Here we go! After a long break, we finally have a new gym battle! I think this may be the longest one yet, so set back, relax, and enjoy what is to come!
Chapter Forty Eight: The Grass is Always Meaner
Never had Alaska been so determined to win in her entire life.
She stood silently on the challenger's end of the battle field, trying hard not to be taken in by the beauty that made up the back half of the Celadon Gym. The flowerbeds and pot plants remained firmly at the front to entice and delight any visitors, but Erika, as Alexis had explained, had designed the back half to be purely about battling but still retain some of the garden elements. The field was simply knee high grass with the markings painted on, bordered by the challengers and defenders areas and the stand. Celadon's stands were three tiered wooden blocks, their supports wrapped with ivy and the wood painted a rich mahogany colour to give earthy tones. Green light created by the outside glass poured in here, giving everything a jade glow, making even Alaska radiate beauty.
Alaska stared briefly at the people in the stands. On one side were all the gym attendants, the pretty young women with their Grass and Bug type Pokemon surrounding them, all smiling and looking happy with what was going on, and every seat was filled.
The other side was completely different. Only Sandy wore a smile of the four people 'supporting' Alaska, but it was a tense and uncomfortable smile, as if the blonde was afraid at being happy for her friend. Evelyn and Jericho were both scowling at the other end of the row, closer to Alexis than Alaska and reaffirming where they stood. Daisy's face was blank, and she looked bored with what was about to happen.
Great support guys, thanks, Alaska thought bitterly. At least Sandy had kept Butterfree and Bellsprout out to help cheer for her, though she wished her friend would bring Pichu back. Staring at the small Electric type only stirred up her guilt and fears, and Alaska needed a clear mind for the battle that was about to go down.
"Are you ready to battle Alaska?" Alexis called from across her very literal battlefield. The gym leader was still smiling warmly at her challenger, but Alaska could see something rising in her eyes: battle fury and determination, a readiness to battle and a certainty of winning.
"You bet I am," Alaska replied with a slight growl, and glanced briefly at Jericho and Evelyn again. They were about to see what sort of trainer Alaska truly was, and never again would Alaska be questioned about her decisions. As long as she won, everything would turn out the way Alaska wanted it.
"Very good," Alexis replied. "I will be using three Pokemon, but you are allowed to use as many as you would like. The battle will be over once every Pokemon on either of our teams has fainted, and the person with the most remaining Pokemon will be the winner. Annabelle, would you mind refereeing for me please?" A perky, stick thin blonde rose up from the stands, looking stunned at being chosen and whispered excitedly to her friends, reminding Alaska too much of how Chloe use to act. She was tempted to throw a PokeBall at the blonde's head, but only just resisted.
"Trainers, are you ready?" Annabelle called out in a surprisingly booming voice from the middle of the field. Alexis nodded, and Alaska repeated the movement. She had crafted a quick battle strategy in her mind, and could only hope that it would be good enough. "Alaska, how many Pokemon shall you enter as part of your team?" Alaska was taken aback by this, and she quickly fumbled with the PokeBalls in her pocket. Darwin would be a risk to use, but was it a bigger risk not to have his strength at her disposal?
"Four," she announced, and caught Sandy gasping on the sidelines. Her heart began to beat faster and faster, and Alaska doubted if this had been the right move.
"Very good. There four-on-three battle between the challenger, Alaska, and the Celadon Gym Leader, Alexis, shall begin!" Annabelle boomed. "Trainers, send out your Pokemon and let the battle commence!"
"Jumpluff, I choose you!" Alexis called sweetly, and threw her PokeBall into the air.
"Paige, this ones on you," Alaska said, and let her own PokeBall rise up above her. A Flying type against Grass types seemed to make sense, and Alaska knew Paige had the power to win this battle for her.
