Cashe placed one foot in front of the other, climbing to the top of the stairs. Behind him, Hailey and Hannah were already gone, leaving only the production assistant glaring at his back. She made a shooing motion as he turned to look back, waving him though the doors with an impatient look on her face.
Light and noise greeted him as he pushed open the tunnel doors. Not enough light and too much noise. He was not blinded as he left the tunnel. The air was cool on his skin, noticeably lower temperature than the previous day. Both bad signs. Cashe squinted up into the sky. A thin layer of patchy clouds blocked most of the blue he expected to see, sun only filtering through in spots. It was nowhere near enough to activate Bulbasaur’s Chlorophyll ability.
The crowd was ecstatic, erupting in applause as he opened the door to the stage. It took him only a second to realize it wasn’t for him. They hadn’t noticed him yet. Marcus was halfway to the edge of the battlefield already waving at the crowd. It looked like he had received the same treatment as Cashe as he was nowhere near as miserable as he had been only an hour ago. He had showered, and his face showed none of the exhaustion that had been present at breakfast. He had changed as well, dressing up in his trainer ‘costume’, with a bandolier of pokeballs criss-crossing his chest.
The announcer was halfway through belting out Marcus’s glowing introduction as Cashe started making his own way towards the stage.
“He is one of the most promising trainers of the Indigo League, he has gone untroubled on his way to the semi finals, he is one of the tournament’s brightest stars, he is MARCUS DAYE!”
The crowd was on their feet as pyrotechnics erupted in an arch above the stadium walls, flashing bright red, blue, and gold lights that were visible even in the afternoon. There was no chanting of names like with his battle against Lisa and he saw no cardboard cutouts of Marcus’s face, but the applause was greater, more hectic. The crowd was still riding its high from Emilia’s battle against Damian Dart, thirsty for more action, eager to be entertained.
The light of the pyrotechnics faded and the stadium dimmed its lights, the darkness created only enhanced by the sudden absence of the pyrotechnic splendor. A spotlight flicked on with a sudden crash of sound that echoed through the arena, projected by the speaker systems and rising even above the crowd. The spotlight focused on Cashe as he walked, almost blinding him with the glare. It startled him so much he stumbled and nearly fell. The crowd didn’t seem to care, their great cheer still ongoing from Marcus’s introduction.
“His opponent is a name many know, but few dare to say,” the announcer’s voice turned low, conspiratorial, cranking the drama of the situation up as much as he could. The crowd quieted, drawn in by the sudden shift in tone, quelled by the darkening stadium, “He is a dark horse whose shadow hangs over the entire tournament. Opponents fear his vicious battle style and brutal moves, many calling for his disqualification. But that is the bleating of defeated sheep.
“Some lay claim that his strategies are unfair, some say his tactics are dirty, trying to color his victories as something sinister. But no one doubts his skill. He has embarrassed tournament favorites with his strategic mind and thrashed the rest with force alone, a farmer separating the wheat from the chaff. He is the most discussed trainer in the tournament, he is the most controversial trainer at the tournament, he may be the best trainer in the tournament! Ladies and gentleman, he is APOLLO! ‘BLOOD MONEY’! CASHE!”
The crowd roared. Not with jeers and boos, but with gusto and applause. Perhaps it was the more generous introduction, perhaps it was the elevated importance of the match, perhaps they simply no longer cared who he was, but they cheered for him.
It felt good.
Cashe raised his arms instinctively, bringing his palms above his head in a slow, rising gesture. The crowd’s roar swelled, increasing in volume with the rise of his arms. At the height of the crescendo, he dropped his arms, and like magic the crowd went silent.
A moment later they exploded in cheers again in celebration of their own dramatic flair.
Cashe stopped at his spot at the edge of the battlefield. Official Borek was already speaking to Marcus. Marcus took a ball from his bandolier as Borek walked across the battlefield to Cashe, staring at the crowd. Borek gave Cashe his usual spiel, shortening it somewhat now that Cashe had heard it so many times. Cashe selected a pokeball at Borek’s instruction, waiting for his signal. The Kadabra barriers went up around the stage. Borek gave them both a nod and they summoned their pokemon.
Popplio was small, about the same size as Mankey. It was smiling as it came out of its ball, chirping happily as Marcus bent over and gave it attention. It looked a bit like a blue baby seal dressed as a clown, with a frilly mane around its neck and a bright red nose. It was adorable.
