A/N - Hey, what's up Fanfiction? Hope you're all doing well. I know it's been a while since my last post but for this chapter, many things happened. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get the flow right in it and nothing was coming out right. And since there was a lot that needed to be talked about, I had to make sure everything went smoothly. This is hands down the MOST difficult chapter I've ever written.
Plus, I had no more time than maybe half an hour or so writing sessions for the most part as I started working 2 jobs on and off to be able to stay afloat. I wish I was well off or making good money with just 1 job to just focus on writing or make a living on writing but as of now, it's not possible so I have to juggle my time accordingly to do this, work, social stuff, etc. And sometimes I just can't write even though I have some free time.
But I was able to finally get this chapter done and so here it is finally! Thanks for waiting and hope you enjoy it. To those few people who answered my poll on my profile, thanks! As a result of their answers and the fact that I haven't posted in a long time, I'm just going to leave the elite battles as 1 whole chapter instead of split into 2, even though I have a good area to split it. This chapter is much longer than any of my previous ones (it's exactly 60,000 words on 98 pages on Word without any of my author notes, replies to reviews and the other stuff I write that's not part of the chapter). So, for those who love long chapters, here you go. And to those that like smaller ones, good luck. I suggest picking a spot to end and using CRTL + F to find it quickly when you come back. lol
Alright, before you read, some quick replies to reviews;
a fan of silentsplayer fanfic blue spirit - Glad you're liking the story. I don't want to make things complicated either but sometimes its necessary to move the plot along and get things where I want it to go. Brock's kid may or may not be a pervert like him. Haven't decided yet...
allandonaldsohsteng - Sorry buddy but here you go!
Ganondorf - Thank you man for that. I'm humbled that you keep coming back to the story. Glad that you're liking it and about Iris, you'll see what happens.
Guest 1 - I have no idea what you were trying to say. If it was good, thanks. If it was bad, ah okay...
Guest 2 - Wow, thanks dude! Or dudette, not sure if male or female. lol Sorry that my story brought you to tears many times but hopefully this new (really long chapter) is a good way to forgive me! lol
Guest 3 - Can't update faster when can't write or nothing's coming out well, as I said above. But here you go!
I am a fan of silentplayer's fanfic blue spirit - Thanks dude! Not angry at all. I'm from the USA but wasn't born here. My family and I immigrated here when I was about 3.
Megalon 61 - The other girls will have their "time" together with Ash but later. As for the other stuff, can't promise anything.
Pokemon Fan 1 - Thanks for the compliments dude! Happy to hear you're enjoying the story. As for what you requested, all I can say is maybe.
Pokemon Fan 2 - Not sure if same person or not as above but thank you for the praise. For the other stuff you mentioned, I can't give any info on that.
Rey1992 - Update is now! Hope this long chapter satisfies your itch! haha
update it - I know it's been a while but here it is.
I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for continuing to read the story, leave reviews, keep in touch and everything else. You guys and gals rock! And I'm surprised to say that it's now 2 YEARS I've been writing this story...fuckin damn! I seriously need to get back to writing more often as I can't believe I only wrote 4 chapters in a year. (Though, they are pretty long chapters and this one is super crazy long so it evens out I guess. Good thing is that this one was in time for my 2nd anniversary. hahaha) Alright, with those replies and my opening comments done, here is the next chapter of my story! Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review, fav and follow!
- I DON'T OWN POKEMON -
- WARNING; MATURE CONTENT -
THE BLUE SPIRIT
CHAPTER 54 – THE ELITES' CHALLENGES
Seated on his executive chair with his elbows resting on top of the chair's arm rests, a man had his fingers interlocked together and held up in front of his face. Beside the man, a large beige and white mountain lion like cat with a jewel in the center of its forehead was lying down. Deep in his thoughts, Giovanni's eyes were closed yet his mind was racing. He was thinking about everything that was done in order for him to make his official debut and take what should have been his a long time ago. Every step that he took was for this and this alone. From the experiments and studies his organization conducted for years to create the strength enhancers, to the negotiations and deals that were struck between potential allies to bolster their ranks. Everything that was done was calculated down to the smallest detail.
Yet, even then, his plans never accounted for the biggest surprise and obstacle that the leader of Team Rocket would have to overcome in order to achieve his vision of world domination. And that wall that he would have to break through was not the G-Men. It wasn't the Pokémon Master. It wasn't the champions or elites of the world. Or any other large or powerful entity. No, it was but a single young man by the name of Ash Ketchum. And he was none other than the same person who had thwarted his attempts to control the Unovan legendary pokémon Landorus to begin his conquest of the world. Worse now is that same man has reached new levels of strength. He is the most powerful Aura Guardian his organization had ever come across and had an army of very strong pokémon, not even including the several legendaries he has with him, at his command.
It was because of that man, of what he is capable of, that Giovanni had decided to speed up his plans and to go all out when he next strikes. The obstacles and challenges he had faced in the past, overcoming them all to be at this position to make his presence known to the whole world. The times when his dream and organization were on the brink of being lost to him forever after numerous failures, whether by his incompetent staff or by being defeated by an outside force such as the champions, G-Men or the Pokémon Master. Still he persevered and kept going, not allowing anything to stop him or to even make him rethink his choices. His innate desire to rule the world was like a fire inside of him that could not be fully extinguished. Nothing in the past would make him second guess his choices.
Until now. Because of what he's seen of this Ketchum, what he keeps on seeing as he viewed the Spirit Tournament and what he remembers from a past altercation with another guardian that took almost everything that he had to defeat and capture, Giovanni had come to a realization. His final test would be if he can take out the guardian once and for all, for he posed an even greater threat than the G-Men, champions and elites of the world combined. He could take no chance, pull no punches and give no mercy. His attack will be swift, unrelenting and it will occur immediately after his battles with either the elites of the world or the champions. It all depended on how well the guardian performs. For the boss of Team Rocket was not going to let anything to chance again. He would strike the moment the battle concluded, the moment he was off guard and the fewer capable strong trainers to counter his attack, the better his odds will be. Especially if the elites or champions of the world have their strongest pokémon out for the count because of their battles with the challenger. It was these constant thoughts that allowed the leader of Team Rocket to be comforted some while he patiently waited to strike at the right moment.
As Giovanni continued thinking about everything he had done to get ready for his return to the world at large, his desk phone began to ring all of a sudden. Without even opening his eyes or moving, he spoke. "Answer."
The phone automatically was answered due to his voice command and a female's voice was heard. "Agent double-oh-nine reporting. We have completed our preliminary preparations last night and are now in position. We are waiting to make our move depending on the outcome of the next matches of the Spirit Tournament," she said with pride behind her voice.
Giovanni, still maintaining his statuesque position, replied back. "Good. I've been informed by Freeman that the weapon is in position. Our forces as well as J are already there and awaiting your signal."Domino replied back that she understood and will make sure everything goes their way. "Good. But change of plans; J will take care of releasing the recruits from the station while you lead the operation with Oakley and Annie giving you support on the front lines. Our primary target is this Aura Guardian, Ash Ketchum. Then the champions, elites and any other trainer who tries to stand against us," he ordered without hesitation but with a slight change in his tone of voice.
On the other end of the line, the blonde woman noticed the change and she knew he was on edge over everything. However, she said nothing about it, knowing that he would only fuel his frustrations over it all. "Consider it done. I won't fail you Giovanni."
Opening his eyes finally, he replied back. "I know you won't Domino." She replied back that she loves him before ending the call. Giovanni stayed quiet and didn't move from his seat for a moment until he checked his watch on his left wrist. Moving his gaze towards a large screen that was hanging on the wall opposite him, he said a voice command of 'TV on'. A few seconds later, Giovanni was now watching the initial commentary between a few battling analysts before the matches began. After listening to their discussion for a short while, Giovanni closed his eyes once more. Fools, he thought. They know nothing. Even when everything is right under their nose, they still don't notice anything. Opening his eyes, he looked at the screen in time to see the images of the elites and their challenger. "Every single one of you will perish soon. Still, it would be a shame to not view your final battles." He turned his attention to his Persian beside him, who had just woken up from its nap and the pokémon looked up at him. "Don't you think so?" he asked his loyal pokémon while scratching her behind the ears. Persian let out a low purr over that and nodded. After scratching his favorite pokémon for a bit, Giovanni returned his attention back to the screen. There was only fifteen minutes left until the start. It's only a matter of time, he thought as an evil smile spread on his face.
A little earlier on, when the champion of Sinnoh left the hotel suite, she made her way to the stadium where her elites would most likely be now. Cynthia wanted to see them off before their battles and to see if they needed anything as well. On her way there, she kept thinking about what she did right before leaving. How she nibbled her beloved's ear lobe and remarked that she would reward him if he did defeat both the elites and the champions in the handicap matches. Never had she ever done anything of the sort. It surprised her so much that she did something that was completely out of character for her. The more she thought about it, the more she thought about the man she loves, the redder her face became.
Lost in her thoughts and daydreams, Cynthia didn't realize she had reached her destination until her Garchomp landed. Coming back into focus, she slid off her dragon's back and landed onto the floor beside the blue land shark. "Thank you Garchomp," she told her pokémon who nodded before being returned to her poke ball. After returning her pokémon, Cynthia composed herself and then made her way inside the pokémon stadium. Heading towards the reserved trainer's room where her elites would be waiting, she thought about a few other things. It wasn't long before she was inside the very room with her elites, as well as the other elites and their champions. "Hello everyone," greeted Cynthia.
Multiple greetings were said back to her as Cynthia went to her elites. As she did so, many from the large group of trainers had their eyes on the blonde champion. Even though Agatha had told them off for their gossiping about Cynthia earlier on that morning, they still couldn't stop thinking about it. Each of them wanted to know the exact reason why she was with the challenger if it was true. For they knew that it couldn't just be because Ash was a famous and powerful Aura Guardian. Because if that was the case, then she would've been with someone before or had multiple suitors. No, there was another reason why and many wanted to know, especially several of the females among the group. And one male wanted to know why his champion would allow someone to throw off her focus.
When Cynthia reached her elites, she smiled at them and nodded. "So, you all ready?" she asked them.
Aaron, Bertha, Flint and Lucian nodded back with them having grins on their faces. "Of course," answered Bertha for them all. "We'll give Ash a good thrashing he'll never forget."
"Good because I'm counting on it," stated Cynthia, causing some to raise their eyebrows in surprise. She then faced the other regions' champions and elites. "What about you guys?" she asked before she noticed some the looks she was given. "Ah, is everything alright?"
Hurriedly changing their expressions to be more neutral and stoic, several of the elites shook their heads and remarked that they were alright as their champions too glanced at them. Returning their gaze to their fellow champion, the others smiled in response as Alder answered her. "You bet we are."
"And it's time for us to go," stated Steven after looking at his watch. "We have a little bit of time left before the matches begin."
Phoebe began jumping up and down in her spot as she finally allowed the excitement she was holding in to break free. "Yea, let's go, let's go!" Glacia groaned and hid her face in her hands while the rest chuckled.
Diantha began moving towards the door and her elites immediately followed after her. "Agreed. It's time to show the world how powerful our elites truly are. And to show how enthusiastic they are too." Her statement was met with cheers and roars from many in the group, with a few chuckling at the now blushing Phoebe.
As they all began heading out to be ready for the announcer's words, Cynthia didn't move immediately. She was thinking about why she was given such looks from the others. A hand grasping her shoulder snapped her out of her trance and she looked at the person next to her as she spoke. She saw it was Bertha and her other elites were standing behind her with their sight locked onto her. "You alright Cynthia?" asked the woman who she viewed as a mother.
Seeing Bertha with a concerned expression on her face, she realized that she noticed something. She let out a sigh and answered her. "Yea but I was just wondering why some of the elites were giving me those strange looks. Do you know why?" asked Cynthia.
Before Bertha could answer her, her other elite did. "It's because they were all gossiping about you and Ash earlier on so I stepped in to tell them to shut up about it," revealed Flint with a slightly annoyed tone without tact. The other three gave him a look as if to ask why he just blurted it out like that.
What he said made Cynthia became incredibly embarrassed as her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. "W-What? Why?" she asked.
Aaron decided to do some damage control before things got out of hand and took over. "It's nothing serious Cynthia. It's just with what's been happening at this tournament and what's been rumored between you and him, they are just curious about it, especially since it's you two. So don't give it too much thought, especially if it's not true," he told her kindly, hoping his words would help his champion.
Cynthia heard his words and realized that that nobody really knew besides a handful of people. She decided to at least let her elites know as it would be better. Calming down, she took in a breath before speaking. "I see. Well, to keep it simple for now, the truth is that it is true. I'm with Ash and I'm happy about it."
Her elites, though they were expecting that to be true, still became surprised some over her revelation. After getting over their initial shock, the four of them smiled at her. "Congratulations dearie!" said Bertha as she hugged the younger woman who she viewed as her own daughter.
"Thank you," replied Cynthia as she returned the hug.
Soon, the other three also congratulated her and afterwards, one of them spoke up. "So, Cynthia, when are we going to be formally introduced to your boyfriend?" asked Flint with a teasing tone, making her go red over his words. They laughed a bit as they started heading towards the door. "But don't forget, he needs to pass our tests too," reminded Flint as they headed out the room and went through the trainer's tunnel.
Cynthia didn't respond to that because she didn't hear him since she was lost in thought. She was thinking about what she found out just then. How the other elites were talking about her and Ash, gossiping about them. She wondered why they cared so much to talk about them so. Her thinking about that led her to think about what happened during this tournament and what he, Ash, had done and that in turn made her think about the upcoming matches. Excited and anxious feelings began filling her. Not caring about the others anymore, she wanted to see what her beloved had up his sleeve to be able to combat each region's elites on their own. Though she didn't want her elites to lose, she didn't want Ash to lose either. And that was when she felt conflicted in a sense over her pride of her elites' power and her love for her boyfriend who was their challenger. She didn't want either to lose but knew that was wishful thinking.
As Cynthia continued thinking about all of that as they made their way to the field, Bertha noticed her in a trance, lost in her thoughts. Smiling a bit, she slowed down her pace, began walking next to her and gently nudged her side, snapping her out of her thoughts. "It's alright dearie," said the ground type trainer when the champion looked at her. "I know what you're feeling and its okay." Her eyes widening, Bertha continued speaking, not letting her talk. "Go ahead and root for him. We understand and hold nothing against you. But we won't be holding back, just like you requested. Alright?" Bertha's words were heard by the other Sinnoh Elites and that caused them to smile a bit.
Cynthia felt gratitude over their support and smiled back. "Thank you. But I'll root for him mentally for now. I don't want the extra attention."
"You know, it's a little too late for that," remarked Flint, chuckling and the others did as well while Cynthia reddened again. Hurrying along, Sinnoh's champion and elites caught up with the large group of trainers near the tunnel's entrance towards the field and waited there for the announcement for them.
As the stadium filled up with battle hungry spectators, it was becoming very packed. Many were even sitting on the edges of the stairs since there was no room. Among the crowd, many trainers who were in the tournament were once again there to see the elites in action. Jack Thompson and David Blake were with their friends and making predictions about what they believe will happen. Having witnessed the spectacular battle Ash had against Tobias, they wanted to see what else he was capable of and how he could possibly win in handicap matches and against the elites no less.
They weren't the only ones however who were wondering that. Two other trainers, in different parts of the stadium, were thinking the same thing as well as a few other things. One was wearing his black cloak with its hood hiding his face. Still tasting the bitterness of defeat, yet also beginning to understand his shortcomings and mistakes, Drax wanted to see these next battles. After watching Ash's battle against Tobias, how his regular pokémon took on and defeated the legendaries of the world, Drax was beyond astounded. He was taught that the legendaries of the world were the pinnacle of power and would take many pokémon to go up against them. That they were very difficult to beat, if not impossible. That only those worthy of their immense abilities could be partnered with them if they were lucky. Yet it was proven incorrect not once, but six times. It was because of that battle that Drax had his entire view of the world shatter. The past couple of days he was in deep thought in his mountain cave that he made earlier on while he let out his pokémon from their poke balls to have some free time. He felt as if he was close to finding some secret, something important that he had missed, that would help him find the right path. The path that would lead him to his goals of being the greatest dragon trainer in the world as well as finally being with the one that was promised to him all those years ago…
The second trainer who was waiting for the matches to begin was seated at the very top of the stadium, so he could get a good view of everything. Some may like or even think the front is the best, but he'd rather see everything at once than having to move his gaze all over the place and miss things. As he waited, Tobias wondered what he was going to do about the promises he made after thinking about why he lost control with Regigigas as he still hadn't figured it out. It's been eating away at him for the past couple of days as he stayed up late into the night, unable to sleep because of his thoughts. Why did he go berserk? And how can I go back when I haven't fulfilled my promises? Is there no other way to help the ones I love and care about? No other way for…her? Maybe I can have the champions still help me, even though I haven't earned their ranks. No, that won't work. Burying his face into his hands, he let out a long breath to try to calm himself down. Composing himself once more, Tobias raised his head and set his gaze onto the field. I will find out why and I will find another way. I promise Anastasia. And I bet I'll find a clue by sticking around here, around Ash, for the time being. After making that promise in his head, Tobias took out a photo from inside his jacket's pocket and looked at Anastasia's picture until the announcer spoke a few minutes later.
Before the announcements began to signal the start of the battles, three women were seated next to one another and patiently waited for their time. After speaking with Giovanni, Domino had informed John, Oakley and Annie of the new updates and what they were supposed to do. Having given the new plan updates, they readied themselves and moved into position. Though they were waiting for the right time to strike, Oakley and Annie were eating some snacks they had gotten while Domino remained steadfast. Glancing at the two sisters, Domino gave a look of disgust at them for they were eating their food without care. Shaking her head, the blonde woman looked at the field in front of them. Normally, she would've prevented them from doing so or chastised them. But she didn't because she had more important things on her mind now. So she just pushed it aside and focused on the mission at hand. It's almost time to get started, she thought after checking her watch on her left wrist.
Not even a minute later after Domino had that thought, the announcer's voice boomed out through the speakers and the crowd quieted down to listen to him. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE! IT'S NOW TIME TO START THE BATTLES THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN EAGERLY WAITING FOR! THE EXTENDED MATCHES OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT BETWEEN THE ELITES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR CHALLENGER WILL NOW BEGIN! LET US WELCOME THE ELITES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD!" At the end of his speech, the trainer entrances on both sides of the field had their large steel doors open. Many people exited out of the tunnels from the red side with excited yet determined gazes as they walked onto the field to the welcoming roar of the crowd. The elites were being led by their champions onto the field. Many of the guys from the stands were whistling at the beautiful and elegant female elites while many girls were screaming out to the cool and handsome male elites. "NOW FOR SOME INTRODUCTIONS IN CASE YOU'VE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK AND DON'T KNOW THEIR NAMES! FIRST UP, THE KANTO ELITES! WE HAVE LORELEI, BRUNO AND ELDEST ELITE, AGATHA!" The three moved past Lance, walking forward and waved at the roaring crowd. "NEXT UP, THE JOHTO ELITES! WILL, KOGA, KAREN AND THE YOUNGEST ELITE OUT THERE, ETHAN!" The four of them now moved forward and stood together some feet away from the Kanto group. "FOR HOENN WE HAVE SIDNEY, PHEOBE, GLACIA AND DRAKE!" Three of them moved forward calmly while waving though the ghost trainer was bouncing up and down, causing laughter among the stands and the elites. "TALK ABOUT SPUNK! MOVING ON, WE HAVE THE SINNOH ELITES WHO ARE AARON, BERTHA, FLINT AND LUCIAN!" Those four walked a few steps and then stopped in a group a little away from the rest with Flint gesturing to a few females in the crowd. "LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE'S ENJOYING HIMSELF! FOR UNOVA WE HAVE SHAUNTAL, MARSHAL, GRIMSLEY AND CAITLYN!" They too greeted the crowd as they took up their position. "AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, KALOS! MALVA, SIEBOLD, WIKSTROM AND DRASNA!" After the four of them moved forward and waved at the crowd, the six groups of trainers were standing a little away from each other and waited for their opponent to appear. "AND THERE YOU HAVE IT FOLKS! THE ELITES OF THE WORLD HAVE GATHERED HERE TO TAKE ON A CHALLENGER WHO HAS EARNED THE RIGHT TO FACE THEM! AND WITHOUT FURHTER ADO, LET'S BRING HIM OUT! FROM PALLET TOWN OF KANTO, POKÉMON TRAINER AND AURA GUARDIAN, ASH KETCHUM!" A large, light blue glowing sphere of aura energy appeared on the other side of the field that expanded rapidly. While growing larger, white streaks of electricity began to cackle around it, causing many to have goose bumps from the sounds they were making and caused some to let out frightened sounds. For the electricity around the blue sphere seemed to radiate off more power than usual, with the arcing bolts much thicker and moving much faster as well. Dark blue eyes appeared inside the sphere before it burst open with a flash of blue light that traveled over the people in the stands, comforting and energizing them at the same time but also made them close their eyes since it was too bright. When they were able to see again, they saw the young man with glowing blue flames dancing around him with Pikachu on his shoulder. Many noticed that the aura flames were much larger than usual before they died down and the glow went away from his eyes. The crowd roared and cheered for him, with his group of family and friends being among the loudest.
The champions on the field glanced at one another after being able to see again. "Is it just me, or did that entrance show off more power than usual?" asked Diantha, her question heard by both her equals and their elites.
A large smile formed on the blonde champion's face. "No, it's not just you since Ash has grown stronger with his aura, reaching a new level yesterday that very few Aura Guardians can reach," answered Cynthia happily, making them all become surprised.
"How?!" asked an astonished Steven loudly for them all.
Cynthia chuckled a bit in response before answering him. "Let's just say it's an aura thing." The group around her all gave her annoyed expressions over her vague answer before facing the young man across the field that was waving at the spectators. Some of them began observing him more carefully as a result. "So, should we take our leave now?" she asked the four beside her.
Alder shook his head and answered for them all. "No, we can't. Goodshow wants us to stay here with our elites. He said it'll show more unity between us all. Plus he said it'll be good for ratings." Cynthia chuckled at that as she nodded in understanding.
As the crowd continued their noise making, the screens in the stadium changed from showing the field to showing President Goodshow inside the VIP room. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN…" Quieting down, the people in the stands turned their attention onto the many screens in the stadium to listen to his words. "I WISH TO THANK YOU FOR COMING TO WATCH THE EXTENDED BATTLES OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT. WE HAVE NEVER DONE THINGS THIS WAY BEFORE BUT I BELIEVE THAT IF ALL GOES WELL, WE MAY START DOING THINGS THIS WAY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE BATTLES! REFEREE, IF YOU WILL PLEASE GET THINGS ROLLIN!" After his speech, the crowd roared and cheered as the screens returned to show the field in time to watch the referee walk towards the raven haired trainer and handed him a microphone. They could see him speaking to Ash but no sound was heard since their microphones were off. A moment later however, Ash was seen nodding. The referee then moved towards the elites who still had their champions there, standing behind them. Handing each of them a microphone, he gave them some instructions and they nodded in agreement.
Moving back to his spot, the referee then faced the middle of the field, turned on his mic and raised both red and green flags. "These are the extended matches of the Spirit Tournament with the challenger, Ash Ketchum, facing the elites of the world in several against one handicap battles. The challenger is allowed to choose the order of his opponents. The other elites and the champions are prohibited from interfering with the matches no matter what. There are no mega evolutions or substitutions allowed. The moves Destiny Bond and Perish Song are also prohibited. But there is no time limit. The battlefield for these matches will be the official Indigo Plateau stadium's balance field. After three battles, we will have a thirty minute intermission before the final three are performed. If the challenger can win against all of the elites of the world, he will have earned the right to face the champions tomorrow in the same kind of matches. If he loses any one of them, the tournament will end right there." Finishing his instructions, the referee raised his green flag and pointed at Ash. "Challenger, are you ready?" Ash nodded and the referee turned to the elites while lowering the green flag and raising the red flag. "Elites, are you ready?" they also nodded and the referee turned to look at Ash again. "Who is your first opponent?"
Ash looked at the group of elites in front of him for a moment until he began speaking. "Before I state my choice, I would like to say something." The referee agreed to that and allowed him to do so. The crowd quieted down to hear what he was going to say. "I want to say this to the elites of the world; thank you for agreeing to these special battles and conditions. When I made my challenge, the reasons behind it were as I said before; I want to test where my pokémon and I stand against the best in the world. I have crossed paths with several of you during my travels and we shared both good and bad experiences together." The elites who shared those experiences with him smiled and nodded curtly in response while many in the stadium murmured over this new found information, surprised that he had met some of them before this tournament. "All of you are powerful trainers and among the best in the world. It's been my dream to become a Pokémon Master one day and to get there, I'm going to have to battle and win against the strongest in the world." Their expressions turning serious and getting pumped for battle, the elites were waiting for his choice on which he would battle first. Sensing that, Ash smiled a bit. "So thank you in advance for our great battles. I think I've talked enough. Now for my choice of order if I can beat you all; I'll start with Kalos, then Unova, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto and finally I'll end it with Kanto. My journey began in Kanto and it will end with the Kanto Elite."
The crowd roared and cheered, becoming psyched to see the match. The referee nodded his head and looked towards the large group of trainers. "Kalos Elite, step forward!" Malva, Siebold, Wikstrom and Drasna moved together towards the red trainer's box while their champion Diantha wished them good luck as she stood beside Lance. The referee pointed both flags down the middle of the field. "And now, the regular field will be changed to the balance field!" As soon as he stopped speaking, loud mechanical noises were heard that were coming from underneath the stadium. The ground began shaking before the field was lowered into the ground. Many people were surprised to see the field being changed now, after the original tournament ended. But no one was complaining about it. Soon enough, a new field was raised into view and loud locking sounds were heard before the stadium stopped shaking. The new arena was similar to the old except instead of a dirt rectangular field, it was a cemented ground with a large circular pool of water in the middle of it. The referee raised both flags above his head. "The field is ready and both sides are ready to battle! The extended matches of the tournament will now begin!" shouted the referee before dropping both flags at once to signal the start.
Immediately after he finished speaking, the four Kalos trainers tossed out a poke ball each as the crowd made noise. "AND THEY'RE OFF! MALVA HAS SENT OUT HER PYROAR, SIEBOLD HAS CLAWITZER, WIKSTROM HAS AEGISLASH AND DRASNA HAS DRAGALGE! ALL FOUR POKÉMON ARE IN BATTLE READY POSITIONS AND READY TO KICK BUTT! WHAT SINGLE POKÉMON WILL THE GUARDIAN USE AGAINST ALL FOUR?" The announcer's question made everyone mutter and gossip, waiting to see what pokémon Ash will send out to face the four strong pokémon at once. Ash's group of family and friends were no different. They each wondered who he would use and several of them were amazed over the sight of the Kalos exclusive pokémon, having never seen them before.
Ash however still hadn't sent out a pokémon. He was looking at the strong pokémon his opponents had sent out to battle him. One of the Kalos elite was starting to get a little impatient, her fiery side coming out. "C'mon then Ash! Let's get this battle going! I wanna see firsthand how much you've improved since last we crossed paths!" stated Malva, making the people in the stands buzz about the fact that she was one of the elites that had crossed paths with him at some point before all this, for she was one who usually was known to travel and do things by herself.
Smiling a little, Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I was just too busy admiring your pokémon. I've heard some stories about them and they look pretty strong," he replied, complimenting them.
Malva and Drasna smiled a bit in return but then Siebold spoke up. "Yes, we know that they are strong. Flattery won't get you anywhere. So let's start the battle or did you finally realize that you have gone in over your head with this challenge of yours?" mocked the water trainer, earning himself some boos from the crowd, especially from Ash's group.
Ash's smile never left his face though as a blue orb appeared in his hand. "Naw, I enjoy challenges. And these battles with you will help me figure out where I stand against the best." He closed his eyes and took in a breath before exhaling it out, trying to control his excitement. Opening his eyes, he then had a serious look form on his face. "It took me a long time to figure out who I will have battle each region's elites. I thought about it carefully. Which pokémon are among my strongest? Which can handle a variety of situations?" The crowd was going crazy in anticipation over what he was saying and then Ash looked towards the area where his family and friends were. "I had some help in making my decisions thanks to my experiences in my life with my family and friends, my loved ones." His group smiled, feeling good over his words and his girlfriends felt the love he has for them thanks to their aura bond. Ash faced forward and he tightened his grip on the poke ball. "And now, I'm finally ready. Let's go! It's time for your official debut buddy!" And with that, Ash tossed out the poke ball high into the air. A flash of bright white light escaped from it and the next second, a ball of flames appeared out of nowhere on his side of the field, causing most everyone in the stadium to gasp and let out startled sounds. The flames died down to reveal the pokémon within. The tall yellow and red bipedal fox was standing in a battle position with his right arm extended out, holding a wooden wand in his right paw. Ash crossed his arms and stood up straight as Pikachu cheered on his comrade. "Delphox! It's time to show your skill!" The psychic and fire fox had his eyes glow blue in response to indicate that he was ready.
The honey blonde haired girl let out a gasp over his choice. "He's using Delphox, just like me?!" asked Serena in surprise.
"I thought he would use Greninja?" wondered Bonnie out loud.
"Greninja's watching over Natasha remember?" reminded Clemont and his sister had an understanding look from on her face as did several others.
"But of all of his choices for Kalos, why would he pick Delphox? Surely he doesn't have as much experience as his other Kalos pokémon right?" asked May in confusion.
"Sometimes you have to go with your gut feeling," stated Norman and they, along with the rest, looked at him. "Apparently Ash has decided that using Delphox only against the Kalos elite would be enough. It's not just battling experience that's important. The drive or will to win, the natural strength, potential and abilities of a pokémon, the bond between trainer and pokémon and many other things are important in battling." Many in the group nodded in understanding while a few agreed with the Petalburg gym leader's words, knowing that beforehand. Ash's girlfriends glanced at one another before returning their gaze back to the field, waiting impatiently for the match to begin. Each of them knew that the Petalburg gym leader was right but they also had a feeling that there was another reason behind his choice. Yet they decided to think about that later for the time being.
The four elite pokémon and their trainers eyed the lone pokémon and his trainer on the other side of the arena. Going eerily silent, the stadium was holding its breath to see who would make the first move. Waiting for the right moment, Ash and Delphox were eyeing their opponents closely. Pyroar was low to ground, ready to quickly move into action. Clawitzer was levitating slightly in the air yet was barely moving. Only his eyes shifted towards the water a few times for a split second each time, revealing its intent. Aegislash was in attack mode, its sword drawn out with its body tilted slightly forward, ready to strike or serve as a decoy. And the fourth, Dragalge was as still as a statue with only its long appendages floating in the wind, no visible clues available to betray its intention. A long tense minute passed, with neither side taking the first action. "IT LOOKS LIKE BOTH SIDES ARE WAITING FOR THE OTHER TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE! WHO WILL SNAP FIRST?!" The people in the stands started making some noise here and there around the stadium but it never became too loud. The elites wanted him to make the first action for then they would know what kind of a battle this would be.
Seeing them waiting for him, it was then that Ash remembered some things about Diantha he had heard from his travels in Kalos. That she was patient and almost never made rash first moves without thinking. And that she believed in a good defensive strategy that worked against all types of pokémon was necessary. Remembering that made Ash realize that Diantha was an expert strategist when it came to defensive strategy and counter attacking. Also realizing that her elites were following those principles and what they were trying to do, Ash wondered if this would be a battle that would involve overcoming their defenses. Delphox, we're going to have to make the first move. They'll wait no matter how long we don't act. Let's see what they have planned. His pokémon responded back mentally that he agreed. "Shadow Balls!" Multiple dark purple energy balls were fired from the fox's wand at incredible speed, shooting towards their targets.
"Defensive plan A!" shouted the four elites together at once. Aegislash switched into his defensive form and used his unique move, King's Shield. The shield the ghost was using was brought in front of him and expanded rapidly while the other three pokémon maneuvered behind him. The multiple spheres of ghostly energy smashed against the shield yet none were able to penetrate through it nor did any cause a noticeable mark. Dragalge then let out a smoke screen that hid the four in a cloud of dark smoke that expanded all over their half of the field, hiding them from view.
Ash and Delphox kept calm in their spots however. "Get ready for a counter attack!" Delphox's eyes glowed blue and he was outlined in a white light before it faded away as he took up a defensive stance.
"Alright Ash! I hope you're ready for a beating!" called out Malva from behind the smoke in a teasing tone. "Headbutt!" Pyroar shot through the cloud of smoke with incredible speed, causing the smoke to vanish. She smashed into Delphox who cried out in pain as he was pushed back.
But he was saved from most of the damage because of using Reflect and Light Screen simultaneously earlier and recovered at once. "Psychic!" Delphox had his eyes glow blue once more and Pyroar was outlined with a purple glow and was lifted up into the air.
"Water Pulse!" A blast of water was shot with incredible force behind it suddenly out of the pool of water.
"Get outta there!" shouted Ash. His pokémon was able to quickly dodge out of the way while simultaneously tossing Pyroar to the other side of the field. Yet the fire type did not crash against the ground for she was caught in the air by Dragalge, who used his long branch like appendages to catch her. But they didn't have any time to rest for Delphox appeared near them the next second and launched many dark purple psychic bullets at the two who didn't have time to react, having surprised expressions on their faces. However they were saved by their comrade at the last second. Aegislash once again appeared in front of them in his King's Shield stance and blocked the Psyshock while another blast of water from the pool targeted the fire starter. Delphox had to once again dodge out of the way and went back to his side of the field.
Dragalge set Pyroar down gently and the lioness took up a battle position at once near her allies while the fourth remained in the water. "WHAT TEAM WORK! DURING THE COVER OF THE SMOKE, CLAWITZER MOVED TO THE WATER AND AEGISLASH IS PREVENTING THEM FROM GETTING ANY SORT OF DAMAGE! THE KALOS ELITES AREN'T LETTING THE GUARDIAN GET ANY LEAD ON THEM! LOOKS LIKE ASH HAS GOT HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM!" Ash thought furiously to come up with a plan that would work, his previous plan being useless, while Delphox took up a defensive position, seeing their opponents waiting for him to make a move again. While he was doing that, the Kalos elites were giving broad grins but maintained their focus, telling their pokémon to keep it up.
"Wow, they're really good," remarked Johanna in a surprised tone of voice.
"What'd you expect? They're Elites for a reason," stated Grace with pride coating her words.
"Mom, are you happy that Ash is having a hard time against them?!" asked a stunned Serena, making their group look at her mother, some having angered looks on their faces.
Grace hurriedly waved her hands in front of her while explaining. "No! It's just that we're from Kalos and it's good to see that our Elites are strong! They represent our home Serena and how tough we are," she explained and they started calming down, understanding her. "Of course I'm rooting for Ash, honey, but it's also good to know that our representatives aren't pushovers," she finished up saying.
