The Rivals' Past, Present and Future
Hello again, people! I have made you wait a long time for this but i am finally here with this chapter. Like I said in the announcement I made last time, I've really been busy with studies and college. These damn tests, assignments and just attending college recently.
Anyways, I won't make you guys wait any longer so you can have the chapter. I hope you enjoy!
The white smoke that covered the field due to the collision of Fire and Water-Type moves steadily began to clear out. As everyone's anticipation reached its peak, both Torkoal and Gastrodon emerged completely unharmed at the clearance of the smoke. Gasps left the spectator's lips as they relaxed into their seats.
"That Torkoal has been well trained." Flint of the Sinnoh Elite Four lauded from the commentator's box, a smile crossing his face. "Taking out a Water-Type move with just a Flamethrower tells you of the way it has been trained."
Upon hearing the praise for Ash's Torkoal from Flint, Lucian began his own analysis. "I haven't heard lots of compliments to Fire-Types from Flint. So that Torkoal must be strong. However," The blue-haired Elite Four member chuckled. "Gastrodon's attack wasn't its most powerful. I can just tell that it was simply warming up. The real battle hasn't even started."
"Indeed." Flint agreed. The other person in the commentary box, Caitlin, simply tittered without speaking a word before turning her attention back to the battlefield where the trainers seemed ready for many more of such intense rounds.
Ash stood still, much to the surprise of everyone watching including Paul. They all wondered why Ash wasn't recalling Torkoal and switching it out. After all, Paul with his Water and Ground-Type Gastrodon held a major advantage against Ash's Fire-Type. The spectators and even Paul realized that Ash very well knew that his chances of winning this duel between Torkoal and Gastrodon was low. However, they just couldn't comprehend why the raven-haired trainer wouldn't use another Pokemon to counter.
"Why isn't Ash switching Pokemon?!" Barry asked loudly as he eyed the battle between his two self-proclaimed rivals with utmost interest.
The blonde boy immediately received an answer from Brock sitting beside him. "I think its because Ash wants to check just how strong he has gotten. You see, Ash is a different type of trainer. His methods are what you'd call… unconventional."
After the passage of a few more seconds, Paul wailed lightly from across the field. He appeared clearly annoyed by Ash not doing anything and he decided to make him pay the price. "Gastrodon, use Surf!" He commanded.
Gastrodon cried out its name and in an instant, a huge wave of water was summoned. The Sea Slug Pokemon rode the pure blue wave of water it created, heading straight towards Torkoal at decent speed.
The incoming attack made Ash narrow his eyes. Nonetheless, he still retained his composure, apparently not worried about countering Gastrodon's Water-Type move. Just as the Surf was about to hit Torkoal, Ash finally gave his orders. "Torkoal, use Iron Defense quickly!"
The wave of water crashed into Torkoal at full speed at that instant and no one knew exactly what happened there. As the stream of water hit one of the boundaries of the battlefield, covering Torkoal in it, Gastrodon jumped above and landed in front of its trainer. Slowly, the water disappeared and the sight of a Torkoal inside its shell driven towards the edge of the field could be seen.
The referee closely observed Torkoal to check if it was still able to battle. Just as he was about to raise the flag towards Paul, Torkoal's shell moved and the Coal Pokemon's head and legs emerged from the shell.
"Kooaaal Tor!" The Fire Turtle Pokemon roared.
"Way to go, Torkoal!" Ash complimented with a smile of pride on his face. He never doubted that Torkoal would take the hit and still be able to battle, but what he wanted to know was how far had his training in defense taken him and Torkoal. And with that much resistance against a Super-Effective move – even though Iron Defense had boosted Torkoal's defenses – Ash couldn't ask for anything more.
The crowd too, cheered as they realized that even after taking the direct hit from Surf, Torkoal still stood strong only taking minor damage against such a strong Water-Type move.
"Ash wants to gauge how strong his Pokemon have gotten." Brock completed his explanation to Barry, whose eyes shined with more respect for his friend from Pallet Town. "And for him, the best way would be to battle against all odds, just like he is doing here."
"I didn't know Ash was that awesome!" Barry took a boxing-like stance, standing up on his seat and anticipating just how would Ash try to win against Paul's Gastrodon with his Torkoal.
"Seems like it won't be easy for Paul to break through that incredible defense of Torkoal's." Caitlin opined from the commentary box. Her first comment about the match was met with loud cheers, some young men from the stands going ballistic with their screams. "Even so, I can't quite understand why Ash is still fighting with Torkoal. The ideal way to go about things would be to save his Torkoal for Paul's Grass-
Type, now that he knows Paul's using one." She completed her analysis, curiously eyeing Ash and his Torkoal, trying to figure out what Ash was up to.
