Well, here it is, the 108th part of the fourth installment in my 'Heart' series on the right day as promised. It's time for the quarterfinals of the Lumiose Conference as we move into the second day of full battles and Ash get ready to face Tierno which will of course be the main focus while the other battles are touched upon to show who wins them. There isn't much more to really say about the coming Part so that is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer here so I will leave this note off here. Do please do keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all. Anyway, that is it for this pre-Part note which means that it is once again time to sit back which and enjoy the latest installment in Winning Takes Heart. Part CLXXXVII: Battle Dance.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Part CLXXXVII: Battle Dance
"Folks, it's time for the second quarterfinal of the day and hopefully it is as good if not better than the last one." The announcer said to the cheering crowd as Ash and Tierno walked out from their starting points and towards the repaired battlefield that was raising before them. "We all expect it to be an intense battle and we can't wait for it."
The announcer wasn't wrong, Ash thought, as he walked out, the first quarterfinal hadn't been much to watch. Despite Lyra making the Indigo semifinals the year before she'd been utterly outmatched by Paul, only managing to take down his Electivire and even then only after revealing that she had a Key Stone hidden under the bow on her hat and corresponding Mega Stone in her Venusaur's flower. That had been her 3rd Pokémon however and after that Paul sent out his Avalugg and beat it. From then on it dominated Lyra's remaining Pokémon.
It was hard to watch but at least Paul didn't say anything scornful to Lyra during the match, and Ash noted that he had actually praised Electivire after its loss which was good of him, though he did dismissively turn and leave after he won when Lyra tried to walk out to shake his hand. It showed that Paul had grown up a bit since before and wasn't as condescending as he'd been in Sinnoh though he still had a long way to go, and Ash just tried to reassure a dejected Lyra when she passed him after the match, but she didn't notice.
Hopefully Khoury could cheer her up when she returned to the stands for the rest of the matches. He was her boyfriend so likely could do so and then they could decide what to do going forward once the Lumiose Conference was over.
However, Ash had to push that out of his mind as he made his way to his starting box and focus on his upcoming battle with Tierno as this was going to be a tough match in deed. Ash still didn't fully understand Tierno's style and while he'd beaten Tierno once before back in an electric type festival they'd found in Joule City, that had been a one-on-one match between Ash's Pikachu and Tierno's Raichu. This was a full battle so going to be tougher, but Ash was ready for it, he'd spent the night before planning for it so he knew that he could win it.
"Well Ash, looks like we've got another battle on our hands." Tierno said as he danced a bit in his starting box as the crowd cheered. "And I won't lose this time."
"I don't intend to lose either." Ash said with a smile. "And I've been looking forward to testing myself against your style for a while now. One battle with just one Pokémon each wasn't enough to properly gage it, this will show me more of what you can do."
"And I've heard so much about you from May that I can't wait to face off against a full team of yours." Tierno said. "You showed a lot of skill yesterday for sure, but I will beat it though; I will do better than I did in the Grand Festival."
"Bring it because I'm looking to improve on my last performance in a Conference." Ash said with a grin. "So, nothing short of complete victory will suffice for me."
"Folks this is going to be a doozy of a battle, I'm sure of it." The announcer cut in as the crowd roared in anticipation of what was to come. "The underdog has to be our Kalos boy Tierno from Santalune City and that's saying something because Tierno made it this far last year before losing to Sawyer in a thrilling quarterfinal match. He's also made it to the quarterfinals of the Grand Festival showing that he's a rare two-way trainer, but can he go further?"
The announcer paused at this question and the crowd gave a loud cheer at it that Tierno danced to which only got the cheer to increase in volume. He was one of three home region trainers left so naturally he had a lot of support, and his fun style and dancing really got the crowd going which only made his support grow. Add in that he had made the quarterfinals in the Grand Festival as well and he was well known by this point in Kalos. Of course, so too was Ash and the announcer quickly moved onto him as the crowd began to die down.
"Well, I am sure his opponent will have things to say about that because he's up against one of the two big favorites this year." The announcer continued. "That's because he was the Indigo runner up last year and has won all his battles with little difficulty, even that impressive final preliminary battle wasn't as tight as it looked in the end, so he's really made a name for himself in the Lumiose Conference. So, give it up for the man who revealed fairy types to the world in this round last year in his native Kanto, it's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
At this the crowd gave another huge cheer that easily rivaled Tierno's while Ash's own cheerleader section did their and performed a routine for Ash though Serena was much more muted than the others if one was to look closely at them. Regardless, it was clear that they were all looking forward to this match and Ash wasn't going to let them down.
"Looks like the crowd is ready." Tierno said pulling out a Poke Ball while doing a little jig in the process. "Let's give them a good show Ash."
"Agreed." Ash said not pulling out a Poke Ball thus tipping his hand, but he had a strong feeling he knew who Tierno would start with hence why he had opted to not take out a Poke Ball. "Let's get this started."
"Alright it's time to start the second quarterfinal." The announcer said as the images and Pokémon bars for Ash and Tierno appeared on the screen and the crowd roared loudly at his words. "Battle begin."
"Raichu, let's dance." Tierno said tossing out exactly the Pokémon Ash expected.
"Pikachu, I choose you." Ash said pointing out as his second full battle of the Lumiose Conference began.
"Raichu, start us off with Focus Blast." Tierno said.
"Quick Attack." Ash countered as Raichu began to focus her mind. "Use it to dodge that Focus Blast if Raichu gets it off in time and then a second to hit her."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as he ran at Raichu at full speed.
He'd faced this Raichu before and won so he knew that he could do it again. While he never wanted to become a Raichu he always enjoyed battling his evolved form and showing that he was better than a Raichu was and today was going to be no exception to that.
In this opening salvo the moves were on Pikachu's side thanks to the nature of Quick Attack and his own speed as he tore at Raichu and reached her just as she finished forming the Focus Blast. As such he used his smaller size to get under where the Focus Blast was formed and slammed his head into Raichu's gut at full speed winding her, driving her back and causing her to shoot the Focus Blast upwards and harmlessly into the sky. Ash grinned as he pressed this advantage.
"Iron Tail." Ash called out.
"Avoid it with Dig." Tierno countered as Pikachu pressed forward and leapt at Raichu.
Raichu was still winded by the Quick Attack and Pikachu exploited that moment with his flip to bring down his now steel tail onto Raichu's head to drive her into the ground with a crash. It wasn't very effective, she was resistant to steel type attacks after all which made this battle a bit of a slug fest, but Ash would win it regardless, he and Pikachu knew it.
