Chapter Thirty Eight: I'll Drink to Your Death

"Is it just me," Alaska asked as she peered down the list of drinks before her, "but does a strong brandy sound like a mighty swell drink right now… or maybe a scotch… do you know your alcoholic beverages well Sandy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you know your drinks?" Alaska repeated in a casual tone. "Do you think I should have a brandy or a scotch? Whichever one you choose I'll let you have some of."

"You could order the most expensive bloody bottle on the shelf and pay double the price, the bartender ain't going to serve you," Sandy replied almost bitterly, and Alaska laughed so loudly that anyone sitting nearby turned around, wondering what on earth she was laughing at. Alaska was a bit confused herself as she laughed, a tear coming to her eye, but it had been a long, long day and she was in need of something to take her mind off the throbbing feeling in her leg, the pounding headache she had felt for the last few hours, and the million questions that constantly swum around her brain, never coming to a stop, only gaining in strength and size as more puzzles joined them every day.

"Can I get you two young ladies something?" The bartender appeared rather suddenly in front of them as Alaska's laugh began to die down, though she and Sandy exchanged a look connecting to the handsome man before them.

"There are many things on this list that I would love to drown my sorrows in, but I'd imagine me friend is correct in saying you won't even give me a sip?" Alaska asked, and the bartender shook his head. "That's good, I don't even have the money to pay for any of these anyway. Just a water, I guess."

"You could always ask your mysterious benefactor," Sandy said with a cheeky smile, and Alaska glared over at her friend as the bartender fiddled with some bottles underneath the bar.

"I don't think I can call on whoever it is whenever it fancies me," Alaska said with a narrowed brow. "Fixing a power crisis is something I am sure the 'elites of Kanto' would empty their pockets for, but I highly doubt they'd open their wallets so a thirteen year old can have a brandy." It was Sandy's turn to laugh at this, and she continued to laugh in her joyful way until the bartender returned with two tall glasses of a turquoise green liquid, straws and ice clattering around inside.

"This is tonight's house special," he explained as the girls eyed their new drinks suspiciously. "It is a called the Venusaur, and is basically lemonade, but we've added lime cordial, apple juice and local berries to make it more of a health juice. Everyone gets one free sample, so enjoy!"

"Thanks for the offer," Alaska said, pushing her glass away, "but I am not eating anything that my Pokemon are meant to eat. I'll just have my water tha –,"

"OH MY GOD!" Sandy screamed, making both Alaska and the bartender jump, and Alaska turned around in fright, wondering what had caused the outburst. "THIS TAKES LIKE SUNSHINE!" Sandy said ecstatically, and Alaska watched in surprise and amusement as her blonde hair tipped backwards, the entire drink going down Sandy's throat as if she was dying from dehydration.

"I guess it tastes alright then?" Alaska asked, struggling not to laugh, as Sandy slammed the glass back down on the table with a wide, hyperactive look in her eyes, and she grabbed Alaska's one before the bartender could take it away.

"This is more than good!" Sandy said, pausing to take a long sip of the green drink. "This is some sort of liquid happiness orgasm mouth explosion delight! This is what rich people must drink, and I am going to drink as much as I can!" And she began to drown the drink, Alaska unable to contain herself any longer and began to roar with laughter once more.

"I am glad your enjoying it, even though it's not meant to be that good," the young bartender said timidly, "but the other guests seem to be disturbed, so would you mind keeping it down?" Alaska glanced around to the rest of the bar with a smile still on her face, but the laughter died instantly as she caught the glares coming her way. About twenty other people were in the small bar that sat next to the Route … Pokemon Center, and everyone one of them was throwing Alaska and Sandy a look that could have set all the alcohol on the shelves on fire, and Alaska suddenly felt as if she was a giant target in front of them all, about to have wine and beer glasses thrown at her.

"Don't worry, they aren't angry about the noise," Alaska replied solemnly. She should have known that workers from the power plant might end up here, the bar only a few steps across the road and the only place in the area asides from the Pokemon Center. While she didn't blame them for being furious at her, it still didn't make for a comfortable environment.

