Friendship Restored
Heavy machinery and construction vehicles moved throughout the streets of Hammerlocke, although several weeks had passed since the Darkest Day incident there was still a bit of cleanup to do. Hammerlocke had suffered the worst of it, given the fact that the crisis started there and Eternatus' presence only escalated the situation as far more Pokemon Dynamaxed within the city limits than Galar's other cities. The situation kept Raihan so busy that he didn't have time to group up with the other Gym Leaders when they came to assist Ash and Zach.
Buildings were still being repaired while some had been damaged beyond repair and were set for demolition before eventually being rebuilt, some already having undergone the process as 'Grand reopening' signs could be seen plastered across various buildings as they ventured through the city streets.
"G-Max Depletion!" Ash glanced towards a large screen that was displayed at the city's center and noticed a large Pokemon that resembled a skyscraper preparing to fire off a spiraling vortex of Dragon energy.
"Whoa, I've never seen that one before!" Ash excitedly exclaimed while hastily reaching for his Rotom Phone.
"Duraludon the Alloy Pokemon, the special metal that composes its body is very light, so this Pokemon has considerable agility. It lives in caves because it dislikes the rain."
"And Georgia's Beartic is unable to continue battling, Raihan wins the World Championship match!" The announcer shouted out. The roar of the crowd echoed throughout the city's streets.
"I see Georgia's still trying to bust dragons."
"Pika..."
Zach silently looked towards the screen, an anxious expression formed across his face as he watched Raihan wave at the crowd before taking one of his signature selfies. The two had become close friends during Galar's Summer Camp all those years ago and promised to stay in touch with each other but unfortunately Avery the camp bully had decided to strike Zach with a rock shortly after Raihan had left, causing those memories to go away but those memories had been restored thanks to Zach's time in Hisui. Zach felt guilty about what had happened and was worried that Raihan hated him for it, after all Raihan never lost his memory of the event.
Dawn wrapped her hand around her boyfriend's upon sensing his anxiety, Lucario similarly placed his paw upon Zach's shoulder before uttering out a comforting growl.
"No need to worry, I'm sure that everything will be okay." Dawn offered him a comforting smile.
"Carrr." Lucario nodded in agreement.
Zach offered the two a light smile but his expression remained uncertain.
Marnie was too busy with her own anxiety to notice, she'd forgotten how close Zach was to battling against her brother. As soon as Ash was done battling Raihan, they'd be embarking to Ballonlea so Zach could face off against Opal. Assuming that Zach was successful, that would mean that only one other Gym Leader stood in his way before he'd be battling against her brother! Sweat began pouring down Marnie's forehead as she glanced towards Ash, fearing how the interaction would go.
Silence was quick to fill the air as the group entered Hammerlocke Stadium, the crowd gathered inside the main hall all simultaneously turned to look at the group before excitedly shouting out upon spotting their saviors. They'd left Galar not long after the Darkest Day incident so the group had no ideal just how popular Ash and Zach were for saving the region, especially as the incident was broadcasted something that couldn't be said about most regional crisis Ash found himself stuck in.
"Oh Arceus, it's Ash!"
"And Zach!" Some fans squealed out while a large crowd quickly formed around the group. Zach began tensing up as the crowd surrounded them, resulting in Dawn giving them a light glare while she edged closer to him.
"Hey Ash..."
"How you doing...?"
"You still single?" Some fangirls asked while batting their eyelashes as they gazed towards Ash with longing expressions. Sweat poured down Pikachu's cheeks while Marnie's fist tightly clenched.
"Eh?" Ash blinked, seeming oblivious to what the fangirls wanted.
"Hey Ash, can I have your autograph?!" A fan held out a piece of paper.
"Forget that, sign my br-"
"Okay enough!" Marnie shouted out. "Ash isn't single, he's-"
"GARRRRRR!" The alpha Garchomp spread out his arms and uttered out a terrifying roar as he burst from his ball upon sensing his master's distress.
