Chapter 36: A Warning
A/N: So close(127/150). Let's reduce this week's target to 143 then. 143 power stones to get two bonus chaps.
Deal? Deal.
.......
"Go, Machop."
"Dazzle them, Sweety."
A Machop appeared on the field- near Mike- and flexed its arms roaring out its name.
'Bad starting position,' I thought and looked at the second Pokemon.
A Snubbull took the other side of the battlefield, very near to its trainer, eliciting coos from a couple of girls walking by.
No one was watching the match when I came, but after the two Pokemons took to the field a small crowd gathered.
The crowd was divided into two groups- boys and girls, each group supporting a Pokemon in a very stereotypical manner.
The fairy-type Pokemon tilted its head up, looked down at the Machop, and licked its face, causing more coos from the crowd of female viewers.
I walked near to the battlefield and asked permission to be the referee.
Mike smiled widely on seeing me and nodded.
"Thank you," the girl said doing a light curtsy.
I raised my hand indicating the start of the battle.
"Close in! Mac" called Mike.
"Show them your charm, Sweety," the girl called out, smiling with a superior look.
The Machop sprinted towards the fairy-type at which the pink dog glowed with fairy energy and clutched its hands shyly lowering its head, staring at the incoming Machop with a sweet and innocent expression.
"Ma…chop.." the Machop stumbled and stopped on seeing the Snubbull act cute.
"Hmm! Bulk up," Mike ordered not at all deterred.
"Charm again."
The Snubbull chased its tail a couple of times glowing pink.
"So cute.." murmurs echoed from the female viewers.
I think heard the same remarks from the boys' side too but they got suppressed quickly.
Ignoring the crowd, I looked at the battlefield.
The Machop started running again as the fairy trainer ordered.
"Mimic."
The Snubbull flexed copying the Machop but it still looked cute, like a chubby child flexing.
'Damn, the Snubbull has increased its attack and defence while the Machop has its attack lowered two times and has one enhanced defence,' I thought noting the buffs and debuffs.
It was my first time seeing a full-on status battle.
I turned to see how Mike was faring only to see him grinning.
The grin never left his face after the start of the battle. I waited for the melee clash, expecting to see the reason for his confidence even when his Pokemon attack power got drastically reduced.
"Dazzling gleam," ordered the girl smiling.
"Revenge," Mike ordered baring his teeth, knowing his Machop was too close and had too much forward momentum to dodge.
Pink energy coalesced around the Snubbull as it became a mini pink sun on the field making the Machop cry- it was too close.
The Machop shied back from the glow.
"Jump and take your revenge Machop," ordered Mike.
The Machop jumped into the dimming pink glow and crashed into the Snubbull getting a cheer from the boys in the crowd.
"Fire Fang."
"Steel punch."
The Machop's fist glowed and it punched the Snubbull. The Snubbull held its ground and bit down on the Machop, its fangs glowing with fire.
"Machop, Form-1," Mike shouted, making the Machop flinch and gain distance from his foe.
"Dazzling gleam," the girl ordered again.
Machop jumped back, safely escaping the range of the fairy-type move.
"Tch," the fairy-type Pokemon trainer pouted on seeing the Machop escape.
"Form-1-steel, Go!" Mike roared.
"Fire Fang, again."
The Snubbull leapt at the Machop.
The Machop sidestepped and dove a glowing fist into her spine, making the pink fairy crash.
The Machop followed with a low sweep sending the Snubbull skidding across the ground and chasing after it.
"Again!" the girl called out.
The Snubbull fangs glowed with fire and ran towards the Machop.
This time instead of leaping, the Snubbull tried to corner the Machop to maul it.
The Machop danced around the Snubbull, dodging its mouth, sending it toppling with a low sweep again.
The Snubbull easily stood back up using its front paws to stop its fall.
If it was any other bipedal Pokemon it would have taken more time to get back up, giving Machop enough time to capitalise on the fallen Pokemon's openings.
But no such luck as the low centre of gravity of the Snubbull had it getting up quite easily, without any delay.
"Use Fire Fang! I don't believe my Pokemon can't touch yours," the girl spoke, glaring at Mike.
The Snubbull ran towards the Machop again.
The Machop toppled the dog Pokemon again just like before.
"Again!" she shouted stubbornly.
Crash.
"Again."
Crash.
"Aahg!" the girl shouted exasperated.
The battle clashes between the Machop and the Snubbull were like a mix of Bullfighting and a martial artist exploiting the flaws of his slow-moving noob partner.
