Author's Notes (2)
Well, well. Author's Note number 2.
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1: Would Mega Evolutions, Z Moves, Dynamax and Terastal be appearing in your Story? While Sync Stones are confirmed to be a thing (And a Far lesser Extent Ash-Greninja with Froakie's Early Apperances), Would any of the Regional Gimmicks be a thing in this Story?
Big yes! Terastalize is certainly the last to appear in this story since at the time of writing this, it's a new gimmick that I'll definitely write into Fated in the future.
Some things to note:
-Megas are not widespread at the current time so there are little to no Mega users currently in the story. Will change as time goes along in the story.
-Z Moves are an unknown, meaning no Trainer from other regions even knows about them.
-Dynamax are Galar-only so there's no way they'll be used outside of Galar.
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2: Would your Story follow Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire or the Normal Ruby/Sapphire?
Great question! The answer is both, funnily enough. The first time Ash steps foot in Hoenn, we will be following RSE storyline (Manga or Games, probably a mix of the two). Then, after the awaited reunion, I'll add the ORAS arc similar to the Manga. Zinnia would probably make a cameo during Ash's journey and make an actual appearance during the ORAS arc.
Likewise, How would you handle Hisuian Pokémon beyond Kleavor, Ursaluna and Wrydeer (And Enamorus to some extent)? Given Hisuian Forms are considered Extinct in Modern Day Sinnoh… I'm curious to know if they'll appear in some way in your story before the Hisui Arc of it… I know Scarlet and Violet would introduce some way to justify say Ursaluna in the Mordern Era (Someone recreating the Pelt Blocks?) but still… wonder how you'll handle it?
About that, we'll have to wait and see how the games justifies it, but for now, anything Hisui-related in Fated is spoiler territory so I can't really say much, sorry.
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3: Without Spoiling Much, How would you handle Serena's Team? (And a lesser extent Ash's):
Imma be honest right out of the gate, Serena's team is still an unknown for me. She's probably going to have her same team but with 3 more additions for a full team. Who those 3 will be, we'll see.
As for Ash's team, it's going to be cut down from canon since a Pokemon story is... a story about Pokemon. I can't write that many personalities.
The other regions' team, you guys can probably guess who'll make the cut with some Fated exclusive members like Marowak. HOWEVER! Johto's team is gonna have like 3 or 4 Pokemon only since... Johto's really boring if you think about it. Which is a pain in the ass for me since the Kanto arc is about to end! So, Johto's probably going to focus more on Serena's side since there really isn't much to write about Johto.
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4: How would the Less Lore/Mythology Heavy Legendaries like the Tao Trio (Reshriam/Zekrom/Kyurem) Ultra Beasts, Legendary Birds of Kanto and Koraidon/Miraidon be handled in this Fic? While the Tao Dragons have their own lore in Unova (Being one original Dragon that was splitted into Three (Two Dragons embodying Truths and Ideals (AKA Reshriam and Zekrom) with the Leftover remains being Kyurem), They're not based on anything Myth Related (Like Say Zygrade, Xerenas and Yveltal) and more based on Taoism as a concept… So it'll be interesting where you'll go with them at least since the Legendaries would have more expanded in your stories with their Inspirations like with Zacian and Zamazenta….
Interestingly enough, their lore/legends are heavily connected to Ash's AURA powers in the future. As in the legendaries with little to no lore. But yeah, the Tao trio's legend is probably going to be an original legend that I'll create for the story since we know next to nothing about the Original Dragon. Again, I haven't thought about most of it yet.
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Ah, about the movies and such.
Giovanni's defeat at such an early stage is a bit controversial, I admit. But I needed to move things along for the Grand League, so really sorry about that. As for Mewtwo, it's gonna happen real soon since the movie never specified WHEN he created Mewtwo (wink, wink).
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Before I end it here, I would like to ask some questions of my own for you guys:
(1) Cynthia's sister's name? Example-Verity, suggested byAura_Guradian
(2)Guys prefer Author Notes at the top or bottom?
(3) Eyecatchers in the middle of the chapter to expand on the world-building aspect like currency or jobs?
(4) Do you guys want the next chapter's title at the end to keep you guys guessing what will happen next? (This'll be cruel since I don't have a set schedule)
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And that's it for the second Author's Notes. I'll try not to write more of these since I know most readers wanna just jump right into it, but if you guys reeeaaaalllly like this sort of thing, I'll make more Author's Notes more frequently to answer your questions.
Remember! This is still only the beginning!
Once again, thank you guys for reading my first ever fanfic story! Really means a lot to me that I got this far despite being a beginner! See y'all soon!
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Chapter 46: A Costly Victory
Gary's heart palpitated furiously as he weighed his current options. But no matter how much he ponders, the orange-haired boy knew there was no way out.
If he did not use [ExtremeSpeed], he would be betraying his own battle style of leaving nothing to chance but only strategy and careful planning. On the other hand, if he used [ExtremeSpeed], he'd be forced to admit Raticate was a fundamental part of his current strength. Something he tried to abolish when he gave his cruel command to his ace, Arcanine.