"Bartender, bring me another!" Sandy boomed, pushing the two empty glasses forwards and slamming several coins down onto the bar, the metallic ring earning them more glares from the patrons. "AND MAKE IT SNAPPY!"

"And I'll have some ice as well thanks, while you're getting that," Alaska added before turning towards her friend grimly. "You should slow down and calm down a bit there Sandy, there's no need to yell!"

"I have every reason to yell!" Sandy cried, sticking her nose up into the air and wearing a smile on her face. "There is no one here to mock me or make fun of me, so I am going to enjoy being myself! And meself wants some more of that drink! BARTENDER, WHERE IS MY BEVERAGE!" Alaska let out a laugh, watching her friend in an entirely new light. In all that had happened since they had entered the power plant, Alaska would have forgotten the incident in the Diglett Tunnel if it wasn't for her throbbing leg she couldn't put any pressure onto. While the mystery of Suicune saving them lingered on her mind, Alaska preferred to think of how the friendship between her and Sandy had strengthened due to nearly falling off the cliff. They had not had a chance to properly talk about what happened, but Alaska could only see their relationship getting better the more they shared, and having another brain to share all the mental stress was all she could really ask for.

The bartender passed the drink and ice pack over, and Alaska smiled and thanked him, taking the pack and moving to place it across her leg, which she had spread out across several stools. As Alaska turned, the doors to the bar slowly slid open before her, and three people walked in that she hadn't expected to see nor wanted to.

"Oh my god, it's them!" Sandy said, and Alaska turned quickly back around to shush her, but it was too late. "DAMIAN, LACHY, CHLOOOOOEEEEE! HEY! THERE ARE SOME SEATS OVER HERE!" Sandy shouted, banging the bench in front of her enthusiastically and waving dramatically towards them. The bar was rather small, with only around a dozen tables and several booths, the dark wooden walls left entirely bare, so the shouting only drew the duo more attention that Alaska would have liked. She tried to ignore the angry and judgemental looks coming her way as the reality stars turned towards the noise, grim looks falling across the boy's faces as Chloe came to a sudden halt, stone cold anger flashing across her face.

Alaska noticed Damian lean towards the blonde, possibly to try and warn her off making a scene, but Chloe pushed him back, not taking her eyes off Alaska, much like how the piercing blue eyes had not left her following the generator destruction. Alaska's joy over achieving her plan had been short lived as Chloe and Amanda had both stared furiously at her, neither of their eyes leaving her throughout the hour that followed as they remained within the generator room. It had been uncomfortable and unbearable, and Alaska couldn't even muster up a nasty insult to throw back at the two. Even though she didn't want it, their eyes bore through her skin and seemed imprinted in her brain: even when Alaska was pulled aside to talk to someone or tried to find something to distract her, she could still feel their eyes watching her, waiting for her to crack and fall under their spell…

The trio lingered in the doorway for nearly a minute, a minute which Alaska tried to spend watching Sandy down the Venusaur like an addictive drug and order another, feeling the eyes of not just Chloe but Damian, Lachlan, the bartender and everyone else in the bar, waiting to see what was going on and what the next move would be. Alaska couldn't even see if they were going to move or not, but a sudden thumping began to sound behind her, a similar sound to that of a Ponyta trotting across a hard surface. The sound continued for ten more seconds, before coming to a halt as Chloe pulled up the stool right next to Alaska's foot, heaving her high heels up and resting them against the bar.

"We saw the sign for the free samples out front, we'd like to start with those please," Chloe said in her sweetest voice as Damian and Lachlan sat down next to her, though Alaska knew the tone well enough to sense she was trying to hold herself together. She caught the bartender nodding, and he passed Sandy her Venusaur before starting work on the next three.

The general chatter throughout the rest of the bar started up again a few moments later, but at the bar itself things remained silent and tense, the only noise coming from the drinks being mixed together and Sandy greedily guzzling her own. Alaska tried not to look at them, struggled to resist the urge to lash out with her leg and knock Chloe off her stool, but knew ignoring them was the best option. Alaska and Sandy had left the power plant on rather bad terms, and the former would have liked a break before dealing with the 'Indigo Dreams' team again. And thankfully, it seemed as if the trio were as willing to ignore them as well, Chloe most likely trying to make Alaska stew or try to break her while Damian and Lachlan were trying to avoid a scene. Alaska was comfortable with that, and had some more of her water hoping things would stay this way.

