Chapter 1: Battle of the Year
"Come on, James! If you don't hurry up we're gonna be late!"
"Jessie, we're already late! I'm running as fast as I can!"
It was the day anticipated by every trainer and Pokemon in the entire Kanto region; the day of the Indigo League finals. Two trainers, one battle, and the title of champion. Some may even call the winner of this challenge a Pokemon Master. Crowds of region dwellers arrived to watch the showdown, along with tourists who've traveled from far and wide. The anticipation of the most important Pokemon battle of the year brought thousands of people to the Indigo Plateau stadium. Although by this point in the day, the majority of the audience was already comfortable in their seats, ready to watch the match…
… Except for the two former villains, who were sprinting from the parking lot up to the front doors of the stadium, hoping there were still tickets available for purchase. This was one battle they couldn't miss; it was their closest friend Rhia's second Pokemon league tournament. The first one she participated in was the Hoenn League, and she won the final round with flying colors. Unfortunately, Jessie and James weren't in contact with Rhia at the time of her first victory. However, their entire lives have changed since that fateful moment they all reunited nearly three years ago. Now, Jessie and James are living the high life in a beautiful estate, running a luxurious Pokemon daycare facility together out of the comfort of their own home. The daycare business was originally Meowth's idea, but he left the endeavor up for his human partners to manage while he went on a little venture of his own. Ever since he was young, love had always been one of Meowth's biggest motivators, typically influencing his actions and the path he takes in his strange little life. After falling in love with Rhia's main Poke-partner, Beauty, he refused to ever leave her side; leading him to make the decision to travel with the girls on their journey of the Kanto region. Jessie and James haven't seen Meowth in nearly a year since he's been traveling, so the excitement and worry surging through their bones gave them a concerning amount of adrenaline.
As her flowing, red locks flew effortlessly behind her, Jessie bolted through the heavy front door right into the reception area of the stadium. James was running centimeters behind his spirited lover, which resulted in him getting smacked down by the door as it quickly swung closed in front of him. Jessie was immediately greeted by a startled Officer Jenny.
"Uh, welcome in..? Are you two here to watch the Pokemon League finals?" stated Jenny, looking puzzled at the tardy couple.
"No, we're here to rob the place. What do you think? Of course we're here to watch the finals! Now let us through before we miss the introductions!" Jessie shouted, fuming and frustrated. At the sight of his partner becoming enraged, James quickly picked himself up and rushed to her side before things got ugly.
"Calm down miss," Jenny said casually, "I hate to tell you, but unfortunately we sold out of tickets an hour ago."
"WHAT?!" screamed Jessie at the top of her lungs, appearing as if she was about to tackle the Poke-police officer on sight. With not a moment to spare, James intervened.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the lavender-haired man said cautiously, "is there any way you could make an exception for us? You see, our dear friend Rhia is participating in the battle, and we absolutely can't miss it!" Officer Jenny's eyes widened as soon as she heard James' words.
"You two are friends of a contestant? Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Let's see… I have your reserved tickets right here! A finalist is allowed to reserve as many seats for friends and family as they want, so your pal Rhia definitely had you both in mind!" Jenny handed them the tickets with a grin. Jessie and James glanced at each other, both wearing a look of relief on their faces. They simultaneously thanked the officer, and rushed towards the entry hall of the impeccable stadium. As they headed towards the main concessions area, James received a call on his cell phone.
He answered, "Hello?"
"James!" a voice shouted urgently on the other line, "It's Brock! Where are you guys? The battle is about to start!"
"We just got inside, we'll be there right away," James responded.
"Alright, head to the front row of the left wing, I saved seats for you two. Ugh, I had a feeling you guys would show up late…" Click. James did not hear the rest of Brock's complaint, because he unconsciously hung up the phone. His and Jessie's minds were instantly distracted; right in front of them were dozens of gourmet, greasy food stands. Popcorn, corndogs, pretzels, ice cream, pizza, among plenty of other options available to them. The best part was that no thievery was necessary - the couple had been earning thousands of dollars a month from their at-home business, so they could afford anything they wanted. Just like kids in a candy store, Jessie and James went wild… buying ridiculously unnecessary amounts of snacks, entirely forgetting the huge rush they were in minutes prior.
A voice echoed through the loudspeaker, "One minute until the battle begins! Get ready for the fight of the year! One more minute, everyone!" Jessie and James were immediately snapped out of their food-induced trance.
