Chapter 19! We are nearing the end of the St. Anne Arc! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Ash let the papers float to the floor. "I think that's enough. Charizard will definitely be able to take out whatever he sends out. Besides, it's nearly midnight. "It was a false display of confidence by the young trainer. In truth, Ash doubted his team's ability to take on the much more experienced trainer, not because Ash's team was poorly trained, but because their opponent had years of experience on them.
Gary shrugged nonchalantly. "If you want to get some sleep in, I'll leave. But, neither Leaf or I have anything important tomorrow. "Leaf nodded in agreement with her fellow trainer.
Before Ash could say anything, Leaf's eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh! I haven't told you guys yet! Ivysaur evolved!" Leaf squealed. Ash wasn't surprised. When he had seen Ivysaur upon the St. Anne a few days ago, the Pokémon was practically half-Venusaur. Its flower was already mid-bloom.
"How?" Ash asked.
Leaf replied, "It was so random! We were just walking on the ship and then Ivysaur started to glow!" After Leaf's statement, all three trainers sat next to each other, not saying a word.
Finally, Ash spoke up. "Do you guys ever miss your parents?" Leaf nodded almost immediately.
"Yeah, I do. "Leaf responded to Ash's question.
Gary, however, shook his head. "Can't miss parents you didn't have. Gramps, though, I miss. "Ash nodded sympathetically. At least Ash had his mom. Sure, his dad was gone, but Delia made up for Ash's father's absence in every way she could. Gary never got to know either of his parents. True, Professor Oak had done a good job of raising Gary, but one's parents could never truly be replaced.
Ash looked at the clock. "I've got a big day tomorrow. I'm going to get some sleep. " Gary and Leaf took that as their cue to leave, and both of them walked out the door. Ash looked at his sleeping Pokémon, and carefully lifted the sleeping Eevee off his lap. The tiny brown fox proved it wasn't asleep by softly mewling its protest. Ash smirked and placed Eevee on the bed next to him. Ash then got under his bedsheets and fell asleep.
It was afternoon. Ash's whole team was helping Charizard prepare for the dragon's one vs one ordeal later today. The battle against who Ash came to know as the steel-type master. When Gary, Leaf, and Ash looked through the league database about Ash's opponent in the finals, they found loads of helpful information. First and foremost, the man used only Pokémon that had the steel typing. That was when Ash decided to use Charizard. The dragon's flames would give Ash an edge in the battle, or so Ash hoped. As for what Pokémon the man specifically would use, there were a variety of options. The only Pokémon that the other trainer had used throughout the entirety of the tournament was a Magnezone and a Mawile. The league database showed that he had other Pokémon at his disposal, like Aggron, Skarmory, and Steelix. What worried Ash, though, were his opponent's league performances. Last year, Ash's opponent had made it to the quarterfinals of the Indigo League. The quarterfinals! Ash hadn't even participated in the Indigo League! Ash sighed and turned his attention to Charizard and the others.
"Stop!" Ash yelled. Every one of Ash's team relaxed. Ash looked at Gary, who had agreed to help Ash train. "Gary, can you get one of your Pokémon to set up a Stone Edge across the field?" Gary grunted and lazily tossed a poke ball, revealing a grumpy Pinsir.
"Pinsir, Stone Edge across the field." Gary drawled. Pinsir slammed its fist against the ground, sending blades of stone arcing out of the field. "That's good?" Gary asked. Ash nodded.
"Charizard, I want you to melt the stones with Flamethrower. "Charizard looked doubtful. With its Blaze activated, it would be a walk in the park. Without it, the dragon wasn't sure. "Charizard, we can't rely on Blaze." Ash told his starter. Charizard nodded. The dragon filled its maw with flames, and fired at the stone, scorching the boulders. As the fire died down, the rocks hadn't completely melted away, but were looking more sludge-like than before. "You keep that up. I have to go make a call." Ash told his team. Charizard was too focused and angry with the rocks that dared stand in front of the dragon to even hear what Ash said, but the rest of his team nodded.
