AN: Haha! Finally, the well anticipated battle between Steven and Ash. Well I'll bet you think you know whose gonna win, well I bet you that you'll be surprised.
Disclaimer:
'Guess what!'
'What?'
'I… don't own Pokémon.'
'Hahahaha… loser'
*Sad Face*
I realized i forgot to name Torterra last chapter, so from now on it will be Jade.
Max's face lit up, literally and figuratively. The light from the explosion was blinding, and the group needed to shield their eyes to prevent loss of sight. Max was pretty sure someone just went blind and that the Pokémon league was about to have another court case on their hands.
The light from the explosion died down, and as soon as it did the results of the calamity could be properly seen. There was a giant crater in the middle of the field, and both Pokémon looked worn out, but this what Ash had planned for.
"You said you anticipated my Pokémon choice, Steven." Ash called over to the champion.
"So what if I did?" Steven asked, wondering what brought this on.
Ash grinned, "Then you should know that move was a mistake."
"Why's that?" Asked Steven in disbelief
"Synthesis." Ash ordered calmly, unlike his opponent
"Shit! Cradily use ancient power" He called frantically
Sensing it's trainer's urgency the ancient Pokémon charged its attack as fast as it could, and once it was fully charged it fired almost instantly.
Ash was unconcerned. He knew that Torterra's defensive prowess would keep it healthy even after the ancient power. He was concerned about the effects of the attack. Steven was gambling, he wanted to inflict damage as well as keep Cradily a force that could continue the fight. If his gamble worked, he had a very real shot at winning this battle. And with no substitutions allowed he couldn't swap Torterra for a more adequate Pokémon. So in a sense he was betting against Steven.
Torterra had completed the healing process and was staring down its hopefully still weakened opponent. And with Ash's next command he was about to test the waters
"Use energy ball!"
Ash knew that Steven would order a dodge; he wasn't planning a second attack. In fact, he was planning to defend.
When the dodge was successful and graceful Ash knew he was in for it.
"Quick! Jade use razor leaf into leaf storm!" Ash ordered as he saw Cradily charging at his Pokémon.
His Torterra complied and fired the attack. But when the light rain of leaves didn't stop the rock Pokemon the amount increased to a white out of leaves. Ash didn't know if the attack did notable damage or if the Cradily slowed from lack of vision, but he also didn't care.
"Use energy ball!" He commanded
Torterra charged the attack and fired. The leaves were now out of the way, but Cradily wasn't out of the woods yet. The energy ball was already on its way, but with it's speed boost it dodged gracefully. Ash however was ready, and sent a silent command for giga drain.
The ropes of power wrapped around a surprised Cradily and began sucking the energy out of it.
"I expect better from a champion." Ash sneered at Steven
Steven growled and ordered an Earthquake. Ash was surprised.
'Crap, I didn't account for earthquake. If Torterra becomes too focused on staying upright Cradily will be able to break free, and if he keeps the grip on Cradily he will fall and take maximum damage' Ash thought angrily.
"Release the Cradily and stay on your feet!" Ash called. He decided that a damaged Cradily and a next to full health Torterra was better than a KO'd Cradily and a badly damaged Sinnoh starter.
"Bad choice, Red." Steven smirked at Ash
Ash was confused, but the confusion was soon lifted as Steven explained.
"Use hyper beam!"
'Uh-oh' Ash thought
"Try and stay upright to counter with your own hyper beam." Ash called. He had no hope of dodging so the only option was to counter.
Just like before with the pair of giga impacts, the hyper beams slammed mercilessly into each other. Although with the earthquake beginning to fade Torterra was slowly beginning to prove he was the stronger Pokémon.
Steven noticed his Pokémon's beam beginning to get pushed back.
'How? Even with the boost that Pokémon is still on equal ground with my Cradily. I have to stop it, but how?' Steven thought frantically, then he realized the solution to his problem
"Use confuse ray!" Steven ordered triumphantly.
"No! Jade shield your eyes!" But Ash's cry fell on deaf ears as the mesmerizing light hit home, and hit hard.
"Damnit" Ash hissed, now he was in trouble.
