Sorry (as usual) for the lengthy delay everyone. University hit hard and fast, and it took me longer than I expected to find time to write this. It was done in little pieces over the last three weeks or so, so hopefully it fleshes out okay. Get ready for a long (and still unfinished) battle, with some major surprises thrown in there too. I can't promise when the next update will be, but it will hopefully come relatively soon.
Enjoy
"So... he's chosen a Mismagius," Ash said to himself, feeling a little unsettled at the sudden twist. "I didn't even know that he had one... I wonder what other Pokemon he has on him. I built my team based on what I've seen him with the most, but if he has any more surprises like Mismagius..." A grin stole across his face; he had the perfect counter set-up already. All it would take was timing.
"Mismagius, he got the upper-hand last time with that Block; I won't let that happen again!" Paul said. "Use Shadow Ball!"
"Hold it back with Ice Beam, Glalie!" Ash countered. A thick dark orb formed in Mismagius's mouth and shot towards Glalie; Glalie's powerful Ice Beam charged towards it in turn, and the two attacks collided and exploded with a force that neither trainer had witnessed before; both Pokemon were sent reeling backwards in agony as the shockwaves passed through their bodies, and even Ash and Paul felt some discomfort as it hit them too.
"Stop it now while it's weak, Mismagius!" Paul roared. "Break through that smoke and use Mean Look!"
"Yes!" Ash exultated, holding a Poke Ball out in each hand. "Glalie, return! Gallade, I choose you!" In the quickest change he had ever done, Ash simultaneously recalled his ice-type and sent out the powerful psychic-fighter. The red light from Glalie's Poke Ball enveloped and retrieved it at the exact instant that Mismagius broke through the explosion's smoke. Unable to halt the attack, Mismagius launched the Mean Look, and Gallade's emerging body briefly glowed purple. Seeming more irritated than concerned at the attack, Gallade scratched its chest briefly with the tip of one blade before focusing any attention on his opponent.
"Bad move, Ash!" Paul shouted across the field. "Glalie may have been hurt, but Gallade is weak to ghost-types; you've just handed me another advantage!"
"There's no weakness if the moves don't hit," Ash countered. "Gallade, use Slash!"
"Errrrr-LADE!" the psychic-type roared, charging towards Mismagius; the crowd gasped as both of Gallade's blades hyper-extended to reach twice their normal length, the green blade-edges shining with the sharpness.
"Your Gallade's too slow on that ice; it doesn't have any grip," Paul observed. "Use Aerial Ace!" he ordered, and Mismagius shot straight towards Gallade, the air seeming to hiss with the speed. Ash grinned.
"Block it and use Night Slash!" he ordered. Gallade's eye's gleamed and it swept one of the blades straight down; the Slash attack collided with the Aerial Ace, and while it had no direct effect on Mismagius it was more than enough to halt the flying-type move. Paul gaped, surprised again as Gallade then swung down its other arm, this one gleaming with darkest black. Impossibly, Gallade's blade seemed to curve in midair as it descended before slashing straight into the ghost-type's head. Mismagius let out a cry of pain and fell to the ice.
"Get up!" Paul shouted. "Take it down a peg with Pain Split!"
"Mahge..." the ghost-type hissed, raising its glowing blue eyes as it sought to meet Gallade's face.
"Teleport!" Ash retaliated.
"Er!" Gallade nodded, crossing its now normal-sized arms and stepping backwards in one swift motion. As Mismagius looked towards it, Gallade closed its eyes and vanished.
"I told you, Paul!" Ash shouted as Gallade reappeared, vanished, reappeared, and vanished again, making Mismagius exceedingly dizzy as it tried to keep up with the rapid-fire Teleports. "Your advantage means nothing if the attacks don't hit! Gallade, finish it with a dual Leaf Blade and Night Slash!"