Despite the hit, Raichu still rolled with it and dug down into the ground to get clear of Pikachu. Most of her moves other than Dig were ranged attacks so she and Tierno had come up with a strategy for this matchup. Go for range to wear Pikachu down while also trying to trigger Raichu's Static ability whenever Pikachu went for a close rage attack.
After either of those happened they could then attack with Dig which was their best move as it was super effective on Pikachu and thus they should win it if they could land a Dig alongside a move like Focus Blast. If need be though they'd use Dig to escape and then burst out for a counter as they couldn't use it directly on Pikachu until Pikachu couldn't break the ground like he'd shown he could do as a way to disrupt a Dig attack. Of course, Tierno was facing Ash so nothing would be as simple as that.
"Pikachu focus just like we learned in Sinnoh." Ash said and Pikachu instantly got low to the ground and felt for the vibrations that would be Raichu returning. "As soon as you feel it use Thunderbolt the moment that Raichu bursts out of the ground."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as he focused.
This wasn't going to be as straightforward as when they'd first discovered this counter to Dig as back then there was gravel and rock chips on the ground that Pikachu was able to use to easily predict when the move would happen. This time, however, he was going to get low to the ground and use his body to sense for vibrations to predict when the move will end and prepare his Thunderbolt accordingly.
Usually, he'd just strike the ground with his Iron Tail to disrupt a Dig attack, but he didn't know the direction that Raichu had fled in. Pikachu's Dig counter was better for a direct attack, so he was going on sense as his cheeks spark ready for Thunderbolt. This would come down to vibrations and a slight tingle of electricity from his fellow electric type the moment Raichu burst from the ground, along with Pikachu's training, and finally that came as he sensed it off to one side.
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as he leapt up to be clear of the ground just to be safe and turned to the area, unleashing his Thunderbolt at it.
As he did, Raichu burst from the ground now clear and ready to use Thunder, Focus Blast, or Charge Beam on Pikachu. What she or Tierno weren't ready for was the flash of electricity that suddenly shot through the air and slammed into her chest as she was clear, frying her with a wail though she was at least resistant to her own type, so it wasn't too bad of a hit to take. It was a surprise though and Ash kept up his pressure.
"Quick Attack." Ash said as Raichu was still falling to the ground.
"Focus Blast." Tierno said as Pikachu charged the moment he landed back on the ground as Raichu hit it after taking his Thunderbolt. "No matter what, land it."
Pikachu knew that he had this one as he dashed forward and closed on Raichu as she rolled across the battlefield. He still had the advantage and used that as he leapt up and slammed his head into here before she stopped moving thus sending her tumbling over the battle even more. However, this time Raichu was ready and rolled with the blow as she focused her mind and then unleashed her mental energy at Pikachu the moment she came to stop facing him not even bothering to get up after the blow.
Before Pikachu could react the ball of fighting type power hit him in the face and blasted him back across the battlefield further putting distance between Pikachu and Raichu. Ash grit his teeth, but he knew that this was nothing to Pikachu and Pikachu himself knew it as well as his cheeks sparked.
"Thunderbolt." Ash said.
"Pikachu." Pikachu roared as he discharged his attack while still in the air.
By this point Raichu had managed to get to her feet but Ash's order came out before Tierno could get a counter order off or before Raichu could move as the flash of lighting tore across the battlefield to slam into her side and she knew that it was the end of her day at that. Even with her resistances, two strong Thunderbolts, an Iron Tail, and two Quick Attacks were just enough to take their toll on her, and she passed out as she rolled away from the second Thunderbolt.
Pikachu too hit the ground hard and rolled on impact however when his roll ended he rose to stand on his hindlegs hurting but still in the battle. Raichu didn't rise, she just lay there on her side with swirls for eyes.
"Raichu is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side of the battlefield the image of Raichu next to Tierno's name went gray to show that the first battle of the match had gone to Ash and Pikachu. "Pikachu is the winner."
"Raichu, return." Tierno said.
"Pikachu, come on back and take a break." Ash called out the moment Raichu was recalled ensuring that Pikachu would still be out of the battle for at least one matchup and Pikachu agreed turning and scampering back as he needed a break before the next one. "You've done well so catch your breath, if I need you later I'll call upon you again."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod as he returned to Ash's side and turned to look at Tierno and support his teammates in their own coming battles. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Well looks like that Pikachu is still as strong as ever but I will beat it today." Tierno said having thanked Raichu and pulling out his second Poke Ball as Ash did the same with his second Pokémon of the battle. "But I'm game for a fresh pairing. Hitmontop, let's dance."
"Talonflame, I choose you." Ash said as he threw out his Poke Ball a fraction of a second after Tierno.
Both Pokémon burst from their balls and appeared on the battlefield facing each other, Hitmontop on his feet and moving slightly with the fluid grace of a fighting type to prepare for the battle, Talonflame hovering in the air ready for the battle to commence. Talonflame had the edge here but he knew that anything could happen in a battle so he was prepared for whatever might come.
"Brave Bird." Ash called out going for power right off the bat.
"Stone Edge." Tierno countered showing that he'd taught Hitmontop a defense against flying types, that was incidentally even stronger against Talonflame than most flying types thanks to him also being a fire type, since the Grand Festival though that did make sense given how many Ash had. "Show Ash that we're ready for his flying types in this battle."
"Show your flying by dodging it." Ash said as Talonflame tore at Hitmontop as fast as he could his body now cloaked in a blue aura.
Hitmontop for his part just slammed his fists down on the ground and suddenly a series of rock spikes shot up from it and at Talonflame as he tore at Hitmontop. Tierno had taught this move more to honor Serena as she and Pancham had used it against Hitmontop in the Wallace Cup, and he'd been inspired by how she'd used it in the Grand Festival semifinals, but it also had the advantage over flying types that they needed.
He'd also expected to face Ash or Trevor who both had multiple flying types in the Lumiose Conference so this way Tierno was ready for them should Hitmontop end up against say Ash's Noivern or Trevor's Charizard. Of course, anyone else could have a flying type as well so this was for any potential foe and clearly that preparation had paid off.
