Chapter Text
A Pokémon battle is like a chess match. Every move and type advantage can be learned and memorized, every style and nature researched and exploited. If a trainer knows every capability of their opponent, then a strategy to victory can always be found.
But every battle has the potential to break the boundaries of reason and memorization. Every trainer has an ace up their sleeve, and every Pokémon has an unreadable attribute that only revealed itself in the heat of the fight. When notes and preparation failed, a Pokémon battle became a game of reaction, intuition, and prediction. This secondary game was what truly defined success or failure.
Skyler had carried these lessons with her through her journey, and her efforts to analyze and understand every possibility in battle had begun years prior. These two truths were the basis behind every battle she fought, and every victory she had ever achieved.
Four long years had led to this moment. Skyler, a short girl with a black vest over a tan shirt, stood on the red pitch of a large, underground battle arena. Her light brown hair hung just below her clenched jaw, and it was pulled out of her face by a golden clip.
Cheers and shouts filled the space from the stands surrounding her and her opponent. Cameras flashed and shuttered, children screamed her name, and the thunderous applause of thousands rumbled down. Yet Skyler had to drown it out. Sweat ran down her face. Her hands shook, and she had to wrap her fingers around her belt to steady them. Her legs felt cold beneath her jeans, and the chill ran down into her dark shoes. It took every ounce of concentration to keep her attention dancing between her own Pokémon - a Flareon; her opponent’s Pokémon - a Snorlax; and her opponent - Champion Bill.
On the blue pitch, across from her, Bill’s scarred face was as unreadable as ever. His wide eyes paired with his permanent smile, one that grew more wicked as the battle went on, never wavered. Skyler hated how little he let his face slip, but his hunched shoulders and the constant clenching of his fist told her all she needed. A grin split her face. Bill had to be nervous by now. The seventeen year old held the record for the youngest Champion in the history of the Indigo League, a title he had earned two years earlier. If Skyler beat him today, she would steal that title, claiming Champion at just fourteen.
Scorch, her Flareon, stood twenty feet away from the Snorlax, smoke pouring from his jaws. His ears stood tall, his piercing eyes glaring down at the pokemon that was three times his height. His thick, rugged mane was stained black, and his body shook, but he refused to back down.
“Keep your distance!” Skyler shouted. She eyed the beaten Snorlax mysteriously. So far, it had shown three of its moves. Given the incredible variety of attacks the hulking bear Pokémon was capable of learning, she anxiously wracked her brain. She needed more information. What could the fourth move possibly be, and why hadn't it used it yet?
Across the way, Bill gave his next command. “Break his stance! Body Slam, again! Break the ground!!”
The Snorlax once more launched itself at Scorch, diving into the air. The Flareon hopped to the side, the ground cracking beneath his paws as the Snorlax crushed the stone ring. The entire stadium shook, unsettling even Skyler’s stance. She quickly regained her footing, but in that time, a cloud of dust billowed up from the cracks, obscuring her view of the battle. She needed to remove it, quickly.
“Scorch, flamethrower! Clear the air!”
From inside the dust, Scorch opened his maw and blasted out a jet of flame. The cloud glowed bright orange, and the heat blasted the dust into the crowd. The air in the underground arena simmered. Skyler wiped her brow and located the Snorlax, now lying on the ground, face up. She furrowed her brow. It was a clever move. Unlike Poli, her Poliwrath, who only had fighting and water attacks, Scorch’s searing flames were more capable of staunching any chance the Snorlax had at resting. The dust cloud had been a perfect camouflage.
“Scorch! Flame Wheel into Bite! Don't let him fall asleep!!” Skyler shouted. She crossed her fingers. If they were lucky, then it wasn't too late.
Scorch obliged, dashing forward as fire streaked from his mouth and ignited his mane and tail. He then leaped into the air and curled into a ball, the flames accelerating his movement as he rolled into the Snorlax’s head, unleashing an inferno onto its upper body. He then opened his jaws, his canines doubling in size. They turned dark before he bit into the Snorlax’s face, his teeth sinking deep into its flesh.
