The Final Piece
Hi again! What have you guys been up to? I've been somewhat busy as usual.
I finally managed to keep up with my schedule of update this time. I told you that I would update in two weeks and I did. Ain't I awesome?
Anyways, I had a small announcement to make regarding my update for the next month or so. I am going to update this story every week or maybe sometimes in two weeks. I have started a new story named "Gem in Diamonds" which I am going to update in tandem with this one. Both those stories are the only ones I will write for a month or so. It would be awesome if you guys could check it out and give me your thoughts on the first chapter I wrote here : s/11562325/1/Gem-in-Diamonds (add fanfiction dot net/ before that story link)
That's all I've got to say for now. Enjoy!
Ursaring had faced Infernape as a Chimchar but never faced him in his evolved form. However, the Hibernation Pokemon was confident in defeating the Pokemon that his trainer abandoned. Like Paul, Ursaring was of the same mind that only the strong may survive; the weak might as well disappear with no trace at all.
However, this was something Ursaring could only think before it was struck on the face by the searing Mach Punch of Infernape's. The impact of the punch was so strong that Ursaring was sent flying backwards; the point of impact swelling red. The face which once held a smirk now turned into a scowl.
"Urrrr!" Ursaring roared frantically bellowing his arms up and down in rage. It couldn't believe at how unbelievably fast and powerful that single Fighting-Type move was.
"Ursaring, don't muck around." Paul warned his Pokemon with a stern look. "Use Hammer Arm!"
Ursaring obeyed, raising his arms high, one of which started glowing white. He then dashed across the field where Infernape had jumped back after his Mach Punch.
But Ash's remained unmoved for the longest time. Even as Urasring charged in with his attack, Ash's eyes simply stayed fixed at Infernape. And then, Ash's move finally came. "Don't let it hit you, Infernape. Show Ursaring that it can't even touch you if it's that slow."
A nod came from Infernape but even if Ash didn't tell him to, he wasn't about to be hit by the likes of Ursaring for no reason. Just as Ursaring brought his Hammer Arm down on the Ape Pokemon, he narrowly moved his chest backwards and did a back-flip to gain a bit of distance, easily evading the attack.
"Flamethrower now!" Ash shouted.
Paul realized that trying to dodge would be futile and hence made a defensive move instead. "Brace for impact, Ursaring!"
Opening his mouth wide, Infernape fired a jet of flames right in front of him where Ursaring stood. The Normal-Type crossed his arms and held them in front of his face in order to reduce the damage to as much extent as possible. But, even if its face was saved, Ursaring cried out in pain as his arms were made to suffer from the fire.
"Snap out of it and use Thrash!" Paul ordered mercilessly. He didn't care if Ursaring had suffered damage; as long as he kept pushing Ash and winning, it would end well in his opinion. Although, one could say that he began to care more about his Pokemon after having multiple encounters with Ash, he still remained him usual self for the most part.
"Enough playing around. Infernape, its time for Close Combat!" Ash told his Pokemon blandly. But no matter how simple his voice sounded, he was eagerly looking forward to what would happen in the next few seconds.
Upon hearing Close Combat, Infernape smirked ever so slightly. The move he'd worked hard to perfect day in and day out with Sceptile was finally about to reap rewards. As he saw Ursaring beginning to move, he readied himself. The arms were thrown wide to the sides as Infernape bent slightly. He then ran forward, sacrificing all of its defense and concentrating on offense alone. Before Ursaring could even react, Infernape had began his own thrashing, landing an uppercut on Ursaring's chin then bashing several punches in his opponent's gut, whose eyes widened. Finally for the big finish, he jumped in the air as his feet were on the same level as Ursaring's face and then kicked the Hibernation Pokemon just once. However, that one kick was enough to silence the crowd, Paul and most importantly Ursaring.
The referee raised the red flag towards Ash and declared. "Ursaring is unable to battle. Infernape wins!"
"My word!" Will gasped from the commentary box. "That was annihilation!"
A nod of agreement came from the person sitting next to him. "Indeed. That's a total victory for Ash. Even though Paul's Normal-Type Ursaring was at a total disadvantage against Ash's Fighting-Type Infernape, that round didn't seem like a battle between two Pokemon of the same level at all." Caitlin said of what she thought of the recent events on the field down below. "One of the two was clearly superior."
'Well, well. That Infernape of Ash's might even give mine a run for its money.' Flint mused in thought while placing a hand under his chin. "That was definitely a quick match." He commented through the microphone, not wanting to be the only one to go unspoken of the match just now.
