"The following will be a three-on-three single Pokémon battle," the referee explained to both of the Trainers and the spectators on each side of the battlefield. "Neither Trainer is allowed to switch Pokémon during battle, but both have the option to switch when a Pokémon is defeated. Items, both used and held, are prohibited. Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves are also not allowed." The referee looked at each Trainer. "Do you each have only three Pokémon with you?
"Ugh, obviously," the girl on the red end of the battlefield scoffed. Tall with dark hair in a ponytail, a red crop top, and shorts, she radiated strength and confidence. "Let's get on with it!"
"Didn't realize you were that eager to lose, Heather," taunted the girl on the blue end of the field. With her pale complexion, dark makeup, and teal-streaked hair, it was clear that she meant business.
"As if, weird goth girl," Heather replied. "I thought maybe even someone like you would be above pre-game smack talk."
"Yeah, you tell her Heather!" A random spectator on Heather's side of the field shouted. There were definitely more spectators on Heather's side, but it didn't mean that her opponent, Gwen, didn't have her supporters.
"Whatever," Gwen said, turning to the referee. "Anything else?"
"I make the call on whether a Pokémon is unable to battle," the referee continued. "My call is final. The battle will end when one of you is out of Pokémon. Understand?" The girls nodded. "Alright. Remind me again, who is the official Challenger?"
"Heather," Gwen said. Heather nodded in agreement.
"Heather, you'll send out your Pokémon first," the referee said. "Gwen, you'll send yours out after her, and then Heather gets the first move." He took his spot on the side of the battlefield on an elevated platform. "Alright," he said through his mic so that everyone could hear, "Heather is the challenger so she will send her Pokémon out first. Heather-"
"That's enough out of you," Heather interrupted, stepping forward. "Thank you all for coming to see me destroy Gwen. Bruiser, I choose you!" She tossed a fancy, decorated PokéBall into the air. It opened and released a Persian onto the battlefield. The Classy Cat Pokémon roared menacingly, his cunning manner mirroring his Trainer.
"Pretty bold starting with your ace," Gwen muttered to herself. "If you're trying to force my hand, I'm not going to let you." She reached for a PokéBall on the back of her belt. "Crobat, go!" The double-winged bat Pokémon took to the air, flying about ten feet above the ground, staring down Bruiser.
"Heather will move first," the referee announced. "Let the battle…begin!"
Heather wasted no time with her first move. "Fake Out!" Persian darted across the battlefield, leaping into the air at Crobat and lashing out with his right paw, before quickly drawing it back and scratching the Poison/Flying-type with his left paw instead. Bruiser landed safely back onto the ground while Crobat reeled backwards, but otherwise seemed fine.
Gwen grinned as Heather gasped. "Crobat, use Cross Poison!" Both sets of Crobat's wings glowed bright purple as he flew at Bruiser, striking him in an X-shaped formation. Bruiser recoiled from the hit, shaking it off. He winced slightly, however, indicating he had been poisoned.
"Ugh, Inner Focus," Heather growled. "I should have known someone like you wouldn't be able to have Crobat's Hidden Ability."
"It worked out in my favor this time," Gwen remarked. "Your move."
"Power Gem," Heather said, gritting her teeth. Bruiser snarled, the red gem on his forehead glowing with bright light. He fired multiple blasts of energy at Crobat, striking the purple bat fiercely. Crobat fell toward the ground but caught himself at the last second and remained flying.
"Acrobatics!" Gwen called out, thankful for the rule against no held items, which doubled the power of Crobat's attack. Crobat was a blur of purple and teal as he spun through the air, striking at Bruiser with his wings.
"Dodge and use Slash!" Bruiser nodded and darted to the side, only just getting swiped by one of Crobat's wings. As the Bat Pokémon steadied himself, Bruiser slashed him hard with his claws.
"Crobat are you okay?" Gwen called out. Crobat nodded, but definitely appeared to be struggling. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily, having taken large amounts of damage. "Okay, use Venoshock!" Crobat opened his mouth and fired a stream of bright purple liquid right at Bruiser. Heather called out for another dodge, but it was too late. The attack connected and dealt extra damage due to Bruiser being poisoned. The proud Persian collapsed onto the ground, fainted.
"No!" Heather screeched. "Bruiser!" She ran onto the field to check on her Pokémon, lifting him up gently. "Are you okay?" The Persian growled weakly.
"Hm, so you do have a soul, at least," Gwen remarked. Heather glared at her as the referee declared that Bruiser was unable to battle.
"Heather, please return to your spot and send out your next Pokémon," the referee said. "Your Pokémon will be healed afterwards. If you step onto the battlefield again, you will be disqualified."
"Hmph," Heather said, sticking up her nose and recalling Bruiser. "Whatever. That was just to make sure you didn't lose on purpose." She grabbed another PokéBall. "Now you're finished."
