Gardevoir drove her feet down through the surface of the ice and anchored herself.
Her fist came around, and light flickered across it in three separate types.
An instant later, Cyndaquil was airborne.
From up on her platform, Minori's line of sight was above the smoke. She saw all of it.
Bullet Punch? You can hit like that with it? She could hardly believe it.
She'd never seen anyone do it.
The smoke cleared, and Gardevoir was standing in front of Akiyama again.
She turned her head and gave him a look of pure self-satisfaction.
Then something on her arm hurt, and she looked down to find the Flame Wheel's fire still burning there.
Burned.
"Keep going—you've got this!" Akiyama had caught the flicker too, and cheered her on.
The progress bar dropped to 1.
As the power boost took hold, the burn began to fade. Another minute and it would be gone.
The referee's flag went up again.
"Cyndaquil is unable to battle! The winner is Gardevoir!"
"You know, you've genuinely surprised me." Minori ran her tongue over her lip and recalled Cyndaquil.
The Sunny Day thinned a little.
"Out you come, Rapidash." She tossed the ball, and the band across her chest took on a whole new burden.
A magnificent horse wreathed in fire appeared on the field.
He scraped a forehoof against the ice as if it were pasture grass.
"Run. Don't let Gardevoir touch you."
At Minori's word, Rapidash began circling her, and every lap came faster.
"That's not possible. It's solid ice—why isn't he slipping?" Akiyama's frown deepened.
"Beat me and I'll tell you." Minori winked at him.
"Then I guess I have to." Akiyama's hand came up.
"Gardevoir, Shadow Sneak! Spread it out."
Gardevoir's shadow stretched—not in one direction, but outward across the whole floor.
It caught Rapidash by the legs.
He stumbled to a halt, and flames burst off his body as he tore free.
He turned to run and froze in place instead.
Disable.
Gardevoir's eyes shone.
Rapidash could move exactly one eyeball.
She walked toward him one step at a time, and just as he was about to break loose, she raised her fist.
"Rapidash, Bide!" Minori called.
"Not that garbage move again. Gardevoir—put him away!"
Something about that move set Akiyama's teeth on edge on reflex.
Gardevoir's eyes went razor-sharp, and her fists came faster than ever.
After the storm of blows, she put everything she had into the last one.
Thunder Punch.
Crack.
Right between the eyes.
A pale black glow flashed over Rapidash.
He was still enduring.
"Focus Blast! Send him out!" Akiyama's arm swept across.
Minori's expression changed, and she opened her mouth—
Boom.
The Focus Blast detonated, and Rapidash flew backward covered in damage.
He never got the chance to cash in on Endure.
The last of the progress bar hit zero.
Gardevoir grew stronger, and some of her stamina came back.
That's it?
Akiyama frowned. He'd assumed the bar was more than that. But nothing else happened.
He let it go as the referee's voice rang out.
"Rapidash is unable to battle! The winner is Gardevoir!"
The Drought sun overhead winked out.
"Come back, Rapidash."
"You're up, Ninetales."
The Ninetales who'd set the weather and immediately left came right back.
"Sunny Day!"
A new sun bloomed.
"Come back, Ninetales."
And Ninetales bailed again.
The field kept Gardevoir from moving well enough to punish it, so all she could do was watch Ninetales come and go.
Then Minori threw out the last Fire-type she hadn't used.
"Flare!"
An Eevee with a mane of yellow fur landed on the ice.
"A Flareon." Akiyama knew Flareon well.
The Eevee family was extremely popular in the Miki household.
"Flare Blitz!" Minori shouted.
The band across her chest jumped with the motion.
It looked like it was going to give.
Nikozo, in the stands, could not entirely stop his eyes from going where they went.
He'd seen everything the world had to offer.
He had never seen that.
Flareon came in wrapped head to tail in fire, faster and stronger under the Drought.
"You can't dodge it—Protect."
Gardevoir spread her hands, and a transparent barrier snapped up.
Flare Blitz slammed into it and burned itself out against the shield.
"Zen Headbutt."
"Fire Blast."
The two commands came almost simultaneously.
Gardevoir came out well behind on that exchange. The Fire Blast drove her back several steps and left her arms tingling.
"Perfect—Overheat!"
Flareon dumped every degree of heat in its body, and the world in front of Gardevoir became a sea of fire.
She'd already used Protect once. A second use would take longer.
There wasn't time.
White light flashed over her.
Endure.
The fire tore itself apart around her, and Gardevoir was still standing.
"Shadow Sneak!"
There was no time to feel bad about it. Akiyama called it out immediately.
Black shadow swept out. Flareon, drained of every bit of its heat, had lost a huge chunk of Special Attack and gone stiff besides.
Shadow Sneak landed clean.
Flareon flinched, and deep inside it, the fire began to build again.
"Flareon, Rest."
Flareon dropped flat onto the ice and started snoring, its injuries visibly knitting shut.
"Gardevoir, come rest. Gengar, you're in."
Gardevoir didn't try to tough it out. She came off the field and went soft in Akiyama's arms.
"You did great." He rubbed her head.
She shook it.
"Gengar, Dream Eater."
Gengar looked at the sleeping Flareon and laughed out loud.
Black mist poured out of him and crawled over the Fire-type.
Once wasn't enough. There was a second helping.
By the time Flareon shakily opened its eyes, Gengar was right in front of its face.
Their eyes met.
Hypnosis.
Flareon's eyelids sank, and it went right back under.
It didn't wake up again.
"Flareon is unable to battle! The winner is Gengar!"
"Sorry about that, little guy." Minori recalled it and apologized to the ball.
Up in the stands, the sight of Gengar sent Nikozo straight back to the ferry, and the memory of that same Gengar battling for an entire day without stopping.
Gengar, meanwhile, scratched his head and looked back at Akiyama, confused.
Apparently asking why he hadn't gotten any stronger.
Minori didn't give him time to dwell on it. Ninetales came back out.
The Drought had thinned to almost nothing, but it wasn't gone.
Because of what Gengar's body was, the field's disadvantage disappeared entirely.
Now the fight was fair.
Ninetales dropped onto all fours, and her eyes on Gengar went hard.
"Imprison," Minori said quietly.
Akiyama's stomach dropped.
Not good.
Under Gengar's startled stare, a purple chain looped around both him and Ninetales.
Then it vanished.
Gengar opened his palm, puzzled, and tried to form a Shadow Ball.
Nothing happened.
Panic crossed his face and he turned to Akiyama.
Ninetales could learn a lot of moves from teaching machines. Plenty of them overlapped with Gengar's.
Including the one he was best at.
Without Shadow Ball, half his combat power was gone.
"Come back, Gengar."
Akiyama had no choice.
"Kadabra, you're up."
Kadabra appeared on the field with the ring on his hand, took one look around, and understood the situation.
~~
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