It felt like literally no time at all before the next round of the battle was announced. With what felt like well-practised military precision and planning, we were ushered into a back room, had our Pokemon healed up quickly and efficiently, before being separated into two groups once again. After being lead back up to another balcony, but now with Natsuki, Jade, Elliot and Alicia for company, I found myself feeling rather out of my depth… The people here were some of the best in the whole competition. And that scared me more than I cared to admit. The people here scared me more than I cared to admit. Even as I thought this, Natsuki's probing eyes sought me out from under the curtain of her hair and she fixed them on me. I didn't know what she found so fascinating about me, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know either…
Trying to ignore Natsuki's incessant (and somewhat creepy) staring, I glanced around, looking at the other two challengers. Jade was standing far off to the side, the folds of his cape gently blowing in the wind. Alicia was standing near to him, eyeing him pointedly, as if willing him to turn around and talk to her. Of course, he remained stubbornly silent. For some reason, despite my nerves, this at least managed to elicit a smile from me. I slipped my hand into Elliot's, who squeezed it comfortingly. He drew me close, and enveloped in his warm embrace, I suddenly felt a lot more secure…
With a sudden screech of the microphone that made me almost jump out of my skin and made Elliot swear violently, the first battle was officially announced. In this battle, Natsuki was to face Crow. Upon being summoned to the battlefield, Natsuki swept past us with a sort of cool confidence. As she glided past us, however, a bizarre chill crept up my spine and I shuddered inexplicably. When Elliot quizzed me on what had happened, I couldn't even answer him.
Pushing that to the back of my mind, I tried to focus on the battle. Both Natsuki and Crow were eyeing each other pointedly from either ends of the battlefield. I almost expected Crow to flinch away under Natsuki's hardened gaze, but he remained as cool as ever, matching her stare effortlessly.
"Come on Crow," I willed, hanging dangerously far over the railings in an attempt to get a better view. "You can beat her! Come on!"
The battle quickly got underway. Natsuki's first Pokemon was a Pokemon I honestly didn't expect her to have. It was a Sableye, whom Natsuki had given the nickname of Onyx. I saw Crow seem to carefully deliberate over which Pokemon to use, before sending his Breloom, Deneb, as an opponent. The battle started off slow, each trainer seeming a little reluctant at first to go for heavy, consequential moves, but it soon picked up, the battle reaching an incredible intensity after a few short minutes. Natsuki's Sableye relied heavily on powerful moves like Zen Headbutt, Power Gem and Shadow Ball which initially caused Crow's Breloom some problems. However, taking advantage of its superior speed, Deneb the Breloom used a barrage of Seed Bombs to fight back. After the explosion of Seed Bombs, I honestly expected the whole thing to be over, but I was proved wrong. The Sableye, after sustaining damage to the red gem upon its chest suddenly became enraged! The Pokemon's newfound strength completely overwhelmed Crow's Breloom and knocked it out with a particularly nasty Zen Headbutt.
Crow looked a strange mix of horrified and disappointed as he saw his Pokemon fall in front of him, but quickly marred his face with resolve once more. His second Pokemon was a Honchkrow, and despite everything, I smiled, finding it such a brilliantly fitting Pokemon for him to use.
Crow's Honchkrow was a good choice as it easily swept Natsuki's Sableye with a relentless storm of Brave Bird attacks, before ending the round with a particularly scary and intimidating move called Heat Wave, which send a viciously hot wave of heat scorching across the battlefield, leaving the dual Ghost and Dark type completely defeated.
Natsuki looked a little disappointed at the defeat of her Sableye, but recalled it back to its Pokeball, before carefully considering her next choice. This next choice then turned out to be a Gastly. At this point, my heart leapt in anticipation. With a Pokemon like Honchkrow, I wholly expected the whole thing to go completely in Crow's favour and for him to win with little difficulty. But to my abject horror and amazement, things took a turn for the worst for poor Crow. Natsuki's Gastly immediately cut in with a wickedly fast Hypnosis, putting the Dark type completely to sleep.
It was over, just like that… Crow had lost…
"No!" I cried despite myself, almost falling over the balcony railings. "Crow… Crow lost…?"
