R-DAY PLUS 9

"Whiteout"

Mad doctor Nakano wants to battle. Mad doctor Nakano sends out Umi.

"Go, Kotori!" cried Hanayo. Kotori quickly put her game face on.

The doctor possessed the advantage of having two Pokémon. He could afford to lose this round if it meant getting valuable data. Despite keeping the growling Maki, chomping at the bit for her turn in the battle, the doctor kept her back with his best foot. By no means was Umi any less ready to fight the enemy before her, although her round nose quickly attracted a few giggles from the girls.

"Don't laugh, you guys," said Honoka. "Our friends are in danger."

"I can't help it," replied Nico. "I mean, just look at them. They look like one of those head thingies at an amusement park."

"You mean cutouts?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"No, that's completely different."

The first move goes to the doctor. "Ashimari, use Water Gun!"

The brainwashed Umi spewed a powerful blast of water from its mouth. But with its target a Grass-type, the best the attack would do was to annoy a Kotori raring to fight. And annoyed it did. Now, it was Kotori's turn to strike back.

"Kotori, use Razor Leaf!" cried Hanayo.

From her pair of wings, Kotori unleashed a flight of sharp leaves. As much as Hanayo preferred not to hurt one of her friends too much, knocking her out was the only way.

"Dodge it!" said the doctor.

Umi jumped just in time to steer clear of a critical and effective attack—exactly what a stoic Hanayo wanted to happen. "Now, Kotori! Tackle!"

Gravity sided with a diving Kotori as her attack scored home, sending Umi crashing to the ground.

But Hanayo wasn't done. "Follow it up with Leafage!"

The flurry of glowing leaves scored a direct hit before Umi could do anything. The relentless assault soon proved to be too much for a Pokémon with a type disadvantage. Umi's dizzy eyes marked the end of the first round, which lasted just over a minute. This round went to µ's, which broke out in cheer almost right away.

"Way to go, Kayo-chin!" said Rin. "Show that no-good doctor who's the better trainer!"

"It's too early to celebrate," replied the doctor. "On the next round, I will have the advantage."

His next Pokémon, Maki, let out a fearsome growl. Flaring eyes told a lot about her confidence in an easy victory. Hanayo and Kotori braced themselves for a fiercer fight, where the stakes just shot up on the fly. The celebratory mood among the girls all but vanished in an instant upon realizing such stakes at hand.

"This is bad," said a shocked Nico. "If Maki's what I think she is, then she can breathe fire."

"You mean to say Kotori can be defeated with one shot?" asked Rin in panic.

"Hanayo! Kotori! Be careful!" yelled Eli.

Maki stepped up in Umi's place, growling at the enemy before her. Kotori flinched at the unfriendly sight, and Hanayo was just as scared.

"Nyabby, attack with Ember," said the doctor.

A red-hot stream from a fire-breathing Maki dashed toward Kotori. Hanayo had to react faster now, as well as her Pokémon. "Kotori, dodge it!"

A swift dodge steered the good guys out of harm's way, although it didn't stop an unfortunate pair of pigtails from catching fire. Nico let out a bloodcurdling scream, only for running around to fan the flames even more.

"Nico, stop running," Eli said. "You'll only make the fire grow."

Out of need to make the scene funnier, Honoka leapt toward Nico and kept her pinned down. "Stay still, Nico. I know a tried-and-true technique for putting out pigtail fires."

"Ow! Honoka! Let me go!" Nico struggled to break free, to no avail.

Instead, the two girls went for a self-powered roll down the sloped street with Honoka leading the way. "And here we goooooo!"

"Honoka! This is NOT how you stop, drop, and roll!" shouted Nico.

"Too late now! Hold on!"

"Honokaaaaa!"

Now, it was difficult to take the battle for the antidote seriously. It didn't stop the battle, though.

~O~

Any trainer worth his or her weight in Gym Badges knows that it only takes one critical hit to end a battle, especially if one side holds a type advantage. Over the course of the battle, the doctor sneers at the disadvantage his opponent isn't enjoying. A well-placed Ember from Maki will end the battle on his terms, which will help realize his dreams.

So far, Kotori managed to steer clear of the stream of flames thrown at her. But it won't win a battle deciding the fate of her Pokemonized friends. The cautious Hanayo, on the other hand, must go on the offense.

"Kotori, use Tackle!" cried Hanayo.

"Dodge it and counter with Ember!" replied the doctor.

