From the Jaws of Defeat
Inyssa had a camera pretty much shoved onto her face as soon as she walked past the Canalave Gym doors. Which, first of all, rude. Though it wasn't anywhere near the most surprising thing she saw at that point.
Past the enormous lens of the camera, she noticed the stands around the arena a lot fuller than she had expected. Like, almost overflowing with people. Not to mention the reporter-looking woman in front of them, looking at Barry and her like a hungry Braviary. She let out a surprised yelp and let go of Barry's arm.
"What the…?" Barry mumbled.
"Inyssa Dawn and Barry Paladino!" exclaimed the tall woman behind the camera, her tone boisterous. "I am Selena Viper from Sword&Pen Daily, here to ask you a few questions and film this long-expected, spectacular spectacle of a battle! Do you have a minute to spare!?"
Inyssa mumbled out a few unintelligible words before finally finding her voice. "I… we… agh." She lifted a palm in front of her face, squinting. "Could you move back a bit? I'm…"
"Oh my gosh, we're gonna be on T.V!?" Barry immediately took a step forward, almost pressing his noise against the camera. "Hi mom! Can you see me!? I'm still sorry for messing up that park… oh, and sorry to all the people of Canalave too, I guess." He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We didn't… mean it."
Selena perked up her nose excitedly. "So you admit it then? Such nerve! The rumors about you two are true, I assume!?" Her voice became more and more loud the more she spoke, to the point where it was starting to give Inyssa a headache. "After last week's incident, not to mention your previous accomplishments, the entirety of Sinnoh cannot stop talking about you two! What do you say, trainers!? How do you pledge!? Are you truly as skilled and compassionate as some make you appear, or are you simply an Association plant? Do you truly expect people to believe youngsters like you have what it takes to become the Ch-!?"
"That's enough!"
Inyssa had almost entered her 'fight or flight' mode by the time Byron's voice echoed all throughout the Gym. Leaning back as to not be punched by Selena's camera, she let out a thin breath and looked past the woman toward the approaching Gym leader, relief all over her face.
"What do you think you're doing?" the mountain of a man asked Selena, frowning. "The kids are here to challenge me, not to give an interview."
"Ah… Byron." Selena hoisted the camera over her shoulder, pointing it at him. Her voice made it very clear his interruption wasn't appreciated. "A pleasure. I'm sorry to keep you, I just wanted to ask the contestants a few questions before the beginning of their fight. I believe that it will give the audience a much more… unbiased look at these two."
Without missing a beat, Byron lifted the shovel from his shoulder and drove it forward until it was in a straight line, pointing directly at Selena's camera. The features of his face were dark and cold.
"You can question them as much as you want later," he said. "But this is my turf, and if I tell you to scram, you scram. Am I clear?"
There was a moment of silence. Selena glared daggers at him.
"Crystal."
Inyssa unconsciously looked down as Selena headed for the stands, her cheeks heating up a bit. God, why hadn't she said anything, like Barry? Why did she always have to embarrass herself when confronted by people she didn't know? Was that the attitude of a Champion? Of someone the entire region would put their trust in?
You have to bounce it back, she told herself. You gotta show them why you're the right person for the job.
"Sorry 'bout that," she heard Byron say. "Fuckin' reporters… give them a hand and they'll chomp right up to the shoulder bone."
Inyssa let out a laugh. "I'm guessing you're not very popular with the press."
"I don't need to be popular," he shrugged. "I just gotta be a good Gym leader. Speaking of which…" He hoisted the shovel over his shoulder once more, standing up proud and confidently. "You two ready? I've been looking forward to fighting ya'."
Both of them smiled in unison, hands going to their belts.
"We're more than ready," said Barry.
"Yeah, hopefully you're a better challenge than your son," Inyssa added.
Byron raised an eyebrow amusingly, his expression and posture confident enough to make even a Tauros flinch. Dear god he was tall, and built like a dump-truck on top of it. Inyssa felt like a Bellsprout facing a Machamp.
"Let's hope you're as good as people say." Byron grabbed the shovel behind him with two hands, almost leaning against it. "The fifth badge… that's where you either make or break a trainer, ya' know. This is the point where a lot of people end their journey."
Inyssa nodded, feeling a clump in her throat. She'd heard all about it. The 'fifth badge curse' as some called it, though she knew it wasn't something as silly as that. Simply put, it was the point in a trainer's journey where everything became immensely more difficult in order to truly test them. Before that, Gym leaders would usually restrain themselves in some way –like not using proper defensive type coverage or pulling their punches– in order to give their opponents a fighting chance. Starting with the fifth badge, however, things changed.
That's the part where the Gym leaders start throwing everything they have at you, she remembered Shadi's words, back when she explained it to her. You have to either be flexible enough to adapt, or be strong enough to take it head on and counter it. There is no other choice.
Inyssa bit her lip, looking past Byron toward the stands. So many people, including Selena, stared intently at them, expectant. Waiting to judge her. She needed to show the world what she was made of, come hell or high-water.
"I'm ready," she finally said, looking up at Byron with a burning gaze. "I'll fight you first."
Two Pokeballs flew through the air, releasing explosions of light at each side of the arena while gasps were head all around. Kuro emerged in front of his trainer, lifting his chin dismissively. Sparks and small bolts of electricity ran through his jet-black fur, eyes gleaming a red full of malice. He looked behind him, locking eyes with Inyssa.
Their opponent materialized on the other side, hovering in mid air and spinning on itself. Inyssa didn't need to squint to recognize it. Three metal balls with one eye each stuck together, the U-shaped magnets at the sides of their bodies spinning frantically as they shot sparks through the air. It's eyes moved independently in all directions, as though looking for something. Then, after a moment, they spun to focus on her and Kuro, and a low metallic whirr was heard. Inyssa struggled not to wince, feeling the horrible noise inside her bones and teeth.
"What… in Sinnoh's name is that thing?"
Oh, right, Uxie. She'd been so focused on the upcoming fight that she'd forgotten about its presence.
Hm? Oh, it's called a Magneton, she said inside her mind. Silph Co. created them about forty years ago to help in energy plants, but they were apparently too unruly for that. It's one of the first man-made Pokemon, actually.
"... You humans never cease to amaze me."
She chuckled. Is that a compliment?
"It's a statement."
Oh well. To be fair, Magnemite and Magneton had always creeped her out as well, though she couldn't exactly place her finger on why. Not that it mattered. She finally had the chance to beat the crap out of one.
Steeling herself, she focused on what was in front, letting the noises of the audience fade. The floor of the arena was made of sturdy rock, sprinkled all around by pieces of pure metal of varying sizes jutting out of the floor, some of them twice as tall as her and quite wider. Perfect.
"Now I'm not the kind'a guy who puts much importance on words," she heard Byron say at the other side of the arena. "So I'm just gonna say this: show me why you deserve to move past this place, lass."
"…With gusto." Her arm flew forward, cutting through the air as she yelled. "Kuro; like we practiced! Electric Terrain!"
