Chapter 1
"Now, Dragonite! Dragon Rage!"
Ash had to think fast. There was no possible way that Charizard
could escape, not in the condition it was in. "You think so? Charizard,
counter with YOUR Dragon Rage!"
Charizard looked exhausted, worse than exhausted. Dark bruises
and scratches scored its orange scales, and its wings were sagging. But
somehow, it managed to open its mouth, a sphere of brilliantly blue
flames gathering inbetween the razor sharp teeth.
Dragonite did the same, it didn't even look tired.
The two attacks collided in mid-air, exploding upon contact. Ash
held up one arm to protect his eyes from the resulting dust cloud. When
the air cleared, Dragonite was hovering a few feet above the rocky
ground.
Charizard was lying on its side, gasping for air.
"Charizard has fainted!" the announcers voice rose over the roar of the
crowd. Ash couldn't take his eyes off of the Fire Pokemon, it had been
taken down by Dragonite, just like that. "Now the only Pokemon Ash has
left is Pikachu! But Pikachu's health is still suffering from its battle
with Ditto!"
Ash was at a loss. He had come this far and he was being stopped
by a single Pokemon. One lousy Dragonite-
"Pii!" Pikachu jumped onto the battling platform's railing.
"Pikachu." Ash looked at the mouse Pokemon with surprise for a
moment, before the look of shock in his eyes was replaced by one of sheer
determination. "Dragonite is yours!"
"Pika!" Pikachu winked, then leapt down into the battlefield.
"Let's make a match out of this!" Drake smirked, looking
confident. "COME ON!"
"Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu leapt at the Dragon type, all of the speed she could
muster.
Dragonite sidestepped the attack with relative ease.
Ash almost panicked. But he couldn't, if only for Pikachu's
sake. "Hang in there!"
"Pikaa!" Pikachu charged the Dragonite again. This time
Dragonite didn't bother to dodge. It turned with speed that seemed
impossible, and hit the electric mouse with its tail. Pikachu went
flying tail over ears. "Chuuu!" she wailed. While still in midair, she
flipped over and used a Thunderbolt. "Pikkaaa!"
Dragonite almost carelessly used a light screen, deflecting the
current of electricity. Pikachu growled in frustration, and went for a
body slam. She was deflected as easily as the first time, this time sent
crashing to the ground.
"Pikachu is giving its all, but to no avail! It's a total
mismatch!" the announcer was saying, barely piercing through Ash's
concentration as Pikachu was hit again. "It's almost like a child verses
an adult!"
"Ash!" Misty's voice came over the intercom, the speakers making
her sound tinny. "Ash, pull Pikachu out now! If Pikachu doesn't have a
fighting chance, there's no reason you should wear it out like that!"
Ash felt ashamed, Misty had voiced exactly what he had been
thinking. But now, he knew. "This is MY battle, and I'll fight it MY
way! So BUTT OUT!!"
Misty was about to say more, but he didn't let her finish it, he
slammed one fist onto the intercom, shorting out his link with her.
"Pikachu still want to WIN," he said to himself, softly. "I
CAN'T pull out NOW!"
"Time to finish this," Drake said, and Ash could tell he was
serious. "Dragonite! Hyper Beam!"
Ash gasped, having half a mind to pull Pikachu back. But he
couldn't not now. Not now.
Dragonite flapped its wings, rising higher in the stadium. It
threw back its head, an orb of golden energy gathering just in front of
its agape mouth.
"There's no escape for Pikachu while Dragonite readies its
attack!" the announcer screamed into his microphone, even though a hush
had fallen over the crowd. "This is the END!!"
Dragonite's head snapped forward, releasing a Hyper Beam like a
small sun careening directly at Pikachu.
The explosion that followed rivaled any that had ever been seen
in the stadium before. Brilliant white light blossomed, hiding Pikachu
from view and making it appear that Dragonite was glowing with some
ethereal light.
As quickly as it had begun, the light faded, leaving the crowd
staring at a stadium devoid of life.
"And it's OVER!" the announcer cried out. "Wait a minute!
Where's Pikachu?"
He paused as if expecting an answer from Ash. The young Pokemon
Trainer had none to give, he was looking up. "Pikachu is nowhere to be
found! Where could Pikachu BE!?"