Both options sucked for the boy genius since although the logical choice was to pick the second choice, his prideful nature would not allow it. Not that the first choice was appealing, but his ego was extremely confident that it could formulated a plan that would ensure the highest chance of victory, even if it was not 100%.
Gary needed to decide now. Either follow his mind and pride to try to take down Blue with high risks or follow his heart and admit Raticate was necessary.
'Damnit…!'
"If you're not going to come, then we'll make the first move!" Blue cried out, annoyed at the hesitation that showed on the boy's face.
'You never hesitated before, Green,' she monologued to herself.
"Espeon, begin with [Swift]!"
'Everything you did, you did with full confidence.'
Rays of stars conjured from the purple feline's tail and made their way towards the still idled Arcanine.
'I loved that part about you. I still do.'
"Deflect it with [Flamethrower]!"
'So tell me, Green…'
A blazing fire spewed from the red canine's snout, eradicating the stars of light and burnt them to a crisp.
'Are you still in there?'
"That all you got, coward?!" the chestnut-haired girl yelled out, fed up with Gary's uncharacteristic behaviour.
Those words stung for the orange-haired boy. He had to make a decision or risk defeat at Blue's hands. And that could not be tolerated in his eyes.
Despite their clashing beliefs, Gary held very little animosity towards Blue as the girl proved to be a strong opponent who had both bonds with her Pokémon and strategy that resembled his own. She was what Gary envisioned he would have become if not for Raticate's untimely demise.
Subconsciously, Blue represented hope for Gary as she could become what he failed to be. Someone who listens to their Pokémon's feelings and growing stronger alongside them.
"If you keep shutting out your Pokémon's voices like this..."
"One day, you won't be able to hear them at all anymore."
"[Psybeam]!" the girl instructed.
A purple blast of concentrated Psychic energy came rushing towards the red canine.
"I don't have time for this!"
"Arcanine, [Flare Blitz]!"
Arcanine coated himself in blazing fire before rushing with great haste towards Espeon, dodging [Psybeam] in the process.
'Dang, I thought I got him by calling him a coward,' Blue inwardly sighed, peeved that her goading did not prompt the boy to use [ExtremeSpeed].
Within seconds, a large figure loomed above Espeon, its fangs primed towards her while still covered with smouldering flames.
"Take her down! [Crunch]!"
The malicious fangs that threatened to shred its target came down upon the purple feline…
Only to be blocked by a transparent screen.
'[Reflect]?!'
"Thanks for the idea, Green! Now, Espeon!" the chestnut-haired girl called to her ace.
With a resounding mew, the space around the newly appeared Arcanine was scattered with [Light Screens] and [Reflects]. Espeon took position as she focused all her strength within her legs.
{ OH! THIS IS LIKE WITH SWANNA…! }
'When did she…?'
Gary's thoughts were cut off by a realization. Understanding it made him berate himself for letting such a thing happen.
'She set everything up while I was deciding whether to use [ExtremeSpeed]!'
The familiar sight of Espeon getting ready to launch her attack while her opponent was surrounded by multiple [Light Screens] and [Reflects] did not go unnoticed by Gary as he prepared his countermeasures.
'Raticate's…!'
"Espeon, go wild! Show Green your speed!"
"Like hell I'll let you! [Fire Spin] around yourself!"
A tornado of blaze brewed around the two Pokémon as they were consumed into the starving flames.
{ ARCANINE MANAGED TO INTERRUPT ESPEON'S [QUICK ATTACK] BARRAGE! }
{ LOOK'S LIKE GREEN'S NOT GOING TO LET BLUE HAVE HER WAY! }
"Kuh!" Blue grunted as she shielded her eyes from the [Fire Spin] that was close to her side.
Gary narrowed his eyes towards the burning spiral before ordering Arcanine to return to his side, as if he did not want to risk an unexpected situation.
"Arcanine, fall back!"
The red canine obliged and sidestepped backwards, not wanting to pry his black eyes away from his now fading masterwork.
Sure enough, Gary's predictions were correct as [Fire Spin] died out. Espeon stood unharmed as she surrounded herself with the [Light Screens] that were floating around by commanding them to protect her.
'Just like Alakazam's cage…'
"My, oh my! Are you that scared of Espeon's [Quick Attack]?" Blue mockingly called out to the boy with Espeon mirroring her Trainer's expression.
That earned a tick on Gary's forehead as the boy took a deep breath to clam himself down, not wanting to fall for the chestnut-haired girl's taunts.
"Whatever you're plotting, you're not going to make me use [ExtremeSpeed], Blue."
It was true that with his trump card, Arcanine would fare much better against the purple feline. But being the stubborn and prideful mule that he was, Gary would rather throw away his style of battle rather than admitting his faults.
"And I'll be here, forcing you to use it," the girl shot back.
With neither side relenting to the other, the two Pokémon executed their next attack.
"Espeon!" / "Arcanine!"
"[Dazzling Gleam]!" / "[Flamethrower]!"
"They're neck and neck," Ash thought aloud.
"Pika…" his partner squeaked in agreement, his eyes not once breaking from the clash of shining pink aura and incandescent flames.
"That [ExtremeSpeed] move. Is it really that strong?" Daisy asked her foster brother.
