There was nothing especially notable about Bruno, except for, maybe, his giant Onix. He sat there on the other side of the stage, staring at Ryan with the determination of a true warrior. He had rough, spiky hair, tan skin, and a body covered in well-oiled muscles; he wore only the bottom half of a yellowed gi and his belt was black. When he saw the belt, Ryan got a flash of déjà vu, but alas, he didn't know why. The room was a dusty one, with a large rectangular area cut in the stone floor to produce a fighting stage. Plump rocks and boulders surrounded the stage on the two sides not reserved for challenger and foe.
The second Elite 4 member's Onix was already out. Not the giant, the boy knew. It growled and shook its tail. "Mega Drain, Spectre!"
"Gengar!" the Gengar did say. He shot forward like a punctured balloon and raced around the Onix with arrogant speed. When the Onix looked right, Gengar shot left, and when the Rock Snake Pokémon spun around to the left, he dove down the back of the hulking beast, whooping and having a grand old time.
"Keep your head on straight, Spectre!" the boy called. "Focus!"
"Gengar geng!" The Mega Drain shot from the Ghost Pokémon, and Onix was wrapped in grass type energy-sucking tendrils.
A moment later, the Pokémon collapsed, and Bruno readied his second Poké Ball. "Interesting… I did not expect that. Go, Hitmonchan! Thunder Punch attack!"
"Thunderbolt!" Ryan commanded.
His Gengar flew into the air, shooting a quick bolt of lightning at Hitmonchan. The poor wee lad didn't take that attack well, but he got up, wiped away the dust, and charged at the Gengar. Spectre was cackling extravagantly to himself when the Punching Pokémon punched him in the face. Tumbling back, Spectre got to his feet, giggled again, and flung another Thunderbolt at Hitmonchan. Bruno's Pokémon dropped like a sack of potatoes in the Hudson River.
He doesn't seem to be damaged too bad, Ryan observed. His Gengar was rubbing his cheek, but he didn't seem to be too weary or upset about the hit. This is going better than expected. The boy felt a little giddy now, felt the heat rising in his stomach. He saw a Hitmonlee follow the fallen Hitmonchan and gave his Gengar a familiar command.
"Hmmm, it appears my Pokémon has no moves that can hit your Gengar, so I'll use Double Team!" the man shouted. He was still sitting on the floor for some reason. He's like a little kid playing in the dirt.
Hitmonlee was hit by a burst of lightning and fell over, cooked nearly as bad as Hitmonchan. I've met Bruno before, Ryan thought. I can't remember where, though… When the Kicking Pokémon stood up, he ran about a bit, looking as lost as a child of the stars (a starchild, if you will).
"Double Team raises the evasiveness of the performing Pokémon by roughly one stage," Dex droned when the boy pointed the device at Hitmonlee.
"Dang," Ryan muttered under his breath. "That sounds like game mechanics, and that means we're all part of the simulation…" While brooding over how to stop being a simulation, Ryan eyed the still-alive Hitmonlee. "Why did he do that? He's just prolonging the battle." The boy eyed Bruno coldly. "Alright, Spectre, it's time we blew this joint! Thunderbolt!"
There were five Hitmonlee on the stage - four illusions, courtesy of Double Team, and one real, nearly-KO'd Hitmonlee. Gengar kept flying around, shooting Thunderbolts while Bruno called for more than one additional Double Team. Using banned moves dude, really? Suffice to say, the battle went on for a while, because Spectre couldn't find the real Hitmonlee. But this was only a stall method. Eventually, Gengar's luck would reward him.
And it did.
Landing hard, the Gengar caught his breath and wiped the sweat from his eyes. The real Hitmonlee had collapsed in a soundless spasm ahead, as the electricity snaked across his body and drained the last of his energy.
"Good work, Spectre!"
"Gengar… geng…!" the Pokémon panted.
Up next was another Onix. It ran into the same problem as the first one. Restoring his health (all of the health that Hitmonchan had taken with that weak Thunder Punch of his) from the leeched energy, Spectre stood up and whooped like an amateur whooper. Grinning and taunting the sitting Bruno, Spectre awaited the fifth and final Pokémon this Elite 4 member would use.
