Adventure's Past

Chapter 36 - Brock

Sceptile appeared from the Pokeball, landing on the ground and getting in a battle-ready position. "Scept!" Brock looked over and slightly nodded. "I remember Sceptile, that's for sure," he remarked, placing his hands on his hips. "Sudowoodo, be sure to keep your head in the game for this one," he advised, turning towards his Pokemon.

"Sudo!" Sudowoodo exclaimed, readying its arms. "Looks like Ash went with Sceptile for his next Pokemon," Bonnie noted, staring down at the large reptile Pokemon. "I wonder how strong it is." Serena smiled and looked down. "If how it was acting is any indication, then I think this is about to be quite the battle," she remarked.

"Sceptile!" Ash exclaimed, gaining Sceptile's attention. "I want you to be quick on your feet. Sudowoodo is a lot faster than it looks." Nodding, Sceptile turned back to his opponent, arms in front of him. "Ash! Before we keep on going, I want to ask you something!" Brock shouted from across the field.

Raising an eyebrow, Ash slowly nodded. "Go ahead, what is it?" Brock smirked and stared him down. "Am I putting up a good enough fight for the savior of the world?" He asked with open arms, a grin of pure enjoyment on his face. Ash took a step forward and pumped his fist. "Of course!" He replied, reflecting a similar facial expression as his opponent. "You've always been able to keep me on my toes, and now is no exception!"

Brock curtly nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "Good! I want to make sure you give it your all in this battle! I always want both of us to get better, no matter how busy we are!" Ash adjusted his jacket confidently. "Same here! Now let's continue!" He remarked, anxious to see how well Sceptile could do.

"If you're that ready, then Sudowood, go ahead and use Hammer Arm!" Sudowoodo's fake leaves glowed white as it began speedily using the walls of the rocks to increase its momentum. "Told you it's fast! Sceptile, use Quick Attack!" Ash suddenly exclaimed, causing Sceptile to take off towards Sudowoodo, who jumped into the air in anticipation of Sceptile's presence.

"Now, use Quick Attack to get behind it!" Ash yelled as Sudowood began its descent towards where Sceptile would be. Brock clenched his fists and stomped one foot. "Forget about the Hammer Arm! Look out for Sceptile!" Sudowood reacted by canceling its move and turned onto its side, where it was able to project off the surface of a rock.

Ash gritted his teeth as he watched this happen. Sceptile had managed to get behind his target, but a quick maneuver from Brock ensured that Sceptile was in front of Sudowood at all times. "Try to get behind Sceptile once more!" He yelled, swiping his hand to the right. Sceptile quickly began running, making his way over to Sudowood, who stood in anticipation.

"Use Feint Attack as Sceptile gets closer!" Brock yelled, crossing his arms. Sudowood suddenly stood extremely still, leading both Serena and Bonnie to believe that it had somehow actually become frozen. "Once you get behind Sudowoodo, use Leaf Blade on its back!" Ash shouted to Sceptile, who dashed behind his target.

"Now!" Brock yelled, enabling Sudowoodo to use his Feint Attack. Only slow-motion video could truly capture the extremely fast actions that both sides performed, as they both attempted to strike against each other. Sceptile drew a large green blade in his hands and slashed forward at Sudowoodo, who was prepared for the speedy attack.

As the green blade merely grazed Sudowoodo's brown back, the fake leaves managed to find their way onto Sceptile's chest since Sudowood was able to spin around and dodge the oncoming attack while ensuring its attack landed. After this impossibly quick exchange, Sceptile was knocked back onto the ground while Sudowoodo stood, planting its feet into the ground.

"What?" Ash questioned as Sceptile struggled to get up. "How did Sudowoodo know where to strike?" From the seats, Bonnie was shaking her head. "You'd think he knows how moves work," she muttered, earning a slight glance from Serena. "Feint Attack makes sure that Sudowoodo is ready for any attack coming its way," Brock explained as Sceptile got up and shook his head.