Belle woke very suddenly. Her eyes snapped open, and her whole body felt on alert. She was primed for battle.
The house was quiet; this started the hours of when Terra would sit in the gym, waiting for challengers. Derek was probably still asleep. Belle got out of bed and dressed herself, the only sounds the rustling of fabric as she pulled it over her skin and Charmy's gentle breathing as he slumbered on her bed. She brushed her hair and considered putting it into a ponytail, but her scar showed too prominently that way. She traced her fingers over the bumpy skin. Her only regret about leaving so soon was that she wouldn't get to wait for Derrick—she had no doubt that he had continued his journey. He was strong that way.
Belle peeked into Derek's room. He was sleeping, one arm thrown across Poliwhirl. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought about how she would be separating those two shortly, and she eased the door shut, the feeling motivating her to make pancakes, which she did as quickly and quietly as she could. When she was done, she left them steaming on the counter, quietly returned Poliwhirl to his Poké Ball, and slipped through the front door of the house.
She couldn't very well use the Leader's entrance to the gym. She walked around the building, her feet whispering in the dewy grass. The chill of autumn was definitely in the air now, and she briefly wondered what the weather would be like in Sinnoh. The morning light was soft and gentle. She had always preferred the morning sun to the afternoon one; it seemed nicer, less harsh.
Belle finally found herself in front of the double doors leading to the gym. From this angle, they were formidable. They loomed over her threateningly, and she gazed up at them, her heart beginning to speed up. Several eternities passed.
Suddenly, Belle threw open the doors. The resultant square of sunlight illuminated the familiar dirt floor, the two Trainer platforms, and Terra, standing high on her platform in denim shorts and a green sweater, her bare toes tapping on the metal.
"Belle." She didn't seem surprised in the least. She simply gestured toward the opposite platform.
Belle stepped forward and let the huge doors swing shut behind her. She wordlessly made her way to the platform and climbed the ladder, the simple noises of her shoes hitting the metal resonating loudly within the otherwise silent atmosphere. She climbed onto the flat metal floor and stood straight and tall, leveling her gaze at her mother.
"This will be a six-on-six match. Switching out is permitted for the Challenger, but only between battles for the Leader." The sound of the referee's voice echoing through the gym seemed surreal. It was as though he didn't belong in this little world, as if this space consisted of nothing but Belle and Terra, and he was intruding. "Begin!"
Terra wasted no time in yelling "Caillech!" and throwing her Poké Ball, which opened for the Donphan.
"Go, Bellossum! Magical Leaf!"
"Bell!" Bellossum twirled, unleashing from her grass skirt a barrage of rainbow-colored leaves, which flew at Caillech and cut at him.
With a loud trumpeting sound, the Donphan stumbled sideways under the onslaught of such an (most likely) embarrassing attack from which to faint. It struggled valiantly to stay on its feet.
"I think I need a bit more time with Caillech," Terra said thoughtfully. "Rollout!"
"Dodge it, Bellossum!" Belle cried. "Come on, we've got this!"
Donphan tightened into a ball and barreled across the field, hurtling toward Bellossum at an alarming speed; the Grass Pokémon leapt for safety but was clipped by the whirling ball of tusks and armor, and it cried out as it fell against the floor.
"Come on, Bellossum! I believe in you! Razor Leaf!"
The Pokémon threw a brief look over its shoulder as if to say "Really?" before unleashing a fierce volley of leaves, all of which slammed into Caillech head-on, knocking him off his momentum and sending him flying backwards, landing in a crumpled heap on the other side of the field. He struggled to stand, but quickly slumped down again.
"Donphan is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Challenger wins the match!"
Terra smiled as she returned Caillech. "Oh, Belle," she said gently, letting another Poké Ball fill her hand. "This is fairly reminiscent of our last battle, is it not?"
Crap. She was starting to switch into Meditative Terra, and Belle knew her chances of winning would drop drastically if this happened. She would have to do something to catch her mother off-guard to snap her out of it.
"Tsukiyomi!"
