Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoy. If you REALLY like it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.
I'm pretty happy with this chapter, even if it is another one with nothing but combat. It's also the second-to-last one in Cerulean, and thank fuck for that. Spend 10 chapters here, somehow. Damn you, Walter.
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I wasted no time when I heard Daisy's signal. I needed every advantage if I wanted to secure a win.
"Keep your distance! Hang back and snipe it!"
Walter guffawed at my strategy. "That's how ya want to do this? If ya're sure! Match them!"
Siren was already on the move before I finished speaking. We hadn't known what Pokémon we would be facing, but the general tactic remained the same. Almost all of Walter's Pokémon had a physical advantage, so it was crucial to stay at range.
A Water Gun shot out of the pool with a spray, Siren barely peaking her head through the surface before attacking. The pressurized stream clashed with a return Water Gun from Azumarill. For a moment, the two attacks clashed in a watery beam struggle. Still, Azumarill overpowered Siren's attack, breaking it into droplets that scattered as the gush flew towards my Feebas. Fortunately, she was long gone by the time it arrived.
That pattern repeated for a while, with Siren darting around the arena, hardly slowing down to fire her attacks. While Azumarill could easily destroy Siren's jets, it was gratifying to know that she could hold her own for at least a moment.
That small victory was significant. The plan depended on it. Her opponent was always going to be stronger, but if she could be competitive enough, she might escape before taking a hit and strike from another angle. Attacking from below the water cost precious power, but surfacing first would give Azumarill too much warning.
We were never going to win the first round.
Instead, we would do everything to set up for the next ones.
Azumarill growled cutely as he missed another Water Gun, stomping his foot in frustration. As another splash rang out from behind, he opened his mouth wide, taking in a deep breath, his chest expanding further than seemed logical, almost inflating like a balloon. He sidestepped the latest Water Gun, closing his eyes, and snapped them open when he heard the noise again, swinging around with a monstrous exhale.
"SWITCH!"
A billowing cloud of sparkling white and blue exploded from Azumarill, the Icy Wind covering a good 50 feet in a conical shape. The water froze upon impact, and the choppy waves gleamed with frost, turning to ice mid-move. A glacial sheet drifted backwards due to momentum, with icicles raining from the air as vapor and drops flash-froze instantly.
This included four baseball-sized chunks of spherical ice that broke through the other side of the Icy Wind, heading straight for Azumarill.
Eyes widening, Azumarill pulled off a Neo-worthy dodge, bending back faster than anything he had demonstrated until then. To his credit, he avoided the first chunk of frozen water, letting it scrape across his belly. However, the second and third pieces hit him in the stomach and abdomen, causing him to straighten up from the impact and smack his forehead into the fourth chunk, shattering it immediately.
I suppressed my victory cheers as the secret part Fairy-Type stumbled back a couple of steps, almost tripping over the edge of the platform while he shook off the dizziness. It wasn't anything serious – just some blood trickling down from his forehead – but we had landed the first clean hit.
Well, somewhat at least, I thought, watching as Siren used her new ability to heat her water moves to slowly melt the ice that had trapped her. It hadn't done any real damage, thankfully, and as I watched her shake off the cold and circle steadily, she didn't seem particularly exhausted, either.
That was the benefit of all those hours spent spamming attacks without having to levitate. Water Ember wasn't great yet, but it was better than Water Gun for that.
"HA! That was good, lad! Ya lured him into a sense of security and took advantage of it. Not bad, not bad at all!" Walter grinned wider than I'd ever seen him do, which made me tense. I doubted he would go easy on me.
I was right.
"Seems I'll have to step in. Azumarill, enough of this game. Range isn't our thing anyway. Get in the water and hunt her down."
Despite knowing it was coming, it still fucking sucked when Azumarill smirked and dove into the pool. It felt like the beginning of the end.
But maybe we could get one more hit in on the way out.
"Siren, stay away from it! Escape plan A!"
