Episode 112: Fighting Dragons with Dragons

Ash against Ryu. Heala against Hakamo-o. Both sides stand completely still. We find ourselves in the midst of a fierce battle. Ash and Ryu are locked in a battle of powerful Dragon Pokémon. So far, Ash has used Gible and Goodra, while Ryu has used Garchomp and Salamence. Goodra may have fell, but only after pushing Salamence to its absolute limit. And now Heala and Hakamo-o take the field, as this riveting battle continues.

A breeze blows across the battlefield, a rocky wasteland covered in towering stone pillars. It feels as if this silence could last indefinitely.

Then Ash breaks it. "Heala, use Dragon Claw!"

"Healala!" Heala lunges at its foe, brandishing sharp and glowing claws.

Ryu promptly commands, "Protect!" Hakamo-o raises its arms in a defensive posture before it body, projecting a green barrier in front of it. Heala's attack hits the barrier, forcing Heala to bounce backwards. "Follow it up with your own Dragon Claw!" Hakamo-o drops the shield and leaps at the downed Heala to slash with its claws.

Ash shouts, "Out of the way, Heala!" Heala uses its tail to help it quickly get back up, and it leaps up and over the incoming Hakamo-o, performing an acrobatic front flip as it does so. "Now Cross Poison!" Heala hits the ground, spins around, and claws at its opponent, forming a purple X.

Seeing this leads Team Rocket, who's hiding nearby, to spontaneously cheer, "Alright Heala!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

Ash states, "Well, it looks like both of us have stuck to the same strategy we developed with our Pokémon for our last battle. Then this battle is going to come down to who's advanced their strategy more."

Ryu promises, "That will be us. Hakamo-o, use Scale Barrage!" The Pokémon turns around and sends scales from its body hurtling towards Heala in a rapid-fire barrage.

"Dodge it, Heala!" Heala runs parallel to Hakamo-o in its attempt to avoid the attack.

Ryu asserts, "Don't relent. Keep on attacking until you hit." The Pokémon continues to launch scales from its body, tracking Heala's movement.

Heala keeps on running, looking nervous that the attack might land. It takes cover behind a pillar.

Ryu motions for Hakamo-o to stop and shakes his head in disapproval. "I see some things don't change, no matter how much you train."

Ash dares, "If that's what you think, then how about getting in close? We'll show you what's different."

"We will. Hakamo-o, get back there and use Dragon Claw!"

"Hakaaaa!" Hakamo-o lunges back to where Heala ran to attack with its claws, but claws through air, as Heala is nowhere in sight.

Ryu gasps. "What?"

"Haka?"

Ash grins. "Got you. Dragon Claw, now!"

"Healala!" Heala shouts triumphantly from the top of the pillar, apparently having climbed up while out of view. It leaps down, brandishing its claws, ready to bear them on its opponent as it lands.

Realizing there's no time to dodge, Ryu shouts, "Hold your ground! Bide!"

Hakamo-o braces itself and becomes cloaked in an aura of white light. Heala's attack slams down on Hakamo-o, inflicting great damage, but also causing the white aura to strengthen.

Ash scowls as he considers the implications of the Bide. He warns, "Heala, as long as Hakamo-o is using Bide, it can't attack back! We have to deal as much damage as we can before it's fully charged. If we can knock it out first, the Bide will be meaningless! Go, Cross Poison!"

Heala attacks with its slashing X of poison, launching Hakamo-o into the air.

"Follow up with Venoshock!" Heala then leaps up and attacks from above with a wave of purple fluid. This knocks Hakamo-o back down to the floor. "And now Dragon Claw again!" Heala aims its trajectory so it lands on top of Hakamo-o again, and once again rends with its claws. "And Ice Fang!" Heala bites down on Hakamo-o's arm with glowing white fangs. Frost spreads out from where it bit down.

At this point, Hakamo-o's white aura fiercely burns across its body. Ryu shouts, "It's time! Unleash your Bide!"

Ash's eyes widen, apparently not expecting this so soon. "Get out of there, Heala!"

But Heala biting down on Hakamo-o makes that difficult. It tries but is unable to release its grip before Hakamo-o funnels all of that white aura into an intense beam of white energy that blasts Heala back, dealing significant damage.

Ash shouts in concern, "Heala!"

Heala is sent flying all the way across the field, slamming into a pillar on the opposite side of the field. The entire pillar shakes.

This gives Ryu an idea. "Hakamo-o, bring down the pillar!" The Pokémon leaps at the pillar and delivers a powerful punch to the base, just above where Heala landed. It then leaps back as the entire thing begins to topple down.

Ash panics. "Heala! Get up! Get out of there!"

Heala, still weak from the last attack, looks up to see the falling rocks. Its eyes widen in terror, as it realizes that there's no way it could get out of the way in time. In moments, it's covered entirely by the falling debris.

Brenda gasps. "Oh no…"

Team Rocket is outraged. Jessie shouts, "That's a foul!"

James shouts, "Come on ref! That was an illegal move!"

