Chapter 28 – The Finals Extraordinaire! - Part Two

[A/N] With the 28th chapter of Serena's sister, this story now has more than 100,000 words. I can't thank all of you enough for you support. Here's to 100,000 more!

This chapter easily contains the most epic battles of the fanfic so far, and I think it came out pretty well. As of right now, this is about the limit of how well I can write battles. After an entire tournament arc (almost), how did I do? What can I improve? Your feedback will help me improve, although we won't have battles of this scale until the Shalour gym battle.

Now, for the reviews:

Amourshipping Guest – I agree that amour should travel to Alola, but I don't think Sun and Moon will be canceled. The new art doesn't look THAT bad, and there have been far worse series of less popular franchises. At least he can't lose the Pokemon league this time around.

Quagsire12 – Thanks! I thought so too.

Guest98101 – Thank you for reviewing again. Your criticism is perfect: constructive, not overdone, and on point. Elle has kind of faded to the background. I do have plans for developing her much further, but it's on me that I haven't spread it out over the past eighteen chapters rather than jamming it all into what will be a single 5-6 chapter arc. That's on me, and I'm working towards a point where I'm developing her. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for Bonnie and Clemont, although I have an idea or two. I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't forgotten about either character, and thank you for such a good review.

Ash's Perspective – Route 27

Ash smiled as he walked back onto the field. The fifteen minute break was over, and it was time to continue his battle with Gary. He nodded at Gary, who was standing on the other side of the field. Gary looked confident, doubts from the first half either buried or gone completely. The two competitors looked to the ref for further instructions, and the man stepped forwards.

"We will now recommence the battle in its second half! Ash Ketchum currently leads Gary Oak, 5-3. As a result, Ash will release his Pokemon before Gary. Additionally, Ash will not be allowed to substitute until he has beaten one of Gary's Pokemon."

Ash's eyes widened. No substitutions? Damn, that's tough. I guess I'll just keep going with my game plan. He picked a pokeball from his belt and threw it. "Floatzel, I choose you!" The sea weasel Pokemon appeared on the battlefield in a flash, still pumped up from his evolution the day before. He turned back and nodded to Ash, inflating his floatation sac for maximum effect.

"And Ash has gone with Floatzel! After an absolute curb stomp of a battle and an evolution earlier in the tournament, I think we all know how much of a threat this Pokemon can be. How will Gary counter this threat?"

Gary grinned. "Perfect." His hand immediately flew to a pokeball, and he launched it onto the battlefield. "Electivire, I choose you!" The thunderbolt Pokemon appeared with a massive roar, stomping the ground as sparks flew from its feelers.

Pikachu, who was at Ash's side, hissed as he flattened his ear. Ash narrowed his eyes at the Pokemon. "I know you want revenge, Pikachu. We have to let Floatzel take it." Pikachu sighed and nodded, and Ash turned back to the battlefield.

"Battle, begin!"

Ash wasted no time calling a command. "Ice aqua jet!"

"Chain protect and discharge."

Floatzel took off towards Electivire at top speed. Enveloping himself in a shroud of water, he thrust his fist forwards as it glowed white. The entire aqua jet froze over as Electivire hastily threw up a glowing shield, and the attack crashed against it. Electivire roared, and the shield exploded into an outpouring of electricity, sending Floatzel flying backwards. Ash's Pokemon crashed into the ground in a cloud of dust as Electivire posed triumphantly.

Ash gritted his teeth as Floatzel struggled to his feet. "Alright, use surf and dig!" Floatzel created and launched a wall of water at Electivire as he disappeared underground.

"Earthquake and electric terrain!" Electivire stomped the ground, sending out a shock wave that ruptured the field, sending Floatzel flying into the air. At the same time, the thunderbolt Pokemon buried his tendrils into the ground, sending a massive pulse of electricity into the field that left the entire stadium energized. The field took on a strange yellow glow, and electricity crackled against Floatzel's skin as he landed hard, again.

Ash felt only respect of his Pokemon as he struggled to his feet once again. He called over, "Floatzel, do you want to keep on battling?" The Sea Weasel nodded, and Ash gritted his teeth. Even if I do get close enough to attack, Electivire can just protect. I need to find away around it.
Charizard was just able to pick up the entire protect, but Floatzel just isn't that powerful. Maybe… Wait, that's it!
"Floatzel, you've got to trust me on this one! Use aqua jet!"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Protect and discharge."

