Chapter 28: The Finals, Part 2
"Professor..."
"Alain! Thank goodness you answered. I've been trying to reach you for over a month! Where have you been?" Professor Sycamore asked, both relieved and frustrated at finally reaching his apprentice, Alain.
"Sorry. I've been with Lysandre investigating...an anomaly in the sea west of Kalos. It seemed to block any signal from getting in or out." Alain replied.
"What anomaly? Is everything ok?" Sycamore asked. He had a bad feeling that the anomaly was the same thing Diantha had showed him just a few hours ago.
"Yes, I'm fine. Lysandre believes this was the work of Zygarde." Alain explained.
"That's actually what I was calling for." Sycamore explained, "Do you remember what I taught you about the Legendary Pokemon Zygarde?"
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, we believe the anomaly has something to do with Zygarde itself and need your knowledge on the subject." Alain explained, but Sycamore cut him off.
"Alain...this anomaly. Is it on an island where a massive tree just suddenly appeared?" Sycamore asked, going straight to the point.
"Yes, how did..." Alain said.
"I'll explain later. Is Lysandre there with you?" Sycamore asked.
"Uh, yes..." Alain said as he handed his phone over to Lysandre.
"Professor Sycamore, it's so good to hear from you. I'm sorry we haven't talked sooner, but I'm sure Alain here has told you about this anomaly we've been investigating?" Lysandre said.
"Yes, I've just recently seen aerial pictures of the island. Truly facinating, but there's something at work here." Sycamore said
"Oh?" Lysandre asked.
"You see, it has come to my attention that this anomaly is the work of Team Flare," Sycamore explained. When he mentioned Team Flare, Lysandre made sure Alain couldn't hear.
"I've also dug up some research from other scientists in the region, and they speculate that Zygarde is actually two cores merged together. I know of the whereabouts of one of the cores, so Team Flare must have the other core if they could do that." Sycamore finished.
"I personally don't know much about the Legendary Pokemon Zygarde, but if what you say is true..." Lysandre said.
"It has to be. When's the earliest you can get to the Pokemon League?" Sycamore asked.
"The Pokemon League? Why is that?" Lysandre answered back.
"Because that's where Diantha and I are keeping a close eye on the second Zygarde core. Right now, this is the safest place to keep it from Team Flare." Sycamore replied. Lysandre's eyes lit up.
"Alain and I will be there by tomorrow evening." Lysandre answered.
Professor Sycamore hung up the phone, relieved that he had reached Alain and Lysandre. He turned his attention back to the T.V monitor that was showcasing the Kalos League Finals.
"Let's go Sceptile!" Ash called out as he sent out his third Pokemon. Ash had taken out Duran's Toxicroak while weakening his Excadrill and Gallade as well. Duran had defeated his Hawlucha while weakening his Greninja.
"Due to using Close Combat, my Gallade's defenses will be down. Gallade return." Duran said as he called his Pokemon back.
"And since your Sceptile is out, I'll choose Magmar!" Duran shouted as he called on his fourth Pokemon.
This isn't good...If I recall Sceptile now, his Magmar will just have a free hit on whatever Pokemon I call out.
"Ok Sceptile, use Energy Ball!" Ash called out.
"Burn it down! Flamethrower!" Duran answered. Sceptile's Energy Ball was beaten by Magmar's Flamethrower, but Sceptile was able to dodge it.
"Close in with Fire Punch" Duran said. Magmar's fist grew brighter as the fire around it burned even more ferociously. Magmar was fast, but Ash knew Sceptile was faster.
"Dodge it and use Dragon Pulse!" Ash responded. Sceptile jumped over Magmar as it tried to hit the Grass Pokemon with a super effective punch. Magmar turned to Sceptile as it fired a Dragon Pulse at it.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" Duran called out. The two attacks collided, but Sceptile's was stronger. Without the type advantage, Magmar's Flamethrower had been overpowered. Magmar tried to dodge the Dragon Pulse, but it wasn't as fast as Sceptile. Magmar just avoided a direct hit from Dragon Pulse, but it had still caused some damage to Magmar.
"Heh not bad, but let's see what you do with this" Duran told Ash. "Magmar use Will-O-Wisp!"
A blue fireball came out of Magmar's mouth, zooming toward Sceptile. It dodged it easily, but Magmar continued to fire multiple Will-O-Wisps at Sceptile.
"Will-O-Wisp is a weak fire attack that Magmar can use effortlessly and while it may be weak it'll really hurt if it lands on your Sceptile." Duran said as Magmar launched another barrage of Will-O-Wisps.
"We'll just power threw them, Sceptile use Dragon Pulse again!" Ash responded. He knew Magmar would eventually hit its mark and burn Sceptile, so he had to take the offensive while Sceptile still could.