"Alright, its out turn to strike now," Ash said. He pointed his palm towards Paul and Gastrodon and shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Surround Gastrodon with Heat Wave!"
Instantly, Torkoal opened its mouth, forming an orange ball of fire in its mouth. Then, it released red-orange waves of flames from the ball. The waves appeared to spread covering more and more area as they traveled their way towards Paul's Slug Pokemon.
"Hmmh.." Paul snickered before grinning as he thought of a way to avoid the Heat Wave. "Fire Ice Beam on the ground!" he ordered.
"What?!" Ash shouted in astonishment.
His surprise was shared by all the spectators as well as the commentary team consisting of the Elite Four, who gasped at the exuberant move pulled off by Paul's Gastrodon. By using Ice Beam on the ground, Gastrodon was able to leap in the air and successfully avoid Heat Wave.
While the crowd were in awe of the amazing innovation used by Paul, a few of the people watching were surprised for a different reason. However, Dawn, Barry and even Brock gasped, realized that this wasn't something Paul would do; he was simply too arrogant to do that. Or so they thought.
"That's how Ash has used his Pokemon to dodge some of the attacks." Dawn said with eyes wide open in shock.
"I can tell that this is not something that Gastrodon has done for the first time." An equally surprised Brock stated, placing a hand under his chin.
"If that is the case, this Paul won't be an easy opponent to defeat for Ash. If Paul has learnt these techniques from seeing Ash, then Ash is about to find out just how terrifying his own battle style is." Professor Oak said.
On the field, Paul saw the look on Ash's face and made sure to use the chance he had while Ash was still startled by his move. "Gastrodon, aim a Sludge Bomb at Torkoal from right up there!"
Paul's order snapped Ash out of his little daze. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Paul." Ash smirked. "Your Gastrodon is vulnerable in the air. Now Torkoal, use Overheat!"
The Sea Slug Pokemon formed a brown-colored bomb in its mouth and shot it down towards Torkoal. However, Torkoal, too was ready as it opened its mouth which glowed white with energy forming inside. Soon with the holes on its shell glowing white, the Coal Pokemon fired a silverfish flame which had red-range colored heat spiraling around it. The two attacks met in mid-air but Overheat quickly overpowered Sludge Bomb, much to Paul and Gastrodon's shock.
The Fire-Type attack of Torkoal's then hit Gastrodon right on the neck, scoring a direct hit on the immobile Water-Type, who found it unable to avoid in mid-air. Gastrodon grunted as it was sent backwards by the force and landed on the ground.
Paul gritted his teeth in annoyance that his own plan backfired. Gastrodon did manage to avoid Heat Wave but due to it being in the air, took a direct hit from a much more powerful Overheat.
"Snap out of it and use Muddy Water again!" Paul shouted.
"Gastroooodon!" Paul's blue Pokemon obeyed and released spiraling brown water from its body. It then aimed the spinning water torrent towards Torkoal.
For a brief moment, Ash appeared to be amazed. 'It recovered quickly. That's to be expected from Paul's Pokemon.' He simpered half-heartedly before turning his attention back to Torkoal. 'I can't use Overheat too many times or it wont have much effect. It's not like it's gonna do a lot of damage as it is to a Water-Type Pokemon like Gastrodon.'
"Iron Defense, Torkoal!" Ash told his Pokemon, again just before Muddy Water struck his Fire-Type turtle.
"You won't get away this time." Paul snorted. His tone held the usual confident vibe to it; something his voice had lacked throughout this battle so far. "Use Scald and aim for inside Torkoal's shell!"
In a similar way to how it endured the Surf from Gastrodon earlier, Torkoal appeared to have reduced the damage of Muddy Waterby using Iron Defense. But before Torkoal knew it, it was again struck by a stream of hot water that Gastrodon fired at it. The Fire Turtle Pokemon didn't come out of its shell to try and take as less damage as possible but something really nasty struck it right then.
"Torkoaaaaaaal!" Ash's Fire-Type cried out in agony. Just as Paul had said, Gastrodon fired its Scald attack inside the holes in Torkoal's shell which forced Torkoal out, also dealing Super-Effective damage that could not be evaded this time around.
For the first time in that fight, a look of concern crossed Ash's feature. "Hang in there, Torkoal." Ash whispered, concern evident in his voice as he watched Torkoal slowly get back on its feet.
The reason for the confidence he had that he would be able to defeat Gastrodon with his Torkoal was based around Torkoal's iron Defense which would minimize any damage Gastrodon could do with its Water-Type moves. But now that Paul had found a way to counter it, Ash knew he needed to make a quick move and find a way to end the match quickly before his Torkoal reached its limits.