"Heh," Ash grinned.
The audience and the announcer followed Ash's gaze. Pikachu was
in the air, surrounded by a pale gold orb.
"Unbelievable!" the announcer yelled, ignoring the fact that his
audience had fallen into a stunned silence. "Pikachu wrapped itself in a
reflect for self defense, used its tail as a sail, and rode the shock
waves from the explosion into the air!"
"Look! Pikachu is ABOVE Dragonite!" Drake exclaimed rather
needlessly. "That couldn't have been PLANNED, could it?"
Ash smiled. *Well, you'll never find out, now, will you. And
since Dragonite's main advantage was that it could fly.*
Pikachu plummeted from the air, escaped the confines of her wrap
attack and alighted on Dragonite's head. Immediately she fell flat,
gripping the other Pokemon's skull.
"Pikachu's clamped on, and Dragonite can't get it off!"
Dragonite, who had been mostly silent the entire fight, began
whining, trying to reach Pikachu with its claws and shaking its head
violently. "Niiite! Niiite!"
"Pii!" Pikachu cried. Then, her tiny nails digging into the
crevices between Dragonite's scales, she climbed from the back of the
Dragon-type's head to the side of her mouth. "Pika."
"Draaa!" Dragonite opened its mouth to whimper, and Pikachu took
full advantage of it. Dragonite closed its mouth, to find it full of
Pikachu.
Drake seemed to realize what was going on. "Oh NO!"
A slight buzzing noise was the only warning Dragonite had. The
entire stadium lit up from the electricity Pikachu unleashed, the yellow
currents wiring around Dragonite and knocking on to its back.
Dragonite didn't get back up.
"That Pikachu is SCARY!" the announcer couldn't seem to believe
what he was saying. "It crawled right into Dragonite's snout and zapped
it with a thunder attack! After suffering an internal attack, even the
lighty Dragonite is down!"
Pikachu crawled from Dragonite's mouth, shook herself off, and
began grooming herself. "Pika!"
"And the winner is Ash!" the results thrilled the crowd. "Ladies
and gentlemen! The Orange Islands have a new hero!"
Ash barely heard a word of it. He was running out onto the
arena. "Pikachu!" he stopped just short of the electric mouse, a wide
grin on his face. "Pikachu, you rock!"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu bounded up into his arms, and he hugged her.
"You're my pride and joy."
"Chaa!"
Ash released the Pokemon and turned around, to see Drake on his
knees, returning his Dragonite. "Drake!"
"Congratulations, Ash," Drake smiled and got to his feet. "That
was the best battle I've had in ages."
"Drake," Ash took off his ever present League Cap and bowed.
"Thanks for the fantastic match!"
The audience, already shouting, roared with cheers. Ash looked
up, and saw Jessie and James were among those cheering, and Misty was
crying. He grinned at her, and she covered her face with her hands and
began sobbing.
*She is SO weird.*
***
"Representing the Indigo League and the Elite Four, Lance!"
The stadium erupted with cheers as Lance, the Dragon Master and
head of the Elite Four, made his way out to the battle field, his cape
flowing behind him.
*Stupid regulations.*
"And the challenger, Champion of the Orange League, Ash Ketchum
of Pallet Town!"
If possible, the cheering became louder. Lance looked over at
his opponent. Ash was nearly to his shoulder, and had the awkward look
of someone who isn't quite finished growing. He had black hair under a
red league cap, and determination shone in his eyes.
"It's an honor to battle with you," once they had met in the
middle of the arena, Ash removed his cap and bowed.
"It's a shared honor," Lance bowed in return, and shook his hand.
***
They turned and walked back to the platforms participants in the
League normally battled from. Today banners sporting the League symbol
fluttered from the railings, today was a day that would go down in
history.
Lance climbed the ladder of his platform and walked to the
railing, looking across to where Ash was giving last minute encouragement
to his Pikachu.
*Orange League Champion or not, I still don't see how he got this
far,* Lance mused. *He's just a kid, Agatha should have wiped the floor
with him.*
Above him the announcer was listing off the rules. "This is a
six on six Pokemon battle, no time limit. The challenger can change
Pokemon at will, while the opposer must use the Pokemon he chooses until
it is out of the battle!"