"Yeah. It's an original move that Arcanine inherited from Raticate," the raven-haired boy nodded.
"That's why that bastard ain't using it," he gritted his teeth while furrowing his brows.
The older sibling was shocked that Ash would use such foul language so blatantly. The only instance he would do that was during his times in anger.
"Ashy…"
"Ah, sorry! My bad," the boy apologized before clearing his throat to continue.
"Anyways, that [ExtremeSpeed] could be seen as Raticate's legacy in a way."
"But after his match against Miss Karen, he decided not to use it since that supposed invincible move got countered. What's more… Green doesn't wanna use it since he's trying to make a point."
"A point?" Misty interjected from the seat behind Ash.
"Yeah. He wants to prove he can win without using the bonds with his Pokémon."
Now that everyone in the room were given the context of Gary's cold and uncaring nature, they only felt sorry for the pitiable boy.
They were reminded that the three childhood friends were still just prepubescent children that were not even 15 years of age.
Blue's unneeded sense of responsibility towards Gary.
Gary's inability to grief for a fallen friend.
And Ash's painful experience against Team Rocket.
The Pallet trio were gaining unwanted sympathy quickly once everything started to piece together.
"But…"
At that moment, Ash flashed a toothy grin towards his second childhood friend as a bead of sweat rolled down his face.
"Blue's giving her all to make him."
"If she could do that, regardless of the results…"
"Blue'll be the winner in the end."
"[Sunny Day]!" Blue commanded.
A sphere of shining light manifested again for the second time in this match.
{ [SUNNY DAY] MAKES ANOTHER COMEBACK! }
{ BUT ISN'T THIS DISADVANTAGEOUS FOR BLUE?! }
{ WHAT IS SHE THINKING?! }
"Did you forget Arcanine's a Fire type, idiot? [Flame Wheel]!"
Arcanine rolled himself forwards, gaining momentum as he was surrounded by his own flames that emitted from his body. The large canine proceeded to spin hastily towards Espeon.
Blue steeled herself as she made eye contact with Espeon. The red gem on the feline's forehead signalled that the telepathic link had been formed.
'Espeon, let's try that!' the chestnut-haired girl relayed.
The purple feline smirked as acknowledgement towards her Trainer's command and surrounded herself with lilac energy.
'She's trying to run away with [Psychic]?'
'Idiot. [Flame Wheel]'s just the beginning.'
'With the centrifugal force that has been generated, Arcanine'll gain even more momentum when [Flare Blitz] activates. It may not be faster than [ExtremeSpeed], but judging by the previous match against Skyla…'
'[Psychic]'s speed won't be enough! Plus, Arcanine's now boosted by [Sunny Day]!'
"End this, Arcanine! [Flare—"
The red canine felt a heavy blow connect onto his side, the impact dispersing [Flame Wheel] instantly as Arcanine lost focus to deal with the sudden and throbbing pain. Then, another blow came crashing onto him but this time, it landed on his face, sending the large quadruped flying backwards.
Gary looked upon the sudden turnabout in shock as lilac energy from Espeon's sleek body manifested into two armoured gloves with claws for fingers.
{ WHA… WHAT IS GOING ON?! }
{ ESPEON HAS CREATED FLOATING HANDS! }
"This is… [Psychic]?"
The orange-haired boy could only stand rooted in his place, dumbfounded.
"You bet it is!" Blue proudly crossed her arms with a haughty expression.
"Little old me presents… Espeon's [Psychic] form #1!"
The chestnut-haired girl's 'Ta-da' fired arrows into children of the opposite gender across the world. Especially Tierno.
"[Psychic]: Gauntlet Form!"
The twin gauntlets of lilac cracked their knuckles as their name was released publicly, as if greeting the audience. But in reality, it was really just Espeon putting on a show as she controlled them without difficulty like a master puppeteer.
Feeling adrenalized from a plan well done, Blue decided to tease the orange-haired boy again to taunt him into her objective.
"Did I 'Gotcha'~?" she winked cutely at Gary…
As well as the camera directly behind him.
Pokemon Academy, Kalos Region.
The boys were comically on the floor, their bodies spasming as they could not handle the adorable wink that Blue gave towards Gary…
The only ones unaffected were the females, adult men and finally, Calem.
"Nice job, Cal. I wouldn't save you from Shauna if you fell," Serena smirked playfully at her friend.
"Yep. I'm proud of you, Cal!" Shauna nodded while hugging him with relief.
"Hah, that's nothing compared to Shauna's cuteness!" Calem laughed it off, unfazed.
'WOOOOOOOOO! SSSSSAAAAAAFFFFFEEEEE!' he thought as he relentlessly forced back the intense blush that was trying to show on his face.
"Ahem! Anyways…" the black-haired boy coughed into his fist as he changed the topic.
"Using [Psychic] to make shapes! That's awesome!" Calem exclaimed with excitement as he witnessed the craftsmanship of the lilac gauntlets.
"Well, it's not really that hard to believe," the honey blonde chimed in.
"Psychic types are once said to be the most powerful Type in the world. Hell, they're still the top even today."
