Here we go! Sceptile vs Latios, the rematch!
"Latios, use Dragon Claw," Tobias called. Two glowing green claws formed on ends of Latios own claws and it brandished them with a loud cry before flying across the stadium towards Sceptile.
"Block it Leaf Blade," Ash cried. The two glowing green blades formed on the end of Sceptile's arms. With precision timing, he threw them up in front of his face, blocking the blow. Pressing back against Latios he shoved forwards, then twisted to the side, using Latios' momentum to shove the dragon past him.
Ash couldn't resist a proud smile. Sceptile had gotten even faster since his battle in the Sinnoh league. Now, it was time to test out one of the moves he'd trained in particular for this battle. "Now Sceptile, use Agility!"
Sceptile's body blurred slightly as he darted back and forth across the field, leaving behind afterimages of himself.
In the stands...
"Wow, so Ash must be planning on countering Latios speed by using Sceptile's speed!"
"It's a good plan, I must say," Cilan commented.
"Yeah. Ash told me Sceptile was the one who defeated Darkrai at the Sinnoh League," she said.
Cilan's eyebrows rose. "Really? Sceptile must be very strong."
...
"Latios, Giga Impact." Tobias gestured calmly towards Sceptile, who had stopped and stood waiting tensely all the way at the other end of the stadium. Latios gave a loud cry as a white aura gathered around it. It shot across the field, straight for Sceptile.
Ash waited for a second, watching Latios. "Now Sceptile, dodge with Quick Attack!" Sceptile became a white blurred as he zigzagged out of the path of Giga Impact. Latios shot past Sceptile, missing by a couple yards. Before he could celebrate, Latios flew up, twisted around in a sharp u-turn, and shot back towards Sceptile. A split-second later, Latios slammed into his back, making him stagger and fall to one knee.
"You good Sceptile?"
Sceptile quickly stood and shook itself, the twig in its mouth twitching. Ash grinned. "Great. Now, use Agility." The grass-type repeated the move from earlier, darting across the field and becoming a green blur as his speed increased. "Leaf Blade!" Sceptile became a green and white blur as he dashed across the field towards Latios.
"Dodge!" Tobias commanded. Latios started to move away, but still recovering from Giga Impact slowed it down. Sceptile struck with vehement force, sending Latios reeling backwards. It recovered, albeit slightly slower, then shot away, putting significant distance between them. "Luster Purge."
Once again, white light gathered in front of Latios jaws, then it fired a shimmering pink beam down at Sceptile, hitting his chest and sending him sliding backwards a few feet. Sceptile shook his head and growled at Latios.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Sceptile lunged upwards in a streak of white light, hitting Latios before it could escape again. Ash grinned. Finally. Now Sceptile's already superb speed was on par with Latios.
Latios howled furiously, then flew into the sky, out of range of Sceptile's attacks. At a command from Tobias, it fired another rapid-fire Luster Purge beam at Sceptile.
"Block with Leaf Blade!" Ash yelled. Sceptile summoned the glowing blades swung them forward. The beam struck Sceptile's Leaf Blade and split on either side, smashing into the earth.
"Dragon Claw."
"Quick Attack."
Sceptile lunged across the stadium. Latios flew to meet him, claws shimmering green. The two met in the center of a field for a split second before shooting past each other in the blink of an eye and pausing at opposite ends of the stadium. At the same moment, both pokemon visibly cringed, Latios faltering and Sceptile swaying and nearly falling over.
Stands...
"Wow," Iris murmured. "They're both so fast! Both Latios and Sceptile got hurt from that."
...
Once more, Latios started to fly upwards to escape the range of Sceptile's attacks.
"Don't let it escape, Sceptile. Use Leaf Storm."
With a flick of his tail, Sceptile fired a swirling storm of leaves shooting above Latios. The dragon screeched as it slammed into the attack, and quickly brought up a Light Screen to deflect some of the damage. "Quick, Leaf Blade again!"
