Well it is that time again, it is time for a Supplement to the Hearts Series, this time for the fourth installment in the series 'Winning Takes Heart'. As with the last Supplement, this one will be a collection of events that occurred during Winning that didn't make it into the main story for a variety of reasons. Most of the Supplements in this collection will take the form of side battles with rivals that would detract from the main story arc, character development for minor characters and the 3 OCs (third being introduced in the next Supplement), mundane events, side adventures, and of course cute pearlshipping moment for our heroic couple. As with the last Supplement, this one will be updated sporadically and when they would, unless an exception is needed, have occurred during the timeline of Winning and the location in that timeline will be noted so y'all can check when it is. One of the goals of the Supplement is to, well, supplement the main story and explain how some things happen so Winning will allude to the Supplement at times or the Supplement will explain why something is the way it is or how something happened as was seen in the Supplement for Dreams so while it is not necessary to read this as well as Winning, it could be helpful. The last administrative note to make here is that the vote I called for on whether to have a separate Supplement for Winning or continue the Supplement from Dreams with the new pieces from Winning came back with a dead tie between the options. As such I broke it and decided to go with a separate Supplement so that both Dreams and Winning have their own Supplement. Hearts 5 will get its own as well.
As for the first Supplement to Winning, this one is set between Parts LXXXI and LXXXII and as with the first Supplement to Dream it is telling the tale of the two battles arranged during or just before Ash's party, only this time it is earlier than in Dreams as the party arc in Winning was much shorter. Also there will only be one Supplement to start this off but I will address the special Supplements coming up after this one. Anyway, that is all so sit back and enjoy Winning's first Supplement for the Heart: An Annual Tradition.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
An Annual Tradition
"Alright the modified full battle between Ash and Max is about to begin." Brock called from the ref's spot on the battlefield that had been installed on the ranch for the post party battles. "So that everyone understands, this is modified for time purposes so that we can get to the other battles scheduled today."
"Modified how?" Stephan asked from the sidelines.
"Rather than a full battle until all Pokémon of one trainer are out, they will have 6 separate one-on-one battles with the winner of more matchups being the winner of the match." Brock explained. "If they are tied at 3 wins a piece at the end, then a sudden death using one of the 3 winning Pokémon will be used to determine the winner. Ash, Max, is that clear?"
They nodded from their starting positions as they pulled out their first Poke Balls in anticipation of the battle. It was the day after Ash's birthday party and as with the year before, the many battles that had been challenged the day before would be happening today before people began to head off on their own journeys or back home.
As with the year before, Ash and Max's battle, this time slightly different from their last one, would start things off. Then it would move onto the next battle which was an unexpected battle that had been requested during the party.
While last year Dawn had faced Angie in a one-on-one battle that had more to do with Angie's crush on Ash that Dawn had learned about the day before, the second battle today was going to be different. While Dawn was in it again, this time she was up against Lucy, the Pike Queen of the Battle Pike on the Kanto Battle Frontier and inexplicably Brock's fiancée.
That little fact had been revealed in spectacular fashion the night before when they'd been the last to arrive and announced their engagement, a shock as no one even knew Brock had a girlfriend. To top off their arrival, Lucy had straight up challenging Dawn to a two-on-two battle within moments of meeting her, though not until after she'd explained why Brock hadn't told anyone about them yet.
As with Dawn's battle the year before, this one was more than the simple battle it looked to be on the face of it. Lucy had explicitly wanted to battle Dawn because of Dawn's Ability Symbol, a Symbol from the Kanto Battle Frontier given those who defeated Anabel at the Battle Tower, the last stop on the Frontier.
Lucy had seen it on Dawn's arm when she'd watched Dawn in the Grand Festival final and known what it meant right away. As a result, she wanted to face off against a coordinator who could defeat Anabel first time, especially after Lucy had found out that Dawn had out strategized Anabel in the battle.
To add to it, Lucy had requested that Dawn use her Spiritomb as one of her two Pokémon because it was the one Anabel couldn't face in her battle with Dawn. To make it fair, Lucy had announced that her first Pokémon would be Seviper and allowed Dawn to ask Ash about it. Lucy wanted to test herself against Spiritomb in particular and Dawn was willing to oblige.
However, that battle was not the first one, so they all gathered on one side of the battlefield to watch Ash and Max face off for a second time. Unlike the year before, no one had left early so everyone from the party was present and just about every one of them had decided to battle someone else today, so it was going to be a busy and fun day full of battles. Battles that were about to start.
"Alright then begin!" Brock said.
"Aerodactyl, I choose you." Ash said tossing out his Poke Ball.
"Swampert, you're up!" Max said throwing out his own Poke Ball and his fully evolved starter appeared before him.
There was one other difference from the year before in this battle. While the last battle had been between Max's on hand team and Ash's Hoenn team, this one was between Max's team from his quarterfinal loss in the Hoenn Conference a few weeks ago and Ash's 5 new Pokémon from his recent adventure plus Pikachu. That gave a whole new dynamic to the battle especially as most of Max's team was the same as the year before while Ash's team was almost entirely new and featured a few Pokémon that trainers rarely got to face in battle.
"I see, you caught a fossil Pokémon recently." Max said with an adjustment of his glasses as he began to analyze the rock and flying type hovering in front of Ash. "That was unexpected as you have never had one before."
"Yes, Aerodactyl was my first restored Pokémon." Ash said with a smile. "I found a piece of Old Amber during a riddle hunt on Cinnabar Island and had him restored but I had to catch him as Aerodactyls tend to be rather aggressive after restoration. Turns out he's really friendly and loved me right away so it all worked out in the end. This is his second battle."
"Second?" Max asked. "You used him in the Indigo Conference? I was too busy preparing for the Lily of the Valley Conference though I did hear the news of your quarterfinal and the reveal of fairy types."
"Well, I used Aerodactyl in that quarterfinal as well." Ash said surprising Max. "But he got overshadowed by Mimey because of what I did with him against Cameron's Hydreigon."
"Makes sense, you changed the Pokémon world with Mimey." Max said. "And gave me a huge boost as Gardevoir was one of the reclassified Pokémon."
"True but I knew that I would change the world if I used Mimey." Ash said. "I actually used all my new Pokémon in the Conference except because I didn't get it until after the Conference. Porygon-Z, back when it was a Porygon2 was used in the semis while Gengar and Dragonite were used in the finals which was where Dragonite evolved. Aerodactyl beat Cameron's Skarmory before falling to his Blastoise."
"Well now he gets to face another fully evolved water starter though I can't use ground type attacks against it." Max said thoughtfully. "So, I'll open with Muddy Water!"
"Dodge that by going high and retaliate with Scary Face." Ash responded as the battle started.
Swampert was the first to move creating the brown water that was Muddy Water and sending it at Aerodactyl in the form of a large wave. As a rock type, the water type move was super effective against him, so Ash had to avoid it and slow down Swampert and allow Aerodactyl's mobility to take over to have a chance at winning.
This wasn't a favorable matchup for him at all, but Ash didn't need type advantages to win a battle. He just needed to use what he could while thinking outside the box to land his best attacks. He had this.
Aerodactyl did as ordered and flew up high, using his strength to gain altitude and barely clear the top of the wave of water before folding his wings in and diving back down to be in range. As Swampert looked on in confusion, Aerodactyl pulled a menacing face that Swampert couldn't avoid. The result was that Swampert's speed was lowered giving Ash the edge in that department. He wasn't going to waste that advantage.
"Now Aerodactyl, Wing Attack." Ash ordered.
"Dodge that Swampert and use Hydro Cannon." Max countered.
"Make sure that attack doesn't hit." Ash said seeing the potential opening that he had if Aerodactyl could avoid the powerful water type move that required a cool down period. "This is our shot, show off that aerial mobility we worked on."
Aerodactyl continued his earlier dive, his wings now glowing white with flying type power as he used the dive to increase his speed. Between that and the speed reduction of Scary Face he reached Swampert just before it attacked. Aerodactyl's glowing wings slammed into the Mud Fish Pokémon's head doing plenty of damage and sending it reeling back as Aerodactyl soared up and away from his opponent.
A second later Swampert let out the Hydro Canon it had been building but thanks to the hit the attack missed though Aerodactyl was still close enough for it to graze his underbelly as he flew away and do plenty of damage to him. Still Ash saw his opening and struck.
"Wing Attack again!" Ash called out, it was the only move he had against Swampert that was effective, the others Aerodactyl knew were types that Swampert was resistant too. "Keep it up until it can move again."
Aerodactyl cawed as pivoted on his wing and dove in again with wings glowing. Swampert couldn't move thanks to the Hydro Cannon and took the attack to the side, the impact sending it rolling across the battlefield with a groan of pain.
As it was getting up Aerodactyl pressed the attack and hit it in the chest with a third Wing Attack adding to the damage Swampert had taken. It was nearing its limit and Ash knew it, but it could move again, and Max reacted instantly to get back into the battle.
"Ice Beam." Max ordered.
Swampert had been tracking the flying Pokémon as he had been recovering and opened his mouth as soon as he got his trainer's command. Timing it just right, he blasted out a light blue jet of ice that slammed into Aerodactyl's side and send him flipping over and over in the air before the Fossil Pokémon crashed to the ground with a bellow of pain as Ash looked on impressed with how fast Max had acted.
Aerodactyl rolled over a few times before coming to a rest in front of Ash. Slowly he got up but didn't get into the air just yet. The ice type attack had been super effective but one super effective attack wasn't going to take down Aerodactyl. However, he was still young and hadn't built the stamina that came with experience, so there wasn't much more he could take if it was water or ice type attacks. Max clearly saw this and didn't relent his attack.
