CHAPTER 249 - Everything Everywhere All At Once

Since I'd made a social media post to advertise my stream, the entire arena was already packed, and every battlefield had been cleared so we'd get all of the attention, for better or worse. What did surprise both me and Barry was that these fields were not normal as we were used to. Instead, each one was a swamp. A marsh that mirrored Pastoria's surrounding environment with numerous islands, vegetation and even a few trees. It looked pretty deep too, but the water was obviously too murky for me to be sure of anything.

"Uh, I had no idea these were like this, it's my first time in here," Barry said, scratching his head. "Does it bother you? We can go somewhere else if you want. It'd kind of be a waste of time, but I'm game. It's my fault, since I picked the address without looking."

With a head tilt, I considered the advantages and disadvantages of this. Barry's Snorlax would be neutralized in this environment, but Sunshine would be too. This much water wouldn't evaporate fast enough, and lava couldn't form on this marshland unless I radically altered it somehow. Still, Buddy would be at home in this terrain, and I wanted to lead with him anyway. Empoleon was less good with water than we were, Rapidash could fly, but if any of my Pokemon knocked the fire type into the water, it was basically over for him. Sweetheart would be able to skid across the water here too, and the nutrients in the soil would be great for Angel…

Yeah, I was definitely okay with battling here. Plus, win or lose, a field like this would definitely help me prepare for Crasher Wake, even if his arena had fewer islands than this. I'd have to text the address to my friends whenever they made it here so they could practice. This was too good to pass up on.

"Yeah, if you want to," I innocently said. "Good practice for Wake."

"Right!" He exclaimed. "So can we start, or—"

"Just a second. Uh, I need to set up a stream. Could you go find someone willing to be a referee in the crowd? Someone that looks dependable?"

"Leave it to me!" He saluted before running off, his Empoleon following behind him with an awkward step.

What a goofball, I chuckled. I grabbed my phone and tried to remember all of the steps Denzel had painstakingly guided me through and used the foldable tripod I had bought at the last minute. After checking that I was actually capturing the whole battlefield, I got ready to start the stream. Already, my 'pre-chat' was going crazy. I didn't really care for them. Mostly, I was sad that my channel wasn't monetized since I had never uploaded anything on it and I wouldn't make any money from the stream. If account sharing hadn't been banned on the platform, Denzel would have lent me his so I could actually get something out of this, but at least the board was going to be happy.

"Oh well," I said. I was too focused on the coming battle to care, and it wasn't like I was planning on making streaming a regular thing either. Less than a minute spent looking at chat and I already wanted to end the broadcast out of spite.

Once Barry came back with a guy he dragged by the arm, he introduced us with a flurry of words. Samuel— the ref— asked each of us the rules of the battle, and then privately which one we would send out first. Barry told him that he didn't have to call out when a Pokemon fainted because it slowed down the battle too much. I locked in Jellicent, started the stream, and made my way toward the edge of the battlefield. When I arrived at my spot, I leaned on one crutch, dropping the other.

Barry was already squirming in excitement on his trainer platform when I stepped on mine, and he excitedly— and comically and repeatedly stomped with his two feet on the metallic floor. He had to readjust his scarf after he was done because of how wild he'd been going. I'd seen plenty of trainers be excited for a battle, but I'd never seen someone be so agitated they literally couldn't sit still. I took a deep breath and held it, counting the seconds until the kid we'd asked to referee told us to send out our first Pokemon. Jellicent appeared high in the sky, and his red eyes scanned the battlefield from corner to corner. This was swampland. Unusual to fight on. In every public arena we'd been in before, the terrain had been flat, rocky ground with maybe a few boulders in between. This was a new environment that he'd excel in, although I doubted it would stay the same for long with how much power we had at our disposal. A piece of himself discreetly stuck to the barrier so we could communicate without Barry hearing.

Of course, by the time I'd been done thinking, Barry had already released his Staraptor. The huge bird flapped her wings, sending ripples through the murky water, and she hovered right over the surface. As far as predicting his first Pokemon went, I'd stopped after trying for two hours yesterday. There was no consistency in what Barry picked first, so it would have been pointless to waste time instead of trying to learn more about the way he fought. Buddy was the safest choice I could have picked. Only Roserade would have countered him.

But there was no more time to monologue. The referee slashed his arm across the air and bellowed.

"Begin!"

Immediately, I braced for the coming Sunny Day, but instead out of Barry's mouth came this.

"Spinning Swift!"

That was a new one. Staraptor landed on solid ground for a split second, and then twisted. Wind, water and stars gathered around her and started orbiting the flying type with a menacing, loud spin. Then, they exploded outward. The Swift shattered into a hundred pieces, each traveling toward Jellicent like bullets and homing in on him. I didn't have time to express an order, but that was fine. Buddy propelled himself back with Water Sport and retreated into the swamp below the water. The Swift burst through the surface, each shard of the stars creating actual waves. So much power behind a divided Swift? I thought to myself before leaning against one knee. Then, I remembered my ankle was broken, and I stopped before the pain could get too bad. Below the water, the Swift would slow enough not to hurt Buddy that much.

"Night Shades and attack with Hydro Pump," I whispered.

"Double Team and dive!" Barry yelled with a wide grin. He was having the time of his life even though the battle had just started, and I couldn't help but return his smile.

Staraptor took to the air once again, but she left behind blurred clones that dove into the water like an Empoleon would. Some disintegrated from powerful jets of water that Buddy and his clones were no doubt sending at the moment, but most made it through. The water began to stir, as if the clones themselves were applying force to the water.

"Hurricane!" Barry yelled.

With a low-pitched screech, Staraptor beat her wings, each subsequent flap generating an ever-strengthening storm that picked up the stirring water and mud. Thankfully, we were safe under the water, but I squinted when Barry stacked a Rain Dance on top of that order. Rain Dance against a water type? I knew he was planning something, but I couldn't get lost in his pace. I understood what made Barry so threatening now. Being proactive against him was terrifying. With how unpredictable he was, it was impossible not to want to wait to see what he'd do despite my better judgment.

You've got this, relax, I exhaled, loosening my shoulders. I felt better when a Hydro Pump clipped Staraptor in the wing, but she was adept at riding the winds to dodge anything Buddy and his shades threw at her while submerged in the water.

"Try Will-O-Wisp," I muttered.

Even from deep below and through the storm, I heard the screams. Six purple flames impossible to extinguish burst from the water's surface. One of them tried to make a break for the spectators, but disintegrated with a shriek when it hit the barrier. The other five rushed toward Staraptor, and her wind had no effect on the wisp.

"Ominous Wind!" Barry yelled.

Staraptor's eyes dimmed with shadow, and her plumage seemed to grow pale even though that shouldn't have been possible. The tiniest of fissures opened in the air. A hole through reality. It was too small to actually see what was inside, and there were none of the screams I had come to expect from ghost type moves. Instead, the world grew purple, and the fragment of Jellicent's body began to squirm. The wind was so silent. As if it muffled everything else in the arena. Under the water, both of Buddy's shades exploded. The rain started to fall in every direction instead of just down. Water started flowing up, sideways and small pieces of mud began to float.

I was not deterred. "Whirlpool."

The water around the swamp began to spin until it exploded upward as one with the force of a Hydro Pump. It wrapped around Staraptor as if it had a mind of its own and dragged her into the swamp. The Ominous Wind weakened, but it kept going. I knew from research that it would take at least one minute for it to disappear completely. The Will-O-Wisps— which had actually been slowed by the Ominous Wind— jumped at the occasion and all entered Staraptor's body as she fell under the water.

Unfortunately, a Hurricane from Barry dispelled the Whirpool, allowing the bird to free herself before Buddy could go ahead and drag her deeper under the water to force a switch by drowning her or finish her off. She made a wide sweep around the arena, strengthening the Ominous Wind once more as she almost brushed around the barriers. Despite the fact that she was burning, Barry was beaming in excitement. He hasn't researched me at all, I noticed, feeling slightly offended. Everything is new for him.

