"Hmm," Marshal said, considering. "Let's start with you."

He took an Ultra Ball, then looked up at Ash. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Ash confirmed, and sent out his first Pokémon. "Noctowl, go!"

"Mienshao," Marshal replied. "Fake Out!"

Mienshao blurred forwards, bouncing off Noctowl, and the shiny Flying-type staggered backwards in the air slightly. "Ow."

"First hit to us," Marshal said, cracking his knuckles, as Mienshao did a backflip and landed on his side of the arena. "Let's keep it up, huh?"

"Extrasensory!" Ash called, and Noctowl's eyes lit up. A pulse of golden psychic energy flicked out, and Mienshao darted forwards before bouncing off the ground and springing up into a High Jump Kick.

Noctowl rolled sideways in a dodge, and Mienshao slapped at the air to divert his own jump. He got it exactly right with the ease of long practice, passed right through Noctowl without slowing down, and crashed into the ground with a wallop.

"Illusion, right," Marshal frowned. "That's going to make things tougher. You still hanging in there, Mienshao?"

Mienshao sprang back onto his feet, fur flying out in both directions, and created an illusion of his own with Double Team.

"Noctowl, make more illusions!" Ash called. "Make them all different quality and hide in one!"

"This is a problem," Mienshao said, shading his eyes with a paw as the Noctowls multiplied. "Sir?"

"Aura Sphere, and follow it," Marshal decided.

Mienshao spun up an Aura Sphere, then threw it, and paused for a fraction of a second to see which way both it and the Double Team Aura Spheres were going before vaulting into the air. He adjusted his path to make sure he was still following the real one as Noctowl tried to evade, then the attack burst on his tail, and the Flying-type flinched for long enough that Mienshao came whipping in for a direct hit.

And passed through.

"I know, it's hard to follow," Noctowl said, as Mienshao crashed again before shaking off the worst of the injury with his Regenerator ability. "But I was actually the other one who was also moving in a similar way to that, and I used an invisible Extrasensory to burst the Aura Sphere at the right time."

"No more Jump Kicks," Marshal decided. "Stone Edge!"

"Noctowl, your turn!" Ash said. "Thunderous Kick!"

"Dodge!" Marshal interrupted himself. "Make him be the one who crashes!"

That turned out to be easier said than done, because suddenly Mienshao was dodging away from dozens of illusory Noctowls who rained down all around him, kicking legs extended.

"Is this a new weather type?" Arc inquired. "I have heard of raining cats and dogs, but not seen it, and raining birds is a natural development of that."

"I think raining cats and dogs is when Ho-Oh's crashed into a Pokémon Centre," Pikachu suggested.

"This is not what I expected my day to be like," Throh admitted, looking up at Yveltal, then shrugged. "Well, I don't know what I did expect my day to be like, so that's that I suppose."

"I'd ask what your battle strategy is, but I don't expect you to actually tell me, and besides, I can take a good guess from your name," Yveltal replied, wings beating steadily to hold him in the air. "Incidentally, I should say. Be Not Afraid… there's two Xerneas with varying amounts of on-call, but if either of them are needed I will be ashamed."

"Okay, Throh," Marshal said. "Let's get down to business! Rock Tomb!"

Throh threw rocks at Yveltal, and the Dark-type's wings lit up with an eerie black-red half-light as he blew the first one to approach him into powder.

"Now, run!" Marshal added.

"Get more height!" Ash retorted, but Marshal's Throh was startlingly quick and was already running up the very same cascade of rocks he'd thrown. They slammed back into the ground with a sequenced wham-wham-wham as each one was driven by recoil, then Throh untied his belt with a smooth motion and whipped it out at Yveltal's lower body.

It snagged one of his legs, and Throh yanked hard to pull Yveltal towards the ground.

"Seismic Toss!" Marshal called, though it was more of an explanation of what was already happening, and Yveltal went wham a moment before Throh landed on top of him and got his wings in a winglock.

"Now, Storm Throw!"

"Oblivion Wing counter shield!" Ash said, prompting Yveltal to glow with that same eerie unlight, and Throh suplexed Ash's Pokémon into the ground.

With a notable lack of impact.

"Huh?" Throh asked, twisting around to look.

There was a perfectly Yveltal-shaped dent in the ground lined with white dust, a dent which Yveltal had ended up in, and that had prevented him from actually hitting anything.

"That's weird," Throh said, then used Storm Throw again and slapped Yveltal over the other way.

Another lack of impact and brief puff of white dust, and Throh adjusted his Bind. "How are you doing that?"

"I'm killing the ground," Yveltal clarified. "Just bits of it, though."

"You realize that makes no sense?" Throh asked.

"Try Stone Edge!" Marshal instructed.

Throh nodded, willing to try it, and called up a massive stone pillar with a gesture before sending it to collapse onto Yveltal with what should have been an echoing wham but was actually a light dusting of fine, floaty dust.

"Okay, what is going on?" Throh asked.

