Small note here: The events in Mewtwo Strikes Back took place before the Pokémon League started, okay? Okay. Thanks to Neptune for beta reading a beta version of this chapter ^_^.
"To be a Pokémon Master, many believe one must simply defeat all opposition. But in truth, it requires skills far more difficult to ascertain. To gain the companionship and respect of not only one's own pokémon, but of all those that deserve it... That will start you on the path of being a true master."
by Chris Robinson
Chapter 1
Unexpected Victory
Right outside Cerulean City, a very discrete cave existed. Though sunlight barely illuminated much of anything past the entrance, a mysterious pokémon could be seen sitting on a rocky stump deep inside. Its sleek eyes, closed. Its sharp mind, transfixed on the world above. The pokémon was Mewtwo. He could sense it now. Something's happening. Something he didn't like one bit.
Through a soft glow, he stood, opening his eyes. ~It's coming.~ He shot out from the mouth cave, a thunderous blue streak following him. The few city-goers who happened to hear it, glanced up... only to see the remnant energy flicker and fade away.
* * *
All throughout Kanto, a calm, cool night persisted. Chitter-chatter of nighttime creatures gave the only audible clue that life existed, while the moon acted as the sole source of light. The situation at Pokémon League Village was no different. All of the cabins there had since gone dark, their occupants now in bed. Except one.
Inside that one cabin was Ash. He sat on his unmade bed, alone. Now after defeating his first four opponents in the Pokémon League, he was going to head to the famed Indigo Stadium tomorrow, to face his newest friend Richie in battle. He seemed to be getting ready to go to bed as all he had left on were his blue jeans, black t-shirt, and unlaced shoes. However, for some reason he just stared at the pokeball in his hand, unusually distressed.
Pikachu, who had been on Ash's pillow since sundown, slowly awoke to see Ash with the pokeball. Forcing himself up, he crawled to his trainer's side. "Pikapi?" He broke the unnerving silence, startling Ash in the process.
Ash finally found Pikachu standing beside him. He relaxed, releasing a small, but serene, smile. "Oh, hi Pikachu." His voice told exactly what his face had shown seconds before.
"Pika chu?" he wondered, dropping one ear and tilting his head. Ash pet him on the head, causing the pokémon to beam with contentment. He always enjoyed it when Ash or any of his friends did that.
"Yeah, I'm okay." He moved his hand down his cheek. "But I'm trying to decide what to do with Charizard." He removed his hand and they both watched the pokeball. Ash's smile disappeared. "If he'll listen to me, I'll have a big advantage tomorrow. But if he doesn't, it'll be a big disadvantage." Ash looked back to Pikachu. "What do you think I should do?"
"Chuu..." Pikachu responded sadly. Even if he knew what to do, he didn't feel that it would be his place to tell him.
Ash fixed his view on the pokeball once again. It's strange, Charmander would've given everything he had to help him. But, ever since he evolved into Charmeleon, and later into Charizard, it's as if he no longer cared. It's not like he treated him any differently after evolving. He just never thought that it could change a pokémon so much.
Ash could still vividly recall that stormy night that he, Misty, and Brock rescued Charmander from the rain. He could even remember the joy he felt when Charmander himself made the decision to stay with him over Damien, his former trainer. He sighed and dipped his head. ~One day...~ He let his worry wither away as a smile emerged. ~One day I know you'll remember how great of friends we were. But this is one battle I'll have to do without you.~
* * *
The next day went by, somewhat, normally. After Misty got a phony phone call from Jessie posing as Richie, Team Rocket tried to keep Ash from getting to his battle. Of course they failed, and Ash barely made it in time for his battle with Richie.
The battle itself went well enough. Ash's Squirtle against Richie's Butterfree, Happy, proved to be a great watch. After a ferocious barage of Tackles, Water Guns, and the like, Happy managed to best Squirtle with its Sleep Powder.
