Bugsy frowned deeply when he saw an enthusiastic Aurora bounce into the battlefield. "A Water type?" he said scornfully, wrinkling his nose. "Of all the types in the world, you're really gonna challenge me with a Water type?"
"Well, I wasn't gonna challenge you with my Growlithe, was I?" I retorted before I could think. "That'd be too easy, wouldn't it?"
"And you said you weren't cocky," Bugsy remarked before delving for his own Pokeball. "All right, well I'm gonna start with you, Butterfree!"
As the graceful Bug type serenely floated into the battleground, I took a deep breath, trying to calculate a strategy. Annoyingly, nothing came to me apart from the glaringly obvious. Aurora wasn't the fastest, or the most graceful, of Pokemon, and Butterfree had the advantage of flight here. If it got above Aurora, I would be in deep trouble, especially if it used anything like Sleep Powder, Stun Spore or Poison Powder. If I wanted a chance of winning this, I'd have to shoot it out of the air.
"Aurora! Start off with Water Pulse!"
"Dodge, and use Poison Powder!"
I cursed as the Butterfree easily sailed out of the way of the torrent of water Aurora summoned and swooped in, ready to deliver a potentially fatal Poison Powder. Clenching my fists, I called out another order as the Butterfree sent forth the purple dust. "Aurora! Get rid of that Poison Powder! Water Gun!"
The smaller, more concentrated beam of water effortlessly dispatched the floating particles, washing them away. My heart was thudding painfully in my chest already as I watched the Butterfree float almost carelessly away from being harmed by the stream of water. I cursed to myself, feeling the stares of my friends burning my neck. Two attacks in, and I hadn't even so much as touched that Butterfree. It was humiliating. I didn't want to look a fool here!
My mind immediately, and yet inexplicably, touched on Bailey. He had been so determined to prove himself even though he was nervous. He wanted to show he was a good trainer. And of course, what had happened? He'd lost his nerve and lost the battle because of it, even after Jasmine had shouted encouragement to him. I had a feeling that that one little thing had upset Bailey even more than just simply losing the battle ever could.
"You're gonna have to be a lot quicker than that to touch my Butterfree!" Bugsy taunted. "Butterfree, get in with a Psybeam!"
My mind immediately went blank. "Uhh…!" Inwardly, I cursed. I had to get Aurora out of harm's way! But how? Mentally, I cycled through her entire moveset before something finally came to me. "Aurora! Use Body Slam to get up in the air, now!"
"You'll never touch Butterfree with that! Butterfree, dodge!" Bugsy called, and the Butterfree immediately swerved in its path, avoiding Aurora as she launched herself into the air.
I grit my teeth, but I had never intended to hit the Butterfree just avoid the attack. "Quickly Aurora, mid-air Water Gun, now!"
Turned around and facing away from Aurora, the Butterfree was totally oblivious to the incoming attack. It was blasted straight from behind with the Water Gun, and knocked right to the heavily on the ground, sending a violent tremor ricocheting across the entire battlefield. She barked happily and began clapping her fins together ecstatically at the grounded Butterfree.
Anticipation gripped me as I realised the Butterfree was a sitting target. "Quick, before it gets up!" I hollered. "Aurora Beam!"
Aurora took literally seconds to summon the power needed for her signature move. The powerful rainbow hued beam hit the Butterfree dead on, making it squeal in pain.
"Butterfree!" Bugsy cried worriedly. "Get up!"
Every ounce of my body urged to yell out "not so fun now, is it?" to Bugsy, but I managed to bite it back and focus on the battle. The Butterfree was struggling to get up and get airborne and for a moment I felt sorry for the poor helpless creature. But all the same, I had to win this battle. I clenched my fists and called to Aurora.
"Aurora! Finish it with a Body Slam."
It was over. The fragile Butterfree couldn't stand up to the sheer weight behind Aurora's Body Slam and was completely unconscious by the time Aurora rolled her bulk off it. Bugsy let out a cry of defeat before recalling the Butterfree and eyeing me darkly.
"Fine. So you beat Butterfree. But you're not going to beat this one!"
I wanted to collapse in a heap when I saw Bugsy's final offering. "Not another Heracross!" I wailed in despair as the giant Bug Pokemon buzzed into the arena.
Aurora bellowed loudly in the face of this new challenger, adopting a defensive position, snorting angrily. While Aurora seemed confident with this new Pokemon, my heart plummeted. I had never seen a Heracross in battle. I didn't know what kind of moves this one could unleash. I found myself wishing I had paid more attention to Jasmine when she had gushed about her newly caught Heracross and what moves it had. Not for the first time, I cursed my lack of knowledge. I'd have to play this one safe.
"Heracross, use Horn Attack!"
"Dodge it, Aurora!" I screeched.
