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Part 3
Battle's End
The two Pikachu faced each other off as they awaited for their masters to give their first commands. On one side was an electric rodent that has been through many battles and competed in two Pokémon championships. One might say that Pikachu was a veteran to Pokémon Battles. On the other side was its counterpart, who happened to be wearing a headband, was a bit more muscular, and had been trained in a unique style of fighting. This electric rodent had already taken out Pikachu's friend Bulbasaur, one of Ash's more seasoned fighters. Though Raiden had yet to compete in any Pokémon Leagues, he was no slouch when it came to combat. The two Pokémon eyes continued to stare at each other. Then...
"PIKACHU! QUICK ATTACK!"
Ash's favorite Pokémon sprang forward in a blur of yellow. However, Raiden quickly glanced to his master. Ranma simply nodded, indicating that the Pokémon was free to use any tactic. Raiden stood his ground as his opponent charged in, then at the last instant, swerved to the side while lashing out with his tail. The appendage sparked with power as it slammed into Pikachu's face, knocking it back.
"PIKA!"
Raiden took a defensive stance.
"Pika. Pika, pika." ^^Not bad. Try again.^^
Pikachu shook its head as it got back to its feet.
"Hang in there, Pikachu! Show Raiden how tough you are!" Ash cheered. "THUNDERBOLT ATTACK!"
The mouse let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity that would have lit up a building. However, Raiden focused his energy and stood his ground as the attack struck home. When it ended, Ranma's Pokémon was still standing.
----------
"Whoa. Ranma's Pikachu took that attack and shrugged it off." Brock whistled.
"Actually, I don't think Raiden even felt it." Sam remarked.
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"Not bad Ash." Ranma nodded as he the addressed his Pikachu. "Okay Raiden. Show Pikachu what a real Thunderbolt Attack looks like."
"PIKA!" Raiden's electric pouches sparked once, then let loose with a huge bolt that was a real wall-shaker.
"Pikachu!" Raiden's opponent had to use every ounce of speed and agility it possessed to dodge. It winced a bit as the attack grazed one side and flashed by, scorching the ground and blasting a nearby tree, causing it to topple over into a smoking ruin.
Pikachu had a big sweatdrop behind its head as it glanced at the damage that one attack had created.
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"That was some electric attack." Misty commented in awe.
Jeanette shrugged. "Actually, Raiden wasn't really trying that time."
"What?!"
"When Raiden really gets going, he makes a Raichu look like a dead car battery."
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"Pikachu." ^^That was for openers.^^ Raiden then charged in with a speed that his opponent had rarely seen before. Pikachu tried to counter with its Agility, but that was when Raiden leapt high. Ash and his friends gasped at how high Raiden could jump as he powered up his energy and let loose with a Thunder Attack. Unfortunately for Pikachu, it was a tad too slow to dodge it completely.
KRA-BOOM!
The ground trembled as random sparks and bolts went flying everywhere. The ground became blacker from the intense heat being given off. However, when Raiden landed after ending his attack, he was very surprised to see Pikachu still standing... on its tail.
"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.
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"Impressive. Pikachu used its tail as a ground to dodge the electric attack." Ia commented.
"Yes, but it looks like it didn't dodge it completely." Jeanette pointed out.
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It was true. Though it avoided the brunt of the attack, Pikachu had still received a sizable amount of voltage when the attack spread out. It had felt as if it was battling Lt. Surge's Raichu all over again. Pikachu was a bit shaky as it got back to its feet.
"Pikachu, pika." ^^I'm impressed.^^ Raiden admitted. "Pikachu." ^^Let's get serious!^^ Ranma's sparring partner then charged in with his Agility.
Pikachu countered with its own as the two rodents darted at each other. However, Raiden had the advantage in close-quarters combat and Pikachu took several hits. When Ash's Pikachu tried to lash out with its tail charged with electricity, Raiden ducked, then countered with a sweep kick, knocking his opponent to the ground.
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"It knows how to do a Low Kick?" Brock was more than dumbstruck.
"Actually, that was a basic sweep kick." Sam said.
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"Pikachu seems to be holding out well against Raiden." Ia observed.
"So far." Jeanette agreed tentatively. "He did pretty well in the Indigo League, as I remember. Then again, it could be that Raiden is just testing out his opponent's skills. You KNOW what he's like when he goes all out."
"What do you mean?" Misty inquired.
"I mean... that." The Crimson City trainer pointed with her index finger as Raiden had decided to up the ante.
