Chapter 17:
This is it. I have lost. Three of my Pokémon are out of action while Thomas has lost just one. The Pokémon I have lost are the ones I trusted the most to win the match for me. With them beaten so comprehensively, what hope have I got? Thomas is simply better than me. There is no denying it at this point. My head drops. My legs feel weak and I am ready to slump to the floor and admit defeat. I am ready to give up in view of the entire world because I don't have a reason to win.
I don't regret my decision to compete in the tournament. It has been fun but this is where it comes to an end for me. Thomas just wants it more. I recall the television pundits talking about him. He has never failed to reach a semi-final and, yet, has never won a tournament. He wants to end that record on the biggest stage of all. I have no real interest in the fame and glory anymore. I have no use for the prize money. It won't reunite me with my sister. If anything, it will keep her further from me. I think to Daedalus. He encouraged me ahead of this battle, but now I know he is wrong about Thomas. He may be an alcoholic, but he's not drunk now. There's nothing to make an example of. Sobering up has made him an incredible trainer.
The referee interrupts my internal turmoil, hurrying me to select my next Pokémon. I don't want to though. It is obvious that I will lose. I don't want to put my Pokémon through that needlessly. I am going to surrender. As I am about to, I reflect on the tournament, the people I have met and all that has happened. I then remember. I promised my dad that I would win. He wants me to win. He wants to see me battle in the final. Melissa too, as much as I hate her, believes I can win. That is it. I am going to win to prove I am the best big sister, not for her but for my real sister, and to succeed where my dad never had the chance.
"Go, Clefable!"
"Thought I'd lost you there for a minute," Thomas laughs, "Spinal, Aqua Jet."
"Thunder Wave," I call out.
As Kabutops prepares to launch itself yet again, Clefable raises its hands and sticks out its index fingers. Clefable wags its fingers and sparks crackle around them. With a flick of the wrist, the sparks shoot across the frozen battlefield. Kabutops charges through the sparks head on. They surge through the water that surrounds Kabutops and it ceases the attack as its body seizes up. Kabutops stands on the ice, struggling to move as sparks arc around its body.
"Clefable, Mimic Aqua Jet!"
Another wiggle of its index fingers coats Clefable in a veil of water. It skips forward and jumps onto the ice, using the claws on its feet as skates much like Kabutops had used its scythes. Clefable glides gracefully across the ice with incredible speed before slamming into the vulnerable Kabutops. There is nothing Thomas can do to protect his Pokémon. Kabutops is a Pokémon known and used for its raw power and speed, not for its defences. Clefable has neutralised the threat and has free reign to deal the damage that should turn the tide of battle.
"Moonblast," I say confidently.
A pink orb of energy grows out of nothing between Clefable's hands. Kabutops is still lying on the floor after the last attack. Its limbs won't allow it to get up. Clefable swings its arms and throws the ball of energy at Kabutops. The energy explodes as it hits Kabutops and sends it sliding across the ice to collide with the remains of the frozen wall. The impact smashes the wall and the icy rocks tumble down onto Kabutops.
Kabutops is defeated. It has taken considerable damage now is such a short period of time and it has no real way of battling with its paralysis. It would struggle to even climb out from beneath the frozen rubble. Thomas returns it and strokes his beard thoughtfully. He was less prepared for Clefable as it's the first time I'm using it in the tournament.
"Go, Sylux," he says and Heatmor returns to the battlefield.
I don't know what the thinking is behind his decision or whether or not it seems like a good decision. It's a matchup I feel I can work with and know I have to work with. My only worry is that Thomas has lured me into this before. I don't really have much say in the matter though.
"Aqua Jet," I say.
"Sucker Punch," Thomas counters.
Clefable veils itself in water again and skates across the ice. Heatmor rushes across the unaffected part of the battlefield and times itself to reach the edge of the ice at the same time as Clefable. Heatmor swings is arm and smacks Clefable in the face as the two Pokémon collide. Heatmor is sprayed with water, but Clefable comes out of the collision worse. It is flung back and crashes to the ground, cracking the ice beneath it.
"Inferno!" Thomas shouts.
Heatmor disappears in a ball of flames. Fire explodes out in all directions and covers the battlefield. I have to jump back to avoid wild flares spitting at me. I hear a high pitched shriek that rips through the air and look for Clefable. There is no sign of it through the flames.
"Clefable!" I cry out.
I get no reply other than a continuation of the ear splitting scream.
I stare at the battlefield. I am shaking. This can't be happening. I quickly look to my Battle Gear to try and get an idea of what's happening. I breathe. Clefable is hanging on. I spot a red mark next to Clefable's health bar. It's burnt. I am not surprised given what it's going through. Heatmor is using up a lot of its strength too, but it looks like it will pay off for Thomas.
Heatmor stops and the fire around it dies down. Eventually, the entire inferno fades. The battlefield beyond the flames has transformed. The ice has melted to a thin layer of water covering the ground. Clefable lies on its back, gasping for air. It is lying in the pool of water and is flicking water onto its horrific scarring burns.
