Chapter 20: A Day To Remember

The outskirts brought back vivid memories. Colours, smells, adrenaline... Everything matched perfectly to the day six years ago.

Except for two things.

The first of which, was the experience of those six years Ash had built up, knowledge and instinct, better reaction time and wit in battle.

The second, was his companion. Instead of two friends, there was only one, but she provided all the support and faith that he needed to stay collected.

This person that Ash trusted so much of his confidence to was currently staring at the Plateau in wonder. "Wow..." she muttered. "This place is-"

"Breathtaking." Ash finished for her. "Brock told me that the Indigo Conference became the biggest League tournament in the whole world since I've been gone."

Serena sweat-dropped, but out of concern. "I can bet this is gonna be tough."

But then, she smiled to him. "But, if you can just give it your very best shot, you can definitely win this."

Ash beamed, evidently reassured by her sentiment. "I'll always do my best."

When Ash signed in, he was recognised instantly by many tournament-goers, spectators, et cetera. They gasped, pointed, said hello, and Ash simply waved.

"Wow, you're famous!" remarked Serena, making Ash scratch his nose from bashfulness.

"Heh, probably because I got several upsets as a rookie last time I was here." he explained, overhearing a conversation two people were having about Ash's fourth round battle six years back. Serena was pretty impressed.

Meanwhile, Ash was reading a display which read all the battles, which were to happen an hour from now. He saw his own face on that board, located next to the words B-2. Second match, stadium B.

"Well, that's not too long away." Ash shrugged. "We have a bit of time, what do you wanna do?"

Serena pondered for a moment. "I could go for something to eat."

Ash nodded, and then jumped up with enthusiasm so random that it made Serena jump. "Hey, that's actually a really smart idea."

Ash noticed Serena looking really confused at his praise, so he continued. "Well, the thing is, after a few rounds the restaurants get so packed that you can't get anything."

"Okay, I get it." she replied, and they both left to the nearest joint hand in hand.

There turned out to be a burger joint nearby, and seeing as how Serena hadn't eaten fast food like that, Ash decided it would be a great idea to treat her to some. So he did - he enjoyed it - Serena didn't mind the food, though it wasn't her favourite.

Soon, a bell rung out in the area. That bell meant it was time for the matches to begin. Ash jumped out of his chair. "Well, I'd better get ready! I'm in a match after this one."

The couple took off back to the main venue, and waited for the battles to end - it didn't take too long, probably about only five minutes. After all, not much was really expected from the first round competitors.

Ash took his place in the stadium, and a bit later, another boy stood on the other side: Ash's first opponent.

The boy was pretty short, but his huge mohawk made up for a few inches. Ash couldn't really get a read off of his face, but he himself seemed pretty jumpy. Perhaps he was just a jumpy person, but it was probably nerves. Ash took to assume it was his first tournament - not that it mattered to him though, because he would always put in 100%.

The referee read out the rules: Three on three, switches allowed at any time, same as always. The field was rocky, so nothing really unstable for Ash to worry about like water or ice.

He started off with Scyther while his opponent started with Azumarill. Azumarill was knocked out before it could land a hit, and so Jeison had to make a switch to Wigglytuff. It seemed to pose a larger threat as it was able to do some damage but a Swords Dance boosted X-Scissor defeated the large balloon pokemon.

His final pokemon was Luxray, very strong but unfortunately for the boy, Ash had plenty of experience when he trained with Clemont. He was able to predict and lead Scyther out of the way of most attacks, and finished off the Gleam Eyes Pokemon.

The referee raised both of his flags. "Luxray is unable to battle, and because Jeison has no more usable pokemon, the victory goes to Ash!"

Ash ran to the center of the arena and picked up his tired ally. "Hey Scyther, you did so awesome that battle!"

Scyther smiled back, and Ash recalled him proudly.

Jeison was watching him, and came over to shake his hand, but his face was more awed than it was disappointed. "That was a great battle!" he remarked, and Ash nodded in agreement. "How did you train your pokemon to be able to do that?" he asked Ash.

Ash wagged a finger. "I don't train my pokemon. I train with my pokemon." he stated simply, and Jeison clearly was impressed as he turned away, basking in his newfound knowledge given to him by Ash.

He made his way back to his motel room that evening for a nice rest. After all, he'd need an early night to get up very early to train for his next few battles.

He turned the key in and carefully cracked open the door, and went in, closing but not locking the door behind him.

It was a small room, not as cosy as the dorms in the grand festival venue, but Ash didn't mind. He sat down on the bed, and stared at a pokeball in his hand. He contemplated for a few minutes, and then nodded to himself, in an attempt to psyche himself up. Then, he opened the pokeball in his hand.

The brown dog, Eevee, materialised in front of him and immediately started taking in his surroundings, baring fangs at the walls until Ash calmed him down and reassured him that it was safe.

"Eevee, you'll be battling alongside me for the first time soon. What do you say we get some training done together?"

Eevee nodded enthusiastically, which took the edge off of Ash a little, and he lightened up.

"Awesome!" he exclaimed, and he got up, about to walk out to find a good spot for some exercises when the door creaked open.

Ash turned to see who it was, and his jaw dropped.

