Chapter 9
Ash stood on the balcony in his private room. Apparently the Cinnabar Gym doubled as a hotel. The view over looked the sunny town. His room was directly above a water fall on the mountain. It reminded him of the view from Koga's gym. He smiled as he walked in from the balcony.
Ash was invited to stay at the gym for the remaining time on the island now that he had set a time for his gym battle. Blaine's gym was the biggest gym he had seen. The halls were carved right into the mountain rock side. He walked to the viewers box to look at the gym field. Apparently this field had more than one set of boxed seats to protect viewers from the heat and lava flows that may erupt.
Ash looked at the suspended island that was the gym field. Ash frowned when ever he saw it. It seemed a little over the top when he looked at the river of lava that ran beneath it. Ash immediately thought of the memorial of pokemon that died during gym battles. None of them had died from field hazards, but it was still something he felt he should worry about.
When Ash first looked at the massive stadium he realized it was the one he had watched on TV during professional tournaments when he was younger. The stadium nestled itself deep in Cinnabar's volcano. The gym field had no obstacles and little options to use the environment. During his stay he would find himself stare at the gym floor. He could spend the entire day there if Pikachu or Psyduck did not go look for him.
Ash explored the gym for the past few days. Blaine had been a good companion the first night but he had to leave for the next few days. Ash thought the man was very busy for him to disappear for days at a time. He saw a few of the man's students wondering the halls and Ash was able to make a few good conversations with a few of them. But they all kept their distance.
They knew Ash was there to beat their leader. It did not endear him to them. Ash thought of Kelly and wondered how she had been so friendly since she knew he was on his way to Celadon to fight Erika.
Ash was eager to meet these guests Blaine's hinted in his letter. Blaine himself said he would find out soon. Ash frowned at the response.
Pikachu had come in a run up to him and jumped on his shoulder. 'Where have you been? I didn't even noticed you took off until after I left the room.'
Pikachu stuck his tongue at Ash and didn't say a thing. He jumped off his trainers shoulder and waved his paw for Ash to follow. Ash smiled and followed his partner down the hall. Apparently Pikachu had been exploring an area he had not found. The building went deeper into the mountain. Ash followed the length where he found the trainers quarters who trained under Blaine and then another exit out of the mountain.
This one pointed outside and away from the town. Pikachu ran out and around the grass. Ash laughed and understood. The team had been cramped for the past few days. While they all trained lightly at the gym to get used to the heat, Ash really had not ventured outside into the tropical jungle that was half of the island.
'Come on out!' Snorlax landed with a thud and yawned. Psyduck stood next to Ash only to begin to look around their surroundings. Pidgeot immediately took to the air.
Ash explored the woods until he found a stream. 'Looks like we found that stream the water fall feeds to.' Ash took off his shirt and dove in. His team soon followed. The group spent the rest of the afternoon in the water.
After getting out of the water Ash could feel something bothering Psyduck. 'Whats wrong Psyduck?'
Psyduck gripped his head and banged his hand against one side. Pain.
Ash frowned but noticed this did not look like one of Psyduck's usual headaches. 'Is it your whole head?'
Psyduck gripped his head and kept his eyes closed. He shook his head and patted his right side. Not me.
'Let's get you inside and into a pokeball recovery unit.'
Psyduck quacked and the group packed up. Psyduck walked on his own but Ash watched him carefully. He was worried that this seemed different from the head aches he received before. As the group got deeper into the cave entrance Psyduck became more relaxed. Eventually half way up the stairs Psyduck announced. Fade. Gone.
Ash huh'ed at that. 'Psyduck I am going to recall you for a second.'
Ash returned Psyduck in a flash of red light. Ash had noticed early on when they first got on the island that Psyduck would hold one hand in the same position he did just this afternoon. But he never said he was in pain.
Ash was followed by a curious Pikachu as he went back outside. Ash stood just outside the entrance he had just walked in. He looked at his pokeball. 'Sorry Psyduck.'
Ash released Psyduck who immediately flinched and clung his hand to his head. It was the exact same position and exact same place. 'I am really sorry just hang on.' Ash recalled Psyduck and ran back in. He started making his way to the pokeball recovery bay. Half way down he released Psyduck.
Psyduck kept his eyes shut and bracing himself for a headache. 'Duck?'
Psyduck looked around and moved his hand off his head. He walked around completely pain free. Ash stared at his pokemon for a brief moment. Something was causing Psyduck's headache. But it was not penetrating the mountain.
-o-
Ash stood in the stadium looking up at windows that lined the top of the stadium. Quietly to himself he murmured, 'That's where the audience will sit. At least I don't have to see their reactions.'
Ash released his pokemon and turned to them.
Ash smiled as they all looked around and had similar reactions to him. Snorlax looked around lazily. He grunted in disappointment when he wasn't about to fight yet.
'I have decided who we are going to go with today. Snorlax. You are first. Psyduck you are second. Pikachu, you are cleaning up last. Pidgeot be prepared to be on stand by. If I see a pokemon that may be a bad match up for any one you may be an alternate. We get second reveal in every bout so we may need to change it up. This is as much for you guys as it is for me. This is the first gym we will win as a team. We no longer have the luxury to test what works and what doesn't. The final three gyms will be a team effort. Lets start with a strong first showing.' The group cheered in agreement.
Ash recalled them all and looked over to the other side. Blaine had not shown up, but Ash could feel the eyes on him while he waited. He was not sure what to make of it all. Blaine said he would have some guests to watch the gym. It felt like this was a crowd for some kind of finals not for a gym battle. Ash remembered what Lieutenant Surge said. All three of them Koga, Surge and Blaine were war buddies. They all had battle experienced pokemon that exceed the usual gym leader pokemon. Ash frowned thinking of the two that Surge showed. His two buddies seemed to be worn down. Sure they were strong. But Surge even said Raichu should be ready to retire.
Ash thought of pikachu years from now looking like that and shuddered. It was way too soon to even think about things like that. Ash chased away those thoughts and knelt down and waited. The match would begin soon and he wanted to think of outcomes.
-o-
'I still wanted to surprise him before the start of the matches.' Misty pouted.
'You know that would have made him loose focus little sis. Let him do what he always does. You can say hi to him later.' Daisy gave her youngest sister a sly wink.