"Infernape has finally tasted revenge!" A super-happy, almost teary-eyed James of Team Rocket exclaimed from the sidelines, completely forgetting his job of selling the eatables.
Equally happy, Moewth and Jessie both nodded their heads. Team Rocket had watched how Infernape was treated by Paul as a Chimchar. Even they found it stupid of Paul to treat Pokemon that way. No matter how low the trio of Jessie, James and Meowth were, they always held the belief that Pokemon should be treated just as nicely as humans. And they found it extremely irritating of Paul to just use his Pokemon the way he did. In fact, they felt a connection to Infernape – not that there ever was one; the way they were treated by most other members of Team Rocket as pests.
Forming a stance with her arms in front of her face, Jessie shouted, amazingly with pride. "Now Infernape, show that bastard former trainer of yours how strong you've become by blasting us off over and over again!"
"So Paul, do you still think you can win?" Ash questioned his rival, a confident yet mocking smirk on his face.
Without replying to Ash, Paul simply raised Ursaring's Pokeball and recalled the fainted Pokemon. After switching the ball with another one, he finally replied. "Yes, I do."
A chuckle left Ash's lips at the straightforward answer he received from the purple-haired trainer. "That's awesome! It wouldn't be much fun if you'd have already given up." And surprisingly, even before Paul had revealed the Pokemon he was going to use for that round, the black-haired trainer from Pallet Town simply recalled his Infernape without uttering a word.
The move astonished everyone; yes Ash was unpredictable but why would he even switch out a Pokemon who'd just won a match without even having a scratch on it? It simply didn't make sense.
A vein appeared on Paul's forehead when Ash called back Infernape. "That unpredictability of yours has worked so far but you know," he started, irritation evident in his voice. "You might lose this if you try to avoid logic too much."
"Are you sure you should be worrying about me right now?" Ash asked, leaning backwards and raising an eyebrow. "You're the one who's most likely to lose from here."
Paul let out a huff at Ash's response. "Don't be so sure." He tossed his next Pokeball on the field and yelled. "Froslass, standby for battle!"
"Alright then. Donphan, I choose you!" Ash too, threw his Pokeball on the field to reveal the identity of his fifth Pokemon.
As the Ice-Type Pokemon of Paul's and Ground-Type one of Ash's materialized on the field, Paul quickly realized that he might have the advantage this time. He remembered the first battle between Gastrodon and Torkoal and saw this bearing a similar result if he played his cards properly enough.
Meanwhile, on the field both the Pokemon took a measure of each other by glaring at one another. None of the two even blinked, as if they were in a staring contest. However, both of them stayed alert' ready to move as soon as they received their orders.
"Donphan, start with Stone Edge." Ash ordered calmly, aiming for super-effective damage.
Paul wasn't one to fall behind though as he too shouted. "Dodge the Stone Edge and use Ice Beam!"
Roaring out his name, Donphan summoned some sharp stones that levitates around him while Froslass put her hands together and began to form a ball of shining, silver ice between her palms. Both of them simultaneously let their attacks rip; Dophan sending the pointy stones at Froslass while the Ice-Type aiming the freezing beam of hard snow at her opponent.
The Stone Edge attack went past Ice Beam and smacked into Froslass, doing super-effective damage. The Ice Beam by then though was complete but its direction erred due to the impact of Stone Edge. The Armor Pokemon took the minimized damage of the Ice Beam on his front legs.
A defiant look crossed Ash's face when he realized that he had won the first round. "Earthquake, now!" The raven black-haired boy instructed his Pokemon.
Slamming his foot on the ground, Donphan created a crack which expanded and headed towards his opponent. The immobile Froslass didn't prove to be recovered enough to avoid the attack as it took massive amounts of damage from the Ground-Type attack of her opponent.
In the stands, the group appeared to be having a good time watching Ash have the edge in his long-awaited rival fight against Paul. The different things that Paul had been forced into by Ash was something they quite enjoyed. It wasn't a common sight; Paul had barely been pushed into a corner in Pokemon battles, at least as far as they knew.
"At first I wondered why Ash chose Donphan and didn't continue with Infernape when he was doing so well. But now, I understand some of his reasoning." Professor Oak remarked, without moving his gaze from the ongoing battle. When he was sure he had the attention of everyone, he continued. "It seems as if the reason wasn't just because he wanted to save Infernape for Paul's Torterra, it's also because Ash might've predicted what Paul's last Pokemon is going to be and he already knew that Paul had Froslass left."