Unfortunately for Tierno and Hitmontop, they had never actually faced one of Ash's flying types before and they weren't so easy to beat with a simple eruption of rock spikes as Talonflame showed by speeding through them like a slalom in an impressive display of precision flying all the while maintaining his Brave Bird. Then, at the end he rounded the last spike and was right on Hitmontop before he could react, slamming his wing into the fighting type's gut doing significant damage while taking the recoil at the same time.
Hitmontop let out a wail of pain, but he surprised Ash by holding onto Talonflame's wing as Talonflame rose up rather than be blasted to the side as Ash and Talonflame were expecting however Tierno was grinning at this. Hitmontop didn't have many ranged attacks so they had to get up close and personal to win battles and after the way Serena showed him how hard it was to do so, Tierno and Hitmontop had adapted to ensure it and that meant grabbing Pokémon when you could. When that happened Tierno knew just the move to use.
"Close Combat." Tierno called out.
Hitmontop grunted and then brought a knee up and into Talonflame's chest as the held onto Talonflame's wing for dear life. The blow winded Talonflame and Hitmontop used that grab Talonflame around the neck and swing his body around so that he was on Talonflame's back as he began to unleash his Close Combat into Talonflame's back as he effectively road the Scorching Pokémon.
All Talonflame could do was caw in pain and frustration as he was brought down to the ground with a crash that launched Hitmontop off his back. Hitmontop simply twisted in the air and flipped to land on his head as he began to spin so that he arched around and was already in position to attack Talonflame as soon as possible. Tierno saw this and instantly capitalized on it.
"Gyro Ball." Tierno called out.
"Stop it with Steel Wing." Ash called out as Talonflame rose from the ground to hover just over it and Hitmontop began to spin rapidly at him the moment he had the attack order.
Talonflame grunted as he flapped his wings and shot forward and at Hitmontop. That Close Combat had hurt though he was resistant to the type and thus he was easily still in this fight, so he was going to make this Hitmontop pay for it and riding him like some mount without his permission. With a caw he turned his wings to steel and shot at the spinning Hitmontop now using Gyro Ball.
A second later the two steel type attacks met with a clang as Hitmontop continued to spin as fast as he could against the wing that Talonflame had pressed against him, and sparks seemed to fly from the constant impacts. It only lasted a moment before the moves broke against each other and the Pokémon were sent flying back, Hitmontop spinning uncontrollably until he hit the ground on his side thus breaking his spin and rolling away while Talonflame flipped back and up in the air. Both trainers saw this and gave their next orders at the same time.
"Stone Edge." Tierno called out.
"Overheat." Ash said.
Talonflame began to glow bright red as he heated up, but Hitmontop was a shade faster as he flipped up mid roll to land on his feet before using his momentum to pitch forward and slam his fists into the ground as he slid back. A series of rock spikes shot up and at Talonflame as he got himself under control and opened his beak to unleash his Overheat at maximum power.
A spike of rock slammed into his chest as the Overheat was expelled, shifting Talonflame's body up and causing the blast of fire to shoot out at a higher angle as Talonflame was hit by a move that he was weak to with both his types reminding him of all the blows he'd taken against that Gigalith a few days ago. As Talonflame careened out of the air and to the ground the fire harmlessly shot over Hitmontop. Tierno grinned as he expected this to be the end, but Ash had faith in his Pokémon and gave the order as Talonflame was falling to the ground.
"Brave Bird." Ash said.
"Talonflame." Talonflame caws as his body suddenly seemed to ignite with the blue aura of Brave Bird and he angled his wings to get his fall under control, turn it into a dive and shoot just over the surface of the battlefield at Hitmontop as the Stone Edge vanished giving Talonflame a clear path to his foe.
"What, damn, I shouldn't have gotten cocky." Tierno said realizing his mistake. "Avoid that with Gyro Ball."
Hitmontop too was surprised that the Stone Edge hadn't ended Talonflame, but it was because of the Close Combat wasn't that effective on Talonflame that had allowed Talonflame to survive the Stone Edge and ensured that he could now fly straight for Hitmontop as he began to spin. Hitmontop was fast but Talonflame was faster, and his body slammed into Hitmontop with a caw and a boom as before Hitmontop could get clear of him.
The collision drove Hitmontop into the ground and sent a plume of dust into the air covering both Pokémon. Neither trainer had any idea what was going on until the dust settled to reveal Hitmontop on his back at the end of a skid grove with Talonflame lying on top of him with his wings spread and both Pokémon with swirls for eyes. For Talonflame the end had been the recoil of the Brave Bird that had done him in, for Hitmontop it had been the damage of the second super effective Brave Bird that had done it for him thus resulting in a tie.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle." The ref declared not raising his hands as the images of Talonflame and Hitmontop went gray on the jumbotron at the same time to indicate that they had knocked each other out. "This matchup is a tie."
"Talonflame return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon as Tierno did the same with Hitmontop. "You were great out there, gave it your all and even survived that Stone Edge to ensure that we could take out Hitmontop in the end even if you fell as well. Take a rest, you earned it. We've still got plenty of battle left and I don't intend on losing."
"Neither do I Ash." Tierno said having finished his own thanks and put away Hitmontop's Poke Ball to take out his next one. "So, bring on your next Pokémon."
"Oh, I indent to." Ash said as he too put away his Poke Ball and pulled out his third Pokémon of the battle and tossed the Poke Ball out in a smooth motion before Tierno threw out his own Pokémon. "Hawlucha, I choose you."
"Oricorio, let's dance." Tierno said at the same time and then grinned as he realized who Ash had sent out. "Oh man did I get the matchup this time. I know you've met this Pokémon before because Trevor told me of the Baile Style you met during that fire festival he met you at but mine is in the Sensu Style which means that its primary type is ghost."
"I've trained against ghost types." Ash said with a grin as the two dual flying types burst out with Hawlucha standing in a ready stance before Ash and Oricorio gently hovering before Tierno. "So, I can still face it with Hawlucha."
Ash was right in that, but he also knew that as a dual ghost and flying type this Oricorio would be a really big challenge for Hawlucha because of its flying type. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to rise to this challenge, and he knew that Hawlucha would do the same.
At least this answered what type Tierno's Oricorio was, Ash had wondered about as it was different to Kahili's fire and flying type Oricorio and couldn't be the one that Surge had said he caught when they met him at the electric festival as that was a Pom-Pom Style if Ash recalled correctly. Ghost made sense with this one and so it was going to be a tough battle as Hawlucha only really had one effective move as two of his moves wouldn't work and his third was resisted by both of Oricorio's types.
