Sorry for the delay today, everyone! One of the writers broke their ankle today, so there was a delay in putting the chapter up. Enjoy and review, please!
The end of their journey by sea was approaching. With the docks in view, our heroes were packed up after spending a night on the boat, ready to set off on Cinnabar Island. The gleaming sun shined down on them… And, their new badges!
Ash turned it over in his hands, looking back at his badge case for Kanto. "I guess I could just toss it in there. Maybe I should get a bigger case? Gary had one that fit ten badges… But, I've had this one for forever!" he whined.
"You could wear it," Dawn said, piping up. She was currently preoccupied with a sewing kit. "I've got some metal glue, so I'm trying to make a necklace right now." As it for emphasis her efforts, she poked her tongue out, pressing the small metal loop extension she had added to the Union Badge. "Those gym leaders didn't have much taste for fashion, but their badge looks nice enough!"
"Wear it?" Ash parroted, looking down at his own badge. "I could! Where, though?"
"You could make it a pin and wear it on your lapel."
"My la-what?"
"Lapel," Dawn repeated, turning to him and tugging on the upper hem of the zipper on his jacket.
Ash frowned. "... That's, like, just below my collar." Brushing her hand off, he considered where else his badge could go. "What about my hat?"
Dawn shrugged. "That'd work."
"Great! … Could… you do that thing you did with the necklace, but turn mine into a pin?"
She giggled. "Sure! Maybe when it's a little less crowded. I'm scared I'm gonna drop my own now," Dawn answered, putting away her things back into her bag. "There's a lot of people here… There wasn't even room for Empoleon."
"Yeah, I wonder why they're all here," Ash went on, putting a hand on his hip.
Pikachu noted the abundance of pokemon with small accessories, or were otherwise very well groomed.
"Well, my bet is that they're coordinators." Dawn shrugged, crossing her arms loosely. "The competition's gonna be insane…"
Sensing the seriousness of Dawn's statement, Pikachu decided to lighten the mood. Though he would usually rope Empoleon into playing with him, the water type was currently in his pokeball. As such, Ash would have to do.
"Pikapi!" the electric type cried, jumping off his trainer's shoulder and hitting the deck. He swished his tail behind him, inviting the teen to play.
Ash pocketed his badge case and loose badge, narrowing his eyes and grinning. "Huuuh? You think you're gonna outsmart me if we play chase, huh?" Leaping forward, Ash grabbed at where Pikachu used to be. The mouse had already darted off! "Haha, I'm gonna get you!"
As Ash and Pikachu darted off, Dawn began walking after them. "How they even move in this crowd is a mystery… Those two are something else."
Of course, that seemed to jinx their efforts.
As Pikachu entered the dining area, he bound off the foodless buffet table. Even if the ship had cleared all the food to prepare for docking, people still filled the area… And, naturally that served as an issue for Ash.
"Ah! Watch out!" he yelled before crashing into a tall redhead.
Both he and the girl fell onto their butts.
"Ow," the girl whined. Rubbing her head, she looked at the one who had run into her… Only to flip out. "Ohmygooooood," she slurred, running her words together. "Not you again!" She quickly stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at Ash. "You're, like, a menace, guy! What's your problem with me?!"
Ash stood up, wrinkling his nose at her. "Ember…? Aw, whatever, I wasn't trying to run into you!"
Suddenly, yet another familiar face stepped up. Dressed fashionably, a teen with proud posture stepped forward. "Tch, only a weak man would assault a girl. What's your deal, loser?"
Hearing that word, Ash balled up a fist, about ready to brawl. "Who's talking, loser? I see you lost to my girlfriend a while ago!" And, here he'd thought that Quijote Mancha had changed.
Scoffing, Quijote tossed his head. "I'm certain a scrappy loser like you couldn't get a girlfriend, especially one who could beat me!"
On cue, Dawn entered the dining area. "Ash! There you are! … What's up?" she asked, sensing the tension.
