Thread: Kris vs Gold: A Tale of War - Snow

Got to agree with the last sentence.
A clerical error. To start off:

way to win a battle.”

Some stuff like that. I think you may also have been missing a comma or two, but that's OK.

“Twineedle, let’s see what that does.” Leaf mumbled. The wind had begun to pick up, and Leaf’s long hair began to billow in the breeze: combined with the long dress she was wearing, Kris couldn’t help but think of an action movie heroine that was about to kill her next target. And Beedrill’s new move represented this: he touched his two stingers together and dived forwards like a bullet. They turned lime green, looking just as poisonous as the last attack.

This is OK, but I'd advise you to watch out for long references like that. It's very near the mark of sidetracked, so just keep an eye out.
Chapter was good. Leaf is clearly destroying Kris, and it's about time she got that lesson in humility. You're doing quite well, to be honest. Really, well done!

I was just throwing in some description, nothing wrong with a little bit of that :P But I do see your point there. :)

Originally Posted by AceTrainer14

I was just throwing in some description, nothing wrong with a little bit of that :P But I do see your point there. :)

No, no, here it's actually quite relevant. I'm just pointing out it's something you should be aware of.

“Sorry for the power overload, but I did what I thought was necessary.” Leaf explained as she stroked Raikou. The big cat simply purred, acting like a Meowth or Persian instead of a giant ferocious beast.

“I bet you did.” Kris huffed and she sadly brought Miltank back. As Kris put her ball away, she realised something: she had lost three Pokemon, and could only use two more. Her options were Bayleef, Noctowl or Espeon, while Leaf still had Pidgeot, Ninetales, Raikou and an unknown Pokemon. All three of her current Pokemon could destroy Kris, but she was going to take a page out of Leaf’s book.

“Bayleef, time to shine!” Kris shouted and threw her next PokeBall. With the standard flash, Bayleef formed on the field, smiling happily and nuzzled up against Kris. Raikou looked a bit upset: Bayleef was cowering in front of him like most Pokemon would be.

“I think I’ll speed this up.” Leaf said, and quickly whipped the Master Ball out. “Return Raikou, and out you go Ninetales!” Kris just smiled as the powerful beast was drawn back inside, and she pulled her own PokeBalls out.

“Bay?” Bayleef asked, not noticing as Ninetales was sent out.

“Sorry girl, but I can use you later.” Kris apologised, and Bayleef was suddenly brought back inside the ball. She felt a bit guilty, but was pleased to see Leaf’s shocked look. “Ok then Noctowl, now it’s your turn!” The ball rose up into the sky before opening up, releasing Noctowl into the battle. Johto’s answer to Pidgeot soared overhead, staring quizzically down at the huffy Ninetales. Leaf pondered for a moment, and then smiled.

“Very good, glad to see you learnt from my strategy.” She laughed. “But being sky high won’t save you: Flamethrower!”

“We’ll see about that, use Take Down!” Kris ordered. Noctowl glowed a dim white and dived down, just as Ninetales over her long, glorious face and fired a jet of flames that seemed rather graceful.

“Noooct!” Noctowl tweeted, and twirled in mid air to avoid the attack, and then soared down and whacked into Ninetales: the force was enough to push Ninetales backwards and sending a cloud of sand around Leaf. Kris smiled at Noctowl, who was wincing slightly from her recoil.

“Alright then, if your going to do things this,” Leaf huffed. “use Flare Blitz!” Ninetales leant backwards so she was sitting on her tales, and she made a bouncing moment: she was sent into the sky by the spring of her tails, and then she erupted in flames.

“NINE!” She screeched, and moved forwards like a rocket. Noctowl wasn’t sure exactly what to do, and Kris couldn’t afford for her to get hit.

“I know, use Air Slash to knock her off course!” Kris shouted. Noctowl nodded and she spun around with her wings outstretched: the wind seemed to gather around as Noctowl twirled, and as Ninetales got closer and closer, she chirped and stopped. The air that had gathered around her wing was sent flying like a boomerang, whacking into Ninetales in mid-air. The combination of wind and fire resulted in an explosion, blasting both Pokemon off course: Noctowl remained in the sky, but Ninetales fell towards the ground. Leaf was looking annoyed, and Kris was pleased to have the upper hand for the time being.

“Now use Zen Headbutt!” Kris shouted, and Noctowl nodded, the large trident-shaped marking on her head glowing pink. Leaf saw this and smiled broadly, much to Kris’ displeasure.

“Use Ominous Wind on the sand!” She shouted. Ninetales tails all glowed a purple-black colour, and she spun them around wildly against the beach. Black wind formed, billowing through the sand and whipping it up into the air. Kris shielded herself against the sand, which was rising up like a tower. Noctowl was ready to dive down, but the impromptu sandstorm had completely shrouded Ninetales.

“Try and attack now!” Leaf boomed. “Flamethrower again!” Noctowl was still looking for a way in, not hearing what Leaf had just ordered, and Kris needed her to get out of the way before Ninetales struck.

“Prepare for a Sky Attack, but dive into the water!” Kris shouted. Noctowl began glowing white and tipped over backwards, falling towards the rough waters. The Flamethrower shot over her, disappearing into the sky. Leaf cursed as Noctowl landed in the ocean, now out of the way of Ninetales fire attack.

“If she uses Sky Attack in the ocean, isn’t that Ocean Attack?” Eusine chuckled from the rock, earning him another whack from Hanoko’s stick. But both girls were focused purely on the battle. The sand was dying down now, so they could both see the seriousness in each other’s eyes, their desire to beat the other. It had gone from idol and fan to pure enemies in only quarter of an hour: things were getting serious.

“Use Energy Ball to clear away the water.” Leaf ordered. Ninetales approached the waters edge angrily, fire burning in her eyes as well. The green ball of energy formed in her mouth, glowing brightly as the dark clouds overhead completely covered the sky, making the battle seemed 10% more serious.

“TA!” She roared and the Energy Ball was fired, slicing through the water easily. Noctowl suddenly glowed brighter from beneath the water as Sky Attack became fully charged. Leaf smiled as this provided a beacon of where the Energy Ball to go, and Noctowl didn’t seem to have noticed the attack.

“SPIN AROUND!” Kris yelled desperately. The water suddenly became choppier, and the Energy Ball looked like it would be crushed as water spiralled around the spinning Noctowl. Suddenly her glowing head emerged out of the water, white energy nearly blinding them all. Noctowl was moving like a spinning top, covering her but still her attack shone through. Energy Ball smashed into her head and Leaf smiled widely, but it was short lived: the Energy Ball simply disintegrated upon impact with the water covering, blasting most of it aside.