Misty grounded her teeth and glared at her sister. 'Daisy, I swear. We talk. I might have you just listen to a call so you can believe me.'
Daisy looked at her sister and knew it was true. 'Sure but that doesn't mean something won't happen later. You're young.' Daisy gave her sister a pouty look with eye lashes blinking widely to accentuate the point.
Misty sighed and rolled her eyes. She looked around and recognized a few people that showed. She bit her lip before she walked over to the one man she had not formally met.
The man had his black hair slicked back. He sat comfortably in a leather chair and looked on patiently while a waiter served him wine. Misty had heard of this man before. He was the strongest of the gym leaders. He ran his own private business that dealt with international trade of pokemon products and he has made his livelyhood based on the new talent that walked through his doors. Promising young trainers who defeat him in were often given offers for positions in his company. High positions of authority were not above a trainers' grasp if Giovanni approved.
'Good afternoon. We have not been formally introduced. My name is Misty Waterflower. I am the Cerulean Gym Leader. It is nice to meet you.'
Giovanni smiled to the young girl and stood up. 'The pleasure is mine Misty. You may just call me Giovanni. The new generation has many promising trainers. You and Brock have been an inspiration for young trainers every where.'
Misty blushed at the praise. 'Thank you sir. I still have a long way to go before I can properly compete on the same level you do every year.'
Giovanni smiled before gesturing her to sit with him. She sat down on a leather seat next to his. 'I was surprised when I first heard of Ash Ketchum. I had not paid as much attention as I should to gym leader matters. A lesson Erika had learned recently from the incident report I read.'
Misty sighed but nodded. 'Yes. I read the same thing. Mr. Ketchum must of felt strongly for him to react so rashly. He was extremely collected when he faced me for his gym battle.'
'That kind of temper is dangerous if he lets it go.' Giovanni frowned.
Misty giggled. 'I heard you hire from your gym battles. Does Ash not seem to fit into a possible candidate?'
Giovanni shook his head in amusement. 'Actually that kind of brash thinking is what I am looking for. Someone who can think outside of the norm as it were. He has shown that is something he is very adept in. But I don't think he would be satisfied with any job I could offer.'
Misty nodded in agreement. 'I would think not. He seemed very motivated in the now. He started nearly a month late from the open season. He had been working hard to catch up. I am curious if he will loose this momentum now that he can afford to slow down.'
Giovanni nodded in understanding. 'We'll just have to wait and see when he comes to my gym then.'
-o-
Blaine walked onto the stadium floor. He wore a tropical shirt and shades. His white hair flared to the sides with nothing covering his bald head like the night of the gyrados defensive.
'Good afternoon Blaine.' Ash called as the older man walked up to his spot as the defender.
'Thank you for indulging me Ash. I can understand how frustrating it is to wait for so long. All three of your remaining gym leaders were asked to be alerted so they may present your gym battle to League trainers. Koga does not have the ability to host it. And Giovanni is very protective of his gym.' Blaine looked to a specific viewing box.
Ash resisted to follow his gaze, instead he decided to stay focused on Blaine.
'I would like to meet and talk to everyone. I do not get much feed back from my battles.'
Blaine smiled. 'You will get some today. They are here to learn from you Ash. This will be a three round gym battle. As gym leader I release my pokemon first and you get one minute to decide on yours. There will be no switch outs. Both sides choose a different pokemon per round. Any questions?'
'None. I am ready for the first round.'
'Tinder. Wave like a flame' Blaine opened a pokeball and a large Ninetails stood beside him. The shine of the fox made it almost reflective in the deep red fire light. The fox bounded gracefully over the rocks to the gym field.
Ash took out his pokedex and read about the pokemon in his one minute reprieve. It was unfortunate there is no real place to scan and learn about a mass amount of fire pokemon. He would need to use every minute before each fight to formulate his moves. Ash looked around the arena before nodding to himself.
'Snorlax, it's time to have some fun!'
Snorlax's red beam hit the gym floor. He roared in anticipation. His fists in the air and a confident gaze facing the fire pokemon.
Ash saw a small platform to the side. A referee stood on it with two flags and stared down the over field below him. Ash actually had no idea what the platform's use was until the referee showed. Well that was one curiosity out of the way.
'Begin!' Shouted the referee.
Right as the referee gave the call Ash ordered. 'Snorlax, watergun a path.' The water gun lanced throuhg the field in a quick spray that watered the gym field in half. Snorlax turned the shot of water towards Tinder to force the Ninetails out of the way. Tinder nimbly dodge the attack. 'Ice punch the lane!' Ash called.
Snorlax dropped to one knee as soon as he finished his water gun. Frost energy gathered in his hand just before he punched the water on the ground. The water helped guide the ice along the gym sprouting a wall that divided the gym. Snorlax kept feeding energy into it to make it as strong as possible.
Blaine saw Snorlax kneel with his raised fist and called, 'Tinder, Firespin, he isn't going to move!'
Tinder shot a stream of fire that circled Snorlax unmoving form while he fed the ice wall to keep it up through the intense heat of the gym. Snorlax worked best when there were obstacles he could work against. When Snorlax stood he jumped into the air on his own and did a body slam to the ground. The suspended island shook but the chunks of ice below him shattered into fine dust breaking the circle of flames.
'Hyper Beam.' Called Ash. From his face down position, Snorlax snapped his head up and fired a weak but fast collected hyper beam at Tinder forcing Blaine's pokemon to back up and dodge away from Snorlax. '
'Tinder use the ice wall for higher ground.' Tinder yiped in understanding and ran on the tall ice wall out of Snorlax's view.
Ash could still see where it was. 'Snorlax move to your left, blind swipe it.'
Snorlax used agility rarely shown by larger pokemon and used both of his feet to hop to the left and moved his arm to blindly swipe where he had been. Tinder gave a yip in pain.
'Headbutt. Rebound and take down.' Blaine said quickly. He looked around trying to see what Ash would do.
'Snorlax take the hit. Megakick.' Snorlax stood his ground and grunted against the heavy hit. Tinder was a lot heavier than he expected. He had already gathered the energy into his leg and it snapped up into Tinder's ribcage.
Another grunt from Blaine's pokemon.