"Mismagius, get out of there!" Paul shouted. The ghost type-tried to move out the way, but to no avail. Gallade teleported to Mismagius's side and swept a glowing green arm downwards before teleporting and reappearing on the Pokemon's other side while delivering a devastating Night Slash to the injured Pokemon. Gallade's speed in teleporting and launching the attacks was so great that it seemed to all who viewed it that the two attacks hit at exactly the same time from opposite directions. The ghost-type had no chance.
"Mismagius is unable to battle!" the referee ruled, raising one of his flags.
"Incredible again!" the commentator screamed, near delirious with excitement. "Gallade used Teleport to launch two attacks almost simultaneously! Folks, we are looking at a rout in this match! I don't think anything can stand against Ketchum today!"
"There's one who can and will," Paul growled, recalling Mismagius without commenting towards the defeated Pokemon. "Time to turn one of his earlier attacks against him; Torterra, I choose you!" As one the crowd stood in disbelief as the massive Continent Pokemon emerged onto the ice, roaring into the sky.
"I don't get it," Dawn whispered to Brock. "Why would he choose Torterra now?"
"I don't know," Brock answered in a low voice. "It just doesn't make any sense! I can see Paul wanting to make a comeback in a big way with Torterra and taking away all of Ash's momentum, but that thing weighs almost 700 pounds! How is it possible for Torterra to battle without breaking the ice?"
"Because Ash made it that way," Scott answered; as per his custom, he sat calmly in his seat while Brock and Dawn were both pressed up against the railing.
"He made it that way?" Dawn repeated, confused. "I don't get it."
"Think back to the first match, between Glalie and Magmortar," Scott answered. "Ash finished that battle off by directing Glalie's Sheer Cold attack into the ice. Now, Sheer Cold is one of the most powerful attacks there is; it's so powerful that it will knock out any Pokemon it hits, with the possible exception of a legendary Pokemon of course. Unfortunately it's also not very accurate, which is why it's so rarely used. But Ash was guaranteed perfect accuracy in freezing the water; all of the water. The field they're battling on now is nothing more than a 20-foot thick ice cube; and something that big takes an awfully long time to melt."
"Of course," Brock realized. "Paul's using Ash's own Sheer Cold against him by bringing out his strongest – and heaviest – Pokemon to battle, because he knows that the ice won't crack.
"Right," Scott nodded, "and if Paul knows that, you can bet Ash does too."
"Gallade, return!" they heard Ash call, and Brock and Dawn turned back to the battle in time to see the psychic-type recalled to his Poke Ball. "Glalie, come on out!" he added, sending the ice-type out for the second time.
"Glalie again?" Dawn wondered.
"It makes sense," Brock said. "Glalie's an Ice-type, and Torterra has both grass and ground characteristics; it's quadrupally weak to that type."
"But Glalie's already been through one tough battle," Scott added. "If this Torterra really is Paul's strongest Pokemon, Ash is in for a very rough time."
"Ice Beam!" Ash shouted, and Glalie shot the familiar jagged beam towards Torterra.
"Razor Leaf," Paul said, sounding almost bored. A barrage of leaves shot from the tree on Torterra's back and met the Ice Beam in mid-air; but rather than both attacks cancelling each other out, the Razor Leaf broke right through Glalie's attack. The ice-type roared in pain as the Razor Leaf smashed into its body, and it dropped out of the air with a thud.
"Glalie!" Ash shouted in shock.
"Glalie is unable to battle!" the referee shouted, raising the other flag for the first time that match.
"You did a great job, Glalie," Ash said tenderly as he recalled the beaten ice-type. "Thanks for all that hard work against Magmortar." He eyed the gigantic Torterra carefully. "This won't be easy, but I know you're best for this job," he muttered, reaching towards his belt. "Staraptor, I choose you!"
"Starr raptor!" the flying-type shrieked as it burst from the Poke Ball; the strong and sharp crest overhanging Staraptor's eyes shone in the sunlight, and Paul's Torterra unwittingly took a step backwards at the dangerous appearance.
