"Weavile, use Metal Claw!"
"Pikachu, dodge that and prepare for an Agility combo!" Ash called, clenching a fist by his side. His electric-type flipped gracefully over the charging dual-type, and shot off in a zig-zag pattern. Suddenly, the blur that was Pikachu started glowing a bright sunshine yellow, and a massive Thunderbolt shot off from all directions, frying the Weavile.
Ash kept pressing the fist, and was fully aware that he'd probably have little cresent-moon shaped marks in his palm.
Unfortunately, the dark/ice type was used to taking hard hits, and stood up- albeit a little shakily.
Aurian had her hands full with that Skarmory- the flying type was just a little faster than her Mienshao, which made her have to switch strategies. That wasn't a problem, of course, but it was still rather bothersome. She knew that Yuan could handle the challenge, but still didn't let her guard down.
"Double Team!" yelled the spiky-haired male, and copies of the steel bird appeared throughout the sky.
"Now use Aerial Ace!"
The copies turned a blue-white sheen as they dove towards the fighting-type.
"Yuan, take a Protect and get out of there as soon as possible!"
A blue shield made of aura appeared, blocking the copies and dissolving them as they attacked. The real Skarmory bounced off the shield, leaving a crater about a foot in diameter in the dirt that comprised their battlefield.
At this point, people from all over had gathered in a semi-circle to watch the four trainers duke it out. Aurian shoved her hair out of her face, and kept ordering offensive moves, but to no avail- that Skarmory was just too fast. She caught Ash's eyes, and he nodded, signing another hand signal. This one consisted of tapping two fingers against his temple three times.
I've got your back.
"Pika, get in there and help Yuan! Aim a Thunderbolt at Skarmory!"
"Likewise, Yuan, use Aura Sphere on Weavile!"
Yellow electricity and a pulsating blue sphere of aura impacted at the same time, creating smoke that obscured both opponents and Pokémon alike.
Ash closed his eyes and let his aura-sight activate. A wash of cerulean blue filled his mind, and an image of the battlefield appeared.
Dang, Gary and Paul have been training... that Aura Sphere should've taken down Weavile. Skarmory is nearly finished, though, that's a good thing. Best take advantage of all this smoke before I lose my opportunity...
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Skarmory, he's about seven feet starboard!"
A cry of "Chu-pi-ka!" could be heard through the smoke, along with a slightly metallic sounding screech. Ash watched the steel-type faint. As the smoke cleared, Gary stared in shock at his fallen teammate as Ash's vision returned to normal.
Aurian was quicker than Paul to react to the sudden change of events- one Close Combat later, and the Weavile was history. It hit the ground with a resounding thud, and the crowd started applauding and returned to what they were doing before the battle broke out.
The two boys returned their teammates, and Paul sent a particularly stony glare towards the patonai. Gary, however, gave a confused glance at the two teens.
"How'd you know where Skarmory was?"
Ash smiled- an action so small that it was easily lost upon his old rival. "Sorry, I don't reveal my secrets. Blue, you ready to head out?"
The curly-haired trainer nodded. "Yeah. Yuan, you did great out there. Return!"
"Pikachu, back, please." The electric rodent bounded back up to Ash's shoulder, where he earned a loving scratch behind the ears as congratulations for a battle well done.
Ash watched as the two walked away, and was dragged out of his thoughts by Max and Maddy's excited chatter about the battle.
"Man, when all that smoke came up, I thought they were in for trouble!" Maddy exclaimed, throwing her arms out to her sides.
"Yeah, and I really liked Blue's strategy against that Skarmory! That was a really good idea to choose defense over an offensive," Max announced, scratching his head.
"Why thank you," the older trainer replied. "I learned that difference the hard way in one of my League matches. Nearly lost, then came to my senses when it was down to my Empoleon and I. I've always taken the time to analyze my options since then."
"But how do you do that so fast?" Maddy asked, biting her lip.
Ash smiled. "Years of practice. It gets easier after you've been in a lot of battles. Pikachu here was my starter, so he knows what I'm thinking before I even say it, most of the time."
Max frowned at the information that Red announced. Ash had a Pikachu as a starter, as well... there had to be at least some connection between the two trainers. "Anyways, why is your Mienshao called Yuan? Is there a story behind that?"
Blue shrugged. "Nah. I just liked the name, and she agreed to it. I've found that it's nice to have shorter names for battle, so you can react faster."
By that time, the sun had started to sink beneath the blue waves. Max's stomach grumbled, which caught Ash's attention.
"Your sister wanted you back at the Center for dinner, correct?"
Max sighed. "Is it wrong for me to say that I don't want to go back?"
Ash shook his head. "No, it isn't. We should still check in with them, though, just to be safe."
"It's just... all I've ever been known as is May Maple's little brother. I want people to know my name in addition to my sister's. That I'm not some sort of shadow."
Aurian put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "You can change that, now. Now that you're a trainer, you have the freedom to determine your own fate."
Max smiled. "Yeah."
Ash noted his lack of enthusiasm as the group of four entered the Center doors, and looked for May. He found her almost immediately- she was chatting with Dawn, Nando, and Kenny, who must've been there to support Nando. May caught sight of her brother, and waved him over.
"Max, thought you'd never get here. This is Dawn," the bluenette gave a friendly wave, "Nando," the long-haired man tilted the brim of his hat, "and Kenny." The auburn-headed boy grinned at the mention of his name.
"May, you already know these three, but this is A-Red, Blue, and Maddy."
Max winced when he almost called Red 'Ash'. It was wrong, but the two of them were so alike, but he couldn't put a finger on why he thought the two were so similar. Yes, the Pikachu starter and Kanto birthplace were purely coincidental, but there was something else behind it. He remembered a lesson that his dad taught him.
Once is an abnormality, twice is a coincidence, and three is a pattern, and there are no such things as coincidences. He could almost hear his father lightly chastising him within his mind as he watched his mentors and new friends interact with his sister's social group. She seemed a little more at ease among her friends, he noticed. That was good. She'd been isolating herself too much after her last Contest failure. Her Glaceon came up and rubbed against his leg, distracting him from his ponderings.
He absentmindedly patted her blue head, and then slipped off on his own towards a computer. He needed a database with news articles- what else could verify Red's brief mentions about his misadventures in Orre?
Ash left the Center soon after he watched Max drift towards the computers. He slid out the door, inserted the microchip that Michael gave him into his old and beaten up Sinnoh Pokédex, and a fuzzy form in the shape of a reversed 'L' appeared on the screen.
His breath hitched in his throat. Oh Arceus. This wasn't good. He could tell from the sprite that this thing, whatever it was, was not natural in the slightest.
Lance appeared on the screen, his eyes grave.
"Ashton Azaiah Ketchum and Aurian Lillian Borealis, I hope that you're watching this. We've recieved intel that Team Rocket has successfully created a new artificial Pokémon... known as MissingNO."