I could barely even watch as Crow and Natsuki walked away to their respective dugouts. I felt a sadness tug at my heart as I watched Crow's retreating back. I hated to see him lose. He didn't deserve to lose like that…
We didn't have too long to reflect on it however, as the next battle was immediately announced, this one taking place between Scott and Jade. I could tell everyone was waiting on baited breath for this particular battle. I couldn't blame them. Scott and Jade had both built themselves quite the formidable reputations, and a clash between them was anticipated to be exhilarating. However, the built up of anticipation proved to be for nothing, as the battle turned out to be almost… disappointing. The battle was over far quicker than I, or anyone else expected it to be.
Scott started things off, sending his Quagsire into battle against Jade's Skarmory. It seemed like a pretty fair match-up initially, but it quickly became evident who was the better battler. Although Jade put up a valiant fight, using his Skarmory's speed, nimbleness and defensive powers to his advantage, it simply couldn't stand up to the relentless barrage of attacks Scott ordered. The crowd was totally in awe as Scott's Quagsire completely swept the battlefield with a Surf, knocking the Skarmory straight out of the air. As it struggled in the waterlogged arena to get itself back into flight, it became a nothing more than a sitting Ducklett for powerful Muddy Water, followed up immediately by a Slam, which knocked the Skarmory completely out cold.
Jade looked angry as he recalled his Skarmory and it was evident just how serious he was taking this battle as he released his next Pokemon. The audience gasped in fright as the almighty figure of a Gyarados escaped Jade's Pokeball. At this point, I noticed Scott's face rapidly change expression. It didn't take a genius to know why. Anyone who knew Scott knew he seemed to favour Rock and Ground types, and judging from the team I had seen him use ever since I met him and particularly over the course of the tournament, his current team seemed to be made up exclusively of those two types. A Gyarados was likely to be highly problematic for him.
But in a display of battling so amazing that I almost didn't believe what I was seeing, Scott pushed past the obvious difficulties and secured a win! He didn't even need to switch Pokemon! Instead, he used Quagsire's bulky body to his advantage, as well as a powerful arsenal of moves I could only assume he had taught his Pokemon through TM. The use of an Ice Beam completely obliterated the giant serpentine Pokemon and Scott secured a very comfortable win within only ten minutes of battling… I couldn't believe it, and I'm sure I spent a good few minutes just staring at the battlefield in shock while an angered Jade Black stormed off the arena, his cape billowing madly behind him.
The battle between Elliot and Celeste was next, and this one was long and drawn out. My nerves were stretched to breaking point as the battle was conducted, both trainers incredibly intimidating forces. Celeste opened with a Flygon named Midori, and I saw a frown develop on Elliot's face at the reveal. I anticipated him to shun his favoured Grass types and take on the dual Ground and Dragon type with one of his Dark types, but instead, he released Vino the Venusaur. The two powerhouses butted heads for a long time, scoring plenty damage, but not enough to be consequential. The battle dragged out for what felt like hours until eventually it was ended when Vino used Sweet Scent to slow down the Flygon and send it into a trance, before taking advantage of the Pokemon's inability to move to shoot it down with an incredibly powerful Solarbeam.
Surprisingly, Celeste chose not to send out her powerful Blaziken, but instead an Aggron, named Tetsu. Elliot tensed in the face of this new intimidating opponent, but his faith in Vino the Venusaur was obviously absolute and unyielding, and he ordered his beloved Pokemon into battle without a second glance. Celeste's Aggron however was a force to be reckoned with, using Protect to keep itself out of harm's way, and then striking back with an especially powerful Headbutt and a Thunderbolt that came from seemingly nowhere! Elliot withdrew Vino, realising that his Pokemon was tiring and in no position to fight. His next choice was Tropius, which sent a rippling gasp through the stadium. Tropius was part Flying type, and against the Aggron, who was part Rock type, the advantage seemed to be leaning much more towards Celeste and her Aggron. But Elliot wasn't a stupid man, and he utilised Tropius to every strength he had. He had Tropius use Growth to bulk itself up in preparation for attacking, especially useful in penetrating the Aggron's mighty defences. In the same manner as before, he spawned Sweet Scent to slow down the already sluggish Aggron, before laying into the monstrous looking Pokemon with as many Grass type moves as he could. In the end, it was a resounding victory for Elliot.
