Author's note: Heya!
For the longest time, it really bugged me that I never bothered to write out the full battle at Lake Acuity. The reason I didn't? Well, it seemed like a lot of work... though I always felt like there was something missing without it, so I finally wrote it. Holy mother of legendaries... yes. It was a lot of work. Worth it, though? Maybe. XP
Jeez, it's longer than my usual chapters for this fic, though... Ah well. Can't really do anything about it without cutting stuff out... and I already truncated the stupid thing as much as I could. XD So I guess it's fine.
Best mistakes of the day:
'To his left was Lake Acuity, sparking in the late afternoon sun.'
(An electric lake?! That can't be good... Sounds cool, though!)
'Ash, still confident, placed Ash on the ground'
(Daww, it's Ash Jr.! Now it's time for the shipping wars, to determine who the mother is! I vote Misty! But not the Alolan one...)
Chapter Seven: Fighting Hard
Pikachu took a deep breath of the mountain air. Around him was a wide open space with flat land. In front was a mess of hills, with the odd tree and bush dotted about. To his left was Lake Acuity, sparkling in the late afternoon sun.
It had turned out that the pokémon centre's battlefield had been destroyed and was under construction, so they'd had to battle elsewhere. Personally, though, Pikachu didn't mind. This location was lovely. Paul's older brother, Reggie - who had arranged this battle in the first place, and was here to watch - certainly had good taste in locations.
Speaking of Reggie, Pikachu glanced to his right at the travelling referee that the guy had brought along. His name was Olivier, and he had three helpers - dressed like they were attending a funeral, for some reason - who were manning a large, portable reference monitor that would show Ash and Paul's progress in battle.
Pikachu frowned in determination as he turned to face Paul. It was time.
"Representing Kanto is Ash from Pallet Town!" Olivier called out. "Representing Sinnoh is Paul from Veilstone City!"
Jeez, they were representing their regions? Guess they'd have to fight extra hard, then!
Olivier continued. "We now begin a six-on-six full battle! There is no time limit, and both sides may exchange pokémon freely, as desired! The battle will be over when all six pokémon on either side are unable to continue! We will now use Coin Toss to see who will mount the first attack! Alright then, trainers! Heads or tails, what will it be?"
"I call heads!" Ash called out.
"Then tails," Paul said simply.
Olivier pressed the pokétch on his wrist. There were a tense few seconds as everyone waited for the result.
"... Heads!" the referee called out. "So Ash has the honour!"
"Okay, Pikachu," Ash said, pulling out a pokéball, "let's do this!"
"(Yeah!)" Pikachu replied, more than ready.
"Alright!" Ash threw the pokéball. "Buizel, I choose you!"
"Torterra," Paul said, also throwing a pokéball, but much more curtly, "stand by for battle!"
"Alright!" Olivier called out as the pokémon appeared on the field. "Let the battle begin!"
"Buizel, return, now!" Ash immediately called out.
Buizel crossed his arms, huffing in annoyance, as he dissolved into red light and was pulled away.
Pikachu blinked. Huh...?
"Buizel..." Ash continued, "I really wanted to battle with you, but the thing is, water-type moves don't really work well against Torterra... so hang tight 'til the next time!"
... Well, that wasn't entirely true, since Torterra was also part ground-type, but Ash probably knew what he was doing. Pikachu trusted his judgement!
It seemed he was going the route of type-advantages this time, though, which was rare for him. Maybe he was trying to fight Paul using the guy's own tactics?
Instead, Ash called out Gliscor, and told him to use Sand Attack. The bat happily complied, hitting the ground over and over again with his pincers. Sand flew up into Torterra's face, obscuring his vision.
Paul called for a Giga Drain. Three long, bright green spikes came barrelling out of the cloud of sand, missing Gliscor and instead burying themselves in the ground.
Ash responded with X-Scissor. His pincers glowing white, Gliscor flew down at Torterra, striking his head in a cross motion. It pushed the tortoise backwards across the dirt.
Glowing green, Torterra caused huge vines to explode from the ground with Frenzy Plant, which headed straight for Gliscor. At Ash's command, the bat flew upwards, and the vines missed, crashing into the floor. Torterra cried out in exertion, now unable to move because the attack had been so taxing.
Taking his chance, Ash called for a Fire Fang. His mouth now full of flames, Gliscor dove towards Torterra, smashing into him for more damage. Flying away for some distance, Gliscor then used X-Scissor. His pincers glowing white, he once again dove towards Torterra, striking him and dealing damage.
