Chapter Eighty: Intoxicate

Well, I'm fucked…

Alaska felt her heart sink. She had spent two days coming up with a strategy, one she had been convinced would work. The surprise of Nadia's evolution had been her ace up her sleeve, the trick she had hoped would bring Janine to her knees and hand her the match.

Yet it had done nothing.

"Your move," Janine called out, her smile thin but triumphant. Alaska simply stared blankly at the Nidoking opposing her, all her strategies, all her plans and ideas, all gone from her mind.

She had tried so hard to avoid forming one strategy. Admiteddly, she had set it up for Nadia to absorb the Toxic Spikes, Paige a willing sacrifice for the sake of her team mates. However, for the first time, Alaska had really tried to keep an open mind, going over different possibilities with her Pokémon: Frances, weak to Poison, had been their training dummy, taking hits and going through the various possibilities so Alaska was ready for anything.

But it had all been for nothing. This is exactly what Sabrina was trying to tell you, you dumb fucking idiot, a voice in her head snarled, and Alaska had to agree with it: there was no avoiding being predictable in the past, and she had fallen into a trap of her own creation. In her research Alaska had learned that Janine rarely used either Nido, having lost her Nidoqueen during the war against Team Rocket. When Alaska planned for Nadia to sway the battle in her favour, she knew there was a slim chance Janine would send out a Ground type in retaliation, but the fact she had predicted Alaska's strategy so much to evolve the same Nidorino she had faced the other day, that was some next level mind-fuckery.

If Nadia falls, I'm done. I'll be left with only two Pokémon, neither of whom can bring down three by themselves. Alaska could feel everyone watching her, waiting for some reaction: Janine hadn't given any orders, letting her statement hang there, egging Alaska on. Above them, the six legendaries watched in silence; if Alaska didn't win this, she didn't want to imagine what they would do – remove her from this war in one way or another, leave it open for the next prophesised child to take her place?

So this is where everything has gotten me: fighting a sociopath vastly superior to me while someone I hate and her pet gods deliberate over my future. Big fucking whoop. A few weeks ago, this whole situation would have boiled her blood, and even now Alaska was tempted to walk away with her middle fingers in the air. But this situation was beyond her now; what she wanted barely registered in the grand scheme of things. Alaska had to save the world whether she liked it or not – her only obstacle now was whether she was going to have a say in what happened next or remain a malleable pawn in the complete control of those she despised.

If I don't win this battle, I'm done. The Elites, Evelyn, the International Police – if the fucking gods don't think I deserve to win a gym battle, then why would any of them let me try and save the world on my own? Everything she had done and thought she'd gotten away with had come back to haunt her. The weight of the world rested not only on her shoulders, but on all three of her remaining Pokémon. Yet how Alaska was expected to defeat someone who hated her, seemed to want her to lose, and had readily predicted every moment of the match, was beyond her.

"Come on Alaska!" The shout shattered the silence. Alaska jolted suddenly from her thoughts, feeling like she had just woken up. "You can do this, I know you can!" The sound was coming from the side lines. Alaska turned and there was Sandy on her feet, clapping, cheering, Sylveon less enthusiastically by her side. All thoughts of failure, all thoughts of pressure faded from her mind, and Alaska simply stared at her friend, a smile spreading across her lips.

Janine's drawl called out from across the field. "Well, I'm fucking over the moon for you that there's one person here who thinks you still stand a chance, but if you're still in this battle would you mind hurrying it along?" Glancing back at her opponent, Alaska saw Janine's smile had turned to a scowl. She had no idea how much time had passed since Ned had come out, and she knew she had to get back to the battle. Yet Alaska couldn't look away from Sandy, she couldn't ignore the surge of honour she felt watching her friend cheer her on.

It had been a long time since Alaska could remember the way Sandy had looked at her after her battle with Sabrina, or, rather, had avoided looking at her. She had expected everyone else to be annoyed with her, but in that moment, to know her best friend couldn't even meet her eye, that had chilled Alaska to her core. Everything she had done since then, it had been fuelled by Alaska's desire to escape the situation she had created, one where not even her friend could pretend it was still working. I can handle letting myself down, but I can't disappoint her, not again.

