The air was charged; it was heavy all around you. The steel railing you leaned onto was cold against the palms of your hands, and the smell of wet dirt brought with it promises of a storm. Your knuckles whitened as you gripped the metal more tightly, trying to focus as you glanced at the black-haired woman standing on the opposite podium, a lofty cigarette in her hand and coals in her eyes. She was a hundred meters away, not even the size of your thumb at this distance, and yet you could sense her gaze upon you like a red-hot poker pressing against your forehead.

"For the sake of fairness, I will tell you that the pokegirls that I will use are a Thundrix, a Neigix, a Moriae, and a Mimica," gym Assistant Erica Garcia spoke, the voice coming out of a speaker right next to you. Your eyes glanced at the button you guessed was meant to allow you to speak into it. "You can ready your pokegirls now, Tamer Rick, you have ten minutes."

With your gaze traversing once the otherwise empty looking dirt-scape that was the hundred-meter wide battlefield, you focused on the corners of the large square that’d been marked with white lines. There were three figures in each, pokegirls you guessed, huddled and talking in lowered voices, each dressed with a white shirt and black pants. A uniform it seemed. You figured they were probably related to the barrier Erica had mentioned.

You turned, taking the pokeballs and releasing your girls. Each of them popped with a beam of red light before snapping back shut with a snap; you were left looking down at them from the small metal podium you were standing on. Taking a deep breath, you leaned in slightly. "We have the fight to handle, they have four pokegirls, a Thundrix, a Neigix, a Moriae, and a Mimica."

"Fight!" Monica declared excitedly as soon as she heard the word, eyes moving about in search of who she was going to go up against, practically vibrating as she grinned from ear to ear.

Not wanting to lower her morale, you nodded, turning to the others. "I've read on Thundrix and Neigix, looking up the others. Do any of you know about any of the breeds?" As you asked this, you were already opening the dex to check on the entries.

"Mimica is a living storage pokegirl, weak fighter, undoubtedly their support option," Diane piped up. "She must be loaded on low-grade healing items since high-grade is forbidden for an official gym match lower than five badges." She paused as she saw your focus on her. She blushed and fidgeted a little. "I don't know much about Moriae other than they're rock types. Neigix are a bit of an annoyance though, ferals are good at swooping in and stealing things when people aren’t looking."

"Moriae is rock and steel," you commented, reading from the dex. "Can't fly, but can phase through the earth, has some troublesome defensive techniques, overall she's more of a sturdy thing."

"So she's the box's protection." Kiara nodded absently, glancing at the arena behind you before frowning slightly. "Not that I mind, but did you piss off this bitch?"

"Why do you ask?"

"This isn't a two badge fight." A scowl and a growl left her.

"Well, I don't care," you replied. "Because we need to win."

The infernal looked at you with a slight scowl. "What's at stake here? It seems like a gym assistant flexing on you."

"Is it?" The question left your lip and made the three pokegirls hesitate. Well, not Monica, she was completely focused on the nearest trio of pokegirls that were standing outside of the arena. You avoided letting out a chuckle as you focused on the others. "This is effectively our first serious fight." Allowing yourself to frown at them, you meet their gazes one by one. "I have high expectations out of you. Win and I'll let each of you do one of the big requests."

"I want to know where you’re from." The statement startled you- your eyes turned to Kiara as she glared at you, the words having left her faster than you’d ended the offer. "Is that a valid reward?"

A moment of hesitation went through you, and you leaned back as you scratched your chin, trying to force your mind to push itself away from the combat at hand for a second. What would happen if Kiara learned the truth? You couldn't really guess, but you were quite certain it was perhaps the biggest advantage you had against her currently. Watching her meander and blindly shoot in the dark in an attempt to figure you out was equal parts amusing and illuminating. Still... how much longer would it be able to keep it a secret? It would sooner or later slip, the prospective value of the secret would drop, and if she figured it out on her own you couldn’t really hold it as a potential reward anymore.