Serena let out a breath and nodded. "Okay, I get it Mom. Sorry." Grace smiled back and said that it was okay and that she understood before they and the others paid attention to the field again.
One of the Kalos elite shook his head after a moment of nothing happening. "Is that the best you can do?" asked Wikstrom in a disappointed tone of voice. "After what you've done, we were hoping for a challenge. Especially when you so boldly requested to battle like this."
Immediately after he spoke, the eldest of the four added her own comments as well. "Are you thinking you can test out our defenses to find a weak point?" asked Drasna calmly as her dragon moved behind Pyroar and Aegislash while Clawitzer dove under the water. "I'll tell you this; there is none for it's an adaptable defense. You can't penetrate our defenses for we can counter anything you do," she revealed, causing the people in the stands to start talking about that remark.
Ash didn't respond back to that. He didn't want to show that he was slightly on edge, busy thinking about how to overcome their seemingly impenetrable wall that was Aegislash. He had a few ideas of course that could help him in discovering a flaw or weakness but wondered which to try out first…
The red haired elite tilted her head, thinking for a bit before she decided to have some fun with her challenger. "What's wrong Ashy?" teased Malva, seeing him not taking action. Her use of 'Ashy' caused his girlfriends to become annoyed with several of them glaring at her, since that was their nickname for him. Though of course she didn't see that, since most were in the stands and one was behind her. "I thought you wanted to test your strength? Why aren't you coming after us huh? Too much for you to handle? Scared that you can't live up to expectations, to perform under stress?" Drasna, Siebold and Wikstrom chuckled over that little innuendo and so did many others in the stadium, including the other elites. The champions however kept stoic, not allowing themselves to show that it was funny, even though a couple of them were amused by it, who were Lance and Alder. But one wasn't at all. Ash narrowed his eyes in response over the taunting and Delphox growled. "Oh my, is someone getting angry?" Raising her left hand towards her sunglasses, Malva lowered them a bit and gave Ash a curious look. "You gonna go serious now? Are you going to show us what you're capable of? Are you going to impress us? Excite us? Or are you going to be a disappointment like every other challenger out there?"
Taking in a breath, Ash kept his cool even though he was annoyed with her at the moment. "You know Malva," started Ash calmly, locking his gaze onto hers. "I know what you're trying to do but it won't work. And don't you worry for we're barely warming up," he stated with confidence.
The fire elite had her lips spread into a smirk. "Good." She raised her sunglasses back up and crossed her arms as her fellow elites also refocused on the battle. "After battling with you against Team Flare…" Three woman glanced at one another over that in the stands, while many others were shocked that he faced them. "…and getting a glimpse of your battling spirit in person, I'd hate for this to be it, for this to end so early before having some fun. Otherwise I'd be disappointed for getting my hopes too high for a grand battle," revealed Malva with a cocky tone.
"Oh, we'd hate for you to be disappointed," replied back Ash sarcastically, making Malva narrow her eyes behind her shades. "We'll persevere and find a way to break through!"
"There's no way!" spoke up Wikstrom, feeling insulted over that bold claim that he can overcome his pokémon's barrier. "None can pass through the King's Shield!"
"Enough talk! Clawitzer, Dark Pulse!" ordered Siebold. Popping out of the water, the howitzer pokémon launched a super charged dark colored energy towards the fox.
"Double Team!" Splitting into a dozen copies, Delphox was able to avoid the attack as it went through an imposter. But the force behind the attack was enough to blow away the fakes, leaving only the real fox behind who was sporting the same stunned look as his trainer. Shit, that little guy packs a punch, thought Ash. It's almost like…ah damn that's right; its special ability is Mega Launcher! "Delphox, no matter what, don't get hit by Clawitzer! That's their cannon!" Nodding in understanding, the psychic fox readied himself to continue the battle.
"Oh, so you figured that out?" mused Siebold before laughing a bit. "Let me tell you this though; he's not our only cannon."
Glancing at the dragon trainer, Drasna took it as her cue. "Dragon Pulse!" Dragalge shot a powerful beam of multicolored energy at once.
"Protect!" A barrier appeared around Delphox in time to receive the beam yet the force of the attack was strong enough to cause several cracks to appear on the shield. Pokémon and trainer had their eyes widen in surprise over that.
"Flare Blitz!" commanded Malva, not giving Ash time to react. Pyroar shot forward as she engulfed herself in flames. The sphere of fire collided against the shield and broke it open, stunning Delphox in the process.
"Fury Cutter!" ordered Wikstrom to capitalize on their opportunity. Aegislash went into attack mode, drawing out his blade as he faded away before reappearing in front of Delphox while Pyroar got out of the way. Ash told his pokémon to evade but it was no use. Having his shield destroyed had caused the fox to become disoriented. A flurry of rapid slashes connected against the fox who cried out in pain from each strike.
"Counter back!" shouted Ash but it was no use as Delphox wasn't given any time to react with Aegislash's cuts being so swift.
Malva, Siebold and Drasna looked at one another and nodded before they said their next command together; "Attack plan C!" Dragalge, Pyroar and Clawitzer each fired their attacks, a Thunderbolt, Flamethrower and Water Pulse respectively, at once. Aegislash stopped his assault and vanished from his spot right before the three elemental attacks struck the psychic fox at the same time. Delphox let out an agonized scream from them before the mixture of the elements caused an explosion and a cloud of smoke to cover the field.
As the elite pokémon moved back to their side of the field, the noise from the crowd died down quickly so they could see what happened to the fox. A little while later, the dust settled and revealed the fire type. Delphox was still standing with an angry expression on his face, though he was covered in bleeding cuts and blackened bruises. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! DELPOHOX IS STILL IN THE FIGHT, SURVIVING THROUGH THAT COMBINATION!" The crowd began roaring, impressed over what they were seeing and trying to encourage the fox to continue. Yet many had worried looks from on their faces over the condition of the pokémon.
"Delphox, you okay buddy?" asked Ash with concern. The fox glanced back at the man and nodded. Facing forward, he took up an offensive stance, panting all the while he did so. Though he received massive damage just now, he was saved from most of it because of using his defensive moves earlier. "Alright, good job. Now, let's take back control!" Delphox took in a long breath through his snout and exhaled slowly. Sensing him ready, Ash ordered his next attack. "Flamethrower!" A large torrent of fire shot out from the fox's wand and soared through the air.
"Defensive Plan A!" Once again, the four elite pokémon took up their defensive positions from before and the stream of flames was blocked with the shield before they hid in the smokescreen. "Dragon Pulse! / Water Pulse!" shouted Drasna and Siebold together all of a sudden.
Two powerful attacks shot out from within the smoke towards their opponent but Delphox was able to dodge them both by rolling to the side. Damn it, they keep using that to prevent any damage to them! The smoke cleared and he saw the elites and their pokémon smirking at him and his pokémon. Ash grit his teeth as he thought furiously on how to overcome them. There has to be a way to punch through. Nobody can rely on just blocking and counterattacking forever. But if we can't punch through, then we'll have to overwhelm them with speedy attacks. I just hope Delphox can pull it off with his special ability in his current state. But first, we need to test out how adaptable their defense is. "Delphox, once more! Flamethrower!" Another burst of flames towards the right side but again his opponents used their tactic flawlessly. "Again!" Delphox launched his attack to the left this time but again it was the same result.
"What is he trying to do?" asked Serena with worry, seeing her beloved continue attacking without stopping.
"I'm not sure but it looks like he's trying find a weak point in that shield," replied Sarah thoughtfully, though her tone was also filled with concern. Her thought made the ones around her wonder if that was his plan as they continued to watch.
The crowd began making some more noise, wanting the action to become greater. The water elite on the field took in a breath. "This is very disappointing," sighed Siebold, shaking his head at the continuous assault that wasn't getting any results from the raven haired trainer. All he would do is target different areas of the shield but it was all the same result. He glanced at his fellow elites who had the same expression on their faces. Each of them was expecting a grand battle yet weren't even breaking a sweat. He glanced back at their champion, thinking that she'll be in the same state. However, she was sporting a serious face with her eyes focused on the battle. Looking at the others, he saw that Drasna, Wikstrom and Malva were also confused over their champion's behavior. Whatever, time to finish this. "Let's just end this," he told the three and they agreed.
But it was at that moment when Ash said something that made them snap their gazes back onto the battle. "It's time!" His pokémon charged up a ball of flames in front of him, making it grow larger with each passing second.
"You still haven't learned?!" asked an agitated Drasna.
"You can't possibly think that will work?!" added Siebold, wondering why Ash would keep going.
"No matter how powerful an attack, it won't penetrate through our shield!" yelled Wikstrom and his Aegislash kept up his King's Shield in front of the four.
Ash smirked in response, making them become astonished over his reaction. "You may be right but who said that's what I was trying to do?" he called out to them, making the Kalos elite narrow their eyes. "It's time for us to show our true strength. Now Delphox!" Splitting into a dozen copies, each one kept charging the attack.
The Kalos Elite however didn't hesitate to say their next order. "Attack Plan A!" A Dragon Pulse, Water Pulse, Dark Pulse and Flamethrower were launched from the four elite pokémon at once with tremendous power behind them.
They were just about to make contact with several of the copies before they disappeared from sight. "WHAT'S THIS? THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE!" The four elites refocused on the match and told their pokémon to go on guard. Delphox appeared to their right and was about to launch his attack when a Shadow Ball was blasted through him, causing the copy to vanish. Another appeared behind them, about to the same thing and a Dragon Pulse erased that imposter. Four fire foxes appeared around them, about to fire yet all of them were wiped out. Though they would get rid of each one effortlessly, more and more copies kept coming. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?! WHERE IS THE REAL DELPHOX?!" The announcer's words made the people in the stands to roar and cheer but also comment about what they thought the guardian could be doing, especially among his group.
That's it buddy, keep it up, thought Ash as his pokémon continued on, observing the reaction time of the four pokémon and their capabilities. After some more tries, he figured it out. That's it, I got it now. Time to turn things up a notch and get some damage in with his special ability. "Good job Delphox! Now, you know what to do! Faster and fire away!" he called out to his pokémon, causing everyone to become surprised. Delphox appeared behind the four and launched a Fire Blast without delay.
"Defensive Maneuver A!" yelled out the elites and their pokémon took up their same potions as always. Aegislash blocked it successfully with his King's Shield and his comrades received no damage at all. Yet Delphox appeared again, this time to the right of them and launched another Fire Blast before Dragalge could put up a smokescreen. "Again!" shouted the four and their pokémon changed their spots to shield against that attack as well. But as soon as Aegislash's King's Shield was set up to block the fire attack, another Delphox appeared behind them and shot another Fire Blast. Aegislash was able to move to block the second one just in time after preventing the first from hitting his comrades. But he had no time to rest as this time two appeared on opposite sides of him and two Fire Blasts were launched together. Not knowing which was the fake attack, the elites ordered their pokémon to block one while intercepting the other, thinking that one of the attacks would just vanish. However, both attacks were real as one of them was blocked with the shield and the other was neutralized with an attack of their own.
That caused everyone in the stadium to become shocked, with many left in disbelief. "How?!" gasped Drasna afterwards.
"Inconceivable! A pokémon's copy can't attack for real! How is this possible?!" asked a bewildered Siebold. Malva and Wikstrom were eyeing the fox and his trainer with stupefied looks.
Ash smiled a bit as his pokémon appeared in front of him, panting some but for the most part alright. "That is true. Normally. I can't tell you our secrets but I'll tell you this; you see, Delphox isn't a Magician for nothing you know and he's extremely fast," he remarked, making his opponents become annoyed. "And I finally figured out how to get through your defense," he admitted, making both his opponents and everyone else become surprised.
The self proclaimed warrior of the group however shot back. "Nothing can go through Aegislash's King's Shield!" remarked Wikstrom in an annoyed tone. "Don't try to lie about such things to try and get the upper hand in a battle you can't win instead of facing your defeat with honor!"
Ash's smile left his face and his expression went serious with both Pikachu and Delphox becoming angry. "I don't lie," he replied back in a calm tone of voice, yet it was coated with his anger and many caught that, causing them to have a shiver go through their bodies. "I found out how to beat you and I'll prove it now." Delphox's eyes glowed red as a red outline appeared around him. Sensing his pokémon ready, Ash threw out his right hand in front of him while saying his command. "Delphox, go!" Vanishing from sight, the psychic fox was gone from the field but then reappeared in front of the four pokémon to launch his attack.
The elite's pokémon moved to defend at once. "No matter what you say or how talented your pokémon is, you can't win! A frontal assault won't work!" shouted Drasna.
"Who said anything about a frontal assault?" asked Ash calmly and Delphox disappeared again before reappearing behind them. Aegislash moved to block the attack but as soon as he got into position, Delphox again disappeared from sight. He reappeared instantly to his right. Aegislash barely moved towards him when again he changed his spot, showing up behind them to the left. Seeing their shield unable to keep up with the impossibly quick fox, the Kalos Elites were beginning to become a little worried, with their hearts thumping a little louder in their ears. But one of them was starting to feel something else as well with it growing stronger with each passing moment.
When the ghost type tried to move towards him, he vanished again and reappeared somewhere else around the four. This kept going, with the fox increasing his speed each time, making it harder and harder for the ghost to get into a position to protect its allies. Seeing their shield being unable to keep up now, the other elites had their pokémon launch attacks to intercept the fire and psychic type. But Delphox was moving way too fast to be pinned down. Sensing it was time, Ash yelled out; "You placed too much faith into that King's Shield! Now, reap your rewards! Mystical Fire!" A dozen Delphoxs appeared around the four pokémon and let out a special hot breath attack from each one at once.
Now seeing themselves in a tough spot because of not knowing if the attacks are fake or not and how many are real if they were, the four of them had to change up their tactics to adapt. "Defensive Maneuver B!"commanded the Kalos Elite together. Instead of grouping up as usual, three of the four pokémon took up a defensive stance and brought out an individual shield to protect against the attacks while the fourth dove down into the water.
The twelve fire starter's had their attacks collide against their three pokémons' shields. All twelve of them were real and that caused everyone to let out startled sounds over it yet kept their attention on the battle. Though the attacks weren't powerful individually, together they made up for it.
The three elite pokémon began struggling to keep it up, the pressure of the constant flames taking their toll on them. "Clawitzor, help them out! Get rid of them all!" ordered Siebold. Clawitzer appeared above the water and was just about to launch a supercharged Water Pulse.
But another copy of Delphox, the thirteenth one, appeared in front of the water type and used Psychic on him, lifting him into the air, preventing him from using his attack. Siebold yelled for his pokémon to break free and it struggled relentlessly against the telekinetic force holding it. "Now's our chance to take him out! Delphox, Psyshock!" The fire fox launched many psychic bullets at the howitzer pokemon. Clawitzer was bombarded from the Psyshock and let out agonizing screams. Siebold called out for his pokémon, seeing him get pummeled. Though he was powerful, Clawitzer was very fragile. Soon enough, he fainted and the copy set him on the ground gently before vanishing from sight. Siebold let out a frustrated yell mixed with a growl over being taken out of the battle while his partners told their pokémon to hang on. "Good job Delphox! Now, end this!" called out Ash. The thirteenth Delphox appeared high up in the air above the rest, charging up a red and purple energy ball in front of his wand. Each of the twelve copies surrounding their opponents kept up their attacks and the three pokémon had their shields crack from the onslaught.
"No way!" remarked Wikstrom in disbelief.
"What is trying to do?!" wondered Drasna in shock.
"How and why?! Where is this power coming from?!" asked a bewildered Malva before the shields had more cracks on them. Seeing the cracks, they tried yelling out encouragement to their pokémon to not give up while trying to come up with a counter attack.
Ash however never gave them a chance to do so. "It's over! Psybeam and Over Heat combo!" With a loud howl let out, the Delphox in the sky fired the powerful red and purple beam consisting of fire and psychic energy from above. Many in the stadium let out surprised screams and shouts as the beam traveled downwards and finally connected against the targeted three.
A large explosion occurred that rocked the area and covered the field in smoke, forcing the ones in the middle of the stadium to cover their eyes. "GOOD LORD, WHAT AN ATTACK! WAS THE CHALLENGER ABLE TO OVERCOME THEIR IMPENETRABLE DEFENSES?" The crowd held its breath and waited impatiently for the smoke to clear. After some time, the smoke cleared and revealed what it was hiding. Delphox was on one knee in his side of the field, panting heavily with one eye closed. He had used up a tremendous amount of energy during the past several minutes and the damage he received earlier on didn't help his condition either. On the other side, Dragalge and Aegislash were out cold on the destroyed field near Clawitzer. Pyroar was still conscious though it looked like she was barely hanging on, wincing with every breath she took in as she struggled to stay on her feet. Delphox slowly raised himself and held his wand in front of the lioness while still panting. Pyroar growled at the fox and took a step forward but then collapsed onto the ground.
A moment passed by with none of the pokémon moving from their spots. Seeing this, the referee raised the green flag and lowered the red flag. "Pyroar, Dragalge, Aegislash and Clawitzer are no longer able to battle. Victory goes to Delphox! Ash has defeated the Kalos Elite! He can advance and face the Unovan Elite next!" The crowd was silent at first before erupting with cheers over the amazing victory. Almost all of Ash's girlfriends were among the loudest as they screamed out as happily as they could while Ash & Pikachu ran up to the fire fox, who had dropped back to one knee and congratulated the starter pokémon on the incredible battle.
Returning their pokémon, the Kalos Elite thanked them quietly before glancing back at their Champion. Diantha gave them a small smile along with a curt nod. Returning her nod with one of their own, the four didn't feel any sort of negative emotion over the outcome. Instead, they were going to use this loss to push them to become stronger. Each of the four pressed the button on their microphones and turned them off. "Hey…"Turning back around, the four of them saw Ash standing in front of them, holding his hand out to them. He had returned his pokémon and walked towards them without them noticing while turning off his microphone. "That was an amazing battle. Thank you for that," he told them sincerely with a smile.
Caught off guard once again, the Kalos Elite took a moment to recover before they responded back with chuckles. "Yes, indeed it was. We are surprised that you found a way to counter our King's Shield. None were able to before," remarked Wikstrom as he was the first to shake his hand.
Ash rubbed the back of his head after they stopped. "Yea, it took me a while to figure out a way. If it wasn't for my Delphox's speed and Magician ability, I would've lost for sure."
"And why is that?" asked Siebold for them all. Ash smiled before explaining that Delphox can make his copies have their attacks actually be real, though at lower power, after finding a way to evolve his Magician ability. The elites and champions were dumbfounded to hear that but recovered quickly. "I see. That is an impressive ability for any pokémon. And forgive us for our taunting," requested Siebold when he next shook his hand.
Ash merely shook his head, saying not to worry about it. "Oh ho, what a sport," stated Drasna, shaking his hand now before she then hugged the young man, surprising him. "Thank you for that glorious battle," she said before the two separated.
"Right back at ya," replied Ash with a smile before turning to face the fire trainer. "So, Malva, were you finding it hard to perform under stress?" he asked her in a teasing tone.
Malva laughed in response, though her face turned red as her heart, which was already beating quickly, began thumping even faster. "Very funny Ash. But I have to admit that was a one of a kind battle. Thank you for that." Smiling at him as they shook hands, Malva then leaned in closer to him to whisper in his ear having decided on something on impulse. Her action caused Ash's girlfriends to have their eyes widen and several of them, including Cynthia, let out growls, startling the ones around them. They didn't like that the fire elite was being so close to him, having intense anger fill them all of sudden over her actions. "That was the first time in a long time I had my heart beating like mad. I'd like to see what kind of performance a unique man like yourself will have in some other intimate areas as well, if you catch my drift," she said, with those last words coming out very softly.
Ash felt his own heart beat a little faster over her words but it was because of something else. Or more accurately, because of several things he felt and sensed. "I appreciate the compliments and you're one of a kind yourself. But I'm sorry Malva, I don't see you in that way, I can't do that and you should know why," he told her quietly.
Malva felt something inside her over the rejection but kept it in check, unsure of what it was. "Oh, I see." Taking a step back, she composed herself quickly and nodded at him. "Congrats Ash. Good luck with the rest of your battles," she told him calmly with a small smile before letting go of his hand. The Kalos Elites turned away from him and moved back to where the other elites and champions were waiting as Ash turned around and made his way back to his side of the field. Malva glanced at Cynthia who had her eyes on her, as if piercing through her. However, the red head merely kept her expression neutral while remaining quiet as she took a position next to her elites beside their champion.
The Sinnoh Champion kept glaring at the Kalos Elite for a little longer. Cynthia was filled with anger over Malva's actions. It was just like she said before to Clair and Liza when she told them that she didn't mind if they or her other sisters got with and did things with Ash but if someone else even tried to get close to him, she wouldn't stand for it. And it was the same with her sisters as they felt the same thing as well. Seeing that nothing happened, she took in a breath and exhaled it out, trying to calm down. She knew that no matter what Malva tried to do, Ash wouldn't fall for it, trusting him. Yet she didn't trust others. She was having a little trouble calming down. But then a moment later, she felt something from her aura bond with her beloved that made her feel instantly better. She moved her gaze to his and smiled, seeing him smiling back and instantly knew it was for her.
And it was also true for her sisters. For they too became angry with their friends and family knowing why and so didn't bother them about it. But then, when they became chipper all of a sudden, as if nothing happened, it confused them. All in the group, except for one, was surprised over that and asked them if they were alright, with the girls responding back that they are. Only Delia realized what just occurred because of what she witnessed. For she saw the aura tattoo on her son's body earlier and also saw him place his hand on his left pectoral just now in the field as he reached his trainer's box. Smiling, Delia realized that their bond was very strong to be able to comfort them so quickly and that made her worrying about what she thought before to fade some.
The referee lowered the walkie-talkie he was speaking into and clipped it back onto his belt. The announcer was then heard over the stadium's speakers. "ALRIGHT FOLKS, WITH ASH DEFEATING THE KALOS ELITES, HE IS NOW ABLE TO FACE THE UNOVAN ELITES! BUT FIRST, WE WILL HAVE A QUICK FIELD CHANGE SO THAT EACH MATCH WILL BE ON NEW FIELDS TO PREVENT ANY UNFAIR FIELD ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES!" Loud mechanical sounds were heard as the partially destroyed field was lowered into the ground to be switched with an identical new one. Ash waited on his side of the field with Pikachu and on the other side Alder's elites were waiting impatiently.
While that was happening, in the stands Ash's group of family and friends were talking to one another about the match they just saw. They were amazed over the fire fox's ability and wondered just how in the world they were able to develop that. Especially Serena, since she never gave her pokémon's ability a second thought.
It was then that Cilan got a phone call and after speaking a bit into it, he hung up and faced his brothers who he was sitting next to. "Hey, I'm going to go. I'll see you guys later," he explained very quietly and his two brothers nodded. After he left, Chili and Cress both let out a quiet sigh but it was noticed by their girlfriends who became concerned.
"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Lily.
Chili and Cress had their eyes widen and glanced at one another. "Ah, nothing. Everything is fine so nothing to worry about," answered Cress a little too quickly.
Picking up on that, the blunette locked eyes with his brother. "So where is Cilan going?" asked Violet.
"Oh, a-ah, I'm sure he just went to use the bathroom or something," replied Chili nervously. Violet and Lily gave both of their boyfriends a hard look with narrowed eyes that clearly stated that they weren't buying it. Both brothers became very flustered at that point. "Ah, well, you s-see…"
"Cilan went to be with his new girlfriend." Not only did the two couples turn to face the purple haired girl, but so did everyone else in their group. The ones who didn't know about the break up were staring at the Unovan native with shocked expressions while the rest were surprised that she just let it be known like that. Iris had decided that she was done keeping trivial secrets. After what she went through with Ash in the morning, she had realized that there are more important things to worry about. And she also noticed how Cilan's brothers were flustered over their girlfriends' questioning. Seeing their concerned looks, Iris still felt a little embarrassed though. "Don't worry about it. After the incident with Drax, Cilan and I had come to see that we want different things and that we decided to end things on good terms. So I'm good and so is he," she told them.
It took a moment before one of them said something. "Well, as long as everything is alright. And if you need anything sweetie, don't hesitate to let us know," offered Delia kindly. Iris smiled in response and thanked her before facing forward in time to see the new field come into view. Chili and Cress looked at Violet and Lily. About to say something, the two sisters shushed them and gave them a look that let them know that they understood that they were just trying to help out their brother. Smiling, the two couples drew closer to each other and faced the field in time for the announcer to speak.
When Cilan left the group, he hurried to find Burgundy before the next battle started. Luckily for him, she was pretty close by and found her sitting next to Georgia. He went up to them and tapped on her shoulder to get her attention as he spoke. "Burgundy! I was beginning to get worried," he said.
Burgundy jumped a little in surprise before facing him, blushing over his concern and her startled state. "Sorry Cilan but we arrived late and decided to watch the match before calling you," she explained.
Cilan nodded as he replied back. "Oh okay, that makes sense." He sat down next to her and faced the red head. "Hi Georgia. How are you doing?"
"Hey Cilan, doing well," she replied back with a wave. "You came over pretty quick. Couldn't wait to see your girlfriend huh?" she teased the two, causing both of them to go red.
"Shut up Georgia!" hissed Burgundy with embarrassment and anger but her friend just laughed.
Cilan smiled a bit over their actions and when they calmed down, he explained. "Well, I was sitting with my friends and family just a little bit away. You two are actually pretty close by." Nodding their heads, Georgia then suggested that they should go see them too since she hasn't seen Iris for a while. Cilan merely nodded to hide the fact that he was worried about that a bit but didn't mention anything. He wondered if it would be alright for him to go back with them, especially with Burgundy.
But his thoughts were interrupted when the announcer's words began blaring out from the speakers after the field was ready. "ALRIGHT, WITH THE NEW FIELD IN PLACE, IT'S TIME TO CONTINUE! AFTER DEFEATING THE KALOS ELITES, ASH KETCHUM WILL NOW BE FACING THE UNOVAN ELITES!" At that moment, Ash stepped into his trainer's box as his opponents stepped into theirs on the opposite side. Both sides turned on their microphones. "FOR UNOVA, WE HAVE SHAUNTAL, MARSHAL, GRIMSLEY AND CAITLYN!" Roaring with excitement, the crowd became louder as the four tossed out their poke balls. Chandelure, Mienshao, Bisharp and Gothitelle appeared on their side of the field and took up battle positions at once. Examining who his pokémon would be battling against, Ash grinned a bit and nodded at the Unovan Elite. A blue orb appeared in Ash's hand before the glow faded away to reveal an ultra ball. He tossed it into the air and then Haxorus appeared with a loud roar.
Seeing the dragon type as his choice, two from the stadium were very surprised. Drax wondered how come he didn't use the dragon in the match against him. Iris thought he would have had Emboar take part in the fight, having completely forgotten that he has the same type of pokémon as hers. However, they were snapped out of their thinking when the referee announced the battle had begun.
Smiling at one another, the Unovan Elite and Ash sized each other up. "You did pretty well against Kalos. But this is a whole different fight and we've seen what you're capable of. We won't be surprised. You ready for this?" asked Marshall as he hit his left hand's palm with his right fist.
Ash crossed his arms and Haxorus took up an offensive stance. "I guess we'll find out soon enough." Chuckling a bit, the Unovan elite told their pokémon to get ready. Immediately after, Ash's expression went serious as he sent out his command. "Earthquake!" Stomping his clawed foot against the ground, the ground shook tremendously, causing the water in the middle of the field to splash around.
His opponent's pokémon however each took up a defensive stance at once, limiting the amount of the damage they received. Once the shaking stopped, the four returned to their offensive stances. Crossing her arms now, Caitlyn glared at Ash. "Being a little hasty aren't we?" she asked him.
Ash just shrugged, not affected by her slightly scary look. "Well, I thought I might be able to take you guys by surprise."
"Hmph. Well, that's the only move you'll be making in this battle. Trap him!" Caitlyn's Gothitelle had her eyes glow blue and Haxorus was outlined in a pink glow, preventing him from moving.
Grimlsey and Marshall took advantage of the opportunity and ordered their commands. "Night Slash!" / "Jump Kick!" Bisharp and Mienshao shot forward while readying their strikes. Right when they were about to land their hits onto the dragon, Haxorus broke free from the psychic force and blocked both attacks with his claws. His actions surprised many in the stadium, both in the field and out.
However, before he could retaliate, Chandelure appeared behind the dragon and fired a point blank Shadow Ball at his back. Unable to dodge or block it, Haxorus was struck in the back, letting out an angry cry from it but he held on to the two pokemon. In his anger, he lifted both pokémon with his immense strength and tossed them towards the psychic on the opposite side of the field. Gothitelle used her psychic powers to catch both of her comrades and lowered them gently onto the field as Chandelure vanished and reappeared next to his allies as well.
"Not bad Ash," complimented Grimsley. "Your Haxorus is pretty strong."
"Most would have failed with that little test of ours. Looks like things are just starting to heat up," revealed Shauntal with excitement, making Marshall glance at her for a split second.
Ash nodded his head over their words and allowed a smirk to form on his face. Looks like I'll have to adjust my plans a bit, just like I did with Kalos. "Thanks. But it'll take more than that to take down my pokémon. Let's continue shall we?" he asked them and they agreed. "Alright Haxorus, you know what to do! Advance!" Haxorus split into a dozen copies and then began charging forward while having their right claw glow as they readied an attack.
Seeing that, the Unovan Elites told their pokémon to attack from a distance and they began firing long range attacks. Most of the copies vanished but a few had gotten in dangerously close. "Protect!" Each of the four pokémon brought out a protective shield around themselves to block the attack, not knowing which is the real one. The remaining copies reached their targets but instead of stopping at the shield, they just went through the shield before disappearing from sight. Left in astonished states, the Unovan elite and their pokémon were wondering what just happened until they noticed another Haxorus on the other side of the field. Moving about as if in a trance, the dragon was performing a mystical dance. Their eyes widening, they realized what Ash had done. "Stop him!" shouted out the four elites. Bisharp and Mienshao shot forward to hit the dragon while Candelure and Gothitelle tried to quickly power up a Shadow Ball and Psybeam respectively to launch.
"Too late," remarked Ash as Haxorus finished his dance and glowed a bright white color, blinding their opponents and stopping them in their tracks. Dying down until only a white glow outlined him, Haxorus let out a loud battle cry that sent shivers down many spectators' spines before shooting forward. He struck Bisharp in the head with his closed claw, sending him sailing through the air and crashed against the ground before immediately going after Mienshao. Barely able to dodge his main attack, the fighting type moved away yet was pelted with small rocks and debris as the dragon caused the ground to blow apart from his strike. The four elite pokémon grouped back together after recovering and recomposing themselves.
"INCREDIBLE! THE GUARDIAN FOOLED THE UNOVAN ELITE WITH HIS TACTICS, ALLOWING HIS DRAGON TO POWER UP USING DRAGON DANCE!" Unable to believe what they were seeing at first, the crowd was silenced until the announcer's words brought them back into reality. Loud roars and cheers were heard among them all with Iris yelling out loud cheers herself with her family and friends. She felt many good things in seeing a Haxorus, a dragon pokémon that she has as well, going toe to toe with the four elite pokémon at once.
On the elites' side, the four Unovans were feeling many different things. "Incredible," whispered Caitlyn, seeing the dragon's strength.
Marshall had a large grin appear on his face. "Now this is more like it."
"Don't get too excited that you can't think straight," advised Grimsley but Marshall just chuckled.
Shauntal adjusted her glasses on her face. "After watching the tournament battles, especially after witnessing his battle against Kalos, we should've been prepared for a tactic like this." The four of them glanced at one another before looking back at their champion. Alder gave them a nod of his head and the four returned it before facing Ash. "Time to get serious like whenever I write," stated the ghost type trainer.
"Alright Ash, no more mister nice guy!" called out Marshall.
"How rude! There are two ladies here with you!" remarked Caitlyn with annoyance.
"Now's not the time!" chastised Grimsley and Caitlyn scowled at that but said nothing. "Attack together at once! Metal Claw!" Bisharp shot forward once more with his claws glowing.
"Back him up with Dual Chops!" commanded Marshall and Mienshao followed after the blade pokémon. Gothitelle and Chandelure however remained behind and began charging up attacks.
Wondering what the other two pokémon were up to, Ash decided to keep an eye on them while dealing with the two advancing ones. "Intercept them with Dragon Claws!" Haxorus moved forward with outstanding speed and matched his opponents blow for blow. Even with his speed boost though, he was barely able to keep up against both pokémon's relentless attacks. Ash noticed this and his eyes narrowed a bit. Damn, they're faster than I thought. But Haxorus should be able to handle this with his speed boost and keep up. Looks like there's much more training to be done. Moving his gaze towards the ghost and psychic pokémon, Ash saw that they were almost ready to fire their attacks. That's not good. Need to take at least one of those two out quick! Sending his dragon some encouragement and new plans through their aura bond, Haxorus agreed and waited for the right moment.
On the other side of the field, Shauntal and Caitlyn were waiting for their pokémon to finish charging their attacks. A short while later, Chandelure vanished from sight and Gothitelle was outlined in a pink glow, signaling that they were done. "We're ready!" called out the two female elites.
Marshall and Grimsley understood and yelled together their next command. "Distract him!" Both Mienshao and Bisharp quickly backed away from Haxorus while launching an Aura Sphere and Dark Pulse at once.
Unable to put up a shield in time, the dragon went into a protective stance with his arms covering his head. Right before he was going to be struck, the ghost type appeared behind him and fired his Overheat and at the same time while Gothitelle had the pink glow vanish from around her. "Haxorus!" called out Ash as the three simultaneous attacks made contact at the same time, causing a large explosion that drew up a cloud of smoke and dust.
The crowd went quiet, waiting to see the outcome. A few seconds later, the smoke cleared to reveal Haxorus charging up a large meteor looking ball in front of him. Smirking at their shocked faces, Ash threw out his arm as he said his next command; "Draco Meteor!" His dragon fired it towards his opponents. The Unovan Elite had their pokémon take up defensive positions and use Protect to have shielding barriers around them. Once the meteor reached their side, it exploded into dozens of large pieces. Bombarded with the shards, the four pokémon kept up their shield. "Rock Slide!" ordered Ash, not wanting to let up the pressure. Summoning large rocks and boulders out of thin air, Haxorus had them drop down onto the four and around them, colliding against their shields and breaking into smaller pieces that caused cracks to form on them.
Astonished over the dragon's stamina to repeatedly attack after using such a powerful technique, the Unovan Elite had no choice but to focus on defense. "Stand firm!" encouraged Caitlyn to her pokémon.
"He can't keep attacking! Hold on!" stated Marshall after seeing his pokémon struggle a bit.
Yet Haxorus wasn't stopping his relentless Rock Slide. Dozens and dozens of rocks and boulders was dropped without any slowing down. It didn't take much longer until all four pokémon had their shields shatter because of the area attack. Absolutely shocked over what they were seeing, the Unovan elites screamed for their pokémon to get out of there but it was no use. No matter which direction they turned, they kept getting bombarded by them. "DEAR LORD, AT THIS RATE, IT LOOKS LIKE ASH WILL DEFEAT THE UNOVAN ELITE WITHOUT TOO MUCH TROUBLE! IT'LL TAKE A MIRACLE FOR THEM TO TAKE BACK CONTROL!"
It happened right when the announcer's words stopped being blared out from the stadium speakers. A huge pillar of pink psychic energy dropped down from above and slammed onto the brownish dragon. Haxorus was flattened onto the ground by the incredible energy, causing the concrete floor to cave in from the overwhelming force behind it. The relentless attack finally stopped as the last couple of boulders fell from the sky and broke apart as they smashed into the ground. "WHAT IN THE WORLD JUST HAPPENED?! WHERE DID THAT PINK ENERGY COME FROM?!" He wasn't the only one at a loss over what transpired as most everyone in the stands was in the same confused states. However, the ones battling right now and the rest that were watching from within the field, knew exactly what happened.
Seeing that all five pokémon were lying down on the ground, the referee waited for a little bit to see who would get up. Almost as if on cue, each of the five stirred before raising themselves back up to continue the battle. Seeing them not giving up, the crowd cheered loudly, happy to see the battle continue. Ash's posse yelled out words of encouragement to him and his pokémon. "I can't believe how Haxorus can keep going,"whispered Iris in surprise, catching her friends attention. Clair asked her what she meant for them all. "My Haxorus was taken out by a single attack by Drax's Salamence but Ash's Haxorus is taking a beating like it's nothing." Understanding her, they thought about that a bit before facing the field again.
Ash grit his teeth while looking at his dragon, noticing the bruises on him and sensing his strength and energy had dwindled. Ash cursed at himself mentally for forgetting about Caitlyn's Gothitelle charging up an attack. Damn it, that Future Sight really did a number on Haxorus. He looked at the other pokémon and saw that they too were in bad shape. Well, good news is that they're in the same rough shape as well. Bad news is I can't make any more mistakes. Taking in a breath, Ash called out to his dragon. "Haxorus, can you still go on? Do you want to go on?" he asked and his dragon glanced back at him and locked eyes with his trainer for a moment. Turning his gaze forward, Haxorus let out a loud roar to show he was still in the fight.
After seeing that their pokémon were alright and able to continue and so was their opponent, the four Unovan Elites looked at one another. "So, do we go with plan A or plan B?" asked Marshall sarcastically.
Grimsley scoffed as he shook his head. "You know we don't really have plans. We just wing it."
"Which is probably why we're getting our asses kicked," remarked Caitlyn in annoyance.
Shauntal took off her glasses to wipe them clean. "If you haven't noticed, we're pretty even right now. Our champion's advice to not be rigid in our tactics is what allows us to persevere and win," she reminded the others. Finishing up, she placed her glasses back on. "What we do now is what we always do; adapt, modify and use our individual battling ways to work together."
Agreeing with that, her fellow elites faced their challenger. "Shauntal, remind me to kiss you all over after this," stated Marshall.
"Not required," she replied back, though she blushed heavily over his words.
"Oh get a room you two!" shot an annoyed Caitlyn.
"Someone's jealous at not getting any attention," chuckled Grimsley.
Caitlyn had the urge to smack him upside the head but controlled herself. "Shut up and focus!"
"Hey, you guys do know that we can all hear you right?" called out Ash from the other side of the field.
Their eyes widening and having embarrassed expressions on their faces, the Unovan elites remembered that what they said was heard by everyone. They could hear the laughter from the stands and they turned beet red. Glancing back at their champion, they saw that he was laughing too. "Alder!" Glaring at him, Alder kept laughing and even the other champions and elites were chuckling a bit. Becoming angry and irritated, they faced Ash and narrowed their eyes on him. "Advance!" called out the four at once. Bisharp, Mienshao, Chandelure and Gothitelle moved together towards the dragon.
Ash raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Get ready to intercept!" Taking up a neutral stance, Haxorus waited for them to make a move and adjust accordingly. Taking that as their cue, the four pokémon moved quicker and engaged the dragon at once while their trainers ordered attacks. Mienshao and Bisharp attempted to hit him with physical strikes but Haxorus prevented them by rolling out of the way. A Psybeam was fired at him the second the dragon stood back up. Again he was barely able to dodge out of the way by the skin of his teeth. Chandelure appeared behind him and was about to fire a Shadow Ball again. But Haxorus was ready for that this time and swung his glowing tail at the ghost type. Smashing into Chandelure hard, a loud cry of pain was let out before the ghost was sent flying towards the stadium wall and collided into it before sliding down the wall onto the ground. Ash thought that it was out but then the ghost slowly floated back up but with difficulty. Damn it, but at least that'll buy us some time but we can't keep doing this, thought Ash, seeing Haxorus able to keep things level with the elite pokémon. Wait, where is… Ash then noticed Gothitelle charging up another psychic blast. Oh no you don't! "Haxorus! Earthquake!" Stomping his foot on the ground after dodging another strike, the stadium shook once more, causing his opponents to stumble about and Gothitelle was forced to stop her charging. "Now's our chance! Take out the psychic! Dragon Claw!" Haxorus charged forward and readied his claw to take out the stumbling Gothitelle.
"Get out of there!" screamed Caitlyn, not wanting her pokémon to get taken out.
Haxorus reached the psychic and swung his glowing claw at her. But then Bisharp appeared between them and intercepted the attack with his own bladed hand. Haxorus however didn't let that faze him and had his other claw shoot forward. Yet that too was prevented from reaching its target by Mienshao who had to use both of his hands to catch the dragon's claw.
Caitlyn let out a relieved breath. "Thanks. I thought she was done for. I didn't want to be taken out like that." Her fellow elites replied back that it was nothing and that they got each other's backs. Smiling a bit, Caitlyn refocused on the battle. "Let's show him what we elites can do!"
"Time to finish this," stated Marshall, seeing the dragon immobilized by the two pokémon. "Ash, it was a good battle but all good things must come to an end!" he said to him, expecting the challenger to be worried or show fear.
Ash however was calm and was even grinning a bit. That threw them off. "Why aren't you worried?" asked a confused Shauntal.
His grin growing larger, the elites started to become annoyed. It was then that Haxorus began glowing with his muscles bulging. "What's going on?!" asked a startled Grimsely.
Ash answered him as he yelled out a single word. "Outrage!"
The Unovan elites had their eyes widen in response as they figured it out. Ash had his pokémon target Gothitelle because she was only a long range hitter and made the two close quarters combatants come near her as well to take them all out at once. "Stop him!" shouted the elites together but it was no use.
Haxorus muscled through the two physical hitters holds on him and tackled the psychic with his brute strength, making her go flying into the wall while screaming. Gothitelle collided agasint the wall before she dropped down onto the ground unconscious. Turning back around to face the others, he was hit with several strikes from the two pokémon that made him grunt with pain. But then he caught Bisharp's strike and then used him as a tool to hit the ghost pokémon who had appeared near them and was about to spew out flames. Immediately after, he slammed his tail against them, smashing them into the ground and those two pokémon were taken out, leaving only Mienshao. The fighter was panting heavily, having taken quite a bit of damage when Haxorus literally plowed through him and Bisharp. But the dragon's rampage was over, leaving him panting while starting to see double from his exhaustion.
Seeing that he was the only one left, Marshall clenched his hands into fists. "Damn it! You may have the upper hand now but it's not over yet Ash!"
"I didn't think it was," replied back Ash but he knew that Haxorus was on his last legs and was now suffering from confusion. It was a heavy gamble what he just did but he had faith in his pokémon. Looks like I have a lot more training to do. But I came to win and that's what we're going to do! It was right then when Marshall had his Mienshao attack and the fighting type unleashed a flurry of devastating strikes onto the defenseless dragon. Seeing this, Ash shouted out some encouragement. "Haxorus, I know you're tired buddy but let's win this one for the person who made me realize how much potential and power your kind has so long ago!" His words made many in the stadium to think about who he was talking about. Only one had an idea from his group but didn't say a word about it yet.
Haxorus was in excruciating pain and was exhausted, but he heard his trainer's words. It resonated with him and caused his body to start pumping adrenaline. Gaining some much needed energy from it, the dragon broke free from the fighter's onslaught by striking him with a Dragon Claw. Mienshao took a couple steps back and wobbled but stayed on his feet.
"Mienshao, don't give up! You can win! Focus Blast!"
"Give it everything you have! Giga Impact!"
Haxorus glowed an intense white while Mienshao focused all of its mental power. Both pokémon poured everything they had into their final attacks, wanting to win for their trainer and friend. The dragon shot forward all of a sudden and the fighter launched his concentrated blast of energy in close range of himself. Exploding on impact the second the dragon and the energy sphere collided, the field and both pokémon were covered in smoke with only their screams of pain heard. "WHAT A WAY TO END THIS BATTLE! WHICH ONE OF THOSE TWO SURVIVED?!" Everyone in the stadium held their breath as they waited to see the outcome. Slowly the smoke cleared to reveal one of the pokémon out cold while the other was barely standing, taking in heavy, wheezing breaths.
Seeing the victor, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. "Haxorus is still standing while Mienshao is unconscious. The battle and victory goes to Ash Ketchum who has defeated the Unovan Elites!"Immediately after his words, Ash ran to his pokémon and hugged the dragon while giving out words of praise. Seeing that occur, the crowd cheered over the outcome.
Stunned over their defeat, the Unovan Elite took a moment before returning their pokémon and praised them for their efforts. Remembering to turn off their microphones, they did so and then they looked at one another. "So, that was fun. I was entertained. How about you guys?" asked a chuckling Marshall.
Shauntal took off her glasses and wiped them with the bottom of her blouse. "I can't believe I'm saying this but I had more fun than reading my books," she revealed to them before putting on her glasses.
Marshall had his jaw drop and the other two chuckled. "Looks like you got competition," joked Grimsley, knowing how to push his friend's buttons.
"Shut up man!" whined Marshall while the two girls giggled. Shauntal gave a quick wink at Caitlyn afterwards, who smirked in understanding that she was only messing with his mind.
"Hey guys." Turning their attention to Ash now, the four of them composed themselves. "I just wanted to say thank you for the great match," he told them, raising his hand.
Being the first to respond, Caitlyn walked a couple steps closer, grasped his hand and shook it. "Right back at you. I must say I'm impressed. Good luck with your other matches." Ash thanked her and with that, she let go and moved to where her champion was standing with a proud look on his face.
Grimsley went next and shook his hand. "Those were some interesting tactics you used back there. Caught us off guard. We should do this again but next time, let's go one on one," he suggested and Ash agreed to that.
After him, Shauntal shook his hand with Marshall eyeing the two nervously. "Ash, that was a grand battle. Would you allow me to write about this from my view and post it on my blog?" she asked him.
Marshal was stunned over her question and Ash rubbed the back of his head after stopping the handshake. "A-Ah sure, I guess," he replied back and she thanked him with a smile before following after her fellow elites.
Marshall was the last one to exchange words with him as he shook hands with Ash. "Good battle Ash. You've truly strong." After thanking him and complimenting him as well, the raven haired trainer wondered why he was being so weird when he moved in closer. "Look, about Shauntal, she may be…"
"Stop right there," interrupted Ash, now knowing what was up and Marshall narrowed his eyes a bit. "You have nothing to worry about so don't even start. Alright?"
Looking into his eyes, the fighting type trainer could see that he was being straight with him. Instantly his demeanor changed. "Alright then! Good luck with your battles against the other elites!" he said happily and gave him a hard smack against his back, playing it off like a pat on the shoulder. Marshall then went to join his champion and elites, maneuvering to be next to the ghost type trainer.
Shaking his head, Ash let out a half chuckle mixed with a disbelieving scoff while making his way back to his side of the field. "WITH THE UNOVAN ELITES TAKEN OUT AS WELL, THE GUARDIAN WILL NOW FACE THE SINNOH ELITE AFTER THE FIELD IS CHANGED!" With the loud mechanical sounds signaling that, the raven haired guardian spoke with his starter pokémon as they waited. In the stands, many conversations were heard throughout the stadium as they passed the time until the elite matches continued.
Among them, a certain blue haired dragon trainer was thinking heavily about the battle she just witnessed. She had no idea how powerful and resilient a Haxorus could be. But after seeing her beloved's pokémon, she had to have one of her own. It was then that she remembered that there was someone she could ask where she could find one in Unova. "Hey Iris…" Waiting until she faced her, Clair continued her question. "Since you have a Haxorus of your own, do you know where to find one?"
Iris smiled a bit. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, after seeing this battle, it made me realize how powerful and cool they are. And well I…"
"I understand. I'll help you find one," interrupted Iris, knowing what she wanted to ask. "There's an area near my village where you can sometimes find its pre-evolved form, Axew. I can show you the exact place but it'll be a bit of a hike," explained the purple haired girl.
Clair let a large smile spread on her face. "Sounds good Iris. I owe you one," said the blunette happily.
Waving her hand, Iris shook her head. "Naw, don't worry about it." Thanking her again, Clair then began speaking with Liza as Iris turned her attention towards the raven haired guardian on the field. So this is what a true dragon trainer is capable of. To think that Haxorus, a pokémon that I have as well, can have so much power to defeat four elite level pokémon at once. Thinking about that made Iris wonder exactly what kind of training Ash did with his pokémon. She remembered what he did in his memories that were shown to them all but she knew it was only a fraction of what he did.
Iris wasn't the only one thinking heavily in the group however. The former Pewter City gym leader was preoccupied with thinking over his best friend's choices. Brock was wondering why Ash used Delphox instead of Greninja in his match against Kalos and why he didn't have Emboar compete against Unova instead of Haxorus. Both of his choices were surely not as experienced as the others. He could have easily had another pokémon switch with guarding Natasha. Yet he knew that Ash wouldn't do that. But then again, it was like what Norman had said before and he agreed. But Brock also felt that something else was the reason why behind his choices. What's the real reason behind your choices Ash?
As Brock thought about that, Ash's girlfriends were speaking to each other excitedly. They were very impressed to say the least about their beloved's success. Sure, they knew he had become powerful but seeing him beating the elites while handicapped was completely different. "This is incredible. Both Kalos and Unova have been defeated. But the elites aren't going down without a fight. They're giving it everything they have," remarked Anabel and her sisters agreed with her.
Leaf turned to the blonde from Johto after her words. "Hey Sarah, when you faced the Johto Elites, were they going all out like this?"
They all turned to face Sarah and so did the others in the group. Shaking her head, Sarah let out a sigh. "They were tough no doubt and did go hard on me, but it was nothing like this," revealed the blonde girl, making the others become surprised. "It's like my battle with them was just another challenger but this…" She faced the field and locked her eyes onto Ash. "…these battles with Ash are like something else. It's as if they're trying to prove something to everyone and to themselves."
Her revelation made them all think about that and the black haired girl spoke up. "That makes sense if you think about it," said Giselle, drawing their attention to her, making her go red slightly. Gesturing her to go on, Giselle took in a breath and explained. "It just hit me now. Ash challenged the world's elites to a handicap match because he wants to test his strength right? And didn't Arceus tell the Champions to tell their elites to go all out and not hold anything back?" Nodding their heads as they remembered that, Giselle continued explaining. "So the elites are trying to do as their champions told them to and they're probably doing this for themselves too, to show that they are strong. Ash's challenge most likely has annoyed if not made them angry."
Understanding dawning on them, it was then that they also realized what the valedictorian was talking about. "That makes perfect sense," stated May and she turned to face the blunette from Sinnoh. "Looks like your home region is up next. You feel excited?" asked the brunette from Hoenn.
Dawn smiled as she faced the new field that was finally finished being set. "Yes I am," admitted Dawn as she raised her hand and grasped the necklace he had given her after their date. "Though they represent my home region, I can't wait to see how Ash beats them," she said fiercely. "And I have a feeling that this will be a little more interesting because it's Cynthia's Elites too." Her sisters smiled and stated their agreement with that as they too paid attention to the starting battle.
While the field was being changed, the Sinnoh elites spoke to each other about their plans and tactics in low voices. "The plans we made with Cynthia should be good enough but after what we've seen, we need to be ready to adjust accordingly," stated Lucian.
Aaron shook his head a bit. "What we decided with our champion is good against any pokémon, regardless of type, experience or power. We just need to stay focused and not get side tracked," said the bug type trainer.
"Agreed," said Bertha as she looked at Cynthia. The two shared a smile and nodded. "We'll have to show the power of Sinnoh so everyone knows what we're capable of."
Flint had a grin form on his face. "Exactly." He also looked at his champion, making her tilt her head a bit. "And we'll be testing to see if this guy is good enough for our champion," stated the fire trainer, making Cynthia's eyes widen and her face to flush red.
The others around them all looked at the Sinnoh Champion because of Flint's words. It was at that moment that those who didn't know if Cynthia and Ash were together or not for sure had their suspicions confirmed. Her reddened face told it all. "Flint…"
"Don't worry boss," interrupted Flint as the field finished changing. "We're just gonna have some fun battling against your boyfriend. But fair warning, we won't be going easy on him. Only the best can be with our champion after what you've been through in the past," he told her. His words made Caitlyn look at him curiously.
"Flint!" shot Cynthia angrily over his slip up, warning him to not say anymore, startling the other elites and champions.
"Yea yea, I got ya," replied Flint as he and his fellow elites moved towards their trainer's box. "That was close," he muttered under his breath.
"You're an idiot," stated Lucian seriously in a low voice. "You should know better than to remind her of that."
"I know you care about our champion just like us, but you need to watch what you say," advised Bertha calmly and Flint nodded his head.
Changing of the field finally done brought the next match to begin as the Sinnoh Elites stopped in their trainer's box and Ash was in his. The referee held up both flags and signaled the start of the match with his flags. Immediately the Sinnoh Elites tossed out their poke balls and four battle ready pokémon appeared with three of them making loud roars. After sensing their power with his aura, the raven haired guardian threw a poke ball into the air and it opened with a flash of bright light. "AND THE THIRD ROUND OF THE ELITE MATCHES HAS BEGUN! WE HAVE DRAPION, RHYPERIOR, INFERNAPE AND BRONZONG CHOSEN TO BE SINNOH'S REPRESENTATIVES! AND THE POKÉMON CHOSEN BY THE CHALLENGER WHO WILL BATTLE THEM ALL AT ONCE IS EMPOLEON! WE HAVE TWO RARE AND EXCLUSIVE SINNOH STARTERS FULLY EVOLVED RIGHT HERE IN KANTO!" Going crazy with anticipation of the battle, the crowd was making so much more noise now than before. Dawn had her eyes widen and she let out a gasp over her beloved's choice but soon she was cheering with a happy look on her face. She knew that the water type had much potential, since one of her strongest was her Piplup.
Seeing his brother's chosen pokémon for the match, it was then that Brock understood and he started chuckling quietly. That drew his fiancée's attention. "What's so funny?" asked Lucy.
Finishing up, the pokémon doctor wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her in closer so he could whisper in her ear. "I finally realized the reason why Ash has chosen these particular pokémon so far and I'm pretty sure I know who he's going to pick next for the remaining three battles if he continues to win," he confided in her.
Becoming stunned over what she heard, Lucy raised her gaze to meet his eyes. "Really?! What is the reason and who is he going to have battle in the next ones if he does win?!" asked the Pike Queen in a hushed voice. Telling her he'll say later because he doesn't want others to hear him, Lucy pouted but Brock didn't give in. That earned him a pinch on his side from her that made him yelp loudly and their friends laughed at him over the sound he made.
Back on the field, Empoleon was standing tall and eyeing his opponents. Infernape cracked his knuckles while sporting a wicked grin on his face. Rhyperior was having his two horns on his head alternate their spinning. Drapion was snapping close his claws and opening them repeatedly. Bronzong was hovering in the air but otherwise motionless.
Everything was calm and quiet in the arena between the five pokémon, though the stadium was buzzing because of the spectators. Ash looked at the Sinnoh Elite across from him. The four of them were sporting similar expressions of seriousness. He was wondering why they weren't speaking or cracking jokes or anything of the sort like the previous two teams of elites. Moving his eyes onto their champion, he saw the same serious gaze on her as well. Understanding dawning on him, Ash faced the opposition and a grin formed on his face. "Well, if you're not going start the show, then I guess it's up to us to get this started! Blizzard!" A howling storm of ice and snow was summoned out of nowhere by the emperor pokémon at once before launching it towards the four elite pokémon.
"Heat Wave!" shot Flint in return. A scorching wave of super heated air was brought up by the fire monkey towards the blizzard. The two opposite elements collided in the middle of the field and caused a reaction, causing a heavy mist to blanket the arena and cover the combatants.
Though they couldn't see their pokémon at the moment, the ground type trainer said her command to take advantage. "Earthquake!" ordered Bertha and her drill pokémon stomped on the ground hard, making the area shake heavily. Infernape avoided the damage by jumping on top of Bronzong in the air and Drapion climbed on top of Rhyperior to avoid it as well.
When the shaking finally stopped, no sounds were heard from within the mist. "Clear out the mist!" requested Lucian and his Bronzong used his psychic powers to clear the field.
It revealed Empoleon kneeling with his large shield like arm wings coated in a metallic sheen and dug into the ground. He had used Steel Wing to anchor himself to the ground during the quakes to limit the damage he received tremendously. "Flash Cannon!" capitalized Ash, seeing their stunned looks. A silver colored energy beam was fired at once from the water type's mouth.
"Horn Drill!" Rhyperior lowered his head slightly and charged towards the attack, shocking the guardian and his pokémon. The instant the beam of energy collided against the spinning horn, it dispersed into smaller beams of energy before they dissipated into the air.
Not letting him find room to breathe, Aaron told his pokémon to attack. "Pin Missile!" Drapion launched dozens of needle shaped projectiles rapidly.
Ash knew that he couldn't dodge those since they were too fast and also saw that Rhyperior was still advancing, with his horn still spinning. Shit! "Iron Defense!" Empoleon hardened his body to the point of it being steel like to meet the incoming projectiles. Bouncing off his body with no damage done whatsoever, the needles dropped to the ground before they faded away. It was then that the rhino drew in closer to the penguin, intending to stab him with his spinning horn. "Metal Claw!" Right as he was about to make contact, Rhyperior was struck with two metalized claws on both sides of his body with so much strength that they dug into his rock hard skin, making the ground type let out painful shouts. The impact of the charge however was enough to make Empoleon be pushed back many feet until he finally stopped, though he was saved by the one hit KO move. That was close, thought Ash, taking in a breather.
"No time to rest!" shot Flint, finally speaking. "Close Combat!" Infernape sprinted towards the immobilized water type.
"Break free and use Bubble Beam to counter!" yelled out Ash and his pokémon tugged and pulled, trying to free his claws. They had gone in very deep into the rhino's skin.
Bertha realized that the penguin was having difficulty getting free and used the opportunity to immobilize him further. "Don't let him get free! Rock Polish!" His body began polishing itself, making Rhyperior's normally rugged and rough skin become more streamlined and smooth. As a result, it caused the skin around Empoleon's claws to tighten and prevented them from being able to withdraw.
Appearing behind him, the fire monkey let loose a devastating flurry of rapid punches and kicks against the steel penguin's back. "Empoleon!" called out Ash in concern over his pokémon's cries of pain. "You can do it! Use Metal Claw to break free and then get out of there with Aqua Jet!" Trying to do as his trainer said, Empoleon ignored the pain from Infernape's hits but was unable to free himself.
Aaron and Lucian glanced at one another and nodded before facing the battle again. "Drapion, once more! Pin Missile!"
"Get in there with the others and use Psyshock Bronzong!" Maneuvering to opposite sides of the stuck water type, the ogre scorpion fired the green needles against the penguin's left side while the bell pokémon launched purple psychic bullets against the penguin's right side.
Screams and shouts were heard from many in the stands and Ash's family and friends were beyond worried over what was happening. Dawn stood up from her seat and shouted out for the pokémon in fright with her mother Johanna holding her so she wouldn't lose balance and fall over. "THIS COULD BE THE END! THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON IS TRAPPED AND IS CONSTANTLY BOMBARDED FROM PRACTICALLY ALL SIDES! LOOKS LIKE HIS ELITE RUN MAY JUST END HERE FOLKS!" Absolutely astonished over what was happening, everyone in the stadium couldn't believe what they were observing. Even the elites and champions weren't expecting something like this.
Seeing that he was about lose, Domino glanced at Oakley and Annie who nodded. Taking out her smart phone, the undercover agent dialed in a number to be ready to contact their allies to start their attack the moment the guardian lost. Filling up with anxiousness, the two sisters held hands as they waited for their mission to begin once the official statement of the guardian's failure was stated.
In the green trainer's box, Ash was at a loss. He didn't know what to do. No matter what he told his pokémon to do to get free, it didn't work. What am I supposed to do? he asked himself in his mind as he watched his pokémon continuously get pummeled. Everything I've tried isn't working! If this continues, Empoleon could be hurt permanently! How do I turn this around? It was at that moment that Empoleon dropped to one knee from the onslaught, panting heavily yet refusing to go completely down. His steel typing was helping him receive less damage than normal but it was beginning to take its toll. Seeing that occur, Ash felt his heart beat quicken. Damn. It looks like I'm not ready yet but that doesn't mean I'll let him get hurt anymore! I have to stop this! Opening his mouth to say what he intended to say, he was going to say the two words he thought he'd never say in his life when it came to battling. "I…"
If you quit now, then what are we supposed to do in the future? Mewtwo's voice was heard in his mind, making him freeze and prevented him from continuing. We have trained for far worse than this.
I know Mewtwo. But Empoleon is getting wrecked! He can't continue! If this goes on…
Have you forgotten the harsh training we have all endured these past few years? Interrupted the psychic feline, making the guardian become quiet again. Have you forgotten the aura bond you forged with your pokémon during that time? That which allows them to withstand more and increases their power? Have you forgotten the two previous battles with the elites you just had? Have you forgotten that your pokémon can sense and feel what you're going through as well?
Of course not. I know that! But I…
Mewtwo silenced him again with another interruption. Then you know that Empoleon can still fight! If you lose, then so be it! We'll know what to work on because of that! But if you're going to lose, then go down fighting! Never surrender and never back down! You've never done that before so don't start now!
Remembering some of the things he and his pokémon went through during their hellish three year training allowed Ash to realize that Mewtwo was right. He couldn't give up just because things got difficult. He never did before and he wasn't going to start now. That was how he was able to overcome both the Kalos Elites and the Unovan Elites. And he was going to do it again. But if he was going to lose, so be it and just like his comrade in arms said, he'll go down fighting. Thank you Mewtwo. Refocusing on the match and his pokémon, Ash quickly came up with a plan. It was a last ditch effort but if it worked, it could even the playing field. "EMPOLEON!" roared Ash, startling many in the stadium from his sudden shout. "YOU CAN DO THIS! DON'T GIVE UP!" Hearing the confidence from his trainer's voice revitalized the steel penguin. Summoning his strength, he slowly stood back up even against the relentless attacks, shocking everyone in the stadium except for one. That's it! You're doing great! We're going to use the water in the pool to get back in the fight! After standing upright fully, Empoleon had his special ability activate. A bright blue outline appeared around him and his eyes glowed blue as well.
"No way! This isn't good!" yelped Aaron.
"Keep going, don't let him do anything!" ordered Lucian.
"Give it everything you got Infernape!" commanded Flint.
"Don't let him break free! Keep him there and if need be, finish it with Horn Drill!" shouted Bertha.
Hearing them say those statements made Ash bolder, sensing their fear over what was happening. "THAT'S IT! KEEP GOING BUDDY!" Focusing his power, the pool of water in the middle of the field began glowing as well as it started to spin before it began traveling up into the air. It went higher and higher up as the speed of its spinning intensified. Except for the four pokémon trying to defeat their opponent before it could unleash its attack, all sets of eyes were on the water tornado. "EMPOLEON! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE! WHIRLPOOL!"
With a loud battle cry, the Sinnoh water starter glowed a bright blue as he had the water tornado travel towards him and the elite pokémon. With fear coating their voices, the elites told their pokémon to get out of there but it was no use. For the whirlpool was way too big and moved quickly towards them. It reached the five pokémon and engulfed them all in its dangerous spinning yet only one was unaffected by its power. The force behind the water tornado was enough to pull Rhyperior away from Empoleon with ease, finally allowing the penguin to be free of him. Lifting the four pokémon up into its vortex, the elite pokémon tried to get out by using many different moves and abilities but nothing allowed them to escape. The only things they could do were let out terrified screams and shouts.
Ash sensed that Empoleon was finally freed from Rhyperior and he let out a sigh of relief. Good, that's taken care of. But we need to finish this battle before he runs out of steam. "Empoleon, get some distance from it!" Concentrating his power, the water starter had the whirlpool back towards the middle of the field where the water was originally and stopped there. "Good! Now, Ice Beam!" Raising his arms forward towards the water tornado, a bluish white ball of icy energy appeared between his claws before firing the beam. The second it connected with it, the water tornado began freezing. It didn't take too long to have the entire giant whirlpool become a tower of ice. With his task done, Empoleon hunched over and panted heavily, losing the glow around him and from his eyes. Exhausted, he wanted to just keel over but forced himself to remain standing and stay on guard just in case.
Seeing their pokémon frozen solid in a tower of ice, the Sinnoh elite were aghast over what happened. They had their opponent up against the ropes and they should've won. Yet they never expected a comeback like this. "The Sinnoh Elite have had their pokémon defeated with that final move. The winner of this match goes to…"
"Hold on a second!" shot Flint, stopping the referee from finishing. "This battle ain't over yet!"
"Flint, just let it go," advised Aaron but Flint didn't listen.
"Flint!" snapped Cynthia in anger, startling everyone around her. "Accept your defeat!"
Looking back at his champion, Flint could see she was angry. But so was he. "I will if I truly am! But I'm not!" Facing forward he threw out his left arm and yelled as loudly as he could. "INFERNAPE! FLAME WHEEL!" Every single set of eyes searched for the fire monkey in the icy pillar. But as the seconds passed, nothing happened. Aaron went up to his best friend to talk and calm him down but Flint was having none of it. He brushed off his words and roared again. "INFERNAPE!"
It was after that second time he called out his name that Ash sensed something. Looking at a spot in the top half of the ice pillar, he could tell that energy was building. Very hot energy. "EMPOLEON! IT'S NOT OVER YET! STAY ALERT!" he bellowed, making everyone become confused over why he would say that when the battle was done.
Until a glowing red sphere became visible inside the pillar that made the spectators let out startled gasps and yelps. Next second, the top half of the ice tower exploded, sending sharp shards of ice high into the air that melted from the sun's light. On top of the ice pillar stood the fire monkey, panting heavily yet was outlined in a red glow with his eyes glowing red. His Blaze ability had activated and his body was now surging with adrenaline. "HOLY SHIIIOOOOOT! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?! EVEN AFTER BEING SPUN AROUND LIKE A RAG DALL AND BEING FROZEN SOLID, INFERNAPE IS STILL IN THE FIGHT! WHAT WILL!" At first silent over the last couple of minutes, the stadium erupted over what they were witnessing.
Ash kept his gaze on the fire type for a little bit, sensing that he had gotten an energy burst from his Blaze ability. Shifting his gaze to look at his pokémon, he saw the water type looking at him. Seeing the expression on his face, the guardian was left in an astonished state over what he wanted. Are you sure? Nodding his head, the emperor penguin straightened himself out and locked eyes with his opponent as his Torrent ability also reactivated, giving him a much needed energy boost but it wasn't as much as before.
Flint smirked as he saw them get ready. "Looks like we'll be continuing this. But first, free your comrades Infernape!" Using his boost, the fire monkey punched the center of the icy pillar hard. Numerous cracks formed on it before it shattered into countless pieces, freeing the three pokémon inside. Rhyperior, Drapion and Bronzong fell onto the ground unconscious before they were returned while Infernape landed on his feet. "Time to get some payback! Mach Punch!" With outstanding speed, Infernape shot forward, leaving Empoleon no time to react whatsoever. His fist smashed against his chest, making the water type take a few steps backwards. "Flamethrower!"
"Water Pulse!" countered Ash. A blast of pulsing water was fired from Empoleon's beak as a stream of flames was let out from Infernape's mouth. Both supercharged attacks collided and caused an explosion from their reaction, throwing both pokémon off their feet.
Getting back up as quickly as he could, Infernape was becoming angry and let out a rage filled roar. "That's it! Get mad! Lose yourself in it! Draw power from it! Brick Break!" His hand glowing white as he shot forward, he slammed it against the side of the water type's head who had barely gotten up.
Empoleon stumbled several feet to the side, disorientated from the hit. "Empoleon! Gather your senses! He's coming at you from the left!" he warned his pokémon as the fire monkey drew in closer.
Flint however let out a laugh. "Thunder Punch!" Infernape switched up his angle of attack quickly and had his electrified fist smash against his target's side, making Empoleon drop to his knee. "One more should do it! Finish it!" Infernape complied and had his electrified fist shoot forward once more.
It didn't strike the intended area however. Empoleon was able to outmaneuver the agile monkey by the skin of his teeth and caught his arm. A look of surprise was formed on both pokémon and his trainer. "You're right Flint," called out Ash and the elite moved his gaze to the guardian's. "It is time to finish this," he said, making Flint have his eyes widen. "Send him flying!" Lifting up the fire starter, the water type slammed him against the ground hard, causing him to let out a soundless gasp from the pain he felt. Not letting him recover, Empoleon then tossed him towards the other side of the field where he crashed against the ground.
A couple seconds later, he slowly raised himself back up to his feet. He faced the steel penguin while panting, the red glow still in his eyes and outlining him. Seeing that Empoleon was charging up a sphere of water, he too began charging up a ball of flames in front of him. Both Ash and Flint sent out their final commands as their pokémon finished up.
"Blast Burn!"
"Hydro Cannon!"
Both Sinnoh starters fired their respective elemental blasts towards one another. Empoleon was hit and engulfed in the fiery inferno, making him yell in anguish before it exploded and covered him in smoke. Infernape too was swallowed up by the blast of water before it caused him to soar through the air and crashed into the stadium wall, drawing up a dust cloud. "WHAT LAST DITCH EFFORTS MADE BY THE TWO SINNOH STARTERS! IT SEEMS IT'S ALL DOWN TO THIS FOLKS! BOTH GAVE IT THEIR ALL WITH AMAZING ENDURANCE AND POWER BUT ONLY ONE CAN WIN! WHO WILL IT BE?!" Holding its breath until they saw who the victor is, the crowd was unusually quiet. Finally, after a moment, the smoke and dust cloud cleared away and revealed the two pokémon. Both were still standing yet their glowing eyes and outlines were gone, absolutely shocking everyone so much that no one could speak. One of them began walking towards the other, using every ounce of will he could muster. He wanted to continue for his trainer and friend. To show the world how powerful they both are. Yet he only was able to take a few more steps before his exhaustion and damage took its toll on him, making him drop to one knee. Taking in one more breath, the pokémon gave a quick smirk to show his respect before he blacked out and fell face forward.
A moment passed with no one making a sound or moving. Seeing that the match was finally done, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. "This battle is concluded with the winner causing the Sinnoh Elite's first defeat in a long time. Victory goes to Empoleon and Ash! The challenger gets to move on to face the next region's elites!" Learning the outcome of the battle, a woman holding her phone with her thumb hovering over the green button put away her phone without calling and the two other females with her let out long sighs.
Hearing that they won made the steel penguin feel so happy that he just closed his eyes and relished in the euphoria he was feeling right then. Sensing that, Ash went up to his pokémon with a large smile on his face and when he reached him, congratulated him but also apologized for being out of it during the middle of the battle. Empoleon accepted the apology and the two celebrated with Pikachu cheering as well.
After the referee announced that they lost, it took Flint a moment to realize that before he returned his pokémon. Glancing at his fellow elites, Flint knew what they were going to say based on their expressions. Turning off his microphone, they copied him as he began to speak. "Don't say it. I know," he told them before turning around to walk away.
Placing his hand on his friend's shoulder, Aaron made him stop before speaking. "Hey, it was a good battle. We almost had him and gave it everything we got. That's all that matters. Alright?" he told him.
Flint let out a sigh but then nodded slightly. "Yeah, you're right," he said quietly. Looking at his friend, he then noticed that Bertha, Lucian and Cynthia were also standing around him. Feeling suddenly nervous and scared over Cynthia's blank look, he started wringing his hands. "L-Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to admit defeat a-and I wanted to show everyone that just because you and Ash are together…" Cynthia's cheeks reddened over his words. "…doesn't mean that we'll go easy on him. And that…"
Cynthia raised her hand to silence him and he shut up at once. "I get it and I understand," she said quietly so only they and the nearby elites and champions could hear her. "But you should know that whatever I do in my personal life is really nobody's business but mine alone. I appreciate the fact that you respect me so much as your champion and friend that you would fight and argue on my behalf, but I don't want you to do that. Understood?" Flint nodded and said he got it. Cynthia looked at her other elites. "This goes for you too. Alright?" Understanding her, Bertha, Aaron and Lucian also nodded their heads. "Good. No matter what others say, don't let it bother you. Because I can take care of myself, you know that. And if somehow I can't do something on my own, I know I have you guys but still…" Looking towards the raven haired guardian who was now walking up to them, she allowed a smile to form on her face. "…don't worry for I have someone who will face the world if need be for me," she finished saying before her beloved reached them.
Hearing the Sinnoh Champion say all that made them all think about what she just said. It was only then that many of the elites fully realized what the champions and a couple of their fellow elites already knew, which was that the love between Cynthia and Ash is real. That realization made Flint feel stupid over his actions and a few of the elite females to become envious of what the blonde champion had found.
After reaching them, Ash smiled at Cynthia before facing her elites. "That was an awesome battle and thank you for helping me get stronger," he told them before raising his hand.
Lucian was the first to shake hands with him. "And thank you for those same reasons."
His hand let go only to be replaced with Aaron's, Ash shook his hand as well. "I would like to know a few of your training secrets if you don't mind," asked the bug type trainer.
Thinking about that for a bit, he then nodded afterwards. "Sure but only after all this is done," he replied back.
Thanking him, Aaron barely let go of Ash's hand when Bertha shoved him out of the way with her body before hugging the raven haired guardian. "Oh that was so much fun! Reminded me of the days I battled against the current Pokémon Master! Thank you!" she said happily, completely not hearing Aaron's mumbling from her action.
Ash had his eyes widened over what she said. "Thanks but you battled the Pokémon Master?!" he asked her in amazement.
"Yes, I did and you gave me an even better spanking than he did!" she said.
Becoming very flustered over what she just said and how she was acting, Ash was feeling very uncomfortable. So much so that he was about to send a mental request of help to Cynthia but didn't need to. For Cynthia had heard what Bertha said and that made her both embarrassed and angry, making her react quickly. Grabbing hold of her elite, Cynthia pulled Bertha away from Ash while chastising her for her words and behavior while many around them laughed.
Flint used the opportunity to move closer to Ash and raised his hand. "Great battle. I'm sorry about before. But I would like to say that I'm glad to know that Cynthia has a man like you in her life since she's like my older sister," he told him with respect.
Genuinely surprised over his words, Ash composed himself quickly and nodded. "Thanks and I'll do anything for her…" he told the fire trainer before letting go and looking at Cynthia who was still berating Bertha. "…because I love her." Hearing him say that made everyone, both elites and champions to freeze, since none of them was expecting him to say it outright. Cynthia even gave him a surprised look, her face turning crimson. Smiling at her, Ash turned to walk back to his trainer's box but then stopped and glanced back at her. "Cynthia, I hope you haven't forgotten what we talked about. I'm half way done with the elites. Soon, you'll have to keep your word," he reminded her. Giving her a charming smile along with a wink, Ash let that sink in for a few seconds before continuing on his way back to his side of the field.
Cynthia was left in a completely stunned stated, not believing what he just did and said in front of many. She didn't even notice that every single pair of eyes from the elites and champions was on her. They were all wondering just what on earth that was all about, especially several of the females. But luckily for the Sinnoh Champion, she was soon brought out of her frozen trance and saved from questions when the announcer began speaking. "WITH THREE OF THE ELITE TEAMS OF THE WORLD DEFEATED, WE HAVE REACHED THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE ELITE BATTLES! WE WILL TAKE A QUICK THIRTY MINUTE BREAK BEFORE CONTINUING! GRAB SOME SNACKS, RELIEVE YOURSELVES OR JUST RELAX IN YOUR SEATS UNTIL WE START THE CRAZINESS THAT HAS BEEN TODAY AGAIN!" Using that as their cue, the elites and champions started heading into their trainer's tunnel but one remained behind. Cynthia looked at Ash from across the field and the two exchanged smiles at one another before both headed towards their respective rooms in the tunnels.
With the thirty minute break announced, many in the stadium got out of their seats to take care of business. Whether it was to purchase some more snacks and drinks or to go use the restrooms, soon those once entertained people were now waiting impatiently in lines. Yet the stadium was filled with buzzing conversations going on over what they had had just witnessed with their own eyes. Though they saw it in person, most of them still couldn't believe it. How three regions had their elites defeated even with the odds in their favor. Sure, each one was close to the wire but still, their challenger had come out on top. To say they were impressed and flabbergasted was the least. And that was also true for the raven haired guardian's group, even though they did believe in him. His girlfriends wanted to go to him but were told by the parents not to so he could relax a bit and be able to focus on his remaining battles. Agreeing to that, they spent the time talking to one another over the battles they just witnessed.
While they did that, several from that group had gone up to get some snacks as well. Right now, five of them were in line waiting for their turn to order popcorn and drinks for themselves and their girlfriends. The youngest of the five let out a sigh. "Man, this line is taking forever, huh?" he asked to no one in particular.
Agreeing with him, the other four also let out sighs. "You're correct on that Max," remarked Cress as he crossed his arms.
"You think there might be a shorter line somewhere else?" asked Richie as he looked around them.
Chili shook his head while glaring at the cashier. "No and they're all moving slower than freakin Slowpokes man."
Whining a little, Richie hung his head. "Why did we have to go get the food?"
"Pregnant fiancée and four girlfriends," answered Brock instantly, reminding them of that. "And you're not going to ask the other girls to get food for you or the parents either cause that'll be rude."
Max hung his head. "Yea, I guess you're right."
Chili however scoffed, wrapping his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Ah c'mon! In this day and age? What about all the gender equality crap then huh?!"
"You know what, you're right Chili. Why don't you go back and ask Violet to go grab food for you while you sit and wait. See how she'll like that," replied Cress seriously, making his rash brother have his eyes widen in realization.
"Ah, on second thought, I'd rather not have to deal with a pissed off girl," commented Chili and the others chuckled, agreeing with him. The five of them resigned to their fates and waited for their turn.
As the five of them killed time by joking and talking, some distance away from them, three others was in the same situation. But two out of the three were engaged in conversation while the third was just looking around them, observing what was happening among the crowd. After a couple minutes of waiting in line, the third person saw someone a little away from them. Her lips spreading into a smile, she began walking towards the person. "Georgia? Where are you going?" asked her friend.
"I'm gonna go see someone. I'll find you later back in the stands Burgundy," answered the red head.
"Wait, do you even know where Cilan's group is?" she asked after her but all she got was a wave of her friend's hand as if to say don't worry about it. Turning to face the green haired man next to her, she reddened slightly. "Are you sure it's okay if we joined them Cilan?" asked Burgundy in a low voice.
Though he was worried about what might happen if he showed up with two other girls to the group, Cilan didn't want to have Burgundy carry his worries as well. And he remembered that he and Iris had made amends and promised to help each other pursue what they really wanted. "I'm sure it's alright so there's no need to worry," he responded back with a small smile. Burgundy replied back with a smile of her own. It was at that moment that someone bumped into her accidently and made her move forward onto Cilan who caught her and kept her upright. The one who bumped into her apologized, saying he was in a hurry and moved away. "Are you alright?" asked Cilan with concern
Looking up at him, she saw the concern in his eyes and that made her heart beat a little faster. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," she told him, steadily turning redder by the second since she was in his embrace and the two were alone. Seeing the way she was looking at him made Cilan became nervous. Separating from him as casually as she could, Burgundy did her best to stay composed since she felt embarrassed. "So, Ash sure has become strong. I never thought he'd get this powerful," remarked Burgundy offhandedly in an effort to move things along.
Noticing what she was trying to do, Cilan agreed with that by nodding his head before commenting, though he too had reddened. "True. He has worked incredibly hard to get to the level he's at during his time away from everyone," he answered her. As the two of them continued talking to pass the time until their turn was up, they steadily closed the distance between each other without even realizing it.
When Georgia left her two friends in the line, she walked quickly towards the person she saw in the distance. Though they kept in touch via phone calls and messages, it had been a long time since she had seen her in person and missed her greatly. The closer she got to her, the bigger her smile became as she saw her friend's signature long purple hair tied into three pony tails more clearly now. The purple haired girl was waiting in line with her arms crossed, staring at the slowly moving stadium worker with narrowed eyes. Always annoyed by the smallest things. Georgia chuckled quietly to herself over that as another thought came to her. It's been a while since we hung out. Suddenly getting the urge to surprise her, Georgia thought about how she should sneak up on her. Hmm, how should I go about it? I haven't scared her in a while. Have to make it good… It didn't take her too long to come up with an idea though. Smiling wickedly, the red head moved towards the purple haired girl stealthily. Getting closer to her target, she was barely twenty feet away when she was prevented from doing so because of someone.
And that someone had walked right towards Georgia's target while calling out her name. "Iris!" said the hooded man, causing her to turn her attention to her side.
Her eyes narrowing even further, she replied back to him. "Drax? What do you want?" she asked him coldly, as the large man stopped beside her and lowered his hood that was covering his face.
Feeling annoyed that she couldn't do what she had planned, Georgia still felt a little curious hearing that it was Drax from the semi finals of the tournament. Remembering what happened in his final tournament appearance, she wondered why he was here now. She wanted to know why he wanted to talk to her close friend and biggest rival that she cares about. And she also wanted to know if this was someone she may have to keep an eye on in the future. Deciding to eavesdrop on the two, Georgia kept some distance between them while hiding but was close enough to hear them talking.
Not too surprised over her cold tone with him, Drax brushed it off. "I need to talk to you." Giving him a look of distrust, Iris didn't want to talk to him at all. "Please." Hearing him say that was not what she was expecting. After a moment, she agreed hesitantly. "Thank you. Can we move to a little more private area?" he asked her. "Right over there." He pointed out an area that had less people but it was still in the public area. Feeling that he won't try anything again, Iris nodded. The two walked towards that area with Georgia following from a distance. When they reached the place, Drax turned to face Iris. Silence for a moment as he took in a breath. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I acted before. And I wanted to…"
"You already apologized in front of the whole stadium. I don't need you to do it again, even if the way you said it was half assed," snapped Iris angrily while glaring at him.
"I know but I wanted to say it again and this time I meant it." Giving him a look of surprise, Iris didn't think she'd hear him say that and with a soft tone of voice either. Seeing her somewhat pacified, Drax decided to take a chance and keep going. "Look, losing to the Aura Guardian made me think heavily these past few days. I've come to realize some things and I've decided to change some things about myself."
Hearing him say that, made Iris think about what he said. "Good," she stated in a more calm tone.
"Yes it is," assured Drax, smiling a little. "Because this will help me in more ways than one and help me make my dreams a reality." Iris tilted her head a bit at that. "You know that I have a dream of becoming the strongest dragon trainer in the world and I will reach that one day. But even with that, my honor will not be whole. I will not be whole. I will still be missing something. And that something…" Moving a little closer to her, Drax took a chance and grasped Iris's hands who was stunned by his bold action. "…is you Iris for you were promised to me all those years ago and everything I've done is to show you how powerful I am and that I am the only one worthy of you."
Iris had her eyes widen in shock over what he said. She couldn't believe it. Everything he did was for his honor? And for me? Looking into his eyes, Iris was able to see into his soul with the way he was looking back into her own eyes. Though she could sense that he was being genuine and felt what he was feeling, it didn't resonate with her. She had already come to terms with what she truly wanted. What her own true dreams are. Shaking her head and slipping her hands out of his, Drax was about to speak but was cut off by her. "I'm sorry Drax. I don't feel the same way towards you," she told him.
For the first time in his life, Drax felt pain. Not physical pain but something far worse. It felt as if someone or something had grabbed hold of his heart and crushed it. Taking in a deep breath to keep himself calm, he closed his eyes and exhaled. "It's because of Cilan isn't it?" he asked her before opening his eyes again.
Iris shook her head. "No. It wasn't because of Cilan. And that doesn't matter. Especially since he and I aren't together anymore thanks to you," she told him rather calmly.
Drax felt a little bad over what she said but was absolutely confused now. "I'm sorry about that. But if it wasn't because of him and you two aren't together anymore, then why not be with me? Why not fulfill our elder's wishes? We could be great together, you and I," he told her, hoping she would see things his way.
Again, Iris shook her head. "That's not how things work Drax. And I have to be honest with you. I never wanted to be with you." Her revelation made him have a sullen expression form on his face and felt as if his heart dropped into his stomach. "I didn't like that our elders were forcing us to get together when we got older. I never liked that tradition. That's why I left our village to go travel on my own. Something that wasn't really done by girls in our village, to go alone."
Remembering that made Drax think about that. "I remember that. How when you said you were going on your own journey, alone, it made many feel uncomfortable about that. But I thought it was great because you were already different from others in our village and I felt as if that made you more unique."
Though he just complimented her, Iris felt nothing from it. Not even embarrassment. "Thank you for that Drax. But like I told you, I didn't want any of it." Having his eyes widened over that, Iris clarified. "Don't get me wrong. I love our people, our history, our culture and our other traditions. But I never was in for the whole arranged marriage and honor above all parts."
Beginning to understand her a little, Drax gathered himself and nodded a bit. "I see. But how come you never said anything?" he asked her.
"Could you go up against our elders' wishes when we were younger?" she asked him and Drax stated she had a point. "You see? I was only able to get them off my back about it all recently after telling them I didn't want that."
Understanding her, Drax knew what she was talking about. He looked at her more carefully, thinking about something else. He had a feeling something was off and that she wasn't telling the full truth. "But wasn't that when you were with Cilan and told them that was the reason why?" asked Drax. Before she could answer, he continued. "I was called and told that you had decided to go against tradition and that you were with a green haired man."
Iris let out a sigh. "That's sort of true. Since I was with Cilan at the time, it was easy to use him as an excuse. Our elders were strict but even they could understand that love could be a reason why we don't follow traditions," revealed the purple haired girl.
Finally understanding, Drax nodded his head. But another question came to mind. "I see. Then may I know one more thing?" Saying that maybe he can, Iris waited for him to ask his question. "What is it that you want if not to be with Cilan or me?" he asked her.
Astonished over his question for a moment, Iris composed herself. "What I want?" she repeated and he remained quiet. Thinking if she should tell him or not, Iris was on the fence if she should tell him about the two most important things to her. Soon enough, she decided to tell him about just one. "I want to become the best dragon trainer in the world." And with that, Iris bid Drax goodbye and walked away.
Seeing her walk away, Drax realized a couple things. That the two of them were probably never meant to be together. And the other was that she didn't reveal everything. He too had gone through the elders' training back in their village. "That's not everything you want Iris and you're lying. Even if you don't want to be with me, I'm still going to find out. Because I won't be able to rest easy until I know for sure what made you change from following our elders' teachings completely because you weren't like that before." With that promise made out loud, Drax left the area too.
Left in an absolutely stunned trance over what she heard, Georgia's mind was racing with her heart beating a little faster over everything that she had found out about Iris, Drax and their history. Thinking about all of that made her lose track of time until the announcer's words were heard over the speakers, saying that there was only five minutes left for people to get back to their seats. Snapping out of it, Georgia decided to go after Iris to go sit with her and her group. As she walked, the red head wondered what could have caused the change behind the purple haired girl that Drax was talking about.
When the elites and champions went back inside their room in the trainer's tunnel, many conversations began at once. The defeated Kalos, Unova and Sinnoh elites were speaking with one another to try and find out where and what they did wrong that they lost when they had the upper hand. The remaining three regions' elites, Hoenn, Johto and Kanto were revising their plans with their champions after seeing what their opponent was capable of. As that went on, several waiters and waitresses came inside the room carrying food trays and placed them on the tables for them to eat. Most of them helped themselves, feeling hungry since it's been a while since they had breakfast.
While most of them were doing that, one was thinking about what she saw her beloved do. Cynthia was beyond amazed over how Ash was beating each region's elites, one after another. Even if she did see him do amazing things with her own eyes, to beat an entire region's elites in a handicap match three times in a row so far was something else. And having him say those final words before leaving for his trainer's tunnel made her became very anxious. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize her elites were trying to talk to her until Bertha tapped her on the shoulder. "Huh, what is it?" she asked.
Bertha smiled a bit. "You didn't hear a single word we said did you?" Seeing the guilty look on her champion's face, the ground elite chuckled and shook her head. "It's alright, we understand. Though are you alright? You seem to be distracted," she asked her with concern.
Cynthia smiled at her thoughtfulness and motherly ways. "I'm fine but thank you," she replied back.
Her smile spreading into a large grin, Bertha leaned in closer to her. "I thought so. But I bet you're thinking about what Ash said before he left right? So what is he going to do to you? Another round of fun?"asked Bertha with a wink.
Becoming embarrassed and a little angry over her sudden accusation, Cynthia's cheeks were turning dark red. "Shut up Bertha!" she told her seriously and quietly, hoping that no one heard either of them.
Fortunately for her, nobody did. Seeing how flustered she was becoming, Bertha decided to let it go. "Alright fine. But don't be so thing about it. I was only curious about what's going on between you and him since you know I see you as my daughter," she told Cynthia, making the blonde girl feel ashamed.
"Sorry," said Cynthia and Bertha accepted her apology before continuing her conversation with the others. After she went, she thought about what she said, how she was curious. That reminded her of something that happened earlier on as well. Glancing around, she found the person who had made her feel intense jealousy and anger. Narrowing her eyes on her, Cynthia didn't stop glaring at her until the red haired woman happened to look in her direction. Seeing the intense stare she was given, she quickly looked away.
Noticing that, the oldest Sinnoh elite member thought quickly before turning to face her champion once more. "Cynthia, could you help me with something please?" asked Bertha while simultaneously grasping her arm and made her turn towards the door.
Stunned for a moment over the sudden request, Cynthia snapped out of it. "Ah, okay, what is it?" she asked her.
"Can't say here," replied back Bertha as the two stepped out of the room.
The second the Sinnoh Champion stepped out of the room, the Kalos elite let out a relieved breath. "Damn, I never felt that scared before," muttered Malva quietly to herself.
"You're telling me. I felt scared for you." Turning towards the one who spoke, Malva was surprised to see Karen moving closer to her. "That furious glare she was giving you, I'm a little disappointed you didn't burst into flame," joked the dark type trainer.
"Ha ha, very funny," said Malva dryly as she began walking towards an empty corner of the large room with Karen following her. "Ah, why are you following me? You want something?"
Karen raised her eyebrow over that. "Somebody's all winded up. I don't want anything. Can't I just hang around with my friend?" Giving her a 'c'mon' look, Malva knew that there was something else. Karen let out a chuckle. "Okay fine. You see right through me. I want to know what was going on through that mind of yours that made you get all close and personal with our challenger. So what exactly did you tell him?" revealed the Johto Elite. Seeing the expression her face, Karen smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm just curious."
Thinking about that for a moment, Malva decided to at least let someone in on it. Otherwise it would probably driver her insane. And she did trust Karen enough to tell her that much. Leaning against the wall with her right foot, she crossed her arms and looked at the floor as she began speaking. "Honestly, I think I was just caught up in the heat of the moment."
"Heat of the moment?" repeated Karen slowly.
Malva nodded before clarifying. "Yea. I mean, I never had such a great match." Karen gave her a disbelieving look. "No, I'm serious and I battled with him before in the past. But it was nothing like this since we had teamed up against Team Flare and he was nowhere near as strong as he is now." Karen understood what she was saying so far but told her to continue. "Well, it's been such a long time since I was challenged and actually beaten that it made my heart race. And hearing those rumors about him and the multiple girls with him, I was thinking that there might be something special about him. Finding out for sure he's with Cynthia and loves her and she him was a shocker. And that proves there's something about him that's unique…." Going quiet, Karen gestured for her to go on. "I think I just wanted to…to…"
"To experience some of that uniqueness as well as some fun yourself?" finished Karen for her with a smirk.
Malva looked at her and took a second to respond back, unable to keep herself from blushing some. "Yea, I guess. I just wanted to get a taste of what was going on. Of what truly is so special about him. I have an idea but I wanted to be sure…"
"So what, you saying you've fallen for him too?" asked Karen with an accusing tone.
Malva shook her head with a chuckle. "No, not like that. I just wanted a onetime thing. But he even rejected my offer and that was something I thought would never happen to me."
An astonished expression appeared on the Johto elite after hearing that but something also clicked in her head. "Oh I see," said Karen before having a devious grin form on her face. Malva titled her head as Karen moved in closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before she whispered into her ear. "It's been so long since you were with a man that you wanted a night of hot, passionate, steamy sex with the man who somehow has caught the heart of multiple girls, some of whom were said to be impossible to capture, like Cynthia and Clair. You want to know just what it is that's keeping them attached to him and coming back for more. And now that he's turned you down on the offer, you want him and that night of passion even more, don't you?" asked Karen while speaking sensually in her ear.
Malva was turning redder than her hair as Karen said those words but by the end she was flushing deep crimson. She was frozen in her spot and unable to respond back to her as she thought about what she was just told. Karen was about to speak again when someone else joined in their conversation. "Are you messing with another's mind again?" asked a Kanto elite member with disappointment. She had noticed the two in the corner alone and saw what the dark type trainer was doing. She knew what it was, having witnessed her antics before.
Chuckling to herself, the Johto elite member shook her head. "No, of course not Lorelei. I'm just helping our fellow elite and female companion come to terms with what she wants," stated Karen without missing a beat.
Crossing her arms underneath her sizable chest, Lorelei narrowed her eyes behind her glasses. "Is that so?" she asked Karen but didn't wait for a response as she turned her gaze onto Malva. "Whatever she told you, ignore it. Karen has a habit of messing with other people's minds and emotions just for shits and giggles."
Malva had her eyes widen over how she spoke, not expecting that at all. She had only ever witnessed Lorelei speak and act properly. Karen however let out an annoyed huff. "Oh please," started Karen as she too crossed her arms. "I know when to be serious."
"Really?" asked Lorelei, not believing it. "Then tell me, what did you tell Malva?"
Before Karen could respond another person was heard talking to them as she asked a question. "So, having a party without me?" The three of them turned around to see Pheobe walking up to them with a frown on her face that she wasn't invited to their little group. "That's rude you know."
"That's not what was happening Pheobe," remarked Lorelei as the ghost type trainer stopped next to her. "I was only waiting for Karen to tell us what she was trying to do just now to Malva," explained the ice type trainer.
"Do to Malva? Hmm, sounds interesting," exclaimed Pheobe, making Lorelei shake her head and Karen laughed out loud.
Malva was beginning to get very flustered with everything that was going on and felt that she should stop things before it got too crazy. "You know what guys, there's nothing happening. Not here or anywhere else. So let's just forget about this and move on alright?" she said as she took a few steps away from them.
"Hold it missy!" snapped Karen as she grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving. "You can't just go right when Pheobe arrives! She'll think that you left because of her. Do you really want her to feel like that?"
Falling for that, Pheobe had a hurt look appear on her face and Malva showed guilt but then Lorelei let out an annoyed sound. "Damn it Karen, stop it! This is exactly what you keep doing, messing with everyone's mind and feelings!"
"No I'm not! All I'm trying to do is help Malva with her fantasy about Ash!" snapped Karen back, shocking the others and making the Kalos elite became so embarrassed that her heart began beating like a war drum.
"What?!" yelped out Pheobe and Lorelei together.
"What's going on over there?" asked Steven in concern from the other side of the room, making many look at the four in the corner.
His question made the four of them go silent at once before Pheobe turned around and answered for them all. "Oh nothing! Just girl talk!" she told him with a smile and the others merely shrugged and went back to their own things. Turning back around, Pheobe let out a relieved sigh. "That was close," whispered the ghost trainer.
"Quick thinking. Nicely done," complimented Karen.
"Thanks," smiled Pheobe before facing Malva. "So what's this about you and Ash?" asked the ghost type trainer while raising her eyebrows a few times.
Malva let out a disgruntled sigh as Karen started giggling and Lorelei stared at the Kalos elite with wide eyes. "Damn you Karen. Damn you."
"Hey, it's not my fault you want a one night stand with him," quipped Karen instantly without tact.
"Malva!" yelped Lorelei, making the Kalos elite go red again while Pheobe was absolutely bewildered over what she found out. "What are you thinking?!"
"Oh don't be such a prude," advised Karen offhandedly. "It's no big deal. Right Pheobe?"
The three of them looked at the Hoenn elite who snapped out of her trance and thought for a bit. "I kind of agree with Karen that it's not a big deal if it's just a fantasy…" Karen let a triumphant smirk appear on her face. "…but it's also wrong too if you act on it." This time Lorelei had the winner's smile on her face. "But I also think that being too uptight or too loose about all this is also wrong. Karen, you should stop being so open and relaxed about all this and saying such things cause it makes you look like a slut."
Lorelei agreed with that as Malva stayed silent yet Karen had an astonished expression form on her face. "Seriously? You're telling me that when you're in a bikini most of the time?"
Pheobe however didn't let that faze her. "It's actually tropical attire that's part of my culture thank you very much." Karen had no response to that and the ghost trainer turned to face the ice trainer. "And Lorelei, you should stop being too serious about all of this because you do come off as a prude."
This time Karen agreed with that while Malva still stayed silent and Lorelei glared at her before speaking. "I'm not being a prude but having lust filled fantasies about someone who's already in a relationship is bad!"
"Oh give it a rest will you?" requested Karen and Lorelei glared at her. "It's not like Malva fucked him already. Shit, he even turned her down."
"What?!" yelped Pheobe and Lorelei together again.
Malva covered her face with her hands. "Thanks. Thanks a lot Karen," came her muffled voice, feeling extremely embarrassed now.
"Why would you…"
"I just did alright!" hissed Malva as she raised her head, cutting off Lorelei, her anger suddenly rushing to her defense. She had enough of being questioned of her actions. "I wasn't thinking and I was caught up in the heat of the moment because I was never pushed to my limit and I haven't been with a man in a long time! I miss the feelings, the intimacy and the passion! I just wanted that again and figured he was a worthy choice since he was able to capture Cynthia's heart! That's all!" Malva finished up her rant and started breathing a little heavily while the three were left in dumbfounded states.
It took a moment but then Pheobe came out of it first. She smiled at Malva and grasped her hand, making her look at her. "Hey, it's alright. A woman does have needs and its okay to fantasize. But maybe target someone else next time who's single alright?" she joked.
Malva took in a deep breath and exhaled, calming down. "Yea, you're right. But I'm not like other women who just get with any man. The man has to be worthy," she revealed to them.
"Ah, have high standards eh?" asked Karen rhetorically as she nudged her side. "Good. Cause I'm the same way."
"Really? You?" asked Lorelei in disbelief.
Karen gave her a cold look. "Look, I may be open about things, but that doesn't make me a slut. The last man I was with was years ago and he was my ex-fiancée."
That made the three have their eyes widen over her revelation. "You were engaged?!" asked a stunned Lorelei.
Karen let out a sigh before explaining. "Yes I was, before I became an elite member but he passed away from a terrible illness. Haven't been with a man since all those years ago because nobody could measure up to him," revealed the Johto elite.
"I see. I'm sorry to hear you went through that," said Lorelei.
"I'm sorry too," said Pheobe and Malva together.
Karen however shook her head. "Its fine," she told them and recovered quickly. "So, moving on from horrible memories, that's why I was pushing Malva a bit." She faced the red head before continuing. "I don't want you to miss out on things because you'll never know when your time is up." Understanding her, the three elites nodded to show that. "But since this may be the wrong person to do it with, then how about we do something else that could be fun with him?" she asked them.
Glancing at one another, the three were wondering where she was going with this. "What do you mean?" asked Lorelei for them all.
"Well, even though Malva here is a hot piece of ass…" The Kalos elite turned a furious shade of red while the other two let shook their heads in amusement. "…the guardian turned her down without a thought. I wonder if it's because he's with Cynthia and the other girls from what we've heard and know and what they have is special. Or if Malva just wasn't his type and his open to being with other girls. Are you following what I'm trying to say?" she asked them and the three of them thought about that for a moment before nodding in understanding.
"Yea I get it. So you want to test him huh?" asked Pheobe and Karen nodded. Pheobe had a wicked grin appear on her face before jumping up and down in her spot while clapping a few times. "Oh, this is gonna be fun!"
"I don't think this is a good idea," spoke up Lorelei, trying to make them see reason and take caution.
Moving towards the ice queen of Kanto, Karen wrapped an arm around her shoulders now as she spoke. "Well, it may be dangerous because we'll be testing a lot of things, including Cynthia's patience. And that'll make it even more fun and exciting. And I believe that you out of all of us shouldn't have any trouble in making the famous Aura Guardian do something for you by enticing him with your curves." Lorelei blushed heavily over that as the other two gave her slightly jealous looks. For it was true since she was a very beautiful woman with very noticeable curves. "And hey, when was the last time you flirted with someone? Don't you want to have some fun every once in a while?" asked Karen with a grin.
Thinking about her idea for a few minutes, they wondered if it was suicidal. In the end however, they decided that they've been bored way too long and even though they would be risking Cynthia's wrath, if not the other girls' wrath who were said to be with him, they thought it was worth it. Even Lorelei couldn't pass up this opportunity to get to the bottom of a mystery. "This has got to be the single craziest and stupidest thing I've done. But I have to admit that I wouldn't mind some fun, as I do like a challenge every now and then. And this is one mystery I want to know the answer to," stated the Kanto elite to the rest.
"Good. So it's decided," remarked Karen with a smile as she looked up at the clock. "Okay, so we have fifteen minutes. That's more than enough time to come up with some ideas and plans to follow on during our matches with him next."
"What if the others get involved?" asked Pheobe, bringing up an important matter that just crossed her mind.
Right when she asked that question, their trainer's room door opened and Bertha walked back in but she was alone. It looked like Cynthia would come back later. "I have an idea," said Karen as she walked quickly to Bertha and started talking to her. Soon, the two of them walked back to the awaiting three. "Bertha, we wanted to know the answer to this question; would you say that Cynthia is like a daughter to you?" she asked her.
Bertha smiled at that and nodded. "Yes, she is." Her smile never left her face though as she asked a question back. "What are you trying to do Karen? I know your antics."
Having a large smile form on her face, Karen never even faltered. "In that case, let me be upfront. What would you say if me and the gals here were to test Cynthia's man?"
Bertha looked at Karen for a moment before setting her gaze onto Lorelei, then Pheobe and finally onto Malva. "I'd say you're crazy," she told them and they glanced at one another with worry. "But I'd also say good luck with that cause you're in for a tough nut to crack if you can, I'll tell you that much."
"Are you saying that you're okay with this?" asked Lorelei in surprise and Bertha replied back with a smirk. Shaking her head, Lorelei started laughing. "Should've known; the mother always has to get involved with her daughter's affairs."
"That's right," agreed Bertha without hesitation. "This would be a good test to make sure he's worthy of her. Though I know he's a good person, I want to be absolutely sure after what she's been through in the past. And this will help Cynthia learn to not get so jealous all the time over every little thing. It took me a while to calm her down just now when we were out." That's when the four of them realized why Bertha had basically forced Cynthia out of the room earlier. "So what do you need from me?" she asked them while alternating her gaze at the four's faces. "You could've done this without telling me."
"True," began Malva as she finally spoke up, making Bertha fully look at her. "But you see, we're gonna need someone in the end to help us explain that it was all a prank because we're going to make it realistic so the others will probably react to our actions."
Bertha turned her gaze towards the others in the room. "I see and you're probably right." Facing the four again, she said her final words to them. "Make it good. You have enough time to plan some things out. I'll pretend I have no idea what you're doing and why. I just hope Cynthia doesn't go bat shit crazy until this test is over. I'm gonna have my hands full trying to keep her in line. I will say this; I hope you're prepared for her anger in case I can't keep her from exploding." Bertha began walking towards the remaining elites and champions in the room. And with that, the four elite women committed themselves to their plan of testing the guardian by coming up with ideas of how to do just that as time ticked away until they returned to the field.
When Ash went to his trainer's room in the tunnel, he sat down onto a large couch and looked up at the ceiling while closing his eyes. Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he then exhaled it out slowly through his mouth. "Three down, three to go." Opening his eyes, he looked at his starter who had sat next to him on the couch. Pikachu looked up at him. "Man, the elites sure are tough aren't they Pikachu?"
