The Volt Switch Hassle!
"So Z-Moves are a unique and powerful gimmick exclusive to the Alola region," Chloe read out to Ash and Brock as the three awaited their food at the local diner following Ash's victory over Giselle. Misty and Janine were seated next to them while Gary and Leaf were far off at another table, talking to themselves while a large group of fans swarmed around Yellow, shouting out incomprehensible things to the older blonde. Ash didn't know much about Yellow yet but he could only guess that she was popular, he hadn't even seen her battle in person yet either as he took the opportunity to sleep in given his match was the final one of the evening. Much as he wanted to train nonstop during the downtime, he needed to be fully rested so he'd have a clear mind and focus for the upcoming matches. "Where trainer and Pokemon move in synch and perform a one time energy surge that boosts the move of your choice into a variety of different attacks that are capable of knocking out most Pokemon and rarely miss! Of course there is a downside as unlike Mega Evolution it lasts for one turn and as the official Pokemon League rules prohibit the use of multiple gimmicks per match, even those that found themselves in Alola tend to favor Mega Evolution if they have the choice. Though Z-Moves do have their own benefits as despite their being Z-Crystals specialized for specific Pokemon, any Pokemon with an Electric attack can use the Electric type Z-Move assuming one has the correct Z-Crystal."
"So what, you think Flash has a Z-Move up his sleeve too?" Ash questioned while shooting a quick glance towards the table that Flash and Giselle were seated at. While the Z-Ring was displayed on Giselle's wrist, there didn't appear to be one fitted on Flash's.
"There's always the possibility but much like you, Leaf and Gary he's used a diverse selection of Pokemon throughout his time here. Utilizing Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Alola and his home region of Unova. He could really well have an Electric type Mega for all we know," Chloe gestured towards Flash. "After all there are other Mega accessories out there, he could be wearing a necklace beneath that jacket of his or perhaps even embedded a Keystone into his sunglasses."
"Speaking of which, I've actually been working on something." Giovanni commented as he approached the table, a small box could be seen in his hands. "When that Masked Maniac was attacking us I had to make do with what I had on me so I couldn't give you a specialized tool. However due to your excellent performance thus far, I think it only right that I give this to you now."
Ash and Pikachu's eyes widened as they stared at the box before the two gave Giovanni an appreciative look as Ash grabbed hold of the box.
"Thank you Giovanni, this means a lot!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"I wonder what it could be?" Misty couldn't help but question. "Surely it's not a hair braid like mine."
"Or mine." Janine glanced up with a look of annoyance. She couldn't believe Koga denied her the amazing Mega Shuriken she always dreamed of!
"I bet it's a hat." Brock smirked.
"A Mega Hat would be pretty cool." Chloe added with a nod.
"I just hope it's comfortable," Ash commented as he pulled off the lid only to freeze up as he saw a pair of gloves sitting inside, gloves that looked exactly like the ones he currently wore. "Are these...?"
"Mega Gloves, I thought they were quite fitting for you. A Mega Hat was something that I thought of but hats are easy to lose and misplace, you can always find another hat but a Keystone is difficult and expensive to replace especially around these parts." Giovanni spoke with a light smirk before holding out his hand. "Now the Mega Ring if you will?"
"Huh? I can't give it to my friends?" Ash glanced towards Brock and Chloe.
"Of course not, Mega Evolution has to be earned. You can't just give it away, I'm sure that your friends will earn Mega Evolution tools of their own someday." Giovanni spoke.
"He's right, besides I'm not sure that Kangaskhan and I are ready for that sort of responsibility." Brock gave a nod of approval. "I'm sure we'll find a Mega Stone when the time comes."
"I'm not sure that I'm ready either, besides I don't even own any Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving. At least not that we know of," Chloe shot a brief glance towards the ball containing Togetic. The Pokemon was so mysterious that it could have a Mega form for all she knew! "It'll come when the time is right."
Ash gave the two a light nod as he began removing his Mega Ring before handing it over to Giovanni, as Giovanni pocketed the Mega Ring Ash then reached for the Mega Gloves to try them on. A perfect fit, they fit as well as the old ones did and were notably less torn and seemed to be made of a resilient material. He definitely wouldn't have to worry about losing these gloves from battle damage!
