The end of part one is drawing ever nearer.

---

Ralph vs Zera


“So, how has Ralph been doing?” wondered Razor as he followed Turbine to the field that Ralph and Zera had been hard at work honing their electricity in.

“I left him in the care of Zera,” she explained. “So I haven’t been around to see for myself, but I have felt quite a lot of electricity over here so I can only assume they have both made quite a lot of progress.”

“Then he’s gotten a lot stronger,” smiled Razor cooly. “I’m happy for him, though with all he’s had to deal with recently, I hope he isn’t forcing himself to grow up too fast. He’s still just a baby Pokemon, after all.”

“Heheh,” chuckled Turbine lightly, a smile spreading across her face.

“Uh, what?” Razor scratched his head confused. “Did I say something funny?”

“No,” she told him shaking her head. “I’m actually really surprised. You’ve always seemed to be a loner around here and yet you genuinely care for Ralph like he was your own child. It’s honestly the sweetest thing I’ve heard in quite a while.”

“Like my child?” cried Ralph, his face turning red as he blushed. “N-No! No way! It’s nothing like that at all. Just, if he’s going to be learning under me then he had better not make me look bad. That’s all. And anyway, who wouldn’t be concerned about a little runt like him?”

“I suppose that’s true,” she conceded, but the smile on her face showed that she wasn’t buying his aloof attitude. “Anyway, here we are.”

“Okay, let’s see just how Ralph is…” he started to say, but his words trailed off as he caught sight of him. Ralph and Zera were simply sitting calmly on the ground between a large pile of magnet stones of varying sizes. Taking turns, they plucked one of the stones from the pile and then proceeded to focus and drain out the electricity contained in it and then tossed the emptied out stone into a pile behind them. Then the other took a turn doing the same thing. “Uh, what are they doing?”

“Training, I think,” replied Turbine, rubbing her paw under her chin.

“Here is another two-pointer,” spoke Zera as she drained one of the medium-sized rocks in the pile. Her body crackled with electricity and her fur stood on end, giving it an incredibly frizzy appearance from all the stored she had stored in her body. “That makes it 47 to 39.”

“My turn,” replied Ralph as he grabbed one of the larger stones from the pile. His fur was also charged with static from the abundance of electricity he drawn into his body. As sparks crackled from his cheeks, they were starting to gain a tinge of orange hue to them. Focusing, he started to draw out all the electricity from the magnet stone he had in his paws, the electricity in his cheeks crackling wildly as the color of his electricity was growing closer to orange than yellow. “N-Not going to let you beat me this time.” With all his might, he managed to draw in every last watt of energy from the stone in his paws and added it to his pile.

“They seem very focused on this,” commented Razor. “Should we wait till they’re done?”

“No, we better intervene right now,” replied Turbine, her voice suddenly a lot more serious. As they walked over, Razor could feel just how electrically charged the two electric rodents were as his fur tingled just from getting close to them. And with each step he took, he could feel the crackle of static electricity hitting him. It didn’t hurt, but he could feel it get stronger with every step. Looking at Turbine, she didn’t seem affected by it at all.

“My turn,” said Zera as she looked for another big stone still left in the pile of charged magnet stones. As she grabbed one to drain, she felt it was empty of energy. “What the?” She grabbed another and found it was empty too. “I thought we charged all these up ahead of time.”

“We did,” replied Ralph as he checked them curiously too. “What do you think happened?”

“I happened,” spoke Turbine as she drew their attention to her.

“M-Master,” gasped Zera as she got into a bowing pose and Ralph joined her. “What are you doing here?”

“Ralph’s master wanted to see how he was progressing,” she explained.

“Hey, Ralph,” chuckled Razor. “I don’t recall you ever greeting me like this.”

“R-Razor,” blushed Zera as she lifted her head some to look at him. “He’s really here.”

“You never said anything about doing that before,” Ralph pointed out as he got up and approached him.

“Not so fast,” interrupted Turbine. “First, I need an explanation. Just what were the two of you doing just now?”

