Dagzar
The Dreamer
- 444
- Posts
- 16
- Years
- In my dreams.
- Seen Dec 13, 2016
Thanks, Giratina! Heh, I actually plan to switch back to weekly updates once I get out of school, though knowing my laziness, we'll see how that goes. ;)
Mentor
Chapter 42: Rematch
Chapter 42: Rematch
A white and gold angelfish glided through the water, its fins hardly moving. All the other fish in its way scattered as it swam, bubbles trailing in its wake.
"Ally?"
The girl turned her head from the fish tank. "Sorry," she said, feeling bad about zoning out. The only excuse she could come up with was that her gym battle was only ten minutes away; it was so hard to concentrate. "W- What was that?"
"What Pokemon do you think Misty's going to use?" Ed repeated, leaning on one of the arms of the couch.
"I don't know," Ally said. "I hope its Horsea, though. I don't think my plan will work if it's not Horsea…"
Ed propped his head on his hand. "What other Pokemon do think she'll use?"
"Maybe a complicated one?" At Ed's confused look, Ally explained, "A Pokemon with two types. Like Tentacool or Psyduck."
"Psyduck's not a psychic type."
"It isn't?"
"William had a Golduck," he said. "It's pure water."
"I always thought it was a psychic-type."
"Well, it is, I guess," Ed conceded. "But it's not classified as one, that's what William said."
"Why not?"
"I dunno."
Ally sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do if Misty sends out a Tentacool or Seel."
"Can't Sparks beat them?"
"Maybe, but it'll take a while. Sparks might get poisoned and I don't know how he'll do against a Seel."
"What if she sends out a Goldeen or a Poliwag?" Ed asked. "Those will be easy, right?"
"Sparks can beat them," Ally said, surprised on how confident she sounded. "They can't learn Protect, right?"
"I thought all Pokemon could learn Protect?"
Ally shook her head, even though she was unsure. "They don't look like they can."
The angelfish caught Ally's eye again, and she saw it with some of the other fish, getting in their way, almost purposely. The other fish were small and rectangular, with glittering blue scales, but they couldn't compare with the angelfish. Ally had always liked angelfish; their names were pretty and they seemed graceful.
"What fish you looking at?" Ed asked, bumping shoulders with her as he leaned in.
"The angelfish," Ally replied, eyes following it.
"Which one?"
Ally put her fingertip on the glass where it was swimming. "That one."
"It's kind of cool," Ed said, though his eyes strayed to a different fish tank, one which was under the receptionist's desk. "Hey, what about that one?"
Following Ed's finger, Ally saw the huge fish, its body long and black. It dwarfed all the other fish in the tank and swan around without anything getting in its way.
"It's big," Ally said. "What's it called?"
"I dunno, it's just big."
The two watched the fish swim for a while longer before Ally said, "Leah should be here by now. Are you sure she's still here?"
"The nurse at the front desk said she hasn't checked out yet," Ed replied, tearing his eyes away from the tank. "But I haven't seen her since Thursday. She's not in her room."
"M- Maybe something happened to her?"
"Maybe Danny's here," Ed suggested. "She always went off when he was around."
Ally's face brightened. "Oh! Maybe."
"I bet that's what she's been doing," Ed further said. "She's been going on dates with Danny and forgot to tell us."
"Date who?" a voice asked, and Ally could hardly hide her smile. However, when the girl got a good look at her Mentor, she gasped.
Leah had changed. There were scratches on her face and her usual jacket was gone, replaced with a shiny red and silver one. Her hair, once long, was mostly gone. Dark bangs hung on both sides of her face, being much longer than the strands at the back, which had been cut into a spiky look. If it wasn't for the bangs, you could mistake Leah for a boy.
"What happened?" Ed asked, being the first to get his voice back.
"I got my hair cut," Leah replied, sounding tired, and before she could be bombarded with questions, said, "I had a bad day. Drop it."
It was not only her voice; Leah looked exhausted as well, having bags under her eyes.