The fans uttered out alarmed shouts and quickly stepped back, allowing the group passage. Ash glanced towards the locker room before looking towards Pikachu. "Alright buddy, it's time for you to stay with Marnie just like we discussed."
"Pika." Pikachu gave a nod of approval before leaping off Ash's shoulder and taking his place upon Marnie's shoulder. Morpeko blushed and gave Pikachu a flirtatious wave from the other shoulder causing Pikachu's cheeks to redden as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Pika..."
It had been years since Ash performed a six on six Pokemon battle without Pikachu being present on the battlefield but this was an unanimous decision that the two recently came to. It wasn't necessary for Pikachu to compete in every battle that Ash competed in, Pikachu did need his rest after all and with the Master Class growing closer by the day Ash had to ensure that all of his Pokemon were in top form and ready for the competition! Marnie agreed to take possession of Pikachu's Pokeball and watch over him whenever Ash participated in such battles so that the electric mouse never had to go to Professor Oak's lab.
Marnie, Pikachu, Morpeko and the others waved and wished Ash good luck as he disappeared into the locker room before venturing off to find some seats as Ash wouldn't be getting changed like a standard Gym Challenger would so he'd be on the battlefield within a minute or two.
"Good morning Hammerlocke, we've got a special treat for you as Raihan will be competing in another World Championship match!" The crowd began cheering loudly as Raihan stepped out onto the stadium's ground, the Hammerlocke Gym Leader offered the crowd a smirk and waved while taking the occasional selfie as he made his way towards the battlefield. His gaze briefly lingered in a certain direction before focusing on the other side of the stadium as his challenger stepped out. "But it's not just any challenger folks; it's the former Orange Island Champion, the conqueror of the Kanto Battle Frontier, one of our region's saviors and the Alola Champion to boot, it's Ash Ketchum!" It appeared that Chairman Rose's attitude towards the Alola region had changed since Dusknoir got expelled from his body. The Chairman himself could be seen applauding for Ash in the reserved section of the stand, Bede stood by his father's side and appeared a lot more relaxed than usual as a smile was clearly visible across his face.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers and shouts as Ash stepped onto the stadium grounds, Ash couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Although he was fairly successful throughout his career, he never had much experience with fans. The moment was fairly brief though as Ash quickly flashed the crowd a smile and waved towards them while making his way towards the battlefield.
Raihan looked Ash over before giving off a nod of approval. "Greetings Ketchum, I've heard great things about you from Lance and Iris. Hope you can live up to it as I won't be holding back, you're looking at Galar's next Champion." Raihan thumbed towards his chest before snapping another selfie.
"You know Lance and Iris?" Ash couldn't help but question.
"Of course and I must say that Iris girl is something else!" Raihan gazed off with a dreamy expression as his thoughts drifted towards the Unova Champion.
"Hold up-You're the one she's dating?!" Ash distinctly recalled Iris mentioning one the last time he saw her.
"I wish!" Raihan exclaimed while gazing towards the ground with a saddened expression.
"Both Challengers are Diamond Class ranked so this will be a six on six matchup, each trainer will send out one Pokemon at a time and are limited to three rotations along with a single usage of a regional gimmick! The battle will come to an end as soon as one side is unable to continue or either side forfeits the match, challengers are you ready?!"
"Ready!" Ash and Raihan exclaimed while offering the other a challenging smirk.
"Alright then it's time to get started, prepared to release your first Pokemon at the mark. Ready, get set... and GO!"
"Alright Kommo-o, let's get things started up!" Raihan shouted while hurling an Ultra Ball forward.
"Glalie, I choose you!"
"Glalie!" Glalie cried while giving his opponent a determined expression.
"Kommo!" The armored lizard slammed his fists against each other as he stared down his opponent.
"Belly Drum!" Raihan shouted out.
"Kommo!" Kommo-o cried while bashing his fists against his belly.
"And Kommo-o just used Belly Drum, sacrificing some of his own energy in order to boost up his attack!"
