AHHGG finally! This took forever to write. Between this and everything else going on... Anyways, on to the good stuff! Ash vs AJ, the epic conclusion!
Ash took in the Hitmontop quickly. It spun lightly on its head, whirling in a neat, precise, circle. Obviously it was highly trained, just as all AJ's pokemon were. He gritted his teeth. "Get ready Serperior."
Serperior gave a small nod. A second later, the referee called for the match to begin. For a brief moment, stillness reigned over the battlefield. Neither trainer moved, each testing to see who would call the first attack. Ash had no problem taking the bait. "Serperior, Leaf Blade!"
The grass serpent shot across the field, tail glowing.
"Triple Kick!" AJ shouted. Just as Serperior lashed out with her tail, Hitmontop cartwheeled forwards, around Serperior and onto her back. With a twist, he flipped and spun, driving his feet into the back of her head. Once, twice, and then on the third strike, he struck hard enough to slam her head into the dirt. Hitmontop flipped deftly away, its face a mask of perfect calmness. It took a second for her to stand back up, and when she did, she shook her head, slightly dazed.
"Leaf Storm!" Ash commanded. Letting out a loud cry, Serperior summoned a swirling flurry of leaves and shot them at Hitmontop.
AJ snapped his fingers. "Double Team with a spin." Hitmontop flipped onto its head and spun rapidly. A second later, several cones flitted into existence, surrounding Serperior. The barrage of leaves slashed through one of the copies, destroying it. Serperior paused to eye the others, trying to discern which was the real one.
"Mind Reader." Simultaneously, the copies stopped spinning and flipped into a standing position, their gazes fixated on Serperior. Their bodies shimmered and their eyes glowed yellow for a moment.
That wouldn't be good. "Serperior, get rid of those copies with Leaf Storm." Serperior gave a sharp nod, already obeying his command before he finished saying it. She whipped up a swirling burst of leaves and swept them in a wave towards the Hitmontop.
The leaves swept through the copies, wiping them out, just as AJ called his next command. "Hi Jump Kick."
Three copies remained, and all three leaped into the air, leg raised. Their eyes flickered yellow for a split second. "Dodge!" Ash cried. Serperior whipped side to side, zigzagging away from the Hitmontop. Even as she moved, Hitmontop shot through the air towards her, adjusting its course midair. Ash tried to call a warning, but it was already too late. Hitmontop drove its foot into the side of Serperior's face, knocking her to the ground.
Just as before, it flipped back onto its head and spun out of range, maintaining perfecting balance as it did.
Serperior picked herself off the floor, panting even as she glared at the Hitmontop. This wasn't going well. He could switch now, to one of the other pokemon he'd brought back but... no. It wasn't time yet. Serperior could win this if they could just overcome Hitmontop's unerring balance and dexterity. He stared at it for a moment, watching it spin so precisely - There. A smile crept across his face. At his side, Pikachu gave an inquiring squeak, as if asking, 'What? Did you figure it out?'
"I sure did, buddy. Serperior, hang in there! You can do this." Serperior glanced back and saw his smile, and flashed him one of her own. "Now, get ready with Aqua Tail." Serperior twisted her tail rapidly, summoning a swirling vortex of water around it.
"We won't let you attack us like that. Hitmontop, Triple Kick!" Hitmontop grinned, then spun even faster than before, whirling towards its opponent.
"Now," Ash cried triumphantly, "Use Aqua Tail on the ground." She immediately understood. The water around her tail grew in size, and she swung it through the air before slamming it into the earth. A burst of water surged across the battlefield, turning it to muddy slush around Serperior.
Hitmontop spun straight into the circle of mud and began to spin wildly. Ash seized the opportunity. "Aqua Tail." Serperior lashed out with her tail before Hitmontop could recover, sweeping it off its feet and flinging it into the air. "Coil, then Leaf Blade!"
Serperior gathered herself into a tight coil, gathering energy, then launched herself after the airborne Hitmontop, tail shining.
