The Championship Finals: Ash vs. The Mask Part 4!
"Venusaur! Let's end this battle." The Mask threw out an abnormally large Venusaur that towered over Darkrai. Along the bark of its tree grew a variety of berries, one that could suit any status condition. Darkrai levitated in front of its trainer.
'That's quite the seasoned pokemon,' Darkrai said. 'Lots of nutrients must be what made all of those berries grow. I may need to sit out this round since there's no freezing it or putting it to sleep.'
"You're right," Ash said, returning his Mythical Pokemon. "Darkrai, return! Mewtwo, let's finish this!" Ash threw out his Psychic type Legendary Pokemon. It hovered over the field, eyes glowing blue ready for a fight.
"A Mewtwo!" The Mask said. "I haven't encountered a Mewtwo in ages."
"What?!" Ash exclaimed. "What do you mean?"
``I don't recall meeting you before the battle in the Plateau Forest!' Mewtwo said.
"No time for talk, only battle," The Mask said with a grin. "Venusaur, use Sunny Day!" Venusaur fired a bright ball of light into the sky, intensifying the already setting suns rays into a harsh light.
"That way a dirty trick!" Ash yelled. "Mewtwo, use Psychic!"
"Solar Beam!"
Mewtwo raised its arm as Venusaur was cloaked in a blue light and sent 20 feet into the air. Venusaur collected the harsh sunlight in its flower and fired a large white beam, striking Mewtwo, making it drop Venusaur.
"Now use Double-Edge!" The Mask called.
While falling to the earth, Venusaur glowed white and slammed its body into the Mewtwo on the ground below. Venusaur managed to land on all fours while Mewtwo rested on one knee after taking two powerful attacks.
The Mask's Venusaur slammed its feet on the ground, causing several thick, spiked vines to tear across the battlefield. Mewtwo's eyes widened as it saw the oncoming attack and formed a blue bubble around it. The Frenzy Plant attack that Venusaur had used smashed against the outside of the orb, but did not penetrate the defensive barrier.
Mewtwo burst out of its protective shield and shot forward at immense speed towards the opposing Pokemon. Using its Psychic powers, Mewtwo created a large quantity of body doubles to exit its body and surround The Mask's Venusaur. Each body double formed a large ball of purple energy in between its palms, and fired it off in the form of a Psybeam. Every beam struck the Venusaur, causing it to fall down on its belly. After the attack was finished, each body double returned to the original Mewtwo, which rematerialized in front of Ash.
"This is it Mewtwo! Use Psystrike!" Mewtwo rose back to its feet as it materialized many purple shards of Psychic energy around Venusaur, which all at once smashed into the large pokemon. Purple smoke rose on the battlefield, concealing the Venusaur. All of a sudden, four large vines shot out from the purple clouds and tied around Mewtwo, binding its legs and arms. Once the smoke cleared, a now visible Venusaur charged up a close-range Solar Beam and fired at Mewtwo. Mewtwo was enveloped in the bright beam of light.
"Mewtwo!" Ash cried out to his legendary Pokemon. When the attack subsided, Mewtwo was left drained of its energy, with parts of its body smoking. Venusaur released the legendary and Mewtwo fell to the ground.
'Ash… I have failed you. But I promise to not let my defeat be in vain,' Laying on its back, Mewtwo's eyes glowed bright blue, before closing them.
"You were amazing out there. You deserve a nice long rest," Ash said, returning his Legendary Pokemon. "Darkrai, may the Aura guide you!"
Ash threw out his final Pokemon. Darkrai came out of the pokeball and extended its long, black legs. It was now one on one. Ash had come too far in this tournament to lose now. In the moment, time appeared to freeze around the trainer and his Pokemon.
'Ready Ash?' Darkrai said. 'You seem shaken up by this.'
'I'm ready,' Ash said. 'I feel like I haven't come this close to a league victory since the Kalos League. I know winning isn't everything, but I feel fired up right now. Let's not fuck it up this time!'
'Well said. The last time I battled in a Pokemon League I was paired with a trainer who only saw me for my power. It's nice to stand by one who I am happy to call my friend. Let's get this started shall we?'
