The Risk Taker!
"Well that's quite the coincidence, it says that Grimsley is right here in Nimbasa City!" Ash exclaimed while viewing the Rotom Phone's World Championship app.
"Really? Well that's unusual, he doesn't live around here." Marnie commented before taking a quick look around as if she expected to see Grimsley in the streets and sure enough a group of fangirls squealed out as an unseen individual exited the nearby Rocket Casino.
"I guess that's him..." Zach muttered out with a sour look.
"Only one way to find out!" Ash excitedly pushed his way through the crowd with Marnie hot on his heels while Zach dragged along after them. Upon reaching the casino entrance Ash spotted the man who issued him the challenge and was a bit surprised by his appearance as Grimsley appeared to be somewhere in his twenties which didn't exactly help with his growing emotions of jealousy!
"Oh my gosh, it's really him!" Marnie's clenched and raised her fists as stars appeared in her eyes. Ash couldn't help but twitch in response as he mistakenly thought Marnie was fangirling over Grimsley in the same manner that Zach fanboyed over Cynthia, his jealousy and inexperience blinded him to the fact that it was just a simple idolization and not a full blown out crush! Zach sure wasn't in any state to take notice and console his friend as he was still being moody and staring at his feet. "Grimsley!"
Grimsley glanced towards Marnie as she shouted out and flashed a smile. Ash couldn't help but growl out as Grimsley made his approach before realizing that the man wasn't looking at her but him!
"Ash Ketchum, right? I recognize your face from the app. I've heard quite a fair few things about you and I'm quite eager to see how my skills fare against your own!" Grimsley flashed a light smirk as he looked the group over. "I'm guessing these are Brock and Misty? Hey I'm Grimsley, pleasure to meet you two!"
"Who the heck is Misty?" Marnie questioned with a light leer while Zach remained silent. Marnie eagerly grabbed hold of Grimsley's hand and shook it resulting in Ash uttering out another light growl. "I'm Marnie pleasure ta meet ya, I've heard so many things about you! In fact you and my brother are the ones who inspired me to go down the path to become the world's top Dark type Master in the first place!"
"Really? Well you're welcome to challenge me once I'm done with Ash." Grimsley offered with a friendly smile.
"Oh no, no no!" Marnie hastily waved her hands as her cheeks burned bright red. "I-I really ought to battle Nanu, Sidney and Karen first! I-I'm not sure I'm ready to face you yet!"
"Fair enough, personally I love taking risks!" Grimsley smirked while motioning towards the casino. "That's why I love hanging out in places like this while awaiting challengers!" Grimsley turned towards Zach in an attempt to acknowledge him. "So this must be Gary then?"
Marnie sweated as Zach continued staring at the ground. "S-Sorry about that, that's just Zach! He's not usually like this he's just-"
"Between girlfriends?" Grimsley guessed while performing a light shrug. "I've seen it happen before that's why I've never bothered with the whole dating thing, I mean I love risks but drama is a completely different story. Don't worry about your friend though, I'm sure he'll be as good as new once he finds a new girlfriend."
"Car..." Lucario muttered while giving his trainer a hopeful expression, he sure hoped that Grimsley was right about that!
Grimsley turned back to face Ash and gave him a light wave. "Well before we find a place for our battle how about I properly introduce myself to you? The name's Grimsley, Unova Elite Four member and Dark type Master so I suppose you already know what to expect from me... but like I said, I love taking risks!" Grimsley smirked.
"Well I'm Ash Ketchum and it's my dream to become a Pokemon Master!"
"Pi Pikachu!"
"Pokemon Master, eh?" Grimsley shot a quick glance between Ash and Marnie before smirking to himself. 'Heh.'
Grimsley led the way back to the Pokemon Center as he figured the practice field would be a suitable place to hold there battle, unfortunately it was occupied when they got there but upon noticing Grimsley standing on the sidelines the two trainers quickly called it a draw and stepped aside as they were eager to see the Elite Four member in action!
"I'll beat you next time, Hilda!"
"Not if I beat you first, Hilbert!"
"Strange, those two look just like-" Marnie shot a glance towards Zach before shaking her head. "Nah, it's probably just a coincidence."