Meowth yells, "Give him the red card!"

Brock begins to raise an arm to declare Heala unable to battle, but Ash objects, "No, not yet! Give Heala a chance! We're not done yet!"

Brock isn't sure what to say. He looks questioningly towards Ryu. Ryu responds, "Give it a chance." Brock nods.

Ash encourages, "Come on Heala, I know you can hear me! I know you're under there, fighting to get out! You can do it! I promise you! I know you're scared right now, but you don't have to be! You're one of the strongest Pokémon I know! You have a resolve like no other! You can get out from under there! Just think about it, Hakamo-o is sitting out here, waiting to continue your battle! Don't let it end like this! Don't let Hakamo-o beat you so easily! Show it your true strength! Show it your determination!"

Spurred on by Ash's words of inspiration, Heala can be heard shouting, "Healaaaaaaaaaaa!" A strong white light shines through the cracks of the rock pile.

Brock says under his breath, "No way…"

As the light grows stronger, the pile of rocks begins to rumble. Then the pile explodes. Left behind is Heala, glowing an intense white. Heala begins to grow larger and stands up on its hind legs. Its shape begins to change shape and form. Its hind legs turn thicker, its tail grows larger, its front legs become more like arms, and so on. The white light shatters off Heala, revealing its new form. It shouts, "Moooooooodo!"

The new Pokémon resembles a bipedal Komodo dragon with a long, thick tail, muscular legs, and powerful jaw with sharp fangs. Like Heala, it's mostly colored an earthen green color, but with the occasional streak of purple, especially on its back, where they form a shape reminiscent of a caduceus.

Ash says with wonder, "Woah…" He grabs his Pokédex.

"Curemodo, the Antivenom Pokémon and a Dragon and Poison Combo-Type. It no longer produces its own venom, in favor of its antivenom. However, its fangs and claws are coated in bacteria that consumes the antivenom. If one is bit or scratched by this Pokémon, this bacteria acts in the same way as a venom. Evolves from Heala at level 38."

Ash shouts, "That's awesome, Heala! You evolved into Curemodo!"

"Mooooodo!"

Team Rocket collectively chant, "You say you want an evolution! Well, you know, we all want to change the world!"

Ryu is actually grinning in anticipation of the challenge to come. He challenges, "Well, come on then. Show me what your new Pokémon can do."

Ash grins back. "We'd be more than happy! Curemodo, let's show them your new and improved Cross Poison!" Curemodo's claws glow purple as it leaps at Hakamo-o, ready to renew the battle.

Ryu calmly counters, "Dragon Claw."

The claws of the Pokémon collide. Hakamo-o blocks Curemodo's initial swipe with one arm, and then slashes its foe with the other. But Curemodo is ready, and leaps back just enough to avoid the follow up attack, and then launches one of its own, crossing its arms to create the poisonous X. Hakamo-o is knocked back by the sheer power of the attack. When Hakamo-o gets back up, it grimaces in pain. A purple blush appears over its face.

Brenda gasps. "That last attack poisoned Hakamo-o!"

Ash grins, knowing that this gives him the advantage. "Curemodo, use Venoshock!"

Brock thinks, Ash remembers that Venoshock inflicts double damage when used on a poisoned target. Things are looking good for him.

As Curemodo launches a wave of toxic fluid, Ryu commands with slightly more energy than usual, "Quickly, protect." Hakamo-o raises its barrier, which splits the poisonous wave around it. The unintended side effect is that some of the fluid clings to the shield, obscuring vision.

And the moment the barrier drops, Curemodo leaps in from the side to attack with Dragon Claw.

Ryu scowls. Energy starting to enter his voice, Ryu orders, "Use Scale Barrage!" Hakamo-o turns to Curemodo and launches its scales in a rapid-fire projectile attack.

Curemodo manages to sidestep the attack as Ash orders, "Ice Fang!"

Since Hakamo-o is still in the middle of the attack, there's no chance of dodging. Now fully into this battle, Ryu shouts, "Bide, now!" Hakamo-o switches attacks just in time to absorb the brunt of Curemodo's biting attack.

Ash grins, knowing that this isn't going to go like last time. "Venoshock, go!" While still up close with Hakamo-o trapped in its jaws, Curemodo launches its purple liquid from its mouth, enveloping Hakamo-o entirely. It manages to escape Curemodo's grip and leap back, but it looks very much worse for wear. It's panting, barely able to stand.

Ash is ready to finish it all off. "Ice Fang again!" Curemodo leaps forward again, but this time, instead of the usual icy teeth, it's two top fangs grow longer and glow purple.

Brock gasps. "That move! It's Detox, Curemodo's signature move! When that move is used against a poisoned target, it heals it, but inflicts massive damage! Even more than Venoshock!"

Curemodo bites down with its elongated fangs and sends pulses of purple energy straight into Hakamo-o.

"Hakaaaaaa!" Hakamo-o's poison is removed, but it doesn't matter. It falls limply to the ground as its white aura dissipates.

Brock raises an arm and announces, "Hakamo-o is unable to battle!"