In one nimble move, speed enhanced by agility, Sceptile leapt up and slashed his Leaf Blade in Latios chest, eliciting a furious howl from the dragon. But the instant Sceptile's feet hit the ground, Latios shot down, body glowing white, and smashed into Sceptile full force, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.
"Sceptile no!" Ash shouted. Across the field, Latios flinched, seizing up as the kickback from Giga Impact sapped his energy again. Sceptile, meanwhile, lay on the ground, trembling as it struggled to rise.
"Dragon Claw," Tobias said. With frightful speed, Latios flew across the field and struck Sceptile with one of its claws, knocking it back to the ground. This time, Sceptile was slower to rise.
Ash clenched his fists tighter as Sceptile tried to get back up. It had hardly made it halfway to its feet before Latios whirled around to strike again. "Sceptile, don't give up!" he shouted. New energy surged through Sceptile. He shoved himself upright and danced to the side, Latios' swipe missing him by less than an inch. Latios soared once more back into the air, content to use the high ground as its advantage.
Back on the ground, relief and frustration flowed through Ash. He couldn't be more proud of Sceptile for dodging the blow, but he also knew Sceptile couldn't keep going like this for much longer. He needed a way to get the advantage over Latios...
Maybe... "Do you trust me, Sceptile?" Sceptile glanced back and gave a sharp nod. Ash grinned. "Alright! Then use Leaf Storm on yourself!" Whirling his tail, Sceptile began to summon a storm of leaves. The leaves began to swirl in a circle and gather around Sceptile's body, kicking up a powerful gust of wind and dust. Then, just as Ash hoped, the wind grew so intense, it lifted Sceptile right off the ground and launched him up into the sky.
Ash watched in awe as Sceptile flew through the sky straight towards Latios, carried by the force of its own attack. Then, as he watched, two shimmering purple blades began to form on Sceptile's arms. It almost looked a bit like Leaf Blade, but different. In one swift move, it swiped downwards with the two blades. Latios formed a quick Dragon Claw in an attempt to counter, but Sceptile twisted to the side just in time to avoid the blow. Then it brought its blades crashing down on Latios head, once, then twice, knocking it straight down towards the ground.
Seconds before it hit the battlefield, its eyes blinked open and it jerked to halt, panting, only inches off the ground. Before Sceptile could land, it shot a swift yet weakened Luster Purge that glanced off Sceptile, causing it to land awkwardly. Still, Ash felt pleased. He recognized the move now that Sceptile had used - Dual Chop, a fairly strong dragon type move.
"Quick Sceptile, Leaf Storm again!" Shaking himself, Sceptile gathered his strength, then fired another Leaf Storm at Latios. Ash could tell this one was weaker than the others thanks to Leaf Storm's added effect of weakening each time it was used, but that didn't matter right now. The only chance they had to win was to give it everything they had.
At his behest, Sceptile hurled the leaves at Latios, surrounding it in a thin, swirling veil of leaves. Almost immediately, Tobias called for it to use Light Screen. Ash didn't care, that didn't change his plan. "Now, hit the ground with your tail and kick up some dirt. Sceptile swept his tail across the battlefield, kicking a cloud of dirt into the storm of leaves. The dust and leaves blending together into one swirling tornado, completely obscuring everything inside.
Tobias' eyes widened slightly. "Break out now with Dragon Claw."
Ash caught a faint flash of green from within the storm. Outside, Sceptile panted heavily, nearly exhausted. "Give it all you've got Sceptile! Dual Chop!" he cried pumping his fist in the air.
A second later the tornado of leaves shattered, dissipated by Latios Dragon Claw. As the dirt and leaves disintegrated and fell to the ground, it revealed... nothing. Sceptile had seemingly vanished. With a blur of green, Sceptile reappeared a yard above Latios, arms glowing vivid purple. It brought both blades down simultaneously on Latios back just as it swung out and struck Sceptile in the chest. Both pokemon were thrown backward, Sceptile digging his claws into the earth as it slid back.
Latios spun through the air, barely righting itself seconds later. By now, both pokemon were breathing heavily. Both had been pushed to their limits, and beyond. Yet still, Latios glared ferociously at Sceptile, determined not to falter. Sceptile glared back with equal intensity, even as he struggled to stand. Ash panted as well, wondering if Sceptile could handle much more.
