Round Two, Fight!
"Curious..." AZ stared at a Ho-oh statue present within his home, it's eyes lit up the darkness of the temple as a bright golden glow emitted from them. The events occurred simultaneously with the rainbow wing glowing up and healing the Pokemon affected by Shadow Pidgeot's assault.
"Hm," A woman afflicted with the same curse as AZ stared at a Ho-oh statue from within a dwelling of her own. And although she was quite ancient she sure didn't look it as there wasn't a wrinkle upon her face and she still maintained the beauty of her youth, there were also some features quite similar to a certain Sinnoh champion. The woman sipped on her teacup as she continued eyeing the statue.
"Huzzah, soon I'll be able to hunt my prey!" The man's features were hidden beneath a set of shining armor not unlike the fairy tales of old, however rather than being metallic his armor appeared to be made of shining emeralds causing the Ho-oh statue's light to reflect off his armor. Much like the beautiful elder woman he wasn't residing in a temple, residing within a cave whose walls were adorned with the skulls of various Dragon type Pokemon such as Dragonite, Garchomp, Flygon, Salamence, Hydreigon, Druddigon, Goodra and Noivern. The knight's gaze soon fixated upon a nearby statue of Rayquaza. "Once I kill you and the descendant of my accursed foe, I'll finally break this curse and be greeted by sweet merciful release!"
In the present day, the elder woman and the emerald clad knight stepped into AZ's temple. Although the woman appeared to blend in easier with society than the other two who were either noticeably tall or stuck within the armor, she preferred to avoid modern civilization and keep to herself. Especially as her descendant was a rather famous individual so people often snapped pictures of the elderly woman wherever she went, mistaking her for Cynthia or Cynthia's mother.
"We received your summons Azrael, what is it?" The emerald knight questioned as he and the woman approached the tall immortal.
"Hm?" AZ looked the two over before looking towards the entrance. He was expecting Yveltal's former Unova herald to appear but there wasn't any sign of him. "I called you two here for a reason, as you likely know by now the Rainbow Hero has found the rainbow wing and utilized it's power for the first time. Meaning that time is essential, it won't be long until Yveltal makes his return. Cogita, L-"
"Lancelot is dead, my true name is Emerald Knight slayer of dragons! I may have turned my back on our former master like the rest of you but my true calling remains the same as ever, I want to slay Rayquaza! I may be doing Yveltal's bidding by slaying the beast and it's newfound hero but it's the only way to end Yveltal's curse and my immortality!"
"Really? These past thousands of years didn't mellow you out?" Cogita sighed out. "You could have simply embraced nature like me or simply dwell in your self pity and guilt like AZ here. You should really let go of your anger and rage, it's not good for you."
"Easy for you to say, you kept your beauty! Yveltal cursed this armor to never come off, I sleep in it, until straws were invented I had to crush everything to a pulp to even enjoy the taste, I can't even leave it when I-"
"We get the idea," AZ held up his hand. "What changed? I thought you swore to never lift a blade again or harm Pokemon? Why revert to the old ways?"
"Because Azrael, I can only end this curse by slaying Rayquaza! A feat literally impossible as it disappeared when the original Emerald Hero died, for the past thousands of years I suffered! Never getting to enjoy food and drink the way I used to, can never touch anyone the way I did... while those cursed Dragon types remained free, taunting my existence!"
"I highly doubt that they-" Cogita started.
"They were! I've slayed every Dragon I can find, not just the males but the females and children too! I hate each and every single one of them! Slaughtering them and preparing myself for the day that the Emerald Hero rises so I can strike him and that Rayquaza down! And that wait won't be long, judging from my calculations that 'Doomsday asteroid' is two years away so my prey will be starting his own adventure within a year or so..."
AZ glanced to the side. "I feel sorry for you my brother, I really hoped that you had changed and would help us..."
Cogita frowned. "You do realize that if you succeed in doing so, you'll be driving humanity and Pokemon alike to extinction right? The hero and Rayquaza are the only ones that can destroy that asteroid!"
