Chapter Seventy Nine: Poison Paradise

Once again, Fuchsia was quiet. It was as though people were afraid of going outside, terrified that if they left the safety of their home, chaos would land on their doorsteps once again. As she moved through the city, Sandy felt like an intruder, as though she was disturbing something that had been laid to rest a long time ago.

What is wrong with this city? It didn't matter where you went in Fuchsia; the whole town simply felt dead. The unkempt Pokémon Centre, the abandoned building projects, house after house dripping with neglect, and not a single person around trying to do anything.

Though she hadn't seen anyone else, Sandy knew that people still lived here; she could feel their eyes watching her as she strolled through their city. She stopped on a street corner and looked around, eyes darting from abandoned house to overgrown lawn, finally landing on a one story brick house behind her. A woman watched her from behind her curtain, but she did not flee from the stranger watching her; instead she met Sandy's eyes and defiantly glared back, her look screaming at Sandy to go away.

It was an expression Sandy had seen all too often in the last few weeks: fear mixed with anger, the eyes of someone who had seen it all before and wasn't ready to face it again. Alongside Viridian and Cinnabar, Fuchsia had suffered the most at Team Rocket's hands, but only they were unwilling to move on. Sandy thought back to the nurse at the Pokémon Centre, how she had made Alaska feel after only a few minutes together: the town was angry, wounds that no amount of new attractions could heal, but Sandy knew that ultimately these new visitors to their home simply made them scared – none of them were ready to suffer again.

Shivering, Sandy continued on her way, catching more curtains flick out of the corner of her eyes. The watchful townspeople did little to help her nerves. Sandy got this way before all of Alaska's gym matches: it had started off as excitable jitters, hoping everything worked out for her new friend while anxious to experience the marvel of battles. In recent weeks, it had become flat out nerves, not about whether Alaska would win or not, but how she would react afterwards, what the people watching them would do, what her winning or losing would mean for their future.

She better make this work, she can't trick Janine like she did with Sabrina. Once her Pokémon had helped her move past Janine's words and her own fears, Sandy had been able to turn her attention to the forthcoming battle. With Alaska on the other side of the city, she was in no position to help and had no clue what her friend had planned.

If she even shows up… Sandy had wanted to leave earlier and go straight to the Pokémon Centre, prepared to drag Alaska kicking and screaming if that was what it would take. But Bertram had forbidden it.

"You may be the one who has to hold her hand, but part of helping someone is making sure they can do things on their own."

So Sandy had waited: she threw herself into training her Pokémon, and her joy at their ever improving skills had been enough to calm her worries. When she had left the farm an hour earlier, she had felt reassured, confident, hopeful that the battle would play out how she hoped. But walking through this dead town had drained the joy from her: seeing the effects rebellion and war had brought Sandy right down again. Now, as she made the final turn towards the gym, the blonde headed girl was prepared utterly for the worst.

"Look who finally decided to show up!" Sandy stopped dumbfounded in the middle of the road, and watched Alaska leap off the post she had been sitting on across the road from the gym. She looked tired, her hair limp and greasy, her eyes red, face pale, but she was here on time.

Sandy didn't say anything. A sudden rush of shame overwhelmed her, and she simply marched forwards and embraced her friend.

"You smell disgusting," she mumbled, voice shaking, and Alaska laughed.

"Training non-stop for, what, thirty hours does that to you." She broke loose of the hug and stepped back. "How have you been?"

Sandy shrugged. "Good, actually. It was relaxing – nice and quiet. I really needed the break."

"From me?" Alaska asked, eyebrow raised.

"What, god no, that's not what I meant!"

"I'm joking!" Alaska laughed, though there was a dull heaviness to it. "I'm happy for you; you looked like you needed it. You were pretty quiet after we got to Bertram's."

"No, no, I'm fine!" Now wasn't the time to bring up what Janine had said. Sandy couldn't give Alaska any reason not to focus on the battle. "Oh, I do have some exciting news though!" Sandy stepped backwards and produced a PokeBall. Alaska's eyebrows narrowed in curiosity and she watched as red energy poured onto the road. The Pokémon that formed was bright pink, with skin like ribbons protruding from her neck and left ear. Her wide blue eyes looked cautiously around her, and her lips were held tightly together as though displeased with her new surroundings. Alaska's jaw dropped, and Sandy simply beamed, soaking up her friend's reaction.

"Oh… wow…a Sylveon! So, is that…Eevee?" Sandy nodded enthusiastically, and she stared giddily down at her Pokémon. She still couldn't get her head around the fact that this was hers, that Eevee had had the potential for evolution in her this whole time. The thought of what she had done for her brought made Sandy well up with happy tears, and she longed for the opportunity to put her latest addition through her paces.

