Chapter 36: Where There's a Will, There's a Way
Will did not hesitate to call out his Pokemon first. "Xatu, ready yourself!" The Mystic Pokemon burst out of its Pokeball once again, hovering over the field.
"Xatu again," said Ash quietly. He racked his brains, trying to decide whether to use Pikachu (the obvious choice) or to throw Gliscor into the battle unexpectedly. But no sooner did he get started in this train of thought than his father's words came back to him. Just think about Will as any other opponent. Forget about his Elite Four status and focus on what you're gonna throw at him on the field, and what he's gonna throw back at you. So what would Ash do when battling anybody else? Making up his mind, Ash turned to Pikachu. "Okay, buddy, you're up." Pikachu ran onto the field, looking determinedly up at Xatu.
"Use Heat Wave!" Will called.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" commanded Ash. The two attacks collided, producing an explosion that blocked everyone's view.
"Now, Future Sight!" Will ordered.
Of course, thought Ash, gritting his teeth. Will wanted some time to use that move again. But how do I attack back now?
But Ash did not get a chance before Will gave his next command. "Drill Peck, and maintain your position!"
Neither Ash nor most of the crowd could make anything of this order. However, they found out in a second what it was about. Slowly, the smoke from the explosion started swirling. The speed of the motion increased at an astounding pace, forcing Ash and Pikachu to shield their eyes. "Hang tough, Pikachu!" shouted Ash before coughing up smoke. They only had to wait a few seconds before Will and his Pokemon became visible again.
"Now that you can see Pikachu again, use Heat Wave!" called Will.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge, then Volt Tackle!" commanded Ash. With difficulty, Pikachu avoided the surge of hot air headed for itself before rushing at Xatu, its body crackling with electricity.
"Evade it!" ordered Will.
Xatu slipped out of its opponent's path with apparent ease, but Ash said, "No way you're dodging that easily! Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Redirecting its momentum, Pikachu flipped over in midair, whipping its tail around to hit Xatu in the back of its head.
"Hit back with Drill Peck!" called Will. Regaining its composure almost immediately, the Mystic Pokemon spun around in the air, ramming straight into its diminutive adversary with its beak. Pikachu landed hard but upright on the ground, gritting its teeth.
"Quick Attack!" commanded Ash. The Electric Mouse sprang back into action, rushing straight at Xatu...
"Evade!" ordered Will. Once again, Xatu made to dodge the attack, but this time, Pikachu had anticipated this. Changing direction at the last second the Electric Mouse barreled into Will's Pokemon, hitting Xatu on the side of its chest.
"Great, Pikachu, now Thunderbolt!" called Ash. While still standing on top of its opponent, Pikachu shot a powerful jolt of electricity into Xatu's body.
"Heat Wave!" commanded Will. His Pokemon flapped its wings, hitting Pikachu with a burst of superheated air. This time, Ash's Pokemon did not have the good fortune of landing on its feet; with an extra cry of pain, the Electric Mouse hit the ground back first. "Antoher Heat Wave!" ordered Will. Xatu repeated its attack, hoping to score a finishing hit on its prone adversary...
"Quick, Pikachu, use a Thunderbolt Counter Shield!" Ash yelled. Slowly at first but then picking up speed, Pikachu started spinning, sending out electricity in all directions. It blocked the attack effectively, and when Pikachu stopped spinning, it landed on its feet again. "Thunderbolt Counter Shield again!" called Ash, a small smile forming on his face.
Will's mouth dropped open in shock as the crowd wondered aloud about his strange order. But after a couple of seconds, everyone was brought up to speed on Ash's tactic. An explosion emerged from thin air, smashing against the Counter Shield and dissipating harmlessly.
After the renewed cheers had subsided, Will called across the field, "You've impressed me again, Ash. Not many trainers can counter Xatu's Future Sight like you did, even if your Pokemon does have a type advantage."
"Of course not!" exclaimed Ash, his smile widening. "Pikachu and the rest of my team are still kicking, and we're gonna show you a real come-from-behind win!"
"Don't be so sure!" said Will, holding up a finger in warning. "You never know what your opponent can use against you!"
Ash chuckled slightly. "Let's wrap this up!" he said. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu sprinted in for a fresh attack.
"Drill Peck!" commanded Will. Xatu responded in kind, rushing its opponent while spinning in a blur.
"Break it off and use Iron Tail!" ordered Ash. Another Iron Tail hit the Mystic Pokemon in the head, sending Xatu crashing into the ground.
"Xatu, Future Sight!" shouted Will. His Pokemon's eyes glowed momentarily, leaving no trace of anything on the field.