"Then it's only fitting that the entire world suffers the way I did, I'll be gone before that happens." The Emerald Knight withdrew a sword and held it out towards AZ as the larger immortal moved to intercept him. "Uh huh! You see while I may not be able to destroy you I can still hurt you! I'm leaving this place and neither of you will be able to stop me!"
AZ and Cogita narrowed their eyes as their former friend and ally left, they understood his situation and felt pity for him but that didn't mean they agreed with his actions as he was taking his anger out on innocent Dragon types rather than the person truly responsible for his curse, Yveltal!
"Cogita as you know the heroes will need help discovering the abilities they possess and will need mentoring, I trust that I'll have your aid in mentoring the Rainbow Hero, the one destined to destroy Yveltal once and for all; the Emerald Hero, descendant of the Aura Guardian and Draconid people; the Heroes of Truth and Ideals, lovers constantly reincarnated and reunited and the final hero-?" He gestured towards miniature statues of Ho-oh, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Zekrom and Xerneas before Cogita spoke up, an awkward expression present upon her face.
"I-I can't... sorry, I never told you or Lancelot about this but... I actually met the Rainbow and Emerald Heroes of today quite some time ago."
"Huh? When?!" AZ questioned.
"I-It's hard to recall, you lose track of time when you get our age. I had to write down most the important information I know simply so I don't forget, though I did misplace some notes... I-I can't even recall how it happened or even who was trapped in the past but I do remember the Emerald Hero managed to find a way to get his friends back. It was my first time meeting both of them I know that for sure, so... unfortunately no, I can't help you directly."
AZ frowned at that.
"But I have been pulling some strings and orchestrating events from afar for the Emerald Hero much like you have with the Rainbow Hero and that master ninja."
"Y-You know about that?" AZ sweated.
"Oh AZ, you should know you can't keep secrets from me." Cogita giggled out. "But perhaps when the Unovan heroes are ready, I'll be able to assist in person rather than from the shadows."
"Hello and welcome to another day full of action packed battles and excitement!" The announcer shouted followed by the loud cheers of the crowd. "Now let's put our hands together and cheer on our first contenders, Ash and Chase!"
Ash and Chase walked out onto the field as the crowd cheered and clapped for the two rookie trainers.
"Go Ash, you can do it!" Chloe cried out.
"Eevoi!"
A cocky smirk flashed across Chase's face as he reached for a Pokeball, Ash countered with a hard stare as he reached for his own Pokeball.
"Trainers you may release your first Pokemon!"
"Tauros I choose you!"
"Snorlax!" The two cried out simultaneously as the Pokeballs flew through the air before bursting open to reveal the two Normal type Pokemon!
"Moooo!"
"Snorlax!"
"Whoa, a Snorlax!" Ash's eyes lit up for a brief moment before he quickly shook his head to regain focus. "Alright Tauros, let's hit them with Giga Impact!"
"Moooo!" A purple-yellow aura formed around Tauros' body as he charged across the battlefield, slamming his body up against Snorlax's stomach!
Snorlax let out a light grunt but Chase didn't appear to be worried, merely smirking as he issued an attack. "Heavy Slam!"
"Oh no!" Chloe gasped, quickly covering her eyes with her hands as Snorlax leaped into the air.
"Lax!" Snorlax was quick to fall onto Tauros' body, crushing the bull Pokemon as he pressed him down against the battlefield!
"Moooo..." Tauros weakly cried out before going limp as swirls formed within his eyes.
Ash clenched his fists but did his best to keep his cool, Chase just got lucky that Tauros was stuck in place. With the sheer difference in weight, Snorlax could dish out some serious damage so he needed somebody both strong enough to even out the field and fast enough to avoid getting crushed like poor Tauros!
"Tauros return, don't worry about your loss you'll get a second chance." Ash promised as he returned Tauros to his Pokeball. "Alright Primeape, I choose you!"
"Primeape!" The angry monkey screeched as he burst from his Pokeball, Primeape quickly directed his attention towards his opponent while punching at the air. "Ape, Primeape!"
"Use Focus Punch!"
"Prime!" Primeape's right hand began glowing a bright blue color as he flew across the field before slamming his fist into Snorlax's stomach!