I didn't get the chance to find Elliot and congratulate him as my battle was next. My opponent was Hikaru Brown, someone I felt decidedly nervous about battling, just because of what a nice, sweet girl she had been to me during the preliminaries. I was also however painfully aware of how easily she had beaten Bailey in the previous round, with just that one Pokemon. That incredibly powerful Arcanine. I swallowed. This certainly wasn't going to be an easy battle.
I was surprised at Hikaru's first Pokemon, a Swinub with the highly unthreatening nickname of Fluffy. I deliberated carefully over my choice of Pokemon, before sending in Kiba, thinking to use his Fire type moves against the Ice type, but I had totally forgotten that Swinub could learn Ground type moves like Mud-Slap and Earthquake. It barricaded Kiba with a Mud Bomb initially before sending in an Earthquake that shook my poor Growlithe completely off its feet. But Kiba was a fighter and bounced back, simply scorching the pig Pokemon with an Ember, followed up by a Flame Wheel.
I had more trouble with Hikaru's next Pokemon. An Umbreon named Shadow. I knew just how dangerous these things could be, especially considering I knew how strong Elliot's beloved Umbreon Jet was. Nonetheless, I ordered Kiba into battle, trying to take advantage of the wicked Fire types he used. My efforts frustratingly proved useless as Hikaru's Umbreon used Faint Attack to sneak up on Kiba and nail him with a series of what seemed to be increasingly powerful Shadow Balls. I mentally kicked myself when poor Kiba fell victim to the Umbreon. I was so annoyed with myself. I knew that strategy. I knew the Faint Attack to get behind the opponent to attack it in a vulnerable position strategy. I knew it, because I'd seen Elliot use it so many times… I knew it, yet I still lost.
I sent in Monty after Kiba's defeat to take on the Umbreon. I saw the reactions of the crowd change as soon as the relatively uncommon Pokemon appeared in the arena. I knew what they were thinking. Using a Persian against an Umbreon was practically asking for trouble (and a resounding defeat) but I knew better. I had faith in my Monty.
My faith in Monty was proved right. Monty was fast, using his strong, lithe limbs to easily dodge out of the way every time Hikaru's Umbreon attempted to use Faint Attack to get behind him. As soon as the Pokemon even came within three feet of him, Monty slashed out with his powerful claws, raking the Umbreon with a vicious set of Fury Swipes, drawing blood and weakening it almost straight away. Following on from this, I had Monty use Screech to weaken the Umbreon's heightened defences, then finished it with a Power Gem.
I barely had time to register my win before I was immediately ushered off the battleground. Somehow I had the feeling that the people organising these battles had wholly underestimated how long it would take and were running short on time, thus making the intervals between battles practically non-existant. So, after winning my battle I headed straight up to the overhanging balcony with the intention of watching Jasmine in her battle against Alicia. However, no sooner had I stepped foot back on the balcony, I felt my mobile, buried in the depths of my pocket begin to vibrate erratically. Puzzled, I fished it out and consulted it. I almost dropped the phone when I saw the caller ID.
"Dad?" I hissed in disbelief into the phone, turning on my heel and disappearing out into the rest room as the cheers and applause began to sound behind me.
"Sienna," Dad's voice sounded distant, and far away at the other end of the line. "I hope I haven't caught you in the middle of something important,"
"Emm…" I murmured slowly. I thought about my answer, considering it carefully before replying. "Not really. Just a tournament… thing…"
"A tournament?" he repeated, sounding conversational enough, but I could still tell his interest was feigned. His voice held a peculiar, heavy tone to it that I didn't like one little bit.
"Yeah. A tournament," I said, before nervously clearing my throat and continuing. "So, anyway… what's up?"
"I have to ask you something important," he said, and my heart immediately sunk. This could never be good news.
"What…?" I asked, after a moment's hesitation.
There was a slight pause at the end of the line, before he spoke again. "Does the name Helene Fontaine mean anything to you?"
"Helene Fontaine…?" I repeated the exotic sounding name out loud thoughtfully, while searching my memory banks thoroughly for anything that sounded even remotely similar. Eventually, I had to give up. The name was completely alien to me."No, I don't know anyone by that name. Why?"
