Chapter Twenty Two – Evelina of Victory
Evelina
She was finally here. It was finally happening.
Ten thousand people were crammed into Bywater Amphitheatre to watch the opening ceremony. The seventy or so competing Tigerlilies were gathered together in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by the elliptic sweep of the crowded stands. The crowd was salted with journalists and photographers representing the battling magazines; there was a radio crew in the commentator's box at the top of the stands, broadcasting live. Eve grabbed Josh's hand and squeezed it excitedly. To the left, Whitney was sitting in the front row with her apprentices. For once she wasn't the most prominent celebrity in the vicinity – because at a podium beneath the big scoreboard, the reigning Champion of Sinnoh was speaking.
"There's an inscription on an ancient granite tablet in Amity Square, written with Unown-script. The words inscribed there completely changed my life. 'When one life meets another, something will be born'," she quoted.
"Only if it's a mummy life and a daddy life," Eve said flatly.
"Shut up," Josh hissed, clenching his jaw to stop himself from laughing.
"- yes, I used to dream of nothing other than becoming powerful by being victorious in battle. I knew, though at the time I didn't fully understand, that even the same species of pokémon have unique personalities -"
"Fancy that," Josh said sardonically.
"- that I read the inscription, I decided to get to know each and every one of them better. And then, after meeting more and more pokémon, learning more of their ways, something completely new began to stir within my soul -"
"A tapeworm?"
"Shut up!" Josh repeated with difficulty, choking back a giggle.
"- I'm sure because of our meeting today, something powerful has been placed in each one of us," the Champion ended on an impassioned note. She stepped demurely away from the microphone. Applause and cheers broke like a thunderclap; Cynthia was briefly illuminated by a staccato burst of camera flashes. But Eve wasn't watching the Sinnoh Champion – her eyes were on the woman who stepped up to the microphone.
Victoria Pemberton! The Imperial Champion regarded the crowd with a faint smile, graciously waiting for the applause to die down. Of course, Eve remembered, she was Lady Pemberton, knighted and armigerous. There weren't many Ladies with their own heraldry, even now. Pemberton reminded Eve of a phrase her grandfather had been fond of: 'Aged like a good brandy'. Pemberton possessed a patrician air, with her fine, ivory-coloured suit and steel grey bob cut, her Imperial Champion badge shining from her lapel.
"Whenever I entered a tournament, the moment I looked forward to the most was always the opening ceremony," Pemberton said in a clear voice. "Victory is sweet. To be the victor of the tournament is sweeter still, but ah … the opening ceremony is a moment of unbridled possibility, of anticipation.
The next five battles will not only test your knowledge, and your skill, but also the bonds between you, your pokémon – and your partner. Because there is never only one Tigerlily Champion, but two. So be mindful of this moment. Because every tournament is a time that can only be once, and will never be again."
A contemplative hush filled the amphitheatre. "And to the victors, the prize!" Pemberton declared, breaking the mood. "The Champion's purse will be three thousand dollars apiece. Further to that, each winning Tigerlily will also receive a Pokédex HANDY913i. Now, to the battles!"
The scoreboard behind her ran a brief animation, showing the names and headshots of all the competitors. The chief referee stepped forward, marked out by his gold jersey, and began to explain the format of the Tourney. It wasn't for the benefit of the Tigerlilies. They'd all received a copy of the rulebook and timetable when they arrived that morning.
The Tourney Heats would be fought as a round-robin of three-on-three single battles. For the round-robin, each battling couple would be split up and placed into a block with two other Tigerlilies. During the Heats, a win earns three points, a draw two, and a defeat none. A trainer who finishes the battle with two pokémon still able to battle earns an additional point; with three, an additional two points. At the end of the round-robin each battling couple's scores would be combined, with the highest scoring couples moving on to the knock-out doubles tournament.
Eve squeezed Josh's hand again and looked around at the crowd of thousands, savouring this moment that could only be once. Five battles. Five battles equated to five victories as far as Eve was concerned. I am going to seize the glory of being the next Tigerlily Champion. Broadcast live on regional radio. Ignore that, Mother.
