Blue vs Kayla Concludes!

Kayla’s Pokéball whirls through the air, bursting open to reveal her next Pokémon; it's a familiar one, and one you’re not happy to see.

“Pikaaaa!” The shrill cry of that damned electric rat causes your jaw to clench, as it reminds you of what happened last time your starter fought a Pikachu, when your dunce of a rival used it to beat you. Then he took that stupid picture of you two kissing- NOT THE TIME. This is bad, Kayla’s got a clear advantage over you once again… but can you afford to switch? The last time you did, she anticipated it and capitalized perfectly. If she does that again, whatever you send in could just be a sacrificial lamb. So should you just risk letting Wartortle battle the electric type?

…No. He’s your strongest Pokémon, and your best chance at winning this battle. You can’t lose him yet. So you have to switch out, and hope that whoever you send in can handle a Pikachu… Handle a Pikachu? You have a Pokémon who did just that yesterday when you beat Red! You'll be risking her taking a hit, but that’s better than letting Wartortle faint!

“Return!” You call out, recalling the water type to his ball. “Now, get out here and dodge Nidorina!” Desperately hoping your partner manages to heed your instruction, you launch her Pokéball into the air, releasing your pale blue Pokémon back out onto the field after her swift exit earlier, while the Vermillion girl has already cried out her next command.

“Thunder Wave Pikachu!” Rings of weak electricity leap forth from your foe’s Pokémon and fly towards your own. But, miraculously, Nidorina manages to do as you told her, rolling to the right immediately after exiting her ball and narrowly dodging the paralysis-inducing attack. A sigh of relief escapes your lips, but you don’t miss the fact that Kayla didn’t go for a damaging electric attack even though your Wartortle was on the field. She must have predicted your switch once again, and decided to try and cripple whatever you sent in. You managed to outmaneuver her this time though, another small victory. But now’s not the time to pat yourself on the back!

“Nidorina, Double Kick!” You issue your next order, followed the next heartbeat by your opponent’s. “Pikachu, Thundershock!”

Your poison type begins charging forward, bearing down on the yellow Pokémon as its face starts to spark with electricity. As your ally nears her foe, the red pouches on its cheeks burst to life with flashes of yellow lightning, which streak forth and slam into Nidorina as she closes the distance. She winces, but pushes through the pain to spin around and buck both of her back feet squarely into the rat’s gut, sending it careening away to land on its back. It starts to stir instantly though, so you know you have to keep the pressure up.

“Double Kick again!” You cry, and your partner rushes to comply, bounding her way towards the injured Pikachu. Closing the final distance with a leap, your pale blue friend prepares to slam both of her forelegs straight down onto the wounded electric type, determined to finish it off.

“Quick Attack Pikachu!” At the Vermillion girl’s shout, her partner rolls off its back and onto its feet, scrunching itself up before launching into the air. It rockets itself upward, slamming directly into Nidorina’s stomach midair. The sound of the impact causes you to wince in tandem with your Pokémon, as all the wind gets knocked out of her and her attack falls short. The two Pokémon then come tumbling back down to the arena floor, one landing on nimble feet and the other crashing down in a bruised heap. Despite the difference in landings however, Pikachu is still battered and breathing heavily, so your situation isn't hopeless quite yet. Kayla's Pokémon has a clear speed advantage though, one you're going to have to find a way to work around.

"Quick Attack again!" Your opponent isn't giving you anytime to think though, she's attacking with reckless abandon! Clouds of panic start to form in your mind during the seconds the speedy rat prepares to dash towards your injured partner. What can you do!? You could just try and have Nidorina dodge, but that's just delaying the inevitable. No, you have to come up with something else... Think, think, THINK!

And then it hits you. Reckless abandon. If the Vermillion girl is going all in on this attack, so should you. And you know exactly how, you just have to time it properly! If you're off by even a fraction of a second, you're down another Pokémon, but if you get it right... Holding your breath, you watch as the opposing Pokémon's form flickers, vanishing and reappearing over and over, closing in on Nidorina with every heartbeat. Then, right when you're sure that the next burst of speed will bring Pikachu to connect with your poison type, you shout "Kick out behind you, NOW!"

