Fangs of Victory
Hello again! What can I say, it's been over two months since I updated this story of mine.
I started this chapter right after I published the last one and had written around 270 odd words. But then, I went through a huge writer's block for this fic. I just wasn't able to do something about it Even though I was motivated at time, I wasn' able to get through but as you can see, I was finally able to overcome that hurdle and bring you this chapter.
I hope you enjoy!
Ash and his friends sat in the middle row of one of the stadiums of the Lily of the Valley Conference, curiously waiting for the Pokemon battle that was about to take place in the field. The two trainers that stood on either side of the ground were Tobias, the Darkrai trainer and a trainer with blue hair named Anton.
"We all await to see Tobias' Darkrai in action once again and the seats for this battle had been sold out on the first day itself." The MC yelled through the microphone, everyone presently sitting in the stadium cheering loudly with excitement in their tone.
With the referee's signal, the two trainers released their Pokemon and as expected, Tobias's Darkrai came out of its ball as everyone gazed at the Legendary Pokemon in awe. They all kept their eyes fixated on Darkrai and after a few moments of silence, they all burst into loud cheers of "Darkrai!". The entire stadium roared in applause for the Legendary Dark Pitch Pokemon without paying any attention to Anton's Medicham.
As the battle started, everyone sat on the edge of their seats, wanting to see the Legendary Dark-type in action. They got what they wanted as Darkrai defeated Medicham in what seemed to be only a few seconds with its Dark Void and Dream Eater combination that'd become famous after its revelation in the Preliminaries. Even though Anton appeared to be well prepared, Darkrai took out all three of his Pokemon with ease without even taking any major damage; the only hits that struck it being a Thunderbolt and Water Pulse which didn't even seem to faze it.
"That Darkrai sure is something. I can tell that those Pokemon that the Darkrai defeated weren't weak. To take out those Pokemon without being the least bit tired, you've got to be careful of him, Ash." Brock explained seriously as he walked besides his two friends, Ash and Dawn after the end of Tobias' battle which marked the end of the second round of the Sinnoh League.
With his hands behind his back, Ash had a blunt expression on his face as he replied to Brock's concerns. "Don't worry, Brock. I know it's powerful but I believe in my Pokemon as well." Ash said with confidence at which, the yellow rodent on his shoulder nuzzled his cheek. "I know that Tobias is the trainer to beat in this Sinnoh League but I have to focus on others as well." He looked up in the sky and spoke again. "There might be a trainer who may beat Tobias before I even have a chance to fight the guy, myself."
"Also, Ash," Dawn started, speaking for the first time in the conversation between her two male companions. "That Tobias guy might have more strong Pokemon like Darkrai. Maybe another Legendary?" Dawn pondered in thought as she stopped walking and looked at the ground nonchalantly.
"Pi Piplup!" The blue penguin Pokemon in Dawn's arms too, stated his opinion. Of course, no one besides Pikachu could understand him.
Another couple of days passed by without much happening with our heroes. Ash made the most of the free time between the rounds to get some last minute training in with some of his Pokemon, focussing mainly on the moves they had either learnt recently.
The match-ups for the Top 32 of the Lily of the Valley Conference were to be announced in the Pokemon Center and no wonder, the Pokemon Center was crowded by the remaining participants who eagerly awaited know their Round 3 opponents. They didn't have to wait long as the screen instantly shuffled the pictures and soon, the 16 matches of the next round were displayed on the massive LCD screen for everyone to see.
In the middle of the giant hall, Ash smiled as the identity of his next opponent unveiled on the screen. "It looks like I am up against a guy named Abel." Ash said to his friends, looking at the screen to get a good look of his opponent in the next round.
"I think I've heard the name Abel somewhere," Dawn kept a finger on her chin, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to recall where she'd heard Abel's name before.
Standing beside his two friends, Brock too spoke. "Wasn't Abel one of the coordinators in the Grand Festival?" Brock asked to no one in particular. "If I am not mistaken, he made it to the Top 8 of the Grand Festival."
"Top 8?!" Ash exclaimed in a bit of astonishment. "He must be pretty good then. But it looks like I'll have to show him what a battle specialist can do." Ash declared with confidence, a hint of arrogance present in his tone, which sounded pretty unusual coming from a guy like Ash.
As soon as she heard Ash speak about being superior to a coordinator, Dawn snorted, puffing her cheeks. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Battle Specialist?"
At Dawn's response to his statement, the raven-haired trainer chuckled. He knew he'd said a bit too much and might have insulted Dawn's pride as a coordinator. "I… I just got carried away there." He slumped his shoulders, aware that he wouldn't get away with this. "I am sorry. I was not referring to you so …. You can let it slide."
"Well…" Dawn paused for a long time before speaking again. "It's okay." She finished, turning around and folding her arms as a tiny smirk made its way to her face.