“Oh, this was a training game we came up with,” explained Ralph. “We take turns absorbing the electricity to see how much energy we can store up and the one who can get the most wins.”

“I’ve won every time so far,” added Zera a bit braggingly, hoping that would impress both her master and Razor.

“I’m doing better,” countered Ralph. “I was gonna make my comeback in this game.”

“A shame it ended in my victory,” she pointed out.

“That didn’t count!” he argued. “I want a rematch!”

“You’re on!” she accepted, the rivalry strong between them.

“Training like this will stop immediately,” demanded Turbine as she unleashed a thunderbolt that boomed so loud and bright it silenced the two of them and every Pokemon in the surrounding area. The ground around Turbine was scorched black, the power from that one attack far greater than anything Ralph or Zera could have managed even if they combined their efforts and it was not even her full power. It just reminded them of the unbelievable power that a veteran Guardian possessed.

It was Razor who was the first to break the silence. “Uh, care to give me a little context?” he asked. “I don’t see what was wrong with what they were doing.”

“Y-Yeah,” nodded Zera. “Storing electricity is one of the basics you’ve taught me.”

“It is,” she nodded. “But along with that, I also told you that there is a limit to just how much power that can be contained and it varies from Pokemon to Pokemon. True, that limit can be increased overtime with proper training, but to compete to see who can store up the most electricity is dangerous. You risk pushing yourselves beyond what you can safely handle. Just look at Ralph’s cheeks.

“My cheeks?” he wondered, so focused on the game he didn’t even take notice of his sparking cheeks.

“Oh, his electricity is orange,” she gasped. “I-I didn’t notice. I was-”

“Too distracted trying to win,” finished Turbine.

“No… well, maybe a bit, but I was having fun training with Ralph,” she explained. “I didn’t mean to put him in danger.”

“I’m in danger?” he asked worriedly.

“Not quite,” Turbine assured him. “Give me a paw, both of you.” Complying with her orders, Ralph and Zera extended a hand to Turbine. Taking one in each of her hands, she started to draw in their electricity till she had removed all their excess. As a result, their bodies stopped sparking and their fur lost its friz. When she let go of their paws, Ralph charged some of his remaining electricity and saw it was the normal bright yellow it normally was.

“Feel better now?” asked Turbine with a gentle smile.

“Yeah, but I don’t understand why I was in danger,” Ralph replied, scratching his head. “Did I store up too much electricity or something?”

“You were starting too,” answered Zera, certain her master wanted her to be the one to tell him. “We contain electricity in our bodies in certain spots, like your cheeks, for instance. They contain and control how the electricity flows through your body, how it’s absorbed and discharged as well, but it has a limit to how much it can handle at once. A Pokemon that has properly learned to control electricity can contain 100 percent of their limit without discharging any of that power or causing harm to themself. If they go beyond that 100 percent limit then they will not be able to keep from discharging that excess power. This is to keep that overabundance of power from harming their body. However, while that little extra power isn’t dangerous, if it is allowed to build up further, the electricity discharged will start to turn orange and then red.”

“What happens then?” asked Razor.

“To contain such an overabundance of electricity for so long can cause damage to the Pokemon’s body. In the worst case, that power can overload inside the Pokemon and cause them to explode.”

“W-Why would a Pokemon hold in so much power?” cried Ralph just imagining that happening to himself. The best he could do was taking the image of Pineco using Self Destruct, their bodies turning bright white before they burst, unleashing an intense amount of power in a large radius around them. Ralph put himself in that situation and added some electricity along with the explosion. That thought made him shiver as his cheeks sparked fearfully. “I certainly wouldn’t wanna learn Self Destruct.”

“Just understand your limits and to cautiously work to improve it, if you so choose,” she told Ralph. “Also, remember, you’re still a Pichu, a baby Pokemon. Your electrical powers are still not fully developed. When you evolve into a Pikachu, your potential will be that much greater and as a Raichu, you’ll have even greater capabilities.”

“I’ll really be that amazing?” he asked suddenly growing excited and forgetting his worries from a few moments ago.

