It was finally the day. Ash is ready to take on the Elite Four and Champion. The group entered a castle that looked like a 13th century gothic castle, which Trevor was stupified by its beauty as it stood tall against a beautiful, glimmering starry night sky. Lost of rib vaults and flying buttresses were used and light illuminated the pokeball shaped stained glass. After going through the entrance hall which was filled with paintings, the group found themselves in the main hall, a grey room filled with a blue tint due to the night sky. Malva was there to greet them all.
"Ash and company. It's been some time hasn't it? Welcome to the Pokemon League."
"Hey Malva. How has hunting former members been going?" Ash inquired.
"Eh, boring. I've been rounding them up routinely but they don't pose a challenge. You on the other hand... well... you might just wipe the floor with us, considering your line up and all. The best we've seen in years."
"Thanks."
"Anyway, just pick us in the order of your choosing." And with that, she went into the near left hallway.
"So, what order are you going to do?" Serena asked.
"I think I'll do Malva next. If I really am going to wipe the floor with them, might as well go for the easiest one."
"Oof, no mercy." Shauna giggled.
"Yeah, you'll beat all their Pokemon with only one move each I bet!" Trevor claimed.
"Well, maybe more than that, but it will be interesting."
"I pray you'll reach your goal." Monica encouraged.
"Thanks."
In a flash, two pillars of fire illuminated a room, showing that Ash has chosen Malva as his first opponent. His friends watched from the sidelines.
"So, you've chosen me. Is it because we've fought together?"
"Something like that."
"Well, I'm honored then. Show me what you can do Ash." A male referee stepped up.
"The Pokemon League battle of Ash Ketchum and Malva Buckland is about to begin! Each trainer shall use six Pokemon in a one-on-one! When all Pokemon on one side are unable to continue, the battle is over. Let the match begin!"
"Talonflame, blaze on!"
"Greninja, I choose you!" Once both Pokemon were on the field, Ash went first. "Use Water Shuriken!" Leaping up, the shiny Ninja Pokemon threw her weapons.
"Brave Bird." Igniting with blue fire, the Scorching Pokemon weaved around the three water stars that likely would've done it in, and successfully slammed into the shocked water/dark type, sending her flying into the back wall and fell to the ground, defeated already. Ash and his friends were flabbergasted.
"Greninja in unable to battle! The winner is Talonflame!"
"It doesn't matter how fast your Pokemon are, nothing gets past my Talonflame with Gale Wings." Malva chuckled.
"Trevor, what's Gale Wings?" Shauna asked.
"It's an ability that allows Pokemon with flying type moves to land hits more easily, like getting the first hit even if the other Pokemon attacks first."
"Well this is going to be harder than we thought." Monica gulped.
"Greninja, return. Sorry old friend, looks like we underestimated her." Noticing that her Talonflame suffered recoil, Ash got an idea. "Garchomp, I choose you!" Sending out his dragon/ground type, he shouted as he touched a key stone, "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" When that was finished, he ordered, "Use Dragon Claw!"
"Dodge around with Acrobatics!" With its supreme speed, the fire/flying type was flying circles around Garchomp, whom couldn't land a slashing blow at all aside from the after images. "Will-O-Wisp." As the Scorching Pokemon moved around, it breathed purple fire all over the Mach Pokemon, whom screamed with raging pain as he became burned.
"Oh no!" Monica gasped. "The flames of the dead!"
"Malva isn't playing around." Trevor gulped. Ash growled in annoyance. This is going to be harder than he thought.
"Now, use Brave Bird again!" Once again, generating blue fire around itself, Talonflame zoomed towards Garchomp.
"Brace for it!" Ash pleaded. The Mach Pokemon crossed the scythes of his arms so that they'd created a barrier of sorts and planted them into the ground, and then took the full brunt force of the attack as he was pushed back a few feet. While Talonflame suffered recoil, Ash ordered,
"Counter with Dragon Claw!" With a green glowing claw, Garchomp delivered two backhanded(so to speak) slashes against the Scorching Pokemon. It screeched until it crashed to the ground.
"Talonflame is unable to battle! The winner is Garchomp!"
"Talonflame, return." Malva said with a smile. "You did great in breaking him down. Thank you. So Ash, am I that easy?"
"You're definitely not. You managed to one shot my ace Pokemon and cripple one of my heaviest hitters. It appears that type advantage doesn't mean anything here.
"No. Pyroar, blaze on!" A lion with red and yellow hair was summoned, but unlike Lysandre's male Pyroar which had a full mane encompassing its head, Malva's just had an extended crest coming from the top of her head. A Mega Stone was attached to the base of said crest. Malva then touched one of four key stones on a bracelet she wore. "Surpass Evolution, Mega Evolve!" In response to Mega Evolving, Pyroar's shot out looking a bit spikey with the top of her paws and tail growling flame like fur. The crest on her head also happened to have flared out, flowing like it was actually made of flame. The transformation was then complete, the Royal Pokemon roared with power. After Garchomp growled from the burn, Ash said,
"Garchomp, return. Sorry, but I can't lose you here yet. Talonflame, I choose you!" Ash sent out his own Scorching Pokemon.
"Oh, so you're going to use my own tactic against me, even though Pyroar can't be burnt?" Malva asked intrigued.
"No, he doesn't have Will-O-Wisp. I'm just going to use Brave Bird. Now!" With that order, Talonflame burst into blue flame and zoomed towards the lion.
"Cute. Wild Charge." Generating some electricity, Pyroar charged and the two Pokemon collided with some mighty force which resulted in an explosion. When that cleared, it showed a recoiling Pyroar and knocked out Talonflame.
"Talonflame is unable to battle! The winner is Pyroar!"
"Talonflame, return. Once again, I'm sorry. You'll get to fight better next time. "Florges, I choose you!" Sending out his fairy type, Ash touched a key stone. "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" Once that was done, Malva commanded,
"Wild Charge, again!"
"Counter with Moonblast!" Forming a pink orb, the Garden Pokemon was able to launch it faster than the lion could pounce, and was subject to a powerful explosion. The Royal Pokemon was sent flying with a cry as she turned back to normal, and crashed down defeated.
"Pyroar is unable to battle! The winner is Florges!"
"Alright, Ash is turning things around!" Serena cheered.
"Whoo, he had us worried there for a second." Shauna wiped her sweaty brow while Trevor nodded.
"Agreed.
"Flareon, I choose you!" Once her fire evolved Eevee came out, which had a Mega Stone strapped to the back, the Elite Four member shouted, "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" The creme colored fur around Flareon began to expand and flare out, along with wispy lines of fire floating around the Flame Pokemon. Even when the transformation was done, Flareon still yelled with ferocity as it began to glow in a white aura that Ash was familiar with.
"Huge Power."
"Flareon, use Flare Blitz!"
"Counter with Moonblast!" Forming another pink orb, it appeared that what happened with Pyroar would also happen again with Flareon, even when the two attacks exploded upon contact, the fire engulphed fire type still charged forth, shocking Florges before she was rammed into by the physically superior Flareon. While it wasn't enough to one hit K.O her, the attack was enough to leave a burning bruise which she clutched.
"Florges, return!" Ash withdrew his fairy type. "Good job hanging in there. Take a good rest. Charizard, I choose you!" His shiny black Charizard is up now. "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" To the surprise of his friends, Ash transformed his Charizard into its X variant.
"Why would he be going for that?" Shauna wondered.
"He doesn't want Malva to also benefit from the boost of fire damage." Trevor told her." While Charizard Y is dangerous from a distance, it's also bad news if a physical fire type like Flareon gets up close, even with a 4X type disadvantage with fire moves."
"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Growing green aura made claws, the fire/dragon type tried to get in up close.
"Dig." Malva countered. Burrowing underground, Flareon was able to evade the attack.
"Fly into the air!" Flapping his wings, Charizard flew high above where he circled around the pillars of flames. Malva then saw it. While Flareon may have superior speed, Charizard had better maneuverability above the battle field and would be able to do hit and run tactics, something she knew Flareon couldn't counter well. Growling, the Elite Four member commanded,
"Shadow Ball!" Bursting from the ground, the fire type had a black sphere formed and launched it at the fire/dragon type.
Counter with Air Slash!" His wings glowing white, Charizard sent blades made of energy towards the incoming ball, blowing it up. "Now use Dragon Claw!" Moving through the smoke the explosion created, Ash's Kanto fire starter descended downwards towards Flareon.
"Flare Blitz!" Leaping up in a ball of fire, the two Flame Pokemon yelled as they collided in mid-air, creating a fiery explosion between the two. However, Flareon was the one to fall to the ground unconscious as it reverted back to normal, while Charizard landed on his feet, and breathed blue fire as a roar of triumph.
"Flareon is unable to battle! The winner is Charizard!"
"Flareon, return. Thank you, take a good rest. Rotom, blaze out!" Malva then sent out an unusual Pokemon. A cute ghost like Pokemon that had a red plasma outline and looked like an oven. However, it didn't appear to have a Mega Stone.
"Awww, so cute!" Monica squealed. "And that's the heat form, making it a fire/ghost type!"
"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded, and the Flame Pokemon formed another pair of green aura claws before going on the attack.
"Thunder Wave." Cackling with electricity, the ghostly oven fired a spark of lightning that disrupted the fire/dragon type's flight path, and grunted as he fell to the ground.
"Oh no!" Shauna cried out.
"Now use Overheat!" Opening the door of its oven body, a plume of fire shot forth and bathed the Flame Pokemon in fire, groaning from the exposure. However, he was able to get up again during that, since the attack wasn't too bad against him. Once the attack ended, the glow of the red plasma dimmed considerably since the attack is a double edged sword.
"Now, finish it with Dragon Claw!" Despite being paralyzed, Charizard was still able to go on the attack, and struck against Rotom. The electrical appliance crashed into the ground, effectively shut down.
"Rorom is unable to battle! The winner is Charizard!"
"Ash is doing great." Serena remarked with some clapping.
"Even when severely crippled, never underestimate Ash's ability." Trevor chuckled.
"Chandelure, blaze out!" Monica again squealed like a fan girl of seeing another ghost type, especially one she had. "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" As the Luring Pokemon began to glow brighter than normal. The arms that bared the purple torches split, going from 4 to 8. Its face cracked open as fire burst out, forming a new smiling, scary face you'd expect to see on a jack-o-lantern. The rainbow glow stopped and the ghostly fixture howled with its fire pluming out in large volume while a rainbow helix glowed over it for a couple of seconds.
"Shadow Ball." Forming a black orb, the Luring Pokemon fired.
"Fire Blast!" Ash pleaded. The Flame Pokemon tried to attack with a blue fire kanji, but the enhanced ghostly sphere was too powerful as it pierced through the flame and slammed into the shocked fire/dragon type, and a roar of agony was heard as an explosion enveloped him. Ash had to brace against the shock wave as he saw the smoke almost immediately clearing, showing a flash for a second before witnessing his second regional starter collapse.
"Charizard is unable to battle! The winner is Chandelure!"
"Now that's power." Trevor gulped.
"I know, isn't it incredible?" Monica sighed like she was in love while her friends stared at her.
"Charizard, return. You were awesome out there. Take a well earned rest. Now, Garchomp, I choose you!" Returning to the field was his burnt but overall still good condition Mach Pokemon.
"Hmph, you won't be able to use any ground type moves you might have due to my Pokemon Levitating."
"In that case, that's what we're going to do! Use Dig!" To Malva's confusion, the dragon/ground type slashed into the ground, leaving behind a hole in the ground.
"I wonder what he's thinking?" Monica wondered.
"Something good, I can assure." Serena answered.