The black Ninetails bounded onto the field. For just a moment, Belle was transported back in time to when she thought Ninetails were always black, and she distinctly remembered asking her mother if a passing Ninetails had been dropped in bleach.
"Fire Blast!"
Oh, no. Her mother was coming out of the gate strong. "Bellossum, dodge! Counter with—something, or we're screwed!"
"There is no dodging my Fire Blast!" Terra yelled. "Don't let it get away!"
And Tsukiyomi didn't. The giant fiery shape somehow twisted in midair to descend upon Bellossum, practically torching the little thing; it fell to the ground, fainted and blackened with ash.
What the hell? Belle demanded of her own psyche as she returned Bellossum to its Poké Ball. Why did she startout with Fire Blast? People normally worked up to that sort of thing.
"Poliwhirl, let's go! Hydro Pump!"
The Pokémon burst from the Ball, shooting bullet-like globs water from the center of its stomach before its feet ever touched the ground. Tsukiyomi expertly maneuvered around the first few, but the fourth clipped its paw, causing it to falter; another one smashed it full on the chest.
"Tsukiyomi, your Earthquake, please."
Belle only had a few seconds to grapple at slippery ideas in her head before she decided upon anything; what she ended up screaming was a jumbled mix of "Jump!" and "Strangle it!", and she had no idea what she meant by either. Poliwhirl leapt into the air, attempting to obey her.
"Um—spray water at the ground, keep yourself airborne long enough to land on Tsukiyomi's back!" Her plan was coming to her now; she grasped the rail of her little box-platform hybrid. Poliwhirl did as it was told. Water shot from its hands in a concentrated beam, and it did a gentle forward-flip in midair before landing gracelessly on Tsukiyomi's back, grabbing at the fur there with its wet hands. "Surf!"
A gush of water erupted from Poliwhirl's central point again, this time in a huge flood that seeped into the cracks Tsukiyomi's Earthquake had put into the ground and, most importantly, slammed directly into the back of Tsukiyomi's head. The Ninetails pitched forward into the newly-made mud and slid several feet; Poliwhirl leapt off its back, still spewing high-pressure water in the black fox-like Pokémon's general direction and more often than not hitting its target. When the torrent of water finally stopped, Tsukiyomi flopped uselessly onto its side.
"Well then," Terra remarked, withdrawing it. "Skarmory!"
Belle gritted her teeth. She had hoped to use the mud against whatever Pokémon her mother chose next, but of course she brought out the one that flew.
"Drill Peck!"
"Dodge!" Belle cried without thinking. Poliwhirl tucked and rolled, spiraling out of Skarmory's way as it rocketed towards the ground; noticing its negated chance of hitting, it quickly swooped back into the air, beating its great metal wings and cawing loudly. "Hydro Pump!"
Poliwhirl planted its feet as securely as it could in the mud and angled its stomach upward, shooting out a barrage of water-bullets for a second time. Though Poliwhirl normally had pretty good aim, Skarmory was fast; the water always seemed to just miss it or barely graze its steel feathers. One, however, slammed into Skarmory's tail, sending it into a wild tailspin.
"Right yourself, Skarmory!" Terra yelled. "Come back for a Steel Wing!"
Skarmory somehow managed to turn in midair, briefly hanging upside down before twisting and diving toward Poliwhirl.
"Jump up on its wing, Poliwhirl!"
"I will not fail to the same trick twice," Terra commented easily. "Don't let it do that, Skarmory."
As the giant metal bird neared, Poliwhirl leapt into the air in such a way as to land on its wing. Skarmory, however, had other plans; it quickly dropped its left wing, pivoting so that its right wing went straight into the air, and as it spun back around caught Poliwhirl on the upswing, sending it reeling backward and slamming into Belle's platform.
There was no recovering from that—Belle withdrew her Poliwhirl. The referee stood forgotten alongside the battlefield; he didn't belong here in this world filled with the ferocity of mother and daughter.
"Jolteon!" Belle cried, throwing out yet another Poké Ball. Skarmory had returned to its place high above the battlefield, flapping its wings to maintain altitude and gazing sharply down at the proceedings as though it were no more than an angry spectator.
