Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.

Chapter Fifty-Five: Super Cyan Battles!

After a journey that involved battling several Trainers that specialised in Flying-type Pokémon (referring to themselves as 'Bird Keepers') and manoeuvring through a maze, Red and Kiiroshi arrived in the place known as Cyan Village upon the latter's Tauros.

Cyan Village was a small settlement, even smaller than Pallet, evidenced by the fact it was a village (who'd have thought it?). Every building they saw was no more than one-storey high, there were few shops, and there were no roads, only dirt tracks that crisscrossed through the grass and around the village.

The duo arrived at night and quickly settled in the local Pokémon Centre, eager for the rest and recuperation they and their parties desperately needed. But not without registering for the tournament the next day obviously, called by the Cyan Village Council 'The Super Duper Awesome Incredible Get You Hyped Up For The Indigo League That's Going To Blow Your Socks Off (If You're Wearing Socks, That Is. We Don't Judge. I Mean, Walking Barefoot Is Amazing, Isn't It?) Tournament!'.

Red laid on his bed, looking up at the wooden ceiling, Pikachu curled up into a ball by his feet. It was merely a friendly tournament, nothing at stake, the reward for the winner being a collection of the eight known vitamins, but still his stomach squirmed. He had to take advantage of it, prepare himself mentally for the Indigo League should he collect all Badges, and use it as a method of giving his Pokémon more experience.

There were only going to be sixteen competitors, meaning a maximum of four rounds for each Trainer, each one capable of picking a maximum of three Pokémon to compete, so he had to plan his team accordingly.

Should he go all in with his strongest team members? Should he test the ones with less battle experience? Should he make them do rock-paper-scissors to decide?

As Red pondered over which three would comprise his team, sleep caught up to him, and he fell into dreams of battles, exhilaration, and nerves.

o~o~o~o~o

Cyan Village seemed very quiet when Red and Kiiroshi arrived the previous night, although the lateness at which they entered the village could be blamed for that. But now it was like a totally different place! Well, it did have bunting trailing from building to building, a stage had been set up in the village square sometime during the wee hours of the morning, there were excited people and Pokémon about, and stalls selling food and other goodies, so maybe not a totally different place, but the excitement was still contagious at least.

"Looking forward to it?" Kiiroshi asked Red as they wandered the village, easing past the villagers and random Pokémon such as Psyduck, Bellsprout, the two versions of Nidoran, and many more.

"Yeah!" Red said, taking care not to lose Pikachu in the crowd. "I can't wait to get started!"

The competition was to take place next to the stage on a makeshift battlefield, where spectators could sit and enjoy the warm sun and red-hot Pokémon bouts. On the stage was a middle-aged woman with greying, flyaway hair, and next to her was a table on which the vitamin prizes were set.

"Welcome to Cyan Village's fourth annual 'The Super Duper Awesome Incredible Get You Hyped Up For The Indigo League That's Going To Blow Your Socks Off (If You're Wearing Socks, That Is. We Don't Judge. I Mean, Walking Barefoot Is Amazing, Isn't It?) Tournament!' Or simply the Cyan Village Day Tournament," she said, her voice reverberating through the crowd. "To our newcomers, I am Mayor Mayer, and I hope we're all looking forward to an amazing time and witnessing the incredible skills of the Pokémon and their Trainers! Now, before I drag on and on, I will declare the tournament officially started. I mean, remember that time I droned on about that Meowth that stole my socks. Nice, warm ones too. Wonderful colours, red, blue, green, and yellow. Has anyone actually seen that Meowth or my socks since then? I would really like them back and –"

A thin man with overly large spectacles darted onto the stage and whispered into her ear.

"You say we found my socks?"

Whisper-whisper.

"And you say I'm wearing them now?"

Whisper-whisper.

Mayor Mayer pulled up her trouser legs, revealing brightly coloured socks.

"Oh. Okay," she said. "But what about that sneaky Meowth? Did we apprehend it?"

Whisper-whisper.

"Ah, so it turns out my Meowth doll is not the real thing, and I simply misplaced my socks onto my feet."

