Phantom Rider: Chapter 10

A/N: I'm sorry for the wait, my computer crashed, but luckily I got this saved on a disk. So I was able to transfer it. This is the second-to-last chapter, I hope you enjoyed this story. Please review.

Disclaimer: Pokemon ain't mine.

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I swallow hard, thinking fast on which pokemon to send out as I recall Mike.

The Charinite, obviously part dragon, and from the flames, part fire.

Good combination, since ice is one of dragon's biggest weaknesses.

Mind racing, I search for a pokemon that might have a chance against this. I need something that's obedient, one that trusts me, and doesn't have a weakness to dragon/fire.

My fingers clasp around the chosen poke ball, and I pull it out of my backpack.

I hesitate, staring at the ball, wondering if I can really do this.

"Are you ready?" An impatient Lance asks.

I enlarge it, and slowly toss out the ball.

Charmy comes out, roaring as he spots his opponent.

Lance laughs mockingly, "a Charizard? You think that that pathetic weakling can beat something that's ten times stronger?!"

Charmy roars in defiance, eyeing Lance with hostility.

"Charmy, come here!" I shout, and he obediently flies over to me, landing in front of me.

"You are my pride and joy," I whisper, and he roars softly, pressing his head against my chest as I gently rub his head. "No matter what happens, I want you to remember that, and try your best, that's all I'm asking you to do."

"Are you ready?" A bored-sounding Lance asks, his arms crossed and tapping his foot.

"Try your best," I say encouragingly as he flies to the middle of the ring.

It is time.

"Surf!"

"Fly!"

A wave of water comes rushing towards Charmy, but he's already in the air, missing the water attack that would probably knock him out by inches.

"Use Thunder when Charizard hits you!" Lance commands.

Clever, I can't think of a way to dodge that.

"Improvise!" I shout, and hope that Charmy can find a way to do that.

Charmy flaps in the air for a few moments, uncertain on what to do, and then he dives headfirst towards the target, like he always does.

I hold my breath, thinking that maybe he couldn't figure a way to attack him differently.

Then he flips over, and attacks it...

feet first.

Charinite roars in surprise, totally caught off-guard, and doesn't attack as he crashes to the ground from the impact.

"Excellent! Now use Body Slam!" I shout even as Charinite takes flight again.

"Thunder on impact!"

"Forget the attack!" I shout.

Charmy barrels towards Charinite, pulling up at the last second at my command.

Not fast enough.

A bolt of electricity comes down, frying Charmy in an instant as he tries to pull away, sending him in convulsions as he crashes to the ground.

"Finish the pathetic thing! Surf!" Lance orders, a cruel smile forming on his lips.

I close my eyes, wishing I could tune out the roars of pain as the attack hits home on my pokemon.

I lost.

"C-C-Charmy, return!" I stammer, about to recall my pokemon.

"No, Sara, the first and last thing I want the pathetic Charizard to see is your dead body laying next to him before my superior pokemon finishes it." Lance says, insanity gleaming in his eyes.

I start to back away, only to hear the crackling of flames behind me.

Trapped.

"You have been a thorn in my side for a long time, ever since your hometown was destroyed by me. Yes," he hisses triumphantly at the horrified look on my face. "I was the one who started that fire, not some of my minions. And now, prepare to meet your parents fate."

With these words...

Lance pulls out a gun.

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I stare in shock, realizing that I'm going to die.

"This is it, Sara. The moment I've been waiting for, I'll never forget the look on your face for the rest of my life as I watch you die." Lance says, obviously savoring this moment.

"You're not going to win, Lance. Even if you kill me, there are still others that will beat you." I say, trying to drag this out.

"Maybe, but you won't be around to see it. I've been waiting for this a long time. Goodbye, Sara, or Phantom Rider." He says mockingly, and I hear a click from the gun as he starts to pull the trigger.

I close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Then, I hear a roar.

I hear Lance gasp in surprise, and I open my eyes and turn to the sound.

The sight makes my jaw drop.

Charmy's getting up.

He staggers uncertainly to his feet, swaying dizzily, but straightens all of a sudden and lets out a defiant roar at Lance.

I smile a cold smile as Lance gapes at the sight of him, "I told you to not underestimate my pokemon, Lance." I say coldly.

"It's impossible, no pokemon could recover from those two attacks, especially ones that it's weak to." Lance says, still in shock.

"My pokemon are stronger than you think," I say as Charmy flies until he's even with Charinite. "And now, it's time to end this battle, unless if you're scared to."

His eyes flash dangerously at the jibe. "Lets finish this, and make you and your pathetic Charizard wish that you were never born."

I shrug, "not before I do the same with you and your pokemon."

"You'll regret those words, Sara! Rain Dance!" Lance shouts, starting the dangerous dance again.

"Sunny Day!"

Rain starts pouring down, inhibiting Charmy's abilities and making Thunder 100% accurate.

Which, of course, I don't want.

Thirty seconds later, a ray of sunshine parts the clouds, clearing the skies, and stopping the rain.

I belatedly notice right this second that my pokedex is going off.