"Staraptor makes sense," Brock said.
"It's got the advantage over Torterra because of its flying-type, right?" Dawn asked.
"Partly," Brock answered. "Flying-type moves are super-effective against grass-types, and Torterra can't take any advantage of its ground-type because those moves will do nothing against Staraptor. But Staraptor also has a huge advantage in its speed and manoeuvrability. I think Ash made the right choice here."
"But Torterra won't go down without a fight," Scott added. "Look at the size of it; a Pokemon that big doesn't go down easily in a fight. It has defence that Ash's team can only dream of, and Paul knows it. He's more likely to take a defensive role in this battle, forcing Ash to go on the attack. And that will wear Staraptor down quickly. If Ash wants to take Torterra down, he's got to do it in the first few moves of this battle."
"Staraptor, gain some altitude and spiral down into an Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted.
"Torterra, stand your ground!" Paul commanded. "When Staraptor gets in close, hit it with a Leech Seed!" Staraptor flapped it's wings hard, gaining several feet in height before dropping in a steep dive towards Torterra, the wind visible as it streamed passed the flying-type's body. Torterra stood motionless, waiting, waiting, waiting...
"Now!" Paul shouted, and a single seed erupted from the tree on Torterra's back, heading directly towards Staraptor. But the flying-type was quicker than both Paul and Torterra anticipated. It twisted, the Leech Seed soaring past harmlessly, before ramming at full speed into Torterra's massive girth. Torterra groaned slightly at the impact as Brock and Dawn exultated in the stands, but Ash immediately saw that something was very wrong. Staraptor appeared to have taken more damage from the attack than Torterra had, and it lay in a ruffled heap on the ground, a dazed expression on its face.
"No way," Ash gasped. "That's impossible!"
Brock noticed Staraptor on the ground and the cheer died from his mouth. "That's not good," he said, his voice rising as he realized what it meant. "That's not good at all."
"What's not good?" Dawn asked, confused.
"Staraptor took most of the damage from the attack, but Torterra barely moved to avoid it!" Brock shouted, his voice beginning to reach a frenzy pitch. "The move should have been super-effective, but it didn't do a thing! There's no way that Paul's Torterra can have such high defences!"
"What do your eyes tell you?" Scott asked. "Paul's raised that Pokemon so that it would play to its own natural strengths in battle. Physical attacks won't touch it; it'll just shrug them off like nothing happened."
"But it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp in one move, and that was physical hit!" Dawn said, panicking. "How can it stand a super-effective hit like that?"
"The real question is, what does that tell you about Ash's preparedness for the Elite Four challenge?" Scott asked rhetorically.
"Staraptor, you can shake it off!" Ash pleaded. "Get up!" Paul grinned.
"Looks like it's over already," he said. "Torterra, finish it off now with your strongest attack! Wood Hammer!" Torterra reared back its head, roared, and began charging towards the stunned Staraptor. The distance between the two was small, but Torterra's initial speed on the ice was so slow that it may as well have been the length of three full battlefields. Nonetheless, Ash knew that if Torterra were to get up to full speed and the attack were to hit...
"Staraptor, move!" he screamed. Staraptor's eyes snapped wide in clarity at its trainer's call, and it twisted to look back at Ash.
"I said move!" Ash roared. Staraptor looked confused for a moment then, feeling the vibrations beneath its tail feathers, turned and dropped its beak open in shock. Torterra was almost upon it, and the sight of the massive Pokemon almost froze Staraptor in place. Almost. With a screech it flapped its mighty wings once, twice, thrice. Torterra skidded across the spot where Staraptor had been, but the flying-type was safe in the air.
"Great work, Staraptor!" Ash called happily.
"Bullet Seed!" Paul shouted. The sudden attack caught both Ash and Staraptor by surprise. A hail of luminescent green seeds poured from Torterra's mouth and shot skywards, smashing into Staraptor with devastating force. Staraptor screeched in the air as the attack hit its mark; it tried its utmost to knock the Bullet Seed away with its wings, but the power of Torterra's attack was too much. The flying-type crumpled and spiralled downwards. Paul grinned in satisfaction.
