Chapter Fifty:
Bring That Fire
Disclaimer: I do not own the series Pokémon. Like, at all. It and all its respectable characters are © to Game Freak and Satoshi Tajiri. However, all writing contents and semi-plots here are © to me; unless it is stated otherwise. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I do not own them.
Notes: Holy moley, my lovelies! Fiftieth chapter! This is such a milestone for me, I'm amazed I managed to get this far! I owe all my thanks to everyone who has sent kudos, watched, and reviewed! I'm still gobsmacked that people like this story enough to keep following!
One last thing before the story starts, I must ask that people stop soliciting me to take up commissions for my story by users both in private messages or through the review box. I make my own art, and I do not have the extra funds for it regardless, whether these offers are legit or not. If I continue to be harassed, I will begin blocking those who reach out with these "commission offers".
Current Team: Keno the Swampert, Sela the Mightyena, Ambrose the Kirlia, Faye the Swellow, Nux the Gyarados, Gunner the Lairon
Badges Won: Stone Badge, Knuckle Badge, Dynamo Badge
If you take a shot, boy, you better not miss
'Cause it won't ever happen again
You gonna wake up and not even know
What your name is or where you have been
Better be ready to bleed
If you think that you have any hope for a win
You gonna wake up and not even know
What your name is or where you have been
I never go dim
(Woah) 'cause I only know how to win
- "Bring That Fire" by WAR*HALL
"Are you ready to proceed, or do you require some preparation time before continuing?"
"I just need a few minutes, if that's all right," Shay replied. The moderator inclined their head at Shay. She turned away as soon as she was given the all-clear, and immediately pulled her sling pack off, jerking the zipper down its track. She fished out a few bottles and motioned for Keno, Faye, and Nux to gather around her. She quickly healed them all, double-checking them for any additional injuries before throwing the empty vials back into her sling pack.
"You guys ready?" Shay asked as she looked over their faces. "Y'all remember your new command words?"
"If none of us knew what to do, we wouldn't have gotten this far. And if we got through those other trainers as fast as we did, how much tougher could Flannery be?" Faye piped up. If she could smirk, Shay had no doubt one would be on the Swellow's face.
"We should still be careful. Her team looked pretty tough in all those videos we watched," Keno cautioned. Shay dipped her head in agreement.
"He's right. Everyone needs to stay on their guard. I don't want you guys to have any permanent injuries from this fight. And I don't want to fuck up Flannery's, if we can help it." The three repeated their agreement on the matter. Satisfied, a smile pulled at Shay's lips. "You guys ready?"
They nodded. "Who wants to go first?"
"Ooh, me! Me!" Nux's coral bright eyes flashed with excitement, his lips pulled back into a draconic grin. He added a gentle headbutt into Shay's chest, further expressing his enthusiasm. Keno chuckled, giving the Gyarados a pat on the side of his neck.
"I think he's more than ready," he said, as Shay wrapped her arms around Nux's skull and giving it an affectionate squeeze. She chuckled softly.
"I think you might be right, Keno."
"I can take the second battle, then." Faye interjected with a ruffle of her feathers.
"I don't mind going last," Keno added with a light shrug. Shay gave one more squeeze to Nux, and then nodded at Keno and Faye.
"Good. Y'all have your marching orders, now let's put them into action." Shay replied and returned Faye and Keno to their pokéballs. Shay gave Nux one last pat, and he let out a pleased rumble. Shay turned her attention back to referee, waving to get their attention.
They tipped their head in acknowledgement and pulled a phone from their pocket, fingers tapping on the screen. Moments later, the ground rumbled beneath Shay's feet. She stepped back as a seam appeared in the rocky flooring. An opening slid away, revealing a familiar-looking elevated platform as it began to rise up out of the hidden pocket of space. The sight of Nux temporarily disappeared as the platform blocked him from Shay's view. She mounted the stairs, fists clenching at her sides. Her palms were sweaty, and she had to keep wiping them on her hiking pants, in the vain hopes that they'd stay dry. It was hot inside Lavaridge Gym, almost like it was a sauna—and that was probably the point. When Shay had done more research on Hoenn gyms and the gym leaders, she'd come across an article that detailed each unique material used to give their pokémon an edge.
