A/N: Ch. 6 rewrite, engage! (Last rewrite, yay.)
Ch. 6 - The Bellsprout Festival
Without bothering to dress, Carrie bolted to the door and into the hallway, where she stopped short in the dark. Several other pajama-clad people seemed to have been awakened by the thunder as well and were poking their heads out of their rooms or otherwise coming out completely. The last lightning bolt had killed the power to the whole Pokémon Center and the hall was pitch dark, only lit up by the occasional flash from the outside, visible through the many skylights on the roof.
A more localized flash of light off to Carrie's left caused several people to scream, under the impression that lightning had stuck the building, but it proved to be nothing more than a pokéball opening. The resulting Pokémon was what Carrie recognized as a Staryu, a small yellow-orange starfish with a shining red gem at its core. The gem illuminated the corridor enough for Carrie to see the faces of the people up and down most of the hall. Then, looking behind her for the source of a tiny yawn, she noticed that Cyndaquil had been disturbed by the screams, so Carrie beckoned to him and had him light his fire as he waddled to her. Spinarak followed suit, apparently having been wide-awake the whole time, being nocturnal and all.
The two Pokémon led the way through the hall and down the stairs, into the center's main lobby. A few trainers made their way to the doors while others, including Carrie, wandered to a window in the lounge area. The rain outside was coming down harder than ever, and Carrie wondered what the point of going out into the rain would be. Chances were that no one here could put out that fire, if even this rain wasn't able to prevent it from starting.
"What's going on?" came a familiar voice from the stairs. Carrie turned to see Tori stepping down them carefully, her Staryu waiting for her, floating, at the bottom, bathing everything within a few feet in an eerie red glow.
"A fire," Carrie answered. "I think the Sprout Tower was struck by lightning." There was a slight murmuring of confirmation from some of the surrounding trainers.
"But… wouldn't the tower, like, ground the lightning?" Tori said. "It has that strange, teetering beam thing down the center of the whole thing, shouldn't that have, like, channeled it or something?"
Carrie shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't actually seen it. Why are they trying to get out?" she added, nodding her head towards the people gathered trying to pry open the automatic doors. "It's not like they can do anything." Despite that, Carrie had to resist the urge to join them. She didn't like sitting here, helpless.
"Maybe they just want to see?"
"'Could do that from right here. The north row of rooms has a clear shot of the Tower from the windows, that's how I saw it." Then, betraying her true feelings, she added, "Personally, I think we should all go back to bed. There's nothing we can do."
Tori looked afraid. "But, like, what if the fire spreads and burns us in our sleep?"
For this, Carrie had no answer, so she just shrugged. She didn't think it was likely but the image did terrify her nevertheless, though she would never have openly admitted it.
Unable to open the automatic doors, the trainers there abandoned the attempt and joined those in the lounge. A few returned to their rooms, but many of them were also afraid that the fire could spread. Sam had tumbled down the stairs a short while later and joined them, while Cyndaquil had curled up next to Staryu on a table in the center of the lounge with his fire alight. Carrie had lost track of Spinarak, but she felt confident he wouldn't get into any trouble. The chatter was oddly minimal, despite the fact that just about everyone who remained downstairs had been snapped awake by the storm.
"What do you think they'll do about the tournament?" Tori asked the crowd at large in attempt to make conversation.
"I reckon they'll have to cancel it," said one shirtless boy in the corner, his hand picking at his messy red-tinted hair. "Even if the fire goes out an' the tower stays standing, they ain't gonna let us hold battles up there no more."
"I expect they'll cancel the whole festival," added the boy next to him, who looked deeply depressed by the thought.
"Why would they do that?" Sam asked. "I mean, the tower might be off-limits now, but why should that affect the rest of the festival? Or the tournament, for that matter," he added, almost as an afterthought. "I mean, of course we won't be in the tower, but we can still battle out in a park or in the gym or something. It wouldn't change the format, would it?"
"They better not cancel that damn tournament," came Kit's voice. She was far across the room, filing her nails while sitting on the main counter that the nurse usually occupied, but her strong voice carried in the silence. Several eyes looked in her direction, but before anyone spoke, a buzzing sound emanated from her pocket. Looking even more irritated in the faint light, she slid off the counter and began to walk towards the back healing room as she drew out her pokégear.
