(Ducks from Eru878's gun) Gleh! Jeez! I said I'd TRY to update every Monday and Thursday. Put that thing away, before I have to go sick Stabby the Bondage Clown of Doom on you! Or even worse, not update for weeks because I feel like working on another fanfic (actually, I've got this, and two others in the works... :P)
B Boi: sorry I didn't respond last chapter. Anyway, I never realized that the image of that place reminded people of the shadow realm.Gleh,I hate Yu-gi-oh.And Kani has a gift, remember - she knows stuff, without knowing why.
Anyhoo, the comp's still busted... so I'm screwed for a while.I can't edit, mod, or play with what I've got written up so far. So I'll be basically writing at school, or late at night. Errors will probably be on the rise... I'd appreciate it if any of you would point it out if I screw up. I swear I'll correct it when I get a chance.
Sometimes, I hate being right. I told boss dude not to replace the HD connection, and look what not listening to me got him. A paperweight computer.
Joys of being a computer nerd that no one listens to. Ah well, enough rambling. On with the story!
Chapter Twenty-one: Rematch
Chris sighed. He'd needed three days to get back to his former state, as did everyone else. Thankfully, Al was still in a good mood.
"Well, what first?"
(Gym, center, then cave. It'll be the most convincing.)
Chris nodded, and they disappeared.
Crystal gasped. The trainer that had fallen into a coma was sitting casually on the bleachers, looking around in interest. She'd never heard him come in, and she'd been in the pool for about an hour. "What're YOU doing here?"
He smiled faintly. "I got bored with being disappeared and all. What do you think I'm doing here?"
Crystal blinked, then shook her head. "Rematch?"
He nodded, smiling faintly. "As a certain movie character is so fond of saying, 'Bingo'."
She sighed, as she climbed out. "You're not going to collapse on me again, are you? You've done enough to give me a headache."
He shrugged. "I'm not going to do that again. One close-death experience was good enough for me."
Crystal glared at him. "That's not funny."
He shrugged. "It's an inside joke."
She shook her head, and motioned towards the opposite side.
The trainer nodded, and jumped down from the bleachers. He then walked around to the other side. His pokemon, she noticed, never seemed to go into a ball. They trailed him the whole way.
Chris shrugged. "Well?"
"We'll start over. Since it's clear that the match is long since past…"
He nodded, as Anekiro dove into the water again.
"You know, I'm supposed to lead off. Not the challenger…"
Chris sighed, looking at the happily splashing Dratini. "Tell that to him."
She shrugged, and started off with Seadra. "This time, it'll be different! Seadra, use twister."
(Will do.)
Chris smiled faintly. "Nice Seadra. Anekiro? Use the same. We'll see who's better."
(I'm tougher, anyway.)
(I doubt that, little dragon.) The Seadra fired it's twister.
Anekiro released his own. (At least I'm A DRAGON, and not a cheap knock-off! )
Anekiro's twister was more powerful, and the Seadra only barely managed to escape it.
"Oh, no! It can't break through… think…."
The Seadra waited patiently for his next command. Anekiro, not content to wait, jumped out of the water, then hit it with thunderwave.
The Seadra was caught in the attack. Water conducts electricity, after all.
"Seadra! You…"
Chris grinned at Anekiro, as he landed with a splash. "Nice move."
(I've got a better one.) A burst of fire spread from him, and flew towards the Seadra. (Dragon rage, to be precise. But even more powerful than last time. I got some practice while you were out of it.)
"Seadra, dodge and use smokescreen!"
It dodged the flames, and shot out ink.
Light came from the water, but Crystal had no idea what was happening. She really couldn't call out attacks when she didn't know what would help. "Seadra, take care of yourself!"
(Clueless, ain't she?)
Chris smiled faintly. Anekiro had gone after the 'hidden' Seadra with his help – he'd locked onto it, and directed Anekiro with his newly improved abilities.
The ink cleared, and Seadra came floating to the surface, obviously the looser.
Anekiro jumped out, clearly excited. He came down with a big splash. (Yay! And I didn't get a scratch! )
Crystal made a fist. "You… you're helping, aren't you?"
The trainer shrugged, and put his left hand on his head. "Just calling out advice. More or less, I can tell where a pokemon is. Nothing illegal about that."
She sighed. There was nothing wrong with it. There HAD been an attempt to ban psychic powers during battles (human psychic powers), but it hadn't worked.
She called out her Gyarados.
(Anekiro, get out. NOW.)
(Aw, but Kani…)
(It's payback time. OUT! That thing has dragon attacks too.)
Anekiro reluctantly crawled out of the pool. Kani teleported onto a land buoy, then looked smugly up at the Gyarados. (This time, you lose.)
(Try again, loose again, little cat.)
Kani shook her head, and began teleporting around, occasionally firing a psybeam.
The Gyarados tried to attack, but couldn't even keep up with her.
"Gyarados! Use Surf! That should hit it!"
The pool sank as a wave rose in it, then the wave burst down.