For Flannery, that was an ensemble of basalt, obsidian, granite, igneous, and other stones that were common around volcanoes that Shay couldn't recall all the names of. Looking at the battlefield's terrain, she could see flecks of those stones imbedded into the ground—the ones she could recognize at a glance, at any rate. The obsidian was especially noticeable with its glossy black surface that caught the shine of light so easily.
Shay wiped at her brow with her forearm, and it came away slick with even more sweat. She was briefly reminded of her time in New Orleans, and that had been during the spring season, not at the height of summertime. It had seemed like she was drinking the air rather than breathing it. She was reminded of that stifling environment here and now.
She was from sunny southern California, where the heat was dry as a sun-bleached bone and rainy days were a cherished rarity. She could easily see why the heat inside Lavaridge could serve as yet another edge for Flannery. According to the article, Flannery was used to these conditions, has probably trained for years to build up a tolerance for it. Her opponents, on the other hand, would be distracted and miserable. If that happened, they could easily lose track of the very match they needed to pay attention to.
Flannery wasn't long in making her appearance. A smattering of applause and cheers arose when she did from the trainers crowded on the spectators' bleachers. The bleachers themselves were boxed in by an acrylic tempered glass shield, most likely fire-proofed to prevent bystander injuries from the arena. They could safely watch the match and provide in-person support.
It reminded her of an ice rink's setup. She could only imagine the incidents and injuries that could have led up to this kind of solution. She tried not to think more about, finding it distracting and returned her attention to the woman walking out into the gym room.
Flannery paused in front of the bleachers, waving to the young men and women crowded together. Shay could just make out her last opponent sitting with his pokémon, healing up his Numel partner while diverging his attention partly towards a few encouraging shouts to Flannery.
Cheers continued to surge, words of support overlapping one another. Flannery eventually broke from them and headed to the other platform, rising up from the staircase. She gave a jaunty wave to Shay.
"Well, aren't you the hot and fiery one! You really blew through my guys like it was nothing!"
"I like to be prepared." Shay called back. Stay calm. You got this, you got this. You've gotten through three gyms already. This is the halfway point. You got this.
The trembling in her hands said otherwise. Shay wiped them on her pants again, fingers dragging along the material. She found a stray thread and began picking at it, wishing her nails were sharp enough to cut it.
Nux shook himself and rumbled, drawing Flannery's sharp attention to him.
"Whoa, now that's unexpected. Not a lot of challengers come in with a full-blown Gyarados like this, not at this stage in their training at least. And one that isn't the typical variety, too. You must keep it on a pretty short leash!"
"He doesn't need one," Shay called back. Nux shot her a flashy draconic grin, eyes half-lidded in approval. He turned back to Flannery and let out a roar. She appeared unfazed by the display.
"You are definitely ready to go, aren't ya?" Flannery's smile was infectiously cheerful, even at a distance. Shay straightened and squared her shoulders back, ready and willing. "Let me introduce myself and we'll get this match underway! I'm Flannery, the Lavaridge Gym leader! Me and my team are gonna blow you away before you even know what's happening!"
She tossed out a pokéball and what sprang from its innards was a bright red Slugma. The flames along its head flickered constantly, the flow of magma that consisted of its body glowing cheerfully. Shay had only crossed paths with a few of them in the past week or so during training. They simply radiated heat at such close range, it had been difficult for Shay to remain in immediate proximity of them.
The moderator resumed their original position at the midline of the battlefield.
"Are you both ready?" They called out, glancing between challenger and gym leader.
Shay and Flannery both assented that they were.
"Gym Leader Flannery versus Challenger Shay Kenway!" A hand rose high into the air and sliced downward seconds later. "BEGIN!"
The roar of flames was nearly deafening and immediate. Just as soon as the mediator okayed the match to start, Flannery came hurling out with a blast, taking that split-second moment to come out on top first. Shay clenched her jaw tightly as Flannery's Slugma bathed the entire arena in red-hot fire. Even when she recoiled, far on the other side of the battlefield on her platform, she could feel the unforgiving, blistering heat lashing at her.
