Hiya everyone! Guess what? This is chapter twenty five! Can you believe it? We've made it such a long way, and I can't wait to share this next chapter with you guys who keep on keepin-on! If you're new to this story and enjoy my writing, please follow and favorite both the story and myself so you never miss an upload!

While I usually do not respond to guest comments since I'm entirely unable to, a guest review by the name Anon asked me where the Diantha slander came from, unsure if I had even mentioned her up to this point. To answer your question: Reread chapter 19 and get back to me. She's been mentioned in chapters prior to that as well: Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 7 and Chapter 16. She's been at least mentioned (3 and 4 have a lot of Diantha in them, as does 7) in those chapters. So, ah… yeah, she's been mentioned!

My thanks go out to all of you who gave me so much support and love in the last upload. I'm glad you guys all enjoyed it. It took me a very long time to type up 12,000 words, but I suppose a chapter of that magnitude deserved it and more. Now, for the first time in a long time, a battle is about to ensue! I can't even tell you when the last battle took place if I'm being honest with you guys, so let's make it a good one. I envision this chapter being about 10,000 words long, a small dropoff from last chapter. There's a lot to cover this chapter, the primary piece of the story being about the battle.

If you have any questions, PM's and reviews are accepted happily. I'm not sure there's much else to discuss, so let's discuss this no further.

Enjoy everyone!

LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 25

Last Chapter…

A confirmation cry from his faithful Pokémon sounded and within seconds, all the debris was back removed. Ash pulled himself out of the ditch with his Pokémon and gawked. The entire block had been seemingly levelled. What on earth could've caused this?

He checked himself and his Pokémon for injuries and found none other than cuts and bruises. The trio pulled themselves to the top of the debris pile and saw a crowd of people gathering outside the rubble, seemingly terrified. "I'm alright," Ash waved them off. "I said I'm al—"

"People of Alola! Heed us now!" Ash's mind latched shut. 'No… no… it CAN'T be…' He saw the crowd of people beginning to disperse and his worst fears were realized not a moment later. He saw a group of five people wearing reddish-orange hoodies with black spikes on their heads and standing in a triangle formation.

"The time for peace is over. The time for Team Flare to rise again is here. Join us, or fall. Let him be an example." Ash's breath hitched. Xavier was being held up by the Flare Grunts, seemingly unconscious. His shirt was ripped almost off, and his suit was completely ruined. Someone from the crowd cried out.

"They have Xavier Blackmon!"

"The elite?"

"Yeah, that's him!"

"Oh my gosh!"

"This isn't happening!"

"NO! XAVIER! NO!" Ash saw Malva emerging from a pile of rubble nearby and saw her crying. His blood began to run cold.

Flare had returned.

And she wasn't part of it. Oh gods… what had he done?

Ash felt his teeth clench. "You're going to ask Zandra to go with you."

Lance merely smiled innocently. "Either way, one of us will be making it to the top eight. If she says yes, it doesn't matter who wins or loses. We'll go together."

Ash snarled quietly. "Have you worked out your differences with her yet? I'd hate to see you again in a body bag."

Lance waved it off dismissingly. "I've been talking to her about it, sure. She hasn't forgiven me yet per se, but I'm sure we're almost around the corner." Ash shook his head. As smart as Lance was and as much as he wielded, he was truly clueless when it came to the pink-haired beauty. Her body clouded his thoughts and made him act somewhat irrational.

"Lance, until you talk it out with her, it's not smart to do what you're about to do." Ash wisely stated.

"Oh I'm going to do it, I just wanted you to know ahead of time so you wouldn't be totally surprised when she says yes and rolls in hanging on my arm." Ash almost laughed at his semi-arrogant tone. "You really believe she's that certain to go with you Lance? Truly?"

Lance smirked and nodded once more. "Absolutely."

Ash sighed. "Lance, I can't really let you—"

Lance had taken three steps and was in Ash's face in an instant. "Oh? What kind of say do you think you have? Last I checked you weren't her father, her brother, her uncle, or her boyfriend! All you are is her leader, and she's old enough to make her own decisions."

This man had brown hair and auburn eyes. He stood at about 6'1" and had good posture. He radiated power. The only thing missing from him was his Pika—

She let out a strangled sob. Ghost's most trusted partner…

"No… No… NO!" May dropped to her knees, the dam seconds from bursting. She looked into his eyes, begging him to tell her that she was wrong, begging to tell her that this was some cruel, twisted joke. But one more look told the rest of the tale. She knew those eyes, dancing with mischief, pride and power. Ghost knew the tales of Ash Ketchum. Ghost knew Gary Oak. Ghost and Ash were both incredibly powerful. Both Ghost and Ash were supposedly saved by Lance.

And both Ash and Ghost had a trusted Pikachu as their partner. As soon as he opened his mouth and she heard his voice, she broke.

"Hello May… It's me." Ash Ketchum spoke, the Ghost of a smile playing out on his lips.

Present… Enjoy Everyone

Ash knew something was wrong with him. Ash knew he should be feeling more emotions than this. He'd lost his elite, his close friend and his girlfriend in the span of less than a day. Flare had returned. Malva wasn't a part of the new regime. Lance had almost assaulted him for sticking up for Zandra. Xavier was gone. May was comatose.

'How the hell did everything collapse in such a short span?'

From the tournament standpoint, Abel and Paul had a grueling battle, one that pushed both trainers to the wire, but surprisingly, it was Abel who managed to squeak by with a victory and move to the elite eight. Since Xavier wasn't able to battle, Alder was given the free pass to the next round. This came to Ash's dismay, but Mr. Goodshow refused to budge on the topic. Ash knew that even if Xavier hadn't been kidnapped, he would've been removed from the tournament regardless, but since his kidnapping, Ash had a change of heart.