'With all of Torterra's attack strength it could knock itself out with just a few hits, I have to bait Steven with a helpless ploy, then he'll fall right into my grasp.' Ash silently strategized.
"Try and use Energy ball." Ash called.
Luckily for Ash the ball charged, luckily for Steven the ball shot toward the right stadium wall.
"Well Ash, ready to forfeit your Torterra?" Steven said victoriously.
Ash smirked, his risky plan was working and all he had to do to win the match was keep it up.
"Maybe. But then again maybe not."
Steven's swagger didn't downsize by the comment it only increased.
"Either way our Torterra's gonna be in a world of pain."
"Then finish it fast." Ash sighed.
Steven grinned, "Finally I can put you in your place! Cradily, use giga impact once again!"
The flower charged at Torterra in what appeared to be the final attack. But when Steven looked at Ash he saw the trainer smirking,
"What are you so smug about? I'm winning this first match!" Steven called; he was through with this trainer and his unreadable strategy. One moment it was one thing, the next it was another.
"No, first blood's always mine!" Ash said confidently
"What?"
"Grass knot!" Ash ordered
"How is that possible?"
At a moment's notice the once confused Torterra snapped to attention and executed the command perfectly, causing the charging grass type to trip and smash into the ground. As it rolled the unstable ground cause the energy from giga impact to explode. Engulfing the field in a dust cloud. Once the dust settled the results were put on display for the entire world to see.
An unconscious Cradily lay in a smoking heap a few feet away from a straining Torterra.
The ref made his call, "Cradily is unable to battle! The victory of the first match is Red!"
The crowd went wild and the announcer took over for the ref
"And Red has scored first blood! How will Steven possibly respond to this powerhouse Pokémon?"
"How did you do that?" Steven said in disbelief.
Ash smirked, "Items are very useful, and I know for a fact your Pokemon have them as well."
Steven growled and was about to send out his second Pokemon, "Try and counter thi..."
"Actually." Interrupted a short man with a white beard, "Due to the damage to the field this match has been deemed unsafe to continue the battle. Ladies and gentlemen the battle will continue at 11 o'clock the next day. It will be a five on five match up with the same Pokémon excluding Cradily and Torterra."
The crowd booed, they were clearly clueless about the peril another battle would bring to the stadium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen you must keep your tickets, for they are your refund. The match tomorrow will be free for all of those who have purchased a ticket to today's match. Please make your way out in an orderly fashion."
Even with their competitiveness at a record high, Steven and Ash were unsurprised by Mr. Goodshow's verdict. The field felt like it was crumbling under their feet. Both trainers turned in sync and headed into their respective locker rooms.
Scene Change
"Aw, why do we have to leave?" Max whined
"Because, Max" Brock answered, "After all of those intense collisions the field machinery must be really screwed."
"Anyone wonder how Stephen knew that Red was going to use Torterra?" Misty asked
Cynthia answered this time, "Because Steven is a Champion, and anyone who isn't a champion would be a nervous wreck to go up against him."
"Oh, I see" Said Brock, finally getting the jist of it, "So Steven wanted to put up an intimidating façade to intimidate Ash... err I mean Red." Brock said
The whole group got strangely quiet,
"He really reminds you guys of Ash, huh?" Cynthia asked, trying to keep cool.
Brock nodded, "I don't really know what it is, but something about him. It could be the Pikachu, could be that we have never heard of this Red Satoshi."
Cynthia was getting slightly worried; Brock was highly intelligent. This could pose a problem, but she decided to continue with the conversation so she didn't look suspicious.
"He's properly strong though, I wonder if him and the Cinder guy that beat the Royal Line have battled before."
"Whose Cinder?" Asked May, Max and Misty also looked slightly confused.
"And what's the Royal Line?" Asked Dawn
Brock gaped at them, "How can you not know? The Royal Line is another of the most prestigious tournaments on the planet!"
Cynthia nodded, although slightly surprised Brock had heard of it.
"Really? Where is it held?" Asked Max in wonderment
"It's not held at any particular location, but it's a lot like the battle frontier. There are battle facilities in each of the major cities outside of the five main regions." Brock expertly explained
Max nodded, "I see, so is it tough?"
