Chapter 16

"Razor Leaf!" Red shouted.

He was proud to see his Ivysaur growing two long leaves exactly like the fronds that sprouted from the base of his flower stem. The foliage he suddenly produced proved to be even longer than the four leaves that clothed his back before detaching themselves from Selven's body. The leaves were flung forward at a boulder in front of him, spinning like boomerangs in midair before slicing the large rock completely in half. As if they didn't prove themselves deadly enough, the leaves kept spirally forward before stabbing into the plateau more than fifty feet behind the stone.

"Amazing," Red complimented. "Your Razor Leaf is more powerful and accurate than ever."

"Thanks!" Selven said as he turned around. "I hope this means we'll be able to explore the entire Kanto region and go on a never ending adventure!"

"Trust me," Red said. "You will."

He then turned to the rest of his Pokemon as they stared at him. Cinder and Leta looked at him with concern while Hurzer was apathetic as ever. Only Kurer looked determined as fury maligned her face.

"Time's a wastin," the trainer said.

The receptionist began scribbling Red's name on the piece of paper in front of her. As she did, the swimmers behind her were practicing broad strokes in the pool. Water-type Pokemon were also battling one another in mock matches in one half of the pool. Red found it odd to have a pool in a Pokemon gym but he supposed it wasn't the oddest thing.

"So you want a gym battle with Misty?" the receptionist asked. "Well, I hope you know you'll have to wait at least two weeks. Misty has only recently been allowed to leave her duties fighting in Johto."

Red sighed at the woman's words. The war between Kanto and Johto had been going on since he was very young, as long as he could remember really. Kanto was winning but the military and government Johto was continually attempting to rebel against the enemy region's forces. Misty was just one of the many military trainers employed to fight in the never ending conflict.

"Two weeks," he said. "I can handle that."

"Three weeks," the receptionist said. "I forgot about something else she needs to handle."

"More time to rest then," Red said. "I've been training relentlessly."

"Just don't expect to win," she said. "Misty's no pushover."

He glared at her.

"And neither am I," he replied.

{}

The outdoor, roofless stadium the battle was to be held in reminded Red far too much of the beginning of the battle he had with Brock. The seats of the arena were filled to the brim. There were even more cameras this time, at least three all pointed squarely at Red or Misty as they stood on opposite ends of the arena. Between them was a large pool of water with round rectangular islands that floated atop the surface.

The gym leader across from him looked fairly worn. He knew that being a military trainer was a stressful job but Misty in particular looked like she hadn't slept in days. He could see bags under her eyes and deep seated wrinkles in her face. From her body language, he could tell she was having a bit of an off day as her legs would occasionally shake.

"This will be a three on three match!" the referee to the side yelled. "The battle will be over when three of the combatting Pokemon of one trainer can no longer resume fighting! With that being said, begin the battle!"

Misty took one of the many Pokeballs from her waist and opened it.

"Lapras!" she said. "I choose you!"

Appearing from the capsule was a very cute, graceful beast that had no legs or arms, only flippers. It had a very long neck which ended in curled ears while it's back sported a light gray shell. Its skin was light blue and it had a stubby horn on its head.

Red recognized the Pokemon as the rare Lapras, a Pokemon that had been hunted to near extinction. It's flesh was tasty and highly nutritious and the shell it sported could act as good body armor for soldiers. However, researchers and breeders had been paid by the Kanto government to attempt to breed the Lapras population back into large numbers and pass laws making it illegal to hunt them due to their use as riding animals. They were one of the few Ice-type Pokemon native to Kanto and were far stronger in the Ice element than in the Water element, meaning that Misty would probably rely on its Ice attacks moreso than Water-type moves. Upon seeing it, Red immediately took Kurer's Pokeball into his hand.

Okay. He thought. Just like we practiced.

"Go! Kurer!" he cried.

He opened the Pokeball and, in a flash of light, the Electabuzz appeared on a large island in the pool. She glared at him with great prejudice, obviously recognizing it. Red hoped that his Electric-type would control herself so he didn't have to risk jail time, something that would be the least of his punishments for his Pokemon killing a gym leader.

"Let the battle begin!" the referee cried.

"Lapras!" Misty cried. "Ice Beam!"

The Ice and Water-type opened its mouth before the air between it and Kurer became filled with thick white mist and ice crystals. Red was about to order an attack before the Electric Pokemon put her palms against one another. A ball of electricity so bright it illuminated the entire gym with greenish-blue light.

The sphere of electricity plowed through the streams ice crystals and white mist, melting and dissipating the cold matter before striking the Lapras at the base of its neck. An explosion of energy burst forth from the Pokemon, obscuring it a little before one could see half of its body was burned black while its entire body had green static electricity running across it. Red was absolutely amazed at the power of the Electric attack, shocked he'd raised a Pokemon capable of hurting a gym leader's Pokemon so badly. Kurer panted a little as she lowered her arms, the attack obviously causing her to need to recover.

Even taking into account that Zap Cannon is both powerful and super-effective… Red thought. The Lapras is no doubt far more battle experienced than Kurer and it has immense bulk on top of that. Kurer has grown more than I realized...or has her hatred just strengthened her attacks that much? That's not out of the question at all and highly probable considering that Pokemon are capable of triggering intense hormone releases due to emotional upheavals.

"Lapras has been defeated!" the referee shouted.

Misty quickly recalled the Lapras before quickly throwing out a new one.

"Starmie!" she said. "Come forth!"

The Pokeball opened to reveal a rather odd looking Pokemon, floating in the pool water. While Red knew what Starmie was, the sight of it always looked strange to him. It had no visible mouth or eyes and the closest thing it had to limbs were its ten purple appendages that formed its star-shaped body while it had a red diamond-like gem at the center of its form. He knew little about the species other than they were blinding fast in turning back to his Pokemon he found that Kurer had recovered from firing the Zap Cannon and was ready to use another.

"Again!" Red screamed.

"Whirlpool!" Misty ordered.

The Water-type was beyond quick. Even though Kurer was fast at forming Zap Cannon, by the time she had put her hands together the Starmie had already begun spinning its entire body at an incredible pace. It was nothing but a purple blur on the surface of the pool as it began collecting water. The water around it spiralled upward to form a tornado of liquid that towered over them with the spinning Starmie at the bottom to perpetuate the movement needed for it. And all this was performed before Kurer had even begun forming the Zap Cannon.

