Chapter 8: Ash and Alain's final fight to the finish!


No sooner as Ash had left the stadium was he greeted by his good friends.

"Ash!" Serena cried when she saw him. "You've made it to the finals!"

She was beaming intensely, which made Ash scratch the back of his head, partly out of nervousness but also out of gratitude. After all, she had been in his position not long before the League, with her own Master Class. "Yeah!" He agreed. "The finals... The furthest i've gotten yet." His eyes drifted into a faraway look as he examined his pokeballs.

Serena, Bonnie and Clemont shared a worried glance, which snapped Ash back to reality when he saw them. "Alright!" He yelled, this time full of energy. Smiles quickly returned to the trio with him. "I've beaten Sawyer. Now i'm gonna beat Alain, and win this whole thing!"


Ash was giving his pokeballs to Nurse Joy when a very familiar face went over to greet them. "Hey kids!"

Meyer was standing in the corner of the room, with Clembot behind them, wearing a hot pink maid apron and holding two brimming plastic bags. "Hey Dad!" Bonnie said.

"Dad, Clembot!" Clemont exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "What're you guys doing here?"

Meyer shrugged with a massive grin. "You know, just heard you were in town for the Pokemon League! Got you guys a little gift for the occasion!" He winked at Ash, a 'good luck' sentiment, and Clembot laid the bags down on a nearby table. The six of them sat down around it. Inside the bags were stacks of Lumiose's famous cakes! They thanked Meyer and Clembot profusely, and they all, including their Pokemon, proceeded to stuff the lot of it.

Ash leapt up. "That was delicious!" He exclaimed, but then he frowned. "Now, who do I pick for the finals..?"

Bonnie sighed. "Typical Ash. The only things on his mind is food and battles."

Serena and Clemont silently agreed, while Meyer continued to beam hugely. "Ah, now what a spirit that boy has! It's always good be as energetic as that. If only Clemont ran around half as much as Ash did."

Again, Serena and Bonnie silently agreed with that statement, while Clemont just let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm more than happy to let fitness take a backseat to my science, thank you very much Dad!" He grunted, annoyed. He turned to look at Ash, who was pacing back and forth, and doing circles, while Nurse Joy stared at him, half concerned but half amused.

Currently, he had six tired Pokemon in his roster, but he was keen to let them rest. "Whew, so, Hawlucha, Pikachu and Talonflame helped me get through the second round, and I did the quarters with Greninja, Hawlucha and Talonflame..." He focused intensely, trying to remember all the Pokemon he had at Oak's lab that could really beat Alain's two known Pokemon, which were Metagross and Charizard.

"So Ash." Clemont said as he walked up to his friend. "One thing you could do is have two Pokemon that are quick, two that are defensive, and two heavy hitters. after all, unpredictability is your biggest strength!"

Serena got up and joined them. "Don't forget, type matchups are going to come in very handy as well!" she added.

Ash made notes in his head. "Right. Different types, different battling styles... I think I got it - yeah, i'll try that. Thanks!"

"Hey Ash?" Nurse Joy called out. "Your pokemon are all healed! Break a leg in the finals!"

Ash grinned. "I sure will, Nurse Joy! Thanks!"

He headed to the computer, and dialled in a number. It turned on, and glowed brightly while waiting for the other end to pick up. Soon enough, Professor Oak's face reappeared. "Why hello there Ash!"

"Hey, professor! Whatcha doin?"

Oak let out a long sigh. "I was studying Noivern when I got too close, and received a very potent Boom Burst for it." Ash winced. "I'm getting too old for this, but no matter! I'm still going strong!" He said, making Ash laugh slightly.

"Uh, professor?"

"You need to switch your pokemon, right? Don't worry, I'm on it!"

Ash grinned. "Thanks!"


Ash returned to his group, who seemed to be talking to someone he didn't recognise. "Hey everyone!"

Serena stood up. "Hi Ash!" She put a hand on the shoulder of the unfamiliar girl. She wore a green cap, and had short-ish auburn hair. "Ash, this is Mairin, Mairin, this is Ash!"

Ash stuck out his hand. "Hey Mairin, nice to meetcha!"

Mairin looked at him, somewhat in awe. "Nice to meet you too!" She said as she shook his hand. Then her eyes widened all of a sudden. "Wait a minute! You're that trainer who's gonna battle Alain in the finals!"

"That's right!" Ash nodded. "So you know Alain then!"

"Yep! I travel with him! He's super strong, you're gonna lose!" She beamed.

Ash closed his eyes, grinning. "Ah, but you haven't seen me battle him! There's no way I'm losing!"

Mairin looked at him admiringly. "Wow..."

"So Ash, who're you choosing for the finals?" Bonnie asked.

Ash put a hand against his belt. "Actually, lets go outside, and you can see for yourself!" The other three also seemed interested, and they followed him round the back of the Pokemon center.

He picked the first off of his belt. "Okay, come on out, Swellow!"

The ball opened in his hand, and a bird, around the size of Talonflame, swooped next to Ash. It let out a friendly, yet very powerful call.

Ash hugged the bird. "Hey Swellow! It's been a long time, bud!" He scratched him under his beak, to which Swellow responded with a soft caw.

Bonnie's eyes were glowing, as were Mairins. "So cool!" they said in unison.

Ash puffed his chest out in pride, and gave Swellow a headpat. "I met Swellow when it was just a Taillow in the Hoenn region! In terms of speed, Swellow is unmatched. This is one of the fastest, and most hardworking pokemon ive ever caught."

He then got out his next. "Alright then! Come on out, Snorlax!"

Ash threw this Pokeball, unusually quite far away from the group. A huge pokemon materialised in the air, and crashed down in front of them, sending shockwaves to their feet.

"Woah!" Clemont gasped. "It must be bigger than the Snorlax at the castle!"

