Feeling Blue: IV
Cold winds whipped Blue across the face as he stepped out into a scene of shimmering daylight. For days, he had been wandering around the maze-like caverns that wound their way through the infamous Mt. Silver. At first, he wasn't sure if he would ever find where it was that Red was hiding. But after discovering a chamber in the caverns that had been worn down into a flat arena, Blue knew they were on the right trail. Higher and higher he had climbed, and now he found himself at the foot of the mountaintops sheer walls. Quickly his eyes scanned the area, looking for any signs of his Rival.
"He would go and hide at the top of a mountain. Typical drama queen," sneered Blue while retrieving a pokeball from his pocket. "Rhydon help me out here!" There was a flash, then a large dinosaur looking creature with grey plated armor appeared. Its red eyes told Blue that it was irritated at the cold of the mountain. "Oh calm down, trust me I don't like it any more than you do," said Blue while climbing onto the Pokémon's back, "but we need to get even higher than this. See that ledge up there? Use rock climb and take us up!" Rhydon let out a loud cry as the claws on its hands and feet elongated, pulsing with a vivid yellow light. Blue held on tight as his Pokémon shot forward with incredible force. Within seconds they had scaled the large wall, having reached a small wooded area.
The peak of the mountain still loomed up above, and Blue could see a slight trail winding through the snow. He followed this path as it curved about the mountains edge. A few times he had to delve back into the small caves that dotted the mountainside, and before long he found himself looking north towards the peak. The edge of the tree line was just above him, and a series of rocky protrusions jutting from the walls of Silver all seemed to lead up. With Rhydons help Blue scaled these walls, passing by the tree-line in the process. At this elevation, he could almost reach out and touch the clouds that engulfed the tip of the mountains peak. The only way forward was another cavern, which caused Blue's skin to instinctively shiver. Something about this one was different than the others.
He's close.
Blue's stomach filled with Butterfree's as he strode into the cave, where he was greeted by a rather bizarre sight. The chamber was cramped, with only a small pathway existing between the walls which were the source of the oddity. Each one had hundreds if not thousands of tiny letters engraved upon them, which Blue quickly recognized as the shapes of the Unown. While a clear majority of these carvings seemed to be sporadically placed along the walls, one set stood apart from the rest. Along the western wall was an enormous circle, composed of three layers of this script with each successive layer encompassing the last. At its center clung a small rectangular stone, whose innards had been smoothed down creating a small hollow. Blue felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he stared into the center of the circle, and for moment he could have sworn that he heard someone whispering. As if they were just on the other side of the wall.
"Blue, now is not that time for that." rang the voice of his Grandfather in his head. Blue chuckled a little. It had been some time since he had imagined hearing the old coots favorite saying. As he neared the back of the cave he found another steep wall, whose surface had quite purposefully been jammed full of rocks of all shapes and sizes to create a makeshift ladder. Together with Rhydon, Blue ascended from the cave, and found himself standing at what seemed the very top of the world. Freezing snow fell from the sky as a bitter wind howled below. From here he could see all of Kanto and Johto, and despite each breath taking a painful bite from his lungs, it was still a beautiful place to behold. Stretching out before him was a lone path covered in snow that led towards a sole plateau. And standing there, gazing down at the world far below, was Red.
Blue for moment found himself at a loss for words. Inside, he felt the oddest concoction of emotions. Jealousy, rage, envy, but also to his surprise a warming sense of joy.
"Never thought of you as the guy with a view!" He called out, hoping that his voice sounded far more controlled than his heart. Red turned to his old friend, his face hidden beneath the bill of his hat.
"…"
Blue wasn't sure why, but he couldn't help but give a cocky smile as he strode towards the plateau.
"So, you're still playing the silent type eh? Well I guess with a view like this It's kind of fitting. A bit melodramatic for my taste, but still just look at that! Pallet Town is so small from up here!" Red returned to his silent vigil as Blue came to stand next to him. Apparently jokes were not the right way to go.
"Look I uhhm. I didn't come all the way up here to make fun of you. You know that, right?" Red remained as unreadable as ever, and Blue began to feel his patience thin. "Look it took me a really long time to find you, could you maybe just say something? Like, 'Hey! Nice to see you too!' Or maybe 'go away, I don't want to see you'. Anything at all because I don't quite know what it is your thinking, and I'm actually trying to be sincere for once in my life."
"…."