Serena stood facing him with a smile plastered across her face, but her attire certainly caught Ash's attention.

It was an outfit he had actually seen before - A pink dress with Fennekin ears and a tail.

Serena tried unsuccessfully to contain a giggle. "Well, what do you think..?"

"U-uh..." Ash tried to talk, but realised that for some reason he was paralysed. "Seren-"

She cut him off before he could talk, by leaping onto him for a warm embrace. The boy was still stuttering like crazy. Finally, he managed to give her a weak grin. "You're really something else, aren't you..?"

"You never told me if you liked it back then, you know!" she smiled playfully.

Ash laughed. "I like it a lot. And I love you."

She gave him a kiss. "If you win the next round, maybe I'll do something like this again..!" she teased, and Ash could help but laugh along with her. In his head, he was the luckiest person in the whole world.

He returned her hug. "If I win? I can't lose with those stakes!"

Scyther, let's wrap this up with X-Scissor!" Ash commanded, pointing at the wall.

The mantis took a leap off the wall, and springboarded in front of the opposing Leavanny, who was retreating, and trying to aim a String Shot. However, Scyther's blades tore right through it and crashed head on and sent the other bug type into the dirt for a K.O. and the crowd started to cheer and whistle. Perhaps it was because if his fame or maybe they just liked to see Kanto trainers wipe the floor with everyone else.

So, by only using Bulbasaur and Scyther, Ash was now in the semifinals in the biggest Pokémon League he'd ever attended in his life.

But now was no time to get complacent. Due to the sheer number of trainers in attendance (which was nearly a thousand), Ash's next battle was scheduled for the next day, after already two days of battling, and he was starting to really feel it in his body.

He walked into the pokemon center and handed the two pokeballs to Nurse Joy, who promised to have them healed by that evening, and then he went back to his room to find Serena there waiting for him.

She had dinner prepared for him which he downed in an instant, yet constantly pausing to compliment the meal and her cooking skills.

"Say Ash, you feeling okay?" Serena asked, noticing a change in his demeanor, even if he was still jovial like usual.

"Well, this league has been pretty draining." he explained.

Serena pointed a finger upwards. "Ah! I have an idea!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Idea?"

"How about a nice back massage?" she beamed. Ash was more than happy to take her up on the offer, and so she lay him down and began to press into his back, causing Ash to sigh ecstatically in response.

Serena smiled, happy to help.

After a while, she decided to voice a question that had been on her mind for a while. "Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"What made you become a Pokemon trainer?"

Ash scratched his cheek. "Oh, that's easy. I've loved pokemon ever since I was a child!"

"I can see that." Serena smiled. "But battling, I mean. What was so appealing about it?"

This one made Ash himself question. Truth be told, he didn't actually know. "I guess... I never had a reason to start battling. It was probably just watching League's on TV that inspired me. But man, they're so fun, and exciting, and they get a fire in my chest that makes me feel one with my pokemon that just won't go away until I win!"

Serena couldn't help to giggle. Ash had went from his usual calm to his (also) usual excitement in seconds. That's just how much his dream meant to him. But it wasn't as if Serena didn't know how he felt; performing gave her that same emotion. It was just interesting to hear Ash's stories.

She asked about them, and he told. He had plenty to talk about, five years of journeying that Serena didn't know about. He talked about his different tournaments in the Unova region, experiences he's had with organisations like team Flare, which shocked her to know that there were more like them.

He talked about his various pokemon until he got tired. All of them had personality, in particular Serena wanted to meet his Bayleef, and all his friends as well. Human friends that is.

Soon his stories waned, and eventually he stopped telling them. Serena looked at him, to realise he had knocked himself out.

"Bless him." she whispered to herself, pulling the blanket over him and tucking into bed next to him.

Ash had been through so much, and this League could be his final step towards his dream. A lot was riding on this.

She traced his lips softly with her fingertip. "I believe in you, Ash..."

The nerves were starting to get to Ash. The semifinals, better known to Ash as his previous failure. He tried to shake off the thought, but it stuck in his mind, lingering and making him feel unsteady.

Luckily for him, Serena offered to stand by him for these next battles, which did help to calm him a little.

Ash walked into the stadium, battlefield 3-B, and waited for his opponent to show up. The first six-on-six.

Finally, another trainer entered, and faced off with Ash. A girl, with long black hair and a very laid-back smile on her face.

The referee recapped the rules to them, and they had their first six-on-six.

"On the green side, we have Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and on the red, Stephanie from Melemele Island in the Alola region!" declared the commentator in excitement. "The Alola region, eh! Now that's a first for the Indigo League! Be prepared to see some new faces!"

The name didn't ring a bell. "Alola?" he repeated aloud, albeit quietly to himself. "Does that mean pokemon that I've never seen before..?"

Surprisingly, he started to grin. "This ought to be a fun challenge!" he exclaimed loudly and the girl stared at him curiously.

Then the battle started.

Ash lead with Scyther, who positioned himself into a firm battle stance, and Ash copied his movements with determination.

Her first pokemon certainly looked powerful. It was silver with gold scales all over it, and though it wasn't as tall as Scyther it definitely was larger.

