Critical Hits Are Killer: A Memory Game Sequel



My mother finally told me what happened to Andrew. I took much convincing and determination to do so, but I did it. As you may recall my friend Andrew drowned after leaving my home. At the time we were playing a Pokémon based memory game. In the game, we each took a turn and then the next day we would repeat the actions, and then play out another turn. As I have recently realized, it was my entire fault. For some reason our decisions in the game changed the world. When he used blizzard, it snowed, when I used solar beam, I slapped someone so hard I almost knocked them out. When he used flare blitz, I severely burned myself. When I used surf, he drowned.

This is irrelevant, as I need to talk about his demise. To me, I think it is a bunch of malarkey. He was actually quite an avid swimmer, but he drowned. I can’t get that out of my head “he drowned”, but it is my fault, somehow. It eats at me all the time, I am left with only my mother, and the kid from detention, who by the way is Justin. I don’t believe I will ever learn to let it go though. But, I have to get back to his death.

He was at a public water park. I can’t remember the name of the place though, as the events hit me quite hard. He was practicing for his upcoming swim meet, when it happened. He was in the wave pool, training to fight the current, when he got hit in the head. Some other man in one of those large floating circular tube broad-sided him in the back of the head. His forehead ended up being forcefully pushed forward into the stone perimeter of the pool. The whiplash hit him so hard, combined with the force from the blow, knocked him unconscious. The lifeguard didn’t notice him as he was bellow the line of sight, the guy in the tube was blocking the view. He eventually drowned being under the water for so long. The police didn’t accuse anyone as it was some accident caused by the speed of the tube, and not by the man himself.

As you might know, the game will someday have to be finished. I don’t know how many people will have to die, but it has to be done. The game “calls” to me. When I look at my DS I have the sudden urge to just finish the game myself, but if I die, no one will know the apparent “curse” and will have their loved one taken away. I have to fight the urge with my entire being to get away. When I resist, my heart seems to increase in my chest, and I can’t handle it. It beets too fast for me to keep up with it, I can’t handle it.

Justin came to visit me after learning what had happened to Andrew, and what his and my families have gone through.

“So I’ve looking into this Pokémon stuff, and I’ve gotta say, I like it!”

He went on to explain that as a kid it was his favorite thing to do. Also other children would make fun of him for it, and that’s why he became me bully for awhile.

“That’s nice to hear, Justin. If you want, I can show you online battling.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">He agreed, and I saw a perfect opportunity to try and finish this Hellish memory game. I was just hoping for no critical hits, and nothing that would injure Justin or me. I knew this would be terrible, but I was going to talk him into winning just so it would be over. I told him that I had two DSs and multiple copies of 4th and 5th gen games, but we had to play 5th gen as my team has a few of them. I knew it was terrible, but the DS belonged to Andrew, but his parents gave it to me so I could do what I needed to do. They were the only people who believed my story.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">We started up our games, and I told him what his team was going to be. I instructed him how to do practically everything that wasn’t self explanatory. I told him how to get into a battle with me, and what to do when it started. The moves go as follow

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Mamoswine used Blizzard

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn charged up his attack

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Switched to Infernape

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn unleashed his Solar Beam

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape used Flare Blitz

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Sent out Kingdra

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Surf (Critical Hit)

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">That’s when I got chocked up and almost cried. But, I had to finish this, the next round. I instructed Justin to send out Magnezone as Kingdra didn’t have a resistance to Electric type. I used Dragon Claw, and he used Thunder. That took out about half of my damage. That was the end for that round. I explained to him that I wanted to stop, in memory of Andrew. He understood completely.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">The following day I was just waiting for just what would happen. I shouldn’t have used Dragon Claw, because I knew someone would end up being mauled. Eventually, it happened. It might not be what you were expecting though, I wasn’t stabbed or anything, but I was scratched up. I was talking a walk to get out of the house when some stupid cat jumped out of the bushes. It pounced on me and cut up my forearms. I was bleeding, but I didn’t care, I was just hoping I didn’t get hit by lightning. I did. After I got home, I cleaned myself up, and left again to catch that cat and return it to its owner. A storm started when I was out. I was struck by lightning about ten feet from my home. My mother rushed out to help me, but I was out of it.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">I woke up in a hospital bed. My new burns weren’t too bad. It actually doesn’t hurt that much. Justin came to the hospital the next day. Of course, he brought my DS, and he brought the one he bought after he left my home. He asked if I wanted to play and I told him yes.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Mamoswine used Blizzard

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn charged up his attack

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Switched to Infernape

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn unleashed his Solar Beam

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape used Flare Blitz

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Sent out Kingdra

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Surf (Critical Hit)

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Sent out Magnezone

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Dragon Claw

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Magnezone used Thunder

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">I decided to just use Water Gun, which I put onto my Kingdra to avoid more injury. He used Thunder again, and it knocked out my Kingdra. That was the end of that round. I ended up sighing to myself as Justin used Thunder again. But how would I possibly be struck by lightning again? The thing is, I wasn't, Justin was. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Water Gun made it so some nurse spilled an IV filled with water on me. I didn't care though, being wet is better than being struck by lightning.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Andrew's mother called my mom when it happened. He was put into the bed next to mine, for reasons that are somewhat obvious. Now, I myself question the odds of two similar people in the same place being struck by lightning, but the answer makes sense. His wallet chain is excessively large, and that acted as a lightning rod. The next afternoon he was ready to play our game.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Mamoswine used Blizzard

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn charged up his attack

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Switched to Infernape

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn unleashed his Solar Beam

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape used Flare Blitz

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Ferrothorn was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Sent out Kingdra

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Surf (Critical Hit)

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Infernape was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Sent out Magnezone

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Dragon Claw

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Magnezone used Thunder

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra used Water Gun

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Magnezone used Thunder

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Kingdra was Knocked Out

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">I sent out my Camerupt, because of steel having a fire type weakness. There was already slight damage done to Magnezone so I thought I could KO it quite easily. My quick claw let me go first, and I used Ember, again, so I wouldn’t injure anyone further.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">But then, I saw it, the one entire phrase that I couldn’t let myself get over. The last thing in the entire world that anyone would want.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">“Critical Hit!”

<span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">Author's Notes
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-bidi-font-family:Calibri">So this is my fourth pasta on the site. The orginal can be found at A Memory Game. So I had a slight problem writing this, I didn't pre construct Andrew/Justin's team before writing so I chose Pokemon at random. Interesting fact, the main character uses the same Pokemon from my competitve team. I am planning to do a third part so stay tuned for that. Feel free to leave any feedback.