Black was greeted with the sight of the Viridian City Gym Leader leaning on his grandfather's front door upon climbing the last of the atrocious stairs to the laboratory. He'd arrived, just like they had requested. Blue Oak regarded them with one eye as they approached him. Upon seeing Scott, he marched on over to them, apparently not amused in the slightest bit at having been called by his grandfather before breakfast had even begun. "What's the meaning of all this?" he demanded. "Do you two have any idea how difficult it was to arrange for an abrupt leave literally an hour before the work day? It'd better be good..." Scott and Black put on fake smiles as they "painfully" endured the barrage of bombastic bashing as Blue blew some steam. When the young Oak was finally done, he took a deep breath to calm himself. "So then, why did you two call me here?"
Scott stepped forward. "Hiya, Blue. How's it going? We asked you here to request a battle."
"You called me all the way over here so you could battle me?!" he yelled furiously.
"Well, you see, your gramps's lab was our next destination so..." Scott sheepishly clammed under the intense glare Blue gave him.
"Fine," he said at last. "But with who?"
Scott turned to Black, who stepped forward. "Me. We've finally located Red again."
Blue's face brightened visibly with sunbeams at the pronouncement. "Where is he? The last time I checked, he wasn't at his usual spot."
"He's changed his location to one of the larger peaks, probably in an effort to prevent the other spot from being destroyed due to constant human disturbance."
Blue nodded at the thought. "It would be totally like him to care more about Pokemon than people. Anyway, before we start our battle, would you two mind my asking why exactly it is you're battling me when Red's the one you want?"
"Because you're the one who knows Red's battling style the best," Black said without hesitation. "If anyone's devised a good strategy to counter him, it's you. By battling you, and retracing your footsteps, I can see for the most part what drove you to doing it, thus getting a good idea of how Red battles."
Blue nodded in agreement. It was a fair point. "Fine. We'll take it to Gramps's backyard, alright?" The three made their way to the back, where Professor Oak had already set up a lawn chair and some refreshments.
He waved them over when he saw them approach. "Blue! It's been too long. And how are my pioneers doing?" he asked in amusement. "It's has been years since I've seen a good battle, so I thought I'd prepare for the occasion. Are you two ready?"
Both of the trainers nodded. They turned to Scott, who motioned for them to stand on either side of him about 40 feet apart. "The battle between Blue and Black will now commence," yelled Scott. "It will be a one-on-one battle and will be over when either side is unable to continue. Ready... Begin!"
"Come out, Alakazam!"
"Samurott, let us enact a battle of myths!"
The respective Pokemon appeared on either side of the battlefield, facing each other. Black carefully assessed his surroundings as his Samurott and Blue's Alakazam both tensed upon meeting each other. About 20 paces behind Blue was a river flowing with crystal clear water, while across from its banks was a tree. Looking down, he saw the healthy, verdant green of the grass that licked at his shoes. It would be slightly slippery, seeing as to how the grass was still humid from its earlier watering.
"You can have the first move!" shouted Blue, causing Black's head to snap up. He nodded in thanks to Blue, before turning to look Samurott in the eye. It nodded and charged without any words exchanged. "Psychic!" yelled Blue. He'd barely had any time to blink before Alakazam cried out, the blue energy surrounding it fading as it took a step back. "Alakazam, what happened?" Black's Samurott tackled Alakazam, its seamitar unsheathed and ready to attack as it collided with the Pokemon. Without pausing for a single breath, it leaped again as soon as its feet touched the ground, shooting off after the flying Alakazam. "Alakazam: in front of you! Focus Blast!" Alakazam didn't open its eyes but rather trusted Blue to be their replacement as it fired a crimson orb toward Samurott. Against any normal opponent, Alakazam's Focus Blast would have felled an opponent and punished them heavily for charging headfirst into such a dangerous situation. However, in the case of Black, his Samurott merely sliced at the orb with its seamitar, causing it to be repelled by the explosion. Both Pokemon landed on the grass glaring daggers at each other.
