Misty's arms were crossed with confidence as Ash locked eyes with her. As though the sight of her had flipped a switch, all the memories were brought to the surface without resistance; it had been automatic.
As involuntary as the smile that formed on his face. "Misty! How long have you been here?"
It had barely taken any longer for the other trainers present to catch on, the small crowd offering some space as the water specialist (who barely acknowledged them, eyes still firmly locked on Ash) stopped short in front of Ash and Eevee, having advanced onto the field in an empowering stride.
"In the city, you mean? In and out for a good while, now. You make it sound like you've been here for a decent bit."
He and Eevee nodded. It just went to show how different it was to be in a metropolis like Saffron or Celadon. They certainly would've run into each other much sooner if they were in Pallet.
It took him a moment or two to realize that things had fallen silent between them. It took just one more moment for him to realize that Misty was looking him over, arms descending carelessly to her sides as her eyes traveled up and down. Having finished her assessment, her eyes made their way back to his, unflinchingly locked on her target.
"Something's different about you…" her eyes narrowed for just the briefest of moments. "Right, where's your cap?"
Her contagiously fiery demeanor, her love for water types, the awkward meeting in the cafeteria, the time spent hanging out with Maria and Laura, the uphill Gym battle against her eldest sister, shopping for bikes, their fantastic farewell battle before he left Cerulean City behind… Much like how the sight of Misty was all Ash needed to remember everything that had transpired between the two of them, the single question that she spoke was, in turn, all he needed to realize just how much had transpired since. Like whiplash, blissful nostalgia was replaced with a minor flinch as his hand instinctively shot up to his head, eliciting a concerned glance from Eevee (still firmly perched on his shoulder) as he ran the hand through his hair, no longer covered by a cap.
The Flamethrower from Damian's Charmeleon scorched the cap, reducing it to ashes and cinders.
"I, uh…" for a moment, Ash lost his vocal composure. "...Lost it…"
Ignorant to the image playing in his head, Misty scoffed. "Pfft, dumbass. I hope you've kept better track of your training skills than your attire."
Ash tried to shoot down the unavoidable pang in his chest at the unintentionally callous remark. Misty had no way of knowing the circumstances; by now, she'd have had to avoid everything related to the media and public to not be aware of what had happened in Celadon, but nobody knew that he was a part of that story. Despite this, he could still hear Eevee's growl against his ear as the evolution Pokemon shot the orange-haired girl a dirty glare. Quickly, he scratched his normal type friend's chin reassuringly.
Misty wasn't too fazed however, as expected, simply waving off the small quadruped's aggression. "Relax, I saw the past couple of battles. Glad to know you've kept your word." Stealing a brief glance at the other side of the battlefield, she took a couple steps back before returning her gaze to him. "But I'm here to keep mine, so I hope you weren't planning to walk off. We'll put catching up on hold for the moment."
Like flipping another switch, it was as though the pang in his chest had never even happened. Images two Eevee's fighting one another, Pikachu's Iron Tail clashing with a Jigglypuff, Valiant latching onto a Staryu while preparing a Thunderbolt, and Nebula dive bombing into a freezing Whirlpool towards a Prinplup filled his head as a familiar fire began to surge in him. As his face lit up, Misty seemed to smirk knowingly at his response.
"I'll take that as a yes." her index finger brushed her chin as her pupils sparked, still piercing directly into his own. "You still can't resist me, can you, pal?"
Ash didn't bother responding further, simply shaking his head as he backed away to return to his side of the field. Eevee hopped off of his shoulder, landing in front of him as she stole a quick glance at their new opponent, before turning her focus back up to him expectantly.
Ash nodded back at his partner before relocking his eyes on Misty's; the water type lover had already planted herself firmly on her side of the field, fists confidently planted against her hips. His grin mellowed out, but the rush of excitement only intensified as the smirking girl lightly gave her head a knowing tilt. Their battle in Cerulean had been one of his favorite memories as a trainer-in fact, a decent few of their moments together had been among his favorites- and thinking back to it had reminded him of how good she was at getting his adrenaline moving.
'It's great to see her again.' Briefly, his hand ran across his belt. 'Tempest, Nebula, and Tyrunt are done battling, so…'
"Alright, Mr. Winning Streak." Misty's sarcasm pierced his train of thought as she raised her voice across the field. Off to the side, the spectators had since returned their focus to the two active trainers, having taken the time to mingle amongst themselves for a short bit until Ash and Misty were ready to battle. "How many Pokemon?"
"Three each." he quickly responded. Although his friend had given him the reins to choose, he knew she wouldn't settle for a one on one, not that that was what he would've wanted anyway. His remaining three Pokemon would see action against her.
Misty already had a Poke Ball in hand as he answered. "Sounds good. Hurry up and send out your first, then; I owe you a dose of payback." With a casual motion that didn't not convey carelessness, she lightly tossed the ball onto the field. As it burst open, a new figure emerged from the light, prompting a bemused blink from Ash in response.
The bipedal newcomer probably stood slightly higher than two feet tall. Her form came across as that of an angel; credited in large part from the beautiful pair of white wings sprouting from her back, matching the rest of her complexion. Her neck was fairly long, and a pattern of red and blue triangles covered her body. As the light surrounding hier dissipated, she turned back to her trainer with a glowing grin (receiving a nod of affection in return), before turning her attention to Ash and Eevee, immediately recognizing that she was on a battlefield. Retaining her grin, she appeared to study the duo for a moment, before raising an arm to greet them, as though talking to a friend.
He recognized this creature- it was a Togetic, a fairy/flying type Pokemon evolved from a species known as Togepi- but he had never actually seen one (or its pre-evolved form, for that matter) before, even on television. Even the evolved form, Togekiss, was a species he primarily knew of due to one being among the core members of Cynthia's famous team in Sinnoh. He didn't seem to be the only one surprised, either; he could already hear some murmurs from the small crowd gathered.
Apparently, he was silent for a bit too long, as Misty's voice quickly snapped him out of his thoughts. "You wanna speed it up here, buddy?" her tone of voice wasn't hostile, but he did note the minor impatience seeping through it. "I get that she's as gorgeous as I am, but there's a reason she's on a battlefield and not in a display case."
Shaking his head clear for a moment or two, he nodded back at her. "Right, sorry. We'll get started." Quickly, Eevee perked up in excitement as his eyes traveled down to her. "Alright, Eevee, I don't know much about how that Togetic fights outside of its typing-fairy/flying-so be careful and listen, alright?" His lips curved a bit more up as he returned her quick nod, noting the readiness on her face; she had been waiting for her turn to fight for a while, and it was against the best possible trainer to make the wait worth it. "Great, then get out there and good luck."
Eevee's smirk fell just short of matching Misty's as she confidently barked back at her trainer, before bounding onto the field and locking eyes with the happiness Pokemon, who assumed a fighting stance without dropping her cheery composure (albeit, it mellowed out a bit more evenly). In response, the evolution Pokemon quickly bent all four of her knees, prepared to bounce the moment her trainer ordered.
Ash studied the exchange between the two for a moment before returning his gaze to Misty, who, incidentally, had just finished doing the same thing before looking back at him. Their eyes met, and he felt another rush as her wonderful smirk curved just a bit further, his own smile involuntarily twitching further up in response.
It was a great feeling he wanted to hold onto, but he knew he needed to focus, returning his gaze to Eevee and Togetic.
'Going on the offensive could stop them from getting the drop on us, since I don't know much about her Togetic, but that also means we need to be careful about how we do it.' he told himself as his facial expression evened out to a more relaxed and analytical state. 'Who knows what counters she has ready? We'll need to knock her off balance and leave her without a guard to take the fight to her properly. Eevee knows Iron Tail and Focus Energy now. We just have to find the right moment…'
The flare in Misty's eyes momentarily sparked brighter. "Launch Pad!"
