This is Ash's first battle in the Challenge of the Elite Four. He faces the Ice-type Master, Lorelei. That is all I have to say here. Please enjoy…
The weeks went by quickly like a speeding Dragonite flying around the world. The young Pokémon Trainer of Pallet Town prepared for this very moment, making sure all his Pokémon were capable of optimum performance in the upcoming battles against the most renowned and powerful Trainers to date. While he trained them to be the best, he never forgot the words of his sweet lover before she left to take some time for herself. An insignificant argument forced them to take a break in order to heal the damage done to their hearts. But they promised to always be together once their romantic sabbatical was over. Hopefully, they won't have to face another conflict so soon.
Ash now waits for the next two days for his own date with destiny. His dear girlfriend, Anabel, did not return yet to Pallet Town with his Staraptor. While the pain has indeed left Ash weeks ago, he felt unsure if Anabel had recovered yet. He believed her to have been able to stand back up on her feet again after a few days, more or less. But she told him to not let her absence hinder his progress.
"She will be back in time," he thought while brimming with confidence. All his Pokémon, sans Staraptor, surrounded him in front of the Battle Dimension; their hearts racing from all the excitement.
"Pika Pikachu?" Pikachu asked.
"I think she'll be waiting at the Indigo Plateau with the rest of my friends, Pikachu. Speaking of which, I wonder how they were all doing for the past two months."
"Pi-ka…"
"Anyway, you, me, and five other Pokémon have to get going," Ash announced and recalled Charizard, Sceptile, Floatzel, Pidgeot, and Gallade into their Poké Balls. "I will call upon the rest of you when the time comes thanks to this…" Ash pulled out his Pokédex from his pocket and opened it up. "It's a good thing Professor Oak installed this new program in mine and Gary's before he, Gary, and Mom left ahead to the Indigo Plateau."
"Hey, Ash," Tracey called out, running towards Ash and his Pokémon.
"Tracey!"
"Hey. Have you decided on six Pokémon you want to travel with to the Indigo Plateau?"
"Yep! We'll be traveling on foot to Viridian City. And after a few miles from there, Charizard will fly us the rest of the way."
"Alright then, Ash," Tracey said. "Before you leave, have you figured out the Pokédex's new installation?"
"Yeah, Professor Oak showed me that this special program will allow me to switch the Pokémon with me with the ones that are staying here," Ash said.
"The Pokémon you choose to exchange from here will be automatically called back into their Poké Balls unless they are somehow out of range, which is pretty unlikely. Like if you want to switch out your Charizard or Gallade for Bulbasaur, Cyndaquil, Gliscor… Well, I can probably guess you won't switch out Pikachu."
"Pika…"
"Anyway, I'll catch your battles on TV while tending to the Pokémon," Tracey said. "Good luck with the Challenge of the Elite Four!"
"Thanks, Tracey!" Ash waved off good-bye to Tracey and the rest of his Pokémon; all responded with various cries and sounds. All were eager for their chance to participate in the Elite Four Challenge. With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash walked confidently to Viridian City, thinking of old and new strategies to use against the members and Champions. But right now, he needed to focus his mind on the first Elite Four member he lost to in his journey: Lorelei.
"Mr. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town?"
"Here!"
"There's a phone call for you," the Viridian Nurse Joy said. Ash stood up from the bench and Pikachu followed along.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Ash said. "I'll take it from here." He and Pikachu walked to the videophone booth Joy pointed out. On the screen he saw his mother and some of his friends.
"Ash! I had a feeling you'd be in Viridian City when you haven't arrived here yet," Delia said.
"Don't worry, Mom," Ash said. "I'll be there tomorrow. Tell my friends and Lorelei that the match will go as scheduled."
"I kind of wished you came along with us instead of training to the last minute… Not exactly proper etiquette, you know."
"I didn't overtax my Pokémon! The rest of them are taking it easy with Tracey."
"Ash! What are you doing there?" May came into the conversation and waved from the screen.
"Uh, hi, May," Ash said sheepishly, not expecting his talk with his mother to be over so soon. "Is all of our friends at the Indigo Plateau now?"
"Yep! Me, Max, Brock, Dawn, Zoey, and Kenny… Even Drew decided to stop by!"