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"Don't give up, Pikachu! You can beat him!" Ash cheered on. "THUNDER ATTACK!"
Pikachu darted back to get some more fighting room, jumped, then let loose with a massive blast of electricity. Raiden however, shrugged off that blast as well, though he did feel a bit unsteady for a moment.
"Pika?!" ^^You're still standing?!^^ Pikachu couldn't believe that Raiden was withstanding every one of his attacks. It began to suspect that its opponent was really a Rock-type.
"Pika, pika... pi." ^^That one... hurt.^^ Raiden admitted that Pikachu's last attack had some bite to it, and he should have dodged it. He could see how experienced his opponent was if it was able to generate that much voltage. Ranma's Pokémon decided that it was time to finish the match. Raising one paw up, he began focusing his power. He glowed with a thin blue aura, as his cheek pouches began sparking. Electrical energy started collecting above his paw as Raiden used his ki to condense the voltage into a large ball.
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"Huh? Is that a Zap Cannon Attack?" Brock gasped.
"No... it's something a LOT worse." Sam replied.
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"THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" Ranma shouted.
"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash cried out.
Raiden leapt high again and threw out his attack like Nolan Ryan pitching a fastball. Ash's Pokémon managed to avoid a direct hit, but with Raiden's attack, even a near miss was devastating. The sphere of power exploded on the ground and sent electrical blasts like shrapnel. Several of those blasts caught Pikachu as he desperately tried to get away. However, it was at Raiden's mercy as he came down and lashed out with a flying kick.
Pikachu was sent sprawling and rolled to a stop. It tried to bravely get back to its feet, but then collapsed.
"Pikachu!" Ash ran up to his best friend and picked him up in his arms. "Are you okay?"
Raiden stood in a neutral stance as he looked up at his fallen opponent. When Pikachu stirred, Ranma's Pokémon let off a sigh of relief. He had just used enough force to do the job and Pikachu would recover.
"Pi... ka."
"It's okay Pikachu. You did great." Ash said.
"Pikachu, pikachu." Raiden said.
Both Ash and his Pikachu looked down and saw Raiden giving the both of them a respectful bow. He then addressed his defeated opponent. "Pikachu, pika, pika." ^^You fought bravely, my friend. It was an honor.^^
With these words, Raiden trotted over to his master. Sam and the others noted that he was limping slightly, favoring his right forepaw. When he got to Ranma, he started addressing him with paw signals and words. After all this time with him, Ranma understood his Pokémon pretty well.
"Pika, pikachu. Pi, pika! Pikachu! Pikachu! Pika, pi, pikachu."
Ranma looked at his Pokémon strangely and wondered if he had misunderstood Raiden's message. "Are you sure?"
"Pika." Raiden nodded while giving Ranma a wink.
Ranma looked over to Ash and Pikachu, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." He then called out to Sam. "Sam! Raiden had just told me, that last attack of Pikachu's hurt him more than he thought. He can't battle any more today. He's calling this round a draw. Both him and Pikachu are out."
"What?" Sam was confused. "But Raiden clearly won that round. The score is four-to-one in favor of you."
Ranma shook his head. "If Raiden says he can't battle, then that's the same as a loss or in this case, a technical knockout. The score is four-to-two."
Sam gazed at him for a long time, then nodded as she announced, "Raiden and Pikachu, both are unable to battle."
Ash and Pikachu were struck dumb at this turn of events. Ranma however, took it in stride as he held out another Pokéball. In the meantime, Raiden went over to where Misty, Ia and Jeanette were and sat down beside them.
Ash could only hand Pikachu over to Misty as he faced off against his opponent.
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"Pokéball, go!" Both trainers cried out as the match resumed.
"Neigh!" Wildfire reared on his hind legs as he prepared to battle.
"Snorlax!" The gigantic Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball.
"Uh oh." Ranma quickly took out his Pokédex.
*SNORLAX, THE SLEEPY POKÉMON. SNORLAX IS EXTREMELY DURABLE AND IS AMONG THE HEAVIEST POKÉMON. THEY ARE ABLE TO EAT LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD AND SOME CAN WEIGH UP TO ONE THOUSAND POUNDS OR MORE.*
It's like a Pokémon Sumo Wrestler. Well, it may be strong, but Wildfire has the advantage in speed. "WILDFIRE! SUPER FIRE SPIN!"
