As Jason was still taken aback by Siebold's sudden proposal, the pouch on the side of his backpack shifted, followed by a flash of white shooting out from within.
"A battle with a member of the Kalos Elite Four! There's no way I can miss this...!" exclaimed Rotom, spinning excitedly.
"Oh? You have a Rotom Phone...?" asked Siebold, his brows rising slightly as, while smartphones were common in the Kalos Region, only those with a close association to Professors tended to carry Rotom Phones. Even he, a member of the Kalos Elite Four, didn't have one. Though not for a lack of means.
"I definitely travel with one..." responded Jason, smiling wryly as Rotom generally did its own thing unless he really needed it to make a phone or holo call.
Interjecting before things could get too out of hand, Korrina surprised Siebold immensely by stating, "I think it's a little too early for Ren to take on a member of the Elite Four. She and Jason are scheduled to attend the Melemele Island Pokémon School this coming term."
"Do you mean to tell me that this young man isn't a Pokémon Trainer...?" asked Siebold, his assessment of Jason changing drastically. Due to the latter's height and build, he assumed he was a Trainer with at least a few years of experience under his belt. To hear he didn't even have a Trainer's card or a license was a shock, to say the least.
Staring at Siebold in confusion, Korrina asked, "Don't you know who Jason is? He's the boy I contacted Champion Diantha about a few months ago. I assumed he was known to all members of the Elite Four."
"Ah...that explains a great deal..." acknowledged Siebold, crossing his left arm over his chest and cupping his chin contemplatively. He had felt that Jason was different, but, as he often paid more attention to his restaurant than his duties as a member of the Elite Four, he had completely forgotten the discussion in which Diantha had informed them that they had a visitor from another world.
"More importantly, aren't you supposed to be battling me?" questioned Korrina, puffing her cheeks and looking adorably miffed as she stamped her foot before Siebold like a younger sister about to throw a tantrum in front of their older brother. Jason felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing how close they were, but as he knew a certain degree of physical intimacy was common in the Pokémon world, he did his best not to let it bother him.
"Actually, if he's willing to accept, I would still like to battle Jason and his Riolu..." stated Siebold, adopting a faint smile as he met Jason's gaze and reasoned, "I can tell even at a glance that your Riolu trains very hard. And based on how she turns to you when she's uncertain, you've nurtured that quality diligently. To that end, this is an opportunity—and one that doesn't come often."
'He has a point...' conceded Jason, understanding from his research how difficult it was for the average Trainer to meet, much less battle a member of the Elite Four. The only way to guarantee meeting them was to win your annual League, so Siebold was arguably one of the most accessible since you only needed to fork over 1.3 million ₽okédollars, which was likely how he kept his restaurant afloat.
"Alright. I understand how great an opportunity this is, but, just as before, the decision isn't mine to make," answered Jason, removing his backpack and setting it gently on the ground, causing Ren to open her eyes, tilt her head back, and issue a cute, protracted yawn before staring at Jason with a confused head tilt.
"I'm pretty sure I already know the answer...but would you like to have a Pokémon battle with Siebold...?" asked Jason, prompting Ren to cutely tilt her head to the opposite side before his words finished processing in her mind. The moment they did, her red eyes lit up, and she practically burst out of his backpack, exclaiming, "Ren Battle! Ren Battle~!" while bouncing with her paws raised impatiently.
Exhaling from his nose, Jason pulled Ren's hoodie over her head and off her arms before storing it in his backpack. He noticed Seibold's right brow quirk at the sight of Ren wearing a black sports top and cobalt-blue short shorts, but Jason didn't let it bother him, as he knew he was the abnormal one for insisting that she wear clothes.
Freed from the constraint of her hoodie, Ren promptly dropped onto her forepaws and began doing push-ups to warm herself up. She also liked to show off, so instead of doing ordinary push-ups, she would clap her paws together between each one, the bulbous, black, tear-shaped antennae on the sides of her head bouncing as she did so.
"Your Riolu is as spirited as she is adorable..." hummed Siebold, nodding approvingly at the sight. Then, since he already knew what Jason would field, he decided to even the playing field and give the latter a chance to strategize by revealing his own pick.
"Come forth and reveal your radiance to the world,L'étoile~!" shouted Siebold, planting a kiss on the front of his Poké Ball before tossing it with a graceful, back-arching underhand to release a predominantly amethyst-purple Pokémon that looked like two gem-formed starfish glued together with a massive crimson gemstone on the front, encirled by an eight-point golden prong.
"Ah! This looks like a job for Rotom!" chimed Rotom, swooping in and performing a quick scan of the Pokémon to reveal what Jason already knew, specifically, "Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon. A Water-Psychic Type. The sparkling core at its center is thought to receive and transmit enigmatic signals. It has been known to cause headaches in those who approach it with covetous desires!"
"Aahnn~"
Leaving Jason at a loss for words, the Starmie abruptly released a very lewd-sounding, deeply feminine moan as the octagonally cut gem at its center pulsed like the beating of a heart. He knew that not all Pokémon could communicate as well as those in the Human Egg group, but he was mentally unprepared to hear one moan...
