Chapter 21: Battle Spirits
"Okay, Infernape," said Ash, "I know we never saw this thing before, but if you can beat that Gengar, you can beat this... what's it called?... a Limbent?"
"A Lampent!" corrected Lazarus loudly as the crowd jeered. "Just give it up! You've never even heard of a Lampent, so how can you come up with a strategy to beat it?"
"Like this!" Ash shot back. "Infernape, Flamethrower!" Fire spewed from Infernape's mouth, but Lazarus just smiled as it raced toward his Pokemon. The attack connected, but Lampent just shrugged it off. "What?" Ash yelled in disbelief. "Infernape, go in for a Flare Blitz!" As extremely hot flames engulfed its body, Infernape charged down its opponent.
"Wait for it, Lampent!" called Lazarus. "Get ready!" Infernape's attack hit its target. It did more than the Flamethrower, but Lampent was still holding firm. Infernape was steadily pushing it backward, fighting even through the recoil damage, but Lampent seemed almost unhurt. "Use Toxic!" commanded Lazarus suddenly. Lampent splashed its opponent with purple slime, and right away, everyone could see its effect on Infernape. Ash's Pokemon sank onto one knee, its strength ebbing quickly. Lazarus, however, was not finished. "Now use Hex!" he ordered.
Hex ? thought Ash. What's that? The answer to Ash's question came promptly. A circle appeared in midair around Lampent's body. In a split second, it formed itself into a design like an eye, and a dark beam of energy shot out of it, hitting Infernape in the face. The Fire-type fell onto its back. It tried and failed to stand up again.
"Infernape is unable to battle!" announced the referee. "Lampent is the winner!"
Ash returned his fallen Infernape to its Pokeball. "Thanks a million, Infernape," he said. "You did great. Going down like you just did wasn't your fault. We didn't know what we were up against." Ash stared at Lampent, trying to find out exactly what his team had to fight. It's kind of blue, he thought to himself. Maybe that means it's Water-type? It wasn't a lot to use, but Ash had to start somewhere. Throwing his next Pokeball, he called, "Torterra, I choose you!" Torterra materialized on the battlefield again, giving a bewildered look to its opponent.
Perfect, thought Lazarus. He's acting just like he always does when faced with something he's never seen. "Lampent, Dark Pulse!" he commanded. His Pokemon aimed a beam of dark energy right at its opponent.
Torterra braced itself, and took the attack head-on. "Great, Torterra!" said Ash. "Now, Energy Ball!" Torterra sent its own attack right back at its opponent, scoring a direct hit. Lampent, however, still looked unfazed. "Not again," muttered Ash. "So Grass-type attacks won't work very well either?"
"Alright, Lampent, Inferno!" ordered Lazarus. He smiled as he watched Ash's mouth fall open; this must be another move of which his opponent was ignorant. The blue, circular part of Lampent's body started to glow red. The red glow revealed itself to be a ball of fire when Lazarus' Pokemon sent it zooming at Torterra. It was another hit, striking Torterra in the back. After the attack died, more flames erupted momentarily before dying. A second later, another round of flames took their place before dying as well.
Great, thought Ash. Lampent must be a Fire-type. And now Torterra's burned too! I need to go all out. "Torterra, Earthquake!" he called. Torterra pounded the ground with its front legs, sending shock waves around the battlefield. However, due to its burning, it could produce a much weaker attack than it could usually manage.
"Jump and move forward!" commanded Lazarus. Lampent sprang into the air, jumping half the length of the battlefield toward its adversary. When it landed, however, the ground was still rippling, and it was shaken for half a second before getting back up.
"Now we've got it, Torterra!" said Ash. "Bite!" Torterra ran forward, closing its jaws on its opponent's head before Lampent could react.
"Hex!" ordered Lazarus. The Hex struck Torterra at point-blank range. Ash's Pokemon bellowed in pain as it was thrown backward almost to the wall.
"Torterra, give it another Earthquake!" called Ash.