Whisper-um-whisper.

"I'm super happy again!" Mayor Mayer shouted jubilantly, pumping her fist skywards. "Okay, let the Cyan Village Day Tournament begin! Enjoy, Everyone!"

An applause went up along with some whoops and cheers. Red and Kiiroshi exchanged quizzical looks before deciding to not comment any further on the situation.

"Battle time?" Kiiroshi said.

"Battle time," Red said.

o~o~o~o~o

Red was the third one to battle, where victory would give him a rather quick passage to the quarterfinals. And who did he use in that fight? Why, Lo, of course! And boy did it do Red proud against that boy's Shellder, crippling it with Thunder Wave before annihilating it with Thunder Shock and Headbutt. Granted, Shellder was not the most terrifying of foes here, but it would do Lo some good considering its battle experience was relegated to a few Trainers and possessed Rockets who, it must be said, were ridiculously below par. Red revelled in the victory, as did Lo, who took great delight in guzzling down a metal spoon as a treat.

Kiiroshi cheered for him, and he returned the favour, urging her on as her Flareon, Furea, faced down against a Pidgeotto. A Fire Fang and Take Down took the bird out before it even had a chance to attack.

"Boom!" Kiiroshi whooped, giving Red a high-five. "We're both through! Hopefully the battles will get tougher later on."

"Yeah," Red said, grinning. "And when we meet, I'm going to beat you."

Kiiroshi wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. "No chance. Did you see how awesome Furea was? She and my other two aren't going down to you."

"Oh really?" Red said, jokily pretending to be unimpressed. "Then, I take it you didn't watch Lo battle? Otherwise, you'd be running scared from us."

"Ooo, that is so scary," Kiiroshi said, running her fingers up Red's spine. "Maybe I should just give up now."

"You could, but I do need to beat you. I'd feel better about it."

Kiiroshi punched him softly in the arm. "Won't happen." She paused, eyeing Lo who was devouring a pocket watch. "Still, your – Lo, is it? – makes me wary. I've never seen a Pokémon like it before. I don't know its type nor its Ability, so it's unpredictable."

Red shifted uneasily. "Er… it's a rare Pokémon. Um… I know it's a pure Steel-type, but I don't know its Ability myself. And… um… oh, would you look at that, I'm up again soon." He composed himself and jerked a thumb over at the battlefield. "Hey, how much trouble do you think that girl will cause me?"

"Not as much trouble as I will," Kiiroshi replied, thoughts of Lo gone from her mind instantly. "Just don't get overconfident and lose, okay?"

"I won't," Red said, plucking a Poké Ball from his belt and giving it a smile. "I'm sure she'll do me proud."

o~o~o~o~o

Snorlax yawned and scratched her belly, appearing uninterested in what she was called out to do.

"Are you ready, Snorlax?" Red asked. "You've got this awesome strength we've got to test out, and this tournament is the perfect time to do so."

Snorlax yawned again. She sniffed and the smells and sights of all the food caught her attention. Her mouth watered and she took a step towards the stalls.

"No, no, no!" Red screamed, rushing forward and trying to push back the one-thousand-pound creature, to no avail, amidst laughter from the crowd. "Food is for after! Come on, I need you for this battle! Come on, just one, tiny, itsy-bitsy battle! Please, Snorlax!"

Snorlax stayed put, as though fighting her Trainer's command as well as the overwhelming urge to guzzle down the delicacies before her. Fortunately for Red, in the end she took up her battle position again.

"You done?" his opponent asked.

"Yeah, we are," Red said, his cheeks crimson. "Sorry for that."

The Pokémon his opponent sent out was one he had seen often enough, a fox-like, humanoid being with a thick tail, two pointed ears, a red star on its forehead, a thick moustache extending from either side of its snout, three wavy lines on its stomach, and three digits on its hands and feet. It was mostly yellow with a brown chest (no, no, it was not carrying a chest).

Kadabra, a Psychic-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Abra. It emits special alpha waves from its body that induces headaches just by being close by.

"No need to worry, Snorlax," Red said. "You can take it easily."