Ash runs out onto the field and hugs Curemodo. "You did it! You evolved, learned a new move, and beat Hakamo-o! This is amazing! Great job Curemodo!"

Curemodo happily cheers, "Modo!"

Team Rocket has been brought to tears of joy. James says, "Our little Heala did it. This is what we trained it for, and it did it. I'm so proud."

Meowth points out between sobs, "But it's not our little Heala anymore. No, now it's our big strong Curemodo."

Jessie sobs, "What an amazing sight that was. A battle for the record books."

Brock advises, "The trainers will refrain from entering the battle field while the battle is in progress."

Ash stops hugging Curemodo and chuckles. "Yeah… right… sorry." He runs back to his position.

Brock smiles at him.

Ryu has recalled Hakamo-o and looks deep in contemplation. He certainly is full of surprises. This round should have been in the bag for me. It would have been, if not for the last-second evolution. And it's not just that. Using a Gible against a Garchomp, that Gible knowing Draco Meteor, having a contingency plan for Outrage, using his Pokémon's confusion to its advantage. It's clear now, I can't underestimate Ash. The only thing that can be expected is the unexpected. Okay then. He produces his next Pokéball. "Garchomp, back to battle!"

Garchomp appears, still looking damaged from before, though better after its rest. "Gar!"

Ash asks, "You good to keep going, Curemodo?"

"The Pokémon affirms, "Mododo!" It leaps from one foot to another, throwing several punches through the air, just like it used to as Heala to show its eagerness to battle.

Brenda objects, "But Ash, Garchomp is a Ground-Type! It's super-effective against Poison-Types!"

Ash looks to her and says, "This battle goes far beyond type effectiveness! Curemodo's on a roll, and it's got to keep its momentum up. No way I'm calling it back now!"

Ryu nods. This seems to confirm suspicions he had. He wastes no time ordering, "Garchomp, use Sand Tomb!"

Garchomp slams its arm into the ground, sending a shockwave through ground, directed at Curemodo.

Ash shouts, "Curemodo, jump!"

Curemodo leaps off the ground in an attempt to avoid the attack, but once the shockwave makes it directly underneath the Pokémon, the ground itself erupts upwards and physically grabs Curemodo out of the air, entombing it a prison of sand. Only its head is left uncovered. It struggles to free itself, to no avail. "Mooooooodo!"

Ryu further orders, "Get in close and use Dual Chop!"

As Garchomp leaps in to attack directly, Ash is forced to think fast. Inspiration hits. "Curemodo, use Venoshock! Glancing blow from above!"

With its head free, Curemodo is able to launch the attack. At first glance, it seems completely ineffective, as it just rolls off Garchomp's back. But that seems to be all Ash wanted. The glancing blow forces Garchomp to aim low, so when its attack does hit, it hits the midsection of the Sand Tomb. The sand not only absorbs the brunt of the attack, but the attack causes the consolidated sand to crack open.

Ryu realizes his mistake as Ash shouts, "Dragon Claw, go!"

With the weakened structure of the Sand Tomb, Curemodo is able to burst out and score a direct hit on Garchomp with Dragon Claw.

As Garchomp staggers back, Ryu orders, "Dual Chop while you're still close!" Garchomp swings forward to regain its balance and prepares to swipe at Curemodo.

Ash yells, "Spin and use your tail!" As Garchomp moves forward, Curemodo spins to slam its tail into Garchomp's legs, causing it to lose its already shoddy footing. Garchomp lands flat on its face. Ash cheers, "Yeah! Now Dragon Claw, one more time!" Curemodo lashes its claws at Garchomp's back.

Garchomp cries out in pain, and then goes limp, prompting Brock to raise an arm and declare, "Garchomp is unable to battle!"

Brenda jumps for joy and exclaims, "Ash just took the lead!"

Team Rocket all hug each other. James exclaims, "That's two for Curemodo!"

Ryu recalls Garchomp and immediately pulls out his next Pokéball. "Haxorus, to battle!"

"Haaaaaaax!"

Ash encourages, "Alright Curemodo, we can take them!"

"Curemodo!"

Ryu jumps right in. "Haxorus, use Dragon Dance!" Haxorus glows an intense red as it begins twist and twirl its long body.

Ash laughs. "Dancing? Alright, you can dance if you want to, but we're going to battle! Curemodo, use Dragon Claw!" Curemodo runs at Haxorus to attack with its claws.

The dance concludes, and Ryu orders, "Dodge." With a tremendous burst of speed and agility, Haxorus leaps out of the way avoid the attack. Curemodo was not expecting this speed and ends up running straight into the stone pillar that was behind Haxorus.

Brenda exclaims, "Woah! I knew Dragon Dance increased speed, but that's crazy!"

Ryu declares, "Dragon Dance again." Haxorus performs its mystical dance again, this time with faster and more fervent motion.

Ash realizes he can't let this happen. "Put a stop to it! Venoshock!" Curemodo spins around and pulls off the attack as fast as it can manage. The attack does hit Haxorus, but only as it's just finishing the dance. Ash instantly understands this is bad news. "I don't care what he orders, be ready to dodge whatever comes next!"