"Magmar counter this time with Fire Blast!" Duran called out, he had been waiting for Ash to make his move. Dragon Pulse and Fire Blast met in the middle of the battlefield. A great explosion erupted causing both Pokemon to shield themselves from the flash. However the two attacks didn't end in a stalemate.
As Sceptile shielded itself from the explosion, the Fire Blast came rushing through hitting Sceptile with a crippling super effective attack. As the dust settled, Sceptile was on the ground struggling to get up.
"Good work Magmar, if Sceptile still wants to fight then finish it with Fire Punch!" Duran told his Pokemon. Magmar ran towards Sceptile, ready to finish off another of Ash's Pokemon.
"We're now done yet!" Ash yelled.
Magmar struck at Sceptile, but something unexpected happened. Sceptile was engulfed in a green aura and it had stopped Magmar's Fire Punch with it's own attack, Leaf Blade.
"Sceptile's ability...It's fighting spirit is strong." Duran muttered to himself. Sceptile stood up, pushing back against Magmar.
Amazing Sceptile...but you won't last long like this.
"One more time Sceptile, Dragon Pulse!" Ash called out to his Pokemon.
"At that range?!" Duran exclaimed, shocked at Ash's move, "Magmar, Fire Blast!"
Ash, Duran, and the rest of the crowd braced as the two Pokemon unleashed their devastating attacks at point blank range.
"Sceptile!"
"Magmar!"
Both Ash and Duran called out to their Pokemon as the dust blinded them from their Pokemon. The crowd awaited eagerly to find out who had won the encounter. As the dust cleared, Magmar was the first to be seen. It was laying on the ground, fainted. The referee looked over to see Sceptile. It too was laying down, fainted.
"Both Magmar and Sceptile are unable to battle!" The referee announced. Both Ash and Duran recalled their Pokemon.
"You did great Sceptile. I'm so proud of you." Ash said to his Pokeball containing Sceptile.
"That Ash kid is really something else. Don't worry Magmar, we'll win this." Duran said.
The referee pointed at both trainers, telling them to call on their next Pokemon. Ash was first, as he called on his fourth Pokemon.
"C'mon out Noivern!" The Dragon Pokemon circled the arena before hovering in front of Ash, waiting on its opponent.
"Excadrill, let's go!" Duran said as he called out his first Pokemon for the second time. Ash wondered if Excadrill had recovered from its battle with his Greninja.
"Noivern, use Dragon Pulse!" Ash said as he started the next round in the Finals.
"Dodge it with Dig!" Duran countered. Excadrill dug through the ground, escaping from Noivern's Dragon Pulse and sight.
"Noivern, fly higher. It won't be able to get you up there." Ash told Noivern. The Dragon Pokemon flew higher, up to the height of the stadium itself. There Noivern waited for Excadrill to resurface.
"Heh, that won't help Ash. Now Excadrill, use Iron Head!" Duran shouted. The ground started to shake. It seemed like Excadrill was going around under the battlefield picking up speed, causing the ground to shake more and more.
"Noivern get ready!" Ash warned. Right after, an explosion erupted from the ground and a silver streak sped upward at alarming speed. It was Excadrill, zooming straight for Noivern.
"Dragon Pulse!" Ash shouted.
Noivern fired a quick Dragon Pulse at Excadrill as it closed the distance. However, Excadrill was spinning. Excadrill was using Iron Head like a drill. As Excadrill collided with the Dragon Pulse, the sheer velocity of Excadrill cut right through the attack. Unable to stop Excadrill, Noivern was struck by the Iron Head attack causing it to fall.
"Noivern!" Ash cried out.
Noivern was able to recover, and level out before hitting the ground. Ash looked back up, due to Excadrill's speed and power going up it still hadn't landed back on the ground. It was vulnerable to an attack.
"Noivern use Acrobatics!" Ash called out. Ash knew Noivern would need to recharge its power. Using two Dragon Pulses back to back was already a lot.
"Defend Excadrill!" Duran shouted to his Pokemon. There wasn't anything Excadrill could do until it landed.
Excadrill skillfully blocked the initial attacks from Noivern, but the speed and agility of Noivern's follow up attacks were too much. Before Excadrill had landed, Noivern had landed seven strikes on Excadrill, with only two of them blocked.
Ash had wondered if Excadrill had recovered from its battle with Greninja earlier. He now had his answer. Noivern may have landed several hits with Acrobatics, but they shouldn't have done a lot of damage to a Steel Type Pokemon. However Ash saw Excadrill panting, tired from the continued stress of battle. He had to take this opportunity to finish Excadrill off before Noivern took too much damage.
I got it…
"Noivern use Dragon Pulse!" Ash said. Noivern fired off another Dragon Pulse.