Blue was completely taken aback at the Samurott's speed and reaction time. This was one well-trained opponent. He had to play his cards carefully. "Alakazam, use Recover." A golden emanation rippled through Alakazam's body, healing its bruises as it passed through. By the time five seconds had passed, Alakazam had reached the point where it looked even healthier than when it had been called upon. A gentle breeze drifted through the air, pushing and pulling the grass this way and that. A sudden silence befell the place as either side regarded each other. Blue decided now was a good time as any to voice his question. "If you don't mind my asking, why'd Alakazam's Psychic stop all of a sudden?"
Black's serious demeanor faltered for a moment as he considered the question. His face then broke into a wide, childish grin as he modestly scratched the back of his head. "Oh, that? See, Samurott and I had to think of countless ways to counter Psychic types back when we were on our journey. One of the methods we devised as something of a fake-out against new Psychic type opponents was to charge straight at them upon entry in order to expose and take advantage of the Psychic's fear of physical attacks. Most Pokemon of that typing can't handle attacks directly to their body, preferring instead to keep opponents at a distance and then snipe them off. So, I created a strategy that would turn an opponent's preference against them. To help keep up the pressure and prevent the Psychic attack—which takes about 1.4 seconds to activate after the order has been registered—from ever activating, I trained Samurott so that it could fire a small, concentrated, nearly unidentifiable Water Gun in that space of time in such a way that it would hurt."
Black's spellbound audience was nothing short of impressed. So this was the Unova native who was hailed in various other regions as "a trainer without peer." It was hard to believe that he'd only started his journey little over 3 years ago. Black opened his eyes, which had been closed earlier in his attempts to shut out the awkwardness he felt as he explained his own methods. The stunned silence confused him even further. Had he said something wrong? Blue suddenly remembered himself. "I'll be the first to admit that that is a pretty cool idea you got there," he said, closing his eyes and nodding sagely. "Probably something Red would do, in all honesty. However," he continued, opening his eyes, which Black saw were burning with defiance, "as a Gym Leader, I cannot just simply allow you to win against me like that. Alakazam, Energy Ball en masse. Let's go!"
Black was confused. "En masse?" What did that mean? He got his answer not a moment later. With astonishing speed, Alakazam produced 8 green balls of energy that were all readied in the air next to it, waiting for the signal to let them loose. "Samurott," Black murmured, "be careful." His starter turned around and nodded at him reassuringly for a second before focusing on the fight once again.
"I remember now," shouted Blue. "Red used to have a knack for the unexpected; a flare for the dramatic. In an effort to surpass my rival, I too had to constantly surprise and outsmart him. This is one of the few tributes I've managed to create in his memory during my spare time. Surround yourself, Alakazam!" The Energy Balls hovered all around Alakazam, beginning to spin around it like a bizarre solar system. "In order to win against him, you needed to be 3 steps ahead for every 1 of the tricks he had up his sleeves. So let me show you: Alakazam, like we practiced!"
The satellites around Alakazam flew outwards even as they continued to orbit it, so that now, instead of resembling a solar system, it looked more like a rapidly expanding spiral galaxy with 8 arms. A drop of sweat made its way down the side of Black's face. It was difficult trying to judge the path of the fast approaching orbs. He couldn't just order Samurott to jump; that risked leaving it at the complete mercy of Alakazam's Psychic. With those Energy Balls flying at him like that, if he had his friend dodge the one coming straight at them, Alakazam could just easily blindside both of them by recalling one of the Energy Balls while Samurott's back was turned. Grr. It looks like I have no other choice, thought Black. "Samurott," he said, giving his first verbal command since the start of the battle, "use Dig." The Formidable Pokemon didn't hesitate for a second as it dove under the ground, narrowly missing what would most likely have been a painful direct hit.
Without a word from Blue, Alakazam stopped its attack and instead focused on trying to predict where Samurott would next appear. Black actually contemplated using another one of his preplanned tricks before he realized who and where he was. He sighed in frustration; it wouldn't do for him to bust up Oak's yard like that. Now how to outsmart the glass cannon... He supposed he'd have to at least bust a few holes in the immaculate yard, first. "Samurott, resurface and then Dig again."
