A New Chance At Life

by ARCEUS-master

After a night of suffering, Latios was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for Alto Mare, for his sister. But, fortunate events give him a new chance at life thanks to Latias and Ash. So, Alto Mare is saved and Latios is alive. With that behind them, both dragons decide to depart with Ash on his journey, how will he cope traveling with two Legendary Pokémon?

21. Intense Full Battle: SemiFinals!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Telepathy"

A/N: And here's chapter 21! Yay! This is, officially, my longest chapter EVER! So enjoy it! =D Also, I am very sorry for the delay. I was pretty busy for most part of the month of Octuber, so I started writing this during late October.

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Two days had passed rather quickly for our group of heroes, and today was the day of Ash's battle in the semi-finals.

The two days had been rather normal. The group trained lightly so that Ash's team was in proper form for the battle to come, and Latios' recovery was coming along great, though he needed pills at night so that he could sleep peacefully. They had taken him to the Pokémon Center the previous day for a quick check-up, and Nurse Joy had said that he was recovering nicely and that he didn't need the bandages anymore.

Morning came soon for our eager hero, though as usual he wouldn't wake up without some help. Latias, Latios and Pikachu stared at his sleeping form. "He isn't waking up any time soon, is he?" Latios wondered curiously.

"Nope," Pikachu replied, shaking his head. "I'll wake him up," he announced, his cheeks sparkling as a grin formed on his face.

"Pikachu!" Latias scolded. "Don't hurt him! I have a better way of waking him up. Her eyes glowed slightly as she gently interrupted his sleep with a light thought. Ash yawned and started to wake up.

"Aww," Pikachu whined. "I like to wake him up with thunderbolts…"

"But my method is much better," Latias countered. "And less harmful."

"Whatever…" Pikachu muttered. Latias giggled happily.

Ash rose from his bed and yawned. "I wish I could wake up like this every morning. I feel great!"

Pikachu sulked as Latias snickered. "Told you so."

"So, what time is it?" Ash asked curiously.

"Eight in the morning," Latias answered.

"Why so early… I want to sleep more," Ash whined, throwing himself under the covers and stuffing the pillow over his head.

Pikachu laughed. "What was that about your method being better?"

Latias sweatdropped. "I said it'll wake him up, I never said he'd stay that way."

Pikachu snickered. "Then I guess I'll have to do that," he said a little too eagerly, cheeks beginning to spark.

"Again, we have a better method," Latios interrupted, causing Pikachu to sigh. "Tell me what you think." Latios eyes glowed as he telekinetically lifted the bed and flipped it over, causing Ash to fall to the floor with a yelp.

Pikachu nodded. "That's a good one…" All three Pokémon laughed.

Misty cracked the door open slightly and peeked in. "Is everything all right? I heard someone fa-" She sweatdropped when she looked at the room. The bed was floating upside-down with Ash on the floor, Latias, Latios and Pikachu were laughing, and Latios' eyes were glowing. She sighed. "And all I asked was for them to wake him up…" she muttered before closing the door again and going back to the living room. The three Pokémon sweatdropped as Ash struggled to stand up. Latios set the bed back in its rightful place, thankfully not on top of Ash.

"Next time, I'm buying an alarm clock…" Ash muttered dizzily, finally accepting that his Pokémon would probably kill him one day with their 'wake Ash methods'.

"You've smashed all the alarm clocks you had wanting to sleep a bit more. Brock got tired of buying replacements," Pikachu pointed out.

"Damn," Ash muttered. He stood up from the bed lazily.

"Brock is making breakfast!" Latias chimed.

Ash smiled happily. "Really!" Latias nodded. Ash immediately forgot he had just woken up and ran out of the room to take a seat in the living room.

"That's how to cheer Ash up alright," Latias giggled. Latios and Pikachu nodded in agreement. They exited the room.

Ash had been forced to wake up early as he had to be ready for his upcoming match, and to have a nice breakfast courtesy of Brock. Bianca and Misty were seating at the table already.

"Morning, sleepy head," Misty greeted him. Bianca did the same.

Brock came out of the kitchen holding two plates of food. "Good morning Ash," he greeted as he set the plates on table.

"Good morning to you as well Brock, Misty and Bianca," Ash greeted with a smile. "You too Latias, Latios and Pikachu," he continued, sensing that the last three were coming out of his room just at that moment. Brock came out with the last two plates of food and set them on the table, and, after serving all the Pokémon their own breakfast, he took a seat to enjoy the most important meal of the day.

"So Ash, nervous?" Bianca asked curiously as she got ready to eat.

Ash was already eating, so he answered with his mouth full, much to everyone else's disgust. "Nope, why should I be?"

"Because the Pokémon that was the key factor for your victories against Gary and Harrison is out of the picture," Misty deadpanned.

"Even so, I can still win!" Ash replied confidently before he resumed eating.

"Yeah, he's right," Latias telepathed. "He can still win. I'm sure that his current team will do everything to make sure he prevails. Right, guys?"

All the Pokémon nodded. "Yup!" Phanpy said cheerfully. "We'll help daddy win!"

"Through I'd love to also help in the battle…" Pikachu muttered. He turned to Ash. "Is there a way I can fight, please?" Larvitar took advantage of Pikachu's distraction and took a bite out of Pikachu's plate. Latias stifled a giggle, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry Pikachu, but everyone is already eager for a battle. Besides, a rest will do you some good," Ash replied.

"That and Ash's next opponent probably expects you, so he'll get a surprise when Ash doesn't use you," Charizard noted before he resumed eating. Thankfully their living room was big enough to fit them all comfortably.

"Remember Ash, don't get nervous, and remember that you have mostly small Pokémon in your team. Use that to your advantage," Brock suggested.

"And," Misty continued. "Jon has mostly bulky or large Pokémon, so your smaller Pokémon should be nimble enough to get away from their moves and attack safely."

"Also, use Charizard to deal with any troublesome Pokémon Jon sends," Brock suggested.

"I'd also suggest that you don't limit yourself to using Charizard as your last Pokémon Ash. Maybe you can sneak in a surprise or two," Latias suggested.

"And I suggest you not mess it up," Latios said, looking at Charizard. Charizard glared at him.

Pikachu laughed. "What he means is be careful, you don't want to receive a beating like the one he took before." Latios blushed in embarrassment. All the Pokémon laughed, and the humans joined them when Latias telepathed them what Pikachu said.

Larvitar took advantage of the distraction and spirited away another bite from Pikachu's plate. "Damn Shedinja…" Latios muttered irritably.

"The next move you learn has to be one that breaks Wonder Guard… just in case," Brock announced. "I'll check later what you need to learn."

"Alright," Latios telepathed.

After a few more minutes of chatting, the group finished eating, and Pikachu was again puzzled about the fact that some of his food had disappeared. They spent the next hour or so talking with Ash about things he could do to win. Soon enough, the first semi-final battle approached.

After checking that everything was ready and everyone returned their Pokémon back to their Pokeballs, the group left the hotel. As usual, Latios exited through the balcony. He enjoyed the removal of his bandages since it meant he could turn invisible and fly freely without having to go into the Pokeball.

As the group walked to the stadium, they noticed many people were heading in the same direction. Today, the two semi-final battles would be fought, and everyone wanted to see them. Some people spared Ash a few glances, recognizing him instantly. Though most of them guessed that he was focused on his battle and didn't interrupt him, not all of them thought like that.

Macey smiled as she walked to the stadium. Usually, most trainers left the city out of spite after their elimination, but she had a reason to stay. She still had yet to ask Ash out on a date. The only days she could find him were the days he fought, and the time in-between battles he was always nowhere to be seen. She had heard he went to the forest to train or something like that… And when she tried to get near him, the red head or the silent girl always ruined her plans, but today that would change! (Or so she thought)

Macey calmly rounded the corner of a building, inspecting the crowds walking toward Silver Stadium. She grinned when she spotted Ash and his friends. She ran forward eagerly, ready to ask him out on a date again… and a bucket of water fell on her. The guy that was cleaning the windows of the building looked down in embarrassment, wondering how the hell the bucket had moved on its own and fallen on that girl.

'Yes! Direct hit!' Latias thought proudly, doing a happy dance. Thankfully, she was invisible and no one noticed except her brother. Latios stared at her in clear confusion. He felt she exerted some psychic powers. He didn't have time to pinpoint the target, so he decided to ask what had happened later.

After a few minutes of walking, they neared the Stadium. Ash turned and walked to the entrance to the battlefield. To his surprise, he found a young teen, at least sixteen or so, walking to the entrance as well. He had a blue long-sleeve button-down shirt and messy light-brown hair. He paused when he noticed Ash walking toward him. He smiled. "Hello, I'm Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town, your next opponent. Pleased to meet you."

Ash smiled back and returned the greeting. "Hi! I'm Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

"I'm impressed for such a young kid to come this far, congratulations Ash," Jon said, clearly impressed. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Thanks!" Ash said proudly.

"But I won't go easy on you. Let's fight an amazing battle, and let the best trainer win!" Jon announced, holding out his hand.

Ash smiled. "I wouldn't want it other way," he said as he shook hands with his opponent. Jon parted and walked to the guard, showing his Pokedex ID. The guard let him pass. Ash did the same, and soon both Ash and Jon entered the battlefield. The crowd cheered loudly.

"Both trainers have entered the battlefield!" the MC announced. "Everything is set for the start of the first semi-final battle!" The crowd cheered even more. "The two trainers today are impressive individuals: Jon Dickson, who has steadily dominated his battles all the way here, and Ash Ketchum, a young but strong trainer that has a Legendary Pokémon in his possession! Also, with his presence in the semifinals, Ash Ketchum has broken the record for the youngest trainer ever to reach the semifinals at eleven years old!"

"I'm so proud!" Delia squealed in the stands, startling professors Oak and Elm. They smiled at her, understanding why she was happy. Her son was at the top four of the Silver Conference, an impressive feat.

"Well Delia, I'm sure all of Pallet Town is proud. It's been a while since someone from Pallet Town competed in the last rounds of a league," Professor Oak remarked.

"Though without Latios' participation, Ash's fate in this battle doesn't look good," Professor Elm commented gloomily.

"Latios isn't Ash's entire team you know," Gary commented to Professor Elm. "Sure, he's a Legendary, but he's just one in a team of six."

"That is true," Professor Oak agreed. "And if there is one thing Ash has done superbly, it's raising his team."

"All we can do now is sit here and watch the battle play out," Delia said, looking as Ash took the red side of the battlefield, Jon took the green side.

"Besides, Ashy-boy is strong! I know that first hand," Gary commented, trying to cheer them up. "He can beat this guy!"

"Yeah!" Delia squealed, taking out her camera.

"And now, the field will be chosen!" the MC narrated. "And I wonder why we bother to change the field considering both times Ash has battled, it was completely destroyed…" Ash and Latios chuckled nervously and Latias giggled. The huge screen lit up as a segmented wheel appeared. The light started flashing through the segments, stopping on the grass drawing. "The battle will be fought on the Grass Battlefield!" the MC announced.