"This match seems to be going in Paul's favor now." Sitting comfortably inside the commentary box, Will of the Psychic-Type, spoke through the microphone. "It will be interesting to see how Ash will try and come back."
"As a Fire-Type specialist, I would like nothing more than to see a Fire-Type defeat its greatest weakness in water. But, this is not going according to the script Ash though of, that's for sure." Flint commented.
Caitlin chuckled sitting besides the two. "This is a 6-on-6 match. Either one of these trainers can make a comeback at any time."
"Torkoal, use Body Slam!" Ash instructed. He wanted to deal some damage to Gastrodon and finish this bout as soon as possible, understanding that a dragged fight would only work against him. Also true was the fact that he couldn't let Torkoal completely run out of steam. It appeared exhausted as is and the amber-eyed boy couldn't afford to keep up with ineffective Fire-Type attacks,
On Ash's order, Torkoal ran forward as fast as it could, – which wasn't fast as compared to Ash's other Pokemon – and then jumped in the air, heading towards its opponent.
Paul countered, seeing this as an opportunity to strike a decisive blow. "Use Scald while its in the air!"
Gastrodon produced heated water inside its belly. However, by then, Ash's Fire-Type had already stomped on Gastrodon's face, landing the Body Slam successfully, making Gastrodon wail in agony.
"Do it now, Gastrodon!" Paul yelled, unable to stop himself from getting engulfed in the heat of the battle.
Realizing the anger, Ash called emergently. "Get outta there, Torkoal!"
A smirk formed on Paul's lips when Torkoal proved to be unable to escape in time and Gastrodon's Scald sent Torkoal flying towards Ash's side of the boundary. The Coal Pokemon didn't just take damage from the Super-Effective Scald but also had bruises due to crashing into the cemented wall of the battlefield.
With eyes filled with worry, Ash looked at his Torkoal wondering if his decision to stick with the Fire-Type was indeed the correct choice. It wasn't a concern if he would lose this first round, but about the health of his Pokemon, who didn't look in the best of shapes.
Suddenly, the crowd roared loudly and started to cheer upon seeing the courageous Torkoal starting to get up on its feet. Ash's lips twitched a little forming a smile at the sight of his Pokemon giving it its all for him.
But, Paul on the other side of the battleground had different plans. He didn't care in the least if Ash's Pokemon showed fighting spirit or not. He had but one thing in mind at that point : to win the battle, and defeat Ash as crushingly as possible; make him suffer even more humiliation than he did at Lake Acuity. And he knew that an early win would only make his plans easier.
"Gastrodon, use Scald once again." Paul confidently ordered his Pokemon to use the same move to finish off its opponent once again.
Ash clenched his fists in frustration. 'I should never have let this happen. But I can't go back now.' Ash thought to himself with a defiant look on his face when he saw that Torkoal was back on its feet, albeit shakily and panting heavily. "There no more time to hold back and save energy. Torkoal, use Overheat with all you've got!" he shouted.
With a cry of its name, Torkoal formed a silver orb in its mouth and soon enough, fired the silver flame which got covered by spinning red-orange waves of heat. The Overheat met with the incoming Scald of Gastrodon's and both the attacks fought for dominance. Naturally, the Water-Type Scald held the advantage but Torkoal wasn't ready to give an inch, not letting Gastrodon gain anything on it. The two attack stayed in stalemate for a few seconds and the crowd got into the act, cheering the two Pokemon on.
But in the end, there could only be one victor. The Water-Type attack of Gastrodon's proved to be too much for the tired Torkoal as Scald ran through the weakened Overheat and hit Torkoal dead on. The Fire-Type cried in pain as Scald did it's work of bathing Gastrodon's opponent in hot water. Instantly, Torkoal's body gave in and it fell on the ground, swirls covering its eyes.
This time, the referee had no doubt in his mind when he announced the result of the first round of that quarter final match. "Torkoal is unable to continue, Gastrodon wins!" He raised the green flag towards Paul.
Ash pointed his Pokeball at his Torkoal without wasting any time. His eyes show only disappointment, not in his Pokemon, but in himself. He indeed wanted to check if his Pokemon could defeat a strong opponent which had its biggest weakness. But, he failed.
'You did your best, Torkoal. I'll make sure your efforts aren't in vain.' Ash smiled mildly as he placed the Pokeball back in his belt. "It's time to end this!" He announced, taking out his second Pokeball and throwing it on the field. "Go, Torterra!" The Pokeball snapped open on the field and Ash's Grass-Type of Sinnoh, Torterra materialized.
"Tooor Terraaa!" The Continent Pokemon roared, standing mightily against his foe.