"Pidgeeeey!" The Pidgeotto cried as she formed, flapping her wings to hover above the grassy fields. Paige instantly took in the setting and gave Alaska a determined nod, showing her readiness to battle. Alaska smiled back at her, and turned to check out their opponent. She had seen Jumpluff before on a gardening show her mother use to watch, and recognized the blue spherical Cottonweed Pokemon with its three yellow spores bobbing out from its body. Jumpluff seemed more cutesy than frightening, and Alaska wondered what Alexis was playing at.
"Alaska, you have the first move," Annabelle said.
"Gladly," Alaska said, and realised the battle had truly begun. "Quick Attack!"
"Cotton Spore," Alexis replied. Paige shot forwards at blinding speeds, and slammed into Jumpluff beak-first. The Grass type squealed in pain as she rolled backwards through the air, and Alaska smirked to herself: too easy.
"Pluff Pluff!" Jumpluff cried, and waved her spores around. Large Cotton Spores flew off and hovered towards Paige as she turned back around, attaching themselves to her feathers. Alaska was stunned to see Paige drop several metres from the weight of them, and a pained look appeared on her face.
"Come on Paige, you can get through this!" She shouted. "Aerial Ace, go!"
"Sunny Day," Alexis commanded instantly, her voice calm. Alaska looked across at the gym leader, wondering what exactly she was playing at. Jumpluff looked calm as her top spore glowed a flaming red, and a ball of fire was flung up towards the ceiling. Orange light spread across the tiles like butter across toast, and instantly the temperature in the gym doubled. Alaska waved a hand in front of face to cool herself as Paige slowly moved back up in the sky, her wings glowing as she moved. The Cotton Spores seemed to have halved her speed, and Alaska knew this would be a serious disadvantage the further they went in the battle.
"Pidge!" Paige said, slashing her wings across Jumpluff and sending her spinning. Alaska noticed that Jumpluff had simply waited for Paige to strike, not showing any signs of trying to avoid the attack or escape it. Alaska reminded herself it was impossible to avoid an Aerial Ace, but trainers would still try and flee from it…
"Aerial Ace again!" Alaska yelled, knowing she needed a non-missing move and wanted to see exactly what Alexis was up to. That was when she saw it: a glint appeared in Alexis' eyes, and the gym leader briefly glanced at Jericho. Alaska turned and saw the rich boy was smiling widely: unknowing, Alaska had stepped into some sort of trap.
"Solarbeam!" Alexis said, her voice calm and normal, but it rang with power, and Alaksa's heart sank. Sunny Day would instantly make the attack work. It all made sense now. But Paige was a Flying type, so the attack should not be able to be effective… not unless there was another aspect to it.
"PLUFF!" Jumpluff yelled, and suddenly she moved. Alaska blinked, and one second the Cottonweed Pokemon was high near her Sunny Day, the next she was a blue blur appearing directly behind Paige, her top spore glowing a dazzling green that made the tiles pale in comparison.
"Chlorophyll…," Alaska realized as her heart disappeared into her stomach. Jumpluff's speed had been doubled by the bright sunshine, and Paige's speed had been lowered… everything was piecing together.
"JUUUUUUUM!" Jumpluff yelled as the ball got brightly, and Alaska looked away. But nothing could stop her from hearing Paige's pained scream that echoed inside the gym, nor block the bright flash that illuminated everything, or the thud that shook the very ground she stood upon.
Alaska felt sick. This was not what she had expected. It was a battle, and she should have known it would be difficult, but Alexis was sneaky, clever and cunning, her battling brutal and packing a powerful punch that Alaska had not anticipated. She turned back to the field to see Jumpluff now floated a metre above an indent in the grass, and Alaska wondered if Paige was still conscious, if she had survived the terrible attack.
"Pidgeotto is still able to battle," Annabelle called. "Alaska, what will you do?"
Good question, Alaska thought bitterly. Bringing Paige back and letting her rest was the right thing, but would Paige be able to battle later? If this was who Alexis used for her first Pokemon, what would her other two Pokemon be like?