The field shook as the normal battlefield sunk in the ground, splitting halfway as another field replaced it. The new was lifted until it was ground level with the rest of the stadium floor. The Grass field was basically covered in a layer of grass at least one or two feet tall. Several bushes were planted here and there on the field, and there were several spots were the grass was barely a few inches tall. "And now, which trainer shall make the first move!" the MC wondered.

On the screen, another segmented wheel appeared. A light flashed around it, stopping on a green segment, meaning that the first move was Jon's. "And first move goes to Jon Dickson!"

The Referee checked to see that everything was in place. "This will be a six on six Pokémon battle with substitutions allowed on both sides! The winner will be decided when all six Pokémon from one side as unable to continue battling!" he announced. "A short five-minute rest will be taken when three Pokémon of a side are unable to continue battling!"

Jon grabbed his first Pokeball. "Let's start strong. Go, Rapidash!" he shouted as he threw the Pokeball to the field. A large horse Pokémon appeared, sporting a fiery mane, tail, and hooves. Rapidash's icon appeared on the screen in the first slot of Jon's party.

"And Jon has started with Rapidash!" the MC announced unnecessarily.

Ash hummed in thought. He smirked as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Go, Totodile!" Ash shouted as the small blue Pokémon was released on the field and did a happy dance.

"And a dancing Totodile is Ash's first choice!" the MC narrated as Totodile's icon appeared on the screen, placing itself in the first slot of Ash's team.

"The semifinals match between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town will now BEGIN!" the Referee bellowed.

"And the battle begins!" the MC cried.

"Rapidash, use Ember!" Jon shouted, ordering the first attack. Rapidash took a deep breath and spat a barrage of fireballs in rapid succession at the Water-Type.

"Totodile, dodge!" Ash ordered. Totodile began to dance, each step of his usual dance allowing him to dodge the Ember attack.

"Rapidash, Flame Wheel!" Jon shouted.

"And that folks, is a creative way to dodge!" the MC remarked. Delia thought it was very cute and took lots of pictures.

However, what Totodile didn't expect was that before he even finished dodging the Ember attack, Rapidash was already charging at him, covered in a veil of fire. "Totodile, use Water Gun on the floor!" Ash shouted. Totodile quickly aimed downwards and spat a stream of water at the ground, catapulting him into the sky as Rapidash passed bellow him a split second later. Totodile re-aimed his Water Gun, hitting the Fire Horse Pokémon in the back.

"Rapidash use Take Down!" Jon commanded. Rapidash quickly shook off the water stream and charged at the spot where Totodile would eventually fall down, which happened quickly as gravity began to take effect, forcing Totodile to descend.

"Totodile, quick, use Bite!" Ash shouted.

"You're asking Totodile to bite a Pokémon covered in fire?" Latias asked incredulously.

Ash sweatdropped. "Er, Totodile, aim for a place with no fire! Aim for the Horn!"

As Rapidash closed in on the falling Pokémon, Totodile took aim, and with a mighty bite, he clamped down on Rapidash's horn, causing the Fire Horse Pokémon to shriek. "Ouch, what a painful bite!" the MC commented. Rapidash thrashed around, trying to knock off the small blue Pokémon, but it was to no avail. The harder Rapidash thrashed, the harder Totodile bit. Rapidash swore that its horn was about to come off!

"Rapidash, use Flame Wheel!" Jon shouted, seeing his Pokémon's distress. Rapidash stopped thrashing and concentrated, the flames that covered its body spreading and turning Rapidash into a fireball.

"Totodile, Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Totodile released the horn and spat a torrent of water inside the flaming prison, creating an explosion of steam that quickly covered that portion of the field. Totodile emerged from the steam, not looking very fazed. A panting Rapidash soon appeared as well as the steam cloud dissipated.

"What an interesting battle, worthy of the semifinals!" the MC commented. The crowed cheered.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded. Totodile nodded and spat a torrent of water at the Fire-Type.

"Rapidash, use Take Down!" Jon ordered. Rapidash quickly galloped forward and with a quick move to the side, dodged Totodile's water stream.

"Hide in a bush! Then use Water Gun," Ash shouted. Totodile nodded and jumped to the side, getting behind a bush. He ducked as Rapidash slammed against the bush, and it effectively protected Totodile. Just as Rapidash finished the pass and turned for another go, Totodile fired a stream of water at the Rapidash. It shrieked as the super-effective attack slammed against it.

"Rapidash, shake it off with a Flame Wheel, and then use Fire Blast!" Jon ordered frantically. Rapidash's body detonated in an orb of fire, completely evaporating the Water Gun. A five-pointed star of fire appeared, blazing its way towards the stunned Water-type.

"Wow! What a powerful attack!" the MC remarked.

"Totodile, counter it with Water Gun!" Ash shouted. Totodile nodded and spat a water stream as hard as he could. The attacks collided, a mass of steam bursting from Totodile's Water Gun as it was vaporized by the Fire Blast, though, the Water Gun succeeded in severely weakening the Fire Blast so that by the time it reached Totodile, it was barely a bunch of embers.

Taking advantage of the steam-covered field, Ash issued his next order. "Totodile, use Water Gun!" Totodile quickly spat a torrent of water, aiming it at the form of Rapidash in the cloud.

"Rapidash, use Take Down!" Jon ordered quickly. Rapidash quickly dodged to the side and with a powerful gallop, sprinted forward at blinding speeds toward Totodile.

"Totodile, dance!" Ash shouted. Jon gave him a confused look, as did Ash's friends.

"What?" Latias and Latios questioned flatly. Ash chuckled nervously.

Totodile shrugged and did what he liked to do the most: he began to dance, jumping around as Rapidash closed in. "What is Ash planning?" the MC wondered.

Just as Rapidash was a few meters away from Totodile, the Water-Type made a quick spin in mid-dance. The completely unpredictable move was effective as Rapidash passed just beside Totodile. Ash smirked. "Totodile, use Water Gun!" he shouted. The Water-type nodded and spat a powerful torrent of water, catching the Fire Horse Pokémon mid-gallop. The force of the attack caused the Fire-type to stumble and fall to the ground. It tried to get up, but the continuous water attacks were too much, and it fainted.

"Rapidash is unable to continue battling!" the Referee shouted, raising the corresponding flag as the Rapidash's icon faded from the screen, leaving a black silhouette.

"Yes! Good job Totodile!" Ash praised. The Water-Type danced happily. Jon grabbed a Pokeball and returned the defeated fire-type.

"And Rapidash was defeated after an impressive combination courtesy of Ash's Totodile!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

"Nice one," Latias commented.

"Thanks," Ash thanked.

"Who knew dancing would be so effective for something?" Latios commented.

Jon hummed in thought as he contemplated his next possible choice. 'If I choose Ampharos, he'll switch out, so I'll bring out a little surprise!' He grabbed his next Pokeball. "Go, Steelix!" Jon shouted, tossing his Pokeball to the field. A huge iron snake divided into boulder-shaped segments, some which had huge spikes growing out of them, materialized. Steelix's icon appeared on the screen atop the stadium, on the second slot of Jon's side.

"Aw, great," Ash muttered, looking at the huge Pokémon before him, and Totodile wasn't doing any better. "I hate those."

"Talk about heavy artillery! Steelix is Jon's second Pokémon!" the MC announced.

"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Jon ordered. The huge steel-type roared as its tail shined a bright white, becoming harder than it already was. The massive tail was swung down at the Water-Type.

"Dodge and use Water Gun!" Ash ordered. Totodile quickly leaped to the side. Dodging the massive tail by mere millimeters, Totodile quickly turned and fired a stream of water at the Steel-type, hitting it in the head. The Steelix swung his tail to the side, hitting Totodile and stopping the water gun.

The sheer force of getting hit by a massive steel wall was too much for the already weakened Totodile. The Water-Type fainted as he landed with a thud. "Totodile is unable to continue battling!" the Referee shouted. Totodile's icon faded.

"That was fast," Latios muttered telepathically. Ash sweatdropped as he returned the defeated Water-type.

"And Totodile is done for the day!" the MC announced rather unnecessarily.

Ash hummed in thought. He had a good idea as to how to beat Steelix, or at least, good by Ash's standards. "Can that work?" Latios asked, reading his mind.

"You aren't gonna pit Phanpy against a Steelix, right?" Latias asked worried. "Right!"

"Phanpy, I choose you!" Ash shouted, tossing the Pokeball to the field. The small blue Pokémon materialized on the battlefield. Phanpy's icon appeared in the second slot of Ash's side.

"I'm all ready to fight, daddy!" Phanpy chorused, despite having a huge steel serpent in front of him. Latias sweatdropped.

"This is gonna be good, wish I had some popcorn," Latios murmured. Latias laughed.

"And a Phanpy is Ash's next choice. How will such a small Pokémon deal with Steelix!" the MC wondered.

Jon smirked. "Despite having a Type advantage, such a small Pokémon should be no problem," he mused to himself.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Ash shouted. Phanpy nodded and took a forward leap, quickly tucking into a tight ball as he started rolling towards the Steelix.

Jon laughed. "Steelix, end this with an Iron Tail!" Jon shouted. Steelix's colossal tail shined a bright white as it swung it, hoping to defeat the small Ground-Type with a single attack.

"Phanpy, stop rolling and use Earthquake!" Ash shouted. Phanpy quickly stopped, the momentum flinging him forwards, and as he landed, he stomped on the ground, sending a powerful tremor across the field. The Steelix roared as the super-effective attack hit it.

Latias remembered this same strategy from the battle against Macey's Rapidash. "Wow, can't believe it actually worked again," she commented.

"Steelix is a rather large Pokémon, so it may have some problems dealing with a Pokémon as small and nimble as Phanpy," Ash noted.

"Be careful, Ash!" Misty called from the bench behind him. "One blow from Steelix can cause a lot of damage!"

Ash nodded. "I will!"

"Steelix, use Dragon Breath!" Jon shouted. Steelix reared back and spat a stream of green fire, aiming directly at the small ground-type.

"Dodge with Rollout!" Ash ordered. Phanpy quickly curled into a ball and rolled out of the way, escaping the flames with ease.

"Wow folks, using Rollout as a defensive attack was a brilliant strategy! Now Steelix can't hit Phanpy!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

Jon growled. "Steelix, use Crunch!" he shouted. The huge steel Pokémon lunged forward, jaws open wide.

"Keep rolling!" Ash ordered. Phanpy kept rolling, easily dodging the Crunch attack. The huge Steel-type slammed into the ground, causing a small tremor. "Phanpy, use Hidden Power!" Ash shouted. Phanpy stopped rolling and quickly aimed at the Steelix as his body glowed, forming several white orbs around him. He fired the orbs, hitting the Steel-type directly in the face, causing it to thrash about. "Phanpy, follow it up with an Earthquake!" Ash shouted.

Phanpy leaped and slammed down on the field, generating another tremor, causing a lot more damage to Steelix. Jon growled slightly. Knowing that his Pokémon was having too many difficulties, he did the next best thing and held up a Pokeball. "Steelix, return!" The Steel-type was returned back inside its Pokeball and the light around its icon faded.