"I told you it was to make sure you don't slack off," Drew's voice yelled from the background.
"Oh, so Misty or Nando couldn't be found?" Ash asked.
"Misty regrets not being able to leave the Cerulean Gym, not trusting her older sisters to handle things fairly," May explained. "And no one really knows where Nando is except that, from what I heard, he recently defeated both the Saffron City Gym and Contest. I have also heard that the Gym Leader, Sabrina, used a Haunter for the last match after Nando defeated her Mr. Mime and Alakazam."
"Wow, now that's quite an accomplishment. Speaking of Contests, how did you do in Sinnoh's Super Contests?"
"One Ribbon so far," May said and proudly held up the Ribbon she won. Ash took a close look upon it and realized that it was a Floaroma Town Ribbon.
"That's a Floaroma Ribbon: one of the first Ribbons Dawn had ever won since she started out," Ash said.
"I know! Dawn and Zoey have each won a Ribbon here in Kanto, Kenny managed to win two, and Drew won his third Ribbon just a few days ago."
"Impressive," Ash said.
"Pika," Pikachu said, waving hello to the screen.
"Hello, Pikachu!" May waved back cheerfully. "How've you been?"
"Pika-chu!" the Mouse Pokémon responded happily.
"By the way, have Solidad and Harley entered Sinnoh?" Ash asked.
"Actually, what I am about to tell you, you just won't believe me," May said, trying to keep a straight face on.
"What's going on?" Ash asked. May took a deep calming breath and closed her eyes to imagine a brief reaction from Ash if she told him.
"Well… both Harley and Solidad are… going out for a while and won't be participating in any Contests soon… I know; the news surprised me too! And Brock and Drew still couldn't believe it, even though Brock was the one who saw them starting to see eye-to-eye in a park near Pewter City…" May opened her eyes and found Ash's legs sticking up from the ground. She also heard painful groaning coming from Ash's side of the videophone.
"… Man, that's some news alright," Ash said after getting back up and rubbing his sore head. "Didn't think they would get together, seeing their two different personalities and all…"
"Pikapi…" Pikachu muttered wryly.
"Solidad claimed to have seen the goodness within Harley," May said. "I really don't know what she could see from him other than his questionable fashion sense. That man dressed up as me in the Kanto Grand Festival!"
"Now there's a sight for sore eyes," Ash said jokingly. May wasn't laughing.
"I'm serious!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway," May said, straightening her green bandanna. She looked closely upon the screen projecting Ash and Pikachu, but that was all she saw from the Viridian Pokémon Center. "Hey! Where's Anabel?" Hearing that question caused Ash to slowly cover his face with the tip of his Sinnoh hat in humility.
"Um, she went back to the Battle Tower," he said somewhat hesitantly. May knew immediately something happened between the couple.
"Ohh… Can I ask what happened?"
"Me and Anabel got into an argument… Well, one of our first arguments as a couple ever… Anyway, she said that she needed to clear her head of some things first before coming back. Man, I really hurt her."
"Was it really that bad?" May asked, sympathetic to the whole situation.
"Yes… She even resorted comparing me to Paul!"
"Ash, while I hate such terrible conflicts, you could have probably done better if Anabel compared you to Paul," May said.
"I know," Ash said. "I guess I was bound to snap at her for being so overbearing with me."
"A lot of girls do what they can to protect their loved ones," May said and smiled. "She just didn't want to lose you again." Ash gave her a strange look, believing May was hiding more than she had led on. "Look, that's not important to talk about now. Anyway, just look at me and Max. He may be a pain, but he's still my little brother. And I care for all of my friends and you."
"Well, she promised that she'll come before my match with Lorelei starts."
"I know she will, Ash. And know that all of your friends and I are right beside you, cheering you on as we've always done! Like you've done for us, too!"
"Thanks, May," Ash said and turned off the connection. He felt at peace that everything will go as planned by the time he arrives at the Indigo Plateau, but he could help but feel a little doubt hidden away in his emotional reserves. "Pikachu, let's get some rest."
"Pika!"
"Up there!" Kenny pointed up in the sky. The sun was at its highest point; from the center of the bright sun flew in Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard.