But as soon as the bite landed, an ear splitting snore erupted from the Snorlax. Skyler covered her ears, grimacing as the volume overpowered the noise of the spectators, shaking the stadium. Dust crumbled from the ceiling, and a few crumbs of stone tumbled down onto the arena floor.
Scorch, unfortunately, was blasted away by the snore attack, dropping to his stomach and desperately covering his ears. Disoriented, he didn't notice the Snorlax stand back up, its wounds gone. With a small flick of its fingers, it swatted away the blood that had run down its cheek.
“Scorch! Retreat towards me!” Skyler shouted, but the Flareon was too slow. With an unreasonable amount of speed for such an encumbering Pokémon, the Snorlax charged in, kicking Scorch off the floor and into the air.
For a terrifying instant, as Scorch was airborne, an opening was made for him. Skyler had been avoiding this costly move, because he had already used it several times in their previous battles that day. However, with Scorch now so vulnerable, it was his last option. He had to use his most powerful attack. “FIRE BLAST!!” She desperately commanded.
Scorch threw open his jaws, a white spark of flames forming over his tongue. The air around his face simmered, and a star shaped burst of fire raced out of his mouth, enveloping the Snorlax. But before he could finish releasing the entire inferno, the Snorlax reared its fist back and delivered a sickening punch to Scorch’s stomach. Already in mid-air, the Flareon flew across the arena, straight towards Skyler. A trail of flames poured from his teeth, splashing onto the Snorlax and burning the concrete floor beneath him.
Scorch rocketed back to Skyler, and she jumped in the air, opening her arms to catch him. With incredible force, he slammed into her chest, and she wrapped her arms around his body as both flew out of the red trainer field, crashing onto the stone below them.
“Halt the battle!” A referee shouted from the sideline, holding a red flag in the air. Bill and his Snorlax both lowered their guard and waited as a pair of medics rushed out onto the floor, swarming Skyler.
“Miss, are you okay?” One of the medics asked, leaning over her. She stared back at him in stunned silence as she tried to catch her breath, clutching Scorch to her chest as tightly as she could. She could still feel his chest rising and falling, as labored as it was. She briefly shut her eyes and let out a shaky breath, only slightly relieved.
“I'm fine,” she finally growled back. Skyler cautiously sat herself up, the golden hair clip clattering to the floor. She brushed her brown hair behind her ear and inspected Scorch. He let out a weak cough as the last few specks of Fire Blast splattered onto her jeans, singing the fabric and burning her leg. With a quick swipe, she cleared it off and stood herself up.
“Are you okay?” She fearfully asked.
Scorch coughed again before giving her a pathetic grin. “I'm- I'm alive, Sky...”
An anxious breath released from her lips as Skyler held him tightly, waving the three medics away before hiking up the steps to her trainer field. Her back and shoulders stung from the rough fall, but if Scorch could still speak after that attack, she could easily continue to her standing area and keep battling.
“W-we're not- disqualified… are w-we?” Scorch quietly asked, his black eyes anxiously meeting hers.
“We shouldn't be,” Skyler answered. “I didn't willingly leave the field.”
As she took her place back on the red, the room quietly murmured this same question. But the referee waved a yellow flag. “The challenger was knocked out of bounds against her will. According to Indigo League Rule Nine, any trainer that leaves the designated trainer box faces disqualification. Rule Nine, Section Two declares that trainers who leave the box against their will, whether due to a Pokémon, an attack, psychic influence, or spectators, are exempt from this ruling if they are capable of returning to the trainer field.” The referee turned to Skyler, then to Bill, and gave each of them a nod. “The battle will now resume once the challenger enters a Pokémon onto the battlefield. You have sixty seconds! All other rules and conditions still apply.”
With that, the referee held up a green flag and stepped back into his zone, waiting for Skyler to make her move. Bill and Snorlax returned to their stances, though the Champion did not give his Pokémon any commands. She furrowed her brow at the Snorlax. Had Bill finally revealed its fourth move with that punch? It was powerful enough to be Mega Punch…
Skyler eventually shook her head. Mega Punch made the fist glow. This Snorlax was already brimming with incredible strength and vitality. It had only punched Scorch, despite the fact that the punch had sent him flying. That fourth move was still waiting to be used…
“I can… Still fight him.” Scorch quietly wheezed.