Snorlax looked at the pokemon and saw the wall behind Tinder. With out any urging he grabbed the pokemon and used the take down move Ash showed him to slam the fox against the ice wall.
That portion of the ice wall broke from the impact. Ash stared at Blaine's pokemon. With out warning Tinder bashed her skull against Snorlax. Snorlax reeled from the hit and stepped back.
'Tinder, flame thrower.' Blaine called.
Snorlax turned its head and blindly shot a water gun in a wave to hit Tinder.
Blaine's pokemon dodged and fired the flame thrower. Snorlax was coming to his senses enough to dodge the blast and move behind the ice wall for cover.
'Good job Snorlax, he's coming over the wall to your right.' Snorlax fired a low powered Hyperbeam with what little energy he could gather so quickly. It was enough for Tinder to back up again.
'Tinder, confuse him.'
Tinder burst into a sprint around the wall and fanned its tails. Snorlax saw the other pokemon move before it started feeling a massive headache.
'Lax,' Snorlax went to a knee and gripped it's head.
'Snorlax rest.' Snorlax allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep despite the pain.
'Tinder, its our chance, pour it on him.' Tinder focused more energy into the mental attack.
'Snorlax Amnesia.' Snorlax's body relaxed even more. Where before it looked like it was in pain sleeping, now it had a relaxed restful smile. 'Snorlax bide your time remember what your body feels when you wake up.'
Blaine gave a grim look to his pokemon. 'Tinder, Flame thrower, we have to knock him out before he wakes up.' Tinder quickly jumped to the edge of the ring and started channeling energy before releasing a stream of fire. Her tails fanned out and waved focusing continuous amounts of fire at Snorlax. Snorlax grimaced and grunted.
Tinder stopped to refocus to send another wave. 'Wake up!' Ash called urgently.
Snorlax opened his eyes before he grunted in pain. He turned to Tinder and opened his mouth in a roar. The energy that was released hit Tinder and knocked the pokemon off their feet. The Ninetails was slammed against a part of the ice wall. The wall only held for a moment before the fire fox broke through it. Tinder skidded to a halt. Tinder tried to stay standing but collapsed.
Ash looked to Snorlax and cheered. Snorlax looked worn from the fire and the mental attacks, but he still stood tall. 'Good job there Snorlax.'
'Winner of the first round goes to Snorlax.' The referee called. Ash recalled Snorlax.
'Very nice job Tinder. You had him to rights before that bide.' Blaine ran a thumb over Tinder's pokeball affectionately. He put it away and looked over to Ash. 'Alright Ash, here is my second pokemon. Sulfur, bring forth a cloud of fire.'
Sulfur turned out to be a pokemon Ash never saw before. He looked at it with his pokedex. 'Huh, a Magmar.'
After reading the entry Ash looked at the ice. It finally began to melt. Ash needed more time to let the barrier that divided the room to clear for Psyduck. Ash frowned realizing Psyduck needed line of sight to use his teleport effectively. Just before the minute passed, Ash released Psyduck. 'Psyduck let's go.' Psyduck immediately cast amnesia on himself and began to float in the air. Psyduck stared at Sulfur with blank eyes.
Ash felt the tendril's of Psyducks mind reach for him. 'Not today bud. I'll need your full focus on this guy. We can not allow him to touch you.' Psyduck quacked.
The referee called, 'Begin!'
'Bubblebeam.' Ash called. Psyduck launched a mass of fast moving bubbles that curved around the ice and flowed over the field.
'Flame thrower.' Blaine called. A vacuum sound came from Blaine's pokemon, Sulfur, before it spewed out a breath of flame that matched the bubble beam's width of the field. Ash saw the ice begin to melt.
'Use the ice.' Psyduck stoped firing his bubble beam and turned his blank eyes to the melting ice wall. Chunks of ice broke off and lanced themselves towards Sulfur.
'Fire punch.' Blaine called. Sulfur gripped his fists and balls of fire half the size of Sulfur enveloped his arms. Sulfur punched the ice lances which exploded with every contact of heat. The fire fists were large enough to protect Sulfur with each explosion of water vapor.
'Focus Sulfur.' The Magmar gripped his fists and the pokemon engulfed itself in fire. Waves of light distorted around Sulfur.
'Psyduck shake him. Make him sweat.' Psyduck entered Sulfur's mind and gripped on the other pokemon's ability to move. Sulfur found himself unable to move from his focused position. Blaine called several moves. Sulfur tried, but was no longer able to do a thing. He was stuck only standing still and continue to build up power.
Psyduck opened his mouth and launched a mass of water far stronger than any water gun he used before. He knew what Ash was preparing for.
Sulfur groaned as it was bathed in water. The water evaporated on contact turning him into a plume of scalding steam.
'Sulfur smog it up!' Sulfur spewed a cloud from his mouth. It covered the field dirting the ice and traveling towards Psyduck.
'Let him go, bubble the smog.' Ash was not sure what it did, but it was moving with a purpose to Psyduck. Psyduck launched bubbles that enveloped the smog.
'Fire punch.' Sulfur recovered enough to start charging after Psyduck. He popped the bubbles on the way to release the gas. Sulfur grunted in pain with each burst of explosive water vapor but continued on heedless of the damage. The smog released and spread quickly. Psyduck teleported himself straight up into the air just as Sulfur came out of the smog clouds.
'Lock it!' Ash called. Psyduck used his mind to hold himself in place.
'Hydropump the field.' Ash called looking intently for the Magmar as Sulfur let himself get enveloped into the smog to hide his position.
'Take aim and fire when you are ready Sulfur.' Ash did not look to see where Blaine was looking. It was unlikely he knew where his pokemon was in that mass either.
Psyduck cleared out the smog. The water washed away the sooty clouds and steam rose out from outside the ring as the water hit the lava below them. The steam burst in one final cloud as the last huge puddle was pushed over the edge. Ash saw Sulfur charging for a very large attack.
'Psyduck, lightscreen.' The heat of the fire blast nearly engulfed Psyduck but the shield took shape and held against the attack. Ash was beginning to sweat from the heat. Ash looked at the wall of ice from the start of the gym battle. It was just about melted.