"I know you're struggling, but try to Whirpool again, but hide inside of it. We need to catch Staraptor by surprise to use Acid and melt her feathers—"

Barry held out a Pokeball and recalled Staraptor, causing me to frown internally. Yeah, Staraptor had been burned, but Ominous Wind was wreaking havoc on Buddy, and they were basically winning the trade. Unless he'd figured out something. Or not? Gah! I was growing paranoid. Not bothering to care about Ominous Wind, Barry immediately sent out his Empoleon, whose steel creaked from the ghostly attack.

Everything started to make sense when frost began to spread from the tip of his flippers. The steel type dove into the water—

"Run," I warned with a fist clenched around my jeans. "Blow him up with shades, use Shadow Ball, just keep away."

"Freeze!" Barry screamed.

Buddy barely made it five seconds until he rose from the water encased in ice. His eyes glowered with a deep red as he no doubt tried to break out, but Empoleon jumped out of the swamp and skidded on some ice he'd formed under his feet. He held out a hand, and the rain falling spontaneously froze, adding to Buddy's prison. At the same time, the Ominous Wind finally abated, the gap in reality closed, and my sense of hearing was right again.

"Focus," I gently said. "You still have shades, don't you?"

Empoleon waved his hand around, and with every movement, Buddy's ice prison would violently crash against the barrier. The steel type's eyes narrowed, and he finally lost his smile as he reached the apex of his concentration. The center of Jellicent's prison hollowed out, turning to water that allowed him to move, but the ice formed into spikes that stabbed into every inch of the ghost's body.

I breathed a sigh of relief when his two Night Shades emerged from the depths, both flanking Empoleon. One of them blew him away with a quick Shadow Ball while the other enveloped him with a weakened Hex.

"Water Spout," I said.

Every single cell in Jellicent's body shook, and the ice prison shattered, allowing him to break out of the shell. The massive, gaping holes in his body regenerated— albeit slowly. That Ominous Wind had dealt a lot more damage than I thought it'd do. When Barry ordered his Empoleon to freeze Buddy again, I recalled him before the ice could cover his entire body. There had been so much ice the first time around that I hadn't even been sure if I'd be able to recall him. I didn't know if Barry realized he might have created a technique that prevented opponents from recalling their Pokemon.

"Come on, send on your next Pokemon! I'm having a blast!" He yelled.

That technique on Empoleon is mighty impressive, I mused, ignoring his tantrum. Even ice types of our level don't have the know-how to control ice this well.

At the twenty-eighth second, I released Electivire onto the field. Murmurs from the crowd, which then turned into excited cheers or gasps— I cut them off. Electricity hummed and sparkled as Honey whirled his arm around, the largest burst of energy reaching halfway to the barrier's ceiling. Barry's mouth gaped, but he was only still for an instant.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man!" He yelled. "Empoleon, Stealth Rock and freeze him!"

"Radiant Leap! Get up close!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.

Metallic shards fell off of Empoleon's body as frost coalesced in between him and Honey using the rain. The electric type grinned, taking a step—

Even now, his speed never failed to surprise me. In a second, he leaped over the swamp, landed on Empoleon's ice platform, and placed a palm on the water type's head. A Thunderbolt— no, a Thunder exploded in every direction, drowning out Empoleon's pained screams. The metal in his body worked very well at conducting electricity. Electivire's excellent start was short-lived, however. The sheer power coming from Thunder destroyed the thick sheet of ice both Pokemon had been standing on, and they fell into the water.

"Keep a hold of him," I said, feeling breathless.

Another Thunder ransacked through Empoleon's body, but Barry did not recall his water type. Instead, he swept an arm and grinned.

"Steel Beam!"

A giant metallic rod as thick as Empoleon's stomach rammed into Honey's gut, sending him flying back. The electric type landed in the water, and he wasted no time swimming back to land as he hit the swamp with a Thunderbolt, this time. Empoleon was far, but the electricity still spread to him in an instant.

"Aqua Jet! Back onto an island!"

The steel type flew up, although it was only for a short amount of time. When he landed on the nearest island, he rolled on the sand and barely managed to get up. Meanwhile, Honey held onto the giant bruise forming on his stomach. My eyes scanned the field for the steel beam that had been used, but it had probably fallen deep into the swamp. We could have used magnetism to send it back, I lamented.

"Thunderbolt."

A thick sheet of ice formed from the moisture and the rain, barely managing to block the attack. It had been a while, so Empoleon was probably keeping the Rain Dance going despite Barry not having said anything.

"Thunder."

"Dodge and Weather Ball!"

I smirked when the Thunder still hit Empoleon's flipper, even though he had immediately begun to slide on an ice slide he was continuously generating with a honk-like laugh that was both weird and cute. A huge ball of mist, ice and water formed in front of Empoleon's mouth, growing and growing until it was larger than Honey himself. Empoleon twisted his body, and the ice slide turned accordingly. With a defiant and humorous cry, he sent the Weather Ball flying at Honey. His attacks were still powerful, but his movements were sloppy. Empoleon was tired, and how could he not be?

The next Thunder was too fast for him to swerve out of the way, but I scoffed when he raised the path instead. The Thunder crashed into it, destroying all of the ice in the process and allowing Empoleon to fall back into the water— never mind, he landed on another slide, and got away from us. Barry cackled, slapping his stomach like it was all a big joke, and Honey dispatched the Weather Ball with a Thunderbolt—

The Weather Ball exploded with the deafening roar of a storm. Shards of ice tore through Honey's fur and skin while the water was so highly pressurized that it pushed him back a few feet.

"Go in again," I said. Empoleon is too tricky to take down from afar, and Barry adapted to Honey incredibly fast. "Leap from island to island until you get close—"

Before I closed my mouth Electivire was gone. Empoleon fired off an Ice Beam, which he sidestepped like it was the slowest attack in the world. He was speeding up, I smiled. Each island, his step grew more confident. More solid. Every time, he would fire off another Thunderbolt toward Empoleon, who was getting closer and closer to getting hit. Upon Barry's very upbeat order, the water type landed on the furthest island from Honey he could find using Aqua Jet to fly away and his ice slides to swerve out of attacks.

"Now Grass Knot!" Barry ordered.

With haste that I could never have expected, layers and layers of grass twisted themselves around Honey's ankle. The electric type easily tore through them with Radient Leap and reached Empoleon with a Thunder Punch in the gut. Empoleon doubled over, drooling all over the ground until Honey let him go and he collapsed in the mud. His ice paths would remain until they melted, but Empoleon was finally down.

We'd taken the first Pokemon.

"That was so cool," Barry said in an admiring tone. "I didn't even know you could evolve those unless you were high up in the government!"

At the same time, he'd already sent out his Snorlax as close to us as he could, and I instantly barked out an order to retreat. Honey jumped toward another island, stumbling during the landing, and I could finally take in Snorlax in full. Honey was tall for his species— slightly shorter than Volkner's Electivire, and he would keep growing for a good while, but Snorlax dwarfed even him. The normal type was truly massive in a way that none of my Pokemon would be able to stand up to in a melee. Snorlax yawned as he scratched his belly, his slit-like eyes barely open enough to actually see what was going on in the battle.

This is it, I thought to myself. "Honey, try out a Thunder."

I bit my lip and watched as the Thunder hit Snorlax, lighting up his surroundings. When the light receded, Snorlax tilted his head and bent his head toward his belly with confusion radiating out of him.

It was burned.

Just burned. And maybe bruised too.

"Amnesia!" Barry shouted.

Ah, shit. Snorlax stared around, and his body diffused a pale, pink glow. Another Thunder did even less damage than before, and the normal type seemed to forget he'd even been in a battle. He lay down on the island and decided to go to sleep.

"Snorlax! Concentrate!" Barry said, stomping a foot.

At least I had time, and Honey was still raring to go.

"Cross Chop."

My jaw clenched, and I waited for Honey to get to Snorlax with bated breath. If this didn't work, then I was in big trouble. The electric type's arms shone bright white, and he blurred with Radiant Leap, his tails lashing out against the muddy ground. He landed on Snorlax's stomach. I smiled when Snorlax actually groaned from the fighting type move, but my lips flattened when he swept at Honey with a glowing fist. The electric type narrowly managed to put up a Protect before getting hit, and he was unharmed.

