Chapter 7: A Pivotal Battle
The stadium roared with cheering and yelling as the second day of round one was set to get underway. Spectators watched on in anticipation of more and more excellent battles. The battles of the previous day had left them hungry for more. The announcer took his place at his microphone and issued the announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next battle is about to get underway!" The crowd went wild as the tunnels at each end of the stadium opened up. "In the green corner, hailing from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh, is a man known as the Legend of Snowpoint. He spent five years on the peaks of Mt. Coronet just to train his Pokemon and himself. The legend himself appears before us all today! Here he is, folks! The man only known to us as Freeze!" The green tunnel opened fully and Freeze stepped out into the blinding light, sporting his usual wear. He wasn't wearing his hoodie, however, as the day was simply too hot to warrant it. Instead, he wore an icy-blue t-shirt. He took his place on the battlefield and the announcer continued. "In the red corner, hailing from Ecruteak City in Johto, is a man who blew our minds at the Johto and Sinnoh Leagues. Inspired by the stories told by the elders of Ecruteak, he seeks to share his experiences with the entire city. You may know him well, folks. Give it up for Roman Blane!" The red tunnel opened up and Roman stepped out. He was tall, standing at 6'3", and had medium, two-inch long dark hair. He had it gelled up in a soulpatch of the same color. His jade-green eyes were focused on the battlefield. He wore a plain white t-shirt, regular denim jeans, and sandals, since the weather was so hot. Roman took his place on the battlefield and the referee stepped towards the center, motioning for the trainers to do so as well.
"Trainers, shake hands and introduce yourselves," the referee instructed. Roman put out his hand first.
"Roman Blane, Ecruteak City. You better give me a good match," Roman said. Freeze reluctantly extended his hand and shook Roman's.
"Just call me Freeze. Snowpoint City is my home. I expect you'll at least be a challenge to me," Freeze responded in a somewhat condescending tone. The trainers went back to their sides of the field and the referee took his place.
"Trainers ready?"
"Ready," both Freeze and Roman replied. Freeze narrowed his eyes, remembering his promise to Lucas to never let him down.
"Trainers are ready. Select your Pokemon!"
"Rowena, make your mark!" Roman called out and tossed a Poke Ball into the air. It burst open and a Noctowl emerged from the light. Freeze smirked, as Flying-types weren't going very far with him around. He pulled a Poke Ball from his belt and tossed it out.
"Cold Stone, freeze 'em solid!" The ball burst open and a Vanilluxe emerged. The ice cream-like Pokemon breathed a chilling breath and floated, ready to battle.
"Vanilluxe vs. Noctowl. Begin!" The referee raised his flags and the battle was underway!
"Ok, Rowena, start this off with am Air Slash!" (A/N: The submitted moveset had Gust, but Noctowl cannot learn it in any way, so I replaced it with Air Slash.) Noctowl shot a blade of air at Vanilluxe.
"That's nothing. Block it with a Flash Cannon!" Vanilluxe shot a ball of light to counter the blade of air. The two attacks collided and exploded, causing a dust cloud to kick up. "Ok, now set up Hail!" Vanilluxe glowed and sent clouds into the sky. In a matter of seconds it had started hailing hard. The crowd scrambled for cover from the chunks of ice falling from the sky.
"This isn't good. Inclement weather hinders flight capabilities, Rowena, Hypnosis!" Noctowl's eyes took on an eerie glow as it attempted to hypnotize Vanilluxe. Freeze knew how to avoid it, though.
"Acid Armor!" he called out. Vanilluxe seemingly faded out of existence and formed a pool of acid on the ground. The hypnosis had failed and Vanilluxe had gained a defense boost. The ice cream-like Pokemon solidified back into existence. "Looks like your Noctowl's got nothing on my Vanilluxe," Freeze remarked. "Use Blizzard!" Vanilluxe expelled a howling blast of cold air, moving the hail along with it. Noctowl was caught in the blast, and was frozen solid. Freeze smirked, knowing his opponent had made a grave mistake by sending out a Flying-type against him.
"Noctowl was just chilled to the core! It's frozen solid and can't move!" the announcer exclaimed.
"This isn't good," Roman thought. "I made a mistake going with a Flying-type here".
