She sat up, gasping, looking frantically around the dark room. Where was Ash?! She couldn't see him anywhere! Why was she so high up?!

After a moment, Dawn remembered where she was. She looked at Misty sleeping on the top bunk opposite of her. They were in the rented Indigo Village cabin, safe and sound.

… Weren't they?

Unable to completely set aside her fears, Dawn placed one sweaty foot on the ladder leading down to the floor. Her pajamas were drenched in her own cold sweat and she shivered a little for it. Still, as she looked around from the floor, she found herself more comforted. There was Ash and Pikachu. She looked around the rest of the room, spotting Brock on the opposite bottom bunk and all of their bags on the hooks where they'd left them at the beginning of the week. Everything was fine.

That was a relief. She wasn't sure what she'd dreamed, but it had frightened her so deeply she now felt exhausted upon waking up. Weary, she looked to Ash's bunk. There wasn't a lot of room, given his growth spurt had taken him from being a runt almost her size to now tall enough that she had to look up at him, but it seemed like a better idea than trusting her shaking knees to carry her back up to the top bunk.

So, quiet and careful, she lifted the haphazardly tossed blanket that half-covered Ash's body. Mindful of Pikachu's tail, she set her head on the pillow and tried to lay down as gently as she could on Ash's out stretched arm.

"Dawn?"

No good.

"Sorry, Ash," Dawn whispered, looking at her boyfriend's sleepy expression.

"Pikaka? Pi?" Pikachu questioning, turning around on the pillows to sniff her forehead. "Pika!"

"Yeah, she does look really shaken up? What happened?" Ash shifted to face her, looking concerned.

Dawn shook her head before yawning. "It was just a nightmare… I don't remember what, but it was just…"

As she trailed off, Ash understood.

"Geez… Sorry, Dawn. I actually haven't had one since the league started." He grinned softly. "It's been a better thing to focus on, you know? Takes up all my brainpower." Even as he joked, he rearranged the sheets and covers so that she was covered up, too. Pulling her closer, he smiled down at her. She'd always looked out for him. He was all too happy to do the same for her.

Equally as concerned for Dawn as Ash was, Pikachu licked her forehead before rubbing his cheek against it.

Dawn giggled at the tickling sensation of Pikachu's crackling electric cheek against her forehead. "I'm definitely gonna need to wash my hair in the morning."

"Yeah, well, go to sleep for now," Ash insisted. "I need my number one cheerleader to be peppy and ready for my match tomorrow."

"Right." Cuddling closer to Ash, Dawn rested her head just under his chin.

Pikachu settled beside the two trainers' heads, dozing off quickly.

Ash remained awake a few minutes more, marveling at everyone in the room; he had his starter, his girlfriend, and his two best friends.

Even if the journey had been rough, he was very glad to be here. He loved everyone in this room, and knew they loved him. Surely, with all of their support, his experience, and his team's strength, he'd win.

And, with that final thought, Ash went to bed, as well.


The morning came properly, and with it, so did the downtime to spend before that day's match. Our heroes and their friends met up briefly before May began insisting on going with Drew to the pharmacy in the village to find him something generic to help with his on-and-off sickness; Delia and Brock, naturally concerned and caring, went with her. Professor Oak had noticed how downtrodden Max had been, and offered to go see a particularly nerdy exhibition with the boy to cheer him up.

That left Ash with Dawn, Misty, and Koda in a sporting goods specialty shop.

"I'm tellin' ya, Dawn, you've gotta get a pair of gloves!" Ash insisted, holding up a pair. "You're only gonna start traveling more as your journey continues! My gloves have been great when I've had to scramble up crap."

Dawn looked at her own hands. Over the years, they had become more calloused. She also knew there had been times where she had to step back and let Ash or someone else handle a rough surface that would have torn her bare hands up. "I don't know… It just doesn't go with my outfit…"

"You don't need gloves," Misty spoke up from a few racks over. "I've never had any." She walked over, holding one of the three wetsuits she'd picked out in front of her body. "What do you think? Blue, teal, or purple?"

"They're the same," Ash automatically said.

"Hm… The teal looks really good with your eyes, but the purple pops against your hair! The blue seems a little…" Dawn waved her hand back and forth, shrugging a shoulder dismissively.

Koda, who had thus far been quietly watching, raised a brow. "I'm with Ash on this one…"

Misty turned up her nose. "Hmph! Well, Dawn's the fashion expert, so I'll trust her opinion!" With that, the water specialist walked off to go try the suit on.

Ash briefly stuck his tongue out in Misty's direction before picking up another pair of gloves. "Oh, sick! There's metal on the back of these!" Ash quickly tore off his own gloves, trying the new ones on. "Oh man! Pikachu, get a load of these!"

"Pi," the mouse inquired, crawling down Ash's arm to pat them.

"It's like a hero's! Like a ninja's!" he enthused.

As Ash took them off to put on his regular gloves, the coordinator picked them up and whistled upon looking at the price tag.

"Yeah, and you'd need an assassin's salary to pay for them." Dawn raised a brow at him.

Ash pouted, shoulders sagging. "Aw… Well, maybe I can buy them as a gift to myself after the league!"

Koda tilted his head, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets. "How are you feelin' about your competition, anyways?"

Pikachu and Ash shared a look.

"Well… It'll probably only get tougher. I still haven't even gone up against Deidra. She's got some kind of beef with Lance, too, so who knows how desperate she is to win…"

"Did I hear Lance?!"

