Chapter 7: Ash's penultimatum


"And Garchomp is unable to battle! Charizard wins, and so Alain is the victor!" announced the referee.

Clemont, Bonnie, Tierno, Trevor, Shauna and Serena watched in amazement. "He's only brought out Metagross and Charizard for each battle!" Clemont muttered. "He's gonna be tough to beat!"

Serena put a hand to her heart. "Ash needs to beat Sawyer, and then he's gonna have to face Alain." She stopped, but smiled. "Ash can do it. I believe in him. He's just gotta win the Kalos League!

The commentator burst with excitement. "With Alain's powerful Mega Charizard beating its competition with ease, they now move onto the finals! Let's see who faces him in our next semifinal match!"

The spectators waited on edge as Alain and Remo shook hands and left the stadium.

Meanwhile, Ash was picking up the last of the Pokeballs he switched from Professor Oak. "Thanks, Professor!" He grinned.

Professor Oak looked pleased. "No problem! Now good luck out there!" He replied, before signing off. The screen Ash stared at went black.

Ash got up, and stared at the five pokeballs in his hand. "Come out everybody!"

All the pokeballs opened, and pokemon Ash hadn't seen in quite a while greeted him with a smile. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder to meet his old friends again, and introduce them to the pokemon they hadn't met. "Alright, you guys!" Ash exclaimed. "I know it's been a long time, but whaddaya say we go out there and win this league?!"

The seven of them cheered in unison, each of them excited.


"And the last of the semifinal rounds, please welcome trainers Ash vs Sawyer!"

Loud clapping, whistling and cheering ensued as Ash and Sawyer entered from each end of the arena.

"This time, the battle will be a six on six, and substitutions are allowed, like before!. When either side is down to three Pokémon, we will have a battlefield change, and when all six of your pokemon have been defeated, the battle will end!" said the referee. The two competitors nodded intently. "You will be fighting, first, in this forest battlefield!" A platform emerged in front of them, with lush greenery separating the two trainers.

"Are you both ready?"

Ash and Sawyer shared a grin. "Hey, Sawyer!" Ash called out. "I'm going all out for this battle, you got that?!"

"I expect nothing less, Ash! You bet I'll do the same!" Sawyer responded.

The referee couldn't help smiling. "When you're both ready, you may begin!"

Ash gazed at the first Pokeball he was going to use. "It's been a long time since Unova, my friend. But together, we can do this! I choose you, Krookodile!" He threw the Pokeball into the battle, and the red alligator appeared from it, snarling at Sawyer.

Sawyer's eyes widened. "Woah, I've never even seen a Krookodile before!"

The commentator sounded just as impressed. "Ash starts off with Krookodile! Now there's a Pokémon you don't see everyday in Kalos! That intimidating Krookodile must've be caught in the Unova region!"

"I can't let my guard down for a second! I have a feeling Ash will have switched a lot of his Pokémon with his previous ones, so I'd best play cautious." Sawyer whispered to himself. And then aloud, "Okay, go Clawitzer!"

He chucked his own Pokeball, and from it emerged a blue Pokemon, a shrimp with one massive claw.

Ash grimaced. Of course. A water type against a ground type definitely was not in his favour. So he'd have to play very carefully.

"Clawitzer, use Aqua Jet!"

The Clawitzer rose on a pillar of water, and started to travel right at Ash's pokemon.

"Krookodile, dodge it!"

He barely managed to get out of the way of the attack, however Clawitzer didn't stop there. It quickly turned around and Krookodile couldn't see it coming as it crashed into him behind.

"Krookodile, you okay?!" Ash asked. Krookodile fell to the ground, but got up again and shrugged off the blow, grunting as a reply to Ash.

"Hey Ash, i've been learning from you, to think outside the box!" Sawyer grinned.

"Glad to hear it!" Ash responded with a smile. "Alright Krookodile, use Dig!"

Krookodile immediately buried itself into the ground.

"Clawitzer, use Water Pulse, straight into the hole!" Sawyer commanded. Clawitzer prepared its sphere of water, and bounced to the hole, about to fire it.