"Pi pika," agreed Pikachu.
"You said it. But we can do this. We're half way there. Right buddy?"
"Pika!"
"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Ash as he smiled and Pikachu pumped his fist into the air. "After all this, win or lose, I'm going to have to come up with a way to thank our comrades who battled. What do you think they'll want buddy?" asked Ash, wondering what he could get for his pokémon who have been doing their absolute best for him.
Pikachu stared ahead and placed his right paw against his chin, as if in deep thought. "Pika…" The two were silent for a moment before the electric mouse spoke up. "Pikapi, pi pika pi pi kachu pika pi kachu."
Ash nodded in agreement. "Yea you're right. I'll think about that later. Right now I have to focus. The other elites have seen some of my strategies with their own eyes. They'll most likely altar their plans for the next battles. I gotta be ready to change and adapt my strategies on the fly too," he remarked and his starter agreed with that. Trainer and pokémon spent the next several minutes brainstorming on what they could possibly face based on what they've been through so far with the elites. They kept at it until the door was knocked on suddenly. "Come in!" stated the raven haired guardian.
The door opened and in walked one of the pokémon league officials with pink hair dressed in her usual uniform attire holding a tray. "Um, h-hello Mr. K-Ketchum. I hope you're hungry," she told him as she walked towards the nearby table and placed the tray of food on it.
Suddenly realizing how hungry he was, Ash got up to help himself. "Thanks! But what did I tell you before Natalie?" asked Ash as he walked towards her and the table.
Turning a furious red, Natalie moved her gaze away from him before speaking. "I know but I c-can't do that. It's not p-proper," she told him and he had a confused look on his face. "I have to f-follow protocol. And you're the hero of the tournament and everyone l-loves you and…"
"It doesn't matter as I told you I don't like such formalities," he interrupted her while picking up an apple. "And I wouldn't say everyone loves me," joked Ash and he took a large bite out of it.
"Then they're idiots for not realizing how incredible you are!" shot Natalie without thinking before clapping her hands to her mouth.
Ash froze with the apple held up in front of his mouth, about to take another large bite. Even Pikachu was staring at her from the table, having jumped onto it to get some food himself. Sensing her becoming filled with embarrassment, Ash decided to roll with it and move the conversation along. "Eh, I wouldn't say I'm incredible but thanks. And the world's full of idiots. No need to get upset over them. Right?" he asked her and continued eating, acting as if she didn't just have an outburst and say something.
Slowly turning her face with her hands still clapped against her mouth, she was giving a very embarrassed look at him, with her face a deep red color. "Ah…I…um…" she muttered, not knowing what to say. "Thanks," she whispered a moment later after he finished eating the apple.
Glancing at her for a moment, he then turned to the food and picked up a slice of pizza. "Thanks for what?" he asked her. "Nothing happened for you to say that." Taking a bite out of it, he chewed a bit before swallowing it. "Right?" Lowering her hands, Natalie smiled a bit over what he just did for her before she noticed something and let out a giggle. "What? What I say?" he asked, absolutely confused now.
Calming down a bit, Natalie shook her head before smiling at him. "It's not what you said," she started as she picked up a napkin from the table and moved closer to him. "It's what you just did." Ash was at a loss until she wiped off the sauce from the pizza from his cheek with the napkin. "There, all clean now. You should not eat so fast to get sauce on your face," she told him with a smile before tossing the napkin into the trash can.
Chuckling a bit, Ash rubbed the back of his head with his clean hand. "Thanks. It's kind of a bad habit of mine."
"No thanks necessary. It's the least I can do. I mean…you saved my life," she told him quietly, looking down at her feet as she held her hands together in front of her.
"It's nothing to worry about. What else was I supposed to do? It's my job, remember?" he told her.
She shook her head and slowly started closing the distance between the two. "No, it's not just your job. It's who you are," she said quietly and stopped when she was right in front of him. Raising her gaze to his, she looked into his eyes. Ash didn't move from his spot, not wanting to offend her but also was thinking of where she was going with this. He mentally prepared himself in case she tried something. "You save people and pokémon over and over. I know of some of the things that you've done in your life," she revealed to him.
He became surprised over that. "How?" he asked her after a moment.
Natalie blushed a bit. "I overheard the champions talking in their meetings the past few days while they strategized for the extended battles against you," she revealed to him and Ash understood, sensing it was the truth. "It made me realize that you're one of a kind. That you're the man every girl dreams of being with," she told him as her eyes never left his.
Ash was starting to feel very embarrassed and also nervous. He could sense her feelings and knew what she wanted. But he couldn't give it to her since that's not how he saw her. And why was she trying this again? He felt horrible for having to turn her down again. Just what the hell is going on now? First Malva and now Natalie again? Letting out a sigh, he began speaking. "Natalie, you're very kind. But I'm sorry. I can't give you what you want," he told her quietly.
Her eyes beginning to water, Natalie was becoming very saddened. "Please," she started, raising her hands and placing them against his chest. She leaned onto him with her eyes never leaving his. Ash just stood there, unable to move from his spot. Pikachu just kept still on the table, wondering what was going to happen yet knew that his best friend could probably handle it. And if not, then it'd help out with a small Thunder Wave. "If the rumors are true, that you're with multiple girls, then why can't you be with me too?" she asked him in a slightly high pitched voice. "Am I not good enough? Why can't I get a chance? Even if you're just using them, I don't care about that. You're special and you saved my life. You deserve whatever you want. You can use me too and I want this. I want to be with you," she told him as a few stray tears left her eyes.
Ash could sense her feelings going haywire and they were very strong. He hated that he had to reject her and for the second time. But as hard as it was, he had to put an end to this before it became even worse. And the way to do that is with the truth. "Natalie, I understand that you've been thinking about me and more so because I saved your life. And I understand that you think that I'm with multiple girls and just messing around from the rumors." He took in a breath before continuing. "But it's not what you think. Though truth is that I am with multiple girls…" Natalie let out a gasp at that but remained quiet. "…but it's because I love each of them with my entire heart, they love me back fully and we have a special bond between each of us because of our experiences together and many other reasons. And there is something else too that I just can't explain that allows us to be like this together. It's not some fantasy that we're living out. You may like me or have feelings for me, but I'm sorry, I don't feel the same way towards you at all."Natalie let out more tears as her lips quivered, feeling sadness creep up within her. She hung her head and began crying. Ash, feeling responsible for what he caused to happen, gave her a hug and she just cried into his chest. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I never wanted that. But I can't lie to you either. Please tell me that you fully understand me this time. You'll find someone else who's right for you. Until then, you can even be mad at me and not talk to me ever again. That'll be okay with me. Does that sound alright?" he asked her.
It took a little bit of time until Natalie stopped her crying and calmed down enough to pull herself together. Separating from Ash, she turned around and grabbed a couple napkins to dry her face. "Ash…" she started softly as she wiped clean her tear streaks from her cheeks. Throwing away the napkin, she didn't even look back at him as she continued speaking and went towards the door. "…some advice for you; if you don't want a girl to think about you or develop feelings for you, then stop being such a perfect gentleman to her."
Rubbing the back of his head, Ash replied back quietly. "It's not like I'm trying for that and I can't really turn off who I am you know."
Stopping at the door with her hand on the doorknob, she glanced back at him. "No, I guess not." He apologized to her but then she shook her head. "No. No need to. I think I finally understand and thank you for being upfront with me." Allowing herself to smile a bit, she nodded at him and he nodded back at her. "It's going to be hard to get over you. But I wish you good luck with your next matches. And…with your girlfriends," said Natalie, barely controlling her emotions before exiting the room. After she left, Ash looked at Pikachu and the two let out a sigh.
The moment she left and the door closed behind her, Natalie was barely able to take a step when her left shoulder was grasped from behind. "That was pretty bold of you. Volunteering to deliver food to him when it's not your job and then confessing to him like that," said a rather calm but serious tone of voice.
Her heart skipping a beat, Natalie knew who that voice belonged to. "You…heard?" she asked without even turning around.
"Everything," she answered.
Starting to feel a little scared, the league official tensed up a bit but also thought quickly. She didn't want the guardian to get into trouble because of her. "Then you would know that he rejected me. So, there's no need to be angry at him or lose trust in him," stated Natalie and she tried to walk away.
"Oh I'm not angry with him and I'll always trust him," said the girl, whose grip tightened on the official's shoulder, preventing her from leaving and Natalie winced a bit. "It's others I don't trust. But I understand why you did what you did yet I'm only going to say this once; you may be a good person but I hope that you finally learned to stay away from him. He has enough on his mind to deal with and the last thing he needs is to feel bad for thinking he broke a girl's heart, let alone dealing with someone who can't take a hint. Got it?"
Her eyes widening over that, Natalie felt bad for causing him despair, though she did feel a little angry over what she was just told. Who does she think she is, telling me to stay away?! It was then that the league official thought that she may not be able to just let him go. But she controlled herself for she knew better than to start something, especially with a champion. At least not right now. "Okay. I got it."
"Good. You can go now," replied the girl, letting go of Natalie's shoulder and immediately she started walking away down the tunnel. Letting out a sigh, the blonde woman looked at the door next to her. Cynthia had wanted to spend some time with Ash before his matches continued. But when she got here, she heard another girl's voice from inside saying she brought some food. Normally not one to eavesdrop, she couldn't help herself, curiosity taking over her and so listened in on to their conversation until the end. It warmed her heart to hear Ash say the things he said and it helped her be at ease, even when speaking with the league official. Cynthia was about to grasp the handle and open the door to go to him when she heard the announcer speak that there was five minutes left until the matches continued. Damn, how did time go by so quick?! Knowing she had to get back to be with the others, the blonde champion of Sinnoh let out a sigh before heading back. As she walked, Cynthia couldn't help but smile over what she overheard Ash say to Natalie about her, her sisters and what they have together.
With the thirty minute break almost over, especially after the announcer's five minute warning, people began to make their way back to their seats in the stadium. Among them, Ash's family and friends had gathered back together with the guys handing out snacks and drinks to everyone. It was during this time a certain red haired girl walked up to them and called out to the purple haired girl. "Hey Iris!"
Turning to face her greeter, Iris was surprised to see her close friend and rival there. "Hey Georgia, what are you doing here?" she asked her while getting up and hugging her.
Feeling happy over the hug, Georgia returned it. "Do you even have to ask?" she replied back as the two separated. "Who could miss these battles?" she asked rhetorically while sporting a smirk on her face. "And I saw you earlier on my way to my seat and decided to join you if you'll have me around," she admitted to her.
Iris beamed at her. "Of course!" Feeling ecstatic over that, Georgia smiled greatly in return. "Here, let me introduce you to everyone." As Iris introduced Georgia to everyone, the red head and everyone exchanged handshakes and hellos. After that was finished, Iris sat down and Georgia took a seat beside her. "Were you here alone?" asked Iris as they waited out the last couple of minutes until the matches continued.
Georgia shook her head in response. "Oh no, I was with my friend before," she said, catching the attention of the others in the group, wondering who it could be. "But then she went to get some snacks and I walked around to kill time." Georgia's stomach made a loud rumbling sound, making Iris and a few others to become amused. She went red with embarrassment. "Now that I think about it, I should've bought some myself," she muttered in a low voice.
Iris was about to laugh at her friend when her stomach grumbled loudly as well. "Ah yea, you're not alone," said Iris, feeling very hungry.
Hearing some laughter, the two looked at the others and pouted at them as they eyed their food. Taking pity on them, the brunette from Hoenn split her pretzel into two and held it up for them. "Here, have some with us," offered May after calming down and understanding what they were going through. She knew what it felt like to be hungry.
"You sure?" asked Georgia, though she was eyeing the pretzel.
"What about you?" asked Iris, her mouth begin to water.
Before May could answer, another voice spoke up. "You don't need to do that May as we have extra food with us." Everyone turned towards the voice and saw Cilan was standing in the aisle along with a purple haired girl dressed in formal attire beside him. "Here you go," he said as he handed Iris and Georgia some popcorn, chips and drinks and the two thanked him for it. "Oh and everyone, this is Burgundy. She is a connoisseur like me," he told them. "Please let her feel welcome."
It took a moment for them to snap out if, since they realized that this was the girl that Cilan wanted to actually be with that Iris mentioned. Burgundy was starting to feel very embarrassed over their stares and wondered if something was going to happen. Until Iris spoke up to get rid of the awkward silence. "Hey Burgundy, it's been a while. It's good to see you. Have a seat," she offered, scooting over to one side, making room for her and Cilan to sit down. In the act, she brushed up against Georgia with her shoulder, who tensed up a bit.
Smiling at her, Burgundy accepted her offer. "Thank you and I've been well. And hello to all of you and hope you're all doing well too!" she said politely towards the rest. Finally getting out of it, the others returned the greetings and introduced themselves. Smiling at what was going on, Cilan then faced Iris who caught his gaze. The two shared a quick nod and the green haired connoisseur mouthed the words 'thank you' to Iris who smiled in return.
Right when Burgundy took her seat beside Iris after exchanging greetings and introductions with everyone, the announcer began speaking and Cilan sat down next to her. "ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! I HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE CHALLENGE OF THE ELITES!" The crowd roared and cheered, ecstatic that it was finally continuing with the now larger group of family and friends shouting as well. "WHETHER OR NOT YOU WERE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT OR HAVE A BATHROOM BREAK, IT'S TIME TO GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD! AND NOW, HERE ARE YOU ELITES AND CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD!" From one side of the stadium, the huge group of powerful trainers entered the field from their tunnel. As they walked, they were greeted with cheers and shouts again. "AND DON'T FORGET THEIR CHALLENGER!" The raven haired guardian stepped out of the tunnel from his side and made his way into the field with his starter on his shoulder again to the roar of the crowd. Georgia glanced at Iris when she started cheering loudly for him as well. "WITH THREE OF THE ELITE TEAMS OF THE WORLD BEATEN, CAN HE CONTINUE DOING SO WITH THE REMAINING TEAMS? STAY TUNED FOR WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH!" The referee in the middle of the field gestured for Ash and the next region's elites to come to him, who represented Hoenn. The referee then reminded them of the rules. The five of them nodded in understanding and then turned on their microphones afterwards.
Ash turned to the Hoenn Elites and they faced him as well. "Let's have a great match," he told them with a smile.
"Yes, let's," replied back Drake, keeping their conversation short and simple.
Glacia nodded at him. "I hope you're able to provide us with some challenge before we take you out," she taunted him respectfully but Ash just chuckled.
Sidney had an almost feral grin form on his face. "Oh, I'm sure he's got a plan. But don't worry, so do we. Get ready for some no holds barred ass kicking!" he said, raring to go.
Replying back with a grin of his own, Ash was getting psyched to have their battle already. "Sounds good to me. This is going to be fun," he said before facing the fourth and final member of the Hoenn Elites, expecting her to say something as well. But she was giving him a somewhat blank look that made him tilt his head. "Ah, are you okay Pheobe?" he asked her.
With her fellow elites also looking at her with concern, the ghost type trainer didn't react for a moment. Until she had a very large smile form on her face. "Oh I'm doing just fine Ash. After seeing what you can do, I can't wait till you show me your power first hand. Impress me and I'll reward you for it," said Pheobe sensually, giving him a sly wink before turning around and heading towards her trainer's box. Swaying her hips in such a way to draw attention that it even made both Sidney and Drake stare until Glacia elbowed them both to snap them out of it before they followed after her.
Her actions and words surprised the raven haired guardian and he glanced at his starter who just shrugged before the two of them moved to his trainer's box. Everyone in the stadium was surprised to see the elite ghost trainer do such a thing and began gossiping about what she was doing. Most of the elites and all of the champions were left in shocked states because of what she did yet a handful of them were holding back their grins at what their partner in crime was doing. But every single one of Ash's girlfriends were beyond annoyed over her actions but controlled themselves for the moment. Cynthia however was glaring at Pheobe with an intense stare. Yet the elite ignored her, not even looking in her direction but did covertly glance at Malva, Karen, Lorelei and Bertha who flashed her quick smiles. "WITH THE TEASING ACTIONS OF…" A few loud coughs were heard suddenly through the speakers at that point, cutting off the announcer until he continued a moment later. "…I MEAN WITH BOTH SIDES TRYING TO SIZE EACH OTHER UP, THE FOURTH ELITE BATTLE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Laughter was heard among the people in the stands, even with them letting out cheers as the contestants got ready to bring out their pokémon. Four poke balls were tossed into the air and some flashes of light later, the elites' pokémon were in battle ready positions. "AND THE ELITE FOUR OF HOENN HAVE CHOSEN ABSOL, BANETTE, WALREIN AND SALAMENCE TO REPRESENT THEIR REGION! WHO WILL ASH CHOOSE TO FACE AGAINST THEM?" Giving his opponents' pokémon a look of respect, Ash gripped the poke ball in his hand tighter before tossing it into the air. Opening and letting out the pokémon inside, his chosen partner let out a battle cry before taking up a martial arts stance. "WELL, WHAT DO YOU KNOW?! THE GUARDIAN HAS CHOSEN BLAZIKEN WHO WE'VE ALL WITNESSED HAS EXTRAORDINARY POWER WHEN HE FOUGHT IN THE STADIUM ATTACK! BUT WILL HE BE ABLE TO STILL KEEP UP AGAINST FOUR ELITE POKÉMON AT ONCE?" The crowd roared their approval over Ash's choice for his battler.
"Yea, Blaziken!" cheered May at once, jumping from her seat and letting out loud cheers for her beloved and his pokémon with her sisters.
Glancing at the happily smiling brunette from Hoenn, the pokémon doctor had a grin form on his face. I knew it. Turning his gaze back at Ash, Brock chuckled quietly. I had an idea after your opening speech but now I know for sure. I wonder if anyone else has figured it out yet like me. Glancing around at the rest, Brock wondered a bit about that before having his attention go back onto the starting match.
"Alright Blaziken, get ready," stated Ash and his pokémon had the flames around his wrists grow a little larger.
"Team, prepare for combat!" stated Drake before giving out as command immediately after. "Dragon Rush!" Salamence charged forward with amazing speed while glowing an intense blue without delay.
"Acrobatics!" countered Ash instantly. But the dragon was rushing forward so quickly, Blaziken barely maneuvered out of the way by jumping over the charging dragon using his strong leg muscles.
"Night Slash!" Absol appeared out of nowhere in the air, targeting the fire type's side to attack with his horn that was glowing a dark color. He was about to land his attack when Blaziken twisted his body in the air at the last second and evaded that strike.
"Ice Ball!" A large frozen solid ball of ice was shot by the blue walrus at that moment. Blaziken could do nothing at this time but defend himself by bringing up his arms in an 'x' fashion and covered his head while drawing in his legs to protect his body. The dense and hard ball of ice smashed against him and shattered while the force behind it pushed Blaziken some in the air.
Ash was about to say his next command when Salamence drew close and struck Blaziken from behind with Dragon Claw, sending the starter to the ground. Regaining his senses at the last second, Blaziken moved his body to land onto his feet and rolled to offset the pressure from the hard landing. "Fire Punch to your right!" commanded Ash at once and his pokémon obeyed without question. Throwing a punch covered in flames to his right, he intercepted a Shadow Claw from Banette who just revealed herself right then.
That surprised almost all greatly that he was able to guess where the ghost would appear, though few thought it was because of his aura senses. Pheobe was shocked so much that she was momentarily frozen, until snapping out of it when Blaziken struck her pokémon with a Shadow Call himself and heard her cry of pain. "Banette, vanish!" she ordered and the ghost disappeared from sight. She locked her eyes onto Ash before one side of her lips curled up into half a smile. "Impressive Ashy. I never knew that someone can sense ghost types. You trying to impress me with your power?" she asked him softly, making her teammates look at her with wide eyes. They wondered if this was going to continue throughout the battle.
Rubbing the back of his head, Ash was feeling a little off by Pheobe. "Ah not really. Could we just get back to the battle?" he asked, making the ghost type trainer pout a bit.
"My thoughts exactly," stated Drake, taking over before Pheobe could speak again. "That was a good showing. But this is just the beginning. Dragon Claw!" Speeding through the air, his dragon had his right claw glow, getting ready to strike.
"Slash!" called out Ash. Blaziken and Salamence had their claws smash against each other and had a power struggle. Both were trying to push the other back.
"Don't forget about us now! Psycho Cut!" spoke up Sidney. Absol rushed forward with his horn glowing purple now.
"Block it with Shadow Claw!" said Ash right before Absol reached Blaziken. Using his free hand, the fighting falcon blocked the horn of his attacker and canceled out the attack. But now with two pokémon pushing against him, Blaziken was being forced backwards.
"Trying to take on two pokémon at once? You know, I'm getting a little excited," stated Pheobe, making many in the stadium to think very different thoughts, making Glacia wonder why she was acting this way. "But could you handle three?" she asked teasingly. Banette appeared behind Blaziken suddenly, about to strike.
But Ash never faltered, having been through similar battles recently against the other elites. He was actually expecting something like this now. "Flame Charge!" Engulfing his body in flames at once, Blaziken prevented the ghost from getting near enough to hit him while burning the dragon and feline at once since he was holding onto them. "Now, Flamethrower!"
"Dragon Breath!" countered Drake. Both dragon and falcon let out differently colored flames from their mouths that collided against each other and exploded. The explosion forced the three pokémon away from one another, sending them backwards.
But then Blaziken back flipped and landed onto his feet. Using the extra energy he gathered from his move earlier, he sprinted forward quickly with his right hand glowing brightly towards Absol who was disoriented.
"Slow him down! Icy Wind!" ordered Glaica and her Walrien complied, summoning a very cold wind towards his opponent. Blasting against him with no mercy, the cold air slowed down his movements, negating his speed boost while hurting him a little.
However, it wasn't enough to keep him from reaching the disaster pokémon and the blaze pokémon delivered a Sky Uppercut against his chin, sending him high into the air with a yelp of pain. "Absol!" screamed Sidney in fright, seeing his pokémon get sent into the air like it was nothing.
"Salamence, catch him!" Flying quickly to his ally, the dragon caught the pokémon and brought him back to the ground. Absol shook his head a little before nodding at the dragon who returned it.
"Whew, thanks Drake," remarked Sidney with a relieved tone.
"No need. We're in this together," he replied back and the two refocused on the match as the four elite pokémon grouped together again while Blaziken went back to his side of the field and took up a defensive stance.
In the stands, Ash's group was watching with wide eyes. "This is getting intense," commented Bonnie.
"Yea huh? It seems like the elites are redoubling their efforts to take Ash out," remarked Max.
Some murmurs among the group over this with Norman agreeing and added his own thoughts. "I'm not surprised. After what they've seen him do in the previous three matches, it looks like they did revise their plans and now they're not giving any room for mistakes. Ash has to be careful," he told them.
After listening to him, they all agreed but then the Princess of Hoenn spoke up. "You're right Dad but Ash will win. I know it. There's no way he'll lose now. Especially with Blaziken," said May, her sisters smiling at her and agreeing while Norman just stayed quiet, not wanting to upset his daughter.
Back on the field, Ash was thinking furiously while eyeing the elite pokémon, trying to find a weakness. They're a lot more calculating than the previous ones. Looks like the battles before really did give them some insight on my plans. Well, I guess things will just be a little more interesting now. Roaming his gaze around, he then noticed Pheobe giving him a very peculiar look that made him tilt his head a bit. What the…
On the other side of the field, Pheobe noticed his slight reaction to her look and that made her become even more excited and happy. Just like I planned. I'm having so much fun! Time to make things more interesting. I just hope Cynthia doesn't kill me… "Ashy, that was a good show of power just now. But I'm a little disappointed if that's all you have to show me. It's not, is it? You want to impress me right?" she asked him.
While the girls shook in their seats in the stands, on the field Cynthia growled from behind, making Bertha grasp her shoulder and telling her to calm down. Ash however, ignored her question. "Let's continue the battle and show them your skills Blaziken! Bulk up!" Flexing his muscles, Blaziken increased his attack and defense.
Becoming slightly annoyed over him not falling for it, Pheobe narrowed her eyes a bit. "You know, that's rude to ignore a beautiful girl! Shadow Ball!" A ball of ghostly energy was shot from Banette.
"Don't take it personally! You know what to do!" Blaziken dashed towards the Shadow Ball and then struck the ball with Shadow Claw, sending it back towards the ghost.
Pheobe's eyes widened and she shouted out in fright. "Dodge it!" Banette barely evaded it by moving to the side. "That was close," sighed the ghost elite.
"Watch out!" shouted Glacia and Pheobe saw Blaziken about to collide into her ghost while covered in flames. Shocked and unable to do something, Pheobe couldn't even say anything. "Water Gun!" Walrein launched a blast of water at Blaziken, pushing him off course and dousing his fire.
"Salamence, now's your chance!" shot Drake, capitalizing on the opportunity. The dragon shot down from above to the falcon and grabbed hold of him before flying high up into the air.
"What's the matter with you?!" snapped Glacia the moment they had a breather. Pheobe looked at her because of her tone and saw her angry gaze. "Stop being such a desperate flirt and get your head back into the game!" she chastised her, making Pheobe become very embarrassed and also felt really hurt from her words. Many were thrown off a little by Glacia's sudden harsh words, even making Cynthia feel that was a little extreme in front of so many people.
In the group of elites, Malva, Karen and Lorelei leaned in close to one another after hearing that altercation. "You think this whole thing was a mistake?" asked Malva quietly.
"You're probably right. Maybe we shouldn't have asked Pheobe to take part of it. She's easily hurt," commented Lorelei, feeling bad for the ghost elite.
The dark haired girl shook her head however. "It's too late now. We can't back out now. But have some faith in her," said Karen and the other two let out sighs.
His attention first on his Blaziken and what his opponents were doing, Ash was trying to come up with a plan to turn the tables on them. But then he heard Glacia's words towards Pheobe and that made him frown. It made him remember his recent conversation with Natalie and how people couldn't control who they develop feelings for. He thought if Pheobe was really interested or just messing around to throw off his concentration. That would be a good tactic since they were in the middle of a battle, even if it was a cheap one. Good thing for him he didn't really feel anything over her or her actions. He also thought that she should be focusing on the battle instead of trying to mess with her opponent, until he remembered that he was losing his concentration too. Shaking his head, Ash decided to find out why this was happening later on. But right now, he had a battle to focus on. Blaziken, it's time for that special move you've been working on. Hearing his pokémon's thoughts back, he turned his gaze onto the ice elite of Hoenn. "Hey Glacia," he called out to her, drawing her and everyone's attention. "You should follow your own advice!"
Narrowing her eyes onto him, Glacia was peeved. "How dare you! I never lose focus! And you should worry about yourself!" she said to him with anger.
Ash merely grinned. "Really?" he asked her, making her become very annoyed. "Well I guess you should be alright then," he told her before shouting his next words. "BLAZIKEN! FIRE BOMBS!" Breaking free from Salamence's grip by elbowing him in the gut with both arms, Blaziken started free falling while his wrists had their flames grow larger and engulfed his hands. Cocking his right arm back, he then shot it forward so quickly that the fire around his hands launched like a bullet in a ball of flames. He did the same thing with his left hand and then rapidly alternated between the two, sending a shower of fire balls towards the field and his opponents that made the spectators shout over it.
"Take cover!" shouted Sidney, seeing the dozens of fire balls raining down. Absol, Walrein and Banette took up defensive positions and summoned protective shields around them right before the fire balls reached them while Salamence tried to catch his breath.
Countless explosions of fire erupted from the fire bombs all around the three pokémon, making the shields crack from the tremendous power behind them. The Hoenn Elites were at first stupefied and unable to react, having never seen something like that before. Until Drake snapped out of it and called out to his dragon. "Salamence! Stop him!" Needing another moment to recover first, he then began dive bombing towards the falcon, the dragon increasing his speed to the point of a blur.
"Blaziken, look out!" yelled Ash and his pokémon looked behind him and saw the dragon about to smash into him. However, right before the dragon was about to make contact, the fire starter flipped his body backwards in the air and landed on top of the passing dragon's back and grabbed hold of his wings. That surprised everyone with his aerial maneuver, making them cry out in shock. "Awesome! Good job buddy! Now let's get some pay back with Thunder Punch!" Not wasting any time, Blaziken had his right hand covered in electricity before he started to repeatedly pummel the dragon's back, trying to make him land.
Roaring with pain, Salamence tried to shake him off by spinning rapidly in the air but Blaziken's grip was too tight. The dragon couldn't leave his advantage in the air, forcing himself to remain airborne as he did his best to ignore the pain. "No, Salamence! Free yourself!" called out Drake.
"INCREDIBLE! BLAZIKEN SUBDUED THE OTHER ELITES' POKÉMON WITH HIS INCREDIBLE FIRE BOMB MOVE AND IS NOW TAKING HIS TIME IN TAKING OUT THE DRAGON!" The crowd was going crazy and Ash's group was cheering loudly.
Back on the ground, the other elites were trying to see if their pokémon were still in fighting conditions since the last few fire bombs had broken their shields and caused them some damage. Sidney asked his Absol if he was alright since he had some cuts and the dark type nodded, allowing his trainer to let out a relieved sigh. Pheobe gave her pokémon a worried and guilty look but Banette gave her trainer a thumb's up, letting her know she was alright, though she too had some bruises. Smiling a little, Pheobe turned towards her fellow female elite and was shocked at what she saw. Glacia was staring at her Walrein, seeing the scorch marks on her pokémon. She was in a trance, absolutely mesmerized by the sheer power of Ash's Blaziken. Grasping her shoulder, Pheobe made Glacia look at her. "Glacia, are you alright?" she asked.
Seeing the concerned expression on her face, she snapped out of it and shook her head. "Yea, I'm fine now," answered Glacia before facing her pokémon. Her Walrein nodded at her, making the elite smile a bit, feeling a little better that her pokémon was still in good shape. Moving her vision to her opponent across the field, Glacia saw his gaze was up, watching the aerial battle but she was able to see the confident look on his face. Turning her sight onto the two pokémon in the sky now, she noticed that the dragon was beginning to show signs of slowing down and that shocked her. Normally the Hoenn dragon could endure more but it looks the falcon's appearance didn't properly display his true power. How is he so damn strong…
Up in the air, Blaziken kept relentlessly chipping away at Salamence's endurance while the latter tried everything he could to shake him off. Spinning his body, performing dive bombs, making sharp turns and sudden stops, flying in circles and everything else that came to mind. However, no matter what he did, he couldn't throw off the falcon, his grip impossibly tight on his wing. Seeing that his pokémon was having no luck whatsoever in getting free, Drake was thinking furiously to come up with something. Looking down for the first time in a while, he evaluated the conditions of his fellow elites' pokémon. Seeing them able to continue battling, he made up his mind. "Listen you three," he called out to them as he faced them, making his team mates look at him. "I'm going to have to do my emergency plan," he told them without hesitation.
"You sure about that?" asked Sidney quietly, while Glacia and Pheobe were both surprised, unable to speak over his decision.
"I have no other choice," he told them and they understood. Letting out a sigh, he said something in his mind; forgive me my trusted pokémon. Raising his gaze back up towards the sky, Drake yelled out his final command. "SALAMENCE! A DRAGON'S HONOR!" Hearing that made many wonder what his plan was but some had an idea and a few knew exactly what he was going to do. Listening to his trainer's words, Salamence stopped his actions and shot down towards the field at once with his wings folded in against his underbelly to increase his velocity. It looked like he was going to smash into the ground at top speed in an attempt to take out the fire type.
Realizing that the move was a kamikaze type of attack, the raven haired guardian had his heart start beating faster. "Blaziken, break away!" shouted Ash. Blaziken stopped his attack and was about to let go of the dragon. But then Salamence unfolded his wings and folded them the opposite way, to wrap him against his back, preventing his escape. "WHAT?!" shouted the guardian in surprise, not knowing they could do that with their wings.
As the two pokémon rocketed towards the hard ground, many people shouted and screamed in fright. Nearing the ground, Salamence moved his body so he would land against his back to have his opponent take most of the impact. A torrent of flames shot from Blaziken was all they saw along with a roar let out by Salamence before the two smashed against the hard cement ground at such high speed that they blew apart the ground and a cloud of dust arose and blanketed part of the field, preventing everyone from seeing what happened. "OH MY, WHAT A DANGERIOUS LAST DITCH MOVE! WAS THE RISK WORTH THE REWARD?!"Waiting impatiently to see the outcome, the crowd was silent and both the guardian and the elites were holding their breath. Finally, the cloud dispersed and revealed what it was hiding. The ground was caved in from the pressure of the dive bomb. Salamence was the only pokémon visible of the two, having used Blaziken as his 'soft' landing, though he was breathing raggedly and his eyes were closed.
"Is it over?" asked Lizabeth in shock.
"It can't be," whispered Shauna, not believing it.
"Of all the things to do," commented Anabel sadly.
Tears were gathering in May's eyes. "No way, how could they lose?" The others didn't say anything for their words was spoken for them and they didn't know what else to say.
Somewhere in the stands, three women looked at one another. One of them lifted up her cell phone once more and got it ready to call to start their plan. All she was waiting for was the official statement of the match. The other two took in a breath and exhaled it out to calm their nerves.
Back on the field, no movement or sound was made for a few more seconds until Sidney looked at the referee. "Hey ref! Call it!" he told him.
Nodding at him, the referee cleared his throat and spoke. "With that final move, Salamence has beaten Blaziken and that means that the Elite Four of Hoenn have-"
"Hold on!" shouted Ash, interrupting him. "We haven't lost yet!"
Glancing at one another, the Hoenn Elites were shocked over his words, thinking he had gone crazy. "It was a great battle Ash," started Sidney as he turned to look at him again. "But as I said before, it's a no hold barred battle and you lost."
Shaking his head, Ash pointed at the unconscious dragon. "Blaziken!" Nothing happened after Ash called out to his pokémon. A little while later, thinking he had lost it, Drake was about to say something when Salamence started moving. Or more accurately, he was raised into the air before being moved to the side, his wings completely busted up. A second later, a red bipedal falcon slowly rose up to his feet, covered in scratches and bruises. He stayed standing with his left arm held loosely by his side along with leaning mostly on his right leg. He had received damage mostly against his left side. "As I said, we haven't lost yet," said Ash calmly to the silenced Hoenn Elites while everyone else was left in flabbergasted states.
It took a moment for someone to speak. "How?!" asked Glacia for everyone.
Ash grinned a little as his Blaziken used the time to recover some energy. "I had Blaziken use Flamethrower to melt the ground a little to cushion the impact. And though Salamence tried to unwrap his wings at the last second to not damage them, Blaziken prevented him from doing so by grabbing hold of them to use them as a shield. Both Salamence's wings and the melted ground helped Blaziken survive," he explained to them, though they were left in surprise states before frowning a bit. "But he still ended up getting hurt," he commented, seeing his pokémon's condition. "Hmm, looks like your leg is messed up and your arm is dislocated. What do you want to do buddy? We can call it if you want," stated Ash. Blaziken scoffed at the idea of backing down now. Grabbing hold of his left arm with his right, he then used force to pop his shoulder back into its socket, making a loud snapping noise that cause many to cringe from it. Rotating his arm a bit and then shaking it some, the fire type then lifted up his left leg so there's no weight on it, bending it in front of him while balancing on his right leg and holding up his hands. "Figures. Show off," muttered Ash but Blaziken just smirked.
Seeing the Hoenn starter still able to battle after that death defying stunt, the crowd was silenced, unable to make a sound. Until Blaziken showed his willingness to continue battling even with a damaged leg, making them roar over his conviction. Ash's group was beyond amazed at the pokémon's resilience and willpower.
"Now that's a true fighter!" praised Shauna happily and a couple from the group nodded.
"Incredible. They never back down," remarked Lizabeth with admiration while several vocally agreed with her.
May wiped away her tears, feeling relieved that they were still in the game. "I can't believe I thought it was over."
"It's alright May. You weren't the only one," said Anabel truthfully and the brunette looked at her before giving a small smile in response while her sisters admitted the same. Letting out a sigh, May returned her gaze to the field with them copying her.
Drake looked at his pokémon and saw him out of commission. Letting out a sigh, he returned Salamence and turned his head to his teammates. "It's all on you now. I took out his leg. He should be weakened down enough but stay on your guard," he advised them
Nodding their heads in understanding, the Hoenn Elites turned to face their challenger. "I hope you're ready for some more Ash!" called out Sidney. "Cause all of that just made me hunger for some more action!"His and the other two pokémon let out loud battle cries after his words.
"Bring it on Sidney!" taunted Ash and Blaziken let out a roar of his own back at them.
"Don't get cocky Ash!" advised Glacia. "Just cause you got lucky, doesn't mean you'll win! Super Ice Ball!" Forming a larger ball of ice this time, Walrein was getting ready to launch it.
"Banette, keep him busy!" commanded Pheobe, being serious for the first time since the start of the battle. After being chewed out in front of everyone by her fellow elite, Phoebe realized that she should've stayed focused on the match, even with her plan with the other three. She still intended to follow through on that of course but only when the time was right for she wasn't going to lose her concentration anymore. The ghost disappeared before reappearing behind the fire starter and attempted to hit him with Shadow Claws but was unable to. Even with just one leg, the falcon was able to evade the strikes.
"Help her out Absol!" ordered Sidney. Running forward, the feline soon engaged the falcon as well, who was barely able to fend them off while trying to keep his balance. Every time he was able to break away and try to go towards the walrus, the other two would catch up to him and stop him.
Glacia saw her pokémon finish readying the ball of ice and she grinned. "Good, now fire!" Walrein roared before launching the huge ball of ice at his opponent.
"Look out!" warned Ash as Absol and Banette moved out of the way of the incoming projectile. Turning to face the ice ball, Blaziken had his eyes widen over the size of it. There was no way he could evade it. "Knock it back with Blaze Kick!" shouted the guardian. Focusing his strength and engulfing his right leg in flames, he waited for the right moment to counter. At the last second, Blaziken jumped towards the ice ball with his right leg and swung the same leg against it. Putting all of his strength behind it, he was able to deflect the large ice ball with his kick, sending it straight back towards his opponents.
"No way!" yelped Glacia, seeing her own attack coming back towards them.
"Absol, cut it in half with Night Slash!" ordered Sidney and his dark type rushed forward with his horn glowing. He slashed at the ice ball and cut it into two pieces. The halves went flying passed Banette and Walrein before falling to the ground. "Alright Ash, now I'm…" He trailed off, seeing Blaziken near his pokémon. He had used the cover of the ice ball to advance, hopping on his leg. "Shit! Absol, Double Team!" Splitting into a dozen copies, Absol avoided the falcon's Fire Punch, hitting only a copy. "That was close. Nice try there Ash but not good enough," said Sidney with a sneer.
"Well how about this; Heat Wave!" Blaziken summoned scorching hot winds around the field, making the copies vanish and the real Absol, along with Walrein and Banette, were letting out anguished cries from the intense heat. "Now, let's bring it down to two! Target the closest one with Fire Blast!" Bringing down his left leg to help stabilize himself even though he felt pain from putting weight on it, Blaziken then let out a large five pointed star of flames towards the dark type before raising his leg again.
Pheobe and Glacia told their pokémon to help out since Sidney's was barely getting back onto his feet. But their pokémon were also out of it, leaving their comrade on his own. "Absol! Counter with Dark Pulse!"ordered Sidney. His pokémon finally got his senses straight and tried to launch the dark energy blast but he was unable to in time. Absol was struck by the Fire Blast and the flames erupted, burning him and he let out agonizing sounds for a few seconds before no more sounds came. The fire died down and revealed an unconscious white feline on the ground. "No, damn it!" shouted Sidney in disbelief and anger that he was also taken out.
"Good job buddy! That leaves just two more!" praised Ash and his Blaziken let out a screech.
Glacia and Pheobe looked at one another as Absol was returned. "It's up to us now," remarked Glacia and she faced forward. "We need to end this and win." Evaluating her and Pheobe's pokémon's conditions, she realized that they were very close to their limits. "We need to give our next moves everything we got," she said with seriousness.
Pheobe nodded in agreement before letting out a gasp. "Wait, are you thinking what I think your thinking?" she asked and her fellow elite confirmed it. Looking at Ash now, the ghost elite grinned at him. "Don't think it's over now that it's just us girls Ash! You may have shown your power, but I still expected more. You disappointed me," she said, taunting him as she wagged her right index finger at him. That caused several annoyed expressions to form on the girls' faces.
Ash just shrugged however. "Well, I can't please everyone," he said without thinking of his choice of words.
That made Pheobe blush greatly. "Why'd you say it like that?!" asked the ghost type elite.
"Why'd you even bring attention to it?!" shot Glacia towards Pheobe in horror, turning a little red herself from embarrassment of what was going on.
Placing her hands against her cheeks, Pheobe felt the heat from them, ignoring her team mate. "You're being awfully bold in front of so many Ashy…"
Ash tilted his head. "What? What do you…" It took a moment until he understood what she meant. "Oh, c'mon!" he called out to her, turning a little red himself from embarrassment. The people in the stands laughed and his group couldn't help but chuckle themselves. Though his girlfriends were a little annoyed, they couldn't really blame Ash. He did have his slow moments at times. "That's not what I meant! Can we get on with the battle already?!"
"Fine!" snapped Pheobe, getting embarrassed herself over the situation and Glacia wasn't feeling too good about it all either. "Banette, vanish!" Her ghost disappeared at once.
"Walrein, its time to end this! Give it everything you have! Sheer Cold!" added Glacia and her pokémon obeyed. Letting out a loud roar, her pokémon summoned a howling, absolutely freezing wind of ice pellets and snow and sent it towards the fire type.
"Protect!" shouted Ash and Blaziken had a protective shield formed around him after lowering his leg again to help stabilize himself in time to have the freezing blizzard slam against his barrier without restraint. Straining to keep up the shield, the Hoenn starter was also dealing with the pain from his leg. "It's almost over! Hold on!" encouraged Ash and his pokémon held on.
"That's right!" called out Pheobe, drawing his attention. "It is over! Phantom Force!" Banette appeared through the shield with her body glowing before slamming into Blaziken. Letting out a howl of pain, he was hurt badly but was able to keep up the shield for the time being. "No way! That wasn't enough to break his will and shield?!" yelped Pheobe in shock.
"Maybe not but he can't keep it up forever! Don't let up Walrein!" commanded Glacia, having her pokémon keep up the relentless freezing blizzard.
Pheobe agreed with that. "Banette, take a breather and then charge up the biggest Shadow Ball you can!" Taking in much needed breaths after the last attack, her ghost then began concentrating all of her power in creating as large of a Shadow Ball as she could.
Seeing both females putting everything into these attacks, Ash concluded that this was their final play. It's time for us to give it our last shot too buddy. You ready to go all out? Hearing his thoughts back that he was, Ash sent out his final commands for this battle. "Blaziken, bring out your fire!" His words baffled everyone, not knowing what he was up to but the Hoenn starter knew what to do. Concentrating on his inner flame that burned inside every fire type, he was trying to bring it out to the surface while maintaining his shield. Slowly, he brought it out, having red flames appear all over his body, causing everyone to let out startled gasps and shouts. "That's it buddy! You got it! Just a little more!" he told his pokémon. More and more red flames appeared and they grew larger and larger, dancing wildly around the falcon inside the barrier.
"Glacia, I don't know what that is, but it can't be good!" yelped Pheobe, losing her cool.
"We can't let him do whatever he's trying to do! Fire it now!" replied back Glacia.
"Banette, is it ready?!" asked Pheobe hysterically and her ghost nodded after a second. "Fire away!" Pouring almost everything she had into the Shadow Ball, Banette then launched it with the last of her strength before hunching over in her spot, barely conscious.
Inside the shield, nobody could see the starter anymore for it was just red flames inside of it. The super powered Shadow Ball went racing towards it, traveling with the blizzard that was still colliding against the shield as well. It was then that Ash gave the order. "It's now or never! FIRE WAVE!" A loud roar was heard that came from inside the shield. Next second, the shield shattered caused by the flames inside suddenly bursting through towards their opponents while growing in height and width, morphing into a wall of fire that traveled towards the two pokémon. It swallowed up the incoming large Shadow Ball and vaporized it while also negating the freezing blizzard, leaving behind only steam.
"Impossible!" yelped Glacia while taking a step back subconsciously, losing her composure.
"No way!" cried Pheobe, scared of the wall of fire that was still going, heading for her pokémon. "No! Call it off! Please! I quit! Banette can't battle anymore!" she said desperately, seeing how her pokémon couldn't even try to defend itself.
Glacia looked at her pokémon, about to say a command but saw that her Walrein too was utterly exhausted, unable to battle anymore. Her eyes widened, surprised at herself that she didn't notice until then. "Stop the attack!" shrieked Glacia. "Stop! I forfeit!"
Hearing the two say that, Ash quickly called out to his pokémon. "Blaziken, that's enough!" His pokémon stopped supplying energy to his attack and the fire wall stopped its advance and soon after, the flames dissipated into thin air. The flames around his body regressed back inside of him and Blaziken dropped to one knee. Leaning against his right leg at first, he then allowed himself to fall down onto his rear and sat on the floor, absolutely done with no spare energy. It was all he could do to just stay conscious.
The referee raised the green flag and lowered the red flag. "Glacia and Pheobe have forfeited the match. Winner is Blaziken and Ash, who will now advance and face the Johto Elites!" Ash ran up to his pokémon to check on him while the female elites did the same to theirs.
"UNBELIEVABLE! NOT ONLY DID ASH WIN AGAINST THE HOENN ELITES, BUT HE FROCED THEM TO FORFEIT! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MATCH!" The crowd was left in stunned states over the fire wall until the announcer's words brought them out of it. Roaring their loudest yet, they continued to cheer as the elites and the guardian gathered towards the referee in the middle after thanking and returning their pokémon.
It was the dragon elite of the four who first spoke with the young man. "That was the most intense match I've ever had," admitted Drake, raising his hand.
Raising his hand and shaking his, Ash nodded. "With all due respect, you guys are as hard to beat as the other elites," he replied back, getting a nod in return before separating and facing the dark trainer.
"Not bad. But we're gonna have to have a one on one battle you and I in the future," remarked Sidney as he shook hands with Ash.
"Sure, sounds like fun," smiled Ash. Chuckling, Sidney nodded before stepping aside for Glacia. "You almost had me there with that Sheer Cold," he told her.
Glacia didn't say anything for a moment until she smiled. "And you surprised me with how strong your pokémon are and how you never give up," she told him. "Thank you for opening my eyes to how much more I need to learn," she said to him before giving him a curtsy, surprising her fellow elites. She wouldn't do that to anyone unless she respects them.
"Hey, n-no need f-for that," stammered Ash, embarrassed over her behavior towards him. "But thank you for the respect," he told her.
Straightening out, she shook her head. "No, thank you for that grand battle and for sparing my pokémon," said Glacia sweetly before moving away for their last member to say her words.
Letting out a sigh, Ash turned to face the ghost elite as he wasn't sure what she was going to do. But he still had to say something to her and so decided on something short and respectful. "Great battle Pheobe. Thank you," he told her.
Locking her eyes onto his, she didn't react for a moment. Until she suddenly jumped on him and gave him a bear hug, shocking everyone. "Thank you for not going through with that final move! I don't know what would have happened to Banette if you didn't," said Pheobe while Ash just said it was nothing nervously. She leaned in closer to his ear. "That power you and your pokémon displayed…I have to admit it…I'm very impressed. Made my heart race. I want to thank you for that personally," she whispered into his ear, making Ash widen his eyes.
Feeling uncomfortable over her words and actions while also sensing his girlfriends' emotions, Ash quickly but casually separated from Pheobe. "Thank you for the compliments. Take care of yourself!" said Ash, indicating that that they were done talking.
Pouting at him at first, Pheobe then smirked at him. "Oh I see. Don't worry, no one else will know." Giving him a wink, she then turned around to leave. "I'll catch you later Ashy," she told him before rejoining her fellow elites and they made their way back to the other elites.
Ash glanced at the referee who just shrugged. Letting out a breath, the young guardian shook his head and decided to wait beside the referee as the field was changed. That way, when finished, he could greet the Johto Elites before their battle.
When the Hoenn Elites rejoined the other elites and their champions, they were given an approving look from Steven while the rest gave them some praise and compliments. Cynthia however, had her eyes narrowed onto Pheobe. Though she felt a little shocked over Glacia's behavior towards Ash in the end, Cynthia quickly brushed it off since she was much older than him and she was only behaving properly. And she also knew how that was a sign of her respect for others. Yet she couldn't control her anger over the ghost elite's actions. Taking a step towards her to give her a piece of her mind, Cynthia was made to stop by Bertha who had grabbed hold of her arm.
Snapping her gaze onto her, the blonde champion glared at her elite but she didn't falter. "What did I tell you before?" asked Bertha quietly but Cynthia didn't answer. "You need to control that anger and jealousy of yours. And even if you can't this is not the place for it," she reminded her.
Knowing she was right, Cynthia listened to her but inside she kept boiling. Facing Pheobe, she crossed her arms and exhaled out through her nose. That was when she noticed that Malva was speaking with her quietly, along with Karen and Lorelei. Those two! They better not do anything else unless they want to get hurt! And what are they even talking with them? Wondering about that, she kept her sight locked onto them. Until she heard a sudden voice in her head.
Cynthia? Can you hear me?
Liza?
So you can! Cool! Aura bonds rock!
Able to keep herself from chuckling so others won't think she went insane, Cynthia took in a breath. Yes I know. What is it?
Oh right. Well our sisters and I wanted to ask you if you know what's going on with those girls and what they're trying to do if there is.
That's what I'd like to know myself. But don't worry, I won't let them do anything.
Alright. But listen, no matter what happens, don't do anything right now. Wait till after the battles are done.
A little bit of anger sprang up inside the champion. I know that! I'm not stupid!
Liza became a little frigthtened but kept her cool. We know that but also know how you can be when angered. So just try to keep it in for now okay? And remember, you're not alone.
Understanding what she was saying, Cynthia calmed down. Okay. I got it. Sorry and thanks. Letting out a sigh and recomposing herself, she then noticed Karen leave the group to go to the referee with her comrades since the field was done being switched out.
In the stands, the caretaker of the valley let out a sigh after finishing her mental conversation with the Sinnoh champion. "Next time, you guys tell Cynthia to calm down," whispered Liza so only they could hear her.
Her sisters chuckled a bit before one of them replied back. "No way. I'm not gonna try to calm down Cynthia when she's pissed," admitted Clair, earning herself a glare from her friend.
"Stop being such a wuss. And she wasn't the only one angered though," remarked Sabrina with a knowing look and Clair had a sheepish look form on her face. "I still don't understand as to why you guys are telling me not to read their minds. I can find out what they're thinking and let you know," she told them.
"We know that Sabrina," started Dawn quietly so only she and her sisters could hear her. "But even though we're angry, much angrier than we were in the past, we feel as if it's an invasion of privacy. Unless it's absolutely needed, we don't need you to do that as we don't want you taking on that by yourself. We'll handle things together, like we decided last night. Remember?" she asked her and Sabrina nodded after a moment.
Before the Saffron gym leader could respond back though, another caught their attention. "Hey, we'll worry about that later cause the Johto Elites are talking to Ash now," exclaimed Sarah, making her sisters move their gaze onto them.
As Karen and the other three Johto Elites headed towards the referee and Ash, she felt some excitement inside. She couldn't wait to battle Ash. And she also couldn't wait to put her part of the plan into motion. It had been a long time since she flirted with anyone, even as a joke. But she knew that she can still get what she wants if she puts her mind to it. And noticing how Cynthia reacted during Pheobe's actions, Karen knew she was onto something. She knew she was playing with fire and knew it was only a matter of time until she got burned. But it would be worth it for she and the other three will finally get answers for their questions regarding just what exactly was going on between them all.
Reaching the referee, the Johto Elites were reminded of the rules and they turned to face Ash afterwards. "Let's have a good match," said Will, the first to speak.
Ash nodded in reply and then faced the ninja before smiling a bit. "It's been a long time Koga. Looks like we'll be having a rematch," he told him.
Koga allowed a half smile to form on his face. "Looks like we shall."
"Whoa, you two battled against each other before?" asked Ethan in awe.
"Yea, back when he was the gym leader of Fuschia about ten years or so ago," revealed Ash, making Ethan comment that he didn't know that he used to be a gym leader. Koga however just acknowledged it by barely giving a single nod. "Oh but if you're one of the Johto Elites, who's running the gym?" asked the raven haired trainer.
"My daughter Janine has taken over," answered Koga. Ash commented how that was awesome and that he should battle her one day. "Yes, you should. But first let's have ours," he suggested.
Rubbing the back of his head, Ash let out a chuckle. "Yea, you're right. I hope you're ready." Koga said no more and moved aside while covertly pulling Ethan alongside him who said his greetings but also wouldn't stop talking.
Taking that as her cue, Karen moved in front of Ash. Placing her left hand on her hip, she gave a warm smile to her opponent. "So, looks like it's finally my turn to say hello kiddo."
That comment made Ash internally groan. Oh great…please tell me this one isn't like Malva and Pheobe too.
"I've been waiting for someone who could give me a great fight. I'm not too worried since you've proven you have great power," Karen told him.
Ash felt relief after hearing her say that. Oh thank Arceus! She's not like the other two! He allowed himself to smile a bit and nodded in reply to her words.
Seeing him do that, Karen decided to make a move. Taking a few steps closer to him, she raised her right hand and placed her right index finger against the middle of his chest, making her teammates give her astonished looks.
Though he felt nothing over her touch, his heart still beat faster because of her action and what he sensed from his girlfriends. No…no…no...NO! Not this one too!
"But power alone isn't what I'm looking for," she whispered to him seriously but with a slight tone of playfulness, making Ash curse his situation inside his mind. "You've shown you have some skills too but I'm not impressed." Moving her finger down, she stroked his chest while whispering. "Wow me."
"What?!" asked an absolutely startled Ash.
"Wow me if you can," repeated Karen. "And maybe…just maybe…I'll have you teach me some of the things you've learned. And in return, I'll give you some of my own lessons in some private sessions." She grinned at his look of astonishment before lifting her finger and rejoined her elites. "Let's go," she told them casually, as if nothing happened just now. "We have a battle to win," she told them. Making their way to their trainer's box, the Johto Elites asked her what that was about but she told them to not worry about it.
Ash snapped out of it, turned around and made his way to his side of the field. Okay, something is seriously going on. First Malva. Then Pheobe was a surprise. And now Karen? What the fuck is going on? Are they really flirting with me or are they just trying to mess with my head? Should I try to hear their thoughts? Shaking his head slightly to himself, Ash let out a sigh. No, I can't do that right now. I need to focus on the battles. Well, either way it doesn't matter because I'm not going to lose and I don't feel anything at all for them. Glancing at his group to check on his loved ones, he could see that his girlfriends were glaring at Karen, sensing their anger towards her. Reaching his box and turning to face them, he then noticed Cynthia's look of rage at the Johto Elite. Uh oh…this is not good. The girls are pissed! Well, I guess good news is they're not pissed at me. For once. Should I tell them to not worry? He thought about that a bit but decided against it. No, that won't be good enough. Good thing I have something better. Covertly touching his chest once more as if scratching it, Ash could feel his girlfriends calming down. Multiple mental messages were sent to him and he responded back to them. Taking in a breath, he looked at his starter with a smile. "Ready Pikachu?" he asked him.
"Pika!" replied back the electric mouse and he nodded.
Summoning a poke ball to him with his aura, Ash waited for the announcer to finish speaking and the Johto Elites to reveal their choices before bringing out his. "WITH THAT RATHER INTIMATE GREETING BY…" Loud obnoxious coughing sounds were heard again, interrupting the announcer. "…can't even speak my mind anymore…" Many laughed in the crowd over that and so did several on the field. "AS I WAS SAYING, ONLY TWO MORE TO GO AND ASH WILL HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BATTLE AGAINST THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD TOMORROW IN ANOTHER HANDICAP MATCH! THE FIFTH ELITE MATCH STARTS NOW!" Taking that as their cue, the four Johto trainers brought out their pokémon choices. A purple four winged bat, a green psychic condor, a black feline and a light blue bipedal crocodile appeared on the elites' side of the field. Gripping his poke ball tightly, Ash then threw it into the air and his chosen pokémon, a blue orange badger, appeared with a loud roar. "THE JOHTO ELITES HAVE CHOSEN THEIR SIGNATURE POKEMON OF CROBAT, XATU, HOUNDOOM AND FERALIGATR WHILE THE AURA GUARDIAN SENT OUT TYPHLOSION! ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE TWO STARTERS OF THE SAME REGION AGAINST ONE ANOTHER!" Letting out roars and cheers again, the crowd was getting very loud as the five trainers and their pokémon eyed one another.
When Sarah saw Ash's chosen pokémon, she let out a squeal of surprise before smiling broadly. Seeing her reaction, her sisters became happy as well and Leaf elbowed her lightly against her side, drawing her attention. "Bringing back memories?" asked the brunette teasingly.
Laughing a bit, Sarah nodded. "Yea. But this is different. And even though my starter was Cyndaquil and Typhlosion is one of my two strongest, it still took my entire team to beat each elite. I know the fire badger pretty well so I wonder what plan Ash has with his Typhlosion to take them all out at once." Sarah's words made her sisters think about that as well, with some of them thinking about his previous elite battles and how he used a pokémon that they have and the things he came up with that they never even thought of.
"Well, looks like it's a perfect opportunity for you to gain some knowledge," stated Anabel and Sarah agreed with that, having her attention go back onto the match.
"Alright Typhlosion, it's finally your time to shine buddy!" called out Ash and his pokémon let out another roar while flaring up his fire from the back part of his neck.
Grinning, the Johto Elites could feel the power from their opponent. "Let's get things started. You're pokémon may be strong, but strength alone won't be enough to defeat us. Confuse Ray!" ordered Will. His Xatu fired a sinister ray of light to cause confusion in his opponent.
"Dig!" countered Ash and Typhlosion quickly went underground, the cement floor not hindering his actions at all and evaded the sinister ray.
"You too!" countered Ethan immediately. Feraligatr also disappeared beneath the ground.
A short while later, clashing sounds were heard from beneath them with tremors shaking the field. A few blasts of fire and water tore through the ground, shooting up into the air, startling the spectators. Rumbling was then heard coming from underneath their feet until all of a sudden, both starter pokémon popped out of the ground locked in a physical bout. Typhlosion and Feraligatr were exchanging rapid strikes against one another.
Koga smirked. "Crobat, Toxic!" Moving at incredible speeds, the poisonous bat flew to be behind the fire badger and spat out a dark purple glob towards him.
"Quick Attack to the side!" Typhlosion lunged away from his spot at breakneck speeds at the last second, dodging the glob of poison that kept going towards Feraligatr. Before it connected the toxic glob was outlined in a purple glow and made to stop in midair. "Damn it!"
"You shouldn't forget about us challenger," remarked Will. "Xatu, looks like our friend forget to take his gift with him. Send it back to him please." With its eyes glowing purple again, the psychic bird sent the toxic glob after the fire badger.
"Flamethrower!" Letting out an intense blast of flames, Typhlosion was able to disintegrate the toxic glob. But then Houndoom appeared behind him out of nowhere. "Look out!" warned Ash but it was too late as the demon dog sank her sharp teeth into his back. The fire type let out a howl of agony and tried to shake her off but instead it just helped Houndoom sink her teeth in deeper.
"My, my, what a predicament," said Karen in a mock concerned tone at first before changing it to a more condescending one. "But that's what happens when you leave yourself vulnerable. I wonder, do you think that the move Crunch is named after bones breaking?" she asked tauntingly, making Ash's eyes narrow onto her. Up in the stands, Sarah booed loudly among her sisters.
"Here's a chance to finish this quickly. Ethan! Hold him down!" ordered Koga.
Ethan snapped to it. "Yes sir! Feraligatr, subdue Typhlosion!" Closing in on the orange badger, the blue crocodile raised its arms.
Ash thought a mile a minute to come up with something to get his pokémon out of the corner he was in. Coming up with an idea, he knew it was risky but it was better than the other ideas. "Typhlosion, Rollout!" His pokémon rolled forward towards Feraligatr while curling himself up into a ball. As a result, Houndoom was sent colliding into the water type. The force behind the collision loosened up her jaws, allowing Typhlosion to break free but he wasn't done. Continuing his Rollout, he smashed into the two pokémon, sending them flying back some distance and then crashed against the ground. Both Karen and Ethan let out worried sounds.
"Xatu, stop him in his tracks!" commanded Will, seeing him continue rolling around the field as he zigzagged his way towards the other pokémon. Eyes glowing blue, the bird concentrated on the badger and a purple outline appeared around him. Though he kept turning in his spot, he was prevented from actually moving.
"Typhlosion, you can do it! Break free!" shouted Ash.
Koga knew it was only a matter of time until he did so and quickly said a command. "Crobat, Air Cutter!" The purple bat launched razor sharp winds against the spinning badger. Each one connected against him that caused him stinging pain yet he kept spinning. Feraligatr and Houndoom recovered by that point and got ready to continue the battle. "All of you, attack at once! Venoshock!"
"Dark Pulse!"
"Hydro Pump!"
Crobat, Houndoom and Feraligatr fired their attacks. A special poisonous liquid, a darkly colored blast of energy and a large torrent of pressurized water traveled through the air towards their trapped target.
SHIT! That ain't good! "Typhlosion, ERUPTION!" His pokémon began spinning even faster now and a red glowing outline formed around him, breaking free from the psychic hold over him, shocking the psychic elite. Flames covered him up and right before the triple attack reached him, the fire badger let loose an explosive fury of fire. A wave of red flames shot out from him in all directions, negating two of the three attacks. The third one however cut through the fire but lost power greatly. Typhlosion was struck directly with the weakened Hydro Pump yet it hardly did any damage to him since he dispersed the remaining water with his spinning. "Good job buddy!" praised Ash happily.
"Don't get too comfortable now!" advised Koga as his Crobat appeared in front of the still spinning fire starter and slashed at him with Cross Poison at top speed. Powerful enough to stop his spinning, Typhlosion was sent sailing through the air from the attack and smashed against the stadium wall before falling to the ground.
"Typhlosion!" yelled out Ash in concern, with the crowd going silent. A moment later, the guardian's pokémon rose onto all fours and shook his head a bit. He then stood back up while panting some. Though he wasn't poisoned from the attack, the bat managed to land a critical hit against him. Letting out a relieved sigh, Ash praised his pokémon as he moved back into his side of the field.
Seeing his pokémon alright, the girls all let out relieved breaths. "Good job Typhlosion," praised Sarah with pride.
"I didn't know that the Johto Elites have become so strong," remarked Clair in a low voice.
"What do you mean? Haven't you battled them yourself before?" asked Liza in confusion, catching the others' attention with a few being surprised over hearing that.
"Well yes but…" Clair was quiet for a few seconds before explaining. "Though I battled against them and can hold my own against them, I never was able to beat them, either ending in draws or losing outright. It was always down to the wire. But I think after losing to Sarah in the past has made them train even harder and reach a new level. I doubt I can pose a challenge to them now." Turning to face the blonde girl who was a native of the same regions as her, Clair gave her a questioning look before saying it outright. "You think you can win against them again now after seeing this?" she asked her.
Sarah turned to face the field and thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't know. Though it's still early in the battle, I can already feel their intensity. It's much more than before." Sarah's heart was beating like mad over the battle but was glad to see her beloved's pokémon was alright.
Understanding her, the girls faced the arena in front of them once the announcer began speaking through the speakers with each of them filling up with anxiousness. "WHAT A MATCH! WITH THE TIDES CONSTANTLY SHIFTING FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER, IT'S STILL ANYONE'S BATTLE!" Letting out loud cheers and roars, the people in the stands wanted more.
"Man, that's one tough Typhlosion," commented Ethan, eyeing the pokémon with respect. "It's much harder to take down than our previous challenger's. After training harder than ever, I'm at a loss that it's still standing."
His fellow elites agreed to that but said nothing over it. "Even so, we must do everything we can to triumph," said Koga. Turning his gaze to the psychic, he then asked a question. "Did you find any weak points?"
Will didn't answer until a few seconds later. "No, not really. That pokémon has very good balance of offense and defense as well as outstanding skill to be able to control his attacks like that," explained the psychic elite, causing his fellow elites to sport astonished gazes for Will almost never complimented someone.
Turning her gaze back towards her opponent, Karen had a grin from on her face. So there's more to you than meets the eye huh? Always hiding your true strength and only bringing it out if needed. I should've realized that after witnessing your previous battles. If you keep this up, I may actually go through with what I said to you. But you still have a long way to go to reach 'his' level before I even consider doing anything with you. Using her hand to throw her hair backwards over her shoulder, Karen looked at her teammates. "C'mon, he may be strong. But it's time to show our power and skill too," she told them. Agreeing with her, the four of them recomposed themselves and faced forward. "Time to face the true power of the Johto Elites! Get ready Ash!" she called out to him.
Grinning back at them, Ash crossed his arms and Typhlosion took up a battle stance. "About time. I thought you were discussing if you wanted to forfeit or not," he taunted them, making Will And Ethan growl but Koga and Karen didn't get affected by it.
"That's what you think! I'll show you the power of an Elite!" stated Ethan angrily. "Feraligatr, Surf!" Using the water in the pool, the crocodile focused his energy and made the water rise up into the air before sending it towards the fire starter.
Smirking at the incoming wall of water, Ash sent his pokémon a command through their aura bond. Typhlosion, Rollout into Flame Charge! Rolling forward and curling himself up into a ball again, the badger gained speed as he moved towards the incoming attack. Letting out intense flames and using it to energize himself, his speed shot up tremendously. Shooting forward like a bullet, Typhlosion plowed through the water wall, his appearance shocking the Johto Elites so much that they couldn't react. Using this to his advantage, the badger slammed into Xatu at high speeds. The force behind it sent the psychic bird towards its partners Houndoom and Crobat. The bat quickly moved out of the way but the demon dog wasn't as lucky who was struck hard, making the two crash against the ground. Both Karen and Will shouted out in concern for their pokémon.
"Crap! Aqua Tail!" said Ethan hurriedly in an attempt to take back control. Feraligatr swung his tail while it was covered in water and struck its target.
Sent into the air while still curled up, Typhlosion was made vulnerable and Koga capitalized on that. "Crobat, Wing Attack!" Using his four wings, the purple bat cut through the air like a hot knife through butter while getting ready to attack. His wings glowing white, Crobat slammed into the badger with them, making him let out a grunt of pain while also pushing him higher into the air. "Again!" shouted Koga. Quickly performing a u-turn, he came back around for another pass and again slammed into him. "Good! Keep going! Keep him in the air!" Listening to his trainer, Crobat kept up his relentless attacks and kept the badger in the air.
Seeing that the guardian's pokémon was once again up against the ropes, three women looked at one another. However, this time one of the three merely shook her head and returned her gaze back onto the field and the two copied her. She had learned from the previous matches to be patient for anything can happen. She didn't want to constantly bring out her phone and just have her finger hover over it for a few minutes every now and then for it could cause suspicion if someone noticed something. And she definitely didn't want that. "WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS! CROBAT IS NOT GIVING ANY LEEWAY TO TYPHLOSION! HE'S STUCK IN THE AIR AND THE ONLY THING HE CAN DO IS TO KEEP CURLED UP TO MINIMIZE THE DAMAGE HE'S NO DOUBT RECEIVING! WHAT WILL THE GUARDIAN DO NOW? CAN HE COME UP WITH A PLAN BEFORE THE JOHTO ELITES COME UP WITH THEIR OWN AND BRING HIS ELITE SMASH RUN TO A SCREECHING HALT?!" In the stands, the people were going crazy over it and many were unable to move their gaze away from it. Letting out shouts and screams, the guardian's group became very worried. In the field, many of the elites and the champions were impressed at Koga's tactics to keep his opponent from countering back. While the bat kept the badger in the air, the other elites and their pokémon were regrouping and making a plan.
Ash saw all of this and knew he had to come up with something quick. Need to counter this. But how? Crobat is too fast for Typhlosion…damn it! Gritting his teeth, Ash shouted out some encouragement, telling his pokémon that he was doing great and to hang on for the right moment, trying to buy some time.
However, the elites on the other side of the field began their plan. "Xatu, start storing power!" ordered Will and his psychic condor began to focus his psychic power. A faint purple outline appeared around him and then it gradually became brighter.
While they did that, Karen and Ethan had their pokémon take up positions on the sides of the field before saying their commands.
"Houndoom, get ready to fire a Dark Pulse!"
"Feraligatr, assist with Hydro Pump as well!"
Readying their attacks, both pokémon were waiting for the word to launch them at their opponent. Seeing them ready, Koga waited for his pokémon to finish his next attack before saying his next few words. "Crobat, send him to our friends! Giga Impact!" Covering itself in a white glow, the purple bat launched itself through the air towards the curled up badger.
Shouts and screams were made by the people in the stands as Typhlosion was slammed into by Crobat at maximum speed. The force was powerful enough to completely stop the badger's spinning and break him out of his curled up state with a cry of pain. Ash shouted out for his pokémon and many in the stadium gasped. As he fell through the sky towards the ground, that was when the other elites said their commands. "Do it now! Fire!" said both Karen and Ethan at the same time. Both Feraligatr and Houndoom launched their Hydro Pump and Dark Pulse together towards their target.
