The arc of lightning struck the ceiling of the gym and came crashing onto the battleground. The yellow light flashed vigorously, electrifying anything within its vicinity to a crisp. The mere impact sent a disruptive wind throughout the gym like ripples forming in water. The sheer force from Raichu's Thunderbolt was amazing but Aura's resolve was unwavering.
As the tension thickened and the air between Ash and Lt. Surge smelt of ozone, it was obvious that the electric gym leader was the stronger of the two. Everyone in the audience understood and easily deduced this from a simple observation of the current battle. Yet Lt. Surge was the only one confused and blinded by Raichu's attack. The lieutenant stared at the battered Aura across from him and keenly observed the pokemon's current state.
Raichu's aim was slightly off target but he still delivered a fully powered Thunderbolt at Aura. Yet there stood Ash's pokemon. Albeit, Aura seemed to have gone through hell and back from the attack. Yet the question still remains a mystery. How did Aura survive the attack?
The root of the mystery lies within Aura himself and the answer was not as shortsighted or simple as mere willpower. Riolus and Lucarios are intelligent. They may not be the smartest but they have a natural understanding of the emotions and body language of those around them. They would not be called the aura pokemon if they did not have this rudimentary skill set.
Although Aura was no longer capable of manifesting his own aura, this did not exempt him from sensing aura which in most cases, was spiritual energy that represented one's emotions. Aura was able to sense the smoldering anger in Lt. Surge. The fierce devotion in Raichu. And of course, his emotionally conflicted trainer, Ash.
Aura had nothing but respect and loyalty for Ash but he knew they were both still young and inexperienced. There would be times in their journey where hardships would push them into corners. Trap them and rob them of their confidence. As much of a gifted trainer Aura believed Ash to be, a journey would not be a journey if all you did was beat all eight gym leaders and win the League. That would be a children's game.
Instead, a journey has many highs and lows. In one moment, chains of success will come one after another and in the next moment, failure halts your progress. Aura knew Ash was currently at a low since the S.S. Anne. It was evident during the team's training in Pallet Town. There was no goal during training or strategic learning to counter Lt. Surge's fighting style. Just mindless conditioning, learning random new moves and the occasional watching of Lt. Surge's previous fights.
To make up for Ash's current lack in ability to lead, Aura had to adapt to ensure their chances of victory would not be zero. Which is why, seconds prior to Raichu's Thunderbolt, Aura predicted his downfall and used Endure despite not being given the order. Although taking considerable damage, he has managed to extend his time on the battlegrounds for a few seconds longer.
"Riolu." Aura momentarily averted his attention to Ash. His obvious wincing and twitchy movements were telling signs of damage and Paralysis but his resolve kept him grounded.
"Are you okay Aura?" Concerned was laced in Ash's expression as he called out. Even he was surprised that Aura was still standing. But unlike Lt. Surge, he witnessed what Aura did and was ironically not blinded by Raichu's attack.
A slight nod was all Ash needed from Aura to know he was ready to fight. Along with Aura taking his battle stance, Ash came to a sudden realization that he was fortunate to have pokemon like Aura on his side. In a way, he was quite envious of their mental fortitude but was glad they were here to support him.
Fueled by this sudden appearance of gratitude and Aura's calculated persistence, Ash was able to regain his senses. The disappointment of wasting his pokemon's efforts pushed him to do his best. Or at least try to.
"You got a tough knucklehead. Too bad we're gonna finish him off." Lt. Surge complimented. "Raichu! Another Thunderbolt!"
"Aura, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered. Knowing Aura would not be able to outspeed the attack, especially under Paralysis, Ash opted for Quick Attack due to its priority characteristic.
Aura barely dodged the incoming attack. If he were to have hesitated for an instance, the cackling heat would have completely decimated him. Fortunately, Aura focused on his target and zoomed past the lightning. Even with the handicap of Paralysis, Aura's body seemed to have flickered from one spot to the next, the fruits of his conditioning over the month.
But the split second exchange of Raichu's Thunderbolt and Aura's Quick Attack took a turn for the worse. Despite the mental recovery, luck was not on the rookie team's side. Aura's physical attack resulted with a successful hit but it did little to even faze the veteran Raichu. To make matters worse, Aura's Paralysis struck him at the worst possible moment, right in front of Raichu.
"Raichu! Mega Punch!" Lt. Surge shouted in a slight panic. He was not expecting Aura to approach Raichu with such explosive speed.
Wasting no time, Raichu charged his fist until it glowed a bright white before striking Aura. Like a boxer jamming his fist at their opponent, the only thing the jackal pokemon could do before getting hit was hold up his arms in defense. Regardless, Aura was sent back to the other side of the battlefield in a rather harsh manner.
Ash grit his teeth as Aura landed in front of him. Aura was unconscious which symbolized the loss of another bout.
"Aura has fainted. The winner of this bout goes to Lt. Surge!" The referee announced. A boring round of applause can be heard from the audience, almost as if they saw the defeat coming miles away.
"This is just painful to watch at this point. Lt. Surge's Raichu seems to be on a whole other level." Serena sadly pointed out. "I hate to say it but I don't know how Ash is going to win this one."
"He's going to have to dig really deep to beat that Raichu." Brock commented.
