Friendship is Eternal

A/N: Ash, Iris and Cilan find themselves pulled away from their journey at the request of one of their old friends. This starts them on a quest that brings back many old faces, a few new ones, and a challenge that Ash must overcome. Exactly what challenge is this? Well, you're just going to have to read to find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Pokémon related whatsoever.


Chapter 8: Knight and Day

As Ash and his friends re-entered the backstage room, Ash looked at the doors around him, trying to see the chess pieces above them. To his disappointment, the new one that was lit was the Knight piece.

'Looks like it's him, next,' he said.

'Ash, I don't understand. What's going on?' asked Lyra worriedly. 'What are we doing here? Why did Ethan turn on us?'

Ash turned to them. 'Long story short, all my friends over the 5 Pokémon regions were kidnapped, all to draw me out. The leaders of Teams Rocket, Magma, Aqua and Galactic all want revenge on me for foiling their plans, and sentenced my friends to death unless I beat these 5 trainers: the Checkmate Five.'

'You mean we were kidnapped just to get to you?' summarized Khoury.

'Yeah,' answered Ash apologetically. 'I'm sorry you all had to go through this for me. If I knew you'd be put in this kind of danger, I wouldn't have become your friend…'

'Stop right there, Ash,' Lyra interrupted sharply. 'Danger is a necessity for any Pokémon trainer. You didn't know that your actions would cause this. Kidnapping us was the fault of these bad guys, not you.'

'That's right, Ash,' added Khoury. 'You're our friend too, and if you were kidnapped to get to us, we would feel exactly the same way.'

Lyra, Iris and Cilan looked at Khoury. 'Uh, Khoury, I don't think that helped,' said Iris dryly.

'Anyway,' Ash said, 'How do you guys know Ethan anyhow?'

'He was a Johto trainer that started off the same time as us, but was a real prodigy,' answered Lyra. 'We met back up with him when we returned to Johto because he had headed off on his own journey to beat the Johto League. Last I remember, he made it, but didn't make the quarterfinals.'

'Hmm,' nodded Ash in thought. 'If that's how strong one of their members is, then I'm in for a real fight when I get to the end.' As he spoke, he returned to the ballroom and made for the wall that had held his Poké-balls.

'See you later, guys,' he said softly as he put his 6 Poké-balls into their slots. Nothing happened for a moment, then a panel slid across, blocking him off from the balls. At the same time, a panel below it slid open, revealing another set of 6 Poké-balls.

Ash glanced at them before scooping them up, wondering what sort of team he had this time. Scanning them with his Pokédex, he found a huge green-and-brown tortoise with a tree and mountains growing out of its back, a large gold-armored monkey with flaming hair, a huge vampire bat with scorpion-like claws and tail, a large black-and-white bird, an orange weasel with two tails and a yellow collar, and a small blue shark-like ball with arms, legs and a huge mouth.

'Torterra, Infernape, Gliscor, Staraptor, Buizel and Gible,' he said with a smile. 'It feels like forever since I used you guys.'

'Now it's an all-Sinnoh team,' said Cilan thoughtfully, 'What does all this mean?'

'Who knows?' shrugged Ash, heading for the door once again. 'Now come on. I've got friends to save.' The four nodded and headed after him.

Once backstage, they entered through the Knight-marked door. This door led to a flight of stairs that headed down. Ash thought they'd never reach the bottom, until the door opened and they beheld a new battle arena.

The room was as cavernous as the poolroom, with dozens of machines and tanks all hissing and steaming loudly. There was a large blank arena in the middle of the room with no machines, and standing at the other end was the beret-wearing trainer, Knight.

'Well, so you beat Rook?' he said, tilting his head. 'I must say I'm impressed. Not many people can have claimed to beat that upstart. But I have to say his style was a bit too…brutish… for my taste.'

'Hey, that's our friend you're talking about!' shouted Lyra indignantly.

'Alright, Knight, we're here. Now where's my friend?' Ash called to his opponent.

'Oh, she's right over there, enjoying the heat,' said Knight, jerking his head to one side of the room. Ash looked, and saw a conveyor belt that led to an opening in a machine, and Ash could see bright flames leaping up from inside the machine. On the conveyor belt were numerous piles of rubbish, and one trussed-up bluenette girl with a white hat over her hair, propped up against a garbage pile and staring in fright at the flames.

Ash's eyes widened. 'Dawn!' he shouted.

