Chapter 18 is here! This chapter's going to be big, and you'll find out why. Enjoy the chapter!
Ash laid in his bed, unable to go to sleep though it was past midnight. All of his team members were snoring peacefully, unlike their trainer. Ash's mind was filled with thoughts. Mainly, two different ideas filled Ash's mind. First and foremost, Ash was thinking about the dawning battle against Gary tomorrow. It was going to be a full six-on-six battle. Ash's first one, in fact. As far as Ash knew, Gary only had five Pokémon. Gary hadn't been worried when he had heard that the battle would be a six-on-six, though, so Ash assumed that Gary had another Pokémon that was capable of being a threat to Ash. Probably multiple, in fact. Whenever Ash called Professor Oak to check up with the professor, he had been told that, unlike Ash, Gary had been catching a variety of Pokémon.
Ash was the most worried about Gary's Nidoqueen, though. As far as he knew, Nidoqueen was the only fully-evolved Pokémon Gary had. Ash had seen Nidoqueen's success on the battle field, and wanted a strategy to counter the powerful Pokémon. He spent multiple minutes wondering who would be the best counter to Nidoqueen. Gabite, Pikachu, and Eevee weren't options because they simply didn't have the strength to harm Nidoqueen. Sceptile was vunerable to Nidoqueen's poisonous attacks, and even one blow could severely cripple the gecko. That left either Exeggutor or Charizard. Exeggutor was a risky option, as the both had some sort of edge over the other. Ash, though, wanted to use Charizard to fight off Pidgeotto because Charizard was the only one who could fly. Exeggutor it was, then.
Ash's second topic was the prizes. Beldum evolved into the physical powerhouse known as Metagross. Metagross could shake off almost any close-range blow and return a harder hit. It being a steel type further boosted its defensive capabilities. But, Metagross wasn't the best at taking special attacks. It definitely could take quite a few, but not excellently. Also, one of Metagross's weakness's, fire types, were held by almost all trainers. Metagross, all in all, wasn't the fastest Pokémon, but hit more than hard enough to make up for it.
The next option was Bagon. Salamence, Bagon's final evolution, was nearly the exact opposite of Metagross. A speedy aerial threat that could use both physical and long-ranged moves to devastating extents. Ash, however, wasn't considering Bagon nearly as much as the other three. Salamence typings consisted of a flying type and a dragon type, both of which could already be found on Ash's team. Charizard was a flying type, and Gabite was a dragon type. Ash didn't mean to say that Salamence was weak, it just wouldn't be the best option for his team. Also, its extreme weakness to ice did it no favors either. While there weren't many ice-type Pokémon, almost every water-type Pokémon could learn some sort of ice-type move.
The third option was Deino. Hydregion were another speedy and powerful pseudo legendary Pokémon. Hydregion, however, was different than the rest of the group. Hydregion was the strongest long-range threat out of all the pseudo legendary Pokémon, and nearly all non-legendary Pokémon. Ash didn't mean that Hydregion couldn't fight close-up. Maybe not as well as the others, but Hydregion was still a threat in a close battle. The drawback of Hydregion, though, was the sheer amount of time it took to evolve. There was no chance that Ash would have a Hydregion by the time the Indigo League came around. In fact, it was possible that the Pokémon wouldn't even have become a Zwelious by that time. The other problem with raising a Deino, though, was the Pokémon's aggressiveness. Deino were notorious for attacking trainers in the wild. Ash wasn't sure if Deino would respect him, or if Ash would be able to battle with Deink.
The last Pokémon, Jangmo-o, was what Ash was leaning to. Kommo-o were bulky beasts that hit hard, but weren't slow by any means either. It was really a jack-of-all trades. Unlike Metagross, which excelled purely in physical defense, Kommo-o could brush off powerful physical and special attacks. Kommo-o also could hit hard, physically and specially. If Kommo-o ran into an opponent like Steelix, which had exemplary physical defense, Kommo-o could crush it underhand with a move like Aura Sphere or Focus Blast. Ash loved the fact that it could counter almost any opponent, except for fairies. Ash wasn't too worried, though, because fairy type Pokémon were extremely uncommon. If worse came to worst, Kommo-o could learn steel-type attacks to defend itself. Another great part about Kommo-o was its homeland, Alola. Alola had only instated a league recently, and Ash would bet his bottom dollar most of the trainers that competed in the Indigo League didn't know a Pokémon like Kommo-o existed.