Kuro jumped to stand on his hind legs, throwing his head back as he howled. The black of his fur turned a bright, crackling gold. With all his strength he slammed his front paws on the ground, sending forward an explosive shockwave of electricity which coiled around each piece of metal, arching back and forth as it covered every inch of the arena.
The Magneton's eyes moved all around, curiously, though it didn't seem perturbed one bit by its opponent's move. Byron simply chuckled.
"Thanks kiddo. Ion here really needed a bit of tickling to wake up," he said.
Inyssa glared at him. "Kuro's gonna do much more than that in a second."
"Let's see it then!" Byron drove his shovel into the ground, smiling like a madman. "Flash Cannon; widespread!"
Magneton's three eyes widened in recognition. It began to move from left to right at an incredible speed, its magnets spinning with enough force to send small gusts of wind all around. Then, to Inyssa's shock, all six of them detached from its body.
"What the…?"
Each magnet flew off in a different direction, only connected to their cores by a thin, yellow thread of energy. Too many and too fast to keep up. They surrounded Kuro from above and below, and once they had locked onto their target they began to glow with a blinding white light.
"Behind there!" she yelled, pointing at one of the bigger pieces of metal right of Kuro. "Jump and hide!"
There was a flash as three of the magnets shot a beam of light at Kuro, but he was gone before they could connect. A black and yellow blur was seen, and he appeared a stone throw's away. The three remaining magnets aimed and shot as well, but only hit the large piece of metal as Kuro hid behind it.
Inyssa squinted as the light faded. The metal where the attacks had connected was dented, badly. There was no way Kuro could endure more than a few of those hits. And while his speed and the electric terrain would help him dodge for now, she had a feeling Byron had a way to counter that. They needed to be on the offensive.
"They're not gonna stop chasing you!" she yelled. "Just dodge them and go for the main body!"
Kuro's expression seemed to say 'Easier said than done' as he zigzagged through the arena, dodging beams of light from all directions while making his way toward his opponent. He used the electricity on the ground to jump higher, slapping one of the magnets off the air as it fired. Two others soon joined. Kuro arched back as he fell, barely avoiding one, but the other hit him right above the shoulder. Eyes squinting in pain, Kuro landed and jumped forward once more, trying to ignore the scorching pain.
"Move around, Ion! Don't let'im catch you!"
Magneton's main body spun on itself as it flew through the air in a circle. Unfortunately, its speed seemed hampered by the fact that it also had to concentrate on controlling its six magnets as they moved and fired attacks, which meant Kuro had little trouble catching up to it.
"Hit it off the air!"
Four magnets fired. Kuro stopped himself and jumped backwards, avoiding them and putting himself out of range of the remaining two. Seeing his opportunity, the Luxray smiled. He absorbed some of the electricity running through the ground and jumped like a bullet toward Magneton, paw wound back.
A sound like the gong of a bell was heard and Magneton flew back a few feet, eyes squinting in pain. Three small dents appeared on its top head.
"Dammit Ion, fight back!"
Kuro had no time to celebrate as all six magnets closed around him once more. The battlefield became a blur of white and yellow as beams were fired and Kuro ran as fast as his legs allowed him, darting through attacks and trying to make his way toward Magneton once more.
"Keep it up!" she yelled. "Don't give it a second to think!"
She heard Byron laugh. "Not a chance, lass! Sorry to say but if you're having this much trouble with my softest Pokemon then you're probably not cut out to fight the rest'a my team!"
Inyssa did her best to ignore him The ensuing struggle lasted for less than a minute, though it felt much, much longer to Inyssa. While Kuro dodged and got a few hits in where he could, she nervously glanced at the arena itself, biting her lip, anxiously waiting. How much longer was it gonna take? It had to happen soon, right? She just had to wait a little more…
Unfortunately, Byron was tired of waiting.
"That's enough! This ain't gonna go anywhere if we keep prancing about like a buncha fuckin' Mankeys!" He thrust his shovel up toward the ceiling, smiling. "Ion, let's make sure the next one hits! Lock-on!"
Inyssa's hands tightened into fists. She saw as all six of her opponent's magnets returned to its body and began spinning in a circle in front of it. There was a gleam as all three of its eyes flashed red. Then, immediately after, three bright red spots appeared on Kuro's back. Heart in her throat, Inyssa shouted the first thing that came to mind.
"Quick; behind that pillar!"
Kuro obeyed reluctantly, his body turning into a blur of sparks as he ran. All three of Magneton's eyes followed his trajectory without trouble, the magnets spinning in front of it beginning to take on a blinding white gleam. A series of electronic beeps sounded through the arena, like a bomb counting down just before exploding.
"Flash Cannon!"
Even at his fastest, Kuro could barely get behind the pillar before Magneton fired. The beam was massive, easily matching the girth and power of the Hyper Beam attacks which that Golurk had constantly fired at them during their trial at Hearthome. Inyssa squinted at its brightness and saw as it smashed through the pillar of metal as though it were made of plastic, falling upon Kuro not a second after.
Kuro's wail of pain was heard even through the impact and the cheers of the audience. Her chest tightened. Mentally crossing her fingers, she squinted to find him through the cloud of dust and debris. There. A dark figure, slumped and barely moving. He'd been thrown pretty far; a streak of dust and ash followed all the way from the arena toward the wall separating it from the stands.
Shit, she thought, biting her lip. He began pushing himself up to his paws, but he didn't look good. The fur on his back and all around was smoking and his sturdy legs shook as much as the branches of a tree during a storm. Kuro snarled as he walked back toward the arena, eyes squinting from the pain. He couldn't take another hit like that.
Come on, it's gotta be already…
A gasp escaped her as she turned to look at Magneton. It was hard to tell, what with all the dust in the air and it spinning so much, but there it was. Its magnets were moving slower. They spun in a more erratic manner, almost… almost looking as though Magneton was having trouble keeping them close.
She moved her gaze toward the nearest metal pillar, and smiled. Thin arcs of electricity jumped from it to the other pillars and the pieces of metal sprinkled throughout the floor.
"That all you got, lass?" she heard Byron say, a smug look on his face. "Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. Now Ion, finish it with…!"
"Kuro!" She yelled out, pointing forward. "Now's the time! You've still got a bit of electricity left, don't you?"
As funny as Byron's offended expression was, she looked away and focused on her partner. The Luxray took a couple of deep breaths and scoffed, shaking his head. The look on his face was as clear as water: 'Do you even need to ask?'
"Then come on: Discharge!"
Kuro let out a ground-shaking roar, as though wanting to expel the pain from his body with that alone. In an instant all the electricity inside his body coated his mane, turning it a brilliant gold, before being expelled in a powerful explosion all around him, sparks and tendrils of electricity flying in all directions as the air shook. It washed all over the arena, including Magneton, leaving it all crackling violently.
Byron scoffed as soon as the attack vanished. "That's it? You expect to beat Ion here with a little bit of electricity?"
"Not really," she smiled. "I was hoping the pillars to do that for me."
