The time passes by quickly, as I find myself on the podium where Bea and Flannery had just earned their badges. The simple metal structure shows signs of the thousands of trainers who have stood here before me. The railing is thinner in two spots, where previous trainers have grabbed onto it. The decking has lost much of the anti-slip coating, and the metal underneath gleams in the harsh light of the arena. Standing here where so many others have stood, and failed, before me adds a gravitas to the fact that I am likely going to be facing my hardest battle yet.
I notice a small screen with a well-worn button near the center of the railing that is hidden from the view of the stands. The screen reads 'Press button when ready'. I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath slowly, similar to my meditation, to center myself and calm my nerves. As I let out my breath, I open my eyes slowly, letting the entirety of the arena come into focus, the crowd fading away from my sight. I calmly reach forward and press the button as the fingers of my other hand brush against my pokeballs on my thigh. The calming tone from my hairclip shifts and starts to play a rendition of the Pokemon gym battle music.
[ insert song ]
"Welcome Challenger," Surge speaks barely a moment after I pressed the button. "Same rules as before, three on three, no switches." He grabs one of the pokeballs at his side, the previous pokeballs having been replaced during the break, and tosses it out into the field. What appears is a small yellow and black Pokemon that looks like it could be plugged into a wall. "Elekid, you are up. Charge."
"Lono, let's do it!" I grab my first pokeball and toss it into my side of the arena. Expecting my little bell Pokemon to appear, it takes me a moment to realize that he has changed. In place of a floating shrine bell, Lono now looks like a glass wind chime. He seems to have evolved into a Chimecho, yet instead of the talisman-like wind catcher like a normal Chimecho, he has a snowflake. I glance at Surge, who gives me a short nod, which I return before ordering my first attack. "Hypnosis!" Lono responds by letting out a rhythmic chime as he begins to glow slightly.
"Dodge, Thunder Shock." Elekid takes a lazy step to the side as a couple of purple-pink rings slip past it. The small Pokemon starts to spin its arms as a spark of electric energy jumps between its head prongs.
"Endure it with Cosmic Power! Ominous Wind!" I know that Lono is fairly slow, so I don't ask him to try to avoid the attack but to endure it. My newly evolved wind chime starts to glow purple-pink again, just as a massive yellow bolt slams into him. Lono lets out an off-key noise in pain from the attack, but he endures the attack as a purple colored wave flies towards Elekid.
"Quick Attack into Screech." Surge orders calmly. Elekid quickly jumps into the air, causing the nearly transparent purple cloud to pass under it. The Pokemon lands on the ground near Lono, accompanied by a boom from crashing into the ground, as it sucks in a deep breath.
"Counter it! Confusion!" I brace myself for the incoming noise as I give Lono his orders. Unfortunately, I misjudge how loud the sound is when I am right next to the battle. The next thing I know, my head feels like it is getting sawn in half with a rusty spork to an orchestra of nails being dragged across a blackboard. I nearly fall to my knees from the pain, but I quickly grab the railing and clench with all my might to stay standing. The sound dies down a moment later, gifting me with relief as I open my eyes again, looking down at the arena. Without moving my head, I lift my eyes and glare hatefully at Surge through my bangs.
"Charge and Thunderbolt!" Surge looks taken aback from my glare before he decides to continue the battle. My eyes flick back to the battling Pokemon between us just in time to see Elekid get knocked on its butt as Lono's attack successfully lands. Elekid slowly stands back up but seems to be disoriented. A moment later, the little electric Pokemon starts spinning his arms quickly as his prongs start to spark again.
"Confusion, Yawn!" I grit out, still recovering from the painful sound attacks. My eyes widen in shock as another thick bolt of electric energy slams into Lono, causing him to crash into the ground. I notice the countdown quickly ticking away. "Lono! Get up!" I yell, hoping that my music-loving Pokemon won't go down here. Just ask the clock hits one, Lono starts to float in the air again, pausing the timer. He just barely floats above the ground, but he is still in the fight. I'm not sure if he can take another hit, though.
"Finish it off with Quick attack!" Elekid takes off in a dash, avoiding the energy wave from Confusion, except instead of heading towards Lono, the electric Pokemon runs headfirst into a nearby rock in the arena. Just as it rebounds off the rock, a wave of white energy washes over Elekid, causing it to move sluggishly.
"Ominous Wind!" Lono moves closer to the sluggish Pokemon as another translucent cloud of purple energy rushes forward. I watch as he wobbles slightly in the air afterwards and floats just that much closer to the ground yet still not touching it. Suddenly a small aura of purple appears around him which seems to give him a little more energy.
"Swift," Surge orders. Unfortunately, the purple cloud of energy hits Elekid, causing it to fall over. A beat later, a snore can be heard coming from the arena.
"Great Job! Once more Lono, Ominous wind!" "Atten-tion!" Surge and I call out at the same time. The way Surge barked that command reminds me of videos I had seen on Earth about drill instructors. I watch as Lono tries to fire one more attack, but the attack falters as he finally settles onto the ground. I glance at Elekid and notice that it is still asleep, and with a quick glance at the terminal in front of me, I watch as the timer runs out.