"Ugh, not you, too!" Ember screeched, raising her hands in distress. "Can't I, like, catch a break?! You two make me ill! I can't chill with you around!"
Quijote looked surprised. "You know both of them, Ember?" His surprise turned to shock as he connected a fact. He whirled, looking to Ash again. "Your girlfriend is Dawn?!" He didn't even know she traveled with anyone!
More smug and confident about his relationship than he'd ever been, Ash threw an arm around Dawn's shoulder. Rejoining his trainer, Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder, shooting a cocky smirk. "You bet. We're what you call a power couple."
Blushing at the display of affection but not at all fighting it, Dawn spoke up. "You never explained why you ran into Ember and Quijote."
"That's because he literally ran into Ember," Quijote said, clearly a bit more respectful towards Dawn because he lost to her.
"On purpose!" Ember spat.
"I did not!" Ash shot back.
"Ember, do you still think we're after you?" Dawn questioned.
"Chyeah! Ever since I wouldn't let your stupid lumox of a Snorlax eat my precious Cherubi."
"A Cherubi does look like food," Quijote reasoned. "I couldn't blame a pokemon for doing that."
"Quijote…!" Ember whined. "I can't believe you could be so cruel!" Dramatically turning away, Ember ran into the crowd.
Ash and Dawn both made faces.
The trainer shook his head. "You'd be okay with that…? Gross, man."
"I knew you were a little harsh, but that's too much… Cherubi's still a pokemon, you know."
"Let's head back to the deck, Dawn…"
"Right, the ship's about to dock on Cinnabar Island, anyway."
As the couple walked away, Quijote was left by himself. His jaw dropped. "... Isn't it natural, though?! A Snorlax has got to eat!" Hearing no response, he pouted. "So this is the thanks I get…!"
After leaving the docks, Dawn released Empoleon and the four of them - Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Empoleon - walked around Cinnabar. The island was bustling. Temporarily set up booth littered the streets, peddling their wares. Dawn spotted her face on several pieces of contest merchandise and felt a burst of pride. Kanto recognized her!
However, as they were trying to make their way to the Pokemon Center, a stadium came up on the road. A billboard before it boasted that the Wallace Cup would be held there in a week's time. Numerous people were crowded before it, taking pictures of each other and their pokemon.
"A whole week… This is gonna be insane! It's so lively here!" Dawn cooed.
"A week… Hm, that's enough time to challenge Blaine here before you get another ribbon!" Ash supposed.
"You're right," Dawn agreed. "Wanna head to the Pokemon Center so we can book for the week?"
"Sounds good," Ash said with a nod.
With that, he led them to where he remembered the Pokemon Center being. As they walked the streets, they found fewer and fewer buildings occupied in this direction. More and more wild pokemon roamed the abandoned streets. Large collections of what Ash assumed was dirt covered everything.
"What happened here…?" Ash wondered, walking up hill. "This path up the volcano used to be happening. Everyone liked the view."
Dawn turned, looking around to see what Ash meant. True enough, the further up the road they went, the fewer trees and buildings blocked the view of the ocean. "Weird."
Eventually, they reached their destination. Or, at least, where it used to be.
Partially caved in on one side with plenty of charring near the caved wall, it took Ash a minute to recognize it as the old Cinnabar Pokemon Center. It looked as if the walls of the volcano had flowed into the building and a couple of others near it!
"Oh no!" Ash shouted.
Dawn was shocked, but was already trying to think of solutions. "It's fine! We can just book a hotel room and buy healing items from the shops."
"No, I needed to talk to Professor Oak!" Ash explained. "I've gotta switch my pokemon around to challenge Blaine!"
Suddenly, some rocks came crumbling down, missing the duo by a hair. Ash and Dawn both looked up, all four of their eyes growing wide; eight, if you counted Pikachu and Empoleon.
There, none other than the region's Champion, Lance stood atop a craggy elevation on the volcano's edge. Leaping down from his perch, he landed on solid ground, followed by his Dragonite. The gentle giant flapped its teal wings, touching the ground with a thud.
