Episode #10: The Battle Castle!

The Battle Castle was an extremely elegant place in the Battle Frontier. Numerous pictures of famous kings within the Sinnoh region's past, as well as a number of paintings of the Castle Mistress: Caitlin were hung up on the wall. She was depicted as a young girl with light brown hair and a bow on each side of her long hair wearing a pink dress and a white coat with a bow on it. Rain found her to be beautiful for a young girl, as did J.D.. The two soon arrived in the main area along with a ton of other trainers. One of which happened to be Isabel, the nasty old woman who had a thing against Rain.

“Why is she here?” Rain said to himself.

“What's up?” J.D. asked.

“It's nothing, I'm just talking to myself.”

Soon, the young woman emerged from the back room of the balcony area and confronted the trainers. She was Caitlin herself, the Frontier Brain of the facility.

“Welcome everyone,” she said. “Welcome to the Battle Castle! Here you fight under a unique set of circumstances. You must fight using special points known as Castle Points. You'll all start with 20. As you progress, you will gain more to buy items, look at your opponent's data and even make them weaker or stronger. However, you'll lose CP faster than you'll gain them, so spend wisely. Darach!”

Caitlin's butler, Darach, came forth to introduce himself.

“My name is Darach, and I will serve as your assistant for the challenge. I will be going to each one of you and implementing your decisions for your battles. Once you reach my mistress...well...let's just say you'll be surprised at what you'll be up against. Now then, if everyone would position themselves in their designated lobbies, then we'll get underway.”

They all separated and went to wherever they were sent to, Rain gave J.D. a quick farewell and headed off to his area. Once Rain was inside, he patiently waited for Darach to come by and let him spend his 20 CP on whatever it was. He finally came to him as he greeted him happily.

“Welcome, Rain Eidoh,” Darach said. “I hope you're ready?”

“Sure am,” Rain said. “So what can I use these on?”

“You have several options. You can either heal your team, buy items, or take a peek at your opponent's move set or Pokémon. You can also make your your Pokémon stronger or their Pokémon weaker just slightly. You have a lot of options to choose from.”

Rain thought about it and wanted to find out about his opponent.

“I'd like to see my opponent, please,” Rain said.

“Very well,” Darach said.

He went over to a small computer within the wall and entered something in. He got the information on his opponent and went back to him.

“Your first opponent will be a Lopunny. Have you decided on who you wish to use?”

“I will use my Drapion,” Rain said.

“Very well. I have taken one CP from your account for looking at your opponent's Pokémon.”

“That's it?” Rain asked.

“Some are cheap, while others are expensive. Now, if you may, please go inside.”

Rain went onto the battlefield. He noticed Caitlin looking out from above, watching the battle unfold. His opponent was none other than Isabel, the woman who Rain would rather not face a second time.

“I see we meet again,” she said. “I hope to exact revenge on you for beating me!”

“What kind of vengeance does she have against me?” Rain thought.

“If both of you are ready,” Caitlin said, “then begin!”

“Go, Lopunny!” Isabel said.

Isabel's Lopunny came out as she blew a lovely kiss to Rain. Rain didn't want to be phased by her at all and drew his Poké Ball out.

“Go, Drapion!” Rain said.

Drapion immediately came out and roared proudly at Lopunny. Isabel wasn't impressed that a kid like him would have such an evil Pokémon on him.

“Such a dirty kid using such a nasty Pokémon,” she said. “You and your Pokémon could use an obedience lesson from me!”

“We'll see about that. Drapion, use Cross Poison!”

“Lopunny, dodge and use Jump Kick!” Isabel ordered.

Drapion's arms began to glow brightly as he charged in with a Cross Poison. Lopunny jumped into the air to avoid the attack and struck Drapion with a Jump Kick, dealing a lot of damage as he fell onto his back. He slowly recovered as Lopunny taunted him to fight back.

“Drapion, use Pin Missile!” Rain ordered.

Drapion fired numerous needles that struck Lopunny as she cowered in fear.

“Lopunny, use Mirror Coat!” Isabel ordered.

Lopunny created a pink aura around her has the attacks went back to Drapion, however the attacks did nothing to Drapion, despite the attacks being Pin Missile.

“But how?!” Isabel asked.

“Mirror Coat is a Psychic attack. It has no effect against Dark Pokémon.”

“Dorap!” Drapion replied.

“Fine then. Lopunny, Quick Attack into Jump Kick!”

Lopunny charged forward and jumped towards Drapion with a dive kick, but Rain prepared for it.

“Drapion, use Cross Poison!” Rain ordered.

Drapion used Cross Poison and struck Lopunny hard. She stepped back a bit and awaited her orders.

“Now, use Bug Bite!” Rain ordered.

Drapion's teeth began to glow as he dug into Lopunny's neck, dealing a lot of damage to the rabbit Pokémon.

“Finish this with Cross Poison!” Rain said.

