The western training hall was a stark contrast to the library. It was a massive, cavernous space with a high, vaulted ceiling. The floor was polished obsidian, reflecting the dim, ambient light from panels set high in the walls. There were no chairs or no tables, spectators were required to stand. Eliana personally thought it looked like something out of a fantasy movie.
designated white circle was painted onto the floor, the only break in the sea of black.
One by one, they entered and stood against the far wall, forming a silent, judgmental audience. They left a wide space for the battle, a void that felt both intimate and immense. Eliana stepped onto the obsidian floor, the chill of the stone seeping through the thin soles of her new shoes. She turned to face Theo, who was standing at the opposite side of the white circle. He looked like a cornered Growlithe, all false bravado and trembling limbs.
"I won't be holding back," Theo spat, his voice a strained attempt at his earlier confidence. "You will regret embarrassing me."
Theo's face flushed a deep red. He snatched a Poké Ball from his belt, his knuckles white. "Go, Slowpoke!" he yelled, the shout echoing in the vast hall.
In a flash of light, a Slowpoke materialized onto the field. It was, well, a Slowpoke. It stood there for a moment, its vacant eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, then slowly, ponderously, it lowered its head to look at its own tail. It gave the appendage a slow, contemplative lick, completely oblivious to the tension in the room.
Eliana felt a wave of confusion wash over her. A Slowpoke? Not even one of the evolved forms. It was an insult, a joke. Theo had brought a Pokémon whose most defining characteristic was its profound lack of urgency.
Eliana felt a wave of want coming from one of her PokéBalls, looking she determined it was Raichu. The electric mouse sensed the upcoming battle and wanted to fight.
Raichu let out a wave of disappointment when her trainer said that she wouldn't be battling today. She hadn't had a real fight in so long!
Eliana soothed her. Besides this is a great opportunity to test out Staryu's Thunderbolt and Ice Beam attacks before I evolve it. Eliana felt Raichu pout but the Pokémon accepted the promise, she would be holding her trainer to it.
Eliana reached down for the PokéBall containing Staryu, she had only used it a few times. The Pokémon was strong but it didn't enjoy fighting as much as the others did. Eliana tossed the PokéBall onto the field. "Go, Staryu!"
The star-shaped Pokémon appeared in a flash of red light. It landed perfectly balanced on its single point, its red core glowing with a steady, rhythmic pulse. Unlike its opponent, Staryu radiated a quiet, focused energy, its entire being directed at the Slowpoke across the field.
Theo scoffed, a desperate, grating sound. "A Staryu, so you're going for a water-type battle? That won't work against us, Slowpoke, use Yawn!"
Slowpoke opened its mouth wide in a massive, jaw-cracking yawn. A thin, nearly invisible wave of drowsiness wafted across the field towards Staryu.
Before the sleepy aura could even reach it, Staryu zipped to the side with a surprising burst of speed, its movement a quick, fluid dart. A moment later, a jagged bolt of yellow electricity erupted from its upper appendage. The Thunderbolt struck the Slowpoke square in the chest. The Slowpoke let out a pained cried as the electricity went through its body. Its muscles began seizing up as it attempted to stay on its feet.
What the teenager truly wanted to see if Theo had something else that Staryu could use Ice Beam. Eliana was hoping that would be the case but if not she'd still be able to get something useful out of this battle.
Again and again, Staryu unleashed bolts of lightning, each one a different strength but still striking the paralyzed Slowpoke with unerring accuracy. The psychic-water type could only endure the assault, its body trembling with each shock.
"What are you doing?" Theo yelled, his voice cracking with desperation. "Slowpoke try to use Curse!"
The Slowpoke began to glow with a faint, sinister energy, but the constant stream of electricity disrupted its concentration. The glow flickered and died, leaving it even more drained than before.
Izabel looked up from her book, her violet eyes narrowed. "She's not even battling," she whispered, the words so soft they were almost a thought. "Look at that, her focus is completely on that Staryu."
Maria, sighed, the sound like dry leaves skittering across pavement. "This is why one must not question Mistress Sabrina. Her will is law."