There was a pause. "…What did yo–"
It happened so suddenly that even Inyssa jumped. All six of Ion's magnets shot away from its body, flying like bullets to the nearest pillars or pieces of metals and sticking to them. Magneton looked around, letting out distressed beeps. Its eyes squinted as it tried to summon its magnets back, to no avail. They lifted up from the pillars for a moment before returning to them.
"What in Mew's name…?"
"You know, for having named your Magneton that you don't seem to know much about positive and negative charges." Inyssa tapped her forehead with one finger, grinning. "Sorry, but your partner just got… ionized."
Kuro moved before Byron or anyone in the audience had time to process that horrible pun. Using the momentum of his running, he gathered his remaining strength on his hind legs and jumped, landing on top of a distracted Ion. The Magneton let out a high-pitched beep and moved his eyes in all directions, now even more confused than before.
"What!? Shit! Ion, shake him off!"
"Not so fast! Kuro, like we planned!"
Unable to call on to his magnets for help, Ion simply began to fly all around the arena, moving as spastically as it could in an attempt to shake Kuro off. However, the Luxray had dug his nails and the look on his face made it clear he wasn't going anywhere. He focused his gaze on a nearby pillar, and frowned. He might be out of power himself, but the electricity now running through the arena had come from him. Concentrating, he called out to it and formed an arc between himself and all four of the metal pillars.
The sudden pull was so strong that he almost fell off. His opponent was thrown like a bullet toward the nearest pillar and, positioning himself correctly, Kuro guided it toward it and felt as the impact reverberated all throughout its body. Ion let out a shriek of pain as its face was slammed into the pillar.
"Wha– how'd you…?" Byron mumbled, eyes wide in shock. "Ion, try to…!"
"Again!" yelled Inyssa, interrupting him.
Kuro concentrated once more, this time focusing on the pillar closest to Byron, at the northeast corner of the arena. The magnetic pull was, once again, almost too strong. He barely had time to lean back and raise his opponent's face toward the pillar before they slammed into it.
The process repeated a couple more times while Byron tried –unsuccessfully– to tell Ion to break free. Inyssa could see the dents starting to form and exacerbate all around the Magneton's body with each impact, bringing them closer and closer to victory.
She smiled. Admittedly, she wasn't sure her plan would work at all, considering how bat-shit insane it was, but she guessed sometimes she could surprise even herself. Kuro seemed to be having fun, too. He rode his opponent's face into the pillars over and over again, cackling to himself with an expression which seemed to say: 'Yeehaw! Welcome to the rodeo, motherfucker!'.
Or maybe that was just her seeing things. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Come on Kuro; one or two smashes more and we'll be done with that ball of screws!" Inyssa bellowed, a huge smile on her face. "Shine on, shine on! Shine on you crazy fucking Carbink!"
Byron glared daggers at her, fingers closing strongly against the handle of his shovel. He moved his gaze from her to the arena, and frowned.
"Ya' caught me off guard, I'll give you that," he grumbled. "But Ion ain't gonna go down without a fight, I assure you!"
"Yeah? And what's it gonna do without its magnets; beep Kuro into submission?"
"Heh. I was thinking more of a boom than a beep, but ya' got the right idea."
Inyssa's smile froze, her eyebrows joining over the bridge of her nose in confusion. A… boom? What did he mean by…?
Realization dawned on her just as Byron yelled out:
"There's one thing it can still do without its magnets! Ion; Explosion!"
Inyssa could barely get out a 'Son of a–' before it happened. All three of Magneton's eyes closed; its metallic body lit up like a light-bulb and it sounded as though air were being sucked toward it. Kuro froze, a hint of fear tinting his expression.
She felt the explosion in her bones. Arms crossed in front of her face, Inyssa had to lean forward in order not to be knocked back by its force. Dust and small rocks flew all over, falling over her and the stands around them. Then, there was silence. As though nothing had happened. Inysa swatted the dust with one hand, squinting, feeling her heart in her throat.
Kuro lay a few feet from her, completely immobile. His breathing was shallow. Inyssa looked up; Ion's body had fallen on the middle of the arena, blackened by the sudden release of energy.
Both of them were out of commission. Inyssa clicked her tongue, feeling a pang of regret as she returned Kuro to his Pokeball. Byron did the same a moment after, looking slightly more proud.
"T'was a nice try, lass. But you ain't gonna get one up on ol' Byron so easily."
She scoffed. "Oh please, you had to result to a self-destruct move just to secure a tie." Her arm wound back, fingers pressing strongly against a silver Pokeball. "I won't let you do something like that again."
The two Pokeballs opened at the same time, light pooling out as their Pokemon materialized at each side of the arena. Red and blue danced in a spiral around Bret as he took a step forward, scattering his petals all around him, a determined look on his face. He didn't falter as his opponent's massive shadow towered over him, the ground shaking under its weight.
However, Inyssa was taken aback. She didn't recognize Byron's Pokemon, which was strange considering how distinctive its appearance was. A living bulldozer, or at least that's what she thought it was at first. Twice as tall as Bret even when on its four legs, and at least eight times as wide, with dark, sturdy-looking stone growing around its legs, spine and stomach, like some sort of armor. And then… it's face… it was like someone had stuck a castle wall to it. Thick grey spikes jutted out of the bridge of its nose and its lower jaws, forming what looked like rudimentary eyebrows and teeth.
It was, by far, the strangest Pokemon Inyssa had ever seen. Without thinking she took her Pokedex out and pointed it forward.
"Bastiodon: The Shield Pokemon – Rock/Steel type. A prehistoric Pokemon recently revived from a fossil. The bones of its face resemble a castle wall and, due to their shape, were once believed to be its spine. They boast one of the highest defense amongst all Pokemon; it is said that any frontal attack against them, no matter how powerful, will be easily repelled."
Well… that made things slightly more difficult. Not like she didn't know how to deal with defensive Pokemon; that had been the whole point of that week's training, but there was a slight difference between defensive and completely fucking impenetrable.
"I see that look on your face lass, and you're absolutely right!" exclaimed Byron, looking at his Pokemon with pride. "I see that ya' chose a nice little grass type, so I'm guessing you're probably not counting on type advantages to win this fight. But if what you want is a battle of endurance then sorry to say, but ya' chose the worst possible opponent for that. Iudex here is my main girl; that flower wuss of yours ain't gonna be able to take her down."
"I'll decide that for myself," she snapped back. "Bret; plan hasn't changed! Come on!"
Like he had done many times before, Bret fell to one knee and wound his arms back, ready to place them against the ground. An order was heard just before he made contact.
"No chance! Iudex; use Heavy Slam!"
Okay, that big fucker could move a lot faster than Inyssa had imagined. With a strong stomp of her hind legs she pushed herself forward, covering half the arena in only a couple seconds. All the rock on her body lit up; a white, metallic sheen trailing behind her as she ran directly at Bret, fully intending to turn him into a living pancake with her face.
"Sorry square face, but I prefer waffles," she muttered under her breath, knowing that Barry would probably divorce her if he heard her. "Bret, now!"
