It was just after daybreak. The sky was getting brighter and bluer by the second, but as Flint walked into the arena he found that the entire stadium was still covered in heavy shadow. The high walls of the stadium blocked the morning sun like tall mountains on a horizon. He walked slowly forward, scanning the thousands of empty seats that surrounded him. It was nice, in a way; Flint took in the peaceful atmosphere, his mind reflecting the stadium's calm. It was then that he realized that he wasn't alone.
On the other side of the battlefield was a person. While it was still too dark for Flint to make out who it could possibly be, he could see that the person's head was tilted toward the sky, gazing eastward.
Flint began to approach the stranger. He was curious as to who else would be here at this time. However, before he had taken ten steps, Flint broke into a grin. It didn't take a genius to figure out what kind of a person wore a cap and had a Pikachu riding shotgun on his shoulder.
"So, are you here to watch the sunrise too?" asked Ash as Flint finally got close. Ash and Pikachu both kept their gaze on the sky. Flint suppressed a chuckle. Of course, Ash had known that he was there from the start.
"I'll give you points for coolness, but I think that your timing may be a tad bit off. You know that the sun is already up, right?" Flint took a spot next to Ash and imitated him.
"You know what I mean," said Ash dryly. "The trainer's sunrise...and here we go."
The three of them stood together and watched as the top of the stadium behind them began to light up. They didn't plan it before hand, nor was there really much meaning to it in the end. The two trainers watched the line of blazing sunlight get closer and overtake them, now filling the stadium with a radiant display of color.
"Well, that was nice. Can we sit down somewhere now? My back is killing me." Flint stretched and walked a short distance to the center of the battlefield. He turned and sat, motioning for Ash to join him.
"Yeah, yeah. Ruin the moment," Ash grumbled. He was not angry though. Taking a seat opposite of Flint, Ash realized that they had positioned themselves on their respective sides of the field. He met Flint's eyes and he could tell that they were thinking the same thing: This battle has already started.
"So," said Flint, "you've finally grown up huh?"
"Yeah, unlike you I might add," Ash retorted with a grin. "It's been a while though, hasn't it."
"True. I'll admit, you're not the same kid I crushed all those years ago." Flint paused after saying this, regarding Ash with a questioning look. "Do you have an answer?"
"I do," said Ash adopting an innocent look, "but could you repeat the question for me? It's been so long since-"
"Gah, shut up," said Flint as Ash laughed. "But we do have plenty of time before the main event so hell, why not? The first time we battled, the last fight was Infernape versus Infernape. So, why was my Pokemon on a completely different level from yours?"
Sure, it sounded like a degrading question, but for Ash it had been one of the few things that made him realize how to change and improve, following the battle with Paul. In fact, Flint had asked him this question before the Sinnoh Conference even started; yet it wasn't until months later that he understood it.
"Fighting experience," Ash said simply. Flint's grin widened.
"Good answer," he said. He pulled a coin from his pocket and began flipping it. "So did you get any?"
Ash resisted the temptation to have Pikachu shock the guy. "Yeah, I think so," he said finally. "But I'll let you be the judge of that later."
"Oh?" said Flint loftily. "Haha, Ash don't get so worked up. I'm only messing with ya. Being in the top sixteen kind of speaks for itself, you know."
"Finally, some recognition," Ash said jokingly. "It's about time someone realized how good I am."
"Right, right," said Flint laughing. "If that's true then tell me how you plan on- what's up Pikachu?" Pikachu had walked over to Flint suddenly and was now tugging on his sleeve.
"Pika-pi, pika," he said to Flint who was understandably baffled.
"Uhh, Ash some assistance? What's up?" Flint asked. Pikachu looked at Ash and chattered at him quickly, pointing at Flint. Ash laughed.
"Ahh, sorry Flint. Pikachu wants the apple in your pocket. He's hungry," Ash explained. Flint was surprised, but pulled out the apple he had grabbed off of his kitchen table before he left that morning.
"Here you go," he said handing the apple to the starry-eyed Pokemon. Turning back to Ash, he said, "You know, I've seen you talk to your Pokemon before; I mean, if you look closely enough, you'll find that a lot of people actually do it; but, I always figured that it was just good interpretation that came from being with your Pokemon long enough... You actually understand them don't you?"