"Ash," the champion greeted, navigating his way between the abandoned buildings to get to the teen. "It's been awhile." Finally emerging from the shadows of the destitute alleyway, the Champion Master could be seen under the sun, adorned in an intricate outfit, including a blue suit with orange adornments, and a billowing black cape.
"Lance!" Ash said, excited to see the older man. "Haha, yeah, it has been! How are you? What happened here…?
"That's right. You've been away from Kanto for quite a while, haven't you?" It only made sense that he was out of the know. "Ever since the incident during your battle with Blaine, the volcano's been a little unstable. A while back, it nearly became active, and well…" He gestured to the wreckage before them. The damage spoke for itself. "The area was vacated, and the Indigo League deemed the gym unsafe for matches… Why that wasn't the case to begin with, I'm not sure."
"I guess you heard about what happened all those years ago... "
"Wait, what does Ash have to do with an upset volcano?" Dawn chimed in, tilting her head.
"What else? Team Rocket tried to get their paws on the gym leader's pokemon," Ash scoffed. That whole hassle had nearly cost them their lives… But, then, an apparently equally devastating fact hit him. "...Ah! That means Blaine isn't here anymore! Man, how am I supposed to have my gym match now?"
"He's relocated to the caverns of Seafoam Islands," Lance explained. "His gym is still open."
"Seafoam Islands… Aw, that means we passed him already, doesn't it!?" Ash's shoulders slumped, his face hid away by the front of his cap. "That's just our luck…"
"Hey, it's not like we didn't have important business of our own there, you know." Dawn pouted. As much as Ash wanted his match, he ought to remember the time was well spent.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ash recovered, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess we'll head over there later."
"Oh, where are my manners? Who's your friend here, Ash?" Lance interjected. "Out of all the companions I've seen you with, this one is new to me."
"This is Dawn!" Ash introduced with a grin, before the girl herself took over.
"I'm a coordinator from the Sinnoh region! It's nice to meet you," she beamed.
"Pol!" Her companion squawked.
"And, this is my Empoleon," she explained. Arceus forbid he was left out. "I can't believe I'm meeting a Champion!" That was, aside from Wallace. But, that rank was hardly the first thing that came to mind with the Contest Master.
"I'm just a trainer who guards the Kanto and Johto regions," Lance dismissed the praise. "It's nice to meet you, Dawn and Empoleon. And, I'm sorry about your gym battle, Ash… But, if I recall, haven't you already competed in the Indigo League?"
"I already have the badge," Ash clarified. "Right now, though, I'm challenging all the gyms in the region again to make sure my pokemon are in top shape for this year's league! This time, I'm gonna come out on top."
Speaking of testing himself with battles, though… Ash's bold demeanor began to shrink, his eyes turning up towards the Champion's. "Oh, uh… Speaking of that. I'm sure you're probably really busy," Ash sputtered, suddenly finding himself intimidated. "But, if you have the time, would you be alright with having a match with me?"
"A match? With him?" Dawn's eyes jerked over towards her companion, both growing wide. That was an awfully bold request, wasn't it!?
"A battle between the two of us…?" Lance echoed, his fiery red brows raising.
"Pretty please?" Ash clasped his hands together, even bowing his head. "After all this hard work, I'd really like to see how my pokemon measure up to the strongest trainer around!"
"Hm… Well, I don't see why not." A small smile picked up on the Dragon Master's visage. "I want to know for sure, though. Are you really ready for a battle of that magnitude? There's no shame in admitting that you're not prepared just yet."
"I've never been more sure!" The teen protested, his eyes once again burning with resolve. Looking straight into the eyes of his superior, Ash clenched his fists. "I've been working hard, non-stop, to be ready to win the Pokemon League. If I'm gonna make it, I've gotta be ready to take on anything! ...So, if it's alright with you, I wanna see what I'm made of!"
