POKÉMON: INFINITE LEGACIES
THE CIPRYS REGION
CHAPTER 11
TWO OF A KIND! A MIRRORED BATTLE!

The crowd let their displeasure be known, moaning in response to Flame's request. No one wanted to wait for Selina's next battle!

But Selina dipped her head. "That's fine by me. I'll heal Rowlet in the meantime."

Litten spun round. He glared and hissed at his trainer.

Flame crouched so he was closer to Litten's eye-level. "I know you want to battle Rowlet," he told Litten, delving into his pocket as he did, "but you need a rest anyway."

Litten shook his head. He arched his back and hissed again.

Flame sighed. In one quick motion, he took out Litten's Poké Ball and returned his rebellious Pokémon.

Flame stood up. Since the Pokémon Centre was so close, he only had to turn and manoeuvre his way through the crowd to get there. A couple of trainers headed in before he did, and inside there was a small queue. He joined the tail-end, but impatience soon frustrated him—one of the trainers ahead seemed, in his opinion, to be taking far too long talking to Nurse Joy.

When, eventually, they'd finished chatting away, the next trainer seemed to do the same. Flame felt as though there was a conspiracy against him. He tossed Litten's Poké Ball into the air and caught it; he tossed Litten's Poké Ball into the air and caught it; he tossed Litten's Poké Ball into the air and caught it, trying his best to be patient.

When, finally, he reached the front of the queue, he handed over Litten's Poké Ball immediately.

Nurse Joy took it more slowly than he would have liked, but he let it slide.

"Can you heal my Litten?"

Nurse Joy nodded. "We have been busy with all the battles going on outside, but of course, I can."

"Chansey!" Chansey cried in agreement.

"Do you have any rooms available?"

Nurse Joy handed Litten's Poké Ball to Chansey. "Hmm . . . let me just check our system." She turned her gaze to a computer screen.

Flame tapped his fingers against the counter whilst he waited. Patiently, he told himself, one eye on the clock that was on the wall behind Nurse Joy.

"25 minutes—clock's ticking!"

Flame jumped at the sound of Selina's voice. He snapped around. She was the only other person in the queue.

"Post-battle rush," she explained, perhaps sensing his annoyance. "Hi, Nurse Joy!"

Nurse Joy smiled warmly. "Hello, Selina. How many have you won now?"

Selina placed Rowlet's Poké Ball down on the counter. "Oh, that was probably the 25th—I've not been keeping too close a count."

Flame's jaw dropped. "25 wins in a day?!" And I've only won one battle!

"Yep, and in a row—although I have healed my Pokémon in between a lot of them. The last guy was more of a challenge, but–" she shrugged "–most of them have been walkovers."

"There's a room free." Nurse Joy handed him a keycard. "It's yours for the night. If you need to stay any longer, let me know and I can extend the booking. There'll be a guide in the room about what services we have available here. I hope you'll enjoy your stay."

"Thanks! I'll be back for Litten in a bit." He grabbed the keycard and whirled round. He took a step, then realised he didn't know where he was going. "What way?"

Nurse Joy pointed in the other direction.

"Ah—thank you!" His running shoes squeaked on the freshly-polished floor as he spun and darted away.

"Don't be late!" Selina called after him.

"I won't be!" he shouted back before disappearing behind a corner.

Selina giggled a little. Looks like it should be an interesting battle, she thought.

Flame returned to the battlefield, having showered (very quickly) and having put on a spare and (more importantly) fresh top. He hadn't had time to dry off properly. Still wet, his dark brown hair was as dishevelled as ever behind his headband, which he'd swapped out for an all-black one with a red Poké Ball logo at the centre.

Even though it was nearing 6pm, the sun had remained persistent. Flame had refilled his bottle, pouring fresh, cool water inside—but only after guzzling down a litre earlier on and needing the toilet straight after. He sipped at it now. The crowd had lessened a little, but most had stayed to watch their battle.

"Ready to go?" Selina called.

"You bet!"

A different trainer had stepped forward to be referee. "You both know the rules," she said. "You may begin!"

Selina nodded. "Let's go, Rowlet!"

Flame grinned. "Don't let me down, Litten!"

Both trainers tossed their Poké Balls high into the sky. The two popped open mid-air. Their energies streaked to the ground and revealed two of the three starter Pokémon of Alola—but whilst Litten was eyeing his opponent and unsheathing and sheathing his claws, Rowlet had glided back to Selina. He flew onto her yellow bag, hooked a foot-talon into the opening, and pushed it open. Within seconds, Rowlet had managed to nestle himself inside. Before Selina could say otherwise, the grass quill Pokémon seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, his eyes closed, snoring lightly.