Ash wasn't surprised by Flint's reaction. The few actual cases of people understanding exactly what a Pokemon said could usually be explained by some sort of special circumstance. Of course, few people actually knew about them to begin. "I know, it's pretty strange, but I understand Pokemon pretty well. Obviously being around them a lot does make a huge difference, but I think the main reason for me is because of Aura." Flint was still confused.
"Yeah, that makes sense because Aura is supposed to be within everything or something like that right? But I thought that would only help you with the few Pokemon that are big in Aura." Flint was trying to ask his question without tripping himself up, but it was clear to Ash that he didn't pretend to know any more than he did...which was practically nothing.
Ash sighed, "I don't really get much of it myself. It's not like Aura gives you word for word translations of poketalk. Just a read on their emotions and desires. Body language and just how well you understand Pokemon to begin with make up the rest of it. Of course I've known Pikachu here for ten years. Anyway," he added, "you were saying something before?"
Flint looked blankly at Ash then said, "Oh yeah! Well I was just wondering how you planned on beating me today. You know, your odds are looking pretty grim."
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Ash practically shouted. Flint was holding back laughter, but Ash could tell that he was being serious. "I'm going to take your Pokemon down one by one until you have none left. Simple," he finished in a matter-of-fact tone which wiped the smirk off of Flint's face.
"Well, I'll give you credit for getting this far without having to use more than three Pokemon. Only Cynthia and Steven have done as well." He gave Ash a curious look. "Pikachu, Armaldo, Gardevoir. It's an interesting mix; makes me wonder what your other three are." Ash just shrugged.
"I guess from the outside it does look a little grim for me. Fire Pokemon are all tough to deal with, no matter what it is. Still, I'm sure I won't have to reveal all of my Pokemon just yet. Strategy, you know?"
Flint snorted and stood up. Ash did the same, Pikachu jumping to his shoulder.
"Just don't get too confident, Ash. It'll get you burned." Flint gave Ash a grin that clearly meant he was being serious.
"Well, because you're being so nice to me I'll give you some advice too," Ash said, meeting Flint's gaze with his own. "Don't underestimate my Pokemon, Flint. They're not afraid of fire..." Ash turned and began walking to his end of the battlefield.
"...and neither am I."
XXXXX
Hours later, the stands were completely packed and completely noisy. The excitement that preceded battles was already in full swing. However, from the center of the arena, Ash and Flint stood in relative peace. Everything about the time and place was almost as it always was just before a battle started... almost. The big, and immediately obvious, difference was that both trainers stood beside there first Pokemon of the battle. Ash stood beside Gardevoir, who simply floated there serenely. Opposite them, Flint was flanked by his Houndoom, one of his newer additions to the lineup. Ash looked at Houndoom, thinking back to the battle he had watched Flint have against Volkner, as well as the little bit that Cynthia had told him about Flint the night before.
"It won't be anything like you've ever faced before, Ash," she had said, crossing her arms. "I know you saw his match, so I don't need to tell you how strong he is, but what you don't know is that he's been working on that team for years. It's become his mission to make the best team of fire Pokemon in the world 'that will beat Volkner's best team of electric Pokemon in the world'." Cynthia sighed and said, "From what I've seen of your battling so far, I'd say you two are about even. So don't lose."
Shaking himself back to the present, Ash glanced at Gardevoir. The calm expression she always had was unchanged. He smirked in spite of himself, eyes returning to the Houndoom, who looked similarly relaxed. Ash could now see the judge approaching them; the battle would begin shortly.
The dog will lose, Ash thought.
"Indeed he will," came the silent reply.
XXXXX
"Well, here we go. It's about to start everyone!" Brock's voice got the group's attention, and they turned to face the arena. Cynthia and Miranda had saved a large number of seats right at the front for as many of Ash's friends that could fit.
"Yes, this definitely looks like it's going to be fun. Great seats by the way," said Scott, seemingly appearing from nowhere and causing many in the group to jump in surprise.
"Scott, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," said Miranda, grinning. She had known that he was there the entire time, but chose to leave be.
"Can somebody please tell me why Ash is using Gardevoir against a dark type Pokemon? If he doesn't swap right away then this is going to be quick, no contest," Max said to the group at large, cutting Scott off from whatever he was about to say. Miranda sighed slightly and rested her chin on the barrier that divided the stands and the arena.