"Well… If you want a full battle with me, that's a competition you're going to have to win on your own. But, how about a one-on-one? That should be a good enough gauge of both of our abilities."
"Aw, you mean it!?" Ash gushed, his eyes lighting up like the stars above. A smile spread from one end of his face to the next, thrill setting into every bone in his body. "Alright! I'm getting a match with the Champion! How cool is that, Pikachu!?"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu raised a paw high, his own blood already boiling. How exciting!
"Um, Ash…" Dawn trailed off, resting a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't blame him for his excitement, but he'd be best off making a good impression!
"It's fine, Dawn," Lance dismissed. "Ash has done quite a lot in the past to earn this opportunity. It can't hurt to let him enjoy it." Whether he'd grown or not, in spirit, Ash was still a kid, after all. "But… I'll warn you. Allowing that excitement to control you in battle would be a grave mistake."
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm ready!"
"Let's take to the rocks, then. Behind the volcano. It'd be best if we didn't draw much attention." Particularly with the media crawling around for the Wallace Cup, unnecessary exposure and attention was the last thing he really needed.
"That's fine with me!" Ash chimed in. "Let's get to it!"
Not before long, an arduous hike amongst cliffsides and rubble lead the group to a cluster of rocks and hardened lava amongst a dirt and sand-ridden battlefield. Lance had made easy leaps, with Ash close behind. Dawn, however, was beginning to grow sore by time she'd sat herself on a rock well out of the battlefield's range. "Ah, man… You'd think there'd be an easier way back here, like a path or something."
"It's the difficulty that allows one solitude in this area," Lance explained. "Now, Ash, are you ready?" Throwing his majestic cape outward with a sweep of his arm, the Champion bellowed to the heavens. "Today, you'll be facing the full might of my closest partner… Dragonite!"
With that, the large, majestic dragon flapped its mighty wings, quickly conjuring winds that nearly compared to a typhoon. Challenging Ash and company with the casual display of strength, Dragonite landed atop a rocky spire before Lance, letting out a loud, high-pitched cry.
Still holding his cap down in the wake of the diminishing winds, Ash grit his teeth. "Man, it's even stronger than before…! I've gotta give this everything I've got."
"Pika-Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu leaned forward, his ears perking up. He was eager to fight!
"Sorry, Pikachu… Maybe when we battle him next time. I already decided what pokemon I'm gonna use… You're okay with that, right?" Ash checked, feeling some degree of guilt.
"Pika…" The mouse sulked. That was disappointing. Still, he nodded. He'd have his chance!
"Thanks, buddy." Ash reached for the brim of his cap, brows furrowed as he flipped the hat back in one dramatic move. "We're coming at you with all we've got…! Charizard, I choose you!"
A pokeball was drawn back, lobbed forward with enough force to bounce off a nearby boulder, bursting into a large pillar of light. It soon took the shape of Charizard, who emerged above the battleground with an earth-shaking cry. Much like Dragonite, his utterance forced those below to brace themselves, and even kicked up a good deal of dust. Peering down below, fierce aqua hues locked onto Dragonite's. Charizard let out a huff of flames.
"Impressive," the Champion remarked. "I hadn't doubted that you'd grown as a trainer, but your Charizard seems to be in prime condition. This battle may prove a challenging one, yet."
"My Charizard's as tough as they come. We'll show you what we can do!" Ash boasted, a smile spread across his lips. He looked up to his teammate, then. "Hey, Charizard! You ready to battle the Champion's ace pokemon? We're gonna have to give it all we've got!"
Another roar, followed by a pillar of flames followed. Charizard perched atop another large boulder, standing opposite of the mythical pokemon. Claws and fangs bared, the fire type could barely restrain his excitement.
"You'll have to, if you want to make this battle worthwhile." Lance threw his arms outward, calling on Ash and his pokemon, "I'm interested, Ash. Show me what you and your Charizard are capable of!"
Ash only grinned widely, stretching an arm out. "Charizard, give us a Flamethrower!"
