Battling for Pride

This chapter is slightly on the shorter side(just over 6k words) but I hope I don't disappoint you too much.

I won't keep you here with this note too long so enjoy the chapter!

The entire stadium burst into deafening roars and cheers at the amazing show that Darkrai displayed. They were expecting an amazing battle to take place between Ash and Brittany though none could have seen this coming. Getting to see another Legendary Pokemon in the Sinnoh League, a Darkrai no less was nothing short of astonishing.

He gripped the railing firmly in exasperation. He was shocked to say the least; but the feeling of annoyance ran much deeper. Tobias couldn't come to terms with the fact that Ash owned a Darkrai and one which could compare to his in terms of power. Although Ash's Darkrai's gave off a somber aura of wickedness that even his couldn't.

Before the champions seated inside the air-conditioned sector ever got a chance to take in Ash owning a Darkrai, the Pitch Black Pokemon had already put on a show.

"Was that the Pokemon he wouldn't tell me about?" Cynthia wondered, remaining still in her seat. She'd been taken aback. What were the chances of Ash owning a Darkrai? She couldn't believe he even managed to hide it from her.

Lance shook his head and relaxed his tensed muscles as the first battle ended. "That was amazing!" he gasped out. He couldn't take his eyes off from the magnificent Darkrai that Ash owned, even for a moment. He recognized a strong Pokemon when he saw one.

"You guys weren't joking when you told me that this kid was one to keep an eye on." Alder said, equally astonished as the rest of his peers.

Wallace just tightly grasped the sides of his cozy seat while taking steady breaths. He didn't make a comment. He wouldn't until he saw the full extent of this Darkrai's power. Something told him that there was more to this Legendary Dark Pokemon than met the eye.

The cheers never died even as a shaken Brittany raised her Pokeball and her first Pokemon got sucked inside in a flash of red light. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself down. However, her trembling didn't stop. Her Exploud had just been taken down without it having a chance to land a single blow; his Normal-type wasn't weak. Eventually, she bit her lips and got herself back together and concentrated on the next battle instead of thinking about what had just happened or what might happen next. If she could beat Ash's Darkrai, it wouldn't be in the state that she was in now.

Ash waited patiently while his opponent decided the Pokemon she would use in the second bout. Whatever she threw at him, he had full faith that his Darkrai could take it. He wasn't overconfident; he just believed in his Pokemon. He closed his eyes and listened to the exhilarated crowd roar. Yes, that was what his Darkrai deserved and not the way he was seen in Alamos Town, where most people despised him for what his nature was.

His eyes burst open when he realized that Britanny had chosen her second Pokemon which sharply buzzed through its wings. He recognized the light green insectoid, bipedal dragon as a Flygon, one which he'd come across a few times when he traveled through the Hoenn region. They were supposed to be quite strong and ferocious, like all Dragon-types were. But that hardly worried Ash at this point.

"Flygon, let's use Aerial Ace!" Brittany yelled from her trainer box. From the look on her face as well as her tone, it appeared as if she'd got back her composure.

This was a move which was very difficult to dodge, Ash realized that. "Darkrai, Ice Beam." he commanded.

Flygon gave a cry and took flight and soon its entire body became surrounded in silver strands of energy. Darkrai formed a white sphere of ice in his hands and waited for his foe to come in his sight before he unleashed his attack. As the dragon neared him with its Aerial Ace, Darkrai locked onto it and launched a beam of white fizzling beam of pure ice at it. However, to his surprise, Flygon disappeared in front of it and the Ice Beam simply went past. Darkrai grunted when Flygon's Aerial Ace struck him in the gut.

The entire stadium erupted at the first damage that Ash's Darkrai took.

"Bug Bite, quick!" Brittany called out to her Pokemon urgently. She knew this was her best chance to cause some damage and she wouldn't get another one like this. Not against a Pokemon like this Darkrai.

As Flygon bared its fangs which shone white and enlarged, Ash shouted. "Don't let it even get close. Dark Void!"

The black ball that formed in Darkrai's hands was hurled at the incoming Flygon. And the Dragon and Ground-type couldn't do anything but collapse on the ground as soon as the ball of absolute darkness enlarged and engulfed it inside a deep sleep. It cried out as if it was being severely hit without Darkrai even moving an inch.