That did not mean he stayed where he was. The… Mega Punch? Sent him tumbling in the water, and he spun so many times that he was disoriented. Anger washed off of Snorlax like an open sieve and he let out a bellowing roar that made even the mud and water around him ripple.

"That's what I'm talking about! Get your revenge! Ice Beam!" Barry grinned, pumping a fist.

"Keep hitting him with Thunderbolt," I said.

The first Ice Beam hit Honey in the shoulder and the second in the back, but once he got back on an island, a burst of electricity destroyed the ice and a Thunderbolt slammed against Snorlax. The attack barely had any effect, but as it stood, we could consistently dodge when far enough while Snorlax could not. In fact, the normal type hadn't moved from his spot since the start of the battle, and despite having good coverage moves, his usage of them was still slow and awkward, just like his movement.

"Ack! Too fast, huh? Snorlax, Bulldoze!"

I blinked, and the ground under Honey's feet began to shake. Small bursts of rock and earth slipped through the opening cracks, and I had to stop myself from freezing to recall Honey fast enough. Snorlax could consistently hit us from afar. Damn it, I bit my tongue. Honey was my best bet to take Snorlax down, but I wanted to keep him for later in the fight. I could technically have kept harassing Snorlax with electric type moves, but I wanted to keep Honey's energy high enough for other threats, and he needed to be at the back of Barry's mind to keep him thinking and worrying. Not that he looked worried at all right now. The blond teenager was having the time of his life. Bulldoze immediately canceled out Sunshine too, so I was left with… Buddy? It was either him or Princess. Angel and Sweetheart would have absolutely no effect on him. We'd have to release an insane amount of powdered move for it to actually have an effect on a titan like Snorlax.

Buddy it is, I convinced myself. I sent out the water type once more and immediately told him to get as high as he could. He was still tired from the Ominous Wind since he hadn't rested as long as I had wanted him to, and the steel Stealth Rocks that stabbed into him didn't help, but he was our best bet.

The way I planned on taking down Snorlax was not going to be pretty, but it had the highest chance of working. The water type flew upward with a few bursts of Water Sport that splashed down into the swamp while Snorlax tracked him with angry eyes.

"Ice Beam!" Barry ordered.

But we were thankfully too far for it to matter. The slow, weak beam of ice missed by a large margin, and then Buddy kept dodging every subsequent attack. First came the setup—

"Will-O-Wisp."

Now that Jellicent was close to me, I shivered and saw my breath when he summoned the spirits, even through the barrier. This time, though, his hold on the wisps was sloppier because of how tired Jellicent was. One of them tried to burn him, but his eyes flashed and it winked out of existence before it could harm him. Two others again tried to escape through the barrier, but the rest made a mad rush toward Snorlax.

"Uh oh! Can you eat those?!" Barry asked, unsure of himself.

For the first time, Snorlax moved. It was almost hilarious, how he stumbled on his two huge round feet. The normal type stood, and his mouth darkened. Crunch! With surprising haste, Snorlax chomped down on each Will-O-Wisp, and all of them died in his mouth. He stuck his tongue out as far as he could after the fact, as if he'd just eaten something disgusting.

Okay, I blinked as the normal type tried to retaliate with a Thunderbolt that Jellicent narrowly dodged. Had we gotten better control of Will-O-Wisp, we would have been able to out-maneuver him. I tried twice more, just to be sure, but each time, Snorlax managed to eat the flames with Crunch. They never went around him to try to avoid his mouth. Instead, they all rushed at Snorlax without any coherent strategy.

Well, it was time to go with the original plan. I'd wanted to try burning Snorlax, just as insurance for the future as I'd done to Staraptor, but that wouldn't be possible.

"Into the water. Drown him," I whispered—

"Hey! She's whispering again, Snorlax! Get ready!"

I waited for Buddy to slip through the water's surface and continued. "He's going to try to eat you with Crunch, and it's going to hurt. If you can Recover and win the battle of attrition, then we win. You just need to last long enough to make him pass out. Hell, you can try to burn him now that you'll be close."

Night Shades broke through the water's surface and harassed Snorlax with Hydro Pumps that didn't deal any substantial damage. There was another reason I couldn't just strike him from afar to take him down. The hits would stack up eventually to take him down, even through Amnesia.

Unfortunately for us, Snorlax knew Rest. Not Sleep Talk, but he would wake up again before we could take him down. Electivire would have been in the same dilemma.

Jellicent's red eyes stalked under the water, and Snorlax hit his surroundings with Thunderbolts so weak that even Buddy wouldn't be that hurt. Variety was good, but focusing on so many techniques had left a lot of Barry's Pokemon's moves lacking. Buddy slipped into the muddy ground, and then emerged behind Snorlax with a silent scream. He lost all of his form, becoming a liquid blob that wrapped around the giant's head. Snorlax brought his hands up to his face and clawed away, but he could not get rid of water given form. The normal type fell to the ground and rolled around like a ball as he desperately tried to get rid of Buddy. At the same time, the Night Shades kept the pressure up. Their Hydro Pumps didn't do much, but anything would help.

"Will-O-Wisp," I whispered.

"Focus!" Barry yelled. "Lick!"

Before the spirits could appear, Snorlax lolled out his tongue, dimmed with a purple light. Jellicent froze around Snorlax's head as he moved his tongue as fast as he could.

"Now Crunch!"

Damn it—

"Acid."

Poison seeped everywhere.

Snorlax let out an uncharacteristic shriek. The Acid ate into his rolls of fat and his face. The normal type lost layers of his skin, but he didn't stop. The pain only enraged him further, and he slammed his face against the ground as he Crunched down on Buddy's form. The ghost lost his shape as darkness coursed through his body, and I restrained a sigh when the piece of him began to slide down the barrier. He was done for.

Snorlax wasn't much better off, with layers of skin and fat peeled off, but Barry didn't order him to rest because he couldn't. Electivire was still in the back now, and he was the only one that would be able to overwhelm Snorlax while he slept. He might have been fine with that before because it would force me to use my last switch, but now that Buddy had fainted, I could do it for free. His instincts are good, I thought as I moistened my lips. I wiped the sweat off my hands on my pants and grabbed my next Pokemon.

A flash of red, and then Honey appeared on the field, grunting in pain and holding his arm up to protect himself from the Stealth Rocks. Barry immediately recalled his Snorlax, not even entertaining the fight. My eyes would have widened had I not held myself from emoting. I expected him to at least try Bulldoze, but then again, I was ready to let Honey be hurt if it meant I could take Snorlax down, and Barry clearly wanted to keep the normal type in the fight. Empoleon's ice slides were basically all melted at this point, but the extra water meant that the islands had shrunk some.

At least I'm caught up in switches.

"Roserade, you're up!" He called out with never-failing enthusiasm.

He released the grass type a few islands away. Now that I could look closely, her roses were a slightly different tint than Denzel's Roserade, but both grass types were basically the exact same size. Barry immediately called out.

"He's faster than you! Get a hold of him first!" He shouted with never-ending vigor.

I inhaled sharply when the grass below Honey's feet started to grow and twist. Like a crude version of Carnivine's control. Honey stayed on the move, never staying in one place for long, but even the reeds in the water were trying to get a hold of him. At the same time, Barry called out for a Sunny Day, which came out a lot faster than Angel's ever did. Electivire would sometimes get caught, but he was strong enough now to just tear through the grass.

"Thunderbolt while you get close!" I said, leaving the Fire Punch command unspoken— wait! "Railgun! Use the Stealth Rocks!"

A smile spread across Honey's face as he swept through the arena, speeding up as he did so to pick up the Stealth Rocks. Electricity hummed around him, and the metal levitated around him. The electric type held out a hand, and they all barrelled toward Roserade so fast that they all tore through her like bullets through papier-mâché. Now go get her, I thought with a shiver of anticipation.

Barry grinned. "Cotton Spore!"

