"Tension permeates the air, today, in Indigo Stadium, as a fierce battle unfolds before our very eyes! The score, so far, is 5 to 4 in Ash's favor. After going through a few of his pokemon, he's taken down Deidra's Dragonite and Salamence. Deidra, so far, has defeated Ash's Floatzel, while giving the rest of his team a run for their money! It's hard to believe there are still nine pokemon left in the battle to come!"
"Hey." Ash knelt down, beside Staraptor. "You wanna switch out and get some rest? I know that last win took a lot out of you. I wouldn't wanna see you go down when you still have some fight in you."
Staraptor hummed low, looking to Ash, and then to Deidra. His eyes fell shut. "Star…" Deep in thought, he turned out the world. The rustling crowd, knit to the seams with anticipation. Ash's trademark consideration for his pokemon's feelings. Pikachu's warm encouragement. The only thing on his mind, now, was the battle.
A battle, he knew, that decided a pivotal point in Ash's career. And, by extension, all of his pokemon's, too. Winning was crucial. And, his sore wings told a story. The time it was taking to catch his breath settled his decision. Against a monstrous Salamence, he'd had his hurrah. He was weary, and his role in this battle was probably nearing its end.
The rest of the team, on the other hand, had a longer road ahead of them. They needed all the rest and preparation they could get. He'd afford that to them.
"Staraptor!" He cried, throwing his wings outward. He looked Ash dead in the eye. "Star, Staraptor!"
The trainer smiled, and stood. "I get you. I couldn't ask for better, Staraptor. Thanks." Looking across to his opponent, his expression hardened, and he pointed forward. "So, let's keep this battle going! Deidra, we're ready for more!"
"Ash has decided to stick with Staraptor! A pivotal chance for Deidra to reclaim the edge in this battle!"
The grown woman cocked a brow, swearing she'd heard Ash's voice crack. Could he really have been moved so deeply by his pokemon's martyrdom?
Unlikely.
"Tyranitar!" She shouted, chucking a pokeball with a backhanded throw.
Heavy limbs stomped the field, and a feral cry summoned a swarm of sand and dust. A majority of the field was obscured, howling winds and dust clouds obscuring any hint of either pokemon.
Staraptor whined, brushing assaulting sand off of his wing.
"Another Sandstorm! This time, it's being utilized in Deidra's favor, to Ash's detriment!"
The woman's cape rustled in the wind. She scowled. "Rock Slide!"
As a multitude of stones undeniably formed, Ash took initiative. "Hyper Beam!"
"Star…!" Staraptor shrieked, and fired a rippling blast into the storm.
Large, hurling stones were caught in the crossfire, blown to smithereens in one explosion after the next.
"Lay low," Ash shouted, as the chain of explosions boomed.
A stray end of the beam blasted Tyranitar. He snorted, dusting off his armored hyde.
A fruitless resistance, one would imagine. Deidra continued. "Rock Slide, again!"
Tyranitar roared, twisting his body as a multitude of large boulders formed about him. With a lash of his segmented tail, he bombarded Staraptor with hardened earth.
Ash's intuition suddenly jumped to life, and he tensed, as a boulder shot past him, probably only a couple feet away, to finally hit the surface behind him. Another chunk of rock flew over his head, and burst to rubble when it landed.
The pattern continued, and Ash held Pikachu protectively to his chest. "If this keeps up, I'm gonna get flattened, out here!" Looking to the dust, Ash exhaled. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Rock Slide continues out of Sandstorm, without any sign of Staraptor! Is the hardy Predator pokemon finally out of the battle!?"
Unable to see past the storm, Deidra looked to the announcer's box. If they'd seen Rock Slide, it must have missed Staraptor, somehow. "Hmph. Use Screech!"
Tyranitar smashed its tail against the earth, and opened his mouth for a horrible wail.
Amidst the abrasive sand and dust clouds, Staraptor laid across the ground, wings spanned out flat. Catching his breath had been laborious, surrounded by blowing sand, but he'd managed, ducking his head away from the worst.
Horrible cries could be heard, and he ducked, his crimson head feathers were tossed and rustled by a sonic assault from above.