"Seeing that Steelix was having too much of a hard time, Jon calls him back!" the MC narrated. "What will his next Pokémon be?"

Jon grabbed his next Pokeball. "Togetic, go!" He hurled the Pokeball. A small white and angelic looking Pokémon appeared. It had a long neck, short stubby arms, slightly larger feet, and a pair of wings on the back. Its body was covered in numerous red and blue triangles, which reminded Ash of the triangles that Latias and Latios had on their chests. Togetic's icon appeared in the third of Jon's slots.

"And Togetic is Jon's third Pokémon!" the MC announced unnecessarily.

Ash blinked as he stared at the small Pokémon, almost the same size as Phanpy. He looked behind him and stared at Misty's Togepi. He sweatdropped. "Is it tough?" he asked.

"Togetics are strong Pokémon Ash. Don't get fooled by their looks, they can learn a large variety of moves!" Latios warned.

"I sense this particular Togetic is well trained, so be very careful," Latias warned as well. "Togetics are Flying and Normal-Types."

After hearing Latias and Latios' warnings, Phanpy readied himself, tensing and getting ready to attack at any given moment. "Don't worry daddy, I'll do my best!"

Togetic stared at the small Pokémon in confusion. "Daddy?" she inquired. Due to her special abilities, she could sense that the small Phanpy was a very happy Pokémon and had a strong attachment to his human trainer. She smiled, she enjoyed meeting happy Pokémon. She also took interest that the red haired girl had a Togepi, and for some reason, she could sense two presences beside the human trainer. One of them had a particularly high level of happiness. Latias blushed when she realized Togetic was staring at her.

Phanpy smiled. "Yep, he hatched me so he's my daddy, and I'll win for him!"

Togetic smiled. "Good Luck doing that, but I won't go down easy."

Phanpy grinned and got ready. Seeing that they were finished, Ash took the initiative. "Phanpy, use Hidden Power!" Ash ordered. Phanpy nodded as his body shined brightly. Several white orbs of energy generated around his body, and with a mighty cry, he sent them flying at the small Happiness Pokémon.

"Togetic, dodge!" Jon shouted. Togetic's wings flapped once and the small Pokémon quickly took off, evading the attack as the energy spheres passed where she had been a few seconds ago. "Now, use Silver Wind!" Jon ordered.

Togetic flapped her wings, sending a powerful gust of Silver-colored wind with several dark silver crescent waves at Phanpy. "Phanpy, use Rollout to dodge!" Ash commanded. Phanpy curled into a tight ball and rolled away from the attack, dodging the silvery gusts of wind.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetic began to wag her stubby arms sideways. Soon they started to glow a light blue.

"And Jon calls for the most unpredictable Pokémon attack!" the MC announced. "What will happen next!"

Suddenly, Togetic stopped moving her arms and with a massive rush of speed, disappeared. Phanpy had no time to react as Togetic slammed into him, knocking him back. "What was that!" Ash wondered.

"It was either ExtremeSpeed or Quick Attack, but since it was so fast that not even I could sense Togetic's movements, it must have been ExtremeSpeed," Latios clarified.

"Damn," Ash muttered. "Phanpy, now that Togetic is on the ground, use Rollout!" he shouted, noticing that the Happiness Pokémon was finally at ground level.

Phanpy curled into a ball and rolled as fast as he could towards the Happiness Pokémon. Jon growled. 'At that distance, Togetic can't fly away. If she does, that would just worsen the damage!' he thought frantically. "Togetic, try to stop him!" Togetic nodded and extended her arms, planting her feet firmly and spreading her wings wide. Phanpy crashed against her, pushing her back. Anchoring herself in the grass, she managed to stop, even as the Ground-Type kept rolling, the friction hurting her arms. "Togetic, use Flamethrower!" Jon ordered.

Togetic opened her mouth and spat a stream of fire that washed over the Ground-Type. In spite of this, Phanpy remained strong. "Hidden Power!" Ash ordered. Within the blazing orb, a white glow appeared as Phanpy fired the Hidden Power attack. The attack detonated, catching both Togetic and Phanpy in the blast. Both Pokémon emerged from the resulting smoke rather quickly, Togetic flying to the sky and Phanpy sliding back from the force of the blast. "Hidden Power, again!" Ash bellowed.

Phanpy glowed as he generated several spheres of white energy and fired them skyward, aiming for the airborne Togetic. "Togetic, use Silver Wind!" Jon ordered. Togetic flapped her wings, creating a silvery gust of wind that collided against the Hidden Power orbs, wearing the attack down until it dissipated.

"Wow, impressive! This battle is definitely semi-final material!" the MC commented.

"Togetic, use Psychic!" Jon ordered. Togetic's eyes glowed as she exerted her mental powers.

"Phanpy, use Rollout!" Ash ordered. 'I have two powerful psychics with me. Like a psychic attack would bother me! I already know how to dodge them easily.'

"Only weak to mid-powered psychic attacks," Latios corrected. "There are psychic Pokémon stronger than me and Latias, and a simple burst of speed isn't going to get you out of their mental hold anytime soon."

Ash chuckled nervously. 'Then as long as I don't face one, I'm fine."

"Don't worry, there are other tactics besides speed and fast movements to evade psychics. I'll teach what I know to you later if you want," Latios offered.

'Sure,' Ash thought. In the meantime, Phanpy was busy rolling around, and Togetic sighed in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get a grip on the Ground-Type's body, he was just moving too fast. She ended her Psychic attack as Phanpy stopped rolling.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetig wagged her arms as they were surrounded by a blue outline. She stopped and suddenly fired a massive surge of electricity as she used Thunderbolt. Phanpy didn't move and let the attack hit him. As expected, nothing happened. Jon sweatdropped. "Oops, bad luck."

"And Metronome was of no use…" the MC commented.

"Phanpy, Hidden Power again!" Ash shouted.

"Don't you have other attacks?" Latias inquired. "You've been using that a lot lately."

"Phanpy doesn't have another long range attack," Ash replied Mareepishly. Latias sweatdropped.

Phanpy fired another barrage of energy spheres at the flying Happiness Pokémon. "Dodge and use Metronome!" Jon ordered. Togetic once again wagged her arms as she frantically flew about, dodging Phanpy's attack. She was hit by one of the energy spheres, knocking her to the grass with a thud. She faced Phanpy as she finished wagging her arms. She grinned, hoping to get a good attack. Phanpy took a step back, getting ready for whatever attack was next…and was confused to see that Togetic started to cry.

"Okay… What's going on?" the MC wondered, confused.

Jon facepalmed. "Now what?"

"Errr," Phanpy muttered, seeing the sobbing Togetic and feeling a pang of guilt for hitting her with the earlier attack. "Did I hit you too hard with that attack? Sorry." Togetic only cried louder.

Ash blinked. "Err, explanation please."

Latios sweatdropped. "I have no idea what's going on."

"Maybe its Fake Tears?" Latias suggested.

"They seem pretty real to me…" Ash muttered.

"They're supposed to," Latias telepathed. Ash sighed in confusion.

"Togetic, stop crying and use Flamethrower!" Jon ordered. Togetic wiped her tears away and spat a stream of fire at the surprised Ground-Type.

"Phanpy, use Defense curl!" Ash shouted.

"Hey, you tricked me!" Phanpy shouted, clearly annoyed as he curled into a tight ball. The flames washed over him but had no overall effect.

"Sorry, that's how the attack's supposed to work," Togetic apologized.

"Togetic, use Metronome!" Jon ordered again. Togetic groaned but complied as she began to wagged her arms yet again.

"Phanpy use Rollout!" Ash ordered, taking advantage of his prior use of Defense curl. Phanpy started rolling towards Togetic, displaying a lot more power than his previous Rollout attacks.

'Please, give me something useful!' Togetic pleaded in her mind, knowing that such a high-powered rollout could knock her out. Her prayers were answered as the second her arm waggling finished, an orb of water gathered in her arms and formed a Water Pulse. She hurled the orb of water at the incoming Phanpy. He had no time to react as the Water Pulse slammed against him, flinging him back and knocking him out. Togetic sighed in relief.

"Phanpy is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called. Phanpy's icon faded from the screen.

"Finally! Metronome worked!" the MC commented as Ash returned Phanpy back to his pokeball.

Ash hummed in thought as he contemplated his possibilities. He grinned. "Charizard! I choose you!" Ash shouted, throwing his Pokeball to the field. With a flash, the Fire-Type appeared. Everyone was surprised by this move. Charizard's icon appeared in the third of Ash's slots.

"And Ash's Charizard is now on the field!" the MC announced.

Togetic paled in fear at the Fire-Type before her. She hoped she was recalled, there was no way she was going to fight a Pokémon that huge! Especially not after getting tired-out from battling Phanpy! Charizard suppressed a snort of laughter. Togetic took a nervous step back. 'Please return me Jon, please return me Jon, please return me Jon,' she thought over and over again. Latias and Latios exchanged amused looks and suppressed a laugh after hearing her thoughts.

"Damn Ash, couldn't you have called me to face a tougher opponent!" Charizard bellowed.

"I want to go to the five-minute break winning. I know you can knock two Pokémon out," Ash answered.

Charizard shrugged. "Sure," he said as he turned to look at the frightened Togetic. He grinned, causing a chill to go down her spine.

Jon held up a Pokeball. "Togetic, return!" he shouted. Togetic sighed in pure relief as she was returned to her Pokeball. The light around her icon faded.

"She was spared a heart attack," Latios commented jokingly. Latias and Ash laughed.

Charizard laughed too. "So true. I hope whoever's next is more of an opponent!"

"Togetic is a very strong opponent, she was just tired. Plus she didn't have any attacks to deal with you effectively, that's why she was scared," Latios told him. Charizard shrugged.

Jon grabbed his next Pokeball. "Ampharos, go!" The Pokeball opened and a bipedal yellow Pokémon materialized. It had a white belly and several black stripes on the neck, tail and ears. It also had a red sphere at the tip of its tail and one in its forehead. The Electric-Type's icon appeared on the large screen.

"And Ampharos is Jon's answer to Charizard!" the MC bellowed over the speakers.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Charizard said eagerly.

"Good Luck Charizard!" Pikachu shouted. Charizard nodded.

"Ash, be careful with that Type Disadvantage!" Brock shouted. Ash nodded.

"Good luck!" Misty followed.

'I have to be careful,' Jon thought. 'That Charizard is strong. Latios took a severe beating against Harrison, I don't know for certain of Ash will use him or not, in the meantime, I must deal with his Charizard.'

"Charizard! Use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted, starting the battle once more. Charizard roared as he exhaled a huge stream of fire.

"Ampharos, use Thunderbolt!" Jon ordered. Ampharos fired a colossal blast of electricity. Both attacks clashed, holding in a stalemate as they began to weaken out.

"Charizard, quick, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered. Charizard stopped the Fire attack and fired a concentrated orb of draconic energy just as the Thunderbolt and the Flamethrower disappeared, both attacks completely spent. The energy sphere passed through, heading towards Ampharos.