"This Gengar is powerful." Bruno's voice was like a rock slide. "And, unfortunately, it appears my Machamp only knows Fighting moves…"
"Oh." Ryan bit his lip coyly. "I guess that means I made a good decision leading with Gengar!"
"Yes, you did."
"Hypnosis!" Ryan urged his Spectre.
"Leer attack, Machamp!" Bruno said lamely. That's why you always pack a coverage move or two.
Ryan's Gengar put that bad boy to sleep real quick, before Machamp could embarrass himself with that Leer move. It took only three more Thunderbolts to fell that four-armed freak show. I still can't believe the Poké Dex entry on Machamp… and I bet Alex can't either.
Bruno stood up sharply and gave Ryan a bow. "My job is done! Go face your next challenge!"
"Okay, okay, jeez!" Ryan replied. "You don't have to yell, man!"
Bruno closed his eyes and did that little nod like they do in the Pokémon anime all the time. "Hmm. Yes, you have shown a lot of skill, Ryan. Tell me, how many of the other Elite 4 members have you defeated already?"
Ryan returned Spectre (giving him loads of praise that I can't even begin to get into in this chapter). "Just one, but I swept him too."
Bruno's mouth contorted in a small smile. "Very good. You'll find the girls to be a bit more of a challenge, I think."
"The girls?"
"You'll see."
Ryan shivered and ran out of there. He couldn't stand Bruno's company for even thirteen more seconds.
His first Hypnosis missed. The second one didn't. "Return, Dewgong!" Prima's voice echoed in that ice castle that was their stage. Ryan hated it. He was shivering, his hoodie wrapped up over his head like he was a used bagel. How can she be cool with it being this cold? Seriously, this is taking the love of ice too far! "Go, Cloyster!"
Ryan's breath was frosting in front of his face. Dewgong was the Pokémon she used against me before the tournament. She nearly took out Thurnax… I gotta be careful. He rubbed his hands together and cried, "Thunderbolt it, boy!" That move's done some serious damage to my Cloyster. This has to work.
Cloyster came flying into the stage just to get a zap bolt to the face. Falling over, the snot-rock moaned, "Ster…" and did not say another word.
One down. Excellent. I've only had to use one PP restore for Gengar. Still got all the other potions. If this goes well, I should be good to face the champion at full strength… Prima's next Pokémon was a sturdy-looking Slowbro. Spectre hit it good with a Thunderbolt that you just gotta know did a ton of damage. But when Prima ordered her dumb-looking 'mon to use a Thunder Wave (which it performed to perfection, much to Ryan's chagrin), the blue-haired boy knew Spectre's run was over. A paralyzed quickboy is a dead quickboy.
"Go, NaVorro!"
"Amnesia, Slowbro," the tall woman commanded. Ryan glanced a moment too long at her before shaking his head and returning his eyes to the battle on ice. Gotta stay focused.
"What's Amnesia…?" Ryan started to ask when NaVorro's ball went flying towards the stage. When the Bull Pokémon appeared out of the swirling light, he was hit by a powerful purple Psychic attack that knocked him back, skidding across the ice into an ice wall, cracking it.
"It raises Slowbro's special attack. Makes him a lot more powerful," the woman shouted across the stage. "You may as well give up, Ryan! It's over."
That's what you thought last time, too. Well, my Tauros is definitely faster than your Slowbro, so this isn't over yet. "Body Slam that fat blob of bubblegum, NaVorro!" the boy begged.
NaVorro was in a generous mood, so he granted Ryan that one sweet sight. Slowbro got absolutely wrecked when NaVorro used his body to slam him down. The ice beneath the stage cracked and split, sending jagged spears of frozen water sailing into the air. Ryan's breath puffed and puffed and puffed in front of his reddening nose.
Slowbro stood up and smiled slightly, its eyes crossed. "Psychic!" its owner spoke.