“NOOOOOCT!” Noctowl screeched and rose fully out of the water like a glowing angel. Ninetales looked shocked and turn to flee, but Noctowl dove directly towards her. Ninetales jumped aside at the last minute, her long tails missing Noctowl by an inch. Instead Noctowl smashed into the ground: the force of the Sky Attack colliding with the ground led to a very sandy explosion. Leaf and Kris were both blasted backwards by the sand smashing into them, rolling through the golden beaches. As the sand began to fall back and they all stopped coughing, they looked around the scene: Ninetales and Noctowl were both on the ground, with a large pile of sand over Ninetales and Noctowl lying in the middle of a shallow crater.

“Ninetales is…..” Leaf said as she went to check. “she fainted.” She concluded with a sigh, and reluctantly brought her powerful fire type back. Kris rushed towards the crater, as she highly doubted Noctowl had survived the force of the explosion. But Noctowl’s chest was rising, and she weakly turned her head around to face Kris. Noctowl was completely wet from going underwater, and she could only manage the smallest of smiles.

“Good girl, I’m really proud of you.” Kris whispered, and she stroked her back. Noctowl simply nodded, and slowly began to rise up, wincing as she moved.

“I hate to end this, but we need to keep going.” Leaf called from nearby. Kris looked up at Leaf, who had already brought Ninetales back: it was clear that she wanted to win this, and it had gone from friendly to serious. Kris simply nodded and backed away, and Leaf suddenly smiled triumphantly as she threw her next ball. Kris got back to her spot just as it finished forming: Raikou had once again landed there, staring down at Noctowl like it was some sort of fresh meal. High above them the clouds began booming again, and Kris sighed as a drop of water landed on her nose: Raikou’s presence was summoning a storm.

“Thunder, finish this.” Leaf whispered. Kris reached inside her bag to get Noctowl’s Pokemon, but the wise owl simply chirped: she puffed out her chest as far as possible, staring at Raikou, daring him to attack. Raikou smiled at the challenge and he glowed the brightest yellow possible, sucking all light out of the area. Eusine had gotten his camera out again, but Hanoko whacked him.

“I don’t think you’ll want to be holding that in a second.” She hissed. Raikou was charging up energy, the sky roaring more, and Kris and Noctowl were both tensing up, waiting for the attack. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came down from the clouds. It was so bright and hot that everyone had to shield their eyes, and Eusine’s camera began to melt.

“RAAAAIIII!” The legendary beast roared, and the Thunder was fired, charged up by the bolt. Noctowl didn’t even have time to yell: she was unconscious within a second. Kris couldn’t even see anything any more, but she felt something hot whack into her, followed by lots of sand sent flying by the attack. A few seconds later Raikou stopped attacking, but it still took a minute for everyone to regain their eyesight. Once Kris’ eyes had stopped burning, she looked down at her chest. Noctowl lay on top of her, several patches heavily burnt due to the force of the Thunder, and smoke was rising up as the water was evaporated.

“Good job.” Kris whispered, and she quickly brought back Noctowl’s unconscious body. She then slowly got up, a bit dizzy from getting hit and her eyes still sore. Sand fell in clumps off of her outfit, and once Kris had finally regained balance, she stared over at Raikou. It was panting from the force of the attack as well, obviously very sore from using such a powerful move. Leaf too had been blasted backwards, and she was currently searching for her sunglasses. Underneath Raikou’s feet the ground had turned to what looked like glass from the pure heat of the lightning and Thunder.

“Looks like it’s the final leg.” Kris mumbled, and she reached into her bag, pulling out her last PokeBall: Bayleef’s. Raikou stared at Kris, still panting, but its face showed pity and sorrow for her: did Raikou feel bad for going to hard on her Pokemon? But Kris didn’t care: she didn’t want to face such a powerful Pokemon and have it go soft on her. It was time to end the battle properly, and it was time for her to win.

“Alright Bayleef, back out you go!” Kris shouted, and she threw out her final PokeBall. Leaf finally sorted herself out by the time Bayleef had formed, and the Grass type was staring around the beach, examining how much it had changed since she’d last been out.

“Bay Leaf Bay Bay?” Bayleef asked Kris, looking at Raikou but simply bypassing its presence. Leaf was surprised, but Raikou looked almost offended at being ignored.

“So your ending the battle with your starter, what a noble thing to do.” Leaf said with a smile, and pulled the Master Ball out. “I like how its turned out that way, so I’ll end with my starter as well.” And Leaf brought back Raikou, who disappeared from sight. Kris was glad she wouldn’t have to face Raikou again, but she was confused.

“Wait a minute, isn’t your starter Blastoise? He’s weak to Grass type moves though.” She mumbled, and Bayleef nodded in agreement. Leaf simply shrugged as she fetched around for the ball containing her oldest Pokemon.

“It doesn’t always come down to type advantages: it comes down to the Pokemon’s skill in battle, and their power to eliminate their rival.” Leaf explained, and she threw the ball into the crater. Bayleef moved away as the ball opened, and a large figure rose up. The energy twisted around, forming into a large blue turtle, his shell thicker than rocks, a rough head rising up from it, and two long cannons sticking out of his back.

“BLAST!” The Blastoise roared, and looked down at Bayleef with a heavy smile: he obviously wasn’t afraid of battling a grass type, but Kris was ready to bring him down. Bayleef stood her ground and stared up at Blastoise, but as the two Pokemon stared angrily at each other, the clouds overhead rumbled some more, and the rain that Kris had felt picked up.

“Rain’s always good for Water types.” Leaf said with a grin and Kris cursed at this unfortunate turn. But Bayleef looked at her with a smile: she didn’t mind the rain at all, even though it was making her leaf droop. Kris got a boost from this: if Bayleef was happy, so should she!

“Your move.” Kris called, and Leaf nodded.

“Let’s begin with Hydro Cannon!” She announced, and Kris gasped. Hydro Cannon, Blast Burn and Frenzy Plant were some of the strongest moves a Pokemon could know, and Hydro Cannon was the water equivalent. Blastoise looked like he was made of water, and this watery covering rose up, forming inside his cannons to make two huge water-balls.

“Alright Bayleef, move backwards and use Light Screen!” Kris shouted. Bayleef nodded and took several steps backwards as Blastoise continued to charge up. As the large cannons reached full height, Bayleef’s leaf glowed a dazzling white.

“Lee!” She said, and shook her leaf around in front of her: the light spread, forming a large screen in front of her. The rain seemed to bounce off the screen, and Kris nodded at Bayleef’s good work.

“TOISE!” Blastoise shouted and the two water cannonballs were sent flying into the sky. The two merged together amongst the rain, forming one large ball that began blasting through the rain. Bayleef braced herself and raised her head up, the screen following. As the cannon came down towards her, Kris prepared for the worst. However, the cannon seemed to half in size as it phased through the screen, but it still managed to force Bayleef back through the wet sand. Blastoise stood in the sand with his eyes closed, having to recharge following the attack.