As Floatzel sped towards Gary, the shield sprang to life once again. Ash waited for what seemed like the last second possible, then shouted, "Dig, then Surf!"

Just as Electivire released the discharge, Floatzel tunneled into the ground at Electivire's feet. Gary smirked. "Earthquake."

Just as Electivire stomped the ground, the ground beneath him liquified. Rather that causing an earthquake, the electric type sank deep into a puddle of mud, cutting him off from electric terrain and grounding him. Ash grinned victoriously. "Now use ice punch."

Floatzel sank an icy fist into the muddy ground and sent a wave of cold through the ground, solidifying the mud to permafrost. He sprang back as Electivire roared and Gary screamed, "What? Thaw it with fire punch!"

Ash knew that he and Floatzel didn't have much time to act. "Use sonic boom repeatedly until he thaws!"

The crowd and announcer went crazy seeing what Floatzel had done to Electivire. "Incredible! At a type disadvantage, Floatzel has not only survived, but is now taking free shots at a trapped Electivire!"

Floatzel scored six direct hits with sonic boom before Electivire freed himself from his muddy trap. Gary looked furious. "That's it. Thunder." The direct hit from the powered up bolt of lightning was more than enough to cause Floatzel to faint.

Ash returned Floatzel with a smile. "Good job, I know you did the best that you could." He looked down to Pikachu, whose cheeks were sparking with excited electricity. "Buddy, are you ready to win this battle?"

"Pika!" Pikachu sprang onto the battlefield, and Electivire sneered down at him. Ash grinned. It had been three years since their last match up, and Electivire had won. He could nearly feel Pikachu's desire to win.

"Awesome, then use volt tackle!"

Gary sneered confidently. "Still such a kid, aren't you, Ashy boy? Let him hit you." Pikachu sprinted towards Electivire as electricity enveloped his tiny body. The much larger electric type just stood there, preparing to take the hit.

Ash, however, had other plans. "Iron tail, now!" Pikachu's electricity instantly faded and his tail glowed steely, and he hit Electivire with the force of a pickup truck as iron tail slammed into the thunderbolt Pokemon's midsection. Electivire was lifted off of the ground and driven backwards, and Pikachu landed on the ground victoriously.

Gary growled. "Electivire, use earthquake."

"Chain quick attack and agility, then springboard and use iron tail!"

Electivire slammed the ground, creating a shock wave that overturned the earth. Pikachu shot forwards towards Electivire. When the shock wave reached him, he used its force to propel himself upwards with iron tail, then came down on Electivire's head with his tail, sending the Pokemon to the ground again.

Gary shook his head. "Electivire won't go down so easily. Hyper beam!"

"Disperse it with counter shield." Electivire's super powerful attack shot forwards only to be drawn into a web of electricity that redirected it upwards into the sky. Now thoroughly exhausted, Electivire had to rest for a moment, giving Ash and Pikachu an opening. "Now, use iron tail repeatedly!"

In a flash, Pikachu was above Electivire, slamming his glowing tail down again and again. The thunderbolt Pokemon was unable to respond, so he took the punishment over and over again until he was unable to continue and fainted. Pikachu sent a victorious thunderbolt into the air as Electivire collapsed with swirls in his eyes, and scampered back over to Ash.

"Gary's second Pokemon to lose to Ash's Pikachu goes down, and Pikachu takes no damage again! Can Gary come back from this 4-2 deficit?"

Gary gritted his teeth. "Ugh, Ash, you're too good at battling." He grabbed his second to last pokeball and threw it. "Alakazam, time to roll."

Ash frowned as the Psi Pokemon appeared. This could be a problem. Running over his remaining Pokemon in his head, he decided to go with his best option. "Gliscor, go!" The Fang Scorpion Pokemon reappeared on the battlefield for the second time that battle, enthusiastically calling out to his trainer. The light purple glow of poison still seemed to cling to his skin, making him seem almost otherworldly. If I'm going to win this battle, I'm not taking any chances.

Gary pointed and yelled, "Alright, let's start this off with future sight!"

Ash smiled victoriously, knowing that Gary had already given him an opening that he could exploit. "Toxic." Alakazam spread his arms out wide, and his spoons and eyes glowed as several otherworldly portals opened above his head. Looking up, he shot two intensely powerful blasts of psychic energy into the portals just as the poison hit him. Rearing back, Alakazam screeched in pain, a noise that filled the stadium.