"I used Oblivion Wing," Yveltal explained. "In this case, I was killing the stone by turning it to stone."

"You can't – but – how does that even work?" Throh demanded. "You killed a stone by turning it to stone?"

"It's not like you have to turn something into an entirely different category, right?" Ash asked. "I guess you could do, like if you killed a tree by burning it, you've turned it into ash. But you could also kill a tree by turning it into wooden boards, and that's still made of tree but it's not living tree."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Marshal said, not unreasonably.

"But anyway, Yveltal's tuned his Oblivion Wing so it turns other types of stone to talc," Ash added. "See, it's the softest mineral, so that's why there's those puffs of white dust."

Throh considered that for several seconds, then turned to Yveltal.

"I'd like to appreciate your manners so far," he said. "I hold no illusions that they'll continue."

"How perceptive of you," Yveltal agreed, and fell through the ground in a cloud of white dust.

Emerging again some distance away, he spread his wings. His left wing glowed with sparks and his right crackled with flame, and the Dark-type beat them once in an ominous sort of way as his tail lit up with frosty white light.

"You may now consider being afraid," he said. "Tri Attack."

After finishing his battle against Marshal, Ash moved on to Alder.

"So, uh… just so we're clear?" Alder began. "How much chance is there of you actually becoming the Unova Champion if you win?"

Ash shrugged. "Not really very much," he admitted. "Unova's been a great place to be, but I kind of feel like moving on at some point."

"Yeah, I thought you might say that," Alder said. "But don't be surprised if I send a challenger your way if I'm not feeling in the mood or something."

His Braviary exploded out of his Pokéball.

"Don't you think that's something we'd need to have a say in?" the Flying-type asked. "It's us you'd be depriving of a battle."

"Still can't understand you," Alder said, grinning nervously and scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry. And, well, I guess I'm using Braviary first!"

"That's all right, I already picked who I'm using," Ash replied, holding out a Safari Ball, and Dratini came out.

The Dragon-type was wearing a neat pink bow, and Ash smiled. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" Dratini agreed.

"In that case, let's go," Alder suggested, and Braviary flew into the air in a backflip. "Aerial Ace!"

"Salamence!" Ash countered, and Dratini coiled up like a spring before launching herself to the side. A burst of Dragon-type energy flashed around her, and within a second or so she was wearing a translucent skin of Salamence-shaped light like a cloak.

Doing a wingover, she fired a Dragon Breath attack at Braviary, and the Flying-type spun into a barrel roll to avoid the attack.

"Cool trick," Alder admitted. "I guess they've got other options?"

"Yeah, she's a really versatile Pokémon," Ash confirmed.

"I'm sorry I have to ask," Iris' Dragonite said, glancing over at King Dragonite. "But what's the bow? Is it how they're doing that?"

"No, actually, it's there for a different reason," the King said. "Dratini just feels like a girl today, so she's wearing it to show that. Sometimes it's a different coloured bow or accessory, and when there isn't one then it's safest to ask but generally speaking it's preferred not to use gendered pronouns."

"Right," the other Dragonite mused, thinking about that. "I must have missed that bit."

"There's no shame in asking," King Dragonite replied.

"Steel Wing!" Alder called, and there was a crash as Dratini's Salamence collided with Braviary's Steel Wing. The pseudo-Pokémon burst in a shower of sparks, but Dratini herself avoided being hit and switched to a Goodra before hitting the ground.

"Now that I think about it," Dragonite added, looking around the stands. "There must be more Legendary Pokémon here than there are left in some regions. Like Johto, because all the Beasts, Latias, Latios and Ho-Oh are here. And Silver, if you count him. Isn't that some kind of risk?"

"To who?" King Dragonite replied. "Not to the Legendaries, because they're here. Not to Johto, because what the Beasts and other Legendary Pokémon usually do to solve a crisis these days is that Hoopa drops them on the problem."

"I never thought of it like that," Dragonite admitted.

"Hah!" Torkoal said. "Your speediness and Bug-type was no match for the inner flames of my raging soul! I am a genius of hard work!"

Then he fell over.

"Ow," he added.

"Do you want to tag out?" Ash asked.

"I am also a genius of sleeping," Torkoal mumbled, somewhat incoherently, and Ash decided that was probably a yes.

"Got your next Pokémon picked?" Alder checked, and Ash gave a thumbs-up. "Then its your turn, Bouffalant!"

Ash sent out Entei with a flash, and Alder chuckled. "Interesting choice. I've always wondered how people catch legendary Pokémon!"

"Oh, it's different every time," Ash said, patting Entei's mane. "I caught Entei because I threw a Safari Ball and Raikou crashed into it, and they share the Pokéball… Zapdos was mostly because I fed her dango through the window when I was younger… I met Pidgey as a Pidgeotto the second time I was in Kanto, and of course Pikachu was my starter…"

"Pidgey isn't-" Alder began, then reconsidered. "Okay, having seen that Pikachu I'm now wondering if I'm the one who doesn't know what counts as a Legendary Pokémon. Anyway, uh, Bouffalant, you know most of how to do this."

