CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE
After Natalie's victory over Jeremiah, she and Daniel had been elevated to the top thirty-two. Amy was to take her battle in the evening, so she had all day to heal her Pokemon, buy supplies and prepare strategy with her friends. As per the tournament rules, each Trainer could only bring three Pokemon into battle, which made Amy's selection effortless. Arcanine, Marowak and Nidorina had been her friends throughout her Kanto journey.
Amy wanted to have an early dinner before her match began, so she entered the cafeteria and scanned the packed tables, not catching sight of Natalie. She waited in the queue and ordered a prepackaged salad, feeling guilty to binge on chips and hamburgers. Though her calorie intake had increased, her nerves had certainly contributed towards a weight loss.
Forget the diet regime that she and her friends had religiously followed in Celadon - the rigors of becoming a Pokemon Trainer and anticipation of victory-or-nothing had shed the pounds faster, though not to an unhealthy extent. She was happier with her friends and Pokemon and lifestyle, earning money through battles and achieving Badges as proof of her success. Now she was in the Indigo League tournament and she still couldn't believe the journey it had taken to get here.
Amy glanced about for a spare table amidst the ruckus of hungry, growing teenagers who scoffed second helpings, she noticed Daniel sitting with a male friend, having never seen him with one before. He wasn't social, to the extent where friends got their chance to reply in the conversation. Her eyes widened when she saw Liam sitting opposite her friend, smirking with his grey eyes narrowing up at her.
"You," Amy spat, before she could even say hello to Daniel. "What are you two - "
"We're bunk buddies," Liam grinned, taking up as much space in the crowded cafeteria as possible. His clothes were in shabby condition but they were all expensive brands, showing how little he cared for wear and tear. He turned to Daniel with some surprise. "How do you know my sister?"
Daniel was flabbergasted. He turned from Liam to Amy, trying to identify similarities between the two. Perhaps when Amy was blonde and had harsher cheekbones, she might've resembled Liam's waxy, pale features; but Amy was back to her natural brunette and smiled a lot more. But not now.
"Liam's your brother?" Daniel asked Amy, who remained stern. He tried to remember what Amy had mentioned of her little brother. Pompous, entitled and stuck-up. But Daniel had found Liam friendly, engaging and always willing to listen!
"You wouldn't think so," said Liam, harshly eyeing his sister. "You've changed, Amy. For the worse."
"Like you can speak," Amy retorted, with the instant familiarity between siblings that belies bad feelings bubbling under the surface. "You look like a thug-in-training."
It was true, thought Daniel. Liam dressed like no prepster, preferring the grunge look that set him apart from his elite peers with ripped jeans, hooded jackets and sneakers. He was not vain, but knew how to blend into the delinquent footpads with whom he congregated back in Celadon.
"You talk like our mother for all your superiority, but you're the one who left home and said goodbye to your trust fund," Liam added, to which Amy blanched but recovered her composure. "Are you seriously telling me you hitchhiked it across Kanto with only the belongings on your back? No dry cleaning, room service or butler?"
"Of course," Amy gritted her teeth. "With the help of my friends, of course."
Here, she indicated Daniel, who realised he was the Caterpie between a proud Pidgeot and a vengeful Fearow. Liam's eyes shifted between Amy and Daniel's alliance, not yet certain Daniel would come to his side.
"Right," Liam got up from the table, his three Pokeballs standing out on his belt as he stood and stretched. "I'm off. I've got to meet our mother for dinner. She arrived today."
"Mother's here?" Amy couldn't help but stutter. "And our father?"
Liam shook his head. "Dad's stuck in Saffron, helping with some company merger."
"How'd she manage to get a room in an inn?" Amy asked, unable to help herself. "Surely everything's been booked out - "
Sneering, Liam replied, "Our mother would never stay in an inn. She rented out a villa in the woods, overlooking the lake. Ten minutes walk from the stadium, with lots of outdoor space to practice my Pokemon strategy."
"Oh, so that's where you were the first night," Daniel concluded, with a little laugh to break the ice that had become a solid wall between brother and sister. "No wonder you didn't want to stay in some shared dormitory in the stadium."
"Yeah, but I don't like staying with her," Liam grimaced, turning to Amy. "She's only good for the money. Besides, she's been up my ass about people who've come to her saying they've seen you around Kanto."
"Seeing me where?" Amy demanded, shocked.
"Chill out, she didn't hire spies or anything," Liam said in sarcasm. "The maid saw you at a laundromat one time... then a friend of hers saw you at a homeless shelter... then one of her friends in Fuchsia said they saw you with your arm in a sling. You've been getting round, huh, Amy?"