Charizard hunched forward, his already scalding spirit igniting further. This would be a match to test his limits like no other. Putting that white-hot ambition to use, he spat out a stream of flames.
Lance smiled. Ash was coming out swinging. Lance would just have to bat it away. He raised a hand, cape fluttering to accommodate the movement. "Aqua Tail!"
Whirling around, Dragonite surrounded its tail in a powerful cyclone, firing the cresting jet of water that came off no weaker than a roaring waterfall. The flurry quickly swallowed and overwhelmed Flamethrower, unabated in its pursuit of Charizard.
Without so much as a hint, Charizard flapped his wings, flying to cleanly avoid Aqua Tail.
Which left only one target it in its path.
"Oh, crap…!" Ash's heart sank, eyes wide in terror. He raised an arm over his body, bracing himself for the worst. There wasn't even time to think about using his aura, and even if he did, it wouldn't be nearly strong enough to…
Ash's racing heart and racing thoughts slowed when there was silence. "...Huh?" Slowly brought back to reality by the lack of a bone-breaking impact, the trainer slowly uncovered his face, turning back toward the Champion in silencde awe. Nothing lay before him but a gentle mist, dissipating to each direction beside him. Rather than being on the end of a deadly force, Ash only felt a cool breeze.
He looked up, noticing Dragonite's antenna twitching.
"Control is the greatest measure of strength," Lance quickly explained before turning his attention to Charizard. "Chase him, with Twister!"
Taking off after the more slender dragon, Dragonite's flapping wings summoned up a sapphire whirlwind after it. The wind tunnel followed Charizard, soon trapping the fire type within.
"Now, Hyper Beam!" Lance shouted.
Though the rebellious dragon was obscured within the Twister, Ash called out to him all the same, hands cupped around his mouth. "You've gotta break free, Charizard! Dodge and spin!"
As Dragonite fired its bright, sun-tinted attack with a boom, Charizard let out a booming roar, blowing the cyclone to bits. He was greeted, next, with the terribly powerful attack just moments away.
Acting quickly, Charizard twisted promptly to the side, reluctantly picking up on Ash's spin maneuver to barrel just out of Hyper Beam's range. Even as he could feel the terrible heat radiating off the move, he vaulted around his pursuer to take off towards its source.
With Charizard circling up towards Dragonite, the vigor for a fight was plain in both dragon's eyes.
"Great job!" Ash praised with a grin, punching forward. "Now, use Dragon Tail!"
As the last of the light from Hyper Beam faded away, Dragonite huffed, its body stalled and slowed from the exhausting, all-out attack. Nothing could have prepared it for what came next.
Charizard appeared in a blur of orange and teal, letting out a self-satisfied huff as his teal-coated tail slammed into Dragonite's skull.
Spiraling and plummeting from high above the island, Dragonite crashed into the rocky terrain below, nearly knocking, Ash, Dawn, and Empoleon off their feet in a ground-quivering crash.
"All this power," Dawn cooed, thoroughly impressed by both.
Beside her, Empoleon had tensed, taking it all in. Somehow, he was jealous. Flying types really had it made. "Pol," he scoffed.
"We can't waste any time!" Ash called out. "Flamethrower!" He knew that it would take a moment for Dragonite to recover. Could the Flamethrower reach Dragonite before time was up?
Charizard fired another wave of flames.
"Twister!" The champion ordered, cool and unperturbed.
However, another vortex of dark, draconically manipulated air took all of the fire in, shielding Dragonite. When both moves dissipated, Dragonite was there on the ground, looking up balefully at Charizard.
"Dragon Rush," Lance said crisply.
With a push of those muscular legs and a flap of its wings, Dragonite was propelled into the air, headed straight for Charizard. A vibrant, raging aura of teal surrounded the titan.
"Flamethrower!" Ash tried again.
It was for naught. Instead, a rainbow gleam glistened over Dragonite's scales as it flew up through Charizard's fire. The dragon's Multiscale ability was activated. Thanks to it, Dragonite was unhindered by the meager flames that managed to hurt it, smashing into Charizard without fail.