"Double Team!" AJ shouted frantically. Flailing, Hitmontop managed to produce a few copies of itself, but Serperior reacted quicker, swinging her tail in a wide arc and striking them all at once, hitting the real one as she did. Hitmontop was launched towards the ground and slammed into the mud, sending up a splash. Serperior landed neatly on the ground a second later.
AJ clenched his fists. "Come on Hitmontop, get up!"
"Serperior, Coil," Ash said calmly. As Hitmontop pushed itself to its feet, wobbling unsteadily, Serperior tightened herself into a circle, gathering even more power.
"Alright, now use Triple Kick." Shaking itself, Hitmontop attempted to flip into its usual spin, but slipped up once again, wobbling unsteadily on the muddy earth.
"Now!" Serperior surged across the ground and slashed the unbalanced Hitmontop with a well-placed Leaf Blade. The blow sent the Hitmontop tumbling across the ground, where he slid to a stop a few feet away from AJ, unconscious.
The referee took one look before raising a flag. "Hitmontop is unable to battle. Serperior is the winner!"
Ash grinned and whooped. "Awesome Serperior!" he called. She trilled happily. "You did it."
Nodding, AJ returned Hitmontop. "That was pretty impressive, Ketchum. I haven't trained Hitmontop as long as some of my other pokemon, so turning the stadium to mud was a lucky break. But impressive, I guess." He tossed a pokeball into the air and caught it, still wearing a cocky grin. "But you've got a long way to go before you beat me. Beedrill, let's finish this!"
Beedrill emerged, letting out an insectoid chattering noise when it saw Serperior. Serperior narrowed her eyes, her red gaze flashing with determination. She cast a swift glance back at Ash and gave an insistent cry before looking back at Beedrill once again. Ash knew the look well. All his pokemon has done the same at one point or another. Serperior wanted to stay in the fight. But the question was, should he let her?
He eyed her closely. Despite her poise, he could see that she was breathing hard, and her body was trembling slightly from exertion. Hitmontop had dealt devastating blows to her. But he couldn't deny her the chance at a parting blow. Returning her now wouldn't do much good, he was pretty sure. "Alright Serperior, we'll go down fighting."
"Battle, begin!"
"Aqua Tail."
"Fell Stinger."
Beedrill's stingers became encased in green light as Serperior summoned water around her tail. The two pokemon raced towards each other, attacks ready. Serperior swung her tail just as Beedrill struck Serperior. The attacks collided midair, sending out an explosive wave of energy and smoke. As it cleared, Ash saw Beedrill hovering in front of AJ, beady red eyes gleaming proudly. A shimmer of power rippled across its body as the boost from Fell Stinger kicked in. In the middle of the field, Serperior lay splayed out, unconscious.
Ash returned her, smiling at her pokeball. "You did great, Serperior."
"Not bad," AJ called. "Your Serperior actually managed to land a blow on Beedrill."
"Serperior's pretty great, right?" Ash called, grinning. He quickly selected his next pokeball. Now he was confident which of his friends would be perfect to handle whatever challenge AJ could throw. "Come on out, Swellow!" He tossed out the pokeball, smiling as he did. It had been a long time since he'd battled with this particular friend of his. He still fondly remembered their time at the Battle Frontier, and beamed with pride as she emerged onto the field with a shriek.
"Wow, you have a Swellow?" AJ commented. "Pretty cool. But can it keep up with my Beedrill?"
Ash just grinned. Swellow glided calmly overhead, her eyes never leaving Beedrill.
In the stands...
"Wow!" Iris cried. "Ash even has a Swellow? I wonder why he didn't just bring Unfezant for this fight though. Or his Pidgeot."
Cilan tapped his chin. "I'd guess his Swellow must be really strong. Knowing Ash, he has some kind of special strategy in mind."
"Like how he used Serperior's Aqua Tail to unbalance AJ's Hitmontop?"