Bret closed his eyes, dark green tinting his forehead as he concentrated. Small cracks were heard as the ground erupted beneath him, at least four dozen vines blooming in a circle around him. They moved in unison, attaching to one another and swirling around Bret until they covered him completely. It looked as though a giant flower bud had swallowed him whole.
"Brrhaaaw!"
Bastiodon crashed into it with all the strength she had, severing the vines with incredible ease. There was a gust of air, and she passed right through. Bret was nowhere to be seen. Both Byron and his Pokemon shared a similar look of bewilderment as they looked up, noticing the dozens of tiny seeds falling from the ceiling down, result of the previous impact having thrown them skyward.
Both of them snapped back to reality as another crack was heard. A clump of vines broke through a few yards in front of Byron, lifting Bret up as he made his gallant return. Sweat dotted what little could be seen of his face, and his breathing had become shallower.
"Ah…. I see." Byron ruffled his hair, lips curling into a smile. "Substitute, eh? Clever. Too bad your little flower's gotta leave a lot of his energy behind to execute that move. You ain't planning on running forever, are ya'?"
Inyssa crossed her arms, fulminating him with her eyes. "How about you wait until the end of the battle to criticize my strategies?"
"Ha! Fair enough, fair enough." Once again he raised his shovel, pointing it forward. "Iudex, give'er what she wants! Heavy Slam one more time!"
Another wave of dust and rubble burst behind the Bastiodon as she stampeded forward, face leaning down and pointed directly at Bret. Another flash of light, another burst of power all over her body. She wasn't far now; only a couple seconds before impact.
"Again!"
To Byron's utter confusion, Bret slapped his bouquets against the ground and made himself be swallowed by vines once more, disappearing underground just before the impact came. Another pile of shredded vines, another shower of seeds all around the arena.
Another cracking sound. The Roserade climbed his way out of the dirt, though considerably slower this time. As he stepped foot into the arena, his legs wobbled for a moment. His eyes were narrowed in pain.
It wasn't hard to notice Byron's face turning red, the edges of his eyes crinkling in irritation. Inyssa saw this and smiled.
"I guess you could call that an… Olé," she said, bowing to the man. "Is that all you got, Byron?"
"Tsk. Making fun of me, eh?" Byron lifted his chin and spat at the ground next to him. "A'ight, that's enough playing! Iudex; Earthquake!"
A rush of panic exploded from Inyssa's stomach outwards, making her skin shiver. This was it. The chance she'd been expecting. Byron must have realized that the best way to stop an opponent from escaping underground was to simply use an attack that affected even the ground beneath them. Ideally, she would have liked to have Bret use Substitute one more time to increase the chance of her plan working, but oh well. This would have to do.
An earsplitting roar boomed through the air. Iudex jumped up, standing on her hind legs and ready to slam the ground with every ounce of strength left in her. Inyssa threw her hand forward as she yelled.
"Now! Grass Knot!"
Even now, after having seen it about a dozen times, it still shocked Inyssa just how incredibly fast Bret could will his vines to move. He raised his hand and all of the scattered seeds broke in half. From within grew dozens and dozens of tentacle-like vines, becoming thicker and more powerful as they absorbed the moisture from the floor.
A few of them wrapped around Iudex' front legs, leaving her standing on her hind ones. She whined and shook and roared but there was little she could do as more and more vines coiled around the rest of her body, slowly lifting her up. Only a few feet up; not strong enough to do more than that. Still, enough to keep her immobilized.
"That seed trick never gets old," she smiled to herself. "Bret; in position, now!"
"Don't let him! Use Flash Cannon!"
Flash Cannon? Shit, she hadn't expected a Pokemon so big to have ranged moves, but it made sense the more she thought about it. This wasn't the little leagues anymore. Byron was trying his damndest to beat her; a varied move pool was to be expected in all his Pokemon.
Iudex inhaled deep, a ball of blinding white energy forming within her maw. It grew in size until it was half as big as the Bastiodon's head, and just before it fired Inyssa yelled:
"Down!"
Everything turned white. Even with her eyes closed and her forearm covering her face Inyssa could still feel the brightness of the attack, as well as the tremors as it connected with the ground.
However, when she opened them again she was relieved to see that Bret was gone. It took Byron a second longer than her to realize that; which was just the time the Roserade needed. The ground broke upwards at Iudex' side and from the hole emerged Bret; throwing himself high up with one of his vines. As he spun in mid-air he pointed both of his bouquets down, frowning.
"Dammit Iudex, shake him off!"
But there was little she could do, what with about forty vines wrapped around her body. She began to whine and struggle immensely as Bret landed on top of her back, both bouquets pointed straight at her spine. There was another glow; both Bret's petals and every single vine wrapped around his opponent began shining a soft green. It formed an outline around Iudex as well; little by little it absorbed the residual energy around her body and re-directed it toward Bret. The ball of light forming in front of his bouquets grew and grew, making the air shake more powerfully with every second that passed.
Inyssa grinned. Absorbing half the necessary energy from his opponent meant that Bret's attack would take a lot less to charge. Which was good, considering what attack it was.
"Now!" she yelled. "Solar Beam!"
To say there were traces of excitement in her voice would have been putting it lightly. Solar Beam had always been her favorite attack, ever since she was a child, and seeing her own Pokemon cup his hands together as he charged it, then throw them forward and shooting it point black at his opponent's back… the feeling was nothing short of euphoric.
Iudex' cry of pain was lost in the jet engine-like roar of the Solar Beam swallowing her whole. The spire of light shot upwards right after, swirling on itself. Inyssa could see it past the open ceiling, parting clouds as it dissipated high above in the skies.
Presentation? I'd say that's a ten out of ten, she thought with a smile. Now for the execution…
She squinted, focusing her gaze back down in the arena. The outline of both Pokemon was visible through the dust; Bret was down on one knee, supporting himself with one bouquet against the back of his collapsed opponent. The vines that had held Iudex had been incinerated by the beam and now the behemoth lay flat on her stomach, eyes tightly closed and tongue lolling out of her mouth.
Inyssa breathed a sigh of relief. Then she saw Iudex open her eyes and wished that she could suck it back in.
"Shit! Bret, finish her off!" She swiped at the air with one hand, tone panicked. "Magical Leaf!"
Bret hurried to move, but he was too weakened, too slow. By the time he rose to his feet and pointed both bouquets at Iudex' back, the beast had fully woken up. With a furious roar she rolled to the side, throwing her opponent to the ground with a deaf thump. Bret's body shook, exhaustion holding on to every fiber of him. Eyes closed, he placed a bouquet against the ground and tried to push himself up, feeling the tremors of Iudex' steps coming toward him all throughout his body.
"Come on; one last time!" Inyssa pleaded. "I know you can do it!"
Both Pokemon stared at each other, eyes squinted, barely able to keep themselves conscious. Inyssa couldn't believe it. Yes, she knew that Bastiodon were incredibly sturdy, even if she'd only learned it a few minutes ago, but that had been a point-blank fucking Solar Beam! Nothing should have been able to resist that.
Bret, despite his clear exhaustion, managed to lift one of his arms and aimed at his opponent, ready to attack. Then, out of nowhere, Iudex began to glow.