On the other side of the battlefield, Blue watched in confusion as Samurott continuously poked its head above ground before diving down again. What was going on?
"Now, Samurott!" shouted Black. "Blizzard! Deep chill that Alakazam!"
Black watched in triumph as his intention clicked in Blue's mind. "Protect!" A green hemisphere surrounded Alakazam as all around it, the grass began to freeze from the ferocious storm. Scott and Professor Oak began to shiver as small ice shards slowly formed in the latter's lemonade. When the snow and winds cleared, the arena had been completely frozen over, with only a small ring around Alakazam left untouched. Blue made a noise of frustration as he realized what Black had done. He'd used the whiteout created by the Blizzard to escape his self-induced trap. This was one wily opponent indeed.
But Black wasn't done with his legerdemains. "Razor Shell... the ice." The command took Blue completely by surprise. Ice? He looked down, and there, much to his shock, was ice. A Blizzard attack generating a field of ice in the brief time that he had just witnessed?...
"Thunderpunch!" If Blue was going down, then he was taking Black with him at the very least.
Wait, what? thought Black. A Thunder—it was too late. Both attacks had collided, but neither side had chosen to acknowledge the damage done just yet. Samurott and Alakazam stood, backs to each other, both stuck in a pose that perfectly resembled a final exchange of blows between two swordsmen. Black swallowed loudly as another drop of sweat ran down his face. 5... 6... 7... A leaf from the tree near the river touched the water's surface as the 9th second passed. Finally, Alakazam gasped, collapsed onto the ground with a mundane finality, and moved no more. Samurott gave a small smile in relief before wincing hard at the pain of the Psi Pokemon's parting gift. For a member of a group that was notorious for being weak physically, it sure knew how to make a punch sting. "Thank you, Samurott," said Black as he approached his oldest friend. "Thanks to you, we are one step closer to helping someone out. Here. I know how much you love those Sinnoh poffins; dig in." Black produced a few small, pink cookie-like snacks from a case inside his backpack and handed them over to Samurott along with several Oran Berries, before turning over to Blue, who was helping his Alakazam stand up.
"How are you doing, Alakazam?" asked Blue.
"Ala," said Alakazam with a slight wince.
"Excuse me," said Black as he approached them. "Would you mind if I helped heal Alakazam? It is my fault, after all, that Alakazam is hurt in the first place." Blue and Alakazam continued to look up at him blankly. He hastened to reassure them, "Don't worry! I have an excess of medicine in my bag from traveling so much. Please? I'd feel less guilty if I did."
Blue finally decided it was time to stop making Black feel so uncomfortable. "Sure! I'd appreciate your help in all honesty."
Black eagerly set to work, digging around in his medicine bag for a Full Restore. After a few moments, he finally found one, pulling it out with a cry of triumph. He handed the medicine to Blue, who set to work spraying Alakazam with it, before taking off at full speed toward Professor Oak and Scott. The two of them had been watching the events play out with quiet amusement but quickly returned to reality upon seeing Black approach them. "Professor, I was wondering if you could help me switch out one of my Pokemon for Audino right now."
"Of course, Black," said Professor Oak, getting up. "I'll be right back in a jiffy!" Without even so much as looking, he snatched the Pokeball Black had handed him and took off. Several minutes passed before Professor Oak returned with Black's Audino's Pokeball. "Here you go!"
"Thank you, Professor," Black said as he hurried over to Blue and his Alakazam. "Alright, Audino, let us enact a battle of myths!" The pink rabbit-like Pokemon appeared with cry of its name. "Can you please use Heal Pulse on Alakazam?" Black's Pokemon nodded as a gentle series of pink waves washed over the tired Psychic type. Alakazam's face slowly relaxed as it felt its body repair itself. Eventually, it drifted off to sleep with a sigh of relief.
"Thanks, Alakazam," said Blue. "You did well, being able to stand up to that demon trainer and all. Take a good long rest." Blue put away Alakazam's Pokeball before turning to Black. "That was a fun battle. You certainly do things in an interesting way. And, uh, thanks to you and Audino for fixing up my Alakazam afterwards. It was nice of you."