Eve sighed happily. The moment was like being in the middle of a battle. All she had to do was take the initiative.
The sea breeze rippled through Eve's hair, fresh with the subtle hint of salt. Bywater Amphitheatre was sited on the top of the headland south of the river, away from the noise and bustle of Central Goldenrod. At the back of the amphitheatre, the grounds ran all the way to the cliff edge, dotted with stubby, windswept araucaria trees, bounded on the seaward side with a stone wall. A wingull surfed on the wind, crying its lonely "Gull, gull! Wingull!"
Eve leaned with Josh against the parapet, lagging behind the other Tigerlilies. She gazed northwards along the Goldenrod coastline, taking in the suburb of Bywater, the wide line of the river, the skyscrapers of Central Goldenrod, the container port at Cheapside on the fair side of the bay. Josh was ignoring the view of the metropolis, looking out west across the sea. He was unusually quiet, eyes closed as if meditating. Occasionally he took a long, deep breath of sea air. At times like this, Eve wondered what the world looked like seen through his eyes.
A PA announcement broke the peace. "Attention please. The Block K battle between Melissa Evans and Florianne Favager will begin on Court One at twelve-thirty pm. Trainers, please report to the court referee."
Eve nudged her friend with an elbow. "We'd better get going," she said.
"Yes," Josh replied as Melissa. "Do I look alright?"
"You look ravishingly feminine," Eve said reassuringly.
Bywater Courts weren't far from the amphitheatre. Each battlefield had stands next to it with capacity for a couple thousand spectators. Eve gave Josh a quick hug before he checked in with the referee – she went to stake a claim on a seat while there was still space. The stands were steeply terraced concrete rather than tiered chairs, with a standing bay at the front and back.
Florianne appeared to be reasonably confident, tapping her heeled boots impatiently, apparently eager to start. Josh quickly checked the wind while the referee took up position, trying to pull his cloche hat further over his head. Eve felt herself tense up, wondering what Florianne could do … whether Josh would be equal to the challenge.
"This will be the Block K battle between Melissa Evans of Marion Town and Florianne Favager of Couriway Town! Each trainer may use three pokémon and both may substitute freely. The time limit will be one hour! Simultaneous release," the referee paused to give them time to select a pokémon. "Begin!"
Josh quietly selected his magnemite, while Florianne released an arbok. It was a little on the scrawny side, with scales that were a pale, sinister cream colour rather than the usual violet. Screwball materialised facing backwards, apparently on purpose.
"Arbok, utilisé Enroulement, puis rappoché et attaque avec Boue-Bombe," Florianne ordered.
The screeching rasp of Metal Sound rang out; Arbok didn't appear to react as it slithered in close with its hood lowered. Dragon Tail, it'll be Dragon Tail, Eve thought confidently. Either that or an attempt to bludgeon Screwball into the ground with Iron Tail. Arbok suddenly reared up, hood flaring, and squirted twin streams of muddy slurry from its fangs. The attack was fast and deadly accurate – but Screwball simply spun up and away, precisely enough to get clear. It fired a crackling Charge Beam, landing a hit on the astonished arbok squarely in the hood.
"C'est rapide," Florianne remarked, apparently taken aback. "D'accord, Arbok, Fire Fang!" she ordered before adding something in Kalosian. Eve smiled mirthlessly. Advantage, Josh. Whatever trap Florianne was trying to set up, Josh wasn't going to fall for it. He signalled another brief string of orders – she thought she recognised a 'dodge' in there somewhere.
Arbok circled Screwball, followed by a blank magnemite stare, its head drawn back as if ready to strike. Fire Fang really was a ruse, since Arbok loosed another Mud Bomb. There was no telegraphing, no way to dodge – unless Screwball knew what was coming. It calmly rolled away – the slurry spattering harmlessly into the field – snapping off another Charge Beam, zapping Arbok right below the head. The snake reeled and hissed; Screwball adjusted its aim and slammed a third Charge Beam into its heart.
"Arbok!" Black, acrid smoke billowed up. Arbok was flung backwards through the smoke, thudding onto the field like a length of thrown hosepipe.
The whole thing lasted about six seconds.