"Those gloves are made to resist pretty much every attack out there, it'd take a lot of pressure for those gloves to get worn out." Giovanni smirked lightly before performing a light wave. "Now I'll leave you to it as I'm sure you've got a bit of planning to do before tomorrow's match, good luck!"
"Thanks again, Giovanni!" Ash grinned while waving his sponsor off.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu waved alongside his trainer as Giovanni took his leave.
"I can't wait to properly try these out tomorrow!" Ash had an excited grin across his face as he rotated his hands around in order to fully check out his new Mega accessory.
"That's fine but don't forget you still need to switch out your Pokemon before tomorrow's match," Chloe reminded him with a worried tone as she knew he could get carried away and forget things sometimes.
"Don't worry about that Chloe, I'll get right on that as soon we finish things here!"
"Welcome one and all to the final match of the top eight!" Strangely enough Ash's match was last while Yellow's was the earliest one, Ash didn't catch most of the fight as he overslept but he did see Yellow's Pikachu wipe out half of her opponent's team just by herself which was quite the impressive feat, especially as Yellow's Pikachu didn't appear to have the mysterious attacks that Ash's had. "We've got quite the exciting matchup here folks as the former Champion, Red Ketchum's son will be battling up against the son of Lt. Surge, the Lightning Unovan! Much like last time this battle will be a five on five matchup with both sides being allowed two swaps each and seeing how one of you has two regional gimmicks registered, know that you may only use one. If you utilize both Z-Moves and Mega Evolution, you'll forfeit."
"Sir yes sir!" Flash saluted the referee, a black Z-Ring with lightning bolt patterns could now be seen upon his wrist.
"Rai rai!" The Alolan Raichu copied his trainer.
"Alright, are the two of you ready?" The referee asked.
"You know it!" Ash excitedly exclaimed.
"Sir yes sir!" Flash and Raichu saluted once more.
"Rai rai!"
"Then get ready to release your first Pokemon, ready... get set... and GO!"
"Nidoking I choose you!"
"Electivire, let's do this!"
"Nido!"
"Electi!" The two rivaling Pokemon balled their fists and smashed them against each other while staring the other down from across the field.
"Let's start things off with Earthquake!"
"Nido!" Nidoking roared out as he slammed his foot against the ground.
"Take it head on with Giga Impact!" Flash roared out.
"Huh? Is he seriously rushing in like that?!" Chloe gasped out.
"Electi!" Yellow and purple aura formed and spiraled around Electivire's body as he charged head first across the field, his body shook along with the ground but his large feet allowed him to keep a firm grip on the ground as he slammed against Nidoking's body! Nidoking let out a soft grunt as he was pushed back before growling out as he stared into Electivire's eyes.
"Sludge Wave!" Ash shouted.
"King!" A massive wave of purple sludge formed around Nidoking's body and spiraled around him before hurling across the field where it splattered against Electivire! Electivire uttered a grunt of disgust as he wiped the sludge from his face, a purple tint remained indicating that he'd been poisoned.
Flash flashed Ash a sly smirk as he threw his arm forward.
"Earthquake!"
"Electi!" Electivire leaped into the air before slamming his feet against the ground as the battlefield began to shake once more.
"Earthquake...? Giselle must have helped him buy Technical Machines!" Chloe exclaimed.
Nidoking uttered out a soft grunt as his body shook but kept a firm footing on the ground as he stared his opponent down.
"Alright Nidoking, let's finish them with Megahorn!"
"King!" Nidoking's horn glowed a bright green color and began spinning like a drill as he shot across the field, charging headfirst towards his opponent before his horn poked against Electivire's chest. Electivire grunted out as his body was spun in a circular fashion before being tossed up into the air!
Flash gritted his teeth as he watched Electivire come crashing back to the ground before landing in a defeated slump in the middle of the battlefield.
"And Ash comes out on top for the first round of the match! Will he be able to keep his lead or will Flash steal his thunder?"
"Electivire return," Flash returned Electivire to his Pokeball and paused for a brief moment to look his opponent over before grabbing another Pokeball. "Lanturn, let's do this!"
"Lanturn!" Ash was briefly taken aback by the sight of a blue and yellow anglerfish Pokemon.
"Who's that Pokemon?"
"Pika pi?"
Ash was quick to pull out his Rotom Phone to learn more about his opponent.