"Fine." Your words made the infernal's glare turn into a smirk.

Diane looked at Kiara and then at you, concern plastered all over her face. "I... if we win, I wish to-" She hesitated, swallowing. "Have a day of Master..." Her face turned crimson, her eyes lowered to the floor. "...with me in... erm..." Her cheeks reddened further, her next words barely a whisper, but one that made Raven and Kiara look at her in slight shock.

"I didn't hear that last part."

Diane swallowed and nodded. "With me in... charge in the… things."

"Sure." The word came out without a moment's hesitation, which earned the same look of disbelief out of the Succubus and Arachnae. "Though not a whole day, do twelve hours sound fair?" The nurse quickly nodded, squirming a little. Your focus turned to Raven. "And you?"

She looked at Diane for a long silent second, frowning as she placed her hand against her lips. "I will need time to consider it, Master Rick."

"Fair enough." With that acknowledgement, you took the moment to breathe in deeply and sigh out. "Now, strategy. This needs to be a team effort." You glanced at the three, and then at Monica as her tail kept swishing back and forward; she looked just about ready to pounce towards the group of pokegirls. "Monica, come here."

The feline glanced at the trio one more time and then at you, taking a sigh and jumping, landing lightly on top of the railing on the podium. "Rick?" She inquired, watching you curiously as you took her tail and stroked it. Her purring led her to step down from the railing and hug you.

Raven, Kiara, and Diane cocked a simultaneous trio of brows.

"Hey, I need her attention," you muttered, then sighed. "Look, Kiara's the only flyer, and the roof is pretty freaking high up." Much higher than you'd originally expected in fact. "Any of you can get up there? I doubt Monica does." You looked at the purring smug feline, pointing up. "Jump?"

"No time for demonstrations, we know I'm the only one that can handle the flyers. So I will," Kiara growled, her fists lighting up with black fire. "I just need to land a solid enough hit and their feathers will get roasted."

"With that out of the way, Raven, you will be protecting Diane," you continued. "We know Monica's not really reliable in defence-"

"-or anything that isn't killing."

Your glare was on the infernal, and she shrugged in response. "-so keeping the healer able to fix others up is the top priority. Overall, I'd hope you could help Monica deal with the Moriae and the Mimica while doing that, but I'm rather certain they'll focus on Diane the instant she's left alone."

"I will keep it in mind, Master Rick." The Arachnae bowed her head.

The speaker at the side of your podium crackled to life, and you had to take a moment to look at it, as you heard the gym assistant's voice through it. "Tamer Rick, are you ready? You will need to hand over the pokeballs to the arbiters since it is not possible to recall your girls otherwise."

"Recall distance limit..." You muttered, then pressed the button. "I'm ready." A slight pause, a glance to your girls and a nod. "Time to win this."

Your mind shifted towards the question over why the gym assistant would put this battle at such a level, and you withheld from frowning; that was a bridge you’d cross after this.

The girls began to head towards the arena, but Kiara stopped just as she'd lifted into the air, meeting your eyes for a good long second. There was a moment of confusion in her expression before she moved ahead. You weren't too sure why she'd done that; perhaps she noticed yet something else that was off about you compared to 'normal' humans in this world.

A trickle of concern ran down your spine as you saw her continue into the arena. What would happen once she asked the question and you told her the truth? How much control would you have left? How much would you gain? Information was a tool, maybe it was a mistake to agree at all, but...

"Tamer Rick, the pokeballs, please?"

Your attention was snapped out of the four pokegirls about to enter a fight and to the winged pokegirl that was standing next to your podium's stairs, looking up at you with shimmering eyes. You glanced at her pristine white wings and how they almost sparkled. "Pretty." You whistled, forcing yourself to look calmer than you were.

The girl preened a little, her wings rustling. "Flattery will not make me lean in your favour, Tamer Rick, I am to be the arbiter after all." She smiled slightly, nodding as you handed over the four pokeballs. "Are there any special requirements you would have in mind?"

"Requirements?"