Tobias frowned. "Latios, -" before he could complete his command, Latios swayed in the air, then crashed to the ground, unmoving. The referee stepped closer, then waved his flags. "Latios is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner."
Roaring applause filled the stadium. Ash let out a breath and nearly collapsed with relief, and Sceptile relaxed, a faint smile on his face. He blinked. He'd really done it. Sceptile had really beaten Latios.
In the stands...
Iris leaped to her feet, cheering and clapping. Ash had really done it! He'd actually defeated both of Tobias' legendaries. Even if he did lose now, at least he'd made it farther than he had last year. "Sceptile defeated Latios!" she shouted, turning to Cilan.
The gym leader had risen to his feet and was clapping along with the rest of the stadium. "I can't believe it. Truly, Ash has mastered the fine cuisine of battling Tobias. Though no doubt it was thanks to that amazing maneuver Charizard pulled."
Iris nodded fervently in agreement.
...
A smile of approval grew on Tobias' face. "Well well well, Ketchum. You really have grown since Sinnoh. Excellent work. I never expected you to be able to beat both my Latios and Darkrai. No one else has ever done that." he took out a pokeball and returned Latios.
Ash grinned. "Thanks! My pokemon have all been training really hard." And it was true. He'd trained harder this year than ever before, and it was paying off. But there was still a long way to go. Tobias still had 4 pokemon, and he was sure they would be strong. With Sceptile and Primeape exhausted, he couldn't afford to relax yet.
"Get ready, Sceptile." Sceptile gave a nod, taking up a fighting stance once more.
"This battle is going to be interesting," Tobias mused. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he tossed out his next pokemon. As the light faded, it revealed a peculiar looking bug with a hard brown-orange shell, stiff wings on its back, and a white halo-like symbol above its head. Strange swirling dark orange marks adorned its wings and part of its body.
What pokemon was that? He stared at it, confused. It looked like it might be a bug type. Frowning, he took out his pokedex and scanned it.
'Shedninja, the Shed pokemon. Shedinja is a peculiar Pokémon. It seems to appear unsought in a Poké Ball after a Nincada evolves. It is believed that this Pokémon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back.'
'That's odd. It doesn't look quite like the one in the picture,' Ash mused.
"Admiring my unusual Shedninja?" Tobias asked. "You see, I caught it some time ago on an expedition to the Orange Islands."
"Wow!" Ash said. "That's awesome! It must have been Valencia Island, right?"
Tobias tilted his head. "I see you know your regions. You are correct, I did catch him at Valencia Island. To my knowledge, it is a one-of-a-kind Shedninja."
Ash stared in awe. "SUGOI!" he cried. He glanced down at his Pokedex again. So it was a Bug and Ghost-type. Sceptile was at a disadvantage, but he also didn't want to waste the speed boost he'd gotten from Agility. Perhaps he could deal a good blow before returning him.
Facing Tobias, he stood tall as the referee called for the match to start.
"Alright Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Sceptile surged across the field towards Shedninja.
"Get ready," Tobias murmured.
Shedninja didn't move. Something flashed purple, then Sceptile collided with Shedninja, slashing his Leaf Blade attack across its body. It did nothing.
Or at least, as far as Ash could tell, it did nothing. Shedninja hardly moved, and it seemed utterly unaffected. Suddenly, purple flames surged around Sceptile's form, causing it to cry out. He fell forwards and collapsed.
"Sceptile!" Ash cried. Dismayed, he pulled out a pokeball and recalled the grass-type.
In the stands...
Iris's shoulders sagged. "That was a Will-o-Wisp, wasn't it?" she asked. She recalled the technique from her tests. It was usually used by ghost-type pokemon to generate a flame that would instantly induce a burn upon contact.
"It was," Cilan replied gravely. "But Tobias used it particularly well. He waited until Sceptile was too close to escape to use it."
"But how come Sceptile's attack didn't hurt?" she said.