Ash definitely hadn't chosen which Pokémon he wanted yet. They were all fabulous in their own right. Ash tried to wipe his mind of thoughts, but to no avail. The thoughts disappeared for a second, and came back like Haunter. Finally, Ash's restless body relaxed, falling asleep.
Ash walked down the empty hall. Every step he took echoed across the hallway. Going into his next battle, Gary wasn't next to Ash like he had been before. Instead, as Ash walked onto the battle field, Gary stood confidently, but not arrogantly, at the green side of the field. Ash stood at the red side of the field. "Well, well, well. Ready to get crushed, Ashy?" Gary taunted.
Ash didn't say anything back, and just popped a poke ball off his belt. The referee yelled, "This is a six-on-six battle. Both trainers, please send in your Pokémon on the count of three. "
"Three!" The referee was joined by the crowd. "Two! One!" The crowed cheered. Ash and Gary both tossed their poke balls onto the field. On Gary's side of the field, a Machoke appeared. The muscled Pokémon flexed its large muscles, showing off to the crowd. On Ash's side of the field, Gabite stood proudly. As the dragon's eyes fell onto Machoke, Gabite grinned with a deadly glint in its eye.
"Machoke, Strength." Gary started the battle. Machoke's muscles momentarily pulsed as a surge of hormones moved through Machoke's arms. Then, the bodybuilder ran towards Gabite, arms extended.
"Gabite, dodge right and use Sandstorm. "Ash instructed. Gabite effortlessly dodged Machoke's attack and scrunched up its eyes, trying to focus. Momentarily, tons of sand kicked up from seemingly nowhere and started to fly around the field. Ash's vision was obscured, and he assumed Gary and Machoke couldn't see either. Gabite, however, was in his home environment. If anything, the dragon could see better. "Good. Now, Gabite use Dragon Breath!" Ash ordered.
"Machoke, brace yourself!" Gary frantically yelled. There was really no point. Machoke didn't even know where Gabite was. Gabite was the predator, and Machoke was the prey. The raw purple energy struck Machoke in the back, sending the buff Pokémon sprawling. Ash didn't need to give any more commands. Gabite knew what to do. Its claws lashed against Machoke's skin, and Gary was helpless. Or so Ash thought.
"Earthquake!" Gary roared. Ash's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. Machoke could learn Earthquake? Since when? And where did Gary even get a TM? There was no time to worry about that now. The battle was going on. Ash still could hear Machoke relentlessly pound the ground through the raging sandstorm.
"Gabite, break away!" The closer Gabite was to the epicenter of the quake, the more dangerous it was. Ash couldn't see Gabite, but knew that the dragon would heed his instructions. Ash felt the ground tremble as Machoke executed its attack. It definitely wasn't as strong as an Earthquake could be. Gary and Machoke probably hadn't gotten much time to practice the move, which meant Machoke must be tired.
"Gabite, Dragon Claw." Ash wanted to finish the battle. There wasn't much time till Gabite's sandstorm would subside. Ash wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew the battle was over when he heard Machoke shriek in pain and hit the ground, out like a rock. Just at that moment, the sandstorm faded away, revealing Gabite standing above its unconscious foe. Gabite roared victoriously, proud of its win.
"Machoke has fainted! Green trainer, please send in your next Pokémon. " Gary didn't say anything as he returned Machoke to its poke ball.
"I'm not joking around anymore. Nidoqueen!" Gary tossed out the powerful Pokémon. Nidoqueen stood regally on the field, but that wasn't a surprise. Nidoqueen was, in fact, a queen. "Nidoqueen, use Body Slam!" Nidoqueen lumbered towards Gabite, surprisingly agile, and collapsed on top of the dragon. Gabite shrieked and tried to push Nidoqueen off, but without success. As Nidoqueen got up, Gabite leapt away.
"Gabite, are you alright?" Ash asked the dragon. Ash saw the dragon nod an affirmative. Good to hear. Gabite, Sand Tomb!" The dragon extended its arms and soon, a swirling vortex of sand surrounded Nidoqueen, trapping Gary's Pokémon.