"Lanturn the Light Pokemon, it is known to emit light. If you peer down into the dark sea from a ship at night, you can sometimes see this Pokemon's light rising from the depths where it swims. It gives the sea an appearance of a starlit night!"
"Water and Electric? That's new." Ash commented before reaching for Nidoking's ball. "Alright Nidoking return." Nidoking still had some fight in him but Ash preferred saving him for later just in case.
Delia and Janine were looking on with interest but Misty didn't appear the least bit surprised or excited at the sight of Lanturn, suggesting that she likely had one of her own.
"Alright Sceptile I choose you!"
"Sceptile!" Sceptile cried out as he burst from his ball.
Flash raised an eyebrow but didn't look the least bit worried despite Lanturn now being up against a Grass type. "Volt Switch!"
"Volt Switch...?"
"Pika...?" Ash and Pikachu shared a brief look of confusion.
"Is that some variant of Volt Tackle?" Pikachu shrugged.
"Lanturn!" Lanturn fired a ball of electricity from his mouth and launched it towards his opponent, though Ash was greeted by an unusual sight as once the Electrical attack struck Sceptile, a beam of light appeared and returned Lanturn to his ball before Zebstrika came bursting out onto the battlefield.
Zebstrika raised his frontal hooves into the air and neighed loudly as he leered at his opponent.
"Tile..." Sceptile placed a twig into his mouth and gazed back towards Zebstrika with a cool expression.
"Use Leaf Blade!"
"Tile!" The leaves on Sceptile's wrists glowed a bright green color as he quickly shot across the field before slicing Zebstrika along the back! Zebstrika uttered out a grunt of pain before giving Sceptile a hard glare as he uttered out a frustrated huff.
"Flame Charge!" Flames surrounded and engulfed Zebstrika's body as the Pokemon began stampeding across the field!
Ash's eyes widened as he realized that he'd forgotten all about Zebstrika knowing that move, though to be fair the only other one he'd encountered was Lt. Surge's and that was months ago.
"Dodge with Agility!"
"Tile!" Sceptile swiftly moved away before grunting as his backside was sheered by the fiery charge! "Tile..." He gritted his teeth but remained standing and able to fight!
"X-Scissor!"
"Tile!" Sceptile's wrists became surrounded in a green aura as he crossed them in an x-formation before shooting across the field to slice his wrists against his opponent!
Zebstrika let out a pained neigh while Flash gritted his teeth. "That Sceptile may be too strong for even you..." He muttered beneath his breath. "Volt Switch!"
"Volt Switch again?" Ash raised an eyebrow as he tried figuring out Flash's strategy.
Zebstrika let out a neigh as a yellow ball of electricity fired from his mouth and shot across the field, giving Sceptile a quick zap as Zebstrika returned to his ball before being replaced by the adorable flying squirrel that Ash had seen when he first met Flash.
"Emo!" Emolga cried while the audience let out a collective 'Aw!' at the sight of it.
Delia eagerly began snapping pictures of the adorable squirrel while Ash lightly clenched his fists. Although he'd encountered Emolga before, he'd yet to see the species in action and although it may be small he knew better than to judge one by their size.
"Alright Sceptile let's him them fast with Leaf Blade!"
"Tile!"
"Acrobatics!" Flash countered.
"Emo!" As Sceptile raced towards her, Emolga quickly flew upwards and glided through the air before crashing feet first against Sceptile's backside!
"Tile!" Sceptile grunted out as he was pushed forward, nearly getting knocked off his feet!
"That was fast!"
"Pikapi!"
"Alright Sceptile, maybe you should rest for awhile." Ash returned Sceptile to his Pokeball and placed it back upon his belt before reaching out for another. "Tauros I choose you!"
"Moooo!"
"Work up!" Tauros let out an annoyed huff as he gave Emolga a frustrated look. "Now use Giga Impact!"
"Mooo!" The yellow and purple aura spiraled around Tauros' body as he stampeded across the field which shook beneath his feet before he threw himself at Emolga!
"Heh, counter with Volt Switch!" Flash flashed a sly smirk.
"Emo!" Emolga let out a cheerful cry as she shot an electric ball towards the charging Tauros, giving him a quick zap before retreating to her ball while Zebstrika burst back out. The zebra took the blunt of the attack and got pushed back while Emolga remained free from harm inside her ball!
