Time for Awkwardness 2: Electric Boogaloo. There's a conspicuous pun hidden in there somewhere.

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 74
Interruption

Though there weren't any official battlefields in the area, it didn't take Marina and Kenta long to find a decent spot. After a brief walk down the road from the Pokémon Center, they found a clearing that seemed big enough for their Pokémon to fight without obstructing the path. The boy glanced over his shoulder to look at her, pointing it out.

"Think this is good enough?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I'll be on the far side!" she responded and made her way to the opposite end of the improvised arena.

I never asked about how many badges he had; how strong is he? The girl wondered, thinking over which of her teammates to choose. She turned away from the encompassing forest and in Kenta's direction, with Muu-chan floating beside her.

"Oh, right," Marina said to her with a start, "I should try out my little routine when we begin battling."

"Muu?" the Misdreavus hummed calmly.

Forming a grin, Marina picked a Poké Ball and bounced on her feet nimbly as a warm-up. Kenta was already about to send out his first Pokémon, but she put her hands on her hips with self-assurance.

"Three-on-three, switching allowed!" she announced some ground rules, stopping him mid-throw. "Is that okay?"

It'd be good not to use my Lapras if I can help it, she planned.

"Uh—sure. Sounds good!" Kenta called back. He seemed more than ready to get to the fighting, and Marina had to hold back some laughter at his uncommon, eager demeanor. It was an almost refreshing side of him.

"Now, then!" Marina spun and struck an elaborate pose. "Marina, the young girl aspiring to become Champion, now sends out her fiery leader!" Wearing a theatrical upbeat expression, she tossed the ball in her hand. "King, hit the stage!"

"Magu!" King barked and jumped into a battle-ready stance as Marina swiftly caught the thrown Poké Ball. Having completed her flashy routine, she looked across the field to gauge his reaction.

Kenta had formed a completely dumbfounded expression. He glanced around them, and while he tried to hide it, he appeared embarrassed enough for the both of them. This changed, however, as Marina took note of his response. Others had acted uncomfortable when she danced too, but she figured it was because they just didn't know her. But Kenta's response made her feel incredibly silly.

"Oh geez, do I really look that stupid?" she whispered so Muu-chan could hear.

"Mu…muu," murmured Muu-chan, hovering close as she shared her Trainer's discomfort.

"What…is all that? Are you playing around?" Kenta eventually asked.

"No," hastily replied Marina. "Putting on a good show is important in battle! Didn't it look great?"

"Uh…" He shook his head, though not really in response to her question. "Anyway, I'm counting on you to be serious about this battle, Marina!"

Oh my gosh, I do look that stupid. Why didn't anyone say something? She could feel her cheeks heat up incredibly fast, and she tried her hardest not to run away or lose her composure. I'm so embarrassed!

"Of course I will! W-Well, it's your turn to send out your Pokémon," she stuttered and turned away. Marina watched him from the corner of her eye as he looked at the ball in his hand, seemed to ponder for a moment, but threw it anyway.

A loud buzzing filled the air as a Beedrill appeared and flapped its translucent wings to stay airborne. It zipped back and forth on its side of the field, sizing up its opponent.

"Oh!" Still fighting against her humiliated feelings, Marina formed a look of pleasant surprise. "I-Is that the same Weedle that you had back at your house?"

"Yeah, it is. Spear, do you remember Marina?" he asked somewhat awkwardly. Completely unaware of what had happened earlier, Spear the Beedrill lifted one of its needles as an amiable greeting to the girl.

"So you do! Long time no see!" she greeted. "Let's have a good fight, okay? I won't go easy on you just because we're friends!"

"I'll never forgive you if you did," Kenta declared. He then grinned at her. "You can go first."

"Oh, thank you." Out of necessity, she turned to fully face the battlefield and called out her order. "No holding back then! Okay King, Flame Wheel!"

"Agility, Spear!"

