Dwayne's Absol

**Dwayne's Absol** (Japanese: **ドゥエインのアブソル** *Douein's Absol*) is the sixth Pokémon that Dwayne captured during his travels in the Hoenn region, and his twenty-seventh overall.

## **New Era**

### **Hoenn Again**

Dwayne reaches a wooden bridge over a small canyon. When Dwayne attempts to take a step in the bridge, the bridge collapes and plummets into the canyon beneath, and Dwayne simply stares in shock. As he recovers from the shock, Dwayne looks up and Absol, a Pokémon known for heralding disaster, is standing just on the other side of the broken bridge. As Dwayne postulates that Absol's appearance is related to the destruction of the bridge, two armed villagers approach the Absol and begin to shout angrily at the Pokémon, claiming it's another bridge that Absol has destroyed. Absol evades capture easily, and Dwayne leaves for the nearby Volley Town to inquire about Absol further. Apparently, a spate of minor disasters, including the destruction of three bridges, started with Absol's appearance several months ago. The villagers say that their problems should soon be over, though, because they've hired hunters to rid the village of their problems.

Right before the hunters are about to leave with Dwayne, though, a boy, Nicky appears and shouts at them, claiming that Absol would never be caught by the likes of them. It's soon revealed that Nicky's elder brother Gordon, had left town to catch an Absol because Gordon didn't believe that Absol caused disasters. Nicky reasons that if his brother can't catch an Absol, then nobody can't either. While the hunters leave on their hunt, Nicky and Dwayne leave for a nearby mountaintop, hoping that from a higher vantage point they would have a better chance of catching Absol. However, just as the duo passes some mysterious water-filled rocks and onto the mountain's highest peak, Absol finds them. As Absol advances, Dwayne steps in front of Nicky to protect him, and Absol abruptly stops charging. The two reach a standoff, but just moments later, a flood of water erupts from the rocks behind them. Dwayne, Nicky, and Absol are swept away by the flood, and the former three are caught on a branch over the side of the cliff. Nicky loses his grip and begins to fall, but Absol leaps to save him, convincing Dwayne that Absol is actually a kindhearted Pokémon.

Just then, the branch holding Dwayne breaks, but he is rescued by a Heracross that belongs to Nicky's older brother, Gordon. Gordon explains that he's been tracking groups of Absol in other mountains to better understand them after saving the life of the wild Absol in his village's mountain. From his research, Gordon made a startling find, Absol only approach human settlements with good reason, that they don't actually cause disasters but often take the blame, and don't attack unless provoked. After some thinking, Dwayne realizes that the water pressure in the mountain's spring is building. Absol had been trying to warn everyone that the village will soon be flooded, while the increased water flow destroyed the bridges. Just then, a geyser of water erupts out of the side of the mountain, threatening to destroy Gordon's village.

Absol tries to knock over a giant boulder to block the water's path, and everyone present calls out their Pokémon to help, but the boulder doesn't budge. Absol moves into point blank range with its Hyper Beam and successfully diverts the boulder and the water flow. Afterwards, the villagers are left with the realization that Absol has the power to predict disasters, not cause them, and that Absol is in fact a good Pokémon. However, the hunters then arrive and proclaim they'll capture Absol, but Dwayne steps in front of Absol, telling them that their services were no longer needed and the villagers are cancelling their assignment. The hunters, however, decide to capture Absol regardless, but Dwayne tells them that he won't allow it. Seeing this, Absol leaps in front of Dwayne, and just as the hunters are about to summon their Pokémon, Absol unleashes a Razor Wind attack that shatters the ground beneath them. Absol then uses Quick Attack to charge towards the hunters and scare them off. Dwayne then thanks Absol for saving him, and Absol simply responds by snatching one of Dwayne's Poké Balls, and Dwayne takes this act as a sign that Absol wanted to join his team, and directly asks Absol if this was the case. Absol simply closes his eyes before tapping the Poké Ball's mechanism, allowing himself to get captured, and Nicky theorises that Absol seeing Dwayne defend him earned his trust and respect, and Dwayne says that he was grateful that Absol chose to trust him.