"I'll be right back," Carrie whispered to Tori and Sam, and quietly followed Kit. She had slipped into a room in the back and closed the door behind her. No doubt opening it would alert her to Carrie's presence, so instead, she pressed her ear tightly to the door.
"Didn't I tell you yesterday or whenever that I wouldn't do anything?" Kit was saying in angry whispers, talking into her pokégear's phone. "How the hell did you know, anyway? It only happened, what, fifteen minutes ago? Got someone tailing me or something? … Andrew is an idiot. I already told you I wasn't going to act without the team. The tower itself wasn't even the target! … You wouldn't dare demote me, Boggard! It would be the last thing you'd ever do, and you know it. … No it damn well was not me!"
Carrie staggered back, startled as Kit apparently knocked something over inside the room. She backed into a tray and knocked several surgical tools into the floor. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, but the girl inside could not possibly have missed the sound. She whispered something quickly into her phone that Carrie couldn't hear.
"You ok?" came a call from the lobby as, sure enough, Kit opened the door, glaring at Carrie murderously.
"Yeah, everything's fine back here!" Kit called back calmly as Sam appeared from around the corner. "We're fine, see? Just knocked some stuff over. The light doesn't really reach over here. We'll be back soon." Sam shrugged and turned back to the lobby. As soon as he was out of sight, Kit grabbed Carrie by the arm and pulled her back into the room.
Kit lit a match, illuminating the darkness. Looking around, Carrie gathered that the room she was in was not a Pokémon healing room, but rather a storage room for various medical supplies. She didn't have long to take in the details, though, before Kit rounded on her.
"What the hell were you doing?" she demanded, holding the match up to Carrie's shirt. "Answer me truthfully or the match drops."
"You wouldn't, not with all those people right outside," Carrie replied.
"Accidents happen. Now answer me."
Carrie's heart started beating fast inside her. She raked her brain for a possible, logical excuse, but nothing came to her. All she could focus on was the fire hovering just above her.
"Well?" Kit spat. "You knew I got a call. Why were you listening in on me?"
Carrie hesitated, staring at the match for another few seconds. She doubted Kit would drop it intentionally, whether she cooperated or not. At this point, however, she decided the truth was safer than lying poorly and getting caught – never mind the fact that she still failed to think of any other excuses. "I overheard you talking the other day, when I threw out my trash upstairs," Carrie confessed. Kit's eyes widened in horror for a moment, but her expression returned to one of rage so quickly that Carrie wasn't sure she'd actually seen it change.
"What did you hear? What did you hear?"
"I don't… something about having a bigger job, I think, and then you said that you wouldn't do something alone, and that… that you would report after the tournament. What did you mean, 'it was not me'?"
"I'm the one asking the questions," Kit snapped. She began pacing, though the tiny, cramped room offered little space to do so. When she next spoke, it seemed to be more to herself than to Carrie. "Damn it… what to do… I can't just let her go, now, can I… though… she didn't hear anything significant…"
A call of "Carrie?" echoed from beyond the door. Kit looked up quickly, then grabbed Carrie by the shirt and pulled her to the door, blowing out her match and muttering to Carrie quietly but fiercely as she opened the door:
"You best forget anything you heard, and I'll overlook this, one time only."
Sam had just come into view again as the two girls emerged, and he had not seen Carrie being forced out. Kit looked completely calm, as though nothing but pleasant conversation had been happening this whole time.
"We were just looking for a circuit breaker or flashlights or something," she told Sam, anticipating his question. She clapped Carrie on the back before glancing at her maliciously and then proceeded to walk away, lighting another match as she retreated upstairs.
"So… I guess you didn't find any flashlights, then?" Sam asked. It took most of Carrie's willpower to refrain from slapping him.
"Tell me you're joking. You can't be that dense," she said harshly, her voice confident. "Let's go back to the lounge, Tori needs to hear this.
Sam just blinked as Carrie walked passed him, but followed her lead. Once back in her seat, Carrie explained how she had been pulled into the closet.
