Chapter One: Unleashed
The sun was incredibly and harsh for most travelers today in the Sinnoh region. Rays of light beat down relentlessly on the shores of Route 222, threatening to burn the grass and evaporate the ocean. At a solid thirty-five degrees Celsius, it was no surprise that there weren't many humans or Pokémon around. Many had taken residence back in Veilstone City out West or retreated under some shady tree, respectively. At least in those places one could find some A/C or even a nice nap in the shade. Instead of following similar behavior, three teenagers who were traveling together endured the sun's hazards. The trio included a much tanned man, an energetic blue-haired girl, and a skinny, young boy with a large rodent perched on his head. They needed some A/C and shade about now.
[15:49 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region
"Ugh… Brock, you wouldn't have anything left in the canteen would you?" asked the girl with an exasperated tone.
Dawn Berlitz was a young girl who just turned twelve years old, celebrating youth by traveling her home region. She competed in Pokémon Super Contests and aimed to become a top coordinator in her mother's footsteps. She had brilliant dark blue eyes, two hair clips to keep her long, blue hair back, and a white hat with a pink half of a Poké Ball emblazoned in the center. She wore a tight, black tank top, a pink scarf around her neck, and a pink Pokétch watch, on her wrist. Around her waist she wore a pink mini-skirt, long, black stockings that reached up to her knees, and a pair of tall, pink boots.
"No, I'm afraid not, Dawn!" Brock conceded. "Ash and Pikachu drank it all once we left camp this morning…"
As the more mature member of the duo, Brock Harrison was nineteen and had already been through three different regions with Sinnoh as his fourth. He had brown hair to match his tan skin and eyes that refused to come out of a slit-like appearance. He wore a green T-shirt and an orange and dark brown vest over it, as well as khaki pants and a pair of light blue and white sneakers.
"Hey, don't blame me!" Ash shot back, trying to defend himself. "Pikachu and I were thirsty so we drank! What's the problem?"
This young boy named Ash Ketchum was an aspiring Pokémon trainer who aimed to be the best, the best there ever was. About sixteen years old, his attitude didn't show any signs of maturing; taking risks like jumping on levitating security bots, flirting with water-logged death by returning a stolen crystal in a sinking underwater temple, and shimmying up trees to retrieve his stolen hat. Initially it was much, much worse, but after traveling with his friends, his demeanor was more defined, his abilities as a trainer increased, but that habit of brashness, rashness, and impulsiveness stuck. He had deep auburn eyes, and wore a white T-shirt beneath a blue collared shirt that had a yellow stripe curving across the top. Otherwise his choice bottom half remained a set of blue jeans and red-black sneakers. On his hands he wore black fingerless gloves with a green outline, and on his head sat a red cap hand-woven by his mother. Lovingly crafted, it sported a black band down the middle and a blue Poké Ball emblazoned in the middle—rotated on its axis. His best friend Pikachu rested there as well as his cap, but unlike inanimate objects, he felt beat by the sun's continued existence.
"Cha…" sighed Pikachu.
Pikachu was a Pokémon, one of many mysterious creatures dotted around Mother Nature's Earth, endowed with powers unseemly for a human. Hundreds of different species of Pokémon exist, each differentiated by Elemental Type, Egg Group, Species, and many other classifications. But to Pokémon Trainers like Ash Ketchum, these differences were unnoticeable—overshadowed by the memories he and other trainers like him crafted in their company. They communicated by instantiating different parts of their name in different patterns, formed their own communities in the wild, and possessed many, many uncovered secrets. This particular Pokémon was an Electric Type, part of the Field and Fairy Egg Groups, and belonged to the Mouse Species. He was an electric rodent with red, circular pouches of immense electrical energy stored in his cheeks, and had a protruding, long tail shaped like a thunderbolt that little kids would mischievously yank.
Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon and had helped him innumerable times in battles and in the field, forging a bond exemplary of even the best Pokémon-Trainer relationships. Today, none of these qualities would alleviate these persons of their immediate troubles. The sun couldn't care less if your hair was blue or black, whether you spoke human or Pokémon, or even if you had a tail. Nobody escaped the sun's heat.
"What's the problem? What's the problem?" Dawn recoiled. "You could have left us something to drink like a considerate person! I'm so thirsty, Ash!"
"Oh come on, Dawn. Don't get mad over that," Brock said trying to calm the girl down. He knew that she got very aggravated without certain basic amenities since she was still a beginning coordinator. "It's already bad enough that we're out here in the middle of a dirt road and getting baked, no need to make it worse."
"Plus, Pikachu has a fur coat and he gets hot really quickly. He needs all the water he can get," Ash explained. "Right buddy?"
"Pika… chu…" Pikachu sighed once again.
Now despite the fact that Pikachu was a Pokémon and Ash was a human, the two could understand each other very well. Ash knew Pikachu was stressed, but he also needed a good excuse to worm himself away from Dawn's complaints.
"Brock, let me see that map? I want to reach the next Gym as soon as possible!" Ash asked as he took the map. "Where is it anyway?"
"Let me see. Right here," Brock said as he pointed at a city located on a peninsula that jutted out from the rest of the region. "Sunyshore City shouldn't be too far away—I mean we have been traveling for two days on this route from Veilstone. We have to be getting close."
"So here's North and there's South, ah… Well maybe that's Veilstone, and then… wait, no," Ash mumbled as he moved the map back and forth frantically.
"Oh jeez, Ash," Brock sighed. Upon seeing the desperate child in front of him, he offered some much needed guidance, "Two pointers. Number one, know which direction you're facing, and number two, check if the map is right-side up."
Pikachu nearly fell off his trainer's shoulder to faceplant in the ground. Dawn merely rolled her eyes at the boy's well documented lack of map-reading skills.
"Thanks Brock," Ash grumbled. "Geez, this would've been so much easier with a PokéNav,"
"A PokéNav?" Brock asked. "You mean like the one Max had, right? Now that you mention it, he's probably in Petalburg City raring to get his first Pokémon while May is probably far off in Johto. It's too bad we're stuck with old-fashioned maps right now."
"Tell me about it," Ash muttered. "I guess I was just thinking about what May and Max would have said if they were around."
Max and May Maple were siblings from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region. Max was now a ten year old boy who wore large glasses, a green polo shirt, sneakers, and khaki shorts. Despite Max's appearance, Ash and Brock knew that he would be a very successful trainer once he became eleven and received his Pokémon Trainer's license. The only reason why Max didn't leave immediately when he turned ten was due to his parent's insistence on remaining with them for at least one more year. Needless to say, the aspiring trainer-to-be was just itching to get started.
May on the other hand was already an accomplished fifteen year old trainer, specializing in the respectable art of coordinating Pokémon Contests. She started out much like Ash had, clueless and without an inkling of skill, meeting up with Ash through a string of equally unlikely events as the next. But over time, Ash had taught her the ropes of the Pokémon trade, and soon enough, May partook in two separate Grand Festivals, placing in the top four in her first and the runner-up in her second. Unfortunately for the two friends, their goals diverged so their course of travel did as well. May decided to venture the contest scene of the Johto region while Ash wanted to train across the ocean in the Sinnoh region.
"Do you miss them or something?" Brock asked. He had noticed a lot of allusions to the pair of Pokémon enthusiasts from Hoenn lately.
"Maybe…" Ash idly responded as he became lost in thoughts of his old traveling companions. "You know what, Brock?"
"Yeah?" he replied as he turned towards Ash.
"I'm just…" Ash paused as if trying to find out what to say, "I'm really worried about her. I know she seemed fine last time, but what if she needs me? Like now more than ever?"
"Well you did teach her as much as you could," Brock smiled, looking back towards the long route ahead of them. "Don't worry about her so much."
