The first battle with the first of the Elite Four. Enjoy.
Joe walked down a long dark hallway in front of him. It was so dark that the walls themselves were barely visible. The only light came from the far end of the hall where presumable the exit was into the arena. Through that opening the sound of a crowd could be heard chattering. They weren't cheering yet because there was nothing to cheer at. Joe walked on, his arms at his side and his hat tilted up so his face was visible. He felt nervous but he kept going. It was too late to turn back now. The doors had been locked behind him. That was the point of the challenge. Once you entered you couldn't turn back. He turned to Ralph who was floating beside him. He too looked unsure.
"Nervous?" Joe asked. Ralph nodded. Joe understood. "Don't worry." He said. "Whatever happens here today we'll still be friends. And if we don't win we'll keep training till we do." Ralph smiled at him. He had full confidence in his friend's words. They had gotten this far together, they could still get further. Together they nodded in the dark. No matter whether they won or lost they would not be angry with themselves. The light got closer and closer. Finally they stepped through it and beyond the hallway. The light blinded them for a few seconds. The crowd suddenly roared into clapping and cheering. The sound resonated around the room, creating a strange echo of the glass dome ceiling and solid stone walls. When Joe's eyes came back into focus he could see where he was. He and Ralph were standing at the far left side of a huge light blue battle dome, the kind used for competitions or arena matches. They were particularly common over in Sinnoh where they had the Battle Frontier where many different trainers and forms of battling were located. In most other regions they were only found at the pokémon leagues. The stone walls were painted ice blue and there was a small ring of water drifting around in a shallow trench around the dome edge. The battlefield itself was the simple design, a long rectangular field with a circle at the centre and a line running through it to suggest each trainer's side. Apart from that there was nothing else on it. The circle was colour ice white as well and supposedly even made of ice but there was no terrain or obstacles to the pitch. It was set so that both trainers had equal chance. An announcer's voice suddenly boomed over loud speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to the Kanto League!" The male excitable voice exclaimed jovially. The crowd's cheering became a roar. "Today we have another young challenger for you. So soon after the previous one, too. You all remember how amazing that was." Joe smiled to himself. 'So Tom had done well.' He thought. The announcer continued. "I present to you, all the way from Pallet Town, will you please welcome…" There was a short pause for tension. "Joseph Glende!" The crowd burst into applause. There was cheering, whistling, people waving Kantosian flags. Joe felt a little uncomfortable. He wasn't used to seeing so many people cheering for him. It was probably something he'd have to get used to. He waved his hand at the crowd. There were cheers all around. He heard a couple of people shout things like. 'Look! A Crobat! He must be skilled!' and 'Wow! I wander what his team is like?'. Joe turned. Ralph was looking a little taken aback. The sound of the crowd was clearly hurting his sensitive ears a little and the amount of focus on him especial was making him nervous. Joe patted his shoulder.
"Don't worry, buddy." He smiled. "Just try not to focus on them" Ralph nodded, giving him a determined smile. Joe smiled back. Deep inside him he felt that he should really try and follow his own advice. He felt his legs shaking slightly with the nerves of what he was doing. Then the announcer began to speak again.
"And now enters the first of the Elite Four!" He shouted eagerly through the speakers. "You all now here amazing skill with ice and her frozen cold heart knows how to shatter opponents into submission. Please give it up foooor… Lorelei!" The far wooden doors at the end of the dome battleground swung open heavily and white mist flooded out. Through the doorway walked a tall, well dressed woman. She wasn't terribly young, only thirty years old at least but still looking good for her age, with a light purple skirt running down to her knees and a black sleeveless corset vest. She had long dart red hair pinned behind her back and flowing along her side. She walked calmly up to the centre of the stage in her small black high heeled shoes and stopped, standing at the edge of the ice circlet at the centre of the field. She waved to the crowd and they fell silent.
"Welcome, friends, to another challenge battle against the elite four. It is so good to see so many smiling faces in the crowd. I wish to treat you all to another grand battle against this new worthy trainers." The crowd cheered again.
"We love you, Lorelei!" Some excited fan shouted. Weirdly enough it was a man's voice that shouted that one. Lorelei turned to face Joe now.
"You have called a challenge to the Elite Four and we have answered. I shall be your first challenger. I am Lorelei, the Ice type user." She reached for a pokéball already. She then nodded her head at him. She seemed to be hinting to him to speak. Joe gasped in realisation and began thinking up what he should say.
"My name is Joseph Glende." He told her, loudly. "From Pallet Town. I do not focus on a single type." Lorelei nodded, a small forthcoming smile growing at the side of her mouth.
"Very good." She said quietly. "So, Mr. Glende, you wish to challenge me? I accept, though I shall not go easy on you. My ice pokémon and I are the front line wall of the League. We test all the would-be champions and see if they are just ready enough to truly make it. This is where you first prove yourself. Battle me and win. And then you may continue onwards." She called out so that the crowd could hear her. The roared their approval. Lorelei unclipped a pokéball. The announcer spoke again.
"Trainers! Take your places!" Joe walked slowly to his edge of the field. Lorelei did the same, standing opposite him on her side of the field. Joe reached for his first pokéball. It was a simple red ball, the normal kind most trainers used. There was a short silence as the anticipation built. Then finally it was released. "Let the battle… Begin!" The announcer shouted. And both trainers released their pokémon.
Two pokémon landed on the field. One was a large white sea lion pokémon called Dewgong, the other was a small, yellow mouse with brown stripes called Pippy. Both trainers looked at each other for a while… Then the battle began.
"Dewgong, use Ice Beam!" Lorelei commanded. Dewgong sat in a small puddle of water, using its thin, skin long flippers to push itself along. It raised its small horned head and opened its mouth. Small ice particles began to form in its gaping jaws and focused into a small ball. Then it fired, sending a thin beam of ice from its mouth.
