Kirozane
Frolic and fun~
- 960
- Posts
- 15
- Years
- Age 33
- Seen Sep 12, 2023
Author's notes: This is a little short story I wrote... It's about me and Live_Wire466.... As if you wouldn't have been able to tell by the fakemon I created for him. I had suffered a crushing defeat to him a year before, and this is the attempt I and my Fakemon, Tindra, make to redeem ourselves (Thus the title of "Redemption")
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"I have to win. I have to beat him."
I told myself this time and time again. It played in my head so often it was almost all I knew. I leaned back against the wall, exhaling deeply. My fists clenched and unfurled with my breathing. The cool red tiles on the floor did nothing but make me feel warmer. All I could think of now was our last battle, one year before.
I had been so confident. So sure that this was it. After blowing through the tournament so easily, I was sure the elite four was mine for the taking. The finals were only for formality. I was leaning against the exact same wall, only then it was to stay standing. The second semi-finals match played on the screen, and I only half payed attention to it. I only wanted to know who it was. Who dared to challenge me and my Tindra.
"The winner is Nick with a flawless victory!"
My eyes flashed to the screen. His Pokémon still shook with energy. It clearly expected a bigger challenge. He patted the nose of his dragon as it landed before him, who calmed at his touch. They seemed to share a similar bond to that of Tindra and myself. I also felt the same air of confidence. He smiled and nodded before recalling his partner to its pokeball.
Tindra shuddered beside me. She felt that dragon's power and was as unnerved by it as I had been. "Don't worry, Tindra." I whispered, stroking the Pokémon's head. "We'll beat him. He can't be that tough."
"Funny thing is I thought the same thing about you."
I jumped. Nick shook his head at me, having materialized virtually out of nowhere. "You're my opponent, huh?" He inquired with a slight eyebrow raise. His nonchalance was getting on my nerves.
I huffed a sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. Hopefully your draggy gives Tindra here some fun. She's been terribly bored."
He shrugged, unfazed. "Livewire's been pretty bored too. I think we can manage." He turned and left at that.
I did not think the match could come any faster. We stepped onto the field, oozing confidence. The crowd's boisterous cheers were lost upon me. Only one thing resonated in my mind. One of us would be taken down a notch. And at the time I believed it would be him.
Nick's face was calm as he stared at me. I cringed under the hidden intensity, but did what I could to hide it. Whatever confidence I had when stepping in was suddenly gone under those eyes. "So this is it." I said, sure he heard the waver in my voice as well as I did.
He gave no response after a curt nod.
The referee announced rules. Rules we all knew. After this much time it was common knowledge. Our eyes never left one another. But before I knew it there was a pokeball in what was once an empty palm. I didn't question for a second. Not out loud, and not in my head. I knew who was within. I'm sure by now, everyone did.
"Livewire! Now!" The gold and blue dragon exploded from its capsule. It showed an eagerness to listen to its partner.
It was all I saw of his team. For all I knew, he had so much confidence in his partner that it was all he had. The battle didn't even last five minutes. Not even Tindra stood a chance to its valiant dive attack. One blow and it left her open to the outrage attack that finished her.
All the while his face was calm. Unchanging. He almost looked bored. As my partner fell to his, I saw him slowly shaking his head. Maybe something in him wondered how I got this far. All of me did.
I had left in silence. He made beating me look so easy. His dragon pre-empted my ever move. I never touched it.
Tindra and I had trained endlessly. We had to redeem ourselves. My saber-toothed cat Pokémon tried harder than I did to excel herself. And now the time came again. Having easily become Champion, he eliminated any challenger that dared face him as easily as he did me. Not this time. I thought. I'm not going to be so easy this time.
"Nick has asked me to inform you that he wants his battle with you to be one on one."
Of course he'd want that. I scoffed at the thought. I did not even look at the messenger. I just nodded to show I understood the message. I heard him scurry away and continued my breathing. Just five more minutes of formalities. I thought. Then my time of reckoning will come.