"Man, with that Sandstorm going, I can barely hear Screech," Ash remarked. "And if I can't, maybe Staraptor got lucky… this is our chance!" Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted. "Now! Close Combat!"
Flapping his wings, Staraptor took to the sandy air. He flew furiously towards the source of the sound waves. Appearing suddenly out of the shroud of sand, the bird at once began to claw and kick at Tyranitar. The behemoth bellowed, battered back by the bird's wings.
"Payback!" Deidra snapped, angry to have been taken off guard.
The stony pokemon wasted no time retaliating. Roaring, it launched a shockwave that blasted Staraptor back into the Sandstorm.
Seeing Staraptor's form vaguely outlined in the atypical maelstrom, Ash called out. "Brave Bird!" They were running low on time and endurance. Ash was determined to give Staraptor a victorious end to his participation.
As Staraptor righted himself in the air, Deidra was reacting to Ash's words. She clenched a fist. "Tyranitar, use Rock Slide."
Staraptor managed to dodge the first few stones. Blue light and speed gathered around the bird. His wings flapped harder, tucked closer to him as he began to dive through the air like a bullet set on course. The rocks were too slow! He was upon Tyranitar with all of his might! His attack knocked the rock giant backwards, stumbling.
The rocks came, then. Staraptor was tired. They knocked him down and back, hidden in the Sandstorm. Ash, listening keenly, reacted before the announcer did.
"Good job!" he shouted over the announcer.
"Staraptor has been knocked out! Deidra's team seems to have bulk over Ash's. How is this going to turn out, folks?"
Smiling at the pokeball in his hand, the trainer returned it to his hip before pulling out the next. "Torterra, I choose you! Let's put in a little more work, buddy!"
Torterra, unaffected, landed in the middle of the Sandstorm.
"Get in there," Deidra ordered her pseudo-dragon. "Use Rock Slide."
As the green beast walked into its artificial atmosphere, rocks began raining down on Torterra. The game of cat and mouse had begun; it couldn't see its target, but its target couldn't see it.
"Rock Climb!" Ash called.
Escaping on another, now familiar spire of stone, Torterra was afforded an aerial view of Tyranitar's attacks. Seeing his opponent, the grass type allowed the tower to crumble, landing heavily and with a clatter upon Tyranitar's huge self.
The rock type, of course, roared in anger.
"Payback!" Deidra snapped. "And, let him have all of it! Screech, after!"
Perhaps spurred on by his trainers clear anger, Tyranitar span, blasting Torterra off with a black pulse of vengeful power. It Screeched, though the noise might as well have been a draconic roar.
Not giving Ash a chance to get in edgewise, she called for another attack. "Fire Fang!"
"Hey, hey, you're goin' wild out there!" Ash chided. "Giga Drain!"
Torterra's draining vines jutted out, but Tyranitar skirted past them. Instead, it clamped down onto Torterra's shell.
The grass type let out a low groan of shock.
"Giga Drain! Hurry!" Ash warned.
His vines wrapped around the pseudo-dragon's torso, glowing bright green…
But, Tyranitar thrashed, fiery fangs snapping at the vines as it retreated.
Ash's eyes flashed dangerously. It was one thing to take battling seriously. Deidra was just being reckless, now. "What's with this fighting style?! You aren't battling normally!" Ash yelled. "Torterra, use Earthquake!"
As the ground shook, Deidra braced herself, confident her pokemon would endure it. "It figures you can't take being pushed!" she snapped. "If you beat me, it'll be by your own merit. I don't care whose favor you have!"
"What the," he cast a careful look towards the judges' box before he continued speaking, feeling Pikachu clinging to his leg, "heck are you talking about?!"
With the Earthquake finished, Deidra glared across the briefly Sandstorm-free field. "I hate you," she admitted, venom in her voice. "Lance sees you as someone with the potential to become a pokemon master. He thinks you truly know the hearts of pokemon… Not me, who has fully devoted myself to them."
Ash was stunned. They had the same goal?! Then, they were rivals! They shouldn't hate each other! They should encourage each other. But, what did she mean by having Lance's favor?! As the Sandstorm built back up, he looked to the champion's booth. Lance's distant face held no answers.