"Clefable, can you keep going?" I ask. It's a stupid question to ask. How can I force it to keep going in the condition it's in?
Clefable forces itself to its feet. The entire front of its body is scorched. It screeches as it struggles to stand. It wants to keep fighting. It looks back to me with a determined glare. I can tell it's enduring a lot of pain. I am torn.
"Fire Blast," Thomas decides for me.
"Aqua Jet!" I call.
Clefable screams at the top of its lungs as it coats itself in water and launches forwards. The water will do it good, but it will still hurt a lot. Heatmor responds with a torrent of fire. The attacks collide head on. Clefable ploughs through the fire, the water acting as a shield.
Suddenly, I spot steam rising. Heatmor is boiling the water. If this keeps up for much longer then Clefable is done for. I can't see it through the barrage of flames so I have no way of knowing how close it is to Heatmor. Then, it happens. Clefable reaches breaking point. Heatmor pushes on and Clefable is thrown back across the battlefield to crash at my feet.
"I'm so sorry," I say to Clefable as I return it to its Poké Ball, "I shouldn't have pushed you on."
I try to hold back the tears of my regret. My sudden burst of determination is crushed. I was relying on my first four choices to beat Thomas. That hasn't worked and now I am forced into a position I never wanted to be in. I reluctantly pick my next Poke Ball and hold it in my hand.
"Please," I say softly and press the Poke Ball against my lips, "Please listen to me. I need your help now more than ever."
"I see, I've been looking forward to this, Psycho," Thomas says, "Your ace in the hole."
Thomas' words dig deep into me. He has judged the situation wrong. So heartbreakingly wrong. I grip the Poké Ball tightly and prepare to throw it. This is no ace. Perhaps it could have been and might still be one day, but, for now, it is far from it.
"Go, Goodra!"
I throw the Poké Ball and it falls to the ground with a soft thud. My Pokémon does not emerge. There is a murmuring around the stadium. No doubt the world is now speculating every possibility. I didn't pick the wrong ball, there is definitely a Goodra in there. It just doesn't want to come out.
The referee watches me closely as I walk over to the ball. I kneel down and place my hand on it. Goodra is coming out whether it wants to or not. There is a manual release to open a ball and force a Pokémon out. I hold my finger on the button for a few seconds and then let go. Light erupts from the ball and Goodra stands over me.
Goodra growls at me and folds its arms as I stand up to face it. As a species, Goodra is known for being friendly, especially towards trainers. I don't understand what, but something has gone wrong between us. It wasn't long ago that Goomy couldn't be separated from me. Now, as a Goodra, it wants nothing to do with me.
"Please Goodra," I begin and it turns its head to avoid eye contact with me.
I reach out to touch Goodra's gooey skin. It catches sight of this and moves quickly away. I step forward to be closer to it again and Goodra swings its body. I have no chance to react between spotting Goodra's fist heading for me and when it makes contact with my face.
I groan and clutch my face. I am lying on the floor and I think I briefly slipped out of consciousness. There is the taste of blood in my mouth and a pain thumping inside my head. Someone helps me up into a sitting position as I peel the sticky slime from my cheek and wipe it on my clothes. I look to see a paramedic checking me over. He's saying things but it's hard for me to make sense of what.
"Where's Goodra?" I ask, accidentally spitting blood on the paramedic.
The paramedic says something that I can only vaguely hear. I don't listen and try to look around. The paramedic seems insistent on holding me in place and making sure there's nothing wrong with me. There's plenty wrong with me, I know that. I need to know what Goodra is doing though. My Battle Gear catches my eye with a flash of light and I look at it. Heatmor has been defeated.
I smack the paramedic's arm to force him to release my jaw. I turn to the side and let my eyes focus after the sudden movement. Goodra stands over the twitching body of Heatmor. Both Thomas and the referee seem surprised and confused. Goodra must have attacked Heatmor without my command and defeated it. This is the first time it has battled since evolution. Whenever I have tried commanding it, it has outright refused and sometimes even attacked me instead.
I then spot a smudge of ash stuck to Goodra's arm. That is why it attacked. Thomas provoked it. That was a bad move on his part. Proven when Goodra opens its mouth to prepare a Dragon Pulse and aims at Thomas.
AN: Two completed chapters and the battle still isn't finished, this is going to be a bit longer than I first anticipated. However, I must apologise now that there will be a... let's call it a break before the next chapter. Rather unfortunate and uncontrollable circumstances have come into play, piled on top of the fact that I have been writing this story pretty solidly since April meaning I'm a little burnt out. This means it could be a while before the next chapter and conclusion of this "cliffhanger". I don't know how long it could be. It could be a week, a couple of weeks or even a few months. I am truly sorry. I do really want to finish writing this story, just it's not going to happen under current conditions. If I did try now, it would be horribly done, rushed and ruined. I hope you can understand.