“Don’t sell yourself short for how you are now,” added Razor. “You’re my student, after all, and on your way to becoming a fine Guardian. You might just make it past the first round of the Tournament of Guardians, at this rate.”

“You really think so?” Ralph wondered eagerly.

“Provided I’m not your opponent, of course,” he chuckled and patted Ralph on the head.

“What about me?” asked Zera, interrupting all the praise Ralph was getting. “I’ll get stronger too, right?”

“Of course you will,” nodded Ralph. “You’re already so strong and when you evolve, who knows how powerful you’ll be.”

“Unfortunately, that won’t be the case,” spoke Turbine. “Zera is a Pachirisu and as such, she does not possess the ability to evolve.”

“So, when Ralph becomes a Raichu he’ll become far stronger than I could ever hope to be,” figured Zera. “He’ll be stronger than me when he becomes a Pikachu, at the rate he’s improving, isn’t that right?”

“Even if I do get stronger, you will too,” Ralph assured her. “And who knows when I’ll evolve.”

“If you are trying to make me feel better by saying that, it isn’t working,” she answered with some bitterness in her voice. “You’re the one that has barely scratched the surface of your potential while I’m nearing my own limits and have no means of going beyond them anymore. You are the one who will be in the upcoming tournament and you were the one who was given a chance to become a Guardian while I was not.”

“It’s not as if I wanted to be one,” admitted Ralph. “At least, not at first… but, if it means that much to you, then how about we have a match and if you win, then you can be a Guardian instead of me.”

“As tempting as that is,” replied Zera. “You cannot simply hand the title over to me like it is something that can be given away like a berry.”

“That might not be the case entirely,” commented Razor, grabbing everyone’s attention, including Turbine’s. “I have looked at ways out of this role for myself and if a Pokemon wishes to challenge a Guardian for the position, it can be done, so long as at least two other members are present as witnesses. Isn’t that right, Turbine?” He gave her a quick glance and then turned back to Ralph and Zera.

“Yeah, it’s one of the lesser known rules,” she added. “It doesn’t come up very often since the Guardians are typically selected from the strongest Pokemon in the area and the challenger would not only have to be strong, but acknowledged by the judging Guardians that they may issue a challenge.”

“If that’s true,” wondered Ralph. “Couldn’t you have just found another Pokemon to beat you so you could get out of being a Guardian? You did wanna leave, didn’t you?”

“I do,” Razor replied, not expecting Ralph to bring that up, but he quickly thought up a counter. “But I still have a few other Guardians I need to beat and I wouldn’t want to lose on purpose or otherwise anyway. I have my pride after all.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure most Pokemon would be too frightened to challenge you,” added Ralph. “They don’t know you’re a real nice guy deep down.”

“I might be nice, but you better not go blabbing it around,” snapped Razor. “My image is important to me as well.”

“Well, if a Guardian can be challenged for their position,” spoke Zera turning to Ralph, her cheeks sparking, showing her fierce determination. She pointed a paw at Ralph who stood at the ready like she might start attacking him right then and there. “Ralph, I challenge you!”

“I accept,” he agreed, his own cheeks sparking as he stared back with just as much eagerness as her. “We haven’t have a real fight against one another since we first met. Time for a real test to see who is stronger.”

“The challenge has been issued and accepted,” declared Razor. “The two of you will have one hour to ready yourselves. Use your time wisely and then return here for the battle. Good luck to both of you.”

“Right!” Zera and Ralph answered and bowed before hurrying off to use the time they were given to ready themselves.

“Are you sure about this?” asked Turbine once the two of them were alone. “That wasn’t a real rule.”

“A little lie to help give them a some extra motivation,” Razor explained. “And, don’t forget, you went along with me.”

“The only thing crueler than giving Zera false hope would be to take it away,” she explained. “But going along with that lie is hardly any better.”

“This won’t be an issue since Ralph is the stronger of the two,” Razor stated. “Once he wins, Zera will have had her chance and neither will be the wiser that we lied to them.”