And so did NaVorro fall. Rest in pieces, dude. So there goes my first max revive… "Myrrah, I choose you!" the boy said.
Now it was his Cloyster's turn to enter the ice stage. How you like them napples, brah?
"A Cloyster, really?" Prima laughed in disbelief. "Why?"
"I don't have any Pokémon or moves that specifically counter Ice Pokémon, and I don't know what remaining Pokémon you have, so there!" the boy recited very politely. That's not true at all. I have Aegon if this goes wrong. Dragonflame melts ice any day. "Now, Cloyster, use Hyper Beam!"
"Cloyster, cloyster cloyster cloyster cloyster. Cloy cloy cloy ster cloyster," replied Myrrah. She started charging up white energy above her head. Yeah, that's right. I'm gonna have every one of my Pokémon use Hyper Beam before this is over!
"Psychic!" Prima's said that quickly. She's nervous about Myrrah's potential strength. That's cuz she's an ice expert. She can tell my Cloyster's a balla.
Myrrah was faster too, apparently, for her attack was ready to fire long before the silly Slowbro's (man he's real slow). Ryan had seen this move done a hundred times before, and only a few times it had missed. Luckily it didn't miss this time, since we all know Myrrah needs to get a good victory. After all, she's the only one of Ryan's Pokémon who hasn't swept a team in the Indigo League yet.
Slowbro landed hard on the ice, cracking it some more.
"Return Slowbro!" Prima said, lowering one Poké Ball, and raising another with her other hand. Throwing it, she said sternly, "Take out that Cloyster, Jynx!"
The memories came flooding back so quickly, that for a single moment of clarity, he remembered everything. He knew everything. And then, he lost it again, like tumbling snow in a storm, and the boy was left more confused than a Confuse Ray-ravaged Slowbro. What the heck just happened? What was that?
"Give your Pokémon an order!" Prima's authoritative voice broke Ryan out of his thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Did you space out or something? Have your Cloyster perform its move, or I'll be forced to start a disqualification timer!"
"What?! How long was I out for?" the boy asked, rubbing his forehead.
"Three minutes at least."
"Three minutes?! No way! That was just a few seconds."
Prima rolled her eyes. "I don't have all day, Ryan."
That's so weird. "Fine, fine… Myrrah, try Blizzard."
Ryan's Cloyster was shooting forward, conjuring up a mess of cold, icy wind and hail. On the other side, Jynx stood calm as a Tuesday Spearow. Please hit. You can do it, Myrrah! This is your time to shine.
And so it was. Ryan didn't know if it was the ice stage, luck, or the incoherent musings of Larry David, but somehow, Myrrah's Blizzard did a lot of damage to Jynx… like way more than an ice move should do to an Ice Pokémon. But it did - Ryan saw it with his own two eyes. I think that's the first crit I've ever seen her land… ever. She never even landed one against a wild Pokémon! And, when the snow winds cleared, it became apparent than Jynx had been frozen in ice as well.
It was glorious, but not as glorious as the Hyper Beam Myrrah unleashed upon her foe. "Get hype! That's right, baby, the hype is real!" Ryan shouted passionately at no one in particular, his voice bouncing around the ice like a ping pong ball.
Jynx was thrown from the ice cube she had been stuck inside of, to the far side of the stage. There she slid for a good while (at least several country miles, I'm told) until coming to a stop at Prima's feet. The woman studied him for a moment, and all he could focus on was her thick red hair cascading down the back of her scalp like some kind of bloody waterfall.
"Dewgong," she said, her voice echoing around the ice castle. "Go. And wake up soon!"
I sure hope not. "Blizzard time!"
First there was one Blizzard, then a second Blizzard, and then a third portion of Blizzard. It was like elevensies, only with custard pies instead of wild apples. Then, Dewgong woke up. And what did those beady little eyes of his first behold upon their grand re-awakening? Why, the light of a third Hyper Beam. Ryan was sure the Sea Lion Pokémon didn't have time to scream. Dewgong fell over, flopping about, and was defeated.
"This is a Hyper Beam miracle!" Ryan bellowed. "How are you sweeping them, Myrrah? You're so slow! You're not meant to sweep in this gen!"