Gary smirked, much to Ash's surprise. "Break it with Earthquake!" Nidoqueen brought an enormous foot down, sending cracks across the flat field and unbalancing Gabite. The dragon leapt from island to island that were forming due to the enormous quake. Gabite's Sand Tomb seemed absolutely pitiful compared to the Earthquake, and the loose vortex of sand fell away.
"Dragon Claw!" Ash instructed Gabite. The dragon leapt at its much larger foe and brought down a glowing, purple claw across Nidoqueen's chest. Gary's Pokémon bellowed and instinctively sent Gabite flying with a Mega Punch to the stomach. The dragon shrieked unceremoniously as it flew through the air like a Pidgey. The dragon collapsed upon impact, but refused to give up. Gabite slowly growled at Nidoqueen, who wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"Nidoqueen, end the battle with Ice Beam." Gary commanded. A freezing core of ice started to form between Nidoqueen's outstretched hands. The arcing, freezing, blast of ice struck Gabite in the chest, sending the dragon sprawling into the side of the arena.
"Gabite is unable to battle. Red Trainer, please send in your next Pokémon." the referee announced. Ash returned Gabite wordlessly.
"Exeggutor." The tree-like Pokémon moved around, trying to find a comfortable spot to fight. Exeggutor wasn't one for agility. "Psychic." Ash commanded. Exeggutor's eyes lit up and Nidoqueen was hauled multiple feet into the air. Nidoqueen roared an indignant bellow as it collapsed to the ground, creating a crater around it. Nidoqueen stood up and charged at Exeggutor, determined to crush the Pokémon that dared to throw her. Nidoqueen's hand was coated in a slimy, poisonous sludge as each step it took shook the ground.
"Exeggutor, Barrage followed with Psybeam." Countless eggs rained down on Nidoqueen, splattering its chest and obscuring its vision. Then, a powerful beam of Psychic energy struck Nidoqueen dead-on, sending the Pokémon flying. The sludge that had coated its hand fell harmlessly to the ground.
Nidoqueen roared furiously and quickly fired an Ice Beam at Exeggutor. Exeggutor generated a quick Psychic, deflecting the bolts of ice away from him and into the psychic barriers protecting the audience. The barrier flared upon contact, but held strong. "Nidoqueen, Toxic Spikes!" Gary yelled. Ash bit his lip worriedly. For a battle this long, Toxic Spikes could be the reason Ash lost.
"Exeggutor, catch as many as you can and send them away." However strong Exeggutor was with its psychic abilities, that didn't directly translate to the tree's precision. Ash could see Exeggutor's focus and strain as it tried to catch as many of the miniscule spikes as it could. Ash watched, proud of his Pokémon, as the majority of the spikes were tossed away from Ash's side of the field. Still, a few spikes settled comfortably into the ground.
"Now, Toxic!" Nidoqueen quickly formed a glob of sludge, preparing to toss it at Exeggutor.
"Psybeam!" Ash countered. Exeggutor fired off a bright beam of psychic energy that arced towards Nidoqueen. Gary's eyes grew wide with worry.
"Quick! Make the Toxic a Sludge Bomb!" Gary roared. Nidoqueen's brought her hands further out, so that the focused ball of sludge could form into a large ball of poisonous liquid. The Psybeam collapsed into the Sludge Bomb with a bang, creating smoke.
As the smoke faded away, Ash could see Nidoqueen covered in its own sludge. Unfortunately, due to its poison typing, the sludge did little more than annoy Nidoqueen. "Exeggutor, end it! Psybeam again!" Ash yelled. Exeggutor fired another burst of psychic energy at Nidoqueen. Gary's Pokémon was too tired to dodge and tried to step right and dodge the attack. But, Nidoqueen was too slow. The psychic beam sent Nidoqueen sprawling, forming a crater on the ground. Nidoqueen was clearly unable to battle.
"Nidoqueen is unable to battle! Green Trainer, send in your next Pokémon." Gary didn't hesitate as he returned Nidoqueen and sent out Pinsir. Pinsir's pincers crunched together menacingly and Pinsir hatefully glared at Exeggutor. Ash was curious why Gary chose Pinsir to fight Exeggutor. It was true that just one X-scissor would probably bring down Exeggutor, but how in the world was Pinsir going to get close enough?
