So guys, I'm sorry I'm late on updating this one. This chapter is very long, and I assure you, I haven't been slacking off, putting this chapter to the side. It's just with my power going out on Thursday, and overexerting myself while working out on Friday, I just couldn't get this thing typed up and finished in time.
Well, it's here, and I really hope you guys enjoy it!
Damian rolled over in his bed, placing his arm on the other side of the mattress. He expected to feel Domino laying next to him, but at the same time wasn't surprised when he found she wasn't there. He figured she left recently, as her indention in the bed was still there. Grumbling and groaning, he leaned up and looked at the empty side of the bed. On the pillow was a sealed letter, and a black tulip.
The fair haired trainer huffed under his breath before picking up and examining the tulip. The stem was strong, and the petals were quite healthy. For a moment he began to wonder how she managed to keep the flower this healthy without having to put it in water over the night. After silently pondering on the thought for a moment, he dismissed it, and placed the flower on the nightstand.
As he opened the letter, he could wisp in the faint smell of her perfume. It was sweet, like honeysuckle. Too sweet, for his taste. Damian unfolded the piece of paper and skimmed over the cursive writing. It was one of her little goodbye letters that he had grown used to reading. Though the words may have varied, they were always the same. She'd go on about how she had important business to attend to, and that she'd see him again when there was time. Of course, like always, there was a red lipstick kiss next to her signature.
Letting out a sigh, Damian wondered how he found himself so infatuated with someone like her. Despite her rather grim background as well as her notorious temper, whenever he was around her she was often more giddy than anything. He hated giddiness. Yet for some reason he found himself able to tolerate it when it was coming from her. Perhaps he had more affection towards her than he thought, but now was not the time to think about such things.
His quarter finals match was tonight, directly after Ash and Paul's. He tried to recall whom it was he was going against. It was some gambler. From what he remembered, he was quite a skilled trainer, but Damian didn't view him as much of a threat. His opponent may have been good, but he wouldn't be able to take down his team of elite Pokémon.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ash did a few breathing exercises and stretches as he waited to be called out of the locker room. Though he was confident that he could win the battle, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't at the very least a little bit nervous. His match against Paul in Sinnoh was one of the toughest victories he'd ever had, and he was certain it would be even tougher this time around.
He looked through the five Poké Balls on his belt, and did some last minute strategizing. He wasn't sure if Paul would use a team similar to the one he used in their match back at the Lily of The Valley Conference, but even if he didn't, Ash still felt that he had a well balanced team that should be able to combat anything Paul had to throw at him.
"Mr. Ketchum," an official called, peering his head around the corner of the locker room. "let's go, your match is about to start."
"Alright." He replied, taking in another deep breath. "I'll be there in just a second."
The official nodded before walking off. The black haired trainer followed his lead, going down a long corridor before opening a door leading to the battlefield. Ash stepped through, finding himself in a dark, rectangular tunnel that's end was brightly lit by the sun beaming down on the arena.
Taking one final breath, the trainer stepped forward, coming into view of everyone in attendance. As the audience cheered and applauded, Ash could feel the adrenaline begin pumping through his veins. The intoxicating chemical coursed through his body, causing his heart rate to slow and his composure to increase.
Once he and Pikachu stepped into the battle box, Paul emerged from the other side of the arena, also being greeted by applause. Once the purple haired trainer took his position in his respective battle box, the referee approached the sideline, both flags in hand.
"This is a semi final match for the Master League Competition." He announced. "Are both trainers ready?" The referee looked at the two of them, waiting for an answer.
"I don't know, Paul." Ash snickered. "Are you ready?"
Paul didn't so much as change his rather blank, albeit serious expression. "Whenever you are."
"Well, I'm ready!"
"Then so am I."
After hearing their answers, the referee waved down both of the flags. "Then let the first round of the semi-finals begin!"
"Let'start this off with a bang! Go Pidgeot!" Ash threw his first flying type's Poké Ball, releasing the majestic bird onto the field. As soon as he was freed from his spherical home, he immediately took flight, and began soaring across the air.
"A Pidgeot?" Paul cocked an eyebrow, a bit surprised by the unexpected choice in Pokémon. After all of his encounters with the trainer, not once had he ever seen him use a Pidgeot, or even mention it for that matter. "Okay. Honchkrow, go!" The purple haired trainer released his own bird, letting it take flight the second it emerged from its Poké Ball as well.
"This should be good." Ash made a sly grin. Though Paul's Honchkrow wasn't something to be taken lightly, Ash knew that Pidgeot had a speed and maneuverability advantage, but as a trade off Honchkrow could certainly dish out more pain than Pidgeot could. "Use your agility to outmaneuver him!" The trainer knew that if he wanted to stand any chance at winning this round, he'd need to use Pidgeot's superior speed to go in for the quick hits, while also avoiding anything the dark flying type had to throw at him.
The elegant bird soared across the sky with nearly blinding speeds, spiraling around Honchkrow, who remained flapping his wings in place, maintaining a steady altitude. While Pidgeot circled around the dark bird, his opponent remained calm, very collected. His eyes traced Ash's Pokémon each time it crossed his line of sight. Off to the side, Paul ordered for Honchkrow to wait for Pidgeot to make a move.
Ash found it a bit suspicious, but knew that he wouldn't get anywhere by having Pidgeot do nothing more than fly in circles. So he took the bait. "Go in for a wing attack!"