Lance ignored the announcer, he knew the rules well enough, and
he had a battle to win. "Aerodactyl, GO!"
He detached a pokeball from his belt and tossed it almost
carelessly in the air. The red and white sphere dissolved into a swirl
of light that formed into his Aerodactyl. The ancient rock type
screeched, sending chills down Lance's spine.
*Let's see how he handles this.*
"Go, Bulbasaur!" Ash called out his own Pokemon. "Razor leaf,
now!"
"Dodge it," Lance commanded.
And dodge it Aerodactyl did. It dived down, avoiding the attack
altogether.
To be met by Bulbasaur's next attack, a vine whip that wrapped
around the Rock Pokemon's neck, and threw it into the side of the
stadium.
"And Aerodactyl has been thrown out of the ring!" the announcer
reported. "Barely thirty seconds into the match! This kid is GOOD!"
"Aerodactyl, return," Lance said, calmly. "Go, Dragonair! Ice
beam!"
Dragonair's eyes glowed, just for an instant, and a shaft of ice
hurtled at Bulbasaur, hitting the grass type head on, and it was thrown
back into the base of Ash's platform.
"Bulbasaur return!" Ash recalled the Pokemon. "Go, Charizard!"
*That's right,* Lance grinned. *Pull out your strongest Pokemon
before the match has really even gotten started.*
"Dragonair, use Ice Beam again!"
"Dodge it and follow up with a fire spin and a flame thrower!"
Ash quickly commanded. Charizard beat its wings and was airborn. The
ice beam struck Ash's platform where Bulbasaur had hit moments before,
missing Charizard by inches.
The fire lizard threw back its head, and let out an inferno that
swirled around Dragonair. It didn't pause for an instant, simply used a
flame thrower that shot through the heart of the fire.
By the time the fire had died down, Dragonair was out of
comission.
It was then that Lance glanced into the crowd and caught sight of
the one person he had never expected to see at the match.
*Head of Council?* He's never come to a match before unless.
his gaze leveled on Ash. *Unless he's the one*
***
Ash groaned. This was almost a repeat of the battle with Drake.
All of his Pokemon were gone, except for Pikachu, whom he had already
used against Lance's Gyarados.
And now he was having to face ANOTHER Dragonite.
*I'll die happy if I never see another Dragonite again,* he
decided. *Drake was bad enough, but Lance had two. Two! Well, I guess
that's why nobody has beaten him before.*
"Don't try the little stunt that you used with Drake," Lance
advised him. "I know everything about that little strategy, and there is
no way I'm going to fall into your little plan."
"Y'think?" Ash rolled his eyes.
"Yo, Ash."
Ash looked over to where a tiny screen had appeared, revealing
Gary's face. They had been traveling together for some time now, after
mending a friendship that had been basically in need of serious help for
years. "What? If you have any advice, you know I probably won't listen
to you."
"Well, fine, but it's good advice, your loss," the Gary face on
the screen made a face at him.
In the background, he could hear Misty yell something. He
couldn't make out the exact words, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to.
Misty had gone back to Cerulean after he had won the Orange League, she
had only come out to watch his battle.
"Ooh, mature, Gary. I'm in the middle of the biggest battle of
my life and you're making faces at me," he replied sarcastically,
deciding not to pay any attention to what Misty was saying. "What is
it?"
"Dragonite is stronger, faster, and more experienced then
Pikachu."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, can you make this quick?
They're expecting me to pull my next Pokemon."
"Pretend you're thinking really hard, just try not to burn out
your last light bulb," Gary smirked at him. "Well, Dragonite might be
better than Pikachu in every way, but what if it couldn't move."
"Thunder wave," Ash muttered. "Good."
"Your welcome, Ash," Gary said in a sing song voice.
Ash ignored him. "Pikachu, go! You know what to do!"
"Pika!" she agreed, bounding out onto the field.
"Dragonite, body slam!" Lance ordered.
"Wait for it" Ash muttered. Pikachu crouched low. "Wait for
it NOW!"
