A/N: Sorry for being a day late, let me make it up to you by posting the longest chapter of the entire fic so far, and definitely the biggest battle so far. I'm exhausted and I'm sure you've been waiting for this chapter for months by now, so here it is. Gloria vs. Marnie.
"Gloria, that was incredible!" I heard a voice screech before Sonia tackled me the second I stepped out of the doors to the pitch. "Oh, you were bloody brilliant, the whole battle. You're just goin' to crush it against Marnie tomorrow! No offense, Marnie, of course."
"None taken," I heard Marnie mutter, safe from Sonia's reach.
"Sonia," I wheezed, trying to pull myself out from her grip while also not choking on her impossibly thick red hair, "I…I can't keep battling if you…if you crush my lungs."
Sonia immediately let go and laughed. "Right, sorry, you know I get excited."
Victor took a step out from behind her. "Honestly, watching this was worth the loss," he smirked.
"Shut it," I shot back, sticking my tongue out. "Waitasec, where's Hop?"
"He, er, hung back," Victor said. "The last battle of his bracket is going, and he's going to end up facing whoever wins it. One of 'em's Bede."
"Don't see the big deal there," Marnie sneered. "Real piece of work, that one, but he's not near as tough as he looks."
"To you, maybe," I said quickly. I turned to Victor. "I suppose it'd be a fool's task to pull him away from watching this battle?"
"Not if Bede is clearly losing it," Victor said, "but it's worth tryin' anyway. I saw them eyein' each other up just now as I was getting off the pitch. That blood is still bad – arguably worse than it was."
I looked back at Marnie. "I gotta go see him. I'm not letting him deal with that worm alone, not ever again."
Marnie shrugged. "You're not gonna be able to help him if they're the ones battling tomorrow," she said bluntly.
"Marnie."
"Alright, alright," she sighed. "But I'm starved, so I'm goin' to get some food. If you manage to pull him away, bring him by."
Victor looked at me sternly. "You think I should come in with you? I didn't even think to stay with him."
"You're fine," I said. "See you at the hotel tonight."
"Actually, Marnie, mind if I pop along for some food?" Victor asked.
Marnie shrugged. "The more the merrier, I s'pose. C'mon then. See you, Gloria." She turned and took a few steps, then paused, then walked back and kissed me. "And good job on the battle again."
I wrapped my arms around her shoulder and grinned as widely as I could. "Aaaaaaaand?"
Marnie blushed and turned away. "An' I love you," she muttered.
"Did I just hear that?!" Victor gasped dramatically.
"My little gay babies!" Sonia squealed.
"I'm going to murder you for this," Marnie growled as I let go of her.
"Have fun getting food! I love you, bye!" I cried with a wink and slipped back into the doorway. I chuckled to myself as I rushed back through the hallways underneath the stadium, winding left and right until I finally found myself back in the pitch proper. One look at what was happening on the field told me everything I needed to know. Bede was absolutely trouncing the poor sod who was battling him. Currently, his Gothitelle, fully evolved and furious, was whipping powerful psychic blasts at the other trainer's Grapploct, who couldn't get anywhere near enough to land an attack in return. I glanced to my right and then to the left before seeing Hop sitting with Dubwool out on a bench near Bede's side of the pitch.
"Hop!" I cried as I hustled over. Upon hearing his name, he turned and looked, letting a wave of relief fall on his face when he saw me coming closer. He stood up, big smile on his face, and the second I was close enough, he wrapped me in a big hug.
"Way to go on that battle, mate!" he cried as he let me go. "Wish I coulda come out with Victor to say hello afterwards, but…"
"You stayed for Bede, of all people? In my hour of victory? Low blow, mate," I scolded him, folding my arms in an exaggerated manner.
"Oh, come off it, I knew you were going to win," he snickered, sitting back down on the bench and scooting over, signaling me to sit next to him. I did, and the two of us looked back out at the battle as Dubwool adjusted himself in front of us. "Besides, it wouldn't feel right if I had to go up against Victor instead of you in this tournament."
"Marnie's still in this, too, you know," I said.
"We'll see tomorrow. I might not even be in after tomorrow, anyway." He said with a shrug.
"Worried about Bede?" I asked, as Gothitelle made one final blow, knocking out the Grapploct.
"Of course," he sighed.
"Victor said you two were givin' each other the stink eye when he came back."
"He had some…choice words about Dubwool," Hop growled. "What a git."
"Did I ever tell you he tried to apologize to me before I battled Raihan at his gym?"
Hop blinked. "Was he feeling okay?"
"I doubt it," I said with a laugh. "He certainly seemed like trying to apologize to me was making him sick. I dunno. Look, the point is, don't worry about him. If he wins this match, then you get to kick his arse next. And if he somehow manages to beat you, you know that Marnie or I are not going to let him beat us."
"I know, I know," he groaned. "You're lucky, his voice hasn't been rattling around in your brain, telling you how shite of a trainer you are. I know I shouldn't even be giving him the time of day, but here I am, going out of my way to see how much more he's going to affect my life."