Nux leapt into the air, above the raging inferno from the Flamethrower attack, a meager streak of red clinging to the tip of his tail. He roared, and even that was just as deafening. Flannery and her bystanders clapped hands over their ears in response, just like Shay did.
The incessant ringing in her ears was slow to dissipate, but it eventually did. Shay cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted from her diaphragm, "Hey Nux! Rabbit is good, Rabbit is wise!"
Nux's reaction was nearly instantaneous. He twisted his serpentine body into a spiral midair, rising higher and higher up until he very nearly ran into the ceiling, extinguishing the guttering flames along his tail in a flash. The Flamethrower's blaze continued chasing after him. The arena proper momentarily, blissfully, was given a reprieve from the Slugma's conflagration.
Shay momentarily wondered if Nux flying through the air so gracefully was just as effortless for him as it was in water…
No time to dwell. Shay turned her sights back to Flannery and saw that her gaze was locked onto Nux as she shouted her next command.
"Keep it up, Iggy! Don't give 'em a chance to counter with any water attacks! Burn 'em back down to the ground!"
Nux corkscrewed around the fiery spire as it chased him overhead, until he was twisting around the fringes. The air shimmered and wavered as he seemingly danced, remaining untouched. It was a strange, admirable kind of grace. Shay watched with growing admiration and pride in the Gyarados. The blistering heat began to disband as the air whorled about, sucked up in Nux's Twister attack. The flames writhed as they were hijacked from Flannery's Slugma.
Shay almost didn't notice when they stopped fueling their attack to simply stare at the fiery cyclone raging above them. When she did realize the advantage, she seized upon it immediately. She was not willing to give Flannery an inch of wiggle room. Not this match.
"Now drop it like it's hot, Nux!" Shay bellowed, hands cupped around her mouth like a bullhorn, with a wild grin flashing across her face. She caught a glimpse of dumbfoundment plastered all over Flannery's face. She too was mesmerized, it seemed. Then dawning horror ghosted across her countenance as the inferno collapsed upon her Slugma, cutting them off from view completely. The blustery maelstrom touched down on the ground at last, with Nux still swirling about its perimeter. A blazing flash of blue that swam through the red, a sharp and bright contrast that inflated the swell of pride in Shay's chest.
It wasn't just a meek dust devil, and it never was. Neither was Nux's attack a run-of-the-mill tornado. It was artificial, for one. And two…it was a fire devil at this point. Tornadoes that absorbed fire just weren't based in reality. But fire that was redirected into a whirling motion, until it resembled a simulated tornado? She'd seen those on the news plenty of times. Growing up in southern California, when fires were more frequent than rainfall, it was expected that abnormal patterns would emerge from the infamous "fire season".
Rare in nature, but deadly all the same.
All the dust and grit of the arena that had joined in on the windy fray, such as larger chunks and pieces of loose detritus from the arena, were growing cherry red and heated in the turmoil. The faster they spun, the more akin to bright, glittering lights they became, not unlike Christmas lights buried in the boughs of a holiday tree. Wayward detritus and debris had turned into projectile weaponry. It was like sticking old coins, nails, or other pieces of junk into an IED and then blowing it up. Whatever happened, happened. They'll shred anything they rip through.
Those that slammed back into the arena's floor lit up like dazzling little fireworks, sparks ignited for one last moment before winking out of existence.
Something larger than all the other bits and pieces was abruptly slung from the innards of the whirlwind, hurtling out of the arena a mere few feet away from the mediator. They squawked in alarm, darting out of the way. Satisfied after examining themselves and seeing they were unharmed, their attention diverted to the mass that had very nearly collided with them.
It was Flannery's Slugma, Igneous, lying in a crumpled puddle of hardening magma, the layers pooling over themselves as the still-heated core burned brightly. For the longest ten seconds, nobody moved or breathed—with the exception of Nux, who dispelled with his Twister attack. A shower of sparks exploded in a dazzling display as the smaller pieces guttered out quickly. The larger pieces lasted longer, but only for an extra moment or two. Silence and tension filled in the hollow spaces of the arena. A vice grip clamped over Shay's lungs, squeezing the air out of her. The mediator finally moved, one shaky step at a time. After a moment to consider Igneous's condition, they turned back to face the arena.