"Your Riolu has heart, Ash. He was able to land a hit even with being half blind." Lt. Surge said. "Can only hope he's in the right hands."
Ignoring the electric gym leader's jab, Ash took the next few seconds to recollect his thoughts. Aura's defeat served as a catalyst to get his act together. Taking in his current situation, Ash realized how unprepared he was for this battle. In his previous gym battles, he has always thought further ahead. With Brock, Ash taught his pokemon certain moves that proved detrimental to his victory. With Misty, Ash took advantage of Pikachu's static and strategically took her pokemon down.
But with Lt. Surge, Ash felt overwhelmed. The lieutenant's Raichu was the perfect counter to his team that heavily relied on speed and physical attacks. Yet, it would be wrong to say Ash was completely helpless.
Raichu was definitely not fighting in pique condition. Not only has he had to battle Dusty and Aura, arguably two of Ash's stronger members of the team, he has had to endure fighting several other trainers before Ash. Raichu's endurance depended on how intense Ash was willing to fight. The fact that Lt. Surge was using a hit and run tactic to conserve Raichu's energy only proved that endurance played a factor in this battle. A true battle of attrition.
"Pikachu! I choose you!" Ash released a pokeball in the air and out came the yellow rodent. He felt slightly guilty as Pikachu stared at his opponent. Ash only wanted the best for his little friend and it would be ideal if Pikachu could beat Raichu. Unfortunately, Pikachu's purpose in this battle was just to wear down Raichu. To pave a wider path that led to victory for Ash's remaining pokemon. In the grand scheme of the battle, Pikachu was fodder.
"Interesting. A Pikachu, eh?" Lt. Surge observed, being a proud Pikachu owner himself sometime in the distant past. He found it peculiar that Ash's Pikachu immediately took a quadrupedal stance.
"Rai… Raichu…" Lt. Surge's Raichu glared at Pikachu.
"Piiikaaa." Pikachu growled with slight uncertainty at his senior but returned the glare with one of his own.
"Begin!" The referee commenced.
"Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge gave the order. Raichu's cheeks sparked before unleashing a devastating zap of heat towards Pikachu.
"Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash shouted. Pikachu flexed his arms in anticipation and pushed to the side, almost effectively rolling out of the way of the attack. Raichu's Thunderbolt managed to hit Pikachu's tail but Pikachu seemed relatively fine. Only a small burn mark was made apparent.
"Well, that's one way to dodge." Lt. Surge tried to scrutinize the current situation. He was up against a Pikachu with a unique fighting style. Instead of heavily relying on its legs, Ash's Pikachu was taking advantage of its nimble upper body to dodge.
"Pikachu, Thundershock!"
Small bolts of lightning sparked around Pikachu before he unleashed a zap of concentrated heat.
"Raichu, push it away." Lt. Surge ordered through grit teeth. It was not as though Raichu deflecting the attack was ideal. Rather, if it went Lt. Surge's way, he would have Raichu dodge instead. But the lightning strike came astonishingly fast.
Raichu stared intently at the incoming lightning. He clenched the muscles in his hand while keeping complete focus on his next few movements. Tensing at the millisecond before Pikachu's attack made contact, Raichu forcefully absorbed the searing heat and redirected it to the ceiling.
The technique was impressive and everyone in the gym understood that redirecting lightning was no easy feat. It only made most of them pity Ash as he was the one facing such a decorated gym leader.
"Oh yikes… The training Raichu must have had to go through to deflect literal electricity." Serena said.
Yet, despite the audience's lack of support for Ash's potential victory, Ash seemed to have finally reached a comfortable flow in the battle. He was beginning to grow perceptive of Lt. Surge and Raichu's every action, recognizing minor details that bystanders would not have noticed.
In Ash's eyes, he could see that Raichu was uncomfortable with deflecting Pikachu's attack. The facade of rigid hand movements that Raichu displayed to hide the trembling was successful to all but Ash.
The sudden enhancement to Ash's aptitude also helped in boosting his own confidence. Neglecting the negative emotions that hindered his abilities, Ash became solely obsessed with the current battle. This hyper focusness is called the zone. So they say at least.
"Pikachu! Thundershock!" Ash shouted. Not intimidated by Raichu's demonstration of technique, Pikachu prepared another attack.
"Pika… CHUUU!" Pikachu shouted alongside his attack. A large arc of lightning, similar to Raichu's Thunderbolt, brightly arced through the air and zigzagged straight towards Raichu. As Thunderbolt is in every way better than Thundershock, the incoming attack was also much faster to Lt. Surge's dismay.
"Thunderbolt?!" Ash said with amazement. "I guess all that repetitive Thundershock training paid off…"
"Shove it aside!" Lt. Surge shouted with urgency. As much as he hated giving the command, he knew that getting nicked while dodging was much worse when conserving energy.
Mimicking his prior actions, Raichu anticipated the Thunderbolt, this time taking a deep breath before changing its route back to Pikachu.
"Pikachu! Dodge it!" Ash called out. Pikachu once again rolled out of harm's way, this time, completely dodging the plasma projectile. This was mainly due to Raichu's redirection not being completely efficient in the transfer of electricity. Therefore, the velocity at which the redirection shot was drastically slower than the original attack.