Sylveon seemed nonplussed by the attention: the Fairy Pokémon was delicately cleaning herself, rubbing her tongue across her cream and pink fur, her tail gently swishing. She only looked up when Alaska playfully patted the ribbon-like appendages protruding from her neck and head, shooting her a blue-eyed glower.

"These feel weird," Alaska said, holding up one of the bows. Sylveon angrily chirped at her and whacked Alaska's hand away with another of the ribbons.

"Yeah, they are a bit odd," Sandy whispered, hoping her Pokémon could not hear. "Bertram said they are a defensive thing, though they just remind me of tails… only backwards." She looked at Alaska, who was biting her lips in a futile attempt not to laugh. They stared at each other in silence for a minute before cracking up, their laughter echoing down the abandoned road. Sylveon looked at them in disgust and carried on cleaning herself.

"Ah, I needed that," Alaska sighed a few minutes later. "All work and no fun makes Alaska a boring bitch. Well then, now that you're here, shall we head in?"

"To the gym?"

"Yes… is that a problem?" Alaska asked, her eyebrows rising once more.

It could be. Her happiness turned sour, Sandy crushed to be brought back to reality. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She wanted to question her, she wanted to make sure that what her friend was doing was right. But how to word it, how to ask her without hurting her, shaking her confidence, damaging their chances of winning? Sandy had spent much of the walk here thinking about how to phrase her concerns, and had been confident of what she would say, but the thought of facing Alaska and the reality were entirely different.

"No, not at all," she said finally; Sandy could hear her voice quiver under the lie, but Alaska didn't seem to notice. With a determined nod, the trainer turned and marched up to the gym doors without another word. Sandy sighed, cursing herself for multiple reasons, and followed her up the path. Alaska pushed on the doors and stepped forwards, only to slam into the thick wood a second later.

"What the hell, the doors are locked!" Alaska gave the door an angry shove followed quickly by a kick to no avail. A robotic giggle sounded around them, and Alaska sighed and looked upwards. "Let us in, Clyde."

"Can't do that, I'm afraid. The gym leader's not home, so it's all locked up."

"What do you mean? I've got a gym battle scheduled for today."

"For today, yes, but not here – Miss Janine found a much more appropriate venue for you. It's a short walk from here; I'm sending a guide for you." A putrid smell hit their noses before he had finished talking, and Sandy gagged and looked around; a purple ball with a cartoonish grin appeared around the side of the gym, and then dopily bobbed towards them.

"Koffiiiiing!" Khaki smoke oozed out of the grinning Pokémon, who seemed oblivious to their disgust, and it swerved around them before heading towards the western side of the gym.

"My goodness Alaska, did you not bathe this morning? How disgusting!" Clyde's cackle sounded from all sides, and a seething Alaska glowered at thin air before following after the Koffing. Sandy and Sylveon followed in her stride, heading down a path between the building and the trees.

"Come on Alaska; don't let him get to you." Alaska didn't reply, marching solidly onwards in Koffing's putrid wake. Sandy had to jog to keep up, Sylveon skipping playfully by her side like it was all a game. "Alaska, I really think –"

"Not now," her friend snapped back, and Sandy felt her heart sink. All her worries had come true. Alaska's anger was the thing that frightened her the most as it managed to make her wildly unpredictable yet disappointingly predictable. The people they were up against, they would soon know how to get under her skin if they didn't already, and when that happened, you never knew what version of Alaska would get. Sabrina had tried to teach her to strategize and prepare for battle properly, to see things from the opponent's perspective. Sandy had hoped that the message had sunk in after Darwin returned, but seeing her friend fall so quickly into a temper, her old doubts quickly rose to the surface.

Janine's going to have a plan. She's going to know each of Alaska's weaknesses and she is going to know exactly how to exploit them. She doesn't trust Alaska, she doesn't want the fate of the world to rest in her hands… she won't let Alaska win if she can help it.

"Alaska, wait!"

"What?" Alaska turned around with a snarl on her face, and the two stopped. Sandy had barely paid attention to where they were going, but now found herself surrounded by trees: thick, ancient trunks enclosed them, an almost invisible path their one guide onwards. It felt like something from a fairy tale, but Sandy's mysticism died as she looked back into Alaska's eyes, facing the anger once again: they weren't travelling to some mystical hidden kingdom in the woods, they were off to duel a warrior stronger and more capable than either of them put together.

"So… do you know what you are going to do?"

"I have a plan, if that's what you mean. I spent all of yesterday and this morning working on it."

"Do you… do you want to share?" Alaska turned to Sandy and smirked.

"I have won five of these already; I think I can handle this." She turned to walk away, but Sandy grabbed onto her arm. "What?" Alaska's face was twisted with rage, and it took all of Sandy's willpower not to let go. The silence dragged on, and the anger slowly faded from Alaska, and her eyes fell to the hand wrapped tightly around her wrist. "Sandy, is something wrong?"

