She looked over her shoulder, towards the lairon and continued. "Boss,  
I'll finish this!"

She was surrounded by a faint green glow  
and suddenly rocks as big as basketballs rose into the air and were hurled  
toward Sune, extinguishing the fire spin as they passed through it. They hit  
Sune with a loud thud, knocking her to the ground, but she was still conscious.

"I am Cobalt! The strongest of the  
disciples serving under steel master Ruck!" the mawile boasted. "You may have  
defeated Charlie in spite of having type disadvantage by ganging up on him. But  
that won't work on me!"

Cobalt began to move at lightning speed. As  
she passed Dash, she winked at him and continued towards Cory who sent another  
wave of razor leafs flying. Dash stood mesmerized, as he watched Cobalt deliver  
a magnificent flame thrower attack that sent Cory to her knees. And the ancient  
power attack she had used on Sune would have been enough to make her the undisputed  
champion of the grand festival. How could they ever had believed that they were  
able to beat such an amazing person?

 

Dash's heart began to beat faster as she  
gracefully made her way towards him.

"What's your name, little coach?" Cobalt  
asked as she reached forward and scratched him under the chin, like he was her  
precious little pet.

Dash was so overcome with joy that he began  
purring. She wanted to know his name! Incredibly beautiful Cobalt wanted to  
know his name!

"My! Are you ever cute," Cobalt continued.  
Her voice soft as a cinccino's fur. "But I don't want to hurt you, so why don't  
you hop into the mote for now and we can pick this up after the match."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

The scream caused them both to flinch. A  
second later Cobalt was reeling away from the effects of a swarm of embers.  
Dash looked over to see Sune standing a few feet away. She was battered and  
bruised and panting hard.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!" she screamed at the top  
of her lungs and let lose another swarm of embers.

"Hon, I touch whatever I want," Cobalt  
replied as she effortlessly avoided the attack. "So, just BACK OFF!"

As Cobalt said the last part she started  
glowing faintly green and again rocks started to float into the air.

 

"No, you don't!"

Cory ran up to Cobalt and tackled her in  
the chest, sending them both tumbling over the side of the arena and into the  
mote.

As soon as she was out of sight, Dash's  
head cleared. How embarrassing! He had fallen victim to Cobalt's attract and  
now they were down to only him and Sune, with their strongest opponent still in  
the game.

"Well, I must say that you have impressed  
me."

Dash and Sune turned to see the lairon, whose  
fiery prison had died down, giving them an approving smile. "Just to make  
things clear. I'm steel master Ruck. And now we will see if you are worthy of  
the steel pin."

As soon as Ruck finished the sentence, Sune  
used fire spin to encase him in a new fiery vortex. But to their amazement Ruck  
calmly walked through it without taking any notable damage. Suddenly he broke  
into a charge heading towards Sune. Dash swept a sand cloud into his face, enabling  
Sune to dodge as Ruck smashed his head into the ground, where she had been only  
moments ago, sending rocks and pebbles flying.

_"That  
was a head smash,"_ Dash thought. _"It's one of the strongest rock type moves  
there is, but it causes recoil damage, so if we can just dodge it enough times  
he might knock himself out."_

 

Though that probably wasn't likely. Ruck  
was supposed to be a master after all. He would not make such a beginners  
mistake.

Dash rushed of towards their opponent,  
attempting to knock him of course with a tackle, as Ruck once again charged at  
Sune to deliver a devastating head smash. He bounced of the larger pokemon's  
armour plating without even making a scratch. Sune was too tired to dodge, so  
she stood her ground, showering her adversary in embers, hoping he would succumb  
before he reached her. Alas it was all in wain. The head smash connected and  
when the dust cleared, Sune lay unconscious on the ground.

Ruck immediately charged at his next target.  
Luckily Dash was a little faster and managed to dodge the attack. But the  
recoil damage, which should have come as a side effect of the powerful move, never  
occurred.