Ash sat down on the rotating chair of the Pokémon Center and plugged in his poke gear to the computer. Ash dialed in Professor Oak's number and let the phone buzz. In a few seconds, the famous professor picked up. "Ash! How can I help you?" the professor asked.
Ash twiddled his thumbs together. "I wanted to ask you for advice about my Pokémon battle. My opponent is a person who prefers using steel types." Ash figured Professor Oak was the right person to ask for this type of advice. The world-famous researcher used to be a world-famous champion.
Oak's eyes lit up. "Ah, yes! My congratulations on making it to the finals of the competition. I assume you will be using Charizard for this battle?" Ash nodded. "Unfortunately, other than that, there's not much advice I can give you without knowing your opponent's battle style. The majority of steel-types are slow and bulky, though, so if you can move around fast enough, you'll have the game in the bag."
Ash nodded and thanked Professor Oak. Then, he cut the call. Even though it wasn't as much as Ash hoped for, the small bit of information Ash had been given was still a huge help. As Ash unplugged his poke gear, he felt something tap his shoulder. Turning around, Ash was met with a man he had never seen before.
"You're Ash Ketchum, correct?" Upon seeing Ash's nod, the other man informed Ash, "I'm Harrison. The steel-type Pokémon trainer you will be facing in the finals."
Ash lost his bored expression in exchange for an excited one. "Cool! I hope we have a good battle!"
Harrison nodded. "I hope you give me a better battle than some of the other trainers I've battled. " He wasn't cocky, just confident.
Ash grinned. "I will." With that, Ash walked past Harrison, out to the training field.
The crowd murmured amongst themselves in anticipation of the upcoming battle. Ash stood on one side of the field. Harrison stood on the other. Ash was feeling rather intimidated by the crowd. He couldn't help but feel self-doubt as he looked at the ranks of people that filled the stands. But, in the crowd, one person stood out. Leaf. She nodded at Ash, and yelled something that was lost in the crowd.
Ash's tingling nerves settled down. His friends believed in him. Ash now needed to believe in himself.
"Here we are! The finals, folks! On the red side of the field, we have rookie trainer Ash Ketchum! This kid deserves to be here, in the finals of the tournament. On the green side of the field, we have Harrison Grove! This steel-type master crushed all of his opponents by himself!" the announcer yelled into the mike. The crowd settled down, waiting for the battle to begin.
"On the count of three, both trainers must send out their Pokémon!" the referee announced. Ash zoned out on the numbers. Only when Ash heard the signal to go did he toss out Charizard's poke ball. His motion was in unison with Harrison's.
Charizard appeared on the field, roaring as a sign of its dominance. The dragon fired a jet of flames into the air as a show of strength.
On the other side of the field, Magnezone appeared, just like Ash suspected. The metallic Pokémon whirred aggressively, but didn't bother showing off.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Charizard let loose an intense, concentrated, jet of flames that soared at Magnezone.
"Magnezone, Thunderbolt. "Magnezone whirred its affirmation and fired a powerful bolt of yellow electricity that clashed with the flames head on. The two moves locked together in a struggle of strength. Ash didn't want to find out who would win. He could see beads of sweat dripping down Charizard's neck, and Magnezone didn't show any signs of tiring. Ash wasn't sure if that was just because Magnezone didn't have feelings, but he didn't want to take a risk.
"Stop Flamethrower and fly up!" Ash commanded. Charizard's maw closed, and the bolt of thunder sailed towards the exposed dragon. Charizard was in the air just as the electricity crashed against the ground, cutting through the gravel like a hot knife through butter.
"Smokescreen followed by Slash!" Charizard's flame grew hotter and brighter, making the smoke kick up and cover the field in a matter of mere seconds.