Sandy couldn't speak, her nerves making her seize up again, but she refused to let go. Yes, of course something's wrong; is anything about this fucking situation right? She wanted to shout that, to yell and scream and let out everything she had been holding in for weeks. Instead, Sandy took a deep breath and paused; this was her one shot, her last chance, to say everything she wanted to say, and screaming her lungs out wouldn't solve anything.

Simply put, Sandy was worried. She couldn't help it. It was a difficult thing to put into words: how does one express disappointment with a friend without losing the friendship? Even after everything they'd been through, Sandy still had no idea how Alaska would react if she questioned her. They had a friendship built mostly on nightmares and broken promises. Alaska had given Sandy her word countless times in the past, but in the end it had proven worthless. Their conversation at the Athlew Mansion had felt different, like they had reached an understanding, but it hadn't been put to the test yet.

If Alaska loses here, there is no coming back. Everyone important will be watching the outcome of this battle, and this is her last chance to appease everybody… especially me.

Sandy felt selfish, making this about her when the fate of the region was at stake, but after everything they'd been through, she felt she had earned the right. She had been dragged into this, sucked up into someone else's prophecy, and there was no escape for either of them. Sandy knew she was in too deep to back out now; Gideon, Buzz, the robot army, they could all come for her, kidnap her, torture her, murder her, just to prove a point. She was as much a part of this as Alaska was, but Sandy didn't have her strength or resilience. Her Pokémon loved her and supported her, but Alaska had the power and experience Sandy couldn't possibly replicate on her own.

All this had been on her mind for weeks, but Sandy had never found the courage to say it. And here they were, only a few minutes away from the most important test so far on this journey, and only now could Sandy find the courage to speak. She wished she had said something earlier, found the courage to speak her feelings instead of cheering on the side lines, but she could not let Alaska go into that battle angry, she couldn't let her fight without speaking her mind.

I have to know you aren't going to get me and my Pokémon killed. I need to know you are still a good person underneath all that armour you wear, that you will do what has to be done.

"Sandy, seriously, we're going to be –"

"You can't stuff this up." Sandy softened her grip but didn't let go, mostly as she needed to maintain contact, as though her touch would be enough to calm Alaska. "We need them on our side, you have to understand that. Do you have a plan, Alaska, and not one of your complicated creativity set ups?"

"Yes – don't you trust me?"

No. "Of course I do, but they don't. You need to show them you can… well, behave. They aren't going to trust you with the freedom we both want unless you can show you don't need them watching over you. We're talking about the end of the world here: none of us want that to happen, but they don't want to co-operate with you because they don't see the point."

"So you want me to be a good little girl so we –"

"No, Alaska, it isn't that simple and you know it. You can't just dismiss everything you disagree with like that. The way you battle today will be the difference between having a choice in how you save the world and continuing with this cold war of mutual hatred and distrust that will only result in the bad guys winning. You have to go out there and fight fairly, even if Janine doesn't, and prove to them that you are the person who is going to stop Gideon and that it's time they treated us – you, I mean, like that."

She was nearly there, she had nearly made her point, but Sandy had run out of things to say. She couldn't stop there; she needed something to simple and easy to drive her point home, to make Alaska see sense. Sandy cast her mind back to Bertram, to Leaf and Janine, to Looker, but everything she'd thought of while she walked through the city was gone from her mind… unless…

"I know this is going to be tough for you because of what happened to Viridian, and I understand that. But the same thing happened to Fuchsia; they've let their hatred and anger and fear define them for the last five years, and look at how little they've progressed. You can't let the past define you Alaska, otherwise we will carry on fighting them, and you'll just become the person you hate."

The silence that followed was long and heavy. Even the foul smell pouring out of Koffing couldn't distract them. Sandy felt both the lightness of a moral weight being lifted from her shoulders, but at the same time her stomach churned and twisted upon itself, her whole body shaking with fear as to what would come next.

"That's a lot to take in," Alaska said. She smiled weakly, and from the sad, defeated look in her eyes, Sandy knew her words had worked. "I am taking this seriously, I cannot stress that. I don't want to get into it here, but the stuff with Darwin… its changed things. Really, it all started with our talk in the tent that night; I didn't have time to process that since we, you know, got kidnapped a few hours later, but you and then Sabrina and Alistair and everything we've learnt, it's all snowballed and this is what were left with. I wish we could stop and talk about this, but if I don't face Janine now, I don't think I ever will. I just want you to know that I never want to feel the way I did after my battle with Sabrina, so I promise you, this is going to be different."

For a second, Sandy felt like crying – not out of any one overpowering emotion, but from the surprise of it all. No yelling, no fighting, no cursing to the winds: Alaska was smiling and nodding and taking it all in. Sandy held back the tears and simply smiled: the negative side of her doubted Alaska was reacting so calmly internally, but now wasn't the time to push her further.

