Fire Punch - Tumblr Posts
when you get a new character fixation but find out that there's a lot less fics of them then you were hoping for
Fire Punch
“It’s not so simple, is it, Machop?”
Blaziken chuckled at my expense as I dusted myself off. She offered her hand, lifting me up to my feet. The ranch my trainer had left me to stay in was serene, grassy, and beautifully expansive; it perfectly juxtaposed the intense, suffocating emotion I felt rushing through me.
“I just don’t get it. I’m strong enough to do it!” I yelled.” I can lift boulders five times my size, I could throw them up a mountain! I’m not weak, so WHY can’t I do this?!”
The boulder I had been training with split, rent in half in the wake of my rage. I punched and hurled myself at it until all that was left of the boulder was a pile of pebbles, and a cloud of dust.
Blaziken placed her hand on my shoulder, her claws gripping so tight I didn’t dare move. “It’s not about power,” she said, tone firm, but comforting. “It’s about awakening something new from within: a fire. It is something that you must learn for yourself, but I cannot teach.”
I looked down, hoping the cloud of dust obstructed my tears; even so, my voice betrayed my defeat: “What if I can’t learn? What if I can’t be the partner my trainer deserves? She believes in me, what if I fail her?”
Blaziken’s hand tensed on my shoulder, growing hotter, almost painfully so. “You are already deserving of a good trainer. They will accept your partnership no matter what happens. If they can’t, then they don’t deserve you,” she rasped. “You are strong, and will only continue to grow. You may learn how to summon fire into your hands, or you may not. You are capable. You simply must continue to try. Do not let failure deter you, and do not let your fears stop you from becoming the best that you can be.”
She brought herself down to my level as I tried to compose myself-- and she wiped away my tears, and encompassed me a hug.
I returned it with everything I had.
..............................................................................................................................
The first thing I hear is an uproar of cheering as I’m summoned into battle. I crack my neck, roll my shoulders-- and flex my arms. I look behind me, to my trainer, Nora, and give her a nod and a smile, which she returns-- and to my left, at Meganium. She takes a fighting stance, her petals fluttering in the wind.
   “Machamp and Meganium!” a voice announced, somewhere overhead. “My, what an interesting combo. Let’s see what the red corner’s last two Pokemon are!”
   In the distance, I see a trainer, small and scrawny, almost sickly looking, hold up two pokeballs with trembling fingers. At once, red light shoots from them, and two figures emerge: a Pokemon in what appeared to be a red dress and yellow hair, and a tall Pokemon, with a coat of red and yellow fur.
   “Surely, it couldn’t be…” I muse. “...Blaziken?”
   “Ah, there they are! Verity’s last two Pokemon, Jynx, and her ace, Blaziken!” the announcer booms. The crowd goes wild, screaming, cheering, jumping in anticipation and excitement!
   I steel myself in preparation of the fight to come.
   Suddenly, the opponent, Verity, smiles. “Jynx,” she leads, “attack Machamp with Psychic!” The Jynx’s hair lifts into the air, her eyes glow, and I’m hurled back by a blast of energy. I crash into the wall behind me, leaving cracks in the stone.
   Above, the announcer jeers, “Ooh! That one’s gotta hurt! What a powerful Psychic attack!”
   I lift myself off the ground as quickly as I can. Behind myself, I hear Nora, cry out: “Meganium! Use Petal Dance on the Jynx!”
   Meganium’s petals twist and sway, and from within her flower, a flurry of rosy petals fly out, hundreds of them, and hurl toward Jynx, who becomes trapped within them. The battlefield is surrounded in a dance of petals, and it’s almost mesmerizing-- but there’s more important things to think about right now.
   In the chaos of the fight, Verity’s command is only a whisper, but Blaziken seems to nod, looking directly at Meganium. At the same time, Nora calls out again, this time shouting, “Now, Machamp! Use Fire Punch on Jynx!”
   I grin widely; this is my moment.
   I charge at the Jynx, arm growing hotter and hotter as my passion for fighting erupts in a blaze, and I strike Jynx in the fiercest, most fiery punch I can deliver. She is struck, sent flying backwards into a rock behind her, and after a moment of tension, her body collapses.
   “Verity’s Jynx is unable to battle!” shouts the referee.
“Machamp struck down the Jynx with Fire Punch!” The announcer adds. “The type matchup looked to be heavily in Verity’s favor, but now it’s a 2-against-1!” I flex for the crowd, absorbing their praise. The announcer’s voice picks up again, this time saying, “Though, we can’t be too sure the Green Corner has the upper hand just yet, especially after that massive hit Nora’s Meganium just took.”