He still didn't have the heart though, to tell his elites why he was with Xavier in the first place. Ash knew it was only a matter of time before the question was brought up.

Gary and Koga had also battled, but Gary's Nidoqueen was enough to neutralize most of Koga's tactics, winning the battle 3-1. Gary wouldn't let Paul hear the end of it, teasing the trainer mercilessly.

As Ash stood across from Falkner, he knew that this battle, despite the overwhelming odds in his favor, had to be planned with extreme care. Falkner wouldn't have made it to this point by sheer luck, and the flying-gym leader was prepared to try his hand again. It was time to show the leader his luck had run out.

The official stepped in and cleared his throat. "The battle between Falkner Corsto and Ghost is about the begin! Each trainer is permitted to use three Pokémon in this battle, and the battle will be concluded when all three Pokémon from one side are unable to continue. Furthermore, as agreed upon by the trainers before this battle began, both sides are allowed to switch Pokémon mid-battle."

The blue-haired man across from him called out. "Ghost? Can you hear me?"

"…"

"Well, I'll take it you can. This is where the line ends. This is where I prove I deserve more. I mean no disrespect to you, but it's my time to battle! Crobat, take flight!" He threw the pokeball into the air and the large purple bat took to the skies as the pokeball landed safely in Falkner's open palm.

Ash looked calm and then reached for one of his pokeballs. He needed to end this battle as soon as possible; his elite was missing and it was his own fault for it. The more time he spent here was more time wasted. Nonetheless, he needed to set an example.

"Froslass, I need your assistance!"

Up in the elite box, things were in an incredibly somber mood. July would keep tearing her eyes from the stadium to Xavier's empty seat, all passion for the battle beginning to lose its glimmer.

However, both Axel and Zandra seemed interested in the battle.

"The type advantage is obviously on Ash's side here. What do you think his angle is going into this fight?"

The pink-haired girl shrugged. "Beats me. I haven't the foggiest idea of what his strategy is heading into this battle if I'm being honest with you. Maybe he pulls out Delveon and blows Falkner out of the water?"

Axel merely snickered. "I wouldn't mind seeing that."

"Battle Begin!"

Falkner waved his arm to the side. "Let's begin Crobat! Use—"

"Hail!" Ash ordered before Falkner could finish his sentence. The flying type leader watched as clouds began to overtake the area, and suddenly Froslass began to appear and disappear at will as an eerie fog rolled in.

Falkner cursed under his breath and then let out another order. "Use Taunt!"

It was Ash's turn to curse as despite not being able to see Froslass, the taunt worked like a charm. That serious messed up Ash's whole strategy.

"Froslass, Icy Wind!"

"Crobat, wait for the last possible opening!"

'Hm?'

To Ash's horror, Froslass' attack emerged from out of the cover of the weather, but was in for a shocker when Crobat used its raw speed to evade the attack, leaving a direct line of sight between the two Pokémon.

"Super Fang!"

Ash fought the urge to laugh as the attack went straight through Froslass' body, the normal-type move being ineffective against Froslass whatsoever. This drew a laugh from people in the stands, but Falkner only wore a grin on his face… a grin Ash couldn't see. "Acrobatics!" Ash heard an explosion and Froslass thrown from the fog and landed in a heap on the ground, shaking lightly. Ash bit his lip. "You okay Froslass?"

"Lass!" His Pokémon nodded affirmatively. Ash nodded in return and looked up to the fog-bank, hail still the culprit to the lack of vision.

'Maybe this wasn't the smartest idea of how to outclass him… time to move to plan B. Let's get it rolling. He won't know what—'

"Heat Wave!"

"Say what?" Ash spoke aloud, truly confused.

All of the sudden, Froslass was thrown from her spot next to Ash and crunched up against the far wall on Ash's side. Ash whirled back to the battlefield and saw a thick layer of steam replacing the fog, as the heat countered the cold. However, with a few powerful wing-flaps, Ash spotted a dangerous looking Honchkrow.

"Krrrooowwww!" It cried out loudly.

Ash whirled to the official, who said nothing. 'But he didn't announce his swap. How is he allowed to get away with that?'

Ash turned to his Ice-Ghost type, who was looking more than a little-bit annoyed by the beginning run of the battle. She was panting heavily, the super-effective move obviously taking its toll against her. Ash was still trying to understand Falkner's pattern; this wasn't in any of his recent battles; he was going in blind.

'I need more information. I can't go in further without knowing what his plan is. I'll need Froslass for later.'

"Froslass, return." Ash took back the Ice-Ghost type and prepared for the next battle. To his surprise, Falkner frowned and then called out. "Honchkrow, thanks for the help. Take a break, I'll need you again later."

The familiar red beam shot out onto the field and the dark-flying type was sucked back into the capsule as well. The audience began to murmur quietly as Ghost prepared to send out his next Pokémon. Because Ghost had returned his Pokémon first, it was customary for him to show his Pokémon first. That gave Falkner a huge advantage, one that he would undoubtedly use.

"Lyncanroc, let's go!"

The orange-red Pokémon roared as it took the field, howling out intimidatingly. Strangely, Falkner seemed pleased with the choice. Ash felt a cold chill shoot down his spine; this didn't look good.

"Crobat, take flight!"

'What? So soon?"

The Pokémon rematerialized. Ash looked at the Pokémon carefully, the steam now evaporated from the Heat Wave attack.

'That's definitely the same Pokémon. What's his play here?'

"Lyncanroc, use Double Team!" As the copies began to form across the battlefield, Falkner yelled out. "Use Taunt!"

'Again?'

As the Taunt worked, Ash realized that he at least still had copies to work with. "Use Accelerock! Knock it out of the sky!"

Ash missed the smirk on Falkner's face. "Confuse Ray." Just as the attack was about to slam into the bat, Lyncanroc stopped its attack and began to stumble across the field clumsily, signaling it was confused.