"Stone Edge!" Gary cried. Pinsir slammed a singular fist against the already-shattered field, sending giant, jagged, blades of stone jutting towards Exeggutor. Ash wasn't sure how to counter the move. He wasn't sure if Psychic could completely deflect the giant stones.
"Try to stop it with Psychic!" Ash directed Exeggutor. The tree's eyes glowed a bright light blue as it focused at bending away the stones. After seconds of intense concentration, the lead stone was shattered, sending pebbles and dust tumbling to the ground.
"Body Slam followed with X-scissor." Gary commanded. Ash looked at Gary, confused. Pinsir was way too far away to attack close-range, right? Ash looked at where Pinsir was standing, only to see nothing. Exeggutor, however, had seen Pinsir, but was far too tired to do anything. The bug had climbed its Stone Edge and leapt off the blade of stone to collapse onto Exeggutor. It was too late to do anything. Pinsir slammed into Exeggutor from above, kicking up dust and small rocks, and immediately released a close-quarters X-scissor to finish Exeggutor off. The tree collapsed, falling over.
"Exeggutor is unable to battle. Red trainer, please send in your next Pokémon!" the referee announced. Ash returned Exeggutor to its poke ball, debating who to send in next. After a few second, Ash plucked Eevee's poke ball off his belt. The tiny fox appeared on the field, ready to battle.
"Eevee, whatever you do, stay far away from Pinsir. Use Swift!" Eevee fired a barrage of spinning stars at Pinsir. The bug ducked under them, but the stars turned around, hitting Pinsir's back. The bug skidded across the cracked ground, grunting. Unfortunately, the stars had sent Pinsir flying towards Eevee.
"Pinsir, grab Eevee with your pincers." Gary yelled. This was their chance to do serious damage to Eevee, and it was Ash's fault. He should have seen that the stars knocked Pinsir next to Eevee. Pinsir's pincers snapped onto Eevee's front leg, making the fox howl in pain. Pinsir tossed Eevee up, and rammed a powerful Brick Break into Eevee's delicate body. The tiny fox was thrown into the ground, forming a cratered ruin around its body. To Ash's, Gary's, and the audiences's surprise, Eevee stood back up, albiet struggling.
"Eevee, can you fight?" Ash asked. The fox nodded, determined to win. "Quick Attack!" Eevee darted towards Pinsir, striking the other Pokémon in the gut. Pinsir grunted but didn't stumble.
"Pinsir, grab Eevee's tail with your pincers!" Gary commanded. Pinsir lunged at Eevee headfirst, trying to capture the fox's tail.
As Pinsir's pincers neared Eevee's tail, Ash called, "Iron Tail!" Pinsir's pincers crushed Eevee's tail, or rather, tried to. What really happened was Pinsir recoiling from the tips of its pincers shattering from their collision with iron.
"Good! Now, Eevee, Iron Tail on Pinsir." Eevee pivoted and started to dash at Pinsir, its tail turning metallically silver. Eevee drove its tail into Pinsir's skull, sending the Pokémon crashing into the ground.
Gary's eyes grew red with fury. Ash could understand why. They had squandered such a good start to the battle. "End it, Pinsir! Me First!" Ash looked at Gary, surprised. Me First was a rare move for Pokémon, and Ash hadn't known There was nothing that could be done as Pinsir lunged at Eevee and immediately knocked out the fox with a quick punch.
"Eevee is unable to battle. Red trainer, please send in your next Pokémon. "the referee declared. Ash returned Eevee to its poke ball. He wasn't disappointed in Eevee. Ash knew that Pinsir was a strong Pokémon, and hadn't expected Eevee to win. But now, Pinsir was on its last legs. It had to be. Pinsir had already knocked out two of Ash's Pokémon.
"Pikachu, finish Pinsir." The mouse appeared on the field, ready to battle. "Thunderbolt." Pikachu fired a powerful bolt of yellow electricity that slammed into Pinsir, whacking the bug off its feet and sending it airborne. Pikachu instinctively chased after Pinsir with a Quick Attack. The mouse hit Pinsir before the bug landed, sending it straight across the field, into the wall. Pinsir slumped, unable to battle after the brutal beating.