If only Alaska had connected Sandy's behaviour to the drink…

"Another one!" Sandy boomed, doing a rather manly voice that cracked as she burst out laughing. "Actually, maybe make it another two so you don't have to make as many trips – even better, make it three!" The bartender placed the star's drinks down before them and quickly collected Sandy's empty glass, and Alaska knew that three pairs of eyes would be following them. Sandy glanced towards the three and clearly noticed they were staring, and Alaska cringed, knowing she should say something but knowing there was no stopping here.

"Is there something on my face?" Sandy asked, her speech slurring slightly as she stared bug eyed at the trio. "Does my dress look a bit funny? Or is it my hair, does it not look clean enough for you television types? No, none of those things? Well then, why don't you quit looking at me then?" She snapped, glaring angrily at the group, and Alaska wished that they had just fallen to the cave floor all those hours ago: at least it would be less painless than this experience.

"I'm surprised to see that producer of yours even let you lot out tonight!" Sandy growled, her rant continuing as she pointed a finger at the group. "Or are you trying to get some extra footage to boost ratings or some crap like that! Don't people on these shows always get drunk and hump whoever is closest to them? This probably isn't the right scene for that sort of scene though, but I am sure there are some crappy little clubs in the next town: why don't you three just piss off over there! BARTENDER, WHERE IS MY BEVERAGE!" Sandy boomed, and she grabbed Alaska's water and tossed it down towards the bartender. It merely splashed onto the floor, and the bartender rolled his eyes at the new mess to clean up. Alaska sighed as well, and she turned towards Sandy to tell her to control herself when a noise came up behind her, stopping her in her tracks: it was a soft giggle, the sort of laugh an immature schoolgirl might use, and Alaska turned slowly around towards the source. Chloe's lips were a shade of hot pink to match the sparkly dress she was wearing, and Alaska stared at them as the laughter passed through her mouth, sounding high and cold across the bar. It was the same mocking, jeering laugh Chloe had used on Alaska and all the other girls when they had been at school, and it was the same laugh Alaska imagined Sandy had had to live through.

"Oh my god, you two can't go anywhere without causing trouble, can you?" Chloe laughed, tipping back on the stool and clutching her chest in fake, overdramatic way. "They should really just lock you both away in the loony bin before you end up killing someone! You two are just the most pathetic creatures I have ever met in my entire life!"

"Chloe," Damian growled warningly, but Chloe waved a hand to silence them as she turned towards the duo, Alaska looking back with fury burning in her eyes.

"Mandy, Andy, Jandy, whatever your name is," Chloe said with false sweetness, focussing on the blonde as she downed her next drink, "I really think you need to grow up and stop with this crazy thing you've got going on. Just between you and me, it's not a very attractive look now, is it? You may have won that challenge today, but if Alaska hadn't been a total bitch and ruined everything, I don't think your Pokemon would have even done very well. I personally think that you should just try acting normal for once, and then maybe your Pokemon might be able to succeed." Chloe gave a sympathetic smile, yet her eyes were dancing with joy at the effect of her words: Sandy was not saying a word, simply staring silently down into her glass as the words washed over. Alaska wanted to comfort her friend, but she couldn't think of a single thing to say. Her mind was clouded with fury at the disgusting way Chloe was acting. It seemed she hadn't truly felt the effects of the power on Alaska's team even after today, and it seemed to Alaska that she needed to be reminded.

