Varying Circumstances

Author's Note: No excuses, right to the action! By the way, there's no sex in this chapter, so if you're lookin' for that, you might want to wait 'til next chapter.

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The light streams in through Nicholas' window, beaming onto his face. His bed felt awfully comfortable compared to how it usually felt. Maybe it was because he was so relaxed after the previous night. Letting out all of his frustrations, both physical and sexual, probably helped. Not to mention, Lanai was still tucked warm against his side. There was just one subtle difference that he caught on to that slowly dawned on him. She was awfully.. hairy. He pokes open one eye.. then both.. squinting slightly as the light hits them. His room looks awfully white...

Then it dawns on him all at once, almost dizzying in its rate that his mind comes to grasp what his new reality was. Instead of Lanai, there at his side lays Aisha. Instead of a vine, bamboo and leaf bed, what seems like freshly made white sheets and the kind of bed Nicholas was used to sleeping in. Instead of bamboo walls, white, sterile hospital walls. Had he been in a coma? Aisha continued to sleep as Nicholas hadn't moved much, besides to glance around. He decides to let her sleep while he tries to wrap his brain around his circumstance.

That's when he notices the IV's. The door has been shut, but the bustle of people outside is obvious through the crack near the bottom, where shadows of people that wander too close flit briefly before disappearing again. He feels weak, but not so much that he can't move. He tests his legs. Then his arms. Neck seems to be doing fine. All of his faculties are there, as far as he can tell, both physically and mentally. So now it's time to test the waters. First things first, he's got to move his Absol. He reaches a hand up, rests it on her head and gives it a scratch.

A gentle purr.

Another scratch.

Louder.

Several scratches later, and the Absol seems to take the hint, peeking an eye open. When she sees her master alwake, it's all he can do to defend himself against her as she jumps atop him. “Woah, woah, watch the IV's! Gonna hurt like hell to take 'em out as it is!” He cringes slightly, but still forces his arms around her. “How long was I out? You look like you haven't seen me in years,” he grins a bit at her, ruffling the fur on her head. He takes a few 'lickings', and when she finally settles down – seeming not to understand that he's in no shape to be moving – she hops off the bed and looks at him expectantly. A look is given to him that's a cross between 'I've been waiting!' and 'C'mon!'.

“All right, all right, you've waited.. who knows how long.. you can wait a few hours longer,” Nicholas muses, slowly moving to a sitting position, legs dangling off the edge of the bed. He pushes himself up onto his feet, manipulating his IV's so they don't cause him any trouble as he moves to walk, moving as far as he can considering the tubes. Oh, right, hospital gown. It's not very dignified, but it's something. He shuffles forward. Backward. Side to side. Arms raise over his head. However long he was out, it must not have been too long.

Finding the clipboard with the information on his stay is not difficult, as it's set on the wall near the door. He clumsily makes his way closer to the door, and reaches out to grab it, plucking it off the wall with a slight bit of trouble, to which Aisha gives a snort of amusement, and moves back towards the bed. The short 'walk' hadn't tired him.. but he sits down anyway to look over his vitals. Seems they got all the information they needed about him from his trainer card.

“Date of admission..” Nicholas muses, eyebrows rising. “Only a week ago?” He glances at Aisha. “You're not very patient. I should've guessed,” he smirks a bit at her. His accusations are merely met with another impatient snort.

The door opens, and a nurse, with brown hair and blue eyes, wearing atypical nurse clothing wanders into the room. She seems a bit taken aback to see Nicholas sitting there on the bed, and it takes a moment for things to click. She glances for the clipboard and quickly realizes her patient has it. “Oh.. you're awake! That's wonderful!” She smiles and steps forward, carefully taking the clipboard from Nicholas. “How do you feel?”

“Truth be told? Confused, oddly refreshed and dreading having these IV's taken out,” Nicholas admits with a wary smile, lifting his hand to rest it on Aisha's head as she moves in closer. Even though it's not obvious to either of them at first, he quickly realizes she's putting herself slightly in between Nicholas and the nurse. “I thought I was going to get a Nurse Joy, but I guess they're only in Pokemon Centers.”