"Finish this one off with Flash Cannon," Freeze ordered. Vanilluxe shot a ball of light at the frozen owl. Though it seemed like the ice would just absorb the attack, damage was still done. Severely weakened by the Blizzard attack and the hail that was constantly pelting it, Noctowl couldn't stand up to the damage the Flash Cannon caused and fainted.
"Noctowl is unable to battle. Vanilluxe wins!" The referee raised his green flag.
"Ah, nice try, Noctowl. Return," Roman said as he called the owl back. He swiftly pulled out his next Poke Ball and threw it. "Make your mark, Streak!" The ball opened and an Infernape burst out. The flaming monkey let out a battle cry. Freeze soured a little as he wasn't too fond of fighting Fire-types.
"Vanilluxe vs. Infernape. Begin!"
"Streak, torch 'em with Flamethrower!" Infernape shot out an intense wave of fire.
"Quick, Acid Armor!" Vanilluxe began to melt into acid again, but was too slow and was scorched badly by the Flamethrower. "Great..." Freeze thought. "Vanilluxe isn't going to last too long..." He quickly issued another command. "Blizzard! Put out that fire!" Vanilluxe blasted cold air and snow again in an attempt to slow Infernape's blisteringly fast attacks and movements. Infernape took the attack, but was largely unfazed.
"It's gonna take more that a little snowstorm to put out Streak's fire," Roman said. "Hit 'em with a Flame Wheel!" Infernape cloaked itself in flames and charged at Vanilluxe.
"Dodge it, Vanilluxe, then use Flash Cannon!" Vanilluxe moved to the side to avoid the incoming fire monkey, then shot a ball of light at it. Infernape jumped over the ball of light and descended towards Vanilluxe.
:Finish it! Close Combat!" In such close quarters, there was no way to dodge or block the flurry of punches and kicks Infernape was launching. Vanilluxe took a heavy blow and was knocked out.
"Vanilluxe is unable to battle. Infernape wins!" The referee raised his red flag.
"Right then, ice cream won't cut it. Return, Vanilluxe," Freeze commented as he returned Vanilluxe to the Poke Ball. Pulling out another one, he then said, "If ice cream won't cut it, then how about this? Sink 'em, Iceberg!" The ball burst open and a Dewgong emerged. The white Sea Lion Pokemon let out a cry and prepared itself for battle.
"Dewgong vs. Infernape. Begin!"
"Start with Ice Beam!" Dewgong shot an icy beam of energy from the small horn on its head.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" Infernape shot the Flamethrower directly at the incoming Ice Beam, resulting in an explosion. Dust kicked up again as the hail began to slow down. Freeze noticed this and ordered Dewgong to act.
"Iceberg, set the Hail back up!" Dewgong launched the energy for Hail into the sky. The hail intensified and sent any remaining onlookers running for cover.
"Quick, while he's distracted, get in there and use Close Combat!" Infernape rushed at Dewgong to strike it down.
"Not on my watch. Aqua Tail!" Dewgong's tail glowed blue and it swung at Infernape as it drew close. Infernape was knocked back by the hit, taking super-effective damage from the attack. The monkey got back up and struck a battle pose, awaiting an order.
"Flamethrower!" Infernape shot the wave of fire at Dewgong. It got out of the way, but it's fin was singed by the edge of the Flamethrower. Dewgong instinctively got under a spot where hail was hammering down. Pelted by the hail, Dewgong relaxed and the burn mark on its fin disappeared.
"Well well, looks like Iceberg is using the Hail to it's advantage here. Iceberg here has an ability called Ice Body. If the weather has been set to Hail, Iceberg can use it to heal itself slightly. Quite a useful ability in the heat of battle. All the hail has to do is touch Iceberg's body and it is instantly healed", Freeze explained. "Now, use Take Down, and follow it up with Aqua Tail!" Dewgong charged at Infernape while it's tail glowed blue with power.
"Don't even let it get close. Use Earthquake!" Infernape channeled its power to its foot and stomped the ground, causing a massive earthquake. The entire stadium rumbled from the magnitude of the quake. Dewgong slowed down to avoid becoming disoriented. Suddenly, the ground shot up at Dewgong. The Sea Lion Pokemon took a direct hit, but continued in it's path towards Infernape. Dewgong smashed into Infernape with the Take Down attack, hurting itself in the process. It then brought its tail around and swung Aqua Tail at the fire monkey. Infernape caught the tail, however, and Dewgong began flailing helplessly. "Heh, what are you gonna do now, hm?" Roman taunted. Freeze just smirked.