The electric mouse sprang into the air just as Dragonite was
about to hit it. The Dragon Type passed harmlessly underneath, and
Pikachu landed on its back.
Lance looked like he was cursing up a storm.
*It's not over yet,* Ash smirked, it was actually Gary's
trademark, but who was counting?
"Pika CHUU!" Pikachu shrieked, little bolts of lightening
emanating from her cheeks. They skittered along Dragonite's hide,
hitting all of the vital nerve points. Dragonite faltered, then fell to
the ground, twitching.
"Hit it with everything you've got!" Ash yelled. "Thunder!"
Pikachu shrieked again, this time letting out a massive current
of electricity. Dragonite squealed in pain, and then lay still.
"Dragonite is unable to battle!" the announcer seemed to be
thrilled with the results. "In what appears to be the shortest battle to
ever take place with a Dragonite, Ash Ketchum, at fourteen, is the
youngest League Champion in history!"
Elation spread through him. *I did it oh my God! I did it! I did
it!*
He looked up to grin at Lance. The Dragon Master was on his
knees, gripping the railing, his shoulders shaking as if he were crying.
*Some guys just don't know how to take a loss.*
"Ash!"
He looked up. Gary, Misty, and Brock were all waving to him. He
grinned, feeling tears stinging the corners of his eyes, and waved back.
Misty was crying again, Gary was jumping up and down like he was four,
and Brock looked very proud.
"Pika pi!"
He turned to look at one small Pokemon that had taken him to
where he was now.
"Pikachu you did it again," he grinned.
"Pika," she smiled up at him.
***
"What are you going to do now, Ash?"
Ash looked over at Misty. "Dunno, probably travel around again.
I've seen a lot, but there's a lot more out there. Heading back to the
gym?"
"Yeah," she smiled, but her eyes were sad. "I'll see you
around?"
"Yeah," he grinned at her, and she burst into tears. "Uh Mist,
it's alright. It's not like we're never going to see you again."
"It's just you're so grown up!" she wailed. "And you've beaten
Lance and you've achieved your dream and...and..."
Whatever else she was going to say was drowned out in her sobs,
and she threw her arms around his neck.
"And Ash finally gets some," Gary started laughing.
Brock looked dangerously close to smacking the younger, auburn
haired boy. "Shut up."
"Am I interrupting anything?"
They all looked up, it was Lance. Misty released Ash and bowed
slightly. "No, nothing at all."
"I'm sure I was, but I guess that doesn't matter now," Lance
smiled at her, then turned to Ash. "Congratulations, Ash."
"Thank you," Ash found himself shaking hands with the Dragon
Master for the second time that day. "You're an amazing battler, and two
Dragonite's."
Ash trailed off. Lance's blue eyes narrowed, as if he were
studying the younger trainer. "We'll need to discuss your future, now
that you're the League Champion. Come with me."
"Bye Mist, bye Brock," Ash turned to his two friends. "I'll see
you around, right?"
"Just call if you need anything," Misty was crying again, but she
managed to not hug him.
"And don't be a stranger in Pewter!" Brock punched him lightly on
the arm.
"Are you all finished? Good. Come with me, Ash."
"Gary, I'll meet you in the Pokemon Center we're staying at," Ash
told his friend.
"'Kay."
"Now, Ash, you will be permitted to travel around, but when the
League competitions come around you will be expected to be here," Lance
said once they were away from the others. "We will give you a monthly
withdrawal from the League's accounts for your travels, but if you are
asked to return or ordered to stay within a vicinity, you will obey those
orders immediately, or your funding will be pulled and your title will be
passed to someone else."
"Fun," Ash muttered. "Being the League Champion is going to be a
real BLAST."
Hope that caught your interest, next chapter is more of the fun stuff!
^_^ And yes, Ash and Gary become friends again at the end of the manga.
Which was good for me, Gary is one of my favorite characters. ^_^
Don't worry, you will eventually find out everything. Eventually. ^_^
Special thanks to all my reviewers and to the wonderful person that lets
me rant myself out over the phone and e-mail, the great and wonderful
Hare-chan! Please, review! And not just "yay" or "nay", I thrive off of
constructive critism! Tell me what you think I'm doing wrong! ^_^ Ja
ne!
