CHAPTER EIGHT: PRACTICE MATCH

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"What do you mean?" Alice asked, her voice soft and unstable.

She stood in the center of the pathway connecting Celadon City to Route 7, doing her best not to cry. Her face was painted red in humiliation and her throat was drying up. A pain she'd never felt until that moment destroyed her from the inside out. Her heart tore in two, destroying her confidence with it.

The pink-haired girl in front of Alice frowned, forming her signature pout. "I said that it's not working out. You've, like, changed since we started our journey together."

Alice bit her bottom lip, preventing it from trembling.

"We need to go and split up now before things get worse. It's better this way."

Alice couldn't have spoken even if she tried. If she opened her mouth sobs would pour out. She couldn't fall apart like that. Not in public, at least.

"Later~"

Alice frowned as she stared up at her ceiling. She hadn't dreamed about that in a long time. The brunette sighed and rolled over to pet Meowstic. Her Psychic-type sensed Alice's sorrow and curled up to her Trainer's side. A ghost of a smile appeared on the Trainer's face and she happily squeezed Meowstic to her chest.

"Wish me good luck, Meowstic," she mumbled against her fur. "Today's the assessment-thing."

A knock against Alice's door interrupted her. Irene waltzed in with a smile that no one should be able to brandish at 7:20 in the morning. The older sister flipped on the light-switch and the younger cried out in disapproval.

"My eyes!" she wailed.

Irene paid no heed to Alice's distress as she exclaimed, "Rise and shine! Today's the day you and Ken get to battle me and Dad!" She scoffed when she saw Alice burrowing her way under her blankets and rudely yanked the comforter off of the bed, launching Meowstic across the room. "Get up!"

* * *

The wet, thick grass squished under Ken's weight as he arrived to the training field. Mud covered the bottom of his shoes, and he was glad that he didn't wear his new pair. The warm, damp air contrasted the angry, gray clouds rolling overhead blocking the sun.

"The rain from last night'll make this battle interesting. Let's hope it doesn't pour down while we're doing it." Joe chuckled. The older man didn't let the gross surroundings affect him as he stretched. Ken shuddered as Joe's bones popped with every twist and roll, nearly gagging as he cracked his neck. "Are you ready to battle?"

"Of course," Ken said. He stepped away as Joe bent down to touch his toes. Craa-aack.

"That's the spirit!" Joe beamed. He straightened up and smirked, mischief glinting in his eyes. He lacked the typical childishness Ken associated with him. It was unnerving. "Don't think I'll go easy on you."

The blond nodded. "I'll refrain from holding back as well."

The Bristow laughed and 'gently' smacked Ken on the shoulder, causing the latter to flinch in pain. "It's like I'm talking to a professor. You don't have to be so formal with me or anyone else around here, kiddo."

"All right."

Ken waited silently for Alice and Irene to show up. He disagreed with the term 'fashionably late'; there was nothing amusing to him about making others wait.

Loud commotion pulled him out of his thoughts as arguing met his ears. Irene and Alice arrived in the clearing bickering over Arceus knows what. Irene grew tired of Alice's complaining and flicked her younger sister's forehead. This only increased the volume of Alice's whining as she gingerly rubbed the spot that took the hit.

"Sorry we're late!" Irene called out to the guys. "Alice didn't want to climb out of bed."

Alice glared at her sister and grumbled, "Maybe I would've if someone didn't almost kill my Pokémon."

"You're a drama queen." The morning Pidove snorted. "Moving on, when are we going to start?"

"As soon as everyone's ready," Joe answered.

Alice gave her 'wound' one last pat before lowering her hand and glancing at Ken. "Are you ready?" He nodded. "Then I guess we should start now."

The duos split up with Alice and Ken on the left side of the field and Joe and Irene on the right. Alice and Ken released their Pokémon first, both Infernape and Manectric grunting as their feet sunk into the mud. A petite, yellow-and-black insect with crimson eyes appeared from Joe's Pokéball while a multi-pointed Pokémon with a ruby center formed in front of Irene.

Alice took a deep breath then raised her chin. "I guess we'll see if the daycare training worked."

"Keep your guard up," Ken warned, folding his arms across his chest. The look Joe gave him earlier burned in the back of his mind. He knew the burly man had something planned. But what is it?

"I'll go first!" Irene declared, smiling. She punched the air above her head. "Starmie, Power Gem!"

Alice and Ken yelled both of their orders at the same time, accidentally cancelling each other's voices out. "Mach Punch the rocks!/Dodge and use Thunder Wave!"

Starmie slid through the mud across the battlefield, stones rising from the ground as it passed by. The jagged rocks rained down on Infernape and Manectric who had failed to decipher what their Trainers said. Manectric yelped as one hit her flank and ducked behind Infernape who in turn shattered those that came at them with a Fire Punch.