Pikachu beamed. This was going really well! Maybe all the pep talks from Ash and Buneary were really paying off!
Getting some more distance, Gliscor used Steel Wing. His wings now glowing white, he dove towards Torterra, aiming for a final blow.
Gliscor managed to hit his mark, though his tail fell right into Torterra's mouth, which clamped down hard with Crunch.
Pikachu's eyes widened. Uh oh.
The bat tried hard to escape, but it was no use. Pikachu watched as Paul called for a Giga Drain, which perfectly hit its mark, wrapping around Gliscor and draining him dry.
Oh man, they'd played right into Paul's hands, hadn't they?! Had he set that up on purpose?!
Using Fire Fang on the vines, Gliscor managed to free himself the second Torterra flinched, but the bat was clearly in pain. Ash recalled him, replacing him with Staraptor, who proudly soared through the air.
Using Brave Bird, the bird folded back his wings, surrounding himself in fire. When it turned blue, he dive-bombed straight at Torterra.
Paul called for a Stone Edge, and Torterra surrounded himself in rings of rocks, before flinging them upwards at Staraptor. They smashed into the bird, stopping his attack and sending him crashing to the ground.
Pikachu gritted his teeth, worried now. Darn, Paul was good.
He watched as the purple-haired trainer recalled Torterra, replacing him with Weavile. Staraptor, not down and out yet, continued to battle. Flying up high, he used Quick Attack, hitting Weavile and knocking him back.
The weasel then used Swords Dance, his claws growing longer and glowing purple. He swung them around, and the muscles on his arms bulged.
Staraptor swooped in with an Aerial Ace, but was interrupted with a Blizzard from Weavile. Using Metal Claw, his claws now glowing white, Weavile jumped on a still-swooping Staraptor and struck him hard in the back. The bird fell to the floor, while the weasel jumped off. Doing many backflips across the dirt, he prepared another Metal Claw, while Staraptor readied a Close Combat. The two tussled for a while, Weavile blocking the blows, until Staraptor struck a direct hit. It knocked Weavile back, so Staraptor followed up with more hits.
Weavile tried one more Blizzard, while Staraptor flew high for another Brave Bird. Pikachu watched with bated breath as the bird dive-bombed, straight through the icy winds, and smashed into Weavile, knocking him out.
Pikachu cheered. They'd pulled off a win! They had this in the bag after all!
Paul recalled Weavile, replacing him with Electabuzz, while Ash recalled Staraptor - who was flinching from the recoil damage - and replaced him with Grotle.
Grotle used Energy Ball, gathering green energy into a ball shape in front of his mouth, then firing it. Electabuzz, however, used Light Screen, summoning a yellow barrier around himself. The Energy Ball crashed into the barrier, only dealing half the damage it would have done otherwise. Then Paul... called back Electabuzz?
Pikachu watched, confused, as Honchkrow was called out next. What was Paul up to? Pikachu was distracted, however, as he realised something. Grotle looked angry, and his opponent was Honchkrow. The one he'd evolved against, and lost to, before. Oh dear...
Well, Pikachu was sure he could pull off a win this time! Just like Buneary had said yesterday, when they'd been eating candy flakes!
... No, now wasn't the time to think about her, or he'd get distracted.
He watched Grotle use Razor Leaf, throwing a barrage of sharp leaves towards Honchkrow, who dodged every single one as he swooped downwards. Using Night Slash, his wing glowed purple, and it struck right between Grotle's eyes, sending him sliding backwards.
Honchkrow created some distance, and Grotle charged up another Energy Ball, firing it into the sky. It was a direct hit on Honchkrow, except... it struck a yellow barrier, instead?!
Pikachu gasped. Of course! Light Screen! Paul had planned this, hadn't he? That was why he'd swapped out Electabuzz so soon!
He watched as Honchkrow used Haze, blowing an icy cold, black cloud towards Grotle. The tortoise used Razor Leaf again, launching the leaves through the fog. Honchkrow, however, dodged and hit him between the eyes with yet another Night Slash.
Looking rather tired, Grotle used Synthesis to try and gain back some health. Gazing towards the sun, the tortoise glowed white, absorbing the sun's rays.
Not giving him a chance to recover, Honchkrow used Sky Attack, dive-bombing him with a bright white glow. Quickly halting the Synthesis, Grotle used Rock Climb. He lifted up his front legs, which now had glowing white claws, in an attempt to hit the floor and create a rocky hill. Before he could, however, Honchkrow's attack hit, knocking him out cold.