"Dodge it!" Joe instructed. Pippy jumped aside and rolled away, avoiding the beam which passed by Joe's head, narrowly avoiding freezing it solid. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, feeling the cold energy from the beam tickle his skin as it passed and froze the wall behind him. "Ok, good work." He complemented. "Now, use Thunderbolt!" Joe instructed. Pippy charged static into his cheeks and released, sending a large, godlike bolt of electricity out of his body and towards the opponent. Dewgong was hit by the attack, clenching its muscles as the static caused it to spasm. It held its ground, however and readied for another attack.
"Signal Beam!" Lorelei called. Dewgong sent a thin rotating beam of insect green energy from its horn and aimed it on Pippy, following his attempts to dodge aside. Pippy jumped aside only to find the beam following him as Dewgong kept up its attack. He jumped to the left. The beam followed.
"Set up a substitute!" Joe instructed. As Pippy jumped aside he quickly formed a small Pikachu like doll from his health and propped it in front of him. The signal beam hit the substitute and bounced away. The substitute stayed in one piece this time.
"Oh, that's a great strategy we're seeing, folks!" The announcer spoke suddenly. "Using a substitute as a wall against Dewgong's attacks. Let's see how well this plan plays out for him." Dewgong flapped its fins together, aggressively. Pippy sparked threateningly.
"Headbutt!" Lorelei instructed again. Dewgong suddenly sped forwards, its head lowered to ram Pippy in the chest, using the small puddle of water following it to move forwards at top speed.
"Prepare to jump!" Joe called. Pippy nodded, understanding. Dewgong sped forwards. It was almost right in front of him now. Pippy tensed himself behind his defence substitute. "Jump!" Joe called finally. Pippy jumped. He curled into a ball in the air and sparked with static. Dewgong rammed headfirst into the small yellow body… which dissolved into dust. The crowd gasped with surprise. They hadn't expected that. Even Lorelei looked a little surprised. Dewgong looked back to see the real Pikachu landing behind it and sparking wildly. Pippy fell to all fours and released his static, sending a large bolt of sizzling electricity from his cheek. The bolt struck Dewgong in the side as it spun around to face him. It seized up with the static for a few seconds, unable to move. When finally the paralysis wore of it was surrounded by a ring of Pikachu's. Pippy had set up a double team around it. The crowd was quiet with tension, a few words of excitement echoed quietly around the room. Dewgong was looking from moving Pikachu to moving Pikachu, unable to tell the difference between the real one and the fake ones. A small body jumped at it from the corner of its eyes and it spun around, narrowly avoiding being hit.
"Slap it with your tail!" Lorelei called. Dewgong waited to see movement. Then, when it did, it spun around on the spot. Its large, thin tail slapped Pippy in the side as he jumped forwards, knocking him away and dissolving his Double Team. He rolled aside painfully but stayed standing. He was doing very well actually, especially considering that he hadn't evolved and that he had been losing a lot against stronger pokémon recently. Dewgong looked ready to collapse already.
"It's almost down!" Joe told him. "Use thunderbolt one last time!" Pippy nodded and began to spark again. Lorelei smiled to herself.
"Rest." She instructed, simply. Dewgong fell asleep. It dropped its head to the floor and shut its eyes, beginning to snore soundly. As it did so its body seemed to heal up, all the damage it had taken washing away as it regained strength. Pippy released his attack. The electricity sparked through the air like mild lightning and hit Dewgong in the side. It did not wake. Pippy raised an eyebrow. So did Joe.
"Didn't see that coming." He muttered to himself. Pippy looked back at him and shrugged, cynically.
"What a change of events!" The announcer chirped. The excitement of the crowd was growing. "Just when it looked like the challenger would take out one of her pokémon she turns it around with a rest, healing Dewgong up in seconds. Let's see how our challenger deals with this from now on." Lorelei was smiling at her opponent.
"Surely you didn't expect me to just let you defeat one of my pokémon like that?" She chuckled, quietly. "Really. I'm a member of the Elite Four, not some simple street trainer who does this as a hobby." She put her hands on her hips, her sunglasses (Which was a really strange dress choice for an Ice Type user) slipping down her nose. "Time to wake up!" She sang, dramatically. Dewgong's eyes suddenly snapped open. It scowled its eyebrows and glared at Pippy, new energy filling its body. It growled with an aquatic mammalian tone and readied another attack. "Ice Beam!" Lorelei commanded. An ice beam fired from Dewgong's mouth and struck Pippy in the leg, freezing it solid to the floor. He tugged desperately at the ice but couldn't free himself. When he looked back up he was struck in the chest by Dewgong's small horn. He was freed from the ice but also sent sailing backwards through the air. He landed painfully on his back, his skin rustling with static. Dewgong was already preparing an attack again. An ice beam formed in its mouth.
"Get up!" Joe called, but not unkindly. "Strike it while it's charging!" Pippy got up weekly and glared at Dewgong. It was about to release its attack. With a determined expression growing on his face, Pippy began to spark. Static energy rippled around his body like storm waves on a restless ocean. Dewgong's ice beam was nearly ready now. Then they both fired. Dewgong's Ice beam got about an inch away from its mouth before Pippy's thunderbolt hit it strait in the back of the throat. It froze up suddenly, its mouth closing shut and the ice beam disappearing before it could begin. Its eyes were wide but empty. Slowly, it began to tilt to its side. Like a free tree trunk it rolled onto its side and fell still on its back. It lay there completely defeated. The crowd erupted into cheered. There was wild clapping all around. Several people whistled and a chant went up.
'Pippy! Pippy! Pippy!' they called, roaring with excitement. Lorelei looked quite surprised. Then she simply withdrew her first pokémon. She bowed at Joe.
