Re: How to Conquer Kanto in Eight Easy Steps - Chapter 67
Chapter Sixty Eight: That Psychic Feeling
"Natu is unable to battle. The challenger is now in the lead."
The words seemed to come from nowhere, as the white fog still hovered over the field and throughout the gym, preventing Alaska from seeing anything more than a few metres away. She wasn't sure whether she had imagined the statement or not, but as the haze disappeared and revealed a scowling Sabrina, Alaska had to crack a smile. Shelley did it, she actually won!
The fog lifted, revealing the conscious Shelley resting a few metres from her fallen opponent; Natu was so tiny it was hard to see it amongst the shattered ice, but when Alaska did spot her, the Psychic type clearly wasn't moving. Alaska quickly smiled at Shelley, who seemed tired but was otherwise shaking with excitement at her first big defeat.
"That was excellent!" Alaska called out. "Don't get too co*cky though; there are still two more Pokemon we need to defeat first! Though I have the advantage: I am doing it, I am actually beating her…
"I must admit I am impressed," Sabrina said coldly across the field as she withdrew Natu. "You have done better than I expected, which is admirable. I am not pleased though with the fact you continue to ignore the meaning of my lesson."
"Well, I haven't really had the need to do so. My usual strategies seem to be kicking your ass pretty efficiently so far."
"We shall see," Sabrina purred, and her next PokeBall shot out across the field. Alaska had a feeling she knew who was coming, and as soon as the red light began to take a humanoid shape, she grinned to herself.
"Clamp, now!" She shouted. Shelley swivelled about on the ice and sprayed water out of her back, launching herself towards Mr Mime. The Shellder opened her body wide and then closed it tightly onto her opponent's right knee. The Barrier Pokemon had barely been out for a second before he was under attack, and now appeared perplexed and stunned to find his opponent had clamped onto him already.
"You should be proud, Sabrina," Alaska called out with a sly grin. "I have adapted things to suit you: you want Mr Mime to set things up again for your final Pokemon, I could see that coming from a mile away. Maybe your words are finally settling in? Aurora Beam, close contact!"
"SHHHHHHHAAAA!" Shelley replied with her voice muffled but the close range working perfectly. Mr Mime cried out as light shone from Shelley and the Psychic type stumbled forwards as his leg began to freeze. He raised his hands, causing the translucent yellow wall to appear once again, but it did nothing to free himself of the Pokemon causing him pain.
"Icicle Spear!" Alaska shouted. She knew Sabrina was aware of what would happen to her Pokemon, but the gym leader did not change her strategy. Instead, Mr Mime produced the clear Reflect, the mirroring wall shooting up right in front of him. It seemed like an odd decision to Alaska, Sabrina sacrificing Mr Mime to help her final Pokemon, and she had to wonder what the gym leader was planning.
"MIME!" The Barrier Pokemon wailed, and suddenly toppled backwards, flailing his limbs in pain as Shelley fell to the ground. The force of the Icicle Spear had forced her to let go, but Alaska did not care as the attack seemed to have worked: Mr Mime continued to spasm for a moment, but then he fell still and silent. Alaska was stunned the Icicle Spear had done so much damage, but then she remembered Frances' earlier X-Scissors, and smiled, pleased to see they had dome more damage than first thought.
"Mr Mime is unable to battle. The gym leader now has only one Pokemon left against the challenger's three." Alaska beamed brightly and widely as Sabrina quickly withdrew the unconscious Mr Mime: the battle was actually going in her favour, and she had three Pokemon left to face off against Sabrina's one. It was incredible to think she had spent the last week fretting about the battle, wondering what Sabrina's message meant and getting worked up about being trapped here. That all seemed so pointless now, now that Alaska was actually facing her: Sabrina was simply another puffed up gym leader, just like all the rest, and Alaska wanted to laugh, her victory basically secure.
A red flash appeared behind Shelley. Alaska looked up and was surprised to see a green and white Pokemon form behind the barriers, the creature seeming to float above the field, the end of her flowing skin shimmering like a dress caught in the wind, while watchful eyes peered out across the field.
