Ash walked out of the stadium in high spirits. He made a beeline straight for the pokemon center, and after getting his pokemon healed, was almost immediately bombarded by Iris.
"Ash, that was incredible! How did you do that thing with Swellow?" she demanded.
Cilan approached as well, eyes glistening with excitement. "I must admit, I am curious how you pulled off such a tactic. Normally a flying-type should have been knocked out by such a powerful attack."
Despite his calm voice, Ash could see Cilan was practically shaking with curiosity. He shrugged. "I don't know. It was something Swellow and I pulled off way back when I traveled through Hoenn."
"Wow!" Iris continued to stare at him. "So does that mean you knew AJ was going to use Magnezone?"
He shook his head and chuckled. "Not exactly. But I knew Swellow was super tough, and I did think he might bring an electric type. It was just a hunch though."
"Wow," Iris murmured again. "So cool. And what was that last move that Gabite used? It was incredible!" she squealed.
"Oh, that?" Ash said. "It was actually Gabite's Iron Head. He really surprised me with it too. But it's sure going to be awesome for the battle tomorrow."6
A light ringing sound echoed through the Pokemon Center, and an announcer came on the speaker system, reminding everyone of the upcoming match between Virgil and Tobias. It would be held tomorrow, and the day after that, Ash would face whoever won that match. It gave him chills just thinking about it.
"Who do you think will win?" Iris asked, glancing away from the TVs to look at Ash.
"Virgil is awesome, but..." something inside told him it wouldn't be Virgil he was facing in the finals.
"Yeah," was Iris' only reply. For a second, grim silence fell. An odd feeling grew between the three, not of fear, but of a sort of excitement, blended with cool determination. Ash's gaze drifted between his two friends, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips. It was nice to remember that no matter what, he had two good friends who would be cheering for him tomorrow.
xXx
The next morning, after an early breakfast and another brief training session, he found himself in the main stadium, with front row seats that Cilan had managed to acquire. As he had put it, the 'main course' required only the best seating arrangement.
While most of the crowd seemed excited about the match, Ash couldn't bring himself to feel quite as happy. Some part of him sympathized with Virgil. He remembered all too well the despair he had felt back when he faced Tobias in Sinnoh. Ash wasn't sure what kind of chance Virgil stood. He was good, yes. But Tobias and his legendaries were on another level. So far no one had even gotten past his Darkrai. It made Ash curious what other pokemon Tobias even had...
His thoughts were drowned out by the announcer's voice.
"Welcome to the second semi-final match of the Unova League!" Freddie shouted. "Today we have the master of Eeveelutions, Virgil, vs the master of darkness, Tobias. So far, Virgil has displayed power, ingenuity, and incredible tactics. Meanwhile, Tobias has proven himself a force to be reckoned with, sweeping through the entire league with just his Darkrai. Can Virgil come out on top?"
Ash leaned forward. He wanted to pay close attention this time, seeing this battle could give him more inspiration for tomorrow. To his surprise, Virgil led with Umbreon. He'd expected one of Virgil's other pokemon, given Umbreon didn't possess a distinct type advantage. Then again, he realized, neither did Tobias.
The battle was quick but heated. Both dark-type pokemon traded a flurry of attacks, with Darkrai mostly relying on Dark Pulse and Ice Beam. It ended swiftly, however, once Umbreon was hit with Dark Void. His Jolteon was next. It performed well, though eventually was swiftly struck down. Virgil seemed unfazed by his quick loss, however, and sent out his next pokemon. Espeon emerged onto the field, calm determination in its gaze.
Now that made Ash curious. Psychic types were at a disadvantage, so what could Virgil be planning? The answer was quickly revealed. After dodging a few Ice Beam's and blocking a Dark Pulse with Light Screen, Darkrai tried to use Dark Void. The shadowy orb shot across the stadium, but Espeon made no attempt to dodge. The attack struck it, then suddenly ricocheted off, back at Darkrai, hitting it dead on.
Darkrai's eyes widened as it was struck with its own attack. Then its eyes shut and it slumped to the ground. The crowd gasped in shock and Ash stared with wide eyes. How?! He instinctively looked to Cilan, who looked impressed.
"That was Magic Bounce!" Cilan declared. "Truly a magnificent way to season a battle. You see, Magic Bounce is a special ability certain pokemon can possess. It allows them to reflect back moves that normally cause a status condition, such as Dark void. Virgil must have been planning this from the start!"