"I know," Ash replied in a slightly defeated voice. "I've just got a feeling."
"You know Ash? While we're talking about old traveling partners I just remembered something!" Brock suggested, prodding his friend's proverbial buttons ever so slightly. "Misty's eighteenth birthday is coming up soon! Don't tell me you've already forgotten about her?"
"You kidding? I'd never forget Misty!" Ash replied with some measure of shock. "But is she really turning eighteen? That makes her like… old or something!"
"Um, feeling a little out of the loop here," Dawn interjected, waving her arms out to get the two boys' attention. "I remember May from the Wallace Cup, but who's Misty?"
"Oh Dawn, the three of us go way back!" Brock announced jovially. With a resounding smack he brought his hand down onto Ash's shoulder like a brother, who winced in pain. "She was actually Ash's first traveling partner and the two of them met before me. Apparently she was taking a break from her duties as Cerulean City Gym Leader and bumped into him!"
"Wow!" Dawn exclaimed, feeling honored to be connected so well. "What was she like?"
"Horrible!" Ash and Brock both said uniformly.
"Huh?" Dawn gasped. She hoped they were just joking about that.
"She used to smack the back of my head for no reason at all!" Ash complained, thinking back to some not-so-fond memories and digging his frustrated face deeper into the map. "That and she stole Togepi away from me, her proper trainer!"
"That, and combined with Ash, the two of them bickered so bad it drove me crazy!" Brock added, nearly laughing how awful it got sometimes. "Not to mention Misty stopped me from rescuing the damsels of my dreams every time!"
"Stopped you from rescuing…?" Dawn eyed Brock with severe skepticism. "Don't you mean she rescued them from you?"
"Oh that's beside the point!" Brock swatted the cheeky remark away. "The point is Ash and Misty were best friends!"
"Best friends, hmm?" Dawn queried with a heavily sly tone. "Were they ever—?"
At that both Brock and Dawn gazed on Ash for several moments without him even realizing it. Once Ash noticed the talking stopped he looked up from his map and saw two lecherous eyes boring into him, expecting an answer. It took all of a second to realize the question and he was horrified.
"Me? Misty?" Ash asked to clarify. Getting two synchronized head nods, he immediately denied it all. "What? No-no-no! We were never like that, not at all!"
"You sure?"
"Really!" Ash assured the blue-haired girl, throwing his hands up in front of him in surrender. "Besides, it's not like it would work even if we tried!"
"Why?" Dawn asked curiously, realizing that Ash was actually trying to be serious for once. "What happened?"
"Misty's actually the de facto Gym Leader of Cerulean City," Brock explained. "Her sisters were taking care of it in her absence even though they aren't as skilled. Then when the three of them ended up leaving the gym to pursue other careers, Misty couldn't ignore the gym like that so she had to stop traveling."
"Yeah…" Ash lamented, remembering how hard it was to let her out of his sight. "And after that I barely ever got to see her. She was busy being one of the best Gym Leaders in Kanto and I was traveling through Hoenn, now Sinnoh. I guess we've really fallen a bit out of touch."
"Wow Ash," Dawn marveled. Until today this particular aspect of Ash's journey was unknown to her. "And how does May get into the picture?"
"Heh, we met by total accident really," Ash explained, perking up at the fond memories in hindsight. "We were both supposed to get through Hoenn on our own terms but we ended up travelling together when we met at Professor Birch's lab. Now that I think about it, if I hadn't met May, I probably wouldn't have been able to compete in the Ever Grande Conference as well as I did."
"And now she is traveling on her own, right?" Dawn asked. "That can't be easy."
"Yeah, and that's why I'm worried about her," Ash admitted. "We're a lot alike to be honest, and I see myself in her sometimes. But I've got friends right here every day, and she's got no one… I don't know, it's complica—"
"—Hey!" a voice suddenly called in the distance. "Hey! You there, with the Pikachu on your head!"
"Huh?" Ash glanced up ahead, redirecting his attention from the map, Misty, and May towards the voice. "Hey, what's up?"