Alaska had been expecting a powerhouse Pokemon like Gardevoir all along, and it was surprising and worrying that Sabrina had only saved it for now. She presumed it was the same one who had helped treat her last week, but Alaska was not going to hold back on that account.
Yet, as she opened her mouth, ready to give her command to a still smiling Shelley, who was slowly pivoting back to her enemy, it happened. One second, Gardevoir's eyes flashed a brilliant yellow. The next, lightning so strong it made Alaska's hair stand up was flowing throughout the field. The harsh yellow and white light forced Alaska to shield her eyes, everything around her turning yellow as Shelley cried out in pain amongst the onslaught.
The attack ended as soon as it began, steam rising from where the electricity had hit melted patches of ice. Alaska lowered her arms and looked down to her feet, bile again rising up her throat: Shelley lay unconscious a metre in front of her, the Electric attack so powerful it had blasted the tiny Pokemon right across the field. Smoke rose from burnt patches on her shell, and her tongue stuck out comically, but Shelley had a look as though she had endured a lot before finally succumbing.
"You should not have gotten so co*cky." Sabrina's voice emerged from the other side of the pitch, but when Alaska looked up she could only see Gardevoir, the Psychic type calmly watching her as though she had not just defeat her Pokemon. "Mr Mime and Natu were always pawns, intended to weaken your side and improve my own. Everything I have done in this battle has paved the way for Gardevoir. I set up barriers to weaken your attacks and eliminate your one Bug type, and I allowed Natu to fall in order to get your hopes up. I spent the last week devising this strategy, and had you actually adapted to the situation like I warned, you would not have walked into every trap. Instead, you simply came charging head first into battle and hoping I would fall as easily as Brock or Misty."
Her words were like a fist ramming repeatedly into her head. Alaska felt angry and sick and disappointed all at once, stunned that she had been manipulated and fooled so easily. Her elation at Mr Mime's defeat had vanished. She could see now Sabrina had trapped her: she may still be in the lead, but with a powerful Electric move at her disposal, Gardevoir could defeat Paige as easily as her Psychic moves would eliminate Nadia. Alaska was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it pained her to admit she had put herself in this position.
The only way to end this nightmare is to win and play Sabrina at her own game, Alaska thought bitterly. She wants to see what I do when someone else sets the rules, so I need to adapt to field around me and kick this bitch all the way back to the loony bin.
"Nadia, let's crush this bitch!" She threw the PokeBall forwards, and a second later Nadia formed on the glowing field, the gruff Poison type sneering at Gardevoir while she took in her surroundings. Alaska knew Nadia was at more of a disadvantage than Paige, but she would rather get at least one solid Crunch in before falling back on her starter.
"Interesting choice," Sabrina purred behind her Pokemon. "Have you not realised that I am aware of what Pokemon you own, which is why I chose the Pokemon I did? Did it not occur to you that Thunderbolt may have been a simple ruse to ensure you sent out your Nidorina?"
"Of course," Alaska snapped back, though really it hadn't, and she was bitter and frustrated once again.
"The tables have certainly turned," Sabrina added after a few moments of silence. "Freezing the field probably seemed like a good idea at the time, and it certainly worked, but Nidorina must now run across the ice you created, while Gardevoir can simply float over it." Alaska swore loudly, having not considered this either, and Sabrina fell silent, clearly knowing the battle was basically won. Nadia's rough, war-ready face slipped as she examined the ice, and the last thing Alaska needed was her toughest fighter to lose confidence.
There are ways around this; we are not going to lose this easily. Alaska knew her options were extremely limited at this point, with Reflect and Light Screen weakening her attacks and Gardevoir would likely know Psychic, hampering any attempt at Crunch. What she needed was to make it easier for Nadia to get in close and score one strong attack.
"Fire Ice Beam and build on what is already there!" Nadia hesitated for a moment, confused by the order, but eventually fired the light blue Ice Beam at the formations Shelley had created. Instantly ice began to grow over what was already there, the misshapen fragments generated by Shelley and Natu's battle growing and solidifying.