Both of the kids feel silent, and Ally didn't dare ask any questions, like where Leah had been or what had happened.
Ed, thinking at least one question was safe, asked, "So, did Sands-"
"Drop. It." Now the warning in their mentor's words couldn't be denied, and Ed paled slightly, turning his head away.
Not being able to stand the awkwardness that fell upon the group, Ally stood. "M- My battle's going to begin soon," she said. "I need to go get ready."
"Good luck," Ed said, giving her a smile. "You can do it!"
"Thanks." Ally blushed and turned to Leah, but the older girl remained silent, staring off into space.
When it was obvious nothing was coming from her, Ally walked away feeling a bit stupid, getting out her Poke Balls.
It wasn't time to think about that. It was time for her battle.
-
"I hope Ally wins," Ed said, trying to fill the empty stands with noise. "She's been training a lot."
Leah didn't reply.
"Like, really training. I've hardly seen her all week."
After a pause, Leah asked, "Haven't you been training?"
"… Yeah," Ed said, shrugging. To keep Leah talking, he asked, "What happened to your jacket?"
"Stained, so I left it," she said, fiddling with the silver zipper of her jacket. "Bought a new one."
"It looks expensive."
"Not really."
With that avenue of conversation exhausted, Ed turned to the most prominent question on his mind. "So, where were you? You weren't in your room."
"I was with… Sands," Leah said in a low voice, so quiet that Ed could hardly hear. "He's not doing very well."
Ed's heart skipped a beat. "Huh? What happened?!"
"Wild Pokemon attacked. Sands won't be battling anytime soon."
"… So he's like Coralie?" Ed hesitated to ask further since Leah didn't look up for further questioning, but he had to know!
"Worse."
Several images came to Ed's mind at the implication, but he pushed them all away. "When will he get better?"
"I don't know."
Cutting off any further questions, a teenage girl walked into the arena, followed by a referee with two flags in his hands. On the other side of the pool, Ally appeared and the girl waved to both Ed and Leah before proceeding to the trainer's box.
"I wonder what Pokemon Misty will choose," Ed asked to Leah, but the older girl didn't reply.
Above, the lights darkened and the spotlight overhead the pool brightened, sending a clear beam of light over the event.
Her voice loud, Misty asked, "Do you want me to send out my Pokemon first?"
At Ally's nod, the gym leader grabbed a Poke Ball from her belt and threw it. "I choose… Horsea!"
A flash of light preceded the water-type's arrival, and then the Horsea materialized in the water. The Pokemon splashed the water with its fins, and looked towards Ally, waiting for its opponent.
Ally swallowed and took out a Poke Ball, enlarging it. "Go, Amber!"
Almost like she had been practicing, the Pokemon was released in the center of the closest platform, tails waving as he tried to keep his balance.
Up on the stands, Leah asked, "Why Amber?"
"This is going to be a two-on-two battle." Ed explained. "Ally said that Sparks can't get past Protect, so Amber has to wear it down."
"… A status effect," Leah said out loud, not intending to be a question. After a moment, the older girl sat back in her seat, looking more aware than Ed had seen her that day. "It's not going to work," she said. "She should have stayed with a one-on-one; this is going to backfire."
Ed disagreed. "No, it's not. Just watch."
-
"Good luck, Amber," Ally said, smiling at her Pokemon.
"Vul," Amber said, balancing carefully on the platform. The Vulpix didn't look too happy at being surrounded by water, taking time and effort to stay in the exact middle.
Even if she didn't look it, Ally was nervous. Her breathing was quick and her heart pounded, everything but the battle fading away. She had to win this one; she didn't have time for another rematch. Despite all the training she did, there were so many ways that her plan could go wrong - if it could even be called a plan. It was just a set of instructions; everything depended on Amber, not her.
She was so into her thoughts, she barely heard the referee.