Spear dodged its opponent at a blinding speed. It launched into the sky, easily avoiding the fire-using ermine. Limited to the ground, King barked up at it in vain.

"King, Lava Plume!"

"Magu!" King responded to his Trainer and channeled the excessive flames from his previous technique. In an impressive burst of hot light, he sent a flurry of embers into the sky. The attack struck its mark, but not for long as the Beedrill sped out of its range within seconds. Even so, the Quilava released another wave of heat and embers like a small volcano, shooting high into the air. Spear failed to outrun it this time and dived to the side with smoke trailing from its wings. It landed haphazardly and faced its enemy.

"Spear, you alright?!" Its Trainer called and, when it responded, ordered, "Okay, use Poison Sting!"

"Finish it off with one final Lava Plume, King!" responded Marina. Without needing to even take a step from where he stood, King heartily roared and fired one last inferno in Spear's direction. The flames easily overtook the Beedrill's airborne needles and then Spear itself. It collapsed to the ground covered in burns, surrendering.

"You did well! Return!" Kenta said and recalled the fallen bee.

"That was a piece of cake. Bug-types are no match for King, right?" The girl looked merrily at King, who yipped and jumped in enthusiastic agreement. He turned back to the now empty side of the field, where Kenta was deciding his next Pokémon.

"The rest of the battle won't be that easy," he proclaimed and tossed his next ball. "Ampharos, go!"

With sparks showing its yellow body, the final evolution of the sheep Pokémon Mareep stood casually on its hind legs. It resembled Jasmine's Ampharos almost exactly, appearing younger and more nimble than Amphy was. The bipedal animal gazed up at the sky with a curious stare before greeting King cordially.

"Oh wow, an Ampharos!" Marina exclaimed and ordered her Pokémon, "Let's start things off with another Lava Plume, King!"

"Get close and use Thunder Punch, Aphraros!"

King fired yet another round of fireballs from the openings on his head and rear. Even with the flames hurdling in its direction, Ampharos trudged through the attack without batting an eye. Its stubby arm glittered brightly and cackled with electricity as it picked up speed. Just as King finished up his attack, he had no time to avoid his opponent's and closed his eyes as he braced the hit.

"Thunder Punch again, Ampharos!" Kenta commanded.

"Flame Wheel, King!" Marina ordered.

Ampharos began charging up its next Thunder Punch as King lit up like a tornado of fire. Being faster, the ermine was able to strike first. Static flashed between them, however, and sparks showered around him before once again being smacked about by Ampharos. Marina gasped audibly and frowned in concentration.

That was Ampharos' Static Ability just now! She thought as she observed King's limited movement, which was caused by the electricity sparking around his now stiff body. Geez, he only hit Ampharos once! What terrible luck!

"Smokescreen, King! Get out of there!" she gave her orders briefly before her friend.

"Thunder Punch!"

Though it tried to charge up its attack as quickly as it could, Ampharos only thrashed blindly at air and smoke. King unevenly retreated in the cover of the dark clouds.

"Now use Swift, King!"

"M-Magu…!" King barked weakly, resting on the ground for a moment as it struggled with its paralysis.

"Shock Wave, Ampharos!"

"Shock Wave?" Marina repeated the technique Kenta called out. With a jolt, she exclaimed, "That's a perfect accuracy move! King, come on, one last Lava Plume!"

With a determined roar, her Quilava managed to release a final Lava Plume in his enemy's direction. The waves of fire and electricity passed through one another and struck both Pokémon. King's Smokescreen dissipated, and Ampharos let out a sharp victory cry as King himself buckled and passed out.

"Oh, King! You did a great job!" praised the girl. She lifted his Poké Ball in his direction and returned him inside of it. Wearing a small smile, she briefly held it close before clipping it back to her belt. She selected her last Pokémon and looked up to see Kenta making a thumbs up.

"OK! Perfect!" he exclaimed.

Confused, Marina stared blankly until he noticed. She began giggling, unable to help herself even as Kenta gave her a baffled stare.

"What?" he asked.