"Freezing the field will not help you in the long run."
"You have no idea what my long run is!"
"I can guess," Sabrina retorted, and Alaska directed a hand gesture at her before looking across at Gardevoir. The Psychic type was not even looking at her opponent, and was instead staring intently at Alaska as if trying to read her thoughts. Alaska watched unnervingly as Gardevoir's emotionless eyes flashed pink, then a pale light spread across her, briefly lighting her up before fading.
That isn't going to be good, Alaska thought, presuming it would be some type of status move designed to further increase Sabrina's control over the situation. She forced herself not to fret though, instead watching as Nadia built up the ice around her. The Nidorina had created a chest height wall of ice across the pitch, right up against the two barriers, and was exactly what Alaska wanted.
"Now, ready Skull Bash!" Nadia stopped firing the beam and sat squatly down on the pitch, staring intently through the ice barrier at her waiting opponent. Alaska wondered if Gardevoir would attack now that Nadia was held up for a turn, but the Psychic type did not move, her eyes and skin merely glowing again. Alaska cautiously bit her lip, but put aside her worry and focussed on her own Pokemon.
"NIDA!" Nadia shouted, and she suddenly sprinted forwards, forehead glowing white. It was going to be tricky to pull this off, and Alaska watched intently, heart hammering against her chest, taking slight solace in the fact Gardevoir had not moved yet either.
Nadia ran towards the wall of ice she had created, and Alaska did not tell her to move: instead, she ran straight into it, and the wall shattered, sending huge chunks of ice hurtling towards Gardevoir.
"CRUNCH!" Alaska roared, and Nadia leapt up, jumping past flying ice and through the barriers, and came up right in front of her opponent. She clamped down hard on the horn in Gardevoir's chest, and the speed from Skull Bash saw her slam into Gardevoir and send her stumbling backwards. Alaska wanted to cheer, her complicated plan paying off, but a voice in the back of her head held her back from celebrating, the voice whispering Why didn't Gardevoir defend herself?
"Get away from there, Nadia!" Alaska shouted, a feeling of fear rising in her chest. She saw Nadia look back at her, glowing black teeth still biting down on Gardevoir's midriff, her eyes questioning why she was being denied this treat.
And then it was too late to move: Gardevoir looked down at the Nidorina as if only just noticing her, and her eyes flashed a brilliant, violent pink. Broken ice rose up from the field, and like missiles they began to bombard Nadia. Alaska could hear her grunt in pain, refusing to let go of Gardevoir despite being throttled by the frozen ammunition, but the ice was coming in thick and fast. Alaska knew that with the Dark move enclosing her chest, Gardevoir could not force Nadia off her body just yet, and the ice would continue until the Nidorina did.
She is going to faint one way or another… I might as well get another shot in before that happens…
"Let go and use Ice Beam!" Through the translucent barriers, Alaska saw Nadia look at her again, disappointment clear in her eyes, well aware of what her trainer was asking her to do. This was the second time in one battle Alaska had failed her own Pokemon, and she was not sure whether to be angry with Sabrina for putting her in this position, or frustrated with herself for falling for these traps.
With an air of reluctance, Nadia released her grip of Gardevoir and blasted the Embrace Pokemon with the frozen beam. Gardevoir flinched but her eyes continued to glow: with a casual flick of her arms, the ice fell to the ground and Nadia was sent flying backwards, the Ice Beam petering out as she slammed head-first into the floor. Alaska watched as Nadia rolled towards her, hoping that her Nidorina was merely dazed and would leap back to her feet any second now. Yet it became clear once Nadia fell to her feet, eyes shut and limbs comic spread out, that the battle was now at its lowest point yet for Alaska.
"Nidorina is unable to battle. Both trainers have only one Pokemon left."
Alaska stared wordlessly at Nadia for several moments before the silence combined with the sight of her crushed Pokemon became too much, and she withdrew her without another glance. She gazed across the pitch before her: large chunks of ice lay across the field, distorted and magnified by the swirling glow of the floor; the formation remained on the ceiling, half a set of threatening frozen teeth waiting to fall down on whoever fought next; the two barriers that were still standing, and behind them stood Gardevoir, who had not moved since she began battling and seemed to have barely broken a sweat.