There was more riding on a victory today than simply appeasing Leaf and Janine. Alaska had to do it for Sandy, for everyone else she had failed along the way: Sabrina, Darwin, Looker, practically everyone she'd come into contact with. Losing was not an option – it was time to face things head on, and Alaska knew she couldn't fail.

You have to win this. Forget about the end of the world and the gods and every other fucking messed up thing right now: Sandy wants me to win, my Pokémon want me to win – I have to fucking win.

"Ice Punch, go."

"Earthquake."

And so the battle began again. Alaska swore at Janine, but the choice of move was no surprise: no one would send a half-Ground type out against a half-Poison type and not go for the most advantageous move. Unfortunately for her, Nadia was still unused to her new body: she clumsily ran towards Ned, fists glowing, but the Nidoking was swift and ruthless.

"NIDOOOOOO!" He roared, eyes glowing a rich brown, and the whole field began to quake. Alaska could not deny the power: rocks tumbled from the cliffs above, the shock wave spreading well beyond the confines of the pitch. Nadia stumbled, struggling to stay upright, and when she finally reached Ned her shaking fist missed.

"Megahorn," Janine commanded without a fault.

"Ice Punch!"

Nadia reared back up, fist still glowing, but Ned was in there straight away, his biggest horn extending into a long, green point: with a roar, he ran forwards and rammed the Megahorn into Nadia's jaw. She roared and pushed him back with her Ice Punch, but the attack left her clutching at the puncture wound.

She's already weak; he could bring her down easily. I've got to keep some distance between them.

"Earth Power!"

"Earthquake!"

The ground began to shake on the sound of Ned's roar, but Nadia just as swiftly slammed her glowing fist onto the pitch. Golden light spread in awkward zig-zags around her, the Earthquake interrupting the spread of the attack. Suddenly but perhaps inevitably, the ground between both Pokémon exploded: chunks of earth flew through in the air in a burst of glowing energy, and Nadia and Ned were thrown backwards. Alaska watched her Nidoqueen land heavily near her feet; it was painful to watch, but she took solace simply in the fact the explosion had happened closer to Ned.

"Are you alright?"

"Nido Do Do Nido," Nadia grunted, resiliently getting back to her feet. She looked battered, purple dripping from the puncture wound and Alaska knew she wouldn't be up for running.

We can't get up close to Ned, we'll have to settle for Earth Power. The thought of being constricted to one move irritated her, but Alaska could see no other option.

"Hit her with Earthquake!"

More long distance moves, she's thinking the same as me. As the ground quaked and Nadia stumbled again, a thought suddenly occurred to Alaska: it was so obvious that she almost laughed, stunned that she hadn't realised this sooner.

If Nadia is struggling having just evolved, than won't it be the same with Ned? Janine evolved him sometime in the last two days – if they are fundamentally identical Pokémon, than surely going through similar bodily changes would lead to the same results? She wants to wait for Nadia to bring the fight to them rather than sending Ned to me. Well, that can work to our advantage.

"We need to end this – use Crunch!"

"That's your finishing move?" Janine smirked across the pitch. "Stand your ground Ned."

Keep smirking, see how long that lasts. Alaska smiled as Nadia lumbered her way across the torn apart pitch. Her lack of speed made the play risky, but it was the only way Alaska could see them winning this any time soon.

"Megahorn!" Ned's horn began to shine, and he charged towards Nadia with his head hung low.

"Grab it!" Alaska shouted, and Janine's smile fell from her face. Nadia stepped aside so the green horn brushed her, then grabbed hold with her glowing left fist.

"NIDO!" Ned shouted, thrashing his head about, but Nadia dived for his neck, making him howl as her Crunch sank into his flesh.

"Ice Punch, aim for the gut." With her opponent caught in her hold, Nadia used her free hand and repeatedly slammed her ice blue fist into Ned's pale stomach.

"ThunderPunch, push her off!" Janine's voice cracked as she shouted her order, and Alaska took pleasure in seeing her strategy fall apart.

