A Blond Ray of Sunshine

Chapter 7

"Not bad," Elise remarked, as she reached for a new Poké Ball. "However, this battle is nowhere near done. Go, Krookodile!"

From the light of the open ball she threw came a bipedal, red crocodile with black stripes and small, menacing eyes. It remained completely still, staring at Fireball with a savage glare. The look of bloodlust in its eyes served to frighten Fireball. His eyes widened, a sense of dread sweeping through him. Its ability, Intimidate, lowered Fireball's overall physical strength.

"Krookodile, Protect!" she commanded.

Like Hippowdon before it, Krookodile's body was embraced by an impenetrable shield of blue light.

Antoshi heaved a sigh of frustration. At the same time, Fireball's cough was getting worse. The pain of being in the sandstorm gradually bit harder. The duo weren't able to do anything other than wait until Krookodile's shield dissipated. Once it did, Antoshi smirked.

"Let's give them a little surprise, Fireball!" he said. "Focus Blast!"

Elise's eyes widened. She was surprised by the sheer variety of attacks the Typhlosion knew.

While the move's Fighting type would be very effective against Krookodile, it was also inaccurate due to Fireball's lack of experience in using the maneuver. Fireball held his forepaws to one side, spacing them just far enough apart to summon a rapidly growing ball of bright blue energy. Fireball steadied his ragged breathing, taking aim at his target.

Elise narrowed her eyes, reading Fireball's movements to predict when he was about to strike.

"Move!" she commanded just before Fireball thrust forth the ball of energy.

The attack covered the distance between them in a heartbeat, flailing erratically through the air while doing so. Krookodile dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a glancing blow. The energy ball vanished harmlessly upon striking the wall behind Elise.

"Crunch, Krookodile!" Elise shouted.

A sense of dread swept over Antoshi. He clenched his teeth, his eyes full of panic as Krookodile sprinted toward Fireball. Krookodile hissed as it opened its long maw, its teeth glowing white with a magical energy.

'Please don't let this be the end ...' the boy thought, bracing at the same time Fireball did.

Its powerful jaw snapped shut on Fireball's shoulder, digging its rows of sharp glowing teeth in. Fireball shouted in pain, fighting to shove the flailing beast off of him.

The damage was already done by the time Fireball escaped its jaws. He fell to a knee, holding his bloodied shoulder as Krookodile headed back to its side of the field.

"Fireball!" Antoshi shouted in concern. "Are you okay?!"

With a pained look on his face, Fireball forced a grin and nodded.

Fireball's grueling struggle was obvious. Very rarely had he seen his best friend in such dire straits. It upset him and worried him. Antoshi clenched his trembling fists, pondering a tactical surrender. Yet, Fireball's eyes burned with a powerful sense of surefire confidence. The Typhlosion's gaze stirred up memories of their dream to make it to the top.

'This is our life's work you're facing — our heart and soul!' Antoshi recalled himself proclaim proudly.

'We're gonna win it all, and win it big! I can't wait to see how big the tournament stage is at the Indigo Plateau. Are you excited, too?' Fireball had asked him not all that long ago.

Antoshi slowly exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment to steady his resolve. He looked toward their opposition with a firm, serious expression on his face.