“But Ralph isn’t stronger than Zera,” Turbine told Razor. “He’s come a long way, but Zera’s had more training. Even with things like heart and resolve, she won’t lose to him.”

“I can’t argue with you on that,” smirked Razor. “But I bet Ralph has one thing that Zera likely doesn’t and that can make all the difference.”

“And what is that?” she wondered, but his continued smile was like that of child flaunting a secret just for the sake of driving other kids nuts with curiosity.

“You’ll just have to wait and see when they battle,” he answered.


In a tree, a short distance off, Ralph and Zera were busily munching on some Oran Berries as they filled their bellies and recovered their strength before their big battle. In their haste, their muzzles and paws were getting stained by the juice. Zera continually turned to Ralph, a look of regret on her face.

“Is something wrong?” he asked after swallowing another mawful.

“Sorry,” she sighed. “I got upset and ended up challenging you to a battle to become a Guardian in your place. Some friend I am, huh?”

“It’s what you want to be so I can’t blame you for jumping at a chance like this,” he replied. “Plus, a short while ago, I would have been more than happy to have just given it up to you. It might be hard to believe, but I used to be a complete fraidy Meowth. Just the thought of having to fight other Pokemons cared me.”

“I can believe that,” she replied. “It must have been scary to not be able to control your electricity and be forced to fight.”

“It was, but as I trained, I found confidence in myself and I grew stronger,” Ralph continued, making a muscle on his arm and rubbing it. “I hated being forced into being a Guardian as some cruel joke, but it’s become something I want to be. This challenge for you to become a Guardian in my place, to me it’s also my chance to prove that I deserve to be a Guardian. That I have the strength to be one, the strength to protect those around me.”

“You’re still hurting for that friend of yours you couldn’t protect,” she said, looking into the sadness in his eyes. “Are Pokemon beyond our circle really that strong?”

“I haven’t seen many, but yeah,” he nodded and rubbed the scars on his cheek. “They can be incredibly powerful and even stronger when paired with a human. If they ever found a way to reach us up here I don’t know if we’d have any means of defending ourselves from a large enough group of them.”

“Fortunately, they haven’t found a way up here and I doubt they ever will,” stated Zera. “We’re much too high up and the cliffs are far too treacherous for Pokemon to climb. Only Pokemon capable of flying up here to digging through the ground can reach us. Could the humans make it up here with the help of Pokemon?”

“I’m not sure, but if they do make it up here…” Ralph started to say.

“Then one of us would have to fight them off,” Zera told him. “Either you or me. It just depends on who is stronger.”

“Guess we’re about to find out who,” replied Ralph, feeling a bit better. Smiling back, Zera nodded in agreement. “Let’s get going.”


Razor and Turbine waited at the battlefield as the time till Ralph and Zera were to fight drew near. A number of other Pokemon who happened to overhear the upcoming battle quickly spread the word and a sizable crowd had gathered to watch as well.

“This is quite a large turnout when we didn’t even invite anyone else to come watch,” commented Turbine.

“Heh, can’t blame them for showing an interest,” chuckled Razor. “Not when the stakes are going to make this into one heck of a brawl. I know I wouldn’t wanna miss it.” The sky above started to rumble as dark clouds had gathered over the area. Though no rain had started to fall yet, it looked like a fierce downpour could have started at any moment. “But maybe we should postpone. Looks like some nasty weather decided to show up too.”

“Electric Pokemon are actually at their strongest during a thunderstorm,” explained the powerful Ampharos. “That is, if they can draw upon the lightning. It’s an advanced skill to learn, but it should be possible for both Ralph and Zera to pull off, if they consider trying. If they do, then whoever is able to utilize it better could very well be the determining factor of who the winner of this battle will be.”

“Then bring on the lightning,” smirked Razor. “This is something I just gotta see for myself.”

“When is this starting?” a Pidgey asked as she looked around. “This is where that battle between the two Electric Types is going to take place, right?”

“That’s why I’m here,” a Rattata replied. “I know one of the combatants personally. I was kinda like his personal coach for a while when he was doing some training without the use of his eyes. My protege is pretty impressive if I do say so myself.”