"Are you wacky-cookie kids headed for Sunyshore City?" the unidentified man asked from afar.
"Yeah, sure! Why do you ask?" Ash replied defensively.
"A flaming red hat trainer headed to Sunyshore? You are just the person I'm looking for!" the man replied.
Quite out of the ordinary, this man had a flaming red afro and wore a bright orange T-shirt. He seemed to melt right into the sun's scorching heat waves as he juggled a Poké Ball idly in his right hand.
"What are you talking about?" Ash asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, he wants a Pokémon battle," Brock pondered out loud.
"A battle? Yeah, you bet!" Ash exclaimed, already feeling the customary adrenaline introduce itself into his blood. "This'll be a great warm-up for Sunyshore City! I accept your challenge!"
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu piped up, mirroring his trainer's excitement.
"As a former Gym Leader, I will assume the role of impartial judge," Brock said, stepping ahead of Ash to fill roughly the same space between the two trainers. "Now please, mister, what is your name?"
"Call me Flint… Flint Timber of the Elite Four," the man replied plainly.
At this news Ash felt about as surprised as walking into that Ursaring in the Bewilder Forest. You see, members of the Elite Four are said to be the most powerful trainers in the entire region, save for the Champion who was more powerful than all of the others. This structure existed across many regions, and each elite carried the same weight as the next. Except a handful of trainers, few have been successful enough to scrape a win against an Elite Four member—no matter how narrowly.
"This is perfect!" Ash yelled, jumping for joy. "The stronger the opponent, the stronger we fight!"
"Wait, you're a member of the Elite Four?" Dawn asked, thoroughly shocked at the revelation. "What are you doing challenging passerby?"
The last time the group met an Elite Four member, one of their Pokémon arrogantly challenged him and was soundly defeated in a matter of seconds. Dawn was worried because that Pokémon was her Buizel at the time.
"If you beat me, then I will be glad to tell you my business. For the record, I'm not just challenging random noobs on the street!" Flint stated jovially. "But enough about me, I'm specifically challenging you! I want to test your fiery spirit, Ash Ketchum!"
"What?" the identified trainer exclaimed, now his turn to be bewildered. "How do you know my—"
"—I'll explain later! As I was saying, this will be a one on one fight and I choose my Infernape!" Flint yelled. "Go! Let's win this!"
Flint threw out a red and white sphere with a button in the middle into the air. Immediately, the device christened a "Poké Ball" cracked down the center and released a stream of white energy that materialized into a monkey-like Pokémon with a glowing flame on his head. The Pokémon roared as the ball contracted and flew back to the owner.
"Infer! Infernape!" the Pokémon yelled, awaiting his opponent. The flames on his head danced brilliantly in the sun's rays.
"Ash, do you accept the terms of the battle?" Brock asked from the sidelines. "If so, send out your single Pokémon!"
"I accept your challenge, Flint, and we're ready to win this!" Ash replied, quickly calculating his odds and choosing the best Pokémon to counter his opponent. He figured that even though his own Fire species Pokémon Monferno had a good shot, a safer bet would be an offense with a type advantage.
"Go, Buizel!" Ash called out and released a red and white orb just as Flint had. This time, a smirking Water type weasel-like Pokémon with a dual tail and floatation sac emerged, ready to fight.
"Bu bui," Buizel taunted playfully at his opponent.
Dawn's insides froze at the sight of her old Buizel pitted against yet another member of the Elite Four. She watched with rising panic as her old Pokémon gestured the flaming vanguard monkey to come at him.
"Hey, Buizel, check out our opponent this time. He's an Elite Four member!" Ash said, bending on his knees next to Buizel. "You know what that means, don't you?"
Buizel took in a long and deep breath, steeling himself for the tough battle ahead. After breathing out all of the spent air out through his snout, he nodded slowly, but knowingly.
"You ready?" asked Ash.