"She's up to something," Carrie was saying. "I overheard her talking the other day in the cafeteria, it didn't sound good. And just now, I think someone was blaming her for what happened to the Sprout Tower. She had said, 'I told you I wasn't going to act without the team' or something. But I slipped and knocked over those tools and obviously she heard me and threatened me with a lit match and warned me to keep quiet. But I've lived with constant threats all my life; she's nothing to worry about."
Several seconds of silence followed as the gathered trainers thought over what they'd heard. A few of them rolled their eyes and lay back in their chairs, doubting Carrie's tale. Then Sam spoke up:
"You don't think she's a part of Team Rocket, do you?"
Tori let out a shrill laugh. "Team Rocket's been disbanded, like, twice. I really don't think even they're stupid enough to try regrouping again. Everyone knows Giovanni, or whatever his name is, vanished. Some people say he, like, killed himself. And those four executives from a few years back? Yeah, no one's seem them, either."
"You mean those people who took over the radio tower in Goldenrod?" Carrie asked, vaguely remembering hearing about the incident.
"Yeah," said the shirtless boy. "I reckon them exec's are still 'round, and the boss man, too. Who says the Rockets wouldn't try another comeback? They ain't known for their smarts, after all, ay?" Several trainers snickered in amusement.
"And even if she isn't a Rocket," piped in the shirtless boy's friend, "who's to say there isn't some new crazy team runnin' 'round? Think of how many damn evil teams have been sighted so far. You got Magma and Aqua competin' for control of Hoenn, those loonies in Galactic runnin' Sinnoh, and them folk called Cipher way over in Orre, jus' to name a few. Wouldn't surprise me if a new one sprouted."
"Aren't they all kind of… local?" Carrie asked. "None of them have really strayed outside of the region they started in."
"The Rockets have," Sam whispered.
"Puh-lease," Tori whined. "The Rockets are finished-"
"But where's the proof?" Sam cut her off. "Just because no one's seen them doesn't mean they aren't acting in the shadows! That's how they came back the second time!"
"Stop it!" Tori cried loudly as she stood up, her hands in fists at her sides. Her entire body was visibly shaking. "Just stop it! They c-can't come back!" A quick sniffle suggested she was on the verge of crying as well. She had probably had problems with the Rockets in her past; Sam probably scared her with thoughts of their return.
"Good job," she said sarcastically to him.
"What? I just-ow!" Sam spat as Carrie smacked him in the back of the head.
"I think we should all just go to bed. I think the storm is letting up," came a tiny, almost scared-sounding voice. The speaker, a small, short girl with short red hair who Carrie recognized as Tori's tournament partner, Nichole, stood up and put her hand on Tori's shoulder and began to lead the taller girl to the stairs. Tori's Staryu, silent since being released, continued its noiseless endeavor as it gently lifted itself from the table and drifted after its trainer, leaving the sleeping Cyndaquil as the only light source for the remaining trainers.
"Anyone else going to their room?" Carrie asked once Staryu's light was no longer visible. Several people murmured no. Carrie wordlessly stood, picked up Cyndaquil, and marched back to her own room, desperate for sleep.
The fire had been put out by the time Carrie finally awoke the next morning. Looking out her window, Carrie saw the remains of the Sprout Tower, barely visible now over the trees in the horizon. It appeared that the fire at least had not been able to spread very far. Down below, the streets were filled with people and colored stands as the festival continued. She sighed. She glanced at the small alarm clock on the night table, which was blank; the power had not been restored yet. Returning Cyndaquil and Spinarak back to their pokéballs (Spinarak having returned some time after Carrie fell asleep), Carrie gathered her usual outfit, caring little that she could not wash them, and headed to the showers.
After her cleaning, she headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. There was only one girl in the room, and very few food options, most likely due to the stands outside carrying various foods. She took to her table two leftover burgers and a water bottle, releasing her Pokémon upon arrival, and passed them one of the burgers while she began on her own. Spinarak refused to touch it, however, and she promised to get him something more favorable once outside.
After finishing and tossing her trash, the other girl walked up to her. She wore a simple white t-shirt and a pair of extremely short shorts. Her shockingly bright pink hair fell down in waves over her back.