"Well then, on we go!" There was a pause, a little moment of tension that made Sandy seize, but Alaska cracked a smile and turned, leading the way behind Koffing. "Here's hoping I've totally overthought this and Janine isn't up to anything."

"Even if she is, there's nothing here that I'm not prepared for." There was a pause, and then Alaska groaned. "Fuck me, I shouldn't have said that, should I? She's going to have something awful planned, won't she?"

"I'm sure it won't be that bad…" Sandy said, unconvincingly. She looked down at Sylveon who was shaking her head, and nervously Sandy carried on. The trees soon began to thin, the pale blue sky peering through the branches, and Koffing gathered speed as he soared towards their destination. Alaska and Sandy shared one last glance, one final smile, and together they stepped out of the forest.

Instantly they froze. The sight that greeted them was unlike anything either of them had ever seen. They stood in the clearing for what felt like hours, staring upwards, completely speechless. Sandy felt herself go breathless, could feel the oxygen leave her body as her lungs, heart, brain, everything seized. She had imagined plenty of ways today could have gone wrong, but never in her wildest, most terrifying dreams would she had ever picked this.

They had stepped into a gathering of the gods. It was like some ancient mural come to life: the three birds of Kanto, Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, soared overhead with bodies the size of planes, while beneath them on the cliffs above, Raikou, Entei and Suicune stood silently gazing at the pair, their beautiful manes rustling in the northern winds. Sandy had briefly been in the presence of gods before, but this was something else entirely. She could feel them all staring at her, six pairs of eyes that probably outdated her bloodline watching her, and Sandy wasn't sure if she was meant to bow or run away screaming.

"Well fucking fuck me." Quivering under the mere thought of the power surrounding her, Sandy turned to face Alaska: her jaw hung open, her eyes were glazed over. Sandy reached out and grabbed her hand, partly to reassure her friend, to let her know that it was all going to be fine even though she doubted that any of this was good news.

"About bloody time!" The cry sounded from beneath them. Sandy had been so distracted she hadn't noticed they were standing at the top of a hill: they were on the edge of a small mountain range, but the battlefield was waiting for them in the valley below, positioned between the two cliff faces. The earthy pitch was nothing like the wooden dojo they had seen the other day, and Sandy felt uneasy as she followed Alaska down the steep slope.

Janine was waiting for them on the edge of the pitch, scratching Koffing's underside with Leaf by her side, hand clutching nose. She lowered her hand as the pair approached, throwing them a smile, and Sandy watched with disdain as it disappeared under Alaska's renewed glower.

"What the hell is this?" She snapped, pointing to the legendaries above them.

"A bold statement." Janine let that hang there before cracking a smile. "Oh god, you should see the look on your face."

"Answer me!"

Janine raised her hands in pretend surrender. "Calm down now, love, you don't want things to get out of hand. You think you know better than us, that you can do this without Red's legendaries watching over you. Well, now is your chance to prove it: you're going to be judged by the gods – literally. You see, I wouldn't trust you to look after a Caterpie let alone the fate of the world, so even if you defeat me today, I'm still going to be rooting for Option B. If you want to carry on without constant supervision, you have to prove to them you are worthy."

Though she wanted to stay positive, even Sandy felt the strong urge to slap the gym leader. Bringing out the gods felt like it was against all kinds of rules, but the angrier Sandy got, the more she thought about Sabrina: you had to roll with what your enemies threw at you, and that was what they would have to do.

"Remember what I said," Sandy hissed through clenched teeth, quiet enough she hoped the others wouldn't hear it. She could see Alaska's eye twitching, and for a moment Sandy feared all the stress she had put herself through for those few minutes of bravery would be for nothing.

"Very well: I hope you're prepared to lose in front of your biggest audience yet." Alaska's words were sharp and venomous but delivered so calmly Sandy audibly breathed a sigh of relief. A silence followed, all four women looking quietly between each other, but then Alaska spoke up. "I feel like I should apologize for how things got the other day. I meant what I said, but that was probably the wrong time to bring it up."

Did that seriously just happen? Sandy was beginning to wonder if she had walked into a dream. Alaska facing her enemies calmly, quietly, almost politely? Was this some imposter, or did Sandy have so little faith in her friend that even the smallest progress seemed impossible?

"That's quite alright Alaska," Leaf said, interrupting before Janine could reply. "We probably were a bit hostile as well, weren't we Janine?" She nudged her friend, and the gym leader shot her a glare.

"Potentially, yes." It was as much of an apology as they were going to get, and Sandy gripped onto Alaska's hand as the tense moment passed, urging her not to say anything.

"Where are we exactly?" She asked, hoping to distract them all from the tension.