"Cloyster," Myrrah agreed.
Prima's last Pokémon was a Lapras. It was a fearsome-looking specimen, a proper Nessie if Ryan ever saw one. Blimey, he thought, this is one of the worst possible Pokémon for Myrrah to try to finish the sweep against. Prima knew that as well. She was confident. She should be.
"Body Slam!"
"Blizzard!"
The Lapras strutted itself forward before slamming its body on poor little Myrrah. She was just a poor innocent bystander in a shell. She impacted into a crater of ice on the ground with Lapras above her, the weight of the other Pokémon straining down on the already-cracked ice…
When the ice burst, it wasn't like King Stannis luring the Freys out onto the frozen lake. No sir, this was more like an air horn being sounded in a clown car. Ryan shuddered, watching the ice-cold water fly into the air and spray him. Chips of ice floated in the churning artificial lake, bobbing like corks on the high seas, and Lapras and Cloyster were nowhere to be seen.
"Man, that's some cold lotion!" Ryan whined, trying to dry himself off with his hoodie. "Why's the stage gotta have a secret lake underneath it?"
Prima shrugged, bored. And then a light, as pale blue as an Antarctican iceberg, flared up from under the spinning waters, and Lapras came sailing up through the air riding a water tornado of ice and snow winds. Great work, girl. You never gave up.
The two Ice Pokémon were floating in the water, on opposite sides from one another, completely unaffected by the cold. "Hydro Pump!" Prima said.
"Clamp!"
That Hydro Pump missed, y'know, to preserve the sweep. But that Clamp, oh that Clamp, it hit like a freight train outta Tennessee. First clampin' down was a crit if Ryan even had eyes. Man, she's got a hard bite. And then, she did three more bites. Lapras came away from that in extremely poor spirits, looking as slumped-over as a mango tree in gravel mix.
"Hydro Pump!" Prima shouted again, not giving up.
"Hyper Beam yo!" Ryan yelled. "Get hype 2k16!"
The Hydro Pump hit first. It was like getting a hose-ful of water to the face at a decent pace - it didn't look so painful to Ryan. But alas, Myrrah fell away coughing up bits of ice, and her Hyper Beam missed. Oh come on, Myrrah. This is supposed to be a sweep!
Thus, the two Pokémon regrouped and unleashed their attacks upon one another again. Hydro Pump hit again, doing devastating damage to the flying Cloyster. She's done, Ryan thought. Now I'll have to bring out Aegon. I didn't want to have to do that. He reached for the Charizard's Poké Ball when Myrrah let out a powerful cry:
"Cloy cloy!" The Hyper Beam above her head was growing mighty big in Ryan's eyes, as big as one of Thurnax's.
She didn't miss this time. "That's it, Myrrah, show 'em the hype!"
"Cloyster!"
Lapras took the energy to the neck and sunk into the water shrieking. Well, there it is. Prima recalled her Pokémon, and Ryan recalled his, and they stood there, separated by the churning lake. That's three. These Elite 4 masters aren't as powerful as I thought they would be…
"You're better than I thought! Go on ahead! You only got a taste of Pokémon League power!" Prima said, shaking her fist at the sky.
"Wow, what was that for?"
"Nevermind," she replied, wiping at the corners of her mouth with a maroon napkin. "Good work, either way. And good luck, Ryan."
"Thanks." Yeah, how'd you like that Ice Pokémon sweep against the supposed Ice Pokémon Master, huh? He felt a warm feeling climbing up his throat and had to swallow to quell it.
"You know," she said, as the boy turned to leave, "the Elite 4 is not meant to defeat the Indigo League Winner… if the Winner is worthy. We are only here to make sure the champion's next challenger is a worthy opponent. That is why we fight with five Pokémon against your six. We want to make sure you're good enough to be our next master."
"Well, am I?"
She smirked at last, her icy shell cracking like an ice cube in July. "You wouldn't get any complaints from me, kid."