Dawn looked over. 'Ash!' she shouted, almost in hysterics. 'Lyra! Khoury! Get me out of here now!'

'Unfortunately, he can't,' said Knight solemnly. 'After all, every brave warrior needs a damsel to rescue before the dragon roasts her alive.' The flames in the furnace seemed to roar in acknowledgement.

'You're the Knight, here, isn't that your job?' asked Ash sarcastically.

'Ah, so the knave has a sense of humor!' Knight said, 'Well, Ketchum, I'm afraid that your quest is in vain. The lovely Dawn Berlitz will soon be human fuel for this ship, unless of course you beat me.'

'Lucas, snap out of it!' screamed Dawn. 'You've been brainwashed or something! I'm your friend! Dawn!'

Knight ignored her. 'Shall we begin our duel?' he asked, removing a Poké-ball from his backpack.

'Ready and willing,' answered Ash, grasping for his own Poké-ball. 'So what sort of battle do you want?'

'Double battles,' replied Knight, pulling out another Poké-ball, 'Six Pokémon each, three individual rounds, two Pokémon per round. No substitutions allowed. Once both of either team's Pokémon are unable to battle, we exchange both Pokémon for a new team. First to win two rounds wins outright. Also, last round, we battle until all of either side's Pokémon are unable to battle.'

'Wow,' said Khoury, 'that's a lot of rules. Ash, do you think you can handle it?'

'No trouble, Khoury,' responded Ash in a tone Khoury had never quite heard from him before. 'I can win any battle, especially with these sort of stakes.' He pulled out another Poké-ball. 'Okay, Knight, you first!'

'How gracious,' said Knight. 'Luxray, Gastrodon, I call for thee!' he threw out his two Poké-balls, which burst open to reveal his two battlers: a large aquamarine sea slug with a green shell and tufts on its head, and a blue lion-like Pokémon with black armor-like fur on its mane, forelegs and hindquarters, and a star-tipped tail.

'A Water-Ground hybrid and an Electric-type?' said Khoury. 'Nice combo. The guy obviously knows how to battle.'

'Can you compliment the guy's strategies after Ash beats him?' replied Lyra, smacking her friend lightly upside the head.

Ash cocked his head. 'So that's his game? Right, Torterra, Gible, let's go!' He pitched his Poké-balls into the air, which released his two Pokémon in flashes of blue light, a giant green tortoise with a huge tree and several mountains on its back, and a pint-sized land shark with an oversized mouth and red belly.

Knight raised one eyebrow. 'Interesting choices. This will certainly prove to be a battle worth remembering.'

'You got that right,' answered Ash. 'Torterra, Energy Ball on Gastrodon! Gible, Dragon Pulse on Luxray!' Torterra and Gible opened their mouths and orbs of green and aquamarine energy materialized. The next moment, they fired them straight at Knight's Pokémon.

'Hmph,' sniffed Knight. 'Luxray, dodge and Protect Gastrodon!' Luxray roared and leapt out of the way of the Dragon Pulse as it exploded against the ground, landed in front of Gastrodon, and generated a green force field around itself that took the Energy Ball without so much as flinching.

'Time to set the stage,' Knight said. 'Gastrodon, Rain Dance, now.' Gastrodon gave a cry, formed a ball of blue energy in its mouth, and released it towards the sky. When it reached the ceiling, it dissolved into black rain clouds that started a downpour in the room. Everyone was drenched in the rain.

'Uh-oh,' Ash muttered, glancing at Torterra. He knew that one of Torterra's defensive moves would be useless if this rain kept up. 'Gible, Dig! Torterra, Leaf Storm!'

Gible hit the metal ground, trying to get out of the way. Its sharp teeth and powerful jaws made short work of the metal, biting through the metal floor and disappearing into a sub-level. At the same time, Torterra's tree started to glow, and a tornado full of glowing leaves exploded out of it, straight at the opposing Pokémon. The two of them winced as the powerful storm of leaves pounded against them, Gastrodon visibly weakened by the onslaught.

'Now, Gible, Dig on Luxray!' Ash shouted, as Torterra's storm ceased.

'No chance! Protect!' called Knight. As Gible burst out of the ground, jaws open to crash against the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, Luxray focused and generated its green force field again, causing Gible to just bounce off.

