The Warehouse Duel

"All right, look at me," said William. "She's going to use her Glaceon. Do not—I repeat—do not let its size and demeanor fool you. It's fucking ruthless, okay?"

Xander stared up at William, unblinking.

"I will keep Nikki busy, you just focus on taking out that Glaceon as quick as you can. Use your speed, your agility, because it's going to do the same. You have to watch its Icicle Spear more than anything. Once you finish with the Glaceon, I'm going to need your help. She's fast and she comes in hot. You'll have to remember your close combat skills. I'll need you to keep moving. Do not stick around any of her sides too long. Constantly switch your position. Do you understand?"

The Lucario kept staring intensely. "… Aro."

William released a breath and shook a finger. "I know you do. I know you do. And listen, don't—worry about me. Just keep moving your feet. I'll try to keep her in close range and you rely on Aura Sphere at mid-range. But when she engages you, what do you do?"

The Pokémon stared and shifted its foot.

"That's right; you keep. Moving." He shook a fist. "We can do this."

Xander looked at his trainer.

Katy nodded. "Fight back with everything you have, Xander. I'm counting on you to do whatever it takes to stay in control. I'm not going to be calling moves. I'm going to trust you. You can do this." She gave another nod for posterity.

Xander chuffed in his throat.

Katy pursed her lips and stroked his ear.

William turned to Nikki where she stood on the other side of the warehouse. She popped a Ball in the air and from the light formed a beautiful, small Glaceon. The rest of the people in the warehouse were starting to make bets, standing in groups either behind the three trainers or behind Nikki.

Nikki stepped forward, her Glaceon following while her Sneasel stayed back. "The rules are… there are no rules. Everything—and I do mean everything—is fair game. Two on two. Fight til you can't fight anymore. Period." She locked eyes with Katy. "Think that Lucario can handle a fight with a Deviant?"

William answered for her. "Yes." He stepped closer. Xander matched his advance.

Katy watched with her heart thundering in her chest as they faced off. One of the other patrons of the warehouse was ready to call the match to begin. She released a shaky sigh.

"Don't worry," said Christian. "He's a Ten. He's good." His voice was low and solemn.

"I know. I just wonder how good she is."

"Go!" A man dropped his arm down.

Nikki briskly walked ahead, a frosty mist encircling her hands. "You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to this," she said with a smirk.

William advanced toward her, his fists turning red with heat and bending the air around them. "Sounds like you need a hobby."

"This is it, Milord. You're living it." She swung her arm out and a blast of frigid air raced toward him.

William broke into a sprint, rolling under the blast, and back to his feet with a wave of flames flowing from his arms.

Xander watched Nikki toss up a shield of ice, that sprouted straight from the warehouse floor. When he looked ahead though, the Glaceon was in a full throttle charge straight for him, a frosty cloud encircling it. It seemed he remembered he was battling to and jumped to action.

Katy held her breath as her Lucario engaged in combat with the Glaceon, dodging its Icicle Spears and closing in for a solid punch. Good. He knew how this fight was going to go. He had listened well. Her eyes flicked back and forth between her Pokémon and William. The man had closed in on Nikki and they were punching and dodging, ducking and weaving with flaming and icy fists. He wasn't kidding when he said she was fast. She was roughly Katy's size, but it was apparent in seconds that she knew her way around a duel.

She couldn't help but call Xander's name when the Glaceon ricocheted off one of the nearby storage crates to come in with an icy drill, aimed straight for his flank. Xander hopped out of the way and whipped around, throwing an Aura Sphere and striking the Glaceon in its hindquarters, sending it spinning. As it spun, a frosty mist kicked up in a tornado that raged toward Xander with surprising speed. The Lucario ran in the opposite direction, frost beginning to glove his tail. It flipped up into the air and veiled itself in protective energy. The icy tornado raced right by it without so much as grazing another hair.