"Snor!" The Normal type's eyes widened as he had the air knocked right out of him! Snorlax began teetering in place before suddenly collapsing onto his back, eyes reduced to swirls as he let out a defeated groan.
"Snorlax!" The cocky smirk turned to that of an anxious expression as Chase stared at the downed Snorlax.
"Primeape just knocked Snorlax out in one hit!" Chloe gasped from amazement.
"That may be but Snorlax knocked Tauros out in one hit too, all the trainers here managed to gather up eight badges so it won't be easy beating all of them." Brock pointed out.
"Snorlax return, go Aerodactyl!" A ball flew through the air before bursting open to reveal the form of the prehistoric bird Pokemon!
"AERO!" Aerodactyl screeched out followed by the loud cheer of the crowd!
Chase didn't stop there though as he reached for his wrist and activated a Mega Ring, causing the familiar pink glow to surround Aerodactyl's body. "Aerodactyl, let's show them the power of our bond with Mega Evolution!"
"AERO!" The newly transformed Mega Aerodactyl swooped out of the pink light, licking it's lips as it focused it's gaze upon Primeape.
"Primeape return," Ash grabbed hold of Primeape's ball, returning Primeape to his Pokeball before he reached out for a different ball. "Charizard I choose you, let's show them the power of our bond with Mega Evolution!"
"CHAR!" Charizard shot a stream of fire into the air as the familiar pink glow surrounded his body, transforming him into Mega Charizard Y as the sunlight began pouring down heavily upon the battlefield!
Chase wiped his brow from the heat. "Whew it's hot! Aerodactyl use Stone Edge!"
"AERO!" Mega Aerodactyl screeched out as several jagged rocks burst from the ground and flew up towards Charizard! Charizard attempted to maneuver out of range but a stray one managed to pierce his wing causing him to utter out a pained growl.
"Use Seismic Toss!"
"Char!" Charizard flew across the field and grabbed hold of Aerodactyl's wings, preventing the Pokemon from getting loose. Charizard then turned his gaze towards the sky above as he flew up above the stadium before flying in a loop, Aerodactyl's eyes began spinning as he gazed towards the ground below before Charizard took a deep dive and swept towards the ground below before slamming Aerodactyl face first against the battlefield! Aerodactyl twitched for a moment before recovering as he hopped back to his feet with a loud screech!
"Hyper Beam!" Chase shouted.
"Aero!" The bright orange-yellow beam erupted from Aerodactyl's mouth and flew up towards Charizard!
"Dodge it then hit them with Blast Burn!"
"Char!" Charizard's mouth lit ablaze before a geyser of orange-red hot flame came blasting out of it, striking the recharging Aerodactyl below and causing a great deal of pain!
"Aero!" Aerodactyl shrieked out as he collapsed against the battlefield, the pink glow surrounded his body as he reverted back to his regular form revealing swirly eyes as the flames disappeared from his body!
"And Aerodactyl is down! Who will Chase pick as his final Pokemon?!"
"Alright, Ash did it!" Todd cheered while Delia hastily snapped some more pictures with her camera.
"Aerodactyl return," Chase turned his attention towards Charizard as he gripped at a Pokeball. "Blastoise!"
"Toise!" The final evolved form of Squirtle locked his gaze onto Charizard as he burst from the ball!
"Hydro Pump!"
"Toise!" Two powerful blasts of water erupted from Blastoise's cannons and shot towards Charizard before he could even react, soaking the fire lizard!
"C-Char..." Charizard looked visibly uncomfortable at the wet feeling but thankfully for him, his skin dried off fairly quick thanks to the intense sunrays! Though he still took a great deal of damage from the attack.
"Use Dragon Pulse!"
"Char!" Charizard roared out as a blue-green beam of dragon shaped energy flew from his mouth and across the battlefield before striking Blastoise's chest, knocking the turtle Pokemon back!
"Toise..." Blastoise grunted out.
"Blastoise use Surf!"
"Toise!" Blastoise raised his arms as a massive wave of water formed beneath his feet, the giant wave rose high into the air before crashing down upon Charizard's body causing the fire lizard to vanish as he disappeared beneath the wave.
"Charizard?!"