"Very nicely done." She complemented. The crowd continued to cheer. "You really do have some power in you. But let's see if you can keep it up." She smiled and reached for another pokéball. Wordlessly she threw it up, releasing out her second pokémon. As it appeared a large purple shell became visible. From the shell a large silver spike poked out of the top, facing forwards. It the centre of the shell a large black orb sat, two scalene eyes looking out evilly. The shell closed and opened a couple of times, the pokémon inside trying to intimidate its opponent. "Alright, Cloyster, let's do this for Dewgong." Lorelei told it. Cloyster cackled, almost as sinisterly as a Gengar. (As it turns out Cloyster is very distantly related to Gengar. If you were to remove its shell you would find that Cloyster's internal body is simply a black orb. Gastly, the first evolution of Gengar, is, effectively, a black orb with ghostly gas around it. Physically the two are made up very similar it's almost inconvenient. This was something many people who noticed it argued over as both pokémon were of very different types. After all one was a ghost, the other was a clam. It was just not possible. Was it? Luckily the two species cannot breed so no one can really prove either side.) Joe cracked his knuckles, eagerly.
"Pippy, can you still battle?" Pippy nodded. "Good. Let's get this battle won! Use Thunderbolt!" Pippy swelled up with static, his fur getting spikier as his electric power grew.
"Spike Cannon!" Lorelei commanded. Cloyster fired a volley of large spikes from inside its shell, aimed arrowfiredly at Pippy's hide.
"Fire!" Joe called. Pippy released his massive spark in the form of a long and powerful thunderbolt. At the same time he rolled aside dodging most of the spikes aimed at him. Most. One small spike was lucky enough to hit him in the thigh. The thunderbolt shot across the field like an arrow from the gods.
"Protect!" Lorelei called. Cloyster shut its shell, closing itself inside. As it did so a large transparent green shield formed around it. The thunderbolt struck it and dispersed into useless, harmless sparks. Cloyster opened its shell again and the protect shield faded away. Pippy seemed both surprised and annoyed. The damn thing had blocked his attack.
"Coward" Joe muttered under his breath. Thankfully it did not go heard from either Lorelei or the audience.
"Oh, cunning!" The announcer excitedly bantered on. "Tricking the opponent into wasting energy on hitting her protect. This is what you came to watch, folks. Talent and Strategy in its fullest use." The crowd cheered wildly. Lorelei looked ready to take out his team already.
"Surf!" She instructed. Cloyster rose upwards on a wall of thick blue water. It floated above the crowd in the air, looking down evilly at the small yellow mouse. Joe narrowed his eyes, coming up with a plan to stop its attack.
"Alright, Pippy." Joe began. "Charge up your static! Let the wave hit you! Then release!" Pippy looked very unsure about this. Joe gave him a confident yet determined stare. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing!" He explained. Pippy didn't feel as confident but stood his ground. Following his trainers command he charged static electricity up into his body and pushed it into his fur which stood on end. Small sparks flew out of his red cheeks. His tail pricked up like a spear head through the earth. Then the wave came crashing down towards him like a steam train going off its rails. The water wall collapsed, falling away unto the battlefield. Cloyster fell with it, coated in water yet unharmed at all by its own attack. Then the wave struck. Pippy was washed away by the attack, sent floating quickly backwards and into the shallow trench around the walls. His static was sapped from his body, sent rippling back up the wave and struck Cloyster from all directions. The small flickers of electricity tickled it and burned its soft inner shell. The static rippled over the entire field, causing the watery ring to turn into an electronic landmine. Cloyster didn't stand a chance. The damage it continuously took from the wave it had created was phenomenal. The static caused its muscles to spasm and its shell to shut, rendering it completely unable to battle. The crowd burst into cheers again. They were bellowing with excitement now. Lorelei looked very surprised by how quickly she was being beaten. But she still had her three strongest pokémon left to fight. Calmly she withdrew Cloyster from the battle. Its shell sparked slightly in the now evaporating water as it was taken back to its trainer. Lorelei thanked it for fighting and put the pokéball back to her side. Pippy was looking quite happy with himself about this. However he was breathing heavily and struggling to stay standing on all fours, even when kneeling. It wasn't likely he would be able to take out any more of Lorelei's pokémon. Joe reached for his pokéball.
"Ok, Pippy. It's time to come back as well." He murmured. Pippy sighed with relief and happily disappeared back inside his pokéball. Joe clipped it back to his belt and reached for a second pokéball. With a simple flick he sent the ball sailing up into the air. It snapped open sharply, sending out its red beam of light. "Come on out, Pitt!" Joe yelled. The large venusaur appeared suddenly out on the field, his flower rustling and his head reared up. He roared defiantly. Lorelei was up next. She unclipped a third pokéball and threw it out, releasing a rather dopey looking Slowbro onto her side of the field. It yawned loudly and stretched its pudgy arms. Pitt just glared at it like it was embarrassing. He stifled a snicker. Lorelei's eyebrows were narrowed to a point.
"Alright, Slowbro, it's time to shine!" She told it. Slowbro stomped a tardy foot on the floor. Water specks jumped up of the ice at its feet. The crowd was growing restless now. So far Lorelei had lost two of her pokémon and had failed to take out even one. They wanted to see this change.
"Down to her third pokémon already!" The announcer boomed over the speakers. "Can Lorelei bring the battle back into her favour? Let's see how events turn out!" Lorelei clenched her fists and tapped her knuckles together, thoughtfully.
"Ice Beam!" Lorelei commanded. Slowbro readied its attack. Joe was prepared already.
"Pitt, protect!" He instructed. Pitt formed a large green shield around him in the nick of time. The ice beam reached him and deflected off the shield, shattering into many small shards. Pitt lowered his shield. Lorelei smiled. Her strategy was playing out already.