"Late start?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"I'm surprised to see anyone else in here. It's after noon already, all the good food is being served on the streets."
"Oh," Carrie replied, picking up her backpack and water bottle. "I didn't sleep well last night, that's all."
"Ah. Neither did I. Disturbed by the storm?"
"Yeah," Carrie shrugged, now recalling her Pokémon. "Do you know what they're doing with the tournament?"
"No," the girl answered. "I heard people saying they posted a notice downstairs, though. Are you going to the festival?"
"Might as well," Carrie said, starting to walk away, figuring she'd gathered all the useful information she was going to get. The pink-haired girl followed.
"Me too. I only came inside for food because it's so hot out today. I needed to get some cool air. Turns out the power is still out so it's not much better in here. I'm Lexie, by the way."
"Carrie." As they descended the stairs, the nurse at the counter smiled at them before returning to her paperwork. The two girls walked towards the doors, which someone had managed to force open, though they were now unable to close. The heat washed over them from outside as they approached the note tacked to the board by the door.
"Cool, they're still accepting battlers," Carrie exclaimed as she read it. "Still have two hours though, if it's only noon. Where's this trainer's school?"
"No idea," Lexie replied. She turned to the nurse and called to her. "Excuse me! Where's the trainer's school?"
"Just a few blocks north of here," the nurse called back, still smiling. By the time Lexie turned back around, Carrie had already stepped out the door. Lexie frowned and followed her.
Finding the school didn't take long. Carrie, having never been to a school before, was amazed as she counted the thirty-five single-person desks lined neatly in rows, each with a folding chair facing the north wall of the room, where a larger desk stood. Only a handful of people were inside, including the officials from the tower, now sitting in front of the desk at the head of the room. Carrie and Lexie walked over to them.
"Uh, I'm here for the tournament," Carrie said.
"Name and partner?" asked one man.
"I'm Carrie. Her name is Kit," she responded, pointing at the Bellsprout pin still stuck to her shirt. The second man picked up a clipboard and scanned the list of names scribbled on it.
"Yeah, she was here. You're the same girl who came in as we were closing, aren't you?" She replied with a nod. The man scratched her name into the list. "Right. Be here in… an hour and twenty minutes."
Carrie and Lexie parted ways shortly after, once Lexie spotted her boyfriend about to partake in some sort of eating contest against a Lickitung. Carrie let out both of her own Pokémon as she headed down the city's main road. Cyndaquil seemed to enjoy the warm weather, but Spinarak was less grateful for the humidity and the light. Carrie got him some cotton candy from a stand; after eating, he opted to return to his pokéball.
Along with the many souvenir stalls that lined nearly every street, several competitions were being held in most of the shaded park areas, both for people and Pokémon. Carrie watched a few rounds of a race, and allowed Cyndaquil to play a game of tag with some other Pokémon. She stumbled upon the starting booth for a citywide game of hide and seek, however the previous game was still in progress so she chose not to sign up in case it overlapped with the tournament. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she noted that there was a lack of anything Bellsprout-related, which struck her as odd considering the festival is in the Pokémon's honor. She eventually found herself sitting on a park bench under a shady tree, holding her nearly empty water bottle tightly.
Her eyes closed as she laid her head back and relished the shade while Cyndaquil was busy mingling with some other Pokémon nearby. A sudden shout from overhead forced her eyes open in time to see a purple and green mass crash down on the bench next to her. The mass turned out to be two separate Pokémon, one a purple and beige money and the other a small, green caterpillar; a Caterpie, common in the forest near Carrie's home.
As both Pokémon righted themselves, Carrie pulled her pink pokédex from her belt and aimed it at the purple monkey, which was identified as a male Aipom. The golden Mew engraved into the pokédex's outer casing reflected light into the Aipom's eyes, catching his attention. The distraction allowed the Caterpie to tackle the tiny monkey, throwing him off the edge of the bench. The Aipom quickly climbed back up and attempted to swat the Caterpie with his tail, which was shaped like a hand and curled into a fist, but the green caterpillar shot a thin string from its tiny mouth, nailing the monkey in the face and again causing him to tumble off the bench. He angrily climbed back up, but instead of returning to the fight, he continued up the tree from where he had fallen. The Caterpie then turned to Carrie, glared at her for a moment, then began to glow white.