"Pika pi?!" Ash and Pikachu called out as they worried for their partner.
"CHAR!" Water splashed up as Charizard resurfaced and took back to the air!
"Alright Charizard! Let's hit them with a Seismic Toss!"
"Char!" Charizard swooped towards Blastoise, grabbing the turtle from behind as to not get blasted by water while his hands sank into Blastoise's chest to prevent him from retreating to his shell. Charizard took to the air and began doing a loop before promptly hurling Blastoise back towards the ground below! Blastoise cried out as he flew towards the ground with a loud thud echoing across the stadium upon impact! Dust kicked up for a brief second before fading away to reveal the defeated form of Blastoise as the turtle laid sprawled on his back with swirls present within his eyes.
"Toise..."
"Blastoise is unable to battle meaning that the match goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"
"Alright!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"CHAR!" Charizard shot a celebratory stream of fire into the sky as the crowd cheered.
"Blastoise return," Chase returned Blastoise to his Pokeball before stepping forward, showing good sportsmanship as he held his hand out to Ash. "Good match!"
"Thanks, you were pretty great as well!" Ash smiled at his opponent as the two shook hands.
"Good luck beating my twin sister though, you're gonna need it!" Chase laughed.
After a recess, Ash soon found himself upon the battlefield once more. Elaine narrowed her eyes at him as she seemed to hold a bit of a grudge over him beating her brother.
"Welcome to the second portion of round two, this time Ash just happens to be battling against Elaine, Chase's twin sister. What a coincidence folks! Will Elaine be able to avenge her brother's defeat or will Ash beat her much like he did to her brother? Let's find out, trainers you may release your first Pokemon!"
"Rapidash!"
"Steelix I choose you!"
"STEEEL!" The alpha Pokemon roared out as he burst from his Pokeball.
Sweat poured down Elaine's face as she appeared to be slightly nerved at the sight of the unusually large Steelix.
"Whoa, Ash managed to find an alpha!" Rita excitedly exclaimed before rushing out of her seat as she followed Todd down the stairs to get a closer view and a better angle for a picture!
"Heh, well what do you know." Giovanni mused with a light smirk.
"Rapidash return," Elaine hastily returned Rapidash, saving her for later. "Time to bring out the big gun for this one, Kangaskhan let's show them the power of our bond with Mega Evolution!"
"Kanga!" A Kangaskhan burst out shortly before becoming engulfed in a bright pink glow as she began transforming into her Mega form, the baby within her pouch leaped out and stood alongside her, ready to aid his mother in battle!
"Use Stone Edge!"
"Steel!" Steelix roared out while slamming his tail against the ground causing several rock pillars to emerge from beneath the field which were quick to rush across the field towards Kangaskhan's position!
"Mega Punch!"
"Kanga!" The two focused their attention on the rushing rock pillars before striking out with their fists, shattering the pillars as their fists crashed through them!
"Whoa, I thought Steelix would be having an easy time out there considering Ash had to resort to unleashing Charizard on it!" Chloe gasped.
"Just goes to show that there are plenty of strong trainers here," Brock noted with a light smirk. "Elaine's Kangaskhan may just be the 'Charizard' of her team!"
"Now use Fire Punch!"
"Kanga!" Kangaskhan leaped up before striking Steelix with a fiery punch!
"Steeel!" Steelix uttered a pained groan as the attack struck his body. Ash gritted his teeth while reaching for Steelix's Pokeball.
"Steelix return, alright Sceptile I choose you!" Mega Kangaskhan was simply too fast for Steelix so he needed to fight speed with speed!
"Sceptile!" The crowd cheered loudly at the sight of the fully evolved Hoenn starter.
"Incredible, it appears that Ash managed to find a Sceptile or perhaps even a Treecko or Grovyle at some point in his adventure!"
"Sceptile...?" Elaine pulled out her Rotom Phone to scan the Pokemon's data. "Heh, Fire attacks should do just fine! Kangaskhan use Fire Punch!"
"Kanga!"
"Dodge then follow up with Leaf Blade!"
"Tile!" Sceptile swiftly evaded the fiery punch, his arm blades then began glowing bright green as he slashed at Kangaskhan!