Skyler tightened her grip on him. “You’ve done more than enough. I'm not risking another attack like that.” Scorch tried to pout at her, but only managed a weak wince. He regrettably nodded as she reached her hand to her belt, weighing her options.
That morning, she started the challenge for the fourth time. The first three times, she had been stopped somewhere along the way, and until today, she had never gotten through Lance, the dragon trainer. Today had gone differently. Against Lorelei’s water and ice Pokémon, her Raichu, Erica, had led the charge, closely followed by Poli. Erica won nearly every round herself, but the fight had left her exhausted and battered.
Then Skyler fought Bruno and his terrifyingly strong fighting and rock Pokémon. Drakon, her Dragonite, swept through him with Poli, and she quickly moved onto Agatha, the ghost and poison trainer. Agatha was always tricky, but with Trunks, her Hypno, and Scorch, they had eventually cleared their way through her room too. Unfortunately, Trunks had nearly been beaten during that battle, and Skyler had to rework her plan for Lance. With Trunks down, Drakon practically fought the man alone. Skyler only recalled him to allow Reese, her Rhydon, to deal with his Aerodactyl. While they won, the damage had been done, and Drakon needed to rest.
Getting past Lance had been a dream come true, but it gave way to the final battle. Her heart had been racing ever since she entered this arena, and now she was faced with a difficult decision. When she came in, Skyler still had three Pokémon that were in good condition: Reese, Poli, and Scorch. To her relief, Bill had started the battle with his Ninetails, and Reese was able to handle it with little trouble. However, he followed up by releasing his Starmie. The water and psychic Pokémon resisted all of her Pokémon except for Drakon and Erica, and Erica’s type advantage gave her the best chances of winning. Skyler had been correct, and Erica came out on top, but barely. She was officially out, as far as Skyler was concerned.
Next, predicting that she may send Reese back out, as well as countering Erica, Bill sent out his Venusaur. Skyler almost cheered as she countered with Scorch, who won with zero trouble. While Erica was out for the count, the rest of her team was breezing through Bill’s Pokémon.
The good fortune had to end, however, and it started when he sent out his Magneton. She sent Reese back out, but had failed to account for the amount of steel damage his Magneton could do. While Reese still nullified the electric moves, he had been succinctly roughed up. Bill then sent out his Muk. Of all the Pokémon, his Muk was almost as terrifying as his Snorlax. Despite her type advantage, it took Reese out like it was nothing. Skyler took a gamble and sent out Trunks, but she too fell. Poli managed the finishing blow, but had been poisoned.
Then came the Snorlax. Poli was a perfect counter, but given his condition and the Snorlax's unnatural vitality, he wasn't able to beat it on his own. Scorch had gone in after to clean things up, but Skyler should have known it wouldn't be enough. His singed mane scratching against her neck reminded her of the tough battles he had already endured against both Agatha and Bill.
Erica was down. Trunks was down. Reese was down. Poli had been poisoned and badly hurt, and was effectively down. Now, in her arms, Scorch was down. As her fingers danced to the last Pokéball on her belt, she shakily smiled at Bill across the arena floor. She was at the end of her rope, and if she didn’t win today, she wouldn’t get another chance before she turned fifteen.
As she pulled the Pokéball off her belt and held it in front of her, she nodded to the Pokémon inside and warily looked at the Snorlax. “Of course,” she said quietly. “I couldn't win this fight without all of you.”
Holding the Pokéball forward, Skyler let out an anxious sigh that relieved none of the weight from her trembling shoulders. “No matter what, this is it. You're our last hope, Drakon. Let's show him what you can do!” She pressed the button. The Pokéball clicked open and a red beam zigzagged its way onto the arena floor. Before it could finish forming, Skyler gave her command. “Agility, then Outrage! Take it down!!”