"So, Ash has chosen to go with the type advantage this time. Interesting." Will chuckled, seeing Torterra come out of its ball on the field.
Paul glanced at Torterra and gave a thought if he should change Pokemon. 'Gastrodon won't last too long and it is at a massive disadvantage again a Grass-Type.' The trainer from Veilstone City took out his Pokeball but another thought that was running through his mind made him stop. 'But, if I can land even one Ice Beam, it will make defeating Torterra easy.'
"It seems like Paul won't be switching Pokemon either." Caitlin stated in the commentary box. "These two boys are so interesting."
The purple-haired trainer made his intentions clear by his first move. "Gastrodon, use Ice Beam!"
Knowing the risks of Ice Beam against his Torterra, Ash countered with his own move. "Torterra, Use Energy Ball."
A silver, cold ball of ice materialized inside Gastrodon's mouth and it soon fired the crystal-like beam at its opponent. Simultaneously, Torterra formed a green ball of energy surrounded by shining light between its own jaws. Both the Ice Beam and Energy Ball headed towards one another and crashed into each other, creating a small explosion while cancelling each other out.
And at that very moment, another composed command left Ash's lips. "Use Leaf Storm now."
The Continent Pokemon yelled out his name as the trees on its back glowed with power. In no time at all, he summoned multiple leaves that spun around dangerously in circles and soon, made their way towards Gastrodon. The Sea Slug Pokemon had no time to react at all and took the full brunt of the Leaf Strom, which proved to be the fatal blow that Paul's Pokemon needed.
"That's not possible!" An amazed Paul gasped, his eyes agape at what he had just witnessed. "It couldn't have used another move so quickly!"
In the stands, even Professor Oak appeared to be astonished. "Torterra sure is fast. It's amazing just how quickly it maneuvered those two attacks in succession without sacrificing in the power of their moves."
"That's not something every Torterra could pull off." Brock said. "While training, Ash must have realized that even if his Torterra is not as quick as some of his other Pokemon while attacking directly, Torterra's long range attacks can be sped up with proper training."
Professor Oak nodded. "Indeed. But that couldn't have been easy. It's as if Torterra has gained an ability which its not supposed to." The Professor's words felt pride which he hadn't for a long time. A boy which he'd known since his birth and even given his first Pokemon to, had come a long way.
In the middle of the field, the referee glanced at Gastrodon hard and noticing the swirls in its eyes and no movement, he made his decision. "Gastrodon is unable to battle. Torterra wins."
"You still haven't realized it yet?" Ash taunted his Sinnoh rival, a smile plastered on his face. "My Pokemon aren't the same as they were at Lake Acuity." He sighed much to the annoyance of his rival standing across him. "Nor am I the same. If I was, I would've been using the same Pokemon I used there to fight you."
Paul huffed and gritted his teeth while recalling his fainted Gastrodon. He took a breath – in order to get himself back to his senses – and smirked. "We're back to square one. But I had already prepared for this." He removed another Pokeball and released his third Pokemon. "Drapion, stand by for battle!"
Out of Paul's Pokeball came out a purple Scorpion-like Pokemon which stood, almost as big as Ash's Torterra. "Draaaa!" The Fang Scorpion Pokemon roared out to its opponent, crossing its pincers as if it was challenging Torterra to a duel. Torterra wasn't one to back down as he too, returned the greeting of his opponent.
"Now, this will be interesting. A battle between two Pokemon with great attack power." Flint said, looking forward to seeing the two Pokemon on the field below clash.
"Drapion, use Pin Missile!" Paul ordered.
Without any delays, Drapion extended its claws, which shone silver and then suddenly launched a barrage of missile-like arrows at its opponent.
Ash let out a laugh hearing Paul's command. "Make a wall with Rock Climb to block Pin Missille." He said.
Torterra obliged, lifting his front legs and banging them onto the ground with raw power. Suddenly, the ground in front of Torterra started to rise, creating a wall. The execution of Rock Climb was quick enough from Torterra to block each and every one of Drapion's Pin Missile that headed his way.
"What?!" Paul scowled. He had been completely taken aback by this new trick that Ash pulled out. The purple-haired teenager gritted his teeth; the reason for his exasperation wasn't that his Pokemon's attack failed but rather because the rival that'd troubled him the most had gotten even better. He would never admit it, but in all his time as a trainer, he was never so annoyed or vexed himself over anyone he fought. But, Ash was different. Even though he had defeated Ash almost every time they had battled, he still felt he hadn't won. And that was the reason why Paul wanted to crush Ash right here, at a big stage like the Sinnoh League. Only then would he feel satisfied; only then would he truly believe he'd won against Ash.