Ned's hands turned yellow and he quickly and repeatedly punched every inch of Nadia he could reach: the electricity coursing out of his body had no effect, but the force behind the punches made Nadia groan. Yet she simply held on tighter, her fist flying just as rapidly, and Alaska could tell the true battle had begun. Nadia and Ned were locked in a violent embrace, stumbling around the field like two drunken men fighting outside a bar. The ground rumbled with each thunderous step they took, cracks spreading around them, a true gladiatorial match that neither one wanted to lose. It was brutal to watch; Alaska knew that Nadia wouldn't stop until Ned had fainted, but he had the same ideas in mind.

He won't faint, not this easily. Nadia needs to end this in a way that won't give him any advantage. Alaska looked quickly over the damaged field, and realised Ned had his back to the crater the Earthquake-Power collision had caused. "Let go of him and kick!"

With a grunt of approval, Nadia freed her opponent from her grasp and stepped backwards. Ned stumbled, suddenly finding himself pulling back against nothing, and his body slipped backwards.

"QUEEN!" Nadia boomed, and she aimed a large blue foot for the same spot she'd just been punching: the sound of Ned's breath escaping his body was like music to Alaska's ears, and she watched triumphantly as the Drill Pokémon somersaulted disgracefully into the hole.

"Get down there and hammer him!" Alaska ordered, and Nadia greeted her shout with her own Amazonian roar. Jumping on top of her opponent, her fists became shining blue blurs as she pounded Ned with all her strength, her angry roar competing against his thundering, pain fuelled shouts.

"Venoshock, force her off!" Janine yelled, but there was no response. After another solid minute of flailing fists, Nadia paused and climbed off her enemy. No sound escaped the crater, and Leaf rushed forwards and stared below.

"Ned's unable to battle – the win goes to Alaska."

"WOOO, GO NADIA!" Sandy leapt to her feet and clapped, Sylveon joining in by slapping her ribbons together. "Two down, two to go – you can do this!"

Yes I can. Alaska couldn't stop herself smiling. She watched as a scowling Janine withdrew Ned, quickly replacing his PokeBall with her next choice.

"Scolipede, out you go!" As the towering Bug type took pride of place once more, Alaska's smile faded: Janine clearly wanted to get rid of Nadia and set up Toxic Spikes again.

"You ready to go again, Nadia?" Alaska shouted. Nadia turned and nodded, though her right eye was swollen, her punctured chest heaving rapidly as she caught her breath. She won't last long, but if we can just a few good moves in… "Alright, Earth Power!"

"Bulldoze!" Janine countered instantly, and Scolipede instantly reared up. Alaska was stunned silent, the last move she had been expecting. As golden light appeared beneath Nadia, Scolipede slammed his front legs on the ground with a powerful scream: a wave of energy that made the earth move instantly covered the field, the attack colliding with Earth Power. Nadia yelled as earthen light exploded beneath her, throwing her a metre into the air. Alaska could only watch as Nadia briefly stopped in mid-air before falling back to earth.

There was no groan as she slammed head-first into the pitch. The outcome was clear to anyone, but still Leaf stepped forwards and formally announced it. Alaska did nothing for a moment, the magnitude of this loss weighing heavily down on her, but finally she pulled out a PokeBall. You did good girl, you did good.

With a heavy sigh, Alaska contemplated the last two Pokémon on her side. It was the halfway point, everything was even now, but Alaska had just lost her only real advantage. Neither of her remaining Pokémon had any clear strength, meaning she would have to rely solely on strategy and hope.

I need Darwin for whoever Janine's got waiting. Looks like it's up to you then. Almost reluctantly, Alaska threw Shelley's Great Ball forwards. The Bivalve Pokémon formed grinning goofily amongst the rubble of the previous matches, instantly dwarved by the giant Scolipede she had to face off with. Alaska saw Janine smirk at her choice, her fists clenching.

She may be small, but she's going to kick your fucking ass.

"Toxic Spikes."

"Icicle Spear – aim for the chest."

With an excitable squeak, Shelley opened her mouth wide as Scolipede's antennae shone, and she unleashed her storm of frozen spears. Scolipede fired the Toxic Spikes at the same time, and purple and blue soared past each other as the attacks headed for their targets: Shelley shut her eyes but the poison harmlessly slammed into the ground around her, but Scolipede yelled in pain as all five spikes slammed into his stomach.