"Yes! Call it!" Eve shouted. This was a good start, a very good start.
"K-O, K-O!" someone yelled.
"- unable to battle! Magnemite wins."
Florianne slowly recalled her arbok. Her arm dropped loosely down to her side. She was looking rather stunned, even at a distance.
"Florianne, select your next pokémon," the referee prompted.
"Oh. Um … bien," Florianne said vaguely, visibly pulling herself together. "Ne crever pas, Croâporal!"
Her second pokémon was a lean blue frog, sitting back on his haunches. A collar of off-white foam bubbled around his neck. A Pokédex chattered from further up the terrace: "Frogadier, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It can throw bubble-covered pebbles with precise control -"
"Return," Josh said, recalling his magnemite. An odd move, but this was Josh. There'd be a plan in there somewhere. "Ivysaur, battle's on."
Josh signalled a few orders: Keep to left field, be defensive … something. Ivysaur padded a few yards to the left, keeping his eyes on Frogadier.
"Camouflage, Vibraqua, Poing-glace!" The dark blue skin on Frogadier's head turned a nondescript grey as he changed type from Water to Normal. At the same time he started charging a Water Pulse -
"Nature Power!" Ivysaur's gorgeous golden yellow flower opened – a slender beam shot out, alternately flashing orange, blue and yellow - Frogadier abandoned the Water Pulse to dodge the Tri Attack, breaking into a bounding run. His powerful legs propelled him swiftly towards Ivysaur with almost no effort.
"Harass!" Josh ordered. Ivysaur extended his Vine Whips and snapped them down in Frogadier's path, trying to make the approach as difficult as possible. Frogadier darted back and forth, dodging under and around the Whips with remarkable agility. Suddenly he changed his axis of movement entirely, and leapt up high, condensation trailing from his fists. He plunged down, struck out at Ivysaur, then hastily hopped away. It looked impressive, and drew a big crowd reaction, but the Ice Punch was only a glancing blow.
"Hé, Ivysaur, génial, de chez génial!" Josh called. The crowd noise dimmed as the quicker thinkers worked out the implications. They weren't lost on Florianne, either.
"... fils de pute," she said. Her frogadier looked comically shocked, his yellow eyes wide.
"Nature Power!" Josh snapped, Frogadier promptly getting blasted off his feet with an aggrieved croak.
"Euh, Brouillard!" Florianne ordered, rallying well. Her Frogadier disappeared behind a thick Smokescreen – a fairly sensible move. The wind tugged at the edges of the smoke cloud, pulling it out into a ragged haze that drifted over the right side of the battlefield. The right side of the field. Josh never failed to study the field before a battle. One thing Eve had learnt from him was that the environment of the battlefield often held a hidden advantage, if you looked for it …
Josh swept his hand vertically down – the signal for Sleep Powder. Now the reason why he had ordered Ivysaur to keep to left field became apparent – the wind picked up the Sleep Powder and dispersed it widely over the right side of the battlefield, far more widely than Ivysaur could have managed by himself.
With a triumphant "Frogadier!" his opponent hopped out from the middle of the Smokescreen, Ice Punch at the ready – inevitably, right into the Sleep Powder. He yawned hugely, swaying and stumbling. Poor Florianne, Eve thought, only a little smugly. She did feel a bit sympathetic. Frogadier, along with several other amphibian pokémon, could respire through their skins. This adaptation was partially responsible for their impressive agility, but it did carry a disadvantage – a permeable skin also let other substances into the bloodstream. Such as Sleep Powder.
Eve gladly started to relax, since Josh had the battle firmly in hand. His calm, his battle sangfroid, was near perfect. Probably determined not to let me down, may the gods bless him. Right, time for a chant.
"Cook- I mean, Evans, Evans, Evans!"
Some of the other spectators took up the chant, as Ivysaur picked up Frogadier and carefully slammed him head-first into the field.
"Evans! Evans!"