"Pikachu, keep it up, Thunderbolt!" Ash encouraged the continuation of electric attacks.
"Raichu! Change of plans, deflect it back and charge in with Mega Punch!" Lt. Surge quickly adapted.
Once again, Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt. The lightning raced towards Raichu but the evolved rodent returned the attack with his sore hands. The redirected attack missed its mark, landing in front of Pikachu rather than at him. But without missing a beat, Raichu used his impressive speed to close the distance.
Shocked at finally seeing Raichu move in such a fast manner, Ash could only shout the first thing that came to mind. "Quick Attack!"
Without hesitation or fear of overexerting his legs, Pikachu bursted from his initial position to meet Raichu head on. In the moment before the clash, Ash winced at the inevitable moment that Raichu would come out victorious.
Pikachu dashed ahead, using his legs to propel him forward. A look of determination was plastered on his face. Although the Team Rocket incident in Viridian Forest was weeks ago, he could still feel the immediate symptoms already affecting his body. His legs grew tighter after each stride. The fatigue was already kicking in after each breath. But the strength in his eyes did not fade one bit.
To Pikachu, hard work pays off. The fact he was a few weeks into his recovery and battling a Raichu was more than enough evidence that he was doing something right.
It came as no surprise that Pikachu managed to initiate contact with Raichu. Quick Attack was a priority attack that usually hit first. Landing a solid hit was all Pikachu managed but what felt significant to Pikachu were just stepping stones for what Raichu saw. However, what was a surprise was Raichu's sudden halt to Mega Punch.
Raichu's glowing fist stopped midway, inches away from impact. Likewise, Pikachu also fell flatly against the battlefield. His limbs were sprawled out as his right foot was twitching from intense cramping.
"Tch. Should've known. Your Pikachu's ability is Static isn't it?" Lt. Surge watched the paralyzed pokemon. "When you have the chance Raichu! Use Mega Punch!"
"I concede this round!" Ash yelled out at the ref. Electrical sparks appeared on both Pikachu and Raichu as they stared vehemently at each other. Both wanting to move so badly but unable to due to their physical condition. "I forfeit this round."
Ash racked his brain at the potential strategies he could do against Raichu. Despite Pikachu's short lived effort, he was able to greatly increase his chances of winning. With the infliction of damage and Paralysis, Pikachu exceeded Ash's expectations. His only regret was telling Pikachu to use Quick Attack. Instead, another Thunderbolt would have set Raichu off balance and most likely allow Pikachu more time to wear down Raichu before finishing with Quick Attack. Regardless, the outcome was still in Ash's favor.
"Ash has forfeited this bout. The winner of this bout goes to Lt. Surge!" The referee repeated mundanely. Another obligatory round of applause echoed within the gym.
Every trainer who was watching the fight still fancied the idea that Lt. Surge was going to run over Ash with just his Raichu. And who is to blame them? They had every right and evidence to believe so. No matter what angle this fight is seen at, Lt. Surge held all the advantages. Strength, speed, strategy. Ash's only advantage was in quantity but he himself will argue that quality beats quantity any day.
Yet the mental battle between Ash and Lt. Surge was beginning to tip in the favor of Ash. This was mainly due to their mindsets in the battle. Where Ash would see that his pokemon are not totally at the mercy of Raichu, his confidence will only skyrocket the more progress he makes. Meanwhile, Lt. Surge's sole champion will continuously tire, demoralizing even the toughest of trainers as the battle rages on.
In this scenario, Ash might just have what it takes to beat Lt. Surge.
"Homura, come on out!" Ash released the fiery lizard from his pokeball. The golden Charmander made his entrance with a timid look on his face. He nervously stared at the floor, shifting his toes and being completely ignorant of the menacing Raichu in front of him.
"A yellow Charmander?"
"No stupid, it's golden."
"What a weird color, aren't they supposed to be orange?"
"Maybe it's a birth defect?"
"Who knows…"
"I have to say, not only is your team well balanced and weak, but your pokemon seem to be… what is it? Weird." Lt. Surge commented. "I have heard of different colored pokemon but this is my first time seeing one."
"Weird or not, we're still coming for that badge. Right Homura?" Ash asked his one of a kind friend.
"CHARrrrrr…" Homura half shouted. When he lifted his head to announce his answer was when he first made contact with Raichu. The large electric rodent made Homura want to surrender on the spot and jump back into his pokeball.
"Hm… Haha!" Lt. Surge smiled and laughed for the first time in the entire fight. Homura's passive nature seemed to have elicited a laugh from not only the lieutenant but also a few chuckles from the audience.
The light laughter made Homura want to curl into a ball and hide. But one look at Ash's determined demeanor was enough for him to stay and fight.
Regardless, the referee began the fourth bout between Ash and Lt. Surge. "Begin!"
"Homura! Ember!" Ash reacted. Taking advantage of Raichu's decreased speed, Homura was able to take the first attack. A small swirl of fire was shot at the weary Raichu.
"Raichu! Dodge it!" Lt. Surge warned. But even with the warning, Raichu was unable to move. His paralysis struck him at the beginning of the round, completely immobilizing him.
This allowed the orange flames to make direct contact with Raichu, searing his upper body and left shoulder. Yet the electric veteran stood his ground, only wincing at the pain.