"Kanga..." Kangaskhan groaned.
Elaine clenched her fists as a visible look of frustration formed. "Outrage!"
"Kanga!" A red aura formed around Kangaskhan's body while her eyes shot a bright red color, the Mega Evolution uttered out a enraged shout as she raced across the field with newfound reserve as she quickly struck at Sceptile and repeatedly punched his stomach!
"T-Tile..."
"Sceptile use Sunny Day then follow up with Solar Beam!"
"Scep..." The bulbs along Sceptile's back began glowing as a harsh ray of sunlight beamed down upon the battlefield, a bright glow began forming within Sceptile's mouth shortly before a bright beam of light fired from it! The beam flew across the field and met Kangaskhan and her child, blasting both of them off their feet and across the battlefield to where they came to a collapse, swirls formed within their eyes as the pink light appeared once more to revert Kangaskhan and her child back to their normal state.
"Kangaskhan is unable to battle, Sceptile wins!" The crowd cheered loudly as the referee waved his flag. "Elaine please send out your next Pokemon!"
Elaine couldn't help but frown as she returned Kangaskhan. "Rapidash let's try this again!"
Rapidash raised up onto it's hind legs and uttered out a neigh upon release from it's Pokeball.
"Agility then follow up with Flare Blitz!"
Rapidash uttered out another neigh as a fiery inferno engulfed his body, the horse galloped across the field at incredible speed while the flames spiraled around his body. The horse then through himself at Sceptile, knocking the gecko off his feet before a bright green glow surrounded his body as Overgrow was activated!
"Sceptile return for now," Ash knew that Sceptile wouldn't want to give up yet but it was too risky as Sceptile's Grass and Bug attacks wouldn't deal much damage to Rapidash. He still had Steelix and his third in perfect form so there wasn't a need to get Sceptile knocked out when there might be need for him later on. "Steelix I choose you!"
"STEEL!" Steelix roared out as he remerged from his Pokeball. Ash could have taken the easy route by sending out Kabutops but that would put him at a disadvantage as Elaine hadn't chosen her final Pokemon yet. Steelix was weak to Fire attacks but Rapidash was weak to Rock and Ground attacks, putting the two on even footing.
"Flare Blitz!"
"Counter with Stone Edge!"
Steelix slammed his tail against the ground causing giant rock pillars to emerge and rush at the incoming Rapidash, Rapidash was unable to swerve due to the sheer might of his attack causing him to collide face first with the rocks!
"Mystical Fire!" Elaine shouted with a light frustrated tone.
Rapidash neighed while a bright orange glow formed within his mouth shortly before a spiraling beam of orange-red fire erupted from within! The fire shot across the field before making contact with Steelix's body!
"S-Steel..." Steelix breathed heavily as sweat poured down his face.
"Steelix, you still got this?"
"Steel..." Steelix turned to his trainer and let off a light nod.
"Alright, then hit them with Earthquake!"
"Steel!" Steelix slammed his tail against the ground, resulting in a large vibration that shook the battlefield and the stadium along with it. Rapidash shook and quivered before dropping to his side as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Rapidash!" Elaine cried out.
"Rapidash is unable to battle, this round goes to Steelix!"
"Great work Steelix!"
"Steel!"
Elaine frowned as she returned Steelix before quickly grabbing hold of a third Pokeball. "Politoad!"
"Huh?" Ash blinked upon hearing the name, it sounded like something from the Poliwag line leading him to wonder if she nicknamed her Poliwhirl or Poliwrath. However much to his surprise he was greeted by a green and yellow frog that looked nothing like the Poliwag line! "Who's that Pokemon?" He asked while retrieving his Rotom Phone from his pocket.
"Politoed the Frog Pokemon, the evolved form of Poliwhirl should one use a King's Rock, at nightfall these Pokemon appear on the shores of lakes. They announce their territorial claims by letting out cries that sound like shouting!"
"Politoad, Politoad!" The frog cried out while clapping it's hands together.
"Aw, it's so cute!" Chloe couldn't help but gush.
"So a Water type, eh? Steelix hit them with Earthquake!"
"Evade with Bounce!"