"This is a two-on-two battle between Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty and Ally Anderson of Cerulean City with no time limit." he said, the battle having been prepared beforehand. "Let the battle-"
"Amber!" Ally said and the referee's mouth had hardly finished closing before Amber's tails swished. A small blue flame appeared on all four tips and they brightened with a white glow, growing bigger.
Misty stared at the blue flames with an interested expression, but didn't let her curiosity get in her way. "Horsea, Water Gun!"
The water-type took a deep breath in, its snout shortening, and then released it in a blast of water.
Getting hit with water wasn't one of his favorite pass times, so despite his reluctance, Amber crouched down and leapt to the closest platform, the white circle sinking with the Vulpix's weight. Water lapped over the side and the Vulpix shook his wet paws, trying to get his balance back. The flames that were still on the end of his tails wavered with every movement, but never lost their ghostly glow.
"Watch the tails, Horsea," Misty told her Pokemon. "Use Bubblebeam and spread it around."
Ally's orders came quickly. "Flamethrower, now!"
Much like Horsea before it, Amber took a deep breath and out of his mouth came a red hot flame that made the water steam. The heat made Horsea draw back, too preoccupied to make bubbles. Before the tongue of fire even licked it, the Horsea dived under the water with no regrets.
"Let them go," Ally said when Amber's Flamethrower stopped.
Amber waved his tails for a moment and then whipped them around, sending the four flames flying. But instead of going straight towards their victim, they floated over the surface of the water, moving upwards whenever a wave came their way.
Meanwhile, the girl scanned the water, looking for any sign of the water-type. She said, "Be careful-"
Horsea shot out of the water right behind Amber, tail curling into its body as it fended off gravity as long as it could. The Vulpix turned and couldn't get out of the way of the jet of water. The blast sent him flying back, off the platform and into the water, making the pool ripple from the splash.
"Amber!"
The Vulpix resurfaced, sputtering, and glared at Horsea, who was floating rather happily in the water.
"Alright, Horsea!" Misty cheered. "Water Gun!"
"Go underwater!"
The order with met with distain by Amber, who's ears twitched, but the fire-type dived under the surface, the Water Gun harmlessly hitting the water.
"Go, Horsea!"
With hardly a splash, Horsea followed the Vulpix, its blue form disappearing as it dove down deep. A little ways a way, Amber resurfaced, taking in a deep breath of air. The Pokemon shook his head, water droplets flying off his fur, and looked around, his legs paddling to keep above the surface.
Misty grinned. "Using a fire-type was a bad idea. Alright, Horsea! Twister!"
"Quick Attack, Amber! Get out of the water!" Ally yelled. She wasn't stupid; she did research Horsea, and no matter what Misty ordered, she wasn't going to be surprised.
There was an odd sound in the water and the surface started to ripple and bubble. A growl came from Amber's throat and he tensed. His form blurred and he burst out of the water, front paws making contact with a platform. He scrambled to hoist himself out of the pool until he finally did it, his fur dripping as he finally stood on solid ground.
"Good job, Amber! Now-"
Horsea appeared, jumping out of the water with its little white funs flapping, as if flying. Amber turned, his ears turning downwards, but before he could even open his mouth, Horsea struck first. A twister came from its snout, the swirling air blowing the water from Amber's fur and making the fire-type crouch down, trying to hold onto the platform with all its might. One of the Will-o-Wisps tried to help, but Horsea turned in mid-air blowing the flickering flame away like a cloud.
Amber sneezed, hair ruffled, as Horsea disappeared back into the water.
Both trainers stood still, waiting for the other to do something. Finally-
"Horsea!"
A burst of water hit Amber in the face, pushing the fire-type back into the water. The Vulpix coughed and with a yelp, was pulled beneath the surface.
"Amber!"
Ally could see her Pokemon struggling beneath the surface, but no matter how many times the Vulpix paddled, he just kept getting pulled down.
'A Twister,' Ally thought to herself. 'It's pulling Amber down.' She glanced at Misty from across the pool, who was eying the water with interest. Despite the girl knowing that the gym leader would never allow her Pokemon to drown, Ally still couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. What if Amber couldn't get to the surface in time? What then?