"Ice Beam, point-blank range!" Freeze commanded. Dewgong stopped flailing and shot an Ice Beam from its horn. At such close range, the chill of the core of the Ice Beam weakened Infernape's heat. Infernape began to shiver and released Dewgong. "Now, finish it! Aqua Tail!" Dewgong swung its tail at Infernape. The monkey took a direct hit and hit the ground.
"Infernape is unable to battle. Dewgong wins!"
"Nice job, Streak. Return," Roman said and called the monkey back to its Poke Ball. He thought to himself, "I'm seeing a theme so far with his Pokemon. They all share the Ice-type so far. Could he possibly have a team of nothing but Ice-type Pokemon?" He picked out a Poke Ball and threw it out, "Make your mark, Katana!" A Bisharp emerged from the Poke Ball. The Sword Blade Pokemon took a 'ready' stance.
"Dewgong vs. Bisharp. Begin!"
"Katana, use Metal Claw!" Bisharp's bladed arms took on a silver sheen as it took off towards Dewgong. The hail was easing up again, but Freeze didn't have time to set it back up.
"Stop it in its tracks with Ice Beam!" Dewgong shot the beam from it's horn but Bisharp moved too quickly for Dewgong to hit it. Bisharp slashed at Dewgong with Metal Claw. It was a direct hit to the face. Dewgong was hurt, but also quite riled up. "Aqua Tail, now!" Dewgong charged at Bisharp, tail glowing blue, and swung at it. Bisharp jumped over it, however.
"Now, Night Slash!" Bisharp moved blindingly fast into Dewgong's blind spot and slashed at the Sea Lion Pokemon. Another direct hit was sustained and Dewgong fell to the ground.
"Dewgong is unable to battle. Bisharp wins!"
"Not bad, Dewgong. Return," Freeze said and called Dewgong back. "He pulled out another Poke Ball and thought to himself, "I don't like the way this is going. It's too back-and-forth. I have to win this decisively, and I know just the Pokemon to do that for me". He threw out the Poke Ball. "Wily, slice 'em up!" The ball opened and Weavile burst out. This was going to be a matchup of quick and powerful attacks.
"Weavile vs. Bisharp. Begin!"
"Wily, Ice Punch!" Weavile's claw glowed with icy energy and it charged at Bisharp.
"Katana, Metal Claw!" Bisharp's blades took on the silver sheen again and charged at the incoming Weavile. The attacks resulted in a stalemate.
"Ok, Wily, use Screech!" Weavile broke off the stalemate by flinging Bisharp's arm backwards. Then, it let out an ear-shattering screech. The crowd, having returned to their seats after the hail had cleared, all covered their ears. Roman had to cover his ears as well.
"Agh, that thing is so loud!" He tried to issue a command, but couldn't be heard over Weavile's Screech.
"Now, while it's reeling, Ice Punch!" Weavile abruptly ended the Screech and dashed up to Bisharp, punching it in the face with Ice Punch. Bisharp stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the sudden strike. "Ice Punch again, Wily!" Weavile brought the other claw around and scored another hit with Ice Punch. The attacks weren't doing too much damage as Bisharp's part Steel typing made him resistant to Ice-type attacks, but Bisharp was reeling badly from the Screech and two Ice Punches to the face. The battle had become quite one-sided at this point. Freeze ordered Ice Punch after Ice Punch to keep beating Bisharp into a corner. Bisharp eventually stopped reeling and retaliated with a Metal Claw. Weavile saw it coming, however, and blocked with a Metal Claw of its own. Bisharp had nothing on Weavile at this point, as it was badly beaten from the repeated Ice Punches. Freeze ordered Weavile to use one claw for Ice Punch and the other for Metal Claw. Unable to react as it was quite dazed from the flurry of attacks it had just endured, Bisharp first took a blow to the head from Metal Claw, then got punched against the wall by Ice Punch. Bisharp had reached its limit and slid off the wall, unable to move.
"Bisharp is unable to battle. Weavile wins!"