Snorlax gave Ash a great big bear-hug. "It's good to see you too, Snorlax!" He laughed. "Now he, is a heavy hitter, Clemont! You should've seen him at the Johto League!"

Bonnie beamed, and joined the hug. "He's so nice and fluffy, i like him!" She giggled.

Ash wrenched himself out of Snorlax's grip. "Yep! He may not look it, but he's quite fast as well!"

Snorlax then scratched his belly, and suddenly, he began to fall backwards. "Oh no!" Bonnie cried.

Snorlax hit the ground, causing yet another miniature quake, and fell asleep. Ash sweat dropped, but grinned. "You know what, you get your sleep, buddy. We're gonna conquer this League tomorrow!" Snorlax lazily put a fist up to bump Ash.

"And now," Ash started dramatically, "for the grand finale! Go, Charizard!"

He tossed the pokeball high into the air, and it opened to cause a huge shadow above them. Another crash ensued, and Ash's friends found themselves face to face with a massive Charizard!

Mairin seemed delighted. "Woah, it looks so strong! Maybe stronger than Alain's!"

"Charizard!" Ash shouted happily. Charizard beamed hugely, and promptly sprayed a Flamethrower all over his trainer.

Ash emerged from the fire, blackened with soot and his hair was mushroomed. "pweh!" he spat the char from his mouth. "Yes, that's just what we'll need! It's getting stronger each year!"

He fist-bumped Charizard, and then turned back to his friends, who seemed extremely shocked that Ash just shrugged off a full on flamethrower. "Uh, Ash?" Clemont started, but Ash cut him off.

"Nah, dont worry about it! Charizard's been with me, almost since the beginning of my journey, ever since he was a Charmander. Man, it was the worst I've ever felt, the circumstances on how I met him." His face was originally quite cheerful, but suddenly his expression went darker.

Charizard didn't look as bothered, but clearly it knew what Ash meant. Serena stared at him worriedly. "What do you mean?"

Ash sighed. "Well, when I first met Charmander... You see, I saw him sitting on a rock, and when we got to the Pokémon center, Nurse Joy told us it's trainer had abandoned it."

The four listening to him gasped in shock. Ash carried on - "It began to downpour, so me and two of my close friends - Brock and Misty - we headed over back to the rock, to see if Charmander was okay, but Brock told me that if the flame went out on his tail, it would actually die. When we got to him, it didn't look like he was gonna make it. But we got him back to the Pokemon center, and Nurse Joy managed to nurse him back to full health. By then, I guess Charmander realised that his trainer was a nasty creature, so long story short, he tagged along with me!"

Ash's smile had returned by the end of the story, and Charizard looked pleased as well, grunting knowingly as he told it.

"Huh... You really have been through a lot!" Mairin concluded aloud to herself.

Ash nodded with a smile. "My journey - my experiences - they've all shaped me as a person. I wouldn't trade everything I've done for the world." He gazed at his outstretched hand, and he closed it into a fist. "Just imagine, Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon Master! Now that's my dream!"

Mairin looked at him with admiration. Serena closed her eyes and placed a hand on her heart. The boy she was travelling with, Ash Ketchum... No matter what he talks about, he always manages to stay so positive. She thought to herself, just about how good of a person he was.

"And, well, that's it, I guess. I'm keeping on Pikachu and Greninja, but as for my sixth - well, I'm still trying to figure that one out."

Serena lowered her head and stepped forward. "Um, Ash?"

Ash faced her. "Yeah, Serena?"

"Actually, you're trying to find a very defensive Pokemon, right?" She grinned hugely and thrust a pokeball into his hand.

Ash looked taken aback, but when he felt the pokeball, his eyes widened. The pokeball was warm to the touch, and slightly sticky. He knew whose this was.

"Oh, Arceus, Serena, you didnt-" his voice drifted away mid sentence as a smile crept over his face.. he held the pokeball in front of him, and clicked it open.

Out from it emerged his faithful slime giant.

Goodra.

Goodra beamed at Ash, who stared in bewilderment and exhilaration. "Goodra!" he finally cried. "I've missed you!"

He ran into Goodras open arms, and they smiled at each other. After a bit, they broke away, and Ash wiped the slime off his clothes.

Ash turned back to Serena. His eyes shone appreciatively. "Oh, Serena! You're the best!" He grinned at her, and she stood facing him, beaming back. Suddenly, Ash went up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you so much, you're brilliant!"

Serena, meanwhile, was blushing too intently to hear him. Even when Ash broke away, oblivious to what he had just done, Serena's face had gone scarlet in colour.

Ash's eyes widened. "Serena, are you okay? Oh no, i didn't hurt you, did I?!"

Serena smiled uncontrollably. "N-n-n-no! D-don't worry about it!" she stuttered.

Ash frowned. He was worried he did something wrong, or perhaps the hug was a bit too far?

Mairin sidled up to Bonnie. "Hey, does Serena..?"

Bonnie nodded, exasperated. "Yep. Ash is way too dense to notice though." She said aloud, making Ash turn around, and Serena blush even harder. Mairin giggled.

"Bonnie, you can't say things like that aloud!" Clemont muttered, out of Ash's earshot.

Bonnie and Mairin both burst into peals of laughter. Eventually, Mairin got her breath back.

"Ash, you have such a good bond with your pokemon! I can tell you've raised them very well!"

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Mairin." Then his expression changed to wonder. "Actually, are you a pokemon trainer?"

Mairin looked down, and withdrew into herself. "Uh, yeah." She murmured. "I have a Chespin named Chespie, but right now, she's very sick and I'm not sure what to do."

They all nodded empathetically. Serena laid a hand on Mairin's shoulder. "Listen, if there's anything we can do to help, you let us know. I promise I'll be with you in an instant."