"Flan…Flannery's Slugma, Igneous, is unable to battle and has been thrown from the ring completely. Shay's Gyarados, Nux, wins this round!"
A smattering of applause arose from the bleachers.
A flutter of relief ghosted through Shay's chest. The stranglehold on her lungs ceased. Nux landed lightly on the arena floor, looking none the worse for wear. The relief it brought her was immeasurable, but the conflicting hollowness in her gut reminded her that this wasn't over.
One down, two to go.
Flannery recalled Igneous and their pokéball was quickly replaced with another. Flannery beamed at Shay from her end of the battlefield. Not unlike Wattson, her jovial mood gave Shay a positive sense of good sportsmanship.
"Now that was wild! Those weren't your usual attacks for a Gyarados, were they? What was that?!"
"Just something I picked up as a recent strategy while training to kick your ass," Shay said, finding herself grinning back. Nux caught her eye, and she gave a tilt of the head. Nux merely nodded and wordlessly scuttled off the arena as Shay readied Faye's pokéball. He bumped against Shay's backside. She reached behind her without looking to pat his snout in return. Nux rumbled back in satisfaction. Shay kept her eyes locked on Flannery and made an exaggerated show of shrugging her shoulders. "Seemed like a good idea at the time."
No need to go into the weeds for details.
Regardless of Shay's bold declaration, Flannery laughed. It was light and without tethers, completely at ease in spite of the loss her team had sustained.
"When we're done, you've got to tell me all about it!"
Emboldened by the challenged, Shay called back, "If you win, I will!"
Flannery took that as a sign to press onwards and she chucked her next pokémon's pokéball out onto the battlefield. A smattering of cheers and claps arose from the spectators sitting on the bleachers, shouting out their support for Flannery.
Shay paid them little heed, her focus solely on Flannery's next pokémon. It was a Numel that coalesced from the energy, spilling out of their respective pokéball. Sleepy eyes regarded Shay.
The Numel in question was short-legged in stature. It was a far cry from the long-legged camel calves from her world that Shay could pick out from a crowd with ease. During her training along the fringes of Mount Chimney's base, the Numel had been plentiful to battle against. They were just as stubby-legged as Flannery's, not unlike miniature horses. They sported the familiar hump along their backsides—just like any camel. But instead of storing fat, they served the purpose of storing up a payload of magma. It was a built-in tank system, perfect for fueling their fiery attacks.
She had an idea of what to expect. She just hoped she would be proven right.
Shay tossed Faye's pokéball out, and the Swellow emerged with a shrill, fierce cry. She fluttered to the ground and landed, sizing up her opponent.
"Ready?" Their mediator called out.
Flannery seemed to be sizing up Faye, a self-confident smile never leaving her countenance.
"Trading one flyer for another? This, I've got to see!"
Faye didn't react to the enthusiastic challenge. Neither did Shay. She was more focused on running through the learned moves a Numel could predictably use from leveling up in her head. She had only gleaned the list of technical moves that a pokémon could artificially learn outside their move set, and wasn't as well versed with them…
Shay gave a curt, stiff nod to the mediator. Flannery's head bobbed in enthusiasm, but her sharp gaze never left the field before her. She was more than ready, expectant, thrilled.
She couldn't afford to let herself be nervous or hesitant. Hesitation could end her and her team. So could overthinking. Flannery's assent to furthering the fight was all the mediator needed. Their arm raised upwards, and in familiar fashion, sliced downwards in a deliberate move as they shouted, "BEGIN!"
Shay was quicker this round, not wanting to waste a single, precious second. She bellowed out, "RISE UP!"
In the blink of an eye, Faye was already airborne and just barely missed the Lava Plume attack that splattered all over the ground where she had been only seconds ago. Flannery's Numel adjusted the projectory of their attack, aiming higher and higher still. It was to no avail. They couldn't reach Faye with that attack. The flutter of excitement rippled through Shay at the revelation. Flannery must have realized the same thing.
She shouted another command, and the conflagration ended just as quickly as it had started.
We have to strike now, before she gets a chance to shore up a counter strategy.
"FAYE, LET'S RAISE SOME A LITTLE HELL! TIME TO SMASH!"
