Chapter 21: Elemental Strategy

Ash and company arrive at the gym where Leon is awaiting their arrival.

"Are you ready Ash?"

"Am I ready, of course I am."

"Well it sure doesn't look like it considering you have not one but two girls clutching you and pregnant I might add."

Ash simply puffs it off and walks into the gym with everyone else behind them.

"Now if you will sign this promising to keep your end of the bargain we can get started, and I will do the same."

Both Ash and Leon sign the document and give it to the referee.

"Alright Mr. Ketchum it's time for your demise and you expulsion from this tournament."

"Oh yeah, well that's not going to happen if me and my Pokémon have anything to say about it!"

"Enough talk, now we battle!"

"Alright scizor, battle stations, let's go!"

Leon kisses the now flaming pokéball before throwing it midfield.

"Heh gotcha, but now to confirm my theory."

"Alright if that's how you wanna play. I'm game, Quilava lets go!"

"Scizor vs. Quilava let the match commence!"

"Scizor use metal claw!"

Scizor charges in with the attack, but instead of a glowing claw it catches fire.

"Wait…that's…the one who was lighting the fireworks. Yes that confirms it, alright Quilava use flamethrower slick and narrow."

Quilava complies and shoots a narrow and speedy attack that impacts scizor hard and fast.

"Scizor is unable to battle…Quilava wins!"

"And to top it off, your battle style is an elemental advantage each based on their pokéball and something that could benefit there type, and in this case when you kissed the ball it became glowing with flames, otherwise it would have stayed the same or been another element depending on what you did before you threw it."

…

Leon stands with his mouth open in shock

"Wow…not bad Ash, not bad at all. I'm actually impressed you actually did it and this is our first battle together."

"Nah, it was nothing, plus I had a little help for an old friend…"

"Hm… well I guess you'll just have to beat me otherwise…"

"Otherwise?"

"Otherwise the double points will not count and all that hard work will have been for NOTHING!"

"Ugh!"

Ash lets out a low growl.

"Now let's see if you can stop this!"

Leon kisses the pokéball twice and it turns yellow.

"Now! Quagsire, battle stations!"

"Quilava return! Bulbasaur lets go!"

"Bulbasaur vs. Quagsire! Let the battle continue!"

"Quagsire use aqua tail, go!"

Quagsire charges an attack and at a blistering pace charges at Bulbasaur sparking with electricity.

"Woah its fast!"

"Bulbasaur use vine whip to jump and then use razor leaf to counter."

"Wow…by the looks of things that Quagsire must be charged with a lot of electricity, so we have to avoid him in any way we can."

Bulbasaur leaps into the air dodging the attack and firing a fury of razor leaf at the startled blue blob Pokémon.

"Quagsire intercept it with bubblebeam!"

The bubblebeam and razor leaf intersect and the leaves get caught up in the bubbles entirely and pop seconds later dropping the leaves to the ground harmlessly.

"What? That's not possible!"

Suddenly Ash looks at one of the leaves that had fallen near him.

"Wait, that…that…that's just not…"

The leaves upon closer inspection show burn marks and cuts all over them.

"Wait? What? They were cut and burnt, but how? Wait no way! That's pretty good ya know, I never thought a Quagsire would be able to put that into a bubblebeam."

"He used the intensity of the electricity to burn and cut the leaves. I'm impressed to say so myself."

"Ya know I gotta hand it to you, that must have been some intense training to get Quagsire to do that…"

"Well it took a while, but it all worked out in the end…"

"Well then we shall just have to see if he can really put it to the test."

"Bulbasaur!"

Ash looks at Bulbasaur with a serious look.

"Bulba?"

-Flashback-

The day before…

"Now remember when I call your name and give you a serious look, I want you to begin gathering as much solar energy as you can ok?"

-End Flashback-

Bulbasaur nodes and prepares himself.

"Now use vinewhip and send him flying!"

The attack hits hard, but doesn't move him an inch.

"Now use razor leaf!"

"It's useless razor leaf won't work, not as long as I have Quagsire's bubblebeam, go!"

The attack intercept and the leaves fall to the ground like last time

Bulbasaur gave a quick look back at Ash.

"Alright now you're mine, razor leaf one last time!"

"Again bubblebeam to intercept…"

The attacks again move to intersect, but before they do…

"Bulbasaur use solarbeam 120% power!"

"What are you crazy? Bulbasaur needs time for that to charge how can you expect him to fire that right here, right now? Unless…"

Leon quickly flashes back to when Ash just simply calls Bulbasaur's name.

"No Quagsire, dodge it quick!"

"Bulba, Bulba, Bulba, Bulba, Bulba…"

"FIRE!"

"Bulba, Bulba, Bulbaaaaaa, SAUR!"

The little bulb fires a beam so powerful, it makes overheat look like ember…

It quickly annihilates both attacks and impacts Quagsire straight in the center of his body. The attack is so powerful; it forces Quagsire into the ceiling and leaves an imprint at the point of impact.

