Avalugg's presence was enough to make anyone tremble before it. Even Raichu felt a bit nervous just looking at it. Druddigon, however, was not dazed by it at all. It was ready to win again. Ash tried to have Druddigon wrap it up quick with fire punch as Avalugg blocked with stone edge. However, Druddigon dodged and landed a clean hit with fire punch. At first, Ash thought he had it in the bag, but I muttered,"Big mistake Ash." Avalugg still stood as it seemed to slowly recover. Iris asked,"Why does Avalugg look like it's healing"? Rotom Dex floated to her and says,"It's Avalugg's ability, ice body. In hail, the ice slowly heals it from the damage it's taken." I say,"Plus, Avalugg has a move that'll be powerful the more damage it takes." Druddigon tried to use dragon pulse, but Avalugg knocked it away with gyro ball. It then went in with flash cannon, which also got knocked away. It took more chip damage from the hail as it finally landed a hit with flash cannon. Then, Wulfric said,"Avalanche," as Avalugg used the move and it hit Druddigon hard, dealing the knockout blow. With Avalugg's win, it was tied 2-2 as Ash rushed over to the dragon's side as it roared an I'm sorry. Ash praised it for a great job before returning it to its pokeball. I say,"Avalanche, a powerful ice type move that deals more damage the lower the HP of the user has. Between that and its defenses, that's why it's such a game changer."
Ash thought hard of his next before deciding to go with Raichu, who was ready to battle hard. Katie says,"Raichu is an electric type and Avalugg's an ice type. This will be interesting indeed." Clemont says,"I wonder why Ash would pick Raichu next." I say,"I think I know why, but we'll have to wait and see." Raichu looked at Ash before giving a determined nod as Ash nodded right back at his partner before commanding a thunderbolt, which hit Avalugg hard. Seeing the electricity around Avalugg, Raichu knew that now, it's plan would work. It then used iron tail, smashing Avalugg hard before hitting iron tail on the ground, smashing the ice and revealing the dirt. Avalugg used avalanche as Raichu escaped with dig as the stones followed it underground. Raichu then appeared as the stones disappeared. I say,"I knew it! Raichu's dig. Since avalanche can even follow its opponent underground, Raichu using iron tail to open the dirt before using dig to evade it was smart." Avalugg then tried to use gyro ball, but the paralysis prevented it from moving as Raichu dealt the final blow with thunder punch, knocking out Avalugg. Ash praised Raichu for a great battle as we were cheering on Ash for an outstanding victory.
Wulfric returned Avalugg before saying,"Young man, the way your Raichu avoided avalanche like that is commendable. Very well done. You seem to surprise me with each match. Now, my last choice, it's battle debut time," as his third choice, to my surprise, was a Mamoswine. Clemont says,"So Mamoswine is his last choice." Sawyer says,"It's a ground and ice type, which puts Raichu at a disadvantage." Serena then mentions,"Ash still has one pokemon left after Raichu, so he's still in it." I say,"I didn't know he caught a Mamoswine. So that's why he used Bergmite in my battle earlier." Meowth kept shouting,"Go Raichu! Show them the old pepper"! Ash had Raichu use iron tail as Mamoswine blocked it with double-edge, creating a stalemate. Then, Mamoswine used earthquake, making the battlefield shake and send Raichu flying before freezing it with ice beam. Ash shouted for Raichu to break free as the orange mouse struggled in the block of ice. Mamoswine then charged in with double-edge, hitting Raichu hard and dealing the knockout blow. Once Raichu was called unable to battle, Ash rushed over to its side, hoping it was ok. Raichu recovered and smiled while Ash praised it for a valiant effort.
I say,"That Mamoswine is simply incredible. For its big body, it can really move." Clemont says,"That earthquake was a real game changer, now evening the score again." Iris says,"Now, Ash has one pokemon left. Can he beat Mamoswine with it"? Bonnie says,"I'm getting worried," as Serena just hoped that her boyfriend can turn it around. Ash called out his third and final choice, which turned out to be Greninja. The hail finally stopped, but this match was far from over. Greninja started out with cut as it hit Mamoswine, doing some damage from the start. It then charged in with aerial ace, but Mamoswine sent it back with double-edge. Greninja then went in with consecutive water shurigen, to which the first few, Mamoswine dodged. Then, the last few got it by its feet, freezing it in place. I say,"Smart move. Using the cold environment to freeze the water and stop Mamoswine from moving. Nice." Greninja then hit Mamoswine again with cut, doing some more damage on it. Feeling determined, they synchronized as the water vortex surrounded Greninja, giving it the tufts and diamond. It didn't absorb into the shurigen yet, but now's not the time to ponder on it. This was a battle and a battle Ash was ready to win.
Greninja went in to use aerial ace as Mamoswine battled back with ice fang, freezing its arms and legs into ice blocks. It then used earthquake, sending Greninja flying as both it and Ash felt the pain of the hit. Greninja went in with cut as it hit Mamoswine hard. Mamoswine charged in with double-edge and hit Greninja head on, having both the trainer and pokemon hurt at the same time. Greninja got back at it with consecutive aerial aces, which made Mamoswine skid back. Mamoswine used earthquake again, sending Greninja flying hard. Ash felt the pain from the hit as the pair were growing frustrated. Ash had Greninja use cut as Mamoswine froze the blades with ice fang, stopping Greninja from moving. The final call was when Mamoswine used double-edge, sending Greninja into a wall. Ash felt that the synchronization was ending as he fell back and Greninja was knocked out cold. With that, the winner of the match was Wulfric, the gym leader, nonetheless. Wulfric praised Mamoswine for a great battle before returning it to its ball and looking at Ash. We all became concerned for Ash since this was a really devastating loss. Ash returned Greninja to its pokeball after praising it for a valiant effort. Wulfric came up to him, saying,"I hope you learned something today. Being rigid can make you tough, but fragile too. Try being flexible, like water or you'll end up stubborn, like me. How far you go depends on how much you believe in your pokemon. Even so, you haven't won your badge just yet."
At the pokemon center, Ash was having Nurse Joy look over Greninja since it got seriously hurt in the battle. Meanwhile, outside, I was having Meowth spar with Gliscor, hoping it can learn some new moves. I couldn't help but worry for Ash though. That loss seemed like it really got to him. I wasn't the only one worried. Serena kept a close eye on him, making sure he was ok. Sawyer soon had to go, but not before giving us well wishes and promising to meet with Ash at the Kalos League. Later on that night, everyone was getting ready to settle in. However, Serena noticed that I was setting up a tent outside. She opened the door and said,"Hey Liz. Why are you setting a tent up? You can sleep in the pokemon center with us." I said,"Oh..the tent isn't for me. It's for the wild pokemon who need a warm place tonight since nights here are always cold. I do this everytime I come here." Once it was set, I was ready to come in when Ash just walked out the door. He said he was going for a walk and would be back soon. Serena and I were worried as he disappeared deep into the forest. In the morning, he still had not returned as I could only think Oh Ash...Be careful out there. I know just how you feel.