"Sometimes a situation calls for a pokegirl to be recalled and the tamer can't react fast enough," she said. "Are there any limitations you would wish for us to keep in mind?"

"No deaths," you said flatly and immediately. "Unconsciousness, and..." A slight hesitation. "...if they're being tortured."

Her smile faded, and she frowned a little. "No personnel in this building would advocate torturing a pokegirl, even less during a sanctioned match, sir." She nodded. "But I understand the potential concern, I will keep it in mind." Her hand gestured at the box. "In case of doubt or if you wish to have one of the girls recalled either way, just declare so through the comms device. Do keep in mind that any recalled pokegirl will be considered to have forfeited the match."

"I will, thank you."

Your eyes glanced onto the battlefield, specifically, at the pokegirls on the opposite side of the field. There were four in total, and the two that immediately stood out to you were the dark-skinned Thundrix the assistant had released, and the Moriae, who definitely felt like the most dangerous one in the team.

Nothing about her would initially tell you she was threatening in any way Monica wasn’t already. She was perhaps a meter and a half tall, and the look on her eyes sharp and ready, just the same way as the other pokegirls.

But what instantly raised your alarm was the fact that she’d not stripped the way the other pokegirls had. That alone told you that the clothes she wore were sturdy enough to withstand combat with pokegirls, and no doubt the armour was fiercely expensive. And useful. That pointed towards the short pokegirl being the more experienced one in the team, the one that had been invested on the most. The others were likely younger or less trained in some shape or form.

Your jaw settled; Monica was going to have a tough time with her, no doubt about it. The pokegirl looked just about ready to take the whole team on her own, the way she bounced the hammers making you imagine smashed skulls and shattered bones.

A flicker of focus, and you moved on to the girls that were standing at the corners of the field, in a group of three; they were glowing now, whispered words being uttered and charging around them. You felt the tension in the air as the hairs on your arms stood on end, goosebumps running through you. The air shimmered in front of you, and for a split second everything turned black, enclosing the combat area entirely and cutting it from sight. A crack of thunder was heard, rumbling all around you and rattling the podium all the way up your legs. The next moment it was as if nothing had happened, and you could see the arena, the pokegirls, everything looking normal. 

And that in of itself was intimidating in a way. Like watching the gladiators stepping into the coliseum. There was still a lingering scent, a lingering sensation of a charge lingering, tickling at your senses in the same way Kiara’s powers did, invisible to the eye yet clearly somewhere in front of you.

Your grip on the railing tightened.

"Is this your first time using a protected arena, Tamer Rick?" The speaker in the box chirped to life; the voice was from the blonde angel from earlier.

You pressed the button, feeling the slight click underneath your digit. "Yes."

"The spell will protect from stray debris and potential elemental techniques that might harm spectators or tamers alike. Besides protection, it comes with an amplification function keyed to your podium, it will also allow you to amplify your voice towards those within the combat area, if you speak loudly then your pokegirls should be able to hear you. Do keep in mind this amplification is universal, everyone within would hear you." A pause. "One last warning, pokegirls are not allowed to touch the barrier, the discharge could seriously harm them."

Nodding, you pressed again. "Thanks for the clarification."

A pause, and after a second, you saw the winged pokegirl rising to fly at the edge of the field, observing it from above. “Tamer Rick, I will be this match’s arbiter, are you ready for the battle?”

No. “Yes.”

"Then this match shall now begin." Above the pokegirl appeared a clock, red and glaring, zeros lining its length. A loud honking air-horn-like sound followed, and the clock began to count time.

Within moments of the honk, two figures shot into the air on the opposite side of the field. One dark, the Thundrix, the other light... You had to guess to be the Neigix. Meanwhile, the Moriae stuck to the other pokegirl that remained on the ground; you guessed it to be the Mimica. The armoured pokegirl moved ahead with steady thudding steps. 

It made you frown slightly while you watched your own side.

Kiara was rising into the air, though at a far slower pace than the other two. Diane and Raven were slowly moving towards the side and clearly intent on keeping distance from the enemy fliers.