Ryu comments, "It will make no difference. Let's finish this. Guillotine." The axe blades on either side of Haxorus' face glow an intense white and grow several times larger in size. With blinding speed, Haxorus lunges at its foe. Curemodo attempts to dodge, but just as Ryu warned, it's no use, Haxorus is now much too fast to be dodged. It reappears behind Curemodo and clamps down with its glowing axe like pincers. As soon as the energy of the blades make contact with Curemodo, it falls to the ground.

Ash shouts, "Curemodo!"

Brock declares, "Curemodo is unable to battle!"

Brenda gasps. "It's a one hit K.O.!"

Jessie shouts angrily, "That's a foul!"

James rages, "That was clearly an illegal maneuver!"

Meowth yells, "Give that Pokémon a red card, ref!"

Who's that Pokémon!?

Trainers this Pokémon trusts will be allowed to experience its distinctive flavor and aroma firsthand by sampling just a tiny bit of its tea.

Ash reluctantly recalls Curemodo. He says to its Pokéball, "I guess we couldn't keep the streak up indefinitely. You did a great job, Curemodo. I'm proud of you." He looks at Haxorus and thinks, Alright, any Pokémon I send out could fall to that Guillotine attack. I need a strategy… After thinking it over, I know, let's give it a smaller target. With such big pincers, I bet it will have trouble landing its attack. Without hesitation he swaps Pokéballs. "This time it's for real, Gible!"

Gible appears for the third time in the battle. "Gible!"

Ash immediately orders, "We need a deterrent, use Draco Meteor as fast as possible!" Gible charges its Draco Meteor in an impressively fast time.

Ryu tries to preempt it, "Finish this fast, Guillotine."

As Haxorus makes its move at Gible, the energy orb of Draco Meteor explodes in the sky, sending the cascade of meteors hurtling towards Earth, except for one of them that flies off in the same direction as the last stray.

The following meteors force Haxorus to dodge as it runs, slowing it down enough for Gible to track its movement. Ash shouts, "Great, now use Draco Fang from behind!"

Gible leaps up and over Haxorus and falls onto it to latch on with its glowing fangs.

Ryu commands, "Get it off with your tail." Between dodging the meteors, Haxorus whips its tail up at its back to knock Gible off. "And now Guillotine again." Haxorus turns to attack the grounded Gible.

Ash hurriedly shouts, "Gible, get away with Dig!" Just as Haxorus is about to clamp down on Gible, Gible digs into the ground, leaving nothing but dirt and rocks for Haxorus to clamp on to.

At this point, the Draco Meteor has stopped falling, allowing Haxorus to divert its attention to locating Gible. It looks around carefully. Ryu advises, "Stay still and feel for its vibrations in the ground. You're fast enough to dodge any surprise attack it may send at you.

Ash shouts, "Gible, do it!"

Haxorus senses vibrations coming from its left, so it leaps with great speed to the right, but as it lands, Gible erupts from the ground to uppercut Haxorus with Rock Smash. "Gible!"

With some actual surprise, Ryu asks, "What was that?"

Ash grins. "Gible launched an attack underground to create false vibrations, so it would know exactly where you would dodge to. None of your speed matters when we have a trick like that."

"That's the last hit like that you'll be getting. Guillotine, again." Haxorus attacks once more, and this time, with no Draco Meteors to slow it down, Gible has no shot at dodging.

Despite this, Ash tries to order, "Use Dig!" Gible tries to dig out of the way, but it doesn't work this time. Haxorus clamps down on it, instantly knocking it out.

Brock promptly declares, "Gible is unable to battle!"

Brenda sighs. "So much for Ash taking the lead, Ryu just took it back."

Ash recalls Gible. "Don't worry Gible, I won't let your effort be wasted." He pauses. "Okay, looks like we're going to need to match speed with speed if we want to beat Haxorus."

Knowing exactly what he's suggesting, Pikachu steps forward. "Pika."

"You up for this, Pikachu?"

"Chu."

"Okay then, Pikachu, I chose you!" Pikachu runs out onto the field.

Meowth comments, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but win this, Pikachu!"

Jessie asks with confusion, "Why would you say that?"

James points out, "Isn't it clear? Pikachu needs to avenge our fallen Curemodo."

"Oh. In that case, take it down, Pikachu!"

Ryu does not look enthused by his next opponent. "Let's just get this over with. Take care of this quickly." Haxorus doesn't even need to be told what to do. It leaps at Pikachu while preparing its Guillotine.

Ash is ready for this. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" At extreme speeds, Pikachu flees from Haxorus. The two Pokémon run around the field at speeds too fast to be comprehend normally.

Ryu is the first to realize the futility of this, and commands with annoyance clear in his voice, "Switch to Dragon Pulse." Haxorus stops running and attacks with a sphere of green-blue energy.

