Author Note:
Sorry for the wait. Turns out I sometimes get really stuck writing battle scenes, but I'll try not to let it happen next time.
"It's been a while since any kids took my course. I'm surprised you went for it!" Misty chirped cheerfully at me as we walked to her designated pool. "The last one was... Oh when was it... A year ago? A kid with a funny hat. That was a terrifying battle..." She shook her head. "We haven't had many challengers in general lately, and none of them want to try the 'crazy-hard' course."
"The Gym Challenge is about getting as strong as possible." I answered cautiously, tugging gently at the swim trunks I'd borrowed to make sure they were going to stay in place. "If I can't beat the hard version of the second gym, how can I hope to clear the entire challenge?"
My trusty partner Yeller walked on his hind legs behind me, his cute little feet tapping almost silently against the tiles of the floor with each step.
"That's it! That's the attitude! Oh, I miss when I was the only Gym Leader..." Misty chirped in response, coming to a stop as we reached the side of her pool. "But before that, I need to see how well you can swim."
With a single fluid movement, Misty slid from the edge of the pool into the water, almost as if she had merged with the liquid. I blinked a few times in surprise, trying to make sure I'd seen the movement correctly. Even though she was now fully immersed in the shallow end of the pool, I could barely even spot ripples flowing from her entrance.
"Don't be shy, the water won't hurt you." She spoke with a soothing tone. "Even if you slip or struggle, I'll be here to catch you."
I realised in that moment that I'd been staring anxiously into the water. "Ah, no. I'm not scared." I sheepishly replied.
Quietly, I dropped into the water myself, a large splash signalling my entry. The pool was shallow and cool, and I could feel a shiver running up my spine from the sudden change in temperature.
"Cold, isn't it?" Misty hummed. "But if you have to swim in a lake, or the ocean, it will be much colder than this. Don't let the temperature slow you down, and-"
Without waiting for her to finish speaking, I dove down beneath the surface of the water, letting it flow over my head as I swum a few feet forwards, rolling one arm over the other before resurfacing and treading water in a deeper part of the pool.
"Alright. I'm over it." I shook my head, flinging the wet hair out of my eyes. "What next."
The orange-haired woman blinked vacantly at me a few times, before putting her hands on her hips again. "You're already used to swimming, aren't you? Kids from out in the country like you aren't normally good swimmers."
I shrugged lightly as I continued to tread water. "I'm passable. A bit out of practice maybe."
She nodded softly. "Alright, show me what you can do."
I spent the next ten or so minutes proving that I was a capable and reliable swimmer. After I'd swum the length of the pool, through rings, floated on my back and more, she finally acknowledged that my swimming was up to par. I'd had to learn to be quite a good swimmer while in the army, although I'd fortunately never had to do any naval missions.
As Misty led me to the other end of the pool where various floating pads were placed, I almost jumped in surprise as an enormous crash reached my ears. Both Misty and I turned in surprise to see a large forest of vines rising from one of the swimming pools-The one furthest from ours.
"I guess Chee is having her Gym Battle." I laughed. "We should get to it too."
...
It was a few minutes later when we'd carefully made our way onto two of the floating pads on the pool. They were steadier than I'd expected, but each step still felt like I risked capsizing the entire platform.
"Alright!" Misty called out to me, waving. "If you've already earned Brock's badge, he must have told you how every Gym Battle has their own rules right?"
I nodded. "In his Gym, we had to clear the battle in a time limit."
"Right! Well in this Gym you have to fight over the pool like this. If you leave the pool you've lost!" She smiled at me, once again placing her hands on her hips. "These platforms are special, and if you hit them hard enough they will sink into the pool, so if you're not careful you'll run out of solid ground."
I nodded quietly, examining the field. There were two large platforms on either side, one for me and the other for Misty. There were also 9 other scattered platforms of different sizes across this edge of the pool. "I see, the theme this time is a 'dealing with unfavourable terrain', then?"
The orange-haired girl tilted her head at me quizzically. "I mean, I suppose?"
I thoughtfully stroked my chin.
"This is your second Gym, right?"
"That's right."