"Elekid is no longer able to battle! Chimecho is no longer able to battle! Trainers, send in your next Pokemon!" The announcer calls as soon as the timer hits zero. I can faintly hear the crowd cheering, but I pay no attention as I grab Lono's pokeball and recall him. I glance at Surge and see that he has recalled Elekid as well, yet this time he hesitates for a moment before selecting his next pokeball, skipping over the one that he normally would have grabbed.
"Rotom, your turn. Charge." He calls out as he flicks his selected pokeball into the arena. With a flash of red, his next Pokemon comes out that is even smaller than the last one. The little red-orange spike looks to have two little blue lightning bolts sticking out like arms. As it is released, it cries out in a sound that sounds like an old tube-type television.
"Great Job, Lono." I give Lono's pokeball a slight squeeze, knowing that he will be alright once I take him to the Pokecenter later. I place his ball back on the holster on my thigh and grab Skadi's pleasantly cool one instead. "Skadi, your turn! Ice Beam!" With a practiced flick, I send her pokeball into the arena, where she forms with a flash of red light. She lets out a happy bark as she faces Rotom, her mouth starting to glow with a bright blue light.
"Thunderbolt," Rotom starts to spin quickly as a bright yellow glow appears around it. Skadi opens her mouth, letting out a bark as a beam of ice blue energy shoots at Rotom. Just before it hits, the tiny electric ghost fires off a bolt of electric energy that wraps around Skadi's Ice Beam. Rotom seems to tank the hit fairly easily.
"Skadi, Disable!" Skadi, on the other hand, isn't as lucky. The bolt of electric energy entered her open mouth, causing damage from the inside. She yelps in pain as I feel my heart clench, that hit hurt her badly. I see her limping and flinching with every step. I also notice that multiple sparks of yellow flint off her, indicating that she is now under the paralysis effect. However, my partner follows through with my command as a wave of white energy engulfs Rotom.
"Hex it." Surge doesn't give any quarter, though, and coldly orders the next move. Rotom lets out another static-like noise as a pulse of dark purple energy leaves the ghost Pokemon and slams into Skadi. The energy hits one of the electric sparks from the paralysis effect and glows brighter. Skadi lets out another pained yelp before she falls to the ground.
I stand there stunned as I watch the countdown timer. Skadi, the second strongest on my team, was taken out in two quick moves. It isn't until the announcer calls out that I am snapped out of my stupor and recall Skadi.
"Vulpix is down. Trainer, send in your last Pokemon." I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. Lono is down after a hard fight, and Skadi was unlucky. I only have Zephyr left, but Surge still has his last Pokemon and a Rotom with a little damage on it. As I open my eyes, my hairclip decides that it's time to play the boss music. I grab her pokeball and take one more slow, controlled breath before I snap her pokeball onto the arena. She appears just as the words of the song start.
[ insert song ]
"Zephyr, it's all up to you! Agility, Ice Burn!" She lets out a two-toned cry as she takes off with a mighty beat of her wings. The second flap of her wings brings a change to the arena as snow starts to fall and quickly builds in power. In moments, the entire arena is filled with a heavy blizzard. The world in front of me seems to lose all color as I watch Zephyr flit around the blizzard with graceful ease. I notice her open her beak as she hovers above Rotom, but I can't see any energy building.
"Oh? Rotom, Confuse Ray, and Charge!" I hear Surge order over the howling of the blizzard. Just as Rotom starts spinning, it suddenly slams into the ground and lies there unmoving. There is a moment where the only thing that can be heard is the blizzard. I continue to watch as Rotom stays on the ground, obviously having fainted.
"Rotom is down! Leader, send in your last Pokemon!" The announcer calls out a moment later.
"Rotom, return. Jolteon, you are up." Surge recalls Rotom from within the blizzard before reaching for his last pokeball. A moment later, he tosses it into the blizzard, where it releases one of the Eeveelutions. "Hide in the Blizzard, Thunderbolt," Jolteon responds with a staticy-sounding bark before dashing behind boulders.
"Great job Zephyr! Just one more and we win! Dodge it and Powder Snow!" There is a bright flash from within the blizzard yet Zephyr who was on my side of the field is unaffected. Instead she starts to flap her wings even harder, kicking up a wave of icy snow and gets carried into the blizzard.
"Agility, move in cover. Thunder Wave." Jolteon starts to move even quicker across the field, bobbing and weaving between the different boulders. However, just as Jolteon goes to jump off a boulder, its body gets stuck in a launching position. The Pokemon's speed causes it to be carried into the air briefly before falling to the ground.
"Let's finish this Zephyr! Ice Burn!" I hear Zephyr sing out from the blizzard in a beautiful tone as she circles above Jolteon. Before long, she hovers above the frozen Eeveelution just like she did for Rotom with her beak open. A heartbeat later, I can see Jolten lying limply on the ground. I watch the scene for a few moments until I finally hear the announcer call.
"Jolteon is down! Trainer Frost Oak wins!" With that announcement, the arena explodes into cheers. I crack a small smile as I see Surge recall his final Pokemon, and I follow suit a moment later. As soon as Zephyr is in her pokeball, the blizzard starts to dissipate, but it will obviously take some time for the field to clear properly. I place Zephyr's pokeball on my thigh holster while promising myself to get each of them some treats for winning. As I step down from the challenger's podium, I hear Surge call for me.
"Frost Oak, come with me."