Tindra's pokeball shook at my side. It felt like she was ready to battle. But after the beating Nick had given me one year before, who was to say he would not be even tougher? He did not seem the type to laze about for a year. With a Pokémon like his Livewire, I didn't think that was even remotely possible. The uncertainty wriggled its way back in with Will I lose just as easily?
A buzz from the speaker sounded above me. I snapped to back to attention, almost jumping to my feet. The time had come. The rematch I had prepared so determinedly for was upon me. My stomach sank at the thought. The long hallway to the battlefield seemed that much longer, my legs refusing to comply thoroughly. I could feel him waiting. He was that much more imposing when it was realized that he was indisputably the most powerful Pokémon trainer the world had ever seen. Not like he really needed that boost, however.
Finally I reached the battlefield. It looked so elaborate in comparison to where he had beaten me last. And there he stood. His very stare could have knocked me over. In fact, I am pretty sure I stumbled back a step or two. He chuckled, obviously amused by my disorientation. "How do you expect to be a challenge stumbling around like that?" His tone was joking, but it hit me back into focus all the same.
I strode forward, less anxious now. All the same, the uncertainty of my being any stronger kept gnawing at my nerves. "So…" I said, voice wavering like our last battle. "One on one?"
Nick nodded. It was as subtle a movement as before as well. "You know what match-up I want."
I nodded. "Tindra's much more powerful than last time."
He smiled wryly. "I was hoping you'd say that. This ought to be fun."
I pulled Tindra's pokeball from my side as Livewire's appeared in Nick's hand.
"Livewire! Go!" Upon his partner's command, the dragon exploded from its capsule. Landing on the ground, he stretched up on his long hind legs, roaring a challenge to me. Like his parter, Livewire knew who his opponent would be. I tossed the pokeball in my hand.
"Tindra! It's time."
Tindra flew from her captivity. Unlike Livewire, who gracefully placed himself upon the ground, Tindra thudded, stepping forward on her paws. Again, Livewire roared in challenge. Tindra, unfazed this time around, roared her response. The two stood poised, prepared. The tension between them was palpable. I wondered if they would even need our command.
"You're the challenger, Chelsee." Nick called. "First move is yours."
I grinned. I had planned this. "Tindra. Wait."
Tindra lowered herself to the ground, her lavender fur rippling with her snarl.
Nick blinked in shock. "Is that really…?" He seemed to be caught off guard. His partner looked similarly, blinking curiously at Tindra.
I nodded, smiling broadly.
He sighed. "Okay… Livewire." The dragon snapped to attention. "Outrage."
The air began to ripple with Livewire's energies. Tindra tensed, freezing under the dragon's stare. "Tindra. Keep waiting."
Livewire roared, sending his furious energies outward. The rippling air routed itself to my partner. Nick looked outright astounded. But I remembered our last battle. I knew how his outrage worked.
"Tindra!" I bellowed with mere moments to spare. "Now!!"
Without question Tindra flattened herself against the ground. The colliding energy went upwards, expecting her to jump. With the extra moment, she got up and dashed away.
"You forget I outspeed you." Nick called. "Volt tackle!"
"Tindra!" I yelled as the dragon charged with blinding speeds, body encased in white lightning. "Earthquake!"
Nick opened his mouth to command his dragon to leap, but not before Tindra could slam her paws into the ground. The earth heaved and shook with the force. Nick and I stumbled, trying ot keep our footing. Livewire was even more troubled, so close to the epicenter, and the forcus of the attack. He fell forward, but was still near enough to hit Tindra. She roared, reeling back. She shook the sparks off of her as Livewire shoved his wings forward to stand.
"Livewire! To the air!" Without even standing fully, the pokemon launched himself skyward. Tindra stood where he had once been, watching him carefully. She bared her teeth, breathing out a hiss. He was well out of her range now. A chuckle came from Nick's direction. He knew this fact and was intending to make full use of it.
I grinned. He couldn't make full use of the air. He'd have to come down to Tindra soon enough. When he did, she would be ready. "Tindra." I said, suddenly calm. "Against the wall."
The cat stepped back slowly, halthing when her rear hit the wall. I suddenly realized what was coming. The way Livewire was circling was all to familiar. A style that was forever burned into my memory. I mouthed the words with Nick as he said them.