'Good job Psyduck. Switch.' Psyduck looked at the Magmar for a second and the world blinked around the both of them. Psyduck looked at Sulfur who was now suspended in the air. Psyduck began to breath heavily. He had never used so many water moves as he did in this fight. But he had it in him for a one more.
'Psy!' Psyduck cried. Psyduck inhaled, then with another world jarring tilt he teleported above Sulfur. Psyduck released him to teleport into position. Sulfur began to free fall. Psyduck expelled all of his energy into one final hydropump.
'Sulfur seismic toss!' Sulfur agilely swung his heavy tail to give him a few precious seconds of air in time to grab Psyduck.
Sulfur punched hard into Psyducks stomach effectively breaking the water move. Psyduck panicked and cried in alarm. His amnesia broke and the first real signs of emotion swept through him.
Magmar squeezed the water pokemon tightly and prepared for the impact with the ground. Pain seared through Psyduck as he flailed to try and escape the burning grip.
Ash moved his hand quickly to one side.
*snap*
Psyduck simply closed his eyes and teleported. He trusted his instincts and he found himself skidding to a halt on the gym floor in time to see Sulfur hit the ground with a heavy thud.
He waited to see if Sulfur would stand. Psyduck was exhausted. He tried to keep standing up but after several seconds passed Psyduck fell to his rear and leaned forward. His breathing was haggard.
Ash looked over both pokemon. 'Winner of the bout, Psyduck.'
Ash looked proudly to Psyduck. The duck had only one eye opened and was still breathing. Ash knew psyduck was spent when he reached for his head. He could no longer hold back his headache. Psyduck had enough energy to send him the image of Gyrados, then quickly shifted to a memory where he pulled in his powers for the first time.
'I know Psyduck. You are completely spent. Nice job. Return.' Psyduck was gratefully sucked into his pokeball to sleep. He will find out the results later.
Blaine recalled his pokemon. 'This is it then. I have to say I am enjoying this Ash. Not many pokemon can actually withstand the attacks from my veterans.'
'They are very strong. Either of the last two fights could have gone either way.'
Ash smiled at Blaine. This had been a fun gym battle. Ash noticed the hesitation when Blaine reached for his last pokemon. Blaine looked at the ball. The light from the lava below them reflected off his shades when he looked at Ash.
'This is my last pokemon Ash.' Blaine expanded the ball. Quietly to himself he murmured. 'I hope you are right about this.'
Louder, Blained commanded, 'Come forth like a force of nature, Elafris.'
A red light hit the gym floor. Red wings spread out from the pokemon. The Charizard glared at Ash and gave a challenging roar. Ash's smile slipped. That roar echoed in Ash's head. Ash felt his heart beat faster. He had not heard a roar that fierce since...
The Anne.
Elafris was dangerous. Just looking at the pokemon sent alarm signals to Ash. He pulled out his last pokemon.
'Pikachu go.'
Pikachu started to chitter at Ash happily as he landed softly on the gym floor. The Charizard growled at Pikachu. Pikachu turned to Elafris and glared at it. The Charizard dwarfed Pikachu by five feet.
Pikachu refused to back down and growled back. Energy amplified his voice and a deep rumble in the back of his throat echoed off the walls. Pikachu started side stepping while staring down the larger pokemon. Apparently it wasn't just Ash who saw this Charizard as a threat. Pikachu slipped into a fighting stance that was he never used in a gym battle.
Ash exhaled. 'I am ready. There is no need for the minute wait for preparations.'
Blaine signaled he was ready too.
'This is the final bout between Ash Ketchum and Gym Leader Blaine. Begin!'
'Test his speed. Charge.'
Pikachu took two bounds forwards before he disappeared in a streak of electricity with sparks trailed off his cheeks. The energy of the charge screeched a high pitch whine. The distance was short between Pikachu and Blaine's Charizard. It was still more than enough time for Blaine to respond.
'Flame thrower.' Blaine called while watching the zig zag movements Pikachu made across the floor.
Pikachu finally got into Elafris' range. Both pokemon's eyes locked as they both released their elemental attacks face to face.
Pikachu jumped at Elafris and used his tail to arc his jump over the flame thrower. The flame thrower was far faster than Pikachu was expecting and he could not clear it all. Pikachu gave a cry in pain. His side and tail were burnt badly. That did not stop his attack that enshrouded Elafris in a field of electricity.
Ash rolled to the side to avoid the flame thrower. Its attack was a narrow funnel that reached past where he stood and slammed against the mountain wall. Ash gritted his teeth as he saw Pikachu land the follow through quick attack on Elafris' head to knock him over. It was enough to interrupt the flame thrower. Ash was relieved Pikachu was able to move past the burst of pain.
Pikachu quickly looked at the damage at his scorched fur and felt like limping from the pain on his side. He called back to Ash while holding the electric attack on Elafris.
'I know.' Ash called. That attack could have end Pikachu had he not been able to dodge.
Ash looked at his partner's still smoking body.
'Headbutt.' Blaine called calmly. His eyes looked intently on the fight. He already knew what he wanted Elafris to do next.
Pikachu dodged the headbutt but had to break the electric link that he fed into the Charizard. Elafris immediately on his own gathered energy into his fist and punched at PIkachu who was in mid air. Pikachu curled up and let himself take the hit. He used his eyes to try and judge the fist before he pushed himself off the fist. It barely worked. Pikachu landed and bounced several feet away before he skidded to a halt. Elafris stood back up largely unhurt but still feeling the ache of the electricity.
Ash saw how fast the recovery was for Blaine's pokemon and quickly he yelled.
'Reset.'
Pikachu followed his command to get back into the ready position on Ash's side of the gym. He continued to charge electricity that streaked behind him and into the air. The Charizard was not going to let that happen.
'Firespin, Fly, Seismic Toss.' Blaine ordered. He already began to predict what the next response may be.
Elafris flapped his wings once to get him off the ground. The second flap of his wings was enough to nearly catch up to Pikachu. Elafris exhaled a blaze of a firespin. Pikachu was forced to stop as a circle of fire that reached the ceiling surrounded him. Pikachu looked around trying to find where Elafris was coming from. Pikachu grunted as two massive hands punched into him and grabbed his small body. Pikachu felt his stomach lurch as he was pulled into the air.