Ash counters, "Pikachu, block it with Thunderbolt!" Pikachu leaps up and twists its body around in mid-air to face Haxorus and its attack. "Pikaaaaa chuuuuu!" The force of Pikachu's electricity causes the Dragon Pulse to explode and dissipate. Pikachu keeps up the attack, and it keeps on going until the bolt strikes Haxorus, delivering a powerful shock. Haxorus manages to mostly withstand the attack.

Fresh off of this, Ash orders, "Now let's deal with that speed! Use Electroweb!" From its tail, Pikachu flings an orb of electricity that explodes into a spiderweb of lightning.

Ryu responds, "Cut through it with Night Slash." The edge of Haxorus' axe blades are coated with shadowy aura as it uses one of them to slice through the incoming web, causing the two halves to fly off in either direction.

Ash shouts, "Get it from behind!" Pikachu leaps up and over Haxorus, performing a mid-air summersault as it does so. As it comes out of the flip behind Haxorus' back, it flings another web.

"Slice through again." Once more, Haxorus cuts straight through the web, once more sending two halves of the webs moving away from each other.

Ash encourages, "Keep on going, Pikachu! From every angle!" Pikachu leaps from spot to spot, moving to all different kinds of angles, flinging an Electroweb from each vantage point. Like before, Haxorus keeps slicing through them, preventing itself from becoming entangled in any of them.

Ryu quickly grows tired of this. "Enough! Put an end to this nonsense. Guillotine, again."

Ash grins. "Quick Attack, again!"

Once more, both Pokémon take off at high speeds as Haxorus attempts to chase down Pikachu and clamp down with its blades. It quickly becomes apparent that Ryu has miscalculated. Haxorus ends up running straight into an Electroweb spread out across the ground. Once on top of the web, it finds its feet stuck to the ground.

Ryu gasps. "What?" He looks around and realizes that the entire field is covered in Electrowebs, the result of Haxorus slicing through the attacks. Each half of the cut web would land somewhere else on the field, leaving them littered all over the place.

Ash grins. "Perfect! Great job, Pikachu! Now let's put an end to this with your most powerful Hallowed Lightning!"

Pikachu stops running, turns to face its foe, and begins to charge intense electrical energy. "Pikaaa… pikaaa… chuuuuu!" Pikachu hurls a compacted orb of electrical energy. Haxorus attempts to free itself and flee, but is completely unable to. The orb makes contact and explodes. Simultaneously, a massive bolt of lightning slams down on Haxorus from the skies above. When the smoke clears, Haxorus is on the ground.

Brock declares, "Haxorus is unable to battle!"

Ryu grimaces, obviously not pleased by the idea of his Dragon-Type being defeated by Pikachu. In surprising twist, he then closes his eyes and takes a dep breath, looking to accept the loss. He silently nods to himself and says under his breath, "So be it." He recalls Haxorus and swaps Pokéballs. "Salamence, back to battle!"

Ash notices how Pikachu is taking deep panting breaths. The chases and rapid-fire attacks seem have taken their toll. "Pikachu, come back and take a rest." Pikachu happily walks back to Ash's side.

Ash looks to Salamence and thinks, Okay, so Salamence uses its aerial mobility to its advantage. I need a Pokémon who can match that. He nods, knowing who to call on next. "Go, Noivern!"

As his Noivern appears in front of Ash, it roars, "Noiiiiii!"

Ash says with encouragement, "Alright Noivern, you ready for an aerial battle?"

"Noiii!"

"Okay then, let's start things with a boom! A Boomburst!"

From its ears, a burst of extreme sound waves explodes.

Ryu is quick to command, "Climb up high to avoid it." With a powerful beat of its wings, Salamence climbs straight up in the air, moving above Noivern's attack. "And now use Draconic Fire." From its higher vantage point, Salamence lets loose a breath of purple flames.

"Noivern, use Acrobatics!" Noivern flies straight towards Salamence, becoming cloaked in a light blue light and performing a barrel roll to dodge the flames. It keeps on moving towards Salamence.

Ryu switches tactics. "Use Breaking Swipe." Salamence cancels its flames, and just as Noivern is about to impact it, Salamence spins around and slams its tail into Noivern, knocking it away. Noivern is sent in a tumble to the ground.

Ash shouts, "Noivern, you've got to regain control! You can do it!"

Spurred by the words of encouragement, Noivern manages to regain control just moments before crashing into the ground.

"Okay Noivern, let's show it your newest move! Give it a Hurricane!"

"Noiiiiiiiiivern!" Noivern flies straight up to level itself with Salamence, and then begins to flap its wings with all the power it can muster. This whips up a powerful storm of winds. At first, Salamence is tossed around by these gales.

Ryu asserts, "Ride the wind. Don't lose control."

As ordered, Salamence moves its wings into a gliding position, and begins to glide with the wind instead of flying against it.

Ash shouts, "Now's your chance! Get in close for a Dragon Claw!" Noivern uses a burst of wind to send it flying straight at Salamence, who is unable to get out of the way, thanks to being at the mercy of the wind. Noivern flies straight over Salamence back and scrapes it with its glowing claws.

