Chapter 12 Flash of the Titans
After the Global Trading System works, Ash receives some of the Pokemon. There is a Torchic, a Mudkip, a Piplup, a Chespin, and a Popplio. Ash asks, "Only five are traded...I guess we will need to wait for some more..."
"I agree." Serena says, "But why are the Pokemon we received are Starter Pokemon from other regions?"
Professor Cerise says, "It is simple, I asked some of the Professors and they agree to trade Starter Pokemon with you. You'll just need to train them up and it will be fine."
"I see." Ash says as he sends out all the Pokemon. "It is nice to meet all of you."
The five Pokemon nod as Ash brings them to the park. Venusaur, Bayleef, Sceptile, Torterra, Snivy are greeting Chespin, Charizard, Quilava, Infernape, Pignite, Delphox, and Scorbunny are greeting the Torchic, and Blastoise, Totodile and Oshawott are greeting Mudkip, Piplup, and Popplio. Serena says, "Speaking of Starter Pokemon...did Zygarde contacted you about your Greninja?"
Ash shakes his head and says, "They didn't, we only knew that they were busy."
"I see..." Serena says with a frown. "I really miss Greninja."
"Me too." Ash sighs, but then, Professor Cerise comes into the room and says, "Ash, Serena. There you are, I have been finding you."
This causes the two of them to get confused, but as they are sitting at the table, Professor Cerise takes out two tickets and he says, "Here you go."
As they take the ticket, Serena asks, "World Coronation Series? And they are tickets to the finals, even! That's awesome!"
"I know, right?" Professor Cerise says.
"What is this?" Ash asks, causing them to look at him with shock. Serena says, "Ash? You don't know?"
Ren says, "There have been plenty of Leagues and tournaments in other regions, and they all have their own champions...but the World Coronation Series is where they crown the Monarch."
"Monarch?" Ash is suddenly getting excited.
"And these tickets are for the finals...which means we'll get to see the Pokemon battle that'll decide who's the strongest in the world?!" Serena says.
"That's right. It will be held in the Galar Region. I'm sure the stadium where the battle takes place will be filled with surprises!" Professor Cerise says.
"But who gave you the tickets? I mean...this is the finals, and people might be wanting for this..." Ash says, and Professor Cerise says, "It is given to you with a letter, I am not sure who gave it to you."
Ash takes the letter and opens it, and he gasps and he says, "It's from Lance!"
"Lance? You mean the Champion of both Kanto and Johto?" Serena asks.
"Yeah...he gives it to me because I am the Alola Champion and the League winner of Kalos, and since he is in the finals against the Galar Champion, so he wants me to check it out." Ash says.
"Wait, League winner of Kalos? Isn't that Alain?" Serena asks in confusion. Ash says, "Oh, right. You see...after the Team Flare incident, Alain and Diantha approach me, Alain told me that in our final battle, Team Flare have done something to my Greninja to make me lose in the finals. Diantha offered a chance for us to have a rematch after making sure all our Pokemon is in health, but Alain refuses as he wants to become a researcher with Professor Sycamore instead."
"For real? Why didn't you tell me about this?" Serena says with a fake hurt tone, and Ash says, "I am sorry, I just forgot..."
"Of course, you are still Ash after all..." Serena sighs.
As Ash and Serena are heading to Galar again, when they are on the plane, the lights inside the plane suddenly go out. As a stewardess tries to keep the passengers calm, Ash and Pikachu look out the window, Serena asks, "What's wrong?"
"here is something outside..." Ash says as they peek out of the window.
They see a giant Pokémon flies past the plane, its form obscured by the clouds. In response, Pikachu's tail sparks a little. "Pikachu?" Ash asks in confusion.
As the Pokémon flies away and its silhouette disappears from view, the lights turn back on. "Are you okay? Pikachu?" Ash asks and Pikachu nods.
"So what was that?" Serena asks Ash, "Maybe it will be another Legendary Pokemon that is interested in us? And I thought we would have a nice long rest..."
"You mean something like Hoopa, Diancie, or other Legendary like Rayquaza? Sounds like you have been attracting them a lot." Serena says.
"You can ask why Arceus is giving me this chance..." Ash says. "But we haven't traveled to Galar except for that one time with the Snorlax, so I am excited to see what this place has to offer."
"Yeah." Serena says.
After back in Wyndon, they head to the Stadium and they are shocked to see how big it is. "Awesome...it's huge!" Ash says.
"Yeah, let's get inside." Serena says as they are into the Wyndon Stadium. Serena says, "It is said that this place is actually where the Galar League take place...but still..."
"And look at all these people, it's even more than I imagined." Ash says, "It is a good thing that Lance gave us VIP tickets."
"Yeah, we don't need to worry about going in the big crowd." Serena says. "Benefits of Being a Champion."
As they look at the battlefield, they hear the announcer says, "Ladies and Gentlemen! The time has come at last! The world's biggest and best Pokemon battle fest to crown the world's best! Its name? The World Coronation Series!"
As the crowd is hyping up, the announcer continues, "The top eight battlers certified by the Pokemon Battle Commission, known as the "Masters Eight" have participated in a fierce tournament, and now, only two finalists remain to compete for the title of Monarch! Now then, the finalists are entering the arena!"
As two people are walking towards the battlefield, the announcer says, "The first finalist is Lance, the Champion of Kanto and Johto, the winner of the Driftveil City Pokémon World Tournament, an active member of the Pokémon G-Men, and an expert Dragon-type user."
"Now the next one..." Ash says with excitement.
"His opponent is Leon, Galar's undefeated Champion and superstar, who once defeated 100 challengers from all over the world." The announcer says.
Ash and Serena are in awe at the sight of the Galar Champion, as they have never met him before.
The referee, Dan, enters the field on his Aegislash, he says, "We will now commence the World Coronation Series finals! Both contestants, step forth! Each side uses one Pokémon, and the battle is over when one side's Pokémon is unable to battle."
Lance says, "Looking at your battles up till now, I can tell you are a trainer of considerable skill." Lance says. "So I figured you'd make it this far."
"Can you feel it, Lance? The tense, still air on the battlefield...and the exact opposite from the audience, cheering and yelling...they're both fantastic, wouldn't you say? But remember, the audience is also a bit cruel, they want nothing more than to see one of us lose, after all! I absolutely love pushing past that fear. I love giving it everything I've got as a trainer to seize another victory! It's the greatest feeling of the world, and I can't get enough of it!"
"You think you've won already?" Lance smirks.
"The reason I'm unbeatable is that I learn from every battle I see or take part in. I will learn from this battle...No, this victory, too!" Leon says.
"Words are meaningless for now. We will battle to determine who is the stronger of the two of us!" Lance yells.
Then Leon sends out his Charizard, while Lance goes for red Gyarados.
"Wow, it is an alternate-colored Gyarados!" Serena gasps in shock. Ash says, "I know, he captured it back at Lake of Rage in Johto, when Team Rocket is doing illegal experiments on the Magikarp there."
He looks at Leon's field and he says, "As for Leon...he also has a Charizard...I wonder compared to a lot of people that I have seen...how strong is his Charizard?"
Dan gives the signal to start the battle, and Leon makes the first move, ordering a Flamethrower.
"Use Hyper Beam!" Lance says. The two attacks clash, until Gyarados's attack finally overpowers the Flamethrower, but Charizard successfully evades it, causing it to instead hit the audience safety barrier.
"Gyarados, it is as strong as I expected! Now it is recharging...Charizard! Attack it with Air Slash!" Leon yells. Lance says, "Stop it, Gyarados!"
Lance has Gyarados smack some rocks off of the battlefield to block the move. Leon orders another Flamethrower, but instead of blocking or dodging it, Lance orders Gyarados to use Dragon Dance, increasing its Attack power and Speed, at the cost of the Flamethrower making a direct hit.
"Use Aqua Tail!" Lance orders and the super-effective move scores a direct hit, knocking Charizard to the ground.
"Even though the Flamethrower hit Gyarados, it wasn't very effective." Serena says."So he figured it was worth taking the hit if it meant increasing Gyarados' speed and power with the Dragon Dance."
"Charizard, are you alright?" Leon asks, and the Pokemon nods.
Lance orders Gyarados to use Ice Fang repeatedly. Thanks to the boosts provided by Dragon Dance, Gyarados can rapidly attack Charizard multiple times in succession, dealing notable damage.
"Use Fire Spin!" Leon yells as he tries to disrupt the rapid-fire attack and trapping Gyarados in the fire.
Lance has Gyarados put out the flames with Aqua Tail, before resuming the Ice Fang assault. However, Leon then reveals his secret trump card and has Charizard use Thunder Punch, interrupting Gyarados's attack and inflicting great damage on the Atrocious Pokémon. Leon orders more Thunder Punches, but Gyarados blocks them all with Aqua Tails.
"Lance is going to lose if this keeps up..." Ash says.
Leon says, "I am not finished with this battle. And I won't let anyone finish it for me!"
Lance says, "Of course not. I was thinking the same thing!"
Both Leon and Lance recall their Pokémon in preparation for their next moves. Lance activates the Dynamax Band on his wrist, causing Gyarados's Poké Ball to grow giant, before throwing it and sending out his now-Dynamaxed Gyarados.
"Dynamax...they even use it in battles here in Galar?" Ash asks.
"That's why the stadium is big..." Serena says. "This must be what Professor Cerise meant when he said "full of surprises"..."
"It's great...I'll show you what Charizard can really do! Charizard! Gigantamax!" Leon yells.
As Charizard also becomes a giant, Ash says, "It looks different...so that Snorlax we saw in a Wild Area is also a Gigantamax as well?"
Serena says, "Its form is different, that might be the case." Serena says.
Lance orders a Max Geyser, but Leon counters by having Charizard use Max Lightning, disrupting the Max Geyser and dealing massive damage of Gyarados. Lance follows up with Max Strike, which Leon counters by telling Charizard to use Max Airstream, which not only pushes Charizard out of the attack's way but also hits Gyarados, dealing even more damage.
"I'll show you a true Champion time! Use G-Max Wildfire!" Leon yells.
Lance desperately calls for a Max Guard, which successfully stops the G-Max Move, but Leon's confidence remains unfaltering, and as soon as the Max Guard dissipates, G-Max Wildfire's secondary effect kicks in, engulfing Gyarados in flames to deal additional damage.
Having already suffered a lot of damage in the battle, Gyarados is unable to withstand this and faints, reverting to its normal size as a result.
"Gyarados is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner. Which means the victory goes to Leon!"
The crowd cheers wildly and Ash says, "Lance lost..."
Leon smiles at Charizard and says, "Charizard, you did great. Now we're the Monarch."
As Charizard is shooting flames of victory, Serena says, "Leon is very strong..."
"You did well, take a nice long rest." Lance recalls his defeated Pokémon and smiles at Leon.
As they shake hands, Leon says, "You're Dynamax was great."
"I once trained at Galar's Dragon Gym. I was influenced by their uniform and its rich history, and I based this outfit our of it." Lance says.
"I see. I'm sure they're happy." Leon says.
"It's an odd feeling. I am not angry that I lost. In fact, I feel happy that I witnessed the rise of a great new Monarch." Lance adds.
"Thank you, that was a magnificent battle." Leon says.
Lance nods and he says, "Your battle reminds me of a trainer that I met a lot of years ago. Even though he didn't participate in this year's World Coronation Series, I am sure he will take part in the next one. And I am pretty sure he will give you a challenge."
"Oh? I will like to see that person you're speaking highly of." Leon says.
Back at the VIP seats, Ash says, "You know, it will be an honor if I get to fight Leon."
"What?" Serena asks in surprise. "Are you serious?"
"I am...if I can defeat Leon, I might be able to get close to become a Pokemon Master." Ash says.
"You're right." Serena says. "I am looking forward to it."
Just then, they feel the stadium is shaking as they decide to go outside to check out what is going on, and they see something that shocks their mind, a Gigantamax Drednaw.
Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, I have some Tauros traded for Starter Pokemon that Ash and Serena don't have, and then they get to see the World Coronation Series. I hope you like this chapter.
New Pokemon: Torchic, Mudkip, Piplup, Chespin, Popplio