"Ampharos, block it with Thunder Punch!" Jon shouted. Ampharos's hands began to shine a bright yellow as a huge amount of Electricity gathered in them. The energy sphere collided with Ampharos as it thrust its arm forward, smashing the Thunder Punch into the Dragon Rage. The Electric-type was pushed back by the sheer force behind the attack, but the energy blast was unable to break his Thunder Punch.

With a mighty cry, Ampharos broke the energy sphere apart, reducing it to simple strands of light that harmlessly passed by the Electric-Type's sides. To Ampharos's shock, Charizard was already flying in its direction. "Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

"With a powerful series of attacks, now Charizard has an opening to hit Ampharos!" the MC bellowed over the speakers. The crowd cheered.

Charizard roared and spat a very potent stream of fire. Jon growled. With no time to dodge or formulate a defense, only one thought occurred to him. "Use Thunder!"

Hearing the command, Charizard quickly extended his wings, stopping and flying a few feet back as he kept the Flamethrower trained on the Electric-type. Ampharos gave a loud cry as it released a colossal blast of electricity skyward. The stream of fire collided with the electricity, the Thunder dispersing the flames to either side. "What a powerful shield, this battle is intense!" the MC commented.

"Charizard, look up!" Ash shouted. Charizard took a brief glance upwards, seeing the incoming Electric blast as the Thunder descended towards him.

With a flap of his wings, he dodged sideways, the electrical attack passing where he had been a few seconds ago and slamming harmlessly to the floor. He quickly spread his wings out, stabilizing him in the air again. "Ampharos, Discharge!" Jon ordered.

Ampharos' body glowed a bright yellow as lighting bolts were fired everywhere, Charizard's eyes widened slightly, seeing the incoming barrage of lighting strikes. "Charizard, use Air Slash!" Ash ordered. Charizard began flapping his wings, sending powerful gusts of air in every direction that turned into crescent blades. Both attacks collided, the air blades crashing against the electric attacks and canceling each other out. Ampharos panted as the Discharge ended, worn out after using so many Electric attacks.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard opened his jaws and belched a stream of fire at the immobilized Electric-Type.

"Quick Ampharos, use Light Screen!" Jon shouted frantically. Ampharos raised its arms and formed a thick square screen of bright yellow light in front of it. The Fire attack collided with the screen but was unable to break it. The flames were torn apart and divided into many smaller flamethrowers, all passing around the Light Screen. "What an attack, the battle just keeps getting better!" the MC commented.

"Now, use Power Gem! Down that Charizard!" Jon ordered.

As Charizard's Flamethrower died down, Ampharos clapped its arms together, forming an orb of bright brown and white energy. "Charizard, charge at Ampharos and use Fire Spin, and then spin!" Ash ordered.

"What?!" Latios questioned flatly.

'Just wait and see,' Ash thought. Charizard quickly dived towards the Ampharos. As he gained speed, he spat out a Fire Spin, and since he was flying rather fast, he caught up to the flames, spinning and turning into a blazing fire projectile. Ampharos fired the Power Gem, hurling the orb of brown and white light forward. To Ampharos' complete shock, Charizard ripped the attack apart, the Power Gem disintegrating completely from the intensity of Charizard's attack.

Having no way to dodge, Ampharos braced itself. The flame missile that was Charizard collided against the Electric-Type, flinging the Ampharos back a dozen feet, landing in the grass completely out cold. Charizard righted himself and flew back to Ash, landing in front of him with a roar of pride and victory. "Ampharos is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called as Jon returned the defeated Electric-type, the icon disappearing from the screen.

"Despite the type disadvantage, Ash's Charizard beat Jon's Ampharos!" the MC summarized, the crowd cheered. "Both trainers are down to four Pokémon each!"

Jon growled lowly. 'I lost Ampharos even with a type advantage… that Charizard is something else, I must once again fight with an advantage if I want to win… in that case…' Jon thought as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Feraligatr, I choose you!" he shouted, hurling the Pokeball. A bipedal blue crocodilian Pokemon was released onto the field. Feraligatr's icon appeared on the fifth slot of Jon's team.

'Again with the disadvantage,' Ash thought.

"Since when has that stopped you?" Latios asked rhetorically. He chuckled. "I think you fight better with a disadvantage than with an advantage."

Latias giggled. "Yep, I think so too."

Ash laughed nervously. "That's reassuring."

"Feraligatr is Jon's next Pokémon to deal with Ash's seemingly unstoppable Charizard!" the MC cried in excitement.

Charizard smirked proudly at the comment. "Hell yeah, I'm ripping this guy's team apart!"

Latios and Latias sweatdropped. "He said seemingly unstoppable," Latios pointed out.

Charizard laughed. "I'll change that soon enough."

"Well, get started on that, use Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and turned to Feraligatr, jaws wide open as he fired a sphere of blazing draconic energy at the Water-Type.

"Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr complied, opening its own jaws and firing a huge torrent of Water, easily blasting through the Dragon Rage.

"Charizard, quick, fly to dodge!" Ash shouted. Charizard flapped his great wings, lifting him off the ground, the torrent of water passing just below him.

"Oh no, I don't think so, Feraligatr, use Blizzard!" Jon shouted. Feraligatr opened its jaws and fired a potent blizzard, the icy winds quickly making their way towards Charizard.

"And Jon has ordered an Ice Attack, this is getting interesting!" the MC commented excitedly.

Despite Charizard's attempts to dodge, he was unable to avoid the attack. The freezing-cold winds collided against him, having a neutral effect due to his part Flying typing. "Charizard, use Fire spin to break out!" Ash ordered. Charizard spat a spiraling blast of fire, easily creating an effective shield from the Blizzard attack. "Change to Flamethrower!" Ash shouted.

Charizard spat a more direct stream of fire. It began pushing back against the Ice-Type attack. Jon had no intention of letting this continue. "Feraligatr, change to Hydro Pump!" he commanded. Feraligatr stopped the Blizzard and fired a potent blast of pressurized water.

The change of attack was good as the Water-Type attack began to slowly push back the Flamethrower, but this made Charizard pour more power into his Flamethrowers, to the point that both attacks were in a perfect stalemate, Charizard's Flamethrower evaporating the water just as fast as Feraligatr was firing it. Soon, after a few seconds, the entire arena was covered in a thick cloud of steam, blocking both trainers' view of their Pokémon. Thankfully, Ash was prepared for that. "Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Ash ordered. "Feraligatr still hasn't moved!"

Charizard nodded and dived towards where he had last seen the Water-Type. Jon growled lowly. 'From previous matches, I know that he can somehow see his Pokémon, even when they're visually blocked. I have to be careful,' Jon thought. "Feraligatr, quick, dodge it!" Jon shouted. Feraligatr looked confused, but tried and began to run to the right.

Ash smirked. 'It's no use…' he mentally chuckled. "Charizard, fly a bit to the right!" Ash shouted.

Jon looked nervous. 'Please, Feraligatr, I so hope you didn't go to the right…' he thought desperately. A small cry of pain was heard as suddenly, Charizard emerged from the top of the cloud of steam, Feraligatr in his arms. Jon paled. 'Oh, crap.'

"And Charizard has grabbed hold of Feraligatr! This could be it!" the MC cried excitedly. Charizard began doing loops in the air, adding more momentum to his flight. He flew downwards in a steep dive as he reentered the cloud of steam. A powerful crash was heard as Feraligatr was slammed into the grassy arena. Charizard flew back and landed in front of Ash, gazing at where he had impacted the Water-Type.

To everyone's surprise as the steam cleared, Feraligatr was ready for more. The Water-Type was standing up, even after the rather powerful impact of that Seismic Toss! "And Feraligatr is up! The battle continues!" the MC cried.

Charizard cracked his knuckles. "So, ready for more?"

"You shouldn't do that," Latias warned.

Charizard frowned. "Do what?"

"The knuckle thing, you'll get a nasty bone disease from that," Latias warned.

Charizard laughed nervously. "A few times won't hurt." Latias rolled her eyes.

"Charizard, in the sky you have the advantage, so fly!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and spread his wings wide, ready to take off.

"Feraligatr, stop him, fire a Hydro Pump above him then charge at him with a Crunch attack!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr gave a mighty battle cry and lunged forward as he shot a powerful stream of water above Charizard, forcing him to stay in the ground or else be hit by the attack.

"And Feraligatr manages to keep Charizard on the ground, and it's approaching rather fast! It looks like a good close-range battle is about to start!" the MC announced excitedly. The crowd cheered.

"Charizard, get ready for close-range combat!" Ash shouted. Charizard planted his feet in the grass, spread his wings, and readied himself as the Feraligatr closed in. "Dodge backwards!"

Feraligatr lunged with its jaws wide open, ready to take a bite out of Charizard. The large Fire Dragon-like Pokémon took a step back, making the bite miss by a few inches. "Use Scratch!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr swung its arms widely, trying to hit the Fire-Type.

"Charizard, catch them!" Ash shouted. Charizard easily caught Feraligatr's claws with his own. Feraligatr tried to free his arms, but to no avail, Charizard's rough training in the valley had given him immense physical strength, so he was easily able to restrain Feraligatr's arms.

"Feraligatr, use Crunch!" Jon commanded desperately, seeing Charizard was overpowering his Water-Type. Feraligatr lunged forward, jaws wide open, aiming to give Charizard a powerful bite.

"Use your tail, Charizard!" Ash shouted. Charizard quickly released Feraligatr's arms and spun, slamming his tail into the Water-Type's side, causing it to emit a cry of pain.

"Quick, use Hydro Pump!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr quickly righted itself and fired a potent blast of water, catching Charizard off-guard. Charizard was pushed back a few meters from the sheer power behind the Hydro Pump, but there was no way Charizard was falling to it. He placed his wings in front of his body as a shield, and with a mighty roar, flapped them, completely tearing the Hydro Pump apart.

"Charizard has broken the Hydro Pump! Talk about power and endurance!" the MC noted.

Ash smirked. 'It'll take a lot more than that to beat Charizard,' he thought proudly. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" Charizard opened his jaws and fired a blazing orb of orange energy.

"Use Waterfall, Feraligatr!" Jon ordered. Feraligatr started running towards Charizard as a massive torrent of water covered it, turning the Big Jaw Pokémon into a water missile. The Dragon Rage collided against it, but the attack was torn apart in seconds by the superior strength of the Waterfall.

"Charizard, weaken his Waterfall attack with a Fire-spin!" Ash ordered. Charizard nodded and spat a spiraling stream of fire. The attack covered the incoming Feraligatr and started to evaporate the water, weakening the attack. "Now fly up and shoot a Flamethrower downwards!"

Charizard smirked. With a powerful flap of his wings, he was lifted off the ground, quickly adjusting his neck downwards as Feraligatr passed beneath him and spewing a potent blast of fire. The attack evaporated the rest of the water and hit Feraligatr in the back, imbedding him into the grassy field. Charizard applied more power to his Flamethrower, enveloping the Water-Type completely.

When Charizard stopped the Flamethrower, a knocked-out Feraligatr was revealed. Jon's jaw dropped in disbelief. 'That thing beat another one of my Pokémon, even with a disadvantage!'