Gary growled. "Damn you, Ash. That's a dirty trick."

Ash shrugged. "You did it with Nidoqueen. I don't see the difference. Use knock off on his spoons!"

"Teleport, then chain psychic and psycho cut!" Gliscor spread his wings and bounced towards Alakazam, as his tail seemed to be shrouded in darkness. Just as he was about to hit Alakazam, the Psi Pokemon teleported behind him and launched a blast of psychic power at him.

"Whip your tail around!" Alakazam's eyes glowed as he used his psychic power to propel the blast forwards at inhuman speeds. Gliscor flipped over in midair and sliced through the blast with his tail. The darkness mostly neutralized the power as it slammed into him, sending him spiraling into the ground. The bat slid as he hit the ground, talons gouging the earth as he stopped his slide. All the damage he had taken was neutralized by the poison, which healed him as soon as he touched down.

"Psychic on the battlefield," Gary called. Alakazam held his spoons up, and mental tore chunks of earth out of the ground, flinging them at Gliscor.

"Earthquake, then glide into knock off!" Gliscor slammed the ground, then sprang into the air as the battlefield shattered beneath him. Alakazam, unable to dodge while using psychic, took the brute force off the powerful attack head on, crying out in pain as the earth slammed into his side. At the same moment, Gliscor punched through the chunks of levitated earth, then flipped over and brought his tail down on Alakazam's head.

Alakazam staggered backwards, dropping his spoons in the process. Gliscor grinned as he picked them up, then flew back to Ash and deposited the spoons at his feet. Ash, not wanting to waste the opportunity, commanded, "Use swords dance!"

Gary groaned as Alakazam fell to his knees as poison bubbled around him. "Recover, then calm mind." As Gliscor madly danced around in a circle, Alakazam sat down and crossed his legs as a bizarre purplish-green aura filled the air around him. As his wounds slowly disappeared, his eyes snapped open, filled with an absolute fury at having been put at such a disadvantage. Gliscor, meanwhile, stared at his opponent with a signature goofy grin plastered on his face.

Ash looked carefully at the psychic type that had slowly gotten to its feet. Alakazam is hard enough to deal with on his own. A powered up and angry Alakazam? We're going to have to be extra careful. He nodded as he finalized his plan, then looked to his own Pokemon. "Alright, let's use dig." Gliscor nodded, and dove into the ground.

Gary seemed to be just as riled up as Alakazam. "Rip the entire field off with Psychic." Alakazam nodded, and brought his hands together as the entire field began to glow and lift into the air.

"Counter shield now!" Gary's eyes widened in shock as a wall of dark energy sprang up around Alakazam. The rest of the field collapsed back to earth with a massive boom as Alakazam lost connection to the rest of the battlefield.

"Get out of there!" Gary shouted, but it was already too late.

"Dig and knock off!" The dark pulse counter shield dissipated as Gliscor, who had been in the earth underneath Alakazam, slammed his tail directly into the Psi Pokemon's chest. Gary's Pokemon went flying away from Gliscor, but stopped itself from hitting the ground with Psychic.

Gary smirked. "We don't go down that easy, now do we? Recover and calm mind."

"Not this time. Dark pulse!" Gliscor shot off a beam of dark energy at Alakazam. Before it could reach him, though, the calm mind took effect, and Alakazam instinctively threw up a protect. Ash groaned. "Swords dance!" Gliscor did his dance once again, and when he was finished, seemed more pumped to battle than ever.

At this point, Alakazam was expelling waves of psychic energy that seemed to shake the foundations of the stadium. "Psychic him into the ground." Gliscor's eyes widened as he lost control of his body and rose into the air.

Ash yelled, "Minimize the damage by using knock off on the ground when he tries ram you into it, then dark pulse!" Gliscor shot towards the ground at terrifying speeds as Alakazam focused on him. His tail glowed black and lost its psychic glow, and just as he was about to hit the ground, he used his tail to stop most of the impact. The same thing happened over and over again as Alakazam tried to pulverize Ash's Pokemon to a pulp.

Gliscor concentrated as he flew through the air, and darkness collected itself into his mouth. Narrowing in on Alakazam, he fired a dark pulse at the Pokemon, who was immobile due to the psychic. The pulse slammed into Alakazam, driving him backwards and dropping Gliscor to the ground. Seeing an opportunity, he sprang across the battlefield, bringing his tail down on top of Alakazam.