And she did, enduring a Psybeam before tanking a second one far more easily thanks to Amnesia.

"Snorlax's endurance will only go so far," his opponent said smugly. "So how about a taste of this: Focus Punch!"

Red gulped. Darn it, a Fighting-type technique.

Kadabra closed its eyes, concentrating. It curled its fingers into a fist, drawing wisps of ethereal blue light to it.

"Headbutt, quickly!" Red shouted.

Snorlax stomped forward and bowed her head, ramming it into Kadabra's face. It was a clumsy attack, almost missing the Psychic-type, nowhere near to knocking it out. But it was enough; Kadabra's eyes flashed open, plagued with sudden confusion and worry, and the blue light it fist was producing vanished, like the spot in the middle of a television when you switch it off.

"Darn it," his Trainer hissed.

"Body Slam!" Red roared, and Snorlax collapsed forward onto Kadabra, her great weight sending it to the same place she would hopefully send many of hers and Red's future opponents.

Red shook his head and puffed out his cheeks, yet still managed a huge grin. A fantastic battle debut for Snorlax, was it not? Well, a victory usually would be, and the money his opponent paid him after was not too bad either.

"You were brilliant, Snorlax," Red said after congratulating his opponent on a battle well fought. He turned to look at her. "You're going to be so useful in our Gym Battles and –"

Red's words stopped coming forth, replaced by a groan and then by a panicked scream as he rushed to stop Snorlax from eating all she could see.

o~o~o~o~o

Red stood before his next opponent, a young man in overalls called Perry, Cubone standing before him, timidly, reminding him of Charmeleon before he evolved.

"Hey," Red said, kneeling before him. "Don't be nervous, okay? Just focus on having a great battle and having fun. This is your first proper fight, so no pressure, okay?"

Cubone nodded back at him and held his bone club aloft, his trembles lessened. Pikachu patted him on the back, Lo gave him a hug, and Snorlax, well, she was lying in the shade munching on food the residents were only too glad to feed her, claiming 'it was better than letting it all go to waste after the festivities were over'. But she did wave a lazy arm over in Cubone's direction.

Perry's Pokémon was an obvious Flying-type, one Red had seen before in photographs at school, although he was more used to another variant of it. And like Cubone, it also wielded a weapon, unorthodox like the bone, but perhaps not as threatening on account of it being a leek (the vegetable not the ones that ruins bathrooms and kitchens and movies). It was a brown, feathered Pokémon with a white underbelly, three feathers that stuck up on top of its head, and black feathers that formed a design that looked mightily like a unibrow. Its beak was yellow as well as its webbed feet, its tail was stubby, and its wings were wide, and, amazingly enough, capable of holding its leek as though as if they were hands.

Farfetch'd, a dual Normal and Flying-type Pokémon. The plant stalk it holds is its weapon. The stalk is used like a sword to cut all sorts of things.

"Farfetch'd, huh?" Red said under his breath. Not an ideal opponent for Cubone, but they would make do. Besides, even if they happened to lose here, he could say he got to the semi-finals of his first ever competition, as small as it was, and Cubone would have successfully taken part in his first Trainer battle. No pressure.

"Cut," Perry said.

Like Tackle, like Scratch, like Pound, like those kinds of moves this one did what it said on the tin, a rather unimpressive name that perfectly described its rather unimpressive effect.

However, that was not to say it would not hurt.

Farfetch'd slashed its leek at Cubone, raking him across his chest, drawing out a cry of pain. A second one almost knocked Cubone's bone from his grip. A jab from Farfetch'd's beak pushed Cubone away, leaving his helmet askew, scarcely holding onto his bone.

"You're good, Cubone," Red said, ignoring the fact he had not even had the chance to issue an order. "Now, use Headbutt!"

Cubone charged forward, but he was inexperienced, legs not powerful enough to propel him to the speeds he needed to cover the distance between him and his foe quickly. Farfetch'd nimbly jumped out the way and swiped at Cubone's back with another Cut, sending him stumbling forward, down on one knee.