Charizard was rocked, recoiling in pain as he plummeted several stories towards the ground. Pride won over injury, though, and the Flame pokemon threw out his wings to recover.
"We've gotta fight 'em with what hurts," Ash decided. "Dragon Pulse!"
The fire type roared, a beam of swirling violet and red hues bursting forth from his maw.
This one, Dragonite failed to avoid. A wicked dragon's jaw formed from the thriving energy, crashing down on the fully evolved pokemon in a booming explosion.
"Alright!" Ash cheered. "Now, let's try Dragon Tail again!"
Ready for a brawl, Charizard soared towards Dragonite, tail aglow with draconic energy.
"Aqua Tail," Lance commanded once more, hands on his hip now as he watched with interest.
Spinning, Dragonite felt some resistance when its tail came to slap Charizard down from the sky… But, with a flex of its muscular appendage, Charizard was really and truly thwacked, another wave of water chasing down the fire type as he was once again sent plummeting.
"Charizard, you gotta break out of that!" Ash shouted, fists clenched. This didn't look good.
Irritated, Charizard cried out as the swirling watery trap carried him down further, assaulting him with vigor. Two sets of claws shone from within, slashing at the Aqua Tail with all the strength and terror of a furious fire type. Dual strikes of sharp claws decimated the attack, freeing Charizard.
"That was a close one," Ash exhaled. "Good work! Now, use Slash!"
All that frustration went into a soaring strike, slicing the floating Dragonite in a vicious attack.
Ash had no plans of resting there. "Dragon Tail!"
Lance frowned. "Ambitious." It was rare two physical attacks of that sort were properly chained together. It was something more reminiscent of a contest than an ordinary battle.
Despite the Champion's doubts, though, Charizard had no issue following through. Swinging his lower body around, he struck Dragonite a second time, this time hitting it in the face with a glowing tail. Hurting, the powerful pokemon was knocked back.
"Dragon Pulse!" Ash called, grinning. He could practically feel his knees quivering. This was what a match with the Champion was like… Both pokemon just exuded power, and in their moves, it showed. On top of that, he was holding up with the best of them! Though, part of that, he definitely owed to Charizard.
"Hyper Beam!" Lance threw a hand out. He couldn't allow Ash to keep his momentum.
After a brief charge, the two moves were sent out. They collided, sparking and dancing against each other in a violent frenzy of deathly pale white and arrogantly dark violet. Suddenly, just as the two moves looked to be on the burst of exploding, the white began eating up the purple, racing up the trail originally blazed by Dragon Pulse.
Charizard roared in agony as Hyper Beam blasted him head on. The terrible power of the move exploded against him, sending a jolt of pain through his body.
Falling through the air, the pseudo-dragon needed but a moment to right himself, fighting to keep his eyes open. Then, he looked up, nostrils flared in rage as Dragonite looked down, intense as the sun itself which shined down on all of them.
Much the same, the trainer and the champion locked eyes. It seemed that they had reached an impasse. Charizard was too swift, constantly sending out a multitude of attacks in the time it took Dragonite to set up one. However, Dragonite was just too powerful and too experienced for Charizard to actually be overwhelmed. Not a word needed to be said about it.
"It's so intense…" Dawn trailed off, marveling at both duos; this time, Ash and Lance and particular. "You can tell just by looking that neither of them would ever want to give up." Was that the true might of a Dragon Master? And, Ash, even?
So, it was time to just go for broke, the both of them.
"Flamethrower!"
"Aqua Tail!"
Keeping their distances, the two dragons threw their elements at each other with all the force they could. Jet after jet of flame was expelled from Charizard all while he dodged the watery arcs from Aqua Tail. Similarly, as Dragonite spun to defend itself with its own move, it could only watch as Aqua Tail drenched the Flamethrowers, but continued to miss Charizard.