"Excadrill use Dig!" Duran said. Excadrill jumped back into the hole it had dug earlier, escaping Noivern's attack.
"Alright Noivern, use Boomburst! Aim it directly into the hole!" Ash called out. Noivern flew over the hole Excadrill had just entered and fired off a powerful sound attack into the hole. It took a while for the crowd to realize Ash's plan.
As Noivern kept up its attack, the ground started to vibrate. It was like an Earthquake attack, but there was a strong buzzing sound. Noivern's Boomburst sound waves were going through all the tunnels that Excadrill had dug earlier. With each passing second the vibrations got stronger as the sound waves grew in strength every time they bounced off a wall underground.
"E-Excad-drill g-get out-t of th-here!" Duran shouted, the vibrations rattling his own voice, but there was no way Excadrill could hear its trainer.
As the vibrations grew to an almost unbearable frequency the entire arena floor cracked and crumbled. Ash and Duran were fine as they were on the edge of the destruction. As the dust settled from the implosion, Excadrill was seen among the rubble, fainted.
"Excadrill is unable to battle, Noivern is the winner!" The referee announced, "Due to substantial destruction of the battlefield, there will be a 5 minute break."
Ash and Duran stayed where they were. Duran had recalled his Excadrill while Noivern landed next to Ash. The battlefield floor then lowered into the ground.
"You did great Noivern." Ash said to his Pokemon.
"Pikachu!" The small electric Pokemon next to Ash's feet agreed.
"Noi!" The Dragon Pokemon responded.
Soon the new battlefield floor was being raised into position. As it came into view, Ash saw it was another flat ground field. The referee walked back to his position in the middle, and pointed to Duran.
"Will the Red Finalist please select their next Pokemon." The referee said as the battle resumed.
"Let's go Kabutops!" Duran said as he called on his fifth Pokemon. The fossil Pokemon stood on the battlefield ready for battle as it scraped its two sword arms together.
"Will the Green Finalist switch Pokemon?" The referee asked Ash.
"No, I'm sticking with Noivern." Ash said as Noivern took off, flying into the sky once more.
"Then let the battle continue!" The referee announced.
"Kabutops, use Stone Edge!" Duran shouted as he got the first move in. Kabutops slammed down on the ground. Glowing pillars of stone shot out of the ground, but Noivern was able to dodge them by flying away.
"Noivern use Dragon Pulse." Ash said as Noivern was clear of the Stone Edge.
"Protect!" Duran responded. Kabutops crossed its arms and a green aura surrounded it. The Dragon Pulse slammed into the barrier, but did nothing.
"Kabutops cut down the pillars!" Duran shouted, leaving everyone confused. Kabutops went to each pillar, slicing them up with ease. As Kabutops finished with the last pillar, the battlefield was littered with rock pieces.
"What's he planning…?" Ash said to himself.
"Now use Rock Slide!" Duran said, giving Ash his answer. Kabutops, using the newly cut rocks, sent a barrage of rocks at Noivern.
"Dodge it Noivern!" Ash shouted.
Soon the air was filled with rocks as Kabutops sent all of the debris up to Noivern. The Dragon Pokemon was dodging them for now, but it was running out of space as more and more rocks flew up. It was just a matter of time until Noivern was hit by one of the rocks, and once it did Kabutops sent the rest straight down on Noivern like a waterfall of stone. Noivern was buried under the rubble, fainted.
"Noivern is unable to battle, Kabutops is the winner." The referee announced. Ash and Duran were down to their last three Pokemon.
"I can't send Charizard against Kabutops. Greninja would be a good bet…" Ash said to himself as he recalled Noivern.
"Pika!"
Ash looked down at Pikachu. It wanted to fight. Ash smiled and nodded his head.
"Alright Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said as Pikachu took its position on the battlefield facing Kabutops.
"Use Quick Attack!" Ash said.
"Aqua Jet!" Duran retaliated. The two speed attacks collided, ending in a draw.
"Use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out immediately. Pikachu's speed and agility completely outclassed Kabutops' so Pikachu was able to turn around, already firing off a Thunderbolt at Kabutops. The super effective attack dealt some good damage to Kabutops, but the fossil Pokemon wasn't going down so easily.
"Counter with Stone Edge!" Duran shouted. Kabutops smashed the ground again, summoning glowing pillars toward Pikachu.
"Pikachu jump into the air and use Iron Tail!" Ash told his Pokemon. As the Stone Edge attack reached Pikachu, the Electric Pokemon used Iron Tail to shatter the pillar.
"Thanks for that, use Rock Slide on the debris!" Duran said with a grin. Kabutops then used the rocks from Pikachu's attack and sent them flying at Pikachu.
