Barely dusted with a layer of soot, Ash's faded blue sleeping bag was nestled flush to Torkoal's huge, hot hide. Along with the trainer himself, Pikachu also warmed himself. The chill of the ice storm the previous evening hadn't reached them under the tangled canopy of trees and insulation of trees. Safe and warm in the midst of the thicket, the trio slept soundly.
However, the dry depths of this forgotten grove could only last so long.
At first confusing it with the smell of a fire place, Ash jolted to wakefulness as he realized the crackle accompanying the scent had no business being that real. Half asleep but fully panicked, the boy quickly assessed the situation. Torkoal's shell's openings had caught fire to a dead branch on one of the bushes and if Ash didn't do anything it would probably run through the grove before the crust of ice outside of it could melt and quench the flames.
"Squirtle, I choose you!" Ash called as Pikachu and Torkoal both awoke. The little electric type dragged Ash's sleeping bag away from the flames as Torkoal looked on, clearly embarrassed. "Squirtle, put out that fire with water gun!"
"Squir!" the former squad member cried before doing such. Soon, only a damp and blackened spot on the bush remained as evidence to the trainer's folly.
Grinning, the trainer patted the water type's head. "Great job, Squirtle!" Realizing this might have made the fire type feel bad, Ash walked over to pat him as well. "Thank you for keeping us warm! I'm a lil' afraid to think of what might have happened if you weren't here, haha…"
Clearly pleased with his reminder of his good work, Torkoal let out a short burst of smoke and a smile. "Tor!"
"Well, we came in here so we wouldn't get turned into ice cubes with the storm last night," Ash mused, putting his sleeping bag away. "But, I guess we should head back to the Pokemon Center to get a weather update and maybe a warm meal… Oh yeah! Here's breakfast! I'll give everyone else theirs when we're all at the Center!" Ash assured, handing out pokechow to those present.
After the meal was squared away, the foursome exited the thicket. The landscape further up the mountain glistened with a thick layer of ice from the storm whereas the lower slopes looked dry in certain parts! The weather up here was weird.
Still, as they crossed a particularly sandy valley-only a sloping, low hill stood between them and the Center now, Ash knew-Ash couldn't help but pause to look at the river which marked their trail. It was slushed; it must be half-frozen up stream.
"Man… let's have a battle to warm up!" the trainer encouraged. The weather was more tolerable here. The air had a nip to it, but it wasn't the wet, miserable cold they'd escaped from previously.
Torkoal let out a huff, content with this decision. Squirtle put his hands on what might pass for hips, cockily nodding.
"Alright! Then, Torkoal, start off with Iron Defense! Squirtle, you use Water Gun!"
Tensing, Torkoal was pleasantly surprised to feel that the water didn't soak him quite as thoroughly thanks to the Iron Defense. However, Squirtle felt slighted. Though the damage was considerable given their typings, the look of relief on Torkoal's face-as if Squirtle wasn't serving up as well as he should have-put him in better form.
No slacking off, the water type mused.
"Great!" Ash cheered, scratching Pikachu under his chin from where the electric type perched on the trainer's shoulder. "Now, Squirtle, you use Hydro Pump-"
The water type wasted no time, prompting Ash to quickly yell out his remaining attack.
"-and Torkoal, use Heat Wave!"
While the Heat Wave did steam off some of the Hydro Pump, what remained was capable of sending Torkoal sliding backwards, knees knocking and looking positively waterlogged. Squirtle looked miffed, discomforted by the sudden heat but not altogether too heavily damaged.
"Torkoal, use Body Slam! Squirtle, you use Skull Bash!"
As Torkoal ran at Squirtle, the blue pokemon pulled into its shell, gathering energy to fully smash its head into the other. Unfortunately for the smaller shelled reptile, the timing for Torkoal's Body Slam leap coincided with the time Squirtle decided to use Skull Bash. The result was jarring for the smaller pokemon.
When Torkoal backed off, Squirtle remained clutching its head.
"Squirtle! You alright out there?!"