"Let's do this!" Ash called out with a cheer.
"Venusaur, use Leech Seed!" The Mask yelled.
"Darkrai, use Ice Beam!" Ash yelled.
Venusaur shot many green seedlings from its large flower that flew towards Darkrai, but Darkrai had fired off a light blue bean, not only stopping the seeds in their tracks, but also managing to hit Venusaur, freezing its left side. Venusaur extended a vine and plucked off a green berry from its trunk and ate it. Almost instantly, the ice melted and Venusaur was ready to battle again.
"Darkrai, let's use an Ice Beam, but aim for the tree on Venusaur's back!" The Pitch Black Pokemon did as its trainer said, getting close. Before Darkrai could use its attack however, Venusaur released a cloud of purple dust into the air, causing Darkrai to fall to the ground poisoned.
"Great work on your Poison Powder's timing Venusaur," The Mask said. "Now we just stall until Darkrai is knocked out unconscious."
"Shit!" Ash yelled. "Darkrai, we need to end this quickly! Use Ice Beam!"
"Protect!" The Mask called.
Darkrai formed another blue ball in its hand and fired a beam of ice, but the opposing Pokemon formed a blue shield, protecting it from the attack. Darkrai was enveloped by a purple glow, as it took damage from its poisoning.
'If we can't finish him off maybe we can steal one of those berries,' Ash said to Darkrai through the Aura, as a means to hide his strategy from the Mask. In a blur, Darkrai sped across the field. From the flower on its back, Venusaur fired off a large Leaf Tornado. Darkrai evaded this by flying to the left, dodging the attack altogether. As soon as it got close to Venusaur's berry-covered back, it was met by multiple vines, which moved with enough speed and force to deter Darkrai. Failing at snagging a berry, Darkrai felt the effects of the poison once more, as it dropped low to the ground in front of the Mask's Venusaur.
"Only a matter of time before your Pokemon faints," The Mask said. "I'm a strategist you know. When a victory is on the line, all that matters is that I end this battle with my Pokemon still standing."
'I can't risk using Rest again. If I do Darkrai will be a sitting duck for who knows how long,' Ash thought to himself. He observed the field, then realized that he had a shot at turning this around. "Darkrai, let's use that move we've been working on!" Ash said with a wink. Darkrai, weakened, nodded and then faded into the ground below.
"A Phantom Force, eh?" The Mask said. "No matter. Venusaur will take the hit and dish one back with even more force. That poison effect is also racking up some damage as we speak-" Below Venusaur, a large black sphere enveloped it, causing it to fall asleep. Venusaur writhed in pain as Darkrai's Bad Dreams ability kicked in, yet Darkrai was nowhere to be found. "What?!" The Mask exclaimed.
"You were close," Ash said. "It was a Phantom Force-Dark Void combination we practiced twice yesterday!"
"It's certainly unconventional," The Mask said. "Venusaur, eat one of your Lum berries!"
Venusaur extended one vine while still sleeping and plucked another green berry off its trunk, but before it could eat it, a large shadow appeared in front of the sleeping Pokemon. Bursting from the shadow at great speed was Darkrai, who snatched the berry and took off high into the sky.
"Great work Darkrai," Ash said. "Venusaur's still asleep and we have quite a bit of time. Let's use Dream Eater to get back some energy!"
Darkrai stuck out one arm, causing Venusaur to glow pink, as its energy transferred from Venusur to Darkrai. Venusaur then opened its eyes mid attack, causing Darkrai's healing process to stop short.
"Venusaur, use Frenzy Plant!" The Mask yelled.
"Darkrai, use Shadow Sneak!" Darkrai sunk into the ground, making its way towards the opponent. Venusaur sent two large vines into the earth, causing a large amount of spiked roots and vines to burst up through the surface, throwing Darkrai out from the shadow it made, causing it to land hard on the ground.
"It appears as if Darkrai is unable to battle!" The ref said. "The winner is The Ma-"
"Wait!" The Mask said. "It's not over just yet!"