"Finish with Thunderbolt!" called Ash triumphantly. Pikachu blasted Xatu with electricity at point-blank range. The attack continued for about twenty seconds, with the Mystic Pokemon thrashing around in pain. When the attack stopped, Will's Pokemon was lying motionless on the ground.
"Xatu is unable to battle!" announced the referee. "Pikachu is the winner!"
As Sceptile finally let up its Leaf Storm, Ninjask emerged from the branches of the tree. Numerous scratches and bruises covered its body, but the Ninja Pokemon was angry and still fighting. However, before it could do anything, Sceptile had hit it hard with a Brick Break.
"Use Fury Cutter!" commanded Paul. Bent on revenge, Ninjask flew forward again, hitting its opponent squarely in the chest. However, Sceptile struck back immediately with another Brick Break, and then avoided another Fury Cutter. "Use Giga Drain!" Paul ordered. However, the green, energy-draining light of this attack had barely started to form before Sceptile slammed into Ninjask with a Quick Attack. At long last, the Ninja Pokemon was down, and it did not get back up.
"Well, well," said Paul, recalling his fallen Pokemon. "I guess you do have what it takes after all. Beating Ninjask was something I didn't really expect you to do. All I would have expected was for you to put up a good fight, but you actually defeated my Ninjask." Paul held out a Pokeball. "If you want to join me, I'll train you."
Sceptile, however, was looking down at the fallen tree. No longer blunted by adrenaline, the reality of what Sceptile had done came crashing down. Sceptile had grown up in forests, and had always loved and revered the trees. Just before joining up with Ash, Sceptile had been a young Treecko trying desperately to save the dying tree in which it had been born and raised. Every tree had tremendous life, and the very thought of taking it was repugnant. Sceptile had done just that... all to impress a trainer.
"Hello?" demanded Paul, still holding the Pokeball impatiently. "I thought you just battled three of my Pokemon to see if you had what it takes to join me. Is that what you want or not?"
Jerking its head up, Sceptile looked at the trainer who was now accepting it as his own, and then came to its decision. If anything at all could come out of that tree losing its life, it would be a new life for Sceptile, free of the boredom and betrayal that had plagued it recently. Walking toward Paul with a determined expression, Sceptile tapped the Pokeball.
A red light engulfed the Forest Pokemon, but Sceptile did not disappear inside the Pokeball. The light just faded, leaving the tall Grass-type standing in exactly the same position as before. "Huh?" asked Paul, looking at the capture device. Looking back at Sceptile, he said, "Ash must have never officially released you." Sceptile looked crestfallen, but its prospective trainer took no notice. "I'll just have to explain the situation to Ash after our battle," he said to himself. "If need be, I'll talk to the Pokemon League officials. There has to be some rule covering this situation..." Paul turned back to Sceptile. "In the mean time, we have work to do. Take a ten-minute break, and then I'll give you your first training lesson."
Will calmly put Xatu back in its Pokeball as the thunderous cheers reached full volume. Across the field, Ash was celebrating. "Way to go, buddy!" he praised his best friend. "One more win and we draw even!" Pikachu tried to mimic its trainer's fist pump, but sank onto all fours in exhaustion. "Pikachu!" called Ash, concern in his voice. "You'd better sit the next round out if you're this tired. Come back and take a break." Pikachu ran back to Ash's side and sat down to catch its breath.
"Blissey," said Will, throwing his next Pokeball, "ready yourself!" The Pokemon that emerged looked like a bloated, ovoid, pink-and-white fairy. In its front pouch was a white egg.
So Will's using Blissey? Ash thought. He must be using endurance to wear my Pokemon out. I need to be careful not to let that happen. Making his selection, Ash called out, "Gliscor, I choose you!" The Fang Scorp Pokemon took to the skies again, clearly in good spirits from its previous victory.
"Use Flamethrower!" commanded Will, initiating the battle. A jet of fire erupted from Blissey's mouth, speeding toward Gliscor.
"Dodge it, then use X-Scissor!" ordered Ash. His Pokemon avoided the attack and crossed its arms, flying straight at its adversary. Ash saw the attack hitting its mark.
"Strike back with Double-Edge!" called Will. Blissey returned the favor, slamming into Gliscor before it could fly away. Ash's Pokemon sailed skyward before regaining its balance.
"Now use Stone Edge!" commanded Ash.
"Flamethrower!" ordered Will. The two attacks collided, with Gliscor straining to maintain its attack in the face of Blissey's Flamethrower. Eventually, the Fang Scorp Pokemon succeeded, but got the worse part of the resulting explosion.