"If you want your Pidgeotto to last more than one move, you will need to change your strategy," Sabrina's voice called across the eerily silent battlefield. "I do not want you to lose, Alaska, you must understand that, but I also refuse to let you win using your current methods. This is not a cruel or elaborate test designed to infuriate you: this is a lesson you need to learn, and a lesson you must learn before you can leave this gym."
"Stop going on about the f*cking lesson!" Alaska snapped. "I am so sick of hearing about what I have to do to change. Why, Sabrina, why do I need to change? Is there someone telling you teach me this, is that what's going on? You mentioned Red last week – is this the League, the bloody Kanto Elites, is this just them telling you I have to fight for them but I'm not doing a good enough job?"
"I have very little to do with the League, and I am not the type to teach lessons on the behalf of others," Sabrina replied coldly. "Is that what you took out of our discussion? If my mention of the League distracted you and prevented you from accepting what I am trying to teach you then I apologise, I did not realise –"
"What has stopped me accepting your bloody lesson is that it is a lesson I don't actually want," Alaska interrupted. "The League stuff, I hardly even thought about it, I only just remembered… but that isn't the problem here! The problem is that you read my mind and made your own assumptions about me, and you think that it gives you permission to lock me in your gym for a week until I meet your damn standards! You have decided that I need to be taught how to fight Buzz and Gideon properly, but I don't want to keep battling them, I made that perfectly clear last week! I made a decision in Celadon of what I path to focus on, and I chose to put my gym battles, but thanks to you, those paths have now crossed over and… URGH, I just can't f*cking win!"
"Everything you say highlights the gravity of what I am trying to teach you," Sabrina said, a slight hiss of anger slipping into her words. "You are frustrated because the choices you have made have been altered by outside sources, and that has made you angry and has weakened your abilities as a battler. You complain that everyone has altered your plans and how much it has annoyed you, and what I am trying to teach you is to accept those outside influences and learn to adapt with them.
"Change is a natural part of aging and maturing, it is one of the fundamental parts of society. I could argue that the ability to change is what makes us human, but even the Pokemon world has changed: barely a century ago, if you had tried to walk through Viridian Forest, the Rattata and Beedrill likely would have killed you, or if they were in a good mood, merely maimed and poisoned you so that you would die slightly later on. But they have adapted and have accepted to living alongside us, and now their descendants choose to kill and maim and poison at our command. Everyone has to change, Alaska; everyone has to grow up and accept that their fate does not lie entirely in their hands, and that choosing a path does not automatically mean they will be able to stick to it!
"I think the true problem lies with the decision you made last week, back in the basem*nt of Silph Tower. You were willing to die rather than face changing how you battle, and you have spent the last week grappling with that moment of weakness instead of focussing on this battle, letting yourself get angry and annoyed by what I revealed to you about yourself so that you do not have to reflect on what drove you to succumbing to your injuries and seeing dying as the easiest option."
"I chose to die because I wanted to die!" Alaska shouted back. "I explained this all last week, I told you more than I have ever told any other stranger, and then you trapped me here and have tried to change my very being! That is the only reason why I am annoyed with you and why I am ignoring your blasted message, so stop trying to analyse me and stop trying to change me! You're the f*cking gym leader here, you're the one who can read minds and manipulate people, so why don't you go out there and see how you fare against Buzz and his robot army and leave me to get on with my journey?!"
The silence that followed instantly felt stifling, and Alaska found herself breathing rapidly, her chest heaving as air entered and left with such rapidity that she began to feel faint. The only sound in the entire gym was her heavy breathing, no one else saying a single thing. Alaska turned and looked to Sandy for support, but for perhaps the first time in one of her gym battles, her friend was staring intensely at her feet and not at the battle field. Alaska let all the air escape her, the lack of support winding her, and she quickly grappled for her one remaining PokeBall, needing support, needing someone on her side, needing to know she was in the right.