The tiny caterpillar more than doubled in size and changed shape. After a few seconds, the light faded, leaving a green cocoon on the bench. Intrigued by the evolution, Carrie pointed her pokédex at the Metapod, which identified it as female. The two simply stared at each other for a few minutes, before the Metapod eventually toppled over, eyes closed. Carrie reached to put away her pokédex, and on a whim, instead pulled a pokéball from her backpack and rolled it at the cocoon. She was sucked inside in the usual flash of red light. The pokéball didn't even shake afterwards, simply closing, falling, and coming to rest with a ping. Carrie felt a strange mix of excitement and disappointment as she picked up her new catch and scanned the ball with her pokédex to record the capture.
She and Cyndaquil made a short stop to the Pokémon Center to get Metapod checked out (Carrie picked up a fresh water bottle on the way out) then headed over to the trainer's school to await the start of the tournament. Several people were now there waiting, though it hardly looked like the number of people listed on the original pairings. Carrie spotted Kit leaning against a wall near the officials, impatiently filing her nails again. Tori and Nichole sat on the opposite side of the room, chatting quite fast. Carrie joined them briefly, until the two festival organizers stood up and called for the trainers' attention.
"As you know, the Sprout Tower was unavailable for this tournament, due to the fire that had been ignited there late last night. For those who don't know, the tower elder was killed in that fire." A few people gasped at the news, while the official continued speaking. "We decided to keep the tournament in place for anyone wishing to participate, the idea being that it was one of the festival's main attractions. By the looks of this crowd, though, most of the participants have dropped out, or were just unaware that it had been moved. Whatever the case, as you know, the start was delayed. Now it is time to begin, and fortunately, there are exactly eight trainers still here to compete.
"The tournament will follow the same rules set when you signed up; battles will be in teams, until the final battle. Since the elder is, regrettably, unable to grace the winning team with a battle, the final round will consist of the members of the winning team battling each other. Now, those of you whose teammate dropped out and require a new one, come up here for your pairings, and then we shall proceed to the school's battlefield out back to begin."
Kit had already retreated to the wall where the exit to the battlefield was, and Carrie, Tori and Nichole stood up to head outside while the remaining four trainers all walked up to the desk, pairing up being apparently too difficult to do between them.
A fence ringed a small section of dirt outside, encompassing the battlefield and the stands. The battlefield itself was a standard arena, with a small section of stands off to the right where classes would sit to observe lecture battles or some other educational display. Today, the stands were open to the public, and several people were there to watch the tournament, while others simply stood on the outside of the fence, watching over it. A small section of the stands had been roped off, and that is where the eight trainers were ushered to while awaiting their battles. Carrie only had a second to wonder where Sam was before a third official that she didn't recognize stood in the center of the arena with a microphone, clearing his throat into it.
"Welcome, one and all, to the second annual, er… Sprout Tower Tournament! The rules are simple. Trainers will work in pairs to defeat their opponents. Each trainer will use one Pokémon each, and are not restricted to the same Pokémon for each new battle, however healing in between fights is strictly prohibited. In the final battle, the winning team will face off against each other for the prize! What is this prize, you ask? Well… er… you'll just have to wait and see! Now, let's get things under way! Our first battle will be as follows: team number two, Kit and Carrie! Aaaaand their opponents will be… team number three! Aaron and Vinny! Trainers, please make your way to the arena."
Carrie nervously stood up and followed Kit down to one side of the field while the small crowd clapped and cheered. The two boys, Aaron and Vinny, appeared to be twins. Both had short red hair, and even wore the same matching yellow shirts; Carrie couldn't imagine why they hadn't been partners to begin with. They looked as though they were just beginning their journey as well, a thought only complimented by their Pokémon choices; one boy released a Sentret, the other, a Rattata. Carrie wondered why they didn't wait till she and Kit picked their Pokémon to release their choices; perhaps they were confident, or perhaps they were just naïve. Kit's choice was a Venonat, a tiny purple bug with large red eyes. Deciding that the battle would probably be an easy one, Carrie tossed her new Metapod's pokéball to the field.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Kit cried in frustration as Metapod appeared. Several people in the audience mirrored her confusion; the cheering died down to whispers and people turned to whisper to the person next to them or tilted their heads with a frown.