Salamence roars in pain and begins to fall.

Ash grins. "Perfect, now use Boomburst again!" Noivern repositions itself and aims its ears down at the following dragon. "Noiiiiiiiii!" Once again an explosion of sound bursts from its ears, but this time Salamence doesn't have the control to avoid the attack. It is quickly engulfed entirely by the extreme sound.

Moments later, Salamence slams into the ground. The dust from the impact takes several moments to settle, and once it does, it is clear that it has been knocked out.

And as such, Brock announces, "Salamence is unable to battle!"

Ash jumps up and cheers, "Yeah! Great job Noivern!"

"Noiii!"

Brenda says to herself, "So that's three Pokémon down for Ash, and four for Ryu. But two of Ash's remaining three Pokémon have already been worn out by battle, while Ryu's two remaining Pokémon are fresh. This battle could still go either way."

Ryu is recalls Salamence and is quick to produce his next Pokéball. "Dracosmic, to battle!"

The serpentine Pokémon covered in stars appears. "Dracoooooo!"

Wanting to keep up his momentum, Ash wastes no time ordering, "Boomburst, again!" Once more, Noivern attacks with intense sound.

Ryu orders, "Light Screen." Dracosmic raises a barrier of radiant light, which absorbs most of the energy of the attack. Once the sound subsides, Ryu follows up, "Now use Dragon Force." Dracosmic begins to fly in a circle around itself, forming a ring with its body. From the center of this ring, a beam of purple energy is fired at Noivern.

"Noivern, dodge with Acrobatics!" Noivern performs a summersault in order to avoid the incoming beam.

Ryu, seemingly expecting this, says, "Change the angle." Dracosmic is able shift the angle of its beam, sweeping it across Noivern's flight path. It's unable to dodge and plummets to the ground.

"Noivern is unable to battle!"

Ash grunts. "That Dragon Force was powerful. Really powerful." He looks down to Pikachu. "I think I need you to get back in there, what do you say?"

Pikachu looks up to Ash and nods. "Pi."

"Okay, get to it then." Pikachu runs back on to the field.

Once more, Ryu is not amused by the prospect.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuu!" Dracosmic makes little attempt to dodge the attack. Instead, the Light Screen barrier it erected earlier reappears to absorb the attack.

"Dragon Force, again." Once more, Dracosmic prepares to fire another beam of draconic energy.

Ash shouts urgently, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack to dodge!" Pikachu runs away from the beam to avoid it, but Dracosmic has the beam follow. Ash gets an idea. Pikachu, up the pillar!" With its great speed, Pikachu runs straight up the side of the nearest stone pillar. But by the time it makes it to the top, the beam is causing it to collapse. "Jump, Pikachu!" Pikachu leaps off the pillar just as it collapses underneath it. It lands on another pillar, this one much closer to Dracosmic. "Again!" Once more, Pikachu leaps to another pillar. "And Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaa chuuu!" From much closer to Dracosmic, Pikachu attacks with electricity once more. Like before, the Light Screen reappears, even while Dracosmic is still using Dragon Force. Soon after, this third pillar also collapses. But this time, Ryu has miscalculated. The pillar is so close to Dracosmic that much of the rubble collapses onto Dracosmic.

Ryu gasps. "Get out of there!" Dracosmic stops the attack and attempts to fly away, but it's too late, the rocks begin to pile up atop it, quickly overwhelming and shattering the Light Screen. Dracosmic is forced to the ground.

Pikachu lands next to it. Ash grins. "Awesome! Now use Electroweb!" Pikachu ensnares the fallen serpent in its web.

Ryu urges, "Get out of there, Dracosmic." Dracosmic attempts to escape but is unable.

"Hallowed Lightning!"

"Pikaaaa… pikaaaaa… chuuuuuu!" Once again, Pikachu unleashes its ultimate attack on the trapped Pokémon.

Ryu thinks fast and orders, "Lightray Pulse!"

Just as the massive lightning bolt is striking down, a pulse of harsh light explodes out from Dracosmic. The attacks seem to have dampened each other, lessening the damage Dracosmic took, and also disposing of the web.

As soon as Dracosmic is back off the ground, Ryu orders, "Let's show them our own Draco Meteor!"

Dracosmic flies straight up, getting high above the field and roars. "Dracoooooo!" From it, a swarm of meteors explodes out and begin to cascade down to the floor.

Ash suddenly remembers something. "Pikachu, we know exactly what to do! Climb the Draco Meteor!"

Pikachu instantly knows what Ash is asking, and much to shock of Brenda, Brock, and even Ryu, Pikachu leaps on top of one of the falling meteors, and then leaps to another, and another, making upwards progress. Before long, Pikachu has made it to the same level as Dracosmic.

"Thunderbolt, full power!"

Ryu shakes of his shock and orders, "Blast it back with Lightray Pulse!"

"Pikaaaaaaa chuuuuuu!"

"Dracooooooo!"

Both Pokémon attack at once. Both attacks hit their mark. Both Pokémon are sent tumbling down to the ground. Both Pokémon are knocked out.