"You think we'll just lie down and take that? Shock Wave!" Harrison countered. Ash couldn't see what happened, but he could definitely hear Charizard roar unceremoniously as it was shocked. Shock Wave was a move that couldn't miss. Helpful move to have in a situation like this, where Magnezone couldn't see.
"Charizard, Flamethrower! Keep your distance!" While Shock Wave was unable to miss, it wasn't very powerful. Charizard's Flamethrower would be able to overpower it. Ash felt the raw heat emanating from the field as Charizard's flames scorched Magnezone. The steel-type whirred in pain, but the battle was far from being over.
"Lock-On. Zap Cannon." Harrison drawled.
Ash's eyes grew wide with worry. There was no way Charizard could dodge Zap Cannon now that Magnezone had locked onto Charizard. Ash doubted Charizard could meet the attack-head on and survive. The only option was to meet Zap Cannon with another long-range move. But what had the power to stand up to Zap Cannon? There was only one option. "Charizard, Sunny Day followed with Solar Beam!" Sunny Day was a new move Charizard had figured out in a matter of minutes during training. Since the dragon was a fire-type, it was natural to be able to use Sunny Day. Charizard hadn't gotten much practice with Solar Beam, but there wasn't much choice in the matter. None of Charizard's other attacks would be able to stop Zap Cannon, and the insanely powerful electric-type attack was almost guaranteed to knock out Charizard.
The smoke was dispelled as the sun started to shine brightly, creating beads of sweat that trickled down Ash's cheeks. Charizard landed and, above the dragon, a bright green core of energy started to form. In front of Magnezone, a crackling ball of electricity was growing larger by the second. It was a race to finish charging the move. Magnezone moved first. The beam of electricity thundered as it soared towards Charizard. It wasn't a moment too soon as a burst of green light clashed against Magnezone's Zap Cannon, once again setting the field in smoke.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded. Flamethrower would be stronger than normal thanks to the heat coming from the sun. Ash only heard as Charizard's wings flapped their way into the sky and the dragon fired an intense burst of orange flames. Magnezone whirred again, but clearly could still fight.
"Zap Cannon." Suddenly, the smoke was dispelled. Charizard was tossed into the psychic barriers surrounding the field like a plushie. The dragon fell face first to the ground, wings spread out and smoking. "Good. Wild Charge. Finish it. "Magnezone's body was coated with crackling yellow electricity and it charged towards Charizard, surprisingly speedy.
Charizard lay still on the ground. "Stop! The battle's over!" Ash yelled. He didn't want Charizard to get any more hurt than it had too. What was Harrison doing?
Harrison laughed slightly. "Sure, kid. Sure." Ash closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable strike. The only sound he heard was Magnezone crunching into the dirt and whirring in fury. He hesitantly opened his eyes. Charizard wasn't on the ground. The dragon was in the air, covered in blue flames from head to toe. Charizard roared, and Ash's eardrums felt like they were going to explode. Guess the battle wasn't over.
"Flamethrower!" Ash yelled. It didn't do justice to the flames Charizards emanated to call them a simple Flamethrower. It was an explosion of flames that tore through the air, pulverizing and charring Magnezone's metallic body. Magnezone whirred in real pain and fire a quick Thunderbolt at Charizard. The electricity fizzled away uselessly against the coat of flames that covered Charizard. "Dragon Rush!" Ash commanded.
"Wild Charge!" Harrison instructed his Magnezone. Ash wasn't sure what to call Charizard's Dragon Rush. There was dragon-type energy used, but there was also the coat of flames that covered Charizard. The two titans slammed into each other, and both were thrown back by the sheer force of the collision. The psychic barriers flared up in distress as the two giants collapsed into the barrier. Charizard slumped against the ground, knocked out. Magnezone was floating, albeit unsteadily. The steel-type was covered in black char, dented, and burnt, but wasn't knocked out.
"Charizard is unable to battle. The green trainer wins!" Ash returned Charizard to its poke ball wordlessly and was about to walk off the field when he heard Harrison call to him.