"Pikachu use Quick attack to get out of there and then use Electro Ball!" Ash shouted. Pikachu ran around the battlefield, being chased by a dozen rocks. As Pikachu ran it charged up its Electric attack on its tail. As it finished, Pikachu ran towards Kabutops.
"Use Protect." Duran said. Didn't matter how powerful Electro Ball was, Kabutops would be able to block it with Protect.
"Now use Electro Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash told Pikachu as it closed the distance. Pikachu's tail then glowed white as it balanced the Electro Ball. Pikachu jumped up and launched the Electro Ball. The attack collided with Kabutops' green aura, but Pikachu kept on charging.
"Oh no…" Was all Duran could say.
As Kabutops' green aura dissipated from the Electro Ball attack, Pikachu went in and slammed Kabutops with an Iron Tail. Kabutops turned to Pikachu as it continued to run past it.
"No, behind you!"
Kabutops turned back toward its Trainer, but it was too late. The Rock Slide attack that was chasing Pikachu was still coming, but now Kabutops was in the way. The rocks struck Kabutops in the back knocking it down. Kabutops struggled to get up, the double attack from Iron Tail and its own Rock Slide was devastating. As it got to its knees, Kabutops energy ran out and it collapsed back to the ground, fainted.
"Kabutops is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner." The referee announced.
"Yes! Good job Pikachu and Ash!" Serena shouted as the crowd cheered.
"That means Duran is down to only two Pokemon." Sawyer stated. The group looked up at the score board at the top of the stadium opposite them. Ash still had three Pokemon. Pikachu's picture was colored in, Greninja's was grayed out, and what would be Charizard was still a Pokeball symbol. On Duran's side, Kabutops' picture blacked out, leaving Duran with only a grayed out Gallade picture, and one Pokeball symbol.
"And you can guess what Duran's last Pokemon is going to be…" Clemont said.
"His Tyranitar…" Serena said. Ash was in the lead again, but she knew the battle was far from over. The group had been on the edge of their seats for the whole match, but none were more nervous than Serena. Little did anyone know, she was actually more nervous than Ash.
"C'mon out Gallade!" Duran said as he called on his third Pokemon for the second time. It had battled Hawlucha, and while it had won that round, Hawlucha had tired out Gallade. But Gallade did have time to recover, and it looked ready as it squared off against Pikachu. Duran wasn't going to let anything to chance however.
"Gallade us Drain Punch." Duran said as he took the first move. Gallade went in for an attack, but it wasn't fast enough to hit Pikachu. Even if Gallade was fresh, it would still have a hard time catching Pikachu.
"Good job Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash said once Pikachu was clear.
"Block it with Psycho Cut!" Duran responded. As the Thunderbolt hit Gallade, it raised both arms to stop the attack. The Psycho Cut had absorbed most of the attack, but Gallade still felt the shock.
"Now go in with Iron Tail!" Ash said, seeing Gallade falter. Pikachu went in and swung at Gallade.
"Counter with Night Slash!" Duran called out at the last second. Gallade parried Pikachu's Iron Tail and slashed Pikachu with its second arm, knocking the Electric mouse Pokemon back. Even though Gallade had deflected and attacked Pikachu with no harm to itself, it stumbled again to one knee. It had used too much power earlier, and was now feeling too weak to even stand properly. Pikachu was fine, ready to attack once more to end the round, but Ash didn't call out an attack.
"Pikachu, hold up." Ash said. Duran saw this and smiled. He had done this to Sawyer in the 4th round, and now he was being given the same courtesy. He looked to Gallade, it was breathing heavily out of breath, still on one knee. One more attack from Pikachu, or itself, would drain all of its energy.
"Gallade! GALLADE!"
Gallade had turned its head to Duran. It had sensed Duran's impending decision. It had no intentions of giving up. Duran smiled at his Pokemon's determination, and knew that it would never give up while it could still fight.
"Alright Gallade. One more time…Psycho Cut!" Duran said as he gave his Pokemon one last command. Gallade's arms glowed a slight pink as Gallade summoned the last of its power. It struggled as it got to its feet, but as soon as Gallade found its footing, it sprinted toward Pikachu.
"Stop Gallade with Electro Ball!" Ash told Pikachu, the Electric Pokemon fired off a yellow energy ball at Gallade before it could reach Pikachu. Using one of its arms, it deflected the attack and kept on running. The arm it had used to block was now lowered, the pinkish aura had disappearing from that arm. Gallade continued to run with its other arm still glowing.
"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted as Gallade closed the distance. Pikachu met Gallade's one armed Psycho cut with its Iron Tail. The two were locked in a stalemate, Pikachu trying to push back Gallade but it was at a disadvantage being stuck in the air.