"It's over," he declared.
"Not yet!" Ash retorted. "Go, Quick Attack into Aerial Ace!" The tumbling Staraptor twisted out of the free-fall and, in an incredible burst of speed, charged head-on for Torterra. The very air was visible as it streamed over the wings before a mini-cyclone formed around the Pokemon's body as the speed of the Quick Attack propelled it into an Aerial Ace.
"Finish this like you did Glalie!" Paul ordered. "Razor Leaf now!" A cloud of leaves burst out of the tree on Torterra's back, the honed edges causing the air to hiss as they flew.
"Spin!" Ash shouted and, in what had become his team's standard dodging method, Staraptor rotated its body at high speed into a spin, causing the leaves to deflect harmlessly around the Pokemon. But the move also had a second unintended side effect.
The Aerial Ace, already resembling a mini-cyclone, had its power greatly amplified by the spin. Staraptor's mass was firmly established as the centre of gravity as it – and the air around it – rotated at high speed. The result was even more speed and power behind the attack, and the cyclonic shape of the attack became a full-fledged miniature tornado. People grabbed desperately at their hats, purses, food, drink, and betting slips as the force of the rapidly moving storm drew both air and power from the grandstands.
"Amazing!" Brock shouted above the volume of the wind. "He's turned a physical attack into a special attack! Staraptor's beak won't hit Torterra, the tornado will!"
"What a move!" Dawn breathed.
"Crunch!" Paul shouted desperately from the field as a last resort, hoping to negate some of the damage. Torterra's jaws lunged upwards towards the cyclone and snapped shut with vicious force on nothing. The crowd gasped collectively as, inches from impact, the cyclone and Staraptor vanished from view.
With a tremendous roar and a blast of wind that stung every person's eyes, there was an explosion from on the field. Torterra roared in pain as, impossibly, it was flung into several feet backwards into the air, landing heavily on its back before rolling once more to come to rest on its stomach. Staraptor stood in the midst of the ice, seemingly unable to move as the crowd waited collectively, awestruck at what they had witnessed.
"You forgot the true power of an Aerial Ace, Paul," Ash said expressionlessly. "When a Pokemon uses Aerial Ace, its speed reached a point where it vanishes before impact. It then reappears moments later and hits the opponent in a different place than the one it was aiming for. And of course, in this case the tornado was a part of the attack, so it vanished too." Paul merely chuckled in response as Torterra clambered slowly to its feet.
"It may have done more damage than a real Aerial Ace," he responded, "but Torterra is more than strong enough to withstand any attack like that. But if your Pokemon can't even deal with the strength of their own attacks..." Ash frowned, puzzled by the remark.
"Your Torterra can't stand strong forever," he retorted. "Staraptor, into the air and use Wing Attack!" The crowd watched breathlessly, and then mutters began to spring forth as Staraptor remained entirely motionless. "Staraptor?" Ash called. "Staraptor!"
A slight breeze came across into the stadium, ruffling Staraptor's feathers. The flying-type did not even try to remain standing as the air current buffeted it slightly to one side. The Pokemon keeled over, a comically surprised expression frozen on its face from when it had impacted.
"Staraptor is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "This match is tied at 2 down apiece!"
"Staraptor!" Ash shouted, foregoing the usual Poke Ball recall to run down onto the pitch instead. A murmur sprang from the crowd at the sight of him sliding across the ice.
"Is Staraptor going to be okay?" Dawn asked nervously.
"It'll be fine," Brock reassured her. "It's incredibly rare, but Pokemon do sometimes faint on their feet. Ash's Torkoal did once before in a Frontier match."