"Muddy Water." Max said. "End this Swampert."
"Aerodactyl, this is crazy but trust me." Ash said as the brown water began to form and the insane idea came into his mind, but he knew his Pokémon could do it. "Fly at that Muddy Water and break through it with Iron Head to create a path and lessen the damage then hit Swampert with another Wing Attack."
Aerodactyl roared and took off at his trainer's words, putting steel type power into his head as he flew low to the ground as fast as possible. He trusted his trainer. He loved Ash and would do as he said because he knew that Ash would lead him to victory. That and the fact that he couldn't avoid the water so this was the only thing he could do.
He would do it and show Ash and all of his new friends that he'd made here just how good he was. He'd heard of their epic tales of battle victories thanks to Ash's orders; it was time for one of his own such victory.
Max gritted his teeth as the water rose and obscured Aerodactyl. This was a classic Ash strategy that his friend, mentor and now rival would employ to win a battle. Max had tried to recreate Ash's tactics since becoming a trainer but in the end, he found that his mind couldn't get it quite right. Like his sister, he had to find his own style and use that to beat Ash. Alas in this particular moment it was Ash who had the upper hand.
Aerodactyl slammed into the Muddy Water with his Iron Head and went through it, tucking in his wings as he did to avoid as much water as possible. His attack formed a small enough hole to pass through, but the water did splash his body doing damage but thanks to the Iron Head he'd mitigated enough to keep going. That was all be needed as he roared in victory, opened his now glowing wings, and flew at a very confused Swampert.
Swampert didn't have time to react. Aerodactyl's fourth Wing Attack slammed into his chest and sent him flying back and out of the back of the battlefield to crash into the ground and roll away as Aerodactyl flipped backwards, spun, and flew back to hover in front of Ash roaring his triumph for all to hear. Swampert was out before he hit the ground and when the dust cleared, and he stopped rolling, he was on his back with swirls for eyes.
"Swampert is unable to battle." Brock declared raising an arm to Max's side. "The winner of the first match is Aerodactyl. Ash is now up 1-0."
"We did it Aerodactyl." Ash cheered as Aerodactyl turned, flew back to him, landed, and proceeded to start licking and nuzzling his trainer in celebration of his victory. "You were amazing, I knew you could pull that last move off."
"Swampert return." Max said recalling his Pokémon and looking at the ball with a smile. "You did great, we just came up against one of Ash's usual unorthodox strategies and fell short. Next time and next battle we will win."
"Then show me Max." Ash said as he recalled Aerodactyl and pulled out his next Poke Ball. "Let's continue. Give me all you got."
"Oh, I will." Max said as he pulled out his second Pokémon and grinned. "I will Ash."
"At the same time." Brock said. "Begin!"
"Porygon-Z, I choose you." Ash said throwing out the ball with his newly evolved Pokémon.
"Mightyena, you're up!" Max said tossing his ball.
"So, it is Mightyena again." Ash muttered as the Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. "This limits me to 3 moves, not bad Max but can you handle Porygon-Z and its Conversion2."
As soon as the Pokémon appeared, the slightly twitching, floating, disjointed body of Porygon-Z visibly shuddered at the sight of the black and gray, snarling dog-like Pokémon. It was Mightyena's Intimidate Ability that triggered and lowered Porygon-Z's attack to start the battle.
However, as that was happening, Porygon-Z's ability, Trace, copied Mightyena's Intimidate and gave it to Porygon-Z so in the span of seconds Mightyena also shuddered, confused at how his ability had just been reflected back at him. They were back to the same difference in attack stats just lower than what they would normally be.
As this was happening Max was analyzing the matchup and had to suppress a grin. This was one that he had a higher-than-expected chance of winning. He'd seen, and due to it rarity studied intently, Ash's Porygon2 when he used it in the Wallace Cup and knew that unless it had changed its attacks.
Ash had implied he hadn't an that meant that Max had already negated Porygon-Z's Psybeam thanks to Mightyena being a dark type but that wasn't why Max was happy. No, Max was happy because of how he'd trained Mightyena.
Since catching Mightyena as a Poochyena, Max had made sure that it knew a wide range of moves that could counter multiple types. That meant that as soon as Ash used Conversion2, Max would use a specific move that had a 50/50 chance of turning Porygon-Z into a type that was weak against one of Mightyena's other moves.
"Let's start this out with Conversion2." Ash ordered his fully evolved Pokémon. "A nice little change to begin with."
"That was what I was expecting." Max said with a grin as Porygon-Z shimmered. "You're becoming uncharacteristically predictable with that move Ash. Mightyena, Incinerate."
"Dodge that." Ash said to Porygon-Z confused by Max's words. "And counter with Discharge."
Yes, Ash used Conversion2 a lot but there was a reason for it. Most trainers tended to use same type moves as their Pokémon, so it usually gave him an edge in battle. AN example from the last year was when it turned Porygon2 to a steel type against Janine and forcing her to sacrifice her Weezing as it was the only move it could use. However, his gut was telling him that this was not going to be one of those times.
Porygon-Z twitched and then flew out of the way of a jet of hot flames that had been shot at it from Mightyena's mouth. The fire type attack soared harmless by as Porygon-Z shimmered again before turning from its normal color to a dark bluish-purple color that Ash had no idea what it meant at first glance as it wasn't a color that he'd seen before.
Process of elimination meant that it couldn't be fire, water or rock types which were 3 of the 4 types resistant to fire type attack. That meant that it had to be the last one that was resistant. Porygon-Z was now a dragon type.
The Virtual Pokémon didn't care for this, it knew that it was now a dragon type thanks to its memory banks. Course that had meant that it had been the only Pokémon to deduce the 18th type, what the humans called fairy type, the moment it became one but that was in the past. Right now Porygon-Z had an order from its human and it was going to follow it and win again.
Ash had taught it how to love battles, it was why Porygon-Z had decided to take the Dubious Disk and evolve so that it could become stronger for Ash, and Porygon-Z was going to win again for him. It was tome show off its new form and how strong it was.
As soon as Porygon-Z could, it unleashed the stored electricity from its body and covered the battlefield with it. Mightyena didn't have a chance to avoid it as the electricity hit it and fried it with a howl of pain causing its fur to stand on end. It wasn't enough to bring the Bite Pokémon down, but it was a start, one Max would take as his plan came to his mind.
"Thunder Fang Mightyena." Max called knowing that he had to bring the battle to Ash to win it. "Get in close and show off your own electric type attack."
"Tri-Attack." Ash said as electricity formed in Mightyena's mouth. "Keep it away Porygon-Z."
"Dodge it, you need to be in close for this to work." Max said. "I know you can do it."
Mightyena understood and trusted his trainer as he ran at the floating Pokémon he'd never seen before as fast as he could. Porygon-Z quickly formed the 3 colored balls of Tri-Attack in front of itself before blasting the beams at Mightyena. The dark type easily sidestepped the beams and continued its charge, showing off its speed by reaching Porygon-Z as the Tri-Attack ended and sinking its sparking fangs into Porygon-Z's body before it could dodge.
The electricity coursed through Porygon-Z and it let out a computer-like wail of pain before Mightyena tossed it away. Porygon-Z hit the ground and rolled slightly but was nowhere near out of it as it floated up and glared at Mightyena.
"Discharge again." Ash said going with the area attack to ensure a hit.
"Power through that Mightyena and use Bite." Max called out. "Just a little more and we will win this."
Mightyena roared and ran at Porygon-Z his teeth glowing with dark type power this time as Porygon-Z unleashed a second Discharge. Again, the electric type attack hit Mightyena and did damage but Mightyena powered through it as Max had ordered, trusting his trainer knew what he was doing, and reached Porygon-Z snarling the entire time.
Once more he was able to reach his opponent and sink his fangs into its body, inflicting a lot of damage as Porygon-Z wailed before Mightyena tossed it to the side again. The only difference was that this time as Porygon-Z hit the ground both Ash and Max saw the telltale shiver that was a flinch, a potential side effect from Bite that meant Porygon-Z couldn't move for a moment. Max instantly capitalized on it with the move he'd been waiting to use the moment he deduced that Porygon-Z was now a dragon type.
"Mightyena, Play Rough." Max said triumphantly. "This is it!"
"Hold out Porygon-Z, I know you can survive it." Ash said but alas he was wrong.
Mightyena didn't hesitate before he pounced on the slowly getting up Porygon-Z, bringing it back to the ground and roughly playing with it as Porygon-Z wailed louder than before. That was to be expected, Porygon-Z was currently a dragon type and Play Rough was one of the two confirmed fairy type moves. Moves that were clearly super effective against dragon types just as the new type itself was immune to dragon type moves.
Iris watched this in horror confirming to her that fairy types were the worst of the worst while Georgia grinned like a madwoman at the new weapon to use against dragon types. Zoey knew that grin and was glad they were in public, if they weren't, well things would get fun and adult really quickly.
The move didn't last long but the moment that Mightyena leapt off Porygon-Z and backed away it was clear that the matchup was over. Porygon-Z lay on the ground with swirls for eyes.
"Porygon-Z is unable to battle." Brock declared raising a hand to Ash's side. "Mightyena is the winner. We are all tied up again."
"Porygon-Z return." Ash said with a small smile as he looked at the Poke Ball in his hand. "You did great buddy; we just didn't expect a dark type like Mightyena to use a fairy type move at the end. I have a feeling that Max planned that."
