Hey ya'll! Hope you guys are having a great day! LegionZ is here giving you Chapter 15 of The Chosen One's Wrath! If you guys are new to this story, please make sure you follow and favorite this story to show your support! It's greatly appreciated, as always! Now, shall we talk?

For this chapter, I'm expecting it to be absolutely massive. I'm gambling that it's going to be 10,000+ words because this chapter will be two big parts. I'm expecting one to be involving the traitors, and the second one will have the third battle of the story in the tournament. It will be Ash vs Barry, a rematch of the battle in Sinnoh. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens, after all, Ash has acquired Delveon. The question is, will he use her? It's time to find out.

Also, I've been getting a lot of questions about when I'm going to have Ash reveal himself to May, and to be honest I don't really know when I'm going to do it. It could be next chapter, hell it could be this chapter. I haven't made an executive decision yet, and it's probably going to stay like that. Got no intentions of revealing yet, but I guess anything is possible.

That's all I got guys; hope you enjoy!

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 15

Last Chapter…

The two attacks, primed by their trainer's words, unleashed their attacks. While split up they would likely be repelled, Ash's theory was that if they combined, Delveon's Aegis Defense wouldn't be able to stop it. Mathematically, at least, it made sense. Delveon let out a cry when the swirling beam of fire and electricity connected with its feelers. After a moment, it let out another, its defense giving way.

Lana had been correct. While his mind was on his blue-haired ally, his eyes darted backwards to see her still lying on the ground in obvious pain. But then, he was able to notice a helicopter or two in the distance, coming their way. Ash could make out a figure in the chopper with a mass of blonde hair streaming behind them. Then, he glimpsed something shining brightly through the air and sailing right towards him. He knew what it was. Ash yelled.

"Pikachu! You know what to do!"

"Pika Pi!" His partner cried out before charging towards the shining object. Just before it was about to hit the ground, his partner swung its tail around in a circular motion and smacked the object to Ash through the air. Ash leapt up and grabbed the dark blue sphere: a beast ball. He felt his feet hit the soft sand once more, and knowing exactly where Delveon was, he threw it. Delveon, who was still lying on the ground through the smoke and sand, didn't have any time to try and move. The ball connected with it and sucked it in.

Ash sprinted through the smoke, determined to not let Delveon out of his sight. If this beast ball failed, he would have to wait for more; catching it in a standard pokeball was risky, to put it lightly. The ball shook slowly back and forth for a moment. One moment turned into another moment, and then another, then another.

Pikachu and Infernape stayed by Ash's side, awaiting orders should they be needed. The ball continued to shake, and the tension in the area continued to rise. Then, it finally happened.

The ball snapped, stars appearing out of it. Ash fell down in pure relief; it was finally over.

To Ash's surprise, Arceus actually began laughing at him. Ash spluttered. "W-what's so f-funny…" Arceus finished and said with a small chuckle. "Chosen One, you are not meant to FIND a leader…"

Arceus paused and said. "You are meant to BE a leader."

Ash's mind didn't register it for a few moments before all of the sudden, his heart stopped beating entirely. He stared at the God-Pokémon with incredulous eyes. Ash said as evenly as he could. "J-Just to reiterate, you're saying, if I understand you correctly… you want ME to be Delveon's TRAINER?"

Arceus simply nodded.

May softly sniffed. "They told me what happened with the Ultra Beast… they explained the entire thing with them… what are you going to do with Delveon?" She asked, fear in her voice. Ash paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the news. A grin appeared on his face and politely asked to see the pokeball containing Delveon. Lusamine slowly handed it over, curious to what Ghost was planning.

He smirked and said aloud. "Why don't you talk to her yourself?" The whole room seemed to move in slow motion as Ash opened up the pokeball, or more accurately, the beast ball. Delveon let out a trill when it was released, and nobody in the room moved an inch. Axel's arm was over July, ready to protect her if the time came. Xavier had an eyebrow raised in challenge towards his leader. Zandra looked indifferent by the gesture.

Lusamine shakily said. "G-Ghost… what are you doing…"

Ash looked at Delveon, who nodded in understanding. Then, in his bare hand, he crushed the beast ball. Everyone stood back and watched as Ash casually reached behind him and felt what he was looking for on the backside of his Pokémon belt: a spare. He unclipped it and held it out to Delveon. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they saw what he was doing.

Ash grinned. "So Delveon, do you want to come with me?" He held the ball out further so that it was not too far from the golden Eeveeolution. The Pokémon slowly walked up to it and tapped the ball on its forehead. "Delveee!" It said happily before being sucked into the ball in Ash's hand. It shook for a few moments before snapping shut.

Present…

"…What the HELL are we going to do!?" A voice blurted out in horror.

A group of people was exchanging fearful glances and terrified words. Unsurprisingly, when you stole a Pokémon or two, you shouldn't expect to get away with it. Of course, the traitors also forgot that this was Ghost's region that they were talking about. He pretty much ate criminals and thieves for breakfast. The traitors were now desperately thinking of a way to not get arrested while still competing in the tournament.

Misty said fearfully. "I'm pretty sure that's everyone's question right now."

Max shook his head rapidly. "No way can I get arrested for this! There's no way!"

Bonnie tried to calm her boyfriend down. "Babe, it's okay. It's not like they have proof or anything we did it, right?"

Trip frowned. "It's our word against Ghost's. And Winchine's too. There are definitely issues with this whole situation. But the good news is for some of us is that while some of us may get caught, not all of us stole Pokémon. So, if they get imprisoned in Alola, as long as we become champion, we can release the person who gets caught."