Amy went pale. She thought she had gone unnoticed, but her mother's influence was wide. Her parents would know all about how high she had fallen.
"Of course, she doesn't care about you anymore, though she doesn't shut up about it," Liam rolled his eyes. "Now that all her friends have sons who are Pokemon Trainers, she's bitching to me to win so our family name comes out on top."
"That's all it is for you, isn't it? Family glory?" Amy scowled.
"I've got cash, sis," Liam grinned, as Amy scowled. "I don't need the prize money. Even the fame is a bonus to keep Mum off my back."
"Then why are you here?" Amy asked, as though Liam's presence here was existential, a continual thorn in her side.
"To kick Lance's ass. To make it known around Kanto I'm the best Trainer. I didn't come here just to piss you off," Liam stepped closer to his sister, and Amy stiffened. "But since you're in my way, I'll tell you now I'll happily defeat you on live TV, so that when you come back to Celadon with your Slowpoketail in between your legs, all of Kanto will know what a loser you are."
"Screw you," Amy spat, turning to Daniel. "Let's leave."
In her anger, Amy could not help that it came out more as an order. She could not lose face in front of her brother, but she forced herself to place her hand on Daniel's shoulder to be friendly. In hindsight, this was a grave error for Liam's eyes lit up in understanding, presuming there to be more between them than there was.
None the wiser, Daniel rose to follow Amy. "See you 'round, Liam."
Nodding without another word, Liam watched as his sister departed with Daniel, scheming how to play this to his advantage.
Meanwhile, Amy and Daniel left the steel-and-tiles complex of the stadium for the fresh air and grass outside. Sitting down to watch some Trainers and their Pokemon get exercise with a game of volleyball, Amy turned to Daniel.
"I'm sorry about before. Liam gets on my nerves," Amy added. "I should've have got you involved as a prop. The matter called for more discretion than I managed to provide."
Daniel was silent, watching a Machoke slam dunk the ball over the opponent's side of the volleyball net.
"He and I share a dormitory," Daniel finally added. "I know you two have history, but... well, he's been nice to me so far."
Amy frowned. "Haven't you been taken advantage of before? He's using you."
Daniel remained mute. He was the sort to take people at face value, incredibly trusting. Perhaps it was growing up in small towns where everyone knew each other and nobody left, that maintained that mindset, Amy thought.
"I know there's the chance Liam and I might battle each other," Daniel said. "But sometimes it's hard to turn down the offer of friendship when it comes so suddenly. To think that everyone has a motive - that's a bit unsettling, do you know what I mean? Isn't there a chance he actually wants to get to know me?"
Amy sighed. "He's a charmer. He can get along with anyone he wants, but he has no real friends. Please trust me on this. Liam only looks out for himself."
Daniel took a deep breath, trying to marshal his thoughts.
"When I was growing up in Pallet, my best friend and I were the only ones to get top marks at the Pokemon Trainer's School. None of the other kids would talk to us 'cos we stayed home and read and studied. When he started entering his Nidoran into Pokemon battles, I kept my Meowth safe at home. I wouldn't battle with him, so he found other kids to train with and he beat nearly everyone he faced. I lost him as a friend," Daniel added bitterly. "I know it's naïve of me, but I can't help letting go of people who have at one point been close to me."
Amy realised why Daniel and Natalie would only ever be friends. Daniel had a vast reservoir of untapped warmth for friends, he could barely focus it all on one person in a relationship. Natalie had enough experience being insulted by her older sister Alesha to empathize with Daniel over his fear of rejection. No wonder the two could stand to be around each other. Still, for Daniel to be distracted by the offer of friendship was unsettling. He was setting himself up to be hurt... but then aren't we all, by letting our vulnerable sides show?
"It sounds like you miss your best friend," Amy added vaguely, trying to be a good listener by echoing the other's person's thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," Daniel rolled his eyes. "He left to take the Badge challenge a few days before I did. Natalie and I bumped into him in Mt. Moon," Daniel laughed, turning to Amy. "He beat me, but just as Natalie was about to challenge him, he ran off into the cave. Joshua's always taking off - "
Amy's blood froze cold - Joshua? Nidoran? Mt. Moon?
"Joshua, you said his name was," Amy began tentatively. "I met a Joshua in Mt. Moon. He had a Nidorino and a Mankey - "
Daniel turned to her in surprise. "Yeah, that's him!"
"But - " Amy paused. "I've seen him plenty on my journey. He did rather a lot for me."
"Like what?" Daniel frowned. "Joshua never helps anyone. He got Natalie so angry once she slapped him for being a bully."