"Use Hail!" Ash shouted out.
"Glalie!" Dark clouds formed above the battlefield as large chunks of hail and ice began raining down upon the battlefield. Kommo-o flinched as the ice pelted his skin, Glalie remained levitating while not appearing to be phased in the slightest.
"Close Combat!" Raihan shouted out.
"Kommo!" Kommo-o sprang across the field before lashing out at his opponent, unleashing a powerful series of punches and kicks while standing a few inches away from Glalie's body.
"Counter with Blizzard!"
"Glalie!" A fierce blizzard of snow and ice whisked across the battlefield before pelting against Kommo-o.
"K-Kommo-o..." Kommo-o grunted out while lightly shivering.
"Stay strong Kommo-o, we've got this!" Raihan smirked while clutching his fists. "Use Fire Punch!"
"Kommo-o!" Kommo-o screeched out, fire covered his fist as he lashed out at his opponent.
"Gyro Ball!" Ash countered.
"Glalie!" Glalie began rapidly spinning in place as Kommo-o approached, the armored lizard lashed out at the spinning Glalie only to have his punch redirected resulting in him striking the bottom of his own chin!
"Kommoo!" The armored dragon painfully grunted out.
"Glalie lie lie!" Glalie continued spinning as he shot across the field at great speed before landing a direct hit against Kommo-o's chest!
"Kommooo!" Kommo-o uttered out a pained cry as the air was knocked from his lungs, his eyes began rolling up into his head as he toppled over in defeat. Swirls formed within his eyes while his tongue lolled out against the battlefield floor.
"Kommo-o is unable to continue battling, the first round goes to Ash and Glalie!" The announcer shouted as the referee held up a white flag.
"Alright Glalie, that was great!" Ash praised.
"Glalie!" Glalie beamed towards his trainer.
"Oh man, I love a challenge!" Raihan smirked while returning Kommo-o to his ball. "Flygon let's disappear with Sandstorm!"
"Flygon, fly!" The green Hoenn Dragon burst onto the field and began rapidly flapping his wings, summoning up a fierce sandstorm that obscured the view of the battlefield.
"Gla..." Glalie grunted as the sand pelted against his body.
"Use Blizzard!" Ash shouted out.
"Glalie!" A snowstorm whisked through the sandstorm as it made it's approach towards Flygon.
"Counter with Flamethrower!" Raihan shouted out.
"Fly!" A powerful stream of fire shot through the sandstorm, breaking apart the blizzard before striking Glalie!
"Glalie..." Glalie grunted out before dropping to the ground as swirls formed within his eyes.
"And Glalie is unable to continue battling, Ash and Raihan are both down to five Pokemon!"
"Glalie return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest." Ash returned Glalie to his ball while keeping his gaze locked on the sandstorm. 'That's the second Dragon he has with a Fire type attack, his Pokemon must know attacks that counter their own weaknesses.' Ash enlarged another ball before tossing it into the air. "Naganadel, I choose you!"
"Alright now that's what I'm talking about!" Raihan excitedly shouted out, stars filled his eyes as Naganadel burst onto the battlefield. "I've heard rumors about this Ultra Beast, can't wait to test my might against it!"
Ash couldn't help but smile as Raihan's behavior reminded him of Iris, he was sure that Iris would react the exact same way if she were to encounter Naganadel. "Alright Naganadel, use Poison Jab!"
"Naga!" The tip of Naganadel's stinger flashed a venomous shade of purple as he whisked across the field before striking his opponent, piercing Flygon's skin as a purple tint formed across Flygon's cheeks.
"F-Fly!" Flygon uttered out a sickly groan.
"And it appears that Flygon has been poisoned!"
"Stay strong and use Dragon Rush!" Raihan shouted out.
"Flygon!" A blue dragon shaped aura formed around Flygon's body as he whisked across the field. "Fly!" He cried out while slamming his body up against Naganadel's, knocking the Ultra Beast back!
"N-Naga..." Naganadel grunted out before doing so once more as sand pelted against his face.