Mankey came out of her ball quite the opposite. She was a snarling ball of fur and rage, nearly spitting as she was awoken from her nap. She did not bother to look towards Cashe for attention, instead hopping forward and pawing at the ground, immediately moving in anticipation of an upcoming fight and hissing at her opponent.
Borek signaled both of them again, making sure they were ready to go. He raised his hand. The crowd stilled. His hand lowered. The fight started.
“Mankey, Thunder Punch!” There were no clever tactics here. Only brute force. He needed to get through Popplio as quickly as possible.
Mankey shot forward towards Popplio, moving much faster than the little sea cub could. Lightning crackled around her fist as she closed the distance, singing the air with the smell of ozone in her wake. Popplio was much too slow, it wouldn’t be able to dodge.
“Disarming Voice!” Marcus shouted at the last second.
Popplio cried out with an uncanny shout of power. It was a warbling cry, containing something strange, something fae. It was off putting in a way Cashe could not identify but one that he could feel in his bones. The noise stung Cashe’s ears and a wave of sound slammed into Mankey, tossing her back several feet. She shuddered, but remembered her orders and dashed forward again.
“Use it again!”
Popplio moved as Mankey recovered, but was unable to put much distance between them. Mankey was on Popplio in a second, attacking even as Popplio opened its mouth to sing its eerie song again. The fist of lightning slammed home against Popplio, sending the little sea pokemon flying across the battlefield. Mankey staggered through the follow up, shaking herself off. Disarming Voice was super effective against her type and she had felt the hit, even if it was only a single strike. It left her fur tarnished and mussed, giving her look a wild air.
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Fortunately for Cashe, Popplio was slow to recover from the blow she took. Mankey’s Thunder Punch had tossed Popplio across the battlefield and into the side of the barriers, where Popplio fell to the ground and now lay. Popplio was disoriented and twitching, righting itself slowly.
“Mankey, use Thunderbolt!”
Marcus’s eyes widened, “Popplio, get down, now!”
Mankey screeched, raising her arms above her hand and gathering volatile electric energy between them. A bolt of lightning, less powerful than the electricity had been when it was crackling around her fist, shot away from Mankey and towards Popplio. It wouldn’t do as much damage if it hit, but it would cross the distance faster than Mankey could.
Popplio slammed into the ground as the attack closed in on it. Thunderbolt missed Popplio by a hair, hitting the barriers and dissipating in a wash of sparks. The air shimmered and steamed where the lightning passed through, leaving a trail of warping light in wake.
“Rock Tomb, Mankey!” Cashe shouted. Mankey punched out a fist and a width of stone began to form above the ducking Popplio’s head.
“Aqua Jet!” Popplio scrambled to return to its feet, water jetting from its fins.
Mankey let the Rock Tomb fall, but Popplio was already flying at Mankey, propelled by an expelled burst of water. The stone crashed to the ground, missing Popplio completely, just as Popplio crashed into Mankey.
Mankey was knocked back as Popplio bounced off of her, stumbling to the side at the force of the impact.
“Mankey, Popplio’s close, don’t let it get away! Cross Chop!” Thunder Punch was probably stronger, given the type advantage, but Cross Chop was faster, and Cashe didn’t need the extra power.
“Aqua Jet!”
Mankey spun in place, swinging her arm around in a huge arc. Popplio exploded in a spray of water, flying at Mankey’s face. Mankey brought her arm around just in time, clashing with Popplio’s Aqua Jet and stumbling backwards.
Popplio was thrown back as well, the attack still getting through even after the quick counter by Marcus. Popplio rolled across the battlefield in a cloud of dust.
Mankey, finish it!” Cashe shouted , “Thunder Punch!”
“Icy Wind!”
Shit.
Mankey jumped forward but was caught across the chest by a freezing gust of glacial wind. She landed a foot from Popplio instead of right on top of her, but was still close enough to land her attack. Mankey’s fist crashed into Popplio and tossed her away and Marcus was returning Popplio to its ball before it even landed on the stage.
Official Borek ran into the arena, signaling Cashe as the round’s winner, but it was a bitter victory. Mankey climbed to her feet, having stumbled after the attack. The fur on the front of her chest and legs was covered in ice and she was visibly shivering from the cold, her movement impaired. Marcus outmaneuvered him, baiting him into a reckless attack when he had the advantage, catching him off guard with an unexpected move.