What a dumb decision. Red thought. Water attacks are useless since electricity is conducted by them. Anytime a Pokemon throws or shoots water at an Electric-type they're just creating a conduit for an impossible to miss, super-effective attack. It's like sticking your tongue in an electric socket. How could a gym leader make such a stupid tactical error?

"You're finished!" Misty shouted.

The Whirlpool the Starmie had whipped up was fast enough to consume Kurer. The Electabuzz was sucked into the vortex of water and spun inside the tornado of liquid. Red yelled in desperation as Kurer was spiralling inside before quickly being spat out, thrown into the pool water. After Red's Pokemon had been tossed away, the Starmie stopped spinning before dropping back into the pool water. The Electabuzz then surfaced, gasping while bleeding and bruised. She climbed up on one of the islands in the pool, struggling to her feet. The attack's physical damage was enough to drain her stamina, the Pokemon staggering so badly that it was about to collapse.

"Had enough?" the gym leader yelled across the room. "Any further battling will almost assuredly kill your Pokemon. Just a warning."

"Kurer!" Red ordered. "Thunderbolt!"

His Pokemon quickly summoned a surge of electric energy that flowed around her body before releasing it in the form of a blast of yellow. However, just as quickly as the attack had been released, the Starmie began spinning again. The water it whipped up once again towered above them. However, when the Thunderbolt struck the Whirlpool the only thing to happen was steam. Hot water vapor flowed from the tornado of water, the vortex becoming no less fast as a result. Red stared on, stupefied at the sight.

"Wha-what?" he asked. "Another Thunderbolt!"

Kurer released another blast of electricity for the same effect to transpire. Steam rose from the spiralling wall of water and nothing else. Red knew for a fact one of the first things he learned in Pokemon classes was that Water was useless against Electricity due to any elemental attack of the former being a conduit to the latter. For this reason, Electric-types were Water's greatest weakness, even over Grass and Ice. To Red this was the equivalent of a person jumping off a cliff and floating up. Kurer seemed just as confused as he was, staggering to keep herself on her feet as her arms went limp out of sheer exhaustion.

"Whhhaaaa…?" was the only response he could muster.

"You don't seem to understand," Misty said. "I am the strongest Water-type trainer in the world. My Water Pokemon have surpassed their natural weaknesses in every way. They have no reason to be afraid of or flee from even the strongest Electrics."

"How?!" Red said. "How when water conducts electricity?!"

"It doesn't," Misty stated. "Water doesn't conduct electricity. Only the metals and other various sediments within it does. Water usually holds these particles and as a result, Water Pokemon are cursed with that ever present elemental weakness. But, I found a way to take all those dreaded minerals out. Ever heard of desalination? Well that's what I did."

She then gestured to the whirl of water above her as the Starmie ceased spinning, the water above falling back to the pool.

"Each and every one of the Water Pokemon I use for battle I continue to train to distill the tiny particles in the water they either naturally produce or gather from outside sources from the liquid," she said. "Thus creating a substance that does not conduct electricity even a little."

Red couldn't believe his eyes or ears, shaking in anger.

"What?" Misty stated. "You thought you could just waltz in here with a super-effective Pokemon and win by throwing the element my Pokemon were naturally weak to? Well I have news for you...it doesn't work like that. When you deal with gym leaders you deal with the strongest trainers in the entire military who have years, no, decades of experience. We know every dimension of battle like the back of our hand, can predict every move you make and have raw strength to fall back on if even that doesn't work. This is why the league promotes the gym challenge as much as it does. We're looking for trainers that have surpassed us and almost none of them even come close. You're just another bumpkin trainer looking for his quick shot at glory or fame who grossly overestimated his own abilities."

Red was now crying. As much as he didn't want to, his eyes stinging not just from tears but from the sheer stress he was under. He couldn't move, his entire body tense as he threatened to collapse. Red hoped that no one who knew him was watching, especially Blue. And especially not his father.

After all that work… He thought. Just to fail again and again and again. I trained an Electric-type with the sole purpose of defeating Misty...honing its Zap Cannon to perfection...only to learn Electric-types are worthless...Blue was right about me, everyone was...I'm a loser.

"I…" he said. "I...have lost?"

Red fumbled with the Pokeballs at his waist, trying to recall Kurer without looking. His entire mind began to grow hazy like a thick fog had filled his head. In trying to get Kurer's Pokeball, he instinctively went to the Pokeball of the only person he trusted in his entire life. Unknowingly, Red called out Cinder.

The Charmeleon appeared in a flash of light at his side, looking confused. He looked up at his trainer before Red realized he'd made a mistake. He was embarrassed to find that Cinder was seeing him sobbing.

"Red?" the Charmeleon said before turning away from him. "Where are...is this the Cerulean Gym? Are you still battling? Why-?"

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" came a harsh scream.

They both turned to find that Kurer was screaming. Red recognized it wasn't a yell of anger but one of intense fury. Electricity erupted from around her body before she blasted it forward at Misty. Red screamed in surprise to find the Electabuzz's Thunderbolt aimed directly at the gym leader. For just a moment, he could feel his heart stop.

And then Red realized what Kurer's plan had been at that moment. She wanted to kill Misty from the get go and only agreed to be trained by him to get close to her. After defeating her Pokemon in battle Kurer would then kill the gym leader but now that there was now chance of defeating her Water-types, she would merely cut out the middle man and do so without first taking care of her Pokemon.

"Oh no…" he breathed.

The Starmie was faster. He jumped into the air before squeezing everyone of its appendages dry of water as it did. It fired a pulsating blast of water from the core of its body that blasted back the Electabuzz. The pulsating water not only met the Thunderbolt but pushed through it before striking her. Kurer hit the wall behind her before slumping on the floor behind Red. He and Cinder turned to see her lifeless body face down.

"Oh thank goodness," Red said.

"What?!" Cinder shouted. "Kurer might be dead!"

He then realized he said that out loud before immediately turning back to see the gym leader was very surprised. Her otherwise stoic and calm expression was replaced with one of indignant shock. Misty shook her head in defiance.

"What?" she asked. "Were you trying to kill me?"

He then heard the crowd, who up until this point cheering on the battle go mostly silent. What little noise they made was murmuring. Red shook his head at Misty.

"No!" he said. "I-I didn't know that was going to happen! My Pokemon...she must have gotten frustrated and...and I lost control of her!"

"Red!" Cinder yelled. "Call her back! The longer she's outside her Pokeball the greater chance of losing her!"