"Squir… squirtle," he insisted, pride still in need of more tending than his body.
Thinking about it for a moment, Ash hesitantly agreed. If Squirtle took another blow like that, though, Ash was calling it all off. Head injuries weren't a joke, after all! "Torkoal, use Iron Defense again while Squirtle uses Rapid Spin."
Gleaming gray, Torkoal stood still as Squirtle once again retreated into its shell, this time rapidly spinning towards the larger reptile. However, the impact must have been jarring as the attack was short lived. Torkoal didn't seem much phased by it, either.
Squirtle once again clutched its head, eyes swirling.
"Hey! You're getting dizzy out there, aren't you?!" Ash demanded.
Squirtle waved it off. He'd faced worse. Besides, how rusty was he?! This was nothing, right?! "Squirtle!"
"Pikachu," the starter muttered, already predicting how this would end.
Raising his fist, Ash called for another round. "Flamethrower against Water Gun! Let's go!"
Torkoal's flame struck true. However, still dazed between the failed Skull Bash and the backfired Rapid Spin, Squirtle wasn't able to maintain a constantly accurate Water Gun. As a result, he was overwhelmed…
And, Torkoal blinked, a little shocked that he had won against Squirtle. Then again, this match didn't seem to favor the other too much. Ah, well, it wasn't like they wouldn't spar again later! Maybe luck would smile upon Squirtle then!
Already moving to lift the unconscious pokemon onto his back, Torkoal gave Ash a happy "Tor!" when the trainer reached him.
"Heheh, good job. Well, let's go get to the Center, huh?"
Yet another clearing provided refuge from the dark and lengthy caverns, allowing sunshine to come down upon the many rocks and spires jutting from the cave walls. Minute streams of fresh spring water trickled through the parted rocks, glistening under the beams of daylight from above.
"Aw, yeah! This'll be a great place to train! Now, we can actually see more than two feet in front of us." Those caves made for good exercise, and had plenty of pokemon lurking in the shadows, but Ash wasn't looking to strain his eyes today. It was time to focus purely on improvement.
"Buizel, Totodile! Come on out!" Ash tossed two pokeballs forward, releasing both water types simultaneously.
Buizel appeared standing upright, both of his paws folded over his chest. "Bui!" He barked, expression stern as ever. He was more than eager to continue growing stronger.
Totodile, on the other hand, seemed to be taking things a bit less seriously. "Dile! To-to-dile!" It quacked aloud, hopping and prancing about on his flighty feet. He seemed to be energetic as ever.
"Okay, guys! The two of you are gonna have a battle, alright? Let's see what you guys can do!"
A cry from each of the pokemon was consent enough. Each pokemon eyed the other, with Buizel still as a statue, and Totodile rowdily hopping between its feet. The silence was palpable, soon broken by Ash himself.
"Alright, Buizel! Open this match up with Ice Punch! And Totodile, you try to dodge it!"
The Sea Weasel quickly took a more offensive stance, raising a fist that soon was coated in a ghastly blue hue, radiating cold energy. Launching off its foremost foot, Buizel quickly closed the distance between the two pokemon, attempting a first strike with its frozen fist.
However, Totodile proved that its speedy moves didn't come without use. A quick leap brought the reptile clear out of Ice Punch's range. Small feet fluttering, Totodile landed with grace.
Small canines were bared. Was Ash's other pokemon mocking him? None too happy to be dodged in such a happy manner, Buizel lunged forward, throwing another punch toward Totodile.
Totodile landed on one foot, twirling as the attack was swung his way. A dip of his body brought his tail high and head clear out of Buizel's range. Only residual chilly mist touched Totodile, sending a shiver through the creature's spiky spine. Just enough of a wake-up call to allow him to hop out of another punch's way, scurrying feet carrying Totodile away from Buizel.
"Bui… Bui!" The Sea Weasel growled, throwing one punch after the other now. As agile as Buizel was, he wasn't quite equipped to deal with a pokemon that moved so unusually.