He sighed, bringing his hands up to his chin and leaning forward on them. I couldn't think of anything to say, so I just put my hand on his shoulder. Bede's opponent brought out their next Pokémon, a Braviary, only for Gothitelle to send a Rock Tomb flying directly into it. As it crashed into the giant bird, Hop snapped up.
"What am I doing?" he asked. "C'mon, we should be celebrating you, not wallowing in my dumb emotions for the umpteenth time!"
"Hop, it's fine. I'm staying if you're staying."
He looked at me. "You…you're okay with that?"
I sighed. "Hop, you're my best friend, it doesn't matter if I won the whole league, I'd rather make sure you're okay, too."
Hop smiled weakly, and I saw a couple tears well up in his eye before he turned back to the pitch. "Th-thanks, Gloria." He muttered. "You're one in a million, I hope you know that."
"Yeah, I know, I'm pretty great," I chortled, and as we settled back in, I turned my direction to Bede. "HEY BEDE, I HOPE YOUR GOTHITELLE EATS SHITE!"
Gothitelle did not, in fact, eat shite, in fact, she cleared the rest of Bede's opponent's team pretty handily by herself, much to Hop's dismay. The battle was over; Bede won six knockouts to two, one of the most one-sided matchups in the first round. As the audience's welling died down, he returned Gothitelle to her Pokéball and strutted towards us, smirking to himself. It wasn't until he made it to the edge of the pitch, about fifteen feet away, that he even noticed we were still here.
"Oh, you're still here," he said to Hop with a sneer. Then he noticed me, and his face turned an even paler shade. "Oh, you're still here," he said, his confidence shaken.
"Walk away, Bede," I growled.
Bede let out a laugh and turned back to Hop. "You're not going to let Dixon fight our battle for you tomorrow, will you?" he sneered. "Last I checked, she'll have her hands full with that girl from Spikemuth."
"Bede…"
"She won't," Hop said bluntly. "You're going to battle me, and me alone. And I, and I alone, am going to beat you."
"Yes, we all know that you've had a bit of a renaissance in battles since we last met," he said bitterly. "But so have I, and I have more to prove now than you ever have." Dubwool bleated angrily, and Bede laughed it off. "You can't be serious, not when you're still battling with a pathetic Pokémon like Dubwool. Your big brother must think it's ridiculous that you still have it at all."
"Walk. Away." I repeated.
"I'm going to," he snapped at me. "I don't need to be treated like this. Dixon, I hope you beat Marnie. I really do. Because then I'll show you that I'm still your superior in battle. Hop, don't even bother showing up tomorrow." And with that, he walked away, head held high.
"You sure he tried to apologize to you?" Hop asked dryly, once he was out of earshot.
"I never said I accepted the apology." I scoffed.
"Good on you then," Hop said with a hollow chuckle.
I frowned. "And don't listen to him about Dubwool, neither, I know firsthand—"
"Gloria," Hop said sternly, stopping me in my tracks. "Dubwool's my ace. I'm not leaving him behind again. And Bede's just going to have to see it himself. C'mon, let's bounce. I'm starved."
Marnie and I were the first battle of the day, and the entire stadium seemed to be vibrating with anticipation. The Quarterfinals were always when audiences really started packing the stands, but if any news outlet I overheard was an indication of anything, this may have been the most anticipated match of the entire tournament. Even Leon was waiting at my end of the tunnel when Hop and I arrived before the match was set to begin.
"Gloria!" he called out excitedly. "Glad I was able to catch you before the match!"
"Hello to you, too, Lee," Hop replied, rolling his eyes.
Leon simply laughed and clapped Hop hard on the back. "I'm hoping to sit in for both of your quarterfinals matches. I can't believe you both are doing this well! I mean, you I knew you two would be trainers to beat, but not that I'd have to be the one to beat you in the finals!"
"You gotta get to the finals too, you know," I jabbed.
"I plan on it," Leon laughed. "Always do. But just for that, I almost want it to be you I face in the finals match!"
"Am I just invisible over here, or?" Hop asked.
"Almost. You know I'm always rooting for you to continue the Nambarek Champion Legacy!" he replied with a wink. "Anyway, good luck out there, Gloria. I'll be watching this one."
"How's Eternatus?" I asked.
Leon frowned. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," he said dismissively, before waving and heading over to a bench.
Hop shrugged. "No news is good news, I guess?" he offered.
"Oi! Dixon!" an official waiting at the end of the pitch called. "We're waitin' on you!"
"Knock her dead," Hop said, knocking me in the shoulder. "I'd rather be takin' you out in the semifinals than her."
"Don't get your hopes up – If it goes south and I don't crush you tomorrow, she will," I laughed, and the two of us jogged in separate directions. I had barely made it to the official when the loudspeaker crackled to life, calling out Marnie's name, amidst deafening cheers. I glanced out and saw her walking in her gym uniform, representing the Dark Type gym – form-fitting and black with splashes of bright fuchsia, she looked like an inverse of the punks wearing Team Yell swag. It was only then that I noticed a sea of that same fuchsia behind her, truly the most chaotic cheering section in the entire tournament, behind her. Marnie paid them no notice. I could barely make it out, but her face was stern, expressionless, and focused; the way she looked at me when we first met. It was intimidating and alluring all at the same time, and I couldn't tell if my heart had jumped into my throat from the nerves of the battle or just the sight of her totally in her element.