In one of the parts of the stadium, a certain young Champion of Sinnoh seemed amused. "Seems like the real battle is about to begin." She thought out loud, her eyes twinkling with excitement of watching the battle. The blonde had been looking forward to this inevitable clash between rivals whose struggle to beat one another she'd witness quite a few times lately. She too, understood that whoever wins this battle will consider themselves victorious, irrespective of what might have happened in their earlier battles.
"That move was thought out by Ash beforehand." Flint said from the commentary box with a smile, which clearly revealed his captivation and curiosity for this ongoing battle. "Ash read Paul's move. That boy never fails to amaze me."
Caitlin tilted her head to the side, facing Flint whose earlier statement had evidently got her interest. "He doesn't I see. So, you've been following him, huh?" Moments passed but she never got her reply from Flint who seemed too engrossed to answer her; also making Caitlin assume The Fire-Type Elite Four's answer as positive.
The defensive wall created by Torterra fell down after he smashed the ground again, shouting his name in victory. But contrary to what Torterra expected, Drapion didn't seem to back down.
"Torterra, use Energy Ball." Ash shouted. He wanted to take a quick lead in this battle.
The massive Grass and Ground-Type opened his mouth, in which a green Energy Ball started to form again. He shot the Grass-Type move at Drapion who didn't seem to be moving.
Paul waited and waited before finally giving his orders. "Drapion, cancel it out with Cross Poison!"
And just as the Energy Ball seemed to be getting close, Drapion showed amazing agility in forming an X with its pincers. As its pincers shone with purple poison energy, it fired the Cross Poison just in the nick of time to deflect Energy Ball.
Paul graveled when he saw that even though Cross Poison avoided the full damage of Energy Ball, Drapion was still pushed back and made to dig its claws in the ground by the sheer force of Energy Ball. The result of that little clash between those two attacks did come somewhat in his favor, but not completely due to the strands of damage Drapion suffered. But that wasn't all Paul concluded; another thing he learned just now was that Ash had gotten strong, much stronger since last time. His Drapion was one of his stronger Pokemon – it being trained by his elder brother, Reggie definitely helping the cause.
When he noticed the uncertainty and the unease on Paul's face, Ash's lips made slight movement to the sides, forming almost a smile. He knew he'd shaken Paul up, which is exactly what he wanted. The opening he wanted to expose this battle would only come this way, he realized. And this seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to run through.
Quickly raising his arm, Ash ordered with a hint of certain ferociousness in his tone. "Torterra, use Earth Power!"
Torterra's body began enveloped in a golden light before it slammed its feet on the ground again. Starting from the point of impact, cracks began to form in the ground, linearly travelling at the opponent from underneath the field.
"Drapion, wait for it…" Paul said studying the path of the Earth Power carefully before he shouted. "Now, pull out of the way right now!" he screamed but a couple of seconds later, he grimaced.
Another one of Torterra's attacks had successfully hit Drapion and this time, Drapion took the full blow without any interceptions. Not to mention, the attack was super-effective against the Poison-Type. The Orge Scorpion simply wasn't fast enough to dodge an underground attack that headed to it at that speed. The Earth Power had given it a full beating blasting right below Drapion, making it cry in pain.
Paul, however, was fully aware that he needed one move to be back in this fight. He thought about calling Drapion back but he was of the mind that Drapion had a great chance of taking out Torterra. He'd even prepared Drapion for a battle against Ash's Torterra but this power was something he didn't expect from the Continent Pokemon. It was as if Torterra had mastered himself; mastered his weakness that was his massive body and transformed that into an advantage.
"Torterra, now Rock Climb while its still not recovered completely!" Ash shouted. He wouldn't want to let up a chance to make a solid strike – which could very well set a finish for this battle – pass him by.
The command by Ash brought Paul out of his train of thoughts. But, more importantly, he had to think of a way for his beaten up Drapion to get out of the way and avoid the attack. He was about to think that when it struck him; he had been thinking too defensively until now in this round. But instantly, he realized that was not the case. He had been made to think defensively by Ash. He had been falling right into his trap.
Ash's Sinnoh rival smirked. "Drapion, prepare to intercept!" he called out, which came out as a surprise to everyone who heard him. They all wondered if they heard him right.
By now, Torterra had already formed a wall of rocks from the ground, lifting Drapion at the top of the rocky wall. The Scorpion Pokemon quickly balanced itself and crossed its fangs as fast as it could, just as told by his trainer.
Just as Torterra and Drapion were about to clash, Paul changed plans again. "Now, catch it and use Poison Fang!"