"Steamroller." Alaska had been dreading this but knew it was unavoidable – literally, in fact: there were little options for Shelley to get away, stranded on dry land like this. Her only hope was that her hard shell would dull the blow.

"Razor Shell!" Scolipede was already barrelling towards them, a swirling maroon blur obliterating the chunks of earth lying in his path. Shelley stretched her mouth wide and her top shell shone blue. Scolipede rumbled towards the Shellder, and Alaska looked away as the Poison type rolled over her Pokémon. Shelley's cry was muffled under her enemies weight, but when Alaska cautiously looked back around, she saw Scolipede was wobbling dangerously as he rolled away, the Razor Shell having at least knocked him off balance.

For a brief second, Alaska felt relief, hoping that once attack was enough to deal some damage. But then the field began to bubble, and Shelley squealed as her body shone purple.

"No one here to stop the poison now," Janine called out, her tone taunting, and Alaska couldn't deny she was at a serious disadvantage. Venoshock would be coming, that was clear, and there would be little she could do if Shelley fainted. Unless, maybe…

"Venoshock, get this over with!"

"Counter with Whirlpool!"

Looking pained, Shelley opened her mouth, this time firing a spinning stream of water. Alaska felt stupid as she watched Shelley attack, knowing it would be easily defeated but sincerely hoping otherwise. The attack expanded as it left her mouth, smoothing out into a literal whirlpool, and it collided mid-air with the Venoshock. The Whirlpool obliterated the attack and carried on spinning to Scolipede, who only had to brush it aside with his head to render it ineffective. However, the desired effect had happened, and Alaska could tell from Janine's face that Venoshock was off the table.

"Smart play, but let's see how long she lasts after another Steamroller."

As Scolipede curled into his ball once more, Alaska knew it would take more than just Razor Shell to defeat him. His shell is too hard to penetrate – Icicle Spear did some damage, I need to unfurl him again. Alaska watched as he rolled towards them, more dirt being squashed in his rampage, but then she noticed one thing: he swerved to avoid the giant crater, curving around the edge and straightening as he approached. Alaska grinned, knowing what to do now, and simply hoped Shelley survived the hit.

Scolipede barrelled over Shelley, squishing her into the damaged earth and rolling so close to Alaska the trainer thought she might get hit. It pained her to make her Pokémon suffer like this, but it was all for the advantage.

"Brine, now!" She shouted. For a second, she thought Shelley wouldn't make it, but as Scolipede retreated, Shelley wearily twitched open. A powerful blast of water like a geyser shot from her mouth, the stream hitting Scolipede in the middle of his ball. With his trademark screech, Scolipede was blasted off course, crashing into the crater. He slammed into the edges where his comrade had fallen, and inelegantly rolled out of his ball, falling to the field with his belly exposed.

"Icicle Spear, now!" Alaska bellowed, and Shelley responded with mutual intensity: flying forwards like little frozen rockets, each of the five found its target, repeatedly impaling Scolipede where he lay.

"SCOLIIIIIIII!" The Bug type groaned, trying desperately to get back to his feet, but his giant neck barely lifted up before crashing back down again, his giant form still and finally silent.

For the first time, Janine didn't react straight away. She stared across at Alaska, eyes narrowed, a look so dark Alaska couldn't focus on the win. "Savour your victory while you can," the gym leader said finally, "your Shellder barely has one move left in her, and I highly doubt Darwin will survive being poisoned for long." Her words made Alaska's blood boil, but her opponent had a point: her tongue was limp, her eyes exhausted, too weak to react as the poison struck her once more.

Just a few more turns, that's all I need from you. I can't send Darwin out until I know I can win this. Though she had spent hours researching Janine's typical team online, Alaska had no idea who Janine would send out: the gym leader had prepared for every moment of this match, so her fourth Pokémon was bound to be glorious.

Yet once the light from the PokeBall had faded, Alaska wasn't sure if she was seeing things properly. She had been expecting something like a Drapion or Toxicroak, something big and powerful to go toe-to-toe with Darwin. Instead, it appeared Janine had simply poured a pile of sludge onto the field, a pair of wiry, narrow eyes that hinted it was a Pokémon. Of all the Poison types in the world, it was the last one Alaska had expected, and looking at Sandy confirmed she was not the only one.