“Actually, we have a Nurse Joy here. She's a neurosurgeon,” the nurse smiles brightly, flipping a pen off of where it was tucked against her ear, writing a few notes. “Anyway, as I'm sure you've learned by now, you were admitted a week ago by a male individual who referred to himself as Julius. So you know who to thank.”

Nicholas couldn't help but laugh at the irony there. He hadn't seen Julius in ages, and then he comes out of nowhere and helps him out? “Yeah, I guess I will..” He muses, licking his lips a bit to wet them. Still.. only a week. Julius couldn't be THAT far ahead, could he? “Any idea where I am?”

“Sorry, I was getting to that. You're on Cinnabar Island,” the nurse begins, only to be cut off.

“Cinnabar Island? Didn't the volcano erupt? I thought this whole place was leveled?” Nicholas inquires, quirking an eyebrow slightly. He peers outside. From his window, he can only see the ocean, not the volcano, but there's no sign of destruction.

The nurse stares at him, a confused look obvious on her face. “No, that volcano is dormant, and always has been. Hasn't erupted since long before anyone arrived here,” she smiles at him. “Are you sure you weren't dreaming that in your coma?”

“Well, jeez.. not even sure about that myself,” Nicholas muses calmly, rubbing the back of his neck. Sure felt like a dream, anyway.

“I see..” The nurse writes a few things down. “Anyway, I know you've been dreading it, but let's get those IV's out of you..” We need not discuss this painful event. When the removal is all over, the nurse shuffles over to quickly present Nicholas with the belongings he arrived with. Everything is accounted for. Pokeballs, Pokedex, trainer card, badge case and badges, and his backpack with his belongings.

“Well, when you're ready to leave, just ring for me. I've got other patients to tend to,” the nurse smiles, and quickly turns to leave the room, closing the door calmly behind her.

“Yeah, thanks,” Nicholas muses half-heartedly, unzipping his backpack to dig around and make sure his things were all accounted for. There, stuck in the pile of what was probably dirty clothes, he finds a note. He calmly unfolds it, reading its contents.

Nicholas,

You owe me one. I understand that I've made some mistakes, but I think helping you out of your mess was a good step in the right direction. If you want to know where Kristina is, you've got a lot of ground to make up, because the only one who knows is me. The Kanto League tournament for the right to fight the Elite Four starts in only a month from when I wrote this, and you're two badges short. Better be ready to earn your information.

Julius

Another chuckle, and Nicholas glances down at his Absol. “Looks like we've got some work to do..” he muses calmly, slowly making his way to a stand. Time to get out of that horrible gown and into some real clothes.

Coming up with an actual battle plan couldn't have been easier. Standing in his way of the Kanto League tournament and Indigo Plateau was Blaine, a Fire-type Gym Leader.. and then there was the newly appointed Gym Leader, Blue, first of his kind to not have a particular theme as a Gym Leader, making him very notorious, very quickly. Then there was the lengthy hike up to Victory Road and, shortly afterward, Indigo Plateau. Facing these challenges was making Nicholas eager.. not just to reach the Elite Four, but to show his father how far he's come, how much he's matured.

All of these things cross Nick's mind as he steps away from the hospital, Aisha at his side. “Well, I think first thing's first. Blaine's waiting,” he muses, ruffling Aisha's head. “Let's get this out of the way, because I get the feeling we're going to have to do some training before we can tackle our next challenges..”

Aisha only offers a determined nod.

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As Nicholas expected, Blaine proved to be a suitable challenge. His Magmar was powerful, but nothing Machop couldn't handle.. and where Machop and even Aisha fail to conquer the subsequently released Rapidash, Nick's Dragonair proves its combat prowess by not only finishing the weakened Rapidash, but also having little trouble with Blaine's last Pokemon, Magcargo. Once acquiring the Volcano Badge, he wastes little time in securing passage to Pallet Town, and the boat trip, compared to the trip from Fuchsia City to Cinnabar Island, is considerably shorter, lasting only a handful of hours.

“This is where we're going to be training for a while, Aisha,” Nicholas announces as they leave the boat, splaying his arms wide as if to beckon Aisha to observe where she'd be learning some new tricks. Aisha merely snorts derisively and looks at Nick as if to inquire the state of his mental faculties. “Okay, okay, so there's only Rattata and Pidgey here to fight, but the point isn't to fight. I've got a few things I want to teach you before we go, and you'll be fighting the other Pokemon. Especially Machop. I want you to learn how to handle close combat fighting, 'cause I'm sure we'll be meeting a few Fighting-types when we go to the tournament.”