"Protect!" Alakazam threw up a rainbow barrier just in time, as Gliscor's tail bounced off of it and into the air.

Ash, in the heat of the battle, grabbed his hat and turned it backwards on his head. "Hit it over and over until it shatters!" Gliscor nodded, and slammed his tail down again and again as Alakazam visibly strained under the added pressure. Flipping over to give himself added momentum, Gliscor hit the protect one final time as it broke, hitting Alakazam dead on in the head and dropping the Pokemon to the ground.

For a brief moment, it seemed as if Alakazam would struggle back to his feet to continue fighting. As he shakily got to his feet, however, poison bubbled across his skin and he collapsed in a dead faint.

Ash was barely able to register his victory before Gary switched Pokemon. "Hydro cannon!" he roared as Blastoise appeared in a flash, both of his cannons primed to fired. Gliscor screeched as the hyper pressurized blasts of water slammed into him, sending him flying backwards into the wall in an instant KO.

"Wow, what a turn of events! Right as Gary's Alakazam went down, a quick switch into his final Pokemon Blastoise has taken Gliscor down as well! What will this surprise turn of events mean for Ash as he contends with Gary's final Pokemon?"

Ash sighed as he recalled Gliscor. "You did a good job. I suppose we probably deserved that for what Pikachu did earlier."

Gary smirked as he and Blastoise stood at the opposite end of the now utterly decimated field. "So Ash, Blastoise and I have gotten way stronger than we used to be! How are you going to deal with us this time?"

Ash smiled as he unclasped a pokeball. "I think an old friend would love to have a rematch. Go, Charizard!"

Diantha's Perspective – Route 27

Diantha could feel Gardevoir's absolute fury as she stared down the villains. "Go for the Beheeyem. Shadow ball repeatedly."

Celosia waved a hand. "Oh, we won't go down that easily. Counter with Dark Pulse. Drapion, Cross Poison. Manectric, use Thunderbolt."

Gardevoir formed several balls of ghostly energy in her hands and launched them at Beheeyem. The Cerebral Pokemon countered with dark pulse, throwing up clouds of smoke as the attack slammed through the shadow balls. Diantha nodded, and Gardevoir began to brilliantly glow, sending a pulse of fairy energy out that vaporized the dark pulse and sent Drapion flying backwards into the wall. He eyes glowed purple, and the brilliant bolt of electricity that Manectric had shot stopped feet short of Goodra and shot directly into the Crobat, who slammed backwards into the wall, knocked out.

Diantha's eyes flared as she stared down Proton. "This is my region! You think you can beat me? I am the Kalos Champion!"

Proton sneered. "Oh really? Not for long after this. How long do you think you'll stay champion after news get out that a criminal organization destroyed the second biggest tournament in Kalos under your nose? We don't even need to win this battle. We just need to stall you. Sludge Bomb!"

Weezing expelled a mass of rancid poison straight at Gardevoir. "Klefki, take the attack, then use Psychic!" The steel keyring floated in front of the attack, and was unaffected as poison washed over its body. The pattern on its chest began to glow, and Weezing was slammed over and over into the wall until it too collapsed into a faint.

Celosia grinned wolfishly as Proton returned both of his Pokemon. "Manectric, use wild charge on Goodra. Drapion, use cross poison. Beheeyem, use Psychic to hold it still."

Manectric shot forwards at blistering speeds as Goodra began to glow, becoming immobile. "Bide!" Diantha desperately called as the full power electric attack slammed into the pseudo legendary, driving him back as he cried out in pain. Klefki darted in front of Goodra and took the full force of the poison, but the impact of the blow drove it backwards into Goodra. Diantha glared at the Drapion. "Moonblast! Unleash your power now!"

Gardevoir glowed as if illuminated by the stars as a massive sphere of fairy energy appeared between her hands. She shot it forwards just as Goodra unleashed a massive bide, and the combined force of the two attacks drove Drapion three feet into the thick concrete wall, knocked out.

Celosia sneered as she recalled her Pokemon. "You actually think you can stop us, don't you?"

Diantha gritted her teeth as she gave her next command. "Goodra, dragon pulse. Gardevoir, moonblast."

Pierre pointed at Manectric with a flourish. "Mirror shot, s'il vous plait!"