Still, he was going to give it his all and if Hawlucha lost then Ash had just what he needed to take down this Oricorio. Of course, it had to beat Hawlucha to force Ash to beat it that way and Ash and Hawlucha were going to make it as difficult as possible for Oricorio to win this battle.
"Aerial Ace." Ash ordered to start the matchup.
"Revelation Dance." Tierno countered as Hawlucha began to run at Oricorio with his wings spread.
Oricorio didn't let out a sound, but she did fly towards her foe as Hawlucha's wings began to glow with flying type power. As a flying type she understood the nature of Aerial Ace well even if it wasn't her own move, so she knew she was going to get hit. However, that would work to her advantage as she could then land her own counter and really show off in the process.
Hawlucha for his part didn't know that this was coming, he just focused on charging in and then leapt and glided at Oricorio when Oricorio took to the air to avoid the attack, angling his wings such that he shot upwards and a second later slammed into her chest with his left wing. The success of the move only lasted a moment however as once the Aerial Ace ended Oricorio countered.
Even in the air she was a graceful dancer, it was in her nature to begin with, but Tierno brought it out even more as she danced around as hard and gracefully as she could, striking Hawlucha with her wings and legs as they fell from the air to crash into the battlefield as the move ended. Due to her being in Sensu Style at the moment the attack was a ghost type one so average effectiveness, but it was still strong as the move ended though neither Pokémon were near their limits yet.
"Aerial Ace." Ash said again as soon as Hawlucha hit the ground. "Force Oricorio off you."
"Mirror Move." Tierno countered as Hawlucha's wings glowed with flying type power. "We've got this Oricorio."
Oricorio cawed in agreement before Hawlucha's right wing shot up and smacked her in the neck he rose. The force of the blow sent Oricorio flying back in the air but as she spun she opened her wings and with an elegant aerial dance got herself under control before diving down and then skimming over the surface of the battlefield her own wings glowing now as she copied the Aerial Ace with her Mirror Move.
Before Ash or Hawlucha could process it she slammed her left wing into Hawlucha's chest just as he'd done to her with his first Aerial Ace and sending him backwards and away from her with a wail from the super effective attack. She soared up and around in the air after the hit as she awaited her next order to keep pressing her advantage over Hawlucha.
"That's it Oricorio now finish this with Hurricane." Tierno called out.
"Dodge that and use Aerial Ace again." Ash said as Hawlucha hit the ground and rolled away from Oricorio. "I know you can do it."
Hawlucha grunted in agreement as he came to a stop, got up and began to charge at Oricorio once again, wings spread and glowing. It was the only useful move he had in this battle, and he was going to use it to win, he knew it. Unfortunately for him Oricorio had her own plans as she stabilized herself in the air above and beat her wings as fast as possible. Suddenly a fierce wind whipped up around Hawlucha as he ran and wrapped him up mid stride before he realized what was going on.
All Hawlucha did was let out a startled gasp before he was launched directly upwards and into the sky, his red and green upper body clear in the fierce wind that had done this as Oricorio backed off while still in the air. This lasted for a moment before the Hurricane died down and Hawlucha crashed to the ground with a boom that kicked up dust around him.
It took a moment for the dust to settle but when it did Hawlucha was lying there on the cracked ground in a heap with swirls for eyes. Two super effective flying type attacks, one of which was really strong, and the Revelation Dance had been too much for him in the end though at least he'd made sure that Oricorio hadn't won this battle without taking a good amount of damage in the process.
"Hawlucha is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Tierno's side as Hawlucha's image went gray on the jumbotron. "Oricorio is the winner."
"Hawlucha return, you did well, and we will win it now." Ash said recalling Hawlucha for his planned quick change and as soon as Hawlucha was away in his Poke Ball and Ash had returned it to his belt he gave the order as he pointed out to the battlefield. "Pikachu, Quick Attack."
"Huh?" Tierno asked confused, as did many watching as Pikachu without hesitation ran out to rejoin the battle and charged at the airborne Oricorio who just serenely hovered there not too phased by this at all. "But that's a normal type attack? Why are you using that, I told you that Oricorio is a ghost type so that won't work on her."
Ash and Pikachu didn't say anything to that, didn't even smile as Pikachu charged before he leapt up and at Oricorio who just stayed where she was. Of course, they knew that it was a normal type attack, that was the whole point of this, it was a strategy they'd used in the past accidentally and which Dawn had once used on Ash's Gengar deliberately so this time they were going to do just that to use it to their advantage.
It would also allow then to use Pikachu's newest move that he'd shown Ash he'd learned after yesterday's win. It was a move that Ash quickly had ideas for how to use to his advantage in unique ways in battle and which would work especially well on flying types who's mobility usually gave them an edge despite Pikachu having the advantage as an electric type but not anymore.
"Now Pikachu." Ash said as Pikachu passed harmlessly through Oricorio and then turned in the air to face his opponent his whole body sparking as he knew what was coming. "Electroweb."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said excitedly as he blasted out a, well, net of electricity down and at Oricorio.
Oricorio had been confused by the use of a normal type attack on her, but the moment Pikachu was behind her she turned as Pikachu's trainer gave the order and she realized how dire the situation that she was in actually was. However, there wasn't much she could do about it other than squawk in surprise before the net of electricity that had been sent at her ensnared her and she was captured by it.
The electric type attack was super effective on her but worse she was actually entangled in the net that brought her down to the ground with a soft thud thus reducing her mobility tremendously. This would prevent her from flying and dancing which were her best ways of avoiding electric type attacks and that was about to be shown with the follow up order now that Oricorio was trapped by the Electroweb.
"Thunderbolt." Ash said as Pikachu fell to the ground.
"Get that off you with Hurricane." Tierno said as Pikachu sparked and grinned at his opponent.
Oricorio tried but she was stuck in the unfamiliar move and before she could do more than get to her feet Pikachu blasted off a bolt of electricity that flashed across the distance and slammed into Oricorio as she was in the electric net which only seemed to amplify the Thunderbolt. She let out a high-pitched caw of pain as she fried before she fell back and the Electroweb fell from her as it had served its purpose and ran its course but by that point she was out of it and just lay on her side smoking slightly with swirls for eyes.
"Oricorio is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side as Oricorio's image went gray on the jumbotron showing that Tierno had now lost half of his Pokémon. "Pikachu is the winner."