"Poli!" Politoad crouched before springing high into the air, avoiding Steelix's earthquake.
"Now use Hydro Pump!"
"Poli...toad!" A geyser of water erupted from Politoad's mouth and shot down towards Steelix, blasting the alpha Pokemon!
"Steelix..." The alpha uttered out a light groan before his upper body crashed against the battlefield, swirls formed within his eyes shortly afterwards.
"And Steelix is down! Will Ash utilize his final Pokemon or will he send Sceptile out?!"
"Beedrill I choose you!"
"Bee!" Beedrill buzzed out as he burst from his ball.
"Use Laser Focus!"
"Bee!" Beedrill narrowed his eyes as he focused his gaze upon his opponent.
"Strike them with Bounce!"
"Poli!" Politoad crouched before springing upwards as he prepared to strike Beedrill!
"Counter with Poison Jab!"
"Bee!" The tip of Beedrill's stinger glowed a venomous shade of purple as the bee Pokemon flipped around, hovering upside down while leaving his stinger wide open for the incoming Politoad!
"Poli?!" Politoad tried adjusting his aim but it was too late, his feet soon struck Beedrill's stinger and a violet tint formed on his cheeks as the stinger pierced his skin! "P-Poli..."
Politoad uttered out a light groan as he fell backwards, soon coming to a collapse on the battlefield as the referee waved the flag that indicated a match was over!
"And Politoad is down! Ash Ketchum takes home the win! Elaine and Chase lost both their previous matches with Samurai winning both of his previous ones, leaving him and Ash neck and neck! Which of the two will move onto the top 16? We'll find out after a quick recess!"
The crowd cheered loudly while Ash and Elaine shook hands.
"Good match!" Ash exclaimed.
"Likewise!" Elaine was clearly frustrated by the result but she wasn't letting it get to her. "Good luck with your match against Samurai, that Mega Scizor of his one tough cookie!"
Ash didn't have that much time to himself between the next match, only having enough time to heal up and switch out his team in preparation for his upcoming battle against Samurai. Thankfully Brock managed to track him down and offer him and Pikachu some sandwiches he had prepared, allowing the two to refuel before the match while Ash's other Pokemon were taken care of upon arrival at Oak's lab.
"Alright Pikachu, you ready for this? This might be our final battle against Samurai so we've got to give it our all!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his fist.
Ash smiled at his best friend and gave his head a quick pat before heading back out onto the battlefield once more.
"And now the match you've all been waiting for, it's all come down to this. Ash and Samurai have won both their previous matches but only one can advance into the top 16, who will be victorious and who will leave in shame? Let's find out, trainers are you ready?! Go!"
"Heracross!"
"Pidgeot I choose you!" The two sent out their Pokemon simultaneously with Ash left visibly stunned at the appearance of a large blue beetle Pokemon, excitement shined within his eyes as he displayed a similar reaction to Chloe upon Politoad's reveal!
"Who's that Pokemon? He looks awesome!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Heracross the Single Horn Pokemon, Heracross loves sweet sap and will go looking through forests for it. The Pokemon uses its two antennae to pick up scents as it searches!"
"Heh, you like it? I ventured over to the Johto region solely to catch this beauty!" Samurai exclaimed. "Heracross use Hyper Beam!"
"Hera!" The orange-yellow beam erupted from Heracross' mouth and shot across the field, striking Pidgeot and exploding upon impact!
"Pidgeot!" The bird let out a pained coo as he shook off the attack.
"Use Hurricane!"
"Coo!" Pidgeot rapidly flapped his wings, summoning up a powerful gust of wind which swept Heracross off his feet and sent him flying across the battlefield!
Heracross grunted as he landed on his back, the beetle performed a light shake of his head before standing back up with a determined expression. "Cross..."
"Rock Blast!"
"Heracross!" A rock formed within Heracross' hands before being flung across the field, making direct contact with Pidgeot's wing resulting in the bird Pokemon losing balance!
"Cooo!"
"Pidgeot!" Ash exclaimed with an anxious expression. Pidgeot ruffled his feathers as he regained balance, narrowing his eyes at his opponent as he prepared for the next attack. "Well I guess he's okay, alright Pidgeot use Aerial Ace!"