The referee, who also turned out to be the announcer, waved a green flag. Almost immediately, Aaron and Vinny called out their attacks in unison: "Quick Attack!"
"Metapod, Harden!" Carrie called, sure that both attacks were coming her way.
"Venonat, Psybeam!" Kit ordered as Sentret and Rattata sped for her Pokémon.
The two normal-types rammed hard into Venonat, causing the bug to stumble backwards under the pressure of the double attack. Once she regained her footing, Venonat responded with a multicolored beam from her eyes. The attack struck both Pokémon due to their closeness, and both let out a howl of pain.
"Tackle," Kit said in a bored tone.
"Metapod, you tackle the other one!" Carrie added.
The twins looked at each other for a moment, then ordered another double Quick Attack, this time against Metapod. Venonat lunged, just missing Sentret as he and Rattata sped towards Metapod. The cocoon let out a strange hiss before lunging at her attackers. She collided with the Rattata, but the Sentret's attack threw her back again. While his partner was recovering, Sentret leapt for Metapod a second time, lashing out with his tiny paws and scratching Metapod's shell repeatedly. Rattata attempted to join in, fangs bared, but Kit's Venonat froze it in place with the blue glow of a Confusion attack.
"Metapod, Harden!" Carrie cried desperately, though her Pokémon was already carrying out the defensive move out of instinct.
Kit's Venonat hurled the Rattata across the field where it lay unconscious. The referee waved a red flag, and one of the boys held up a pokéball to recall the purple rat. Without an order, Venonat cloaked Sentret in the same blue glow, tossing him away from Metapod. She then charged at the small Pokémon, still holding him in place, and delivered a full-body tackle. The Sentret sprawled out on the ground, motionless.
"That's it, the winners are Venonat and Metapod!" the referee announced while waving his red flag over Sentret. The audience clapped hesitantly, apparently still confused. "Team number two proceeds to the next round! Now, who will their opponents be? Team number one, Ashley and Sid? Or team number four, Victoria and Nichole?"
"What the hell were you thinking?" Kit whispered furiously as she and Carrie made their way back to their seats in the stands. "Using a Metapod in a trainer battle? Honestly, do you have any brains? You're just lucky that our opponents were rookies and made almost as bad a mistake-"
"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" Carrie shot back. "They looked weak, I wanted Metapod to get some experience."
"So then you train it against a wild Pokémon or something, you don't throw it in a trainer battle! A tournament battle, especially! You could have cost me that match!"
"I didn't, did I?" She sped up to get away from Kit and walked ahead of her. She whispered "good luck" to Tori and Nichole as they passed. As soon as she sat down, Kit caught up and continued arguing.
"Don't you use that Metapod again. If I lose this tournament because of you, may Arceus have mercy on you, because I won't."
"Fine, I won't, now shut up so I can watch this fight."
Kit looked about to respond, but decided against it and turned her attention to the battle. Tori had sent out a small, green, reptilian-like Pokémon that Carrie didn't recognize, and Nichole had out a Beedrill. Their opponents, Ashley and Sid, had sent out a Bellsprout and a Geodude, respectively. Carrie pointed her pokédex at Tori's battler, identifying it as a female Treecko.
The battle didn't last very long. Treecko attempted to slam Bellsprout with her tail, but the thin Pokémon bended and slipped away from each swipe. Meanwhile, Beedrill attempted to jab Geodude, who kept it at bay by flinging rock pieces from its own body. While distracted, Treecko managed to catch Geodude off guard with an Absorb attack, completely draining the rock-type's energy and carrying it back to the attacker in a green aura. With Geodude out of the way, the Treecko and Beedrill turned on Bellsprout. Though evasive, Bellsprout proved unable to dodge two attackers at once, and once a blow hit, the tiny grass-type lost its concentration and was brought down by several consecutive hits.
"And now, the next round! Kit and Carrie face off against Victoria and Nichole! Whenever you're ready, trainers!"