'Thunderwave, Swift.' Ash called while watching the pair rise into the air. Pikachu barked a 'chaa!' as a wave electricity soaked the gym in a burst of light. A moment later, stars began to chase the pair.
'Bat them away with your tail. Finish that toss!' Elafris used his tail to swat away the stars only for them to explode violently against his tail into waves of electricity.
Ash watched Elafris not even pause at the attacks. Pikachu cried out as he was constricted into the Charizards grip.
Ash watched the loop that would start the Seismic Toss. Pikachu needed some way to recover. Charizard roared its victory. It was a cry that made Ash's heart-
*BEAT*
Ash did not know where it came from but his voice lost its worried tone. A steel like quality entered his voice.
'Pikachu, make him flinch.'
Pikachu used the jostling explosions from the failed swift attack to allow him to turn and glare at Elafris. His eyes shone a pale blue light and the rumbling against the Charizards chest shook his whole body. It was the only warning Pikachu gave to the other pokemon to let him go. Elafris ignored it to complete his attack. Pikachu felt his fur flare into spikes as soon as he tapped into the latent energy in his body that was so rarely used as electricity.
Pikachu looked at Elafris' chest and buried his face into the larger pokemons' body. Pikachu opened his mouth and screeched an unnatural pitched scream. Elafris was so startled, it was primal instinct that made him push Pikachu away.
Pikachu was in free fall for a few seconds before he rightened himself and landed on all fours.
Elafris nearly did not recover. He skidded to a halt on Blaine's side of the gym. He looked at the small pokemon wearily.
Pikachu looked up with blue leering eyes. Electricity rolled off him. His fur was spiked. He opened his mouth and two sounds came out, one from his own voice and one that rumbled in his tiny chest.
'Quick attack. He's off balanced.' Ash watched the Charizard with cold eyes. 'Corner him.'
Pikachu charged, blue eyes filled with energy.
'Megapunch' Blaine called even while trying to understand what just happened. Elafris haltingly raised his fist to punch Pikachu. Pikachu barked out a hiss sound and tackled the Charizard's shoulder. He dropped to the ground and with another rumble deep in the mouse pokemon's chest bit hard into Elafris' knee. It was more reaction than actual damage that Charizard pulled back from the attack.
Pikachu kept eye contact with the larger pokemon. 'Pressure him.'
Blaine was beginning to understand what Ash was trying to do. 'Elafris take to the air. Get some perspective.'
Pikachu launched electricity at Elafris' wing and leaped into Elafris' shoulder before the Charizard could respond to his trainers' orders. Pikachu glared keeping eye contact with the red pokemon. When Pikachu bit hard into Elafris' wing, the Charizard had already off balanced. A growl and a fierce glare made Charizard rear back farther allowing him to fall over from his own off balanced weight.
'Fire spin, try and get some distance.' Blaine called urgently. Blaine looked to Ash. He knew that this was why that bastard had asked him to use Elafris.
Ash stared at the field. 'Don't let him breathe.'
Pikachu tackled into Charizard's lungs to halt the inhale for the attack. He used his electricity to help slow the dragons reaction time again to make another clumsy dodge even slower.
Ash stared at the field and saw what he needed to do. Every time Blaine called for a counter or an interception, Pikachu would roar. The pause was enough to allow Pikachu to slip pass and attack. Pikachu was listening to Blaine's commands now more so than his. Pikachu needed every second he could get to stop Elafris before he moved.
Ash swallowed. He watched for every hesitated step Elafris took. Ash saw every flinch Blaine's pokemon made. It was not long before Elafris was not able to comprehend what Blaine was saying. How could he when Pikachu interupted him everytime Blaine spoke. The momentum built for Pikachu as Elafris got slower, Pikachu moved faster.
Ash looked at the Charizard and knew Pikachu was mismatched for this fight. The damage Pikachu could do to the fire pokemon was insignificant. Pikachu could not hurt Elafris. Not with phsyical attacks, and Elafris already showed he took little damage to Pikachu's thunder. It would take energy gathered over a long time to really hurt the pokemon.
Blaine's Charizard was powerful. Far stronger that any opponent Pikachu ever fought.
'Cut him off. Don't let him fly.' Pikachu responded with a screech that shook the room.
Ash had felt this echo of a memory when Blaine released his pokemon. The opponent was too strong. He had to deter Elafris from attacking Pikachu. It would only take one solid hit for Pikachu to get knocked out.
He needed to make sure Elafris would not attack immediately if Pikachu had to stop and charge for a knock out attack.
Elafris was the bigger pokemon. He had the most experience. He had the most power. The stronger defense...
Pikachu snarled and disappeared out of Elafris' vision only to bite hard against the back of the Charizard's right wing. Pikachu roared and growled into the Charizard's ear and disappeared in a burst of speed to tackle one side repeatedly. Pikachu kept forcing Elafris to use his shoulder and his wings to protect himself.
Blaine gave an order. Elafris would pause at Pikachu's intense glare. Ash realized after a moment he was not even listening to Blaine. He couldn't afford the distraction.
Ash was not sure if Pikachu could win this fight. But he was going to try and create an opening if they could just keep fighting.
Ash thought the drop of water was a bead of sweat that rolled off his head. The second one hit him right on top of his head. Ash saw a third fall in front of him. Ash looked up and saw the ceiling. It snapped with electricity. Ash just found a path to victory.
Ash refocused just as Elafris took a step back. The Charizard looked back to Blaine unsure what to do. Blaine nodded in understanding. Blaine called in his final orders to try and finish the match. Elafris froze when Pikachu shot two bolts of lightning to cut him off from moving. Again the energy could not hurt Elafris, but it did the job of making him slow.
Ash called out. 'Cancel. Charge the ceiling.'
Blaine looked up at that announcement and he closed his eyes in defeat.
Pikachu snarled at Elafris before he ran back to the center of the gym to give himself some room. He skidded to a halt and turned back to the Charizard. It spoke volumes that Elafris did not try to capitalize on Pikachu's exposed back.
Just moments before the flash of light, Elafris looked at Pikachu and saw the difference as soon as Pikachu stopped trying to overwhelm him. Pikachu's eyes were cheerful and black. His fur was no longer spiked. Pikachu looked soft and round now, nothing like the jagged spike of fear he was just moments before.