"Lampent, Dark Pulse!" commanded Lazarus. Lampent was faster than Torterra. The Dark Pulse hit Torterra's underbelly as it reared up for another Earthquake, and Ash's Pokemon fell onto its back. "Hex, once more!" ordered Lazarus. Another Hex attack hit Torterra, who was knocked into the wall this time. The Grass-type was knocked right side up again, but its feet did not hold it. Torterra's body hit the ground with a loud crash.
"Torterra is unable to battle!" the referee said. "Lampent is the winner!"
Ash returned Torterra to its Pokeball. "Thanks, Torterra," he said gratefully. "I wouldn't have lasted this long without you in the battle. Now it's time for you to rest." He took his final Pokeball in his hand and stared at it. He might not know much about the Hex and Inferno attacks, but he knew that he had to keep his last Pokemon from getting hit by them at all costs. And he might not know much about Lampent, but he was pretty sure it was a Ghost-type, which meant that a Ghost-type or Dark-type move could deal major damage to it. Fortunately, his last Pokemon could land the right hits and avoid getting hit by its opponent. Ash threw his last Pokeball. "Muk, I choose you!" Muk emerged from its Pokeball, looking ready to enter the battle at last. "Muk," said Ash, "it's all down to you! Give this battle all you've got!"
"Lampent, Dark Pulse!" commanded Lazarus.
"Muk, Sludge Bomb!" ordered Ash. The two attacks collided, canceling each other out.
"Now, Inferno!" called Lazarus, trying to capitalize on his initiative.
However, as the fireball streaked toward his Pokemon, Ash shouted, "Minimize!" Muk's body contracted, squeezing into a tighter volume, and the attack sailed over its head harmlessly.
Lazarus ground his teeth is frustration. According to his most recent information, Ash's Muk had never used Minimize before. A more accurate attack would have to suffice. "Lampent, another Dark Pulse!" he commanded.
"Poison Gas!" ordered Ash. Muk spewed out a thick cloud of dark gas, which quickly enveloped Lampent, poisoning it. Muk winced as the Dark Pulse struck its body hard. "Great job, Muk," said Ash, "now use Sludge Bomb!" Again, globs of toxic ooze zoomed through the air at Lampent.
"Inferno!" called Lazarus. Lampent was only a little too slow with its attack. The Inferno connected with the Sludge Bomb after traveling only a few inches, exploding in its originator's face. "Use Inferno again!" Lazarus growled in fury. However, Lampent was now far away from its opponent, and the attack missed by a few feet. "Get closer and launch another Inferno!" Lazarus shouted. Lampent bounded closer to its opponent, launching its powerful attack again.
"Muk, Minimize!" commanded Ash again. Muk contracted its body still further. Again, the Inferno missed. Meanwhile, Ash could see that the poison was doing its work. Lampent's time in the battle would eventually run out.
Lazarus was thinking the same thing. He would have to land an Inferno attack quickly if he wanted to win this battle. "Lampent, get right up close to Muk and use Purgatory again!" ordered Lazarus. Lampent jumped toward its adversary again, its body glowing red, and Muk was too slow to dodge...
"Quick, Muk, Shadow Punch with both hands!" called Ash. Two Shadow Punches connected with Lampent, throwing it backward, and it released its fireball into the air.
Lazarus' mouth dropped open. Resigning himself to the conclusion that Lampent's Inferno was useless in this battle, he commanded desperately, "Use Hex!" Lampent's attack scored a glancing hit, but Muk just shrugged it off. After pulling off the attack, the Ghost-type seemed ready to collapse.
"Okay, Muk, finish this with another Shadow Punch!" ordered Ash. Muk swung its fist again, hitting Lampent on the head. Lampent finally fell, and the flame inside its body went out.
"Lampent is unable to battle!" announced the referee. Muk is the winner! And the winner of this match is Ash from Pallet Town!"
"Yes!" yelled Ash jubilantly, pumping a fist in the air and running toward his victorious Muk. "I knew you could win, Muk!" Muk jumped on top of Ash, hugging its trainer affectionately.