"Sort of," Cilan replied. "But that was just Ash thinking on the fly. No, I think he had another reason to bring his Swellow."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," she mused, sitting back in her seat. Unconsciously, she tapped her feet on the floor, waiting for the next round to begin.
Then, a second later, the referee called for the match to start.
"Swellow, Aerial Ace!"
"Toxic!" With blinding speed, Beedrill fired twin shots of poison at Swellow.
Swellow spiraled out of the way of both shots, soaring upward. Then she pulled a tight spiral, looped around, and shot towards Beedrill like an arrow, leaving a white streak in her wake. Even Beedrill was powerless in the face of the blinding fast attack. One moment Swellow was high in the air, the next she crashed bodily into Beedrill, sending it careening wildly into the dirt. A crater was formed from the impact, creating a cloud of dust.
Swellow shrieked, as if daring the Beedrill to rise. Ash watched, tense, wondering the same thing. To his shock, Beedrill began to move. It shifted, then fluttered its wings, slowly rising into the air. Then, without warning, it collapsed, slumping back to the ground and laying still.
"Yeah!" Ash shouted. Swellow gave a happy cry, doing few acrobatic loops in the air.
"I saw that coming," AJ admitted, returning Beedrill. "Beedrill did exactly what I needed." He put its pokeball back, then selected another. "Come out, Magnezone!" He tossed out another pokeball, which produced a shining silver pokemon. It gave a strange, metallic cry as it hovered above the battlefield.
"Whoa, you have a Magnezone?" Ash asked.
AJ nodded. "I caught this while I was at Kanto's old Power Plant. We had to travel out to Sinnoh just to evolve it to a Magnezone."
"Cool!" Ash exclaimed. He glanced up at Swellow, gliding above. "Ready Swellow?" She shrieked an affirmative.
"Not gonna switch, Ketchum?" AJ asked, a note of a taunt in his voice.
"Nope."
In the stands, anxiety grew in Iris. What could Ash be thinking? A flying type like Swellow was a terrible match against an electric and steel type like Magnezone. She couldn't think of any reasonable way Swellow would be able to handle Magnezone. Even if it could manage to dodge electric attacks, it was still at a severe disadvantage. What plan could he have?
"Alright Swellow, use Double Team!"
With a shriek, Swellow flared her wings and created a slew of copies, all around Magnezone.
"Quick Magnezone, get rid of them with rapid fire Flash Cannon!" Magnezone's single eye darted rapidly around, taking in the positions of the copies before firing several small silver orbs at them. The attacks blasted through the copies in quick succession, wiping them out.
"Now!" Ash shouted. From some hidden position behind Magnezone, Swellow shot down in a white streak, nailing it with Quick Attack.
Unperturbed, AJ called his next attack. "Magnezone, Electric Terrain." The magnets on its body spun, electricity crackling across them.
"Aerial Ace!" With a loud cry, Swellow swooped upwards, then dove down towards Magnezone.
The electricity gathered to a point, then it fired it straight down. A surge of electricity covered the entire battlefield, making Ash's hair stand on end. A second later, Swellow's Aerial Ace collided, pushing Magnezone back. What attack was that? Swellow, now gliding overhead, didn't seem adversely affected. But he also knew AJ had used it for a reason. He had some kind of trick up his sleeve.
Magnezone gave a loud beep, gaze still locked Swellow, high above. "Okay Magnezone," AJ said. "Rain Dance!" Magnezone gave a loud metallic cry, raising its magnets skyward and doing a sort of 'dance' midair. The clouds overhead began to darken, turning from white to blue to an ominous black. Rain burst forth, soaking the battlefield, pounding into the earth, and drenching the two trainers.
Ash blinked up at it, then quickly refocused his attention on Swellow, who looked fairly annoyed at the sudden downpour. Fortunately, she wasn't unused to adverse conditions. "Don't worry Swellow." Swellow shrieked back at him, and their gazes met. "Quick Attack!" he called.
