Clair was still mid-battle, trying to fight Suicune, but it seemed like everything she did had no effect, and Suicune wasn't even taking this seriously.
"Kingdra, keep moving! Don't let it line up a clean shot, [Dragon Dance] into [Waterfall]!"
Kingdra began glowing orange as suddenly a wave from the ground shot up, trying to slam into Suicune, but Suicune just stood there and stopped it mid-wave, redirecting it harmlessly into the ground.
Clair's eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Kingdra landed beside her, breathing heavily, its tail twitching and starting to struggle to get up. Clair bit her lip, wondering how she was going to do this.
Suicune watched for a moment, then raised its head, charging up a bright blue [Aurora Beam], and fired.
Clair clenched her fist. "Kingdra, counter with [Hydro Pump]!"
Kingdra threw back its head and shot out a quick blast of water. For a moment, it looked like it might reach Suicune first, but then Suicune's beam cut through it, splitting the water apart and striking Kingdra, knocking it back and sending it rolling into a wall.
Kingdra struggled and twitched, letting out a soft cry of pain.
But Suicune wasn't done. In a blur, it charged forward using [Extreme Speed], crashing into Kingdra's side before Clair could even shout a warning, slamming it deeper into the wall.
Clair's heart pounded as dust and debris settled around the crater where Kingdra now lay.
"Kingdra!" she shouted, stepping forward, then caught herself, quickly fixing her composure before anyone could see how worried she looked.
Suicune jumped back. Kingdra was still up, barely, but still standing. Meanwhile, Suicune looked completely fine, which only frustrated Clair even more.
She took a deep breath through her nose, grounding herself, but frustration bubbled beneath the surface. Her kimono clung to her skin, her movements restricted. She couldn't battle the way she was used to. Most people didn't realize it, but a trainer's movements were just as important in a Pokémon battle as the Pokémon's.
There's a reason most good trainers have different battling styles, and this was exactly why. Normally she wore tight spandex because it was easy to move and stretch. Instead, she was stuck in this kimono. And worse, she didn't even have her Poké Balls with her.
Behind her, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Is Kingdra down?"
"Is the Gym Leader losing?"
"Should we help—?"
Clair's eyes flashed as she bit her lip.
The other elders exchanged glances, slowly starting to reach for their Poké Balls, wondering how they could catch Suicune for themselves.
"Perhaps we should step in, you know, to help the Gym Leader," one muttered.
The Grand Elder, Clair's grandfather, said nothing. He sat silently, his beard and long eyebrows obscuring his face so no one could see his expression.
Clair didn't need to hear them to know what they were thinking. Not just the elders, some of the other clan members, civilians… even Iris wanted to step in.
She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
"This is my battle!" she snapped, louder now, finally letting the frustration break through. "And no one else is getting in my way!"
The elders flinched slightly, cowards, the lot of them. They were about to protest, but before they could, Drayden stepped forward and narrowed his eyes.
"You heard her. Sit down and watch."
They wanted to pull the "authority" card, but Drayden didn't seem to care. He wasn't exactly part of their clan anyway, and they all knew how strong he was. If it came down to a battle, he could take every one of them.
Clair took a breath. Sure, she told them to stay out of this, but she still didn't have the rest of her Pokémon. And now, Suicune was walking toward Kingdra, its mouth glowing as it prepared to fire another [Ice Beam] to finish things.
But then, a [Dragon Pulse] shot in from the side, slamming into Suicune and knocking it back, skidding across the stone.
From the mountain ledge above, Clair's Drampa jumped down, landing heavily between her and Suicune.
It had been watching the whole time. Ever since it sensed Clair's distress, Drampa had kept a quiet eye on her, waiting. And now, it had decided to act.
Clair blinked. "Drampa…?"
Her Dragon Pokémon gave a deep, huffing growl, lowering its head slightly in solidarity.
Clair's breath caught. She whispered, "Thanks."
Then louder, eyes blazing, "Alright then! You wanna test me, Suicune?! Fine!"
She threw her arm forward, kimono sleeves billowing in the wind.
"Drampa, let's do this! Kingdra, you too! Maybe we can't win, but let's give it something to remember!"
—
{Meanwhile — Olivine City}
The sound of crashing thunder echoed through the half-rebuilt streets. Sparks danced off broken lamp posts. Smoke curled up from scorched pavement.