Ash heard the trainer call the name 'Kommo-o' and the move Dragon Dance so it was safe to assume that it was a dragon type.

Scyther was able to keep up with the pokemon despite having no experience with a Dragon type but he continued, and was actually trading pretty evenly. But then, Stephanie pulled an ace on Ash that he wasn't expecting - a supereffective Close Combat to knock out Scyther.

Ash recalled Scyther and switched him out for Pidgeot, hoping his hunch would pay off.

He ordered a Fly that was enough to take down Kommo-o. He grinned, being proven correct. Turns out Kommo-o was a Dragon-Fighting type.

Pidgeot then managed to scrape by against another flying type called Toucannon, before getting knocked out by a Marowak with strange colouring, which threw Ash for a loop. It took him a while to figure out it was a fire type instead of ground, so by the time the match was nearly over, both trainers were on their sixth pokemon.

Bulbasaur was already in the battlefield, slightly damaged but more than ready to continue.

Stephanie threw her last pokeball - and a large grey-brown wolf appeared from inside. It was furry, but had sharp, jagged eyes and a built demeanor. stones protruded from its collar area.

She smiled to Ash confidently. "I gotta admit you've done pretty well, but there's no getting past my Lycanroc!"

Ash grinned right back. "Well, we'll see about that, won't we?"

but in his head, "Lycanroc? Probably another pokemon from Alola... And a wolf, too..."

He focused, trying to come up with a strategy. So far, he had fought - and beat - five pokemon he had never seen before. If this was Stephanie's supposed trump card, then he knew it'd be best to be wary.

"But then again..." he wondered. "It has rocks on its neck and 'roc' in its name... It could be that type. It'd be a huge risk but at this point it's all or nothing."

"Lycanroc, Rock Slide let's go!"

Ash smiled. "That says it all, then."

"Deflect it!"

Bulbasaur then struck out a Vine Whip but instead of attacking with it he used it to block, and it lasted long enough to render the Rock Slide ineffective.

Stephanie called another Rock Slide to be met with the same outcome - or so she thought, but Ash was getting slightly concerned, because Bulbasaur's vines probably wouldn't last another attack.

However, she gave up, and ordered, "Use Crunch!"

Lycanroc was quick, but Bulbasaur was patient. Despite not evolving, it's level was still high and it's strength easy to underestimate, which is exactly what Stephanie did, ordering powerful moves to knock out Bulbasaur quickly. Ash knew it was a risky play, but he had to give it a try.

"Stand your ground Bulbasaur! You know what to do!"

And he did. Bulbasaur lowered himself into a defensive stance, and allowed the sun to flow into him, refreshing for a grass type but certainly good for him especially.

Lycanroc circled closer, and then at once, dived in to attack.

Ash pointed a finger into the sky. "Now!" he yelled. "Solar Beam!"

Bulbasaur gritted his teeth, and bared the force of a powerful Crunch attack, but managed to hold his feet for long enough to fully absorb the sun's powerful rays.

Would it be enough?

Ash inhaled in suspense and hoped.

Bulbasaur fired on Lycanroc who was much too close to even try to escape.

A direct hit, a supereffective move, and the most powerful grass type move.

The ground shook and then split. Lycanroc was tossed like litter onto the floor, completely out for the count.

And that was it - Ash would be moving onto the finals.

He charged into the center and picked up Bulbasaur, hugging him tightly, and running back to hug Serena as well, who was holding onto Pikachu for him.

Stephanie looked super shocked, but she shook it off and went up to the celebrating couple to shake Ash's hand. "Good match!" she sighed.

Ash took her hand politely. "You were tough, I'll give you that!"

She then put a finger to her chin in wonder. "So you've really never heard of the Alola region?"

Ash shook his head.

"Now there's a place you should visit if you like challenges!" she said. "It's pretty much a tropical paradise, I love it there. But there's no pokemon leagues, which is why I came here and I'm certainly not disappointed!"

Ash had stopped listening after the word 'challenge'. "Sounds awesome!" he exclaimed.

They said their goodbyes, and Ash went back to the lobby to head to stadium A with Serena, which is where the other semifinal match was ending. Whoever won that would be his opponent in the last match.

But when Ash entered the gallery, the sight he saw threw him for a loop.

A boy that Ash recognised instantaneously stood on one end of the pitch, having barely getting a victory. He pummelled the air for an exhilirant popoff, and in his other arm was a worn out Pikachu.

This boy had a green jacket on, and a blue cap on top of an auburn bedhead which resembled Ash's own hair with remarkable similarity. Someone from Ash's past; a face he would never forget.

Without thinking, Ash turned around and left the gallery, and Serena didn't realise until he had already gone.

Ash stood inside the lobby, deliberately concealing himself in a corner of the room until his final opponent stepped out, which he did to go sit down on a bench.

Ash breathed in deeply. "Hi, Ritchie."

The green-clad trainer jumped to his feet and spun around. His eyes locked in with the person who said his name, but then shock overwhelmed him all too suddenly and he did a double take. "What..? No way!"

Ash stepped into the light beaming. "It's really been a long time!"

Ritchie gaped, but slowly his mouth curved to a smile. "Wow, I can't believe it!"

He laughed and stuck out his hand. "Good to see you again, old friend!"