Britanny's eyes widened in terror as her worst fears came true. Even though she knew what was coming at her, she couldn't do a thing. Tobias' Darkrai used this move over and over again and she'd prepared her Pokemon for that but it meant nothing in the end. She was brought out of her daze when Ash gave an order. That was Darkrai's ability.

"Get up, Flygon!" She pleaded, concern about her Pokemon quite clear in her voice. But her Pokemon couldn't even hear its trainer; it was now in Darkrai's world.

"Ice Beam."

Darkrai charged his Ice Beam again and fired it right at Flygon, who offered no resistance to the super-effective move in its sleep. It could only lie on the ground with no movement, signifying that it could no longer battle.

"Flygon is unable to battle!" The referee declared with the green flag raised towards Ash. "The winner is Darkrai!"

Everyone in the stadium went berserk again. As much as they would like for someone to defeat a Legendary Pokemon at the Sinnoh League, they loved watching Darkrai battle and display the sort of power only Legendary Pokemon were capable of. First Tobias' and now Ash's; they all began to wonder if this Lily of the Valley Conference belonged to Darkrai.

"Now, that was fast," Agatha commented over the microphone. "At least Flygon managed to land an attack on Darkrai, though."

"True," Drake agreed. "It showed just how strong Brittany's Flygon is under normal circumstances."

Aaron let out a titter. The tension and fear that Darkrai brought had finally disappeared. "This is anything but normal."

In the stands, Barry had gone crazy about Ash having a Darkrai.

"We just find out that Ash has a Darkrai and," Barry sat with folded arms, a pout on his face. "And he waits till the semi-finals to use it!" he screamed. "If I had a Pokemon as awesome as Darkrai, I would be destroying everyone like Tobias is!" The blonde-haired trainer was truly stupefied to know that Ash had a Legendary Pokemon. When he came to terms with that fact, he simply couldn't understand why Ash wouldn't use such a Pokemon and win his battles with ease instead of giving his opponents unnecessary hope that they could beat him.

"Pipe down already," Dawn groaned from the seat next to Barry's. He'd been going on about this from the moment Ash chose Darkrai to battle and she was starting to get annoyed. "It's not like he lost without Darkrai."

"That's not the kind of trainer Ash is," Brock turned to face Barry and explained in his composed tone. "If he used Darkrai every battle, he would be indirectly ignoring the hard work his other Pokemon had put to prepare to fight here in the Sinnoh League."

Dawn nodded in agreement to the older, tanned boy. "You saying things like that just shows how inferior your thinking is to him."

"Look, they're about to begin." Barry totally ignored Dawn's remark and instead, just concentrated on the battlefield.

"Good job, Flygon," The brown-haired semi-finalist sighed but a smile covered her face. Her Flygon had did her proud by even managing to land a blow at a Pokemon like that Darkrai. She replaced Pokballs and raised the new ball toward the battlefield. "It's up to you now, go!"

The third Pokemon of Britanny's in this semi-final was a quadruped creature with pure white fur that covered its body. It had a black scythe-like tail and a sickle-shaped horn on the side of its head. The Pokemon dug its fangs into the ground and roared before it looked at its opponent.

"Absol, huh? This'll be interesting," Ash smirked at the sight of Brittany's Pokemon. "Focus Blast!"

Brittany grinned for the first time. "Sucker Punch!" she commanded sharply.

As Darkrai formed a blue orb of Fighting-energy between the palms of his hands, Absol simply howled with its black horn getting covered with a purple, dark aura and closed its eyes. Just as Darkrai was about to hurl the Focus Blast, Absol disappeared from its position and a moment later, appeared right underneath its opponent. It almost felt as if it had appeared out of thin air. Ash cursed himself as Absol slashed his Pokemon with its horn, causing Darkrai to lose concentration and throw the Focus Blast towards one of the boundaries of the field.

Ash had to remind himself that even with Darkrai's amazing speed, there were still some attacks that could be executed at an even faster rate and Sucker Punch was one of them. Since it was a Dark-type move though, it didn't do much damage but he needed to be careful of that. If Darkrai's attack power was staggeringly high, his defenses were comparatively low even amongst the Legendary Pokemon.

"Night Slash!" Brittany ordered again. She seemed pretty keen to attack Darkrai head on. Ash could understand that tactic thought considering Absol's superior physical attacking power as compared to its special attacks.

"Dark Pulse!"