"Now!" Just as the bird swooped in to get a hit in on his opponent, Honchkrow's form quickly faded as a shroud of darkness overtook him, causing Pidgeot's attack to hit nothing but empty air.
"Not faint attack again!" Ash growled in frustration, remembering he fell for the same trick in his battle with Harrison. Unlike his battle with Harrison though, Paul didn't give Ash enough time to react. Honchkrow reappeared directly above Pidgeot, who was frantically looking for his opponent, and smacked him hard in the back of the head.
Pidgeot began crashing towards the ground, spinning as he rapidly lost altitude. However, just as he came within mere inches of the ground, he stretched out his wings and caught the updraft, allowing him to shoot back into the sky.
"Whew." Ash sighed, relieved to see that his Pokémon was able to recover from his fall. "Let's come back at him with a quick attack!" Ash's Pokémon started screaming across the air. He was traveling so quickly that his form began to shift in and out of sight, growing closer and closer to his opponent.
"Counter it with night slash!" Paul retorted. Honchkrow's right wing began to glow a bright purple as he too began soaring across the air, trying to meet Pidgeot halfway.
Ash had to think fast. If Pidgeot went in for the attack, then he'd be hit by Honckrow's night slash for sure. But if he started playing defense now, he'd have his back to the ropes. The two Pokémon were getting close. It wouldn't be long until they both smashed into one another and Pidgeot would be sent crashing towards the ground once again. Knowing he had little choice, Ash made the call.
"Dodge it!" Just as the two birds nearly collided, Pidgeot tilted himself to the side, narrowly avoiding Honchkrow's glowing wing as it just barely grazed his belly. At that moment, Pidgeot decided to do its own little improve, and let out a hard flap of its wings. The coursing air coming from the two birds had all accumulated into the narrow space between them, causing Pidgeot's gust attack to hit with full force, and sent Honchkrow flying across the sky as the heavy wind smashed into him. At first Ash was a bit dumbfounded by his Pokémon acting on its own accord, but since it worked, he chose not to dwell on it. "Now that he's open, use aerial ace!"
Pidgeot soared across the sky towards Honchkrow, causing Paul to clench his fist in hopes that his Pokémon would be able to regain his balance so he could counter. The crow flipped and spiraled, losing altitude as it did so. Then just as Pidgeot was nearing, he finally managed to get his bearings straight and returned to flying normally. "Honchkrow, use dark pulse!"
"Oh no!" Ash exclaimed. "Get out of the way!" By the time his words reached Pidgeot, he had already crashed head-on into the spiraling beams of darkness. The bird fell towards the ground once again, this time failing to recover mid-fall.
As the bird landed hard on the ground, the entire audience unanimously cringed. At first Ash didn't think he'd get up, but sure enough his loyal Pokémon managed to find the strength in him to lift himself back onto his talons.
Paul bit down on his lip, a bit frustrated that his opponent was still standing. "Go in for a wing attack and finish him off!" Honchkrow quickly complied, and began soaring downward, his wings glowing white. Pidgeot seemed completely dazed, and unable to counter. Paul was sure this was the end of it.
"Pidgeot, use sand attack!" Ash cried out in desperation.
With one hard flap, the bird shot up a gust of wind just in time to meet Honchkrow before he could land his attack. A flurry of sand and dirt shot up into the air, hitting the dark flying type square in the eyes, and caused him to crash into the ground and miss his target.
"No!" Paul shouted. "Honchkrow, get up!" The bird rapidly started flapping his wings, pulling himself back into the air in hopes that he could at least gain air control before his opponent had regained flight. However not only was Pidgeot already up and flying again, he was also readying for an attack.
"Show em' what your hurricane can do!" Ash shouted, trying to hide his smirk. Pidgeot began flapping his wings as viciously and furiously as he could, sending a powerful surge of winds towards his opponent. Since Honchkrow was still trying to regain his balance, and also disoriented from the sand in his eyes, he was completely unable to brace himself in any way. The hard winds crashed into the dark flying type, and sent him soaring across the arena and slamming him square into the border separating those in the front row from the action on the field. Honchkrow's body peeled off of the border like an old sticker before landing on the ground, making a loud thump.
The referee ran up to the downed Pokémon, checking to see if there was any response; there wasn't one. "Honchkrow is unable to battle!" He announced, raising the flags into the air. "Pidgeot is the winner!"
The audience roared in applause, obviously quite pleased with the intensity of the battle. Misty and May once again being the loudest in attendance. Near the back of the stands, Damian leaned against a pillar, his arms crossed. He couldn't help but fixate his attention on the battle below. Was that really the same kid he humiliated before the Master League started? During that battle, he seemed completely inept. Yet here, he actually seemed to be showing a sense of strategy.
Ash sighed in relief, actually a little bit surprised that he managed to pull the victory in that round. He looked up at Pidgeot, whom was breathing heavily as he landed on the ground, allowing himself to rest his wings. Even though Honchkrow was only able to get two hits in on Pidgeot, they were two solid hits, and the fall from thirty feet in the air onto hard packed dirt didn't help either. Ash hated to do it, but he chose to withdraw the Pokémon, knowing that if Pidgeot continued on into the next round, he'd be taken down before he could even get a single move in.