Misty's eyes lit up. "That's true! All we have to do is guarantee ourselves a win! That shouldn't be too hard!"

Trip pointed out grimly. "I wouldn't be so confident babe. Look at our competition. Ghost is in Max's Division, so it means Max will have to upset Ghost if he wants to make it in. I won't lie, I think myself and him in the finals is our best bet to conquer the tournament. Bonnie is in the Arceus bracket, but she's still got to deal with a lot of elites and a lack of tournament experience. Cilan is already out. Misty is in Zandra's division, the Fairy-Type elite, and something tells me that after that whole situation at TPS… I don't think she'll go easy on you, Misty."

The room was silent for a moment before Max spoke.

"Hah! Ghost is going to get a taste of revenge after I'm through with his team. He won't even know what hit him." The boy boasted arrogantly. Bonnie stroked her boyfriend's cheek and happily said. "That's my man…"

Cilan said aloud. "I do believe we have something else to discuss my friends: Abel Winchine."

Misty growled. "That kid's too smart for his own good."

Max pointed out. "He's an asshole who just gets lucky when he battles me. That kid deserves to be taught a lesson more than just taking a few of his Pokémon and drugging him."

Iris had the common decency to ask a common question. "Won't everyone expect us to do something to him again since we've already done it once?" Trip shook his head and spoke with the slightest hint of arrogance in his voice. "No. Because our plan already failed once, they probably think we won't try it again. That means we could have a clean shot to get Ghost and Abel out of this damn tournament."

A chorus of "yeah" and "let's do this" were heard from the room and the traitors began to gain momentum. Max arrogantly said. "Let them come try and arrest us. There's no way they can take us all down!"

"Would you care to wager on that?"

Every head in the room whirled to the doorway, where Ghost was standing with an Officer Jenny, an unrecognizable officer, and Abel Winchine. Almost every face in the room paled when they saw his harsh and cold demeanor: it was the side of Ghost that all his enemies feared to see, his angry, cold, and terrifying one. He looked like he was ready to beat the snot out of any of them in the room. He was frowning and he looked as though he was about to hit his boiling point.

Ghost preyed on their hesitance to speak. "Well… would you?"

Trip was the first one that gained up the confidence to speak. "Whatever do you mean, Ghost?"

Misty smiled confidently. "Yeah, what exactly are you talking about?"

The smile vanished from Misty's face as Ghost's smirk was plastered on his face. "I'm glad you asked. You see, I believe you stole a fellow competitor's Pokémon, and we're only here to confirm the truth."

Max scoffed. "What are you hinting at Ghost?"

Ghost's smirk widened. "You see, I have always believed in the utmost security measures in order to keep peace and tranquility here in Alola." He slowly walked over to a corner of the room. " Measures such as…" He motioned to the wall and pointed up. "Security Camera's." Max's face paled profusely. Misty's eyes widened ever so slightly, but Trip's stance didn't change in the slightest. There in the corner, indeed, was a tiny and nearly unnoticeable camera. Misty suddenly cried out. "Y-you're invading in our privacy!? H-how dare you! I'll be certain to see that you are arrested for unlawful invasion of privacy!" The issue with that statement was simple: a single word.

Ghost smirked. "Did you say unlawful?" Misty retorted. "Yes!"

Ghost's smirk only widened. "I knew people as sorry as you wouldn't read the fine print. Under the agreement you all signed in order to be here, in the Pokémon Center and anywhere that has camera's, under any circumstances am I, the leader of the region, allowed to review any and all security photage that may involve thievery and/or foul play of any kind. Such crimes are to be treated as felonies in the court of law."

Abel looked to Ghost. "Do we look, or do we have enough to go on?"

Ghost nodded. "Espeon already told me everything I need to know." He motioned to the two officers. He then sighed. "As much as I hate to say this, only one person stole them, and only one person ever had their hands directly on the pokeball as well. While I can put all of you on notice for being involved with a crime, if you did not engage in the act then I suppose there's nothing that can be done except arrest the most likely and most certain suspect." The officers grabbed Misty by her arms and she screamed.

"What are you DOING!?"

Ghost spoke gravely. "Misty Waterflower, you're being arrested for the possession of stolen Pokémon. You will be held in custody in ALT City Jail until you can receive a trial, in which case, you will be tried and most certainly found guilty. By the powers invested in me as leader and champion of the Alola region, the tournaments host, you are now deemed ineligible to battle. Your spot in this tournament is hereby revoked, the trainer you are going against in this round shall receive a very rare gift: a free pass to the next round. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to remain silent."

Immediately, there was an uproar of anger. Surprisingly enough, the loudest and most obnoxious of them all was Trip. "What the fuck!? You can't do that to her! You haven't even looked at the goddamn camera yet!"

Officer Jenny finally spoke. "Are you saying that more than one person is at fault here?"

Trip retorted angrily. "I'm saying none of us are at fault here!"

Ghost scoffed. "Oh? And how do you intend to prove it? We both know looking at the camera would be a waste of time… yes?" He looked at Trip with a glint in his eyes, one that made Trip legitimately consider stopping his verbal assault on Ghost. Unfortunately, Max had other plans, as well as Iris.

"That's insane! Misty would never steal Pokémon on her own free will." Iris yelled.

Max added. "Yeah! We were with her all day yesterday!"

Ghost was waving his arm dismissing the two traitors who weren't listening to anything he had been saying. "Officer, pardon if I may, but, haven't you heard me say multiple times that, we have video evidence of them inside this room, and that we can legitimately prove what we all know? T-they really aren't the brightest bunch, are they?" While the traitors rage only grew, Officer Jenny had the decency to smile and say.