"Let's do it, Entei!" Ash said.

"Flame Charge!" Entei announced, immediately catching fire. "I learned this one weird trick. Bouffalant can't catch you when you're on fire."

Bouffalant snorted. "Citation needed," he said, backing up a step, then charged. Entei leaped out of the way, and began running in a looping multi-circle spiral around the arena blowing out jets of flames back at Bouffalant.

For his part, the Normal-type just smashed straight through the Flamethrowers and Fire Blasts, trusting to the impermeability of his perm, then accelerated suddenly and hit Entei with a Head Charge to the flank.

"See?" he asked, slowing down slightly and glaring at Entei.

"Your hair's on fire," Entei pointed out.

"Oh, well noticed!" Bouffalant said, glancing up. "That sounds like an excellent reason to use SURF!"

"Uh oh," Caitlin said. "That's probably not good… Bouffalant seems to be getting really worked up."

"That's one way to put it," Grimsley agreed. "Another way to put it is that at some point Ash's Entei is going to remind us that they're Ash's Entei, and do something ridiculous."

Ash raised his hand. "Hey, Alder? Can I check something?"

The Elite Four members exchanged glances, then leaned forwards to hear better.

"Is it okay if I call Dragonite and Dragonite over for us to use as flying spots to order our Pokémon from?" Ash asked. "I had this idea but it might be a bit dangerous to the ground!"

"Well… you're not wrong, Grimsley," Shauntal said, as Alder nodded.

"Actually we might need to get further back than that," Ash added, holding up his hands for his Dragonite to grab hold of him and lift him clear. "Anyway, uh, Entei, use Eruption! Destroy the arena floor so Bouffalant can't use it to run on!"

Entei barked, and there was a small explosion. Then he barked again, and there was another.

"Actually, new idea!" Ash overrode himself. "If you can aim that, use it as a Fire-type Future Sight!"

Once that battle was over, and with heat-haze still shimmering in the air, Ash sent out Ho-Oh and Alder sent out his Volcarona.

"Hmm," the Bug-type said, flapping her wings. "Let me see, now… I believe I will use the heat-wave strategy."

Her wings beat more strongly, and flaming coils spiralled out from them. "I am confident in my own heat tolerance."

Ho-Oh coughed.

"You do realize I'm a Fire-type as well, right?"

"I am aware," Volcarona replied, as the air temperature rose further. "My stratagem has not changed."

"But you're Fire-Bug and I'm Fire-Flying," Ho-Oh protested. "I'm less strongly affected by flame than you are."

"I refer the honourable Legendary to my previous statement," Volcarona told him calmly, still spinning out Fire-type attacks. "You are the Storm's End, this is true, and the rainbow. But above it all is the sun, shining down."

Ho-Oh opened his beak, paused, then changed what he was going to say. "Admittedly one of my teammates is a sun-focused Grass-type," he said. "I withdraw my objection."

"Ho-Oh!" Ash called. "You know how you regenerate? Doesn't that involve burning?"

"Well, yes," Ho-Oh replied. "Why?"

"Could it get too hot for you to do that?" Ash asked. "Or, uh, could you run out of oxygen?"

"...good point," Ho-Oh admitted.

"So use Fire Blast over Volcarona's head!" Ash ordered. "Knock her towards the craters where the field used to be!"

Volcarona retaliated with a blazing Heat Wave, raising the temperature further, and Ho-Oh climbed a little before properly starting to work on forcing Volcarona to the ground.

Ash frowned, thinking, then glanced down at Arc. "Storms work because they're fuelled by heat, right?"

"Broadly correct," Arc confirmed. "I would go into more detail but I honestly do not think you either require or want it."

Ash was already raising his voice. "Ho-Oh, flap your wings to blow some air to your left – let's get a vortex going!"

Ho-Oh did so, then discovered to the mutual surprise of both himself and Volcarona that in fact there was enough energy to make a tornado just waiting to find an outlet.

Technically it was hard to tell which of the two Pokémon used Brave Bird, but the impact was certainly painful for both of them.

"Well, that's me out," Alder decided, getting off the back of Dragonite once the arena had been cooled down a bit – courtesy of Froslass. "Thanks for the battle, Ash. Your passion really shines through."

He shrugged. "So… I don't suppose you want my job?"

Ash shook his head. "I'd rather keep travelling," he replied. "Or Virgil can have it if he wins, I think he'd make a great Champion! Oh, I wanted to ask – are you technically a Bug type specialist? You've only got three Bug types, but…"

Alder spread his hands helplessly. "Would you argue with my Pokémon about them being a complete team? It's a good thing type specialization isn't required or Bouffalant might have been wearing bouncy fake antennae…"

AN:

Alder is easygoing, his Pokémon are decidedly not.