Chapter 84: Buizel's Rank-Up
The morning light filtered through the tall windows of the Pokémon Center's eastern wing, painting the pale walls in shades of amber and rose. Patricia sat cross-legged on one of the training room's padded mats, her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, her fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee that had long since gone cold.
Across from her, Buizel was doing stretches.
The Water-type moved through its routine with practiced precision—first the shoulders, then the twin tails, then the long, flexible spine. Its orange fur gleamed under the artificial lights, and the yellow flotation sac around its neck pulsed gently with each breath.
Patricia watched.
She'd been watching for twenty minutes now.
"You're stalling," she said.
Buizel looked up, its dark eyes bright with something that might have been defiance.
"I'm not stalling. I'm preparing."
"You're stalling."
Buizel made a sound—a sharp, dismissive chirp—and returned to its stretches.
Patricia set down her coffee.
"Okay. Let's talk about yesterday."
Buizel stopped.
Its ears flattened against its head.
"Yeah," Patricia said. "That's what I thought."
---
The battle had been against a trainer named Marcus—a lanky nineteen-year-old with a cocky smile and a Quagsire that had seen better days. On paper, it should have been easy. Buizel was faster, smarter, and more experienced. Marcus was a rookie. His Quagsire was slow.
But Buizel had lost.
Not because of strength. Not because of strategy.
Because Buizel had hesitated.
At the critical moment—when Quagsire was wide open, when one clean Aqua Jet would have ended the match—Buizel had frozen. Its body had locked up. Its eyes had gone wide. And then Quagsire had countered, and the battle had slipped away.
Patricia had recalled Buizel without a word.
She hadn't been angry.
She'd been worried.
---
"You've been doing this since we started training together," Patricia said. "Every time you get close to winning, you pull back. Every time you have an opening, you hesitate."
Buizel didn't meet her eyes.
"I need you to tell me why."
Silence.
"Buizel."
The Water-type looked up.
And for the first time, Patricia saw something in its expression that she hadn't noticed before—something small and sharp and painful.
Fear.
---
"I'm not going to pretend I understand what happened to you before," Patricia said. "Before I found you. Before we became partners. But I know it was bad. I know someone hurt you. And I know you've been carrying that with you ever since."
Buizel's tails twitched.
"But here's the thing," Patricia continued. "I'm not that person. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to abandon you. And I'm not going to let you hold yourself back because of something that happened in the past."
She reached out.
Buizel flinched.
Patricia didn't pull away.
She just waited.
After a long moment, Buizel leaned forward and pressed its forehead against her palm.
---
They trained for three hours.
Patricia pushed Buizel harder than she ever had before—running drills, practicing combos, honing its speed and precision until both of them were drenched in sweat and breathing hard.
But every time Buizel got close to landing a clean hit, it hesitated.
Every time.
---
"Again," Patricia said.
Buizel lunged.
It was fast—faster than before, its body a blur of orange and cream as it shot across the training room. Its target was a training dummy—a reinforced post wrapped in padding that Patricia had set up in the corner.
Buizel's fist connected.
The dummy rocked.
But Buizel pulled back at the last second, reducing the impact, softening the blow.
"Again."
Buizel struck.
Hesitated.
"Again."
Struck.
Hesitated.
"Again."
Struck.
Hesitated.
---
Patricia called a halt.
Buizel stood in the center of the room, its chest heaving, its fur plastered to its body with sweat. It looked exhausted. It looked defeated.
Patricia walked over.
"Okay," she said. "New approach."
She knelt down in front of Buizel.
"I want you to hit me."
Buizel blinked.
"I'm serious. Hit me."
Buizel shook its head.
"Yes."
Another shake.
"Buizel. I'm your trainer. I'm asking you to trust me. Hit me."
Buizel stared at her.
Then, slowly, it raised its fist.
It swung.
The punch stopped an inch from Patricia's face.
"Again."
Buizel swung.
Stopped.
"Again."
Swing.
Stop.
"Again."
Swing.
Stop.
Patricia caught its fist.
"No," she said. "You don't get to pull back. Not this time. Not with me."
She released the fist.
"Again."
Buizel swung.
And this time—this time—its fist connected.
Patricia's head snapped to the side.
She stumbled.
She caught herself.
And she smiled.
---
"Good," she said.
Buizel stared at her, its eyes wide, its body trembling.
"Again."
Buizel swung.
Patricia blocked.
"Again."
Swing.
Block.
"Again."
Swing.
Block.
"Again."
Swing.
Dodge.
"Again."
Swing.
Dodge.
"Again!"
Swing.