Absol barked again while its horn turned dark purple, sparks flying out of the sickle as it ran at Darkrai on all fours. It couldn't succeed though, once again showing how superior Darkrai's speed was compared to it. Soon, Darkrai formed purple chains between the palm of his hands and sent the Dark Pulse at the Absol. The Disaster Pokemon was too close to dodge the attack and cried in agony when struck by it.

Ash's eyes widened when Absol's horn and tail were covered with darkish energy. "Damn, its ability is Justified?!"

"That's right!" Brittany triumphantly roared from across the field. "Mega Horn!"

"Finish this with Focus Blast!" Ash yelled, aware that a strong Bug-type move like Mega Horn only meant trouble for his Darkrai. Add to that that Absol'd attack power had risen due to Justified – an ability which raises the attack power if its struck by Dark-type moves.

When it heard the command, Absol recovered from the minor damage it took as its horn enlarged and glowed golden. As it dashed towards Darkrai with a little more speed than before, Darkrai formed his Focus Blast and waited for the best moment to launch it. He narrowly evaded Absol's horn and right at that moment, launched the Focus Blast. Absol cried in pain as the attack struck it and it fell on the ground.

"Absol is unable to continue. Darkrai wins!" The referee announced. "Since the green trainer Brittany has lost three of her Pokemon, there will a five minute break."

Brittany scowled and recalled her fallen Pokemon. She mumbled a few words to the Pokeball before staring at Ash. A few seconds later, she sighed and walked towards the seat on her side in order to get a much needed breather.

"You were amazing, Darkrai." Ash raised his Pokeball and recalled Darkrai inside. He now truly believed that he could beat Tobias. He wanted to test out Darkrai's true power in a battle and with how things went so far, he could say that he could go into the finals with an even chance of victory.

"I don't know what to say!" Agatha breathed from the commentary box. "I still can't believe that Ash has a Darkrai."

Drake nodded. "I can't either. And even more surprising is how efficiently Ash used it. How can a kid like that have such control over a Legendary?!" he roared into the microphone. "It's astounding!"

"It was hard enough to believe that there was one Darkrai in the Sinnoh League," Aaron joined in the conversation that could be heard by everyone, even during the interval. "But another one! If anyone told me there would be one Darkrai here before the Sinnoh League began, I would've bet everything that it wasn't possible."

Ash and Brittany stood in their trainer's box again as the allotted five minutes break ended. Ash looked as calm as he'd looked throughout this match while Brittany appeared to be faring better than what she'd done when Ash's Darkrai had surprised her. As the referee called for the match to resume, the participants raised their Pokeballs to release their Pokemon.

"This kid," Lance chuckled in absolute amazement as he saw the choice that Ash had made. "He is simply outrageous!"

The Champion of Hoenn couldn't hold a laugh either. "He definitely is!"

"First he scares the shit out of all of us with that Darkrai of his and now he chooses this Pokemon?!" Alder all but shouted.

"He'll at least keep Tobias guessing which Pokemon he's going to use in the finals." Cynthia rolled her eyes. "As far as I know him, he probably used Darkrai just to warn Tobias to not underestimate him."

Lance nodded as he laced his finger and rested his chin on them. "That's what I think as well. Using Darkrai in the semi-final when he could've used his other Pokemon and taken Tobias by surprise in the final wasn't the best move on his side. I could be wrong though. The reason might be completely different."

"Let's assume he did it because of what the two of you think," Wallace curiously said and glanced at Lance and Cynthia. "Then, are we in for a battle between Ash's Darkrai and Tobias'?"

"God knows." Lance mouthed. "I wouldn't count out the possibility of Ash not using Darkrai in the final at all. This might just be a bluff from him to create a doubt in Tobias' mind. He might use his other Pokemon while Tobias just comes prepared to face his Darkrai."

The Sinnoh Champion disagreed. "Come on Lance," she glanced at him once before gluing her eyes on the field again. "Even Ash wouldn't do that. This is the Sinnoh League. Even he wouldn't leave out his Darkrai from the team he decides to use in the finals. It probably is one of the strongest Pokemon he has, if not the strongest."

"I guess so."

"Why aren't you using Darkrai?!" Brittany bellowed, staggered by Ash opting for a different Pokemon even though his Darkrai had just made a mockery of her in this match.

"I want my other Pokemon to fight as well." He replied plainly as he eyed the insectoid Pokemon with red exoskeleton and pincers in place of its hands. "Staraptor, Quick Attack!"

"Bullet Punch!" she shouted, letting thoughts of Darkrai hide into a corner in her mind.