"You gonna get out there or not?" barked the official next to me. I shook my head and snapped back to reality; they had called out my name! As I took the field, I scolded myself. If I couldn't keep my head screwed on tight, I'd be out of here the second Marnie noticed it.
The two of us met in the center of the pitch, next to a stern looking older woman who would be serving as our referee. Marnie's face finally cracked, and she gave me a tiny smile. "Shoulda known you'd be standin' in my way of the championship."
I smiled back. "The whole girlfriend thing was a ruse," I taunted. "I was actually just trying to lower your guard so I could beat you in this match."
"So, I should just not invite you to my room right after this match, regardless of the outcome?" Marnie asked, her eyebrow raised suggestively. I felt my cheeks flush, which made her smile a bit wider. "Well, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I'm not goin' easy on you this time."
I blinked and held out my hand. "Good. I'm not goin' easy on you, either." And as she grabbed my hand, I yanked her forward and kissed her hard on the lips. The audience roared again, their cheers spiking with the same intensity that my heart was.
Marnie pulled away, her face bright pink. "Okay, that was rude," she said, stifling a giggle. The referee rolled her eyes and stomped to her spot at the side of the pitch without saying another word.
"Don't let it get to your head," I said with a wink, and turned and walked back to my edge of the pitch. It took everything in me to not look back and see if she had lost any of that steely resolve as I walked back. As I grabbed Bewear's Pokéball from my belt, I forced myself to build up some of that resolve myself.
Finally, I reached my end of the pitch and whirled around. Marnie was already ready to go on her end, but I tried not to let that get to me either. I simply looked at the referee and raised Bewear's Pokéball high in the air. Marnie did the same, so the ref decided to do away with the pageantry entirely.
"Begin!"
I threw Bewear's ball out and he appeared with a wild roar. On the other end of the pitch was Marnie's Liepard, looking tricky and sneaky as ever.
"Alright, Bewear, let's make this quick! Hammer arm!" I called out.
"Fake out!" Marnie ordered, and as Bewear lumbered towards Liepard, it quickly juked to the side, dodging the attack entirely and slashing Bewear's face with its tail, before speeding out of range from any serious retaliation.
"Keep up the pressure! Hammer arm again!" I cried. Bewear swung again, but just as he was about to make contact with Liepard, it disappeared in a flash of red light. In Liepard's place was Marnie's Toxicroak. While the attack landed hard on Toxicroak's shoulder, the frog brushed it off and glared at Bewear, ready for whatever was coming next.
"Drain Punch!" Marnie shouted.
"Thunder Punch!" I cried, and Bewear swung again, this time with his arm sparking with electricity. Unfortunately, Toxicroak was quicker, and landed with a powerful right hook, knocking Bewear to the side and causing him to miss his punch entirely. As he did, I watched as an orange aura seeped out of Bewear's head and floated hazily over to Toxicroak, who seemed to regain some of its vitality.
"Bewear!" I cried out. He snapped to attention but was moving slowly. He seemed weaker, and not just because Toxicroak's hit did a lot of damage, either. I grimaced – it looked like he was suffering from poison? But how – Toxicroak didn't even use a poison-type move! I shook my head – I couldn't let this get to me. I would figure out Toxicroak's deal once this battle was over. "Hang back and use counter the next time it hits you!" I called out.
"Then let's just not hit him, then!" Marnie cried. "Venoshock!"
As Bewear took a step backwards, Toxicroak belched out a purple, gooey ball of poison energy, sending it directly to Bewear, crashing into him and sending him stumbling and falling to the ground. He picked himself up with a swing of his massive paws, but with Toxicroak nowhere near, obviously, he could not land a strike. I grimaced again as I watched the poison seep away more of his energy. This was not how I wanted to start this battle off at all. "Alright then, go all in! Hammer Arm! As hard as you can!" I roared.
"Gunk shot!" Marnie cried, and as Bewear pulled himself shakily to his feet, Toxicroak launched another ball of goopy energy towards Bewear, this one looking much more solid. Fortunately, it went wide, missing Bewear entirely and Bewear managed to land his hit. Toxicroak staggered back, but still looked like he could go for much longer than Bewear, who looked ready to fall over at any second.
"Shit," I said under my breath. Marnie and Toxicroak both hesitated, waiting for me to make my move. My options weren't great; either swap out to a fresh teammate who Marnie could hit before they could get a move in, or have Bewear go for another attack, no doubt knocking him out in the process. Bewear roared again, looking tough despite the poisoning, so I sighed and made my decision. "Drain Punch!" I called out.