Whitney skidded backward, her boots dragging through the dust as she caught her breath, wiping sweat from her brow. Her main Miltank, Mil Mil, was down, twitching slightly, eyes spinning.
"Mil Mil, no! Ugh, why is it always electricity?!"
A few feet away, Jasmine knelt beside her battered Magnezone, one of her real aces. She was trying to stabilize its levitation. Sparks sputtered from the left disk, and its center eye flickered erratically.
"Hang in there…!" Jasmine said through gritted teeth. "Don't shut down yet…"
Truth was, they were nearly out of Pokémon. They'd used most of them to protect the town. The ones left, like Mil Mil, or Jasmine's Magnezone, were running on fumes. They had a few more, but even they weren't in great shape.
Whitney stood up again, biting the inside of her cheek. Her hands trembled as she reached for another Poké Ball.
"This is seriously unfair," she muttered. "Like, what even is this thing's level?!"
Behind her usual bravado, the weariness was starting to show. The ache in her legs. The thudding of her heart. Even her usual bright optimism was starting to slip.
"OKAY, fine!" she shouted at Raikou, its yellow fur crackling with energy. "But don't think we're just gonna roll over!"
She threw out another Poké Ball. "Cle-Cle, go!"
From the Poké Ball came her Clefable. It wasn't a Normal-type anymore, but it was still cute, and that was good enough for Whitney.
Clefable landed lightly and looked up at Raikou with wide eyes. Then it turned to Whitney, giving her a flat look.
"Clef?" [Girl, what exactly am I supposed to do here?]
"I know, I know," Whitney mumbled, brushing dust off her skirt. "But we gotta try. You're my last Pokémon."
Jasmine stood, breath shallow, watching the Electric-type Legendary pace with calm, terrifying confidence. She'd never seen a Pokémon like Raikou up close, not like this.
It wasn't just powerful. It was precise, its movements sharp, purposeful, and efficient. No wasted motion. No random strikes.
It was on a completely different level.
'It's not even going all out,' she realized grimly. 'It's holding back.'
Jasmine gently touched Magnezone's dented chassis. "One more move, okay? Just one."
Magnezone's eye blinked in response, weak, but still determined. It floated back up, wobbling slightly.
Jasmine stood tall and pointed forward. "Magnezone, [Flash Cannon]!"
"Come on, please work!" Whitney shouted, pointing as well. "Cle-Cle, use [Sing] to help!"
Clefable opened its mouth and began to hum a soft lullaby toward Raikou. At the same time, Magnezone glowed silver and launched a beam of shimmering light straight ahead.
Raikou blurred.
In less than a second, it vanished, then reappeared behind Clefable, jaws glowing yellow with [Thunder Fang], and clamped down on her neck.
Lightning exploded across Clefable's body. The Fairy-type shrieked as it was hurled into a nearby wall, smoke curling from its fur.
"Cle-Cle!!" Whitney screamed, running toward her fallen Pokémon.
Raikou didn't stop.
Its paws sparked again. It turned toward Magnezone, and then,
BOOM.
An [Electro Ball] surged forward, slamming into Magnezone's chassis. The force sent it crashing into a nearby lamppost, snapping the metal pole clean out of the ground. Magnezone lay there, sparking, unmoving.
Jasmine collapsed to her knees beside it, breath catching. "No…"
Raikou stood tall and still, watching them both with a cold, unimpressed gaze. Then it gave a low huff, turned, and leapt away into the stormy sky, vanishing into the distance.
The two girls were left in the rubble.
Whitney silently recalled her Pokémon, then walked over and flopped beside Jasmine, lying down on her back.
"Uhhhhh… that sucked…"
"Yeah…" Jasmine nodded, gently holding her Magnezone before returning it to its Poké Ball.
Whitney sat up slowly, propping herself up with her arms, legs sprawled across the cracked street. Her bangs clung to her sweat-soaked forehead. She looked like a wreck, but still managed a smile.
"Well," she huffed, "on the bright side… I didn't cry this time."
Jasmine let out a small snort. "I guess that's true. You are getting better at that."
"Exactly. I can't let everyone see their super pretty Gym Leader cry every time. Even if it does feel kinda good," Whitney added, patting her chest like it meant something.
"Fine, fine. But I'm tired… and hungry," Jasmine muttered.
