a/n: I made Tobias's team different than it was in my last fic Usurper.
Why? Because variety is the spice of life
Alola Ash in Sinnoh POV:
Today was the day, the day he'd face Tobias once more. And he had no intention of losing this time. He'd spent nearly a month after Sinnoh constantly replaying the battle in his head, and with his new team, he figured he'd be able to defeat his first two pokemon. And after that, hopefully, he'd be out of legends and Ash would have clean sailing.
It was about an hour before the match, and Dawn was waiting with Ash in the ready room.
"Hey Ash, you mentioned something about this match in the past, are you sure you're ready mentally?" Dawn asked concerned
Ash nodded, "I've thought up a genius plan, and I'm excited. Tobias won't know what hit him,"
"Ya know Ash, I'm glad you're still so similar to your past self, that makes me happy," Dawn said with a smile
Ash smiled at her, "Well Dawn, I'm glad to hear it, and I know you'll be the loudest one in the stands,"
"Damn right I will be, isn't that right Pipulup?"
Piplup nodded and continued chasing Pikachu around.
Dawn stood up, "Well, I should go find our seats with Brock and Barry,"
"Bye Dawn," Ash waved as she stood up
Dawn paused and turned around
Dawn's cheeks flushed red, "Oh, Ash! One more thing,"
Dawn ran towards Ash and planted a kiss on his forehead, "For good luck,"
Both of them blushed as she giggled and walked off
"Yeah…. For good luck," Ash said to himself as he felt his forehead
—-
Ash walked out into a stadium filled to the brim, not a seat left empty.
The trainer known as Tobias stared Ash down before speaking,
"So, I've seen those powerful pokemon you have, and I must say. I'm impressed. Let's give it all we have today, and may the best trainer win," Tobias spoke calmly with an elegant tone
"I can't disagree, may the best trainer win," Ash said as he stared down Tobias
The referee interrupted the two, "This will be a six-on-six battle! Substitutions will be allowed! Good luck trainers!"
Ash grinned at Tobias, "Ready when you are,"
Tobias nodded and reached for his first poke ball, and a Darkrai emerged.
Ash sighed and pointed at Darkrai, "Alright Pikachu, we're hitting him hard from the start,"
"Ya know Tobias, I always wondered why people don't use their strongest attacks first,"
"What?" Tobias said puzzled
"Pikachu, lets do this!" Ash threw his hat on his partners head
"Show them our bond, and use 10,000,000 volt thunderbolt!"
Colorful orbs surrounded Pikachu, and he blasted a wave of solid thunder straight at Tobias who watched in horror as his Darkrai was obliterated by a kamehameha style attack from a tiny mouse wearing a hat.
The referee raised his flag,
"Darkrai is unable to battle, Tobias, please send out your next pokemon,"
Tobias blinked a few times in shock "Well, that was certainly unexpected, now it's my turn! Latios, show them what we can do!"
"Pikachu, return!" Pikachu ran back to Ash's side
"Let's go Lycanroc!" Ash threw a poke ball which released his rocky good boy.
"An interesting specimen of Lycanroc, I've never seen that shade before," Tobias said intrigued
"Thanks!" Ash said, accepting the compliment
—-
Back on the stands:
"Just how powerful is this guy? First a Darkrai and then a Latios? That's insane?" Brock said in shock
Dawn nodded, "Agreed, but I'm really curious about how Ash did that crazy thing with Pikachu, I want to use one of those moves in a contest! Piplup and I would win every contest if we could do that!"
"Dawn, I think you'd destroy the arena," Barry said sarcastically
"Bold words from you Barry, you're as clumsy as it gets!" Dawn said
—-
Back on the field:
Tobias threw out his hand, "Pretty colors won't save you again, it's my turn now! Latios, use Luster Purge!"
"Lycanroc, dodge and use stone edge!" Ash yelled
Latios fired off a pink beam, which sped towards Ash's loyal rock type.
However, Tobias was astounded by Lycanroc's speed, he rolled out of the path of the blast, and growled and launched his counter-attack.
Blue rocks emerged from the ground, stabbing straight into Latios.
Latios howled in pain, and flew back towards his trainer, clearly having felt the impact of the blow.
Ash pumped his fist, excited at the blow connecting.
Tobias scowled, "Hmm, well lets try and resolve this the hard way,"
Ash snickered, "heh, get it, because Lycanroc is a rock type? Ah, I'm not funny,"
Tobias sighed at Ash's childlike mentality
"Well, lets get back to it, Latios, use Giga Impact!" he commanded
Latios surrounded himself with purple energy, and launched straight at Lycanroc at a nearly supersonic speed.
"Lycanroc, use stone edge again!" Ash said enthusiastically
Lycanroc fired up another stone edge, which Latios burst through, and slammed into Lycanroc.
Lycanroc fell to the ground, and quickly stood back up.
"Lycanroc! Get up and use bite!" Ash ordered
Lycanroc jumped up above Latios, and sank its sharp and powerful jaws straight into Latios who cried out in pain.
Latios tried to fly away, but Ash saw this coming
"Now, follow up with an accelerock!" Ash commanded
Lycanroc launched a rock which hit Latios in the eye, temporarily blinding him. Latios flew up, but was struck in the wing with another accelerock. Latios fired off a luster purge, which actually connected, and sent Lycanroc back.
"Latios, use luster purge again!" Tobias yelled out
Latios fired off a luster purge, but Lycanroc rolled out of the way again, and fired off another massive stone edge. This time, it trapped Latios's wings. Preventing the legendary dragon from escaping
"Alright Lycanroc, finish this! Use bite again!"
Lycanroc sank its jaws straight into Latios, and the Eon pokemon cried out in pain, before fainting.
The referee raised his flag, "Latios is unable to battle, contestant Tobias please send in your next pokemon!"
Ash was up 2-0 against Tobias.
"Ah, well. That was….. Unexpected," Tobias said in shock
Tobias shook his head and reached for another poke ball, "And time for another plan, Spectrier, the time has come, lets go!"
A shadow horse pokemon emerged and let out a terrifying shriek. The temperature of the
stadium seemed to chill, and Ash felt a shiver go down his bone.
—-
Dawn grabbed her pokedex and scanned it:
Spectrier, the swift horse pokemon, It probes its surroundings with all its senses save one—it doesn't use its sense of sight. Spectrier's kicks are said to separate soul from body.
Dawn seemed scared, "Seems really scary, does this guy have a thing for terrifying and powerful pokemon?"
Brock nodded, "But if anyone can handle him, Ash can."
Ash pumped his fist and extended it outwards, "Ghosts don't scare us! Lycanroc, you good to stay in?"
Lycanroc gave a happy bark, and Ash smiled. "Now that's what I like to hear, Lycanroc, let's start this off with stone edge!"
Lycanroc summoned blue rocks around Spectrier. Tobias snapped his fingers and the shadow horse simply vanished before the attack could connect.
Ash looked around for Spectrier, unable to spot it.
"Shadow force," Tobias commanded
Spectrier appeared out of thin air, and slammed into Lycanroc, sending him to the ground.
Tobias followed up with another order, "Now, use haze and cover the field,"
A mysterious mist covered the entire field, and made it impossible for Ash to even see Lycanroc, let alone the shadow horse.
Tobias yelled his next order, making it seem like it was coming from anywhere.
"Spectrier, shadow ball!" a powerful black orb flew towards Lycanroc, and Ash only had a brief second to think
An idea came to Ash's mind, "Protect yourself with a stone edge!" Ash commanded
Lycanroc launched rocks out of the ground, making a small hut to protect himself against the orb.
Tobias clapped his hands slowly, "Impressive, but not impressive enough. Spectrier, use shadow force again! This time lets do what we practiced"
Spectrier vanished and Lycanroc looked around worried.
Lycanroc was blasted by a black orb from directly above, and the rock dog jumped, and sank its jaws into Spectrier.
Spectrier screeched in pain and fired off a point blank shadow ball. This one attack sent Lycanroc flying towards the other end of the stadium into the wall.
The moment Lycanroc hit the ground, Spectrier neighed in a way that caused Ash to have a shiver run down his spine.
The referee raised his flag, "Lycanroc is unable to battle, contestant Ash please send out your next pokemon,"
Ash sighed and recalled Lycanroc, "Great work out there buddy,"
Tobias smirked, "Well played Ketchum, that was one impressive hound,"
"Thanks! You'll love my next one! Melmetal, lets do this!"
Ash tossed a poke ball, and his Melmetal emerged
"A very unique specimen, I've never seen one of those, only heard ancient stories of that species. I'm highly impressed Ash," Tobias said with a nod
"Thanks Tobias! My Melmetal is awesome! And you'll soon see just how strong he is!"
Melmetal started stretching from the praise.
"Alright Melmetal, lets do this!" Ash commanded as he pointed at Spectrier who stomped its foot, almost challenging Ash's steel golem to come and get it.
Spectrier neighed and vanished again
Ash closed his eyes. He hadn't used this skill while battling in ages, but he always could tell where a pokemon was.
Was it to the left? To the right? It was…
"Melmetal, double iron bash to your upper left!"
Melmetal swung, and Ash heard a powerful slam and a yelp as Spectrier appeared and the mist faded.
Ash smiled, he had the upper hand now.
Spectrier struggled to get back up, and Melmetal swung yet again, and slammed his powerful fists straight into Spectrier.
Spectrier yelped and collapsed.
The entire stadium roared and another icon vanished from Tobias's screen.
3-1
—-
Barry's jaw was hanging out like an Exploud
"WHAT! That's incredible! Did you guys see that! That's amazing!" Barry yelled
"We're right here Barry, and yes. It was amazing," Dawn said
"That's an understatement," Brock said
—-
"Incredible! The powerful steel type brings down the legendary ghost!" The announcer screamed
"Spectrier is unable to battle! Contestant Tobias, please send out your next pokemon!"
"Hmmm, I must say, I am quite impressed. But Ash, the tides will turn! Thundurus, show them the rage of a storm!"
Ash recalled Melmetal and spoke to the poke ball, "Rest up for now Melmetal, I'll need you later,"
Tobias sent out a cloud genie pokemon, and Ash turned his hat around.
"Alright Naganadel, it's your turn!"
Ash's ultra beast materialized and Tobias flashed a grin
"This will be a battle worth remembering, that's one amazing pokemon to say the least," Tobias said
Ash gave his first order, "Alright Naganadel, lets bring this battle in the skies! Use dragon pulse!"
Naganadel demonstrated its superior speed by vanishing and flying at supersonic speeds around Thundurus
The stadium heard the loud boom of the sound barrier being broken by the alien pokemon.
—
Barry blinked several times, trying to spot Naganadel
Dawn giggled, "Having trouble keeping up?"
"What? No! No way! I can see perfectly fine!" Barry said defensively
Brock just laughed and shook his head
—
"Now Thundurus, flash cannon!" Tobias said nervously
Naganadel vanished at a supersonic speed and slammed into Thundurus, sending the genie back, and then following up with a flash cannon
A bright flash of light happened from the blow, and Ash's Naganadel appeared above Thundurus, dealing a powerful blow with its stinger.
Naganadel flew alongside Thundurus and blasted it with a dragon pulse before tackling it and firing off a point blank hyper beam.
Thundurus was pushed back by the weight of the beam, and crashed straight into the ground of the stadium, creating a Thundurus shaped hole in the ground. Naganadel roared and flew in circles around the stadium, celebrating its victory.
Tobias's fourth icon vanished from the screen. He sighed and recalled his Thundurus before reaching for another poke ball.
—-
Brock scratched his head,
"Seems to me Tobias hasn't trained his other pokemon as well as his Darkrai. Some of them are battling very sloppy today."
Dawn nodded in agreement, "Agreed. It's clear who trains a lot and who doesn't."
"This one should turn the tide! Let's go Articuno!"
A mysterious looking pink Articuno wearing a mask appeared and Naganadel roared, issuing a challenge. Articuno looked unamused
The referee raised his flag and Ash's Naganadel rushed at Articuno who simply vanished
Tobias yelled out, "Trick Room! Now!"
A mysterious box surrounded the arena, and Naganadel's supersonic speed slowed to a crawl, almost looking as if he were in slow motion.
Tobias followed up his order, "Freezing glare!"
Articuno's eyes glowed, and Naganadel cried out in pain
Ash cried out, "Naganadel! Try and use hyper beam!"
Tobias ordered, "Dodge the beam, fly above it and use expanding force!"
Ash watched in horror as Articuno flew above Naganadel and flapped its wings, launching tiny pink balls which expanded and slammed into Naganadel who could hardly move.
Naganadel slammed to the ground.
An icon went dark on Ash's screen
4-2
"Naganadel is unable to battle, contestant Ash, please send out your next pokemon!"
Ash recalled his pokemon and whispered to the ball, "Great work out there, we'll finish this soon!"
Ash reached for his belt, "Alright, let's do this again! Melmetal, get back out there!"
Melmetal appeared and Tobias's eyes widened, realizing Ash's counter attack.
"Melmetal, rush Articuno and use double iron bash!"
Melmetal sprinted, its speed enhanced greatly by the trick room.
Melmetal's large frame moved lightning fast towards Articuno and slammed two powerful fists straight into it.
"Flash cannon now!", "Hyper beam!" both trainers yelled out. The attacks mixed, and a cloud of dust was kicked up from the blow. But the result was clear,
Articuno was down on the ground. And Ash's Melmetal had its foot on top of the bird.
5-2
The referee raised his flag, "Articuno is unable to battle, contestant Tobias please send in your final pokemon!"
The trick room vanished as Tobias reached for his belt
Tobias sighed, "Guess it's time, huh old buddy?"
"Urshifu! I choose you!" Tobias yelled
A powerful looking bear looked at Ash and grinned.
Ash gulped in fear
Dawn reached for her pokedex
Urshifu, Rapid Strike Style. The Wushu Pokémon. A Fighting and Water type. They say it modeled its fighting style after a river—sometimes gently flowing and sometimes swirling and churning.
"Sounds strong, Ash better be careful," Brock said
Dawn nodded in agreement
—-
"Meet my starter Ash! Now lets get back at the battle! Use close combat!"
Urshifu rushed Melmetal and started beating the living daylights out of the steel type
After a moment, Melmetal collapsed. Ash recalled Melmetal right as it collapsed, saving the trouble of falling to the ground.
An icon vanished from the screen and the referee spoke
"Melmetal is unable to battle, contestant Ash please send out your next pokemon,"
Ash nodded and pointed towards Urshifu. "Great work, but I think its fair we end this the right way! Starter vs starter! Pikachu, I choose you!"
Pikachu ran out onto the field, and Tobias smiled
"Ready when you are,"
"Pikachu, electroweb!"
Pikachu fired off an electroweb, and Urshifu flinched from touching the net, and was soundly trapped in its hold.
"Pikachu, ready for something new? I have an idea."
Pikachu ran over towards Ash, and Ash kneeled down and spoke softly his orders while Urshifu struggled to free itself
Pikachu nodded, "Alright, remember last time we battled here? Ya know, back then? I want you to make an electroweb trampoline, launch yourself in the air. While you're in the air, surround yourself with a thunderbolt, and make yourself a thunder cannonball!"
Pikachu thought for a moment and nodded. "Pika Pi Pi!"
Tobias's Urshifu freed itself at last, and Tobias yelled out, "Aqua Jet!"
"Alright Pikachu, lets do this! Step one!"
Pikachu dodged Urshifu's jet and launched two electro webs together. The he used a quick attack on the webs to fly into the air.
Dawn and Brock watched in awe as Pikachu sprung itself into the air
Tobias's Urshifu got into a fighting pose, and waited for Pikachu to come
"Now, Pikachu! Let's do this!"
Pikachu surrounded itself with a powerful thunderbolt, without firing it. And let gravity carry it down
Tobias's Urshifu realized what was about to happen, and tried to run
But it was too late.
The Pika-Nuke had been dropped
A mushroom cloud emerged over the stadium, and Ash and Tobias both had icons vanish from their screens.
The audience screamed out,
Ash had done the unthinkable. He had defeated Tobias.
The crowd went wild, and Ash closed his eyes.
He had redeemed himself.