"Pinsir is unable to battle. Green trainer, please send in your next Pokémon." the referee announced. Gary returned Pinsir to its poke ball and looked at Pikachu with a newfound wariness.
"Go, Magneton! Tri Attack!" Gary commanded. Another new Pokémon. Magneton's shiny silver body glinted in the sunlight of the field, and its three parts rotated. The magnets of Magneton folded in, focusing on the center. A large ball of pure energy formed between the three magnets, and the bolt was fired at Pikachu.
"Agility, dodge!" Ash told Pikachu. The little mouse seemingly teleported away from the Tri Attack, and not a moment too soon. The powerful beam of energy crumpled the ground beneath it like paper. As the beam faded away, the smoke revealed only dust and rubble where Pikachu had been seconds ago. "Great job! Now, Brick Break!" Pikachu propelled itself into the air, stretching out an arm to bring down on Magneton. Just as Pikachu was about to make contact with Magneton, the three parts of its body separated momentarily. Pikachu's hand sailed through thin air, much to the mouse's confusion. Pikachu was just able to right itself into a comfortable landing.
"Magneton, Tri Attack again!" Gary issued his command. Magneton turned downwards to fire on Pikachu. The burst of raw energy was fired more quickly this time, but couldn't keep up with Pikachu's speed. The mouse was well out of the way by the time the beam of energy shattered through the ground like glass. "Dammit! Magneton, fire a Tri Attack and chase that mouse down!" Magneton, once again, started to form a core of raw energy at it, and, like always, Pikachu dodged just in time though. But this time, Magneton didn't stop. The beam of energy chased after Pikachu, and the mouse ran for its life. Ash wasn't sure how long Magneton could maintain the beam of energy, but he got his answer in a minute.
"Brick Break and aim for one part of its body!" Ash yelled to Pikachu. However, tired as the mouse was, it was nowhere as tired as Magneton, who had been expending energy constantly for the last minute. Pikachu leapt at Magneton, preparing an arm filled with a world of pain. While Pikachu's Brick Break wasn't perfect, it was more than capable of taking out a Pokémon that had already ran out of most of its energy. Magneton seemed to realize this too, and came to a conclusion without a command from Gary. Magneton exploded. Pikachu was sent flying into the psychic barrier protecting the audience, causing the barrier to light up, but it held strong. Pikachu fell straight to the ground, unmoving. The mouse slumped next to Magneton, both Pokémon unable to battle.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. Green trainer and Red trainer, please send in your next Pokémon. "declared the referee. Ash, however, glared at Gary. How could Gary use such an underhanded tactic like Explosion? Gary caught on to the other boy's anger.
"Sorry, Ash. Magneton hasn't trained with the team much, and gets nervous easily." Gary informed Ash. That made Ash calm down a bit. Gary hadn't ordered his Pokémon to used Explosion. Ash then returned Pikachu to its poke ball, and Gary did the same.
"Pidgeot!"
"Charizard!" The avian glared at the dragon, and both flapped their powerful wings, taking the battle to the skies. Ash was surprised. Yesterday, Gary had a Pidgeotto. Today, he had a Pidgeot. This would be a hard battle.
"Pidgeot, let's give Ash a taste of his own medicine. Agility and circle around Charizard. "Gary yelled to the avian. Pidgeot tucked in its wings and fired itself around Charizard like a jet. Charizard growled, annoyed at the tactic. Every so often, Pidgeot would break out of its orbit around Charizard to dive in and strike the dragon with its wing. Every time, Charizard would grunt and beat its wings to stay airborne.
"Flame Body!" Ash called. Charizard's skin glowed a molten orange as the dragon prepared for Pidgeot to attack.
"We're not falling for that again!" Pidgeot, Gust! Don't touch Charizard." Gary commanded. Pidgeot stopped its orbit and flapped its wings rapidly, sending a gust of wind in Charizard's direction.
Ash grinned. "Big mistake. Air feeds fire. Charizard, Flamethrower!" Charizard released a jet of flames from its maw, colliding with the gust. The fire fed off the oxygen in the air, enhancing its strength. The flames completely swallowed Pidgeot, and Ash could hear the bird shriek in pain as its delicate wings were burnt by the fire.