When Dwayne challenged the Mossdeep Gym, Absol teamed with Altaria in a Double Battle against Tate and Liza's Solrock and Lunatone. Solrock uses Tackle on Absol, hitting the Disaster Pokémon. Lunatone uses Tackle as well, striking Altaria. Dwayne then orders Absol to use Quick Attack on Solrock and tells Altaria to use Aerial Ace on Lunatone. As Absol charges into his attack, Solrock floats out of the way, causing Absol to crash into one of the floating planets. The same thing happens with Altaria after Lunatone moves aside. Absol falls down, and soon after Altaria lands on him.

Tate and Liza are now ready for their next attacks. Solrock uses Solar Beam while Lunatone is told to use Ice Beam, however, the two attacks collide and cancel each other out. The failed attacks spark an argument between the twins, stopping them from battling. Dwayne sees this as his chance, so she orders Altaria to use Dragon Breath on Lunatone, and it hits. Absol is also ordered to attack, and he lashes Solrock with a Razor Wind. Tate and Liza notice that their Pokémon are getting beaten while they quarrel, so they both rejoin the match and order their Pokémon to use Tackle attacks on Absol. Absol is about to be sandwiched by the two Psychic Pokémon, but Altaria swoops in and rescues Absol. Consequently, Lunatone and Solrock crash into each other, which causes Tate and Liza to begin arguing again.

As the twin Gym Leaders blame each other for their constant blunders, Absol uses Hyper Beam on Solrock, but Lunatone slides in front and guards it with Light Screen. Despite Absol being unable to move after using Hyper Beam, being on top of the moving Altaria prevents him from being defenseless. Altaria tries to attack Lunatone with Aerial Ace, but Solrock uses Sandstorm to stop her. The airborne Absol uses Dark Pulse on Solrock, but Lunatone again intervenes and uses Ice Beam to block the attack. Altaria is then ordered to use Dragon Breath. The two Psychic-type Pokémon fly back to back as Tate and Liza order a Solar and Ice Beam combination to push Dragon Breath back, although Dwayne quickly orders Altaria to switch to Mist, which blocks the two Psychic-types's vision, and allows Altaria and Absol to hide themselves within the thick mist.

Dwayne then decides to attempt something unorthodox, and orders Absol to clutch onto Altaria and charge up Quick Attack, and Absol does so, and the charging power of Quick Attack not only engulfs Absol's body, but also Altaria's, whose Speed increases tremendously, and Valeria orders a Take Down attack from Altaria, and with Absol's Quick Attack being absorbed into Altaria's body, her Aerial Ace attack comes with an incredible Speed, which allows them to directly strike Lunatone, who itself crashes into Solrock. Absol then finishes them both off with a Dark Pulse that hits both Pokémon at once, sending them crashing onto the Gym's wall and gives Absol and Altaria the victory.

During Dwayne's Sootopolis Gym challenge, Absol was summoned to team with Vibrava against Juan's Sealeo and Seaking in a Double Battle. Absol begins the round with a Dark Pulse against Sealeo. Juan uses Seaking's Horn Drill to deflect the Dark Pulse back against Absol, who takes the attack directly. Dwayne directs another Dark Pulse attack from Absol, which Seaking again deflects with its Horn Drill. Dwayne is ready for it this time, and has Vibrava block the attack with Protect. Juan then orders a Blizzard attack from Sealeo. Dwayne has Vibrava retaliate with Rock Slide, freezing the Blizzard into a boulder of ice. Juan's Pokémon destroy the frozen ball with Sealeo's Aurora Beam and Seaking's Hyper Beam, but Dwayne takes advantage of situation by ordering his Pokémon to leap across the trail of ice fragments. Absol closes with Quick Attack while Vibrava attacks with Earth Power. Juan counters with the much more powerful Aurora Beam and Hyper Beam. While Absol is able to break off his attack in time to dodge Aurora Beam, Vibrava is hit by the Hyper Beam and faints. Dwayne recalls Vibrava and sends out Corphish to take his place. Corphish opens with a Water Gun, which Sealeo and Seaking dodge by diving. Juan uses this opportunity to mount an underwater attack against Dwayne's Pokémon by using Aurora Beam and Horn Attack. Absol jumps out of the way and Corphish is able to grab Seaking by the horn before it can attack, but Juan orders Seaking to use Horn Attack, which sends Corphish flying. Absol successfully uses Razor Wind on Seaking and narrowly dodges an Aurora Beam from Sealeo. Absol's attack leaves Seaking unable to battle.