Starmie slid under Infernape as he jumped up to punch another stone, and Irene smirked. "Hydro Pump!"

Alice gasped. "Get out of there!"

"Stall it with Thunderbolt!" Ken commanded.

Manectric pounced on Starmie as Infernape moved out of the way, her body crackling with golden-arched sparks. The Thunderbolt discharged onto the Water-type before it could loose its Hydro Pump; the stored water evaporated as it was encapsulated in hot, white electricity.

The attack didn't last long as Joe yelled, "Now, Ninjask! Night Slash!"

Ninjask seemingly came out of nowhere, the Bug-and-Flying-type's eyes gleaming as it materialized behind Manectric's back. Manectric spun around just as the violet energy surrounding Ninjask's arms blitzed off of it in a series of dark rays. The canine howled in pain as she got thrown across the field, mud spraying up like a dirty geyser as she hit the ground.

"Manectric!" Ken shouted. His stomach lurched as his Pokémon struggle to stand up, her entire body shuddering as she looked at him. How did one Night Slash do that much damage? What was Joe doing? He narrowed his eyes. "Use Double Team and fan out with Thunder Wave!"

"Fire Punch!" Alice called out, subconsciously punching the air as if she were demonstrating how to attack.

Manectric morphed into a great herd of clones, over a dozen covering the field. They moved at once, their fur standing up on end as they vibrated. Infernape's fist burst into flames and he charged headfirst at Ninjask who had been distracted by Manectric. To his shock, his Fire Punch went straight through it, the opponent dissipating in midair.

"A clone?" Alice squeaked. Her gaze darted around the field, searching for Ninjask. "Keep your guard up, Infernape! Keep a Fire Punch on hand!"

"Put him out with a Scald!" Irene shouted.

A jet of powder blue water spouted out of Starmie, spiraling towards Infernape. One of Manectric's clones leaped in front of him, taking the blunt of the attack. It gave him enough time to tumble out of the water's way. Muck covered his face, obscuring his eyesight.

"Now, Manectric!"

The group of Manectric encircled Starmie as electricity sprung forth from her body. The Water-type stilled as its ligaments solidified. Starmie's gem blinked in distress — it couldn't budge an inch.

"Dig!"

The ground beneath Manectric rumbled and she jumped on instinct. Ninjask erupted from the earth with its arms stretched over its head, launching Manectric high above the surface.

"Take her out with X-Scissor!" Joe exclaimed.

With a speed unlike any other, Ninjask darted to Manectric's position in the air with its arms sharpened into knives. For a brief second, it made eye contact with her and she could see her reflection in its ruby hues. Ninjask disregarded her pained expression and slashed Manectric across her torso. The Electric-type yelped and fell, landing with a heavy thud.

Ken paled. "Manectric?"

No response. Ninjask's wings buzzed as it circled her, waiting signs of movement. There were none.

The blond gritted his teeth and held out his Poké Ball. "Return." Ken stared at the red-and-white sphere in his hand with furrowed brows. How... how did this happen?

Alice and Irene spent little time mulling over the subject.

"Finish it with a Mach Punch!"

"Scald!"

Infernape wiped the mud from his face and flicked it off of his fingers in disgust. He vaulted over the blast of water, a smirk on his face as he sailed towards Starmie. His fist met its mark before the Water-type could move, his knuckles fully connecting with the hard gemstone. Starmie flung backwards into the mud, completely unconscious.

"Return," Irene said, half-smiling.

"Swords Dance, Infernape."

Alice scanned the field. Infernape stood in the center panting heavily, the golden swirls decorating his body tinted purple as he charged up. She couldn't detect a single clue hinting at Ninjask's location. A flicker of movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned her head to look at it only to be blinded by a white flash. Alice clasped her hands over her face and bit her tongue so she wouldn't cuss aloud.

Ken lacked that moment of self-control as he hissed, "Damn!"

She would've laughed at Ken if it weren't for the battle. Instead, she rubbed her eyes and hoped that Infernape's vision was fairing off better than her own. "Infernape, do you still remember Fire Spin? If you do then use it!"

Infernape couldn't see anymore than his trainer could, but he did as he was told. The flames spewing out of his head flared out into a great, gold-and-scarlet cyclone. He lowered the fire tornado around himself, keeping a small pocket in the center so he wouldn't burn.

Ken regained his ability to see sooner than Alice and spotted Ninjask hovering over the center of the Fire Spin. "Alice, you have to act now."

"Where?" she asked. The brunette squinted as she looked at the battle field, only being able to see blobs of color.

"Straight up."

"Up?"

"Yes, up!"