A narrow-eyed Brock stroked his chin, understanding the reason himself. "And he thought that Donphan had the advantage against both Froslass and Paul's last Pokemon." He mused, a stray of uncertainty in his voice.
"So, it's Ash who's got Paul's number this time?" Barry wondered, dazing off.
Brock nodded. "It seems like it."
The bruises on her body seemed critical; Froslass wouldn't be lasting much long, Paul noted. The conclusion that the trainer from Veilstone City came to was that his best option would be deal as much damage to Donphan as possible before Froslass ran out of gas. Paul clenched his fists tightly; so hard that his nails dug into his palm. He had the Type-advantage and even then he couldn't win the round.
What was different? Paul had been wondering that same thing throughout this battle but couldn't find the answer to it yet. He realized that not just Ash, but something about his Pokemon too was different. But, he couldn't waste any more of his time thinking about trivial matters like that now. He was in a battle that had to be won if he wanted to stay alive in the Sinnoh League. Things didn't look too bright for him but he couldn't simply give up.
After a long, hard thought of what would be the best possible way of attack, Paul finally hung onto one he thought best. "Froslass, use Hail and then follow up with Shadow Ball."
Floating in the air, Froslass spread her arms wide and soon, a hailstorm was summoned. However, this one was much weaker in comparison to the one she summoned earlier. Then, the Ice Cloak Pokemon formed a dark, almost black ball of ghost energy in between her palms and as fast as she could in her beaten up condition, fired the Shadow Ball at Donphan.
'It'll be hard to aim right at Froslass in the hailstorm.' Ash thought as he calmly observed the moves on the field. 'I need just one more hit to finish it. But, I can't let Donphan take much damage here.'
"Use, Stone Edge with Rapid Spin to fight off the Shadow Ball, Donphan!" Ash yelled.
Donphan obliged by forming into a wheel and spinning at high speeds. Similar to what he did a while back, he summoned pointed stones and while he spun in one place, the stones simultaneously rotated along with him.
When Donphan let the stones fly at Froslass, he didn't stop spinning and was struck by Shadow Ball. Both the Pokemon received damage from their attacks; albeit to one them, it was the finishing blow. Froslass had fallen on the ground with swirls in her eyes.
Watching Froslass lay on the field without any movement, the referee raised the red flag towards Ash. "Froslass is unable to battle, Donphan wins."
Once again, Paul called back his Pokemon. It seemed as if he was cursing himself all the while he did the motion of recalling his fallen Pokemon and taking out his next one. He looked at the Pokeball for a few long moments before he finally tossed it out on the field. "Electivire, standby for battle."
Out of Paul's Pokeball came out a yellow Pokemon with black stripes on its body. It had a black spot on its forehead while it had two black, wire-like tails flowing out from its back. "Electivire!" The Motor Pokemon bellowed.
At the sight of Electivire, a grin spread across Ash's face. He had anticipated Paul using Electivire and that was the reason his Donphan was out on the field, ready to take whatever Electivire had to throw his way.
"Donphan, lets use Earthquake!" Ash ordered without any hesitation at all. He would be making full use of the type advantage he held in this match up.
"Electivire, charge at it!" Paul said, which came as a surprise to everyone who heard it.
Electivire didn't show any hesitation in obliging to what his trainer had said as he rushed down right down the ground at Donphan. On the other hand, Donphan completely ignored Electivire heading towards him as he got on its hind legs and then in one move, banged his front legs on the ground to create a fissure.
The Earthquake attack and Electivre, both neared each other with each passing millisecond. When the Earthquake finally caught up to the Electric-Type Pokemon, he was aware enough to jump up in the air. But Donphan's attack wasn't as weak as Electivire originally thought as the move's effect wasn't limited to the field itself. However, Electivire did take less damage than it would have if he were connected to the ground, he still took considerable amounts of damage.
"Use Ice Punch." Paul called out loudly.
And this was what Paul was aiming for all long. Well aware that if Electivire got close enough, he could knock out Donphan quickly, he took the gamble of battling the Earthquake. And that was about to reap rewards as Electivire's right arm became covered in ice and the Ice Punch landed right at Donphan's head.
"Doooo!" The Armor Pokemon howled in agony.
"Donphan, snap out of it!" Ash shouted in concern. His worry wasn't without reason though as Donphan was frozen as an after effect of Ice Punch. Ash gritted his teeth. He didn't want to give any opening for Paul to expose at a situation like this. That might well prove to be the chance Paul needed to get back in the game.