'Damn it. This is not good."

"Crobat, Super Fang!"

Ash knew that if the move hit, despite it not being very effective, it was still chop off half of Lyncanroc's overall health. That move could not connect, but because it was confused, luck would need to be played into factor here.

"Lyncanroc, I know you can hear me! Use Accelerock, you can't let that move hit you!" As Crobat sped towards the rock type, Ash knew it would be a crucial part of the battle if Lyncanroc couldn't snap out of it for that moment. However, to Ash's momentary-relief, Lyncanroc shook it's head and used Accelerock, smashing into Crobat full force. A cheer from the crowds came out as an explosion once more coated the field.

Lyncanroc was sent out of the explosion and landed on its stomach not far from Ash. "Lyncanroc, you okay?"

The Pokémon was still stumbling about, confusion not yet worn off. Before Ash could curse under his breath once more though, he heard a command from Falkner.

"Use Night Slash!"

To Ash's shock, Honchkrow emerged from the smoke and flew in to Lyncanroc, firmly on a beeline to the rock-type.

"Get out of there Lyncanroc, quick!"

No dice. The Pokémon was smothered by the attack and sent hurtling into the same wall Froslass had been thrown into not many minutes prior. Falkner's supporters let out a roar of approval, sensing the upset brewing. Ash stared in a mixture of shock and disbelief as he found himself struggling to beat a supposed-lowly gym leader. He could feel thousands of eyes on him, horror laced in each pupil.

'What's happening?'

"What in Arceus' name is happening? Ash is getting laid out by a gym leader!" Axel said, shock coloring his tone.

Zandra even looked impressed. "This definitely is a new strategy. If Ash had any idea about this tactic, Falkner would've already lost. This has to be new."

"How is he swapping out Crobat with Honchkrow so often? From what I can hear… or can't hear, Falkner hasn't announced it once. If he hasn't announced it once, maybe it's something important? Think he's cheating?"

July, now looking onto the battlefield below, was lost in thought. 'What's his plan…'

By now, a portion of the stadium had begun to chant.

"Falk-ner! Falk-ner! Falk-ner!" And Falkner was nodding to the beat, showing no signs of humbleness and happily encouraging the praise. The rest of the crowd began to boo and begin chanting Ghost's name as well, signaling they hadn't yet lost faith in their leader and were itching for a classic comeback.

Little did Falkner know, that as he was showboating, it was buying the necessary time for Ash to figure out his strategy and fully exploit it. Lyncanroc was getting up, softly panting.

'Those two can take out my whole team at this rate. Let's take a step back; my plan of using Double Teams into Oblivion isn't going to work. Let's look at what we know; Crobat knows Taunt, Confuse Ray, Acrobatics and Super Fang. Acrobatics did barely anything, but why use Super Fang on Froslass in the first place? He's smart enough to know it wouldn't do anything, so he did it for another reason.'

Ash looked at Falkner, who was still happily encouraging the fans praise nearby. The official, bless his heart, seemed to be in no rush to force them to make a next move. It bought him more time.

'Both times Honchkrow has appeared, it's been in through the power of cover and a wordless entry. If the official isn't calling the move out, that means something is up. What could it be? Why immediately swap back to Crobat? The moves Crobat has too… he swaps out Crobat from Honchkrow and then immediately uses Taunt? It's like he—'

Ash froze, realization slamming into him.

'He wants to get hit.'

As the crowd watched two on the battlefield, seconds turned into minutes where Falkner was arrogantly motioning for more praise and Ghost was silent on the other side of the field. Up in the elite box though, Zandra felt a wave of relief wash over her as she noticed the slightest change in Ghost's posture.

"He did it."

Axel and July looked over. "Pardon?"

"Ash figured out Falkner's strategy."

"How do you know?"

She smirked. "Watch what comes next."

'That's it… that has to be it. Everything adds up. Crobat's whole moveset is devoted around that strategy, let's set the trap.'

"Lyncanroc, return. Rest quickly."

The flash of red sucked Lyncanroc in and the audience watched as Ghost took in yet another Pokémon. Falkner finally finished his showboating and smirked widely. "Like I said Ghost, it's nothing personal; but this battle is mine. Honchkrow, return as well!"

A second red beam crossed the standard battlefield and Ash motioned once more to his belt.

"Froslass, I need your assistance." The ice-type took the field once more, noticeably more banged up than usual.

"Crobat, take flight!"

And thus, it was the original two, right back where they began. Falkner's cocky grin was only growing as the battle droned on. Ash motioned. "Hail."

The audience began to whisper in surprise, not understanding why Ghost would do this. Ash called out. "Put your ability to good use!"

Falkner laughed. "Good try Ghost! Taunt!"

Ash's face was unreadable, though nobody could see it anyway. 'It's working…'

Froslass waited, enveloped in fog and unsure of the next steps. "Froslass, spin and use Icy Wind!" The attack was sent in a circle, aimed on cutting down Crobat despite the lack of vision. Falkner commanded his faithful Pokémon. "Now, fly up and hit it with Acrobatics!"

"Cease and hide in the fog!" Ash ordered.

Crobat struck the area it had last seen Froslass, but the Pokémon was gone.

"Froslass, keep evading!"

"Take it down Crobat! It can't hide forever!" What happened for the next minute was unseen by everyone in the crowd, unsure of what to make of this battle. Nobody could make any judgements since no judgements could even be seen. Falkner seemed confident enough. After a minute or so of no explosions, Ash yelled out.

"Now! Grab onto it!"

Falkner smirked, and then laughed. "It's game over Ghost!" Sure enough, a surprised cry came from Crobat and the Pokémon soared back to him silently. He threw a pokeball high into the air, entirely unseen thanks to the cover of the fog.