Bursting onto the scene was Marina, all of five inches from Ash's face.

"Where is he!?" she demanded.

As suddenly as she'd appeared, she was yanked back by her waist, held in the sturdy arms of a dark-haired teen with a backwards cap.

"Marina, what're ya doin', right in this guy's face?!" he asked. He looked to Ash. "Hey, sorry 'bout my girl. She's nuts for the champ, ya know?"

Dawn, recognizing Marina, giggled. "Aw, Ash, you've gotta forgive her! She's about for Lance how I am for Wallace! How's the charm going for you, anyways?"

The stranger and Ash looked at each of the girls, then at each other. Had they met before?

Marina, stepping out of the boy's grasp, brought out her phone. "She's the girl I told you about! She bought charms with me, see, Jimmy? That's Dawn, the rising contest star!"

"Oh! You're the girl," Jimmy said with realization.

Also putting the pieces together, Ash snapped his fingers. "Hey, Jimmy, you're awful familiar. You ever been to Crown City?"

Eyebrows raising, the teen slapped his forehead. "Dang, yeah! Sorry, man! We've battled before, haven't we?"

Marina rolled her eyes. "I guess we should all say hello properly. I'm Marina and this is my boyfriend Jimmy."

Dawn gestured to her friends. "I'm Dawn, and this is my boyfriend Ash. This is our friend, Koda."

The teen grunted before walking off.

"... He's his own person," the coordinator hesitantly explained.

"It's chill," Jimmy calmly commented.

"Hey, if she's your girlfriend, how come you weren't traveling together?" Ash wondered.

"I mean, we ain't always gotta be together," Jimmy insisted as he folded his arms behind his head. "I went that way because I was travelin' solo in a hurry, ya know? Challenging the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. That kinda thing."

Marina nodded. "I was doin' promotional work, the usual, you know."

"Makes sense… Well, regardless, no hard feelings about not recognizing each other, yeah?" Mentally, Ash noted that the only person good at making strong, quick impressions was Barry.

"Right!" the other trainer agreed. "... Hey, wait, aren't you guys missing somebody? The tall fella?"

"That's Brock!" Dawn corrected. "He's off with another friend of ours."

"Oh, so he must be like Vincent is for us," Marina noted.

"Would you quit calling the man that? He's asked ya like twenty times to help him get his stage name out. Jackson, remember?"

"... Wait, wait, wait, is this Jackson guy from Johto? Kinda clumsy, wears a cape?" Ash asked.

"Hey, the cape's a good fashion choice!" Marina whined.

"He only wore it to try and impress you," Jimmy grunted. "But, yeah, that's our guy, Ash."

Marina crossed her arms, sniffing. "A cape's the coolest thing anyone can wear… It's just a fact."

"Is that so?" Ash murmured. He looked to Dawn. "Wallace has got a cape. Do you like 'em? Maybe I should start wearing one."

Hearing this, Marina squealed. "Dawn, you're so lucky! Ash is so open minded! Jimmy won't wear one even though I've practically begged him!"

"What did I just walk in on?"

The group looked over to see Misty with Koda trailing behind her. The water gym leader tilted her head, glancing quickly around the group before her.

"A meet up," Jimmy explained. He sucked through his teeth, then. "Oh yeah. Don't know if you've stopped by to check your stuff recently, but we're paired up for the semi-finals, Ash."

"Yeah… I saw your face by mine," the trainer agreed.

The Johto native chuckled. "Well, we've got some time. Tell ya what; our girlfriends get along fine, and you've got another lady friend for 'em to hang out with. What do you say we go have some hang out time, yeah?"

Ash looked to Pikachu. "Well, I ain't gettin' any gloves today, I guess, so sure."

With that, Ash and Jimmy began walking off together.

While Marina and Misty caught up in a conversation with Dawn on whether or not Misty should buy the purple wetsuit along or buy the matching snorkel mask, Koda realized he'd been left with the girls.


Jimmy turned out to be quite rascally, perhaps more so than Ash himself. After some careful maneuvering, the two of them ended on the roof of one of the restaurants, a bucket of fries and fried seafood Jimmy had smoothly talked out of one of the waitresses below settled between the two of them.

Jimmy oozed charisma. Ash would have probably appreciated a friend like him when he was younger, considering how honest yet coarse Ash had been as a child.

Regardless, Jimmy started the conversation after taking a long drag out of a bottle of dark soda. "Ya know, this ain't my first league."

"Me, neither," Ash casually replied, passing a hushpuppy to Pikachu.

"I've actually won one before," the other trainer explained. "It was the Silver Conference. I, uh, wasn't up to snuff for the Elite Four, though. So, you know, once you fail that, you gotta go all the way back through a conference to get another chance." He laughed, shrugging. "Shit happens."

"Sure does," Ash quickly agreed, thinking of all his past league ambitions. While he was rather proud of himself, he couldn't help but share Jimmy's hunger for performing better.

"I wasn't just talking about the league." Laying back and watching the clouds, Jimmy's mind drifted to his home. "I grew up in New Bark Town. We're right by a lab. So, uh, sometimes… Sometimes stuff happens. I wanna be strong, ya know? Strong enough that people think twice about starting crap where I live."

Ash lifted his cap a bit before looking down at the other boy. He bit into a large piece of fish before swallowing and nodding. "Yeah… The Champion's super strong. He's good at protecting people. I wanna do that, too, you know?"

"Is that so?" Jimmy asked before snickering. "Well, if that's the case, I think I like ya! I can't be bitter no matter who wins if that's why you're gunnin' for victory."