Plants all around Honey exploded, diffusing massive amounts of cotton and stopping him right in his tracks like adhesive. How?! I squinted at the ground and nearly scoffed in disbelief when I noticed the little flickers of white on the ground. He'd been growing a damn field of cotton and I hadn't fucking noticed! Grass types could pick what plant they grew?! Without fucking seeds?!

"Fire Punch! Free yourself!" I cried out, cursing having to reveal the attack.

"Grassy Glide and Thorn Whip!" Barry ordered.

Honey snarled as his fists caught on fire, and cotton withered into blackened husk, and then smithereens. Roserade slid across the islands like she was ice-skating, and then across the water. Lilypads grew everywhere she stepped, leaving her enough space to make her way toward Honey. She aimed a rose at him, and another burst of cotton exploded, swarming him, but he was quicker to react this time and clapped his hands, creating sparks of flame and electricity that burned through the cotton in a single second.

Two thorny vines raked across Honey's arm and shoulder. The one that hit his arm actually wrapped around it and started to glow neon green with Giga Drain while the other kept hitting him over and over.

"Grab it!" I yelled.

Honey's muscles bulged, and he pushed past the pain, clenching a hand around the thick vine. He yanked it toward him, dragging Roserade forward.

"Energy Ball!" Barry countered.

There was so much vegetation here that the green, fluorescent ball coalesced in a split second. Plants shriveled and died, and Roserade hit Honey's face with the Energy Ball as soon as he got her near him. Electricity surged, as it did every time he felt pain, but he stayed focused. He grabbed onto Roserade's frail arms and punched with flaming fists as he Screeched into her ears—

"Flash!"

Light exploded out of Roserade with an audible explosion— like a damned flashbang. I felt my shoulders sag in relief when the poison type's body flew back, half of her body a smoking husk from the Fire Punch until grass wrapped around her and sacrificed itself to heal her. That was new too, I said, licking my lips. Not as quick as Synthesis, though.

"Listen to my voice!" I yelled.

Electivire hadn't been hurt by the Flash, but he was disoriented and couldn't see where he was or hear very well. Still he managed to catch what I said, and my words calmed him down some, allowing the electricity around him to settle down. So much waste, I thought. We'd probably used the equivalent of five Thunders from all the electricity leaking out of him. Approaching would mean getting hit by Flash, but that was fine.

"Thunderbolt," I ordered. Better save some energy for Snorlax. I needed to weaken her and switch in the next minute or so.

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"Seed Bomb!" Barry ordered.

Roserade giggled, and a cluster of explosions rang out all around Electivire. My eyes narrowed as I instinctively protected my face despite the barriers. Had Roserade left those seeds when they'd been close? During the Flash, maybe. Honey shot out a Thunderbolt, but he couldn't see very straight and it wasn't even close to its target, instead landing on the ground a few feet away from Roserade and kicking up some mud. I recalled Honey before he could get hurt any longer and licked my teeth. I was out of switches now, so my next one really had to count

Sunshine? Despite the type advantage, I feared that I'd underestimated Roserade's versatility in such terrain. He'd be largely contained to one island, just like Snorlax, while the grass type could grow lilypads to walk on. Sweetheart was a no-go, not right now. It was either Angel or Princess—

Twenty seconds left to make a decision.

Princess would have the advantage, but the problem rested with Barry's remaining Pokemon. I needed to save her for threats like Heracross and Staraptor. Sending out Tangrowth here was a risk, because there was a possibility that Barry would switch to Rapidash, and even if I took Roserade down, Rapidash would no doubt come out next. It was a risk I was willing to take, however. I clenched the grass type's Pokeball, taking in its familiar shape to relax my mind. I released him an island away from Roserade with ten seconds to spare, and Barry sprung to action.

"Exploding Pin Missiles!" He ordered.

Roserade mirrored his excitement, and nearly thirty—forty— damn it, fifty Pin Missiles launched from her flowers, leaving trails of smoke behind them.

I spoke on instinct. "Ancient Power!"

The attack came out much quicker thanks to Sunny Day. Four walls surrounded Tangrowth, and a roof built itself just in time for the first Pin Missiles to explode around his 'house'. The earth here was soft— just mud, but the advantage of Ancient Power was that it could shape the ground into anything. The thickened walls were barely standing by the end of the explosion flurry, and Angel lowered them himself.

"Throw some rocks," I quickly continued.

The walls collapsed into small bits that Angel swept in his vines, and in one smooth motion, he threw them toward Roserade.

"Seed Bomb!"

I had expected another wave of seeds to explode against Angel to distract him, but instead, Roserade beamed, as if she'd been waiting for this moment the entire battle. The poison type slid with Grassy Glide, but it wouldn't be enough to dodge. Then, an explosion under her. Seed Bomb after Seed Bomb, and suddenly, she was flying. Timing and strengthening each subsequent explosion with such precision that she could basically travel in the air, which was exactly what I'd wanted to do with Sunshine. I grinned when Roserade landed in the distance on another half-submerged island and spoke up. Our proof of concept had just essentially been proven possible.

"Get close to her," I said, trusting in his speed with Sunny Day still active. "Use Ancient Power to create more rocks as you go."

They'd be useful for Sweetheart, because she would actually need a supply of rocks to use in this arena. Earth was not rock. Angel propelled himself with his vines, almost jumping in the air as he pushed into the ground with so much power he was creating small craters in the mud. He shot his vines down to prevent himself from sinking and essentially floated in the water. Each of his vines worked as one, filling a specific duty that he needed to move with such grace.

But Barry was not idle. His Roserade would launch small globs of Acid, which Angel easily stopped with Ancient Power. The poison wasn't weak by any means. This was Barry we were talking about. Focused on grass typing Roserade might have been, but she still excelled in poison type attacks. It easily melted through our Ancient Power walls, but that was fine. The fact that it didn't punch through like Poison Cutter did meant that only a few droplets could reach Angel.

"Charge up a Solar Blade," I said when he'd closed half the distance. A select few of Angel's vines began to glow bright white with solar energy. "Watch out for Flash when you get close!"

Barry was, however, determined not to let us get close, falling back on grass manipulation. Cotton Spores exploded in Roserade's wake, although I knew how to stop them this time and Angel largely avoided the field of white flowers. Seed Bombs might not have hurt Angel that much, but the force of an explosion that massive was still nothing to scoff at and slowed him down slightly.

"Shadow Leaves!" Barry yelled.

Hah! I fucking knew this one!

"Knock Off all around you!" I yelled.

Roserade lowered her two arms to the ground, and a Shadow Ball slammed into the ground. Instead of exploding uncontrollably, the ghostly energy weaved itself in the grass until Roserade's entire island was filled with purple vegetation. The leaves writhed around, that it wasn't Roserade doing it. Spirits had possessed the plants, and they tore themselves from the ground. Stalks, leaves, grass, bark, lilypads, anything that was near flew off and rushed toward Angel. He stopped, and the vines he wasn't using to charge up Solar Blade were all submerged in darkness.

Then, he thrashed around.

Everywhere.

His vines were so quick they'd become a blur of blue all around him, and the ghosts were all knocked out of their leaves before any could even hit him. It was one of Roserade's most powerful current moves despite taking a while to charge, but Angel had too many vines to use to get hit more than three times. Roserade's face fell in disappointment, and she prepared herself to use Seed Bomb to retreat again—

"Knock Off, detach!" I yelled with a thrill in my voice.

Angel threw a vine forward that wrapped around Roserade like a lasso, and the explosion that came out of the Seed Bombs was a lot weaker than before. Then, Angel's Solar Blades shot forward and all converged toward the poison type as soon as he reached his fifty feet range. An Acid leaked out of Roserade, but it would take time to chew through the dark-coated vine.

Solar Blade was a grass type attack, but the four vines still stabbed into Roserade like butter. The sheer force of the impact also staggered the poison type and we basically skewered her. I'd gotten an idea to trigger one of the unstable explosions from Solar Blade after stabbing an opponent, but just like using Water Spout inside a Pokemon, that was far too lethal to use in a fight like this. Roserade was no Carnivine.