As Ash and Grimsley took their positions on the battlefield, a Rotom Drone descended from the sky and positioned itself on the sideline.
"Bzzzt! Welcome Challengers Ash Ketchum and Grimsley Giima, today's battle will consist of a four on four matchup! You're free to swap out at any moment you choose and the battle will end once one side is unable to continue or forfeits. Challengers are you ready?"
"You know it!" Ash eagerly pumped his fists while Grimsley flashed the Rotom Drone a simple smirk.
"Always," In truth Grimsley had zero prep time, he'd never seen Ash battle before nor did he really bother researching. He loved taking risks and it was vastly more enjoyable jumping into battle blind than going in prepared!
"Bzzzt! Then let the battle begin! Bzzzt!" An airhorn went off to signal the start of the battle.
"Absol let's do this!"
"Oh wow, it's Absol!" Hearts appeared in Marnie's eyes as the Hoenn Dark type burst out. "I've always wanted one!"
"Primeape I choose you!"
"And here we are at the final round of the P1 championship, on one corner is our eight year reigning champ and on the other is Masked Royal Jr!" The announcer shouted out.
Primeape stood on one corner while Ash stood on the other in his Masked Royal outfit, Primeape didn't recognize him on account of it being years and Ash being bigger and having a different voice along with defining features being hidden behind the mask.
"Incineroar use Darkest Lariat!" Incineroar flashed Primeape a smirk as his hands began igniting in flame, the feline held out his arms before spinning as fire spun all around his body while he spun towards his opponent! Primeape attempted to leap out of the way as he uttered out a loud cry and aimed a Mega Punch at Incineroar from behind, his eyes went wide as Incineroar merely changed direction and sent him flying out of the ring upon impact!
"Oh my, what an amazing outcome! For the first time in eight years our champ has lost a match!"
Primeape laid on the ground, growling out in frustration while tears formed in his eyes as he couldn't help but feel like he failed his trainer. His cry stuttered into a one of shock as Masked Royal Jr walked towards him and got onto one knee while extending his hand.
"It sure has been awhile Primeape, you ready to get back into the fold?" Primeape's eyes grew watery as he quickly shot up and gave Ash a tight hug before letting out a cry of aggression, still proving to have that side of him as he punched Ash in the gut!
"I-I guess I do deserve that..." Ash groaned out as Primeape seemed ticked at Ash leaving him there without a word or a checkup for eight years. Primeape glared at Ash before happily returning to his Pokeball as Ash held it out for him.
"Alright Primeape use Close Combat!"
"Primeape!" Primeape angrily screeched as he leaped through the air before delivering a rapid series of punches and kicks upon Absol! "Primeape, prime!"
"Play Rough." Grimsley calmly replied.
"Sol!" An aggressive look flashed upon Absol's face shortly before the two Pokemon disappeared in a cloud of dust. Various parts of them moved in and out of the dust cloud as the two aggressively fought one another, they couldn't tell who was dealing the most damage or even if it was just the same Pokemon dealing blows to the other!
"Sol!" Absol cried out as he was sent flying out of the dust cloud!
"Whoa that Primeape sure is powerful!" Marnie gasped out in awe as Absol landed in a collapsed heap in front of Grimsley, swirls now present within it's eyes.
"Sol..." Absol groaned out.
"Bzzzt! Absol is unable to battle, Challenger Grimsley please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Alright Primeape, way to go!"
"Primeape!" Primape eagerly punched at the air as he awaited Grimsley's next Pokemon.
"Heh, guess he's stronger than I predicted." Grimsley shrugged as he returned Absol to his ball, not appearing the least bit upset by what happened. "Hydreigon let's do this!"
"Hydre!" The three headed Dragon roared out as he burst from his ball!
Despite the dragon's intimidating appearance, Primeape glared up into it's eyes without flinching!
"Prime!" The monkey angrily huffed out.
"Tri Attack." Grimsley ordered.
"Hydre!" Blue light appeared within Hydreigon's right head while a red fiery light appeared within the middle head and the left head's mouth glowed yellow shortly before an array of fire, ice and electricity was fired from their mouths!
"Prime!" The attack exploded upon impact and sent Primeape flying backwards, a thud could be heard as Primeape's face smacked against the ground but the monkey sprang back to his feet with a violent shout as he shot Hydreigon a hostile glare! Primeape had definitely taken a decent amount of damage but he wasn't going to let that slow him down, he let out an angry screech while punching at the air!
"Use Focus Punch!"
"Primeape!" A blue light covered Primeape's fist as he leaped up and delivered an uppercut to Hydreigon's right head!
"Hy!" The dragon let out a pained grunt and quickly shook it off as he regained focus.
"Draco Meteor."
"Hydre!" Hydreigon fired an orange sphere into the sky which burst apart to form multiple orange meteorites that began to rain down upon Primeape!
"Prime, ape! Primeape!" Primeape tried maneuvering away from the falling meteorites but he wasn't fast enough to dodge all of them, one of the meteorites struck and sent him ricocheting into another one! Primeape swayed back and forth as he remained on his feet for a brief moment before eventually toppling over in defeat as swirls formed within his eyes. "Prime..."
"Bzzzt! Primeape is unable to battle, Challenger Ash please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Primeape return, you did great out there now take a long rest!" Ash returned Primeape and placed his ball back onto his belt while silently thinking over his next move before quickly coming to a realization. 'That's right, I own a Fairy type now!'
"Gardevoir I choose you!"
"Gardevoir!" The shiny Pokemon pulled her trainer in for an affectionate hug upon her release. Marnie couldn't help but giggle lightly as Ash struggled to break free from Gardevoir's grasp! "Garde!" She nuzzled her head up against his.
"G-Gardevoir, now's not the time for hugs! We've got a battle to fight!"
"Pika?" Pikachu raised an eyebrow as he was surprised Ash didn't seem to know that Gardevoir loved him in the same manner that Bayleef did.
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir gave her trainer a swift nod of acknowledgement as she separated herself from Ash before positioning herself on the battlefield.
"Use Moonblast!"
"Garde!" A pink energy sphere formed between Gardevoir's hands as she clamped them together, her eyes locked onto Hydreigon's body as she took aim. "Gardevoir!" The pink energy sphere flew out of her hands and struck Hydreigon's chest! The dragon let out an ear shattering shriek of pain but remained fit for battle as Grimsley recalled him to his ball.
"I'll play this card again later," Grimsley placed the ball onto his belt before reaching for a different one. "Bisharp let's do this!"
"Sharp, Bisharp!" The knight Pokemon cried out.
Ash couldn't help but grit his teeth at the sight of the Pokemon, Gardevoir's Psychic attacks remained useless and she just lost her Fairy type advantage due to Bisharp's Steel typing! "Gardevoir return for now," Ash recalled her to her Pokeball and took a brief pause before reaching for a separate Pokeball. "Emboar I choose you!"
"Emboar!" The Fire/Fighting pig beat his fists against his chest as he burst out.
"Flare Blitz!"
"Embo!" Emboar roared out, his body disappeared in a fiery blitz as he charged at Bisharp!
Grimsley and Bisharp calmly watched on without a shred of worry. "Guillotine." Grimsley spoke.
"Sharp!" Bisharp's arm blades began glowing bright blue as he lashed out at the incoming Emboar, striking Emboar's chest! The flames began dying out as Emboar uttered a light grunt before toppling over in defeat while Bisharp similarly dropped to his knees before he recovered his footing.
Ash let out an irritated grunt at the sight. 'I should have seen that coming!'
"Bzzt, Emboar is unable to continue battling! Challenger Ash please send out your next Pokemon!"
"Emboar return, you tried your best and that's what counts!" Emboar still dished out a sizeable amount of damage to Bisharp but the odds were now in Grimsley's favor as he had three Pokemon to Ash's two! "Gardevoir I choose you!"
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir performed a light twirl as she burst back out.
"Use Moonblast!" Gardevoir clamped her hands together as she created another pink energy sphere, her eyes locked onto her target as she took aim and fired it off!
"Dodge." Bisharp tried maneuvering away but quickly fell to his knee as his injury got to him.