"Hoh!?" Walter beamed again. Battling really brought the old guy to life. "Ya've got numbered plans!? Come on, show us what ya've got!"
Water erupted from the pool, the surface churning and undulating as the two Water-Types sped through the liquid, barely more than dark shapes with streaks behind them. Both Walter and I watched from above, unable to contribute much. Any orders would slow our Pokémon down enough for the other to catch up or escape. Perhaps Azumarill had the experience to split its efforts like that, yet it was struggling to keep up as it was. He was clearly stronger and better trained than Siren, but her practice with levitation and sheer body shape made her a missile in the water. Based on our battle and Walter's words, Azumarill was a close-quarters specialist, likely with Huge Power as its ability.
It wasn't trained for high-speed underwater chases. Neither was Siren, to be fair, but what she did know translated a lot better.
Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one to notice.
"Turn it up a notch! Aqua Jet!"
I gritted my teeth; it wasn't unexpected. I had seen Azumarill use it before. It just really sucked.
It was hard to make out with the way the imagery blurred through the liquid, but I think I saw water being pulled in tightly around Azumarill as he slowed down for a moment, swirling around aggressively. Then, it exploded out from his feet, a geyser of water erupting above as he shot forward, cavitation bubbles forming and collapsing behind him. Where before he had been 15-20% slower than Siren, he was now easily the same amount faster, quickly erasing the extra lead she had gotten and closing in even more.
"Siren, evade!"
I wasn't sure if she could hear me or just had the same idea, but she started dodging around to the best of her abilities, swerving left, right, up, and down to try and shake her tail – to no avail. Azumarill stayed locked onto her like he was heat-seeking, taking wider turns due to his speed, but never losing ground. Closing in quickly, there were soon only 10 feet between them. Both Pokémon had their eyes narrowed to near slits, wholly focused on going faster as they got closer and closer to the walls.
Or, at least Azumarill was; Siren's cheeks were bloating.
"Siren, now!"
My heart leapt into my throat when she didn't respond for over a second – her time was running out incredibly quickly. Yet, with Azumarill three feet behind her and the edge of the pool five feet in front, she turned her face downwards and unleashed one of the strongest Water Guns I had ever seen from her. Using the Jet, the Feebas added a lot of upward force to her momentum, sending her tumbling head-over-tail through the water before hitting the upper part of the enclosure.
Azumarill, on the other hand, didn't have time to react before he swam headfirst straight into the wall at incredible speed.
SPLUSH!
A waterfall shot upwards, almost as high as Siren herself, as Azumarill slammed into the wall, creating a large indent and spiderweb-like cracks that marred the surface. The turbulence obscured the precise events, but there was no doubt that we had him.
"YES! THAT'S IT, PRINCESS!" I screamed up at Siren while she shook off the impact and gazed down at the cloud of debris and foam.
That was the fulcrum of the 'plan' I had developed. Use the fact that Walter Waterflower, veteran and Water-Type Master, wasn't going to take us very seriously to get in as many low blows and cheap shots as possible before he started actually trying.
"OOOOOH, THE FEINT! NICE, LAD, NICE!"
I swore Walter was happier for Siren than I was.
"But ya've got to think about the follow-through!"
My eyes widened as a shadow darted out of the obscurity towards Siren. The Feebas didn't have the benefit of seeing it. One second, she was scanning for any movement.
Next, a shining white fist hit her in the torso. Bubbles leaked out of her mouth as it gaped open wide, her lungs emptying while her chest and bones compressed.
Then she was off, launched upwards at terrifying speed, breaking through the surface and continuing up so swiftly that water still clung to her form when gravity finally took hold and slowed her to a stop near the ceiling.
"SIREN!"
Even if she had been capable of speech, she wouldn't have said anything, her mouth still gasping breathlessly as she tumbled down.
"Mega Punch again."
A low boom rang out as another figure emerged from the pool, Azumarill rising amidst the flood of water he pulled with him. As he moved closer, his right hand drew back and began glowing with Normal-Type energy once more. Regaining just enough of her senses to see what was about to happen, Siren gathered as much power as she could and unleashed her best attempt at a Scald, propelling herself upward with the force.