"Gal…..LADE!" Gallade cried as it used all of its power to send Pikachu flying, the Psycho Cut winning against Pikachu's Iron Tail. Pikachu was bruised up, but it landed on its feet. The same could not be said for Gallade. As it launched Pikachu, Gallade had used every bit of strength it had. Gallade lost consciousness as it fell to the ground, fainted.
"Gallade is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner!" The referee stated. Duran walked out onto the field to check on Gallade. The crowd was silent as Duran knelt down next to his Pokemon. As he lifted Gallade into his arms, the Pokemon regained consciousness.
"You did amazing Gallade, I'm lucky to have you as my partner." Duran said as he recalled his Pokemon back into its Pokeball. Duran got back up, and walked back to his side of the battlefield.
"What your Gallade did was very brave Duran." Ash said. Duran just nodded as turned around.
"I'm guessing you know who my last Pokemon is?" Duran asked as he presented a Pokeball in his hand.
"Tyranitar…" Ash said under his breath.
"You're my last hope partner! Let's go...Tyranitar!" Duran shouted as he unleashed his final Pokemon. The mountain Pokemon appeared on the battlefield, towering over Pikachu.
Soon the ground started to shift as dust from the ground rose and circled the arena. Ash knew what was happening. This was Tyranitar's ability. Soon the arena was engulfed in a sandstorm. The crowd wasn't affected by the localized sandstorm but it was difficult to see.
Ash was ready for this, thanks to Clemont's invention: The Sandstorm Deflector Goggles. Ash put them on, now able to see the battle without using his arms to hide from the dirt flying around.
You know…these are just goggles.
Ash laughed a little as he realized Clemont's invention was just a pair of goggles but now wasn't the time to be distracted.
"Alright Pikachu, use Quick Attack. Go in the direction of the sandstorm!" Ash called out to his Pokemon. The sandstorm was rotating clockwise, so Pikachu ran in that direction.
While Pikachu was having difficulty seeing through the sandstorm, Tyranitar had no problems. It waited until Pikachu would get closer.
"Steady Tyranitar…and…now! Stone Edge!" Duran said as he waited for the perfect time to strike. Tyranitar stomped down on the ground, making it shake violently as stone pillars rose from the ground. Pikachu was just about to strike, but as Tyranitar attacked, it lost its footing as a pillar struck Pikachu from the side.
"You ok Pikachu?!" Ash called out as the sandstorm continued to rage on. Pikachu got up gingerly and ran back to Ash to reset.
"Alright Pikachu use Iron Tail!" Ash told Pikachu.
"Defend yourself." Duran said calmly. Pikachu ran up and struck Tyranitar with a super effective attack. Tyranitar had blocked the attack with one of its arms, keeping the damage to a minimum.
"Now Payback!" Duran shouted. Tyranitar then swung at Pikachu using its other arm, knocking Pikachu clear out of the sandstorm. Pikachu landed past Ash, skidding on the ground until it hit the wall, fainted.
"Pikachu is unable to battle, Tyranitar is the winner." The referee stated. The crowd on the other side of the referee couldn't hear the call, but they knew that it happened. Ash picked up Pikachu and brought him back to the Trainer's box.
"You did great Pikachu, let the rest of us win it." Ash said as he stood back up.
"Pika…" Pikachu said as it sat down.
"Alright c'mon out Greninja!" Ash said as he called out his first Pokemon. It had recovered from its initial fight against Toxicroak and Excadrill. Duran knew that he had to go all out on this one. This new form that Ash's Greninja took on was very similar to Mega Evolution, in both shape and power.
Alright Greninja, Tyranitar is our last obstacle. Let's give it everything we…
Ash was interrupted as the sandstorm all of a sudden grew stronger. There was a glow emitting from the center of it as Tyranitar gave a mighty roar. Ash couldn't see what happened even with his goggles so he used Greninja to help.
Oh boy…that isn't good.
Ninja…
Through Greninja's eyes, Ash saw that Tyranitar had changed…it had Mega Evolved. The sandstorm receded partially, revealing Mega Tyranitar to Ash and the rest of the crowd. The crowd gasped as the already massive Pokemon and became even larger as six large spikes protruded from its back.
"No way!" Sawyer gasped, "I didn't know Duran could mega evolve it!"
The crowd was in awe as it saw the second Mega Evolution used in the tournament. Not only that, but the crowd started to cheer louder. They had seen Ash take down a Mega Gengar, now they wanted to see how he would do against a Mega Tyranitar.
"Use Stone Edge!" Duran called out. Mega Tyranitar roared as it attacked. It roared loud enough for people to cover their ears. Mega Tyranitar's Stone Edge was something else. As it stomped the ground, over a dozen pillars shot out of the ground, and more were heading towards Greninja.
