NOCT2 R1 VS Jack

Jack exited the dugout and was met with a frigid blast of fresh air. Ayessel, perched on his shoulder, shuddered with cold. As he tightened his maroon coat, he had noticed his opponent had yet to appear. The electronic scoreboard flashed on, showing their names: JACK VS NICOMEDO. Ayessel shifted uneasily.

Nico, hearing the roar of a readied crowd, ambled to the battlefield. He had been humming the Champion’s theme he had heard in Johto to psych himself up. Glancing out into the crowd, he gave a few awkward grimaces. In the style of a prizefighter, he removed his purple jacket, revealing the green tee underneath. He then gave a few meager finger points to the crowd to mask his nervousness.

Their eyes met. Jack started tapping a rhythmic beat onto one of his Poke Balls. Nico started bouncing on the balls of his feet, swinging his arms across his chest in order to work up his muscles.

A voice came over the intercom: “TRAINERS, PLEASE SEND OUT YOUR POKEMON!” A wave of excitement surged the crowd. Nico began to feel more comfortable and released a genuine smile.

Finishing his rhythmic tap, Jack deftly picked up two Poke Balls with his left hand, tossing them high into the air. Upon the peak of their ascent, a Blastoise and a Poliwhirl were released. The Blastoise shifted from each of its feet to awaken its muscles, and the Poliwhirl shadowboxed.

Realizing the terrain and his opponents, Nico knew to send out Candra and Retsnim-el. “Go, Candra! Go-“ But as Candra heavily plopped onto the ice below, Ahti, the mischievous Solosis that it is, dissipated onto the battlefield. It turned around and performed an akanbe at Nico, despite having no arms. “… Ahti… Yeah, Ahti!” Nico knew that half of winning a battle was entertainment, and he refused to let his opponent’s see his nervousness.

“LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!”

Jack tapped the ground with his foot, and without missing a beat, Dory attempts to jump into the ground, but instead bounces off the ground. Aegis, however used Rapid Spin, skidding off the ice until it was quickly at the other end of the battlefield, totally avoiding the chunks of ice.

“They’re fast!” Nico proclaimed. He then let out a minor curse as he noticed Ahti was nowhere to be seen. “Candra,” he yelled, “do something!”

The crowd began to pack up their merchandise and food, for they knew that Jack was going to win, having intimidated one of his opponent’s Pokemon and having sent his opponent into a flurry, but Candra sank her body low to the ground, releasing electrical shocks throughout. The Poliwhirl hopped from foot to foot so as not to risk electrocution. The Blastoise, tucked deep into its shell, was jolted into the air a few good meters, slightly charred from the resulting blast. Ahti was nowhere to be seen.

Jack was surprised. He had never seen Electric Terrain used to stop a Rapid Spin. “He’s surprised,” Nico heard. Jack tapped the ground again, and Dory surged through a midair current of water.

Nico grabbed his head in aguinsh. “Candra, use Ice Fang!” Blastoise was dropped to the ground, and Candra leaped toward the anuran Pokemon, teeth exposed. The frog was frozen solid. Upon the two landing on the ground, Candra was immediately met with the thick skull of the Blastoise. The force of the hit was too much for Candra. The electrical field dissipated, and she hobbled onto the ground. She went to sleep. Nico prayed she was resting. “Where in the world is Ahti?”

Ahti whirled from behind Jack and flew around the audience, eliciting cheers of enjoyment and revelry so loud that Jack’s attention was brought off the battle. As quickly as it had appeared, Ahti disappeared. The crowd grew hushed in confusion. The Blastoise began to dance, but it was apparent it was not of its own accord. “Is that Pain Split?” Jack asked himself. As the Poliwrath began to thaw, Aegis began to glow green and rear its head as if to charge. Upon the moment Dory regained consciousness, the Shellfish Pokemon charged, launching itself at the Poliwrath. Acting upon instinct, Dory grabbed the aerial turtle and threw it into the ground. Aside from the initial impact, Aegis winced in heavy pain.

“Iron Defense!” Nico thumbed his nose and pointed to the left as he looked to the right. Dory and Aegis were at this point showing signs of sure fatigue, and Candra shambled from her slumber. Having just seen a Solosis whizzing about the battlefield, Jack’s Pokemon were instead met with four Pokemon Dolls sitting in the different quadrants of the rink, each with a look of pure debauchery, tongues flailing in the wind.

Candra had prepped an icy breath and electrical manipulations, creating an aurora effect, much to the audience’s delight, but also to the mental distress of her opponents. Dory lurched through the air with Ice Punch, being spurred on by Aegis’s Hydro Pump.

Who will win? Who will die? What tricks does Ahti have up its sleeve? Will Jack ever realize Nico’s battle strategy? Will Nico ever realize his own strategy? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the next installment of the Nuzlocke Original Character Tournament!