"It's far from it!" Ash yelled. "Come on Darkrai! You can do it!" The mythical Pokemon hovered into the air and was enveloped in a harsh blue light. Soon, a blue being of energy resembling Ash's Mewtwo appeared beside the Pitch Black Pokemon
"What is that!?" The Mask said shielding its eyes. "I have never seen something so incredible before."
"Charge head on Darkrai! PHANTOM FORCE!"
"Venusaur, use SOLAR BEAM and FRENZY PLANT!"
While Darkrai shot across the field, it faded into the ground. Venusaur stood collecting the sun's rays while simultaneously shooting its vines into the ground, creating spiked roots that tore across the field once more. Darkrai, no longer able to utilize the ground, appeared in the sky. Venusaur fired its Solar Beam at it. Before it could make contact with Darkrai, however, the blue light left its body and reformed as a manifestation of the latest Pokemon that was knocked out by the Mask: Mewtwo. Even though Ash's Pokemon had been knocked unconscious, the manifestation nodded and took the Solar Beam head on, breaking up the beam. The manifestation of Ash's Mewtwo then restrained The Mask's Venusaur by wrapping its arms around the large Pokemon's neck, holding it in place.
"Now's our chance Darkrai! Dark Pulse!"
"Protect, Venusaur!"
The Kanto grass starter attempted to form a blue shield around itself, but due to the lingering presence of Mewtwo's Psychic energy, it was unable to form any kind of protection. From the sky, Darkrai formed a large black ball that fired off into a beam of black rings, hitting Venusaur directly in the head, knocking it to the ground.
The crowd fell silent. All were waiting for Venusaur to rise back up to its feet and allow the battle to continue. It soon became clear that Venusaur was not getting up any time soon. "VENUSAUR IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER OF THE ALL-STAR INDIGO LEAGUE TOURNAMENT IS: THE KANTO KID! THE AURA GUARDIAN! ASH KETCHUM!"
The stadium erupted with applause. Ash collapsed to his knees, shocked with disbelief. He then let out a cheer. All of the hard work he and his teammates and friends accomplished in his 21 years of life all amounted to his first ever League Victory not as Satoshi. But as Ash.
All of the betrayal brought on by his traitorous traveling partners in the past could be left behind as he finally proved to himself that he was worthy of calling himself a true Pokemon Master. The crowd flooded into the arena floor. After handing over his team of 12 to Nurse Joy on the field, all of Ash's friends and loved ones crashed into him, excited for his victory. May pulled Ash in and planted a kiss on his lips, handing over Manaphy to Ash, which prompted him to spin the Sea Prince around in the air. Ash handed their child back to May and then moved onto everyone else. Harrison, Ritchie and Gary hoisted Ash up onto their shoulders, rowdily lifting him into the air. Ash jumped down and ran to his mother and sister giving them both a large hug.
"I'm so proud of you Ash," Delia said.
"Thanks mom," Ash said.
"I haven't seen you battle that hard since the time you took me to Galar to watch you battle Alex," Alexa said, with Riolu at her side. "Glad to see this outcome was a little different."
"Ah, shut it," Ash said embracing his adopted sibling in a hug and giving her a noogie. "You're just jealous because I'm the Best!"
"Riolu!" Her partner Pokemon barked at the Champion of the Tournament, which prompted Ash to bend down and rub the Pokemon's head.
"I'm sure that we'll meet in this Tournament as opponents someday too!" The Guardian beamed at the Pokemon.
Ash made his way over to Paul and Dawn next. Dawn ran up and gave Ash a hug, which Ash returned. He then moved up to Paul. The man who was once one of his biggest rivals, who was always one step ahead of him stood there with the same smug grin on his face. He extended a hand and Ash shook it. Paul then pulled him into a 'bro-hug' and patted him on the back.
"Thanks for those encouraging words earlier," Ash said. "I was starting to forget who I truly was as a trainer."
"Of course," Paul said. "Thank you."
"For what?" Ash said.
"For being my best friend." Ash put a hand on his friend's shoulder and nodded.