Paul finally let out a snicker out of his lips that he finally got some luck on his side. But soon, he became serious and took full advantage. "Now use Brick Break." This time, the thunderbolt Pokemon raised his right arm and smirking, he powerfully brought down the glowing Brick Break.
The sight brought terror to Ash's face who winced. His strategy had been destroyed. He planned to take out Electivire with the help of Donphan but that freeze really made a gaping hole in his plan.
"Donphan is unable to continue. Electivire wins!" The referee in the middle declared, lifting the green flag in Paul's direction.
"Donphan, return." Ash pointed the Pokeball towards his Donphan and the Pokemon was sucked inside in a red flash of light. The trainer then removed another Pokeball from his belt and intently stared at it. Then, he tossed it up in the air and his next Pokemon took field. The Continent Pokemon bawled out to his opponent as he arrived once again for a second round in the match.
"Paul's Electivire has Ice Punch and it will do even more damage to Torterra than it did to Donphan." Caitlin said. "Ash must have something that he believes will let him get through Ice Punch."
Beside her, Will adjusted his glasses and nodded. "This round will be quite interesting."
'If I can get a solid Ice Punch on Torterra, I'll surely win.' Paul thought as he carefully tried to analyse his next few moves. 'But, I can't let Electivire take much damage. Ash won't let Electivire get close this time. He has a number of attacks that he can use with Torterra to keep Electivire away. He can defend and attack at the same time.'
Surprisingly, Paul too decided to switch Pokemon, recalling his Electivire. The Sinnoh-native trainer could swear he saw a smirk on Ash's face as soon as he called Electivire back. Once again, this battle was going like Ash wanted.
"If it was anyone else other than Paul, he would have surely stayed with Electivire just for the single reason of not wanting Ash dictate the match." Cynthia leaned back on her seat and mused. This battle was even more fascinating that she'd thought it would be. "That would be the illogical move. It would simply have lead to Electivire losing to Torterra."
"Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul called for his starter Pokemon for the second time in the match as well; although the first time was nothing more than a reveal on his part.
The two Torterra starting off against each other had the crowd all buzzing. The battle was already proving out to be more amazing than what they had paid for and this match between two strong starter Pokemon of the Sinnoh region proved to be another thrilling and brutal one.
"Torterra, Stone Edge go." Paul ordered calmly. He was now fighting with his strongest – the Pokemon he'd trained for the longest time and one which he knew everything about – Pokemon and he had no doubt in his victory.
A command came from Ash right after. "Counter with your own Stone Edge."
Pointy, sharp stones surrounded either one of the Torterra as they both launched their ferocious Rock-Type attacks at the same time. The stones collided in the middle of the field, almost all of them cancelling each other out. Although, not each of them were equally powerful; some of the rocks that headed Ash's Torterra's way weren't knocked out and they crashed into his face.
Ash narrowed his eyes at seeing that his Torterra's attack proved out to be inferior to Paul. And he knew the reason for that; it wasn't that his Pokemon was weaker than Paul's. It was simply a matter of exhaustion that his Torterra faced after his battle with Drapion. The Scorpion Pokemon couldn't have been an easy Pokemon to defeat and it must've taken a lot out of Torterra.
This appeared to be a chance Paul couldn't overlook. The perfect time to get through Ash's team with his strongest Pokemon wouldn't go unnoticed by Paul. "Leaf Storm now!" Paul shouted loudly.
"Use your own Leaf Storm, Torterra!" Ash instructed. Even though Ash knew that his Torterra would struggle, he couldn't simply call him back now. It would be an insult to his strength; an insult to him.
Just like the Stone Edge, the leafy cyclone released by the Torterra crashed in the middle and once again, Paul's Torterra's attack proved stronger. Ash's Torterra once again was dealt with some damage; the damage from either Stone Edge or Leaf Storm didn't turn out to be much. But, it was a matter of only Ash's taking damage while Paul's still remained unharmed.
"Use Frenzy Plant to finish this." Another call came from Paul, one which he intended would be the final order for this round. He could see the uncertainty growing on Ash's face.
The moment the order from paul reached Torterr'a ears, its body became outlined in a green aura. Soon, the massive turtle-like Pokemon slammed its front legs on the ground. The cracks which the impact formed manifested several giant roots with spikes on them, which headed towards its opponent. As fright spread through Ash's face, the Frenzy Plant had already dug themselves into his Torterra, effectively knocking him out.
"Ash's Torterra is unable to battle," The referee announced and raised the green flag towards Paul for the second consecutive time. "Paul's Torterra wins!"
"This match is more in the balance now." Flint commented through the microphone as he smiled widely, enjoying the battle to the fullest.