"Now, Dragonite! Dragon Rage!"
Ash had to think fast. There was no possible way that Charizard
could escape, not in the condition it was in. "You think so? Charizard,
counter with YOUR Dragon Rage!"
Charizard looked exhausted, worse than exhausted. Dark bruises
and scratches scored its orange scales, and its wings were sagging. But
somehow, it managed to open its mouth, a sphere of brilliantly blue
flames gathering inbetween the razor sharp teeth.
Dragonite did the same, it didn't even look tired.
The two attacks collided in mid-air, exploding upon contact. Ash
held up one arm to protect his eyes from the resulting dust cloud. When
the air cleared, Dragonite was hovering a few feet above the rocky
ground.
Charizard was lying on its side, gasping for air.
"Charizard has fainted!" the announcers voice rose over the roar of the
crowd. Ash couldn't take his eyes off of the Fire Pokemon, it had been
taken down by Dragonite, just like that. "Now the only Pokemon Ash has
left is Pikachu! But Pikachu's health is still suffering from its battle
with Ditto!"
Ash was at a loss. He had come this far and he was being stopped
by a single Pokemon. One lousy Dragonite-
"Pii!" Pikachu jumped onto the battling platform's railing.
"Pikachu." Ash looked at the mouse Pokemon with surprise for a
moment, before the look of shock in his eyes was replaced by one of sheer
determination. "Dragonite is yours!"
"Pika!" Pikachu winked, then leapt down into the battlefield.
"Let's make a match out of this!" Drake smirked, looking
confident. "COME ON!"
"Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
Pikachu leapt at the Dragon type, all of the speed she could
muster.
Dragonite sidestepped the attack with relative ease.
Ash almost panicked. But he couldn't, if only for Pikachu's
sake. "Hang in there!"
"Pikaa!" Pikachu charged the Dragonite again. This time
Dragonite didn't bother to dodge. It turned with speed that seemed
impossible, and hit the electric mouse with its tail. Pikachu went
flying tail over ears. "Chuuu!" she wailed. While still in midair, she
flipped over and used a Thunderbolt. "Pikkaaa!"
Dragonite almost carelessly used a light screen, deflecting the
current of electricity. Pikachu growled in frustration, and went for a
body slam. She was deflected as easily as the first time, this time sent
crashing to the ground.
"Pikachu is giving its all, but to no avail! It's a total
mismatch!" the announcer was saying, barely piercing through Ash's
concentration as Pikachu was hit again. "It's almost like a child verses
an adult!"
"Ash!" Misty's voice came over the intercom, the speakers making
her sound tinny. "Ash, pull Pikachu out now! If Pikachu doesn't have a
fighting chance, there's no reason you should wear it out like that!"
Ash felt ashamed, Misty had voiced exactly what he had been
thinking. But now, he knew. "This is MY battle, and I'll fight it MY
way! So BUTT OUT!!"
Misty was about to say more, but he didn't let her finish it, he
slammed one fist onto the intercom, shorting out his link with her.
"Pikachu still want to WIN," he said to himself, softly. "I
CAN'T pull out NOW!"
"Time to finish this," Drake said, and Ash could tell he was
serious. "Dragonite! Hyper Beam!"
Ash gasped, having half a mind to pull Pikachu back. But he
couldn't not now. Not now.
Dragonite flapped its wings, rising higher in the stadium. It
threw back its head, an orb of golden energy gathering just in front of
its agape mouth.
"There's no escape for Pikachu while Dragonite readies its
attack!" the announcer screamed into his microphone, even though a hush
had fallen over the crowd. "This is the END!!"
Dragonite's head snapped forward, releasing a Hyper Beam like a
small sun careening directly at Pikachu.
The explosion that followed rivaled any that had ever been seen
in the stadium before. Brilliant white light blossomed, hiding Pikachu
from view and making it appear that Dragonite was glowing with some
ethereal light.
As quickly as it had begun, the light faded, leaving the crowd
staring at a stadium devoid of life.
"And it's OVER!" the announcer cried out. "Wait a minute!
Where's Pikachu?"
He paused as if expecting an answer from Ash. The young Pokemon
Trainer had none to give, he was looking up. "Pikachu is nowhere to be
found! Where could Pikachu BE!?"
