For Her Hand

Chapter Fifty-Seven

A week and a half had gone by since Seth had obtained his fifth gym badge. During that time he and his team trained daily so as not to leave their skills unpolished. After examining his team, he found that he still had a long way to go before he'd fulfilled the requirements of the contest. Because of this, he found himself on Miroir Way once again with the intention of finding yet another partner to add to his team. What he was looking for, even he didn't know. Then again, that was half the fun. With Cerise at his back, he remained vigilant to anything that might pop out and surprise him. He had already planned on using her in whatever battle they might face. 

He could hear the wind rustling through the trees along the trail, as well as the distinct pattering of tiny feet most likely belonging to some rodent Pokémon. There were many prospects within the area, of that much he was certain. His eyes shifted to his right as a small bipedal, orange mouse-like Pokémon scampered out of the brush. The little creature sniffed the ground near it, sparks of electricity flying from its whiskers as it sensed its surroundings. As it scurried along the ground, a great shadow soared overhead, snatching its attention immediately. 

Seth's eyes trailed upward to catch sight of a massive bird of prey. Its eyes were lagoon blue, and it had a dark blue feathered body with traces of black intermingled with it. It had a circular white patch on its forehead that was covered partially by a black crest with an icy blue tip. Larger white markings covered most of its throat and chest. It had a black tipped orange beak and talons to match. The massive Flying-type's eyes were set on the small electric rodent. Without missing a beat, it dove, talons open as it aimed to snatch the little Pokémon into the air. 

Reacting quickly, Cerise unraveled herself from Seth's back and launched herself at the bird of prey. The crimson blade landed a well-timed Night Slash, fending off the sizable foe. The Staraptor soared back into the air and observed the new adversary from above. Cerise was certainly strong, that much was for certain simply based on the power of the attack she had used. Perhaps he would find a challenge out of this after all. Cerise shifted her body toward Staraptor and pointed the tip of her blade upward, lacing it with Psychic energy before launching several crescent blades upward. 

Staraptor jinked to the right and dove downward, weaving around the blades as they carved through the air at him. Plummeting down like a missile, Staraptor's body began to glow as he pulled in his wings to gain more momentum. With a loud screech, he unfurled his wings and burst into flames as he rocketed forward and collided with Cerise's steel frame, sending her spinning through the air. Sparks flew up Staraptor's wings, causing him to wince after taking recoil damage. Cerise managed to keep herself from getting her blade caught in a tree by phasing through it. 

She snaked down the tree using the shadows for cover, prompting Staraptor to follow her movements. Seth kept watch as Cerise continued to battle on her own, gauging the strength of the Staraptor for himself and finding him very suitable indeed. He'd brought along a few Ultra Balls for such an occasion as this. Staraptor spread his wings, creating an orange glow around them before flapping them rapidly, creating a powerful heated gust of flames that sliced through the air toward the ground where Cerise was heading. Stopping short, Cerise retreated and popped out of the ground only to be nailed hard by an Aerial Ace from behind. 

Taking back to the skies, Cerise narrowly avoided another Brave Bird assault and launched a Flash Cannon, clipping Staraptor's left wing, sending him spiraling downward. Seizing the opportunity, Cerise shot toward Staraptor and in a swift upward motion, sliced along his chest area, further injuring her foe. With a screech, Staraptor crashed into the ground and struggled to get back into the air. Due to his wing being damaged, he was hard-pressed to get anywhere fast. 

Seth, knowing that neither one of them would last much longer if it continued, primed his Ultra Ball and whipped it at the Staraptor. The ball bounced off his head and opened with a flash of light, absorbing him inside. The ball hit the ground and began to violently twitch. What was only a few seconds, felt like an eternity to Seth as the third twitch finally came around. The ball went still and a satisfying 'ding' was heard, signifying that his target had been caught. A sigh of relief left his lips as he walked up to the ball and picked it up. Clipping it to his belt he called Cerise back to him.