Iris gasped. "Wow! So he used Umbreon and Jolteon to help wear down Darkrai, then sent out Espeon because of her ability. He's really good."
"Uh-huh," Ash agreed. Pikachu gave a squeak from his lap as well, eyes shining with eagerness.
With Darkrai down for the moment, Espeon wasted no time striking with two swift Dazzling Gleam attacks, dealing severe damage. Before it could unleash a third, Darkrai jolted awake, then swiftly retaliated with a Dark Pulse. Espeon was knocked out instantly. After that, Flareon fell, followed by Glaceon.
To Virgil's credit, Darkrai was looking severely weakened. The final match began in earnest, with Eevee trying its hardest to dodge attacks and strike back, and though it did well, its attacks didn't seem to do a lot of damage. Even so, Ash could tell Darkrai was weakening. Then it happened. Some unspoken bond between Virgil and Eevee seemed to conspire, and a familiar blue glow surrounded Eevee's form.
"I don't believe it, folks! This league is just full of surprises. It seems Virgil's Eevee is actually evolving!"
Ash gaped as Eevee's form began to change, growing taller and leaner. When the evolution ended, a pokemon he had never seen before stood on the battlefield.
"That's a Sylveon!" Iris practically screeched, leaping out of her seat and pointing. "Amazing! Virgil's Eevee evolved into a Sylveon."
"Huh?" Ash said. "A Sylveon?"
"Yeah!" she gushed. "A Sylveon is the Fairy-type evolution of Eevee. It's really rare. They're a little more common in Kalos region, but still super uncommon."
"Wow..." Ash stared in awe at Sylveon. It had light pink fur, shining blue eyes, and long ribbon-shaped extensions around its neck and ears. The battle restarted in earnest, though now Eevee seemed to be faring much better. And then it happened. Sylveon dodged two Dark Pulses in a row, lunged close to Darkrai, and shot a full power Moonblast attack.
Darkrai was thrown to the ground and didn't get back up. Cheers and gasps of shock burst from the crowd. Ash jumped to his feet and cheered as well, followed by Iris and Cilan.
"Virgil has done it!" the announcer raved. "He's the first trainer of the Unova League to defeat Tobias Darkrai!"
Ash felt pleased with that, at least. There was no way Sylveon could defeat five more of Tobias' pokemon, but at least she had defeated Darkrai. He didn't have to be close to Virgil to tell that the boy was incredibly proud. He turned his attention to Tobias, who looked quite pleased and impressed. He briefly wondered who Tobias would send out next. Would it be Latios? Or one of his other 4?
His question was quickly answered by the appearance of the familiar white and blue dragon. He felt just a tiny bit disappointed. It would have been useful to know at least one of Tobias' other pokemon. Oh well, surprises were just as fun.
Next to him, Iris nearly fainted at the sight of Latios. Ash chuckled inwardly, wondering how she would react if she knew about the time he'd seen Dialga and Palkia...And Giratina. He turned his attention to the battle. Sylveon, already tired from her clash with Darkrai, was faring poorly now. Tobias called for Latios to use Giga Impact.
Just like that the battle was over. The trainers returned their pokemon, and the spectators slowly began to make their way out, chattering about the battle. Ash followed his friends out, aware of their discussion about Tobias, though not really paying much attention. Seeing today's battle made him even more determined than ever - and it gave him some ideas.
xXx
With the prospect of facing Tobias again on the horizon, Ash made plans with his friends to meet for dinner, then left to get in some more training. He made a brief stop at the pokemon center to retrieve some pokemon, and settle some business, then made his way out to a quiet clearing just outside one of the stadiums.
He sent out Krookodile and Charizard first. There was no doubt in his mind Charizard would be among the pokemon fighting in the finals, as would Krookodile. They both greeted him with roars of excitement, and Charizard with a burst of fire, as usual. He coughed out some soot and chuckled. "Good to see you too, Charizard." He patted Charizard, then turned to Krookodile.
"So, you guys have been practicing together a lot, right?" Krookodile smirked and nodded. "Alright, let's see what you got."
For the next several minutes, Krookodile demonstrated his new power, using several rocks in the area as dummies. By the time he was done, only rubble remained.
Ash grinned. "Great job, Krookodile." Now that he'd seen a glimpse of Krookodile's power, he had a few more pokemon to check in with.
For the next couple of hours, he spent some time with his pokemon. He trained, focusing especially on Charizard, Pikachu, Krookodile, and Gabite.