Pikachu's shoulders slumped. Oh man... so much for that six-zero win that Buneary had predicted... Well, they were only one-for-one on losses, so they could still pull it back! Paul's strategy was insane, though!
Usually, the guy would just be battling to test his team's strength, or polish their moves. This time, it seemed, his goal was simply to defeat Ash. As brutally as possible.
As Ash recalled Grotle, and Paul recalled Honchkrow, Pikachu felt a wave of determination wash over him.
He turned to Ash, frowning. "(Ash, let me go next!)" he said with much conviction.
"Huh?" Ash asked, looking at him. "You wanna get in the battle, Pikachu?"
Pikachu clenched and unclenched his fist where Ash could see it. "(Yeah! I'll take the next one out, for sure! Count on it!)"
Ash smirked at him, clenching his own fist. "Yes! Then you get in there, buddy, and let's show 'em some of your power!" He pointed towards Paul. "Now let's move, Pikachu!"
"(Right!)" Running on all fours, Pikachu entered the makeshift battlefield, his cheeks sparking with electricity.
He watched as Paul threw the next pokéball, calling out Magmortar. Pikachu's eyes widened. So Magmar had evolved since the last time they'd seen him.
... Well, that wasn't going to hold them back! Pikachu was going to help secure a win, no matter what!
Using Quick Attack, he ran towards Magmortar at top speed, leaping as he got close and striking the much taller pokémon in the chest. Pikachu bounced away, landing on the dirt on two feet.
As Magmortar recovered, the fire-type smirked down at him. Hmm? What was he doing that for?
A moment later, Pikachu felt an intense burning sensation. He cried out in pain. Gritting his teeth, he fell back down to all fours. Darn it!
"(Like my Flame Body, pipsqueak?)" Magmortar asked, still smirking.
So Magmortar had burned him with his ability?! Had this been part of Paul's plan, too?! Growling, Pikachu steadied himself, ready to continue.
Standing on two feet again, he charged up electricity in his cheeks and unleashed a Thunderbolt. He heard Paul call for a Flamethrower, and, immediately afterwards, felt something slam into his Thunderbolt. There was an explosion that kicked up dirt.
Ash called for a Volt Tackle, so Pikachu ran across the battlefield, electricity blazing around him. Magmortar used Rock Tomb, his arm cannon opening up to fire purple balls of energy towards him. The first one hit the ground, throwing up a wall of rocks. Pikachu's eyes widened. He was going way too fast to avoid that!
He smashed through it, then another, then another, and another, and another, and another. Each one piled pain on top of pain, until he smashed into one final, much bigger rock wall. He flew backwards, hitting the dirt with a cry. A moment later, he felt the intense burning again.
Owwww...
With some words of encouragement from Ash, he managed to roll over and stand up. When Magmortar used Smog, shooting a grey cloud of poison from his mouth, Pikachu heard the command for Thunderbolt. Understanding Ash's intent, he leapt to the floor and did a breakdance manoeuvre. Electricity rose up around him in a combination of offence and defence. Something Ash liked to call the counter shield. It completely blew away the Smog, and Pikachu ended the breakdance, before feeling more intense burning.
Paul called for a Flamethrower. As the fire approached, Ash told him to use Iron Tail from above. Leaping over the fire, Pikachu sent steel energy to his tail, hardening it, then swinging it around to strike Magmortar in the head. The fire-type slid backwards, creating distance. As Pikachu landed on the ground, he felt more intense burning.
"Quick, Pikachu, come here!" Ash called out.
Oh? He was being swapped out? Fine by him. He ran back to Ash's side without complaint. Next, Ash called Buizel back out. The weasel appeared on the field, arms folded.
"(Finally!)" he said impatiently.
Ash called for an Aqua Jet. Surrounding himself in water, Buizel propelled himself towards Magmortar, slamming into his chest and pushing him quite far backwards. He then followed up with a Water Pulse, forming a glowing blue sphere between his paws and slamming it into the ground. A wave of water rose up, heading for Magmortar, but the fire-type shot Rock Tomb into the ground around himself, surrounding himself in rock walls.
Confident that he could break through, Ash pressed on with the attack, following it up with Aqua Jet. It turned out he was right, as the rocks crumbled under the force of the wave. However, as Buizel approached, Magmortar was nowhere to be seen. Buizel halted his Aqua Jet and Pikachu gawked. Just where had he gone?!
When Paul called for a Smog, Magmortar dropped down from the sky, blasting grey smoke into Buizel's face. The weasel cried out in pain, suddenly looking very ill.
Oh no, had he been poisoned?!
As Magmortar landed, he was recalled into his pokéball and replaced with Ursaring. Gathering water in his mouth, and pushing back his illness, Buizel fired off a Water Gun. His arm glowing white, Ursaring used Hammer Arm, angrily punching away the water and evaporating it into steam.
"(... Holy...)" Buizel said to himself, but he stopped himself short.
Using Bulk Up, Ursaring ground his teeth and clenched his fists, glowing red. As his muscles bulged, and his fur gained a new sheen, he let out a primal roar.
So his offence and defence had both increased, huh? That meant he was going to be even tougher to beat.
Ash called for an Aqua Jet, and Paul called for a Slash. The two pokémon approached one another, Buizel surrounded in water and Ursaring with glowing white claws. Buizel hit first, but Ursaring hit second, and harder. Buizel went flying backwards, hitting the dirt and rolling.
Following up with a Focus Blast, Ursaring gathered a blue ball of energy between his claws and flung it at Buizel. Before it hit, Ash used the word 'spin'. Taking the cue, Buizel used Aqua Jet in a breakdance, causing a counter shield tornado to appear around himself. The Focus Blast exploded against it, shrapnels of energy flying backwards to hit Ursaring.
Once Buizel stopped the breakdance, he used Sonic Boom. Swinging his tail, now glowing white, he produced a wave of sound. Ursaring used Hammer Arm, running through the Sonic Boom, which exploded at his feet. Completely ignoring it, he kept on running, then jumped and smashed his fist straight into Buizel's neck. The weasel crashed to the ground.
"Buizel, return!" Ash called out.
As Buizel pulled himself to his feet, he glared at Ash. "(No... frigging way,)" he replied. The glare turned into a smirk, before he gave a thumbs-up. "(I got this.)"
Pikachu smiled, trying to ignore the constant pain his burn was giving him.
Ash called for an Aqua Jet. As Buizel propelled forwards, however, Ursaring fired off a Focus Blast. It struck Buizel directly in the face, knocking him to the floor, where he skidded a long distance before coming to a stop, out cold.
Dang... Two losses to one... and Buizel had been so confident, too...
Calling back Buizel, Ash replaced him with Staraptor. The bird used Aerial Ace, speeding towards Ursaring, who swung at him with Hammer Arm. Dodging it, Staraptor rammed into his face. Ursaring quickly recovered, however, firing off a Focus Blast. It struck Staraptor from behind, though he stayed in the air.
When Ash called for a Close Combat, the bird dove down, talon first, and was met with Slash. Sadly, Ursaring was faster, and Staraptor cried out in pain. The bear immediately followed up with Hammer Arm, which knocked Staraptor unconscious.
Uh oh... Three losses to one...
Wait, but Ursaring had hit with Hammer Arm three times! When Sudowoodo had learned the move two days ago, he'd told Pikachu that it had made him feel really sluggish after just one use! How was Ursaring still so fast after all that?!
Was he just... that strong? Did his constant anger make him so strong that he could just power through anything?!
Pikachu watched as Ash recalled Staraptor. Paul did the same, replacing Ursaring with Electabuzz. This made Ash choose Chimchar, likely because he knew the monkey had a score to settle.
Well... on the plus side, Paul switching out meant that Bulk Up's stat changes had gone away, but, on the minus side, the same was true for Hammer Arm. Not that it seemed to make any difference for Ursaring anyway. That guy was a beast...
Seeming ready and willing, Chimchar looked directly at Paul and pointed to himself with his thumb. "(Just watch me be strong, Paul!)" he said.
Paul gave no answer in response. Not even the slightest change in expression. Yeah, Pikachu figured he wouldn't care much...
Continuing the battle, Ash called for a Flamethrower, which Chimchar shot from his mouth. Electabuzz used Protect, shielding himself inside a green bubble. The Flamethrower harmlessly bounced off it, before Electabuzz used Light Screen. Once the electric-type formed the yellow barrier, Paul recalled him, replacing him with Torterra.
Pikachu gritted his teeth through his burn. So Paul had planned to do this Light Screen song and dance more than once, huh?
Owwww, this burn was really hurting...
He watched as Chimchar used Flame Wheel, spinning himself into a fiery ball and rolling towards Torterra. The tortoise responded by using Stone Edge, which Chimchar managed to dodge. Then the Stone Edge... turned around in mid-air?! Pikachu was slack-jawed as the attack smashed into Chimchar, breaking him out of his Flame Wheel.
Standing up again, the monkey used Flamethrower, which hit the Light Screen barrier. Pikachu hissed through his teeth. Darn damage-halver...
Ash recalled Chimchar, replacing him with Gliscor. Using X-Scissor, the bat flew up high, then swooped down, ready to strike. Torterra answered with Frenzy Plant, growing giant vines from the ground. They smashed into Gliscor, throwing him out of the air. He crashed into the floor and fainted.
Pikachu was shaken. No! Taken out in one hit!
Darn it, darn it! Now it was four losses to one! Their team had been doing so well, but the odds were really starting to stack against them.
No, he couldn't give up yet. What would Buneary say? He thought back to her cheering the team on yesterday, telling them that they'd do great, and that they were a shoo-in to beat Paul. She'd even given them a cheer she'd made up on the spot, so he couldn't afford to give up yet!
He turned to Ash. "(Let me go next!)" he said.
Ash looked back at him, unsure. "That's great, Pikachu," he replied, "but electric-type moves won't work!"
Pikachu smiled, clenching a fist. "(It's okay, I can still win!)"
Ash smirked at him. "Okay, then everything's on your speed and your Iron Tail!"
He smirked back. "(Yeah.)" Getting on all fours, he ran onto the battlefield, facing Torterra. A moment later, Torterra was recalled. Pikachu was so surprised that he stood up. "(What?!)" He groaned. "(Oh, come on...)"
Instead, Ursaring was called out. Pikachu clicked his tongue. Alright, fine. If Paul wanted him to battle Ursaring, then he'd show that bear a thing or two.
At Ash's command, he ran forward with Quick Attack. Getting close, he leapt up and slammed into Ursaring's chest, though the bear responded by smashing a Hammer Arm into his stomach. He felt the wind completely leave him as he flew backwards.
Recovering mid-air, he launched himself back down, readying an Iron Tail. Paul called for a Focus Blast, but Ursaring cried out, his muscles locking up. As he approached, Pikachu beamed. His ability, Static, had kicked in and paralysed him. Yes!
Swinging his tail around, he slammed it into Ursaring's head. The bear cried out in pain, swatting Pikachu away. When he landed, Pikachu felt that intense burning again. Urgh... it was really hard to battle with a burn...
Cringing, he looked up at Ursaring. When he saw the bear glowing red, while his eyes were dilated in primal rage, Pikachu felt his blood run cold. Wait, he'd heard of this... Paralysis, followed by a massive boost in strength... Did Ursaring have the Guts ability?!
Okay, no, he wasn't just a beast. He was an angry war machine!
The bear advanced with Hammer Arm, which Pikachu thankfully managed to stop by zapping him with Thunderbolt. This, however, just made Ursaring angrier. Charging up another Hammer Arm, he swung his arms, smashing them both into Pikachu. Pain shot through his entire body as he went soaring through the air.
Suddenly, there was a cold sensation as he hit something. It surrounded him, enveloped him, and felt kind of nice against his burns. When it got into his nose and made him choke, he realised it was water. Some electricity discharged from his cheeks in his struggle to surface.
Everything hurt, but he needed to get out of the water. Pushing his limbs through the pain, he dragged himself up and out of what could only be Lake Acuity. Once he surfaced, Ash was there to meet him. He smiled at his trainer, then everything went black.
When he awoke again, he was in Ash's arms and being carried back to the battlefield.
He'd... failed... Their team were now five losses to one, and only Chimchar remained. All their bravado, and this was all they'd managed to do?
Dang, Paul was way stronger than they'd ever imagined...
Ash, still confident, placed him on the ground and called out his last pokémon. Pikachu watched as Chimchar used Flame Wheel, rolling towards Ursaring, but Ursaring easily batted him away with Slash. Breaking out of his Flame Wheel, Chimchar fired a Flamethrower, which hit its mark on Ursaring. Not giving him a chance to retaliate, Chimchar used Dig to bury underground.
Did... they actually have a chance? Sure, all five of Paul's remaining pokémon were injured, but that was just it. There were five of them. Chimchar had to beat all five for their team to win.