"Psychic!" Lorelei called. Slowbro released a large sphere of psychic energy which shot out around the battlefield and bounced off the walls. Pitt winced under its power, his knees buckling slightly.
"Hold on, Pitt!" Joe called. "Use Solarbeam on it!" Pitt gathered light through his flower and green light began to glow through his lips. He opened his mouth and a large beam of green light shot out of it, striking Slowbro square in the chest. It fell backwards and rolled over, receiving a lot of damage but managing to withstand most of it, seemingly. As it got back up it panted and scratched its belly, uncomfortably. It hardly seemed aware it was being attacked. Lorelei gritted her teeth in concentration.
"Water gun!" She called simply. Slowbro calmly puffed its cheeks with a closed mouth and then pursed them, sending a small jet of water out which soared through the cold arena air and patted Pitt in the face, dripping down like raindrops. It hardly seemed to do anything at all. Pitt simply smiled it, cheekily. He took a step forwards and prepared to charge.
"Tackle!" Joe called. Pitt lowered his head and rushed forwards, aiming for Slowbro's head.
"Ice beam!" Lorelei commanded. Aim for the water on its body!" Slowbro fired an ice beam which struck Pitt in the shoulder. He winced and skidded to a halt only 5 feet away from Slowbro. Where the beam had struck his right leg had frozen up. Along his neck and face freezing droplets of ice had formed where the water had been. Pitt was now sitting perfectly still, shivering, teeth chatting as the cold ice covering him froze him where he was. Lorelei smiled. Now she had the advantage. "Yawn!" She called. Slowbro opened its huge mouth and yawned right in Pitt's face. Pitt closed his mouth and averted his eyes, trying to concentrate on not yawning too. He shivered in the cold, small icicles forming on his nose as his body temperature dropped. Ice was now covering half his body. His jaw tugged as his body desperately called to expel carbon dioxide from his lungs but he refused. He knew that if he let it win he'd fall into a slumber and be defeated. He didn't want to do that till he'd at least made sure that IT couldn't do it again.
"Pitt, stay strong." Joe encouraged. Pitt growled back, ambivalently. "Earthquake it, now!" He called. Pitt shook his body. Small shards of ice broke away as he used all his strength to move himself. He pushed himself with his front legs and stood slightly over the ground on his back legs for a few seconds. A large pink sphere struck him and he winced. Slowbro had used another psychic and stopped his attack. He glowered at it. Slowbro gave him a dumb expression. Lorelei was looking very excited suddenly. "Come on. You can still take it out." Joe continued to encourage. Pitt focused his entire concentration into staying awake. He pushed himself up again and slowly, heavily raised himself up till he was standing impossibly on his back legs. He stood there at amazing height for way longer than anyone could have expected.
"Again!" Lorelei called. Slowbro fired another psychic. The attack hit Pitt in the stomach and he winced, but stayed standing, concentrating completely on finishing this specific fight. Slowbro stayed looking dumb, even after its brain realised how much trouble it was in. Lorelei however was looking really worried by his durability.
"How… is it…?" She asked, completely befuddled. Pitt closed his eyes, squeezing them shut. Then, finally, his jaw muscles loosened, his mouth opened wide and he yawned. The expulsion of heat and gas was weirdly relaxing. He felt his body relaxing. His legs weakened and his weight moved to his head. Then he fell. Like a great pine in a forest of twigs he fell forwards, all his weight focused into his front feet. His eyes stayed closed during the entire fall. Lorelei backed up, even though she was probably safe from the oncoming attack. Slowbro didn't even blink. Its stupid bulging eyes just watched obliviously as Pitt hit the frozen floor. The ground shook. Ice sheets cracked over the entire field. The pitch rippled like waves in a storm and stayed that way for the rest of the week. The crowd screamed and covered their heads as small glass pieces floated harmlessly down around them and plaster from the walls broke away. On Joe's side of the field he struggled to stay standing. His legs wobbled and fell away underneath him, causing him to reach out and stop himself hitting his head on the floor. Ralph beside him was feeling nauseous. He wasn't used to seeing the ground below and before him move so much. In a silent corner he took a moment to regain his balance and evacuate all oncoming illness before wiping his mouth and returning to Joe's side. Lorelei was even more unlucky. She had been knocked over onto her back and was forced to lie there till the mainshock subsided. Slowbro, however, was the most drastically effected. When the tremors subsided it was lying face down on the ground, its shell eaten tail pointed in the air and its mindless eyes looking out in both directions from the side of its head. Small specks of dust settled on it back. Pitt lay opposite it, snoring tiredly. The crowd was quiet in amazement, yet not for long.
"Oh my sweet Arceus, Ladies and Gentlemen!" The announcer boomed. "That was an amazing event we just witnessed. That's both trainers pokémon out for the count at the same time! I don't think any of us were expecting such a strong attack!" The crowd burst into wild applause again. There was even louder cheering. Now they were crying a new name.
"Jo-o, Jo-o, Jo-o…" They called. Joe was amazed at how well he was doing. He looked into the crowd. There were people, young and old, tall and short, male and female, trainer and non-trainer, all cheering his name. They wanted to see him win. The feeling was amazing. It washed over him like the knowledge of realisation. Before he had been worried that he'd embarrass himself in front of so many people, but now, after already beating three of Lorelei's pokémon, he could feel their respect for him. Their appreciation and love for his skill. He smiled to himself. Slowly he raised a hand and waved it at them. They cheered even louder now. All around multiple people were calling appraisal. Then Joe's eyes fixed on two figures watching from within the crowd. Two people who he respected a lot. Two people who he knew would have always been there to watch. Joe smile at them. Winter smiled back at him, trying to hide her pinking cheeks. Rocky was clapping along with the crowd, cheering wildly.