"Wild Charge!" Zebstrika snorted out as yellow electricity formed around his body, he brushed back his hoof before stampeding across the field where he smashed into his opponent! Zebstrika grunted out from recoil while Tauros was knocked off his feet, showcasing the sheer difference in power the two Pokemon had. Ash couldn't switch Tauros out for a different Pokemon either as he'd already used his returns!
"Tauros, get up! Hit them with Stomping Tantrum!"
"M-Mooo..." Tauros grunted out as he slowly stood back to his feet.
"Flame Charge!" Zebstrika moved significantly faster than Tauros as flames engulfed his body, the zebra galloped across the field before throwing himself at Tauros' body! Tauros let out a pained grunt upon impact before dropping to his side as swirls filled his eyes.
"Moooo..."
"Unbelievable, utilizing Volt Switch Flash was able to manipulate the odds in his favor by pitting one of his strongest Pokemon up against one of Ash's weaker Pokemon!" That wasn't to say that Tauros wasn't strong, just that Zebstrika greatly outclassed him when it came to power and speed. "Will Ash be able to fight Volt Switch or will he fall victim much like challengers often do to opponents such as Flash and the Unovan beauty known as Elesa!"
"Tauros return, you were great out there. You'll get them next time, don't you worry!" Ash smiled at the ball before placing it back upon his belt. He looked thoughtful for a moment as he tried thinking how Volt Switch worked, it appeared to be one of the moves that let you work around the 'two swaps per battle' rule so if he found a way to cancel it out or stop it from having effect then Flash's Pokemon would be forced to remain on the battlefield! "That's it! Nidoking I choose you!"
"King!" Nidoking roared out as he burst back onto the battlefield.
Flash gritted his teeth as Ash was seemingly proven correct. "Return," He whipped out Zebstrika's ball, utilizing an official return for the first time that match. "Lanturn let's do this!"
"Lanturn!"
"Sludge Wave!" A wave of sludge formed and spiraled around Nidoking's body before hurling across the field where it splattered against Lanturn! Lanturn shook his body with a visible look of disgust though his cheeks remained a healthy shade of yellow.
"Hydro Pump!" A powerful geyser of water erupted from Lanturn's mouth and shot across the field, splashing Nidoking's body! Nidoking let out a pained grunt as he dropped to his knees before slouching over entirely as swirls formed within his eyes.
"King..."
"Nidoking is unable to battle! Flash has taken the lead but can he hold onto it?!"
"Nidoking return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest." Ash smiled at Nidoking's ball as he placed it back upon his belt. "Alright Sandslash I choose you!"
"Slash, Sandslash!" Sandslash clashed his wrists together in a menacing fashion as he stared his opponent down.
"Use Drill Run!"
"Slash slash slash!" Sandslash held his arms together as he fell towards the ground and began spinning like a drill before blasting off across the field, piercing Lanturn upon impact!
"Lanturn!" The anglerfish Pokemon cried out.
"Counter with Thunderbolt, it may be a Ground attack but we can still hurt Sandslash!" Flash shouted out.
"Lanturn..." Lanturn's body crackled and sparked as he fired an electric bolt towards Sandslash, giving him a good zapping as electricity began to surge through his body.
"Slash!" Sandslash cried out with a pained expression as the electricity surged through him.
"Sandslash use Icicle Spear!"
"S-Slash!" Sandslash grunted out before firing a series of sharp icicles up into the air, the icicles arched over the field before crashing down on top of Lanturn one after the other!
"L-Lanturn..." Lanturn grunted out as his body rolled around, swirls now filled his eyes as he levitated on his back.
"Lanturn is unable to battle, it is neck and neck once more folks!"
"Lanturn come back," Flash quickly returned Lanturn to his ball before gripping at another. "Zebstrika use Flame Charge!"
Zebstrika burst out and uttered out a loud neigh as flames began to engulf his body once more. He quickly galloped across the field before slamming his flame covered body against Sandslash which sent the ice mouse flying across the field before he'd land in a defeated slump directly in front of Ash's feet!
"Sandslash?!"
"Slash..." Swirls formed in Sandslash's eyes as he laid sprawled out across the field.
"Well that was quick folks, it appears that Zebstrika finished the remains of Sandslash's energy reserve and took him out of action! Flash has taken the lead once more while Ash is down to just two Pokemon, will Ash be able to recover from this loss or will Flash seize victory?"