"Forgive me, sir, but it wouldn't be of my best interest to insult those I'm arresting." Ghost chuckled. "Yes yes, I suppose it would be." The officers began pushing Misty out of the room, wrists now bound by handcuffs. She was wailing loudly. "This is madness! You can't do this to me! You can't! I'm a Gym Leader for Arceus' sake!"

Trip tried to get past to give Misty a goodbye kiss. "Babe! W-wait!" Misty struggled against the officers and cried out. "You can't do this to me! Trip! Help!"

Jenny growled as she fought against Misty. "Stop… fighting it!"

Max yelled. "Don't worry Misty! You'll be out soon!"

Ash smirked. "Oh, I doubt that."

Max yelled at Ghost again. "What the hell is your problem with us!"

Ghost's face turned eerily dark before he snarled quietly. "You think I'm just supposed to like the fact that you are stealing from fellow competitors? You think that I'm just supposed to like that you all are trying to claim my post from me?" Max's eyes bulged open in stunned shock, even Trip looked surprised. Bonnie was looking at Ghost with her mouth ajar in surprise, and Cilan was narrowing his eyes at the champion.

It was Misty, though, that broke the silence. "H-how do you even know about that?!"

Ghost merely smirked. "I know about everything that goes on in my region. Nothing goes by without me knowing it." Seeing the stunned faces of his sworn enemies he only widened his smirk. "Oh you didn't think I wouldn't find out about your plan to win the tournament and overthrow my position as champion? You didn't think I'd find out you plan to illegally induct the rest of your friends as elites?" When nobody said anything, Ghost simply sighed and shook his head.

"You all are poor excuses for trainers. I honestly feel sorry for Pokémon who are stuck with you as their trainers."

Max finally snapped the silence from the traitors. "No we're not! Our Pokémon love—"

Ash smirked widely. "Then why don't you say hello to your old friend?" He opened up a pokeball and poof! Out came one blue and yellow, dog-like Pokémon who looked as though Christmas had come early when it saw who it was coming out. The electric-type had a carnal smirk plastered on its face and it barked loudly. "Manaa!"

Max began to incoherently splutter as he watched his former Pokémon stand before him looker stronger than he had ever seen it. Ash looked at Max and said with a grin. "I suppose you can imagine who I'll be using tomorrow in battle. You will be able to see what a truly powerful Pokémon Manectric is, and what you were holding back. Just remember that as you watch me tomorrow."

Then, the officers began to drag Misty out of the room, with her screaming the entire way out, fighting and battling against the officers wills. Ash ordered. "Show her no mercy. Let this be used in the court of law. Manectric, escort the officers out." The Pokémon nodded in affirmative and walked alongside Misty, who had stopped struggling almost completely at the sight of the electric type.

Ash then gave the traitors one last stare before he smirked and saw the glares, the looks of anguish, anger, and sorrow. He merely grinned at them cheekily and said sweetly. "I'll see you all soon."

He then turned on his heel and let Abel had his way with them. He had no remorse, he felt nothing whatsoever. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins. He merely smirked widely as he walked away from the room, his spirits heightened to the maximum at the expense of the traitors.

Max snarled under his breath. "Look at that stuck up bastard…"

Trip shook his head in anger. "He'll get what he deserves."

Iris then placed a hand on both of their shoulders, her dark eyes glinting mysteriously. "Don't worry guys, we'll have the last laugh. It's time for a little brainstorming."

After all… there was a battle tomorrow with Ghost's name on it.

The Following Day…

Ash sat in the pregame locker room with an emotionless expression on his face. It was the same one he wore when he was preparing to wipe the floor with Max and his traitorous group of imbeciles. He quietly pondered what his game strategy would be against Barry. He frowned for a moment. Barry was commonly underestimated by his opponent due to his outrageously aggressive attack strategy.

The problem with Barry's opponents was that even though they recognized Barry's strategy, they were unable to pinpoint the weakness of said strategy. Barry would just stay aggressive until his opponent fell, and to be honest, as risky as the tactic was, it worked.

Well, it did work… until he would face the Ghost's juggernaut. Ash was unsure of just how many of his Pokémon would fall, but if all went according to plan, he wouldn't have any trouble at all. Someone poked their head into the room. Ash's jaw dropped an inch when he saw who it was.

"Sophocles!" He said, happily surprised to see his orange-haired friend standing there. The boy smiled cheerfully. "Hey there boss!" Ash raised his hand and scolded him with only a hint of legitimate annoyance. "Ghost, not boss."

Sophocles ignored him. "Look, doesn't matter. I'm here to tell you your intro is a go in three minutes."

Ash's eyes bulged open in shock. He said in horror. "What!? You can't be serious!" Sophocles grinned sheepishly. "I'm afraid I am. It's going to be a good time Ghosty, better get your game face on out there."

Ash's face turned emotionless, despite the use of Ghosty by his technological genius. "This is my game face."

Sophocles smirked. "What? It doesn't suit your song?"

Ash growled. "No! It does not!"

Sophocles grinned. "Then you shouldn't have told me to use it!"

Ash waved his hands up in exasperation. "I didn't think you'd actually use the damn song!"

Sophocles mimicked Ash's actions, only with a dismissing action more than anything. "Come off it Ghost. It's a great pump up song. You'll be glad you chose it once it's over, just trust me on this."

Ash grumbled. "I just hope you're right Sophocles… why do I have to do this again? Is someone forcing my hand?"

Sophocles grinned yet again. It looked as though if his smile could get wider, it'd go past his ears. "Yep, someone is!"

Ash frowned. "Who?"