"Now!" Ash yelled. Right as Clawitzer fired its attack, Krookodile burst out of the ground behind Clawitzer and unleashed a powerful blow, sending it flying backwards, though it landed upright, still ready to fight.

"Krookodile, keep on it with Dragon Claw!"

Krookodile's claw glowed green and he prepared to strike again, running straight towards Clawitzer.

"Clawitzer, use Ice Beam!"

Clawitzer fired a ray of ice at Krookodile, which froze his feet, stopping him dead in his tracks.. Ash gasped. "Krookodile, break out, quick!"

"Finish it with Water Pulse!" Shouted Sawyer. The shrimp fired the move, which hit Krookodile directly, knocking it out where it once stood.

"Krookodile is unable to battle!" Said the referee.

Ash pulled out a pokeball. "Okay Krookodile, return!" He said. When the red light summoned the fainted pokemon back, he smiled at his pokeball. "You've done really well, old friend. Now take a good rest." He put his pokeball back on the belt, and took out his next. Ash knew that Sawyer was a good analyst, and was able to predict a lot of things based on the circumstances. In that case, Ash would have to do something very unpredictable. And he knew just how.

"Buizel, I choose you!"

He threw the pokeball, and Ash's faithful sea weasel, Buizel, appeared from the ball and landed on the ground, springing to action.

Ash focused on his friend. Buizel had proven himself to be great at making some good combos. He thought back to the Wallace Cup, and what they did to make it as far as they did during that contest. "Okay Buizel, Aqua Jet, let's go!"

"You use Aqua Jet too!" shouted Sawyer.

The two water types surrounded themselves in their element, and collided with each other head on. "Now use Sonic Boom!" Ash yelled.

Right after the water subsided, Buizel smirked at the shrimp, and with a huge slam of its twin tails, struck the ground, causing a wave to appear and knock Clawitzer backwards. The force sent Buizel flying into the air, whereas Clawitzer hit the ground with a thud, but it used its claw to reposition itself.

"Clawitzer, are you okay?" Sawyer asked. Clawitzer nodded. "Alright, use Ice Beam now!"

As the Ice Beam sailed towards the airborne weasel, he and Ash simutaneously grinned. "You ready, Buizel?"

Sawyer's eyes widened. "What's he planning?!"

Ash punched the air. "Aqua Jet, straight into it!" he yelled. Buizel shouted and started to sail directly into Clawitzer's Ice Beam, and the water around Buizel quickly froze. Everyone around Ash gasped in shock, as he grinned. "Let's give it everything you got! Ice Aqua Jet, now!"

Buizel, now incased in ice, struck Clawitzer right on its head, shattering the ice as Buizel leapt back, and Clawitzer was launched against a tree as it fainted.

The referee looked stunned. "Clawitzer is unable to battle!" he announced.

Sawyer was taken aback. He returned his pokemon with a smile. "You did great, so take a good rest, Clawitzer." He looked up at Ash. "That was an impressive combo, Ash!"

Ash grinned. "Thanks! Me and Buizel have worked on that one for a long time!"

"You never fail to surprise me, Ash! I'm truly happy you're back in action!" Sawyer said as he reached for another pokeball. "But now its time to get serious! Slaking, lets go!"

Ash looked at the massive pokemon that emerged. "Alright Buizel, are you still doing okay?"

Buizel hit its fists, grinning at Ash. "Bui, Bui!"

"Alright then! Hit Slaking with Ice Punch!" Ash yelled.

Buizel charged at Slaking, and his fist glowed with a light blue. Buizel punched Slaking hard - but Slaking didn't move, or flinch. Its stomach froze slightly, and Slaking just proceeded to scratch the ice off, unfazed.

Buizel jumped back, expecting a retaliation, but was taken aback when he received none. "Buizel, try Water Gun!" Ash said.

Buizel nodded, although after his enemy hadn't flinched from his direct attack, he was slightly on edge. Buizel fired a powerful spray of water which hit Slaking, but still the pokemon remained unreactive.

Ash looked concerned. "An unmoving Slaking, eh? Seems familiar." He said to himself, and then he recalled a gym battle he fought in three years ago, where he fought Norman's Slaking with Sceptile, who was only a Grovyle at the time, and when he received his fourth Hoenn gym badge. "Three years... Time really flew, didn't it?" He thought, sighing internally.

"Buizel, use Ice Punch, again and again!" Ash commanded.

Buizel obliged, readying it's fists yet again, and then it punched Slaking - once with it's right, then jumping up and punching with it's left.

No response, even though the attacks were clearly inflicting damage to the pokemon.

Sawyer watched Buizel intently, as if he was waiting for something. "Slaking, use Slack Off!" Sawyer ordered.

Slaking's body glistened, and any wounds it had sustained disappeared. Slaking smirked at Buizel, agitating the latter.

Ash gritted his teeth. "Buizel, we just need to chain attacks so it can't heal!" He explained to his Pokemon. "Use Aqua Jet!"

Buizel surrounded itself with water, and rammed into Slaking, who once again did nothing to protect itself.

"Follow it up with Sonic Boom!" Ash yelled, but then he saw Sawyer smirk suddenly. Ash's eyes widened.

"Slaking, use Counter!"

Slaking finally got up, and as Buizel leapt back, firing a burst at Slaking, the sloth pokemon's body began to glow brightly. The Sonic Boom connected with Slaking, and was reflected, with double the force being sent back at Buizel. The move smacked into him and sent him crashing into the ground, unconscious.

"Buizel is unable to battle!" stated the referee.

Ash eyes focused on Slaking as it lay back down on its side, almost taunting the trainer. "Buizel, return!" He said. "You did awesome, so get a nice rest, okay?"

Then Ash turned to Pikachu, who stood beside him. Pikachu looked back up at him. "Alright, you're up buddy!" Ash exclaimed.

Pikachu jumped into the battlefield with a grin. Ash exhaled sharply. "Buizel's done a lot of attacking. There's no way Slack Off healed all of those attacks..." He then saw the ice Slaking was scratching off of itself. He smiled. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu prepared its trademark move - firing an intense bolt of lightning at Slaking, who tanked the hit. "Slack Off!" Sawyer ordered.

Slaking once again healed itself. "Pikachu, jump and use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu did exactly that - he leapt up and while in midair, turned to have his tail come crashing down on Slaking.

"Slaking, use Hammer Arm!" shouted Sawyer. Slaking got up and aimed its fist at the electric mouse, and the two moves collided. However, Slaking's knees buckled and Pikachu landed on its head, causing some serious damage. "Finish this with Electro Ball!" Ash yelled.

The force of landing on Slaking had sent Pikachu back up above him, and Slaking couldn't move in time to dodge the move. It hit, and Slaking fainted.

"Slaking is unable to battle!"

Sawyer frantically made a note in his notebook. "I shoulda known that wasn't gonna work for long..." He muttered to himself. He returned Slaking with a light smile, and aloud, he said, "Okay Aegislash, go!"

Ash looked at the sword/shield Pokemon that emerged from the Pokeball. "Ah, Aegislash! Tierno warned me about this. Okay Pikachu, into the forest, let's go!"

Pikachu nodded, and dashed into the trees, out of sight. Sawyer watched him go, and yelled, "Aegislash, use Sacred Sword!"

Aegislash's sword glowed blue, and it chased Pikachu through the trees, cutting the forest down as it passed. Ash gasped as he saw it, and Pikachu continued to run back to Ash. When Pikachu turned around, Aegislash had cut the last of the standing trees down. Now the battlefield looked more like a wasteland.

"I wonder what he's planning?" Ash murmured. He stared at Aegislash, who returned to Sawyer, awaiting his next command. "Alright Pikachu, here they come!" Ash exclaimed."Now! Use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu crouched down, and leapt at Aegislash. "Aegislash, use King's Shield!" Sawyer shouted.

Aegislash successfully brought its shield back in front of its body, and blocked Pikachu's tail.

Pikachu landed on the ground, and felt the electricity inside himself weaken slightly. "Pika?!" It questioned, looking at Ash.

Ash gritted his teeth. "Oh right, If we hit King's Shield, your attack power will go down!" Pikachu nodded, its eyes focusing intensely on Aegislash.

"Now use Sacred Sword!" Sawyer commanded. Aegislash once again removed the shield from its body and went in on Pikachu.

"Dodge it, quick!" Ash cried, but with the forest gone, Pikachu didn't have many places to turn to. Aegislash cornered Pikachu on a log, and struck him to the ground.

Pikachu cried out, but slowly got back onto his paws.

"Sacred Sword again!"

The same sequence happened - Pikachu tried to dodge, but Aegislash quickly caught up because the fallen trees were in the way. It hit Pikachu again, inflicting serious damage.

Ash grimaced. His attack options, and now his movements, were severely limited. How was he going to one-up Sawyer? "Thunderbolt!" He yelled.

Sawyer shook his head. "King's Shield!"

Pikachu fired another thunderbolt, and Ash stared closely at Aegislash. The pokemon pulled its shield in front of it...

The attack collided with the barrier, and Ash's eyes widened. "Pikachu, I have an idea. Its risky, but we don't have much else to go on. You with me?" Pikachu nodded.

"Alright then, I believe in you, buddy! Use Iron Tail on the floor!"

Pikachu did so, and the force sent the nearby branches and logs into the air.

Sawyer grinned. "Oh, he's planning something alright. Aegislash, use Fury Cutter!"

Ash breathed. "Pikachu, now use the wood!"

Pikachu jumped onto the airborne branches, nimbly dodging the Aegislash's sword, and getting behind the Pokemon, ready to attack.

"Aha! I knew it! Aegislash, use King's Shield now!" Sawyer shouted.

Ash grinned. "Okay Pikachu, hit that branch!"

Pikachu spun backwards, and whacked a branch with his tail, sending it spinning towards Aegislash's shield, and with brilliant aim, the shield was knocked off Aegislash's hand and onto the floor, making the barrier fail to appear. Sawyer gasped in shock.

"Pikachu, finish it with Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu beamed, and wrapped himself in electricity. When it was all stored up, Pikachu let it rip, unleashing a powerful shock onto the sword Pokemon, and knocking it straight out.

"Aegislash is unable to battle!" exclaimed the referee.

The commentator was bustling with excitement. "What a brilliant play by Ash and Pikachu! Stopping that King's Shield with some wood and a lot of quick thinking! And now that three of Sawyer's Pokemon are out, we'll now have a battlefield change!"

Sawyer sighed, clearly impressed. "Aegislash, you battled hard. Take a good rest." He said, returning the sword and shield pokemon.

Ash's eyes met Pikachu's. "You did it, buddy!" He smiled widely, and Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder happily. Ash stroked his yellow friend as the battlefield Pikachu once stood on sunk under the floor.

"And this next battlefield is gonna be... The badlands!"

Once again, a desolate, rocky surface appeared in front of Ash, Pikachu and Sawyer.

"Alright Pikachu, you can return for now." Ash grinned, as he pulled out his next Pokeball. Pikachu was happy to oblige, leaping off of his trainer's shoulder and lying down to have a nap. "Hawlucha! I choose you!"

Ash tossed the Pokeball high into the air, and suddenly, a masked pokemon soared out of it, flying onto the screen that focused on the match, and then gliding back down to land on the ground, posing with his muscles flexed.

Clemont and Bonnie were evidently stunned by his appearance. "Hawlucha..?" They exclaimed.

Serena giggled. "Well you see..." She then went to explain to them the circumstances as to why Hawlucha had a mask and cape on.


Serena felt something prod her shoulder softly. She spun around, and saw Ash's Hawlucha behind her, holding something in his hand. "You okay Hawlucha?" She asked. It wasn't an everyday occurance for Hawlucha to talk to anyone but Ash, Greninja and Pikachu, and so Serena had never spoke to the Luchador pokemon personally.

Hawlucha held out a piece of cloth. "Lucha!" He said. He placed the cloth on his back, and did his signature pose.

"Oh!" Serena exclaimed. "I get it! You want me to make you a costume, don't you!"

Hawlucha beamed.


Bonnie and Clemont sweat-dropped, watching Hawlucha as he ripped off his gear and growled, showing off his chest for the crowd. Serena smiled. "A forest champion needs a good outfit to match!" She told them.

Bonnie nodded. "I guess so!"

On the battlefield, Sawyer was grabbing his fourth Pokeball. "Okay, let's go Salamence!"

Sawyer through the Pokeball, and Salamence appeared, a huge dragon with a blue body and bright red wings.

Ash grinned at Sawyer. "Wow, so Shelgon evolved!" He exclaimed. Sawyer nodded in confirmation. "Hawlucha! use Karate Chop!"

Hawlucha quickly glided towards Salamence. "Dodge it!" Sawyer shouted.

Salamence spread its wings and took to the air, evading all of Hawlucha's attempts of landing a move.

"Woah, that's fast!" Ash murmured. Hawlucha carried on attacking, until finally a blow landed on Salamence's head. "Nice one, Hawlucha! Now use High Jump Kick!" he yelled.

Sawyer glanced up at his pokemon. "Salamence, use Dragon Rush!"

The two Pokemon charged into each other, connecting quite evenly but due to the sheer size of Salamence, Hawlucha was knocked back. Ash grunted. "You alright Hawlucha?" He asked. Hawlucha nodded.

"I'm not gonna lose anymore!" Sawyer called out. "Salamence, Incinerate!"

Salamence spewed several fireballs at Hawlucha. "Dodge it!" Ash shouted and Hawlucha zoomed across the badland field, avoiding the hail of fire from above. Unfortunately for him, Salamence swooped right in front.

"Dragon Tail, go!" Sawyer ordered. The dragon's tail went green and he swung it into Hawlucha, sending it sprawling. Ash winced as Sawyer repeated, "Incinerate!"

"Dodge it!" Ash said again, and Hawlucha this time dodged the fireballs by weaving left and right through the fireballs, suddenly jumping up.

"Hawlucha, use X-Scissor!" Ash yelled. Hawlucha crossed its fists over his face and charged at Salamence and Salamence was breathing another fireball.

Hawlucha slammed into the fireball as it was released - and it bounced back at Salamence!

Sawyer gasped. "Quick Salamence, Protect!" He yelled, but his dragon pokemon couldn't respond in time, resulting in it taking the entire hit and sustaining huge damage. "What?!" He cried. "How did Hawlucha do that so quickly?!"

Ash wiped his forehead with his sleeve. "Hawlucha's learned a lot of neat tricks when he was just a wild pokemon, that i've managed to train him to use effectively!" he grinned. Sawyer's eyes widened, and an acknowledging smile blossomed on his face.

"I see! Well you've got your tactics, and we've got our strategies! Salamence, use Dragon Rush!"

Ash grinned. "Jump towards the ceiling!"

Hawlucha did so, leaping up and soaring, spreading its wings to gain height. Salamence proceeded to chase after Hawlucha.

"Now! Flying Press!" Ash yelled.

Hawlucha jumped onto the roof of the stadium while Salamence was about to close in on him, and springboarded off of the ceiling, and crashed directly on top of Salamence!

"Oh no!" Sawyer gasped in horror. "Dragon Rush isn't gonna block an attack from above!"

Salamence smashed into the battlefield, and fainted. Hawlucha landed shakily on its feet, quite hurt but still eager to continue.

"Salamence is unable to battle!" The referee declared.

Ash exhaled in relief. "Hawlucha, that was awesome."

Like Hawlucha, Sawyer was also still in the battle. "Thanks for the battle, Salamence!" He said as he returned his fallen dragon. "Alright Slurpuff, you're up next!"

He threw the pokeball, and the familiar pink pokemon Slurpuff appeared from the ball, ready to fight.

"Okay Hawlucha, let's do this! Flying Press!" Ash commanded.

Hawlucha spread his wings and soared towards Slurpuff, ready to perform his signature move.

"Slurpuff, Flamethrower!" Sawyer said. The flamethrower hit Hawlucha directly in midair, but it didn't stop him, and the move connected, and Slurpuff staggered back, as did Hawlucha.

"Now use High Jump Kick!"

"Oh no you don't! Dazzling Gleam, now!"

Hawlucha was about to move in for another attack, but Slurpuff jumped up and fired an array of lights onto the Luchador, causing a smoke cloud to kick up. "No! Hawlucha!" Ash shouted, but when the smoke cleared, his pokemon had fainted.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle!"

Ash pulled out a pokeball. "You've done a great job, Hawlucha! Don't worry, we've got this." Ash cracked a tendon in his neck, and loosened his shoulders. "Pikachu, you think you can do this?"

Pikachu grinned, entering the field once more.

Sawyer didn't look too concerned. "Pikachu's still quite weak from before!" he proclaimed. "All I gotta do is knock him out!"

Ash shook his head. "I wouldn't be too sure about that! Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

"Intercept that with Fairy Wind!" Sawyer ordered.

"Dodge it!" yelled Ash.

Pikachu ran at Slurpuff with breathtaking speed, frantically moving out of the way of the rush of Fairy Wind directed at him. Pikachu plowed into Slurpuff, who slid backwards through the dirt.

"Slurpuff, use Cotton Guard!"

"Don't let that happen, Pikachu! Electro Ball!"

As Slurpuff raised its arms and started surrounding itself in cotton, Pikachu took aim and sent its electric projectile right at Slurpuffs unprotected face, inflicting damage.

Sawyer cringed. The longer Ash kept this up, the more tired Slurpuff would become. Ash wasn't the most analytical person, but he was clever. Aggressive strategies would not work on Pikachu, but Sawyer needed this battle over quickly.

"Slurpuff, Dazzling Gleam!" he yelled.

Another set of shining lights rained towards Pikachu, who darted out of its range.

Ash thought hard. He had to find a defensive method of defeating Slurpuff. He had two options.

"Pikachu, do you trust me?" He glowered. His yellow friend nodded. "Alright. I'm gonna need to you Quick Attack, as fast as you can, around Slurpuff."

"Pi!" He affirmed. He then knelt down, and sprinted towards Slurpuff.

Sawyer grinned. "If thats how you're gonna play this, then use Fairy Wind!"

Slurpuff grunted and aimed it's attack at the sprinting Pikachu, but as it launched, Pikachu changed direction, veering past the fairy type and its wind attack. "Wait, what?!" Sawyer exclaimed, as he became increasingly more concerned.

"Now do it! Iron Tail!" Ash shouted.

Sawyer panicked. "Fairy Wind!"

Slurpuff turned around, and blasted another wind, but it couldn't stop the yellow mouse. Pikachu's silver-turned tail cut into the wind and landed a direct hit on Slurpuff's head.

A huge white haze ascended, shrouding the onlookers view of the aftermath. It took a long, long minute to clear.

Ash tensed - as did Sawyer. The smoke eventually cleared, to reveal Pikachu, and Slurpuff, unconscious next to each other.

"Both Pikachu and Slurpuff are unable to battle, resulting in a double knockout!" Stated the referee eagerly.

Ash ran into the field. "Pikachu!" he shouted. "Pikachu, you've done so amazing." He went to pick him up.

Pikachu opened his eyes and smiled weakly. "Pika..?"

Ash beamed. "Yeah... don't worry, you just get some rest and I'll win this."

"And Sawyer is on his last Pokémon, but Ash has still got two more ready at hand! Is this the end for Sawyer, or will we see a spectacular comeback?" The commentator said.

Sawyer pulled out a pokeball. "Ash. I remember when I first met you, and I was so far behind that I could do nothing except follow in your shadow. But now, I'm battling you in the Kalos League! And I'm not about to lose here!"