"Well, your groove's as good as ever!" Ash let out a chuckle, scratching his cheek. As funny as the sight was, it showed progress. Nonetheless, he couldn't solely root for Totodile. "Buizel, Aqua Jet!"
Humiliated as he was, Buizel grinned. Now, he'd show that speedy croc. "Bui!" He cried, summoning a powerful swirl of water around his form, launching him towards Totodile. Moving with far more speed and sureness than before, Buizel hit his mark.
Totodile was forced back, wincing after taking the first hit of the match.
"Now, Totodile! Hang in there, and use Slash!"
Needless to say, a pokemon needed to know how to take advantage of any split second vulnerability. Even in the wake of taking an attack of their own. Landing on its hind legs, Totodile sprung back off the ground towards the landing Buizel. One arm was raised, quickly swinging forward to strike the Sea Weasel with sharpened claws. The attack hit its mark.
"Great job, both of you! Now, Buizel, Water Pulse!"
Buizel lowered both of his paws to his center of gravity, pouring effort into a bubbling sphere of glowing liquids that soon took a perfectly round shape. With a cry, Buizel tossed it forward.
"Totodile! Stop that attack in its tracks, with a Bite attack!"
Small waves parted in the attack's wake, leading it swiftly towards Totodile. The pokemon's wide maw parted, waiting eagerly for the attack to fall into his trap. And his trap, not surprisingly, did shut when the energized sphere neared his jaw. Strong teeth and muscle crashed down upon Water Pulse, all but neutralizing the rushing water. Mist sprayed from its closed mouth, leaving the jolly gator unscathed.
"Improvising" on his trainer's orders, Buizel let out a grunt before flinging another Water Pulse toward Totodile. Even if they seemed more or less matched in strength, Totodile's ability to constantly evade and neutralize his attacks was growing annoying, to say the least.
Said water type jumped out of the attack's way, barely evading an explosion of water and raw energy. He hopped on a nearby rock next, and then another outcrop after another sphere was thrown his way. After that, he lunged to the next. This simply became a game of dodging Buizel's attacks, flips and leaps allowing him to avoid the full brunt of Water Pulse, only being peppered by pebbles and mist. Of course, such a game could only last so long.
He was struck with an explosive sphere mid-leap, knocked against the rocky wall before sliding down to the ground below. The ring of the explosion shot through his ears, leaving Totodile feeling rather dizzy. Waddling haphazardly about, Totodile began to gnaw on a rock.
"I think that attack made him confused!" Ash frowned, reaching to rub the back of his head. "Totodile! Try to snap out of it! Buizel, why don't you try mixing Ice Punch with Aqua Jet!"
Buizel shot off in a burst of water once more, rocketing off towards Totodile. Adding on to the assault, he raised his fist inside of the jet, coating it with an aura of cold energy. Naturally, the temperature took over the surrounding water, creating something of an imperfect Ice Aqua Jet. "Bui!" Buizel swung his fist forward, crashing an ice-encased fist into Totodile.
"That's gotta hurt." Ash winced, watching Totodile offer little resistance. "Buizel, use Ice Punch again! And Totodile, you try to get back in the battle, and dodge it!"
Thrilled to finally be on a roll, Buizel was quick to rush in for another blow.
Unfortunately for him, Totodile's confusion had finally started to wear off. His mind now clear, the first thing the water type saw was a frozen fist flying his way. Letting out a startled cry, Totodile parted its maw. Each of its sharp fangs took on a bright glow, doing what they knew best.
Brilliant fangs sunk into Buizel's fist, catching it right in Totodile's mouth. Buizel let out a cry of pain, struggling to pull his arm from the trap. Alas, his efforts were to no avail.
"Is that some kind of new attack?" Ash gawked, noting the glowing fangs. Pulling out his pokedex, he soon got his answer.
"Crunch has been learned. A stronger variation of Bite that can lower defense."
Though, it soon was shown that munching down on a freezing fist came at a price. Shivers ran through Totodile, all the way to its head. The pokemon let out a squeal, tossing Buizel towards the cave's wall before hopping about in pain.