“Yeah right,” a Starly mocked him. “Actually I find it more impressive that you could teach an Electric Type when you yourself don’t know any Electric moves yourself.”

“Feh, a lot you know,” he countered. “A great coach can instruct even if they can’t perform.”

“Well, the next time you give another Electric Type some coaching, maybe we can watch and see how it’s done,” suggested a Poochyena and the other Pokemon around nodded in agreement.

“Uh, s-sure,” the Rattata replied, trying to think how he could get out of this. “But, uh, I’m quite picky when it comes to my students. Who knows when I’ll find another who is worthy for me to train. Heheh.” The other Pokemon just sighed, seeing through his lies and just felt pity for him.

“It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Ralph,” commented Nuzleaf as he and Aipom were a part of the Pokemon waiting to spectate the event. “I can’t believe he’s learned how to use his electricity.”

“Me too,” she agreed. “He must feel responsible for what happened to Treecko when we went to get poffins. He’s probably been pushing himself incredibly hard to get stronger.”

“But it wasn’t his fault that Treecko was caught, Guardian or not,” Nuzleaf pointed out. “Treecko decided to go on his own, just like the rest of us.”

“That might be true,” sighed Aipom. “But I felt guilty too. Maybe because we made it back and he didn’t.”

“Same,” admitted Nuzleaf. “Things aren’t the same around here without Treecko and we’ve hardly gotten the chance to see much of Ralph in forever, even less than before.”

“Look,” a Sentret announced. She was raised up on her tail to get a view over the other Pokemon on the ground, not just to see better, but to hear better too. “Here they come!”

Everyone turned to look and saw Ralph and Zera approaching, the two calm despite what they were about to fight one another for the right to be a Guardian. The crowd quickly started cheering for them, shouting their names and wishing them luck in the battle.

“Uh, fans of ours?” asked Ralph. “I didn’t think we had any.”

“Apparently, we do,” replied Zera looking in awe. “Guess this means we’ve got even more pressure to perform well.”

“Y-Yeah,” agreed Ralph, a few butterflies in his stomach.

“Hey! Ralph!” called Nuzleaf.

“Good luck!” added Aipom.

“Aipom? Nuzleaf?” questioned Ralph as he heard their voices amidst the numerous other Pokemon cheering. Spotting them amongst the crowd, he scampered over to them excitedly. “Hey guys!”

“Ralph!” called Nuzleaf as they pushed through the few Pokemon in front of them and joined their friend in a long overdue group hug. “I know it’s only been a few days, but it feels like it’s been forever.”

“It feels longer than forever for me,” he smiled. “I’ve been training day in and day out to get the hang of my electricity and well, take a look at this.” Clenching his fists slightly, Ralph made his cheeks spark with quite a lot of intensity, making his two friends and all the other Pokemon marvel at the power he had stored inside of him. “And that’s just me charging up a bit. Just wait till the battle starts and I get to show you what I can really do.”

“You’ve certainly come a long way from the timid little Pichu that was afraid to cross a narrow tree branch,” commented Nuzleaf. “You’re bigger and stronger than I ever thought you could ever be. Heh, might be a challenge to me if we were to ever fight.”

“Maybe we could fight later,” Ralph suggested. “I haven’t had as much experience battling other Pokemon and I will need to get some real training against other Pokemon types at some point.”

“Uh, but shouldn't you be focusing on type advantages?” he replied nervously, trying to make an excuse certain he couldn’t beat Ralph in a battle, even before he learned to control his electricity. “Electricity isn’t very effective against Grass Types after all.”

“Actually, I’d probably benefit more from learning how best to deal with types I don’t have a type advantage against,” Ralph pointed out.

“Ralph? Are you coming?” called Zera waiting on the battlefield for him.

“Looks like it’s time for your match, so let’s leave that as a maybe for now,” he nervously chuckled. “You really should be focusing on your current opponent.”