Next came Ash's Pikachu. Having the obvious type advantage, coupled with Happy's exhaustion from the previous battle, he was the clear favorite. Using a Thunder Bolt in mid-air did the trick. Happy had no chance.
Then, Richie decided to use his Charmander, Zippo. A technical stalemate. Two strong pokémon, neither having an advantage over the other. Were it not for his battle with Happy earlier, Pikachu could've won. But as it was, Zippo beat him with its fire power.
Next, Ash decided to use his Tauros. There was no contest. Zippo was just too weakened by Pikachu to even mount an offensive. It was all up to Sparky, Richie's Pikachu. That battle, too, was a sight to see. But, in the end, Tauros' power overwhelmed Sparky.
And with that, Ash defeated Richie. Richie was a great sport about losing and held no grudge against him. Ash, too, was a great sport. To Brock and Misty's surprise, Ash didn't over-react anywhere near as much as he usually would.
Over the next few days, Ash fought his battles and continued to climb in the League Standings. If they didn't know better, Misty, Brock and even Pikachu would've sworn that he battled like a boy posessed, showing a surprising amount of strategic know-how. What's more, Ash never even got to his sixth pokémon becuase he beat his opponents with such ease.
* * *
Somewhere near the stadiums, in Pokémon League Village, Jessie, James, and Meowth were staring at a posting of the current standings. It was an obvious risk for them to be outside in such a place during the daytime with their Team Rocket uniforms on, but they had spotted something quite intriguing. Lucky for them, the people walking about didn't notice or care about them. Hey, wait a minute... This couldn't be right, could it? No, no it can't be.
"I don't believe this," James said in monotone.
"The twerp made it to the final match?" Jessie was astonished. Sure enough, Ash's picture was displayed as the title challenger.
Meowth crossed his arms and smirked. "Well, wit all da experience his pokémon must get from beatin' us all da time, it's no wonda dat dey're in such good shape." Jessie and James both shot him a death look. He caught their faces. Whoops... Maybe that wasn't the best thing for him to say. They stomped him to the ground.
Jessie added a few more stomps, "We don't need that kind of attitude, you furball!"
"Yeah! A little encouragement would be nice!" James growled, stomping as well.
"Let me up!" Meowth screamed. Curse his quick wit. They took their feet off and let him get back up as they looked back at the standings. Funny, it still said the same thing.
Jessie barely held her anger. She clenched her fists. "It just makes me so angry that he's doing so well."
James showed no signs of anger, though. Instead, he rested the side of his chin on his finger. "What should we do about it, then?" They started thinking. They thought hard. A small kid ran to his mother complaining that he smelled smoke.
Team Rocket pondered the question when, out of nowhere, Officer Jenny popped up behind them. "What are you guys doing back here?" She spooked the trio with her stern voice and equally stern face.
Another one appeared, identical to the other in every way. "How many times are we going to have to kick you out?" Much to Team Rocket's dismay, the officers started pushing them away. "Come on, let's go."
"Hey!" James hopelessly protested. "Stop that!" Paying no heed, the officers kept pushing. "We didn't even get to do our motto!" They wouldn't respond.
This was ridiculous, they couldn't do this to them. "Prepare for- Hey, watch it!" Jessie attempted to start. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it- Ow, that hurt!" James also tried.
It was useless. They slumped over and sighed a collective whine, "Looks like Team Rocket's being pushed aside again..."
A few yards away, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu were watching the two Jennys push Team Rocket away. That was rather pointless of them, wasn't it? Except for Brock, they all had a sweatdrop. "Don't they ever give up?" Ash wondered out loud as Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder. He and Misty caught Brock's red hued face from the corner of their eyes. Oh no...
Misty turned away in embarassment. Not again. "Speaking of not giving up," she sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand. She turned back. "Come on, Brock." She pinched his ear and dragged him along. "Let's go."
Hmm...? Moving? What's this feeling? Pain? Brock's brain finally caught up with him. "Hey! That hurts! Come on! Stop it!" he yelled, arms and legs flailing.