"I remember that," Scott nodded. "A Pokemon is usually hit in motion, so its centre of gravity is almost never balanced out. But on some occasions that is the case, so the Pokemon is knocked out but doesn't collapse. That's what confuses the trainer, because they can't see their Pokemon's eyes and they assume that if it's standing, it's okay to go on."
"See," Brock added, pointing Dawn back to the field. "Staraptor's woken up now, and Ash has called it back. It's nothing a trip to the Pokemon Centre won't fix later."
"But for now, the match is still going on," Scott said. "That ingenious Aerial Ace may have done a lot more damage to Torterra than the first attempt, but nowhere near enough to take it out. The key to this match is Torterra. Ash was up 2-0, and he could go down 3-2 if he isn't careful in this next selection. He has to beat Torterra now; if he doesn't, this match is as good as over."
Ash stood in the centre of the battlefield a moment before returning to his trainer's box. His gaze swept the crowd and locked onto where he knew Scott's private box was located. Though the sun was in his eyes and he could not see his friends, he gave a nod to reassure them before trudging back.
"Who's your next choice, Ash?" Paul taunted. "Is it a Pokemon that can doesn't actually hurt itself when it battles?"
"It's one who isn't afraid to take pain so long as it dishes out even more!" Ash charged back. "Gallade, let's go!"
"Err!" Gallade called, landing on the ice for the second time that day. The fierce warrior sprung into a swift salute as it straightened up; it would have seemed a wholly ridiculous gesture were it not for the symbolism it exuded. For a Gallade to salute as it took to the battlefield... it meant that it had only undying loyalty for its trainer. The crowd knew that this Gallade would not hesitate to die for its trainer if the need arose. What had been a relatively jovial atmosphere died away completely.
Gallade had been out before, but it had not shown this kind of gesture then. This was more than just a show of trust and loyalty: it was a sign of solidarity and determination. It was the greatest gesture of support Ash could have from his Pokemon, and it came at a time he needed it most.
"Torterra, shut it down now! Earthquake!" Paul shouted.
"Jump to dodge!" Ash retaliated. Paul grinned as Gallade leapt high, causing Torterra's attack to miss.
"Bullet Seed!" he shouted, smug in the knowledge that Gallade could not dodge while it was in the air.
"Slash them back!" Ash ordered, sweeping his arm out unintentionally.
"Laaade!" Gallade roared as Torterra's attack shot towards it. The warrior extended both of its blades and slashed furiously against the attack. The speed of the strikes was so swift that the blades could not even be seen; one cut the seeds in half and the other sent them straight back to Torterra before repeating the motions. Torterra took an involuntary step backwards as its own attack rebounded on its head. Gallade, meanwhile, sliced at the last remnant of the attack, did a lazy back flip in the air, and landed perfectly on its feet in exactly the same location it had taken off, blades crossed across its chest.
"Now use Leaf Blade!" Ash yelled, and Gallade charged forwards. Paul wasn't expecting such a quick landing and attack, and before he could order a countermove the Leaf Blade had slammed across Torterra's head, driving the grass-type heavily into the ice. The second blade slashed horizontally into the side of Torterra's head, and the massive Pokemon moaned at the result of two head-shots in a row. Gallade skittered backwards, once again resuming his previous position and location on the ice.
Paul gritted his teeth angrily. "If that's the way you want to play..." he growled. "Torterra! Seed Bomb into Sand Tomb!" Fear replaced the exultation in Ash's face.
"Dodge that!" he shouted as large green clusters began showering out of the tree on Torterra's back, impacting all around the Psychic-type. Gallade ran, but the attack was so densely spread that there was no place to run to. One grazed its side, another exploded at its feet, and a third smashed into its chest, sending Gallade flying backwards with a scream of pain as it exploded at that close range. Ash opened his mouth to shout a warning about the quickly oncoming wall, but, against all the laws of nature, a massive pile of sand erupted from the ice and enveloped the psychic-type. Gallade struggled against it, to be sure, but it was held too tightly to move.
"Finish it," Paul said expressionlessly. "Use Earthquake."