Sophocles walked to the door and said cheerfully. "Me!" He then closed it behind him, and Ash heard loudly. 'Attention trainers.. This is your announcer for the match. Green Trainer, please enter the stage. Red Trainer, please enter the walkway and await your cue to enter.' Ash sighed and proceeded to stand up and look down at his faithful partner, who was looking at him curiously. Ash nodded once, and Pikachu returned willingly to its pokeball as a result. He walked to the other side of the room, where a double door stood. He took a deep breath and pushed on the doors. There was a large tunnel ahead of him. He walked through them and looked to the sides of the tunnels. It was pure concrete. He began walking down the hallway and let the doors slam behind him entirely.

Elite Box…Stands…

"And now, introducing the green trainer, hailing from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh Region, give it up for Barrryyy Junnn!" Barry walked out of his tunnel, two cannons on either side of him. They simultaneously went off, loud explosions sounding and sending a rush through everyone in the stadium. Barry cheered loudly for himself, pumping up himself and the crowd at the same time.

The Sinnoh natives began roaring in cheers and applause. The rest of the stadium gave polite cheers and claps. Barry took his position in his trainer box. May blinked, staring down at the spectacle in bewilderment. She was wearing a red shirt and dark grey jeans, along with a red vest and red cap. She had an identical look to how Ghost would appear. She asked Xavier in confusion. "Wait, where's Ghost?"

Xavier merely smirked. "You'll see."

As if on cue, it began. The lights immediately dimmed, and the crowd suddenly began cheering, confusing May entirely. What was going on? She suddenly began to hear people clapping in rhythm. It was an extremely slow clap, maybe once every other second. She joined in the crowd, unsure of what else to do.

Inside the tunnel, when Ash heard the music start, he began walking slowly down the tunnel. He could barely see, but he was listening to the crowd clapping and the music slowly playing. Nobody was singing in it. It was just a consistent beat. He continued to walk slowly, letting the adrenaline pump through him rapidly.

Meanwhile, May was watching the big screen in the stadium. On each main side of the stadium, there was a single big screen. The elite box was positioned on the North side of the stadium, so she was watching the South side screen. She watched as various screens began flashing.

'Ghost's shaded face'

'Cloud of dust hitting the ground'

'Ghost getting on one knee next to Zoroark'

'Ghost putting on his red vest'

'Charizard knocking out it's last opponent'

May was startled when suddenly, a voice roared across the stadium. "DOWN GOES VENASAUR! IT'S OVER! GHOST IS MOVING ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!" The audience did not stop clapping; the sound had come from the big screens.

Every time the audience would clap, the screen would change to a new short video no more than two seconds long. It was oddly… invigorating. She felt the blood rushing through her, why was this pumping her up so much? Was it the slow and steady music? Was it the audience slowly clapping to the theme of the beat? She was unsure, and she didn't care. She looked and saw Ghost's elites clapping along with her and the rest of the stadium.

Then the audience stopped clapping entirely. The music stopped along with their clapping Then, the big screen changed to two words.

'Let's Go'

Then, on the other side of the stadium, the fans chanted something else, May couldn't make out what they had said though. Then, the two words, appeared again.

'Let's Go'

She chanted it loudly along with the majority of the people near her. She heard the next word that came from the other side of the stadium.

'Alo-La'

The fans on the other side of the field roared back with as much intensity as they could muster. The screen flashed once again, pulling up one word at a time.

'Let's Go'

May chanted it with the elites.

'Alo-La'

The crowd roared back. This continued for over a minute, the fans getting riled up by the words coming from their own mouths.

Meanwhile, in the tunnel, Ash continued to walk slowly. Inside the concrete tunnel, the sounds of all the fans roaring was captured perfectly. Only more adrenaline continued to pump through his veins. He knew this match would get everyone jazzed up, and he was part of those people; it was pure hype.

Then, all of the sudden, the screen stopped flashing the words, and another song began playing.

'Insert Metallica's Enter Sandman'

Pure mayhem; that was it. May couldn't even think properly because there was so much noise. She saw everyone jumping around like a bunch of animals. She was shocked to even see the Alola Elite jumping around as well. She began to hop around as well, joining the crowd in their actions.

She wasn't sure why it was so invigorating, but she could feel the blood pumping through her veins as she jumped. The stadium seemed to be going crazy. Then Xavier next to her let out a whoop of exhilaration. It somewhat startled her, but what startled her even more was when the music got even louder as drums began to kick in. She heard the rest of the stadium begin screaming louder in response.

Meanwhile, Ash was now standing at the end of the tunnel. He could make out that the entire stadium was going bonkers. He was nodding slowly, trying to get himself hyped up. Closing his eyes, he banged himself twice on the chest, getting himself riled up. Then, the guitar began to kick in and he knew it was nearly time to go. He then got on one knee, despite the adrenaline and blood running through his veins.

He murmured under his breath. "Let it begin…"

He then pushed himself up and as if on cue, smoke began filling the entrance to the stadium. He heard the guitar still playing and the crowd still roaring as though their lives depended on it. He could feel the goosebumps still running down his spine, sending chills to his entire body. But then, it was time. He heard the moment in which he was supposed to enter field. He stood at the entrance and just as the climax of the song hit, he stepped out.

The noise was deafening. Hitting the prime spot of the song, he walked out emotionlessly, his cool demeanor still his calling card. He heard the announcer roar "HAILING FROM ALOLA, GIVE IT UP FOR THE CHAMPION HIMSELF… GHOOOOSTTT!" The crowd was roaring and cheering for him. Fireworks were being fired off as he walked forward. They exploded up in the sky, sending more chills through the crowd and battlers alike. After another moment, the music cut off and Ash walked to his side of the field. The crowd was still going bonkers. He spotted Barry looking oddly shaken, he looked as though the music had honestly shattered his confidence.