There was a silence. "It's… it's not important."
I blinked in confusion. "Well, yeah, it is important. You just don't phone someone up, ask them if they've heard a name before and then claim it's not important."
There was silence.
"Dad! Tell me!"
"Well…" I heard him inhale and exhale deeply. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I didn't want to have to tell you this, but if you insist." He paused again, before eventually speaking. "Back in the day when Nathan—"
"Nathan!" the name immediately sent a shiver of terror down my spine, and my grip around the phone immediately tightened.
"…was still a member of Team Plasma, he worked very closely with this woman. Nathan spoke about her a lot in Team Quantum. Spoke very highly of her in fact… Apparently she had an IQ that was close to genius level, a brilliant, logistical mind and also was one of the strongest trainers Nathan ever knew…"
There was a lump forming in my throat that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. I didn't like where this was going…
"After Team Plasma disbanded, she was taken into police custody after the police became concerned it wasn't safe to allow her to roam the streets. Apparently she was considered a security risk and a danger to the general public, and rightly so. She's a very dangerous woman. However, recently there was some controversy surrounding her case for being locked up, and last week she was released. Released on the condition that she report to the police weekly so they can keep a close watch on her. That's not an unusual thing; one of the conditions of my release was regular checks like that."
"I don't get it though…" I said hoarsely. "What are you trying to say?"
There was a sigh at the other end of the line, before a prolonged silence. "Helene didn't make her check today. No-one has heard from her."
"What…?" I croaked.
"Now, I may be jumping to conclusions here," Dad's voice was suddenly hasty, his words crashing into each other, as if he couldn't get them out quick enough. "There's no reason to assume the worst. But…"
"But…?"
"Helene was never a part of Team Quantum…" Dad said slowly. "In fact, the only reason Nathan sought me out, aside from my strength in Pokemon battling, was that Nathan could not recruit Helene. Sienna, I'm not a smart man, and we both know my strength never lay in the brains, but the brawn. Nathan claims the whole reason Team Quantum's operation failed was the sheer number of unskilled grunts without a brain in their heads. And I never was the brightest bulb in the box myself…"
Despite myself, I had to stifle a giggle at this.
"Helene's a very smart woman," Dad's tone was serious again. "A scientist by trade, and I lost count of how many PHDs and degrees and whatnot Nathan said she had. Nathan always said that if we had Helene, and didn't have to go around kidnapping scientists to do our bidding, we would never have run into half as many problems as we did. I'm sure Nathan believes that if we had Helene… we would have succeeded…"
I was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe, and my palms were beginning to dampen with sweat, making it harder to clutch onto my phone. "Dad… what are you trying to say…?"
"Helene is a very dangerous woman, Sienna. A brilliant mind, a powerful trainer… just generally a force never to be trifled with… It is entirely possible she's aware of what went on two years ago… In fact, I'm certain she's possible of what went on two years ago."
"I still don't understand…" I murmured, feeling hopelessly lost as to what was going on.
"Sienna… if Helene is aware of what went on, it is entirely possible she could try to exact some form of…" he broke off at this point. He didn't have to say it, though. The word was implied and hung in the air like a dead weight, oppressive and horribly evident.
"Revenge."
The silence on the end of the phone confirmed my worries, and I let out a shaky breath, not sure what else to do.
But there was one question still bothering me, niggling away at the back of my mind. I cleared my throat. "But why…?" I asked slowly. "Why would Helene do that? Why would she risk everything to go after someone she's never even met, even if it was for someone that she knew? Why would she risk her own… freedom or whatever… for Nathan?"
There was an uncomfortable silence at the other end of the phone. "Nathan and Helene were… uh… shall we say… involved…"
I stood there stupefied for what felt like a good full few minutes before stupidly blurting out "Romantically?"
I could practically hear the uncomfortable grimace in my father's voice even though I couldn't see his face. "I wouldn't say that exactly… I'm not sure Nathan had the level of commitment required for an, uhh, intimate relationship like that…" my father seemed to be choosing his words carefully at this point.
"Ohh," I said with a grimace as the proverbial penny dropped. "So just sexu—"
"Sienna!" my father's voice sounded surprisingly shrill and embarrassed as the word threatened to leave my lips.