With a cry, Azumarill launched his Mega Punch, striking the steaming surge. The Normal-Type attack sliced through the near-boiling liquid like a knife through butter, sending Azumarill soaring upwards like a Magikarp in a waterfall. Popping out right beside her as the imitation Scald faded, he swung the Mega Punch straight into Siren's ribs.
CLAP!
I barely caught a glimpse of the blur as my Pokémon shot past me, bounced off the tiled floor hard enough to crack it, and smashed into the wall behind me. Turning around, I stared in disbelief as Siren slowly peeled herself off the crater and dropped to the floor with blank eyes.
She was unconscious.
Two moves. Two fucking hits. That was all it took. Technically, the first one was more of a setup than anything.
"That was impressive! 'Plan A,' I'm guessing, using our own power against us!" Walter clapped, while my eye twitched. He actually sounded genuine. "Ya've prepared well! First the ice thing, now this. But this isn't first blood; the fight doesn't end when someone lands a blow. Ya either hit them again immediately, or ya get ready for a response! There'll be time enough for praise and celebration after the fight."
"Do you have to be so fucking condescending?" I mumbled under my breath, recalling Siren's limp form and clutching her PokéBall tightly when it didn't even shake. She was completely out cold.
"I'm being serious!"
"That makes it worse," I said, turning back around to look at him.
"Yeah, I know." He shrugged unrepentantly as Azumarill finally landed. The Water/Fairy-Type was panting a fair amount, one eye blinking rapidly from the drops of blood leaking from a small cut caused by the frozen Water Bullet and a larger wound above it from smashing into the wall. "As I said, yar last meeting wasn't Azumarill's finest. Poison-types affect his line for some reason; don't ask me why."
Because he's a Fairy-Type, but he didn't know that.
As the chunky, rabbit-like Pokémon looked at me with both annoyance and a hint of respect, I noticed that he had covered his right hand, the Mega Punch hand, with a layer of ice.
Did he get burned?
Siren had definitely left her mark, more than I had expected, but I felt that Azumarill was going to try harder from then on.
Our grace period of being underestimated was over. At least in terms of smarts.
"Feebas is unable to battle and has been withdrawn! The score is one-zero in favor of the Gym Leader! However, the referee would like to remind the TEMPORARY Gym Leader to watch his strength and not use inappropriate force!" Daisy announced from the sidelines, all three sisters glaring at their grand-uncle, who simply ignored them.
"Sooo, who's going to be next!?" Walter asked impatiently, practically bouncing with anticipation. I hadn't seen him during the cabin battle, but it was truly a sight to see the change he underwent during the battle.
I understood; my blood was boiling as well, and seeing Azumarill's blood was a little more exciting than it should have been.
Still, good question. Who would be next?
It didn't take long for me to make a choice, and Walter raised an eyebrow at my decision.
"Ya better not start underestimating us just because yar fish put on a better show than expected," he said as Betty materialized with a loud screech on one of the larger platforms.
"Don't worry, we're not," I reassured him, sending a smirk across the watery battlefield. "It's okay if you're scared, though. We won't mind if you just hurl Ice moves at us from all the way over there."
"Hahahaha!" Walter tilted his head back and let out a deep belly laugh. "Ya're not that slick, kid; I see right through ya!" I sucked on my teeth while he calmed down. It was worth a shot. "But if that's how ya want to do it, then fuck it. It wouldn't be sporting otherwise." I raised an eyebrow as Azumarill bent his knees and leaped with a grunt, clearing the distance to land on the other side of the 40-foot piece of stone, held up by pontoons and attached to the floor by chains.
Oh? Well, it would be far from me to protest if he wanted to take the bait voluntarily. I had thought about using Sol, as I doubted the battle would be decided in the current round anyway, but I decided against it. Both Betty and Sol were at a disadvantage type-wise, and one could argue that Betty was worse off because of the added Ice moves and immunity to Dragon-Type energy.