Aisha nods slowly, and steps forward, head craning as if to find a good place to start. “Buuuut.. not 'til we get some food and some sleep. I'm still tired from not moving for a week,” Nick grins softly.

Finding shelter despite a lack of a Pokemon Center isn't particularly difficult. He'd underestimated the hospitality of people in small towns, as he finds a warm bed and a free meal.

“And all we have to do is move these heavy boxes.. and I think I've got an idea of what we can do with these..” Nicholas rubs his chin softly, appraising the boxes that had been pointed out to him only moments prior. “Once we've got them moved out in the open, Machop, I want to work on lifting these in multiples. We'll be training not far away.”

The next handful of days seemed to go quickly. Waking up at the crack of dawn, all six of his Pokemon were engaged in training until evening, when they trudged indoors to be greeted by a warm meal and a warm bed. By the fifth night, Nick can't help but to ask: “And you two don't mind that I'm taking advantage of your hospitality?”

“Not at all. We've had some famous people raised here.. and when we heard that you'd be fighting Blue, we knew what you needed was time,” the man's wife speaks calmly, looking to her husband.

“Unfortunately, time is something I don't have a whole lot of right now. Now I only have a week and change to get through Blue, and then I have to get up to the Indigo Plateau,” Nick recounts calmly.. it's less for the couple, who probably already know what rigors await him when he finally leaves his training, but more to remind himself of how important this training is. “Not to mention, I'm looking for someone.. and if I'm going to find her, I've got to get up there.”

“A her, eh?” The husband speaks finally, grinning playfully at his wife. “Say no more. You're welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Nicholas chuckles. “I appreciate your hospitality, really, but I'll only be here another day to rest, then we'll be heading off to Viridian City. Is there, uh.. anything you want for repayment?”

“Not at all,” the both of them say nearly simultaneously. “Just promise you'll do well in the tournament and find your girlfriend,” the wife chimes up. “Sounds awfully romantic, doesn't it, Daniel?”

“Yeah, I guess..” the husband clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.

-------

As the door to the Viridian City Gym creaks open slowly and both Aisha and Nicholas step inside, they both note that the gym is not only poorly lit, but also had raised platforms for trainers to stand during battle. Hard also to miss how empty the gym was. If it wasn't for the fact that the door was unlocked, he might have assumed the Gym Leader was out of town, or maybe even on lunch break.

“My first trainer in quite some time,” a voice calls from the shadows nearest the arena. “Here I figured I was going to be lonely today, too, but someone finally had the guts to challenge me. Or are you simply lost? If you're just starting your journey, I suggest going to Pewter City instead..”

“Nope. I know where I am, and I know why I'm here. It's a formal challenge request,” Nicholas responds calmly, observing the shadows as an adult steps from the shadows. Brown hair, black jacket, brown khaki pants. Hard to miss Blue. “I hope I'm not interrupting anything.”

Blue chuckles, waving a hand dismissively. “Not at all, but I'm not one for talk. Shall we get started? Five on five?”

“I was hoping that would be the case,” Nicholas muses as he steps toward his platform. Aisha stays down on the first floor – climbing ladders tends not to be her forte – and once Nick gets to the top, he realizes that he's got one hell of a vantage point.. and not to mention, that the arena itself looked much smaller from the ground. There's quite a bit of room to move, but no obstacles or cover. A very straight-forward battleground.

“In that case, my first Pokemon will be Pidgeot. Go!” Blue raises a Pokeball from his waist, enlarges it and tosses it into the air. A burst of red light quickly releases from the Pokeball to form a Pidgeot.

“Not the first time we've seen one of these,” Nicholas muses calmly, considering his first choice carefully. He doesn't want to use Aisha yet.. no, she's his trump card in this endurance match. “All right. I've made my decision. Cleffa, go!” The released Pokeball gently lands on the floor of the arena, and bursts open, red light revealing the comparably tiny baby Pokemon. It peers up at the much larger airborne Pidgeot not with fear, but with determination on its tiny face.