Red fumbled for her Pokeball, finally finding it before opening it. He prayed that Kurer would be fine as he looked at the ball in his hand. His heart sank when the top half turned blue. The crowd was roaring in excitement, their faces joyous at the sight.

Waste of a killer Zap Cannon. He thought with much chagrin.

"The challenger's Electabuzz has been killed!" the referee shouted.

"NOOO!" Cinder yelled.

The Fire-type immediately began weeping, collapsing onto the ground. He used his claws to cover his eyes as he laid on the floor of the gym beside Red, screaming in mourning. His flame began to dwindle, a sure sign that Cinder was in distress. Red bent down to put his hands on his first Pokemon's back in an attempt to comfort him but was immediately snapped back to reality by Misty calling for him.

"Excuse me!" she yelled.

He immediately straightened back up to face her.

"We were in the middle of a battle," Misty said with a scowl. "Cutting into my time I could be spending for the nation of Kanto are these worthless contests between trainers of no potential and my battle hardened army of Water-types. Usually, they're quick but you manage to take down my Lapras in one hit, a rare feat indeed. Now, either continue the battle with a Pokemon you know you won't lose control of or surrender."

The fog in Red's mind began to recede, logic began to take control. He reached for Selven's Pokeball before feeling something grab his wrist. He turned to see Cinder's heartbroken face looking up at him, his tear stained face silently pleading to spare the Ivysaur.

"Please…" Cinder said. "Just end it...stop the battle. Don't...don't put Selven into this…"

He paused for a moment, considering if he should carry on the battle. While Red knew there was no way for Misty's Water Pokemon to be immune to Grass, if they were strong enough to bypass one element the Ivysaur had little chance of succeeding. Unlike Kurer, her training for half a year was not her only battle experience as she had grown strong in the wilderness her whole life while Selven had none as he was raised on a farm. There was little chance at success at this point.

"Come on!" Misty yelled. "Call out your next Pokemon quickly or you'll be forced to concede the match!"

Red cringed at the thought of Green, Blue or even worse his father watching him struggle against Misty. He was showing intense weakness they would all look down on him for. He immediately threw Selven's Pokeball forward.

"No!" Cinder cried.

The Ivysaur appeared in front of Red, seeming as though he was almost as ready to fight as Kurer was. When he turned back at his trainer his face, Selven's joyous and kind expression he'd had as a Bulbasaur was gone. Red had noticed that over the half a year he'd become less friendly and more antagonistic.

What's wrong with him? He thought. Has the harshness of fighting really affected him that much? Or...does he know…?

"Finally," Misty said with her stoic expression regained.

The Ivysaur then turned around to face the gym leader.

"So!" Selven yelled. "Do you like the thought of killing my kind for a delicacy?! Do you think about the lives of your food or are you just that blind to suffering?!"

Red cringed as Misty looked surprised again.

Darn it. He thought. Everything is falling apart for me just as I thought things were looking up. But what would I expect with my luck?

"Is there not enough food for you humans?!" Selven shouted. "Are you such gluttons you have to raise an entire species to satisfy your craving?"

Misty remained silent.

"Tell me!" the Ivysaur shouted. "Why did my family have to die?!"

The gym leader then eyed Red.

"Is your Pokemon trained to be this disrespectful?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"S-sorry," Red said. "He-I mean-I don't...I didn't-"

"Proceed with the battle or forfeit!" she shouted.

"Selven, Razor Leaf!" Red shouted.

But the Ivysaur didn't move. He stood firm, not moving as he glared at the gym leader of Cerulean. However, Red realized that didn't matter as Starmie was so fast it could execute an attack before Selven could. Red gritted his teeth in anger as his Ivysaur glared on at Misty as she ordered an attack.

"Psybeam!" she shouted.

Her Pokemon swam to one of the islands in the pool before jumping onto it. The Water-type's red gem in the center of its body glowed bright with seven colors before a prismatic light flooded the stadium. The light that was almost blinding then concentrated into a thin ray that shot toward Selven. Red could hear Cinder whimpering at the sight.

"Selven you'll die if you don't fight!" the trainer shouted as the Starmie prepared the attack. "Psychic-type attacks could kill Poison-types like you!"

Just as the thin rainbow ray fired at the Grass-type, Selven acted. The pink petals at the top of the stem supporting its bud began duplicating at an astonishing rate. As clusters of petals sprouted from the partially bloomed flower and spiralled forward they formed a dome around the Ivysaur that was thick enough to deflect the ray of peculiar light. Red's jaw dropped at the sight.

Petal Dance… he thought. I almost forgot...Ivysaur was not as strong as Kurer but he was able to use elemental attacks faster than her. Grass-types are faster in sun...and Petal Dance is his most versatile move...it can be used both defensively and offensively.

"What a strong move!" Misty cried.

"Red," Selven said.

He turned to face his trainer, the Grass-type's eyes watering with tears.

"I'm angry that you weren't able to save my parents," he said. "But...but I'm glad you saved me. I was able to accomplish my dream of going beyond the fence and...and living an eventful life. I'm grateful for that alone."

Red was struck by emotions he hadn't felt in years. The only person he'd cared about was Cinder as everyone else he knew he stopped loving. His father never being around, his mother and Professor Oak only seeing him as an extension of Lance and Blue and Green leaving him in the dust caused him to grow callous. But Selven's gratitude...it was enough to awaken in Red affection for someone else.

"Selven, use Razor Leaf!" he ordered.

The Ivysaur turned back around to begin growing new fronds from the base of his flower stem. After growing dozens of new leaves, enough that they obscured the rest of Selven's body, the leaves detached from his body and were flung at the Starmie. The Starmie was struck by the spinning leaves as they were sent hurtling at its position on the island, slicing every one of its appendages off its body. The purple body parts lay surrounding it as the Pokemon fell to the ground, reduced to nothing but a red gem with stumps surrounding it.

"Yes!" Red cried.

His victory was short lived as the red diamond that the Pokemon had been reduced to suddenly sprouted back. They were as long as the original limbs had been before it jumped to what could roughly be called its legs. It showed no signs of pain or reduced stamina, as though it hadn't been injured at all.

"What?" Red cried.

"Staryu and its evolutionary line have access to Recover," Misty stated. "This allows it to regrow any lost limbs torn or blown off in battle."

"Then we'll drain it of energy!" Red shouted. "Leech Seed!"