"You've done well, Torterra. Return now." Ash lifted his hand with Torterra's Pokeball and called him back for a well deserved rest. Ash appeared to be a little taken aback by the consecutive lossed that he suffered. Yet, he still stood in good stead; this scenario was exactly what he had waited for this entire time. Now, he could simply sweep Paul's team without a care about being at a disadvantage when it came to types. He snickered before enlarging the Pokeball which he would use next. "Paul, its finally time to put an end to it."
The concerned trainer raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"
But Ash said no more, simply letting out his next Pokemon and the one he believed would be putting an end to this fight. "It's all yours, Infernape!"
"Innnn fernape!" The Flame Pokemon bellowed as he took his position on the field.
Paul gazed at Infernape closely. The shine in his eyes; the feisty yet calm look on his face; now, Paul knew that Infernape might have just turned into the beast that he envisioned him to be. But, that same Pokemon was against him; it was up to him now to defeat that Pokemon that thought might give him the edge over others with the same amount of skill as him.
"Infernape, lets start with Flamethrower!" An assured Ash ordered.
"Withdraw." Was the only word Paul spoke.
As infernape released red hot stream of flames at Torterra, the Continent Pokemon withdrew itself in its shell. The Withdraw definitely raised Torterra's defense as it came out with only damage done to it's back from the super-effective moves. But, no matter where the effect of Flamethrower, it still remained strong. The Fire-type attack still did damage to Torterra even if it didn't show it.
"Earthquake now!" Paul shouted alarmingly. Even though he remained at a disadvantage, he knew he could count on his best Pokemon to come through for him.
"Move around the field to dodge and use Mach Punch!" Ash screamed, realizing that Earthquake could do some serious damage.
Torterra slammed its front legs on the ground and created a powerful tremor throughout the field. The Earthquake then spread but the main point of attack was still fixed at Infernape across the field. The Ape Pokemon thought moved quickly in order to evade the attack, making full use of his amazing gift of speed that he had. But even his speed couldn't stop him from suffering damage from Earthquake. He winced, letting out a cry after his Mach Punch was stopped in its tracks.
Ash gritted his teeth at his hasty, foolish move. 'That's Paul's strongest Pokemon. I shouldn't think I can deal with it with simple moves alone. But, I have the advantage that even Paul and his starter can't neutralize.'
"Use Flare Blitz."
"Frenzy Plant!"
The Pokemon commenced their moves, Torterra lifting its front legs while Infernape's body got covered in flames. As Torterra banged its legs and summoned huge spiky roots from the ground, Infernape charged at it at full speed with the flames surrounding his body beginning to turn slightly blue.
The entire stadium was engrossed in this battle which so far proved out to be nothing short of spectacular. Everyone remained on their edge of their seats as the fight evolved and the attacks of the two Pokemon started to become even more fervent.
The roots that should've been heading towards Infernape were instead forming a sort of a wall from their lower part in front of Torterra. Infernape, thought didn't stop his advance even after it saw the Frenzy Plant acting as a shield to Torterra. He simply completed his attack crashing his fire-engulfed body right into the roots. And then, what Torterra didn't expect happened. The Ground and Grass-Type was pretty confident in keeping out Infernape's Flare Blitz with its Frenzy Plant defense but Infernape appeared to be simply melting them without even the slightest bit of difficulty.
In the stands, Barry jumped out of his seat. "Infernape is so amazingly awesome!" he exclaimed as he stood on the railings, ignoring that looks he earned from the ones around him.
"Infernape has definitely gotten much stronger since I last saw him battle." Brock spoke with a hand on his chin. "Considering the growth of Ash's other Pokemon, I should've expected this though."
Dawn puched the air, her enthusiasm clearly evident in her grin. "Way to go, Infernape and Ash!"
The eyes of Paul widened. The defense that he'd worked on with Torterra especially for the Sinnoh League was being trampled upon with such ease. "Impossible!" he gasped in astonishment.
"Well Paul," Ash called out to his rival. "Infernape simply won't be taking out that shield of yours."
Paul blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
The answer to his confusion soon arrived though, as Infernape dashed with his Flare Blitz at Torterra. The thing that surprised Paul the most there was not only Infernape did take out Frenzy Plant, but it still sustained the Flare Blitz, which should've, in his opinion, already be out of fire due to the amount of power it must've took to take out those thick walls of plant, even with a Fire-Type move.
Paul could only clench his fist at his Torterra screaming pain when Infernape's Flare Blitz made contact with it. However, he wasn't simply about to give in just yet. He had a counter for Pokemon that tried to do close-up direct damage to his Torterra.