Block K, Day 1
Melissa Evans: 5
Florianne Favager: 0
Dionne Page: No battle
Electricity flashed on Court 3, where the first Block H battle between Morgan Harwich and Lucy Stack was taking place. Eve was watching the bout with Josh in the standing bay at the front of the stands; Josh with his notepad out, Eve wielding her Pokédex. Little Lucy Stack wasn't faring well, her first pokémon having been knocked out in very short order in the face of Morgan's raichu. Eve remembered Morgan from the dance in National Park a week ago – that raichu, then, would be her ace.
Morgan Harwich was dominating the battle, not only tactically, but visually. From Lucy's point of view – on the back foot and struggling to keep going – she must have looked as intimidating as a Gym Leader, leather jacketed with a mustard yellow top, eyes hidden behind oval sunglasses. Morgan was terribly straightforward in her tactics, using brute force to sledgehammer her opponents into exhaustion.
"Glaceon, use Hail!" Lucy yelled. Clouds formed above the field – only above the battlefield – and a stinging hail started to fall. Out of the corner of her eye Eve spotted Josh do a tiny double-take. She followed his gaze to the two Unovans in the opposite standing bay, both watching the battle closely. It took Eve a moment to bring their names to mind. The shortish girl, the one adorned with pink and purple hair decs, she was Georgia, Georgia Lovelace. The other was … Winters, Eve recalled.
Just then, Lovelace noticed that they were being observed, and nudged her friend. Winters gave them both such a shrewd, penetrating look that Josh actually flinched back. Eve held her gaze, though the pelting ice obscured their view. Winters was a striking girl, her dark skin tone contrasting sharply with the ash grey of her turtle-necked blazer. She held Eve's gaze as steadily as Eve held hers. At that moment they were rivals, or at least, Eve hoped Winters was thinking the same thing -
"Heyy, awesome sweater dress! See, we match!" a woman suddenly exclaimed, thoroughly disrupting the moment and giving Josh an unexpected jolt. The cheerful newcomer was indeed wearing a sweater dress identical to Josh's. She radiated innocence, with a fetching little snub nose and a big grin. Her head was covered with a nun's black veil.
"Sorryy! Did I startle you?" she said, again in a relentlessly jolly tone.
"Iron Tail!" Morgan commanded – everyone looked back at the battlefield in time to see Raichu unmercifully slam Glaceon across the spine. There was a chorus of sympathetic groans. Lucy slowly recalled her stricken glaceon and sent out her last hope, a furret.
"Ooh, I'm glad I'm not in Block H now!" the newcomer remarked.
"Oh, you're competing too?" Eve said.
"Sure am! Me and my buddy Sister Mara. Oh, silly me! Sister Guinevere – oh, call me Ginnie – Municipal Sisters of Mercy."
"I'm Evelina Joy, Cherrygrove City. This is Melissa, she's from Marion Town."
"Hi! Then we are rivals, yo," Ginnie said with a kind of glassy zeal. "I'm real excited to be here. We had to call in a favour from the Abbess to get the time off."
"So you won't try to convert me?" Eve joked.
"Not unless you want me to!" Ginnie laughed. "I'm afraid I might get a divine thunderbolt through the bonce if I didn't!"
Eve giggled in turn, not because Sister Ginnie was especially funny, but because her cheerfulness and casual attitude towards her faith was rather charming.
"Heads up," Josh said quietly, "she's using Charge."
Fat sparks fizzed from Raichu's cheeks. "Thunderbolt," Harwich ordered.
"Rai, ai!" Raichu roared.
"Dodge it, Furret!"
Raichu unleashed the Thunderbolt. The brutal, searing blaze of the lightning-filament flung deep back shadows across the Court. Fire flashed at the impact point. And then, the deafening, tearing crash.
"Oh my …" Josh breathed. Furret was lying motionless in the middle of a large burn mark. The referee scrutinised it very closely before declaring Morgan the winner.
"Take it from a Joy, Tigerlily Morgan only just escaped an excessive force violation," Eve said gravely, watching Lucy cuddle her furret helplessly. Gently prompted by the referee, she recalled it to its Poké Ball. She wouldn't look up at the referee, her opponent, or the crowd.
"Well, you sure lived up to your potential," Morgan said pointedly. "You raise pokémon like that, you deserve to be a loser."