"Go on my son!" Joe heard him call over the roar of the crowd. He chuckled, turning back to the battle. Lorelei had already withdrawn Slowbro from the battle. There was no chance of it getting back up. In fact it was hard to tell if it was still alive. Come to think about it, it had been tough to tell if it was ever really alive, yet it had been visibly making attacks against his pokémon. Lorelei gritted her teeth harder, causing sparks in their small gaps.
"Alright. No more Mrs. nice girl." She muttered, just audibly. The crowd's cheering began to die down now, becoming a background sound among background sounds. She reached for another pokéball and released it, sending out a very new looking pokémon. This new pokémon was three foot tall, weird looking and worryingly effeminate. It had a long, skirted like red dress with two points and golden rings around the… ackhem… area. Underneath a set of long pointed golden hair a black face looked out with two small white eyes and a large pair of red lips. It did not stand. Instead it salsad around its side of the room, its skirt shaking like a hula dancers thighs. It sang… quite awfully. Its vocals created a weirdly catch beat which echoed around the room. Joe felt movement down bellow. He looked down and, to his own personal horror, saw that his legs were moving on their own. He looked away, embarrassed as his lower body mindlessly joined in the dance. Ralph was also suffering from the same problem. He was currently trying fly with his left side while his right wings clapped together and shook like rotors. He was looking very confused. Joe would have smiled if he hadn't found himself doing the same thing. Luckily for the crowd they were standing too far away to be effected. It also helped that they were all sitting down. Lorelei was chuckling to herself. She was dancing as well, although it looked like she was dancing out of own personal choice, as though she enjoyed it. "This is Jynx. She likes to dance. And when she's out so does everyone else." A horribly knowing grin grew on her face. "And it's time to put away the shrubbery because The Cold Is Coming!" She raised a clicking hand. "Jynx, blizzard!" Jynx kept dancing as it held out its hand and a huge storm of ice formed above her. The large ice particles hovered in the air for a few seconds before falling from the sky in their many. The huge lumps of frozen water truck the ground around the sleeping Pitt, who had only just woken up, and pelted him, freezing him solid in a large icicle. He sat there, wide eyed and stationary in his large point of frost. Joe was open mouthed. Lorelei was smiling. The crowd were clapping again. This time it was for Lorelei. She had just completely crushed one of his pokémon while also giving them some rather enjoyable mid battle entertainment. Jynx blew a kiss at the frozen venusaur who could hardly see her through his ice prison. Joe, wordlessly, took out Pitt's pokéball and withdrew him, taking a second to rest as his legs wore him out. Next to him Ralph bumped into him again, hanging like a loose covering from a vent as he attempted to dance a pirouette. Joe was feeling a little fed up. Mainly because he couldn't stop dancing. Lorelei however was looking very proud of herself. "Ok. Finally I've taken out one of your pokémon. Now we can truly start this battle." She was about to say something else when Joe stopped her.
"Uh, before you do that, you don't think you could stop whatever it is that's going on down here, do you?" He asked, pointing at his feet. "Only it's quite distracting." Lorelei smirked quietly. She clicked a demanding finger.
"Jynxy, ice beam." Jynx formed a beam of ice from its fingers and sent it at Joe's feet. The ice that hit him formed clusters tougher then concrete. Once both feet were done he sighed happily. He was currently standing in a very silly looking position, but at least he wasn't dancing any more. Ralph was looking at him, jealously.
"Thank you." Joe muttered, but not really that grateful. He reached for a new pokéball and readied it. "Let's go, Cinders!" He called and threw the pokéball. The huge charizard erupted from it as it touched ground, roaring dramatically. The crowd gasped in amazement. Cinders hovered of the floor, slowly flapping his wings and eyeing each of the audience members in person, suspiciously. They were clapping and cheering for him. Without command or warning he raised his head and released a huge flamethrower into the air. The crowd clapped louder now. This looked like it was going to be a good battle. Cinders now caught sight of Jynx swaying around on the ice floor. Jynx was smiling at him with pouted lips.
"Now shall we get back to the battle?" Lorelei asked, not exactly expecting an answer. Even if Joe wasn't ready it was clear she was going to make an attack anyway. Joe's eyes met with hers. Slowly he nodded. She smiled knowingly. "Alright then. Jynx, ice punch!" Jynx suddenly ran forwards in a strange kind of waltzing movement. This resulted in it running in a spiral around as it moved.
"Cinders, Fly high!" Joe called. Cinders gave one huge flap of his wings and shot several metres higher into the air, avoiding the incoming ice covered fist that was swinging it towards him. Jynx lashed out and missed, being struck in the side by Cinder's tail as he flew up above. Cinders rotated around Jynx's head from above, his tail flailing behind him. Then he dived again, shooting forwards like a fiery cannon ball. With immense power and heat he struck Jynx in the chest and kept on flying, pushing it back with him, both encased in a huge fireball. Their movement was suddenly halted by the wall in front of them as they crashed into it. Jynx collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily and looking angrily up at Cinders. Cinders landed on his feet, stretched his wings, raised his head, lowered it and released a huge pillar of flame onto the wall, covering Jynx completely in its light. For several seconds this went on, Cinders releasing hot white flame which scolded the wall and charred the brick. Joe smirked to himself. "Looks like Cinders' taken this one out already." He muttered. Lorelei was smiling still.
"I wouldn't be so sure." She told him. Then, suddenly, Cinders was sent flying back by a huge blast of pink energy. He flew by, fire still escaping from his mouth and finally struck the opposite wall painfully, slumping down it. On the opposite side of the battlefield Jynx was miraculously getting back up. She looked incredibly angry, lowering her two arms again after having used them to make the previous attack. Cinders was pushing himself back onto his feet using his two small arms, glowering at the red dressed ice pokémon. He stood straight with his head raised and mouth opened. A terrifying roar emitted from his giant maw, followed by a huge burst of fire into the air. Jynx followed this by forming a huge icicle and throwing it at him. Cinders lowered his head, saw it coming and released a huge fiery five pointed star in its path. The star struck the icicle and melted it into water droplets in seconds, leaving a pool of boiling water on the floor where it had been. Both pokémon glared at each other, trying to intimidate the other into submitting but neither did. Joe was watching in amazement. Cinders was making these attacks on his own. His burning anger for the opponent had been ignited in seconds like a small ember causing a forest fire.