Kid? Again?! Alas, this cruel world, the boy thought, as he ran out of there, a tingling feeling wrapping around his body. He didn't feel cold. No, he was warm. Quite warm. The strain on his mind had broken, and now Ryan felt a rush of happiness for the first time since beating Julia. I beat three Elite 4 members, and none of the battles were very close. They can't take that away from me, at least. If I don't make it any further…
He cleared his thoughts. No. I will beat the last Elite 4 member. I know I will. She should be the easiest one yet. I have just the Pokémon for her puny ghosts.
There was only one answer to a Ghost Pokémon in Ryan's mind - a Psychic Pokémon. Ghost Pokémon were supposed to be super effective against Alakazam and his peeps, but that's not how the real world works. Workin' the streets, Ryan had learned the simple truth of the matter: Psychic beats Ghost any day of the week. Thinking a Ghost Pokémon is gonna do anything against a Psychic one is like thinking it's possible for Derny Sandcastle to find enough Meowth on Route 8 to finance his grand Payday scheme and make Pokémon Daycare free for everyone.
She lived in a spooky home with ghost sounds, a fog machine, and half a spooky mansion jutting out of the wall. That's wild, thought Ryan, there's a mansion inside the mansion.
"Hello Ryan." Sydney's voice drifted on by like vapor and steam. "I never thought I would see you again, least of all here."
"Yeah, thanks," Ryan said, scratching the back of his head. He felt his ears going red. She was so pretty in that thick velvet coat of hers. It was indigo and black and seemed opaque and sparkly with all the fog and wind swirling around. "Yo Sydney, you never told me you were one of the Elite 4."
"You haven't met my aunt, have you?" Sydney asked. "Her name is Agatha."
"Never heard of her."
"Oh, okay." What's she going on about? "Are you ready to fight?" she asked. "You know that I fight with five Pokémon, and-"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard that all before… three times already! I get it, you're supposed to test me, but your Pokémon aren't too strong. You want me to be a good challenge for the champion, and you wanna make sure it's worth his time, yada yada yada."
"No, that's not it at all." Sydney's dark eyes flashed. "I want to beat you. I want this to be your last stop. I'll defend my honor and do my best to make sure no challengers reach my master."
"Okay, that's a little weird. You should definitely be on my side."
"Are you ready to battle?" she asked coldly.
"I think so."
"Go, Gengar."
"Yip yip, it's Zam Zam time!" I've been waiting so long to bust you outta that ball, buddy.
"Gengar, use Confuse Ray!"
"Alakazam, it's Psychic time!"
"Zam!" the Psi Pokémon grunted in understanding. He shot off, around the creepy leafless trees and rolling mist and all that spooky jive. He was quite fast in Ryan's estimation, even faster than he had been against Starmie. I bet he leveled up from beating Julia. The Psychic came coolly to Alakazam's spoons, as wide as it was tall. Gengar was going to make her move when the attack washed over her, sending her to the floor.
That's one. The Elites should be just about to-
"Go, Golbat!"
"Psychic!"
Down that scary-lookin bat went; Ryan knew there was not an ounce of Ghost Pokémon in that Golbat's DNA. It was okay, everyone makes mistakes, even an Elite 4 member. But Ryan wasn't going to get mad at her for using completely non-Ghost Pokémon, because after all, as far as he (or anyone else) knew, Ghastly, Gengar, and Haunter were the only Ghost Pokémon in the world. You can't have a team of five Gengar!
Then came a Nidoqueen. We already have a Poison Pokémon specialist, Ryan thought angrily. His name is Koga and he screams like a girl. Nidoqueen took the first Psychic poorly, flying across the stage to slam into the base of the mansion (and bust more than a few of the porch's lovely boards). But she didn't get KO'd. Uh oh. Playtime's over.
"Toxic!" he heard Sydney shout.
Come on 85% accuracy, Ryan prayed. But when the toxic slop that Nidoqueen spit all over Alakazam started to drip caustically onto the floor, Ryan thought, I'll have to use a Full Heal on him when we're done. That's 3000 Poké Dollars right there. Alakazam groaned in pain as he was damaged slightly. One more Psychic was all it took to down Sydney's third Pokémon.
