Man in the Mirror

Chapter 1: Remember the Time

Blaziken and Lapras eyed each other fiercely. Neither was willing to give up the fight. Their trainers were sweating as much as they were from anxiety. It was evident to both that this was the final stretch of their battle. May gritted her teeth and looked at the timer; she had less than a minute and fewer points than her opponent. She would have to use her final triumph card to win.

Solidad's fists remained clenched. Her eyes motioned back and forth between the timer and her opponents. She knew May's Blaziken and her Lapras were teetering on the edge of exhaustion, but she was determined to win at all costs and would take a heavy risk with her next move.

Beads of sweat traveled down May's forehead, If we don't use this move, we'll lose. If we do use it, there's no guarantee we'll win. Blaziken might faint before Lapras does, but we have no choice. The brunette took a deep breath. Her mind became silent upon deciding her next move. May placed her hand over her heart. She knew she would have to make a sacrifice to win. Everything she had experienced brought her to this moment, and she would not let it slip now.

Her sapphire eyes began to glow with fire, and as if Blaziken could feel her spirit, the injured but determined Fire-type increased the flames on its wrists. "Blaziken!" the starter roared with confidence.

Solidad smirked and spoke, "Lapras, Double Team and finish with

Sheer Cold!" The salmon-haired coordinator made a gamble of her own.

Lapras proudly cried. The mighty Water-type multiplied as the copies surrounded Blaziken. Their bodies began to glow light blue, releasing a wave of light blue energy that froze everything on the field. Blaziken was within seconds and centimeters of turning into a frozen chicken.

May closed her eyes and placed faith in Blaziken. The two seconds she took to pull herself together felt like an eternity, but then it happened. The coordinator opened her bright blue eyes and yelled, "Blaziken, use Blast Burn Tornado!"

"Blaz!" the Fighting-type declared and leaped into midair milliseconds before the ice could reach him.

To May and Blaziken's astonishment, Lapras's Sheer Cold pursued the Fire-type like an icy wind. Solidad confidently crossed her arms, "Sheer Cold isn't an easy move to master with its low accuracy, but once unleashed, it is practically unavoidable. Lapras will stop at nothing to freeze Blaziken." Blaziken glared at the incoming blizzard.

"Blaziken!" May squealed with concern. She didn't expect Solidad to take such a risk by trying to use Sheer Cold. Just as all seemed lost, Blaziken suddenly began to spin rapidly.

May smiled with relief as Blaziken spun faster and faster while a violent fire began to generate fire that looked like lightning bolts. May's angst turned into resolve, her sapphire eyes focused on Solidad. "Whoever said anything about avoiding it?" The brunette smirked.

"What?" Solidad's eyes widened.

Everyone was in complete awe, even Lapras. As the Sheer Cold drew closer, Blaziken felt all its fire begin to release. The fires in its wrists intensified. Blaziken's velocity reached its limit, and the fire starter yelled, "Blazikeeeeen!" A fierce wind generated that blew everyone's hair, followed by a fiery tornado that appeared on the battlefield. Blaziken roared from within the raging flames. Its wrists shot out fire like lightning bolts but much thicker and more powerful.

Blast Burn's intense flames evaporated the Sheer Cold and exterminated the Lapras copies. The only target left was the actual Lapras. Due to the rapid sequence of events, Solidad and the Ice-type Pokémon were left helpless. The Blast Burn was too fast and violent to counter. Like lightning, the fire scorched Lapras, making it howl in pain. The rest of Blaziken's Blast Burn bolts destroyed several parts of the battlefield, but most of the energy concentrated on Lapras.