Ash silently grinned. 'Perhaps that intro isn't exactly the worst idea ever…'

After he was situated, the referee yelled. "This is a matchup between Barry Jun of Twinleaf Town and the Ghost, from the Alola region! This battle will be a three on three with no substitutions allowed until one Pokémon is knocked out. Then, and only then, may a Pokémon be swapped on either side! This battle will be over when all three Pokémon from one side are unable to continue. Is green trainer ready?"

Barry, who had seemingly regained his confidence, yelled. "I'm ready!"

The referee yelled through the cool night. "Red trainer, are you ready?"

Ghost nodded once. The referee nodded as well in understanding. He raised both flags and yelled. "Battle begin!"

Barry didn't waste any time. "Ghost if you don't give me a good battle, I'll fine you big time! Alright Skarmory, let's get going!" The steel bird appeared out of the pokeball and trilled its name loudly. Ash frowned a little. He decided that perhaps it was time to unleash one of his most powerful Pokémon. He said calmly. "Pikachu, I need your assistance."

His faithful electric type sprinted out from behind him and squeaked happily at finally having an opportunity to battle. The referee shouted loudly. "Begin!"

Barry cried out. "Alright Skarmory! Let's start with Spikes!" Ash raised an eyebrow. He knew that spikes was a ground type move, but with Pikachu's power, he had an idea of what to do. "Pikachu, use a max powered thunderbolt! Fry those spikes!" Pikachu jumped up and cried out loudly. "PIKKAA CHUUUU!" Barry laughed. "Ghost! You should know that spikes is a—" He was frozen mid-sentence as the titanic bolt of lightning actually fried the spikes, causing the crowd to roar in shock.

"H-how!?" He cried in surprise. Ash merely smirked. "Pikachu, run at Skarmory now." Pikachu nodded and ran at Skarmory, gaining speed. Barry wasn't having any of it. "Not so fast Ghost! Skarmory, fly up to avoid whatever that Pikachu is going to try on us!" The steel-flying type bird took to the skies and Ash ordered. "Jump up and hit it with Electro Ball."

The electric type move came in hot, but Barry had a plan. He yelled triumphantly. "Use Steel Wing to smack it back, then unleash a flash cannon!" To Ash's legitimate surprise, the attack was batted back at his faithful partner, who elegantly dodged the move, but was unable to evade the silver blast that came right after.

Ash frowned. Barry wouldn't let Ghost call out another move. "Skarmory, hit it again with Flash Cannon, max power!" The blast was unleashed at Pikachu, and Ash's brain racked itself for an idea. Thankfully, it came. "Let's use their tactic! Use Iron Tail as a deflection strategy!"

Pikachu leapt up and with its tail a shiny silver, it deflected the blast back at Skarmory, who looked very surprised that its own tactic was being used against it. It nimbly dodged the attack. Barry was raging loudly. "Ghost how could you!? I'll fine you BIG TIME for using my own strategy against me, mark my words!" He yelled and pointed at Pikachu. "Hit it by using Swift!" Skarmory trilled loudly before unleashed a torrent of stars at it's opponent.

Ash's eyes widened as a strategy came to him. However, it would not work at this exact moment. He ordered to his faithful electric type. "Pikachu, evade it and try to get close to Skarmory without leaving the ground!" His partner looked back in bewilderment. "Pika?"

"Just trust me buddy!" Ash called to his partner.

Pikachu nodded before sprinting at the swift, avoiding it by slipping by nimbly. Then, it began rushing towards Skarmory while still on the ground. Barry yelled while pointing at Pikachu. "Get it Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" Being directly under Skarmory, Pikachu looked like a sitting duck for Skarmory, who was flying downwards at breakneck speed. The crowd gasped, thinking that this was the end for Pikachu.

Ash yelled. "Fall back Pikachu!"

Pikachu began retreating backwards, and Skarmory pursued with increasing speed. Pikachu cast a swift look behind it to see Skarmory nearly about to connect with it. Ash roared in a triumphant voice.

"NOW! Grass Knot!" In midstride, Pikachu closed its eyes, focusing on unleashing a torrent of plants from the Earth. The plants then began bursting out of the ground and latching onto Skarmory's wings and body, causing it to panic. One then connected with Skarmory's body, and it was pulled to the ground with a loud bang. Skarmory rolled forward, completely devasted by the multiple plants and various amounts of grass attacking it. Ash grinned, knowing his plan had worked. He knew knocking Skarmory out of the sky with electric type moves would be risky and difficult, but if he could lure in Skarmory by giving it a wide and open opportunity to strike down Pikachu. By running inward, Skarmory had been given a golden chance to strike, but with an odd move choice such as Grass Knot, it had no time to predict or evade it.

But Ash was far from over. "Smash it with Thunderbolt into an Electro Ball!" Barry cried out. "Skarmory, quick, get up and get out of there quick!" It was too late though. The two electric attacks sped towards Skarmory in rapid succession. Thunderbolt connected first, then Electro Ball smashed into the body of Skarmory, earning two direct hits. However, despite the moves being Super-Effective, Skarmory was clearly battle conditioned. It was able to push itself up, but not without some trouble.

Barry gritted his teeth together tightly. This Pikachu would most definitely be an issue. He yelled. "Alright Skarmory, let's get down to work! Fly up and let's stay away from that Pikachu! Use Flash Cannon from afar!" Skarmory trilled and flew backwards, preparing to unleash the attack. After a second, it unleashed the blast towards its electric type opponent. Ash wouldn't have any of it.