She let go of his ear and yelled back at him. "Well, we've got to get to the Pokémon Center! We need to heal Ash's pokémon for his match tonight!" Of all the dumb luck. Just when Brock finds the two most beautiful Jennys in the whole area, Ash has to get his pokémon healed. He grumbled something under his breath, but started walking on his own. As he did, he peeked back, hoping to see the two Jennys again.
* * *
The group walked on for a while more, much to Ash's disapproval. These walks always seemed to get longer everytime. Of course, the fact that there were no clouds in the sky to block the sun didn't help matters any.
"How much farther 'til we get there?" Ash eventually complained. He hunched over. "My legs hurt."
Misty didn't like these walks either, but at least to her, it was better than being lost. "Not too much farther." She pointed up ahead. "It should be around the next corner."
They made it to and rounded the corner. As they did, someone came running by, much too fast for anyone to react. Ash barely turned his head before they bumped into each other, both knocked to the concrete roadway. "Hey!" Ash exclaimed in surprise more than anger. As they stood back up, he was able to get a good look at who it was.
He saw that it was a young girl, possibly pre-teen. She was about as tall as he was though, with light blue hair, a bit longer than Misty's when it's not up, pulled down into a ponytail. She wore a dark-green colored tunic which ended a bit above her knees. A light red short-sleeved vest with gold stripes completed the outfit nicely.
"Pardon me," she bowed and apologized sweetly. Her soft voice was smoother, and a little bit quieter, than Misty's also.
Concerned, Ash took a single step forward. "Oh... A-are you okay?"
She looked back up. "Yes, I am." She pushed a loose strand of hair back into place. "I was in a hurry and didn't see you come around. I'm sorry," she apologized again.
He stepped back foolishly and tried to smile, all the while doing his best not to blush. "Oh, it's okay." He chuckled nervously. He held his hand out, finally getting a sincere smile on his face. "I'm Ash." They shook. "What were you in a hurry for?"
"I'm trying to get back to my mother." As if she just remembered what she was doing, her voice suddenly became urgent. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go!" She started running off again.
"Hey!" Ash yelled out, trying to grab her attention. "What's your name?"
She turned back and waved. "It's Annie!" Annie... Ash smiled. He liked that name.
* * *
Over in the Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty, and Brock were waiting for Nurse Joy to return with Ash's pokémon. They sat on a bench over by the door, collecting their thoughts for the night ahead. Being as there was only one official match left, the place was quite dead.
Ash layed his head back on his hands. "I can't believe I've gotten this far." No one really could. He gazed out into nothingness. "But... I'm not sure about this, guys. The other trainer must be pretty good to be champion." He leaned forward and fear poured from his voice. "I... I don't think I can do this."
"Don't say things like that, Ash," Brock warned. Ash turned his head. "You were good enough to get where you are."
"Yeah," Misty jumped in, looking in front of Brock. "Don't forget, there are many other trainers that couldn't even get anywhere near where you are." She smirked. "Including Gary."
Well, at least that was true. "I suppose."
He leaned back, a million and one thoughts trying to make themselves known. He could win tonight. Admittedly, he was quite shocked himself of how well he had done. He didn't question it though. His pokémon were pretty powerful for a kid his age to have. With the championship match tonight, one thought was louder than the others. ~I can be... I will become a Pokémon Master...~
* * *
Finally, the time had come. Ash and Pikachu stood with Misty and Brock at the entrance to the artificialy lit arena, awaiting the final match. The full moon just above the stadium wall served to illuminate the areas that the stadium lights couldn't hit. The tension in the air weighed heavily.
"Welcome pokémon trainers and fans!" the announcer announced. Music played through the loud speakers while the crowd cheered. "It's now time for the Championship Match! It'll be a standard 6-on-6 battle to determine who will walk away champion!" Ash trembled. His nervousness sky rocketed. He felt like getting sick. "Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, the surprise, come-from-behind challenger, will be facing off against the current champion, Hiro Winner!" Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu started walking into the stadium. "And here he is, folks! The challenger, Ash Ketchum!" The cheering picked up a bit.