"Gliscor, Steel Wing!" called Ash. His Pokemon plunged downward, looking to land a fresh attack on Blissey.
"Jump to evade it!" commanded Will calmly. Blissey bounded upward, leaving Gliscor on the wrong trajectory for a hit. "Now use Double-Edge!" said Will. Blissey launched its attack as it fell, catching the Fang Scorp Pokemon on its way down. Gliscor bounced twice before finally landing on the ground.
"Come on, Gliscor, give it an X-Scissor!" shouted Ash, trying to gain some control over the battle.
"Flamethrower, quickly!" ordered Will. Blissey's attack hit just as Gliscor was getting off the ground, blasting Ash's Pokemon back several feet. Gliscor struggled to stand up again.
"Come on, Gliscor, you can do it!" Ash encouraged. Finally, the Fang Scorp Pokemon raised its body weight onto its tail. "That's it Gliscor!" said Ash. "Now, try another X-Scissor!"
"Grass Knot!" called Will. Just as Gliscor made to fly again, a strong pair of leaves caught Gliscor by the tail. Another pair twisted itself around its head. "Now use Softboiled!" A yellow glow formed around the egg in Blissey's pouch before transferring itself into the Happiness Pokemon's body. Blissey bounced up and down in jubilation.
Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. This was another one of these new moves that he had never seen before. And judging by the effect on Blissey, as well as the kinds of moves usually used in similar situations, that might just mean... Great, he thought. We must be back to square one. "Gliscor," he called, "break free and use Stone Edge before Blissey can concentrate on you again!" However, his Pokemon never got the chance to carry out the command. Just then, Xatu's final Future Sight took effect, hitting Gliscor as it struggled to free its head. The Fang Scorp Pokemon flopped down on the ground, unmoving.
"Gliscor is unable to battle!" the referee said. "Blissey is the winner!"
Ash recalled his fallen Gliscor sadly. "Thanks, Gliscor," he said. "You battled great today. You were my first Pokemon ever to beat an Elite Four member's Pokemon. Now, just take a good, long rest." His words of thanks out, Ash's mind returned to the battle. How had he forgotten about that last Future Sight? And in its tired state, could Pikachu expect to to win? "Hey, Pikachu," said Ash, his nerves building, "I know your still tired, but I still need you to battle now. I choose you!" Still panting from its previous battle with Xatu, the Electric Mouse ran onto the field.
"Break left!" ordered Paul. "Duck and charge! Forward flip!" Sceptile was running through the forest, reacting as quickly as possible to each successive direction Paul gave: first changing direction, moving suddenly to the left, then dropping to all fours without breaking its stride, and then flipping over an imaginary opponent. "Leaf Blade followed with Brick Break!" barked Paul finally as Sceptile approached a large rock. The Forest Pokemon slashed off a large chunk of rock with the leaf on its left arm before shattering it with a chop from its right.
"Okay," said Paul. "That's enough for today. I need to train for a match against your former trainer."
Sceptile started talking to Paul in Pokemon speech, gesturing its arms anxiously.
Paul looked at his newest Pokemon in confusion. "What do you want now?" he asked, impatient.
Sceptile then started running in place. Suddenly, it clicked in Paul's mind. "Oh, so you want to know how you did?" he asked.
Sceptile nodded waiting for the answer.
"Your agility needs a little work. Still, for your first time at this kind of exercise, you did okay."
"Paul!" called a voice suddenly.
Paul looked in the direction of the voice. It was Reggie, bringing an assortment of food for Paul and his Pokemon.
"Hey, Paul," said Reggie, "hows the training going?"
"Good," said Paul dispassionately. "I just took a little time off to train my newest Pokemon."
"What?" said Reggie. "I've never seen or heard of you catching a new Pokemon when you mean to be training."
"Well," said Paul, "I didn't technically catch this one... at least not yet."
"Well, then, I'll hold my congratulations for the time being." Reggie started laughing at his own joke, but stopped as his eyes fell on Sceptile. "Paul," he said, his eyes narrowing, "is that...?"
"Yes," Paul answered the unfinished question.
"...Ash's Sceptile?" Reggie finished.
"Not anymore."
"WHAT?" screamed Reggie, losing his cool completely. "Paul, you've gone too far this time! You can't just steal another trainer's Pokemon so you'll have your steady supply of strong ones!"
"I didn't steal any Pokemon."