"Quick Attack!" Alaska shouted, hoping it would work.
"Solarbeam!" Alexis boomed, her voice filling the air. Silence had fallen from the crowd as the few people watching leaned in to see what happened next. Alaska peered over the tall grass and towards Paige, seeing the very tips of her Pidgeotto's feathers rise up. A soft but pained groan came from the centre, and feeble white flashes briefly lit up the field, but Paige could not find it in herself to get back into the air.
"PLUFF!" Jumpluff screamed, and she absorbed the sunlight in so quickly that Alaska could not prepare herself. This time, she watched as the Solarbeam struck Paige, the energy coming off it making the grass dance wildly. Jumpluff had moved closer, and the green spotlight bored into the ground, dirt flying up and the shockwave created making Annabelle's dress flap. Alaska wanted to scream, she wanted to throw something at the Pokemon and make her stop, but she could not bring herself to do it. She could only think of Paige as the Solarbeam dissipated, and how rashly and stupidly she had gone blindly into this gym battle.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle," Annabelle announced, the five words ringing in the silence. Alaska looked up with a pain in her heart, her chest constricting, her throat tightening. This had all happened too quickly for her to process it. Paige had only been flying a minute earlier. How could Alexis have destroyed her so quickly? None of the other gym leaders had been this ruthless. What had Alaska gotten herself into?
Mindlessly, she withdrew Paige's unconscious form, staring sadly down at as the red light came back towards her. Sorry Paige, Alaska thought as she put the PokeBall away, I should have been more prepared. I shouldn't have let you go into this battle…I should not even be in this battle.
"Come on Alaska, choose your next Pokemon!" Jericho yelled from the stands, and Alaska looked up as he flashed a smile at the gym attendants sitting opposite him. They all giggled and flushed, and Alaska wished she could hit the whole bloody lot of them.
"Come on Alaska, you can do it!" Sandy yelled, shouting twice as loud as everyone else but kept going despite this. Butterfree was flying above her, her wings sparkling in the unnatural sunlight as they flapped and danced with her movements, and Bellsprout was waving her vines around in a sort of cheer.
"Despicable," Evelyn muttered, her crisp voice carrying, but Alaska smiled, pleased to see that Sandy was still in her corner. Her friend was smiling warmly, looking as encouraging as possible, and Alaska felt the weight of the first loss lessen.
"You can beat her Alaska!" Sandy cried. "Don't let their poisonous words beat you!" Alaska was taken aback, trying not to let it show on her face her surprise at Sandy's wording. She remembered how Sandy had reminded her about Frances's defeat of Gideon's Electrode during her gym battle with Surge, and realised what Sandy was trying to say.
"Alaska, you must release your next Pokemon," Annabelle said with bulging eyes. Alaska pulled out Nadia's Great Ball at these words, but paused before throwing it. Had she really trained with Nadia enough to send her into battle? The Nidoran would have a type advantage, but would that be enough to defeat speedy Jumpluff or any of the other Pokemon Alexis sent out?
What other option do you have? Alaska reminded herself bitterly. Nadia is tough, she will be able to fight. Alaska grimaced, hoping she was right, and tossed the Great Ball onto the field.
"Nadia, show them your stuff!" The ball spun threw the air and landed amongst the field, the green grass swallowing the light and Nadia, leaving only a hint of her purple body between the blades. Alaska had not realised how tall the grass, and wondered how many more traps she would fall into before this battle was over. Alexis was still smiling across the field, but Alaska could not see it was a smug, self satisfied smile, the type Chloe and Amanda use to wear whenever Alaska stuffed up.
"You can defeat these people Nadia!" Alaska yelled, and the Nidoran chirped back, her tiny legs pounding against the ground. "Poison Sting, let's go!"
