It has been another long break, but I can promise that there will be a minimum of another two chapters before the end of the month to make up for the break and help us move along to a big Saffron arc where a few plotlines are going to come together. I hope you enjoy a further look inside Sandy's mind!
Chapter Fifty Six: Something Fishy This Way Comes
"If I lose all my stuff, I am kicking you in the face."
Sandy heard Alaska's warning and knew it was being directed towards Mitchell, even though she knew he was not who her friend was really angry with. I am sorry Alaska, but I need to do this, Sandy thought as she positioned herself on the muddy island, wishing they both had the courage to say what they truly felt…
"If you kick me in the face, I will tell my mum, and she will tell your mum, and then you'll be sorry!" Mitchell retorted, beginning to act perkier now that his battle was over and someone else was facing Barney.
"We are all the way on the other side of Kanto; I could kick you in the face a million times and they wouldn't find out for months," Alaska replied with a devilish smile that made Mitchell shiver, and Sandy could tell she was enjoying tormenting the small child. The blonde haired girl smiled, glad Alaska was making jokes once more and that she was beginning to revert to her old self. Something had happened after she had freed Darwin and fled off into the storm, and while Alaska remained cagey on the subject and said it was just an 'epiphany', Sandy knew it had been beneficial for her friend.
"Are we actually going to battle or stand around and stare at the sea?" Barney croaked from his side of the field. Sandy pushed all thoughts of Alaska out of her mind and got into battle mode; she had to focus on beating the fisherman and saving their belongings. She had a strategy in mind, and it was going to be risky, Sandy was certain it would pay off in the end… it had to.
"I'm ready – let's get started!" She called out, her two PokeBalls in hand, and Barney flashed his disgusting, black toothed smile at her.
"Very well then, my pretty – Seaking, Poliwag, let's go!" The two Apricorn Balls spiralled forwards, and they opened with less flash like modern balls, white energy pouring out and forming on the field. Sandy knew what both Pokemon looked like and there were no surprises with Poliwag: it was small and blue with a spiralled pattern on its chest, with no arms and tiny legs so it would resemble a beach ball if it did have a long, slim white tail protruding from its back. Seaking, who formed alongside, was a larger version of Goldeen with a longer horn, bigger tail fin, and same colour scheme as its pre-evolution asides from darker red splotches. However, while Sandy knew Seaking were considerably bigger than Goldeen, this one was huge; it looked as though it weighed more than her, Alaska and Mitchell put together, and was roughly the same size as Onix's head. Sandy gulped, thinking of the size and weight of her own Pokemon, and wondered if her Rock Snake may be a better choice…
No, think of type advantages! She told herself, quickly shaking away the foolish idea. I need a chance at winning this, and Onix cant' me that. I have to win this, for Alaska, for Mitchell, for myself…
"Bellsprout and Pichu, I choose you!" Sandy yelled, and she threw her two PokeBalls forwards. Her two Pokemon quickly formed, with Bellsprout healed from her earlier battle, while Pichu's small stature was emphasized as he stood on a muddy patch, looking around in confusion as if he had just woken up.
"A Grass and an Electric type, smart move," Barney stated with a slight grunt, and Sandy could see he was already put off at his disadvantage. However, he did not know Bellsprout had minimal battle experience, or that this was the first time Pichu was battling competitively. Sandy had tried training him, and with some success he had fought and damaged Butterfree, but the Tiny Mouse Pokemon was still far from mastering the few moves he did know. He was still young and temperamental, and Sandy was not sure how he would react fighting proper opponents. However, he did have a super effective move on his hands, and it could make all the difference in this battle.
"Sandy, are you mad?" Alaska hissed, and Sandy turned to find her friend standing right next to her, smiling so everything looked fine but her teeth were clenched and her eyes burned with rage. "I thought you would have at least sent Butterfree out, she is your most experienced Pokemon! Hell, even Onix could do better than Pichu in this situation –"
"You have to trust me on this!" Sandy replied, smiling as well but was struggling to hide her own shock; how could Alaska say something like that, after everything they had been through together? Did she still not trust Sandy after all this time?