Yet, I had faith that she would make it everyone's damn problem before she went down. Siren had matched Azumarill's. Now, I just needed Betty to mirror its power.
"Betty!" I called, waiting for the Dragon-type to look back at me. "Break him." The giant, toothy grin I received in response would normally have worried me, and it still did to some extent, but I had faith that Azumarill could take it.
"Ya heard the lad, Azumarill. We'll have ourselves a slugfest!"
"The second match of the battle is about to begin. Trainers, are you ready?" This time, it was Lily who spoke, the redhead now standing up and actually looking at the fight she was refereeing. Behind her, Daisy and Violet leaned against each other, making hand gestures while their voices drifted too far away to make out.
"Ready." I wasn't going to complain about better oversight, though. While I was sure we'd be fine, no judge is better than a half-assed one, in my opinion. At least then you didn't start relying on unreliable shit.
"Ready!" Walter called out in response, and Azumarill readied himself.
The two Pokémon sized each other up for a moment, a heavy tension blanketing the hall as we waited for someone to make the opening move. Predictably, it was Betty who flinched first. A high-pitched roar erupted from her throat, shards of stone shattering outwards as the nearly 400-pound Dragon-type charged forth with a heavy stomp. Lowering her head for a Headbutt, she barreled straight across the platform toward her opponent.
But it never landed. Betty screeched in pain as a fist buried itself in her ribs, Azumarill stepping aside to dodge the obvious attack. Leaping backward to avoid her snapping jaws, the Water-type landed another blow on Betty's right shoulder.
Despite being only half her size – more likely because of it – that set the tone for how the battle was going to go. Every attack, whether a Bite or a wildly swung Brick Break, was narrowly dodged and brutally punished. Betty hurled herself at her opponent, every limb flailing for a hit, but she was simply outmatched. Azumarill didn't even bother with actual moves, repeatedly hammering his digitless hand into Betty's rough hide, leaving bruises and numbness in its wake.
I tried to help, calling out for more Headbutts and fewer Brick Breaks, but there was only so much I could do while we couldn't land a hit. Pretending to go for another Fighting move, Betty stumbled at the last second and brought her skull crashing down. Once again, her larger size worked against her; the distance she needed to cover was great enough that Azumarill had plenty of time for a vicious uppercut. Stumbling back, Betty swayed like she was drunk for a moment, recovering but visibly dazed.
Soon, my Bagon began to slow down, each swipe and leap coming a little more sluggishly than the last. Her eyes blinked rapidly, and a limp formed on her right side as she favored her left arm. Instead of her usual unrelenting aggression, Betty began shying away from certain attacks, abandoning moves when she could see they wouldn't land early. It tugged at my heartstrings to see my fierce baby actually flinch when a blow whipped past her cheek, a little squeak escaping her involuntarily as she desperately tried to create some distance.
Sensing weakness like a Sharpedo smelling blood in the water, Azumarill pressed his advantage. Instead of just countering, he went on the offensive, following Betty around as she tried to create space. Punches came faster and more confidently, whatever caution Siren had instilled in the aquatic rodent fading as his lead grew. One of Betty's pale molars caught the light as it spun through the air, accompanied by a spray of red liquid as a nasty jab knocked it straight out of the Bagon's lower jaw. Azumarill's white patterned skin became increasingly stained with crimson when he landed a punch in Betty's gut, causing air, spit, and blood to splatter out of her mouth.
Looking across the pool, I saw Walter watching with a smile and crossed arms, wiggling his eyebrows when he caught my gaze. I narrowed my eyes; it was impossible to tell how much the bastard knew. I had to assume he saw right through everything I did and thought it would be more entertaining to keep it to himself. He had barely given any commands, allowing his Pokémon to fight independently.
The same could be said for me, but I didn't have many options. Siren had been underwater, and saying anything while Betty was in the thick of it could distract her or let Azumarill catch on to our strategy.