Ash grinned and took it. "Now this has gotta be the most fitting final in Indigo League history!" he exclaimed.

"Of course!" Ritchie agreed. "But you'd better expect that I've gotten better over these past years!"

"I don't doubt it, but so have I!" Ash responded.

"So, you travelling alone this time?"

Ash shook his head. "No, actually-"

As if on cue, Serena ran at Ash from the doors to the gallery and stopped, stooping to catch her breath. Then, she looked at Ash with a frown. "Ash, at least warn me before you run off!"

Ash scratched his head. "Oh yeah, sorry about that Serena."

He turned to Ritchie. "Hey Serena, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Ritchie, and Ritchie, this is Serena."

Serena stuck out a hand which Ritchie took politely. "Nice to meet you!" she said.

Ritchie nodded. "You too!" then he turned his attention back to Ash. "I've been away from leagues for a long time, but I guess fate decided that when I come back I'd meet you here. So here's to a good battle!"

Ash grinned. "That's right."

He took a step back. "Ritchie, it's been great to see you again, but I should get some last minute training in. See you tomorrow on the battlefield!"

The boys nodded to each other, and they parted, with Serena following behind Ash.

She immediately had questions for him. "Hey, who was that?"

Ash stopped walking. "Do you remember I told you a while back that the first league tournament I ever went to, I lost because my Charizard didn't listen to me?"

Serena nodded, silently pressing him to continue.

"Well, he was my opponent in that round. He was good enough to push me down to just Charizard left, who just fell asleep and cost me my first ever tournament. But we were also good friends before that, and he helped me get over the loss, which was really nice. He's a great guy."

"So it must've been quite the coincidence to be battling him now then."

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm really nervous, truth be told."

"Aha!" Serena leapt up. "I got it!"

Ash had to ask. "Huh?"

"You can train against me!" she exclaimed loudly.

Ash smiled. "You sure you're up to it?"

"You helped me train for the grand festival, so its only fair, isn't it?" she winked. "Cmon, I'll do my best!"

"Then I won't go easy on you!" Ash grinned. Serena didn't reply, just took his hand and walked him to a nearby training battlefield.

Sunrise came earlier than ever for Ash, who, with Serena's carefully made routine for him, was as prepared as he could be. And not just in the battling sense. Arguably, he felt the most refreshed he had in the longest time. She made sure he was well rested, ate well, clean, just to give him a good mentality on top of his battling skill.

Ash had gone to the PC several times to consider this finale, but in the end, he only made one switch, and that's only because Bulbasaur was exhausted and didn't want to battle anymore. He said his goodbye to Pikachu and Squirtle and Oak switched him with another of Ash's team.

So there he stood on one end of the stage, with Ritchie on the other. The air was tense, with the only sound coming from the footsteps of spectators piling into the gallery to watch the grand finals of the largest pokemon league ever.

But unlike the hypertense crowd, both trainers in the center were smiling to each other.

"Ritchie!" Ash shouted, when the air fell silent. His aim was to break the tension, but also to calm himself. "Last time we battled, I promised you the best battle ever, and I'm sorry I broke that promise."

He paused, to steady his nerves. "This time it'll be different! You can count on it!"

Ritchie nodded with a smile. The referee entered the battlefield, and explained the rules to them. A six-versus-six, substitutes allowed, et cetera.

Ash knew who he had to start with.

"Go, Happy!" Ritchie shouted while lobbing a pokeball, which contained the materialisation of the butterfly Pokémon. Instantly, a flood of memories sauntered through Ash's mind, but to his surprise, they didn't give him worry, only strength in his confidence.

Ash grabbed and threw his first pokeball. He tended not to plan battles, as plans could go wrong and it would be harder to fix. Improvisation and adaptation was his strategy. It had been since the beginning of his journey, and had been at the core of his successes, his failures, and would be the most crucial part of his battling style that would never change.

"I choose you, Pidgeot!"

The majestic bird materialised from the ball, and stood against the foe's Butterfree. The battle was on.

Sentiment over victory was something of Ash's past. He'd garnered all the knowledge he could on every aspect of battling. Pokemon types, which moves to use at which time, good positions on the battlefield... And now, he will try.

The two took to the air, and started off by exchanging blows. But Ash knew he was at an advantage here.

"Pidgeot, use Wing Attack!"

The supereffective move cut right into Butterfree, but a sheer amount of defense could keep it going. "Happy, Sleep Powder!"

The butterfly struggled above Pidgeot, but then from its wings emanated a set of spores that stopped Pidgeot dead.

Ash grimaced. "No, Pidgeot, get out of there!"

Too late. Pidgeot was now stuck within the clutches of the powder, and just like that, Pidgeot dropped and hit the ground with a thud, making it easy for Ritchie's Happy to finish it off.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" the referee stated, and Ash recalled Pidgeot.

"You've done really well, now get some rest." he said, and then looked at Butterfree. 'How did I win against Butterfree last time?'

His partner tugged at his jeans. Ash looked down, and Pikachu pumped his paws and psyching himself up.

Ash grinned. "That's right! Alright then, I choose you!"