Eevee's head instinctively angled to the air above, her gaze following the happiness Pokemon astutely as the angel-like creature ascended with flapping wings.
'We won't give them that time.' Ash told himself with a tight face. "Eevee, Swift!"
Nodding with a firm glare, Eevee opened her mouth with a battlecry-esque bark as the familiar barrage of golden stars erupted upwards towards the rising Togetic. Misty's partner quickly crossed her wings and coated them in steel, leaving the stream of shining projectiles to harmlessly bounce off of the surface.
As Eevee's onslaught subsided, Togetic angled her body diagonally downward, head pointing directly at the normal type as a wall of glass suddenly appeared just above her feet. Ash barely had time to recognize the wall as a Reflect before Togetic kicked off of it, launching downwards towards the evolution Pokemon with startling velocity as her head glowed a deep blue, radiating psychic aura.
Eevee was already reacting, however, turning to the side and bursting away with Quick Attack, just barely avoiding her opponent's diving Zen Headbutt . As she circled around to give chase, Togetic was already traveling upwards again, quickly regaining her height before beginning to circle around in midair.
"Keep going, Eevee." Ash quickly encouraged as Eevee started to circle after her, neither combatant wishing to have their back turned to the other.
Even as the small audience looked on with bated breath, the game of cat and mouse ended as soon as it started with Misty's next order. "Thunder Wave and Double Team!"
Smiling with a light hint of smirk, Togetic held her hands together as electricity began to gather between them. Holding both hands up, she hurled the bolt of lightning downwards towards Eevee as three copies of herself suddenly emerged.
Ash found himself somewhat less nervous than usual as Eevee easily leapt to the side, allowing the electricity to harmlessly collide with the concrete. The quadruped's face tightened, however, as the four Togetic now circled her in the air, two each going in either direction at fairly impressive (but clearly not maximum) speeds.
As Eevee's head traveled frantically between her targets, Ash immediately called out to her. "Don't stop moving." he reminded. Ears shooting up, his partner nodded and quickly broke into a run, circling the battlefield.
'Be proactive,' Ash remanded himself. 'Don't let her get the jump on you.' The moment Togetic struck, the real one would give away her position, but Misty would have nothing to worry about if Eevee was caught off guard. She'd be a sitting duck unless she remained mobile.
For the next few moments, the nature of the battle seemed almost static; despite both combatants being anything but. Eevee was running close to what her top speed was without Quick Attack as she circled the battlefield. Just shy of what Pikachu could manage, she resembled a four-legged blur of brown and cream, and although Ash briefly worried for her stamina in the long term, he knew that Togetic was in no better of a position: Maintaining three Double Team clones at once for a lengthy period of time would drain her sooner rather than later if she did not act.
'And at that speed, Eevee's far from a sitting duck.'
Misty watched the exchange with a tight expression as the flames in her eyes grew more controlled and tranquil, analytically scanning the events unfolding before tilting her head upwards and calling out to Togetic. "Launch Pad and Drain Punch!"
'React now!' Ash shouted at himself. "Swift!"
From the corner of her eye, Eevee spotted a sudden flash, quickly whipping her head to the side as the real Togetic positioned herself to propel off of another Reflect. As the happiness Pokemon's feet kicked out against the glass barrier, the three clones vanished, and the angel-like creature rocketed towards her target with a raised, green fist.
Acting immediately, Eevee sped up into a Quick Attack, feeling a breeze slam against her back as Togetic dove for her and punched through the air that she had just been occupying less than a split second ago. As the quadruped circled around to ready the barrage of stars, Togetic was already rising back into the air, rotating her body to face Eevee yet again as the now-fleeing fairy opened her mouth to let loose a sudden stream of flames.
'Flamethrower?! She can use that?!' Ash did his best to shake away the surprise as Eevee leapt over the blast of flames (which left a scorch mark on the pavement) and fired the barrage of stars. Holding her hands out whilst keeping her wings flapping, Togetic's stare turned even and neutral as a golden wall appeared just in front of her body, weathering the assault as the Swift pounded against it.
After the happiness Pokemon's Light Screen faded away, neither she nor Eevee took the time necessary for a staredown; instead resuming their previous routine: one circling the battlefield from the air, and the other from the ground, both combatants doing everything they could to keep their eyes on the other whilst avoiding the others sight. The first was quickly achieved by both, the second by neither.
'Eevee's too fast for her.' Ash told himself. 'But we can't hit her. Not when she's in the air, and has Light Screen and Reflect. We're going to have to strike back the next time she comes to us; but what if-'
"Air Cutter!" Misty's voice confirmed his concern.
'She realizes that as much as we do.' Ash's heart rate quickened as his lips stretched into a smile. 'She knows it's safer to stick to long-range.'
Ash didn't have to tell Eevee to keep running as Togetic twirled her body like a torpedo, wings glowing before turning to face the quadruped and beginning to flap. Even as she took aim at Eevee with the barrage of bladed air that was produced as a result, Eevee zigzagged across the pavement, dodging each slice that came her way, and leaving them to collide with the concrete.
Evening his expression, Ash took a light step forward. "Shadow Ball, don't stop moving!"
As the bladed onslaught subsided, Eevee continued to weave around the battlefield as the distorted orb appeared in her jaws. With a loud bark, she launched the sphere upwards towards her target, only for the ghost type move to be met with a second stream of flames. As the two moves collided, the explosion spread a temporary cloud of smoke through a portion of the air.
Togetic did not wait for the small cloud to subsided, raising a glowing wing with a steeled glare as her raised wing began to glow far more brightly than before. A large blade of air appeared at the tip, and was promptly hurled forward as she lashed out. The Air Slash traveled diagonally downwards towards Eevee's position on the battlefield, carving a scar-like mark through the pavement as Ash's partner zipped out of the powerful blade's path.
The peculiar mixture of nervousness and excitement sped up the rushing of Ash's blood, but he didn't have much time to try and figure out the odd emotion overcoming him, just the thrill it made him feel; the kind that did the opposite of debilitate as he resisted the urge to glance at Misty, and kept his attention between Eevee and Togetic. Like a dance, his partner traversed the pavement with an oddly satisfying to watch fluidity as her paws carried her across the battlefield.
'At this rate, Misty and Toegetic are going to have the advantage sooner rather than later.' Even with Eevee's fluid speed having protected her from harm thus far, Togetic had far greater circumstances in her favor as long as she remained aerial, out of the evolution Pokemon's grasp. 'Her defenses and aerial advantage are a lot more likely to outlast Eevee's evasion than the other way around; we can't beat her in a long-ranged game.'
A second barrage of blades descended upon the battlefield. Although one barely nicked away at Eevee's fur, she otherwise flawlessly dodged the Air Cutter. In response, she leapt upwards, twirling around in midair to fire an upwards Swift at Togetic, who had been directly behind just a second ago. A blast of fire collided with the stream of golden stars, completely halting Eevee's offense as the shrunk remnants of the Flamethrower collided with the pavement and left a mild scorch mark. As it did, small embers descended onto the concrete as well.
'Misty's obviously picked up on that; she won't go for close-ranged again. She'll wait us out unless I recall Eevee. The only way to get a good hit in would be to come to her. That would catch her off guard, but Eevee obviously won't be able to jump high enough.' A stream of pink wind threatened to collide with Eevee as Togetic's furiously flapping wings brightly glowed the same color, but zipped to the side yet again. 'We could use Iron Tail to have her launch herself up, but that alone wouldn't be enough-' As if struck by lightning, his eyes just might have doubled in width.