"All you have to do is defeat me, and then you may leave," Sabrina replied after what felt like hours, her voice quiet and emotionless once again. It was as frustrating if not more then everything that had come before, and Alaska let out a short, sharp scream before hurtling Paige's PokeBall onto the pitch, the capsule hitting the glowing ground so hard that she thought for a second it might have cracked.
The Pidgeotto formed without issue though, and she rose into the air before Alaska and stared beadily between her and Gardevoir: the tension must have been obvious, the heated exchange still hovering in the air. Sabrina made no further comment, and Gardevoir did not move to strike down Paige.
Your waiting for me to move first, aren't you? Alaska clenched her fists and looked around the field, taking in the ice, the barriers, Gardevoir and her powerful Thunderbolt. I really have no choice in this, do I? Very well then… if I have to win your way, I will play your little game. You keep telling me to adapt to the situation, adapt to what my opponents throw at me… you said last week about how it would be your rules, so what are your rules exactly? The only thing you do differently is make me wear this stupid headband because of the psychic… psychic… psychic energy…
The thought was mad, insane, perhaps the stupidest thing she had come up with all day. But Alaska was running out of options for defeating Sabrina, not just through strength but in a way to counter her strategy, and it was almost as idiotic that she had never considered this earlier.
She did not pause to evaluate her options; instead, Alaska grabbed the headband and pulled it off in one fast movement. She threw it towards the referee, and then shut her eyes and concentrated.
I know you can hear me… you always have been able to hear me, at least for the past few months, so I know you are listening to me now, wherever you are. I want you to know this is a last resort talking to you, but I need your help, and I think you are going to give it to me. You seem to want to protect me, and I am willing to let you, but you cannot help me if I stay trapped inside this gym, and I will stay trapped if I don't win this gym battle. If you are prepared to help, then tell Paige to land on the ice… do it… please, I am begging you, help me!
She opened her eyes, catching a vague glimpse of the referee watching her quizzically but ignored him, her attention falling on Paige. The Pidgeotto was still hovering in mid air, likely examining the field and all the ice that surrounded her, and showed no sign of receiving Alaska's command. Land on it, Alaska thought. He says he wants to help me, so if he wants to help us, then he will tell you to land on the ice… come on, Paige, land on the ice… land on it… land on it… LAND ON IT LAND ON IT LAND ON IT!
Paige's head swivelled; she looked at Alaska in fear, confusion and worry clear in her eyes. Desperately, Alaska gave her a reassuring nod, heart beating so loudly she thought she was going to die, but then Paige floated down towards the nearest shard and perched on it, tucking her wings in and looking at her trainer in complete confusion.
Victory exploded inside Alaska's head, and for the first time since Mr Mime had fainted, she cracked a smile: the battle was not lost yet.
Thank you… now, let's battle…
"Pidgeeeey!" Paige squawked, casting Alaska another strange look before suddenly shooting up into the air. Gardevoir's eyes followed the Pidgeotto, and Alaska was certain she could see a yellow glint in them.
NOW!
"PIDGE!" Paige cried, tucking her wings in as her body turned orange, and as Gardevoir began to glow yellow, the Bird Pokemon unleashed her Heat Wave upon the gym. The air turned a dark red, and Alaska smiled as the blast of warmth brushed her skin. She watched as the broken ice chunks began to melt, forming a giant puddle on the floor, but more importantly, Alaska could see Gardevoir stumbling as the attack washed over her.
Let's see how you like surprises, Alaska thought bitterly, and saw Paige dive rapidly down, chasing her attack as it dissipated.
"Gah!" The soft cry escaped the silent Gardevoir, the Quick Attack hitting her right in the middle: it was not a powerful move, but she had been caught off guard, letting Paige strike her before she could prepare herself.
"How did you do that?" Sabrina's voice was like thunder crackling through the gym, so angry it made Alaska smile. "You do not possess psychic abilities, I would have been able to sense them if you had!"