"We're on the very edge of the Pal Park. No one ever uses it really so Janine rents this area out when we want to train," Leaf explained. It's probably a pretty handy place to hide some gods as well, Sandy thought, her eyes flickering upwards as the three birds continued to circle them. "Well, if that's all that then, shall we battle?" Alaska and Janine turned before Leaf had even finished speaking, and the brunette shrugged at Sandy before following after Janine, Koffing following behind.

"Oh, I can't wait to wipe that smirk off her face. I'll hit her with the full Viridian force," Alaska hissed caustically as Sandy caught up with her.

"Don't let her get under your skin, you need to –"

"I am focussed, I'm just pissed off as well. But that's good, trust me – it means I'm prepared." Alaska smiled, her eyes shining, and Sandy wasn't sure if she should be pleased or concerned. There was nothing more she could say; all Sandy could do was head for the side lines, the spectator once more. She had only taken a few steps when Alaska grabbed onto her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Thanks for being here. You don't know how important it is to know there's always at least one person in my corner." Stunned, Sandy turned to face Alaska, but her friend had already let go, only a faint look of contentment on her face.

"Um… you're welcome, Alaska." The words stumbled out of Sandy's mouth, and she managed to force a smile before quickly turning away, her eyes swimming with tears. Sylveon by her side, she rushed to the side and collapsed onto the hill. Both trainers were in position now, but Sandy couldn't think of the battle: her mind had gone back to Saffron City, when Alaska had turned post-victory against Sabrina to her waiting audience, only to find them unable to meet her eye. Alaska had said only a few minutes ago that things had begun snowballing around then – was that all it had taken to change Alaska's perspective, Sandy letting her real emotions show for the first time?

Bertram was right – I do have a part to play in all this. Alaska needs support; she needs someone to guide her through this. I may not end up on a statue, but this is the job I've been given: professional support person, that's me.

"This match will be a four-on-four single battle," Leaf announced, her voice echoing inside the valley. Above them, Sandy watched as the three birds landed on the cliff opposite their counterparts: old paintings they'd been shown in Sunday school had always made the legendaries seem so relaxed and graceful, but even from afar Sandy could see they were all serious about their task today, their eyes focussed on the trainers below. "When all four Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, the legendaries will declare a winner. Are we clear on these rules?"

Though she was looking straight at them, the other three may as well have been in another world. Sandy stared blankly into space, her mind a rush of a million different thoughts at once. She had spent so long worrying about how Alaska would react, yet she had never once expected she would listen to her, that her views would matter. Something soft brushed her eyes, and Sandy looked down and saw Sylveon was wiping her tears away with one of her ribbons.

"Thank you," Sandy blubbed, pulling her close. She'd let her friendship become something false in her mind, her fears and loathing shape her reality, and the realisation was like a knife to the heart.

"If we are all agreed, then trainers, send out your first Pokémon, and let the battle begin!"

If I had fallen out of that tree a minute later, neither of us would be here today. Life has put me here; it has given me this job to do. If the sole reason why I was born was to help Alaska, then… well… I'm going to make her the best person she can possibly be. So come on Alaska, win this, for me.

"Paige, let's do this!"

"Scolipede, make this quick."

Her fears were still there resting on the fringes of her consciousness, but now that the battle was underway, the atmosphere instantly drew Sandy in: sitting on the side lines, watching the fight unfold, it reminded her of Sunday nights watching the sports news with her dad. Nothing had thrilled her more as a little girl than seeing the beautiful beasts she dreamed of owning face off in the endless dance of battle. Her dream to train and fight had long since faded, but ever since Alaska's battle with Misty, Sandy had felt that long dormant feeling of excitement she had felt every Sunday slowly return to her.

As Paige formed and soared into the sky, a towering maroon beast appeared on Janine's side of the pitch. A Scolipede – I never knew they were so big! Sandy knew that Scolipede were amongst the tallest Pokémon in the world, and as Alaska's opponent craned its neck skywards, eyes beadily locked on Paige, she could see that that title was no understatement.

"That's a lot of Pokémon for Paige to hit," Sandy mumbled to Sylveon, "but Scolipede can curl up into balls, and their armour is nearly impenetrable in that shape. It'll take a lot to bring him down."

Janine's anger had disappeared, and she wore a wicked smile on her face. "Oh, I have been looking forward to this for so long – you better put on a good show or I'll be very disappointed."

"Shut up and battle," Alaska snapped, and Janine cackled.

"Very well: begin with Toxic Spikes."

"Hit him with Aerial Ace!"

And thus the battle began. Paige's wings glowed the familiar shade of lilac and she soared down towards her opponent. Good decision, Sandy thought: the type advantage was on their side, and Toxic Spikes would have no effect on an airborne Pokémon. Despite the lack of target, Scolipede still unleashed his attack with full force: the tips of his antennae shone purple, and two glowing spikes shot out from each. They soared past Paige and slammed into the ground, exploding and spreading poison across the pitch.