"Honchkrow, use heat wave!"

The dark-flying type nodded before unleashing the massive torrent of flames in the direction of the fog. Steam caked the entire field, making vision next to impossible. He heard Ghost shout out, "Froslass!"

'Must've hit, as usual.'

"Honchkrow, clear the steam with you wings and let's finish it." With five powerful flaps, the steam was cleared. The audience gasped in surprise and Falkner let out a strangled cry. Honchkrow sweatdropped as it realized Froslass was nowhere to be found. It's eyes darted up and down, left and right, but it's opponent was gone. Where was it?

"B-Behind you!"

Honchkrow had no time to react though. Froslass had emerged from the steam with Snow Cloak's cover and snuck up behind Honchkrow before it could do anything. Ghost ordered. "Now Froslass, use fling!"

Froslass spun and threw a small yellow object at Honchkrow. The bird had no chance of avoiding the attack and who cried out in agony as it body began to shake uncontrollably, electricity coursing through it's veins. Ash roared. "Hit it with Icy Wind! Maximum power!"

"Lasssss!" The ice-ghost type caked the dark-flying type with the super-effective move, slicing through its health like it was nothing. The Alola supporters cried out in approval, cheering loudly while Falkner's supporters grew quiet.

"No! Honchkrow, get back!" Falkner whipped out the pokeball and fired the familiar red beam out.

Ash's smile was now extended to his ears. "Now Froslass! Block it!"

"HUH?" The entire stadium seemed to gasp in unison, Falkner included. Said trainer watched in morbid fascination as the Ghost-type magically appeared in front of the red beam, blocking it just feet away from Honchkrow. The stadium let out a roar of stunned disbelief at a brand new tactic that was just unveiled right in front of them. Ash's elites were standing up, awe and disbelief coloring their features.

Ash roared. "Finish it! Icy Wind!"

Froslass unleashed the wave of snow one final time, slamming into Honchkrow, who'd yet to move off the ground after the last time it'd been hit by the same attack.

"NO! Honchkrow!" Falkner gaped as his Pokémon was engulfed by the cold storm.

A moment later the attack ended. The official peered in the general direction of where Honchkrow had been and after another moment or searching, raised a flag. "Honchkrow is unable to battle, Froslass wins!"

A plethora of cheers rained down from the stands, bathing Ghost in praise. His faithful ice-type soared back to him, happily accepting the praise from its trainer. "Way to hang in there Froslass. I'm very proud of you. Take a break." The Pokémon let out a happy coo before getting sucked into the capsule.

He clipped the Pokémon to his belt and saw Falkner returning Honchkrow.

"How did you stop it? How did you know?" The leader said, shock written all over him.

"When you kept swapping Crobat out wordlessly… when I realized it's moveset was meant to chip away at its opponents health or leave them open to attack. I realized you gave Crobat a red card, I just had to set a trap like you were setting traps for me. That's why I ordered Froslass to grab onto Crobat; it gave you the opening to use the red card, but it also gave me the opening to hit your sharpshooter with everything I could; and a super effective move no less." Ghost said, a smile dancing on his lips… one that was morphing into a smirk.

Falkner snarled; his plan was foiled.

"Unreal…" Axel breathed.

"He always does this. The way his mind works." July shook her head.

"In Falkner's defense, that was a good tactic. His Pokémon have high mobility, making them tough to be hit. They're not made to take a lot of super effective moves. Ash knew this. So, all he had to do was lure Honchkrow into a similar trap that Falkner was baiting him into, and because Ash knew Falkner would take back Honchkrow, he body-blocked the return to finish off Honchkrow!" Zandra said, relief obvious in her voice.

Axel just muttered once again, "Unreal."

Falkner was breathing heavily. He had been far too overconfident, and now he had to make swift amends if he wanted to avoid getting eliminated after coming so far. Top 16 was great, sure. He needed more than that, and thus had devised the red card tactic to keep Ghost off balance, using the battle as cover for his switches.

Somehow Ghost had uncovered his plot as the battle went on, and now his heaviest-hitter was gone for the fight. Since Crobat's tactic was now out in the open, there was little he could do about it. His ace was the next best option.

"Pidgeot, take flight!"

The majestic bird, a Pokémon Ash himself had once owned, cried out and soared across the field before landing next to Falkner with a coo. "I need your help more now than ever; are you ready?" Pidgeot trilled loudly, fully prepared to battle.

Across from them, Ash reached for the only pokeball he had yet to use.

"Infernape, I need your assistance!"

The fire-monkey cried out as it took the field, flexing and getting into a battle stance just a mere moment later. The official had seen enough. "Pidgeot against Infernape, battle continue!"

"Pidgeot, use tailwind!" The winds furiously began to pick up and thus gave an additional speed boost to the already nimble flying-type. Ash's mind was reeling for a moment or two as he studied the winds, analyzing their pattern as best as he could. Infernape seemed to be doing the same thing, as if plotting its next move.

"Infernape, Nasty Plot!"

Falkner raised a confused eyebrow as the Pokémon's special attack rose. To his knowledge, Infernape was a Pokémon that had a balanced Attack and Special Attack. Therefore it was a bit odd to lock himself into one type.

'Unless he's got Swords Dance… that would make this Infernape a very hard hitter.' Falkner mused.

Waving his arm, Falkner called out his next attack. "Hit it with Swagger!"

Ash ordered. "Get out—"

Too late. With tailwind and the Pokémon's speed naturally quite good, Infernape's attack rose sharply but found itself subject to confusion. Ash gritted his teeth; if he called an attack move now, it would carve up Infernape's health should the monkey hurt itself in its confusion. Ash's hand grabbed Infernape's pokeball, but he knew what was stopping him.