"Torrrr!" Torterra roared, jumping a few inches off the ground and landing with a massive impact. A great crack rent the air as the ice split under the weight of Torterra's body smashing into it. Gouges ripped across the field, faster than the Earthquake could move. The Sand Tomb holding Gallade in place collapsed as Torterra lost control over the attack, and the loyal fighter hit the ground and rolled to the side just in time to avoid falling into a fissure that opened seconds later.
Both Pokemon held their ground nervously as the ice field continued to disintegrate into chunks; deep and dangerous fissures ran across the battlefield, and several chunks of ice collapsed completely before falling into the depths. Almost imperceptible to Gallade's keen ears – and certainly not heard by Torterra or any of the humans – were shrieks of fright from the engineers far below who controlled the battlefield rotation as they dodged the shards that fell around them.
"Folks, it would appear that the battlefield has sustained some serious damage," the commentator announced. "Torterra's weight was too much for that ice in the end."
Dawn was speechless at the sight of the battlefield. Huge holes were missing in the ice, and deep chasms separated the remaining chunks. A smack on the back of her head quickly returned her to awareness, however.
"Hey!" she shouted, rounding on the person behind her. "What was that for?" A distraught Mr. Goodshow halted his headlong run, wringing his hands and a panicked expression on his face.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to!" he said, dancing slightly on the spot. "But that ice is unstable! I've got to get down to the commentary box immediately and stop the match! If there's any more battling on that ice, it could be dangerous for the Pokemon who are doing it! Not to mention all the engineers controlling it from below! I have to get down there now and stop the match!" Without another word he dashed off, still wringing his hands.
Torterra stood nervously on the largest chunk of ice. It was unable to move, not even to shift its head from side to side. A spider web of cracks was showing beneath its feet, a danger Paul could not see. It was afraid to do anything but stay in place, and even that was nerve-wracking beyond belief. The smaller and lighter Gallade was not quite as worried. Unlike Torterra it could run and jump, meaning that it could move to another chunk if it had to. Its speed would be its saving grace, and the possibility of falling into a chasm was almost laughable to it.
"Torterra, Razor Leaf!" Paul shouted. A frown grew across his face when Torterra did not move. "I said use Razor Leaf! Do it now!" he roared. Torterra dared to shake its head and let out a little whimper, a surprising sound to hear from such a large and formidable Pokemon.
"Gallade, use Night Slash!" Ash said, hesitating only a moment before issuing the command. Gallade took off at a run and leapt across a chasm towards Torterra. It raised its extended blades, ready to swing them down...
And pivoted away to a different chunk of ice instead, reaching one blade far to the side where it dug into the chunk before using its momentum to swing around in the air and land lightly on its feet.
"Err," Gallade said, looking at Ash imploringly as it shook its head and crossed its blades over its chest. The crowd gasped and a puzzled Ash followed Gallade's gaze towards Torterra. It struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he knew instantly why Gallade had not attacked.
He had not seen it before because Gallade was in the way, but a metre under Torterra's feet was a Magmortar-shaped cavity in the ice. A thin but jagged crack was visible, spreading up from the cavity towards the ice directly under Torterra's feet, and when he squinted he was able to make out the faintest sign of the spider webbing. He sighed regretfully and shook his head. It was against both his and Gallade's nature, but he knew what he had to do; there was no alternative.
He threw one hand into the air, a hand that clenched a white towel which he dropped over the side of the trainer's box and onto the ice. "I retire Gallade from the match!" he shouted with as much strength and conviction as he could muster. A roar of anger and dismay sprang from the crowd as he recalled the seemingly able-bodied and healthy Gallade before turning away from the battlefield, leaving the trainer's box, and walking slowly into the tunnel that led towards his training room. Angry jeers followed him as he left the battle, drowning out even the commentator as he announced that as Ash had lost three Pokemon, there would be a 15-minute break while the battlefield was changed. He didn't even look back to see a thoroughly confused Paul recall a very relieved Torterra.