She slipped into a blur and raced towards Magnezone. AJ said nothing, and Swellow struck Magnezone. Almost immediately, she slid off its slick metallic body, only landing a glancing blow with the attack.
"Flash Cannon," AJ snapped. With machine-like precision, Magnezone whirled around and fired a silver sphere of energy after Swellow, striking her in the back and sending her careening wildly from the force of the blow.
With a start, Ash realized she was heading straight for the ground. "Hang in there!" he shouted above the pounding rain. Swellow flared her wings and pulled up at the last second, swooping back into the sky. He let out a breath of relief.
AJ snapped his fingers. "Magnezone, time to end this. Thunder."
In any other circumstance, hearing that command would have given Ash cause for concern. But not with Swellow. "Get ready Swellow!" he shouted.
Magnezone's entire body danced with electricity. The sparks on the ground from the electric terrain earlier surged upward, gathering into its body. Blinding light lit the stadium. Electricity surged up into the clouds, punching a hole through them. A split second later, an even larger surge of lightning split the air and crashed down onto Swellow. Thunder boomed across the stadium as the electricity surged across the flying-type, the attack super-charged thanks to the effects Electric Terrain.
Nearly as soon as it began, the attack ended. The electricity stopped flowing and the hairs on Ash's arm stopped tingling. Swellow hovered over the battlefield, feathers shining with golden light. Gasps and cries of shock and confusion erupted from the crowd. "Now Swellow, Quick Attack!" A golden comet of light shot through the sky, almost faster than the eye could track. She slammed into Magnezone, sending it spinning wildly through the air. Before it could recover, she swung around and struck twice more.
Frustration and confusion contorted AJ's expression. "Flash Cannon!" he shouted. Magnezone caught itself in the midst of its wild tumble and fired off a swift blast at Swellow.
It was time to end this and try Swellow's new move. "Ready Swellow? Use Reversal." Orange energy wrapped around her golden form then coalesced in front of her beak. She flew straight at the Flash Cannon, crashing head first through the attack before coming out the other side and driving her beak into Magnezone.
The blow generated an explosion of energy that sent Swellow reeling back. She recovered, breathing heavily, the golden light fading from her form. Magnezone crumpled to the ground, out cold. AJ stared, utterly dumbfounded for the first time since their match started. "What kinda training have you been doing with that Swellow?" AJ demanded.
Ash couldn't help but smirk. Catching AJ totally off guard felt great. "My Swellow is just super special. It's great at shaking off electric attacks." Looking back and remembering how he'd beat Tate and Liza brought a wave of nostalgia. He'd had so many awesome battles...
"I'll say," AJ muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. As the referee announced the results, he scowled for a moment longer, before resuming his usual cocky smile. "Come on back, Raticate!" With a toss of a pokeball, his Raticate re-emerged onto the field, clicking its teeth together threateningly.
Ash straightened the hat on his head, staring the Raticate down. "Let's do this, Swellow."
"Quick Attack!" Both trainers cried simultaneously.
Instantly, the two pokemon streaked towards each other, nothing more than blurs, and collided in the center of the battlefield. Both were thrown backward, Swellow catching herself in the air and Raticate skidding across the field.
"Aerial Ace." In a single fluid motion, Swellow turned and dove at Raticate. At a swift command from AJ, it near-instantly burrowed underground, leaving Swellow to swoop harmlessly above the hole. A moment later, Raticate exploded from the ground, higher than Ash thought possible. Its fangs shimmered white and it sank them into Swellow's wing. She shrieked and flinched midair as Raticate continued to cling on. Sinking its claws in deeper, Raticate scrambled halfway onto her back, causing her to tilt wildly in flight.