Selina half-smiled. She gave Flame an apologetic look. "I guess I've used Rowlet too much today." She got out another Poké Ball.

Litten growled, feeling disrespected. He looked back at Flame, mrrowing his discontent.

"What can I do about it?" Flame retorted.

Litten huffed and sat back on his haunches, beginning to lick himself.

"Never mind!" Selina exclaimed. "It's your turn, Eevee!"

High into the air her Poké Ball went. It opened mid-flight, leaving bright energy to hurry groundward like lightning. A small, brown-furred Pokémon appeared and lifted his chin proudly into the air, showing off the expanse of his furry cream-coloured collar. "Eevee," he declared coolly.

Flame pointed at Selina's Eevee and exclaimed, "Litten! Use Ember!"

But Litten didn't listen. He just sat there and licked himself, as if wanting to prove a point . . .

Embarrassment reddened Flame's face. His right hand slapped against his forehead and trailed down the length of his face. "C'mon, Litten!" he tried to persuade. "I know Rowlet fell asleep instead of battling you, but you can still battle her Eevee!"

"Mrrow."

Flame translated that as, I'm tired too, and if Rowlet won't battle me, I won't battle at all. Hmph.

"Whatever," Flame mumbled. "Argh. Why do you have to be so awkward?"

To the amusement of the crowd, he returned Litten. This time, there was no protest. Litten's refusal to battle had irritated Flame at first, but now a smile dawned on his face, for he realised this presented him with another opportunity. He glanced at Selina's Eevee, then got out a black-and-gold Poké Ball with a red ring three-quarters of the way up. It was colder in his hand than Litten's had been. Excitement pulsed through him as he flung the Luxury Ball forward.

When the energy inside was dispersed, a Pokémon with long pointed ears and a bushy tail was revealed. This Pokémon, the evolution Pokémon, was near-identical to Selina's.

Selina smiled. "So, you have an Eevee too. Almost as cute as mine."

Flame's Eevee sniffed the air, dark brown eyes sparkling. Flame had only let her out of her Luxury Ball on a few occasions so far. He had used Litten so much because he'd wanted to develop their new partnership before capturing and using any other Pokémon. But, he reflected, now's as good a time as any!

"Yep! I sure do! I've only battled with Litten so far. So, I think you'll agree it's about time I let Eevee have a go."

Eevee had been chasing her tail, but upon hearing Flame, she bounded back to her trainer and stood to attention. "Eevee!" she exclaimed.

"We won't go easy on you," Selina warned.

"I wouldn't expect you to."

Selina nodded his way. "Challenger makes the first move."

The crowd watched in silence. Anticipation gripped them—it was not often that trainers battled using the same Pokémon as their opponent! Which Eevee was going to come out on top? They were about to find out.

"Eevee!" Flame called. "Quick Attack—let's go!"

Eevee dashed forward so quickly that the human eye could barely follow. Spectators, the referee, and even the battling trainers struggled to keep track.

"Reflect!"

Selina's Eevee closed his eyes, concentrating. A silvery barrier glowed into existence in front of him.

Flame's Eevee charged forward a moment later—into the barrier. It shattered, and she slammed into her opponent.

Normally, a direct hit of this nature would cause some kind of distress, but because of Reflect, the damage was minimal. Flame's Eevee had hit her target, but while she rebounded and crashed to the ground, throwing dried sand into the air, Selina's Eevee was only knocked back a few paces and was now only wavering ever so slightly on his paws.

Selina went on the attack: "Shadow Ball!"

"Sand Attack and dodge!" Flame shouted seconds after.

From Eevee's mouth, opening wide, dark energy was generated. Starting off small but rippling with purple and black sparks, the energy gathered into an orb. When Eevee's mouth closed, the orb shot toward its target.

In the meantime, Flame's Eevee whisked round. She did a 360, and in the process, her tail flicked up more sand from the ground. This, and any which had been unsettled earlier, was launched at Selina's Eevee.

The two attacks neared each other. Most of the sand got drawn towards Shadow Ball's volatile energy and, sucked closer and closer to its centre, whirled around the core of the energy like a planet and its moon. A few specks escaped Shadow Ball's pull, but only to collect harmlessly onto their target's fur.