Blue laughs and leans forward to rest his elbows against the railings of his raised platform. “You can't be serious. A Cleffa? I think you've stumbled into the wrong gym. I told you this wasn't the gym you start at.. you still want to fight?”

“Yup,” Nick smiles, leaning back against the railing.

“Your funeral. Pidgeot, let's start small with Wing Attack!” Blue commands his Pokemon, to which it swiftly obeys without hesitation, diving for the tiny Pokemon.

Nicholas grins. “Cleffa, just as we practiced! Metronome!”

The Cleffa lifts its tiny little hands, waving them back and forth, lacking the fingers to do a more easily noticeable finger wag. The Pidgeot seems to almost be definitely moving in for the kill.. until it slams into an invisible wall separating it and the Cleffa. Protect! “Not what I was expecting, but then again, this is kind of a ridiculous battle strategy,” Nicholas muses, leaning forward to observe the crumpled, grounded Pidgeot shake off its initial shock in order to take to the air again. “Metronome a second time!”

“Luck isn't going to win you this battle! Tailwind, Pidgeot! Let's get this over with!” Blue commands, a brisk wind flowing through the entirety of the building.. always centered behind Pidgeot, always assisting its movements in air, constantly changing. The Cleffa, however, takes advantage of the Pidgeot's distraction to leap high into the air, shocking not only the Pidgeot, but Nicholas, too. Maybe all that training paid off..

Needless to say, the Cleffa rears back its tiny little arm, a gentle blue glow appearing on the tip.. and it connects with the Pidgeot. It lets out a screech of agony, before it literally freezes.. and falls to the ground. “Pidgeot! ..What kind of trainer are you? I hope this isn't going to be the WHOLE battle!”

“I'm just as surprised as you are,” Nicholas admits, recalling his Cleffa. That worked out a lot better than he'd hoped, and Blue does the same, as well.

“Let's just say that first fight didn't happen,” Blue muses, shaking his head slowly, fingers curling around another Pokeball. “I think it's time to get a little more serious. Gyarados, go!”

Nicholas watches calmly as the water-dragon appears from the streak of red energy released from the thrown Pokeball, the twenty plus foot Pokemon releasing an intimidating roar as it stretches its body out. He considers his next Pokemon before he tosses out his next Pokemon. “All right, Machop, let's show him it's not all about size!”

“What, do you think your Machop is going to throw my Gyarados around?” Blue smirks, pointing towards the newly summoned Machop. “Gyarados, Aqua Tail!”

“Try to avoid it, Machop!” Nicholas commands, watching as his Pokemon goes into evasive mode, avoiding the large tail, and the brilliant splash of water the accompanies it. “Good! Stay on the defensive and look for an opening, then launch the attack!”

“Keep on the pressure, Gyarados! Keep using Aqua Tail, don't let it out of your sight!” Blue commands, looking all the more smug that, while his Gyarados is a bigger creature, it could surely out-perform a simple Machop, couldn't it?

Still, the Machop was having little difficulty in avoiding the attacks, rolling, jumping and staying evasive.. until it sees the opening. It lands on its feet from a roll, and swings a fist back, launching itself for the Gyarados with speed it hadn't exhibited before. “Machop! Dynamic Punch!”

“MACHOP!” The Pokemon cries, its punch scoring a solid blow on the Gyarados. There's a few moments of silence, before a shock wave launches from the point of attack, sending even the heavy Gyarados flying, forcing the Gyarados out of the arena. It wasn't a knock out blow.. but it succeeded in accomplishing what Nicholas had intended. Knocking the Pokemon completely out of the arena.

Blue looked stunned. One of its strongest, displaced by a Machop?! Still.. “... By accordance with base League rules, unless decided otherwise, a Pokemon out of the arena that touches the ground is disqualified. Gyarados, return!” In a blaze of red light, the still-healthy Gyarados is returned to its Pokeball. “So, is this your strategy? Rely on blind luck and silly rules?”