Hit.
Patricia staggered.
Buizel froze.
"No," Patricia said. "Don't stop. Keep going."
Buizel swung again.
And again.
And again.
Each time it connected, Patricia took the hit—absorbed it, rolled with it, refused to back down. And each time, Buizel's hesitation grew smaller. Its movements grew sharper. Its fear began to fade.
---
They went on like that for another hour.
By the end, Patricia's arms were bruised, her lip was split, and her ribs ached with every breath. But Buizel was different. Its eyes were brighter. Its stance was steadier. And when it looked at Patricia, there was something new in its expression—something that hadn't been there before.
Trust.
---
"One more," Patricia said.
Buizel nodded.
"Full power. No holding back."
Buizel took a breath.
It planted its feet.
It coiled.
And then it launched itself forward—not at Patricia, but at the training dummy in the corner. Its body became a blur of motion, its fist cocked back, its eyes locked on the target.
It swung.
---
The impact was thunderous.
The dummy didn't just rock—it exploded. The padding shredded. The post snapped. Chunks of wood and foam flew across the training room, scattering across the floor like shrapnel.
Buizel landed.
It stood there, breathing hard, staring at the destruction it had caused.
Patricia stared too.
"Holy shit," she whispered.
Buizel turned.
And then—
It began to glow.
---
The light was blinding—a brilliant white radiance that filled the training room from end to end. Patricia shielded her eyes, stumbling backward, her heart pounding in her chest.
When she looked again, Buizel was gone.
In its place stood something taller.
Something sleeker.
Something powerful.
---
Floatzel rose from the light like a wave cresting on the shore.
It was taller than Buizel—much taller—with a lean, muscular body covered in orange fur that gleamed like polished amber. Its twin tails had grown longer and more powerful, and its flotation sac had expanded, now wrapped around its chest like a thick, yellow ring. Its eyes were sharp, intelligent, and filled with a quiet confidence that Buizel had never possessed.
It looked at Patricia.
Patricia looked at it.
And then she started laughing.
---
"You did it," she said. "You actually did it."
Floatzel made a sound—a deep, resonant cry that echoed off the walls.
It walked toward her.
And then it knelt.
Patricia stared.
"What are you—"
Floatzel looked up at her.
And then it punched the floor.
The concrete cracked.
A crater formed—a perfect circle of shattered stone that spread outward from Floatzel's fist like a spiderweb.
Patricia stared.
Floatzel looked at her.
And then it grinned.
---
"Holy shit," Patricia said again.
She knelt down beside the crater.
"That's... that's insane. You just—you just punched through solid concrete."
Floatzel nodded.
Patricia laughed.
"This is amazing. This is—wait until Briv sees this. Wait until Nicola sees this."
Floatzel's grin widened.
Patricia stood up.
"Okay. Okay, we need to test this. We need to see what else you can do. But first—" She paused. "First, we need to get you checked out. You just evolved. That's a lot of strain on your body."
Floatzel shook its head.
It pointed at the training dummy.
Then at the crater.
Then at Patricia.
Patricia raised an eyebrow.
"You want to keep training?"
Floatzel nodded.
Patricia sighed.
"You're just as bad as Briv's Infernape, you know that?"
Floatzel shrugged.
And then it walked over to the next training dummy.
---
They trained for another two hours.
Floatzel was faster. Stronger. More precise. Every movement was fluid, controlled, devastating. It moved like water—around obstacles, through targets, past defenses.
Patricia pushed it harder.
And Floatzel pushed back.
By the end, the training room looked like a war zone. Three training dummies destroyed. Two craters in the floor. One wall dented from a missed Aqua Jet.
Patricia stood in the center of it all, her chest heaving, her body aching, and a smile on her face that she couldn't wipe away.
"You're incredible," she said.
Floatzel bowed.
And then it walked over to her.
It pressed its forehead against her chest.
Patricia wrapped her arms around it.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For trusting me."
Floatzel made a soft sound.
They stood there for a long moment, the morning light warming the room, the dust settling around them.
And then the door opened.
---
Briv walked in.
He stopped.
He looked at the training room.
He looked at the craters.
He looked at the destroyed dummies.
He looked at Floatzel.
"Holy shit," he said.
Patricia grinned.
"Buizel evolved."
"I can see that."
"His name is Floatzel now."
"I can see that too."
Floatzel walked over to Briv.
It extended its hand.
Briv shook it.
"Nice to meet you," he said.
Floatzel nodded.
Briv looked at Patricia.
"Did you do this?"
"I helped."
"You helped."
"He did most of the work."