Your Pokémon, who still has been lying in the dirt recuperating from the previous attack, snaps to attention. Bracing herself with her forepaws, she follows your command and blindly kicks out both of her feet backwards. And with a thunderous CRACK, the electric type's skull makes contact with one of Nidorina's feet at lightning speed. The crowd gasps, and the brunette's Pokémon goes flying backwards once again, limp as a ragdoll. You feel your heartstrings tighten at the sight; hopefully it's not hurt too badly, poor thing.

"INCREDIBLE!" The MC's cry cuts above the spectator's howling, as Kayla recalls her fainted Pikachu. "A perfectly timed strike by Blue and Nidorina has placed them in the lead! That kind of risky play really shows you just how much our bouncy blonde and her Pokémon trust each other, they were completely in sync!"

Elation surges through you, a joy so strong you don't even process that horny MC's 'bouncy blonde' comment. Confidence blooms in your breast; you're winning. You're up three to two right now! Sure, Nidorina is basically spent, but who cares about technicalities like that!? YOU. ARE. WINNINGGGG!!! And you're gonna KEEP winning, nothing is gonna stop you and your Pokémon from-

"Get out here Gyarados!" The green-eyed girl's voice stops your internal celebration dead in its tracks, your happiness melting away instantaneously, replaced by a dreadful chill that runs down your spine. Your eyes widen in horror as the gleaming red light emerging from Kayla's Pokéball takes shape; a massive blue and tan sea serpent, white fins running down it back and white fangs gleaming as it opens its mouth to ROAR out its arrival.

"GYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

Your partner shrinks back in fear, Intimidated by the mere presence of the terrifying water type, while you stand stock still, struggling to process this terrifying development. She has a GYARADOS!? How the hell are you supposed to deal with that!? And why has she waited until now to use something this powerful!? Has she been softening your team up, or just toying with you!? And if she is just trying to wear you down and save the best for last, what the hell could her fourth Pokémon possibly be!? Can you beat it!? Can you beat this!?

But, once again, the Vermillion girl isn't about to grant you the luxury of time to think things through. The battle continues now. "Go, Bite!" Her water type lunges forward, monstrous jaws wide open and ready to clamp down onto your frightened friend.

SHIT! "Double K-" You try to issue a command of your own, but the panic makes you too slow. Before you can finish, Gyarados has its teeth sunk into Nidorina, ripping into her flesh as it drags her into the air. It viciously shakes its head, dragging your poor poison type along for the ride. Her cries of pain and fear pierce your chest, though none so much as the final, guttural sound she makes as the serpent flings her back towards the ground to impact with a resounding thud. She twitches once, before meekly falling limp and silent.

The crowd's roar is even more deafening than the Gyarados', who trumpets in victory as the onlookers cheer for the show. Then the announcer orates over the clamor, but her words wash over you unheard. The cheers, the commentating, even the triumphant cry of your opponent's Pokémon seem to fade away into a monotone din as you return your fainted ally to her Pokéball... You failed her. Your bad timing, your inexperience, your fear; they're responsible for the suffering your poor partner just endured. The unlikelihood of an injured Nidorina beating a Gyarados doesn't mean anything to you. If you hadn't screwed up... If you were better, that wouldn't have happened!

Time slows down. Feelings of guilt and self-deprecation threaten to **** you, and you want so badly to just give up, to curl up into a ball and cry in frustration. You want to save yourself the shame and your Pokémon any more pain, like you've done before. Are you... really about to do it again? Just surrender when you don't think you can win? Like you did against Gabriel, Nate and Diane, and Lady Violet- okay, that last one was different, you wanted to lose. Either way, is that actually how you want this to end?

...No. Not again. You can't do that this time, because... Your eyes scan the crowd, rapidly passing over face after face until you find them. Your sister, Daisy, sitting beside your rival Red. And Kayla's boyfriend is next to him, but who cares. With Sis watching, you realize that you can't just give up. You want to impress her, give her a good show, prove to her that you're capable of walking the path of a trainer you've always dreamed of so she doesn't worry about you! And... you want to show Red what you can do too. The thought half-surprises you when it pops into your head, but you don't try to violently shove it away like you usually would. Neither do you linger on it, however, turning your attention instead back towards your opponent, a renewed sense of determination settling the swirling emotions inside you.

Her too, you realize. After all the spats you've had in the brief time you've known each other, after the anger and embarrassment she's caused you, you don't want to look weak in front of Kayla, don't want to let her get away with beating you so easily. She's definitely earned your respect in this battle, and you find yourself wanting to earn hers in turn! So you aren't running away this time. Even if you don't see a way to win, you and your partners will fight as hard as you can and either make a miracle happen or go down swinging!

"Clefairy, go!" You lob your Pokéball into the air as the world around you speeds back up, your newest team member taking the stage. The little pink Pokémon appears on the field, staring up at the massive dragon-like beast in front of her. The daunting presence of her foe doesn't seem to faze her at all though. Instead she squares up to the enemy, brow furrowed and fists raised up in a manner that's probably supposed to be threatening, but falls a little flat coming from such a cute little puffball.

Kayla's not letting your Pokémon's looks lure her into dropping her guard though. "Ice Fang!" She's back on the offensive immediately!

The sea serpent bears its mighty fangs, glimmering icy crystals coating them as frosty breath hisses from its mouth. As the water type makes for your friend, you wrack your brain, desperately searching for some way for your Clefairy to come out on top. But no matter how hard you think, you keep coming up empty-handed... Well, that's not entirely true. You can think of one thing you may be able to rely on; luck. You'd rather not just leave everything up to chance, but if a Hail Mary is all you've got, then the hell with it!

"Metronome!" You command, then wait with bated breath to see just what Clefairy will do.

"Cle-fairy, Cle-fairy, Cle-fairy..." The fairy type starts to chant, wagging a finger on each hand and bobbing back and forth in time. She slowly begins to glow, a bright white encasing her as she continues to drone on and on... Right up until the moment Gyarados' frosty fangs clamp down onto her body, wrenching her off of the ground. Just like with your Nidorina, the Vermillion girl's Pokémon starts to shake its head, razor sharp teeth tearing at your partner's flesh. Your body tenses, terror starting to reenter your mind as you witness this painfully familiar scene.

"Cle-fairy, Cle-fairy, Cle-fairy..." Your Pokémon seems completely ambivalent towards the wounds she's suffering however, her monotonous chant continuing through the onslaught. She also continues to glow, the white light encompassing her getting brighter and brighter with every second, even as her foe continues to rip into her. What is she doing!? What attack is her Metronome going to become, and why is TAKING SO LONG!?

It's your opponent who realizes the truth first. "DROP IT GYARADOS!" Kayla shouts frantically, making both you and her Pokémon look over to her in confusion. But it's too late. Before the Gyarados can follow the brunette's order, Clefairy's chant finishes.

"Clefairyyyy!" The white shine surrounding your partner peaks in time with her voice, becoming blinding enough to fill the stadium for a moment before...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

A massive blast rocks the arena, causing the entire building and the very ground you stand on to shake, and a shockwave to nearly bowl you over. The light fades, replaced by sulfurous black smoke that billows out over the field, stinging your eyes and lungs. Coughing, you attempt to peer into the noxious cloud through teary eyes, but all that gets you is yet more tears blurring your vision as the smoke assaults you.

The announcer doesn't let the smog deter her though, her voice piercing through the silence left after the blast to cry out. "WHAT AN AMAZING DISPLAY!!! Blue's Clefairy turned its Metronome into EXPLOSION, then detonated right inside of Gyarados' mouth! But was it enough to take it out!?"

The arena falls silent as the grave, every single person quietly waiting, eyes straining to try and see through the smoke, to know the result of your Clefairy's efforts. The lack of sound makes the drumming of your heartbeat seem as loud as thunder as you stare into the thinning smoke, still unable to see through it... Until it finally clears, revealing the results of your partner's efforts. Both Pokémon are sprawled out on the ground, Gyarados having collapsed and Clefairy having rolled out of its mouth to come to rest several feet away. They're both singed and smoking, and neither one is moving a muscle. So it's a-

"DOUBLE KNOCKOUT!" Exclaims the MC, to the roaring approval of the crowd. "Clefairy took its foe down with it, tying our score up 3 KOs to 3! Each combatant has just one Pokémon left, this one is coming DOWN TO THE WIRE! WHO'S GONNA COME OUT ON TOP SO THEY CAN END UP ON TOP!?"

You inhale deeply, holding your breath for a moment before releasing it in a slow exhale. She did it. Clefairy came through for you, taking down an opponent you saw no way to beat. She didn't give up. You didn't give up. You're still in this battle. Now it all comes down to this. What is Kayla's final Pokémon, and can Wartortle beat it? You recall your fainted friend to her ball, looking across the field at your foe as she does the same. You search her face, looking for any clue, any sign of what she's feeling. But her face is like a stone mask. No smug look of self-assuredness, nor any sign of panic or despair. She simply meets your gaze for a moment, then pulls out her last Pokéball.

A slight smile plays on your lips. She's good. She's damn good. She's better than you. And yet you've taken her this far, brought her to the brink. You've given her your best, and all you can do now is see this through to the end, with your starter by your side. Mirroring her as you grab your final ball, you launch it into the air the same moment she does, dual flashes of red light washing over the field as you both shout.

"This is it Wartortle!" "Wrap things up Weepinbell!"

Your Pokémon appears on the field grinning and ready to fight, having recovered his stamina after resting for a bit. Across from him, a yellow plant-like Pokémon emerges from your opponent's Pokéball, leafy appendages flexing as it stares down your ally with intensity in its gaze.

A grass type. Her last Pokémon is a grass type. A small chuckle escapes you. She's played you like a fiddle this whole damn time, maneuvering around your team perfectly to place herself in this position. A winning position. You feel like you should be panicking, frustrated, scared... but all you are is calm. You don't exactly understand why, but you simply feel resolute in the face of this threat. You and your Pokémon have fought as hard as you can to get to this point, and all you can do now is keep on fighting. Type matchups aren't everything. The battle isn't over yet, the victor hasn't been decided. So there's no point in despairing quite yet, you just have to keep giving it your all!

"Wartortle, Bite!" The turtle takes off at your command, rushing towards the opposing Pokémon with no fear, ready to leap at it with jaws wide open.

As your partner nears hers, Kayla calls out "Stun Spore!" The yellow Pokémon's body swells up for a moment, then spews a cloud of yellow spores out in front of it right as your partner closes the distance. He staggers, coughing as he inhales the paralytic fumes which cause his body to lock up. "Now, Vine Whip!" The tendril atop Weepinbell's head extends, becoming a lash that streaks through the air to strike at your starter, cracking down on his shell with super-effective damage.

Not good. Have to think of something... "Wartortle, Bite the vine!" As the grass type's next strike whirs towards him, your Pokémon manages to **** himself to move through the paralysis that grips him, refusing to go down without a fight. He catches the whip with his teeth, clamping down hard. The Vermillion girl's Pokémon struggles to free its tendril from the water type's mouth, but to no avail, as Wartortle keeps his jaws locked tightly around it. He starts to gnaw on the vine, causing the foe attached to it to whimper in pain. Adrenaline surges through you, glee attempting to **** its way through your mental stillness. He can do it, he can win!

"Weepinbell Acid!" Kayla's order rings out, and her partner rushes to comply. Swelling up once more, the poison type spits out a glob of caustic purple goo, sizzling in the air as it flies towards your Pokémon.

"Dodge Wartortle!" You shout, desperation now trying to overcome your calm as you realize just how precariously you're balancing on the edge of victory and defeat. Your starter releases the vine, managing to leap back as the Acid splashing the ground where he was standing. But it's in that moment that you realize your final mistake.

"Vine Whip!" Your opponent's call happens the instant her Pokémon's tendril is released, and it responds just as quickly, launching its tendril towards your water type with swift precision. You don't even have time to fully voice a command of your own before the attack impacts your paralyzed turtle, the heavy crack of whip against shell resounding throughout the arena as your partner gets sent flying.

Before he even hits the ground, you know in your heart that it's over. Wartortle tumbles along the floor, grunting in pain as he skids to a halt only a few feet from you. Stunned and battered, he looks up at you with tired, pain-filled eyes. You feel your heart wrench at the sight, and you start to tremble as he struggles to stand, still determined to keep fighting. He slumps back down to the ground, grimacing, but once again tries to rise, before you walk forward and kneel down in front of him. "It's okay buddy. You did a good job, but the fight's over now." You coo, gently stroking his head

"War...?" He lets himself fall limp, his breathing labored as you pet him. A sad look fills his eyes, and an expression of deep disappointment sits on his face.

You smile down at him, doing everything you can to exude warmth and love. "I'm really proud of you buddy. Now, time to rest up, okay?"

Smiling back weakly he nods with the last of his strength... then passes out. You pull out his Pokéball, retrieving him as he faints. Taking a deep breath to steel yourself for what's to come, you rise back to your feet as the arena around you begins to fill with cheers for the victor who stands on the other side of the field.

The battle is over.