Serena's mind scrolled through the information she read up on during her bored days. And there were a lot of bored days before she found out about the Indigo Grand League.
'The most versatile Type and potentially dangerous one. Blue's Espeon's strong!' the honey blonde gave an awed smile as she silently cheered for the chestnut-haired girl and her purple feline.
"True, [Psychic]'s able to form into shapes but to use it to this extent…"
Gary then realized why the girl had used [Sunny Day] before his [Flame Wheel], His suspicions were right on the money as he narrowed his eyes intensely towards the glowing red gem on Espeon's forehead.
'She was hiding a trump card like this for the whole tournament?'
"Ogling a girl is a big no-no, Green," Blue crossed her arms into an X shape.
Espeon did the same with her armoured gloves.
"I see. That's how you're managing to expend that much Psychic energy."
Gary took out his PokéDex to double-confirm his hypothesis.
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Espeon, the Sun Pokémon:
Psychic power builds up in the orb on its forehead as it bathes in the sunshine. Espeon is not good at battling at night. Espeon is extremely loyal to any Trainer it considers to be worthy. It is said that this Pokémon developed its precognitive powers to protect its Trainer from harm.
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"Espeon's getting a steady supply of Psychic energy from the sun while you're using it to maintain those gauntlets, all the while ensuring there's no efficiency loss."
Impressed with Blue's ingenuity, he let out a miniscule smile towards the girl.
"You really know everything, don't you, Green?" Blue smirked in return.
A torrent of flames came bursting to life as Arcanine shrugged off the damage he was dealt with. The raging flames around the red canine were a lot wilder and more powerful than before, thanks to [Sunny Day].
"Nothing really changed, did it? Just that we can let loose even more."
Gary's menacing smirk was met with a nervous grin from Blue.
"Yep, so stop being stubborn and use [Ex—"
"No."
"Meanie!"
With the banter gone, the two Trainers engaged into combat once more.
"[Incinerate]!"
'Espeon!' Blue sent her thoughts telepathically.
Understanding her Trainer's intentions, the purple feline moved the right gauntlet to intercept the incoming cylinder of swirling fire.
With an open palm, the blazes dispersed upon contact. While the gauntlet melted from the exchange, the continuous Psychic energy from the sun pumped into it regenerated the armoured glove without a problem.
{ OHHH! ESPEON BLOCKS [INCINERATE] WITH ONE HAND! }
{ CAN ARCANINE TURN THINGS AROUND?! }
"Espeon, [Quick Attack]!" Blue called out with enthusiasm as it was Espeon's favourite move.
Espeon kicked into high gear with a grin as she sped towards the red canine, resembling a shooting star. The large Psychic manifestations that followed were subjected to the great speed Espeon was running at, bewildering everyone as the two massive gauntlets disappeared and reappeared in front of Arcanine. No human was able to comprehend something so large popping into existence within a fraction of second, earning gasps of shock and awe from the crowd.
'Catch him with your gauntlets!' the chestnut-haired girl relayed.
The purple feline concentrated harder as she brought the two armoured gloves of lilac together with Arcanine trapped between them.
"Charge through with [Crunch]!"
The red quadruped obliged and as he bared his fangs of malevolent darkness, Arcanine tore through the gathered thumbs of the gauntlets, ripping them apart mercilessly with ease due to the Type advantage.
Next, the malicious fangs set their sights upon the Psychic manipulator.
"Form #2!" Blue called out as the shredded gauntlets returned within the red gem and blasted forth with a new form.
Arcanine's march towards the purple feline was suddenly halted as he felt his legs being bounded by foreign objects.
Interlinking rings of lilac had snaked around the large quadruped's legs, locking them in place. The [Crunch] that had manifested as fangs of darkness were mere inches away from an unfazed Espeon.
"These are…!"
"[Psychic]: Chain Form!"
'Now I see. Makes sense since there's a #1 and now a #2.'
"Burn it off with [Flame Burst]!"
Gary's orders were completed as the red canine summoned more flames from his entire body, melting off the materialized chains with even more firepower due to the scorching sun above them.
"Ah, crud. Fall back, Espeon!" Blue commanded.
The purple feline took a step back before using [Psychic] on herself to fly back to her Trainer's front.
'Hmph… That much is its limit, huh?'
'As expected of Arcanine. That much isn't enough to hold him down,' the chestnut-haired Trainer chuckled.
Battle Castle, Sinnoh Region.
Within the medieval castle of gray and turquoise roofs, a girl sat on her throne with a man by her side as they watched the Grand League with a projected screen installed within the castle walls.
The girl watched with piqued interest as she witnessed the [Psychic] forms that Espeon conjured. She had curly blonde hair adorned with white ribbons as well as blue eyes and wore a pink dress with separate white sleeves tied in the middle.
"Awesome! Darach, Darach! Are you seeing this?!" she exclaimed giddily.
"Yes, Lady Caitlin," the man named Darach answered politely.
The bespectacled man had slicked back black hair with gold in the middle. He wore a formal uniform with a golden pocket watch attached to his waist, completed with a black bowtie.
"To be able to control that much power… Pokémon really are amazing," Caitlin said with a sad expression.