Headbutt after Headbutt failed, resulting in Cubone taking more Cuts and Pecks, so much so he ran back to Red, tail between his legs, shaking his head frantically.

"Don't get discouraged," Red said, bending a knee and speaking into Cubone's ear, casting a wary eye over at the referee, who tapped her watch. "Like I said, this is your first fight. We're just seeing how well we battle together, right? It's meant to be fun. And I'm getting a fine idea of what you're best at and how we're going to improve in other ways. But if you want us to forfeit, then there's absolutely no shame in it. But I think I know how to beat Perry and his Farfetch'd, and we can do it if you continue. It's up to you."

Cubone looked over at Lo and Pikachu, who gestured encouragingly at the battlefield, at Snorlax who was dozing off, and then at his Trainer, whose grin warmed him, stopped the shaking in his legs, the hollow feeling in his stomach.

He joined Red for a reason, didn't he? He had no one else, so he would trust him, him and the rest of his new Pokémon family. This journey would help him become stronger, and to do that he had to battle as often as possible, no matter if it was in a minor tournament like this, the Indigo League, or against… them.

He would battle for his new family.

He would battle for his mother.

He would battle for himself.

Taking a deep breath, Cubone trudged back out onto the field.

"You can do it," Red whispered, before shouting, "Okay, Growl!"

Farfetch'd's wings flew to its non-visible ears as it was overcome by Cubone's cry.

"Keep going with Growl," Red said.

And Cubone did, Growling at Farfetch'd, who shook its head, trying to vanquish the din that bounced about in its head.

"You think those attack drops are going to do anything!" Perry shouted, scowling. "We'll just keep on hacking away! Cut!"

Ah, there it was.

Red smirked. "Bone Club."

A hush fell over the audience before quizzical and excited whispers took over. A Ground-type move against a Flying-type? How preposterous! What was this Pallet native playing at? Even Kiiroshi looked doubtfully at Red.

However, the club did not pass over Farfetch'd's head harmlessly, avoiding the Flying-type even if it would have been impossible for it to dodge the move. No, it and the leek connected, locking the two combatants into a stalemate.

"What?" Perry said. "There's no way Bone Club should've blocked Cut! Just use it again, Farfetch'd!"

And Farfetch'd did, only to find it blocked once more by Bone Club. And again. And again.

Now, many would be wondering what the heck was going on because it was common knowledge that Ground-type techniques do not naturally affect Flying-types. Offensively, that is. But Cubone was not using Bone Club to attack Farfetch'd itself, oh no, it was simply using Bone Club to counter the leek, the source of the bird's frenzied Cuts, easier than it would have been courtesy of the Growls.

It was advantage Cubone.

"Good work," Red said. "Now Headbutt."

Swiping away the leek with his club, Cubone took the opening and rammed his skull into Farfetch's face, before shielding himself from another Cut.

Headbutt again.

A defensive Bone Club.

Headbutt for damage.

Bone Club as the saviour once more.

Eventually, thanks to the alternating attacks, Cubone whittled away Farfetch'd's health until its leek fell from its grasp and it flopped onto its belly.

Cubone had won.

"Yes!" Red whooped, scooping Cubone up and swinging him around. "What a battle! See? We did it together and came through!"

Cubone wiggled his legs, waving his club vivaciously, giggling and cooing. He then leapt down, high-fived Pikachu, and shared a hug with Lo.

Perry grumbled but gave Red a curt nod before taking his Farfetch'd off to the side and reviving with something that looked like a yellow star piece (a Revive if you must know, but you do not, so just ignore this).

"Colour me surprised," Kiiroshi said, holding out her fist to Red. "I thought you were done for, but you had something all along. Congrats on that battle you two."

"Thanks, Kiiroshi," Red said, bumping his fist against hers. "And now it's time for you to win your battle so we can meet in the final. Are you going to use your third option?"

"Yep." She produced a Poké Ball and grinned. "You're not getting intimidated yet?"

Red smiled slyly. "Are you?"