Above all, Monica had broken into an explosive sprint towards the other side of the field. Watching her running was like watching a Formula 1 race car tear the asphalt as it shot through the track. Dirt burst out with her every step, her body moving faster than you’d ever seen her. The other pokegirls were reacting to her speed almost as quickly as the feline was, and the dark Thundrix began unleashing bolts of yellow lightning that arched through the air so fast that you’d miss them if you blinked.

But none hit the intended target. Monica had seen the attacks coming and merely tweaked her route to the bare minimum for them to miss, adding a minimal zigzag to her sprint. 

In the total span of three seconds since the honk, the feline had covered a hundred meters and launched herself towards the Moriae like a mass of supercharged velocity. The Moriae let out a battlecry, stomping her foot and raised her guard just in time to block the incoming kick.

It was like watching a truck hit a pole. The armoured pokegirl should have been pushed back out of the sheer inertia Monica brought with her, yet had not moved an inch. It almost looked like the feline had taken the brunt of her own attack. The Moriae raised her hammer to prepare a counter-attack against Monica but missed entirely as Monica jumped back.

Just as she’d prepared for another attack, Monica had to jump further back when the Neigix unleashed a downpour of what looked like... It was hard to make out at this distance, but feathers? A gasp left you when you saw said feathers embed themselves against the ground practically a full foot, as if they were actually razor sharp knives.

All of them had missed Monica, but the distance they forced her to put between herself and the Moriae opened up the opportunity for the Thundrix to launch several more lightning bolts out of her hands.

With bated breath, gripped the railing, you saw one had hit and the feline stumbled a step, ears flattening against her head in pain. Clenching your jaw, you watched the small trail of smoke that rose from the burn on Monica's shoulder. She shuddered once, shooting a glare and a snarl at the Thundrix above but turning back to the approaching Moriae. Dust rose from the spot Monica had been standing on as, within the blink of an eye, she was rushing straight back at the hammer-wielding pokegirl.

Gulping, you checked the match clock. It started ten seconds ago.

The enemy team's coordination was impeccable. You had to grit your teeth as your eyes flickered at the two flyers that were preparing for another round, circling above the Moriae and waiting for a chance to rain attacks down on Monica.

A sphere of black flames whirled between them, breaking their focus and forcing them to turn towards the approaching Kiara.

"Change targets, Reiss can handle the cat." The voice startled you, it came loud and clear from the opposite podium. Erica had given a command and, instantly, the team responded.

The woman’s eyes turned towards you, a smirk on her lips, accompanying her cigarette as she stood with poise and calmness. Your own hands were clenching the railing hard enough they hurt. Your attention turned back to the battle.

The Thundrix and Neigix split, and Kiara tried to move to block the Neigix, but the avian pokegirl just went low right as the infernal took a lightning bolt to the face. Your hackles rose, but you forced yourself to calm down as you realized Kiara had barely even flinched at it. The Neigix zoomed towards Diane and Raven. Monica was trying to find a way to land a solid hit on the Moriae and was not managing to do much as her scratches and kicks were being deflected or blocked by her target's hammers.

Kiara was on the defensive, the Thundrix was dodging everything the infernal was sending her way, keeping a comfortable distance from the slower fighter, and responding with lightning bolts that were not missing their mark, pushing the infernal back. The first might not have hurt, but they were going to build up no matter how tough the infernal was.

But worst of all were Raven and Diane.

The Neigix had reached them, and she was keeping herself up above at a safe distance, raining down those razor-sharp feathers onto the Arachnae and Rapha. Raven had turned into her tauric form, using herself to block whatever part of the attack might hit the nurse. You could tell this would be a losing strategy however, as Raven was not going to have a chance to retaliate, making it a rather simple thing for the Neigix to just wear them down. Diane in the meantime was leaning against the tauric spider, her hands glowing and pushing the glowing touch against the caparace, clearly trying to postpone the inevitable fall the spider pokegirl would have if the situation stayed as it currently was.