"Believe it or not I'm not here to battle, or anything like that so don't even bother trying. I came to bring you back home. Your mother is worried about you. Gramps is worried, Lance is worried, the whole region is in a fit about it alright! So why don't you stop this whole mystic hermit charade and just come back with me?" Red simply shook his head, and without turning pointed his hand back towards the cavern. Blue understood, he wanted him to leave. "Red I am not leaving here without you. Your mom told me herself. I have to bring you home! I made her a promise." Red reached into his pocket, and retrieved a Pokeball. Blue saw the flash of his tan eyes from beneath his hat, and understood. The only way his rival would ever leave this mountain, was in defeat.
"Fine then… stay up here and freeze if that's how you really feel." Blue turned and began to head back towards the cavern. He couldn't believe it. Red had always been withdrawn, but never like this before. His grandfather had been right, something had changed inside and now he was something else. Something Blue did not like. He had always maintained a begrudging respect for his competitor but this. This just filled him with disappointment. This was not the Red he faced two years ago.
"He is not the same trainer he once was…" This thought ricocheted around the inside of Blues head, and as he closed his eyes all he could see was Red's mother, and her pleading eyes. He stopped just before the caves entrance. Things were different now, and he knew what he had to do.
"Oh alright, if that's how it has to be then FINE!" He shouted whilst whipping around to face his rival. Red also turned, one hand gripping the bill of his hat, the other already holding a Pokeball.
There were two bright flashes, and a gust of air as Blue's Pidgeot took flight, circling the top of the mountain. Before Red stood a small yellow mouse, its fur bristling with powerful waves of energy.
"Typical, you would start with Pikachu!" taunted Blue. He knew because of the altitude that Pidgeot would not be able to fly much higher, and the bitter cold would zap the stamina of both trainers Pokémon in battle. With only a nod to guide it, Red's Pikachu engulfed its body in a fierce aura of vibrant blue electricity. "Here it comes!" shouted Blue, who had secretly gripped a second pokeball behind his back. Pikachu charged towards Pidgeot while its trainer smiled. "Your even more predictable than I thought you'd be!" In one smooth motion, Blue recalled Pidgeot while sending a second to take its place. "Rhydon use Drill Run!" Thanks to the Drill Pokemons ability lightning rod, Red was helpless to stop his Pikachu from careening directly into Rhydons' spinning horn which struck a vicious blow. Blue half expected to see the poor critter faint, but much to his surprise found that his opponent had held on.
"Just how strong are these guys?" he thought, marveling at the Pikachus level. In a split second the mouse was on the move again, its tail surging with a silver gleam. With one solid smack across the face, its iron tail toppled Rhydon to the ground.
"Get up! Use earthquake and finish it off!" Rhydon quickly rose to its feet, an aura of sheer strength engulfing its body as it smashed its fists into the ground. The entire mountaintop shook, snow hurtling off the slopes as a great shock wave sped towards Pikachu. Yet the attack failed to connect as Red made his own switch, Pikachu vanishing only to be replaced by an enormous green dinosaur. Venasaur endured the attack, before retaliating with enormous tendrils of green energy that wrapped themselves around Rhydons' body. With its remaining energy stolen, Rhydon collapsed upon the ground.
"Ok come back. Now Alakazam!" A large humanoid and yellow Pokemon appeared, brandishing its two spoons menacingly as it faced down its foe. Blue himself studied Red, wondering if his Rival would go for another trade off. "Psychic Alakazam and make it a good one!" A vaporous, purple energy enveloped Alakazam before it thrust both hands forward, sending a bolt of the force towards Venasuar. In turn the seed Pokemon reared up on its hind legs as large roots sprouted out from the flower on its back. These then burrowed into the earth before re-emerging as massive thorny vines that swung toward Alakazam. They Frenzy Plant came to a sudden halt however, when Alakazams energy attack consumed Venasuar in its aura, granting the psi Pokemon control. With on swift movement it raised Venasuar high into the air before slamming it back down again hard. The super effective hit was too much, and his opponents Pokemon fainted.
Red's eyes furrowed at this, and his next Pokemon was nothing less than a sight for sore eyes. A great draconic like beast, with orange and creamy scales took to the sky. It was his starter, it was Charizard.
"Long time no-see you old brute!" Called out Blue. Much like its trainer, Charizards face was furrowed and serious. Blue could feel his already excited heart beat faster. Red gave a quick snap of his fingers, and the flame Pokemon released a mighty star emblazoned inferno heading straight for Alakazam. A tremendous explosion smoked the space between the two trainers, and Blue smiled as he saw his second swap had indeed worked. An enormous and majestic canine Pokemon with a vibrant orange pelt marked with jagged black stripes had taken Alakazams place. His body glowed red, signifying that his flash fire ability had absorbed the power of Charizards fire blast. "Now Arcanine extreme, speed!" Gone in an instant Blues Pokemon next appeared as it rammed its body into Charizard, sending both straight to the ground. Arcanine landed on its feet, whilst crushing Charizards beneath its body.