Ash took hold of the next Poké Ball, wanting to toss it onto the field, but instead chose to wait for Paul to reveal his next Pokémon. The purple haired trainer eyed him, knowing Ash was waiting for him to pick first. Choosing his next Pokémon cautiously, he reached for the Poké Ball on the far end of his belt.
"Electivire, I choose you!" The massive, humanoid shaped, electric type took to the field, shooting sparks out of his antennae and finger tips. The last time Ash went against this monster of a Pokémon, his Infernape was pushed to his limits. This time though, it'd be a little different.
"That was a pretty bad choice." Ash threw a sly look Paul's way.
"What are you talking about?" He murmured.
"I'll let you see for yourself!" The black haired trainer tossed his next Poké Ball onto the field, unleashing a bipedal dinosaur-like Pokémon, with a spinning horn on the tip of his nose. The Pokémon stood notably taller than Electivire, and looked twice as ruthless. "Paul, say hello to Rhydon."
"Whoa!" May jumped up from her seat, eyes wide. "When did he get that?"
"He caught him not long before we got here." Misty answered, almost as surprised as May. "I just hope Ash can control him."
Back on the battlefield, the Sinnoh native growled, aware that he had put himself at a severe disadvantage by picking Electivire. Nearly all of his attacks were completely worthless due to Rhydon's lack of conductivity. The only thing he had going for him were a few fighting moves that may deal some serious damage to his opponent.
"Electivire, if you want to beat him, you're going to have to let him get in close." His Pokémon nodded, taking a wide stance, waiting for his opponent to charge him.
On the other side of the field, Rhydon began hoofing his foot into the ground, ready to bulldoze over Electivire. He waited though, heeding Ash's commands. During the past few days of training, Ash had found a quiet place just outside of Corsola Beach where he could privately train with the powerful ground and rock type. It didn't take long for Ash to gain respect from the Pokémon, and it took an even shorter amount of time for the trainer to gain a comprehension of Rhydon's moves.
Once the referee signaled for the start of the match, Ash let Rhydon cut loose. He ordered for the towering dinosaur-like Pokémon to charge his opponent with a megahorn attack. The ground and rock type lowered his head, aiming his drill square at his electrified opponent. Electivire stood his ground though, waiting for Rhydon to get in close enough for him to strike.
Just as the gargantuan Pokémon came inches away from his adversary, Electivire delivered a hard right jab. The punch landed square against Rhydon's chest with enough force to break through reinforced concrete, which made it all the more surprising when Rhydon endured the hit, and pushed through.
Paul and his Pokémon's eyes went wide when Rhydon pushed through the super effective attack, and smashed his horn square into the center of Electivre's torso, sending him flying off of his feet. With a bellow of pain, the electric type fell back and landed hard on the ground, shooting up dust and dirt all around the outline of his body.
Rhydon stood by, idly waiting for his opponent to get back onto his feet. He didn't seem the least bit fazed by the hard hit to his chest. It was like Rhydon's hard body managed to completely absorb the hit. Electivire stumbled back to a standing position, his fists clenched, and his eyes fixated on Rhydon.
Paul felt a bead of sweat trickle down his cheek. At the moment, he was losing this match, and he was losing badly. Taking a deep breath, he ordered for Electivire to go in for another brick break, but this time Rhydon was free to catch the punch with his stubby claws.
"What?!" Paul couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was the strongest Rhydon he'd ever seen in his life. Possibly even stronger than most Rhyperiors he'd ever encountered. "What is that thing?"
"Just a really strong Rhydon." Ash replied. "Now Rhydon, finish him off with hammer arm!" The ground and rock type flung Electivire into the air with complete ease. Then just as the electric type came falling to the ground, Rhydon's entire right arm began to glow brilliantly as he swung a hard punch square into Electivire's face, rendering him completely unconscious before he even hit the ground.
"Electivire is no longer able to battle! Rhydon his the winner!" These words were like nails on a chalkboard for Paul. One of his strongest Pokémon had been taken down, and taken down quite easily at that. As he checked through his Poké Balls, he reached for one that he felt should be able to match Rhydon in strength. It was a long shot, but he figured it should work.
"Nidoking, go!" Rhydon's second opponent took the field, ready to charge into battle.
Ash started to feel a little bit of sweat trickle down his own cheek. Paul's Nidoking certainly wouldn't be an easy opponent to topple. He remembered quite well how his Nidoking managed to withstand a direct hit from a flash cannon from a Registeel. Though he may have lost that fight, it was certainly a great testament to Nidoking's resilience.
Once they were signaled to start again, Ash ordered for Rhydon to hold off from attacking for the time being. Though he may have been acting a little bit too cautious, he didn't want for Nidoking to pull in a quick victory by using an unexpected counter.
Paul's Nidoking began to slowly stomp towards Rhydon, who was flaring his jaws while the horn atop his nose began spinning as if to welcome his opponent to come in for an attack. Showing no fear, the ground and poison type charged in at Paul's order, and locked his claws with Rhydon's.
The two Pokémon started pushing against one another, trying to outmatch the other in a test of strength. Rhydon was actually taken slightly off guard by Nidoking's power. In the wild he'd never encountered a Pokémon that could match him in raw power, which in a way made Rhydon happy to finally have an even match.
"Rhydon, show Nidoking how strong you really are!" The drill Pokémon complied, putting forth an extra bit of strength, which was just what Nidoking wanted. The purple Pokémon bent his knees, allowing himself to get a lower center of gravity. With Rhydnon's forward momentum, he was able to send his opponent flying over his head, landing square on his back. A small tremor filled the stadium when Rhydon hit hard on the ground, even causing Ash and Paul to stumble slightly.