"Raichu, are you okay?" Lt. Surge asked with a clenched jaw. He was beginning to take note how much of a threat Homura was, under Raichu's current condition. Most of Ash's pokemon have a clear affinity to physical and speedy attacks or some mix of the two. But in the case of Homura and Pikachu, they were more comfortable striking at a distance. Because Raichu had the chance of Paralysis completely halting his movements, special attacks were extremely effective.
"Raichu, let's fire back with Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge said.
"Hit them with another Ember, Homura! Don't give them time to think!" Ash urged. He wanted to end this fight with Homura as it would leave a lasting boost of permanent confidence that the fiery lizard could make good use of in the future.
Small embers traced themselves to Raichu only to be violently split in half by Thunderbolt. The lightning attack made a beeline for Homura, cackling as it approached the fearful lizard.
"Homura! Use Dragon Ra—" Ash tried to communicate an order but it was cut short, Thunderbolt was already a few feet away and a plume of smoke and dust erupted from the collision.
"Oh no! Poor Homura. I hope he's okay." Serena commented with worry.
"Homura! Change your position in the smoke! Use Dragon Rage!" Ash repeated.
"Whaaat?" Serena said incredulously. "Homura just got hit with Thunderbolt. How does Ash expect him to immediately counter attack?"
"Well, Homura didn't really get hit with Thunderbolt." Brock stated as if it was obvious.
"But the, the… what… t-the… the… SMOKE!" Serena finally stuttered out.
"Yeah exactly. We've been seeing Electric attacks throughout the entire battle. Has a single one of them caused smoke to blow up out of nowhere?" Brock asked Serena as he slowly put her on the right train of thought.
"No…?" Serena answered with uncertainty. To be honest, she could not quite remember all the attacks and their outcomes but something told her she was saying the correct answer.
"Right." Brock confirmed. "Usually when two attacks collide, smoke comes out when neither attacks is stronger than the other."
"So Homura was able to use an attack to cancel out Thunderbolt?" Serena said hopefully.
"The short answer, yes. But Homura did get hurt in the process." Brock replied. "As the collision of Dragon Rage and Thunderbolt were much closer to him."
"Wait, I'm still confused. If Homura got hurt by the collision, how is he expected to still attack?" Serena asked further.
"Well, for us, as in humans, it may feel like an explosion could kill anyone. Which is true. But these are pokemon we're talking about." Brock said. "They play around, tossing millions of volts called Thunderbolt and Thundershock at each other for the good sport of battling. A measly explosion isn't going to hurt much. Maybe just a scratch."
"Oh…" Serena said as she was reminded that pokemon were much sturdier than weak humans like herself.
Blue flames billowed out of the black smoke. It licked the battlefield and ate all life in its path. So were the flames of a dragon.
"Raichu! Get out of the way!" Lt. Surge shouted. With a stroke of luck, Raichu bolted to the side, dodging the attack with relative ease.
"We're at the advantage, keep moving in the smoke and use Ember!" Ash quickly adapted and made the most out of the hazy cloak concealing Homura. Small flames whizzed out of the smoke like debris from an erupting volcano.
Raichu took note of the incoming projectiles and began calculating his movements. Like a true veteran soldier, Raichu noticed the first of the Embers coming to his left. Relying on his speed, Raichu sidestepped to the right, trying to dodge the attacks with minimal movement.
The first few attacks were not necessarily hard to evade but it would only be a matter of time until Paralysis would immobilize Raichu and ruin his rhythm.
Raichu rolled to his left to dodge another Ember, only to put him in the path of more incoming flames. His intentions were to jump but the sudden resistance from Paralysis did not allow him. Instead, Raichu had to improvise and shoot a Thundershock to cancel the attack.
Meanwhile, Lt. Surge, for the first time in the course of this battle, was at a loss of what to do. Raichu was buying time, waiting for his next move but nothing was coming to mind to combat this onslaught of attacks. Options like evading until the smoke dissipated, charging in or blindly attacking the smoke came to mind but they were all high energy usage. There was not a clear answer in Lt. Surge's favor.
Time was of the essence for Lt. Surge as he watched as Raichu was slowly getting overwhelmed. The tables have turned against him. He was too lenient throughout the battle. Too overconfident in the gap of strength between Ash and him. And he was not the only one who noticed his future downfall. Interestingly, he was actually one of the last to notice it. All the trainers who were bearing witness to this battle saw Ash approach victory in strides. Truth be told, they were rooting for the underdog and were more invested in the battle than before.
"Raichu!" Lt. Surge finally made up his mind.
"Rai!" Raichu acknowledged as another Ember singed his tail.
"I was hoping to use this later but you're forcing my hand here kid." Lt. Surge muttered to himself. "Raichu! Use Discharge!"
"Discharge?" Ash said with a perplexed tone. It took a few moments for Ash to process the attack before realizing Homura was in harm's way.
Raichu's body sparked with a bright light as he charged his entire body with cackling electricity. The violent display of raw power was so devastating, the ground around Raichu was beginning to crack. But even as he continued to accumulate electricity, Homura's Embers were constantly bombarding Raichu.
"Homura! Dragon Rage!" Ash yelled. Knowing full well that Discharge was a wide area of attack, Ash was hoping Dragon Rage would be able to provide a sort of protection for any lightning that came Homura's way.