Barry recalled Roserade, and I wiped a few beads of sweat from my face. Instead of the expected Rapidash, Barry sent out his Heracross. Arceus, this is so much fun, I immediately thought with a widening grin. I blinked to moisten my eyes and studied the lean bug type. Those plates of armor look tough. I doubt I can stab through those. I cracked my neck and exhaled as the fighting type took flight with buzzing that only Vespiquen could beat.

"Sustain the Sunny Day," I said, remembering that it was Roserade's. "He uses sound-based attacks, and you won't be able to hear me for most of the fight. He's going to get up close…"

As my words went on, the buzzing grew louder. Not as debilitating as it was with Pressure, but it was still way too loud for Tangrowth to hear anything I'd say, especially when he was on Barry's side of the arena. Barry yelled something, but I knew the disadvantage was two-fold. Heracross couldn't hear anything he'd say either.

Not that that mattered. Pale, green energy diffused out of Heracross' wings, and the fighting type flew toward Angel as he strengthened his Bug Buzz. He angled his face downward, and his horn glowed bright white. I could only watch and hope Angel would figure out a way to counter Megahorn on his own. Heracross would be able to break through Ancient Power with his physical prowess, and despite being a slow flier, he would still catch up to Angel due to the swamp.

Vines burst toward Heracross as soon as he crossed into Angel's range, both with Power Whip and Knock Off added to the mix. Heracross didn't even try to alter his course. Dark type effects could not suppress bug-type or fighting type moves, or if they could, it wasn't for long. The Bug Buzz hit Angel, whose entire body shivered in pain, and yet his focus didn't waver. Vines wrapped around Heracross' body, so much that he was barely visible under them. The force of the vines actually managed to restrain his wings, flattening them against his body, and for a second, the Bug Buzz stopped.

"Break his wings," I snapped at the opening.

"Huh?! Strength!" Barry said, slightly taken aback.

Heracross flexed, and the sheer force tore apart many of Tangrowth's vines. Heracross clumsily landed in front of the grass type, who slammed him away with a Power Whip.

He didn't budge. Instead, the Bug Buzz started again, and he rammed a Megahorn deep inside of Angel, whose vines shot out everywhere in a desperate attempt to hit the bug type away from him. Spores exploded, Power Whips dented his armor and Knock Offs wrapped around Heracross' body.

None of it was enough.

I thanked my lucky stars when Heracross' wings bent in the wrong direction and Angel stabbed hasty Solar Blades into the ground to use Ingrain—

I closed my eyes, but saw the light from the massive explosion through my eyelids anyway. Angel had been so hurt that he hadn't managed to stabilize his Solar Blades to use Ingrain. The Bug Buzz was manageable now thanks to the broken wings, so I spoke again.

"The ground is soft! Just use Ingrain normally!" I yelled.

I had to scream the order five times until my throat hurt for Angel to hear. In that time, Heracross had been goring him with Megahorn. The vines stabbed into the mud, and the grass around Angel started to die as he healed himself. We are severely behind when it comes to the complicated techniques grass types can work with, I realized with a bouncing leg. Luckily we'd started work to remedy that soon.

"Pin Missile!" Barry ordered.

I clicked my tongue. Not much I could do about that from point-blank range.

"Power Whip as much as you can!"

Tangrowth desperately slammed as many Power Whips as he could against Heracross' back, denting his armor. Each attack grew weaker and weaker, but it was all we had. The Pin Missiles buried themselves inside of him, and that was the finishing blow. Ingrain couldn't heal through both Pin Missile and Megahorn. Angel fell to the ground, and Heracross removed his horn from his body. Then, something shifted in Heracross' body. He was reinvigorated, stronger, almost glowing with glee. Moxie was a terrifying ability that could snowball out of control very quickly and allow a battle to get out of control.

Which was why we couldn't let that happen.

I didn't waste any time. I sent out Princess, who took to the air and stared down at Heracross with disdain. Now that we'd broken his wings, the best the fighting type could do was hover at most to travel from island to island, and Barry couldn't switch any longer, and their Bug Buzz was no longer powerful enough to mask orders. We had a clear advantage here, but Barry was still Barry, and he was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn't underestimate him.

Earth rose, still dripping to the ground until Princess compacted it into stone. It morphed into a solid ring that started spinning around her, and she flew around the field awaiting my command.

I didn't keep her waiting.

"Moonblast."

We were going to hit hard and hit fast. Fragments of light coalesced in front of Togekiss, and she swooped down toward the ground with the attack. Once she got close enough, mud, water and grass started orbiting the Moonblast, spinning faster and faster around the attack.

"Stone Edge!" Barry yelled.

The fragments of rock Angel had created for Sweetheart blurred upward, slamming into Princess' barrier. The tension in my shoulders peaked, and then vanished when only the last volley broke through. Utterly silent, Princess threw her Moonblast forth. The gravitational pull on the attack was so potent that it had been buried. Enveloped by muddy water. Heracross tried to run, but his wings weren't powerful enough to let him escape.

"Endure!" Barry yelled.

The bug type sank in the water perpetually spinning around our Moonblast, and Princess took back to the air, triggering Moonblast's explosion. Light, dust and pink surged out of the attack, along with steam and water.

"Air Slash as soon as you see him—"

"Aerial Ace!" Barry yelled.

My heart sank when I saw Heracross emerge from the billow of steam and pink dust. Somehow, he was still flying. Could the momentum from Aerial Ace overcome a broken wing?

"Psychic when he's in range!" I yelled.

We couldn't let him hit her. A gust of air pushed Princess back, and she rode the current, hoping to outrun Heracross' attack. Unfortunately, she couldn't. Instead, the ring of rocks orbiting her split, and massive chunks blurred toward Heracross.

Who dissolved into nothing.

Transitioning into mind games now? My eyes darted everywhere around the arena in a desperate attempt to understand what the hell had just happened. Barry called out for a Stone Edge, and a volley of rocks all flew toward Princess, who retaliated with an Air Slash where the rocks came from. The arc of sharpened air sunk into the depths, but there was no sign of Heracross anywhere save for the fact that he was still fucking attacking us. Togekiss' eyes shone pink, and the Stone Edges turned to dust before they could reach her barrier.

Either Barry's found a way to turn his damned Heracross invisible, or he's under the water, and he can create clones of some kind. The terrifying part about fighting this dude was that I had no idea which one was more likely, but at least my gut told me that that clone looked like a Double Team. More Stone Edges burst upward in an attempt to catch Princess off-guard, but with how high she was, she could easily stop each volley, and her barrier stopped the stragglers that made it through.

Heracross emerged from below the water with Aerial Ace, and Princess immediately hit him with Air Slash— no, he dodged with maneuverability that shouldn't have been possible with broken wings. Then, it came to me. Afterimages from Double Team wouldn't care about broken wings. Princess managed to dispatch the clone with another Air Slash, and I told her to bide her time. I'd come into this battle expecting Heracross to be a ruthless fighter in a melee, but he was stalling us. No, stalling was the wrong expression. He was building up the tension, hoping to fuck with us in an attempt to find an opening for the real body to attack.

But eventually, he'd have to come up for air.

So I waited.

Two minutes of this stalemate passed. Then another two.

Heracross wasn't coming up for air. And I knew he hadn't drowned either, because he kept attacking and baiting us with Double Teams. More and more came at a time. First, two, then three, and the number kept rising. We were at five, now. Princess tried to hit the water with Air Slash and Charge Beam in hopes to get a lucky hit, but it wasn't working.

Think, Grace, think! Why the hell would Barry put so much importance on Rain Dance as a strategy on Staraptor if Empoleon was the only one capable of making use of the damn water. Barry was more silent than he'd been during the entire battle, and no matter how long I stared at him, he wasn't giving away anything. Not glancing in Heracross' potential direction, not panicking when an Air Slash maybe landed closer than he expected. Either he had the best poker face of all time, or he himself didn't know where Heracross was— just that he was underwater. If I had a psychic type, I would have been able to track him, but as it stood we were fumbling in the darkness and hoping for the best.

"Moonblast," I said again.

The stalemate needed to be broken. Togekiss summoned another sphere of light—

"Now!" Barry yelled.