"Ash!" Dawn yelled out and waved to him. Charizard then flapped his wings strongly to slow their descent before landing.
"Honey, you made it," Delia said and hugged her son. "How was the trip on Charizard?"
"We got here even sooner than I thought," Ash said. "Charizard has really improved, that's for sure."
"Rrrrrd," Charizard growled softly in gratitude.
"About time you came here," Drew said; his arms crossed in a smug fashion.
"Oh, so you really thought Ash and Charizard could have been here sooner?" Zoey asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm just saying if Charizard's as good as he claims him to be, then they should be here before any of us even noticed," Drew said and shrugged. He then extended his arm and pointed towards Ash, declaring his turn to talk to him. "Don't think I came here just to support you out of the goodness of my heart. I came here to see a spectacular and entertaining show; one that rivals or possibly surpasses the beauty and passion of my own appeals."
"Get over yourself, 'Mr. Rose,'" Ash thought about Drew.
"Ash, there's something you must know," Brock said urgently, moving the others aside to get to Ash.
"What?"
"The Pokémon League Committee is moving your match against Lorelei to today!"
"What?!" everyone shouted at the sudden change in schedule.
"Does Lorelei know about this?" Ash asked.
"She was the one who requested this in the first place," Brock said.
"Why?"
"Well, you're probably never going to believe this but…"
"What?!"
"… Agatha's younger twin sister, Bertha of the Sinnoh Elite Four, has fallen ill," Brock said, twiddling his fingers for a moment. "And she requires Lorelei's help since she couldn't turn to anyone else." Silence followed as everyone thought about the Ice-type member of the Kanto Elite Four assisting the older of two identical elderly women in healing the younger.
"Wow! It's a wonder Ash could not believe it," Max said, breaking the silence. "I guess it's safe for me to say that none of us ever really thought about the relation between Agatha and Bertha!"
"Um, some of us already knew, Max," Professor Oak said, recalling his days as a youth with Agatha.
"… … … What?!" Ash said, his mouth hanging open at the bizarre truth. "You were right, Brock. I'm never going to believe that my match was pushed up to today because of a… MY match is today?! I got let them know I'm here! Oh, man! What Pokémon am I going to use against Lorelei? Sorry guys! Gotta run!" Ash quickly recalled his Charizard before he and Pikachu sprinted off inside the Indigo Plateau Stadium, leaving everyone else and a few unlucky pedestrians in his wake.
"He really needs to lighten up, that boy," Delia said.
"He's your son," Gary said and shrugged. "I think I'd better make sure he goes to the right battlefield."
"There!" Ash pressed the large button on his Pokédex, initializing the new Pokémon exchange program Professor Oak installed in his Pokédex. He remembered what Aya told him about how the matches in the Challenge of the Elite Four worked. He would face two members from each region for four regions total on Three-on-Three Battles. And when it was time to face the Regional Champion, or Makeshift Champion of Kanto, then a Six-on-Six Battle was warranted to advance. "Well, that settled on what Pokémon I'm gonna use against the match against Lorele–!" Ash tripped over from the constant rush, causing him to drop the red Pokédex. It slid down the large empty hall until someone stopped it with a foot. Ash quickly stood back up on his feet and ran towards where his Pokédex slid. He bent over to pick it up, noticing a familiar black dress shoe that stopped the Pokédex. "Thanks for stopping my Poké–…" It finally struck him.
"You're welcome, sweetie," a soft familiar voice said, masking the true happiness she felt upon seeing him again. Ash could not believe it. She came back. She stopped his Pokédex with her foot. He gradually turned his head up; he beheld her pale smiling, loving face; the very same face he saw upon his reunion with her near the Battle Frontier Headquarters in Vermillion City.
"You're finally back," he said, his grin stretching out ear to ear.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she said. "And you're still MY world, Ash Ketchum." Ash picked up his Pokédex and stood up to face her on eye level.
"I'm glad you came back, Anabel," Ash said, initiating a hug with her. "I was really worried about you."
"Starrra!" the Normal and Flying-type chirped.
"I missed you too, Staraptor," Ash said.
"Ash, it's time you got going," Anabel said and released her embrace.
"Right! Take care of Staraptor while I battle?"