Mairin beamed. "That's so kind of you all! But don't worry about Chespie! He's being taken care of in Lysandre Labs! Lysandre's really smart, i bet Chespie will be good to go soon!"

Ash grinned. "That's great to hear! I'll tell Alain that you're here as we-"

Mairin shook her head. "No, actually, I wanted to surprise Alain after he won the finals. Or well, after meeting you, it might be more of an even match than I expected!" But anyway, I was originally staying with Lysandre in a VIP box, but could I sit with you guys instead?"

"Of course you can! You can sit next to me!" Bonnie said excitedly.

Ash raised his arms in the air. "Alright! It's time to get in a little extra training! Charizard, our biggest challenge will be Alain's Charizard, but you've got all that training from Charizific! Speaking of which, have you ever fought a Mega Charizard?"

Charizard shook his head and snorted flames confidently, as if to say "What's a mega to me? I'll take him, no sweat."

"Alright then! Charizard, you mind if we train against you?"

Charizard growled with enthusiasm. He fist-bumped Pikachu and Snorlax, then turned back to Ash. "Alright!" the trainer yelled. Let's do this!"

Clemont chuckled. "Well, let's leave them to it, shall we?" He headed back to the Pokémon Center, followed by Bonnie and Mairin.

Serena took one last glance at Ash, and then followed the others. "He's working so hard... You can do it, Ash."


"The final round of the Lumiose Conference is about to begin! This match will be the deciding match, to see which contestant should move on to the Champions League!" Explained the commentator, bustling with excitement. "Today we have Professor Sycamore with us, an esteemed researcher here in Lumiose, and also the Champion of Kalos herself, Champion Diantha!"

Diantha showed her face, and the entire crowd jumped up excitedly. Serena looked around with wide eyes. "Wow, she's probably even more popular than Aria was!"

Clemont nodded. "Like I said, these Leagues are extremely competitive. There must be hundreds of thousands of people across the globe tuning in to see this. You can expect that for about every other region too." He explained. "I, for one, have seen many Kalos and Hoenn conferences." Serena sweat dropped. Hundreds of thousands of pairs of eyes on Ash. The thought of it drew a pit in her stomach.

"The chosen battlefield will be a rock and water one! Now please give a cheer for our two skilled finalists, Ash and Alain!" The commentator bellowed.

As Ash and Alain entered, again the stadium rumbled with cheering and applause from the entire audience. Even the clapping of those watching on the screens just outside the Colosseum were audible.

The two teenagers met in the center. "I'm not gonna hold back, Ash!" Alain said simply. However, he smiled, eager to battle his friend.

Ash grinned also. "You bet I'm not gonna either! Let's give it our all!"

Alain nodded with a smile, and they went into their positions.

"This battle will be the same as the semifinals! A six on six, and substitutions are allowed. When three of a trainer's pokemon have been defeated, the battlefield will change, and when all six of one's have been defeated, the battle will be over! So are you ready?"

Alain gripped his first Pokeball. They both nodded to the referee.

"Well then..." The ref took a deep breath, and grinned. "Both of you, good luck! You may begin!"

Ash turned to his partner. "You ready Pikachu?"

The electric mouse beamed, determined, and darted forward.

Meanwhile, in the audience, Serena felt a rustle in her pocket. Then, a flash of blue light emerged next to her, causing her own Pikachu, Popstar, to land on her lap. Popstar stared down at the battlefield.

Her three other friends looked at Serena with surprise. "Wow Serena, you caught a Pikachu? Look at her outfit, its adorable!" Shauna gushed.

Serena laughed. "Yeah! This little one's called Popstar! She's a Pikachu movie star, but she was a fan of my performance, and so I let her come with me!" She explained. She ruffled the fur on Popstar's head. "I see you want to have a look at Ash's Pikachu, huh!" Popstar nodded enthusiastically.

Back on the battlefield, Alain chucked the ball in his hand. "Go, Tyranitar!" He called out. A huge dinosaur-like pokemon, Tyranitar, emerged, glaring aggressively.

A sandstorm kicked up randomly.

"Ah, here we're witnessing Tyranitar's ability, Sand Stream! This sandstorm will prove to be very difficult for Pikachu to see!" The commentator explained.

"Okay Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!" Alain commanded.

Tyranitar obeyed, firing a beam of purple matter at Pikachu.

"Dodge it!"

Pikachu promptly got out of the way. The sandstorm swirled past Pikachu and bounced off of the water in the center. Ash saw - and suddenly a lightbulb flashed in his head.

"Hey Pikachu, splash water with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu did so - he spun through the storm and crashed his tail down on top of the river. the water leapt up from the force of the move and effectively neutralised the Sand Stream ability, all while soaking Tyranitar in water. "You what?!" Alain gaped.

"And now use Thunderbolt!" Ash grinned. Pikachu, who was still drifting through the air, aimed a bolt to electrocute the Tyranitar. While the type disadvantage was noticeable, it still did heavy damage because of the water.

"Don't let up, Pikachu! Electro Ball, go!"

Alain growled. "Use Stone Edge!"

This time, when Pikachu launched the Electro Ball, Tyranitar summoned a large pillar of rock to stop it.

"Break it!" Alain shouted.

Then, Tyranitar swept its tail and smashed the rock it had summoned, sending a barrage of stones at Pikachu. In response, the mouse turned around and reflected the rocks with his tail, sending them flying back towards Tyranitar and dealing even more damage!

Alain looked bewildered. Ash used this factor to his advantage, and shouted, "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

Alain shook off his amazement to put his head back in the moment. "Crunch, quick!" he shouted.

Pikachu swung down om top of Tyranitar - however, the armour Pokemon caught the mouse with its teeth. Pikachu yelped.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

While Pikachu was struggling to escape Tyranitar's powerful jaws, he summoned a ball of electricity on the tip of his tail, causing the ball to implode in his opponents mouth. Tyranitar staggered back, and collapsed.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle!" declared the referee.