Lazarus could only stand still in shock, his eyes wide. He had used both of his surprise Pokemon, Marowak and Lampent, in an all-out attempt to defeat Ash, who had such a callous disregard for Ghost-types. Even so, Ash had managed to win. How did this happen? he wondered, still standing in the same place. Finally, aware of his surroundings, Lazarus recalled Lampent and ran off the field without a word to anybody.
Ash's victory party had him awake much later than he was accustomed to staying up. Ash had been mobbed by fans like never before as he left the stadium, and he could not get time with his group to plan the party. After trying (and failing) to do this several times, he had decided to reserve the hotel's banquet hall and include his new fans in the celebration.
Ash enjoyed the attention from all his fans at first. Whether someone requested an autograph, a story from his time as a trainer, or just a word of inspiration, he was more than happy to give it. However, the excitement began to wear off when several fans started demanding his undivided attention at the same time; Ash was never good at multitasking. Finally, three girls, all around the age of twelve or thirteen, all came up to him at once, blushing deep red. After he had signed an autograph for each of them, the only brunette in the group asked him, "Hey, Ash, umm... I was wondering... can you give me a kiss?"
"Uhh..." said Ash, dumbfounded.
However, before he could complete his response, the tallest girl, who had shoulder-length blond hair, said, "Hey, Sasha, what are you trying to pull? We played rock-paper-scissors for who gets to kiss him first, and I won!"
"Oh, you two are such babies!" exclaimed the third girl, whose blond curls almost reached her waist. Stepping forward, she continued, "Can't you see that he wants a kiss from me?"
"No you don't, Penny!" yelled the other two girls in unison, each pulling a fistful of Penny's hair. A furious cat fight ensued, and Brock, Dawn, Mrs. Ketchum, and most of the others in the hall laughed loudly. Misty broke up the fight, grabbing all of three of the offending girls by the ears and escorting them out of the hall.
"Thanks, Misty," said Ash gratefully when Misty had returned. "I owe you for that one." However, the party became much less enjoyable after that. Many people asked Ash which of the three girls he would most like to kiss, and Ash, who wasn't interested in any girl at all, could only shrug nervously. All in all, it was a big relief when the last of the fans left at 12:45, and Ash, who was thoroughly tired, went straight up to his room to sleep.
The next morning, Mrs. Ketchum knocked on her son's door to wake him up. "Ash? Are you up yet?" she called through the door.
Ash opened the door, still in his pajamas and looking like he had just woken up. "Hi, Mom, good morning," he said groggily.
"Nice to see you up, sleepyhead," Mrs. Ketchum teased.
"Why? What time is it?"
"It's almost ten."
"What?" said Ash, embarrassed. "Where's everyone else?"
"Oh, we all finished breakfast about an hour ago." Seeing the incredulous look on Ash's face, she continued, "Oh yeah, and you have a letter. This came in today at the front desk." She handed Ash an official-looking envelope.
"What's this?" Ash asked. He opened the envelope. It was an invitation to the Champions' League Christmas party, open to only the best eight competitors, Pokemon League officials, and their immediate families. "Wow!" said Ash. "So we're going to the party here?"
"Of course," replied Mrs. Ketchum. "But you'll have to get up earlier than you did today if you want to open presents beforehand."
"Okay, Mom."
"And you'll have to get dressed up nice, too! Who knows, there might be more pretty girls there who want your attention!"
"Mom!" Ash whined. He turned back into his room to get dressed, thinking. Christmas was only a week from today! And he hadn't bought a single present for anyone...
Mrs. Ketchum was thinking as well as she walked away from Ash's room. How would she explain it to her son? Someone else would be at the party who would make give him a startling revelation. Now, she only had until Christmas to explain everything...