But what led was a series of unfortunate events.
"RAI...CHUUU!" Raichu screamed in anger as the entire gym was brightly lit up with hazardous lightning. A terrifying rip could be heard as the battlegrounds were literally being torn up. Debris flew into the air, only to be pushed back by the force of Raichu's bolts. Homura's Dragon Rage served nothing more as an obstacle as it absorbed the initial attacks and proceeded to be overpowered and shredded into nothingness. The black smoke that proved to be a helpful cloak only evaporated as it seemed nothing could stop the attack.
"Homura!" Ash called out. When the attack first illuminated the gym, Ash was already covering his eyes, unable to see anything that was happening. But even then, he called out because he was worried about Homura. The attack was meant for Homura after all.
The attack could be described as a miniature thunderstorm with no clouds. Its sole generator was Raichu at the epicenter. People and Pokemon already fear a thunderstorm thousands of yards in the air. How would they feel if the thunderstorm was only a dozen yards away from them?
The seconds it took for Raichu's Discharge to finally recede felt like hours. The piercing light became dimmer and allowed everyone in the gym to view the outcome of the attack. The usually flat battleground became irregular and uneven from the damage it just sustained. Noticeable cracks where the electricity flowed can be seen and small craters littering the ground were the result of lightning strikes running amok.
Amazingly, Raichu still stood. He was very much tired, evident in his heavy breathing and various burn marks around his body. But he was definitely not out for the count.
Yet the same could be said about Homura. Electric sparks covered his body; distasteful souvenirs from Raichu's Discharge. His legs were shaking and his eyes shut tight. He held his arms up in a similar fashion to how Aura blocks with his arms. At first, it seemed as though Homura was a bit unbalanced. Staggering backwards and swaying from side to side, he was having trouble finding his equilibrium. But after a few more moments of uncertainty, Homura found it in himself to stabilize and his ability Blaze began to kick in.
Homura opened his eyes to reveal the childish introvert was gone. Momentarily tucked away for later, the ability Blaze fueled Homura. His fiery strength heightened and his determination to win was ever more prevalent. Even his flaming tail seemed more lively and wild than ever.
A loud round of applause exploded from the audience. Different from the previous obligatory applause, this time, it seemed as though the crowd had become particularly invested in Ash's potential victory and Homura.
"Holy shit, that Charmander is still standing." Someone pointed out.
"I hope the rookie wins, it'll really put a stop to Lt. Surge's recent win streak." Another said.
"Keep it up rookie!" Someone else hollered.
The audience's cheering was not something Ash was used to. It made him feel a bit embarrassed at the sudden support and attention. But weirdly enough, it made him feel more comfortable knowing that people were rooting for him, even if he did not know all of them.
"Homura? Can you hear me?" Ash asked tentatively. He has read and seen many times the effects of Blaze. According to Professor Oak himself, Blaze is an ability that affects all fire type pokemons differently. The worst case scenario would be if Homura went berserk and refused to listen to anything he said.
"CHAR!" Homura goofily smiled back at Ash. A sigh of relief exitted Ash as he realized Blaze had a more positive impact on Homura. He did not know what he would do if things went south.
"Okay Homura. It's your first time using Blaze. Let's try to take things slow." Ash said cautiously. "Let's start with an Ember!"
Homura's mouth overflowed with fire before launching what looked like a weaker version of Flamethrower.
"Raichu, get out of the way." Lt. Surge shouted. Raichu complied and leapt to the side, successfully dodging the flaming attack.
The searing fire missed Raichu but the warmth emanating from it could still be felt and the heat waves oozing off of it seemed unfriendly. Based on instinct alone, Raichu and Lt. Surge knew that getting hit by Homura's Ember would not be ideal.
"Homura, Ember once more!" Ash said again.
"Raichu, let's take the fight to them. Quick Attack!" Lt. Surge decided. This way, Homura would be forced to fight more physically rather than rely on its deadly Ember.
"Homura, forget Ember and prepare Metal Claw!" Ash quickly changed his mind. One would think the sight of Homura switching attacks midway may appear odd but in Homura's case with Blaze active, it was quite the sight to behold.
Because Homura stopped Ember halfway, literal flames dripped from his mouth and onto the ground. Hardening his claws and staring straight at Raichu, he seemed like the evil version of a particular superhero who also had metal claws protrude out of his hands.
Raichu came in close and shoved Homura a foot back. Still in attacking range, Homura swiped with his claws, landing a solid blow on Raichu's sternum.
"Raichu! Mega Punch!" Lt. Surge yelled.
"Avoid the fist using Mega Punch! Grab his other hand and don't let go!" Ash countered on the spot. Homura lashed out at Raichu's hand and held on tightly. Like an anchor, Homura weighed down Raichu's body, making him fall while forcing the swing of the Mega Punch to narrowly miss. This maneuver was only possible due to Raichu being extremely fatigued.
"Homura! Use Ember!" Ash shouted. Homura managed to perfectly position himself behind Raichu after his fall. The deadly flames already spilling out of his mouth, Homura prepared his attack.
"Ash might actually do this…" Serena looked on in wonder. She began tapping Brock's arm more rapidly as her excitement began to bubble. "Ash might do this."