"Feraligatr is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced as the Big Jaw Pokémon's icon disappeared. "Since three of Jon's Pokemon are down, a short 5 minute rest will be taken!"

"And Ash Ketchum's impressive Charizard has defeated another of Jon Dickson's Pokémon!" the MC cried, clearly impressed. The crowd cheered excitedly.

Ash pumped his fist into the air. "Yeah! Great work Charizard!"

Charizard smirked. "Alright, who's next?"

Latias giggled. "No one, the five minute break is next. Didn't you hear the Referee?"

Charizard sighed. "Great, just when I was on a winning streak."

Latias, Latios and Pikachu laughed. Ash chuckled a little and held up a Pokeball. "Its okay, there's still plenty of battle left, return!" The Pokeball shot a red beam towards the Fire-Type as Charizard was recalled back to his Pokeball.

Ash smiled happily as he walked back to the bench and took a seat. "So, how am I doing?"

"Impressive," Misty commented. "Charizard has been very good, he's beaten two Pokémon even with a disadvantage… which just proves that you fight better at a disadvantage."

"Yep," Latios agreed. "Told you so."

Ash looked at the scoreboard. He saw that Jon already had five used slots, his fallen Rapidash, Ampharos and Feraligatr, and his still active Steelix and Togetic, while he only had three used slots, the ones for his defeated Phanpy and Totodile, and Charizard. "So far, I have four Pokémon left to deal with Jon's three, I think I'm good," Ash commented.

"Just, don't get overconfident," Brock advised.

Ash smiled. "I know. I won't."

Meanwhile in the stands, Delia was smiling happily. "He's winning! He's just a step away from the finals!"

Gary nodded. "That's Ashy-boy alright, still as impressive as ever!"

Professor Elm sulked. "Jon is another of my trainers that I gave a starter to… Ash already knocked out Jackson, he's after another prospect of mine!"

Professor Oak laughed. "Yes, he'll make Pallet Town's name famous with his current victories, especially with his usage of Latios."

"Why can't any of my trainers catch a Legendary?" Professor Elm lamented.

Delia laughed. "Cheer up! Be happy for him. He's so young, yet he's made it so far."

Professor Elm smiled. "Yeah, that I'll admit."

Gary laughed. "The other two semifinalists are probably begging that Ash loses. None of them want to see Ash and his Latios in the finals, that's for sure."

Everyone laughed. "That's true," Delia replied, stifling a giggle.

In another part of the stands, Jessie sighed as she returned from another trip of selling popcorn and lemonade. She walked back to the cart where Meowth was waiting to replenish her products at the same time as James. "So, Meowth, how's the cash going?" James asked.

The talking Pokémon smirked. "Perfect, we have a huge load of cash saved, since we've been saving ever since da start of da Silver Conference. Now we can order da Ultimate Team Rocket mecha from Elite Headquarters," Meowth said. He reached under his sales cart and took out a magazine entitled "Team Rocket's Catalog of Mechas of Doom".

"We've been using that thing to get our robots for ages, and they always get destroyed," James pointed out.

"True," Meowth admitted. "But dis time…" the Normal-Type opened the magazine and started flipping through the pages. He smirked and showed them an article at the near end of the catalog. Jessie and James gasped.

"Wow, that thing is on the Ultimate Limited Edition mecha list…" Jessie said, clearly impressed.

"Isn't that thing only for the most Elite of Team Rocket members?" James asked.

"We can dress up and pretend to be Elites," Meowth commented offhandedly. "With dis thing, we can defeat da twerps and deir little legendary friend!"

"True," James admitted. He looked at the description in the book began to read it out loud. "'This is the most powerful machine ever produced by Team Rocket's Elite headquarter. It has never been reported to have failed a mission. This machine is best designed for defeating Psychic-Type Pokémon, but is also effective against any other type of Pokémon. It features a large number of offensive weapons and several defensive systems that makes it immune to all attacks.'"

"Immune to all Pokémon attacks, designed for use against Psychics…This is perfect!" Jessie said, eagerly awaiting the time when they could capture not just Latios, but all of Ash's Pokémon.

"But imagine what da boss could do with a Legendary Pokémon like Latios," Meowth started. "Imagine dat da boss is tired and has a lot of work to do?" Meowth said as he imagined a chibi and comic version of Giovanni.

"I'm tired and don't want to do anything today," the Chibi Giovanni said.

"And… dat's when Latios appears!" Meowth chanted, adding a Chibi and Comic Latios. "Latios can use his Psychic Powers to do everything for da boss!" In the daydream, the Chibi Latios began to use his Psychic powers to do paperwork, chores, and other random stuff. "And den," he continued. "Some stupid trainer will challenge da boss to a Gym battle." In the Daydream, Giovanni groaned. "And, of course, Latios is dere as well!" Now, a battle was depicted where Latios easily defeated the trainer's Pokémon with Psychic attacks and a Luster Purge or two. "Den da Boss will say: Meowth and his friends really brought me a powerful and rare Pokémon, for dat dey will get a promotion and bigger numbers in deir paychecks!" Meowth gushed, trying (and failing) to imitate Giovanni's voice. "And I get to be top pet!" Meowth imagined the Chibi Giovanni kicking his Persian out and replacing it with him.

"Yes!" Jessie and James chorused happily.

"When this match is over, we'll order the robot," James announced. "That way, we can catch the twerps as they leave Silver Town!"

"Yep, dat's the idea!" Meowth agreed. They refilled their trays with popcorn and lemonade and decided to keep selling as they plotted their plan. 'Latios… you are now ours…' they thought.

In the field, the Referee stepped forward. "The five minute break is over. Trainers, resume the battle!"

Ash stood up from the bench and walked back to the box painted on the floor. "Good luck!" his friends chorused. Ash smiled and nodded at them.

Jon walked back to his box. "May the best trainer win, Ash!" he called.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, and that'll be me!"

Jon smirked. "Don't count on it, I still a few surprises left. Steelix, go!" He threw the Pokeball, summoning the large steel serpent back to the field.

Ash smirked. "Charizard, it's time for you to battle again!" he shouted, releasing the Fire-Type.

"So, the second half of the battle between Jon Dickson of Sento Cherry Town and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is about to begin with Charizard against Steelix!" the MC announced.

Charizard smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Ah, it's my turn again so soon? Perfect."

"Charizard!" Latias scolded. "What did I tell you!"

Charizard laughed nervously. He pushed the matter aside and glared at his opponent. Jon growled lowly. 'Not that Charizard again. Steelix is at a disadvantage, but…I think I can win…'

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash started. Charizard reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire at the large Steel-Type.

"Steelix, use Sandstorm!" Jon ordered. Steelix roared as the huge spikes protruding from its sides began to spin, slowly pickling up speed as a sandstorm surrounded Steelix. The Sandstorm easily pushed back Charizard's Fire-Type attack back. "Follow it up with Iron Tail!" Jon shouted. Steelix quickly stopped the sandstorm as it swung its tail at Charizard, causing the Sandstorm to subside.

"Charizard, Fly!" Ash shouted. Charizard flapped his wings and quickly flew upwards, dodging the massive tail as it slammed where he had been a few seconds ago. "Now, use Flamethrower!" Charizard complied and breathed out another potent stream of fire.

"Steelix, counter with Dragon Breath!" Jon shouted. Steelix reared back and exhaled a blast of green flames. The attacks collided and held for a second, until Charizard's attack began pushing Steelix's Dragon Breath attack back. Jon growled. 'That damn Charizard!'

"Charizard is overwhelming Steelix!" the MC noted. The Crowd cheered.

"Steelix, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Steelix cut off the Dragon Breath attack as two blue rings of blue light appeared around it, turning into several dozen sharp stones that were flung at Charizard, ripping his Flamethrower apart with ease.

"Charizard, quick, dive back to the ground!" Ash shouted. Charizard nodded and quickly descended, causing the sharp stones to pass above him. "Now, Flamethrower!" Ash ordered. Charizard spat another stream of fire.

"Steelix, use Sandstorm again!" Jon ordered. Steelix nodded as its spiked segments began to spin again, creating a powerful sandstorm and blocking the Flamethrower. Unbeknownst to Jon, that was exactly what Ash wanted.

'I remember that I beat Jasmine's Steelix by turning its sandstorm against it… Let's do the same here,' Ash thought. "Charizard, use Fire Spin!"

Charizard reared back and spat a zigzagging stream of fire. The Fire Spin merged with the Sandstorm, creating a tornado of fire and sand surrounding Steelix. "Ash is creating a fire tornado to trap Steelix! Brilliant!" the MC noted. Brock and Misty remembered Ash doing the same to Jasmine, but with Cyndaquil. It had worked pretty well then, too.

"Now, Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard spat a more direct and stronger stream of fire, turning Steelix's Sandstorm into a blazing fire tornado. "Fly towards it!" Charizard flew towards the fire tornado.

"Steelix, use Hyper Beam to break free!" Jon ordered. With a deafening roar, Steelix fired a Hyper Beam inside the tornado. The sheer force of the following explosion repelled the tornado and extinguished the flames. The explosion didn't do much to Steelix because of its Steel Type, but as Steelix looked up, it was shocked to see Charizard a few meters away from its face.

"Flamethrower!" Ash bellowed. Charizard fired the point-blank Flamethrower, hitting Steelix directly in the head and knocking him out. The huge Steel-Type serpent had been defeated.

"Steelix is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced as Steelix's icon faded from the screen. Jon sighed as he returned his fallen Pokémon.

"Yeah!" Ash cheered. "Great work Charizard!"

"Charizard has now beaten three of Jon Dickson's Pokémon!" the MC noted, clearly impressed.

"Great work Ash!" Misty called. "You too, Charizard!"

"Keep it up!" Bianca added.

"Yeah, keep this up and you'll be ready for the Finals!" Brock cheered, proud for his friend.

Jon smirked. 'You've been fighting really impressively, Ash, but its time you meet my strongest Pokémon…' He grabbed a Pokeball. "Tyranitar! Go!" Jon shouted, hurling the Pokeball to the center of the field.

A huge bipedal Pokémon appeared. It had menacing-looking fangs and claws. It had a mostly green armored body with spikes growing from the back of the head, shoulders, back and tail-tip. A blue rhombus was depicted on its chest. The huge armored Rock and Dark Type Pokémon gave a loud deafening roar. Charizard was more eager to fight than ever, rather than intimidated, naturally. "So…" Ash murmured. "That's a Tyranitar..."

"This is gonna be good," Charizard commented eagerly, glaring at the Tyranitar.

The Tyranitar glared back. "A Fire-Type… Heh, this shouldn't be too hard."

"Ash, you've been an impressive opponent, and that Charizard of yours is something special, but you will fall here. My Tyranitar is my strongest Pokémon! He will defeat you!" Jon said to Ash.

"That Tyranitar will just be another point for Charizard in his increasing list of beaten Pokémon," Ash countered. "Right, Charizard?"

"Hell yeah!" Charizard agreed, shooting a small stream of fire upwards.

