Rick was in high spirits, as always. „Come on, Lucy-Lu. You and your kindergarden-zippo have no chance against my mighty powerhouse of raw oceanic Strenght! Actually, that is a nice nickname, isn´t it?“
„Powerhouse?“, you asked.
„No, the whole thing.“
„No“, you said frankly, „I don´t think so.“ He was getting on your nerves. As alsways.
„I will figure something out“, he screamed, „after I beat you! Go, Seatle! Give it a Wailtiggle! Eh, Tailwiggle, I mean!“
Seatle followed Rick´s command accordingly, he jumped und turned in the air. Heatguana got the stubby turtle´s tail right in the face. She recoiled, but looked more perplexed than hurt.
You checked your Stat Pager to see how powerful that was, but your BeatMon hadn´t lost any health. „What did that do? You know, the goal is to bring the HP to zero, right?“
„Well, yeah, I do. And I will, just in time!“ Your rival seemed pretty smug about it.
More tetxt was flickering, you catched it only partially. Something was lowered? Strange, was a rewind-function somewhere in this? No, it didn´t seem so, and you didn´t want to ask the Professor. Maybe later, but not in front of Rick, your sworn rival.
„Heatguana!“, you raised your voice, „Claw Scratch!“
„Tailwiggle!“
A clash, another tail to the face, and tiny nails hitting Seatles exposed … well, not exactly exposed back, but it was the easiest target to reach, when your enemy is literally turning his back at you. The two BeastMon separated, and you checked the Pager. Seatle took damage, Heatguana did not.
„Claw Scratch, another one!“
„Another Tailwiggle!“
The atmosphere, so dramatic. So epic. You watched breathless, two children hitting each other – no, this were no children in costumes, this were the future champions of this world! Well, one of them, of course, and it wouldn´t be this turtle boy!
The turtle boy proceeded in wiggling his tail, and did so quiet gracefully. He was practically dancing, whereas your lizard girl was definitely annoyed by now. She seemed to have a pretty short temper. Anyway, you could scan Seatle, and even when you couldn´t see his moves, his HP were on full display. And there was only half of it left.
„Heatguana, you go, girl! Claw Scratch!“
„Tackle!“
Heatguana scratched, and then was hit with a surprising amount of force, as Seatle rammed his bald head into her belly. Her eyes went big, and then she landed hart on the floor.
You checked, shocked. Heatguanas Health, so much with just one …
„What is that, you cheater?“, you called your rival out.
„It´s not cheating, dumbass. It´s the new meta!“
Oh, quiet your spunky fancy Gamer words … „Heatguana, give it your all!“
All wasn´t quiet enough, as another Tackle send your BeastMon squeaking and flying through the laboratory.
Her Def was lowered, of course! You got it finally, but it was way too late. Change of strategy, fast! When Heatguanas Def was lowered, we can lower Seatles Attack. That sounds about right!
„Heatguana, time for Growling!“
Heatguana growled already, or was it a whimper? She was flung under a table, but rose to her tiny feet and sent out a Growling, as Seatle approached her. The turtle boy halted, blinked and seemed somehow embarrassed of himself, hurting a fellow Mon so carelessly.
Rick balled his fist. „Seatle, don´t let her fool you! She is a bully, wasn´t she?!?“
Seatle seemed to answer, Yes, Yes she was. The next Tackle was a crit.
„You know, Lucy, there is a custom under trainers“, Rick said to you, after you scooped up your unconscius Heatguana, with his Seatle proudly at his side. „I win. You give me Beast-Dollars.“
„Fine“, you growled. Sadly, it didn´t invoke any pity in Rick.
„You should really study more about BeastMon, like me“, he said. „Like, Evs and Meta and so on? I did, I even prepared this Seatle with perfect stats!“
„You did what? You were no trainer until now!“, you shouted.
„Well, I was and still am the nephew of my gramps!“
Professor Kao shrugged at that, as you glared at him.
„So“, you said, „you were prepared for me. What if I had taken Seatle? Or the plant?“
„You? Take a boy?“ Rick laughed out.
Shortly after, you trotted home, with your Heatguana in her Cube. For your game mum, you let her out, and she sat there, still drowsy and battered.
„Oh my, what a cutie!“, your mum cheered. „Your journey is finally ready to begin, isn´t it? But what about this bruises? You should rest for a while, so your Mon can protect you properly.“
Your game mum was right, a short break was exactly what you needed. The fight with Rick had been a pretty harsh lecture, and you were determined that it wouldn´t happen again.
A few minutes later, you brought your laptop from your room down to the living room/kitchen, using the spelunkkkle app and spelunk all about Evs and such. It was quiet … strange. Horrifing even.
Heatguana, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor, watching TV – a film about kids and a railroad – and munching Beastflakes. Occacionally her burning tailtip smoldered the carpet. You saw it by the third time. Alas, the damage was done … you wouldn´t be here for a while anyway.
Once again you lost yourself in the world of Beast-Meta. „I think, I get a hang of it“, you mused, and Heatguana, sneaking in your back, furrowed a brow.
„Oh, you know nothing, Jon Snow ...“
You jolted up. „What!“
Heatguana jumped back. „Heat!“
„You can talk? You talked just now?“
„Heatguana guana na?“, she answered, blinking innocently.
„You definitely talked. You are a Volcano type, but you said the word snow! That doesn´t make sense!“
She blinked again. „Uh, sound argument, I guess?“