Like Serena, the rest of the audience was losing their minds. A rookie team was going to beat Raichu and Lt. Surge. Their enthusiastic investment and their energetic cheers to see someone finally win was getting the better of them. Mentally, they were all supporting Ash to win.
"Raichu… Iron Tail!" Lt. Surge gave out an order.
There is a feeling in the world. Almost everyone knows it, or has experienced it in some shape or way. The easy way to define it is adrenaline but it is something much more than just adrenaline. That moment when you see something and believe in it with all your heart. You become sucked into it so much, you begin to go blind of what might occur. You bring your hopes up as you truly believe something will happen. This intense feeling rises in you so quickly, you often get lost in the moment and forget the few seconds that elicited this certain high from within.
But because you forget and stupidly trust in whatever you believe so faithfully, your lack of common sense fails to remember the possibility that other things may occur. And in the times when these other things do occur, your feeling of victory and adrenaline becomes that much further away from you. They become out of reach.
Raichu, although still on the ground, hardened his tail with a flick. The metallic glint shined in the light before disappearing. He rolled on the floor and spun his body on the ground. His movements mimicked a break dancer spinning with his hands. His tail flickered from one end to the other in less than a second.
Unable to get a clear shot, Homura hesitated to fire his Ember, though this would only be the beginning of his defeat.
As Raichu generated more momentum in his sporadic movement, the faster his tail flickered. And like a whip cackling in the air, Raichu's Iron Tail viciously landed directly on Homura's cheek, forcefully diverting the flames.
"Homura! Back up! Get out of range from his tail!" Ash tried to warn but Lt. Surge was already ahead of him.
"Raichu, Slam!" Lt. Surge saw his victory out of this debacle. Raichu stopped his metallic attacks and smoothly transitioned into a Slam. The blunt hit knocked Homura to the ground. "Mega Kick!"
The final moments of Homura's determination laid to waste as Raichu's Mega Kick instantly knocked him out. His rise to the occasion and near victory performance was not something to be taken lightly. Yet a loss is a loss and Homura's victory was the false hope everyone believed in.
The audience all groaned in frustration. They truly believed Homura was going to win but the opposite happened instead.
"Oh...! That was so close." Serena moaned as her heart pumped a million miles per hour. "Ash must feel completely—huh?!"
"DON'T SWEAT IT ASH! YOU STILL GOT ONE MORE POKEMON!" Brock screamed out. Throughout the entire bout, Brock has mostly kept to himself but he also believed Homura would win. Yet his current mindset was looking at the larger picture. Ash may have lost the bout, but the battle was not over. Far from it. It was too early to think of defeat.
"Yeah! You still got this in the bag!"
"Keep pushing Ash!"
It was obvious that the audience was on Ash's side. They wanted the underdog of this fight to win.
"Uhm… Charmander is unable to battle. The victor of this bout goes to Lt. Surge and Raichu." The referee announced.
Ash and Lt. Surge both stared at each other. Unlike the end of previous bouts, they exchanged no words to each other as their eyes said everything. In this battle, they were two trainers that were gunning for the win.
"Luna! Let's give them a run for their money!" Ash shouted with much more vigour than when he initially started. A flick of his wrist allowed Luna to make her appearance.
"NIIIDO!" Luna screamed with energy. Her boisterous attitude and eagerness to fight was oozing off of her. Even after sizing up Raichu, Luna was not deterred in giving it her all. Rather she noticed Raichu's strength and was more keen on initiating the battle.
"That's a big Nidoran! What are you feeding her?" Lt. Surge muttered under his breath. People in the audience were also whispering about the size of Luna.
"Is that a normal size?"
"Look at her legs, they look abnormally huge…"
"I wonder how big Luna would get?" Serena asked amidst all the questions.
"If I had to guess, probably bigger than a Nidoking if Ash decides to let her become a Nidoqueen." Brock guessed.
"Really? That's huge." Serena looked at Brock incredulously.
"I mean look at her now, she's been growing ever since Ash caught her and she's showing no signs of stopping." Brock relayed his observations.
The referee silently looked at both Ash and Lt. Surge, gauging whether they were ready. Raising his hand, he quickly brought it down. "Begin!"
"Raichu! Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge jumped the first turn. But despite this, Paralysis hindered Raichu's ability to take action.
"Luna! Get in close!" Ash prompted Luna to run.
Luna, with as much speed as she could muster, began sprinting at Raichu who was anticipating her.
"Tsk, Raichu incoming. Zip out of there." Lt. Surge warned. Given Raichu's current state, the last thing Lt. Surge wanted was for Raichu to sustain more damage. He was not sure Raichu would have enough endurance if he continued to get physical.
Raichu shook his head in understanding before running off to the side and avoiding Luna.
"Luna! Keep up the pressure, when you get close use Double Kick!" Ash encouraged. "Paralysis is bound to make them stop moving sooner or later."
Lt. Surge clicked his tongue at how annoyingly true Ash's words were. Raichu may be faster than Luna but Raichu was on his last leg. He was tired and beat and Luna was fresh out of her pokeball. The experience gap between both pokemon was the only advantage Lt. Surge had over Ash but due to the many handicaps on Raichu, it was going to be a close finale.