“Looks like we get a free turn!” Kris yelled in delight. “So go in with Seed Bomb!” The thick leaves around Bayleef’s neck turned a yellow-green, glowing very brightly in the rain. Large balls of light shot out of them, and they all collided together as they phased through the screen. They stopped glowing, turning into a single large seed almost the size of Bayleef’s head. It exploded upon impact with Blastoise, blasting the large water type backwards. Lead squealed and jumped aside as Blastoise landed moaning and groaning besides her.

“Toise Blastoise Blas!” Blastoise grumbled as he got up. Kris smiled happily at Bayleef and then turned to wave at Hanoko. Her grandmother had retreated into the safety of the trees, and he had taken Eusine’s cape him to protect Glaceon and Leafeon, much to the man’s displeasure.

“We need to keep this battle going, no time to stop!” Leaf snapped, clicking her fingers, and Kris turned back to her and was about to snap, but realised why Leaf may be annoyed: she was meant to have another engagement, and both of them were being pelted by the rain, soaking them to their skins.

“So sorry, I’ll just defeat you quicker: Magical Leaf!” Kris shouted. Leaf simply laughed and looked at Blastoise, who had gotten up and was looking ready to fight.

“Move over there and use Ice Beam!” Blastoise nodded and quickly began running to the left of Leaf, so that when he stopped he was directly facing the water. Bayleef moved to be opposite him, her necklace of leaves lighting up like a rainbow. Multiple leaves formed out of them and shot towards Blastoise, who simply laughed.

“Oise Blas!” He chuckled deeply, and two frosty beams of ice blue energy shot out of his cannons, managing to freeze all of the leaves. They whacked into Blastoise but simply shattered, turning to pieces at the bottom.

“Seed Bomb!” Kris shouted.

“Get down low and use Ice Beam on the sand!” Leaf commanded. Bayleef was losing her excitement for the battle, and she quickly formed and sent another giant seed. But Blastoise lay down on his stomach, his tough shell the only thing exposed. As he fired the Ice Beam the Seed Bomb hit, only achieving minimal damage. The Ice Beam hit the ground beneath Bayleef’s large legs, freezing the sand solid.

“If your going to try and freeze Bayleef you might want to actually aim for her.” Kris joked, and Bayleef chuckled as well, but Leaf’s eyes just twinkled mysteriously.

“Skull Bash.” She commanded, and Blastoise nodded. He didn’t seem to move at all, but his legs did go inside his large. Kris wasn’t sure what would happen next, but figured it would be a good time to attack.

“Magical Leaf again!” Once again leaves were sent flying at Blastoise, and he winced as they hit him painfully in the face. But Leaf didn’t look irritated in the slightest: she just looked at Blastoise and nodded.

“BLAS!” He roared, and suddenly two jets of water shot out from where his legs should’ve been. They propelled Blastoise forwards, looking down so that his head was the main thing they could.

“Headbutt to stop it!” Kris shouted. Bayleef stuck her head down, the Light Screen still in front, and got ready to charge. But she only moved a step before she slid, landing flat on her side thanks to the ice.

“Ba Bay!” Bayleef monaed, and tried to get back up, but Blastoise was coming in too fast. Kris yelped and took a step backwards as Blastoise’s giant frame whooshed past her, spraying her with water, much to Leaf’s amusemnet. He collided directly with Bayleef and pushed her forwards, the two of them hurtling towards the crashing oceans. They both fell in with a huge splash, and the two figures disappeared under the surface.

“BAYLEEF!” Kris shouted and ran forward: Bayleef had never swum before, and learning to swim during a storm wasn’t the best idea. But her head leaf burst was rising up, and her Light Screen came up with it. Than Bayleef stuck out her neck, wailing and struggling to move forwards.

“I should probably help you, shouldn’t I?” Leaf said as she appeared from nowhere, the rain masking the sound of her footsteps through the sand. Kris glared at her, sensing some sort of double meaning, and Leaf winked. “Blastoise, clear away the water with Surf!” Blastoise suddenly rose up perfectly onto the surface of the water, laughing as Bayleef struggled to get out of the water. His eyes glowed a deep blue, and the water around them glowed as well. It began to recede backwards, rising up to form a wave Blastoise was on. Bayleef was happy for this and began racing forwards as the more water disappeared, but Kris was close to fainting.

The Surf had fully formed, and now it rose to almost the same height of the lighthouse. The extra power coming from the rain had added to the height and size, which stretched the whole beach. Even Leaf looked shocked at the height it had reached, and she and Kris just stared at each other, both unsure what to do.

“Bayleef Le!” Bayleef exclaimed happily as she got out from the water, but was confused by their shocked faces. She slowly looked around and froze as well. Blastoise didn’t seem to realise it was a bad idea, and he clapped his hands together: the wave began descending, curving down towards them all.

“BAYLEEF, SEED BOMD, DESTROY IT!” Kris screeched as they began running up the beach. Bayleef nodded, absolutely speechless. The Seed Bomb quickly formed as they reached their normal positions, and the Surf was only a few metres away from hitting the ground.

“WATCH OUT!” Leaf shouted as Bayleef fired the explosive seed towards the wave. Blastoise gasped as it flew towards his huge wet attack, but couldn’t move in time: the Seed Bomb struck in the very center of the wave, hitting it with an explosive force. The wave was blasted apart, seemingly splitting in two and blasting Blastoise into the sky. Half of the wave crashed into the ocean, the other half continuing it’s dissention onto the beach. Bayleef was blasted backwards by the powerful wave, while Blastoise fell towards the beach, no longer having anything to hold him up.

“BLASTOISE!” Leaf shoured in fear, and could only watch as Blastoise hit the dark sand, his large body making a dull thud. Silence fell over the battlefield, only the rain and wind disturbing the quiet. Kris and Leaf were looking between their two Pokemon in fear, wondering if either would stand. However, slowly and simultaneously, Bayleef and Blastoise began to get to their feet, wincing as they did so.

“Come on Bayleef, good girl!” Kris called.

“You can do ti Blastoise!” Leaf shouted. Their two starters managed to stand up, but both looked very weak. They stared at each other from opposite ends of the beach, both of them in pain and ready to end this.

That was when it happened.

Both trainers gasped as Bayleef’s head leaf began to glow a vivid green, while Blastoise’s eyes turned into shining blue headlights. The two Pokemon were a bit surprised by this, but they all knew what it meant.

“Overgrow and Torrent….” Kris mumbled, looking between the three of them standing around her. Leaf nodded, and then her and Kris’ eyes met. Even though it was raining heavily, a sort of fiery passion suddenly erupted between the two of them: this would surely be their last moves, meaning their battle would be over. They stared thoughtfully at each other, both of them thinking about their fantastic battle. But Bayleef and Blastoise looked impatient, and it was time for the girls to end this.