Just as he was taking a short break, he saw a figure approach. He got to his feet, recognizing the person immediately - it was hard not to after all, given that the person was none other than the Sinnoh League Champion, Cynthia. "Hey Cynthia," Ash called amiably, waving. Over the past several days, he'd been so busy with the league and training, he had barely seen her, though he knew she was busy with league business.
She waved back and strode towards him. "May I speak to you, Ash?"
"Uh yeah, sure," Ash replied, surprised. He was always delighted to have the chance to talk with Cynthia, but her expression looked unusually serious.
"Walk with me," she said simply. She started back in the direction of the stadiums. Ash returned his pokemon, save for Pikachu of course, and followed her curiously. "So you're in the finals. How do you feel?" she asked.
Ash immediately grinned. "Excited! Last year, I only made it to the semifinals! I can't wait to battle in the finals this time."
She nodded thoughtfully. "And are you worried at all about facing Tobias?"
Ash frowned slightly. "I was at first I think. Tobias is really tough, and his Darkrai is super strong. I didn't want to let my pokemon down."
Cynthia nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, he's the reason I have to speak to you. Yesterday, Alder, who as I'm sure you are aware, is Unova's champion, and I had a meeting. According to the rulebooks, there are apparently certain Pokemon that are 'banned' so to speak, from official matches. Both Tobias' Darkrai and Latios are on that list."
"Oh," was all Ash could think of to say. He'd always had some form of respect for Tobias as a trainer. He'd never been rude or cruel as far as he was aware. "Does that mean Tobias broke the rules?"
"That depends."
Ash cocked his head. "What do you mean?"
"Since those rules haven't been observed in several years, it's considered a gray area. We've spoken to Tobias about it, and I truly believe he was unaware of this rule."
A bit of relief came over Ash at that. He'd hate to think a rival of sorts would intentionally break a rule. He frowned, considering everything she'd said. "So what do you need me for?" he asked finally.
"Alder believes that he should be banned from using those Pokemon. Now that we are aware of the old rules, he believes we should observe them. A number of other officials agree. However, I convinced them that since you will be one battling, we should leave the choice up to you. We can have Tobias disqualified if you agree. Or he can be allowed to battle with his current team."
Ash blinked. "That would mean I would win?" he stammered. He stopped walking and stared at her.
Cynthia paused, then nodded.
A swirl of confusion rushed through Ash. He felt caught off guard by the whole situation. He'd been thinking so long about his battle with Tobias he'd never considered any other options. Much less being given such a choice. Before he could muster a reply, Cynthia spoke.
"You have time to consider it. I have some other business to take care of, so you can contact me later-"
Ash blinked and shook his head, quickly gathering his thoughts. "No," he blurted.
Cynthia raised an eyebrow and regarded him with curiosity, though he thought he also detected approval in her gaze.
He continued. "I want to fight Tobias at his strongest! He probably worked really hard to catch those pokemon, and I bet he's got a lot of other really strong Pokemon. It's not fair to stop him from using them."
A faint smile played across Cynthia's lips. "I thought you might say that. In that case, I'll go inform Alder of your decision." She moved as if to leave, then turned back around. "You have the heart of a Champion, Ash Ketchum. I look forward to your match." She held out her hand.
Slowly, Ash reached out and shook it. He smiled, pleased at the compliment. "Thank you, Cynthia."
She nodded, then strode away. Ash watched her go, then walked slowly away. It was beginning to dawn on him what he had just decided. He just gave up a chance to become a League Champion, now. But then, he knew if he'd agreed to have Tobias disqualified, then he never would have felt satisfied with his win. More than anything, he wanted to battle alongside his pokemon and earn the win.
"Ash!"
He whirled to see Iris racing towards him. "I just saw you talking to Champion Cynthia. What were you talking about?" she asked breathlessly.
"Hey Iris," he greeted. He quickly explained Cynthia's offer.
Iris gaped at him, wide-eyed. "You said yes, right? Does that mean you're Champion now?" she practically shouted, bouncing on her toes from excitement.
"Actually.." Ash laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I told her no."
"You what?"
Ash clamped his hands over his ears. "Jeez, you don't have to yell," he grumbled.
"How could you say no?" Iris shouted. "You could have been a champion!"
"But it wouldn't really be a proper win."
"So?" Iris said, still nearly shouting. "I thought your dream was to be a pokemon Champion."
"I want to be a Pokemon Master," he pointed out.
She frowned. "Aren't they the same thing?"