"Go babe, you can do it!" Giselle shouted through the megaphone as she cheered her boyfriend on alongside Lt. Surge.
Chloe shot Giselle a glare before shouting as loud as she could. "Don't give up Ash, you can still do this!"
Ash shot Chloe a quick look and gave her a wave of acknowledgement while his hand went towards Sceptile's Pokeball. "Sceptile I choose you!"
"Tile!"
"Volt Switch!"
Zebstrika let out a neigh as he fired off another ball of electricity, giving Sceptile a light shock as he retreated to his ball before Emolga reemerged.
"Emo!"
"Huh, it's quite a coincidence that his fifth hasn't appeared yet." Chloe noted.
"Acrobatics!"
"Use Agility to dodge!"
"Tile!" Sceptile stretched out before quickly dashing to the side, successfully evading Emolga this time as the flying squirrel struck the battlefield!
"Now counter with Dragon Pulse!"
"Sceptile!" A blue-green dragon shaped energy beam shot from Sceptile's mouth and flew down towards Emolga's position, blasting the squirrel and knocking her off her feet!
"Thunderbolt!" Emolga's cheeks sparked with electricity before she unleashed a powerful electric bolt on Sceptile, giving him a good shock as electricity surged through him!
"S-Sceptile..." Sceptile gritted his teeth.
"Fight it and strike her with X-Scissor!"
"S-Sceptile!" The green aura formed around Sceptile's wrists as he formed an x-formation with his arms before shooting off across the field to slash at the flying squirrel!
"Emo!" Emolga cried out as she fell onto her back before going limp as swirls formed within her eyes.
"And Sceptile just evened out the field! Who will come out on top in the next round?!"
"Emolga return, alright Zebstrika let's finish this!"
Zebstrika burst from his ball and raised his frontal hooves as he uttered out a neigh.
"Use Flame Charge!" Flames surged around Zebstrika's body as he began galloping across the field before hurling his body at his opponent! Sceptile grunted out as flames scorched his body but he remained on his feet while giving Zebstrika a cool expression.
"Tile..."
"Leaf blade!"
"Tile!" Sceptile's wrists glowed a bright green color as he whisked across the field before slashing across Zebstrika's backside! Zebstrika let out a frustrated huff and shook himself off before glaring at his opponent.
"Use Flame Charge once more, Sceptile can't last forever!"
"Counter with X-Scissor!"
The two Pokemon uttered out their respective cries as they shot towards each other, Zebstrika threw his fiery body towards Sceptile while Sceptile slashed his sharp wrists against Zebstrika's body! The two Pokemon slid past each other after sharing blows and momentarily paused with their backs turned to each other as the audience waited with bated breath to see which of the two would go down first. Sceptile grunted out and dropped to one knee, his eyes narrowed as he glanced back towards his opponent before forming a light smirk as he saw Zebstrika collapsing to his side.
"Zebstrika is out, w-Oh look, Sceptile's out as well!" Sceptile collapsed a few seconds after Zebstrika, swirls formed within his eyes as he laid in a collapsed feat. "Both trainers ended the round in a draw and will now be moving onto their fifth and final Pokemon, both untouched so the field is completely even and could go either way! Which of these trainers will come out on top? We'll soon find out!"
"Raichu, I'm counting on you!"
"Rai rai!" Raichu smirked as he levitated onto the battlefield.
"Ready for this Pikachu?!" Pikachu glanced towards his Alolan cousin before flashing Ash a light smirk while giving off a quick nod of his head.
"Pika!" He cried while leaping out onto the battlefield.
"Let's start things off with Voltage Vortex!"
"Pika!" Pikachu's eyes began to glow a bright blue color, blue electricity crackled from his cheeks as telekinetic energy formed and spiraled around his body, sucking in the electricity and causing it to spin around inside of the vortex! Pikachu flashed his opponent a sly smirk before sending the attack flying across the field with a flick of his tail!
"R-Rai!" Raichu cried out as he was sucked into the vortex, electricity blasted and surged through his body as he was thrown and hurled about within the twister before being flung out of it! "Raii!" Raichu cried out as he flew through the air before crashing in front of Flash, for a moment silence arose as it appeared that Pikachu took him out but Raichu slowly stood back to his feet before levitating through the air once more.