"Nice try there, Katana. You deserve a long rest now," Roman said as he called Bisharp back. It seemed as though his earlier assumption was right; Freeze had used nothing but Ice-type Pokemon. Roman had to admit, using a specific type in a massive tournament like this took guts and exceptional skill. It was time to start bringing out the big guns. He took out a Poke Ball and threw it. "Rusty, make your mark!" When the ball burst open, a Bronzong emerged. The Bronze Bell Pokemon let out an echoing cry as it faced down Freeze and Weavile. A look of pure shock had washed over Freeze's normally indifferent face. He stood face-to-face with the Pokemon species that had killed his brother ten years ago. Terror took hold of Freeze as the referee signaled for the battle to start.
"Weavile vs. Bronzong. Begin!"
"Rusty, Gyro Ball!" Bronzong began spinning. When it had reached maximum velocity, it let itself loose towards Weavile. Bronzong moved surprisingly fast while spinning.
"Wily, get out of the way!" Freeze called out, terror clearly evident in his voice. Weavile jumped over the spinning bell and prepared to strike. "Night Slash!" Bronzong stopped spinning and Weavile struck, but bounced off of Bronzong's sturdy body.
"Is that all you've got? Use Flash Cannon!" Bronzong floated in midair, set itself like a cannon, and shot a ball of light. Weavile dodged and prepared to strike again, but another Flash Cannon was shot, scoring a heavy blow on the little weasel. Weavile went flying backwards. Freeze began to panic. Then, he saw something on Bronzong: a small dent on its left side. His pupils dilated as he remembered that fateful day ten years ago when Lucas was swallowed up by the avalanche and the Bronzong trampled him to death. The last Bronzong to pass had a dent on its left side exactly like the one he was seeing on Roman's Bronzong. Freeze became paralyzed out of fear as he realized that this Bronzong was the one to deliver the final blow to his brother ten years ago before the cold finished him off. Paralyzed with fear, he found himself unable to issue commands to Weavile. He also failed to see Bronzong smash into Weavile with a Gyro Ball attack until Weavile landed right next to him, knocked out cold.
"Weavile is unable to battle. Bronzong wins!" Freeze silently returned Weavile to its Poke Ball. He thought to himself, "Oh shit... that Bronzong... is one of those from that pack on Mt. Coronet... This isn't good..." He nervously took out his next Poke Ball, knowing he'd have something of a type advantage if the Bronzong didn't have the Levitate ability, but so nervous at the prospect of facing one of the Bronzong he despised since the day Lucas died.
"Tusk, get 'em!" Freeze called out as he trembled in fear. The ball opened and a Mamoswine emerged. It snorted and stomped the ground.
"Mamoswine vs. Bronzong. Begin!"
"As this next Pokemon matchup begins, it seems like Freeze is having some problems. What's the matter, trainer?" the announcer wondered aloud. Roman saw the fear in Freeze's eyes and took full advantage of it.
"You're going down with this next move! Give 'em a Flash Cannon!" Bronzong shot a ball of light at Mamoswine. The mammoth narrowed it's eyes and jumped over it with perfect timing. When it landed, the ground shook under Mamoswine's 600+ lbs of weight. It glared at the Bronze Bell Pokemon, clearly remembering the day ten years ago when it distracted this very Bronzong on Mt. Coronet as a wild Piloswine, buying Freeze the time he needed to drive the pack away. Now, faced with an opportunity to take out the Bronzong it had distracted, Mamoswine let out a fierce battle cry and smashed the ground with its front feet, causing a massive earthquake. Bronzong saw the shockwaves of the Earthquake attack coming, but couldn't float high enough to avoid it. It suffered a heavy blow due to not having the Levitate ability.
"All of a sudden, Freeze's Mamoswine has gone berserk! Perhaps that Bronzong has something to do with it! I don't know what's gonna happen folks, but whatever does, I have a feeling it's gonna be the deciding factor in this battle!" the announcer exclaimed. Mamoswine pounded the ground and charged straight at Bronzong without waiting for orders from Freeze, its instincts telling it to take out this Bronzong with authority. Mamoswine exuded a powerful aura as it charged full throttle towards Bronzong with its Superpower attack.