"What?" I replied indignantly. "If that's the truth of it, better to just say it!"
"Well, yes… but don't you say that word, okay?"
I rolled my eyes. "Dad, I'm seventeen, not seven…" I said blankly.
He grunted in response, and I could tell I was getting no more out of him on this situation. I let out a short sigh, while suppressing a rather violent and embarrassed shudder at the idea of Nathan ever being in that sort of relationship. It made me wonder, particularly about this Helene woman… What kind of woman was she exactly…? Dad had said she was both dangerous and intelligent, a combination that was deadly in anyone… (although it did once again remind me a little too much of the stereotypical villainous characters you found in comic books) There was something about this woman that set off alarm bells in the back of my mind. A woman who could withstand the unpredictable and dangerous facets of Nathan's personality, even engage in an active, personal, intimate relationship with him… She must be a dominant, frightening force in her own right… To pardon any cliché, it seemed like she was a strong independent woman who would take no nonsense from anyone. A strange, apprehensive sort of fear gripped me then, and a cold sweat stood out on my body. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all…
"Sienna!"
I suddenly became horribly conscious that Dad had been calling my name for the past few seconds and I came down to earth again with a rather self-conscious crash.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "Just thinking,"
"Sienna," Dad's voice suddenly took on an oh-so-familiar hardened edge. "I don't want you to be thinking too heavily about this. There's a good possibility this could be nothing, or could all blow over by the morning. I just thought it would be wise to warn you."
"Just in case, right…?"
"Yes. Just in case. You can never be too careful."
I let out another shaky sigh, before suddenly the door to my left swung open, revealing a rather flustered looking Elliot.
"Sienna?"
"Elliot!" I cried in surprise, the hand holding the phone immediately dropping to my side.
"Whatever you're doing, whoever you're speaking to, hang up the phone now! Your heat three battle is up! You were drawn first!"
"Eh!" I gasped, almost dropping my phone in shock.
"Yeah!" Elliot was breathless, his words crashing into each other clumsily, sounding like a garbled mess. He was speaking so fast that I could barely comprehend what he was saying. "They brought back Grey first! I never thought he'd come back, but the judges apparently really liked the potential he showed in his first heat. And then they wanted to bring back Crow, so he came back too! And then they decided the last person they should have back was Celeste, who I took out!"
"Wait… they didn't bring back Jade?" I said in shock, before another overwhelming thought struck me. "No, wait! Forget that! Who the hell am I battling, more to the point?"
"Grey!"
"Grey!" I shrieked shrilly. "Are you kidding me?"
"No! Now hang up the phone! If you don't get down there, they'll forfeit your battle and Grey will continue to the next round automatically."
I swore. "Dad, I'm gonna have to call you back!" I practically yelled into the phone before slamming it shut and racing towards the battleground.
Heart thudding, I crossed to my place on the battlefield alongside a backdrop of a roaring crowd. The announcer was shouting something into the microphone but I barely even registered it. My head was swimming, hazy and cluttered with too many thoughts that anything outside my own consciousness was lost to me. My eyes glanced upwards to one of the overhead screens and I saw the battle setup for heat 3.
Heat Three
Grey Thomas v Sienna Volbeda
Alicia Nakamura v Scott Harper
Crow Arabesque v Elliot Wood
Natsuki Ikebana v Celeste Archos
My first overwhelming thought was a pang of sadness as I realised whose name was missing. I didn't see Jasmine's name up there… She must have lost in her battle against Alicia… I suddenly felt so sad that Jazz hadn't made it. She was such a good trainer… And after having to go through the hell of fighting Nikki and beating her, she deserved to go much further in the tournament. However, I couldn't think on it much more as all of a sudden, they were announcing the beginning of the battle and what seemed like only seconds later Grey was releasing his first Pokemon.
"Soul! Let's go!"
"Oh no…" I groaned at the sight of Grey's first Pokemon.
A Charizard.
"Okay, Sienna… now, just relax…" I tried to tell myself while taking some deep, cleansing breaths. I could already feel myself starting to panic, and my already heavy and hazy mind begin to swim. "You can do this. You can do this. Just relax, take your time and keep a level head…"
"Aurora! Take out that Charizard!"