Closing her eyes, she pushed away the thought, bringing her focus back to the battle. She could always return her Pokemon if things went wrong, but there was a reason she was using Amber. Sparks couldn't beat Horsea alone; the electric-type needed an edge against Protect, and Ally knew just the thing.
Since Amber probably wouldn't be able to hear her properly underwater and not wanting to alert Misty to anything, Ally simply waited.
However, Ally's silence did the opposite, making Misty glance up.
"Horsea," the gym leader called out. "Don't get close!"
Down in the water, Amber struggled, kicking out his legs. The water swirled around him as a result of the weak Twister Horsea had produced and wouldn't let him go, making him dizzy in the process. Finally, he got a glimpse of the water-type floating below him, and as Ally instructed earlier, let Horsea have it. His eyes glowed blue, the water rippling, and a thin halo of blue shot downwards, following the path of the Twister.
Horsea's red eyes mirrored Amber's, glowing a faint blue, and the water-type suddenly shook its head, cutting the Twister off. Free, the Vulpix pushed out its legs and swam back to the surface, the cool air being a welcome greeting.
"Did it work?" Ally asked her Pokemon. Amber used Quick Attack to get back onto a platform again and shook his whole body, water flying. The Pokemon then remembered his trainer existed and gave her an annoyed look.
Back at Misty's end of the pool, Horsea surfaced as well, swaying as if off-balanced, eyes still glowing blue.
"Now, Will-o-Wisp!" Ally said, seeing her chance.
The waiting balls of blue flame, which flickered with impatience, glowed brighter as Amber needed them again. All four of them glided over the water at a fast pace, narrowing in on Horsea.
"Horsea, go underwater!"
Dazed by Confuse Ray, Horsea shook its head, but dove underwater at the last second. Two of the blue flames pulled back before they hit the water, but the two weren't so lucky, crashing into the water and turning into steam.
'Horsea's confused,' Ally thought. 'Maybe now I can do this-' However, it was at that moment that she really looked at her Vulpix.
It was odd for her not to pay attention to her Pokemon during a battle. Usually, she couldn't keep her eyes off them, wincing at every scrape as they got them. However, this time she apparently didn't, as she couldn't remember when Amber had started shivering and looking so shriveled. His fur stuck to his body, and his paws were in water, having given up on keeping the platform balanced. He breathed heavily and every so often a cough would escape his mouth.
"A- Amber…" Ally said, hand going to her Poke Balls. But she stopped as she was forced to consider what she was doing.
She had to beat Misty, she had to, and a Protecting Horsea got in the way of that. Sparks couldn't beat it; she knew that, which is why she spent so long just training Amber for this battle. To beat Horsea, the water-type couldn't be allowed to use Protect. And Will-o-Wisp and Confuse Ray did that. They were what could let her win.
But Horsea was only confused and that would wear off. It wasn't burned, but Ally didn't think Amber could stay out for much longer. And if her Vulpix was returned to his Poke Ball, any chance of burning it would flee, the Will-o-Wisps disappearing. Sparks didn't have an attack to paralyze, so she'd just be back where she started; unable to beat Protect.
No matter how bad Amber looked, Ally couldn't return him. She had to get a burn in, or she'd lose. Then she wouldn't be able to be a trainer and couldn't keep going on her journey with Ed.
"… Keep on going with Will-o-Wisp," Ally said, trying not to look at her Vulpix. To help her Pokemon, she scanned the waters, looking for any sign of the water-type. Finally, it resurfaced again, close to Amber, still looking wobbly and not making any signs of an attack.
Horsea was so close, actually, it was in arms reach of her Vulpix and the Will-o-Wisps were near Misty's side of the pool…
Surprising even her, what came out of Ally's mouth was a different order than expected.
"Amber, Quick Attack! Bite it!"