"I don't know what you're on about, Sabrina," Alaska replied, shrugging her shoulders. "You wanted me to play by your rules, so that is exactly what I am doing. You made it very clear that a trainer does not have to audibly give commands, so I am simply following your rules." Sabrina did not respond, but the air in the gym was tense again. Part of Alaska was concerned about what the gym leader would do to ensure her message sunk in, but the other part was over this whole experience: she simply wanted to win, get the gym badge and move on.
Let's keep things going, shall we?
Paige was circling the field while Alaska and Sabrina had their exchange, but as soon as the next order was given, she stopped and dived down once more, her wings outstretched and shining a brilliant lilac.
"Gar," Gardevoir said quietly, and her eyes flashed pink. It was like an invisible fist had punched Paige in the stomach: the Psychic sent her spiralling upwards until she crashed into the melting ice on the ceiling. It was fast and powerful, and Alaska remembered the mysterious move Gardevoir had used earlier.
"Let me guess, that was something like Cosmic Power, what you had her use earlier? Am I right?"
"Calm Mind, actually," Sabrina replied, a hint of annoyance still there in her tone. Alaska simply nodded and digested the information: a boosted Special Attack explained how easily Nadia had fallen, and it meant that a single hit from any move could be enough to bring Paige down.
Speed is going to be the key here… if we can do things quickly, then we might just stand a shot…
"OTTO!" Paige cried, shaking the water off her feathers before rocketing back to her opponent. There was nothing Gardevoir could do to stop the Quick Attack, but this time, Paige made sure to hit her right in the face: the Psychic type nearly fell to the ground this time, briefly giving Alaska a glimpse of Sabrina's thunderous face before her attention turned back to Paige.
"GAAAAAAAR!" Gardevoir cried, her tone calm but ominous, and electricity flew out of her body. Paige soared around the entire gym, yellow lightning chasing after her, and by sheer luck she managed to avoid getting fried. The Pidgeotto now rocketed back towards the field, tucking her wings in and spinning about, and Gardevoir floated forwards, body already crackling as she readied the next Thunderbolt.
"NOW!" Alaska shouted, and Paige shouted as the purple energy swirling around her grew, and a Twister quickly engulfed her body. She was flying inches above the battlefield, and Alaska nearly whooped as the melted water was whipped by the spinning Twister, and a wave washed over Gardevoir.
"NO!" Sabrina cried out, but it was too late. The Twister did nothing, type advantage, Calm Mind and Reflect working wonders, but that had not been Alaska's plan. Gardevoir screamed painfully as her attacked backfired, the charging Thunderbolt reacting to the water and electrocuting her rather than Paige. Her body lit up, and her graceful demeanour faded as she began to spasm, trying to shake off the water.
Alaska hoped the water would stop her, but despite her pain, Gardevoir managed to blindly fire off the Thunderbolt. The attack soared through the gym, forcing Alaska to step backwards as the giant puddle of melted ice began to crackle. Yet while Gardevoir continued to torture herself, Paige used the momentum of Twister to fly to safety: she flew up and clung to one of the larger roof icicles, and the electricity harmlessly bounced off the frozen surface.
"Am I meeting your requirements yet?" Alaska called out teasingly, but Sabrina did not respond to her jeer. Instead, a frazzled Gardevoir stared up at the ice with a look that must have been emulating the rage her trainer felt, and the pink hairy in chest began to glow, shining and sparkling a mix of pale pink and hot white.
"VOIR!" She shouted, and she fired off a beam that shone as white and brightly as a full moon. Paige launched herself backwards as the shimmering attack struck the ice, shattering it in a explosion of sparkles and ice and sending the chunks soaring across the field. A huge piece landed right in front of Gardevoir, and the Psychic type was forced to hover backwards as the piece showered her in flakes. Alaska raised her arms to shield herself, but through the gap she saw something that made her heart jump: both Reflect and Light Screen had fallen during the last few rounds, going unnoticed during her Thunderbolt strategy, and there was now a clear path to Gardevoir.
DO IT, HIT HER, AERIAL ACE!