Drapion shouted its name and to everyone's amazement caught the sides of Torterra's huge shell. Then, its fangs glowed purple and it smashed those into Torterra, who could only whimper at the damage it took from that attack. The Continent Pokemon was sent crashing down as the wall fell off, marking the first solid attack Paul's Drapion managed to land on Torterra.
A wince appeared on Ash's featured at the sight of the first blood being drawn from his Torterra, who appeared to be in some pain taking damage from the poison. However, Ash had plans; plans which he would be executing starting…. now.
Ash smiled and rested his hands in his pocket. "Torterra, use Leaf Storm."
At the order of his trainer, Torterra managed to shake off whatever dizziness it might've been feeling. He started his attack with the plants and trees on his back glowing light green and a cyclone of leaves and wind was released at Drapion.
Paul, confident in his Pokemon too, said. "Drapion, obstruct that with Cross Poison."
The Leaf Storm headed towards Drapion and started slashing into it, while Drapion crossed its pincers and countering with Cross Poison, managing to stop the damage. Soon, Drapion managed to reduce the damage of the Cross Poison quite a bit.
"What!" Paul bellowed in utter disbelief. "How did it-"
Before Paul could finish, Ash instructed loudly. "Use Crunch!"
Torterra roared, and brought its jaws down on Drapion, biting it hard and digging his fangs into his opponent.
"Draaaaaa!" Paul's Pokemon wailed but soon enough, its body gave in, having had enough. The Pokemon fell to the ground with round swirls in his eyes.
"Drapion is unable to battle, Torterra wins!" The referee announced raising the red flag in Ash's direction.
"Well, well," Will in the commentary box started. "I have never seen a Pokemon deceive its opponent Pokemon simply by using a move as cover."
"Neither Paul nor Drapion would've ever expected that Torterra would be advancing across the field while using Leaf Storm." Caitlin said after analyzing the situation thoroughly. Even she was left astounded by the unexpected move Torterra just employed to defeat Drapion.
"Lets hope this continues!" Flint, engaged in the battle completely now clutched onto the desk, leaning forward.
Leaning forward towards the television from the comfortable seat on his sofa, Reggie mused with a starred expression. "Paul chose Drapion specifically to counter Pokemon like Ash's Torterra. His strategy has backfired. But the way Torterra walked forward while using Leaf Storm at reaching Drapion exactly when it would've least expected it, that's some feat. That's not just difficult to do but a strategy that hardly anyone could even come up with." He lased his fingers and rested his chin on them. "Paul is gonna have his work cut out for him now."
On the ground, the Pokeball sucked the unconscious Drapion inside before Paul readied his next Pokeball. He threw it on the field and out came his fourth Pokemon. "Froslass, stand by for battle!" The Ice Land Pokemon opened her ghostly eyes and cried out her name in a ghastly yet high pitched tone. "Use Ice Shard." Paul ordered.
"Energy Ball!" Ash countered almost instantly from across the battlefield.
Frosslass began to float in the air and raised her hands above her head. She then formed a icy ball between her hands and shot it at her foe. Torterra, too had been forming the Energy Ball in his mouth and shot it right back at the Ice Shard. The two attacks clashed and caused a small explosion in the air.
"Froslass, use Hail and then quickly use Ice Beam!" Paul said in his cold tone, yet his command was hasty. He looked to take full advantage of his Froslass's superior movement speed as compared to Torterra adding to the fact that Froslass was fresh while Torterra would surely be exhausted after battling Drapion.
Frosslass' body glowed light blue as she floated even higher up in the air. Suddenly, the bright sunny sky turned foggy as mist covered the field. The effects of Hail became evident when some small shards of ice began dropping down from the sky.
Ash gritted his teeth for a moment. "That's Froslass's ability. This won't be easy." He mused when he noticed Froslass vanish from sight one moment and then appear at another place in another. "Lets try Leaf Storm, Torterra!"
The Continent Pokemon called out his name in uncertainty, unable to locate and fix aim at Froslass. After a few moments, he finally saw Froslass stand still, where she started to charge her Ice Beam. Torterra, concluding that this was his best chance to hit Froslass in this hailstorm, released the leafy Cyclone to where he thought Froslass was. Although, the Ice Land Pokemon enhanced with her Snow Cloak ability avoided the Leaf Storm with ease. And at that exact moment, she fired the Ice Beam from point blank range at Torterra.
"No, Torterra!" Ash shouted out. The trainer winced at the sight of Torterra taking the Ice Beam right at the head after Froslass appeared out of nowhere. Fortunately, even though it was a Super-Effective hit against a Grass and Ground-Type like Torterra, his superb defenses managed to keep Torterra in the game. Torterra roared, even though, it appeared in pain but Ash knew that this weather along with the massive type disadvantage would prove to be a problem.
