Fine, you can begin." Joy said without looking up at the trainers or the pokémon, just looking at the advanced device in her hands. It was a custom-made monitor displaying real-time data about the battle, including vital signs and energy levels of the battling Pikachu.
The first to give orders was Kate, sounding excited and totally determined as she pointed towards Horthy's Eevee. "Quick attack!" Her voice was sharp and clear, cutting through the air with the confidence of someone who had trained extensively.
"Pika!" Pikachu quickly rushed towards Eevee in a frontal attack, leaving a whitish wake behind as he charged his attack. The electric mouse was a blur of yellow as it darted across the training field, its small body crackling with electric energy in preparation for the impact.
"Eevee, dodge with quick attack!" Eevee heard Horthy, but when she saw the Pikachu charging at her so directly and quickly, she hesitated too much and ended up being hit by Pikachu, sending her flying 4 meters back. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of her, and she tumbled across the ground, struggling to regain her footing.
The next thing Eevee saw as soon as she recovered in pain was lightning quickly approaching, then briefly blinding her and electrocuting her severely. The electricity coursed through her body, making her fur stand on end and causing her muscles to spasm involuntarily.
"No Eevee! Quickly recover! As we have been working on it, quick attack!" Horthy's voice was filled with concern and urgency as he tried to rally his partner. He knew Eevee was resilient, but the electric attack had clearly taken a toll.
Eevée strugled into getting up, and when she did, he received another quick-attack tackle from Pikachu. The relentless assault left Eevee reeling, struggling to maintain her balance as she was repeatedly knocked off her feet.
Horthy couldn't help but feel helpless in the moment, Eevee's lack of experience and his uselessness in the moment to make her react was going to cost him serious injuries to his partner. He desperately wished he could do more than just shout instructions, but he knew he had to trust in Eevee's training and her ability to adapt.
"You can Eevee... move to the side, quick!" Horthy shouted, his voice strained with anxiety. He knew he had to wake up Eevee if he didn´t want to just lose, but see his partner be severely injured.
In the next moment Eevee in desperation, forced her little head to look ahead, and saw Pikachu charging her next electric attack, and when she released her attack, Eevee jumped aside at the last moment before the lightning struck where she was a millisecond ago. The smell of ozone filled the air as the electricity dissipated, a stark reminder of how close she had come to another direct hit.
"Dang... now closer to Eevee and quick attack!" Kate continued to give quick orders, trying not to give Eevee time to recover, who seemed to react little by little. She pressed her advantage, sensing that Eevee was faltering.
"Well dodged, dodge with quick attack!" Horthy countered, hoping to capitalize on Eevee's narrow escape and regain some momentum. He needed to remind Eevee that she was capable and that they could still win.
"Vee!" Following her cry of determination, Eevee began to escape from the aggressive Pikachu that was chasing her, making use of the arduous training of the last three months, and pushing her stamina, speed, and strength to the maximum, surprising Kate in the process by seeing that the speed was on par with her Pikachu. Eevee weaved and darted around the training field, her movements becoming more fluid and precise as she grew more confident.
While the fox and the electric rodent ran, Horthy was looking for an opening to counterattack, which seemed very complicated. But... something he learned from the videos about previous official competitions of the League, is that in general, the winner achieved surprise attacks that few would expect, so he had an idea. He knew he needed to think outside the box if he wanted to outsmart Kate and her Pikachu.
"Slow down and wait for Pikachu!" Eevee slowed down slowly in doubt, but in the end she slowed down completely and watched Pikachu cut the distance quickly. "Grab her with a bite and don't let her go when she approaches!" Horthy's plan was risky, but he hoped it would catch Kate off guard and give Eevee a chance to strike back.
Eevee shifted her pose and waited for Pikachu to come closer. When Pikachu hit her, Eevee went so far as to grab the rodent's sides to keep her from going, and finally bite its neck with her fangs, making them glow slightly. Eevee held on tight, determined to execute Horthy's plan perfectly.
Pikachu strugled and cried in pain under Eevee´s grasp and bite, now Horthy had the advantage, and he would try to push it. "Great! Now use scratch as well Eevee, and hold Pikachu with bite!"
Eevee did as Horhy commanded, and started moving her head to the sides, trying to maximize the damage on Pikachu as she scratched the rodent´s back.
Kate bit her lower lip and frowned a bit frustrated, then giving desperate orders. "T-try to esc- no wait, Electrocute that Eevee! Thundershock now!" Pikachu heard her trainer, but struggled to concentrate her energy and do as she asked under the pressure from Eevee and the pain she was inflicting on her.
Horhy smirked and smelled the victory come closer, but then...
"Eevee?"
Eevee suddenly stoped biting and scratching, and instead let Pikachu go while being completly stunned by some reason. Horthy got completly confused by it, but Kate quickly realized, and made use of this window to try and have her victory.
"YES, just in time, thundershock again and again!"
Pikachu jumped a few meters from Eevee who was paralyzed on the ground without chance of recovering, then channeled the electric energy and use thundershock once... twice and thrice, until nurse Joy stepped in to stop the battle.
"Enough! Pikachu wins the battle." She turned to Kate and nodded slightly. "Pikachu is good to go, she is completly recovered from her problem with electricity but will now have to stay and recover from the battle..." Pikachu jumped in excitement as she heard she won, and jumped to Kate´s arm, who noticed she was bleeding profusely on her neck and her back damaged.
Meanwhile, Horthy got closer to Eevee and picked her up from the ground, feeling the static run to his skin and giving him a kick that almost makes him let Eevee fall to the ground. He forced a smile and looked at Eevee with pride, to then caress her little head. "Your first battle huh, you did great..."
Horthy felt a hand on his shoulder and the soft voice of Joy trying to encourage him and his pokemon. "You both did awesome for a first pokemon battle, mainly you Eevee. That girl is one of the many trainers that learns from the gym Leader Surge."
"That is true!" Kate said happily as she approached with Pikachu in hands. "Pikachu is my last pokemon, I have other two with more experience and much stronger, so you could say you almost win to a more experienced trainer."
"Vee..." Eevee whispered and licked Horthy´s hand, who laughed and caressed her eagerly, and glad to hear that he did good against an experienced trainer, even if with her weaker pokemon. So he gave Eevee to Joy and gave her a knowing gaze, who also took Pikachu in hands and took both pokemon to the nursery to help them recover.
Kate and Horthy were left alone in the arena, she folded her arms and looked at him curiously. "How old is that Eevee, and how fast is it? For a first fight she performed too well."
Horthy smiled a little proudly and clicked his tongue. "Well... I started training her 3 months ago, she is now 9 months old. I have used wooden dummies and weights on its 4 legs to achieve this. Working with a Joy nurse also greatly enhances my efforts and I have learned a lot."
Kate nodded in understanding and held out her hand, offering a handshake. "You've already heard Joy, but I'm introducing myself again. I'm Kate, a trainer for two years, under the tutelage of Lieutenant Surge."
Horthy recognized the moment to start making contacts and interacting with another trainer, so he put on a diplomatic smile and gladly, introduced himself to himself and continued talking to the most comfortable coach inside the center.