"Yikes. Looks like Totodile gave himself brain freeze!" Ash frowned. "Well, at least ya learned a new move! Now, let's wrap this up! Totodile, use Water Gun! And Buizel, you use Aqua Jet!"
Buizel crashed into the rocky surface, feeling the breath painfully knocked from his lungs. Still, he was stubborn as ever, quickly scrambling to his feet. Ignoring his ailing paw, Buizel obeyed, launching himself at Totodile once more.
The latter scrambled to pull himself together after the chilling headache, parting his huge maw to fire off a pressurized jet of water. The attack collided with Buizel's makeshift missile center-stage, leading to each attack pushing back and forth against the other.
As powerful as Totodile's Water Gun was, though, it only seemed to hold the stubborn weasel back for so long. Intent on proving his strength, Buizel spun about the powerful jet, circling it before managing to crash into Totodile.
The croc took the full brunt of the attack, skidding back before falling unconscious.
"Well, that's a wrap!" Ash called out, roundly impressed with both of the water types. "You're as fast as ever, Totodile! That dancing really helps ya out, huh?" Ash praised, applying a Super Potion to the dizzy pokemon. "And your power's something else, Buizel! You'll be a powerhouse in no time!"
"Bui!" The Sea Weasel crossed his arms over his chest, baring a satisfied smirk. It'd been a hard fought battle, and he was admittedly sore from a number of hits, but he'd still won
As much as he preferred being busy to being still, Ash had to admit there was a certain magic to the night sky which could draw him in and lure him to lay for half hours at a time, just observing its beauty. Head to head with Pikachu, the black haired boy traced out imaginary patterns betwixt the stars, recalling constellations he could plan a route by and making up others that caught his eyes.
The symphony of the night sounds lulled him, breathing a slow, steady beat. Overhead, Noctowl circled, wings flapping lazily upon the breeze. Truly, the night was peaceful. A mysterious heatwave earlier in the week-a day or two after the ice storm, actually-brought on the pleasant weather. Ash was really going to have to investigate the mysterious warmth within the caves he felt when he and Glalie were with that Misdreavus.
But, for now, he would just enjoy the night.
… And try to sing. Hum, rather.
At first, Pikachu was curious about the melody, no matter how poorly mumbled it was. However, after recognizing it-Lugia, prophecy, near death-the electric type twisted around to look at his trainer before pressing his cheek to the boy's head.
"Ow! Pikachu!"
The audience was decidedly against Ash's singing.
Above them, however, Noctowl could only let out a hoot of a chuckle at the antics below. However, very briefly, it would see that it also had a displeased audience.
The painful Screech came first, disorienting Noctowl just enough to get its guard down. Then, as he was trying to figure things out, a bevy of stars rained down upon the flying type. After the Swift came the heavy landing of an assailant. It clung to Noctowl, using Leech Life to steal energy.
Ash's attention was upon the owl at once, worry in his eyes. "Noctowl! No!" There were Golbat around him, so many-Ash counted six in all. "Noctowl! Use Extrasensory!"
Hastily, the Noctowl took advantage of his peculiar neck to look back at the Golbat which suckled his life energy. A flash of pink glow from the eyes and the point-blank range of the attack sent the Golbat off Noctowl's back and spiraling, tumbling, crashing down towards the earth.
Five Golbat remained and they had no time for sympathy for their fallen brethren.
One used wing attack, jostling Noctowl. Another used Bite, causing the flying type to flinch and mimic the Golbat from earlier. However, Noctowl righted himself.
"What's their issue… are they bullying him because he's shiny?!" Ash wondered aloud. "Hypnosis!"
Lucking out, as the Noctowl began ascending, two of the Golbat were caught in its tick-tock spell, eyes enchanting the two poison types so that they fell-into a slumber and down to the earth. Three enemies remained.
Talons flexing, Noctowl grew tense as it was approached from both sides by Golbat.
"Use Sky Attack to dodge and go for the one above!" Ash called.
