Once upon a time, in a very old country, there lived a very young girl. This young girl was pure of heart, but very slothful and very devious - especially when it came time to devise ways to stay slothful. She cut her teeth in this art in a land named Kanto, which held many wonders that shaped her childhood - of which a hyperinflated economy seemingly based on the trade of drinks and bike vouchers was first and foremost.

By now, the girl was on the cusp of adulthood and had learned many of her own lessons in the real world. She could not enter restricted areas with bribes - usually. She could not lull elephants awake with a flute and make them dance to her tune. Running headfirst into someone with a bike usually hurt them in addition to bringing you to a full stop. 

But one thing she had learned from a young age was the power of beverages. In particular, soda pop, which went for almost as many Pokemon Dollars as Lemonade while healing only three-quarters of the health. Many would question the wisdom of not just buying Lemonade with that kind of price gap, but Kimiko felt like she was the only girl who played Pokemon realistically enough to mistreat the Pokemon who didn't perform well against Gym Leaders or Team Rocket.

It wasn't cruelty or anything. At least, no more than trapping animals in fist-sized balls and making them fight for your glory and pleasure. But if you're gonna do it, you might as well only reward success. This was a crucial lesson in both Kanto and Japan.

Besides, if Pokemon dentists were as expensive as doggy dentists, you would be needing the extra Pokemon Dollars in order to pay for all the cavities your Pokemon get from drinking Soda Pop and Lemonade all day.

How did this relate to her current probably-life-threatening predicament? Simple. She alone amongst Pokemon Trainers had learned the value of Soda Pop in urban combat. A decade of gaming had been naught but foreshadowing for this moment.

[color=00a651][i]"Kaguya, Zan!"[/i][/color]

From the wreckage of two DRU, a blast of energy - a forceful, tightly focused gust almost - blew two 2-liters into the air for Kimiko's grabbing pleasure. Even as they soared into the girl's waiting grip, the fizzy material inside was rioting, carbonation clearly swelling at the tips from their flight. Kimiko gave them each two shakes for luck - [color=00a651][i]ch-chk,[/i][/color] she vocalized, like a girl loading guns - and cracked the lids open.

[color=00a651][b][u][i]FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH[/i][/u][/b][/color]

Her gut feeling had served her well. Much in the way that she had assuaged the thirsts of mighty Charmeleon in the days of yore, the mixture of chemicals and carbon buildup within the plastic bottles sprayed everywhere in the path of Kimiko and her DRU, wild beverage fire meeting wild pizzabot fire head on and putting it out in midair. The slacker beamed in pleasure. Truly, she was the very best that no one ever was this day.

[color=00a651]"Your turn, Pizza-kun!"[/color] Kimiko tapped the DRU's head once for encouragement and pointed at the area between the center DRU and its counterpart to the right. [color=00a651][i]"Tarukaja![/i] Take them out!"[/color]

Inside Pizza-kun, some unholy machinations were occurring as a 2-litre soda was locked, cocked, and loaded. At Saitou's wordless cry, the shaken soda hitting the ground between the two DRUs with the force of a small improvised mortar. Kimiko-chan crowed.

It was working.

[color=00a651][i][b]"DAISUKE-KUN!"[/b][/i][/color] thundered the Empress. [color=00a651]"This is your chance to seize the day! If you truly love me, prove yourself worthy! I need more carbonated mortars!"[/color]

She pointed at the DRU that had been on the left - now the lone member of the unholy trinity that had dared stand before her and Pizza-kun.

Fifty-eight remained.