"Jumpluff, return!" Alexis yelled, and two PokeBalls appeared in her hands faster than Alaska had ever seen. Jumpluff turned into light, but she had barely left the field before the second ball was flying through the air. "Vinnie, your turn!" Alaska blinked in shock, taken aback by the speed, and watched as a larger Pokemon began to form on solid ground. She knew plenty about Tangela, having seen several when she had been to the beaches near Pallet, and presumed that the creature that landed was its evolved form: a giant hairy beast, a face hidden by the blue-green vines that made up Vinnie's body, only two wide eyes peering out from the mess. Tangrowth had two long arms that swung pathetically from the side, and Alaska wondered how fast a Pokemon like this could be compared to Jumpluff.
"Nido Nido!" Nadia squealed, and she jumped up, firing the purple stings across the field. Tangrowth stood there and took it, barely showing any signs of pain or registering the attack, and Alaska cursed, hoping that a bit of poison would have done the trick.
"Alright than Nadia, go in for a Skull Bash!" She shouted. The move required Nadia to charge up, and she watched as the Poison Pin Pokemon landed, and heard her kicking the ground, building up the strength to run forwards. If she could survive one hit, than Nadia could be able to severely harm or even knock out Vinnie the Tangrowth. Alexis was still smiling, showing no signs of fear, instead making Alaska worry.
"Wring Out, go!" Alexis cried. Vinnie didn't make any attempts to move forwards, and for a moment, Alaska wondered if he had even heard. But than she blinked, and suddenly Tangrowth's arms had shot out, stretching out to twice their length, making Alaska gasp in shock. The red-tipped arms grabbed onto Nadia, and though she screamed and struggled, they wrapped around her and lifted her up. Alaska clutched her chest as she watched the arms move and constrict her Nidoran: they covered her body, only small signs of purple coming through, but while she could not see her, Alaska could hear Nadia's cries as the life was crushed out of her, and she could barely stand up.
"You can pull through this Nadia!" Alaska shouted, her voice shaking as she spoke. "Push through and use Skull Bash, run across his arms!" A brief look of shock crossed Alexis' face, and Alaska allowed herself to calm down, glad that her order had thrown her. She was even happier when Nadia yelled out, a cry of triumph rather than pain, and pushed through the grip.
"RAN RAN RAN!" Nadia yelled, and she sprinted forwards at a stunning speed, using Vinnie's right arm and shooting across, her head glowing a dazzling white. Jericho and Evelyn looked stunned from the sidelines, and Alaska smiled, pleased to have shaken up their plans.
"Power Whip," Alexis commanded, her voice calm and cool. Alaska looked back on the battle and saw Nadia was still running, the right arm still outstretched, but the left arm was being drawn back in and glowing a lime green that made the grass sparkle. It was only too late that Alaska realised what was about to happen, and she went to cry out, but her voice caught in her throat.
"Tan," Vinnie said simply, and he brought his left arm around. Nadia jumped, diving down head first towards Tangrowth's head, but was not quick enough: the glowing green arm swung around from beneath her, wider than her entire body, and Nadia gave a painful squeak as she was sent spiralling up to the ceiling, the attack so forceful that she moved back to Alaska's end of the field. The trainer looked up and nearly collapsed as Nadia smashed into the glass ceiling, and then fell down with shards surrounding her.
"No," Alaska cried, and she held her arms out. Nadia fell into them, her tiny body only a slight weight in her arms, and she looked down at her Nidoran: eyes shut, body still twitching, but was starting to slow down. It had been her first gym battle as well, and Alaska had failed her.
"Nidoran is unable to battle," Annabelle announced, and Alaska was forced to withdraw her. She looked up at Alexis, at Jericho and Evelyn, at Annabelle and her attendants behind her, trying to give them the angriest looks she could muster, but her emotions and guilt were getting the best of her, and Alaska silently sent out her next Pokemon.
"Frances, you can do this!" She said, trying to sound encouraging, but even she heard her defeated she sounded. The Parasect formed in the field, her mushroom rising above the grass, though her pincers and main body were too low to the ground for Alaska's liking.