Machop was nothing but an agile blur dancing around the pink fairy, always dodging the Snubbull, that too with apparent ease.
"Dazzling shift," the girl ordered with clear irritation in her voice.
The Machop instinctively crouched to jump back on hearing her order, most likely associating the sound with its earlier pain of getting roasted.
"Dust kick."
Mike shouted most likely guessing what the combo move does.
The Snubbull glowed like it was going to use a Dazzling gleam but suddenly shifted to use charm. However, the cute act got interrupted as the Machop kicked sand at its eyes and darted towards it.
Mike successfully disrupted the combo.
'He shouldn't take the risk of guessing the combo,' I thought but I couldn't argue with the results though.
The girl took deep breaths and face palmed, before ordering.
"Scary Face."
The Machop shuddered seeing the Snubbull sneer at it cruelly, eliciting high-pitched gasps from the crowd.
A small smile graced the fairy-type face trainer as she ordered.
"Back and Scary face."
"Dust Kick."
The Snubbull jumped back at an angle dodging the dust aimed at it and sneered in mid-air, pulsing with a white glow.
"Again," the girl ordered.
"Form-2, steel. Don't let up," Mike ordered.
The Machop shivered and closed in as the dog smiled cruelly at the fighting Pokemon.
"Now! Fire Fang."
The Snubbull ran to meet the speed-debuffed Machop as everyone waited with anticipation.
Crash.
"How?" the fairy-type trainer growled, as the Snubbull was sent crashing onto the ground again.
"Again!" she ordered with a stubborn tone.
Crash.
The Snubbull got toppled again.
If the reason for the Snubbull biting dust before can be attributed to the difference in speed, it was pure technique this time.
The Machop shadowed the pink dog, twisting and turning, always on its back ready to capitalise on an opening.
'It's like a Kungfu master fighting a normal person in the Kungfu movies,' I thought marvelling at the Machop's technique.
"Mimic," the girl changed the order making the Snubbull use its tiny legs to do a leg sweep.
The Machop jumped at that and punched straight at the fairy Pokemon's head, making it drop like a sack of potatoes.
"No, my Sweety," cried the fairy trainer as the boys cheered.
I started the countdown. As both Pokemon are unawakened, a countdown is used to declare a winner.
"3"
The Snubbull stood and shook its head, making the girls cheer.
' I don't think she is going to win,' I thought glancing at the haughty-looking fairy trainer.
"Form-2, steel, again" Mike shouted, pouring cold water over the girls and the trainer's enthusiasm.
The Machop shadowed the Snubbull again, making me pity the pink dog.
This time the Machop caught the scruff of the fairy dog from behind and tossed it into the sky and drove a steel fist as it descended.
The Stubborn dog turned in mid-air catching the Machop's fist in its firey maw.
"Stick to the form, Mac. Leer and pummel it," Mike shouted with a hint of anger in his voice.
The Machop brought the Snubbull stuck on its hand near to its face before using leer.
The Machop glowed with fighting energy before starting to thrash the life out of the fairy Pokemon.
'Revenge, Huh!'
The Stubborn dog still didn't leave the Machop's hand.
"Trainer Mike, order your Machop to stop," I suddenly shouted noticing a slight sag of its body and the absent firey glow in the Snubbull's mouth.
Mike gritted his teeth and glared at me.
"First Warning," I shouted, calmly staring into his eyes.
"Mac Stop," he ordered on seeing me not backing down.
The Machop stopped hitting the Snubbull and stood with the Snubbull hanging loosely on its fist, most of the Snubbull's body lying still on the ground.
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Trainer Mike wins the match with a warning. The warning will be reviewed by the Dexs and decided whether it stays in his record," I announced to the crowd and the trainers.
The girl recalled her Pokemon and started running. Most likely towards the onsite Nurse Joy, leaving her Dex behind.
"Calculating." Multiple robotic voices suddenly spoke, giving me goosebumps.
All our Dexs spoke simultaneously- mine, Mike's and the Snubbull trainer's.
It was a feature of the Dex; it records everything happening around an active battlefield.
You will have to switch on the battle-monitoring feature of the Dex if you want to participate in a battle or even referee a match.
"The warning will be stripped of the record, considering the circumstances it was given in," the Dexs echoed each other giving a sci-fi vibe.
'Porygon, huh! Make sense,' I thought noticing the change in the Dexs voice.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone