"Statements"

'Thoughts'

Side Notes

Entei let out a deafening roar upon being summoned. Cynthia grimaced at the Legendary, and got ready to recall Roserade.

"Rose Ro," Roserade said while its head shook. It was still willing to fight despite the disadvantage.

"Roserade," Cynthia whispered, before accepting its decision. "Alright, if you wanna battle, then I'll let you. Start off with Sludge Bomb!"

Roserade launched a barrage of sizeable violet spheres at the command. Entei instinctively dodged each one of them without struggle. Roserade continued to bombard its target with multiple Sludge Bombs, but to no avail. Entei showed no signs of struggle as it easily steered clear of each and every one of the poisonous shots.

"Strike onwards with Will-O-Wisp."

Numerous blue flares were cast upon the Grass type, and it was engulfed by flames shortly afterwards. Roserade was already beginning to feel exhausted, but the effects of the burn took even more away from it, as was shown by its heavy panting and struggle to stand.

Tobias smirked at the fruitless effort. "Since you're too stubborn to fight smartly, I may as well give you the fighting chance you need. Use Solar Beam, Entei."

Cynthia grimaced as the legendary beast began absorbing solar power, causing it to emit a light green aura. Tobias could've very easily beaten Roserade with a fire type attack, and he knew that. To let the battle go on wasn't mercy, it was mockery.

Entei approached the powerless Roserade and gave a condescending scowl. The sheer anger Roserade felt provoked enough adrenaline for it to leap up and off Entei's faceplate.

"Shadow Ball!"

Roserade collected small chunks of Ghost type energy then propelled it downwards to the flabbergasted Entei.

"A direct hit! Perhaps we're seeing the beginning of a comeback, folks!" The announcer exclaimed. Roserade landed carefully before falling back down to a single knee. Cynthia hoped that the Shadow Ball would've at least slowed Entei down.

But from beyond the dust, a growing silhouette materialized. Before it could react, Roserade was caught between the fiery fangs of the beast. Cynthia stared hopelessly at Roserade, who'd shown its refusal to concede by attempting to form another Shadow Ball with its sole free arm.

"I'm afraid this is the end for you. Fire Fang." Tobias solemnly spoke. Entei began violently swaying its head as its fangs turned bright red, Roserade still caught in its jaws. The crowd gasped. It resembled the sight of a predator mauling its prey.

Swirls soon filled the Bouquet Pokemon's eyes, but it was never let free. Entei drove up a skyward Flare Blitz before progressing back down; Roserade was slammed to the surface. This sudden act of sadism caught even its own trainer off guard. Tobias' face contorted into a slight look of concern. Boos began to fill the arena, with the Legendary Beast at the very center of it.

It looked around. With every face registered to its mind, it began to have flashbacks. Flashbacks of the humans that rejected it, only to beg for its return when they were lost in desperation. Entei howled in resentment as it flared up.

"Entei, contain yourself." Tobias sternly spoke. Entei looked back at its trainer, then placated itself. It was surprising to see such a vicious beast be so easily quelled by the mere request of a human, but that must by why Tobias was its trainer. The legendary focused itself on the opposing trainer as the battle judge called for the next round.

"Come forth once more, Garchomp!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"GARRRR!" The Pseudo Legendary roared. Tobias' concerns grew once more. Roselia was easy pickings for Entei, but Garchomp absolutely demolished Latios, and he didn't believe Entei could fare much better.

"Cynthia's ace has returned to the battlefield! But after its fierce battle with Latios earlier, will it be ready for another bout with a second legendary?"

'Garchomp's Dragon typing resists Fire, while its Ground typing deals super effective damage. It essentially has a full type advantage.' Tobias thought.

Garchomp glared defiantly at the Fire type. Nothing but pure animosity could be sensed. It had every intent of claiming retribution for its fallen comrade. For Entei, it sought to assert itself even further. To ensure that the humans who ostracized it would never look down upon it again. The two were laying it all on the line, something their trainers fully understood.

"Begin!" The Battle judge announced.

"Flare Blitz!" Tobias exclaimed. Entei lunged for Garchomp without a sliver of relent.

"Garchomp, fight it off with Dragon Rush!"

The resulting explosion was potent, but neither Pokemon were thrust back. They maintained their positions as death stares were exchanged between the two.