That night, though, Ash was wide awake. He had spent the afternoon having fun with Misty, Brock, and Dawn, and the three were now finished with dinner. They were on their way to the main arena to watch what promised to be an exciting battle: Paul versus Brandon, a fitting conclusion to the third round. In addition to being the last match of the round, it was also promising to be the most heavily scrutinized. Brandon, with his three legendary Pokemon, was the most feared trainer in the tournament, and his every battle drew thick crowds and heavy publicity. An hour before the match, Ash and his friends made their way to the stadium, wanting to get good seats. They were talking excitedly when they saw a familiar face: Lazarus was standing in front of them. "Ash?" he asked, and they could all sense nervousness in his voice.
"Hi, Lazarus, what's up?" asked Ash, sounding just as anxious as his third-round opponent. He did not know what to expect after his battle with Lazarus.
"I owe you an apology," said Lazarus. "After you entered the sacred Ghost-type grove, I... took you for someone who didn't care about Ghost Pokemon. Because of this, my sportsmanship in our battle was terrible. For that, I'm sorry." He paused, then continued, "I also see that I sized you up wrongly. Reflecting on our battle, I could see that you care more about your Pokemon than I do. I tried to win by strategizing for your Pokemon without taking the strengths and weaknesses of my own Pokemon into account. Morty was right. I need to consider my own Pokemon first in a battle, like you do. I hope you accept my apology." Lazarus bowed his head in shame.
Ash was dumbfounded. Lazarus had been a jerk all through their battle, and he expected an apology to make everything alright. He half wanted to say this to Lazarus, but then remembered some of his own words and actions in the weeks before the tournament: his blow-up at Misty, May, and Gary, his harsh words to Infernape over a little mistake, beating all his Pokemon to pieces while training them... He had been the one begging for forgiveness then, just like Lazarus was now, and it had taken him a great deal of courage to do so. Lazarus had to be almost as brave to ask for forgiveness now, even though he had not been a friend of Ash's before the battle. "That's okay," Ash finally said. "There were lots of times when I was battling you that I didn't know what to do, like when you started using... Lampent, was it?"
"Yeah, Lampent," said Lazarus. "I didn't expect you to beat Lampent. I caught it far away from here, in the Unova region, and it was one of my secret weapons."
"Unova?" repeated Ash. It was the first time he'd thought about this faraway region since talking to Professor Oak weeks before the start of the Champions' League. The reality of this new region to explore came back to him suddenly.
"Yes. I traveled there for six years, and I only came back to start my gym a few months ago."
"So that's where you were for all that time! When I looked you up, I thought you just hadn't battled for six years!"
Lazarus chuckled; it was the first time Ash had heard him laugh. "Yeah. It's a great region too. You should travel there some time; you'd love it."
"Hey," said Dawn, "weren't we going to see Paul and Brandon's battle?"
"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Ash. "Hey, Lazarus, my big rival's battling at the stadium, and we're watching his battle. Want to come?"
"Sure," said Lazarus. "I guess I can use something to do before packing tonight."
The five of them continued toward the stadium, and managed to get seats only a quarter of the way from the front row. The stadium was buzzing with chatter about the match; everyone wanted to see how Paul would fare against the Pyramid King. Finally, it was time. Paul and Brandon made their ways to the opposite ends of the battlefield, and the crowd cheered loudly. Brandon was looking alert, while Paul's anger at having to face his nemesis seemed to have evaporated, and his face showed nothing but a cold determination.
The referee then started his opening speech, and the crowd fell silent. "This is a six-on-six full battle between Brandon of the Kanto Battle Frontier and Paul from Veilstone City. It will continue until all six of one trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue, with no time limit. Each trainer may substitute Pokemon as desired. The trainer with the first attack will be determined randomly." As in the previous matches, an electronic roulette wheel made this decision. It stopped on a green wedge, giving the first attack to Brandon.
Brandon wasted no time in sending out his first Pokemon. Throwing a Pokeball, he called out, "Regirock, I need your assistance!" The Pokemon that materialized looked as if it had been carved roughly out of stone. Ash had battled against Regirock before; Sceptile, one of his strongest team members, had been completely unable to defeat it. In Brandon's previous battle with Paul, Regirock had scored three wins. How did Paul plan to take it down now?