“Kinda,” Nicholas muses, observing his Machop as it proceeds to taunt his opponent in the form of flexing and showing off its muscles. “Well, I have to admit, not entirely. I did some research with a few of your neighbors, they told me what you'd be using,” he grins, noting the surprised look on his face. “Yeah, back in Pallet Town. I developed my strategy from there. I knew you'd be tougher than the other Gym Leaders I'd faced up until now, so I wanted to be ready. I'm not going to let anything stand between me and Indigo Plateau. I hope you understand. There's someone I need to see again.”

Blue shakes his head slowly and smirks. “I've seen that look before. All right.. but don't think I'm just going to let you walk out of here! This battle isn't over 'til all of my Pokemon have been KO'ed or disqualified. Even the son of Bruno has to abide by League rules if he wants to compete in the tournament!”

“I wasn't expecting a free ticket to the tournament. Wouldn't be very sporting if I didn't earn it,” Nicholas muses, pushing away from the bars of his platform. “So.. you going to send out your next Pokemon, or are we going to stand and chat like old pals?”

“I wouldn't get too cocky,” Blue smirks, taking another Pokeball from his belt and pressing the button to enlarge it, before tossing it out onto the arena. “Here's a Pokemon your Machop can't just wrestle out of the arena! Machamp, go!”

In a blaze of red light, the Machamp appears. Standing nearly three feet taller than the smaller Machop, it begins to flex its muscles. Almost immediately, the two Fighting-type Pokemon begin to banter back and forth in their own language, flexing muscles, trying to intimidate their rival. “All right, Machop.. let's go for the Cross Chop!”

The Machop launches itself forward, eager to test its mettle against its evolved brother. “Machamp! Take the attack and launch a Vital Throw!” Despite the Cross Chop connecting solidly, the Machop seems distressed that it didn't even seem to phase its more powerful cousin. Instead, it's rewarded by being grabbed by the face with one of four meaty hands, tossed into the air like a rag doll.. only to be intercepted in mid-air, grabbed once again, and slammed fiercely into the ground! The Machop lets out a pained cry, just barely able to wriggle itself free from the weight, backed by the Machamp's strength, to return to his side of the field to recuperate slightly.

“See?” Blue taunts, enjoying his success as he leans forward against the bars of his own platform. “My Gyarados wasn't ready for your Machop, but I knew my Machamp would be more than a match for it. You might as well send out your next Pokemon!”

Nicholas is prepared to concede defeat on that part. Though he's confident in his Machop, he knows that against his apparent superior, there's no chance he can win the fight. “All right. Machop, re-” He pauses, seeing the bruised Fighting-type lift an arm back towards its trainer. “... You want to keep fighting?”

“Chop.” The Machop reinforces his decision by standing tall and, despite obvious pain, flexing its muscles, to which the Machamp instinctively returns the gesture, attempting to further intimidate the smaller Pokemon.

“All right. I guess I should have had more faith, then. I think I have a plan, too..” Nicholas whispers, rubbing his chin softly. “All right, Machop. You ready for this?”

“Chop!” Another confident cry.

“Let's go! Dynamic Punch!” Nicholas cries, his Machop wasting no time in leaping fiercely towards his rival, fist pulled back. The Machamp seems prepared for this, all four arms at the ready.

“Vital Throw! Finish it, Machamp!” Blue grins, throwing an arm forward as if to emphasize his command.

That's when the Machop grins.. a slight look of shock on the Machamp, still determined for a throw, is obvious to even both trainers. Before either trainer can give an order, the Machop lands with a skid, not launching its attack, skidding with a duck between the spread legs of the taller Pokemon, before turning around and snagging his larger brother by the waist, pulling him back and off of his feet. “Good job, Machop! Now, time for some Revenge!”

The Machop doesn't seem to have much trouble, even injured, with throwing the Machamp into the air and jumping after it. The Machamp, airborne, can't help but express greater shock as it's grabbed by the legs, spun around violently and released toward the ground. It hits the ground with a deafening crash, a crumpled heap of a Fighting-type, immobile. “Impossible..” Blue seems just as shocked as his now KO'ed Machamp was not even seconds ago. “.. Is this luck.. or skill?”

“I like to think a little of both,” Nicholas muses tauntingly. “You did great, Machop! Return!” The Machop turns calmly to its rival, flexes its muscles.. before the beam of red light from the Pokeball touches it and returns it to its home.