“Seed Bomb.” Kris commanded.

“Hydro Cannon.” Leaf ordered. Bayleef and Blastoise concentrated all of their boosted power energy into their neck leaves and cannons respectively. Energy flowed there, making the glowing seeds and watery cannonballs grow in size and power.

“BAAAAAAY!”

“BLAAAAAAS!” The two attacks were fired at the same time, hurtling towards each other at a phenomenal speed. Kris and Leaf tracked their own attacks with their eyes, watching as the Seed Bomb and Hydro Cannon moved gracefully yet powerfully through the pouring rain.

It was only at the last second that the trainers realised the two attacks were about to collide.

The glowing green seed hit the giant water cannonball, and the Seed Bomb exploded upon contact. A powerful force field of water was generated, and Kris attempted to duck but was too late, getting caught up and blasted backwards by the attack. She heard Leaf shout something, but the roaring water, rain and wind made Kris go deaf. The twelve year old shut her eyes as she was sent rolling through the wet sand, only stopping when her legs collided painfully with a rock. Kris lay there for a minute, breathing heavily, and smiling to herself.

It was a great battle. She thought, and then slowly rose up, the rain seeming to die down as she did so, and went to see what the outcome had been.

_____
One part left, an it should be up soon! :D Also, Kris vs Gold has now taken up 100 pages of a Microsoft Word document, wooo!

Kris began wandering through the wet sand, her feet sinking a few centimetres as she moved through. The wind and rain were dying down, but they were still active, and Kris had to shield her eyes from the sharp wind. Leaf was a few metres away with a bottle of Full Restore: Blastoise hadn’t fainted, but was lying on his stomach looking rather sore.

“Good job.” Kris said, and then turned away before Leaf could reply. Bayleef lay in front of her, unconscious, her leaves all drooping and body rather bruised. Kris got down on her knees and gave Bayleef a hug, wrapping her arms around her.

“You did the best you could possibly do,” Kris whispered. “and that’s all I would expect of you.” She remained holding her for another minute before finally bringing her starter back, and instead clutched the PokeBall instead. There were the sounds of multiple footsteps, and Kris looked around as Leaf, Hanoko and Eusine all moved towards her.

“That was the greatest battle I have had in ages.” Leaf said and flung her arms around Kris, giving her younger companion a huge hug. Kris smiled warmly and hugged her back, and Hanoko beamed with pride.

“Thank you for battling me, I’ve really learnt a lot.” Kris explained as she got up. “I think I need to work on which sort of moves I use, and I think I should work on doing some extra effects to my moves like you did.” Leaf smiled broadly at this.

“I’m glad I’m managed to inspire you, and the honour was all mine.” She replied. “Just learn to work with your Pokemon’s strengths and abilities, and I’m sure one day I’ll see you conquering the Johto League.” Hanoko gave Kris a hug as she went red at Leaf’s compliment, and Kris hugged her grandmother back. Leafeon and Glaceon nuzzled up against Leaf who bent down to stroke them, but than Eusine dramatically stepped forwards.

“Sorry to butt in, but your at least five minutes late for your meeting.” Eusine explained. Leaf looked at her watch and gasped.

“Damnit, this isn’t good!” She wailed. “It was lovely to meet the two of you, and I hope to see you again!” She gave Kris and Hanoko one big hug and bade them goodbye before turning and sprinting, rushing towards the gatehouse. Eusine ran off, not bothering to say goodbye, and they heard him shouting something about Raikou as he chased after, and Kris and Hanoko laughed as Leaf replied with ‘Don’t make me mace you.’

“That truly was a spectacular battle dear!” Hanoko boomed and gave Kris another hug. “I was on the edge of my seat for the entire battle!”

“Thanks a bunch, but I really think we should think about heading inside.” Kris replied, which was emphasised as she sneezed loudly. Hanoko chuckled and nodded, and Glaceon and Leafeon led the way as they rushed as fast as possible back towards Olivine. Kris began recounting all her different emotions as she power-walked alongside Hanoko off the sandy beach. The rain began to pick up again as they finally reached the outskirts of the city, and they had to stop talking and pick up their pace.

The market had been abandoned due to the appalling weather, though some people were still passing their merchandise to people inside the surrounding cafes, shops and houses. The cobbled streets were slippery and the four slowed down to avoid falling over.

“The Pokemon Center is just over there!” Kris shouted, and the four scuttled over towards it. The wind was howling and they were desperate to get in, and Kris instinctively began running. The center doors slid over and Kris could feel warm, cosy air wafting out of it. She was overjoyed and rushed forwards, but the doors hadn’t opened for her: a familiar female figure walked over and Kris slid to a stop, slipping over and the woman had to grab her.

“K-Kris, what are you doing here!” Kris froze as the woman lifted her up onto her feet, but then her face turned into a huge smile.
Persephone Soul stood in front of her.

“MUM!” Kris hugged her mother tightly, so pleased to see her after her three losses. There were more footsteps behind them as Hanoko and her Pokemon caught up, and Kris broke out of the hug. “Hanoko, this is my mum. Mum, this is-” But Kris froze again as she looked back at her mother. Persephone’s usual beauty seemed to have faded away: she was wearing no makeup, her bandanna was poorly tied around her head, and her clothes were housewifely, ragged and had a strange smell.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” Kris asked nervously, as Hanoko’s happiness at meeting her daughter-in-law faded as well. “You aren’t here to see me, so what is it?” Persephone took a deep breath, steadying herself, but tears formed in her eyes. Kris clutched Hanoko’s hand, sensing what her mother was about to say.

“Kris, it’s about your father….”



COMING SOON: The Eye of the Storm
Gold's exuberance at another gym win is short lived when he encounters a distressed Kris on a small island. His jeering only leads to an emotional explosion, and the two face off in an epic six-on-six battle, where Kris realises the true consequences of battling Leaf, and the two are forced to confront the emotional tension between them as a storm beats down upon them.

Interesting way to kick this story back up. Personally I liked how you had Kris lose the battle so badly. Its always nice seeing a confident battler get smacked down. But enough about that, seeing Leaf was a surprise as I never figured to see someone like her in this story. The battle itself was a pretty good battle, and I got to say seeing Raikou certainly was a surprise and an interesting twist. And a 6v6 next chapter with Gold vs Kris? Sounds great and epic to me

Though Kris is the main character, she wasn't meant to do well in this: unlike losing to Gold, this battle was meant to be more of a lesson for her as she learnt new styles of battling. And Leaf is from Red vs Leaf, which this story is a sequel too, and Leaf is the Viridian City Gym Leader by the time of Eight Easy Steps in four years time from this story, so she is quite the battler.
And yes, the six-on-six is the first of three six-on-six battles, and it will certainly be the most epic battle yet

Wow, AMAZING story. There were a few errors in wording and stuff, but other than that, I loved it!!! I like how you make the reader feel what Kris is feeling, no matter what emotion. And I HATE Gold :P. GREAT STORY!!!