The wind picked up as thunder rumbled in the clouds. Joe set his hands on his hips and chuckled. "Looks like we're going to have to wrap this up. Take it away, Ninjask! X-Scissor!"

"Infernape, Fire Punch straight up!" Alice shouted.

Infernape jumped up only to be knocked down by Ninjask slamming its glowing limb into his face. Infernape's Fire Punch missed by hairs, his attack landing in the air rather than the Bug-and-Flying-type. He hit the earth face-first, sinking into the mud as he tried to recollect himself.

"Hurry, get up!" Alice cried, flailing her arms and bouncing on the balls of her feet. "C'mon, Infernape!"

The said Pokémon staggered to his feet, his entire body shaking as he glared at Ninjask. His flames shone brighter than ever as he bared his teeth and summoned yet another Fire Punch. Ninjask didn't flinch.

Joe and Alice spoke at once, "NOW!"

It happened too quickly.

Infernape fell.

Ninjask flew to Joe.

Joe smiled.

Irene clapped.

Alice returned Infernape, murmuring, "You did your best."

Ken said, "...we have work to do."

A raindrop fell. And another. And another.

* * *

The party of four returned home as it drizzled, narrowly escaping the odious downpour that followed. In the house, Alice imagined that the clouds were crying for her while she listened to the rain battering the roof. If she closed her eyes then she could visualize them sobbing and the harsh wind making whirring noises and hissing curses.

Alice sat in Ken's room with her knees drawn up to her chest, watching as he drew on a whiteboard with a green marker. He stepped back from the whiteboard, revealing his work. Adorable cartoons of Manectric and Infernape were drawn next to each other with their move sets written above their heads. He was proud of how well his drawings turned out.

"I figured out what exactly went wrong," Ken announced.

"What is it?"

"We forgot to pay attention to Joe. While Starmie distracted us, he ordered a stat changing move to power up Ninjask. My theory is that he used Swords Dance," he explained.

Alice let go of her legs and stretched, nodding. "That makes sense. Next time we battle people we just have to pay more attention to the trainers."

"We need to create a strategy." He took a notebook and pen out of his dresser, his hand flying across the paper as he deftly wrote. "My idea is that Manectric begins with a Double Team to surround Infernape while he uses Swords Dance. Manectric paralyzes the nearest foe with Thunder Wave then Infernape runs forwards with the clones to attack."

"Sounds good," she agreed, playing with the end of her shirt.

Ken set the notebook down. "Alice."

She looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"You're not focusing."

"Sorry." Alice sighed softly. "Today's been a bad day for me. I didn't get much sleep last night."

Ken hesitated. 'Put yourself in other people's shoes.' If she feels as exhausted as she appears then she should take a nap. However, she's not leaving. That must mean that she wants... to be comforted? He took a seat across from her on the floor and could see the surprise in her eyes. The blond stared at her unabashedly as he thought of what to say.

"Everybody loses battles," he finally said. "There's no shame in defeat as long as you learn from your mistakes."

She grinned. "Thanks, Ken,"

The atmosphere didn't change so he tried again, saying, "You didn't cry when we lost. That's improvement compared to when we battled in the past."

"Uh, thank you."

An awkward silence lingered in the air as both parties tried to figure out what the other was getting at.

A light bulb flickered on above Ken's head. "Would you like to watch a drama?"

Alice straightened up, excitement sparkling in her eyes. "Really? Are you being serious right now?"

"Yes."

"Oh, uh, cool!" She hopped onto her feet with a smile on her face. "I'll get my laptop!"

Ken grinned in amusement as he watched her practically run out of his room to fetch her device. This is all it required to cheer her up? She reminded him of how Manectric perked up when he mentioned Poffins. He got up to rest on his bed and Alice scurried in with her device moments later.

"What type do you want to watch?" she asked as she settled beside him, crisscrossing her legs and setting the electronic on her lap. "There's a lot of different ones! They range from being about criminal gangs trying to take over the world to a Gym Leader struggling to become Champion or even a Ditto who pretends to be a human."

"You can choose," he insisted.

"Okay~" She hummed as she scrolled down a list. "How about this one? A guy named Quill is in the middle of his journey when he finds a little girl passed out in the woods and has to take care of her."

"All right."

Alice clicked on the drama, biting her lip in anticipation as the screen loaded. The opening blasted its music as the protagonist appeared on screen and she smiled, gladly immersing herself in the show's world. Just like always, the troubles in her mind were shoved to the side for her to deal with on another day.

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Author's Note

And so Alice's backstory begins to appear! After almost ten chapters the Double Battle Brawl is finally beginning... next, next chapter.

Question of the Chapter: What's your favorite fossil Pokémon?

This question may or may not be referencing to a future major character. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.