He had to make a choice. The crowd watched as the champion aimed the pokeball at his stumbling fire-type and prepared to take it back into the capsule. But the red beam was never fired as the seconds morphed closer and closer to a minute.

Another long moment passed by before Ash cursed lightly and then reclipped the pokeball back to his belt.

'Hm? Why wouldn't he return Infernape?' Falkner questioned silently. 'Maybe it's because both it's attack and special attack have been drastically boosted? I'm not sure. Lyncanroc is also on low health and Froslass just finished up her battle, it may be to buy the rest of his team some time.'

Falkner raised a legitimate eyebrow when Ash commanded. "Use Nasty Plot!" The crowd held its collective breath as it waited for Infernape to react. To Ash's relief, the Pokémon used the move, adding to its stats even further.

Falkner wouldn't waste the opportunity though. "Hit it with Air Slash! Follow it up with Return!"

"Evade it!" Ash yelled.

Fate swapped sides in that moment, as the flying attack struck Infernape for a burst of damage, and then through the smoke of the original attack, Pidgeot soared in and smothered Infernape with a powered-up normal-type move.

'Damn.'

"Infernape, you okay?"

Infernape was shaking it's head lightly, but then opened its eyes and blinked a few times, signaling it was perfectly fine. It gave Ash two thumbs up and a bright grin. The audience let out the collective breath they'd all been holding in for some time. Falkner frowned as the monkey athletically hopped over to Ash and got itself into another fighting stance.

'It barely looks injured.' Falkner thought worriedly. This had to be one of Ghost's most-well conditioned Pokémon, and if it wasn't, he'd hate to see the rest of his team.

"Pidgeot, use Swagger!"

With Tailwind still active, Infernape was helpless to dodge the move and once more became confused… but it's attack stat rose nonetheless. Ash frowned as he tried to recall something Zandra had told him about confusion and how long it's effects could last. A small smile played on his lips.

"Infernape, focus. Don't attack, don't defend, just focus. Use this turn to focus. Stay still." The Pokémon's wobbling became minimal, and Falkner saw another chance to chip away at Infernape's health.

"Pidgeot, give it all you got; Return!"

As the Pokémon glowed white and soared towards the helpless fire type, Ash set off his trap.

"Infernape, snap out of it right now and use Grass Knot!"

Falkner's eyes bulged. Infernape's wobbling ceased entirely, eyes now focused and calculating. Bursting with power from the two Nasty Plot attacks, Infernape let out a bellow. The next moment, vines and grass began to come from the ground, attempting to latch on to Pidgeot. The first few did little to slow down the flying type, but the moment one got a hold of the bird, everyone knew it was too late.

The Pokémon was snatched out of the sky by the attack and squeezed mercilessly by the plants. Pidgeot let out a cry of pain as it was crushed by the vines and plants, taking loads of damage in the process.

"Throw it Infernape, throw it with everything you've got!"

The bird landed in a heap next to Falkner, but it wasn't long before the Pokémon took to the skies once again, raring to keep going.

"That's it Pidgeot, we're tougher than that! Let's show em what we've really got! Ready to get going?" Falkner yelled dramatically.

"Geee!" His partner heartily agreed, eyes set on some payback. As if on cue, the raging winds halted, and Ash fought the urge to smile.

Whispering quietly to his partner, "Almost that time. Get ready."

The monkey nodded, the smile Ash wished he could show dancing on its face. "Ape."

Falkner nodded. "Then let's get started Pidgeot, let's show them some true power! Begin with Tailwind!" Pidgeot nodded and took to the skies. With a few powerful flaps of its wings, the tailwind was once again activated and Pidgeot's speed took its powerful speed boost right back as had been before.

The only problem was it was exactly what Ash was banking on.

"Now Infernape! Fire Spin! Give it everything you've got!" Falkner raised an eyebrow by the command, not telling Pidgeot to do anything. That move turned out to be his biggest mistake. Infernape let out a battle cry before opening both its palms and unleashing two torrents of flames.

The audience gasped as one of the blasts shot out towards Ghost and the other towards Falkner, and the latter covered his face with his arm, fearing the worst. Ghost merely smirked as the flames abruptly banked upwards and began to rumble higher and higher into the sky of the battle stadium.

By now, Falkner had lowered his arm and found his jaw dislodged at the spectacle. The two torrents suddenly reached one another, and the audience was now roaring in awe. Infernape's double-boosted fire spin had formed a complete circle around Pidgeot, engulfing it entirely in flames. Even worse, because the wind encased the same area that Pidgeot was currently in, Infernape had performed—

"I call it Flaming Trick Room!" Ghost called across to Falkner, who only heard him because of the loudspeakers that enabled their microphones.

The gym leader was shell-shocked. "W-What is this?"

"I realized that the tailwinds are all specifically locked into this battlefield and therefore have nowhere to go. If they're enclosed, that means that there's an obvious wind pattern to follow. While Infernape was confused and at the start of the battle, I spent some time analyzing the patterns. All I had to do was wait out the first tailwind." Ash explained, the ghost of a smile dancing on his lips.

He continued. "Now, every time you order an attack, you'll get the tailwind help… at the cost of roasting your own Pokémon alive!" Falkner felt a cold chill run down his back. He was done for, and he knew it.

"Infernape, there's nowhere for it to go! Fire Spin!"

The blast charged up, threatening to encase the flying type in the vortex. Falkner made a hasty play to avoid the move. "Dive down, avoid it!"

Pidgeot narrowly avoided the move, the flames assaulting it's wings. The pain was excruciating, and it wasn't done getting pummeled yet. "Grass Knot!"

Falkner paled.

The roots shot out from the ground once more and latched onto Pidgeot, who was now howling in agony as the plants began to rip it to pieces. Falkner could do nothing but cry out in terror as his most trusted partner was being lit up like a Christmas tree from the powerful moves. Ash unleashed his secret move, one that he'd been saving for the finishing job, and one that he knew none of Falkner's Pokémon could stop.