"No holding back. Brick Break!" Cynthia commanded. Garchomp swung its arm down, hitting Entei on the skull as the Legendary was shoved back. Entei winced before picking itself up.

"One more time. Brick Break!"

This time, Tobias was ready. "Entei, crush the ground."

The decision momentarily puzzled Cynthia, but her questions were soon answered. Entei bashed the earth, causing it to crumble beneath the speeding Garchomp. It lost focus on Brick Break and tumbled over as it reached Entei. From there, the Fire type had a clear target.

"Hurl it with Fire Fang, then Hyper Beam!" Tobias shouted.

Garchomp felt searing fangs latch on its shoulder before getting lifted to the air. Entei then projected a yellow Hyper Beam that burst on Garchomp upon contact. The Dragon Type landed painfully on the crumbled ground.

"Garchomp no!" Cynthia cried.

"Flare Blitz!" Tobias ordered. Before Garchomp could stand on its own feet, a flaming Entei crashed on its side. The pseudo legendaruy bellowed as it flew across the field. Cynthia produced a low guttural sound of worry. Her Pokemon struggled to stand its ground against the formidable Entei, but this wasn't the time to lose composure.

Cynthia extended her open hand ahead in the direction of her opponent. "Garchomp, I know you've got more gas in the tank, so keep going!"

Garchomp stood up and shook off the pain, now more motivated to win. Tobias saw victory to be near and smirked.

"A valiant effort, but your Garchomp falls here."

"You don't seem to understand, Tobias. Garchomp doesn't know how to lose," Cynthia retorted.

"We shall see, but I doubt it can survive survive this next Flare Blitz."

Garchomp was grazed as it scarcely sidestepped the flaming beast. Entei pivoted on the air and planted its feet to face its opponent. Tobias grunted, this was becoming more of a hassle than he preferred.

"Fire Fang!" He commanded.

"Block it with Brick Break!" Cynthia responded.

Entei's fangs were met with Garchomp's left arm-fin, leading to a short power struggle. Right off the bat, a fatal mistake was made clear; Entei had left itself vulnerable for Garchomp's other arm. Before Tobias could cover this, Cynthia made her move.

"Brick Break!" Cynthia shouted. Garchomp struck Entei directly on the gut, causing it to loosen its bite and howl in pain.

"To the sky with Giga Impact!" Garchomp followed suit with the attack. Entei's body folded forwards as they ascended with Giga Impact.

"The tables have turned! Entei seems to have lost its edge since the beginning of the round."

This couldn't be more right. Entei showed no signs of reversing Giga Impact as they coursed through the air. Cynthia waited until they were high enough before giving her next order.

"Drop Entei, then use what's left of Giga Impact to get underground!"

Truly an unorthodox decision, to say the least. The audience looked in confusion as the Dragon type dropped Entei then burrowed through the earth.

'A wise choice. She had her Garchomp get underground to evade any attacks during its recharge state.' Tobias thought.

"Let me guess, you believe I sent Garchomp underground to avoid risking the recharge effects of Giga Impact?"

Tobias simply remained silent, which indicated agreement.

"That would make sense, and it did flow through my thought process, but there's far more," The champion said smugly, "Just think, Tobias. What's the perfect move for my Garchomp from its current position below the surface?"

Tobias stood wide-eyed. Before he could react, Garchomp sprung from the ground and struck Entei in the abdomen.

"There it is! A super effective Dig! Cynthia quite literally planned two steps ahead on that one." The announcer exclaimed.

Entei was sent flying past Tobias and into the wall. When the dust cleared off, the legendary beast was revealed laying on the floor, fainted.

"Entei is unable to battle, Cynthia's Garchomp wins. Both champion and challenger have 3 Pokemon remaining."

This was starting to look dire for Tobias. His team's best members were already taken out, and this Garchomp didn't look anywhere near close to being finished. He brought out his next Pokemon in the hopes that it'd get lucky.

"Hydreigonnn!" It called out.

"The infamous Hydreigon of Unova. Its certainly impressive" Cynthia commended, "But its no legendary, is it?"

The grim look on her opponents face said it all. The Legend Tamer had no more legendaries.

"That won't be necessary. Hydreigon, Dragon Breath!"

"Blitz it with Brick Break!"

Hydreigon aimed a breath of energy at its attacker. Garchomp struggled, but persevered until it reached its target. Hydreigon braced itself for the oncoming collision. A super effective Brick Break had smacked its throat. The two fell back as the damage of both super effective hits simultaneously kicked in.