"Now, let's end this quickly. Valiant Dive."
Livewire spun in the air, encasing himself in those flames. Tindra froze. She must have had the same thoughts flying through her mind as me. The head on collission. Tindra forcing herself to her paws, just to be knocked down again with the outrage that defeated her. It even almost cost Tindra her life. I shook the memory long before she did. Right as he began to dive.
"TINDRA!! MOVE!!" I screamed. I didn't bother hiding the fear, or even potential tears, in my voice. Tindra closed her eyes tightly. I fell to my knees. There was no way. She couldn't evade him. She knew it. I swallowed, hoping she'd at least last the attack. Then, looking down, I shut my own eyes. There was no way I could watch this happen again.
A loud crash signaled the attack's hit, just like last time. But Tindra was silent. Rather, a loud hiss of pain from Livewire was what I heard. My eyes snapped open. What had happened?
Tindra held Livewire pinned. Her fangs glowed with psychic power, and Livewire showed the marks of the attack. I stared in disbelief. Not only because Tindra escaped the Valiant Dive with little more than singed fur. But because she used Kinetic Fang. An attack we failed to use in the past. An attack she could barely control just before this very battle.
"Get out from under her! Outrage!" My eyes flashed to Nick. He was just as astonished by the turn of events as I was, if not more so. That astonishment had derailed his cool enough for that command to sound frantic. Livewire roared, knocking Tindra from his back with Outrage's sheer energy. She rolled, sliding to a stop against the oppostie wall. He roared again, pupils all but gone in sheer draconic fury. The power hit Tindra as she tried to stand, effectively knocking her down again.
Suddenly, Livewire fumbled in his stance. His head lolled from side to side. The telltale signs of confusion. Tindra was on her paws again. "Ice Fang, Tindra! Hurry!"
The pain from the outrage attacks showed in her. She limped, which slowed her run. "Earthquake, Livewire! Throw her off course."
Even in what seemed like drunken confusion, Livewire jumped, hitting the ground with as much force as he could. Tindra was rocked by the attack, as were we, and her injured leg buckled as she set weight on it. She fell to the ground.
Livewire shook the confusion from his head. Shoving himself to his feet he prowled towards Tindra. The ice cat snarled, refusing to acknowledge she had been injured. He gazed down at her for a long moment. Then I watched him leap into the air again.
Tindra struggled to stand, but crumpled to the ground again under that leg. Livewire circled overhead, preparing for another Valiant Dive without command. Tindra now just stared at him. The fire in her eyes was gone, replaced with accepted defeat. I reverted my eyes to the dragon pokemon, who had just begun to spin.
"Stop."
Livewire stopped without question, flapping his broad wings to remain in the air. Nick stared sternly at his pokemon, and that seemed enough to summon him. Landing deftly beside his partner, he finally showed signs of exhaustion and pain from Tindra's efforts. Nick patted the dragon again, and recalled him to his pokeball. Clearly he knew a victory when he saw one.
I ran to Tindra, whose breathing was even heavier. She still couldn't stand, and looking closer I could see blood oozing from it. Her eyes were apologetic, upset that she had let me down. I ruffled her fur. "We may not have redeemed ourselves, but you did amazingly my friend." I hugged her, burying my face in the fur of her neck like I always did. "That is enough."
"Didn't redeem yourself?"
I jumped, turning to face Nick as he shook his head. "Are you kidding?" he scoffed as he continued. "If it was redemption you were after you definitely did that, even if you lost again."
He knelt beside Tindra, inspecting her injured foreleg. As I gave no response to him, he continued. "You were much closer to winning than you think. In fact, I think if Tindra never hurt her leg you could have won. If you consider that Livewire beat her in two unanswered blows last time…" he let the sentence hang.
I nodded. "I'm just glad she's going to survive for sure this time."
Nick looked from me to Tindra, silent. Raising himself to his feet, he turned. He waited for a moment, as If expecting me to say something. When no words came, he walked away. To try and rid myself of the awkward moment he left us in, I ruffled Tindra's fur again. "Let's go get something done about that leg."