Staraptor dashed at high speeds at Scizor, almost vanishing from sight and only leaving white trails behind him. Scizor too sped up and flew with its pincers glowing silver. Both the Pokemon took to the air and clashed with their speedy moves, not giving an inch to the opponent. After the first round, the two flung around and clashed once again but the result was the same. They returned back to their trainer's side and cried in acknowledgement of the other's strength.

"Now use X-Scissor!" Brittany cried. She wouldn't let anyone who underestimated her win.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded with his hands resting in his pockets.

With pincers crossed and glowing yellow, Scizor flew across but the difference in speed from its Bullet Punch was quite evident. Staraptor's body got engulfed by silver shreds throughout as he soared into the sky and then descended. Scizor was blinded by the speed that Staraptor showed but it prepared to attack with X-Scissor when it saw its foe come at it. However, Staraptor just disappeared momentarily before it struck the dumbfounded Scizor, who shrieked in agony.

"Damn!" Brittany cursed under her breath. "Bullet Punch now!" she saw an opening when her Scizor recovered.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash countered just as quick.

Scizor rushed with the speed of bullet at Staraptor but his Quick Attack proved fast enough for him to dodge the Bullet Punch. They glared at each other and let out a few cries. They were enjoying this match; both of them competed to their strengths.

"Night Slash!" Brittany ordered again.

"Brave Bird!"

As Scizor took to the air, its pincers became covered in a purple aura which had some sparks fly out of it. On the other side, Staraptor's body became engulfed in flamed as it flew up high before those flames turned blue. Scizor flew up while Staraptor descended and when they met, there was a huge sound. In mid-air, Scizor attempted to push Staraptor's Brave Bird back with its darkness engulfed pincers. But Staraptor's attack proved to be too strong as he pushed Scizor and finally after a loud grunt, he took Scizor and descended right towards the ground.

There was a huge thud when Staraptor brought Scizor down with his Brave bird which caused dust to cover the area of impact. A few seconds passed as everyone waited for either of the two Pokemon to come out of the dust cloud. Staraptor was the first to fly out of it as blue sparks cackled through his body which signified the recoil damage that he suffered. A few moments later, the smoke cleared and Scizor could be seen struggling to stand.

A grimace appeared on Brittany's face when she saw the condition her Pincer Pokemon was in. She realized that it couldn't go on with the battle for too long. She must end this quickly if possible. Her blood pumped as she pointed her hand forward. "Lets End this with Giga Impact!"

Ash frowned and wondered how Scizor could use such a powerful move in the condition it was in. But his eyes widened when Scizor flew and its body became engulfed in orange streaks. Before Ash could give a command, Scizor launched itself on Staraptor as the aura it was surrounded with turned purple. Staraptor cried in pain as Scizor slammed into him at full force.

Staraptor wouldn't go down so easily though. Even after taking damage from a move like Giga Impact, he fought back with Aerial Ace which acted as the finishing blow for Scizor. The Bug and Steel-type lied on the ground with no signs of movement and bruises all over its body. Its opponent fared marginally better though; the Giga Impact had done quite a lot of damage and Staraptor didn't have much power left either.

The referee raised the red flag in Ash's direction and announced. "Scizor is unable to battle. Staraptor wins!"

"So Darkrai or not, Ash still wins." Aaron joked. "I guess you can say he is not too weak."

"That's not a good sign for Brittany, is it?" Drake replied sarcastically.

"He did come this far without using his Darkrai so we can't be surprised if he keeps on winning." Agatha said.

"Scizor is unable to battle. Staraptor wins!" The referee raised the green flag towards Ash once again.

On the field, Ash sighed in relief. That Giga Impact had taken him as well as Staraptor by surprise. The Scizor that had just been recalled into its Pokeball by its trainer gave its all in that battle. Ash raised his Pokeball towards Staraptor once he registered his condition though.

"Take a rest, Staraptor." Ash said into the Pokeball which he attached back to his belt before unclipping another one. "That was quite a battle, Brittany." He complimented his opponent.

"Yeah!" Brittany admitted with a wide smile as she readied her next Pokeball. She stared at her next Pokeball one last time before she summoned the Pokemon in it. "Go, Abomasnow!"

The Pokemon that stood on the field was one covered in pure white snow, hands and legs seemingly made out of green grass. It roared once and then glared across the field.

As soon as Ash laid eyes on that Pokemon, he knew that this one was strong too, just like the other Pokemon that Brittany had used. However, he had his own special Pokemon in his next Pokeball that had been waiting to fight. Ash smirked before he tossed the Pokeball up in the air, his eyes free of any anxiety whatsoever.

Out of the Pokeball flew a beautiful avian having large brown and cream-colored wings, sharp talons and a short, hooked beak. The Flying-type took to the skies straight away showing its magnificent form to everyone watching. It took a few moments to relish the environment before it hovered back in front of Ash.

When Ash had gotten back to get Pidgeot in Kanto, she was overjoyed to see her trainer again. It had taken him a long time but she had faith that he would never forget her and would eventually come to pick her up again. Many of the birds of her flock had evolved and gained strength and they didn't need her protection any longer which allowed her to join Ash once again.

Now, her trainer took in the amazing form of his Pidgeot in a stadium after a long while. She was much bigger than a normal Pokemon of her species and he knew that she was much stronger than most of them too. He'd been quite pleased to know that she'd continued to get stronger even after he left her to take care of the flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto. And he was sure that battling alongside her would feel even more amazing.

"Abmasnow, Blizzard!" Brittany shouted, wary that Ash's flyer was weak against Ice-types moves.

Even though he heard the move, Ash didn't give out a command to his Pokemon. He simply let the balls of snow that scurried from Abomasnow's body and sent chills throughout the stadium be evaded without his command. And the Pokemon did by flying to a height where Abomasnow's Blizzard didn't reach.

"We'll need to aim a sharper attack." Brittany thought with gritted teeth at the failure of the first move of her Pokemon. "Bring it down with Ice Beam!"

"Dodge it Pidgeot." Ash told his Pokemon, not a worry in his tone. The beam of dizzy ice that flew from Abomasnow's mouth headed towards his Pidgeot but she definitely had heard her trainer's orders. She increased her speed and almost vanished from sight, effectively dodging the Ice-type attack. Ash saw this as an opening. "Aerial Ace!"

With many streaks of silver energy surrounding her body, Ash's first Flying-type spread her wings wide and flew into the skies. As the sun made it hard to spot her, she descended speedily towards Abomasnow. There was a cry from Brittany for Abomasnow to get out of the way but it couldn't since Pidgeot disappeared before striking it with her move. That move was super-effective and caused quite a lot of damage to the dual type Pokemon of Bruttany's, which became evident by the cry it let out. The power that the move contained even pushed it back a fair few feet.

Grass-types moves that might constrain Pidgeot wouldn't do much damage, Brittany realized that. But Ash's avian seemed to be avoiding all the Ice-type attacks that Abomasnow threw at her. Plus, the attacking power she possessed was extremely threatening. The brunette just couldn't think of a way to get a clear hit that will leave the Pidgeot shaken.

Although, her Abomasnow possessed a move that might just shift the momentum in her favor. "Ice Shard, now!" she ordered urgently.

A shining ball of ice formed between Abomasnow's raised hands, which it then launched at Pidgeot, just a few feet away from it. The attack suddenly got an increase in speed and smashed into Pidgeot not even a second after it was thrown.

Ash winced as Pidgeot's amazing feather got covered in ice. He had just taken it a little easy. But there wasn't much he needed to worry about. He was sure that Pidgeot's strength combined with her speed and type advantage would prove too much for Abomasnow. "Finish this with Brave Bird!"

"You have to dodge, Abomasnow!" Brittany cried in terror. She understood that this could be the finishing move if it hit. Although she later realized that this could be her chance. "Use Blizzard!"

With a loud chirp, Pidgeot tugged in her wings and her entire form appeared as if it was burning in bluish flames. As she leapt up in the air and then came down, the flames became red and she extended her wings again. Abomasnow opened his maw and released cold winds along with a barrage of snowballs. The Blizzard met with Pidgeot's Brave Bird and even though she suffered from the move, she didn't let up. She continued to charge and slammed her entire body into Abomasnow, the force of which sent it crashing into the cemented boundary of the battlefield.

Sparks cackled around Pidgeot's entire body, signifying the recoil while Abomasnow had been knocked out as it sat on the boundary with no consciousness.

The referee didn't take long to call the round. "Abomasnow is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins!"