Ash grinned so wide his eyes shut. "Same here! You're a good guy, Jimmy!"

Jimmy sat up, hearing the crowd in the stadium growing louder. Part of the reason they'd sat on the roof was that they could see the outer monitors of the league stadium without getting so close as to get caught in the foot traffic. Jimmy let out a low whistle as he caught sight of the match.

"Deidra's done," he said with a low whisper. "She sure works fast."

"I didn't catch much of it," Ash noted. "I was talkin' so much, all I really saw was her same old Metagross."

Jimmy shrugged, humming. "Well, it's better like that, ain't it? Mystery's always a fun challenge. It'll make whooping her all the more interesting."

Ash smirked. "Alright. Tell you what, I plan on winning, but I'll forgive you for beating me only if you make Deidra use all her pokemon."

Jimmy barked out in laughter before holding his hand out to Ash to shake. "Hey, I'll take you up on that deal! I'll give ya a good fist fight if ya whoop me and can't make her break all six out!"

Nodding, the Kanto native shook Jimmy's hand. The deal was sealed.


Indigo Stadium was packed, roaring with commotion under the afternoon sun. Fresh out of the previous match, the crowd was bustling in anticipation for the coming clash.

"Looks like we've got a heck of a crowd to impress." Ash took his first steps onto the battlefield, adjusting his cap to guard his eyes from the sunlight. "Let's give them a real show, bud." He cast a smirk at his companion, who was nuzzled securely into his shoulder.

"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded, his own adorable visage brimming with confidence. He had total faith that Ash would carry him onto the final round.

With that, Ash stepped onward, taking his place on the field.

"The Indigo League Conference is heading into its final stretch! After the first match of the semi-final round, our last two competitors will go head-to-head, to decide which one of them will head on to the finals, to face the last battle's victor!"

The crowd roared as the play-by-play successfully stirred them up. But, to Ash, that was just background noise, right now. His gaze was cast across the field, locked onto his opponent.

Jimmy made eye contact, and sent a cocky smirk Ash's way.

Ash smiled, in turn. His heart was already racing.

"This will be a match between two league veterans; Ash has a building history of placing in conferences, most recently a semi-finalist in the Lily of the Valley Conference. His opponent, Jimmy, is a former Champion of the Silver Conference!"

"Hope you're ready to trade places," Ash challenged. "Because, I'm winning this one!"

Jimmy belly-laughed, sliding one of his hands into a pocket on his sweatshirt. "You'll have to beat me, first. So, good luck!"

"This will be a full, six-on-six battle," the referee interrupted. "The battle will end when all of one trainer's pokemon are knocked out. Both trainers can switch pokemon at any time!"

"Then, I'll go first." Ash grinned, tossing a pokeball. "Glalie, I choose you!"

The Face pokemon roared, floating above the battlefield. His pitch-black horns glimmered under the beaming sun.

"An ice type?" Jimmy reached for his belt, then, calling on his first. "Then, I'll call on Sudowoodo!"

The Imitation pokemon appeared, throwing several jabs with his branch-like limbs.

"Jimmy has gone straight for the type advantage! How will this battle play out!?"

"I'll start," Jimmy prefaced. "Use Mud Slap!"

With a swipe of its arms, Sudowoodo launched a splatter of mud.

"Gla!" Glalie roared, smacked head-on by the muck. He'd attempt to shake it free, his face coated in dirt.

"Not a bad start," Ash commended. "But, we can do better! Glalie, use Ice Beam!"

Glalie obeyed, firing a blast of cold from between his horns.

The attack flew past Sudowoodo, harmlessly blasting the ground with frost.

"Right off the bat, Jimmy takes a lead with a Mud Slap, making Glalie miss his target completely!"

"Let's try that again," Ash resumed. "Move to the right, and use Ice Beam!"

Under Ash's direction, Glalie hovered to the side, launching another Ice Beam. With the ice type's poor aim, Sudowoodo had no trouble leaping over Ice Beam, avoiding it completely.

Ash's brows knit low. "So, we still can't hit… Rapid fire Ice Beam! Keep moving!"

Sudowoodo watched as his opponent floated around aimlessly, doing its best to assault him with the bursts of cold. Three beams missed him completely, but a fourth came close - he ducked under it.

"Roll to the side!" Jimmy urged.

Sudowoodo obeyed, tucking in to roll to the left. Another Ice Beam narrowly missed.


"Woo-hoo! Way to keep Ash on his feet!" Marina hollered, flashing a victory sign from the stands. "Keep dodging those attacks and tire 'im out! Then, give us a big ol' smile~!" She chirped, giddily pointing her index fingers towards her cheeks.

"That's an awful lot of confidence, coming right out of the gate." Dawn smirked, resting her pom-poms on her hips.

"Well, it's important for an idol to have a grasp of any given situation, and give the charge when the time is right!" Marina winked, nudging Dawn with her elbow. "Since we're acquaintances, now, I'll give you some advice - whether you're coordinating or cheering, you'll need to assess a situation carefully!"

"Maybe you should follow your own advice," Dawn proclaimed, turning her chin up high.

"Eh?" Marina tilted her head.

"If anyone's missing the point, out there, it's Jimmy."


"You're getting warmer," Jimmy taunted. "But, if you ask me, starting the match like that is a little desperate!"

"Au contraire," Ash smirked, wagging a finger. "The truth is, you're getting colder!"