Buizel turned his head towards his trainer but kept his body faced forward. A determined grin played itself across Buizel's face. Ash remembered Buizel's first encounter with an Elite Four member, especially recalling the pitifully short amount of time it took to thoroughly defeat the Water type. This time would be different. Buizel was ready now, and so was his trainer.
"Ash, be careful! I don't want to see Buizel hurt again!" Dawn called out.
"It'll be fine, Dawn!" Ash said, calmly patting Buizel's head. He stood up, smiled towards his female traveling partner, and threw her a confident thumbs up. Taking a leaf out of her book, Ash shouted brightly, "No need to worry!"
Perhaps it was true. Buizel was arguably the second strongest Pokémon in Ash's current arsenal, outmatched only by his vintage choice, Pikachu. More importantly though, Ash wasn't concerned about Buizel not performing. He always gave one-hundred and ten percent on the battlefield regardless of the opponent. To Ash, that was all that determined the final score on the battlefield.
"So, I see you've met my good friend Lucian already!" Flint called out. "I'm sure he gave you a quick show of his ability!"
"Yeah, and now we're here today with some tips he gave us!" Ash called back. "Right, Buizel?"
"Bui, bui!" Buizel responded affirmatively.
"This will be a one on one battle between Flint Timber of the Sinnoh Elite Four and his Infernape against Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and his Buizel," Brock shouted. Now that the introductions were out of the way, Brock was ready to assume his role as judge and announced the start of the match. "There is no time limit and no technique restrictions. Let the battle begin!"
"Infernape, use Dig now!" Flint commanded, wasting no time to attack.
Ash figured he might try a move like that since Fire attacks don't damage Water Pokémon directly. It would have been a strategic loss to use an attack like Flamethrower right now.
"Buizel, stay calm and wait there. There should be ground movement at some point!" Ash instructed.
"Bu-bui!" Buizel murmured to himself, nodding to Ash before closing his eyes.
Regardless of whether or not Buizel could tell exactly where Infernape would surface, he trusted Ash to be prepared and he steadied himself to respond. For what seemed like too long, nothing moved on the field.
"You should be more careful with your predictions, Ash," Flint toyed, especially noting how the ground had no signs of depression or cracks.
"What are you talking about?" Ash asked, fearing an oncoming upset. Buizel stood still on the battlefield surface, expecting Infernape to emerge out of the sand and launch an assault. That assault never came from the Pokémon personally.
"Use Fire Spin from below, Infernape!" Flint ordered.
Infernape complied and within seconds Buizel was shot skyward with a column of red-orange flames erupting from the ground. It looked like the unholy marriage between a volcano and a slinky, with Buizel caught in the procession.
"Buizel, no!" Ash yelled, gritting his teeth as Buizel landed with a gut-wrenching thud on the ground.
"Ash, hang in there!" Dawn cried out in an almost pleading tone.
"Pikapi! Pikapikachu!" Pikachu called out to Ash and Buizel.
"Buizel! Can you get up?" Ash asked his Pokémon.
"Bu bu… bui!" Buizel grunted. Buizel was injured to a great extent and took the fall mostly to his legs. Ash noticed Buizel stagger himself into a standing position in preparation for the next move.
"I've gotta figure out a way to attack and defend at the same time!" Ash said to himself bitterly. In his mind, he sorely wished that his trademark counter shield was a viable option, but it would be neigh effective against an underground opponent.
When the attack subsided, molten bits of glass and lava littered the surface, bringing another unwelcome heat wave. Seeing this, Flint built upon his last move.
"Infernape, stay underground and dig some tunnels!" Flint ordered. Infernape obeyed and began digging his own labyrinth underground.
"Bui! Buizel!" Buizel cried out to avoid the same result as the last Dig attack. Ash understood Buizel's slight apprehension and tried to think of a counterstrategy. In that time, images of his second battle against his rival, Paul, re-entered Ash's mind.