Ash, Dawn and Brock sat on one of the benches outside the Pokemon Center as they all gazed at the beautiful full moon in the night sky. They were waiting for something; or rather someone to make their appearance and they knew the one they waited for could be there any moment.
Suddenly, Pikachu jumped out of Ash's lap and excitedly pointed at the sky. "Pika Pikachu!" he screamed.
The action of the yellow rodent forced the others around him to follow his tiny finger and when the image of the Pokemon flying down from the sky became clear, a huge grin spread across everyone's face.
"Hey, Gliscor!" Ash yelled out to his Ground and Flying-type Pokemon who descended towards him with her tongue out of her mouth, a usual habit of hers.
The Gliding Pokemon neared the ground in no time and as soon as she reached her trainer, she hugged Ash, taking her trainer down on the ground with her. Gliscor licked Ash's face, making the amber-eyed teen laugh as the tickling feeling that he'd never felt since he left Gliscor to train with the Air Battle Master, sank in.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ash petted Gliscor, getting up on his feet after the fall, his newly arrived Pokemon gave him. "It's great to see you again."
"Gli Gli Gliscor!" Gliscor shrieked in joy. A few tears formed in her huge eyes as she hugged her trainer again, falling down on the ground with Ash, really glad to reunite with Ash. Even when she was with Ash during their journey through the Sinnoh region, she used to greet Ash the same way every day but this hug was one filled with the collected affection of the time she stayed away from Ash.
"Hey Gliscor, I have prepared some special food for you." Brock told the Ground and Flying-type with a smile on his face.
"Glisscor!" Gliscor yelled, looking forward to eating the Pokemon food that Brock apparently prepared for her.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu waved at his friend and jumped on top of her head.
And just like that, the group greeted their friend, who'd stayed with the Air Battle Master in Sinnoh to train and get stronger. And no one wanted to see the results of her training more than Gliscor's trainer, Ash who looked forward to working with the Gliding Pokemon again.
Our hero, Ash Ketchum stood on one of the ends of the field of battle and opposite him stood a blonde-haired boy with green eyes; it was Ash's Top 32 opponent – Abel. Both the trainers readied their Pokeballs in their hands, waiting for the referee's signal to begin the battle on the grass field.
"This will be a 3-on-3 battle between Ash from Pallet Town and Abel from Sunyshore City will now begin. Substitutions are allowed for both trainers," The referee raised both the red and green flags in either of his hand and brought them down at once before declaring. "Begin!"
Ash as well as Abel threw their Pokeballs on the field, which opened up and in bright flashes of lights from both the balls, the first Pokemon of both the trainers participating in the battle materialized in the middle. Out of Ash's Pokeball came out his sea weasel Pokemon, Buizel while on out of Abel's Pokemon came out a quadruped Pokemon resembling a lion, having predominantly black fur and a yellow, four-pointed star at the end of its tail.
"Bui Bui!" The orange Water-type of Ash's yelled, folding his arms and staring at his opponent confidently.
"Luxxx!" The Gleam Eyes Pokemon, Luxray roared, the hair on its head beginning to stand up as it became ready for battle.
Ash pumped his fists forward and commanded the first move. "Buizel, let's start with Water Pulse!"
With a loud howl of his name, Buizel brought his hands together and formed a pulsating ball of water in the middle of his palms. The sea weasel Pokemon jumped in the air and bawled the Water Pulse at Luxray who stood proudly at the opposite side of the field.
Abel pointed his finger forwards, flicking his blonde hair as he ordered his Pokemon. "Dodge it, Luxray and the use Thunder Fang on Buizel!"
Just as the Water Pulse neared it, the Electric-type lion leapt up in the air with grace, effectively evading the Water-type move. It then, launched itself towards Buizel with its long and sharp fangs sparkling with yellow electricity.
The contest-like battle style of Abel's amused Ash to the utmost as he smirked, putting his hands in his pockets. He should have expected this sort of a battle from a coordinator good enough to make it to the Top 8 of Sinnoh's Grand Festival. Even though he'd been thinking about Abel's battle style, the trainer from Pallet Town never took his mind off the battle in the middle. He very well realized the danger that Luxray posed to Buizel with its type advantage and Electric-Type moves.
"Counter the Thunder Fang with Iron Tail!" Ash told his Buizel calmly, not one bit worried that Luxray was almost onto Buizel.
"Bui Bui!"
Buizel screamed and showing speed that surprised everyone watching except for Ash, he swiftly dodged Luxray's Thunder Fang attack. Wasting no time, the sea weasel Pokemon's tail glowed bright silver as he dashed at Abel's Luxray, showcasing his amazing speed and struck the Electric-Type on the head. Luxray grunted in the pain it felt, closing his eyes at being pushed back towards his trainer's side.
"What speed!" The MC commented, getting cheers from the entire crowd. "That Buizel of Ash's is making Luxray look slower than a Slowpoke!"