Brock shakes off his surprise and declares, "Both Pikachu and Dracosmic are unable to battle! It's a double knock out!"

Team Rocket, now having dropped all pretenses and are just rooting for Ash, all cheer, "Dracosmic is down!"

Before they can say anything further, one of the final meteors of the Draco Meteor falls right on top of them, exploding and sending into the air. They shout in despair, "But we wanted to know how it ended! We're blasting off without a clue!" They disappear in a blink of light.

Ryu recalls Dracosmic, while Ash walks out to retrieve Pikachu. He hands Pikachu to Brenda so she can take care of it and returns to his spot.

It's Polteageist!

Both trainers stand and stare across the field. Ryu thinks, Ash has pushed me to the limit. Even his Pikachu has provided me with a challenge. However, this is not a battle I can lose. If I am to be a Dragon Master, I cannot fail in a battle against an amateur. I will defeat you, Ash.

While Ash thinks, As much as he gets on my nerves, Ryu is powerful. Even using some of the strongest Pokémon I've ever had, he's still got my back against the wall. But this is a battle I can't afford to lose, if I ever want to convince Ryu he is wrong. I will defeat you, Ryu.

Ryu shouts, "Dragonite, to battle!"

While Ash throws his Pokéball and shouts, "Charizard, I chose you!"

Ryu's Dragonite flies out to the field at the same time that Ash's Charizard appears. Both Pokémon roar.

Ryu looks apprehensive. He demands, "What is this? Is this a joke? Are you mocking me? You promised me a battle of Dragon-Types. Please don't tell me you think Charizard is a Dragon-Type."

Ash chuckles awkwardly. "Yeah… about that… you see, I only have access to four of my Dragon-Types. I tried to get Naganadel to come, but it's currently in another dimension, so…"

This last line baffles Ryu. "I have no idea what in the world that's supposed to mean."

Ash adds, "To be fair though, I only promised you I'd use dragon Pokémon, not Dragon-Type Pokémon."

Ryu stares at him skeptically. "Fine."

Ash then asserts, "But that doesn't matter! If anything, this will prove to you that Dragon is nothing but an arbitrary type! Let's show him, Charizard! Take to the skies and use Flamethrower!"

Ryu orders back, "Upwards as well, and use Draconic Fire."

The two Pokémon quickly climb into the sky, breathing intense breaths of fire at each other as they do so. As the fire continues, the two Pokémon orbit around each other while still climbing, each trying to do the same thing to get an upper hand on the other.

Simultaneously, Ash orders, "Steel Wing!" while Ryu orders, "Wing Attack!" The Pokémon first fly apart from each other, their wings begin to glow, and then they dive at their opponent, wings crossing mid-field. They keep on flying apart, and then repeat again and again.

This keeps up until Ryu orders, "Aqua Tail!"

And Ash orders, "Dragon Tail!"

The two Pokémon slam their tails into each other, both are knocked back.

"Flamethrower!"

"Draconic Fire!"

The fiery breaths collide and cancel midrange.

Brenda says in awe, "Wow, the two Pokémon are a perfect match! They're matching each other move-for-move! I can't believe what I'm watching!"

The fires of both Pokémon continue to burn. Ryu declares, "Let's see you match this! Dragon Rush!" Dragonite pulls back, and then cloaks itself in a harsh purple energy. It then charges straight at Charizard.

Ash orders, "Charizard, duck underneath to dodge!" Just as Dragonite's about to make contact, Charizard let's itself fall enough to avoid the attack. "Now grab it and take it for a spin! Seismic Toss!"

As Dragonite is restabilizing itself after missing its mark, Charizard flies at it and grabs ahold of it. Charizard flies it up and begins to fly around in wide circles. After several trips around, Charizard hurls Dragonite down towards the ground.

Ryu commands, "Soften the impact with Draconic Fire!" Dragonite breathes fire straight down to slow its descent. "And back up for another Dragon Rush!" Dragonite rebounds off the ground and flies up at high speeds. Charizard is taken unaware and unable to dodge. The attack slams straight into it.

Charizard roars in pain as it falls.

Ash shouts, "Charizard, you've got to regain control! Get back up there!" Charizard manages to regain control just seconds before hitting the ground. The powerful flap of its wings sends dust flying outwards in a distinct ring. Charizard flies straight back up at high speeds. "Dragon Tail!"

Ryu, once again beginning to show a passion for the battle, shouts, "Aqua Tail!"

Dragonite flies straight down towards Charizard. The two Pokémon are now hurtling towards each other at high speeds, preparing to attack their foe with their powerful tails. Just before they collide, both Pokémon perform a flip to whip their tail into place between them and the other. The tails collide, and a massive shockwave emanates out from the point of impact. With nothing to brace themselves against, both Pokémon are sent hurtling back.

Ash encourages, "Get your balance back and use Steel Wing!"

While Ryu simultaneously commands, "Regain control and strike with Wing Attack!"