"Eevee! Propel yourself towards her, Focus Energy and Iron Tail!" Misty's eyes widened almost as much as the smirking evolution Pokemon leapt up with a raised tail. The bright glow of Focus Energy wrapped around her tail, and with excitement, she could feel her muscles strengthen beyond a simple rush, as though they were quite literally bulging. The bright glow was quickly encased by the metallic layer of Iron Tail, shining through the steel as Eevee brought her tail down onto the pavement, a loud SMASH echoing as she bent herself, before springing upwards at a speed almost rivaling that of her sprints. She felt as though she had just been launched by a catapult.
Togetic gasped as her opponent, without warning, found herself on a headfirst collision course with her abdomen. Instinctively, she launched a panicked stream of flames with a shriek. Eevee responded in the only instant she had before she smashed into the Flamethrower; opening her mouth and hollering as her vocal cords let loose a powerful barrage of shockwaves. The Hyper Voice slammed into the Flamethrower just before she did, forcing the brunt of the fire to part as Eevee's aggressive shouts transferred to pained yelps as the heat and lingering flames singed her fur.
Her powered-up Iron Tail was still in form even after she launched herself, however, and although Togetic successfully managed to angle her body backwards to just barely avoid Eevee's attempt to ram her in the stomach, the evolution Pokemon was quick to flip her own body and bring down her tail.
With Togetic's back now facing the pavement below, Eevee's tail smashed into the glass barrier that formed in front of the fairy. Her opponent's defense was quickly met with resistance, however, as the steel tail, greatly amplified by Focus Energy, mercilessly grinded against the Reflect. The shockwaves of the impact seeped through the immediate cracks forming around the barrier, and the ruthless collision from the powered up tail launched the yelping Togetic downwards even as the barrier remained damaged, yet intact.
Ash's quickening heart pounded even faster. 'Yes! We can ground her!' "Hurry, Body Slam!"
As Misty began to shout something, Eevee angled her body, her dissension increasing in speed even more than natural. Togetic managed to break her fall before her back collided with the pavement, the damaged Reflect still shielding her front. It was barely more than an instant later when Eevee collided shoulder first with the glass barrier. The second impact ruthlessly shoved Togetic downward, back painfully striking the concrete as the Reflect shattered just a second or two later.
As Eevee landed on all fours, a clear franticity had replaced Misty's determined fire as the orange-haired girl began shouting encouragement at her dazed partner. Ash watched Togetic pick herself up, the mental shock of Reflect's sudden destruction leaving the happiness Pokemon to rub a hand against her head as she quickly made her way to her feet, but clearly staggered upon doing so.
'Off balance.' With their opponent wide open, the boy raised his voice, excitement seeping through his competitive tone. "Focus Energy and Iron Tail!"
Leaping back to gain slightly greater distance, Eevee felt a second rush in her tail as she produced another layer of metal over the repeated glow of Focus Energy. The moment her paws struck the concrete, she launched herself forward, speeding into a Quick Attack that conserved no ounce of speed and momentum that she was capable of. A quadruped blur, she charged with all of the might and velocity that her body could ever allow her to manage as the amplified Iron Tail lashed out and struck Togetic in the side of her head. The fairy barely managed a yelp as the impact, almost felt by every wincing individual who saw it, launched her backwards towards her trainer at seemingly almost the same pace as her attacker's magnificent run. An instant later, Togetic's back collided with the barriers in front of Misty, body angled sideways as she slid downward and slumped onto her stomach. Ash was spared the sight of the nasty bruise that had surely been left on her head, the unstruck side facing him and Eevee as Misty's partner lay irrefutably unconscious at her feet.
The shocked girl blinked in silence as Eevee turned back to Ash and barked at him with a victorious grin. His heart rate slowed closer to normal as the ecstatic normal type made her way back towards him, but didn't return to normal, as the match was far from over.
"You were amazing, girl!" His expression matched her own as he crouched down to pat her head. Once the two separated, he placed his hands on her sides while trying to observe her condition. His friend sank into a sitting position and let out a deep breath while he did.
Externally, she hadn't come out of the battle all that banged up; the heat from the Flamethrower had certainly hurt, and had left the scorch marks on her fur to show for it, but it had been far from a direct hit. Fatigue was likely another matter, however; the fierce exertion that she had exhibited to come out of the fight with minimal damage was clear to all, and although Eevee certainly did not seem exhausted, she was definitely in need of a moment to catch her breath.
Ash rose to his feet as Eevee turned back to face Misty, who his eyes quickly landed on. Togetic had been recalled, Poke Ball still in her hand as her other hand had formed into a clenched fist. They had gotten the drop on her, and turned a stalemate into a victory without warning.
With an undistracted gaze reserved only for him, a growl escaped her throat. "Gh…" cursing under her breath (although Ash wasn't close enough to know), she returned Togetic's ball to her belt before moving her hand between a couple of others. Finally, her grip settled on one… before moving to the other a few seconds later.
As the two rookies' eyes met again, Ash felt another rush, his heart quickening again at the impending continuation.
"Good job." Misty's eyes tightened, a sincere yet firm tone of voice accompanying the seriousness on her face. "But you'll pay for that."
As the Poke Ball she held outward burst open, Ash blinked at the ensuing light, and almost immediately, his face steeled as the sight of the next Pokemon sent more memories racing through his mind.
It was a violet starfish with a golden formation in its center, and a beautiful red gem in the very middle of that. Strangely, however, the creature's body resembled two starfish stuck together. It seemingly had no facial expression; not the blank stare of Tanner's Slowbro, but instead, nothing at all.
Starmie were the evolved form of Staryu, a water/psychic species well liked for their surprising agility and technical mastery in high level battling. They boasted brilliant diversity and excellent psychic capabilities that served as great, supplementary benefits for a training in search of a powerful water type.
And this specific one was Misty's starter. It hadn't taken very long for Ash to be introduced to Staryu's prowess when he and Misty had first partnered up; and in addition to shining fairly well in her Gym battle with Lily, the starfish had given him no shortage of issues when he and Misty had their battle. Pikachu had been finished off by Misty's trusted partner, and Valiant had also struggled quite a bit, only able to even the playing field and eventually go on to force a draw on the mysterious water type after pulling off a desperate, self-injuring tactic. Staryu had been a sight to behold the entire time he and Misty had been together, especially during their battle, and now…
"You like what you see?" Misty's smirk was back, albeit somewhat less playful than before. Resting her hands on her friend's appendages, she rubbed a cheek against its body while keeping her gaze on Ash. Her starter in question didn't seem at all bothered by the affection, remaining still. Unnerved, Eevee took a step back, unable to help but feel as though the analytical yet unreadable starfish was staring directly at her. "A certain someone just so happened to score a pretty rad evolution. You jealous?"
A small, nervous grin found its way across Ash's face despite everything. In the here and now, Starmie was a game-changing threat if not responded too properly, and on time. Already a fearsome competitor just as a Staryu, who knows how much it had improved? Yet he couldn't stop himself from feeling happy for Misty: A Pokemon evolving was always a blissful feeling.
"Eevee, come back over here." As Misty released her partner and returned to her straightened posture, Eevee ripped her gaze away from the mysterious Pokemon, looking back at Ash with an acknowledging nod before heading over to his side. As she turned back to face their opponents, she consciously kept her gaze focused solely on Misty.
Ash reached down to pat his normal type friend one more time before his hands ran across his belt. 'Pikachu and Valiant…'
A few moments later, his starter appeared in front of him. Pikachu blinked at the sight of the opposing trainer, a surprised expression quickly giving way to a grin as he raised a paw and called out happily.
"What's up, Pikapal?" Misty's reaction temporarily subdued the intensity of her stare. "Nice to see more of the old gang!"
After nodding with a good-natured chirp, Pikachu turned his gaze around, exchanging brief greetings with Eevee before looking up at Ash expectantly.
