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Destination Indigo
by Sailor Chronos

Chapter Eleven: The Principle of the Thing

Heather was struck speechless momentarily by the small Pokemon that she now faced. Evidently her opponent had saved this Cyndaquil for last to take advantage of the shock produced by the appearance of an unfamiliar Pokemon. However, she wasn't going to be intimidated, nor was she going to let this move go unanswered.

"Ready to continue?" Mouse asked gleefully. "Or are you so scared that you can't rise to the challenge?"

"That Pokemon isn't listed in my Pokedex!" Heather exclaimed, after checking. "Where did you find it?"

Mouse laughed. "Don't you remember? I'm from New Bark Town in the Johto Province. Cyndaquil was the Pokemon I chose when I started out." She sobered somewhat. "But I had a lot of trouble during my first Gym battle, and I was told that I would never make it as a trainer. So I decided to show them all, and came to Kanto Province instead! Now that I've qualified for the Indigo Tournament, nobody can say that I'm not a good trainer!"

"I protest!" Heather shouted at the referee. "Cyndaquil is a Pokemon from the Johto Province. The Indigo League only allows Pokemon from Kanto. This match is illegal!"

The referee looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Miss Drake, but you're incorrect. The rules were recently amended to include Johto Pokemon. Also, as you should know, the official handbook says that no Pokemon are excluded."

"That's a loophole!" Heather bellowed in fury. "You're holding a double standard! If SHE," she pointed at Mouse, "can use her Cyndaquil, then I should be able to use my birds!"

The referee sighed. "I'll speak to the judges." He walked off.

"There seems to be a problem with the match," the announcer said. "Heather is protesting Mouse's selection of a Cyndaquil. Will the judges make a ruling on this?"

Mouse rolled her eyes in exasperation. "What's going on here? Are you just trying to delay your defeat?"

Heather glared. "The Pokemon League officials told me that I couldn't use two of my Pokemon because they were too powerful. It's not fair that you can use a foreign Pokemon when I can't use two of mine that I raised from eggs."

"So you're THAT trainer!" Mouse exclaimed in excitement. "The one who beat a Shellder with an Articuno the other day?" At Heather's nod, she continued, "Everyone has been talking about it. While I can understand why the League did what they did, it's still not fair for them to change the rules in mid-match. You've set a precedent, girl!"

"Yes, but that doesn't stop me from being angry."

"You've done a good job on taking it out on me," Mouse admitted. "I'm down to my last Pokemon. Who knows, if you beat me then you might go all the way to the top!"

Heather shook her head. "Not with the Pokemon I have now. Any other trainer might just..." She paused, then smiled confidently. Perhaps there was a way to set things right! "Resign!"

"Huh?" Mouse looked surprised.

"I know what I'll do! If I've already set a precedent, then I'll set another. Win or lose, I'll resign from the tournament after this match, as a protest against the unfair rulings."

"Then you'll have company," Mouse said, giving her a thumbs up. "I'll hand in my badges too. Besides, if you beat me then I'm disqualified anyway."

Before Heather could reply, the referee returned. "The officials say that they stand by their decision. This match must proceed or you both will forfeit your ranks."

"Fine," Heather growled. "Prepare to lose!" Better to keep the referee ignorant of the discussion that had taken place. Now if Mouse would realise that...

She did. "Ha! Don't bet on that, my Cyndaquil can handle anything!" The little Pokemon stepped forward and the flames rose from its back once again. "Cyndaquil, Tackle attack!"

"Dodge it, Loki!" As her Pikachu danced out of the way of several charges, Heather thought hard. It was obvious that Cyndaquil was a Fire type, so at the very least it would have learned the Leer, Ember, and Flamethrower moves. Anything else was an educated guess as far as she was concerned, so she had to be very careful. "Loki, Thundershock!"

"I had a feeling you'd try that," Mouse gloated. "Cyndaquil, Smoke Screen!" The Cyndaquil belched thick clouds of smoke, which obscured the field completely.

Loki's strike missed. And blinded, he would an easy target. Heather wasn't going to give the Cyndaquil a chance to attack. "Loki, cover the field with a Thunderwave!" Lightning spread out in all directions. When the smoke lifted, the Cyndaquil was standing not far from Loki, paralyzed.

"What's this?" her opponent yelled.

"A Thunderwave attack automatically paralyzes whatever it hits," Heather explained. "Your Cyndaquil is a sitting Psyduck now. Loki, Quick Attack!" The Pikachu zipped across the ring.

"Cyndaquil, move!" Mouse hollered, but her Pokemon couldn't. Loki knocked it flying; miraculously it managed to land inside the field boundary. "Can you keep going?" its trainer asked, and in response, it squeaked and the flames on its back burned brightly. "Let's get back in this match. Swift attack!"

Swift couldn't be avoided but it could be countered. "Loki, Swift!" The star-like projectiles from both Pokemon collided and canceled each other out.

Now Mouse looked furious; she had clearly expected her attack to hit home. "Time to turn up the heat. Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel!" The Pokemon somersaulted forward, whirling faster and faster until it resembled a large fiery wheel that hurtled toward Loki. The Pikachu was taken completely by surprise and was hit hard.

"Loki!" Heather cried. Somehow, Loki landed on his feet, but looked like he wouldn't last much longer. This match had to be decided soon.

"Had enough yet?" Mouse asked. "If not, here comes the final blow! Cyndaquil, Flame Wheel again!"

As the Cyndaquil rolled around and came back for another pass, Heather decided to use a strategy that she had developed to work against a Hitmonlee's Rolling Kick attack, which was similar to this. "Loki, duck and throw!" Loki sat down on the ground, and when the flaming wheel was almost on him, he hit its leading edge with a Thunder attack at close range.

The force of the blast caused the wheel to shoot up into the air as if it had hit a brick wall! The flames disappeared as the Cyndaquil flipped over and over helplessly. "Now, Loki! Thundershock!" Unable to dodge, the Cyndaquil took the full dose of electricity, and was knocked out.

"Cyndaquil is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Heather Drake!" the referee called.

The stadium erupted in cheers as the girls shook hands. "I knew from the start that you would beat me," Mouse confided. "I saw the anger in your eyes and knew that you had something bigger to prove than I did."

"Thank you." Heather smiled. "Now let's show them that we won't be pushed around!"


The conference room didn't look quite so imposing as it has been the previous time Heather had entered it. The same officials were there, including the merry Mr. Goodshow and the severe Ingrid Bola. However, this time it would be they who would get the unpleasant surprise!

"Miss Drake, Miss Souris, good afternoon," Ms. Bola said as the two girls bowed. "While it is within your rights as trainers to request a formal protest hearing, you should be aware that you are wasting all of our time." She eyed them with a look that almost dared them to contradict her. "You were informed during your match to abide by our previous rulings or be disqualified."

Heather responded, "We fully understood that, madam." She stood tall and looked the woman right in the eye. "This tournament has represented the highest standard for teamwork and fairness in Pokemon training. Recent events have led us to believe that might no longer be the case."

There was a surprised murmur around the table, and one of the officials blurted, "You dare question us? We have been involved in Pokemon training since before you were born, young lady!"

The girls ignored the interruption. "Therefore, we feel that we can't continue to participate," Mouse continued. "To do so would go against our principles." She pulled a box from her pocket and opened it to show the badges inside. Then she took her Pokedex out and laid both items on the table in front of Mr. Goodshow. Heather did the same. "We resign from the tournament."

There was complete silence as the officials looked at them in shock. With nothing more to say, the two girls turned and left.