"ONE MINUTE?!" the couple shouted in unison as they looked at one another fearfully. Carrying copious amounts of unhealthy food in their arms, Jessie and James ran as fast as their legs could carry them towards the seating area of the stadium.
With only a few moments to spare, Jessie and James located Brock sitting in the front row, with two empty seats to his right. They quickly hobbled down the steep staircase towards him, and noticed a familiar redhead seated to the left of him. Trying not to spill their slushies, the couple sat down next to Brock.
"Sorry we're late," James apologized, "We didn't get the news that Rhia was in the Pokemon League finals until the very last minute."
"She called us just this morning, to be exact," added Jessie as she glanced in the direction of the all-too-familiar girl sitting next to Brock, "Hey, twerpette! What on earth are you doing here?"
The welcoming grin on Misty's face quickly transformed into a frown. "Gee, it's great to see you too Team Rocket," the redhead said sarcastically.
"Pardon me, but for your information, we quit Team Rocket a long time ago! You were there, twerpette!" Jessie responded irritatedly.
James chimed in as he lifted his nose high into the air, "Yeah, and we have names you know! But in all seriousness, why are you here? Did you come to see Rhia win the Indigo League?"
Misty glanced off into the distance, with a sly grin on her face, "Well, not necessarily… just wait 'till you see who Rhia's opponent is in the finals!" Brock mirrored her smirk as he heard Misty's words. Jessie and James looked at each other confusedly, but had no time to further inquire about Misty's presence. The announcer's voice came on the loudspeaker and her image projected on the jumbotron; the battle was about to begin.
"Greetings trainers and Pokemon alike!" the announcer began her typical rehearsed speech, "Welcome to the final round of the Kanto league! Wow, what a turnout this year! I think we broke last year's record of attendance! Today we get to see who will become this year's champion; who will be talented enough to enter the Hall of Fame? But without further ado, let's begin!"
The battlefield inside the stadium was enormous, boasting several different types of terrain including a small body of water, stacks of boulders, dirt, and grass. The grounds for battle were diverse, which gave certain types of Pokemon advantages as well as disadvantages. Directly below where Brock, Misty, Jessie, and James were seated, was an archway in which the trainer from the blue corner enters the battlefield. On the opposing side, was the red corner; both possessing a small, square platform where the trainer resides for the duration of the battle.
The announcer continued, "Alright! In the blue corner, we have a veteran Pokemon League champion! From winning the Hoenn league nearly three years ago, she decided she wanted a shot at a second victory; let's give it up for Rhia!" The beautiful trainer strutted confidently onto the platform wearing a blue, sparkling ball gown, which was far too fancy for the occasion; she never failed to steal the show. Next to Rhia was her prized Delcatty, Beauty, whom she's been partners with since she began her very first Pokemon journey. On the trainer's other side, was none other than ex-Team Rocket member Meowth, who was looking as prideful as ever and eager for a fight. At the sight of seeing their two best friends on the Pokemon League stage, Jessie and James went haywire with excitement, jumping out of their seats and nearly falling meters down onto the battlefield.
"GO MEOWTH! GO RHIA! Look up here! It's us! Hey!" James cheered while waving his hands in the air, trying to grab the attention of his friends.
"WOO! YEAH! You guys better kick some ass and do whatever you gotta do to win, or else!" shouted Jessie, while clapping her hands louder than any other person in the audience.
Brock was last to send out his encouraging message, "You've got this, my love! I know you'll put on an amazing show!" Misty, however, stayed in her seat and simply clapped as Rhia entered the stadium.
Rhia took a deep breath as her, Meowth, and Beauty walked onto the platform. Today was the day… where she had to make the biggest sacrifice of her life. She glanced down at Beauty, who looked back up at her trainer endearingly with small tears in her eyes. Rhia bent down to pet the glamourous cat, then turned to Meowth. "Do you remember what we agreed on?" she asked him quietly.
"Yeah, but I sure don't like it," Meowth said with a hint of spite in his voice, "But I understand where ya comin' from wit dis. I'll try to go easy on em'," the former villain reached his paw out to Rhia. The buddies did a slightly complex handshake, and smiled as Rhia stood back up and waved around to everyone in the audience.
The announcer then began to introduce the opposing trainer, "Now, in the red corner, we have a local trainer! Coming straight from Pallet Town, please welcome the one, the only; Ash Ketchum!" With Pikachu by his side, Ash casually waltzed on stage, waving with one hand to the audience.