"Side step." Pikachu moved out of the way of the blast, and it connected harmlessly to the ground. Barry ordered. "Again!"

Ash simply stated. "Evade."

The blast once more missed, but this time, Ash called out. "Thunderbolt!"

Barry yelled. "Dodge it Skarmory!" As Skarmory flew low to avoid the blast, Ash called out a trump card. "Triple Electro Ball Attack, Straight Up!" Barry blinked in bewilderment. "Huh?" Three balls of electricity were hurled up in the air one at a time. Barry yelled, unwavering. "Skarmory, unleash Flash Cannon!"

Ash grinned. This battle was over. He waved his hand downwards and yelled. "Climb the Electro Balls with Iron Tail to evade!" In fluid motions, Pikachu jumped from Electro Ball to Electro ball using it's Iron Tail attack, and propelled itself high into the sky. Connecting with the last one, Ash roared. "Now! One final Electro Ball! Strike down Skarmory!"

Barry was too stricken by surprise to even counter the attack. However, the attack had come in so fast that Skarmory likely wouldn't have even had a chance to evade it. The explosion sounded and smoke covered the sky on the field. A figure could be seen sailing down through the smoke and hitting the ground in front of Barry with a very loud THUD, and it created a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Skarmory was seen with its mouth slightly ajar, extremely knocked out. The referee raised his flag.

"Skarmory is unable to battle, Pikachu wins!" The crowd let out a roar of cheers and applause. Barry grumbled but returned Skarmory with small praise. Ghost was truly the battler that everyone said he was. Taking out another pokeball, he yelled. "Alright then Hitmonlee, let's get going!"

The brown fighting type Pokémon let out a cry of determination as it entered the fray. Ash calmly stated. "I'll be returning Pikachu." His partner ran back to his side before Ash returned it. Ash almost grinned at the very reluctant look on Pikachu's face, knowing it was about to get sucked into its pokeball. Ash clipped the ball to his belt and tossed another in the air. "Heracross, I need your assistance." The bug-fighting type took the field next, letting out a loud cry of dominance, ready to battle.

"Continue the Battle!"

Ash's Elite Box…

"So far, so good." Axel said while nodding.

"I heard that Ghost almost made Maxie wet himself at the Pokémon center yesterday Told me he threatened Max with Manectric, why do you think he's not using him right now?" Xavier spoke, voice laced with curiosity.

July pointed out. "Maybe he's decided to save Manectric for later? I doubt he's banking on Max making it that far though, he'd have to somehow squeak by into the final four. As for this current battle, Ghost is using rather odd tactics to knock off Barry. He knows how Barry operates, and he's using that to his full advantage. If Ghost keeps this up, he should be good."

"That being said, I don't think he will." Xavier said aloud, surprising everyone there.

"Huh?" Axel questioned his friend.

Xavier explained. "I've looked over Barry's battle tape too. I think Ghost is going to change his style of attack on this battle."

Zandra shook her head. "But why? If his style worked so well before, why would he change it now?"

Xavier smirked a little. "You'll see."

Battlefield…

Barry shouted. "Alright then Hitmonlee, let's use Blaze kick to start!" Ash silently grimaced, this was going to be a rough fight considering type disadvantages that he knew he would have to fight through. Still though, if everything went according to his plan, Hitmonlee would be out for the count relatively shortly.

"Heracross, evade." The giant bug leaned to the right and the fiery foot of Hitmonlee sailed by it harmlessly. Ash ordered loudly. "Now, use Mega Horn!" After pegging Hitmonlee with one single hit, Barry yelled. "Sucker Punch into a Blaze Kick!"

The sudden dark type move startled Heracross, and then it was thrown backwards by the fire type attack. Barry decided to end the fight right then and there. "Stone Edge!" The crowd gasped as Heracross was pegged by hundreds of tiny rocks at once. Ash frowned. He knew that what he was doing was extremely risky, but he decided to let Barry have some momentum. After all, if everything went well, that very same momentum would be gone in mere moments. After the cloud of smoke vanished from the stone edge, it revealed a damaged Heracross.

Ash's Elite Box…

"Was his plan to get massacred by Barry's second Pokémon?" Axel said accusingly at Xavier, who had an unreadable expression on his face. May dejectedly said. "Doesn't look like Ghost is winning this fight…"

July kept the heat on poor Xavier coming. "This clearly isn't a working strategy. Unless his plan is simply to absorb all the damage Xavier, you need to reconsider what is supposed to be a "good strategy."

"Will you idiots can it? Ghost is winning this battle because you guys can't see he's deliberately taking all that damage." Zandra spoke up for the first time in some bit. Xavier chuckled. "You shouldn't have said anything, it would've been comedy gold when they get wind of Ghost's strategy."

Axel shook his head. "Okay, what the hell am I missing?"

Xavier laughed. "Like I said, you'll see."

Battlefield…

"Heracross, can you continue?" Ash questioned his Pokémon. Heracross gave a nod, signaling it could continue. Ash nodded in return and ordered. "Prepare yourself."

Barry yelled. "Hate to end this battle so soon, but I think it's time I even the score! Use High Jump Kick! Don't miss!" Hitmonlee charged Heracross, prepared to end the battle right then and there. The problem was, though, was that even though yes, the battle was about to end, it was going to end for the wrong side.

"Endure!" Ash yelled the exact moment Hitmonlee was about to hit Heracross. Heracross closed its eyes and felt the leg nearly knock it out, but it just was able to hold its focus. Ash roared in response. "Counter!"

The crowd's loud gasp could be heard all over when they heard the command. Heracross smirked at its opponent and grabbed Hitmonlee's leg and swung it into the ground in one full motion, earning a loud smash as a result. Then, it threw Hitmonlee's form up into the air and Ash roared even louder.