"A Muk? Really?"

"You'd be surprised," Janine purred back. Alaska waited, wondering if this was all a joke, looking between Janine, Leaf and the gods as though a camera crew was about to jump out. Yet the silence that followed made it clear this was a serious move. Momentary laughter was replaced with fear as Alaska wondered what Janine was playing at, but there was no time for questioning: Shelley was slowly losing energy from the poison, so no matter who she had to face, Alaska needed to make these last few moves count.

"Whirlpool, go!"

"Minimise!"

Alaska narrowed her eyebrows, contemplating the implications of the move. As Shelley fired her second Whirlpool across the field, Muk seemed to collapse upon himself, sucking in his liquid-like body and slimming down to a much smaller shape. So that's your strategy, eh? If you're relying on accuracy to win this then you really are something else.

The Whirlpool struck despite Muk's smaller size, and the Sludge Pokémon was sucked inside, his loose, gooey body flung about by the swirling vortex. It was like watching clothes spin in the dryer, and Alaska failed to see how Janine hoped to win.

"Alright, another Brine, let's go!"

"Gunk Shot." Alaska seized up as she heard the command: Gunk Shot was the one of most powerful Poison type moves available, and Janine's choice finally made sense. Despite the endless spin of the Whirlpool, Alaska could see Muk already had a glowing purple ball in his hands, and his eyes had narrowed, focussing upon the unmoving Shellder.

"Shelley, come on, quickly!" Alaska yelled, but her encouragement was too late: the ball flew through the air, soaring across the field and squarely hitting Shelley. The impact of the attack sent her flying, while purple sludge splattered Alaska, Sandy and Sylveon. Ignoring her soiled shoes, Alaska leapt up and caught Shelley before she hit the ground: she knew even before she opened her hands what she'd find, but the sight of her unconscious, poison soaked Pokémon was still a blow.

"You tried your best, thanks for bringing one of them down – I promise to do a better job of cleaning you this time." With a heavy heart, Alaska withdrew Shelley and wiped the poison from her hands. There was no time to waste feeling sorry for herself: the situation was shitty, she faced an uphill battle to finish this off. If she wanted to win, she had to focus and put aside everything else: forget about Janine's schemes, forget about the gods eyeing her silently from above – none of that was going to help Darwin win.

Almost reluctantly, Alaska pulled out her final PokeBall. She hadn't told the staff what she was doing or where she was going: the hard-speaking nurse from the other day had glowered at her as she left, and that had only made Alaska more resilient, more determined to prove she wasn't a terrible trainer. Though standing here now, the only sound the swishing as the Whirlpool carried on, Alaska knew she was taking the biggest risk of her journey so far, doing something far more dangerous than any of her other decisions so far.

The PokeBall sailed through the air and exploded against the field. Knowing the poison that awaited him, Alaska strained more than ever to hold back her emotions as Darwin took his place. She heard Sandy gasp from the side lines, the exact reaction she'd had when facing the Primeape in daylight yesterday. He was steadier now, a determination burning across his face, but there was no ignoring the patches of shaved fur, the bloodshot eyes, the scars both old and new. Darwin didn't belong on the field, but both he and Alaska knew this was the only way she'd win, no matter how much it pained her.

"Wow… I didn't think you'd actually resort to him, but I… wow…" Janine shook her head, ignoring her own Pokémon trapped in a whirlpool a few feet from her. "This feels borderline illegal if you ask me."

"Shut up."

"I probably shouldn't have called and gotten you off the hook the other day – I wouldn't have if I had known –"

"SHUT UP!"

The legendaries above shifted and turned at the cry, and Alaska's rage dissipated under their glare, but they couldn't stop her heart from pounding angrily against her chest. Janine smiled and shrugged.