"Alright, I'll use these two then." She mumbled, digging through a bag at her side and pulling a smaller bag out. "This will be a two on two battle, and I won't be switching Pokemon mid-battle unless they faint."
"I only have one Pokemon." I answered, gesturing to the yellow Rattata sitting on my shoulder. "Is that alright?"
"O-oh! Of course, but if you had more than one you'd only be allowed two, that's all!" Misty answered, seemingly flustered. I couldn't make out what it was, but she seemed to mutter something under her breath.
"Alright Yeller, time for battle!" I called out, helping the agile rodent jump onto one of the nearby platforms, where he immediately struggled to keep his balance. The platform threatened to capsize with every shift of body weight.
Balance would be an integral part of this fight, and it was something that Yeller's missing limb only made more pronounced. Not only that, the floating pads themselves were coated in a slippery water-proof material that wasn't easy to stick to. I could tell just from the platform I was standing on, where my feet felt like they could slip out from under me at a moments notice.
"Staryu, time to shine!" Misty exclaimed, throwing a Pokeball out over the pool water. A burst of blue light took the form of a large star, revealing a truly peculiar creature. The monster was a brown star, standing on two of its points. At the centre of the star was a shiny red orb encased in the sturdy yellow carapace that made up it's torso.
I wasn't too familiar with aquatic Pokemon but I had seen this one before. Staryu, a water type Pokemon from Kanto.
"Alright, let's start off with a Rapid Spin!" Misty decreed, denying me the chance for initiative.
The Staryu leapt into the air, spinning like a top centered on its red gem. Somehow the Pokemon was able to fly through the air over the surface of the water, flinging itself directly at Yeller.
"Yeller, block it with Bite!"
Although somewhat shaky on his paws, my partner Rattata spun around and summoned a pair of energy jaws in the star's path. For a moment the block appeared to be successful, but Yeller slowly began to slide across the slippery platform, gradually gaining speed from the force of the Staryu's attack pushing against the Bite fangs.
Gloom Juice! "Yeller, release the bite and duck!" I ordered. The rodent obeyed, immediately slamming his body down into the yellow fabric beneath him. The sharp spinning limbs of the Staryu whizzed past his head, just barely avoiding collision. Yeller continued to skid backwards, stopping just short of falling into the water.
"The balance problem is bigger than I thought..." I mumbled, chewing my lip slightly.
Still spinning, the Staryu landed and caught it's balance. It was clearly much more used to the unstable ground, as it was able to pose gracefully straight away.
"Yeller, are you alright?" I called out. The Rattata shot me a thumbs-up while struggling to stay upright on the pad, but he managed to scramble back into position at the centre of it.
"Staryu, Water Gun!" Misty called, pointing to the platform Yeller flailed on. The top point of the star creature bent over, a burst of water shooting through the air from it's tip. The water arched across the pool, slamming into the floatation device beneath Yeller's feet.
There was a loud pop, and suddenly Yeller began to slip once more as the platform tilted up and started sinking into the water. "Yeller, dodge to a different platform with Quick Attack!" I called, and the Pokemon quickly gathered his momentum and redirected it in a white streak to another float closer to the middle of the field.
Focus Energy then... No, Yeller can't even stay balanced, he won't be able to focus unless he drops flat... Forget it, there's no reason preserving if Yeller can't even stay balanced. I wanted to save some energy for her second Pokemon, but...
"Yeller! Quick Mode!"
The young rodent understood my intentions, a flash of white energy stabilising his position so he didn't slide into the water. Then, trailing that familiar white and grey light behind him, Yeller zipped from one platform to another, attacking the Staryu from behind with a devastating body blow.
The Star-like creature recoiled, skidding across the float it stood on and falling into the water by the sides. There was a moment of silence before it returned to the surface, poking it's gem halfway out of the water.
"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Misty commanded, and the star took aim once again, but I no longer intended to give them the freedom to act.
"Yeller, Tail Whip Barrage!" I called out, and the Yellow rat flew from platform to platform in a brilliant array of silver streaks, a tail striking the side of the monster and lowering it's defence as each of the three lines passed it's body. I felt a sense of unease, knowing that just that one attack had used up 9 of Yeller's remaining uses of Quick Attack.