He slumped against the wall, unwilling to enter the room where he knew Brock and Dawn would be waiting for him. Instead he silently called Gallade back out and simply looked the Pokemon in the eyes. It struck Ash then, as he looked at his Pokemon, how even though Gallade was a little shorter, how much more powerful he was.
"What makes you do it?" Ash asked aloud, gently feeling the sharpness of Gallade's blade. "The strength you have... the speed... Pokemon could rule the planet and destroy the human race if they wanted to. Why do you submit yourselves to those cramped little Poke Balls and get beaten up when we order you to battle. We force you to fight, and we don't feel any of your pain. Why do you do it?" Gallade merely looked sorrowfully at him.
"Excuse me," a vibrant woman said simpering, surprising the life out of Ash at her sudden appearance alongside her familiar crew of three. "Jessalina here. I know that trainers aren't usually interviewed until after the match, but we're all so surprised at the stunt you just pulled in retiring Gallade when it's still got plenty of fight left. We're all wondering if you could possibly explain why you made such a move? Keep in mind that this interview is being broadcast live into the Stadium and on international television."
"There really isn't much to tell," Ash said resignedly. Even from down here he could hear the boos. "That Earthquake was just a really dangerous move to try and pull off, especially with Torterra's weight. I was as surprised as anyone else when Gallade stopped the attack. I knew that Gallade wouldn't just disobey me without a reason, so I tried to see what may have been wrong."
"And what was that?" Jessalina pressed.
"Remember how Magmortar was frozen in the ice?" Ash asked.
"Yes..."
"Well, when Magmortar was recalled there wasn't anything to take its place," Ash explained. "There was just an empty cavity in the ice, and Torterra was standing above that. When it used the Earthquake, the ice cracked because there was nothing to hold it up. So the ice just shattered away. Most of it happened in the direction away from Torterra, but it's a heavy Pokemon. The ice didn't shatter underneath it, but it was really badly cracked; if Gallade had landed on it or driven Torterra into it, it would have broken for sure and Torterra would have fallen into the crevasse. I'm guessing that's the reason why Torterra didn't obey Paul's attack either; it didn't want to make the ice even more unstable," he added.
"So that's why Gallade didn't attack, but why did you retire it instead of sending out a different Pokemon?" she asked.
"It wouldn't have made a difference," Ash said. "If I'd sent out a different Pokemon, Torterra would have still been in danger. I retired Gallade because there was no other choice. I did it because I knew it would be my third retirement, and there'd be a break while the field was changed or repaired. It was the only thing I could do."
"But why..?" Jessalina began before Ash interrupted.
"Look," he said, "Torterra's life was in danger. I did the only thing I could to save it. And I don't know about you, but when it comes down to losing a match or killing a Pokemon, I'll take the loss every time. Simple as that."
"Why do you think Paul didn't recall Torterra instead?" Jessalina asked, and though Ash's every fibre wanted to scream 'because that's the kind of guy he is', he answered instead by saying:
"I don't know. I guess he couldn't see the cracks in the ice because of Torterra's size."
"Well there you have it folks," Jessalina said brightly as she turned back to the camera, "an explanation from Ash Ketchum for his seemingly bizarre retirement of Glalie. Now, we still have ten minutes left in this intermission so why don't we take a look at the replays to see if his explanation holds true. Dan, back to you."
"And cut!" Jameson said brightly as Ash turned and walked deeper into the tunnel towards his room. "Brilliant as ever, Jessi – I mean Jessalina!"
"Oh, thanks!" she said with a laugh. "It's all down to my cha..." Ash tuned them out as he moved further away, Pikachu and Gallade in his wake. Although he was no longer looking at the psychic-type, if he had he would have seen something curious. Gallade's eyes shone brightly, and there was an unspoken answer in there to Ash's earlier question.
Why, Master? Because of moments like that, Gallade's eyes seemed to say.