"Now that he's down, use thrash!" Paul's words were like a match that lit a fire in Nidoking's eyes. The Pokémon spun around and faced Rhydon, who was getting back onto his feet. Before his opponent could even fully get up, Nidoking charged into Rhydon, smashing his horn square into his opponent's chest. Rhydon wailed out in pain, but was quickly silenced when he felt a hard slash across his face, followed by another, and then one more after that. Infuriated, Rhydon tried to get a move in without waiting for Ash's order, but was stopped when Nidoking spun around and smashed his tail into him, knocking him down once more.
"Rhydon!" Ash cried out. "Are you alright?!" Instead of giving a direct response, the Pokémon pulled himself back up, and made a vicious roar, which was more than enough to signify his well being to his trainer. "Okay then, use take down!"
Rhydon lowered his head and charged towards Nidoking like a Tauros would a matador. Paul tried to order his Pokémon to sidestep it, but Nidoking was too lost in his thrashing to even take notice of his orders. Instead, he chose to rush Rhydon, being met by a hard spinning drill, followed up by a shoulder check.
Nidoking's resilience proved to be enough to keep him on his feet though, and since Rhydon was now in striking distance, he was allowed to continue wailing on the Pokémon. Even though Rhydon's hard skin soaked in most of the blows, Nidoking was hitting with enough force to smash through the hide of a Steelix, and even Rhydon couldn't completely withstand that.
After Nidoking finished beating down on his opponent, he found himself slightly lightheaded, even a bit dizzy from all of the overexertion. He stumbled back, giving Rhydon room to find his bearings. The Pokémon was clearly dazed and confused, and that may have been all the room Ash needed to swoop in the victory.
"Rhydon, use hyper beam!" The ground and rock type's horn began to glow brilliantly as he opened his jaws. As the blast powered up, Paul tried to order for Nidoking to get out of the way, but Nidoking couldn't even tell which direction was up or down, much less where to go to avoid Rhydon's hyper beam.
A powerful blast of light blew across the battlefield, completely engulfing Nidoking in the searing hot blast of raw energy. The entire audience went silent, patiently awaiting for the dust to settle so they could see what remained of Rhydon's opponent. Once the dust began to settle, Rhydon was completely taken off guard by the site of Nidoking rushing through the shroud of dirt, crashing into him with the force of a speeding tractor trailer.
The entire audience once again came to life, cheering and applauding to see the fight go on. Rhydon was completely helpless to fight back, as he was still recharging from his hyper beam. Nidoking wasn't doing much better though, as his entire body was scratched and bruised, and judging by the tired look in his eyes, he was on fumes.
"Rhydon, c'mon!" Ash exclaimed. "Nidoking doesn't have much left in him! Just give him one good shot with hammer arm, and he'll be out!"
"Nidoking, he's tired and wounded!" Paul shouted from his side of the field. "A brick break will finish him!"
The two Pokémon backed away from one another, giving themselves enough room to throw a good, powerful punch. They both eyed one another, taking deep breaths as they drew their fists back. Both Pokémon threw forth their powerful attacks with all the force they had left in them. Rhydon's hulking hammer arm landed square against Nidoking's chest, while Nidoking's brick break hit hard on Rhydon's right cheek.
Ash and Paul both clenched their fists, while the audience sat at the edge of their seats, waiting to see the outcome of the attacks. Both ground types swayed wearily, their bodies swinging to and fro until their foreheads bumped against one another. The two adversaries glared into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to fall, but at the same time using the weight of the other to keep themselves supported. After the brief stare down, Rhydon nudged his head forward slightly, pushing Nidoking back. Without any support, the ground and poison type fell onto his back and didn't get up.
"Nidoking is unable to battle! Rhydon is the winner!"
Paul stomped his foot, cursing under his breath. He knew Rhydon was on the ropes, but the fact remained that he was still down three to six. Was this the same Ash Ketchum he went against in Sinnoh? Or had he just lost his edge during his time in Zerra? Either way, Paul wasn't going to give in so easily, as he still had three very powerful Pokémon left at his disposal.
Damian placed his hands on the railing, leaning forward. Not once had he been interested in seeing his fellow competitor's matches, but this one was proving to be quite entertaining. He started to wonder how Ash managed to prove himself so competent. The person he fought at the gates of Zerra Stadium was like a rookie, someone who didn't belong anywhere near the Master League. Was he having an off day? Had he somehow gained an unknown strength with his Pokémon over the past few days? Regardless, Damian was intrigued to see what else the kid had to offer.
"Mr. Ketchum, are you going to change Pokémon?" The referee looked over at the black haired trainer, seemingly surprised that Rhydon was still on the field.
"No." He replied. "I think he's got one more battle in him." He looked to his Pokémon. "What do you think, Rhydon?" The only reply his Pokémon gave him was a huff. "He agrees." Ash chuckled, looking back at the referee.
"What about you Paul? Have you picked your next Pokémon?"
"Yeah." He answered. "Torterra, I choose you!" Paul's loyal starter made a bellowing roar as he stomped his front right foot on the ground, sending a minor shockwave across the field. This was exactly what Ash was expecting. Torterra may have had an extreme advantage over Rhydon, but there was still one move that Rhydon had at his disposal that would make Torterra's advantage completely moot.