"Cinders, don't…" Joe began. His words were drowned out by another angry roar from his pokémon. Cinders was furiously flaming now, fire from his tail growing twice as large and twice as bright. Without any warning he charged again, wings folded in and head lowered, fire encasing his entire body.
"Body Slam!" Lorelei commanded. Jynx rushed in as well, shoulder raised up to ram into him. The two of them collided at the edge of the battlefield and Jynx was knocked back solidly. It skidded across the room and hit its head on the wall, its eyes spinning. Cinders raised a glistening silver claw into the air. "Dodge it." Lorelei called. Painfully Jynx rolled aside as Cinders brought his claw down, striking the steel nails onto the plastic coated ground, digging it up slightly. A frost covered hand smacked him in the side of the face, knocking him back. Cinders rubbed his cheek and saw Jynx's arm extended, ice melting away from it as she pulled it back and raised the other one up. Another blast of psychic energy hit Cinders in the chest and knocked him further back. The flames around his body began to die down again as exhaustion began to take over. He panted heavily, puffing out a small whiff of smoke from his nostrils.
"Cinders, use Dragon Rage!" Joe called. Cinders lowered his head and glared at the ice/psychic pokémon in front of him. When he raised it again he bellowed out a long blast of purple and yellow dragon fire. The tickling, blazing flames crackled over Jynx's body as the attack hit it. A few seconds later she was trying to wipe the fire of her body with her small, dark coloured hands. In the end she resorted to freezing it away. When she was done her body was left covered in wide yet short icicle spears. "Good work!" Joe called out, encouragingly. "Now use steel Claw again!" Cinders pulled back a claw and slashed it across Jynx's face, causing a light silver haze in its path. Jynx's head was knocked aside and she spun around, her skin cracking like dry ice. When she looked back her black skin was covered in cracks, as if she had been wearing a mask. She growled through fat red lips and showed surprisingly sharp white teeth. She stepped back, raised her hands into the air and a couple of clouds began to form above her. Small icicles fell as the clouds grew larger and larger and the room got much cooler.
"Blizzard." Lorelei muttered to herself, proudly. She had trainer her pokémon well. "And Release!" She called, suddenly. Jynx did as she was told. A huge storm of ice spears rained down from the sky, aimed directly at the fiery dragon. Cindery looked up at the roof, seeing the ice falling from above. He released a flamethrower which melted some of the ice but wasn't enough to protect him from the attack. Huge lumps of ice and snow dropped from the sky like meteorites. They struck the ground around him and built up into huge mounds as they piled up on top of each other. Cinders looked around desperately only to find he was already encircled by a ring of snow and ice shards. He looked up, hearing a heavy whistling sound. A huge ball of ice, snow and sleet was sailing directly towards him, aimed by Jynx who was watching happily. Cinders released another flamethrower, again to no effect. The ball of ice struck him and formed a huge icicle, encasing him at the centre. Joe was again amazed. That was two of his pokémon now which had been taken out by that move. Lorelei was just smiling to herself. Jynx crossed its arms and blew another kiss at the now frozen charizard. It seemed to be her signature victory sign.
"G-g-g… God Damn!" Joe whispered. His shoulders drooped in mild defeat. Although the battle was not over yet it felt like it would be soon. Who the winner would be was still debatable. Lorelei was smiling at him, coldly.
"That's two down with one pokémon." She noted, flicking a few fingers, counting. "How many more do you have left?" She asked. Joe narrowed his eyes disapprovingly. Then he sighed.
"Still, at least he tried." Joe muttered sadly. "Good job Cinders. You deserve a rest." He reached for Cinders' pokéball and was about to withdraw him when suddenly the giant icicle twitched. It rocked slightly from side to side. Joe's hand froze in mid lift, his eyes widening in surprise. Ralph finally stopped moving about, his mind fully focused on the huge spear of frozen water which was currently beginning to sweat. Small cracks ran down it, dribbling with fast evaporating water. Inside the icicle Cinders was glowing like a torch. Smoke was visibly escaping from not just his mouth and nose but from his body itself. His fingers twitched, his eyelids fluttered, his jaw began to slip open, revealing his sharp dragon teeth. Lorelei's eyes widened in surprise. Jynx's face grew mirthlessly concerned, suddenly realising that she was no win very seriously deep trouble. The crowd, which had begun to wildly clap again, fell profoundly still. Everyone focused on the shivering, quavering, evaporating shard of ice. Cinders eyes suddenly snapped open… and the shard exploded. Pieces of ice and water sprayed out around the field, buffeting everyone in the room. The ice on the floor skipped the process of melting and simply evaporated into scolding hot steam. The room filled with severe heat, singing a few eyebrows. Joe covered his face with a sleeved hand. Where the ice spear had been a few seconds before was a now fully unfrozen and completely livid charizard, its wings outstretched, its head raised, its tail whipping, its claws prepped, its eyes blazing… and it was completely coated in fire. Jynx took a step back. So did Lorelei. So did Joe and Ralph. So did the crowd. In fact the only living thing in the room that wasn't stepping back in fear was Cinders himself. (If he could have seen himself he probably would have, too.) He lifted his head and roared the most ferocious and frightening roar he had ever done before. Jynx gulped. Ice beads slid down its skin like sweat. It raised its hands to attack and Cinders eyes suddenly shot to it. He growled fiercely, fire flickering for a second from his nostrils. His brow narrowed. His eyes pointed. And then there was light. It came from all around the large red dragon-like body at its epicentre. Jynx finally broke. It shrunk into a petrified ball, covering its cracked face in a desperate attempt to protect itself. Cinders flapped his wings and suddenly he was flying, speeding towards the opponent like a fiery bullet. There was a second of free space and then… 'WHAM!' Cinders struck Jynx straight in the stomach, fire encasing them both in seconds. What happened next was almost indescribable. All that can really be said is that Cinders released all of his attacks at the same time. After using Fly, Jynx was then hit by a fire blast which rammed it in the chest at full force, followed by a dragon rage which battered it and weakened it completely, lowering it onto its unstable knees. Its head drooped weekly forwards. It was barely conscious now. Heavy, frost bitten breaths pulled into its exhausted lungs through cut lips. It looked up feebly. Cinders was standing over it, pure fury blazing in his pyrotechnical eyes. He raised a claw which glistened silver with metal. Jynx's eyes widened. Cinders brought its claw down… and the battle was over. Jynx fell forward, defeated. Its face struck the solid ground and there was an ice like crack. Its mask had shattered. Small pieces of black ice skittered away across the ground. Calming down Cinders gave one final roar, stepped back and sat down, yawning exhausted and wrapping his tail around his waist. Lorelei looked amazed.
