Quote Originally Posted by Chris 2.1 View Post
Gripping chapter; when I saw Lance and Joseph would battle, with Pokemon no less, I didn't think it would feel right given that the fic has grown away from Pokemon, but the 6-6 battle was brutal, and so quick. It felt like what wild animals fighting should feel like: blood thirsty, vicious, and with each party trying to kill.

I also kind of hoped Entei would turn on Joseph and destroy him, but I loved seeing Joseph turn the tables - and in such a villainous way.

Excited for the next chapter. Excellent work as ever, some beautiful descriptions and Lisa's reaction to Electrivire was brilliant.
Hey mate - thanks for reading and the response.

I'm glad the battle defied your expectations. I think wayyyyy back when I was still on book 2 I said something like "there will be far fewer pokemon battles, but they will be much higher stakes". Part of me thinks it was this chapter that I had in mind, but I might be retconning that, since it was only a few years ago that I really got this scene clear.

Now that you mention it, I think this was the first actual straight-up battle I've written since the second EBTV crossover (which featured Andrew vs Gavin and Jess vs Lisa) - and that was written and posted back in late 2003/early 2004 (!). Ever since then, pokemon have only featured as plot/character devices, or as fighting in war/action sequences where guns and death and real danger have also been present. I think that's why this battle had to be so brutal and lethal, as you pointed out - it made no sense to hark back to some sense of innocence and restraint: this was a duel to the death, quite literally for several players.

Also, it had to reflect the magnitude of who was fighting: Hudson and Sterling. Both are immensely powerful; it followed that they would be incredibly fierce trainers as well as fighters and leaders in their own right.

That said, Hudson owned Sterling in his own, righteous way, and Sterling owned Hudson in a far more underhanded and devious way.

Also, it felt like a good way to tie the bow on that whole era, as we close off the third book with the next chapter. Since battles and pokemon are hardly the focus of this fic and we've moved way beyond that, I don't think it's much of a spoiler to say that this was the final pokemon battle that will feature in Lisa the Legend, and as such, I wanted to make it as spectacular and as high-stakes as possible.

Thanks for the feedback, Chris. Much appreciated, as ever.

Chapter 82 will be up tomorrow morning - I'm tired and editing is always done better with fresh eyes.

Cheers!