"Me too. What are you feeling? I kinda want something sweet."
Jasmine closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Curry. Let's get curry. And then… some pudding would be nice."
—
{Meanwhile — Cinnabar Island}
The sky above the volcano was now streaked with heavy, dark clouds. Across the scorched volcanic ridge, Entei stood, unmoving.
Blaine stood opposite, breathing heavily, not just from fatigue, but from the pain in his burned hand. He had just returned his Charizard, which lay unconscious from the last brutal blow.
Most of his Pokémon were done. The ones he left inside the volcano had grown strong through training, but they weren't ready for this. This was his last real Pokémon.
Still, he wasn't a fool. He knew he couldn't win.
From all his years of experience, he could see it clearly, he was outclassed.
And yet… he refused to give up.
"Entei," Blaine began, his voice steady despite the tremor in his limbs, "I know I can never possibly hope to defeat you. I'm past my prime. The limits of age have caught up to me."
He paused, drawing a Poké Ball with his good hand.
"I've seen trainers show more potential in one battle than I've had in a lifetime, more than I can even dream of having…"
But then Blaine's grip on the Poké Ball tightened.
He had seen countless trainers in his time. He could take the easy way out now, surrender, step down gracefully, walk away. But then he remembered those hot-headed kids, like Ash. Ash could've just accepted the badge, but he chose to fight anyway, even if it meant losing.
That reignited something Blaine thought he'd lost a long time ago. Something he had forgotten. But now that he was the one being pushed back, he remembered exactly what it meant.
He stepped forward, boots crunching over scorched obsidian.
"I've realized that every generation is stronger than the last. That's the way of the world. New trainers rise up. They push boundaries. They defy expectations. And they leave us old ones in the dust…"
He paused, eyes narrowing as a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips under his white mustache.
"But I refuse to sit quietly on the sidelines. I refuse to be left behind."
His voice rose with fire and conviction.
"Even if my body gives out… even if every muscle screams in protest… even if I lose every last Pokémon I've got, I'll stand! Because the spirit that made me a Gym Leader still burns hotter than this mountain!"
The clouds above parted just slightly, casting the volcano's ridge in a dramatic red-orange light.
"I may be old… I may be broken… but this new generation taught me that this old man still has something left to give. They were the ones who reminded me. And now, I'll show it to you!"
With a flare of motion, he hurled the Poké Ball.
From it emerged Arcanine, his oldest partner. Not his strongest, maybe. But his first. The one who had been with him since the very beginning.
Arcanine landed and exhaled hard, paws braced.
Across from them, Entei narrowed its eyes, stance shifting as it prepared to lunge in with [Extreme Speed].
Blaine pounded his chest with his good hand.
"Let's do this, old friend! Let's set our hearts ablaze, one last time! [Blazing Overdrive!]" (Flare Blitz + Extreme Speed)
Arcanine's body erupted into a fiery blaze as it dashed forward. Entei mirrored it, both creatures colliding in a thunderous shockwave at the center of the volcano.
The entire mountain shook, the ground rumbling beneath them as if the volcano itself were about to erupt again.
At first, it seemed like Entei was winning, its raw power pressing Arcanine back. Arcanine was old, his breathing ragged. His body tired.
But then, he growled. A deep, defiant growl. The same one he used to bark out as a little Growlithe during his very first battle.
Through hundreds of victories, losses, and memories, this was what mattered. Not being the strongest. But fighting alongside his trainer. Living a life worth remembering.
And he refused to fall now.
Arcanine's flames exploded brighter as he roared, and slammed head-first into Entei's chest.
The resulting blast detonated in a fiery column, launching both Pokémon backward in opposite directions.
Entei crashed across volcanic stone, claws carving long gouges in the black rock as it dug in. It stood, fur singed, a fresh scorch mark across its chest.
Arcanine tumbled, then staggered upright, panting, burned, and swaying. He looked like a strong gust of wind would knock him over.
But he stood.
"Old dog… still has fight," Blaine muttered through a grin, cradling his injured arm.
"Heh. You feel that, Entei? Maybe I can't beat you. But I know someone in this new generation who can."
He met Entei's gaze directly.
"The same one who reminded this old man he still had something left to give."
Entei narrowed its eyes, then leapt, landing in front of Blaine with a heavy thud.
The Legendary Beast stared him down.