Both Pokémon flap their wings several times to stabilize themselves, and then fly back at each other, paths crossing as they try to knock their opponent down using their wings.

After they graze each other and keep on flying, their trainers order, "Flamethrower!" and "Draconic Fire!"

The dragon Pokémon swing around to face each other and unleash their largest breaths of fire yet. And this time the two Pokémon fly at each other as they do so. The point where the two streams of fire collide begins to swirl and grow as the orange and purple flames mix together into one massive fireball. The two Pokémon keep on with the fire, and continue to get closer to each other, until the fireball explodes with tremendous force, engulfing both Charizard and Dragonite.

Both Pokémon are ejected from the explosion with a fiery trail behind them.

Ash shouts, "Now's our chance, Charizard! We need to finish this now! Seismic Toss!"

Charizard regains control over its flight and veers around to snatch Dragonite right out of the air before it can regain its own control. Just as before, Charizard begins to fly around in circles as it builds momentum. After several rounds, it dives straight down for the floor.

But just before it can release Dragonite, Ryu orders with intense emotion, "Take control of this fall! Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite roars as it becomes cloaked in the harsh draconic energy. This forces Charizard to let go, but it's still committed to the downward descent. Dragonite maneuvers itself to be on top of Charizard. Both Pokémon slam into the ground, but Charizard is between the ground and Dragonite's attack.

The Pokémon slamming into the ground causes an explosion of debris, dust, and smoke to burst up into the air, obscuring all.

Ash and Ryu both lean in, attempting to ascertain what happened. The tension in the air is palpable.

When the cloud finally clears, both Charizard and Dragonite can be seen standing in the crater they created. Both look severely damaged, both pant with exhaustion.

Then Charizard falls to ground.

Brock hesitates for just a moment, and then declares, "Charizard is unable to battle. Ryu is the winner."

As if him saying this lifts a weight from Dragonite's shoulders, Dragonite topples as it loses consciousness. It is clear that it was standing on sheer willpower alone, and while it could have kept fighting if it needed to, it no longer needed to.

Ash hangs his head in shame as he recalls Charizard. His outstretched arm trembles as it holds the Pokéball.

Brenda says silently, "Oh no… Ash…"

Ryu also recalls Dragonite. He says to the Pokéball, "You did well, my friend. Thank you."

Ash's arm finally drops to his side. Pikachu, now somewhat recovered, walks over to Ash and cautiously asks, "Pika-pi?"

Ryu also walks up to Ash. He takes a deep breath and starts, "Ash…"

Ash looks up to him and asks, "What, come to rub it in?"

Ryu shakes his head. "No. I've come to tell you that you have impressed me."

Ash is taken aback. "What?"

"Dragon-Types may be some of the strongest Pokémon, but they are also the hardest to train. Today you have shown me that you are up to that challenge."

Ash shakes his head. "That's not what I was trying to show you."

"Look, Ash, let me tell you a harsh truth. You were doomed to lose the moment you challenged me to a dragon battle."

"Excuse me? Why? Because you're the superior dragon trainer?"

"No. Well, not exactly at least. It's because it is my goal to be a Dragon Master, not yours. It would not have been right for me to lose to you in such a match." He sees that Ash isn't sure what to make of this. "Look, let me explain it a different way." He beckons to Brock. "You'd never challenge your friend over there to a Pokémon first aid contest, right?"

Ash isn't sure how to respond. "Well… um…"

"You wouldn't, because you know that Pokémon medical knowledge is his specialty. It would be paltry to have such a contest. You would never win, and you would have nothing to prove. It's the same with you and me. Your goal is to be a Pokémon Master, mine is to be a Dragon Master. While there is overlap between the goals, they are distinctly different. Just as you couldn't hope to defeat your friend in a match of Pokémon first aid, you cannot hope to defeat me in a match of Dragon-Type Pokémon. It's just the way it is. Likewise, I probably wouldn't be able to defeat you in a battle using general Pokémon. Losing here is nothing for you to be ashamed of."

Ash remains silent, completely unsure of how he's supposed to respond to this.

Ryu continues, "Look, you did well, much better than I ever would have guessed. You gave me challenge unlike anything I was expecting from you. No, you did not prove your philosophy of all Pokémon having equal potential, regardless of type to me, but you did show me how powerful you can be. This battle was not a loss for you." He turns around and prepares to leave.

Ash speaks up, asking, "Is there any way I could ever prove my view to you?"

Ryu stops. "No, there isn't." He keeps on walking.

Ash clenches his fist in resolve and says to himself, "Ryu, this isn't over. You're right, challenging you with a team of dragons wasn't the solution. There was no way I could ever prove anything to you like that. But I don't care what you say. I will not give up until you not only respect me, but also respect my Pokémon. Until you respect all Pokémon." Pikachu climbs up on his shoulder and watches with him as Ryu leaves sight.

And so, Ash's battle with Ryu ended in defeat, but only just barely. The rivalry between these two has truly been brought to the next level. Where will this rivalry go from here? There's only one way to find out. Stay tuned.

To Be Continued…