With his eyes narrowed, Ash raised Torterra's Pokeball. "Torterra, return." Even though, Torterra wasn't out of the game by a fair way, Ash knew better than to just hand Paul a victory. He then drew forth his third Pokeball from his belt and pointed it forward. "Croconaw, I choose you!"
The Pokeball in Ash's hand opened up and in a flash of red light, the Big Jaw Pokemon from the Johto region took field.
"Naw Croconaw!" He yelled. His opened his jaw agape, putting on show, his sharp fangs which shone. Suddenly, the Water-Type jumped up and began dancing around, while calling out his names multiple times. "Croco Croco Croconawww!"
"Is it dancing?" Caitlin questioned over the microphone.
Will touched back the strip between his glasses and replied. "It sure is!" He chuckled. "That Croconaw is probably the happiest Pokemon I have seen on a battlefield. It doesn't have a care in the world."
However, even though the stadium began to fill with laughs of the spectators, Paul remained unfazed and unmoving, surrounded the haze. As soon as the referee signaled for the match to resume, Paul gave a command without the slightest of emotions. "Shadow Ball."
The trainer from Pallet Town on the other side of the field didn't let the crowd disrupt his concentration either. He remained focused on the battle that was about to begin; thoughts jumbling inside his head as to which kind of strategy should he use to confront this foggy field, where Paul held the advantage.
"Croconaw, dodge it and then use Hydro Pump!" Ash said loudly. The stadium again began to try to watch the battle as best as they could through the fog after hearing the attacking orders of the two participants.
In the air, Froslass' palms sparkled with blackish energy. She then joined her hands together, between which a black ball of energy began to form. Meanwhile, Croconaw open his jaws wide and blasted a swirling jet of water at Froslass who shot her Shadow Ball at Croconaw as two attack met and Hydro Pump easily broke through the Shadow Ball but to Croconaw and Ash's surprise, Froslass had already vanished in the hailstorm.
"Damn it!" Ash cursed under his breath. "Where is it?"
And just when Ash least expected it, Froslass emerged out of nowhere and hit Croconaw with a Shadow Ball that she'd created. The crowd was left speechless at Froslass' amazing speed under the hailstorm which had sent Croconaw crashing back.
The only action Ash could take was grit his teeth; Froslass and Paul were getting into the groove. 'There has to be a way for me to hit Froslass.' He desperately searched for a tactic to counter The Ice and Ghost-Type's Snow Cloak ability that proved to be a problem. He could wait for Hail's effect to end but who knew how much damage Froslass would've done by then.
"Froslass, use Ice Beam!" Paul commanded again. He saw this as a great opportunity to run through a couple of Ash's Pokemon, while the Pallet boy was still confused.
"Croconaw, Bite!" Ash called out frantically after he noticed Froslass sneak through the breeze from the corner of his eye.
Froslass shot the Ice Beam through her hands while Croconaw charged at his opponent with an open mouth. This time though, Croconaw successfully jumped and evaded the Ice Beam, taking Froslass by surprise and biting her down. The Super-Effective Dark-Type move appeared to have caused Froslass some damage as the previously unharmed Pokemon retreated back into the fog.
Ash studied Froslass for a few more moments before coming up with a plan that he decided to go through with. "Croconaw, return." He said while raising the Crocodile Pokemon's ball, which sucked him inside.
"Paul is getting to Ash for sure!" Barry said.
"That may be true." Brock admitted hesitantly, his gaze glued to the battlefield in anticipation of Ash;s next move. "But I think we're about to see something spectacular." He completed his statement as a smile made its way to his tanned face.
Dawn beside the two titled her head. "Spectacular?" She wondered. "You mean some kind of crazy move?"
Professor Oak nodded. "Yes. Ash may have changed but the way he battles will never change." He explained, getting the attention of the group as well as some of the other people sitting nearby, who were inevitably interested in the famous researcher's opinions and thoughts. "And that will prove out to be Ash's biggest strength."
Ash tickled his fingers around a couple of the Pokeballs before unclipping one of them. He intently stared at it for a short while, his face covered with a determined expression. Finally, he threw the Pokeball on the field, which snapped open and the Pokemon caged inside of it materialized on the field.
When the pokemon that emerged from Ash's Pokeball got revealed, two humands and a cat-like Pokemon serving snacks in the stadium turned their eyes on the field. They left all their work and intently looked at the Pokemon they had come to console; the one who they thought had been suffering like themselves.
"It's our Infernape!" Meowth of Team Rocket exclaimed as his eyes twinkled with excitement.
"It's time to take revenge against that purple-haired brat!" Jessie, disguised with the help of her glasses said.