"Are both trainers ready?"
"Yeah!" The exclaimed in unison.
"Then let the battle begin!"
"Torterra, make it quick! Use leaf storm!"
"Rhydon, use horn drill!"
Paul's eyes went wide for a brief moment. If Rhydon could get to Torterra before he could use leaf storm, then this match would be over, and Ash would have him down two to six. He couldn't let that happen, there was absolutely no way he could allow for Ash to pull in a victory that quickly and that easily.
Rhydon's horn began spinning as he charged towards Torterra. As the Pokémon grew closer and closer, the tree atop Torterra's back began to glow brighter and brighter. It was hard to tell who would get their attack in first, but Rhydon was closing in fast, only a few meters away from his target. If the grass type was going to get his attack off, he needed to do it soon.
"C'mon Rhydon, you can do it!" Ash exclaimed, actually feeling like he might get the hit in.
"Attack now!" Paul shouted. "He's already weak, don't worry about charging for full power!" Obeying his master's command, Torterra unleashed the barrage of leaves he had stocked up, clouding the air in front of him like a swarm of green locust. A momentary look of shock filled Rhydon's eyes as he found himself surrounded by the razor sharp leaves, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. At this point, Ash knew it was over.
"Call off the attack!" The trainer pleaded. "I'll forfeit the round!" Not missing a beat, the referee waved the flag towards Paul, and ordered for the attack to be ceased. Once the cloud of leaves began to settle, Rhydon could be seen facedown on the field. The Pokémon may have been tough, but after all of the fatigue from his previous battles, as well as a double weakness to grass type attacks, there was just no way he could continue on.
Ash returned Rhydon to his Poké Ball, already knowing which Pokémon he'd send out next. Paul's Torterra was fresh, and he wouldn't want to swap him out just yet. Keeping that in mind, Ash reached for the next Poké Ball and tossed it onto the field.
Infernape emerged from the red and white sphere, beating his chest as the flame atop his head began to flare. Paul couldn't help but take a moment to lament on how far his old Pokémon had come. He really did make a bad choice in handing him over to Ash. However, it was too late to fix that, and his main concern remained in the present.
He contemplated the idea of pulling Torterra off of the field, but decided against it. Torterra may have had a weakness to fire, but Infernape was just as weak to ground based attacks. One good earthquake and Ash's Pokémon would be finished.
Once the next round was signaled to begin, both trainers gave their Pokémon their orders. Ash called for Infernape to try to make the fight quick by plowing over Torterra with a flame wheel. The monkey then quickly curled up into the fetal position, and started to roll across the battlefield leaving a fiery trail in his wake.
Paul wasn't taking any chances though. Right off the bat he ordered for an earthquake to stop Infernape dead in his tracks. The gigantic turtle raised his two front legs and slammed them into the dirt, causing the entire arena to shake. From his feet a fissure began to travel across the field, and seemed to be zeroing in on Infernape. As the crack traveled across the field, it caused part of the ground to raise slightly, creating a jagged ramp, which quickly caught Ash's attention.
"Infernape, get out of the way of the attack, and use that ramp to get into the air!" The blazing wheel skidded to the side just enough to avoid the incoming fracture. Once Infernape crossed the threshold into the earthquake, he quickly started to tumble out of his flame wheel due to the violent shaking, but managed to get some air from the ramp before completely uncurling himself from the fetal position. "Now, use flare blitz!"
"No!"
Infernape shot forward like a rocket aimed directly for Torterra. Without the earthquake to hinder him, Infernape wouldn't have any trouble getting the attack in. His grass type opponent tried to fling a few razor leaves his way, but the searing hot flames surrounding him put an end to those before they could do any damage.
With a loud crash, the fire type collided with the grass type, sending a huge fireball into the air. The crowd let out a gasp, pulling themselves back in their chairs in hopes to get away from the heat radiating from the fire. To no one's surprise, when the fireball settled, Infernape stood proud over his defeated opponent.
"Ash!" Misty screamed from the stands. "You're doing great!"
"He sure is!" May replied, just as giddy. "Just two more Pokémon and he's got this!"
"Don't get excited." A rather bleak voice rang through their ears. Misty, May, and Drew looked to their right, seeing Damian take Ash's empty seat next to Misty.
"What are you doing here?!" The redhead snarled, her vicious temper showing little patience for the trainer.
"I'm watching the match." He replied in a flat tone.
"Wanting to see how Ash is going to beat you if you make it to the finals?" Misty snapped.
"Hardly." He huffed. "Your boyfriend may be better than I first thought, but he's nowhere near as good as me."
"We'll see about that."
"He might not even win this battle, you know?"
The Cerulean Gym Leader raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? He's got Paul down to his last two Pokémon?"
"Why do you think he let a Torterra stay on the field when Ash brought Infernape out? Clearly he wanted to get Infernape weakened for when he brings out his sweeper."
"A sweeper?" May cocked her head, unfamiliar with the term.
"It's competitive lingo for a Pokémon that takes out its opponents before they even get a single move in." Misty answered. "Once they get going, they're almost impossible to stop."
"But they have to get going first." Damian added. "Which is why he left Torterra out on the field. Whatever his sweeper is, is more than likely weak to fire or fighting. So it's probably another grass type, or a steel type more than likely. Paul just wants to get Infernape weakened enough so he can bring out his sweeper, and then take the match."
