Broken Souls

Whitney Two, Electric Boogaloo

We walk into a gym with an air of authority, Luna swelling with pride and power on my right and D'spinas buzzing on my left in anticipation. Between the two of them, I feel invincible, even though my heart is pacing out of control. Dusty's death lingers in my mind and my eyes swell with tears.

I've failed.

I've failed so many times.

D'spinas shoots me a glance.

I have this- No, we have this.
The rest of the gym appears and disappears in a flash of scarlet light. A trainer mouths wordless commands and D'spinas moves without a single signal from me. She is an independent, sleek machine of destruction, although just watching her makes me feel slightly sick and her cold eyes remind me of something I'd rather forget.

They fill with a golden hue as we face stronger adversaries and I guide each attack as if it was an extension of my own hand. When I flash to her, there's a power that I don't feel in my other Pokemon. It's an intangible rhythm but it beats in her wings and in her drills, calling out for the thrill of the battle.

What's your deal, anyways, D'spinas? Did I really raise you to be that eager to kill?

Luna, on the other hand, is downright jovial in her matches. She calls things like "That was a good one! You almost hit me!" and I can't tell if she's trying to be nice or she just really enjoys teasing the other Pokemon there. Either way, the battles end with their faces knocked in. Luna returns to my side, staring up with an extremely attractive grin.

"You must be proud of yourself." I tell her dryly.

"Oh, I am. I am." she says.

My mouth draws back into a snarl as I turn the corner. There she is. She waves to me, only lowering her hand when she sees me approaching, looking just as welcoming as a feral Poochyena.

"Hey! Ready to start... the battle..." She suddenly looks uncertain. Carefully, she takes a single Pokeball from her side. "Aw, forget it. I know what I'm doing! Clefairy, go!"

"Luna!" I call.
Luna jumps forwards and screeches to a full stop, sending dirt scattering around the arena. Defiantly, she lifts her head and stares straight at the fluffy pink Clefairy before us.

"Clefairy, Metronome!" Whitney calls. Metronome becomes Barrier, which Luna destroys with a sweeping kick.

"Metronome again!"

Swift. Several stars hit Luna right in the chest, but she hardly grimaces. She knows she's overleveled for this battle and her chances of fainting here are low. After taking the blow, she moves in and sweeps the Clefairy off its feet.

"Now!" I call.

"Clefairy, dodge!"

The Clefairy slides away from a powerful Double Kick but the second it loosens up the second part of the attack hits it head on. Clefairy chirrups loudly but a second Double Kick silences it. Its health is looking perilously low.

"Metronome!" Whitney calls, knowing this one may as well be her last. The Clefairy blows a stream of embers and Luna takes them without hesitation. A vague reddish glow emanates from her, the telltale sign of a burn.

"Darnit, Luna, you should've dodged!" I call.

Luna shrugs, "I guess you could say I'm on fire today." When no one laughs, she adds, "Thank you. I'll be here all night." The Clefairy embeds another set of stars into her back. She winces, turning around and finishing it off with some weaker looking kicks that barely push it into the ground. Really, it just fell over.