"That was an impressive move, Ash." Abel complemented the boy from Pallet Town, smiling as he saw his Electric-Type lion recover from the blow it suffered. "Now, Take Down."
With a confident smirk on his face, Ash calmly said. "Buizel, intercept Luxray with your Aqua Jet."
The two Pokemon on the battlefield initiated their respective attacks; Luxray charging full throttle towards its opponent while Buizel got enveloped in water and leaped forward with excellent speed. Both of the Pokemon met in the middle of the field and clashed with Take Down and Aqua Jet, each of them trying to overpower the other in what had become a battle of strength.
"Don't let up, Buizel. Show them how much stronger you've gotten!" Buizel's black-haired trainer encouraged him with a grin across his features, which clearly showed the trust he had in his Water-Type Pokemon to come through.
Hearing Ash was all Buizel needed to give it more than his all in the clash as he shouted his name and quickly started to push Luxray back. The lion-like Pokemon roared and dug his nails on the ground to stand his ground.
However, the blonde-haired boy from Sunyshore City didn't look concerned at all at the sight of his Pokemon losing the power-battle to Buizel. He merely grinned and spoke quietly. "Use Spark!"
On queue, Luxray didn't take any time to obey his trainer. Its entire body got covered in electricity with blue sparks of thunder running throughout as it struck Buizel who was surrounded by water, making him leave a loud cry of pain. The entire crowd gasped at the amazing sight of the beautiful blue electricity released by Luxray combining with the blue water and also how, Abel had turned the tables with his sly tactic.
The only thing that Ash could do at that moment was clench his fists in frustration. He grimaced seeing Buizel fall to his knees and somehow retreat back to his side of the field while Luxray did the same. Ash took a deep and long breath to calm himself down after the mistake he'd committed. He knew that the only reason that had led to a situation like this was his own overconfidence that he could take a coordinator lightly.
Getting his composure and concentration back, Ash gazed at the struggling sight of Buizel who could only pant like a dog after he took the Spark attack at such a close range; not to mention that he was covered in water at the time of contact which made the Electric-type move even more devastating for him.
Meanwhile, Abel saw this as a great opportunity for him to get the first victory over his opponent. "Luxray, now finish it with Crunch!" He screamed at the excitement he felt thinking about advancing more in the Sinnoh League.
With a nod, Luxray dashed across the field as quickly as he could, reaching Buizel in almost no time and catching the Water-Type in his giant fangs, it bit Buizel with every bit of strength it could muster. The sea weasel Pokemon could do nothing but shriek in agony which made Ash turn away, unable to see his Pokemon in such miserable condition.
"It looks like Luxray is going to take this bout. Buizel doesn't look like it can continue for much longer!" The MC yelled the obvious through the microphone.
'This is bad. Buizel won't be able to take another attack like that from Luxray.' Ash thought as he tried to think of a way out of the awful situation he was in. He did have two other Pokemon who could help him get through this battle but he realized that losing in such a manner would do loads of damage to Buizel's honour as a Pokemon. He was always a proud Pokemon to begin with and a loss like this might put him in a state of trauma.
Eventually making up his mind for his next move, Ash raised Buizel's Pokeball towards the field. "Buizel, you should rest for a while. Return!" The bright red light made its way to Buizel but before it could take Buizel back, the Water-Type jumped out of the way, turned back and gazed at his trainer.
"Bui Bui!" The weasel wailed back at his trainer as he pumped his fists towards Ash, his will to keep on fighting clearly visible on his face.
Suddenly, Buizel's orange body became enveloped in a shiny, silvery light and simultaneously, his entire body began to change shape. Ash's Water-Type's body got longer; his head, his tail, arms and legs beginning to grow as well. It seemed almost as if Buizel's body was maturing and becoming developed.
A smile surfaced on Ash's features when he realized what was happening to Buizel. 'So, you're finally evolving, Buizel. You've worked hard for it!'
Soon, the light surrounding Buizel died down to show everyone the evolved form of Buizel, Floatzel. Floatzel's features were identical to Buizel, except for the being more muscular and sharper looking. His eyes appeared to be more keener, the fins on his arms as well as the inflatable surrounding his neck growing bigger as well. The black whisker marks on his cheeks had also become more refined and so had his fangs, which could probably intimidate even the mightiest of foes. There was no doubt, Ash's weasel in this state would be much, much stronger than he was in his pre-evolved state.
The newly evolved Floatzel snapped his eyes open at once and gave his enemy a menacing scowl. "Zelll!"
"What an incredible turn of events this is, folks!" The MC shouted, utterly thrilled after watching the amazing evolution of Buizel into Floatzel. "Buizel has evolved in between this battle. This twist has made this match even more interesting. While it still seems that Luxray has the advantage, who knows what kind of power Floatzel has gained after its evolution!" The crowd too cheered on in excitement, the young kids in the stands jumping in joy and elation that they could only experience at events like the Sinnoh League.