"Fly..." Flygon shivered as poison sapped away some of his energy.
"Use Dragon Pulse!" Ash shouted out.
"Naga...nadel!" Naganadel cried while firing off a beam of multicolored energy towards his opponent, the beam shot through the sandstorm and clipped Flygon's wing causing the Hoenn dragon to cry out.
"Earthquake!"
"Fly!" Flygon slammed his feet against the ground causing the battlefield to vibrate and shake in a violent fashion.
"N-Naga..." Naganadel shivered.
"Use Draco Meteor!" Ash shouted out.
"Naga!" Naganadel fired an orange energy orb towards the sky above, the orb then exploded into a large series of smaller orbs which began raining down upon the battlefield like a meteor shower!
"F-Flygon!" Flygon grunted out as one of the orbs struck and exploded against his head, the dragon soon collapsed onto his side as exhaustion took hold of him. Swirls formed within his eyes as he laid against the ground. "Fly..."
"And Flygon is unable to continue battling, this is the first time a Naganadel's fought in one of our stadiums folks. Quite frankly I'm excited to see what else it's capable of!"
"Flygon return," Raihan remained rather excited as he recalled Flygon to his ball, not looking the least bit upset though they still had a ways to go before the battle's climax. Raihan enlarged another Ultra Ball before tossing it towards the battlefield. "Alright Arctovish, it's our turn to impress the crowd!"
"Arctovish!"
"Huh?!" Ash, Marnie, Zach, Dawn, Pikachu, Lucario, Cinderace, Morpeko and Piplup all stared off with shocked expressions as a prehistoric hybrid burst onto the battlefield. Although the bottom half bore similarities to Zach's Arctozolt, while the top half resembled Dracovish's.
Ash quickly whipped out his Rotom Phone in order to scan the hybrid Pokemon.
"Arctovish the Fossil Pokemon, no data can be found at this time."
"Huh, alright Naganadel let's start things off with Poison Jab!"
"Naga!" The tip of Naganadel's stinger glowed a venomous shade of purple as he whisked across the field before striking his opponent.
"Uochill!" Arctovish grunted out though unlike the previous attempt with Flygon, this one didn't appear to poison the target.
"Blizzard!" Raihan shouted out.
A fierce blizzard formed up and whisked across the field, pelting Naganadel in a flurry of ice and snow!
"It's an Ice type?!" Ash gasped before facepalming as he realized the typing was in the name much like Arctozolt and Dracovish's were. "Oh right... Naganadel use Thunderbolt!"
"Naga..." Electricity crackled across Naganadel's body. "Nadel!" He cried out while a powerful electrical bolt flew from his body, the energy bolt shot across the field before making contact with Arctovish.
"A-Arctovish!" Arctovish screeched out as electricity surged through his veins.
Raihan's eyes widened shortly before he recalled the hybrid to his ball.
"Goodra, let's go!"
"Goodra!" A yellow Goodra burst onto the battlefield with a cheerful expression.
"Bide!" Raihan shouted out.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Naga..." Naganadel swiftly fired off a pulse of multicolored energy towards his opponent, pushing Goodra back a few feet.
"Alright let's try it again!" Ash swiftly ordered out. "Use Dragon Pulse once more!"
"Naga... nadel!" Naganadel fired off another multicolored energy pulse, the blast struck against Goodra's body causing the slime dragon to utter out a light grunt.
"Goooodra!" A red light flared around Goodra before a massive beam of red energy erupted from his mouth, the energy blast shot across the field before exploding against the Ultra Beast's body!
"Naganadel is unable to continue battling! Both trainers are down to four Pokemon with Raihan having showcased two of his remaining four, this battle could go either way!"
"Naga..." Naganadel dropped from the air and plopped onto his side as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Naganadel return, you were great out there and deserve a long rest." Ash recalled Naganadel to the Beast Ball before reaching for a standard ball. "Alright Dragonite, I choose you!"