29 left... He's already used 11. We need to make sure to save some for her second Pokemon.
"What's this!" Misty's eyes sparkled and her cheeks perked up with a wide smile. "I've never seen an attack like that before! How does it work?!"
"Yeller, take it down!" I clenched my fist at the Staryu. The white energy which had been building around Yeller's body surged, following his speedy body as it slammed powerfully into Staryu. The creature recoiled in a pained reaction, ripples of water quivering away from it's body-But it refused to fall.
I saw Misty stiffen suddenly, the smile on her face didn't fade but her eyes tightened their focus.
"Staryu! Take cover!"
"Yeller! Strike again!"
The Staryu was slammed in the back of the head once more as it dove underwater, freeing itself from Yeller's assault. I watched with baited breath over the water, but it didn't float back to the surface.
Still not quite enough.
"Alright." Misty breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a pretty impressive attack, but you can't hit Staryu underwater, right?" The tomboyish girl raised a finger and wagged it at me. "Stayru! Recover!"
From under the water, the swimming star shakily stiffened and began to glow with a faint golden light covering it's body. A few seconds later the light faded, and the injuries it had accumulated reduced significantly. I could order Yeller to chase after it into the water, but doing so would be a foolish act.
"Yeller, disengage Quick Mode." I ordered begrudgingly. "Focus Energy."
The Rattata dropped flat on the platform to focus as I thought about what to do next.
Staryu is almost certainly going to heal to full health. I'll need to take it out as quickly as possible. I doubt Misty will let us score two Quick Attack hits again, and I want to save Yeller's remaining 23 move uses for Misty's next Pokemon, if possible.
The Star Pokemon resonated with light once again, restoring itself to tip-top fighting condition. I saw a small flash of blue from Yeller as he accomplished his focus.
With a small splash, the Staryu returned to the surface, but I didn't miss a beat. "Yeller! Quick Attack!"
"Harden!"
The living Star steeled itself, it's whole body hardening and increasing it's defence. Yeller's body slammed with white and grey energy into it, sending the small rodent flipping through the air right in front of the enemy. A wave of blue energy washed from his body, floating smoothly towards Misty's partner.
"Water Gun!"
The top limb of the star arched like a cannon, a ball of water forming at the tip.
"Bite Shield!" I desperately responded, and my partner just barely managed to summon a pair of violet jaws to block the brunt of the attack before he was sent reeling back through the field. He dropped into the water with a loud splash. He quickly paddled to the closet platform and tried to climb aboard, but his wet fur combined with missing limb caused him to slip and slide.
"Another weird technique! Staryu, Rapid Spin!" Misty's eyes shone even brighter than before-Although the colour in them felt almost dull to me, somehow. Compared to Blue's shining Sapphire eyes, or Chee's pure-Now is not the time! I cut my own thoughts short.
Yeller slid off the platform on his fourth attempt to shimmy onto it, as the rapidly rotating star sliced through the water between them like hot butter. "Yeller! Use Quick Mode to get out of there!" It's better to waste move uses than have Yeller take a hit. With Quick Mode he can escape from the Rapid Spin as it connects. It'll be hard to time, but Yeller pulled it off against Bron-
My own thoughts were interrupted by the yellow rat arching gracefully through the sky, a trail of white following effortlessly from behind him. I blinked in surprise a few times. ...Did the Rapid Spin connect already?
That seemed unlikely somehow, but this was exactly the momentum I needed to turn things around, as Staryu had spun to a stop in the surface of the water right next to the platform Yeller had just landed on.
"Bite Barrage!" I called out, and my Partner immediately obliged, jaws of purple energy snapping down devastatingly onto Staryu's body. Then, without missing a beat, the jaws were dismissed and re-summoned in rapid succession. The monster was still weakened from the Quick Attack earlier, and a trio of Bites from Yeller was able to knock it out before Misty could issue any further commands.
Steadying himself against the floating pad, Yeller turned his gaze onto Misty. I followed suite.