The match was growing tense and frustrating. Lance was too good for Ash to just beat, but Ash was also too good for Lance to fully overwhelm.
But, luck decided to shine down upon Ash. A stray Flamethrower had gotten past Dragonite's defenses, earning a snarl of pain from the true dragon.
Ash's fist tightened to the point of hurting, a grin picking up in the corner of his mouth. "Finish it, with Dragon Tail!"
"Repel it with Aqua Tail!"
Both pokemon started by keeping their distance, only closing in to make a swift, decisive attack on the other. Charizard let out a mighty howl, twisting his form around to deliver a brutal overhead strike, attacking with all of the draconian energy he could muster.
Dragonite responded in kind, swinging his wider, sturdier tail around in a flurry of twisting currents. Low enough to match Charizard in force, but high enough to guard his body.
In a teeth-rattling boom, the two attacks crashed.
The Flame and Dragon pokemon proved stubborn, exerting plenty of effort before both were overwhelmed, tossed back by a culmination of respectively super-effective attacks.
Both hovered still, each breathing heavily in exhaustion. Charizard huffed up smoke, and Dragonite inhaled and exhaled deeply. Both retained their focus on the other with furrowed brows.
"It feels like this is more than just a friendly match," Dawn trailed off, her eyes on the two sky-high pokemon. "They're being really stubborn… Their pride is on the line."
Lance grimaced. In an extremely rare occurrence, Dragonite was huffing and wheezing. He'd been dealt quite a few scratches and burns to boot. For all of Multiscale's benefits, he had little to show for it. 'Dragonite's sustained quite a lot of damage… We could very well make a mistake soon.' Shouting out to his pokemon, Lance threw a cape-adorned arm to the side. "Dragonite! Bring this battle to an end, with Dragon Rush!"
The rather intelligent pokemon nodded, beginning to hover and eye his opponent with the focus of a hawk. Angling himself just so, Dragonite left Charizard wondering as to why it was so particular in the angle it would attack from. Didn't it know Charizard would just brace himself?
Or, at least try.
As boastful as Charizard felt in his mind, when the big orange monster came barrelling into Charizard, it knocked the wind out of the fire type. Taken on the wild ride Dragonite had set up, Charizard didn't know where he was being taken until Dragonite left off at the last minute, letting the momentum of the move carry Charizard on while it lingered back. When the hard, unforgiving side of the volcano slammed against Charizard's back, he understood.
Consciousness fading from him due to his injuries, the fire type let out a weak growl of humiliation before slumping to the side. There he laid upon a ridge on the volcano's side.
"Ah, Charizard!" Ash blurted, his entire face falling in worry.
Dawn jumped to her feet when only Dragonite remained in the air after a moment. "Is Charizard alright?!"
As Dragonite landed at Lance's side, he answered. "Dragonite thinks so. They both beat each other pretty soundly, though."
Ash's ears perked up and he turned away from where he had been trying to puzzle out the angle to return Charizard from. "Both?"
To prove a point, Lance went to touch Dragonite's face. The dragon's antennas slicked back in warning.
"See? He's sore and raw right now. People usually don't battle me with fire types, so he's not enthused to have these burns."
Whooping in glee, Ash yelled up at Charizard. "Did you hear that, big guy?! You crisped Dragonite!"
"Pika Pika!" the electric mouse yelled up, ecstatic for his teammate.
Turning back to Lance, Ash felt pride surging through him even at the loss. It had been that close, then! "It may've been close this time… But I'll give you an even better battle after I win at the conference!" The trainer promised, a fist raised in confidence.
Smiling, Lance returned his Dragonite… Only release to a Dragonite. "I look forward to the day. We'll train hard for it."
Ash sweat dropped upon seeing Dragonite "again." "Uh… You aren't gonna fly away on him, are you? He's hurt pretty bad, right?" Since Charizard was knocked out, surely it would be too much of a strain for Dragonite to fly!