"Yes!" Brock nearly shouted, "The way I see it is that the Royal line is like the Elite 15, with the last five being 'champions'."
"So who are the champions and how are they appointed?" Asked an equally interested Misty
"They aren't really legit champions, they are just the previous winners of the tournament." Cynthia said
"So how is one accepted to battle the royal line? Is it like the normal Pokémon league?" May asked.
"In a way, but it is much more difficult. One has to deal with a special ranking system. Their rank is based on the ratio of wins to losses. The first rank is Trainer, then Challenger, then Prodigy, then Champion, then Legend." Brock continued his strangely expert analysis
"So you can enter the Championship as a Challenger?" Asked Misty
"No, no. One must be a high ranking Prodigy to win the honor to battle the Royal Line. And even then one must fight against the other top trainers for the chance to battle with them." Cynthia took over for Brock
"Sounds intense." Max said, Dawn and May agreed.
"You know a lot about all this, how so?" Misty asked.
"Being a champion myself I was allowed some exhibition battles against my choice of four of the Royal Legends." Cynthia said, slightly proud
"Nice," Brock said, "I take it you won the line?"
Cynthia then got a sheepish look on her face, "Well, I beat everyone but the final legendary trainer. The guy is practically invincible. Then I get news in Sinnoh that there has been a new addition to the Royal Line. Of course, I was shocked that anyone could get remotely far enough to get added to the ranks, but I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that the man I lost to was no longer holding the top position…"
"Who was it?" Max excitedly, but rudely, interrupted
"His name was Cinder, but the picture of him was unidentifiable. Although he was definitely male, even with his shoulder length hair anyone could tell that. The guy was over six feet tall, and his record said he weighed like 220 pounds." Cynthia said, taking the interruption as a compliment.
"And he wasn't fat?" Asked Brock. 220 pounds was a lot to weigh for someone who was only six feet tall.
"Not in the slightest. I actually managed to meet him once, he was solidly built, but he didn't carry himself like he was more than 17 or 18. There were no age records, but I can assure you that he was young." Cynthia continued her description.
"That's amazing, from the description he kinda reminds me of Red, doesn't he?" Dawn said with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah I guess, but we haven't even seen a picture of him yet." Brock reasoned.
"But still!" Dawn whined slightly
May was so awed by Cinder she acted like she hadn't heard the current bicker, "A kid beating what sounds like the toughest tournament on the planet? He would need even more luck than Ash had."
Brock sensed another awkward silence coming on, so he changed the subject, "Cynthia, this whole time you have been talking about Cinder in past tense, did something happen?"
Cynthia got an angry look on her face, "Yeah, the poor guy was gunned in a fight between the Royal Army and what appeared to be the remnants of the major criminal organizations. It was brutal, the body count exceeded…" Cynthia stopped herself, "Well, let's just say it was a lot."
"What happened to him?" Misty's voice nearly died in her throat, and no matter how much it pained all of them they were all thinking the same thing.
"He died of the injuries, rumors spread that he survived, but if he did no one had heard form him since."
The group got eerily quiet. They had been so into the conversation that they failed to notice they were the only one's (Minus the maintenance crews) in the stadium.
I owe Primordial Soul a massive thank you, he allowed me to use his concept of the Royal Line, and if you squint you can see that I slightly changed it, but not really. (Put this above the author's note so you guys would see it (Can't have anyone sueing me for it. (That would be bad)))
AN:
I made an allusion to the Prequel in this chapter; see if you can guess it. I won't tell you if you're right or wrong (Unless you are way off) because Proven is almost done, so the Prequel will be out relatively soon. I also want a last name for Cinder, PM me or post in a review any ideas. Any name is welcome and all will be considered. Figured I would keep you guys waiting in suspense. Just a filler chapter, probably boring (For that I am sorry) but I had almost no inspiration to write a battle.The update took a bit of time; believe me I know, I wrote it (Duh). Thanks to for allowing me to use their idea of the Royal Line, it really means a lot and makes the prequel for this story even longer… no wait, a lot longer.