"Sure! And Ash?" Ash turned around and received a quick peck on the cheek by Anabel. "Win this one for me."
"Okay! Here we go!"
"Ladies and gentleman, we have moved the Elite Four match that was supposed to scheduled yesterday to today," the announcer said under the enthusiastic roars of the crowd. "We are sorry for this inconvenience, but both combatants have agreed to the conditions since they have now entered the battlefield!" The crowd cheered on as two powerful Trainers have arrived from opposite sides. From the left side of the referee and the battlefield came Ash and Pikachu. On the right came a young woman with red hair, blue eyes with glasses, a black top with no sleeves, a purple skirt, and black high heels.
"Here they are: Elite Four Member Lorelei of Four Island!"
"And Challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town! Cheer on for these two Trainers that they will have a great match!" The crowd once again cheered on as Ash and Lorelei walked to the center of the brown barren battlefield to shake hands for good sportsmanship.
"I can tell you've improved a lot since our last encounter on Mandarin Island," Lorelei said and offered her hand. "From your Pikachu alone, I can tell that your bond with your Pokémon has grown strong overtime. You all braved the tempest of storms while relaxing together like the tranquility of the sea."
"Thanks," Ash said and followed up on their handshake. "You've seemed to have changed too. I know you did not just lie back while I got stronger. And was your hair always red? I kinda thought it was sort of purple?"
"Uh, I'll tell you about it another time," Lorelei said sheepishly. "You know, I did not really expect to be called back to duty so soon. So, if you manage to defeat me, I may finally rest back in Floe Island."
"What do you mean?"
"I have other things to do with my life other than being an Elite Four member. I want to increase my love for the sea. I want to help other struggling Trainers with my lectures at a meager price of 18.95. And I want to increase my Pokémon doll collection."
"What?"
"Nothing… Let's battle." Ash and Lorelei finished their handshake and went to their separate places on the battle field. As the two battlers walked back to their sides, Ash's friends found their seats on the mid-section of the stadium.
"This is so exciting," Max said.
"I know," Dawn said. "So many people are here to watch Ash's first battle against the Elite Four. Speaking of which, how was your training as Kanto's temporary Champion, Gary?"
"You'll find out when it's time," Gary said, sitting down next to his grandfather.
"Hey, gang! Look at who's on the other side, front row," Zoey said and pointed across from where they were. "It's Scott and the Frontier Brains."
"They must have come to watch one of their own taking on the Elite Four," Drew said, fidgeting from all of the people surrounding him. "This ought to be interesting."
"They are all there except for one," Brock said from taking a close look upon Scott and the cheering six Brains.
"Guys, you don't think Anabel was unable to show up yet, do you?" Delia asked.
"I have a feeling that she's closer than we believe," May said. "Well, the match is starting and we should just sit back and cheer for Ash. I'm sure Anabel is also cheering him on."
"Good luck, Ash," Anabel whispered; she and Staraptor looked out from the large hall to where the match was about to take place.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the Three-on-Three match between Elite Four member Lorelei and the challenger, Ash, to begin," the announcer said along with the cheering roars of the crowd. "But let's first decide the type of battlefield the match will take place on." A roulette with four choices of fields appeared in the center of the Trainer board. The roulette started spinning, the four choices lightened up quickly until it slowed down. It was decided from there that the Ice Field was the battlefield.
"It's the Ice Field," Max said. "Lorelei will have the advantage here now."
"But Ash is bound to have a trick or two up his sleeve," May said.
"This match will involve each Trainer using only three Pokémon," the referee said. "The match is over when all three Pokémon on either side are unable to continue battling. Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions. Now choose your first Pokémon and begin!" The referee raised both flags up; Lorelei had already taken out her first Poké Ball.
"Cloyster, let's go!"
"Pikachu, you ready?"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into action and joined Cloyster on the Ice Field.
"Ash, you can have the first move," Lorelei said.
"Thanks! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaaa-chuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, directing it towards the center of Cloyster.
"Cloyster, close your shell!"