"Wow! I'm impressed!" She gleefully clapped her hands together, almost as though she were a child watching two wild Machoke wrestle for the first time. "I can definitely see how you were able to beat Brock!"
"I managed." I grumbled.
Misty 's smile slowly faded as she continued speaking, keeping her hands pressed together. "But, well... I'm sorry, but my course is called the 'Super Hard' course for a reason."
The Staryu turned into a beam of red light, swallowed by the Pokeball that had released it earlier. After Misty stuffed it into her bag, she drew the second ball-This one made of a blue half with Red lumps on either side, and a white half on the bottom. A 'Great Ball'.
"Starmie, it's time to swim!" She announced, throwing the advanced Pokeball into the air. A burst of light took the form of another monster, Similar to the Staryu from before but with a few noticeable differences.
Instead of being a single standing brown star, it was like two lilac stars strapped together, taking the total number of points from 5 to 10. The back set of limbs was upside down, and able to spin like an attached disc. The red gemstone at the centre of it's body was like a carved ruby, instead of a smooth orb. Starmie, the evolved form of Staryu.
"An even stronger Staryu..." I muttered to myself. To be honest the battle with Staryu itself had hardly gone as I intended, and Yeller had been forced to use a lot of resources dealing with it. This Starmie would be faster, hit harder, take harder hits, and it was probably stronger than the Staryu we'd faced even without it's evolution.
As I was considering this, I heard the faint pitter patter of bare feet against the tiled floor surrounding the pool, momentarily drawing my attention. Chee walked over to the side of our battlefield, her black hair sleek and damp. She wore a simple full body child's swimsuit, and waved at me with her gloved hands. In one hand she held a Pokeball-Presumably Bulbasaur's Pokeball- and in the other she held an ornate badge in the shape of a dewdrop.
I smiled and waved back gently.
"Are you ready?" Misty asked, a determination pouring from her eyes. She didn't seem to have noticed Chee's arrival, but nonetheless waited for me to focus before attacking. "I'm about to get a bit mean."
I took a deep breath and followed Red's advice to recenter my focus. I felt the air entering and leaving my lungs, the gentle bobbing of the platform I stood atop, the quiet ripples of the wave, the gentle warm temperature of the room... I tapped my foot against the platform to signal Yeller to use Focus Energy, then waited for a moment before responding.
"I'm ready." I answered. "Yeller, Focus Energy!"
My timing was adequate, and the telltale blue flash that showed Yeller had charged a stack of Focus Energy only appeared after my command.
"Swift." The Starmie didn't hesitate for even a moment, the back set of limbs revving up to spin at high speed as a set of glistening golden stars flung from the gemstone at the centre of the Starmie's torso. The stars tore through the sky, shredding through the platform Yeller occupied mere moments after he reflexively dodged to another. The speed and power of the attacks was almost unreal.
"Yeller! Quick Attack!" My partner responded by charging with white energy, speeding from platform to platform and building up speed to hit the creature. It attempted to defend itself, but lacked the agility to avoid the full speed charge. The Burst of Blue Energy on top of the hit itself caused some damage, but the Starmie still seemed to be healthy.
Yeller recoiled through the air back to another platform, but the constant reduction in footholds was beginning to become apparent. At the start of the battle there had been 9 platforms, but now there were only five. Some had fallen as collateral to Yeller dodges, others had been deliberately destroyed by Misty, but the fact remained-We were losing room to evade.
...Can Yeller survive taking a hit from this thing?
I wasn't sure. In which case there was no longer any point to conserving power. "Yeller! Quick Mode!"
"Starmie, retreat into the water!" The spinning set of stars leapt into the water with a splash.
"Tail Whip Barrage!"
The Rattata obediently sped like a bullet towards the Starmie, but to my utter shock, the Starmie was able to barely dodge out of the way of the swinging tail as Yeller spun at his location. A moment later, the streak of white returned to shore, then sped across the field once more, and again the tail missed as the Starmie swept to one side.
...I see. When Yeller drops the Quick Attack to activate Tail Whip he slows down ever so slightly. That gives Starmie just enough time to avoid the attack. But the speed required for that!