"Not on your nelly." Kiiroshi advanced to the field. "Watch and learn, Red."

o~o~o~o~o

In Kiiroshi's second round battle, Red found himself admiring the skill with which Ella the Electabuzz moved around the field, toying with the opponent until she took it out with a Thunderbolt.

It was no different in the semi-final.

Kiiroshi's next choice was a blue duck, over five and a half feet tall, with a cream-coloured beak and cream-coloured webbing between its three fingers and toes. Four spikes stood atop its head like a crown. It glared at the opposing Trainer's Magnemite, swinging its thick tail in anticipation of the battle.

Golduck, a Water-type Pokémon, and the evolved form of Psyduck. Its long, slim limbs end in broad flippers. They are used for swimming gracefully in lakes.

"Thunder Shock!" the Trainer called out, and the Magnemite's magnets spun around, charging up electricity that fired from the screw on its head. Yet the attack was slow, Golduck capable of evading with as much ease as someone would take to chew gum.

"Aqua Jet, William," Kiiroshi said, tightening the bobble that helped her hair stay in its ponytail style.

Miniature geysers erupted from William's feet, and the Golduck zipped across the field with this sudden burst of speed, bodychecking Magnemite, who reeled, left open to the finisher that was Water Pulse.

The audience praised Kiiroshi and her Golduck, and Red did too, but looking at the audience, he could not help but think they already had a favourite to win the final.

Well, whatever. As long as everyone was having fun, right?

Kiiroshi and William waved to the crowd, and the former winked at Red, mouthing 'Do you still think any of your Headbutt trio can beat us?'.

Red stepped forward, cap askew, chest puffed out, his confident stare more than enough of an answer.

o~o~o~o~o

William appeared as fresh as ever on the battlefield, not needing a break nor a Potion not anything at all. Well, the bout against Magnemite was nothing more than a mere warmup, just something to get the juices flowing and the blood pumping.

And opposite him was who, you wonder? Well, it was Lo, of course! Cubone's type disadvantage would not be too helpful, would it? And the only way Snorlax was going to be of any assistance was if she knew Snore or Sleep Talk, which she did not.

"I hope you're Red, ready," Kiiroshi said. She pursed her lips and shook her head. "Sorry. I meant I hope you're ready, Red. Think of this as a precursor to our battle at the Pokémon League." She winked. "That's if you manage to get eight Badges."

Red's mouth curled into a grin. "Oh, you know we will. We're going to take everyone by storm, just you wait and see."

No more talk.

The battle began.

Instantly, almost miraculously, Lo managed to shock William, almost bringing him to his knees, so quickly Kiiroshi barely had time to issue an order.

Nevertheless, they were not phased, and the subsequent Thunder Shocks missed their mark as William sped around the field with Aqua Jet, popping Lo with a few sucker punches here and there, only Acid Armour saving the Mythical Pokémon from further damage.

Red gritted his teeth, face contorted in concentration as his mind tried to unravel the secrets that would swing the battle in his favour. Aha! All they had to do was slow him down with Thunder Wave! William could not dodge forever, and when Thunder Wave would hit, it would be susceptible to an onslaught of Thunder Shocks and Headbutts.

As expected, the first Thunder Wave missed.

The second did too.

However, the third did not miss.

You see, it could not miss for Lo did not use it. It could not use it.

Before Lo could try another Thunder Wave, William's red pupils shone an eerie blue, freezing Lo into place for a split second. But it was not Glare or Leer or Scary Face or anything like that. No, Kiiroshi asked for a Disable. That one command robbed Lo of the ability to use Thunder Wave. Not forever, mind you, not even for the rest of the battle, but long enough that Red and Lo were firmly put on the backfoot.

"Lo!" Red shouted, head feeling like a computer with the wires and other components suddenly short circuiting, "go for Thunder Shock, then!"

Lo did, only to be overcome by a watery pulse, blasting the liquid metal nut-head onto its back. Before Red could adjust to a new strategy, another Water Pulse put him and his team one-nil down.

Kiiroshi and William high-tenned (is that a word?) each other as the audience cheered, clapping their hands and stamping their feet as the basked in the glow of the heated Pokémon battle.