Gary's eyes widened in horror, realizing his mistake too late. "Pidgeot, up!" Gary yelled, frantically. In a few seconds, a blackened Pidgeot came out of the air, struggling to stay aloft. "End it with Sky Attack!"
"Meet it with Dragon Rush!" If Gary wanted full power, that's what he was getting. Charizard's body was encased in a light purple glow. Charizard controlled the draconic energy much better than it could have dreamed of as a Charmeleon. Pidgeot was high in the air, with outstretched wings, recovering the energy needed for a Sky Attack. As Charizard neared the avian, Pidgeot dived, and the two Pokémon collided with a bang. Ash blinked his eyes, and all he could see was the psychic barriers protecting the audience flare up in distress.
Finally, Ash spotted Charizard. Smoke was peeling off the dragon's wings, but it was capable of fighting, which was more than he could say for Pidgeot. The avian slumped against the ground, unable to battle.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Green trainer, please send in your next and last Pokémon. "the referee announced. Gary took a deep breath and pulled the last poke ball off his belt.
"Go, Blastoise!" Wait a second, did Gary say Blastoise? But Gary had a Wartortle last time Ash had seen him. The giant turtle appeared on the field, cannons casually popping out of its shell. The cannons fired water high into the air, crashing into the psychic barriers, for a show of strength. Charizard growled at its opponent, not intimidated in the least.
"Aqua Tail!" Gary started the battle. Blastoise lunged at Charizard, who didn't take to the air, much to both trainer's surprise. Ash quickly realized that the dragon's wings were too weakened from their collision with Pidgeot to take to the air for the rest of the battle.
"Counter it with Brick Break!" Charizard brought a scaly fist up just in time to shield itself from the brute force of Blastoise's tough tail. Charizard then latched on to Blastoise, not letting the turtle release. The dragon released a close-range Flamethrower in Blastoise's face, but the turtle countered by tucking into its shell. Then, Blastoise released a close-quarters Surf into Charizard. The dragon was the slave of the current, and was tossed around by the waves.
As the waves died down, Charizard miraculously stood up, draining the last reserves of its strength, or so Ash believed. Charizard's tail glowed a bright blue, and Ash knew what was going down. Charizard's Blaze ability. "Flamethrower!" Ash yelled. Calling the stream of flames that came out of Charizard's mouth a Flamethrower didn't do justice. Ash felt like he was inside the Cinnibar Volcano, even though Ash was multiple feet away from Charizard. Needless to say, Blastoise was roasted like a kabab on a stick. The turtle tried to shield itself with a Water Pulse, only for the condensed ball of water to go up in steam before Blastoise could even form it. Stuck with no other option, Blastoise retreated to its shell. Even its hard carapace showed signs of damage from the blue flames that lashed against its shell, but not nearly as much as Ash would hope.
"Stop!" Ash yelled. Charizard's maw snapped shut, giving Blastoise a relief from the flames. The turtle warily popped its head out of its shell, and prepared to attack. "Charizard, breathe your flames across the cracks in the arena." Charizard's eyes glowed bright as the dragon realized what Ash was planning. Charizard brought its mouth to the ground of the arena, and proceeded to blast blue flames into the cracks. The fire traveled underground, through the arena, effectively setting the whole arena on fire. Blastoise stumbled back as a burst of flame came out from underground and sent the turtle back a few steps.
Gary groaned. "Blastoise, end the battle with Skull Bash!" Ash knew Charizard wouldn't be able to counter the attack as Blastoise tucked its body into its shell, preparing to launch itself at Charizard. The dragon was far too tired and burnt out to move, much less attack. Charizard took Blastoise's hit head-on and was thrown back. Charizard attempted to stand up, but didn't have the energy, and fell over, knocked out.
"Charizard is unable to battle. Red trainer, please send in your last Pokémon. "the referee declared. Ash returned Charizard to its poke ball and whispered to the ball, not even knowing if Charizard could hear him.
"You battled great. Leave the rest to Sceptile." Ash popped Sceptile's poke ball off his belt, and released the gecko onto the arena. Sceptile was mildly annoyed by the poor condition of the ground, but didn't mind the passive heat. Before Ash had caught it, Sceptile had lived in a dense jungle. It was definitely hot and humid there.
"Blastoise, Ice Beam!" Blastoise's cannons fired off twin bolts of ice at Sceptile, who effortlessly dodged them.