"No problem," replied Black. "It was the least I could do, considering I was the one who forced you and Alakazam into it. Thanks, Audino. Return." He put away Audino's Pokeball, before extending his hand out to Blue. "You nearly had me there a couple of times."
Blue chuckled. "Stop being modest. You knew you had me from the get-go just like in our Gym battle." He accepted Black's gesture of sportsmanship nonetheless and shook. Professor Oak and Scott had finally decided to join them, seeing as to how the battle was done and all.
"I'll say," said Scott. "That was quite an impressive battle there. Hm, hm. Blue, your Alakazam's something; being able to fire that many Energy Balls all at once and then finely controlling them is no small feat, mind."
"And that Blizzard attack, oh my," shivered Professor Oak. "I don't know how much stronger Red's gotten, but I daresay you'd probably be prepared for whatever he throws at you, Black." The trainer awkwardly turned red at the compliment. "I tell you what. Why don't we go inside and have some breakfast? Think of it as my way of saying thank you for such a fantastic battle." The four of them made their way inside, where one of Professor Oak's assistants was already getting to work on breakfast. Within a few moments, they each had a Full English in front of them.
"So, Black," said Scott in between bites, "you wanna regale us with what some of your thought process was throughout the whole battle? Y'know, so the audience can understand it as well?" Scott snickered to himself at the last bit.
"I guess," said Black. He took a bite of the fried eggs and mushroom and chewed thoughtfully for a second before swallowing. "Well, first off, I have to hand it to you, Blue. That is one powerful Alakazam you have there."
"Likewise," replied the Gym Leader, stabbing a piece of sausage. "Your Samurott is something."
"Thanks," smiled Black. "I suppose I should start by simplifying the feint I had Samurott perform at the beginning. What Samurott and I had developed was essentially a fake-out that takes advantage of a Psychic type's generally weaker physical body in order to interrupt Psychic. You remember how you panicked when Samurott closed in, don't you, Blue?" Said trainer nodded in answer. It had left him feeling off-balance and doubtful. "I have no way to explain that Focus Blast... all I can say is I'm just glad Samurott deflected it like it did."
Professor Oak decided to speak up. "How long did it take you to get the Blizzard to that level? I'm absolutely fascinated at how little exposure it took to freeze the grass from belowground."
Black sat back and stared at the ceiling nostalgically, having been the first to finish his meal. "Oh that. The Blizzard took me ages to perfect with Samurott; it involved a lot of time yelling and hollering at Lake Acuity in the Sinnoh region with the Snowpoint City Gym Leader." He turned to look at Professor Oak and beamed. "Eventually, though, we found just the right formula for freezing the entirety of the lake without blowing apart the ice we made."
None of the others were quite sure whether Black was joking or not. "And what was with you saying 'the ice' earlier?" asked Blue.
"Oh yeah, that. You see, I realized at the start of the battle that there was still some leftover water from the dew and lawncare. Obviously, cold dry air would simply kill the plants... However, with humidity, that picture changes. Normally, Samurott is slower than Alakazam. And, although I'd already discovered that I could outspeed you, Blue, if I found a way to surprise you first, I still couldn't risk the possibility of an attack being blocked. So I used the ice created by the Blizzard from earlier that was meant to let Samurott resurface safely in order to boost its speed. After all, there's less friction on ice, isn't there?"
By the time Black took a moment to pause, everyone had finished their breakfast and was making their way to the living room. "That's a remarkable specimen you have with you, Scott," joked Blue. "I'd love to stay and chat further but I have to get back to my gym. Arceus knows how badly things are going with the impromptu change in leadership. I'll see you all later. Take care, Gramps. Oh, and let me know of any progress you make on Red, alright? He's a tough one." He waved his hand behind him as he left the lab, took out a Pokeball, and called forth a Pidgeot. Together, the two of them took off for Viridian City, slowly becoming nothing more than specks on the horizon.
Professor Oak watched them for a moment, before closing the door and turning to Scott and Black, who had already taken a seat on the sofa. "Now then... shall we begin planning to bring Red back?"