Author's note: This chapter takes place in the next day, featuring Ash's match with Tad.
"Hitmonchan, go! Mega kick now!" Tad ordered.
A powerful, fierce looking Hitmonchan leapt off the bare ice field in the League Arena and aimed a kick at Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur, look out! Get out of the way!" Ash called out.
Bulbasaur leapt aside just in time, skidding a little on the sheet of ice. The Hitmonchan landed in a crouch, then began swinging its fists at Bulbasaur, trying to catch it off guard.
"Keep going, Bulbasaur! You're doing great!" Ash yelled.
The crowd cheered in excitement. Ash tried to keep cool under the intense pressure. The announcer was talking over the microphone, scrambling to keep up with the events.
"Vine whip, now! Go for the legs!" the young Pallet trainer tried desperately.
Two great, thick lengths of vine swept out of the Bulbasaur's pod on its back and wrapped around one of Hitmonchan's legs.
"Chan! Hitmon!" the fighting Pokémon cried out as it hit the floor, grunting in pain.
"Alright! Use solar beam, now!" Ash leapt up and down excitedly as the crowd roared.
"Don't give up, Hitmonchan!" Tad ordered, "Fire punch, now!"
As Bulbasaur prepared its powerful attack, the gloved hand of Hitmonchan burst into flame, and it swung at the vulnerable grass Pokémon. With a yelp, Bulbasaur tumbled over, severely weakened.
"Bulbasaur!" Ash cried out.
"Oh no, this is bad", Brock said from the crowd, sitting in between Misty and Miranda, "Bulbasaur is weak to fire attacks!"
"Well folks, the popular young Ash Ketchum did not see that one coming!" the announcer declared excitedly, "Is this down and out for Bulbasaur?"
Bulbasaur tried desperately to get to its feet, then stumbled and collapsed again.
"Oh! Bublasaur, return!" Ash recalled his friend to its Pokéball, worried.
"Ketchum is down to two Pokémon, while Tad remains firmly on three! Will Ash be able to take down this feisty Hitmonchan without losing another?" the announcer stated the obvious, grating Ash's nerves.
He tried to remain calm, watching Tad congratulate Hitmonchan. He could hear Tad's words from years ago echoing in his mind, 'There's no challenge in just matching up Pokémon by their elements. But there's a lot to be said for the element of surprise!'
Pikachu stepped forward eagerly, sparks flying from its cheeks.
Ash shook his head, "Not this time, Pikachu. Time to use a secret weapon of mine. I choose you, Snorlax!"
Everyone in the arena stared in disbelief as the rare, huge Pokémon appeared in the ice field. It snorted and grunted, and for a moment Ash was afraid it would curl up and go to sleep. But it turned and smiled at him, and then faced Hitmonchan.
"Well, Snorlax! Young Ash certainly is full of surprises!" the announcer enthused as the crowd roared in approval.
"That ball of blubber doesn't scare us, right Hitmonchan?" Tad said proudly, "Go! Use your mega punch now!"
"Hitmon!" the aggressive Pokémon leapt at Snorlax, drawing back one fist for a mighty blow.
"Snorlax, block it!" Ash suggested.
The huge paws of Snorlax intercepted the fist and gripped tightly. The Hitmonchan wheezed in pain.
"Now, throw it across the arena!" Ash said, improvising.
The massive Pokémon spun around twice, still holding the struggling Pokémon, and hurled it across the floor, sending it crashing into the sidelines. The Hitmonchan made one attempt to stand, then flopped over.
"Hitmonchan, return!" Tad recalled his Pokémon, then tossed another ball into the arena.
From the light, the muscular form of a huge Machoke formed. It glared at Snorlax, then flexed its muscles.
Ash didn't hesitate, "Snorlax, show it your mega punch!"
"Focus energy!" Ash's opponent said.
The Machoke seemed to be meditating as Snorlax's massive fist approached. It glowed with a strange red light.
"Now, submission!" Tad yelled.
The Machoke dodged the blow, then seized Snorlax's arm and twisted it behind its back, putting pressure on it. Snorlax roared in pain.
"Snorlax, shake him off!"
Ash's Pokémon struggled, throwing its massive weight around, and at last Machoke was shaken free, landing painfully on the floor. As the wrathful Snorlax charged, it scrambled up.
"Machoke, mega punch the floor! Now!"
The iron hard fist of Machoke pounded the ice surface once. A spidery crack appeared, then spread out across the floor, widening. It reached the feet of the confused Snorlax, who grunted in surprise. Then it gave way, and the ice around Snorlax shattered. The behemoth collapsed into the freezing water, struggling to remain afloat.
"Oh, no!" Miranda called out. Misty looked up at her, then stared at Ash away down in the arena.
"High jump kick, now!" Tad grinned victoriously.
Before Snorlax could do anything, the air whistled as Machoke aimed a kick at its face. Snorlax bellowed in pain as the foot crashed into its face, stunning it.
"No!" Ash despaired, "Snorlax, try to get out of there!"
Machoke swung a punch at Snorlax's round face. If there was any doubt in Ash's mind about whether or not Snorlax was going to be able to keep battling, it was erased then as his Pokémon groaned and rolled over.
"Return Snorlax", Ash said quietly.
"Tad's really tough", Misty said worriedly, "I don't know if Ash can over come that kind of brute force".
"I believe him in", Miranda replied, "Come on Ash! You can do it!"
"You've only just met him", Misty muttered incredulously.
Miranda looked at him, "Well, sorry for having a little faith".
"Cool it, you two", Brock ordered, "Ash is choosing his last Pokémon".
The baying crowd stared in surprise as Charizard was sent out. The announcer said their thoughts for them.
"Well, Charizard? The last time Ash used this fiery Pokémon, it refused to battle and lost him the League! Will it listen to him now?"