"That's gross," Sandy muttered, and Sylveon nodded. The two turned their attention to Scolipede, and watched as Paige successfully clipped him with her wings. The Poison type groaned and stumbled backwards, and Sandy whooped at the successful hit.

"Perfect – do it again!"

"Rock Slide!"

The words were barely out of Janine's mouth before the mountainside began to shake. Scolipede stamped multiple legs against the fields, eyes glowing a brilliant shade of brown, and he unleashed a screechy, unintimidating roar.

"Get out of there!" Alaska yelled, but it was too late: the cliff face exploded, glowing rocks tumbling magically down towards their target. Paige dived, trying to hit Scolipede first, but the first rocks to hit her knocked her off balance, and Sandy watched in agony as she crashed to the field, the avalanche burying her in the middle of the pitch.

"Steamroller, now!" The thud of Paige's body hitting the ground still echoed, but Janine was giving Alaska no chance.

"Heat Wave!" Alaska looked determined, fists clenched and eyes focussed, but Sandy could tell the match up was already over. As Scolipede rolled forwards into a ball, Paige wearily raised her head and began to glow orange, but her reactions were slow and paled in comparison to the speed of the reddish ball racing for her.

"Pidgeeey!" Paige's cry was feeble as she unleashed the fiery wave, and Scolipede rolled right through it and over the broken rocks. Sandy looked away, unable to watch the Pidgeotto be literally steamrollered, and Paige's strangled cry was enough to confirm her fears. Nervously she looked back, and was more stunned than pleased to see the Flying type was still trying to get up, the attack not enough to defeat her.

"You've raised an impressive Pokémon there – I've faced a lot of starter Pokémon, and most Fire types usually would have fainted by now, so at least you've succeeded in proving one part of the establishment wrong."

"Is that an actual compliment I detect?" Alaska said, faux gasping, but her eyes remained on Paige, the trash-talk coming second for once.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Janine smirked. "Toxic Spikes hasn't kicked in – ah, there we go!" The ground beneath Paige turned purple, poison spewing out of the earth, and the Pidgeotto groaned and winced as the toxin spread into her body.

If she wasn't doomed already, she is now. Losing first was never a great way to start, but Sandy knew the rest of Alaska's team could handle the challenge – as long as Alaska held it together.

"Pity, I was enjoying this match-up. Ah well, finish her with Venoshock!"

That'll do it, Sandy thought, sighing at Sylveon. It was hard to feel defeated when it had been this inevitable: Sandy simply watched as Scolipede fired a steady stream of violet poison, the attack hitting an unmoving Paige square in the face. The toxins were twice as effective when the opponent was already poisoned, and it was with a final grunt that Paige flopped forwards onto the field.

Sandy pulled Sylveon tight as Alaska quietly withdrew Paige. It had all happened so quickly and efficiently that she hadn't begun to feel yet. The initial excitement of battle had faded, and now Sandy's sole concern was how Alaska would react next. She dared a look upwards and saw the legendaries wore the same steely looks of judgement as they had earlier, none of them giving anything away.
Looking back at the field, Sandy saw Alaska had replaced Paige's PokeBall with her next choice without a single word, but now simply held the capsule there, staring across the field towards Janine.

Say something, do something, don't let this get to you. You told me you were prepared, you have to know what you'll do next.

"Did you really think I would come to a battle with a Poison-type master and not expect to get Toxic Spikes?" Sandy shut her eyes and smiled: Alaska's words may have been dripping with sass, but to hear her confidence, to hear she had planned, that was exactly what she had wanted to hear. Why did I ever doubt her?

"Oooh, looks like someone used their laptop for something other than bitching about their problems. So you've sacrificed your Pidgeotto to test my strategy – I'll admit, that's gutsy. I'm impressed, but that plan has its faults: you've only got three left now, and I'm not going to make this easy for you." Scolipede's PokeBall was in Janine's hand within a millisecond, and just as quickly the Megapede Pokémon disappeared into red energy. Alaska's smile wavered briefly, and Sandy knew the switch made things trickier: now Alaska had to hope her choice for her second Pokémon would still work.

"So, what's your great plan then?" Janine purred, smirking across the pitch. "Think you've got something up your sleeve that could surprise me?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that, I think you'll be surprised." Smiling widely, Alaska threw the PokeBall forwards. Janine laughed briefly before copying the move, and both capsules hit the field at the same time. Red energy poured out and swirled into shape in front of Alaska, and Sandy found herself in the precarious position of not recognising who it was. The Pokémon was human-like in shape, but was much bigger in both height and weight than Darwin, with a thick tail that slammed onto the pitch.