"Don't let it get away and quickly use Crunch, Torterra!" he ordered.
The exhaustion that Torterra suffered after using Frenzy Plant seemed to have been reduced when the Sinnoh Grass-Type starter bit down Infernape with everything he had.
A smirk crossed Paul face right then; he knew that Torterra had Infernape in his grip now. "Giga Drain."
"Get outta there, Infernape!" Ash frantically called out, terrified.
Even though he tried his best, Torterra was strong; it wouldn't let its opponent get away so easily after it'd got a chance which it was sure it wouldn't get again. The trees on Torterra's back glowed green as it began to suck energy from Infernape. The only action thing the Fire-Type could do was shout out in pain while Torterra began to get its energy replenished.
"This could be bad for Ash!" Brock remarked, concerned for Infernape and Ash on the field. "Giga Drain won't do too much damage to Infernape, but the main problem will be Torterra getting renergised."
Next to him, Professor Oak nodded in agreement. "Infernape will have to defeat Torterra all over from square one if that happens and it surely won't be easy."
Dawn brought her hands together in front of her chest while intently watching the battle on the field. "Be careful, Ash." She whispered to herself, squeezing her hands even more tightly.
Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. He had to do something quickly before things went out of hand for him. But, what would be the best thing to do there, he wondered. Would Infernape be able to pull an attack strong enough to get out of Torterra's grip in that condition?
The Kanto native boy decided that it would be best to make a make, ignoring the consequences. "Infernape, Flare Blitz!" he called loudly. "Don't let it use Giga Drain anymore."
At the call of his trainer, Infernape tried his best. He had pull off the focus required to pull off a strong move even in that state; failure was out of the question. Infernape shouted his name that echoed throughout the stadium and soon, his entire body became covered in flames.
"Damn!" Paul cursed under his breath.
With the flames starting to get more intense, Torterra had no choice but to let Infernape go. The Flame Blitz turned out to be so powerful that not only did it let Infernape out of Torterra's clutches, but also caused significant damage to Paul's Pokemon.
A sigh of relief left Ash's lips. "Great work." He raised his right arm and gave his next order. "Lets ed this quickly, Flamethrower at full power!"
After a few back-flips to gain distance with his opponent, Infernape opened his mouth wide and fired a jet of flames towards his opponent. And this time, the Flamethrower scored a direct hit; Torterra being unable to dodge or defend against an attack that came off almost at the speed of light to him.
Those two latest attacks seemed to have blown a fuse in Paul's head. "Use Leaf Storm!" He grated.
Ash, though, only smirked, confidently eyeing the two Pokemon on the field. "Alright, let's use Flare Blitz once again."
Infernape charged at Torterra with his body engulfed in flames, which steadily turned blue. The Leaf Storm of Torterra's proved to be no match for Infernape who simply swept through it without even the slightest bit of problems. Torterra could do nothing but cry out as it suffered the damage from Flare Blitz when Infernape viciously slammed into it without the least bit of mercy.
With no control over its body anymore, Torterra fell on the ground with swirls in its eyes while its foe, Infernape simply returned back to his trainer's side after he shook off the currents of the recoil he took from his attack.
"Torterra is unable to battle. Infernape wins!" The referee declared.
"Paul is finally down to his last Pokemon." Flint stated, lacing his fingers on the desk. "Ash still has 3 left."
Caitlin agreed instantly. "It's clear who holds the advantage right now."
A smile spread across Will's face. "Maybe Paul's Electivire can work some magic here?" Although he had just said that, he already concluded that the battle was all but over. That wasn't because Ash had more Pokemon left than Paul; well that was one of the factors. But because he believed that Ash was simply a better trainer than Paul throughout the battle.
"Return Torterra." Paul recalled his starter back and then brought forth his final Pokeball; the one with which all his hopes for the Sinnoh League laid. "Electivire, standby for battle!" he yelled as he threw the Pokeball on the field, which snapped open to let out his Electric-Type Pokemon.
"Eeelectiviire!" The Motor Pokemon roared, taking his position. A signal from his hand to give him Infernape's best soon came from Electivire.
Although, like before Infernape didn't bother to respond to the methods of his opponent's evocations. "Fernape!" was the only reply that Electivire could earn.
"Flamethrower, Infernape!" Ash shouted, taking the first move.
Paul observed Infernape's first movements before giving out his instructions. "Use Protect."