Misty cheered loudly, clapped vigorously, and gave her old friend Ash a standing ovation, with Brock doing the same. Jessie and James, however, were frozen in their seats. Unmoving, in absolute disbelief that Rhia and Meowth were up against the twerp and his Pikachu. They recalled the hundreds, thousands of times they were shocked by a thunderbolt and blasted into the sky years ago, and could only imagine the same fate for their friends.
Brock took notice to James and Jessie's white faces and silence next to him. He asked cautiously, "Um, are you guys okay?" He was met with a fit of fiery rage from Jessie.
"Are we okay?! OF COURSE WE'RE NOT OKAY! Meowth and Rhia are battling the twerp! Is there any reason why we should be okay with this?!" Jessie screamed as she bolted up from her seat, drawing a whole lot of attention to herself.
"Woah Jessie, calm down!" Brock said calmly, "It was actually Rhia's idea for Ash to give the Indigo League another shot." Hearing this, Jessie's anger quickly turned to confusion.
"Huh?" James looked up from his fearful trance directly to Brock, "What do you mean it was her idea?"
"Well you see, once Rhia earned all eight of her badges, we headed to Pallet Town to further practice her skills before the Pokemon league began. While we were there, we ran into Ash, and she convinced him to give the league another shot after he lost so many years ago. He agreed, now here we are. Ash and Rhia, battling for a place in the Hall of Fame," Brock smiled proudly. Jessie and James blinked their eyes an unnecessary amount of times, and were left absolutely speechless. They stared off into the distance towards the center of the battlefield, unknowing of how to feel about this royally screwed-up situation.
Rhia smirked confidently, "See Ash? I told you we'd have a rematch someday!" she shouted across the battlefield to her opponent.
"Yeah, you were right! But who would've ever thought it'd be in the final round of the Pokemon League," Ash responded with a laugh. The former enemies grinned proudly at one another.
"Now that we've introduced our trainers, let the battle BEGIN!" A scoreboard appeared on the jumbotron, with Ash and Rhia's pictures on opposing sides. The most important battle of both of their lives was finally happening.
—
"Go, Toothless! Let's kick this battle into gear!" Rhia tossed a blue-and-white speckled pokeball high into the air, and a massive Gyarados appeared from the flash. Toothless roared with confidence, feeling the positive vibes emanating off his trainer. Meanwhile, in the stands, Misty jumped from her seat at the sight of Rhia's first battler.
"Oh, look at that! Rhia has a Gyarados too! Isn't it beautiful?" the water Pokemon trainer was in awe with the menacing beast.
Ash grinned for a moment as he contemplated his own choice of which Pokemon to send out first. "Alright then! Lycanroc, I choose you!" he shouted as he released the rock-type canine from its pokeball, "Use rock throw!" In an instant, Toothless was hit with a massive amount of boulders, knocking at least half the health out of him.
"Nice try, Ash," Rhia said smugly as Toothless bounced back from the attack, "but I think we have the upper hand here. Toothless, use hydro pump!" A rushing vortex of water erupted from the sea-dragon's mouth; the most swift hydro pump Ash had ever seen. Without a second to think or even dodge the move, Lycanroc was hit directly, knocking him out cold... with type advantages to blame. Even though Ash's Pokemon fainted first, this small setback wasn't going to drown his spirits of winning.
"You did great; Lycanroc, return!" Ash said kindly as he had the fainted Pokemon return to his safe-and-sound Pokeball. "Alright," he said, "if we're gonna battle that way, might as well fight water with grass! Go, Sceptile!" A relaxed, bipedal, lizard-like creature appeared from the pokeball. Rhia gasped; come on, anything but grass, she thought to herself. "Leaf blade, let's go!" Ash yelled excitedly, as Sceptile sprinted towards Toothless with gleaming green swords on his arms, heading straight towards him. With one quick swipe of the blades, Toothless hit the ground, falling unconscious instantly. Ash and Rhia were now tied; having five Pokemon each left to battle with.
The battle for victory continued in a similar fashion for quite some time; Ash and Rhia taking turns defeating each other's Pokemon. Both trainer's skills combined made for a suspenseful battle, having every audience member on the edge of their seat. The only person certain of the outcome was Rhia and her Pokemon partners, as well as Brock. Her and Meowth simultaneously turned on their shoulder and shot a thumbs up to Jessie and James sitting in the stands directly above them.