[11:13 A.M.] Bewilder Forest (Clearing), Sinnoh Region — One Year, Ten Months Ago
"Alright, that's enough!" Ash muttered to himself as Turtwig was taking Scratch attack hits from Paul's Chimchar. Noticing that Chimchar had dug himself numerous holes and that he stayed inside and attacked for surprise, Ash decided to attack in order to flush him out. "Turtwig, aim Razor Leaf at the hole!"
Chimchar leapt out of the hole, paining after taking a direct hit from Razor Leaf on his backside.
"Chimchar, use Ember!" Paul countered.
"Now, Turtwig, in the hole!" Ash ordered. Turtwig followed suit, narrowly missing the Ember attack above ground, but Paul had expected such a maneuver.
"Aim Ember into that hole!" Paul commanded confidently.
Unfortunately for Ash, Turtwig received the brunt of the column of fire and took a good portion of stamina out of him. The match had been fatefully decided from that attack onward.
I remember, Ash thought. A Pokémon inside of a hole has little room to dodge unless they jump out onto the surface! So, if I can get an attack into the hole without Buizel in as well, then Infernape won't be able to dodge either!
[16:08 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region
"Buizel, hang in there! Fire your Water Pulse into the tunnels!" Ash shouted. Glad to hear his trainer's newfound strategy, Buizel began shooting three spheres of water into the tunnel openings.
"Infernape, use Flamethrower and smash the sphere! Keep using Flamethrower afterwards!" Flint shouted.
The spheres of water entered through the hole and were guided by the tunnels directly to Infernape. As Flint ordered, Infernape retaliated with Flamethrower immediately indicated by a muffled explosion underground as the Water Pulse spheres and the beam of fire clashed.
Maybe Infernape couldn't take the impact! Maybe we won! Ash thought.
As though in spite of him, Infernape didn't come out of the tunnels at all. Instead, columns of condensed steam rose out of the openings and engulfed the entire field in a cloud of mist.
"Argh, I can't see!" Ash shouted out in frustration with this sudden lack of sight. "Buizel keep a sharp eye out there!"
A new problem bubbled to the surface, literally. Soon after the columns of steam, the entire area of the battlefield began shimmering like exhaust from a car as the sand and rock began glowing dull red. Moments later, trapped air below ground rose to the surface and popped the surface tension of the liquidized rock. The field was melting before their eyes.
Buizel stood in the center of the battlefield watching the sand and rock around him slowly melt into a red hot liquid magma. Paralyzed by the magnitude of the situation, Buizel aimed a quick water gun onto the ground and moved toward the relatively cool patch of earth. He reached the less molten haven and waiting for his trainer to make a decision, all while trying to keep a level head. Ash on the other hand was dumbstruck as he saw why Flint ordered Infernape to keep using Flamethrower. Flint chuckled to himself.
"What's so funny, Flint?" Ash called out to his opponent, trying to contain his own flash of sheer panic.
"Ah, nothing," he said as the ground heated even further. "I remember seeing a scene much like this some years back. The tables have turned on you, but nonetheless it's all familiar."
Buizel knew that he was strong against fire on a small scale like direct Ember of Flamethrower attacks, but nothing like an entire battlefield being melted. Fire fighters had their limits too, and both Buizel and his two human trainers grew enormously frightened. On his side, Buizel managed a gulp in his throat and wiped the beads of sweat streaming from the fin on his head.
"Ash, do something! Buizel's in trouble!" Dawn frantically called out, absolutely horrified as she watched her old Pokémon stand completely rigid, at a loss of what to do.
Ash simply looked at the battlefield, completely oblivious to anything around him.
Brock yelled out from the middle line, "Ash! What are you doing? Forfeit before Buizel gets seriously hurt!"
"Pikapi! Pikapi pikachu!" Pikachu yelled out.
Ash wasn't paying attention to the shouts coming from around him. As he watched the events before him with a glazed expression, his mind reeled back to a battle a long time ago; during the Johto Silver League Conference against his good friend and rival, Gary.