"Charizard versus Tyranitar! Talk about a duel of pure power!" the MC commented. "So far, Jon Dickson's Tyranitar has not been defeated in the current Silver Conference!"

'That will change soon,' Ash thought.

"Ash, be careful, Tyranitar are extremely powerful Pokémon!" Latias warned.

'I know,' Ash thought. 'I have four Pokémon left to deal with him, I can win this!' "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Charizard opened his jaws and fired a very powerful stream of flames directly at the Rock and Dark-Type.

"Tyranitar, use Rock Tomb!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar reared back and slammed a first into the grassy ground, causing a huge stone slab to come out of the earth, creating a shield that effectively blocked the Flamethrower.

The ground beneath Charizard's feet trembled. Somehow, Ash sensed this and knew what was going to happen. "Charizard, fly up fast!" Ash shouted. Charizard wasted not a single second. He stopped the Flamethrower and flew up. A second later, four pillars of stone rose from where he had been standing and crashed against each other.

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Two blue rings of energy materialized around Tyranitar, forming several dozen sharp stones that were flung in rapid succession at the airborne Fire and Flying-Type.

"Charizard, use Air Slash!" Ash ordered. Charizard began to flap his wings, sending a barrage of crescent air blades at the incoming Stone Edge. The air blades collided with the Stone Edges, slicing the rocks into pieces due to their rather small size. "Now use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted. Charizard reared back and spat a powerful stream of fire downwards. The attack hit Tyranitar, but surprisingly, the Armor Pokémon didn't move or look troubled by the attack.

"Tyranitar is hit! But its rock-hard armor holds strong!" the MC announced.

"Tyranitar, use Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar opened his maw and began to form an orb of volatile energy. A second later a huge orange energy beam was fired.

"Charizard, dodge!" Ash shouted. Charizard quickly flew to the side, dodging the huge beam. Tyranitar adjusted his aim, moving his head in the direction of Charizard, but the Fire-Type was faster, he managed to successfully dodge the attack. "Now, use Fire Spin!" Ash shouted.

Charizard spat a spiraling blast of fire. The attack quickly enveloped the Rock and Dark-Type in a tornado of flames. Charizard smirked. "Gotcha."

"Tyranitar, break free with Stone Edge!" Jon shouted. Inside the tornado, a small blue light appeared. Suddenly, the pillar of fire was blasted apart as a barrage of sharp stones was sent flying everywhere. "Dark Pulse!" Tyranitar opened his jaws as a sphere of black and purple rings appeared in it. With a mighty roar, he fired a beam composed of the rings. Charizard tried to move out of the way, but felt completely stiff before the power of the Dark-Type attack, Dark Pulse's flinching effect was taking place.

The attack hit Charizard and created a terrible explosion mid-air as Charizard was knocked from the sky. "Charizard!" Ash shouted in concern. Charizard quickly righted himself and spread his wings, stopping his fall.

Charizard panted. 'Damn, after so many battles, I'm starting to get tired…'

"Charizard took a rather hard hit from that Dark Pulse!" the MC cried.

'I've never seen an attack like that…' Ash thought, growling slightly.

"That Tyranitar must be very well trained to know attacks like that," Latios commented.

"He's also taking Charizard's attack easily. Well, that's obvious because of the disadvantage, but even so… he doesn't seem to be feeling them at all!" Latias added.

"Tyranitar, Dark Pulse again!" Jon shouted, glad that he finally had a chance against Charizard. Tyranitar fired another beam of black and purple rings, aiming for the airborne Fire-Type.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Charizard quickly spat a stream of fire at the incoming Dark-Type attack. The attacks crashed, making a thunderous sound as they exploded.

"Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar quickly charged the attack, forming two blue rings around him that materialized into sharp stones which he fired skywards. Charizard was looking at the smoke cloud resulting from the explosion and suddenly a barrage of sharp stones appeared. He had no time to react as the stones pummeled him, leaving several bleeding gashes and bruises. He panted tiredly, but even so, he refused to go down.

"Charizard took another hard hit!" the MC cried.

Ash growled lowly. "I need something to do some serious damage to Tyranitar…" He then noticed something as he looked to the sky, to where the Fire and Flying-Type was. Charizard's body began shinning a bright red as his Blaze ability activated, making his tail flame grow about ten times its size. Ash grinned. 'Perfect, but I still need something else…' He looked down at the field and noticed something. The grassy field, while it was mostly intact, had a few burnt patches of grass from the extensive Fire attacks. It was severely dry, and a few embers were lit here and there from Charizard's most recent attacks. Ash got a devilish idea. "Let's make roasted Tyranitar. Charizard, use Flamethrower on the battlefield!"

Jon's eyes widened. "He's gonna attack the field again?" 'In his previous two matches, Ash destroyed the battlefield to gain an upper hand over his opponents, but what can burning a bunch of grass do?"

Charizard found the command rather stupid. He had his Blaze boost, he should be attacking Tyranitar! But, as most of Ash's Pokémon knew, they had a rather special trainer, and Charizard knew that while the command was rather odd, it meant his trainer had a good plan, so he pushed his doubts aside and spat a powerful blast of fire directly at the battlefield.

"Charizard has been ordered to attack the field! Ash has a thing for destroying battlefields doesn't he?" the MC commented. Ash sweatdropped.

Charizard began to shoot Flamethrowers all across the battlefield, much to Jon's confusion. Soon, the battlefield was transformed a blazing inferno. Ash, Jon and the Referee began to sweat from the sheer heat of the burning field. Jon and the Referee took a few steps back from the battlefield. Ash didn't, he knew by instinct that if the flames got too close, Latias or Latios would push them away with Psychic. 'Damn, trainers these days are crazy!' the Referee thought, clearly terrified by the burning battlefield.

"Impressive, the entire battlefield is now an inferno!" the MC cried. The crowd cheered wildly.

Tyranitar wasn't fairing too well either. Yes, he was heat-resistant, but being inside an inferno was another thing. He could feel his rock armor began to heat up from the intense flames it was being submitted to. "Charizard, use Flamethrower on Tyranitar!" Ash shouted. Charizard opened his jaws and fired a colossal stream of fire. The attack collided with the immobile Tyranitar, who gave a screech of pain. 'Not so tough now… Hehehe.'

'Can't take the heat?' Charizard thought, impressed by Ash's idea.

"Damn what is Ash doing!" Professor Oak asked, sweating slightly from the sheer heat.

"This is amazing," Gary admitted. "I know Tyranitar is resistant to heat, but a burning field is too much for any Pokémon!"

"This is one dramatic and epic photo!" Delia chimed, taking pictures of the battle taking place. They sweatdropped (Or was it simple sweat from the heat?).

"At the rate this is going, the fire is going to drain all of Tyranitar's strength! Jon has to stop this quickly!" Professor Elm said anxiously.

'Come on Ashy-boy, you can do it, go ahead and make it to the finals, a Tyranitar and a Togetic are all that stands in your way,' Gary thought.

Jon growled. "Tyranitar, use Stone Edge, down that Charizard!" Tyranitar gave a massive roar as two blue rings surrounded him that materialized into extremely sharp stoned. He launched them, easily cutting through the fires as they collided with the Fire-Type. Charizard gave a cry of pain as he hit the floor rather hard. The fires enveloped him, but he had been submerged in lava before, so this was nothing.

"Damn Ash, did you have to burn the field like this, my fur just makes it worse!" Pikachu complained. Ash laughed.

Charizard stood up and tried to flap off the ground, but to his terror, he felt a sharp pain in his right wing. He immediately folded it. 'Damn, that last Stone Edge got my wing! And I'm too tired…No, I will knock out that Tyranitar!' Charizard gave a massive roar as he began to shine a very bright shade of red, his tail flame growing to almost the same size as him. The fires across the field began to extinguish as they started to burn themselves out, but the heat was, if anything getting worse from whatever Charizard was doing.

"What's Charizard doing!" Ash wondered.

"I don't know!" Latias telepathed. She found herself relieved that her feathers were heat-proof, through she and Latios were psychically making sure the heat didn't get to Ash.

"What is that!" Misty asked, completely awed by Charizard's power.

"I don't know either!" Brock answered.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar quickly readied the attack, charging the ring beam. He fired it, aiming directly at Charizard.

Soon, the field had completely burnt itself out because most of the grass was consumed and the heat from Charizard's attack was using up all the oxygen, choking the flames. With a roar that rivaled Tyranitar's (And probably a few other Legendaries that Latios knew of), Charizard fired a huge blast of flames so hot that the fire was a pure white and surrounded by a series of red and yellow rings. Charizard had just learned one of the most devastating Fire Moves: Overheat. The Dark Pulse never stood a chance as it was completely destroyed by the Overheat attack.

Tyranitar shrieked as he was hit by the massive fire attack. He was pushed back at least a dozen meters back and enveloped in a huge maelstrom of fire. The colossal attack forced everyone to cover their eyes from the sheer intensity of the flames. A minute later, the intense blast died down. Tyranitar was surprisingly still standing, his chest completely singed a burnt black to the point where his blue rhombus was completely gone and he was panting.

The battlefield was now a scorched wasteland as well, and Charizard was lying facedown, completely out. The sheer force of his attack had drained what energies he had left. The referee raised the corresponding flag. "Charizard is unable to continue battling!" he shouted as his icon faded from the screen.

Ash smiled as he returned the fallen fire-type. "Great work Charizard, I'm proud of you," Ash whispered to the Pokeball.

"After an impressive display of power, Charizard simply couldn't take the heat anymore!" the MC commented. The crowd cheered.

"Tauros, I choose you!" Ash shouted. The large brown bull Pokémon appeared on the field and the Normal-Type's icon appeared in the fourth of Ash's slots.

"And Tauros is Ash's fourth pokemon!" The MC announced rather unnecessarily.

'If Ash uses Latios, I'm doomed… I have only Tyranitar, who's looking tired, and Togetic. By now she should be well rested, but even so, I don't think they can take down Latios,' Jon thought.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar quickly generated the orb of rings and fired it, shaping a beam of black and purple rings.

"Tauros, dodge!" Ash shouted. The bull Pokémon quickly ran to the side, escaping the attack. "Now, use Earthquake!"

"Tyranitar, use Rock tomb!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed a fist into the ground. Before Tauros could use the Earthquake attack, four stone pillars surrounded the Normal-Type, and they slammed together, trapping him in a prison of stone.

Ash growled slightly. 'Even after Charizard's attacks, that Tyranitar still has the power to fight back!' he thought, clearly surprised.

"Think clearly Ash, you can still win," Latias said.

Ash nodded. "Tauros, blast that thing apart with a Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted. A few seconds later, the prison blew up, revealing the Bull Pokémon. "Now, use Take Down!" Ash shouted.

Tauros charged at the Tyranitar like a bulldozer, lots of power behind the attack, so much that the ground trembled slightly. "Tyranitar, brace yourself!" Jon shouted.

"Wow, what power!" the MC cried, impressed.

Tyranitar got ready and just as Tauros crashed against him, he caught the Bull Pokémon by the horns. The Rock and Dark-Type was actually pushed back a few meters from the sheer force behind the Normal-Type, but he still managed to halt the attack. Tauros' eyes widened in surprise. "Lift it up!" Jon ordered.