"To a point I did." Max confirmed as he congratulated Mightyena on winning before returning it. "I knew you would use Conversion2 and against Mightyena it was the wrong move to use. Mightyena knows 4 different types of move and one, Incinerate, is not so effective against water or dragon types."
"But Thunder Fang and Play Rough are against those types respectively." Ash said realizing how well Max had strategized that matchup.
"I wasn't sure about Play Rough, that was more a theory based on the immunity." Max admitted. "But I had a 50/50 chance of getting a favorable type for me, which is not why you use Conversion2, and I got dragon. After that all I had to do was get in close to prove that Play Rough was super effective."
"Well, that was well planned for sure." Ash said praising Max's strategy as he pulled out his next Poke Ball. "Well done but don't think that kinda strategy will work on my next Pokémon."
"I don't expect it to." Max said pulling out his third Poke Ball. "This one has its own unique strategy that has a high chance of me taking the lead in this battle."
"I look forward to it." Ash said. "At that the same time?"
"Of course." Max said tossing his ball as Ash did a fraction of a second later. "Shedinja, you're up!"
"Gengar I choose you!" Ash said and he noticed Max wince at Ash's choice as the lighter than normal Gengar appeared before Ash just as Max's brown bug and ghost type appeared before him both floating in the air as they faced each other. "I take it that this hasn't gone as you planned Max."
"Not exactly no." Max confirmed. "Shedinja is one of my trickiest Pokémon and against most of your Pokémon it is a good choice, but your roster has expanded since I last faced you and there were a few I felt couldn't face it. Based on my predictions and what I know or have deduced about your remaining Pokémon, I had a 25% chance of facing a Pokémon who could battle Shedinja. It seems this time the odds weren't in my favor."
"I remember your Shedinja from last time." Ash said thinking back to their battle the year before. "It's a tough Pokémon that my Corphish couldn't attack but I have a feeling that Gengar can do so."
"It will have to hit Shedinja though." Max said before he started the battle. "Shadow Sneak."
"Damn that will hit first but that's ok, I know you can take it Gengar." Ash said to his fully evolved ghost and poison type. "And hit back with Night Shade. Show off your own ghost type attack."
Gengar just nodded as Shedinja extended its shadow and used it to hit Gengar from behind. Gengar wailed in pain as he staggered forward while still in the air. However, he didn't take his eyes off Shedinja and as soon as he could he fired the purple/black rays from them right at the Shed Pokémon.
The ghost type attack slammed into it and rather than fly backwards, Shedinja just dropped like a stone. Max sighed while Ash just looked on in confusion at the now swirl eyed and defeated Pokémon before Max, Gengar blinking at the sudden win.
"Shedinja is unable to battle." Brock declared raising a hand to Max's side seemingly unfazed by the quick match. "Gengar is the winner. Ash now has a 2-1 lead in this battle."
"Er what happened?" Ash asked confused. "Why was it knocked out with a single attack?"
"Shedinja's ability is unique and limited just to it." Max said as he returned his Pokémon and thanking it while apologizing for facing an opponent who could attack it. "It's called Wonder Guard and makes it immune to any type that is not super effective against one of its types. That means that only fire, flying, rock, dark and ghost types can hurt Shedinja."
"That explains the battle last year, I think you mentioned its ability then, but I forgot." Ash said recalling how he had to use Torkoal to beat it and only because he recalled how the other Shedinja he'd met had been beaten by a Flamethrower attack. "But why did it faint so quickly though?"
"The trade off to Shedinja's ability is that it has a really low health stat thanks to its biology." Max explained. "I usually use it in situations where I know, or at least predict that the opponent can't affect it, but you're Gengar can as it knows a ghost type attack."
"Huh and I only used it because I recalled that Shedinja was part ghost type so I figured it would be effective against it." Ash said. "Though in a prolonged battle I would have used it at some point as my Gengar is one of my more offensive Pokémon."
"Yeah, I knew that this was going to be a quick match regardless." Max said adjusting his glasses. "Either you'd have to forfeit it, or you'd win in one shot. I was going to tell you if I thought I could win without having to hurt your Pokémon, but I recalled that your Gengar used Night Shade in the Wallace Cup so I had to try and win it normally and Shedinja can't do that."
"I see, that all makes sense." Ash said recalling his still slightly perplexed Gengar now that the third matchup was over. "Though your chances weren't 25% that I had a Pokémon who could face it, it was 50%. 3 of my Pokémon, Aerodactyl and one of the 3 remaining, know at least one move that would have worked so again your Shedinja and this time it went against you."
"Oh well, you win some, you lose some when it is the flip of a coin." Max said as he pulled out his fourth Poke Ball. "But let's continue this. I need to tie it up again."
"Let's." Ash said not taking out a Poke Ball revealing his 4th in that moment. "Pikachu, I choose you."
"Swalot, you're up!" Max said throwing his ball as Pikachu ran onto the battlefield.
"That one is new." Ash said thinking back to Max's team the year before as the largish, purple, and black poison type Pokémon appeared before him. "I don't recall that one or an earlier form the last time we faced off."
"That's because I caught her this year." Max said with a smile. "Caught her as a Gulpin before the Wallace Cup and she evolved just before the Conference. I used her instead of Slaking because I was against a guy who favored fighting type Pokémon, so her poison type was more advantageous in the match then Slaking's normal type would have been. I still lost thought."
"And you will lose again here." Ash said. "Pikachu, Quick Attack."
"Send it back with Sludge Wave." Max countered as Pikachu ran at Swalot at full speed.
It was a good tactic and would have worked but Pikachu was too fast and slammed into Swalot's gelatinous body before the attack could come. The force of the blow wobbled her and did a standard amount of damage but thanks to her body she wasn't moved by the attack.
Swalot didn't make a sound and just unleashed the wave of purple poison as soon as she could. Pikachu was right up against her so he couldn't dodge the attack as the purple sludge lifted him and threw him back, hurting and poisoning him in the process. However, he was still in the fight and Ash wasn't going to pass up the opening he had.
"Thunderbolt." Ash called out while Pikachu was in the air.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as he sent out a blast of electricity while falling to the ground.
Over the last year Pikachu had perfected this application of Thunderbolt and once again it worked as planned. The bolt of electricity slammed into a started Swalot who hadn't been expecting the Mouse Pokémon to get the move off while in the air. She bellowed in pain as Pikachu hit the ground in front of Ash and rolled a few times before getting to his feet.
However, there was a clear purple line under his eyes showing that he was a poised and as soon as he stood, he felt a wave of poison hit him causing pain but he grit his teeth and pushed through it. With the poisoning, Pikachu knew that it was only a matter of time before he fainted.
"Electro Ball." Ash said keeping the pressure up.
"Block it with Shadow Ball." Max countered as Pikachu formed the ball of electricity at the end of his tail.
"Follow that ball with Quick Attack Pikachu." Ash said playing a hunch as Pikachu whimpered in pain from another wave of poison right after throwing his Electro Ball and Ash knew that he had to finish this match quickly lest Pikachu faint before he could win it. "I know you can last Pikachu, trust me."
"Keep an eye on Pikachu and hit him a Rock Smash as soon as he is near." Max said as Swalot sent the ball of ghost type power out at the Electro Ball. "Ash has a plan, and we need to be ready for it."
Pikachu just nodded understanding what Ash wanted as he began to run at near full speed behind his attack. A second later the two balls of power slammed into each other and exploded creating a dark cloud of smoke that obscured Pikachu as he ran into it. Instantly he sped up and ran through it remembering where Swalot was.
Swalot was ready and had already encased her hand in fighting type power but as soon as the explosion happened, she lost sight of her opponent. That cost her as Pikachu tore out of the dust at full speed, ignoring a wave of poison in the process, and slammed into her body. She wobbled but was still in it and brought down her fist to strike Pikachu, but Ash was ready.
"Dodge and hit Swalot with Iron Tail." Ash said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as he leapt into the air avoiding the Rock Smash and turning his tail to steel in the process.
With a flip, Pikachu brought down the steel type attack right onto Swalot's head as hard as he could. That was too much for the Poison Bag Pokémon and she fell in on herself before falling to the side her body ensuring that it was near soundless other than the sound made whenever she wobbled.
The results were as expected. Swalot was on her side with swirls for eyes while Pikachu stood landed on all fours and panted as he looked at his beaten opponent.
"Swalot is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner." Brock declared raising a hand to Max's side as Pikachu collapsed under a final wave of poison and fainted right in front of Swalot. "Because Swalot clearly fainted before Pikachu and the poisoning triggered after the match had ended, Pikachu is still the winner of it but is ineligible for the sudden death tiebreak if it is needed. Ash leads 3-1. Can we get some help for Pikachu?"
"I got it babe." Lucy said running out and onto the battlefield as Max recalled and thanked Swalot for a hard-fought battle that almost went their way if she'd outlasted Pikachu. "I know how to stabilize a poisoned Pokémon. Don't worry Ash, I'll have Pikachu fine before the end of the battle."
"Thank you, Lucy." Ash said surprised at the speed she'd shown to help out Pikachu and trusting her to aid him while several people were still processing the term of endearment that Lucy had used when addressing Brock, it would take a long time to get used to him having a fiancée. "Please look after him."
"He's in safe hands." Lucy said as she got back to the sideline and immediately sent out her Chansey and pulled out a berry as she began to get to work on Pikachu. "Continue please."
"You heard the lady." Ash said pulling out his fifth Poke Ball. "Come on Max, we're nearing the end of this."