"Huh?" The Johto native cocked a brow. "...Oh, crap. Now, I get it."

While Sudowoodo had, indeed, gone untouched, spires and chunks of ice were scattered across the battlefield. A few were large enough to serve as cover.

"In what's quickly becoming a hallmark strategy of his, Ash has disrupted the field to his liking, this time, forming spires of solid ice! How will this affect the ongoing battle?"

"I don't know what you have planned… But I'm not about to find out! Sudowoodo, Dynamic Punch!" Jimmy commanded, punching forward.

Sudowoodo charged Glalie, a glowing limb ready.

Ash pumped a fist. "Gyro Ball, behind you!"

"Glaaa!" Glalie roared, twisting into a fierce, silver-coated spin. Rather than charge his opponent, he launched himself in reverse, slamming into an angular chunk of ice.

Twisting against the ice, Glalie spun off, ricocheted by the field hazard.

Sudowoodo swung, his punch shattering the solid ice. But, there was no sign of Glalie.

Glalie flung about, bouncing from one frozen mass to the next. With every launch, mud splattered from his round body.

"It's moving so fast!" Jimmy grit his teeth. "Now, how do we pin it down and hit it…"

"Use Crunch, now!"

"Gla!" Glalie roared, launching off of a nearby glacier to sink his teeth into Sudowoodo's body.

"Sudooo!" The Imitation pokemon cried, flailing in the attacker's clutches.

Glalie bit down hard, spinning to send Sudowoodo crashing into a block of ice.

Sudowoodo stirred, yanking his arm out of a crater in the ice behind him.

"It's gonna take more than that to do Sudowoodo in; he's rock-solid!" Jimmy boasted, pumping a fist. "Rock Tomb!"

Sudowoodo raised its limbs to the sky, then flung them towards the ground.

Several huge boulders were summoned from overhead, smashing down upon Glalie.

"Ooh, that had to hurt! After Glalie dealt a solid blow with Crunch, Sudowoodo came back with a super-effective Rock Tomb!"

"Not bad." Ash smirked. "Water Pulse, now!"

The rock formation crumbled, impaled by a compact bubble of water shooting across the field.

Sudowoodo took a direct hit, skidding back across the dirt.

"Now, I know that one hurt." Ash brushed a finger over his nose.

"Not too bad," Jimmy waved off, gesturing towards his own pokemon with his thumb.

Sudowoodo was back on its feet.

"Sudowoodo don't like water at all, but we've trained hard to take our opponent's attacks, and strike right back!" Jimmy flashed a thumbs-up. "Show them, with Mimic!"

The Imitation pokemon held the ends of his arms together, summoning a compact mass of water. "Woodo!" He cried, tossing it at Glalie.

"He may be tough," Ash prefaced, "but he can't handle Glalie! Gyro Ball, right through!"

Glalie launched himself at the rock type, smashing head-on into the Water Pulse.

Despite being rattled, he pressed on through the bursting attack, smashing into Sudowoodo like a mad cannonball.

"Keep it going!" Ash urged.

Feeling relief, having been knocked off, Sudowoodo eased. A moment later, the breath was knocked from his solid body as he'd been pressed into a solid structure behind him.

"Wow! Glalie has Sudowoodo pinned to the ice, and he's still not letting up! What a brutal, reckless attack!"

"Gla…!" Glalie grunted, shoving his head against Sudowoodo's torso. With each push, it was buried further into the ice.

"Sudowoodo!" Jimmy gasped. "Dynamic Punch!"

"Soo…!" Sudowoodo grunted, raising a glowing fist. He swung.

With a crash, the ice collapsed.

The referee held his breath as the vapor cleared. Sudowoodo had been pressed clean through the ice, and laid unconscious. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle! Glalie wins!"

"We've only seen the first battle of many, and the ferocity of two seasoned trainers is already on display!"


"Way to go, Ash! Way to go, Glalie!" Dawn shouted, waving her pom-poms.

"Empol!" Empoleon clapped his wings together. He definitely appreciated the use of the ice!

"I guess you were right, Dawn." Marina conceded, turning her eyes back to the match. "Who would've seen that coming?"

"Well, I have used the same strategy against him several times, before," the bluenette boasted. "It's just another maneuver that we share!"

"Ash has done something like this before," Brock corrected.

"Yeah, at the Hoenn League!" Max added. "Though, that time, he tricked his opponent into freezing the field instead…"

Dawn blushed, then. Way to give herself too much credit. "Well, anyway, it suits him well!"


"Not bad, Ash, not bad." Jimmy praised as he recalled Sudowoodo. "But, let's see how you do against Politoed!"

The water type appeared, sitting upright. "Poli!" He croaked, battle-ready.

"Now, use Whirlpool!"

Politoed raised his arms, summoning a large, roaring Whirlpool, chucking it at Glalie.

The ice type was promptly swept in, tossed mercilessly about the rushing water.

"Good start, but I've Dawn's used this one on me, before," Ash boasted. "Use Gyro Ball!"

"Gla…!" Glalie grunted, turning to spin along with the current. Coating the Whirlpool with streaks of silver, he launched out of the hazard.

"Dynamic Punch!"

A fist promptly smacked Glalie down against the earth, rattling its sturdy skull.

Ash grit his teeth. "That was fast…!"

"Ha!" Jimmy sneered. "I've always used Whirlpool to make our opponents move the way we want them to! You played right into that, man."