I just had to have faith.
A weak and desperate Bite was narrowly avoided as Azumarill leaned back, his zigzagging tail lashing out behind one of her ankles, and yoinking. She swung her arms in a frantic attempt to parry the incoming attack while falling forwards. However, her arms were swept aside by Azumarill's right hand, and his left came in for a massive hook aimed at the side of her head-
-exactly as she wanted. Her faux scared expression vanished, replaced with a grin. Adding her weight to the fall, Azumarill had no time to react as the bony protrusion atop Betty's head struck him right in the center of his forehead, almost directly between the two marks Siren had left. Azumarill's brain rattled inside his skull as he collapsed to the floor. Betty proudly perched on top of him, one large foot planted firmly on his chest as blood trickled from her mouth and stained her front. She radiated satisfaction that her ploy had worked.
People underestimated Behemoth's intelligence. Sure, she couldn't solve a puzzle – mostly because she would eat the pieces – but there were few who could figure out how to fuck someone up quite like her.
Noticing her chest expand, I instantly knew what she was about to do and clicked my tongue in disappointment. It felt like a waste of our best opportunity, but there might still be something salvageable.
"STOMP!"
Azumarill had just begun to struggle from his pinned position when the weight on his chest suddenly lifted. If he had been fresh, I imagined he might have successfully sprung back to his feet.
Unfortunately for him, and fortunately for us, Azumarill was growing steadily weaker, even beating Betty's ass. As a result, he was a fraction too slow when the huge, two-toed foot came crashing back down.
STOMP!
Spittle flew from Azumarill's mouth as his lungs were pressed flat. The entire platform jolted with the movement, briefly sinking half a foot beneath the surface before being forced back up by the flotation devices, waves cresting over every side simultaneously.
STOMP!
Blood mixed with spit, Behemoth's leg becoming coated in her prey's fluids, much to her delight. The stomps weren't the actual Normal-Type move, but that didn't matter when something so heavy was stepping on you repeatedly. More water flooded the platform, only to be blown clear by the weak shockwave created with each step.
STOMP!
"Aqua Jet! Get her off!" Walter apparently felt the need to step in, similar to how he had at the end of Siren's bout. The thin layer of liquid quivered, moving sluggishly at Azumarill's command, crawling over his injured form and starting to swirl-
"NOW BETTY! DRAGON BREATH!"
-before instantly turning to steam. The half-formed Aqua Jet evaporated in the face of Betty's wrath. With a howling hiss, a focused cone of greenish-blue flame poured from Betty's mouth and crashed over Azumarill's prone form, spilling out over the rest of the platform in great plumes of smoke. The stone wobbled and wavered under the intense heat, torn and melted apart in equal measure, erased from existence under the sheer power. That was the last I saw of the two as the steam quickly engulfed them, the perpetual glow of the Dragon Breath shining through the smokescreen.
"AZUMARILL! GET OUT!"
A faint movement inside the cloud was followed by a pained roar as something large slid out of the steam, stubby arms barely managing to grasp the edge before she fell over. I called out her name in concern, seeing her chest lift and fall unevenly, the right side covered in a thin layer of frost, as she paused for a moment, swaying and wheezing in a way I didn't like when she finally got up.
The steam drifted upwards, clinging to the overhead windows as moisture fell like light rain. First appearing as a blurry shadow, Azumarill then became more distinct, struggling to get to his feet. One hand pressed to his chest, he took slow, shallow breaths, accompanied by a rasp similar to Betty's as broken ribs pressed against his lungs. His blue skin had a strange wrinkled texture, with a light pink hue shining through as the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon grimaced with every slight movement. Once the Water/Fairy-type rose from his kneeling position, I saw water pushing its way through a small hole at the bottom of the eight-foot-wide, half-melted crater.
Azumarill might have escaped the damage from the Dragon-type energy itself, but much like Siren's Scald, he could do nothing against the heat.