"Innn-fernapee!" The Ape Pokemon yelled and then straightaway glared at the person on the opposite side. He'd been preparing for this – a battle to show Paul just how strong he was. Infernape knew that Paul acknowledged his hidden strength but what the Flame Pokemon wanted to prove to his former trainer as well as everyone else was that he could summon that vicious strength at will.
"Infernape, its time to end things with Paul, once and for all." Ash confidently told his Fire-Type. "Flamethrower!" he commanded.
Instantly, Paul fought back and yelled. "Dodge it and use Shadow Ball!"
Taking no time at all, Infernape took a deep breath and fired a powerful jet of red hot flames at Froslass. Surprised by the agility shown by Infernape, Froslass dodged for her life. However, she could only move a little before most of the left part of her body became engulfed in the Flamethrowe, causing super-effective damage to the Ice-Type. She cried out her name,m retreating backwards.
"Now, Flare Blitz!" Ash made another move with the same ferocity as the first one.
And Infernape responded just as quickly, if not quicker. His body became engulfed in flames as he bent down and launched itself at Froslass. The fire surrounding Infernape was so intense that the fog and hail around him disappeared immediately and as he made his way forward, the clouds began to retreat. Froslass had just formed half a Shadow Ball before she saw Infernape shooting himself towards her.
"Infernape's faster than before!" Paul gasped in astonishment. He gritted his teeth and as quick as he possibly could, the trainer from Veilstone City removed Froslass' Pokeball and pointed it at her. "Return Froslass." Was Paul's panicstriken cry.
Just in time, the flash of light managed to reach Froslass and suck it inside, forcing Infernape's attack to pass through thin air and miss in the process. Ash smirked at the move by Paul. Again, he'd forced his rival to make a change. He knew that right now, he was in complete control of the battle. For the first time, it was Ash who was managing to read through Paul. It felt good, Ash noted. He wanted like to feel this way in every battle he would be part of.
Meanwhile, the commentators continued their conversation while also voicing their thoughts on the match.
"That was quick!" Caitlin sighed, wiping her forehead of some imaginary sweat in the air conditioned Commentary Box. "Paul proved to be just quick enough to dodge Ash's Outrage!" she said playfully while letting out a chuckle.
A complete contrasting reaction could be seen on Flint's face. "Ash's Infernape has gotten stronger... Way stronger. Just like the rest of his Pokemon." He commented. His voice held a hint of pride in it; he felt as if he was seeing a new legend develop.
"Paul will have to think of a strategy to deal with that kind of speed. Froslass was fast, but Infernape is even faster than it enhanced with Snow Cloack." Will said; the smile on his face showed just how much he was enjoying this battle even though there was no Psychic-Type involved in the fight thus far.
"Torterra's raw power and now Infernape's speed. The results of Ash's training continue to impress." Cynthia proudly said to no one in particular.
Mr. Goodshow sitting next to her nodded his head repeatedly, too stuck on the battle to even move his gaze or utter a word in reply. Cynthia, though couldn't comprehend why she felt that bit of pride when seeing Ash grow. It wasn't as if she'd trained Ash or any of his Pokemon. The most she had done to him of benefit would be give him a few words of advice; that too only on a rare few occasions that they met in Sinnoh.
With an unpleased expression on his face, Paul threw his fifth Pokeball forward. The ball opened up to reveal a brown, bear-like Pokemon. "Uwaaaaaa!" The Hibernation Pokemon roared, lifting his arms in the air. He then glared at its opponent who was someone he'd previously battled against as well as trained with. Ursaring smirked and made a motion with him right palm, attempting to provoke Infernape. "Urrr urrr!" it challenged.
However, Infernape remained unfazed. He just kept watching his opponent and did not give Ursaring any heed at all. He simply waited for his trainer – the only human who he truly followed – to give his orders. He didn't have to wait long as one came searing through Ash's mouth.
"Mach Punch, go!"
Infernape's fist glowed white and at almost unbelievable speed, the Ape Pokemon dashed at Ursaring, who'd been continuously mocking him.
So, how was the chapter? Don't old back your thoughts!
Also, I have a quick announcement to make. There is some fanfiction competition going on a site name inkitt. I've uploaded this story there although I don't really have high hopes since this is a Pokemon story and it is written by me. LOL
However, I would appreciate if you could vote for it there if you like my story. The link is : www . inkitt stories / 29257
Remove all the spaces. Or, you could just go to inkitt . com and search for "A Legend Awakened". You have to click some heart button to favorite/vote the story which really counts.
Thanks for reading the chapter. Review with whatever critique you have (not flames) so that I can improve. The next chapter might be up in a couple of weeks or next week, whenever I finish it.
Until next time...