The flame horse instantly put on the speed and began sprinting around his opponent, leaving huge trails of flames behind it. Soon the Snorlax was engulfed in a fiery column. However, there was a huge roar within that conflagration, and the flames suddenly exploded outward as Snorlax burst free from its superheated prison. Aside from a few minor burns, it was unharmed.
"Great job, Snorlax!" Ash cheered.
"FIRE WAVE STOMP!"
The horse reared up, then brought both of its front hooves down on the ground. The earth trembled as twin fire blasts burned toward Wildfire's opponent. There was a massive explosion as the attacks hit home. Since Snorlax wasn't exactly built for speed, it couldn't dodge fast enough. The massive Pokémon was driven back several feet, but remained standing.
Whoa! It's like trying to bring down Godzilla! Ranma was impressed.
"You're doing great, Snorlax!" Ash then gestured with a hand. "NOW, MEGA-PUNCH!"
"COUNTER WITH FIRE KICKBACK!"
The Snorlax charged. As it moved forward, it reared back with a fist, which glowed with a white light. At the same time, Wildfire turned around and lashed out with both hind legs. The hooves burned brightly with flames.
BUH-WHOOM!
Both attacks hit hard as Wildfire felt Snorlax's fist slam into his back. At the same time, Snorlax felt an intense burning sensation on its chest. It was like having heartburn on the outside. Both Pokémon staggered back, but Snorlax's endurance was higher and it still had some fight left in it. As Wildfire stumbled, Snorlax readied for the final attack.
"USE HYPER-BEAM NOW!" Ash cried out.
Ranma winced as he saw The Snorlax take a deep breath to collect energy, then let loose with a huge, yellow-orange beam.
"FLAME-AURA!"
Wildfire had recently learned how to absorb energy attacks from Razor and pumped up his aura and flames to the maximum. However, it wasn't enough in his weakened condition and the Hyper-Beam overwhelmed him. Wildfire went down.
When the beam faded away, Ranma immediately ran to his Pokémon's side. "Are you okay, buddy?" The flame horse gave a slight nod with his head, indicating that he would recover. Ranma breathed out a sigh of relief. "You did fine. You earned a good rest."
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"Ranma's Rapidash is unable to battle." Brock declared. "Snorlax wins!"
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"All right! It's four to three now, Ranma!" Ash said triumphantly.
"You and your Pokémon have got spirit, Ash. I'll give you that." The pigtailed martial artist recalled his Rapidash. "Your Snorlax has a lot of muscle, but let's see if it can stand up to some mind power! Go Sea Storm!"
"Golduck!"
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"I'm interested to see how Ranma trains his Water Pokémon." Misty remarked as she admired the very fine-looking Golduck, and wished that her Psyduck would evolve.
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Ash became a bit worried as the waterfowl Pokémon appeared. The last two Golducks he had seen were very powerful, especially the one he saw during his journey through the Orange Islands. However, Snorlax was a tough battler and was resistant to many attacks. If it could just hit fast and hard, Snorlax could win this one. He only knew of one attack that could do the job.
"HYPER-BEAM SNORLAX!"
The huge Pokémon began powering up again for another blast, but Sea Storm was quicker. His eyes glowed as he grabbed hold of his opponent with his Disable Attack. As Snorlax was frozen, the water Pokémon launched into a flying kick and slammed hard into Snorlax's head. Its belly may be able to absorb physical impacts, but its head was a different matter.
Snorlax reeled back a bit as Sea Storm leapt back to get some distance. The kick had stunned his opponent momentarily, enabling the Golduck to power up for a final assault. The gem on his forehead glowed. As the Disable Attack wore off, Snorlax resumed powering up for a Hyper-Beam.
"HYPER-BEAM, NOW!" Ash called out.
"HYPER-BEAM!" Ranma called out.
Both Pokémon let loose with massive beams of energy at each other. Both attacks collided head-on and for one brief moment, they seemed to be equally matched. However, Sea Storm's mental discipline was greater and an instant later, his beam overpowered Snorlax's, which caused a backlash to occur. Snorlax caught the impact of both its own beam and the Golduck's, which caused it to stagger back. Then the Golduck let loose with his strongest attack.
"PSYCHIC TSUNAMI!" Ranma yelled.
The Golduck let loose with a huge blue blast of psychic and ki energy which engulfed the massive Snorlax like a tidal wave, sending it back. The Pokémon crashed into a grove of trees and rolled to a stop. It tried to get back to its feet, but fell back down with a thunderous clamor.