"…" She muttered, flummoxed. "Wha… W-what… What… What was that?" She finally asked. Joe, who was still wide-eyed in amazement, shrugged his shoulders.
"I… have no… idea." He whispered simply, stuttering over his words. "I… have never… seen that before." Cinders scratched his neck, tardily. He wasn't too sure why everyone was staring at him with open mouths. He spat a small ember of purple flame at the ground, causing the floor to corrode and melt away slightly. There was a long silence that followed. Then the announcer returned.
"Ladies and Gentlemen…" He began, speaking much quieter than before. "I do believe we just witnessed a spectacular event in battle history. It was… it was… AMAZING!" The crowd exploded into furious cheers. There was clapping all around. Some people were clapping so hard that, after the battle, they were taken away with fractured wrists. "Never before in all my years of commentating have I seen such a fiery display from such a young pokémon like that. Give a big round of applause for Cinders, truly the most spectacular charizard I have ever seen wield flame." It wasn't possible for the crowd to clap any more than they were. If they did they'd need a long tunnel and a megaphone attacked to each person's shoulder. Cinders spun slowly at the centre of the field. Calmly he bowed to them, feeling there extreme appreciation. Wordlessly Lorelei withdrew Jynx, leaving the small shards of black ice lying on the floor. She wasn't concerned about its mask. It would grow one back in a day or so. It was just lucky that no one had seen her real face. Jynxs had a habit of getting very finicky and embarrassed when someone saw their actual face. She clipped the pokéball back to her side. Only one pokémon left now. It wasn't looking good. Still, she felt she could trust this last one to take her opponent out. She had nearly done so with the last one, after all. Nearly. She gripped her last pokéball. At the same time Joe pulled his back out.
"Ok, Cinders. Very good job. Now have a rest." With a small click it opened and Cinders was, reluctantly, pulled back in. it clicked shut again. Joe put the ball back onto his belt. Now both trainers were to release their next pokémon.
"Lorelei is down to her last pokémon, Ladies and Gentlemen…" The announcer's voice echoed around the stadium. "Can she pull this victory back? Let's find out!" Both pokémon threw their pokéballs. On Joe's side Pippy reappeared on the battlefield, still looking tired but also determined. On Lorelei's side a middle-aged, tall, female lapras materialized in front of her. It looked a lot like Sirena, except maybe older and a little less calm about everything. Actually she was a lot less calm about everything. Joe had never imagined that a creature like her could howl, but apparently they could. Lapras lowered its head, its erect neck shrinking back down again.
"Alright. Last pokémon left. This is going to be tricky." Lorelei muttered. She pointed a hand. "Lapras, Hydro Pump." Lapras extended its neck and fired a huge cannon of water from its mouth. Pippy rolled aside expecting to escape the attack only to be hit in the side and pushed back by the torrent of water. When it stopped he got weakly back to his feet.
"Thunderbolt!" Joe called. Pippy fired and the weak spark hit Lapras in the side, causing her to flinch mildly.
"Blizzard!" Lorelei called.
"Oh no, not again." Joe moaned as storm clouds formed overhead. Pippy looked up, concerned. A second later huge ice balls fell. Pippy tried to dodge out of the way but found himself encircled by a wall of sudden snow and frost. He sparked and some of the ice melted but not by much. A huge pellet of ice fell down and then it was over. Pippy was defeated. Joe withdrew him. Maybe it had been a bad idea to release him while he was so weak. But he still had at least three pokémon who could fight still. With a quick hand movement he withdrew his Pikachu and put the ball back to his side. He followed this up by releasing his fourth pokémon. Carter jumped out into the battlefield, flexing his legs and focusing his gaze on the large see creature in front of him. There was no time for a pause. He was so close to his first victory. The battle continued again. "Carter, Double Kick!" Joe called. Carter ran forwards and swung out with one foot aimed at Lapras' head.
"Hydro Pump!" Lorelei called. Lapras fired a heavy torrent directly into Carters face and pushed him back. His attack missed but he resisted Lapras' attempt to knock him away. When the water died away he tried again, this time leaping into the air and aiming with one power filled leg.
"Strike it under the shell!" Joe called. As he fell, Carter's foot struck the edge of Lapras' neck, knocking it painfully aside. Lapras glared at him and pushed itself back with its flippers.