"That we are." Max said taking out one of his last two knowing that Ash had a 50% chance of guessing who it was though regardless his two remaining Pokémon weren't great against that Pokémon. "And I need to rack up some wins to at least force a tie and sudden death. I know the two you have left, and I know I can do it."
"Then bring it." Ash said throwing his Poke Ball. "Riolu, I choose you!"
"Aggron, you're up." Max said tossing his ball.
As the Pokémon appeared Ash had mixed feelings about this one. Riolu was Ash's newest and least experienced Pokémon, this was its first proper battle in fact, and it was about to go up against a fully evolved and strong Pokémon in Aggron. To the casual observer it looked like a mismatch in Max's favor.
However, Riolu was a fighting type and knew a lot of fighting type moves, two of which worked best when it was low on health or after a hit, and Aggron's typing meant that it was weakest against fighting type moves so that helped even it up. This matchup also meant that Ash knew what the last one would be and that was going to be tough battle as well.
"Don't worry Riolu." Ash said kindly as the small, bipedal, canine-like Pokémon looked up in fear at the large rock and steel type Aggron, no doubt the evolved Lairon Ash had faced last year. "This may look tough, but I have faith in you, and you have a massive type advantage here so you can do it."
Riolu just nodded as he felt his human's aura fill him with strength, tapping into it to calm him. This would be a tough match to be his first true match and he might lose it but the experience from it would be key. Riolu fully intended to learn from this fight regardless of what happened.
"Aggron start this off with Metal Claw." Max said.
"Counter with Force Palm as soon as it is close." Ash said as Aggron's claws extended and flashed with steel type power before it charged at Riolu. "Use your size and mobility to your advantage. Dodge the claws and wait for the perfect moment."
Riolu nodded as he waited for the attack to come. He had been training with Ash since his hatching and knew his trainer's aura well. He knew that it would aid him here. He also knew how to use his height to his advantage as Pikachu had helped on that front by showing him that just because he was small it didn't mean that he was weak when facing a much larger foe. He could do this and prepped his attack for it.
Alas Aggron had other plans. The Iron Armor Pokémon was used to close quarters fighting due to its move set and battling fighting types who preferred to get up close and personal in battle. Max had helped train him to counter his weakness to the type and he was going to show that off now.
That was why he kept an eye on the small fighting type he was against as he swept his left claw at Riolu only for Riolu to leap over it. However, that was what Aggron had expected given its size and as soon as Riolu was over he brought his right hand over and struck Riolu hard driving him into the ground.
Riolu wailed in pain from the attack as he was thrown into the ground with enough force to crack it. Still, he wasn't out of the fight just yet and Ash knew it. Riolu had just the move for the situation. Max had made an error in seeking a close quarter battle as that meant that a Pokémon the size of Aggron couldn't dodge easily and a fighting type was at its best in such a battle.
"Now Riolu, Counter." Ash said.
Before Max could react Riolu had leapt up and punched Aggron under the chin with the super effect move dealing twice the damage as normal thanks to Riolu being hit by Metal Claw. Aggron roared in pain as he staggered back a few paces, but he was a fully evolved Pokémon, so he was still in this fight despite the attack and Max capitalized on it.
"Dragon Claw." Max ordered. "Drive Riolu back down to the ground."
Aggron roared as he used his momentum to bring himself forwards, his right hand now encased in dragon type power, and brought it down on a still airborne Riolu who was prematurely reveling in his successful hit. Again, Riolu wailed as he was slammed down and into the ground again further deepening the crack he'd made.
Riolu was fighting though, and Ash wasn't going to give up. This was a close-up slugfest and the more damage Riolu took, the more it could dish out in return.
"Reversal." Ash said.
Riolu grinned through the pain and again leapt at Aggron once more. In these close quarters Aggron had no hope of dodging the all-out attack as Riolu slammed into his chest and unleashed the powerful fighting type move, a move made more powerful by Riolu being on low health thanks to the two hits but not as low as to maximize the attack.
Had Riolu been even more injured he might have had the damage to take out Aggron but alas he did not. In response Max had one last move, a literal ace, up his sleeve to deploy in this matchup.
"Aggron, end this with Aerial Ace." Max called out as the Reversal ended and Aggron staggered back several paces creating enough separation for the move to work.
"Aggron can learn that?" Ash asked confused as Aggron held out its arms and ran at Riolu. "I guess if a Pokémon like Krookodile can then Aggron can as well."
Riolu didn't have the strength left to dodge, not that he could dodge Aerial Ace anyway, even as Ash tried to give him an order, he knew that it wouldn't work. At the last moment Aggron leapt so that he practically flew close to the ground and slammed his arm into Riolu.
The super effective flying type move was too much for Riolu and he was blasted back and out of the battlefield. Riolu was unconscious before he hit the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop on his back several feet behind Ash with swirls for eyes.
"Riolu is unable to battle." Brock declared raising an arm to Ash's side this time as Ash turned to recall his Pokémon. "The winner is Aggron. This match is now 3-2. Max needs to win the final matchup to force a sudden death tie break."
"Riolu return." Ash said with a smile. "You fought amazingly given your experience and Aggron being a fully evolved Pokémon. That was a great debut battle and I thought you had that until it used Aerial Ace. I didn't know that an Aggron could learn that move and that is why we lost. This is on me, not you, you did your best. When we get to Kalos you will continue to improve, I know it."
"Aerial Ace is Aggron's counter to fighting types." Max said simply having already recalled and thanked Aggron for a great win. "Aggron is really weak against fighting and ground types so Aerial ace is how we handle the former. I wasn't expecting Riolu to put up such a strong challenge though, it's going to be a strong Pokémon in time. I had to use Aerial Ace to ensure victory."
"It was a good strategy, I only got as far as I did thanks to Riolu's moves working best after being hit or when it's injured." Ash said pulling out his last Poke Ball. "But this is it Max. Last Pokémon each. I win I win the match. You win and we go to a sudden death and Pikachu is out so you would have a 50/50 chance of guessing who I would go with."
"True but Aggron is in bad shape so against your Gengar or Aerodactyl it will be tough, same with Mightyena against the latter." Max said. "Though it would be good against your Gengar. Still, I need to win this last one first and while I have a strong advantage in this one, I am no fool. I know type advantage won't guarantee me the win even with some of your moves negated."
"True then let's finish this in style." Ash said sending out his last Pokémon. "Dragonite, I choose you!"
"Gardevoir, you're up!" Max said throwing out his final and closest Pokémon. "A dragon verses a fairy type, who will win? I doubt this is a matchup that has been seen many times since the reveal of the latter type."
"It's a good thing I don't rely solely on only dragon type moves with Dragonite." Ash said as the two fully evolved Pokémon appeared and eyed each other warily.
Ash was glad that his Dragonite was more versatile. The orange dragon and flying type was hindered as two of his moves, including the move he liked best, were now useless and Ash knew that Gardevoir had Protect when it was a Kirlia so it was going to be a challenge, but he could win this with power.
Still, the bipedal and graceful looking psychic and recently reclassified fairy type was going to be a challenge especially if it knew one of the two confirmed fairy type moves. Worse if it had a move that hadn't been confirmed but Ash couldn't dwell on that.
"Show that fairy how dragons are still superior to their evil Ash." Iris called out from the sidelines. "Come on Dragonite, put that Gardevoir in its place."
"Bust that dragon as it should be Max." Georgia said just as loud. "Show it that fairy types are as great as ice types when it comes to handling those pesky lizards."
"Why you." Iris said turning to her rival.
"Come at me wannabe." Georgia said and suddenly they were again growling at each other as sparks flew between them.
"Iris there's a match on." Cilan said trying to pull her away. "Watch that and see if Ash can win it. This could very well be the first ever match between a confirmed fairy type and a dragon type. You don't want to miss it."
"Baby come on; you can show her up in your match after Dawn's." Zoey said trying to pull her girlfriend off Iris. "You need to watch Max's Gardevoir in action to see how this new type handles dragons."
Ash and Max were just ignoring this as they began their own match. This was their decider. Either Ash won it, or Max got a chance to force sudden death he was certain that Ash would use Aerodactyl in that scenario so he would have to plan for that. Regardless, nothing was going to distract them.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled to begin the battle.
"Protect." Max said. "Then counter with Hyper Beam."
"As soon as that Thunderbolt hits begin evasive flying." Ash ordered. "Don't let that Hyper Beam hit you, it is the perfect opening to take control of the matchup."
"Piplup!" Piplup wailed from Dawn's arms as he saw Dragonite sparking with electricity though at least this time he would take Dawn with him when he was shocked.
No one was paying Piplup any attention as Dragonite opened his mouth and sent out a powerful blast of electricity right at Gardevoir. The Embrace Pokémon simply erected the protective shield that was Protect and protected herself from the Thunderbolt attack.
Everyone was focused on the battle that was why no one saw the spark fly off the protective barrier and make a beeline for Piplup. He was squirming so much in panic that Dawn was forced to drop him seconds before the spark found its mark as it always did. It struck Piplup in the chest and he was fried in midair, cursing Dragonite and Dawn in the process, before he hit the ground twitching, swearing revenge on everyone involved and glad it was just a spark because otherwise he'd be out cold.
Meanwhile the smoke from failed Thunderbolt was clearing and Gardevoir was already charging up her Hyper Beam. However, Dragonite had begun flying evasively as soon as his attack was over and making himself a hard target. Still, Gardevoir wasn't Max's top Pokémon for nothing. She used her brain to predict the right time and then fired the powerful normal type move at the flying Dragon Pokémon.