Another quick fight, another quick loss. Brittany appeared terrified as she called back her Abomasnow, head and shoulders hanging low. Not only had Darkrai destroyed her, but Ash's other Pokemon too had beaten her Pokemon. She conceded that Ash's Pidgeot was strong, but she at least would take one of Ash's Pokemon down. It had been a totally one-sided affair but she wouldn't go away without one win.

Clenching her fists in determination, she raised her head again. Her gaze contained a purpose now that she had lacked throughout this fight. Her next Pokemon was ready to go in the Pokeball in her hand and it was her last hope to retain any sort of pride now.

The girl tossed the Pokeball up in the air and in a bright flash of light materialized a bipedal Pokemon with a primarily red body and accents of beige, yellow and grey. The Pokemon had beige, hair-like feathers that surrounded its chest and abdomen and a red, V-shaped crest on its head It roared to announce its arrival and stared down at the Pidgeot that hovered on the other side of the field. The bird Pokemon accepted the challenge and chirped back in reply.

"It's all up to you, Blaziken" Brittany muttered to her starter that had been with her from the very beginning of her days as a trainer. "Flamethrower!"

The Blaze Pokemon summoned the flames from its innermost parts and fired a hot, orange jet that was its Flamethrower. The attack could only graze Pidgeot's feathers though, as the Flying-type flew out of the way to evade it. But even that little touch with seemed to have done damage to force Pidgeot let out a cry.

Right from the first attack, Ash realized that this Pokemon was a notch above the others that Brittany owned. Speed that would take his Pidgeot by surprise was something to be reckoned with. He would have to take this battle more seriously than the last one, that was for certain.

"Quick Attack." Ash commanded, hands in his pockets.

Pidgeot obeyed as she charged at Blaziken, almost disappearing from sight for a moment or two. Only white trails that she left behind could be seen before it struck her foe with her speedy move. However, the Blaziken stood still. It did take damage but it never showed the pain on its face.

"Use Sky Uppercut!" Brittany shouted.

"Intercept it with Aerial Ace!"

Blaziken ran forward, gathering power in both its fists which glowed silver. At the same time, Pidgeot got covered in white streaks as she dashed at her foe with wings outstretched. Just as Pidgeot neared, Blaziken shouted its name and attempted to uppercut Pidgeot but she suddenly disappeared. Blaziken's eyes widened when she smashed into it with Aerial Ace. However, it wasn't one to let its opponent just dictate terms to it as it landed the Sky Uppercut on Pidgeot with its other hand.

Both Pokemon visibly suffered damage from their attacks as they winced and returned to their trainer's side. After they recovered, they both shared a fiery glance at one another before crying out once again. Both of them acknowledged that the other was a worthy foe and that they would need to be at their best to win the battle.

"Flamethrower!"

"Hurricane!"

A jet of flames that increased the temperature and burned the air around it left Blaziken's jaw and headed at Pidgeot. The Flying-type dodged the attack in a show of astonishing speed before she flapped her massive wings rapidly. Crescent-shaped silver blades left the wings of the Bird Pokemon and met with the air, creating a vicious tornado. The Hurricane caused all sorts of debris to blow in it and the air current rose, blowing everything inside the stadium. As everyone shielded themselves, the Hurricane headed at Blaziken but the Pokemon was just about quick enough to come out of it with hardly any major injuries.

The Hurricane was strong, Brittany admitted to herself. Ash held the advantage of type in this battle and that could prove to be the match defining factor in this bout.

When he saw Blaziken evade the Hurricane, Ash frowned. It was a move that his Pidgeot had just recently perfected so it wasn't a huge surprise to him that a Pokemon as strong as Brittany's Blaziken managed to evade. Add to that that Hurricane itself was a move that had a good chance of missing its target because the way the air moved had an effect on it. A strong brewing air in one direction could heavily influence the accuracy of that vicious Flying-type move.

As the tornado created by Pidgeot died down, Brittany again took the initiative. "Quick Attack into Blaze Kick!"

Ash frowned at the combination move of his opponent. "Dodge it with your own Quick Attack!"

The two Pokemon vanished instantly and only left a few white trails behind them to follow. A few seconds passed as they both remained in Quick Attack. But suddenly, a cry came from Ash's Pidgeot who crashed to the ground, a burn mark visible on one of her wings. Blaziken too, appeared soon enough but it was rather unharmed in the latest round.

A grimace crossed Ash's face as he saw his Pidgeot recover. He'd underestimated Blaziken's speed. He decided to mug around no more. "Brave Bird!"