Abel could do nothing but watch Floatzel in astonishment. But soon enough, the blonde regained his sense as he smirked and announced. "Buizel may have evolved but the damage it has taken from Luxray's attack won't disappear. I still have the advantage." He pointed his finger towards Buizel and commanded. "Luxray, Spark!"
Even though Ash saw Luxray charge electricity throughout its body, the smile on his face didn't go away. He nonchalantly pointed his Pokedex at Floatzel and after reading what the screen displayed, the trained put the device back in his pocket. "Aqua Tail!"
At the immediate instant Floatzel heard Ash, he leapt in the air, water revolving around his dual tails at high speeds. Not long after, he banged the Aqua Tail onto Luxray, who didn't have enough time to move as he went crashing through the ground and rammed into the walls of the battlefield.
The increase in Floatzel's speed and strength surprised everyone, including Ash. Neither Luxray nor Abel have any time to react before Floatzel connected with his attack.
Abel grit his teeth in rage as he saw his Gleam Eyes Pokemon struggle to get up. He'd won the match and he probably should have finished it earlier, so as not giving Buizel a chance to evolve and still battle. And the only thing to blame to let that chance go would be the battle style of a coordinator, due to which his Pokemon landed gracefully after performing an attack. However, Abel knew that he still could win this battle with one strike and he wouldn't make a mess of it this time.
"Floatzel, lets win this while Luxray's still recovering. Finish it with Brick Break!" Ash said in his usual tone and Floatzel's right fist glowed as he dashed towards Luxray with speed, which made everyone gasp once again.
Seeing Floatzel get close to Luxray was seen as a perfect opportunity by Abel. "Luxray, use Thunder at full power!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The Brick struck its target as Luxray groaned in pain but with the remaining strength that he could muster, he followed his trainer's order and sent lighting towards the sky. Sensing the danger, Floatzel tried to escape as far as he could but this time, Luxray was prepared, biting Floatzel's tail to keep him from running. The clouds roared as yellow lighting struck the ground, covering the entire battlefield in dust.
The entire stadium anxiously awaited the result of the clash of the two powerhouses of Abel and Ash; the two trainers being among the ones wanting to know the outcome just as curiously as well. The dirt slowly began to lift, revealing two beings in the middle of the field, but giving no one any idea of what had transpired between those two.
Finally, after a few seconds of wait which seemed like a long time, the field finally cleared and what everyone saw made them shout loudly, showing their support. There, both Floatzel and Luxray laid over each other, eyes covered in swirls and no movement from either of them. They had both fainted after fighting with all they had and the outcome was probably the best one for the match.
The referee, after tasking a good look at Luxray and Floatzel, raised both the green and red flags in the air. "Both Floatzel and Luxray are unable to continue. This round is a draw!"
The MC, finally coming back to reality after watching the amazing battle screeched. "What a match that was, guys! When everyone thought that Luxray was sure to win it, Ash's Buizel underwent an unexpected evolution after which, Floatzel never looked back and took Luxray down with him. This was truly a battle between two equally strong Pokemon and where else can you watch such bouts other than the Pokemon League!"
A smile appeared on Ash's face as he recalled his Floatzel back to his Pokeball proudly. "You did well, Floatzel." Ash whispered, gazing at the weasel's Pokeball before putting it back onto his belt. Removing another Pokeball from the belt, Ash glanced across the field and found that Abel too, was ready with his next Pokeball.
As soon as the referee gave the signal, Ash and Abel threw their Pokeballs on the field and their second Pokemon for the battle materialized on the battlefield. The Pokemon Ash chose for this fight his newly reunited Gliscor while Abel decided to go with a light-blue Pokemon, having two pair of rhombus-shaped wings with an elongated teardrop coming out of its head.
"Gli Gliscorr!" Gliscor cried out, announcing her arrival.
"Maaaa!" Abel's Pokemon, a Masquerain chirped as it took to the air and flapped its tender-looking wings.
A quick observation of his opponent's Masquerain was all Ash needed before deciding to take the initial move for himself. "Gliscor, start off with Fire Fang!" he ordered sharply. He'd learned from his mistake of underestimating Abel, just because he was a coordinator. He luckily pulled out of that situation somehow but the raven-haired trainer knew better than to rely on luck alone to win him Pokemon battles.
The quick move of Ash's has got Abel's attention and he looked at Ash defiantly. He too, had realized that Ash was getting serious, which meant that he would have no time to mess around. "Masquerain, use Air Slash to counter!"