"Come on, Kenta," she told him, "You looked at me funny when I did my dancing, but you do the same thing!"

"No I didn't. That's my victory pose!"

"It's totally the same thing!"

"It isn't," Kenta insisted.

"Yes, it is!" she said, continuing to giggle.

"I don't look that ridiculous, do I? It's supposed to look cool."

Marina held her stomach as she tried to control her laughter. Kenta put his hands on his hips momentarily in puzzlement, appearing stubborn in his disagreement with the girl. A flustered blush that began appearing on his cheeks as he realized she was correct. He looked away, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

"Well, wh-whatever!" he stuttered. "Let's just forget about it and move on with the battle."

"Okay. Sorry," Marina added with a silly smile and released her next Pokémon. "Phany, it's up to you!"

"Donfan!" Phany howled as he appeared, lifting his trunk in the air joyfully as he did so.

Kenta glanced back at the battlefield, noticing the burns on Ampharos' body. He called it back and picked out another ball, throwing it. "Go, Typhlosion!"

His Typhlosion appeared with a mighty roar, igniting the flames on his back. Marina became somewhat confused at this choice and tilted her head in thought.

"You sent out your Typhlosion?"

"This guy's really strong," Kenta responded confidently. Having his lead partner on the field seemed to help him recover from his embarrassment with surprising speed. "Ever since he was a Cyndaquil, he's been training intensely! I couldn't rely on anyone more!"

"You sure? You know I've got the type advantage again, right?"

His Ampharos is weak against Phany's Ground-typing too, she reflected for a moment, But don't think I should assume this battle's done yet. I mean, I've defeated Wani-Wani with King a couple of times when I battled Silver. I won't let my guard down!

"My Typhlosion and I have faced tougher battles than this. We're burning to win!"

"Bakuuun!" Typhlosion mimicked his passionate tone with another fearless bellow, breathing fire into the air.

"Geez." Marina glanced at Muu-chan, jokingly fanning her face with her hand. "Getting hot out here, isn't it?"

"Muu," Muu-chan replied in her typical manner.

The distant sound of thunder rumbled behind them, and the two turned around. Dark storm clouds were rolling in from the surrounding mountains, quickly overtaking the bright blue sky in the distance.

"Oh, look at that!" she pointed out.

"It looks like a storm's coming through," Kenta commented.

"I didn't know it was supposed to rain today."

Now that I think about it, when I saw—.

Another grumble of thunder resounded throughout the area, and Muu-chan formed an unusually angry look, growling quietly. Surprised, Marina put on a reassuring smile for her.

"Don't worry, Muu-chan! We'll finish this battle in no time at all." Turning back to the Pokémon on the field, Marina ordered, "Phany, use Magnitude!"

"Charge at it with Flame Wheel, Typhlosion!"

Phany gave another energetic howl, reared up and powerfully stomped the earth. The Trainers stood their ground as tremors shook the ground under their feet. Covered in flames, Typhlosion yowled yet pushed through as he bounded toward the elephant at an incredible speed. Phany endured the hit with ease, and the two eyed each other as the Fire-type kept its distance.

"What the—?" gasped Marina. She could see Kenta making a confident grin in return, and she mimicked him competitively.

Well, if that didn't work, then the Rollout tactic will!

"Defense Curl, Phany! Then use Rollout!"

"Typhlosion, Flamethrower!" commanded Kenta in response.

The Pokémon obeyed their orders, and after spending some time curled up, Phany kicked off and began rolling. Phany sped through the gust of flames, continuing toward his opponent like an unstoppable boulder.

As this happened, Marina shivered as she felt a strange, overwhelming tingling going through her entire body. She froze instinctually, confused. Before she could even react to it, a loud sound of static erupted into a deafening bang as she was blinded by a bright flash. Marina screamed and recoiled, shielding herself from the light. Her ears ringing, she opened her eyes when the unexpected event ended, and Marina sighed as her knees gave out from under her. She, and everyone around her, stared aghast at the forest. Thick, black smoke trailed up from a tree where a lightning bolt had struck.