"Come on you two! Annihilate that twerp!" James yelled down to his friends, with not a hint of spite in his voice. Him and Jessie had finally realized that Ash was no longer a threat to them, Meowth, or Rhia; simply a friendly rival.
Meowth grinned menacingly and shouted back, "We got dis Jimmy, don't worry dat pretty blue head 'a yours!"
"It's lavender!"
Seconds later, Rhia released her next Pokemon, "Alright Magic, it's your time to shine," from the pokeball appeared an abnormally large Alakazam, holding gold spoons in his hands rather than the usual silver. The audience oooo'd and ahhhh'd at the sight of this strange psychic-type creature. Magic stood completely still, staring Sceptile down from across the battlefield. Rhia was silent as well, giving no starting commands to her Pokemon even though it was her turn to attack first… she just smiled.
Wow, that Alakazam sure has changed since I last saw it. And why is it staring us down like that? This is getting weird.. I'd better attack first, Ash thought to himself. He felt his stomach drop as he looked into the emotionless eyes of the intimidating Pokemon.
"Sceptile, use night slash," Ash commanded, yet his Pokemon had absolutely no reaction; Sceptile just stood there, unmoving, as if he was in some sort of trance. "Sceptile, what's wrong?!" Ash shouted in a panic, trying to grab his Pokemon's attention. Suddenly, Magic's eyes began glowing a creepy blood-red as it raised the spoons in its hands upward. In a single swift motion, Sceptile levitated far into the air, moving in the same direction as Magic moved his hands. Back and forth, in circles, up and down, the grass-lizard was flying in midair every possible direction. Ash's jaw dropped, he had no control when it came battling against this powerful psychic creature.
The audience, as well as the announcer, were clearly in shock as well. "I've never seen anything like it! Complete silence and not a single command being told, yet Magic has total control over Sceptile! What a sight! The rumors must be true, Rhia really can speak to Pokemon using her thoughts!" the announcer commented. As the audience roared with applause, Magic brought Sceptile down abruptly, causing him to crash face down into a boulder. The grass-type snapped out of his trance for a moment, then fell to his knees, fainting on sight.
"...Did that really just happen?" Jessie asked Brock in disbelief. She knew Rhia was a strong trainer, but never figured she could communicate with Pokemon using only her mind.
Brock smiled ever-so-proudly, "My girl's pretty damn incredible! Incredibly gorgeous too!" Jessie rolled her eyes. Ew, young love.
"You tried your best; Sceptile return!" Ash said somewhat defeatedly as he brought back his Pokemon for a good rest. "I won't give up that easily, go for it Staraptor!" The large black-and-white bird Pokemon took the stage with a squawk.
Meowth turned to Rhia, "You 'tink da twerps gonna figure out what we're doin'?"
"Not at all," Rhia responded affirmatively, "He's not stupid, but he certainly won't over-analyze our strategy."
"Go, use close combat, quick!" Ash abruptly commanded his Pokemon's first attack, and once again, Magic stood still. Unlike Sceptile, Staraptor was not put in any sort of trance or suspicious state of mind. The bird-like Pokemon zipped across the battlefield and began to throw brutal kicks and slaps at his opponent, one right after the other with no stops or pauses whatsoever. Magic did not fight back. Staraptor continued this close-combat attack with ease, but found itself slightly tired after attacking with full power over and over again. Once Staraptor stopped attacking and flew back for a moment, Magic dramatically collapsed to the ground and fainted… in a quite abnormal manner.
"Oh no, poor Magic," Rhia cried as she placed a hand over her head in obvious fake despair, "Return my dear, you did a wonderful job!" The audience, along with Ash, appeared very confused regarding why the psychic Pokemon was so powerful minutes ago, but yet so helpless this time around.
"Aye, actin' queen," Meowth hastily whispered to Rhia, "Quit wit da dramatics, will ya? Dere' startin' to get suspicious! Save dat shit for Pokemon contests!" The talking Pokemon's harsh words snapped Rhia out of her current mental state. She immediately realized her error and nodded her head in agreement; she couldn't blow her well-articulated plan.
"Now Rocky, it's your turn!" With type advantages in her mind once again, Rhia released a great ball high into the air, revealing a rock-solid Golem.
Behind Rhia in the stands, Brock jumped up from his seat, similar to how Misty had before. "Yeah! That's my girl! Using a rock type just like your beloved boyfriend Brock!" When Misty noticed how much attention Brock was drawing to himself, she utilized her age-old trick and roughly pulled him down by his ear, shutting him up instantly.