"Heh," Ash grinned.
The audience and the announcer followed Ash's gaze. Pikachu was
in the air, surrounded by a pale gold orb.
"Unbelievable!" the announcer yelled, ignoring the fact that his
audience had fallen into a stunned silence. "Pikachu wrapped itself in a
reflect for self defense, used its tail as a sail, and rode the shock
waves from the explosion into the air!"
"Look! Pikachu is ABOVE Dragonite!" Drake exclaimed rather
needlessly. "That couldn't have been PLANNED, could it?"
Ash smiled. *Well, you'll never find out, now, will you. And
since Dragonite's main advantage was that it could fly.*
Pikachu plummeted from the air, escaped the confines of her wrap
attack and alighted on Dragonite's head. Immediately she fell flat,
gripping the other Pokemon's skull.
"Pikachu's clamped on, and Dragonite can't get it off!"
Dragonite, who had been mostly silent the entire fight, began
whining, trying to reach Pikachu with its claws and shaking its head
violently. "Niiite! Niiite!"
"Pii!" Pikachu cried. Then, her tiny nails digging into the
crevices between Dragonite's scales, she climbed from the back of the
Dragon-type's head to the side of her mouth. "Pika."
"Draaa!" Dragonite opened its mouth to whimper, and Pikachu took
full advantage of it. Dragonite closed its mouth, to find it full of
Pikachu.
Drake seemed to realize what was going on. "Oh NO!"
A slight buzzing noise was the only warning Dragonite had. The
entire stadium lit up from the electricity Pikachu unleashed, the yellow
currents wiring around Dragonite and knocking on to its back.
Dragonite didn't get back up.
"That Pikachu is SCARY!" the announcer couldn't seem to believe
what he was saying. "It crawled right into Dragonite's snout and zapped
it with a thunder attack! After suffering an internal attack, even the
lighty Dragonite is down!"
Pikachu crawled from Dragonite's mouth, shook herself off, and
began grooming herself. "Pika!"
"And the winner is Ash!" the results thrilled the crowd. "Ladies
and gentlemen! The Orange Islands have a new hero!"
Ash barely heard a word of it. He was running out onto the
arena. "Pikachu!" he stopped just short of the electric mouse, a wide
grin on his face. "Pikachu, you rock!"
"Pikapi!" Pikachu bounded up into his arms, and he hugged her.
"You're my pride and joy."
"Chaa!"
Ash released the Pokemon and turned around, to see Drake on his
knees, returning his Dragonite. "Drake!"
"Congratulations, Ash," Drake smiled and got to his feet. "That
was the best battle I've had in ages."
"Drake," Ash took off his ever present League Cap and bowed.
"Thanks for the fantastic match!"
The audience, already shouting, roared with cheers. Ash looked
up, and saw Jessie and James were among those cheering, and Misty was
crying. He grinned at her, and she covered her face with her hands and
began sobbing.
*She is SO weird.*
***
"Representing the Indigo League and the Elite Four, Lance!"
The stadium erupted with cheers as Lance, the Dragon Master and
head of the Elite Four, made his way out to the battle field, his cape
flowing behind him.
*Stupid regulations.*
"And the challenger, Champion of the Orange League, Ash Ketchum
of Pallet Town!"
If possible, the cheering became louder. Lance looked over at
his opponent. Ash was nearly to his shoulder, and had the awkward look
of someone who isn't quite finished growing. He had black hair under a
red league cap, and determination shone in his eyes.
"It's an honor to battle with you," once they had met in the
middle of the arena, Ash removed his cap and bowed.
"It's a shared honor," Lance bowed in return, and shook his hand.
***
They turned and walked back to the platforms participants in the
League normally battled from. Today banners sporting the League symbol
fluttered from the railings, today was a day that would go down in
history.
Lance climbed the ladder of his platform and walked to the
railing, looking across to where Ash was giving last minute encouragement
to his Pikachu.
*Orange League Champion or not, I still don't see how he got this
far,* Lance mused. *He's just a kid, Agatha should have wiped the floor
with him.*
Above him the announcer was listing off the rules. "This is a
six on six Pokemon battle, no time limit. The challenger can change
Pokemon at will, while the opposer must use the Pokemon he chooses until
it is out of the battle!"