Wow, thanks a lot :D I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and Im especially glad you dislike Gold :P I like it when people realise who the villian actually is

Here it is: Part One of the epic six on six match! Hope you all enjoy it :D




Gold was having the time of his life.

It had been almost a fortnight since he had last seen Kris, and things had been going rather smoothly for him. After an easy win against Jasmine, Gold had moved towards Cianwood City and getting ready for his sixth gym battle. The teenage boy was enjoying this feeling of euphoria that came with what was happening to him right now. He had been having win after win, earning the most money of his trip so far. He still had a cheque from the Kimono Sisters, and was debating wheter or not to cash it in and go on a shopping spree.

But Gold also had to be smart about what he was doing. He was trying to stay a bit under the radar as well, hoping not to attract any attention in case Kris appeared. Even after he swept Cianwood using only Skarmory and Croconaw, Gold was nervous about what would happen if he met Kris again. His Pokemon were getting stronger, but the fact they hadn’t met for so long was worrying him a little bit. What if she showed up next time they battled with a powerful dragon Pokemon? Or what if she somehow caught a legendary, or traded to get some rare, powerful Pokemon…..

I will be able to beat her again, she can’t be that good. Gold thought determinedly. He was cruising through the waters of Route 47 using a rented speedboat. Having grown up in the lap of luxury, Gold had been taught how to drive a similar model. It was easy for him to move through the waters, even if the clouds overhead were grey and stormy and the current could be strong in places.

“This is the life, isn’t it?” Gold called back towards Croconaw. The water type was sitting behind him, scoffing down a huge amount of Pokemon food.

“Croco Croc.” Croconaw replied and went back to eating, leaving Gold to laugh.

I’ll be fine, I just need to stop worrying. He thought, and decided to put Kris out of his mind for now. He had to focus on getting back to Olivine and then making the long journey to Mahogany Town. Gold accelerated the boat and stared around at all the magnificent scenery around them. Huge cliffs dominated the scenery to the left, while large caves made up a rocky water route to the right. The two large rock faces were definitely a bit spooky, especially with the dark clouds and the wind that was whistling past them.

“I think the weather is going to take a turn for the worse, do you want to go inside your PokeBall?” Gold asked, turning around once again.

“Naw Naw Croconaw.” Croconaw said as he continued to eat, and Gold rolled his eyes.

“If you don’t stop eating you’ll probably won’t be able to move!” He laughed, but Croconaw ignored him. Gold sighed and stared at his starter Pokemon, feeling rather sad inside. Despite all the time they’d spent training and battling, Gold’s Pokemon seemed to be growing more distant than close to him. What did he have to do to get them to like him better? Maybe if they took a little break, that might cheer them up….

“CROC!” Croconaw suddenly shouted, interrupting his thoughts. Gold turned away and gasped: he had been too busy thinking that he hadn’t been in control of the boat. The vessel was being pushed to the right by the currents, heading straight towards one of the water paths in between a cave and some rocks.

“What’s that in the middle….” Gold said in shock, trying to control the boat. That was when he remembered what the caves were known as: the Whirl Islands.

A hug whirlpool was in front of them.

“SHIT!” Gold shrieked, and he quickly tried turning the spinning wheel. But as the boat began turning, the back began to move closer towards the pool. Croconaw screamed and ran towards Gold for protection. Gold tried to speed the boat forwards, but the strong power of the whirlpool dragged the boat backwards.

“This can’t be good!” Gold shouted, and he and Croconaw began to scream as the boat began to spin around rapidly. All they could see was a mixture of blue blurs as the whirlpool spun them around like a spinning top. The two couldn’t stop screaming, afraid of what might happen if they got to the bottom of the pool.

“CROCONAW NAW CONAW!” Croconaw wailed, clutching Gold’s leg in fear. Gold didn’t want his Pokemon to be upset, so he did the only thing he could think off: he tried the accelerator, wanting to see if they could speed out of the whirlpool. There was an angry sound from the engine, but the boat suddenly moved forwards, though still being spun around.

“This might end badly….” Gold mumbled, and he was unfortunately right. The good news was that they managed to get out of the whirlpool. The bad news was that they were heading towards some rocks.

“JUMP!” Gold shirked, and he grabbed his bag and leapt into the waters behind Croconaw. Their boat smashed straight into the rocks, the front of the boat torn apart. Gold didn’t notice though, as he had sunk below the water’s surface, not able to see a thing in the murky oceans. Something grabbed him and pulled him up, and seconds later Gold was able to breathe freely as his head broke through the surface.

“Naw Croc.” Gold coughed and splattered, clutching onto his bag tightly as Croconaw pulled him towards a nearby beach.

“Thank…. You….” Gold panted, and Croconaw grunted in response. He avoided looking down, not wanting to see his body below the water. It didn’t take long for the strong water type to pull him towards the beach, and soon Gold was being dragged onto the brown sand.

“Where the hell are we?” Gold asked. He looked around: a row of rocks in front of them blocked the Whirl Islands off from the open ocean. More caves and beaches were spread out near them. Behind them was the huge cave entrance, which went pitch black only a few feet in. Gold had no idea what they do, especially as the smashed up boat caught fire due to the pressure on the engine.

“Maybe we should master Surf, see if we can get back to Olivine?” Gold suggested and he turned to see what Croconaw had to say. But his Pokemon wasn’t staring at him: the Big Jaw Pokemon was pointing towards several rocks near the cave entrance. Gold saw what he was signalling and gasped.

Kris was sitting on the rocks, Bayleef right next to her.
Gold’s rival did not look good: her clothes were dirty, wet and torn, her hair was a mess, her face, arms and legs were dirty and Kris just didn’t look right. Bayleef looked both, though her leaf was drooping slightly.

“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?” Gold stuttered, startled to see her here. He had only been pushing thoughts of her out of his mind a few minutes ago, but here Kris was, smirking at him as she played with her hair.

“I should be asking you that.” She replied hoarsely, and slowly got off her rock, walking cautiously forwards. Gold realised how thin she looked: she must not have eaten in ages as Kris was nearly falling over as she walked forwards. Her eyes were bloodshot and had nearly black rings around them.

“What the hell happened to you, you look awful!” Gold said, causing Kris to stop angrily in her tracks. Bayleef was walking forwards as well, also a bit light headed.

