Rio POV
Well. It seems like I still turn pink whenever I use any cursed energy. At least it's not permanent…
"Rio, you ready? Don't want you to be a sore loser if we start before you say so!"
I shoot a glare up at Roxanne, who's got a camera out and is snapping photos like she's auditioning for Pokémon Snap 2. The squeal she made when she saw me turn pink again could've put a Loudred to shame.
"Nothing will change, you know?" I growl, tail lashing behind me. "Matter of fact, I can beat your team with half the effort now!"
Roxanne smirks, lowering the camera just enough to meet my eyes. "Oh, I hope you try. I upgraded my team since last time — don't think you'll walk all over me again, Pink Flash."
Rotom floats between us, projecting bold neon text: "REMATCH OF THE CENTURY: THE ROCK QUEEN VS. THE PINK FLASH!"
I sigh, already regretting every life choice that led me here.
May claps her hands. "Alright, enough smack talk! Let's go — Roxanne, you're up first!"
Across the field, Roxanne tosses out her first ball, and with a splash and thud, out comes a Relicanth. It looks ancient. Scarred. Battle-worn. Like it should've retired to a nice pond somewhere, or a museum, instead of signing up for this.
"Really?" I deadpan, staring at the rock fish flopping into position. "That's what you think will save you? A prehistoric rock fish? A damn fish?"
I glance up at Roxanne, trying to read whatever lunacy she's cooked up. Her smirk tells me everything — she's way too pleased with herself.
"Don't underestimate my Relicanth," she calls sweetly, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Let's set the stage!"
Before I can even quip back, the field erupts into chaos.
Relicanth slams its tail down — BOOM — and a surge of Muddy Water floods the arena, turning the whole battlefield into a sludgy, brown mess. The splash soaks my legs, and I can already feel how hard it's gonna be to keep footing without slipping.
Well, it doesn't matter, I'll just sky camp again, bet she forgot this Lucario is dosed up on a tank of RedTaurus.
Then — as if reading my mind — the fish launches jagged Stealth Rocksupward, embedding them like floating landmines in midair, hanging there like teeth waiting for the next fool who tries to take flight.
My ears flatten. Oh no.
And I see it — the glint of the next ball in her hand.
"Wait a second—" I start.
Roxanne just winks. "Time to see if your speed means anything in a livewire swamp, Pink Flash."
"A live what now?" I blink, snapping out of my confusion just in time to see her withdraw Relicanth — smart move, her fish friend did its job — and toss out the next ball.
Pop.
Another fish. This one… flatter. Less nightmare fuel, more discount pancake. Looking like a less messed up flounder. The pattern here is concerning.
I squint. "Really? Is this some kind of fish fetish or—"
"Stunfisk!" Roxanne cuts me off, voice sharp. "Electric Terrain!"
Oh no.
That dumb flounder — I swear it smirked at me — slaps its body against the muck, and the entire field hums with energy. A neon web of static ripples across the Muddy Water like lightning trapped on the surface of a pond.
My fur bristles so hard I feel like I'm turning into a walking puffball. My muscles twitch. My ears flick. Every hair feels like it's trying to levitate off my body.
"What the—Electric what now?!" I yelp, teeth clenched as my legs lock up just enough to feel like my joints were swapped out for magnets.
I shift my weight, feeling the mud suck at my paws, and yep — now I'm sure of it.
Am I magnetic? Since when am I magnetic?! Is this a Lucario thing? A cursed beast thing? Roxanne grinning like she planned this since the Stone Age doesn't help.
"Don't get ahead of yourself!" I snap, I throw up my Simple Domain, cursed energy crackling as it wraps around me like a bubble of pure stubbornness. The electric tension eases — slightly. Enough to stop my fur from standing on end like I'm auditioning for a Mareep commercial.
For a moment, I almost believe I've got this.
And then — the mud shivers. That stupid flounder smacks the ground again, sending another jolt through the swampy mess. The current somehow threads right through my barrier, right through the ground, right into my legs.
This is a bug in the game. I demand a refund! No way this is how Electric Terrain works, and why is my domain not working properly?!
Roxanne's grin just gets wider. Like she planned this since before humans invented strategy.
Rotom's out there recording my suffering, slapping neon labels on the footage. RIO VS ROXANNE 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO flashes across its screen. Null's tail thumps, probably rooting for her. Even Ralts looks torn between worry and polite applause.
Okay. Fine. Two can play this game. You want to play with mud? Then I'll drag you through it.
My cursed energy flares — no more defensive bubbles, no more resisting the shock. No, this time it burns. The air shimmers with heat as divine flame sears around me, drying the mud in an instant. The ground beneath my feet cracks, fissures spidering out in a web of parched earth. The swamp is gone. My domain now.
Before she can react, I bolt forward, faster than sound, faster than thought. My fist swings down in a perfect arc toward that smug little pancake of a fish—
And I hit nothing. No shock. No satisfying smack of scales. Just air. A dark hole where the Stunfisk should be.
I blink, paw still hovering over the empty space. A hole?
I stare at Roxanne. "THIS FISH CAN DIG?!"
I squint at Roxanne. "You really want to play dirty this time, huh?"
Her smirk just widens. "It's called strategy. Look it up, Pink Flash."
I almost combust right there.
Focusing, I let my aura flow out, spreading beneath the cracked, dry earth. The arena lights blur at the edges of my vision as I lock onto that squirming, smug little signature — Stunfisk, burrowing deeper, slithering its way across the field like some unholy pancake-mole hybrid. Quiet. Precise. As if it already has the arena memorised and where it should pop up from to give it enough time to hit me and go back down.
Oh, I see the game now. She's planning to stall. Kiting me around as she drains my energy, maybe hoping to land a lucky status move or two? Though luck, you met me.
I smirk. "Okay, Roxanne. Let's see how your Molefisk likes this."
My cursed energy crackles, a low thrum building in the air. No more waiting. If it wants to play underground, fine. I'll bring the underground up.
I dig my arms halfway into the ground, aura flaring, cursed energy thrumming like a heartbeat through the earth. The stadium floor groans under the strain as I focus, weaving my energy into every crack, every grain, every stubborn patch of mud.
"Enough of this game," I growl, fangs bared in a grin.
And then — I pull.
The ground lurches. The entire battlefield heaves upward like a giant, jagged rug yanked out from under reality. Boulders, mud, and a couple stunned Geodudes (where did they come from?) go flying. Dust billows in clouds.
Rotom's screen glitches for a second as if processing what just happened before lighting up in excitement and flying around the arena, his screen flashing with the replay of my floor renovation "RIO USED TABLE FLIP! IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!"
From the mess of upturned earth, a very confused, very flattened Stunfisk flops onto its back, its smug aura gone. I swear its little beady eyes blink in betrayal like how dare you.
Roxanne shields her face from the dust, eyes wide. "WHAT—?!"
I crack my knuckles, still grinning. "You said you wanted a surprise, right?"
Null thumps his tail like this is the greatest thing he's ever seen. Ralts claps daintily. Rotom starts editing together a clip titled PINK FLASH: TABLE FLIP GOD.
And Stunfisk? Well, let's just say it's not looking so smug anymore.
Word Count: 1380
Poor flounder, it almost had you too...
MC: I will not be beaten by a goddamn fish!
A rock dove kicked your ass, you can't get any lower than this.
MC:....