Chapter 23:
"Venomoth, Stun Spore!" my dad shouts.
"Dragonite, Hyper Beam," Lancelot responds calmly and snaps his fingers.
Venomoth swoops upwards through the air scattering golden spores with its wings. Most Pokémon, when faced with this, try to flee or avoid breathing in the spores. Dragonite is different though. It leans its head back and opens its mouth open wide. A giant blast of energy bursts from Dragonite's mouth. It rips through the cloud of spores and continues on.
Captivated by the light and power of the attack, I only just regain my senses in time to dive to the side. I land on the cold marble and feel it shaking as Dragonite's attack connects with the floor. I look back to see a trench carved into the floor seemingly heading for the reception desk. The Hyper Beam dies down before it can cause any more damage, much to the relief of the receptionist cowering behind her desk.
"Maybe this isn't the best place," I say.
"I can pay for repairs," Lancelot says.
"Stun Spore again!" my dad shouts. He doesn't seem to care where he battles. His focus is set on getting his daughter back.
Dragonite tries to fly away from the spores this time, but with the ceiling and walls limiting its flight, it can't escape Venomoth's pursuit. Dragonite's body starts to seize up and it crashes to the ground. Venomoth hovers just above the twitching body, ready to follow up.
"Now, Toxic," my dad calls out.
I try to think. He could have attacked. He's in the perfect position to unleash an onslaught. No, he doesn't want to do that. This is more than just a battle. Winning isn't enough. He's gambling on Lancelot having a connection with his Pokémon and trying to make him suffer.
Purple sludge coats Dragonite's back as it lies helplessly on the floor. It shrieks as the toxins seep into it and drain it of its strength. Lancelot looks down on his Pokémon. He is unmoved by its plight. He was good at covering any reaction he had to Mark's outburst earlier, so I can't tell if he truly doesn't care or not.
Lancelot looks down on his Pokémon and I swear I catch a glimpse of a smirk on his face. "Outrage."
From where I am, steadily getting back onto my feet, this seems like an impossible command. No ordinary Pokémon could attack in that state. This is no ordinary Pokémon though. Slowly, Dragonite manages to push itself up with its arms. It's clearly in pain, but is pushing through that barrier. Its head turns to glare at Venomoth. There is something in its eyes. I can't put a finger on what it is, but it's driving Dragonite on.
Flames erupt around Dragonite's body and it suddenly shoots up towards Venomoth. A scream of primal rage rips through the building and echoes down the corridors. Dragonite slams into Venomoth with an unbelievable force. My dad's Pokémon hits the ground with enough force to make me wobble. It doesn't end there though. Dragonite continues on and slams into Venomoth again. Dust whips up as the marble floor is shattered.
I can't believe that Venomoth will be able to continue after this, so I grab hold of a Poké Ball and step forward.
"No, as much as I appreciate it, this is between me and him," my dad shouts back at me.
"What the Hell is this?" I hear a familiar voice over the cloud of marble dust. The cloud begins to clear and reveals Thomas stood with a quickly depleting pint glass. The others who went to the bar are with him. Robin casually has a pool cue resting on his shoulders.
I look around and every corridor leading away from the entrance hall is now filled with people who have rushed to find out what's going on. I hear noises coming from the crater in the floor. Attention turns to see Dragonite being flung from the hole and sent skidding along the floor. Venomoth wearily floats up into the air. Bruises and minor burns cover its body and wings. I am genuinely surprised that it can even move its wings, let alone keep going like this.
"So, Mr Elderidge, we now have a lot of witnesses present. What'll it be?" my dad asks, "Are you prepared to undo what you've done or am I going to have to reveal what it is to everyone here?"
"Perhaps you should wait until we have concluded this battle? I was rather enjoying it," Lancelot says, "Of course, if I win, you stay silent."
"That's fine, our witnesses know that you want me to stay silent. That's enough for them to start asking questions," my dad says confidently. He then resumes the battle, "Venomoth, Bug Buzz!"
A loud buzzing fills the air and Dragonite slides further along the floor. I don't understand how Dragonite can keep going. Poison is being pumped through its veins and its muscles are constantly seizing up. Adding the attacks Venomoth is somehow launching at it, there's no way it should be able to continue. And yet, once again, it slowly drags itself up.
"How…" I breathe.
"It doesn't matter how many times it gets back up, it will eventually stay down," my dad says, "Sleep Powder!"
Now, this really should do it. Venomoth musters all its strength to scatter more spores over Dragonite. There is no way for it to avoid. Its body has suffered too much to move fast enough. Dragonite's eyes snap shut. It is obviously trying to resist but its resolve is slipping. Soon, it will not be able to resist the inevitable onslaught.
"Outrage," Lancelot says simply.