"Quick, Rusty, out of the way!" Roman called out. Bronzong moved to the side and Mamoswine came to a screeching halt as it attempted to change directions. "Now, Flash Cannon!" A ball of light shot from the bell Pokemon's body, but Mamoswine's quick reactions made it miss. Mamoswine charged again and nailed Bronzong with a Superpower attack. Bronzong, a very heavy and sturdy Pokemon, went flying into the wall. The stadium shook from the force of Bronzong smashing into the wall. Mamoswine instinctively followed up with Ice Shard. Flash-frozen chunks of ice flew through the air at Bronzong and hit. It didn't do much damage due to Steel-types natural resistance to ice. As this spectacle unfolded, Freeze just stared in disbelief. Mamoswine looked back at Freeze as if to say something. Freeze gulped and nodded as he understood that Mamoswine knew what this Bronzong had triggered. Mamoswine would fight to the end to protect Freeze's life. Revenge was just a bonus, as the pack of Bronzong had driven out this Mamoswine's pack at the same area on Mt. Coronet where Freeze had trained several years before all the events occurred. Mamoswine was just a little Swinub at the time, but he grew to resent the pack of Bronzong. When Freeze showed up to drive off the Bronzong pack so he could train, the mammoth Pokemon, as a Piloswine at the time, knew the time was right to help drive them off. Mamoswine turned back to face Bronzong. The bell Pokemon had picked itself up from the crash into the wall and was prepared to fight some more. The Pokemon stared each other down, waiting for the other to crack under the pressure. Freeze grappled with the memories of Lucas while trying to regain his focus on the battle. Suddenly, Freeze's unnaturally acute hearing picked up the sound of footsteps nearing the bottom of the stands. A voice rang out over the crowd noise.
"Freeze, remember the conversation we had yesterday! It's time to cast aside your fear and fight for your brother! Don't let him down!" It was Aidan, reminding Freeze that he had a promise to fulfill to Lucas. Freeze slowly swallowed as Aidan's voice rang out again. "You've made it this far, don't stumble now! Come on, you can do it!"
"She's right," Freeze thought. "I can't let my memories cloud my judgment. I have to focus... I have to erase my fears... just like Lucas. I will... I will prevail!" His confidence reignited, he barked an order to Mamoswine, who was, in truth, just stalling Bronzong out until an order was issued. "Tusk, Earthquake!" Mamoswine loosed a battle cry and stomped the ground hard. The shockwaves traveled at blinding speeds towards the Bronze Bell Pokemon, who, once again, was unable to avoid it since it had the Heatproof ability instead of Levitate. Bronzong took a hard hit, but hung on by the skin of its teeth.
"Rusty, calm yourself down. Calm Mind," Roman ordered. Bronzong focused its mind and received a boost to its Special Attack and Special Defense. "Now. Flash Cannon!" A more intense ball of light shot from Bronzong like a cannon, drawing on the boosted power from Calm Mind.
"Tusk, jump over it and use Stone Edge!" Freeze ordered. Freeze now possessed an air of commanding authority. He had become a completely different creature on the battlefield. Gone were his cold tendencies. All that mattered to him at the moment was one word: Win. Mamoswine easily jumped over the Flash Cannon and summoned sharp stones to stab at Bronzong. Many of the stones clanged around inside Bronzong's hollow body, creating a horrible echoing sound as Bronzong took a beating. The stones overwhelmed Bronzong and it fell to the ground, unable to lift itself. "Now, finish it! Earthquake!" Mamoswine used the momentum from being airborne to launch a powerful quake. Unable to lift itself from the ground, Bronzong was knocked out.
"Bronzong is unable to battle. Mamoswine wins!"
"I... I did it! I beat that Bronzong!" Freeze thought, overcome with relief that he had beaten his fear. He looked back into the crowd and saw Aidan in the front row breathe a sigh of relief. Freeze felt his cheeks grow warm as a very, very faint blush tinged them. He turned back to the battlefield, his dominance asserted and his confidence in overdrive. Roman had called Bronzong back and was throwing out his next Pokemon.
"Ali, make your mark!" The ball burst open and a Mienshao emerged. The Martial Arts Pokemon struck a battle pose and prepared to strike.
"Mamoswine vs. Mienshao. Begin!"
"Ali, Force Palm!" Mienshao rushed towards Mamoswine, its hand pulsing with energy. As it thrust its hand forward to strike, Mamoswine lowered its tusks to block. Mienshao hit its hand on Mamoswine's sharp tusk and recoiled in surprise.