Amber was tired of everything; the water, the fighting… but still did as his trainer ordered. He crouched down, and leapt forward-
"Protect!"
- And crash into a green barrier which hardly even buckled under his weight. The Vulpix slid off the shield and back into the water. Amber growled at the surprised water-type, who floated dumbly in the water. The two remaining Will-o-Wisps circled the shield, waiting for it to crack.
"Underwater, Horsea!" Misty shouted. "Now!"
But the Horsea stayed where it was, looking confused. Its eyes were gazed and its body rocked with the motions of the water.
"Amber, hit the barrier!" Ally exclaimed.
The Vulpix swiped at it with his paw, his foot hitting the solid surface. He hit it again and the barrier flickered for just a moment, before going back up.
Misty called out, "Horsea!"
The blue glow in Horsea's eyes seemed to fade just as the shield disappeared.
Immediately, the blue flames were on the job, and Amber used Quick Attack to shoot forward, the water slowing him down. The Vulpix clumsily grabbed at the water-type with his paws and opened his mouth, intending to bite down. Faster than it had been the entire battle, Horsea spun around and splashed water in Amber's face then dodged one of the Will-o-Wisps. One of the others, however, was lucky, and scraped the top of the Horsea's head, sticking to the Pokemon like glue.
Horsea cried out and dove underwater.
"Got it!" Ally said, not seeing any steam coming from the water. She let herself grab her Vulpix's Poke Ball and in a clear voice said, "Amber, return!"
The beam of red light swallowed the fire-type and pulled him back to safety. With her other hand, Ally grabbed Sparks' Poke Ball and threw it over the pool.
"Sparks! Spark!"
The Voltorb had been prepared for this moment as he rolled on the water without stopping to see where he was. Tiny electrical charges ignited over his circular form and caught onto the water, sending electricity all the way to the bottom of the pool.
Looking at the water, Ally saw a green light appear near one of the platforms between the electrical currents. Pointing at it, she exclaimed, "There, Sparks! Sonic Boom!"
Stopping for a brief moment to see where she was pointing, Sparks turned until his face was underwater. Bubbles formed around his body and while the water muted it, Ally could still hear a screech as the sound blast was launched and the green light that signified Horsea went dark.
Sparks circled the pool, waiting for the Horsea to come back up.
"Twister, Horsea!" Misty commanded.
For a moment, it didn't look like the attack had worked, but without warning, Sparks was pulled off course. He was too light to be sucked underwater, but even from ways a way, Ally could see his angry expression as he was kept in one place.
Luckily, there was an easy way to get out of the Twister and Ally used it.
"Spark!"
Even before the attack really began, Sparks was suddenly let free of his prison, but the Voltorb continued his attack, once again electrifying the pool. This time, however, the green light didn't show up.
'Did it get shocked?' Ally asked herself. It looked like it, but…
"Charge," she said, not taking any chances. Even with a burn, the Horsea had time to use Protect. She didn't want to be caught off guard.
As Sparks charged, Ally searched the water for any signs.
Did Horsea really lose?
From the other side of the pool, a blast of water caught Sparks in its grasp and pushed the rolling Pokemon back. He hit the side of the pool with a bang, and the Voltorb shocked the water on instinct.
Ally stepped back, being only a few feet away from her Pokemon and only when a few seconds past did she remember to look for Horsea.
There was no need, though. Horsea had obviously not seen the last electric attack coming and floated on the surface of the pool with its eyes closed, a burn mark on its head. The referee came to Misty's side of the pool and examined the Pokemon closely from the sidelines.
"Horsea is unable to battle," he declared, raising a flag. "First battle goes to Ally Anderson of Cerulean City!"
"H- Huh?" Ally said out loud. The battle with Horsea had hardly gotten started and she had already won? But she hadn't really done anything; it was just an accident!
"The burning was a nice touch," Misty said from across the pool, returning Horsea. She grinned as she took out another Pokemon. "But that won't work a second time." Throwing the ball out, she said, "Go!"