Yes, I'll be the first to admit it wasn't the most noble of things to do, playing the type advantage card and all. I even felt a slight twinge of guilt having to rely on my Water Pokemon to take on Soul's Charizard. Cowardice, I know, but so far as I could see it, I didn't have any other way to win… I knew how tough Charizard were as opponents. And I knew exactly how tough Grey would be as a trainer…
Grey was watching me intensely. He looked slightly uncomfortable almost, and I couldn't figure out exactly why. Soul, his Charizard was standing up to its full impressive height, wings firmly spread, and smoke puffing angrily from its nostrils. I swallowed, moistening my already dry and chapped lips. Aurora was making some sort of mournful noise as she shifted from flipper to flipper, staring her impressive foe in the face.
My attention was wavering and for some reason, I was finding it extremely difficult to focus on what was going on in front of me. Even the thought that there was a giant Charizard intent on tearing my Aurora limb from limb right there in front of me wasn't enough to keep me focused. All I could think about was that phone call. For some reason, all I cared about was what my dad had said… And that name. Helene…
"Charizard! Iron Tail!"
Even despite my heavy, hazy mind, I couldn't fail to hear Grey's call of the order to attack. Soul lifted off into the air, soaring incredibly high in what felt like only a split second. I swore. Repeatedly.
"Aurora! Try and shoot it down!"
Aurora tried her best, cutting off Soul's flight path just enough to make the giant dragon back off, roaring in protest as it couldn't get near Aurora without risk of being sprayed with a barrage of Water Guns. I dared to glance at Grey, looking for a reaction. He seemed totally calm, giving Soul the Charizard the order to back off.
I felt my lips become dry again as I looked that massive Charizard up and down once again, and my mind fell back to the first battle Grey had participated in. The battle against Scott. I shuddered with a sort of inexplicable fear as I remembered the Snorlax and Swampert he had used against Scott's Rhydon and Pidgeot. And now he was using a Charizard… This certainly wasn't a trainer to be taken likely. The judges evidently knew what they were doing when they chose to bring this guy back; that was for sure. Nerves encompassed me again. I knew I had the type advantage with Aurora. But with Pokemon as strong as that Snorlax and Swampert in his arsenal, even if I beat this Charizard, he could easily bring out a Pokemon just as strong or even stronger and end up totally devastating me…
"Aurora! Come on! Water Pulse!" I cried.
But as the battle waged on, I found myself becoming less and less interested and engaged as to what was taking place in front of me. I barely even registered what Grey was ordering or the movements the Charizard was making or even what Aurora was doing. All my mind was focused on was what my father had told me…
"Helene Fontaine… who is she? Who is she really? Is there any truth to what Dad said? Could this woman really be out there? And is there any way she could try and find me? Surely not… surely she wouldn't risk her life for someone like Nathan? Surely she wouldn't go to all the trouble of finding a girl she's never met before just to help someone like Nathan?"
A sudden pained wail cut through me like a knife and I jerked my head up just in time to see Soul the Charizard swoop in and deliver an incredibly powerful Iron Tail to a helpless Aurora. The bludgeoning force from the tail was enough to lift my poor Aurora straight from the ground and send her flying back. After a brief flight she crashed down on the ground hard. She didn't move.
"Aurora!" I cried in horror.
"Soul! Use Dragon Dance!"
Panic gripped me. I knew what a move like Dragon Dance could do. It would make that Charizard, already an impressive force, almost ten times more deadly with a hefty increase in its attack power and speed. "Come on Aurora!" I begged, willing her to get up before Soul could execute the move. "Come on, girl! Get up! Please! Come on!"
But it was too late. Before I knew what was happening, Grey's Charizard suddenly performed a strange sort of swaying dance, moving erratically, yet elegantly at the same time. With a vicious snort and a puff of smoke, the Charizard seemed suddenly so much bigger and more intimidating. My mouth went dry and a lump formed in my throat. That Charizard meant business now.
"Soul! Finish it with an Air Slash!"
"No!"
It was over. There was nothing I could have done. I couldn't even watch as Soul delivered the final blow to my poor Aurora. Her squeals of pain, ear-piercing and gut-wrenching echoed around the entire battleground. A horrified gasp sounded from the crowd.