Pikachu leapt off the sidelines and into the arena, already swinging with an Iron Tail which batted Butterfree onto the floor, dazed, but not unconscious.

"Now, go!" Ash yelled, and Pikachu charged forwards, electricity buzzing from his cheeks.

"Not this time!" retorted Ritchie. "Happy, Tackle attack!"

The two pokemon traded hits, Quick Attack against Tackle, and the fastest move came out victorious. Butterfree had sustained too much damage to continue.

"Butterfree is unable to battle!"

Ritchie soothed the butterfly gently, then switched it out, throwing another pokeball onto the stage. "Okay Cruise, lets go!"

The pokeball hit the floor and opened, and out of it burst a huge green pokemon which towered over Pikachu. This was one battle that Ash had seen before, only last year in fact.

Ash smiled to himself. "That's pretty funny. I've been in this exact same situation before."

Tyranitar versus Pikachu - just like his battle against Alain.

Then, a sandstorm came into effect. Just as before. "Okay, Pikachu, can you go on?"

Pikachu was fired up at this point. They had won last time after all.

However, as Ash came to realise, Alain and Ritchie had very different battling strategies, and Ash found it hard to adapt to.

"Cruise, use Earthquake!"

"Pikachu, get on him!"

The lightning mouse obliged, and ran as fast as he could, and began to climb onto the Tyranitar's back. Cruise tried to shake him off to no avail, and thus Pikachu narrowly avoided what could've been a KO.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, and Pikachu did so, shocking Tyranitar for heavy damage. But it wasn't over yet.

"Tyranitar, fall!" Ritchie said, and Ash's eyes widened.

Tyranitar toppled backwards while still being shocked, and while it injured its own back from the fall, Pikachu was crushed underneath.

The electricity died down, and Tyranitar staggered slowly back onto its feet. Pikachu had fainted.

Ash ran into the midst and picked up his fallen ally. "Hey buddy, you did great out there."

Pikachu opened his eyes and groaned, trying to smile back.

"Just get some rest, 'kay?" Ash told him, and put him down next to him.

He grabbed another pokeball off his belt, but to his surprise he saw the Tyranitar disappear in a flash of light as well. Looks like Ritchie was making a substitute. Ash sighed. He had to hand it to Ritchie, he was smart. But Ash was confident in himself also. Besides, Serena was behind him, silently cheering him on. He had all he needed.

He threw the ball. "Okay, go Squirtle!"

Two water types appeared in front of each other. One, a sea turtle and the other, a squid which Ash recognised as a Tentacruel.

They both started off with Hydro Pump, but then Squirtle charged in for a Skull Bash.

Tentacruel aimed a Bubblebeam, but to Ritchie's dismay Squirtle was just too fast.

Still, Ash had a trick up his sleeve, not wanting to take any chances. "Squirtle, Withdraw and then use Water Gun!"

Again, when Ritchie ordered another Bubblebeam, it only bounced off of Squirtles hardened shell which he had retreated into. Then, Squirtle fired a jet of water out of a hole in his shell that propelled him at insane speed at Tentacruel then into the air. He popped out his head, tail and limbs, sailing right above the squid pokemon.

Ash didn't give Ritchie any time to react. "Skull Bash!"

At that velocity and with Squirtle's uncanny strength for a pokemon of its evolution stage, smacked right into the tentacruel to render it unconscious.

"Tentacruel is unable to battle!"

Ritchie did another switch, and Ash found himself faced against the Tyranitar once again.

Ash frowned. There must've been a reason why Ritchie was deliberately putting himself at a type disadvantage.

"Squirtle, Withdraw!"

"Cruise, use Thunder Fang!"

That was it - why Ritchie substituted Tyranitar. Ash gritted his teeth as he watched Squirtle hide within his shell only to have to tank a heavy electrocution.

Squirtle was tossed to the side, and poked his head out of his shell, clearly hurt but still able to go on.

"Squirtle, you okay?!" Ash called out. Squirtle nodded, and Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Then use Hydro Pump and get as close as you can!"

Squirtle retreated into his shell once again, and use the agility of the shell to propel him quickly. then he jumped, lifting his head out to spray Tyranitar in a large torrent of water.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be enough. The rock-type was just too bulky.

"Keep circling and using Hydro Pump!"

"Earthquake!"

Both attacks made their mark, and did a heavy toll on both of them.

Ash had to think fast. How can he defeat Tyranitar without getting Squirtle knocked out first..?

There was one way, but Ash had already seen the risks with Pikachu.

But there could be no other way.

"Squirtle, get on Tyranitar, but onto his side!"

The blue turtle took a deep breath, and darted at Tyranitar, leaping up to grab hold of an arm. Tyranitar tried to shake off the second pokemon of that day to no avail.

Ritchie grimaced. But then he slapped a fist against his palm. "Aha! Use Hyper Beam, Cruise!"

The Tyranitar opened his mouth wide to charge a huge orange beam at his own arm, in an effort to complete knock out the turtle on it.

Squirtle avoided it, very narrowly, by jumping into a spike on Tyranitar's back. Unfortunately, this was exactly where Ritchie wanted him.

"Cruise, fall again!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Get off him, now!"

Tyranitar fell backwards, weight pulling him towards the floor quickly...