The blast of orange light shot from Gardevoir's mouth and sped at Dragonite going right to where he was going to be. However, at the last moment Dragonite surprised her and Max by twisting his large body and rolling over and around the attack. All of Dragonite's flying as a Dragonair and learning how to coil his body to maximize the power of his Dragon Tail attack gave him more mobility than opponents would expect.
He was still grazed by the attack and took some damage because he wasn't fully used to his new, bulkier, body, but it was nowhere near as bad as taking it head on. It also ensured that Ash had his opening and Ash capitalized on it going all out with the moves he could use to get as much of an advantage on the temporarily immobilized Gardevoir as possible.
"Now Dragonite, hit her with a Fire Blast." Ash said. "And follow it up with another Thunderbolt. We won't have this opportunity again."
Dragonite opened his mouth and blasted out the 5-point star shaped Fire Blast attack. The fire type move sored down towards the helpless Gardevoir. All she could do was look on in frustration as the attack hit her and sent her tumbling back and leaving her white appearance slightly blackened from the attack as she slowly got back to her feet. Still, while it wasn't super effective, it was a powerful attack, so it did plenty of damage.
"You can move now, Protect!" Max ordered as Dragonite sparked with electricity for a second before the Thunderbolt shot out of his mouth.
Either Gardevoir was still recovering from her recharge and subsequent taking of a Fire Blast or she her Protect failed, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she didn't get it off in time and had to brace herself for the hit.
The Thunderbolt tore through the air and slammed into her frying her as she wailed in pain sending Gardevoir back to the ground. Again no one noticed the spark that flew off her and continued until it hit a dazed Piplup in the side of the head as he sat up frying him again and leaving him stunned and angry at Dawn's feet.
"Gardevoir, Psychic." Max said going for an attack. "Don't get up, just slam Dragonite down."
Gardevoir didn't need to be told twice to know where Dragonite was hovering. She remembered where he was and locked onto his presence. It made landing the attack easier.
As Max had ordered, she didn't bother getting up, her eyes just glowed blue and a second later a confused Dragonite glowed blue as well before Gardevoir pulled him to the ground with all her power.
Dragonite yelped as he was suddenly yanked downwards by the powerful psychic type attack. The next thing he knew he had been slammed into the ground with enough force to create a small crater in it. He wasn't out, he was too strong to be knocked out by a single attack, but he was in Gardevoir's hold and a few more of these would be more than he could handle.
"Again." Max said and Gardevoir didn't let up as she lifted Dragonite up as high as she could before bringing him down and onto the same spot.
"Dragonite push through the attack and use Fire Blast again as soon as you near the ground." Ash called out. "She's too focused to dodge you so show her your focus as well."
Dragonite understood and instead of focusing on the impending contact with the ground he opened his mouth and filled it with fire. Then, just before impact, he sent out the star shaped fire type attack right at the still downed Gardevoir, slamming into the ground less than a second later but grinning in success as he hit the earth.
Gardevoir was to focused on Dragonite and not looking at him to notice the star of fire coming at her but Max did. He tried to call out to her, but it was too late. Gardevoir felt the heat just before the fire washed over her and broke her psychic hold and she rolled over a few times with the force of the attack.
She was badly injured, but she was still in this battle. Slowly, she stood, smoking, and charged from the attack but still standing, defiant until the end. The dust from Dragonite's second impact disappeared as she rose to show the dragon type hovering a foot off the ground battered but still in it, smiling at Gardevoir.
"Finish this with Thunderbolt." Ash said.
"Disarming Voice." Max countered as the electricity built.
Opening her mouth to let out a charming cry that would do emotional damage to Dragonite. If she got it off it would be super effective and likely knock Dragonite out though no one, not even the Pokémon battling, knew that part. Gardevoir was about to begin her move but Dragonite was a shade faster.
The electric type attack shot out of Dragonite's mouth just as the sound began to form in Gardevoir's throat and slammed into her chest. She was blasted back and past her limits, fainting before she hit the ground on her back and skidded several feet until she came to a halt at Max's feet with swirls for eyes.
As with the last two times, and every time before that, a spark had flown off from the Thunderbolt and sought out Piplup. The spark hit the Penguin Pokémon who hadn't bothered to get up from the last time and just took it, passing out from the multiple hits as his revenge solidified in his mind.
"Gardevoir is unable to battle." Brock declared raising his arm to Max's side for the last time in the battle. "Dragonite is the winner. That means that Ash wins this match by a score of 4 to 2."
"Gardevoir, return." Max said with a sigh of defeat. "You did great girl and Ash was limited to two moves because of your fairy type but he used them to his advantage as I would expect from him. We have a lot to learn for next time. I promise you that we will learn a fairy type move so that dragons are no problem for us."
"Good job Dragonite." Ash said as his Pokémon hugged him in celebration, lifting Ash off the ground in the process. "We did well in that battle despite the disadvantage we had going into it. Take a rest, the team needs to be healed up, but you all fought well."
With that Ash recalled Dragonite and then walked out to meet Max in the center of the battlefield. The Hoenn boy walked out a second later looking a little dejected but otherwise fine. They met in the middle of the battlefield and shook hands as any rivals should after a good battle.
"Well done Max." Ash said with a smile. "You gave me a good run. You've come a long way since we battled last year."
"Yeah, but I couldn't beat you." Max said. "And again, I only managed to take out two of your Pokémon."
"3 actually." Ash said. "Pikachu fainted because of the poisoning and in a real full battle that would have counted. Plus, with how you hit Dragonite and Aerodactyl, you would have taken at least one if not both out in a full battle where you can plan better and send out the right Pokémon. I think if we had had a true full battle you would have taken out at least 4 if not 5 of my Pokémon."
"Not Gengar?" Max asked.
"Even if Gardevoir knew one of the few fairy types moves she wouldn't have beaten him if she'd taken out Dragonite." Ash said shaking his head. "He has near complete dominance over her. Remember Gengar is a ghost and poison type, the former is strong against psychic types and the later strong against fairy and Gengar knows moves from both types. Even with Gardevoir's psychic type balancing out her fairy type against poison type attacks she would have had a hard time against him."
"True that is a bit of a mismatch." Max said. "And your Gengar was the healthiest at the end of the battle."
"That he was." Ash agreed. "It's why I would have probably ended with Gengar still standing but he would be the only one I could be sure of given how hard you hit Aerodactyl and Dragonite."
"I see well that is good to know and when we meet again in Kalos I will be ready." Max said. "Next time I will win."
"I look forward to it." Ash said. "Now come on there is another match to watch and I for one want to watch this. It's rare you get to see a Spiritomb in action."
Max nodded and they turned and left the battlefield. Ash had been surprised when Dawn hadn't come to congratulate him but realized that she was busy dealing with an injured and clearly pissed off Piplup, though Ash had no idea how Piplup got hurt this time.
Fortunately, Tracey was there to take Piplup, a healed up but in need of rest Pikachu, and all of Max and Ash's Pokémon in for a healing. He had a large case with him and quietly put their Poke Balls in it and thanked them before he returned to the ranch.
"Sorry, Piplup needed my aid." Dawn said giving Ash a chaste kiss. "I'll have to spoil him later for missing what happened to him. Well done, that was a great battle."
"It really was." Ash said with a smile. "And now it is your turn."
"That it is." Dawn said with a smile before she walked over to where Ash had been, Lucy having already taken her spot after handing Pikachu to Tracey.
"Alright the second…" Brock began before Misty suddenly appeared behind him, grabbed his ear, and yanked him back and behind her as hard as possible.
"Oh no you don't." Misty said placing her Azurill on Brock's chest. "You will not officiate your fiancée's match. Look after Azurill. I will officiate this so long as Dawn and Lucy are ok with this."
"Yeah, I'm good with it." Dawn said with a nod as she pulled out her Poke Ball. "Lucy?"
"I understand why Brock can't ref this." Lucy said. "Misty, I am fine with you officiating. You're a gym leader so know your stuff."
"Plus, I have no reason to be biased." Misty said. "Dawn's a rival and you are an enigma to me Lucy."
"Rival?" Lucy asked before she recalled what Brock had told her about Misty and her not so subtle crush on Ash. "Oh yeah Brock mentioned it when we watched the Wallace Cup. Wouldn't that be a problem."
"No Misty and I are good." Dawn said. "It took a while, but we're friends now. I trust her to be fair. Plus, she officiated my battle with Angie last year and we weren't on the best of terms back then."
"Very well then let's get this battle on." Lucy said with a grin before she looked at Anabel. "I have a Salon Maiden to upstage, a rarity for me."
"Lucy, your Pokémon can actually fight a ghost and dark type." Anabel said. "So of course you will do better but come on Dawn, beat her. I will never hear the end of it if Lucy beats someone I didn't."
"I'll try." Dawn said.
"Enough chit chat let's get this battle on ladies." Misty said with a grin. "The second battle of the day will be a two-on-two battle between Dawn, a Top Coordinator from Sinnoh and Lucy, the Pike Queen of the Battle Pike here in Kanto. Both these ladies have a romantic claim to fame. Dawn somehow landed the densest but best man in the world in Ash Ketchum and got him to see past his own pigheadedness and into his own heart while Lucy is inexplicably attracted to Brock and has agreed to marry him."
"Helpful Misty." Dawn groaned.
"Couldn't resist." Misty said with a shrug. "But alright, the winner will be the trainer who beats the other's Pokémon first. Begin."
"Seviper, I choose you." Lucy said tossing out her Poke Ball.
"Spiritomb, spotlight." Dawn said throwing hers out.