The three attacks sped towards Beheeyem, who threw up a protect when commanded by Celosia. The woman giggled nastily. "Really, for a champion, I would have expected more. Calm mind, then shadow ball."

A purple aura surrounded Beheeyem as the otherworldly Pokemon closed its eyes and started to meditate. Diantha saw an opening, and called, "Goodra, bide when it attacks. Gardevoir, Psychic the Manectric." As shadow balls collided with Goodra, he started to glow with a light red haze. Simultaneously, Manectric was flung into the wall by Gardevoir, and he sank to the floor, knocked out. Goodra launched back the energy and it slammed into Beheeyem's protect once again. This time, however, it was able to get through and smashed into the Pokemon.

The wonder room flickered and faded. However, it already seemed to be too late as a massive tremor shook the entire stadium. Gardevoir sent out a desperate mental SOS to Cynthia, and nodded to Diantha as she got a near instantaneous response.

Celosia smiled once again, this time triumphantly. "It's too late. The awakening has begun."

Diantha waved a hand. "Protect." A massive rainbow shield sprung up around Diantha, Pierre, Kathy, and their Pokemon. Suddenly, the wall facing the stadium exploded inwards as a massive Pokemon rammed through the metal. Celosia screamed as an avalanche of rubble washed over her and Proton, slamming them backwards into the wall.

Mega Garchomp rose from a crouch as the most powerful trainer in the world jumped off of his back. Cynthia brushed windswept hair out of her face as she walked over to Diantha. "You needed me?"

Diantha internally sighed in relief as she nodded. "Come on, we have a tournament to evacuate."

Serena's Perspective – Route 27

"Who designed this stupid stadium?" Serena grumbled as she and Looker turned down yet another corridor.

Rotom snickered. "You honestly think that a secret base built by an evil organization hell bent on world domination would make their control center easy to get to?"

Looker held up a hand as they came to a set of double doors. "Wait a second. The room inside here is dark. I think it might be some sort of gathering space. How should we proceed?"

Rotom pretended to act thoughtful. "Well, let's see. I could use flash, or we could make Milady here flash. I'm sure that that would light up the room." After finishing his sentence, he buzzed as Serena slammed him into the wall.

"I swear to Arceus, I will feed your tiny little frame to the Mandibuzz if you don't shut your speakers," she hissed murderously.

"But how would you ever see what's in the next room?" Serena released her Pokemon, and it floated over to the door as Looker pressed his back against the wall. He stared at Serena with a gaze of utmost seriousness.

"Serena, I have no idea what to expect right now. This could easily be a trap. Remember that lives are on the line right now. We have to get to the control room as soon as possible, or else this tournament is doomed. Got it?"

Serena gulped and nodded, once again deciding she was in over her head. No, I have to do this for Ash.

Looker smiled at her and nodded back. "On the count of three, close your eyes. One… Two… Three!" Serena could see the flash of light through her eyelids as the door to the room banged open. She opened her eyes and sprinted into the room after Looker.

The room was massive. It appeared to be some sort of auditorium, with a massive stage set up at the far end. Serena and Looker cautiously walked into the room as Rotom floated along behind. Serena gulped as her footsteps echoed around the wide room. She froze as Rotom buzzed, "Get back now!"

The Plasma Pokemon darted in front of Serena and threw up a protect as a burst of flames washed over Serena and Looker. Serena's eyes widened as J's Salamance came crashing down from the ceiling and landed in front of her with a massive thud. The Pseudo-legendary roared in fury as it spread its wings wide, intimidating presence filling the room. "Run and let the Pokemon handle it!" Looker yelled.

Serena and Fennekin made a dash for the stage as Rotom, Zorua, and Machop stood in between them and the raging dragon. Realizing that she had to command them, she shouted, "Rotom, Zorua, do something!"

Rotom groaned as he shot a massive electro ball at Salamance, who deftly dodged the attack. "Couldn't you at least pretend like you know what you're doing?" The ball of electricity exploded as it hit Salamance, and the Dragon Pokemon spun around to counter with a massive dragon pulse. Rotom turned invisible, and the pulse exploded into the wall, leaving a huge smoking crater. As he reappeared behind Salamance, he let loose a discharge as Salamance's tail slammed into his frame with a green glow, sending him spinning through the air. "I would appreciate some help out here!"