Fifteen Heracross burst from the water, all flying with Aerial Ace. A bubble of water clung inches from their skin, and I realized he'd been using pockets of air to breathe. Was this an actual attack? Was my hypothesis about Heracross' real body not being able to fly bogus? No time to think about it. Princess released the Moonblast early, and half of the Heracross were sucked in toward the move, disappearing as soon as they made contact with the moon.

"Reversal!" Barry screamed, pushing a fist forward.

I inhaled more air than what I thought was possible. Time seemed to stand still as my eyes darted between each remaining Heracross to find which one was real or not— but nothing seemed to give them away. Every single instance of Heracross flew in the exact same painful-looking way. Gone was the maneuverability that the first clones had showed. He'd been tricking us when acting like Heracross couldn't fly. Pin Missiles exploded out of every clone, leaving behind trails of smoke that obscured the skies, and every single of of them converged toward Princess.

"Dazzling Gleam!" I snapped.

Light surrounded the fairy type, and then popped with a blinding explosion when as many Heracross as possible were close. Most of them dissolved into nothing, but there were still four left. Stones burst like shrapnel in an attempt to destroy the last remaining Heracross, and we finally managed to hit all of them. The final Heracross screeched in pain when the small shards of rocks slammed into his shell, and Princess grabbed him with a Psychic—

Her hold on him broke in less than a second, and the bug type shattered her barrier like glass, slamming into her with all of his strength. Togekiss went flying toward one of the barriers, but she caught herself before she could hit the psychic wall. Heracross fell into the swamp below, his body limp. He'd exerted everything he had left to use Reversal.

Moxie shouldn't have been enough to break through Princess' Psychic. Had he used Swords Dance underwater? I clicked my tongue as Barry recalled his Heracross and sent out his Staraptor once more. The flying type would have the advantage in the air, but she was still burning from the Will-O-Wisp, and she'd been hurt quite a bit by her previous fight.

"Sunny Day!" Barry ordered.

Staraptor clapped her wings together, and the waning Sunny Day came back in full force. The harsh light shone down on the swamp, illuminating every inch of the arena. Roserade and Rapidash would make full use of that Sunny Day, which meant that unless this was another one of Barry's misdirects, he would send one of them next.

"Wish," I said. "Keep your distance and Charge Beam. She'll beat you from up close."

"Heat Wave!" Barry yelled.

I wanted to sigh in relief. The air around Staraptor warped from the scorching temperatures, and she sent them toward Princess with a flap of her wings and a screech. Barry still didn't know our barriers could work against temperature. The Wish left Princess' body and flew through the ceiling, and Princess sent a beam of electricity toward Staraptor. The normal type flattened her wings against her body and dove down, extending them once again inches above the water to stop herself. She weaved in between each Charge Beam and Ancient Power Drill with dexterity I couldn't wait for Princess to reach. Every time I thought one of our attacks would strike true, it buried itself in the swamp instead.

But Staraptor was not coming closer. One Brave Bird would have no doubt been too powerful for Princess to do anything beyond slow her down, so what was he planning? Staraptor was slowly burning, and she would until she fainted.

"Moonblast," I said as soon as Staraptor was an appropriate distance.

"Ominous Wind!" Barry continued.

Yeah, that made sense. I understood now. Barry considered every Moonblast an opening to strike, and as much as it pained to admit, he wasn't wrong. Moonblast took time to get going. Staraptor's eyes dimmed as she circled the arena, slowing to concentrate on controlling the alien force, and another minute crack appeared in the sky. Ghost type moves would cleave through Princess' barrier like a knife through butter.

"Let go and Charge Beam!"

The fairy type released her Moonblast, and instead, a thin electric current struck Staraptor in the wing. Staraptor shivered, falling onto one of the islands as the Ominous Wind got started. The fact that it was silent still disturbed me. Arches of water floated up like gravity no longer existed, but none of them bothered Princess, and she could still fly fine. Instead, she used Staraptor's fall as a means to stab her wings with two elongated spears. The normal type screeched as the stones tore through her wings, grounding her— hopefully permanently, this time.

"Good job," I said. "Keep hitting her with Ancient Power or Charge Beam."

"Aerial Ace!" Barry yelled.

Before the words were out of his mouth, Staraptor was back in the air with some kind of proto-flight that looked wrong but somehow worked, just like Heracross, and she managed to get out of the way of another Charge Beam. So it was Aerial Ace, that allowed them to keep flying, then. The normal type reached another island, although she was clearly less proficient at this type of flight than Heracross had been.

"Focus on the wind!" Barry ordered.

Staraptor turned to face the sky, and the Ominous Wind strengthened. Princess' Charge Beam somehow swerved out of the way and impacted the wet dirt instead.

"Roost!" Barry continued.

Staraptor glowed. My eye twitched.

"Air Cutter."

The air around Staraptor sharpened, slicing her with a hundred different cuts. Blood seeped through her plumage. The wound looked bad, but I knew better than that. Air Cutter was weak, and it had only stopped her from focusing on using Roost. I couldn't allow them to heal.

"Keep stopping her from using Roost and get close," I said. My eyes never left Staraptor, who was now only a blur behind the ever-growing purple flames. "Ancient Power. Break her."

The Ominous Wind hurt, but she still listened without hesitation. A gust of air blew at Togekiss' back, allowing him to speed up until she was a blur. When she reached Staraptor, the bird hit her with a Whirlwind. The burst of air stopped Princess dead in her tracks, but that was fine.

Two blocks of stone rose at Staraptor's sides, and then they slammed together with her in the middle. Bones crunched, and Staraptor howled in agony. Barry quickly recalled her— damn it, what the hell? Even after hurting his Pokemon this much, his smile didn't even falter. I knew I would have been pissed, or at least worried, and I thought it would have made him slip and become more predictable, but none of it worked.

Trainers at the top, they're all a kind of unhinged, some more than others, Jasmine's voice rang out in my head. I smiled, and Barry sent out his Rapidash while the Wish reentered Princess' body, healing some of her wounds. The fire type neighed with a wince that twisted his face, then turned toward Barry in annoyance, probably from the fact that he was getting hurt by Staraptor's own attack. The Ominous Wind was still going, and would for another minute, but when it ended?

Rapidash would be able to make full use of Sunny Day.

"Wish again, then Moonblast and Air Slash," I said. "Just like I showed, he's going to fly at you." If we could take down Rapidash…

"Agility and Flare Blitz!" Barry yelled.

Rapidash broke into a run, and then a blur that left a trail of fire behind him. He jumped off one of the islands and then jumped again, and again. Each subsequent jump, a powerful gust of air that shot Rapidash up and gave him more height. The momentum he'd gotten from his run carried over, and he appeared like a meteorite aiming right at Princess.

"Scrap the Wish—"

I smiled when I realized she'd already been crafting her moon, having taken the executive decision not to use Wish when a giant ball of fire was flying right at her. The Moonblast didn't have as much time to gather, but it was enough to pull Rapidash away from us— my eyes! Ringing in my ears! Rapidash slammed headfirst into the Moonblast, causing a giant explosion as he tore through Princess' barrier and slammed right into her with Flare Blitz.

"Keep going and Smart Strike!"

My fingers twitched around my crutch. "Hold him."

Princess' eyes snapped open at the sound of my voice. Her body was a smoking husk, and she was falling toward the water, but her eyes brimmed with psychic energy, and Rapidash's body twisted.

"Break his legs," I said.

"Megahorn!" Barry yelled.

The fire type's horn extended and seemed to twist, allowing him to break out of the psychic hold before Princess could cripple him permanently. A series of Air Slashes cut across Rapidash's flank as he retreated far enough away to dodge most attacks. Moonblast is a no-go, I thought as the Ominous Wind finally ended, reinvigorating Rapidash's flames. He would just fucking brute force his way through, and he had more energy left in the tank than Princess did. The fire type landed on one of the islands, his mere presence burning the wet grass, drying the mud and evaporating the water. His steps on the islands broke the now-brittle ground, creating tiny fissures.

"Hypnosis!" Barry yelled.