"Listen here you stupid little bitch," Alaska said angrily before Chloe could say anything to her, and turned towards her nemesis with rage fuelling her words. "You are nothing more than some washed up little daddy's girl and that is all you are ever going to be. You've acted for years like you are some powerful and bright darling that has the whole world at her fingertips, and I must admit that for a few years I was intimidated by you and the fact your father had the entire school in his pocket. But I now I can see you are nothing more than a weak and stupid tart that isn't going to amount to anything once this show is over. You might as well start practicing standing on table tops cause it's the only way your ever going to make a living once you've blown through daddy's inheritance." Chloe looked as if she had been slapped, and Alaska flashed her a vicious smile as Lachlan and Damian focussed on their drinks, trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh Alaska, you think your so clever, don't you?" Chloe snarled, her eyes narrowed as she glared back at Alaska. "You use your big words and throw insults and witty lines around like you've got them to spare, thinking it makes you so intelligent. But Alaska, I think you are just as stupid as you think I am! You hang around with this crazy fool you call a friend and act as if winning a few battles and blowing a few generators up makes you brilliant, but I think your just using them to cover up that you have no idea what your doing, only winning badges on flukes and simply causing some explosion or nearly killing your opponent whenever you come close to losing! How's that for a physiological analysis?" Chloe pulled a superior look, one Alaska hardly thought she deserved after blundering her last line, but, as much as it pained her to admit, there did seem to be some truth in her words. Alaska would like to mull these over at another point, but right now she couldn't let Chloe know their effects.

"I may not be the smartest person on the planet," Alaska replied icily, "but at least my IQ is bigger than my bra size." Chloe gasped as the bartender snorted into his rags, and Alaska had a feeling this argument was about to go down a slippery slope.

"That's hardly a great achievement!" Chloe spat back acidly. "Those things are more like zits than tits! You've got the sexual appeal of a brick wall, and I can imagine most men would rather go down a port-a-loo than go down on you!"

"Well we all know how many men you've let go down on you!" Alaska shouted back. "Oh the rumours I heard before I left on this journey, and I imagine that all of them are true, you worthless little wh –," but Alaska froze as green liquid was thrown across her face, sending a freezing chill throughout her body as her hair was washed backwards.

"I am not arguing with you anymore Alaska!" Chloe hissed as she slammed her glass back down on the table. "Let's end this, right here right now!" Alaska slowly wiped the Venusaur drink out of her eyes and stared furiously towards Chloe as the blonde stood up, hands outstretched. She was stunned by this, and her eyes clearly showed it as a smile crossed Chloe's face. "Oh yes, hand-to-hand! Let's see how strong you really are when you aren't hiding behind your back!"

In a few years time, Alaska would think back to that moment as she thought about the bad decisions in her life. Having a bar fight in public, dripping wet with a throbbing head and leg, going up against a girl with hot pink nails like razorblades, was not one of the brightest things she had ever done. But at the moment, as Alaska stared at the blonde in fury, thinking back to everything she had ever said and done to her and Sandy, only one decision seemed possible as water soaked through her shirt.

"Fine then," Alaska said with a smile, raising her good leg and instantly lashing out, "we'll play your way." She lowered her sore leg with a groan as Chloe fell backwards, the kick to her stomach sending her sprawling against Damian, thinking for a brief moment that she may have the advantage. But as Alaska grabbed the ice and placed it on the bar, she didn't notice Chloe leap up and lunge forwards until it was too late.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Chloe hissed as she grabbed Alaska by the head and forced her against the bar, digging her fingernails into her face as she did so. Alaska tried to push her off, but Chloe had positioned herself so her body weight was pressing right against Alaska's. One of her hands pushed down against her throat, and Alaska struggled to breathe as a knee was wedged up against her stomach.

"Break about ladies!" The bartender boomed, coming forwards and trying to push them apart.

"No, LET THEM FIGHT!" Sandy yelled again, her speech slurring again for no apparent reason. Damian appeared behind Chloe and tried to pull her off Alaska, but he seemed to get kicked in the legs and was forced to back away for a moment. Alaska stared up at Chloe, eyeing the furious delight in her eyes as she clawed at her face, wondering what had possessed her to take such violent actions. But looking up to her face pointed out an advantage to Alaska she hadn't seen before.