“Not used to an actual fight, are you?” The voice cracked from the speaker. Your sight crossed the battlefield and towards the opposing tamer as she flicked her cigarette away, leaning down against the railing with unflinching calmness.

Ignoring her, you frowned, trying to consider alternatives. How could you solve this problem? Your eyes landed on a lone pokegirl standing practically at the edge of the field, doing her best not to be noticed as she kept her eyes flickering between Monica and the infernal.

The clock pointed towards the match having started thirty seconds ago. "Kiara, throw some attacks at the Mimica, she's defenceless."

The instant you'd given the order the Neigix spun around and stopped attacking Raven, flapping her wings powerfully and zooming towards Kiara who was trying to circle around the Thundrix to get a good angle on the Mimica. Her advancement was put on a halt when the Thundrix switched from throwing bolts of lightning to opening her wings wide and beating them, a faint white glow encompassing her whole body.

You couldn’t feel the wind but you could see it; Kiara’s hair whipped backwards and she covered her face slightly as her whole body was pushed back. The powerful gale began to blow, hard enough that even Diane and Raven were put in an uncomfortable spot as dirt flung towards them. The gale was enough for the Neigix to take advantage of to harass the infernal, throwing some more sharp feathers at her target. A cry was let out as one of the feathers pierced deep into the infernal's arm. Kiara wavered in the air, the flap of her wings stopping for a second, and her height dropped a handful of meters before she managed to regain stability and avoid crashing down, swooping back up before the other two could press the altitude advantage.

Gritting your teeth, you glanced at Diane, focused on healing the many severe wounds that had been inflicted onto Raven within the span of seconds. The Arachnae looked weary and was panting, holding her bleeding arm. You glanced at the white pool of silk that she appeared to be pulling with her hind legs while the nurse was pouring over her tauric form with her glowing hands.

Focus moved to the more active fighter. Monica was growing increasingly frustrated; you could see her trying to attack the Moriae, kicks and punches. She wasn't trying to savagely claw away so much as land a solid blow. It made you grimace inside; she was trying to avoid going for a potential kill and it was clearly costing her. The Moriae that had, somehow, yet to move a single inch from where the fight had started kept missing her own blows, but if any one landed it would clearly be devastating. The feline-

"AGH!"

The cry snapped your attention to Kiara, the Succubus clutching her thigh as she dropped to nearly ground level, spreading her wings at the last moment and angling her speed to glide towards Diane, clearly seeking healing. Your eyes widened and your grip on the railing tensed all the way to your shoulders. Kiara going low like this was going to open movement for the other...

You frowned- the Thundrix was not following. She'd stopped, turning around and flying straight towards the Mimica instead, and the Neigix was not pursuing, keeping herself smack in the middle of the field. What? You focused, ignoring Kiara for now while looking at the Thundrix intently. She was blushing furiously, breathing hard, and as soon as she'd landed she moved her wings to rub slightly against her chest as she took an offered bottle of something from the Mimica.

Your eyes widened. Kiara had been having an effect on her. This was an opportunity. "Monica, left side, HUNT!" You roared, watching Erica at the opposite side of the field take a startled step forward.

“STOP HER!” The gym assistant screamed.

The feline's head snapped away from the Moriae and towards the grounded bird. As one, all four enemy pokegirls looked at the grinning feline. Monica did not wait, and in another explosion of movement she dodged the Moriae and escaped her effective range, moving like a bullet straight towards the Thundrix with a savage determination. The flying pokegirl’s eyes widened, and her whole body glowed with lightning. You expected her to launch an attack; instead, she threw herself upwards with a speed that made her look like a rocket.

Shame the Mimica had no such ability.

Monica had reached the spot the Thundrix had been at a second later, her leg moving to kick the Mimica as if an afterthought, her eyes focused on the rising bird. The smaller black-haired pokegirl was shot off her feet like a thrown ragdoll, the air knocked out of her hard enough she couldn’t even cry out as her body impacted against the barrier. She spasmed the moment after, letting out a shrill scream just as she was recalled. You sighed with relief, watching Monica follow through on her attack on the weaker pokegirl by leaping upwards hard enough to crack the ground underneath her.