"Drain punch, too!" Marnie said, and as Bewear stumbled towards Toxicroak, Toxicroak rushed him and got the first hit, again. As another wave of the orange aura slipped from Bewear's body, he tumbled and crashed to the ground, unable to hit Toxicroak at all.
"Bewear is unable to battle!" the referee shouted.
The audience, especially the fuchsia ocean behind Marnie, erupted in cheers, as I swore again. I knew Marnie would be good enough to handle Bewear eventually, but to do it so quickly, without barely breaking a sweat? This was going to be a long battle if I couldn't get my act together. I returned Bewear to his Pokéball and kissed the top of it. "You did your best, Bewear," I said. "We just didn't have it in us this time around." I then pulled out my second Pokéball. "C'mon, Rapidash!"
As Rapidash appeared, sparkling in the sunlight of the stadium, Marnie didn't waste a second. "Gunk Shot!" she cried again, and Toxicroak got ready to attack.
"Hook right, then Dazzling gleam!" I cried. There was a flash of light as Rapidash moved, and that light, paired with her quick hoof work, meant that Toxicroak's attack missed again. As Toxicroak reeled backwards from the light, I finally found an opportunity. "Zen Headbutt!" I cried.
"Nope!" Marnie yelled, returning Toxicroak to his Pokéball in a swift movement I could barely see. Suddenly Liepard was on the field again, and with a snarky meow, it quickly sidestepped Rapidash, who barreled right past it without doing any damage.
"Agility!" I cried. "She won't be able to outspeed us forever!"
"We'll see," Marnie said with a bemused smile. "Fake Out!"
Rapidash neighed and got ready to stretch her leg muscles, but Liepard was on her in a heartbeat, slashing at her with its tail and breaking her concentration. I groaned. I could not let this thing be such a nuisance for the whole battle.
"Megahorn!" I roared.
"Snarl!" Marnie cried.
Rapidash lowered her head and charged at Liepard, But Liepard dodged wide again and meowed with surprising volume. Rapidash whinnied and stumbled back, surprised and a little unsettled, but she turned to face Liepard again with renewed vigor.
"Dazzling Gleam again! Throw it off!" I called out, as Marnie called out for another Snarl. There was another bright flash of light that came before the harrowing yowl from Liepard, and this time, Rapidash was ready for the noise. It still seemed to disorient her a bit, but not nearly to the extent her Dazzling Gleam did Liepard.
"Now's the chance! Megahorn!" I cried, and Rapidash charged again. This time, her attack was true, and it was all the extra power I needed. Liepard stumbled a bit and fell to its side.
"Liepard is unable to battle!" the referee yelled. The audience erupted again, equally as loud as when Marnie knocked Bewear out, but there was a notable silence from the fuchsia ocean behind her. I pumped my fist as Rapidash trotted to a halt in front of me. She let out a valiant whinny, kicking up on her hind legs in a move that seemed to be as much for the crowd's benefit as it was hers, and then faced Marnie again, who had just recalled Liepard.
Marnie didn't seem fazed; instead, she pulled out her next Pokéball. It flashed white in her hand, and I gulped. I knew it was coming, but I was not expecting it so soon. She threw the Pokéball out and Grimmsnarl stood in front of us, a tangled mess of sickly green skin and knotted black fur.
"Dazzling Gleam!" I cried.
"Bulk up, then Spirit Break!" Marnie ordered. Rapidash let out another blast of brilliant white light, but right before she did, I saw Grimmsnarl tense up. As the light faded, Grimmsnarl burst into the open, flying fast at Rapidash, who reared up and barely dodged the attack.
"Megahorn!" I cried, and Rapidash immediately hopped back into it, aiming her horn straight at Grimmsnarl, who ducked to the side and following Marnie's command for a second spirit break, slashed with his arm, dragging his long fingers down Rapidash's flank before scurrying out of the way of her horn again. Rapidash whinnied, annoyed.
"Dazzling Gleam again!" I cried, and she let out another burst of white light. But this didn't slow Grimmsnarl down either, and he rushed at Rapidash with a third Spirit Break attack. Before I had a chance to react, he slashed at her again, and Rapidash whinnied again, sounding much weaker than before.
"Alright, that's enough for now!" I cried, recalling Rapidash. "Rest up while you can," I said to her in her Pokéball as I pulled out Cinderace's ball and threw it out.
Cinderace appeared in a burst of fire, letting out an excited screech. I saw Marnie's eyes narrow from across the pitch. "Darkest Lariat!" she cried.
"Pyro Ball!" I countered. "Don't let him get too close!"
Cinderace kicked up wads of dirt and ignited them, shooting it straight at Grimmsnarl's rapidly approaching figure. The first missed, but the second and third made direct contact, yet Grimmsnarl still advanced, lashing out with blackened furry arms. The two stumbled backwards after the exchange of blows, but finally I could see that the exertion was taking a toll on Grimmsnarl.
"Alright, take the offensive! High Jump Kick!" I ordered.