"Sharp..." Bisharp grunted out before uttering another pained grunt as the pink energy sphere exploded against his face! Bisharp gritted his teeth as he slowly raised back to his feet and shot Gardevoir a look. "Sharp!"
"Guillotine." Bisharp's arm blade glowed blue once more as he charged towards Gardevoir before performing a stabbing motion as he prepared to jab her!
"Teleport!"
"Voir!" Gardevoir whisked herself away causing Bisharp to trip up from her sudden disappearance, resulting in him landing face first against the battlefield!
"Finish this with Dazzling Gleam!" Gardevoir's body was surrounded in a rainbow sphere as she threw herself at Bisharp and body slammed him!
"Sharp!" Bisharp gasped out for air before going limp, swirls formed within his eyes as the Rotom Drone made the call.
"Bzzzt! Bisharp is unable to continue battling, Challenger Grimsley please send out your next Pokemon!"
Grimsley recalled Bisharp and reached for a new ball rather than send Hydreigon back out. "Tyranitar, let's reveal our trump card Mega Evolution style."
"Tyran!"
"Oh wow!" Hearts filled Marnie's eyes as the mighty Godzilla Pokemon emerged from it's Pokeball. "It's Tyranitar!"
"Morpek!" Pikachu couldn't help but flatten his ears in annoyance as Morpeko's expression matched that of her trainer's.
"Tyranitar..." Ash couldn't help but think about Larvitar whenever he saw one, he wondered how things were going for Larvitar and his mother. 'Perhaps I should check in with them sometime.'
"Tyrani!" Tyranitar roared out as the light faded away to reveal the form of Mega Tyranitar, the Pokemon undergoing the process while Ash's mind was briefly sidetracked by the thought of his old friend. A fierce sandstorm quickly covered up the battlefield, obscuring the view as both Pokemon disappeared! The Rotom Drone could still see what was going on as it was built in with heat sensory technology but Gardevoir was unable to track Tyranitar's location as his mind was unreadable courtesy of his Dark typing! Ash and her were on equal footing as they were playing blind while Tyranitar was able to see Gardevoir clearly through the thick sandstorm!
"Giga Impact!" Loud footsteps could be heard within the sandstorm as Tyranitar raced towards Gardevoir! Ash could sense Gardevoir's growing anxiety as she couldn't see or sense where Tyranitar was coming from.
"Tel-" Ash stopped himself as he realized Teleport was useless when Gardevoir couldn't even see where she was going! "Dazzling Gleam!"
"Voir!" A bright rainbow light appeared within the sandstorm before an explosion sounded off as Tyranitar made contact with her! Ash and Pikachu clenched their fists as they squinted their eyes in the hopes of catching a glimpse of what had happened.
"Tyra!" Tyranitar roared out indicating that the Mega Pokemon was still standing but nothing was coming up from Gardevoir's end.
"Bzzzt! Gardevoir is unable to continue battling, Tyranitar wins! Challenger Ash please send out your final Pokemon!"
"Gardevoir return," Ash returned her to her Pokeball and flashed it a light smile. "You were great out there and I couldn't ask for anything more, take a good long rest!"
"Well well it looks like the odds remain in the house's favor." Grimsley flashed Ash a sly smirk. "You ready to call it quits or are you going to continue fighting?"
"I never give up, it's not over yet!" Ash exclaimed as he reached for his final Pokeball. "Infernape I choose you!"
"Infer!" Bright flames could be seen within the sandstorm as he emerged, giving Ash a good idea on his location.
"Earthquake." Grimsley ordered.
"Tyra!" Tyranitar roared out as he prepared to slam his foot against the ground.
"Infernape close your eyes and focus on his cry, then leap onto his back and strike with Focus Punch!" Ash theorized that Infernape should be safe if he was on Tyranitar's back as the user of Earthquake was always left unharmed!
"Infer!" The flames raced through the sandstorm before flying through the air, indicating that Infernape had leaped up. The ground began shaking beneath their feet shortly after a loud stomp could be heard, Infernape didn't cry out indicating he was safe as a bright blue light appeared shortly by a loud roar as Tyranitar was struck in the back!