William was not fairing as well. The punches he landed sent Nikki reeling, but they were few and far between, as she was much smaller and faster. Her strikes were cold and sharp. She managed to freeze his foot to the floor, causing him to trip and fall. The girl pounced on top of him and reared back an icy fist, ready to shoot it into his jaw. He caught her wrists, wincing at how his ankle was being twisted from still being frozen to the floor. William managed to knee her in the stomach and throw her off. The crowd in the warehouse was going wild, far louder than the previous battle.

Xander took a sharp Quick Attack to his torso, staggering back before he received another from the flank that knocked him over. Glaceon copied her trainer and hopped on top of the Lucario and bit down hard on his neck. "Arkh!" Xander kicked the Pokémon off of him and with a straight, stiff arm, Force Palmed the Glaceon to roll across the warehouse floor. It had a harder time getting up, but the Lucario took advantage of its sluggishness. He followed with an Aura Sphere that knocked the Pokémon over again. This allowed enough time for the Lucario to get up and land a massive kick to the ribs. It squeaked and tried to get up, but fell back down.

"Naoko, fall back!" Nikki called as she left William frozen to the floor. She advanced at a fast pace toward Xander. "Now, I get a piece of you too."

"No you don't!" William broke free of his trap and swept his ankle under her feet, knocking her to the floor before he even got up.

"Augh! FUCK you!" She launched a kick directly into his face, making his nose explode with blood.

"William!" Katy exclaimed, not loud enough for him to hear.

Xander began sending Aura Spheres at Nikki from mid-range as he was instructed by his battle partner. They struck her but barely addled her as much as Katy would have hoped. She couldn't believe her Pokémon was fighting a human. And fighting a human hard.

William was finally back on his feet, his nose pouring blood down his chin and neck. He managed to grab her in a headlock, but she quickly broke free by shoving her hips backwards and knocking him off of her. She spun around, swinging an icy fist. He ducked the strike and landed a hefty right to her middle. Xander kept throwing Aura Spheres. Nikki was getting overpowered. Christian was cheering.

But then she kicked it up a notch.

She yelled in effort and frustration and a chill swept through the warehouse that blew back Katy's curls and caused the Ralts in her arms to take cover in her pullover.

The whole arena dropped twenty degrees instantly. Nikki plunged her fist in the air and a spike of ice drove up from the floor, right next to Xander, nearly spearing him from the bottom. Another sprouted near William and he staggered away from it. Nikki spun around with blades of ice flying out toward Xander and William. Xander ducked and William shattered the blade with an uppercut of fire before he closed back in and took her back into short range.

This pattern continued. Xander's Aura Sphere would wear her down enough for William to corner her and she managed to get free and go after Xander. She was targeting him now. Katy watched her Pokémon take icy punch after icy punch, flinching and gasping every single time. Xander did as he was told; he kept moving. But it wasn't enough.

"Hrah!" Nikki flung her arm out and icicle spears flew from her hands toward the Lucario at alarming speed. He tried to protect himself in time, but all he could manage was to block with his arms. One of the spears pierced his arm and he barked in pain.

"Xander enough!" Katy yelled. "Come back!" She promptly whipped out his Ultra Ball and before he could even fully turn to look to his trainer, the light had captured him and pulled him inside his capsule. That was it. She couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry, William," she said under her breath. Christian rested a hand on Katy's shoulder.

Now it was one on one. William was getting tired, she could tell. But then Christian informed her of something she had forgotten. "He's using a ton of energy for both his regular Ability and his Special Ability. I don't know how much longer he can go, even as a Level Ten. She's absolutely a Ten too."

Katy glanced at Christian. "Has he ever fought another Ten before?"

"I don't know."

William caught a punch and twisted Nikki's arm, making her yelp as he landed a solid punch to her jaw, knocking her back. He threw a wave of fire and it enveloped her until the cold air spiked around the two of them and ate the flames, making them disappear in seconds.

"This doesn't work like a Pokémon battle," Katy shook her head.

"Not at all," Christian assured. "Especially for them to be the same Level. They're practically evenly matched. But Boss is stronger. He can bring her down."