"Oh no! Swellow, shake it off!" Ash cried. Even as he spoke, Raticate sunk its fangs into Swellow again, making her shriek in frustration. Swellow began to swoop, dive twist, and spiral wildly, in a frenzied effort to shake Raticate free. Unfortunately, her efforts seemed to be in vain, and he could see she was quickly tiring. Ash gritted his teeth. He couldn't, no he wouldn't let Swellow lose, not like this. "Swellow, spin, and dive at the ground!" he cried. High in the sky, the blue speck that he knew was Swellow turned and angled herself at the ground. She dropped like a stone, spinning madly as she did, heading straight for the ground.
AJ caught on immediately. "Get that thing under you!" he shouted.
A mad midair scramble began Raticate nipping and scrambling over Swellow as it attempted to force the bird under him, while she spun faster and faster towards the earth. Mere yards away from the ground, Raticate managed to scramble over Swellow and spring into the air before plunging straight down again in a brash attempt to use Quick Attack and knock Swellow to the ground.
Instinct took over for Ash. "Reversal!" Raticate streaked down with Quick Attack. Swellow struck out with Reversal, even as she fell toward the ground. The attacks met just as the two slammed into the earth, sending an explosion of dust. Both Pokemon were tossed haphazardly to either side of the battlefield, where they lay still.
A hush fell over the stadium. Swellow twitched, then Raticate. Both pokemon slowly began to rise, trembling as they tried to push themselves to their feet. And then they collapsed. Cheers and gasps erupted from the crowd and the referee leaned forwards examining the two pokemon. After a moment, he raised both flags.
"Both Raticate and Swellow are unable to battle. The match is a draw."
Ash returned Swellow, and AJ did the same for his pokemon. "Great job Swellow," Ash murmured as he tucked the pokeball away. "You were incredible." He took a deep breath. The match was nearly done now. AJ only had one pokemon left, while Ash had two, although Pikachu was tired already. Unfortunately, he knew exactly who AJ's last pokemon was.
He watched with a mix of excitement, determination and a touch of nervousness as AJ's Sandslash emerged onto the field. AJ's star pokemon, his trump card. He still remembered how that Sandshrew had jumped in the water as if it were nothing, and the power it had displayed. And it had only grown stronger since that day, so long ago. This was sure to be a fun battle.
"Ready Pikachu?" he asked without looking down. Pikachu gave a loud cry and sprang onto the field.
"Gonna go with Pikachu huh?"
Ash nodded. "Sure am!"
Sandslash eyed Pikachu calmly, looking almost as if this weren't even a battle. This was it. Pikachu and Gabite. If he could win now, he could compete in the finals.
"Sandslash, use Slash!"
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail."
A white glow encompassed Pikachu's tail and he bounded across the field to meet Sandslash, whose claws shone white as well. Pikachu swung high, aiming at Sandslash's head. It ducked and jabbed Pikachu in the stomach. He stumbled and retaliated with a swift blow to Sandslash's side before dodging a swipe to his head.
So began an elaborate but extremely brief dance as the two pokemon blocked, parried, and struck at each other, matching blow for blow. Then, with a swift feint from Sandslash, it struck Pikachu and sent him skidding backward.
At a call from Ash, Pikachu recovered and sprinted forwards with Quick Attack. With equal speed, Sandslash disappeared underground a hairbreadth of a second before Pikachu struck. Pikachu froze, his ears twitching. "Get back!" Ash cried. Pikachu tried to spring backward, but Sandslash was already emerging from the ground and knocked Pikachu in the chin. The electric-type stumbled away and landed on his feet.
"Quick Attack! Get under it!" Pikachu surged forwards, perfectly in sync with Ash's command. Before Sandslash could burrow underground again, Pikachu ducked under its stomach, striking it into the air a couple of feet. "Iron Tail." With lightning-fast reflexes, Pikachu swung his glowing tail upwards, slamming Sandslash in the side and knocking it to the ground.
"Get up and use Sandstorm," AJ commanded. Sandslash leaped to its feet and growled, then crossed its arms and spun rapidly, kicking up a massive, swirling veil of sand.
In the span of a moment, the sandstorm grew to cover the entire battlefield. Ash grimaced. This made things much harder. Even now, he could barely see Pikachu's yellow form through the sand. Making out Sandslash's tan hide was impossible.