[16:17 P.M.] Silver Town (Johto League Silver Conference | Round 1, Finals), Johto Region — Three Years, Ten Months Ago
"Charizard, use Flamethrower on Blastoise!" Ash commanded.
"Blastoise, don't let him come near with Hydro Pump!" Gary retaliated.
"Charizard, keep using Flamethrower on Blastoise!" Ash ordered despite the evidence before him. Even though he hoped for a better outcome, Ash saw it was no good. Charizard was too high up to make a powerful and accurate Flamethrower hit and the beams of super-hot flames merely impacted the ground.
Now I remember! I was trying to take on Blastoise head on, even though fire attacks wouldn't do a lot of damage anyway, Ash thought. No matter how often we tried, Blastoise kept danger at bay by using Hydro Pump constantly which forced Charizard to keep missing and hit the battlefield instead.
Ash thought to himself slightly more intensely and remembered, Then I saw the dust and rock melting and directed Charizard to purposely heat up the battlefield! The field melted, and trapped Blastoise… just like how Buizel is trapped right here! So now I am in Gary's position. What am I going to —?
[16:13 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region
"Ash! Forfeit the match already if you're not going to make a move. I don't want to harm your Buizel," Flint offered. Ash snapped back from his moment of reminiscence and only vaguely heard him.
"What?" he asked to clarify. "I'm not going to forfeit this match!"
"Then I guess I have no choice. Perhaps you're not as great as we thought you were. Let's wrap this up," Flint sighed. "Use Flamethrower at full power, Infernape!"
Ash then sent an order to turn this match around, "Buizel, use a SonicBoom directly in the center of the field!"
Then Buizel, relieved to find his trainer still had a plan, graciously complied. Buizel mustered a jump with the limited space on the field, and sent a shock wave of water toward the molten ground. Instantly, the water turned to steam again, but left behind a solid mark in the middle shaped like a rocky bull's-eye.
Perfect. Now there is a weak spot in the field with all of those tunnels dug in underneath! Time to exploit it! Ash thought to himself.
"Ready to win this, Buizel?" Ash yelled out.
Buizel landed on top of the rock circles and stared at his trainer with a determined smile on his face. As though they could read each other's minds, Buizel suddenly understood the strategy.
"Bu Bui!"
Dawn, Pikachu, Flint, and Brock saw what Ash ordered and became perplexed. The bull's eye looked like nothing more than a feeble attempt at a contest appeal. Flint especially cocked his eyebrow into his forehead, not seeing the techniques fall into place.
"Is this some new kind of crazy scheme you've created under the pressure, Ash?" Flint asked quizzically. "Cause' this battle is over!"
"Actually yeah, you're right on both terms!" Ash replied quite satisfied. "Now, Buizel, use Aqua Tail on the bull's-eye and shock it! And use the force to leap into the air!"
Buizel then directed all of his water energy as a build-up of dense water enveloped his tail. As soon as it was charged, Buizel swung the Aqua Tail attack downwards, directly at the center. The structure on top fractured and caved in creating a shock wave throughout the entire magma field. Infernape noticed nothing as he was still awaiting orders from Flint who now stood both bewildered and confused.
Buizel then pushed himself up into the air using the force from Aqua Tail and was in perfect position to attack.
I'm glad I could avoid injuring Buizel's legs further, Ash thought with a satisfied grin. "Now Buizel, use SonicBoom with everything you've got! Force him out!"
Buizel gathered as much energy as he could muster and focused it on his tail. "Bu bui!" Buizel roared as he released his attack. A charged SonicBoom fired from Buizel's tail headed directly for the exploited weak spot on the field–the bull's-eye. Suddenly, the strategy became crystal clear to Flint as he realized the tables were turned.
"No way. Infernape! Get out of there!" he ordered.