"Dragooo!" Dragonite cried as he burst from the ball before quickly turning around to pull his trainer in for a tight hug!
"A-Ah, Dragonite!" Ash grunted out as Dragonite squeezed him.
"Pika..." Pikachu sweated while feeling thankful that he wasn't down there with them.
"D-Dragonite, we can hug it out later. R-Right now we need to focus on the battle, okay?" Ash managed to gasp out.
"Dragooo!" Dragonite beamed at his trainer and gave off a swift nod before pulling away.
"Use Dragon Rush!"
"Dragooo!" A blue dragon shaped aura flared around Dragonite's body as he took off the ground before soaring across the battlefield. "Dragoo!" Dragonite slammed against his opponent, nearly knocking Goodra off his feet!
"Gooodra..."
"Rain Dance then follow up with Water Pulse!" Raihan swiftly ordered out.
"Gooodra!" A heavy downpour rained down upon the battlefield while a powerful pulse of water erupted from Goodra's mouth, splashing against Dragonite's body!
"Hurricane!" Ash swiftly shouted out.
"Dragooo!" Dragonite began rapidly flapping his wings, summoning up a powerful gust of wind that swept Goodra off his feet and carried him into the air.
"Gooodra!" Goodra cried out as the wind battered him back and forth high above the battlefield.
"Dragon Pulse!" Raihan shouted out.
"Gooodra!" Goodra managed to fire the multicolored energy blast towards his opponent just in the nick of time as the wind died not long after causing Goodra to drop towards the battlefield below! "Gooodra!" He cried out before faceplanting against the ground. The referee carefully stepped onto the battlefield and gave Goodra a light push in an attempt to roll him over, swirls were briefly seen within Goodra's eyes giving them what they needed to know.
"Goodra is unable to continue battling, Gym Leader Raihan is down to three Pokemon while Ash has four remaining but fret not Raihan fans for he might just turn this around!"
"Goodra return," Raihan returned Goodra to his Ultra Ball and gave Dragonite a brief look before reaching for another ball. "Let's try this again, Arctovish!"
"Uochill!" The hybrid screeched as he burst onto the battlefield.
"Blizzard!" Raihan shouted out.
"Uochill!" A fierce blizzard whisked across the field, pelting against his opponent's body.
"Dragoo..." Dragonite gritted his teeth while grunting out.
"Use Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted out.
Dragonite took a deep breath before firing off the beam of orange-yellow energy, the energy blast shot across the field before exploding against Arctovish. Arctovish grunted out as he was pushed back but remained levitating as he stared down his opponent.
"Fishious Rend!" In case the similarities in appearance weren't enough, the attack pushed aside any doubt that Dracovish and him were part of the same species. Arctovish shot across the field before chomping down on Dragonite's head.
"Dragooo!" Dragonite cried out before collapsing onto his side as swirls formed within his eyes.
"And Ash's Dragonite goes down! Both trainers are now down to three Pokemon, this is a close one folks!"
"Dragonite return!" Ash smiled at the ball upon returning Dragonite to it. "You were great out there and deserve a long rest, we'll finish from here." Ash placed the ball back upon his belt before reaching out for another. "Dracovish I choose you!"
"Uono!" Dracovish promptly turned around and chomped down on Ash's head causing the group to chuckle as Dracovish showered his trainer with affection.
"N-Not now, Dracovish!" Ash chuckled while pointing towards the other hybrid Pokemon. "We've got a battle to complete!"
"Uono!" Dracovish glanced towards Arctovish, a determined expression quickly formed upon taking notice of the hybrid. "Uono..."
"Dragon Rush!"
"Uuno!" The blue dragon aura flared around Dracovish's body as he shot across the field before hurling himself at his opponent!
"Arc!" Arctovish grunted before promptly flopping to his side as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Uochill..."
"Arctovish is unable to continue battling, things aren't looking good for Raihan but he still has a chance to change things around!"