And, just in time, too. The confuse ray intended for Noctowl instead landed on the Golbat which had planned upon using Poison Fang on the bird. However, now confused, the biting Golbat latched furiously upon its kin, tangling the two up. Angry at the other's foolishness, the ray-using Golbat fought back, unknowingly causing their sudden plummet from the sky as they locked feet and lost their ability to fly right.
Though pleased with Noctowl's ability to get rid of so many enemies, Ash was all the same disappointed the last Golbat dodged Noctowl's Sky Attack. "Come on… we can handle this, just one more," he muttered, voice on the edge of a whine. He was worried. How many Golbat were on this mountain? How many might hear the fight and come running, too? "Noctowl, use Air Slash!" They had to finish this.
Still below the Golbat, Noctowl was greeted with a Swift attack as its Air Slash struck up, splitting the breezes and creating dead air without lift before it. Both attacks struck true, though neither pokemon were fully knocked out. Instead, they grew weary-so weary that they wished to glide.
But, for Golbat, there was no easy breeze. The flight down would be exhausting and it would likely collapse upon reaching the ground.
For Noctowl, on the other hand, it was merely a matter of staying away from the lack of breeze it had created and following Ash's voice.
When he landed-his trainer catching him with open arms-the Noctowl could only tiredly hoot.
What a work out.
"Great job, buddy!" Ash praised, having been genuinely worried. He returned the pokemon before picking up Pikachu. "Come on… I don't wanna be here when they all come to."
Basking in the beaming sunlight by a stream, Corphish and Kingler dipped the tips of their feet in the water, a bit off from the rest of the party. Lunch had been served and the duo had finished their meals early, running off to play after.
"Cor!" Corphish suddenly suggested, stepping off shore and into the stream fully.
Kingler mused, looking back towards Ash. Would their trainer notice if they went missing? It'd be hard to just battle for fun without the other pokemon making judgements about their moves. They didn't want to be critiqued; they just wanted to have a good time! Besides, they hadn't had a chance to just play around this much since they came off the ranch! "King!" the fully evolved water type agreed, stepping into the water as well. In short order, they were both swept downstream willingly.
No one seemed to notice their disappearance just yet.
"Cor! Cor!" the smaller shellfish cheered, claws above his head as their ride game to an end as the stream became shallow and they reached a wide section with lots of smooth, mossy stones.
Kingler grew playful, popping Corphish suddenly with a Crabhammer and sending the younger pokemon skidding across the rocks.
Taken off guard at first, Corphish then chuckled. Kingler wanted to play rough, huh? "Phish!"
"Gler!" the red crab called, battered back by Corphish's own Crabhammer. However, the playful mood did not subside. Using Vice Grip, Kingler lifted Corphish high, noting the way the orange pokemon flailed and used Harden, shocked but not quite mad.
"Phish phish phish!" Corphish chided as he was set back down. Kingler wasn't that big! Why did he act like Corphish was incapable of doing the same as him?!
Taking this as a challenge, Kingler used Harden as well, awaiting Corphish to pick him up. The smaller pokemon hesitated before doing so, straining ever so slightly under the weight of Kingler.
"Cor… cor, corphish!"
"Kingler!" He was not fat; Corphish was just entirely too small!
Laughing as Corphish miserably dropped the bigger water type, Kingler was greeted with a Bubble Beam to the face. Wasting no time, Kingler began the mock battle once more, using stomp to playfully batter the other's rear. Corphish really ought to respect his elders, Kingler teased. "Gler!"
Corphish used another Crabhammer. "Orphish!" he snapped, a bit embarrassed. Elders shouldn't get to rest on their laurels so quickly, Corphish argued.
Battering back with Crabhammer as well, Kingler continued in his merriment.
Another Bubble Beam was blown at Kingler from Corphish, prompting the red pokemon to use Vice Grip to keep his junior in place. Whilst Corphish was flailing, a curious glow overtook him…
And, after it faded, Crawdaunt appeared.
Kingler at once released the seeming stranger. All was quiet for about five seconds. After that, neither pokemon would shut up.