"I knew someone would bring that up", Ash growled, "I believe in you Charizard! Take down attack, now!"
"Machoke, dodge it and get ready with a punch!" Tad smiled in recognition at the sight of Charizard, knowing very well just how strong Charizard was, but confident he could defeat it this time.
In a blur of movement, Charizard shot across the arena, huge wings beating once or twice, giving it all the momentum it needed. Machoke prepared to jump aside, glaring at the approaching beast.
A few metres before Charizard slammed into Machoke, the fighting type leapt aside, raising its fist to bring down on the foe's skull. However, at the last second Charizard's twitched its tail and it changed course, ramming into Machoke and sending it flying across the arena. It crashed heavily into the sidelines, but managed to get up.
"Alright, Charizard, flame thrower now!"
A stream of flame poured from Charizard's mouth, scorching Machoke. Tad's Pokémon slumped to the floor, utterly defeated.
Misty leapt up and cheered wildly, losing restraint for a moment. Brock and Miranda stared at her, but her embarrassment faded as everyone around them joined in, thrilled by the highly staked match.
"Ash certainly has turned things around with his Charizard! What an exciting match!" the announcer was saying.
Tad looked at the Charizard, as if evaluating it. Then a small smile crossed his face and he tossed a Pokéball into the arena. A muscular, formidable Poliwrath materialized. Ash noticed it wasn't wearing the Champion Belt it had worn before, probably due to League Regulations. Charizard seemed to wince a little in memory of their previous struggle.
"I think you'll find Poliwrath will be more than a match for Charizard this time, Ash. We've been training", remarked Tad.
"Oh yeah? Well, Charizard has had some serious training too! Let's go, fly attack now!"
Charizard flapped its wings and shot into the air, then aimed at Poliwrath and plummeted down at it like a missile.
"Poliwrath. Wrath!" Poliwrath exclaimed, not needing to be told what to do, aiming a powerful water gun at Charizard, fired from the centre of its spiral.
It splashed into Charizard's face, and his course in the air was staggered. He hovered for a moment, disorientated.
"Ice beam attack!" Tad pointed at the weakened Charizard.
"Not this time!" Ash clenched a fist, "Use flamethrower to melt it!"
Fire leapt from Charizard's mouth as an icy white beam was fired from Poliwrath. They collided, and the ice beam melted with a hiss and a cloud of steam.
With Poliwrath thwarted for the moment, Charizard swooped down again. Before he could smack into it however, Poliwrath's strong arm reached out and grabbed Charizard's hand and used the fire type's own momentum against it, hurling it over its shoulder. Charizard crashed to the floor, stunned.
"We have it now, Poliwrath! Use hydro pump!"
The water type inhaled, preparing for its strongest attack, a huge explosion of water aimed at Charizard.
"If hydro pump hits Charizard, it's all over!" Misty fretted.
Ash, however, was ready for it, "Fire blast at the floor, now!"
Before Poliwrath could blast Charizard with water, an enormous inferno swept out of Charizard's mouth, aimed at the floor beneath Poliwrath's feet. The ice was melted instantly, and the Poliwrath fell into the pool of water with a splash, while misfiring with its hydro pump.
"Charizard, slash attack!"
The sharp claws of Charizard were unsheathed and he lunged at Poliwrath, aiming a powerful swipe as he took flight
"Dive, Poliwrath!"
"Wraaaaath", Tad's loyal warrior bellowed, then plunged under the water, narrowly avoiding the devastating blow of Charizard. It swam away, underneath the ice while holding its breath, and looked up at Ash's Charizard.
Ash stared, amazed by the speed of the Poliwrath and the resourcefulness of Tad, "Huh?"
"Try your hydro pump again, Poliwrath!" Tad yelled.
A fountain of water boiled from the ice, smashing a hole clean through it and roared up to meet Charizard. It caught him a glancing blow on the wing, and he started to spiral to the floor, losing control. He bellowed in surprise.
"No! Don't give up, Charizard!" groaned Ash.
Flapping desperately, Charizard could not right himself and slammed into the ice floor, roaring in pain. Poliwrath leapt out of the water and hurled himself forward, aiming a kick at Charizard's throat.
"Charizard…" Ash whispered.
Without warning, the flame on Charizard's tail erupted into a towering inferno, and he roared angrily. Leaping to his feet, he twisted to face Poliwrath and opened his mouth, and for a moment the entire arena seemed to dance with flame, twisting and crackling. The crowd shielded their eyes. Then the light cleared. Charizard was on his feet, panting for breath and looking exhausted. On the floor before it was Poliwrath, sprawled over and looking burnt. It grunted and rolled over. For what seemed like forever, everyone was silent, watching the two Pokémon rigidly.
The referee looked on, then raised his red flag, "Poliwrath is unable to battle! Charizard and Ash Ketchum are the winners!"
Ash stared, as did Charizard. Then Ash leapt into the air and yelled, "We did it!"
Charizard roared triumphantly, spouting flame into the air. The crowd hollered and cheered. Tad stared morosely, then recalled Poliwrath into its Pokéball. Eventually, he looked up and smiled at the whooping Ash.
"Well, you did it friend", he whispered.
Misty and Brock were jumping up and down too, stopping to hug each other briefly. Miranda was calling out Ash's name and waving her arms in the air in an attempt to get his attention.
She had little success in that. Ash was rushing onto the slippery ice field, followed by Pikachu. He leaped over and hugged Charizard, who looked embarrassed at first then hugged him back wearily. The affectionate exchange only enthused the crowd more, who cheered happily.
As Ash embraced his Charizard and Charizard embraced him, it occurred to Ash that he'd never felt so alive as he did right now. He was well and truly making his way through the League!