"How can when you make decisions like this?" Alaska whispered. "Do you remember what is at stake here? This is not a situation you can afford to take risks in! God, you should have let me fight!" Sandy was shocked, and for a second she let her sadness show. However, she remembered the wicked mind she was facing and quickly straightened her expression, but the words still cut deep.
"Alaska, I have always trusted your battle calls! I have never once criticized you; not for sending Pidgeotto out against Surge, not for relying on burning down Alexis' gym to secure a win, not even when we faced Gideon! I would have been well within my rights to call you out, but I never did, so you owe me the same damn courtesy!" And Sandy turned away before the tears started flowing, though she briefly caught Alaska's startled expression. She never liked confronting people, it always made her feel terrible, but Sandy almost felt good about saying that… though that made her feel bad…
"Are we battling or what?" Barney snapped. "I have other things to do today, y'know!"
"Oh really? I am sure that a decrepit old coot living on the edge of the world really has a busy day ahead!" Sandy snapped, letting her anger and confusion slip out, but she gasped and clasped her hands to her mouth as soon as she heard what she said. Barney's jaw dropped, Mitchell 'ooohed' from the sidelines, and even Bellsprout turned around, her eyes wider than normal.
"Oh, you little bitch!" Barney hissed. "I will make you pay for that one! I am starting this battle, I am sick of waiting – Seaking, ready Skull Bash, and Poliwag use DoubleSlap on Bellsprout!" Sandy was worried; she had known the battle would be difficult, but after insulting her opponent, any chance Barney would easy on her was gone. The massive Seaking shifted his weight so his horn was pointing straight forwards, and it began to glow white, pulsating energy that began to encircle his body.
I must focus, I can't let this get in the way, she told herself. We can win this, no matter what he throws our way!
"Bellsprout use Magical Leaf on Seaking! Pichu, begin with Quick Attack on Poliwag!" Sandy commanded, and she felt reassured as soon as her Pokemon began to move. Pichu still looked a bit absent, but he seemed aware he was in a battle now and gazed around before spotting Poliwag, and he quickly got into gear.
"CHU!" He cried, a high pitched squeal that nearly made Sandy 'awww', and the Electric type sprinted towards Poliwag. He slammed into the spherical Pokemon with enough force to knock her over, but she rolled back onto her feet and Poliwag looked more bothered about getting muddy than the fact she was attacked.
"BellBellBell!" Bellsprout called as her leaves began to flicker different colours, and she spun her body around, multiple leaves shooting off and rocketing towards Seaking. The Water type winced and emitted a low groan as the attack hit, but it did not seem to do as much damage as Sandy would have liked.
"POLIIII!" Poliwag shouted, and she leapt forwards. She began to spin as Bellsprout landed, and her tail came around, smacking the Flower Pokemon across the face. Bellsprout stumbled over, but the swirling Pokemon managed two more hits before landing on her feet. Sandy was stunned to see how disorientated Bellsprout now was, the Grass type's thin body wobbling as she tried to recover from the brutal slapping.
"One attack and it's already getting weak!" Barney sneered with a malicious smile, and Sandy angrily glared back at him, refusing to let herself get bullied.
"You can do this Bellsprout! Just stand your ground and focus!" She called. Bellsprout stopped moving and managed a no before turning back around, and she pushed her stick like legs into the ground to ensure her balance.
"That won't save her from my Pokemon! Skull Bash on Bellsprout, and Poliwag use Mud Shot on Pichu!" Barney ordered, and Sandy resisted the urge to curse, taken aback by Poliwag's super effective move; things were definitely intense now.
"Alright Pichu, you use Slam on Poliwag, and Bellsprout use Vine Whip on Seaking!" She cried. Her Pokemon readied themselves to attack but their opponents were already in action. Seaking suddenly shot forwards without order; the white energy that had surrounded him was used to propel himself forwards, and Sandy watched as the Goldfish Pokemon moved like a great white and red rocket heading for Bellsprout.
"KIIIIIING!" Seaking boomed as he approached. Bellsprout looked stunned and extend her arms out, trying to use Vine Whip as defensively rather than offensively, but it was no use; Seaking slammed into her, and Sandy gasped as her Grass type was sent careering through the mud, splattering it everywhere, and the force of the attack sent her rolling for metres, nearly over the edge, Seaking sliding right after her.