Misty wanted to make a snooty retort, but he really did seem to know what he was talking about. The guy may have been a jerk, but she had to admit that he was a smart one. In a way she felt a little bit foolish for not seeing through Paul's plan as easily as Damian did, but her main concern was that Ash would see through it as well.
"Drapion, go!"
Ash narrowed his eyes, trying to think of a way to dispose of his next opponent as quickly as possible. Drapions were notorious for being tough to take down, especially with their lack of many inherent weaknesses. Double this up with their poison attacks, they could easily defeat their opponents by simply poisoning them and playing punching bag until the other Pokémon finally fainted from either poison or exhaustion, or both.
Infermape measured up his opponent. It seemed as though there were no weaknesses in his hard exoskeleton that he could exploit, which meant he'd probably have to rely on projectile attacks to take him down. This would be slightly problematic for a Pokémon that specialized in fighting.
Once the battle started, Infernape and Drapion circled around the Poké Ball emblem on the center of the field, not daring to break eye contact with the other. Ash and Paul watched on, trying to find an opening in their opponent that they could exploit, but there were none to be found.
Ash, being the ever bold trainer he was, made the first move. "Use flamethrower!" Infernape leapt back, and fired a barrage of searing hot flame at his opponent. The wave of fire covered the center of the field, consuming Drapion inside. Paul quickly gave an order, but over the roaring crowd and the sound of Infernape ferociously spitting out a stream of fire, neither Ash nor Infernape could hear what he said.
Once the flames had subsided, Drapion remained standing, but charred and burnt. Ash was actually quite surprised with how much damage he had done to the dark poison type. Though he still stood before him, Drapion's four pointed legs were shaking, clearly showing that he didn't have much energy left to spare.
Infernape began to proudly beat his chest and let out a bellowing cry. The crowd seemed to get a kick out of his show of pride, and began to applaud him for it. Even Ash cheered him on. However, after his cry, the Pokémon found himself slightly short of breath. Despite using three very powerful attacks since he was brought into the battle, he hadn't really exerted himself, and to be short of breath now didn't seem quite right.
He slowly looked down at his feet while taking in deep inhales and releasing heavy exhales. In his right leg he found a single prickle sticking out of it. Naturally, Infernape pulled it out with his bare hands, causing an excruciating pain to rip through the area around where the little needle was found.
"Infernape, what's wrong?!" Ash exclaimed worriedly as his Pokémon fell onto his knees, crying in pain.
"When you used your flamethrower, I had Drapion shoot a precision poison sting." Paul's tone was dead serious, not the slightest hint of humor or lightheartedness. "Your Infernape is poisoned, and it won't be long before he's out of the match."
Misty, May, and Drew all leaned forward, mouths agape and eyes wide. Damian on the other hand remained seated back and relaxed. "I told you." He murmured. "He's just trying to weaken Infernape so his next Pokémon can wipe Ash's team."
"What does Ash have to do to keep that from happening?" Misty turned to the trainer, getting a little worried that her boyfriend may indeed lose the match.
"The only thing he can do. Find a Pokémon that can take the punishment and deliver it right back to him."
Infernape delivered another breath of fire, keeping his distance from Drapion. It had become quite clear that he was going to win this round, but it had also become quite clear that he wouldn't be lasting much longer himself. The poison that coursed through his veins was beginning to take serious effect, causing him to slow down more and more.
The rest of the match was more or less him and Ash just going through the motions. They'd use a flamethrower from a safe distance, and Drapion would shoot out a few poison darts that may or may not hit. If they did, the fire type would find himself feeling even more drained than before. But alas, with one more good flamethrower attack, Drapion finally succumbed to his wounds and fainted.
"Infernape." Ash called. "Why don't you come back to your Poké Ball? You're way too tired to fight."
Infernape shook his head, refusing to give up just yet. It was very much against Ash's better judgment, but he chose to honor his Pokémon's wishes. Perhaps Infernape could pull a quick victory against Paul's next Pokémon, and then that'd be the match.
Paul returned Drapion, and pulled out his final Poké Ball. "This is it, Ash."
"Yeah." He smirked. "Your last Pokémon."
"Don't get excited yet." He replied before tossing the ball onto the field. From the Poké Ball, a large, steel plated Pokémon emerged. Atop its head were two horns and a pointed nose guard. The bipedal Pokémon in a way reminded Ash of his Rhydon. Judging by its roar and fiery eyes, it was probably just as vicious as well.
"Aggron…" Ash sighed, shaking his head. Now he could see why Paul was trying to do nothing more than weaken Infernape. The last time the two went at it, Infernape was able to dispose of Aggron rather handedly. However Drapion's poison had caused Infernape to use up most of his remaining strength, so it didn't seem like a reenactment of their last battle was likely to happen.
The second the referee gave the go ahead, Ash ordered for Infernape to do the only possible thing he could to win the match. "Flare blitz, now!" Mustering up what remained of his power, the chimpanzee shot himself forward as a hot blue flame surrounded him. At first he shot forward and nearly full power. However, as he approached the center of the battlefield, his speed began to slow. By the time he reached Aggron, the blazing fire surrounding him had turned into nothing more than a mere spark of what it was.