"That's it girl!" Byron cried out. "Finish that flower boy off with Metal Burst!"
The flash of light that exploded from Iudex' face as he said that wasn't a beam or an explosion, Inyssa could tell that much. More like… a wave. It shook the air with such intensity that it actually made her feet slip from under her, forcing her to take a little jump and almost land on one knee not to fall face-first to the ground. Through the chaos and panic she barely noticed Bret flying through the air. His body, now almost completely charred black, crashed against the opposite wall of the arena with such force that it dented the metal sheet, earning a yelp of fear from Inyssa.
"Bret!" Her voice came out a lot shakier than she would have liked, but that was the last thing on her mind right now. "Are you okay!?"
She ran as fast as she could, kneeling at her Pokemon's side and placing a hand on top of his chest. Still breathing, thank Mew. Though if the state of his body and the scattered blue and red petals all around him were any indication, he was not in good shape. She needed to get him to a Pokemon Center as soon as the battle was over.
Breathing in deep, she whispered thanks to Bret before returning him to his Pokeball. The sweetness in her vanished soon after, however, as she stood up and glared at Byron with a fury hot enough to melt iron. The man seemed to notice, judging by the way he gulped and almost took a step back.
"Sorry lass, but I ain't here to hold your hand through these battles any longer," he exclaimed. "These are the big leagues. I ain't gonna pull my punches in the slightest."
Her gaze never moved as she walked back to her spot, producing a new, silver Pokeball on her hand and gripping it so tightly the edges of her fingers turned even paler than normal.
"Then I hope you won't mind if we don't either."
There were no cheers or applauses as Shadi entered the field, the light from her Pokeball dissipating like mist around her. There were a couple gasps. A lot of confused looks from both the audience and Byron himself as well, though Inyssa might have imagined some of that. The Kricketune looked surprised too, for a moment at least, before looking over her shoulder and meeting eyes with her trainer.
Inyssa held her breath, and nodded. Her own nervousness was reflected on her Pokemon's face like a mirror, but there was something else too, outweighing it. Trust. Shadi returned the nod, turning to her opponent soon after with a rather calm look on her face, all things considered.
Byron spoke as soon as he broke from his shock.
"Well… I gotta hand it to ya', takes some big Exeggcutes to send a bug type against someone who specializes in steel types."
She lifted her chin dismissively at him. "We're not done surprising you yet. Shadi; Swords Dance!"
Unlike the last time she had executed the move, urgency and panic covering her form head to toe, Shadi simply let her shoulders fall and placed the edge of one of her scythes against the other, as though she were holding a violin. Light, sharp music flooded the air of the stadium as she rubbed her scythes together, a dark-red aura materializing around her body. Growing stronger and stronger with every note being played.
"Oh no you don't!" bellowed Byron. "Run'er over, girl! Heavy Slam!"
Iudex might have been weakened, but that didn't mean she couldn't still throw herself at her opponent like a train running toward a flimsy Surskit. A smile crossed Inyssa's lips. Unfortunately for that two-ton pile of rock and steel, she wasn't up against a Surskit, but something much more dangerous.
No orders were shouted and Shadi didn't move an inch as Iudex came straight at her. Tension built in the air like a drawn bowstring. The audience held its breath, some people even covering their eyes as to not watch the ensuing impact. Selena held her camera passionately, filming with a huge smile on her face.
Shadi opened her eyes, the aura flowing around her now thick enough to cover her completely. As calmly as a leaf falling, she lifted both arms and crossed her scythes in an X in front of her; not a hint of fear or nervousness in her eyes. Everyone but her braced themselves for an impact that never came.
There was no crash, no sound, no gust of wind. Less than an inch from her opponent, Iudex simply… stopped, and the momentum of her charge stopped with her. The Bastiodon blinked confusedly, then looked down at her feet and up again at Shadi's face, right in front of hers. The thick of Shadi's mustaches curled up as she smiled.
In the middle of the bewilderment covering the gym, Inyssa threw her hand forward and gave her command.
"Shield style!" she yelled out. "Amber A Capella!"
The now erratic aura of energy spiraling around Shadi turned a deep black as she closed her eyes and concentrated. It washed from over her toward Iudex, like a changing musical note. Then, with the delicacy of a kiss, she pushed her scythes slightly forward and barely touched her opponent.
Iudex flew back as though pulled by a rope. Though to be fair, it wasn't as impressive as Inyssa had imagined. Instead of flying through the air like a bullet and crashing against the opposite wall of the arena she was simply thrown back a few yards and landed on her back with a strong thump, the ground shaking beneath her body.
I guess it's to be expected, she thought. That thing probably weighs a couple tons.
That disappointment was soon replaced by a tingly feeling in her chest, rising up toward her lips as she smiled. Half of it was pride. The image of Shadi standing proud and powerful in front of such an imposing enemy could have made her cry if it weren't for the other half; Byron's hilariously shocked expression as he tried to come to terms with the fact that a mere bug type had knocked out one of his strongest companions.
Inyssa crossed her arms and shot him a smug look. All according to plan.
》Inyssa sat on the grass across her Kricketune, rolling a few round pieces of candy between her fingers.
"It's all about re-distribution of energy," she explained. "That's how moves like Bide and Counter and Mirror Coat work. I mean, you've experienced it before. Taking damage and then throwing it back at your opponent has been your specialty ever since I met you."
Shadi nodded, a somber look on her face.
"Unfortunately, that's not an option for you anymore. You can't keep relying on others hurting you to win battles." Inyssa looked down. There was a short, heavy silence. "Which got me thinking… is it actually necessary to take that damage?"
At that Shadi blinked a few times, tilting her head in confusion. Not that she could blame her. It'd taken Inyssa a few days to fully understand what she was thinking about herself.
"It's just energy manipulation, right?" she asked. "You take damage, absorb the residual energy and then throw it back. However… our fight with Fantina did prove that you can move that power around your body, not just expel it as soon as you get it. And that raises the question; what if you could move it around from the moment you receive it?"
With a bit of difficulty she rose to her feet, raising her palm as she moved the pieces of candy between her fingers.
"My theory is that, if you refine your abilities enough, you could absorb the momentum or kinetic energy of your opponent's attacks before they harmed you, then move it around your body and use it whenever you needed to." She began to move the pieces faster, turning them into a blur. "Which… I'll be honest, will probably be hard as hell. You'll have to let that energy swirl inside you, going from your chest to your stomach, then to your leg and up toward you arm, then to the right again… all the while moving around, attacking and focusing on my orders and your opponent at the same time and absorbing more kinetic energy with every step you take. And if you ever slip up, that energy will probably be turned against you." Just then one of Inyssa's fingers moved a moment too late and one of the pieces of candy flew off, falling to the ground. "Which won't be pretty."
"…Bele…Belele…"
Shadi's shoulders fell as she spoke, the green of her eyes looking so tired and weak. She couldn't do it. She wasn't good enough. Wasn't that the point of all this, of her having to look for another way to fight? All because she wasn't good enough…
No words came from Inyssa. She kneeled in front of her Kricketune and placed a hand on her shoulder, sending her way the most hopeful smile she had.