"WAAAAG!" Sandy turned back and witnessed as Poliwag whacked her tail onto the field, and suddenly a column of mud was flying forwards. An oblivious Pichu was still running forwards to attack, and the attack hit him head on, covering him in mud and blasting him backwards.
"Two Pokemon easily brought down!" Barney yelled, and he began to cackle, clearly enjoying his easy victory. Sandy was beginning to get nervous; her Pokemon were easily being overpowered, her type advantage going out the window against stronger attacks and a field that could be used against them.
There has to be something I can do… Sandy thought. I have been studying for this journey for years; I have to have learnt something that I can use here!
"Now Seaking, use Poison Jab while you have that thing trapped! Poliwag, DoubleSlap on Pichu!" Barney ordered. Sandy turned to Bellsprout and Seaking, unable to see the Flower Pokemon beneath all the mud, but she could see the purple glow of Seaking's horn as he readied to strike. She could see how close the two were, and an idea finally formed in her mind.
"Fire a Sleep Powder into his face!" Sandy commanded. "Pichu, use Quick Attack and then cling onto Poliwag's head!" Pichu quickly, almost magically, burst out from the mud and collided directly into a nearby Poliwag. Sandy was delighted by the ease of that attack, but there was a much trickier battle occurring behind her.
"Get away from there Seaking!" Barney yelled, and Sandy smiled to herself as that was exactly what she wanted; Bellsprout was a sitting flower trapped beneath Seaking like that, so she had hoped the threat of sleep would get the Water type to move.
"Sprout!" Bellsprout cried as she fired the particles, but Seaking used his fins to slide backwards, the field so muddy it was more liquid than solid.
"Get out of there!" Sandy yelled, and Bellsprout pushed herself up, her body completely coat in mud. Seaking was ready to strike, his horn now a similar shade to Sandy's dress, but Sandy had seen how effective the mud had been for him. "Slide forwards!" She ordered, and before Seaking could move, Bellsprout ran and dived into the mud; her light body slid across the surface, and she used her leaves as flippers to propel herself across. She was low to the ground now, and though Seaking chased after, there was no way his horn could get low enough to hit Bellsprout.
Grinning, Sandy turned to find Pichu clinging onto Poliwag's head and refusing to let go, even though the Tadpole Pokemon was desperately trying to fling him off. She could not use DoubleSlap without risking injuring herself, and Pichu went through the turn unscathed. Barney looked irritated, and Sandy could have skipped in delight; the battle was starting to go her way, and she had a chance to actually win this.
"Neat tricks, but that's all those were; silly little moves you won't pull off again!" The old man warned. "Waterfall on Bellsprout and Mud Shot on Pichu!"
"Pichu use Slam on Poliwag and Bellsprout use Magical Leaf on Seaking!" Sandy called. Bellsprout jumped back to her feet and turned around to face her opponent, but Seaking was clearly as into the battle as his trainer, and he quickly slammed his fins, now glowing a bright shade of blue, onto the muddy field. A column of water suddenly erupted underneath Bellsprout and she fired at least three metres into the air.
"BEEELLLLL!" She cried, and Sandy watched in horror as Bellsprout was bounced around by the attack, unable to escape from the never ending column.
"ChuChu!" Pichu cried to her left, and Sandy turned as Pichu sprung up from Poliwag's head, rising up nearly a metre, before crashing down on top of the Water type. The Tiny Mouse Pokemon laughed in delight at Poliwag's jiggling body, but his smile turned to fright as Poliwag finally threw him off with her tail.
"WAAAG!" She cried, forcing him to the ground, and she unleashed the Mud Shot directly onto the baby Pokemon. Pichu wailed as he was sent soaring backwards in a shower of wet earth, splattering Sandy and Seaking as he went by.
"Pichu!" Sandy cried as he crashed to the ground, completely buried by the mud. She wanted to go and comfort him, but Seaking moved into her path, smiling as maliciously as Barney did. There was a soft thud from behind, and Sandy turned back to find the Waterfall had disappeared; while Bellsprout had been cleaned of the mud, she now lay unmoving on the field, her eyes barely open.