"I know," she said lazily, "No contest at all... poor doggie."
"What? But-" he was cut off by May.
"I know, I don't get it either, but it's Ash so who knows and it's starting!"
XXXXX
"Begin!"
"Gardevoir, Calm Mind," said Ash at once. Moments later came the reply.
"Flamethrower, Houndoom!" shouted Flint. A large blast of flame shot at Gardevoir, who teleported immediately.
"Good! Now Charge Beam!" Gardevoir unleashed her powered up attack but Houndoom was ready.
"Smog!" At flint's command, Houndoom filled the arena with a dark cloud, making it impossible to see or aim. Gardevoir's Charge Beam went wide of its mark. Flint winced slightly as he heard the distinct sound of the attack cleaving a chunck out of the arena floor. He wasn't too eager to actually see the damage.
"Houndoom, you know what to do! Take her out!" Flint shouted into the darkness. Ash said nothing. As flamethrower attacks began penetrating the smog, Ash sent Gardevoir a silent command.
"Double Team please. Make this quick."
"Of course," was Gardevoir's reply.
Gardevoir suddenly appeared outside the smog near the edge of the cloud, waiting for some sign of Houndoom. Flint spotted her.
"Houndoom, she's outside the smog! Attack!" he shouted. Houndoom emerged from the top of the cloud in a jump and completely engulfed Gardevoir in flames. The crowd cheered in excitement but quickly were just as confused as Houndoom who had landed with Gardevoir no where in sight.
"It's over," said Ash. Gardevoir emerged from the smog and flew straight at Houndoom who quickly shot fire. But this Gardevoir wasn't real either. Just as he attacked the copy, the real Gardevoir appeared at his side, a glowing blue mass between her hands. The point blank attack took Houndoom in his side and carried him straight into the smog, dissipating it as he passed through it, and into the opposite wall of the arena. The crowd roared its approval. As Flint recalled Houndoom, he looked over at Ash. Gardevoir was at his side again, exactly as she had been earlier. It almost looked like she didn't move to begin with.
"We're just getting started. Macargo, give us some support!" said Flint tossing a pokeball high into the air. The moment Macargo materialized on the field, it began to get hot. Hot hot.
"Begin!"
"Gardevoir!" Ash said instantly, his palm out flat to the ground. Gardevoir immediately teleported above the arena charging her attack.
"Macargo, defend quickly!" shouted Flint, just in time. As Macargo braced itself, Gardevoir brought both palms downward. The stadium shook as the center of the arena was crushed by psychic energy. Within seconds, the arena featured a large crater of flattened rock. As the crowd made obvious sounds of shock, Ash recalled Gardevoir. As expected, Flint's Macargo was still quite able to fight, and he needed Gardevoir for insurance later on.
"Armaldo, Water Gun, it's going to get really hot!" Ash shouted, throwing his pokeball high. While the crowd was still off balance from Gardevoir's incredible show of power, Flint was not.
"Macargo, shake it off and melt that Pokemon!" he thundered.
Armaldo emerged in the air and let loose a powerful Water Gun attack. Fortunately Ash had predicted what Flint would do. Macargo built up pressure then unleashed a devistating Lava Plume attack. Ash and Flint both had to jump back several feet to avoid the brunt of the heat. The crushed ground was quickly becoming redder in general, and bursts of lava shot at Armaldo from below. Without the Water Gun, it would have been over right there. Armaldo's attack cooled and hardened various places of the rock, enabling him to avoid the attack and land safely. He was still engulfed in the extreme heat though. Ash had to end this small battle quickly.
"Water Gun, give it all you've got!" he shouted, desperate to help Armaldo.
"Push it aside! Ancient Power!" Flint shouted confidently. Macargo's attack did just that, breaking the Water Gun and landing a direct hit on Armaldo.
"Armaldo, hang in there!" Ash shouted, ready to pull him out in a heartbeat. He had never expected Flint's Macargo to be so powerful. But he didn't recall him, for at that moment, Armaldo planted his feet and shot a sudden bullet of blue at Macargo. Unable to dodge it, Macargo took the attack full on, instantly fainting. A second later, Armaldo sank to his knees, unconscious. The attack dissipated much of the lingering heat from the Lava Plume.