"End this! Use Thunderpunch!"

The roots still holding Pidgeot firmly in place and nowhere for it to go, Infernape emerged from the sky, fist crackling with electricity. "NO! Pidgeottt!" Falkner cried out in morbid terror. The monkey gained velocity as it soared lower and faster towards it's helpless target. Infernape let out a roar as it began doing front flips downward, only to have both fists glow yellow just before impact.

"Inferrrr-NAPPPEE!" It cried out as it stopped flipping, arched its back, arms behind its head, and just before impact, swung it's arms downward onto the birds head. A bright explosion levelled the field, the roots from the ground burning away or charring. Ash could imagine pieces of the birds skull ripping from its body from the force of the destructive move, given even more power thanks to the two Swagger boosts from its opponent.

The audience was forced to cover their eyes from the damage done and the move demonstrated. After the explosion subsided and it was safe to look, the official peered at the field to inspect the damage. Infernape was on both knees and arms crossed, seemingly in a same position as it had been when it struck Pidgeot. It's head was low, as if peering down but still taunting it's fallen opponent.

Sure enough, lying in a small crater just underneath it's toes, Pidgeot laid with swirls in its eyes and a dent in its skull.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle, Infernape wins!" The crowd exploded into cheers and roars, sensing Ghost was now fully back after a slow start. Falkner hung his head as he returned his faithful partner. The crowd only roared louder as a Nurse Joy grabbed his Pokeball, explained that they were taking Pidgeot to the Pokémon center.

As the Nurse and her Pokémon darted off, Falkner found his breathing to be harder than normal and shook his head lightly. Meanwhile, Ash was congratulating his own Pokémon.

"Excellent work Infernape. A bit overkill, but I can't say he wasn't being arrogant. Take a breather, I may need you later." The monkey vanished into the pokeball and Ash let Lyncanroc out of its pokeball.

He smiled at the trusted Alola Pokémon. "You ready to get some revenge buddy?"

"Roccc!" The Pokémon nodded in agreement.

"That was incredible!" July gushed.

Even Zandra was impressed. "That was a tactic formed on the fly. He knew that Pidgeot's biggest strength was its speed. By taking its biggest advantage and turning it into a disadvantage, all he had to do was wait until Fire Spin was strong enough so it could overtake Tailwind."

Axel nodded. "And using Nasty Plots repeatedly to exponentially raise Infernape's special attack was the best way to do it."

"As soon as it was trapped, the battle was over. Tailwind would still give Pidgeot speed, but it was take a hearty amount of damage every time it moved. Pidgeot began the battle with control of the skies with its speed, and Infernape controlled the ground with Grass Knot, which was also increased by Nasty Plot. As soon as Fire Spin took over Tailwind, both the air and ground belonged to Ash."

July peered at Falkner, who was sending out Crobat last. "He's almost there. Just one more…"

The flaming-tailwind had completely subsided as Crobat and Lyncanroc stared one another down. Falkner knew it was now or never, as Crobat was his last Pokémon. He also knew Super Fang wouldn't do a great deal of damage since Lyncanroc had already been attacked with the move and been severely damaged.

A miracle would be needed to win this; Ghost could've just kept out Infernape and swept Crobat with his too, but that wouldn't be satisfying enough for Ghost. He let Lyncanroc come out for a chance at some revenge for the Super Fang attack despite having a super-boosted Infernape out on the field.

"Battle commence!"

"Lyncanroc, use Double Team!"

As copies began to form, Falkner ordered his faithful flying-type. "Taunt!"

Once more, the copies began to subside. 'Was worth a try I guess.' Ash shrugged. He knew that this Crobat had taken almost no damage. Since that was the case, he'd need to deal some serious damage.

"Alright Crobat, use Acrobatic—"

"Sucker Punch!"

In the blink of an eye Lyncanroc had smashed into Crobat, fist glowing black and smirk plastered onto its doggish face. Crobat crashed into the ground below, surprised by the sudden attack.

Falkner bit his lip. "Let's try a different angle, Confuse Ray!"

As the two dots flew towards Lyncanroc, Ash yelled out a surprising command. "Close your eyes, and run right at it!"

Surprising everyone in the stadium yet again, Lyncanroc broke out into a run, sprinting towards the attack with reckless abandon and trusting it's trainer completely. Then, rushing towards Crobat and glowing, the confuse ray failed entirely. 'What!?' Falkner's jaw dropped at the simple tactic to avoid the powerful status move.

Crobat was once more thrown back to the turf, and once more got up, this time annoyance taking the place of the surprise it had initially felt. Falkner felt a stress vein beginning to form on the side of his head.

"Acrobatic—"

"Sucker Punch!"

BAM!

Falkner had no time to react as Crobat whizzed past him and crashed to the ground next to him. Even Ash was fairly impressed with Crobat's resilience as it got up yet again, this time though it was beginning to pant and show signs of fatigue. The battle was coming to an end, everyone in the crowd could sense and see it.

Ash nodded. "Let's let them have a chance Lyncanroc!"

Falkner was rightfully infuriated. This was no exhibition battle, this was a tournament, one of the largest ever no-less, and the champion was out here mocking him? That was disgraceful! Not seeing the irony in his own mental arguments, he stopped and cried out. "Hit it with Acrobatics, now!"

"Evade!"

Lyncanroc managed to avoid three bursts of the move, infuriating both Crobat and Falkner further. "Keep going Crobat! You'll get it!" Falkner encouraged, knowing that despite the damage his Crobat had taken, Super Fang and Night Slash had also chipped away at Lyncanroc's health as well. It was only a matter of time.

And it was; the only issue was that Ash's play had paid off first. Though it was difficult to tell from the naked eye, Ash could see Lyncanroc's taunt wear off completely, and now Crobat was bruised and battered around.