"Weavile, stand by for battle!" shouted Paul. The black and red weasel Pokemon appeared facing Regirock.
"Huh?" said Misty. "Doesn't Paul know Weavile's at a disadvantage?"
"Yeah," answered Brock. "But if I know Paul, he has another reason for picking Weavile. He definitely has a plan."
"Stone Edge!" called Brandon, bringing the match to a start. Sharp rocks made their way toward Weavile, who looked unfazed.
"Swords Dance!" commanded Paul. Weavile started spinning around, holding its claws out. When Regirock's attack came in, Weavile's claws just smashed the rocks into gravel.
"Focus Punch!" ordered Brandon. Raising a rocky arm, the legendary golem charged forward.
However, Paul called calmly, "Ice Beam, and aim for the feet!" Weavile's attack hit Regirock's foot as it was hitting the ground, freezing it in place. Brandon's Pokemon tripped, landing on its face. "Now, Metal Claw, back-to-back!" commanded Paul. Before Regirock had even gotten to its feet, Weavile was pressing the attack. Four Metal Claws made contact in rapid succession, almost knocking Regirock over backward.
"Fight back with Shock Wave!" ordered Brandon.
"Ice Shard!" shouted Paul. Weavile pelted its opponent with a chunk of ice, but Regirock stood firm and counterattacked. The Shock Wave hit its mark but appeared to do little.
"Now use Stone Edge!" called Brandon.
"Swords Dance!" commanded Paul. Again, the Swords Dance parried the Stone Edge, eliciting another round of cheering from the crowd. This was Paul's strategy at its finest; his Pokemon was defending itself calmly, waiting for an opening to attack, boosting its own power in the meantime.
"Focus Punch!" ordered Brandon as Weavile's back turned to its opponent.
"Dodge it!" yelled Paul. Weavile easily avoided the Focus Punch, darting out of range. "Now, Ice Beam!" he called.
"Shock Wave!" commanded Brandon. The resulting collision produced a white haze over the field, obscuring everyone's vision. "Alright, Regirock, Lock-On!" Brandon ordered.
"Stay ready, Weavile!" Paul warned his Pokemon. "Here it comes!"
"Hyper Beam!" shouted Brandon. The powerful yellow-orange beam shot right toward Weavile, who was cornered by the Lock-On.
"Metal Claw to shield yourself!" called Paul as the Hyper Beam closed in. Weavile crossed its long, sharp claws over its chest, and took Regirock's attack. Paul's Pokemon was blasted back, but it landed on its feet and appeared less hurt than it would normally be. "Metal Claw again, back-to-back!" commanded Paul. Recharging from the Hyper Beam, Regirock was powerless to avoid the latest barrage of Metal Claws. Three attacks had hit before the legendary golem started to move again.
"Use Shock Wave!" shouted Brandon, feeling himself lose the thread of this battle.
"Metal Claw again!" ordered Paul. Weavile slashed Regirock across its chest before taking the Shock Wave.
"Stone Edge!" called Brandon.
However, before the rocks had even formed fully, Paul commanded, "Use Ice Shard!" Regirock took the attack at point-blank range before firing the Stone Edge. However, the Ice Shard had ruined its aim, and the rocks all passed Weavile on its left side. "Metal Claw!" ordered Paul again. Jumping, Weavile delivered another powerful attack to its adversary's head. Regirock's knees hit the ground, followed in half a second by the rest of its body.
Shouting over the admiring roar of the crowd, the referee made an extraordinary pronouncement: "Regirock is unable to battle! Weavile is the winner!"
Author's Note: Another chapter done! One battle ends, another begins, and in between, Ash gets his first taste of the dark side of fame. Ash has beaten Lazarus, and Paul has taken the lead over Brandon. Can he pull off a win?
UPDATE (04/30/11): Just changed the "Purgatory" attacks to read "Inferno."