Cinderace leapt into the air with a valiant cry, but there was another flash of light and Grimmsnarl was gone. Instead, bolting from Marnie's side was Morpeko, bravely running with as much of a fire in her eyes as Cinderace could summon in any of his attacks. Surprised by the change-up, Cinderace flew wide, missing Morpeko entirely and crashing to the ground. He quickly hopped up and turned to face Morpeko, but I noticed that he was putting most of his weight on his right leg and wincing. I certainly didn't want to rely on that move again if I didn't have to.
"Aura Wheel!" Marnie cried.
"Counter!" I cried.
Morpeko shot out like a bullet, that electric energy circling around her. Cinderace braced himself for the hit, and when Morpeko connected square in his chest, he angled his back in a way that sent Morpeko straight up into the sky, unable to change her momentum as Cinderace then threw his good leg up and kicked her straight back to Marnie. For a second, it seemed like Morpeko wouldn't get up, but before the ref could make any comment, get up she did, her fur blazing violet and her eyes glowing red.
"Not gonna throw us off with that this time!" I cheered. "Pyro ball, Cinderace!"
"Quick Attack, left leg!" Marnie shouted.
Cinderace shot a fireball at Morpeko, but with incredible speed, Morpeko easily dodged, ramming herself into Cinderace's damaged leg. Cinderace screeched and crumpled as Morpeko zipped back out to safety.
"Cinderace!" I cried. He got up shakily, but the damage he'd sustained from just a few hits was taking a big toll. Morpeko was also breathing heavily. It seemed like both were on the verge of a knockout here.
"Quick attack!" Marnie yelled.
"Flame Charge!" I shouted. A fiery aura exploded around Cinderace as he rushed Morpeko, who sprinted right back towards him. The two collided, sending sparks and smoke in every direction. When it cleared, the two lay next to each other, unconscious.
"Cinderace and Morpeko are both unable to battle!" the referee said.
I recalled Cinderace to his Pokéball as Marnie retrieved Morpeko by hand. "Good job, as always," I said, hoping he couldn't hear the disappointment I was feeling. I was now short two Pokémon, two Pokémon I had been hoping would take more with them. I looked back out to Marnie, who was just making it back to her end of the pitch. She caught my eye and gave me a sly grin before letting her face fall blank again – just enough of a peek behind the curtain to imply that she had specifically been training Morpeko's battle strategy to take Cinderace down. I grabbed Boltund's Pokéball as Marnie tossed out a ball, and with a croak, Toxicroak appeared, looking ever so slightly refreshed. I squinted, and reattached Boltund's ball to my belt. Not yet.
"Get back out there, Rapidash! Zen Headbutt!" I cried. Rapidash hit the ground running, and though Marnie called for a Poison Jab to try and fend her off, Rapidash was too fast, plowing directly into Toxicroak. In the blink of an eye, Toxicroak fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Toxicroak is unable to battle!" the referee cried. I pumped my fist, happy to finally take the lead in knockouts three to two, but this one seemed a little…too easy. And when Marnie sent out her next Pokéball, it all clicked, as Grimmsnarl again took to the pitch.
"You baited me to send Rapidash out!" I cried in disbelief.
Marnie winked. "Spirit Break!" she ordered.
"Megahorn!" I growled. Our Pokémon rushed each other, but at the last moment, Grimmsnarl juked to the side and lashed out. His arm was caught in Rapidash's horn, so he took some damage as well, but with the force of his attack, Rapidash was thrown off her feet entirely, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. And just like that, Marnie had once again evened the score. The referee confirmed that Rapidash was out for the count, and with a twinge of humiliation for getting outplayed, I returned her to her Pokéball.
"You got that Toxicroak out of the way, way to come through in the clutch," I said to her as I clipped her Pokéball back onto my belt. Things were looking pretty rough. I knew that Flygon wouldn't be safe on the pitch until I could pacify Grimmsnarl, but I didn't know if Boltund or Sneasel would be strong enough to stick around if Grimmsnarl kept taking hits as easily as he had been in this battle. But I knew every little bit would help, and I knew a great way to make the odds a bit nicer for me. I snatched Boltund's Pokéball and tossed it out.
"Nuzzle!" I cried. It may have been a predictable strategy, but it had never led me astray before. Marnie quickly made to switch out her Pokémon, but at the last second, Boltund managed to rub up against Grimmsnarl and send a jolt of electricity through the beast just before he was called back into the Pokéball.
I let out a whoop while Marnie seethed at her own mistake, but she recovered quickly, sending out her next Pokémon: Scrafty. I felt myself deflate a little – my only time facing this thing did not end well for me, but I knew I would have to fight it again anyway. "Let's do it again, then, Boltund! Nuzzle!"
"Ice Punch!" Marnie yelled, and as Boltund sped towards it, Scrafty held a hand back, waiting to strike. Sparks flew up and out of Boltund as she came near, and ice crystals soon began to form on Scrafty's hands, but as Boltund brushed past it, Scrafty instantly seized up, slowing its fist for just long enough that Boltund could easily dodge out of the way.
"Way to go! Now let's give it our all! Wild Charge!" I yelled.