Ash smiled. "You have a strong bond with your Pokémon, Sawyer. As long as you have that, then you can be the best, no matter what! But don't think I'm about to get complacent here!" He then grabbed his own Pokeball.

"Sceptile, let's go!"

"Infernape, I choose you!"

The two Pokémon, a green gecko and a flaming monkey appeared and landed, facing each other on the edges battlefield.

Sawyer flinched. Ash had read his last Pokémon from the very beginning. Sawyer knew his Sceptile would really struggle against its type superior. Now was not the time to give up, though.

"And Ash starts with the Sinnoh native fire type, Infernape!" exclaimed the commentator. "This battle doesn't seem to look any better for Sawyer, that's for sure!"

Sawyer tried to block those cutting words from his head. "It's fine, I just gotta beat this... Just use what you've learned..."

Sceptile caught his eye. "Sceptile!" it grunted.

Sawyer smiled. "You're right! Okay then, lets just give it our all!"

Ash grinned. Looks like his friend wasn't quite done yet. "Infernape," he started, "Let's do this together! Use Flamethrower!"

Infernape growled, happy to be back in action, and quickly billowed a rush of flame at Sceptile.

"Cut through it with Dragon Claw!"

Sceptile responded to the flamethrower by steadying its claw, making it glow green to dice it until Infernape's move disintegrated.

"Okay Infernape, use Dig!" Ash commanded. Infernape buried himself into the ground. However, Sawyer unusually grinned.

"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!"

Sceptile slammed its claw into the ground, but for some reason, the massive stalks never appeared. Suddenly Ash heard a rumble.

The ground exploded, a huge crater knocking Infernape upwards. The Frenzy Plant had hit him from under the field.

Infernape landed shakily on his feet in front of Ash. "You okay, Infernape?!" He asked. Infernape nodded, and Ash grimaced.

"Sceptile!" Sawyer continued. "Follow that with Leaf Blade!"

"Mach Punch, block it!" Ash called out.

The two moves slammed into each other, and neither one relented.

Sawyer clenched his teeth. "Sceptile, we can't hold back now! We've learned so much together, so let's give this everything we've got!"

Sawyer reached a hand towards the bookmark in his book. A keystone dangled off of the bookmark, like a bead of a necklace. Sawyer gripped it with shaky fingers. "Sceptile, Mega Evolve!"

The keystone glistened brightly, and then light burst out from it as if it were a lightbulb. The rays of light sauntered to Sceptile, amd reacted with it's scarf, connecting several rays between the Sceptilite and the keystone. Sceptile's body became enveloped in light, and when the light evaporated, it had transformed, with red outlines over it's body and a thicker, spikier tail.

Ash couldn't help but let a grin creep acrosd his face. "Alright! Now this is the battle I've wanted! And Sawyer, I'm sorry for the way for panicking back after we met at Snowbelle City. That wasn't me, and thank goodness, Serena managed to snap me out of it. I'm here now, and I'm gonna show you what I'm really made of!"

Sawyee beamed. "That's great to hear! And don't think we'd ever hold back! Sceptile, use Frenzy Plant!"

The now-empowered Sceptile struck the floor again, and vines emerged, on their way to ensnare Infernape. "Burn 'em down with Flamethrower!" shouted Ash.

Infernape allowed the vines to rush nearer to him, and with another breath of flame, they were all quickly incinerated and vanished.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Mach Punch!"

One by one, blow was pitted against blow, and yet Infernape and Sceptile both showed no signs of giving in.

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Keep going! Mach Punch again!"

Sawyer smirked. "Dodge and use Leaf Blade!"

Sceptile jumped up, and Infernape stumbled, throwing a punch at thin air. Sceptile spun and hit its spiky tail into Infernape's head, crashing the ape pokemon into the ground.

Ash exhaled sharply. "Man, they may be weak to Infernape, but those are some powerful moves."

"Sceptile, finish it up with Leaf Storm!" ordered Sawyer.