Was it possible?
Ursaring readied a Hammer Arm to strike the ground, but Chimchar was faster. He took the chance, jumping out to strike Ursaring in the head. Immediately following up with a Flamethrower, he hit the bear again, pushing him across the dirt. The bear fell over, hit the ground and... fainted?!
... Wow. Chimchar had actually done it. He'd beaten the unbeatable Ursaring. Well, that changed the loss score to five-two.
Somehow, though, as he watched Paul recall Ursaring, Pikachu didn't really feel happy.
Ash gave a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks, Chimchar," he said. "You rock."
Chimchar turned to smile at him. "(Heh, thanks, Ash!)" he replied.
Ash's voice turned determined. "So, let's keep this going! Let's turn it around!"
Still smiling, Chimchar frowned back in determination with a nod. "(Yeah!)" Then he started glowing white.
Pikachu gasped. He watched in shock as the monkey grew taller, with longer features, and a tail. When the white light faded, a whole new monkey was in his place. A monferno, like the one Angie had been looking after at the Pokémon Summer Academy.
Wow... so, not only had Chimchar beaten Ursaring, but he'd evolved, too... and weren't monferno part fighting-type? That meant he'd gained a new type, on top of everything else.
Monferno hopped from one foot to another, throwing many punches, until his fists started glowing white. With one huge swing, he released a gust of wind in Paul's direction.
Pikachu couldn't believe it. Was that Mach Punch? So he'd learned a new move, too? Jeez... out of everyone, Monferno was really coming out on top today.
It made him feel a little jealous, honestly. Especially since he couldn't prove himself anymore, due to getting knocked out...
As the monkey celebrated his new power with some backwards somersaults, Paul called out Electabuzz. The electric-type looked surprised when he saw Monferno. The monkey smirked at him, causing him to smirk back.
Monferno started with Mach Punch, zipping forward at lightning speed. Feinting with the first punch, he struck Electabuzz in the stomach with the second. It sent the electric-type flying backwards and crashing into a rock formation.
Getting up again, he charged a Thunder between his antennae, firing it at Monferno. The monkey crossed his arms to try and block it, though it pushed him back and blew up in his face. When the smoke cleared, he cried out, his muscles locking up.
Trying to ignore it, Monferno used Flame Wheel, but Electabuzz used Protect. Monferno bounced right off the protective bubble, the force launching him into the sky. From up there, he used Flamethrower, but Electabuzz jumped, avoiding it. His fist glowing yellow, he took a swing at Monferno, but the monkey dodged out of the way, immediately burrowing underground with Dig. The second Electabuzz landed again, Monferno burst out of the ground and hit him.
The monkey followed up with a Flame Wheel, which Electabuzz tried to counter with Thunder. Monferno, however, used Flamethrower while still using Flame Wheel, forming a counter shield. The Thunder struck it, pushing against it and causing a small explosion. Undeterred, Monferno barrelled on through the resulting smoke, smashing into Electabuzz.
Pikachu beamed. Wow, this was intense! He'd never seen Chim- uh, Monferno so strong or confident before!
The monkey zipped forward with another Mach Punch, which was promptly blocked by another Protect, and followed up with a Thunder. This one hit the mark, electrocuting Monferno. He flew backwards, hitting the ground and collapsing to his knees. He wasn't quite out yet, but he looked hurt, and his muscles still looked like they were locking up.
Getting up again, the monkey tried to use Flamethrower, but couldn't. Fighting through the paralysis, he let out a battle cry, which caused his tail flame to expand into a much, much bigger fire. One that was bigger than his body. For a moment, Pikachu worried that Blaze had activated, and he'd gone crazy, like the last few times, but... that didn't quite seem to be it.
Maybe it was just his fighting spirit, and his desperation to win.
Monferno charged forward with Mach Punch, while Electabuzz also charged forward with Thunder Punch. When the two met in the middle, they swung their fists with all of their might, striking each other in a very explosive finish.
Pikachu took a few tentative steps forward, still feeling the effects of Flame Body. "(... Mon... ferno...?)" he asked weakly, feeling like he was about to collapse again.
The smoke cleared, and the two opponents were staring each other down. After a few moments, Electabuzz smirked, and Monferno... fainted.
Pikachu was speechless, his entire world falling into a colourless, soundless void around him. He slowly turned to look at the reference monitor, only to see six greyed-out silhouettes on their side.
They'd... lost...?