Recalling her to her pokeball, I too stood and looked around. The once pristine battlefield showed pure signs of battle, covered in destruction. "Well, at least I left my mark for a while." I mumbled, and trotted out the way I had come.
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"Redemption"
"I have to win. I have to beat him."
I told myself this time and time again. It played in my head so often it was almost all I knew. I leaned back against the wall, exhaling deeply. My fists clenched and unfurled with my breathing. The cool red tiles on the floor did nothing but make me feel warmer. All I could think of now was our last battle, one year before.
I had been so confident. So sure that this was it. After blowing through the tournament so easily, I was sure the elite four was mine for the taking. The finals were only for formality. I was leaning against the exact same wall, only then it was to stay standing. The second semi-finals match played on the screen, and I only half payed attention to it. I only wanted to know who it was. Who dared to challenge me and my Tindra.
"The winner is Nick with a flawless victory!"
My eyes flashed to the screen. His Pokémon still shook with energy. It clearly expected a bigger challenge. He patted the nose of his dragon as it landed before him, who calmed at his touch. They seemed to share a similar bond to that of Tindra and myself. I also felt the same air of confidence. He smiled and nodded before recalling his partner to its pokeball.
Tindra shuddered beside me. She felt that dragon's power and was as unnerved by it as I had been. "Don't worry, Tindra." I whispered, stroking the Pokémon's head. "We'll beat him. He can't be that tough."
"Funny thing is I thought the same thing about you."
I jumped. Nick shook his head at me, having materialized virtually out of nowhere. "You're my opponent, huh?" He inquired with a slight eyebrow raise. His nonchalance was getting on my nerves.
I huffed a sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. Hopefully your draggy gives Tindra here some fun. She's been terribly bored."
He shrugged, unfazed. "Livewire's been pretty bored too. I think we can manage." He turned and left at that.
I did not think the match could come any faster. We stepped onto the field, oozing confidence. The crowd's boisterous cheers were lost upon me. Only one thing resonated in my mind. One of us would be taken down a notch. And at the time I believed it would be him.
Nick's face was calm as he stared at me. I cringed under the hidden intensity, but did what I could to hide it. Whatever confidence I had when stepping in was suddenly gone under those eyes. "So this is it." I said, sure he heard the waver in my voice as well as I did.
He gave no response after a curt nod.
The referee announced rules. Rules we all knew. After this much time it was common knowledge. Our eyes never left one another. But before I knew it there was a pokeball in what was once an empty palm. I didn't question for a second. Not out loud, and not in my head. I knew who was within. I'm sure by now, everyone did.
"Livewire! Now!" The gold and blue dragon exploded from its capsule. It showed an eagerness to listen to its partner.
It was all I saw of his team. For all I knew, he had so much confidence in his partner that it was all he had. The battle didn't even last five minutes. Not even Tindra stood a chance to its valiant dive attack. One blow and it left her open to the outrage attack that finished her.
All the while his face was calm. Unchanging. He almost looked bored. As my partner fell to his, I saw him slowly shaking his head. Maybe something in him wondered how I got this far. All of me did.
I had left in silence. He made beating me look so easy. His dragon pre-empted my ever move. I never touched it.
Tindra and I had trained endlessly. We had to redeem ourselves. My saber-toothed cat Pokémon tried harder than I did to excel herself. And now the time came again. Having easily become Champion, he eliminated any challenger that dared face him as easily as he did me. Not this time. I thought. I'm not going to be so easy this time.
"Nick has asked me to inform you that he wants his battle with you to be one on one."
Of course he'd want that. I scoffed at the thought. I did not even look at the messenger. I just nodded to show I understood the message. I heard him scurry away and continued my breathing. Just five more minutes of formalities. I thought. Then my time of reckoning will come.
Tindra's pokeball shook at my side. It felt like she was ready to battle. But after the beating Nick had given me one year before, who was to say he would not be even tougher? He did not seem the type to laze about for a year. With a Pokémon like his Livewire, I didn't think that was even remotely possible. The uncertainty wriggled its way back in with Will I lose just as easily?