She hasn't caught a new Pokémon has she? Sandy thought, but the light faded, revealing a deep blue Pokémon and Sandy felt her breath escape her. Oh my god… is that… Nadia?

"NIDOOOOOO!" The roar echoed around the valley, making the legendaries above them stir. Her initial shock passed, and Sandy had to hold back the urge to punch the air as she stared at the Nidoqueen standing proud and angry before her. Sharp claws marked the end of her thick arms and legs, while a row of spikes jutted out of her spine: this was a true evolution in both size and power, and Sandy wanted to applaud Alaska's thinking.

"Did you really think I wouldn't come prepared?" Alaska called out to Janine. The gym leader stood scowling behind her Arbok, who slithered and hissed in circles across her half of the pitch. "Everyone knows you use Toxic Spikes as your opening strategy, which is a fine move if a tad repetitive. But sending a Poison type out completely negates the effects – and sending out a half-Poison, half-Ground type only gives me the advantage." Janine raised her hands and slowly brought them together, the echo only heightening the sarcasm.

"You've got me there, well done. We'll see in five minutes though if this plan of yours actually works." Despite the cattiness of the slow clap, her venomous words made it clear Janine was annoyed at having her strategy used against her. Sandy fought back the urge to smirk, and instead gave Alaska a thumbs up as the second round began.

"Poison Tail!"

"Meet it with Ice Punch!"

Oooh, exciting, we're getting physical now. Both Pokémon took off from opposite ends, racing to cross the halfway mark first. Disconcertingly, speed didn't seem to be Nadia's strong point: her legs were as thick as tree trunks now; very different to the tiny frame she'd had only a few days ago. Nadia ran sluggishly across the pitch, moving like she didn't know what she was doing, and that meant the race was lost.

Arbok, nimble and speedy despite her age, slid rapidly across the field and used her momentum to lunge for Nadia. The Nidoqueen tried to dodge but Arbok was too quick: she swung her body around and slapped Nadia before the latter had even made a fist. The Drill Pokémon stumbled, but she regained herself and launched forwards, flattening Arbok to the ground as she tried to flee. Ice-blue fist met face, and Arbok hissed as Nadia remained dominant, hefty frame weighing her down.

"Crunch!"

"Venoshock – aim for the eyes!" Now that they were on an even field, Nadia wasted no time in leaning in and wrapping her teeth around Arbok's ribs. The Snake Pokémon snarled and slammed her tail repeatedly against the Nidoqueen's mouth in an attempt to push her off. Nadia refused to relinquish her hold, and Arbok was forced to contort herself: Sandy saw her ribcage fold, bringing Arbok right up close to Nadia's teeth, and she sprayed the purple liquid from point blank range.

"QUEEEEN!" Nadia growled, stumbling backwards as she wiped the poison from her eyes, giving Arbok the chance to escape.

"Coil, now!" Janine yelled quickly, and Arbok slithered back to her trainer, coming to a stop in a spring-like shape. White energy began to glow around her, and Sandy had to approve of the boldness of using a status move at this point.

"You don't need to see her, just destroy the field – Earth Power!" Nadia stopped wiping her eyes and nodded back at Alaska, her hands suddenly glowing a golden brown. With another roar, Nadia slammed her fist onto the field: golden cracks spread out from the impact towards Arbok, and the Poison type yelled out as earthen energy exploded beneath her, tossing her into the sky.

"Ice Fang!"

"Ice Punch!"

Soaring through the air, Arbok tucked her body in and spun, using the explosion to launch herself towards her enemy. Nadia wiped the last of the poison from her eyes and ran towards her falling foe, frozen fist raised and ready to strike.

"BOOOOK!" Arbok hissed, unfurling from her coil with fangs glowing a blinding blue. The two Pokémon collided, hand crashing into teeth, but her forward momentum gave Arbok the advantage: her full weight slammed into Nadia, and the two went crashing backwards.

"Wrap yourself around her and use Ice Fang!" Janine yelled. Arbok used her momentum to land upright and then instantly sprung forwards: a dazed Nadia was too slow to stop her, and Arbok wrapped her whole body around the Nidoqueen.

"Chaaar-bok-bok!" Arbok sank her fangs into Nadia's neck, ice spreading out from the wound while her tail tightened around the Ground type's stomach. The Nidoqueen roared and tried to free herself, but Arbok had pinned her arms beneath her tail, leaving her immobile. Unless Alaska had taught Nadia some miracle move over the last few days, Sandy couldn't think of a way the Nidoqueen could possibly get out of this.

"Use Ice Punch – both hands!" Alaska shouted through clenched teeth.

That won't do anything, Sandy thought, and was proven right a second later: Nadia was concentrating, trying to fight back against her constraint, but Arbok had her gripped too tightly.

"Some friendly advice: you might want to try something without hands," Janine laughed. "Ice Fang, keep it going!"