"KING!" "CRAW!" "King king kingler!" "Crawdaunt daunt daunt!"
They danced in place, thoroughly pleased with Corphish's sudden evolution into Crawdaunt.
However, their little party was interrupted by a shill "Pikapi, Pikachu!"
Looking up stream, the duo spied Ash who looked torn between pride and anger. "You guys shouldn't run off! … How was I supposed to congratulate you?" Apparently, Ash's worries were for nothing. Both pokemon rushed over, chattering in their tongues about what exactly had happened. The trainer couldn't stay mad.
Days of Ash's training ordeal had turned to weeks, and weeks had turned to months, night and day blurring together in the wake of near-constant toiling and hard work. Over time, the adolescent had adjusted to the harsh climate, fingers growing tough enough to scale heights, muscles toughening to handle the mountain, and scars adorning him from unforgiving close calls. One thing he hadn't adjusted to, though, was the cold.
Shivering from the wake of the last harsh snowstorm near the mountain peaks, Ash shuffled from rocks recently scaled toward the nearest cave. The top of his jacket, surprisingly, was buttoned up, containing a very cozy Pikachu. "Man, it's freezing here! There's gotta be somewhere warmer up here… Maybe this cave'll help us out." Putting his complaining to rest, he slipped into the nearby entrance, avoiding the worst of the bitter winds.
Sure enough, the desperate need to conceal his skin from the air around him faded as the cold gave way to warmth. "I think we lucked out, buddy. This tunnel's nothing like the outside! I wonder what's in here, anyway." He unbuttoned his jacket, freeing Pikachu.
"Pikachu." The mouse scrambled to his trainer's shoulder, beady eyes turning left and right as his trainer walked along. Even compared to the lower tiers of the mountain, this tunnel was growing uncomfortably hot. Fire types were all but nonexistent towards the heights, too.
Soon enough, the heat almost grew unbearable. Sweat trickled down the trainer's forehead for the first time in what felt like weeks as he moved onward. "Hey, check it out! There's another path down here." Ash stopped in his tracks, peering down a tunnel that only seemed to journey deeper into the mountain. Notably, a rush of heat basked him coming from the dark path.
"So that's where it's coming from… Guess we might as well check it out, huh?" After spotting a nod from his companion, Ash ventured down a natural staircase forged by stone, spotting a light at the end of the tunnel that gradually grew brighter as he ventured further. Finally, the path evened. Stepping into a wider cavern, Ash lay face to face with the source of the smoldering heat.
The rolling waves of heat wafting off the flame-winged crane made the solemn cavern swelter. Panting, the chosen one looked up from the low peninsula. On either side of him, the waters swirled, low vapors collecting over the surface. Humid and miserable, this was the lair of Moltres, hidden away in Mount Silver.
And the master of the mountain looked down upon Ash, keen eyes unwavering, ancient memory unfailing. He recalled the day he'd been bound and the day he'd been saved.
"It's Moltres…" Ash spoke, his voice notably subdued from his normal loud, sometimes obnoxious tone. Infernos tailing its wings and crowning its head completed the iconic imagery. The same pokemon who'd offered its favor at the Indigo League. The same pokemon who'd warred with its brethren in the Orange Archipelago, where the Earth had nearly suffered certain doom. A daunting pokemon, to say the least. Worthy of fear and respect. Though, Ash only knew one of these concepts. Surely, if there was any ultimate test that this mountain could grant him, this would be it. "Moltres!" He shouted. "I didn't think I'd find ya here… But now that I'm down, I might as well see what we're made of. Pikachu and I want to challenge you to a match."
The ancients were enigmatic, distant, and unfathomably powerful. But, he knew the boy liked to battle, so he could bring himself to be humbled unto that. Looking into Ash's fierce black hues, there was no mistaking the boldness that dwelled within him. The indomitable drive to test himself and improve. If this trainer's iron will had any worth, though, it would have to withstand the legendary creature's smoldering wrath.
