"SCYTHER VERSUS MISTER MIME! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
The mime pokemon waved its arms around as an invisible wall appeared.
It wasn't attacking yet, Ray thought. Better power up while we have the chance. Scyther took a deep breath with focus energy while Mr. Mime made another barrier, this one brighter and catching the stadium lights. After Scyther shot a leering look at the mime pokemon, Ray sent it racing towards Mr. Mime, blades primed and ready.
Scyther saw the first light screen, but it collided with the invisible wall Mr. Mime had made and moved in front of it. Scyther's momentum screeched to a halt.
He saw Sabrina's hand stretch at the bug pokemon as it rubbed its head.
A blurry ball of blue energy hovered between Mr. Mime's hands. A blast of confusion shot out towards the incapacitated Scyther at point-blank range, sending it flying backward. Only its wings hovered hard enough to avoid hitting the ground.
"Scyther, quick attack! ON THE DOUBLE!"
That meant a combo. Scyther's eyes glowed with a blue tint, and clones of itself shot out across its sides. Then all of them raced in to attack in formation. Mr. Mime stood in place. Sparks generated out of its gloves.
Ray realized what that meant, and the shock left him speechless. In a flash, Mr. Mime shot out a thundershock at the squad of flying-type pokemon, hitting one of them square in the chest and sending it flying across the stage. Its wings didn't catch it at that time.
It lay on its back, but he saw its chest go up and down.
Come on, Ray thought. Get up, you bug.
The massive flying pokemon shook as it raised itself up on all fours, bringing its legs and claws beneath, only for its eyes to close. The rest of its strength gave way and it collapsed in a heap on the floor.
"SCYTHER IS DOWN!"
As Ray gathered in his first pokemon, he realized that almost every one of his pokemon were weak to electric moves. Pidgeot and Wartortle would be destroyed, and Hitmonlee might be fine for it, only for Mr. Mime's confusion to send it flying. But Pikachu...
He turned towards his companion, and their eyes locked. Pikachu's body sparkled with yellow energy, and its nose twitched excitedly. The two of them nodded, and Pikachu fearlessly hopped out into the lights. The referee called the battle.
Ray whispered one word: "Nearby strike."
Pikachu's ear twitched, and it burst forward in a flash. Ray knew how fast Mr. Mime had acted. Maybe Pikachu was just as fast, but he couldn't risk it getting stunned by another barrier. Just a Thundershock at close range should do it.
The electric mouse raced close to Mr. Mime, like a meteorite closely missing a planet. All of the while, flashes of electricity shot forth towards Mr. Mime, of which were parried easily. Pikachu raced back before a Confusion blast struck it.
"It's just as fast as Pikachu," Ray thought. "We're going to have a massive problem if it just sits there and blocks everything."
Another confusion blast struck near Pikachu as the mime pokemon moved forward.
"But if we got it to move around instead," Ray continued in his head, "we may have a spot to take it!"
"Pikachu," Ray called, "race around in your thunder circle!"
The rodent kicked down on the ground and took off in a circle around the opponent. Mr. Mime held its guard up as it turned to face the yellow blur, using its light screen as a shield of sorts. But Pikachu knew what Ray meant; once it saw an opportunity to strike, it would send out an electric shock out towards Mr. Mime. Occasionally, it would hit, but not do much damage. It was only a way to break an opponent's defenses. Sooner or later, Mr. Mime or Sabrina would break and strike at Pikachu. Then Ray and his champion would finally have an opening. It was only a matter of time before Mr. Mime would try to break the circle.
Suddenly, it happened. Mr. Mime reached around from its shield to throw out a Psychic blast.
"Now! Strike!"
In a flash and a combination of a quick attack and thundershock, Pikachu lunged at Mr. Mime like a rodent-sized bullet, smacking it upside the head and tumbling across the field. Pikachu recovered on all fours and stared down at its opponent, awaiting one last command.
"Pikachu, use THUNDERBOLT!"
Before Mr. Mime could recover, a bolt of lightning struck it down and left it unconscious on the ground. Mr. Mime was unable to battle.
Ray held out his hand for Pikachu's paw in a high-five. The two friends, a pokemon and a human shared a quiet moment between the cheering, the flashing lights, and the toughest battle of their lives. While it was only moments for the rest of the world, to the two trainers they felt like eternities. He could see Delia wildly cheering at him from the stands, but for now, it was only him and his friends, especially the one that deserved a scratch right behind its left ear, in the spot it could never get with its short arms.
A blast of light emerged from the other side, and a familiar pokemon emerged. It stood on two clawed feet, with two long, pointed ears on top of its head, a red star on its forehead, narrow, deep-set eyes, and wide cheeks leading down to a thin, mustached snout. It held a spoon that vibrated between its long fingers.
Pikachu trotted out to face its new opponent, a vicious Kadabra. Ray felt a bead of sweat drip down his neck as he tugged at his hat. Here's where the battle truly begins.