Even in a sandstorm, Greninja was able to see where it was going and successfully dodged the Stone Edge attack.
Alright, you ready Greninja?
Ninja!
On the edge of the sandstorm, the crowd saw a torrent of water bursting through. They had seen this earlier during the fight and started to cheer. As the water subsided, the crowd was disappointed they couldn't see Greninja's new form as it was hidden in the sandstorm. Duran couldn't see Greninja as well. As soon as the torrent of water subsided, Greninja had disappeared.
"Stay on guard Tyranitar!" Duran told his Pokemon. Mega Tyranitar began scanning its surroundings for the elusive water frog.
Use Water Shuriken!
From out of the sandstorm Mega Tyranitar saw two Water shurikens zoom at it. It defended itself, letting the shurikens hit its arms.
"Tyranitar! Stop the sandstorm, we won't be able to see it like this!" Duran shouted to his Pokemon. Mega Tyranitar reluctantly agreed and stopped the sandstorm. As the dust settled, people saw Greninja. It had mud all over its skin. It had used the sandstorm and the water veil when it transformed to make its skin brown. Using its power, it formed a veil around itself again and washed off the mud, returning Greninja to its natural blue color.
"Ha, so that's why we couldn't see it. Your Greninja truly takes after a ninja." Duran complimented, "But now it can't hide! Use Thunder Punch!"
Mega Tyranitar rushed towards Greninja, faster than Ash thought possible for such a massive Pokemon.
"Dodge it and use Water Shuriken!" Ash said. While Mega Tyranitar was surprisingly fast, it still wasn't as fast or agile as Greninja. Mega Tyranitar missed, but it was able to parry the shurikens with its Thunder Punch.
"You won't be able to run forever, Tyranitar use Stone Edge on the entire battlefield!" Duran shouted. Mega Tyranitar roared and smashed the ground, creating a crater under it. Dozens of pillars shot out of the ground, the sudden attack from everywhere caught Greninja off guard, it was hit by one of the pillars as it shot up and slammed into another. Ash felt a surge of pain go through his back as Greninja was hit, but he stood his ground.
"Now use Thunder Punch!" Duran commanded. Mega Tyranitar smashed through the pillars to get to Greninja.
Get up! Tyranitar is coming right at you!
Greninja couldn't see Tyranitar due to a pillar in its way, but using Ash's sightline through their connection it was able to dodge at the right time. Greninja jumped on a nearby pillar out of reach of Mega Tyranitar, in between Ash and Mega Tyranitar.
"Now use Water Shuriken times two!" Ash called out. From its perch, Greninja fired off four shurikens at Mega Tyranitar. Once again it parried all of them using Thunder Punch.
"And now counter with Thunder Wave!" Duran called out.
"What?!" Ash gasped. The surprise attack caught Ash and Greninja off guard. The Thunder Wave connected, and stunned Greninja. Much to everyone's surprise as Greninja was shocked, Ash cried out as well.
"AAAAH!"
As Greninja fell from its pillar, Ash fell to his knees. The crowd gasped, still confused at what happened. Serena stood up with her hands over her mouth. She knew that Ash felt the same paralysis as Greninja.
"Tyranitar! Did you attack Ash as well?!" Duran shouted at his Pokemon. Mega Tyranitar turned around and shook its head. It was just as surprised as everyone else. Diantha herself had rose to her feet, wondering to see if Ash was alright. Sparks could be seen coming from Ash just like Greninja signaling that he was paralyzed with electricity as well.
"This match is terminated! Due to an illegal attack toward an opposing trainer..." The referee started.
"No!"
It was Ash that interrupted the referee. Ash slowly got to his feet, struggling against the paralysis.
"Tyranitar did not attack me...it's hard to explain, but while Greninja is in this form, we're connected in such a way that...I can see, hear, and...feel whatever happens to Greninja. Don't stop this match..." Ash said with as he was gasping for air. Greninja had gotten to its feet as well, fighting the paralysis.
The crowd look on with wonder at how this was possible. Everyone except Clemont, Bonnie, Serena, and Diantha and were surprised at this turn of events.
The referee didn't know what to do. This had never happened before, but if Ash didn't want the match to end...
"If the Finalist wishes to go on then let the match continue"
The crowd had turned toward the new voice that had spoken. It was Diantha. The referee nodded and turned towards both trainers. Duran was relieved. Not that he wasn't disqualified, but that Ash was alright and that Tyranitar hadn't attacked him…at least not directly.
"Green Finalist, are you...ready?" He asked Ash. Ash nodded, so the referee raised his flag and resumed the match.