Briv looked at the craters.
"The work of destroying my training room?"
"Our training room."
"Our training room."
Patricia shrugged.
Briv shook his head.
"You're insane."
"I know."
He walked over and kissed her.
"You're also amazing."
"I know that too."
---
They cleaned up together.
Floatzel helped—lifting the broken pieces of the training dummies with ease, sweeping the debris into a pile, patching the craters with quick-dry cement that Briv found in a supply closet.
When they were done, the training room was still damaged. But it was functional.
Briv stood back and admired their work.
"Not bad," he said.
"Not bad at all," Patricia agreed.
Floatzel made a sound of satisfaction.
And then Nicola walked in.
---
She stopped.
She looked at the training room.
She looked at Floatzel.
She looked at Patricia.
"What the hell happened here?"
"Buizel evolved," Patricia said.
"I can see that."
"His name is Floatzel now."
"I can see that too."
Nicola walked over to Floatzel.
She looked it up and down.
"Impressive," she said.
Floatzel nodded.
Nicola turned to Patricia.
"How?"
"Training."
"Training."
"Lots of training."
"Training that destroyed the room?"
"Training that evolved my Pokémon."
Nicola shook her head.
"You're insane."
"So I've been told."
---
They went to lunch.
The Pokémon Center's cafeteria was small but comfortable—a cluster of round tables, a long counter with pre-made meals, and a window that looked out over the city's central canal. Floatzel sat beside Patricia, eating from a bowl of fresh fish that Nurse Joy had provided.
Briv sat across from them.
Nicola sat next to him.
Dariana arrived a few minutes late, her hair still damp from the shower, her Gallade walking beside her.
"Did I miss something?" she asked.
"Patricia's Buizel evolved," Briv said.
"Really?"
"Really."
Dariana looked at Floatzel.
"Congratulations."
Floatzel nodded.
Dariana sat down.
"Where's Samuel?"
"Sleeping," Nicola said.
"Still?"
"Always."
---
They ate in comfortable silence.
The cafeteria hummed around them—other trainers talking, Pokémon eating, Nurse Joy moving between tables with practiced efficiency. The city outside the window was bright and busy, the canals reflecting the midday sun like ribbons of molten silver.
Patricia watched Floatzel eat.
It was different now. Not just in size or strength, but in presence. Buizel had always been cautious—always watching, always waiting, always holding something back. Floatzel was different. Floatzel was calm. Floatzel was confident.
Floatzel was home.
---
"What's the plan for this afternoon?" Briv asked.
"Training," Nicola said.
"Again?"
"Always."
Briv groaned.
"You're going to work us to death."
"Probably."
Dariana laughed.
"I have a battle scheduled," she said. "Against a trainer from the western district. Should be interesting."
"What's their team?" Patricia asked.
"Unknown. But they've got a reputation for using unconventional strategies."
"Sounds like Samuel's kind of thing."
"He's still sleeping."
"Right."
---
After lunch, they split up.
Nicola went to the training grounds to work with Tangrowth.
Dariana headed to the western district for her battle.
Briv took Torterra out to the courtyard for some light exercise—the massive Pokémon needed to stretch its legs after the evolution.
Patricia stayed in the cafeteria with Floatzel.
She ordered another coffee.
She watched the city through the window.
She thought about the future.
---
The League was a month away.
She was qualified. She was ready. But there was something else—something she hadn't told anyone. Not Briv. Not Nicola. Not Dariana.
Something that had been gnawing at her for weeks.
The Eclipse Squad.
Revan.
The way he'd looked at her during the League.
The way he'd smiled.
---
She pushed the thought away.
Not now.
Not here.
She looked at Floatzel.
"Ready for more training?"
Floatzel nodded.
They stood up.
And then—
A scream.
---
It came from outside—a high, piercing sound that cut through the cafeteria like a knife. Patricia's head snapped toward the window.
People were running.
Pokémon were running.
And in the distance—smoke.
---
Floatzel was already moving.
Patricia ran after it.
They burst through the Center's front doors and into chaos.
---
The western district was on fire.
Flames licked up the sides of buildings. Smoke billowed into the sky. People were screaming, running, clutching their Pokémon to their chests.
And in the center of it all—
A figure in black.
Revan.
---
He stood on a rooftop, his silver-gray eyes gleaming, his Eclipse Squad emblem catching the light. Beside him—Roger. Callum. And a dozen other trainers, all wearing the same black uniforms, all with the same cruel smiles.
Revan looked down at the chaos he'd created.
And he laughed.
---
Patricia's blood ran cold.
Floatzel growled.