"We're up against Misty, as you can tell." Ash acknowledged the electric type with a smile. "Her Staryu's evolved, and I'm not sure what new tricks it has, or how much stronger or faster it is, but it's definitely on a different level than before. You ready?" The nodding mouse's determined grin was contagious as his starter pumped a paw. "Great, let's win this, then!" Almost immediately, Pikachu turned back around, now on all fours as his gaze traveled towards the Starmie, ears springing upwards from Eevee's encouraging bark.
The starfish stared back at Pikachu without moving, its expressionless gaze eliciting a blink of the eyes and a tense of the muscles from the mouse. Ash knew Pikachu most likely remembered his previous encounter with Misty's own starter, which hadn't ended well.
'Pikachu has the type advantage and isn't weakened this time, but until we see how much stronger Starmie has gotten, there's no telling whether or not that's going to matter.' Ash studied the purple starfish before looking back at Misty. Her confidence had returned, although her expression was a bit more stoic than he was used to from her, arms crossed with a steady glare, although even from where he was, he knew her gaze was as wildly competitive as ever. 'But if we can play aggressively enough, that can add to the pressure our electricity will put on them.'
Deciding he wanted to get the first attack in this time, he quickly called out. "Electroweb!"
Breaking out of his somewhat unnerved state, Pikachu leapt up and, with a cry, flipped himself over as the net-shaped electricity was tossed out of his tail. Ash was barely surprised when a golden wall spawned in front of Starmie, easily protecting the water/psychic type as the net of lightning fizzled out upon impact.
The moment the sparks faded, Starmie kicked off of the ground, launching itself in midair whilst rotating with maddening speeds. Still airborne, Pikachu encased his tail in metal and brought it down to intercept his foe, managing to light up the Iron Tail with the electricity of Zap Tail, only for the familiar, psychic-generated glass of Reflect to meet his strike head on. With Starmie's momentum working against the mouse, Pikachu yelped as he, albeit unharmed, was flung back towards the barrier in front of Ash and Eevee. Reangling himself, he smashed his metallic tail into the barrier to shield himself, before landing on all fours and breaking into a run. Above him, the back half of Starmie's body continued to rotate like a helicopter, clearly prolonging the starfish's air time. Ash remembered that Starmie were capable of short-term flight, although Misty's partner wouldn't be able to keep it up extensively.
"Double Team! Into three and spread out!" At his call, Pikachu split into three separate copies, the trio of mice maintaining top running speed as they broke off from each other in different directions, zigzagging around the battlefield with reckless velocity as Starmie continued to stare.
As his eyes darted around the field, Ash's mind played through his and Misty's previous battle. 'Right now, Pikachu's left Starmie with no reliable way to tell which one is real, and his speed will make him a problematic target. So now, Misty will…'
"Starmie!" Misty's raised voice showed no signs of hesitation or pressure. "Rapid Spin, and Swift all over the battlefield!"
Now both parts of Starmie were spinning with equal speed as the starfish lowered itself somewhat to fly across the field, spreading golden star after golden star through every corner of the area.
Ash smiled. It was just like the ending of Valiant's battle with Staryu, but he didn't have time to feel nostalgic. "Agility and Zap Tail!"
Nodding, the real Pikachu cloaked himself in the blue, psychic outline of Agility as his sprinting suddenly sped up even further. The two clones worked to dodge the storm of golden stars swarming the battlefield, but soon got hit. Now fully exposed, Pikachu leapt and weaved through the onslaught, wincing in pain as a few of the shining projectiles nicked his sides, before launching himself at his opponent.
Starmie was more than ready, however, and Pikachu's Zap Tail was met with a firm Reflect that absorbed much of the impact. The mouse's momentum was not halted, however, and the collision sent the otherwise unharmed starfish sailing backwards. Though intact, the barrier in front of Misty's partner was significantly cracked as Starmie landed on his feet and skidded back across the pavement, stopping with its back just several feet short of the barriers.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Full speed, Brick Break!"
Maintaining the effects of Agility, Pikachu blurred his way after the psychic starfish, driving an orange fist into the cracked barrier, which shattered without resistance. A strange sound echoed from Starmie as the aquatic psychic was launched away from the collision, back smashing into the barriers at the far side of the field, opposite to the observing audience.
'Starmie's going to be dazed for a moment after that. Just like Togetic, that should leave it open just long enough.' "Thunderbolt!"
Though her voice betrayed a hint of nervousness, Misty didn't hesitate. "You too!"
Pikachu only hesitated a moment, flinching from the ache in his fist, before jumping into the air and launching his signature bolt of lightning. To Ash's surprise, that moment had been all Starmie needed to regain some semblance of bearings, the starfish's body crackling as its own lightning bolt collided with Pikachu's. The countering electricity shielded Misty's starter from much of Pikachu's attack, but Starmie still squirmed in discomfort as the ensuing explosion granted it a shower of sparks, barely singing the starfish's exterior.
For now, Ash knew they had the upper hand. "Keep up the pressure, run forward with Electro Ball, and Static Tail!"
Rapidly zigzagging his way towards Starmie to close the distance, Pikachu launched the electrical sphere from the tip of his tail. With its back still just in front of the barriers, Starmie intercepted the projectile with a weakly erected Light Screen that quickly vanished after deflecting most of the lightning. Pikachu was upon it moments later, Iron Tail blazing with the electricity of Thunder Wave as he took a swing right for Starmie's red gem.
Another odd cry escaped the starfish as it was once again pushed into the barriers, this time grinded between them and the Static Tail as Pikachu pressed as firmly as his muscles could manage. Almost like an injection, the lightning coating the metallic tail spread across Starmie's body, muscles beginning to lock up.
Baring her teeth, Misty stepped forward and hollered over the excited murmurs of the small crowd. "Confuse Ray!"
A startled Ash did a blinking double take upon hearing the command, and had begun warning Pikachu when, after some struggle, the red gem in Starmie's center began to faintly flash. Pikachu's eyes widened in surprise as a flash of light pierced his vision, stumbling backward and almost falling onto his bottom as a sudden sensation of dizziness and delirium overtook him. Turning to the side, he planted his forepaws against the pavement to maintain balance.
Without noticing, Ash began chewing on his lip as Eevee barked out to Pikachu in concern. Starmie likely hadn't been provided with the chance to fully recover from the mental whiplash of Reflect's destruction, so psychic moves would above all else be more difficult to manage, but even a weakened Confuse Ray could have the intended effect if the target was blindsided by it. Misty could be using this to both get Pikachu off of Starmie, and also to buy some time for her own partner to fully recover.
But Static Tail had done its own fair share. Starmie was experiencing some level of paralysis now, and for at least a little while would have to fight against the effects to consistently operate at full strength.
Sparks still flashing along its body, Starmie began to pick itself up, performing a motion that resembled a shake of the head while Pikachu placed a paw atop his own head and rubbed it, eyes clenched as he tried to fight off the sickening mental imbalance. Ash called out encouragement to his starter as Starmie staggered to its feet, using the barrier behind it as leverage to press its appendages against.
Misty's composure had mostly returned. "Now's your chance, Psychic!"
Holding up its limbs and pressing them together, Starmie's red gem glowed brighter than ever, and Ash was almost certain that looking directly at it would burn his eyes. In front of the starfish, Pikachu had picked himself up, shaking his head clear as his paw still rested atop it. Just as his composure seemed to return, however, he was smashed in the side by the wave of bright, magenta light that surged from Starmie's gem, crying out as the impact launched him into the air.
As Pikachu caught himself with a well-placed Iron Tail to the pavement, Starmie took off above the ground, body rotating with Rapid Spin as it soared above the battlefield. The movement was strenuous as the sparks lingered across its body, but despite the decrease in speed, it was still able to manage. Once gaining enough height, the back half of its body continued to spin with just as much speed as before, keeping it airborne as the front half stopped to observe Pikachu, who had taken off running once more so as not to remain still.
Misty shot a hand out to the side as her gaze traveled upwards to fall on her starter. "Use Ice Beam on the ground!"