"Leaf Blade!" Sceptile leapt high into the air, and from the gecko's right arm, a glowing green blade extended out. Sceptile swung its arm at the weakened turtle, sending it sprawling. Ash thought he had the battle in the bag, and Sceptile did as well. But, when Blastoise stood up, its eyes were glowing a dark, sea blue.
"Aw, yeah! You're in for it now, Ashy! Blastoise, Surf!" Gary yelled with a surge of excitement. Torrent. The water-type version of the ability Blaze. As Blastoise created a wave of water, Ash noticed how much bigger this wave was than the last. The last wave wasn't much taller than Ash. This wave was the size of a Wailord. Sceptile was completely swallowed up by the waves, disappearing into the entity of water. The psychic barriers flared brightly as the gigantic wave slammed into the barrier. Ash almost thought the barrier wouldn't hold, but it did, barely.
The only bonus about Torrent was that Ash knew Blastoise was on its last legs. One more Leaf Blade would finish it. But, how could Sceptile even get near Blastoise when Surf would just send Sceptile across the arena, and deal significant damage? The answer came when Sceptile lunged towards Blastoise, determined to end the battle. Blastoise released a familiar Surf, the enormous wave crashing in on Ash and Sceptile. Sceptile attacked the water with Brick Break, cutting a small path through. After Sceptile got near Blastoise, the battle was over. The gecko swiftly ended the battle with a Leaf Blade, sending the bulky turtle to the ground, where it stayed, unable to get up.
"The green trainer has no Pokémon that are able to battle. The red trainer wins! "the referee announced. What he had done finally settled into Ash. He won his first full battle! Gary returned Blastoise to its poke ball wordlessly and nodded at Ash.
Ash nodded back to Gary and then looked at Sceptile. "Where'd you get the idea to cut through the water?" Sceptile shrugged indifferently. "I'm proud of you." Then, Ash returned the gecko to its poke ball. Ash walked off the field and headed to the poke center. His team had taken quite the battering from Gary's Pokémon.
Ash sat in his room, waiting for Leaf and Gary. Dinner was just finished, and Ash's friends had told Ash they would come to his room. The trio hadn't had some time to themselves in a long time. The only important event that had happened at the dinner was that Ash found out that the finals battle would be a one vs one. Ash's team was taking a hard-earned rest. Pikachu was relaxing on the bed, snuggling into the comfy blankets. Gabite rested on Exeggutor's body, the latter of which had plopped itself randomly down on the room. Charizard was relaxing on the floor, snoring like a Snorlax. Sceptile was asleep on the bed next to Pikachu. Eevee, however, was looking at Ash. The fox had bent down submissively, almost like Eevee was ashamed of itself.
"What's wrong, girl?" Ash asked. Eevee mewled softly and looked at Ash. "Is it the battle?" Eevee nodded. "It's fine if you lost." Eevee looked at Ash, almost as if being fine with a loss was a new concept. Then, Ash realized the problem. "I'm not like Damian. It's fine to lose. It just means we have to work harder." Ash pulled the tiny fox onto his lap and ran his fingers through her soft fur. Eevee mewled in delight and pulled closer to Ash. Then, Gary barged into the room, Leaf following.
"Yo, Ashy, we've got to get you to win this tournament. Since you beat me, you have to!" Gary informed Ash.
Leaf sighed at Gary's antics. "Ignore Gary. You know how his ego is. But we are going to help you beat your finals opponent in the one vs one tomorrow. We've got some information on him from the league database." Leaf tossed a thin stack of papers at Ash.
Ash looked at his friends in amazement. "Thanks."
Gary nodded. "Can't have you losing this tournament now that you've beaten me!"
So, that's chapter 18! I hope you like the six vs six! I've seen a lot of comments about how Ash has a dragon type, so he should get Beldum. I just want to point out that Ash also has a psychic type, Exeggutor. So, no matter what Pokémon Ash chooses, there will be at least one typing of that Pokémon that Ash already has. Also, there was multiple reviews from the same guest saying Gary should get an Axew or a Golett after I stated what the Pokémon awards are. I cannot just conjure up an Axew or a Golett as a St. Anne reward because I already said what the Pokémon prizes are, which do not include an Axew or a Golett. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!