"Body Slam!" Lorelei called. Than Lapras shot forwards suddenly, the floor under it covering oven in frozen ice. The ice propelled Lapras forward at unusual speed for such a cumbersome water beast. Its body crashed into Carter as he prepared himself for the impact. He was sent sliding across the ice for a few feet before he was able to stop himself. He skidded to a halt, using his three fingered hand to claw into and grip the slippery floor, slowing his movement gradually. When finally he stopped he stood watching the northern water creature which stared back. Lorelei's eyes grew fierce. Fire burned in her blood like alien acid. She pointed a finger again. "Sing!" She called. A warning signal sped through Joe's head. Lapras opened its mouth and a calm, serene melodious song played from it. It was a truly beautiful sound to hear. Like something that dead Vikings would have heard when the Valkyries came riding in and carried them away on horseback taking them to Valhalla. In fact you could imagine it being so. Both beings were from ice covered lands, after all. Carter seemed slightly entranced by the sound. His brain was trying to figure out what was going on. As Lapras sang small, multicoloured visible notes began to float out of its mouth, seemingly flying in a distorting wave towards Carter. His eyes began to droop. Joe realised he was going to have to act to stop what was coming next.
"Carter, stay awake!" He called. This was much easier said than done. Carter's eyes flickered and his movement became sluggish. He tried to bat the notes away but they fluttered around his arms. "Don't fall asleep. Fight against it!" Joe tried. Carter resorted to holding his eyes open and this seemed to work a little. Then he felt his legs sagging. His tall body slumped forwards slightly. His mind was beginning to shut down in preparation for severe hibernation. (A mental illness commonly associated with snorlaxs, male ursarings and very fat lazy human beings.) Joe then had an idea. It was a million-to-one chance but it might just work. "Carter, meditate, quickly!" He called. Carter stayed standing long enough to give him an unsure look. "Just do it!" Joe followed up. Carter calmly sat down and folded in his legs one over the other. He put his hands together in a praying position. His eyes closed but his head did not fall forwards. There was no snoring or sign that he had fallen asleep at all. Lapras stopped its song, looking proudly at the affect her attack had had. Even Lorelei seemed to believe it had worked.
"Good work, Lapras!" Lorelei complemented. "Now take it out with Body Slam!" Lapras lowered its head, pushed out its chest and sped forwards across the ice coated field. It shot along, getting faster and faster as it slid. It was only a few metres away now. Then, suddenly, Carter's eyes flashed open again. A second later he was high in the air, arms back and leg extended like an arrow head. Lapras crashed through where he had, hitting nothingness and looking around confused. At the last second it saw Carter shooting down towards it but by then it was already too late. Carter was speeding forwards like a brown rocket from the gods. Dark brown aura built up around his foot which was glowing dark with power. His eyes were narrowed to a vicious slit and hit other leg was curled up behind him. With no sound at all he landed, striking Lapras in the back. The large beast collapsed to the ground, its head hitting the ice. Its eyes were closed shut. Carter landed beside it, his arms folded calmly. There was a long silence… Then the crowd erupted in cheers. People howled and applauded in pure astonishment. Lorelei's mouth fell open and hung there for a full minute. Joe stifled the need to punch the air. He couldn't believe his luck. That was the first of the Elite Four taken down already and he'd only lost two pokémon. Maybe he stood a chance at getting far after all. The announcer's voice returned to the universe.
"And that' game over, Ladies and Gentlemen. Lorelei, the first member of the Elite Four has been defeated by our challenger." He boomed. His voice echoed around the dome like thunder. "He shall now go on to battle the second member of the Elite Four. But first we give our thanks to Lorelei for the fantastic display she's given us. Her loss is not her disgrace." There was a short pause as the crowd cheered and clapped their approval. "The challenger may leave the arena and prepare for the second battle. And now we offer you entertainment in the form of a spectacular dance involving ice while we prepare for the second battle. See you again in the next arena in an hour." Then the speakers turned off. The crowd continued to applause. Lorelei's mouth had now closed and she was moving towards the centre of the arena, a slight smile on her face. She gestured for Joe to join her. He looked unsure but walked up to her anyway, withdrawing Carter as he walked. Ralph followed him calmly. When he arrived he glanced around cautiously.
"Very good job you did at beating me, I must say." She whispered cautiously into his ear. "You've got some real talent in you. It's clear you'll go a long way." Joe blushed.
"Thanks." He complemented. "But you did manage to do a real number on a lot of my team." She shrugged.
"That's not a problem to you, I imagine." Her face then turned serious. "But listen. There was a trainer who came in before you who had some amazing skill. He took me out in minutes. It's likely he's already fighting the champion as we speak." She winked at him. "I'd recommend using some caution from now on. Though I don't imagine you'll need it." She smiled surreptitiously. Joe looked a little taken aback.
"Uh, thanks." He said finally. Lorelei nodded and turned to face the wall behind her. In it a large red door was swinging open, revealing a long dark hallway on the other side. Somewhere down the hallway a small bench could be seen. Lorelei looked back to him and flicked her head towards the door.
"Now go on. Go face your next challenge." She smiled wider. Her hand extended. Joe shook it, kindly. Then he walked on, nodding to her as he did so. Ralph followed after him, giving Lorelei a suspicious glance. She smiled back, her ice cold teeth glistening in the frozen light. The two of them walked through the doorway and looked back. Lorelei had released a sixth pokémon now, a new small bird pokémon with red body feathers and downy white face feathers. A small bag was held in one hand. It was throwing presents up at the audience who were going wild trying to catch them. Lorelei made a small glance back at him and nodded, giving a small smile as well. Joe nodded back. Then the doors slowly slid back together and closed, sending the hallway into pitch-black darkness. It stayed that way for around an hour. Then, from behind him, light was coming. A second door was beginning to open at the other end of the hallway. He turned. His first challenge was over. His second challenge was about to begin. He stepped towards the light.