"Oh really? Then what's Ash's Sceptile doing here? I've tolerated you treating me like garbage even when I've been helping you for the past seven years, looking after your Pokemon and helping you train for big matches, and being harder than necessary on your Pokemon. I can't let you get away with stealing Pokemon, like you're in Team Rocket or something."
"I didn't steal Sceptile," said Paul, annoyance written all over his face. "Sceptile came here of its own free will. If that's what you call stealing, Ash never got any of his Pokemon honestly."
Sceptile nodded, but Reggie paid this gesture no attention. "Ash has strong bonds with all his Pokemon. There's no way—"
"And don't you dare talk about how you kept my Pokemon safe for me all this time," interrupted Paul. "You owe me big anyway for how you treated me before."
"I swear, Paul, if you did anything illegal to get Sceptile—"
"But I didn't." Paul walked over to his brother, and picked up the containers of food. "Thanks for bringing me all this stuff. I'll see you later."
Reggie stood rooted to the spot, staring open-mouthed at his younger brother. If his suspicions were true, Paul had stooped to a new low in his quest for ever-more-powerful Pokemon. But could it be true? If it was, then Sceptile was a little too relaxed; a stolen Pokemon would be anxiously looking for the first opportunity to escape. All the same, though, it seemed highly unlike any of Ash's Pokemon to disavow him and seek out his most bitter rival as a trainer. And Paul was not only out of line, but downright foolish to choose a Pokemon who had so recently trained under someone so different from himself. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this...
Pikachu again? thought Will. Even though it's still tired from its last fight? And even though Ash has a sixth Pokemon that he hasn't used yet? He's obviously saving his best Pokemon for last to the exclusion of all other factors. And since he has no Dark-type, that must mean his last Pokemon is probably Charizard; it's the best that he has. Which means that I won't make it easy for Pikachu now. "Blissey, use Flamethrower!" he called out, starting the battle.
"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" commanded Ash. Pikachu evaded Blissey's attack and sprinted at its originator as fast as its legs would carry it.
"Jump to evade!" ordered Will.
"Iron Tail!" called Ash. Blissey's evasive tactic did not work like it had before. Just as the Happiness Pokemon bounded into the air, Pikachu flipped over with a jump of its own, hitting Blissey in the stomach with its tail and knocking it higher up. However—
"Flamethrower now!" commanded Will immediately.
Caught off guard by the timing of the counterattack, Ash reflexively shouted, "Thunderbolt!" However, his attempt to stave off the Flamethrower was in vain. The resulting explosion caught Pikachu in its epicenter.
"Follow up with Double-Edge!" ordered Will. Using gravity to its advantage, his Pokemon slammed into Pikachu at full force. The Electric Mouse, still reeling from the explosion when the attack hit, was thrown backward ten feet.
"Pikachu!" called Ash concernedly. "Are you okay?" Pikachu stood up, its cheeks sparking angrily at this turn of the battle. Ash, on the other hand, was more bewildered than anything else; yet again, he was left with no clue how Will had managed to neutralize his tactics.
"Is that surprise I see?" Will called. "You used the exact same combination twice against Xatu and you don't think I would find a countermeasure? I certainly expected you to plan ahead for seeing Blissey's evasive tactic, so I thought I'd incorporate it into my own counterattack."
Ash was lost for words. Will's explanation had caused his anger to synchronize with that of his best friend, and he yelled out, "Use Volt Tackle, Pikachu!" The Electric Mouse was more than happy to oblige. Seeming to funnel its rage into electricity, it charged forward again.
"Aim slightly below Pikachu and use Flamethrower!" commanded Will.
"Break off the attack, Pikachu!" shouted Ash desperately. Reluctantly, his Pokemon obeyed his order, and not a moment too soon. Blissey's latest attack had almost stopped Pikachu anyway, and much more painfully.
However, Will was not finished attacking just yet. As Pikachu scampered away, he called, "Grass Knot!" With a squeal of pain, the Electric Mouse tripped and fell flat on its face. "Now, Softboiled!" commanded Will. With Pikachu temporarily incapacitated, Blissey calmly executed its healing move a second time.
Darn it, thought Ash ruefully, Softboiled again... wait, that's it! If I can shut down Softboiled... "Pikachu," he ordered, "Thunderbolt Counter Shield!" Doing its best to spin around, the Electric Mouse sent out sparks in all directions. While its opponent finished recharging its health, Pikachu broke free of the Grass Knot.
"Flamethrower, Blissey!" called Will.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" commanded Ash.
"Evade!" ordered Will. As before, Pikachu responded to its adversary's Flamethrower by going in for a speed attack, while Blissey responded to that by jumping.