Regardless of Lance's opinions, Ash didn't appreciate her implication that he hadn't gotten here by his own hard work. "Hey! You aren't the only one who loves pokemon, you hear me?! The only thing I do better than battle is care for pokemon! So, you're gonna learn that today! I live to battle, but my heart beats for pokemon!"
She didn't answer him. She only called for her next attack. "Payback."
A wave of dark energy traveled through the Sandstorm. Torterra, on guard, recoiled slightly into his shell. The damage was lessened, but not avoided, especially thanks to the earlier Screech.
"I'm gonna make her understand me," Ash whispered. "Got an idea… Torterra, use Earthquake!"
Stomping his foot again, Torterra began the disruptive move once more.
"Over it! Fire Fang!" Deidra called.
Tyranitar, clearing an impressive amount of air in its leap, jumped above the disrupted Sandstorm, mouth aflame.
"Giga Drain!" Ash's face held a satisfied smirk.
Torterra's vines shot out, each glowing green. Pulling Tyranitar down like an anchor, he began leeching energy without hesitation.
"Payback!" Deidra ordered.
"Crunch!"
No sooner had the dark energy been released from the fallen rock type than had Torterra bitten down so fiercely on its tail that it stopped and yelped in pain.
"Rock Slide!" Deidra said.
With Sandstorm fading, Tyranitar summoned another round of rocks. It was enough to force the tortoise back. Tyranitar backed away, growling defensively.
"Now!" Ash yelled. "Torterra, Rock Climb! Earthquake!"
In a combination with the speed that hadn't been seen since he was a Turtwig, Torterra darted forward on a low arc of rock. It wrapped over Tyranitar, collapsing on and trapping the behemoth. As it writhed beneath Torterra, the grass type stomped his foot. The earth trembled.
And, Tyranitar fainted.
Ash looked across the still shaking field to Deidra, he saw something he hadn't ever before: the other side of her face.
Briefly, fleetingly, he saw the milky blue of her hidden eye and the pale scars around it. Then, her bang fell back into place an all he saw was her stony facade.
And, the trainer wondered: was that what she'd meant by saying she'd fully devoted herself to pokemon? Because, Ash understood that.
She wasn't the only one who had bled for her team's sake and safety.
Across the field, Deidra held no such tenderness. She couldn't afford to. Quickly returning Tyranitar, she released her next dragon. "Garchomp, I need you!"
And, Ash realized he also had no more time to use on sentimentality. "Giga drain!" he called.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Before the vines could properly snake their way over to the blue dragon, they were burnt up in the orange-teal energy beam.
"So much for a quick recovery…" Ash's fist tightened. Torterra had endured plenty of punishment, and the damage was showing. His shell, always his pride and joy, was vandalized with slashes, mud, burnt shrubbery, and breaks in the hard surface. For all of that trouble, he was holding up well. "I know this is tough, Torterra… just a bit more!"
"Terra!" The Continent pokemon roared, stomping the field with his foremost feet.
"We've got this," Ash encouraged. "Earthquake!"
Torterra smashed the ground below, sending terrible vibrations through the battlefield.
"Go." Deidra widened her gait, accounting for the rumbling quake.
Garchomp snarled and sprinted, lifting his feet from the ground to glide freely towards Torterra. Earthquake passed by harmlessly under his shadow.
"Time to go for broke!" Ash shouted, punching forward. "Rock Climb!"
Finely carved claws smashed into the earth, uprooting a rocky ramp for him to scale. A guttural roar was Torterra's battle cry, as he stampeded onto the elevated land.
He lunged at the sand shark. His opponent had speed, but it didn't have bulk!
Deidra shouted, harshly throwing her arm out beside her. "Dragon Rush!"
Garchomp silently obeyed, with a destructive burst of speed. The fins atop his head lit, blazing a bright blue draconic aura around his body.
"Terra!" Torterra roared, throwing himself at Garchomp.
"Gah!" Garchomp cried, smashing head first into Torterra.
Ash tensed at the resulting burst of power. A quick, fleeting wind blew his wild bangs.
Pikachu shuffled, uneased by quaking earth below him.
"What power! Torterra and Garchomp have come together in a collision of raw strength! I can feel the pressure from up here, folks!"