There is a difference between being resistant to fire and being boiled alive. I hadn't thought about that difference before, but after Siren had used it, it seemed like a clever use of Dragon Breath, especially since Betty had started preparing it before I could stop her.
"That was a beaut of a Dragon Breath! It's a shame, though. Ya wouldn't know this: Azumarill are extremely resistant to Dragon energy. Don't know why, but it's a thing," Walter said. Despite his lesson, he looked relieved to see Azumarill – well, not fine, but not actively dying either.
I did, in fact, know that. In reality, I probably knew more about it than Walter did.
But Betty didn't. Well, she did now, after Walter said it, but I hadn't told her. I hadn't expected to face a Fairy-Type as strong as Azumarill yet and hadn't figured out a way of subliminally letting Betty know to avoid Dragon Breath.
Thoughts for later, though. First, we had to finish the battle.
"Ya know, I've gotta thank ya for this battle," Walter began. "I never knew Azumarill was this dumb. He keeps falling for it every time. Gets it from his dad, I guess." The aforementioned Pokémon tried to spin around to look at Walter, but hissed as he pulled on his burns. Instead, he flipped his arm behind him in what I presumed was an offensive gesture.
I took the brief interlude to examine Betty, biting my lip as I did so. The Ice move I suspected was an Ice Punch had cracked a couple of her right-side ribs, if not broken them, and she still had a limp on the same side. Her left shoulder was bruised, and most of her lower face was covered in blood, with a dazed expression in her gaze as her eyes lost and regained focus.
Yet, I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her as excited. A deep, primal joy surged through her despite the concussion, and even as crimson life dripped down her lips, she kept grinning wildly.
Sometimes I forgot that this was where Betty thrived. Her happy place was amidst blood and carnage, both her own and her prey's.
"Betty," I called out, noticing her twitch but refusing to look away from the staring match with Azumarill. "I'm not going to recall you. Not yet." I wanted to, very much so. Well, I wanted to jump in myself and show Azumarill what happened when you messed with my team. But I often kept her from fighting. It would be wrong to take this from her now. "But you only have a couple more hits in you before I do. Make them count." I wouldn't let her continue fighting until she lost consciousness. I was confident that wouldn't happen before she was near death, but I believed she could handle a few more blows.
Perhaps better than Azumarill could, based on the way Betty moved in first, advancing closer to the center of the platform and her enemy.
"Alright then. No more holding back, Azumarill! Ice and Mega Punches, take it out!" I wondered if Walter had always been prepared to get serious once Azumarill took enough damage or if he'd been overconfident, not anticipating that it would come to this. Though he said he'd mostly just be observing rather than giving orders, things might not have gone quite as he expected.
I hoped so.
It didn't matter. We were going to win this battle. There was no other outcome I could accept.
"Uh, guys? Maybe that's enough?" I vaguely noticed that Lily's voice was faint, but paid it no mind. I was completely focused.
"It's concussed and weak on the left side! Headbutt!"
"Come on, Azumarill, are ya really going to go down to just two!? What would yar father say!?"
That was all the incentive the Pokémon needed to rush back in, his squeaky cry matching Betty's. They met in the middle of the worn platform, standing ankle-deep in water. Betty lowered her calcium head-plate, while Azumarill mirrored her stance, his right arm glowing with Normal-Type energy, a Mega Punch flickering with exhaustion. Their attacks collided in the center of the field, creating a blast wave that erupted from the impact, sending water splashing to the sides and leaving a clear moment before more rushed in.
Betty suffered the worst from the exchange; Azumarill's strength was still greater despite his injuries. The Bagon slid backwards from the force but managed to keep her balance enough to react to her opponent's ensuing charge. Azumarill blocked her head smash with his arms, only to cry out when Betty used her close position to open her enormous maw and bite down on his forearm. I worried she might actually bite it off, given the size difference, but thankfully, she twisted her neck and body to lift Azumarill off the ground and swing him overhead.
