Twigbo the Unrivaled

Tenor was returned to his Capture Ball once he got us to the other side of the cave. The little creek that ran through the cavern expanded into a long stream going down the back side of the mountain toward the coast. From this elevation, we could see the twinkling edges of the western Ocean from leagues away. The gravel path was overrun with ticklish, furry reeds.

The riverbanks were strewn with thick mud that lapped over Zane’s boots. The uneven ground slowed him. Trying to go from Verdant Shore to Jubilee City almost without stopping was about as realistic as soothing a Vioworm to sleep and surviving, which we had done. I thought to myself, if there was another fight, Zane would have to have me sit out. Prince was still in good form, but Squirm would struggle to fight for as long as he was a Cacoolett. Cacooletts were notoriously immobile. The venomous teeth available to them as Cattaletts were gone. All they had was a nearly unbreakable carapace of chitin armor and a single, unwieldy stinger that did little actual damage. Tenor, on the other hand, was nearly unstoppable against anything that couldn’t ignore his song. Even I stood no chance against him- the same reason I was so out of shape now.

Zane stopped to take a deep breath, looking down at the river. We both turned sharply as the reeds beside him started shaking. Chii shoved herself through them, panting, “I’ve been waiting here for you for hours! How did you take so long to get here?” She scolded.

“I thought you wanted to part ways,” Zane blinked.

“Yeah, so I could battle ya here!” She put her hand over her mouth as she chortled. A cute clearing in a bunch of reeds by a pretty river. It was quite a place to have a fight, I supposed I would have wanted to challenge Fire in the same kind of spot. Chii didn’t notice the slight line of blush under her freckles as she grabbed a Capture Ball out of her bag, “I got a cool new Capmon, and you won’t stand a chance against him!”

Nyaro headbutted Chii’s neck, “I’ll go!” She volunteered.

“You wait,” Chii said firmly. Instead, a white-furred rodent with long, yellow stripes and a broad, puffy tail appeared in front of her. Pachu’s thick, buck teeth twitched slightly as it appeared in the field. It was larger than me, but only slightly. Its tail swished back and forth as it stepped forward. It lifted its paw over its brow like a salute, then stomped, showing off its chest like there were supposed to be muscles there.

Zane scratched his chin, “Uhh… What type is that?”

“Pachu?” She smiled, “It’s an earth type, can’t ya see?” She lied. It was a close relative of Kachi, and was similarly a lightning type. “Ya should send the Pengli in… What was it, Prince? He’d have a big advantage!” Chii snickered.

I pointed down at Tenor’s Capture Ball. Pachu would have almost identical abilities to mine, and Tenor would make easy work of it. Instead, Zane scratched his head, “Awww… You told me who to use? Well, it’d be unfair if I did…” He mumbled, “How about this!” He sent in Squirm. The Cacoolett bobbled side to side in the mud, sinking slightly.

“Oh, you evolved your Cattalett?” Chii tilted her head side to side, “What was that strategy before… Pachu, position yourself across from it! Get the river behind you!” I blinked. Cacoolett was famously clumsy. She was using my tactic. If Squirm attacked now, Pachu would just hop out of the way, leaving Squirm to tumble helplessly into the water… Then, it would zap him silly.

Pachu bobbled forward on his two legs, only to stumble just beside Squirm. He tried pushing himself out of the mud with his tail. I exhaled. These kinds of things were a trainer’s worst nightmare. Having a good idea only for the execution to be completely fumbled. Pachu rolled side to side, furiously trying to get up.

“Squirm… Uh… Counterattack!” Zane commanded. Squirm tilted forward, trying to reveal his stinger. He also stumbled, rolling over and sinking deeper into the terrain.

“Ha!” Chii pointed forward, “All according to plan! The mud is wet, so Pachu, fry it!” Pachu’s electricity coursed through the watery ground, crackling up and flashing around Squirm. A crack formed in his shell, and a little trickle of smoke twisted up from him. Pachu’s lightning also flashed backward through the wetness, surging through Pachu’s body. It squealed and its eyes shut. Both were recalled. This was almost a win for Zane. Squirm managed to remove an opponent’s Capmon, and he wouldn’t have accomplished much else.

“I thought you said it’s an earth type!” Zane sent Prince in next.

“I did!” Chii sang. She stuck her tongue out as she pointed Birtsie forward.

Zane thought to himself, “Well, Prince is a stone type, you know! So, Birtsie is totally a bad choice!”

“Pengli is a sea type…” Chii yawned, “Everyone knows that!” Birtsie’s tail feathers fanned out behind her as she swished through the air. She darted down behind Prince.

“Look out!” Zane warned just too late as Birtsie’s beak slammed into Prince from behind. He reeled, reactively spurting water out at his adversary. Birtsie had already flown too high, escaping the counter.

“That’s not cool, Baby!” Prince flicked his flipper up at her.

“I’m doing what I ought to…” Birtsie chirped.