The referee barely had time to wave his green flag before the red glow of her apparating Pokémon rocketed across the stage, closing the gap between itself and the Snorlax in just half a second. Bill’s Pokémon held up its arms to brace for a frontal assault, but the added Agility allowed Drakon to swing behind it. As the familiar red tinge of the Pokéball faded, a new crimson glow formed around an orange blur as a fist delivered a sharp blow to the back of Snorlax's head, echoing through the room like a gunshot. The hulking Pokémon stumbled away and finally got a look at its attacker.
An orange, bipedal dragon with massive blue wings, a long tail, and two yellow antennae on his head hung in the air, his body glowing red and his eyes full of blind rage. Excited gasps and cheers filled the air as Skyler’s most powerful Pokémon finally entered the battlefield. Worn, battered, and angry, her Dragonite never hesitated as he closed in on his opponent.
The Snorlax braced again, but once more, Drakon's incredible speed allowed him to whip around the massive Pokémon and crash into its upper back. The Snorlax tumbled forward, catching itself on the floor. It tried to roll away, but Drakon was too quick. For his final act of Outrage, he swung down with a kick onto the top of the Snorlax's head. A deafening crack filled the air as its face slumped onto the ground.
Skyler held her breath. Using Outrage was a big gamble, but it could either force her opponent to rest, or even win instantly. She needed to break through that incredible vitality and end this fight soon.
Drakon finally landed. The crimson glow faded, and the Dragonite gripped his head as he stumbled away from the fight towards Skyler. “Did I… do it?” He asked, an aloofness in his voice that spelled out the unfortunate side effect of using Outrage. The Snorlax answered his question by snoring, blasting the room with its deafening roar. Skyler cradled Scorch’s head as she herself grimaced in pain. Drakon stumbled away and covered his ears, growling as the sheer volume knocked some sense back into him.
Once the snoring stopped, Skyler stepped up to the edge of the red field. “Can you focus?”
Drakon blinked a few times but nodded his head. “Y-yeah.”
“Hyper Beam. Before it wakes up.”
Drakon narrowed his eyes on the sleeping Snorlax, awkwardly planting his feet on the crumbling stone beneath him. His jaws opened wide and a yellow ball of energy formed behind his teeth. It started off small, maybe the size of a quarter, but as the seconds passed, the neon glow doubled in size, then tripled and quadrupled. Wisps of energy crackled around it like electrons swirling an atom. It soaked up the air like a sponge, electricity arcing across its bright surface and dancing around his mouth as the space around the glowing energy visually bent.
Across the ring, the Snorlax surged onto its feet, blinking away the drowsiness. Behind it, Bill shouted a command, but Skyler couldn't hear him over the high pitch whine of Drakon’s attack building. The Snorlax nodded before charging at the Dragonite head-on, picking up speed with each step. Skyler’s heart pounded as the clock ticked by. With every passing second, the hulking bear Pokémon got closer to interrupting the Hyper Beam attack. He needed to unleash it now, but if Drakon released it too early, it would dissipate.
“Please…” she muttered, crossing her fingers. “Fire before it reaches you, Drakon…”
As the Snorlax closed the gap, rearing a fist to disrupt him, Drakon finally unleashed the beam at point blank. With a white explosion, the room burst with the low base of its energy. It washed over everything like soundwaves in a turbulent sea of noise. The entire arena was bathed with blinding light and overwhelming energy.
For five agonizing seconds, the blast crossed a distance of only five feet, washing the battle away behind a yellow glow that seemed to obliterate everything around it. The stage around Drakon was obliterated. The ceiling crumbled, and the stadium shook like an earthquake. It took everything Skyler had to not look away from the raw display of immense, breathtaking power. She couldn't afford to miss it, not during this battle.
The yellow beam eventually faded, roping out like a fiery tornado at the end of its life. Sparks crackled around Drakon’s mouth as he wheezed with exhaustion. Skyler blinked away the blinding spots in her eyes, though her throat dried up when she regained her vision. Standing in the same spot as before, right in front of Drakon, was the Snorlax. Its arms were braced over its head, and its entire body looked incredibly damaged… But it was still standing.
“Impressive,” Bill said from across the ring. “Now it's our turn.”