A buzz from the speaker sounded above me. I snapped to back to attention, almost jumping to my feet. The time had come. The rematch I had prepared so determinedly for was upon me. My stomach sank at the thought. The long hallway to the battlefield seemed that much longer, my legs refusing to comply thoroughly. I could feel him waiting. He was that much more imposing when it was realized that he was indisputably the most powerful Pokémon trainer the world had ever seen. Not like he really needed that boost, however.
Finally I reached the battlefield. It looked so elaborate in comparison to where he had beaten me last. And there he stood. His very stare could have knocked me over. In fact, I am pretty sure I stumbled back a step or two. He chuckled, obviously amused by my disorientation. "How do you expect to be a challenge stumbling around like that?" His tone was joking, but it hit me back into focus all the same.
I strode forward, less anxious now. All the same, the uncertainty of my being any stronger kept gnawing at my nerves. "So…" I said, voice wavering like our last battle. "One on one?"
Nick nodded. It was as subtle a movement as before as well. "You know what match-up I want."
I nodded. "Tindra's much more powerful than last time."
He smiled wryly. "I was hoping you'd say that. This ought to be fun."
I pulled Tindra's pokeball from my side as Livewire's appeared in Nick's hand.
"Livewire! Go!" Upon his partner's command, the dragon exploded from its capsule. Landing on the ground, he stretched up on his long hind legs, roaring a challenge to me. Like his parter, Livewire knew who his opponent would be. I tossed the pokeball in my hand.
"Tindra! It's time."
Tindra flew from her captivity. Unlike Livewire, who gracefully placed himself upon the ground, Tindra thudded, stepping forward on her paws. Again, Livewire roared in challenge. Tindra, unfazed this time around, roared her response. The two stood poised, prepared. The tension between them was palpable. I wondered if they would even need our command.
"You're the challenger, Chelsee." Nick called. "First move is yours."
I grinned. I had planned this. "Tindra. Wait."
Tindra lowered herself to the ground, her lavender fur rippling with her snarl.
Nick blinked in shock. "Is that really…?" He seemed to be caught off guard. His partner looked similarly, blinking curiously at Tindra.
I nodded, smiling broadly.
He sighed. "Okay… Livewire." The dragon snapped to attention. "Outrage."
The air began to ripple with Livewire's energies. Tindra tensed, freezing under the dragon's stare. "Tindra. Keep waiting."
Livewire roared, sending his furious energies outward. The rippling air routed itself to my partner. Nick looked outright astounded. But I remembered our last battle. I knew how his outrage worked.
"Tindra!" I bellowed with mere moments to spare. "Now!!"
Without question Tindra flattened herself against the ground. The colliding energy went upwards, expecting her to jump. With the extra moment, she got up and dashed away.
"You forget I outspeed you." Nick called. "Volt tackle!"
"Tindra!" I yelled as the dragon charged with blinding speeds, body encased in white lightning. "Earthquake!"
Nick opened his mouth to command his dragon to leap, but not before Tindra could slam her paws into the ground. The earth heaved and shook with the force. Nick and I stumbled, trying ot keep our footing. Livewire was even more troubled, so close to the epicenter, and the forcus of the attack. He fell forward, but was still near enough to hit Tindra. She roared, reeling back. She shook the sparks off of her as Livewire shoved his wings forward to stand.
"Livewire! To the air!" Without even standing fully, the pokemon launched himself skyward. Tindra stood where he had once been, watching him carefully. She bared her teeth, breathing out a hiss. He was well out of her range now. A chuckle came from Nick's direction. He knew this fact and was intending to make full use of it.
I grinned. He couldn't make full use of the air. He'd have to come down to Tindra soon enough. When he did, she would be ready. "Tindra." I said, suddenly calm. "Against the wall."
The cat stepped back slowly, halthing when her rear hit the wall. I suddenly realized what was coming. The way Livewire was circling was all to familiar. A style that was forever burned into my memory. I mouthed the words with Nick as he said them.
"Now, let's end this quickly. Valiant Dive."