From there?! I swept my arm. "Ancient Power!"

Hypnosis from a non-psychic would always be slow, but we couldn't afford to get caught off-guard. Princess landed on solid ground, and a set of spears blurred toward Rapidash, who was forced to interrupt his technique in order not to get impaled. Barry called out for a Flamethrower, but that helplessly washed over Princess' barrier, and the fairy type got back into the air. This was nice. Familiarity. I knew what to expect with Rapidash, and I could actually think instead of solving one catastrophe after the other.

"Agility and Poison Jab!"

Never-fucking-mind.

"Thunder Wave!" I said, feeling a mix of anxiety and hope.

I'd hoped the mere order of a Thunder Wave would get Barry to reconsider, but instead, Rapidash hopped into the air once again, even faster than the last time. Electricity crackled through Princess fur, and it rushed toward Rapidash, who side-stepped the Thunder Wave with a sideways bounce before jumping back toward his target. Poison somehow leaked from his hooves, and I bit my lip. Unless this is the weakest Poison Jab known to man, this is going to break through the barrier. With his speed, he would probably break through psychic—

"Shrapnel!" I said, making a split-second decision.

Rocks buried themselves in Rapidash's hide like bullets, creating countless bloodied bruises and holes in his neck, flank, and head. The fire type slammed two of his hooves through Princess' barrier and slammed them into her chest. The poison melted through her fur and skin, and she screeched in pain as she tumbled to the ground. Instead of using Psychic, which we knew would be useless due to Megahorn, she sent another volley of rocks toward Rapidash. Togekiss crashed into the water, and her fur clung to her body. She couldn't swim, but she kept herself afloat with fairy energy.

And she was still capable of fighting. Rapidash turned, twisting his body in the air as he got ready to finish us off with one last Poison Jab. Flames spun around him like an unending inferno. Drills emerged from the water with a devious spin, and she sent them flying toward Rapidash.

Not enough. The fire type was hurt, but he landed at full force on Princess' head, slamming a hoof coated in poison in her head. I exhaled, recalling Princess after thanking her for her hard work. It might not have been a flashy debut for her, but no one else would have been able to take down Heracross like she had, especially when Sunshine would be stuck on a single island.

"You're up," I said, releasing Sweetheart. The rock type's eyes widened with glee at all of the water around her. "Sandstorm."

Pupitar expunged specks of sand from her vents, masking the full power of the second sun from Sunny Day, which Rapidash was no doubt sustaining.

"High Horsepower!" Barry yelled.

Wait for it, I internally screamed, holding a breath. Rapidash landed, using the ground to maintain his momentum, and then flew toward Sweetheart. Wait for it… I clenched a fist to calm my nerves, waiting until the last possible moment.

"Smack Down!"

One of the rocks Princess and Angel had left for Sweetheart burst upward before circling back and slamming into his back. The force behind the move brought Rapidash back to the ground before he could hit us. Not enough rocks for a powerful Rock Slide, and we weren't good enough with Stone Edge yet.

"Again," I said.

Barry said something, but I didn't hear over the strengthening Sandstorm. Flames burst from Rapidash, swarming the entire island they were on as another Smack Down bruised him.

"Earthbreaker!"

With a burst of air, Sweetheart jumped. She maneuvered using the gas to turn her body and slammed back into the ground. Rapidash neighed at the mini-Earthquake, and Barry evidently told him to run away, because he was back in the air as soon as he could.

"Lower your Sandstorm!" I yelled. "I need to hear him and to see what's going on."

Yes, he couldn't hear me either, but I'd rather know what the hell he was saying.

"...Beam!"

Ah, shit. A bubble of pure solar energy appeared in front of Rapidash's horn— slowly, thanks to the Sandstorm.

"Go as fast as you can! Across the water!"

With the sound of a jet engine, Sweetheart flew, skidding on the water's surface like a skipping stone as she carried as many rocks with her as she could. Rapidash released the Solar Beam, which landed in the water where Pupitar had just been, leaving only steam instead. The attack didn't end just there, though. Rapidash angled his head to track Sweetheart wherever she went, and the tail end of the Solar Beam grazed her back.

Of course, Rapidash immediately started charging up another one. I was waiting for him to lose enough speed so that he would either have to come down to the ground for more momentum, or he would be slow enough for Sweetheart to ram into… there!

"Full speed! Ram into him!" The words left my mouth before I was conscious of them.

More gas left Pupitar's vents, and she sped up until she became a blur skipping across the water. Rapidash's eyes widened in surprise, and he tried to get back into the air instead of actually building up some momentum with a running Agility.

But that was fine. It was too late.

Sweetheart rammed into the fire type at full speed, and then the rocks followed suit. There was a crack— multiple cracks, and Rapidash rolled on the ground until he landed in the water, his flames only a flicker of what they'd just been. The Solar Beam he'd been charging exploded with a surge of light, and Sweetheart let out a scream that was half due to the pain and half due to excitement at having taken down Rapidash. Barry recalled the fire type, and I wiped the sweat off my head. Two Pokemon left, and I still have Sunshine and Honey.

Barry didn't send out Roserade. Instead, he sent out Snorlax— still with a lot of his skin missing and that rage had only built up since the last time he'd been out. I internally cursed when I realized how fucked I was.

"Defense Curl and Rest!" Barry yelled.

Arceus fucking damn it, I had fucked up. Or had I? I maybe could have used Honey against Rapidash, but then Roserade would have probably managed to take him down or close to it, and Snorlax would have been left. If I'd sent Sunshine, Rapidash would have managed to outlast any Scale Shot—

Focus!

I was still in an advantageous position, and there was one way to maybe salvage this. Snorlax's wounds were progressively healing while the normal type snored without a care in the world.

"Iron Defense and ram into him," I said. Arceus, I should have brought a bottle of water.

Pupitar bounced off of Snorlax like a kid on a trampoline, and the normal type only moved a few inches. She let out a frustrated screech, but I called out to calm her down.

"Smack Down," I continued.

It was hard not to feel angry at how little our attacks were doing, but at least Rest was done now and we were dealing some damage. That wasn't the plan, though. Snorlax's snoring stopped, and the normal type blinked, as if he'd forgotten where he was.

"Bulldoze!" Barry immediately ordered.

Good.

The earth shook, creating tiny fissures, and Pupitar clenched her eyes tightly shut.

"Payback!"

The Bulldoze was still ongoing, which was perfect. Sweetheart's eyes dimmed, then flashed with anger as she hurled herself at Snorlax. The normal type bellowed when her multiple horns actually tore through his belly, but he grabbed onto her. She was so heavy, and he lifted her like she was a backpack he could sling over his back. I ordered the rock type to try to fly away, but she couldn't wedge herself free from Snorlax's hold even after expunging more air through her vents.

"Heavy Slam!"

The normal type fell forward with Pupitar under him. Snorlax smiled lazily with satisfaction that was hard to miss, and he pushed himself back up. His smile fell when Sweetheart wasn't down. Instead, another Payback—

I internally cursed when Barry yelled out for Ice Beam, and Snorlax finished Pupitar off with the beam of frost.

I drew a deep breath. Okay.

I grabbed Honey's Pokeball, and the electric type appeared with a burst of electricity. Snorlax's eyes narrowed at his old opponent, and he clumsily stood on two feet, almost stumbling down toward the water.

"Amnesia," Barry ordered, more quiet than he'd ever been.

"Thunder."

The massive burst of electric energy struck before Amnesia could take effect, and Snorlax grunted in annoyance. The giant hit back with an Ice Beam that missed by a mile thanks to Radiant Leap.

"Keep your distance, keep attacking with Thunderbolt," I said. "Save your energy."

Force them to change, and not us. They would have to Rest, eventually, leaving an opening for Honey to strike with Cross Chop.

So long as Motor Drive kept chugging along and Honey didn't reach his limit, we'd be okay. The problem was, I wasn't so sure he'd be able to last that long, but it was the best strategy I had. Get too close without Snorlax sleeping, and we'd get hit by Bulldoze.