"Agility," Terra spoke.
This battle's gone on too long for my taste, Belle thought. I don't want her prolonging it anymore. "Paralyze it with Thunder Wave!"
Skarmory had disappeared in a blur of speed, but Jolteon shouted and released a wave of electric energy, which coursed through the room and left a tingly feeling along Belle's skin. Terra's hair briefly stood up on end.
Skarmory dropped to the ground like a stone, quite unable to move.
"Thunder Fang!"
Jolteon leapt forward, electricity leaping from its mouth as it bit right into Skarmory's neck and skipping along the length of the bird's body. Skarmory shuddered and cried out helplessly before passing out, its head smacking into the muddy ground. Jolteon bounded quickly away.
"Return, Skarmory! Amaterasu—Thunder Punch!"
"Dodge it!"
The Ampharos wasted no time in attacking; its little stub of an arm was already crackling with electricity as it burst from the Ball, and Jolteon leapt out of the way just in time. Amaterasu's punch caught the pole of Belle's platform instead, shaking it but not shocking her. She gritted her teeth. Her mother was trying to catch her off guard; Electric against Electric? She had two other Pokémon left—why didn't she use a different one? She glanced up at her mother's self-satisfied smile and something dawned on her—did Terra consider Belle…a threat?
It made sense. For one, all her Pokémon had come out attacking quickly and strongly, perhaps in hopes that with that first move Terra could injure the Pokémon enough to win. And now she was trying to catch Belle unawares with strange type matchups. Plus, there was a small wrinkle of worry forming between Terra's eyebrows.
Belle's doubts evaporated into thin air. Her shoulders and back straightened; her chin went up. She could do this. If her mother thought she could, then victory was certainly around the corner. "I'll do this in one move," Belle murmured to herself before shouting, "Last Resort!"
"Signal Beam!"
What happened next wasn't clear; Amaterasu began shouting as the gem atop its head gleamed so brightly it filled the whole room with blinding white light, making Belle throw her forearm over her eyes for protection. The sound of a small explosion followed, and when Belle chanced a look, the light was gone and both Pokémon lay fainted on the field.
The room was still for a moment. Both Terra and Belle looked over at the referee, who had given up attempting to judge the match and had taken on the role of spectator. The man shrugged. "I don't know what happened," he called. "At any rate, both of them are unable to battle, so, just move on."
Mother and daughter returned their Pokémon and wasted no time getting started again.
"Nix!"
"Primape!"
A Politoed and Primape erupted onto the field and promptly lunged into each other without instruction, each anticipating its master's orders; Primape reached for a Close Combat while Nix flung itself forward with a Body Slam. With a quickly-executed punch, Nix's Body Slam was thwarted, and it flew several feet, did some sort of somersault, and landed cleanly.
"Don't let it get close!" Terra snapped. "Use Bubblebeam!"
"Rage!"
A shiver went down Primape's spine; Belle had never instructed it to use this particular move. Rage was Primape's specialty. It lived and breathed this move. Rage was a part of Primape's being, part of its very soul; it beat in the Pokémon's heart, swirled in its stomach, snaked in its brain. Rage was who Primape was.
With a primeval roar, Primape rushed forward, bits of mud flying up from its heels. Powerful bubbles hit it but disturbed it not at all. Gathering speed, it bore down on Nix like a hairy freight train until the Politoed became unnerved and attempted to run.
Escaping an enraged Primape, however, is no easy task, and it cannot be done as a last-minute decision—Primape reached forward and took hold of Nix, lifting the thing above its head as it roared crazily before flinging it across the length of the battlefield, only to run after it again.
"Oh," was all Belle could say as she watched her Pokémon get into a pattern of throw, chase, throw, chase, as if it were in some sort of insane game of fetch. Periodically, Primape would stop and pummel Nix a bit before scooping it up for another throw, so that by the time it finally calmed down, Nix represented a pitiful figure, all crumpled into a muddy, beaten heap of crushed enthusiasm. Primape stopped, panting, hands hanging down as it fought for breath. Nix didn't move.