As her fangs burned with red-hot fire surrounding them, Gliscor glided through the wind and closed in on her opponent. Masquerain too, didn't waste any time in crossing its wings and slashing the air around it. The slashed air current developed into almost, invisible mini-swords and gushed at Gliscor. In no time, Gliscor with her Fire Fang and Masquerain's Air Slash neared but before the Air Slash could hit, Ash's Gliding Pokemon acutely evaded all the sharp currents of air, heading straight for the Eyeball Pokemon and digging her sharp and fiery teeth into Masquerain. A loud shriek of pain could be heard from Masquerain, who retreated shakily to her trainer's side after taking the Super-effective damage from Gliscor's Fire-Type move, the burn marks clearly visible on her body.
"That was an incredibly strong start from Ash to this round!" The MC shouted once again. "Super-Effective!"
Abel gritted his teeth, knowing that that one move had put Ash in the lead for this round. His Masquerain had taken lots of damage from that Fire-Fang and he had to do something special soon to even get back in the contest. However, being a coordinator, he also understood the importance of remaining calm even if his Pokemon was on the defensive.
"Masquerain, give that Gliscor double the damage you took with Ice Beam!" He told to his Pokemon with a sly grin, which brimmed with confidence. Upon hearing its trainer, The Bug and Flying-Type opened its small mouth and began to create a ball of pure ice inside it
However, Ash wasn't about to let up the pressure of the initial blow that he'd caused to his foe. His experience in the years of travels throughout the Pokemon world told him to be on the aggressive till the very end in this kind of a battle. "Dodge the Ice Beam and then attack with Cross Poison." The amber-eyed boy spoke calmly and confidently.
A beam of Ice was aimed at Gliscor by Masquerain but Ash's Fang Scorpion Pokemon occurred to be fast enough to dodge the icy cold attack. Gliscor took full advantage of Abel and Masquerain's surprise to perform her attack as she crossed her pincers, which soon became purple and deadly poisonous. With a quick little flight to close the distance between her and her opponent, Gliscor fired the X-shaped poison slash at Masquerain. The Cross Poison struck Masquerain almost instantly, thrashing it to the ground. The impact between Abel's Pokemon and the field added extra damage to the harm it had already suffered because of Cross Poison.
A grimace could be seen appear on Abel's features at the beating his Pokemon just took. Ash's Gliscor was proving out to be even stronger than his Floatzel after evolving and the blonde-haired coordinator and trainer didn't know if his Masquerain could defeat it anymore. But his woes worsened when he heard the opposing trainer make another move.
"Finish this with Stone Edge!" came out another one of Ash's relentless instruction.
Gliscor obeyed her trainer and commenced the attack as several sharply-pointed stone materialized around the Fang Scorpion's entire body. Freeing her arms, Gliscor aimed all the shards at the crippled Masquerain that laid haplessly on the field. As the heart of every spectator started to beat faster, the Stone Edge mercilessly crashed into Masquerain, unable to even let out a cry to release its pain.
The referee raised the green flag towards Ash and announced. "Masquerain is unable to continue. Gliscor wins!"
The entire stadium couldn't utter a word for a few moments until the MC finally shouted in amazement. "What a brilliant match that was, folks! Gliscor won the match without even taking the least bit of damage. Masquerain was totally outclassed!"
In one of the sectors of the stand, a certain group appeared to have happy as well as astonished looks on their faces. Being the least surprised, Brock grinned realizing just how strong his best friend's Pokemon had become staying with the Air Battle Master. Dawn seemed to be pleasantly surprised while Barry and Conway began to measure Ash's strength in their minds. Believe it or not, Barry had started to take the League seriously, even if a little bit.
"Woah!" Dawn exclaimed. "Gliscor sure has gotten stronger in these past few months."
"Yeah! The accuracy with which it used Stone Edge and the way it dodged Air Slash were just incredible." Brock gave his views on Gliscor's strength, a tinge of pride in his tone. "Ash has turned into a hell of a trainer after those two months of training. He is maturing," As he said that, his expression changed into a perverted one. "although, he does need to leave his thick head behind if he wants to go far in the more important elements in life."
A confused Barry cocked his head, turning to look at Brock. "More important elements in life?" he asked, completely unaware of what Brock meant just then. "Isn't Pokemon battling the most important thing in a trainer's life?"
At the blonde's response, Brock, Dawn as well as Conway sweat-dropped. They realized that not only Ash but also Barry needed a bit of training on the matter of discussion. Barry was at least as dense as Ash if not more and talking to him about it would be fruitless.
"Lets concentrate on the battle for now." Dawn suggested and raised her finger, not in the mood to deal with Barry's ignorance as a human being.
"That boy has evolved leaps and bounds since the first time I met him during the Indigo League in Kanto!" The short President of the Pokemon League said as he watched the two participants on the field ready to commence the battle.
The person sitting next to him didn't have anything to say to Goodshow. Cynthia, wearing her usual black outfit simply licked her strawberry flavoured ice-cream, her gaze still fixated on the battlefield, or rather, fixed on a certain black-haired teenager from Pallet Town.