"GOT YOUR NOSE!" She spat, and lunged forwards with her right hand, grabbing Chloe's already injured nose and twisting. Chloe let out a scream so loud that it could have broken glass, and Alaska breathed with relief as the hands were taken off her throat. Her leg already hurt from having pressure put on it, and Alaska decided it was better to end this early than drag it out. Furiously, she shoved Chloe backwards and kicked out with her good leg, striking her in the stomach again and knocking her into Damian.

"Let's stop this now, alright, before it gets ugly!" Damian said, and he tried to grab onto Chloe's arms, but the murderous blonde elbowed him in the eye before running forwards again.

"I'LL STOP WHEN SHE'S DEAD!" Chloe screamed, her hands raised again, but this time Alaska was ready: she grabbed them before they could come across her skin again, feeling blood stream down her face and neck already from the first clawing, and the two became locked in a battle to try and break away from the other one's arms. Chloe pushed Alaska up against the bar again, but it wasn't as effective this time and Alaska was able to knee her a few times.

"FIGHT HER, BEAT HER, CLAW HER, KILL HER!" Sandy chanted only a metre away, banging her fists against the bar as Damian, Lachlan and the bartender tried to force the two warring girls apart, the other patrons merely standing back and watching with interest.

"Can't you control your friend?" Chloe hissed.

"Can't you control your vagina?" Alaska snapped back, and Chloe let out a furious cry, flexing her hands and finally breaking free of Alaska's hold. She forced her hands down and clawed Alaska's arms, but the black haired trainer wasn't going to let her get in again this time and launched back with a punch from each hand. Chloe was knocked backwards again, clutching her lips and eye, leaving Alaska breathless, holding her arms as they began to bleed as well.

"Charmeleon, go!" Damian yelled, and there was a burst of red light between the two girls before they had the chance to see what was going on. The red lizard-like Charmeleon formed before them, the fire dancing menacingly at the end of his tail, and Alaska turned towards Damian as he stood sternly a few metres away.

"This ends right now!" He said in a scolding tone, looking furiously between the two girls. "You are just making giant fools of yourselves and are just damaging the bar and injuring yourselves at the same time! You two can go on hating each other if you have to, but there's no need to keep this fight up!" Alaska glanced over at Chloe as he spoke, knowing that his words were true. She still wanted to teach the bitch the lesson she deserved, but was currently bleeding from several places, had a sore stomach, leg and head, and frankly just wanted to sit down and relax. Chloe didn't look too keen on the idea, still staring at Alaska with a look like a psychotic murder, but there was no chance she could do anything with Damian and his Charmeleon in the way. The two girls nodded, and Damian smiled at them in relief.

If only they had connected Sandy's behaviour to the drink…

"A Charmeleon, eh?" Sandy suddenly boomed behind them, placing another empty Venusaur glass onto the bench and turning to face everyone in the bar, and everyone in the bar turned to face her. Alaska could see instantly that her friend was not too well: slurred speech, struggling to stand up, a weary look across her face. Alaska wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything before the blonde had raised a Great Ball into the air. "Fine choice, Damian McStudly, but not fine enough! I see you Charmeleon, and I raise you an Onix!"

"SANDY, NO!"

"GO FORTH MY ROCK GIANT AND BRING US GLORY!" Sandy boomed, throwing the Great Ball into the air. Alaska tried to leap up and catch it, but her sore leg wouldn't even move, and she could only watch as it spiralled through the air, landing right up against the wall.

Everything changed in a second.

"OOOOOOONNNNNNN!" Onix roared as he formed from the blue light, rising up like some giant explosion that tore through the bar. The patrons screamed and instantly began to flee as the oversized Onix began to form, already crushing tables, bursting through the walls and roof, sending bricks, wood and plaster crashing down. Sandy let out a cheer and asked for another drink as Damian, Lachlan and Charmeleon fled from the confused and flailing Onix. Alaska tried to run in order to avoid being crushed, but her leg seemed unwilling to move, almost as if it had gone 'Nope, this is your punishment' and was now sitting stubbornly in a corner as it waited for Alaska to apologize.

