Vex Vs Three Stooges (1/3)

"Pst, Jenny. Thanks." Vex gave the teal haired woman a thumbs up gesture after getting her attention. "I owe you one."

Jenny, who had a rather serious expression on her face, simply smiled when she looked at Vex, flashing a thumbs up in return, ignoring everyone else's reactions. By her returning Vex's gesture of good will, it was clear to everyone just whose side she was on despite the fact that as an officer, she was supposed to remain neutral.

"You owe me one after this whole charade is finished," Jenny said as she walked some distance away before turning around. "Just win the battle and I'll take you out to lunch."

Vex flashed a wide grin, actually feeling genuinely pleased about this. "Consider the battle won."

Vex reached into his pocket and pulled out his pokedex, aiming it at Cubone, a small pokemon with a skull covering its face. He wasn't going to miss the chance to gain some information on his opponents pokemon.

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Cubone- The Lonely Pokemon

It is called the Lonely Pokémon because of its tendency to keep to itself and avoid social situations, due to the trauma caused by the death of its mother. Cubone will often weep at night in mourning of its mother. When Cubone cries, the skull that it wears on its head vibrates and emits "a plaintive and mournful sound." The bone it wields allows it to learn both [Bone Club] and [Bonemerang], two moves exclusive to Cubone and its evolution Marowak.

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(("Interesting. It also seems that its a ground type which is weak against water, grass, and ice.")) Vex smiled as he flipped the pokedex closed and slipped it into his pocket. "Looks like this'll be less difficult then I first thought."

"Pft, don't go writing me off kid. Your gonna have to pull off a miracle just to win." The middle man smiled. "Remember the name of the guy who kicked your ass. Names Mark. Cubone, use [Bonemerang]!!"

"Oi, the battle hasn't started yet!!"

Jenny spoke up too late as the bone Cubone was holding was thrown from his hand, rapidly spinning towards Squirtle with pinpoint accuracy.

(("Tch, how annoying. Squirtle, use [Water Gun] and aim it at your own feet.")) Vex was calm as he quickly relayed the orders. Such a preemptive strike wasn't a big deal as it was rather predictable, but it was still annoying.

The rotating bone covered the distance rapidly, curving slightly as it neared its target. Of course, even as fast as it was going, it still missed completely when Squirtle spat out a stream of water at the ground with enough force to rocket himself off the floor and into the air. The bone sailed harmlessly by as the surrounding area became soaked, the water spreading across the pavement and even slightly splashing the onlookers.

"Ha, you idiot!! Shoulda stayed on the ground!!" Mark shouted smugly. "[Bonemerang] strikes twice!!"

(("I mean....its called Bonemerang for a reason. It was clear from the name itself.")) Vex sighed as he looked up at Squirtle who was falling back to the ground, the bone making its way back. "Squirtle, [Withdraw]."

(("No problem.")) Squirtle disappeared into his shell without any hesitation, completely trusting Vex as the spinning bone made its way back and slammed into the turtle shell. Squirtle hit the ground rather hard as the bone went swerving back into Cubone's hand, but he popped back out almost immediately.

(("Hmmm, I wonder what other moves he knows. Lets test the water a bit.")) Vex wasn't worried in the slightest as he had already gauged the attack of the Bonemerang and found it a bit underwhelming. He had the type advantage, that was clear, however he couldn't take the battle lightly just yet as he didn't know all of Cubone's moves.

"Squirtle, use [Water Gun]. Aim for the kill."

The blue turtle nodded as he shifted his head back and took a stance, before shooting a blast of pressurized water towards Cubone. With this water type move, Vex was sure that if Mark didn't want a super effective hit, he would have to pull out other moves to avoid it.

"Cubone, [Protect]" Mark said quickly, clearly panicking a bit.

Just before the blast of water managed to hit the Cubone, a glowing screen appeared in front of him, not only blocking him but also causing the water to spray everywhere. The constant stream provided the whole area with a never ending flood that even reached the audience, making a small puddle underneath their feet. It even sprayed Jenny who, up until now, had been watching things unfold with bated breath.

While obviously not the most epic match ever, for some reason, she got the impression that Vex wasn't even trying and it wasn't because Vex had barely called out moves while Squirtle was doing things on his own. It was just that he looked so calm and collected and she wasn't sure why, but she had complete confidence in his ability to win. He gave off a confident vibe and seemed to be doing everything effortlessly.