Infernape released a jet of red-orange flames at Electivire with full force. But Electivire was ready; he brought his arms forward and formed a transparent, almost invisible wall in front of him. The Flamethrower struck the wall and unable to break through, the flames dispersed in all direction but forward.
"Now use Mach Punch." Ash calmly ordered.
"Intercept with Thunderpunch!" Paul yelled.
Electivire's right arm blistered with electricity as he charged forward and Infernape too, dashed at his opponent with a glowing fist. The Pokemon met in the middle of the field clashing their fists, both the fighters giving it their best. At a stalemate, they both tried to overpower the other but failed and thus, propelled themselves back.
The battle was simply to exciting for Ash not to smile. Not only will he defeat his rival if he won this round, but also, he'd reach the Semi Final of the Sinnoh League, something he'd never achieved before. He couldn't help but show his enthusiasm on his face.
"It's time to use Dig, Infernape!" Ash instructed to his Fore-Type.
As he heard from his trainer, Infernape dug his way under the field, disappearing from sight of everyone. Paul and Electivire could only guess where Infernape would come out of as they both glanced around different parts of the field; clearly puzzled.
Paul looked at the field carefully before he finally spoke. "Use Brick Break on the ground!"
With a shout of his name, Electivire's left fist glowed silver and just about slammed it on the ground. Just about. He couldn't use the move he was supposed to as Infernape appeared right underneath Electivire and successfully completed his Dig attack, causing super-effective damage to the Thunderbolt Pokemon.
As Paul watched his Electivire struggling after taking damage from dig, he took the offensive. "Don't waste any time and use Thunder!"
The balls on the ends of Electivire's antennae became surrounded by yellow electricity and soon enough, his entire body became surrounded in electric currents. Then, it fired a blast of it at Infernape across the field.
"Run around and dodge it!" Ash told Infernape. "Don't let it hit you!"
Infernape scurried around the field, effectively avoiding any contact with the Thunder that was aimed at him. After a few blasts of electricity fired at him that he dodged, Electivire finally stopped, but not before giving a mouthful of his frustration to Infernape.
Paul gritted his teeth repugnantly. "Fire Thunder throughout the entire field now!"
"Dodge it again." Ash commanded nonchalantly, putting his hands in his pockets; something he did when he felt relaxed.
And again, Electivire fired blasts of thunder. But this time, he didn't only aim it at Infernape, but his target was the entire battlefield. Infernape ran at amazing speeds like before, dodging the few waves of electricity that headed at him but the real surprise came to him when multiple Thunders were fired at him simultaneously. Cornered, he didn't know what to do and he was this time struck by Thunder.
The Flame Pokemon yelled as electricity surged throughout his body. The attack – even though diluted due to it being divided into many blasts instead of one – still remained thunderous enough to harm Infernape at a critical level. He fell to his knees after the damage that the Thunder had dealt to him. It was an attack of a Pokemon trainer by Paul afterall.
"You remember Paul, when you told me about how you caught Infernape as a Chimchar?" Ash asked to his rival across the field with a smirk on his face, seemingly unworried about the condition of Infernape.
Paul raised an eyebrow at Ash's sudden question. "Yeah. What of it?"
Ash chuckled in amusement of Paul's ignorance. "You'll remember soon enough." He turned his eyes at Infernape who'd steadily gotten up to his feet. "It's time to show Paul what you can really do, Infernape!"
That little conversation between Ash and Paul, which everyone could hear, had gotten the crowd quite interested. It wasn't as if they were making less noise to begin with, but they only got louder in curiosity of what Ash meant.
No one had to wait long to realize what Ash meant as everything got clear. The fire on Infernape's head had grown; it had gotten much more intense and the look in Infernape's eyes had changed.
"So Infernape's ability – Blaze is what Ash was talking about." Flint pondered while still being absorbed in the events taking place on the field down below.
Eyes widened in shock, Paul couldn't utter a word for a few moments. "You mean…" he stuttered a little more. "You mean Infernape can control Blaze now?!" A grin from Ash was enough to confirm Paul's suspicions; something he dreaded.
"That's something you failed at." The raven-haired trainer spoke with a hint of disgust in his voice. "That's why…. You didn't deserve a Pokemon like Infernape." He respected Paul for his strength as a trainer but Ash absolutely hated the way Paul treated his Pokemon, especially Chimchar. "Alright Infernape, use Flamethrower!"
A jet of flames more intense than any Infernape spilled out before in the battle made its way towards Electivire. And before either Paul or Electivire could even react, the Electivire was struck by the Flamethrower. The Electric-Type Pokemon fell on his knees after taking the damage from that powerful move.