Faye whistled back in response. She immediately tucked her wings inwards, half-furled, as she angled herself downwards. A gleaming blue aura began to surround her almost immediately, growing brighter with every passing second as she dived.
"Let's crank up the heat, Shale! OVERHEAT!"
Shit, shit, shit!
A brilliant glow began to encase the Numel's entire body, a shimmering aura that danced like that of a mirage coming to life. The blistering heat skyrocketed. In a matter of seconds, Shay had a slick sheen of sweat breaking out all over her body. She wiped her brow with a forearm, but it did little good.
Faye, thankfully, seemed unbothered by the change in temperature. Then again, it was hard to tell with her plummeting in a downward arc. At the very least, she was still all in it with her attack.
That is, she thought it was a good thing, before a rippling heat wave burst forth from Shale, the white-hot glow combatting with the brilliant sheen of blue abutting with one another. Shale and Faye's forms disappeared into the blinding light. Shay clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut, a lance of pain stabbing at her eyes from the bright blaze.
Gently, slowly, when the brilliance had faded and she should no longer feel it trying to pierce through her eyelids, Shay opened her eyes to survey the arena. She saw shapes coalesce from the glow, faded and amorphous at first. But the details began to etch themselves into existence as the light began to dissipate.
The first form she recognized was Faye. She was standing, one wing limply splayed out on the ground at an awkward angle, the other safely tucked against her body. Every inch of her feathery body was puffed up, but she didn't falter in her bristling stance.
Flannery's Numel, on the other hand, was lying prone on the ground, their back to Shay's side of the arena. Shale wasn't moving. Shay's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't see if their chest was moving. If they were still breathing. A thought made her stomach plummet away at the revelation that Shale might be…
That Faye might have…
The mediator stepped in closer for examination before raising an arm in Shay's direction.
"Flannery's Numel, Shale, is knocked out and unable to continue. Shay's Swellow, Faye, has won this round!"
Relief flooded Shay.
At her second win, at the confirmation that Shale wasn't dead and was only knocked out, at the idea that she had a two-out-of-three victory so far, and that she could possible win this. It had been a big gamble, letting Faye use Brave Bird, but she had insisted upon it when planning for this gym battle.
Flannery tossed out her next and last pokémon out. Shay took one glance at Faye, at the condition her wing was in, and it forced her back down to Earth. No time to gloat or count her chickens before they hatched.
"I can get her, if you'd like," Nux rumbled softly behind Shay. She glanced back at him and nodded. Nux's head and neck slithered forward as he stretched across the arena until he reached Faye. The moderator, the crowd in the bleachers, even Flannery all paused to wait as the Gyarados moved closer to his teammate's side.
"I gotcha, just try not to move too much. How's your wing?"
"Hurts like hell, but I'll live. I'll be better once Shay heals it up."
Nux pulled back across the arena, Faye cradled ever so gently, safely, in Nux's jaws. He carefully deposited the injured Swellow into Shay's open and awaiting arms. Shay made certain that she didn't jostle the flying-type too much as she fished out another bottle and used it on Faye's wing.
There was a none-too-gentle cracking noise from her wing, and Faye winced with a cry, but the wing looked right at last. It was now angled correctly and no longer limp. She tested it a few times, and it opened and closed as it should. Faye nodded in approval, and hopped out of Shay's arms, landing on Nux's horn. She dipped her head towards Shay.
"Bring home that win with Keno."
The encouragement gave a soft glow of confidence to blossom in Shay's chest, light and airy. Hopeful, even. We can do this. We can win.
Shay plucked Keno's pokéball from her bandolier, thumb rubbing the smooth surface in circular motions. It was to soothe herself more than anything.
The mediator caught her eye, and she fixated her attention on them. "Are you ready?"
She nodded, heart pounding like a timpani drum within her ribcage, a knot forming at the base of her throat. Shay wiped at her brow again, trying to displace the sweat accumulating on her brow in vain. It was hot, no doubt that. All these fiery attacks, the heat climbing higher and higher with every match. Shay wasn't going to let it get to her.
She'd had worse down in North Carolina, at boot camp, at the height of summer. She could take this heat a lot better than most gave her credit for.