"He surely has gotten stronger." She said, still eyeing the battlefield. Goodshow, next to her nodded, not aware of the fact that by stronger, Cynthia meant his physical strength and not the strength of his Pokemon. Ash did have her in his grip a few nights before and Cynthia surely felt that she was being held by a man, the kind which could even make the brutal Champion of Sinnoh fluster.
"Gliiiiscor!" Gliscor roared victoriously, standing on her tail in front of Ash with her tongue sticking out of her mouth.
"Your Gliscor is strong, Ash," Abel complimented his foe with a smile before looking at the last Pokeball in the palm of his hand. "It's all up to you now. Go, Gallade!"
The Pokeball Abel threw landed on the field and in a flash of light, his last Pokeball took its position on the field. The Pokemon with lavender upper body and white lower body screamed his name to announce his arrival in the battle.
From across the field, Ash eyed the Gallade with huge interest; the thing catching his eye being the unusual colour of the Gallade. He'd seen a few Gallade in his life before and all of them had green upper bodies but this one was different. Although, the question that arouse in his mind was whether the Pokemon in front of him was only special in its colour or did it have the strength to be called special as well.
"A shiny Gallade!" Ash uttered as he watched the Psychic and Fighting-Type Pokemon. "Lets see what its got."
A serious expression rose on Abel's face as the referee signalled for the match to resume. The blonde trainer knew that if he had any chance of winning this fight against Ash, he had to get rid of Gliscor quickly. The fact that his Gallade had to be fresh to face Ash's last Pokemon was very well on his mind. However, he just couldn't figure out a way yet to defeat Ash's Gliding Pokemon without going all out with his Gallade.
Abel pushed all the thoughts aside, deciding it was best to concentrate on the battle at hand instead of thinking about what he would do later on and shouted out loud. "Gallade, get in close to Gliscor and use Psycho Cut!"
Intent set on finishing this battle as quickly as possible, Ash, too, made his move. "Gliscor, use X-Scissor!"
The Shiny Gallade ran forward with decent agility, the fins on his arms shining silver. On the other side, Ash's Gliscor took to the air, crossed her pincers forming a bright yellow X and descended swiftly towards the incoming Gallade. The Pokemon neared each other with their physical attacks and in the next moment, Gallade attempted to slash Gliscor brutally with his fins while Gliscor aimed her X-Scissor at Gallade as well.
Both the attacks collided with each other, the pink aura slash as well as the yellowish scissor trying to gain dominance in the battle of power. After moments of struggle, the Psycho Cut and X-Scissor were both cancelled out by each other as both the Pokemon pushed each other to the opposite sides.
"These two seem to be equal in terms of power!" The MC commented on the draw of attacks.
"Gli Gliscor!" Gliscor yelled at her foe, somewhat of a smile forming on her face.
"Gall Gallade!" The Psychic and Fighting-Type shouted with a smirk.
A silent chuckle couldn't help but escape from Ash's mouth as he watched the two Pokemon interact between the battle. The way the two looked at each other now was different from the stares they gave before the fight had commenced. The raven-haired boy contemplated that after testing each other out in the battlefield and getting the idea of the other's strength, the two had come to respect one another, even if a little.
"Gallade, Brick Break!" Abel ordered.
Ash didn't realize that he was lost deep in thought until he heard Abel shout a command to his Pokemon. He scorned as he watched Gallade dash forward with his right palm shining with fighting energy.
"Dodge it, Gliscor!" Ash shouted, a bit of panic in his tone as he realized that Gallade was moving faster than last time. By a slight margin, Gliscor barely dodged Gallade's Brick Break, taking flight, just above the ground.
However, the missed attack didn't bother Abel much as he smirked. "Now, quickly use Leaf Blade!" he ordered.
And just as the Blade Pokemon of Abel's heard his trainer, he instantly commenced the said move; both his arms becoming sharper as if they were blades made out of leaves. In the very next instant, Gallade leapt up in the air and took Gliscor by complete surprise; slashing the Fang Scorp Pokemon as hard as he could with his Leaf Blade. Managing to evade one of Galade's arms, Gliscor reduced the damage she took but it was still enough to make her stumble on the ground.
A grimace appeared on Ash's face when he watched his Pokemon take the first bit of damage in the battle. But he very well realized that the battle was on and he couldn't let Abel take the lead in it. "Gliscor, now use Giga Impact!" he commanded without wasting any time.
Gliscor flew up high in the air and she aimed herself at Gallade on the field. As she descended at amazing speed, her body became enveloped in a swirling orange energy, gaining more power as she covered more distance.
Realizing that a clean hit from Giga Impact could mean curtains for him, Abel shouted. "Gallade, let it come to you and use Zen Headbutt to stop it in its tracks!"
