Chapter 102: The Final Showdown Part 3
"Alright Kukui, you asked for it! Go, Feraligatr!"
"Feraligatr vs Lucario, begin!"
"Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!"
"Dragon Pulse, Lucario!"
The two attacks clashed in the middle, dissipating without either one hitting their mark. Lucario used this as a cover, however, and charged right through the smoke.
"Dynamic Punch, Lucario!"
"Catch it with Superpower!"
Feraligatr caught the fist just in time, gripping on hard to keep Lucario escape from him. Lucario grunted in annoyance, going into attack with his other fist, only for it to meet the same fate.
"Strike him with Aqua Tail!"
"Jump and use Low Sweep!"
Lucario barely made it off the ground, roundhouse kicking Feraligatr away and freeing him from the lock he had been in.
"Use Close Combat!"
Before Feraligatr could react, Lucario was upon him, pounding him so hard he couldn't get away long enough to recover. Ash was starting to get nervous.
"Use Aqua Jet!"
Before Lucario could get another punch in, Feraligatr grabbed him and shot off, launching themselves into a nearby wall. When the dust had settled, Lucario was on the ground in pain, while Feraligatr was standing over him.
"Finish him off with Ice Beam!"
"Thunder Punch, Lucario!"
Lucario, with the last of his strength, launched his arm forward, forcing it through the Ice Beam to strike Feraligatr in the jaw, sending him flying before landing unconscious. His job done, Lucario passed out, his energy spent.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! The round ends in a draw!"
Both trainers returned their Pokémon, their blood boiling.
"Good job, Feraligatr. Get some rest. Go, Incineroar!"
"You too, Lucario. Go, Ninetales!"
A beautiful, icy version of the Kanto fire type gracefully landed on the arena, shaking her mane out as she glared at her enemy.
"Ninetales vs Incineroar, begin!"
"Incineroar, use Flame Charge!"
"Dazzling Gleam!"
Ninetales roared, creating a blinding light that covered her side of the field. But Incineroar was undaunted, pushing through it to land a direct attack on her, knocking her off her feet briefly. When she got back to her feet, she was very mad.
"Draining Kiss!"
"Fire Punch!"
Ninetales ran up, trying to get a quick kiss, but Incineroar was too quick, dealing a hard punch to her gut and sending her flying.
"Hit him with a Moonblast!"
"Use Blast Burn!"
Ninetales, in a last-ditch effort to stay in the game, summoned all the energy she could and launched it. Her efforts were in vain, however, as the attack was burned away by the massive fire blast, that struck her, knocking her out instantly.
"Ninetales is unable to battle! The round goes to Incineroar!"
"Getting tired, Kukui?"
But Kukui just laughed. If Ash thought he had this in the bag, then he was in for a big surprise.
"You've done good, Ash, I couldn't be prouder. But there can only be one champion, and that'll be me! Go, Lycanroc!"
Kukui's Midday Lycanroc from the very beginning of the fight returned, refreshed and ready to rumble.
"Incineroar vs Lycanroc, begin!"
"Rock Tomb, Lycanroc!"
"Use Darkest Lariat to break them apart!"
Incineroar did just that, the falling boulders standing no chance against him as his spinning arms broke them apart. He still took some damage, but not as much as if he had done nothing.
"Stone Edge, Lycanroc!"
"Flame Charge, Incineroar!"
Lycanroc growled, creating massive pillars of rock that shot up to block or hit Incineroar, only for the wrestling cat to break through each and every one, bearing the damage before hitting his target head on, pushing Lycanroc back.
"Accelrock, Lycanroc!"
"Cross Chop, Incineroar!"
Seeing his opponent's attack coming, Incineroar crossed his arms into an X before slashing them apart as Lycanroc reached him. The attack did little, though, as Incineroar was sent flying into a wall. Shaking his head, he pushed himself out of the small hole he had been imbedded into and stumbling out to continue fighting…
Only to find a massive rock hanging over his head, his opponent having charged a continental crush in the time it had taken to free himself. With nowhere else to run, Incineroar could only cry in horror as the giant rock hit him, knocking him out cold.
"Incineroar is unable to battle! The round goes to Lycanroc!"
Ash sighed, returning Incineroar nervously. He may have more Pokémon left, but he could tell Lycanroc was only getting started.
"Pikachu, are you ready to go back in?"
"Pika!"
"Alright, go get him!"
Pikachu leapt off Ash's shoulder, ignoring the pain of the rocks jabbing into his feet as he glared his opponent down.
"Pikachu vs Lycanroc, begin!"
"Volt Tackle, Pikachu!"
"Accelerock!"
Yelling their fierce battle cries, Pikachu and Lycanroc ran at each other, hitting each other hard enough to make them cry out in pain.
"Iron Tail, Pikachu!"
While Lycanroc tried to recover, Pikachu slammed his tail into his opponent's face, causing Lycanroc to snarl in piercing pain.
"Reversal!"
When Lycanroc recovered, he swiped Pikachu hard, sending the rodent flying into a wall.
"Pikachu, are you alright?"
Pikachu fought through the pain, rising to his feet and flashing Ash a thumbs up.
"Hang in there, buddy! Time to pull out our own Z-Move! Gigavolt Havoc!"
Pikachu nodded, the Z-Energy briefly reinvigorating him as he let loose so much electricity it caused a huge explosion when it hit Lycanroc. Ash squinted, unable to see his opponent.