"Beat them, crush them, pinch them, spray them!" Sandy chanted from the stands, and Bellsprout did her weird vine-flailing dance. Alaska half-smiled at this, but nothing was of any encouragement at the moment. All she could think of was how strong Frances had been defeating Gideon's Electrode, Lt. Surge's Voltorb and her powerful Solarbeam.
"Solarbeam, now!" Alaska yelled, checking that the Sunny Day was still in play. Frances instantly began to absorb in sunlight, and a powerful ball of green energy glowed from the bottom of the field.
"Wring Out," Alexis commanded, and the two overlong arms shot out once more. Alaska winced as they wrapped around Frances's mushroom, and the Parasect yelled and squirmed as she was lifted up, all of her health squeezed and crushed.
"PARAAAAA!" She cried, and Alaska smiled as the Solarbeam was released. The powerful green spotlight hit Vinnie squarely in the stomach, sending the Tangrowth flying, dropping Frances back to the ground in the process. The gym attendants all groaned as Vinnie smashed into the back wall, Alexis having moved out of the way just in time, but Alaska only felt glee, knowing that this could be her chance. But as the happy thought crossed her mind, things suddenly became darker. She looked up and saw the Sunny Day was fading away, resembling water going down a sink hole, and she cursed – no more Solarbeam's, as charging it up was far too risky.
"Metal Claw!" Alaska yelled. Frances began to race forwards while Vinnie lay confused against the back wall, struggling to get to his feet.
"AncientPower!" Alexis yelled. Vinnie leapt up as soon as he heard the command, and he raised his arms above his head, the red tips glowing white. Frances was only halfway across the field when dust began to rise up from the ground, forming into glowing boulders in the air.
"This can't be good," Alaska mumbled.
"TAN!" Vinnie yelled, and he directed his arms forwards. The AncientPower moved, and Frances found herself bombarded with the dust boulders. The sound of the exploding dust muffled any other noises, but Alaska knew Frances would be overwhelmed by the attack. She looked across at Annabelle, but the referee was making no sound, so her Parasect would have to rage on.
"Metal Claw again!" Alaska yelled, hoping Frances still had the strength. A cloud of brown dust engulfed the field now, and she could not see anything past the halfway point.
"AncientPower!" Alexis repeated from behind the veil, and Alaska knew that this would be it. The dust was slowly clearing, and she could see Frances was on a tilt, her mushroom leaning to one side above the tips of the grass. She was making no signs of moving forwards, even as the AncientPower rose up once more.
"TAN!" Vinnie's voice echoed in the silence that filled the gym, and Alaska shut her eyes as the boulders exploded again and again, dust rising up from the field as Frances was struck once more.
"Parasect is unable to battle," Annabelle called, peering through the dust, and Alaska brought Frances back. She was feeling angry at everyone around her, wanting nothing more than to set her Pokemon on those that had brought her here. But as she clutched Frances's Great Ball in her hands, Alaska knew that it was all her own fault. She had put her Pokemon into this position, she had decided to battle even though she was unprepared, she had let herself get overcome with anger at Jericho and Evelyn…
Latios had even warned me, Alaska thought, putting Frances's Great Ball away. This morning seemed so long ago, but Alaska only just remembered his words. This gym battle was indeed her greatest challenge yet, and Alaska should have heeded his advice.
She pulled her final PokeBall out, trying, with difficulty, to block her guilt out, and it was only a second before she threw it that she realised who was inside. Alaska paused and stared down at the PokeBall, imaging Darwin rampaging inside. The Primeape had the strength, and he could definitely put a stop to this onslaught, but would he actually listen to her? Would Darwin be able to control himself, or would she leave the gym in ruins?