Ash blinked. "Yeah but... I mean no, not exactly." He scowled slightly, trying to work out his thoughts.
Iris, however, seemed to only be growing more annoyed. "You know, you're such a-"
"It was my choice!" Ash interjected before she could finish the sentence. "I'm not going to win a match just because I got my opponent disqualified! It means nothing."
Iris wrinkled her nose, her mouth deepening into a scowl. She stamped her foot and spun away. "Fine! Go and lose, see if I care!" she shot over her shoulder before storming away.
Ash blinked, staring after her in confusion. Pikachu nuzzled his cheek comfortingly, and he hesitantly reached up, rubbing the little mouse on the head. He couldn't help but feel bothered by what Iris had said - did she really think he would lose tomorrow?
xXx
Dinner was a tense and quiet affair. Cilan tried a few times to pry some kind of response out of either Ash or Iris, but neither trainer spoke. Ash didn't really feel like talking to Iris at the moment, nor did he have any idea why she was so upset. It wasn't like she was the one who had to battle Tobias tomorrow. As soon as he finished his dinner, he quickly excused himself and hurried away.
Once he was outside, he headed for the practice field behind the pokemon center. Nothing helped clear his mind like peace and quiet, and quality time with his pokemon. One by one, he released each of the pokemon he'd brought back - all the new friends he'd made in Unova, as well as his old ones - Swellow, Bulbasaur, Buizel, Gabite, Charizard, and Sceptile. They all greeted him, and Pikachu hurried forwards to greet his old friends as well, before standing beside Charizard.
"Guys, I just wanted to thank everyone here. Tomorrow is the finals match, and I couldn't have made it here without all of your help. I know I can't take all of you to the battle tomorrow, so I just wanted to let you know how awesome you all are."
Gabite almost immediately pounced on him and began gnawing his head. Ash gave a cry of protest and pried him off, before gazing at each of his pokemon, who grinned back at him in their own ways, showing their gratitude. "Charizard, Sceptile, I'm taking both of you with me." The two pokemon stepped forwards, Sceptile looking particularly determined. "Krookodile, Gabite, I want you guys too." Krookodile's practice with Charizard had helped him grow in leaps and bounds. Plus he was already one of his strongest pokemon in Unova. Gabite had proved his grit before as well. "Of course, it goes without saying Pikachu will be there too." Pikachu squeaked proudly, before scampering over to Ash and climbing onto his shoulder.
He took a moment to survey the pokemon standing before him. Pikachu, Charizard, Sceptile, Krookodile, Gabite. Together, they were some of his strongest, toughest pokemon. Krookodile aside, they also all had experience fighting legendaries. Pikachu sprang off his shoulder, then gestured to the empty space beside Gabite, looking up at Ash questioningly. He could almost hear the electric types question: But what about the 6th member of the team?
Ash chuckled. "Don't worry Pikachu. I have someone extra special in mind. A secret weapon of our own."
Pikachu cocked his head and peered at Ash, clearly wondering who. Ash just shook his head and chuckled. "It's going to be a super-secret surprise." Just thinking about it made his heart beat a little faster. Tobias wouldn't be the only one with surprises in this league.
"This is it, everyone." Ash declared, placing his hands on his hips. "Tomorrow, you face Tobias. He's one of the toughest trainers I've ever battled. But I believe we can do it." At that, all his pokemon gave growls and shrieks of agreement. Then, Ash's other pokemon, the ones from Unova, gathered around the 5 pokemon. They gave growls, chirps, and varied cries of encouragement.
Emboar stepped up to Charizard, giving him a nod and a fist bump. Dewott swaggered up to Krookodile and smirked, then walked over to Pikachu and patted his head. Serperior dipped her head to Sceptile, who nodded back. The two shared the briefest of smiles. Leavanny darted frantically between each of the five pokemon in an almost motherly fashion, while Gigalith butted heads with Krookodile.
The sight made Ash smile, and his eyes even watered, just a bit. Pride swelled in his chest, and a renewed sense of determination began to fill him. Tomorrow would not be a repeat of the Sinnoh League. He would make sure of that. Even if he didn't win, he would at least defeat Latios and Darkrai. And he would at least see Tobias' third pokemon. Though with the surprise he had planned, he figured he might get farther than that.
After giving his pokemon a little bit more time to spend with each other, he returned each of them. They would need plenty of rest for tomorrow. He turned back towards the pokemon center, ready to turn in for the night when he spied Iris standing a few feet away.