"Oh well, who am I to judge? I thought the Muk might have put you off using him, but I suppose if you have to win, what can you do?" Finally, the choice of Pokémon made sense, and Alaska instantly felt sick as the pieces clicked into place. She was suddenly back on the Cycling Road, Paige and Nadia facing off against Jack's Azumarill and Muk, Darwin kneeling defeated behind them. Alaska wasn't surprised Janine had found that out: she had planned this match so carefully she was bound to play such a joker, but it still chilled her bones to think it had come to this.

"Are you up to this?" Darwin turned and paused, his own body heaving as his eyes watched the swirling Muk, and Alaska almost felt like laughing: of course, this was where Janine's plan would backfire. Any other Pokémon would probably crumble when faced with the same species their tormentor had owned, but Alaska had raised a grade-A psychopath for a pet – if anything, this would only ensure their victory.

"ThunderPunch!"

Janine froze for a second, seemingly startled by Alaska's renewed energy, but she snapped back into focus: the game was truly on now, and there was no time for second guessing. "Minimise!"

Darwin threw himself across the field: despite his injuries, he still soared like a bird in one foul jump, fists glowing yellow as he rocketed towards his foe. He landed with a stumble next to it, but regained himself and swung to attack.

The whirlpool exploded in a burst of electricity: Darwin leapt backwards to avoid the cascading water, leaving Muk to land with a wet splat on the field. The Sludge Pokémon crackled with electricity, looking stiff as he sank into the pitch, and for a short moment Alaska felt victorious.

Then the poison struck.

"Prime," Darwin moaned softly, and he collapsed to his knees, body glowing purple. The instantaneousness of the effect made Alaska's heart skip a beat: was his immune system so compromised he had already lost?

"Venom Drench!"

"MUUUUUUUK!" Despite his shrunken stature, Muk stretched his mouth open, wide enough to fit a car in, and he vomited up a neon-coloured liquid. Darwin looked up just as the attack washed over him, hitting him so strongly he rolled over. Alaska knew it was only a status move, but in Darwin's state, any loss of power was a bad thing.

"Power-Up Punch!" Darwin shakily got back to his feet and, after briefly glancing back at his trainer, turned and sprinted to his opponent. Janine watched him run, and it was only when Darwin was a few metres away did Alaska realise it was a trap.

"Shadow Punch." Darwin swung his red fists at nothing: Muk slipped backwards into the shadows cast by the overhanging cliffs, melting away into darkness. The Primeape stumbled to regain his composure, looking frantically around, and suddenly Muk leapt out from behind him.

Alaska winced as the fist easily struck. Too weak to respond, Darwin silently crashed to the ground. He rolled to a stop near the crater and didn't move, the only sign of life the purple glow as the poison struck again. For a long, tense, quiet second, Alaska thought Darwin had fallen already. Thankfully, a soft groan sounded across the field, and Alaska sighed with relief as the Primeape slowly pushed himself up.

"One more hit like that and your Pokémon is down," Janine called out. "If you want to stand any chance of winning this, I hope for your sake you've got something left up your sleeve."

I hope so too, Alaska thought. She realised she was breathing heavily herself, the intensity of the battle draining the last of her energy. She had already felt tired before the battle began after a solid day and a half of training, and the fact that could all soon be for nothing was draining.

"Let's get this over with – Shadow Punch."

"Wait for him to appear and use Seismic Toss!"

Alaska doubted Darwin would be fast enough to avoid another hit, but Muk had already disappeared once more, and she couldn't send him chasing after shadows. Darwin stood poised and ready, eyes darting around waiting for the attack to come. He's still in this, he's willing to try – I need to do the same.

"MUUUUK!" Darwin turned as the Sludge Pokémon leapt from the shadows, moving so rapidly his battle cry did little to help them. The Primeape stepped to side, but Muk's liquid-like body stretched and clipped him regardless.

"PRIME PRIME!" Darwin angrily grabbed Muk's disappearing folds, and weakly he flung his enemy across the pitch.

"Shadow Punch!" Janine yelled, sounding like a broken record, and Muk smiled as he melted into the shadow before he had even landed. Alaska resisted the urge to scream and instead watched as Darwin sank back to his knees: the anger lingered on his face, but his eyes gave away his exhaustion. As the poison struck him once more, Alaska was tempted to grab his PokeBall and admit defeat.