"Arctovish return," Raihan swiftly recalled his prehistoric hybrid before forming a light smirk as he enlarged another ball. "Let's go, Dracozolt!"
"Patchi!" Another prehistoric hybrid screeched out. Much like the other hybrid, this one appeared to be a mixture of Dracovish and Arctozolt. The bottom half resembled Dracovish's base while the top half shared the raptor physique that Arctozolt had on his upper half.
"Another hybrid?" Ash questioned while retrieving his Rotom Phone once more.
"Dracozolt the Fossil Pokemon, no data can be found at this time."
"Dragon Rush!" Raihan shouted out.
A blue dragon shaped aura flared around Dracozolt's body as he raced towards his opponent.
"Counter with Dragon Rush!"
"Uono!" Dracovish rushed towards his opponent and met him head on, resulting in a large explosion that pushed the two hybrids back.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Uono!" The multicolored energy beam erupted from Dracovish's mouth and shot towards Dracozolt before exploding against the hybrid's body.
"Patchi..."
"Bolt Beak!" Raihan shouted out.
"Huh?" Ash blinked, confusion was visible across his face as he'd never heard of such a move.
Electricity formed and crackled around Dracozolt's beak, the prehistoric hybrid shot forward before pecking at his opponent causing a bright electrical surge to flare across Dracovish's body! "U-Uono!"
'Huh, I wonder if Arctozolt can learn that attack.' Zach thought to himself.
"Fishious Rend!" Ash ordered out.
"Uono!" Dracozolt rushed towards his opponent, preparing to chomp down on his head!
"Dodge with Aerial Ace!"
"Patchiragon!" Dracozolt swiftly bolted away in a blur before slamming against his opponent's back, temporarily knocking Dracovish off his feet.
"Now finish things with Bolt Beak!"
"Patchi..." Dracozolt's beak began sparking up shortly before he pecked at his opponent.
"U-Uonoo!" Dracovish cried out as electricity surged throughout his body, smoke began forming as he collapsed to his side. "Uono..." He groaned while swirls formed within his eyes.
"Dracovish is unable to continue, Dracozolt wins this round!"
"Dracovish return!" Ash swiftly recalled the downed Pokemon to his Pokeball. "You were great out there and deserve a good long rest. Alright Tyranitar, I choose you!"
"Tyra!" Tyranitar slammed his foot against the ground and uttered out a loud roar upon bursting from his ball.
"Tyranitar?!" Marnie and Zach gasped out before sharing a look of discomfort. If they had known of Ash's intent on using the Pokemon, they'd have warned him.
"What's up?" Dawn glanced towards her boyfriend.
"Tyranitar and Duraludon hate each other in a manner similar to Seviper and Zangoose, and Raihan is surely using Duraludon as it's his ace!" Zach explained.
"Well that's certainly not good." Dawn frowned.
"Pika..." Pikachu flattened his ears as he began growing concerned.
"Earthquake!" Ash shouted out.
"Tyra!" Tyranitar slammed his foot against the ground causing the battlefield to violently shake about, Dracozolt began swaying back and forth but managed to keep his balance.
"Counter with Earthquake!" Raihan shouted while flashing his opponent a light smirk, knowing full well that Tyranitar was incapable of avoiding the attack. Tyranitar grunted out as the ground began shaking once more however unlike Dracozolt, he didn't even budge despite taking a sizeable amount of damage!
"Hyper Beam!" Ash shouted out.
"Tyraaaa!" The orange-yellow beam erupted from Tyranitar's mouth, blasting Dracozolt off his feet as the prehistoric hybrid was sent flying into the air above!
"Patchiii!" The hybrid screeched out before grunting out as he faceplanted against the ground, swirls became visible within his eyes as he plopped onto his side.
"Dracozolt is unable to continue battling, Raihan is down to his final Pokemon. Will he be able to change the battle's tide or is it too late for him?!"
"Return," Raihan lightly gritted his teeth as he reached out for his final Ultra Ball. "Alright Duraludon, it's time for things to get serious!"