"Slash!" AJ's voice sounded through the storm.
All Ash saw was the faint, telltale glow of white, several yards away from Pikachu, then all of a sudden, it was right on top of Pikachu. Pikachu gave a squeak of shock as Sandslash delivered two blinding fast blows, knocking him back. "Pikachu!" he cried. Somehow, Sandslash had moved even faster than before. Which seemed impossible unless - Sand Rush. He didn't know if it was Cilan, Brock, or someone else who had mentioned the ability, but it came to him now. Sand Rush increased a pokemon's speed during a sandstorm. So that was AJ's plan.
"We're not giving up, right Pikachu?" he shouted. Pikachu nodded determinedly, taking a fighting stance. "Wait for it..." Pikachu tensed up, eyes darting around for any sign of his opponent. A flicker of white caught Ash's attention. "There! Iron Tail!"
Pikachu whipped his tail out just in time to land a solid blow on Sandslash, stopping it in its tracks.
"Dig."
In a blink, Sandslash disappeared underground. Ash tensed again. "Alright Pikachu, get ready.." he said as he peered into the storm. To his shock, Sandslash reappeared again second later, several yards behind Pikachu.
AJ's voice rang confidently from the opposite end of the stadium. "Come on Sandslash, let's end this. Fissure," he called.
Through the storm, Ash caught a glimpse of Sandslash before it was once again obscured. It gave a loud cry, then sprang into the air, curling into a ball. It slammed into the ground. He could barely see as a shockwave of white energy shot across the stadium, creating a massive crack and splitting the battlefield in two. "Dodge it!" he yelled.
The sandstorm pelted Pikachu mercilessly. He pawed at his face, trying to clear the grit, and opened them again just in time to see the shockwave. He tried to leap to the side but was a moment too late. The ground opened underneath him swallowing him completely. Dust, rubble, and energy exploded, shaking the entire battlefield.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried. The sandstorm raged on for another few moments before slowly dissipating. Several seconds later, the dust settled, revealing Pikachu, laying on the field in a daze. He jogged onto the field and knelt next to his partner. In the background, he heard the referee calling the match in AJ's favor, but he didn't listen. "Are you ok Pikachu?"
Pikachu opened his eyes slowly, then blinked wearily at him before giving a tired grin. "Thanks, buddy," Ash murmured, rubbing his head gently. Scooping up the exhausted Pikachu, he carried him back to his side of the field. From his arms, Pikachu squeaked apologetically. "It's ok. I couldn't have made it this far without you. You were the one who helped wear down all of AJ's other pokemon, remember?" That seemed to cheer Pikachu up a bit. He set him down carefully before selecting his final pokeball.
Taking a deep breath, he tossed it onto the field. "Alright Gabite, let's finish this!"
Gabite emerged with a snarl that grew into a roar. Sandslash brandished its claws, staring Gabite down. Ash could see that the fight with Pikachu had taken a toll. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the final fight.
"Okay Sandslash, let's get im with Dig."
"Gabite, you use Dig too," Ash called.
In a flash, both pokemon disappeared underground.
Ash felt his own heartbeat. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. His whole body was tensed as he stared at the battlefield to see which pokemon would emerge first. Come on Gabite, he silently willed his pokemon. The ground in the center of the stadium suddenly exploded. His heart skipped a beat. Then Sandslash launched from the hole with Gabite clamped onto its tail. It landed awkwardly on the ground, then spun around with a loud cry.
"Get that thing off with Slash!" AJ shouted. Sandslash's claws lit up and he struck Gabite across the head, jostling it slightly, though the stubborn pokemon still held on.
"Great job Gabite! Now, use Dragon Pulse." A vivid blue glow began to spill from Gabite's jaws.