"Crunch!" Marnie yelled in return, but it was no use. Scrafty seized up again from the paralysis, making it a sitting Ducklett as Boltund barreled toward it. Boltund's entire body began to spark, similar to how it would when she used Nuzzle, but with much more intensity and force, so much so that her entire body was blazing with lightning. She crashed into Scrafty with the sound of a thunderclap, and Scrafty reeled back from the blow, still frozen from paralysis. Boltund skidded to a halt and barked excitedly.
"Come on, then, Scrafty, get it together!" Marnie yelled bitterly. As she did, Scrafty snapped to and shook its head violently, so much so that I could see flakes of skin peeling off. I took a step back, a little perturbed as Scrafty continued this strange shaking and shedding as I slowly got the whole picture. In a matter of seconds, Scrafty had shed almost an entire layer of skin, and it was looking fresh and limber as ever, as if Boltund had never paralyzed it in the first place.
"Crunch!" Marnie roared triumphantly. Scrafty ran forward as Boltund stood dead still, but I decided I could save her for later.
"If we can't paralyze it, we'll just have to clean up a different way!" I cried. "Let's go, Sneasel!" And with a quick hand movement and a quicker flash of light, Sneasel stood in Boltund's place, ready to take the attack in her stead. Scraggy leapt at her and bit down, but it didn't seem to bother Sneasel too much at all – a dark type Pokémon could handle a dark type move.
"This seems a bit familiar, eh?" Marnie asked. "Alrigh' then. Drain punch!"
"Fake out!" I cried. And Sneasel managed to juke right and slash at Scrafty with her claws. It barely seemed to affect Scrafty at all, but it did make the Pokémon pause and catch its bearings.
"Now show them both how strong you really are!" I cried. "Slash!"
"Drain Punch!" Marnie roared. I cringed, knowing just how strong those fighting type moves were on a Pokémon like Sneasel, but Sneasel was as determined as ever, and with one precise swipe, she sliced her right claw across Scrafty's torso. Scrafty swung at her wildly, but Boltund's powerful Wild Charge had done a lot more damage than it must have left on, because its arms flopped around Sneasel like wet noodles before Scrafty fell backwards and slumped on the ground.
"Scrafty is unable to battle!" The ref yelled.
"Way to go, Sneasel!" I cried. "I knew you could do it!"
So, Marnie was down to two, Grimmsnarl and…I wracked my brain trying to think of what other Pokémon she had used, but I don't know if she had ever used another Pokémon in any of the weeks we'd been traveling together. Even when we were training up once we made it to Wyndon, she was very secretive about her team. I knew she played her cards close to her chest, so whatever this last Pokémon was making me nervous. Was it something even more powerful than that Grimmsnarl? I shuddered thinking about it. Marnie pulled out her sixth Pokéball, and I saw that it was not Grimmsnarl's Premier Ball but rather a plain red one much like the rest of the ones we had. I guess I was about to find out. "Here we go, Toxtricity!" Marnie roared.
The crowd behind her absolutely lost their minds as a Toxtricity popped out of its Pokéball. It crashed to the ground and stood tall above Sneasel, flexing its muscles. It let out a terrifying roar and yellow blasts of electricity exploded out of its body in a single long line stretching from its sunken eyebrows to the base of its scaly purple tail. On its chest were six bulbous growths surrounded in more electrifying yellow scales.
"Alright, Sneasel, let's get to work! Ice Shard!" I cried. Bursts of ice flew from her claws, which clashed into the Pokémon. Toxtricity took a couple steps back in surprise but easily shrugged them off.
"Boomburst," Marnie said. Toxtricity took a power stance, strummed the growths on its chest as it inhaled, and then it roared. It roared with such a violent intensity that I had to plug my ears from all the way on the other side of the pitch. Sneasel, unfortunately, was not so lucky. The sonic power was so disorienting that she crumpled to the ground trying to tune out the sound.
"Now!" Marnie yelled. "Overdrive!"
"Shadow Claw!" I cried. As the sound waned for a brief second, Sneasel got up and charged Toxtricity, landing a very powerful blow before Toxtricity strummed its growths again. This time, as it strummed, it seemed to pull plasma out of its very body, where it whirled around its hands violently. Sneasel hopped away to try and avoid the attack, but Toxtricity wasn't aiming for her anyway. Instead, it brought the fist down on the ground, and upon connecting, another unbelievably loud wall of sound erupted from the Pokémon, and with it, bolts of lightning flew about in every direction, many hitting Sneasel at a near-point blank range. The cacophony concluded almost as quickly as it started, and as our eyes adjusted from the sudden brightness of the explosion, I could already see what the referee was about to confirm.
"Sneasel is unable to battle!"
I returned Sneasel to her ball as Team Yell's cheering behind Marnie reached a feverish level. Marnie and I were both down to two now. "Thanks for everything, Sneasel," I whispered before grabbing Flygon's ball and throwing it out next.
Flygon burst into the air with a roar, whizzing around the stadium, getting his bearings.
"Boomburst!" Marnie called out.