"Cloooyyyster!" Cloyster protected its soft face with an immediate shutting of its shell. The Thunderbolt could not fully penetrate Cloyster, but some electrical discharge was able to seep through. "Cloooyyy…"
"Cloyster's in pain," Lorelei said, hearing her Pokémon's cries for help despite having Cloyster close its shell. "I must commend him. If his Pikachu's Electric-type attacks can somehow penetrate Cloyster's defense, then I must make this battle harder for him. Cloyster, use Surf!"
"Cloooyyster!" Cloyster, still withdrawn in its shell, conjured up a large wave with itself on top.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Quickly!"
"Chuuu-Pika!" Pikachu stored energy in his lightning-bolt shaped tail and quickly sliced the wave vertically as well as sending the encased Cloyster high up in the air.
"Cloyster, use Ice Beam to save yourself!"
After reemerging from its shell, Cloyster fired an Ice Beam from the tip of its large spike onto the ground. It had created an icy slide that started from where it was to the ground near Pikachu. Cloyster skillfully navigated down the slide, arriving right in front of Pikachu.
"Pika?" Pikachu said, surprised by Cloyster's reemergence. The Bivalve Pokémon's grim face stared upon the vulnerable Electric-type.
"Now use Supersonic!"
"Clooooyyyy," Cloyster hummed, generating peculiar sound waves from the black center of its body. Pikachu was within range; his eyes glowed purple upon hearing the Supersonic.
"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!" Ash called out.
"Pika!" Pikachu responded with a glowing tail. However, the Mouse Pokémon used Iron Tail on the icy ground and sometimes himself instead of Cloyster.
"Cloyster, use Brine!"
"Clooooyyyyster!" Cloyster obliged by unleashing a gush of water from its mouth. With Pikachu already weakening himself from the confusion, Brine damaged the Electric-type with twice the power. The extra pressure caused by Brine also caused the ice underneath both Pokémon to fall into the water.
"Cloyster, finish off Pikachu with Surf!"
"Clooooyyyyster!" Cloyster gathered all the cold water it was submerged in to create a larger wave.
"Pikachu, swim back to solid ice!"
"Pika," Pikachu said, swimming as quickly as he can as Cloyster continued to form a wave large enough that would finish the Mouse Pokémon.
"Clooooyyyyster," Cloyster shouted; the wave it had created was finished. Cloyster then Surfed towards Pikachu, the Electric-type still recovering from previous confusion.
"What do I do now?" Ash thought. "That large wave… Well, I might as well take a shot at this." Ash then looked at the battlefield, watching Pikachu climb a large glacier. "I think I got it! Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the glacier!"
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu followed the command and slammed an Iron Tail on top of the glacier. The immense power shattered the glacier into several large chunks of ice. Most of the ice chunks flew into the direction of Cloyster's Surf, reducing the power and size of the wave while at the same time pummeling the exposed Cloyster.
"Pikachu, now finish Cloyster with Volt Tackle!"
"Pika! PikaPikaPikaPikaPika…" Pikachu dove in; the Electric-type was charged with electrical power. Pikachu collided with Cloyster on top of the wave, setting off an explosion that sent Cloyster into another glacier while Pikachu landed safely on the icy ground.
"Cloyster is unable to battle," the referee said and raised a flag to Ash's side. "The winner of the battle is Pikachu!"
"Cloyster, return!" Lorelei recalled her fried Cloyster into its Poké Ball. "Thank you, my friend."
"Folks, I guess we can all say that that was a fantastic opening battle for young Ash Ketchum," the announcer said; the crowd cheering for Ash. "A hard battle, but Pikachu managed to last against Lorelei's Cloyster and win!" From Ash's friends to complete strangers, they were all impressed by the first battle. Even the familiar trio that was selling snacks for the battle had something good to say.
"Who knew da twoip was such a cloud pleaser?" Meowth said, handing out soda to a little kid.
"It actually makes chasing him for his Pikachu worthwhile indeed," James said.
"You boobs! Quit daydreaming about the main twerp," Jessie commanded. "We still have to pay our ridiculous debts to the Boss! It's the only way he'll actually forgive us and who knows? He and his blue friend from Orre might let us in on their plan!"
"Okey-dokey!"
"Ash has the upper hand right now, but it can still change," Max said.
"Don't be so pessimistic about Ash," May said.
"He's work hard at this for sure," Kenny said.
"Guys! Lorelei has chosen her second Pokémon to fight against Pikachu," Dawn said.