"Hey Iris," he said slowly.
Iris stared at the ground, drawing circles in the dirt with her shoe. "Hey," she mumbled. She took a deep breath. "Ash, I'm sorry."
He cocked his head to the side. "Huh?"
"I was acting kinda silly earlier, blowing up at you like that. And I didn't really mean what I said. About you losing I mean."
"Oh. It's alright," Ash added, giving a half-hearted chuckle. "I know you didn't."
Iris nodded, and the silence grew. "But... Why didn't you just have Tobias disqualified? I mean, those legendaries are kinda unfair, aren't they?"
"Well, for starters, that's no fun," he said with a wry grin. "But I don't think it's unfair. Strong pokemon like the ones Tobias has wouldn't listen to him unless they respected him. If he worked hard to capture them, then I want to fight him at his best, you know? That's the only way to battle - when both trainers are at their best!" he pumped his fist enthusiastically.
She shrugged, then chuckled. "You would say that."
"Besides," Ash added, "if he got disqualified now, then they ought to redo the whole league. That wouldn't be right to all the people he beat."
"True," she admitted. "But if you had said yes, you could finally be a League champion. Isn't that what you want?"
"Well... Kind of. I really want to win a league. It would be super awesome! But my ultimate goal is to be a Pokemon Master, you know?"
She blinked and tilted her head. "Isn't being a Pokemon Master about winning leagues?"
"I don't think so, not exactly. It's hard to explain," he added after a moment.
"How do you not know?" Iris protested.
"Oh yeah? Then what does it mean to be a Dragon Master?" he taunted in return, giving a triumphant look.
She placed her hands on her hips. "That's obvious. A Dragon Master is... well... it's like, you... a Dragon master... is a trainer who..." she huffed and stamped her foot. "Fine!" her scowl changed to a grin and she laughed. Ash laughed as well, then shook his head. It was true, he realized, even he didn't fully understand what it meant to be a pokemon master. But that wouldn't stop him from pursuing his dream. And no matter what happened tomorrow, he had a feeling he would be one step closer.
xXx
A clear blue sky shone overhead, and a gentle breeze ruffled Ash's jacket. The whole of the main battlefield lay spread out before him, looking larger than ever. And at the far end stood Tobias. The man, the myth, the legend. His mind traveled back to that day so long ago, standing in the Sinnoh league stadium and facing Tobias for the first time. Back then, he'd been filled with naive determination. He hadn't realized that Tobias had both a Darkrai and a Latios.
But this time would be different. This time, he was ready for Tobias. He has his strongest friends with him, and he was going to show the whole world how strong his pokemon were. Starting with this particular friend. His secret weapon. He glanced at the pokeball in his hand, a wild grin on his face. Then, with a triumphant shout, he threw the pokeball onto the field and called, "I choose you!"
Yay, finally! I needed a quick break from writing 6v6 battles, and Ash did too, so this is my in-between chapter. Naturally, I had to end on a cliffhanger - just who is Ash's secret weapon?
There's not much else to say, except that I might split up this 6v6 battle into several chapters, so we'll see how it goes. I'm going to start working on it asap. On the bright side, I have the outline for the battle all penned out. It's going to be quite good.
Also, this is not an 'evil Tobias' tale. I've read some nice stories where that was the case, but I decide not to do that direction for my story. Nor will it be a 'Tobias has a bajillion Legendaries.' I actually read it very good fic with that already, so that won't be the case here. Although that doesn't mean he's weak either. Hehe.
With that covered, on to some reviews!
Guest1: Oh yes I agree, mega Charizard Y by a long shot. I would never ever give Ash mega X. it just doesn't fit him. That said, I actually prefer no mega for Charizard, because I feel like Charizard is too stubborn to want to mega. He seems like he'd be too proud and refuse. But yeah, between x or y? Def Y. That said, a mega pidgeot or something would be super cool.
Girr: Yeah... I did unconsciously forget Pikachu in the earlier chapters of this story. Whoops. I did try to include him a little more in later chapters. I guess in my head, pikachu is always there so I forget to mention him in writing.
Xavier: Yeah that last move was Iron Head, but I just tried to make it even edgier. Anime always makes average or weak moves look edgy, like Dragon Rage. So I just felt like having some fun ^.^
OathtoOblivion: Golly, I feel so stupid for missing that lol. I even looked up the ability first, but I guess my brain short circuited and I typed the wrong one. Thanks for letting me know, I fixed it on the last chapter! ^.^