"Duran!" Ash shouted across the battlefield, "Don't worry about hurting me. I've endured Greninja taking a beating before." He said encouraging Duran to continue to give it his all.
"Alright Ash, but I'll let you have the first move." Duran responded.
Alright Greninja, we may only have one shot at this...
"Greninja use Water Shuriken, everything you got!" Ash shouted. Greninja mustered its strength and fired off eight shurikens in under two seconds until it suffered from its paralysis which Ash felt as well.
"Defend using Thunder Punch!" Duran said. Mega Tyranitar powered up as it was about to parry the shurikens.
"Now use Mega Shuriken!" Ash cried out through the pain. Greninja then rose to its feet again. Fighting the paralysis it jumped into the air and reached for the shuriken on its back. With all its power it fired its Mega Shuriken at Mega Tyranitar. Mega Tyranitar was busy with the barrage of Water Shurikens it couldn't parry the Mega Shuriken.
The Mega Shuriken smashed into Mega Tyranitar, allowing the last three Water Shurikens to hit as well for a devastating super effective attack.
Good...work Greninja
"Payback!" Duran shouted. Mega Tyranitar got up and rushed Greninja. At the worst time, Greninja was stopped due to the paralysis allowing Mega Tyranitar to successfully strike Greninja. Ash felt the wind knocked out of him, leaving him breathless. Greninja laid on the ground and turned back to its normal form, fainted.
"Greninja is unable to battle, Tyranitar is the winner." The referee stated.
Ash returned Greninja to its Pokeball. Due to their connection being weakened considerably after Greninja changed back, Ash felt much better. The paralysis left him, but he was still sore. Ash stood up and looked over at Mega Tyranitar. It was breathing heavily, the last attack Greninja had launched did a substantial amount of damage. Ash had one Pokemon left. It would be difficult but he trusted his Pokemon completely.
"Will the Green Finalist bring out their final Pokemon." The referee stated.
"It's all up to you Charizard!" Ash called out as he sent out his last Pokemon.
The crowd went silent as they prepared themselves for what would happen next. This was it, the Finals of the Kalos Pokemon League had come down to the final two Pokemon. It couldn't have gone any better.
"Huh? Charizard isn't wearing your harness Serena." Bonnie stated as Charizard appeared.
Serena saw and wondered why Ash hadn't used her harness for Charizard's mega stone. During the past few days she had worked on a more permanent harness that was sturdier, stronger, and more durable like the one she had seen on Alain's Charizard.
"Maybe Ash believes that he and Charizard don't need it now?" Serena answered.
"Or maybe Ash wants to keep Charizard's power a secret until later on." Clemont said.
"But this is the finals, what else does Ash...oh, unless he wants to keep it a secret from the Elite Four and Diantha." Bonnie said, realizing Ash's plan. Clemont nodded as he looked on as the battle between Charizard and Mega Tyranitar was about to begin.
"Flamethrower!"
"Stone Edge!"
Charizard fired a powerful blast of fire at Mega Tyranitar. The attack was blocked by Stone Edge, though it took three of the pillars to fully stop the flame. More pillars shot up toward Charizard but it flew higher to avoid the attack.
"Tyranitar, create a sandstorm again. Charizard won't be able to fly in it for long." Duran commanded. Since Greninja was no longer part of the battle, Mega Tyranitar could use its ability to its own advantage.
With a roar, Mega Tyranitar unleashed a mighty sandstorm that quickly engulfed the battlefield. Charizard was getting hit by debris but it stayed strong and in the air.
"Fly around with the sandstorm and use Flamethrower!" Ash shouted to his Pokemon. Ash had again put on his goggles to better see the battle.
Going along with the sandstorm, Charizard flew around Mega Tyranitar firing off powerful Flamethrowers at the Mega Pokemon but it wasn't doing much damage. The Flamethrower was being weakened the longer it went through the sandstorm. Ash had to get Charizard closer to Mega Tyranitar to do some real damage. As Charizard went around the backside of Mega Tyranitar, Ash made his move.
"Now dive in with Steel Wing!" Ash called out.
"Catch it Tyranitar!" Duran responded.
Charizard slammed into Mega Tyranitar pushing it back several yards but Mega Tyranitar held on and eventually stopped Charizard, holding the Fire Pokemon in place in the middle of the battlefield.
"Now use Flamethrower!"
At point blank range, Charizard fired at Mega Tyranitar, engulfing its upper body in flame.
"Keep it up Charizard!" Ash cried out.
"Use Crunch!" Duran shouted.
Mega Tyranitar pushed through the Flamethrower and clamped down on Charizard's shoulder and the base of its neck. Charizard roared as Mega Tyranitar tightened its grip on its wings and shoulder.
"Charizard use Dragon Claw, get out of there!" Ash shouted. Charizard was in a bad spot.