A Pokemon was left behind on the platform as its Poke Ball went back to its trainer's hand. It was the size of a human toddler with navy blue skin. It had a brown shell outlined with white on its back and its ears and tail looked like angel wings.
The water-type copied its trainer's grin, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"… Be careful, Sparks," Ally said, eyeing the Wartortle as she tried to think up its move set. She didn't think Misty would go with a Pokemon like that; it had never occurred to her, even. Wartortle probably knew the standard water moves, though. Bite, for sure, Withdraw, and… Protect?
… It did know Protect, didn't it?
Her whole plan with Amber was focused on defeating a Protect-ing Horsea, but a Protect-ing Wartortle was something different! She didn't know all the attacks it could learn or what it was good at- she couldn't send her Vulpix into battle against those odds!
Though, Wartortle was different than Horsea. It wasn't as fast and small, so it should be easier to hit, even if it did know Protect.
"Wartortle," Misty said, snapping Ally back to attention. "Water Pulse!"
A small ball of water materialized in the Pokemon's outstretched paws, pulsing as it was held together only by Wartortle's will.
"Sparks, get out of there!"
The Voltorb started to roll, but Wartortle released the water in its grasp, the ball breaking and shooting forward in a circular wall of water. While thin, the wall easily encompassed half of the pool, leaving no escape route for the electric-type. Like a wave, the water barred down on Sparks, pushing him back.
"Bubblebeam!" Misty said.
Wartortle smiled wider. It took a deep breath and then let it out, but instead of air, out came a thick smog of bubbles, clinging together and shining under the light. They spread out over the water, floating both on the air and on the pool.
From where he was, Sparks couldn't see anything, but even he could hear the loud splash of something diving into the water.
"Spark!" Ally ordered, a few bubbles hitting her ankles and popping as they connected.
The electrical blast was sent straight into the pool, Sparks giving it his best. While the Voltorb couldn't see anything, neither could the Wartortle. When the electric-attack died down, Sparks waited where he was, floating on the uneasy water. A small wave splashed his side, and the popping of bubbles had the Pokemon turning, just in time to get hit in the face.
Bubbles exploded as he hit them, having been sent skimming over the water like a flat rock. The electric-type rolled in the opposite direction before he was able to stop his motion, feeling a throb come from the middle of his face. Through the path of bubbles he made, Wartortle floated, tail held in the air like a baseball bat with a ribbon of water spiraling around it.
As a finishing gesture, Wartortle sent out a jet of water that shot through the hole of bubbles without popping a single one. It hit the side of the pool where Sparks was only a moment ago, spraying water upwards.
It couldn't be said that Sparks was trying to hide his approach; the bubbles didn't let him. Instead, the Pokemon rolled in an arc, past Wartortle until he was on Misty's side of the field, popping every bubble in his path.
Wartortle sent another blast of water at him, but Sparks swerved out of its path, turning until he got behind the water-type. There was a screech, and a blast of air parted the water in its path, hitting Wartortle on its shell and throwing it face first into the water.
"Rollout!"
Sparks charged, water being thrown behind him as he sped forward. He ran over the place where Wartortle had floated and surprise was evident on his face as he was bashed up into the air from a blast from below.
Having gone through the same thing before in the last gym battle, Sparks turned in mid air, launching a spark of electricity back into the water. A hardly visible green light was the answer and gravity grabbed hold of the electric-type as he began his descent. Just before he hit the water, a cloud-like tail arched out of the surface, water spinning, and made a crack as it hit Sparks and sent him back up. Wartortle's position wasn't strong enough to really send the Voltorb flying, but it still spun the Pokemon like nothing had ever done before.
No matter how dizzy he was, Sparks wouldn't stand for another hit of the tail, and sparked purposely just before he hit the water. As expected, the tail came up, but gave out as the electricity connected with the water-type. Fast, Wartortle brought up the green barrier over itself and dove towards the bottom of the pool, shuddering all the way.