Aggron made a backhanded swipe, sending Infernape flying. The fire type landed face first in the dirt, making a loud thump as he landed. The Pokémon slowly tried lifting himself up. It was quite surprising even for Paul to see how strong willed his former Pokémon was. Despite being tired, poisoned, and beaten, Infernape was still able to make it back to his knees. However, Ash withdrew him before he got any further.
"I forfeit the round." Ash mumbled.
The referee waved towards Paul's side of the field, announcing his victory. Ash still had four Pokémon left though, and Paul only had one. Though Ash had the number advantage, the only Pokémon he had with him that had type advantage over Aggron was Totodile. Though Totodile was much stronger than he looked, Aggron could still more than likely take him down before he could even get his first move off. It was the best chance he had though.
The second Totodile hit the field, Aggron looked down at the little Pokémon with slight confusion. Even the audience was a bit amused by seeing the little Pokémon bravely stand its ground against the much larger and much more powerful Pokémon.
Once the referee started the match, Aggron still seemed a little bit hesitant to attack the little water type. Despite his vicious appearance, he had no intention of seriously hurting the Pokémon. However, he quickly regretted his hesitance when Ash ordered for Totodile to use a hydro pump.
A huge blast of water soaked Aggron, causing him to roar in pain. Even Paul was taken back by Totodile's surprising amount of power. This wouldn't last long though, as Aggron quickly retorted with a thunderbolt that shot out from the tips of his horns. The powerful zap hit Totodile square in the chest, sending the water type flying back, landing right next to Ash's feet.
The entire audience gasped at the ferociousness of the attack, including Paul, who hadn't ordered for Aggron to use a thunderbolt. Ash quickly knelt down next to Totodile to make sure he was okay. The trainer cried out to him, making sure he was getting some sort of response from the little water Pokémon. After calling his name a few times, Totodile slowly opened his eyes and gave Ash a weak thumbs up before going limp in his trainer's arms. Though he wasn't seriously hurt, he was certainly down and out. The referee saw this as well, waving yet another victory to Paul's Aggron.
"Uh oh." Ash said to himself. He had hoped that Totodile's surprise hydro pump would be enough to win the match, but Aggron seemed to be as strong as he looked, and if that was the case, then he was in some serious trouble. The only Pokémon he had left were Pikachu, Sceptile, and a very tired Pidgeot. Pidgeot was completely out of the question for this battle, which meant Sceptile and Pikachu were his only real choices.
The little yellow Pokémon nudged at Ash's leg, ready to step forward and battle. It was risky, but it was also his best shot now. At least Pikachu had a resistance to steel type attacks, and if anything, he had speed on his side.
"This isn't good." Misty said, biting down on her nails.
"You're right." Damian replied coldly, as he got up from his seat. "He's done." He turned to see Misty and May glaring at him, but he shrugged it off. "It's a shame, too. For a minute there, I thought he might actually be a decent trainer."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" The redhead shot out of her chair, glairing into his ice cold eyes.
"What it means is, your boyfriend is either too blind or too stupid to see through an obvious strategy. If he had any sense, he'd have switched out Infernape for that bigmouthed Totodile of his when Drapion came out." Without another word, Damian began walking away, leaving Misty to fume with her anger.
On the battlefield, Pikachu took a stance against Aggron, his tail sticking straight up, and his cheeks sparking. Ash and Pikachu's strategy was to hit with quick zaps of electricity, and keep moving so Aggron wouldn't catch him.
Once the battle started, Pikachu took off like a dash of lightning, using the wide battlefield to his advantage. He circled around Aggron with his intense speed, shooting quick bolts of electricity at him. The steel and rock type quickly began to grow frustrated with the annoying zaps and tried to cut off Pikachu when he was running behind him by smashing his tail into the ground. Pikachu skidded to a halt as Aggron's massive tail slammed into the ground just barely avoiding being crushed under it.
"Now that he's stopped, use headbutt!" Paul barked. Aggron was quick to comply with his master's orders. The steel type turned towards Pikachu and reared his head, trying to slam his hard scalp into the little Pokémon. The little electric type's nimbleness came into play quite well, as he leapt atop of Aggron's head, and ran along his back to avoid being hit.
"Now that he can't get you, shock him till he drops!" The trainer from Pallet commanded. Pikachu latched onto a plate on Aggron's back and began to emit powerful volts of electricity through his opponent's body. Each shock weighed more and more on Aggron than the last, causing him to go from bucking and roaring in frustration, to swaying and crying in desperation.
"Drop onto your back!" Paul shouted. Aggron obeyed, falling square onto his back with Pikachu still latched on.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out. His loyal starter may have been able to take a beating, but being crushed by over seven hundred pounds of steel and rock wasn't something that he could just shake off.
As Aggron rolled over, Pikachu remained flat against the ground, sprawled out and unconscious. The referee looked at the downed Pokémon, waiting to see if there was any response, but there was none to be seen. "Pikachu is no longer able to battle, Aggron is the winner!"
Three Pokémon taken down in a row. Ash had never seen a comeback like this before. At first he was dominating the match, taking down Paul's Pokémon left and right. Now though, it was looking like they were going to be splitting hairs.
The black haired trainer ran up to the center of the battlefield and carried Pikachu back to his side of the arena. "You okay, Pikachu?" He asked as he carried him off the field.
"Pika pi." He replied weakly.
"Well, Chansey here will take good care of you, okay?" He said as he handed the yellow mouse to one of Nurse Joy's assistants, whom carried him to the sidelines where the nurse would treat him back to health while the Pokémon could continue to watch the match.