Prince waddled toward the river, turning his head up toward her, “Don’t worry, Baby. I’ll forgive you when I’m a champion…” He started to say something else as Birtsie hit him head on, driving her beak into his head with the full force of her dive. He stumbled backward and fell silently into the creek, quickly getting recalled after.

Chii yawned, “You’ve only got Bianca there, and I saved Nyaro for last. Wanna give up now, Zane?”

“Only?” He smirked, “Go Tenor!” The Songbat appeared on the battlefield. His eyes squinted shut in the daylight. Little chirps escaped him, echoing off the surroundings and reminding him where he was.

“Fine…” Chii flicked her hair, “Birtsie, knock it out of the sky!”

“Use your song!” Zane demanded. Tenor’s voice was rotten and curled out of shape at first, discordant. But with every note, it sounded more perfect. Birtsie rolled in the sky, then dove straight into a tree. She dropped to the ground, needing to be recalled. I managed to barely stay awake, myself.

“What are you doing?” Chii scoffed at Birtsie’s Capture Ball. She ran her fingers along the fur on Nyaro’s back.

“I’ll get him!” Nyaro mewed and hopped onto the battlefield, “That’s a sweet little song! I hope I… I…” She started drooling and curled into a little, fluffy ball in the grass. She purred and flexed her paws in front of her. Her back legs flicked up and down as if she were running, and she gnawed at thin air. Chii gaped and recalled her.

“See!” Zane smirked, “Tenor is super tough!”

Chii’s wrist shook as she held up the last Capture Ball, “F-fine… I’ve still got… I’ve still got Twigbo!” A flash of light appeared on the field and Twigbo materialized, dangling at the top of one of the reeds. He looked up at Tenor, a giant next to him.

Tenor’s song simply continued. And continued. Twigbo sat on the reed, staring blankly, “A more high note, no? It is not what a singer does.”

“Yo, Z?” Tenor looked to Zane, “What’s this thing doing?”

I barely shook away from half a dream of my own as the song ended. I mumbled to myself as Twigbo kept standing, “Impressive… It can’t get hypnotized.”

Zane froze, “Uh… Uh… Tenor, bite it!”

Tenor dove toward Twigbo, the wind swishing behind his fleshy wings. “Hop aside!” Chii called out at the last second. For what Twigbo was, he was surprisingly nimble, bouncing onto the top of another reed.

Having missed, Tenor twirled down awkwardly until he splashed into the river. His back struck the pointed rocks at the bottom of the shallow water, and his wings slowed to a stop. Zane recalled him, “Y-you tried your best. I didn’t know Twigbo was so tough…” Twigbo flashed, surrounding himself in sharp, white light. It was so bright that it blinded me as Zane carefully set me down in the middle of the battlefield.

When the light died down, Twigbo was gone. Instead, there was an empty husk that looked like his stick-shaped exoskeleton floating lazily in the air. A dark shadow hung in the air around it, twitching erratically like the static on a television. Somewhere in the dark aura around it were two piercing red eyes. He’d evolved into a Twiglo. A mix of his old, insect type self and a phantom type.

My leg slumped behind me as I dragged myself forward. Even if I jumped, I could barely reach it where it was floating. Chii danced on her feet, her hands twitched. I used to do that when I was sure I was winning. “B-be careful still! She’s fast!” Chii announced.

Twiglo’s voice creaked through the reeds around him, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, “There is no care in me. There is no wroth. I am, simply am.”

“Thanks…” Chii rolled her eyes, “Now, win the battle!”

Twiglo disappeared entirely, only to immediately reappear at my flank. I managed to hop out of the way, my leg burning as I did. He didn’t even attack, he just floated there calmly, “Now, now, Bianca-Kichi… There is no fear of me. It is as all things are.”

I tried taking another step back to correct my positioning, but simply stumbled in the mud. Twiglo flickered out of existence again, only to suddenly be hovering right over me. One of the claws on his broken husk swung down at me, but stopped in midair beside me as I flinched away. “Ah-ah-ah…” He taunted, “But there is fear of ourselves!”

With each feint, he further exhausted me, stalking around me and disappearing whenever he pleased. The bite in my leg was swelling as the mud washed over it. My fur was stained from the dirt. As he appeared again, I sat still, watching him swing forward. He stopped again, not actually striking me.

Electricity flashed around me, zipping forward until it completely surrounded Twiglo. The surge flashed through all of the cloudy shadow behind him, hissing against the husk of his former exoskeleton. Then, my attack hissed away into nothing. Twiglo was immune to any and all attacks except for a few select weaknesses. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten that. Otherwise, he was famously frail. If only I could exploit one of those weaknesses, he’d fall in a moment.

Twiglo laughed slowly, like an old man hearing a joke from his childhood, “All things fancy must only sparkle.” He zipped toward me and slashed his claw down across my face.

I stumbled backward into the mud, landing completely on my back. I tried picking myself up, but was overcome by darkness as my eyes forced themselves shut.