One final, powerful Thunderbolt from Staryu was all it took. The Slowpoke's eyes rolled back, and it collapsed onto the obsidian floor with a soft, final thud, faint tendrils of smoke rising from its singed fur.
Eliana felt she had been quite merciful in this battle, is Raichu had taken the floor her viscous little Pokémon likely wouldn't have shown mercy. And she got to see the different outputs Staryu could use with the move. All in all the battle had been informative for her.
Theo, on the other hand, stared at his charred Pokémon with disbelief. He didn't think he'd be this outmatched my a little girl, it made no sense.
Eliana looked over at him before calling out loud, "Are you done moping? Can you return that thing and send out your next Pokémon? Or do you not have anymore…?" Eliana desperately hoped that this man had more to offer. Her expression and tone were an insult, a clear dismissal of him and his partner.
Theo flinched, his face turning a shade of red that clashed horribly with his hair. He recalled the fainted Slowpoke with a jerky, almost violent motion. "Don't you dare speak about it like that!" he snarled, his bravado returning, fueled by pure humiliation. "That was just a test! My true partner is much stronger, go Hypno!"
The hypnosis Pokémon appeared. The pendulum in its hand swung with a slow, hypnotic rhythm, its eyes half-lidded and fixed on Staryu.
Staryu perked up as it heard that, it had been training quite hard with Sabrina's Slowking to improve. And its requirement of evolving Icy Wind into Ice Beam had been met so this was all that was left!
Staryu's core pulsed a bright red. A beam of frigid energy, so cold it seemed to suck the warmth from the very air, shot from its upper limb. The Ice Beam struck the Hypno dead center. In a crystalline burst, the frost enveloped it, trapping it in a block of solid ice. The swinging pendulum froze in mid-air, a perfect, silent arc. The Hypno was a perfect statue.
Theo's jaw hung slack. He stared at the frozen Pokémon, then at Eliana, then back at the ice. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, but no sound came out. The sheer, unadulterated shock on his face was more satisfying to Eliana than any victory cry. Staryu floated back to its trainer, and she felt an expectant wave of emotion wash over her.
Sabrina sighed, and Elaina could hear the slightest hint of disappointment in her teacher's voice.
Theo stumbled forward, his movements clumsy with disbelief. He fumbled with the Great Ball, almost dropping it before managing to return the frozen Hypno. The beam of red light made the ice statue shimmer before it vanished, leaving only a patch of frost melting on the obsidian floor. He stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty space where his partner had been. He then shot a venomous glare at Eliana, a look of pure, unadulterated loathing, before he practically fled the hall, his footsteps echoing with the shame of defeat. Eliana would have to keep an eye out for him, am idiot like that would eventually try to take revenge. And she couldn't wait, Sabrina wouldn't make her hold back anything if he did.
One by one, the other students began to disperse. Miguel and Helena gave Eliana a wide berth, their faces unreadable masks of caution. Alice and Laura hurried after them, whispering in hushed, anxious tones. They were failures and they knew it, they had no desire to cross the new prodigy.
The elders, Maria and Arthur, remained for a moment. Maria gave Eliana a long, considering look, her stern expression softening into something unreadable, something like… interest? Then she and Arthur turned and walked away, their slow, measured steps a stark contrast to Theo's panicked flight.
Th only ones now left in the room were Eliana and Izabel. Izabel finally took her nose out of her book and gave the younger girl a considering look. She then took out her phone, telling Eliana, "Give me your number."
"What?" Eliana gave her a blank look.
"I want to see your next battle, maybe you'll actually have to try." Izabel explained, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.
Eliana stared at her before taking out her own phone. She rattled off her number, and Izabel tapped it in with quick, efficient movements. A moment later, Eliana's phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
"Eliana," the blonde girl said, tucking her phone away. "I look forward to your next battle." Then she turned and walked out of the training hall, leaving Eliana alone in the vast, echoing space.
Eliana looked down at her phone. She now had two numbers saved in her contacts. Two people who wanted to see her again, for completely different reasons. Tyson, because he saw her as a rival to surpass. Izabel, because she saw her as a curiosity to study. It was a strange feeling, being wanted. She pocketed her phone and started to walk back to her room. The hallways were empty now, the silence deep and profound.