"PIDGEOTTOOOOO!" Paige screamed, and she soared through the falling ice, her wings shining such a brilliant shade of purple that Alaska knew all her strength was going into this attack. Gardevoir looked away from the fallen ice and up to her rapidly incoming opponent, and suddenly her eyes glowed pink. Paige froze as though she had hit an invisible barrier, and Alaska could see her starter quivering all over, fighting back against the Psychic attack trying to defeat her.
"You can fight this, Paige; don't let it get a hold of you!" Alaska roared. She could not see Paige's eyes, but her red and yellow head feathers bobbed as she nodded, and suddenly, miraculously, she began to move forwards: her wings only flapped slightly, but Paige forced herself onwards, fighting back against the mental grip on her body. Alaska grinned determinedly, and she looked to see Gardevoir was shaking as well, eyes narrowed and burning pink, doing everything to stop the Aerial Ace hitting.
"Your Pokemon is just like you, Alaska," Sabrina yelled, "trying too hard to fight a losing battle. You both need to give up: you cannot defeat me, not in the way I have set things up for you."
"I can win! I can win, I will win, and I will win on MY OWN TERMS!" Alaska shouted furiously enough. "It has been enough to get me this far."
"You can keep telling yourself that, but you are the one that was willing to die in Silph's basem*nt, you were the one who was ready to give up, and you were willing to die because you know you cannot defeat Buzz. But you will stand a chance if you just let other people help you, and if you simply learn to fight on other people's terms!"
"This is MY journey, Sabrina, and I am going to win this on my own terms!" Alaska snapped furiously back. "Everyone I have met since I left Viridian has tried to control some aspect of my journey. I have been waiting years to do this, to go out and prove myself to the world, and I am not letting anyone else dictate how I live my life! Now COME ON, PAIGE, SHOW HER WHAT WE ARE MADE OF!"
"OTTOOOOO!" Paige screeched, and with her face screwed up in pain, the Pidgeotto suddenly flashed a violent orange. Alaska was startled, but Paige knew what she was doing: the Heat Wave wafted across the pitch and blasted Gardevoir in the face, the burning air enough to make her stumble. Her eyes returned to normal, and Paige shot forwards, a brown and lilac blur ready to end the battle.
Everything happened in a flash.
Gardevoir waved her arms and the Heat Wave vanished, giving Paige a clear line of sight towards her opponent. She was like a speeding bullet, and she managed to cut across her opponent, the Aerial Ace a purple flash as it struck Gardevoir. Alaska thought it was over, but it seemed Sabrina was refusing to go down without a fight, and despite the fact Gardevoir was still covered in water, she began to glow yellow and turned towards the retreating Paige.
Everything faded from view as a brilliant yellow flash like lightning lit up the gym. Paige and Gardevoir both yelled as the Thunderbolt electrocuted them both, steam rising from the giant pool of melted water that acted like a conductor around them. Alaska cried out, her hair standing on end, but it was not the pain of the exploding, ricocheting attack that hurt her: she had come so close, the battle had been won. Was she really about to lose so late in the game?
The flash quickly faded, but the sparking water and a cloud of steam made it hard to see anything. The cloud began to disperse though, and Alaska saw Paige lying slumped on a piece of ice. She was breathing slowly and looked in pain, and Alaska's heart nearly stopped. Quickly, fearfully, she looked across the field, and saw Gardevoir had collapsed to her knees, chest heaving and arms shaking as she tried to hold herself up. Smoke rose from both Pokemon, joining that which shrouded the field, and silence fell as trainers, referee and spectators alike watched to see who fell first.
"Gah," Gardevoir whispered simply, and her arms gave way, a soft splash sounding as she face planted into the water. Paige made a gurgled noise of relief, and she let herself slump backwards, no longer needing to hold on.
"Gardevoir fainted first. By the rules dictated by the Pokemon League, this means that the winner of this gym battle is the challenger, Alaska!" The referee announced, though his gusto felt forced, and only silence greeted his words. Alaska smiled weakly, knowing she should be happy; that she had beaten Sabrina and guaranteed her future. However, the tense, uncomfortable silence before and after the announcement was uncomfortable, sucking away all feeling of joy.