"Oricorio, return, you did well and got us back into it by beating Hawlucha, but we fell for one of Ash's strange tactics that May used to always praise when she spoke of him." Tierno said recalling his Pokémon as Pikachu scampered back to Ash's side though he made no attempt to recall Pikachu as Tierno quickly changed over his Pokémon. "We won't fall for that again. Politoed, let's dance with Earthquake."
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash said as Tierno tossed out his Poke Ball, his order keeping Pikachu in the battle as Ash had expected following his own quick change, so he was going to make the most of the quick change and a Pokémon like Politoed was a bad matchup for Pikachu even if it knew a ground type move. "That's going to hurt but I know that you can push through it to land your attack."
Pikachu had to turn around as he was still running back to Ash's side when Politoed was sent out to face him, cheeks sparking, as the green, other final evolution of Poliwhirl burst from its Poke Ball and struck the ground with its fists upon landing. As it did the ground shook and Pikachu knew that he would be lucky to hold out against a super effective attack like this, but he pushed through it as it hit him so that he could fire off his Thunderbolt. If he was going to go down then he would do so with a hit that would help his team.
The Thunderbolt shot across the battlefield and struck Politoed in the face causing him to wail in pain, but he rode it out as he kept up the Earthquake until the end of it as he knew that he had the health to withstand an electric type move and was using his best counter against the type. Pikachu for his part stood through it all, but he wasn't fully evolved, and he'd taken that Focus Blast against Raichu, so the Earthquake was just too much for him and as it ended he fell forward with a thud to lie on his chest with swirls for eyes.
"Pikachu is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Tierno's side as Pikachu's image on the screen went gray bringing the match back to a tie with both trainers down half a team while Ash hurried out to pick up his friend and carry him back to place him next to him in the trainer's box. "Politoed is the winner."
"You were great Pikachu." Ash said as he carried Pikachu and laid him down not caring if Tierno swapped out or not as he was sure all of his remaining Pokémon could handle Tierno's remaining ones. "Won two battles for us and made sure that that Politoed paid for beating you which will help the team out just as a full battle should be conducted. Clever of Tierno to teach Politoed a ground type attack to counter electric types though and it's good to know going forward. Rest up, we're going to win it."
"I do have to avoid my weaknesses and Politoed is trained to counter both of his weaknesses." Tierno said as Ash looked to him pulling out his next Poke Ball only to find that Tierno had used the time Ash had spent with Pikachu to recall Politoed and was holding his next Pokémon ready. "But that was just to beat Pikachu as that was the best I had against him, I've got to be ready for your other Pokémon, so a quick sub out is necessary."
"Not bad but I think you'll regret that." Ash said as he threw his Poke Ball out. "Goodra, I choose you."
"Ludicolo, let's dance." Tierno said throwing his own Poke Ball out a second later and grinning as both fully evolved Pokémon burst from their balls and landed before their trainers. "And I don't think so, Ludicolo, Blizzard."
"Dragon Breath." Ash called out as Ludicolo formed the powerful ice type attack in his mouth. "Cut through it and land the attack."
"Goodra." Goodra said as he too opened him mouth as the Blizzard was sent at him.
This was a tactic they'd discovered worked well against ranged attacks that weren't 100% accurate and the again they'd use it to their fullest as Goodra waited a moment before unleashing the gust of Dragon Breath from his mouth. To Tierno and Ludicolo's shock, the attack parted through the Blizzard like a wide wedge sending it harmlessly to either side of Goodra before it barreled down and slammed into Ludicolo where he stood.
The power of dragon type attacks was that while only strong against their own type, only steel resisted while the new fairy was immune to them for some reason, so it was guaranteed to do average damage to Ludicolo. Of course, it was far from enough to take him out and Tierno knew it.
"Ludicolo, Solar Beam." Tierno called out. "Dance to avoid any attack."
"Goodra, Sludge Bomb." Ash countered. "Make sure it hits no matter how good of a dancer Ludicolo is."
"Goodra." Goodra said as Ludicolo began to absorb sunlight and dance around his side of the battlefield in the process.
It was a clever tactic that really played into Tierno's style and allowed for a powerful charging move to be used without much fear of taking damage in the process as it would work well against close range attacks and singular ranged ones. However, that was why Ash had gone with Sludge Bomb, well that and that it would be super effective on Ludicolo, because it was more than one ball of sludge. It was multiple and Ash knew that Goodra would land at least one as he concentrated on the toxins in his body and watched the dancing Ludicolo before him.
Goodra was very good with his poison type move, he had to be to one day use it to beat that evil fairy who'd taken over his home, effectively exiled him, and scared his friends with her minions of bug types. Ash had made him strong and no longer afraid of fairy types, he'd even beaten a fairy type in the past, so this dancing grass and water type was going to be easy by comparison as he opened his mouth and shot out the balls of sludge the moment he had Ludicolo's rhythm down.
Ludicolo was well trained and danced like a pro and managed to avoid a few of the balls of sludge that were sent at him, but Goodra had his moves down and fired one to force him to move to where Goodra wanted him to move and right into the path of the final ball of sludge. This hit Ludicolo in the face and he howled in pain from it but wasn't poisoned though the hit was super effective. It was also just as he got enough of the sun's energy and was able to blast the powerful grass type attack from his mouth at Goodra.
"Ice Beam." Ash said to counter it. "You can do it."
Goodra roared as he formed the ball of ice in his mouth and then blasted it out at Ludicolo right after the Solar Beam was blasted him. What happened next was, well, interesting to say the least. Thanks to the heights of the Pokémon the two beam attacks didn't collide but rather the Ice Beam flew above the Solar Beam so that both struck home with the Ice Beam doing average damage as it struck Ludicolo in the forehead while the Solar Beam doing half damage to Goodra as it hit him in the chest and both Pokémon staggered back from the hits they'd taken.
Had Goodra had the Sap Sipper ability it wouldn't have been of any effect, but he didn't and frankly in Goodra's mind his Hydration ability was much more useful. Regardless, he pushed through the hit as Ludicolo danced around to recover from his stagger but both Pokémon were still in it and their trainers knew it.
"Blizzard." Tierno called.
"Sludge Bomb." Ash said. "You can do it Goodra."
"Goodra." Goodra said as he focused on all the toxins in his body one more time as the ice type attack was blasted out at him by Ludicolo.