"But she's faster!" Katy advocated, "and seems to be able to take a hit quite well."

"We're nearing the end. One or both of them will run out of energy cells or will just be too exhausted to keep fighting."

"He should just back out now," Katy growled, wincing as an icicle sliced his upper arm as it grazed him.

"Something tells me that if he doesn't give her all he's got, she won't decrypt our files. He's gonna have to do his best, win or lose." Christian clenched his fists, tiny flames licking his knuckles. It seemed he was getting emotional watching his friend take a beating.

But in spite of the beating he was receiving, he was delivering much the same. Later, Katy would find herself beyond impressed with both of these Deviants and their Abilities and sheer combat skills. But right now all she could do was hope that William wouldn't be hurt beyond repair.

The man grabbed the dark-haired girl and slammed her into a nearby crate before launching an exploding punch toward her head. She juked the strike, making him dent the metal where her head had just been and she kneed him in the gut, followed by grabbing his shirt and attempting to toss him down. But he wasn't going down. William was too heavy for her to throw around like a ragdoll. She on the other hand was well within a weight class he could toss around if need be, and he used her weight as an advantage.

She rushed him and he caught her tackle with flaming hands, burning her arms quite badly until she was forced to retreat back and blast him with more frigid temperatures that left the oxygen in his lungs like breathing tacks. He reeled from the cold but managed to dodge her next punch and caught her next kick, flipping her to the ground where he jumped on top of her and launched his fist into her face, making her mouth bleed. Another punch, her nose was bleeding. He reared back again.

Nikki threw up her hand, palm out—but no ice came from it. It wasn't an attack.

It was surrender.

William kept his flaming fist reared, his chest heaving and blood still dripping from his nose.

She coughed then spit blood out next to her on the concrete floor. "I'm done," she choked out.

The flames on his fist died and he let his arm down.

"YES!" Christian pumped his fist.

Two of the warehouse workers rushed over and William shakily unstraddled himself from her hips, promptly falling on his butt and then lying down on the floor.

Katy and Christian ran forward, each of them going one of his sides. "William!" Katy leaned down and smoothed his dark hair away from his sweaty face. "Look at me. Do you need to go to the hospital?"

He lie still on his back and looked up at the two of them hovering over him, his eyes a little crossed and one of them already beginning to swell. "That sounds pretty good," he breathed.

"You beat her, man! You did it! You and Xander!" Christian ruffled William's hair.

"He sure did," said Nikki as two men helped her up to her feet. "Hahaha, he sure did." She spit more blood onto the floor before straightening to her full height and putting her hand over her ribs. "You see, Milord? That's the kind of fight… that I live for."

He didn't even lift his head to acknowledge her, still panting where he lay on the concrete.

"That was a brilliant match. Katy? Your Lucario is impressive and, might I say… makes an excellent duel partner. I'm a little bit jealous."

Katy kept her hand on William's shoulder, looking up at Nikki, mostly like she was crazy but now with an ounce of respect. The Ralts had since wiggled free from her grip and climbed down to William's chest where it let out a tiny gasp at all the blood that stained the collar of his shirt. She lay her little head against his rising and falling chest.

"I'll decrypt your files. Tomorrow. After we and our Pokémon have had a well deserved rest. You gonna be okay, Milord?"

He lifted his thumb up.

"Good. Now get out of here before my supervisor comes down to inspect the ruckus." She walked away at a slow pace, flanked by two men, who handed money to each other behind her back.

Christian looked back down at William. "You hear that, Boss? She's gonna decrypt the files for us."

"Super," he grunted in response.

"Come on, William. Let's get you and Xander some treatment." Katy got under the man's shoulders and attempted to lift him. With Christian's help, they were able to get him to his feet. The blonde offered his shoulder for support but William lazily waved him off, continuing to limp on out of the warehouse. Katy picked up the Ralts and followed, thanking God that this was over. But now she had seen her first Deviant/ Pokémon duel. And what a duel it was.