Flash flashed Ash another smirk as he reached for his Z-Ring. "Well Ash this ride has been fun but I'm afraid that it must come to an end, a seat will soon be available on the Elite Four and I'm not losing my chance at it!" He activated the yellow crystal that was embedded into his Z-Ring and began moving in synch with his Alolan Raichu before shouting out. "Stoked Sparksurfer!"
"Rai rai!" An yellow electric colored aura flared around Raichu's body as he flew up and surfed through the air!
"Stop him with Thunderbolt!"
"Pika...chuuuu!" Pikachu fired off an electric bolt towards Raichu only for it to seemingly do no damage!
"Rai rai!" A bright cheerful smile formed on Raichu's face as the yellow aura intensified and flared up before Raichu dived towards Pikachu with a large explosion of yellow electricity forming around Pikachu's body upon impact! Dust and dirt soon flew up, obscuring the view while Flash leaped up and punched at the air.
"Alright, we did it!"
"Rai rai!" Raichu smirked as he came surfing out of the cloud.
"That's my boy!" Lt. Surge shouted out.
"I knew you could do it!" Giselle shouted through the megaphone.
Flash then flashed Ash a smirk. "Sorry about that Ash but I really couldn't pass the opportunity up, it may be sometime before another one opens up!"
Ash didn't hear him though as he gazed towards the dust cloud. "Pikachu..."
"Did Pikachu really just lose?" Chloe asked while Eevee watched on with a worried expression.
"Eevoi..."
"I'm not sure, it's not over until the referee makes their call." Brock stated with a calm expression while crossing his arms.
"Come on Pikachu, you can do it..." Chloe spoke.
"Pikachu!" Ash called out. A spark of electricity flared through the dirt cloud as if Pikachu answered his call causing the crowd to gasp out while Flash did a quick doubletake.
"What the-?!"
"Rai?!"
Ash formed a light smirk. "Hit them with Volt Tackle!"
"Gah! Counter with your own Volt Tackle!"
"Rai rai!" Golden electricity flashed through the dirt cloud and flew towards Raichu while golden electricity formed around Raichu's own body as he shot into the dirt cloud to meet the incoming Pikachu with a loud explosion setting off upon impact, electricity blasted everywhere while both Pikachu and Raichu were sent flying through the air!
"Pikaaaa!"
"Raiiii!" Pikachu and Raichu cried out as they flew through the air before landing in slumps against the battlefield, landing at preciously the exact time so it was difficult to deem who fainted first if neither got up. Ash and Flash clenched their fists while the audience went silent and watched with bated breath as both electric mice laid upon the battlefield.
"If neither of them gets up within the next minute, we'll be forced to declare this a draw and up the count to a six on six!" The announcer shouted out.
"Come on Pikachu..."
"Come on Raichu..."
"P-Pika..." Pikachu grunted out as he stood to his feet, his body shook as he stared Raichu down. Raichu slowly stood up and flashed Pikachu a look of respect before quickly flopping onto his back as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Rai..."
"Raichu is unable to battle, Pikachu wins the final round which means that Ash Ketchum will be advancing into the semi-finals alongside Gary Oak, Leaf Green and Yellow!"
The crowd began cheering loudly while Flash lowered his head, for a brief moment Ash thought his friend was crying before being proven wrong as Flash looked up with a smile before extending his hand to him. "That was a good match Ash but ya better watch out cause I'm gonna win the next one!"
"We'll see about that, Pikachu and I are only going to get stronger!" Ash smirked while shaking his friend's hand.
"Pika pi!"
"Rai rai!" The Electric mice shook paws alongside their trainers.
"Heh, well regardless you better win. I'd feel a lot better about losing if it was to the League's winner." Flash smirked before giving a light wave as he walked off to find Giselle and his father.
"He did it, Ash made it into the semi-finals!" Chloe screamed out.
"Hopefully he can keep a cool head," Brock spoke with a light smirk. "He can't afford to get cocky now, one simple mistake could cost him the match."
"I'm so proud of him!" Delia gushed as she snapped pictures of Ash and Pikachu while the pair waved at the cheering crowd.
"Just like his father," Giovanni crossed his arms with a smirk.
Rex watched on in silence as he stood alongside his Elite Four members and the Chairman within the private spectator's booth. Agatha was similarly standing in silence though her gaze was focused on another individual.