“Then we can talk about our battle later,” smiled Ralph as he hurried to take his place on the field. “Sorry! I was just saying ‘hi’ to my friends!”

“Hoping he’ll forget about your battle?” asked Aipom, smirking at a perspiring Nuzleaf.

“Praying to Arceus,” he answered.

“I thought you were getting cold feet for a second,” commented Zera. “I wouldn’t want to go up against me either.”

“Are you kidding,” he smiled, his momentary nervous at seeing the crowd of Pokemon gone as his focus narrowed to only the limits of their battlefield. The only one Ralph could see, now, was Zera. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt more excited in my life than I do now.”

“Me too,” she nodded.

“It looks like you two are all set, so we can begin,” announced Turbine as she stood at the edge of the battlefield to referee their match. Razor sat beside her, getting the best seat he could to watch this battle for himself. Thunder boomed in the sky overhead and the first drops of rain started to come down and increased enough to have the spectating Pokemon take shelter under the trees. Ralph and Zera, however, didn’t even flinch as their fur started to get pelted by dozens upon dozens of waterdrops. When any rain hit Ralph’s cheeks, he discharged sparks. The same was true for Zera’s tail.

“This will be a one-on-one battle between Zera and Ralph,” Turbine continued, laying out the rules for the battle. “There is no time limit. You lose if you faint, leave the boundaries of the ring under your own volition, or fail to get back in within ten seconds of getting pushed out of bounds. Do you both understand?”

“Yes,” they both answered and nodded, rain water dripping off their chins. Their muscles tightened as they prepared to move the second the match started.

“Then,” sounded Turbine as she raised her arms up. “Begin!” Immediately, she swung her arms down, officially starting the battle.

Not wasting a second, the two Pokemon dashed towards one another. The grass was already soaked, making it incredibly slippery as they moved, but neither allowed it to trip them up or slow their movement. Just as they were about to collide into one another, they both bolted out of the way, sliding across the grass as they did so before spinning back around. Digging their paws into the ground to stop themselves, they then unleashed a blast of electricity at one another, their bolts collided and were repelled harmlessly away.

Not done yet, the two Pokemon quickly dashed at one another, this time attempting to attack with a blast of electricity at close range. They unleashed their voltage at the same time, their attacks once more not reaching its mark as they collided, but the impact of lightning against lightning pushed them both backwards on the wet grass.

“Heheh, wow,” commented an impressed Razor as he watched. “They aren’t wasting a second bringing out their A Game.” Turning momentarily to the crowd, he saw them all cheering excitedly as they watched bolts of lightning clash and pop like fireworks. “The peanut gallery is loving this too.”

“This is merely the warm up,” Turbine corrected. “While, physically, they might be giving it their all, they’re attacking with as little electricity as they can muster.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” replied Razor, surprised that what they had done so far was only considered a “warm up.” “I can’t see the flow of electricity or whatever sixth sense you possess to be able to tell.”

“To give you a little context,” she told him, a faint hint of annoyance on her voice. “Between the two, Zera has the greater capacity to store electricity in her body, but the amount is not that much more significant. As a result, they have to be careful about how much power they exert. Either of them could try to overpower the other by unleashing more electricity than the other, but they then run the risk of running out first. After that, they’d be attack with electricity, let alone use it to protect themselves.”

“Makes sense, but can’t they just absorb each other’s electricity like they were doing with those rocks and what about the storm? You said Electric Types are at their best in this kind of weather.”

“While Electric Types might be able to draw in electricity to recharge, it requires quite a lot of concentration to do so in battle, especially from another Pokemon,” she explained. “Most Pokemon would have to remain stationary, to do so, as well, and should their focus be interrupted, then they’ll be left wide open to take damage. There are, however, certain Pokemon gifted with the natural ability to instinctively absorb Electric attacks, but very few possess such a talent. As for taking power from the storm, they both could indeed make use of it, but whether they will and if they can find an opportune moment to do so is another matter entirely.”

With their initial exchange of electricity done, Ralph changed tactics and began to speed around Zera, circling her as she followed him with her eyes. This became a more difficult task for her as rain started coming down harder soaking them both to the bone and blurred their field of vision.