"Both Armaldo and Macargo are unable to battle!" shouted the Judge. Flint shook his head in wonder. Where did that attack come from? It was clear that Ash's Pokemon had a lot of inner strength and it would be costly to underestimate any of them. Meanwhile, Ash was staring at Armaldo's pokeball with exasperation.
"Water Pulse... really, Armaldo?" he said with a sigh. "At least tell me when you learn new moves. Especially if they are powerful ones." Ash laughed, putting Armaldo back on his belt. "Good work, Armaldo. You did really well."
Ash looked at the arena. After the Lava Plume attack followed by the high powered Water Pulse, the field looked even more flat and solid than when they first started. There were some odd shapes that protruded form the ground here and there and some slight slopes, but overall a flat field.
"Camerupt, let's continue shall we?" said Flint with a grin, tossing a pokeball. Flint's Camerupt was just as strong as his Macargo. They weren't exactly what one would initially think when someone mentioned an Elite Four battle team, but Flint did create his team to beat Volkner's so having two extremely solid fire-rock/ground Pokemon was perfect for that. Fortunately for Ash, his only difficultly would be taking them out without running wearing down his own Pokemon. Flint's remaining three were no joke.
"Lucario, time for some exercise," Ash said purposely to agitate Flint; ineffective to say the least.
"About time," Lucario said gruffly. He looked at the Camerupt and then threw Ash a flat look. "You're kidding right?" Ash sighed and said quietly,
"Look, I'm sorry, but please don't be difficult. Just take him out and I promise the next battle will be a real one. Champion level. You remember what I said about what that would be like-"
"Right, right," he interrupted, turning back to his opponent. "Just now that I'm out, you don't have to keep me in there all the time right? I'm not an "unknown factor" anymore."
"Promise," Ash said grinning. Lucario was hard to figure out for most, but to Ash it was quite easy; like a book. Ash shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. The two Pokemon stepped up into the field and the judge gave the signal.
"Camerupt, let's shake things up!" shouted Flint, grinning as he said it. The last time Ash heard that he could swear that the stadium nearly collapsed.
"Lucario, keep it simple. Move and hit."
"Understood."
The Earthquake was a devisting move. The ground cracked in multiple places and the crowd screamed like they thought the stands were going to collapse. Lucario wobbled, the ground was shaking so much.
"Lucario, Bone Rush! Get your balance!" shouted Ash as best he could over the sound of grinding rock. The bone staff materialized in Lucario's hand and he drove the end of it into the ground, hanging on to it to prevent himself from falling. The ground under him cracked and a fissure opened, causing him to fall.
"Crush him!" shouted Flint. The ground surged closed and the shaking finally stopped. No sound was made as everyone waited to see what would happen next.
"Close one, partner," Ash said, brushing dust off of his pants. The crowd finally noticed Lucario standing next to Ash. He had used Extremespeed to escape the earth's grasp. "Still unimpressed by your opponent?"
"Slightly less. I'll begin now," he said, spinning the bone staff. Flint was blinking at Lucario, sure that he had seen him get crushed seconds ago. If one thing could be said, Lucario was fast.
"Camerupt, take a defensive position and use Flamethrower!" he said quickly, not waiting for anything else to happen. Lucario dodged the attack easily, quickly making it into close quarters. Bone staff whirling at a blinding speed, Camerupt was hit in a series of staff combos, knocking the Pokemon completely off balance.
"Now! Close Combat!" shouted Ash. The staff vanished and Camerupt was pummled with the heavy attack. Lucario chained the Close Combat into a Force Palm, causing the last hit to send Camerup flying across the field and crashing to a halt.
"Camerupt is unable to battle! Lucario wins."
"I'm done for now," said Lucario, coming back to Ash. "Let my next opponent be someone who will give me a challenge." Lucario suddenly returned to his pokeball.
"Lucario return!" Ash's quick action saved him from Lucario being defeated by some form of forfeit, however that was the last thing on anyone's mind. The crowd, the judge, and Flint, were all lost for words at what had just happened. Seconds later, the crowd burst into normal, albeit loud, chaos. "Nice one, idiot," Ash said to the pokeball. He could almost hear the reply, 'Have fun.'