Confused, Amy replied, "Well, he saved me in Mt. Moon from a pair of burglars, then I met him in Celadon City, then when I had my accident on Cycling Road - "
"Wait!" Daniel said with dawning comprehension. "He's the guy who saved you on Cycling Road? You never told us his name!"
"Well, I didn't think you'd know who I was talking about!" Amy blurted. "Joshua is a pretty common name!"
"Why has he been saving you all this time?" Daniel asked, the notion of chivalry appealing to him. "He doesn't even know you - "
"That's what's strange," Amy hesitated, trying not to overspill her concern. She couldn't possibly accuse Joshua without proof, could she? That was opening a can of worms. "It's odd that we've both met Joshua in different capacities."
"It'll make it easier to battle him in the tournament since we know what Pokemon he uses," Daniel smiled. "He's not easy to defeat."
"I'm very interested in what Pokemon he uses," Amy added, remembering the warmth she had felt when Joshua had saved her from Cycling Road, and what had been missing from her purse afterwards. "Especially his Poison-types."
At the conclusion of her conversation with Daniel, Amy headed off towards the examination battlefield while Daniel rushed off to regroup with Natalie and grab seats in the stands. Amy was nervous as every Trainer had been, sickly and pale before they challenged their opponent, either moving up in rank or losing to great jeers.
But Amy remained stoic, her face a mask as she approached the attendant, showed her three Pokeballs and walked down the corridor, opening the double doors. In her youth, she had once entertained notions of being a model, but even that profession had made her mother wilt.
"What will you do when your beauty runs out, Amy?" echoed her mother's sharp tone. "You must secure a man now, while you still have some vestige of talent."
Amy would never want a man as a placeholder, on the off-chance she never found happiness. That sticky-sweet clingy attitude didn't bode well for your self-esteem if all you thought about was where the next man was coming from... surely there was more to life than only ever thinking about a relationship as the means to survival and self-respect.
Now as she stepped onto the battlefield, the attention was on her, but not for the way designer clothes fit on her trim frame or how perfect her styled hair looked atop her head. The crowd was there to watch Amy battle, to implement strategy and tactics with her Pokemon, to command from the sidelines three strong Pokemon to take on others.
Cussing, splattering mud and outrage were among the emotions exchanged in a Pokemon battle, none of which would be found upon a catwalk where the only requirement was to stand and look pretty. Looking back, Amy wondered why she ever thought she would have wanted a life of staying back from the fray...
Meeting the cheering and jeering crowds with all their vigor and roars with a wave, Amy took position at one side of the battlefield and thought there was nothing like the adrenaline of going head to head with another Trainer. Getting in the thick of battle was worth more than staying on the sidelines, looking pretty and submissive.
"Welcome to the Indigo League preliminaries!" blared the announcer through the speakers. The crowd cheered and clapped, as Amy shivered from the dusk chill. "On the left, we have Trainer Arthur, and on the right, we have Trainer Amy!"
Arthur had tousled brown hair, shirt half-tucked and adjusted his spectacles, no doubt having spent the entire day planning for this battle as opposed to how he would look on the battlefield. Though the crowd jeered at his appearance, he paid them no mind, clearly confident in his ability. Ruffled, Amy decided not to underestimate him.
"May the best Trainer win!" boomed the announcer.
The battlefield was a blanket of dewdrop fresh green grass, with shrub and boulders dotted about. A shallow stream ran through the middle, making it look zen. Amy selected her first Pokeball, nodding to Arthur in greeting who fumbled and tried not to blush.
"Go, Marowak!"
Marowak walked forward, a crowd favourite as a lone soldier holding his bone club for all to see like a trophy. Arthur selected his first Pokeball, tossing it onto the lush glade.
"Poliwrath!"
Poliwrath was the evolved form of Poliwhirl, with a bulkier frame and large fists. Amy remembered that unlike Poliwag and Poliwhirl, Poliwrath was a Water/Fighting-type.
"We can do this, Marowak!" Amy cried, as Marowak stood defiant to Poliwrath's gaze. "Double Team!"
"Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!" Arthur shouted.
Marowak split into three copies, as Poliwrath released a surge of powerful water which obliterated one of the copies into nothingness.
"Skull Bash, Marowak!"
The two Marowak copies headed for Poliwrath -
"Mega Punch, Poliwrath!" Arthur yelled.
Poliwrath picked a Marowak at random, fist sailing to the gut but it was a copy, too. The real Marowak remained, head lowered and charging into Poliwrath, who fell over several times upon the field. The crowd began to cheer for Marowak.
"Good work, Marowak! Bone Club!"
"Poliwrath, Seismic Toss!"