Drakon, after finishing the move, could barely raise any resistance, panting as the Snorlax gripped his shoulders. He tried to wiggle away, but his opponent's grasp was too strong. The Snorlax held him in place, directly in front of itself. It then opened its mouth wide, a blue beam forming between its teeth. Skyler blinked in disbelief as she hoisted Scorch into her left arm and reached for her belt with her right hand. “No… No way.”
The fourth move. The Snorlax had elusively been avoiding it the entire fight. She had wracked her brains ever since it entered the battlefield, but the normal type was so versatile that she couldn't possibly predict this. Bill must have taught it the move specifically for this fight against Drakon…
How the hell else would a Snorlax know Ice Beam?
In her panic, Skyler knocked Drakon’s Pokéball off her belt and onto the red floor beneath her feet. She crouched to grab it, but the extra second was all Bill needed. The Snorlax shoved Drakon to the ground before blasting him with a blue ray that sucked the heat out of the stadium, leaving a biting chill. Skyler looked up in horror as her Dragonite screamed, and she returned the cry as his entire body was frozen over, solidifying inside a solid chunk of ice.
Skyler finally scooped up his Pokéball and stood back up, aiming it towards her dragon type Pokémon. He could still be recalled while frozen, and she wasn't willing to risk him any further… But the sight before her was already unfolding as time slowed nearly to a halt.
The Snorlax, in mid air, was an instant away from crushing Drakon with Body Slam, falling like a boulder. She pressed the button, and the red line lazily danced across the stadium towards her Pokémon. Her breath caught in her throat, the milliseconds dragging like minutes. Had she been fast enough? Was Drakon about to get crushed? Would he even survive?
With a sickening crunch, the Snorlax landed, and the red recall line bounced off its back, dissipating. The impact of the Body Slam shattered the already broken floor, jagged bits of stone rising up like a fissure. Dust clouded around the two Pokémon, and chunks of ice shot in every direction. One large chunk skidded across the ground and stopped just short of Skyler’s trainer box. To her horror, a piece of a yellow antennae was suspended within it.
The room around her lost its color. Skyler dropped to her knees, a trembling breath escaping her lips. She speechlessly looked at the scattered array of ice chunks. The dust slowly thinned, and the horrifying sight of blue, frozen wings stuck out beneath Snorlax's stomach. It took all of her willpower not to drop Scorch, but her right hand limply fell to her side. Drakon’s Pokéball rolled out of her fingers. It landed with a dull crack and rolled across the red field, bobbing upside down before coming to a pitiful rest.
Above her, the crowd’s silence was deafening. The flashing and snapping of photos drove her mad. The quiet cries of children broke her heart. Every sniffle and murmur made its way onto the battlefield and showered her in sorrow. Many of them voiced her own fears, a reality she couldn't bear.
“Dr-Drakon?” she stuttered.
“Sky…” Scorch whispered to her. With a shaky, furious voice, he looked up at her and said, “L-Let me finish this.”
“Drakon…” she mumbled again. “You- You can't be-...”
“Sky, please. Let me go! Let me avenge him!” Scorch begged, squirming in her arms. “We can’t let it be in vain!”
Skyler only tightened her grip on Scorch, her right hand burying itself in his fluffy mane. Tears swelled into her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she fell back, sitting pathetically on the red field. She was unable to take her eyes off the Snorlax. “You can’t- You can't be dead!” She cried. “Drakon!! Please get up!!”
Scorch fought against her hold, squirming his way out of her arms. She kept pulling him back in, sobbing as he fought to get back onto the battlefield. “Let me go!” He pleaded.
“I can't lose you too!” Sky snapped back. “Scorch, please! I-”
“Stop it!” He yelled, scratching at her arms. After a few more seconds of thrashing, he finally jumped out of her grasp, limping to the end of the red field as Skyler reached out for him, begging him to come back. She just barely snatched him up before he left the red field. He turned back to her, a wildness in his eyes as flames collected in his throat, glowing brightly.