XXXXXX
"Are you serious?" said Max in a small voice. Ash was now battling Flint's Magmortar with Pikachu, but he couldn't see it. His mind was still trying to wrap around the insanity he had just seen.
"Oh dear, Luca's grouchy," said Miranda said childishly. She grinned and glanced at Max who, along with the rest of the group minus Cynthia, were staring at her in disbelief. "Yeah, Luca's a badass."
"I can see that... wait, Luca?" Brock said incredulously. Cynthia chuckled darkly.
"I wouldn't call him that to his face if I were you. He won't like it." She raised her eyebrows at Miranda and continued, "Don't tell me he actually lets you call him that."
"Not really, but sometimes he just ignores it. Why do you ask?" she responded, tuning out the chatter that was directed at her from the rest of the group. Cynthia smiled smugly.
"I'm the one who gave him that nickname. It's cute," she said, crossing her arms in a satisfied way. For some reason, it felt really good to have a one-up on Miranda, even if it was only to do with one of Ash's Pokemon.
'Dammit,' thought Miranda, annoyed at Cynthia's winner-like attitude. But a loud explosion instantly made her forget about that, drawing her full attention back to the battle at hand...
XXXXXX
"Pikachu, hang in there! Grab on to him!" shouted Ash. Flint's Magmortar made Paul's look like a Magby. Pikachu was fairing badly against Magmortar, but due to Lucario's action, he couldn't pull him back. Still, Pikachu wasn't weak.
"Back off, Magmortar!" Flint shouted, but Magmortar was unable to get clear of Pikachu's Discharge attack. Pikachu grinned in triumph. Static could be seen dancing along Magmortar's body. He fainted, completely drained of power. Discharge was an incredible move by the little mouse Pokemon, but unless he had a boost from some lightning or another electric Pokemon then it would take too much out of him.
"You did great buddy," Ash said, as the judge made the call. He decided to hang onto Pikachu until he could put him down safely. Pikachu stirred, but remained unconscious, now asleep. Pikachu had an astonishingly fast rate of recovery for such a small Pokemon. Ash figured that it probably had to do with the wells of electricity that resided in the little guy. Ash pulled out a Pokeball and turned to walk back to his position at the edge of the battlefield. "Gardevoir, end this."
XXXXX
Flint was finally down to two, albeit famously powerful, Pokemon. Amazingly, Ash still had four, two of which had never been seen before in the tournament. The crowd was eager to see how this was going to end.
"Blaziken, I'm counting on you," said Flint, throwing his next pokeball. Ash frowned at Flint's second most powerful Pokemon. Gardevoir was incredibly tough, however she wasn't fresh and Flint's Blaziken had an incredible amount of fighting experience. Far more than any of his own Pokemon did which was already considerable. The same could be said for Flint's Infernape. He honestly didn't know how this would turn out.
"Are you ready?" Ash quickly shot at Gardevoir, hovering beside him.
"Worry not, I'm fine," she responded evenly.
"Begin!"
"Blaziken, be careful. She can appear anywhere at any time! Double Kick!" Flint commanded, pointing at Gardevoir.
"Do it," said Ash. Gardevoir teleported behind Blaziken and used a quick Psychic attack, lifting the fire Pokemon and throwing him directly at the nearest wall. Blaziken, however, remained calm. Sticking out his arm, he scraped at the ground, enabling him to hit the wall feet first, unharmed. The wall buckled slightly, cracking then he shot straight back at Gardevoir, taking her by surprise. Unable to teleport out of the way, she automatically went to block the attack with a Reflect. Blaziken's Double Kick finally connected with something. The force of the kick pushed Gardevoir back, making her lose balance.
"Again!" shouted Flint. Lightning fast, Blaziken launched another Double Kick. Gardevoir used reflect to block again, but it was a feint. Before Ash or Gardevoir knew what was happening, Blaziken changed the second kick into a Brick Break, ripping through Gardevoir's reflect like paper and connecting with her chest. Ash was unable to help Gardevoir at all. Blaziken gave her no opening to attack from, knowing that if she could recover she might be able to turn the tide of the battle.