Selven fired multiple small, greenish-black seeds at the Starmie, the air around it covered in dark dots. Many of the seeds hit the surface of the water, instantly sprouting into tall plant stems and forming green flower bulbs. The Pokemon attempted to dodge this jumping back but just as it was about to fall into the pool a few seeds landed on to the Water and Psychic-type. Flower stems grew from its body, roots entering deep into to absorb its nutrients as the Starmie lay still atop the water.

"Rapid Spin," Misty ordered.

The Starmie then began spinning atop the surface of the pool, the plants deeply rooted in its body flung out of it. Just as the plants landed in the pool the Starmie began floating normally in water again before Recovering the holes pierced in its limbs away. Red stomped his feet in frustration.

"Rapid Spin can remove Leech Seed rather easily," Misty explained. "See, I told you, you don't have anything that I can't counter. You're just a reckless trainer who got lucky with my Lapras."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Put Sleep Powder into the water!" Red shouted. "It can't avoid it if it swims in water!"

Selven roared in anger as lime green pollen burst from the opening of his flower bud and he began flapping the leaves on his back like wings to further blow it forward. Just as Red planned the sleep inducing pollen that the Ivysaur threw out filled the pool, coloring the water a light green. After enough of it, the pollen began drifting toward the Starmie, carried by the current of the pool.

"Whirlpool," Misty said.

The Starmie began spinning as it treaded water again before creating a towering vortex of water. All the water on the surface that had been contaminated with Sleep Powder began to disappear. Red stood aghast at the sight as the tornado of liquid rose above him.

"I told you," Misty said. "My Water Pokemon can filter out any unwanted particles of water it interacts with. If it can do that at the molecular level, what hope does your Ivysaur have of putting it to sleep?"

Red began sobbing again before Cinder grabbed his pant leg.

"Please, Red," the Charmeleon said. "Just...just end this already."

"No!" he said. "I-I can't with everyone watching! What if Blue sees me?!"

"Does that matter more than the lives of your Pokemon?" Cinder asked.

"What do they matter if I can't battle with them?" Red muttered, hoping Selven wouldn't hear. He then realized he made a mistake to say that. Cinder looked genuinely hurt by his comment.

"Hit it with Whirlpool!" Misty shouted.

As the Starmie closed the distance between itself and Selven, Red froze in panic. He had no idea how to counter such an attack. The failure to injure the Starmie caused him to believe there was no way he could win this battle and certainly no way Selven could survive. His mind raced with possibilities but he couldn't think of a single one that would work.

I thought I was past this! Part of him thought. I thought I was past being so afraid I couldn't think! Why-why couldn't I be born like Blue?! Or Green?! Or my dad?! Who...who am I? I wasn't meant to be born weak...everyone says I was meant to be born strong but I'm not…! What went wrong with my development?!

As Red was having an existential crisis, Selven acted on his own. He fired multiple Leech Seed from the small opening in his flower bulb to fire at the vortex of water above him. As the seeds landed on the surface of the spiralling liquid, they instantly bloomed. The roots they grew and flower stems that shot out from the capsule immediately had an effect on the Whirlpool.

The volume of water began lessening as the roots quickly sucked up the liquid to form pink flower buds, similar to the ones Ivysaur grew on their back. Just as the Whirlpool reached Selven the amount of water the Starmie was causing to spin toward him was little more than a few thin streams of water droplets, the plants that had sprouted from the seeds falling from above. Misty's Starmie floated in midair for a moment, the water that had previously obscured it now gone to reveal its body before it quickly began to fall to the pool below. Red looked on at his Pokemon in amazement.

Of course...He thought. Grass-type attacks deplete water that they interact with, the best of which are draining moves like Leech Seed. Enough of absorption moves will totally reduce the level of water they touch. Selven must have realized this before I did. Now...I have to think of a way to take advantage of Starmie's main line of defense being gone. Let's see...it can move fast but if I can restrict its movements while in midair then that advantage in agility won't matter.

"Starmie!" Misty said upon the Water and Psychic being revealed and falling to the earth. "Psybeam!"

"Vine Whip!" Red ordered.

Just as Red predicted, the Starmie's vast superiority in speed and mobility didn't matter. Just as it began forming a ray of rainbow colored light, Selven grew several lime green, leafy vines out from beneath the leaves on its back that stretched toward the Starmie, instantly wrapping its entire body in vines. Red began to feel hope surge in him as the Water and Psychic-type was completely immobilized.

"Starmie!" Misty yelled. "Rapid Spin!"

The Pokemon attempted spinning against the constriction of the vines but its struggling was useless. This made sense as Starmie was not gifted with any real physical strength aside from being able to move fast. Red began thinking about how to most take advantage of the capturing of Misty's Pokemon. The Leech Seed gave him an idea.

"Squeeze it dry, Selven!" Red shouted.

The Ivysaur obliged by constricted even harder. There was a slight groan from the Starmie, odd considering it had made little noise beforehand as the vines tightened around its appendages. Gray marks started appearing on its otherwise purple skin, the moisture being suctioned from its body by the vines.

"Starmie, try using Water Pulse!" Misty shouted.

Water leaked from the gem at the center of its body before only a few droplets falling down. Red smiled. It was just as he thought, the Starmie was too drained of water to produce any attacks.

"Don't let it go until it's completely dry!" Red shouted.

"No!" Misty shouted. "Please, my Pokemon's finished! Starmie can't battle anymore!"

"Yes, Red!" Cinder stated. "If you don't withdraw Selven right now, Starmie might die!"

Red nodded his head at the Charmeleon's request before thinking again. Misty could have just been saying that to get him to lower his guard and counterattack. If the Starmie was allowed to submerge itself in water again, there's little hope it could be recaptured considering how fast it was. Red lowered his gaze, getting angry.

If I release Starmie on live television and it ends being a trick on Misty's part… Red thought. I'll never hear the end of it when I get back to Pallet Town.

"Ignore her!" the trainer shouted.

Selven obliged, the Starmie's body beginning to turn a sickly gray as it wrinkled as it withered. It wasn't long before the Ivysaur unwrapped the vines from around it and the Water and Psychic-type fell to the pool below. The Pokemon plopped uselessly onto the surface of the pool, everything around its red core gray and lifeless. Misty quickly returned it to its Pokeball and, upon close inspection, the top half of the Pokeball was blue. Red jumped up in joy as she glared at him.