Flannery tossed out her last pokéball, and a Torkoal formed from the burst of energy. "We got one last shot to turn this around, Opal, so let's make it count, girl!"
White smoke curled out of Opal's nostrils and her shell's backside like a chimney.
Flannery held her head high as she stared Shay down from the opposite end of the arena. Somehow, it felt different this time around. Almost like Flannery was finally seeing Shay as a worthy opponent and not some fun way to pass time…
Shay threw out Keno's pokéball wordlessly. Almost as soon as he appeared, he hunched down low, gaze locked on his opponent.
The moment Shay saw the mediator flag their arm downwards, her heart leapt into her throat, another command spilling out her lips. Simultaneously, Flannery was just as quick to issue her own.
"WATER GUN!"
"BODY SLAM!"
The moment the words left Flannery's mouth, Opal gusted out another payload of smoke from both nostrils and the topmost point of their shell. Opal's form was immediately obscured from sight by the smoke, terrifyingly fast as the plumes spread out. Shay's breath seized within her lungs as she tried to find the Torkoal. Keno was frozen to his spot in a similar fashion. He'd lost track of her, hesitated to shoot so blindly.
Movement at last caught Shay's eye. She saw that Keno had locked in on it as well. A dark shape shuffled through the cloud of smoke. In a split second, the silhouette launched forward with blinding speed, hurtling through the air towards him.
The Swampert yelped as Opal made contact, colliding harshly into his chest. The blow sent him stumbling backwards with a sharp, sudden gasp. He stumbled back several steps but managed to keep himself from tumbling over completely. Keno snarled; conical teeth bared in a grimace as he rubbed at the tender spot on his chest he'd been struck in.
"You good, Keno?!" Shay called out to him before she could stop and think about it. Keno, without glancing back or saying a word, lifted his broad hand in the air, indicating that he was, indeed, okay. Once she was sure Keno was all right, Shay expelled a gushing breath of relief, hands white-knuckling the railing of her platform.
Keno kept his gaze locked on his opponent, unwilling to divert his attention elsewhere, hunched down on all fours, back arched once again. Smoke continued pouring out of Opal's backside and nostrils. The Torkoal remained resolute and solid in her stance, unmoving. Encouraged and emboldened by the fact that Keno was still standing, still ready, Shay belted out another attack command, adrenaline singing in her veins, making her pulse rush quicker, louder, in her head.
"IT'S HAMMERTIME, KENO!"
"OVERHEAT!" Flannery countered; her teeth bared in a feral grin.
The air began to superheat once again, and an icy prickle raced down Shay's spine in spite of it. If it was this hot from this far away, Shay couldn't imagine being any closer and a twinge of guilt shot through her. Her pulse quickened as Keno bolted forward, one arm raised high, fist clenched tightly as he balled it up, seconds away from striking—
The slits in Opal's shell grew bright and the air shimmered around her. Embers glinted as they danced outwards, teasingly so like the sparks escaping a bellow. A fiery blast pulsed from those slits, just as Keno's arm slammed down on her. Light bloomed in a split moment, stunning and painful. Shay cried out and ducked, squeezing her eyes shut to shield them.
Blinded for a second goddamned time—!
The roar of the blaze impacted her seconds later, a sudden onset of ringing drowning out all other sounds. Flannery shouted something, but with the dissonance in Shay's ears, it sounded garbled, indecipherable.
Goddamn flash bang, that's all it fucking is! What in the actual fuck?!
Nux rumbled somewhere behind her, his voice low and gravelly. Shay pried her eyes open, spots dancing across her vision as she glanced back at the Gyarados and Swellow. Nux's mouth and Faye's beak were both moving, but they sounded so tinny, so distant. Shay pulled herself upright, using the railing to keep her propped up and turned back to the arena.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Dammit!"
Smoke had engulfed the entire battlefield within the few, precious seconds Shay had diverted her attention. She could just barely make out Keno's shape within, a dark smudge of a silhouette just barely visible against the grey. The smokescreen wasn't dissipating. It remained in place, like it was trapped beneath some unseen force.
The ringing had finally ceased, and when it did, everything seemed to come rushing back in.
"BODY SLAM, OPAL! LET'S FINISH THIS UP!"