As Quagsire falls, the gym leader stands in shock as it falls.

"Bulbasaur use vine whip to catch Quagsire!"

Bulbasaur complies and grabs the blue blob to prevent any further injury to befall him before making his way to the ground. He lays it down in front of Leon and the judge makes his call.

"Quagsire is unable to battle, the victory goes to Bulbasaur!"

…

"Alright Charmeleon, you're my last hope battle stations!"

He again blows on the Pokéball like he did at the festival.

Ash recalls Bulbasaur to send Totodile out.

"Totodile, let's go!"

"Charmeleon vs. Totodile let the match begin!"

"Charmeleon use slash followed by metal claw!"

"Totodile use water gun on the ground to dodge it!"

Charmeleon charges and just before impact Totodile fires a powerful water gun at the ground sending him into the air completely dodging both attacks.

"Perfect…he's unable to dodge! Now Charmeleon use overheat!"

"Char…"

"Meal…"

"LEON!"

A large cylinder of flames bursts from Charmeleon, enough to engulf Totodile just like solarbeam and Quagsire.

"Totodile, quickly use water gun and give it everything you've got!"

Totodile holds his head back and at the last second tries to push the attack back, but is almost overwhelmed until the water stream gets bigger than the overheat.

"What's going on?"

"I think Totodile is not using water gun anymore, but hydro pump. Ash just look at that power…it's almost enough to push the overheat back, but Totodile just isn't strong enough to…"

But by the time Brock finishes explaining Totodile is up against the wall being held up by the force of the attack.

"That's it!"

"Totodile, stop using your attack, now!"

He complies and falls before the attack hits him.

The attack hits the wall and nearly destroys it.

"Now jump off the falling rubble to avoid the edge of the ring."

He complies and succeeds, (because if he did it would be considered a ring out and Charmeleon would win by default despite if Totodile was still able to fight or not).

"Charmeleon flamethrower!"

The fire Pokémon complies and launches an attack that looked almost as powerful as the overheat.

"Totodile!"

Totodile uses hydro pump to block the attack, but at a major price on his stamina.

A few seconds go by…

"Are you sure you don't wanna give up, otherwise your Totodile may become barbecue for me later…"

"No way I believe in my Pokémon and there power!"

"Suddenly, he starts to glow blue…"

"Huh?"

Soon Totodile is dancing again.

"Wait, what just happened?"

"Misty?"

"Don't look at me! Brock do you know anything about this?"

"I think so let me think…"

Brock places his fist into his hand after a few seconds of thinking.

"Aqua ring! Its aqua ring!"

"Aqua ring?"

"Yes it's a water type recovery move that restores a water type Pokémon's hp for a limited amount of time, and apparently he learned to use it just as the flamethrower nearly took him down…"

"Plus in some ways some trainers have said that when used it provides a water veil to help protect them further from fire attacks...so that they do even less than they did before. And every turn he will recover health until it wears off, he faints, or is full of health."

"Ok I think I get it now, alright Totodile lets wrap this up, with one big attack. Use hydro pump at the ceiling and gives us some moisture!"

Totodile complies and does as Ash explained.

Suddenly dark clouds begin to form inside the gym.

"Alright Totodile now rain dance quickly!"

"Toto…"

Suddenly it begins to rain…hard…

"Yeah now with the further increase in our power and decrease in theirs let's wraps this up hydro pump 120%."

"Charmeleon swords dance and then Overheat!"

"Char…"

Both Pokémon begin charging up bundles of energy and at once they release it all on each other.

Upon impact the attack seem equal until Charmeleons' give a little, then Totodile's a little and then back and forth. Until the energy equalizes and gathers in the middle for a massive explosion, sending everyone for cover to dodge the potentially fatal attacks.

As the smoke clears, both Pokémon are on the ground knocked out.

"Wow, after all that power and oh look the rain stopped…"

"Totodile and Charmeleon are both unable to battle and since Ash Ketchum still has two Pokémon remaining; the victor of this gym match is Ash Ketchum of pallet town! And due to prior agreement his victory points are doubled and his rank is increased further."

"Here you go Ash, you not only managed to figure my strategy, but defeat me in battle. You deserve this…"

Leon hands Ash a star badge and steps back a little to give Ash some room.

"Alright I won the elemental badge!"

"Pi pika chu!"

"Hey Leon nice match I look forward to a rematch in the finals…"

"Oh you already know about that…"

"Yeah I kinda figured since there were so many people competing, and there were quite a few on the boat, but not enough to fill up the ranks…"

"Yeah, yeah, but next time Ash you won't be so lucky!"

"I'll look forward to it!"

Ash and company begin setting off for the next town to get Ash's next badge, will they be as easy as the first two or will Ash end up eating dirt in the next match stay tuned for the next Events Unexpected!