"Go, Arbok!"
"Psychic."
Ouch. Look at all these OHKOs, Ryan thought carelessly. I sense another sweep coming on! Sydney's last Pokémon was another Gengar. She did it. She put two Ghost Pokémon on her team. That's an impressive number for a Ghost Pokémon specialist.
"Psychic!" He sounded too dour when he shouted that one. Easy big fella. Hold back a little.
"Psychic!" Sydney repeated desperately, but it was no use. Ryan's Alakazam was faster. That's right, Sydney. I'm a Psychic Specialist. I'm a Pokémon god. You gotta love that. Right? Chicks dig Pokémon Masters, right?
Gengar was pushed back a bit, and he looked to be quite damaged, but he hadn't been so damaged as Nidoqueen. This is her best Pokémon. This is her best shot at stopping the sweep. Ryan knew that Gengar was a great Pokémon, a wonderful Pokémon, a beautiful Pokémon who should not know a single ghost move. Any good Gengar would have four non-Ghost Pokémon type moves, just like Spectre. And thus was that the case with this Gengar.
The Psychic hit Alakazam to the floor, doing a lot of damage. But if there was a move Alakazam was prepared for, it was that one. His natural resistance to the psychic type Psychic crushed Sydney's last chance to save her honor. Then, Nidoqueen's Toxic ravaged the Psi Pokémon. He was losing health fast. He looked tired. "H-hey, Zamboy, you there?"
"Kazam." The Alakazam rolled over to face his master.
"Good."
"Zam, zam."
"Don't forget about the sweep, boy."
"Zam."
"You're one hit away from getting two on the house, Alakazam! Go out there and do it… for the sweep," Ryan whispered majestically. "Come on, boy. Everyone likes a good sweep. Lots of people paid good money to be here! Give 'em a memory worth remembering."
"Alakazam."
Alakazam stood up, brushed the fog from his shoulders and shot Gengar point-blank with another Psychic. Gengar fell over, unconscious.
"Well done," said Sydney softly. She recalled her vanquished 'mon, and looked down at the boy. "You've done well beating me. I am the strongest Pokémon Master in the Elite 4.
"It showed," he nodded.
She gave him an ireful gaze. Oh snap, she caught me. "Anyways, good luck out there. I didn't think when we met in Lavender Town that you could be the next Indigo League Champion… I still remember how you and Charmeleon caught a Haunter…"
"Ahem, now Charizard and Gengar, thank you very much," Ryan interjected.
Sydney nodded happily. "Indeed. Well, if you end up as my new boss, that's cool with me."
Supercool. "Ye-yeah… okay. Thank you!"
"Ryan."
"Yeah?"
She held up her hand. The door behind Ryan opened on its own. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."
"Thank you, Sydney. Ghost busta peace out," the boy said rambunctiously, making some really gangsta peace signs for the room.
As he did with the other Elite 4 members, Ryan suddenly burst into a full-on sprint on his way out of Sydney's room to avoid any more awkward tension. That's my kind of lady. Her and Prima. Bruno was right.
The halls were quiet, cold, and smelled of aging mildew. A few torches lit the way, giving everything a medieval feel. I have two Max Revives, and one Full Restore left. I've used up all the PP restores and cheaper health potions. Alakazam and Spectre are both damaged, though. It was the ultimate question: heal Gengar, getting back that super fast sleep inducer, or Alakazam, his stalwart special attacker, who was even faster than Gengar and packed more of an offensive punch? A paralyzed Gengar is a useless Gengar. But a poisoned Alakazam won't last long either.
This decision had become more difficult after the past few battles. Spectre had swept Bruno's entire team effortlessly and had put a really good effort in against Prima. And Alakazam swept for the second time and won a fourth match for me just by himself.