"Yes!" he cried.

"What?!" Cinder shouted.

He looked down, immediately regretting his words to see the Charmeleon glaring at him.

"Do you like killing things so much?!" he seethed.

"The challenger has killed Misty's Pokemon!" the referee shouted. "A rare event indeed!"

The crowd was going wild at the sight. A challenger killing a gym leader's Pokemon was far less common than the other thing happening. It usually meant the challenger was a trainer of incredible talent and Pokemon that were exceptionally well trained. It actually made Red feel better about himself as the majority of battles where the challenger was able to kill a gym leader's Pokemon ended with the challenger winning.

However, the audience reminded him of why these battles were public. And the more gore and death in battle, the more the audience would volunteer to be trainers. These gym battles were meant as propaganda to excite young people into joining the Kanto military or becoming local trainers. The thrill of adventure and battle was a great way to get impressionable youths into dangerous tasks. It was no surprise that there was a strong correlation between those who watched gym battles regularly and an increase in those who became trainers. The demographic of the population that watched the most televised battles or attended them in person, the higher the recruitment rates for them.

"Red!" Cinder shouted. "Call...call Selven back! Too many have already died! Kurer, Misty's Starmie...you don't need to-"

"I can't turn back!" Red shouted, fighting against the pain the Fire-type was giving him. "We only have one more battle! After that, I'll withdraw!"

"Red…!" Cinder said. "Even if everyone died would you still not be satisfied? Does...does the death of-?"

"Be quiet!" Red shouted.

The Charmeleon began sobbing again, the trainer turning away as tears stung his eyes. He saw Misty looking down at the Pokeball in her hand with tears in her eyes. She wasn't crying much but it was obvious she had been hurt, something that surprised Red.

Forming friendships with your Pokemon is discouraged amongst high level trainers like gym leaders. He thought. It's not as much local trainers because they're not supposed to be as professional but military trainers are supposed to have little in the way of bonds. It prevents them from moving on from the deaths of their servants and getting new ones to replace them as soon as they do. Brock was more broken up by the trainers under his command from dying than his two Pokemon killed by the Rockets. But I guess some people, no matter how much they suppress it, form bonds with their Pokemon despite all else. Why Misty is so broken up by her Starmie and not the killing of other Pokemon is only because she spent so much time with it...that Starmie probably saved her life more times than she could count. But me...is it wrong I feel nothing for any of my Pokemon other than Cinder?

Instead of throwing aside the Pokeball with the dead Pokemon inside like most any other trainer would, she minimized it before putting it at the side of her waist. Misty's glare was downright murderous as she stared down Red, taking a Pokeball from her waist and tossing it forward. Her next words caused him to nearly faint in fear.

"Go!" she shouted. "Gyarados!"

From the Pokeball appeared a long, serpentine Water and Dragon Pokemon so tall it even dwarfed Onix. There was something especially terrifying about the Gyarados's jaws, the fact its mouth was so wide that it could swallow Red whole with a single bite making him shake in fright. With half its body submerged in the pool, the idea that so much of its snake-like body took up the pool scared it. Its size would have caused Red to run in fear had he not had a Pokemon in front of him. And it didn't help that Gyarados was reported to be the most dangerous Water-type in the world for a number of reasons.

Gyarados were known as one of the strongest Pokemon of its type in the world, its physical strength dwarfing even the most fully evolved Fighting-type. Amongst Pokemon native to Kanto, the only Pokemon whose physical strength was above Gyarados was Machamp, a Pokemon that could lift several tons its own weight with no effort at all. This meant Gyarados was without a doubt one of the strongest Water-type Pokemon in the world but just as assuredly one of the most physically powerful in the world.

Also not helping was the fact that it had a fairly powerful use of the Water element, its Water-type attacks known to flood areas rather quickly. A single Gyarados could level a city as many did considering they were naturally territorial and ferocious. Gyarados were very hard to control even when captured, which is why a Gyarados that respected its trainer to obey its orders was rare and meant the trainer had exceptional skill. As it stared down at Selven the Ivysaur backed away in fright.

"Selven can't fight that thing!" Cinder shouted. "Gyarados is one of the strongest Water Pokemon in the world!"

"Then who can fight it?!" Red yelled.

"No one in your party!" the Charmeleon shouted. "Forfeit the battle!"

Red then turned forward to see Misty's tear stained face smiling as she relished the fear she was inducing in the challenger.

She's lost control of her emotions. He thought. She knows that nothing I have can beat that beast. And Misty may be willing to kill my Pokemon just to satisfy her own sense of vengeance.

"Selven!" Red shouted. "Petal Dance!"

The Ivysaur began growing clusters of pink petals before detaching them. The petals were fired at the Gyarados in beautiful spirals at the Atrocious Pokemon, the stadium filled with flowers as a result. They surrounded the thirty foot plus tall Pokemon, encapsulating him as Selven had been trained to do to Pokemon stronger than him to restrict its movements. The moving flowers formed chain-like links to make a cage-like structure.

"Incredible!" the referee said. "Misty's Gyarados has been caged in!"

"Outrage!" Misty shouted.

Red tensed up at the single word. The Gyarados began thrashing its body against the Petal Dance, the pink petals ripped to shreds and the elegants spinning patterns they flew around in destroyed. The Pokemon didn't stop fighting against the Grass-type move once it was destroyed.

It began slamming its body so hard into the pool that large waves were created, splashing many of the audience members. The power of its Outrage was strong enough to cause shockwaves in the floor beneath Red that he could not only feel but knocked him off his feet. He landed on his back while Cinder and Selven could not at all stand up, the three of them being lifted quite a few feet into the air before hitting the floor again. The repeated falls disoriented Red and he feared he would die.

Cracks started appearing on the floor around them, the pool water leaking out as it began breaking into pieces. The audience, for the first time in the entire battle, became truly terrified. Many started leaving the stadium before the tremors caused by Misty's Gyarados threw them to the ground again or disoriented them. Misty herself stood still, her Pokemon obviously trained well enough not to let the tremors affect her.

"Red just surrender already!" Cinder shouted after hitting the floor again. "We can't-!"

He groaned before failing to stand up again, knocked on all fours along with his trainer.

"Can't win!" the Charmeleon shouted.

"Shut it!" Red said.

Misty's crazy! He thought. Outrage, the strongest Dragon move, is known not only to have a horrid affect on the environment around the user but also causes the Pokemon to lose control upon using it! Is she that far gone?!