Brock set his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Good luck, Ash," he said. Ash stared out at the battle field, unable to deter his view. If it was possible, he became even more nervous.
"Yeah, good luck," Misty said also.
He'd need as much as he could get. Ash swallowed hard and forced a nod. "Thanks guys." He walked off with Pikachu. Misty tore her vision away from him as she turned, going over to her bench. She sat down next to Brock.
"And now," the announcer continued, "Welcome back to the stadium, the reigning champion, Hiro Winner!" The crowd continued to cheer.
Hiro took a few steps in, letting the stadium lights slowly unmask his grinning face. He looked like he was in his mid to late twenties, and was about a foot or so taller than Ash. His loose blond hair hung naturally down to his neck. The clothes he wore didn't seem too becoming of a Pokémon League champ. Wearing black jeans, or possibly navy-blue as it's hard to tell at night, and a brown hooded sweatshirt, anyone who didn't know better wouldn't peg him as a champion.
He and Ash made their way to the center of the arena. He held a hand out to his small statured opponent. "Good luck to you, Ash." His light-but-deep voice sounded sincere.
"You too." They shook hands, attempting to size each other up. They turned and took their respective positions for the battle. This was it, the final match. Now was the time for Ash to make his dream to come true.
The judge raised the flags to signal the start of the match. "As per Pokémon League rules, the champion must select his pokémon first! Now, let the final match to determine the Indigo League Champion begin!" Ding!
Hiro quickly swiped one of the pokeballs from his belt, expanding and throwing it with quite a bit of finesse. "Go... Charizard!"
"Charizard!?" Ash exclaimed with shock as it appeared. He shook it off. He figured Squirtle would be to weak to battle against a Charizard like that. He reached back and threw out one of his own pokeballs. "Then, I choose you... Pidgeotto!"
The announcer could barely be heard over the crowd. "The champion starts out with a formidable Charizard, while the challenger starts off with a Pidgeotto! This should prove quite interesting as neither has a type advantage over the other!"
Hiro initiated the battle. "Charizard, Flame Thrower!"
Ash quickly countered. "Pidgeotto, don't let him do it! Quick Attack!" Pidgeotto dove toward its opponent. A split second before Charizard's fire attack would have barbequed it, Pidgeotto vanished. It reappeared up beside Charizard, flying down and striking it across the face. "Yeah! Keep it up!" Pidgeotto disappeared again. It kept flying at Charizard's face from different angles as it continued to dive bomb, in force.
"Charizard, stop him! Mega Punch!" The charizard took a few more hits. As Pidgeotto flew to hit its opponent again, Charizard spun around with a punch. Pidgeotto was knocked down viciously.
"Pidgeotto!" The bird slowly, but weakly, stood back up.
"Charizard, Fire Spin!" Shooting a blast of fire to the ground, Charizard's attack snaked along, towards its intended target.
"Pidgeotto, Whirlwind!" Pidgeotto mustered all its strength and flapped as hard as it possibly could. The whirlwind slowly built and collided with the fire attack. The fire was thrown back into Charizard, which caused it to stumble back a couple steps. It seemed to have trouble staying on its feet. "That's it! Max Speed, now!" Pidgeotto took aim and flew straight at Charizard. A high-pitched noise whined through the arena.
"Charizard, Take Down!" Charizard took one step and flapped its wings before they collided head on. Both were thrown back towards their trainers and hit the ground with a loud Thud!
"Charizard and Pidgeotto are unable to battle! The match is a draw!" the judge declared.
"Woah! Can you believe this?" the announcer yelled ecstatically. "What a way to start things off!"
"Not bad, Ash!" Hiro complimented. He could tell this was going to be a good challenge. He grabbed another pokeball. "Now, try this! Pidgeot! Go!"
"Then, I choose Pikachu!" Ash called. Pikachu hopped out to battle.