"Wow, what a quick first knockout by Ash and Pikachu!" The commentator stated excitedly. "Can Alain keep up against that quick thinking?"

Alain smiled. "Tyranitar, return!" he called, absorbing his pokémon back into its haven. "Okay, take a rest, you've earned it." he coaxed.

He grabbed another ball and spun it into the arena. "Go Weavile!"

A Weavile burst out of the pokeball and landed swiftly in front of Alain.

Ash smiled. "Hey Pikachu, return for now, okay?"

Pikachu nodded, and ran back to Ash, crawling up onto his shoulder.

"Okay! I choose you, Snorlax!"

He threw is own pokeball, and when it hit the ground, Snorlax appeared, looking pleased with himself.

Alain looked impressed. "Wow, what a Snorlax..!" he muttered to himself.

Ash grinned. "Snorlax, use Ice Punch!"

Snorlax obliged, and suddenly dashed forward. Alain was amazed by the massive pokemon's agility, but shrugged it off. "Weavile, Protect!"

Weavile barely managed to shield itself, and Snorlax staggered off it.

"Now use Night Slash!"

Weavile was able to quickly leap up and strike Snorlax as he was left wide open. Snorlax drifted back through the dirt but remained standing.

Ash thought for a minute. "Hey Snorlax, get back!" he shouted.

Snorlax spun on his heel, lumbering back to where Ash was.

Alain's eyes narrowed. "Weavile, use Ice Beam!"

"Snorlax, Protect!" Ash shouted.

Snorlax effectively shielded himself from the ray of ice sent sent at him.

"That's not gonna work! Weavile, use Dragon Claw!"

This time, Weavile followed up the attack quickly with another melee, landing a blow on Snorlax's stomach - another critical hit. Yet, Snorlax still proceeded to tank the hits.

Ash looked up to Snorlax. "Okay, use Rest!"

Snorlax looked more than happy to do so, and was asleep before he even hit the ground.

Concern crept into Alain's head. That wasn't a normal manoeuvre - what was Ash planning?

"Weavile, use Night Slash!" he yelled.

Weavile did so - its claw went black and hit Snorlax in the stomach. Snorlax waved a paw at Weavile while he was still asleep, seemingly unaffected by the move.

Weavile still carried on doing so. Another strike. And again.

Suddenly, Snorlax lifted its head. Ash punched the air in exhilaration. "Now, Snorlax! Ice Punch, let's go!"

Weavile barely had time to move out the way before it took on a heavy fist, inflicting quite a bit of damage.

"Weavile!" Alain shouted.

"Snorlax, finish this with Hyper Beam!" Ash yelled, and Snorlax bellowed; his voice filled the whole stadium. He spewed a jet of overwhelming energy, and Weavile couldn't escape. Weavile was knocked against the ground, and fainted.

"What a powerful Snorlax!" roared the commentator. "But now Ash is up 2-0! How will Alain make a comeback?!"

Alain grunted as he returned Weavile, coaxing it kindly as it was absorbed back into the pokeball. "Go, Bisharp!"

He tossed his next ball into the air, and a steel plated pokemon appeared. "Okay Bisharp, use Thunder Wave!"

Snorlax yawned complacently, however Ash didn't look as relaxed. "No Snorlax, you gotta dodge it!" He shouted.

Unfortunately, it was too late - Snorlax didn't have the time to move, so took the full shot of electricity, making his legs buckle. He hit the ground with a thud, causing the arena to shake and Bisharp to lose his footing.

"Bisharp, Guillotine!" Alain commanded.

Bisharp's arms shone silver, and he thrust them in front of him as he dashed forward. "Snorlax, Ice Punch!"

Snorlax attempted to get back up, but the electricity overwhelmed him, and the pokemon stared helplessly as Bisharp came towards him and struck, knocking the giant out.

"Snorlax is unable to battle!" announced the referee.

"Return Snorlax!" Ash said, as the pokeball seemed to consume the massive giant in red light. "You've done an awesome job, old friend."

Ash gazed at the pokeball in his hand, smiling. "Okay Goodra, you're up!" He shouted, tossing it.

A giant slime emerged from the ball, landing on the ground while beaming. "Goodra, goo!"

Ash grinned. "Alright, use Rain Dance!"

Goodra looked delighted, thus raising his arms in the air. Dark, heavy clouds appeared overhead, promptly pouring a rainstorm onto the entire arena, even the audience!

Meanwhile, Shauna and Trevor looked devastated. "Man, that Rain Dance is just overdoing it!" Shauna complained.

Serena seemed uncaring of it. "Come on, Ash and Goodra!" She cheered.

Clemont raised an eyebrow. "Huh, Serena, it's kind of unlike you to be unfazed by this rain." He commented.

Serena chuckled sheepishly. "I guess I'm just getting too into this battle to notice."

Clemont shrugged and turned back to the fight. "Though, that is pretty good going by Ash. Considering Goodra's ability is Hydration, Bisharp's Thunder Wave isn't going to do anything to him."

Goodra splashed happily. Ash looked pleased with his pokemon. "Okay, now use Ice Beam!" He shouted.

Alain focused. "Iron Head, go!"

Bisharp deftly got out of the way of the freezing rays, which instead skimmed over the floor, freezing it in front of the soldier Pokemon. It steeled its head and charged at Goodra. "Catch him!" Ash yelled.

Goodra used his antannae to stop Bisharp in its tracks. Then, with incredible power and to the shock of the viewers, Bisharp was lifted and thrown into the air!

The force caused Bisharp to fall and take damage. Ash grinned. "Keep it up, Goodra! Dragon Pulse!"

This time, a purple flame emanated from Goodra's mouth, and he fired it.

