The Ember in the Night

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Lillian gazed into the night sky, curling up in the grass at the foot of a tree near the pond. She had recently arrived at Grassveil Town and, although she wouldn’t admit it, she was slightly overwhelmed by the abundance of Pokemon. She had wandered around in search for a less populated place, in an attempt to regain some privacy and space, and ended up at the Small Pond.

She felt at peace in this area; a breeze blew through the clearing, caressing her fur. She would rather spend the night here than in the bustling streets of Grassveil - just for today, while she got accustomed to the town. Tomorrow, she would get to training. Lillian couldn’t wait to show off her skills in battle and see how they weighed up against the skills other Pokemon possessed. Surely her skills would be superior to the others’. After all, they couldn’t have trained as extensively as she had. She was confident that she was going to be strong; stronger than them all.

Lillian was drowsy, but a nagging thought remained in her mind; she needed to practice. If she wanted to be the best, then she had to train, no matter how late it was. Lillian produced a flame in the air, watching the flickering flames against the dark of the night, casting a golden glow on the surface of the pond. Then suddenly, all the will to practice was drained out of Lillian. It was a beautiful sight. The warmth of the flame, although brief, was familiar and comforting.

Katsumi was surprised. The thought didn’t even cross her mind that if she used Thunderwave and Wrap simultaneously then she would become paralysed as well. Katsumi attempted to supress an impressed grin in the middle of the battle however just a small smile could be seen. Clever… However, I have another trick up my sleeve!

However, when Katsumi tried to move, the paralysis stoped her. She tried to move each part of her body but they wouldn’t respond to her, only making small, painful movements that didn’t help anyone. Katsumi’s impressed smile faded from her face as frustration bubbled inside her. I’m paralysed by my own move! How ridiculous is that!

This is my chance, Lillian thought. She dashed at Katsumi, prepared to unleash an Ember attack. Really, that was all she could do; she couldn't risk using Scratch and having physical contact with Katsumi, in case she got shocked. Nimbly hopping around the Dratini, she spat out a ball of fire. However, right as she did so, she felt the numbing effects of the paralysis return, and she veered to one side abruptly. The ball of fire swerved off course, completely missing Katsumi. We must look so pathetic right now, Lillian thought. It was almost funny; both Pokemon were paralysed, struggling to move.

Suddenly, a realisation dawned on Lillian - literally. The sun was rising, and the entire area was bathed in a pale light. "It's dawn already?" Lillian murmured.

Katsumi let out a small sight as she lay sprawled across the soft ground, unable to shift her position due to her paralysis. Lillian seemed like she was in the same condition, struggling to move due to paralysis. Katsumi wanted to win this fight but she knew that they had to stop at some point. She wanted Lillian to be her friend, not to be dead. “It’s a draw.” Katsumi stated as her mouth curled into a smile. “Since we both can’t move, there’s no other conclusion.” Katsumi raised her violet eyes and looked directly at Lillian, her smile curling into her usual grin. “Does that mean we’re now a rescue team?”

Lillian avoided Katsumi's eyes, opting to stare at the rising sun instead. "Fine. I... I suppose that's okay. Yeah, we're a team now," she tried to say with a nonchalant air. Lillian wouldn't ordinarily have been very pleased at a battle ending in a draw - she would usually accept nothing but victory - but that wasn't in her mind right now. A tiny part of her actually... wanted to be in a team with this Dratini. She would never admit that to anybody, though.

"In that case... perhaps we should go to the Guild and register our team," Lillian said, after a while. She felt the paralysis slowly fading away, and got up. Stretching her paws, she glanced at Katsumi.  "Let's go."