Suddenly, a red glow blew the dust away, buffeting against Skyler and Scorch. The Flareon let out a smoky cough as he swallowed his fire, and both snapped their attention to the intense flames coming from the battlefield. The Snorlax rolled away as the jet of fire rose into the air. The room heated like a furnace. The ice on the floor melted to water, and then evaporated. A pair of blue wings slowly stretched to the ceiling as water ran down them, and before the entire crowd, Drakon shakily stood himself back up.
His right antennae was missing, and his whole body was trembling. But he was alive. Skyler and Scorch both tearfully watched in disbelief as he raised his hand high into the air, letting out an angry flare of flames. The crowd erupted with the heat, screaming for him as he let out a mighty roar. They began to chant his name, and Skyler’s shock broke into a relieved smile as he received their praise.
“DRAKON! DRAKON! DRAKON!”
But through the noise, Skyler could hear Bill taking action. “Ice Beam, again!”
Skyler jumped to her feet. “FLY!!” she screamed.
Drakon spread his wings and launched himself straight up to the top of the stadium. The blue beam flew beneath him, freezing the cave wall behind Skyler. The Dragonite looked back at her, waiting for the next move.
Skyler’s eyes darted between the three pieces on the board. Snorlax was incredibly damaged; the fact that it was still standing was an incredible feat on its own. The most sensible move while Drakon was in the air would be to drop down and Rest, and keep her Dragonite away with a loud Snore. Instead, it was firing Ice Beams and waiting. She then looked at Bill, her heart skipping a beat at what she saw: His smile was gone.
Snorlax was out of Rests. There was no other feasible reason to not use it in this situation.
She then looked back at Drakon. His whole body was shaking, and blood dripped down from his nose. His labored breath and the slow beat of his wings told her enough. He was also at the end of his rope. This needed to end now.
This was their only chance; their final opening.
“Outrage!” she commanded.
Drakon’s body glowed bright red, and he dived down at the Snorlax. The bear Pokémon side stepped his initial strike, opening its mouth again with another blue, crackling sphere of ice. Drakon ducked beneath it as it fired, frosting over the wall beneath the stands. He went to uppercut his opponent, but the Snorlax rolled itself to the side, dodging the second swing. It then reared its own fist back and swung, catching Drakon in the cheek.
“No…” Sky begged. “C'mon!”
Drakon nearly fell, but he caught his footing and planted himself directly in front of the Snorlax, his third swing with Outrage rocketing towards his opponent. The Snorlax opened its mouth to fire Ice Beam, but Drakon’s fist was too quick. With one, final gunshot of an impact, he punched the Snorlax directly in the face, the red glow of his fist washing over his opponent’s head as the hulking bear Pokémon was thrown off its feet. Bill’s final fighter flew back towards him, slamming into the ground with so much force that it knocked the champion down.
Drakon lowered his fist, blinking bewilderedly at the Snorlax before him. The Dragonite swayed back and forth on his feet as the confusion rocked his brain. He stumbled back and forth, approaching the Snorlax with a wandering gait. Skyler wanted to tell him to come towards her, but she could barely breathe. She stared at the Snorlax, then at Bill, who was standing back up. Which one of them was going to make the first move?
Finally, after fifteen seconds, Drakon seemed to regain his bearings. He flapped his wings and positioned himself above the Snorlax, watching. The whole room held its breath as everyone waited for something to happen. Would the Snorlax stand back up and continue fighting? Had Drakon defeated it? Would the referee make the call?
Finally, Bill held up his left hand, and the silence in the room screamed for more. Skyler’s arms trembled and her heart raced. Her breathing quickened as sweat dripped down her face. Her hair irritably clung to her cheeks, but she was too afraid to move. In her arms, Scorch leaned as far forward as he could, waiting to see what Bill did next. With his right hand, the Champion held out a Pokéball, and a red line extended from it, enveloping his Snorlax in a faint glow before it shrunk and disappeared, returning to its place on his belt.
The moment the red glow disappeared, the referee held out a blue flag in Skyler’s direction. “The challenger has w-”.
Before he could even finish, the crowd erupted with applause. Cheers and cries pounded against the stadium walls. Sobs and shrieks joined the cacophony. Cameras shuttered and confetti rocketed through the air. The lights on the ceiling danced back and forth, and the stomping of feet shook the arena. Everything and everyone was celebrating.