"Tusk, Superpower! Show that little weasel thing what true power is!" Mamoswine roared and charged at the recoiling Mienshao.
"Not on my watch! Ali, aim Brick Break at its feet!" Mienshao's long arms glowed white as it launched a powerful punch at the incoming Mamoswine's feet. The timing was perfect, except that Mienshao wasn't expecting Mamoswine to stop short, so it ended up simply pounding the ground.
"Weren't expecting that, were you? Ice Shard!" Mamoswine launched chunks of ice at the Martial Arts Pokemon. Its arm was stuck in the ground, so it took a direct hit. Mamoswine then continued its Superpower attack. Mienshao's arm was dislodged from the ground, but the weasel-like fighting Pokemon was sent flying into the air. Mamoswine stood where it fell and impaled it with its tusk. Mienshao fell to the ground, absolutely wiped out by Mamoswine's insanely powerful strikes.
"Mienshao is unable to battle. Mamoswine wins!"
"Argh... Good job, Ali. Return," Roman said. He took out his final Poke Ball, knowing everything relied on this last Pokemon of his. "Crown, make your mark!" When the ball opened, a Starmie burst out. The starfish Pokemon let out its cry and awaited an order.
"Mamoswine vs. Starmie. Begin!"
"Roman is down to his final Pokemon! Can he pull off a comeback?"the announcer said to excite the audience.
"Crown, lead off with Water Gun!" Starmie sprayed a blast of water at Mamoswine.
"Ice Shard!" Freeze called. Mamoswine shot chunks of ice at the Water Gun and such a rate that the spray of water froze like it had been hit with an Ice Beam instead of Ice Shard. Roman was surprised. "Heh, impressive, eh?" Freeze said. "Tusk and I have been training for years. Its power is unrivaled by anyone on my team. Not only that, Tusk is always raring to show its power. Now, use Stone Edge!" Mamoswine summoned stones to stab at Starmie.
"Not happening. Blow away the stones with Rapid Spin!" Starmie began rotating rapidly, creating a gust of wind that blew away the Stone Edge. "Stones aren't gonna hurt Crown".
"Ok then, Earthquake!" Starmie stopped rotating and Mamoswine loosed a quake. Starmie was knocked back, but recovered from the hit quickly.
"Crown, use Recover!" Starmie glowed and restored its health. Freeze knew that he was going to have to beat Starmie in one hit, otherwise it would just recover the damage.
"Tusk, return!" He held out the Poke Ball and called Mamoswine back.
"Oh, a Pokemon switch! What is Freeze going with next?" the announcer said.
"Bigfoot, chill 'em to the core!" The ball burst open and an Abomasnow emerged. Abomasnow brought hail clouds out with it as its Snow Warning ability activated. It loosed a battle cry and prepared to fight.
"Abomasnow vs. Starmie. Begin!"
"Bigfoot, end this in one strike! Wood Hammer! The massive Frost Tree Pokemon rushed as fast as it could towards Starmie.
"Crown, Rapid Spin! Don't let it get close!" Starmie began rotating again and prevented Abomasnow from getting any closer.
"Bigfoot, wait for the rotations to stop, then use Blizzard," Freeze ordered. As Starmie began to slow down, Abomasnow launched a howling Blizzard, blowing Starmie back into the wall.
"Recover!" Starmie began to glow to recover lost health.
"Quick, Wood Hammer it!" Abomasnow dashed as fast as it could up to Starmie before it could finish recovering and threw a powerful punch at the starfish. Starmie hadn't finished recovering and took the blow right in its core. Abomasnow jumped back and Starmie slid down the wall. It's core began flashing, indicating that it had taken critical damage and could not continue.
"Starmie is unable to battle. Abomasnow wins, and the match goes to Freeze of Snowpoint City!" The crowd went absolutely wild as the battle concluded.
"And it's over, folks! Freeze pulls off an decisive win after a back-and-forth start and a near breakdown in the middle of the match! And all with nothing but Ice-type Pokemon! Watch out, folks, Freeze is one dangerous trainer!" the announcer exclaimed at the top of his lungs. Both trainers called their Pokemon back. Freeze just stood there, overcome with a sense of overwhelming victory. He stared up into the sky and thought to himself, "Lucas... it is done... I have avenged you. Now, all that is left is the goal of meeting Articuno. I will not fail you, I promise." He saw Roman headed towards the center of the field, so he did as well. At the field's center, Roman extended his hand.