Another strange noise, mildly resembling aggressiveness this time, echoed from Starmie as a lance-shaped blast of ice escaped its gem. The frozen stream traveled across a section of the battlefield in a straight line, leaving behind a coating that encased the concrete underneath.
As Starmie fired a second stream of ice aimed in the direction the sprinting Pikachu was headed in, the yellow mouse swerved to the side to avoid the slippery path as Ash called out to him.
"Bounce off an Electroweb and attack Starmie from above!" Starmie ceased its third consecutive Ice Beam as Pikachu, cheeks crackling, summoned a net of lightning directly beneath him with a fling of his tail. Like a trampoline, the rodent launched himself off of the crackling net, soaring above the battlefield while angling his body to face Starmie, who he was now slightly above. A sphere of lightning appeared and grew at the tip of his tail.
"Tri Attack!" Once more, Starmie's gem glowed. This time, a triangular shape emerged from the bright jewel, resembling a mixture of fire, ice, and lightning. As Pikachu flung the Electro Ball towards its target, the elemental fusion was fired in its trajectory, the two projectiles colliding.
As both attacks exploded against each other, Pikachu and Starmie descended, and Ash decided that the paralysis had naturally made it more difficult for Starmie to maintain airtime. The back half of its body was slowing down its rotation, albeit progressively.
"Bounce again and use Zap Tail!"
"Rapid Spin and Reflect!"
Despite being the lighter of the two combatants, Pikachu didn't have any means to hover in the air or slow his descent, and therefore reached the ground first. The moment he did, he caught himself on another downward Electroweb, which he quickly trampolined off of in Starmie's direction, tail coated in metal and crackling with lightning. In response, the back half of Starmie's body stopped slowing down, regaining speed with the front half of its body now joining in on the rotation. As Starmie reangled itself to soar towards its attacker, a wall of glass shined in front of its body.
With Starmie's shielded body charging towards him, Pikachu swung his Zap Tail with all of his might. A loud shockwave sounded as the two collided. Though a few small cracks formed in the glass barrier from the mutual impact, it remained steady, Starmie successfully ignoring the sparks seeping through as it and Pikachu pushed against each other.
Feeling his momentum failing him, Pikachu strained to push himself off of Starmie's barrier, just barely forcing the water/psychic type slightly backwards as the rodent flipped back and landed clean on his feet, sliding a few feet back as Starmie landed without issue. Stopping just in front of one of the icy patches left behind by the starfish's previous assault, Pikachu raised his head to glare at his opponent, who stared back with typical stoicism (or at least, that's the only thing its unreadable expression could resemble) as the slightly cracked Reflect vanished.
Ash watched Pikachu take a deep breath before focusing his attention on Starmie. The sparks dancing across its body had all but vanished at this point, but what did that mean for the locked up muscles? Starmie had resisted the paralysis fairly well up to this point (Ash had already figured that it would only be enough to hinder rather than outright debilitate), but given the direct hit, and the effort Pikachu had put into implanting the Thunder Wave into its system before Starmie had forced him off with Confuse Ray, there should still be enough of an effect for the paralysis to be a lingering problem for somewhat longer. If they could reaffirm their offense, they could use that window of opportunity to overwhelm the psychic starfish with more electricity.
The thick lines of ice spread out through the battlefield would make that more difficult, however. Pikachu couldn't run to the best of his ability anymore; not with the frozen sections of the ground threatening to halt him like a slippery speed bump; or worse, send him flying if he gained too much momentum.
Electricity could melt the ice, however, and the majority of the field was still completely untouched and frozen; Pikachu could always jump over the ice while maintaining speed. That wouldn't stop Misty from trying to add more, however.
"Move carefully, Pikachu. Shock Rush!" They couldn't be afraid of close-ranged combat, not when that consisted of some of Pikachu's best moves. They definitely couldn't afford to draw it out, however; lest they be blindsided by a second Confuse Ray that may cost them the round.
Kicking off of the ground, Pikachu raced in Starmie's direction, the lightning crackling in his cheeks transferring to his tail before engulfing his entire body. As he jumped over a line of ice to close in on his target, Starmie kicked off of the ground, somewhat straining itself to spin away to the side and slightly above the mouse, who stopped and prepared to change direction, turning his head and glaring at the psychic starfish.
"Winter Stream!" As Misty gave the order, Ash's mind immediately flashed back to their first battle. Misty had used a combo move of frigid water (most likely consisting of Water Gun and Icy Wind) to leave Pikachu's body in a shivering state, rendering him vulnerable to the boiling water of Scald. It had been the tactic that lost him his fight against Staryu, and an agonizing way to go out.
A blast of freezing cold liquid erupted from Starmie's gem, striking the ground with good force as Pikachu leapt away. A second attempt was dodged in the other direction as the freezing water splashed against the concrete.
"Thunderbolt!" At Ash's call, Pikachu hurled a crackling lightning bolt at Starmie, who had begun gradually rising above the battlefield again, back half of its body spinning and allowing it to hover a few feet in the air.
The bolt was met with an identical one as Starmie let loose its own Thunderbolt in response, the two blasts of electricity bouncing off one another as Pikachu bounced off of an Electroweb to attack the preoccupied starfish from above. Misty called out a warning to her partner, who erected a small Light Screen just in time to absorb the Electro Ball hurled at it.
'Brick Break goes right through Light Screen and Reflect.' Ash told himself as Starmie landed back on the pavement, near one of the patches of ice left in its wake. 'They'll have to dodge if we use it. We'll put them on the run.' "Agility and Brick Break!"
The moment he landed, Pikachu was running again, speed erupting as the glow of Agility returned to him. Spinning once more, Starmie tried to swerve to the side, but Pikachu's orange fist still struck one of the fleeing foe's limbs, disrupting the mysterious Pokemon's momentum and throwing its Rapid Spin somewhat off course.
Just as Pikachu turned to chase after the water/psychic, Misty raised a hand. "Ice Beam! All over the field!"
Regaining some control, Starmie shot a continuous stream of ice out of its gem, steering its flight with a significant curve as both halves of its body spun. The Ice Beam spread across the pavement as more and more of the ground froze over.
Ash responded quickly. If Misty was left to her devices, Pikachu's greatest strength would become obsolete. "Melt the ice with Thunderbolt!"
Leaping up, Pikachu curled his body and let loose another bolt. Like Starmie, he did his best to keep his attack continuous as he angled the Thunderbolt to travel along the field. As the electricity met with the ice encasing the ground, the ice began to break and melt.
A vindictive smirk fully spread across Misty's face, her baring teeth making her resemble that of a grinning shark. "Ram him with Reflect!"
As Pikachu's Thunderbolt traveled across the ice, Starmie changed direction, Rapid Spin now sending it flying directly towards the yellow mouse as a glass barrier formed in front of its body. Ash had just enough time to call out a warning, but Pikachu had no time to respond. An audible impact sounded across the field, leaving the spectators wincing as Starmie smashed barrier-first into the electric rodent's body. Agony shot through Pikachu's bones as Ash's starter hollered through the air, the collision catapulting him towards the barrier behind him.
Just in time, an Iron Tail smashed into the artificial wall and halted Pikachu's momentum, but as his partner fell to the ground and landed on all fours, Ash grimaced at the electric mouse's condition as Eevee's eyes narrowed. For a moment, his four paws were shaking, balance momentarily threatened before he regained his bearings. He was breathing deeply, and had they been closer, Ash was certain that he and Eevee would have a view of a large, bloodied gash on the side that Starmie had struck.
Starmie in question remained hovering in place, back half still spinning while the front half seemingly gazed at the staggering mouse.
Now it was Misty's turn to press her advantage. "Swift, Starmie!" Pikachu's eyes widened as the golden barrage erupted from Starmie's gem. Attempting to power through the pain, he slipped into Quick Attack, trying to reach as close to full speed as he could manage while his muscles borderline fought back in response. The stars began to alter their trajectory as he ran out of their path, locking on to home in on him. "Ram with Reflect again!"
