Three weeks passed quickly as Alex trained his Pokémon, and today was the day before they were set to leave for their vacation. To cap off their training, Alex decided to really ramp up the flying arena he had developed for his flying attack team, or teams, rather, since Raticate, Arcanine, and Togekiss, along with Alcremie, Altaria, and Frosmoth, insisted on participating as well.
The arena consisted of a random assortment of target drones that awarded one point when hit, levitating hoops worth three points when passed through, and Expert ranked Golbats that spammed Protect, Whirlwind, or Air Slash, awarding five points when struck with a melee attack. Throughout the course, the teams also had to contend with attack drones that chased them while firing Fire Blasts, each hit deducting one point. After an hour, whichever team scored the highest won, and of course, interference from opposing teams was completely allowed.
Alex had never expected his initial design, which was once just a simple obstacle course, to become so popular with his Pokémon. All it took was a single run from Grim's team to convince Arcanine to join in.
Since he couldn't fly, Arcanine relied on continuous use of Extreme Speed to stay airborne, chaining platform jumps between targets to conserve stamina. Raticate took one look at Arcanine's attempt and scoffed, claiming he could do better, and promptly proved it, as his Quick Attack was far less stamina-intensive. As for Togekiss, he initially only wanted to fly through the hoops, but Raticate eventually talked him into fully participating.
Alcremie also wanted to join and quickly recruited Altaria, who enjoyed flying through hoops while dodging attacks, and Frosmoth, who was far more interested in feeding the younglings but was ultimately coerced into participating by Alcremie's terrifying smile and matcha-flavored cream in hand.
By the end of it, Alex found himself with three flying attack teams added to his roster, just in case an aerial battle ever became inevitable.
"Ready?" Alex called from the 10th floor of the main hub, which offered the best view of the aerial flying arena.
Above the base's backyard, thousands of drones and nearly a hundred Golbats flew around seemingly at random. Some were target, attack, or hoop drones, while others served as cameras to record the battle. They were spaced far apart, though some were intentionally grouped together like swarms. A constant buzz filled the air as the propellers hummed in sync, setting the stage.
On the training ground below, additional drones hovered, ready to retrieve any Pokémon that fainted during the battle, as well as spare parts that fell, preventing the backyard from becoming littered with debris. The three teams, consisting of Grim, Knight, Hydreigon, Raticate, Arcanine, Togekiss, Alcremie, Altaria, and Frosmoth, waited in anticipation, legs and wings coiled, ready to leap into action.
"Begin!"
Immediately, Alcremie leapt onto Altaria's head and took off, with Frosmoth following closely behind. Arcanine and Raticate shot into the air with powerful leaps, while Togekiss followed alongside them as an emergency platform. Meanwhile, Knight mounted Grim and flew, with Hydreigon trailing behind.
Alcremie's team took the lead, firing Dazzling Gleam at clusters of target drones and bathing the skies in resplendent pink light. The attacks were fired in triple rotation, ensuring nothing survived. Unfortunately, they ended up damaging the hoops they needed to fly through and the Golbats that could only give points when struck with melee attacks, reducing their score almost as fast as they gained it. Still, the strategy was effective, as it prevented the other teams from scoring while keeping them in the lead.
Raticate's team began their assault as well, jumping through hoops, using the target drones as platforms, and scoring big points by striking the Golbats with melee attacks.
Suddenly, one of the Golbats used Whirlwind, disrupting their chain of jumps and sending them flying off into the distance. Togekiss used Extreme Speed to catch them midair and bring them back into the arena so they could continue the fight. Their points were slightly higher than Alcremie's team at the start, as they managed to score plenty of five-point hits on the Golbats, but being blown away hurt them more than they realized.
Grim's team, on the other hand, sped through the skies, taking down targets one after another with systematic precision. Grim charged through hoops, targets, and Goldbats alike with continuous Dragon Rushes, while Hydreigon followed behind, using Snarl to take out their pursuers.
Knight fired Dazzling Gleam to eliminate large numbers of drones, preventing attacks and scoring points, while occasionally using Aerial Ace to take down any Golbats they passed. He would then use the targets as platforms to jump back onto either Grim or Hydreigon before continuing their precise and tactical assault.