"Focus Blast!" shouted Alain.

The two moves collided, in midair, causing smoke to lift. "Now try Iron Head again!" Alain urged his pokemon.

"Goodra, use Bide!" Ash commanded.

Goodra obliged, a determined expression seeping into his face, and then he began to faintly glow red. Bisharp rammed into him, and the dragon type skidded backwards, but didn't flinch - instead, the red glow became a deeper scarlet.

Alain's eyebrow furrowed deeply. He knew doing too much could be risky, but this could be also be an opportunity. He read Ash's face - it bore the same expression as his own. "Focus Blast!" He ordered.

Bisharp fired another blue ball of energy at Goodra, who cried out in pain. Ash gritted his teeth. "Just hang in there, Goodra! You can do it!"

"Not for long!" Alain growled. "Iron Head, once more!"

Bisharp once again charged into Goodra, but this time, the glow became an incredible bright red. "Do it!" Ash bellowed.

Goodra screamed, and a huge white beam of energy erupted from his mouth, completely enveloping the steel type with the force of three powerful moves, at double the strength. Bisharp collapsed, completely out.

"Bisharp is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Three of Alain's pokemon have been defeated, so the battlefield will now change!"

Goodra went onto Ash's platform, and then the rock and water field lowered into the ground. This time, it was replaced with a flat grass field. Goodra steppedd back out onto it, the damp grass making the slime feel welcome.

Alain was taken aback as to how much Goodra was able to tank. However, he still smiled. "I guess that's just the power of a pseudo-legendary pokemon." he acknowledged.

He returned his pokemon, thanking it silently for the battle. He clutched his next ball. "Unfezant, your turn!"

This time, a bird flew out of the pokeball, fluttering down the ground. "Wow, an Unfezant!" Ash exclaimed, as memories of raising his own in Unova returned to him.

"Your opponent's weak, Unfezant!" Alain called out. "Sky Attack, let's go!"

Goodra prepared to dodge, but his eyes were no match for Unfezants speed. Instead, the bird soared into him, causing him to fall and lose consciousness.

"Goodra is unable to battle!"

Ash breathed deeply. He pulled out a pokeball, and recalled Goodra. "You've done really well, now lets get you some rest, 'kay?" He softly told the unconscious pokemon. He readied his next ball. "If its an air battle you want, then that's what you'll get!" Ash declared, tossing the pokeball straight upward. Another bird entered the fray - Ash's Swellow.

Swellow shrieked loudly, eager to battle once again. "That's the spirit!" Ash beamed.

The two birds locked eyes with each other. Suddenly, they took to the air, swooping over the arena, above the spectators.

"Quick Attack!"

"Steel Wing!"

The two pokemon collided with each other at fierce speed, swerved, and did so again. Their agility seemed to be matched. "Okay, Double Team!" Ash shouted.

Swellow summoned copies of itself to swarm around Unfezant. Alain grimaced. "Use Air Slash!"

Unfezant quickly tore through the copies one by one - but it couldn't do so quickly enough. The real Swellow loomed above. "Now use Peck!" ordered Ash, and Swellow's beak sharpened to grind into the opposing bird, inflicting damage.

Meanwhile, the commentator seemed to be dazzled. "Now this is an aerial battle the likes of which the Kalos League has never seen!"

And he was right. Swellow and Unfezant countered move against move, and neither side looked as though they were ready to let up.

Ash put his hand to his forehead, deep in thought. Then finally, an idea hit him.

"Swellow, use Double Team, and get away!" he yelled.

Swellow obliged, sending forth matching shadows of itself, yet again. This time, however, the Swellow flock travelled together, soaring through the air in a flying V.

"Don't lose sight of it!" Alain maintained. "Chase it with Steel Wing!"

Unfezant's wings shone silvery yet again, and it picked off the shadows from the flying V, slowly creeping towards the real Swellow who was leading the pack. Alain felt very nervous. If Ash intended to use an evasive move, why have it obvious which Swellow was the real one?

Unfezant finally caught up with Swellow, and landed its attack.

But then, Swellow vanished. Alain gasped - and Unfezant stopped dead.

"Alright!" Ash boomed. "Show them what you're truly made of! Get ready, Alain! This is Swellow's famous Aerial Ace!"

Alain looked up in horror, to see Swellow, directly above his own head. The swallow swooped down, and sped towards the dazed Unfezant. It's stomach feathers were a hair's breadth from the ground as Swellow ascended quickly again, and all of a sudden, disappeared.

"What on Earth?!" Alain stammered. Swellow reappeared only to tackle Unfezant and send it sprawling onto the ground, having completely knocked out.

"Unfezant is unable to battle!"

"What's this?!" The commentator boomed in his booth. "I've... I've never seen anything like it! Did Ash's Swellow move so quick it disappeared from our vision?! Incredible!"

Alain recalled his pokemon, utterly awestruck. Apparently, in the aisles, so was Trevor, as he seemed to leap up and point madly at Ash's Swellow.

"That move! I've seen that before!" He squeaked loudly. Five heads turned to face him, curious. Trevor bounced up and down, still pointing. "I saw that Swellow do the exact samedisappearing Aerial Ace when I watched a pokemon League for the first time, three years ago!" He explained wildly. "I can't believe I was watching Ash's battle that time!"

Shauna, Bonnie, Clemont and Serena looked bewildered whereas Tierno gasped and nodded. "That's right! That's actually where I met Trevor - just before I set off on my journey in Kalos, we were both watching the Hoenn League live. I remember now!"

Serena tilted her head. "Well, what do you know!" she commented. "Small world!"

Meanwhile, Ash scratched his nose while beaming. "How'd you like that one, Alain?!"

Alain smiled. "I'm truly impressed, Ash! But now, party's over! Now i'm gonna show you our full strength!"