'It's almost over.'

"Double Team Lyncanroc!" As the copies began to form around the battlefield once more, Falkner hesitated for a moment or two. Again, it was these moments that cost him the battle. He yelled out to Crobat. "Use Taunt again! Stop the Double Teams!"

Crobat's taunt worked, but this time, there would be no second phase to the battle. For, every Lyncanroc clone launched itself in the air, thus taking any possibility of flight out of the picture for the bat.

Ash roared. "End this! Rock Tomb!"

As Falkner heard the command, he knew it was indeed over. There was nothing he could do. Twenty copies of the dusk-form Lyncanroc cried out in unison, each forming a handful of large boulders. In one motion, all hundred boulders were thrown at the helpless bat, caking the battlefield in a large explosion, one that had pebbles and tiny rocks getting thrown every which way.

Falkner looked on, knowing it was truly done for. Ash looked on to see the carnage. The audience watched as it awaited a winner. Ghost's elite box held their breath as well. The official peered out and saw Lyncanroc on the ground, licking it's paws lightly, as if patiently waiting for the battle to be over.

Next to Lyncanroc, under a semi-broken boulder, Crobat could be seen with swirls in its eyes and a small grin plastered on its face, like it knew it was going out in a blaze of glory.

The flag was raised. "Crobat is unable to battle, Lyncanroc wins! And therefore the winner of the battle is Ghost!"

The stadium exploded into cheers, and chants of his name began to reign once more. Ash rubbed Lyncanroc's head in approval. "Good job buddy, knew you had it in you."

The Pokémon nuzzled him happily. "Lyna! Lyn-roc!" Ash walked out to meet Falkner, who was on one knee returning Crobat. Ash held his hand out to Falkner, who eyed the champion up curiously, as if doubting his own motives. After a moment, he chuckled sheepishly and took the silent offer. Ash pulled him up.

Falkner scratched the back of his head. "I know when I've been bested. You really outclassed me there."

Ghost gave him a genuine grin. "I'll be frank, you did have me on the ropes there for a bit. It was a great strategy you had going with Crobat as the distraction and Honchkrow as your main source of offense; I didn't see it coming going into the battle."

Falkner blinked in surprise. "Really?"

A nod came from the champion. "Dead serious; I think that the tactic you used was spectacular, and had it been against anyone other than a champion, I think it would've worked. I'll be frank, I wondered how a gym leader was able to beat so many powerful trainers… how you were the only one left too."

Ash held out his hand to Falkner. "I'm not surprised anymore. You've really got talent, both as a leader and as a battler. I can see why you and your Pokémon have the bonds that you do; it's heartwarming."

Falkner stared at his hand in shock before grasping and give it one firm shake. The crowd cheered at the show of sportsmanship. Falkner looked honestly curious. "I'll be frank with you Ghost, you're not at all what I was told to expect."

"I'm not?"

Falkner shook his head, his eyes never leaving Ghost's. "No… I think you're more mellow than people give you credit for. It's not a surprise this region is doing as well as it is." He took a step back and gave the champion a nod. "Best of luck to you in the rest of the tournament, Mr. Champion. I'll be watching with earnest."

As he took a few steps away with his back turned, Ash called out to him. "Falkner." The leader turned around and had just enough time to grasp a baggie that was thrown at him. Inside, two objects were seen. One was a pale-looking herb of sorts while the other was a similarly-colored potion.

At the confused stare Falkner gave him, Ghost chuckled. "Those are called an Aether Revive and an Aether Potion. Both are Aether prototypes, both field tested for intense injuries. Use the revive on Pidgeot if recovery is slow. If not, use it at your best discretion. It will lose its effectiveness shortly, as will the Aether potion. Both are incredibly powerful… you can use them as you wish."

Falkner looked stunned at the gifts. Unsure of what else to say, he merely stated. "Thank you." Ghost nodded and with one more sentence, "Just so you know, whenever you wish to train, whether it be before or after the tournament, my doors are open to you," Ghost turned on his heel and made his way back to the center of the battlefield.

The flying-gym leader cast Ghost one more grin before jogging out of the stadium, intent fully on going to the Pokémon center and seeing his treasured partner.

The crowd cheered as Falkner left the battlefield, giving him one last hurrah for his effort against the tournament favorite. Ash, meanwhile, stopped in his customary spot in the heart of the battlefield.

He slowly got onto one knee and slightly bowed his head. Lyncanroc didn't kneel, but did bow it's head next to its trainer as well. Silence for a moment from the two, only the sounds of the fans in the stadium cheering at Ghost's classic 'celebration.' Ash was quiet for another moment or two before he uttered his same line after every Victory.

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

Lyncanroc hummed next to him in unison.

With two soft nods, Ghost stood up, grey jeans having a small layer of dust on the outside and red vest somehow still completely clean. He took out Lyncanroc's pokeball. "Thanks for your help buddy, take a good rest."

The Pokémon was sucked into the ball and Ash calmly shoved his hands into his pockets once the ball was clipped to his belt. He turned on his heel and walked back to the tunnel. His head was low, eyes hidden from sight. He didn't look up once. The crowd was cheering his name with reckless abandon now.

Even as he walked into the tunnel, the echoing of his name sent chills to his spine. The cold-concrete walls shook and vibrated, the five-letter name all trainers learned to fear echoing off the structure. Despite everything that had happened… despite losing his elite, his best friend and his girlfriend…

The grin never left his face.

A handful of days later, Ash found himself on his balcony, watching the lights from ALT City. It was now Friday morning. The battle's in the round of 16 had fully subsided. A decent amount of upsets and shockers had played out, some of which Ash was pleased about… others, not so much.