"This one's different," Dawn answered. She pointed to its head. "The anteanae are shorter and a little more curly. Plus, the horn's smaller." She cocked her head. "It's a little fatter, too."
A bit insulted, the Dragonite snorted.
"That's right," Lance agreed. "She's a healthy eater. Plus, she just evolved not to long ago, so she's getting used to not being a skinny little Dragonair." Rubbing under the dragon's chin, Lance tried to soothe her. "Get a good look at the boy, Dragonite. You' might get to battle him with the others."
Looking at Ash and Pikachu, the dragon let out a low whining noise of approval. She would remember him.
"Wait, hold on! What were you doing hangin' around that volcano, anyway?"
"It's… A very trying training location. My dragons only thrive and grow in the harshest of conditions. We train here when we need that sort of climate. Not to mention, there are rarely any onlookers to bother us around here."
"Oh, sorry… I guess we did do that, huh?" Ash apologized, rubbing the back of his head.
"This was a one-time exception." The Dragon Master cracked a smile. "It was great to see you again, Ash. I'm thrilled to know you've come this far. I'm sure you won't disappoint me." With that, Lance turned to the pokemon beside him.
"Alright, girl, let's get out of here and find a Pokemon Center somewhere less crowded." After mounting the flying type, Lance waved to the trainer and his friend. "Goodbye, Ash, Dawn."
"It was nice meet you!" Dawn beamed, waving to the man.
"You can count on me!" Ash chimed similarly, seeing his superior off.
The two watched as Lance soared off into the horizon before looking back at where Charizard lay.
"Do you think I can borrow Togekiss to get up there?" Ash asked.
Dawn nodded, passing Ash the pokeball. In turn, she took ahold of Pikachu for a moment. Speaking to the electric type and her starter, she suddenly realized something. "Well… We've still got to find the new Pokemon Center before it's booked up!" Turning to where Ash and Togekiss were checking on Charizard, Dawn yelled. "Ash, hurry!"
"Pikapi!"
"Empooo!"
"I'm trying!" the boy whined.
From there, naturally, Charizard woke up, and was summarily praised and thanked for his efforts. Satisfied as he was, though, in his challenge, the proud pokemon couldn't help but remain aloof. The attacks Dragonite had dished out… He still felt their impact. He'd rise to that level if his life depended on it.
Charizard's angst didn't go unnoticed. A hand was rested atop the fire type's shoulder. "Charizard… I know you wanted to win. But you fought really well! You even had Lance worried… Can you believe that!? We nearly beat the Champion! You were totally awesome and-"
In the midst of Ash's rambling, he was greeted by a sudden Flamethrower to the face.
"Ash!?" Dawn gasped, only feeling modest relief when Togekiss had soared out of danger.
"Pika, Pika…" Pikachu sighed, shaking his head. There they went again.
"I… Think he agrees with me…" Ash coughed up a puff of smoke. "Look, I know Dragonite was really powerful… Those attacks were incredible… But that just means we'll have to get that much stronger!" Ash encouraged, raising a fist. "Then, we'll beat the Pokemon League!"
Still battered and beaten, Charizard lazily raised his fist, bumping it with Ash's.
On every step of his journey, Ash and his pokemon were confronted with new, difficult challenges that continued to test his mettle. With each wall climbed, he was one step closer to his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master.
"Hey, Ash! We should probably get to the center, right?" Dawn reminded him from below, bringing the young man out of his dramatic musings. "C'mon, last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!" Winking, the coordinator took off with Pikachu in her arms.
"Wha-!? Hey! You can't pull that trick on me!" Pouting, he turned to hold out Charizard's pokeball. "We'll get you fixed up in no time…" With the fire type returned, he turned to his fleeing companion. "...Once I cream Dawn in this race! You guys get back here!" Ash leapt off the ridge in a typical display of athleticism, sprinting to catch up with his companion.
Between Ash's battles and Dawn's contests, namely the Wallace Cup, the duo had plenty of challenges ahead of them. For all of their travels and challenges, this was just the beginning!