"Use Dragon Claw!" Bursting from the ground, Garchomp came out faster than Chandelure could properly back away due to their similar speeds, and received two slashes from both arms. It groaned as the Luring Pokemon reverted back to normal and fell to the ground with a clunk.
"Chandelure is unable to battle! The winner is Garchomp!
"Chandelure, return. You did good. Rest now. "Well, looks like I'm not doing as good as I was starting, huh?"
"Doesn't seem like it, but you certainly had me worried at first."
"Well, I'm not one to give up, so I'll reveal my ace now. Houndoom, blaze out!" There it was. The Dark Pokemon Ash remembered when she came to assist fighting Lysandre. "Surpass Evolution! Mega Evolve!" Touching the key stone which was attached to the necklace around her neck, the Mega Stone around Houndoom's neck glowed as the black and white canine began to evolve. The bone like protrusions around its body bulked up, and the curled horns sort of straightened out so that they looked like they could stab instead of bludgeon. The fire/dark type howled as the transformation completed. Ash's dragon/ground type growled as the burn hurt him. "Use Dark Pulse!"
"Dodge and use Brick Break!" With his claws glowing white, the Mach Pokemon jumped over the attack and proceeded to slash through some of the rings that tried to get at him.
"Counter with Shadow Ball!" Forming a black sphere, Garchomp was just about to slash at the Dark Pokemon when the Shadow Ball was fired. Garchomp was blown back, stopping its momentum by stabbing his scythe arms into the ground, creating deep cuts.
"Quick, finish it with Dark Pulse!" Malva ordered, and the fire/dark type fired another barrage of purple and black rings.
"Dodge with dig!" Even when burning with his status ailment, the Mach Pokemon dug into the ground fast enough to evade the barrage.
"Shadow Ball, but wait." The Elite Four told her Pokemon as it formed another Shadow Ball. Although the others were wondering why it waited, Houndoom jumped back just as Garchomp burst from the ground, and then launched its attack, blowing the dragon/ground type.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! The winner is Houndoom!"
"Garchomp, return. You were awesome. Thanks for your help. Lucario, I choose you!"
"Hopefully Lucario can out-speed Houndoom. I don't want him to lose to the first Elite Four member." Shauna commented while trembling on the edge of her seat. "I don't want him to lose period but the first would especially bad."
"I don't think speed will be a problem." Trevor told her. "Garchomp and Houndoom seemed to have been equal in speed, and Lucario is faster." After Ash Mega Evolved his aura Pokemon, Malva commanded,
"Flamethrower!" Breathing a stream of fire, Lucario seemed doomed until Ash countered,
"Water Pulse!" Forming an orb of water, the fighting/steel type launched it towards the incoming fire, resulting in the two attacks to stalemate and explode into steam.
"Dark Pulse!" The Elite Four member ordered, but Ash was quicker to the counter draw.
"Aura Sphere!" A blue sphere blew aside the steam and smashed through all the purple and black rings until it exploded against the howling Dark Pokemon. A flash was seen within the smoke until everyone could clearly see that Houndoom has been vanquished.
"Houndoom is unable to battle! The winner is Lucario, and thus the victor is Ash Ketchum!"
"Yay, Ash did it!" Shauna cheered as she hopped up and down.
"Now that's how you win!" Serena remarked while pumping her fists.
"Haha, thanks buddy! You got us the win!" Ash laughed as he and Lucario hugged, though carefully so that Ash wasn't impaled.
"Houndoom, return. Thank you. You displayed your power so well." When she put her ace away, she started to walk to Ash. "Interesting, you managed to beat me despite the majority of your team crippled."
"Yeah, we were talking about how easy it would be but you sure proved us wrong."
"Damn right. But regardless, you did fantastic. However, three more members of the Elite Four stand between you and the Champion. Take that elevator there to return to the main hall."
"Thank you." Returning his Aura Pokemon, he went to the elevator to head to the Pokemon Center and get his Pokemon healed.
A/N: That was intense. Having Malva have 80 level and Ash at 75 and the Four are only going to be stronger from here.