Since Abel had took down Paul and Alder had moved on by default due to the Xavier situation, Monday's battles were pretty absolute. Gary and himself had moved on Tuesday. Wednesday's battles had come immediately after. Prior to Monday's events, Ash would've expected Malva to throttle Trip with ease. However, after Xavier's kidnap, he suspected Trip would be severely underrated against her.

Lo-and-behold, Ash nailed his prediction. Trip swept Malva from the competition with complete ease. It was a bloodbath, and it left the girl more crushed than ever. Ash couldn't figure out what he was feeling as he watched the girl stalk away from the battlefield. He didn't like Malva still due to her past, but he despised Trip. Either way, he wouldn't like the winner of the fight and just wanted it over with.

His disappointment furthered when Axel was beaten by Cynthia. And it was a bad, bad fight for Axel. It certainly looked like Xavier's presence was well-missed, because Axel barely put up any competition. It was just disappointing to watch his entire team, Zeroara included, get mercilessly swept aside.

Thursday's battles rolled around, and it was a thrilling affair. To Ash's absolute disbelief, Max had somehow defeated Aaron in battle, squeaking by the elite by a final score of three to two. Max had begun to celebrate after the battle while Aaron looking gob smacked. Ash had let out a quiet snarl at the trainer's antics.

Finally though, one of the great battle's took place: Zandra against Lance. Apparently, a bet of sorts had been made between the two, one that Zandra refused to tell her champion about. To Ash's horror, she had been eliminated by the skin of her teeth; another 3-2 rout. Despite the type advantage she controlled over Lance's Pokémon, she was defeated. Lance was still an incredible champion, and it showed in his Victory. It crushed him that she was gone for many reasons; he had hoped that if Zandra beat Lance, she could knock some sense into him. Now, his ego would undoubtedly be inflated to the point where it could be mistaken for a balloon, and there wasn't anything Ash could do about it now.

With that, the final eight was set:

Arceus Bracket:

Abel Winchine vs Max Maple

Zekrom Bracket:

Cynthia Shirona vs Ghost

Yvetal Bracket:

Trip Craggier vs Alder Forevaborn

Giratina Bracket:

Gary Oak vs Lance Dragonwright

Despite his victory, his final three elites had been dispatched, two by battle, one by alternate reasons. He still hadn't told Zandra, Axel and July that Xavier wouldn't have been battling even if he had been present. They didn't need their hearts crushed further into a vice. No, that would be overkill.

Ash did a mental tally of the last remaining trainers; in curious fashion, it was a regional battleground all the way around. Abel and Max both supposedly hailed from Hoenn, Alder and Trip both made their homes in Unova, Gary and Lance were… well, both technically from Kanto. The only region vs region battle would be Cynthia against himself.

The lone region that was completely eliminated was Kalos, as they had no representatives left. With Lance being an intermediate leader of both Kanto and Johto, their representative was still left standing.

Four champions and Four trainers still remained. There would be a slight intermission for an… event, but then battles commenced. It would be a crazy run of battles, as Ash and Cynthia's battle was fully expected to be the last available battle. Ash had told Aether Paradise to put all their resources to locate Xavier, while he instructed his now fallen elites all to go out and scout as well.

He had confidence they would succeed. While Ash trained and used his resources from home, his elites, Aether Paradise and Rocket would all search for his elite and the base.

His eyes bored out into his city, as if calculating his next move. He had no clue how Flare had been able to build their organization from the ground up without him knowing, but there was a theory that was slowly building in his mind.

Ash returned to his bed and called out Delveon. The Pokémon trilled happily, cuddling up to its trusted trainer. Ash smiled and stroked Delveon's fur approvingly. After a moment, he tapped a nearby comm system and it came to life.

"Bail? Arch? You copy?"

His two-head of security staff responded immediately. "Loud and clear. How can we be of assistance sir?"

"I'm going to be turning in very early for the night; I have to make a… special communication. It could take a few hours. My doors are not to be opened unless I, and only I, say so. You have permission to box out my elites if you need to do so. Say it's of utmost urgency, and if I don't emerge or unlock my doors by the morning, they are free to blow the doors clean off their hinges. I'm sure that's bound to make them feel better."

He could see hear Bail and Arch nodding to one another. "Will do sir. Rest well, leave everything to us."

"Have a good night gentlemen."

With that, Ash sliced off the communication and laid down on his bed slowly. He reached out to Delveon and the Pokémon hopped up on the bed. Ash smiled at the Sun-type and placed two fingers on the rainbow crystal on her forehead.

Within seconds, his world began to spiral out of control. Ash kept his eyes lightly closed, not waiting for anything in particular. After a moment, one of his senses began to go off, and he opened his eyes to see.

He was in a world of white, standing on a ridge of sorts. It seemed to be a peaceful worlds of some type. Ash looked down to his side and saw Delveon there, looking up at him curiously. Ash knew very well where he was now.

"Hello Chosen One."

Ash looked up and saw the exact being he was hoping to see.

"We have much to discuss." Arceus spoke.

AN: Anddd that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry if the chapter was shorter than you guys were expecting, I didn't want to cut off the juiciest parts of the story or make them shorter than they had to be. If you guys enjoyed, please follow and favorite both myself and the story too! It would mean a lot to me, as we push towards 1,000 followers and favorites! Let's get it done!

This chapter had the top 16 battle between Ash and Falkner, and it's clear that Xavier's presence is seriously affecting the elites and the ones around him! Will a talk with the god of creation help right the ship for Ash and his team? Where is Team Flare anyway? Keep on reading to find out!

By the way, I know this chapter was short... but trust me, you're getting a treat in the coming days. For any of you reading this, congrats, it's the season of giving, and I'm giving you a special upload. It's gonna be out on schedule... for the holidays that is. Hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks guys, let me know if you've got any questions, and I'll see you next time!

LegionZ