Livewire spun in the air, encasing himself in those flames. Tindra froze. She must have had the same thoughts flying through her mind as me. The head on collission. Tindra forcing herself to her paws, just to be knocked down again with the outrage that defeated her. It even almost cost Tindra her life. I shook the memory long before she did. Right as he began to dive.
"TINDRA!! MOVE!!" I screamed. I didn't bother hiding the fear, or even potential tears, in my voice. Tindra closed her eyes tightly. I fell to my knees. There was no way. She couldn't evade him. She knew it. I swallowed, hoping she'd at least last the attack. Then, looking down, I shut my own eyes. There was no way I could watch this happen again.
A loud crash signaled the attack's hit, just like last time. But Tindra was silent. Rather, a loud hiss of pain from Livewire was what I heard. My eyes snapped open. What had happened?
Tindra held Livewire pinned. Her fangs glowed with psychic power, and Livewire showed the marks of the attack. I stared in disbelief. Not only because Tindra escaped the Valiant Dive with little more than singed fur. But because she used Kinetic Fang. An attack we failed to use in the past. An attack she could barely control just before this very battle.
"Get out from under her! Outrage!" My eyes flashed to Nick. He was just as astonished by the turn of events as I was, if not more so. That astonishment had derailed his cool enough for that command to sound frantic. Livewire roared, knocking Tindra from his back with Outrage's sheer energy. She rolled, sliding to a stop against the oppostie wall. He roared again, pupils all but gone in sheer draconic fury. The power hit Tindra as she tried to stand, effectively knocking her down again.
Suddenly, Livewire fumbled in his stance. His head lolled from side to side. The telltale signs of confusion. Tindra was on her paws again. "Ice Fang, Tindra! Hurry!"
The pain from the outrage attacks showed in her. She limped, which slowed her run. "Earthquake, Livewire! Throw her off course."
Even in what seemed like drunken confusion, Livewire jumped, hitting the ground with as much force as he could. Tindra was rocked by the attack, as were we, and her injured leg buckled as she set weight on it. She fell to the ground.
Livewire shook the confusion from his head. Shoving himself to his feet he prowled towards Tindra. The ice cat snarled, refusing to acknowledge she had been injured. He gazed down at her for a long moment. Then I watched him leap into the air again.
Tindra struggled to stand, but crumpled to the ground again under that leg. Livewire circled overhead, preparing for another Valiant Dive without command. Tindra now just stared at him. The fire in her eyes was gone, replaced with accepted defeat. I reverted my eyes to the dragon pokemon, who had just begun to spin.
"Stop."
Livewire stopped without question, flapping his broad wings to remain in the air. Nick stared sternly at his pokemon, and that seemed enough to summon him. Landing deftly beside his partner, he finally showed signs of exhaustion and pain from Tindra's efforts. Nick patted the dragon again, and recalled him to his pokeball. Clearly he knew a victory when he saw one.
I ran to Tindra, whose breathing was even heavier. She still couldn't stand, and looking closer I could see blood oozing from it. Her eyes were apologetic, upset that she had let me down. I ruffled her fur. "We may not have redeemed ourselves, but you did amazingly my friend." I hugged her, burying my face in the fur of her neck like I always did. "That is enough."
"Didn't redeem yourself?"
I jumped, turning to face Nick as he shook his head. "Are you kidding?" he scoffed as he continued. "If it was redemption you were after you definitely did that, even if you lost again."
He knelt beside Tindra, inspecting her injured foreleg. As I gave no response to him, he continued. "You were much closer to winning than you think. In fact, I think if Tindra never hurt her leg you could have won. If you consider that Livewire beat her in two unanswered blows last time…" he let the sentence hang.
I nodded. "I'm just glad she's going to survive for sure this time."
Nick looked from me to Tindra, silent. Raising himself to his feet, he turned. He waited for a moment, as If expecting me to say something. When no words came, he walked away. To try and rid myself of the awkward moment he left us in, I ruffled Tindra's fur again. "Let's go get something done about that leg."
Recalling her to her pokeball, I too stood and looked around. The once pristine battlefield showed pure signs of battle, covered in destruction. "Well, at least I left my mark for a while." I mumbled, and trotted out the way I had come.