Shadow Ball ripped into the ground near Flame's Eevee, throwing sand and dirt and all sorts into the air. As the energy faded, a dark foggy smoke that buzzed with sparks blemished the battlefield.

Flame stared anxiously into the haze. Shadow Ball hadn't directly struck his Eevee, but the force of the impact had sent his Pokémon up into the air and sideways. Winded, Eevee was fighting for her breath as she gathered herself and staggered back up.

"Don't give up, Eevee," he murmured. "We can still do this."

Her ears twitched. She could make out her opponent through the haze. "Eevee!" she cried out, defiant.

Flame nodded. "Strike back with Double Kick!" he called.

Eevee bounded forward. Using the residue of Shadow Ball as cover, she gave Selina little time to think and react.

Eevee narrowed his eyes on the smoke, then crouched. He made out the form of Eevee racing towards him just before Selina did.

"Dodge!" Selina responded quickly. "Then counter with Bite!"

Flame's Eevee skidded to a stop in front of her opponent. As graceful as a Sylveon, Eevee pivoted on her left forepaw, spinning until her body faced away from her adversary. She leaned forward, shifting her weight onto her forepaws, and struck out at her counterpart with both hindpaws, as ferocious as a Jolteon.

Selina's Eevee ducked. Double Kick was so quick, however, that he still suffered a glancing blow on the side of the head. Suddenly, he staggered, head heavy and legs threatening to buckle underneath him. His vision blurred; he fought back pain, but experience gained from battling had hardened his already-boosted defence. He steadied himself—awaiting his opponent's next move, watching closely, judging the speed of her movement.

Flame's Eevee reined her hindpaws back in, bouncing on them as they hit the sand. She harnessed the momentum to readjust her position, to again lean forward and balance with her forepaws. She kicked out again.

Selina's Eevee was ready this time. As her hindpaws stomped through the air, he whirled to the side at exactly the right moment. He opened his mouth—his fangs, glowing white, grew to a terrifying size—and then bit down hard on his opponent's nearest outstretched leg.

Eevee yelped in pain. Her body convulsed; suffering contorted her face. When Selina's Eevee released his grip, she crumpled onto the sand—the pain too much.

The referee was quick to raise an arm skyward. "The challenger's Eevee is down! Selina and her Eevee win!"

A round of applause followed her declaration.

"Great work, Eevee," Flame murmured, hoping Eevee wasn't too badly hurt. "You did well for your first proper battle." He held out Eevee's Luxury Ball and returned his Pokémon.

Selina did similar, then approached Flame. He met her halfway.

"Double Kick hardly fazed your Eevee," Flame commented. "How come he's so strong?"

Selina shrugged. "Eevee's been one of my Pokémon for years. And . . . I do have an Eviolite stashed in his fur."

Flame half-smiled. "Every little helps, I suppose."

"You know, I just realised, I didn't catch your name earlier?"

"Oh—it's Flame."

She held out her right hand, balled into a fist. "Well, mine's Selina, though you've probably already heard it."

He matched the gesture. "We'll have to battle again soon," he said, as they bumped fists.

"Why's that?"

"Litten will be in a mood until he beats your Rowlet."

Selina smiled. "Sounds like a challenge."

The shuffle of shoes against sand interrupted their exchange. They both looked up. An elderly couple were lumbering towards them. What are they after? Flame wondered.

"Excuse me, dear!" one of them, an old lady, said quickly.

"Sorry for interrupting!" the other, an old man, added his apologies. "But we bring a most urgent matter."

Desperation strained their voices. Both unsure what to make of the old couple, Selina and Flame waited for them to say more.

The old man nodded over and over, several times. "Miss– well, we have been watching you battle and we could do with a strong trainer like you, I think."

"And you might well be the strongest we've seen in quite some time!" the old lady went on.

"Yes! And, well, we aren't rich, but we will pay for your help!"

Before their ramblings could confuse herself and Flame further, Selina motioned for calm, her palms vertical. "Okay, okay," she responded. "I'm sorry, but can I ask what the actual problem is?"

The elderly couple exchanged a glance. Then the old lady answered: "It's the children of our village, some have disappeared."

Author's Notes:
It's been real fun to introduce Selina; we'll be seeing more of her in the next chapter. She and Flame both have Eevee. Quite a popular and recognisable Pokémon, it might seem like overkill, but I do have ideas in mind for the future.

Eviolite has the same effect as in the games, boosting the Def. and Sp. Def. stats.

As always, thanks for reading! And happy holidays!