"Nicely done!" Smiled Blue, though his smile was quick to turn into a frown when a mighty blue and purple light burst out from beneath his Pokemon. Charizards dragon pulse sent Arcanine careening high into the air, and Blue could see that Red would not waste this opportunity to make a second attack. "Use flare blitz!" Shouted Blue as Charizard soared up to meet his foe mid-air. Arcanines body ignited in a spectacle of blue fire as it launched itself like a comet at Charizard, whose claws had elongated into vicious swords. The two attacks collided, and once again an explosion rocked the field. When the smoke cleared however, Blue saw his Pokemon fainted upon the ground, Charizard roaring with pride at its victory.
"Arcanine, come back to me! Alright then, if that's how you want to play it!" Shouted Blue as he called out his own starter Pokémon, "now go Blastoise!" A flash revealed an enormous bipedal turtle Pokémon with powerful canons emerging from its shell. Blue knew that Red would want to trade out, and yet that risked his next Pokémon facing the fury of Blastoise's first attack. Regardless of his rivals' decision, Blue knew his next choice. "Now blast that old lizard with hydro pump!"
It seemed Red was confident in sticking with his current Pokémon as he did not attempt to switch out. Instead, he issued yet another nonverbal command. Charizard took flight, releasing a second Fire Blast which engulfed Blastoise in its flames. Yet the shellfish Pokemon endured, and in return jettisoned two pressurized streams of water that collided with Charizards body, knocking it from the sky and out of the fight. Before Blue even had a chance to cheer at this victory however, Charizards body was gone, and Pikachu had returned. Red gave a curt nod as the mouse Pokémon charged forward, its body flashing with violent blue sparks. With one fierce attack, Pikachu smashed into Blastoises' face, rocking the water Pokemon with energy. As the two separated, it was clear to see that volt tackles recoil was too great, and Pikachu went down along with Blastoise.
"Would you look at that… It's a double knock out!" smiled Blue as he recalled his Pokémon. "You really are something else, you know that Red?" Blue knew that they were far from finished. Each trainer had lost three Pokémon, and with three more to go anything could happen. Yet, none of that seemed to matter to Blue. Instead, he felt himself growing lighter by the minute. As if the weight of the world was sliding from his shoulders with every K.O. He hadn't felt this good during a battle in a long time. "Alright then here we come! Pidgeot back to you!" Blues great bird appeared once more, opposite of a purple shelled sea creature sporting a large horn on its head.
"Lapras. Dang he's got the advantage." Thought Blue. He knew that at this stage of the battle, he could no longer switch out his Pokémon, not without causing devastating damage to his team still waiting in the wings. From here on out, it should be one on one.
"Hurricane!" Cried Blue. Pideot went to work immediately flying with astounding grace and speed as it began to circle Lapras over and over. The sea Pokemon responded with its brine attack, attempting to pelt Pideot with concentrated droplets of water. Yet the air current from Pideots assault protected it, and as the attack reached full cycle Lapras was spun into the air before dropping back to the ground. "Nicely done now use heat wave!"
"…..!"
Pidgeots wings were engulfed in a blazing aura, while at the same time Lapras gave a mighty cry as a tremendous icy gust blasted forward. With a beat of its wings the great bird Pokemon sent a blistering wave of heat to meet the assault, and as the two attacks collided the fierce temperature difference created an burst of air that smacked both Pokemon. However, Lapras in its well-grounded state shook this off, as Red ordered its next attack. A misty aura emanated from its eyes as it released a pulse of psychic energy around it in a large ring. Pidgeot was helpless to avoid it, and as it was struck Lapras swung its head around, causing Pidgeot to smash into the snowy ground. Red gave a confident smile before his Pokemon unleashed yet another Blizzard attack, knocking Pidgeot out of the fight.
"Cross Chop!" Shouted Blue before his next Pokeball even had a chance to open. In a dazzle of light his Machamp emerged, charging toward his foe with its four grey arms. Blue saw the panic in Reds eyes as he went to make a switch, but he had been to slow. Machamp was already upon the sea Pokemon, using an uppercut with its first set of arms before chopping back down with the second pair in a vicious attack that crushed Lapras into the ground. "Getting a little bit sloppy with our technique I see. I don't know Red, maybe all this time on the mountain has given you cold fingers!" Blue could see Reds eyes furrow beneath his hat. His next Pokemon appeared, a small but vibrant feline Pokemon with lilac fur and gleaming eyes. At the center of its forehead was a pulsing red orb.