Too quickly, and Squirtle could not jump off in time. Just like Pikachu, smothered.

Ash screwed his face in worry. Squirtle was strong, but it would take a miracle for him to withstand it.

Ash stared at the scene, biting his lip tensely.

Tyranitar was on the floor, clearly extremely weakened, especially after landing on Squirtle's tough shell. As for the turtle himself...

Not even visible. He was completely smothered, and even Ash doubted that he was conscious.

But then, the still reeling Tyranitar moved slightly.

Ash's eyes widened. Ritchie did a double take.

Because right then, the huge mountain pokemon was lifted slightly from underneath, and from underneath Squirtle was actually still not visible. Instead, his figure was replaced by a blinding light.

The light became gradually brighter and larger, and then dissipated instantaneously, replaced by a blue figure. Squirtle?

No, not even Squirtle had the strength to lift up a pokemon of that size. So how, Ash wondered, was he doing it..?

A shell crawled out from under the green beast. Its head poked out, and Ash was met faced to face with a different pokemon. One that he knew.

Covered in scrapes and smiling at him weakly, was a much bigger water turtle - the Wartortle.

Ash gaped. Then his open mouth slowly curved into a massive grin.

"Squirtle, no, Wartortle!" he cried, and ran forward into the ring, giving his newly evolved friend a hug.

The referee ran forward and sternly told him off for being in the battlefield, so he went back, but still smiled at his water type.

But Tyranitar wasn't finished yet. He struggled to one knee, and then the other.

"Well Wortortle, let's finish this!" Ash shouted, and the turtle dashed forward, aiming a Skull Bash attack right at Tyranitar which made its mark and toppled the mountain beast.

"Tyranitar is-" began the ref, but he was interrupted by another, quieter but still quite loud thud.

Wartortle had fallen on his back, and had dizzy spirals in his eyes.

"Both pokemon are unable to battle!" the referee stated instead.

Ash went back out to pick up his fallen turtle.

Wartortle woke up in his arms, and Ash smiled. The water turtle was one of his oldest friends, and to see him finally evolve after being reunited with him after such a long time, was breathtaking.

"You were awesome out there, Wartortle!" he grinned, pulling out a pokeball. "Leave it to me, and get some rest for now."

Wartortle smiled back, and knocked out in his arms once more. His rest would be well deserved.

Ash recalled him, and threw his next pokeball to reveal one of his newly befriended pokemon. "Scyther, I choose you!"

He tossed the pokeball, and quickly the mantis was ready for action.

Ritchie also readied and then threw his next one. "Go, Rose!"

He threw his pokeball, and out appeared a Swellow looking proud and intimidating.

Ash's eyebrows lowered. Being pitted immediately with yet another major disadvantage would be difficult. But not impossible.

"Scyther, Air Slash!"

Scyther went in immediately, straight at the Swellow. However, because he was in its line of sight, Swellow was able to counter his attack with its own, and before he knew it he had been pulled into a frolic from all sides, being slashed at himself within a puff of smoke by the bird.

Ash was taken aback. But, he still maintained a grin which unnerved his foe. Then, he called out to Scyther, "Use Feint!"

Scyther then ribbed the Swallow pokemon, his move causing a purple bang that sent Swellow flying out of the smoke cloud. However, she was still flying easily enough; she wasn't going down that easily.

"Scyther, keep up that pressure! Air Slash, go!"

To that, The large mantis dashed up to the bird, and raised a sharp limb to strike - however, Swellow managed to avoid it by sauntering higher and higher up until it was unreachable to Scyther.

"Now use X-Scissor!" he commanded, and Scyther jumped up high, crossing his scythes out in front of him.

"Gust Attack!" shouted Ritchie.

Swellow dived a little, then sent huge bursts of air blasting Scyther back down to the ground.

Ash cringed, once again caught off guard. "Gah, now's not the time to get complacent. Think!" he told himself. And then, when he looked to the sky and saw how far away the opponent was, a brainwave surged through his head.

'If it worked once...' he thought, thinking back to his first round victory.

He turned around to face Scyther. "Use Swords Dance!"

Ritchie looked confused. Then, he noticed Swellow, in no position to attack, and his eyes widened.

"Rose, quick!" he cried. "Aerial Ace!"

Scyther released a set of swords made entirely of energy, and they spun around him, to boost his critical hits. But it took time. The question is, could he do it before Swellow reached him?

The bird descended quickly, making a V in the sky where it cut through the air behind it. But to Ash's horror, she was too quick. She reached his pokemon just as Swords Dance had ended and Scyther couldn't defend at all.

Swellow rammed him, and the hit smashed him hard into the wall.

The referee went over to check, and nodded to himself when he saw the state of the bug type. "Scyther is unable to battle!"

Ash recalled him, but he was still 100 percent determined despite being down by one for the entire march. He took his next pokeball in hand - "Eevee, let's do this!"

His pokeball hit the ground and the small dog appeared in front of him.

Eevee looked around. He had been with Ash long enough to trust him at this point, and Ash was constantly impressed by Eevee's capabilities in battling.

From out of nowhere, a flash of light appeared behind Ash. He turned around, and noticed Sylveon standing by Serena.