Sandslash's eyes bugged open as it felt Gabite charge the attack. It struck frantically with its claws, landing three more blows in rapid succession. Gabite squinted his eyes shut, weathering the blows admirably. A half a moment later, Sandslash exploded from his jaws, rocketing across the stadium. It tumbled haphazardly across the floor before stabbing its claws into the ground to halt its slide a few feet from the stadium walls.
Gabite leered proudly at his handiwork, though his breaths came heavy, and the scales on his head shone dully from the blows he'd received.
Sandslash stood up, shook itself, then hissed, as if daring Gabite to try that trick again. Fortunately, that was a mistake Ash didn't plan to make. They'd gotten lucky with Dig that time, but neither Sandslash nor AJ would let it happen again, he was sure of that. But he could also see the blast had done solid damage. Sandslash was looking even more tired now, especially after fighting Pikachu. Not that Gabite looked much better, unfortunately.
"Not bad, huh?" Ash called, grinning.
AJ shrugged. "It was okay. Sandslash, Fissure." Sandslash brandished his claws.
Instinct seized Ash. "Gabite, Draco Meteor!" Gabite whipped his head skyward and spat a massive sphere of energy. It rocketed into the air and exploded, just as Sandslash slammed into the earth. A hail of golden meteors dropped towards the earth. A surge of white energy split across the stadium toward Gabite. "Climb!" he shouted frantically.
Gabite leaped into the sky just as the shockwave passed under him, then sprang off a meteor and onto another. Then another and another, grabbing each meteor and lunging ever forward, staying airborne above the fissure attack, and working his way towards Sandslash.
Sandslash sprang nimbly from side to side, dodging the meteors as they rained onto the field. Just as it rolled to the side, dodging one, another crashed on top of it, knocking it to the ground. Another exploded almost on top of it, throwing it to the side. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, the attack ended. The last meteor struck, the cracks from the fissure rumbled shut, and Gabite landed back on solid ground, panting.
The two pokemon stood only a few yards apart new the middle of the battlefield. Ash was only slightly surprised to see Sandslash still standing after Draco Meteor. It was AJ's very best pokemon, after all.
"Rock Smash!" Ash shouted. Gabite's claws glowed with red energy and he lunged for Sandslash.
At AJ's command, Sandslash attacked as well, claws glowing white. It rushed Gabite, then at the last second, dodged to the right and slashed at Gabite's back. Gabite roared, whipped around, and slammed his claw into Sandslash's face. In a flash, Sandslash dove underground.
"Watch your step," Ash called. Gabite panted, his eyes darting wildly as he tried to figure out where Sandslash would emerge. Hardly two seconds passed before the earth just behind Gabite trembled. Gabite whirled to attack but was a moment too slow. Sandslash shot out, crashing into Gabite's chest and sending him skidding backward. Gabite crashed into the ground hard and lay still.
The referee peered at the fallen dragon. Ash blinked. No. This couldn't be over now. He was so close - Gabite twitched, then opened his eyes. Slowly, limbs trembling, the dragon began to rise to his feet. Inch by inch, he pressed on, until he stood tall, eyes burning with raw determination. The sight made Ash's heart soar. After the beating he had taken, Gabite was still ready to fight. He almost couldn't believe it, especially considering the large power gap between the two pokemon.
Throwing his head back, Gabite let loose a sky shaking roar. A light glistened on his forehead, then began to grow, until his whole head gleamed with a silver aura. With another roar, he lowered his head and erupted across the field like a bullet. Sandslash tried to throw up its claws at the last moment to defend itself. Then Gabite smashed into him.
For a moment, Sandslash seemed to hang still, as if glued to Gabite's head. Then, with explosive force, it shot across the field, past AJ, and slammed into the wall. It slowly slumped onto the ground, leaving a Sandslash shaped dent in the wall.
Ash gaped at the sight, staring between Sandslash and Gabite. Gabite had learned a new move! He couldn't help but grin. No way Sandslash could get up after a hit like that - To his utter shock, Sandslash started to move. It rose, pushing itself halfway to standing. The audience held their breaths. He held his breath. AJ clenched his fists even tighter. Then Sandslash collapsed.