"Stop running and use Thunderbolt!" called Ash. Avoiding the trap of using an Iron Tail, Pikachu took a moment to skid to a halt before aiming a bolt of lightning at Blissey.
"Flamethrower again!" commanded Will. Fire collided with electricity again, detonating on contact and obscuring the two battling Pokemon in smoke once more.
Wait, thought Ash, Pikachu has a little time... "Pikachu, listen for Blissey and use Volt Tackle!" he ordered.
"Counter with Double-Edge!" called Will loudly. However, its vision clouded and its hearing not sharp enough to help it aim, Blissey was unable to make its attack hit. Pikachu, on the other hand, scored a direct hit on the Happiness Pokemon's belly.
"Now use Iron Tail!" commanded Ash, taking the opportunity to press the attack. Before Blissey could regain its composure, Pikachu attacked again, this time hitting its adversary in the head and causing to land hard on the field. Not letting up the attack, Ash ordered, "Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Now that Blissey's main evasive tactic had been removed from the equation, the Quick Attack hit home; Pikachu landed hard on its opponent's head. "You're doing great, buddy!" yelled Ash. "Now use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu, who was out of the line of fire for any of Blissey's attacks, sent a surge of electricity directly into the Happiness Pokemon's body.
Will watched Pikachu pummel his Pokemon with attack after attack; Ash and his starter Pokemon were doing much better than he had expected. Still, Will was far from worried. Blissey could endure lots of attacks, and it was only a matter of time before Pikachu collapsed from exhaustion. And Blissey could heal itself, while Pikachu couldn't. "Throw Pikachu off and use Flamethrower!" Will called.
"Dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, ready to use his winning tactic at long last. "Aim right for Blissey's egg!" Avoiding another Flamethrower from its opponent, Pikachu landed on its opponent's stomach, lodging its tail inside Blissey's front pouch. "Get that egg out of there!" Ash encouraged. With a tremendous effort, Pikachu grabbed a handful of Blissey's skin in each front paw, arching its back and popping the egg right out of the Happiness Pokemon's pouch! "Now, Thunderbolt it away!" Ash commanded. Still panting from its recent tactic, Pikachu blasted the egg with electricity, rolling it into the far corner of the field.
"Dislodge Pikachu and use Flamethrower!" shouted Will, panicking slightly for the first time in the battle. Flailing around in agony and desperation, Blissey managed to throw Pikachu off itself again. Additionally, its Flamethrower hit its mark this time; the Electric Mouse took the hit in the chest, blasting it back several feet.
"Hang tough, Pikachu!" Ash encouraged. But then, he noticed something that made him wince. "Pikachu!" he shouted. His best friend had been engulfed in a momentary, spontaneous burst of fire. Why'd Pikachu have to get burned now? Ash thought, going into panic mode himself. I have to beat Blissey with Pikachu! Tyranitar can't beat four of Will's Pokemon by itself!
"Double-Edge, Blissey!" ordered Will, his calm returned.
"Pikachu, dodge it!" screamed Ash reflexively. Barely in time, the Electric Mouse slipped away from Will's Pokemon.
But now that Will had gotten the initiative back, he was not about to let up on attacking. "Use Grass Knot!" he called.
"Quick, Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" yelled Ash, his heart pounding in his chest. Turning back to face Blissey, the Electric Mouse rushed forward, electrical energy surging through its body. Just as Ash had banked on, this allowed Pikachu to slice the Grass Knot in half without even slowing Pikachu down. "Now, Pikachu," shouted Ash, "combine your Iron Tail with a full-power Thunderbolt!" Summoning all its strength for its best friend, the diminutive yellow Pokemon funneled all its electricity into its tail, which it swung into its surprised opponent with all its might. What seemed like enough energy to power all of Goldenrod City streamed into Blissey's body, conducted efficiently by Pikachu's tail. Staggering backward a few steps, Blissey felt the electricity still sending sparks through its nervous system, and then fell over, knocked out cold.
The referee was almost as dazed and surprised as Blissey was; indeed, he had taken some stray voltage from the attack as well. After a few seconds, he shook himself out of his near trance, and raised the red flag on Ash's side. "Blissey is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!"
Author's Note: And the epic battle between Ash and Will continues! Despite Ash's best efforts, he is still behind in this battle, and it's nearly time for him to reveal his secret weapon. Will Tyranitar be up to the challenge before it?
And meanwhile, Sceptile has finally won Paul's approval; Sceptile seems happy, but Reggie is less than thrilled. What will he do about the situation, and what will that mean for his brother?