"Kill his Ivysaur," she ordered.

The Gyarados stopped mildly thrashing about, slithering across the pool to reach Selven. The Ivysaur slowly lifted itself to its feet, clearly shaken as it rocked side to side from the tremor of that attack. Red took this opportunity to shout a move.

"Use your Petal Dance and Vine Whip shield to block it!" he shouted. "Protect yourself!"

Selven knew exactly what he was talking about. It was a technique that they had developed to barricade the Ivysaur from the most tremendous of attacks. The Grass-type simultaneously grew new petals and vines before putting them both to good use. The petals detached themselves before forming a solid canopy of pink in front of him, the flowers spinning in intricate patterns to form chain-like structures to make a moving barrier. Behind the wall of flowers Selven had erected were dozens of vines that formed a second barrier behind that one to create a two-fold shield that Red had never seen penetrated.

But Red knew it was futile even before the Gyarados even crashed through the double wall of plant matter. The trainer could tell the Water and Dragon-type had been slowed down, his assault weakened by having to tear through all that botanical material. But there was little left of the wall of vines and petals as the Gyarados slammed the Ivysaur's right side with the back of its head.

Selven sailed overhead from the force of the blow to land on the wall behind Red. Cinder and him turned to look up as the Ivysaur quickly slid down the wall, green and red blood smearing the wall. When it landed on the floor, Red gasped in shock at the state of the Ivysaur's body while Cinder began screaming loud enough to fill his ears.

Most of the flower plant on Selven's back was gone, completely torn away. The brown flower stem had been half torn away, as if cleanly sliced while the large, partially bloomed bud laid in pieces of flower around Selven. So little of the plant stalk remained that it no longer stood up but lazily fell across the Ivysaur's back. The flower's center could be clearly seen where different colored pollen leaked from it. Two of the three fronds around the base of the flower stem were ripped to shreds.

Besides the flower on his back, a whole chunk of the right side of its body was gone to reveal blood veins and bone. The skin on the front of his legs on that side was shredded away while the Ivysaur's face was covered in red blood. His eyes were partially open, the Pokemon clearly too weak to move even his eyelids that much.

"Return him!" Cinder shouted. "Return him! Return him! Return him! Return him!"

Red took no time in doing so, not even fumbling for the Grass-type's Pokeball as he somehow went straight to it. He returned Selven to his Pokeball, looking down at the top half of it to beg it to not turn blue. His request was half granted.

The Pokeball's top half began to turn blue before becoming red, then switching back to blue, then red again. Red groaned, remembering about this in Pokemon class. This was what happened when a Pokemon's life signals were so weak that it was on the brink of death but hung on by a thread. In this case the Pokeball couldn't accurately decide if the Pokemon was dead or not.

Red turned around to see the Gyarados towering over him, growling but making no movements. He shook his head, assured that Outrage would cause the Pokemon to lose control of itself. He then looked to Misty who had a wicked smile across her face.

"What?!" Red said. "Outrage...it causes the user to become confused with fatigue…! You-how-!"

"A trainer of my caliber has long since learned how to mitigate the effects of even the nastiest side effects of all her Pokemon's moves," Misty answered. "My Gyarados is expertly taught to control itself upon using Outrage, the move giving it no ill will so it can use the strongest move at its disposal again and again without consequence."

"The challenger's Ivysaur is unable to battle!" the referee cried, steadying himself on his feet.

"Red…" Cinder said.

He was beyond crying at this point. The Charmeleon's face was so blistered with sadness and anger that it was breaking Red's heart just to look at him. Cinder appeared more distressed than the entirety of Red knowing him. In the near six years they'd been friends he'd never seen the Charmeleon so upset that he looked like he might kill his trainer.

"You killed Kurer and Starmie…" he said. "Selven also might be dead…"

He shook his head, tears streaming down his face. He began cowering down on his stomach, covering his face with his claws. His tail flame was so weak Red was legitimately afraid his first Pokemon might die.

"Cinder!" he said. "Please...if you grow weaker...you might...you might-"

"Die?!" he shouted as he stared up at Red. "I'd want to! You...I thought you were different but you're gone! The you that I thought I knew...you're gone! You're not the same boy I met all those years ago! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you-!"

"Continue with the battle," Misty said. "I'll avenge my fallen comrade with my strongest Pokemon. Not like you had any chance of winning this battle anyway…"

Red turned to look at the gym leader with a look of timidity, her stoic yet content expression practically killing him. As Red's gaze began to blur from exhaustion. He was beyond afraid at this point, exhausted beyond words, too tired to continue. His gaze turned down, wondering how on earth Hurzer or Leta could take down such a ferocious Pokemon since Cinder, being a Fire-type, had no chance against such a powerful Water-type.

Hurzer stood almost as little a chance as, while he had incredible physical strength, it was nothing compared to the Gyarados's. Also, being a Ground-type, Hurzer would easily be killed by a strong Water-type move. That meant Leta was his best option as she could easily avoid his attacks and counter with status moves but Misty's Pokemon was gifted with such raw power she stood little chance.

"So," Cinder said. "You refuse to give up?"

He stood up, the flame on his tail growing a little. Cinder staggered forward, weakened by his emotional plight. He sighed in despair, his teary eyed glare meeting the Gyarados's intimidating gaze. Red ran forward to his Charmeleon.

"No," he said. "I-"

"You'll continue the match but won't use me?" the Charmeleon asked without turning around. "Because you care about me or that I'm too valuable to sacrifice? I don't even know anymore."

"No!" Red said. "I care about you-"

Red grabbed Cinder by the wrist, trying to pull him back. The Charmeleon turned to glare at him, the Fire-type's face painted with anger. His tail flame erupted as Cinder shook his head.

"You'll die!" Red said.

"I don't mind!" Cinder said as he pulled away. "The only thing I lived for was our friendship! I don't have any family and my only friend was you until we caught anyone else! And now you're so selfish I wonder how we even became that close to begin with!"

After he loosed himself of Red's grip, the trainer tried grabbing his wrist again. The Charmeleon seemed too tired to try to resist his grip again before sighing, his arms going limp. Misty was becoming anxious.

"Hurry up!" she said. "If you don't choose a Pokemon I'm going to have you disqualified!"

"You will die!" Red said. "Let me send out someone else! You can't-!"

"I would much rather be the last to die in this pointless game!" Cinder shouted. "If I die then Leta and Hurzer will be safe and maybe you'll finally quit this ridiculous charade!"