Thunderous cheers erupted from the audience. Gabite smirked, then slumped to the ground, exhaustion winning over. Ash barely heard the referee over the roars and cheers. He sprinted out onto the field, dropping to his knees beside Gabite. A second later, Gabite blinked open his eyes and peered wearily at Ash. "You were awesome," he whispered. "Take a good long rest." He took out a pokeball and quickly returned Gabite before standing up. His heart hammered wildly in his chest and he couldn't stop smiling.
"I have to say, Ketchum, that was pretty impressive. I didn't think you had it in you. Especially that last attack your Gabite pulled off. That was Iron Head, right?" AJ said.
Ash looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. Man, that sure was fun, getting to battle you again."
AJ shrugged. "Yeah, I gotta admit, you were pretty good." He held out his hand.
Ash shook it. "Told you I wouldn't lose next time we battled."
AJ barked out a sharp laugh. "You did. You sure made good on that promise," he said. "Guess I'll be watching you battle in the Finals then."
Ash gave a determined nod, fresh excitement growing in him. He'd finally done it. For the first time ever, he'd made it to the finals of a Pokemon League Conference.
THERE! The deed is done. I can't tell you how difficult this battle was to churn out. Between writers block, RL, planning, and working on other writing projects, I think it was the hardest yet. I really wanted to make each piece of the match feel special as well, so hopefully I accomplished that.
And Swellow returns! (albeit briefly). I always thought Thunder Armor Swellow was the most ridiculous, insane, unrealistic thing in the whole of Hoenn. So of course I had to bring it back. Plus it was fun to really catch AJ off guard. And no matter how unrealistic it is, it sure was cool to watch. To this day, that scene sticks in my head, even though I barely remember the rest of Hoenn.
I also wanted to set up some growth for Ash, realizing he needs to strategize a little if he expects to win. AJ was definitely a hard opponent for him, considering that AJ has a much smaller team that is stronger than many of Ash's Unova mon's. Plus AJ is a tactics fighter.
ANyways. We are finally nearing the epic conclusion of this story! I can't believe I'm up to 300 followers! Thank you everyone for the support.
Now, to address reviews :)
I'll be honest- Yeah, Battlefrontier was definitely cool. Having Ash bring back old pokemon, and seeing him actually win something was great. And there were some great battles.
BlueEclipse: I guess we'll just have to see how Ash fares in his final battle, wink wink. ;). And I guess I can see the point there, about balance. They aren't quite as diverse as some of his other squads. But I still wager they are his strongest set yet, rivaled potentially only by Alola and Galar.
Chimera608: At one point, I considered an after 'thing', but then decided it didn't fit. To me, the post Unova League arc was one of the worst ever. It felt pointless and dragged out, and didn't definitively develop the characters meaningfully. Not to mention the league itself felt rushed, just to get to... boat filler? After the conclusion of the league, I'll wrap things up.
That said, it definitely won't be the last story/rewrite/au type thing I do. My main focus will still be Legendary Adventures, but I have plenty of ideas stewing for a later date
Reader: I agree. The more I think about it, the more I think about how Iris was wasted, and even the potential of Cilan was as well. The concept of a conniseur could have been cool but I feel like they turned it into a cheap gimmick/joke.
Reader: As for Ash's dream team, up until Unova? yeah, that team sounds pretty dope. He could totally get far with a team like that.
Guest: Ash's alola team is more boss than people often give them credit for. Because Ash managed to raise a powerful team on vacation that was strong enough to beat people who had pokemon for much longer than him. Alola isn't perfect, but that team has lots of potential. And actually, I kinda prefer Rowlet small. He's such a hack, learning moves that aren't even possible and using them in ridiculous manners... love it, lol. But yeah, he'd be crazy strong if he evolved.
That concludes my responses for this chapter! Thank you again! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, since there won't be a ton of battle stuff yet. Adios!