He moved into a battle stance and tossed another pokeball.

This time, a huge pokemon, made completely of steel, emerged with bright red eyes. Its vocal was mechanical and creaky.

"Swellow, use Quick Attack!"

"Metagross, use Agility!"

Swellow darted forward at Metagross, ready to impact, but the latter swiftly avoided the attack and zipped around the grassy field. Ash's eyes widened. "Man, that's fast! Swellow, chase it down!"

Swellow did so, tailing the steel pseudo-legendary all over the arena, when it suddenly jumped above the bird. "Now, Meteor Mash!" Alain commanded.

Metagross crashed its front limbs on top of Swellow, inflicting serious damage. Swellow hit the ground hard. "No, Swellow!" Ash cried.

Swellow tried to push itself back up using his wings, but it was too much - he collapsed, unconscious.

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

Ash grimaced, shocked at Metagross' power. "Swellow, you've been awesome, now return!" he called out as he called back his faithful bird.

He looked to his left, where Pikachu was gripping his shoulder. "Alright buddy, wanna have a shot?"

Pikachu grinned. "Pikapika!" he leapt off of Ash and landed squarely on the grass as he proceeded to stare intensely at his foe.

"Alright, we'll start this with a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt up, surrounding itself in a yellow discharge. He released the bolt, promptly enveloping Metagross and dealing damage. However, Metagross shook it off and cut off Pikachu while he was running.

"Metal Claw!" Alain ordered.

Metagross' limbs turned silver in colour, and it smashed Pikachu in the face, sending the mouse flying upwards and crying out. "Follow that up with Rock Slide!"

Pikachu landed solidly on his feet, but had to recover quickly from the blow, in order to dodge the onslaught of sharp rocks, like daggers, sauntering towards him all too quickly. Pikachu was cornered however, and a rock clipped his tail, injuring him.

"Finish this! Meteor Mash!"

Metagross lumbered towards Pikachu, who was wobbling too much to dodge, and Ash watched, helpless, while Pikachu took the brunt of yet another powerful move.

The electric type crashed back in front of Ash, having fainted. "Pikachu is unable to battle!" the referee said.

Ash's eyebrow's furrowed. His big lead was quickly falling short. He had to defeat this Metagross, quickly.

He picked up his partner gently, and placed him by his feet. "Sorry Pikachu. Don't worry, you just get some rest."

His hand gripped his next pokeball. "I hope i'm as ready as I know you are, buddy." He told it. Then he tossed it - "Go, Charizard!"

Charizard emerged from the blue light, and roared as he swept onto the ground.

Alain grinned hugely. "A Charizard, eh! I'll bet it's strong!"

Ash returned the grin. "That's right! The strongest Charizard there is!"

"We'll see about that! Okay Metagross, use Rock Slide!"

Metagross summoned another flurry of rocks, but Charizard managed to nimbly breeze past each one. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

Charizard obliged, and a wreath of burning orange flame wrapped over Metagross, inflicting substantial damage.

"Now, Wing Attack!"

"Metal Claw!"

Attack once again landed on top of attack, causing a stalemate at the two pokemon collided. However, Ash looked pleased. "Now's your chance! Dragon Tail!"

Blocking with its wing, Charizard turned in the air and smashed Metagross into the earth with his powerful tail, rendering the metal pokemon unconscious.

"Metagross is unable to battle!" The referee said.

Ash smiled. "And now, the moment I've been waiting for."

Alain agreed. "I hope you're ready, Ash. Your Charizard is strong, I'll give you that. But does it stand a chance against Mega Evolution? We'll see." he grabbed his final pokeball and threw it. "Let's do this! Charizard!"

Alain's Charizard entered the stadium, and faced off against Ash's. He wore a mechanical necklace, which had a shining orb in it's center. Ash was dead certain he knew what that was - he'd seen it on many pokemon before. Korrina's Lucario, Diantha's Gardevoir, and Sawyer's Sceptile, for instance.

Ash's Charizard snarled, happy to face what he deemed a worthy opponent. A one on one, fire against fire.

"Flamethrower!" the two trainers yelled simultaneously.

Both dragons roared a billowing flame at each other, and they both clashed evenly.

"Into the air, now!" Alain commanded.

"Follow it, and use Slash!" Ash urged.

The two Pokémon took to the skies, and Charizard attempted to keep up, and managed to zoom into Charizard with a painful Slash attack. "Charizard!" Alain shouted. "Flamethrower, go!"

Alain's Charizard fired a flame again, but this time it hit its opponent, and inflicted damage. Charizard winced, beginning to feel the effects of its battle with Metagross. The collision that outed the metal pokemon took more out of him than he anticipated.

Ash sucked in air sharply. "Use Dragon Tail, Charizard!" he yelled.

Alain stared up at the dragons. "Dragon Claw, now!"

The pokemon struck each other once more, and the two dragon type moves hitting each other ended up being powerful enough to creature an explosion where they made contacted. Ash's Charizard reeled out of the dust cloud, pained. Ash cringed with worry.

"Now Charizard!" Alain screamed. He felt so exhilarated, his hands started to shake. "Blast Burn!"

Charizard became quickly enveloped in blue flames, and soared directly at the other, who couldn't react in time. He was hit - and fell out of the sky. He slammed against the grass, knocking out cold.

"Ash's Charizard is unable to battle!" announced the referee.


Clemont and Sawyer both stared worriedly at Ash. "Man, he had such a lead, and now its one to one again." Sawyer exclaimed.

Serena shook her head. "I believe in Ash. He'll win this battle for sure."


Now both sides were down the their last pokemon. Ash returned Charizard with a smile. "You've done awesomely, Charizard. Now leave the rest to me."

He put the pokeball back onro his belt, and felt around for his last. The first Kalosian pokemon he had caught. One with a power unlike which anybody had ever seen before.