"Typhlosion, no!" yelled Ash but it was futile. Both attacks struck his pokémon, making him scream in pain before he continued falling down and crashed against the cement floor. The ground caved in around him and a cloud of dust rose up from the impact.
Going silent, the entire stadium waited for the dust to clear so they could see the result. A few moments later, the field cleared up and revealed the badger's state. Typhlosion was still conscious and was standing upright but he was covered in blackened bruises along with some cuts and scrapes. He was panting heavily and his right eye was closed. "INCREDIBLE! THE FIRE BADGER IS STILL IN THE FIGHT EVEN AFTER TAKING ALL THAT PUNISHMENT!" Seeing him still able to battle stupefied the elites and the crowd roared. Ash's girlfriends, especially Sarah, let out relieved breaths at seeing the fire starter still up.
"Impossible," whispered Ethan in shock.
"What resilience," complimented Karen under her breath.
Koga turned to the psychic at that moment. "I believe it's your time," he told him.
Turning his attention to his pokémon, Will noticed that he was ready. "Yes, you're right. Xatu, finish this with Stored Power!" With a loud screech, the green condor let loose a colossal blast of psychic power at the fire badger.
"Protect!" snapped Ash and Typhlosion was barely able to summon a shield in time to protect himself. However, the psychic blast was so strong that it completely shattered the shield, shocking Ash. It threw his pokémon off his feet and he slammed against the ground hard. "No! Typhlosion! Are you alright?" It took a moment but the guardian's pokémon was able to slowly get back up on his feet. "Thank Arceus," sighed Ash and his pokémon straightened out enough to glare at the four elite pokémon with one eye. "I know you're tired buddy. But I also know you can do it. Unless you believe you're at your limit. If that's the case, I'll throw in the towel without hesitation." Glancing back at his trainer, Typhlosion shook his head before he faced his opponents. "Alright then! If that's what you want, then we'll go full blast! Time to turn up the heat!" After catching his breath, Typhlosion repositioned his feet on the ground to better stabilize himself. He then let out a loud angry roar, causing the fire along the back of his neck to flare up. The fire however kept growing from the starter's rage. Soon, he was covered in flames that danced around him like Ash's aura would. The temperature rose so quickly that the very ground underneath him began to melt. Seeing this occur, the spectators in the stands became frightened and some even began moving back into the upper levels of the stadium because of the heat.
"That…is a problem," remarked Koga, feeling the intense heat as the badger began moving forward, with each step he took melting the cement and leaving behind his foot print in the cement floor.
Wiping off the sweat from his brow, the youngest elite decided to take control. "Don't worry, I got this! Feraligatr, Aqua Jet!" commanded Ethan and his pokémon rushed forward while covered in water with his fellow elites telling him to withdraw but he didn't listen. Slamming into him, the blue crocodile pushed his opponent back several feet until he stopped.
That was when the water type noticed that the fire type was not even phased by his attack and had caught him. The water that had covered him had been turned completely into steam from the sheer heat around Typhlosion. It's eyes growing wide, the crocodile then began feeling hot and it caused him distress. "Thunder Punch!" snapped Ash, making Ethan yell for his pokémon to get free but it was no use. An electrified fist connected against Feraligatr's stomach, making him let out a gasp. Another electrified punch was then thrown in an uppercut motion, hitting the crocodile's jaw and snapping his mouth shut while lifting him into the air. "Now finish it!"
Typhlosion was about to let loose a devastating fire attack when Feraligatr was moved out of the way with help from Xatu using his psychic powers. Ethan let out a relieved breath. "Thanks Will."
"You're welcome but don't do that again." Ethan nodded and apologized. Will then turned to other two. "Now we have to work together," advised the psychic elite. They agreed with him and eyed the advancing fire badger.
The flames were still whirling around him and the heat in the field had become almost unbearable. They were sweating uncontrollably and that bothered them. Though Ash was sweating too, he was ignoring it since he was used to intense heat levels because of his training and instead, kept his attention on his pokémon. He was sensing his energy levels and kept an eye on them, making sure he didn't go dangerously past his limits.
"None of us will be able to engage him alone anymore," stated Koga seriously. "But we won't be able to penetrate that heat shield of his without combing our attacks and putting everything we have into them," he advised and his team mates thought about that.
Seeing no other alternative, Karen nodded her head. "You're right. We have to douse that fire before we can put it out for good. I think I have a plan," she told them.
"What is it?" asked Will and she quickly but quietly explained it. When finished, they gave her bewildered looks. "Are you crazy?!" asked an astonished Will.
"Do you have any better ideas?" she asked him. He didn't reply back and neither did the other two. "That's what I thought. Now let's get to it!" she ordered them and they faced forward about to put her plan into action.
But that was when Ash spoke, catching their attention. "Hey, did you ever wonder why they call Typhlosion the volcano pokémon?" he asked them and none of them answered him. "I'll tell you why. Or rather, I'll have him show you." That statement made everyone become a little tense over what he was going to do next. "Tyhplosion! Turn the field into magma!" With a loud roar and his eye glowing red, the yellow blue badger turned up the heat even more using his own flames. The ground around him began to melt, turning into magma. Gradually spreading throughout the field, the lava was moving toward the elite pokémon at a fast pace.
"What are we supposed to do?!" asked a frightened Will.
Koga looked at Ethan who understood. "Feraligatr, use the remaining water in the middle of the field to stop him!" ordered Ethan and his pokémon focused his energy to use the water in the field. But the lava began heading into the pool of water and a gush of steam rose up from within into the air. The water was not enough and the lava began collecting in the circular empty pool while the rest continued from the sides. "No way!"exclaimed Ethan in shock.
All four elites were left in stunned states, not knowing what to do while everyone else in the stadium were both astonished and frightened over what they were seeing. Even Ash's group was speechless over the power of his Typhlosion and Sarah couldn't believe that her pokémon's species could do something like that.
Snapping out of her stupor, Koga took control. "Will, have Xatu carry Feraligatr and Houndoom into the air with his psychic powers!" Will agreed to that and did as he told him. Soon, all four pokémon were hovering high up in the air, barely escaping the heat from the lava.
Smirking over that, the raven haired guardian now knew it was only a matter of time. "Good job buddy, now let's keep them from touching down!" said Ash and Typhlosion focused on the lava. Using his power and energy, the starter had the lava spread all over the field until it reached the edges of the painted boundaries. Once done, he kept the lava from spreading to the stadium walls and looked up at the four in the air. "Alright, now we wait for the right moment."
The Johto Elites let out frustrated sounds and growls over their predicament. They were unable to come back down and couldn't stay in the air forever as Xatu was getting tired from holding up Feraligatr and Houndoom with his psychic abilities. Though Crobat was free to attack, he couldn't get close because of the heat. What was worse is that any long rage attack he attempted to land against his opponent was vaporized with intense blasts of fire. The same thing happened whenever the others attempted to attack. "WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! HAVING HIS POKÉMON COVER THE ENTIRE BATTLING AREA WITH LAVA, THE GUARDIAN HAS PREVENTED HIS OPPONENTS FROM TOUCHING THE GROUND AND IS KEEPING THEM AT A DISTANCE! THEY CAN'T GET IN CLOSE OR CONNECT ANY ATTACKS FROM AFAR! ALL THE GUARDIAN HAS TO DO IS WAIT THEM OUT! BUT WILL HIS POKÉMON BE ABLE TO KEEP UP THIS SCORCHING HEAT AND CONTROL THE LAVA?" The crowd was buzzing with many conversations and comments over what they were witnessing. But Ash's group kept their eyes glued onto the match and were unable to speak.
"Damn, we can't do anything," stated Ethan.
"So much for your plan," muttered Will.
Koga glanced at Karen and saw her gaze locked onto the guardian. "We still have to do something. We cannot just sit around and wait. Let's try to end this with one final team attack. What do you say Karen?"
Asking her that question made the dark trainer look at the poison expert. After a moment she nodded. "We got nothing left to lose. Let's give it everything we got. You ready?" she asked them and they nodded. Facing forward, the four of them looked up towards their pokémon. "This is to show the power of the Johto Elites…everyone together at once!"
The four of them then said their final command together; "HYPER BEAM!" Each of the elite pokémon charged up their attack and launched four white energy beams together simultaneously.
Seeing the multiple beams of intense energy racing towards his pokémon, Ash's heart thumped loudly. "Typhlosion, this is it! Give it everything you have! Counter back with your own Hyper Beam!" Quickly charging up his own attack, the badger then fired a large beam of energy. Traveling upwards, the lone beam of energy connected against the four separate ones. A flash of white light exploded from the impact, causing everyone to shield their eyes for a moment before they were able to see again.
And when they were able to see again, the four elite members saw that the Hyper Beams were in a stalemate. "WHAT?!" exclaimed the Johto Elites in disbelief as did many others. They couldn't believe that the guardian's pokemon's beam was equal to the four elites' beam. It shouldn't be possible. The elites began rallying their pokémon to pull through and overpower their opponent.
"You can do it Houndoom!" encouraged Karen.
"You're stronger than this Feraligatr!" reminded Ethan.
"Focus your power Xatu!" advised Will.
"Concentrate your energy Crobat!" stated Koga.
Hearing their trainer's words, the four elite pokémon resonated with it and gained a much needed energy boost from it. Channeling it into their attack, their Hyper Beams grew in size and power. Their beams began pushing back against Typhlosion's.
Seeing that happen made Ash's eyes widen and he grew worried. Damn it, this isn't good! Moving his gaze to his fire starter, Ash saw he began to struggle to keep up the beam and sent him a mental message. Typhlosion, I know you're hurting. I know you're giving it your all. But I also know that you have yet to reach your limit. Don't be frightened for I am right here beside you buddy. I won't let anything happen. He heard his pokémon's thoughts back, saying he agreed. Letting a small smile form on his face, Ash responded back. That's it! This is your chance to try out your new move! Whether we win or not, I'm proud of you! "Typhlosion! Time to show everyone that even if the odds are against us, we will never give up! Absorb the heat!" Ash's words and command brought everyone into a state of shock. They had no idea what they were trying to do. Their question was soon answered as they saw it happen in front of them. Typhlosion began absorbing the heat from the hot magma around him, causing his red glow to intensify, boosting his energy levels.
"What the hell is he doing?!" asked a scared Ethan.
"We have to end this now!" advised Koga. He and the other two told their pokémon to hurry up but the fourth didn't even attempt to say anything for she was unable to speak, seeing the guardian in action.
It didn't take too long and he absorbed all of the surrounding heat from the lava, turning it into hardened cold stone. The fire badger was glowing a crimson red as the energy strengthened him, allowing him to stand fully upright now and both of his eyes were open. "Good job! Now, finish this! Super Hyper Beam!" Adding the absorbed energy into his Hyper Beam, it tripled in size and it glowed a bright red color. Plowing through the four separate beams of energy, the supercharged heated Hyper Beam cut through them like nothing. It engulfed the four pokémon who were only able to let out split second screams of agony before being hidden from view. When he finished with his attack, the beam dissipated into the air and the four pokémon fell to the ground with loud thuds that also brought up smoke. Losing the red glow around him and in his eyes, Typhlosion slouched over, wheezing heavily but remained standing.
Clearing up a moment later, it revealed the four pokémon unconscious. Lifting his green flag and lowering the red, the referee announced the outcome. "The Johto Elites' pokémon are knocked out! The winner is the guardian's pokémon! Ash will advance to face the final Elite team of the world!" Coming out of their silent states, loud roars and cheers were heard as Ash and the elites went to check on their pokémon.
All over the stadium, the people in the stands were talking loudly and excitedly over what they just witnessed. And it was also true in a particular group. "Though I'm glad it's over, that was an amazing battle!"exclaimed Lizabeth.
"I know right? Who would've thought that Typhlosion can do that?" asked Shauna rhetorically.
"I don't know if anyone else would've," answered Sarah as her sight stayed glued onto Ash. "Even I didn't know it was possible for them to absorb heat and use it as energy and I have one of those pokemon. That's incredible!"
Nodding their heads in understanding, her sisters knew what she was talking about. "Well, you could always have Ash teach what he learned," suggested Giselle.
Several murmurs of agreement were said. "Good thing after the tournament we're all going to do just that," stated Daisy. "But for now, let's just enjoy ourselves as we watch the elites get taken down," she added with a smile, seeing Ash walking up towards the referee in the middle. Agreeing with that, her sisters and the others gave their attention to the field.
After Ash thanked his pokémon and congratulated him on using the move without problems, he returned him and made his way to the referee. Seeing the Johto Elites making their way as well, Ash felt a feeling of dread fill him. He was not looking forward to what Karen was going to say or do, having had enough already from the previous female elites…
Reaching the referee, the four elite members turned off their microphones and then faced the raven haired guardian who did the same. Being the first to act, Koga strode forward and held up his hand. "That was an amazing match Ash. Thank you. I expect great things from you and don't forget to battle my daughter one day too. It'll help her get stronger," said the ninja with respect.
Ash smiled and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Thanks Koga. That means a lot coming from you and I promise I'll battle her one day."
Nodding his head, Koga stepped aside for Will to go next. "That was quite a battle. Thank you for that experience and good luck with your final match."
"Thanks Will." Shaking hands with him, Ash then faced Ethan after the psychic moved away. "Cool battle Ethan. Your Feraligatr is strong."
Ethan grinned a bit as he held out his hand and Ash took it. "Thanks but your Typhlosion is much stronger. I'm gonna train some more and then we're going to have a rematch and I'm going to win for sure," he said confidently.
Smiling back, Ash nodded. "Can't wait buddy. But I'll be stronger too so watch out," he said and Ethan chuckled. Separating from him, Ethan walked back for the last Johto Elite to say her words. Karen took a couple steps closer and stopped in front of him. But Ash didn't wait for her to say something. Instead, he decided to say something first to prevent her from saying other things that he didn't want to hear. "Thanks for the battle and you're pretty good," he said to her, raising his hand.
Karen looked down at his outstretched hand and then looked back up at him. She reached over and grasped his hand and shook it while giving him a smile. Next second, she leaned in closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I have to admit, those unique techniques your pokémon used…I must say I've been wowed. Can you teach me what you know? In return, I'll give you anything you want, if you know what I mean," she told him before slowly pulling back. Making eye contact with him, she then gave him a very erotic look.
Ash however was prepared for that after everything else that happened before. He merely shook his head before responding back. "I don't mind sharing with you some things I've learned over the past few years but that's all and only after the tournament. I don't want anything from you in return," he told her respectfully yet seriously to show he wasn't kidding.
Being told that he didn't want anything from her at all with such a tone of voice was something she wasn't expecting at all. Feeling her heart beat a little faster over her absolute rejection, Karen still kept herself in check though. Letting go of his hand, she nodded slightly. "I see. Okay then. Well, good luck." Turning around, she and her fellow Johto Elites made their way back to the other elites and their champions.
Once again, Ash remained beside the referee as the field was changed for the final time that day to accommodate the final battle against the remaining elite team of the world. While he waited, Ash began thinking about what happened so far during this day. He let out a sigh. Man, what a day. But it's still not over. Turning his head to face his starter, the raven haired guardian scratched behind his ear as he spoke. "One more battle left huh buddy?"
"Chaaa…" agreed Pikachu, enjoying the scratching. Ash smiled and continued for a bit while the melted arena was being changed and the Johto Elites made their way back to the large group on their side of the field.
When they finally reached them, the Johto Elites looked at their champion. Lance gave them a nod, signaling his satisfaction with their battling. Nodding back at him, the four of them then turned to face the last elite team of the world. "Looks like it's down to you," said Will and the three Kanto elites nodded.
Koga moved up to Agatha and locked eyes with her. Without a word spoken, it was as if the two were communicating as they stayed like that until a moment later when the ninja gave her a curt nod and the medium returned it. Making his way past her, he ignored Ethan who was trying to have him answer what just happened. Seeing he was getting nowhere, the youngest elite dropped it and faced the largest and tallest elite of them all. "He'll never change huh? Anyway, good luck Bruno! You got this!"
Bruno smiled a bit as he raised a thumbs up with his right hand. "Yea, it's going to be one hell of a battle." He turned to face the other two. "You two ready to rock?" he asked them.
Lorelei glanced at him and then at the oldest elite of them all. "I am and looks like so are you two. Let's go." Agreeing with her, Bruno and Agatha began making their way to the referee in the middle of the field while the old field was finally gone and the new one was being raised up. Flashing a quick look with her eyes at Karen before walking herself, Lorelei was surprised she didn't utter a single word. Usually she was very talkative and expected her to say something to her about her battle. She barely interacted with Lance before moving to stand in her current spot, ignoring her's, Malva's and Pheobe's questioning looks. As the distance to the referee and her challenger shrunk, Lorelei wondered what could've made Karen be that way and if it had anything to do the final words spoken between herself and Ash…
Reaching the two in the middle, the Kanto Elite stopped in front of the Aura Guardian. Locking their gazes with his, the four of them were sizing each other up. Until each of them smiled and the elites turned on their microphones and the raven haired trainer copied them. It was then that Agatha finally broke her silence after locking eyes with Ash. "It's been a long time, Ketchum. I must say I've always had a feeling that you'd go far. But never did I expect this," she told him with a genuine smile.
Her words surprised Ash. "Oh, well thank you," he replied back, not knowing what else to say.
Closing her eyes while nodding her head, she then opened them quickly after. "You're welcome. Now, be prepared. After watching five straight battles of yours against my fellow equals around the world, I believe that we are more than ready for you. Though we may be lacking a fourth elite for Kanto, we are no less than the rest. I advise you to remember that," she warned him with a small smile.
Ash formed a one sided smile on his face. "Oh, I won't, trust me." Moving his gaze towards the karate master, his half smile formed into a full on grin. "So, Bruno, just to let you know, this is going to be payback."
Furrowing his brow in confusion, Bruno was beyond confused. "What do you mean? What did I do to you?" he asked him, wondering if he had gone crazy.
"Remember all those chores you made me and my friend do for you many years ago by tricking us, calling it training? Up in the mountains? Ring any bells now?" asked Ash as he crossed his arms.
Bruno's eyes widened a bit while the two females looked at him. "Ah, you must be mistaken about that!" he said while chuckling a bit. It was at that moment when the field finished being changed. "Oh look, the field's ready! Time to battle!" he stated hurriedly and quickly made his way to their trainer box with Agatha following from behind with an amused expression on her face.
Ash chuckled before facing the third member but before he could say something, she spoke. "Well Ash, looks like we'll finally have that rematch," remarked Lorelei.
Nodding his head, Ash's face grew serious as he remembered their old battle. "Yes we will. And it won't be anything like that one," he told her calmly. "That's one of the battles I'll never forget, how your Slowbro defeated my Charizard like it was nothing. You helped me open my eyes. For that, I thank you," said Ash respectfully, making her smile. "But this battle is going to be completely different from then."
Lorelei heard his words and smiled. "I know. I can't wait to see what you have planned. But then again, we've seen your power and the skills you possess from the battles today. You're going to need more than that to defeat us. Something along the lines of the impossible." Expecting him to become worried or to show some sort of concern on his face, Lorelei was surprised that her words had no effect on him. Or rather, it had the opposite effect she was looking for; his smile grew wider. Interesting, she thought. Forming a smile on her face as well, she turned around to follow her teammates. The ice queen of Kanto was trying to keep her focus. But was having some difficulty because of her thoughts about Karen's behavior, what she planned to do with her and the other two girls and how she was too excited for the battle against him. And that's when she remembered something. Oh shoot, I forgot to do my part of the plan. Oh well, I'll just enjoy my battle instead with him. Feeling her heart beating faster in anticipation for the battle, Lorelei became a little stunned that she was being affected so much. It had been too long since she felt anything over a battle. But now was not the time to dwell on that as she reached her trainer's box and faced the other side of the field where the guardian took up his position. Clearing her mind as much as she could with some lingering thoughts in her head, Lorelei turned her head to look at the other two. "Let's win this one for all the elites in the world," she told them.
Surprised over her words, both Agatha and Bruno were momentarily frozen. Until Agatha snapped out of it. "I haven't seen you get so worked up over a match before Lorelei," she commented with a smile, making the young woman blush slightly as she told her to be quiet. Agatha chuckled a bit. "It's alright. It's good to feel something every now and then."
Getting out of his own trance, Bruno chuckled while shaking his head. Taking off a poke ball from his belt, he then calmed down and focused on his opponent. "Let's do this," he told the two while keeping his gaze locked onto Ash.
Hearing him, the two brought out their own poke balls and got ready themselves. "Let's," said both of them at the same time.
Right after the announcer made the introductions and the referee reminded them of the rules, the three Kanto Elites tossed out their poke balls. They opened with flashes of white light and their signature pokémon appeared. The four armed super strong humanoid, the devious purple nightmare ghost and the seafaring plesiosaur took up positions near each other in the middle of their side of the field. Machamp, while constantly flexing his muscles, stood next to Lapras who remained motionless with her gaze forward as Gengar floated above the two, its maniacal grin plastered on its face. "THE FINAL ELITE MATCH HAS BEGUN AS THE KANTO ELITES HAVE SENT OUT THEIR POKÉMON! EVEN THOUGH THEY ONLY HAVE THREE MEMBERS NOW, THEY ARE STILL A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH, WITH THEIR COMBINED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE THAT'S MORE THAN THE OTHER REGIONS! WILL THE GUARDIAN BE ABLE TO GO SIX FOR SIX AND DEFEAT THEM AS WELL? OR WILL THEY BE THE CAUSE FOR HIS ELITE SMASH RUN TO COME TO A GRINDING HALT? GRAB ONTO YOUR SEATS FOLKS FOR WE'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH IN THE FINAL ELITE MATCH OF THE SPIRIT TOURNAMENT!" After the announcer's words ended, the crowd roared and cheered, with many conversations going around while they all waited for Ash's pokémon to be called.
Up in the stands, Ash's family and friends were on the edge of their seats. "This is it," commented Misty, her heart beating a little faster and louder. "Just one more battle to go now."
Many agreed with her and her sister grasped her hand. "He'll defeat them just like with the rest," remarked Daisy, looking at her baby sister who turned her gaze to met hers.
"It won't be an easy task but if anyone can do it, it'll be Ash," stated Sabrina with certainty.
"After what we've seen before, it's hard to imagine that he can't," commented Giselle.
"Couldn't have said it better myself," added Leaf while wrapping an arm around the valedictorian's shoulder, making her glance at the brunette and the two smiled at one another. Their sisters stated their agreements before they and their family and friends faced the field.
Seeing their pokémon on the field ready to go, Ash's smile grew wider. A blue orb appeared in his hand and he gripped it tightly with his own heart beating a little faster than with the previous matches. He was feeling much excitement since he was about to battle the Kanto Elites. Sure, he felt similar feelings with the previous region's elites, but this was different. For they were his own region's elites who he looked up to as a kid. He dreamt of facing them one day and now that dream had come true. Closing his eyes and taking in a long slow breath, Ash then exhaled it slowly as he opened his eyes. Locking his gaze onto his final elite opponents, he had a thought enter his head. This is it. Just one more battle. And then…and then I get to face the champions of the world! And I'll be one step closer to making my dream a reality as well as preparing for the future! Throwing the poke ball high up into the air, it opened and a moment later, his pokémon appeared with a loud bellowing roar that made everyone except his trainer to close their ears.
His chosen pokémon against the Kanto elite surprised everyone. For they all were expecting his powerhouse Charizard or at least one of the other starters such as Venusaur or Blastoise. But not only didn't he choose one of the three, his pokémon was someone who nobody would've guessed would be battling in this particular match. "THIS IS IT FOLKS! THE LAST OF THE ELITE BATTLES! THE KANTO ELITES HAVE THEIR LEAD POKÉMON ON THE FIELD! AND THE GUARDIAN HAS CHOSEN A POKÉMON COMPLETELY FROM LEFT FIELD! THOUGH HIS POKÉMON IS LARGER THAN MOSTOF ITS KIND, WILL THIS GYARADOS BE ENOUGH?" Most were amazed over her sheer size, with the Waterflower sisters among them, letting out gasps in surprise in seeing the water type. For they had Gyarados too, which usually was with the youngest of the four, he was nowhere near the size of Ash's. They were astounded over her size, not noticing it before since they never got a good look at her. She was taking up a large portion of the field. It wasn't to the point of the Lord of the Skies, but she took up half the size of his side of the field. Ash had Gyarados coil up the lower half of her body to be ready to take either offensive or defensive actions.
Staring at the Gyarados with impressed looks, the Kanto Elites then looked at one another before facing forward. "Get ready!" they said to their pokémon, who immediately took up battle ready stances. A long tense moment passed with nothing happening on either side with almost everyone in the stadium waiting anxiously for the battle to begin. No talking or moving. Just intense gazes being shared between the four of them.
Until both the elites and the guardian said their commands all of sudden at once.
"Ice Beam!" ordered Lorelei, her Lapras firing the freezing attack.
"Shadow Ball!" commanded Agatha, her Gengar launching the purple ball of ghostly energy.
"Stone Edge!" shouted Bruno, his Machamp making the ground beneath the large pokémon break apart and send sharp projectiles shooting upwards.
"Earthquake!" yelled Ash, his Gyarados slamming her giant tail against the ground that sent powerful tremors throughout the stadium at the same time. Making her opponents stumble about, the water flying type also weakened the Stone Edge attack from the fighter. But the Ice Beam and Shadow Ball hit their mark, making Gyarados let out a roar of pain. It was then that Gengar appeared in the air in front of Gyarados with his eyes glowing, trying to use Hypnosis. Ash's eyes widened. "Dragon Rage!" snapped the raven haired trainer immediately. His pokémon fired a draconic shock wave of energy from her mouth at once, making the ghost forgo his advance and retreat. However, Gengar's move was only to preoccupy the water type as Machamp had recovered quickly and used the opportunity to draw closer to Gyarados. "Look out to your right!" warned Ash but it was too late.
Machamp had reached the large pokémon and grabbed hold of a spot near her tail, wrapping his four muscular arms around it with an iron grip. "Now's your chance Lorelei while Machamp's got his hold on!" said Bruno hurriedly.
"Right! Lapras, get to the pool!" said Lorelei and her pokémon moved as quickly as she could to get to the water in the middle of the field. Though she had trained her pokémon to be effective outside of the water, she was still much better in her element than out.
Seeing what they planned, Ash sent out a command. "Free yourself with Aqua Tail!" Gyarados had her lower body covered with water before swishing her tail with the force of a powerful wave. Yet Machamp held on tight and Lapras moved closer to the pool. Seeing that, Ash grit his teeth. "Thunder Fang on Lapras and take Machamp with you!" Moving forward, the tyrant of the sea had her fangs cackle with electricity while slamming her tail against the ground to free herself of the four armed fighter, though he held on even with all the damage he was receiving.
"Find your footing and hold her back!" advised Bruno but Machamp couldn't get a solid stance on the ground, his opponent's movements too erratic.
That was when Gengar materialized in the air above and started firing Shadow Balls nonstop. "Don't forget little old me now!" chastised Agatha while leaning against her cane.
Her action however didn't deter the young trainer. "Plow through!" ordered Ash and his pokémon kept going, ignoring the pain from the constant barrage, shocking everyone. Reaching her opponent, Gyarados bit down hard against the spot between the base of its neck and the hard carapace on its back.
Lapras let out a shrill scream of agony as the electricity flowed through her body. "No! Fight back! Get free!" yelled out Lorelei. But that was futile for Gyarados locked down on the bite with her powerful jaws. Next moment, she lifted up Lapras into the air with her head, startling everyone over her display of strength.
But that was a mistake on her part. Concentrating on doing that, Gyarados stopped moving her tail, allowing Machamp to slam his feet into the ground and get proper footing. "Vital Throw!" shot Bruno, taking advantage of the current situation. Using his incredible strength, the fighting type increased his grip on the water type, his fingers actually digging into the steel like skin. Feeling pain shoot up her body from that, it was enough to cause Gyarados to let go of Lapras, who dropped to floor, landing onto her side and cried out in pain.
"Gyarados, Aqua Tail!" called out Ash but it was too late.
"MAAAAA…." Yelling that out while pulling the large pokémon, he then used his power to swing her through the air and onto the hard ground with all of his strength. "….CHAMP!" The cement broke apart from the force behind the throw and Ash's pokémon let out an agonizing yell. But the fighter didn't let go of water type after his throw, keeping his hold.
"OW, THAT HAD TO HURT! WHAT WILL THE GUARDIAN DO NOW?!" People yelled out in shock over what they witnessed, barely hearing the announcer's words. Ash's group became concerned and worried with shocked expressions on their faces, unable to make a sound to cheer on the young man.
Agatha used this opportunity to deal some extra damage, if not end the battle at once. "Ominous Wind!" Gengar let loose a repulsive blast of wind after appearing above the hurt Gyarados.
"Crunch!" countered Ash. Raising the top half of her body rapidly, she pushed through the ghost's attack and bit down hard on the ghost. Gengar yelled horrifically, the pain he received from the fangs covered in dark energy that negated his usually imperviousness to such physical attacks was too much. Agatha's eyes widened in response and she took in a sharp breath, astonished over what just happened. Bruno tried to help by having Machamp pummel Gyarados with punches but still she kept biting down on Gengar.
"HYDRO PUMP!" A large pressurized torrent of water was shot against the head of the serpentine pokémon with tremendous force from the pool of water. Lapras was able to finally get in there, though she was in great pain from the earlier attacks. The blast was powerful enough to free the ghost who wiggled out of his situation the second he felt some give.
Seeing his ally free, Bruno was able to carry out his next command. "SEISMIC TOSS!" Once more employing his super strength, Machamp pulled Gyarados from her tail and using the momentum, began whirling her around in circles. After a few more spins, the fighting type tossed the water type high up into the air, causing the spectators to shout in surprise over what he just did to a pokémon several times larger than him. "Now's our chance!" snapped Bruno and the two nodded in agreement. "Hyper Beam!"
"Ice Beam!" ordered Lorelei.
"Thunder Bolt!" commanded Agatha.
Three different beams of energy raced up towards the large pokémon in the air, making Ash's eyes widen as he quickly said a move. "Gyarados, Hurricane!" shouted Ash. His pokémon whipped up a fierce whirling wind around her that hid her from view while simultaneously dispersing most of the energy behind the three attacks. What little remained behind the beams hardly did any damage against her steel like skin. Using the vortex of air, the atrocious pokémon floated back down and landed gently on her side of the field before it faded away. Letting out a relieved sigh, Ash was glad his pokémon was alright. "Well done," he praised and his pokemon gave a soft growl while her eyes were set on the Kanto Elites and their pokémon, who had stunned expressions on their faces.
Absolutely engrossed in the amazing match, the crowd was making noise with its screaming and shouting. Some from Ash's group was among them, yelling out praise or encouragement of their own. Even the other elites and the champions were unable to keep quiet, the match becoming so intense that they commented to one another over it.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," muttered Bruno, rubbing his neck with his right hand as he cracked it.
Agatha took in a breath and let it out. "True, but we were expecting something like this." A smirk grew on her face. "And I'm loving it."
"You're not the only one who's enjoying this," spoke Lorelei, drawing their attention. "And we're barely getting started," reminded Lorelei, giving her comrades a fierce look before facing the raven haired man.
Seeing her act in such a way made Agatha tilt her head. Lorelei? I've never seen you in such a way over a battle. Shifting her sight back to Ash, she felt her own heart beating faster and could feel her blood pumping. Glancing at Bruno, she saw him too in a state of anxiousness but also excitement. Looking back behind her, she noticed the expressions on the other elites and the champions. Facing forward again, Agatha let out a small chuckle after remembering something. I shouldn't be surprised. He's affecting us all just like he did. Just like Red did. But this time, there's something different. I can't quite tell just yet but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough. Her expression going serious, her eyes locked onto the pokémon in the field. For now, I have a battle to focus on.
On the other side of the arena, Ash was thinking a mile a minute trying to come up with a new plan. Having noticed that both his pokémon and the elites' pokémon sustained a fair amount of damage during round one, he was not happy with the results. Damn it, I was hoping to take out one of them by now. Good thing Gyarados has really tough and thick scales. If it wasn't for that, she'd be at the limit already. Good news is that their pokémon are roughly in the same shape. I think now is as good a time as any to reveal our trump card. What do you say Gyarados? He received his pokémon's answer through their shared aura bond and he took in a breath. Alright then. Get ready! "Kanto Elites!" called out Ash, catching their attention and everyone else's. "I have a surprise for you!"
Agatha cocked an eyebrow while Lorelei tilted her head a bit and Bruno stroked his chin with his left hand. "Is that so? Well then, by all means, show us. We like surprises," commented back the eldest of the three.
Grinning, Ash nodded back in response before speaking to his pokémon. "Oh you'll love this one for sure! Gyarados! Show them what you're capable of! Show them your true power!" Letting out a loud roar at first, his pokémon then coiled her body again before rapidly spinning in her spot, gaining in speed with each passing second. A white glowing outline appeared around her body, causing many to wonder what was going on. Until what they saw next. All of a sudden, Gyarados raised her head towards the heavens with her body following, traveling into the sky above them all.
"WHAT?!" screamed Bruno in shock for everyone, for they were all silenced over what they were witnessing. Ash's Gyarados continued soaring higher into the air until she went past the stadium lights and stopped at their level. All eyes were on the levitating tyrant of the sea who was now in the air above them all.
Even the ghost elite was astonished to the point that she let go of her cane and took a couple wobbling steps backwards. "In all my years…" muttered Agatha, her gaze locked onto the large floating pokémon.
"Impossible," whispered Lorelei, absolutely astonished and frozen in her spot. Lowering her gaze back down, she saw the triumphant grin on the raven haired trainer's face. Her heart skipped a beat over that. "How…how is this even real?!" she asked out loud to him.
Chuckling a bit over her outburst at first, Ash soon gave her, and everyone else since they too were wondering about it as well, an answer. "As I said before, I found out about many secrets during my three year absence. Whether by stumbling into them through sheer dumb luck in remote areas of the world to long hours of researching and studying into the night. This…" He gestured towards his Gyarados in the air, who let out a loud roar once more, making everyone cover their ears. "…is just one result of that. I could tell you about the details, but not now. It'll take too long and we have a battle to fight and win."
Narrowing her eyes on him, Lorelei didn't like his vague answer. "So you won't spill your secrets huh? Fine. We'll still defeat you and when you do, you'll tell us everything in detail. Got it?!" she shot at him.
Ash crossed his arms and smirked back at her. "Sure, why not? But what if I win? What do I get?"