Absol reappears a moment later "surfing" on Corphish. Juan orders several Ice Balls, which Dwayne initially deflects with Corphish's Crunch while Absol uses Razor Wind. Dwayne knows that Ice Ball becomes more powerful and takes longer to launch every time and so plans to move in the gap after the third ice ball. However, Sealeo launches the third ball extremely quickly and hits both Absol and Corphish. Juan orders a fifth Ice Ball as a coup de'grace, but is surprised when Absol is able to destroy it with Hyper Beam. As the shards of ice rain down on the distracted Sealeo, Corphish moves in with Aqua Jet, which leaves Sealeo unable to battle. The Gym match advances to the second round, with the field changing to a lake with several towers and more land.

During the second round, Absol gets chosen as Dwayne's final remaining Pokémon against Juan's Milotic. Dwayne starts with the most powerful attack at his disposal: Absol's Hyper Beam. Milotic takes the attack head on, but Juan does not seem concerned. Moments later, Milotic uses Recover, effectively negating the damage. Juan comments that Milotic learned this tactic during Juan's days as a Coordinator, since in Pokémon Contests it is important for a Pokémon to maintain a pristine appearance no matter what phase of the competition. Absol and Milotic exchange Quick Attack and Iron Tail, respectively, with the exchange ending badly for Absol. Milotic also uses Twister, which catches Absol. However, Absol destroys the Twister with Razor Wind, and counters with a Quick Attack. Though Absol hits, Milotic quickly counters with a Hydro Pump, which Absol dodges and counters with a Dark Pulse. Milotic takes the Dark Pulse and uses Recover to replenish its health, leaving Dwayne not much better off. Milotic dives, surfaces, and uses Iron Tail and Hydro Pump, both of which Absol dodges. Absol grabs Milotic and flips it into the water and then uses Hyper Beam. After a brief explosion, Milotic and Absol surface — Absol still standing, but Milotic in a dead faint. Dwayne is declared the winner.

During Dwayne's battle against Jannette in the first round of the Finals Tournament of the Ever Grande Conference, Absol was chosen as Dwayne's third Pokémon to battle against Jannette's Dugtrio. Dugtrio escapes underground, but is forced above by Absol's Quick Attack on the ground. Using this opportunity, Absol knocks it out with a Hyper Beam. Jannette sends out Wynaut, but after taking a Dark Pulse and Razor Wind, Wynaut uses Destiny Bond. Wynaut faints, but then suddenly, Absol glows purple and collapses as well. Dwayne now has three remaining Pokémon while Jannette has four, so the match is set to continue.

During the following round, Absol was chosen by Dwayne as his first Pokémon to battle against Layla's Medicham. The referee declares the battle started, and Dwayne orders Absol to use Quick Attack. Layla, with her confidence shaken, tells Medicham to use Light Screen, which proves ineffective against a physical attack like Quick Attack. Absol crashes through the Light Screen and smashes onto Medicham's head. Medicham manages to the damage off, and Layla hesitantly orders it to use Pound. Absol slides straight into a curved upright icicle, allowing him to scuttle away from the attack. Medicham, unable to stop in time, gets injured as it rams into the icicle. Dwayne orders Absol to attack again, but Medicham slips and falls on the icy floor, causing Absol to miss. Dwayne then quickly has Absol slide onto one of the smaller icicles, allowing it to loop around and attack Medicham once again. Layla desperately orders Medicham to use Force Palm, though Absol manages to dodge before attacking with Razor Wind, knocking Medicham out. Layla gasps at her fallen Pokémon, before silently calling it back. Instead of sending out her next Pokémon, Layla stands there, petrified by indecision. The referee urges Layla to call out her next Pokémon, but Layla cannot concentrate. The announcer remarks that unless Layla sends out a Pokémon soon, it will count as a forfeit and Dwayne will win the battle.