“Figures we’d get a monsoon now of all times,” thought Zera, so soaked she was starting to feel like they were battling underwater. “I can barely see, but at least Ralph isn’t any better off.”

“Piiiii!!! Chuuuuu!!!” cried Ralph as he unleashed a strong jolt of lightning through the rain. It was far larger than anything either of them had unleashed yet and it struck the ground in the general area Zera was at. It wasn’t a direct hit, mostly grazing her while the majority of energy was lost in the Earth. However, Zera still cried out in pain from the damage she did receive.

“Sounds like Ralph got her,” figured Razor, having to rely on his ears while he couldn’t see very well in the rain beyond the flashes of light from electrical sparks.

“Ralph is still quite inexperienced,” noted Turbine. “He couldn’t see where she was so he chose to attack the area rather than just Zera. He did hit her, but he used a lot of power to compensate for accuracy. He hasn’t gotten used to sensing for electricity while in battle to guide his attacks. The same goes for Zera. She could have properly fended off his attack off if she had done so. Still, they are both doing decently well.”

“Heh, and I get the feeling things are only going to get better from here.” chuckled Razor as Ralph unleashed more bolts of electricity at Zera.

“Ralph is being a lot more aggressive than I expected him to be,” admitted Zera as another bolt of electricity flew through the veil of rain at her. This time, she managed to swing her tail, charged up, and repelled the attack away. “Strange… That one wasn’t very powerful compared to his last attack.” Almost immediately, another blast of electricity came at her from behind, this one a lot more intense. As she met it with her tail, she barely built up enough of a charge to repel this one.

“That one was close,” she panted as she readied herself for is next attack, her tail sparking with electricity. “I had better figure a way out of this, fast.”

“Hmm, quite impressive on Ralph’s part,” commented Turbine, able to view more than anyone else who was spectating. “I wonder if he had considered this strategy before they started fighting or on the fly when he saw he could take advantage of the cover that the rain provided.”

“So, he’s fighting Zera while he’s using the rain like a smokescreen?” asked Razor. “I get that, but if he’s not able to see, isn’t he just wasting more energy from trying to hit her?”

“Imagine it like this,” she told him. “Zera is in the middle of the arena and Ralph is circling around her, all the while, discharging electricity at different levels of power, from a lot of weak sparks, to a few intense bursts. It’d be more effective if he was feeling out her electricity to always hit her, but at the very least he’s forcing Zera on the defensive, to block his attacks. The issue she’s faced with is that she needs at least as much energy as Ralph is releasing to properly protect herself from his attacks, something she can only tell once the attack is too close to charge up her own electricity. As a result, she needs to always be ready for a big attack and as a result, she’s being forced to expend her energy at a constant rate. Meanwhile, Ralph is able to conserve more of his by using weaker attacks more often and constantly changing the time between each of his attacks. Even with most of his attacks missing, he’s still caught Zera in a trap of paranoia, unsure if and when the next attack could hit and if it’ll be a powerful one. It’s quite clever, but it’s a game of attrition. It’s rare to see many young Pokemon fight that way rather than go for brute force.”

“It must be the difference in mindset between the two of them,” figured Razor. “This might not be my type of a battle, but just from what I’m hearing from you, Zera wants to win while Ralph doesn’t want to lose.”

“Aren’t those the same thing just worded differently?” she questioned him.

“At first glance, but it is how things have turned out this way,” he answered. “It doesn’t mean this is Ralph’s victory yet, but unless Zera is willing to take a big risk, she’s just going to be stuck as Ralph chips at both of their energies.”

“I’ve got no choice,” decided Zera as it had been almost ten seconds since the last time Ralph managed to successfully hit her and she had to make use of the time she had to focus. “If I want to become a Guardian, I have to prove I can handle anything.”

Raising her tail up as she dug her front and hind paws into the ground, she built up all the electricity she could muster and sent it out in a wave all around her. As Ralph continued to hastily run circles around her, Zera’s sudden attack took him by surprise. He tried to dodge out of the way, but quickly lost his footing on the wet ground and stumbled about, helpless as the electricity hit him.