Aurora was just able to shift her massive weight to avoid the incoming attack from the Heracross, but no sooner had she turned around; the Heracross was on her again! Unable to move fast enough, the Heracross's powerful horn collided with Aurora, goring her viciously! She squealed as she was knocked back, but she regained herself by shooting a Water Pulse at the Heracross. This one met its mark as the Heracross regained itself after the horn attack, knocking the giant Bug Pokemon clean across the battleground until it collided with a tree.
"Nice one, Aurora!" I cheered.
She clapped her fins together eagerly, barking happily.
"Try an Ice Ball, now!"
But Bugsy got in with an order as soon as I did. "Heracross! Endure!"
I frowned as Aurora began readying the first blast of ice. "What the hell is Endure?"
The Heracross stood its ground firmly, not even looking intimidated as Aurora blasted out the first Ice Ball attack. My heart leapt to my mouth as the first chunk of ice hurtled in the Heracross's direction. The giant Bug wasn't moving! What kind of Pokemon stood still as if it was waiting for an attack?
And then, right in front of my eyes, the Heracross crossed its arms across its face and body, as if protecting itself. The chunk of ice hit the Heracross's crossed arms and shattered into a million pieces on impact! Shards of ice crumbled uselessly to the floor and my mouth hung open as the Heracross negated every single subsequent Ice Ball in the same manner, using its arms like a shield.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Bugsy cheered. "All right, Heracross! Win this with a Brick Break!"
"That's a Fighting Type move!" I thought rapidly. "I didn't know Heracross was a Fighting type too! Man, I'm gonna start relying more on that Pokedex of mine! The hell with looking like an idiot, I'd rather know what I'm up against!" I bit my lip hard, trying to focus and come up with something quick. "Aurora! Try a Powder Snow!"
The Powder Snow as it turns out was a good move. Although it wasn't particularly powerful, the chilly blast of air engulfed the Heracross, stopping it right in its tracks, leaving the Pokemon shaking and shivering with the cold. I had hoped the Powder Snow would have frozen the Heracross, leaving it immobile and unable to battle, but no. This idiot-proof strategy hadn't come through for me this time. I gritted my teeth fiercely. I was running out of ideas! Aurora was too slow to evade the Heracross's movements, and I wasn't allowed to substitute in this battle. I had to think of something fast!
Bugsy was looking annoyed too. His hands were clenched tightly around the net he was holding, and his face was twisted. For a moment both Pokemon eyed each other, remaining stock still, and I hardly dared breathe as I tried to come up with a quick, effective strategy.
Bugsy was quicker, stepping in with a move before I could even plan out a single thing. "Heracross, Take Down!"
In my panic, I blundered out a command without even thinking. "Water Gun!"
Obviously, it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. The Heracross, taking advantage of its wings, easily avoided the Water Gun and collided forcefully with Aurora, taking her by surprise. She squealed, her head rocking back, and winded from the force, was incapable of moving.
"Now, Heracross! Close Combat!"
The very sound of that command terrified me, and I screamed out "No!" before I realised what was going on. Heracross drew in close to Aurora, and began pummelling her from all sides, simply becoming a rapidly-moving blur, delivering swift attacks to every bit of her. It felt like it went on for hours, just Heracross delivering blow after blow after blow onto Aurora's body. There was no chance for her to escape, and she had no choice but to take every hit. My heart sunk a little more with each hit, her pained screeches intensifying the longer that torture went on.
Eventually, the Heracross stopped and pulled away, retreating to a safer spot further down the battlefield. It was panting heavily and fell to one knee, looking too. She was covered in bloody scrapes and emerging bruises and could barely shuffle forward on her flippers. Finally, after a few seconds, her flippers gave way and she collapsed to the ground, whining softly.
"Aurora…?" I called worriedly.
She groaned weakly, trying to summon up enough strength to get up. She couldn't manage it, her flippers buckling and trembling and eventually crashing to the ground again. "Aurora, stop!" I cried, breaking away from my place at the battlefield. I ran to her side, dropping down on my knees. I stroked her slowly, feeling Bugsy's probing eyes over me. I tried to ignore it and focus on my Pokemon instead. "Are you okay, Aurora?" I pressed her, starting to get worried as her eyes drooped.
She bellowed mournfully at me, and I put my hand on her massive bulk. "I'm so sorry, Aurora." I found myself strangely choked up, the sight of my Pokemon in such an injured state making me well up with tears. A strange, constricting feeling formed in my chest and I struggled to keep myself composed. "I… I keep forgetting some of you guys haven't fought this hard in a long time," I said, feeling guilt wash over me in waves.