He's mad. I can't explain his words any other way.
I feel like everything I've ever understood about Pokémon battling collapses right before my eyes. Dragonite awakens with an explosion of anger and fire. It is as though I can hear Dragonite's muscles screaming for it to stop as it launches itself directly at Venomoth one more time.
The two Pokémon collide and bundle to the ground. I want to make the call that neither will be able to get back up, but, after what has happened, I don't know anymore. Something snaps inside me and I rush towards the battle.
"Stop!" I scream at the top of my lungs, "You can't keep doing this! You're pushing them too far!"
"Dragonite has the will to keep fighting, I do not see why I should stop it," Lancelot says. It feels like he's completely contradicting what he said when Shaw and his Pokémon kept going after the Battle Gears declared them defeated.
"Just stop!" I scream, "I'll play your stupid game. Just…"
"Holly…" my dad begins, "you can't go through with it."
"It doesn't matter if I can, I clearly have to, don't I?" I say.
I walk over to where the two Pokémon lie exhausted on the floor. I kneel down next to them and carefully adjust Venomoth's position so its injuries should hurt less. Dragonite is breathing heavily and groaning as it once again tries to pick itself up. I place a hand on its head, trying to comfort it with a soft touch.
"It's alright, you don't have to keep pushing yourself," I say to it.
"Splendid," Lancelot says, "I trust you to keep to your word, so I will accept your intervention. I just hope you can convince your father to do the same."
Lancelot holds out his Poké Ball and recalls Dragonite. I see the relief in its eyes as it disappears. He smirks and takes his leave without another word. The stunned crowd parts slightly to allow him through. The people gathered remain in silence, watching us.
"But what about…" my dad begins.
"It's fine," I say as I get to my feet, "Beating him wouldn't have changed things. I'll just have to win in the final."
I keep my head low as I talk. I can't bring myself to look at him. Instead I look at the suffering brought to his Venomoth. I know what has to be done now. Everything has gone according to Lancelot's plan. I am more than motivated now.
I feel defeated and drag myself away from the entrance hall, pushing my way through the still silent crowd as I head for my room. On my return, I immediately lock the door and throw myself onto my bed. It's not as comforting as I had hoped. I'm stuck. My mind is focused on the final battle in two days' time. It's so much more than a simple Pokémon battle. It's not even about titles or money anymore. It's been made personal. The prize is family. I have nothing against Mark, but now he is an obstacle that I have to overcome at any cost.
My feelings about Melissa have disappeared. It doesn't matter what I think of her. She's a child. She shouldn't have to go through this. My thoughts turn to my dad. Melissa means so much to him. Why have either of them been brought into this? What do they have to do with it? I don't even understand why I need this motivation. Whatever the reason, I have to beat Mark and then turn my attention to the real enemy.
I have a day left before the final for training. I also have a date scheduled with Daedalus. I want to be able to just think of that and let thoughts of him distract me until I fall asleep. Sadly, my mind isn't working like that tonight. I don't want to, but I might have to call off the date to focus solely on training. How can I even have a date with so much anxiety over what is to come?
I do eventually fall asleep, but I regularly wake during the night because of nightmares that I soon forget. Finally, I awaken to the sight of sunlight pouring through gaps in the curtains. I am dripping in sweat and want to scream my lungs out, but I stay silent. I simply resign myself to starting the day. There are no battles today. There is no fight for third place. This tournament is about winning. There are no consolation prizes.
The first thing I do is turn on the television. There should be morning news on around now. I have to see what is being said about yesterday. My dad caused two scenes, one of which was in front of the world's press. I dread to think what I'm going to see. I sit on the edge of the bed and stare at the screen. I sit through countless news stories about the events going on in Unova. As each one drags on, I end up walking around my room doing things to get ready for the day, constantly checking to see if the topic has changed to the inevitable.
Finally, there is a mention of the Elder World Championships and my attention becomes focused on the television. Highlights of Mark's demolition of Flourette are shown. They then proceed to hype up tomorrow's final. And that's it. I stare blankly at the next report covering a sports team of some description by the name of the Mistralton Jets. Neither incident from last night was mentioned in any way. Is Lancelot Elderidge really that influential?
My shock fades into relief. I'm just thankful that the world hasn't seen what transpired. It was too embarrassing. I lean back and relax. One worry is gone. Many worries still remain and claw away at my sanity, but I want to cherish the moment of relief while I can.
I am snapped back to reality by a noise that isn't coming from the television. Someone is at my door. I jump up and turn the screen off. I hurry myself towards the door only to slow to a complete halt as I begin to wonder, who is visiting me this early?
AN: Suddenly I disappear for months unannounced and return with a chapter. If you want to take it up with anyone, blame [Name removed to protect the innocent], all his fault.