Blaine didn't flinch. He met its eyes calmly.
Arcanine limped forward and sat beside Blaine, refusing to leave his side.
Entei held the stare for a few more seconds… then slowly closed its eyes and nodded.
It looked at Blaine's belt. Noticed the few empty Poké Balls.
Then it raised its paw, and gently pressed the button on one.
A flash of light.
One roll.
Two.
Three.
Ding.
Entei was caught.
Blaine finally exhaled, his whole body relaxing, "…That was stressful," he muttered, wiping his brow.
But now… he had a solution to his problems.
—
{Back to Blackthorn}
Clair's breath came in sharp, steadying exhales, but her eyes never left Suicune.
Kingdra was trembling on one knee-fin, bruised and battered, while Drampa's thick fur was scorched where an earlier [Aurora Beam] had grazed it.
And Suicune… still pristine. Still calm. Still utterly untouchable.
Its fur shimmered with energy, barely winded. But now, it looked bored. As if this entire battle was just a formality. A test. A test Clair was failing.
Her fists clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms. Her heartbeat pounded like a war drum, but she refused to look away.
Drampa let out a deep, rumbling snort, stepping forward protectively as Suicune slowly circled, its crystalline gaze locked and unblinking.
"You think I'm done?" Clair shouted, voice hoarse but unwavering. "You think I'm just going to kneel down and give up because you're a Legendary? Because you're stronger? Please, I grew up with Lance. I'm used to being overshadowed."
Her eyes narrowed, voice growing fierce.
"If you want to see everything I've got, then here it is!"
She raised her arm, ignoring how heavy it felt now, how the silk of her torn kimono tugged at her scraped skin.
"Drampa, [Glare], now!"
Drampa's eyes snapped open, glowing with a sickly, paralyzing yellow. For just a moment, Suicune faltered mid-step, its divine muscles twitching, slowed.
"Kingdra, behind it!, [Outrage]!"
Kingdra let out a wild roar and launched forward, a swirling aura of dragon energy erupting around it. It spun midair, slamming into Suicune's flank with brutal force.
And for the first time, Suicune grunted. Its paws scraped against the earth, pushed back slightly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Clair's eyes widened in disbelief. "It… it worked…?"
But that was the last opening she got.
Suicune's fur gleamed. It snapped its head around in one motion, eyes narrowing coldly.
A pulse of power surged from its paws, [Mirror Coat].
Normally, Mirror Coat only reflects special attacks.
But Legendary Pokémon don't play by the same rules as regular ones.
They bend the rules. Because they are the rules.
The energy exploded outward, reflecting the fury of Outrage back toward the dragons tenfold.
Kingdra was flung like a ragdoll, spinning midair before smashing into the ground, cratering the dirt. Its body went limp.
Drampa was sent flying into the mountainside, hitting the rocks with a thunderous crash before sliding down in a cloud of dust and rubble.
"No…" Clair whispered, trembling. "Not like this. I can't…"
Her knees buckled.
She collapsed to the ground, breath ragged, her kimono torn and dusty. Her hair clung to her face. Her pride felt like it had been torn apart.
"No matter what I did…" she whispered. "I couldn't even scratch it."
Suicune looked back at her… then turned away.
It began to walk off, silent, like a ghost in the mist.
Clair looked up, panic flaring. "W-wait! I have more Pokémon! Just, let me go get them! This isn't over!"
But Suicune didn't stop.
It walked calmly toward the ceremonial altar, where the box holding the Dragon Fang rested.
Suicune paused, gazing at it… and then, as if recognizing its purpose, lowered its head.
A trickle of water drizzled from its mouth onto the fang, water from Suicune is pretty much an extra strong Mystic Water.
The Dragon Fang began to glow. Then, suddenly, a golden spectral dragon burst forth from it, spiraling into the sky in a arc that looked like a dragon
It was the Dragon Ceremony and Suicune had completed it instead of her, it was like it was rubbing salt in the wound
Then, without another glance, Suicune turned and disappeared into the mist, vanishing again
Clair remained on her knees, fingers digging into the earth. Her throat tightened. She had never felt so humiliated. So ashamed.
Around her, murmurs began to rise from the civilians and elders. Whispers she didn't want to hear.
But there was one she heard that she heard a lot, and that made her clench her teeth the hardest
"Lance wouldn't have let that happen."