"She let herself out of her pokeball!" Serena explained. "I bet she wants to watch Eevee battle!"

Ash looked at Sylveon with a smile. Then he realised.

Memories of Clemont and Bonnie flashed in his mind, and their adventures around Kalos.

And Sylveon was actually the one of Serena's pokemon that had soothed him, and gave him the courage to ask Serena out. If it hadn't been for Sylveon's encouragement...

He noticed Serena beaming proudly, and he felt her love for him bringing him strength. And he knew it had always been like that, since the day Ash figured out his feelings.

Ash smiled back, and turned back to the battle at hand. "Eevee, you ready?" he said and received a nod in reply.

"Rose, use Gust!"

"Combat it with Swift!" Ash ordered.

Eevee jumped forward and spun around, firing off a barrage of stars which collided with Swellow's wind.

Then, a few stars broke through and actually managed to hit her.

Swellow lost her balance and fell out of the air. Ritchie gasped, and it was all over.

"Swellow is unable to battle!"

Ritchie looked shocked, but then he shook his head and smiled.

He took out a pokeball, and recalled his fainted bird.

"You've got a strong Eevee, Ash!" Ritchie commented. Then he stared at the next pokeball in his hand, topped with a worn and tattered star sticker that showed how long he had it for.

"Zippo, go!"

The pokeball hit the floor, and burst open. a flash of blue light took the shape of a huge pokemon, and even before the light dissipated Ash knew who it was.

Ash used to know it as a tiny Charmander six years ago, but now a much larger Charizard towered over himself and Eevee. But this was still anyone's match.

"Eevee, use Tackle!"

"Zippo, Slash!"

Eevee and Charizard traded attacks evenly and took pretty much the same amount of damage, but Ash could tell at this rate, Eevee would run out of steam long before Charizard did. So he thought hard, and soon an idea came to mind.

"Eevee, get back!" Ash shouted, and he obeyed by stopping dead in its tracks and edging away from the huge fire type.

"Aha!" exclaimed Ritchie. "You won't be able to escape Fire Spin!"

However, Ash grinned unexpectedly, and Ritchie reared back with a sudden sinking feeling in his chest.

"Now!" Ash shouted. "Use Protect!"

But just then, something that both Ash and Ritchie could not predict just happened.

Eevee turned and faced Charizard, and instead of using Protect, instead glowed with a yellow tinge and charged directly into the Flamethrower, and tore through it completely, to knock into Charizard, bowling the massive dragon over.

Ash stood there agape, as Ritchie was primarily concerned over if his Charizard was okay - which he was, despite taking a heavy Double Edge.

Eevee stood on all fours, singed from the burns and wobbly.

And just like that, he passed out.

Ash was frozen. What just happened? Did Eevee just defy his orders and use Double Edge instead of Protect?

But why?

Ash reached for Eevee's pokeball and he recalled the brown dog.

That incident right there shook him to his core. Because it had happened to him once, where his teammate had not listened to him in the middle of the set, and only once before, in the exact same stadium, and it left him defeated.

Ash steeled himself. That's right; he still had one more pokemon left; It was not over yet.

'So no giving up until its over.'

Ash held the last pokeball in his hand, and entrusted in it, the last of his hope, faith, and trust.

"Go!

Charizard!"

The crowd went wild around Ash and Ritchie. After all, there were two giants standing off against each other, for the glory of the tournament.

"Ritchie!" Ash yelled.

Ritchie jerked his head up, intrigued. "Ash, I hope for your sake that you've gotten through to Charizard!"

Ash raised his head towards his first ever fully evolved pokemon. Then he grinned, and Charizard grinned back, holding back the urge to toast Ash mockingly.

"Ritchie, this battle will show you just how much I've grown as a trainer! I hope you're ready!"

Ritchie nodded and enthusiasm returned to his voice. "I'm always ready! Zippo, use Dragon Breath!"

"Flamethrower!"

The moves clashed and subsided. Both sides were untouched.

The two pokemon were not making it easy for each other. But Zippo, having been injured by Eevee, was already not in a good position. And Ritchie could tell.

"Use Fire Spin!"

A wreath of harsh flame formed a twister in front of Zippo and was thrusted at Charizard who was forced to bear the brunt of it.

Ash clenched his teeth. It wasn't off to a good start. "No!" he grimaced. "Wing Attack!"

Charizard roared, and - even while still taking damage - managed to sail close enough to Zippo and land an attack.

Ash could see it - Zippo was struggling now. And Ritchie was beginning to panic.

"We gotta end this quickly, Zippo!" He yelled. "Finish this with an Inferno!"

Ash punched out in front of him with a fist. "Not a chance! Charizard, Flare Blitz lets go!"

Zippo was preparing a devastating fire attack - but Ash's Charizard was simply faster. He became streaked in blue flame, and shot forward to ram his enemy and leave him lying on the ground.

The referee stepped forward. "Ritchie's Charizard is unable to battle!"

This was it. One pokemon left each side.

Ritchie returned Charizard and placed the ball back on his belt, hesitating slightly from the nerves.

It was understandable. Even Ash himself was shaking.

Ritchie took a deep breath in, and focused.