With a shout of his name, Gallade prepared for the Zen Headbutt as Gliscor came ever so closer to him every passing millisecond. A pinkish orb of Psychic aura formed on the Blade Pokemon's head as he tried to pour as much mental power in the attack as possible. A moment later, Gliscor's Giga Impact crashed straight into Gallade, even shaking the earth itself due to the tremendous power of one of the strongest Normal-Type moves in existence.
"Gallade!" Abel cried out on the top of his lungs; his scared facial expression showing the full extent of his worries upon seeing his Pokemon on the defending side of such a blow.
The entire crowd as well as the two trainers waited for the small dust cloud to clear out, each of them supporting one of the Pokemon on the field and wanting that particular one to come out on top. Their curiosities ended when Gliscor flew out of the dust cloud and reverse-glided towards her trainer with a few little bruises on her face. And just as everyone in the field thought it was over, Gallade too jumped out of the debris and back-flipped near his trainer's side, albeit his body was covered in severe wounds, clarifying the victor between the clash of Giga Impact and Zen Headbutt.
"Abel, your Gallade is very strong but it can't beat my Gliscor." Ash grinned and explained in order to taunt his Top 32 opponent.
"What do you mean?!" Abel questioned, evidently annoyed at Ash.
"Your Gallade is too slow compared to Gliscor. If he was faster, he could've completed the Zen Headbutt and would have taken much less damage. But, you focus too much on making your moves look as good as possible and that doesn't help when facing an enemy who can defeat you in the little opening you give between attacks." Ash shrugged his shoulders, irritating Abel even more. "Or rather, those opening are pretty big and a trainer good enough to make it to the Sinnoh League should be able to easily exploit them."
Brock, Dawn, Barry, Cynthia and even Conway were completely astonished by the latest comments made by Ash. They all knew him well enough to know that he would never insult his opponent like this. Even if he told Abel was completely true, he still wouldn't say such things in front of the massive crowd like this. At least, the old Ash they knew wouldn't.
Abel gritted his teeth in rage after hearing Ash's insults. "That's enough! Alright, Gallade, use Night Slash and then annihilate that guy's Gliscor with Brick Break!" The blonde coordinator yelled, his anger taking over his senses as he tried to finish the match.
Following what his trainer told him to, Gallade's sharp arms shone with dark energy this time. He jumped in the air and gushed at Gliscor on the opposite side of the ground in order to crush his enemy with the Dark-Type move.
"Gliscor, end it with Acrobatics." Ash ordered, remaining as cool and composed as he'd ever been in his life.
Gliscor glided throughout the battlefield, riding the air current and preparing to use a move that the Air Battle Master taught her. Suddenly, she dived down at Gallade who'd prepared for his Night Slash and leapt in the air to hit his opponent. But, Gliscor proved to be too fast for him yet again, slamming into the Blade Pokemon multiple times and escaping right before he could use Night Slash each time and lastly, she viciously rammed into Gallade, who couldn't do much other than take the full brunt of the perfectly use Acrobatics of Gliscor's.
The referee didn't need to observe Gallade for much long before he could call the match as swirls appeared in the Fighting-Type's eyes. "Gallade is unable to battle. Gliscor is the winner and the match goes to Ash from Pallet Town!" he declared, raising the green flag towards Ash.
"An amazing battle comes to an end and the better trainer advances to the next round of the Sinnoh League. Ash has shown us what a combination of speed and power can do in a Pokemon battle." The MC said of the match that just ended between Ash and Abel. "But let's hear it for Abel who's done so well to make it to the Top 32 of the Sinnoh League, which is an amazing feat in itself."
On queue, the entire stadium erupted with cheers, thanking both the participants for giving them an exceptional battle to remember. After the initial scare of Buizel was gone, Ash had clearly dominated the match and hence, the crowd went bonkers with most of the young boys and girls, who dreamt of becoming Pokemon trainers one day cheering as loud as they could. Battles like these just made the wait for receiving their first Pokemon even harsher for such kids.
On the field, Ash's Gliscor hugged her trainer in joy once again, earning a loud laugh from the spectators. On the other hand, Abel called back his Gallade with a disappointed look on his face.
"Hey Abel," Ash called out to his opponent with a smile as he walked towards him after recalling Gliscor in her Pokeball. "You were excellent out there." He complimented.
Abel was surprised with Ash's change in attitude but the shocked look on his face turned into an embarrassed one when he realized what Ash had done earlier was just to get the best out of him. He couldn't believe he was such an idiot to fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book.
"But you were better, man." Abel said as he shook hands with Ash. "You beat me fair and square and didn't even have to use all three Pokemon."
Ash placed a hand at the back of his head as he laughed lightly. "Well, let's battle again sometime."
The blonde boy from Sunyshore grinned and replied. "Sure. I'll make sure to make it interesting for you."
Ash made his way outside of the stadium, walking nonchalantly. Just then, he saw someone very interesting coming from the other direction. The purple haired teenage boy had his usual scorn on his face as he trekked past Ash through the passageway.