Just before the referee disqualifies Layla for not choosing a Pokémon, Dwayne interrupts him, stating that Layla can still battle. Layla hastily sends out her Exploud to take on Absol. Absol begins the battle by firing Dark Pulse at Growlithe. Layla tells Exploud to evade the attack continuously, still unable to take any offensive action towards her friend and rival. Absol delivers a devastating Hyper Beam to Exploud, knocking it out. Layla tells Exploud that it did an excellent job. Dwayne, however, demands to know why Layla will not put up a serious fight and harshly attacks her honor, telling her that she might as well quit now if she does not battle like she means it. Layla says she does not need to be told that and apologizes to Exploud for her weak actions, but Exploud doesn't seem upset. With renewed vigor, Layla yells loudly and promises Dwayne real battling spirit. Layla's family are relieved at this change, and so are Raven and Josie in the stands.

Layla chooses Beautifly as her third Pokémon. Absol and Beautifly clash their Dark Pulse and Bug Buzz attacks with tremendous power. Dwayne and Layla exchange excited proclamations of their fighting spirit. Beautifly blasts a Silver Wind to match Absol's Razor Wind, but both Pokémon seem evenly matched. Absol uses Quick Attack while Beautifly uses Aerial Ace, but each attack hits the other Pokémon in the face, knocking them both out.

During the finals of the Battle Frontier Flute Cup, Absol was chosen as Dwayne's second and final remaining Pokémon to battle against Magna's Sceptile. Magna starts with a Leaf Blade, though Absol swiftly evades with Quick Attack and landing a direct hit with a follow-up Razor Wind. As he descends back to the field, Absol uses Dark Pulse, which Sceptile counters with Dragon Pulse, and both attacks cancel each other out. Then, Magna calls for an X-Scissor, but Dwayne retaliates by ordering Absol to dodge with Quick Attack aimed towards the wall. Absol dodges Sceptile's and attack speed towards the wall, but surprises everyone by bouncing off the wall, and using the momentum for a follow-up Hyper Beam to smash directly into his opponent, knocking Sceptile out and winning Dwayne the Flute Cup.

When Dwayne set off to challenge the Battle Frontier, Absol, along with Crawdaunt and Altaria, was left off at Professor Oak's Laboratory.

## **Personality and Characteristics**

Absol is a Pokémon with a heroic and incredible sense of responsibility. Upon realizing a flood would engulf Volley Town, Absol took it upon himself to warn the villagers, and despite their hostility and mistrust towards him, Absol remained determined to save them, taking the blame and leading them towards the location of the flood to prove his claims. Furthermore, when Absol, Dwayne, and Nicky were swept away by the incoming flood, Absol risked his own well-being to save Nicky from drowning.

Absol also deeply respects anyone that shares his selfless and heroic views, and gained complete respect towards Dwayne when the young Trainer defended him against a group of hunters that were hired to get rid of the Disaster Pokémon, and after scaring them off, Absol willingly decided to join his team, wanting to stay together instead of being separated.

In battle, Absol's power is tremendous, utilizing a balance of high-speed attacks and brute force, making him a formidable opponent. His strength was shown when the only times that Absol suffered a defeat while under Dwayne's ownership was through the effects of Destiny Bond, and through a double-knockout against Layla's Beautifly. Beforehand, Absol had single-handedly defeated two of Layla's Pokémon – Medicham and Exploud – without breaking a sweat. Absol's prowess was further shown when he defeated Magna's Sceptile at the Battle Frontier Flute Cup, a Pokémon that possessed decades of battling experience compared to himself.

## **Moves used**

 A **†** shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.