For Her Hand

Chapter Sixty-One

With the ball being but a week away, many of the competitors were rounding up their fourth badge and filling up their dex as much as they could while they had some down time before the big event. Knowing he needed several more Pokémon to his family of companions, he found himself once more on Menhir Trail where towering stones littered the landscape. His eyes were closed in meditation.

Meanwhile, Cerise hid in her master's shadow. Behind them were berries that Seth had accumulated along his journey that acted as bait to a particular breed of Pokémon. Several nanab, asper, pecha and chesto berries were all scattered about in the open. Remembering what Mrs. Rosseau had taught him about Pokémon and their berry preferences, he'd compiled a list and stocked up on what he'd need prior to landing on the trail. Menhir trail was known to have a few Pokémon that were rarely seen due to their natures.

Seth however, was only interested in one. As he waited, he could hear rustling in the grass behind him. Something was slowly approaching the berries that were strewn across the ground. Whatever it was, Seth could sense great power coming from it. Soon, he heard the distinct sound of chewing, meaning that the Pokémon was now digging into its berry of choice. Slowly, Seth poked his head out from behind the rock to get a good look at whatever was consuming his bait.

The canine had yellow, prickly fur with a spiky fringe at its tail as well as a white ruff around its neck. It had large, pointed ears that were black on the inside. It had a small black nose and black eyes. Seth remained silent, as did Cerise as she marveled at the sight of the Jolteon that had waltzed into their trap. Both blades turned their attention toward Seth, and finding confirmation that they should act, skulked through the shadows unheard toward their prey.

Jolteon's ears twitched as he felt a disturbance in the air around him. Mere seconds after the feeling hit, Cerise's first blade burst through the ground and arched her blade edge into a downward slash, sending a Psycho-cut slicing through the air toward the surprised foe. In a blurred motion, Jolteon backpedaled at startling speeds, avoiding the crescent blades that tore up the ground where it stood. His fur bristled and crackled with electricity as he stared down his offender.

Jolteon opened his mouth and gathered the energy stored into his body, forming a ball of electrical energy and launching it at Cerise. While Cerise dodged, Jolteon prepped another sphere of energy. This time, however, it was composed of shadow energy and was considerably more dangerous to Cerise than the Electro Ball that was thrown her way.

As Jolteon reared his head back to fire, a second blade sprang up from beneath him and slashed across his underbelly, causing him to fire the sphere upward instead of in the direction Cerise was hovering. Jolteon was sent tumbling along the ground until it finally rolled back onto his feet in time to avoid a Night Slash from the set of crimson swords. Sparks of azure lightning began building up around Jolteon's body and before Cerise could react, the canine exploded forward, his body encased in bright electrical energy as he rammed into the twin blades.

Cerise sprawled through the air and was soon forced to separate from her counterpart in an effort to avoid the Thunderbolt that split the air between them. Cerise, while having the advantage in strength, had come to the realization that she was at a severe disadvantage when it came to speed. Jolteon were notoriously fast, and this one was a prime example. The negative ions stored in its body did more than allow it to shoot lightning. It enabled them to move at incredible speeds.

She knew that if she was to win, she would need to match his speed. To do that would require a little sharpening of sorts.

"Alright speedy, I think it's about time I kicked things into high gear!" Cerise declared, sparks flying from hers and her counterpart's body as they began to sharpen themselves.