My face falls, and I turn to look at Meganium-- and sure enough, she’s lifting herself up from a pile of rubble, obvious burn marks on her side. But she’s not looking at Blaziken, and neither is Blaziken looking at her-- now, Blaziken’s sights are fixed on me, almost studying me. I tense, preparing for the next command from Nora. As if we’re in sync, Nora cries out, “Machamp! Focus Punch!” I smile, close my eyes and center myself. One breath in. Hold. And breathe out. Somewhere in the distance, I faintly hear Nora shout for Meganium to use Synthesis, and Verity whispering another command. Fire… something. I open my eyes, and see that while Meganium is looking a little less worse for wear, the Blaziken is rushing toward her, claws wreathed in flame.
I start to charge at Blaziken, aim true, but I can’t stop what happens: Blaziken leaps into the air, descending upon Meganium like a bolt of lightning, pummeling two fiery fists into her, one hand after another, sending her crashing into the ground with a resounding boom.
Already, I know that Meganium couldn’t withstand an attack that powerful, even at perfect health. “A DIRECT HIT!” shouts the announcer from above. “Another Fire Punch from the Blaziken! What a showstopper! Let’s see if Meganium is still in it!”
A resounding, “Meganium is unable to battle!” bursts from the referee, as I draw closer to my target. I don’t wait for the announcer to pivot his focus to me before I rush Blaziken with the Focus Punch I’d been saving for it. Blaziken turns to meet me, barely recognizing it’s being attacked before absorbing the full impact of my punch. Blaziken stays on its feet, holding mostly upright as it slides backward. Impressive, I think. I grin madly, certain that no Pokemon could take my most powerful attack and continue to battle.
But, what I hear next stops my train of thought. The announcer, shouting, “Wait, what is that in Blaziken’s grasp?” A strip of cloth.. Folks! I don’t believe it! That’s a Focus Sash! Blaziken is STILL in the fight!”
And, sure enough, there it is: Blaziken, pulling itself upright, a band of cloth turning to cinders in its claws.
I squint my eyes, and study Blaziken. Between the tattered crest on her head, and the scars on her arms, there can be no mistake.
Blaziken speaks before I can. “It’s you, isn’t it? The Machop I taught to hold fire.” I nod.
She laughs, a sort of chittering sound. “You’ve learned so much since then, I see. You wield fiery fervor well.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, trying to convey the gratitude I feel. “You taught me something I needed to hear, right when I needed to hear it. My trainer and I understand each other, we grew closer and stronger together. I never gave up, and I never will, and that’s all because of you.”
Blaziken beams, looking the most proud that anyone has ever been for me. “I suppose the feeling is mutual.”
I tilt my head, confused. “What do you mean?”
“The trust you put into your trainer made me realize how much I did not trust mine,” she explained. “I ran away from the ranch that night, and I met Verity the same night, as she had also run away. We saved each other that day. I learned that I, too, deserved to be loved and trusted.”
I assume a powerful stance, keeping my four arms at the ready. As nice as our rapport was, I’m sure everyone’s wondering why the fighting stopped. “We should probably get back to it,” I say.
Blaziken laughs heartily, before responding, “Of course. But just know, as grateful as I am for the lesson you taught me, I won’t be magnanimous in the rest of this fight. So.. show me what you’ve got. One last Fire Punch, to finish off the championships. What do you say?”
I nod. “You’re on, Blaziken.”
We both take a leap back, and I channel every ounce of gratitude I have into an inferno in my fist, and look to Nora. She seems to understand, and together, the trainers shout:
“Blaziken!”
“Machamp!”
“Use Fire Punch!”
We charge at one another, flames licking at our wrists, trailing in whips of fire behind us. Blaziken raises hers as I raise mine, and our clenched fists meet in a blinding, incendiary light that absorbs everything.
And then, everything goes quiet.
I hear cheering, but I can’t focus on it. What just happened?
Suddenly, it all makes sense. And the referee confirms that, yes: “Machamp is unable to battle! The Red Corner trainer Verity emerges victorious!”
The crowd’s roars become deafening, their excitement enough to alleviate the pain of defeat, even if just a little. I open my eyes, and look to the sky, and how wonderfully blue it is. And, standing above me, is Blaziken, holding out her hand. I take it, and she pulls me into a hug.
I return it with everything I have.
