CHAPTER THREE: IGNITED

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Joe had always been an eccentric man, pulling a large number of pranks on those around him time and time again. Alice was waiting for him to laugh at her shocked face and exclaim that it was just a joke. She wanted him to say that the Double Battle Brawl was just a fictional event he conjured on his way home because he was stuck in traffic.

The punchline never came.

Her grandparents and sister loved the idea and started dishing out tips to the two who had barely processed the information. She fidgeted as they went on and on about how teamwork was essential, continuously stealing glances at Ken. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought as he finished his rolls, only nodding along to the advice given to him.

After dinner, Alice spent that night pleading with her mom to replace her spot with Irene, but she wouldn't have it as she lectured that Alice needed to socialize outside the internet. All night she ended up tossing and turning, trying to find some way to calm herself down. Every time she tried watching a show, her mind would drift back to the problem at hand and frustrated her because she couldn't properly enjoy her alone time.

During breakfast, Alice shifted awkwardly in her seat directly across from Ken who was focused on dressing his waffles. He stayed silent as he coated his food in fresh Miltank butter and amber maple syrup over the crisp breakfast food. She knew for a fact that he was unimpressed with the whole ordeal, perhaps even more so than herself.

"So, um, what do you think we should do?" she asked, absentmindedly tugging at her hair.

If he were a Pokémon, he would be a Persian. Intelligent and cunning, watching those around him and judging them for their actions. Alice always thought of herself as a Slowpoke: dazed and confused... She had self-esteem issues.

Ken tilted his head to the side, reminding Alice of her Meowstic that she refused to let go of last night. "What Pokémon do you have?"

"Well, you saw Togekiss and my Meowstic's in my room." She chuckled awkwardly. She began tapping her feet on the ground. "I, uh, have a decent amount, I think, from my travels. For my main team, I stick with my Roserade, Infernape, Scizor, and Ampharos."

His interest was caught as she listed her team, attentively sitting up straight. "You have an Infernape?"

That sounded rude, Alice sighed internally. "Yeah, Professor Rowan gave him to me because Professor Sycamore recommended me. He said that I needed all the help I could get." Her eyes widened when she realized how bad that sounded. "N-not that I'm helpless! It's just that he was looking out for me because I used to go to his lab a lot when I was a kid. He's a really nice guy like that."

Oh Arceus, she thought as she fought off the urge to bang her head on the table to knock herself out and spare this humility. Why do I keep on coming off as a weakling who needs others to do everything for her?

Ken was unfazed by her sloppy rant and replied, "I have Alakazam, Vaporeon, Sceptile, Arcanine, Manectric, and Lucario on me." He took no heed of Alice's shock when he named his six and continued, "I believe that the best pairing of our Pokémon would be my Manectric and your Infernape. We should start training once you get dressed."

Ah yes, Alice's fashion-forward pajama apparel consisting of an old over-sized comic shirt and fuzzy pants. Today she was wearing her Eeveelution patterned bottoms.

Alice nodded and scurried off to get changed, leaving Ken at the dining table alone with his thoughts. He hadn't battled in a competition since the Indigo League where a girl with a Charizard beat him in the fifth round; it was the closest he ever got to winning.

And that was just by myself. How am I supposed to win with Alice? he thought, deeply exhaling through his nose with his eyes closed.

* * *

By the time he was done brushing his teeth, Alice was ready so they left. She took him to a flat, empty grass field about twenty minutes away from the house. The spring's morning air nipped at his nose, and he wished he brought a thicker jacket than his cotton sweater.

"This is where my dad trains the larger Pokémon in the daycare, but he said we could use it," she explained. The brunette took a few steps in front of him then turned around and grinned; unlike Ken, the fresh air refreshed her. "I guess we should get started. C'mon out, Infernape!"

A bulky ape much larger than a normal Infernape formed from the white light, standing tall and glaring at Ken. The fire spouting from his head burned brightly, almost threateningly. He lashed its tail and grunted, causing Alice to cringe.

"Infernape, calm yourself," she fretted, pulling at her jacket's sleeves. While Infernape was one of her most loyal Pokémon, he was also one of her most hot-headed partners. She reassured him, "Ken's a good guy." Sort of.