"Gwen, will you be switching out your Pokémon?" The referee asked.
"I'll keep Crobat out," Gwen said, wanting to make sure Heather didn't see what else she had up her sleeve.
"Lapras, let's go!" The gorgeous Water/Ice-type materialized on the field. She seemed out of place on a battlefield composed entirely of dry land, but Heather seemed to take it all in stride.
"It is once again Heather's turn," the referee announced. "Let the battle resume!"
"Lapras use Rain Dance," Heather said. Lapras slapped her fins several times against the ground and sang a soft melody. Clouds began to form overhead and soon the battlefield was covered in a thin layer of water as rain began to fall.
"Waste of a move," Gwen called out. "Crobat, use Air Slash!"
Heather smirked. "She has no idea what I've got planned," she said to herself as Crobat fired a razor-thin blade of air right at Lapras. "Take the hit!" Lapras nodded and braced herself, the attack hurting, but not as much as it could have. "Hoping to get a critical hit? Lapras' Shell Armor ability prevents critical hits."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "I mean, I guess I wanted a critical hit, but Air Slash is a strong move regardless."
"Ice Beam," Heather ordered, "but remember that he's fast, so short bursts." Lapras nodded, and fired many small, rapid blasts of ice from her mouth instead of a singular freezing beam. Crobat already knew to dodge, but dodging multiple projectiles was more of a challenge than he had expected. It also didn't help that each blast was cold enough to freeze the rain that was still falling, which meant that even if he avoided them, shards of ice would still get in his face, and that was how Crobat was unable to see the last blast coming until it was too late.
"Crobat is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Gwen, please recall him and send out your next Pokémon. Heather, will you be switching out?" Heather shook her head.
"Good job out there," Gwen said to Crobat as she recalled him. "You took down her favorite all on your own." She grabbed another ball. "Gothitelle, you're up!"
"Gothitelle," the aloof Psychic-type said as she appeared outside of her PokéBall. The rain was still falling, but she could see her opponent clearly.
"It's Gwen's move, let the battle resume!"
"Use Psychic," Gwen said. Gothitelle held out her hand as her eyes glowed with blue energy. Lapras was quickly seized by Gothitelle's power and thrown straight backwards. Heather let out a surprised yelp and dove to the side as her Lapras almost crashed into her, but instead slammed into the wall of the building.
The referee blew a whistle. "Gwen, Gothitelle, do that again and you'll be disqualified."
"Sorry!" Gwen called out. She frowned at Gothitelle. "Be more careful, understand?" Gothitelle nodded, clearly unmoved by the chastisement.
"Lapras get up," Heather said as her Pokémon shook off the pain from the attack and got back up. Heather checked to make sure that it was still raining steadily, and it was. "Get back over here and use Surf!" Lapras nodded, summoning a wave of water to carry her straight toward Gothitelle. Heather moved out of the way so her Pokémon could get through. Both girls now stood in ankle-high water as Lapras slammed right into Gothitelle, her power boosted by the rain. The spots in the floor where the girls stood began to rise into platforms that quickly dried themselves, so the girls weren't in the water anymore. A similar platform was made for the referee.
Gothitelle stood back up, brushing some water off of herself. Her face stayed the same as it had when she was first sent out.
"Future Sight," Gwen ordered. Gothitelle looked upward, her eyes glowing a mix of red and purple as she saw into the future and began to warp the events that would soon take place.
"Finish her off with Brine!" Heather ordered. Lapras began to fire a blast of salty seawater straight at Gothitelle.
"Counter with Thunderbolt!" Gwen said quickly. Gothitelle shot a beam of electricity right at Lapras' attack. Due to the salt in the water, the electricity was conducted quickly and struck Lapras just as Gothitelle was hit. Steam filled the air, obscuring both Pokémon from view. The referee ordered that no moves be called out until the conditions of the Pokémon could be assessed.
The steam cleared quickly, and the rain subsided. Lapras lay on the ground, unconscious, while Gothitelle stood, very injured but still able to fight.
"Oh, come on!" Heather yelled, recalling Lapras. "That's not fair!"
"Deal with it Heather," Gwen said as she decided to keep Gothitelle out. She knew that her Pokémon would likely go down from the next hit, but she wanted to save her last Pokémon for as long as she could.
"You may have the numbers on me," Heather said, "but I'm smarter and stronger than you'll ever be! Sylveon go!"
"Sylveon!" The Fairy-type squealed, appearing on the battlefield. The water from earlier had been slowly draining out and was now mostly gone, allowing her to stay dry.
"Let's see," the referee said, "Gwen technically called out the last move, so Heather goes again. Let the battle resume!"
"Moonblast, obviously," Heather ordered. Sylveon nodded and a glowing white orb appeared in front of her. She winked at Gothitelle and the orb turned into a beam of pure energy that quickly knocked out Gothitelle. "Yes! In your- huh?" A red and purple wave of energy emanated across the battlefield, damaging Sylveon. Heather clenched her fists. "Future Sight."