No… this can't be… Sandy thought, and she felt on the verge of tears as she looked between her two Pokemon, both looking so fallen and defeated. She was foolish to have gotten her hopes up the last turn, there was still a long way to go until she could win this, but Sandy could not help but wonder if she had been foolish all along…
You can't train Pokemon; this is a fact, Alex, one you need to grow up and accept! Do you really think you can protect yourself with a Metapod? You'll get that thing killed and then yourself, and I won't be able to come and rescue you! Do you really want to die in the middle of a route, where the chances are higher something will find you and eat you before the police can get to you? You walk out that door and you are kissing your life goodbye Alex…
"Can you stop daydreaming like some ditzy tart and focus on our battle?!" Barney snapped. Sandy barely paid attention to him as her father's words swirled across her mind. She had never listened to him before, having always thought he was just overreacting, but this battle could very well prove him right; what would happen if she did get defeated here? How could she live without her supplies, without food or shelter or clean clothing? If Sandy lost, she would simply prove him right at the same time as confirming her death sentence.
I will just have to prove him wrong then, she thought defiantly. I have not survived terrorists and killer robots to let myself get beaten by some crusty, unstable old fisherman! If I take one Pokemon down first, then it could be easier…
"I am not waiting any longer! Seaking use Waterfall again, I liked that way the flower danced, and Poliwag finish that Pichu off with another Mud Shot!"
"Bellsprout use Magical Leaf and Pichu use Volt Tackle, both on Poliwag!" Sandy ordered. Barney's face dropped in surprise, and Sandy managed to perk up, but she would not declare this a victory until Poliwag had fainted. Seaking unleashed the Waterfall again, remaining backwards possibly to avoid any attacks, and Bellsprout was fired back into the air. She began to bounce around again and Sandy was worried she would not survive, but was relieved when she saw something glow, and seconds later a barrage of leaves soared down from the Waterfall, smacking Poliwag right in her spiral and sending her skidding through the grass and mud.
Now came the difficult part. Sandy turned around to face Pichu, and found the little yellow Pokemon had gotten back to his feet, though he was wobbling slightly, struggling to remain upright. Sandy knew that using Volt Tackle would likely knock him out as well, and that was a huge gamble to take, but so was using Pichu in the first place. Half the time when Butterfree had attacked him in training, Pichu had either burst into tears or gotten into a mood and refused to carry on. He was starting to look pouty, but Magical Leaf had not been enough to take Poliwag out and Volt Tackle was necessary.
"You can do this Pichu!" She called out, and her Pokemon looked up at her. "You have the advantage, you have the strength to make it work, but you just need to access that power and show us what you can do!" Sandy put on such an encouraging smile that it made her face hurt, and she could only hope Pichu would respond.
"Do it now Poliwag before he moves!" Barney ordered, and Sandy briefly turned away, watching as Poliwag started to run forwards and bring the attack to Pichu. She was nervous Pichu was not going to act, but when she looked back, it seemed the Electric type was not going to stand around and get attacked.
"Pi Pi Pi!" He yelled, and he ran forwards with steely determination Sandy had not seen from him before. Pichu began to glow yellow as he sprinted past Seaking, sparks flying from his body, and his natural light only got stronger the closer he got to Poliwag. Sandy beamed as Poliwag came to a stop, her eyes widening in fear, but there was no stopping it now: electricity burst from Pichu and shrouded his entire body, and it now looked like a bolt of electricity was rocketing across the field.
"PICHUPICHUPICHUPICHUPICHUPICHU!" Pichu yelled, and he ran straight into Poliwag. There was a yellow flash that nearly blinded Sandy, and the water on the field sparked as an electrical current skimmed across the surface. The force of the attack sent mud flying, and Barney cried out as he was hit in the face, not even noticing as Poliwag soared out from the cloud and splatted down right behind him. Sandy was delighted at the effects of the attack, but as smoke surrounded Pichu, there was no way of telling if either Pokemon had fainted…
"Oh right, we don't have a referee," Alaska said suddenly from the sidelines after a few moments of nothing happening. "I guess that will have to be me…" she said, smiling awkwardly, and the black haired trainer skidded through the mud towards Poliwag. "Oh yep, this thing is a dead as the blue rock it looks like," she announced. Sandy internally squealed, but did not want to seem too happy just yet as Alaska walked past Barney, purposefully bumping into him as she headed for Pichu. The smoke had finally cleared, but Sandy still could not tell…
"And, I am sorry to say, Pichu has fainted as well – only Bellsprout and Seaking remain," Alaska called. Barney made a sort of annoyed grunting noise, but Sandy felt crestfallen; Pichu had sacrificed himself to take Poliwag down, losing in his first significant battle.