"Don't get cocky," snapped Agatha in annoyance for Lorelei who went red in response, thinking about what she planned with the other female elites and Bruno let out a frustrated sound. "Just because your pokémon can somehow fly, it means nothing." Gengar appeared in front of Gyarados in the air after those words. "Now, let's see if you're as formidable in the air as you are on the ground! Sludge Bomb!" A poisonous ball of goo was lobbed by the ghost towards his target.
"Dragon Pulse!" countered Ash and a multicolored beam of draconic energy was blasted from the water snake's mouth, disintegrating the sludge. It continued towards the ghost but Gengar disappeared from sight as a sudden large rock, the size of a one person couch, went whizzing past the side of her face. Moving backwards in the air, Gyarados looked down in time to see another rock come racing towards her. Backing away in time, that projectile too missed. Seeing more incoming from the fighter, Ash issued his next command. "Gyarados, dodge using Dragon Dance!" Listening to her trainer, the atrocious pokémon evaded the incoming attacks while performing the mystical dance.
"Don't let Gyarados do that! Keep going and bring that pokemon down with Smack Down!" yelled out Bruno. As Machamp tossed large rocks at the flying water dragon, Bruno turned to his fellow elites. "What are you waiting for?!" he snapped at them.
Lorelei jumped in her spot at the sudden question but then quickly sprung into action. "Use Ice Beam Lapras!" shouted Lorelei and her pokemon fired the bluish white beam of ice.
Following suite, the eldest also said a command as she bent down to pick up her cane. "Use Shadow Ball Gengar!" ordered Agatha while picking her cane back up and her pokémon shot the ghostly energy ball.
All three pokémon kept up their attacks, constantly on the offensive. However, even with the three of them going full tilt, Gyarados kept dodging them, with her speed increasing steadily, the white glowing outline also gradually brightening. She kept using the mystical dance to evade while simultaneously raising her attributes. That's it Gyarados, keep it up! We're almost there!
On the other side of the field, the Kanto Elites were becoming frustrated over not being able to land a hit on their target. Even when they had told their pokémon to alternate their attack patterns or to use different moves entirely, nothing came close. And they were astounded that the large pokémon was able to be so quick in the air. "LOOKS LIKE THE GUARDIAN'S POKÉMON HAS BECOME WAY TOO FAST THANKS TO THE CONSTANT MANUEVERING AROUND OF THE DRAGON DANCE! GYARADOS IS GOING FASTER AND FASTER WITH EACH PASSING SECOND! THERE'S JUST NO WAY THEY CAN LAND ANY ATTACK! WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO NOW?!" While the Kanto Elites were trying to think up of a way to bring down their target, the people in the stands were watching with rapt attention. From the self proclaimed dragon master to the Team Rocket agents, nobody was diverting their gaze from the aerial battle. Even on the field, the other elites and the champions were all awestruck and unable to look away or even comment.
Ash's grin spread on his face while his sight was locked onto his pokémon in the sky. Lowering his gaze towards his opponents, he saw that they were looking up, gritting their teeth and sending out commands every now and then. It was at that moment that Ash was sent a mental message from his pokémon. Looks like it's time. No matter what they have planned, it won't do them any good now. "Hey!" Looking down for the first time in a couple minutes, the three elites were wondering why Ash called out to them but waited for him to speak. "It's been a fun battle but perhaps we should move this along, no?" Their eyes widening, one of them was about to talk back when Ash cut her off. "Gyarados, use the power and speed you gained from your Dragon Dances and finish this!" he said while throwing out his right arm in front of him.
Letting out a vicious roar, the tyrant of the sea used the multiple boosts she received from the Dragon Dances to cut through the air at such an incredible speed towards the ghost. Gengar was shocked frozen over its sudden velocity, seeing a large mouth covered with sharp teeth bearing down on him covered in dark energy and couldn't react until the last second. Jerking himself to the side, the ghost thought he had evaded the fatal attack but then felt intense pain throughout his body for a split second before he went rocketing downwards towards the ground.
Agatha screamed out for her pokémon the second she saw him get hit by Gyarados's tail covered in water but it was all for nothing. Though Bruno and Lorelei tried to have their pokémon catch him, they were unable to reach him in time. Gengar crashed against the ground with such force that the cement caved in around his body and he was out cold from the impact. "This can't be…" Agatha couldn't believe that her ghost was knocked out, staring at her unconscious pokémon with wide eyes, leaning against her cane.
With the ghost taken care of, Gyarados flew down to the field and made her way towards the remaining two combatants. "Machamp, stop their advance with your ultimate move; Quad Dynamic Punch!" ordered Bruno to his pokémon. After taking up a position in front of Lapras, the fighter stabilized himself by digging his feet into the ground and clenched his fists while concentrating his energy to stop the water type in its tracks.
Seeing him get ready to lay it all on the line, Lorelei decided to give it her all as well. "Lapras, prepare a full power Thunder and the second Gyarados is stopped, launch it!" Focusing all of her power, the plesiosaur had her eyes start glowing yellow.
"That's not going to work!" stated Ash, seeing them get prepared to halt his pokémon. "GIGA IMPACT!" Covering herself in an intense white glow now, Gyarados slammed into Machamp at full speed. She was able to break past him, sending him sailing towards the stadium wall. But not before he was able to land his quad punch technique, damaging her greatly. Yet it wasn't enough to prevent her from continuing on towards the other pokemon.
Seeing the water snake still continuing towards her pokémon, Lorelei told her pokémon to fire the Thunder with everything she got. A large pillar of electrical energy dropped down from above onto its target the second Gyarados smashed into Lapras, causing both of them to shout in pain. Electrifying both pokémon because of the physical contact, it then caused an explosion that covered the two in smoke. "OH MY, WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS! WITH SUCH POWERFUL MOVES USED, WHO'LL REMAIN STANDING?!" With the stadium waiting silently with their unblinking eyes, the smoke slowly cleared. It revealed both bodies of Lapras along with Gyarados on the ground, not moving. Machamp was left stuck in the wall and he was out cold. "LOOKS LIKE BOTH POKÉMON WERE TAKEN DOWN! IF NEITHER MOVES WITHIN A MINUTE, THEN THIS MATCH IS A DRAW!" At first silent over waiting to see the result, the crowd was now making noise. Some were rooting for the guardian while others shouted for the Elites while the referee kept time. Both the elites and guardian called out to their pokémon, trying to wake them up. It was only when about half a minute passed that one of the pokémon began moving. Straining to get up with every ounce of will the pokémon could muster, it slowly raised itself of the ground and faced its trainer while breathing heavily.
Getting the answer he was looking for, the referee raised one flag and lowered the other. "Machamp, Lapras and Gengar are unable to battle. Winner is Gyarados and with this sixth victory against the last elite team, the challenger Ash Ketchum has beaten all the elites of the world!"
Utter silence for a moment until the stadium erupted with such loud roars and cheers over the outcome, that the windows of the VIP room and even the stadium itself seemed to be shaking from the sound vibrations. Every single person was beyond amazed over what they had witnessed. They couldn't believe it even though they witnessed it themselves. Even the victor was having a slightly hard time coming to terms with what he just accomplished. But thanks to his loyal starter Pikachu who tapped him on the head, he snapped out of it quickly and ran up to his pokémon cheerfully while Gyarados remained in her spot but gave a rather crude smile, unable to control her facial expressions fully because of her exhaustion. "INCREDIBLE! THE YOUNG AURA GUARDIAN HAS BEATEN EVERY SINGLE REGION'S ELITE TEAM OF POKÉMON TRAINERS IN A SINGLE DAY! THIS IS HISTORY IN THE MAKING! ASH KETCHUM HAS PROVEN HIMSELF AGAINST THE ELITES AND NOW HE GETS TO CHALLENGE THE CHAMPIONS TOMORROW IN ANOTHER HANDICAP BATTLE! NEVER BEFORE HAS SUCH AN EVENT TAKEN PLACE!" As the announcer's words blared out from the stadium speakers, Ash and the Kanto Elites returned their pokémon and met up together near the referee with the five of them turning off their microphones.
Being the first to react, Agatha took a couple steps towards Ash and stopped in front of him as she leaned against her cane with both hands. "That my child…was the greatest battle I've ever had. More so than even when I battled against the current Master," she revealed to him.
Ash's eyes widened over what she said. "R-Really?" he asked and the elder woman nodded with a smile. "Wow. Thank you Agatha."
Stepping forward and standing on her left side, Bruno raised his hand. "She's not the only one who enjoyed that match. That was a lot of fun. I'm bummed we lost but happy to know that there are strong trainers out there. That'll motivate me to get even stronger," he told the smaller man with a smile.
Grasping his hand and shaking it, Ash smiled in return. "Thanks Bruno. It was a great match and your Machamp is super strong. It never crossed my mind that he would be able to do that to such a large pokémon like Gyarados," admitted the young guardian. Bruno chuckled as they let go of each other's hands and remarked that he had to make a few unruly Onix and Steelix behave in his days. Chuckling too, Ash then noticed the third member move up to the right side of the eldest elite from the corner of his eyes. Turning his gaze to hers, he smiled at her and raised his hand. "Awesome battle Lorelei. But this time, I win," he told her cheekily.
Shaking her head slightly with a smile, Lorelei grasped his hand and shook it. "Yes, you won this time. And you deserve it. I've seen and experienced much in my life but what I experienced today…" Letting go of his hand, Lorelei crossed her arms under her chest but then raised her right hand and leaned the side of her face against its palm. "…I'll never forget. Thank you for that wonderful experience. I guess I owe you something since you won," she told him with respect while giving him an admiring look.
Feeling a little embarrassed but also nervous over her actions and words, Ash didn't know how to respond to that at first. Until he decided to do as he did with the other female elites and just stay respectful but also distance himself at the same time. "Thank you Lorelei. That's okay, I don't want anything from you and I won't forget my battles with the Elites of the world either."
Hearing him respond back in that way made the ice queen of Kanto to feel something weird that she hadn't experienced before. However, she remained composed and nodded back. The three elder trainers handed over the microphones to the referee but Ash kept his. Turning around, the three of them made their way back to the large group of trainers as their champions walked towards the referee and their challenger. The second Lorelei reached the group, Malva, Pheobe and Karen, who was dragged along by the ghost trainer, went up to her. About to ask her a question, Lorelei cut off Pheobe by shaking her head and turned to face what was happening now. The three gave her bewildered looks before facing the area she was staring at as well. But one of them thought something then, her dark hair hiding the expression on her face. Lorelei…could you have been affected as well? Just like the rest of us?
When the champions reached the raven haired guardian, the five of them stood in front of him in a line. Speaking for them all, the Dragon Champion's words were heard throughout the stadium. "Looks like you've beaten our elites and now you've earned the right to battle us. We look forward to our battle with you tomorrow," stated Lance with respect.
Nodding his head, Ash then turned his gaze to the blonde haired champion. Giving her a smile, which she returned, he replied back. "As do I." Raising his hand to turn off his microphone, it was then that he remembered the thing he wanted to do if he won all six matches. Turning his body to face his family and friends, he took the microphone into his hands and raised it to his mouth. "Before I leave, I want to say something. I want to dedicate these victories against the Elites of the World to all of my true and close friends, who have been there for me always. Thank you for everything." Feeling such good emotions over his words, his group cheered and praised him while shouting out their own words to him. Cynthia felt happy to see him so and thought that was a great thing he just did then. When he faced her and her fellow champions once more, he turned off his microphone and handed it to the referee with champions following suite. "See you tomorrow. Coming Cynthia?" he asked her.
He was about to ask Mewtwo to get ready to teleport him and his group back to the hotel when Cynthia spoke up, making him stop. "I can't Ash." Tilting his head, he asked her what she meant. "I have to stay with the champions until our battle tomorrow because there's something as champions that we have to do. It's a sort of tradition that all champions have followed for years when there could be a possible contender to take their title. I hope you understand," she told him quietly. She didn't want to spend the night away from him but couldn't break this particular tradition.
Smiling at her, Ash walked up to Cynthia as he spoke. "No need to worry Cynthia," he said as he stopped in front of her and grasped both of her hands, making her redden a bit. His action made the stadium buzz. "What's important to you is important to me too. But here's something to remember me by." In front of everyone in the stadium, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Many surprised shouts and yelps were let out by the people in the stands along with some other things said from jealous males and envious females. Even the four elite women who had planned together to test Ash and Cynthia were stunned over what they witnessed and felt something inside. Turning crimson red in embarrassment, Cynthia still enjoyed the simple peck on her check. But then when he finished, he leaned his head closer to whisper into her ear. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow is when you'll have to keep your word," he told her softly.
His words caused the Sinnoh Champion to shiver in both anxiousness and excitement before she responded back to him. "Don't get too cocky Ash or you'll lose tomorrow. And then instead of rewarding you, I'll punish you instead," she whispered back to him.
"Is that so? Well then, if that's the case, maybe I'll lose on purpose then," he whispered back in a husky tone of voice making her shiver from it. He separated from her and flashed his trademark goofy grin before he vanished in a blue glow along with his group in the stands.
Cynthia was stuck in a trance over his final words, unable to move or speak. Until Diantha tugged her coat, allowing her to snap out of it. "Thanks," she whispered and Kalos Champion chuckled before gesturing her to leave with them. Walking alongside the four, the blonde woman's mind was racing. But as they reached their elites waiting for them near their trainer's tunnel, she spotted four women huddled together and speaking quietly. Her eyes narrowed as anger began filling her. I don't care what Bertha said. They're going to get a piece of my mind when I get the chance. Promising to herself that she was going to confront them when the opportunity presents itself, Cynthia kept herself composed as the five of them rejoined their elites and all of them entered the tunnel.
As the crowd gradually dispersed from the stadium, three women hadn't gotten up from their seats yet, being the last ones in their section of the stadium. Two of them were waiting for the third to finish with her phone call. Glancing at one another, their expressions on their faces was all they needed to know what the other was feeling; concern and fear. Watching the battles, they didn't think that the Aura Guardian would have pokémon stronger than several elites' pokémon combined. But as they witnessed him triumph again and again against overwhelming odds, they began to wonder as worry filled them. So lost in their thoughts that the two didn't realize that their fellow agent finished with her phone call and was giving them a scrutinizing look. Sudden strikes against the back of their heads made both sisters yelp in pain.
"Ow, that hurt!" exclaimed Oakley, holding her head with both hands.
"What the hell?!" asked Annie angrily as she rubbed the area she was hit while glaring at Domino.
Narrowing her eyes at the two sisters, the top executive of Team Rocket didn't feel anything over her action. Not even the slightest bit. "Stop allowing fear to control you and cloud your judgment," she chastised them.
"Look who's talking!" snapped Annie back. "I know you're worried and scared too!" she said without thinking.
A sudden punch to her stomach made the blonde girl let out a soundless gasp and her sister cried out in shock. "Don't you dare ever speak to me like that again," said Domino in a dangerously serious tone of voice. She stood up as the silver haired girl comforted her elder sister and began walking away.
"You know better than to make Domino angry," said Oakley quietly.
"Even so…" wheezed Annie. She caught her breath before she continued. "…this just proves that what I said before is true. Both her and boss are on edge." Turning her gaze towards her sister, Annie looked into her eyes. "We need to be prepared in case things go bad. Even if we have to turn tail and run. Because no matter what happens, as long as you're alright, that's all that matters to me," she told her younger sister and lover with tears building in her eyes.
Seeing her sister in such a state made the silver haired girl have her eyes water. "Annie…I don't think it'll come to that. We'll triumph in the end. You just have to stay confident and strong okay?"
Annie however shook her head frantically and grabbed Oakley's shoulders with both hands and locked her gaze with hers. "No. You saw what I did. What Domino saw. What everyone in the world saw and most likely Giovanni did too. We need to have a backup plan just in case. You know I'm right. Please…"
With the pleading expression on her face, Oakley couldn't deny her. Letting out a sigh, she nodded her head. "Alright. But how do we convince Domino?"
Annie was quiet for a moment until she spoke. "We don't." Letting out a gasp, the younger female asked the older one what she meant. "Domino never quits. She'd rather die in the attempt than to fail Giovanni. She'll more than likely kill us if we even mention something like this to her."
"But…but she loves us. We've been together with her and Giovanni. They'll understand," reasoned the silver haired girl.
Shaking her head, the blonde girl disagreed. "No Oakley. Domino loves Giovanni more than anything else in the world. She'll see it as a betrayal. And he's too unhinged himself. We cannot let anyone else know. This is only between us. Do you understand?" she asked her quietly but she didn't respond, keeping quiet. "I said do you understand Oakley?!" she repeated the question, but this time with more force behind her tone.
Slowly, she nodded her head. "Yes, I understand," she answered quietly before hanging her head.
"Good." Placing her hand underneath her beloved sister's chin, she raised her gaze to meet hers and found her expression to be filled with fear and sadness. "Don't worry. Like you told me before, be strong Oakley. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you. Not the Guardian. Not some over powered pokémon. Not even Domino or even Giovanni. I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt you before they even get a chance. I swear I'll protect you." Leaning in slowly with her eyes still locked with her sister's, Annie placed her lips against Oakley's. Kissing for a short while, the older girl then hugged the younger one tightly afterwards. "You're everything to me. I love you more than life itself," whispered Annie.
Oakley couldn't help herself and she let out some tears over her words. Wrapping her arms around her back, she tightened her hug. "And I you." Staying like that for a couple of minutes, the two then separated afterwards and began making their way out of the stadium. Holding hands and sticking very closely to one another, the two sisters felt an awful feeling fill them both that something was going to happen. And no matter what they did, they couldn't shake it off.
Appearing in the penthouse suite of the Indigo Hotel, the group of family and friends congratulated the raven haired guardian on his victory over the elites. From hugs and handshakes from his mother and friends, to kisses from his girlfriends, Ash was praised and complimented on his success. After that was all said and done, he smiled at them all and thanked them for their support and kind words. That was when he noticed two new faces in the group. "Burgundy? Georgia?" When he addressed them, the others turned to face the two, causing them to go red. "Wow, it's been a while. But, how'd you two get here?" he asked them.
Both of them shrugged in response. "I don't know, I just felt something, like it was holding me before suddenly I couldn't see anything for a split second and then here I am," explained Burgundy and that's when Ash figured it out.
"Hey, that's what I went through too!" added Georgia before pointing at Ash. "You know why that happened! Spill it!" she told him, seeing the understanding look on his face.
But before he could answer, another did. "It was probably Mewtwo," answered Iris and the two looked at her. "Since you were sitting with us in the stands, when he teleported us back here, he figured you would come with and so he just added you along I bet," explained the purple haired girl.
Their eyes widened at first, the two girls soon understood and nodded. "I see. That's pretty useful," complimented Burgundy.
"It is, but sorry about that," said Ash but the two said it's alright. Looking out to the setting sun in the horizon, it was then that he realized how late it was in the day. "Damn, it's almost night."
Brock clapped his hand against Ash's back, making him take a step forward and causing Pikachu to jump off his shoulder onto Delia's in annoyance. "Sorry Pikachu," chuckled Brock when the mouse glared at him. "Anyway, I wanted to say nicely done. How about we go eat?" he asked.
Extremely loud rumbling came from the guardian's stomach and he held his stomach in embarrassment. "Yea, I'm really hungry," he said quietly while the others laughed.
Delia led the way while calling out to the others. "C'mon then, let's get a nice meal made for dinner before we relax and call it a night." Agreeing with her, the other mothers followed her as did Chili, Cress, Violet and Lily to help out with the cooking.
"Cool. I'm gonna go shower," said Ash, taking a step.
"Hold up," said Brock, grasping his shoulder, making him stop. "I need to talk to you about something."
"Alright, sure." Leaving the two alone outside, everyone else went inside as Cilan and Iris used that time to show Georgia and Burgundy around the penthouse, with the two girls becoming amazed over their suite. Once they were alone, Ash spoke up. "So what's up Brock?" he asked.
Allowing a grin to spread on his face, Brock didn't immediately answer back, making Ash have a confused look on his face. "So I have a theory over your choices for the elite battles," he said finally after a moment.
Ash raised his eyebrows. "You do huh?"
His response was all he needed to hear and knew he was right. Laughing out loud, Brock then shook his head before speaking. "Yup and now I know that theory is true. That little speech of yours in the beginning…you were referring to the girls weren't you?" he asked.
Rubbing the back of his head while blushing a bit, Ash nodded. "Yea but it also meant you and my other friends too," he said quietly.
"But mostly it was the girls right?" Not able to lie to his brother, Ash nodded again. "I thought so. You wanted these battles to mean something more than just a victory didn't you?"
Smiling a bit, Ash faced inside the suite, seeing his girlfriends in the living room talking with one another and to their friends. "Yea, I did. They helped me out a lot during my travels. And I wanted to show how much they mean to me by having some of their favorite pokémon battle with me that I believed could handle the special battle conditions." Facing the older male, Ash then asked him a question, not noticing that the girls began leaving the living room. "Anything else you wanted to know?"
"Nah, that's it," said Brock as he began making his way out. Until he suddenly remembered something and stopped. "Actually there is." Turning back around, he went up to Ash and looked him in the eye. "Ash, will you be my best man?" he asked him.
His eyes widening at first, Ash then had a huge smile on his face. "Of course I will!" he answered happily.
Grinning back at him, Brock felt really happy over that. "Thanks man!" Sharing a hug between the two, the brothers separated and began heading inside.
When they walked in, it was then that Ash noticed his girlfriends weren't in the living room anymore. Thinking they were in their room, he told Brock he'll rejoin them later after showering. Heading towards his room, Ash reached the door and grasped the handle. The instant he took a step inside after opening the door, he had water splash onto him from above. It was so cold and since he wasn't expecting it all, it made him freeze and tense up while taking in a sharp breath. But that wasn't all. After the water spilled onto him from above, he was bombarded from all angles with baking powder paper bombs. He covered up his face with his arms as they hit him. "Alright, alight! I give in!" he shouted. A couple last powder bombs were thrown at him and then it stopped. He slowly lowered his arms and saw his attackers were none other than his girlfriends. "What the hell was that for?!" he asked them.
His girlfriends took one look at him, completely drenched and covered in white powder before they burst out laughing. Leaf, Sarah and Anabel couldn't help it and dropped to the floor holding their stomachs. Clair, Liza and Sabrina leaned against each other for support as they laughed. Shauna, Lizabeth and Giselle were bent over with their hands against their knees. Daisy, Misty, May, Dawn and Serena had plopped onto the large bed, laughing so hard that they couldn't even make a sound. Seeing them laughing and in such good spirits, even though it was at his expense, Ash just couldn't help himself. He started laughing along with them for a while until they all slowly calmed down. Taking in a couple breaths, Ash shook his head a bit. "Man, way to bring a guy down after his awesome victory," he remarked while chuckling.
Sitting up on the bed while using her arms to support herself, the red haired mermaid spoke up. "Well, we do need to keep your ego in check," quipped Misty.
"Yea, otherwise you'll start believing you can take on Arceus by yourself," teased Liza, adding onto what her sister said.
"Maybe I can. Who knows?" asked Ash, making his girlfriends roll their eyes while smiling. A slow devious grin began forming on the young man's face, making the girls focus their attention onto him, wondering what he was thinking. "But right now, I believe I can do something else without too much trouble," he told them as he took off his wet cloak and placed it on a nearby chair.
"Oh really? And what is that?" asked Shauna as she crossed her arms.
Ash took off his soaking wet fedora hat and placed it on top of the cloak with the devious grin never leaving his face. "Payback," he said simply as blue glowing spheres materialized around him before they faded away to reveal floating water balloons. His girlfriends had their eyes widen before glancing at one another until him talking again made them face him. "Don't worry, I'll be fair." A handful more blue glows materialized in the room in the corners behind the girls before fading away to reveal water balloons. "You'll have to reach them first though. Remind me to thank Mewtwo after this," he told them as he grabbed one of the water balloons in the air next to him and a purple barrier appeared in front of the room door, preventing escape. "So, who's first?" he asked in a cocky tone of voice, making the girls glance at one another again before they all reacted at the same time. Soon after, the sounds of playful screams, surprised yelps and hearty laughter filled the master bedroom as the girls and the young man fooled around together as they had their water balloon fight.
It didn't take too long for them all to become wet after all the water burst out of the popping balloons. Holding up two water balloons, one in each of his hands with more floating behind him, Ash cornered the girls after they ran out of ammunition, sporting a ridiculous triumphant smirk on his face. "So, any last words?" he asked them tauntingly.
Holding onto one another while droplets of water fell onto the floor, the girls looked at one another. Mentally speaking with each other through their aura bonds, they agreed to go through with their back up plan. Facing forward and locking their eyes onto his, thirteen of the fourteen girls said one word together; "Sabrina!"
Ash's eyes widened as a pink glowing sphere, a very large one, appeared above the girls. Fading away, it revealed a huge water balloon. Each of the girls raised their hands and held it up together. Ash took a few steps back, while dropping the two smaller ones he was holding and waved his hands in defeat. "Okay, you win! You win!" he called out to them. But the girls didn't falter, sporting ridiculous grins on their faces, having every intention of committing to their plan. Though he was close to them, the girls moved forward while holding it up. Ash barely took a step back when they threw it at him. The instant it touched the young man, it exploded and water splashed over everyone since they were so close to one another, soaking them all to the bone. Stunned at first over what happened, Ash and the girls took one look at each other, noticed their absolute soaking wet conditions, and burst out laughing. Shaking his head to free his hair of some of the water, he then wiped his face with his hands. "Damn, you got me good," he told them. "Whose idea was this?"
Finishing up with laughing, Leaf was the first to speak. "Got that right. And who else? I had to get you back for all those mornings I didn't wake you up," she revealed to him while sporting a devious smirk on her face.
Shaking his head, Ash scoffed. "Should've known. And you all just had to go along with it huh?" Giggling gave them away and he let out a chuckle. Glancing around the room and noticing the state it was in, Ash rubbed the back of his head, causing more water to fall from his hair. "Damn, looks like the room got thrashed."
"Um, that's not the only thing that got messed up."
Looking at Lizabeth now over her words, Ash saw that she was covering her chest with her arms while having an embarrassed look on her face. It was then that he noticed that her clothes had become transparent because of all the water. And that's not the only thing he noticed either. Each of the girls' attire had become so wet, with several of them wearing lightly colored clothing that he could see through to their undergarments. Ash's face reddened as he took in the sight, unable to look away. "Sorry, but you guys started it."
"Hey, don't stare!" yelped Shauna, covering herself too after realizing her clothes had become see through as well.
"Oh don't be so embarrassed," chastised Dawn as she made her way to Ash. Not caring about the fact that she was soaking wet or that her blue undergarments were showing, she wanted to hold him, not doing so for so long now. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned in and gave him a kiss. Kissing her back, Ash wrapped his arms around her lower back while closing the distance between them. Feeling their wet clothes against their bodies but becoming heated over their action, it felt strangely good to the two.
Seeing the two go at it, the other girls smiled, each filling up with good emotions over it. Making their way to the two, with Shauna, Lizabeth and a couple others getting out of their embarrassed states, they surrounded the blunette and raven haired guardian. When the two finally stopped and separated, they smiled at one another before Ash turned his gaze towards his left. Seeing Anabel there, he kept his smile as he pulled her in to him now and started kissing her with her kissing him back. Not too long later, Ash grabbed hold of Shauna, making her become very self conscious of her appearance before her concern melted away when he kissed her. The two displayed their love for one another as Anabel and Dawn stood next to one another, arm in arm. After Shauna, he did the same to Lizabeth and this kept going until each of the girls had a turn and the last to get hers was the black haired valedictorian.
When finished, Giselle didn't open her eyes immediately, instead, relishing in what she just felt during their kiss. Finally opening her eyes, she saw the brown eyes of her beloved looking into hers. Smiling greatly, she hugged him tightly and he did the same to her. Following her example, her sisters joined in on it. A moment passed with them staying like that before Giselle said something that came to mind. "Hey Ash…" He hummed, indicating he was listening. "What were those elite women telling you when they got close to you?" she asked him.
Her question caught everyone's attention and they all started thinking about that. Ash remembered how his girlfriends felt during his battles over their actions. Having sworn to be upfront with them about everything, he began telling them what had happened. From the elites to the league official, he explained what happened and what his response was. As he talked, the girls let out gasps and growls, along with a few choice words over their actions, their anger shown. "And that's it," said Ash, finishing saying what had occurred.
Once he was done, the girls spoke back, commenting on some of the things he said and asking questions about it with him answering it. They even mentioned how each of them had become filled with anger over their actions. More so than in the past and now that they think about it, it's frightening them. Ash didn't know what to say about that and before he could think of something about that, the red haired mermaid said something. "Ash, do you know why they did and said those things?" asked Misty.
He shook his head. "No clue. I didn't listen in to their thoughts as I was focusing on the battles and they didn't really say or do anything besides what I said." Nodding in understanding, the girls didn't say anymore. But Ash did. "And regardless, whatever the reasons behind it, there's nothing to worry about as I don't see them in that way at all," answered Ash truthfully, causing the girls to smile a bit.
"We know that Ash," started May softly, drawing his attention to her now from within the group. "It's just for some reason, when they did and said those things, when we saw it and when you told us about it just now, it made us very angry. Much angrier than in the past."
Ash nodded in understanding. "I understand. But don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll face it together and nothing will break us apart," he told them and the girls nodded while saying that back in their own words. Smiling at them, Ash moved his hand towards his aura tattoo. "Remember, this is how I feel for each of you and it will never go away." As he touched it, each of the girls had their own glow on their bodies and began filling up with warmth and comfort from it. The aura flowed over them all and it was so great that the energy from it dried their clothes to an extent. It wasn't fully dry but it was enough that they didn't feel the wetness anymore. When it finished and the aura regressed back into their bodies, each person in the master bedroom was feeling much better, sharing smiles with the one they love.
After a moment, Clair spoke up when she remembered something. "Ah, how come it didn't glow before when you did the same thing in the stadium?"
"Yea, why is that?" asked Sarah.
"When I went to my pokémon before the matches began, Lucario explained a bit more about this to me," started Ash with the girls giving him their utmost attention. "I asked him about the glowing part, if it'll always be like that. He said that the symbol will only glow when the one who touches it is feeling extreme emotions or wants it to glow. In a way, it's connected to our mental and emotional state. When I touched mine in the stadium, I only wanted for you to feel better but not draw attention. But since we're here in private, it didn't matter," explained Ash and the girls understood.
"Speaking of emotions," began Anabel, making them all look at her now. "Shouldn't we go back to our rooms and get ready for dinner before somebody finds us like this? We might deal with some other emotions that we're not quite ready to deal with now." Her words made the rest become suddenly worried that their little secret might get discovered before they're ready to tell them.
Moving towards the door, the purple barrier disappeared. It was then that another one of the girls also realized something and stopped the others and told them why she did so. "Don't you think it'll cause suspicion if we all come out of the room together?" asked Serena.
"Oh, crap. What do we do?" asked Daisy.
"Um, did you forget I can teleport us?" reminded Sabrina and the blonde sensational sister had a sheepish look form on her face. "See you at dinner Ash," said the psychic prodigy.
"See you then," said Ash with a smile before the girls disappeared in pink glows. Looking around his room, he saw all the water balloon pieces and how everything was wet. Letting out a sigh, Ash sent a mental message. Mewtwo, clean this up will ya?
An annoyed tone of voice was heard in his mind. I am not your maid!
Please! I don't have the time to do it myself and it'll take forever to dry everything! Please do this for me and I'll do anything!
A moment passed before he was sent a response. Fine. That's another you owe me. We're back to three now. Smiling to himself, Ash made his way to the bathroom to shower while agreeing to it. The room glowed a bright purple for a split second before it faded away and left behind a perfectly dry and clean room.
In the Pokémon League headquarters, in their large conference room, the elites of the world and their champions were gathered together. Four out of the five champions and all of the elites were staring at a blonde haired woman with astonished expressions on their faces over what just happened and what they witnessed…
Because a few minutes ago, while the other champions went over their elites' battles with them, the champion of Sinnoh was having some difficulty in controlling herself. She had decided to give the ones who had tried to make a move on her beloved a piece of her mind. But she knew that this wasn't the right time but even so. Her anger was slowly engulfing her, even as she went over the battle with her elites. The tipping point came when Steven began speaking with Pheobe over her lack of focus and hearing that conversation caused her to go over the edge.
Cynthia faced Pheobe and started to scream at the ghost elite, startling everyone, having caught them off guard over her outburst. Raging at her, the poor ghost trainer was filling up with intense fear over the furious champion, taking steps back while holding her hands up as if to say she was sorry, and she wanted to say that it was just a prank. But couldn't actually get the words out for she was too scared.
Seeing their partner in crime in such a situation, Malva, Lorelei and Karen gathered next to Pheobe and tried to defend her by reasoning that it was all a harmless joke and that they were just messing around. But then they got it as well as Cynthia continued her rage at them, calling them out on their actions too. Becoming angry themselves, Malva and Karen started shouting back, trading words and insults with Cynthia while a disbelieving Lorelei held onto a shocked and crying Pheobe. Nobody was able to calm the champion down or the female elites. Even Bertha was at a loss over what she should do, unable to reign in her surrogate daughter.
Right when it came to the point of poke balls being drawn, a blue glow coming from the blonde haired woman halted their rage filled argument in an instant. Drawing everyone's attention to it while the champion of Sinnoh felt her anger completely vanish while filling up with wonderful feelings, the blue glow that came from her aura symbol was so bright that it shined through her clothing.
Looking down at her abdomen, she smiled a little as she placed her left hand against the blue glowing sphere on her. Lasting for a little while, it then faded away but left behind a calmed down and happy champion along with a completely silenced room. Though Cynthia wondered why that just happened, she was glad that she felt that as it calmed her down and made her feel happy. Raising her gaze back up, it was then that she noticed everyone's dumbfounded expression as she looked around the room. Shit. That was the only thing she could think as she realized that they all had noticed the aura symbol on her that was proof of her unbreakable bond with the Aura Guardian and that they would want answers…
A/N - You made it! hahaha Pretty long chapter right? Well, I hope you've enjoyed it enough to not notice how long it was and to make up for the long wait. But as I keep saying and what I said above for other reasons, I will not rush to post a chapter. Each new one has to be at least same quality if not better. Thank you for understanding, for reading and everything else. Don't forget to leave behind a review, fav and follow! Thanks and take care!
Question 1 - Which Elite battle was your favorite and did you like the choices for the pokemon?
Question 2 - Which non-battle scene or scenes, did you find surprising to read/find out?
Ash's Harem Status
In the Harem - Misty, May, Dawn, Serena, Leaf, Sarah, Anabel, Cynthia, Sabrina, Clair, Liza, Giselle, Lizabeth, Shauna (Hoenn), Daisy Waterflower
My Other Stories (Please check out my other stories and leave a review!)
"Tale of the Forsaken" - Prologue is up; working on chapter 1
"Agma Sins" - Prologue is up; working on chapter 1