"Excellent match. I'm impressed with your skill. Using nothing but Ice-types is a gutsy move," Roman complimented. Freeze returned the handshake.
"Yeah, I figured there'd be plenty of Pokemon out there ready to wall my prized Ice-types. That's why I train a variety of dual-type Ice Pokemon. That way, I can cover for Ice's general weaknesses," Freeze replied, proud of his Pokemon.
"That's a good variety you showed today. Tell me, though, what was up with you when I sent out my Bronzong?"
"That's a long story, I'm afraid".
"Fair enough. I'm heading off to heal my Pokemon now. I'll be rooting for you," Roman said as he turned around and went back in the tunnel. Freeze turned around to head back into the green tunnel. As he walked in, the cheers of the crowd would not cease. "Seems I've earned myself some fans," Freeze thought. He turned left towards the Pokemon Center when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Aidan standing right behind him. "Yes?" he asked.
"Great battle out there," Aidan said. "Just... try not to let your memories get the best of you next time, ok? I don't want to have to snap you out of it every time, ya hear?"
"Yeah yeah, I hear you. But seriously, thanks. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have won. That guy's Bronzong was one of the ones from Mt. Coronet when Lucas died. I recognized it by a little dent on its left side. It... paralyzed me out of fear. If it hadn't been for Tusk's instincts, Bronzong would've beaten it. And... if it hadn't been for you, I don't think I would've snapped out of it in time. You're the reason I won, Aidan. And for that..." he paused and then, in a rare moment of emotion (A/N: He only ever shows emotions when it's just him and Aidan... *eyebrow waggle*), he smiled a sincere smile. "I truly thank you. You've been a rock that I can lean on when I show weakness. I... I don't think I'd be where I am now without you. I know I've only known you for a few days, but somehow, I feel safe with you around. Safe from my own emotions and memories. I can't thank you enough..." Aidan smiled.
"You don't need to thank me. I'm just glad I can help you out". Aidan hugged Freeze tightly. Freeze returned the hug, just not as tightly. "Don't worry me like that bit out there again, please".
"Don't worry. I think I'll be ok now. And even so, you'll always be there to help me through".
"Never pegged you as a guy with a sweet side," Aidan joked.
"You learn something new every day, hm?" Freeze replied. Aidan just hugged him tighter. Freeze closed his eyes as he thought to himself, "I don't know what kind of twist of fate is doing this to me, but for the first time in ten years, I'm happy. I almost feel complete. Lucas... if you're watching me, know this. Your old brother is back... and he's happy again. I swear, I'll keep making you proud." Just around the corner, Roy, Lexi, and Damon spied on Freeze and Aidan.
"Aww, they look so cute together," Lexi commented.
"Man, I only just met you all, but you're one interesting group. I think I'll stick around," Damon said.
"Good choice," Roy replied. "There's never a dull moment with us around". Roy stuck his headphones in his ears and hit 'Play' on his iPod as a rather fitting song played. Roy hummed along with the lyrics: "I'll never let you go/If you promise not to fade away/Never fade away". They just looked on as Freeze and Aidan stayed in the hug for what seemed like an eternity.
Author's Note: And that'll do it for this chapter. So, what do you all think? I think I did a pretty good job, especially with the battle scene. This chapter introduces yet another user-submitted OC: Roman Blane submitted by masked1. Roman will probably make a few more appearances in the story, but won't be a major character. So, after quite a battle, Freeze emerges victorious, but not without a little help from Aidan, who he seems to be getting increasingly attached to. Something's a-brewin' here, methinks... so yeah. Next time, more out-of-battle stuff to prepare for another battle. I'm debating on whether it's Lexi or Aidan next.
Fun Fact: The original title of this chapter was going to be 'A Fierce Battle' in reference to the song 'The Fierce Battle' from Final Fantasy VI. It was changed when I decided to use a better word to describe the battle.
Spot-the-reference time! There are two references in this chapter. One is a reference to a Pokemon game (hint: think older, non-mainstream titles) and the other is a song lyrics reference. See of you can get them.
Until next time, MasterFreezeman, signing out.