"Gardevoir! You have to get as close as you can! Conserve your energy!" Ash shouted, trying to assist. The battle wore on as the two exchanged blows, however as it continued, Gardevoir was only getting in a small number of attacks compared to the barrage from Blaziken. The large Pokemon had the advantage of an extremely powerful physical build behind him. It was only a matter of time...
XXXXX
"Oh I can't watch this!" Miranda moaned softly, leaning against Cynthia for support. Cynthia looked at the girl in concern, all thoughts of their recent squabble aside.
"What's wrong? I know it's tough, but as a Pokemon trainer, watching the Pokemon you love get hammered kind of goes with the territory. You know that..." But Miranda cut her off before she could continue.
"But it's my fault that Gardevoir is getting beaten up out there!" she said, looking at the backs of her hands. "You don't understand," she said softly as Cynthia opened her mouth to argue. "Gardevoir has been looking after me for the past few days without resting at all. She hasn't been to the Pokemon Center at all since over two battles ago!" Miranda clenched her fists in anger. "It's my fault she's so tired!"
"Well if that's the case, then stop doing things that make people worry about you," Cynthia whispered in her ear, putting an arm around her shoulder. "It's not your fault, stupid, so stop thinking it is. Gardevoir, Ash, and I all worry about you because we like you. And we look after you because we want to." Miranda still looked depressed. Cynthia let out a huff. "Look if it makes you feel better, then just tell Gardevoir that you're sorry after the battle. Okay?"
"You're mean," muttered Miranda, but not angrily. She relaxed into Cynthia's hold and set her eyes back on the battle, determined to watch what she had caused to the end.
XXXXXX
The crowd let out a collective gasp and cheer as Blaziken connected a fierce Blaze Kick with Gardevoir's side. Anticipating it, Ash was already running to intercept Gardevoir before she slammed into a wall. The force of the impact sent Ash backwards several feet, falling back and landing against the wall hard. The crowd gave him a semi-loud cheer for protecting his Pokemon. The rest of the crowd was cheering for Blaziken who was worn out, but still able to fight.
"Gardevoir, that's enough," said Ash as he got to his feet, helping her up as well. She ignored him and began moving to Blaziken, who waited for instructions from Flint. Ash wanted to stop this before it got any further out of hand. "Judge! I withdraw Gardevoir from the battle!" Many in the crowd groaned in disappointment, but Ash couldn't care less what they thought.
"I was going to win," said Gardevoir, sounding annoyed. Her psychic voice was clearly tired. She faltered and dropped to the ground, no longer able to keep her self afloat. Ash was at her side in a heartbeat, steadying her.
"Yeah, whatever you say." Ash looked over at Pikachu, who sat at the edge of the battlefield, watching them tiredly. "I need to get Pikachu to Miranda and Cynthia, the arena is going to become really dangerous shortly. Wait, Gardevoir!" But no sooner had the words left his mouth, had Gardevoir teleported to Pikachu, picked him up and teleported them to Miranda and Cynthia, handing him over.
Cursing to himself, Ash walked back to the edge of the battlefield, throwing out his next Pokemon.
"As one of those contest girls would say, though I honestly can't remember which; Spotlight," Ash said with a small sigh, not even looking where he threw the pokeball. His eyes were still locked on Gardevoir, who was probably having a short chat with the girls. Human or Pokemon, girls were girls... no exceptions.
There was a loud buzz of excitement from the crowd. Ash had finally cleared the mystery behind one of his yet to be known Pokemon. A Zangoose.
He yawned and stretched, swiping at the air whimsically.
"It's a battle, Zangoose," said Ash without looking at the apparently carefree Pokemon. Zangoose didn't do anything that showed that he even registered Ash's words, but Ash knew that he was ready to battle. "Gardevoir, you have to stop teleporting around! You. Are. Tired!" Ash continued to Gardevoir who had just rejoined them. "You can't-" but he stopped as Zangoose moved up to her looking her over.
"Don't worry about it, Zangoose, I'm just a little tired. Just a little!" she shot at Ash, who held up his hands in defeat. "Just do your best. The one after this one is much...much..."
"Stronger," she softly finished aloud, unable to maintain her telepathy. Ash recalled her before she fell over. Ash took off his cap and rubbed his head in frustration.
"Dammit, she's always taking care of us, but she never lets us take care of her," he said annoyed, turning to face the battlefield. "We're going to have to set her straight one of these days. Let's do this, Zangoose!"