"EVERYONE OUT!" The bartender roared as Onix continued to twist his body in attempts to workout where he was, sending a hanging light shattering to the ground. Alaska looked around and saw that everyone else were already fleeing to the doors, leaving her, Sandy, Damian, Lachlan, Chloe and the bartender along. Her eyes swept across the shaking building, trying to ignore as Sandy demanded another Venusaur, and tried to get across to her bag on the floor to send someone out to stop him. However, she shouldn't have let her guard down, and didn't hear the high heels smashing against the ground until it was too late.

"YOU BITCH!" Chloe screamed, plunging forwards and grabbing Alaska by the throat as she looked up, the distraction Onix caused allowing her to get past Charmeleon. Alaska began to gasp for breathe again as Chloe forced her onto the bar, ignoring the blood flowing from her nose and the bits of ceiling crashing down around them, focussing only on her old classmate beneath her. Alaska could see the anger in her eyes, the shaking building only adding to the power Chloe had over her: Alaska was struggling to breathe, her entire body screaming in pain from the fight, and it felt as if she was going to die. As she struggled to fight back, Alaska could only think that what Chloe had said was true: she had always hidden behind her Pokemon when it came to battling, whether with the reality stars or with Gideon, never truly fighting for herself. And now she seemed to be paying the ultimate price for it…

"You know what," Sandy slurred, Alaska and Chloe's eyes both flicking towards her, "I never fucking liked you!" Alaska couldn't see what was happening due to her position, but heard as the thump and shatter of glass against a hard object, and felt Chloe collapse onto her chest, shards of glass falling onto her skin. "ONIX, WE'VE WON BABY! WE DID IT!"

The rumbling stopped, a curious growl coming up as Onix finally turned towards his trainer, wondering what was going on. Alaska thought it was appropriate considering that Chloe was now knocked out, and shoved the blonde off her chest as her head and leg felt as if she'd just been shot. Chloe rolled onto the rest of the bar, her blonde hair already stained red from the blood coming from her head.

"Sandy, Chloe may be a bitchy little whore, but that doesn't mean you can just beat her over the head with a glass," Alaska said as she slid forwards, moaning in pain as she did so, "what if you had killed her?"

"Oh fuck you; it seemed like a good idea at the time!" Sandy stuttered slurred, and she tried to stand up, a fist raised as if she would hit her. However, Sandy didn't even stand upright before toppling off, unconscious even before she crashed into the wooden floor. Alaska rolled her eyes as she forced herself off the bar, instantly having to collapse into the nearest stool as pain erupted down her leg. She groaned and rubbed her head, placing the icepack that had remained on the bar back on her leg, and turned towards the others. Damian, Lachlan, Charmeleon and the bartender all looked petrified, staring between Alaska, Chloe, Sandy and Onix, not quite sure of what to make of the situation. Alaska glanced around at the bar, noticing that a good amount of the wall, floor and ceiling had been damaged by Onix, who now seemed to be sniffing Sandy curiously, and one part of the wall had been completely knocked through, revealing the rocky mountains outside.

"Look at this place…," the bartender said breathlessly, looking as if he was about to faint. He stared towards the teenagers before him, clearly gobsmacked at what had just happened. "This is going to cost thousands to fix, and I don't have that kind of money!"

"Well you can give the Silph TV the bill for this one," Alaska groaned. "I imagine my kindly benefactor isn't going to open his wallet for this, and I hope you're expecting us to pay when my underage friend here appears to have consumed a large amount of alcohol unwillingly. That's lawsuit material right there my friend," Alaska said, and leaned back against the bar, rubbing her head and wishing that she could just fall asleep and be over with it.

After the day she had had, with legendary Pokemon, falling off cliffs, somehow travelling through solid rock, making a generator explode, fighting her enemy and surviving a collapsing building, Alaska felt like she could do with a rest.


I have been waiting to write this cat fight for quite a while now, so I hope that it came together as well as I hoped. I decided to leave an explanation of what happened at the Power Plant to the blog, as I couldn't really fit it in here asides from the subtle hints about the mystery benefactor and Chloe and Amanda glaring. Actions taken in this chapter will be justified in the blog and during the next arc, so don't start hating on some of the stuff that happened :P Its the Blog and Interlude up next in about a week, so see you all then!