"Bounce off of Electroweb!" Ash quickly called out. As Starmie once again rushed down for him, the stars of Swift also pursuing from another angle, Pikachu trampolined off of another electric net, narrowly avoiding a second collision from the starfish's deadly combo. As he soared upwards, however, he turned just in time to see Starmie change trajectory, performing a borderline u-turn to chase after him. Yelping in surprise, Pikachu coated his tail in metal, lashing out to block the charge as Starmie rammed Reflect-first into his Iron Tail. The momentum flung Pikachu back as he struggled to push Starmie away, forming an Electro Ball at the tip of his tail and flipping over to fling it forward at his airborne opponent, who found itself knocked off course as the orb of lightning pierced a decent chunk of its glass barrier, a portion of its sparks finding their way to the starfish's body.
The moment Pikachu landed, he felt a pain in the side that Starmie had struck, but kept running anyway, struggling to reach his top as he maneuvered around the remaining ice. Regaining its own bearings, Starmie prepared to pursue before hearing Misty's voice.
"Spread Swift throughout the battlefield again! He's not going anywhere!"
Ash's face tightened as his teeth clenched. With Pikachu injured, she was trying to pick him off like prey. They needed a decisive hit, and fast. "Agility and Shock Rush! Hang in there, buddy!"
Attempting to steel his facial expression, Pikachu once again cloaked his fur in Agility's glow. The lightning of Spark engulfed his body as his sprinting amplified in speed, the pain in his side increasing just as much as his body slowly but surely ignored the growing agony, shaking off the resistance to his attempts to speed up and bringing out his full speed, albeit taking somewhat longer to do so than normal. Engulfed in lightning, and traveling across the field of concrete as rapidly as ever, he almost resembled that of a makeshift Volt Tackle. Just above him, Starmie flew around the battlefield with a wild, patternless flow, recklessly spreading golden stars, raining down to flood the space. As the projectiles appeared in his path, Pikachu ran straight through them, face scrunching up in pain as he charged head first through the growing storm. Thankfully, they had yet to strike his injured side. Performing a sudden swerve, he set his sights on the purple starfish in question.
"Ram with Reflect!" Starmie altered his trajectory to charge right for Pikachu, just as Pikachu sprinted straight towards it. The familiar glass barrier appeared in front of the psychic starfish as Pikachu's lightning-covered body took on the orange glow of Slam. With the full force of Agility seemingly providing him with all of the momentum and speed in the world, Pikachu hollered, leaping shoulder-first into the advancing Starmie, a second set of pain shooting through his uninjured side as he smashed through the Reflect and directly into Starmie's red gem.
Pikachu's superior momentum fought against Starmie's greater bulk, just barely toppling it over as Starmie lurched backwards and landed on its back. Upon the psychic starfish's backwards impact with the ground, Pikachu bounced off of it, rolling away a good few feet before laying sprawled out on his belly. The shoulder that he had used to break through the Reflect with Shock Rush was leaking blood, and almost appeared disjointed. Behind him, Starmie attempted to lift itself up, a few sparks dancing along its purple body as Pikachu's front paws pressured into the concrete, lifting his head and struggling to rise. Both Pokemon collapsed soon after.
An applause sounded out from the onlookers as Ash and Misty simultaneously recalled their respective starters. Ash looked back at them for a moment before turning his attention to Pikachu's Poke Ball.
"Great effort, buddy. I'm proud of you." as he returned the ball to his belt, Eevee watched the capsule with a somewhat sad smile. Quickly, he pulled out Valiant's ball.
Looking across the battlefield towards Misty, his eyes met with hers once again. Her hand was still on her belt, contemplating her remaining choices.
She smiled at him. "Heh, brings back memories, doesn't it?" Once more, Ash's mind flashed back to Cerulean, where Valiant and Staryu had stubbornly allowed one another to manage nothing more than a draw.
His lips curved up. "Yeah, it does." Seeing her pull out her third and final Poke Ball, he released Valiant, who exchanged quick greetings with him and Eevee before turning to their opponent, blinking at the sight of Misty. "She has one left, Valiant. You and Eevee are the remaining part of our side. You ready?" Crossing his arms, Valiant evened his posture and nodded, smiling at Misty for a moment before staring at her patiently.
Taking a deep breath, Misty's face turned serious as she held her last Poke Ball up. "Alright, time for a comeback. Brace yourselves!"
She chucked the ball onto the field, landing a few meters in front of Valiant as it burst open. Ash's eyes turned wide at the blue quadruped stepping out of the light.
At first glance, it was a bit hard to tell if it was supposed to be marine or mammal. It had the stature of a four-legged animal, but its tail more closely resembled something fish-like, with fins on its tail, neck, and head.
Ash had no trouble recognizing this new creature: It was a Vaporeon; one of Eevee's many evolved forms.
"What do you think, pals?" Misty crossed her arms. "Staryu's not the only one who's found themselves a nice glow up. Isn't that right, Vaporeon?"
As the water type barked out proudly in response, Ash looked down to Eevee, who was eying her evolved form with a surprised and contemplative gaze. In front of her, Valiant studied his opponent before looking back at the normal type quadruped, who encouragingly exchanged nods with him before he turned back to lock eyes with Misty's third and final partner.
"...How'd you get two water stones, already?!" Ash couldn't help but feel dumbfounded. He hadn't even started trying to find an Evolution stone yet, and he equally hadn't bothered looking for them in shops; they'd be more expensive than any TM he'd purchased up to this point. Yet the only way Staryu and Eevee could've evolved is with one of them…
As if feeling their gazes, Misty cast a side-glare to the small crowd. "What, do I look like a humanoid strategy guide or something?" She refocused her gaze on Ash. "We'll catch up after, I still have to beat you first." At the declaration, Valiant tensed into a stance.
"Fair enough." Ash replied, unfazed. He looked down to the Kirlia. "I'll bet you anything that Vaporeon knows Winter Stream and Scald, Valiant. And watch out for Shadow Ball and Iron Tail." His warnings were accompanied by a couple of barks from Eevee as Valiant nodded in acknowledgement.
Across from them, Vaporeon had risen from her sitting position, spreading out on all fours as she bent forward like a wild cat preparing to act. Even as the normal type addressed Valiant, Eevee's eyes did not leave Misty's partner.
Ash was about to give an order, but Misty spoke faster. "Shadow Ball!"
Ash halted the order that he was about to give, allowing Valiant to respond to Misty's move. As the emotion Pokemon braced himself, Vaporeon opened her mouth to reveal the rush of distorted aura forming within her jaws. The sphere launched itself rapidly at its target, but Valiant leapt to the side as Ash went forward with his previously attempted command, only flinching slightly as the Shadow Ball collided with the barriers protecting him and Eevee.
"Use Magical Leaf and Thunderbolt together!" Misty's head tilted with a blink of the eyes as Valiant launched the combo towards her partner. The normally glowing emerald leaves were still exactly as usual, but were now coated with lightning as the Kirlia hurled them in a barrage towards Vaporeon. The bubble jet Pokemon reacted immediately, firing an Ice Beam that blasted into the electrified leaves and froze them over. As Valiant landed, the water type bolted forward, Quick Attack carrying her across the pavement as she lashed out with Iron Tail. In time, Valiant braced his arms forward, Reflect spawning protectively in front of his body just before the impact. The collision was audible to everyone watching, forcibly clenched his eyes shut while the shockwaves pounded against him, a groan of discomfort emitting from the young psychic's throat. As the glass barrier greatly cracked, but didn't shatter, he slid backwards, stopping just in front of the barriers a few feet to Ash's side.
A smirking Misty bared her teeth as Vaporeon gave chase. "Focus Energy!"