He closed his eyes, and threw his last pokemon. "Sparky, go!"

Ash recognised that nickname instantly.

The pokeball hit the floor, and out burst some blue light which took the form of a small yellow rat.

Ash looked at Sparky - it could've been identical to his Pikachu if it weren't for the scruff of fur on its head and the higher pitched voice.

"You feeling déjà vu right about now?" Ritchie said with a laugh.

Ash raised an eyebrow, and just then it clicked that though these were the finals, he would be facing off with a friend.

"Our last battle together?" Ash chuckled. "Sure am. But now, it's come down all this way, so you know how it is."

He looked at Charizard and then after a nod, back to Ritchie. "May the better trainer win!"

Ritchie flashed a smirk. "You bet! Okay Sparky, use Thunder!"

The sky darkened as clouds appeared like magic, and from them shot several lightning strikes, one of which was sure to hit Charizard.

He staggered back and tanked the blow.

"Grr..." Ash grimaced. "Flamethrower!"

Once again, the moves traded and the two trainers found themselves sapping away at each other's strength.

"Wing Attack is too weak against Pikachu. Flamethrower leaves Charizard open. It's too risky to Flare Blitz now."

Ash's face screwed up as his eyebrows furrowed deep into his forehead. Unconsciously he gripped the rim of his cap as he gave what was the only option left to him.

"Dragon Tail!"

Charizard shrugged the storm cloud off with a burly wing and charged at Pikachu as his tail glowed green. However, Ritchie was ready.

"Dodge and use Iron Tail!"

While Charizard was quick in spite of his size, Pikachu was bound to be quicker regardless. Sparky narrowly slid under the powerful and potentially finishing tail swing and his own tail glowed with a silver shimmer. This tail became tough as steel and damaged Charizard even further.

Ash questioned himself. "What options do I have if Charizard gets outsped..?"

"Follow it up with another Iron Tail!" Ritchie ordered.

The penny dropped.

Pikachu had nowhere to run.

"Charizard, into the sky!" urged Ash. Ritchie stared at him, trying to figure out his plan. Because flying would definitely drain Charizard's energy more.

Pikachu jumped up - and could not reach Charizard. Just like that, he fell back down, right below Charizard, and most importantly, helplessly.

This was what Ash had been waiting for - to catch Ritchie and Sparky while they were wide open.

"Now!" Ash yelled, and Charizard knew exactly what to do as he took a dive, headfirst at the freefalling Pikachu.

"Dragon Tail!"

Ritchie tried his last. "Thunder!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and a cloud appeared yet again, above the two descending pokemon.

Ash inhaled.

A bolt of lightning smashed into Charizard from behind causing him to crash hard into Pikachu as the two pokemon hit the ground at such velocity that an explosion occured which sent dirt and debris kicking up around them, so thick that not even Ash and Ritchie could see them.

But the question was, who survived..?

The battlefield was still while the dust was spinning at a clumsy attempt to settle down.

Ash could barely make out a green glow. Then, he heard a loud bang, and suddenly, Sparky the Pikachu flew out of the dust cloud and smashed against a wall at such a force that it cracked.

The dust bowl finally calmed down to reveal Charizard standing there, his tail emphasising a green glow that was fading away.

The referee ran over to Pikachu, implanted in a wall.

His moments of hesitation lasted forever for the anticipating crowd, not to mention the two trainers biting their lips from tension.

"Pikachu... Is unable to battle!" announced the referee through a microphone. "Charizard is the victor, so our Indigo League victor is none other than Ash Ketchum!"

Stunned silence. Then, Ash's brain registered the words.

A singular tear rolled down his cheek, but his smile returned to him and he punched a shaky fist into the air joyously. "Yeeess!" he screamed.

Pikachu next to him was equally celebratory, and was dancing like mad, jumping and spinning from the high of it all.

Ash immediately ran forward and tackled his Charizard. "You did it, Charizard! You were amazing out there!"

Charizard was staggered, winded and exhausted but above that he was exhilarated. It didn't last long though as he collapsed on top of Ash only seconds after. The boy didn't mind, however, because he sat there laughing.

It took him a while to get his breath back, and he didn't really care that the entire stadium was watching this scene. When he did finally calm down, he heard a voice call out to him.

"Ash, are you alright down there?"

It was Ritchie's voice. He saw a hand reaching for him, and Ash took it and he was pulled - very slowly out from underneath his massive dragon friend.

Ash came face to face with Ritchie, and the first thing he noticed was that there was tears streaming down his face, yet he was still smiling.

"You definitely kept your promise..!" he laughed, though his voice was breaking.

Ash didn't know what to say. But then he flashed his old friend a smile, and held out his hand.

Ritchie looked at the hand and then back to Ash, then smiled back, taking it. But suddenly Ash pulled him into a bro-hug unexpectedly.

"Thanks for the battle, Ritchie."

"You too, Ash."

The two rivals looked at each other once more, and slowly Ritchie turned and walked away.

There was only one person left with Ash.

He turned around to face her.

"Serena!" he shouted, stretching out his arms. I won, I really did it!"

He hesitated, and shook his head. "Thank you!"

Serena's eyes went wide, and without thinking she sprinted forward and dived into his arms.