"Hurry up Alaska, we don't have all day!" A voice called out cockily, and Alaska glanced up at Jericho. The flame haired rich boy was grinning broadly, clearly elated with Alaska's failure. A mental image appeared in her head of Darwin smashing all the artwork within the Athlew Mansion, throwing statues through windows and flipping the glass table over, and Alaska smiled. Without another moment's consideration, she threw the PokeBall onto the field, grinning broadly as she wondered how this would end.
"Darwin, turn this back around!" Alaska cried. Darwin formed in front of her a moment later, and he instantly let out a screech and began jumping. The gym attendants all gasped in shock, and Alaska caught Sandy and Daisy exchanging looks from the stands. A voice in the back of Alaska's head told her this would only end badly, but she ignored it, giving Alaska and Jericho a smile to top their own. "ThunderPunch to start!"
"Vinnie, return," Alexis called, and once again she sent her next Pokemon out before the Tangrowth had even faded away. Alaska thought that Darwin would have been perfect to deal tough blows to the unmoving Tangrowth that had waddled back from the wall, and expected Jumpluff to come back to finish things. However, this Pokemon landed on the ground once more, and a Grass type taller than the others formed on four legs.
Even child around every region could recognize, name and recount facts about the various starter Pokemon unique to each region, and Alaska felt like she was six again as she stared longingly at Alexis' Meganium. She had fawned over the Johto Grass starter as a young girl before her toughness had taken over, and could see why: light green skin that still managed to glow, a face that was permanently smiling, a neck marked by four pink petals that were wobbling slightly. Meganium was the prettiest of all the Starter Pokemon, and Alaska felt mildly guilty about what Darwin would do.
"PRIME!" Darwin shouted, having tensely waited for his new opponent to form, and he sprung forwards with his brilliant speed. The blurred ball of anger shot across the field, and a glowing yellow fist struck Meganium across the face. However, the Herb Pokemon barely registered the move, still smiling as Darwin landed. Alexis remained silent as well, and Alaska wondered why the gym leader had not spoken a single word, remembering exchanging insults and remarks with the previous three.
"Brick Break!" Alaska commanded, judging which of Darwin's moves would cause the most damage.
"Solarbeam!" Alexis cried. Alaska nodded, knowing it was a wise choice for a powerful Grass type to use a powerful move like that, but knew that Darwin's brute strength could deal significant damage. Indeed, Darwin was right near Meganium as she began to absorb in the dimmer sunlight within the gym, and he swung a fist out, catching her in the throat and sending her stumbling backwards. It was not as powerful as she would have liked, but Alaska was satisfied to see Meganium was more fazed.
"Brick Break again!" She shouted in delight, and heard Bellsprout cheering from the stands. A well timed hit could throw Meganium off balance again, and than the Solarbeam would miss, and they would stand a chance… But than Alaska saw Darwin turn back towards her, an annoyed look on his face, and she knew that this was not a good sign.
"APE APE APE!" The Pig Monkey Pokemon grunted, and he grabbed Meganium around her middle, beneath her glowing flowers. Concerned mumblings rose from the crowd as Darwin jumped up, heaving Meganium with him.
"NO! I said Brick Break!" Alaska yelled, the weight of the world crashing down around her, shock and anger engulfing her, but Darwin did not hear. He spun around in midair, and the gym attendants gasped as Meganium was thrown back to the ground in a Seismic Toss. Alaska looked across and saw shock had crossed Alexis' face, and she tried to avoid the gym leader's eye as Meganium landed with a loud and painful thud. The starter skidded through the grass, and Alaska thought she would be harmed, but was taken aback when Meganium's long neck rose from the grass, and a green beam was fired before Darwin had even landed. Sandy's gasp was audible even from a distance, and Alaska watched painfully as her Primeape was sent flying into a corner of the ceiling, smashing into several sections at once before falling to the ground. Larger shards of glass fell this time, but Alaska could not see where they landed, only wincing with each one that shattered.