"Raichu, Mega Punch!" Lt. Surge randomly called out, hoping to catch Ash off guard. Although Ash was taken by surprise, Luna was more than happy to take the hit. Being a larger pokemon allowed her to have a larger surface area and therefore absorb the punch with much more ease.
"Nido…" Luna smirked devilishly at the shocked Raichu. Twisting her body and launching her hips into the air, Luna managed to land her first Double Kick squarely on Raichu's shoulder.
"Raai…" Raichu grunted in pain. Expecting the second kick to come soon, Raichu raised his hand and tried to catch the kick.
"NIDO!" Luna shouted her warcry. The kick was much heavier than Raichu expected, causing him to struggle against it. Ultimately, Luna won the power struggle and pushed Raichu back.
"Raichu, Iron Tail!" Lt. Surge said, hoping to have a replay of prior events.
"Luna! Bite the tail!" Ash quickly adjusted to Lt. Surge's tactics.
Raichu only had enough time to form the metallic glint on his tail before Luna quickly grabbed a mouthful of it.
"What is up with this kid?" Lt. Surge quietly spoke to himself. At the beginning of the battle, Ash was a rookie trainer who did not know what he was getting himself into in Lt. Surge's eyes. Mindlessly poking around Team Rocket as if he did not know it was a sleeping Ursaring that could kill him.
But as they continued with their extensive battle, Lt. Surge was beginning to see something much more than a half blind trainer that did not know what he was doing. He was beginning to see the makings of a diamond in the rough. Undoubtedly, Ash had his flaws but he was still early in his journey. The fact that he was able to plan accordingly on the whim and follow through with them was more than what the majority of trainers could do. Heck, even Gary did not have as much potential as Ash.
"You're bringing up some real monsters to the pokemon world Sam…" Lt. Surge spoke his mind. Disregarding his thoughts on Ash and Gary, Lt. Surge regained his focus on the current battle. "Raichu, struggle out of there. We don't want a physical fight with that Nidoran!"
The two combatants began a tug of war, each giving it their all to overpower one another.
"Keep holding Luna! Raichu can't maintain Iron Tail forever! Hold it until it's gone!" Ash reinforced Luna's conviction. Even after seeing Raichu's Static ability affect Luna, Luna was not letting go.
"NIII!" Luna grunted while struggling against Raichu. Despite Raichu being weakened from previous fights, it seemed his strength and endurance was endless. He was putting up a fight to free his tail, using all his limbs in hopes of pushing Luna off.
"Raiii…"
The power struggle continued but was going nowhere. They were too evenly matched in terms of strength as they were stuck in a stalemate.
But in this short competition of strength, Ash was more than happy as long as Luna held on until Iron Tail wore off. Yet Luna was not content with her efforts. If she was not winning, she was losing. Her simple and straightforward thinking found it hard to grasp the idea that being stuck in a stalemate was winning. After all, in a pokemon battle, if your opponent is not fainting, then there is no clear winner.
Luna's thirst to win was empowering her mentally and physically. She desperately wanted to win. To experience what victory felt like. Was it as exciting as Aura described it to be? Or was it as scary as Homura felt during the fight with Misty? Luna wanted to know, and she was not going to let her curiosity continue.
"Ni… Nido…" Luna began to hyperventilate as she felt something rising from within her. She felt her senses grow sharper and a sudden surge of power rising from within. Amidst her sudden change in strength, she found it within herself to overwhelm Raichu and smash him into the ground.
"Ni… Nido… Nido…" Luna began to moan. Her body glowed a bright white as her figure began to change. Her nose grew out longer, developing more of a profound snout. Her single buck tooth disappeared, replaced with sharp fangs that could pierce copper. The small, poisonless horns on her back grew proportionally longer alongside her overall body.
"Is that Nidoran…"
"Wow, at a time like this…"
"Nido! Nidorina!" Luna shouted out loud. As if her pre-evolution form was not impressive in size, Luna's Nidorina form was amazingly large. At the size she was now, she was almost the same size as a small Nidoqueen.
"Luna just evolved!" Serena incredulously said. "Wow, look at her. Her large frame really makes her a one of a kind."
"Now I really want to see how big she will get when she's a Nidoqueen." Brock curiously said.
"Aw shit." Lt. Surge said under his breath. There was no way this was going to be an easy fight. Lt. Surge was already considering the ways he could lose to this gargantuan Nidorina and Ash and it was not looking pleasant. If things were to continue with Luna and Raichu constantly struggling with brute force, Lt. Surge knew there was no way he was going to win. If he wants to win, he will have to gamble some of his next moves and hope for the best. To lose it all in the long run or give it his all now were his only options. Lt. Surge stared at Luna's horns and chose the latter.
"Raichu… we're changing to Plan B." Lt. Surge said. "It's not going to look good for you, but let's hope we make it through."
"Luna, don't give them the chance to attack from a distance. Get in close and use Double Kick!" Ash shouted.
Luna, eager to achieve victory, mindlessly ran towards Raichu.
"Raichu…" Lt. Surge purposely stalled his move. He wanted to make sure Luna was committed to her attack and Ash could not make any changes. "Raichu, Quick Attack to evade the first kick!"