Drapion's claws began to glow as he let go and swiped at Lopunny, knocking her back and leaving her unable to battle.

“Lopunny is unable to battle!” Caitlin said. “Drapion is the winner!”

Isabel growled in anger as she recalled her Lopunny, walking off in a fit of rage. Rain went over to hug Drapion, but he got a hold of him first and squeezed the life out of him.

“Okay, okay,” Rain said, choking. “You made your point, now let go, please?!”

Drapion let go of Rain, leaving him to look up at his Pokémon and laugh. He recalled his Drapion and headed off to see what he could do next round. Darach was there waiting for him with a smile.

“Well done, Rain,” he said. “That last battle awarded you with 25 CP. You will gain more as you win battles. Have you decided what to do next?”

Rain wondered what to do now. If looking at an opponent's Pokémon costed 1 CP, it shouldn't be a problem. He had only 44 CP to spend.

“I'll look at my opponent now, and if possible their moves,” Rain said.

“Okay. You should have enough for both,” Darach replied.

He went to his computer and looked at his choices. He clicked on each one to gain information on his opponent. He got the info and went back.

“Your opponent will be a Chatot, and his moves consist of Hyper Voice, Sing, Mirror Move and Fury Attack. That's 6 CP I've taken out of your account.”

With 38 CP left, he decided that Drapion could use a heal as well.

“I'd also like Drapion healed as well,” Rain said.

Darach took Drapion's Pokeball with him in it and used it on a special healer to restore him back to perfect health.

“That's 10 CP I've taken out of your account, leaving you with 28 CP.”

Rain was cutting it close and decided that it was enough. He took Drapion's Poké Ball back and headed off into the arena to face his opponent. He decided that if he was using a flying Pokémon, then he was going to use Luxray to help him out. He went inside to see his opponent, who was surprisingly J.D., who was just as surprised to see him as well.

“Rain, what a surprise,” J.D. said. “What's up, man?”

“Hello,” Rain said. “Odd person to have a Chatot.”

“Begin!” Caitlin said.

“Go, Chatot!” J.D. said.

J.D. sent his Chatot out, who squawked happily. He fluttered in the air as he prepared himself for battle.

“Ready to go, Chatot?” J.D. asked.

“Squawk! Ready to go! Squawk!”

Rain took out Luxray's Pokeball and prepared to give him a chance to shine. Chatot weren't that strong, so it was a no brainer that Luxray could handle it.

“Go, Luxray!” Rain said.

Rain sent his Luxray out as it roared proudly. J.D. was nervous about facing an Electric Type Pokémon, but that didn't bother him. Rain could see it in his eyes that he was going to have trouble.

“Luxray, use Thunder Fang!” Rain ordered.

Luxray charged forward with his teeth letting loose electricity, leaving J.D. to prepare a dodge tactic.

“Chatot, dodge and use Hyper Voice!” J.D. ordered.

Chatot moved quickly in order to avoid the Thunder Fang and then squawked loudly, pushing Luxray aside and emitting an annoying sound to his ears.

“Discharge!” Rain ordered.

“Dodge and use Mirror Move!” J.D. ordered.

Luxray fired his Discharge attack as Chatot immediately dodged and began to glow slightly. He then struck Luxray with a Discharge of his own, causing damage to his opponent.

“He's dodging all my attacks,” Rain thought. “This is going to be hard.”

“Chatot, use Sing!” J.D. ordered.

“Discharge!” Rain ordered.

Luxray fired a Discharge attack, striking Chatot before he could sing and managed to knock him out in one hit. Rain had no idea that his Chatot was that weak, leaving J.D. to cover his face in annoyance.

“Chatot is unable to battle!” Caitlin said. “Luxray is the winner!”

“Wow, that Chatot was beyond weak,” Rain thought to himself.

J.D. took his Chatot and left, annoyed at the fact that his Chatot let him down. Rain still couldn't figure out why he had a Chatot. He went back into the other room and prepared to wait for the final battle against his mystery opponent. He waited for Darach to come by, but it was taking him longer than usual.

“Where's Darach?” Rain asked.

Darach immediately came into his area and approached Rain. He was apparently late for some reason, a reason that he could not disclose.

“I'm sorry for being so late,” he said. “I had to deal with another member.”

“It's alright,” Rain said.

“In any case, that battle awarded you with 26 CP. You now have 54 CP. Is there anything you'd like to use?”

“I want to heal my team, view my opponent's Pokémon, as well as their attacks.”

He took Luxray's Pokeball and went over to the computer to get it healed. While it was healing, he got information on his opponent and its moves. Once he grabbed the information, he took Luxray's Poké Ball and headed back to Rain as he handed the Poké Ball over.

“Your opponent will be a Ninetales. Its moves consist of Flamethrower, Confuse Ray, Dark Pulse and Double Team. The actions you've made will cost you 16 CP, leaving you at 38.”

“I'll go through now,” Rain said.

“Hold on, before you do, who will you use?”