"About what I'd expect, from you!" Ash smirked, though his face fell quickly. Glalie's toppling about told a whole story. Dynamic Punch had confused it. 'We're in trouble, if that keeps up for long… Maybe we can freeze it and stall for time!' Ash pointed forward, then. "Glalie, Ice Beam!"

"Glalie…" The Face pokemon groaned, struggling to stay afloat. In his confusion, he could barely maintain his natural cold! Hints of ice began to flicker between his horns.

"Well, we're not just gonna be sitting ducks." Jimmy pointed forward. "Bounce, now!"

"Gla!" Glalie fired the Ice Beam, then.

By the time it'd come close to its intended target, Politoed had sprang far out of reach.

The water type came down with a vengeance, smashing Glalie into the ground.

Ash frowned. "Crunch, now!"

Glalie struggled beneath Politoed's weight, bucking against his stomach. With a lurch, he snapped down upon his opponent's arm.

Politoed subsequently cried in pain.

Jimmy threw a hand out. "Dynamic Punch, now!"

Politoed bared the pain, raising a closed, glowing fist. It was promptly smashed into Glalie's skull.

The ice type's grip held, momentarily, before going limp. Glalie tumbled to the side, unconscious.

"Glalie is unable to battle! Victory goes to Politoed!"


"Yes! Nimble as ever, Politoed!" Marina pumped a fist in the air, posing from her seat.

"I could've sworn Glalie did better at the Power Plant," Dawn pouted. Quickly feeling guilty for her criticism, she sputtered. "I mean, he did great! It's just that he was able to take a lot more hits and keep on trucking, not long ago."

"That's true," Brock agreed. "But, you have to remember - the motivation for that battle was different. Sure, he wants to win this match - but he already played his part in defeating Sudowoodo. Back then, the prestige of beating a legendary pokemon was probably keep him going. He probably toughed out a lot more than he would be willing to, in an ordinary battle."

"It beat a legendary pokemon!?" Marina gasped. "That's amazing! Well… for what it's worth. Jimmy's pokemon are top-class! He didn't win the Silver Conference, for nothing."

"No kidding," Max quipped.

"The stronger Ash's opponents are, the better he battles," Misty resumed. "So, I'm sure he'll do better as the match goes on! If Jimmy's really all that, that is," she winked at Marina.

"You're right… Not every performance is your best," Dawn thought aloud. "I've learned that much, as a coordinator!"


"Thanks for the hard work." Ash beamed at the pokeball in his hand, returning it to his belt. "The others'll take over from here." Dismissing Glalie, he eyed Politoed. "So, it's fast, and it hits hard. In that case… I choose you, Crawdaunt!"

"Craw!" The Rogue pokemon was summoned, snapping his claws.

"Use Aqua Jet!"

Crawdaunt shot forward in a spiraling jet, slamming into Politoed.

The water type slid back, otherwise unharmed. In fact, he seemed more comfortable after taking the hit.

"Thanks for that," Jimmy replied. "Hyper Voice!"

Politoed opened his mouth wide, letting out an ear-splitting scream.

Sound waves barraged Crawdaunt, making the crustacean cringe in pain.

"What's the big idea? Aqua Jet didn't do a thing." Ash Reached into his jacket, pulling out his Pokedex.

"Politoed's ability is Water Absorb. Water absorb, unsurprisingly, prevents damage from water type moves, and instead replenishes HP. One would think a trainer could figure that out for themselves."

"Thanks for the sass, Dexter." Rolling his eyes, Ash deposited the device. "Alright, so no water type moves."

Jimmy took advantage of the lull in the action. "Use Whirlpool!"

Another Whirlpool was summoned, yanking Crawdaunt into its spin.

"Great… So, playing into their strategy's out of the question." Ash frowned. "Guess we'll just have to bide our time. Crawdaunt, Swords Dance!"

Even as he was tossed about, Crawdaunt snapped his claws, a red aura flashing about him.

"Crawdaunt is trapped in that Whirlpool, but so far, Ash seems to be taking advantage of the hazard!"

"You okay in there, Crawdaunt!?"

"Crah!" The Rogue cried, buffeted by a wave smacking into its body. "Craw!"

"Just a bit longer… Swords Dance, again!"

Even in the midst of being tossed around, Crawdaunt built his fighting spirit, once more.

Jimmy grimaced. "Trying to lure us in, huh? Well, we're not taking the bait! Hyper Voice!"

Politoed screeched, pummeling the Whirlpool with devastating sound waves. The roaring waters whimpered under the pressure, bursting into mist.

As Crawdaunt recoiled, Jimmy pressed on. "Use Dynamic Punch!"

Ash punched forward. "Aerial Ace!"

As Politoed charged, Crawdaunt swept in, smashing into Politoed's body in a swift loop.

Politoed recoiled, but not before smashing down upon Crawdaunt's crest with his fist.

Crawdaunt was smashed against the arena, and Politoed was sent tumbling by the tackle.

"Ooh! A solid hit, from each pokemon!"

"Hang in there, Crawdaunt!" Ash encouraged.

The Rogue pokemon pushed himself up on one claw.

"You can do it, Politoed!"

Politoed held his torso, pushing himself onto his hind legs. "Pol!"

"Okay, now use Crunch!"

"Craw…!" Crawdaunt sing-songed, awkwardly stumbling forward, without a hint of his usual rhythm. He snapped his claw rhythmically, humming some sort of tune. His snaps came nowhere close to Politoed, however.

"Crawdaunt…?" Ash frowned, scratching his cheek. His face dropped further in realization. "Oh, no…"

"Dynamic Punch has left Crawdaunt confused! He can't seem to gain his bearings!"