Red sighed and recalled Lo. "Thanks, Lo, you did so well. I'll get you some scrap metal as a treat."

"You almost got us at the start," Kiiroshi said, knocking her fist against her head. "I sort of underestimated your, um, Meltan, was it? That won't happen again."

"I'd hope not," Red said, sending forth his last fighter.

Kiiroshi furrowed her brows. "Cubone? Ah, you did beg Snorlax for only one battle, didn't you? Doesn't help that she's almost comatose now. In that case…"

William disappeared into his Poké Ball.

It was Red's turn to furrow his eyebrows. "Why are you returning him? You've got the type advantage."

"William needs a rest, so I might as well use my second," Kiiroshi said. Her eyes narrowed yet she still displayed a mischievous smile. "I won't underestimate you. Who knows, maybe Cubone would've been able to set up on William and sweep?"

And who did Kiiroshi send out? Furea the Flareon or Ella the Electabuzz? Both of whom Cubone had a type advantage over… wait, what?

Ella's body glowed with running electricity as she leered at Cubone, who shrunk slightly under her stare.

"Are you sure you're not underestimating me, Kiiroshi?" Red asked. "Even Furea's STAB moves would at least be neutral against Cubone."

"Believe me, I'm not," Kiiroshi said, pushing away a loose thread of hair away from her eyes. "But I hope that you won't underestimate me now that you've got the type advantage."

Now, normally any Trainer would've been ecstatic to have a type advantage in a battle, but there was something off with the fact Kiiroshi actually picked the worst possible type to take on Cubone. Why? Did she feel she could achieve victory because of Cubone's lack of experience? Or did she have another trick up her sleeve?

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, questioning why on earth any sane person would try to fight Ground with Electric, why she would not let William continue to fight even if he was getting tired. After all, what chance did a tiny Cubone have against a powerful Water-type like a Golduck?

"Cubone," Red said. "We're going to hit hard and fast, okay? But remember, no matter what happens, you've still been awesome this whole competition, and I hope you've had fun."

Cubone's grip tightened around his club, his heels digging into the ground. He lowered his head and tried to meet Ella's eyes.

"Battle begin!" the referee hollered.

"Bone Club!" Red roared.

Cubone dashed forward and raised his club over his head, swinging it back down in an arch, about to strike Ella in her midriff…

… only for her to vanish.

That was not an exaggeration, that she moved so quickly it was as if she had vanished. No, she indeed disappeared into thin air, there one minute and gone the next, Cubone's club hitting the empty space Ella previously vacated. She popped up behind Cubone and tackled him with Quick Attack.

"Nuts," Red said. "Bone Club again."

"Another Teleport," Kiiroshi said, and Ella raised two fingers to her forehead and transported herself instantly to another part of the battlefield.

Red had never known that an Electabuzz could use Teleport. He had only ever thought a Psychic-type would ever be able to adapt to using such an impressive technique, but here was Kiiroshi and Ella proving him wrong. Despite his precarious position, his heart swelled with pride at the fact that he was enjoying such experiences, learning so much while having the time of his life. However, the battle was not yet over.

Weakening Ella with Growl seemed like a fine idea, giving them a long-distance option, yet that failed too, the Electabuzz Teleporting just out of range of the Growls' most potent area of effect whilst getting a handful of Quick Attacks in, including the dreaded (for Red) critical hit. It did not look good, did it? If only they had another move, one that could strike their foe from afar…

Wait! What was Cubone's fourth move again?

Oh, yes. That one. They had not tested it even once, but was this entire tournament not simply a means to train the Pokémon he had not had many chances to use thus far?

In that case, this would be the perfect opportunity for it.

"Cubone!" Red shouted, throwing out an arm for that extra dramatic flair. "Bonemerang!"

Cubone flinched, looking from his Trainer to his club, lifting it and letting it drop to his side again before hurling it with as much force possible at Ella.

Ella did not dodge.

Ella did not use Teleport.

She did not even try to block it.

She did not have to perform any of those actions for the bone club sailed a million miles over her head.

"Oh," Red said.

"Oh," Kiiroshi said.