Pikachu summoned all of the electricity he could and pulled from the air above him. The steam from the last two rounds had covered the ceiling inside the volcanic cave. It glistened on the rocks. A single snap of electricity came from the ceiling before it struck Pikachu. The impurities in the rock combined with the cooling condensation on the ceiling made the entire room one giant battery. One that Pikachu had unknowingly charged since the start of the match.
Ash looked at the Charizard happy with the victory. Ash's smile faltered when he really looked at Elafris. The Charizard looked scared. Blaine's pokemon was visibly shaking. His breath was haggard and his wings were slouched. He was not even going to try and dodge the attack. He was waiting for the finishing blow. Ash looked at him and realized he was already beaten. Ash could only win by knock out. But this suddenly felt needlessly cruel. 'I am sorry.'
Ash breathed through his nose as he made a decision...
'Hold.'
Pikachu slowly released the energy harmlessly into the ground. Pikachu turned around to look at his trainer. 'Pikapi?'
'We forfeit. I am sorry Pikachu.'
So this was it then, I lost the gym battle. Ash exhaled and looked up. He would be disappointed later.
Ash walked across the stones to the gym floor and met Blaine in the middle of the field. He looked helplessly at the shaking Charizard who was recalled with no fanfare.
'Winner, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town two to one.'
Ash looked up surprised. He forgot. He had already won the gym challenge. He had won before Pikachu stepped onto the field. He did not need to do any of this. He felt nauseous thinking about it. What had he been doing? What had he trained Pikachu to do?
When Blaine stood in front of him, Ash could not even muster the strength to look at him. Ash was not proud of what he did.
'I told you Ash. It won't always feel good.' Ash looked up at the older man. Guilt covered him like a cloak at what he did. Pikachu looked up matching his trainer's expression.
Blaine looked at him somberly. 'You felt Elafris was an opponent you could not win against... Didn't you?' Ash looked down and after a moment nodded.
Blaine sighed but knew that something like this could happen to Ash. But he had not realized he would be the one that would instigate it. Blaine looked at Ash's partner and stroked his chin. He knew Ash and his Pikachu were close when they were defending the S.S. Anne. Maybe it was because the gym battle was with his Pikachu?
'None of our attacks were working. Any full-on attack Elafris would have done could have decimated Pikachu. We needed time to set up the finishing blow. And then I remembered preparing Pikachu for something... We-'
Ash began to see what he was training Pikachu for. Ash was preparing Pikachu for a much bigger job. Ash did not know what that job would be. But he wanted Pikachu by his side when he did it. Ash thought wildly Why did I teach Pikachu to do any of this. What did I want to accomplish with this?
Truthfully, Ash did not know where it all came from. He had never trained Pikachu to make his opponent too scared to fight back. He taught him how to prevent an attack to help them get an advantage. He trained Pikachu to not be intimidated when they fought bigger and stronger pokemon. He shouted to get Pikachu to respond and show the other pokemon he wasn't afraid. It all made sense when he trained Pikachu, but now after seeing what it did when it all combined in a battle field...
Blaine nodded. 'I understand Ash. I am not angry. And I have seen this in many people over the years. Even though you are an adult you are still very young.'
Ash closed his eyes and willed his eyes not to tear.
Blaine smiled at him and looked at the viewing box before he signaled one of his disciples to close the blinds to give them some privacy on the floor.
'Cry Ash, It's just us now. I know you are disappointed.'
Ash started to cry at the total pointless of it all. Why was he so frustrated? Why was he so angry? He had won! Why could he not stop crying? Pikachu leaned into Ash's leg for support. But even Pikachu looked like he was tearing up.
'This has to be a low for me. I've never been so disappointed in my self.' Ash said around gasps of tears. 'I never wanted to win like this.'
Blaine patted the boy's head.
'Ash look at me.'
Ash looked up still trying to fathom what he was feeling. 'You stopped your self.'
Ash sniffed slightly. He knew he did not like attacking a helpless pokemon. Even an opponent. Elafris was not an enemy. He was just a pokemon who was trained to do a job.
'Ash I am just glad you are experiencing this now. Better now where it is safe to learn these personal lessons rather in the field. I told you Ash, you can be selfish. This is part of that too. You don't need to train Pikachu to face threats when it is not your job. Allow your self some time to just enjoy training for your gym battles.'
Ash nodded. He did not understand what Blaine meant. He did not even know he had been doing anything other than training his pokemon. Again, it would take a long time for Ash to really understand what Blaine was talking about.
'I had wanted to introduce you to a few people. But that can wait until later. Right now Ash, you should know you did nothing wrong. You did what you had to do to win. I told you before right? That you experienced something that would change you. What you are feeling is normal.'
Ash gave a nervous laugh as that memory and his confusion of that chat came back to him. 'I really wish it did not have to feel this bad.'
'No one ever does Ash. When you think about this experience just remember that this was a ten badge battle. It is a test to see what would you do against a wild pokemon. If it was a wild pokemon, they would have retreated long ago from your Pikachu. You deterred your threat Ash. And you did it with out harming him. If you need to think about this match, think of that. You won against Elafis with out harming him.'
Ash took some comfort from that. But the pain of what he could make Pikachu, what he could make any of his pokemon do disturbed him. When Ash thought about it, he could make them all do what Pikachu did.
Blaine stepped back to look at Ash when the boy finally relaxed. 'Ash we had rules we had to follow. And you followed them to the letter. If anything this is my fault. I misjudged the mental damage Elafis was taking. As soon as I saw he was becoming ineffective I should have recalled him and forfeit.'
Ash looked mutinous at the idea of Blaine forfeiting. The old man laughed the the boy's reaction. 'Go back to your room. I'll send you up some food for lunch. There is a banquet tonight for the guests who are visiting. They had come for the placement matches they will be taking. The Indigo Plateau tournament has seeds, and these matches determine who those seeds are. But the officials wanted to hold off the gathering so the seeds can see you. They felt the seeds should see who their potential oppenent is if not this year maybe in the next.'
Ash did not even register what Blaine implied. Ash sunk in on himself. They had seen that last fight?