This time, no one released any Pokémon until all four girls had one ready; then they threw the pokéballs at the same time. Tori, suspecting Carrie would use her fire-type, released her Staryu; Nichole's choice was a small, red Hoppip; Kit's Pokémon was a large Fearow (seeing it sparked Carrie's brain to wonder why there were no level requirements in the tournament); Carrie's own choice was Spinarak.
The referee waved a green flag, and Kit's Fearow immediately dove for Nichole's Hoppip without a command. The Hoppip shrieked, ignoring Nichole's tackle command to cover her eyes with the leaves on her head instead. Tori ordered Staryu to step in and slow Fearow with a Water Gun attack. Her Pokémon obeyed, but the stream of water was much too weak for Kit's higher leveled bird to be hindered too badly. The Fearow's large beak jabbed at the cowering Hoppip, catching one of her leaves and carrying her into the air.
"Spinarak, use String Shot!" Carrie ordered. Spinarak looked back at her for a moment, then shot a thin string at Fearow, which tangled in the bird's wings, slowing his flight.
"What the hell are you doing? Seriously!" Kit shouted at Carrie. She then turned to her Fearow and ordered, "Do a Faint Attack!"
Fearow suddenly took on a black aura for a fraction of a second before disappearing completely, both the string and Hoppip falling to the earth. Before either one landed, though, Fearow reappeared in another black aura and rammed hard into the Hoppip.
"Star, try another Water Gun!" Tori shouted. Again, Staryu launched another stream of water at Fearow, but this time the bird dodged it completely, flew in a circle, and dove at Staryu, striking it with a wing before pulling up again.
"Peck the Staryu, now!" Kit ordered.
"Star, wait until it hits you, then Recover!"
"Spinarak, don't let Staryu heal itself!" Carrie cried, whipping out her pokédex. As Fearow dived, she said, "Can you do a Constrict attack?"
Spinarak responded by charging at Staryu. Fearow struck Staryu's core with his beak before flying up again. While it staggered, Spinarak clung to the star, gripping it with all of his legs, and carefully wrapping a string around it.
"Try to tackle the Fearow again," Nichole ordered. Her tiny Hoppip regained her balance and flung herself towards Fearow. The bird simply beat Hoppip with a wing, flinging it back to crash into Spinarak and Staryu.
"Finish them," was Kit's only order. Fearow dove down a third time, both wings spread wide, and slashed at all three other Pokémon. They all were thrown hard into the ground. Fearow returned to the air, but none of the other three made any move. The referee waved his red flag over the three of them and declared them all knocked out.
Carrie ran across the field to Spinarak, while Tori and Nichole did the same for their Pokémon. All three were returned to their pokéballs safely after checking to make sure there were no severe injuries.
"It takes all the fun out of it when she uses those, like, really high leveled Pokémon, doesn't it?" Tori commented angrily, patting Carrie on the shoulder.
"Good luck," Nichole added. "You'll need it."
As the losing pair returned to their seats and Carrie took their spot on the field, the announcer-slash-referee picked up his microphone again. "It's time for the final battle, everyone! The trainers of team number two, Kit versus Carrie! Who will win the prize? We're about to find out! Trainers, on your marks!"
Carrie stared intensely at Kit as she removed Cyndaquil's pokéball from her belt; Kit already had her choice in her hand. The referee waved his flags and both pokéballs flew onto the field. Cyndaquil appeared on Carrie's side, ready to go. Kit's pokéball revealed a massive purple pile of goo. Carrie reached down to her belt for her pokédex again as the ref waved his flags.
"Muk, Sludge Bomb," Kit called, sounding bored.
"Cyndaquil, hide in a Smokescreen!" Carrie shouted.
Cyndaquil, slightly faster than the semisolid Muk, began leaking thick smoke from his back. Meanwhile, Muk lobbed a ball of ooze from his body right into the cloud of smoke. The ball exploded loudly, flinging smaller chunks of the poisonous goo all around the field. Cyndaquil was thrown out of his smoke cloud as well and landed harshly on the dirt.
"Shadow Sneak," Kit ordered. Muk's shadow responded, slithering away from its master, across the arena, and lunging up, quite solid, into Cyndaquil. He flew into the air a few meters before crashing to earth again, unmoving.