Torterra's beak locked. With much effort, he took a step towards the end of Rock Climb and forced himself forward against Garchomp's skull.
None too happy to be shoved back, Garchomp snarled, pulling his head back to deliver a brutal headbutt.
Ash gasped. The rock beneath Torterra began to splinter.
Webbed wings of light spawned from Garchomp's assault. A draconian face reared its head, and snapped down upon Torterra.
Ash and Pikachu were assaulted with black smoke and sprays of splintered rock. Each was too tense to even bother defending themselves. Their high-held hopes stood strong.
Debris cleared, and Torterra had been pressed firmly into his own elevation. His head was buried in the dirt.
Garchomp stood over his conquest, none the worse for wear.
"Torterra is unable to battle!" The referee raised a hand. "Garchomp wins!"
"It doesn't even look winded…" Ash's irises trembled. He swallowed, and reached for Torterra's pokeball. "Thank you, Torterra. You fought the good fight." Recalling the unconscious tortoise, Ash took a deep breath. This battle was testing his nerves.
"Poor Torterra…" May slouched. "And he fought so hard, too."
"He did. At that point, it was probably an act of mercy." Drew frowned, brushing a lock of hair from over his eye. "I don't mean to question Ash's methods, but Torterra had seen a lot of damage before this battle even started. Taking on Garchomp bordered on reckless."
"Mm." Professor Oak hummed, brushing his jaw with a weary thumb in thought. "For most trainers, it probably would have been wise to forfeit Torterra's place in the battle. Perhaps, it would have for Ash. But, Torterra didn't seem to think so."
"Huh?" May turned to the elder man. "Did you notice something, Professor?"
"Knowing when to recall a pokemon is a vital skill for any responsible trainer… pokemon who are too weary or unsure to continue will often show hesitation - it's a trainer's job to make that call. But, as far as these old eyes can see, Torterra didn't hesitate. Much like Staraptor, it wanted to see this through to the end."
"Like trainer, like pokemon," May added.
"So, Ash's hard-headedness is contagious. Should've guessed." He shot a smirk at the brunette, whose cheeks promptly puffed up. "But, I didn't say that's entirely a bad thing."
"Drew's correct. Ash's stubborn personality reflects the gutsy fighters that chose him, as much as he chose them. Evolution; with sparks in spring, Magnemite turn to Magneton."
Drew looked to Oak thoughtfully, and nodded, turning back to the action. "Makes sense. Hope his remaining pokemon are ready for the haul ahead."
"With Torterra out of the battle, we've now reached our halfway point! Both Ash and Deidra have three pokemon left! Deidra, who's just tied the score, has her formidable Metagross, Garchomp, and one unconfirmed pokemon left in her roster! But, that may be all she needs to seal the deal!"
Silence hung briefly. Ash took the brief break in the action to observe the scoreboard. His brows furrowed. 'Once I get past Garchomp, I'll have that Metagross on my hands… and we haven't even seen her last pokemon.'
"And, on Ash's end, the trainer from Pallet has his Gliscor to fall back on, who's already seen battle, as well as two other unnamed pokemon - and, with the sizeable roster he's shown off in this tournament, there's no guarantee who he has lying in wait! Though, we do have one clue - he hasn't used any pokemon in this conference more than once!"
"Way to call me out." Ash smirked, fidgeting with the brim of his cap. "To be totally honest, I'm kinda nervous. This might end up being the hardest battle I've ever had to fight through!"
"If you're going to crumble under pressure, then you've only proven me right!" Deidra spat. "Choose your next pokemon, or surrender."
"Who said anything about crumbling?" Ash chuckled, nudging his cap to wipe sweat from his brow. "You've got a lot to learn about me, Deidra, but I'll give you a lesson, right now!" He secured a pokeball in his palm, rearing it past his head. "The stronger our opponents are, the better we fight! Gliscor, let's show her what we're capable of!"
The pokeball was tossed. The Fang Scorpion pokemon formed in a flash, balancing on the venomous end of his tail. "Gliscor!"
Ash threw a hand out. "Tailwind! Then, Giga Impact!"