'It makes sense that she'd use the same trick.' Ash thought to himself as Vaporeon's now amplified tail became coated in metal once more. 'If that hits, Valiant's done.'
There was no need to warn his friend of the obvious, however. Quickly shaking off the previous blow that Reflect had fended off, Valiant dropped his half-broken barrier and sank into Shadow Sneak as fast as he was able. The powered-up Iron Tail passed just over his head, and he felt the rush of wind against his scalp just before fully sinking into the shadow. The Iron Tail in question smashed into the barriers that had been just directly behind Valiant, and the shimmers from the impact were more visible than previous occasions as Valiant traveled beneath Vaporeon's feet, at least a meter or two behind her.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash quickly ordered. Valiant rose out of his shadow, now just in front of an icy patch left behind by Starmie's series of Ice Beams, lightning engulfing his hands as he tossed the bolt straight at Vaporeon. Misty was already responding, however.
"Frost Pulse!" A glowing Water Pulse appeared in Vaporeon's mouth as she turned back in Valiant's direction. The aquatic orb became illuminated with a wintry glow as it froze over, the now frozen Water Pulse firing out of her mouth and intercepting the Thunderbolt. As the two projectiles collide, the Frost Pulse burst open in an explosion of ice and snow. "Swift across the battlefield!" Once more Vaporeon slipped into Quick Attack, galloping across the pavement and leaping over a lingering line of ice as she circled Valiant, the golden stars streaming out of her open mouth and locking in on him. Valiant simply ducked under his shadow once more, allowing the storm of shining projectiles to pass on over him as he silently moved around.
"Double Team!" As Vaporeon ceased firing, she abruptly split into two, a seperate copy of herself running off in a different direction as the two circled the battlefield collectively. Both made a point to gracefully jump over the ice left behind in their respective paths. No longer in a position to attack stealthily, Valiant rose back up from his shadow and braced himself with folded arms. "Focus Energy and Iron Tail!"
'In theory, we have the upper hand.' Ash told himself. 'Even if Valiant loses, I'll still have Eevee. And if Valiant weakens her enough, Vaporeon could even be easy for Eevee to finish off. But she's still confident, because she knows she can end this fast.'
Both Vaporeon galloped towards their target whilst raising their tails. One approached him from the side, and the other, significantly further away, charged at him from the front. The one further away moved slightly faster than the closer one; ensuring that they would both reach their target at the same time. Calling for a barrier wouldn't do; a Focus Energy induced Iron Tail would smash through it with ease. Ash and Valiant both knew that counterattacking was the only option, but Double Team made it a guessing game. For the brief moment he had, Ash found himself nervous.
Valiant, however, took what little time he had for a quick, yet deep breath, before taking aim. The Vaporeon charging him from the front was forced to roll to the side as she closed in on him, barely avoiding the electrified barrage of Magical Leaf he sent her way (which painfully nicked away at her side) at point blank, while the Vaporeon charging him from the side passed right through him and vanished.
It was a split second later when a smiling Ash realized what Valiant had done, whilst giving his friend his next order. 'He's gotten better at it; he used his ability to feel emotions and detected no aggression from the clone, so he knew which one to respond to!' It likely wasn't [perfect; not something that Valiant could pull off regularly on a consistent basis, especially on such short notice, but it had worked just now. "Thunder Punch!"
As Vaporeon continued to roll, now just a few feet diagonally from her target, Valiant lunged forward, fist engulfed in lightning as he took a swing at her jaw. To his surprise, she opened her mouth, teeth glowing with dark energy as she chomped down on the Thunder Punch with Bite. An unexpected pain shot through Valiant's fist as he hollered out, but Vaporeon herself screamed through her teeth as the electricity engulfed her mouth.
Ash's face tightened. He imagined that this was hurting Vaporeon more than the other way around, but he couldn't give Misty a chance to capitalize. "Shadow Sneak!" heeding his trainer's order, Valiant began to sink downward, attempting to retreat into his shadow, only for Vaporeon to pull back against him. He tried to resist the pull, but after some struggle, was flung over the blue quadruped's head, the bubble jet Pokemon turning around in full to face him with glaring, teary eyes as he landed on his feet roughly a meter and a half from her and massaged his sore fist.
"Ice Beam at his feet, then amplified Iron Tail!" Valiant was about to teleport, but as he regained his bearings from his sore fist, it was already too late, and the young Kirlia found his feet sliding out from under him as the ground beneath him froze over. Landing painfully on his side, he struggled to pick himself up as Vaporeon raced over with a lash of her tail.
Desperately, Valiant rolled downward, avoiding a direct hit, but still feeling a sharp pain shooting from the side of his back as he bounced away from the blow. Rolling to his feet, he sank to one knee, body tilting to the side as his hand shot to his back. At Misty's orders, Vaporeon raced towards him again, tail still coated in metal as a Shadow Ball formed in her jaws. Ash's voice brought Valiant back to reality, and he teleported just in time for the ghostly projectile to hit its mark. As he reappeared in the corner of her eye, Vaporeon turned and raced after him once more.
Though he still hurt, Valiant's focus had come back, his eyes glowing blue as Telepathy zoned in on the rapidly approaching Vaporeon. Detecting the angle she was aiming to swing at as she reared her tail back, Valiant expertly ducked under her Iron Tail as he rolled off to her side. Vaporeon performed a full rotation, however, stopping as her body faced him directly upon completing his dodge, just a few feet in front of her. Frustrated, she slipped into Quick Attack, charging him point blank and crashing into the emotion Pokemon headfirst. The air shot out of Valiant's lungs as her bulk barreled into his stomach, sending him tumbling back as she reangled her body to face him again. Another Shadow Ball formed in her jaws at Misty's command.
"Teleport!" At the last second, Valiant vanished just before the sphere could connect.
Shooting an arm out to the side, Misty didn't even bother waiting to see where Valiant would reappear. "Spread Swift again!"
Vaporeon galloped across the field again, Quick Attack carrying her at her respective maximum speed as the golden stars flowed from her mouth. As she caught sight of Valiant from the corner of her eye, she continued to spread the projectiles throughout the battlefield as Ash ordered him to encase himself in Light Screen.
As the projectiles bombarded the cube Valiant had entrapped himself in (it wasn't as durable as a single wall, as he had to divide effort between every section, but this would still protect him from all directions), Ash racked his brain whilst involuntarily chewing on his lip. Vaporeon's evolutionary boons had more than made themselves clear. Valiant was getting overwhelmed and counting.
'He's resilient, so he should be able to keep powering through that pain, but too much more of it and it'll be asking more than he could handle.' His heart rate quickened with the mixture of excitement and tension. "Valiant, drop Light Screen and spin around with Magical Leaf!" the order he gave brought back more memories of his and Misty's first battle.
With the stars from Swift coming a thim from all directions, Valiant allowed his protective golden cube to vanish as he twirled in place, letting loose a consecutive stream of glowing, emerald leaves that intercepted the golden projectiles.
A nostalgic grin spread across Misty's face. "Leap up and use Iron Tail!" Ceasing her fire, Vaporeon turned to face Valiant in full, rushing forward before flipping over in midair. As she descended, she rotated downward, metallic tail moving to spike Valiant directly on the top of his head.
As Ash figured he would, Valiant vanished at the last second. As Vaporeon's tail sank into the concrete, the emotion Pokemon was behind her. This time, the stream of Magical Leaf that erupted from his hands were engulfed in electricity, and tore into her back.
"Vaporeon!" Misty hollered pout for her partner as the screeching bubble jet Pokemon tumbled several feet away, landing sprawled out on her stomach as lingering sparks danced across the gashes in her back.
'We might not get another chance. We have an opening, and we're going to go for broke.' "Valiant, Moonblast!"