"We get it Brock! You like Rhia a lot, now give it a rest!" Misty yelled at him, clearly annoyed.
"But I love her!" he cried in agony.
With not a moment to spare, Rhia commanded an attack first. "Use rock slide, and don't stop!" Rocky threw boulders in all directions, careless to whether they hit Staraptor or not.
"Great job, Staraptor! Keep dodging!" Ash shouted proudly. The bird Pokemon used its speed to its advantage and continuously avoided the plethora of boulders being tossed around him. "Now use steel wing!" Staraptor headed in Rocky's direction at full speed, its wings glowing a shiny silver. As soon as the bird was about to hit the bulky Golem with full-force power, Rocky tossed a giant stone right into Staraptor's head, causing him to fly far backwards, hitting the stadium wall in the process. "Oh no! Staraptor!" Ash yelled, concerned for his Pokemon's well-being. The bird Pokemon opened its eyes for a moment, then they quickly transformed into spirals. Ash was down another Pokemon, and Rhia was in the lead once again.
"Ugh, no time to hesitate now. I'm not giving up!" Ash boasted, sounding determined as ever, "Kingler, use hydro pump on Rocky!" With not a second to lose, Ash released another pokeball from his belt, and Kingler shot an enormous cannon of water at its rock-type opponent. Rhia had no time to counter attack, which resulted in Rocky fainting as soon as he was hit; water-types have a major advantage against him.
Rhia had Rocky return to his pokeball, and smirked in Ash's direction, "Alright, now we're tied! You're finally playing smart and not so risky like before," The glamorous Pokemon trainer reached into her bag and pulled out a familiar-looking master ball.
"Hah," Ash shouted to his opponent, "Your Groudon doesn't stand any sort of chance against a water type! Face it, Rhia, I'm gonna win again!"
In unison, Beauty, Meowth, and Rhia glanced sneakily at one another. Rhia tossed the master ball into the air with Meowth's narration, "Just wait 'n' see, twerp!" The creature appearing from the rare pokeball was certainly not a Groudon. A massive, yellow bird began soaring through the sky; somehow, someway, Rhia had captured a Zapdos.
"Lightning, you know what to do. Strike that crab down with thunder!" Rhia pointed her finger straight towards Kingler, and a look of sheer panic mixed with shock swept across both Ash and his Pokemon's face. Although the stadium was enclosed, a black cloud engulfed nearly the entire building. Reflecting almost the same level of power as Pikachu, a massive bolt of electricity struck down from the sky, zapping Kingler to a mere crisp. Ash's eyes widened and immediately withdrew his fainted Pokemon from further harm.
"...Wha… How did you… How on Earth do you keep capturing legendary Pokemon?!" Ash screamed in complete disbelief to Rhia. It boggled his mind how she managed to capture both a Groudon and a Zapdos. "I don't understand! How…" Ash looked towards Zapdos direction, "Ugh, you really are something special. I knew there was a reason why I looked up to you years ago! But I won't give up, that's for sure. I've still got my own secret weapon… Charizard, let's go!" Charizard took over the battlefield and breathed a flame of pride from its mouth.
"Great choice, Ash," Rhia said with a smile, "Now this battle is really getting interesting. Now Lightning, fly!" The legendary Zapdos soared speedily through the air in different directions, aiming for Ash's Charizard.
"Quick, chase it away with flamethrower!" Ash shouted, and Charizard flew high into the air after Lightning. The fire-dragon and the electric-bird went head-to-head, both boasting equal power and firing immensely powerful attacks back and forth. The announcer and the audience were speechless, in awe, while watching the most intense Indigo league battle in history. Misty, Brock, Jessie, and James had their eyes glued to the match. Slowly but surely, both Charizard and Lightning grew tired, their health dwindling away with every attack. Lightning shot yet another thunderbolt in Charizard's direction, and the dragon-like Pokemon dodged it with ease. Seeing Rhia's Zapdos losing its focus, Ash took full advantage of the opportunity in front of him.
"Charizard, use fire blast then aerial ace, right now!" Ash yelled confidently. With a double, full powered final attack, Charizard had knocked Lightning unconscious. The force of two moves combined deemed too strong for the weakened legendary Pokemon to handle. Ash jumped into the air in absolute celebration; he and Rhia were tied with two Pokemon left, and his star player Pikachu hadn't yet battled at all. We've got this in the bag, unless Rhia has another crazy trick up her sleeve…
"Both Ash and Rhia are down to two Pokemon," the announcer narrated, "what will be the outcome of this truly epic battle? Let's watch and see!"