"Not of worry, my Lady," the valet assured.
"If its my Lady, you will definitely be able to control your abilities one day."
Hearing such reassuring words, Caitlin's eyes turned violet as the blue mixed with a foreign energy of lilac.
"Umu, umu! Well said, Darach!" the blonde princess nodded her head proudly while her body was surrounded with lilac energy.
The red carpet that covered the castle floors began to tear apart with unseen force which caused the girl to realize what she had done.
"Ahhh! Darach, Darach! The carpet!" Caitlin wailed as she depowered.
'You need to learn how to control your emotions first though, my Lady,' the butler kept to himself.
"Not of worry, my Lady. I'll change it later. Please continue enjoying the match while I prepare tea," Darach bowed.
'Thank goodness Lady Caitlin has three more years before she gets her Trainer license,' he mentally exhaled with relief as he exited the throne room.
The man was extremely worried for his Lady as during the time they spar with their Pokémon, her losses tended to end with many damages and repairs incurred by her wrath.
'Which reminds me…'
'How did those three children manage to get their license at such a tender age?'
Back at the throne, the 12-year-old princess watched with starry eyes as Blue and Espeon skilfully pull off their [Psychic] forms with precise coordination.
'Blue and Green of Pallet Town. As well as that Red who beat an Elite Four…' she thought gleefully, inspired by Blue's creativity.
'I wonder if I'll meet them one day…'
The two Pokémon stood their grounds, neither one budging even after feeling out each other.
Although Arcanine had been damaged from the [Psychic] gauntlets, it was leagues less harmful compared to the attacks he suffered from Houndoom in the previous match. On the other hand, Espeon was still healthy without a scratch on her sleek purple body, but her mental was drained as each second passed since even with a nigh-infinite Psychic energy at her disposal, courtesy of [Sunny Day], the amount of concentration needed to wield such powers were extremely demanding.
'Not enough. We need to push him even more if we wanna force him to use [ExremeSpeed],' Blue narrowed her blue eyes towards the opposing Trainer and Pokémon.
Although tired, the girl's ace shared her determination as she would not let her guilt-ridden former Trainer besmirch her late friend's name.
'Goading and taunting Green was the wrong move. It won't work on him since it's practically his game that I'm playing,' the chestnut-haired girl pondered as she reminisced on the orange-haired boy's continuous mockery towards their raven-haired friend.
"What's wrong, Blue?"
"If you're not going to come, then we'll make the first move."
'This little…! He's using my words!' a tick appeared on Blue's forehead.
Just then, [Sunny Day] began to fade away as its time limit ended.
'Argh! I forgot [Sunny Day]'s time limit!' Blue chided herself.
'Haaaaaah… I don't care if this is the wrong choice.'
"[Sunny Day]."
Arcanine howled to the sky, bringing back the scorching sun. A confused Blue stared at Gary, wanting answers. Sensing the girl's stare on him, the orange-haired boy gave a resigned sigh.
"…You wanna make me use [ExtremeSpeed], right? Then give it your all."
Blue perked up upon hearing his consideration of using Raticate's legacy.
"But make no mistake. I'll defeat you and Espeon at your best so that there'll be question that my way is the right one."
'Cheh! What a dishonest fellow. Isn't that right, Espeon?' the chestnut-haired girl mused to her ace.
The purple feline mewed happily in agreement as it appeared that Gary was willing to give them a chance to prove him wrong.
"Don't regret this, Green!"
'I already am.'
Espeon's red gem glowed even brighter as she pumped more Psychic energy from it into her next creations.
"[Psychic]: Shuriken Form!" Blue called out.
Two large star-shaped blades were brought forth into existence and rotated forward to their prey.
"The third form's a shuriken, huh?"
Then came Gary's outlandish command.
"Catch it."
Without a hint of complaint, Arcanine dashed towards one of the lilac shurikens. As the red quadruped came nearly face to face with his chosen shuriken, his eyes glowed light blue for a moment and with one swift movement, caught the star-shaped weapon by one of its sharp blades without any injuries.
{ AR-ARCANINE CAUGHT IT! HOW IN THE WORLD?! }
'Ehhhhhh?! Impossible!' Blue exclaimed in shock, the surprise showing on her face.
Arcanine saw the other Psychic shuriken coming his way after changing its intended course and proceeded to clash it with the one in his jaws.
BOOM!
{ WITH A POWERFUL SWING, ARCANINE FLAWLESSLY COUNTERS THE [PSYCHIC] SHURIKENS! }
'Makes sense that it changed trajectory since its controlled by Espeon.'
After racking her brain for some explanation, Blue came to one conclusion.
"[Detect]…" she muttered in understanding.
But the chestnut-haired Trainer had no time to think as Arcanine rushed towards the purple feline with haste.
"Oh no, you don't! [Psychic] form #4!" she commanded.
This time, Espeon tapped her frontmost left paw onto the ruined meadow gently. And from that light tap came multiple sharp thorns that sprouted onwards to the red canine's direction.
"[Psychic]: Thorns Form!"