She made it 'merely' ten meters off the ground before she fell back down, not having managed to catch the retreating Thundrix on time- not that she would've managed, as the Neigix had thrown a powerful downwards gust to knock the cat down before she could reach full altitude. Monica landed with an annoyed look, hissing up at the Thundrix but quickly moving out of the way of the hurled sharp feathers that followed the downwards gale.

"Bitch, heal me!"

Your attention snapped towards Kiara as she screamed at Diane, whose hands were focused on some of the deeper bleeding gashes on Raven's torso. The nurse had a deep scowl and was shooting daggers back at the infernal.

"Focus on their Succubus, don’t rush," Erica's voice commanded.

"Kiara, incoming!" You warned.

“I don’t need telling!” She replied with a growl, looking upwards as the Thundrix drank whatever it was she'd taken from the Mimica. With a snarl and a yelp from Diane as the nurse recoiled from a flash of black flames, Kiara jumped back up into the air, blood trickling down her right leg as she prepared black fire on either of her hands. 

The two flying opponents waited a moment longer while the Thundrix finished her beverage, and you could tell the look of the dark-skinned pokegirl was one of determination, her lips curled into a nasty snarl at the infernal.

Timer. Two minutes since the start of the match. A hundred and twenty seconds. Your hands were practically shaking.

A hundred and twenty seconds and your four pokegirls were left in this state. You could feel the muscles on the back of your neck tense as you watched Kiara's futile attempt to land an attack on either of the flyers. The way they flew laps around the succubus, Kiara might as well have been stationary compared to the nimble, deadly flight of the two enemies. Lightning and razor-sharp knives battered against the resilient pokegirl. But it was not going to be very long before she was knocked back down. The next fall would likely be for good.

Your eyes turned to Raven, as she slowly stood on shaking legs, her face pale but her eyes resolute. She was looking at you. The gesture surprised you as she moved a finger to cover her lips in warning of silence. Your focus drifted downwards, and you saw her hands clutching a thread of silk with a rock attached at the end.

A trickle of hope swept through you. "Kiara, fly lower! Focus on dodging, forget attacking right now, you need to buy time for Monica," you proclaimed loudly, hoping the red herring could work.

Your eyes moved to the feline. She'd managed to rip one of the hammers out of the Moriae's hands at some point, but the fight was still too entrenched; her left hand appeared slightly limp and she was clearly not moving as quickly as she had been at the start. Her feet were almost dragging, and you couldn’t see well from this distance, but it seemed the ground wasn’t quite so firm under her feet.

Hoping Monica could at least hold out for longer and not having much of a chance to continue observing that part of the fight, you looked back at Kiara. The infernal had switched to a desperate flight that was as close to the ground as she could make it. Her body had used the fall to speed itself as much as she could manage; she zoomed as it tried to zig-zag and avoid the rain of attacks. Her pursuers were reducing the distance, and their aim was getting better. The Succubus let out a shriek as a particularly powerful jolt of lightning struck her squarely on the back. Your heart felt as if it froze inside your chest as you saw the Succubus’ ability to sustain herself in the air entirely gone, and she crashed.

With a grunt, Kiara fell, inertia causing her to roll and drag through the dirt. The two flying pokegirls moved in to finish the fight.

“Raven!” You let out with what was left of your breath.

True to the command, the rock shot across the air with incredible speed. In its wake it pulled a thread of white silk. Fast enough to catch the unexpecting opponents by surprise, it struck the Thundrix's wing. The silk stuck, and the next flap of the pokegirl's wing immediately plastered more of it against its surface, tangling some of the silk and quickly turning the Thundrix's flight into a sudden desperate attempt to stay airborne. Raven was yanking on the rope, reducing the distance between the two with every tug, her tauric body stuck to the ground despite the Thundrix's best thrashing attempts to escape.