Marowak leapt upon Poliwrath with its bone club raised, but Poliwrath grabbed a hold of Marowak, swinging him around and letting go towards Amy, so that Marowak flew the length of the battlefield, crumpling at Amy's feet. Injured but not down for the count, Marowak got to its feet, angry.
"Poliwrath, Hypnosis!" Arthur shouted.
"Marowak, Double Team!" Amy cried.
Marowak split into three copies again, but Poliwrath's hypnotic wave blasted the real Marowak copy, dissipating the two fakes into nothingness as Marowak slumped, asleep.
"No!" Amy cried, reaching for her Full Heal.
"Poliwrath, Bubblebeam!" Arthur shouted.
Shooting forth a powerful surge of bubbles which popped on impact, Poliwhirl greatly damaged Marowak who lay in slumber, while Amy administered the Full Heal. Although Marowak was awake, he was now struggling to continue.
"That's OK, Marowak! Return!" Amy held out her Pokeball, red light flashing. Frowning at Arthur, she worried she had made a mistake with letting Marowak fight so long. She selected her second of three Pokeballs. "Go, Nidorina!"
Nidorina ran forth, growling for her fallen comrade. Poliwrath was unafraid. Nidorina had a slight advantage - Fighting-type moves weren't very effective against Poison-type Pokemon.
"Nidorina, Horn Drill!"
"Poliwrath, Mega Punch!"
Both Pokemon ran towards each other; Poliwrath with his fist raised and Nidorina with her horn spinning like a drill. Poliwrath lunged for Nidorina at the last second, who leapt high to evade the move, landed cleanly behind Poliwrath and charged him from the rear, horn drill striking his spine.
"Ah! My Poliwrath!" Arthur lamented.
Sinking slowly to the battlefield, Poliwrath was out as Nidorina returned to Amy's side of the battlefield, receiving congratulatory cheers in kind from the crowd. Amy glanced around but could not see Daniel nor Natalie among the packed stands.
"Your Nidorina is pretty good," said Arthur, returning Poliwrath to its Pokeball in a flash of red light. "You should evolve it using an evolutionary stone. I used a Water Stone to make my Poliwhirl evolve into a Poliwrath."
"I'm not a fan of forcing Pokemon to evolve," Amy commented. "I am proud to have Nidorina as she is."
"Humph. Pride won't win battles! It will only make defeat taste a little less bitter!" Arthur threw his second of three Pokeballs into the field. "Go, Clefable!"
The crowd oohed and aahed over this newest addition to Arthur's side of the field. The evolved form of Clefairy, Clefable was a rare Pokemon who evolved using a Moon Stone. It was larger than Clefairy, retaining its mystical air. Amy had never seen one before.
"You're in for a treat!" Arthur cried. "Clefable, Sing!"
"Nidorina, Body Slam!" Amy shouted.
Clefable began singing a lullaby as Nidorina ran forth, while the crowd began to feel dizzy. The cameramen had to refocus their monitors, shaking out of their reverie as Nidorina reached halfway across the battlefield before she slumped to the ground, asleep. Hurriedly, Amy reached for another Full Heal.
"Now, Clefable! Metronome!" Arthur shouted gleefully.
The crowd held its breath as Clefable waggled its fingers, glowing with a serene light. Amy watched, transfixed.
"What's Metronome?" she muttered, searching through her backpack and hands closing over her Full Heal at last.
Clefable's eyes glowed red, then she released a fiery surge of Flamethrower which knocked the sleeping Nidorina over and sprawled to her Trainer's feet. Amy was in shock, wondering how Clefable knew such a move, then recovered and administered the Full Heal to her injured Nidorina.
"Metronome allows for a Pokemon to learn almost any move!" Arthur shouted, by way of explanation. "It's only temporary, but it holds some interesting results, don't you think?"
Amy had thought Clefable was a Pokemon viable only for its cuteness, but she saw clearly now that wasn't just the case. Dancing on the spot, Clefable made the crowds cheer, more powerful than it had let on. Nidorina began to stir and Amy's confidence returned.
"Let's take out that singing fairy!" Amy cried, as the crowds booed her. "Nidorina, Toxic!"
"Clefable, Light Screen!" Arthur shouted.
Clefable conjured a shining, golden barrier against which Nidorina's poisonous surge splattered harmlessly.
"Go around it!" Amy urged. "Body Slam!"
"Clefable, Doubleslap!" Arthur shouted.
Clefable rushed forth, but Nidorina was faster, leaping into the air and slamming Clefable underneath its bulk. Nearby, the Light Screen dissipated.
"Clefable!" Arthur shrieked, reaching for a Full Heal. Nidorina's Body Slam had paralysed Clefable.