"Oh God, Aurora…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. I couldn't even look at her as I lifted her Pokeball and recalled her. "I'm so sorry… God… what am I even doing…?"
I came down to earth with a horrifying crash, realisation finally starting to permeate through my mind. "Get a grip." I chastised myself. "Put what Dad said out of your mind! Focus on what you're doing! Aurora got hurt because of you! Get it together!"
But I couldn't get it together. I just couldn't. I sent Meloi out into the battlefield next, hoping to use her electric type moves to my advantage, but it still proved useless. I couldn't engage myself into the battle properly. I couldn't think! I couldn't plan ahead, come up with any strategies… And this wasn't like what had happened with Bugsy either. I wasn't having a mental block, I wasn't incapable of coming up with a strategy… It's just whenever I did, something else would push itself to the forefront of my mind… I would be reminded of that name. I would remember a word that Dad had said, and it would spark some inexplicable thought or worry, and my concentration would waver again.
Meloi did her best, attacking to the best of her abilities, but it became evident within only a few short minutes of the battle that I didn't stand a chance. I could barely concentrate on anything. The battle diminished itself in my eyes until it became nothing more than that television program you had on in the background, only half listening to and only half watching. The sounds of the crowd, their cheering, roaring, gasps and yells became nothing but a dull, muffled buzz. The only thing I could think about was what my father had told me. Those worries refused to be stilled or silenced, and my concentration suffered. I could see Meloi trying. She was trying so hard to put up a good fight. Even with my limited instructions, I could see her working out the best way to attack the gigantic Charizard that was relentlessly on her tail. But it was useless. I just couldn't get into gear, I couldn't give Meloi the guidance that she needed and the Charizard eventually took her out…
I felt numb as I saw Meloi fall to the ground, defeated. Not even the sight of my best friend falling to her defeat was enough to snap me out of my stupor, and I recalled her almost listlessly. The announcer was saying something. I didn't listen. I shook Grey's hand in recognition of my loss. However, it was more for politeness and tradition than for actual want. He spoke to me, saying something about 'are you okay?' and 'sorry' but I barely listened. I didn't even feel any emotion to my loss.
I found myself walking away. I was ushered into a waiting room where the other previously defeated contestants were sitting so they had a good position to watch the remaining battles. As soon as I entered the room, Nikki collided with me, demanding to know if I was okay. I barely even looked at her. Not even Jasmine's voice, loud, bossy and right in my face could snap me out of it.
"What the hell, Sienna? What happened out there! You just went to pieces!"
"Sienna!" Nikki was clutching onto my hand. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Then I heard Bailey's voice. "Sienna, you're white as a sheet! Talk to us!"
"I… I don't want to talk about it. Just… just leave me alone a few minutes, okay?" my voice caught in my throat at this point. Finally, everything dawned on me and I had to push past my friends and make a run for it. My emotions were bubbling ferociously, in danger of completely spilling over and erupting there and then, and I felt a telltale lump catch in my throat. My eyes began to sting with tears, and a sense of hopelessness and guilt overcame me. Without even thinking, I headed straight for the women's bathrooms, locked myself in a cubicle and immediately burst into anguished sobs.
"What's going on? What have I done…? What am I even doing…? I don't… I don't even know what to do anymore…"
Author's Note
I AM SO SORRY!
I had so much work to do over the past couple months for university that I just couldn't find the time to update... I'm so sorry...
Good news is though that now I'm officially done with university for the summer, I'll be able to update much more frequently!
So yeah! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it didn't suck really badly :) There's an indication to the plot in this chapter which should start to present itself more solidly within the next five chapters or son :)
Thanks to all my regular readers for sticking with me, and special thanks go to my boyfriend MasterFreezeman for once again putting up with my craziness as I was writing this over Skype. And for all the help with the battle logistics :P
My lovely reviewers Sniper Mudkip, WarriorSwift, Shadow of Eckhart, ArchXDeath, Shadow-Wolf-Hikaru, Shadow Serenity 57, WOWFan123, TwewyRepearGirl, WildCroconaw, Something dictionary related and the Neverending Meep all deserve some thanks for your lovely reviews!
Well until the next update! Please leave a review if you can!
OceanSpiral out!