"Are you ready for this, buddy?" Rhia said quietly to Meowth.
"You bet! Ready as I eva' been," the former villain replied. With confidence in his heart and the supporting presence of all his friends, along with his true love, Meowth casually strutted onto the battlefield. Ash looked towards the blue corner in complete disbelief.
"What are you doing Meowth? Can't you see we're in the middle of a battle?" Ash asked confusedly as Charizard chuckled.
Meowth grinned proudly, "Ya must be dumber 'dan I thought twerp. I'm gonna take down ya 'oh so powerful' Charizard." With this comment, Ash erupted into laughter.
Jessie and James were utterly shocked, and frankly, scared for Meowth's life. What was he thinking? What was Rhia thinking? "Meowth, you can't battle! Fury swipes won't defeat a Charizard!" James cried out.
"James is right, give it up and surrender while you can!" Jessie yelled as she yet again bolted up from her seat.
The announcer chimed in as well, "What an unexpected turn of events! Rhia is going to attempt the impossible and use a Meowth against an extremely strong Charizard! Has this trainer's strategy crumbled under pressure?" Witnessing everyone's reactions of pure negative criticism, Meowth felt even more inclined to prove them wrong. However, Rhia was not about to let one of her closest friends be publicly humiliated.
"EXCUSE ME?!" Rhia shouted at the top of her lungs, startling everyone in the stadium and immediately grabbing their attention, "Don't you idiots ever talk about Meowth like that again! He's my friend, and he's way more powerful than he looks. We've trained long and hard for this. You'll see to never underestimate someone based on how they look! And quite frankly, he doesn't even need my help to win. Meowth, you know what to do. You've got this," Rhia gave her feline friend a thumbs up, and saw tears of gratitude gleaming in his eyes.
Wow, dis girl really believes in me, Meowth thought to himself as he glanced from Rhia down to Beauty, the love of his life. He felt her confidence radiating all around him, and knew that without her, he would never be as strong as he is today. Little did anyone know, besides a very select few, Meowth grew out of his disdain for battling and became very passionate about it on his journey with Beauty and Rhia. Love makes both people and Pokemon do crazy things.
Ash tried to make sense of the incredibly unexpected circumstances. Who would've guessed I'd be battling against Team Rocket's Meowth in the Pokemon league finals? Time really does change everything… he thought to himself. "Well Meowth, if you really want to battle, I'll let you have a head start," Ash said gently, being too courteous for Meowth's liking.
"It's our turn to go first anyways, dump twerp," Meowth replied sarcastically, "Hope ya don't freeze under pressure!" Charizard stood completely still, anticipating a weakly executed attack from his measly opponent. "Bet'cha never woulda guessed Meowth could do dis!" The talking Pokemon pushed both of his paws out in front of him and launched an enormous, sky-blue colored streak directly at Charizard. Seconds later, the fire-dragon was frozen solid in a giant block of ice, fainting from the powerful execution of the attack. Witnessing his all-powerful Pokemon frozen and fainted in front of him, Ash fell entirely speechless.
"Unbelievable," the announcer shouted as the audience chanted Meowth's name, "Who would have ever thought a Meowth could know ice beam, let alone know how to talk! Let's give it up for the most incredible Pokemon to ever take the Indigo league stage!"
Me-owth! Me-owth! The talking cat looked around at the entire audience in awe; they were cheering his name while giving him a standing ovation. This was by far one of the proudest moments of his little life. Beauty pranced towards his side and rubbed her head against his as a loving form of congratulations. Meowth put his arm around his feline companion and walked back towards Rhia. The three of them knew that now it was crunch time… the moment of truth. Ignoring everything going on around them, the beautiful trainer and her two feline Poke-partners huddled together and spoke in hushed whispers.
"What on Earth is going on?" James commented, "First Meowth defeats Charizard in one attack, now they're all having a gossip session in the middle of the battle?"
"Something about all of this is incredibly strange," Jessie added suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Ash tried his absolute hardest to keep himself from worrying. So Meowth is surprisingly a major threat, and that Delcatty is incredibly powerful… This is gonna be harder than I thought. But I still have Pikachu left, everything is gonna be okay. I'm sure of it.