'I'll come to the dinner. I think I just need to come to terms with what I almost did to win a match. I don't think I will be good company right now. It will wash over in a bit. And I'll be annoyed I got upset at all.'
Blaine grinned at him. 'Alright. But Ash. If you ever need to talk, my door, Surge's door for that matter, will always be open.'
Ash smiled and nodded. 'Thank you sir.'
Blaine watched him walk away with Pikachu trailing behind him. 'Ash!'
Ash turned around. He was already half way across the gym. Blaine threw him the badge. 'Congratulations Ash. Two more to go.'
Ash caught the badge. He looked at it briefly and felt a little bit of the joy coming back to him for getting the badge. 'Thank you Blaine.'
-o-
Blaine waited until Ash had left. When the doors were closed and he confirmed the blinds were shut, he pulled out a potion reserved for emergency healing kits. Once it was emptied into the pokeball Blaine released Elafris.
The Charizard looked around tiredly. His body shook slightly. Blaine did not know if it was from unhealed nerve damage, or actual mental strain. 'I am sorry Elafris. I should have called the match when you could no longer fight. They had shut you down completely didn't they?'
The Charizard grunted in agreement. Elafris closed his eyes and let himself lay there willing for the thoughts of the match to escape him. 'You did well. But it will be weeks before we can see if they had done any long term damage. At the very least we know that there are no more ten badge battles we are expected to fight in for the rest of the season.'
Elafris sighed in understanding.
'How is he?'
Blaine gently patted Elafris' head. 'He is mature enough that Pikachu's fight should not imprinted any lasting damage.' Blaine took to time to make sure Elafris was relaxed before recalling him. Blaine stood up and turned around. 'But we will see. I am worried about how helpless and ineffective Elafris felt during the fight. I really want to be mad at you. But you were right.'
Lance gave the older man an apologetic shrug. 'I needed to make sure Ash could handle it. If I didn't I would never consider having him be invited. It's the reason why I agreed to help you train up Elafris in the first place. Ash will run into plenty of pokemon like him if he decides to accept the invitation to the Indigo Plateau Tournament.' Lance looked up to the ceiling and whistled at the burnt marks from the lightning that struck Pikachu moments before Ash forfeited the match. He looked back to Blaine when the old man gave him an impatient huff.
Lance laughed good naturedly. 'Really I think the Indigo League Tournament would be a waste for him. But the decision will be up to him. He can seek fame through the new comers tournament, or he can think about his career and keep his options open and accept the challenge of the Indigo Plateau Tournament.'
Blaine glared at him. 'I thought you said he would be invited regardless of his choice so long as he won my gym challenge.'
Lance smiled genially at him. 'Oh I will honor your request. He has got his invitation as soon as he completes his minimum eight badges. But if he becomes as reputable as we both know he will be in an open tournament. Well... There are doors that I would think would suit him well if he does not participate in the new comers tournament.'
Blaine held his glare at Lance before shaking his head. 'You are too annoying to deal with right now. My pokemon are hurting. Good day Champion Lance.'
'Such hostility Blaine.' Lance chastised as Blaine swept past him to get his bag he left in the gym leaders square. 'But you are right, take care of your pokemon. I'll see you at the banquet.' Lance turned and walked out the door.
Blaine watched him go. After an aggravated grunt, he started to go upstairs from the path he came in. A few of the guests would be disappointed they could not talk to the victor right away.
Tough break. Blaine thought with a disgruntled huff. The gym leader mindlessly walked into the room for the guests and found Misty. She stood with barely held patience at the door.
'Is Ash ok?' Misty asked gently.
'He will be eventually. What did the others say?'
Misty shook her head but looked back to the other guests. 'Giovanni had a few words he would like to speak to Ash about. Which was a turn around from what he said before the match.' She looked at the other guests, but no one saw what was so glaringly wrong with the last fight like she did.
'The rest of them were impressed. I don't think anyone noticed something was off at all. They never met Ash before today. To everyone it was just a clean match.'
Blaine nodded. 'He's checked into room two-thirty-two on the second floor. I recall you said he was your friend? He could use a friend right now.'
Misty bowed a thanks to him and ran off. Blaine watched her go with a smile. Once inside the guest room he looked to see everyone waiting.
'It looks like Ash will need a break after that match. He will be down later this evening.'
There was a murmur of understanding. Blaine could always say that Ash simply slept through dinner if he did not make an appearance. And that would be enough for most of them.
-o-
Ash walked down to the recovery bay. Pikachu looked tired and Ash mindlessly picked him up and carried him in his arms. Ash looked over Pikachu carefully and realized abruptly he had never held Pikachu like this since he started his journey. Pikachu was falling asleep, lulled by the rhythmic steps down the hall. Ash leaned down and kissed the mouse's head. 'I am sorry buddy. There were so many things I did wrong. And none of it was your fault.'
Pikachu slept quietly with the occasional grimace of pain from his burns. Ash soon found himself at the recovery bay where one of the trainers who works for Blaine greeted him. 'Hello Mr. Ketchum. How was the match?'
Ash nodded tightly. 'We did well. I want my pokemon to rest through the afternoon and to tomorrow morning.'
The trainer nodded and started setting up the process. Ash watched idly while the trainer set up the recovery unit. Unlike in a pokemon center, the recovery unit was right next to the person who was manning the desk. Ash only ever saw the recovery unit in Cerulean before. This one was a little more advanced. It was a lot cleaner and newer looking than the one he saw the last time. Ash handed over his pokemon from his belt and gently set down pikachu on the table.
'Wake up little guy. I am going to put you in your pokeball.'
Pikachu slowly woke up and grimaced. When he saw his pokeball, 'Pikapi!'
Ash smiled when Pikachu held his arm off. 'All of you need to recover. Especially you.' Ash gently ran his hand near one of the burns. Pikachu flinched and cried in pain.
'See? I will be fine. Get some rest. I'll talk to you guys when you are all awake and fully healed tomorrow. The others will want to know the results of the bouts.' Pikachu dropped his ears at the idea of sharing what they did. After a moment, Pikachu licked Ash's cheek before he allowed himself to be pulled into his pokeball.
'Rest well guys.' Ash handed his last pokeball to the trainer and bid the man a good afternoon.