Compared to the other two teams, they were the most well-rounded, taking out swathes of drones, clearing hoops and Golbats, and covering their rear from assaults. A perfect aerial team that had it all.
In the main hub, screens everywhere broadcasted the battle as the drones recorded live from the site. Rotom ensured the footage was clean, slowed down, and flowed perfectly to capture the best sections of the action.
Cheers erupted each time one of the teams took the lead on the score board, as the people in the base watched with delight. The bars were the loudest since they were the most popular recreation areas, while each room also streamed the footage live, allowing families to enjoy the show.
Meanwhile, the girls, along with Alvera, watched from the command center of the main hub, where far more footage was displayed simultaneously.
"I hate that so many of my babies are being destroyed for this stupid battle," Rhea complained. "Do you have any idea how much just this one fight is costing us? How much work I have to put in to fix everything?"
"Oh, shut up," Nyx shot back. "You have an automated assembly line that churns out drones by the minute. If anything, it's Metagross and the Rotoms who are suffering, since they are literally running everything. As for the cost, don't the parts get recycled? At most, you'll lose 10-20% of the materials from the drones that were obliterated."
Rhea pouted but didn't argue. She didn't really have to do anything at all. She simply didn't like that her creations were being destroyed so uselessly. It was one thing for her creations to die in battle, but to see them destroyed purely for entertainment rubbed her the wrong way.
"I wonder how much we would make if we streamed this live," Kaia asked. "The people in the base are loving it, so maybe we can turn it into a sport."
"That's not a bad idea," Sable answered. "It would definitely cover the cost of running it here. We could probably even build a stadium specifically for it. What do you think, Alex?"
"Hm… I don't like that the drones will get attention. Then again, they won't operate properly without an overpowered AI or a Rotom or Metagross to run them. With the number of people who already know about it in the base, it's only a matter of time before it spreads to the internet. Sure, go for it. Feel free to post a well-edited video and sell the idea."
"You don't want to build the industry yourself?" Vera asked. "We have a massive lead here, so we could probably start up a network for it."
"Nah, too much competition. Besides, who here wants to take charge of a TV network and build everything from the ground up, including stadiums, marketing, and merchandising?"
Maris tried to lift her hand, but Celise grabbed it and put it down. There was no way she could run her company and a network at the same time. Hell, Celise was just the manager of the base, with plenty of assistants to support her, and even she couldn't handle the job.
"Thought so," Alex said. "Just sell the idea to a network and let them handle everything in exchange for royalties. Best of both worlds, in my opinion."
The battle continued for another hour while the drones were continuously replenished. Every ten minutes, the attack drones became more accurate, while the hoops and target drones grew more evasive. The Golbats, however, were limited targets and could only participate once, so they inevitably ran out before even ten minutes had passed.
Each team stuck to its strategy throughout the hour. Alcremie's team took out targets by the dozen, Raticate's team focused on staying airborne, and Grim's team performed with perfect precision and laser focus.
By the end, it was a landslide victory for Grim, Knight, and Hydreigon due to their strategy and accuracy. They were followed by Alcremie, Altaria, and Frosmoth, who maintained a steady rate of destruction, with Raticate, Arcanine, and Togekiss coming in last, having spent most of their time getting back into the fight rather than actually fighting.
"No upset this time," Iris commented.
"How could there even be an upset in the first place?" Lyra asked. "Grim's team is obviously built specifically for precision aerial combat, while Alcremie's team didn't really try very hard. Raticate's team was more of a gimmick than anything."
"I wonder what the optimal lineup for a team would be," Mika said. "Obviously an all Flying type team with the highest speed."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Nyx replied. "I imagine they would be very threatening, so the other two teams might gang up on them to prevent them from pulling too far ahead."
Their discussion continued while Alex looked on with pride at Grim, Knight, and Hydreigon. His idea for a dragon rider setup had worked out perfectly.
Even if Knight could neither fly nor teleport, it still contributed without burdening its allies. They fit the roles he had assigned perfectly.
All that was left was for them to hone their teamwork, and they would be a true menace in the sky, no matter what they faced.
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath