Challenge
"An... offer?" Dawn repeated, her head still buzzing with confusion. She glanced at the ruby glittering on Espeon's forhead and felt another pull towards its depths. It took a considerable amount of effort to look away.
"That's right! And I'm offering this!" Sakura exclaimed, unfolded her hands and presented a ribbon. Dawn almost couldn't believe her eyes as she savoured the sight. The Ecruteak City Ribbon - and she was certain it belonged to that contest - featured a bronze teak tree leaf, broad and elliptical with golden streaks. The ribbon itself was coloured in different shades of red. There was also a spotlight emmiting from the prize, but Dawn guessed that was part of her imagination.
"The Ecruteak City Ribbon!" Sakura confirmed her guess. "It comes with a challenge, though! You will have to win against us, the Kimono Sisters. If you do, then this ribbon will be yours."
Dawn's mind crawled as if she had barely woken up from a deep sleep and so it took her a while to piece the new information together. She rubbed her temple. "So... I just have to battle you? That's all?"
"That will be enough work, believe me! We might not look like it in this getup, but we are pretty tough!"
"Sorry... That's not what I meant... I think."
That response drew concerned looks from the sisters. The one in the bright yellow kimono asked, "Are you alright, Dawn-san?"
"I'm -" Dawn hesitated for a moment, then admitted, "I'm not sure, actually."
It took Sakura another look at her face, then a side glance at Espeon, until she understood the issue. "Oh no!" To Dawn's surprise, the dancer bowed deeply and emmited a wave of embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I might have sounded a bit too urgent, when I asked Espeon to bring you here. I'm so sorry for the trouble!"
Dawn blinked; now, the explanation for her disorientation lay on the tip of her tongue, yet it took still some effort to grasp it from the thick haze of her head. "So... Espeon used it's psychic moves on me and now I'm..."
"Confused," Sakura finished for her.
The coordinator crossed her arms in front of her chest. She felt Piplup shifting on her shoulder, nudging her cheek with its beak. "To think that I still can't tell when I'm confused, even after I spent so much time with Spinda..."
"I guess it wouldn't be a proper confusion, if you noticed." Sakura glanced at a side door. "Why won't you come in, while I get something to help you snap out of it?"
With a smile, Dawn accepted the invitation and took the first step towards the Kimono Sisters.
Suddenly, strong fingers dug into her right shoulder, until her bones shrieked in pain. The culprit yanked their hand back, thus turning Dawn around. Now with the wall pressing in her back, Dawn winced from J's steely glare.
"Don't push my patience, girl," J growled at her.
"J... Hi," Dawn muttered, her mind trying to piece together, why she wasn't that surprised to see the huntress. Ah, yes. They had spent some time together. Still lost, she tried to act casual. "Where've you been?"
J reinforced her grip, until Dawn rose to her tiptoes and instinctively clasped her hand around J's warm wrist. "I won't repeat myself! I am not going to chase after you whenever you decide to run off! You were the one eager for answers."
Dawn shrinked under J's scowl; it didn't stop her from asking with an innocent face, though, "What answers?"
As if J was still trying to contain her anger, she closed her eyes for a second. While Dawn could sense her emotions, she didn't notice the usual influence on herself. Her stomach tightened and before J was able to do anything to the girl, Dawn cried, "Wait, wait, wait! I wasn't trying to be rude! You saw Espeon, right? It used it's psychic powers to call me here, so -"
Right on cue, a pair of sock clad feet scurried over the tatami mats and Sakura along with Espeon appeared next to their side. Her forehead was wrinkled with concern. "Dawn! What's going on here?" She glanced between the two young women, radiating skeptisism.
"You're confused. That's some news," J snorted, but released her grip on Dawn's shoulder. To Sakura she said, "Is that your scheme to lure in customers? Using psychic attacks on them until they suffer memory loss?"
"Of course not!" Sakura shook her head, until her black wig started to slip. Hastely, she straightened the accessory of her dancer attire. Once again, she bowed in a sincere apology. "I'm really sorry that happened, but it was not intended."
"It's true," Dawn chimed in, "She wanted to have a battle over the ribbon! Right?"
Sakura nodded. J sighed. "A ribbon. Of course, nothing but contests with you people."
"Sorry," Dawn rubbed her head sheepishly. "Why... won't we go inside? I think you still wanted to give me something to end the confusion..."
"Right away!" Sakura pointed out and was about to dash back inside, when J spoke up again.
"You're not really expecting me to sit down and drink tea, while you have your battle?" J asked almost astonished. "It's already bad enough I had to run after you, but this?"
"Well... No, but Joy..."
"Not to mention that you have other priorities. After nagging me for so long, you should be more concerned about what's going on. Or do you want me to believe you're still too confused to remember?"
"I'm not," Dawn huffed. "I know what you mean! I'm pretty sure I do." She shook her head. "You don't make it sound like I'd have to know right away. Just tell me later!"
"How does that play out in your head? I stand by and wait until it's convenient for you?" J glowered at her.
"No, of course not," Dawn replied defiantly. The haze in her mind had cleared far enough that she could think of a way to convince the huntress. She didn't want to fight both the Kimono Sisters and a headache. "But... If I just walk away now, I doubt I would be able to focus anyway. Right?"
"You better should. I can do without your whining over a contest."
"Oh, come on!" Dawn groaned, "Can you really expect me to abandon everything I work for? I mean, if you think about it, it doesn't make sense for me to follow you!" She gestured at the huntress. "After years, you show up and demand my full attention in something I don't know yet, how much it will influence my life. While this..." now she pointed at the theater, "... is part of something I've been dreaming about literally my whole life! Just... Just imagine me breaking into your airship and saying 'Come with me, I think my information is more important than anything you do at the moment.'!"
J hesitated, sighed and shook her head in frustration. "There is no way to convince you, is there? Fine! Do what you want; I still won't stay here."
She took a step towards the direction they came from, but paused ever so briefly. "I might see what I can do about Joy, though."
The huntress was about to head back, but before she or Dawn could take any other actions, a fourth party joined the conversation. Heavier steps than Sakura's light feet announced the gym leader of Ecruteak City. "J, wait! " Morty called out.
J fought with her composure, when yet another disturbance found its way into her path. "Now we've the honour of a gym leader. What do you want?"
"Stop you from wandering around town!" Morty said, but received another scowl. "Don't you remember the agreement?"
"Of course I do; especially the part that allowed me to move around Ecruteak City unhindered."
Morty seemed taken aback by J's statement. Dawn could almost see his mind working. "So you don't know, yet. Didn't Nurse Joy tell you?"
"Why would I associate with a Nurse Joy?" J demanded sharply.
"Your connection isn't really secret anymore, not after the disaster with the notices. We know that you used her to deliver us the information about the target and date of Team Missile's attack."
"I did inform Joy," J admitted, but continued to lie just as convincing, "But through an anonymous message with samples of data that proved my claim."
"Yes, that's something the police is still arguing about. I had a talk with her, though, so I know. She didn't have much of a choice than to admit, to be honest. Otherwise you might have ended up in police custody and in the hand's of another's doctor," he sighed and shook his head slightly. "Nurse Joy should have informed you that you had to be supervised at all times. If anyone catches you on your own, they will arrest you immediately and then there is nothing I can do about it."
"So that's the reason," the huntress muttered with a side glance at Dawn, who saw that revelation as another sign of J's severe condition the night before; if she even forgot important information like that... "One more reason to make her stop monitoring you. None of this changes my decision, though. I am leaving. On my own."
"But -" Morty tried to stop her, but J was already walking back.
"I know how to avoid arrest without causing any commotion."
"That's not - Let me at least have Gengar escort you!" Morty shouted after her, but J was already too far away, to take notice of him. He shook his head in frustration. "That woman..."
"Do you think she will be... alright?" Dawn asked as worries arose. It could have been her imagination, but she felt the faintest throbbing in the back of her head.
Morty just sighed. "I'll ask Gengar to follow her in a bit, so she should be fine."
"Uhm," Sakura finally chimed in. She had tried to interject several times during the conversations, but didn't have a proper oppertunity to do so until then. "We could battle some other time. You are the one, who was in the middle of the attack; we would be happy to comply with whatever date is convenient to you."
"No," Dawn sighed after some pondering. "I'm running the risk of making her too much of a deal anyway." She turned to the gym leader and glanced at him, questioningly. "Were you in there the whole time? I didn't even notice."
Morty chuckled on their way inside the theater. "I didn't announce myself and it's hard enough already to focus on anything but the sisters. If you're confused, nonetheless."
Dawn laughed lightly, as she slipped of her shoes. The haze in her head had cleared so far she could take a throughout look at the interior. The Kimono Sisters stood on top of a wodden stage that was slighly higher than the floor laid out with tatami mats. Each of the dancers wore a black wig, styled into decorated buns at the top of their heads.
The sisters greeted Dawn with deep bows, which she hastely replied with her own. Even Piplup lowered its head - which wasn't a good idea, as it almost slipped from her shoulder. Casually, she stopped her partner from falling with her right hand.
The dancer in the yellow kimono - Satsuki was her name, she believed - was the one to break the silence and took the formal tension around Dawn. "Welcome, Dawn-san. It is a pleasure to finally have you with us."
"It's a pleasure for me too! Though a bit unexpected."
"It must have been surprising, when an unfamiliar Espeon manipulated your mind."
"Come on," Sakura huffed, "You said yourself I should give a graceful and memorable impression. I still think those points count, when I ask Espeon to do it. The confusion was just an accident."
"It's a risk a Kimono Sister should not take," Satsuki concluded, then returned her main focus to Dawn. "Please, have a seat, Dawn-san. We would like you to feel as comfortable as possible. There is no need to rush the battle."
"Uh, yeah... Thank you!" Dawn followed Morty, who returned to his spot next to a pink haired individual. Seated on a purple cushion, Whitney smiled and waved at the coordinator.
"I'm so glad you could make it!" She greeted her. "Maybe you will be able to stop Morty's nagging."
"I wouldn't be nagging, if you didn't give me so many reasons," Morty retorted, his legs crossed over a similar cushion. "You could have waited here patiently instead of running of and ambush her, for example."
"Just because you don't care for her as much as I do," Whitney sulked.
"You almost spoilt Sakura's plan, then you two would argue and I won't have a quiet minute left."
"It's not like I would have said anything about that."
"D-don't argue over something like that," Dawn interrupted and rubbed her head. Although she did side with Morty in that discussion, since otherwise she probably wouldn't have found out about the contest.
With the care of someone, who wasn't completely used to the attire, Sakura lowered herself next to the little group. Dawn turned her head to her and saw the warm smile on her lips. She could clearly sense the excitement underneath. "Do you still need something for the confusion? Or can I offer you some tea instead? Or... do you want to battle right away?"
Dawn's lips parted for a reply, but she hesitated. She wanted to have that ribbon and the sooner that matter was taken care of, the better. At the same time, though, conscience kept her in reality like an anchor. Questions burned on her tongue and she was sure her first hand experience of the attack was needed as well. She had just sent J away; another rejection didn't feel right. "Some tea would be great. Thanks."
"... and not even five minutes later, a bunch of police officers assaulted us," Dawn concluded her renarration of her adevnture at the Bell Tower. Her expression grew sour at the déjà-vu. She couldn't understand her bad luck with police lately. "The rest you'll probably know. Morty saved us, we saw a doctor and now I'm here."
She met the interested and partly amazed expressions of her little audience. Morty and Whitney were still seated in front of her. On request, the Kimono Sisters had joined them in their round. Sakura and Sumomo were on her right, Satsuki, Tamao and Koume on her left side. She could feel their concern as well as the same puzzlement she felt in regard of her theoretically impossible survival.
It was Goldenrod City's gym leader, who spoke up. "Wow! That's so amazing!" Whitney raved. "You could climb the Bell Tower and even saw Ho-Oh! That must have been so great! The best news is, of course, that you came back save and sound. You can't believe how relieved we were."
"Yeah, great..." Dawn agreed. Or terrifying, she added in her thoughts.
"I'm just glad that at least someone was up there, actually doing something against that attack..." Sakura mumbled, glancing at Satsuki from the corner of her eyes.
The dancer in the yellow kimono sighed. "It wasn't our decision to stay here."
"We all would have loved to help," Koume chimed in.
"That's a good point, actually..." Dawn spoke up, hesitantly. "How come J and I were the only ones up there?"
There were various reactions among the group. Sumomo and Koume exchanged an unsure look; Tamao closed her eyes in a silent sigh. Satsuki showed no physical sign of uneasiness, but Dawn felt the tweak of guilt. Sakura just looked annoyed.
Morty remained collected, while Whitney could even keep the distance of an outsider from another city. Not that she seemed thrilled about it, either. It was the ghost type gym leader, who eventually broke the silence. "I apologize that you had to endure that assault mostly on your own. It wasn't our choice, but we could have certainly put more effort into helping you."
He cleared his throat as he readied himself for the explanation. "Three day before the attack, we got a warning from our Nurse Joy that Team Missile's next target was Ho-Oh in connection with the Bell Tower legend. We did try to get ready for it, but the same night a detective found out that the information came from J. Of course, the police grew suspicious. They rather shifted their attention to the safety of the city, since the notice might have been nothing but a distraction from J's actual target. Their main argument was that the Bell Tower never came in touch with Ho-Oh in the first place and that Ho-Oh itself was a mere legend.
"The real trouble, though, begun, when suddenly reports from all over the city popped up. They were either intercepted phone calls or messages directly from Team Missile and all of them contained different information; other goals, dates for the attack, even the kind of attack. At one point they threatened to destroy the city, if we interfered their mission.
"In the end we weren't allowed to make any move," Morty gestured to the others assembled. "At least not, until something devastating happened at the tower."
"Something like a huge blaze?" Dawn asked dryly.
"More like Ho-Oh's appearence. There weren't many people actually believing it excisted. When we spotted it, though, it was already too late to rush to your aid; Ho-Oh had already set the tower and part of the forest on fire. There were dozens of grunts as well, who guarded the tower from the ground.
"I didn't believe you and J would actually end up in such dangers. Team Missile shouldn't have sent a ridiculous amount of people; not too mention that it shouldn't have been possible for them to summon Ho-Oh! In retrospect, that was pretty foolish of me," he admitted. "I can only repeat, how sorry I am."
Dawn held his gaze for a while. Morty was honest; she didn't doubt it for a second. As were the others, who apologized right after the gym leader. And although she wasn't even close to hold a grudge, she wondered if any of their help would have prevented her troubles with J. Dawn sighed, then put on a little smile. "Don't worry about it, I wasjust wondering." After her encounters with Team Galactic and more villains, she was used to little to no help. "I am sorry about the tower, though..:"
Whitney perked up at the remorse in Dawn's voice, but Morty beat her to it. "The loss of the Bell Tower is terrible, but it's neither yours nor J's fault. You did more than we could have asked for. Thanks to you, Ho-Oh could get away. Also, that you're still here with us is just as important - it feels like a miracle, really. Especially after your story."
Dawn was grateful, that Morty at least didn't try to downplay the matter of the tower.
"And it wasn't the first time the tower was destroyed. It can be rebuilt. In fact, since Ho-Oh appeared in its last moment, I would go as far as to say it finally fulfilled its purpose," Morty concluded and for the first time, Dawn was convinced that she hadn't failed.
Relieved, she sighed and relaxed her muscles. There was a light headache building up, but she resisted the urge to rub her temple. "Thanks, I... really needed to hear that. Now," she turned her head towards Sakura, who met her eyes with her own beaming expression. "About the challenge..."
"It's a battle against my sisters and I," Sakura explained. "Five rounds, one-on-one. We have a fixed order; First Satsuki with Jolteon," she pointed at the dancer in the yellow kimono, then proceded with the other sisters, "then Koume with Flareon, Sumomo with Vaporeon, Tamao and Umbreon and lastly Espeon and I!" Her hand motioned in her partner's direction.
Espeon and Piplup were occupied with themselves; while the penguin gave its best to impress the psychic type with chirped anecdotes of great adventures and exaggerated gestures, Espeon flicked its tail, observingly. But instead of being impressed, it radiated amusement.
"You have to win every round," Sakura continued, "and then I will be more than happy to give you the ribbon. Do your best, I really want to battle with you!"
So, Dawn would have to fight for the ribbon. There was nothing surprising about the challenge and mentally, she already made preparations for the battle. Sakura even told her, what she would face and in which order! Odds couldn't be much better for her. But still...
"Can I just go to the Pokemon Centre and change my team?" she asked.
"We've got a PC as well, if you need access to your storage," Sakura replied and rose to her feet. "Come on, I'll show you."
Sakura led her inside an office behind the stage. There was a desk with neatly sorted documents on top of it, a shelf that towered in the corner, filled with books and more files. A few pictures of the sister adorned the wall, right next to the pokeball transporter, Dawn was looking for.
With each step, Dawn's headache grew stronger, but she didn't let it falter her desire to achieve the ribbon, though. She forced a smile on her lips, as Sakura excalimed, "I'll leave you to your preparations. Just come out whenever you're ready!"
When they were ready and about to start the battle, Dawn still stood on shaky legs. The headache had subsided to a bearable level and she hoped that it meant J was finally trying to talk to Joy. She glanced at Piplup standing by her side, which finally didn't seem too worried anymore. It stretched its body as if to ready itself for battle.
"The following rules appply for this challenge," the referee announced, "Five battles with one on one pokemon cannot be swapped during the fight. Are you ready?" He glanced between the two girls. Dawn hated to admit, but she felt slightly self-concious facing off against a dancer in full attire, while she had casual clothes on. She couldn't recall the last time she battled for a ribbon without a contest dress.
"We are ready," Satsuki confirmed, her Jolteon barking in approval.
Dawn sighed. "Same here."
"Then the first match beginns!" the referee shouted and waved his flags.
"Alright," Dawn whispered to herself and grabbed her Sandshrew's pokeball, "Here we go!"
But before she was able to release her partner onto the stage, another ball opened itself. There was a flash of light and a popping sound, followed by a fierce roar. Dawn winced in disbelieve, when she saw Luxio crouching on the wooden boards. The electric type had left its pokeball without permission! She thought they had gotten rid of that habit?!
"Electricity against electricity. This promises to become interesting. Get ready Jolteon!" Satsuki exclaimed and waited for Dawn to take the first step.
Gleaming at the oppertunity to overpower another electric type, Luxio shot bright yellow bolts around the stage, cracking the wood here and there. Dawn could both see and feel its excitement. As the lynx turned its head towards it's trainer, she still couldn't help but glower back.
"Fine," Dawn hissed under her breath. Then, in an audible voice she gave the first command. "Luxio, attack with crunch!"
It darted forward, fangs bare and ready to bite down. Dawn kept a close stare on Jolteon and Satsuki as Luxio crossed the distance. Tension grew and when the pokemon were no more than a leap apart, their opponents made their move.
"Jolteon, dodge and then use flash!" Satsuki said and Jolteon obeyed perfectly. With incredible speed, it jumped out of the way, so Luxio slid past it. Not the one to give up, the lynx spun around to try and bite Jolteon's neck, but a glaring white light filled the whole theater. Though she shielded her eyes with her arm, Dawn could still see some of the flash shine through. As soon as most of the light faded, she looked out for her partner.
Luxio stumbled backwards. It hadn't averted its eyes soon enough and shook its head to snap out of the shock. It didn't get that oppertunity, though. Jolteon slammed into Luxio's side with quick attack, pushing it across the stage.
"Follow with swift!"
Jolteon was merely a few feet away, when it spat a storm of golden stars at Luxio. It landed a direct hit on its muzzle, pushing Dawn's partner even further across the stage.
"Luxio, jump to the left!" she exclaimed. Though still dazzled, Luxio followed her instruction and avoided more hits to its face. But Satsuki and Jolteon didn't give them time to recover, as they chased Luxio across the stage. Volley after volley crashed into Luxio's side, back and every other place its opponents could aim for.
Any attempt to hit Jolteon was futile, even when Luxio regained its sight. Jolteon was just so fast; it easily evaded any distance attacks and wouldn't let the lynx close enough for a direct attack. Dawn needed to create an opening, but try as she might, she couldn't think of any way. Not that she could think much at all with the constant throbbing in her head.
She let Luxio continue to dodge, but didn't think the electric type would be able to hold on much longer, if she didn't act there and then. Aginst her will, Dawn recalled the argumentation she had with J earlier that day and she felt hopeless anger heat her insides. Why has it become so hard for me to lead battles? Why do I give people like J reasons to - Wait a second... Dawn interrupted herself as her gaze had settled on the space around Luxio.
There were cracks in the wood, wherever it had come into contact with discharge. An idea sprouted in her mind and Dawn managed to push those bothering thoughts into a far away corner.
If Luxio directed its power directly at the ground... Dawn flicked a glance at Jolteon's nimble moving paws, then at her own hand. She frowned slightly at the thought, but remembered that there was worse. Sorry Jolteon, she thought and decided for her plan, before worries could shake her. "Luxio, use discharge around you! Destroy those stars!"
Luxio stopped in its tracks and faced the other elctric type. It took aim at the golden storm that was so thick by now, it blocked its vision. First a growl, then a roar sounded through the stage, before the sizzling of yellow lightning almost drowned the sound. The stars burst and turned into mere dust. Most importantly of all, though, was the satisfying crack of wood around Luxio.
"Continue with discharge on Jolteon!" Dawn cried and watched her partner return the volleys of attacks. They had no intention of hitting though; the key was to lure in Jolteon.
While Jolteon dodged successfully, it failed to even come close to the lynx with another swift attack. It was only a matter of seconds, before they finally changed their strategy. In Dawn's favour.
"Get closer, Jolteon! Quick attack!" Satsuki ordered her partner. Jolteon charged. It sidestepped the lightning, its black eyes fixed on Luxio. It was completely unaware of the trap Dawn had planned for it.
As Jolteon was close enough to attack, it crouched to the ground for a great leap - thus pressing its paw on the damaged wood. Jolteon yelped as the sensitive skin was pricked by splinters.
"Luxio, tackle attack! Aim for its right side!" Dawn instructed and her partner was more than happy to comply. Using its whole body weight, Luxio smashed into Jolteon's shoulder and sent it flying towards its trainer. "Once again!"
That time, Jolteon managed to get up to its feet in time and avoid the first tackle attack; but not the one following from behind. It was Luxio's turn to chase - or rather push their opponent across the stage.
"Let's end it with crunch!" Dawn exclaimed.
Although Satsuki still remained with a stoic expression, Dawn could see her mind working under her black wig. "Jolteon, use flash!"
An effective yet unsurprising counter measure - Dawn had thought of it herself. "Discharge, NOW!"
While Jolteon still struggled to stand upright, yet alone focus on the new order, Luxio was still charged to the tips of its fur with power. A yellow flash zoomed toward Jolteon, engulfing it in lightning. Just because it was an electric type, it didn't mean it wouldn't feel the sting of electricity.
There was still one more option to avoid Luxio's inrush, but Jolteon was too shaken to leap away far enough. With fangs glowing white, Luxio grabbed its opponent at the fur around its tail and tossed it on the planks.
Jolteon skidded to a halt and didn't rise from its position. The referee gave it a few more seconds to recover, before he rose his right flag. "Jolteon is unable to battle! The winner of the first round is Dawn!"
Only then, Dawn let herself breathe out in relief. She hadn't even realized how tight her muscles had tensed. Once again, she remembered the conversation she had with J earlier that day. How the huntress had claimed to know how plagued Dawn was with her own worries during a battle.
She shook her head and crouched down, a signal for Luxio to come to her. Her partner sparked at the victory, but approached Dawn with care. At least they had taken care of its habit to shock her whenever Luxio felt like it.
"You were great, Luxio," she complimented it when it was sitting in front of her. Luxio grolwed in delight. "But you weren't supposed to come out. This wasn't your battle, remember?"
Next to her, Piplup chirped in approval and stretched out its flipper toward the electric type. Luxio dropped its ears and pouted, denying its wrong doing. Dawn sighed. "You know this doesn't work on me, don't you?"
She shifted her attention back to Satsuki, who knelt next to Jolteon. The Kimono Sister inspected its paw, while brushing tenderly over its head.
"I hope Jolteon is alright?" Dawn asked and directed a smile at the electric type. Now that the heat of the battle had faded, she could focus on the emotions of the assembled people and pokemon. Expect of a slight sting in its paw, Jolteon seemed alright.
Satsuki nodded. "It needs some rest and the splinters removed, but there is nothing to be concerned about." She retrieved it in its pokeball, before she rose to her feet and bowed. "That was a remarkable battle. You made good use of your surroundings."
"Oh, thank you!" Dawn said and replied the bow.
"I wish you good luck for your next battle, Dawn-san" Satsuki concluded with a smile and left the stage.
Dawn rose from her kneeling position and retrieved Luxio into its pokeball.One down, four to go... she observed and looked up to see her next opponent approaching. Koume and Flareon. The two shared a fierce vibe, which forecast a different style of battle, than Satsuki's.
"I hope you are ready for us!" Koume exclaimed as Flareon leaped forward.
Dawn merely nodded and once again grabbed the pokeball that contained Sandshrew. Initially, she had planned to use Piplup for that battle, but now she needed it to defeat Vaporeon - Luxio's opponent. She glanced at the penguin, looking for its approval. Piplup beamed at her encouragingly and Dawn couldn't help but raise her eye brow. She knew it didn't support her just because it cared, but because it sensed a chance to fight Espeon instead.
"We'll see," she whispered and shifted her attention to the battlefield. She swung her arm back, ready to toss Sandshrew's pokeball. "Go Sand-!"
A flash of light shot out of another pokeball still hanging on her belt and Mienshao, her fighting type emerged. Dawn eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped slightly. Mienshao twirled its slender body once, the long fur whips on its arms spinning in a wide circle. Then, it fixed its gaze on Flareon and Dawn felt its surprise. That wasn't the Umbreon it had expected to battle. It shot its trainer a questioning look, but she could only shrug in response.
This can't be... Dawn thought. First Luxio had left its pokeball unasked, which wasn't even that surprising. It loved fighting electric types. But that Mienshao would disobey her, her disciplined fighting type? Something was very wrong.
"That's a pokemon from Unova, right?" Koume asked, slender figure. "There are some of them around Johto, but it's still a pretty rare sight for us."
"Yeah, I caught it, when my friends and I traveled there..." Dawn glanced at Mienshao, then the referee. Switching pokemon was against the rules and even so, she didn't want to. It was quite possible that the pokeball had a malfunction; in that case it was her own fault for not checking the device properly. But could it be that...
No - who would manipulate her pokeballs?
"You can attack first, if you like!" Koume offered.
Dawn hesitated. A fresh wave of headache throbbed under her skull. It was distracting, to say the least and it made the question of whether she should just go with Mienshao or not a lot less complicated. She caught her partners eye and nodded at it.
"No no, you can go ahead! I'm curious about Flareon's strength!"
"Gladly! Fire spin!" Koume instructed and Flareon breathed a spiral of bright orange flames.
Mienshao didn't need as much as one word to dodge the attack and sprint towards the fire type. First attack and she's already trying to catch us, huh? Dawn smirked inwardly and watched her partner dodge fire spin after fire spin. "Aerial ace!"
Flareon was taken aback as Mienshao crossed the distance so fast it seemed to appear out of nowhere directly in front of it.
"Fire spin towards the ground!" Koume cried, but was a second to late. The fighting type had already rammed its shoulder into Flareon's chest, the force pushing its opponent a few feet backwards.
But as soon as Flareon regained its footing, it shot a fire spin at the ground below its paws. The wood ignited and a vortex now towered over the stage, reaching to the ceiling and protecting Flareon's body.
"A counter shield, huh?" Dawn frowned; she knew that strategy, thus had an idea how hard it might get to handle that kind of defense. For the time being, she made use of the time Flareon needed to recover. "Mienshao, swords dance!"
Calmly, Mienshao slid through a number of fighting stances. Blue glowing swords surrounded it, as it boosted its offensive power. Koume might have seen that as an invitation to attack herself. Instead of flames, Flareon breathed out a grey cloud of smog.
Dawn watched as the poisonous gas spread over the whole stage, until she could only see Mienshao and the fire spin. Is it just the smog attack or are they trying to hide in the fog? she wondered and kept a close stare to the stage.
First, there was nothing, as if the delay was a try to unsettle Dawn and her partner. But when the spiral of flames soared right at Mienshao, it was ready to sidestep with a elegant twirl.
"Follow up with flame charge!" Koume yelled over the hiss of fire.
Flareon, its body surrounded by a glowing blaze, leaped out of the smog. It aimed for Mienshao's back, since the fighting type was still in the middle of its dodge.
Dawn gritted her teeth slightly. "Use force palm!"
Its right paw outstretched, Mienshao twisted its flexible body around and placed its palm right on Flareon's muzzle. The shock wave it produced burst some of the flames apart, but wasn't enough to stop the attack. The pokemon skid in opposite directions, neither of them willing to give up, yet.
Another flame charge and force palm collided; this time, though, Mienshao used its superior agility and slid beside the fire type. Yellowish energy built up in Mienshao's palm, which it released with a loud bang, strong enough to blow away all the flames in its way.
Flareon fell to its side, sparks jumping between strands of fur. "Retreat to the smog!" Koume ordered and saved her partner from another force palm.
By then the fog had deflated, so that Koume had a good view of the tall Mienshao. Flareon, though, was still invisible. Dawn narrowed her eyes at the collumn of fire. It bothered her, how during the fire spin attack was.
Since Dawn didn't want to wait for the flames to disappear, she ordered Meinshao to use swords dance again. And again and again, until she could feel a light wave of power press against her. The stances Mienshao went through helped it to avoid or at least lessen the damage it took from various fire attacks that shot out of the gradually thinning smog.
"Good," Dawn murmered to herself, when she could finally see Flareon's shadow leap around to attack from a better angle. "Mienshao, get in close!" The blue glow of the blades faded and Mienshao sprinted forward.
Koume realized the approaching danger and called Flareon back into the fire spin - but the vortex had reached its limit and the flames finally died down. Mienshao was still approaching, its glare focused on Flareon.
"Use fire spin once more! You have to stop Mienshao!" Koume yelled, her frown giving away her tension. Flareon took a deep breath and shot orange flames at Mienshao. While the vortex was big enough to engulf the fighting type completely, it failed to change its course.
"Force palm on the flames!" Dawn said and watched how her partner thrust its paw forward. Yellow energy built up, that time much brighter and powerful enough to blast the flames aside. Flareon was dumbfounded in the face of sheer power and could only wince, when Mienshao towered right in front of it. Dawn had one more order for the fighting type. "Jump kick!"
Leaping up, Mienshao brought its knee under Flareon's chin and catapulted it high in the air. It was knocked out, even before Flareon crashed on the stage.
Good thing I didn't say high jump kick, Dawn mulled, since that one additional word signaled an attack that was essentially the same, just much stronger.
She sighed and held her forehead. At least her headache had decreased to a constant level, but she still waited for it to fade altogether. Why hadn't J taken care of it, yet?
Mienshao had returned to her side and nodded at Dawn, to which she replied with a little bow of respect herself. "Return," she said and enveloped in a red light, Mienshao disappeared in its pokeball. Dawn scanned the device for any visible damage, but couldn't make out anything unusual. No cracks, no sparks. The white button in the middle still worked and shrinked the ball into a more practical size. She didn't know, what else would force Mienshao out of its ball with a timing so convenient.
When Dawn looked back to the stage, she was relieved to see Flareon pick itself up. Though still on shaky feet, it shuffled back to Koume and nuzzled itself against her hand.
The trainers exchanged another bow, then Sumomo entered the stage. Her Vaporeon stepped forward and sat down, flicking its aquatic tail in anticipation.
Two down, three more to go, Dawn thought and tried to suppress the growing nervousness. Now, she turned to Piplup and caught its expectant look. Dawn knew what it meant and for a second, she struggled with herself. On the one hand she really wanted to grant Piplup's wish, but then she thought back to her plan. The pokemon she had chosen were meant to win through type advantage and although that combination had already failed rather successfully, Dawn couldn't just abandon her plan.
A few seconds passed, in which she felt her headache decrease. Eventually, she sighed and gave in. "Piplup -"
But she couldn't even finish her sentence, when suddenly another pokeball opened itself. Dawn winced and felt her stomach sink. Of all pokemon she had left, it was Sandshrew that stood face to face with Vaporeon. Sandshrew. Her ground type, meant for Jolteon.
It wouldn't stand a chance against Vaporeon.
So wrapped up in her bafflement, Dawn didn't even realize her cynical thoughts. All she could do was to stare at her partner, the one she had tried to call for battle twice, but there had always been an interruption. And now that they faced an opponent with an advantage over the ground type, then Sandshrew came out of its ball.
Dawn caught Sandshrew's unsure eyes; it sensed her anger and probably assumed that it was at fault. She had to look away. The throbbing underneath her skull rekindled its intensity and Dawn wondered, how much she could blame on herself.
Sandshrew wasn't at fault, she knew that - but she wasn't sure, if she could keep her boiling emotions in check.
By then, the Kimono Sisters had noticed that something was amiss. "Are you sure that Sandshrew is the one you want to battle Vaporeon with?" Sumomo asked. "It's your choice, of course, if you choose to ignore type matches, but wouldn't have Sandshrew been more suitable for Flareon or Jolteon?"
"Yes," Dawn couldn't suppress the growling undertone completely. "This scenario isn't what I had in mind." She looked at Sandshrew's pokeball and didn't spot any visible malfunction. Her muscles tensed in rising rage. Dawn had an idea, what it was that caused her pokemon to pop out at certain times, and an even stronger suspicion as to who the culprits were.
"Then why..?" Sumomo asked. Dawn could feel the questioning looks on her, but was hesitant to give an answer.
She didn't want to say, that either a pokemon hunter or Nurse Joy or maybe even both, had purposly manipulated her pokeballs. She wasn't sure, why the two would do that - for entertainment, just to annoy Dawn or to see her fail? - but she refused to give those two criminals the satisfaction of any point.
"I have an idea, what made this happen," Dawn admitted, "But I am okay to continue the way it is now."
"Are you sure?" Sumomo inquired. "You can swap, if you like."
"No," Dawn's reply was quick and her voice hard. "We will be fine."
If J wants to rub another failure under my nose, I will make her regret that decision. And if Joy isn't happy that I don't follow J around like her pet, then I'll show her that this is no way to get me back! Dawn thought in defiance. I can play their game. And I'll win!
She took in a deep breath, trying to get rid of the poisoning anger, then nodded at the referee.
"We will continue the battle with -" the referee announced, while Dawn looked back to Sandshrew. Its almond-shaped eyes glanced between its trainer and Vaporeon. Dawn realized with a heavy heart that Sandshrew waited for her affirmation that it could win the battle.
"You can do it," she whispered to both Sandshrew and herself. Next to her, Piplup chirped in the same tone of voice and struck a victorious pose. Suddenly, Dawn felt the familiar, yet suppressed confidence, which allowed her to shake of her tightening anxiety and smile like her usual self. Sandshrew's tail twitched and now convinced, it returned Vaporeon's watchful glare.
"The third battle beginns!" the referee shouted and thrust his arms to the side.
"Sandshrew, use rollout!" Dawn opened the fire. Sandshrew coiled up into a medicine ball sized boulder and shot towards Vaporeon.
Sumomo didn't miss a beat and initiated a countermeasure. Vaporeon shot a hydropump at Sandshrew, which forced the ground type to the side. But instead of keeping up the physical attack, Sandshrew skid to a halt, straigthened its spine and surprised its opponent with a volley of poison stings.
It hit Vaporeon directly in the side, yet the thorns didn't leave much damage. Seemingly unfazed, the water type charged at Sandshrew. A twirl of water surrounded its tail and it almost soaked the hydrophobic Sandshrew, when it slashed its watertail attack downward. Nonetheless, Vaporeon left a notable dent in the wood.
Dawn was quickly convinced that they would have to rely much more on a technical strategy, if they wanted to win the battle. "Sandshrew, come here and use rock tomb!"
Her partner backed away from Vaporeon and focused its powers into dozens of white spheres that surrounded it. They quickly grew to match Sandshrew's body size and transformed into sand coloured boulders. Sandshrew flicked its chubby arms forward, so that the rocks soared through the air, right at Vaporeon.
Vaporeon dodged the projectiles, either by jumping or pushing the boulders away with its watertail attack. Even before all the rocks came to rest on the stage, Dawn ordered another rock tomb, that time bigger. Sandshrew seemed to struggle with the task, but eventually summoned the largest boulders it had ever accomplished. It tossed the attack at Vaporeon, while some projectiles purposly crashed on the wood, before they reached the water type.
Dawn was impressed and felt her heart leap with joy. Gradually, she allowed herself the warming confidence that slowly built up as the battle proceeded. She glanced at Vaporeon and Sumomo and saw that the two frowned, concentrated, as if they sensed some kind of plan approaching. Dawn wouldn't let them wait for too long.
"Use rollout, Sandshrew!"
It jumped up on top of the boulder in front of it and used the slope to gain additional speed. Sandshrew was already spinning rapidly as it approached its opponent. Vaporeaon jumped away, but noticed the rock, which had been behind it, a tad too late. Sandshrew used it to bounce back and hit Vaporeon nonetheless.
The assault continued and since Sandshrew's flexibility kept the gap between the two opponents unusually short, there was little Vaporeon could do to hit back.
"Last resort!" Sumomo said. After sidestepping another rollout attack, Vaporeon tried to slamm its shoulder into Sandshrew's side. It grazed the scales, but didn't even slow the mouse pokemon down. It left itself wide open, though and the next moment, Sandshrew landed a direct hit.
Vaporeon's slender body flew over the stage and crashed into one of the lager rocks, which trembled from the impact. The water type lay still for a second, then rose to its feet again. Dawn saw the potential danger in the distance they had created, but not even Sandshrew could navigate its way through the rolling rocks fast enough.
When it had regained its footing, Vaporeon opened its mouth and shot a colourful aurora beam at the boulders. It was powerful enough crack the hard surface and push the rocks to the other side of the stage. Pleased, Vaporeon snapped its jaws shut and growled lightly.
Dawn didn't let that rebound weaken her self assurance. They still had the advantage of Sandshrew's colouring. It was impossible to make out the desert loving mouse among the sand coloured boulders, especially, when they were spinning around.
Quickly, Sandshrew shoved the rest of the rocks until all of them were in motion. They rolled across the stage in every direction, bouncing of each other and the larger boulders that served as boundaries. Sandshrew moved faster than the boulders, but even when Vaporeon spotted the ground type, it didn't make attacking any easier. Not, if it had to avoid being squashed by the next rock.
Sandshrew landed two, three more hits, before the tables turned.
"Acid armor! Get away from there, up one of those rocks!" Sumomo yelled over the rumble. A moment later, a splash sounded and then there was nothing left of Vaporeon but a puddle. Dawn winced, not trusting her eyes at first. She didn't have time to gather herselft, as Vaporeon's dissolved form slid under the boulders, splashing a few drops here and there. It reached one of the outer rocks and flowed up to the top.
The drops of water clustered, until the feline and aquatic traits took shape. When it was back to its original form, Vaporeon meowed and spat another colourful beam at the boulders. The destruction caused a cloud of dust to arise and Dawn was already worrying, if Sandshrew was alright.
"Sandshrew! Get close then use strength on that rock!" she yelled over the noise and was relieved to see her partner emerge from the dust. It rolled directly to its target and used the hard surface to stop itself. The boulder shook from the impact, throwing Vaporeon out of balance. A determined red glow surrounded Sandshrew's body as it slammed its claws into the rock and gradually began to lift it up.
"Stop it with hydro pump, Vaporeon!" Sumomo instructed, but Vaporeon had difficulties to perform that task, as it was trying to stay on top. If it fell, it could end up underneath the boulder.
Sandshrew's white muzzle furrowed as it struggled with the weight. Its arms were shaking; nonetheless it was eager to succeed. One final strain of its muscles and Sandshrew tossed the boulder together with Vaporeon back to the middle of the stage.
"Get ready!" Dawn warned her partner as she watched Vaporeon's movements. The water type had crouched down on the rock, so it wouldn't fall of, then it spun around and readied itself for an attack. "Poison sting! Aim for the top!"
Before Vaporeon had the chance to properly aim for Sandshrew, it already spat a storm of glowing thorns. At first, Vaporeon could resist the sting and launched a jet of water, but then the venom kicked in. It yelped in pain and lost its focus, so that the hydropump splashed on the ground. Vaporeon even landed on its feet, though clumsily.
The two pokemon stopped any actions for a moment, both panting. Dawn grew uneasy at the silence, but she saw that Sandshrew had reached its limit. They waited anxiously for Vaporeon to move. The water type looked like it was about to collapse from all the damage it had taken.
But then, its purple eyes shot open and it shot one final hydro pump at Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew! The boulder on your left! Use strength!" Dawn yelled. Sandshrew reached out, grabbed the rock - but the water rammed into its front side, catapulting it of the stage and into the wall next to the referee. When the attack ceased, Sandshrew skid down and fell on its belly.
It didn't budge.
The referee took a good look at the ground type and already parted his lips to anounce the result. Vaporeon couldn't stay on its feet either and collapsed there and then. The man glanced between the two opponents, then closed his eyes and changed the result.
"Both pokemon are unable to battle! This match ends in a draw!"
Dawn slumped her shoulders and let out all the tension in a defeated sigh.
Sweet. I know it took a while and I apologize for that. I'll see that the next chapter won't take that long ^^'
Write ya next time!