Ryan was musing this lightly (let's be real, he knew who he was gonna pick) when he paused. At the fountain in the center of the great hall sat a man. He was not a very old man, but he wore jeans and a dark shirt. The hat on his head was old, faded, red and white and green. An official Pokémon League hat. Wow, those things are super rare. The man's black hair was bushy and wild; his face was youthful and familiar. He was sitting there casually, and when he heard Ryan's footsteps coming from behind him, he spun about to take a look at the kid who would be challenging him for the title of Indigo League Champion.
"Hey Ryan," Ash said cheerfully, albeit slightly muted. He looked a bit tired. I would have never guessed he was the Kanto Champion. He never brought it up, either. That's very weird. But I guess the position does suit him.
"That's it? Aren't you a little surprised that I got this far? Me?!" he emphasized. I helped you get rid of Team Rocket in Pallet Town. You gave me one of your Tauros!
"Nope," the young man replied. "The Elite 4 may not be allowed to watch the matches, but I sure did. I watched every one of 'em, including the ones you had against Jun and Bruno and Prima and Sydney today."
"Oh."
"Pretty impressive stuff," Ash smiled. He was drinking something from a paper cup that gave off a vaguely fruity odor. "You've trained your Pokémon really well. It shows. Especially your Tauros! He looks nice and strong."
"Oh, thanks."
"And you have a Dragonite. That's awesome, Ryan. I'm looking forward to fighting against it."
"I'm looking forward to that too… but first, I have to heal my Pokémon," Ryan explained.
Ash nodded and Ryan took a seat on the fountain's edge, pulling off his backpack. "I can tell you've formed a real strong bond with your Alakazam."
"Huh?" Ryan looked up. His Alakazam was lying on the edge of the fountain, splayed out like a corpse, groaning softly in pain. The teal-haired boy stood over him with a Full Restore spray can in hand.
"I know what it's like to be that close with my Pokémon." Suddenly, a yellow blur blew past Ryan, and a Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. It was an old Pikachu, but a shrewd-eyed one, and one that Ryan had met more than once before. "Pikachu and I are best friends."
"I know what you mean," Ryan said as he blasted Alakazam in the face with the Full Restore. This reminded Ryan of one time when he'd been a real young lad and had gone over to his friend's house and somehow managed to blast a girl in the face with a few squirts of Windex. It was a crazy, high-stakes memory, and not one that he wanted to relive here. Alakazam seemed to be taking the healing squirts about as well as that girl had for a few moments (he rolled about in heavy tantrum), and then, like a light being flicked on, he sat up, yawned, and started to snooze lightly in calm pleasure.
"Whenever you're ready," Ash said, eyeing the other trainer. He cracked his neck and pulled out a Poké Ball from his jacket pocket. "Whaddya say Ryan… why don't we test out our Tauros against each other? See who's stronger?"
NaVorro is. "Yeah, let's go!" Ryan replied, rising. He left Alakazam out of his Poké Ball, instead choosing a different one from his backpack.
Ash ran down the spacious stone chamber to a far wall. "Same rules as the previous rounds. Remember, your Gengar can only try to put one of my Pokémon to sleep." So he really did watch all the battles. He should know everything about my team.
"Sounds good to me." I won't have access to a fast Spectre, but everyone else is at full health. I'm broke, and I've used up all the potions I could… but I've got my team, so I've got a chance. We worked so hard to get here. This won't end in disappointment. I swear it won't.
Ryan's gaze fell to NaVorro's ball. It's strange, not having a crowd. It makes this seem so personal, so insignificant. Perhaps that was the case, but as the boy threw his Poké Ball and took a deep breath, he maintained focus on the fact that this was the most important Pokémon battle in his entire life. I may never be in this position again. This very well may be my peak.
His heart was pounding like an angry drum. The boy felt his oldest friend (aka Dr. Anxiety) returning to him, like poison spreading through his veins. Ryan closed his eyes and thought, it's me or him. One of us must win. It has to be that way. This is the end of the road.
His eyes opened, and he saw before him two Tauros, ready to do battle. The final bout, with the title of Indigo League Champion on the line, was just about to begin, and neither Ryan nor Ash was going to back down. As it should be, the boy thought, sucking in a breath. I'll beat him with everything I've got.