It was ridiculous. A Pokemon moving that fast without even using a move? It was almost unthinkable, and Yeller only had 11 Quick Attacks left to find a way to deal with that speed.
"Starmie! Trap it with Bubblebeam!" The Starmie circled the platform Yeller landed on with an unbelievable speed. Then, it began to shoot powerful bubbles of water constantly as it swam, the bubbles forming a dangerous wall of projectiles that Yeller couldn't hope to break through.
"Dive into the water!" I growled, knowing full well that I was playing into Misty's hands-But I didn't have any better option. Going into the air would just mean becoming a target for Swift, and staying still could very well be the cause of a knockout.
Yeller understood, and slid gracefully off the platform and into the water, dipping below the surface as the bubbles collided above the platform, the explosion bursting the material and causing it to sink just like the others. Yeller's head burst above the water a moment later as he began to tread water with his missing limb.
"Rapid Spin!"
"Bite Shield!"
Yeller was just in time to block the brunt of the attack with a set of purple energy jaws, the two sets of Star limbs spinning in opposite directions as they forced the Rattata up and out of the water, where he landed on the float closest to me. Even having blocked the direct hit, he still seemed to have taken a decent amount of damage from that hit.
"There's nothing for it. We'll just have to go all in on damage." I mumbled. "Yeller, Focus Energy."
But at this point, I noticed something. Misty was busily throwing things from the float she stood on over to the side of the pool. When she finished, she turned back to me. "Starmie. Surf." She spoke calmly.
The Starmie retreated all the way to Misty's side of the field, much to my confusion. Then, a wave of water the width of the entire pool rose into the sky with Starmie riding on the tip of it. The wave loomed over both Yeller and I, utterly inescapable, as it swallowed up the remaining platforms on the way to us.
...I hadn't thought to question why the trainers were also standing on the platforms. It was because we could get dragged into the pool as well. I understood that now.
"Yeller! Break through to the other side with Quick Attack!" I ordered, and he did the best he could, the white energy trailing behind him as he tackled the attack head on-Only to be swallowed up into the rapidly spiralling water and pulled under the surface.
I didn't have time to be shocked, as it was only mere moments later when the water went over my body, throwing me about like a hapless horsea being sucked into a whirlpool but a pack of tentacruel. I barely had time to slam my eyes shut and hold onto what breath I'd gathered before being thrust underwater.
I forced my eyes back open, feeling the sting of the treated water against my eyes as I desperately tried to tell up from down. I could see Yeller floating in the deep blue water beside me, and to my left I could see a shimmer of light against what seemed to be the surface of the water. However both of us were more than a few meters beneath the surface.
Above me, I saw a set of lilac limbs skim gracefully through the deep water, and a woman with loose orange hair swam while holding her breath. She made a gesture I didn't quite recognise, and the Starmie formed a ball of water at the tip of one of it's strange lilac limbs.
Gloom Juice! I wriggled about underwater, attempting to clap my hands and inform Yeller of the attack-But it was no use, it made almost no sound underwater. Similarly, I was unable to snap my fingers, stomp my feet, call out, or use any of the other methods of instruction I had grown accustomed to.
Yeller looked to me for advice, but I was unable to give any other than to make a broad gesture to swim back to the surface.
My lungs felt like they were burning, and I desperately swam back towards the surface of the pool as the high pressure shot of water from the Starmie's tip arched towards us. I took the initiative to grasp Yeller by the tail and yank him out of the way of the attack, but that was about all I could manage in the current situation.
Judging from Yeller's side-eyed glance, it wasn't a very pleasant experience. That hurt! Be careful!
Nonetheless, I hadn't had time to properly gather my breath before being submerged, and what breath I had held onto was quickly forced from my chest as the water gun skimmed past my chest and caused me to cough involuntarily.
Yeller attempted to swim to safety by himself, but his swimming speed was relatively slow, and the Starmie slammed into him while spinning at high speeds, causing him to fall unconscious.
That was the last thing I saw before the water rushed my lungs, and I lost consciousness...