"Good job, Sparks!" Ally said, exhilaration making her eyes wide and not able to prevent the smile from growing on her face.
"This is getting dangerous," Misty said to herself, so quietly that Ally almost didn't hear her. Then, the gym leader said louder, "Nice move, your Voltorb has really been training."
Ally kept her eyes on the battle, not wanting to get distracted, but still said, "Thanks."
"Buuuuut," Misty drew out, "Can you beat this? Wartortle! Show Voltorb you mean business! Ice Beam!"
While Ally couldn't feel it, Sparks noticed that the water began to chill.
As soon as Misty revealed her trump card, Ally's mind halted. How was she supposed to-? "L- Light screen!" she exclaimed. "Hurry!"
A gold prison of light wrapped around the electric-type, looking like a woven blanket. Just in time, too, as odd slivers of cyan light snaked through the pool, like veins. Coming up from the bottom of the pool, they froze when they reached the surface, floating on the water like mini glaciers. They interlinked with each other, and reached for Sparks, trying to trap him in their frozen arms, but the electric-type decided that was the best time to get moving.
With ice in the way, Sparks could no longer roll as freely as before, especially with danger lurking right underneath him.
Ally watched the tiny streams of ice with curiosity. She didn't think Ice Beam worked like that. Why were they only freezing when they got to the surface? 'It must be a new move,' she concluded with a little hope. Maybe Wartortle couldn't make a full beam of ice yet.
However, her hopes were trampled as Wartortle finally came up the surface, giving up on launching its attack from underwater. Sparks gave the Pokemon a wide range, speeding up and refusing to stop for even a moment.
Wartortle opened its mouth, a ball of bright blue light appearing in front of it.
"Spark!" Ally said, knowing she wouldn't get a better chance than this.
Electricity danced over Sparks' body, the currents of electricity making the water its new stage. In the middle of an attack, and a new one at that, Wartortle could only be electrocuted, not able to throw up a shield. Still, the water-type didn't falter, the ball of energy in its mouth growing, and growing-
A thin beam of ice shot out from the ball, stray driblets of the strange energy freezing anything it touched. Unlike Wartortle, Sparks could still move, and cut out his electrical attack, rolling to get out of the way. However, the beam followed, cutting off the Voltorb's escape route by freezing the water solid. The electric-type backed up, but the ice encircled him, halting his movement as the lower white part of his body was encased.
Finally, the beam was sent up further, covering the Pokemon completely.
"Sparks!" Ally yelled. The layers of ice distorted her Pokemon's form to the outside world, but even she could tell he wasn't moving. "Spark! Spark!"
If the Pokemon could hear her, he couldn't do anything.
The referee waited another few seconds for the Voltorb to do something, seconds that seemed to last forever, until he raised a flag and said, "Voltorb is unable to battle."
Ally could only stare. And then, as everyone looked at her, it dawned on her that this was a two-on-two Pokemon battle. Her Voltorb had fainted, but she still had one Pokemon left.
Hands shaking, she returned Sparks and reached for Amber's Poke Ball, her mind blank, not sure what to do.
Her Vulpix could never win against a Wartortle, Ice Beam or not. She had an advantage with Sparks; with him, Wartortle was forced to stick to long-range techniques, and had to move and attack quickly in case Sparks used an electric attack. But Amber wasn't like that. Wartortle could take as long as it wanted and could come as close as it desired. Her fire-type wouldn't last more than one minute.
She had to win, though. Her journey depended on it. It didn't matter if Amber couldn't win, she didn't know that for sure. She had to try, right? What if Wartortle made a mistake and Amber burned it? She could win then, if she kept her Vulpix moving around…
No. She knew she couldn't win, but she had to. She wanted to try, but Amber would only get hurt. She loved her Pokemon; she didn't want to send them into a no-hope situation.
Indecision must have shown on her face, because Misty asked, "Are you going to give up?"
Ally hesitated. What should she do?