"Well," Terra said, withdrawing Nix. "It looks like I only have one Pokémon left."
Belle's hands curled into fists on the guardrail; this was it. She knew what she was coming up against here. This was her mother's first Pokémon, one that was not only powerful but, as Terra's oldest friend and partner, incredibly experienced. The red-and-white Poké Ball that Terra now turned over in her hand had never, in Belle's memory, gleamed and shined as though new, but had always been covered in scuffs and scratches, even dents. The paint had even begun to chip and fade so that the steel that made up the Ball had commenced to show through.
And then, without warning, she threw it.
Tall, powerful, neck stretching up to a bit over six feet, a battle scar beneath one eye, four limbs that weren't so much legs as tree-trunks—this was Terra's Pokémon. It fixed its cool yellow gaze on Belle, who gulped. She had never thought she would come against this Pokémon in battle—ever.
"Body Slam," Terra said.
The thing leapt into the air and soared with surprising grace for a Pokémon of its size, landing heavily on top of Primape and pushing him into the quickly-drying mud. When it stood and backed away, Primape was fainted.
"Good job, Meganium."
"Ni!" Meganium agreed as Belle returned her Pokémon, reaching for her Ball. Her gaze locked with her mother's. They both knew that, regardless of the fact that Belle had another Pokémon, this would end here, no matter what. If Belle lost this battle, she would be forced to leave without the Earth Badge.
"Charmy!" Belle cried, throwing out her Poké Ball. Her Charizard rose gracefully to the ceiling, embers dropping from the flame on its tail. Rather than roaring, it remained silent; the atmosphere seemed to call for reverence.
Despite the obvious type advantage Charmy possessed, Meganium gazed calmly up at it as though it were no threat. It had, after all, seen—and possibly even beaten—Fire-Types before. A hush fell over the gym; the only sound was the gentle crackling of Charmy's tail-flame as the two Pokémon regarded each other carefully.
"Charmy," Belle said calmly, her voice ringing in the silence. "Wing Attack."
Charmy gave a mighty flap before his wings went rigid and he pitched forward, rocketing toward the unmoving Meganium.
"Reflect."
A sheen of light sprang up in front of Meganium; Charmy smacked into it and bounced back, slamming down onto its back and splattering mud and dirt everywhere. Terra's Pokémon hadn't even twitched.
Belle gritted her teeth. "Charmy, Flamethrower!"
With a roar, Charmy opened his mouth to allow fire to pour out of it, surging toward Meganium with a cyclone-like beam of crackling heat—
"Light Screen," and a small box of light surrounded the defending Pokémon, around which the flames parted harmlessly.
Ba-dump. Belle felt her heart beat, and it seemed so loud that she could have sworn it echoed around the cavernous hall. Silence stretched into the space, ringing in her ears and making her muscles tense, and she felt a bead of sweat slip from her forehead and onto her nose.
"Tackle," Terra said.
Meganium leapt forward; Charmy gave a powerful flap of his wings and soared upward and out of reach, circling once around the battlefield as Meganium landed heavily in the mud before pivoting around, keeping its eyes on its opponent.
"You see, I can't let Charmy get a hit in," Terra explained calmly. "He does have a double advantage. Isn't that right, Meganium?"
The great grass Pokémon made no reply; it continued to watch Charmy's circuitous path around the rafters. Belle watched him also, her eyes locking onto his as they shared a common thought: We're screwed.
"I have battled Fire-types before," Terra continued, "and I've developed a very simple strategy that almost always wins. You should consider adopting it for when you absolutely must pit your Bellossum against a Fire."
Charmy cut in a tight circle and flew in the opposite direction; Meganium's gaze didn't waver.
"Instead of telling you, I'll just show you. You were always a visual learner, anyway."
Belle nodded.