"It's time to end this." Ash declared viciously. "Flare Blitz!"
The voice of Ash calling his final move brought Paul to his senses. His eyes widened at Infernape charging at Electivire with his Flare Blitz. He had to do something, he realized. "Thunderpunch at ful power!"
However, like before, Electivire couldn't do anything against the speed and power that Infernape displayed. The flames ran through his veins, immensely damaging Electivire's body. As soon as Infernape was finished with the Thunderbolt Pokemon, Electivire had nothing left to spare. He had fallen on the ground and didn't move for the longest time.
"Electivire is unable to continue. The winner is Infernape!" The referee shouted as he lifted the red flag towards Ash for the final time. "Therefore, the winner of this Quarter Final match is Ash Ketchum."
The crowd went silent. For what seemed like minutes but only a couple of seconds had passed, none in the stadium spoke. But soon, the silence ended and they began to cheer on. They had been treated to an amazing battle; one which they could brag about watching live from the best place in the world.
Paul sighed. He'd lost; his journey in the Sinnoh League was over. In the end, he could not make it past the Quarter Finals. But that wasn't what disappointed him most. It was the fact that he lost to Ash; and this loss could very well be an annihilation. Ash still had two Pokemon aside from infernape, one of which he'd not even needed to use in the match.
The purple-haired teen recalled his fallen Electivire back to his Pokeball and in the tiniest of whispers that barely even he could hear left his lips. "You did well, Electivire."
On the other side of the field, there was only joy though. Infernape and Ash had finally put an end to it. Now, Infernape didn't have a care in the world; he'd shown not only Paul, but everyone of what he was capable of.
For Ash too, this win was one of the most satisfactory in his life. The trainer he'd not defeated all Sinnoh finally tasted loss at his hands. He too, could now move concentrate solely on winning the Sinnoh League. Even if he never spoke about it, in the back of his mind, the thought of winning against Paul always hovered in his mind. It was something he had to do; and now, that goal could be ticked off.
"That was amazing Infernape!" Ash complimented his Sinnoh ace – whose Blaze had finally calmed down – with a bright smile.
"Fer Fernape!" Infernape acknowledged the words of praise he received from his trainer. He smirked while taking a battle stance, showing his enthusiasm and intent on getting even stronger than his present self.
"That was simply awesome out there, Ash!" The blunette commended her friend on his victory in the Quarter Finals.
"Piii piplup!" The Penguin Pokemon in Dawn's arms too, said what he wanted.
Pikachu scurried off and jumped at Ash's shoulder, nuzzling his cheek against Ash's. "Pi Pikachuuu!"
After leaving the stadium and leaving his Pokemon in the Pokemon Center, Ash straightaway made his way to his hotel room. He'd planned to rest after his rival battle that'd taken a lot out of him. It was the first match of the Quarter Finals so it wasn't as if the match-ups would be announced so he didn't bother to wait around. And all his friends located him soon enough and destroyed any plans of rest he'd made.
"You've got to tell me how you train your Pokemon, Ash!" Barry exclaimed excitedly. He was almost at Ash, peeking his head forward at the trainer he considered his biggest rival.
Ash though, ignored Barry and replied to the others. "Thanks guys!"
"You were even better in this match than any of your previous matches in the Sinnoh League." Professor Oak showered Ash with praised this time, nodding his head repeatedly agreeing with what he thought. "I am quite looking forward to the next battle you face. I am sure it will be even better with them fighting."
"Them?" Barry mused at Professor Oak's statement.
"It's nothing Barry." Ash bluntly denied anything of suspicion to Barry. He felt bad that he had to lie to some of his friends but he didn't want anyone finding out about them.
But, the questions didn't stop there. Ash was barged with more of them from Barry and surprisingly even Conway, who'd come to his room with the group. And he wasn't too comfortable with Dawn taking her chance and throwing herself at him either. It was a deadlock he couldn't get away from. Add to that, even his mother started to praise her son, in ways that Ash found embarrassing. He wouldn't be getting any rest anytime soon. He had made those friends, now he had to deal with them.
The only one who understood what Ash might be going through right then was Brock. He realized that it might be too much for Ash. He sighed. Although he did get Ash endured right now, he wasn't about to just get himself mixed in with that mess; it was Ash's to deal with and he won't be taking any of it from his friend.
So, how was the chapter? How was the battle? Anything else you wanna say? Tell me in the reviews. I love reading them.
As I said, I will be back with another chapter of "A Legend Awakened" by either this weekend or the next. Thanks for reading!