It would have surprised any other Pokémon in Gary's team, except for Arcanine. With his lightning-fast reflexes, the large quadruped dodged each one as he continued to run to Espeon's position.
Every time he reacted to an incoming lilac thorn protruding; he would twist his body to barely evade it whilst landing each paw safely onto the ground after recognizing no thorn would sprout from where he landed.
'Seriously?! Espeon, #5!' Blue relayed again.
The purple feline was beginning to feel queasy from the overuse of [Psychic] but preserved anyways.
"[Psychic]: Capsule Form!"
The dashing Arcanine was suddenly trapped within a bubble of lilac energy with the shape resembling a PokéBall. The capsule of pure Psychic energy rolled away from Espeon to creaete some more distance.
"Ridiculous. Break out!"
The external shell of the lilac sphere cracked as Gary gave his order and shattered within moments as great hot flames came exploding out.
'[Flame Burst] again!' Blue clicked her tongue as nothing she did was working on the relentless Legendary Pokémon.
"You see now, Blue?! Your tricks aren't enough to make me use [ExtremeSpeed]!"
"Arcanine, end this charade with [Flare Blitz]!"
"Our last gamble, Espeon! [Psychic] #6…" the chestnut-haired girl steeled herself.
The purple feline began sweating as she poured even more energy from the sun into her sixth form.
"Sword Form!"
Twin bastard swords were conjured as their blades came slashing towards the flaming Arcanine.
Unbeknownst to the two Trainers battling, a certain raven-haired boy was gushing at the craftsmanship of the lilac broadswords with starry eyes.
"I forgot to mention…"
But even the sixth form of [Psychic] was not enough to stop the berserker as [Flare Blitz] shattered the blades without breaking a sweat.
"Wha?!" Blue gasped in horror.
"This is just Arcanine at 50% firepower!"
Now with nothing standing between Espeon and Arcanine, the latter kicked into high gear as the flame-armoured canine pounced onto the helpless purple feline. Once more, Gary let his emotions run amok without realizing it.
"You can't beat me, Blue! Admit that my way is right!"
"Kuh! Don't mock us, Green!" the girl defiantly yelled out even as she was backed into a corner.
'[Quick Attack]!' she communicated through her telepathic link.
Before the smouldering claws could descend upon Espeon, the purple feline disappeared as she left a faded afterimage in her wake. That afterimage, unfortunately, met its demise at the flaming claws of Arcanine.
Feeling a presence behind him, the red canine twisted his body back to strike at the presumed location of the Sun Pokémon, only to find no Espeon.
"Tch! Above you, Arcanine!"
The red canine turned his sights upwards to find transparent platforms manifesting as footholds for the purple feline above.
Without hesitation, Arcanine leapt high into the air and took advantage of the [Light Screens] and [Reflects] that Espeon conjured. But to his surprise, an armoured fist came crashing towards him as he got higher.
'Gauntlet Form again. That settles it, she only has 6 forms of [Psychic]!'
"[Flamethrower]! Maximum power!"
A massive torrent of flames came shooting out from Arcanine's snout as it obliterated the lilac gauntlet, leaving nothing behind. Behind it was Espeon who managed to mitigate [Flamethrower]'s damage with emergency [Light Screens] in front of her. And even then, they were mercilessly pierced through, and the remaining embers finally damaged the sleek purple body, decreasing Espeon's frail health in the process.
The Sun Pokémon was not a bulky Special Attacker to begin with. And so, to mask that weakness, Blue did everything in her power to make sure her ace did not suffer any significant damage through the tournament. But [Flamethrower] proved too much of a threat at maximum power.
'He was holding back this much?!' the chestnut-haired girl gritted her teeth as she was fully aware of Espeon's pain via their telepathic link.
Panicking slightly, Espeon's exhausted mental made the purple feline recreate the gauntlets and swung their fists uselessly at the retreating Arcanine.
'Those gauntlets are troublesome in close quarters. But it's no threat if I attack from a distance.'
"Don't stop! [Fire Blast], maximum power!"
Arcanine nodded and conjured a massive character for 'Big' that was filled with great incandescent flames that would burn everything in its path. With every centimetre it travelled towards Espeon, the remaining meadow would be reduced into ashes in its wake.
'We can't survive that!' she widened her eyes upon the humongous [Fire Blast] that was closing in.
"Espeon, do you trust me?!" the chestnut-haired girl cried out towards her tired ace.
Gary raised a confused brow at what Blue was doing.
'That worthless thing again… Just as expected, I got spooked for nothing.'
'I made the right choice. My way is not wrong. Now all that stands in my way is…'
The orange-haired boy set his sights on the raven-haired boy above.
'You, Red!'
Everything about Ash infuriated Gary to no end.
His rival embodied everything that he stood against.
Bonds, friendship. All worthless in his eyes.
And yet, there he was. Already into the Semi-finals while Gary was still stuck battling. To the orange-haired boy, it felt as if his rival had overtaken him. An unacceptable act in his point of view.
Gary felt like his Power was inferior to the Bonds Ash fully represented. The inferiority that festered since the raven-haired boy managed to turn Pikachu into his ally exploded, causing him to bite down his lip hard. A small trail of blood fell to his chin, but its path was thwarted by a rub of the boy's hand.