"Alright, way to go Infernape!"
"Pika pi!"
"Infernape!"
Grimsley smirked and kept a calm expression as he issued another attack. "Stomping Tantrum."
Tyranitar issued out another loud roar as parts of the battlefield splintered up and flew towards Infernape, blasting him off his feet!
"Fer..." Infernape grunted as he fell to his back. He didn't remain there for long as he sprang back up and issued out a fierce cry! "Infernape!"
"Close Combat!"
"Ape!" A series of punches and kicks could be heard as Infernape leaped forward and went loose on Tyranitar!
"Thunder Fang!" Electricity could be seen for a brief moment before disappearing as Tyranitar sank his teeth into Infernape!
"I-Infernape!" Electricity sparked around Infernape's legs, indicating that he'd been Paralyzed! Ash clenched his fists but kept a cool head.
"Earthquake!"
"Tyran!"
"Leap onto his back!" Ash shouted as he hoped to repeat his earlier feat. Infernape moved slightly before the electricity sparked causing him to drop to his knees. Infernape then let out a shriek as he was met by the Earthquake! "Infernape!" Ash anxiously called out before uttering a sigh of relief as Infernape got back to his feet.
"Infernape are you still able to fight?"
"Infer!" The flames moved in a nodding motion indicating that Infernape wished to continue!
"Alright then, use Focus Punch!"
"Infer!" A bright blue light surrounded Infernape's fist as he pulled it back before delivering an uppercut to Tyranitar! A groan could be heard followed by a loud ground shaking thud!
Ash and Marnie looked on with eager expressions as they wondered if Infernape had proved himself the victor or not. The sandstorm was suddenly lit up by a bright pink light as Rotom Drone made the call.
"Tyranitar is unable to continue battling, Challenger Grimsley please release your final Pokemon!"
"Well well looks like we're at even odds now. Wonder how things will play out?" Grimsley questioned as he recalled Tyranitar and reached for the ball containing Hydreigon. "Hydreigon let's do this!"
"Hydre!" The three headed dragon reemerged and flapped his wings, blowing away the sandstorm and restoring visibility to the field!
"Tri Attack." The three heads fired off a Flamethrower, an Ice Beam, and a streak of electricity at Infernape who tried dodging only to wind up dropping to his knees once more as Paralysis took hold of him!
"Infer!" Infernape cried out as he fell onto his side before going motionless.
"Bzzt! Infernape is-"
"Infern!" Infernape's head flame erupted and shined brightly as he slowly raised to his feet, his eyes burned a bright shade of red as he gazed up at the powerful Dark/Dragon.
"Alright, use Flare Blitz!" Ash excitedly shouted out as Infernape's Blaze activated.
"Infer!" Infernape's body was engulfed by a large fiery inferno as he leaped into the air and threw his body against Hydreigon's! The dragon let out a pained grunt and appeared to be visibly damaged but was reluctant to go down!
"Time to make our final play of the night, Hyper Beam." Grimsley smirked.
"Hydre!" A bright orange light appeared in Hydreigon's mouth as three beams of orange-yellow light erupted out!
"Dodge with Dig!"
"Fer!" Infernape burrowed safely beneath the ground, the hole caved in behind him as the attack struck where he stood but the burrowing ground indicated he was okay shortly before he emerged to deliver Hydreigon an uppercut!
"Hy... dree..." Swirls appeared within Hydreigon's eyes as the dragon fell towards the ground, landing with a loud thud as dust kicked up around him!
"Bzzzt! Hydreigon is unable to continue battling, this battle goes to Challenger Ash Ketchum! Congratulations Ash, your new ranking is 31,530!"
"Alright, way to go Infernape!" Ash cheered out.
"Infer!" The two raced towards each other before embracing while Grimsley returned Hydreigon to his Pokeball. The man didn't seem upset by his loss but he wasn't happy either as he performed a simple shrug.
"Well I tried," Grimsley placed his hands into his pocket as he flashed Ash a final smirk. "Congratulations kid, it looks like the odds favored you today. In fact if I may be so bold, I believe you might actually stand a chance against our new Champion!"