Posing confidently, Siebold remarked, "As your Rotom pointed out, my L'étoile is a Water-Psychic type. That means it's resistant to the majority of Fighting-type moves and deals considerable damage against Fighting-type Pokémon. However, as you are not yet a Trainer and Ren is still very young, I will prohibit myself from using Psychic-type moves unless we're in a pinch. I believe that is a suitable handicap, no?"
"Alright, sounds good..." affirmed Jason, nodding his head before adding, "And I appreciate the consideration...". In truth, he didn't like that Siebold was looking down on Ren, in particular, but he had no reason to refuse the man's handicap. If they had levels like in the games, the Starmine before him was at least level 65 compared to Ren's 20~25. There was virtually no way they could win in an even match-up, so even if it only increased their odds by a single percentage, he was willing to accept and take advantage of Siebold's leniency...
"Then, once you're ready, please move to the opposite side of the field~" hummed Siebold, turning to Korrina with a smile as he appended, "As for you and your marvelous Lopunny, I'm afraid you'll have to wait at least a few minutes longer before we battle."
"Oh, it's no problem at all~!" responded Korrina, waving her right hand in front of her face before pumping her fists and beaming as she contended, "This is a great opportunity for Jason and Ren, so thank you for giving it to them! During my next PR video for your restaurant, I'll work doubly—no—triply as hard to promote it...!"
"Oh? That isn't easy to imagine, given that you always seem to be giving it your all. Nonetheless, I shall be looking forward to seeing it when the day arrives..." hummed Siebold, his tone deepening and his piercing, dark blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Jason took notice of this and immediately felt that something was off, but as he didn't know Siebold well enough to understand how the man generally conducted himself, he remained silent but suspicious of the man's motives and intentions...
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With Ren warmed up and ready to go, Jason moved to the opposite side of the field with her and took a knee with his hands on her shoulders, his expression supportive but serious.
"Jason...?" intoned Ren, tilting her head to the side as, while she was used to seeing him serious, he seemed even more so than usual.
"Siebold is one of the greatest Trainers in the world, so this next battle is going to be your toughest ever...." explained Jason, caressing the left side of Ren's face and smiling as he added, "I'll give my all to support you, but if I feel something is wrong, I'm going to recall you immediately. I want to see you grow strong, but I won't subject you to suffering in order to reach that goal..."
Sensing Jason's sincerity and concern for her, Ren's red eyes glistened, her paws clasping his wrists as she responded, "Ren trust Jason..." with as much sincerity as she could muster.
"Then I had better not let you down..." responded Jason, caressing both sides of Ren's face, taking care not to graze the base of her antennae as they were very sensitive. Thankfully, Siebold didn't appear to be in a hurry to embarrass or crush them, as he could be seen posing patiently with his arms crossed on the opposite side of the circular battlefield.
Removing his hands from Ren's face, Jason stood up, met Siebold's gaze from across the field, stepped forward with his left fist raised, and loudly shouted, "Alright, Ren! Time to battle!" as a proper Pokémon Trainer might in the same circumstance.
"Time to battle...!" repeated Ren, springing several meters forward and posing on all fours, ready to give the battle her all.
"Then, please, feel free to take the first move~" shouted Siebold from across the field, spreading his hands in a proud, theatrical pose with his chin raised. Jason once again got the impression he and Ren were being looked down upon, but he swallowed it, swept his left hand, and gave the command, "Ren, close the distance with Quick Attack and use Bite! Watch for its counterattack...!"
'Oh? He's aware that Water-Psychic-types are weak against Dark-type moves? He's quite knowledgeable for someone who isn't yet a Trainer...' mused Siebold, his dark blue eyes narrowing and his smile broadening as he crossed his arms observantly.
As it hadn't received any commands, Siebold's Starmie waited until Ren's teeth were about to sink into its left appendage before its body abruptly contracted and it emitted a loud, "Aaaaaahn~!"
Accompanying its excessive-sounding moan, Starmie spun rapidly to Ren's left, its form less than half its original size as it used the spinning of its appendages to blast the latter with dirt and pebbles. Ren shielded her face with her left paw, but the attack left her blinded, nearly resulting in her taking a swift Rapid Spin before Jason shouted, "Dodge forward...!"
Following Jason's command, Ren leaped forward just before Starmie's body zipped through where she had been standing with enough speed to leave behind a purple blur.
"Haaa-haaaannn~!"
Breaking free of its spin, Starmie leaped into the air, spread out its arm-like appendages, and thrust out what could be considered its hips. As it did so, the gem on the front of its body emitted a bright light as a series of glowing, white, star-shaped projectiles streamed out of it at sporadic angles before curving back toward Ren.
Having regained her sight, Ren habitually used Detect to enhance her vision. Unfortunately, Starmie's attack, Swift, appeared to cover every angle she could dodge, leaving her with no choice but to cross her arms protectively in front of her and grit her teeth as the luminous projectiles made contact with her body and unleashed a series of small explosions. If she had a health bar, it would be depleting rapidly. At the same time, however, her body flashed with bluish-white light, her speed and attack stats steadily increasing as she prepared to counter the moment she was free of Starmie's attack...
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