From: Time Lady <sailrgal@swbell.net> Subject: [PW!][League]Ice Wars: Sarah Jane versus Lance Date: Sunday, December 12, 1999 4:45 PM Sarah Jane took off as fast as she could towards the Pokemon Center. Cuddles and Spunky had to run to keep up with her. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. The line outside was nearly around the block. "Oh no..... there's no way I'll get my Pokemon in time...." She glanced at her watch. She had to be at the ice field in 15 minutes. Shields was still in the Pokemon center, along with her Tangela and her Staryu. "There's no time.... come on!" Cuddles and Spunky in tow, Sarah Jane ran towards the Ice Field. This would be her first major battle without her Mr. Mime by her side, she thought nervously. Sarah Jane arrived at the field with 5 minutes to spare. Catching her breath at the entrance to the field, she warned Cuddles and Spunky. Pteryx was asleep in the carrier. "I forgot to leave you two with Grandma and Grandpa. You two better behave, or else I'm going to put you two into your Pokeballs and send you home. Is that understood?" "Ni ni do... do ran," <<We promise.... we'll behave.>> "Okay...." The door opened up to the field. Sarah Jane took the leashes off Cuddles and Spunky. Obiediently they followed their adoptive mother/trainer out to the ice field. "Now entering the ice field is the red trainer, a newcomer from Rosetta Town, Sarah Jane Eckert!" Putting on a smile, Sarah Jane waved at the crowd. She could see her grandparents in the stands watching. Christy was with them, as were Billy and Ri. Jon, Damian, and Julia would probably be off preparing for their own matches. Cuddles and Spunky were almost nervous as they followed Sarah Jane into the trainers box. It was one thing watching from the stands.... it was another thing being on the field. Mentally Sarah Jane tried going over potential combatants as she looked at the ice around her. "Our newcomer will have quite a battle on her hands, as her opponent is the leader of the Elite Four: Lance, the dragon trainer!" Sarah Jane nearly dropped her Pokedex. Lance of the Elite Four! That meant he would be using dragons! Sarah Jane's heart fell as she looked through her Pokedex at her possible Pokemon.... As she bit her lower lip, she realized that most of her Pokemon weren't very strong against dragons.... and those that were either were in the Pokemon Center or weren't well trained enough.... The applause and ovation for the famous Lance were almost overwhelming..... Lance stepped into the box and looked at his opponent. "So.... they send out a little girl with a couple of baby Nidorans against me?" scoffed Lance. "This will almost be too easy. When am I going to have some _real_ competition?" Sarah Jane bit her lower lip as she looked at Lance angrily. But her anger was blunted by doubt. Beating him would take a miracle..... "For my first battle, I shall use my Gyrados," announced Lance. Roaring loudly, a huge Gyarados appeared on the field. An electric Pokemon would have been best, but Sarah Jane's Voltorb didn't know any attacks further than Sonicboom. Shields knew Thunderbolt, but Shields was still in the Pokemon Center... Her best bet would be to go with one of her stronger pokemon. "Svengali, go!" "And Sarah Jane is sending out a Hypno to face Lance's Gyrados," said the announcer. "Ready, set, go," said the referree as she lowered her flags. "Hydro pump!" ordered Lance. Jets of water erupted from under the ice. "Svengali, get out of the way!" The Hypno kept moving to try to keep from getting hit. "Mega Punch!" Svengali tried to get close enough to the Gyrados to land a punch, but found it difficult with all of the water bursts. "Use your leer!" called Lance. The Gyrados' eyes began to glow as it leered at Svengali, but in an almost lucky break, Svengali slipped on the ice, breaking the leer. "I need to use distance attacks," Sarah Jane told herself. "Hit him with a Psychic blast!" she ordered Svengali. The Gyrados snarled as it shook its head painfully. "You think that's all it will take?" scoffed Lance. "Let's see how the Hypno stands up to a Hyper Beam!" A glowing burst of energy struck Svengali, forcing him to his knees. The referree rushed in to check, but the Hypno struggled to his feet. Sarah Jane almost panicked, but she remembered that Pokemon needed to recharge after using Hyper Beam. "Put him to sleep!" Svengali held up his pendulum and swung it in front of the Gyrados. "What are you doing?" screamed Lance as the Gyarados began to sway with the pendulum. "Snap out of it!" It was too late....the Gyarados drifted off into slumber. "Dream Eater now!" Svengali moved close enough to the sleeping Gyarados and inhaled, as if sucking in through a straw. The Hypno belched, looking somewhat refreshed. "Gyarados, wake up dammit!" ordered Lance. The referree stepped in and checked the Gyarados. "Gyarados is unable to battle," she announced, holding up a red flag. "Match goes to the red