Zorua scowled at J's Pokemon with a deep scorn. Glowing brightly, she took on the illusion of Xerneas and charged towards the pseudo. Taken aback with fear at the sight of the fairy type, Salamance flinched as Zorua slammed a powerful night daze into his side. Instantly correcting himself, the dragon glowed with the power of outrage and charged head on into Zorua, slamming the tricky fox Pokemon backwards into the wall. Rotom hit it with another blast of electricity, and he spun around to counter with another flamethrower, which Rotom deftly dodged.

Looker frowned at the battle scene below him. "Machop, dual chop then ice punch!" Machop sprang into the air over the distracted dragon type and kicked him twice in the back as his feet glowed green. As Salamance brought his head around to counter, Machop slammed his icy fist directly into the dragon's face, sending him rearing backwards in pain. Rotom and Zorua, who was now in the form of a Haxorus, slammed shadow balls into Salamance on both sides, making him roar in pain.

Serena watched the exchange in awe. They're fighting it! I wish I could help, but I just don't know how I can. I have no idea what moves Rotom and Zorua know, and Fennekin would be killed by that thing. The only thing I can do is watch. She cradled Fennekin in her arms, who was angrily watching the battle with worry. Smiling down at her Pokemon, Serena said, "I know you want to fight it, but you would get hurt. We need to let Rotom and Zorua deal with it."

Salamance glared at the three Pokemon surrounding him before starting his counter attack. He reared back on his hind legs, then brought them down on the floor of the room. In a circle around the dragon, ten massive stones shot out of the ground, knocking the Pokemon back as the ground started to rumble with Salamance's earthquake. Rotom was able to avoid the brunt of the damage, but Zorua and Machop both took the attacks head on, knocking the fighting type out. Salamance then glowed a light blue color, reversing all of the damage that he had taken so far.

Looker's eyes widened, and he pulled out a second pokeball as he returned Machop. "Spinirak, use disable!" The pokeball opened with a flash to reveal a tiny green spider who's eyes glowed as he appeared. A purple aura appeared around Salamance, and the blue glow faded as the dragon stopped healing.

Serena looked at Looker pointedly. "I didn't know you had a Spinirak!"

Looker shrugged. "He's too small to do much of anything, but he knows sticky web and disable, so I keep him around."

The assault on Salamance continued once again in earnest as Serena hunkered down on the stage. This time, Zorua and Rotom were more cautious as they approached the dragon. Rotom immediately started off by shooting a weak thunder wave at Salamance followed by a shadow ball. As the weak electrical pulse sank under the dragon's skin, he screeched as electricity coursed down the length of his wings. Unable to turn around fast enough to counter, Salamance instead opted to fire a dragon pulse at Zorua, who seemed to vanish as she used an illusion to evade the attack.

The tricky fox Pokemon shifted into a Caterpie as Rotom launched a thunderbolt that was countered with a flamethrower. She sneaked under Salamance's belly and slammed the sensitive spot with an intense foul play attack that caused Salamance to lurch backwards. However, she was unable to get out of the way as the dragon used Outrage, sending her flying into the wall with a painful crash as Rotom blasted Salamance with another discharge.

Zorua barked something incomprehensible to Serena across the battlefield, and Rotom vanished and reappeared with a protect in front of Zorua just as she closed her eyes in a deep sleep as she used rest. Salamance whipped around and came down on top of the protect with a dragon tail before bouncing off and firing a blistering flamethrower in a futile effort to break the barrier. Rotom shot a tiny jolt of electricity into Zorua, and the dark type shot up into wakefulness with her health completely restored.

Meanwhile, the combined effects of the attacks and the paralysis seemed to have started to take their toll on Salamance. Zorua took on Salamance head on with a night daze that left the dragon staggering back as Rotom brought a thunder down on his back. Salamance roared, and his entire body glowed a bright red before expelling a massive heat wave out from his body. Rotom floated in front of Serena and Looker to shield them from the overwhelming heat. Zorua took the heat straight on, crashing into Salamance with the combined power of night daze and fowl play that caused the dragon to collapse to his knees. With one final effort, Rotom and Zorua combined shadow ball and discharge to bring the dragon type crashing to the ground in a dead faint.

Serena stared at the downed body of the dragon. How did they manage to take it down? I should have been the one calling those commands.

Rotom floated over to Serena, frame battered and chipped, and smirked. "Okay, chief, what's next? Whatever it is, I'm just positive that you'll do a fabulous job in commanding us as always."