Setting all that aside, he noticed Ash's red eyes or rather, where they were seeing. As if following an invisible line, his own green eyes travelled back to Blue and opened wide with shock as he witnessed what Blue was doing.
With an exhale, the chestnut-haired girl made her move.
"Protect me, Espeon!" she yelled out as the red gem on the purple feline's forehead glowed even brighter until it was blinding.
'Sorry about this, Miss Lorelei! I'll change it up a bit so it's not plagiarism!' she apologized internally as she relayed her idea to her ace.
"The genre is now FANTASY!"
As the girl gave her perfect shot pose and her eyes struggling to open due to the blinding light, the remaining Psychic gauntlet was dispersed into nothingness.
Instead, a gigantic lilac flower now bloomed in front of the incoming [Fire Blast]. With it bloomed, four circles protruded out from the centre, acting as 4 lines of defense for Espeon.
"That's…!" Lorelei grinned in excitement as she recognized the Psychic flower's patterns.
'It may look like a flower but that's no mistaking it…!'
"Your shields, Miss Lorelei!" Ash widened his blood red eyes, unknowingly flashing brighter as they scrutinized every detail of the flower shield.
Ash Ketchum was terrible with names while Blue Leaf had a knack for it. But in that one instance, they both came to one conclusive name completely by coincidence.
It came from a movie the Pallet trio once watched that was based on an old mythology of a great Hero leading his army in a war with his famous shield. Weirdly enough, the two traced the name's origin to that Hero and it fitted in scarily well...
As if the name was destined to be with this flower shield.
But now, Blue had to survive this. With the hot flames inching closer, Blue's fair skin felt like they were subjected into hours in a sauna. With a determined yell, the chestnut-haired girl cried out its name.
"Espeon's [Psychic] form #7!"
"[Psychic]: Aias Form!"
The lilac flower of 4 circular shields met the fiery collision of [Fire Blast] head on. And to Gary's surprise, the shields were withstanding the empowered Fire move quite well.
'What's going on?! How is Espeon…?'
His heart sank in terror as he remembered the PokéDex entry for Espeon.
'Protect its Trainer from harm…'
'You're telling me that Espeon's greatest strength is… protection…'
Crack!
The first layer of the Aias Form broke, but the second layer picked up its duty to defend by giving its all.
Arcanine could only watch, stunned at the Espeon behind the shields with a tired yet determined glare to the offending flames. She was exhausted from all the [Psychic] manipulation and yet, here the purple feline stood.
Never once retreating and trying her damned hardest to protect the Trainer that saved her. Her Trainer, Blue Leaf.
'Is this… why you evolved into an Espeon, Eevee?' the boy's green eyes widened in realization.
The precognitive powers. The Psychic energy manipulation.
All of which could had been useful during his initial encounter with Team Rocket. Those abilities could have saved Raticate, and the regrets manifested themselves as the Eeveelution named Espeon.
Gary's lips trembled as he realized what Espeon had accomplished. Something that he struggled to do since Raticate's passing:
Moving forward.
Eevee had evolved into Espeon not to linger in the regrets that she once bathed herself in during hypersomnia, but to move on from the pain and anguish and striving to protect what was present instead of imagining the possibilities of the past. That was how Espeon decided to honour Raticate.
And that broke Gary. His hatred towards himself intensified as he wanted to scream at himself for not wanting to let go of the past. He knew it was never his fault to begin with and that Raticate would never blame him.
And even all of that, Gary would never forgive himself and drowned even deeper in his lust for Power. His own desperation to atone for mistakes that he knew he was blameless for.
As the orange-haired boy came to his unwavering conclusion, a massive explosion of smoke burst from the resulting clash. The field was now obscured by the gray smoke. [Sunny Day] had once more disappeared.
Gary and Arcanine stood there without moving as they both were stunned by Espeon. And as the smoke finally cleared, a purple blur came into view.
Espeon had dashed towards Arcanine… with her entire arsenal.
Gauntlet Form. Chain Form. Thorns Form. Capsule Form. Sword Form.
All 6 of her Psychic projections that should have been impossible to conjure all at once were made possible by a desperate Espeon. She had pushed herself to her limits, using up every Psychic energy within her now dull red gem to give everything she had in her disposal to defeat Arcanine.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Blue cried out in desperation, knowing full well this was the last of Espeon's [Psychic].
From where she stood, the girl turned her gaze towards the boy. Gary's orange hair shadowed his green eyes but Blue managed to catch his mouth moving. It was inaudible from where she was, but she did my best trying to read it with lip sync.
"E…xtr…em…eS…pe…ed."
And a flash of red swooped through every Form of [Psychic] with extreme swiftness.
The impact swept the leaping Espeon backwards, making her tumble back onto the ground after rendering her last [Psychic] useless.
"…You win, Espeon… Blue."
{ ESPEON IS DOWN! THE MATCH IS OVER! }
{ THE WINNER IS… }
The announcer choked on his words as he widened his eyes at Espeon.
{ SURELY… THERE IS NO WAY… }
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
A loud cry from a standing Espeon caused the audience to erupt in more cheers.