"Dura!" The skyscraper Pokemon burst onto the battlefield causing a loud rumble to emit from Tyranitar's throat. Ash shot a quick glance towards his partner and noticed his eyes were filled with rage at the mere sight of Duraludon!
"Tyra..." Tyranitar snarled out.
"Tyranitar maybe you should return," Ash reached for his ball but Tyranitar gently smacked his hand away with his tail.
"Tyra..." Tyranitar shook his head while continuing to growl as he stared down his opponent.
"Steel Beam!" Raihan shouted out.
Duraludon had a rather calm demeanor despite Tyranitar's presence, there was a pretty good chance that Raihan and him worked to control his anger when it came to encountering his rival species. Ash wasn't even aware of Duraludon's existence until this morning so he never could take such action. "Duraaa!" A bright beam of silver energy erupted from Duraludon's mouth and shot across the field before exploding against Tyranitar's body!
"Tyra..." Tyranitar faintly grunted out as he was pushed back a few feet.
"Stomping Tantrum!"
"Tyraaa!" Tyranitar snarled out while slamming his foot against the ground, a large chunk of the battlefield splintered up before Tyranitar took hold of it and hurled it towards his opponent!
"Dura..." Duraludon grunted out as the giant slab of dirt struck against his body.
"Use Steel Beam once more!"
"Dura!" Duraludon cried out as another silver energy blast erupted from his mouth.
"Counter with Hyper Beam!"
"Tyraaaa!" Tyranitar fired off the orange-yellow energy beam which shortly collided with and pushed against Duraludon's Steel Beam attack. The two attacks appeared to be evenly matched at first but Tyranitar's anger began getting the best of him causing him to lose focus, allowing for Duraludon to overtake his attack! "Tyra.." Tyranitar grunted out as the attack exploded against him.
"Tyranitar, what's going on with you?" Ash questioned with a concerned expression. He never acted this way before!
"You really don't know?" Raihan questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Duraludon and Tyranitar have an intense hatred for each other, they get rather violent and unfocused when they come across each other. I assume you never worked to control it?"
"No actually, I uh.. didn't know Duraludon's were a thing until this morning." Ash sweated before reaching for Tyranitar's ball. "Maybe it's best to return for now, what do you say?"
"Tyra..." Tyranitar breathed heavily and glanced towards his trainer, staring at him in an intense silence for a brief moment before eventually nodding his head. "Tyra."
"Alright then return," Ash swiftly returned Tyranitar to his Pokeball before tossing another up into the air. "Charizard, I choose you!"
"CHAR!" Charizard shot a stream of fire into the air as he burst from his ball.
"And it appears that Ash has chosen Charizard as his final Pokemon!"
Raihan lightly clenched his fist before reaching for his Dynamax Band. "Alright Duraludon, it's time to get things heated up with Gigantamax!" Raihan activated his Dynamax Band causing the scarlet clouds to envelop Duraludon's body as he began transforming into his Gigantamax form.
"DURA!" The skyscraper screeched out while towering over the stadium.
Ash reached for his Mega Ring before hesitating, he swiftly reached into his pocket and retrieved the Dynamax Band that Chairman Rose had given him before slapping it onto his wrist. "Alright Charizard let's do this, Gigantamax!"
"CHAR!" Charizard began skyrocketing in height while his body transformed into it's Gigantamaxed state. Charizard threw back his head and fired off a powerful stream of fire towards the sky above before turning his gaze towards his opponent.
"G-Max Depletion!" Raihan swiftly ordered out. The spiraling vortex of Dragon energy formed in front of Duraludon before spiraling towards Charizard, battering his body with Dragon energy!
"Charr..." Charizard faintly grunted out before flashing his opponent a light smirk.
"G-Max Wildfire!" Ash eagerly shouted out.
Charizard took a deep breath before firing off a massive stream of fire towards his opponent! Duraludon screeched out as the flames sheered across his body, the scarlet-black clouds resurfaced around his body as he began shrinking in size before collapsing onto his side as swirls formed within his eyes.