Blue mimics the action, returning his unconscious Machamp to its Pokeball. “Gotta admit that this is the most bizarre battle I've ever taken part in. The fact that it's actually working for you is what amazes me. So, this time.. why don't you send out your next Pokemon first?”

“Not so confident now? Don't worry, my Machop can't torment you anymore,” Nicholas teases playfully, considering his next choice. He pauses for a few moments, before releasing his next Pokemon. In a flash of red light, his Beedrill appears, hovering high over the arena.

“Huh. I haven't seen a Beedrill in ages now, let alone with a team that battled seriously. I suggest you let that one go and replace it with a Nidoran,” Blue smirks. “Go, Rhydon!” In a similar flash of red light, the Rhydon appears in the arena below, training eyes on its airborne foe.

Nicholas leans forward to observe the battle from his vantage point, nearly eye level with the airborne Beedrill. “I'll keep that in mind, but I think, for now, Beedrill is going to handle you. Beedrill, let's make it tough to walk! Toxic Spikes!”

The Beedrill replies with a cry of its own name, before it begins to circle the arena, dropping foe-deadly purple spikes that clatter to the ground, keeping an eye on its opponent.

“Let's scatter these spikes! Rock Blast!” Blue commands, the bulky Pokemon pulling chunks of the ground out from under it, and tossing the pieces here and there, not only scattering a majority of the spikes, but also finally making the once-flat arena have some sort of obstacle.. but that doesn't last long. “Now, Stone Edge, Rhyhorn!”

Almost as if on cue, the torn up rocks explode into a shower of pointy rocks, aiming toward the Beedrill. “Avoid it..!” But it's too late. The Beedrill reacts too slowly to avoid the assault, and the Beedrill is downed, beating its wings in an attempt to return to the air. “Damn. Well, that didn't work out as well as I'd hoped.. Beedrill, return!”

Blue watches patiently as the Beedrill is recalled. “Luck starting to run out? You considering a Nidoran yet?”

“Those're on the route leading to Victory Road, right?” Nicholas muses, choosing his next Pokemon as he exchanges banter with his opponent.

“Bingo. I suggest a male Nidoran. Tough scrappers, become real tough to beat when they evolve into Nidoking, I hear,” Blue muses, adjusting his weight onto another foot to get more comfortable.

Nicholas chuckles, tossing another Pokeball into the arena. In a flash of red light.. “Let's finish this quick, Gardevoir!” The graceful Psychic-type appears not far from the Rhyhorn, looking at the Rock-type with mild disdain.. at least until Nicholas whistles softly, drawing her attention. “Just as we rehearsed.”

The Gardevoir nods, and turns back towards her opponent. “All right. Scoop up all of those Toxic Spikes and converge them on the Rhyhorn!” With no hesitation, every single Toxic Spike floats calmly into the air.. and converge on the Rhyhorn, each impact making the once-tough Pokemon seem visibly sicker and sicker.

“Nice strategy. Wasn't expecting you to still use those spikes, but I suppose I should have seen it coming. You been playing this battle through your head for a while?” Blue grins, pointing toward the Gardevoir. “Rhyhorn, Drill Liner!” The bulky Pokemon's drill begins to spin violently, just as the Pokemon exhibits surprising speed, closing in the short distance between itself and the Gardevoir.

“Helps to have a good strategy. Gardevoir, Protect!” Nicholas commands, the Gardevoir nodding slowly and raising her hands, the near-invisible barrier springing up between itself and the charging Rhydon. Pokemon and shield clash gloriously, sending brilliant white sparks flying in every direction, the Rhyhorn trying to power its way through Gardevoir's barrier. For the first few moments, it seems the Protect is going to hold.. until it begins to buckle and crack under the strain of relentless, focused assault.

Blue grins. “All right, Rhydon! Break that shield and use Horn Drill!”

There's a deafening crash, not unlike a large rock being thrown through a closed window, as the Protect fails, leaving nothing protecting the Gardevoir behind it. “All right! Teleport!” The Gardevoir knows this maneuver from hours of practice. Almost as soon as her barrier is destroyed, she's disappeared in a shimmer of light, reappearing on the far side of the arena, closer to the base of Blue's platform. The Rhyhorn, having exhausted much of its energy, doesn't seem to be willing to go much further.