"I'm so stupid…" I thought thickly as a thought occurred to me. This was the first battle I had used Aurora in since almost two years ago. What the hell was I thinking using her when I hadn't trained her in so long? In fact, another horrifying thought occurred to me. Aside from that battle alongside Scott (which I had done practically nothing in) and the battle against Whitney, I had done no training whatsoever! What the hell was I thinking going straight in challenging Gyms like this without proper training beforehand? It wasn't like I'd kept up my training after I got home from Hoenn! I had barely even looked at a battlefield, much less battled on one, in that year and a half. And I had just strolled into these Gyms expecting to win? My mind started to race. Had my win at Goldenrod Gym simply been a fluke? Is that all it was? Scott had even said it himself! I was the only one who had to use two Pokemon to beat Whitney! Scott, Jasmine and even Bailey had beaten her with just one Pokemon!
My heart was thudding hard against my ribcage, and my mind was flickering with hundreds of worrying, frantic thoughts. Had two years of not training somehow weakened my Pokemon? No, that couldn't be it… Monty and Cairo had proved to be as tough as ever when I used them in the battle against Whitney… Yes, I had to admit, I hadn't expected Monty to lose, but that could have just been bad luck, right? It had to be! I knew my Pokemon were strong enough to take down Gym Leader Pokemon… So why…?
It hit me hard and my hand flew to my mouth, my throat constricting like I was about to throw up. "Oh my God, it's me… I'm the one standing in the way of the victories. I'm the one who can't give the Pokemon the proper direction to win. I know all my Pokemon are tough… after everything they went through two years ago… all that training… all those battles. Pokemon don't lose the battle instinct or become weaker as time goes on! So it must be me! I must not have that battle instinct anymore… not after two years…"
A memory returned to me. That day on the battlefield. My first time battling against a trained Pokemon. Elliot's Umbreon Jet against my Meloi. Jet's amazing speed and strength coupled with Elliot's skill, expertise and strategic brilliance… I never stood a chance against him back then. And then that moment when Jet was closing in on Meloi… and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I couldn't come up with a single way to get Meloi out of danger. And we had lost because of me.
Now, it was like a horrible, horrible déjà vu and I wanted to burst into tears.
"Hey!" Bugsy's voice cut across my thoughts and I whipped my head up to look at the Gym Leader, standing arms crossed and looking official. "Are you going to release a new Pokemon or what?"
I looked down at my poor Aurora, who looked at me with pleading eyes. In just that moment, I knew exactly what she was trying to communicate to me.
"I don't know…" I muttered to her softly. "I… I don't feel like the trainer I used to be…"
She barked indignantly at me, motioning with her big head towards the battleground, and then nudging me pointedly. I sighed. "Aurora…"
She barked again, this time much louder.
"You're telling me to keep going, aren't you?"
Another bark.
"But what if I lose again? What if because of me, we lose and another of our friends gets hurt?" I asked her bitterly, wishing I could just bury my face in her soft blubber.
A string of barks, each one hard, encouraging and determined. I knew what she was trying to say to me. 'Get a grip, get out there and do your best.' I wasn't so sure I could, though. Had I really lost all the skills I used to have as a trainer? I felt so sure that I had…
But I couldn't just stop right now, could I? Didn't I at least owe it to my Pokemon to carry on and keep fighting? So, trying to keep a hold on my emotions, I recalled Aurora to her Pokeball, praising her good work as she disappeared. For a moment, I dilly-dallied over what Pokemon to use next. I still didn't want to use Kiba. Using a Fire type would give me too much of an advantage, and I didn't want to be able to win just because I had a Pokemon with a type advantage. So this left me Meloi, Monty, Indigo and Cairo.
I made my decision. At this point I wasn't particularly bothered about any advantage using my starter Pokemon may or may not give me. I just wanted to win and get this battle over with, cement the idea that I was at least vaguely capable of winning a battle, and immediately begin trying to work out a plan for more intensive training.
"Meloi, let's go!"
"Amp-Ampharos!
Trying to at least attempt to strategise despite a complete and utter mind blank, I cast an eye over the Heracross. It was standing on both feet now, but panting heavily. I assumed it was fatigued, probably exhausted from having to execute Close Combat. A tiny spark of excitement burst somewhere in the back of my head. I had a chance here!
"Meloi, start out with Thunderpunch!"
"Dodge it, Heracross!"
The Heracross dodged, but only just. Meloi landed on her stubby feet, looking angry. My mind started to race. Thunderpunch would get Meloi just close enough to the Heracross, but fatigued or not, it could still escape her. It had still had energy to move, and that meant it was still dangerous. I had to slow it down.
Or stop it altogether.
"Meloi, go in for another Thunderpunch!"
She cast me a confused look, but obeyed me all the same. She lunged for the Heracross, balling her fist, electricity sparking and crackling furiously. Of course, the Heracross, with the nimble actions and reaction speed of a ninja effortlessly jumped to avoid it.