_"Crap!  
He must have the rock head ability,"_ Dash cursed in  
his head. _"I really wish I could use_ _something else than just sand attack and  
tackle!"_

Now the metal plates on Ruck's head began  
to glow bright white and he swung his head, clipping Dash in the side as he  
tried to dodge.

 

As Dash struggled to his feet after the  
iron head attack, he saw Ruck bearing down on him with another head smash. The  
moment after everything was black. At first Dash thought that everything was  
over. Then he realized that everything was black because he was burrowing his  
way through the ground. He was using dig! Now it would be easier to dodge  
Ruck's attacks. As long as he didn't use a move like earthquake that is.

_"With  
my luck he probably knows it. He is a steel and rock type after all. Wait a  
minute... he is a steel and rock type!"_

Ruck had just realized that Dash had  
escaped underground and started to rise up on his hind legs to execute an  
earthquake attack, when Dash burst from the ground and delivered a massive blow  
square on Ruck's jaw.

Ruck reeled back from the impact but  
remained standing. He would not go down that easily.

"Ruck! Let's finish this!" Dash challenged  
and charged at his opponent. This was the last resort.

Ruck let out a roar and met the charge,  
ready to deliver a final head smash. As the two collided the arena was  
enveloped in thick smoke, hindering anyone from seeing anything.

 

As the dust  
cloud settled Dash was the last one standing. They had won!

"You have proven yourselves to be strong  
adversaries, worthy of the steel pin," Ruck said as Cobalt handed Cory, Sune  
and Dash each a pin of polished steel.

"So, want to pick up where we left off?"  
she whispered in Dash's ear as she handed him the pin, earning herself a dark  
look from Sune, as she walked back to Ruck and Charlie.

"This pin holds a record of all you did to  
win this mach. It will help to determine your ranking when the championship  
begins." Ruck continued.

Then, apparently done with ceremonies, he  
gave Dash a mock bump.

"That was pretty slick, bub. Pretending you  
were the weakest on the team, when you really were the trump card."

"I'm the coach," Dash replied feeling  
embarrassed, both from the praise and Cobalt's invite. "I wasn't supposed to  
fight in the first place."

"And did you ever make me regret not  
letting you have that two on two battle." Ruck laughed. "In that case we would  
have won!"

As they made their way back to the inn Sune  
and Cory assaulted Dash with questions.

 

"Did you not use your powerful moves  
because you wanted to see how strong we were?" Cory asked. "How did you get so  
strong? That dig you did was super powerful, super, duper, ultra, tuper  
powerful! What was that last move?"

"It's called last resort. It is the fifth  
strongest normal type move. It only works if you have used all your other moves  
first, though," Dash explained. "The reason dig did so much damage is the same  
as why your razor leafs were so powerful against that kabutops. Ruck was both  
steel and rock type. Both of which are vulnerable to ground type moves. As a  
result dig did four times the damage. And since it is a pretty powerful move to  
begin with..."

"Why didn't you use them earlier?" Sune asked  
obviously upset about something. Probably because of ending up on the receiving  
end of a head smash.

"I didn't know I could use them," Dash  
replied simply. At the others raised eyebrows he continued. "When you found me  
yesterday, all I was sure of was that my name was Dash and that I had fallen  
into a river while crossing a rope bridge. I have memories, but if they are  
real, something really strange is going on."

 

He didn't tell them anything more, despite  
their prodding, not sure they could handle the truth. Cory probably could, but  
Sune... he'd be lucky if she ever spoke to him again. That is, of course, if it  
was the truth and not a delusion caused by some kind of trauma.

He would just have to ride this  
merry-go-round till the end and see where it took him.

That night a menacing shadow fell over the  
home of Clint and his family. When the delibird mailman arrived the next  
morning he found the door broken. He carefully made his way inside. His scream  
could be heard next door.

Source: https://sofurry.com/s/zeRp0zMn

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