“We’ve been spending some time exploring the caves, we haven’t been in a city or town for a couple of days.” Kris said huffily, but Croconaw was clutching his nose and stepping backwards.

“Leaf Bay Bay!” Bayleef snorted and nearly charged forwards.

“Croc Croc!” Croconaw snapped back, his fangs turning icy blue. Kris and Gold pulled their Pokemon back, but there was definitely a tension between the two.

“I don’t think I should have to explain why I’m here, as I doubt you’ll tell me what your up too.” Kris said as she held Bayleef by her long neck. Gold glared angrily at Kris: he was sick of her always getting snippy with him. They may be rivals, and he admittedly found her very annoying, but he wasn’t sure what had got her in a twist.

“Whatever, I really don’t care.” Gold sighed, and lead Croconaw towards the other size of the beach, reaching for his PokeGear to call for help.

“Don’t you want to battle?” Kris shouted, stopping Gold in his tracks. “I think Bayleef is dying to murder your Croconaw, and same with your little blue monster, so why deny them?” Gold turned around, his blue PokeGear clutched in his hands. He really didn’t want to battle Kris right now: she was moody, more annoying than usual and he had more pressing things on his mind. And he just needed a few more hours in order to perfect his team.

“No thanks, I don’t want to have to deal with something that looked like they just woke up from a thousand year slumber.” Gold replied nastily, and Croconaw laughed jeeringly, causing Bayleef to stomp her feet angrily. Gold smirked at Kris’ angry face and turned around, focusing on trying to get signal. He walked forwards a few feet before something hit him on the head.

“Ouch!” Gold snapped and turned back around. A PokeBall rolled along the sand back towards Kris and burst open, the energy turning into Noctowl. The brown bird fluttered above Kris and Bayleef, both of whom were half smirking, half angry.

“It’s not like you to run from a battle.” Kris sneered. “What’s wrong, afraid of getting beaten by a girl?” Croconaw snapped his jaws angrily, but all Gold could do was glare at her. Something seemed to be bothering Kris, and he was interested to see what it was. Had something upset her or disturbed her? Could he use this to help win his third battle in a row?

“I guess a short battle won’t hurt.” Gold replied in a curious tone as he reached for an Ultra Ball.

“Nah-uh, I want a six on six.” Kris announced, and Bayleef, Noctowl and Croconaw gasped. Gold raised an eyebrow, surprised by this. Kris obviously was trying to prove something, or distract herself from something, and he was only to happen to fight back and defeat her yet again.

“A six on six sounds excellent.” Gold agreed with a smile. “Skarmory, come on out!” There was a flash of yellow as the ball rose into the air, and then the metallic bird known as Skarmory formed in the air opposite Noctowl.

“SKARMOOOORRRRRYYYY!” She squeaked, glaring like her trainer at Noctowl.

“Are you ready?” Kris called up. Noctowl stared at the strange flying steel type opposite her, who was know making chomping motions like Croconaw.

“Noctowl Noc!” Noctowl hooted back in response, and glared back at Skarmory.

“Excellent.” Kris said with a smile. “Begin with Take Down!”

“Brave Bird, let’s go!” Gold roared. Noctowl began to glow slighty, while lilac coloured flames engulfed Skarmory as she shot forwards like a harpoon. The two Pokemon raced towards each other, ready for a head on collision, just as thunder sounded overhead, sounding like the gunshot at the start of a race….

Great job!
First up, I want to say that you did a good job. SOme errors, such as you misspelled whether, but overall pretty good. I like the Gold POV--that was pure win!
I'm starting to like Gold even mroe, since I realize his pokemon aren't bonding with him. I mean, it's not like he's mistreating them, so I can't see what's wrong. That's something I'd love to find out!
Kris sure is desperate...anyhow, I hope Gold wins this one, though I know he probably won't.
Great job!

I actually struggled to write Gold's POV, as I don't want to spoil too much of his true side, as that will be revealed more in upcoming stories (namely one titled "Homecoming"). But we will begin to see different sides to Gold over the next few stories, as we will see why his Pokemon don't like him and why he is constantly wanting to battle Kris.

Also, consider this part like half of Part One. It's a bit wall of texty, but it covers what Kris has been up to before we move into the action

Gold was right: Kris was looking for a distraction.

Two weeks ago she had received the worst news possible. Half the reason she had embarked on this quest was because of her father: Kris had wanted to find him, confront him about why he had abandoned them. She had managed to find most of the answers she wanted, with thanks to her aunts the Kimono Sister and Hanoko. With that knowledge in hand, Kris had made huge plans towards finding her father, getting his side of the story.

But than she met her mother.

Persephone Soul ran into her daughter in Olivine City, where she had been called to identify a body as that of Hayden Soul. When she had been told, Kris’ world had shattered. She hadn’t cared for her father for ages: he had been the pig that had destroyed their world. But the fact that her mission was over, one of her main goals had ended, that was what really got to Kris. She would never get the closure she needed, she would never be able to hear why he did it, hear why he abandoned them all. It was all too much for her.

Kris struggled through his funeral service, which took place several days later in Ecruteak City. Persephone had been stunned to find the mother and sisters in law she had never had before, but she quickly bonded with them as they all grieved the loss. Kris listened to people give speeches, share memories, and then the bare coffin was lowered into the ground. Kris didn’t know any of the people at the service, but all of them came up to her, giving her their condolences. Kris didn’t care what these people had to say. She just wanted to be left alone, be given her own time to think and to grieve.

After the service, Hooty flew Kris back to Olivine. Hanoko remained in Ecruteak, needing more time to mourn for the loss of her son. Kris barely spoke to anyone, only mumbling things were asked or when she needed something. She felt rather bad, thinking back, for not talking more with her family, but Kris just couldn’t deal with it at the time.

Upon arriving back in Olivine, Kris decided to keep moving. If she stopped for too long she began to feel guilty and would get close to tears. Kris went on a ferry service towards Cianwood, and she battled non stop during the voyage. Battling allowed her to take her mind off things, and her Pokemon felt bad for her and were willing to help. The ferry went through the Whirl Islands, and Kris was captivated by the huge, wondrous caves, and she wondered what mysteries they had inside.

That was when the Soul Dew shone brightly.

Kris received strange looks when her bag began glowing brilliantly, and Kris had wondered what the cause was for a few moments. But then she remembered the beautiful rock Steven Stone had given her just a day before her world fell apart. It hadn’t glowed for days, but Kris remembered how the mysterious Pokemon had sped towards the Whirl Islands when she had seen it from the Glitter Lighthouse. Kris had been looking for something bigger to distract her attention, and this had to be it. Without a second thought, Kris jumped over the side. People gasped as she disappeared under the water, but than Kris rose up again a few moments later, standing on top of her Miltank for balance and support.