"That was the most appalling battle I have ever had." Alaska looked around to find Sabrina standing before her. The gym leader had walked silently through the water, her face as stoic and blank as always, but her eyes burnt with an undeniable rage. She pulled something out of her pocket and briefly showed Alaska the yellow, perfectly round Marsh Badge before dropping it to the floor.
"Sore loser much?"
"Do not try and insult me with words, Alaska, I am over it," Sabrina replied coldly. "The rules state that I cannot deny you this badge when you have won fairly, but that does not mean I think you deserve it. You ignored my advice, you fought in the same arrogant, attention seeking way you have done so in all your previous battles, and then had the audacity to play tricks and manipulate the situation to win. I do not know how you managed to psychically give Paige your orders, but there is something dirty about what you did, and I cannot forgive you for that."
"f*ck, what is your problem?" Alaska snapped, stepping forwards so their faces were only inches apart. "You wanted me to win playing by your rules, so I played by your rules and won. If you were expecting me to bend over and just do whatever you told me to do, than you and the League should have found someone more co-operative!"
"Oh, Alaska, you have learnt nothing from this whole experience," Sabrina snapped, her face flashing with anger. "You resisted the restrictions I put on you up to the final minute, and you still relied on cheap tricks to win. When you face Buzz or Gideon in a real life or death situation, there won't be convenient ice structures to melt or psychic energy to use against them – you will have to learn how to adapt to the situation and fight properly, without the time to set up elaborate schemes."
"Judge me all you want, but I won fair and square, so you cannot keep me hear any longer!" Alaska hissed.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Sabrina replied coldly. "I hope we meet again one day, Alaska Acevedo, I truly do – in fact, I believe we will see each other again sometime very soon, with all that is happening in our region at the moment. And I hope that when that day comes, you would have finally learnt the error of your ways. Right now, it disgusts and saddens me that the future of our region lies in the hands of someone so incapable of understanding the consequences of her actions." And with one last empty glare, Sabrina turned and walked away.
"Hey, you can't just insult me and walk off like that!" Alaska shouted. She made to follow after, but the crunch of her badge beneath her feet and quickly bent down to retrieve it. When she stood back up, the entire gym was gone.
"What the f*ck…," Alaska muttered, taking a step back in her confusion. The glowing walls and floor had disappeared, and she found herself standing in the middle of a run down wooden building, with broken floorboards and the smell of mould in the air. Alaska looked fearfully around and saw Sandy, Looker and Mr Melton standing near a wall with all their bags, while an unconscious Paige lay in a puddle.
"We have to move on, quickly now," Looker said, his voice echoing inside the empty hall. "We are no longer protected by Sabrina, it is not safe for us in Saffron City anymore." Alaska nodded dimly, not sure what to make of her situation, and she looked to her travelling companions for guidance. However, all three ignored her, talking amongst themselves as they gathered up their gear. Sandy briefly looked up from the trio, and Alaska smiled towards her, but then her friend flushed and turned away, unable to meet her friend's eyes.
Shaking slightly, Alaska looked down at the Marsh Badge in her palm: she wanted to be happy, she should be happy; she had finally completed the fifth step in her journey, the one thing that had kept her going during their week by the ocean. Yet Sabrina's words and Sandy's inability to even look at her made Alaska feel guilty of something, and that feeling grew the longer she looked at the badge.
I didn't do anything wrong: I won, fair and square; they cannot hold it against me.
You tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, a voice whispered in the back of her head. Alaska jumped and looked fearfully around, as though she expected Latios to suddenly be there. She waited, wondering if her guardian would say anything else, if he would comment on what the two of them had done to win the battle, but his words lingered without response, and Alaska wondered how she meant to carry on if even the Pokemon destined to protect her couldn't support her decisions.
The revelations keep coming next chapter as we return to an old location. The arc will continue to develop the argument between Alaska and Sabrina through other parties, so while Sabrina may not reappear anytime soon, Alaska will still ramifications of her decisions during this battle. I have also updated Chapters 63 and 66 with new or heavily revised scenes.