"Gli!" Gliscor beat webbed wings, kicking up a powerful draft. Quickly taking advantage of his own gust, he launched at Garchomp, coated in a furious, swirling aura of orange and purple.
"Dodge that," Deidra countered.
Garchomp took off, climbing the skies out of Gliscor's reach.
By the time the Mach pokemon ascended, Gliscor was already upon it. "Scor," he roared, smashing his body brutally into Garchomp.
"Ash and Gliscor take initiative, with a swift combination that barely gave Garchomp time to retaliate! But, that Giga Impact could leave Gliscor wide open!"
"As if." Ash smirked, watching as Gliscor tumbled away from the impact, carried into the helpful updraft created by Tailwind.
Across the field, Deidra's golden eye narrowed as she watched Gliscor arc higher into the air. "Draco Meteor." She'd seen enough of Ash's battling style to be mistrustful of whatever he was setting up.
And, Ash had seen enough of Deidra's battling style to know better than to leave Gliscor wide open for an attack like that. "Dodge! Focus on flying, nothing else!"
As Garchomp stilled on the ground below, already having set off the initial ball of draconic energy, Gliscor began trying to ramp up speed. When the ball burst into the Draco Meteors, it was all the purple ground type could do to keep from being hit.
"Cor!" it cried, knocked off its path by one fateful burst. This sent him careening into another, until finally he flopped unceremoniously onto the ground.
The dark eyes of the shark-like dragon snapped to its quarry.
Deidra wasted no time with furthering their assault. "Rock Tomb!"
"Get out of there!" Ash yelled.
As the new rock fall rained down, Gliscor struggled to escape the turmoil. Barely, the purple ground type took to the air, escaping being pinned, but not without damage.
"Dragon Pulse! He's slowing down!" Deidra ordered.
As Garchomp took to the air, as always surprisingly swift as their species was, Ash gritted his teeth. There wouldn't be any way to dodge this, after all of that damage. Instead, they were going to have to endure it. However, Garchomp had to open its mouth for that attack; it was a risky gambit, but he had an assured way to get a critical hit if Gliscor could make it through. "Giga Impact!" he ordered.
As the light from Garchomp's Dragon Pulse washed over Gliscor, he turned to his opponent. Struggling through the current of energy, he managed to pull through. Just as the beam ended but before Garchomp shut its mouth, Gliscor rammed into Garchomp.
For a brief moment, both pokemon stared at each other, covered in scrapes and with wonder on their face for the fortitude of their opponent.
Then, Deidra called for another attack. "Rock Tomb!"
"Tailwind! Out of the way!" Ash yelled in turn.
Darting out of the way of the suddenly summoned stones, Gliscor breathed a sigh of relief. He was getting very tired.
"Dragon Rush!" the dragon specialist ordered, not intending on letting Gliscor catch his breath.
She was really trying to edge Gliscor out. Ash furrowed his brows. "Stone Edge!"
Whipping around, Gliscor's tail connected with Garchomp's head-on attack. The two briefly collided, but Dragon Rush proved more powerful, sending Gliscor flying back through the air.
Frowning, Ash assessed the situation. Their main benefit was that Gliscor was better at staying aloft. If they could get above Garchomp again and keep the fight aerial, they had a chance. "Gliscor, Poison Jab and then hightail it upwards!"
"Dragon Pulse!" Deidra ordered.
The Dragon Pulse clipped one of Gliscor's wings, but the scorpion-like Pokemon was able to slap Garchomp heavily with the Poison Jab. In fact, the dragon drifted lower, landing as it wiped the poison gunk out of its eyes.
Ash grinned. "Let's go all out! Toxic Stone Edge!"
Summoning a trio of purple-tinted rocks, Gliscor sent them flying towards his grounded opponent. Garchomp reeled back, a feverish expression tainting its face.
"What was that?!" Deidra demanded.
"It's a combination move! I travel with a coordinator; this kinda stuff helps out, big time!" Ash explained with a thumb under his nose.
With Garchomp poisoned, it was only a matter of time before she lost it. She was now free to go all out. "Garchomp, Draco Meteor!"
"Tail Wind!" Ash ordered, refreshing Gliscor's advantage.
As the hazardous draconic fireworks began bursting over the battlefield, Gliscor outflew them all.