He crashed down onto the stone floor in a spray of water. Proving once again why he was mowing through my team, even with my trickery, the Water-Type barely stopped moving before lunging out with his other hand to grab Betty's leg, pulling it out from under her and forcing her to release him from her jaws. With them both on their backs, Azumarill quickly rolled over onto the much larger reptile.
Their roles reversed, it was now Azumarill's turn to hammer an ice-covered fist down into Betty's chest with a resounding clap!
THUD!
My Dragon-Type folded almost in half, her whole body shaking. It was the second super-effective attack she had endured, on top of Azumarill's monstrous punches.
Most Pokémon would have been down a long time ago.
But Betty wasn't most Pokémon. Even as Azumarill pulled back for a second, she forced herself back up; his light weight was not enough to hold her down or prevent her from smashing her forehead against his once more. Unfortunately, that was all she had left. She fell back again, unable to capitalize on the small window before Azumarill recovered and pounded another Ice Punch down towards her-
-hitting nothing but rock as the Ice-Type energy exploded outwards, leaving the slightly submerged platform halfway covered in ice. The red beam of her PokéBall recalled my Pokémon. The ball shook slightly but settled much quicker than usual. I knew she would have preferred to battle until she literally couldn't anymore, but I had been quite gracious in how much I allowed her to get beaten, and I guess she was reciprocating by not being as much of a brat as usual.
I was sure it would last for all of 5 fucking hours. Being a Trainer was like being a parent, sometimes.
Panting heavily, Azumarill stayed down on one knee, his fist pressed against the stone. Pushing against the rock, he tried to stand but stumbled and needed to steady himself. It happened again before; finally, Azumarill managed to stay on his feet, bloodied and bruised, chest inflating unevenly, with most of his body covered in burns.
Yet he stood.
A loud whistle from Walter pulled my attention from the impressive fighter.
"Fuck me." Rather than the light condescension he had spoken with throughout the battle or the casual nonchalance I had come to associate with him, the Master genuinely sounded impressed. "When I said ya should be able to handle it, I was mostly lying, to be honest. I thought I'd have to tell Azumarill to tone it down. Yet, ya're not just hanging in there; ya're actually winning!" A new grin formed on his face. Where the earlier one had reflected honest joy at seeing a battle, this one reminded me of Betty's, in a very unsettling way. Competitive.
Hungry.
"Uncle, I really don't think-" Lily tried again, both Daisy and Violet on their feet and looking worried, but she was cut off by Walter's raised hand.
"Silence. If ya can't handle it, then leave. We don't need ya anymore." He didn't even look at her, staring straight across the pool at me. "This is between me and the lad now. We're not stopping until someone can't go anymore, or he says so."
And then, four pairs of blue eyes stared at me. I knew the smart choice. Not only was there little need to put either my Pokémon or Azumarill through further risk, but we also had a Gym battle against Surge coming up soon. It wouldn't be terrible to avoid getting beaten to a pulp.
It would also disappoint the sisters if I didn't stop, and despite our rocky start, the Waterflowers had grown on me.
"Like I'd ever back down from a crusty fuck like you. Take your beating like a man."
Unfortunately, I could barely hear them over the sound of blood rushing in my veins, the rhythm of my heart pounding through my whole body. I was too far from the edge to see my reflection, but I had no doubt it matched Walter's expression.
We weren't done yet.
"That's a good lad," Walter praised, while Azumarill regained some of its energy and stood straight, ready to continue. "I doubt we can win this, but I'll do my best from here on out to make it to yar fourth P'mon." If anything, he only smiled wider when Hercules appeared from his PokéBall.
"Prepare yarself."
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I hope this gives a good idea of how both Siren and Betty fights, as well as how they're progressing.
Next time, we'll se if Hercules can close it out, or if Sol needs to step in and mop up.
Thank you for reading. Hopefully you enjoyed. If you REALLY liked it, I have a P-a-t-r-e-o-n, under the same name, where you can read 5 chapters ahead.