"REVERSAL!" Heracross swung Hitmonlee's body around in a circle before hurling it back to the ground, a sickening 'crunch' and a loud 'boom' were what followed. Ash roared in Victory, pumping his fist up to the sky, signaling his victory. Some of the fans were staring at the battlefield slack-jawed. Barry looked as though he had been run over by a truck; how on Earth had Ghost flipped the battle so fast?

To make matters worse for Barry…

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle, Heracross is the winner! Green Trainer, send out your final Pokémon!"

Ash's Elite Box…

Xavier was smirking at Ash's fellow elites with the lone exception of Zandra, who had a look of indifference on her face. Axel had a look that screamed, "You've gotta be shitting me," all over his face. July appeared as though she had seen the second coming of Arceus, and even May's jaw was a few inches from hitting the ground. Nobody seemed to want be the first one to speak their thoughts.

Finally, it was Axel that broke the silence. "Okay… that's the last time I ever doubt Ghost's plans in battle."

July was next to speak. "That makes two of us."

May said with curiosity. "What exactly does Reversal do? I'm honestly not sure I've ever heard the move being used before." Zandra explained calmly. "Reversal is a move that does more damage the less health the user has."

May gasped. "So that's why Reversal did so much! Heracross was hit with three attacks!"

Xavier nodded, the grin still on his face. "Yeah. That was Ghost's plan: by Blaze Kick, which is super effective, Stone Edge, which does normal damage, and a Sucker Punch with a High-Jump Kick, both of which do significant damage despite not being very effective. Ghost knew Heracross could absorb the final blow with endure then send Hitmonlee packing with two devastatingly powerful moves, not to mention Hitmonlee had already gotten hit with Megahorn earlier in the battle."

May whispered. "Ghost truly is an ingenious battler, isn't he?"

Zandra looked at May, an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes… yes he is."

Battlefield…

Barry returned Hitmonlee with a sad smile on his face. He knew that even with Heracross about to feint, there was very little hope he could even dispatch one of his opponents Pokémon. He said aloud. "Well Ghost, I did say I would fine you if you didn't give me a good battle, and you haven't disappointed me! But I'm not leaving without a fight! It's time to reveal my most powerful Pokémon! Alright Empoleon, let's get going!"

The blue penguin took the field with a loud cry. Ash returned Heracross and said quietly. "Thank you for your assistance Heracross, I am forever grateful." He clipped the ball to his belt and tossed up his final Pokémon. "Infernape, I need your assistance."

The fire monkey took the field and cried out its name loudly. Infernape nodded once at Ash, ready for whatever the battle threw at them. The referee had seen enough. "Battle Commence!"

Ash ordered the first move. "Let's dazzle them with your speed Infernape! Mach Punch!"

Before Barry could even call out a move, Empoleon had been struck down by a swift blur of orange. "W-what the-!" Empoleon was blasted backwards by another blur of orange. Barry was totally shocked; he had no idea Ghost controlled this many strong Pokémon. Still though, maybe it was expected considering Ghost was a regional champion. Barry was just hoping he'd be able to land a few direct strikes against Infernape.

"Empoleon, spin in a circle and use Metal claw! Center yourself before you start spinning!" Ash raised an eyebrow, but was legitimately impressed when Empoleon began spinning rapidly, a white circle surrounding, creating a shield. Infernape collided with the shield and collapsed on the ground, caught off guard by the move.

"Good! Now, use Hydro Pump!" Empoleon stopped spinning and fired off a stream of water towards the fire type. Ash yelled. "Get up and block it!"

Barry couldn't help but laugh as Ash issued the command. Infernape pushed itself to its feet and crossed his arms in front of him. The stream of water connected directly with it, and a huge amount of steam flew up in the air. Barry spoke aloud. "Ghost, I don't know what you're thinking issue a command like—" He froze again in mid-sentence when he saw a figure in the steam. After a moment, the steam cleared and the figure roared.

"INFAAAAA!" Barry took a step back in horror. The attack hadn't done anything! Infernape was there, completely unscathed by one of Empoleon's most dominant moves. Even Empoleon was shocked.

"B-but how?!"

Ghost chuckled. "I'm sorry Mr. Jun, but I've prepared for that move countless times. You'll have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me."

Barry shook his head to sway the feeling of disbelief. He yelled. "Well then Ghost, try this one on for size! Use Rock Tomb!"

Empoleon formed giant rocks and hurled them at Infernape, honestly catching Ash off guard. Ash ordered loudly. "Mach Punch to break through them, then reposition into a Flare Blitz!" Infernape nodded and sprinted towards the rocks, gaining speed and then busting straight through it with breakneck speed. It smashed through boulder after boulder with its fist outstretched. Then, after smashing the final boulder, it landed on both feet and broke out into a dead sprint, flames dancing around it's body.

Gathering all the speed it needed, it leapt off the ground and charged at Empoleon, it's body a raging fire. Barry yelled. "Empoleon, meet it with Metal Claw!" The two attacks met with a fiery explosion in the middle of the battlefield, causing everyone to watch with bated breath. Barry yelled out into the smoke. "Empoleon! Are you okay?" After a moment, Empoleon emerged from the smoke, a bit bruised but still standing on his feet with a grin on his face. Barry pumped his fist. "Heck yeah Empoleon! That's showing them!"

Infernape was revealed a moment later, on both feet and looking mostly unharmed. Ash frowned; this Empoleon was clearly well trained. It wasn't going to be an easy knock out. Either way, he was going to have to finish it sooner or later. However, his mind was on the former and not the latter.