"Hydreigon, get up, this battle isn't over."

"Garchomp, please keep battling."

Hydreigon took a few seconds before rising up to fly once more. Garchomp, however, took much longer as yellow jolts began to surround it.

'Hold on, Garchomp's...paralyzed?' Cynthia thought.

"Dragon Breath's secondary effect of paralysis, and your Garchomp took the full brunt of it," Tobias stated, "Its left susceptible for attacking. Use Crunch!"

Hydreigon zeroed in on the paralyzed Garchomp as fangs began to manifest on all three of its heads. The Dark/Dragon type zoomed in on the Champion's ace, who'd been unable to evade or show resistance.

"Garchomp! Brick Break!" Cynthia pleaded. In response to its trainers command, Garchomp willed its arm-fin to an uppercut across the nearing Hydreigon's main jaw, landing a clean hit. Unfortunately, it could do nothing to block its two other arm-heads, who'd each used Crunch on Garchomp's torso and shoulder respectively.

Both Pseudo Legendaries fell back, and dropped to the floor. They remained motionless as the battle judged declared the round to be a draw. While it didn't technically lose, the fact that Cynthia's undefeated Garchomp was taken out gave the audience enough incentive to collectively gasp. Tobias performed a feat that no other challenger had accomplished while Cynthia held her reign. The champion herself bear a look of worry upon recalling her fallen ace. The only thing that kept her from completely racking her mind with anxiety was the fact that Tobias could no longer rely on the insurmountable power of his legendaries; but whether or not the rest of his Pokemon were much weaker was a different question. The last Hydreigon wasn't a complete pushover.

Tobias took solace in the fact that Cynthia's strongest Pokemon had finally gone down, feeling a bit of pride that he'd be been the one to tarnish its record. But if Darkrai's battle with Spiritomb was any indicator, it was that Cynthia wasn't going down easily. He grabbed his next Pokeball as his opponent did the same. A calming gale of wind flew throughout the arena, which did help soothe the tension. And with that, their next Pokemon came out.

Cynthia's Togekiss breezed through the air, ready to meet its challenge. Tobias summoned a colossal Tyranitar, fairly larger than the usual size. A large sandstorm whipped up as a result of its Sand Stream ability. Cynthia began to doubt her chances, but Togekiss reassured her with a relaxed smile before shifting its attention back to the Armor Pokemon, this time with a dismayed glare. The type advantage was unfavorable, but Cynthia had a trick up her sleeve.

"Aura Sphere!"

An orb of energy materialized before Togekiss, which was then launched into the direction of Tyranitar.

"Focus Blast," Tobias commanded.

They clashed momentarily, before the Focus Blast completely obliterated the Aura Sphere and struck Togekiss. The Flying type fell to the ground, which meant it had no means of escape from Tyranitar.

"So your Togekiss knows Aura Sphere? Perhaps I'd underestimated it, but that's no longer a factor," Tobias began, "Use Dark Pulse next."

"Togekiss, oppose it with Air Slash!"

Like the previous clash of attacks, Togekiss' Air Slash stood no chance at holding back Tyranitar's overwhelming Dark Pulse. Once more, Togekiss was stricken. It began to look worse for wear. Whenver it could bring itself to stand, the sandstorm kicked it back down. Slight pity could be seen in Tyranitar's eyes, but that had no room in the current place of battle.

"Rock Slide, Tyranitar!" Tobias ordered.

Large boulders appeared from the sky and descended. Togekiss poised itself attempted to fly around them, but it became increasingly difficult to do so as more fell. The buffeting effect of the Sandstorm was what eventually led it to become vulnerable to an oncoming boulder from the Rock Slide.

"Toge-!" Togekiss cried as the rocks began to crush it.

"Togekiss!" Cynthia cried out, fearing for her Pokemon's wellbeing.

Tyranitar started to let out a battle cry of victory, only to be interrupted by the sound of movement from a pile of rubble. Togekiss emerged seconds, still conscious. It was visibly injured, but still kicking. Tyranitar stood solemnly, bearing a new respect for its persistent opponent.

Even Tobias couldn't ignore this resilience. It reminded him of that boy he battled in the Sinnoh League's semi-finals. Prior to Cynthia, he'd been the only one to ever challenge him. But instead of feeling respect like his Tyranitar, he gained apprehension of the possibility that he could somehow lose.