Ash made his way to his room and set down his belt clip on his bed. It was barely past noon and he felt as if he was ready for bed. A gym battle would normally drain him. But this one seemed more intense. There were a lot of mistakes. Ash was very happy and proud how Snorlax and Psyduck performed. But it was his decisions with Pikachu that still weighed heavy on him.
Ash moved outside to the balcony in his room and sat down. The heated air blew up from the waterfall below him. Ash sighed and leaned back in his chair. He allowed for all the emotions today catch up with him and he dozed.
-o-
Misty knocked several times. Misty saw the door was unlocked and was not even completely shut. Ash was there. He was just not responding. After the fourth knock, Misty covered her face to hide her embarrassment. After a hesitated moment, she opened the door and let herself in. She looked around curiously before she noticed the door leading outside was open. Ash rested on a reclined chair facing outside.
Misty smiled and walked quietly to Ash only to notice he was sleeping, his mass of black hair was everywhere. She ran her hand through his hair. It was rare to see him with out his hat. She stopped when his head moved. Ash looked over his shoulder sleepily and stared at her.
He smiled and leaned into her hand. Misty did not know how to take the movement before the boy sighed.
Eyes closed, Ash asked, 'You saw all of that Misty?'
Misty paused with playing with his hair only to wrap her arms around his neck. Ash sat back awkwardly into his chair as she leaned over the chair to hug him.
'I missed you too Ash.'
Ash exhaled a laugh but leaned back into her arms and just absorbed the support Misty could give him. 'We really should have forfeit sooner.'
'Don't think that Ash. It was a ten badge gym battle. The rules are very different when you fight a gym battle. You said you saw lower ranked gym battles. So you already know how different it is for you. Remember how you burned Erika's gym?' Ash sulked into the chair at the reminder. Misty giggled into his shoulder. 'Well the fight was registered as a ten badge battle. It is actually expected that a gym take some kind of damage for those types of fights.'
Misty walked around and reached for his hand. 'Ash, do you feel like you made a mistake when you had Pikachu fight Blaine's Charizard?'
Ash nodded. 'I did not see Elafris at all during that fight. I just saw a pokemon who was dangerous. I- I did not even see what I was doing to Elafris. I was just happy we were able to hold him off. And we could win. If i had not looked at him before Pikachu fired that attack, I would never have know what I was doing. That scares me. I don't want to fight like that.'
Misty squeezed his hand.
'Misty we don't go looking to make our opponent too sacred to fight. But that is what I did.' Ash glared at the ground.
'I should have found another way. I could done something different to stall for time. This was not me. It was not Pikachu. This is not how we should fight.'
She held his hand and gave it one squeeze before standing and pulling Ash to his feet.
'Ash, think about that fight again. What did you make pikachu do exactly?' She pulled him out of the balcony and onto the bed so they could sit facing each other.
Ash allowed himself to be pulled along until they both sat down centered on the bed. 'I wanted to make Elafris stop attacking.' Ash reasoned out. 'I gave orders to make sure he could not hurt Pikachu.'
Misty nodded and hum in agreement. 'You did that, you watched for what Elafis would do, and prevented him from doing every move Ash. After the first clash, you dominated the fight. Remember when I said you were a scary trainer?' Ash sulked into the bed. Misty laughed but pushed his shoulder playfully to make sure he was looking at her. 'You did what you saw you could do. And you did it the most efficient way possible.'
Ash glared at the ceiling before agreeing. 'But that doesn't excuse me just backing Elafis into a corner. I should have pulled back when I saw it work. Like I did when I judged a pokemon was about to pass out. I could have ordered Pikachu back sooner.'
Misty shook her head. 'Ash I was watching remember? If you had given Elafis a chance, he would have won the fight. I know you and Pikachu understood that in some way, or you would never had tried to intimidate him for as long as you did.'
Ash grunted. Ash did not feel like he won anything in the final bout.
Ash would never mind when he would loose. He was honestly still surprised he has not lost a gym battle before today. But to win a battle when his opponent was clearly waiting for it to end...
Misty simply watched him as his thoughts played out across his face. She repressed her own relief when it looked like Ash was listening and sorting it out. 'Ash there is one thing I want to talk to you about regarding that gym battle. And I am sorry to reopen a wound that is just beginning to heal. But I think it is important. And quite frankly I am both surprised and not surprised you have never learned it before today. Six gyms in, and its such a basic thing you never needed to learn.'
Ash looked at her confused. Misty leaned over and pulled him into a hug to give him support before she said, 'Ash think about the whole gym battle. This is the first time you used multiple pokemon on a single gym.'
Ash nodded into her neck. When he did not say anything. Ash could feel her inhale before she asked, 'When did you decide to choose your pokemon?'
Ash pulled back to look at her. Then like every bright idea he ever had, it came to him. 'Oh...' Ash felt the pointlessness of it all when he realized what she was asking. 'I chose the order before the match. When I decided to go with Pikachu I only had the choice between him and Pidgeot... But had I thought about match ups..' Ash paused really thinking about if he had the option to choose pokemon.
Misty nodded her head in understanding. Ash never had to judge when to use a pokemon against an opponent. He had always chose to fight with one across multiple opponents. He had always called it training against his team's weaknesses.
'I would never have put Snorlax against Tinder.' Ash leaned into his hands. It was such a simple answer. 'If I really thought about it. I would have saved him for a much more tank-like pokemon. Like Elafris.'
Ash leaned back and really thought about the fight as a whole. It was a consideration he never had to make before. He never had to think about an order in which to fight his pokemon. And it showed in the outcome of the final match.
'Pikachu would have been able to take Tinder. Psyduck or Pidgeot could have handled Sulfur. And had I not been so eager to show Snorlax his first gym battle, I would have been ready for Blaine's last pokemon.' Ash laid down on his bed. He suddenly felt dizzy at the realization of it all.
A/N:
And another chapter out. Holy crap. This took so many drafts. I totally forgot to comment on Teddi's comment about pokemon that started with a 'p' I honestly did not know that was a pattern until you pointed that out. I had a good laugh.
Elafris: the corrupted spelling of the greek word elafros, elaphros: light weight or agile. I liked it since it had a double meaning in english to a small light like a candle like Charmander's tail.