The Rhyhorn turns towards its quarry, but simply observing the distance – however actually small it is – between itself and the Gardevoir is enough to force it fall to its knees.. before crashing to the ground. Blue, again, seems shocked.. though, unlike earlier, much less mildly. “Guess I should have seen that coming. Rhydon, return!”

Gardevoir, still very much healthy, calmly floats her way back to Nick's side of the arena, prepared for the last Pokemon of the battle. Things were going well.. here he figured he'd be using Aisha, or even his Dragonair, as a trump card, but the battle was unfolding thus far in his favor. Would he even have to use either of his trump cards? Could Gardevoir finish things off?

If there was any notion that Nick might be able to get through the battle largely unscathed, those were wiped away as Blue's last Pokemon, an Arcanine, appeared on Blue's side of the arena. “Huh,” Nick muses, rubbing the back of his neck. Just seeing the Arcanine brought back memories.. but now was not the time for that. He motions towards his opponent. “Gardevoir! Let's tame this big puppy! Hypnosis!”

“Not so fast! Arcanine, Agility!” Blue commands. The Gardevoir can't keep her focus on her opponent as it almost seems to dash around the arena. If she can't keep her focus, she can't put the Pokemon to sleep. This is proving difficult, and she seems to look to Nicholas for guidance.

Nicholas sees that inquiry, and he nods calmly. He closes his eyes calmly, and moves to a sit. Best not to give away his strategy by yelling at the top of his lungs. This may be the time for subtlety. Gardevoir closes her eyes and lifts her hands, unleashing a brilliant chunk of psionic energy.. but it disappears without warning, forcing the Arcanine to evade an attack it's expecting to be there, but isn't.

Blue quirks an eyebrow. “Taking a nap now? Well, that's fine. I wouldn't want to see the blatant massacre of my Pokemon, either! Arcanine, Extreme Speed!” The Arcanine lunges froward from its fast movements, having little difficulty striking the Gardevoir. The force of the blow sends the fragile Psychic-type skidding away, wincing in pain, despite keeping her eyes closed. She floats her way to a stand, and unleashes a burst of psychic energy, striking the no longer agile and mobile Arcanine, sending it, too, skidding away from its quarry. Though the distance between the two is considerable, it's obvious the Arcanine can bridge it quickly.

“Do it again! Extreme Speed!” The Arcanine charges forward at blinding speed, but where the Gardevoir once stood, now there's only a mirror image. It fades as it's struck, and the Gardevoir appears behind it. “Damn it! Behind you, Arcanine!” Too late. The Arcanine turns only to be struck fully by another powerful Psychic attack, sending it skidding. Blue's eyes go wide, seeing the Arcanine is close to the edge of the arena. He can't have TWO Pokemon disqualified in that manner! “Arcanine! Dig in!”

The Arcanine complies, digging its paws into the dirt of the arena, skidding to a stop, back paws only inches from the edge of the arena. Though it needed to be completely out of the arena, Blue seems accomplished.. until it spots what the Arcanine, still focusing on staying dug in, fails to. “A Future Sight attack.. Arcanine! Agility! Avoid it!” The Arcanine looks up to see the black-purple wave of psionic energy and disappears with a flicker, the attack missing it by inches. If it had hit, chances of its disqualification would have been high.. but it had lucked out.

“Looks like luck is on my side, now! Arcanine, Flamethrower!” A burst of flame emits from the Arcanine's gaping maw, flowing over the immobile Gardevoir.. and almost as soon as the gout had finished, Nick's eyes had opened. Well.. that strategy failed. He slowly moves to a stand, slightly disoriented from connecting mentally with his Gardevoir. “You got some solid hits in, at least. Come back, Gardevoir!”

“What's your plan, now, then? Still hoping to get lucky?” Blue smirks, stuffing his hands into his pockets and relaxing his posture. Things were looking his way, finally!

“Nope, don't need luck right now. Look at it this way. I still have a trump card..” Nick smirks, motioning for the arena. “Aisha. Let's go. Your turn.”

Why not Dragonair? That had crossed his mind, but when the chips were down, he wanted to choose a Pokemon he could rely on for his last choice. The Absol nods and leaps into the arena, skidding to a stop. “I'll ignore the fact that she was outside the arena,” Blue smirks playfully.