"Hmm..." Cilan mused. Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "That's it! It must be Shedninja's special ability."
"What's that?"
"Wonder Guard. It prevents any damage from moves that aren't super-effective," he replied.
"Oh no. That's not good..." she murmured.
...
"You did amazing, Sceptile," Ash whispered to the pokeball before clipping it back on his belt. That was his first loss of the match, he realized. He'd hoped to do more damage, but Sceptile had already done so much. But what worried him more was how Shedninja hadn't gotten hurt by Leaf Blade. Was it possible it had dodged the attack without him realizing it?
No matter. He could only focus on the battle ahead now, and his next pokemon. After a few moments consideration, he selected his next pokeball. "Go Krookodile!" he called with a grin. The croc appeared on the field and snarled, flexing his claws in anticipation.
Shedninja hovered calmly above the battlefield, its gaze utterly unreadable.
The referee's voice rang out, sharp and clear. "Battle, begin!"
Finally! There we have it. Sceptile vs Latios, the grand showdown. Hopefully, it was an enjoyable match. Sceptile learned Dual Chop to give him the edge. Sceptile got to put up an amazing fight, and get retribution by defeating Latios, though it was no easy fight.
Shedninja unfortunately defeated him easily with a single Will-o-wisp.
And I am aware that officially, there was no Nincada on Valencia island, but given the prevalence of bugs and grass-types, it seems possible, plus it fits with my plan for Tobias team.
Side note, did you know Shedninja effectively possesses more immunities than any other pokemon, being immune to 13 out of 18 types? That's a lot.
Shedninja was also ridiculously weird to acquire in the old games, requiring you to have an extra pokeball and some other mumbo jumbo. Not at all easy to acquire, but cool.
You might also be wondering about the 1 hp thing. I won't observe it strictly, given that the anime seems to play fast and loose with stats, but I also wont have Shedninja be a tank.
Review time:
Reader: I'm glad you liked the choice. Zoroark would be interesting, to say the least. As you can see, Sceptile learned Dual Chop to round out his moveset. It would have been neat to bring back some kind Energy ball swallow technique, but sadly it didn't really work for this moveset.
Magicalfan18: The barrier/LightScreen thing drive me nuts, almost as much as when one of Ash's pokemon attacks another (like a gym leaders pokemon) and Brock/Cilan whoever tries to interject and say 'WOW the attack did NOTHING' HUR DUR, like no, I don't care how tough your pokemon is, if I hit you with multiple attacks it still does damage. They tried to pull that in an episode of DP I think, against Wake. I despise it. If I hit your Gyarados with an electric attack, it does damage, no matter what.
Guest: I'm glad you think so ^.^
Ricardo: I hope you enjoyed Sceptile vs Latios! :) I tried to use a bit of the idea you mentioned. It's not exactly like it, but you did inspire some of it, so thanks!
Thesonicsuperstar: Tobias real team is probably Darkrai, Latios, Magikarp, Luvdisc, Bidoof, and... a single Unown or something. Lol. it would be funny if that happened in the anime. Turns out he got lucky and the rest of his pokemon are just weak.
NotRob: Those are some excellent guesses! A Golurk seems fairly fitting, and a Machamp would be interesting. I actually did consider a Golurk at one point. Guess you'll just have to wait and see.. ;)
Xavier: Yeah, I've seen at least two or three 'Tobias got them all' and he starts sending out ridiculous stuff, Like Zapdos everywhere and Groudon or something. It feels too unrealistic to me. Latios and Darkrai I can MAYBE believe, but thats my limit I think. Plus I think Latios and Darkrai are non-exclusive, so there's probably a couple Darkrai. But stuff like a Moltres or Entei feel like only one exist.
And there are some liberties that really make the anime ridiculous imo, but hey, they let Aromatherapy act as a super shield in DP so... anything goes I guess.
DaDragon: You'll see in time some of the real monster Tobias has (I'm sure he probably has more than six altogether). But everyone started somewhere, right? For now, he has an odd Shedninja... But just how will he use it?