Mankey staggered back to Cashe, not overly injured but moving awkwardly. She would be hard pressed to hold her own against Marcus’s Gligar.
The crowd was going crazy around them after the round ended, but the arena was eerily quiet, the cheering of the crowd only a dull thrum through the barriers. Cashe took a deep breath and bent over, giving Mankey comforting words of encouragement as Marcus summoned Gligar. “You know what to do,” Cashe whispered, “We planned for this.”
“Mank.” Mankey nodded seriously.
In the games, Gligar always looked small, like a little scorpion that happened to have wings stretching between its pincers and its body, like some kind of messed up flying squirrel. In reality, Gligar was huge. Marcus’s was nearly four feet tall where it stood, his pink body looking like a cross between a scorpion and a bat from hell. He had a huge purple tail, with a stinger as thick as Cashe’s leg. Gligar looked like he weighed as much as Cashe did, and worse, he had seen Gligar fly.
Mankey stood across from it, diminutive and shaking from the cold and her anger. She was snarling and yipping, working herself up for the fight and to overcome her exhaustion. Or Fear.
Marcus gave the official a nod, and Borek raised his hand. Gligar crawled forward, moving in uncomfortable jerking motions as it pulled its body along the ground like some sort of alien thing.
Official Borek retreated from the battlefield and dropped his hand. The battle was back on.
“Gligar, up!” Marcus commanded.
“Mankey, Uproar.”
Mankey ran forward as Gligar threw himself into the air with a single thrust of its tail. She screeched, a horrible noise filled with aggression and rage escaping from her. The sound carried across the battlefield, causing Gligar to shudder from the force of it as he caught the air beneath his wings. Gligar recovered quickly and swept through the air, moving astonishingly fast for its large size and unruly body.
“Gligar, Acrobatics!” Marcus shouted. Gligar soared up in the air.
“Mankey, get ready,” Cashe warned.
Mankey shifted on her feet, eyes tracking her opponent.
Gligar dove, streaking down through the air almost in a straight line, moving so fast he was only a blur.
“Mankey, Protect!”
Mankey crossed her arms in front of her, a smooth, translucent barrier shimmering into existence around her. Gligar slammed into it, attacking it viciously, his claws and stinger battering against the temporary shield. He bounced off the shield a second later and back into the air, Mankey scurrying away at the opportunity.
“Mankey, Uproar!”
She screeched even as she ran, backing away from Gligar as he sailed through the air, putting as much distance between them as possible. The sound again crashed against Gligar, but the flying terror now seemed unaffected by the attack, not even flinching as it swooped around to make one of its own.
“Poison Tail!”
“Mankey, Leer!”
Mankey glared at the incoming Gligar, a torrent of hate-filled energy contained in its eyes. Gligar flinched, but continued his attack, swooping in a wide arc, attacking Mankey feet and tail first, like an owl bearing down on its prey.
Mankey dodged back as Gligar stabbed with its tail, but it was the wrong move. Gligar was now out of position for the attack, but he was still coming. He darted through the air, rapidly closing the distance to the injured Mankey. His stinger shot out and struck Mankey directly in the chest, slamming her back and pumping poison into her. She screamed in pain.
“Endure, Mankey!” Cashe shouted.
Marcus snorted. He could see just as clearly as Cashe that the attack was devastating. The poison would take her out in a few seconds, even if she endured the hit. Mankey was out of the fight.
“Endeavor!”
“FU-.”
Mankey cut Marcus off with a terrible screech, ironically saving him from disqualification for swearing on camera. Power flared up around her, billowing in waves and kicking up the air in the arena. She clamped her arms around Gligar, even as he crashed into her, wrapping Gligar in a great bear hug with a furious death grip.
She wrenched Gligar around, pulling his tail from her chest as she screamed and slammed him into the ground with a crushing suplex. Energy exploded from the move, tearing at Gligar’s body, thrashing against his chitinous legs and tail. Mankey released him, the energy running from her as quickly as it came. She collapsed in a heap breathing ragged breaths as the poison spread through her body.
Gligar rolled across the ground, battled and devastated by the attack.
“Good work Mankey,” Cashe felt a surge of relief as he returned Mankey to her ball. Now he stood a chance.
*****