This time Ludicolo had stopped dancing around to ensure that the Blizzard was on target so Goodra just angled his neck back and arced the Sludge Bomb in the air, using the Blizzard that was coming at him to ensure at Ludicolo wouldn't be moving but knowing what was coming and bracing for it. The Blizzard hit a moment later and Goodra wailed from the super effective attack but as he was taking it, the Sludge Bomb crashed down right on top of Ludicolo before he could move and exploded covering the area in purple, sludgy, mist.
When it cleared Ludicolo was on his back, arms in their usual position and swirls for eyes while Goodra still stood though he knew he wasn't going to last much longer after the hits he'd just taken though he was sure that he had a few hits still in him. Still, he'd won it and roared at that.
"Ludicolo is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side as Ludicolo's image went gray on the jumbotron. "Goodra is the winner."
"Ludicolo return." Tierno said recalling his Pokémon and the moment it was gone Ash had his own Poke Ball out for a fast sub out just in case as he was sure that both of Tierno's remaining Pokémon, and Ash was positive that one he'd not seen yet was Tierno's Blastoise, knew ice type attacks. "You did well, now…"
"Goodra, return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon. "Take a break, you earned it and if I need you, you will be back in this battle."
"I see you're going to switch again." Tierno said as he finished pulling out a Poke Ball that he was clearly trying to go for the quick change and tossed it out. "Well, I'm not using my best yet so let's see what you have that can beat the one you already know about. Politoed, let's dance again."
"Lucario, I choose you." Ash said tossing out Lucario's Poke Ball and already knowing what was coming based off the last time Politoed had been used and the types that Lucario had so Ash was on top of it right away. "Aura Sphere and follow it with Bone Rush. Whatever happens, stay on your feet. I know that you can do it Lucario."
"Earthquake." Tierno called out knowing just what to use against Lucario, it was the same as for Pikachu because steel types were also weak to ground type attacks and it confirmed Ash's suspicions.
Lucario barked in agreement as he formed the ball of fighting type power in his paws and shot it at Politoed the moment he got Ash's order. As soon as it was out he charged after it, the aura bone appearing in his right paw as he ran and Politoed raised his hands and bent down to strike the ground to impart his Earthquake attack into it.
Instantly the battlefield began to shake again but Lucario grit his teeth and drew on Ash's passive aura for strength as he ran over the shaking ground, his speed slower and taking double damage thanks to his weakness to ground type attacks but he'd endured this before and he'd do so again as he pushed through it to get to his opponent.
As he did, the Aura Sphere which wasn't affected reached Politoed and slammed into his face as he crouched on the ground causing him to groan in pain as he was pushed back shaking his head. That was just what Lucario needed as the shaking stopped, he was still on his feet and moving forward, and pressed his advantage over the last few feet.
Before Politoed or Tierno could react, Lucario brought his bone down right onto the top of Politoed's head as Politoed rose from his crouch before swiping it from side to side striking each cheek as Politoed tried to back up. After the third blow Lucario spun the bone in his hand and launched it upwards to strike Politoed under the chin and lift him off his feet before raising the bone high above his head and bringing it down for the 5th and final strike into Politoed's chest, driving the Pokémon into the ground in the process with the max 5 blows that could come from a Bone Rush attack.
Lucario panted as he backed up and looked down at his latest foe and grinned. Politoed may have been able to survive and Aura Sphere and 5 strikes from a Bone Rush had he not taken that Thunderbolt from Pikachu earlier. Pikachu had ensured that Lucario could finish this battle quickly and the Aura Pokémon grinned as he looked down at the Frog Pokémon laying on the ground with his arms spread, mouth open and tongue out and swirls for eyes showing that once again Lucario had won.
"Politoed is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side as Politoed's image on the jumbotron went gray showing that Tierno only had one Pokémon left in this battle "Lucario is the winner."
"Politoed, return and rest, we'll beat that Lucario now and come back into this battle, I know it." Tierno said recalling Politoed and quickly switching with an order to once again force Ash's Pokémon to remain in the battle though Ash actually had no intentions of recalling Lucario though the speed of the change did prevent Ash from commanding Lucario back to his side which would help Tierno right away. "Blastoise, let's dance with Skull Bash."
Tierno's Blastoise burst from his Poke Ball with a roar right in front of Lucario, lowered his head, and brought it up to slam it into Lucario's chest with Skull Bash before Lucario could even let out a bark of surprise at the hit. The blow wasn't that effective thanks to Lucario's resistance to normal type attacks, but he was forced to leap back with the blow to continue to get clear and that was just what Tierno needed.
"I knew that I'd need all that I can bring to the table to beat you Ash so now it's time." Tierno said as he leapt up and did a one-handed handstand with his legs at right angles and raised his finger to the anklet he wore where his Key Stone was, a matching anklet with a glowing gray Mega Stone with a blue and brown swirl in it on his Blastoise though Blastoise didn't dance with him. "It's time Blastoise, break out your best dance moves and Mega Evolve."
Instantly the Mega Energy shot from Tierno's Key Stone and Blastoise's Mega Stone and connected in midair. A second later Blastoise began to change as he grinned at Lucario knowing that his power was about to boost though Lucario just grinned back at the challenge he was about to face and eager to face it just like he'd done against that Mega Medicham the day before.
Blastoise didn't grow in size though he his body did lower forward as the two cannons on his back shifted up to a new part of this shell and formed one giant canon there as the shell thickened and rose at the back. At the same time two smaller shells appeared on the backs of Blastoise's forearms with smaller canons appearing there as well. Lastly his face became sharper with a pointed chin and more pronounced ears.
As soon as that was done Tierno flipped back to his feet and Mega Blastoise roared as the color faded. Unlike some of the Mega Evolutions that Ash had seen in the past, Mega Blastoise didn't change color though the shells on his forearms were the same color as his normal shell. Still, it was an impressive look and Lucario just grinned more at his latest foe.
"We will beat you Ash." Tierno said. "Blastoise, full power time, Hydro Cannon."
"Lucario block it with Metal Claw." Ash said as Mega Blastoise leveled the cannon on Lucario. "Then use Reversal during the cool down. We will have a moment during the cool down so we must capitalize on it."
Lucario barked in agreement as he got his arms up in a cross guard and the pair of steel claws formed there as they always did just as the powerful blast of water was sent at him. At this range he knew he couldn't avoid it, so he had to block it with his Metal Claw before he used his strong counter.