"Great job Pichu, thank you for all you did," Sandy whispered as she withdrew her youngest Pokemon, feeling terrible for putting him in that position. She could not let herself dwell on this though, as she had to focus even more now that only Bellsprout remained to fight off the massive Seaking. She turned to see Bellsprout was doubled over, breathing deeply as she tried to stand back up. Meanwhile, Seaking seemed unfazed by it all, creepily watching Sandy with its yellow and black eyes.
Bellsprout can pull this off, I just know she can, Sandy told herself, but she found it difficult to feel great when Bellsprout appeared so weary. Alaska smiled, albeit stiffly, as she left the field and Sandy knew she would be worried about the battles overcome, and she felt a strong pang of regret. My Pokemon were not ready for this… they are not nearly as experienced as Alaska's…
"One down, only one left!" Barney yelled out, quickly ignoring the demise of his Poliwag as it was clear Seaking had an advantage here. "Let's see how well long Bellsprout can last against my mighty Seaking! Poison Jab!"
"Hold him off with Vine Whip!" Sandy yelled. "Keep your distance!" Bellsprout straightened up, stretching her arms to get herself ready, and Sandy smiled; she had a loyal soul in Butterfree and a rough powerhouse in Onix, but Bellsprout was the one that showed determination even when everything turned to custard. Even if they lost the fight, Sandy was proud that her Pokemon had such characteristics… if only she had displayed them herself.
"Seaking Seak!" Seaking called, and he slid forwards with his horn shining purple. The muddy grass easily parted for his hefty frame, and Seaking positioned himself so his horn was like a violet javelin, ready to tear into Bellsprout.
"Bell!" Bellsprout exclaimed, a touch of courage in her weakened, tired voice, and she sent her arms forwards. As Seaking approached, Bellsprout brought one vine crashing down on his head, hitting him in the right eye. Sandy was surprised to see Seaking slip, nearly going off balance, but he continued forwards, forcing Bellsprout to bring her other arm down on his left eye. She was taking Sandy's order and trying to put some space between herself and Seaking by pushing on Seaking's face with her vines, but there was less than twenty centimetres between the two, and Bellsprout was not strong enough to slow Seaking down.
"BEEELLLLL!" She yelled, suddenly slipping, and Seaking took the opportunity to shoot forwards. Sandy winced as his horn skimmed across Bellsprout's middle, and the Flower Pokemon was sent rolling backwards while Seaking came to a smooth stop.
"Excellent work!" Barney shouted, before turning to face his audience with a toothless smile. "Not long now until everyone you own belongs to me! That Bellsprout probably won't last another attack, wouldn't you agree?" Sandy didn't want to look at her friends, but she was riddled with guilt and could not help herself; Mitchell looked both shocked and sad at the same time, while Alaska was trying to ignore it all by staring at her shoes.
You know that I am doing this all wrong, don't you? Sandy thought, feeling teary as she gazed at her friend. You would have used Paige and Frances, ordered Twister and Solarbeam and we'd already be on done… my god, I know how to battle with your Pokemon better than my own! Sandy kicked out at the nearest mud clot and wanted to scream in rage. She was furious with everyone; Mitchell for starting this, Barney for being a disgusting creep, those Cerulean gunmen for making them flee to this route, with Gideon, with the reality stars, the robots, even Alaska – would Sandy feel the need to prove herself if her friend did not hog all the spotlight, and would she be losing if her Pokemon had not received the same attention as Alaska's?