"Hey. I wouldn't be trusting you with something so difficult if I knew you couldn't handle it." She rubbed her thumb from side to side against Shadi's shoulder. "You're a musician at heart, aren't you? Hell, that's what your name means. The singer. So… think about it like that. Think of that energy like music moving throughout your body, every movement a different note of a long, complicated piece. Think you can do it?"
"…Bel…" The wind rustled her antennae. Shadi looked up, the tiny wings on her back moving back and forth as she felt a burst of confidence spark in her chest. "Bele! Belele!"
Inyssa nodded firmly. "I knew you wouldn't let me down. Oh, and…"
She stood up and looked over her shoulder. Then, kneeling a bit, she grabbed the book resting on the grass behind her and showed it to Shadi. Sinnohan Music Theory and Terminology was written in emblazoned gold on the cover.
"…You'll have to memorize a few of these. Can't have a cool new battle technique and not give it an awesome name, right?" 《
Inyssa could feel Byron's gaze on her, cold and questioning. He threw his last Pokeball up and down with one hand, the other one resting on the handle of his shovel which, in turn, rested on his shoulder. For once, he seemed more confused than excited.
"I'm guessing you're not gonna tell me how your little Kricketune did that?"
She shrugged, lifting both hands at her side. "Maybe after you lose. As a consolation prize."
"Heh. Cheeky little shit." Byron caught his Pokeball, but didn't throw it again. "Let's see you win then. See if ya' can stand up against my strongest partner!"
Normally the light that came out of the Pokeball vanished a second after appearing, but the glowing shape which came out of Byron's did not. It hovered in mid-air for a moment, then began to change. It grew and grew, completely filling Inyssa's vision as she lifted her head in order to even get a glimpse at what she assumed was the Pokemon's head. Then, once it had finished growing, the light vanished.
Inyssa should have been prepared. She knew this was one of Byron's Pokemon; hell, it's the one she'd prepared the most for. But even then, as the creature craned his neck down, blood-red eyes meeting with hers, Inyssa couldn't help but stare in disbelief. It was massive; easily ten times taller than she was and, judging by the cracks growing from the edges of its serpentine body, probably hundreds of times as heavy.
Unconsciously, she raised her Pokedex and pointed it at it.
"Steelix: The Iron Snake Pokemon – Steel/Ground Type. Its body has been compressed and tempered deep within the Earth's soil to the point that it's harder than a diamond. It's sharp tail and powerful jaws are capable of smashing even the hardest of metals as though they were paper."
Coincidentally, or perhaps intentionally due to hearing the name of his species, the Steelix lunged his head forward and let out what he probably considered to be his best roar. Both Shadi and Inyssa had to cover their ears at the horrible, nails on chalkboard sound. Even then she could feel it on her bones, like someone dragging an invisible sharp object through them.
"Agh! Cut that out you dick!"
"Hah! If ya' can't take the noise then get outta the mine, lass!" Byron screamed out, his voice full of energy. "The sturdiest shield and the strongest spear! Avalon here's gonna teach ya' why you shouldn't mess with steel types!"
"Oh shove it!" she replied. "Shadi, don't let yourself be intimidated by that thing! This is what we trained for; the bigger they are, the harder we'll beat the crap out of them!"
Shadi nodded firmly, slicing the air with her scythes. "Bele! Belele!"
"Good!" she yelled. "Flight style! Emerald Ecclesia!"
"Y'aint gonna win by speaking useless poetry at us, lass!" Byron exclaimed. "Avalon; Iron Tail!"
Steelix moved fast despite his massive body; the ground under him cracking as he coiled in a circle and used the strength of his momentum to whip his tail forward. Its tip, in itself bigger than Shadi, moved fast enough to become a blur. The Kricketune concentrated, feeling the residual energy within herself and sending it to two specific parts of her body.
A hail of stones erupted with tremendous force as Avalon's tail buried itself halfway into the ground. The beast snarled, focusing his gaze on the now airborne Shadi. The dark-red energy exuding from her legs, now weaker due to her massive jump, moved up to cover her wings as she flew up Steelix' serpentine body with an agility previously impossible for said wings. She challenged her opponent's glare with her own, brandishing her scythes.
"Stab up!" yelled Byron.
"Dodge!" Inyssa countered.
Avalon slithered back, unearthing the tip of his tail. Rotating slightly to the side, he threw it up toward his opponent like a gigantic needle, the tip going straight for her stomach. Shadi looked down, her forehead dotted with sweat as she concentrated to her limits. Flying out of the way wouldn't work, she realized. That meant she had to use that.
Instants before impact she sent the energy back down to her legs again, but this time she let some of it go. She was immediately propelled up and to the side. As her foe's tail missed her by inches, most people –including Byron– interpreted what happened as Shadi simply jumping off nothing. Like an invisible platform had suddenly materialized beneath her feet.
By releasing the right amount of kinetic energy from her feet she can jump in mid-air without needing a platform, Inyssa thought, smiling. Physics, bitches.
"Keep it up and hit him!"
Off the momentum of her last jump, Shadi sprung her legs and did it once more, sending the remaining energy to her wings as she flew directly toward Avalon's face, scythes wound back. In the confusion of the moment Steelix threw his head forward in an attempt to head butt her. Shadi saw the massive piece of steel coming and jumped to the side, barreling over his head as she spun in place and released the remaining kinetic force through her scythes, slamming them right between his eyes.
A cone of air exploded upwards from the point of impact. Avalon shrieked. Shock could be seen all over his face as it went down with a lot more force than should have been possible from a Kricketune's attack. He managed to stop himself before hitting the floor, his body bent in an upside down U shape and a small crack forming between his eyes. Many feet above, Shadi flapped her wings furiously as she hovered back and away from him, landing close to Inyssa.
"That's it; you're doing great!" she said. "Did you use all the energy from your Swords Dance?"
"Bele! Lele!" Shadi nodded, almost out of breath.
"I doubt he'll let you use it again; be ready to absorb some from his next attack," Inyssa advised. "Here he comes!"
Shadi didn't need to be told; she could feel it beneath her feet even before turning around. A shiver ran down her spine. Steelix slithered close to the ground at amazing speed, rocks and metal breaking down over his teeth as he advanced with his maw wide open. The red of his eyes gleamed with hatred and hunger.
"Dunno what kinda trick you're using lass, but this over!" screamed Byron. "Avalon, crush that bug with Crunch!"
"Absorb it!" she yelled. "Amber A Capella!"
Shadi extended her scythes to the side as Avalon's jaws closed around her. They held in place, though barely. The powerful tailwind of Steelix' charge washed against his tail and back, pelting him with rocks and pieces of metal which didn't even leave a dent. Shadi stood in the middle, trying to keep them apart.