"Oh," the audience said.

"Oh," Arceus said, invisible to everyone below.

A slight wind blew a small puff of dust across the field, and the sun seemed to hide away behind a puffy white cloud in embarrassment.

Cubone turned his head to his Trainer, eyes tear-filled.

"No, no, don't cry, Cubone!" Red said hastily, waving his hands like rapid metronomes. "Come on, you've been doing fine! This is practice. This is fun. Let's finish this battle, okay?"

Wiping his tears, Cubone turned lethargically back to Kiiroshi and Ella, a metaphorical dark cloud hanging over his head, his confidence from the battle against Farfetch'd faded.

"That was… something," Kiiroshi said, scratching her cheek in a bemused fashion. "It looks like Cubone still needs a bit of practice." She sighed. "I was having fun, but I guess it's time to end it. Ella, use –"

Ella suddenly stumbled forward, wincing and hissing, struck by something that bounced off the back of her head and travelled towards Cubone: his club.

Of course! Bonemerang hits twice!

"Catch it and go in with Bone Club!" Red yelled gleefully. "She's off-guard!"

Responding to his Trainer's call, fighting back against the sickening embarrassment and disillusionment with his throw, Cubone ran and jumped to meet his club.

Yes! Now they could get in one solid hit with Bone Club. They could –

Cubone fumbled his club.

Red watched as though in slow motion the bone fall to the ground, hitting it with a clatter that seemed deafening to his ears.

"Oh," he said.

"Quickly, Ella!" Kiiroshi bellowed. "Ice Punch!"

There was no chance for either Red nor Cubone to react, apart from the latter picking up his club and cuddling it. Ella clenched a fist, glaring at Cubone as the back of her head throbbed something fierce. Her fist became an icy blue, emitting wisps of frigid mist that hovered around her knuckles like glacial spectres.

Poor Cubone stood no chance.

The referee made the call: "Cubone is unable to battle! Red is out of usable Pokémon! The victory goes to Kiiroshi of Celadon City, the new Cyan Village Day Tournament champion!"

The crowd applauded and cheered, and Kiiroshi and Ella waved to them, even blowing kisses because that would probably be a fun thing to do if someone ever won something (not that one would know that).

"We lost," Red said, cradling Cubone in his arms, Pikachu leaping onto his shoulder and punching him softly in the cheek, as though saying 'That was tough and all, but you still did well, I guess'. "Oh well, it was worth it though, Pikachu. I was able to see how much Cubone, Lo, and Snorlax have got, and it was a lot of fun too. Win or lose, who cares? There's always going to be more battles to face, so we're just going to keep going, right?"

"Hey, Red."

Red took his eyes off Cubone and set them upon the hand Kiiroshi held out to him.

"That was a good battle," she said, smiling, her eyes twinkling. "You seriously shocked me. It makes me think how differently it would've gone if you had used your other Pokémon in this competition."

Awkwardly, Red took her hand whilst trying not to drop Cubone. "Who knows? But you just wait. Next time we battle, you'll have me and my team at one hundred percent, and we'll perfect Bonemerang too. You can trust that, Kiiroshi."

"I'll hold you to that," Kiiroshi said, laughing. "And our battle better be at the Indigo Plateau, all right? Preferably the League final."

Red joined in the laughter, and the two joked and giggled until it was time for Kiiroshi to be awarded with the prize and a teeny trophy that she asked to be sent to her home in Celadon.

But that was not all. To Red's surprise, as runner-up, he received a selection of battle items, namely an X Attack, X Defence, X Special Attack, X Special Defence, X Speed, X Accuracy, Dire Hit, and a Guard Spec. different coloured cannisters that was bestowed upon him in a box marked 'Silph Co.'. Not things he found useful, but nice all the same.

Thus, the Cyan Village Day Tournament (one shall not write its full name) came to an end, and Red and Kiiroshi spent the rest of the evening gorging on food, playing carnival games, and sharing stories about their respective journeys so far before, the very next morning, sitting atop Sergio and heading on their way to Fuchsia City.

And hopefully Red's fifth Gym Badge.