Lance ignored the announcer, he knew the rules well enough, and
he had a battle to win. "Aerodactyl, GO!"
He detached a pokeball from his belt and tossed it almost
carelessly in the air. The red and white sphere dissolved into a swirl
of light that formed into his Aerodactyl. The ancient rock type
screeched, sending chills down Lance's spine.
*Let's see how he handles this.*
"Go, Bulbasaur!" Ash called out his own Pokemon. "Razor leaf,
now!"
"Dodge it," Lance commanded.
And dodge it Aerodactyl did. It dived down, avoiding the attack
altogether.
To be met by Bulbasaur's next attack, a vine whip that wrapped
around the Rock Pokemon's neck, and threw it into the side of the
stadium.
"And Aerodactyl has been thrown out of the ring!" the announcer
reported. "Barely thirty seconds into the match! This kid is GOOD!"
"Aerodactyl, return," Lance said, calmly. "Go, Dragonair! Ice
beam!"
Dragonair's eyes glowed, just for an instant, and a shaft of ice
hurtled at Bulbasaur, hitting the grass type head on, and it was thrown
back into the base of Ash's platform.
"Bulbasaur return!" Ash recalled the Pokemon. "Go, Charizard!"
*That's right,* Lance grinned. *Pull out your strongest Pokemon
before the match has really even gotten started.*
"Dragonair, use Ice Beam again!"
"Dodge it and follow up with a fire spin and a flame thrower!"
Ash quickly commanded. Charizard beat its wings and was airborn. The
ice beam struck Ash's platform where Bulbasaur had hit moments before,
missing Charizard by inches.
The fire lizard threw back its head, and let out an inferno that
swirled around Dragonair. It didn't pause for an instant, simply used a
flame thrower that shot through the heart of the fire.
By the time the fire had died down, Dragonair was out of
comission.
It was then that Lance glanced into the crowd and caught sight of
the one person he had never expected to see at the match.
*Head of Council?* He's never come to a match before unless.
his gaze leveled on Ash. *Unless he's the one*
***
Ash groaned. This was almost a repeat of the battle with Drake.
All of his Pokemon were gone, except for Pikachu, whom he had already
used against Lance's Gyarados.
And now he was having to face ANOTHER Dragonite.
*I'll die happy if I never see another Dragonite again,* he
decided. *Drake was bad enough, but Lance had two. Two! Well, I guess
that's why nobody has beaten him before.*
"Don't try the little stunt that you used with Drake," Lance
advised him. "I know everything about that little strategy, and there is
no way I'm going to fall into your little plan."
"Y'think?" Ash rolled his eyes.
"Yo, Ash."
Ash looked over to where a tiny screen had appeared, revealing
Gary's face. They had been traveling together for some time now, after
mending a friendship that had been basically in need of serious help for
years. "What? If you have any advice, you know I probably won't listen
to you."
"Well, fine, but it's good advice, your loss," the Gary face on
the screen made a face at him.
In the background, he could hear Misty yell something. He
couldn't make out the exact words, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to.
Misty had gone back to Cerulean after he had won the Orange League, she
had only come out to watch his battle.
"Ooh, mature, Gary. I'm in the middle of the biggest battle of
my life and you're making faces at me," he replied sarcastically,
deciding not to pay any attention to what Misty was saying. "What is
it?"
"Dragonite is stronger, faster, and more experienced then
Pikachu."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, can you make this quick?
They're expecting me to pull my next Pokemon."
"Pretend you're thinking really hard, just try not to burn out
your last light bulb," Gary smirked at him. "Well, Dragonite might be
better than Pikachu in every way, but what if it couldn't move."
"Thunder wave," Ash muttered. "Good."
"Your welcome, Ash," Gary said in a sing song voice.
Ash ignored him. "Pikachu, go! You know what to do!"
"Pika!" she agreed, bounding out onto the field.
"Dragonite, body slam!" Lance ordered.
"Wait for it" Ash muttered. Pikachu crouched low. "Wait for
it NOW!"
