NOCT2 Round 2: VS Louise Chamomile (WIP)

NOCT2 Round 2: VS Louise Chamomile
May XX, afternoon. Galida Stadium.
The stadium is freezing. Literally; instead of dirt or rock, Judy’s standing on solid ice, and there are two enormous icebergs in the corners behind her. She’s beginning to regret not packing a coat of some variety. I hope my Pokémon will be alright, she thinks. They’re not used to the cold any more than I am.

Her opponent across the field, despite the lime-green coat, looks only slightly more comfortable. “Cold enough for you?” the redhead says teasingly.

“And half of Hoenn, probably,” Judy answers. “You think the arena’s gonna transform this much in the real tournament?”

“For all intents and purposes this is the ‘real tournament’.”

“Judy Richards versus Louise Chamomile. No time limit. Begin!” shouts the announcer. The audience’s cheers almost drown out the battle clock.

“Gregory, Anna, I choose you!”

Judy turns out to have been partially right about her Pokémon’s reactions to the cold. Gregory looks for a pool to hide in, though that might simply be because he’s a Water-type. Anna, however, curls up into a spiky ball as soon as her feet touch the ice.

“Go, Radiance! Skate!”

Everyone present, including Gregory, gasps at the shiny Rapidash. Radiance tosses her mane like a queen acknowledging her adoring subjects.

Skate screeches loudly and flaps its wings even as the sendout light fades. A remarkably solid gust of wind smacks into a large rock, breaking it.

“Show-offs,” Louise grumbles. Judy can empathize—both Walter and Anna were major handfuls for the first month she had them as active members. “Radiance, Flame Charge on Anna! Skate, cover for her with Steel Wing!”

Radiance neighs once and takes off running, literally leaving flames in her wake. Privately, Judy wonders if the icy battlefield will be able to handle it.

Skate leaps into the air and makes a show of scanning the arena. Once it makes eye contact with Gregory, its wings start glowing and it dives.

“Gregory, Barrier! Anna, dodge and counter her with Rollout!” she calls.

Anna rolls out of Radiance’s path, then comes in the other way and hits the side of Radiance’s front left leg—a maneuver she learned from many practice fights with Walter. Radiance stumbles briefly, but regains her balance and turns to face Anna.

Skate barely notices Barrier as it crashes into Gregory. It doesn’t seem to notice him hitting it with a tentacle out of spite, either.

“Radiance, Bounce on Anna. Skate, Swift,” says Louise.

Radiance crouches briefly and jumps straight up. For a moment it looks like she’s walking on the stars Skate produces from her wings. Then the stars hit Anna and kill the mood.

“Tentacruel…” Gregory grumbles when the attack hits him.

Judy bites her lip in concentration. “Gregory, once Radiance comes down, Water Pulse on her. Anna, Defense Curl, now.”

Anna squeaks obediently and curls up into a slightly tighter spiky ball.

“Skate, Air Slash. Radiance, don’t you dare miss,” Louise orders.

Skate flaps her wings again. A gust of wind knocks Gregory off balance and into one of the medium-sized rocks.

Radiance lands on Anna like a ton of bricks. Her scream sounds so much like Walter’s it actually paralyzes Judy for a moment.

Gregory spits rings of water at her, which turn into a massive cloud of steam but still do quite a bit.

“Good teamwork,” Louise notes. “Wish these two worked together so well.”