"Flamethrower before it hits you!" Brittany ordered as she gritted her teeth. A direct hit from a powerful Flying-type move like Brave Bird wouldn't leave her Blaziken in the best of shapes.

Yet again, Pidgeot tugged her wings together and let her entire body get covered in light blue flames before she shot herself at her opponent. As she unfurled her wings, Blaziken released a Flamethrower right her way. But she was too close to retreat and dodge it now. The Bird Pokemon simply cried as she met with the Flamethrower and even though her entire body singed in the flames, she continued her descend towards Blaziken.

The worst fears of Brittany's came true when a burned Pidgeot with a multitude of bruises on her body crashed into her Blaziken. The Fire and Fighting-type wailed in agony as he was pushed back by Pidgeot's Brave Bird before eventually being sent flying backwards. It did manage to get a hold of itself but it was on its knees, panting heavily.

Pidgeot appeared in no better shape. She'd been burned thoroughly by her foe's Flamethrower which was by no means weak. She considered herself lucky enough to be still conscious after that scorching blow. Her wings hanged by her side, her body lied at the ground while she still waited to get an order from her trainer.

At the condition her Blaziken was in, Brittany could hold out a scream. "Blaziken!" She could see that the condition of her Pokemon was bad.

"Aerial Ace!"

Just as Ash shouted that though, Blaziken collapsed on the ground, eyes shut and not a sign of movement. His Pidgeot, although injured still remained conscious.

The referee took a good, hard look at Blaziken and declared. "Blaziken is unable to battle. Pidgeot wins!" he raised the red flag towards Ash. "Therefore, the winner of this semi-final match is Ash Ketchum!"

A massive cheer went around the stadium even before the winner was announced and they still roared. The spectators weren't just treated to a Darkrai show, but the other Pokemon had a lot to offer as well. But the real reason for this excitement of theirs was anticipation. Anticipation of what was to come in a few days time. The final of the Sinnoh League would be between Ash and Tobias; between the two trainers who owned Darkrai and hopefully between the two Darkrai themselves.

A fight between two Legendary Pokemon wasn't something everyone got to see. People could consider themselves lucky to just get a glimpse of a Legendary Pokemon. But to just imagine a battle between two was ridiculous. They couldn't wait for the day of the final to arrive.

Brittany sighed and raised her Pokeball towards her fallen starter Pokemon. "You did amazing out there, Blaziken." She whispered after Blaziken was sucked inside the ball.

Ash finally let a smile cross his features. He'd advanced to the final of the Sinnoh League and he felt inexpressible delight. He finally cleared the hurdle that he couldn't in the previous two Pokemon League he entered. But he wasn't satisfied. He wouldn't be until he'd beaten Tobias and won the Sinnoh League trophy for himself.

Soon, he brought back his attention to his Pokemon that lied on the field, completely exhausted. "Rest up, Pidgeot." He raised Pidgeot's Pokeball and let his Flying-type from the Kanto region have a rest in her Pokeball. He liked fighting together with his old friend again. They hadn't been in a Pokemon battle since the Indigo League and he'd surely missed his companion.

"Brittany," Ash called out to his dejected opponent, getting her to look at him. "That was amazing. My Pidgeot's one of my oldest Pokemon and your Blaziken is pretty powerful to give her a hard time." He said with a smile, an expression completely different from the intense one that he held during the entirety of the battle.

The girl shot a wry smile back at him. "Blaziken is my strongest Pokemon. And even he couldn't beat one of your Pokemon." She sighed in disappointment but shook her head. She'd battled bravely against a trainer who was good enough to command a Legendary Pokemon such as Darkrai in battle. "I was simply outclassed." Her expression changed to a cheery one as she ruffled her hair. "Don't you dare lose to Tobias after you've thrashed me like this. It would be unforgivable if the trainer Brittany lost to loses to someone else."

Ash smiled at her one last time before the two turned around and left the arena. One of them would be back to this very same stadium in four days while the other one would surely watch the battle and cheer on for his victory.

Okay done! Only one battle remains in the Sinnoh League now: Ash vs. Tobias!

How was the chapter? Come on, tell me about it in the reviews.

A few of you didn't like that Darkrai debuted in the semi-final. I might not have an answer to that but Ash sure does, which he will reveal in the next chapter.

Next update probably on Christmas or Boxing Day. No promises though. I do have some time and I plan to write the next chapter before then and might even update before Christmas but I don't want to make a promise and then not keep it due to some reason.