This was it, the last real chance he had to beat Aggron. If he couldn't pull the victory here with Sceptile, then Pidgeot would be his only hope, and with a double type disadvantage, a victory with Pidgeot was nearly impossible.
"Sceptile, I know I can count on you." He whispered to the Poké Ball before throwing it onto the field.
The grass lizard stepped forth, his trademarked twig pinched between his jaws. Sceptile had pulled off many huge victories before, one of them being against Tobias' Darkrai, which in of itself was a feat no one else had ever accomplished at the time.
"Scep!" He hissed, getting into a position to attack. Like Pikachu, Sceptile had speed, and if Ash wanted to stand a chance against Aggron he'd have to use that to his advantage as much as possible. Between Totodile's hydro pump and Pikachu's thunderbolts, Aggron was severely weakened. So all Ash was concerned with was just keeping Sceptile healthy long enough for him to take down the massive Pokémon with quick, light attacks.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Sceptile, start this off with leaf blade!"
"Aggron, harden!"
The lizard leapt forth, the blades of grass on his forearms glowing brightly as he sprung across the air. With a hard slash from both arms, he swung the razor sharp blades at the Pokémon. Aggron's hard skin withstood the attack though, his thick skin not showing any damage in the slightest.
Sceptile quickly leapt back, getting a good distance between him and his opponent. If Aggron were to get a single good hit on him, that would probably be it. But as long as he stayed far away, then he knew he was safe, more or less.
"Use iron head!" Paul shouted, wanting to end this match as quickly as possible. The steel and rock type charged forward, his head shimmering under the sun's light as he reared it. The massive Pokémon shook the ground with each stomp he made, yet Sceptile stood his ground, showing no fear.
"Wait for it." Ash said calmly, watching Sceptile's opponent grow closer and closer with each massive step. "Just about….." Aggron was closing in fast, he was just merely a few feet away from Sceptile. "Now! Use grass knot!" Two vines shot out from the ground, latching onto Aggron's feet, causing him to halt in his tracks and fall forward from all of the momentum he had picked up in his stampede. "Now, use brick break!"
"No!" Paul exclaimed, seeing how clear of a shot Sceptile had on his Pokémon.
Unable to defend himself in any way, Aggron took a hard blow from Sceptile square to his iron scalp. Once contact was made, the light in his eyes immediately went out as he faded out of consciousness. The referee slowly approached the sidelines, looking to see if there was going to be any responses from the steel rock type, but none were found.
"Aggron is no longer able to battle! So the winner of the match, and moving onto the final round of the Master League, is Ash Ketchum!"
Ash stumbled back and fell to the ground in relief, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as the audience cheered him on for his victory. Though he seemingly had the battle at first, Paul made a huge comeback. Had it not been for the combined works of Sceptile, Pikachu, and Totodile, then Paul would have won the match for sure.
Once the trainer had gotten back onto his feet, he stepped towards the center of the arena, just as Paul did. "That was an awesome match!" He giddily exclaimed. "We need a rematch!"
"I thought this was our rematch?" Paul raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we need another one then!"
The purple haired trainer let out a sigh. "Well Ketchum, I guess you really are the better trainer." He said as he put his hand forth. Ash put his hand forth as well, exchanging in a friendly shake that Ash had hoped to share with Paul for quite a long time.
"You did great out there, Paul."
"You did even better." He replied before releasing himself from the handshake. "We'll meet again, Ash." He added as he turned around and made his way towards the arena's exit.
"Wait, you're leaving?"
"Yeah." He stopped and turned his head slightly towards Ash's direction. "I'm going to go see what this Johto region is all about."
"Oh, really?" Ash cocked his head slightly. "Well, if you run into Dawn, be sure to tell her I said hi!"
Paul turned his head away from Ash and made a very faint smile. "Will do."
Damian rested against the railing, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the metal pole as he watched Ash take his leave. "Huh…. The kid actually did it." He snickered. "Too bad he's come all this way just to lose." With that, Damian raised himself from the railing and made his way to the locker room. He had his own match to worry about, and he didn't plan on letting it be as dramatized as this one was.
Well... That was a long battle. If you got a bit tired of battling, don't worry, the next chapter has very little of it, and is more character based. Basically all it's going to be is buildup for the final round of the Master League, and man is it going to be good.
It's kinda weird honestly. This final round of the Master League is a battle I've been looking forward to writing for months and months now. It's so strange that it almost here... And fear not, this story doesn't end with the Master League, there's still some more things to cover and resolve afterwords... And let's not forget the planned sequel.
Oh, and regarding the sequel, I'm going to let you guys know this now. Though it will be a "sequel" it will still be posted under this story. The reason for that is because I don't want to put off new readers by getting them interested in a story that requires you to read a 40 to 50 something chapter story before hand. I'd much rather just have a 70-80 chapter story so that way new readers won't be put off from reading this story in its entirety.
That said, it's still going to be built like a sequel. The tone will be much more serious (not overly dark, but not as lighthearted as I've made this story). The focus of the plot will be completely different, being focused more around Team Rocket. And also it'll be structured more so as a well developed story in of itself, branching off from this story.
Anyways, the next chapter should be posted within a week. If it's a few days late, then I'm sorry, but I will get it to you all as soon as possible.
See ya!