As Luna launched her body into the air and twisted her body to kick, Raichu ducked and used Quick Attack underneath Luna, missing the kick by only a hair length. Luna's second kick missed horribly as there was no target to hit.
"Luna, remember, we don't want Raichu to be too far from us. Keep chasing him!" Ash reminded.
"Nido." Luna nodded her head in understanding before running after Raichu. The plan was to tire Raichu out and finish him. Luna lacked powerful finisher moves so it was important to drain Raichu to a point where even the slightest nudge would make him faint.
"Raichu! Let's give them what they want! Slam into them!" Lt. Surge played his first risky move. Raichu pivoted off his heels and pushed off his hind legs to make contact with Luna. Of course, if Raichu was full of energy, Luna would be pushed back and hurt from the bruise on her chest but instead, he was running on fumes. The attack was just a means to get closer to Luna and make it look as though Raichu was trying to fight.
A lie of sorts. But in reality, Lt. Surge had a riskier plan in mind.
"Meet Raichu with Tackle!" Ash shouted, completely falling for Lt. Surge's trap.
"Raichu! Grab onto Luna and hold on for dear life!" Lt. Surge immediately countered.
After meeting Luna head on, Raichu latched onto one of Luna's horns and gripped it as tight as he could.
"Luna! Shake him off!" Ash shouted in confusion. Usually, it was his pokemon that were latching onto other people's pokemon. Now that his own strategy was thrown back at him, Ash was a bit taken back.
"Raichu! This is gonna hurt a little bit. Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge commanded, knowing full well that Raichu's own attack would hurt himself.
"Rai… CHUUU!"
Electricity coursed throughout both Luna and Raichu as they sustained damage. Lt. Surge managed to find a way to hurt Luna but at the cost of Raichu's own expense. The plan being successful depended on how badly Raichu wanted to win.
"Luna!" Ash called out in panic as Luna was unable to shake off Raichu's deathly grip.
"Keep up the attack Raichu!" Lt. Surge urged. "I know you're getting hurt, but just know that Luna has it worse!"
"Luna! Fall on your back! Fall on your back right now!" Ash screamed. Luna, barely able to hear Ash from all the volts being pushed onto her body, listened to her trainer. She fell heavily on her back, crushing Raichu beneath her.
"Rai...c-chu…!?" Raichu stopped the constant Thunderbolts as he gasped for air. He could feel his lungs being squeezed as all of Luna's weight was slowly crushing him.
"Raichu! Don't give up!" Lt. Surge was basically begging at this point. There were no other options as Raichu was stuck.
Wanting to win, no matter the cost, Raichu continued using Thunderbolt, zapping the literal strength out of Luna.
"Luna! Get up and use Double Kick on one of the craters!" Ash gave more orders as he believed Luna was going to lose the battle of attrition if she continued to sustain damage from Thunderbolt. Ash's intentions were to make one of the small craters large enough where if she fell down it, gravity would assist in hurting Raichu.
"Raichu! Now's your chance! Get off her!" Lt. Surge shouted. Raichu, seizing the opportunity, immediately whizzed off Luna, only to completely faceplant onto the ground. It seemed as though one of his feet was badly injured from being crushed by Luna.
"Raichu! You won't make it!" Lt. Surge noticed Raichu's feet. "Just do it! DISCHARGE!"
"What!? Luna, forget the crater! Double Kick Raichu!" Ash hollered. The last thing Ash remembers seeing was Luna turning to face Raichu and charging straight at him. She was inches away from him, her legs ready to turn and knock out Raichu. But the worse came to pass as a blinding light illuminated the gym once more.
While covering their eyes, everyone present was waiting impatiently. They all had this feeling that this was the climax of the battle. The final move that would determine who came out a winner. And who came out a loser.
Would Raichu faint from fatigue and overexertion or would Luna be unable to endure this final attack and faint?
As the light began to diminish, all that was left on the battlegrounds were two pokemon. One fainted and the other on the brink of collapsing but still standing.
"The winner of this bout goes to…" The referee announced but Ash could not care what he had to say. The results were right in front of him, plain as day. A feeling of pride at what his pokemon were able to accomplish given their unpreparedness made him happy.
"...Lt. Surge! Lt. Surge is declared the victor of this battle!"
In the end, it was a stunning victory for Lt. Surge and a devastating loss for Ash.
Okay soooo, I came back. I know it's been like two months since I updated but I have not given up hope! Yet at least. Oh I'm forgetting how I usually start my A/N. Sorry for all the mistakes. I can't help, they just love me.
It's been some time since my last update which means I have finally broke my month to month update streak. I feel kind of bad for not updating especially cause I had no real reason not to update. I was just a bit lazy I guess. I started writing this chapter since mid-May but I never got to finish it until recently. I don't know why, but I sort of just stopped writing for like three weeks straight. But I guess better late than never. I don't think I will keep the monthly update thing anymore either. I feel like I write more quality stuff if I don't give myself a standard. I don't know. I'll see how things go I guess.
Anyways. I don't really know what to talk about. I don't even know if I'm talking to anyone at all honestly. Who know! I'm probably talking to myself. Lmao. My life is sad. But if you are reading this, I just wanted to let you know...
I like dogs :)
With that, I hope wherever you are, you are safe and sound. Thank you for reading and please. Pretty motherfucking please. Stay awesome aight?