And then—
"Patricia!"
She turned.
Briv was running toward her, Torterra thundering behind him. Nicola was on his left, Tangrowth bounding beside her. Dariana appeared from the smoke, Gallade at her side.
They gathered.
They faced the flames.
And they waited.
---
Revan looked down at them.
"Hello again," he called. "Miss me?"
Briv stepped forward.
"What do you want?"
Revan smiled.
"I want to send a message."
"That being?"
Revan's smile widened.
"That no matter how strong you think you are—no matter how many badges you earn, how many battles you win, how many Pokémon you evolve—you're still beneath me."
He raised his hand.
The trainers behind him drew their Pokéballs.
"We're going to burn this city to the ground," Revan said. "And you're going to watch."
---
Floatzel stepped forward.
Patricia's hand went to its shoulder.
"No," she said. "Wait."
Floatzel looked at her.
"I know," she said. "I know you want to fight. But this isn't a battle. This is something else."
Floatzel growled.
"I know."
She turned to Briv.
"What's the plan?"
Briv looked at her.
"We fight," he said. "But we fight smart."
He drew Torterra's ball.
"We protect the city. We protect the people. And we don't let Revan win."
Patricia nodded.
Floatzel braced.
And together—they ran into the fire.
---
The last thing Patricia saw before the smoke swallowed them was Revan's smile—wide, cruel, and utterly confident.
And she knew, with a certainty that settled deep in her bones, that this was only the beginning.
---
The flames roared.
The city screamed.
And somewhere in the darkness, the Eclipse Squad watched.
Waiting.
Ready.
For the moment to strike.
=====
The smoke swallowed everything.
Patricia ran blind, Floatzel's hand clamped around her wrist, pulling her through the chaos. Buildings burned on both sides of the street—not just fire, but something worse. Something chemical. The flames burned green at the edges, and the air tasted like copper and ash.
"Left!" Briv shouted somewhere ahead. "There's an alley!"
They cut left. Torterra crashed through a collapsed awning behind them, its massive body clearing debris that would have blocked anyone else. Nicola and Tangrowth followed, vines lashing out to snatch a falling sign before it could crush a fleeing civilian. Dariana brought up the rear with Gallade, its blade-arms deflecting chunks of burning masonry.
The alley was narrow. Dark. Clear.
For now.
---
Briv pressed his back against the wall, chest heaving. His face was smudged with soot, and a thin line of blood ran from a cut above his eyebrow. Torterra stood beside him, its trees singed but intact, its eyes scanning the alley's entrance.
"Everyone accounted for?" Briv asked.
"Here," Patricia said.
"Here," Nicola said.
"Here," Dariana said.
"Where's Samuel?" Briv asked.
Silence.
"Shit," Nicola whispered.
"He was at the Center," Patricia said. "He was sleeping."
"The Center's three blocks east," Dariana said. "If the Eclipse Squad is targeting civilian infrastructure—"
"They'll hit the Center," Briv finished.
He looked at Torterra.
"Can you run?"
Torterra rumbled.
"Good."
He turned to the others.
"New plan. We get to the Center. We get Samuel. We get out."
"And then what?" Nicola asked.
"And then we figure out how to stop Revan."
---
They moved fast.
Briv led with Torterra, the massive Pokémon clearing a path through debris and flame. Patricia and Floatzel flanked left, Nicola and Tangrowth took right, and Dariana and Gallade covered the rear.
The streets were chaos.
Civilians ran in every direction—some clutching children, some clutching Pokéballs, all of them terrified. A few trainers had stayed to fight, their Pokémon battling Eclipse Squad members in the streets. But they were outnumbered. Outmatched.
Briv watched a Houndoom blast a Blaziken into a wall.
He kept running.
---
They reached the Center in four minutes.
It was already under attack.
Three Eclipse Squad trainers stood at the entrance, their Pokémon arrayed in a semicircle—a Skuntank, a Weavile, and a Drapion. They were focused on the doors, trying to break through the barrier Nurse Joy had erected. A shimmering pink wall—likely from Blissey's Protect—held them back.
For now.
Briv didn't hesitate.
"Infernape!"
The Fire-type burst from its ball in a blaze of orange and gold, its flame crown roaring. It landed in front of the Eclipse trainers and cracked its knuckles.
"Close Combat."
Infernape moved.
It was beautiful—a blur of fists and feet, each strike precision-perfect. Skuntank went down first, a knee to the jaw sending it sprawling. Weavile tried to dodge, but Infernape was faster, catching it mid-leap and slamming it into the pavement. Drapion lasted three seconds longer before a spinning heel kick sent it crashing through a storefront window.