"Make sure you don't lose to anyone before battling me, Paul." Ash scoffed.
The statement made Paul stop in his tracks and turn back to stare at Ash, who didn't even bother to look back. "As if I would lose to pushovers like these."
The reply from Paul didn't come off as an unexpected one for Ash; he knew the guy well enough to know what he would say when asked such a question. The Pallet Town trainer just simpered a little as he left the battle arena.
"You were awesome as always, Ash!" Dawn praised her friend. She winked, sticking her tongue out and offering Ash a high five.
Ash high fived his blue-haired companion and replied. "Thanks, Dawn!"
"Both Gliscor and Floatzel have become really strong. Seems like their training has worked." Brock stated.
"The way Floatzel evolved was just awesome!" Barry shouted, moving his hands frantically to show exactly how he felt. Ash, Brock, Dawn as well as the two Pokemon, Pikachu and Piplup could only shake their heads at his comical behavior.
"Anyways," Ash started. "Lets get something to eat. I am kinda hungry since I haven't eaten anything since breakfast."
"Yeah, let's celebrate for you reaching the Top 16 of the Sinnoh League!" Dawn chimed, excitedly raising her arms. Her action caused the blue penguin from her arms to fall off on the ground.
"Piiiplup!" The Water-Type groaned. He folded his arms, and stared at his trainer angrily as a lump appeared on his forehead.
Ignoring Piplup's little rant, Barry pointed a finger at himself and questioned. "Dawn, what about the celebration for me reaching the Top 16?"
Her eyes narrowing, Dawn leaned forward. "Why in the world would we celebrate for your victory?" The blunette took a couple of steps forward, forcing Barry to take a couple of steps back and continued. "There.. is.. a.. difference.. between.. you.. and.. Ash, understand?" she raised her index finger against the blonde to explain the so called "difference" to him.
A look of absolute surprise crossed Barry's face when he heard that; his mouth remaining wide open in astonishment. "That's no fair!" he bellowed with a pout. "I am your friend too, am I not?" The trainer from Twinleaf Town questioned in hopes of getting a positive response. But, the silence building up for seconds didn't help his confidence; his knees and shoulders beginning to bend before his head slumped in dismay as well.
But, Ash, who was too hungry didn't want to deal with Barry's tirade right now and hence, decided to give him some assurance that he would still be his friend, no matter what. The raven-haired teenager placed a hand on Barry's shoulder and comforted him.
"Don't worry, Barry. We're your friends. It's just that we're too hungry to say it right now. Let's celebrate both your success in the Sinnoh League with a massive lunch."
The dismayed Barry finally raised his head, his eyes sparkling with new-found elation. "Really?!" he exclaimed before a few tears of joy formed in his eyes. "You are my only true friend, Ash. You are not like those backstabbers!" The boy pouted, glaring at the humans and Pokemon in the group save Ash, and then turned his face away.
With those words said and done, the group went to one of the premier restaurants in the Lily of the Valley island to have their lunch. As expected, Ash dug into the food, taking out every bit of fatigue that he felt after the intense fight. The afternoon flew by pretty quickly; Ash resting in his room along with Brock and Dawn.
The group waited for the huge TV screen in the battle stadium to reveal the match-ups for the Top 16 of the Lily of the Valley Conference. The last battle of Round 3 was won by Paul, which was the expected result from that match. The 16 participants to make it to the Top 16 included Tobias, Paul, Barry and of course, Ash among other, while Nando who'd made it to the Top 32 wasn't able to advance any further.
Soon, the computerized screen began to shuffle the images of the 16 trainers. The images came to a standstill as the match-ups for the next round of the League came into view. The reduced number of trainer images meant that Ash was able to find his opponent pretty soon and the guy was none other than Barry.
'I had to fight someone. If it's Barry, then so be it." Ash thought to himself, glancing around the vicinity with nothing in particular in mind. That's when his eyes met with Tobias's. The two gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before Tobias smirked at Ash; something which Ash didn't really feel to glad about. The way the caped Darkrai trainer looked at Ash didn't really give him a good feeling. It made him frown at Tobias, who realized the building tension and walked away without any further actions.
So, how was the chapter? I would like if you gjuys could tell me about it in the reviews. And as I mentioned in the earlier announcement, I was facing a major writing block and that was due to me unable to add anything to the plot before the battle in this chapter began. Thinking continuosly about that stopped me from writing this story for over a month and then I watched the leagues in the anime just to see what kind of thing they did between battles and guess what I found out? There's hardly anything of substance in between league battles.
Now, I remember a query from last chapter was about Larvitar being slower than Dusknoir. That would be generally the case, but I did mention that Conway's Dusknoir was trained in order to use Trick Room, which means that things like Pokemon nature and some heavy power training that drains speed could come in.
Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you sweet people stick around for the next chapter, which I intend to upload soon.