For once, Serena couldn't find it within herself to be angry at the sadistic Pokemon. With a light smile, she playfully said, "Oh, shut up." Zorua shook herself off, then rubbed up against Serena's leg as she stood up to look at her companion.

Looker frowned at Salamance. "We lost too much time from this battle. We have to get to the control room immediately."

Serena nodded, and the group took off once again. After exiting the massive room, it turned out to only be two short hallways and a flight of stairs to reach the control room. Looker barged in, much to the surprise of the grunts sitting at the wide screen monitors at the desk. A quick jolt from Rotom later, and Serena and Looker were sitting at the desk of the tournament control room.

Rotom stared at the computer as it came to rest in Serena's hands. "I'm going to hack the system and tie all of the speakers and screens to the mic in front of you. After that, it's all up to you."

Fennekin and Zorua both jumped up onto the console to look at the screen along with Serena. Rotom buzzed as it left its Dex, then disappeared into the computer system, briefly popping up as a digital image on Serena's screen. The computer buzzed as the mainframe sparked, then Rotom sent a message onto the screen of the computer. "The mic is all hooked up. This is up to you now."

Serena nodded and took a deep breath as she clenched the mic with both hands. Ash. Please be safe. Collecting herself, she started to speak.

"All citizens in attendance at the Tournament Extraordinaire..."

Ash's Perspective – Route 27

Blastoise tensed as the flame Pokemon burst onto the battlefield with a roar. Ash smiled excitedly as he stared at the battlefield in front of him. "Just like old times, huh, Gary?"

Gary nodded, and Ash could see the passion and excitement in his eyes as Gary called over, "Right, just like old times."

The ref raised his hands into the air as the two Pokemon readied themselves to start the battle. "The final match between Charizard and Blastoise may now begin!"

"Fake out!"

"Protect!"

Charizard threw up a rainbow colored shield as Blastoise moved so fast it was as if he had vanished. He reappeared behind Charizard and hit the protect with such force that both he and Charizard were driven backwards. The protect faded as Gary called, "Use rapid spin and chain with aqua ring!"

"Knock it away with dragon tail, then use earthquake followed by sunny day!" Ash commanded. I'm not taking any chances with this battle. Charizard will win, just like the Johto league.

Blastoise skidded away from where the protect had been and used his momentum to flip onto his back and propel himself forwards with a light stream of protective water that coated his body. He spun towards Charizard at high speeds, but right as he was about to hit the fire type, Charizard swung around and slammed into the turtle with his green glowing tail. As Blastoise flipped back over and hit the ground hard, Charizard took to the air before slamming the ground with his fist, sending a rippling shock wave that shook the foundations of the battlefield. It rammed into Blastoise with full force and smashed him further back towards Gary in a wave of roiling dirt.

Charizard spread his wings wide and howled at the sky. The sun, already present, seemed to take on a new intensity as spectators had cover their eyes to see onto the stadium. Blastoise, who had looked fairly beat up after sustaining the damage from the attacks, glowed green as the aqua ring restored all of his lost health.

Gary grinned. "Looks like we're going to have to take things to the next level!"

Ash frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gary reached under his shirt and picked up a necklace that had half of a pokeball hanging from it. Ash's eyes widened in recognition. That's the other half of the one I have! He keeps it with him also. Holding it up above his head, he called, "Remember this? This pokeball is our rivalry, our friendship, and our bond!" Flipping it around so that the inside was visible, Ash gasped as a mega keystone sparkled under the glare of the intense sunlight. Gary pressed his fingers to the stone and yelled, "Blastoise, Mega evolve!"

The shellfish Pokemon erupted with brilliant light as four rays shot out from a mega stone attached to on of his launchers. Blastoise roared as his form began to change. He grew larger and seemed to stoop downwards as his shell expanded to epic proportions. His two cannons merged with his arms as a third spouted behind his head in a manner that was reminiscent of a tank. The transformation finished with the flash of the Mega Evolution symbol, and Gary nodded as Mega Blastoise took a step forwards on the battlefield.

Ash looked over at Charizard. "Hey, we may have beaten him before, but this is no time to underestimate Blastoise. Let's play this smart, okay?" Charizard nodded with a snort of fire. "Great, then let's chain fly and flamethrower!"

"Hydro pump!"