"You ready for this, Pikachu?" Ash asked his best friend with a smile.
"Pika pi!" the electric mouse responded excitedly. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and took his stance on the battlefield. After their 'huddle' was complete, Meowth walked back to his position to resume the match.
"Give it ya' best shot, pipsqueak," Meowth taunted Pikachu from afar. The two former arch-enemies smirked proudly at one another.
"Start this off with iron tail!" Ash shouted, and Pikachu ran full speed towards Meowth with his tail glowing silver. Shockingly, Meowth was able to dodge the attack in the nick of time, and attempted to counteract with fury swipes. Hmph, might as well finish off my league debut wit a classic! Ash had the same idea, and yelled out another command to Pikachu, "Use thunderbolt!" In that moment, it was a flash of deja vu for everyone. Pikachu formed an electrifying bolt of lightning, which brutally electrocuted Meowth, just like hundreds of times prior. The force of the attack was so powerful, it was inevitable that Meowth would be blasted off into the sky… some things never change.
"Looks like Meowth is blasting off alone!" the ex-Team Rocket member cried as he flew from the battlefield into the stands, fainting as he said these words.
Rhia observed the spectacle and noticed Meowth heading in Jessie, James, Brock, and Misty's direction. The audience gasped and covered their eyes in horror, concerned for Meowth's well being, unknowing that he's survived this same incident countless times before.
"Quick! Catch him!" Rhia shouted to her friends in the stands. James instantly jumped into the air and caught Meowth mid-flight, saving him a few aches and pains from the potential crash.
Meowth groggily opened his eyes and groaned, "Tanks Jimmy, you're a real pal." He attempted to regain consciousness as quickly as possible; Meowth didn't want to miss his feline love's time to shine in this battle.
"Well Rhia, we're both down to our last Pokemon," Ash stated with a grin, "which are both the first Pokemon we ever caught! Why do I have a feeling you did this on purpose?"
"Hah! You caught me," Rhia chuckled. Both Meowth and Brock's stomachs dropped; was she really about to admit her own plan? Or switch it up at the last minute? This girl was utterly unpredictable. Rhia continued, "I did do this on purpose! Beauty told me she wanted another chance to defeat Pikachu." Brock and Meowth let out a sigh of relief.
On the outside, Ash was overflowing with confidence. However on the inside, he was worried and extremely nervous. He couldn't stop replaying in his mind the scene at the Pokemon School a few years back, where he first met Rhia and asked her for a battle. Sure, he's trained long and hard since that day of defeat, but he couldn't shake the thought that Beauty would knock out Pikachu in one swift attack once again. Ash shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and came up with a spontaneous strategy.
Rhia bent down to pet her precious Delcatty, and she communicated to her Pokemon without a word. I know you can defeat Ash's Pikachu right away, dear, but remember what we discussed. You have to go easy on him. Let's play this out as long as possible…. utilize your defense and hold back on attacking. Beauty purred in affirmation at her trainer's words. Rhia turned back to the stands where her friends were sitting. "Meowth! Don't do anything reckless, please. Beauty will be okay, I promise." Meowth nodded his head in stern agreement.
"Both of our contestants are down to their last Pokemon!" the announcer verbalized, "This has been an incredible match so far, who will be crowned champion? Stay tuned, as we are just minutes away from the outcome!" Every individual in the audience was on the edge of their seat.
"Alright Beauty, time to take the stage!" Rhia shouted with pride, "We'll start with thunderbolt, for Meowth's sake!" Hearing that it was time for vengeance on her Poke-lover's defeat, Beauty generated a giant flash of lightning that immediately struck Pikachu. Due to the electric mouse's strength and type advantage, the attack had a very minor effect.
"Nice try, Rhia!" Ash bellowed, "Now Pikachu, quick attack!" Pikachu's speed slightly exceeded Beauty's, so she didn't get an opportunity to dodge the physical attack. Pikachu smacked right into Beauty, knocking her off her feet.
"Blizzard attack!" Rhia shouted, and Beauty pushed a whirling cyclone of snow right in Pikachu's direction. In an instant, Pikachu was frozen solid. Yet another moment of deja vu… except this time, the goal was not to kidnap Pikachu and hand him over to Team Rocket.
"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, feeling his hopes of winning being frozen in place.
Jessie and James embraced one another with Meowth in between them, and began to dance and cheer; their best buddy had won the match! ….Or so they thought.