"Jinx, let's go!"
"Jinx," the Human Shape Pokémon said upon her summoning.
"Let the battle commence!"
"We're on a roll here, Pikachu! Use Iron Tail on Jinx!"
"Blizzard!"
"Jiiiiinx!" Jinx attacked first with a powerful frigid gale known as Blizzard. Before Pikachu was even able to fight, the Blizzard froze the Mouse Pokémon in his tracks.
"Now use Ice Punch!"
"Jinx!" The Ice and Psychic-type quickly went over to the frozen Pikachu, sending her icy-powered fist into the frozen sculpture of Pikachu. She freed Pikachu from his icy entrapment while rendering him unable to continue.
"Pikachu is unable to continue," the referee said and waved the flag on Lorelei's side. "The winner of this match is Jinx!"
"My word! That was a quick match," the announcer commented. "Since Pikachu was already weakened by the previous match against Cloyster, Jinx had little difficulty finishing the electric rodent."
"Pikachu," Ash whispered as he carried his partner-in-arms of the Ice Field back to his side. "Thanks for doing your best as always."
"Pikapi," Pikachu said weakly. Ash laid his Electric-type down next to him while he quickly prepared his second Pokémon.
"Charizard, I choose you!"
"Arrrrrd," Charizard roared upon his entrance to battle, accompanied by the roars of the crowd.
"Looks like Charizard is back with Ash," the announcer said. "Charizard was one of the reasons that Ash was unable to advance higher in the Indigo Plateau Conference, due to his infamous disobedience." Charizard, in a huff of rage, unleashed a Flamethrower up to the announcer box. "But who knows? Maybe Charizard has changed? What do I know anyway? I know nothing!"
"Let the battle begin!"
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
With a deep breath, Charizard unleashed a powerful stream of fire; the hues of red, orange, and yellow were vibrant and visible. The Flamethrower quickly made its way towards Jinx; its power actually capable of a one-hit KO.
"Jinx, use Psychic!"
"Jinx!" Jinx held her hands up and used her psychic abilities to halt the Flamethrower. With a wave of both hands, Jinx redirected the Flamethrower back towards Charizard.
"Charizard, use Steel Wing on both the Flamethrower and Jinx!"
"Arrrrd!" Charizard took off into the air; his wings glowing brightly with added shine from the sun's reflection off the ice. Charizard proved more than capable of taking down his own redirected Flamethrower before flying off towards Jinx.
"Now use Attract!"
"Jiiiiinx!" Jinx created an orange heart in her hands and threw it at Charizard. Caught off guard by the sudden use of Attract, Charizard flew right into the trap and fell in love with Jinx.
"Charizard! No!"
"Looks like Jinx's Attract has cast a spell upon Charizard's heart," the announcer said among the roars and murmurs of the crowd. "Let's hope that Charizard has not been taken yet by another. That Flamethrower really burned our backsides here!"
"Lorelei is very tricky," Brock said. "As an Elite Four member, she is definitely showing no mercy to Ash. That Attract will make things harder for him to win."
"I'm still thinking about how Liza and her Charizard, Charla, would react to this," May said.
"Let's not worry about love right now and instead, worry about our troubled Ash," Drew said.
Ash was now at an impasse. Charizard was infatuated by his opponent and would no doubt refuse to attack her. It was still a fifty-fifty chance of Charizard's attack being successful. If he could not get Charizard to attack, then he would have to recall him in order to break the infatuation. As the challenger, he is allowed to substitute Pokémon for this match. However, he has not yet decided on his third and final Pokémon to take out Jinx. He also did not know what Pokémon Lorelei would use after Jinx's downfall. Would she use Dewgong and its horn? Or maybe she would resort to using another psychic barrage, courtesy of Slowbro? In any case, he was going to use whatever he had right now and force Charizard to see through his induced infatuation and attack Jinx.
"Charizard, use Overheat!"
"Rrrrrd," Charizard growled softly; his false love blinding him from the true battle and deafening him from his Trainer's command.
"Jinx, finish Charizard with Blizzard!"
Jinx obeyed with a swift Blizzard from her mouth. The artic gale struck Charizard hard, but the heat of his body kept him in battle. It was unfortunate though that the Flame Pokémon's wings were damaged heavily from Blizzard.