"Did we… do it? Did we-"
"Fire Fang!"
Ash sound found out that they had, in fact, no as Lycanroc charged out of the haze, biting Pikachu with burning fangs so hard that the rodent was knocked out almost instantly.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! The round goes to Lycanroc!"
Ash smiled sadly, picking Pikachu up and carrying him back to their podium
"Pika."
"I know you did your best, buddy. Don't worry, I still have one last trick up my sleeve."
Setting Pikachu down in the dirt next to him, Ash pulled out his last Pokeball, staring down at it hopefully.
"Its all up to you, buddy. Go, Lycanroc!"
Ash's own Lycanroc howled with fury, ready to avenge his fallen teammates. Kukui grinned madly.
"Looks like we've got a battle of the Lycanrocs. May the best pooch win!"
"Count on it!"
"Midday Form Lycanroc vs…Um, which form of Lycanroc is this?"
"Dusk form!"
"Midday Lycanroc vs Dusk Lycanroc, begin!"
"Stone Edge, Lycanroc!"
"Hit him with an Accelerock!"
Midday Lycanroc charged breaking through each pillar Ash's Lycanroc had set up, barely even flinching as he hit them before ramming into his opponent. Ash's Lycanroc reeled in pain, but quickly recovered,
"Brick Break, Lycanroc!"
Enraged, Dusk Lycanroc karate chopped his opponent right between the eyes, causing the canine to howl in pain.
"Close Combat!"
Furious, Kukui's Lycanroc began clawing and scratching away furiously, Ash's Lycanroc gritting his teeth hard to suppress a scream of agony.
"Counter!"
In retaliation, Ash's Lycanroc swiped the other right across the chest, causing his foe to reel backwards in pain.
"Reversal!"
"On its last legs, the Midday Lycanroc beat down on Ash's Lycanroc once more, driving the enemy to the brink of passing out until…
"Counter, one last time!"
Mustering all the strength he could, Ash's Lycanroc flipped, the tip of his fur digging into his enemy's chin. With all his might, he swung back around, sending his enemy flying into a wall while he landed on the ground. Kukui's Lycanroc slid to the ground, out cold while Ash's stood proud, panting heavily after a hard-fought battle.
For a minute, all was quiet. No one was even sure if what they had seen was real. But Kukui smiled and turned to the ref.
"That was all six of my Pokémon, while my challenger still has one. I think we all know what that means."
Nodding, the referee raised his green flag, confirming the result.
"Midday Lycanroc is unable to battle. Dusk Lycanroc is the winner, meaning the winner of this battle, the tournament, and Alola's first champion is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
Ash's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe it; it didn't feel real. After so many years…
"I…I won?"
Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he ran up and gave Lycanroc a big hug!
"I just knew you could do it! You guys really came through, but I would've been proud regardless of the result!"
Despite how tired he was, Lycanroc smiled, licking his trainer's face happily. Even Pikachu came over, nuzzling Ash's cheek in victory.
"Ash."
Ash looked up, seeing Kukui walking over to him, arm outstretched.
"I had a feeling, from the very moment I met you, that this was the result. You did good, kid."
Ash smiled, accepting a handshake as the crowd burst into cheers. No one was cheering more loudly than Ash's friends, Lillie especially.
"He did it! I just knew he could!"
Brock and Misty smiled.
"It feels like just yesterday he was complaining about his loss to Ritchie, doesn't it?"
"Sure does. I still can't believe he got a girlfriend before me, though…"
"Is that all you ever think about?"
"Misty, you've known me for years by now. You should know that's not true."
Misty giggled, punching Brock's arm playfully. May and Max just chuckled, shaking their heads in amusement.
"He sure has come a long way. He deserves it…"
"Of course he does, he beat me! If he can't win the whole tournament, then he didn't deserve to the win…"
May just rolled her eyes at her brother's bluster. For all his talking big, she knew he was just as proud of him as she was. Dawn smiled, happy for her friend.
"Congratulations, Ash."
Cilan began crying tears of joy, unable to contain his excitement.
"Oh, the beauty! The bond between him and his Pokemon is so sweet, I can taste it from here!"
Iris just rolled her eyes, but even she couldn't help but smile.
"You did good, kid. You did good…"
(Mauville City, Hoenn)
Serena smiled as the results were announced. She had just finished shopping for a new Contest outfit when she caught the broadcast, and felt a few happy tears run down her face.
"You did it, Ash. Just like I knew you would…"
(Pallet Town, Kanto)
Delila, Professor Oak, and Tracy sat around the television in the lab, smiling proudly. Outside, they could hear the happy hoots and hollering coming from his Pokemon, having seen the battle through the window.
"Ash…I just knew you would win…"
"That boy of yours is something special, Delila. You should be proud."
"I am, Samuel. But if you'll excuse me, I need to go."
"Go? Why?"
"To get ready, of course! If I'm going to prepare a victory feast for Ash, then I need to get started right away!"
Professor Oak laughed heartedly, as did Tracy. Truly, it was a tremendous cause for celebration.
A/N: You didn't think I would take this away from him, did you? What do you think this is, Kalos? In all honesty, this had been the planned outcome from the very beginning. The fact that he actually managed to win the league in canon is just a happy coincidence. But don't worry, this story isn't over yet. I've still got some tricks up my sleeve…