I reach into my pocket, pulling out my little-used machine.

There are only a few words there.

But it's enough to give me hope.

I look at Lance...

and I smile.

The tide has changed once again.

Charmy roars proudly, knowing the move that he has just learned will defeat Charinite.

"When I say now, Charmy, attack, until then, just dodge." I say calmly, and Charmy roars in acknowledgement.

"Finish this battle! Surf!" Lance shouts, probably wondering what trick I have up my sleeve.

Charmy shoots straight up in the air, flapping his wings to avoid the torrent of water that floods the stadium.

A clean miss.

"Thunder!"

Charmy tucks his left close to his side, carving a left-hand turn so smoothly that it even surprises me missing the Electric attack by several feet.

Lance growls, showing anger and desperation for the first time since the battle has started.

And this is where he makes his mistake.

"Hyper Beam!"

This is it.

If it hits Charmy, I'll lose for good, there's no way that he can withstand that powerful attack after the last two draining his health.

But, if it misses...

that's another story altogether.

Charmy waits...

and waits, and waits.

I glance nervously at Charinite, it's attack almost completely formed, wondering if Charmy will be able to dodge in time...

I hold my breath as the attack shoots towards him, wondering if he will be able to dodge.

A tuck of his right wing, slight shift in the air...

And he dodges, a clear miss.

I gasp in relief as Charinite collapses, exhaustion finally setting in.

Leaving him vulnerable as he pants on the ground, clearly exhausted.

There's dead silence, except the panting of the Charinite.

Even the audience is silent, as if they know that this is the moment that will judge all.

The only other noise is my voice, sounding like a whip cracking:

"NOW!"

Charmy lets out a roar, the loudest one I've ever heard from him.

And he attacks.

Using a move that Charizard's can only learn when they know that someone they care about is in danger.

The one the pokedex told me about...

Mirror Coat.

The damage of Thunder and Surf did to Charmy comes back.

Twofold.

A Beam of psychic energy comes from Charmy's mouth, and roaring he fires it at Charinite, who's desperately trying to get up.

Only to crash on the ground again.

Fainted.

I let out a ragged breath, blowing out all the stress, the pressure and the revenge of my parents death in that one breath.

I won.

But it seems like a loss, too, knowing how many trainers have died before Lance was overthrown.

"It is over, Lance." I say coldly as Charmy lands beside the platform and I pat him. "You've lost."

"I'm going down, but I won't go alone." Lance says, pulling out his gun, and aiming it at me again. Charmy roars, starting to go airborne. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, unless if you want your beloved trainer dead." He says to Charmy coldly.

He lands again, growling deeply in his throat.

Suddenly, a stream of water comes from the middle of the stadium, and the flames die down.

What the...?

I hear screams of: "He's got a gun!" And general chaos as the audience panics at the sight of the two fighters.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Officer Jenny fight through the crowd towards Lance.

I look down, to spot Bubbles, my Vaporeon still shooting streams of water at the dying flames.

How did she get out of her pokeball?

I get the answer a second later.

With simultaneous roars...

Two Arcanines, the same size, jump and attack Lance.

It takes me a second to realize that both of them are mine.

When and how did Buddy evolve?

Lance shoots, his aim off-balance, the bullet hitting my shoulder as I fall to the ground in pain.

Tracy runs towards me, concern on his face as I pull myself up with my good arm.

"Buddy! Sue! Return!" I shout, seeing Jenny trying to get to Lance.

For once, they refuse.

More gunshots go off, missing the audience and the two dogs, but adding more chaos.

Then, silence.

Buddy and Sue finally back off, and even in the distance, I can tell that Lance is dead from their attack.

It's over.

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Later that night, I sit at the edge of Indigo Plateau, admiring the stars.

My shoulder is wrapped in bandages, and it will heal in a few days.

Charinite is destroyed, thrown into Cinnibar's volcano, since it was considered too dangerous for any trainer to try to handle.

Buddy and Sue are with me, the two Arcanines cleared of any charges because of the situation that started it.

I find myself with one Fire Stone less, than was in my backpack.

They took the ball containing Bubbles and Buddy took the Fire Stone, evolving because he knew it was the only way, when Lance drew the gun.

I owe them my life.

"Hey," a voice says behind me, and I turn to see Tracy standing behind me, looking awkward.

"Hi." I say, turning back to the stars.

He plops down next to me, admiring the view. "How are you doing?" He asks with concern, eying my bandage.

I wave it off, "I'm fine, what are you going to do now?" I ask.

"I have tons of sketches to bring back to the lab, so I'm going to do research on that, and you?"

I shrug as I lean back, lying flat on my back staring at the stars. "I don't know, I really don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, despite the pressures from the Johto leaders. I might disappear after the final negotiations are signed between the two continents."

Tracy does the same thing, "will you keep in touch?"

"Of course. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far." I say with a smile.

"Good."

There is silence now, as the rest of the night is spent on gazing at the stars.

At the beginning of a new era...

TBC...

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A/N: Epilogue up in a week, please review.