"Ouch, talk about taking the Tauros by the horns," Pikachu commented.

"Quick Tauros, break free!" Ash shouted.

Tyranitar released one of Tauros' horns and placed his hand underneath Tauros's body, easily lifting the Bull Pokémon high above him. "Now, slam him down and use Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed Tauros to the ground very hard. An energy orb formed in Tyranitar's maw as he fired a point black Hyper Beam, creating a terrible explosion.

When the explosion cleared, Tyranitar was standing triumphantly over a knocked out Tauros. Ash growled. 'Man that was powerful.'

"Tauros is unable to continue battling!" the Referee declared. Tauros's icon disappeared from the screen. Ash returned the defeated Normal-Type.

"Now, with Tauros's defeat, both trainers are tied with two Pokémon each!" the MC commented.

Ash grabbed his next Pokeball. "Go, Noctowl!" Ash shouted, sending out the shiny owl Pokémon. The Owl's icon appeared in the fifth of Ash's slots.

"Wow! A shiny Noctowl is Ash's fifth Pokémon choice!" the MC cried, clearly impressed.

'I only have Noctowl and Larvitar left against that Tyranitar, this looks bad!' Ash thought desperately. 'And Togetic is still left!'

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Two blue rings formed around the Rock-Type. Seconds later, a barrage of sharp stones was fired towards the small owl Pokémon.

"Noctowl, stop them with Confusion!" Ash shouted. The crest above Noctowl's eyes shined a bright blue as a powerful blast of blue light was fired, deflecting most of the stones that were sent his way. Noctowl dodged the remainder of the Stone Edge that his beam didn't destroy.

Noctowl's keen eyes noted something. "Ash!" the Owl Pokémon called. "As I am now, I can't beat a Tyranitar, but that Tyranitar's armor has extensive damage in the neck and chest!"

Ash focused and noticed that Tyranitar's chest and neck armor had several cracks running along it. 'That Hyper Beam he detonated must have caused them, his body armor was already weakened by Charizard's attacks…' Ash realized.

"Noctow, use Steel Wing! Aim for a weak spot," Ash ordered. Nowtowl flew towards the Rock-Type as his wings shone a bright white, hardening to metal.

"Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Once again, Tyranitar charged the Rock-type attack, flinging a barrage of extremely sharp stones at the incoming Flying type.

Noctowl took a brief glance at the attack, memorizing the position of every single stone, and quickly calculated a safe spot within the attack, taking into account that his wings were safe because of the Steel Wing. Noctowl moved slightly to the right and downwards. "Noctowl!" Ash cried, concerned for his Pokémon, seeing that he was heading directly into an attack that due to its power and Noctowl's frail body could knock him out in a single blow.

To everyone's surprise, not a single stone hit the Flying-Type. He passed through the only space in which there was no stone to dodge. A few hit his wings, but the stones were pulverized by his Steel Wing. Latias and Latios' jaws dropped. Sure, they had known the owl was a smart Pokémon, but since they were psychics, they sensed the sheer amount of calculations and computations that had crossed the owl's mind as he dodged the attack. They were clearly impressed. The owl had an astounding mind for a Normal type.

Noctowl quickly adjusted his trajectory and slammed one of his wings across Tyranitar's chest. The armor cracked slightly. "Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse!" Jon shouted. Tyranitar fired the ringed beam towards the owl Pokémon.

"Noctowl, dodge and make another pass with Steel Wing!" Ash shouted. Noctowl quickly dropped into a steep dive, causing the Dark Pulse to fly overhead. He once again flew towards the Tyranitar, wings glowing a bright white. He slammed them into the Rock and Dark-Type's chest again, cracking the armor further.

"And Ash Ketchum is seemingly starting to wear Tyranitar down!" the MC cried.

"Noctowl, use Steel wing again!" Ash ordered. Noctowl made another pass, wing bright.

"Oh no you don't, Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!" Jon ordered. Noctowl took notice that if he attacked Tyranitar's chest again, he was going to be hit by the Stone Edge attack, so he changed his target. He dodged the Stone Edge as it was fired and slammed his Steel Wing into Tyranitar's neck, cracking the armor there as well and causing Tyranitar to stumble back. "Hyper Beam!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar quickly charged the Hyper Beam, much to Noctowl's surprise.

The Normal and Flying Type knew immediately there was no way he could dodge that Hyper Beam at such a close range, so, he chose to give Ash one final advantage to ensure that his last Pokémon could beat Tyranitar. He flew towards Tyranitar and slammed another Steel Wing into his chest, but he didn't fly away. Noctowl braced himself as Tyranitar aimed downwards and fired the Hyper Beam. The attack knocked Noctowl out instantly, but the resulting explosion did what Noctowl knew it would do: Tyranitar's armor took severe damage.

"Wow, what an attack! Now Ash Ketchum is down to his final Pokémon!" the MC cried.

"Noctowl is unable to continue battling!" the Referee called. Ash returned the fallen Owl Pokémon, wondering why he had attacked Tyranitar like that without a prior command.

"Ash, Noctowl wanted to weaken Tyranitar severely, that's why he chose to take that Hyper Beam, and he just did, look," Latias told him. Ash noticed that Tyranitar's neck and chest were severely cracked, and that the Armor Pokémon was panting heavily.

Ash grabbed his final Pokeball. "Larvitar, I choose you!" Ash shouted, sending the small Rock and Ground-Type to the battlefield.

Larvitar's jaw dropped when he saw his opponent. It didn't bring him good memories, but he pushed all of this back. "Ready to fight, daddy!" Larvitar said. The Rock and Ground-Type's icon appeared in Ash's final slot.

"And Larvitar is Ash's final Pokémon!" the MC cried. "Maybe, due to the damage Latios took from the prior battle, Ash has decided to keep him out of this battle. That sure is noble of him!" the MC remarked. Some people in the stand groaned in disappointment. They had wanted to see Latios again. Others were impressed that Ash was willing to give his strongest Pokémon a rest, despite the importance of the battle.

Tyranitar laughed. "You have got to be kidding me. Well, this should be a quick win."

Larivitar did one of his I-don't-care-about-a-thing looks, ignoring the Tyranitar's comment. The Armor Pokémon growled. Tyranitar growled. "Damn kid, I'm so gonna beat you up." Larvitar looked at him, his face almost emotionless. 'Damn, the kid's tough…' the Tyranitar admitted. Larvitar chuckled, he knew that this particular attitude of his was good at unnerving people.

"Brings back memories…" Jon commented nostalgically. He remembered when he had first caught his Larvitar and raised him to his current state. "Rock Tomb!" Jon shouted.

"Larvitar, dodge!" Ash shouted. Larvitar easily sensed, through ground vibrations, where each stone pillar would emerge from, he ran to the side, dodging the stone prison.

"Tyranitar, use Earthquake!" Jon ordered. Tyranitar slammed a fist to the ground, creating a powerful tremor. Larvitar cried as the super-effective attack hit him. He lost his footing and fell, as did Ash, Jon, and the Referee. "Now, Dark Pulse!" Jon ordered as he stood up.

Larvitar didn't get up in time. He shrieked as he was hit by the ringed Dark-Type beam. The attack exploded, blocking everyone's view. "Larvitar!" Ash shouted. He closed his eyes, sensing that, while a bit tattered and disorientated, Larvitar had survived the blow. "Larvitar, use Dig then Rock Smash!" Ash shouted. Larvitar quickly took a small dive towards the earth, and when the smoke cleared, he was nowhere to be seen, nothing but a small hole in the scorched ground.

'So, he did manage to survive the attack…' Jon thought. "Finish this with Earthquake!" Tyranitar slammed a fist to the ground, creating a powerful tremor, causing the tunnel Larvitar was digging to collapse and inflicting a lot of damage. Jon smirked. 'That should do the trick…' "Seems like I've won," he commented with a smirk.

Ash's eyes widened. "No…" Suddenly, the ground in front of Tyranitar cracked. Everyone was shocked to see the ground burst open as Larvitar emerged with a powerful leap, jumping towards Tyranitar's face, his fist shining a bright white from a Rock Smash attack.

Tyranitar and Jon's eyes widened in surprise. With a mighty cry, Larvitar hit Tyranitar with an uppercut using his Rock Smash, hitting him where his neck armor was cracked. The armor gave in and was destroyed completely, revealing the tender flesh underneath. Tyranitar howled in pain as he staggered back a few steps. The Rock Smash was quadruple effective, and the Dig attack was super effective, so the total damage was huge. However, Larvitar was not done. As he landed, he ran forward, taking another impressive leap and slamming another Rock Smash into Tyranitar's chest, destroying his prized armor completely.

With a deafening screech of pain, Tyranitar fainted, landing face down, eyes turned to swirls. The entire stadium burst into impressed cheers. A Larvitar had defeated a Tyranitar! "Tyranitar is unable to continue battling!" the Referee announced.

"Impressive! Ash's Larvitar has defeated Jon's Tyranitar!" the MC cried. Larvitar landed and panted in tiredness, barely managing to stand up. The few attacks Tyranitar had landed on him had caused a lot of damage. "Now, both trainers are down to their last Pokémon!"

"Congratulations kiddo!" Pikachu shouted. "Nice job!"

"Way to go! You were awesome!" Latias complimented, sending Larvitar a mental cheer.

"Congratulation!" Latios commented as well.

"Yeah, great work Larvitar!" Ash shouted. Ash's friends from the bench shouted similar words of encouragement and congratulation for the small Rock and Ground-Type. Larvitar blushed from the attention and smiled happily.

Jon returned the fallen Tyranitar. He was impressed that he had been defeated. He wasn't worrying about the armor; Tyranitars could re-grow it rather fast. He grabbed his next and last Pokeball. "Togetic, I choose you!" Jon shouted, summoning the small Happiness Pokémon.

"Larvitar get ready!" Ash shouted. Larvitar nodded, despite the tiredness. "Use Rock tomb!" Larvitar slammed his fist into the ground, causing four pillars to erupt from the ground, threatening to trap Togetic. "Now, Rock Smash!"

"Togetic, blast them apart with Psychic!" Jon ordered. Togetic emitted a powerful psychic blast, ripping the stones in half and sending them away. Suddenly, Larvitar was a few feet away from Togetic, his fist shining white as he prepared to punch her. "Togetic, push him away with Shadow Ball!" Jon ordered. Togetic quickly formed a Shadow Ball between her arms.

"Don't you know you shouldn't hit a girl!" she reprimanded. With one of her arms, she grabbed Larvitar's hand and spun, causing him to pass beside her. As this was happening, she slammed the Shadow Ball into Larvitar. He cried in pain as he was struck by the attack and sent flying backwards after a small explosion.

"And with a great maneuver, Togetic sends Larvitar away!" the MC commented.

"Larvitar!" Ash cried in concern. "Use Hidden Power!" Larvitar summoned the last of his strength as he glowed a bright white. Several energy spheres materialized.

"Togetic, Silver Wind!" Jon shouted. Togetic flapped her wings, creating a silver-tinted wind along with several crescent blades, sending them towards Larvitar.