Hiro smirked. A typical choice. "Not bad, Ash!" He looked up to command his Pidgeot. "Pidgeot! Tackle Attack!"
"Pikachu, Thunder Bolt!" Pikachu shot a thunder bolt at the pidgeot, but it rolled away with ease. He tried again, but again, it rolled away. Pidgeot sped up and knocked Pikachu over. It flew up, turned around, and came after him again.
"Pikachu!" He stood back up and watched as Pidgeot headed back at him. "Try a Quick Attack!" Pikachu took a step and dematerialized. He reformed an inch in front of his opponent, still moving as fast as before. They collided. Though it was obviously injured by the attack, Pidgeot knocked Pikachu over again, and it still kept on coming.
Over on the bench, Misty and Brock watched the battle intently. Misty didn't approve of this strategy. "He's using Pikachu too early. He's going to need him later on."
"Have faith in him, Misty," Brock answered. "Neither him or his pokémon will give up until they don't have anything left." She still worried, however.
"Pikachu, look out!" Ash yelled. Looking up, Pikachu noticed Pidgeot flying down at him again. When it got close enough though, Pikachu jumped up and grabbed onto Pidgeot's back. Hiro gasped and Ash smirked. Everyone knew what was going to happen now. "Yes! Pikachu, Thunder Attack!" Pikachu charged for a second before flushing as much of his electrical power as he could onto the Pidgeot. After the attack subsided, the pidgeot fell to the ground hard. Pikachu landed in front of Ash, breathing heavily from exhaustion.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" the judge declared.
"Oh! An impressive light show from the challenger's pikachu leaves the champion's pidgeot grounded!" the announcer exclaimed an overused phrase.
"Very good, Ash!" Hiro commented again. He returned Pidgeot and grabbed another pokeball, expanding and throwing it. "Haunter, I choose you!"
Ash sighed. "You did great Pikachu! Return!" Pikachu was slightly confused, but did as he was told.
"What's this? The challenger is calling back his pikachu!" the announcer pointed out. "He must want to use a fresh pokémon against Hiro's haunter!"
Ash held one of his pokeballs and closed his eyes. ~I'm sorry I didn't use you before, but I really need you this time... Please...~ He opened his eyes and looked up. He threw the pokeball. "I choose you... Charizard!"
Misty and Brock gasped. "Charizard?" Misty yelled. "Ash, are you crazy? What are you doing with Charizard?" This was an unforeseen turn of events.
"This isn't good," Brock calmly realized. "This match is to important to risk using Charizard with."
"Charizard, please," Ash pleaded almost tearfuly. "If your going to listen to me at all in your life, please, listen now!" Charizard just blew a bit of fire in response, then turned his back to Ash. He hoped this wouldn't backfire. "Okay... Charizard, Flame Thrower!" Charizard eyed Haunter. Then, to everyone's surprise, he obeyed and attacked Haunter.
"Haunter, Light Screen!" Hiro commanded. Haunter held its hands out, creating a gold translucent force field. It barely held up when Charizard's flame struck it, rocking the arena. The fire eventually died off. "Night Shade Attack!" After taking its hands away, Haunter's light screen disappeared. It shot a blast of black energy at Charizard from its eyes. The impact knocked Charizard back off his feet.
"Shake it off, Charizard!" Angered, Charizard got back up. "Fire Spin, now!" Charizard again did as he was told and blew a tornado of fire, completely engulfing Haunter. When the attack cleared, Haunter held his head, realing in pain.
"Haunter, snap out of it!" Hiro tried to get its attention.
"Alright! Charizard, Seismic Toss!" Charizard took a step, flew forward, and grabbed Haunter. Then with one foot, he launched himself up into the air and spun in a circle a few times before diving back down to the ground. When he got close enough, he slammed Haunter down and pulled up. He grinned, leaving it behind in a mountain of dust. The dust eventually cleared, and Haunter couldn't move.
"Haunter is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!" the judge declared.
"No way! That's another win for the challenger!" the announcer exclaimed. "The champion seems to have his hands full in this battle!"