But none were as loud as Skyler, who dropped to her knees and let out a deafening shout as she hugged Scorch to her cheek, tears pouring from her puffy eyes as her Flareon screamed into her ear.
Skyler suddenly felt herself lifted in the air as Drakon scooped her up into a massive hug, crying his eyes out. “WE DID IT, SKY!!” he squealed. “YOU'RE THE CHAMPION!!!” Skyler just laughed as she held onto his neck, crushing Scorch between them as they spun in the air. Her cheeks ached from the uncontrollable smile that stretched across her entire face, screaming and cheering back at her Dragonite.
Drakon returned to the floor and let Skyler go. She put Scorch down and quickly grabbed the four remaining Pokéballs from her belt, releasing them. Immediately, Erica raced up Drakon’s side and wrapped her tail under his chin like a strap, perching on his head and waving her arms at the crowd, demanding their attention. Reese then tackled Drakon, and the three sprawled across the stone floor, laughing and crying together. Scorch bounded over and hugged Erica tightly, rolling across the cracked ground with her. Behind Skyler, Trunks wrapped her yellow arms around her trainer's shoulders and hugged her tightly. The trainer turned around and buried her face in Trunk’s soft, white neck fur and cried, praying it gave her an ounce of privacy from the cameras. Below her, Poli nervously clung to her leg, sobbing into her jeans. She put a hand on his head and held him there, feeling water drenching her shoe. It just made her laugh harder.
“He’s waiting for you, hon.” Trunks said, rubbing her shoulder. Skyler sharply turned her head and grinned when she saw Bill standing at the center of the shattered battlefield.
With a wobbly sigh, she let go of Trunks and called out to her Pokémon. “Come on, everyone. Let's go get our prize!”
Her Pokémon continued to cheer, laugh, and cry as they closed the distance. Skyler had done this over a dozen times now, starting with her first gym badge in Viridian City. Whenever she won, she would earn her prize at the center of the arena. The first eight had been badges, and past that, it was simply a pass to the next room. Now, she was receiving her final prize, one she had lost so much trying to get.
Finally, she reached the center. “Hey Bill,” she shakily said.
“Hey Sky,” he shakily said back. A small line of tears had rolled down his face and into the collar of his shirt.
“Sorry for taking your spot,” she said sheepishly.
“I wouldn't want anyone else to have it,” he shakily chuckled.
Bill held out his hand to shake hers. Skyler rolled her eyes and crashed into him, giving him a tight hug that he returned with a laugh.
“That Ice Beam was dirty, you know.” She furiously whispered to him. “I thought you killed Drakon for a second there.”
Bill chuckled back. “I never feared for a second that he was going to die.”
“Uh huh,” Skyler groaned. “You scare me, you know that? You always seem to know just how far you can push it.”
“Don't you?” Bill teased.
Skyler sighed into his shoulder, wishing she could say yes. She held onto him for a few moments longer before finally stepping back and shaking his hand with a shy smile. Bill then held her hand high above her head and the crowd erupted once more. Flashing lights and colorful streamers lit up the room and filled it with life as everyone watching cheered for Skyler and her team.
Bill then raised his other hand, and the room fell silent again. He turned to Skyler and gave her the prize she'd fought so hard for. He pulled a pin from his shirt and pressed it into her palm. She curled her fingers around it as he turned back to the crowd.
“After two years of service, another trainer has stepped up to the plate and bested me. I am no longer the top trainer in the Kanto region! I hereby grant my title to the new victor, Champion Skyler Sako of the Indigo League!”
The deafening cacophony resumed, and cameras everywhere snapped, recorded, and broadcasted the moment as Skyler threw her other arm in the air and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Congratulations,” Bill said as he let go of her hand.
“Thank you!” Skyler cried as her Pokémon swarmed her, hoisting her off her feet. She hugged Drakon tightly as they all celebrated a victory they'd spent years working towards. All of the time and effort, all of the sweat and tears, every battle they'd ever fought had been worth it. Every friend they'd lost along their journey had not been in vain.
They had won! They had finally won!!!