As soon as the Forbidden Pokémon appeared there were gasps and murmurs from the spectators at its appearance. It was a freaky looking Pokémon to begin with and as it floated in front of Dawn even those who had seen it before but not in person couldn't resist commenting.
"Wow seeing it on TV is one thing, seeing it in person is a whole other level." Georgia said her eyes wide. "I can feel the fear it instills. I've never seen a Pokémon like it."
"Yeah, not the Pokémon you would expect from someone like Dawn." Zoey said. "I was shocked when she used it in the Grand Festival. Add in her Banette and it was a whole new side of her. I can't wait to see this live."
"Try facing him in battle when your specialty is psychic types." Anabel said to the other girls. "Especially when you don't expect it to appear so were unprepared for its type combo. It was a shock for sure but he's not malevolent anymore though his appearance can cause instinctual fear at first sight. By catching him Dawn freed him of his anger and he loves her for it. I'd say that he's one of her most devoted Pokémon. He'll fight extra hard for her."
"You're right Anabel, it is not something a psychic specialist would have fun with in battle." Sabrina said joining in. "No wonder you've had to train Alakazam to counter it and other dark types."
"Yeah, Dawn made me realize that I can never assumed that just because a trainer is pretty and has a gorgeous, shiny, Espeon that that is all she'll have." Anabel said. "She played her match against me to perfection and ensured that Spiritomb was in the best place to win. I couldn't even harm it, so I had to forfeit."
"That is not what I would expect from Dawn." Zoey said with a low whistle of respect for her first love. "She's really come a long way and matured so much since I first met her."
"Yeah, I can see her strength now." Georgia agreed. "No wonder you fell for her. She has a sorta charm to her that is hard to ignore."
"You're only seeing the current Dawn." Zoey said shaking her head. "She's more than what she was back then. The Dawn I met was still a girl, this a confident woman who is about to show us just what she's learned over the years."
"Focus on the match." Anabel said. "Lucy's style is rather aggressive, more so than I think Dawn has experienced, so this will be a good test for her."
The others just nodded as they returned their focus to the upcoming battle. This was going to be good and they all knew it.
"I must say, this is just as odd as I was expecting it to be." Lucy said her grin wide as she looked at the spinning, pink and green, scary looking, ghost and dark type before her without a hint of fear. "It's a sight I will never forget."
"Odd?" Dawn asked confused at what Lucy was saying.
"Look at it from my side." Lucy said simply. "I am currently staring a Pokémon so rare it is near legendary due to how few have ever seen one. Then there's the fact that Spiritomb's are famous for their scary and intimidating appearance, something that I now know is well earned. Add in that of all people to have one it's a really feminine and cute girly girl in a hot pink miniskirt and matching boots. It's not a mix you see every day."
"Oh, from that perspective I guess I can see that." Dawn said, she'd never really thought about how facing her and Spiritomb might look. "People are usually surprised the first time I use him. Most have never seen one before and are a little startled by him. Even I was when we met, and I had seen one before in Sinnoh."
"Brock told me of that one and that makes you guys and Ash some of the few who have seen more than one Spiritomb." Lucy said. "I've never seen one in person before today, few here have, and the only time I saw one was on TV in the Grand Festival final. Between the rarity, the chance to face one, and how Anabel couldn't even fight your Spiritomb, well I had to face it. Course I had to do some research first. I am not coming into this match blind."
"Research?" Dawn asked confused, what research could Lucy have done?
Clearly the Pike Queen had done some or else she wouldn't say it and have the confidence she had but Dawn wasn't sure why. She barely knew anything about Lucy though Ash had explained the night before that she was an aggressive battler who never used defensive moves and her Seviper was tough with a good move set but that was it.
"I am facing a Spiritomb, a Pokémon few can claim to have battled so tactics on facing one are sparse." Lucy said. "And yours has never lost in an official battle so I had to find out what I could and let me tell you, it only made me more eager to face yours."
"What did you find out?" Dawn asked curious and honored by the effort a trainer of Lucy's caliber had put into her strategy to face her. "About my Spiritomb or Spiritombs in general."
"That when you debuted Spiritomb in the Cremini Contest you became the second person in the last 20 years to use a Spiritomb in a recorded battle, be it Contest, gym, Conference or on a Battle Frontier." Lucy said surprising Dawn with that revelation. "That is how hard it is to find information about them because only 2 have been recorded in recent history as being used and let's just say that the other one was used by someone very different from you Dawn. In both style and personality."
"Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion." Dawn said recalling what the woman she admired so much had told her when she'd surprised them up on the Plateau. "She has one, she's the only person I have met that has one, but I haven't seen it yet."
"Correct and Cynthia looks like a trainer who'd have one, well when she's in that black getup of hers." Lucy said. "So, I wasn't surprised she had it. It's a damn good one as well. Tough and with a great record but it can be beaten."
"I figured, I caught mine because a wild Shuppet, that I would also later catch and is now a Banette, used Dazzling Gleam on it." Dawn said. "Fairy type moves are effective against Spiritomb, so they no longer have no type weaknesses."
"True but none of my Pokémon know one of the two known fairy type moves." Lucy said. "And besides, I wouldn't use them anyway even if they knew the moves. I want to beat yours as it should be done without needing a super effective move."
"And how do you do that?" Dawn asked genuinely curious as to what Lucy was going to do to counter her Spiritomb's natural advantages.
"Power and pure offense." Lucy said her grin becoming predatory. "Which is just my style so come at me Dawn, bring all you got. I've been looking forward to this ever since I saw you use Spiritomb in the Grand Festival."
"Oh, I will." Dawn said with a grin as she rose to the challenge and began the battle. "Spiritomb, start this off with Phantom Force."
"Ah the delayed attack." Lucy said as Spiritomb vanished. "Seviper be on alert and activate your Poison Tail. As soon as it appears, strike. Show off that speed that you're known for."
Seviper's tail tip suddenly glowed purple with poison type power as it looked around waiting for the attack. However, it was looking forward and not behind it as it coiled and got ready to strike which was the wrong place to look.
In preparation for the Grand Festival final and the combo Dawn had used there to finish Kenny's Empoleon, she and Spiritomb had worked on making sure that Phantom Force didn't attack from in front but from above and behind the opponent. It allowed for a true surprise attack that at least on the first pass was completely unexpected.
That was exactly what Spiritomb did as he reappeared right behind Seviper's head and slammed into its back driving Seviper into the ground. However, Seviper was well trained and experienced battler. It rolled with the hit, uncoiling as it bounced off the ground and lashing out with its tail slashing the back of Spiritomb's keystone base sending him tumbling forwards with a wail of pain but thankfully the potential poisoning didn't take hold and it wasn't that effective on Spiritomb.
"Spiritomb, Dark Pulse." Dawn called out as Spiritomb quickly and gracefully spun in the air to face Seviper again.
"Intercept and negate that with Flamethrower." Lucy countered impressed that Dawn was sticking to the type moves of Spiritomb, it added to the freakiness and the juxtaposition of someone like Dawn using a Spiritomb.
Spiritomb unleashed a black aura of negative thoughts that he sent at Seviper at the same time Seviper opened its mouth and belched out a gout of flames at Spiritomb. The two attacks collided in the air and exploded creating a cloud of black smoke that obscured the middle of the battlefield so that neither girl could see the other. That didn't stop them from plowing on with the battle.
"Dive through that and get in close for a Dragon Tail, Seviper." Lucy ordered. "As good as Spiritomb's type combo is the biggest drawback is that while it is immune to 3 types, it is only resistant to poison types. All other types will work normally against it, excluding fairy."
"Spiritomb, blast it back with Dark Pulse again." Dawn said. "Don't let it get near you."
"Negate it with Dragon Tail." Lucy said as Seviper leapt into the smoke, its tail glowing with dragon type power.
Dawn just waited for the right moment for her next move. She had a plan that involved Seviper that could go one of two ways, but both worked out for her. That was why she watched as Seviper leapt out of the smoke and Spiritomb unleashed another Dark Pulse. As ordered Seviper coiled and flipped in the air to slash the Dark Pulse with its glowing tail before it hit, negating it, and taking minimal damage.
The force of the impact did blast Seviper back a little causing it to roll over a few times as the smoke finally cleared. However, Dawn had her opening and she took it.
"Toxic." Dawn ordered. "Poison it."
Spiritomb just cackled as he turned the ground around the rising Seviper to a bubbling purple sludge pile that hit the Fang Snake Pokémon. Seviper hissed in pain as it was poisoned and felt a wave of the poisoning do some damage, but it wasn't as effective thanks to its type.
Lucy just looked on in confusion at the attack. Sure, she hadn't expected Dawn to use a poison type move but that was because of Seviper's type not a reliance on moves that matched Spiritomb's types. She certainly hadn't expected Dawn to go with Toxic and poison Seviper. That wouldn't matter though, Seviper's ability would kick in soon and keep the damage to a minimum.
"Flamethrower." Lucy ordered.
"Phantom Force." Dawn said with a grin as Seviper belched flames again. "Let's see which one it is."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked confused now as Spiritomb vanished just before the flames reached it. "You designed this didn't you?"
"I did, though I had two plans in mind for this particular combo against your Seviper." Dawn said as Seviper suddenly glowed a pale white and began to shed its skin to cure its poisoning. "And it looks like the one I thought was more common is happening. Its ability is Shed Skin isn't it?"