Before, he had seemed a bit silly and unreliable, not to mention slightly immature. However, when he was battling, his face became serious and his heterochromatic eyes seemed to analyze every single bit of information on the fight, as if he could miss nothing that happened. It was an odd experience coming from someone who was young and barely starting out as a trainer, yet here he was facing an adult like it was another day at the park, though the men themselves were actually idiots. She hadn't said anything earlier but this trio just happened to be complete morons with strong pokemon.

Coincidentally, these were the exact thoughts that Caitlin was having from her spot on the opposite of the battle. She had also noticed Vex's confident attitude, though instead of wondering why, she was quite aware of the reason.

This was just how he was.

During the full two weeks Vex had been training, the white haired youth had had the serious yet confident look on his face whenever he partook in any form of combat. Even if he was guaranteed to lose, he still had the same air of authority, as if nothing could touch him or affect him. It was a strange thing and when Caitlin had asked about it, he had given a very interesting response.

"Each and every fight makes me and my partners stronger and more knowledgeable. Even if I lose, its a learning experience. Going into battle with a winning mentality and a strong resolve is, in my opinion, the first step to potentially winning battles."

From then on, Caitlin had pushed Vex and his pokemon harder then before, seeking to help the young man get better. She understood the desire to get better as she too had gone through it when she was young, though she had progressed rapidly past it, and now she wanted to assist this boy. Not only because it was her duty to, but also because she wanted to genuinely see what he could become and what kinda heights he could achieve.

Now, looking at his eyes constantly analyzing the battle, she 'felt' that he was truly growing, far faster then she had initially thought.

As Caitlin and Jenny looked on with varying thoughts and emotions, Mark was feeling superbly confused. It had been a good half minute since Squirtle had used his [Water Gun] and even now, it didn't look as if the blue turtle was going to stop any time soon.The stream of water had already formed a rather large puddle that had spread all the way to the edge of the crowd created circle, causing every step Mark made to splash around the H2O and soak into his socks.

(("Just how long is this gonna last?")) Mark thought as he watched his Cubone continue to hold the [Water Gun] at bay. He couldn't fight back until the stream had been cut off as it was impossible for him to use more then one move. (("I'm sure my [Protect] can last another minute at most but its still so weird. I've never heard of a Squirtle holding a move this long. Maybe if it was a Wartortle or Blastoise, but not the weakest form."))

"I got a question for you."

Vex's voice interrupted Marks thoughts, causing the man to instinctually put on a confident charade. "What? You wanna surrender?! I dont blame you. Go ahead. I'll allow it."

"No no no," Vex responded, flashing a smile. "Nothing like that. I just wanted to know what you know about pressure washers. Do you know what happens when you switch to a zero degree nozzle?"

"A zero degree nozzle?" Mark repeated, at a loss for where the kid was going.

Vex tilted his head eyes flickering from Mark, to Cubone, to Squirtle. (("Squirtle. Use Nozzle Zero."))

This was something that Vex had created on his own, utilizing the idea of a pressure washer to further enhance the power of Squirtle's [Water Gun]. By narrowing the opening of his mouth and, for a short period of time, increasing the water flow, Squirtle could mimic the penetrative power of a top class spray gun.

Squirtle stopped his initial [Water Gun], cutting it off as he pulled his head back, getting ready for another round with a much more powerful round then before. It took a full five seconds for Squirtle to recharge, and in that time, Mark attempted to reset Cubones [Protect].

"Cubone, use-"

"Too late. Next time don't be so cocky."

Squirtle fired, a deadly and much more narrow blast of water rushing forward and, quite easily, blasting through the barrier before slamming into Cubone. The pokemon took a direct hit to the chest as he was flung backwards, straight into the crowd. It was quite clear that he wasn't going to be getting back up anytime soon.

"Tch, that was actually pretty easy. Though it helps that you were overly confident and underestimated me." Vex knelt down and fist bumped Squirtle, congratulating him on a job well done. "If you had used a stronger pokemon and took me seriously, it might have been a different story. Better luck next time bro."

"The winner is, Vex Masters." Jenny said, making sure everyone watching could hear it.

People actually began clapping, clearly having enjoyed the brief battle that had taken place. A few even let out whistles and some even shouted to have their voices heard, making Vex feel some sense of achievement as he touched the pokeball against Squirtle's head.

"Well done man. You did great." Vex smiled as the blue turtle saluted before disappearing into the pokeball. "Now just sit back and let Pikachu handle things from here."

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