And then it happened. Red felt power flow from him into his Pokemon. A stream of energy was channeled into the Charmeleon through the physical contact they shared. It was just like when the Rocket trainer's Machoke had attacked them, as though Red and Cinder were connected by an invisible appendage of sorts. And through that connection he had lent the Pokemon an invisible strength. Just as Cinder tore himself away from Red's grip, he turned to stare at the Gyarados in front of him, not the least bit intimidated. The Charmeleon lunged at the much larger, stronger and taller Pokemon before its body began rapidly changing.

The first major change was how long his limbs and body became. Cinder's arms and legs practically shot out of the base of his body before his claws lengthened. The horn on his head split in two before his jaw elongated and became more well developed. Cinder's body became bulkier as his neck shot up several feet, his tail snaking out of his bottom as though it had been hiding within the folds of its skin.

His flame grew six inches long before the final change became obvious. Stubs of flesh protruded out of Cinder's back to form powerful, leathery wings that's teal undersides contrasted with the Fire-type's otherwise bright orange skin. The newly evolved flew on its freshly sprouted wings at the Gyarados at speed only attainable by flapping such broad appendages.

The Water and Dragon-type was quickly taken aback by Red's Pokemon carving its cream colored underside with sharp claws, a gesture that caused the Water-type to fall to the pool below it. Upon impact, blood filled the pool water from the gash left by Cinder. The crowd shouted in excitement at this as Misty stared in utter shock. He knew how she felt as Red himself was staring on at the marvel with utter stupidity.

It happened again. Red thought. Like what transpired at Mt. Moon. I just let my emotions run wild and touched Cinder and he evolved.

"The-the challenger's Charmeleon-!" the referee said. "It's evolved! What a miracle!"

Cinder rose into the air on the power of its wings, glaring down at Gyarados from above. The Water and Dragon-type tried rising its head back up again, positioning itself before groaning in pain. The Pokemon looked down at the wound given to it by the newly evolved Fire-type, aghast at the damage it had taken from a single Slash attack.

Gyarados may be an impressive physical powerhouse… Red thought. But its defenses are merely average.

"Get back up, Gyarados!" Misty shouted. "Don't focus on your damage! Hydro Pump!"

The Atrocious Pokemon roared in anger before opening wide its jaw and firing a blast of water larger and faster than any Red had ever witnessed. Despite that, Cinder gracefully dodged the incredible volume of water jettisoned at him with his newly gained wings. Red was impressed with the newly evolved Charizard's skill at flying as he was taught Pokemon with such drastic evolutionary changes normally had difficulty during the moment right after transforming but that was by no means the case here.

The audience was practically screaming at the top of their lungs, the fear of being killed by the sheer force of the Gyarados completely gone. The anticipation and adoration they gave the battle between two titans of their respective elements in person was enough to keep them glued to their seats. The shouting might have reached Red's ears but all he could do was cry.

And they were tears of joy. All his life he felt useless enough to not be worthy of receiving a Charmander, a Pokemon whose evolutionary line was said to be the strongest Fire-type in the world. Lance, a master of the Dragon-type, was one of the reasons Red even chose Cinder to begin with but the constant losses he experienced caused the trainer to feel unworthy of such a revered and proud Pokemon. He spent half his life wishing that Cinder had been chosen by Blue, his natural strength wasted on such a pitifully incompetent trainer. But now, now those fears felt empty.

A Charizard… Red thought as tears blurred his vision. My best friend has become the pinnacle of his element, the most revered of all Fire-types. Charizard's Fire attacks are supposed to be the strongest of all known Fire-types...its Flamethrower and Fire Blast supposedly without peer. And how much more worthy an opponent to face off against than the mighty Gyarados? The terror of the deep meets the hottest blaze...I know I've always been an unworthy trainer to you Cinder but...but this...this time…

"You can do it, Cinder!" Red shouted. "You can do it! You can win! You're more than a match for Gyarados!"

With speed that made Cinder almost look like an orange blur, he sailed down toward the Atrocious Pokemon and struck the area right underneath the Gyarados's neck with a blow from his wing. With one slap of his teal wing a shockwave was created throughout the air the Red could feel, almost knocking him back. The resulting force resulted in wind that blew across the surface of the pool. The Water and Dragon-type was knocked backward, almost falling over as its massive jaw hung open in pain, a loud screeching shaking the air.

Wing Attack… Red recognized.

As the Gyarados reeled itself back up, Cinder attempted to go in for another Slash attack right below its face. If the attack landed then it could potentially kill the Gyarados as two strikes to such a vulnerable area would no doubt put it out of commission. However, Misty's Pokemon prepared itself, rising back up by ignoring the pain and attempted to crunch down on the Fire and Dragon-type's wing.

"Outrage!" Misty shouted.

Cinder had to quickly and abruptly retreat its attack, stopping in mid-flight before lowering itself as the snap of the Pokemon's fangs was strong enough to be audible. Cinder looked up in fear as the Gyarados glared down, this time the Water and Dragon-type going in for an Outrage by thrashing about. As its body flailed about in anger, Cinder flew to the side to retreat as the Gyarados chased it. The Atrocious Pokemon threatened to ram itself into him but the Charizard was quickly able to fly upward to avoid it.

"Hydro Pump!" Misty shouted.

The Gyarados then launched another blast of water at the Fire and Dragon-type, the Charizard nimbly flying out of the way. Red began feeling hope rise, his chances of winning increased. Gyarados had lost a lot of blood from the combined efforts of Slash and Wing Attack, the liquid continuing to leak from its ripped open skin and dye the pool red. He guessed that so long as his Charizard could safely stay out of the way of its ranged attacks long enough then he would win once the Atrocious Pokemon lost enough blood.

"Bounce!" the gym leader cried.

The Gyarados then jumped up from its position in the pool and leaped into the air. Everyone in the entire stadium besides Misty gasped at the sight, such a huge and terrifying beast being able to jump such a distance maddening to them. This was by no means exclusionary to Cinder who looked on in shock from above as he pumped his wings to fly above in order to dodge the attack.

While he was able to put some distance between himself and the leaping Gyarados, it was only enough to reduce the damage he'd receive and not avoid the attack entirely. The Charizard crossed his arms in preparation for the attack to protect himself as the Gyarados struck him squarely in the chest. Cinder sailed upward for a great distance, almost being unable to be seen before falling back down.