For nine minutes, Honey hit Snorlax with Thunderbolt over and over. The normal type's belly had been burned until it turned black. And it wasn't like our tactic had done nothing. Snorlax was struggling to stay awake, and couldn't even stand. We'd hurt him a lot. Just another few minutes of this, and he'd fall. It was astonishing how many hits he could take. Professor Rowan probably had him on the best fucking diet possible.

Calm down, I breathed. My thoughts were straying and my head felt numb.

Unfortunately for us, Honey was starting to slow. His breaths grew ragged, his Thunderbolts weakened and his reflexes dulled.

Nine minutes of non-stop Thunderbolts, Radiant Leaps and the past fights took their toll, and unless he somehow got hit by a damn electric type attack to sustain himself, it was only down from there. Like a hawk, Barry instantly noticed the weakness and pointed forward.

"He's weakening! Keep using Ice Beam!"

I only had one chance.

"Cross Chop."

Electivire blurred toward Snorlax, hopping from island to island. He snarled when an Ice Beam hit him in the shoulder, but that barely stopped him from reaching his target. Without Barry's order, Snorlax started a Bulldoze while Honey sliced across the normal type's flank with Cross Chop—

Snorlax leaned forward, pushing against the Cross Chop as he hit Honey with another Heavy Slam— or was it Body Slam? Electivire bellowed, and a Thunder struck Snorlax as he pushed with Cross Chop as hard as he could. The Bulldoze weakened, but his legs still buckled under Snorlax's massive weight. Honey got down on one knee, then both, and Snorlax managed to let himself fall on him. A surge of panic, immediately tempered by clearing my mind. Snorlax huffed, rolling off of the electric type. I instantly recalled him and sent out Sunshine on the same island Honey had been in. The temperature instantly began to swelter, but that would do very little against Snorlax.

"Rest!" Barry said with a thrill in his voice.

"Focus Blast!"

Energy gathered in front of Sunshine's snout, and I painfully counted the seconds it took for it to charge up. The attack hit Snorlax, but he'd already healed so much. Fucking bullshit— Don't panic— but it's still fucking bullshit!

"Yes!" Barry cheered. He was so sweaty, but there were no signs of tiredness. I was so fucking thirsty it was unbelievable.

The Focus Blast dealt a substantial amount of damage, but Amnesia was still active.

"Sunny Day!" You don't have the raw power, think outside of the box.

A second sun rose high above the arena as my thoughts went a million miles an hour. Think. Think. Sunshine tried his best, hitting Snorlax with a series of Focus Blasts, but it wouldn't be enough. Snorlax would wake up soon, hit us with Bulldoze and then Rest again. Fucking awful move, Arceus fucking damn it, and he didn't even know Sleep Talk yet.

With rage came the insatiable desire to burn Snorlax to smithereens, and an idea popped into my head—

"Shell Trap!" I yelled. "Push him off the island!"

Sunshine turned, the water around their island quickly turning to vapor. His shell glowed with a dark red hue, and the force of the explosion moved Snorlax a few feet. Just a few feet. If I could get Snorlax to drown in his sleep, Barry would be forced to recall him out of the fight to save his life.

"Again," I quickly said.

One explosion, Snorlax slipped away from the island's center. Two and three explosions, he made it onto the beach. Four—

Snorlax woke up with burns covering his body, and Barry instantly told him to use Bulldoze. The normal type tried to get back on his feet, probably to hit us with a Heavy— well, a Body Slam, but another explosion from Sunshine knocked him off-balance.

"Forget it, just put everything you have into Bulldoze! Rest when you feel yourself fainting!" Barry yelled.

The panic in his voice was delicious, but I was also panicking and sweating so much it got into my eyes. The Bulldoze intensified— air filled my lungs. The island was sinking. Collapsing. Why now? The information took a split second to click in my mind. Sunshine's heat had dried the mud, making it easier for the Bulldoze to destroy the island. Then, my eyes widened. This had been the same island Rapidash had stayed the longest on. Had that been intentional? Snorlax and Sunshine sank beneath the waves like rocks. Both were too heavy to have any hopes of swimming to another island.

"Shell Trap!" I yelled.

Turtonator could propel himself with his explosions. There was a red hue below the water—

"Grab him, Snorlax!"

No! Forcefully drowning a Pokemon had been my idea!

The water bubbled as another explosion rang out from below. Turtonator's snout peaked through the surface until Snorlax grabbed onto his tail and dragged him down with him. Shit.

"Dragon Pulse!"

Turquoise light illuminated the depths, and I didn't know if it was because Sunshine could actually hear me or he'd just decided to do this on his own. I waited with bated breath to see if he'd be able to come back up.

Ten seconds. Another burst of light. He was giving it his all.

Twenty seconds. They grew less frequent.

Thirty seconds. No more Dragon Pulses.

I snapped out of it before Sunshine could actually drown and recalled him without thinking. The beam from the Pokeball took a nauseating amount of time to actually reach him, but he was safely tucked back in his ball. Barry leaned against his knees and sighed in relief, recalling his Snorlax as well before the normal type could actually drown.

Of course, he still had Roserade left in the back.

I bit my lip. I wanted to scream into a pillow. The way we'd lost was so— so—

No, not unfair. There was no fairness in battle. It had been my fault. Had I told Sunshine not to heat up his surroundings, the island wouldn't have sunk so easily and we might have managed to finish him off. It hadn't been like Snorlax had infinite amounts of endurance either. He'd been starting to grow tired. I doubted that even Barry had expected that to happen. I sat down on my platform, dropping my crutch and ignoring the throbbing pain in my ankle.

How the hell could I counter Rest on a Pokemon as bulky as Snorlax without murdering my opponent? Drowning them to snap them out of the sleep worked, but that wasn't consistent enough for my liking. Damn it, there definitely was a way other than hoping to blow past the opponent with power, otherwise everyone and their mother at the Conference would be running Rest on their bulky Pokemon that could learn the move. It was an expensive TM, but Conference-goers didn't exactly hurt for money.

Relax, I sighed. Think back to the battle. Argh, it was too fresh in my mind to look at it objectively. My nails dug into my palm enough to leave marks. I was so pissed at myself for failing Sunshine. He had all the tools to snatch a win, and I—

Oh. Right.

I'd been battling for a crowd.

I blinked, and the sound of cheers filled my ears. I didn't care very much for those. I wanted to learn a way to shut down Rest permanently, and I wanted to figure out the mistakes I'd made during the fight. I tried to stand up, but I hissed when my ankle flared up. I hadn't even been putting any damn weight on it—

"Let me help you out."

I turned toward Barry— when the hell had he even gotten here? He outstretched his hand, and I took it after wiping the sweat on my hands on my jeans, and he pulled me up.

"How do I counter Rest?" I asked.

"Huh?"

"How do I counter Rest?"

"I— I'm not sure— I think you could do something with either dark, psychic or ghost TE to keep a Pokemon awake forcefully, but that's just a theory I have—"

"Thank you," I said, committing his words to memory. That was just more I'd have to look at with Buddy, and maybe Princess.

Was trying to hard-counter a move only he used this much petty? Well, it wasn't like I wasn't petty.

"That was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time," Barry said.

"It was fun," I acknowledged after a pause. "Thank you for battling me."

"I should be saying that!" He exclaimed with a child-like grin. "I never thought a first-year would give me this much trouble. I think the battle would have gone your way had the island not collapsed—"

"I don't think so. I think Roserade could scrape off a win by keeping her distance by using the Seed Bomb trick to fly," I spoke over him. "Don't pity me. I know you hoped for the island to sink, or you wouldn't have released Snorlax on the island Rapidash had already been on. I lost, and… that's okay. I'll use this to my advantage."

"This… what?"

"This battle," I said. "Could you pick up my crutches?"

The blond boy handed them to me, and I cursed the fact that I'd have to walk back to the Pokemon Center. He helped me down the platform and scratched the back of his head while we walked toward my phone so I could end my stream.

"I guess you're worthy of being my rival."

I snorted. "I'll take it."

"The way you fight is way too brutal, though, I mean breaking my Rapidash's legs? Spewing Acid on Snorlax's face while drowning him? And there was also…"