“Chu!” he cried out in pain, giving away his position and Zera rushed at toward him, finally getting a decent look at him in all this rain. With all her might, she rammed into him, sending him airborne.

“This is my chance,” she breathed as she jumped up after him, planning to hit him once more with her electrically charged tail. However, as she tried to focus, she found herself out of juice after expending the last of it to escape Ralph’s trap. Regardless, she smacked him with what might she was able to muster, sending him out of the boundaries of the battlefield, bouncing and sliding across the grass.

“Ralph!” gasped Aipom concerned after he let out that cry and then became even more worried as he tumbled into sight. His fur was muddy and drenched after all that, making his condition appear even worse as a result.

“I couldn’t really see much of anything,” said Nuzleaf. “What’s been happening?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Ralph, are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine,” he groaned as he lifted his head up. “Just took a pretty hard hit.”

“That wasn’t enough to finish him off,” commented Zera. “If I could have put a little more power behind that attack I could have gotten him.” The rain started to let up a little, but the storm was far from over as thunder continued to boom and flashes of lightning lit up the sky. Zera looked up to watch it. “I’m out of juice, so it looks like I don’t have any other choice, but to recharge now.”

“You have five more seconds to return to the ring,” Turbine informed Ralph, the count starting since he hit the ground outside of the ring.

“Oh, right!” he recalled the rule and hurried back into the battlefield with two seconds to spare. His body ached after being on the receiving end of such a brutal combo, but he was far from done.

“Looks like you were right that Zera was going to find a means to counter Ralph,” commented Turbine as she focused on Zera. “But she spent most all her electricity doing so. Now, she’s focusing to draw an bolt of lightning towards her body so she can absorb its power. She’ll have to hurry before Ralph decides to take advantage of her vulnerable state.”

“Then either this is going to end now,” he chuckled. “Or the next round is about to start. I’m getting an itch to battle just watching them.”

“I must admit,” Turbine added. “Seeing them battle with so much spirit is getting me eager to cut loose too. I think I might actually be looking forward to this Tournament of Guardians.”

“That was pretty good,” admitted Ralph. “You nearly got me with that one.”

“You’re not bad yourself,” she smiled. “You’ve gotten a lot tougher since the last time we really fought. I guess you really don’t wanna stop being a Guardian.”

“And you really wanna become one,” he replied. “But if only one of us can, then it has to be me.”

“After the way I just kicked your butt,” she pointed out. “You’ve gotta be hurting plenty.”

“But you’ve taken a few big hits yourself,” he countered. “And, if I’m not mistaken, you’re out of electricity. You won’t be so tough if you’ve only got physical strength left.”

“Nothing a little recharge can’t fix,” she explained as she closed her eyes and focused and her tail stood up like a lightning rod. It took Ralph a moment to realize what was going on, but by then it was already too late as a bolt of lightning came down on Zera, the sheer intensity of it filling the area with the brightest flash of light yet.

“Pa! Chir! Riiiiiii!!! SUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!” she cried out as she struggled to draw in all power she could from that big bolt of energy. Her body ached in all the spots that took damage, but she refused to stop and be satisfied with anything less than full power.

The lightning flowing into her was so bright that Ralph and everyone had to shield their eyes from it. Then, as quickly as it happened, it ended and the area darkened once more. Ralph moved his arms away to look and saw Zera, still standing, her whole body crackling with electricity. She was filled with even more power than she started the battle with, while he, himself, was barely at a quarter charge.

“Look like I’ve got my second wind,” she told him as she charged up for another attack, her tail so full of electricity it lit up like a lightbulb before she swung her tail and unleashed a sphere of lightning at Ralph.

Still weary after getting hit so hard and now stunned at Zera powered up, Ralph found himself unable to move as the attack came right at him. All the Pokemon watching were on the edge of their seats, more eager than ever to see how this battle was going to end, if it wasn’t about to right now.