{ ESPEON'S BACK AT ITS FEET! IT'S STILL NOT OVER YET! }
"Espeon…" Blue muttered with awe.
Gary looked upon his former partner with a pained expression.
"You won, Espeon! You made me use [ExtremeSpeed]!"
"So please… Please go down!"
The orange-haired boy's words were close to that of begging as his brows furrowed and his palm gripping his chest in agony.
In response, Espeon mimicked Raticate's haughty pose similarly to Pikachu's imitation all those nights ago.
"Espeon… No, Espy," Blue corrected with a smile.
"Let's show Green even more of that [Quick Attack]!" she declared.
Espeon gave a weak grin as she got into position.
"[Quick Attack]!"
"Stop her from exhausting herself! [ExtremeSpeed]!"
A panicked Arcanine sped into subsonic speed, his paws aimed towards the back of Espeon's neck to make her pass out. But Espeon was not going to let the red canine ruin her fun.
Using her latent precognitive powers, Espeon predicted where Arcanine would appear and avoided him. Although she could not see the large canine when he entered [ExtremeSpeed], the purple feline always knew where to evade.
Espeon was having the time of her life while Arcanine was now the desperate one trying to stop her from extreme exhaustion.
"Please… Blue! Tell her to stop!"
But Blue shook her head at his desperate pleas.
"The telepathic link between us has been cut. And right now, I'm letting Espy battle to the end," she gave a satisfied smile.
The chestnut-haired girl knew that there was no way for her to win the match now. And yet, the girl stood there with a smile that melted Gary's heart.
"That's… what Espy would want!"
'No…! That's wrong!'
"Even if she's on the verge of collapsing…" the girl balled her fist with pain.
"Arcanine!"
But it was no use. Arcanine had been hypnotized by the fast waltz of [Quick Attacks] that Espeon danced.
'That was the very same mistake I did!'
"Espeon and I will never have any regrets!"
The fallen Raticate forever etched in his memories.
The purple feline wore a grateful smile towards Blue. Her sweet Trainer who would honour her selfish wish. Espeon's senses were beginning to dull.
The dance between [Quick Attacks] and [ExtremeSpeed] made her eyes watered in nostalgia. Arcanine's form as he used [ExtremeSpeed] was the exact same as her beloved friend. It was as if she had been reunited with Raticate.
With the last bit of Psychic energy, she re-established her telepathic link with Blue for her final message. The chestnut-haired girl widened her deep blue eyes as she heard Espeon's voice.
'Thank… you, Blue…'
'This… is truly… the happiest moment… of my… life…'
'Oh, dear Raticate…'
'How… I've missed you…'
And Espeon blacked out as she halted while standing.
{ ESPEON… HAS FAINTED… }
But Gary and Arcanine were too deep in their desperation to hear the announcement as they worked to stop the swaying Espeon, prompting the boy to give a devastating order to stop Espeon…
Even though the purple feline has fainted.
'Wait, no!' Blue thought in alarm.
"Espy's already fa—!"
"[ExtremeSpeed] with [Flare Blitz]!"
Uncontrollable flames burst from the red canine's body as he finally reached the purple feline. But he too realized that Espeon had closed her eyes while wearing a peaceful smile. Seeing his pokemon's hesitation, Gary realized in horror at what he was about to do.
"Stop, stop! Arcanine, stop!"
The large quadruped managed to halt his assault on the unconscious Espeon but the uncontrollable flames around his body disobediently burst out haphazardly…
Towards a stunned Blue.
Gary's heart sank even further into the abyss as he watched the raging flames about to consume the girl he loved. The boy within the pool of hatred re-emerged, only to find the chestnut-haired girl shutting her eyes, waiting for the burning fire to devour her body. And with nothing he could do, he screamed out her name with hopelessness.
The spectators watched in horror as the flames inched ever closer to the young girl. Screams and gasps erupted from the audience. The watchers from the other regions could only watch helplessly as they were about to witness a girl getting eaten by raging fire.
"BLUE!"
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"[THUNDERBOLT]!"
"PIIIIIIIIKAAAAA-CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Golden lightning pushed back the berserk flames as it saved a teary-eyed Blue that had collapsed onto the ground in relief.
On the battlefield was a haggardly raven-haired boy cradling Espeon's body.
{ WHEN DID HE…?! }
"Ash!" Misty, Lorelei, and Daisy cried out in unison as they reached the stands, seemingly a few seconds before him.
"Red…?" Blue muttered out before being enveloped into a tight hug…
By Gary Oak.
"Blue! Are you alright?!" he asked in a panic.
"Green… I'm fine…" she answered in a daze.
"Good… good… thank goodness…" he whispered with a trembling voice.
Beside him came Arcanine who leapt out of the battlefield whilst carrying Ash and Espeon on his back.
The two rivals made eye contact with each other.
Festival of Champions.
The air grew tense as everyone was internally panicking at the potential conflict that was about to brew.
Nearing its completion.
The rageful green eyes glared with indignation.
The Prelude begins its end.
The glowing red eyes narrowed with determination.
Chapter 46: A Costly Victory
Second Round Complete.
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