Ash offered Grimsley a smile as he pulled himself away from Infernape. "I actually battled against her before though that was nearly four years ago, I can only imagine how strong she's become since we last saw each other!" Ash's eyes filled with excitement as he pictured himself facing off against Iris! "Though what of the former Champion, Alder? Where did he go?" Ash couldn't help but question as if he wanted to beat Iris, Alder would be the ultimate test!
"Alder? Sorry to say but he's moved on to a better place." Grimsley remarked with a saddened expression.
"What?!"
"Pika pi?!" Ash and Pikachu looked horrified at what Grimsley was implying.
"Hm? Oh no, he's not dead." Grimsley laughed out with a light shake of his head. "He's retired from battling, I don't even know where he went off to so I'm afraid that I can't help you. I'm sure he's happy wherever he is though."
"Well hopefully we can find him someday! Thanks for the battle by the way, it was awesome!"
"Pika pi!"
"Infer!" The three excitedly exclaimed.
Grimsley offered them a light smirk and lifted his hand to bid them farewell as he turned back towards the casino. Before he left he glanced back and looked towards Marnie. "Feel free to look me up when you're ready to face me, I look forward to the challenge."
Marnie's eyes lit up as she eagerly nodded in response. "Of course, I look forward to it as well!"
"Morpek!"
"Play Rough!"
"Snarl!" Grimmsnarl threw himself at a wild Liepard who let out a horrified yowl as a cloud of dust surrounded the two, a series of loud and painful blows could be heard before Liepard was hurled out of the dust!
"Alright, Dusk Ball time!" Marnie smirked as she produced an empty Dusk Ball from her pocket and threw it forward, the ball soared through the air before opening to absorb Liepard in a beam of red light. The ball hit the grassy field and began shaking back and forth before chiming out to mark the capture a success! "Alright, we just caught ourselves a Liepard!"
"Snarl!"
"Morpek!" Ash couldn't help but chuckle as Marnie and her Pokemon posed before turning his attention towards Zach who stared off with a blank expression.
"You gonna catch anything?" Zach simply shrugged in response as the bushes opened nearby to reveal a Zorua. He threw a Pokeball which dropped a few inches from his feet as he didn't use much force.
"Well I tried..." He muttered.
"Zor?" Zorua tilted her head as she saw the Pokeball drop, her cry got Marnie's attention and the Dark specialist let out a screech before hurling a Dusk Ball at it! She seemed too excited to bother battling against it like she usually did with wild Dark types. The ball opened up and sucked Zorua in, luck seemed to favor Marnie today as the ball shook once as it dropped before chiming to reveal the capture a success!
"Alright, I always wanted ta catch myself one of these!" She excitedly cried out as the ball whisked itself away! "I can't wait ta meet her!"
Ash offered her a congratulatory smile before turning back to Zach with a look of concern.
"We'd like to start off today's broadcast by revealing an exciting World Championship matchup!" A newscaster exclaimed on the television screen as the three sat inside of a Pokemon Center. "In just a few days the head of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier will be engaging in a battle against the World Champion, the match will be held at the Sinnoh League and presented before a live audience!"
'Palmer!' Ash remembered that Scott extended an invitation for him to fight against the Sinnoh Battle Frontier members. He wasn't having much luck tracking the other Unovan Elite Four members down as none of them were registered for the World Championship and despite his best efforts, Alder proved to be untraceable as well! Perhaps he ought to move on to Sinnoh for now and come back to Unova at a later point! Taking down the Sinnoh Battle Frontier members would be a good way of providing his team some much needed experience.
"How about we go to Sinnoh?" Marnie suggested as she noticed Zach's gaze was fixated upon the television as one of Cynthia's recent battles was on display. "Scott said you were free to challenge the Battle Frontier and seeing his idol in action might do him some good." Marnie thumbed towards Zach.
"I was just thinking the same thing!" Ash exclaimed before turning to face Pikachu. "What do you think Pikachu, you ready to fight our way to Palmer?"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his fist into the air.
"Then it's settled, Sinnoh awaits!"
And another battle is done! I hope you all enjoyed it. Ash will be battling Alder at a later point so don't worry!