trainer." "Unbelievable! Sarah Jane's Hypno has taken down Lance's Gyarados! In fact, the Hypno looks like it's over eaten!" As if to punctuate the announcer's statement, Svengali lets loose a huge burp. The crowd laughs. "I was too easy on you kid," snarled Lance. "Let's see how you deal with my Aerodactyl!" "AAAAWWWWWWKKKK!!!!!" called the Aerodactyl as it flew into the air as left its Pokeball. The sleeping Pteryx stirred as she heard the call of another of her kind. Sarah Jane calmed Pteryx as Svengali and the Aerodactyl faced the referree. As soon as the flag was lowered, the Aerodactyl took off into the air. Sarah Jane hoped that Svengali had been rejuvinated enough to take on his new opponent. Lance began his battle with a wing attack, the Aerodactyl's powerful wings knocking the Hypno into glaciers dotting the field. Svengali tried to hypnotize his opponent, but the Aerodactyl bit his hand, forcing him to drop his pendulum in pain. As Svengali tried to reclaim his pendulum, the Aerodactyl hit with a hyper beam. This time, the beam knocked Svengali across the ice field against the green trainer's stand. Svengali was out cold. "Round to Aerodactyl," announced the referree as she held up a green flag. "Svengali, return!" Sarah Jane held out Svengali's Pokeball. She had hoped that the Hypno would have managed to last all 3 opponents.... Nipper would have been good against a regular earth pokemon, but the Kingler would have problems with a flying one.... "I hope I'm making the right decision..... " she said to herself. "Snowflake, go!" Sarah Jane knew her Dewgong was new and untested, and had never battled before, but it was an ice type, so perhaps..... The next match began as soon as the referree lowered her flag. The Aerodactyl again took to the air. As it tried a take down maneuver, Sarah Jane had Snowflake counter with a headbutt. The Aerodactyl was shook up from meeting the Dewgong's spike. "Snowflake, hit it with Aurora Beam!" A shimmering beam hit the Aerodactyl, covering it in a light layer of frost. The Aerodactyl squawked angrily as its trainer also snarled. "You think that will help! Hyper Beam Aerodactyl!" "Snowflake, get under the ice now!" Following its trainers directions, the Dewgong lept into one of the holes made by the Gyarados' Hydro Pump earlier. Water splashed up, hitting the Aerodactyl. It squawked in surprise. Sarah Jane's eyes widened. Snowflake wouldn't hear her under the ice, so Sarah Jane concentrated. "Do it again.... make sure that the Aerodactyl gets a thourough soaking each time you come up and down...." she thought, trying to mentally relay the message to the Dewgong. Sarah Jane relaxed when she felt acceptance. Snowflake lept up out another one of the holes left from the Hydro Pump, over the Aerodactyl, and into another hole. Each time the water from Snowflake's leap hit the Aerodactyl. Finally tired of this, the Aerodactyl set down on the ice. "Bite it as soon as it shows its head!" ordered Lance. "Aurora beam, now!" Snowflake's horn broke a new hole in the ice, taking the Aerodactyl by surprise. Again Snowflake hit the Aerodactyl with an Aurora beam. The slightly drenched prehistoric Pokemon found itself being frozen over, until it was unable to move. "Aerodactyl is unable to fight!" proclaimed the referree. "Round to the Red Trainer." "That's what I need to do," thought Sarah Jane.... "Use the field to my advantage....." Cuddles and Spunky watched, quivering with excitement. They had promised to behave, but they wanted to be out there, testing their strength against these grown up pokemon.... "I've been too easy on you little girl!" growled Lance. "Now you'll face my most powerful Dragonite!" A Dragonite twice the size of Drake appeared on the field. Sarah Jane hoped Snowflake was up to the battle. She noticed the Dragonite flapped its wings periodically, trying to lift itself off the ice, as if the cold made it uncomfortable. She hoped this was something she could use against it.... The match started. In a power play, Lance tried to start right off the bat with a Hyperbeam, which Snowflake narrowly avoided by going under the ice. The Dewgong came through the ice with a headbutt. Howling in surprise, the Dragonite countered with a slam, then took to the air. Sarah Jane ordered Snowflake to try an Aurora Beam. The shimmering beam hit the Dragonite. Plainly, it did not like the cold. Lance had the Dragonite retaliate with a thunder wave. "Deeeewwwww....." whimpers Snowflake helplessly as the thunderwave slowly paralyzed it. It moved its head enough that it could level another Aurora beam at the Dragonite. The frosty beam hit the Dragonite's wing, frosting the wing over. The Dragonite fell to the ice, landing in one of the holes left from before. Shivering, it climbed out of the water. "Dragon rage now!" ordered Lance. Sarah Jane looked on as flames engulfed her Dewgong. She barely noticed the Dragonite fall through a thin spot in the ice and climb out again. Her concern was poor