Red's heart sank as his Charizard fell down to the ground, clearly in much pain if his loud growls were anything to go by. While Cinder was definitely in agony, he still had enough control over himself to pump his wings to break his fall and steer himself away from landing in the pool water. But that's all he could do.

The Charizard flapped his wings in front of Red, staying aloft in the air for a moment before falling several feet to the floor beneath him. He ran over to Cinder and put his hands on his neck, deeply terrified for his friend. Upon touching his friend, tears stinging Red's eyes as he gazed at the bruised arms and chest of his Pokemon, Cinder glared at him and attempted to swipe his right claw at him.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted.

Red was hurt by his first Pokemon's words before fearing being struck by the Fire-type's claws. However, just as they would have shredded him, Cinder's arm froze in mid-swipe. He shouted in pain as his entire body stiffened. Red began shaking his head in fright.

"No…" he said. "You...you've been paralyzed…"

The Charizard pushed through the grave injury given to him, attempting to stand up. At first it seemed as though he couldn't but after pushing through the paralysis he managed to get to his feet. As Cinder stood, shaking from his status condition, as he stared down the Gyarados. The Gyarados was not in good shape either, the long and blue serpentine Pokemon staggering as it couldn't be able to hold itself up. Misty glared back at Red.

"My Gyarados would have killed your Charizard had it not been previously injured so gravely," she said. "Consider your surprise attack lucky."

Red shook his head in protest, not wanting his newly evolved Pokemon to battle anymore.

"Cinder…" he said. "Bounce has the side-effect of paralyzing…"

The Charizard turned back to look at Red with intense rage, the kind one only had when bordering on killing someone. It caused the trainer to stumble over his words. The memories he'd shared with Cinder were the only thing preventing him from not shutting up right then and there.

"It restricts your movements and...and…" he said.

The Charizard then turned away to glare at the Gyarados, stumbling a little as he tried to keep himself on his feet. Red saw the tail flame of the Pokemon ignite, the fire growing an entire foot in length. He stumbled back before finding the flame turning blue and Cinder's body becoming engulfed by a blue flame. It was so hot Red could feel his clothes beginning to singe just being near him, the trainer stumbling back to keep a safe distance between him and the enraged Pokemon.

Blaze… He recognized.

"End this Gyarados!" Misty shouted. "It can't dodge now! Hydro Pump!"

"No!" Red shouted. "I surrender-!"

But it was too late as the Gyarados released a huge volume of water at the Fire and Dragon-type. Red could have fled to the left to avoid the blast of liquid that was almost as wide as him but it barely crossed his mind. To him, life was over. Not only had he lost this battle but, more importantly, he'd lost Cinder's trust and friendship.

In that moment, Red regretted ever becoming a trainer. If he could do it all over again, he would have never taken on the gym challenge. Cinder was right. Red hated battling. He found it a pointless waste of time, a contest between the egos of professional trainers and rookies wishing to make a name for themselves and also propaganda just to get naive newcomers into throwing their lives away. Pokemon died and trainers treated living beings as nothing more than tools.

And in that he realized he had never been living for himself. Red was always fighting for the sake of peer pressure and to no longer be hated. Red wasn't even trying to live up to his father's legacy so much as he was trying to show others he was attempting to live up to his father's legacy so they might back off on their hatred of him.

Red never believed he could surpass Lance but wanted to make others believe he was trying so they couldn't accuse him of laziness or cowardice. And throughout all that, he had sacrificed the lives of innocents like his Poliwhirl, Mankey, Kurer, Selven and his best friend in doing so. That realization gave him more self-hatred than anything else.

Everyone except you were trophies, Cinder. He thought. Trophies to nullify my own lack of self worth.

"Die!" Cinder shouted.

The Charizard opened his mouth wide open to breathe a river of blue flames at the Gyarados's Hydro Pump. Upon meeting the torrent of water the fire consumed the jet of liquid before continuing to travel forward. Steam rose to fill the outdoor stadium as the Fire attack utterly evaporated the Hydro Pump before roasting the Gyarados. Despite the type resistance of Water, the Gyarados shrieked in pain as its skin began to grow brown.

Fire Blast. Red thought. One of the strongest known Fire attacks. The move we'd practiced over the last few months. Cinder could use it but it was taxing on him. Now it seems he can use it rather easily. The move is so strong that, unlike most Fire attacks that deal little damage to Water-types, it can actually deal some amount of injury to even those with a type resistance.

Once the river of blue fire dissipated the Gyarados was revealed to be gravely injured. Not only had it lost a great amount of blood and had its flesh ripped open, now it had to contend with the fact that much of its skin had been cooked. It looked so weak it was threatening to fall over.

"Attack!" Misty shouted. "Bite!"

The Water and Dragon-type pushed past the pain and sailed forward, lumbering as it did. It moved slowly for a Water-type in water but Cinder was paralyzed so it was an easy target. Red gestured for his Charizard's Pokeball but his Pokemon turned to him and leered.

"Don't," he said.

"What-?" Red asked.

"I want to die here," Cinder stated. "I have nothing more to live for."

The Gyarados towered over the Charizard as it closed the distance between them. The Fire and Dragon-type attempted to fly upwards, pumping his wings but the state of paralysis it was under did little more than allow it to climb a few feet up. The Atrocious Pokemon quickly snatched Cinder by the wing, chomping down hard.

Both screamed in pain as the Charizard's wing bones were no doubt being broken while the blue flame that surrounded Cinder's body was giving the Water and Dragon-type incredible pain from having that in its mouth. The Gyarados let go of the Charizard out of the burning sensation it no doubt was experiencing, its tongue charred and steam rising out from its mouth.

Cinder, on the other hand, fell to the floor below, his entire body crumpled as his eyes were half opened like Selven's had been. His wing was mangled and broken, deep and wide tooth marks visible in his flesh. Cinder began to squirm in a pool of his own blood as he growled in pain, the blue flames surrounding his body beginning to dissipate. The Water and Dragon-type screamed in agony before falling to the right side, crashing into the pool water as more blood leaked from its form.

The crowd roared in excitement before going completely silent, the stadium filled with an eerie quiet that didn't sit well with Red, the normally jubilant and energetic arena unnaturally somber. Misty looked on in surprise at her downed Pokemon, too shocked to withdraw it. It was only the referee who broke the silence.

"It-it's…?!" he said. "A tie?!"