"Just move away!" I yelled, and Flygon shot upward as Toxtricity let out another blast of disorienting sound. He wasn't quite fast enough, and he faltered in flight, but it didn't seem to hit him nearly as hard this time around.
"Bring it back down! Earthquake!" I cried. Flygon stopped flapping his wings, letting his momentum upwards slowly halt, and for almost a second, he floated there alone in space before twisting his body and shooting like a bullet toward the ground.
"Toxtricity—" Marnie yelled, but Flygon was simply too fast. Just as he was about to crash into the pitch, he spread his wings out wide, maximizing the area of impact, and with a terrible crashing noise, the entire pitch vibrated with enough power to cause Marnie, me, and even a few people on the sides of the pitch to lose their balance and fall. When the shaking stopped, I quickly clambered up to my knees to see Flygon take off again, leaving Toxtricity nothing but a heap on the floor of the pitch. The entire stadium was silent somehow, possibly still reeling from the massive earthquake, but the referee made the call that Toxtricity could no longer battle, and the cheers came rolling in.
"Flygon, return!" I called out. Marnie had no more surprises left, just Grimmsnarl. Boltund was able to get a clutch paralysis, but it would be insane to leave Flygon out in the open for a Fairy Type like Grimmsnarl. "It'll have to be you, Boltund!" I cried, throwing out her Pokéball.
After recalling Toxtricity, Marnie stood alone for a while, holding both it and Grimmsnarl's Pokéballs in her hands. As she clipped Toxtricity's ball to her belt, she glanced over to me. Her game face had almost completely taken over, and she looked at me with a fierce determination I had never seen her give. But then she blinked and looked down at Grimmsnarl's ball and took a deep breath. She looked back at me and pulled a silver chain out that was hanging around her neck, with a glimmering stone at the end of it.
"Okay, you're doing it. Boltund, let's go!" I called out, and as Marnie tapped the Pokéball to her wishing star, I recalled Boltund and tapped her Pokéball to mine. Both our Pokéballs grew in our hands, and we launched them out.
Dynamaxed Boltund was dwarfed by Grimmsnarl's Gigantamaxed form, but I knew that Boltund had the power to back her up. "Max Lightning!" I roared.
"G-Max Snooze!" Marnie yelled.
Storm clouds formulated above the two Pokémon and a massive bolt of lightning shot down on Grimmsnarl, who screeched violently before raising his arm in defiance. The thunder was so loud that it managed to silence the entire stadium again. Two of Grimmsnarl's fingers slowly came together, and then snapped. The sound was about as loud as the thunder that was still ringing in our ears, and accompanying it, every single shadow in the entire stadium seemed to move towards Grimmsnarl on this command. The shadows pooled at his feet, all coalescing into one wave of shadow before blasting towards Boltund, who was completely overrun with the shadows. At first, Boltund wriggled around, fighting the darkness, but her muscles slowly weakened, and she wobbled on her feet, yawned, and then collapsed onto the ground, completely asleep and defenseless.
"No…" I whispered.
"Max Starfall," Marnie said, and with another snap of his giant fingers, Grimmsnarl summoned five rainbow-colored stars from the remaining storm clouds and guided them directly into Boltund's sleeping form. There was a massive explosion of red and pink energy as it escaped from Boltund's form, and when the dust settled, Boltund lay on the ground, completely out of commission.
The referee made the call, but I couldn't hear it. All I could see was Marnie, standing perfectly between the two massive legs of her Gigantamaxed Pokémon. She was smiling, confident. This wasn't like in Glimwood Tangle; Grimmsnarl had full control of his power. And now, with a Dragon-type Pokémon and no access to Dynamax myself, I somehow had to find a way to take it down. I recalled Boltund and held Flygon's ball in my hand. I supposed I could just forfeit, there'd be no shame in that.
"Challenger Gloria?"
I blinked and looked to the referee, who was staring at me. Waiting for me to make my move or admit defeat. I looked back to Marnie. She was still ready to fight. And finally, I looked back down to Flygon's Pokéball. I could feel his energy on the inside. He wanted to fight, wanted to win. I sighed and shook my head. It may not have been much to go on, but it would be enough.
"Go! Flygon!"
"Max Starfall!" Marnie yelled, and instantly Grimmsnarl brought his arms up again, ready to send the barrage onto Flygon now.
"Iron Tail!" I wailed. Flygon rushed at Grimmsnarl, getting right up in his face before swinging to the side. There was a glint of white in his tail as it seemed to harden like steel before my eyes, and with another twist of his body, he lashed out, twice hitting Grimmsnarl dead in the center of his chest. Grimmsnarl stepped backwards and roared in fury, and I pumped my fist, but the small bit of hope I had turned to dread as Grimmsnarl righted himself. Somehow, he managed to even handle this attack. There was a malicious glint in his eye as he brought his arm down again, and the rainbow stars once again appeared and launched themselves at Flygon.
"Flygon, fly out of there!" I roared, and Flygon flew as fast and far away from Grimmsnarl as he could, but he still could not escape, and the stars all collided and threw him to the ground. He skidded to a halt right in front of me, sending dust and turf in every direction.