"Counter with Close Combat!"
"Hera!" Pidgeot's talons engaged in a fierce battle with Heracross' fists as they made contact with each other, both Pokemon rapidly struck at each other's bodies while wearing each other down. Pidgeot proved to be the victor though as Heracross soon dropped to his side from exhaustion!
"Heracross is unable to battle, the round goes to Pidgeot! Samurai please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Coo..." Pidgeot breathed heavily, showing he didn't come out of the battle unscathed as he neared the point of exhaustion!
"Pidgeot return for now," Ash returned Pidgeot to his Pokeball before turning to look at Pikachu. "You're up, Pikachu I choose you!"
"Aha!" Samurai exclaimed as his Pokeball burst to reveal a strange looking metallic sphere Pokemon that Ash had never seen before, he could only assume that Samurai found it during his venture into the Johto region.
"Who's that Pokemon?"
"Forretress the Bagworm Pokemon, it is encased in a steel shell. Forretress's eyes peer out but what lies within this Pokemon's shell is unknown!"
"Alright Pikachu let's hit them with a Volt Tackle!" Samurai's eyes light up while a sly smirk began to form upon Ash's command.
"Pika!" The golden glow surrounded Pikachu's body as he shot off across the field. "Pika pika pika... PIKA!" He cried right as he was about to make impact!
"Self-Destruct!"
"Forretress!"
"Chaaaa!" Pikachu was sent flying as Forretress' body became engulfed in a massive explosion!
"Pikachu, I got you!" Ash dove forward to catch the electric mouse though he knew it was already too late for him, as Pikachu landed in his arms swirls were visible from within.
"Chaaa!"
"Poor Pikachu..." Chloe frowned.
"Eevoi..." Eevee's ears flattened.
"Things may look bad but I'm sure that Ash will come around and fix things!" Janine exclaimed.
"Incredible, Samurai just threw away his second Pokemon in a risky play! He may have taken one of Ash's strongest Pokemon off the table but will he be able to take home the win?"
Ash silently stroked Pikachu's head before placing him beside his feet as he resumed his position at the end of the battlefield. Samurai returned Forretress before grabbing at a Pokeball while simultaneously hitting a Mega stone which was embedded into his samurai glove. "Scizor, let's show them the power of our bond with Mega Evolution!"
"Scizor!" A bright pink glow enveloped Scizor's body upon release, transforming him into his Mega Evolution! "Scizor, zor zor!"
"Pupitar I choose you!"
"Pupitar?!" Chase and Elaine face faulted as Ash released the rocky cocoon!
"Pupitar!"
"Use Iron Defense!"
"Pupitar!" Pupitar's body glowed a light blue color as his Defense stat raised!
"Bullet Punch!"
"Scizor!" Scizor swiftly maneuvered across the field, his pincers glowed a light blue color as he struck out with a rapid series of punches!
"P-Pupitar!" Pupitar grunted out.
"Stay strong Pupitar, now let's hit them with Dark Pulse!"
"Pupitar!" A beam of black and purple circles fired out from Pupitar's mouth and flew across the battlefield before making contact with Scizor. The Mega Pokemon was pushed back but appeared to be in perfect form as he leered at Pupitar.
"This is ridiculous, why doesn't Ash just use Charizard? This battle would be over quick!" Chase complained.
"Because that isn't Ash's style, he'd never beat the Elite Four if only Pikachu and Charizard were in top form." Janine explained.
"Bullet Punch!"
"Iron Defense!" Ash countered.
Pupitar glowed blue as he raised his Defensive stat once more, Scizor swiftly flew across the field before striking out with a series of punches that struck Pupitar faster than a bullet! Pupitar soon collapsed onto his back causing the crowd to cheer.
The referee waved his flag. "Pupi-"
"TAR!" Pupitar's body became engulfed in a bright blue light as his cocoon began to crack, a large green dinosaur Pokemon briefly came into view before vanishing beneath a sudden sandstorm!
"Sand Stream!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Tyranitar the Armor Pokemon, Tyranitar is so overwhelmingly powerful it can bring down a whole mountain to make its nest. This Pokemon wanders about in mountains seeking new opponents to fight!"