The problem was that this was one of the strongest water type moves out there being blasted at him by a fully evolved water type that had just been Mega Evolved which boosted Blastoise's attack power even more. Even with Lucario's strength and drawing on Ash's passive aura it was just too much for him as the Hydro Cannon hit and then broke past his Metal Claw guard with ease.
The force of the water slammed into Lucario's face and blasted him back with a yelp that was quickly drowned out. Lucario hit the ground hard, bounded and rolled towards Ash but as he did he felt Ash's love and strength through his passive aura that he knew so well and instantly Lucario drew on that.
As he'd done many times before, he used that passive aura to give him just enough strength to stay conscious and still fight in a situation where most Pokémon would be knocked out but as Lucario proved many times, he was not most Pokémon, especially not with a trainer like Ash. Still, Lucario knew that he was as close to fainting as he could be without actually fainting and that made him grin as he slowly got up from the ground the that the Hydro Cannon end his fur soaking and body battered but still able to fight and now Mega Blastoise couldn't move.
That was perfect for Lucario who barked his defiance at not being knocked out and charged at Mega Blastoise with the last of his strength, his speed boosted by Ash's passive aura. In seconds he reached Mega Blastoise and unleashed upon him a full powered Reversal with all the power that he could bring to bear.
All Mega Blastoise could do was stand there and take it as Lucario pounded Mega Blastoise's face and chest with the relentless attack. However, even at maximum power, Mega Blastoise wasn't weak to fighting type attacks so he was able to endure the Reversal and the moment that he could move Tierno gave the order.
"Skull Bash." Tierno said.
Lucario had just finished the attack and stepped back to try and get some distance as he panted from the effort he'd used in his Reversal when Mega Blastoise lowered his head and then drove it forward and into Lucario's chest for the second time that battle. That was too much for Lucario to take after the other moves he'd been hit with and he let out a final yelp as he was tossed backwards and landed on his back, arms spread and swirls for eyes.
"Lucario is unable to battle." The ref announced raising a hand to Tierno's side as Lucario's image went gray showing that Ash had Goodra, and a still unknown Pokémon left though everyone present knew what that Pokémon was. "Mega Blastoise is the winner."
"Lucario, return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon with a smile knowing he had a moment with Tierno on his last Pokémon, so he took it to thank Lucario for all his hard work in this battle. "You were great out there, really gave it your all to ensure that we will win, and I promise we will win now. Take a break, we will defeat Tierno without losing another Pokémon."
"We will see Ash." Tierno called out as Ash put away Lucario's Poke Ball and pulled out his next one. "I've been looking forward to this matchup, let's see who's fully evolved water starter is better. Amusing that I have the Kanto one and you the Kalos one when we are from the regions that the other's Pokémon are starters in."
"True but if you want Greninja then you'll have to earn him, and I intend on winning this battle without resorting to his power." Ash said as he tossed out his Poke Ball. "Goodra, come on out again and use Sludge Bomb."
"Goodra?" Tierno said surprised by that but shaking his head as Ash's dragon type returned to the battle. "Well, we've got just the thing for that Pokémon. Ice Beam Blastoise."
"Dodge it and land that Sludge Bomb." Ash said as Goodra focused on the toxins in his body as soon as he landed on the battlefield for his second battle of the day.
"Sweep it." Tierno said as the ice was formed in Mega Blastoise's big cannon. "Make sure we hit it."
Goodra understood and took off to the side as the blast of ice was sent at him, timing it such that he moved right before the ice would have reached him so that Mega Blastoise would have to play catch up to him as he ran diagonally to the side. At the same time Goodra kept his eyes on Mega Blastoise and unleashed his Sludge Bomb as he ran showing impressive coordination and training while Mega Blastoise swept the Ice Beam after him.
Thanks to Mega Blastoise using the Ice Beam and focusing on hitting Goodra with it Goodra was able to send all his balls of sludge at an unmoving target so that they struck Mega Blastoise in the side of the face, left arm, and side of his body. The blows also staggered Mega Blastoise forcing his Ice Beam up and away to ensure that it missed just before it would have hit Goodra.
However, the best part of all this was the line of purple that appeared beneath Mega Blastoise's eyes to show that he'd been poisoned by the Sludge Bomb's potential side effect. That was confirmed a second later when he shuddered from it.
"That's it Goodra, Dragon Breath." Ash said as Mega Blastoise shuddered from being poisoned.
"Ice Beam." Tierno called out as Goodra came to a stop, inhaled and then exhaled a gust of dragon type power.
Mega Blastoise repositioned himself to level his main cannon on Goodra as the Dragon Breath reached him and grunted through it but as he wasn't a dragon type he wasn't weak to the attack and was thus able to endured it, barely, but he managed it and focused on Goodra as the ice formed in his cannon. A second later it shot out and this time Goodra couldn't move out of the way in time, so he took the super effective ice type attack to the chest with a wail of pain.
Ash grit his teeth at that and Goodra fell to a knee, one eye closed and grimacing from taking a second ice type attack but he showed his training and resilience by riding it out but at this point pretty much anything would take out Goodra. Still, Goodra was going to give it his all until the end to ensure that Greninja was able to come in and quickly end this oversized tortoise with military grade armaments it seemed.
However, before either trainer could give an order a second bout of poisoning rocked Mega Blastoise and that was it for him. Mega Blastoise had taken too much damage across his two and with a groan he fell forward to crash into the ground, head to the side, arms and legs spread as he lay on his chest with swirls for eyes. A second later the Mega Evolution fell to confirm the defeat.
"Blastoise is unable to battle." The ref announced raising a hand to Ash's side as the final image on Tierno's Pokémon line went gray showing that he'd lost all of his Pokémon. "Goodra is the winner. Tierno is now out of Pokémon, so the winner of the second quarterfinal is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
"Folks what a battle!" The ref announced as the crowd roared and Ash and Tierno recalled and thanked their Pokémon now that the battle was over. "We expected it to be good, but Ash really showed his stuff there by only needing 5 Pokémon to defeat Tierno and advance to tomorrow. We still haven't seen that Greninja transformation since the last 32 but now that he's in the semifinals so we should see it there. Folks, that is it for the morning battles, so it is time for lunch. We will resume in an hour's time with Max verses Trevor in what should be another great Hoenn verses Kalos match."
Ash just ignored the announcer as he put Goodra's Poke Ball away and walked out onto the battlefield, Tierno doing the same. At least this wouldn't be rushed given the lunch break as the trainers made their way to the center while the people in attendance began to head to the concessions, bathrooms or to just stretch their legs after an exciting morning session of battles.