"Charizard! Please use Overheat!"
Ash became desperate from the hopeless situation. The crowd watched anxiously, hoping that Charizard can hear Ash and attack. It would only take one Fire-type attack from his jaws to defeat Jinx. Was his challenge going to end here on its first trial?
"Jinx, use Psychic on Charizard! And when I say to finish him off, I mean it! Finish him off!"
"Jinx Jinx!" Jinx waved her hands in circles, allowing her psychic energy to flow properly and to ensnare Charizard in her mental grip. Charizard was levitated over the broken surface of the Ice Field, where Pikachu and Cloyster had their final bout. He was held over the cold water.
"Charizard! I'm begging you! Please! Please use Overheat!"
At last, Charizard heard his Trainer's pleading voice. Charizard's body heated up, storing up energy for a tremendously powerful attack. The Fire and Flying-type then unleashed an Overheat at his false lover. The attack blasted Jinx squarely in the face, resulting in Jinx's untimely defeat to the Flame Pokémon. However, with Jinx knocked-out, her psychic hold on Charizard's body had disappeared. Charizard fell into the water; his wings were badly damaged by Jinx's previous Blizzard. The referee carefully examined both Pokémon before making judgment. Jinx was soundly defeated by Overheat while Charizard succumbed to the cold water due to his inability to fly away safely.
"Both Jinx and Charizard are unable to continue battling," the referee declared and raised both flags in the air.
"How remarkable! A draw between Ash's Charizard and Lorelei's Jinx due to unforeseen circumstances," the announcer commented excitedly. "Charizard managed to free himself from Jinx's Attract spell while ending up in a pool of frosty water." The crowd was sent into a frenzy from observing this match, expecting even more effort in the final one.
"Just one more, Ash," Anabel thought; Staraptor peaked out of the hallway leading to the Ice Field.
"Charizard, return," Ash recalled his tired Charizard. "You were as awesome as always. Take a nice, long rest."
"Jinx, return," Lorelei recalled her burnt Jinx into her Poké Ball. "Thank you, dear. I hope to battle with you again soon." She then looked up at Ash, who was ready for the final match. "Ash! You've grown… That's all I can say now. You've grown from a foolish young Trainer who used to have a narrow focus on battling. The young man I see before me now is a loving and compassionate Trainer who treats his Pokémon like his own friends and family. You deserve my best show! Lapras, come on out!" Lorelei immediately called upon the first Pokémon she befriended in her home of Floe Island.
"Thank you for your kind words, Lorelei," Ash said. "Now I will continue doing my best as long as my Pokémon are right beside me. I think I have a Pokémon whom I've been dying to try out since I got it back. Primeape, I choose you!"
"Primeaagh!" Primeape has shown that it was extremely eager to fight by Ash's side since the P-1 Grand Prix. Brock, May, and the others were astounded to see Ash using Primeape for the first match already. Anabel was also surprised to see Primeape making a sudden debut in a high-ranking official battle. However, they did trust that the Pig Monkey Pokémon was going to lead Ash to victory over Lorelei.
"Time to see what Anthony's taught you, Primeape."
"Let the final battle begin!"
"Primeape, start off with Mega Kick!"
"Primeaaaape!" The Fighting-type quickly leapt into action by leaping high into the air. It then dove down in an alarming rate, its right foot glowing blue.
"Lapras, use Thunder to intercept Primeape!"
"Laaaaa–!" Lapras was kicked directly in the jaw with such amazing power displayed by Primeape, but quickly retaliated with the electricity it stored. The Thunder fried Primeape at close range. Primeape angrily thrashed about from being hit from the attack, signifying that all the Thunder did was anger it rather than damage it. The crowd looked on, confused at Primeape's rash behavior of throwing a tantrum, something Ash was not entirely proud of.
"Primeape, shake it off and use Cross Chop!"
"Prime-apgh!" Primeape got over its tantrum after hearing a battle command from Ash before obediently jumping into action once again. Its fists glowed with an incredible shine that manifested a portion of its true power gained from the fruits of its harsh training with Anthony. Primeape crossed its arms; the power of both fists reached their peak.