"Don't escape, attack!" Erica shouted the command.

Thundrix and Neigix turned to Raven, and the spider flinched as her thorax was peppered with more sharp feathers, but she kept pulling, stomping the sticky silk against the ground with every handful of silk she could pull. Four meters away, Raven gave a single powerful tug at the silk, forcing her glowing prey straight into her reach.

For a fraction of a second you saw the spider pokegirl’s hands glowing a sickly green. The next, the flash of lightning and the crack of thunder that followed left your ears ringing and your eyes shutting tightly. You blinked your stinging eyes, rubbing away the spots, quickly trying to see what had happened.

Raven had collapsed. She was laying on the ground, her arachnid half had cracked at several points, green blood oozed out, and her flank was hammered with more sharp feathers, sinking into her spider legs and making her wince. Raven's lips thinned as she clenched onto the silk that was still attached to the Thundrix's wing. 

The Arachnae’s whole body trembled as she fought to stand back up, keeping her hands tangled in her own silk while her prey was preparing for another attack, the dark-skinned avian pokegirl beginning to glow again.

"Do I recall the Arachnae?"

The voice cracked through the speaker, almost making you jump in surprise. Your focus remained fixated on the static jumping around the Thundrix's body as it began to increase, your breath caught in your throat. 

Could Raven even survive another attack? Your finger reached out for the button, cold dread running through you. And as you touched the cold uncaring plastic surface, you froze, something moving from the corner of your eye.

The cry came with a roar.

"NO HURT RAVEN!"

"HARA WATCHOUT!"

One voice was familiar, was from one of the enemy pokegirls. You saw the white-haired blur only a fraction of a second before it hit the Thundrix like a freight train.

Unlike the Moriae, the Thundrix was not as sturdy, both bodies flung across the field out of Monica’s sheer inertia.

The feline didn’t hesitate, and claws sank into the surprised pokegirl’s stomach. Blood sprayed in the following four swipes, her paws moving so fast it looked like she was shredding the avian girl one strip at a time. The dark-skinned pokegirl shrieked just as the feline's closed fist slammed against her face and into the ground with a solid thud that you could hear all the way from your end. The charged lightning that had been building around the Thundrix exploded with a blinding and deafening clap that was blinding even through your closed eyelids.

The air around you vibrated from the sound. You felt your hairs stand on end as the railing tingled under your touch; this time it had been powerful enough you could feel it through the metal of the podium all the way outside the barrier.

You swallowed the lump on your throat, noticing the beam of red light before you could properly see what had happened as the spots were still swimming across your gaze. Your whole body was rigid as you watched the dust cloud slowly settling.

The shadow that stepped out of it was Monica, but what you saw gave you no reprieve. Her fur was burnt, deep scars and angry welts covered her bloodied claws and arms, and smoke rose out of her. The feline’s first step wavered, and she fell down to a knee, panting hard, eyes half focused and her whole body shaking.

"Finish her down before she can recover!" Erica commanded. She was gripping the railing, eyes narrowed in fury.

Instantly you locked onto the two remaining enemy pokegirls. The Neigix was already throwing more of her sharpened feathers, forcing Monica to cry out as they hit her squarely against her side and back. The feline fell to her side, laying on the ground and trying to push herself back up, her body shaking too fiercely to properly manage it. But the Moriae was... nowhere to be seen? 

That thought lasted only two seconds. 

You saw the pokegirl emerging from the ground as if she were no more than an illusion, practically floating her way out of the dirt without leaving a trace of her passing. Like a vengeful ghost whose steps thudded against the ground, she appeared only a handful of meters from Monica, wielding a lone hammer and a look that was locked on the feline.

Gritting your teeth, you watched Monica stumble and whimper as she glanced at the approaching Moriae, trying to get some distance, her legs failing as blood began to pool around her. Your hand already moved to the button, have her recalled.