Lucy hurried from the field, her shoulders shaking. "I'm not having that," Josh muttered unexpectedly. He ran off along the stand towards the stairs at the end, weaving around spectators.
"Excuse me, Sister," Eve blurted out, chasing after him. He took the steps two at a time.
"Hey, Miss Stack!" he called out, his feminine voice cracking a little. Lucy half-turned, frowning and avoiding his eyes. "Good battle."
"What?" Lucy said, almost incredulously. Tears were running down her cheeks in spite of her valiant attempts to keep her expression neutral.
"Losing a battle doesn't make you a loser," Josh reassured her, entirely sincerely.
"I couldn't do anything! No p-plan, no s-strategy, she just blasted – and blasted – and now my p-pokémon -" Lucy wept, what was left of her composure collapsing like a sandcastle. "She's right, I am a loser, I … I -" she lapsed into incoherent sobbing.
"Every lost battle is an opportunity to get better," Josh said, without a trace of awkwardness in the face of her tears. "So get your pokémon treated, cry, if you want to. Then think about what went wrong and what you can do better next time." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Don't give up just because one girl decided to be a spiteful bitch."
Lucy stared, sniffing and hiccuping, as if not quite sure what to make of him. "Kind of want to hug you right now," she said in a small voice.
Oh, fiddlesticks. His phoney tits might look convincing enough but they wouldn't feel it.
"Hug your pokémon," Josh deflected. "They were the ones who fought for you."
"… thank you," Lucy said, wiping her eyes. "I won't forget you, um?"
"Melissa."
"Melissa. Thanks."
"Parliament Oak Centre is nearest!" Eve called after her. Once Lucy was discreetly out of earshot she took Josh's hand and squeezed it tight. "That was a really nice thing you just did."
Josh just shrugged.
"You didn't have to do that," she persisted.
"Harwich didn't have to be cruel either."
Eve felt a warm rush of affection well up from her diaphragm. For all that she called Josh 'sweetling' he could often be irritable to the point of downright sour. That particular personality trait got tiresome, sometimes, and the City seemed to aggravate it. And then there were moments like this. Irritated because he couldn't stand casual cruelty.
"You ready for your battle?" he said.
'I'm not having that'. She smiled and squeezed his hand again. "You afraid I'm not?" she teased.
"No."
"Good. Because I am ready!" In truth, this was no empty swagger, though she did feel a distinct frisson of nervousness. She didn't need solid strategies to be ready, or hours of study with her Pokédex. Her pokémon were entirely fit and healthy, she'd battled and drilled with them incessantly; they knew her almost as well as she knew them. More than anything else, she was excited. The feeling was like a warm glow in her belly, co-mingled with the other emotions of the moment. Excited, eager now for the chance to seize her own five points.
Ursaring roared in fury and frustration. He slashed at the sleeping Pineco but only succeeded in punting her across the battlefield. There was a flash of blue as a fragment of Reflect sheared off under his huge claws. Eve pulled a face, not because she was concerned about the Slash, but because the blow still hadn't woken Pineco up.
Hers was the first battle of Block B, against a fellow Cherrygrove girl named Joslyn. Strange to think that she may well have examined that ursaring when he was a teddiursa. Eve pulled another face and stamped impatiently. She didn't like having to wait in the middle of a battle. Couldn't be helped though; Gail was tired and Eve was reluctant to send Lyra up against such a physical attacker.
"Try a Rock Throw!" Joslyn suggested. Ursaring tore up a chunk of battlefield and bowled it at Pineco. It shattered dramatically to no obvious effect. "Quickly, um, use your Fury Slash!"
Fury Slash was exactly what it sounded like. That is, Ursaring charging Pineco and raking at her with both paws. He was making a fine mess of her ablative armour, shredding the bark into fibrous lint, but with Iron Defence and Reflect combined Eve doubted she was taking much damage.
There was a sudden crackle of detonating Pin Missiles, obscured by Ursaring's roaring as he covered his face too late. Yes! Back in the game. "Take Dooown!" Eve hollered. Weight made up for the sluggish speed of the attack – Ursaring's eyes bulged as Pineco caught him right in the stomach.