Then a shout came from the side lines. "Remember why you're here Alaska, you can't give up now! You still have a shot at this!" Alaska turned to Sandy and managed a smile, seeing the determination on her friends face and knew she had to try for her sake. The battle would still be in the hands of the gods even if she failed: giving up was not going to win her any points.
Looking at Darwin, she knew there was only one play left that could secure her the victory. The move would work, Alaska didn't doubt that, but this was her last chance to win. If they were going to play this card, Alaska had to ensure it would win, and there was only one way to do that: face her past.

"Darwin, forget about the match. Ignore her, ignore Muk, ignoring everything around you and think back to last week. Think of everything that happened to you: everything Jack did, everything his gang did, his Pokémon. Focus on every part of your body he broke, the hours he spent torturing you. Focus on that!"

Alaska could see Darwin tense, his large hands curve into fists. They didn't have long until Muk appeared, but Alaska knew it wouldn't take much to get him where she needed him – something that pained her to accept.

"Now look at me." Darwin turned to her, and Alaska was back in the Pokémon Centre, watching him lying on the operating table. She dug her nails into her palm to keep her focussed: his eyes were faintly glowing red, but it wasn't enough, she couldn't stop here. "I'm the one who did that to you. Everything they did is on me. All your pain and suffering is because of me and my own self-interest. They are trying to use my selfishness against me, against us – but this pain, the guilt, that's ours, isn't it?"

"APE!"

"Are you going to let them use your pain like that, appropriate what I did to you?"

"APE!"

"Are you ready to finish this?"

"APEEEE!"

"Then use Frustration, NOW!"

"PRIMEEEEE!"

Darwin's scream didn't just echo: it attacked them for all sides, his rage exploding and engulfing them all. Tears in her eyes, Alaska watched as Muk leapt from the shadows, magenta fist connecting with Darwin.

His eyes burst open at the Poison types touch: a devilish red lit up the field, and Alaska almost laughed, her mistakes finally good for something. With a renewed energy, Darwin turned and a slammed his fist right in the middle of Muk's gooey underbelly. The heavy smack echoed, like a rock falling into mud, and Muk instantly soared backwards. Sandy cheered as the Poison type crashed into the cliff, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

Alaska's eyes weren't on him though: for a moment, Darwin stood there, body heaving, watching his opponent's demise, and then he fell. Alaska didn't hesitate and was running across the pitch before Darwin had hit the ground.

"The match is still in progress!" Janine yelled, but Alaska ignored her, sliding to her knees and grabbing hold of her Pokémon. Darwin's eyes were shut, the battle was lost, that much was clear, but Alaska had to check him over. Invisible hands seemed to be pushing down on her throat as Alaska rolled him over; checking every scar, every bruise, every shaven patch to make sure the battle hadn't damaged him further. She only stopped when a hand grabbed her shoulder, and under Sandy's reassuring gaze, Alaska left Darwin to sleep in peace.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry for doing that to you," she whispered, hoping no one else would hear, but her words carried despite barely escaping her lips. A true silence had descended upon the valley; no one was moving, no one said anything. Alaska sat there with Darwin in her arms, looking at Sandy for guidance, but despite the faint glimmer of a smile on her face, her friend looked just as uncertain as she felt.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Alaska turned as Leaf and Janine moved in. The Viridian gym leader looked worried, while her friend wore a scowl that was difficult to read. She felt a familiar rage as Leaf looked down at her, but Alaska pushed it aside: there was no time for old wounds now.

"Muk's out for it, so both Pokémon have fainted."

"Darwin fell first though, technically," Janine added, and Leaf shot her a look.

"You don't know that – the punch could have knocked Muk out before he hit the cliff," she retorted. Janine glowered at her friend but curtly nodded, leaving her fellow gym leader to make the next move. "We were going to do this anyway, but the winner is really in their hands now."

Alaska was last to look up. After the last few days, the last thing she wanted to do was endure another test. Win or lose, she needed to sleep, to sleep and think and prepare for whatever was to come next. Yet there was no avoiding this, and Alaska craned her neck and gazed at the cliffs above.