Snowflake, who was proclaimed out of the match. She recalled the Dewgong. Her last Pokemon needed to be sent out.... but which would be the best? Ice seemed the most effective against the Dragonite.... her Shellder was the only other Pokemon that knew Aurora beam, but her Shellder severely lacked mobility..... She was about to adjust her Pokedex to allow herself to send out her Alakazam when a noise attracted her attention. Cuddles and Spunky were growling at the large Dragonite..... Cuddles knew Ice Beam and Blizzard.... It was an outside chance.... Sarah Jane quickly studied the Dragonite.... if it had been weakened enough, there would be an outside chance. If not, Cuddles could be severely injured. She picked up the little Nidoran. "Do you think you can do it?" "Ni!" "Then be careful, and keep out of its way." Spunky growled dejectedly as he watched Cuddles make her way across the broken ice. "Folks, I don't believe this, but Sarah Jane is sending out a Nidoran that doesn't even look like it's a year old!" said the announcer in astonishment. The crowd began to laugh. Dr. Eckert nearly fell over in shock. "What is she thinking?" he said. "Cuddles is way too young and inexperienced to manage a Dragonite of that size!" "She must have a plan," said Lillian. Meanwhile, Lance was doubled over in laughter. "So, the little girl _is_ sending out her baby against my Dragonite..... You must be desparate kid!" The Dragonite cautiously shifted its weight from foot to foot to try and get off the ice. It's wing hurt too much from the Dewgong's Aurora beam to manage to hover off the ice. It was too cold for its liking. It didn't care about the little Nidoran, or its trainer. It just wanted to get somewhere warm. As soon as the flag was lowered, Lance said "Slam that little Nidoran and let's get out of here already." The Dragonite snorted in agreement. It looked, however, and Cuddles was behind it. As it turned to try to get into a good position, Cuddles kept moving. The little Nidoran had experience with her "play sessions" with Drake, and knew how to keep behind a dragonite. Suddenly, the Dragonite howled in pain and tried to reach for its backside. It turned around, and Lance could see Cuddles had grabbed ahold of the Dragonite at the base of its tail. The audience began to laugh as the Dragonite tried to rid itself of the painful little menace. It didn't realize, however, that it had been pricked by Cuddles' tiny, but poisonous, spines. Growling, the Dragonite tried to shake Cuddles off its tail. It turned round and round, whipping its tail. Cuddles however had experience on holding on and had chosen a spot that, accidentally one day, she had learned was rather painful for Dragonites. This Dragonite was already tired and hurt. Slowly her poison began to spread through its system. Ignoring the pain in its wing, it tried to take to the air to better shake off the Nidoran. It tried to use its agility to shake her loose, but Cuddles dug in her teeth, claws, and spines and held fast. "GRRRRRRR..... USE DRAGON RAGE ON THAT LITTLE MENACE NOW!" shouted Lance. That was the key Cuddles was waiting for. Just as the Dragonite began to spout fire, Cuddles let go. She fell into the water exactly as the Dragonite used Dragon Rage on its own tail. Cuddles got out of the water and out of the way fast as the Dragonite plummetted through the ice into the water underneath. The referree rushed over, then out of the way as the Dragonite struggled out of the icy water. "Cuddles, Ice beam now!" called Sarah Jane. The little Nidoran's Ice Beam was weak, but the Dragonite had already been weakened by Snowflake's Aurora Beam, compounded by Cuddles Poison Sting and it's dunking in the icy water. Hitting its own tail with Dragon Rage didn't help either. It tried to manage a Hyper Beam, but fell over flat on its face. The referree looked at the Dragonite, then held up a red flag. "Match goes to the red trainer!" "NNOOOOOO!!!!!!! I CAN'T LOSE TO A LITTLE GIRL AND A BABY NIDORAN!" howled Lance from his podium as the scoreboard read "Congradulations Sarah Jane Eckert - Winner." "WHAT AN UPSET!" shrieked the announcer "WHAT A DAVID AND GOLIATH MATCH! LANCE OF THE ELITE FOUR BEATEN BY NEWCOMER SARAH JANE ECKERT! LANCE'S DRAGONITE TAKEN DOWN BY A LITTLE NIDORAN! THIS HAS TO BE A FIRST FOR......" The announcer's ramblings were lost as Sarah Jane lept off her podium. Ignoring the potential danger of thin ice, Sarah Jane rushed over to where Cuddles was sitting on the ice, looking totally confused. She looked up at her adoptive mother. "Ni do nidoran, ni ni do? <<Did I do ok, Sarah Momma?>> "You did just fine," she said as she picked up Cuddles and carried her to where Spunky was waiting. He kicked a chunk of ice dejectedly. "Ran," he muttered. <<Lucky....>> -- (o)_(o) || Time Lady, sailrgal@swbell.net _(^*^)_ || sailrgal@hotmail.com, sailrgal@my-dejanews.com (__ __) || Visit the Mystic Manor Homepage /_/\_\ || http://members.tripod.com/~MysticManor