Seeing Diane approaching the Moriae from behind, knife in hand, you grit your teeth- was this a chance?

The enemy tamer noticed, her eyes widened. "Reiss-!"

You reacted faster. "MONICA BEHIND YOU!" You roared loud enough your throat hurt, drowning out Erica's command before it could be finished. The gym assistant looked at you with disbelief, mouth opening slightly as the events unfolded with a thundering silence.

No cry, no scream, no roar. Diane’s eyes narrowed and she leapt at the hammer-wielding pokegirl. The Moriae’s eyes had kept focused on the feline, the ringing of your command having kept her unable to hear that final step as the nurse flung herself like a maddened attack dog. One hand clutching the knife, the other glowing, the knife circled around the Moriae and struck her throat, but it didn’t sink; the pokegirl’s skin was too tough. That is, until Diane’s glowing hand reached around from the opposite side and touched the same area.

Like a hot knife through butter, the knife sank into the surprised pokegirl’s bleeding throat. Instantly she turned around, hammer in hand. The gesture flung Diane away as the hammer hit her blade-wielding arm; the sound of shattering bone could be heard loud and clear. But the move had been violent, violent enough the wound on her throat had become only deeper. Having Diane flung away pulled the knife with her and the Moriae’s throat sprayed blood.

Diane was sent sprawling across the ground, face contorted in agony as she held her shattered arm. The Moriae held her throat with her free hand, trying to stem the bleeding to little effect. Your eyes darted as you noticed movement. The Neigix, the pokegirl’s face contorted in rage, focus entirely on Diane, her taloned feet glowed with menacing white power.

The attack didn’t manage to land, as a ball of black fire hit her squarely on her wing. The attack itself didn’t bring any inertia with it, but the black flames burst into life instantly. The Neigix screamed as they spread fast, burning the feathers on her wing and causing her to drop against the ground. The pokegirl desperately rolled, trying to put them out. To no avail, they only spread faster, you could only wince at the sight as she vanished into red light.

And then... there was only one.

The Moriae stood proudly, one hand pressed against her throat, the other holding her hammer. Her gaze slowly moved across the field, focusing on the whimpering Monica, the trembling Raven, and the panting Kiara. And then she looked at Diane as the nurse laid on her side, one arm entirely limp, the other glowing as she tried to heal herself.

Blood stained her hand, her armour, and was dripping onto the ground quickly, her face pale, her grip on her hammer loosening ever so slightly. She spun around, eyes like hot coals focusing directly on you. The power behind that gaze pinned you in place, and you knew, you knew without a shadow of a doubt, if not for that stroke to her throat, even with everyone else downed, the Moriae would’ve been able to finish the match and win.

Lips parting, the pokegirl leaned over to vomit blood, and her body had begun to shake just as she vanished into a beam of red light.

And you felt like your legs were about to give out underneath you as a breath you’d been holding escaped your lips.

There was a ringing in your ears, the speaker next to you spoke some words about having won- not that you could make out the specifics, you only felt a wave of relief shoot through you. A relief that was only momentary, as your eyes moved through the four pokegirls that had fought. 

Diane was holding her entirely limp arm from where the single attack from the Moriae had shattered it entirely. Monica was barely conscious as she laid flat on the floor, bleeding, and Raven was no better, turned back to her human form. Kiara was the one that looked the least battered and bruised but in no less need for desperate medical treatment, her hands pressed against a cut within her thigh that was bleeding profusely, her breathing hard, her eyes only half focused even though a lofty smirk played on her lips.

For the first time since you'd left New Bark, you realized just how dangerously underprepared you were.

You'd won.

But it didn't feel like victory.

Dex Entry of the day: Entry Link -- [Can't find original image source :( ]

ravnicrasol

Big shout out to my Patrons (where next week's chapters are up!) and everyone who's been helping me make it possible for me to keep posting the story! I literally would need to start looking for work and need to cut out on production if not because of you guys!

Also shout out to my beta readers for being awesome and helping me fix-up all the mistakes I keep making all over the place!