The older boy told Ash, "That was the best battle I had in a long time. I better see you in the Indigo League."
The prospect of the Indigo League was enough to lift Ash's spirits. "You will, but don't expect the same results." With that, Ash walked off the field.
Ash sat on a bench in the Pokémon center, Gary and Leaf across from him. Charizard was healing from the intense fight. "Sorry, guys. I let you down. I didn't win." Ash felt really bad. Both of his friends had helped Ash prepare for the battle, and he still lost.
Gary laughed. "Dude, you weren't even supposed to be able to do that much damage! With another attack, you might have won the battle. We didn't expect you to win against a former Indigo League competitor! I'm glad I had to face his teammate, Michelle, and not him. Michelle was pretty easy to beat." Leaf nodded in agreement. Ash relaxed. He was glad to get that weight off his chest. He had some great friends.
Ash laid against the bed in his room. Charizard's giant head laid across Ash's lap sorrowfully. "Charizard, it's okay to lose a battle." The dragon had been sulking ever since it had recovered from the Pokémon center, angered about its loss to Magnezone. The dragon snorted in response. Ash sighed and scratched Charizard at the base of its horns. The dragon's tongue lolled out in pleasure. "Charizard, next time we battle that Magnezone, we're going to win. We're going to train. We'll be the best team Kanto has ever known." Charizard looked at Ash doubtfully. Ash laughed. "Okay, we might not be the best team Kanto has ever known anytime soon. But, at the Indigo League, if we battle Harrison, we will beat his Magnezone. You can burn it to a crisp." Charizard puffed smoke and nodded. "Good." Ash said. The young trainer massaged his tired Pokémon, both of them dreaming about the Indigo League.
"Gary Oak, please step onto the podium to receive your non-Pokémon awards!" the announcer spoke into the mike. Gary walked onto the podium, waving to the crowd cockily, as if he was a celebrity. Gary took his TM vouchers and the Ultra balls. He put them into his pocket. As he was about to leave, an attendant told Gary to stay on the podium. "Now, can we get runner-up Ash Ketchum onto the podium?" the announcer yelled into the mike. Ash nervously walked onto the stage. He was a bit embarrassed at all the attention he was getting. Ash wasn't used to so many people. Back at Pallet Town, everybody had known everybody. It was a small place. Ash quickly took his TM vouchers, Max Revives, and Ultra balls from the announcer. He stuffed them into the bag and stood on the podium next to Gary. "Now, can we get the winner of the competition, Harrison Grove, onto the podium?" Harrison was more like Gary, casually waving to the crowd as he walked by. Harrison took his awards and placed them into his bag.
"Now, let's get Michelle Sanders onto the podium! She will get the last pick out of the array of Pokémon we have right here!" The announcer pulled back a red curtain, revealing a table with four poke balls. The announcer pointed to the rightmost one. "This poke ball contains Beldum, which evolves into the formidable Metagross!"
Then, the announcer pointed to the one next to Beldum's poke ball. "This poke ball contains Bagon, which evolves into the threatening dragon, Salamence!"
Next, the announcer pointed to the second ball on the left. "This poke ball contains Deino, a dark-type Pokémon that evolves into the three-headed Hydregion!"
After, the announcer pointed to the furthest ball on the left. "Last but not least, Jangmo-o, who evolves into the powerful Kommo-o! Harrison, please pick a Pokémon first, because you won the competition." Harrison picked up Beldum's poke ball without a second thought. Being a steel-type trainer, it was obvious he would pick the steel-type.
"Now, Ash Ketchum, please choose your Pokémon." Ash's hand hovered between Deino's poke ball and Jangmo-o's. Both of them were great options. After a minute, Ash smiled. "I choose…."
There is Chapter 19! I just had to leave you guys on that cliffhanger. I know a lot of you guys wanted to see Ash get Beldum, but I have seen quite a few stories where Ash gets one. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!