"Thunder Wave!" I screamed at once.
It was easy for Meloi to expel the residual electrical energy built up from her Thunderpunch, and the weak electricity hit the Heracross dead on. The Heracross squeaked in surprise as the weak current paralysed it.
"Hera? Hera!" the Pokemon cried, sounding shocked, only its eyes capable of movement.
"Meloi, come on! Try one last Thunderpunch!"
With nowhere to move, the Heracross took the full brunt of the attack. However, it still stood, albeit crackling and slightly singed from the attack, and wavering slightly. I cursed as Meloi retreated a few steps, cocking her head to one side and shouting angrily
"Heracross! Can you move!" Bugsy yelled, sounding suddenly unnerved.
"Hera!" It croaked, its voice strained and crackling.
Not wanting to chance the paralysis wearing off, I took my opportunity. Meloi was panting, looking exhausted from utilizing so much electrical energy, so I decided to try a different move. "Meloi, finish it with a Tackle attack!"
"Amp!" she cried, breaking into a furious run.
The physical attack completely knocked over the immobile Heracross. The Pokemon couldn't withstand the attack and fainted as soon as it hit the ground. Meloi cheered, practically dancing up and down, pumping her tiny fists, shocks of electricity fizzing around her. I straightened up, letting out a long exhale. My whole body was trembling and both my hearing and sight were fuzzy, fading in and out. I had to keep myself focused, and I couldn't quite believe what had just happened. I had won… Somehow.
Bugsy recalled the unconscious Heracross and then looked across at me, a faint hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. My breath was still coming in sharp, ragged gasps now, and I was scared I was going to start hyperventilating. I could hear cheering coming from the stands and the gym proctor was announcing the end of the battle, but I didn't care. I honestly didn't care. My mind was far too preoccupied to care.
A few seconds later, Bugsy had broken away from the end of the battlefield and was approaching me. He walked past my dancing Ampharos without even a backwards glance and held out his hand. In his palm lay a small circular badge, mostly red with a black stripe and a few black spots peppered on the brilliant red. It kind of reminded me of the back of a Ledyba.
"Here, the Hive Badge." He said, pressing it into my palm. "As proof of your win here."
"Thank you," I said, stowing the badge in the pocket of my jeans. "For the battle… and…" I lowered my voice a little, suddenly worried that the others would overhear me. "…for showing me that I still need to improve."
"All trainers are constantly striving to improve," Bugsy said as if it was nothing, folding his arms and smiling lightly.
"I know," I said with a sigh. "I just realised that I'm not as good a trainer as I thought. My Pokemon are strong, but I'm not giving them the right direction. Maybe I need more training before I go rushing headlong into my next Gym Battle."
Bugsy nodded his approval, thanked me once again for the battle, before turning towards the stands and shouting out for the next challenger to come down. I turned on my heel, the weight of the badge burning against my thigh and made to walk towards the exit of the gym.
But no sooner had I taken three steps in the direction of the Gym doors, Elliot was shouting down on me, sounding worried. "Sienna? Where are you going?"
I hesitated. "Out for some fresh air… I need to clear my head…"
"Sienna!" I could hear people still protesting as I slammed the Gym doors behind me and entered the cold, yet fragrant air. It was sobering, I could feel my head instantly clearing and I found myself needing to sit down, almost overcome by another wave of emotion. My head was spinning. All this time I thought I had retained the skills I used to have… So why was it I was struggling with Gym battles that everyone else (with the exception of Bailey for this one) was coursing through easily?
I collapsed my head in my hands and sighed deeply. I tried to remind myself that I had won here. I'd won my second Johto League badge. I was halfway through my goal of attaining the badges to get that battle with my Dad. The chance to finally gain his approval and recognition as a trainer.
Statistically, I'd achieved so much.
But this didn't feel like a win one little bit.
Author's Note
Back with another update, guys :) Hope you enjoy the conclusion to the Azalea Gym battles :)
Next couple of chapters are fairly unimportant in the story advancement, but there'll be a few things regarding Jasmine and Bailey you won't want to miss if you're a fan of that shipping.
Then the characters are on their way to Violet City to compete in a battle tournament!
And someone catches a new Pokemon! Who will it be?
Oh, another thing. Check out my new story "Master's Degree" which follows the story of university student Ivy McKenzie and her best friend Jack Hartman, as she fails a module in Saffron University and has no choice but to embark on a three month Pokemon journey to attain enough academic credits to return to sit her degree :)
Thanks to my reviewers: Sniper Mudkip, Sunbean, WarriorSwfit, WOWFan123, KRDiva1, TwewyReaperGirl, Manser77 and Zoeten :D