"Primeape is still able to bat –"
"My Pokemon have names, you realise!" Alaska hissed at Annabelle, and the referee looked as if she had been slapped, but Alaska no longer cared. She thought Darwin would have been able to withstand this gym leader, and could not believe what was happening.
"PRIMEAAAAAPE!" The scream sounded all around them, as if twenty angry Primeape filled the Celadon Gym, and every eye turned towards Darwin as he sprung out from the glass, leaping through the air with his hands positioned like a demented Superman. Both fists glowed yellow and crackled with electricity, and the yellow light was so blinding that Alaska did not realise until Darwin was nearly upon Meganium that something green glittered in his fist…
"NO!" Alaska and several gym attendants screamed, and horror filled Alaska's thoughts as she imagined the grass becoming stained with blood, Jericho and Evelyn screaming at her, the gym attendants piling upon her with angry fists and faces…
"FREE!" A defiant cry rose from the stands, and a second before Darwin struck Meganium he was tossed aside, an invisible hand swatting him aside. The gym attendants scattered as the Primeape smashed into the stands, cracking several steps, the shard of glass falling to the ground. Alaska was stunned, unable to believe anything that had just happened: not just Darwin, but the entire gym battle as well. She had walked blindly into this battle, convinced of her own impending victory, and she had let her Pokemon become destroyed. And Alaska reflected on the thought that had crossed her mind when she had unleashed Darwin, and realised where it had nearly brought them.
"Under my official rule as the referee, I hereby call an end to this battle, and declare the gym leader Alexis to be the winner under the official rules of the Indigo League!" Annabelle screamed, her voice nearly hysterically, all calm and cool fading away under the events of the last minute. Alaska silently brought a groaning Darwin back and turned towards Sandy, feeling hollow and dead inside. Butterfree still had a glare on her face and was flapping her wings with more vigour than usual, clearly ready to initiate another attack if necessary. Sandy stood beneath her main Pokemon, looking as shocked as Alaska felt, cradling Pichu as if he was about to be attacked as well, Bellsprout cowering behind her legs. Alaska wanted to say something, but words caught in her throat, a mixture of self disgust, anger, guilt and shock.
"That was outrageous!" Evelyn Athlew cried, not directly to Alaska but her voice carried in the stunned silence of the gym. "I have never seen such a violent Pokemon in all my life!" Alaska wanted to yell her, insult her, pull off a witty remark, force her to try the brownies that weighed down her bag, but she remained where she was, unable to move. And there was no denying the truth to her words… you need to find some level of control, whether it is with yourself, you're Pokemon … back to your rightful path … give you the balance you need… Alaska wanted to be sick, but she would not throw up in front of these people. Her mind was spinning, and Alaska was starting to forget where she was or who was around her. She could only think of what had just happened to her… what had just happened to her Pokemon…
"Alaska, may I give you some advice?" Alaska turned to face a woman with black hair and a Meganium, and it took her a moment to realise it was Alexis. "You fight well, and I believe you are a strong trainer, but you lack a sense of focus and well thought out decisions. You need to plan out every move before you give a command, and think of strategy and how that move fits in to your wider plan. These are the most important things about all battles in general, and you should think about these before you challenge me again. Oh, and lastly," Alexis said, as she turned to face Jericho and Evelyn, "try not to cause any more damage to my gym." Alaska nodded, feeling both gratitude and a desire to punch her, but mostly she felt nothing. She put Darwin's PokeBall back with the others, feeling the smooth, metallic surfaces and thinking of the unconscious Pokemon inside. She had let them all down, she had destroyed them based on rushed decisions and bouts of anger. Alaska had suffered her greatest defeat, and it was a struggle to hold back the angry tears that were filling her eyes… not only had she lost the battle, but Alaska had gotten the answer she had been looking for.
Her gym journey was over… there was no turning back from this.
Things are going to be pretty interesting for the rest of this arc ;) The official fiftieth chapter is coming up, so look out for something very special occurring because of that, something I don't think anyone will be expecting