Kani wasn't there. She was sitting on the Gyarados's head. It had to be above the wave to not get thrown out by it. She catcalled, (Hello. My, you're slower than before.)
She attacked with a psybeam right between the eyes (she just ran onto it's nose, then attacked), and then teleported to another land bouy. The Gyarados's mouth glowed with an unmistakable hyper beam.
Kani swished her tail.
It fired.
The beam hit a barrier at an angle, and began to curl upwards. Acting like it was trapped in a pipeline, it made a U shape.
Then it hit the Gyarados.
Crystal felt like screaming, as she returned her Gyarados. What was going on? The first time, she knew they were about even. Now… "What the heck was that?"
The older boy smiled faintly. "That… would be Kani's trick she used earlier. A super-powered reflect fused with light screen. It takes up all her attention and powers… but you saw the result."
"But… when you were in a coma, she made several, and even attacked!"
He smiled, and shook his head. "That's the power of desperation. She'd kill herself before she let anyone dangerous near me."
"Cheapscape. That attack's not registered by the league."
"So? It's a composite of legal attacks. Hardly illegal, since it has it's own limitations."
"Well, let's see how you deal with someone new! Go, Lanturn!"
(I'm tired. Anekiro, deal with it.)
"Take that break Kani. You did great."
(Felt good too. Using that oaf's own attack on him.)
"That's a bit much."
Anekiro slipped into the pool. The Lanturn waved her tail politely. (Hello. I hope we have a good bout.)
Anekiro waved his tail in response. (So do I. Chris? )
Chris opened his mouth, but Kani cut him off. (Avoid electric attacks. That thing absorbs them! )
He nodded. "Anekiro, you heard the lady. No thunderwave. Use slam!"
"Thunderwave!"
The electricity flowed throughout the pool. Anekiro stiffened, but managed to smack the Lanturn with slam.
Crystal smiled. "Not so confident now, huh?"
"More or less, still am. Anekiro? Use dragon rage."
Anekiro began to glow, but his body froze. (No! )
Crystal smiled. "Lanturn, use confuse ray."
The ray almost hit Anekiro, but he managed to swim out of the way. Anekiro shook his head, and then hit the Lanturn with dragon rage.
She flew back. "Lanturn, flail!"
Anekiro tried to dodge, but flew into the pool's wall. He'd frozen again.
(I'm… not… loosing… to… a… FISH!)
His body glowed with a bright light.
Crystal paused for a moment. "Oh, no! It's evolving! Quick, use flail again!"
The Lanturn charged at the immobile form, but a small whirlpool formed, knocking her off course.
Anekiro stopped glowing. Chris blinked. 'Anekiro?"
(I'm still me. Just a bit more grown. Now, to battle…)
"Use attract!"
The Lanturn tried to act cute, and infatuate Anekiro. However, he just shook his head, and used a slam to smack her out of the pool. She collapsed from accumulated damage.
Crystal sighed, and returned her Lanturn. "Good job. You did your best."
Chris looked at the floating Dragonair – it was hard to associate the elegant form with the Dratini that had attacked him. "You… ok?"
(I'm tired, that's all. I think somehow I healed… because I sure don't hurt anymore.)
He nodded at Anekiro thankfully, and walked over to Crystal. Mathrara trailed everyone, occasionally glancing at the hovering Anekiro, or Kani. Kani was beside Chris, where she wanted to be.
Crystal looked at the elegant form, then shook her head. "I can't believe you defeated me with only two pokemon." She sniffed, then sighed. "Your… was it Anekiro? He's beautiful…"
Anekiro turned his head away, embarrassed. Chris poked him once, then laughed. "Stop it, you're embarrassing him."
"You're one weird trainer. Three days out of a coma, and you come back here."
Chris shrugged. "I had a reason."
Crystal waited for him to explain, but he never did. Sighing, she pulled out a drop-shaped badge. "Here. The Cascade badge. I take it you already have some?"
Chris shook his head, after he took the badge from her. "Nope."
Crystal seemed surprised. "But…"
He smiled faintly, and shrugged. "It's hard to explain." He shook his head, and took the proffered badge. He then grinned at his companions, and walked out. Anekiro hovered by his shoulder, Kani stayed glued to his side, and Mathrara trailed them.
Crystal called out for Mathrara to wait.
He turned around, and took the bag she held out to him. It was the money each challenger received upon beating a gym leader.
Holding it in his mouth, he ran after Chris. It weighed a lot. But he was happy with his 'chore'.
A girl like that kissing him was reward enough.
(Hey! Prize money!)
Chris grinned, and picked it out of Mathrara's mouth. "Oops, sorry. Forgot about that."
Mathrara coughed.
"Well…"
(Shit, we've been spotted. Now would be a good time to run for the caves! )
Chris shook his head. "We'll do that later. First, get us back."
Kani nodded, and they disappeared.
Chuck swore. He'd seen the kid – but that wasn't news. People saw him all over now. Since he didn't have his camera on him… no one would believe him.