Ash shook his head. "Not this time! Infernape, Flare Blitz!"

Infernape got up to his feet. He stared down the flurry of oncoming leaves, and willed his body to become flaming hot.

Infernape charged at Sceptile, wreathed in blue flame, and pushed past the leaf storm effortlessly. He collided with the gecko, the supereffective move sending it sprawling to the ground.

Sawyer gasped. "What?! Leaf Storm must've done something!" He almost pleaded. His eyes widened, however, when he noticed Infernape, he was glowing red, steam visible above him.

Ash closed a fist in front of his face. "Oh, it did something all right! It activated Infernape's Blaze ability! And now, we're gonna be the ones to finish it!" He pointed a finger straight forward. "Use Dig!"

Infernape obliged, diving into the ground once again. "It's not gonna work, Ash!" Sawyer yelled through gritted teeth. "Frenzy Plant, let's go!"

Sceptile punched the ground again. Ash stepped forward. "Now Infernape, keep digging down, quickly!"

The underground vines caused an earthquake in tthe stadium, and even Ash was unsure if Infernape had made it out unscathed. He waited for the earthquake to subside. It felt like a lifetime.

Ash waited, and then slowly but surely, the tremours dissipated. "Now!" He screamed. "Do it!"

The ground shook once more, but this time, Infernape burst out from it, right under Sceptile, striking with a devastating uppercut. Sceptile was thrown up, and Sawyer could do nothing but watch in horror.

Sceptile crashed back down, the impact kicking up a cloud of dirt and debris. When that too subsided, Sceptile had already reverted to it's original form, completely passed out.

"Sceptile is unable to battle!" The referee shouted. "Infernape is the winner, and so the victor is Ash!"

The once silent crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie all sprung out of their seats in unison, cheering and talking, while Tierno, Trevor and Shauna were laughing, conversing about the battle. "I knew it! I knew Ash could do it!" Serena shouted, delighted.

Tierno and Trevor were both open mouthed. "Woah." Tierno murmured. "Ash is awesome!"

Serena was cheering loudly, uncharacteristically for herself as she tended to be rather quiet in crowded places. However, her celebration was cut short by a buzz in her pocket. She took her travel guide out - it was receiving a call. "Hello?" she answered. Clemont looked over at her quizzically. "Ah! Okay, I'll be there! Give me a minute!" She hung up, and made to leave. "Sorry!" She told her friends. "I gotta go somewhere! I'll meet you back at the pokémon center, then I'll explain!" she shuffled past out of her seats and exited, before they could protest.

Sawyer, meanwhile, had dropped to his knees, struggling to believe it was finally over. When he did, he slowly pulled out a pokeball from his belt and returned his trusted Sceptile. "You've done so well, okay?" he coaxed the pokeball gently.

Ash had walked over to him. He offered a hand out. Sawyer looked up and took it. "That match made me experience everything!" Sawyer commented with a content smile. He sighed. "I guess I still have a long way to go before I can beat you, though."

Ash shook his head. "Nah, you gave me a real battle, alright! I was psyched up the whole time!"

Sawyer breathed. "Whew, it was a tough one. I didn't even get to challenge your sixth Pokemon. But I'm not quitting yet! One day i'll come back, and by then, i'd have so much experience, I'll even be able to beat you!"

"I'll hold you to that!" Ash grinned. "And when we meet again, we'll battle, got it?"

Sawyer returned the smile. "That's right!"

They shook hands again, and parted ways. "The finals..." Ash thought. "The furthest I've ever gotten. And I just gotta get one more battle... Against Alain."


And that is the end of this chapter! Man, if this was difficult to write, and I literally just copied Sawyer's strategies across, this next battle is going to be a tough one, that's for sure!

But it's okay. When the Kalos League is over, I can finally start writing amourshipping. Which, undoubtedly, is the reason you all came to this story in the first place. And amourshipping is what I WANT to be writing, so I certainly will pour my heart into it :P

Anyway, thank you for reading, and I will see you next chapter!