The judge looked at Flint who gave a nod. He had allowed Ash time to take care of Pikachu and Gardevoir out of respect. Now it was time to battle. At least the Zangoose, while very unexpected, looked a bit lazy. They could take advantage of that. Plus as an added bonus, Zangoose was a normal type Pokemon so this would be much more quick.
"Both sides are ready. Begin!"
"Double Kick, let's go!" shouted Flint right away. Blaziken closed in at top speed.
"He's tired. Take him down, nice and clean," said Ash calmly. Just as Blaziken lifted his leg to deliver the first kick, Zangoose made his move. He sprang forward, spinning, and hit Blaziken's supporting leg with a solid Iron Tail attack. The attack easily toppled the off balance Pokemon, causing him to fall backwards. Using his momentum, Zangoose slammed the side of his right claws into Blaziken's back, sending him rolling off to the side. Zangoose stood, staring at his unconscious opponent, as the white glow of the Crush Claw attack faded from his claws.
"Excellent, Zangoose," said Ash, ignoring the now familiar excitement that followed most of the moves that his and Flint's Pokemon used. Flint tossed out his Infernape and Ash grinned. They hadn't seen anything yet.
"Incredible, Ash," shouted Flint in good spirits, despite being down one Pokemon to four. "Just what I'd expect from a Frontier Brain!"
The stadium went dead quiet. Someone sneezed way in the back of the stands and it was followed by a quick hushing noise from the crowd. Ash sighed again. He knew something ridiculous like this would happen eventually.
"I really don't know what you're talking about," he said, speaking normally because there was little reason to shout now.
"What, it's not?" asked Flint. Ash could practically feel every eye on himself now.
Ash put a hand to his forehead tiredly as he fished in an inside pocket for something. Finding it he brought it out. There was a flash as the sunlight hit the coin sized object, the pure gold gleaming in the bright sunlight. Ash flicked it into the air then caught it expertly holding it up at Flint.
"You see this, Flint? Yeah, you've got it," Ash said grinning as Flint realized what it was. "If you win, it's yours. That's the rules after all. Beat a Brain, and you get their Symbol." Ash returned it to his pocket. "Shall we continue?"
Now the stadium exploded. Not like anyone could do anything but jabber with their friends and people in the seats near them. Ash figured that Scott would be trying to make a hasty escape if it wasn't for the fact that this happened before the battle was over. Still, Ash was glad to get that out of the way. What a bothersome thing to keep quiet about all that time. Both trainers gave themselves a shake and focused on the task at hand.
"Continue with the battle! Begin!"
"Infernape/Zangoose, fight!" shouted Flint and Ash in unison. Both Pokemon rushed in at once.
"Mach Punch! Hit him hard!" shouted Flint.
"Dodge and use Poison Jab!" Ash responded. To Infernape's astonishment, Zangoose leaned out of the way of the punch, dodging it my a hair. Similarly, Zangoose was surprised when Infernape neutralized his attack by warding it off to the side, letting it slide harmlessly passed. The two Pokemon sprang apart, now looking at each other with new respect. This was a true fight.
"Vacuum Wave!" said Flint quickly hoping to catch Zangoose off guard. Infernape instantly made a vicious punch directly in front of him. Nothing happened for a moment, then Zangoose was thrown back, landing near a wall. Instinct had saved him by putting up his arms defensively. Before Zangoose could recover Infernape fired of a series of similar punches without moving, all at Zangoose.
"Zangoose move! NOW!" Ash shouted. Zangoose instantly began moving rapidly along the edge of the arena. Moments later the wall was riddled with fist shaped impacts. As Zangoose ran low to the ground, avoiding the barrage of Vacuum Waves, sparks began to build up along his left and right claws which he dragged across the wall and ground respectively.. "Do it now!" Ash shouted, seeing what he was planning. Zangoose changed directions so fast that Infernape was still punching along the wall trying to hit him when he made a beeline for him.
"Ready!" shouted Flint, with barely a second to understand what was happening.
"Lightning Claw!" cried Ash. Zangoose took a cross slash at Infernape who jumped up to avoid it. The twin arcs of lightning carved through the ground like butter.