"Duraludon..." The skyscraper grunted out.
"Duraludon is unable to continue battling, with two Pokemon remaining Ash is the clear winner here! Congratulations Ash!" The announcer shouted over the loud roars of the crowd. "Ash Ketchum your new rank is 14,025 while Raihan's is new rank is 19,999!"
Ash then heard a light chime emit from his Rotom Phone, he hastily pulled it out to see what the alert was and was greeted by a picture of an older man that had a magenta colored mohawk. "Your next World Championship match is against Sidney of the Hoenn Elite Four! Bzzt!"
Raihan returned Duraludon to his ball and flashed a light smirk as he approached Ash while extending his arm to show good sportsmanship. "That was a fantastic battle Ash, you've raised those Dragons well."
"Thanks Raihan, you weren't so bad yourself." The two shook hands while sharing a look of respect.
"Congratulations Ash!" The group exclaimed shortly before Marnie wrapped her arms around him, delivering a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling away. She didn't mind showing public affection just not here in Galar, she didn't want Piers getting word of their relationship until she was ready to introduce them to each other. She never had a boyfriend before Ash, nor even kissed another guy but Piers always seemed to have a strong dislike for anyone that remotely hinted their interest in her. There were several boys that called her cute back when they were attending school, and those kids practically disappeared overnight as if they never existed. She had no idea what happened to them so she feared that Piers might try and hurt Ash or worse if she wasn't careful.
"Thanks everyone," Ash chuckled while turning his gaze towards Zach. "So Ballonlea's our next destination?"
"Right, that's where-" Zach went silent as Raihan exited from the locker room. He froze up and hoped that Raihan wouldn't take notice of him but the Gym Leader's eyes took notice of him almost immediately.
"Hello there Zach, long time no see!" Raihan offered his childhood friend a sincere smile as he made his approach.
"H-How did you know it was me?" Zach sweated. It had been over ten years since they'd last seen each other. Raihan flashed a light smirk while thumbing towards Lucario.
"Your best friend, you two never were far apart." Raihan chuckled while placing his hands into his pocket. "Same with that Cinderace, I've been following your career ever since your battle against Milo and I must say it's quite impressive. You just might have a shot at becoming Galar's Champion if you can defeat me that is." Raihan smirked.
"Y-You don't hate me...?" Zach raised an eyebrow while appearing visibly concerned. He was sure that Raihan would have been upset over him not staying in touch.
"For not visiting me? Of course not, even if you did you wouldn't have been able to see me. The Dragon Elders kept me locked away for some intense training until I was fourteen years of age, allowing me to take over the Gym not long after the former Gym Leader retired from the position." Raihan explained while waving it off. "What happened in the past stays in the past, if you're interested in resuming our friendship and rivalry then so am I! Just promise to stay in touch with each other from now on, eh?" Raihan smirked while extending a closed fist to his friend.
Zach stared at Raihan's fist for a brief moment before offering a smile as the two shared a fist bump. "That sounds perfect to me!"
Raihan whipped out his Rotom Phone and snapped a quick selfie before turning towards his friend. "Say why don't we all go out and catch up? There's a great diner downtown that sells the best steak I've ever tasted, my treat!"
Ash's stomach rumbled at the thought of food. "Sounds good to me, I need to recharge after that intense battle!" He chuckled.
"Pika..." Pikachu faintly sweated while the others laughed out.
Not much weather based attacks, I wanted to showcase the other fossil Pokemon and not just ignore them. Zach and Raihan's battle will be more in line with how the game handles it.
Scarlet and Violet news, hype! I'm not really a fan of the standard Pokemon they revealed last week but the Legendary Pokemon... oh heck yes! I love them! Hopefully they release the full Electro Raptor this time!
"Will we get the other alternate universe from the Journeys anime that had Dawn be a League runner up?" I actually do have a story in mind for it but the idea's a bit risque so I'll probably skip that.
Up next, cake! :D