Charmy dipped one wing and went into a tight spiral as it dived toward Meganium—"Reflect!" Terra shouted, and the shield leapt up in front of the creature that was more statue than Pokémon, but Charmy opened his huge maw and out surged a huge pillar of flame, which cut through Meganium's Reflect and bathed the pour thing in fire. The Charizard banked sharply and swung upward and away.
"Meganium!" Terra cried; the Pokémon was on its knees, wincing in pain. "Are you okay? Synthesis!"
"Ni," the Pokémon grunted as a light surrounded it; when the light was gone, Meganium was back on its feet, looking as though nothing had happened.
Crap. She had forgotten about Synthesis. If she was to beat her mother, Belle would have to unleash a series of attacks in quick succession that would leave Meganium no time to heal itself. That was easier said than done, since only one of her attacks so far had hit, and she didn't think Terra would fall for the same trick twice.
"Ancient Power!" Terra cried.
"Mega!" Glowing rocks rose from the ground, hovered for a moment, and then shot straight for Charmy, who gave a startled cry and twisted hurriedly out of the way. A single rock collided with the base of his tail; roaring in pain, the Charizard plummeted toward the battlefield.
"Charmy, get a hold of yourself! You're okay! Come on!" Belle gritted her teeth as Charmy righted himself, flapping his wings to gain altitude. Meganium was still staring steadily at its opponent, and Belle knew that as long as Meganium maintained eye contact, it would never miss. She cursed herself for forgetting about Ancient Power; it had been so long since she had seen Terra battle, though.
Wait…as long as Meganium maintained eye contact…
That was it. She knew how to win. She knew how to beat her mother. "Charmy, Smokescreen!" As black smoke flooded through the room, obscuring the battlefield, Belle privately rejoiced at her intuition. She remembered using this tactic successfully with Sabrina; no doubt it would work here, as well. Can't fight what you can't see, she thought smugly. She trusted Charmy to know when to make its attack.
"Very clever," came Terra's voice, drifting across the battlefield and through the gloomy smoke. "You are, indeed, a good Trainer—obscuring your opponent's vision is a very good strategy. This does come with a certain amount of risk, however, since you can no longer see, either. What if your foe has a way to get around this?"
Belle's self-satisfied smirk vanished from her face.
"Meganium, Magical Leaf!"
There was the sound of something like so many arrows whistling toward their target, followed promptly by Charmy's roar of pain.
"Ancient Power!"
"Charmy, get rid of the Smokescreen!"
Charmy flapped his wings to dispel the smoke just in time to dodge the rocks at him; bellowing in confusion, he made another circle around the battlefield.
Belle didn't know what to do. She still thought breaking Meganium's line of vision was the best way to go, but Smokescreen proved useless, and she had no other move like it in Charmy's repertoire. What could she do? "God, Belle, think," she murmured. How could she mix together stealing Meganium's eyesight and rapid-fire attacks?
"Charmy—Fire Spin, with as big of a circumference as you can make it!" Her heart began to hammer. This idea was crazy, but it might work—as long as she didn't set the gym on fire.
A large circle of flame formed around Meganium before spiraling upward, forming something of a tornado that roared and spit as it churned the air, casting searing heat all around. Try and get a Magical Leaf through that, Belle thought. Not only would Meganium not be able to see Charmy coming, it wouldn't be able to hear him, either; the fire was too loud. And if it tried to venture outside the cyclone, it would fry itself in the process.
The sound of the fire was so loud that Belle couldn't hear Terra's reaction, and it was so incredibly large that she couldn't see it either. Sweat began to slide down her face in earnest—she would have to end this battle quickly, hopefully before she had a heat stroke. "Charmy! Charmy, can you hear me?"
The Charizard appeared, flapping his way around the perimeter of the blaze, watching Belle for his next instruction.
"Go in there," she shouted, pointing, "and hit Meganium for all you're worth—Fire Blast, then Wing Attack!"
Charizard growled his approval before peeling away and plunging into the inferno, creating a small window through which Belle could see him let loose a large Fire Blast. The flame closed back before she could see the rest; she waited impatiently, sweat creeping down her spine, until Charmy flew back toward her. "Is it done?" she asked. "No? Go back in! Flamethrower!"