The boat stopped, with crew intending to go after her, but Kris and Miltank sailed onto the island they were on now. Kris wordlessly brought Miltank back and went to move forwards when she froze: how could she have ignored her Pokemon like this? Was she that determined for a distraction about her father’s death that she would ignore some of her closest friends?

As Kris stood there, wondering what had become of her, that was when it truly hit her: she had lost a parent. She had lost the father she had never gotten a chance to properly know, and now she never would. Kris collapsed onto her knees at this point, and for the first time in two weeks she cried. She couldn’t hold her emotions back anymore and she refused to hold them in. She just lay there for most of the night, crying, and ironically was unable to think of a single thing.

For several days all Kris could do was cry, and she would lie on the beach, crying and trying not to think about bad things. She released her Pokemon, hoping for the comfort, and was glad that they all felt sorry for her and grieved along with her. Kris lay in the same spot, nothing even moving indoors when the storm that had struck her and Leaf’s battle moved over them, bringing rain and wind with it.
After nearly a week of grieving, Kris finally moved again. She had been slowly drinking water, but she and her Pokemon needed to eat. She brought out Pokemon food for them, and some small snacks she had with her, and began to eat again. Kris felt all cried out, but she knew that it could come back again at any second. She needed to get back into the swing of things, she needed to get back into her normal life. The funeral and her grief had consumed too much of herself, and Kris wanted to go back to her normal life.

That was why she was desperate to battle Gold.

After several days of training amongst themselves, Kris was looking for some human companionship in order to help her get back on track. She was still feeling reasonably depressed, and needed something to encourage her to go to Cianwood. Kris had just been talking to Bayleef about it only moments before Gold crashed his boat.

“We need to find someone to battle, as I can’t just have you guys battling each other non-stop.” Kris explained as she nibbled away at a bread roll she had left. Bayleef simply nodded, too tired and weak to do much. Kris knew morale was slow right now, but one powerful win could cheer them all up. And, despite the fact Kris deeply loathed Gold, he provided a sense of familiarity, and their constant battles allowed for it to be routine.

Kris was determined to defeat Gold: she needed to get her life on track, she wanted to get over her father, but most of all, she just loved showing him up.


The battle will continue from the sound of thunder in the next part

Hey, I've just finished reading the first four chapters.

I think that your take on Kris is interesting and certainly kept me hooked, even though I hate Kris... Gold sounded just as I perceive him in the games.

The characters in your story seem to be all developed pretty nicely, and my only complaint is that all Kris's Pokémon have almost the same personality, which I guess is natural since Pokémon take in their trainer's personality, but I think they need more diversity.

The battles are well done, and the dynamic of their rivalry is great.

I also love the banners, if that matters.

This is all weird to me considering Johto is my least favourite region, even though I like many of Gen II Pokémon, I just didn't like the characters and the region as much as I liked other regions. Yet, you managed to hook me to the story.

I can't wait to read more as soon as I have the time.

Thanks for reading :D I'm surprised Gold is percieved as being close to the games, as I try hard not to make my characters like their game counterparts (e.g. giving Leaf a can of mace, throwing the cancer story into Kris' family, making Gold into a rich snob)

I want to focus on development of the characters, so I did decide their Pokemon would reflect their trainers: Kris' Pokemon are more senstive and bond better, while Gold's Pokemon focus primarily on winning and don't work as well together as much (we delve more into the dynamics of Gold, his Pokemon's relationships with each other and him during the forementioned Homecoming story)

I'm glad people like the banners, I'm sure Blazaking will be happy :D

Now, time for the battle to continue!

Kris, Gold, Bayleef and Croconaw shielded their eyes as the two flying types collided, creating an explosion of lilac fire. Noctowl and Skarmory were sent rolling through the air, in pain both from the collision and the recoil effects of their moves. Drops of rain had begun to fall after the thunder had sounded, and it looked like Kris was going to have another stormy battle.

“I want you to use Spikes Skarmory!” Gold shouted. Kris cursed under her breath: Spikes would damage her Pokemon each time they came out onto the field. Skarmory tucked her wings in, readying to spin on the spot, and Noctowl and Bayleef looked nervously at Kris. Her mind was moving quickly, trying to think of a solution. That was when she thought of Leaf. The famous trainer had taught Kris a valuable lesson: don’t be afraid to be creative with your moves. The powerful battle the two girls had had showed Kris to be more aggressive, more confident in battles, and to use the right moves in the right situations. Stopping the opponents move was important as well, and using moves in different fashions helped.

“I’ve got it!” Kris exclaimed, just as Skarmory began spinning around. “Noctowl use Air Slash, but smash it into the ground!” Gold looked confused, and even Noctowl had difficulty understanding the attack, but she dived down in circles. Wind gathered around her wings as she raced the Spikes to the sound.

“NOOOCT!” She wailed, and smashed her wings into the ground. The Air Slash exploded: Gold and Skarmory were left in shock as a huge cloud of sand blasted the Spikes backwards. The huge fist of earthy particles whacked into Skarmory, sending her flying backwards.

“Brilliant, now use the sand to hide yourself as you Sky Attack!” Kris shouted, remembering how Noctowl had hidden in the ocean during her battle with Kris.

“Interesting tactics, good to see you’ve worked on your style.” Gold snapped sarcastically, and Kris giggled softly. Skarmory had crashed backwards into the cave roof, and the cloud of sand still hadn’t landed.

“Steel Wing!” Gold shouted reluctantly. Skarmory nodded, already weak, and tried to fly forwards with glowing silver wings. However, with the cloud of sand still shrouding Noctowl, it was impossible for her to attack.

“Skaaaar.” She snarled, trying to stare through what looked like brown mist.

“Steel Wing again!” Gold shouted. Skarmory nodded, and as she began to soar down, the wind whistling around her managed to blow what remained of the sand away. However, Noctowl was nowhere to be seen. Skarmory froze in mid air, and Gold and Croconaw tried to see where she had gone.

“NOW!” Kris yelled triumphantly. More sand was sent flying as Noctowl rose out of the ground, glowing a brilliant white as energy swirled around her. “SPIN!” Kris bellowed. Noctowl followed the added order and began twirling around. The energy swirled and expanded, making Noctowl look like an angel.

“SKAAAAAR!” Skarmory shouted viciously and went faster, desperate to attack Noctowl with her outstretched, glowing silver wings. Kris and Gold watched in anticipation as the two Pokemon got closer, and it looked for a moment like there would be another collision. However, at the last moment, Noctowl used the fact she was spinning to tuck her wings in, causing Skarmory to fly over top. She then let her wings out again, smashing into Skarmory and causing a white explosion of wind. Everyone shielded their eyes from sand, but there was no mistaking a loud metallic clunk. They all slowly opened their eyes, and no one was surprised to see Skarmory had landed, unconscious, onto one of the rocks.