Rain had to make a decision quickly. He eventually decided that Gallade would be a good choice for this battle.

"I pick Gallade," Rain said.

“If you'll excuse me for one moment.”

Darach ended up taking his Poké Ball. He went back to the machine, leaving Rain confused as to what he was doing.

“You opponent has made an option that involved your team. He wanted your main Pokémon to be weaker, which is an option you should have as well.”

Rain was surprised that his opponent would actually go for such a move. Darach returned the Poké Ball to Rain as he wondered just how weak Gallade really was.

“Now, if you may,” Darach said.

Rain went onto the battlefield and waited for his opponent to arrive. His opponent soon came out, and it was in fact Kent, the mysterious trainer that he met on the first day. Rain knew he wanted to do away with him as soon as possible, so he ended up weakening Rain's Pokémon to give him a handicap.

“Begin!” Caitlin said.

“Ninetales, let's go!” Kent said.

He sent out his Ninetales as she took the stage. Rain hoped that Gallade wasn't too weak and decided to send it out anyway.

“Go, Gallade!” Rain said.

Gallade came out. His breathing was light, but it wasn't too bad, to Rain's relief. He still had to watch it, since he was so close to fighting against Caitlin.

“Ninetales, use Flamethrower!” Kent ordered.

“Gallade, use Psycho Cut!” Rain ordered.

Ninetales fired her Flamethrower at Gallade, who responded by shooting a Psycho Cut that sliced the attack and struck Ninetales. She brushed the attack off and returned to a standing position.

“Ninetales, use Confuse Ray!” Kent ordered.

Ninetales launched a blinding light that Gallade looked into. His eyes soon became purple and tried to gain his footing.

“Psycho Cut!” Rain ordered.

Gallade looked around and shot random Psycho Cuts around the arena. Ninetales just sat down and watched the show, until one Psycho Cut struck her unexpectedly.

“Even when confused, he can still hit!” Rain said. “Night Slash!”

Gallade used a Night Slash to the point where the strand struck himself numerous times. He soon snapped out of the confusion and looked around.

“Flamethrower!” Kent ordered.

Ninetales fired a Flamethrower and struck Gallade hard, knocking him to the ground hard.

“Keep it up!” Kent ordered.

“What do I do?” Rain muttered to himself.

Gallade was feeling an intense amount of pain and needed to fight back. Rain suddenly got an idea and prepared to fight back.

“Psychic!” Rain ordered.

Gallade's eyes began to glow as the flame shot back at Ninetales, however it failed to do any damage and instead made her stronger.

“Gallade, use Night Slash!” Rain ordered.

Gallade struck Ninetales with a Night Slash attack that struck her constantly. Kent smiled as he prepared to make his move.

“Ninetales, use Dark Pulse!”

Ninetales used a Dark Pulse attack to strike Gallade and knocked him back. Gallade was far weaker than before and Ninetales wasn't showing any signs of weakness.

“Now what?” Rain asked.

“It's hopeless,” Kent said. “You should give up now.”

“I won't give up!” Rain said. “Gallade, use Psycho Cut!”

“Double Team!” Kent ordered.

Gallade struck using a Psycho Cut attack, but Ninetales avoided it by splitting herself as copies. The copies surrounded Gallade as he looked about. His energy was growing weak as he fell to his knees, exhausted.

“Gallade!” Rain said.

“Fighting on is outright foolish,” Kent said. “You're simply wasting your time.”

“He's just too strong,” Rain thought. “I don't know if I can beat him!”

He immediately looked up at Caitlin, who was watching the match and remembered why he was here in the first place. Giving up now would make the Battle Frontier a waste of time.

“No, I have to push on!” Rain thought. “Gallade, use a widespread Psycho Cut!”

Gallade jumped up and spun around, shooting multiple Psycho Cut attacks that struck every clone, including the real one. She fell to the ground as Gallade continued his multiple strikes. Ninetales slowly got up, but she slowly faltered, giving Rain a light of hope.

“Ninetales!” Kent said. “Flamethrower!”

“Close Combat!” Rain ordered.

Gallade charged towards Ninetales, who fired a Flamethrower, but Gallade pushed through despite the heat and struck Ninetales multiple times. The last punch sent her flying against a wall and onto the ground, unable to battle. Kent was surprised that he was beaten like that, especially since he had the upper hand the whole time. Rain was surprised as well.

“Ninetales is unable to battle!” Caitlin said. “Gallade is the winner!”

Rain simply cheered as he went over to Gallade, who fell on his back, exhausted from the battle. He lifted him up with a smile.

“You did well, Gallade,” Rain said.

He returned him to his Poké Ball, while he noticed Kent walking off, with Ninetales back in his Poké Ball again. Rain wondered if he would ever see him again, but worrying about him wasn't important now. The next battle against the Frontier Brain was waiting for him, and he was more than ready for it. He hoped to beat Caitlin and get his Print.


To Be Continued!