Ken warily eyed Infernape's build and questioned, "How's your Infernape so muscled? Do you put him through a special training regimen?"

"No, not really." Alice avoided his gaze, her eyes flickering back and forth as she rocked on her heels. "When Infernape was a Chimchar, he was always hungry so I fed him a lot. Since he was fed more he got more protein or something like that so he got bigger. I didn't even know he wasn't as thin as a normal Infernape until I met a coordinator's."

"Infernape!" Infernape grunted, nodding his head.

How in the world does that make sense? "Steady, Manectric," Ken called out, tossing his Pokéball into the air.

Manectric appeared at his feet, sitting obediently with her tail excitedly swishing back and forth. The blue-and-yellow canine closed her eyes and sniffed the air, taking in the scents of the foreign land. Alice's eyes twinkled with curiosity as she bent down to view her on an eye-to-eye level.

"I've never seen a Manectric in person before. They're taller than what I thought they would be," she mused, talking to herself. Manectric opened her eyes to look at her and sniffed her hand when she stuck it out to her. "Hi there, my name's Alice."

Ken furrowed his brow; Manectric never licked anyone else other than him. He cleared his throat. "We need to battle to gather some ideas on what we can use for the Double Battle Brawl."

Alice nodded and stood up. "Okay!"

As she walked to the other side of the field with Infernape, Ken bent down and petted Manectric's head. "I know we've never done this before, but we have to participate in a double battle competition. Try not to hold any grudges against Infernape."

"Manectric!" Manectric yipped, licking his hand.

The corner of his lips twitched skyward. "Good girl."

"Are you ready?" Alice shouted from the other side of the field.

"Yes!" Ken answered. He took his place and felt uncertainty coil his stomach as Infernape glared Manectric down. How was it possible that Alice possessed such a powerful Pokémon? He was reluctant to say, "You have the first move."

Alice took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She would prove she was a force to be reckoned with. Clenching her fist as her eyes burned with determination, she shouted out the order, "Infernape, Swords Dance!"

The golden swirls adorning Infernape's body began to shimmer and fade away into a magenta. Bits of violet rose from the radiating pieces, emitting pure power. Purely outrageous power.

"Manectric, close in on him with Double Team and stop him with a Thunderbolt!" Ken commanded, his cold gaze slowly softening.

Manectric gave an excited wiggle then darted forwards, her feet barely touching the ground as she seemingly flew across the field. One blue-and-yellow blur separated into two then four, eight — sixteen. Canary yellow electricity crackled off of every single one, filling the air with an unnerving hissing sound.

Alice gritted her teeth, trying to formulate a plan in her head. No matter what she did, Thunderbolt would hit and it wouldn't be pretty. "Infernape, charge the clones with Mach Punch to find the real one!"

The swirls went back to gold and Infernape shot off like a bullet from a gun. His fists turned white and he let out a cry of triumph as he punched through the first Manectric clone. It vanished instantaneously, and he charged through another five before a searing pain struck him, causing Infernape to fall and roll across the plain.

"Infernape!" Alice cried. She felt like she took a blow as well when the Thunderbolt hit Infernape — it was something she hadn't felt in a long time. Adrenaline her body had been absent from since her journeys ended began to pump through her veins, and she thrived off of it. "Shake it off, shake it off! Use Fire Punch before she gets too far away!"

Infernape spared a glance back at his Trainer and smirked when he saw her brimming with determination. It replenished his own, causing him to feel godly as flames encircled his fists. He leaped forwards before Ken could speak, landing a solid blow on Manectric that sent her flying through the air.

Ken wasted no time in retaliating, "Slow him down with Thunderwave!" There's no way a normal Pokémon could have that powerful of a Fire Punch.

Manectric rolled over a split second before Infernape nailed her with another Fire Punch and jumped to her feet. Infernape dived forwards fist first and she narrowly dodged the attack and bit onto his tail as he passed her by. Sparks bounced off of her body onto his, causing his muscles to spasm and momentarily pause the fire he outputted around his hands.

"We just have to take her down before the paralysis locks him in place," Alice muttered under her breath. She threw out her hand in a similar fashion to her dad and mirrored Infernape's smirk. "Don't let up, Infernape! Knock her out!"