Inyssa saw it; the dark-red energy, the power Shadi was absorbing from her opponent's attempt to crush her. She siphoned it toward herself like a fountain, but it was too much. It began to move erratically around her, tendrils of energy twisting and coiling at the edges of her body as though they wanted to escape. Inyssa clenched her teeth. She couldn't keep it up much longer, and if all that turned against her body…
"Throw it back at her!" she shouted, tone uncertain. "Use…"
"Not so fast!" This time it was Byron who interrupted her, throwing his hand forward. "Take'er for a ride, boy! Earthquake!"
Inyssa couldn't help but yelp. "W-what!?"
Avalon threw his head back –Shadi still trapped between his jaws– and slammed the ground with his tail as he jumped up at least fifteen feet. Inyssa could barely form a coherent thought. She saw as he curved down, ready to dive straight at the ground far beneath him with Shadi still trapped in front of his mouth.
"Shield! Protect yourself!" Was all Inyssa could shout before the crash, her voice tinted with desperation.
It felt like the world turned upside down; the ground threw Inyssa up like a trampoline as both Pokemon disappeared beneath it. Avalon's wiggling tail, or the tip of it at least, was the last thing Inyssa saw before falling on her butt and having a hail of dust and small rocks rain on her. Even then, dazed and in pain, she felt the tremors. Cracks spread all throughout the floor, turning the already wrecked arena into a complete mess of rubble and dust.
The shaking continued, even as Inyssa cursed under her breath and pushed herself to her feet, eyes blurry from the pain. She could hear the distressed gasps of the audience, but didn't care. Shadi… she could feel them moving underground. And yet she had no way of speaking to her, of telling her what she should do. All on her own, as she had believed herself to be so many times before.
Come on… Inyssa balled her hands into fists, her own heartbeat ringing in her ears. I know you can get out of this…
Fortunately the skin-crawling anxiety lasted for only a few more seconds, though they felt like minutes to her. Just when it looked like even Byron was getting worried about the possible structural damage their underground strife was causing, a sudden crack formed on the middle of the arena. It exacerbated for a moment before erupting upwards, coating Avalon's enormous body in a mantle of dirt as he propelled himself up. Inyssa held her breath, squinting as she tried to look past the cloud of rubble. Was…?
She let out a rather improper noise when she finally noticed Shadi, still there, still holding both halves of her opponent's mouth apart. A few scratches and cuts covered her body, but nothing serious. And… was that…? That mantle of energy covering her from head to toe…
S-she did it, Inyssa thought, letting out a strained laugh. I can't believe it…
"What!? She's still…!" Byron screamed out in rage. "Avalon, stop playing around and finish her off!"
"Don't let go, Shadi!"
An air-shaking roar left Avalon's throat as he slammed his head with all his strength against what little was left intact of the arena. Shadi looked behind her, drenched in sweat and dirt, and expelled as much kinetic as she thought necessary from her feet just before the impact, cancelling out the damage she would have taken. However, her opponent didn't let on. He kept pushing her harder and harder against the ground even as he tried to crush her with his jaws, the red of his eyes perfectly reflecting the immense rage the beast was in.
"That's it! We got her pinned down!" yelled Byron. "Use Flamethrower now that she can't escape!"
Both Shadi's and her trainer's eyes went wide with horror as they heard that. Inyssa noticed a faint, orange glow growing from within Avalon's skin, steam rising from the steel of his body. Shadi, however, had a much clearer look at what was happening. Past the darkness of the interior of her opponent's mouth she noticed a spark, then a raging inferno which began to travel from the depths of his body toward her, ready to burn her to a crisp.
Shit! Shadi can't absorb fire! Inyssa thought, pressing her nails against her palms in panic. Then, a thought came to her. Wait… fire? That's it!
"Close them! Now!"
Whether because Shadi had the same idea or she simply acted on instinct, she followed her trainer's orders before she'd even finished speaking them. Kicking against both halves of Avalon's mouth, she jumped back. Immediately his jaws snapped closed from his own strength. Then, before the behemoth had a chance to understand what was happening, Shadi jumped forward once more and slammed her scythes against his snout and chin respectively, sending out a constant stream of energy toward them to keep them closed.
Steelix' eyes grew wide and realization hit him; he couldn't open his mouth or stop the attack. A wave of heat crashed against Shadi as the stream of fire found only a dead end and was forced to bounce back, heating up the beast's insides instantly. He moved with a speed only born from excruciating pain, trashing back and forth, unable to scream or get Shadi off of him as his own skin began to steam and turned a bright red, the small crack on his forehead exacerbating due to the sudden and intense change in temperature.
And all throughout, Shadi endured. She could shield against her foe's attempts to slam her on the ground, but could do nothing against the unbearable heat now exuding from his body. Still, she would not let go. Not until her trainer ordered her to or…
"Now's your chance!" Inyssa cried out. "Hit him where you did before!"
Sighing in relief, Shadi let go of both halves of her foe's jaw. Immediately the Steelix threw his head back and began coughing up flames and smoke, eyes tightly closed in pain and his entire body coiling in on itself.
"Belele!" Shadi cried out, sending energy to her legs and wings. "Beel!"
A dent was left behind as she jumped, jets of air exploding around her. Avalon was still distracted. She brandished her scythes and took aim, focusing on the crack atop her opponent's forehead.
Inyssa pointed forward, her voice echoing throughout the arena: "Sword style: Obsidian Overture!"
A hollow, repetitive sound filled the stadium as Shadi slashed at Steelix' forehead over and over, like that of an electric hammer against a metal sheet. Every hit threw his head up or down, the crack between his eyes growing. Inyssa smiled as she watched; the more his metal cooled the more damage each hit would do and the easier his armor would crack. They were so close now…
"Bounce back, boy!" yelled Byron. "Iron Tail!"
Whether due to pain or anger or desperation, Avalon moved a lot faster than he'd done before. Inyssa opened her mouth to yell at Shadi to dodge, but she wasn't fast enough. His tail cut through the air like a knife through butter and Shadi barely noticed the gleam of the metal approaching through the corner of her eyes.
She felt the crash in her bones, even from all the way down where she was. Shadi's body seemed to bend around Avalon's tail and, judging by the shriek of pain she let out, she hadn't been fast enough to shield herself. Something like a yelp or a scream tried to claw itself out of Inyssa's throat but found that her heart was blocking it. The tail kept going down, ready to pummel her against the ground; it was too fast for Inyssa to be able to respond, it…
…It stopped. A moment away from the crash, Avalon's tail stopped as though frozen in place. Then it rose again, ever so slightly, revealing the gleaming figure of a furious Shadi hugging the tail as though her life depended on it, all of her power focused on her legs and arms.
Inyssa didn't need to think twice before yelling. "Now! Finish him off!"
"BEEEEEL!"
An air-shattering scream echoed throughout the arena as Avalon was dragged forward like he was made of styrofoam. Every ounce of Shadi's stored energy helped her propel the Steelix from one side of the arena to the other, his gigantic body forming an arc as he was thrown up into the air and then slammed down like a gigantic hammer.
Part of the ground gave in, thick clouds of dust and a shower of rubble exploding in a circle around the point of impact, blinding everyone in the audience. Then nothing. The world seemed to freeze as Inyssa uncovered her face and looked forward, mouth gaping slightly.