The electric mouse sprang into the air just as Dragonite was
about to hit it. The Dragon Type passed harmlessly underneath, and
Pikachu landed on its back.
Lance looked like he was cursing up a storm.
*It's not over yet,* Ash smirked, it was actually Gary's
trademark, but who was counting?
"Pika CHUU!" Pikachu shrieked, little bolts of lightening
emanating from her cheeks. They skittered along Dragonite's hide,
hitting all of the vital nerve points. Dragonite faltered, then fell to
the ground, twitching.
"Hit it with everything you've got!" Ash yelled. "Thunder!"
Pikachu shrieked again, this time letting out a massive current
of electricity. Dragonite squealed in pain, and then lay still.
"Dragonite is unable to battle!" the announcer seemed to be
thrilled with the results. "In what appears to be the shortest battle to
ever take place with a Dragonite, Ash Ketchum, at fourteen, is the
youngest League Champion in history!"
Elation spread through him. *I did it oh my God! I did it! I did
it!*
He looked up to grin at Lance. The Dragon Master was on his
knees, gripping the railing, his shoulders shaking as if he were crying.
*Some guys just don't know how to take a loss.*
"Ash!"
He looked up. Gary, Misty, and Brock were all waving to him. He
grinned, feeling tears stinging the corners of his eyes, and waved back.
Misty was crying again, Gary was jumping up and down like he was four,
and Brock looked very proud.
"Pika pi!"
He turned to look at one small Pokemon that had taken him to
where he was now.
"Pikachu you did it again," he grinned.
"Pika," she smiled up at him.
***
"What are you going to do now, Ash?"
Ash looked over at Misty. "Dunno, probably travel around again.
I've seen a lot, but there's a lot more out there. Heading back to the
gym?"
"Yeah," she smiled, but her eyes were sad. "I'll see you
around?"
"Yeah," he grinned at her, and she burst into tears. "Uh Mist,
it's alright. It's not like we're never going to see you again."
"It's just you're so grown up!" she wailed. "And you've beaten
Lance and you've achieved your dream and...and..."
Whatever else she was going to say was drowned out in her sobs,
and she threw her arms around his neck.
"And Ash finally gets some," Gary started laughing.
Brock looked dangerously close to smacking the younger, auburn
haired boy. "Shut up."
"Am I interrupting anything?"
They all looked up, it was Lance. Misty released Ash and bowed
slightly. "No, nothing at all."
"I'm sure I was, but I guess that doesn't matter now," Lance
smiled at her, then turned to Ash. "Congratulations, Ash."
"Thank you," Ash found himself shaking hands with the Dragon
Master for the second time that day. "You're an amazing battler, and two
Dragonite's."
Ash trailed off. Lance's blue eyes narrowed, as if he were
studying the younger trainer. "We'll need to discuss your future, now
that you're the League Champion. Come with me."
"Bye Mist, bye Brock," Ash turned to his two friends. "I'll see
you around, right?"
"Just call if you need anything," Misty was crying again, but she
managed to not hug him.
"And don't be a stranger in Pewter!" Brock punched him lightly on
the arm.
"Are you all finished? Good. Come with me, Ash."
"Gary, I'll meet you in the Pokemon Center we're staying at," Ash
told his friend.
"'Kay."
"Now, Ash, you will be permitted to travel around, but when the
League competitions come around you will be expected to be here," Lance
said once they were away from the others. "We will give you a monthly
withdrawal from the League's accounts for your travels, but if you are
asked to return or ordered to stay within a vicinity, you will obey those
orders immediately, or your funding will be pulled and your title will be
passed to someone else."
"Fun," Ash muttered. "Being the League Champion is going to be a
real BLAST."
Hope that caught your interest, next chapter is more of the fun stuff!
^_^ And yes, Ash and Gary become friends again at the end of the manga.
Which was good for me, Gary is one of my favorite characters. ^_^
Don't worry, you will eventually find out everything. Eventually. ^_^
Special thanks to all my reviewers and to the wonderful person that lets
me rant myself out over the phone and e-mail, the great and wonderful
Hare-chan! Please, review! And not just "yay" or "nay", I thrive off of
constructive critism! Tell me what you think I'm doing wrong! ^_^ Ja
ne!