"I still have a long way to go to be at your level Ash." Tierno said as they reached the center of the battlefield, and he held his hand out to Ash. "You easily beat me there and you didn't even need to use your Greninja and its special ability against me."
"I had him just in case, but as I said I don't want to rely on him too much, a full battle is a team endeavor after all, so you only win as a team in my book." Ash said as he took Tierno's hand and shook it. "I will need him tomorrow for sure though so he's going to be ready for that."
"I can't wait to see him in action again." Tierno said as they ended the handshake. "And then Trevor and I are going to take on Kanto regardless of how he does in the Lumiose Conference. We have Kanto starters, it's time to see that region and grow more as trainers while we are there. Who knows, maybe I'll do Contests there again as well they were good training after all."
"Well, I wish you luck." Ash said. "It's a great region and you'll really grow there. The gym leaders will challenge you in ways you'd never imagine and stop by Pallet Town to see Professor Oak, he'll help a lot."
"I will, I'm looking forward to traveling outside of Kanto." Tierno said. "And good luck Ash, if Trevor doesn't beat Max I'll be rooting for you in the semifinals."
"Thanks." Ash said with a nod before they both turned and headed out.
Again, Tierno had lost in a quarterfinal, but he'd learned a lot from it and seen how good Ash was with a full team. Ash was certainly a lot better than Tierno was and there were few who he felt could challenge him so he couldn't wait to see how Ash did in the rest of the Kalos League and then he was going to go to Ash's own region of Kanto and try his hand there. In time though, he still had the rest of the Lumiose Conference to enjoy after all.
For his part Ash just picked up Pikachu who was slowly coming to and headed to the exit and to the waiting room to watch the other battles with Greninja. He'd give Pikachu and his Pokémon to Nurse Joy before then so that she could take them to get healed for tomorrow during the afternoon session as Ash watched it in the waiting room.
Ash couldn't wait for that or who he faced as he neared his goal of winning the Lumiose Conference. Only one more win and he'd be in the final, it was time to prepare because Ash wouldn't fall short this year, he knew it.
Paul wasn't in the waiting room when Ash reached it after his win over Tierno, which wasn't unsurprising as you didn't have to be here and Paul wasn't a social guy, so he just loaded up a plate with the free food provided to trainers in the Lumiose Conference, let out Greninja to join him, and settled in to enjoy the remaining two battles. He'd help cheer up Lyra latter following her tough loss to Paul but for now Ash was going to eat, relax with Greninja, and focus on the afternoon matches to see who joined him and Paul in the semifinals.
He knew that at least one friend would be there, and his gut told him who it would be before the match started. That was confirmed after lunch when Max and Trevor went down to the line in their battle that culminated in a Mega Charizard v. Mega Gardevoir battle but in the end Max had clearly learned from facing Ash's Charizard and won it to advance to his first ever semifinals.
Ash congratulated his friend and former traveling companion when he joined Ash in the waiting room still amazed at victory to watch Remo face off against Jeffrey. It was a strong performance by Jeffrey but in the end he just didn't have it against Remo who won with two Pokémon to spare in the end, his Garchomp and Rhyperior, and advanced to his second straight Kalos semifinals and looking for that second straight finals berth.
"Well folks, the quarterfinals are in the book, and we have our semifinalists." The announcer said as the images of Paul, Ash, Max, and Remo appeared on the screen while Ash and Max watched the TV from the waiting room and Remo just remained on the battlefield to see who he was facing in the semifinals. "It's the three trainers who made it to a Conference or Cup final last year and the rising trainer Max ready to give it their all in tomorrow's semifinals. Those matchups will be…"
At that the random draw happened for the final time in the Lumiose Conference and Ash and Max watched the cards get blown by a win and then spin and blow over the screen randomly until they stopped. Then they flipped over, and the crowd roared at the matchups drowning out anything the announcer had to say.
"Well, looks like we will finally face off in a Conference." Max said looking to Ash, the boy he idolized and looked up to more than any other trainer would now be his opponent in the second semifinal of the Lumiose Conference tomorrow. "I had hoped to face you in a finals, but this will do."
"Same." Ash said smiling at Max before he finally recalled Greninja and they headed to the exit. "See you tomorrow, rival."
Max looked pleased at that as he'd always wanted Ash to recognize him as a legitimate rival which he'd just done, and Ash smiled wider as they went their separate ways the moment they left the waiting room. Ash was heading back to the Lumiose Gym to meet up with Dawn, Serena, and Miette as he was sure May would opt to go elsewhere tonight given the matchup while Max when back to Clemont and Bonnie's father's home where he was staying with Bonnie and her father.
The Lumiose Conference was entering the penultimate day and Ash would face off against Max with a spot in his second consecutive final and possible a matchup with Paul if he beat Remo in the first semifinal. Ash couldn't wait as he retired for the night and got ready for the semifinals of the Kalos League.
Another day, another round, another full battle in the books and once again Ash has advanced to and now has the semifinals coming tomorrow and he gets to face Max in a proper Conference battle there. I always intended for Ash to face Max in a full battle in the Lumiose Conference, I wouldn't have brought Max to Kalos otherwise, but I debated which round to have the battle in between the quarterfinals and semifinals while also trying to decide who Ash would face in the other of those two rounds, and the last 16 but that was less relevant to this debate. In the end I planned this before finishing XY and still went with the semifinals as it just felt better and had more on the line, I just tailored the rest (mainly Remo) to XY and with how Ash faced Sawyer in the semifinals in XY it just confirmed to me that Max was best there. Now they will get a chance to battle without any fancy rules or predetermined lineups, this will be teams they grew this year going at it with a spot in the final on the line. Lastly, I know I didn't use Greninja at all in this chapter and the main reason for this is that I don't want Ash to rely too much on Greninja in the Lumiose Conference the way we kinda saw in XY, I wanted Ash to advance to the semis without using Greninja or at least using him sparingly and he has as he only used Greninja once and briefly to beat an already injured Poliwrath. Do not worry, Greninja still has a role to play, I just wanted Ash's other Pokémon to shine before then and even XY showed it with how Ash used Hawlucha to beat Astrid's Mega Absol in the quarterfinals. Anyway, that is all I really have for this Part, tomorrow's will be out at the same time as we continue with the semifinals of the Lumiose Conference. As always please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next tomorrow.
Stringdog