"Go, Greninja!" He bellowed.

Out from this pokeball the he threw, came his frog pokemon, Greninja.

Alain beamed. "So here we are, Ash! The big finale! Don't give up on me now!"

Ash scratched his cheek, grinning. "Wouldn't dream of it, Alain! We're gonna give you absolutely everything we've got!"

Greninja grunted in affirmation, preparing itself, both mentally, and physically, for it's newfound power. Ash thrust a fist out in front of him. "We're gonna win this, and get stronger... and stronger!" He screamed. "Raaaaahh!"

Greninja did so also, and soon their hearts became one and interconnected. Ash could see through Greninja's eyes, and Greninja heard Ash's thoughts. The water type soon became surrounded by a huge brine.

Alain shook with excitement. "I haven't felt this way in who knows how long now... But I'm having so much fun battling! So now it's our turn! Charizard, this is to go beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!"

Alain pressed his fingers against his wristband. There was a stone with a DNA shaped pattern in its centre, just like the stone on the pendant Charizard wore around its neck. The two stones started glowing with incredible brightness, the light shooting several rays connecting Alain to Charizard. When the light finally dissipated, Charizard had become Mega Charizard X - a black variant, with blue flames emanating from its mouth.

The two trainers made eye contact; their empowered pokemon did so also.

"Alain, this has been one of the greatest battles of my life, but I'm glad we can end it like this." Ash announced broadly.

Alain shared the same feeling. "I should be thanking you, Ash. I've never enjoyed battling as much as I have done with you." But then, his eyebrows deepened as he frowned. "I'm going to be the best. I'll never lose to anyone!" He declared.

Ash smiled, and turned to Greninja. "You ready?"

Greninja nodded. "Then let's go! use Double Team!"

the Ash-Greninja charged at Mega Charizard, and started to relese copies of himself, disguising himself with them.

"Use Flamethrower!" Alain called out, and A jet of fire poired from Charizard, taking out all of the clones in one fell swoop.

"Water Shuriken!"

"Dragon Claw!"

Once again, Greninja lobbed a small throwing start from behind Charizard, who in turn spun around and shredded it using his glistening claw.

Alain commanded another dragon claw, and Ash an Aerial Ace, and once again the moves collided.

Greninja and Charizard maintained a long period of clashing with each other, but then Charizard found its opportunity and struck Greninja, making it fall backwards.

Ash cringed and grabbed his shoulder, starting to feel the pain.


Serena bit her lip, praying for Ash's safetly. "Please, dont overdo it..." She whispered.


At that point, the adrenaline was rushing through Ash's body, too heavily for his brain to register the pain of Dragon Claw.

Next, Alain called for Flamethrower. "Cut through it!" Ash urged.

This time, when the roaring blue flames cam at Greninja, a makeshift blade tore through it. Greninja and Charizard stopped dead in front of each other, if only for a moment.

"Charizard, use Blast Burn!"

The black Charizard became blue with brilliant heat surrounding itself, and started to charge at Greninja. "Quick, use Water Shuriken into the ground!" Ash yelled.

Greninja obliged, cutting into the grass with a huge shuriken, causing a giant stream of water to burst up and hit the oncoming Charizard, stopping it dead in it's tracks and making steam billow out where the water type move had it the fire type.

"And now, Aerial Ace!"

Greninja darted through the steam cloud, and neither Charizard nor Alain could spot him He landed a blow on the massive dragon, slamming him headfirst onto the floor.

"It's not over yet!" Alain growled. "Dragon Claw!"

While Charizard was still on the ground, its fist turned green, and before Greninja could dodge, he was struck in the head by the move.

Ash flinched and breathed sharply, while Greninja struggled back onto his feet. "Use Cut!"

"Dragon Claw, again!"

Like before, it became a fierce match of move pitted against move. Both trainers simultaneously ordered attacks, Thunder Punch against Water Shuriken, and neither side gave so much as an inch.

The two attacks clashed as they had done previously, until Greninja managed to overwhelm Charizard, and he slammed a shuriken right into the dragon's chest.

"Greninja, now it's time to give then the true taste of your power!" Ash grinned. Greninja nodded, ans suddenly a torrent completely enveloped the frog, a huge wave that formed into an equally sized Water Shuriken, garnering so much energy that the water inside it looked like a blazing orange - Ash-Greninja's ultimate attack.

Alain was stunned by the sight. he clenched his teeth, his blood surging through his veins and making his face red from the battle. "Charizard, don't let up! Use Blast Burn, full power!" He bellowed.

Ash's fist tightened until his knuckles turned white. He watched, through both Greninja's sight and his own, Charizard begin to take off and use it's most powerful move. "DO IT!" he screamed.

The two powerful pokemon met in midair, and Ash and alain watched the fierce spectacle of the two incredibly strong moves striking their opponents directly.

The clash created a massive explosion, which consumed the entire field. Both trainers shot their hands out in front of them, struggling to maintain their footing through the huge winds, as debris scraped past them furiously.

Ash felt an indescribable pain coarsing throughout his body. His breaths were short and sharp, and he felt winded.

The explosion carried on for moments that felt like hours to each person watching. The crowd and commentator went completely silent as the anticipation stole away their voices. The still air stayed tense even as the smoke finally drifted, revealing Greninja and Charizard still standing.

Suddenly, both pokemon transformed back into their normal forms in unison.

Then Greninja dropped onto his knees. Ash's eyes widened. Had he lost?

Charizard then fell forward, landing face first into the mud. "Charizard!" Alain cried.

Greninja put a flipper against his stomach, and gingerly returned to his feet.

The referee stood there, starstruck. Then he knew it was over.

"Charizard, is unable to battle! Greninja is the victor, which means... Which means the winner of the Lumiose Conference is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!"