"Tyra!"
"Alright Tyranitar!" Stars filled Ash's eyes while his fists clenched from excitement. "Let's show them your newly found strength with-" Ash glanced towards his Rotom Phone to check over his newly evolved Pokemon's moveset. "Flamethrower!"
"Evade with Aerial Ace!" Samurai cried out.
"Tyraaaaa!" A massive stream of fire erupted from Tyranitar's mouth, shooting across the field before Scizor even had the chance to move! Scizor let out a cry of agony as the fire scorched his body, it was hard to see what was going on due to Tyranitar's sandstorm but a bright pink glow soon came into view to indicate that Scizor had reverted back to his normal state!
Samurai's jaw dropped. "What just happened...?"
"Incredible, Pupitar triggered a last minute evolution and saved Ash from a possible loss! Ash wins the match and will proceed into the top sixteen! Within a few minutes we'll have tomorrow's match ups ready! All battles will now be occurring here within the main stadium and will now consist of a five on five matchup until the semi-finals where they'll evolve into full on six on six matchups! Now stay tuned, we'll be back shortly!"
The sandstorm soon faded as the battle came to an end, loud footsteps soon echoed across the stadium as Tyranitar raced forward before pulling his father and Pikachu into a tight hug!
"Tyra!"
"Gah!" Ash and Pikachu gasped out for air. "I-I'm proud of you too, Tyranitar... g-good job!"
"P-Pika..."
"Tyra!" Tyranitar nuzzled his head against both trainer and Pokemon in an affectionate manner before diverting his attention to Samurai as he stepped forward. Samurai offered Ash a genuine smile as he held out his arm to him.
"Well done Ketchum, that was a battle I shall not soon forget! You truly are the better man than I."
"I had fun too, Samurai!" Ash exclaimed as Tyranitar set him free, allowing Ash to shake Samurai's hand. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm not sure," Samurai mused while looking towards the sunset. "Perhaps I'll travel the world in search of more Bug Pokemon, there are a lot of them out there and who knows perhaps I'll discover an entirely new one someday! But for now, my quest has come to an end so I shall remain here and await your final outcome. I wish you luck against the others and hope that you win." Samurai gave Ash and Pikachu a bow of respect before turning to take his leave. Their rivalry was officially over but Ash had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time they saw each other, they'd see each other again someday!
"Your attention please?" The crowd went silent as the announcer spoke up. "The last match wrapped up so we now have our final sixteen contenders!"
The battle screen lit up, confirming that Gary, Leaf, Yellow, Giselle and Flash managed to make it to the top sixteen alongside Ash. Ash clenched his fists as he stared at his friend's pictures, knowing that he was bound to face one of them in the upcoming match. He went silent as his eyes focused upon his picture as it rotated around the screen before soon halting beside Giselle's picture! Gary, Leaf, Yellow and Flash were all paired up against other trainers.
"Giselle." Ash clenched his fists as he stared at his rival's picture. Tomorrow would most definitely be an exciting match as she was sure to have brought back some amazing Pokemon from the Alola region!
"Good luck babe, you got this." Flash nudged his girlfriend's arm as they stared at the screen from the stands.
"Heh, I know." Giselle giggled while staring down at Ash with a cocky expression. "He may be our friend but he's going down, no mercy!"
"Marowak, wak wak!" A dark colored Marowak twirled a fiery green bone as it stood beside the two lovers, an excited look in the Pokemon's eye as he eagerly awaited the upcoming match and his chance at revenge!
Beedrill finally had a shining moment, I felt it was deserved as he didn't get many battles or focus compared to the other early captures. Much like I felt it was necessary to show Steelix wasn't a last minute instant win card!
And Tyranitar's now fully evolved! If you ignore Pikachu, his squad is now fully evolved! I also kept it open as to who got sent to the past in the distant future while also setting up the main antagonist for Delta Emerald. I'm honestly considering having both Ash and Chloe get sent back
Tomorrow is Pokemon Day, fingers crossed for Legends DLC! :D
Next up, Ash's battle against Giselle!