Kenta was the first to recover. He rushed over to their Pokémon and then to Marina, asking urgently, "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm alright," she replied and stood back on her feet. She looked up, watching the dark storm clouds that were already covering the sky above them. "What's with this strange weather?"

"I don't know, but it isn't safe here. We should go back," he said. She looked back at him and nodded, but she stayed rooted to the ground as another shiver ran through her. Kenta mirrored her reaction, also sharing this sensation. Not a second later, another bolt of lightning crashed somewhere in the distant forest. Marina flinched skittishly, and Kenta turned to Phany, Muu-chan and his Typhlosion. "Let's hurry to the Pokémon Center!"

But as the young Trainers began heading toward the road, their Pokémon bolted in the opposite direction. Marina and Kenta stopped and turned back to them in confusion.

"Where are you going? That's the wrong way!" she asked, but they failed to listen.

"Return, Typhlosion!" he shouted as he held out a Poké Ball, recalling his starter. Seeing this, Marina did the same.

"Phany, return!" She quickly grabbed for her Misdreavus' Poké Ball, but Muu-chan had already slipped behind the cover of trees. Panicked, she ran after her. "Wait, Muu-chan!"

Marina waded through the brush as quickly as she could, ducking around any branches that obstructed her path. The sound of rustling leaves and breaking sticks behind her reassured that Kenta was following alongside her. Booming thunder snarled overhead, and the wind began shaking the green canopy of the forest. She continued pushing through the forest, calling her Pokémon's name and making sure not to lose sight of the little ghost ahead of her.

Eventually, however, Muu-chan stopped before entering a clearing. Marina rushed up to her and caught her, holding the Pokémon tight in her arms.

"M-Muu!" Muu-chan exclaimed in surprise.

"Geez, Muu-chan, you shouldn't do that!" the girl told her. "Why did you guys start running off like that?"

"Muu…muuma," the normally tranquil ghost murmured in an unsettled manner.

"What's wrong?"

"Marina, look," Kenta urged her. Marina glanced at him, noticing that his stare had turned stern, and followed his gaze beyond the woods.

Further out, several wild Pokémon were sprawled across the mountainous field. They were covered in burn wounds, many whining weakly in pain. At the center of the group sat an incredibly strange, skeletal device, which hummed and gave off cackling waves of electricity. Another machine, some kind of bipedal robot, stomped over to them and grabbed a couple of defenseless Pokémon with its extending claws.

"Ha ha ha!" the man controlling it, a blond-haired brute, laughed heartily. "Look at this! I'll take as much as I can carry!"

His attention was then directed toward a small cargo plane nearby, where a silver-haired man stood watching.

"Buson, playtime is over. Begin preparations to capture 'him'," he announced in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it already! As usual, you're far too serious, Bashou," claimed the boisterous man named Buson. He carelessly dropped a Mareep his robot held, which fell helplessly to the ground.

"What on earth are they doing?" Marina asked in a quiet tone, as though they'd be able to hear them behind the commotion.

They're not Team Rocket, are they? She pondered. Their outfits are gray, though…

"Those guys…!" Kenta shifted closer to them with a heated glare, appearing ready to dash out there at any moment.

An immensely bright light cloaked the area, followed by a tremendous bang of thunder. The unknown men turned their attention to the nearest mountain peak, where the clouds turned and sparked almost ominously. A great roar shattered the brief silence, and as it echoed, the hilltop was showered in smaller thunderbolts.

"What was that?" asked Kenta.

"I don't know. It sounded like—."

"We're getting a super-high electric response!" Buson called out to the other man. "No doubt about it, it's here!"

A giant lightning bolt descended from the clouds, revealing the familiar figure of a ferocious yellow tiger. Its purple mane letting loose multiple sparks, the beast let out another fierce growl. Marina gasped as the creature glared down at the two men.

It's Raikou!