"Moltres! Did you hear me!? I want to battle you!" He fanned himself with his hat, growing uncomfortable within mere minutes of entering the cavern. Regardless, Ash refused to back away and leave the cave. Pikachu, likewise, with stood the unbearably hot air. Was this the legendary's pressure ability—or simply his raw power, the heat he possessed within that fiery gut?
"Mol!" Spreading his wings, Moltres finally accepted the duo's challenge. Descending from his royal spire in the center of the room, he opened his beak to begin with a scalding flamethrower, no hesitance in his mind. The dark room was lit ablaze by the brilliant flames, making Moltres appear to be but a towering shadow backed by a bright inferno.
Likewise, the aspiring master felt no need to hold back. Throwing a hand to the air with his usual dramatic flair, Ash called his first command of the match. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
As Moltres arced down, a blistering draft dragging after him, Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder, leaping towards the craggy walls of the high ceiling's cavern to seek to pounce upon Moltres's back. Landing, he avoided the flame bath below. He spared a split second glance, assuring himself of his trainer's safety.
Ash had stepped back in due time, avoiding the flames that had only been spat upon pools surrounding Moltres' throne, the body of water hissing as steam was spat into the air above. A wide smile had worked its way onto the curves of Ash's lips. That had been a close call, but Pikachu had landed right on target.
Moltres flew up, aware of his passenger but equally aware that the Pikachu would not hang on for long. He opened his maw again, spitting out a Sunny Day to aid him. A blinding orb hung right below the ceiling of the cavern, further burdening man and pokemon alike with blistering heat. The temperature this high up proved too much, forcing Pikachu to hastily remove his paws from the bird's back. The rodent slipped off Moltres, eyes glued on his opponent as he fell down.
"Quick attack, again! Stay on the walls!" If he did that, then Pikachu would surely have more foot holds on those ragged walls than he would down towards the ground. Steamy waters dominated the bottom of the chamber, significantly outnumbering sparse patches of rock. Kicking off a spire of stone, Pikachu clung to the gravely sides of the cavern.
Moltres saw this and landed on a nearby spire, eyes glowing as his wings folded inward. An ancient power was used, breaking up parts of the scenery. Glowing chunks of rock manipulated by an odd sort of sorcery were flung towards Pikachu.
Of course, this was nothing Ash and Pikachu hadn't dealt with before. "Iron tail! Knock 'em right back!"
Shifting his weight to his forepaws, Pikachu kicked off the wall as necessary to twist and turn in order to send the boulders flying. He successfully managed to send several off course with his iron bolt-shaped hammer of a tail, and some were even sent careening back towards Moltres.
The enchanted rocks smashed into the pokemon of legend, earning a loud, pained cry.
But, this was a legendary. After fending off so many stones, they simply overwhelmed Pikachu, smashing into the rodent and knocking him off his perch.
"Agility! Agility!" Seeing Pikachu tense as he neared the water, Ash spied a pattern in the falling boulders. He'd only have one chance… "Get up on those rocks, and use Quick attack!"
Using his boosted speed, Pikachu dashed across the falling stones, headed for the slim peninsula of rock he and Ash had begun their challenge on.
He did not make it.
The blast of a Solarbeam knocked him off course, sending him skidding across the water before landing on another small island of rock in the middle of Moltres's steaming lake. The bird had not moved once, watching patiently.
Clearly, they were not going to get dominance physically over Moltres. They'd have to break him down from a distance. That was fine. If he could bide their time until the sunny day wore out, then they could do this.
"You alright, buddy?!"
"Chu!"
"Use Electro Ball, then!"
Pikachu raised his tail skyward, crackling electricity building in a sphere at the broad end. With a turn of his hips, the gold orb shot up towards its target. The hurled bundle of electricity sent the bird flying. They missed—this time. But, they had him on the move.
"Keep going!"
Pikachu grinned. Batter up! He began swishing back and forth, each whip of his tail sending off another Electro Ball towards Moltres. The legendary quickly grew tired of this, circling back around. Several orbs of surging electricity pummeled it, but true to its mythical nature, the legendary didn't slow down.