Across the field The Mask kneeled down next to his Venusaur. "You did a great job today, Saur. You take a nice long rest," The Mask said, returning the Pokemon to its ball, then handing his team of 12 over to Nurse Joy. Ash crossed over to him and extended a hand. The Mask shook it and then raised Ash's arm as a sign of victory. The crowd cheered even more at this show of respect.
Before the award ceremony later in the evening, Delia met with Ash in his hotel room. "Ash," Delia said, with some hesitation in her voice, "There is something that you need to know about The Mask- I didn't know myself until before your battle. You see, the Mask and I have quite a history together…"
"I think I understand Mom," Ash said. "I know he's a trainer from Pallet town. He appears to be like a lone wanderer, who's been on his own Journey for who knows how long at this point. Hell, he even has a lot of the same Pokemon Dad had in the stories you would tell me about him. I think I know exactly who he is." Ash's mother then made a confused face.
"Look at the time!" Ash said. "I have to get to Stadium 1 for the closing ceremony! Bye Mom!"
"Ash wait-" Ash bolted out the door, leaving Delia in the hotel room. She smiled and thought to herself 'No matter how old he is, Ash will always be impulsive just like his father.' She got up out of her chair and sighed. Her expression then changed from one of content, to a frantic one. "Oh no! Ash is going to make a fool of himself!"
At Stadium One, Ash stood on the platform with his Shiny Salamence, Snorlax, Lapras, Sceptile, Lucario, Infernape, Charizard, Venusaur and Blastoise all behind him. On his shoulder was his Meowth. To his left was his Mewtwo and to his right was Darkrai, the two Pokemon that were responsible for defeating the Mask's strongest Pokemon. In his arms he held a trophy and on his head was a golden crown, bejeweled with many gemstones, which intensely glowed when placed upon his head.
"And smile for the camera!" A photographer said, taking a photo of Ash and his Pokémon.
The crowd applauded as the first ever Champion of the All-Stars tournament was crowned. Ash scanned the audience and looked towards the back of the arena and saw the Mask with a pack slung over his shoulder. As he was about to leave the Stadium, Ash returned all of his Pokemon, jumped off the stage and broke into a run to meet him at the door before he left.
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "Let's chat!"
"That was a great battle Ash. You made for quite the Rival in this tournament," The Mask said. "Tell me, what exactly was that power that surrounded Darkrai when it came so close to fainting? I have never seen anything like it."
"Oh that?" Ash said. "I would like to think that it represents the bond that my two Ace legendary Pokemon share. Two misfits brought together by one trainer, that all seek to gain redemption and better the world."
"Wow. That's truly fascinating," The Mask said.
"Nah, I'm just shitting yah," Ash said chuckling. "Kind of, at least. Before Mewtwo was knocked out it had used a prolonged Future Sight attack that took into effect once Darkrai was at its weakest. It was pretty risky, but I knew it would be a wicked powerful combination."
"I would have never considered a gutsy strategy like that. You truly are the Greatest Champion in the Pokemon World, Ash Ketchum. I see a lot of your father in you. It has been a pleasure meeting you, but for now my journey must bring me elsewhere for the time being." The Mask then turned and tried to leave the arena once more.
"Where do you think you're going? Stay for the festival!"
"I'm afraid I can't Ash," The Mask said. There's some business I have to attend to. And it's rather important that I see to it."
"Why? We had a deal, remember?" Ash said. "I defeated you in this tournament so you're supposed to help me out when this new war breaks out."
"I will stay true to my promise when the time comes, Ash," The Mask said. "But there is something important I have to do first, and unfortunately I cannot share it with you at this time."
The man turned to leave once more, but Ash reached out and grabbed his arm. "I'm not letting you leave us. You already left my mom and I once before and I used to hate you for it! And now that you're back and you're just going to leave again! What are you running away from? I'm your son, God damnit!"
"What?" The Mask said. "Ash, I'm afraid you're mistaken-"
The Mask was cut off, as a large explosion shook the arena, sending the crowd into a panic. The Mask's and Ash's eyes glowed blue. "They're here!" The two Aura Guardians said simultaneously.
Author's Note- The looming danger has struck the Indigo Plateau! Who is behind all of this? Find out in the next chapter of The Aura Guardian!
-KA