"Come on, um, suck it up! Gimme a Seismic Toss!" Joslyn yelled.
Nope. "Pineco, return. Gail, you have the honour!"
As usual, she was thrashing at the air before she'd even fully re-materialised, rising into the sky half-formed and screaming in an attempt to be even louder than the roaring Ursaring.
"Pidgeotto again? 'K, Rock Throw!" Joslyn ordered. Twin chunks of concrete whizzed through the air, each almost as big as Gail herself. Wow, that's accurate. Gail jinked around the first and folded her wings back to dodge the second, plummeted from the sudden loss of lift and skimmed away hardly a foot off the ground. The field surface was littered with the detritus of battle – coarse, gritty dust and pulverised concrete. Eve found herself laughing aloud. The environment of the battlefield often held a hidden advantage.
"Let's put a stop to that Rock Throw!" Eve declared, snapping her fingers. "Start with Sand Attack!"
Gail swept a blast of the coarse grey dust right into Ursaring's eyes. Eve winced – that would need to be treated with a thorough lavage - "Now, Twister, the best you've got!"
Gail beat her wings hard to stir up the Twister, shaping it with frenetic bursts of flapping. The vortex turned dark and ominous, saturated with grit and smashed concrete, lit with flickering sheets of cobalt lightning. Though she made a gutsy effort, her weary pidgeotto couldn't keep up the attack for long. As her wingbeats slowed, the Twister disappeared – revealing Ursaring, battered, swaying, and stumbling.
"Come on, get it together!" Joslyn yelled encouragingly. "You're still going!"
"Pidgeooo!" Gail screeched challengingly, rolling into a dive.
"Wait!" Eve commanded, looking to the referee for a ruling. Gail circled for a few seconds, lost patience and started to dive again.
"What did I just say?" Eve snapped.
"Come on boy, just a little more!" Ursaring looked like he was beginning to refocus.
Hm, no ruling, ok. "Now you may Tackle."
The thump of Gail's talons sinking into Ursaring's back was followed by a grunt and the thud of his knees hitting the concrete. Up came the red flag.
"Ursaring is unable to battle! Pidgeotto wins!"
Jocelyn was showing sterling composure with two pokémon down while Eve still had all three; although Gail was still refusing to rest in between matches, Eve noted to her annoyance. She's showing off again, she thought, resolving to recall her as soon as the tide of battle turned.
"Ok," Jocelyn said with a deep breath. "You haven't won yet, Evelina Joy! We won't give up, so you'd better not let your guard down! Let's pull this out of the hat, Lopunny!"
Lopunny … The first thing she did was stick out her rump coquettishly, looking for all the world like a stout kick would send her blubbing – but then, all lopunny looked like that. Time to take the initiative, Eevee-girl.
"Go ahead, Gail, Tackle!"
Gail started her dive from a decent height, not as easily as she usually did and slow in transitioning from flight into attack. Lopunny casually hopped aside, forcing Gail to hastily swing her talons back and fight for altitude.
"Lop!" her opponent said, tensed her legs and sprang into the air in pursuit. Her fist flicked out, knocking Gail from the sky.
"Oh!" the crowd gasped. Lopunny's Dizzy Punch hit her in the breastbone, where her flight muscles were anchored.
Tide has turned. "Return, Gail. Now this is why I keep telling you not to charge around unnecessarily," she told her through the Ball.
Eve snapped Gail's Fast Ball back onto her chest, taking a moment to think. Now that Gail was well and truly spent, that left Pineco – moderately damaged – and Lyra. I want my five points!
"Alright Lyra!" She flung Lyra's Poké Ball up as high as she could. "You have the honour!"
Lyra materialised over fifteen feet up, punching with all four fists to limber up.
"Agility!"
"Reflect!"
The commands rang out so fast that they overlapped. Lyra repaired her battered Reflect shield with fresh hexes just in time to turn a glancing Dizzy Punch. The irony was that her ledian's flight would be entirely cancelled out by Lopunny's jumping prowess – and therefore vice versa. Her superior speed, though, would make dodging difficult. Hm, ok then.