The attacks passed each other. The spheres collided with Togetic and the Silver Wind hit Larvitar head on. Both Pokémon were pushed back a few feet after suffering the after effects of the attacks, they panted and looked at each other. With a last breath, Larvitar fell, knocked out. Larvitar was too weak and tired to survive the blow, while Togetic was still fresh and rested enough to take the attack and survive.

The Referee nodded. "Larvitar is unable to continue battling. The victory goes to Jon Dickson of Sento Cheery Town!"

"YEAH!" Jon shouted excitedly, raising his arms as the crowd cheered. Togetic flew over to her cheering trainer and was surprised when he hugged her. She returned the show of affection.

"And finally! Someone was able to stop the impressive trainer Ash Ketchum! Though I am sure we all agree on one thing, this battle might had gone differently if Ash had been able to use his prized Legendary Pokémon: Latios," the MC said over the speakers. Several fangirls in the crowd were crying like there was no tomorrow (Macey included). Also, Professor Elm was cheering that one of his trainers was making it to the finals, while Professor Oak and Gary tried to console Delia, who was crying at Ash's elimination.

Ash sighed sadly. He grabbed a Pokeball and returned the defeated Rock and Ground Type. "You were amazing, you battled great and I am proud of you…" Ash whispered to the Pokeball.

Pikachu patted Ash on the back. "Lost again… maybe next time… right?"

"I hope," Ash muttered.

Jon walked up to him. Togetic left his arm and rested on top of his head, like a Togetic hat. Jon held out his hand. Ash caught the gesture and shook hands with his opponent. "You battled amazingly, you were a very strong opponent, and you certainly had all the qualifications to win this league. I wish you the best of luck on your next Pokémon League," Jon said.

Ash nodded. "Thanks a lot, I wish you luck in the finals."

"Thanks," Jon replied. The crowd cheered, pleased by this sportsmanship between opponents.

Ash turned and rejoined his friends as he walked to the exit of the stadium. "Too bad Ash, you battled so hard…" Misty lamented.

"Yeah, you were close to defeating that Jon guy," Bianca agreed.

"Not to mention that Ash had Jon on the edge as Charizard beat almost everything Jon threw at him," Latias commented.

Ash sighed. "But…I was so close…I even had Latios to help me in earlier battles…and I still lost…"

Brock smiled sadly and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "You know Ash, you already reprimand people for focusing on your losses instead of your victories. You should do the same. Look at the bright side of all this, you defeated Gary, a stronger trainer like Harrison, and even came close to making it to the finals."

"Yeah," Misty agreed.

"Also," Brock continued. "Remember that you broke a world record."

Ash looked up. "I did?"

"Yeah, you're the youngest trainer ever to make it to the top four of any league," Brock reminded him.

"Yep," Bianca agreed.

Brock smiled. "And keep something else in mind Ash. Yes, you lost, but this isn't your last Pokémon league. You still lack the experience to really win a League, experience that we all hope you have gained today. Also, keep in mind that Latios isn't on a fully competitive level yet, he just started battling almost two months ago," Brock reminded him.

"Yes, when Latios is fully trained, he'll be a lot stronger than he is now, and with you having a lot more experienced, you'll have a better chance of wining the next league you face," Misty pointed out.

Ash smiled fondly at his friends. "Thanks a lot."

"See Ash, don't feel bad, so cheer up!" Latias said.

Ash smiled, glad that he was being supported so much by his friends at this hard time. But hey, that's what friends were for, right?

---

The rest of the day was quiet. Ash wasn't very talkative, which was to be expected. After a trip to the Pokémon Center, the group decided to enjoy what Silver Town had to offer. For now they would stay in town until the end of the Conference so they could see the Award Ceremony.

Night fell, and the group was sleeping soundly at their hotel room, everyone except Ash. He was simply looking at the ceiling, thinking of what he could have done better to win, but that wasn't really going to change anything. He decided that he needed some time to relax. He decided to walk over to his favorite place in all of Silver Town, the lake. He stood up and very quietly walked to the door, and as quietly as he could, he left the hotel. After a few minutes, he was at the lake. He smiled fondly at the beautiful night scene as he took a seat at the edge of the lake, enjoying the cool night air.

'I wish I could have won…' Ash lamented sadly. Brock's words were still vivid in his mind. He was happy for them, that meant that he, a former Gym leader, considered him a serious candidate to win the next League he was going to participate in…

But that didn't mean he didn't still wish he could have won this League.

"Hi!" a voice said behind Ash. The cap-wearing trainer nearly jumped out of his skin in fright.

"Latias!" Ash hissed. "Don't do that!"

Latias giggled. "Why were you scared if you can sense me?"

There was a moment of awkward silence. "Ugh…" Ash muttered.

Latias smiled and rested herself beside him. "Can't sleep?" she asked. "It's almost midnight."

"It's just… I'm still a bit shaken up after my defeat…" Ash muttered, a sigh escaping him.

Latias smiled tenderly at him and gave him a hug. "It's okay. Defeat must be very hard to deal with, but remember what Brock said, you still have more leagues left to win."

"Yeah…" Ash agreed.

"Didn't you and Brock decide that after the Johto league was over, you were going to start gathering badges to compete in the Hoenn League, especially after seeing the Pokémon Harrison had?" Latias asked.

"Yes," Ash replied.

"Then your next goal will be to win the Hoenn League!" Latias said cheerfully. "Besides, my brother was sad too with your defeat. He partially blames himself for it, so that will just motivate him more to become stronger, as he gets stronger, he will be a better battler and he will give you a better chance to win the Hoenn League!"

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

"Ash, you are still eleven, barely twelve, and yet look how far you've come. You're in the top four of the Silver Conference! Next time, I'm sure you'll do better! You still have a long way to go," Latias pointed out.

Ash smiled. "Thanks a lot, Latias."

"So cheer up and stop acting all depressed, you know I hate seeing people sad," Latias told him.

Ash nodded. "I will," he replied. Latias smiled and nuzzled him affectionately. Ash hugged her, running his hands across her long and slender neck, loving the feel of her small and fine feathers. Ash accidently brushed against his necklace. He smiled as he parted from the hug and looked at the necklace. He grabbed it and looked at it fondly, fingering the little crystal figurines of Latias and Latios. "You know Latias, this necklace is very special to me. It reminds me of the bond I share with you and Latios, especially after the soul fusion to save Latios' life."

Latias smiled. "I know, you haven't taken it off ever since I gave it to you."

"It was a very special thank-you gift…" Ash muttered. "Latias, thanks a lot for cheering me up, I'll look ahead instead of looking back." He gently stroked Latias' long feathery neck, she gave a small squeal of delight. Ash smiled. He looked at this necklace and remembered both thank-you gifts she had given him that day. Ash surprised Latias by giving her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Thanks you for always being there for me." Latias blushed a deep shade of scarlet. He smiled innocently at her. "Guess I returned that thank-you kiss you gave me in Altomare." He yawned. "Well, I guess that I can finally sleep now. Thanks a lot for the talk Latias, it made me feel a lot better." With that, Ash stood up and walked back to the hotel.

Latias just floated there, a little stunned. She smiled and began doing small excited twirls in the air, feeling incredibly happy.

Meanwhile, on the balcony of their suite, Latios watched the scene with interest. He was a bit surprised, but either way, he enjoyed seeing Latias flying about happily. That was what made him the happiest brother in the world, simply seeing her happy. He chuckled as he turned around and headed back inside to sleep, Ash could return anytime now and he didn't want him to know that he'd seen their little 'moment.'

---

The next day…

While today was one of the two rest days to let the two finalists get ready for the grand final of the Silver Conference, a special guest was flying to Silver Town as his presence was required for the aforementioned event. He was Lance, champion of the Johto League, riding on his trusty Dragonite. As the champion, it was proper that he be present at the award ceremony to coronate the winner of the Conference, as well as to ask him if he was willing to take on the Challenge of claiming Lance's title as champion, which consisted of fighting the Elite Four and the Champion consecutively, five battles in five days, with a single loss meaning the challenger had no chance whatsoever of winning the title.

"We're almost there Dragonite, just a little more," Lance said, spotting Mt. Silver in the distance.

"It's been a while since I've flown this much," the Dragonite commented.

"Well, I haven't had the need to travel much until now," Lance replied. As a master Dragon trainer, Lance had the unique skill of understanding the Poke-speech of all Dragon and Dragon-like Pokémon, a very useful ability.

"You seem very eager to get to Silver Town master, may I ask why?" the Dragonite inquired. He had noted that throughout the trip, Lance had been rather impatient to reach Silver Town, a lot more than he had for the previous Silver Conferences.

"There is someone I am dying to see again," Lance answered. "Remember Ash?"

"The kid with the Pikachu we saw at the Lake with the red Gyarados?" the Dragonite asked.

"Yes," Lance confirmed. "He has done something that's left me speechless."

"What is that?" Dragonite asked, clearly confused.

"He captured a Legendary Pokémon, but not just any legendary, but a legendary Dragon Pokémon," Lance answered.

Dragonite raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Which one?"

"A Latios," Lance answered. "The events regarding Latios' capture are unknown, as Ash has apparently evaded the media for the entire conference. How he's eluded them is also unknown."

"A kid captured a Latios? That's odd," the Dragonite commented.

"But… how? I am a master Dragon trainer and I have never even seen a Legendary Dragon, yet some kid appears out of nowhere using a Latios freely in a tournament! Yet, that Latios is still in training, at least from what I saw in the battles he was used in he is," Lance said, clenching a fist angrily. "It should be me who's training a Legendary Dragon."

"It'd be cool to have a Latios on the team," Dragonite admitted.

"I'm sure we can convince Ash to leave Latios to a more experienced and adequate trainer," Lance commented, chuckling. "Like me. I am a master dragon trainer, after all."

"What if he disagrees?" Dragonite asked.

"We'll have to do it the hard way then," Lance said off-handedly.

Dragonite frowned. "Isn't this a bit…unfair?"

"No, Latios deserves a better trainer. He will become my Pokémon!" Lance decided, more determined than ever to add a new dragon to his team…no matter what the cost.

---

And Chapter 21 has ended! I hope you all like it, and, again I apologize for the delay.

Anyway, I hope that with this chapter the question you have all been probably wondering has been answered. YES. I will write the Hoenn Region. I have many plans for it actually. So, don't worry, this story will still go for a good long way. So Yay! There will be Hoenn Region for all of you.

Also, I made a joint account with two of my friends, Shakari and Lady Venamisa, both are on my fav authors list, its called venakari, if we make co-writes, they will be posted there, actually, Lady Venamisa and Shakari was working on a nice fanfic called Shades of Grey, its on venakari, check it out!

Also, the blind Poll I made about the shippings with Ash has been made visible, so, go there and see the results so far! And those who haven't voted, go and leave a vote (Or 5)! The Poll will remain open for at least the rest of November, and After that maybe start a new one with a Topic just as interesting.

And Finally, don't forget to tell me what you think in a REVIEW! *Happy Dance* =D