Ash fell backwards, landing on his behind. He hadn't lost.

The commentator was screeching something about the battle, but he was too stunned to hear. He was victorious. He had finally won a Pokemon League.

It took him a second to snap out of his daze, and then he sprinted over to his exhausted Greninja and pulled him over his shoulder. "Greninja, you... All of you did it..! We've won!"

The full balls on Ash's belt spontaneously opened themselves, and Snorlax, Swellow, Goodra and Charizard appeared from the blue light. They beamed at Ash, and smothered him and Pikachu in a huge group hug, though to the spectators it looked more like a dogpile. The seven of them sat, holding each other tightly and laughing with each other.

Alain sombrely walked up to Ash. He stuck out a hand. "Congratulations Ash! That Greninja's power is something else, especially to have beaten Mega Evolution."

Ash laughed. "Thanks, Alain! You're Charizard is powerful too! It's been a long time since Charizard lost a battle." He turned his dragon, injured but still laughing with the other 5 of Ash's pokemon. "Though, I'm surprised you haven't set me on fire like you always do." He said curiously to his fire type.

Charizard stuck his tongue out at his trainer and promptly showered him in a burly Flamethrower. "Pweh!" Ash spat. Then he laughed again. "Shouldn't have jinxed it!"

Alain chuckled quietly. "Thanks for the battle, Ash. It's been a long time since I've had so much fun."

"Ash."

Ash got up and turned to his left. Diantha was holding a trophy in front of her. "Diantha!" He exclaimed.

She smiled. "The battles you've fought in the Kalos League have been a wonderful display of the bond you've formed throughout your journeys with your pokemon. Congratulations on your win." She handed over the trophy. She also tossed sitrus berries to all of Ash's pokemon, who happily devoured them without a second thought.

Ash beamed as he took the trophy. It shone a beautiful gold, and had a pokeball on a pedestal carved into it. "Thank you so much, Diantha."

"And now, I think an there's a reporter here that wants a word with you." she leaned over to Ash. "Don't underestimate her; Her name's Malva, and she's also part of the Elite Four." Diantha whispered in his ear.

Ash's eyes widened as she left, and this aforementioned Elite Four member walked over to him, as did her shady-looking film crew.

"Hello, Ash! Lovely to see you again!" she said. "So how do you feel about winning the pokemon league, especially after a journey as long as yours has been?"

Ash grinned. "I guess I'm just happy we finally did it. All the pokemon I befriended, the friends I've made along my journey... If it weren't for thise experiences, I sure as heck wouldn't be here today, thats for certain." He paused for a minute. "There's also one of my friends, who always manages to motivate me, whenever I'm feeling unsure of myself, really just giving me emotional support. So, thanks to her as well for just being around me." Ash muttered quietly.

Malva nodded, waiting to hear more. When she didn't receive an answer, she continued. "So anyway, as you may know, once you've beaten a Pokemon League, you are given permission to challenge the Champions League! Do you think you'll do it?" She grinned slyly, knowing full well that no winner in the history of the Kalos League has ever turned the Champions League down.

"Hmm... I might not, actually." Ash stated clearly. The entire crowd gasped in shock, including Trevor, Tierno, Sawyer and Clemont.

"Huh? What's the big deal?" Bonnie questioned.

Tierno was more than happy to explain. "The big deal is that he's just turned down the opportunity to go and fight the elite four and the champion!"

Serena frowned. "That is really unlike him. I wonder why?"

Back on the stadium, Malva beamed. "As I suspected! So Ash will be moving on to the champions... Wait, you what?"

Ash backed away a little, afraid that he's just said something completely wrong. Which, depending on who you asked, he did. "You see, now that I've finally beaten a League, I'm gonna go back home to Kanto, and rechallenge the Indigo League, and this time, I'll win it!" He grinned.

Malva glared at him, but sighed, not really able to argue. "Oh well, it's a right shame that I- i mean, the Elite Four won't get to battle you anytime soon. Just know that as long as you have that trophy, you can take on the Champions League here at Kalos whenever you want! And so let's wish Ash good luck in Kanto!"

The announcement set off cheers from the audience, and whistling and clapping ensued as well.

Ash smiled ecstatically. "Thank you very much, everyone!"

He and Alain turned to walk next to each other. Ash recalled his five pokemon, all while Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "Well, let's go see Serena and the others! She's with your friend Mairin as well!"

Alain looked taken aback. "Mairin's here?!"

Ash grinned. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Suddenly, Ash heard a violent explosion in the distance. "Did you hear that, Alain?"

Apparently, he had too. "Yeah. I wonder what that was..?" Though Alain felt a sense of foreboding linger over him.

Greninja burst out of his pokeball, looking alert. "Greninja, whats the mat-"

Ash was interrupted however, by a huge pillar breaking through the arena. "What's that?!" he shouted.

A sinking feeling rose up in Alain's stomach. What was going on..?

Ash grabbed Alain's wrist. "Come on, Alain! We've gotta find Serena and Mairin!"

Alain nodded, his eyebrows deepening into his frown. "You're right. Let's move!"


Man, that was a long chapter, but I enjoyed every minute of writing it! It's gotten quite a bit over 8k words, I believe. I went very tryhard mode on it. Anyway, the first arc of this fanfiction is about to near its end. I hope you stick around for more.

Reviews:

Kinda disappointed w/ Krookodile, nothing good from Unova I guess.

Heh, sorry. I needed to make Ash lose at least once or twice, so Krookodile just happened to be the unlucky one. I personally have nothing against Unova, it was pretty good, though I couldn't really care much for Iris :P

Thanks for reading, see you again!

P.S. It's about this time that I've uploaded the first chapter, which gives me 7 extra weeks to polish the fiction off. I reckon I'll be able to. Just thought I'd let you all know :)