"Man I can't believe how strong Ash has gotten, I can't wait to fight him!" Bruno punched at the air while an excited expression spread across his face.
"Calm down Bruno, I admit that he is strong but let's not forget that Yellow's competing. She has years of experience and training over Ash, overcoming her won't be easy." Lance spoke up.
"Lance is right, it's still too early to tell who the winner will be. Until then just calm down and enjoy the show," Lorelei laughed before suddenly covering her mouth as her face turned a bright green color. "Excuse me, I-I think I'm getting sick..." Lorelei quickly raced out of the spectator booth while Lance shot a concerned look after her.
"Must have had some bad food," Bruno spoke causing Agatha to silently shake her head.
"I swear Bruno, you're as dense as a child!" Agatha sighed out. "It's clear that Lorelei is pregnant."
"She's what?!" Lance exclaimed with an excited expression.
"Pregnant?! What..?" Bruno tilted his head with a look of confusion and concern. "It's not contagious is it?!"
Agatha facepalmed while Rex continued eyeing Ash, his expression unreadable as his gloved fist tightly clenched.
"Your attention please!" The announcer spoke up causing everyone to direct their attention towards the screen. "Tomorrow we'll be closing up the Indigo League with the final three matches, that of the two semi-final matches and the finals itself! But first I must issue a reminder to all those competing that you must have a full team with you tomorrow as the matches will be a six on six from now on. Also those of you that don't have sponsors, congratulations! A bunch of them are lined up and eager to sign you on for placing in the top four!"
Gary and Leaf flashed each other a smirk before high fiving each other while being thankful that they wouldn't have to waste time finding a sponsor during the downtime between the Indigo League and the Silver League starting up. Ash remained silent while his gaze locked onto the screen as he was eager to see which of the remaining three trainers he'd be pitted up against the following morning.
"And now without further ado, tomorrow's matches will consist of... Ash Ketchum vs Leaf Green!" The crowd cheered loudly while Ash and Leaf shot each other a quick glance before giving each other nod's of acknowledgement. "And Gary Oak vs Yellow! I hope you're as excited for these matches as I am and I can't wait to see you all here tomorrow! This is Tim the Intern signing off."
Gary shot Yellow a look before forming a cocky expression while Yellow glanced towards him with a cool yet excitable expression.
"Hi there, good luck tomorrow!" Yellow grinned while offering him a friendly wave.
"Luck? Who needs it, I'm gonna come out on top!" Gary laughed while Leaf and Ash flashed Gary a worried expression as he walked away from them.
"Well... good luck with that." Yellow sweated.
Ash turned back towards Pikachu as an excited expression formed across both their faces. "Can you believe it, Pikachu? We made it to the semi-finals, we could actually win this!"
"Pika pi." Pikachu grinned before tapping Ash's shoulder as if to tell him off.
"You're right, we can't get cocky yet. We'll need to be careful if we want to come out on top!"
"Pika." Pikachu crossed his arms and gave an approving smirk.
And so Ash won! I figured it'd be more of a better showing of Pikachu vs Alola Raichu if both were in top health and perfect shape when they fought, I didn't like giving Tauros the brush like that but I needed a fall guy to help show that Sceptile is just as good as Charizard and Pikachu as he hasn't really had as much notable moments as those two yet. That battle was fun to write! And now we're nearing the final bits of the Indigo League.
"Ash should get Snivy too" Honestly I have been considering making her an exception considering she's my favorite of his Unova team personality wise, only problem is her and Greninja's backstory is too similar though they actually went into depth with his and I will be too. I'm thinking about making her a bit more 'personal' by giving Snivy to the rookie Gym trainer in Delta Emerald, not May as I couldn't do that to her haha, and have Snivy ditch him after several losses before latching onto Ash and Sceptile.
I do have a solution for the problem regarding Ash's lack of female Pokemon though, I aim for the capture to happen at chapter 50. No it's not a Legendary hahah. It wasn't in my plans but I don't script battles out in advance, just the outcome, so the Pokemon will still be an active member in Johto!
Anyways I hope you all enjoyed it, I'm glad the Indigo League's almost over cause tournament arcs just make me feel overwhelmed. That's why the gaps were noticeable once Chloe beat the Grand Festival, heh... should be faster once it's done! :)