"It is, it's a common ability with serpentine Pokémon that I find really useful." Lucy said realizing that Dawn had predicted this as Spiritomb appeared and slammed into Seviper before it could fully shed its skin doing damage which must have been Dawn's plan all along. "Impressive. You guessed Seviper's ability based and worked out a strategy that ensured you'd either get a chance to land a clean Phantom Force on it."
"It is isn't it." Dawn said with a grin as Spiritomb flew up. "And I'll finish this with Dark Pulse again."
"Flamethrower." Lucy said and added something Dawn wouldn't expect but two could play the surprise game. "And don't use it to block the Dark Pulse, take it in exchange for landing Flamethrower."
Seviper knew what it had to do as the dark type attack came down on it. The two ghost type attacks had done damage to it and thanks to a brief bout with the poison it wouldn't survive the Dark Pulse. Lucy was ordering a sacrifice to wound this monstrous Pokémon as much as possible and Seviper would do it. It knew who was coming and it would avenge Seviper.
That was why Seviper uncoiled itself so that it had a clean shot and fired the flames up at the floating Pokémon it was facing just before the Dark Pulse hit it in the back, pouring as much power into the attack as it could. Seviper was bounced off the ground by the attack and flipped in the air before landing out cold with swirls for eyes.
However, the sacrifice had been worth it. The flames found their target and engulfed Spiritomb who wailed and was thrown back, shaking itself as it flew back to hover in front of Dawn not out but injured from the fire type attack.
"Seviper is unable to battle, the winner is Spiritomb." Misty declared raising a hand to Lucy's side.
"Interesting." Dawn said surprised. "I've never seen that done before. Well at least not done in that manner, I have seen trainers use Explosion to take another Pokémon with it but that is how you use Explosion."
"I only teach offensive moves so my Pokémon know that to win the overall battle, risks and sacrifices are needed and Seviper did amazing there to ensure a clean hit so that we can now beat your Spiritomb." Lucy said simply as she recalled Seviper. "That was one of them and thank you Seviper for that, you did amazing my friend. Now tell me Dawn, what was with the Toxic/Phantom Force combo? How'd you come up with it?"
"Oh, that, well last night when I was strategizing for your Seviper I had to contend with its type and the moves Spiritomb knows." Dawn said. "And while Toxic is useful it won't do much against Seviper but then I recalled how Ash's Dragonite, back when it was a Dratini and again as a Dragonair, was serpentine and had the Shed Skin ability, one I have seen and faced with Dratini before."
"That is their ability that so I am not surprised you can identify it." Lucy said. "My Dragonair has it as well, as does my Arbok."
"I know it and what it can do so I figured that Seviper might have it as well." Dawn said. "And I know that it takes a few seconds once it triggered, during which time Seviper wouldn't be able to move. That was the perfect window for Spiritomb to land a Phantom Force with no counter while doing a shade of damage from the poisoning that could be useful."
"Clever, that was almost certainly the deciding factor there." Lucy said impressed by Dawn's strategy, clearly the girl could plan when she knew what was coming or the types involved, but Lucy knew that from what Anabel had told her. "But what if Seviper didn't have Shed Skin? Not all serpentine Pokémon have that ability you know."
"Then I poison it which in the long run helps even if it doesn't do much damage due to Seviper's type." Dawn said with a shrug. "Now why don't you send out your last Pokémon so I can win this."
"I like the confidence, but you will be in for it with my last one as this is my special Pokémon that is like your Spiritomb in a way." Lucy said with a grin as she pulled out her Poke Ball. "But I'll tell you that when you meet it. Eelektross, I choose you."
Lucy threw out the ball and it burst open to reveal a floating dark blue Pokémon with a yellow underbelly, arms, a dorsal fin thing, claws, and a sucker-like mouth with four fangs on the outside of it. It writhed like a wavelength in the air as it looked at Spiritomb.
Dawn was confused by the Pokémon. It was more of an eel-like than a serpentine Pokémon and definitely not what she had been expecting. The only thing that she was certain of was that the Pokémon was from Unova as she was pretty sure she'd seen one there or at least something similar. Still, she had to scan it with her Pokedex to identify it.
"Eelektross, the EleFish Pokémon." The Pokedex chimed. "With their sucker mouths, they suck in prey. Then they use their fangs to shock the prey with electricity."
"Huh so it is an electric and flying type." Dawn said putting the Pokedex away before confirming that assumption. "And I presume it is from Unova."
"Correct on the Unova part." Lucy said with a nod. "I caught it as a Tynamo when I was in Unova during the period you and Ash were in Fuchsia City. I was there to get a Snivy because it's final form, Serperior, is a serpentine Pokémon I didn't have. Tynamo was only if I had time but I did want one and to raise it to an Eelektross. It's not as serpentine as I usually prefer but it is close enough and has an added benefit. You see, it's not a dual type. It's a pure electric type."
"Wait how does that work?" Dawn asked confused. "It's floating? How can it float and be a pure electric type?"
"Are you aware of the Levitate ability?" Lucy asked and that got gasps from several in the crowd who figured out what was up.
"I've heard of it." Dawn said. "It's usually seen in ghost types, but I know that Spiritomb doesn't have it because of something that happened in the Cremini Contest final meant that it couldn't have it."
"Ah I did think that it had it but that is good to know if I ever face another of their kind that it might not have Levitate." Lucy said. "But if you've heard of it then you must know what it does."
"Not really." Dawn admitted. "I think Ash's Gengar has it but that's more a guess than anything else as we've never confirmed it. It's not an ability I have encountered in battle before, so I don't know it's benefits."
"I see well then let me enlighten you as it is Eelektross's ability." Lucy said grinning now. "What it does is effectively give a Pokémon all the benefits of a flying type with none of the drawbacks, including the type immunity. It can be negated by an ability like Mold Breaker, but I doubt that Spiritomb has that ability. If I had to guess it has Pressure or something that negates protection moves like Protect."
"Wait benefits of flying types." Dawn said as her eyes went wide when it hit her what Lucy was referring to. "It's immune to ground type attacks, the only type that is super effective against electric types and as a pure electric type that means that Eelektross is like Spiritomb before the emergence of fairy types. It has no type weakness thanks to its type and ability combination."
"Correct and because of fairy types it is now the only one left, along with its pre-evolved forms who also have Levitate, to lack a type weakness." Lucy said. "So, you see, this is my version of Spiritomb. I figured it would be great to use against yours in battle. There are no type advantages here because Eelektross doesn't know a fairy type move. Only offense will win this one."
"Then bring it." Dawn said realizing what was going on. "I'll still take it down."
"We shall see." Lucy said. "Eelektross, Thunder."
"Phantom Force." Dawn countered as the electricity built on Eelektross.
"That won't work this time." Lucy said as Spiritomb vanished. "Eelektross, as soon as miss with Thunder activate Dragon Claw and be prepared, it may attack from behind."
The powerful electric type attack that Eelektross shot out naturally missed as Spiritomb was already gone but Eelektross didn't mind, it instantly switched to Dragon Claw, its claws encasing in dragon type power as it looked around waiting for its opponent to appear. A second later Spiritomb appeared behind it and this time Lucy was ready.
"Behind you!" She yelled and instinctively Eelektross twisted its floating body and slashed trusting its trainer to guide it.
Eelektross turned and slashed just as Spiritomb reached it. Dawn had never seen her Spiritomb look so surprised but that was what she saw as the Dragon Claw made contact just before it reached Eelektross. Spiritomb was thrown sideways with a wail of pain at the attack and bounced off the ground, well his keystone did, and into the air where Spiritomb spun as he tried to correct himself. Lucy wasn't done though.
"Thunder again." Lucy ordered and Eelektross fired off the Thunder before Dawn could give and order.
This time the attack landed and Spiritomb roared in pain from the electric move and staggered in the air. His form flickered but solidified as he shook himself showing that he was still in it but clearly in bad shape and Dawn knew it. However, she was glad that he'd survived as it was time for her last surprise, one she'd saved for just this scenario. She'd just never been pushed to this point, so she'd never used it until now.
"Damn that Spiritomb is tough." Lucy complemented. "It's going to be an honor to beat it."
"He is and you're going to wish you'd ended him with that Thunder." Dawn said surprising Lucy. "Spiritomb, this is what we've planned for. It's time. Curse!"
"Curse?" Lucy asked her eyes wide as Spiritomb cackled and placed a curse on Eelektross who's eyes went wide as it was cursed.
As soon as the move was done Spiritomb, still smiling his jagged smile, flickered, and vanished into his keystone. The keystone then dropped to the ground with a soft thump and stopped glowing. It was an unusual way to faint, but it was clearly out of the battle.
"Er Spiritomb is unable to battle?" Misty asked looking at Dawn who nodded. "Alright then it is out, and the winner is Eelektross."
"Spiritomb return." Dawn said recalling her Pokémon as the crowd tried to process what she'd just done. "You were as amazing as always and while this is your first loss with me, we went out on our own terms and left a nasty parting gift in the process."
"You were saving that weren't you Dawn?" Lucy asked knowing that the Curse was still there and would kick in once the battle resumed as it was a status attack that worked after Eelektross used a move. "I'll admit, I did not see that coming at all. You hid that that was your last move and used it at the right time. I may have technically beaten Spiritomb but if I don't win this it will be hard to say I truly beat it."
"What can I say it's not a useful move most of the time." Dawn said with a shrug. "In fact, that is the first time I have ever used it in battle. Spiritomb used it on Piplup when we met but because of the loss of health I rarely use it unless I know I can't win and I still have a Pokémon left. For the first time I knew that Spiritomb was going to lose so I made sure that Eelektross had that gift before he was defeated. You have at most 4 moves before it faints if I recall how Curse works when used by a ghost type."