"Infernape, Flamethrower!" Infernape twisted in the air to face the passing Zangoose and let loose a stream of flame, point blank. Digging a claw into the ground, Zangoose changed directions instantly, dodging the flames and after another sharp turn launched himself at Infernape, who was just landing, attacking with a Fury Swipes that could only be considered a brutally fast hurricane of Slash attacks. Infernape was able to dodge most of the attacks, but he was still hit numerous times. It was during this attack that Flint's fighting experience finally paid off big time.
"Counter now!" he shouted suddenly at the exact moment when Zangoose slackened in his pace. Infernape immediately countered with a powerful Close Combat attack. The super effective move greatly damaged Zangoose, leaving him dazed momentarily. Infernape used the opportunity to throw Zangoose at the nearby wall with great force, following him with a huge Flamethrower.
"Zangoose!" Ash shouted, but that was all he needed to say. Half way to the wall, Zangoose drove his right claw into the ground causing him to flip over wildly. Using this, he took a huge swipe at the flame coming right at him, splitting it in half with a Razor Wind attack. Due to the Flamethrower blocking his view, Infernape was unaware of the Razor Wind until it hit him dead on. The attack pushed him far back but he was able to remain standing. Zangoose landed lightly on his feet, unharmed from the throw. Neither Pokemon were willing to let up. It was time to end it.
"Infernape! Flare Blitz! Show them the meaning of the word power!" thundered Flint, pointing at Zangoose. Infernape lit up in flame like a star.
"Zangoose, Fire and Ice," Ash shouted. It was the one of the most powerful combined moves that Zangoose knew. Both Pokemon took off for each other. Infernape was a bullet from the start while Zangoose was slightly slower, running on two feet, his claws occasionally dragging on the ground because he was leaning so far forward. They sped up and the lines drawn by Zangoose's claws suddenly changed to red and blue. About fifty feet from each other, Zangoose made his move. A bullet of a Quick Attack, he vanished. All that could be seen were the two lines which suddenly sped up exponentially, zigzagging sharply, and almost at once intersecting with Infernape.
Then there was stillness. The stadium was silent. Both Pokemon stood facing away from each other, not moving. Ash's Pokemon was distinctly charred, potentially even burned. Zangoose's claws were still lit up. The right was lightly in flames, the left a white-blue color that was visibly frosting the air around it. The lines that he had traced with his claws were burning and frozen respectively; both ending right at Infernape. He was standing, a slash of ice crossed with a slash of fire, making a perfect X on his front. And Infernape fell.
Defeated.
XxxxX
A/N: So, like I said, not too many author's notes in this fic like you might find in my others. I feel this story doesn't require them like the others do. More about keeping the story flowing I guess. I just wanted to take a moment to explain to you all how exactly I view Pokemon, and more to the point, Pokemon battles. It will help you understand why I write the way I do and hopefully avoid any confusion in the future.
Now, to me Pokemon are incredibly awesome creatures with varying levels of intelligence as well as high combat potential. However, I do not believe that there is such thing as a Pokemon who, unless it's literally built into their being, can just constantly take high level hits and stay moving properly. In my opinion it really takes battles and makes them boring. Sure I've seen plenty of the heavy hitting battles that people write where Pokemon use super powerful moves over and over again basically turning the battle into an endurance war that just lets the author pick an easy winner: the Pokemon who can just go one more attack! Anyway, none of that here really. Pokemon who can do stuff like that are about as top as it gets. I feel that regardless of how strong a Pokemon is, a well placed attack should do appropriate damage. A couple of those and the enemy is down. In fact it's a lot more like the game in this respect than the show, though not to the one hits we usually clear eighty percent of the game with. Anyone remember clearing all of Red and Blue with a lvl 70 Blastoise and five other lvl 10 pokemon xD? Surf Surf Surf Surf Surf Surf...
Where am I going with this? Essentially I don't think battles should be long. Quite the contrary they should be inherently short, especially when we start pulling in something called skill. So I try to drag things out as much as I can without them getting boring to write. It may seem like I'm just giving an excuse for when battles are kinda short, and well in a way I am, but really this is the way I view Pokemon battling. I guess I'm just trying to say that just because two powerful trainers are squaring off that doesn't mean that their battle will be longer than others. Anyway, I do my best to give the best battles I can write. I hope you enjoy them.