Valiant perked up in surprise at the order, but didn't question it, quickly holding his hands out, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Temporarily, he was struggling to gather enough focus, but soon, the growing pink glow in his eyes shined brightly, and an aura of a similar color began to swirl within his hands, taking the form of a sphere. The formation started out shaky and uneven, struggling to hold itself together properly, but the energy continued to gather regardless.
"Shadow Ball, Vaporeon!" Unsurprisingly, Misty seemed to know exactly the kind of danger that Valaint's efforts imposed, and as Vaporeon picked herself up and shook her head with clenched eyes to fight off the pain for a moment, the bubble jet Pokemon turned to Valiant and began charging up her ghost type move.
'Here goes nothing.' Ash thought to himself. "Teleport, Valiant!" The formation of the energy swirling around in Valiant's hands was briefly compromised as he warped out of the ball's path and to another part of the battlefield, but quickly recovered.
"Again!" Misty called out as the orb in Valiant's hands grew even brighter, its form now starting to become a bit more structured and stabilized.
"Keep teleporting! Don't stay in one place! And don't stop charging!" Just as Vaporeon was about to fire the Shadow Ball, Valiant vanished again. Almost immediately after he reappeared, he vanished again. And again. And again. And again…
Vaporeon's head turned every which way as Valiant continued to appear and reappear from the corner of her eye, and occasionally turning around altogether as he reappeared behind her. The warping wouldn't stop, and confusion, the growing ball resting in between her jaws gradually shrunk.
Valiant's teeth were grinding. He was used to using Teleport, and had gradually gotten better at separating the effort put into it from the effort he was putting into Moon Blast, but just holding the still charging fairy type move together was growing unbearable as time went on. But if he kept Teleporting at this rate, he'd pass out if it took too long. Still, the sphere in his arms continued to grow, a moon-like glow beginning to shine through the pink aura, ever so slightly.
Misty grimaced. "Vaporeon, Double Team! Get ready to counter!" Inwardly, Valiant started to panic as Vaporeon split into two. He'd be able to tell them apart if he made quick use of his emotion detection, but…
Ash's fists tightened. Even once Moonblast was ready, Valiant would have to guess which Vaporeon to attack, and if he was wrong, a battle-ending Shadow Ball would probably collide with him. He'd barely have any time to try and distinguish them with his sensitivity to emotions, just like before, and he might not be lucky enough this time.
Even so, a light small crept its way across his lips. 'Well played, Misty, but we're not backing down from that.' "Valiant! Just calm down and focus, you can still win!"
His trainer's encouragement made Valiant's thoughts somewhat easier to gather. The two Vaporeon were backing away, becoming slightly further apart, but neither were sprinting around the battlefield. There would be no point, with him teleporting all over the place, and Vaporeon most likely knew the only way to get him to expose himself would be for him to attempt to fire the Moonblast.
'They could run around and wait out the teleports. Valiant can't keep it up for much longer, but then the real one might not be close enough to capitalize on the opening.'
Both Vaporeon's heads and eyes continued darting around the battlefield as Valiant appeared and vanished at a slightly slower rate. It wouldn't be long now…
"FIRE!" Ash shouted, accompanied by Eevee's barks.
"End it!" Misty responded.
Valiant appeared between the two Vaporeon, crouched down slightly with firmly bent knees. Sweat was pouring down his face as his eyes glowered forward. He struggled to feel for something, any sense of emotion coming off of one of his two targets. Only the real one would be exhibiting any; the fake was just a projection created by Double Team.
He sensed something. Aggression. Hostility. A foe intending to strike. A foe about to strike. He only had a split second to distinguish which direction it was-
His head snapped to the left, barely just in time for the Shadow Ball to come into view. With a midair somersault, he leapt forward in the same direction, head passing directly above the distorted orb as his body flipped and rotated in midair. The eal Vaporeon had lunged forward whilst firing the attack…
The Moonblast erupted from his hands, and the nearby clone immediately vanished as the true Vaporeon was struck diagonally from above.
The bubble jet Pokemon screeched in agony as the giant, pink sphere of light smashed against her in a direct hit, the ensuing explosion being of the same color just before the cloud of dust covered the assaulted area. As he landed on his feet, Valiant immediately stumbled, painfully catching himself onto his hands before he could face-plant into the ground. His eyes were heavy, his hands were burning, the side of his back was still stabbing, and his head was throbbing. He attempted to suck in air, struggling to refill his lungs.
On the other side, Ash and Eevee held their breaths. It had been a desperate tactic, one that would probably be idiotic to repeat regularly, at least until Valiant had gotten better at that kind of consecutive teleportation. But it had scored them the decisive hit. Now, hopefully…
As the dust subsided, Valiant, still on the ground, turned his head to try and get a good view. Vaporeon's form came into view, laying sprawled out on her belly. Her back was scorched, her body was struggling, and her eyes were barely half open.
Pushing her paws against the concrete, her legs trembled as she slowly began to rise, only for them to give out just over halfway through. As she fell back onto the pavement, her head tilted and her eyes closed in full. After a couple of shifts or two, no further movement occurred. Upon confirming his opponent's unconscious form, Valiant rolled over onto his back, hands gripping the top of his head as he stared up at the sky, feeling unable to do anything else as he continued gasping for breath.
As the battle concluded, a chorus of claps sounded from the observers. Ash heard some commentary and mingling between them, but with his focus on Valiant, whom he and Eevee were quickly approaching, couldn't quite make them out.
"Congratulations, buddy." he knelt in front of the Kirlia with a concerned smile. "You okay?"
The emotion Pokemon managed a weak grin as he locked eyes with his trainer, but suddenly felt some weight press against his side as Eevee rubbed her head against his cheek. The two briefly exchanged words that Ash naturally couldn't understand as the normal type gave her friend a quick lick on the cheek before separating. Waiting to make sure they were done talking, Ash held up his psychic partner's ball.
"Get some sleep, Valiant. I'll be taking you and the others to Nurse Joy right away." The young psychic closed his eyes as the light engulfed him, pulling him back into the sphere. Standing back up, Ash looked down at Eevee whilst returning the ball to his belt. "You were great too." Sinking into a sitting position, his normal type friend simply gazed back up with an even smile.
Hearing footsteps approaching them, the duo turned to see Misty stopping in front of them. Vaporeon was gone, having been recalled into her Poke Ball. Misty's face seemed uneven… frustrated, as she looked to the side and huffed.
"Tch, I was supposed to get back at you this time." Slowly returning her gaze to him, and managed something resembling a smile as she took a breath and offered him her hand. "Good game, Ash." as he accepted the handshake, her grip was surprisingly weak at first. She seemingly gathered herself, however, as it gradually tightened. Feeling nostalgic, he smiled at her and responded in kind.
"You had me worried," he replied. "Just a few wrong turns and our circumstances could've been completely flipped over."
Releasing her grip, her grin turned a bit more lifelike. "Heh, trying to make me feel better? You're as cute as ever, don't think I'd have done the same for you." Taking out her Pokedex, she began scrolling through the menus. "Anyhow, let's get the formalities over with and get out of here; I just needed to get that out of my system real quick."
'That's one way to look at a battle.' Ash thought to himself, but his grin didn't fade. When she had shown up, he had wanted to battle her just as much as she seemed to. It was probably the most honest way for her to describe it. Quickly, he took out his own Pokedex and accepted the prize money from her. Despite himself, he couldn't help but feel… satisfied looking at what was currently in his trainer's account. 'I can actually start saving up now. I'll still have a decent bit of money even after buying everything I need to leave.' He hoped that would become a regular thing, albeit that all fell to him to keep up his current consistency.
The small crowd parted for him and Misty to leave, Eevee hopping back onto his shoulder. He exchanged a few words with some of them-a couple of trainers offering compliments and another that he had beaten before thanking him for their battle- before he, Eevee and Misty were back in the Center.