Avalon's face lay a stone throw's away from her, half buried in dirt. The beast's eyes were closed and his mouth hung open slightly, no sign of consciousness to be seen. And, taking a couple of steps forward and standing atop his tail, was Shadi. Miniscule in comparison to what she had defeated; her shoulders were down from exhaustion and every inch of her body was covered in dust and grime, and yet a triumphant smile could clearly be seen under her frazzled mustache.
A sigh was heard and Avalon's body vanished into light, pooling back toward the Pokeball on Byron's palm. Shadi's feet touched the ground, and she staggered. The strength of her body left her but Inyssa rushed forward without thinking and caught her before she could fall.
"B-be... bele…" Shadi's voice came out hoarse and muffled, since most of her face was buried against her trainer's coat. "Be…"
"You're seriously the best," Inyssa whispered, feeling her eyes water. "I love you."
"Be…"
The cheers of the audience drowned out Shadi's whisper somewhat, but Inyssa understood nonetheless. Planting a kiss on her forehead, she let her rest. The red beam of her Pokeball swallowed her and Inyssa stared down at it, a proud smile on her face.
"Niss! Holy crap!"
And then she rolled her eyes. She barely had time to rise to her feet before Barry almost threw her down again with his hug.
"That was… I… wh–" He leaned back, still grabbing her shoulders, and stuttered. "I can't even…"
"Take your time, Barry."
She noticed two things as Barry breathed in, trying to keep his composure. First was Byron as he walked through what little was left of the arena toward them, one hand holding his shovel and the other one balled into a fist, probably containing her prize. Then there was Selena and her camera, pointed straight at her.
An idea crossed her mind. She figured it was about time she started making amends, even if it was in such a convoluted manner.
But before that…
"Hey," she said, looking up at Barry. "Where's my congratulations kiss?"
Barry had little time to speak as she pulled him toward her by his arms, planting a sudden kiss on his lips. He caught up quick, however, and hugged back as he returned it. A few distant gasps were heard. Inyssa could have sworn that she felt Selena's surprise and the lens of her camera pointed directly at them.
Let them talk, she thought, beaming. I don't care.
"Ehem… lass?"
Right… Byron. Red tinted both trainers' cheeks as they separated and turned toward the Gym leader, slightly out of breath.
"I… suppose I should congratulate you for that win."
There was a bit of shame hidden in those harsh features of his, though it seemed mostly overshadowed by the big smile stretching across his face.
"I underestimated you, Inyssa," he said. "Turns out that sappy poetry you were spewing was good for something after all."
And just like that yet another idea came to her, this one more fitting for her. She faced the man as she spoke:
"You lost the moment Shadi's scythes unsheathed; their sharpness proof that she would act her deed." The smuggest of smiles stretched across her lips, one palm casually raised to the side. "You thought this bug would be your Steelix' meal, though she was much more sturdy than you thought; her heart is made of stronger stuff than steel, and tempered through her every battle fought. And whether wind or flame or stalwart stone; through hardened will and mastered skill her weakness still would never bleed into her bones."
Byron and Barry stared at her like she'd just spoken in another language, sporting hilariously similar dumbfounded looks on their faces. A voice spoke inside her mind, surprisingly not belonging to Uxie.
"That was some rather decent iambic pentameter," said Mesprit, a reluctant hint of respect in its voice. "Though that final bit could have used more polishing."
It was improvised, asshole, not much polishing I could do. She rolled her eyes. But… thanks. I guess growing up with a thespian mom can be useful sometimes.
A cough was heard as Byron cleared his throat.
"Anyway… this is yours, lass." He held out his hand, smiling. "Wear it proudly."
It was hard to stop her hand from shaking as she grabbed the Mine Badge from his palm, the coldness of its metal sending a shiver down her arm. She studied it closely. Three silver pickaxes forming a circle, the spaces between them a light brown made of some sort of gemstone.
My fifth badge…
She'd come prepared, of course. Taking her badge case from her pocket, she opened it to reveal the four other physical manifestations of her pride as a trainer. An involuntary, dreamy sigh left her lips. She'd never noticed before; the colored parts of the badges were all some sort of precious gem. Smoky quartz for Roark's badge, emerald for Gardenia's, amethyst for Fantina's and lapis lazuli for Wake's. And, if the rough texture of the one she was holding was any indication of it, Byron's was made of brown tourmaline.
Rock. Grass. Ghost. Water. Steel. Her heart fluttered as she recalled each fight, each victory attached to those badges. Only Fighting, Ice and Electric to go. Then I'll… I'll be able to…
But, as exciting as the thought was, there was something else she needed to take care of before immersing herself in it. Breathing in, she saved the case back in her pocket. Then she turned to Barry with a thin, nervous smile.
"Give me a minute, okay? I'll be right back."
Maybe it was because she was too shocked that Inyssa was approaching willingly, but Selena said nor asked nothing as the young trainer stopped in front of her camera, hands balled into nervous fists and a lopsided smile on her face.
"Hey… uh, I guess I don't need to introduce myself, heh." She swallowed, anxiety forming a knot in her stomach. "Sorry if that came off as… uh… never mind. I just wanted to say something after… what happened. Not my victory, I mean. All the… other stuff."
Oh come on, she could do this. It was just talking. She talked all the time, didn't she? What was so hard about doing it to a camera? It's not like all the thousands of people watching were… right there. Staring. Judging. In the same way the people in the audience behind Selena were…
You're being ridiculous, she told herself. You've done way harder stuff than this. Just… talk.
"Not to… sound arrogant or self-important, but I'm sure most of you have heard of me and my boyfriend Barry. There's been some… rumors, about us. Most of them true and… most of them about me, I've noticed." She let out a nervous laugh, swallowed by the silence of the arena. God. Was it getting hot or was it just her? "There's been a few hurdles in our journey. More often than not it's been me who's… given a bad name to those bearing our title, to trainers in general. And I… I wanted to apologize for that, I guess. I'm sorry to the people of Canalave for what I did to your park. I'm sorry to Sarah and my mom and anyone else who's had to put up with me when I failed to set an example of how trainers should act toward others."
She looked up briefly, finding herself pelted by dozens of curious and questioning glares. It was probable that what she was saying would only make things worse. Still, she had to. For herself, if anything.
"Even so; I started this journey to become the Champion, and that hasn't changed from the moment I left Twinleaf." She could feel her tone turning firmer, voice gaining strength. "I know that most people would think that I'm not fit for the role; they want someone kinder and taller and more imposing, not a… spoiled brat, as some have said." She almost choked on the words, as though swallowing poison. "But… I want to let all those people know that they shouldn't worry. Once I'm at the top, I'll show everyone why I deserve to be there."
Taking in a quick breath, she held her closed fists to the side and looked up at the camera, smiling.
"I swear it on my life; I will become a Champion that Sinnoh, and its people, can be proud of."
Silver Notes: Special thanks to Purloined Letter for all the amazing reviews! And of course many thanks as well to Jeff and Pano, and also eldestoyster though I doubt they'll get to here for a while.