"Hold on Nadia, keep using Ice Punch!" Alaska was clearly building to something, but Sandy couldn't work it out. She watched as Arbok sunk her teeth into Nadia once more, the Nidoqueen was powerless to stop her.

"Hold on!" Alaska shouted, and Sandy just wanted to scream back TRY SOMETHING ELSE! But suddenly, Arbok began to hiss, and as all eyes turned towards the Pokémon, Sandy realised what Alaska was doing: Arbok had begun to turn blue, a coldness spreading from the bottom of her tail as the Ice Punch did its magic. The Snake Pokémon reared back and tried to flee, but her whole body froze over, turning her to an ice sculpture wrapped around Nadia.

"Great plan; now she's frozen around your Pokémon, genius!" Janine snarled.

"If she's frozen that means she can't fight back – Earth Power, let's go!" Nadia's tail turned brown and she slammed it repeatedly into the ground. Then, in one swift movement, she tipped backwards and landed on Arbok just as the golden energy exploded from the cracks. The force threw Nadia upwards, but she was too heavy to go far and landed smoothly on her feet. She growled, and Sandy saw her arms had appeared beneath Arbok's tail.

So she used Earth Power to knock Arbok loose – nicely done, Alaska. It was times like this that made Sandy proud to call Alaska her friend, and for the first time since the match began she felt things were going their way. Nadia roared as she raised her arms, pushing Arbok over her head and freeing herself from her confinement.

"Earth Power!" Alaska shouted, and Nadia threw the frozen snake down the field. Arbok barely landed before Nadia slammed her glowing fists onto the pitch, and a second later the Poison type was back in the air.

"Poison Jab as she lands!" Nadia leapt over chunks of earth and landed barely a metre in front of Janine. Arbok smacked into the cliff face and bounced off, spiralling back towards the pitch.

"NIDOOOOO!" Nadia roared, and she threw her weight behind a shining purple fist, striking Arbok on her head and sending her flying for the third time straight. This time, when Arbok crashed into the hill a few metres from Leaf, she stayed down, rolling back to the pitch with her eyes shut.

"One each; nicely played." The dust had barely settled and already Arbok disappeared in a flash of red, Janine barely reacting to the fall. Sandy's brief elation at the victory vanished, the swiftness of their enemy too calculated. "You should know though that I completely saw that coming."

Alaska laughed. "Oh really? You totally predicted that, did you?"

"It was back in Celadon when Daisy gave you some evolutionary stones, wasn't it?" Janine replied without hesitation, and Alaska's laugh vanished. The gym leader wore a thin, triumphant smile, and Sandy knew they had entered a trap. "Receiving such a rare gift, you were bound to use them at some point: a Water Stone for your Shellder, a Leaf Stone for your friend's Weepinbell, and possibly could have used a Thunder or Fire one on her Eevee, which leaves the Moon Stone for you and your Nidorina. After you used her the other day and lost, I knew you wouldn't rely on her in that form again – not when the possibility of a type advantage was there at your fingertips. You're right in saying I use Toxic Spikes a lot – but if I did that first, out would come Nadia to ruin that little plan, oh dear!"

Sandy felt her chest go cold. Glancing briefly at Alaska, she saw her friend's face had sunk, the joy of her first victory having been quickly snatched away. Janine had her third PokeBall in hand, and Sandy knew that this was not going to end well.
"I know a lot about you and I barely know you – just imagine what information Gideon and Buzz have that they could use against you. If you're too predictable, your enemy will crush you. And honey," Janine said, smiling cruelly as she threw her PokeBall forwards, "you're pretty fucking predictable."

As her third Pokémon formed, the depth of Janine's strategy became apparent. Sandy had always imagined Nidoking as simply the male version of Nidoqueen, but seeing the different species stand opposite each other, the differences were clear: the Nidoking had a longer, smoother tail, while shaper horns adorned his head; as arms like purple concrete pylons swung at his side. It could have been any random Nidoking Janine had in her possession, but as the beast reared back his head and unleashed a deafening roar, Sandy could see the familiar scar around his throat that meant this had all been planned.

"You remember Ned, don't you?" Janine's smile was wide but thin, a victorious smirk of someone who knew they had won. Sandy, whose heart was threatening to burst from her chest, watched her friend, silently urging her to carry on, not to let it get to her. But as both Nidoqueen and Nidoking roared, a clash of poisonous titans ready to fight, Alaska didn't do anything: she simply stared forwards, eyes blank, jaw slack, hands limp by her side, all fire and determination gone from her body. She wasn't even angry: Alaska was simply defeated, and Sandy felt her whole world come crashing down around her.

Well, we're fucked…


Part Two of this battle and the conclusion of this arc is coming soon - and don't worry, it's just as long ;)