"Lapras, dodge it!"
Lapras quickly bent over, allowing the bewildered Pig Monkey Pokémon to fly overhead into a large glacial structure behind it. The terrifying power of Primeape's Cross Chop overwhelmed and shattered the glacier into several large ice chunks, some of which have fallen and damaged both Pokémon in combat.
"Lapras, now use Surf!"
"Laaaaaaaa!" Lapras conjured a wave similar to Cloyster's, but within very little time. Lapras was already Surfing towards Primeape.
"Primeape, grab one of those ice chunks and throw it at Lapras!"
"Prime!" Primeape grabbed the last one that was about to fall upon it. It then chucked the chunk in a great form; the ice chunk flew like a Graveler in a boulder toss.
"Jump off the wave and use Body Slam!"
"La!" Lapras avoided the hurled ice chunk with ease and aligned its shadow overhead with Primeape.
"Primeape, use Focus Punch!"
"Priiiiiiiime… Primeaaaape!" Primeape surprised many people, including Ash's friends, with its sudden change of behavior when it stored power for Focus Punch, an attack no one but Anthony, Ash, and his Pokémon knew.
The Pig Monkey Pokémon showed signs of calmness and peace when charging power; a peaceful expression marked itself on Primeape's face. It closed its normally furious eyes and breathed in… and it breathed out. The visible anger veins on its head relaxed, nearly becoming indiscernible to all who watched Primeape prepare its Focus Punch. When the time came to use Focus Punch, Primeape resumed its angry, berserk personality and followed through with the attack. Primeape went for an uppercut with its Focus Punch against the full weight of Lapras' Body Slam. The resulting collision caused a great explosion that blew away the wave from Lapras' Surf.
"Primeape!"
"Lapras!"
Both Pokémon lost a lot of energy upon the collision of their attacks. Primeape endured the hit of Body Slam and the explosion's shockwaves, merely hanging on by a thread of energy. Its fatigue was evident from the lack of energetic movement. Lapras, on the other hand, was greatly damaged by the high-powered Fighting-type move due to its Ice-type nature. It had no chance of continuing after the shockwaves pushed it right into a medium-sized glacier. For the safety of its own health, the referee decided to declare Lapras unable to battle.
"Lapras is unable to continue," the referee said and waved the flag on Ash's side. "The winner of the round is Primeape. Challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town wins his first match of the Challenge of the Elite Four!"
"The challenger wins the match! The challenger wins!" the announcer said, overjoyed by the amazing first battle. The crowd cheered and applauded, giving Ash and Lorelei a standing ovation for their well-fought battle. Ash's friends rooted loudly for their young champion. Anabel quietly applauded for her beloved's victory over the first Elite Four member while Staraptor proudly flew into the sky in celebration. The first glimpse of Staraptor alerted May, Brock, Delia, and the others of Anabel's presence, meaning that she had been watching the match the entire time.
"I knew she was here the entire time," May thought.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure we can all agree that young Ash will continue to prove his strength and the bond he shares with his Pokémon throughout the rest of his challenge! His next battle will be against Agatha, the Master of Ghost-type Pokémon! Well, as soon as she deals with a little family problem… Anyway, the rules state that the Challenger is supposed to rest for two days before facing the next Elite Four member. In this case, Ash is allowed three days of rest before battling Agatha. Agatha was in need of Lorelei's assistance, which was the reason for this early match. Anyway, I'll wrap this up. We'll see you all again in the next match, folks! Have a safe time while in the Indigo Plateau!"
"Lapras, return," Lorelei recalled her defeated Lapras. "This was one of the best battles we've ever had together. I'm glad to have been able to share it with you." After putting away Lapras' Poké Ball, she watched Ash dance with his Pikachu and still energetic Primeape. "You've grown, young man. Your rough, stormy exterior conceals a loving, peaceful ocean where your heart burns as bright and passionately as the fair sun above our heads. If there was anyone who represented the ocean as a whole, it would be you, dear Ash."
"Yes! One member down, ten more to go. Not counting Gary, I mean."
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. There will be more battles coming as well as the plot of Project: XDrus and Shadow Pokémon-related stuff. Please give me your feedback about this chapter. It would be much appreciated.
Ciao!