"Lyra, make sure you keep renewing your Reflect!"
"Try another Dizzy Punch!"
"Behind you!"
[Righto!] Lyra called, promptly clicking her wing cases shut. A few Reflect hexes smashed, the curvature of her armour deflecting the rest of the impact. Lopunny glanced behind her when she landed -
"Thunderpunch!" Eve yelled.
- forward rolled to escape a direct Air Cutter hit, taking a laceration to the back of her calf. Lopunny spun on her knee and met an Iron Fist-enhanced Thunderpunch coming the other way that slammed her down onto her back. She kicked out to buy herself a moment's respite from Lyra's sparking fist.
"Fire Punch!" Joslyn yelled, refusing to be backed into a corner.
[Whoops,] Lyra said tersely, Lopunny's fist burning a couple of inches from her thorax.
Sodding Fire Punch. Should I switch to Gail? No, she's exhausted.
"Air Cutter!" Eve ordered intuitively. "Take her to pieces!"
A barrage of Air Cutters sliced down from Lyra's wings, kicking up billows of grey dust in the midst of which Lopunny jinked and leapt around the etheric blades carving gouges in the concrete.
[How fast can you run, Flopsy?] Lyra laughed as her opponent was showered with concrete shards from a near miss. Despite what the taunt might suggest, she was actually concentrating hard – Eve could see it in her movements.
"Circle, um, Throw!"
Springing up over Lyra's last attack, Lopunny grabbed her around the middle, spun gracefully and hurled her at Eve.
[Aaargh, you dratted …] Lyra cursed, her wings buzzing shrilly as she tried to stabilise herself, [fluffy arsed – what the?]
Lyra suddenly dematerialised back into a cloud of red light and returned to her Poké Ball. Instantly another one popped off its clasp like a leaping magikarp – Eve snatched it out the air without really thinking – and burst open.
Her pokémon was materialising on the surface of the battlefield.
"Pin Missile!" A flight of pins snaked out even as the light from Pineco materialising faded. Lopunny squealed as much with surprise as from the pain of a full flight of missiles detonating.
"Return, Pineco! Lyra, Thunderpunch!" Eve called, throwing her Poké Ball as close to Lopunny as she could.
"Um, um … Circle, no, dodge it!"
Joslyn's indecision cost her – trying to obey two orders at once her lopunny took Thunderpunch full on. Discharging electricity sprayed in crackling arcs.
"Alright, keep it up Lyra!" Eve yelled encouragingly, trying to see through the glare.
There was a sudden roar of fire. The middle of the field exploded into a cloud of shattered Reflect hexes. Lyra flew backwards through the scintillating blue shards, her exoskeleton scorched black.
Bollocks, bollocks, wrong move! "Forget Reflect, use Air Cutter again!" Eve briskly commanded. Lyra vented her frustration with a saw-toothed buzz – almost a Supersonic – while she spiralled up to gain height.
"Here we go again!" Joslyn laughed. "I told you not to let your guard down!"
For half a minute there was a sense of déjà vu, until Lopunny sidestepped into a pothole. Air Cutter slashed into her shoulder; she went down violently with a twisted ankle, blood spraying from her shoulder.
"Now's our chance, Drain Punch!" Eve shouted, feeling her pulse quicken. Lyra pounced. Yellow ribbons of light unravelled from her fist, turning into green spirals that trailed behind, rippling in her wake.
"Quick, Fire Punch!" Joslyn yelled. Lopunny brought her fist up desperately.
There was a blast of green light. Lyra rose backwards away from her opponent, all four of her fists displayed. [And that's match!]
Lopunny wasn't moving. The referee sprinted over to her while the crowd cheered as if Lyra had won. Eve watched the referee with her heart pounding. Come on, confirm it, confirm it!
"Lopunny is unable to battle! The match and the victory goes to Evelina Joy from Cherrygrove City!"
Eve threw her head back with a relieved sigh. We did it. Battle won, no losses. Five points. She squeezed tight the charm she'd got from Rhia Victoria's shrine. She'd got the edge she asked for.
"Five points!" she yelled to the crowd, raising a fist in triumph.