Charizard shot into the air and shot towards Blastoise. As he did so, a powered up flamethrower shot from his jaws towards Blastoise. As he got closed, Blastoise aimed all of his cannons at Charizard and fired three hyperpressurized blasts of water at the flame Pokemon.

"Chain giga impact and steel wing while spinning," Ash called. As one of the blasts of water vaporized the flame thrower on contact, Charizard picked up speed and force as he spun. Steely wings met blasts of water and sliced neatly through them, causing droplets to shower down behind him. He slammed into Blastoise at full force, sending the bulky Pokemon backwards on the battlefield.

"Dragon pulse while he's close!" Gary called, and Blastoise drew together a blast of draconian energy and fired. Charizard, who was flying away was unaware as the energy snaked around behind Blastoise and found him anyways, exploding around him and sending him flying towards the ground.

"Use your momentum to chain blast burn and earthquake, then use roost while Blastoise is occupied!" Charizard drew in his wings as he fell towards the field and struck the ground as he straightened out at the last second possible. The earth seemed to literally explode into plumes of lava and dirt as Blastoise was caught up in the middle of it. Charizard glowed light blue as he healed himself, and flew high above the carnage that he had created below.

Gary desperately called out a command as the destruction overtook Blastoise. "Use surf to try and limit the impact!" Blastoise tried to create a wall of water to stop the encroaching attack, but the head of the earth overpowered his attack and he was swept under. He resurfaced looking much worse for wear, and his aqua ring had been vaporized. Despite that, Gary instantly saw what was coming. "Protect!"

"Seismic toss!" Charizard, who had flown right behind Blastoise, grasped the now fully formed protect and lifted it high into the air. He flew high into the sky before reversing his direction and plummeting back down to earth.

Gary smirked. "Hydro cannon then rapid spin, now!" Charizard was unaware when Blastoise's protect shattered, and the shellfish Pokemon shot three blasts of water directly into Charizard's chest, sending the Pokemon spiraling apart. Blastoise began to spin in midair, landing in a way that seemed to partially minimize the damage.

Ash's eyes widened as Charizard plummeted towards the field. "Quick, spread your wings and use roost!" For the second time that battle, Charizard healed himself with the light blue glow of roost as he straightened himself out. Swooping down towards the earth, he shot back towards the still recovering Blastoise as Ash yelled, "Use dragon claw, steel wing, and dragon tail as you pass!" Charizard's limbs and wings all started to glow, and as he passed Blastoise, he raked the side of the turtle's arm with claw, wing and tail, knocking Blastoise to the side.

Gary and Ash looked at each other, and both knew that they were thinking the same thing; this move ends everything.

"Blast Burn!"

"Hydro Cannon!"

Charizard slammed the ground and Blastoise fired off his cannons as both Pokemon used the strongest moves they knew. Superheated and exploding earth hit Blastoise as the watery cannon blasts struck Charizard. Dust flew up over the battlefield, and Ash covered his face. When the dust cleared, Blastoise and Charizard both seemed to be on their last legs. However, it was Blastoise who swayed and fell over first.

It took a second for Ash to realize it. I did it! I won the Tournament Extraordinaire!

He ran up to hug Charizard as the crowds roared in congratulations. However, it only took a moment for Ash to realize that something was horribly wrong. The announcer never came on to announce his victory. All at once, the lights and stadium scoreboard went dark as Gary ran over to where Ash stood on the battlefield.

That was when all hell broke loose.

Like a bullet, a sound that seemed akin to a missile or fighter jet filled the air. A blue blur sped across the field and slammed into the champion's box, shattering the window and wall and sending rubble crashing inwards. Ash and Gary both gasped and yelled in surprise, but it was dwarfed as a very familiar voice came across the loudspeakers.

"All citizens in attendance at the Tournament Extraordinaire, please evacuate the stadium immediately. Unless you are in possession of a ride-able flying type, get out of the stadium as fast and orderly as possible. This is not a drill. Repeating, evacuate this stadium imme-"

Serena's voice was cut off from the loudspeaker as the stadium began to rumble under Ash's feet. In a split second decision that saved his and Gary's life, the two boys got onto Charizard and took to the air.

Then the ground split asunder, and the entire stadium knew that Kalos would never be the same.

[A/N] Cliffhanger!

Next time, this nine chapter arc finally comes to a climax and conclusion. What is the Syndicate planning? Can our heroes, along Diantha and Cynthia, stop this mysterious threat? This and more, next time!

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