'Now, Gastrodon, Surf!' yelled Knight. Gastrodon's eyes glowed blue, and a powerful tidal wave burst out from under it, swelling as the rain drew into it and covering the whole field. Gible squawked as the wave washed over Luxray, still protected by its barrier, and swept Gible up, thrusting it back towards its partner. Torterra groaned as the wave pounded against its body and Gible struck its tree, and held on for dear life.

'Wow, that's some combo,' said Cilan. 'He used Luxray's Protect to not only guard against an attack, but also to guard itself against its opponent's wide-area attacks as well!'

'Yeah,' agreed Khoury. 'Ash has got his work cut out for him.' The next moment, both found themselves flat against the ground as Lyra and Iris whacked them over the heads.

'Hey!' the two girls shouted. 'Whose side are you on?'

'And now that everyone's good and wet, prepare for the shocker! Luxray, charge up a Discharge!' Luxray growled and its body started to sizzle with electrical energy.

'Huh?' Ash said, confused by Knight's decision. Torterra and Gible were both part Ground-type, so an Electric attack wouldn't do anything to them. 'What good's that going to do you?'

'Nothing, until I say, "Gastrodon, Soak 'em!"' Knight called out. Gastrodon's whole blue body swelled like a balloon, and then it let loose with a burst of watery energy right at Torterra and Gible. The blast hit them square on, and when it died, neither Pokémon looked very much damaged at all.

'Huh? What's Soak?' Lyra asked in confusion.

Cilan's eyes widened in realization. Looking at Ash's two Pokémon, he could see that their bodies had taken on an odd, bluish tint, turning Torterra's body an odd aquamarine colour, and Gible's belly purplish instead of red. 'It's a move that changes the target's typing to Water! Gible and Torterra are now pure Water-types!'

Everyone, including Ash, gasped at the realization. Knight smirked. 'Right you are, Mr. Gardner. Which makes it that much easier to do this! Luxray, let it rip!' Luxray gave a howl, and blue bolts of electricity arced in all directions off its form. Torterra and Gible cried out in agony as the lightning electrocuted their now-water-based bodies. Gastrodon sat there watching, the bolts just bouncing off its body.

When Luxray's attack finally ceased, both of Ash's Pokémon lay there quivering, still trying to recover from the pain of the attack. Both of them groaned as they tried to haul themselves to their feet.

'Hm, still got a little fight in you?' Knight observed. 'Well, allow me to finish it. Luxray, Thunder Fang! Gastrodon, Body Slam!' Luxray charged for its opponents, its mouth wide open and its fangs crackling with electricity, and Gastrodon surged forward, ready to flatten its opponents with its bulk.

Knight chuckled, thinking this match was in the bag, but he stopped when he looked up, and saw an odd glint in his opponent's eye.

'You think this is over? Not a chance! Gible! Torterra! Let's go!'

Ash's Pokémon, roused by their trainer's yell, rose slowly to their feet, facing their opponents dead-on. Torterra let out a bellow that said it wasn't going to give up, and Gible, standing on Torterra's shell, gave the same cry. Then, Gible's eyes started to glow a bright bronze colour, and then the ground around the approaching Luxray and Gastrodon started to ripple and surge, stopping them cold. Then, a powerful tornado of sand sprung up around them, and when it faded a second later, both Luxray and Gastrodon were stuck up to their necks in large dunes of sand.

'What the-,' Ash exclaimed in surprise and excitement. 'Gible, that was Sand Tomb! Awesome!' Gible bounced up and down in excitement.

'Now's our chance! Torterra, Rock Climb, now!' Torterra reared up, Gible clutching to its shell, and stomped powerfully on the ground. Ash was prepared for the huge spires of rock to shoot out of the ground when Torterra used that move, but instead the ground quaked violently, causing everything to shake and tremble. The metal floor fissured as shockwaves erupted from Torterra's feet, striking Luxray and Gastrodon and throwing them out of the sand.

'And that was Earthquake!' Ash shouted, almost in fits of excitement. 'Alright!'

'Wow!' Khoury exclaimed. 'That's some willpower Ash's Pokémon has got there.'

'Well, you know what they say, Khoury,' Lyra said, 'Like trainer, like Pokémon.'

'So your Pokémon know a few Ground-moves; that's not going to save you,' snarled Knight. 'Gastrodon, rapid-fire Mud Bomb! Luxray, Crunch that Gible now!' Gastrodon reared its head, opened its mouth, and started firing brown globs of mud at the two Pokémon, while Luxray leapt forward to bite at Gible.