"Gothitelle is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Gwen, please recall her and send out your next Pokémon."
Gwen returned Gothitelle to her PokéBall, pleased that Future Sight had come through for her. Now it was time for her last Pokémon. "Chandelure!" Her final PokéBall opened and the ghostly chandelier materialized in the air.
"It's Gwen's turn," the referee said, resuming the battle.
"Will-O-Wisp," Gwen said as Chandelure formed three ghostly orbs of flame and fired them at Sylveon.
"Counter with Safeguard," Heather said smugly, until much to her dismay the flames passed through the energy shield that Sylveon had thrown up and burned her anyway. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! What was that?!"
"Infiltrator," Gwen explained. "Guess you weren't expecting a Hidden Ability after all." Sylveon whimpered as her burn reignited momentarily. "Chandelure, use Hex." Chandelure fired several yellow orbs of energy at Sylveon, dealing extra damage due to her status condition.
"That doesn't matter," Heather said. "We'll still beat you. Sylveon, use Draining Kiss!" Sylveon blew a kiss at Chandelure, draining some of his energy and restoring her own, before taking damage from her burn again.
"Let's end this," Gwen decided. "Overheat." Chandelure nodded and floated in place, the pale purple of his body beginning to dark and turn orange. The temperature in the room began to rise. Chandelure stared right at Sylveon and fired a massive beam of pure heat right at the Fairy-type.
"Dodge!" Heather yelled. Sylveon ran, but Chandelure followed, finally hitting her with the searing blast. Sylveon cried out in pain before collapsing on the ground, badly burned and unable to get back up.
"Sylveon is unable to battle, which means the winner is Gwen!" The referee declared. Gwen's side of the battlefield cheered while most of Heather's side begrudgingly clapped. Heather just stared at Gwen in utter disbelief. How could she have lost? Heather quickly recalled her Pokémon and left to go heal her party as Gwen's friends rushed her to congratulate her on her victory.
Later, after the battle, Heather sat in the Pokémon Center with Bruiser resting at her feet and Sylveon in her lap as she brushed the latter's fur and checked to make sure those lowly lookalike Nurse Joy's actually did a decent job of taking care of her precious Pokémon. Her battle with Gwen continued to replay in her mind as she tried to determine if the goth girl had cheated or if she had just been better than Heather…which wasn't something Heather was going to admit easily, if at all.
Speaking of Gwen, the goth girl had just entered the Pokémon Center to get her own Pokémon healed up, as her friends had spent a lot of time with her after the battle and she was just now getting around to it.
"Come to gloat," Heather asked as Gwen gave her Pokémon to the Nurse Joy.
"Actually, I'm just here to make sure everyone gets healed up," Gwen said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Bruiser and Sylveon. "How are they?"
"None of your business," Heather snapped, making Bruiser growl and Sylveon twitch. "But…they're fine, I guess. Not that you really cared about that when you blasted my Sylveon with an Overheat."
Gwen frowned, walking over to her. Bruiser continued to growl softly, but Heather nudged him with her foot. While she may be a sore loser, she wasn't going to allow her Pokémon to be the ones making the scene.
"It was a battle, Heather," Gwen said. "Pokémon get hurt in battles. That's why we have Pokémon Centers. I wasn't attacking them as any sort of personal vendetta, I was just trying to win." She looked down at Sylveon. "Do you understand that?" Sylveon nodded but didn't make any noise.
"Whatever," Heather said. "You can heal your Pokémon and then leave. Go party with all your loser friends who came here to support you."
"I plan to," Gwen said, shrugging, "but I guess since I'm here, we should shake hands." Heather just stared at her with a blank look, daring her to even try and touch her hand. "You know, to signal that the battle is over." Gwen extended her hand. Heather sighed and took it, shaking it firmly.
"Congratulations," Heather grumbled. "You…did…"
"You don't have to compliment me," Gwen said, waving it off. "All I wanted was the handshake. No need to pop a blood vessel."
"Excuse me?!" Heather said. "Who do you think you are telling me whether I can or can't compliment people? And I wasn't going to compliment you anyways. I still think you have ugly hair." Gwen just rolled her eyes. "All I was going to say was that out of all the losers you hang out with, you proved to me that you're probably the least weak and pathetic out of all of them. So, like, good job or whatever."
"Thanks…I guess," Gwen said as the Nurse Joy arrived to give her back her Pokémon. "Anyways, I'll see you around. I take it you're going to the next city for the battle tournament."
"Of course I am," Heather scoffed. "And you better not even think about entering it unless you want me to beat you!" Gwen just shook her head with an amused smile before exiting the Pokémon Center, leaving Heather alone with her Pokémon and her thoughts.