"Well, he can be pretty deadly, even when he's confused." Ash smirked, pointing forward. "Show them, Crawdaunt!"

"Craw!" The Rogue cried, snapping down with crunch.

Moments later, he cried loudly in pain.

"What's this!? In his confusion, Crawdaunt has come down on his own pincer with Crunch! That's got to hurt!"

Ash gasped. "Oh, no!"

Suddenly, Politoed came crashing down, dive bombing Crawdaunt.

The dust settled, and there were swirls in the crustacean's eyes.

"Crawdaunt is unable to battle!" The referee shouted, raising a flag. "Politoed wins!"

"Alright, Politoed!" Jimmy cheered, flashing a thumbs-up. "You rock, and you rule!"


"Aw, man… And he had such a good showing at his gym battle in Saffron," Dawn pouted.

"That's the dazzle of Dynamic Punch!" Marina cheered, pumping a fist in the air with her words. "It'll leave a confused opponent completely defenseless!"

"Luck was definitely on Jimmy's side, though," Brock thought out loud. "Crawdaunt's usually a force to be reckoned with, when he's confused. Usually, he throws his opponent around before he can hurt himself. But, not this time."

"And now, Ash is losing," Max pointed out.


"Return, Crawdaunt!" Ash smiled down at the occupied pokeball. "Thanks for your hard work." He turned his attention to Politoed. It was showing some signs of fatigue, but short of a few scratches and heavy breaths, it was hard for Ash to gauge. "Politoed's already taken down two of mine… We've gotta strike back, here and now!" Ash winded up, tossing a pokeball backhanded.

"It's your turn, Sceptile!"

"Tile…" The Forrest pokemon stood, putting his signature twig in his mouth.

"That's a rad-looking Sceptile!" Jimmy praised. "But, I hope you're not just relying on type advantage."

Ash brushed his index finger over his nose. "Why don't you come and find out?"

Jimmy smirked, then pointed forward. "Use Hyper Voice!"

Politoed's huge mouth opened wide, launching an ear-splitting sonic barrage.

By the time the wave had crossed the field, it was without a target.

"What's this!? Sceptile has seemingly disappeared!"

"Not exactly." Ash smirked, folding his arms. "Take a look around!"

"Where'd it…?" Jimmy's eyes darted around, until he managed to find a green blur, shooting around the perimeters of the battlefield. Finally, it came to a halt, standing with his arms folded, mirroring Ash.

"Tile." The grass type lazily chewed on his stem, taunting Politoed.

"What speed! Jimmy may have to show a bit more caution, while battling Ash's Sceptile!"

"Caution? As if. That's not how we do things!" Jimmy threw a hand out. "Whirlpool!"

Politoed raised his arms above his head, conjuring another cyclone. With a croak, he tossed it towards Sceptile.

"Leaf Blade."

As soon as the Whirlpool picked up momentum, it was carved cleanly in half, bursting into a cloud of mist.

Politoed croaked. A searing pain crossed his belly, stretching all the way to his torso.

A streak of emerald flashed past the mist, and shot past Politoed. Sceptile crouched mere feet before Jimmy. The gleaming blades on his forearms retreated.

As he watched Politoed collapse, Jimmy's breath was caught in his throat.

Sceptile stood, quietly chewing on his favored twig.

"Politoed is unable to battle! Sceptile wins!"

"Down in just one move! With a stunning Leaf Blade that you could miss with a blink, Sceptile has made his impression on the battle! Ash and Jimmy are now both down to four pokemon!"


"Yes! Good ol' Sceptile!" Dawn cheered, smacking her pom-poms together. "Way to dazzle them!"

"I know Sceptile are fast…." Marina trailed off, slack-jawed. Her silence lead to the obvious.

"But, Ash's is exceptional," Brock finished. "At Ash's last league conference, it was the one to defeat Tobias' Darkrai. In one Leaf Blade, no less."

"Eh!? How many legendary pokemon has Ash battled, exactly!?"

"I honestly think we've lost count," Misty shrugged.

"Huh… Well, good ol' Jimmy did defeat Raikou, once! They're good friends and all, so he got the chance to have it out." Marina winked, flicking her index finger up in a peppy show of pride.

"Him, too!?" May gawked, leaning past Dawn, almost over Empoleon, much to the penguin's annoyance. "Who pulled that off!?"

The Idol smirked, leaning back into her seat with crossed arms. "The star of his team, of course. You'll see."


Golden eyes challenged him, making his palms sweat. Despite this, Jimmy smiled. "So that's the power of Ash's all-stars, huh? Alright. Then, I'll have to get serious!"

Silent, the Forrest pokemon nodded to his adversary, before leaping back to Ash's end of the field, in several large bounds. He slid back across the field, kicking up dust. "Sceptile."

Ash grinned. "Then, show us what you've got!"

"We're gonna need to match that speed… Beedrill, it's your turn!" Jimmy called, chucking a pokeball.

A flash of light spawned Beedrill, who hovered above the battlefield with a quiet, constant buzz.

"Let's match their speed - Agility! And then, Pin Missile!"

Beedrill zipped about, seemingly vanishing from one point to the next.

Sceptile's eyes kept up the pace.

Beedrill continued his flight, spraying the field with a barrage of poisonous needles.

"Dodge that!" Ash ordered.

A barrage was already flying towards Sceptile. He swiftly jumped out of harm's way. But, to his horror, a field of Pin Missile wedged in the field laid in his path.