Ash gasped as he recalled his Pokémon, then said to the device. "You battled great Snorlax. You need a good nap after that."
Sea Storm was breathing hard. He hadn't had to move something that massive since Violet City. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Ranma walked up to his Pokémon and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you're too tired to battle, then I'll understand. That was a lot of Pokémon that you had to move. Do you want to stop?"
Golduck almost began shaking his head, but Ranma patted the Pokémon's shoulder. "That will be enough Sea Storm. Ash only has one Pokémon left, so I'll let Wind Rider and Bruiser handle it. Good job."
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"Ranma?" Sam called out.
Ranma recalled his Golduck and said to her, "Sea Storm won, but he put too much of a strain on his psychic powers. He won't be battling any more."
"All right, Ranma." Sam nodded then addressed the others. "The score is now five to four! Ash Ketchum has one Pokémon left. Ranma has two!"
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Ranma was confident that his martial arts Pokémon would be able to take out whatever Pokémon Ash had left as he threw out the Pokéball. "Go Bruiser!"
Unfortunately, Ash's last Pokémon happened to be a type in which Fighting-Type Pokémon had a natural weakness with.
"Go Noctowl!"
Ranma had never seen this Pokémon, so he took out his Pokédex.
*NOCTOWL, THE EVOLVED FORM OF HOOT HOOT. NOCTOWL SPECIALIZES IN HYPNOSIS, CONFUSION AND OTHER PSYCHIC ATTACKS.*
"Whoops."
Even a talented trainer can mess up now and then.
"HYPNOSIS ATTACK!" Ash cried out.
In addition to being a psychic-type, Noctowl had the advantage of being able to fly. The bird soared high and blanketed the area with hypnotic waves.
Brusier was unable to dodge and was soon under Noctowl's spell. Despite his valiant efforts to resist, the Machoke was unable to counter the attack with his opponent so high in the air. His feet began to buckle.
"GUST ATTACK!"
Noctowl let loose with a blast of wind, which made Bruiser even more disoriented.
"NOW DIVE AND TACKLE!"
In addition to being vulnerable to psychic attacks, Fighting-Types did have a weakness to air attacks as well. Bruiser could defend himself in mid-air combat, but Noctowl caught him on the ground as it slammed hard into his chest. Bruiser fell back and hit the ground hard.
Ranma rushed up to his friend and cradled his head in his arms. "It's okay, Bruiser. It was my fault. You did what you could."
"Ma... choke."
Ranma nodded as he recalled his Pokémon.
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"Not too shabby. Ash dominated that round." Ia remarked. "Ranma made a mistake of sending out Bruiser against a psychic and flying type."
"He didn't know that Ash had a Noctowl." Jeanette said. "Then again, Ash did pretty well in the Indigo League and he's got a lot of experience."
"Well now we'll see just what Wind Rider can do."
"Wind Rider?" Misty asked. "What's a Wind Rider?"
"Ranma's... secret weapon." Jeanette replied. "Even though he's newly evolved, Ash's Noctowl looks like a very tough battler and a powerful psychic-type as well."
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"Well, we're tied Ranma!" Ash said with a smile.
"That we are. Then I guess it's time." Ranma held out his last Pokéball.
"My Noctowl is ready for anything!"
"Well then... GO WIND RIDER!"
The Pokéball popped open and released Ranma's final Pokémon.
"PIDGOOOOO!"
A huge gust of wind was stirred up as Wind Rider gave his huge wings a few practice flaps. Ash and his friends gasped as they got their first look at the evolved form of a Pidgeot.
"What is that?" Ash took out his Pokédex, which had been recently updated after he had Snorlax transported.
*PIDGETON, THE BIRD POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF PIDGEOT. DISCOVERED BY TRAINER RANMA SAOTOME. NO FURTHER DATA AVAILABLE.*
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"An evolved Pidgeot?!" Brock gulped.
Ranma nodded. "Yep. And now... WIND CANNON!"
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"Wind Cannon?" Misty asked.
"Think of it as really, really, REALLY powerful Gust Attack." Ia replied.
The ebony avian gave his wings one forward sweep and generated a gigantic blast of pressurized air. Noctowl was sent shooting off and was unable to fly against such a force. Then Wind Rider took to the air like a missile.
Ash gathered his wits and called out to his Pokémon. "Hang in there, Noctowl! HYPNOSIS ATTACK!"