The nimble Maki got out of the way and returned fire. But once again, the stream of flame shot past Kotori by a hair's breadth. It was only a matter of time before her luck runs out.

"Tackle again!" yelled Hanayo.

"Dodge it!" replied the doctor.

Kotori's second Tackle hit thin air left by Maki's masterful dodge. If anything, the attack hit a pipe in the dark. Hitting with half the force of the universe, Kotori came spiraling down on a silver platter. The doctor saw his chance. "Now! Hit it with Ember!"

This time, there was no escaping the flames. To the girls' horror, Kotori screeched under the grilling heat. Her fall from grace prompted Hanayo to hurry to her aid. The battle seemed over.

"Kotori, are you okay?" asked Hanayo. Her feathery friend could only crow weakly.

"It looks like I win," the mad doctor gloated. "Now hand over that Pokémon as promised."

"What promise?" Eli protested. "We never agreed to anything!"

"Then let me clarify," the doctor said. "I have with me a creature that can burn a person alive in just minutes. If you all don't do what I say, then I'll be gladly to ask my friend here to roast you."

Grilled Elichika is as appetizing as it looks, let alone sounds. She relented under a legitimate threat, forced to watch imminent defeat from the sidelines. Not even a comforting hand from Nozomi could ease all her troubles.

Then, a courageous Hanayo snapped them out of their misery. "It's not yet over!"

Attention shifted to a limping Kotori, badly scarred, and her trainer standing defiant.

"Oh? You still care to fight?" said the doctor.

"Kotori and I can still win this," said Hanayo. "We have to…for our friends."

"Fighting for friendship, huh? Sweet, yet cliché…"

Sporting a determined look rarely seen, Hanayo glanced at Kotori. The burns on every feather in the latter's body leaned toward fainting and losing the fight of their lives. Still, she glared at the enemy at the gates, a telltale sign of a bit of bravado chomping at the bit for a turnaround. Not one to doubt a clear sign of determination, Hanayo continued the fight.

"Let's go, Kotori!" cried Hanayo, to Eli and Nozomi's relief.

Then, in a contrived twist, a green glow enveloped Kotori from wingtip to wingtip. The radiance, for some reason, forced Maki back a little.

"Is this…" Hanayo marveled at the glow, but then focused on the battle. "Kotori, use Razor Leaf!"

"Useless!" yelled the doctor. "Nyabby, counter with Ember!"

Both attacks collided in an explosive stalemate, with smoke blowing out to all directions. That exact moment, the tide of battle has changed.

And Hanayo liked her odds. "I knew it. It's Overgrow."

"Overgrow?" asked Nozomi.

"It boosts the power of Grass-type attacks when a Pokémon's health reaches critical levels," Hanayo explained. "I can't believe I'm seeing Overgrow right now."

"Nonsense!" the doctor yelled. "I still have the type advantage. Nyabby, use Ember again!"

Maki let out another stream of flames, only for Kotori to prove the attack futile. "Kotori, use Razor Leaf again!"

Once again, the battlefield erupted in smoke upon collision. Neither attack found its mark, but quick thinking just might. "Kotori, Tackle through the smoke!"

Flying into the smoky abyss, Kotori burst through the enemy side and delivered a direct hit to both Maki and her captor. The break in the attack opened up enough time to deliver the decisive blow. "Now finish it off with Leafage!"

A whirlwind of green radiance became the cherry on top of this triple attack. The effects of a shot in the arm (or wing) in a desperate situation began taking their toll on Maki, who held almost every advantage in a one-on-one battle. Tossed around the whirlwind, Maki hit the ground out cold and out of the fight. The battle was finally over, to the doctor's chagrin.

"Defeated," he muttered. "Years of research…everything…lost…"

The girls erupted into a celebratory cheer. "We did it, Kotori! We won! I can't believe it!" Hanayo tossed a gleeful Kotori up in an air of victory.

The party didn't last long under the distant blare of sirens and flash of lights. The doctor, once stark raving mad in his obsession to further the human race, took his Pokémon aside for one last shot as a defeated man.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Eli.

"It'll be a while for the antidote to take effect," the doctor gave Umi and Maki their shots. "But they'll be back to normal."

Having gone through so much, Eli wasn't about to take any chances. "If this is another trick—"

"I know when I'm defeated," the doctor walked up to Kotori and gave her shot. "There's no point in continuing this research. The world has decided to reject my contribution."

And there was silence…until the police arrived.