Once again, Charmy dipped into the flaming cyclone. When he came back out, Belle instructed him to close the Fire Spin in on Meganium.
This would be easier said than done. The thing was so large that it would be much easier to just let it dissipate altogether; but Charmy set to work gradually shrinking the circumference, sweat even popping up on his forehead as the edges gently inched toward the center, the top of it shrinking. As the fire retracted, Belle felt a wave of cool air wash over her. Her sweat seemed to freeze on her body.
Finally, the Fire Spin was down to a small cyclone that collapsed onto Meganium before disappearing completely, leaving a fainted Meganium lying on the battlefield.
Belle glanced up at Terra, who was breathing heavily and holding her hair back from her head. The woman smiled hugely as her eyes met Belle's.
"Meganium is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Challenger wins!"
Belle smiled as Terra folded her into her arms. "That was a great job, sweetie," she said. "I didn't realize just how rusty I was—ordinarily, I wouldn't let a rookie Trainer like you beat me."
"Rookie?" Belle asked in disbelief. "I'd gotten seven badges!"
"Was it a really cool battle?" Derek asked wonderingly.
"You should have seen Belle's Fire Spin," Terra answered. "It was so big, I couldn't see across the battlefield!"
Derek's mouth dropped open in pure, unadulterated awe, and Belle smiled as Terra loosed her from the embrace. They were standing in the kitchen, Belle's new Earth Badge gleaming in her hand, the smell of her recent shower drifting off her, as they discussed Belle and Terra's battle. Even though Belle was still riding the high from her victory, there was that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that was pushing her to leave as soon as she could for Sinnoh and the mystery of her father.
"So, what are you gonna do now?" Derek asked cheerfully.
Belle glanced at Terra, who gently ruffled Derek's hair and said, "Hey, I think it's about time for that talk show that's having Professor Oak today."
He looked at the kitchen clock on the wall and gasped. "You're right!" He scuttled out of the kitchen and into the living room.
"I'm leaving," Belle said quietly. "In three days at the most."
Terra sighed. "Did the Rockets get to you?"
"Uh…not really. Cassandra's going to Sinnoh for a while—I think she needs some support."
"Sinnoh?" Terra bit her lip.
"I'll be in Hearthome City only," Belle said. "I'll fly directly there and meet up with Cassandra." You're such a liar, she thought to herself, but she pushed that thought away. "I just battled through eight badges…I need some time off to…y'know…train and stuff. Plus, you saw Cassandra's Contest on TV…and I read you that email. She needs me."
Terra glanced down at her feet, sliding a bare toe across the kitchen floor. "I can't exactly forbid you, can I?"
"No," Belle replied firmly. "I'm going."
The weight of Belle's father's demise seemed to press in on them, a force stronger than spoken words. Terra seemed as though she didn't quite know what to say; her fingertips tapped soundlessly on the counter, her foot slid back and forth, she bit her lip. "Fine," she said finally, in a small voice. "Just…I want you to be careful."
"I will be," Belle told her immediately, feeling a twist of guilt in her stomach. Did she lie that convincingly? "I…promise."
To: dancing_through_life
From: dingdongbelle
Re: Heyy…
Hey Cassandra!
First things first: I GOT MY EARTH BADGE! My battle with Mom was totally epic.
Okay, now the next thing…you know how you're gonna go live in Sinnoh? Well, I'm gonna come and live with you. How's that?
So, if you could just email me with where you wanna meet and stuff…I'm packing right now, and I'll probably leave in a few days.
Love,
Belle
P.S. ANSWER SOON PLEEEAASSEEE
Hey everybody! This chapter actually took me a long time to write because I couldn't figure out how to write the battle. -_-
At any rate, thank you THANK YOU to those who reviewed!:
EmblemDuelist (Fate indeed! HoHO!)
DarkLadyPegasus (I'm not telling if you're right or wrong about the riddle! XD ...though...everyone's already guessed the same thing...)
Thanks guys!