'No chance, Knight!' Ash shouted. 'Torterra, give it the real Rock Climb!' Torterra reared up again, and its claws started to glow white and lengthen. Then it stomped hard on the metal ground, and the next moment, the metal sheared as craggy rocks sprouted out of the ground like daisies. The mud burst against the sides of the rocks as Luxray rose into the air, trapped on the top of one of the rocks. Torterra, with its partner riding on its back, charged up the side of the rock, the white claws digging into the stone.

'Now, Gible, Rock Smash!' Ash ordered. Right as Torterra approached Luxray, who was disoriented by the sudden change in terrain, Gible leapt off the shell, its fist glowing bronze. With a cry, it lashed its fist down and cracked Luxray powerfully over the head, a minute before Torterra slammed into it skull-first, sending it flying off the rock spire. It crashed to the ground in front of Knight, out cold.

'Yes!' cheered Iris. 'One down and one to go!'

Knight growled as he recalled Luxray. 'Don't worry, my friend, the day will still be won for you!' Glaring at Ash, he said, 'You're going to pay for that. Gastrodon, wash those two out of the game! Surf, full power!' Once again, a tidal wave of water gushed out from under the Sea Slug Pokémon, surging over the rocks and splashing violently into Gible and Torterra. Torterra gamely held its ground under the onslaught, but Gible couldn't take the remaining strain and was finally flung backwards by the wave towards Ash. Ash quickly leapt and caught his Pokémon, who lay there in his arms, out like a light.

'Gible, are you okay?' he asked worriedly. Gible gave a weak cry in response, making Ash smile in relief.

'Heh, looks like that's one win for me,' Knight said smugly. 'And just to keep score…' he reached out and pressed a button near his foot. The next moment, the conveyor belt roared to life and started to move, moving the trash and the girl that was on it towards the open inferno. Dawn shrieked in terror as she witnessed a few piles of trash fall into the furnace and be incinerated in a matter of seconds. She travelled for a meter or two before the conveyor belt stopped.

'I think you've figured out my little game,' chuckled Knight. 'For every Pokémon you lose, Ms. Berlitz takes one more step to a fiery doom.'

Ash growled, recalling Gible. 'I thought you might pull something like that after Rook's stunt. Fine, Torterra, let's win this.' Torterra growled in affirmation, standing powerfully on top of the spire. 'Alright, Energy Ball!' A ball of power started to form in front of Torterra's open mouth.

'Gastrodon, Mud Bomb!' called Knight. Once more, Gastrodon spat out a barrage of mud globs straight for the Continent Pokémon, who stood there charging up his attack.

Ash grinned. 'Right! Torterra, gulp it down and power up!' As soon as the Energy Ball was fully charged, Torterra opened wide and chomped down, swallowing the ball of nature-energy. Instantly, its eyes took on a bright green shine and the tree on its back started to glow. In fact, its whole body started to glow with green power until it returned to its original green, brown and gray color scheme, the effects of the Soak neutralized. The Mud Bomb attack pounded hard into Torterra's face, but it just shrugged it off.

'Huh?' Knight exclaimed, eyes wide. Evidently he hadn't been expecting that.

'Wow!' exclaimed Cilan. 'He used Energy Ball to power up Torterra instead of attacking! Truly a unique recipe that has developed an amazing flavor!'

'Game over, Knight,' said Ash. 'Torterra, Leaf Storm, full blast!' Torterra gave a titanic bellow, its tree grew even brighter, and a blizzard of glowing leaves rushed out and battered against Gastrodon. The Sea Slug Pokémon gamely held on for all it was worth, but in the end it was sent flying by the supercharged attack. Gastrodon landed with a wet-sounding splat in front of Knight, a dazed look on its face.

'Yes!' cheered Iris and Lyra. 'They did it!'

Knight's expression was neutral as he recalled Gastrodon. 'I apologize, my comrade. You fought bravely. But mark my words, this war isn't over!' Looking at Ash, he said, 'Well, you certainly are more of a challenge than I expected, but I will prevail in the end.

Dawn looked worried. 'Lucas, what happened to you?' she said.

'Don't worry, Dawn, by this battle's end, you'll get your friend back,' Ash called out to her. 'I promise you that!'

Knight stared at him. 'You really shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Ketchum. The warrior known as Lucas Brand is but a memory, and only I, Knight, remains. Now, let's carry on with this duel!'


I'll be posting the rest up soon, so please R&R! And please, no flaming!