It was too late. The force of the SonicBoom shoved the new magma into the ground and in return forced the magma underneath to spread out at the speed of the shockwave. Out from underneath, Infernape was forced into the air as Buizel landed on the new hardened rock battlefield. The just cooled rock was slightly soft and cushioned his landing. Infernape landed with a thud on the new battlefield only to get up and keep fighting.
Ash seized the opportunity, "Use Water Gun!"
"Use Flamethrower!" Flint ordered in return.
Buizel and Infernape launched their respective beams at the same moment. The collision exploded, pushing the two Pokémon further away from each other and left another cloud of dense steam.
As if both trainers and Pokémon knew what was going to happen, Flint and Ash ordered a blind assault.
"Go, Buizel! Time to win this!"
"Go, Infernape! Take him out!"
Both sides waited in tension for the mist to clear out. Ash gritted his teeth while Flint calmly stood, waiting, only to be shocked at the scene in front of him.
"No! Infernape!" Flint cried out.
Infernape was put in a head lock by Buizel, pinned and had no clear line of fire at this close range.
"Buizel, use Aqua Jet and finish this up!" Ash ordered.
"Infernape, loosen yourself out of Buizel's grip!" Flint shouted in desperation.
By the time Infernape had loosened himself of Buizel's grip, Buizel had launched a fully charged Aqua Jet attack. Infernape flew into the air from the impact and landed on the ground while Buizel landed on his feet, but completely wiped out from the effort.
Both Ash and Flint yelled out, "Are you all right?"
Infernape and Buizel faced each other as the dust cleared out from the impact. Buizel stood using his right arm against his knee as a brace, while Infernape struggled to get on his feet. The Aqua Jet and magma battlefield had taken its toll on both of them.
Buizel defiantly stood as rigidly as he could, making sure that he would be the last one standing. He refused to let fatigue dictate his fate. He had come too far into the battle to let victory slip his grasp.
"Buah, bu… bui…!" Buizel muttered to himself.
Both Pokémon looked into the other's eyes and withdrew, knowing who was beat. Infernape slowly slumped back down onto the field, having met his match, knocked out. Buizel slowly closed his eyes and began swaying slightly, cringing from the pain, exhausted from combat.
Ash ran out onto the battlefield as quickly as he could.
He realized Buizel had been driven too far as Buizel swayed on his feet as though he had been through a battle for his own survival. Buizel stood upright for a few seconds more before darkness enveloped his vision and he crumpling on his knees, falling headfirst into Ash's arms.
Dear Readers,
Not much for editing around this chapter, but you would be surprised how many times I said something like 'Buizel brushed the molten glass of its flotation sack' when it clearly should be 'Buizel brushed the molten glass of his flotation sack'! Pokémon have genders! DUH.
If you've noticed the new cover page, GOOD FOR YOU. It's mostly for my purposes. I like the idea of roughly publishing something that functions like a book on . That sort of thing appeals to an OCD kid like me.
Furthermore, I have decided that every character in the Pokémon universe will be designated a fitting last or fitting first name. For example, Brock was revealed to have the last name Harrison in an informal interview with his voice actor, Dawn's character in the Pokémon Special manga is named Berlitz, and Flint Timber is an appropriate name for him considering what happens when you strike a flint upon dry leaves.
Finally, I have reasonably timelined the story of Ash throughout the Anime in a cohesive timeline that doesn't contradict my original age limits with Ash at sixteen years old and his Pokémon journey progressing for a total of six years. Johto really was that freaking long ago.
Story Notes:
2 years ago – Brock is born
0 years after – Ash is born
2 years after – May is born
5 years after – Max is born
6 years after – Dawn is born
13 years after – Ash competes in Johto Silver Conference
Author's Notes:
Uploaded, 08/27/08
| ash's team decided/ battle diction/unsatisfactory human-Pokémon dialogue/scrap for later chapters |
RE: edit. 8/28/11
RE: edit. 03/16/11
| age change/names determined |
original title, "The Battle on the Road"
RE: edit. 10/28/12
| Misty included in conversation |