Lose

The word rung in his head. It was a prospect that he dreade-, no, feared. He couldn't allow this to happen. Not after everything he'd gone through to get this powerful. He grit his teeth and growled as he roared the next order.

"Stone Edge! Now!"

The outburst of the once calm and collected Tobias was certainly a surprise for the audience. Tyranitar hesitated at his masters assertive tone, but ventured to carry out the move. This momentary lapse in judgement cost it, however, as Togekiss had managed to salvage enough energy to dodge. Cynthia acted quickly and ordered another Aura Sphere. Togekiss weakly formed a second one.

This time, it connected. The Rock/Dark type took considerable damage from the Fighting type Aura Sphere. Tobias blood was rushing through his veins, the prospect he feared was coming to fruition. The dust cleared to reveal a staggered Tyranitar, barely conscious. The battle judge raised his hand to declare a knockout, but Tyranitar willed itself up by a hair's breadth. Everyone in the audience was at the edge of their seats, anticipating the battle's final result.

Togekiss and Tyranitar looked vacantly at the other, both on their last legs. Cynthia sensed a growing disturbance in her opponents psyche, something she couldn't quite understand. Both trainers peered at the other. Aiming to end this round quickly, they shot off their next command.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Stone Edge!"

Blue stones began emerging from the earth in a lined pattern, with Togekiss as its destination. Meanwhile, the Aura Sphere was racing at high speeds to meet its target of Tyranitar. Both Pokemon were blown out of the battlefield. A double knockout was declared, and another draw came about.

"Another draw? That's the third of this battle! That means both trainers are left with a single Pokemon. I gotta say, folks, these two have done a real great job keeping up with the other. I have no idea who will be the Sinnoh Champ by the end of this one."

"You each have one Pokemon left, you may ready them now," The battle judge declared.

Tobias and Cynthia brought out their final Pokemon.

"Lu-"

"-Cario"

Two aura Pokemon stood face to face. The two trainers exchanged glances as the other began to ready themselves for battle.

"Begin!" The Battle judge spoke. With the round commenced, Tobias spoke up first.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

"Counter with your own Aura Sphere!"

The Sphere attacks clashed, causing the energy inside to burst. Both Lucarios were pushed back, but they kept themselves in position to prepare for a counterattack.

"Close Combat!" said both trainers.

The Lucarios began to trade blows with the other. Both could feel the durability drain from their bodies with each strike that connected; it was the defense drop effects of Close Combat. Their respective steel typings didn't help, either. The flurry ended with Cynthia's Lucario receiving a forceful punch to the side of its face, while Tobias' Lucario took a vicious knee to the gut. Both blows left the two Pokemon unable to stand on their own feet. The battle judge observed the scene and considered a draw, but the two Lucarios began to slowly pick themselves up. As Cynthia's Lucario fell to a single knee, Tobias' face twisted into a visage of pride.

"Not very many know this, Cynthia, but Lucario was one of my very first Pokemon," Tobias spoke, "As such, it'd only be fitting that I crush you with it right now. Lucario! Destroy the opposition and bring me to glory!"

Tobias' Lucario began to grow weary of its master's mental condition, but knew better than to defy as it began to collect energy for a second Aura Sphere.

"Swords Dance," Cynthia calmly stated.

Numerous blue swords of energy began surrounding Cynthia's Lucario, followed by a rising red aura. Her Lucario radiated a fierce new spirit as its fighting power increased.

'She'd rather raise its attack power than have it evade? Has she given up? Or is she paralyzed with fear? No, neither of those make sense. She looks far too confident, so what is she up to?' Tobias thought. His grasped his temple, which alerted his Lucario to lose focus on its Aura Sphere and attend to him.

"No! Concentrate on your attack!" It was an order made too late. As his opponent began to make her move.

"Extreme Speed!" Cynthia exclaimed.

"NO!" Tobias cried out. Before it could react, Lucario was struck with a hard jab to the gut. Every single millisecond of the Pokemon's anguish could be perceived by Tobias, and he hated it. His Lucario tumbled and collapsed from the pressure. It wasn't too long before its inability to battle was made clear.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The Legend Tamer has fallen; Our champion retains!"