"Bring it home for a surprise!" Ash said, knowing Gliscor would understand what he meant.
Deidra, meanwhile, stayed quiet. Her Garchomp, likewise, remained focused on watching his opponent. Gliscor grew closer, readying for a head on attack… When, suddenly, he pulled upwards! Behind the purple flying type was one of Garchomp's own Draco Meteors! While the crowd gasped, Garchomp merely stepped to the side, dodging his own attack with ease.
"I'm a little insulted you thought my dragon wouldn't be able to sense its own element," Deidra said.
"Oh, no, I figured you would," Ash admitted. "I just needed it focused. Poison Jab!"
Garchomp looked to the side, barely catching the sight of a huge purple sphere slamming into it. It sprawled across the ground, groaning as more venomous toxins seeped into its skin.
Cocky for once, Ash put his hands behind his head. "I told you: combination moves. By putting a little poison type energy in that Draco Meteor, I could have Gliscor manipulate it like its own! I guess I'm just lucky I've got my own Garchomp that knows Draco Meteor, too, or I might not know enough about the move to risk doin' that!"
"You don't know anything about dragons!" Deidra snapped, barely responding to him. "Draco Meteor, again!"
Ash gulped. He hadn't actually been expecting that. "Alright, Stone Edge, Counter Shield style!"
Spinning in the air, Gliscor used his summoned stones to create a rotating shield around himself. The two attacks, Stone Edge and Draco Meteor, create an explosive display, thoroughly impressing the crowd. When it finished, Garchomp looked weary. While Gliscor was panting, it seemed the issue of endurance was more in Ash's favor.
"Giga Impact!" Ash ordered.
"Dragon Pulse!" Deidra yelled.
As Gliscor took off, Garchomp winced. It forced its jaw open, only to be met with the meaty thwacking sound of Gliscor slamming into him. The dragon stumbled backwards, woozy, glaring at its opponent. Its jaw opened once, twice, and thrice, briefly shining with draconic energy…
Before it fainted.
"A full force slug out!" the announcer said aloud. "That's one more in Ash's favor, but how is he going to handle the long running issue of Metagross? His Gliscor isn't fresh anymore, folks!"
Ash, meanwhile, breathed out a sigh of relief. "Actually… If there's only one pokemon I can't be sure of, I'm content. Everyone's done great so far."
Pikachu looked up, certain he knew what Ash was thinking. "Pika?"
"Yep. We're gonna use him, buddy."
Pikachu bounced on his feet as Ash thanked Gliscor and returned him. In unison, Metagross was returned to the field. And, across from it, Infernape stood, proud and ready.
"Deidra," Ash said, "before we battle, I've gotta know more about you. You don't like me, but we can't be that different if you care about pokemon, too. What's up with you? You're a dragon specialist, but you've got this clearly not even dragon-like pokemon!"
Crossing her arms, the woman frowned. "I wouldn't expect a man without discipline to understand." Seeing him flinch at her insult, but not retaliate, she relented. "... This… This pokemon is what cost me Lance's approval. Before I was even given my first dragon, I found it when it was still only in its first stage, weak and lost. I was forbidden to have it; it wouldn't go with my training, it wouldn't go with our clan's theme." Her eyes flashed dangerously. "But, it is my most reliable! I will never go anywhere without this pokemon! It is the one dearest to my heart!"
Murmurs of unrest and confusion ruffled the crowd, and many judgmental eyes turned their gaze on the Champion's box.
Lance scowled, keeping his eyes on the true stars of the show. He declined to comment.
This shocked Ash. Lance had rejected Deidra over choosing the wrong kind of pokemon?! Something about that didn't sound right. But, he had to focus on the match. Smiling, he felt that he understood her a little more.
"I understand. Well… Let's battle, then. My Infernape has been with me through a lot. He wasn't always mine, but I'm proud to have him. I got him when he was weak and lost, too. So, let's battle and let our pokemon see how proud we are to show them off in front of a crowd!"
"Ape!" Infernape chattered, raising a challenging fist with a grin. The flame atop his head roared.
Across the field, Deidra was stunned into silence. She wondered, perhaps, if Ash was actually like her. He'd have to prove it.