But mostly, Sandy was annoyed with herself. All her life she had submitted to other people, letting herself get bullied and teased at school, then letting her father control her life, and now she had let herself become a sidekick rather than friend to Alaska. If anyone was to blame for the fact Bellsprout was close to fainting, Sandy knew it all boiled back to her, and that had to change before she lost everything
"We can end this Seaking! Use Skull Bash!" Barney yelled. "After that, Bellsprout will be history, and we will have a big ol' bag of goodies to last us through the summer!" Both trainer and Pokemon smiled and Seaking readied himself to attack, building up the necessary energy to propel himself forwards. Sandy was infuriated by these wizened loony's arrogant confidence, with the fact he was willing to risk two more attacks before hitting Bellsprout, but it was clear that Skull Bash would be all Bellsprout needed to go down – but she would not go down without a fight.
"Listen to me Bellsprout!" Sandy yelled, and her weary Grass type looked up. "We have been together since CeruleanCity, but this is our toughest fight yet! I know this looks impossible and that Seaking has the advantage… but trust me when I say that you can do this! I believe in you Bellsprout, and I know you are not the type of Pokemon to fall at your first big challenge! You are too strong and too good for that, and if you put your heart into this, we can win this! Now use Magical Leaf and show Barney what a Bellsprout is made of!"
"Bellsprout Bell!" Bellsprout yelled a tad hoarsely, but her pink lips curved into the biggest smile Sandy had ever seen, and she beamed with relief as the Flower Pokemon unleashed her barrage of glowing leaves. Seaking winced as they exploded against his body, and it became obvious that while he was strong, he was not as powerful as Barney would like them to think; super effective moves still had a chance to turn this around.
"Finish this Seaking!" Barney bellowed, looking a touch nervous. Sandy had to think of a way to end this and guarantee Bellsprout won. She begrudgingly thought back to Alaska's battles that she had watched from the sidelines, and remembered her friend's knack for spontaneous, unconventional moves…
"Use Vine Whip and slam both into his right side!" Sandy yelled, taking a huge gamble. At that moment, Seaking took off, his horn a blinding white as his built up energy propelling him forwards. Bellsprout looked more confident now even though she was struggling to stand, and she extended her arms and readied, waiting for Seaking to come closer. If this got mistimed, Bellsprout would be hit and Sandy would lose everything, but she was confident in her Pokemon… she would not, could not, let that happen…
"BEEEEEELLLL!" Bellsprout yelled, and she swung out with her vines when Seaking was only a few metres away. The Goldfish Pokemon yelled as they smashed into him, and the force was enough to send him spinning around on the slippery surface. His horn still glowed, but Seaking quickly turned into a rotating red and white blur.
"JUMP ON HIM!" Sandy yelled, and Bellsprout flung herself onto his tail as he spun towards her, latching on with her nimble body. Barney looked taken aback, and Seaking tried to throw Bellsprout off, but the spinning was making him unbalanced and the Grass type was holding on with every ounce of energy she had left.
"NOW BELLSPROUT, USE YOUR VINES AND THROW HIM!" Sandy screamed, getting a bit hysterical but she couldn't care less: her risky plan was working, and they were winning, it was actually happening!
"SPROUT!" Bellsprout yelled, and she slid off his body and wrapped her arms around his tail, ramming her legs into the mud and forcing Seaking to a stop. Then, with every last bit of energy, Bellsprout swung her body, pulling Seaking through the mud, and then flung him across the field.
"YES BELLSPROUT, YES! YOU DID IT BELL, YOU DID – Oh shit…" Sandy's delight evaporated instantly as she realised where Bellsprout had flung Seaking. Barney's jaw dropped, but they could only watch as Seaking bounced across the surface of the field before flying right through the closest corner of Barney's shack. The rotten wood easily gave way, and Seaking's massive frame took out a very large chunk as he rolled inside. Sandy watched in horror as the building creaked loudly, and suddenly the two walls hit caved in, bringing the roof down with them with more of a squelch than a crash.