"Get out of his range, Manectric!" Ken called out. I shouldn't have underestimated them. This Alice is completely different from the one being attacked by a Luxray.

Infernape spun around and grabbed Manectric by the neck, heartlessly slamming her into the ground. His fire burned brighter than ever as he pummeled her. Manectric yelped as she was hit over and over again, unable to escape the Fire-and-Fighting-type's relentless attack.

Ken tensed as he watched Manectric take those hits, trying to pinpoint when the paralysis would set in. He knew her Thunderwave met its mark, but somehow Infernape was resisting it. Infernape was a Fire-and-Fighting-type so he wasn't immune to paralyzation, nor was it possible for a member of his species to obtain an ability that caused them to shrug off status ailments. It wasn't like Alice put Infernape through Electric-type move conditioning, either.

Ken didn't know what it was, but there was a stronger force at work that he'd never witnessed before.

"Manectric, strike him with another Thunderbolt!" he shouted, desperately wishing that Manectric could hear him through Infernape's onslaught.

Manectric was right about to faint when Infernape froze mid-punch. Jolts of electricity raced up his arm, locking his muscles in place. A low growl emitted from his throat as he tried to force his arm to move, yet it didn't budge a single inch. Glee sparkled in Manectric's eyes as she struggled to stand up and face Infernape, her legs shaking as her being was surrounded with blisteringly hot electricity.

Alice cupped her mouth with her hands and yelled, "Infernape, brace yourself!"

Both Trainers watched with wide eyes as Manectric's Thunderbolt roared as it sprung upon Infernape. Infernape screamed as he was engulfed in the powerful blitz. It seemed like forever before the light faded away and it was just the two Pokémon standing still. Infernape and Manectric glared at each other taking deep breaths, then at once in perfect synchronization, they both collapsed.

Ken was stunned. He searched for a memory, any memory, of him witnessing a tied Pokémon battle in real life. They were extremely rare; he'd only seen them in movies where the main characters fought their rivals. Yet here he was out in the middle of the country with his Manectric's fainted body lying next to Alice's Infernape.

He ran to his Pokémon and bent down to give her a Revive. Manectric's eyelids fluttered open and he gently rubbed her side. "You fought well," he complimented. Ken opened his backpack to retrieve a Hyper Potion when he heard sniffling and looked up to see Alice crying with a smile on her face. "What are you doing?"

Alice giggled strangely and wiped away her tears. "I-it's nothing." She grinned, shaking her head. "I have allergies. Actually, I haven't battled anyone since, um, I don't even know!" She laughed again and a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Don't worry about me."

Ken didn't show it, but he was extremely worried. Alice didn't win nor lose the battle yet she still cried. How was she ever going to make it through the competition? He'd have to bring a gallon of water to keep her hydrated so that she didn't pass out.

The most important part of the battle was Alice displaying her skill set. I need to come up with a defensive tact for our team or else we won't last long in the Double Battle Brawl, he thought as he sprayed Manectric's wounds.

Alice finally stopped crying when she healed up Infernape. She fought off a stupid smile as she played hand games with her Pokémon, replaying the battle over and over again in her mind. A draw was better than a loss. Infernape pulled through for her and she was on Cloud 9 because of it.

"Alice," Ken said, catching her off guard.

She perked up, drawing her hands away from Infernape. "Yeah?"

"I learned a great deal about you during that battle," he started, meeting her gaze. She tugged at her hair as she told herself to keep eye contact. "I shouldn't have underestimated your abilities."

He paused and everything seemed to stop. The breeze ruffled their attire, their hairs caught in the wind drifting along with the flow. His violet hues bore into her umber eyes with a confident gleam she never noticed before.

"With more training, I believe that we'll win the competition," he said.

Alice stood up and Ken mirrored the action. Her nerves ebbed away as she met his gaze and grinned. She chuckled as she finally stopped tugging on her hair, the same sparks that were ignited in his gaze forming in hers. "Sounds good, Ken. We only have nine more days after today to train, so we shouldn't waste any time. Let's continue!"

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Author's Note

I had a really fun time writing the battle scene ^_^

Question of the Chapter: How do you think the battle scene turned out?