"Then that just means that it is time to go all out." Lucy said enjoying the pressure. "And come at you with all I got. You are as good as I was expecting Dawn so let's end this. Send out your last Pokémon and meet me head on because that is the only way you will win."
"I am glad I can live up to your expectations." Dawn said as she pulled out her other Pokémon and thinking how to best use it against Eelektross. "Typhlosion, spotlight!"
Dawn threw the ball and the fully evolved Johto fire type starter appeared before her with a roar and a billowing of flames from his collar. He was thrilled to be fighting with Dawn again, it had been too long and was time to remind her why he was one of her best.
"Yes, this is just what I love." Lucy said grinning. "Full power, no holding back. Let's go!"
"Agreed, not my usual style but my Typhlosion isn't one of my 4 powerhouses for nothing." Dawn said grinning. "Get ready Lucy, I am going to go scorched earth on you."
Dawn knew that she had to go with a powerhouse as her second against someone like Lucy. That meant Typhlosion, Mamoswine or Togekiss as Spiritomb was the fourth of her 4 strongest battlers.
Mamoswine would have been a good choice but with Eelektross's ability Dawn realized he wasn't as useful as he could be. Togekiss, meanwhile, was weak against electric type attacks so in all honesty Typhlosion was the best she could have used.
Usually, Dawn would have been more restrained, but Lucy now had a time limit and was going to go all out, which was her preferred style, so Dawn would have match as she doubted a Pokémon trained by Lucy would miss often. All she had to do was do enough damage to reduce the number of times Curse needed to trigger to bring down Eelektross, so it was time to adapt to Lucy's style and outlast her.
"Flame Wheel." Dawn ordered. "Get in close Typhlosion."
"Rock Slide." Lucy said with a grin surprising Dawn with the rock type attack. "Break it from that attack and then get in with a Brick Break."
"Dodge it so you can hit it and follow up with Flamethrower." Dawn yelled as Typhlosion leapt forward to run on all fours before leaping into a spinning wheel of flames and sped at Eelektross.
At the same time Eelektross created a series of rocks that appeared in the air and began to fall down around as Typhlosion sped at it. The Volcano Pokémon made it most of the way to Eelektross, dodging the rocks as best it could until the last one. That one landed right on Typhlosion shattering and doing a lot of damage as he roared in pain and his move ended but thanks to the angle, he barely moved from the impact point.
Eelektross was not going to pass this up as it flew forward as fast as possible ignoring the pain as Curse activated and depleted its health. It was focused on wining this before passing out and its right claw became imbued with fighting type power as it cocked it back, ready to strike Typhlosion.
As Typhlosion was rising Eelektross brought it's arm down and slammed it into Typhlosion's head driving it back and into the ground. Still Typhlosion had an order and looked up and before Eelektross could move belched a gout of flames into its underbelly.
The flames engulfed Eelektross and it wailed in pain from both the attack and the Curse triggering again and Lucy knew that she had one more attack left before Curse took her Pokémon down after taking that hit and she needed to land her attack. There was only one attack Lucy could use to ensure victory and she gave it.
"Rock Slide!" Lucy yelled. "Bring it down on both of you but dodge any attack Typhlosion sends at you."
"Eruption!" Dawn countered going with the position Typhlosion was in as he was still under Eelektross and as such this was the best move that she could use.
It all came down to timing and in the end, it was Eelektross who was faster. It activated Rock Slide right above it so that all the rocks appeared there and then dove to the side as Typhlosion unleashed an explosive fury of flames that were not as powerful as it could be due to the damage that he had taken. Eelektross managed to get out of the way just in time to avoid the attack as the rocks fell right onto the still prone Typhlosion and a massive dust cloud was exploded from the impact point.
When it cleared it showed the results. Eelektross was floating to the side clearly on its last legs but still in it having barely survived the third Curse activation. Typhlosion on the other hand was lying on its back in a deep crater filled with rock fragments that also covered him. The fire type had swirls for eyes showing that two super effective rock type attacks and the fighting type Brick Break had been too much for him.
"Typhlosion is unable to battle." Misty declared raising a hand to Dawn's side. "Eelektross is the winner. That also means that Lucy has won this match."
"Typhlosion return." Dawn said with a smile as she recalled her Pokémon. "You did great my friend. That was an epic and brutal match, but we had to be aggressive, I don't think Lucy would have let us run out the clock on Eelektross. We almost had it in the end and we should be proud as this isn't our usual style."
"Eelektross, take a rest." Lucy said with a sigh as she recalled her own Pokémon and looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "You were fantastic there. You really brought it to Dawn and won despite the time limit Curse put you under, which was a really clever move on her part. There may be an asterisk with our win over that Spiritomb, but we beat Dawn and that is something Anabel didn't, so I am happy."
Dawn had already put her Poke Ball away and begun walking out avoiding the large crater where Typhlosion had been defeated as she made her way to Lucy who also began walking out. They met in the middle and as any good battlers should shook hands.
"That was everything I could have asked for and then some Dawn." Lucy said with a smile. "Thank you for facing me. You may be a coordinator, but you sure know how to battle like a trainer when need be."
"I'm always up for a challenge and it was fun having a proper battle that wasn't with someone crushing on my boyfriend." Dawn said with a smile. "And you really challenged me. I had to use everything I had and change styles. Even then I couldn't beat you."
"You were still amazing; I can see how you won a Grand Festival and outthought Anabel in your battle with her." Lucy complemented. "That really could have gone anyway at the end. If Eelektross had been a shade slower it would have been a tie, if the first Rock Slide hadn't worked you probably would have won so take pride in that."
"I do." Dawn said with a nod. "You're a great battler and I held my own against you which I am proud of."
"That you did." Lucy said. "And your Spiritomb is really something else. I have never faced a Pokémon like it before and I am glad I had the opportunity to face one. You have a great bond with him, and your plans were near flawless. That Curse at the end, I will remember that for a long time."
"He does leave an impression and you were the first person to force my hand and make me use Curse." Dawn said as the battlefield was being fixed around them for the next match. "You were the first to beat him, so I know that I still have a lot of work to do."
"I don't count that as a win." Lucy said shaking your head. "That was a self-sacrifice by you to give you the best chance you had at victory in the overall battle. Next time we meet, I want a one-on-one rematch with that Spiritomb, I will beat properly beat it."
"I want to beat you Lucy so of course I will have a rematch." Dawn said. "I was so close this time that I can't not face you again."
"Then when we meet again, we will battle if that is a possibility." Lucy said with a smile. "I wish the best for your future Dawn; you may already be a Top Coordinator, but you will continue to grow and get better. With me marrying Brock we will meet again many times and I can't wait to have you at my wedding."
"I still can't believe that you are marrying Brock." Dawn said shaking her head as they finally began to head off the now fixed battlefield and rejoin their friends as Georgia and Iris headed to their starting positions. "I never expected to see the day that some woman would be into him let alone date and then agree to marry him."
"Yes, well you got Ash who is clueless when it comes to romance from what I've heard." Lucy said with a smile as they reached the sidelines and handed their Poke Balls to Tracey to be healed. "Now let's watch. I saw these two in the Wallace Cup when Brock and I watched it and they were amazing in it. I expect an all-out slugfest again."
"Georgia and Iris have a unique and extreme rivalry." Dawn said as they turned to see the Unova girls in their positions with Misty still officiating as Brock was now coming back to their side to congratulate Lucy and discuss the match with them and Ash. "Made more interesting as Iris is the one who got through to Ash about his feelings for me so I owe her more than I can ever repay. At the same time Georgia is my best friend's girlfriend now, a best friend who had a crush on me, so I have no idea who to root for in this one."
"Isn't your best friend Zoey?" Lucy asked as Zoey was fully cheering for Georgia the way Dawn would for Ash minus the outfit.
"Yup." Dawn said with a nod. "I didn't see that one coming."
"I see." Lucy said trying to map things in her head. "You guys have some odd love diagrams."
"You don't know the half of it." Dawn said with a laugh as they settled in to watch another highly destructive match between Georgia's Beartic and Iris's Dragonite.
That was what the rest of the day would be. Matches, chats, fun and a comradery between all of them. It was just what they all needed before everyone went off on their next adventure or returned home to their exciting day job. Ash and Dawn would be heading to Kalos with May and Max on their next adventure. They couldn't wait.
Well that was a long Supplement, the longest to date and 5th longest chapter in the Hearts universe but given the long battles and my improved skill (I think) at writing them this was going to be a long one. A lot of fun battles here and with Max heading to Kalos this is just the start of their budding rivalry while Dawn finally had a battle that didn't involve someone crushing on Ash, a rarity for her. There really isn't much else to say on this Supplement but I should mention the nature of the upcoming Supplements, 3 of which are set to come out after Part LXXXIV. Yes, 3 Supplements will be coming out between Parts LXXXIV and LXXXV which is a first and only the 3rd time more than one has come out between two Parts but there is a reason for this. Those Supplements address 3 different pairs during a day, well centered around one or two locations, while in Lumiose City and due to the lengths of two of them they were broken into 3 Supplements so that each pair could have their own Supplement. It will also be during these Supplements that the third approved OC will be introduced similar to how Adam was introduced in the 19th Supplement of Dreams though the 3rd's debut in Winning won't be until Part CVII but that will be clear why in the Supplement. That is all I have to say for now so as always please continue favorite and follow both me and this story to keep abreast with new releases and keep the reviews coming. Until next time.
Stringdog