"That's bad… Knock those out, with Leaf Blade! And, keep running!" Ash coached.

Sceptile laid low as he continued to sprint, severing the needles with clean swipes of his energized blades. A hazardous row was mowed down, in no time.

"Look out!" Ash shouted. "They're coming right for you!"

Sceptile's amber eyes went wide, as a pointed storm rained down upon him. "Tile!" He cried, leaping into an agile backflip. Pin Missile came within inches of scraping his hide.

With a grunt, he landed on all fours.

"Good, we've got him on the defensive!" Jimmy cheered. "Beedrill, use Twinneedle!"

Beedrill was built for predatory charges. He zipped in with a moment's notice, appearing in front of Sceptile within a blink, stinger poised. He buzzed, stabbing at Sceptile.

A glimmer flicked in the grass type's eye. He leaned left, cleanly avoiding the strike.

Beedrill persisted, jabbing relentlessly with both of his needles.

"Tile! Scep! Tile!" With quick footwork, Sceptile weaved and dodged, backing out of every Twinneedle attack as it came to him. In a blatant show of confidence, the grass type didn't even bother to raise his guard.

Beedrill hissed, furious, and stabbed forward with both of his arms.

Sceptile slid back towards Ash, untouched.

"Beedrill's attacks are swift and furious, but it can't seem to land a hit on Sceptile!"

"Great work," Ash praised, flashing a thumbs-up to his pokemon. When Sceptile nodded back, he smiled. "But, you might come in handy later… Return!" Ash drew a pokeball, launching the familiar red beam to retrieve him.

Jimmy lit up, immediately. "Pursuit!"

Beedrill shot forward like a Zubat out of hell.

A pitch-black shadow snatched away the beam's target.

Sceptile cried, irritated, as he slid across the field. He rubbed his side - the sole victim of Pursuit.

"Nice try," Jimmy taunted. "But Beedrill never lets opponents get away, that easily! Even your Sceptile."

"Figures you wouldn't make this easy on us." Ash frowned. "Well, this time… Sceptile!" Ash thrust out the starter's pokeball, once more.

"Still not gonna work! Pursuit!"

Beedrill zipped in, barely more than a shadow.

"...Rock Slide!"

Beedrill struck, but he didn't hit flesh. His needle was embedded in solid rock, jerking him back with its momentum. He buzzed, struggling to yank his arm from the solid surface.

"Now, return!" Ash hurried, recalling Sceptile. "You can rest, for now."

"Well, what do you know?" Jimmy smirked, as Beedrill jabbed at the boulder, breaking his stinger free. "I should've known you were the type to play mind games, Ash."

Ash smiled, brushing his thumb over his nose. "Had to get out of that, somehow!"


"Very clever," Professor Oak remarked, a hand held to his chin. "Pursuit can result in some very nasty locks - sometimes even worse than harder locks, like Mean Look, purely for the element of uncertainty. But, Ash feigned falling for it again to plot an escape."

"And, Ash was always so straightforward, growing up…" Delia smiled to herself, getting a look at a particularly nice shot she'd taken - of Ash successfully recalling Sceptile, while Beedrill was struggling with Rock Slide. He looked proud of himself.


Ash hesitated, then, thinking his next choice over. 'Who'd be best for this…? Torkoal's got the type advantage, but he's probably too slow…'

"Pikapi!"

Ash looked down to his feet, where Pikachu stood inside the trainer's box.

"Pika-Pikachu!" The mouse mimed, pulling his ears back to curl over his head, while flashing a pair of enlarged, stretched out eyes to mimic the face of one of their companions.

Ash smirked. "Good call. Thanks, buddy." The trainer grabbed a pokeball decisively, tossing it forward. "I choose you, Misdreavus!"

"Mis~!" The Ghost pokemon, barely larger than Pikachu himself, appeared, wisping about the field.

"She's probably thinking of spooking me… But, there's no time!" Ash thought aloud. "Use Thunder Wave!"

Misdreavus whined - he'd called her out! But, as determined as she was to have a good laugh, she was even more set on winning their match. She howled, unleashing a weak electromagnetic pulse.

Beedrill recoiled, uttering a sharp buzz in displeasure. His wings crackled with electricity, already beginning to make flight difficult.

"Right out of the gate, Misdreavus cripples Beedrill with Thunder Wave! That's one way to slow down a speedy opponent!"

"Good call, Ash," Jimmy commended. "But, not good enough! Another Agility!"

Beedrill floated about, working out his wings to regain a bit of his speed.

"Not happening," Ash barked. "Icy Wind!"

"Mis~!" The ghost type wailed, blowing out a bitter, chilling wind. Ghost types were, naturally, devoid of life, and usually devoid of warmth. All the better to assault an opponent with cold.

Beedrill shivered, now dealing with frost, as well as static. "Bzzt…!"

"You're serious about weighing us down!" Jimmy threw a hand out. "Take this! Pin Missile!"

His flight was hindered, but his weaponry, not so much. Beedrill pointed his stinger towards the ghoul, spraying an assault of poisonous needles.

"Time to go ghost!" Ash exclaimed.

Misdreavus chirped in reply, then faded from sight. Momentarily intangible, she watched the needles shoot right through her intangible form.

"What kind of lingo…?" Jimmy cocked a brow at Ash. "Whatever! Pursuit!"

Soon enough, Misdreavus had to return to the living plane.

As soon as she did, a painful jab struck her body, sending her tumbling through the air.