After being followed by them for so long, after living with one inside her head for weeks, finally see legendaries up close, so intimately, was not the experience Alaska had expected. It felt like a scene from one of the Arcethian dramas her grandmother had watched religiously: the lowly mortal on the ground, the gods towering over her, sun making them glow as they gazed wisely down at their disciple. Yet Alaska felt nothing. Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, their wings fluttered in the breeze; Entei, Raikou, Suicune, they looked regal with their flowing manes and silent, angry faces. But Alaska felt no fear, no need to start bowing or praying for forgiveness: immortal they may be, but at the end of day, they were all pawns in the same game as she. This moment had been written in prophecy years before she was born, all six of them destined to cross paths with her at this point in time: this wasn't destiny, it was simply appointment.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Alaska watched as each Pokémon nodded silently in turn, the movements so subtle she nearly missed them. It was only when each legendary turned and moved out of sight, the birds taking to the sky while the beasts skulked away, did Alaska turn back to the women that were both her allies and her enemies.

"What did that mean?" Leaf's face gave nothing away, instead turning towards Janine. The gym leader looked neither pleased or annoyed, her resting face blank as she stared daggers at Alaska. Finally, after several tense moments had slowly passed, Janine extended her hand and dropped something small and metal to the ground.

"You did good kid. We might have a shot at this after all. Meet us at my gym tomorrow and we can start preparing." For a second, something like a smile passed over Janine's lips, but Alaska blinked and it was gone: the gym leader simply turned and headed through the valley, and for the first time Alaska realised a sword was strapped to her back.

That must be what fear is, she thought, turning to Sandy and smiling, her friends words slowly coming back to her. Before she could talk, Alaska felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at Leaf. She wore the same smile that had been immortalised in the middle of Viridian City, and Alaska was surprised by how little the reaction fazed her.

"You were as amazing to watch as everyone told me."

"Really? I didn't think any of them would have anything nice to say about me."

Leaf laughed and began to walk away. "None of them want to hate you, Alaska; you've just made it so easy for them." She waved and followed her friend into the valley; Alaska watched the two gym leaders leave, disappearing into the fields that lay beyond, feeling lighter and freer the further away they got.

She wasn't going anywhere though. Now that the battle was over, the tiredness and the pain Alaska had been ignoring had come back in spades, and she had no intention of fighting her body any more. Sandy seemed to understand though and flopped down next to her, joining Alaska amongst the clumps of earth. The silence of the valley pressed down on them, and as her friend pulled in close, Alaska stared back to the forest at the top of the hill, thinking of everything that had been said amongst the trees.

"Sandy, I –"

"No, Alaska. Now's not the time for that." Sandy was on the verge of tears, but her smile was unbearably wide, and Alaska simply smirked back, glad she had been stopped. She didn't have the words to say what she wanted to, not now anyway, and Sandy was right: there was no need. Instead, Alaska rested her head on her friends shoulder and the two simply sat there. Sandy pulled Sylveon in close while Alaska slowly stroked Darwin's fur, her mind drifting elsewhere.

As she had trained yesterday, Alaska had kept thinking about everything that had been said at the gym: what she had yelled at Leaf and Janine, what they had yelled back, the mission that lay before her. Not once had those thoughts left her mind. The task ahead of her was borderline impossible, the idea that she would have to save the world so utterly ridiculous and fantastical that Alaska still doubted it was real. Yet there was no avoiding the prophecy, what she had been born into, and now was as good of a time as any to take that seriously.

Leaning forwards, Alaska picked up the badge Janine had dropped and held it up to the light: dark purple, with a slight pink crack down the middle, the heart-shaped Soul Badge was finally hers.

"Six down, two to go."

"And then what?"

"Then we have to keep on fighting, won't we?" The words came out heavy, and for a moment Sandy didn't respond, staring blankly at the now-empty cliff tops.

"Well, we've made it this far despite everything you've done. Now that you're under control I really have no worries." Alaska reared up and glowered at her friend, but Sandy simply shrugged. "You know it's true," she replied, head held high. The two stared at each other for a moment, and then the valley echoed with sounds of their laughter, no one around to stop them.


Blog and Interlude and then this arc will finally be done! But now that Alaska's proved herself and is working with Leaf, Janine and all the rest, just what will happen next...?