“She refuses to go into a Pokeball, so.. not a whole lotta places she can be without interfering, I think,” Nicholas admits, shrugging his shoulders.

“Just like another guy I know,” Blue muses, shrugging his shoulders as well. “Whatever. Like I said, I'll let it slide. You ready?”

Nick nods. “Ready as I'll ever be.”

Blue smirks. “Let's finish this off! Extreme Speed!”

“Nope! Absol, Sucker Punch!” Nicholas interrupts quickly, watching Aisha blaze forward and unleash a powerful, shadowy blow to the Arcanine's face. It causes it to skid, stunned. Surely, nothing could out-run its Extreme Speed?

“You just weren't ready for it! Don't give up yet! Arcanine, Extreme Speed again!” Blue commands, the Arcanine zipping away from its close range, and striking to the side in one blazing-fast attack, sending Aisha rolling away from the force of the attack. Even that one attack seems to have taken quite a bit out of Aisha.. and the Arcanine is either good at hiding its injuries, or it's truly as bulky as Nicholas had feared.

“All right, Aisha! Go for a Night Slash!” Nicholas commands, Aisha standing and charging forward, claws held up high..!

“Agility!” And there goes the Arcanine. Aisha skids to a stop, and looks to Nicholas. Nick nods calmly, and Aisha turns to concentrating on the speeding Arcanine, craning her neck left and right to try and get a good idea of where the Arcanine will attack from. “Let's finish this off, Arcanine! Extreme Speed one last time! Let's send him packing!”

“Aisha, now!” The Absol launches herself into the air, the charging Arcanine missing by a fraction of an inch. Aisha seems prepared, just listening for the cue.. “.. Psycho Cut!” Aisha swings her two front paws forward and swings her head downward. Blades of purple energy seem to cut the very air it travels through, and even the horn on her head generates one. The Arcanine looks back with palpable shock, the three psionic blades dealing their damage. Typically an attack like this might not have felled the Arcanine.. but it seems to have struck a weak point. Only moments ago, it'd sent Aisha rolling.. and now it was the Arcanine's turn, rolling to a stop. Unlike the Absol, however, the Arcanine doesn't rise from its resting place.

Several seconds pass. Blue stares, mouth agape, having a hard time believing what had just happened. Out lucked, outmaneuvered by the first trainer in what felt like ages. He laughs.. not from frustration, but out of amusement. “That was one hell of a fight. I have to admit that I'm almost glad that it's over..” He recalls his Arcanine, and climbs down from his platform. Nicholas does the same, meeting Blue half-way across the battered battleground. The Gym Leader digs into his pocket, and fishes out an Earth Badge. “Congratulations. You've acquired all Kanto Gym Badges. All that's left is a trek through Victory Road and competition in the Kanto League Tournament. Then if you qualify, the Elite Four. Speaking of tournaments.. you're cuttin' your entry kinda close?”

“Entries close a day before the tournament starts, right?” Nicholas inquires calmly, taking the offered badge and pinning it snugly to his badge case.

“Exactly. You might have time to get a Nidoran before you get up there,” Blue grins softly. “But I guess you're different. You're gonna keep your Beedrill?”

Nicholas shrugs softly, rubbing the back of his neck softly. “We'll see. I'm not in a rush to make revisions right now, not with the tournament around the corner.”

“You said you had someone you needed to find. Friend of yours? Rival?” Blue inquires curiously, watching Nicholas turn around and head for the door.

Nicholas shrugs his shoulders softly, glancing back at Blue. “Not too sure about that one. I'm guessing friend, but recent events have made me question how much I knew about her.”

“Women,” Blue grins, folding his arms across his chest. “Anyway, good luck at the tournament. I'll probably be there.”

“I'll keep an eye out.” The sunlight is almost blinding as Nick steps out from the darker Gym, raising an arm to shield his eyes. Only one more obstacle between himself and the Indigo Plateau. He glances down at Aisha, who looks back at him. “Think you can wait a little longer before you get frisky? Not sure if you've noticed, but we've got a lot to focus on.”

Aisha snorts softly, strutting ahead of him.

“Don't give me that, brat,” Nick smirks, jogging to catch up to her. “I'll make it up to you. I promise.”