"You've got this! Power Gem!" Ash commanded.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu chanted, shadowboxing to pump her up.

Upside-down, Misdreavus cried, firing a series of glowing jewels that smashed into Beedrill.

The Poison Bee pokemon recoiled, shaking his head. Though no facial expression could give it away, the cold and static made him wince.

"Beedrill would never give in, that easy!" Jimmy declared. "Twinneedle!"

Beedrill shook off the discomfort, zipping in with his needles raised. He jabbed at Misdreavus, striking her body with several venomous strikes.

Misdreavus howled, hovering low. A streak of blue covered her face.

"It looks like Misdreavus is poisoned! Both pokemon are suffering from status conditions - which one will triumph over their predicament!?"

"That's bad," Ash grimaced. "Shadow Ball!"

"Mis!" The ghost winced, stubborn. She forced herself back into the air - she was native to Mt. Silver. She had her pride, and the strength to back it up! That thought fueled her, as she fired a ghoulish violet orb.

"Dodge that, Beedrill!" Jimmy ordered.

The bug type shot back, ready to soar. Electricity clipped his wings, and he fell into the blast.

"Beedrill!" Jimmy shouted, panicked.

Wisps of smoke died away, and Beedrill continued to hover.

Misdreavus, meanwhile, howled, brought close to the ground by bubbling poison.

"Beedrill has taken plenty of damage, but it's still holding on! Will it overcome Misdreavus' status-inducing attacks?"

"You're doing great," Ash praised. "But, this could be too much…" He frowned, reaching for his belt. 'With Beedrill paralyzed, there's a good chance I could call her back.'

Jimmy's eyes narrowed. "I see you, Ash! Beedrill, Pursuit!"

Beedrill shook out his wings, throwing himself at Misdreavus.

"Crap, there's no time." Ash gritted his teeth. "Power Gem!"

"Mis~!" Misdreavus cried, surrounding herself in explosive gems.

A fierce pressure struck her ghostly form, drawing a loud squeal.

Beedrill had crashed into her with a super-effective Pursuit.

As Beedrill hit his mark, though, he was ambushed. Several glowing gems crashed into his segmented body, pummeling it with booming explosions.

Powerful winds rustled the field, ruffling Ash and Jimmy's hair, as well as Pikachu's ears and tail before winding down. Dark smoke billowed, pushed apart by the force of Power Gem

Beedrill hit the field. Misdreavus floated down beside it, with swirls in her eyes.

The referee threw up both arms. "Both Beedrill and Misdreavus are unable to battle!"

"Wow! A double knock-out! Both Ash and Jimmy are now down to three of their pokemon!"


In the stands, another match was brewing.

Dawn lifted a hand, pompom fluttering in the air as Empoleon and Zorua danced beside her. "Ash, Ash, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can! Kanto's brightest, Kanto's best, he'll put Jimmy to the test!"

Marina let out an insulted cry. "Hey!" She, lacking the cheering equipment Dawn had, rolled up her on hand magazine and put a foot on the railing before them, throwing up an arm to yell down at Jimmy. "You can do it! Show 'em that old fashioned Johto spunk!"

Not taking kindly to being out done, Dawn looked to Empoleon before scrambling on top of his shoulders, with Zorua on her head. "The moon! The stars! The sun! Ash Ketchum, he's number one! His team, his strategy, his skill; if anyone can do it, he will!"

A low frustrated growl rumbled in Marina's throat before she got out a roll of ribbon. It was meant just to tie her hair back, but she quickly got out a black pen and wrote the word "determination" on it before tying it on her head and beating the railing with her rolled up magazine. "Jimmy! You've already won this before, so there's no way you can lose to someone who's never been where you have!"

"Excuse me?!" Dawn demanded from on top of Empoleon. "What's that supposed to mean!?" She leaned down towards Marina.

The idol put her hands on her hips, glaring up at Dawn. "You know what it means! Jimmy's super strong and he's totally gonna whoop Ash's butt!"

"Yeah right!" Dawn spat. "Ash is stronger than anyone, definitely!"

"What would you know?" Marina said with a shrug. "Your favorite's Wallace! He can't even win out against Steven Stone."

Dawn gasped. "You take that back! You… You… Two region leadership hoarder lover!"

"What kinda insult is that towards Lance?!" Marina demanded, already knowing what Dawn meant.

Before the girls could to continue to bicker, Dawn slipped off Empoleon's shoulders. The two crashed into each other, screaming in shock and pain.

Brock, who had been watching the exchange, shuddered. "... Misty, May, didn't you say they got along together? If this is getting along, I'd hate to see them fight…"


"Thanks, Misdreavus." Ash recalled his pokemon, smiling down at the pokeball in his hand. "You did a great job in your first league. Rest, easy, alright?"

"Pikachuuu." Pikachu had boarded Ash's shoulder, reaching to affectionately pat the occupied capsule. Once the object returned to Ash's belt, Pikachu nuzzled into his trainer's cheek. "Pikapi, Pikachu!"

"Yeah, I know. Three down, and three more to go!" The teen gleefully returned Pikachu's show of affection before turning his eyes back on his opponent. "And, I'm just getting started!"

"I hope you're not counting this match yours, already!" Jimmy challenged from across the field, placing Beedrill's pokeball back on its holster. "You're an exceptional trainer, Ash. All the more reason to go all-out!"

"So are you." Ash smiled, leaning forward. He nudged the brim of his cap with his thumb. "In that case, let's keep it going!"