"Nice!" Marnie yelled to Grimmsnarl.
"Flygon!" I moaned, and I felt my weight give out from under me. I sunk to my knees, but as I did, I saw his head twitch. He whirled his head around to look at me. He was bruised; few if any Pokémon could have taken an attack like that and just brushed it off, but as he looked at me, almost despondent, I saw his eyes widen suddenly. He lifted his head and roared. Next came his wings, then his body, and as I sank down to a sitting position, he pulled himself up, ready for one more go at it.
"Impressive," Marnie said, and even her game face couldn't hide the surprise. Flygon looked back at me, waiting for my order, and I finally snapped to.
"Alright, we gotta get that thing off its feet. You know how to do that – Earthquake!" I ordered.
"Max Starfall, one last time!" Marnie yelled. There was something new in her voice…panic?
Grimmsnarl reached up to the heavens again, but Flygon, being as fast as he was, roared again and flew in an arcing shape to the point right between Grimmsnarl's feet and pounded the ground repeatedly. The tremors were not as strong as they were against Toxtricity, but I could feel the vibrations, and it was enough to finally get Grimmsnarl to break his stance. Stars fell from the sky again, but without the stern command, they fell in every direction, most not even landing near Flygon.
"Now! Iron tail, and keep it low!" I roared. Flygon whipped around, and with another glint of white, smashed his tail into Grimmsnarl's ankle, causing the beast to finally begin to fall. As he did, I could see the Dynamax energy leave his body, and he began to quickly shrink.
"Max Star—er—Spirit Break!" Marnie called out, and as he fell, Grimmsnarl reached out to slash at Flygon, but it was too late. He crashed into the ground, and as he struggled to his feet, Flygon flew up and well out of range.
"One last time – Iron Tail!" I cried, and Flygon executed it perfectly, flipping once in the air and bringing it down on Grimmsnarl just as it was about to stand back up. Grimmsnarl wheezed as the air was knocked out of him, and he tumbled right back to the ground and did not get back up.
"Grimmsnarl is unable to battle! Gloria has won the battle!"
I fell back and landed on the turf, panting. Flygon rushed to me and landed, creating another mini earthquake, roaring excitedly again before bringing his head down to my shoulder. I patted his head and smiled at him, and once he was sure that I was alright, he collapsed beside me, exhausted. I laughed and rolled over, giving him a tight hug.
"Flygon, you were amazing!" I cried, feeling my eyes welling up. "I didn't know you had it in you, egg on my face for doubting. You're incredible."
"He's incredible because you trained 'im to be," a voice said, casting a shadow over me. I looked back up and saw Marnie there, with Grimmsnarl limping up behind her. Marnie's face, for the first time, was awash with emotions. Disappointment and sadness from losing, relief that Grimmsnarl was able to control his Gigantamaxed form, but ultimately pride and satisfaction of a well-fought battle. She held her arm up to pull me up, but I pulled her down to the turf with me and wrapped her into my hug with Flygon. Grimmsnarl awkwardly watched from aside.
"Gloria—urk—leggo, this is—this is embarrassing!" Marnie whined, but she hugged me back all the same. Finally, we pulled ourselves up and recalled our Pokémon. I looked over at her and she was beaming. "Well, you did it. Hell of a battle."
"Hell of a battle indeed," I replied, and we shook hands before she pulled me in for a kiss. "Now let's get out of here," I continued, leading her off the pitch.
"Thought you'd want to stay for Hop's battle," Marnie replied, gesturing to the entrance of the pitch. We could already see Hop, who was beside himself with excitement about the battle that just played out.
"Right," I laughed. "I'll just meet you back at the hotel then?"
"No, I'm stayin'," she said. "You're not the only one who wants to see that Bede get what's comin' to him. And you know what, Hop's actually kind of growing on me."
"You're so cute when you experience emotions," I teased.
"I'm breaking up with you," she growled.
"But you loooooove me."
Marnie blushed and turned away. "…Shut yer mouth," she warned, but she brought her hand into mine and squeezed it tightly. We exited the pitch to even more deafening roars than before.
A/N: To think I was considering doing Hop's battle with Bede and Gloria's battle with Marnie in the same chapter. Absolute dogshit idea. Glad I decided to just go all out with the battle. I did change Marnie's lineup slightly. I gave her Amped Toxtricity in the sixth slot she was never given in the games because I thought it would be a nice complement to her more lowkey character. I almost gave her an Obstagoon because why not have another connection to her brother, but I don't think I've actually featured Toxtricity in all 68 of these chapters and I think he's a really cool dude. He vibes better with Marnie anyway IMO. Anyway, that's that battle out of the way. It was one of the ones I was afraid of getting to because it's been one I've been hyping since basically the moment I introduced Marnie in this fic anyway, so I hope it was worth the wait! We're picking up next week with Hop and Bede's battle - I have one last change I need to make with him, but I've bloviated enough here. See you next week, hopefully on time!
NEXT WEEK: BEDE CRASHES DOWN