By this point, Misty and Brock's fear had turned into amazement. Maybe they were wrong. "He really looks like he knows what he's doing out there," Misty commented.
"I told you, Misty. Just have faith," Brock said, trying to convince Misty that he knew something like that would happen. "This is his dream, he's not just gonna let it slip away that easily." Misty stopped paying attention to him, however. She just stared out at Ash.
"You're better than I thought, Ash!" Hiro complimented. "It's been a while since I've been down 3-to-1 against a challenger! But don't think it'll get any easier!" He grabbed another pokeball. "Go... Ditto!"
"Charizard, attack it before it can transform! Flame Thrower!" Ash commanded. However, Charizard turned his head and did the Flame Thrower on Ash. Uhh... oops? "N-not me..." he said weakly.
"Oh boy," Brock commented. "That's not good."
"Come on, Ash!" Misty yelled out. "Do something!"
"I'll give you a chance to switch pokémon if you want to Ash!" Hiro called out. It would be pointless for him to battle Charizard if wasn't going to fight back. "It doesn't look like this'll be a fair match!"
"Thanks, but no thanks!" Ash yelled back. "I believe in my pokémon!"
"Just as you should, Ash. Just as you should," Hiro quietly said. "Ditto, Transform!" Ditto glowed a bright white light before reshaping into an exact duplicate of Charizard.
"Come on, Charizard! Please, listen!" Ash pleaded with a stomp to the ground. "Flame Thrower!" Charizard glared at Ash from the corner of his eye, but turned back to Ditto. This was more like it. He attacked.
"Ditto, Fly!" Ditto jumped up and flew above the Flame Thrower. "Counter!" It tried to attack with its own Flame Thrower, but Charizard jumped back and flew up into the air as well.
"Charizard, Take Down, now!" Flying forward, he grabbed Ditto by the neck. Then with a powerful lunge, Charizard flew down to the ground and slammed Ditto with all the weight he had. He flew up out of the newly created dust hill and landed half way between it an Ash. As Ditto got back up, Hiro noticed it had trouble keeping its shape.
"Ditto, hold on!" Hiro attempted to relax it. "Fire Blast Attack!"
"You too, Charizard! Fire Blast Attack!" The two attacks flew toward each other and exploded violently. Both Charizard and Ditto were engulfed in smoke and flames.
All available eyes watched as a wind finally blew through, pushing the smoke away. Charizard still stood, though utterly exhausted, but Ditto had transformed back into its jell-like shape, fainted.
"Ditto is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner!" the judge declared.
"Wow! Unbelievable! The challenger wins again!" the announcer yelled in disbelief.
Misty's mind raced while she completely ignored Brock. ~I can't believe this. He's up 4-to-1. How... how could he be doing so well?~ She couldn't do anything but look out at Ash as he battled.
Though Hiro now realized he may have some trouble, he stayed surprisingly calm. ~He still has five pokémon, but I'm down to two,~ Hiro thought. A smirk emerged from his lips. ~But, let's see how well he can do.~ He grabbed one of his two remaining pokeballs. "Marowak... go!"
"Charizard, Fire Spin!" Ash commanded. Charizard, however, just scratched his neck. "Charizard!"
"Marowak, Bonemerang!" Marowak threw his bone-club at Charizard and hit him square in the head, knocking him off his feet. Through the pain, Charizard attempted to push himself back up, but it was too difficult. His arms gave out and he fell to the ground.
"Charizard is unable to battle! Marowak is the winner!" the judge declared.
"The champion finally knocks out another pokémon!" the announcer pointed out. "Could this be the break he's been waiting for? Or is he just too far behind to catch up?"
Ash thought intently about which pokémon to use now. ~Marowak is a ground type, so what would... I got it!~ He grabbed and threw another pokeball out. "Go! Squirtle!"
Dispite the obvious type disadvantage, Hiro remained firm with his choice. "Nice choice, Ash!" he yelled to him. "Marowak, Skull Bash!" It charged forward.