The Eclipse trainers stared.
"Leave," Briv said.
They ran.
---
Nicola kicked open the Center doors.
The lobby was chaos—trainers huddled in corners, Pokémon crying, Nurse Joy moving between the wounded with frantic efficiency. Samuel was there, standing in the middle of it all, his guitar in one hand and a Pokéball in the other. He looked up when they entered.
"Took you long enough," he said.
"You're alive," Patricia said.
"Disappointed?"
"Relieved."
Samuel grinned.
"Ambipom's been holding the back door. Nosepass is with the wounded. We've got maybe ten minutes before they regroup."
"Then we don't have time to waste," Briv said.
---
They gathered in the Center's basement—a reinforced storage room that Nurse Joy had converted into an emergency shelter. Twenty civilians, a dozen Pokémon, and five trainers.
"We need to get these people out," Dariana said.
"How?" Nicola asked. "The streets are crawling with Eclipse Squad."
"There's a tunnel," Nurse Joy said. "Old maintenance passage. Connects to the eastern district."
"Where does it start?"
"Behind the boiler room."
Briv nodded.
"Good. We move in five."
---
Patricia pulled him aside.
"Briv."
"Yeah?"
"Revan. He's not just trying to burn the city. He's trying to draw us out."
"I know."
"So what do we do?"
Briv looked at her.
"We don't play his game. We get these people out. We regroup. We figure out what he actually wants."
"And if he follows?"
"Then we deal with him."
Patricia touched his face.
"You're scared."
"Terrified."
"Good."
She kissed him.
"Let's go."
---
The tunnel was dark, damp, and narrow. Torterra couldn't fit—it had to return to its ball, along with Tangrowth and Gallade. Only Floatzel, Infernape, and Ambipom remained out, their eyes glowing in the darkness.
Briv led the way with Infernape.
Patricia followed with Floatzel.
Nicola took the rear with Ambipom.
The civilians huddled in the middle—children crying, adults whispering, Pokémon trembling.
They moved slowly.
Carefully.
---
Ten minutes in, they heard it.
Footsteps.
Behind them.
Nicola turned.
"Company."
"How many?" Briv asked.
"Can't tell. At least six."
"Shit."
He looked at Patricia.
"Take the civilians. Keep going. We'll hold them off."
"Briv—"
"Go."
She hesitated.
Then she nodded.
---
Briv, Nicola, and Samuel stayed behind.
Infernape cracked its knuckles.
Ambipom's tails twitched.
Samuel drew his second ball.
"Sudowoodo."
The Rock-type materialized with a low, grinding sound, its body blending into the tunnel walls.
"Nice," Nicola said.
"I try."
---
The Eclipse Squad appeared.
Six trainers. Twelve Pokémon. All of them with the same cold, cruel smiles.
Revan was not among them.
"Where's your leader?" Briv called.
One of them laughed.
"You think he'd waste his time on you?"
"I think he's a coward."
The trainer's smile faltered.
"He's no coward."
"Then why isn't he here?"
No answer.
"Exactly."
---
The battle began.
Infernape moved first—blazing across the tunnel, its fists wreathed in flame. It hit a Mightyena square in the chest and sent it flying. A Liepard tried to flank, but Ambipom was there, its twin tails lashing out like whips, catching the Dark-type mid-pounce and slamming it into the ground.
Sudowoodo took the center, its body absorbing hits that would have crushed lesser Pokémon. A Skuntank's Sludge Bomb splashed against its chest and did nothing. A Houndoom's Flamethrower washed over its face and barely warmed it.
"Rock Slide," Samuel said.
Sudowoodo raised its arms.
The ceiling cracked.
Rocks fell.
Three Pokémon went down.
---
Nicola's Magnemite hummed with electricity.
"Thunder Wave."
The paralysis spread through the enemy ranks like wildfire—Pokémon freezing mid-motion, their bodies locking up, their trainers screaming in frustration.
"Flash Cannon."
Magnemite fired.
A Weavile took the hit and didn't get up.
---
They fought for five minutes.
When it was over, all twelve enemy Pokémon were down. The Eclipse trainers had fled. The tunnel was quiet.
Briv leaned against the wall, breathing hard.
"Everyone okay?"
"Yeah," Nicola said.
"Samuel?"
Samuel was kneeling beside Sudowoodo, checking it for injuries.
"We're good."
"Good."
Briv pushed off the wall.
"Let's catch up with the others."
---
They found them at the tunnel's exit—a rusted metal door that opened into an abandoned wareho