“How…. So quickly…. What sort of move was that?” Gold said, mumbling as he connected his random words together.

“I’ve been working on using different varieties of moves in order to counter attacks as well.” Kris explained. Gold just nodded and grumpily brought Skarmory back: despite all of his brutal training, his Pokemon weren’t strong enough yet.

“Alright then, let’s see how you like roasted Noctowl!” Gold snarled. “Houndour, out you come!” There was another flash of light, and within seconds the fiery dark type that was Houndour stood on the rock where Skarmory had landed. He bared his teeth and looked wickedly up at Noctowl, who still looked strong and happy. Kris cursed at his arrival: Zen Headbutt wouldn’t be able to hit now, and Gold had probably thought of a way to counter her flying attacks.

“Noctowl return!” Kris cried, and the bird suddenly disappeared. Bayleef took a nervous step backwards, not wishing to go anywhere near the dog. “Don’t worry Bayleef, I’m saving you up. I know just who to send out now!” Kris swapped Noctowl’s PokeBall for an Ultra Ball, and threw it towards the choppy ocean. It was getting colder and the rain was slowly picking up, but no one cared: they were all focused on the battle. The Ultra Ball opened up, the energy swirling out beneath the ocean’s surface. Gold, Croconaw and Houndour all stared quizzically towards the water, and were surprised as a tiny blue Pokemon bobbed up onto the waves.

“Horsea Horsea!” The little Pokemon said happily. She had a long nose, a pale yellow underbelly with matching fairy-like wings, and a curled tail that was hidden below the water.

“I caught Horsea on the ferry over here.” Kris explained, and Gold just nodded.

“Dour Houn Houndour!” Houndour growled, taking a nervous step backwards. Gold knew how his demonic dog felt, and he grabbed onto his PokeBall.

“Houndour, you can go back to resting.” The teenage boy said. “Croconaw, take his place.”

“Naw Croc Croc!” Croconaw said happily, and he rushed forwards towards the water as Houndour disappeared back inside his PokeBall. Horsea moved away as Croconaw dived bombed into the water, causing more waves and making Horsea squeal with discomfort.

“Bay Bay!” Bayleef huffed, and she looked ready to attack Croconaw herself. Kris put an arm out, stopping her from moving, and bent down near to the water’s edge.

“Horsea, I know this is your first major battle, but I know you can do it!” She said, and Horsea smiled widely. “Good, now try a Dive!”

“Horsea Horse!” The Dragon Pokemon said, and turned light blue before seemingly melting into the ocean. Croconaw snapped his teeth angrily, trying to see where Horsea had gone.

“We can’t do anything yet, so just wait and then use Ice Fang!” Gold instructed. Croconaw nodded, and he just floated there, staring at the water. As they all waited impatiently (Bayleef began pawing at the ground), the rain suddenly picked up. Kris looked at the grey clouds and smiled, while Gold simply muttered about his clothes being ruined.

“NAAW!” Suddenly, Croconaw was blasted backwards, the force of Horsea’s Dive hitting him right in the stomach. The Big Jaw Pokemon opened his mouth, ready to chomp down with icy fangs, but Horsea sped backwards at alarming speeds. Gold was shocked, but than he noticed that patches of Horsea glowed blue each time she was hit by rain.
“Her ability is Swift Swim, isn’t it?” He sighed.

“Right on the money.” Kris said with a smirk, and Bayleef and Horsea chuckled as well. “Now use BubbleBeam!” Horsea nodded and she began to fire the see-through bubbles straight towards Croconaw. She sped around with each bombardment of them, aiming for Croconaw’s eyes and stomach. Gold was getting annoyed: Croconaw’s ability had no effect right now, and it certainly wouldn’t stop Horsea.

“Try another Ice Fang.” He reluctantly instructed. Croconaw opened his mouth again and chomped down, but Horsea had already sped away back to her end. Gold cursed and kicked the ground, sending sand shooting up. He had no idea how to outsmart her speed, and Kris was beginning to look smug, clearly enjoying his suffering.

“Aurora Beam this time.” She ordered next, and Horsea quickly formed a rainbow coloured ball in her mouth. Croconaw looked scared, but Gold suddenly burst into a grin.

“SURF!” He yelled. Croconaw nodded and smashed his tail on the water, causing a wave to suddenly and spectacularly rise out of the ocean. Horsea looked scared, but nonetheless she fired the icy beam. The growing wave began to glow as the Aurora Beam spread out across the surface, and slowly it began to freeze until Croconaw was perching on top of a large, frozen wave.

“Excellent!” Gold boomed. “Push the wave over Croconaw and use Thrash!”

“Blast him back with another Aurora Beam!” Kris shrieked, wondering what Gold was planning. Horsea was poised, ready to fire, as Croconaw smashed his big tail onto the surface of the frozen wave. The whole thing began to tilt dramatically and quickly, soon toppling over like a stack of cards.

“Sea Horse!” Horsea gasped and tried to move, hoping to use the rain, but the frozen wave was too much and landed on top of her.

“Croconaw Croc!” Croconaw snapped quickly, and his eyes suddenly glowed red like rubies. His claws turned red as well, and Croconaw smashed through the ice quickly and brutally. The frozen wave began to crack and the water type slipped through: Horsea had no idea what was coming and was suddenly being bombarded with punches and kicks.

“I can’t believe you allowed Horsea to freeze my wave, genius!” Gold sneered. “She won’t be able to escape Thrash now!” Kris stared back angrily at Gold, annoyed that Swift Swim had failed to gravity and stormy oceans.

“Try another Dive to escape!” Kris cried desperately. From beneath the cracking ice Horsea nodded, and she began to glow blue again. But Croconaw was smiling deviously, and his vicious Thrash was enough to send Horsea flying.

“HOOOOORSEEEEAAA!” She wailed, soaring through the air as if she was only a bit of paper. Kris screamed and ran forwards, catching Horsea before she hit the sand. But it was too late: she had already fainted. Croconaw poked his head out through the ice, smiling goofily and his eyes unfocused, causing Gold to curse once again: they had taken down Horsea, but the confusion effect of Thrash had ruined Croconaw.

“That was a good first effort.” Kris whispered, and she brought Horsea back inside her Ultra Ball.

“Looks like she needs to have some more training, like half of your Pokemon, I suspect.” Gold chuckled, and Croconaw laughed overly loudly and smashed his fists against the jagged ice.

“Looks like you need to SHUT UP, like half of your family, I suspect.” Kris said coldly, and Gold was taken aback by this very personal remark. The two foes stared at each other through the rain, ignoring the thunder and lighting sounding and flashing overhead. They both had one Pokemon down, but both of them were ready for the next rounds and whatever came their way: nothing was going to stop them.