Silence fell across the field, all except for the wind and the crashing of the waves against their island. No one was quite sure what to say, and Sandy was struggling with a cross between complete shock and amazement at what she had just pulled off. I won, I won a battle! I may have just pulled an Alaska, but I still won! We're safe, he can't take our bags now, and – wait, why is Bellsprout glowing? Sandy looked down at Bellsprout as the Flower Pokemon began to emit white light. She was confused, but then she remembered seeing the same thing happening twice to her before: once when a Caterpie had clung itself it to her window, and again when a Metapod's shell had cracked open on her dining room table…
"Bellsprout!" Sandy exclaimed in joy for the last time, and she watched as her Pokemon fully shone: her stick-like body began to shrink while her head grew, doubling, nearly tripling in size. A stick began to emerge from the back of her head, while the leaves transferred up on either side of her face…
It was a brief evolution, but when the light disappeared, Sandy was ecstatic: there, in the middle of a disgustingly muddy field, was a bright yellow and green Weepinbell, essentially a large version of Bellsprout's head, staring up with tiredness in her eyes.
"Oh Weepinbell, congratulations!" Sandy yelled, and she finally let herself cry as she rushed to greet her latest Pokemon. She scooped her up and wiped the mud off with her dress, not caring that she got dirty herself, and pulled her into a hug. "You were amazing out there; you so deserved this to happen! Thank you for being so amazing!"
"Weep," Weepinbell mumbled in acknowledgement, and Sandy held her close, wishing that she could be alone to celebrate this victory.
"You bitch!" Someone snapped, and Sandy's happiness shattered. She looked up to see Barney was still standing on his side, but was now looking at her with pure rage etched on his wizened face. Another Apricorn Ball was in his hands, and Sandy had a feeling that it did not contain Seaking. "You've destroyed my house! I built that thing myself, it has stood on this spot for DECADES! How dare you, you little whore! You are going to pay for this!" He roared, and he raised his arm.
"Don't you dare!" Alaska yelled, and she appeared before Sandy, her own PokeBalls in hand. Sandy did not want her to start another fight, as it would only lead to more damage and weaken their Pokemon further. However, Barney just winked and turned around; he threw the ball into the churning waves, and there was a brief flash of white from underneath the surface.
"What's going on?" Mitchell asked from the sidelines. Sandy was unsure, but it was clear the fisherman did not want to battle. Suddenly, something large and blue broke through the water, rising up into the sky. Sandy had seen plenty swimming past, but this was the first time she had seen a Gyarados up close since Damien's, and this one looked much nastier: its body was horrible scarred, big red wounds cut deep into its skin, one eye half shut from a bruise, and several teeth were missing. That only made it look even angrier, and Sandy held Weepinbell close as fear filled her, the great, ugly, angry Gyarados staring viciously down at them all.
"This is my oldest and most loyal Pokemon," Barney explained with a sadistic smile. "I don't use him for these petty battles anymore; I save his strength for capturing bigger rewards then you lot. However, I also use him to teach those that have wronged me a lesson; these scars are a mark of all those fisherman who tried fighting him off as he tore through their ships and sent them to the bottom of the ocean! Now, it is time you brats get what you deserve! SURF!"
"Our bags!" Alaska gasped, and as Gyarados roared and lifted his tail, she sprinted forwards and grabbed hers and Sandy's from the mud. Sandy was shaken, unsure what was about to happen, but she did not want to be separated from her friend. She rushed towards Alaska with Weepinbell pressed against her chest, but the attack was already coming; Gyarados slammed his tail against the water while his wicked eyes glowed blue, and it picked up one of the waves. Instead of crashing into the concrete path, it was whipped up, quadrupling in size, and was sent careering towards them.
Sandy watched in horror as the giant wave soared across the island, coming straight for them. Barney began to laugh as the wall of water slammed into Alaska and Mitchell, and Sandy yelled as it came towards her. She turned tried to run, but the Surf crashed into her, hitting her with the force of a speeding truck, and she toppled to the ground. Weepinbell yelled out as Sandy smashed into the mud, but she was only on the ground for a second before the roaring wave picked her up, sending her spinning around
Sandy gasped for breath as she was pulled beneath the water, the weight of the attack crushing her chest. She tried to find something to grab onto, but the wave was moving too quickly, and instead Sandy could only shut her eyes as they were pushed off the island, away from the path, and sent straight into open waters