"Espeon." Blue knew it would be a risk but had no choice as Espeons body became cloaked in vapory blue energy. "Get back Machamp!" The brawling Pokemon barely escaped as it was switched out with Blues last Pokemon, "Brace for it Alakazam!" The yellow psi Pokemon returned and was greeted immediately by the powerful psychic attack which blasted him back towards the edge of the cliff.
"Strike back with shadow ball!" Alakazam crossed its two spoons as an orb of shadowy energy collected above them, before blasting forward at the psi Pokemons command. In response Red swiped his hand through the air, Epseon projecting a translucent blue barrier in front of it. With its light screen defending it Espeon casually shrugged off the attack.
"Ohhhhh that's not good." Thought Blue as their oppenet made their next move. The orb on Espeons head grew brighter as it released a sinister ray of blue and green energy straight at Alakazam.
"Teleport!" shouted Blue with panic in his mind. That was a signal beam, one hit from it and he knew Alakazam would be finished, "then follow up with another shadow ball!" Alakazam vanished into nothing as the beam scoured the ground, kicking up a huge burst of snow. In another instant Alakazam had returned directly behind its foe unleashing yet another blob of dark energy. Yet the Light screen swiveled around, intercepting and lessening the power of the attack. "Teleport again!"
This time though Red was prepared. At his command, Espeon lashed its tail, spawning dozens of star shaped rays that began flying around the arena. Before he had even returned, the swift attack homed in on Alakazam, and as he reappeared he was bombarded by the attack. "Shadow ball one more time!" cried Blue. He knew that they couldn't win this fight, but if they could just cause enough damage…
At its trainers bidding Espeon charged straight toward the attack, its orb flashing bright again. Shadow ball collided with its barrier, after which it fired another signal beam. "Tele-" but it was no good. Espeons close range meant its attack came that much faster, and Alakazam cried out in pain as it was blasted backwards by the super effective move.
"Only one left," thought Blue as he recalled his Pokemon. "Now Machamp, lets wrap this up!" Machamp returned to the field, a fierce gleam in his eyes. Blue knew he couldn't let Espeon fire off its psychic.
"Good thing that little barrier of yours only works on special attacks! Now bullet punch!" Machamp's fists turned a metallic silver as it charged forward with blistering speed. In one swift motion, it struck, catching Espeon below the belly and knocking it high into the air. Before it could even hit the ground, Red recalled his Pokemon confirming the K.O. to which Blue smiled. "And then there were only two."
One final flash, and a colossus of a Pokemon stood before them, its mouth open in a wide yawn. "Alright Machamp, you've got the advantage now let's bring that Snorlax down! Cross chop!" Machamp used its strong legs to jump up towards Snorlaxs' face, unleashing a ferocious attack using all four of its arms at once. Blue was so confident in the attack, that all he could feel was a sense of horror when the gargantuan Pokemon swiped its hands through the air, unleashing a powerful gale of freezing wind. The blizzard attack blew Machamp backwards a few paces, while the now furious Snorlax came charging with alarming speed. "Machamp Bullet Punch!" The fighting Pokemon shook of the previous attack, charging once again at its foe with gleaming fists. Meanwhile Snorlax spread its arms wide, its belly seemingly growing even larger than Blue thought possible. The two attacks met, and Blue cringed as he watched Machamp be crushed by Snorlax's body slam.
For a moment the two trainers stood silent, then Snorlax's body began to move. At first Blue thought it was the Pokemon's own doing, but he quickly realized this was wrong when he saw his Machamp ferociously using its immense strength to lift the titan off himself.
"Machamp! Give it one last shot and use dynamic punch!" The brawlers body shuddered as it locked three arms into place, while the fourth reared back, fueled by a golden aura.
"… ROLL BACK!" Blue was so taken aback at the sound of Red's voice that he lost track for a moment what was happening. Snorlax curled its body into a ball and rolled backwards off Machamp, whose attack swung only at open air. "Now Giga Impact!"
"Cross Chop!" Shouted Blue. The two pokemon charged, Machamp with its arms poised to strike, and Snorlax whose body was cloaked in a veil of swirling purple and yellow energy. Machamp unleashed its attack, striking a critical blow to Snorlax's tucked head before being crushed by the stampeding Pokemon. In turn Snorlax let out a painful cry, before toppling to the ground.
Blue could hardly believe it. Both Pokemon lay fainted upon the ground. They had tied.