Charizard's free arms glowed a pale green. Charizard started swinging at Mega Tyranitar's head, trying to free it from the Crunch attack. Mega Tyranitar wasn't letting go. It brought down Charizard from the air, but Charizard was able to land on its feet. The two Pokemon were still locked together. Mega Tyranitar towered over Charizard as it held on to both of its wings with its arms. Charizard continued to use Flamethrower and Dragon Claw, trying desperately to get Mega Tyranitar to release its Crunch.
Darn it…C'mon Charizard, keep it up.
As Ash was looking on through the sandstorm, he noticed that the storm itself was dying down. He could see Mega Tyranitar and his Charizard more clearly. Mega Tyranitar was looking visibly weaker, but Ash knew that if he didn't do anything soon, his Charizard would faint first. He then went to a move that he was teaching his Charizard ever since they reunited several weeks ago.
"Charizard give it everything you got! BLAST BURN!" Ash shouted.
"Hold on Tyranitar!" Duran cried out.
With a rage induced roar, Charizard soon engulfed itself and Mega Tyranitar in a flame. It grew brighter and hotter as Charizard unleashed its most powerful attack. The ball of fire that surrounded the two Pokemon grew in size, concealing the two in light. Soon both Ash and Duran were shielding their eyes from the intensity. As the light and heat grew almost unbearable for Ash and Duran, Charizard unleashed its attack.
The massive explosion knocked Ash, Duran, and the referee off their feet. The shockwave knocked people's hats off their heads as far up as the top sections.
"Charizard?!"
"Tyranitar?!"
Both Ash and Duran got up, as they looked at the result of Charizard's Blast Burn. There was a towering cloud of dust that mushroomed out at the top which went clear past the top of the stadium. Surrounding the dust cloud, Ash could see parts of the ground were shiny and had a reflected look to it. Charizard's Blast Burn had nearly turned the dirt from the arena into glass. As the cloud receded, a sizeable crater where Charizard and Mega Tyranitar had been dominated the landscape. Ash saw a faint orange shape in the dust.
"Charizard!"
To answer Ash's call, a roar came from the dust cloud. After Charizard appeared from the dust cloud, limping back toward Ash. It stopped once it left the dust cloud and turned back toward it, still standing.
"Tyranitar!" Duran called out, but no answer was made.
Then everyone saw what had happened. In the middle of the crater was Tyranitar, back in its normal form, fainted. The referee picked himself up, his flags broken from the shockwave.
"T-Tyranitar is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner. Which means this year's winner of the Kalos League is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" He announced.
The crowd erupted in a thunderous applause. Ash slumped down from exhaustion, not just from his connection with Greninja, but due to the stress of the whole battle. Pikachu jumped in his lap, cheering and hugging its partner and friend. Ash looked up and saw Charizard standing over him. Before Ash could get up, Charizard fell down out of exhaustion too.
"Hey buddy. You did so amazing. I guess you were right. You didn't need to Mega Evolve." Ash said as he petted Charizard's head. Charizard gave Ash a puff of smoke as it smiled back at its trainer.
"Ash!"
Ash looked to his right and saw Serena running towards him. He was surprised she had jumped down from the stands, but he didn't have time to wonder if that was ok as she tackled him.
"Oomph! Ha, Hey Serena." Ash said as he regained his footing. Serena didn't say anything else, she just hugged Ash as hard as she could and buried her head into his chest.
"Where's your hat?" Ash asked as if everything that had just happened didn't matter. Serena giggled then looked over at Charizard.
"It was blown away from Charizard's attack." She said smiling.
"Oh, sorry about that." Ash said sheepishly.
"It doesn't matter, I'll find it later…but Ash!" Serena said as she suddenly raised her voice. "You won the Kalos League! You did it!"
It hadn't hit Ash until then. After six years of becoming a Pokemon trainer, he had finally won a Pokemon League. Ash looked around, noticing the crowd was still standing and applauding. He noticed Diantha along with the other VIPS. She was clapping as well and smiling as she whispered something to the person standing next to her. Next to them was Clemont, Bonnie and Sawyer, who were cheering. Though Clemont was trying to keep Bonnie in the stands as she tried to follow Serena.
"Ash…"
Ash looked over and saw Duran standing next to him. He had returned his Tyranitar and crossed the battlefield. Serena let go of Ash, letting Ash face Duran.
"That was the greatest battle I've ever had, thank you." Duran said as he extended his hand.
"Likewise Duran. Thank you." Ash replied as he accepted the handshake.
Author's note: So there you have it. Ash has finally won the Kalos League, but his greatest challenge is yet to come. I am continuing writing the rest of the story now, so stay tuned. I should start posting the next chapters soon.