"Infernape, it's time we began to finish this. Use Swords Dance." Infernape roared as it began to juice up its attack stat. Barry yelled. "Let's knock its focus off Empoleon, Hydro Pump!" Ash ordered. "Infernape, don't break concentration. Finish boosting your attack and try to absorb the shot." Infernape did as he was told, taking the blow but still boosting it's attack. Ash nodded and was about to order his attack, but then, Barry called out another move, one that would prove to be costly.

"Finish it Empoleon! Use your Hydro Cannon!"

Ash sighed. If Barry had stayed on his consistent path, he legitimately may have been able to defeat Infernape, but he had just set himself up for defeat with that move choice. Ash said calmly. "Infernape, dodge left, then use Earthquake." Barry paled when the attack missed Infernape by a considerable margin. He had been banking on Infernape being too weak to move because of the Hydro Pump. In his haste, he had forgotten one crucial thing:

Infernape's resistance to water attacks.

Infernape roared as the ground shook beneath it furiously. Due to Hydro Cannon's drawback, Empoleon could do nothing but stand there and take the damage. Once the attack had ceased, Ash yelled while crunching his fist into a ball.

"Flare Blitz! End this!" Infernape charged Empoleon, flames spinning around it in a blinding fury. "INNNFEEERRRRRRNNAAAPPPPE!" It's body now surrounded entirely by blue fire, it charged a damaged and totally helpless Empoleon. The blue penguin pushed itself off it's back to see the incredibly powerful attack storming towards it.

Barry screamed. "No! Empoleon!"

Ash heard this and suddenly shouted. "Infernape, abort!" The fire monkey suddenly stopped burning entirely and came to a walking stop a few feet from Empoleon, who was lying in a small ditch. Barry looked confused at the sudden stop, as did Empoleon. The blonde haired boy heard Ghost shout.

"Mr. Jun! I suggest you lay down your arms!"

Barry realized why the attack had stopped: Ghost knew the battle was over, and Empoleon could not go on much further. He smiled and realized Ghost was not doing this act out of arrogance, but of humility. Ghost had the smallest of grins on his face as he watched realization dawn on Barry's face.

"I'm grateful Ghost, guess I won't be fining you after all. You're just as powerful as everyone says you are, but they left out just how classy you were!"

He turned to the referee. "I forfeit, Mr. Official. I don't want my Pokémon to take anymore unnecessary damage." The official even cracked a grin and raised his flags. "Green Trainer has forfeited his Pokémon's place in the tournament! Therefore, the winner of the match and the trainer advancing to the next round of the tournament is the Ghost from Alola!"

The crowd exploded into cheers. They were mixed with praise and approval; they had seen Ghost spare Empoleon. Back on the field, Infernape held out his fist to Empoleon, who took it and was helped to it's feet. They exchanged a look before Empoleon nodded at Infernape, a grin still visible on its face. Infernape grinned back and responded.

"Infa!"

Barry walked up next to Empoleon and put a hand on his partner Pokémon's back. "Glad you're okay buddy." He then looked at Infernape and gratefully said. "Thank you for listening, Infernape. I'm so glad you were able to stop in time."

The fire monkey grinned and nodded. "Infer-nape!"

Ghost walked over to Barry and said. "Barry."

The boy smiled a little. "Thanks for the great battle Ghost. I'm just glad I'm able to say I held my own against you in battle."

Ghost didn't speak for a moment before he finally said something. "Barry, for the first time in this tournament, I can say that I'm happy with my opponent. You battled well against me Barry, and when the time came to surrender when the battle was hopeless, rather than stubbornly refuse, you recognized that you didn't want the condition of your Pokémon to worsen, and surrendered honorably." Ghost held out his hand, a small grin on his face.

"You deserve this, Mr. Jun. I don't give away my respect easily, but you have earned it." Barry grinned and shook his hand. "Thank you for the compliment Ghost."

The champion nodded. "Don't mention it. I look forward to our next battle Mr. Jun, assuming you'd be interested in battling again."

The boy immediately responded. "Of course I want to battle again! And you better go on to win this tournament Ghost, I'll fine you if you don't take it all!" Ghost had a little smirk appear over his face. "Oh, don't worry… I intend to." Barry grinned and walked out of the stadium. Ash put a hand on Infernape's shoulder and he spoke with grin on his face. "Excellent battle Infernape."

The crowd began to chant loudly. "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!" That very same person got on one knee along with Infernape. After a moment, he murmured softly.

"For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Infernape murmured next to him. "Infa…" They both stood up simultaneously and Ash said aloud, praising his fire type. "Infernape, you were stellar. Take a well-deserved rest." The fire monkey returned to its pokeball, and Ash turned on his heel to walk back to the concrete tunnel. He left the field of vision of the crowd, and as he continued to walk back, he heard the roars of the crowd echoing off the walls of the concrete.

"Ghost!"

"Ghost!"

"Ghost!"

AN: Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This took me a little less than a month to type. If you all haven't followed the story and favorited it as well, please go out and do it! It would mean so much to me if you could show your support to the fanfiction!

I've been getting asked on when Ash will reveal himself to May, and I think I've decided it will be relatively soon. My reasoning behind it is because I don't really know how much longer it should be before Ash reveals himself to someone. I already established that the first person he would reveal to that was of major importance would be May, so it's going to be her. That being said, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Serena!

Also, yes, I know I didn't use Manectric or Delveon in this battle. I also know it was odd considering I even included the part where Manectric confronted Max. Just trust me ya'll, I got a plan for it.

As per usual, I got no idea when my next post will be. I just hope ya'll will be there along with me to see it. Till next time everyone!

LegionZ