"Bite, Nidorina!" Amy cried.
Nidorina pounced upon Clefable, delivering a sharp bite that Arthur could only stand and watch as his Pokemon was injured further. Spraying the Full Heal, Arthur healed Clefable of paralysis and now his Normal-type stood defiant to Amy's Poison-type Pokemon.
"Metronome!" Arthur shrieked.
"Nidorina, Horn Drill!" Amy screamed.
Clefable wiggled its fingers, glowing as Nidorina's horn spun like a drill. As Nidorina leapt for Clefable, Clefable burrowed underneath the ground to gasps of surprise from the crowd.
"It used Dig!" Amy said, surprised. "Nidorina, watch out!"
Clefable burst from the ground, tackling Nidorina from underneath and greatly injuring her. Sprawled upon the ground, Nidorina struggled to stand as Clefable smiled in triumph.
"Finish Nidorina off!" Arthur yelled. "Clefable, use Doubleslap!"
Slapping Nidorina with both hands, Clefable dealt lasting damage to Nidorina, who buckled upon her haunches but sprang to attack Clefable with its last bout of strength, delivering a Horn Drill attack. Both Pokemon collapsed to the ground, fainted.
"Return, Clefable!" Arthur held out his Pokeball.
"Nidorina, you did your best!" Amy held out her Pokeball. "I'm proud of you!"
Now both Trainers had only one Pokemon remaining. Arthur selected his third and final Pokeball, tossing it into the field.
"Try this on for size! Go, Pinsir!"
Pinsir was bipedal with a brown body, two hands and feet, but with two sharp pincers atop its head. Furious and fearless, Pinsir looked like a nightmare cockroach, attracting gasps of awe from the crowd.
"Go, Arcanine!" Amy threw her Pokeball into the field, where in a dazzling flash of red light Arcanine reared its great head, proud to fight for his Trainer.
"No way! An Arcanine!" Arthur cried. Pinsir was a Bug-type, weak to Arcanine's Fire-type. "I'll still defeat you! Pinsir, Double Team!"
"Arcanine, Fire Blast!" Amy yelled.
Splitting into three copies, the crowd shrieked as Pinsir sprinted for Arcanine. Arcanine released a fiery inferno from its mouth which consumed two of the copies harmlessly, dissipating into smoke as the real Pinsir leapt for Arcanine -
"Pinsir, Vicegrip!"
"Arcanine, Take Down!"
Arcanine was faster, tackling into Pinsir so that the two went down. Pinsir squirmed on the ground, injured while Arcanine suffered minor recoil.
"Pinsir, Slash!" Arthur cried.
"Arcanine, Flamethrower!" Amy shouted.
Arcanine leapt back to avoid the savage thrust from Pinsir, blasting Pinsir with a stream of flame which incinerated him, injuring him greatly and delivering severe burns to the Bug-type. Weakly, Pinsir spun to face Arcanine, still fighting on.
"Your Pokemon's too hurt!" Amy shouted. "Send him back!"
"I'm not giving up the tournament!" Arthur yelled, furious. "Pinsir, use -
But Pinsir leapt upon Arcanine, who growled and pounced, the two rolling together in the dirt as they bit and scratched and tore at each other. In fright, Amy's hands shook as she reached for her Pokeball, only seeing the silver whirl of Pinsir's sharp pincers -
"No!" Arthur cried.
Pinsir lay defeated, succumbing to his burns which had greatly reduced his stamina to fight back. Arcanine stood victorious, for all the crowds to cheer as Pinsir lay quite unconscious.
"Trainer Amy has won the match!" blared the announcer.
Subsequents roars and cheers from the crowd, even a wolf whistle from somewhere. Amy spotted Daniel and Natalie at last, waving and smiling to them as she rushed onto the battlefield, hugging Arcanine who was injured but not worse for wear.
"Thank you, Arcanine," she muttered into his fur, so exhausted she could do with Clefable's Sing to get her off to lullaby land. "You were amazing."
Glancing over at Arthur who was returning his Pinsir to his Pokeball, cursing under his breath, Amy walked over, hand extended.
"You have good Pokemon, Arthur," she took a step back, for his gaze was furious. "I-it was a good battle."
Storming off, Arthur exited to boos and jeers as Amy recovered, her face hot with shame for Arthur's rude behaviour. Arcanine was at her side in a second, sensing his Trainer's discomfort.
"It's alright, Arcanine. It's high stakes, and there's no friends to be found," Amy smiled sadly, patting her Fire-type's fur. "Let's look on the bright side. We're in the top thirty two! All thanks to you, Nidorina and Marowak!"