The shout startled Shay, her eyes darted around, trying to figure out just where, exactly, Flannery's Torkoal was.
She heard Keno cry out, and the smudge of him disappeared. The grey smokey tendrils wafted about soundlessly, further obscuring things. Shay wiped the sweat on her palms onto her pants as she continued searching.
"Keno!"
There was a coughing sound from somewhere else in the smokescreen.
"I-I'm okay! Just a little bruised, is all!"
Her relief was short-lived as an idea sprouted in her head. "Do you have a visual on the target?!"
"N-no!" Another round of coughing. Movement from the bleachers caught Shay's eye. She glanced at the people there. Some were standing up, swaying back and forth impatiently, as if that would serve them better in seeing through the obstructing smoke. The mediator had to back away as well, a hand braced over their mouth and nose, the others on the bleachers trying to fan it away from them.
She returned her attention to the smokescreen. Her stomach did a little flip when she spotted Keno again, this time not as concealed as before.
Shay began stomping her foot. After a few rhythmic beats, she smacked her hands along the railing of her hand intermittently, adding to the drumming of her booted heel.
"Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise! Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday!"
She perked when she heard Keno respond back in kind. The ground trembled as heavier, louder strikes were made, matching Shay's rhythmic strikes. He didn't sing back, but the rest of the lyrics played out in her head, all the same.
You got mud on your face, you big disgrace! Kicking your can all over the place!
Shay could finally see Flannery on the other side of the arena on her platform. Her brow was puckered, confusion flashing across her countenance as she seemed to be trying to figure out just what Shay's new strategy was. The smoke was dissipating and fast, but Shay had a feeling another round would be coming along soon if they didn't finish the fight fast enough.
Keno's strike came at last, as if in compliance to the unspoken, roundabout command.
A muddy deluge rose into the air like a geyser, curtaining across the battlefield. The heavy droplets skewered right through the smoke, dissipating it further. She could finally, finally, make Keno out more clearly.
Flannery rattled off another command. Smoke began to filter right back into the air and—there it was! The source of it all. That's what she'd been hoping for.
"CONTACT LEFT! MUD BOMB!"
Keno swiveled sharply, firing off several shots at once. The gushing pillar of smoke suddenly stopped, and a shrill scream arose in the direction it came from. Nux growled.
"Should I help clear things up a bit?" he asked, nudging at Shay between her shoulder blades. She reached back and cupped his bony chin, eyes still glued to the battlefield.
"No. Don't do anything; it could negate the whole match."
The growls turned into a soft, drawn-out whine. "But I can't see anything!"
"That's the point. Flannery wants a field perfect for ambushes. She must train her pokémon to be able to fight even if they can't see their opponents," Faye replied. Her shrewd eyes studied the field, head tilted to the side.
"She's right, Nux. Just chill out. Hopefully we can get this wrapped up soon." Shay muttered as her eyes slanted over every wisp, every twirl, every billow of smoke that could be hiding something. She recalled Flannery having done this kind of move in one of the exhibition matches they'd watched just the other day, to study her technique, to find a weakness.
Direct attacks weren't working, so subterfuge seemed like a decent fallback method, especially given Keno had double the advantage due to his duel typing. Fire didn't do well when it was flooded by water or buried in the dirt. Flannery had to use whatever tactics she could get an edge against pokémon that posed a disadvantage against her team…
The smokescreen began to thin out, layer by layer. Keno emerged from obscurity first, swaying on all fours, but still upright. Opal's smaller form was harder to make out. When she finally came into view, she was upside down, legs hanging limp, head lying on the ground.
Shay's breath hitched tightly in her chest. She dared not to breath when she saw the Torkoal twitch and rock on her shell, as if trying to right herself. Stay down. Stay the fuck down.
The mediator finally seemed to locate the Torkoal and when Opal stilled at long last, they waved an arm in Shay's direction.
"Flannery's Torkoal, Opal, is unable to battle! Shay Kenway and her Swampert, Keno, win!"
Additional Notes: I'm glad I finally got this chapter completed and in a lot shorter of time than usual! I owe the writing group I joined credit. I think I would have sat on this for a lot longer if it weren't for them. Thank you to everyone in that group!