The crowd reacted with ear-piercing cheers and applause. Cynthia picked up her Lucario as they waved at the crowd. She recalled Lucario and walked over to Tobias.

"Congratulations, that was a great battle," Cynthia said as she extended her arm and offered a handshake. Tobias, however, simply recalled his Lucario. Cynthia sensed a strange aura emitting from him and looked in concern. Tobias began to walk away but was stopped as he felt Cynthia's hand on his shoulder.

"I know this wasn't the result you expected, but I commend you for being my toughest oppone-" She was cut off as Tobias turned her head and shot her a glare. In his eyes, she could see neither scorn nor sorrow, almost as if his senses had just stagnated. Cynthia didn't even notice her grip loosen on his shoulder. She simply gazed on as Tobias disappeared into the interior of the arena.

1 week later

While Sinnoh's masses praised Cynthia for her victory, Tobias was at the center of their attention. No one had seen or heard of the Legend Tamer since his streak had ended at the hands of the Champion. Some speculate he retired, others assumed he'd gone off to get stronger. But there was one thing they all agreed upon, he'd certainly changed when he left the battlefield.

In an open clearing deeply hidden in Route 203, a man silently sat on a tree branch. He gazed at a small object he held at the tip of his fingers, it was a light blue stone that resembled a marble; Its glasslike surface reflected the moonlight. He put the stone in his pocket when he heard the arrival of two descending figures.

"Have you collected them?" He questioned.

'Yes, master,' Darkrai and Latios simultaneously responded. They dropped two unconscious Pokemon below the branch the man sat on.

"Perfect, they'll serve their purpose well," Tobias spoke before looking back at his Pokemon, "But before the champion, there's another target I have in mind."

The two looked at one another curiously before turning to face their trainer.

"That boy from the League, Ash Ketchum. Aside from Cynthia, he'd been the only one to ever eliminate either of you. I cannot allow such a blemish on our record. He'll make for the perfect prelude to my retribution." He continued, this time with a vindictive grin.

When Darkrai finished, Ash and Serena were left speechless.

"So that's why?" Serena asked. It was a vague question, but the meaning was clear.

Darkrai nodded.

"But he still had no reason to attack Goh! If he wanted a battle, then he should've just challenged me instead!" Ash declared.

'As I said, he's not in the right state of mind. And that's exactly why I came to you.'

Ash hesitated. He attempted to process that last statement, but couldn't land on a proper conclusion.

"Wait, why me? What could I do about it?"

'You and Cynthia are the only trainers to ever put up a fight against my master. Cynthia, however, has not returned to Sinnoh in months, which leaves me with you. Assuming you'd grown stronger, then I believed that perhaps you could quell his wrath by defeating him in battle. That's why...that's why I'd given you that nightmare on the plane.' Darkrai hesitated on the last part.

Ash's eyes widened. "Wait, so that was you?"

'Yes, I hoped that I could somehow warn you through that...of the oncoming threat that was my master. Unfortunately, you were woken up prematurely.'

Ash stood silently for a few seconds; it was a lot of information to take in. Serena gave the boy a worried glance as he held a conflicted grimace.

"You know, I'm still pretty mad at you for injuring my friend," Ash started, "But I get it. You're a Pokemon led by an evil trainer, and I can't put it all on you."

Darkrai stared earnestly at the trainer. Its request was still left unanswered.

"I'll do it. If you think I can stop Tobias by beating him in a battle, then I'll do it. I owe it to Goh and Delphox to at least try."

'Thank you, Ash. I have full faith in you,' Darkrai expressed.

Darkrai departed through the hole in the wall that it came in through. Beyond the overwhelming pressure, Ash felt moderate satisfaction. He was anxious about having to confront Tobias again, but at least he knew what to do. That little meeting seemed to help Delphox a bit, too. It no longer felt an overwhelming fear in the presence of Darkrai, but Tobias was likely a different story.

"Well then, I guess we'd better get back to sleep." Ash said with a yawn.

"Uhhhh Ash?" Serena spoke.

"Yeah Serena?"

"We still have a pretty big problem," She said while pointing her thumb to the broken wall that Darkrai created.

"Oh mannnn," Ash groaned. He completely forgot that was an issue, what with Darkrai's arrival and all.

And that's a wrap. I decided to end things on a more light hearted note considering all the other ones were either cliffhangers or dark. The next chapter/s will go on to explore more on Ash's battles.