"It's alright to give up; you tried your best," the gym leader said. "I'm always up for a rematch."
"I- I have to win," Ally tried to explain. "I- I can't stay here any longer."
"Why not?" Misty asked, crossing her arms, curiosity on her face. "The Indigo Tournament isn't until March. You have lots of time."
Ally didn't want to say anything about her mother, so she just shook her head, lips shut.
Frowning now, the gym leader said, "You know, it's alright to leave a city without a badge. You don't have to battle me right now; why don't you leave Cerulean and come back later? I'll still be here when you get back."
Seeing the situation in front of her, Ally's eyes clouded over, but she rubbed them as Misty's idea settled into her brain. It had never occurred to her that she could just come back later. She had spent weeks wondering what to do, at how to beat Misty, when she didn't have to.
There was nothing stopping her from leaving whenever she wanted; she didn't need a badge to do that. When she came back to Cerulean, she would be prepared and her Pokemon better trained. Then, she would win the Cascade Badge.
Lavender, Celadon, Saffron… and then Cerulean, Pewter and Viridian.
That was her plan.
"I-" The words had trouble coming out of her mouth, but Ally forced them. "I give up!"
Misty nodded in what could have been approval, returning her Wartortle. "When you come back," she said, smiling. "I expect a good battle out of you, so train really hard!"
"I will," Ally said, and even though her loss had hit her hard, she smiled back.
"Ally!" Ed said, coming up to her, Leah following at a slower pace. "So-"
She cut him off. "We can come back to Cerulean later." Blushing after her quick remark, she added, "I- If that's okay with you."
"Yeah, let's do that," Ed agreed, looking relieved by her words.
"You're next, right?" Misty asked the boy, joining the little group.
Put on the spot so suddenly, Ed said, "Uh…"
"I thought you were going to battle her too," Ally said.
Ed shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Coralie's not ready and I can't use Parasect, so I just thought I'd come back… later."
After a pause, Ally said, "O- Oh… Is that why you didn't tell me how you were going to battle?"
"Trainers don't work like that," Ed muttered as an explanation. "I mean, no trainers I've met leave a city without a badge."
"That's because they don't think of it," Misty said, rejoining the conversation. "You're not the first trainers to go training somewhere else before coming back. Cerulean isn't the best training place, anyways; the wild Pokemon here are weak-"
Leah flinched.
"- and the only good training ground is a cave outside the city."
"What's the cave like?" Ed asked, trying to remember if he'd seen a cave anywhere.
Misty adopted a stern tone. "Very dangerous, so you two shouldn't go near there. Even when I bring my best Pokemon, I never go beyond the first cavern."
"Are the Pokemon really strong there?"
"Insanely," the gym leader said. "And I mean that. There are guards posted by the Pokemon League just to make sure no one goes in there."
Since Misty had proved herself as a good source of information, Ed asked, "What about Lavender? Are there good places near there?"
"Not really, but if you're going straight there from Cerulean, you'll have to go through Rock Tunnel, which is pretty decent. The Zubat can get annoying, but the other Pokemon will put up a good challenge."
"Thank you," Ally said and Misty grinned.
"No problem! Good luck on your journey and I hope to see you competing in the Indigo Tournament!"
-
When they got outside, Leah finally spoke up.
"I'm not coming."
"What?" Ed asked, the kids turning around to face her.
"The journey," she said, repeating herself. "I'm not coming."
Ed asked, "Don't we need four badges for you to leave?"
Leah stared at him. "I don't care anymore. I'm going home." To keep them from saying anything else, she walked ahead of them, hands in her pockets.
"W- Wait!" Ally said, calling after the older girl. "We won't be in Cerulean for much longer, so please stay until we leave!"
Leah didn't show any signs of hearing her and kept walking.
"What's wrong with her?" Ally asked Ed as the two kids hurried to catch up.
Ed hesitated. "Well…"
-
A/N: Nothing much to say but Cerulean is drawing to a close. Finally.
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