Oh no, this wasn't supposed to happen! Rhia thought to herself. I have to think of something… The Pokemon Master quickly analyzed her options and thought of a solution. "Now, use flame wheel!" Beauty already knew to hold back on attack power, so she launched a sphere of flames just hot enough to melt the ice. Okay, no more blizzard attacks.
Pikachu was still in great condition even after being frozen solid. Ash glanced at Rhia, slightly puzzled. Why would Rhia just unfreeze Pikachu?
"I didn't want this battle to be over so soon, this is too much fun!" Rhia shouted to Ash with a convincing smile.
"That's what I figured," Ash responded, "Alright Pikachu, use volt tackle!" Beauty was barely able to dodge Pikachu this time around. The final round between Rhia's Delcatty and Ash's Pikachu continued in this manner for a long while. Each Pokemon throwing powerful attacks at the other, the victim dodging each attack the majority of the time. The impeccable speed and power of both of their Pokemon kept the audience on edge. Over the duration of the battle, both Beauty and Pikachu grew tired and felt their energy dwindling with every turn.
Ash noticed Beauty looking slightly drained and it's attack power decreasing. This is our chance; it's a bit of a longshot, but I think we can do it. "Okay Pikachu… it's time for us to win. Finish this match with thunder!" This was certainly Pikachu's most powerful attack. The tiny-yet-mighty Pokemon utilized every last bit of energy in his body and exerted it into a giant cloud ominously floating above the battlefield. Beauty had absolutely no way, no time, to avoid this attack. An enormous, yellow and blue bolt of lightning struck Beauty head-on, and the execution of this move zapped her into paralyzation. The entire audience watched in anticipation, Jessie and James biting their tongues. Beauty tried to stay up and continue to fight, but she toppled over and fell unconscious. The battle was over.
"Delcatty is unable to battle, Ash and Pikachu are the winners!" the announcer said as the audience erupted into cheers and applause. Ash stood in place.
He whispered quietly to himself, "I… I won? We won the Pokemon League..?" Pikachu looked equally surprised as his best friend. Ash snapped out of his shock and smiled as big as he possibly could. His life dream, to become a Pokemon Master, had finally happened. After all the losses in Pokemon League championships across several regions, he had finally won, right here in his hometown. Pikachu bolted towards Ash and jumped into his arms, smiling and giggling. Ash hugged his Pokemon and thanked him, "You're the best, Pikachu. I couldn't have done this without you buddy. We did it… we really did it!"
Misty and Brock gave their old friend Ash a standing ovation, applauding and cheering his name. Meowth sat in James' lap smugly with his arms crossed. He knew this was going to happen, but he still wasn't pleased with the outcome. Jessie and James, however, felt their heart's shatter within them. Although it wasn't their defeat, they still felt as if they lost. The couple was in complete disbelief that the twerp had won against their best friend; the strongest Pokemon trainer they've ever known. This was the biggest turn of events the duo had ever experienced, Jessie and James had no clue what to say or how to feel.
As Beauty slowly opened her eyes, Rhia bent down to her Pokemon's level, "You did it, Beauty. I know we didn't win, but everything worked out just as we planned. You're the best!" Beauty smiled at her trainer half-heartedly and used her last bit of strength to regain her footing.
Rhia waltzed in Ash's direction with a forced smile on her face. With Pikachu perched on his shoulder, Ash reached out his hand to shake Rhia's as a sign of good sportsmanship. Instead of shaking his hand, Rhia pulled Ash into a big bear hug. At this unexpected gesture, Ash's face turned tomato red. "Congratulations, Ash," Rhia whispered quietly to him, "or should I say, fellow Pokemon Master." She released him from the embrace, "Lunch is on me, let's meet at noodle shop in Pallet Town after this," Rhia turned on her heel and walked back to her end of the battlefield, blowing kisses around to the audience on her way out.
Ash was still frozen in place, blushing, as the Pokemon League director approached him with a trophy. Pikachu tapped Ash on the side of his head, breaking him from his trance. He snapped back to reality and accepted the giant, golden trophy as well as an award certificate. As the audience members shuffled out of the stadium, Ash released all of his Pokemon out of their pokeballs. While he stood there, basking in the glory of victory and his greatest dream coming true with all of his Pokemon pals by his side, time seemed to have stopped. Ash wanted to live this moment forever.
Dreams do come true, and this one was certainly worth the wait.