The bird managed to right itself and let loose with a psychic attack. However, Ranma's Pokémon simply blinked once then slammed into Noctowl with a midair Tackle Attack. The smaller bird was sent spiraling downward as its opponent came around for another pass.
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"Noctowl's psychic attack didn't affect it at all!" Brock gasped.
"Well, if psychic attacks don't work on him, then Wind Rider must be a... Dark-Type Pokémon." Sam surmised.
"Finish it off, Wind Rider! SONIC WING!"
The dark flyer used its wings to generate another blast of pressurized air, but this time, the sudden movement caused a controlled sonic boom. This caused Noctowl to become totally disoriented and it began plummeting toward the ground like a stone. However, Wind Rider had decided that he had already won the match and dove down to save his opponent. Gently catching the Noctowl in his talons, he then glided gently down toward the ground.
As soon as they landed safely, Wind Rider spread out his wings and let off a cry of victory.
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"Noctowl is unable to battle. The winner is Ranma Saotome!" Sam declared as Ash ran up to his Pokémon.
"Are you okay, Noctowl?"
The bird let off a tired hoot, indicating that it would be all right.
Ash nodded as he returned it to its Pokéball, then stood up to face off against his opponent.
Ranma patted the wing of his Pidgeton, then walked up to Ash. Holding out a hand, he smiled and said, "Good match. I can see why you did well in the Indigo League and won the Orange League Championships."
Ash clenched his fist at his sides, but decided that Ranma had won fair and square. He took Ranma's hand in his own and nodded.
"It sure was a good match. I can see why you beat Prima."
The two trainers acknowledged each other's skills and had won each other's respect.
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Later...
"It was a great battle and I hope we can do it again someday. Who knows? We may even face each other off at the Johto League."
"If we do, I promise you that I'll give you a much tougher battle! I learned a lot today!" Ash said enthusiastically. The match had given the younger trainer new inspiration to train harder. As for Ranma, he was very pleased that someone so young had such experience.
"I'm sure you will. Well, I guess it's time that we head on to Golden Rod City. I've got a Plain Badge to win."
"Good luck against Whitney!" Ash said as he, Misty and Brock began to walk down the path that was in the direction of Ecrutek City. As the trio headed off, Brock called back to Ranma.
"Ranma! The next time you see your cousin Ranko, ask her if she'd like to go out with me!"
Ranma developed a large sweatdrop as he replied, "Er... yeah. Right."
As Ranma and his friends waved farewell to Ash and his friends, Raiden easily leapt up and perched on his master's shoulder.
The pigtailed trainer smirked as he noted how easily Raiden had moved. As he began walking toward the outskirts of Golden Rod City, he addressed his Pokémon in quiet, but teasing tone. Walking several meters behind him were the girls.
"Why Raiden. I can see that your paw isn't hurting anymore."
"Pika." The mouse gave his trainer an embarrassed shrug.
"Admit it. You weren't THAT hurt, were you?"
Raiden was silent for a long while before nodding. "Pi."
"I didn't think so. I've seen you take a LOT worse."
"Pikachu?"
"Nah. I ain't mad at you for that."
"Pi?"
"Really. I think you made a good decision. Winning isn't everything."
"Pika?"
Ranma chuckled a bit at his Pokémon's bewilderment. "I guess it does sound strange for me to say that. Ash and Pokémon are a great team and I think that it was enough that they actually managed to hold out as long as they did. For me, it's not the victory, but the challenge that makes this journey worthwhile."
"Pika!" Raiden nodded his head in agreement. The fact that Pikachu actually managed to hurt him, if only a little, was proof that Ash and his Pokémon were destined to go far.
"This match has shown to me that we've got a long way to go, but as long as you and the others are with me, then we're going to make it."
"Pikachu!" Raiden nuzzled his master as he and the others neared the edge of Golden Rod City.
To be continued...
Author's notes
Well, the long-awaited match between Ranma and Ash now draws to a close. I know that many of you feel that Ranma's Pokémon should have made a clean sweep of the battle, but what would have been the point in that? This story, like all the others is to show how Ranma could change from the original series and I think that he is maturing and learning more responsibility as he continues on his Pokémon Journey. Winning at all costs is not an option anymore, since he is responsible for the well-being of his Pokémon. Furthermore, as time goes on, Ranma will see that there is more to life than just training and winning battles. And having friends that will always support him will make him even stronger. That's the real heart of this story and what makes it so enjoyable.
In the next chapter, we will see the battle between Whitney and Ranma as well as a new surprise! See you there!"