"Squirtle, Water Gun!" Marowak ran hard through Squirtle, sending him airborne. But Squirtle was able to twist around in mid-air and shoot the Water Gun blast at Marowak, effectively bowling him over. Squirtle landed easily, but flinched. Still, he remained vigilant for another attack.
"You can take it, Marowak! Bonemerang, now!"
"Squirtle, Withdraw!" Squirtle ducked into his shell and the bonemerang safely deflected off of it. "Great job, Squirtle!" Squirtle popped back out. "Now, Tackle Attack!"
"Marowak, Counter Attack!" As Squirtle neared, Marowak swung his bone-club in a near-perfect arc, hitting Squirtle square in the chin and sending him flying back. After an almost complete flip in the air, Squirtle landed on his stomach. Painfuly, he got up on his hands and knees. He managed to open one eye just in time to see Marowak's bone-club come flying straight at him. It knocked him down for the count.
"Squirtle is unable to battle! Marowak is the winner!" the judge declared.
"Oh! The champion takes down another one!" the announcer exclaimed. "Could he be on his way to a comeback?"
Misty and Brock started to get concerned about the turn of events. "Uh oh, this isn't good," Brock stated. "If Ash gets discouraged, he'll start making mistakes."
Misty knew Ash was like that, but she wouldn't give up on him. ~Come on, Ash...~
"Go! Muk!" Ash called out, throwing his next to last pokeball.
Hiro barely showed concern. "Marowak, Fury Attack!" Before Ash could give out a command, Marowak jumped in front of Muk and mercilessly hit it with his bone-club.
"Muk, Poison Attack!" Right after one of Marowak's hits, Muk threw the poison sludge, making its opponent stumble backwards.
Marowak recovered surprisingly quick for an attack like that. "Marowak, Take Down!" Marowak ran forward in an attempt to knock its opponent over.
"Muk, Body Slam!" As Marowak ran into Muk, Muk bounced it back off its feet. When Marowak looked up, Muk was coming down.
Hiro gasped. "Marowak!" But it was to late. Muk had smothered Marowak. When Marowak stopped struggling, Muk backed off.
"Marowak is unable to battle! Muk is the winner!" the judge declared.
"Woah! Things don't look good, folks!" the announcer stated. "The champion has only one pokémon left!"
Hiro held his last pokeball. Three against one. The odds were against him, but this was definitely the best chance he had. He gave it a slight nod before throwing the pokeball. "Pokeball... go!" The pokeball flew out and opened.
Ash froze in panic upon seeing what appeared... Dragonite.
"Oh no!" Brock gasped over the crowd's ooh's and aah's. "This is bad. I knew he had to have something up his sleeve."
Though horrified, Misty didn't say anything. ~Don't give up, Ash. It's just like any other opponent. Come on, use your head.~ But what could he do against this?
"Dragonite, Ice Beam!" Hiro yelled. Without a counter-command from a stunned Ash, Muk remained still as Dragonite shot the Ice Beam. Muk froze solid in a clear block of ice.
Ash finally regained his senses. "Muk, no!"
"Muk is unable to battle! Dragonite is the winner!" the judge declared.
"Now let's see how good you really are, Ash!" Hiro challenged him. This was better, much better.
Ash held his last pokeball. He trembled uncontrollably. ~Come on, Bulbasaur. Just... try your best...~ He said to himself. "I choose you, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur popped out and stared Dragonite down.
"Dragonite, Tackle Attack!" Dragonite shot forward at blazing speed and knocked Bulbasaur off his feet. Bulbasaur fell to the ground and got back up, but Dragonite flew by again and knocked him over again.
"Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" As Dragonite flew toward him again, Bulbasaur wrapped up Dragonite with his vines. Using its own momentum, Bulbasaur lifted Dragonite overhead and slammed it into the ground behind him. "Solar Beam!" Bulbasaur jumped and turned around in the air as he gathered energy. When Dragonite stood back up completely enraged, Bulbasaur shot the beam.