Tossing his head to and fro, he began using up the last of his sunny day, a monstrously strong flamethrower being torn from his throat. It scorched all in his path, toasting the ground along its way towards its missed target. Another competitor, however, wasn't so lucky. Pikachu's trainer was caught in the onslaught, diving away from the legendary bird's molten wrath. Unfortunately, he wasn't quite fast enough.
"Pikapi!"
"Aaaah!" The bold challenger had been hit square in the back, despite his attempt, lighting his clothing ablaze. Ash quickly snatched at the base of his shirt, tearing it and his jacket off in a frenzied rush. He made sure to stomp out his hat first, his hair's small flames put out with the snatching of his shirt. Though the flames had been extinguished quickly, the distinct scent of burnt flesh lingered like the ugly, fresh burn marks on the teen's shoulders.
"Haaa… aaa," he panted, kneeling down as he rode out the first waves of pain, waiting for the adrenaline rush to numb it a little. A gloved hand dug into the gravel that laid beside him, accompanied by a pained hiss from the injured boy.
Moltres paused, landing on a spire near Pikachu. Its eyes lay intently upon its opponent, waiting for further response from him. Would they continue their battle? Or had its hellish flames done him in?
"Grah… w-what're you waiting on?!" The boy gave Moltres its answer, bold dark hues glowering upon the powerful pokemon. His teeth were bared, gaze fierce. "We came all the in here to—nngh!—battle it out, so battle us!"
The legendary needn't be told twice. Turning his focus on Pikachu, he spread his wings, sending a strong gale through the chambers which sent the electric type soaring. With sunny day's scalding influence fading away, his Hurricane attack was far more powerful.
Nevertheless, Pikachu had an advantage as well. He'd been struck by powerful electric attacks time and again, plaguing his body with a lingering electric charge. With each flap of his wings, Moltres was brewing up a storm, whether he knew it or not. Stray bolts followed the hurricane, lighting the tense airs within the cavern.
And the challenging party would profit off that. The building tempest caught Ash's eye, excitement building in his heart as their opportunity became evident. Emotions built to their peak, caramel pools filling the boy's dark hues as a fist was thrown into the air, a thunderous shout echoing through the cavern.
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"
The electric type leaped forward, bounding off the rocky spires that Moltres soared over, seeking to make distance between himself and the smaller pokemon. It didn't matter. Pikachu was able to keep up with his fleeing target, and soon a boom rang through the mountaintop. Golden flashes of electricity ignited the air between the two pokemon, swallowing Moltres in a blinding tempest.
"MOL!"
A shriek was just barely heard over the distinct boom of electricity, a charred fiery spirit left in its wake. Weary and on the verge of fainting, the flying type fluttered to his rocky nest, exhausted. Landing heavily on his belly, his great neck drooped. He'd been challenged and bested.
But, Pikachu couldn't even take a moment to enjoy the fact he'd just sparred against a legendary and come out victorious. He at once began bounding among the rock spires, landing before Ash with a thud. The boy had put his shirt and jacket back on with difficulty, gloves stained with ichor.
"Pikapi…" The mouse stood at his feet, beady eyes sullen with worry. The adrenaline built in the heat of the moment had faded, and his trainer's condition was now his only concern. Would he be alright…?
Despite his current state and his partner's concern, Ash could only laugh. "Y-You did great buddy! You're pretty banged up, too… let's head to a Pokemon Center, huh?" Looking down upon his victorious friend, he turned toward the exit to Moltres' chamber, eager to cash in on a well-deserved rest. Struggling in his steps, Ash stopped to turn toward his opponent. "Thanks for the battle, Moltres… They don't call you a legendary for nothin', huh?"
The phoenix let out a cry. As bitter as defeat was, especially for a pokemon of its caliber… That kid was special. It was good, at least, to see that he'd grown strong enough to defend himself.
"Chu…"
Pikachu favored a foreleg he'd strained during the match as he walked beside his injured trainer. He was tired. This mountain had begun to wear on them.