"Dragonite, Fly!" Dragonite attempted to fly into the air, but was immediately knocked down by the Solar Beam. Dragonite, however, showed almost no signs of weakness and would not stay down. "Hyper Beam!"
"Bulbasaur, watch out!" The attack shot forward and slamed into the ground, causing dust and debris to be thrown up into the air. Bulbasaur was thrown back far from the impact and was not able to get back up.
"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Dragonite is the winner!" the judge declared.
"What a move! Each trainer is down to their final pokémon!" the announcer announced.
Almost there... "Come on, Ash," Brock encouraged quietly.
One pokémon left... ~Ash,~ Misty thought. ~Come on, you can do it...~
Last chance... Ash looked down to Pikachu. He gave a confident smile. "Okay, Pikachu. You ready to win?" Pikachu nodded. "Let's go." He looked back up and pointed out to the field. "Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu again jumped out to battle.
Dragonite was still recuperating from the Hyper Beam he used. "Pikachu, Agility!" Pikachu ran forward dodging left and right.
"Dragonite, Take Down!" Dragonite tried to ram Pikachu, but Pikachu would jump to the side whenever Dragonite was to make contact. It might not have seemed it, but Hiro knew. They both knew. Their pokémon were tiring. Dragonite stopped and landed, gasping for breath.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu darted and shouldered Dragonite right in the small of the back, the impact hurting Pikachu as much as Dragonite. They hit the ground. They stood back up, but everyone knew it was almost over. Their exhaustion indicated it.
"Dragonite, Ice Beam, now!" Hiro yelled in desperation.
"Pikachu, Thunder!" Taking in air once more, they both shot their respective attacks, clashing mid-arena. A very bright, not to mention beautiful, bluish-yellow glow overtook the moon's and light's attempt for domination of the arena. Pikachu's Thunder attack continued along, striking Dragonite, and Dragonite's Ice Beam followed through, slowly freezing up Pikachu.
They kept attacking, neither giving up. As Pikachu became imprisoned in the ice, the electricity shattered it, and their assaults finally ended. They collapsed to the ground with the only movement shown was heavy breathing...
Was it over? It had to be. But, without a clear winner, the judge had to call it a draw. He went to raise his flags, but noticed Pikachu twitch. Very slowly, the pokémon made his way back to his feet... then stood. Whether or not he could battle didn't matter, a winner stood. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" the judge finally declared. The stadium exploded.
"He did it! He did it!" the announcer screamed. "The challenger won! The challeger has won! We have a new champion!"
Pikachu weakly smiled. Finally, it was over. "Chaa..." He collapsed again.
Ash stood in complete awe. "I... I did it...?" His dream... He won...? A thought forced its way into his head. With his face unchanged, Ash took a step. With each following step, he took a brief pause to get enough energy for the next one. Ever so slowly, he made his way over to Pikachu. He fell to his knees and set a hand ontop of his pokémon's head.
Pikachu looked up with one eye and smiled. "Pikapi..." Ash smiled back. They won. He picked Pikachu up and hugged him, their emotions running high. Tears flowed down the sides of their faces.
As he was in the embrace with his pokémon, Ash didn't even notice Brock and Misty run up to him. There was only one thing in his mind, repeating itself over and over. ~I'm a Pokémon Master... I'm a Pokémon Master... I'm a Pokémon Master...~
High above the stadium, a familiar figure floated and watched. Mewtwo. His tail moved. The danger was growing. Nobody else knew what was going to happen, and even he couldn't fathom the danger ahead. Something grabbed his attention. He looked away, towards Vermilion Bay. Now he was more sure than ever. Though he was incapable of showing it, his voice displayed it well. ~It's coming...~ He was afraid. He gave a final glance down to the arena, then shot off to the south.
* * * * *
So, whad'ya think? I know it kinda lacked in the story department, but that battle took up quite a bit of space. The next chapter will reveal more of the story and dive deeper into the plot. Promise. Please let me know what you think!