POKEMON HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
Welcome back, everyone! I hope you didn't have to wait too long for this new chapter... and I welcome you to my rewrite of the Sinnoh League championship! So, erase all memories of Darkrai-wielding prettyboys, and get ready for a real final battle!
That's right... the final battle of the Sinnoh League, in this story, will be between Ash and Paul, and I'm ignoring Takuto's existence altogether! After all, let's face it... Takuto was less of a character and more of a plot device to knock Ash out of the tournament. However, this fanfiction is not bound by time constraints or by the coming out of the new Black & White games - which, admittedly, are all kinds of awesome - so... I've got all the time in the world to write a decent final battle for the Sinnoh conference!
So... just sit back and enjoy the deciding battle between Ash and Paul! And leave me a review, if you can!
Capitolo 3 - Sinnoh Finals, Part 1
A warm evening has just descended upon the stadium hosting the finals of the Sinnoh conference, bursting with a cheering, enthusiastic audience who couldn't wait for the two finalists to take their place on the battlefield! Dazzling neon lights painted the night sky with various hues, mingling with the light of the moon. The excitement was almost palpable, magnified by the multitude of voices coming from the stadium... and two people in particular, sitting in the front rows, couldn't wait for the moment when their friend Ash would have started his final battle with his hated rival, Paul.
The young aspiring Pokemon Master and the arrogant purple-haired trained had both managed to reach the finale of the championship, and the expectations for the battle were incredibly high, especially on Brock and Dawn's part: their friend had already been humiliated time and again by that despicable person, and both of them were hoping that, this time, Ash could be vindicated! Especially after all he had done to better himself and after all the training his Pokemon had done... it would have been only fair that their hard work could be rewarded...
Yet, the cold hard truth was that Paul, despite his arrogance and his cruel training methods, had a very varied and well-trained team... and since he only kept the strongest Pokemon in his team, Ash was certainly up against a team of six lethal opponents. This was shaping to be the most difficult battle Ash would have faced during his journey through Sinnoh... with the posssible exception of the batttle against Team Galactic, and even then, he had the advantage of having Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion herself, helping him and his friends out...
"Wow, I'm so excited I can hardly stay seated!" Dawn exclaimed, frantically shuffling her legs under her seat, her eyes affixed on the battle arena. The murmuring of the crowd was such that the blue-haired girl was having a hard time hearing her own voice, and she wasn't sure whether Brock, even though he was sitting beside of her, had heard her...
"In fact, one has to admit that Ash has come a long way since the Sinnoh League began..." the dark-skinned youngster answered. "And... I'd be lying if I said that I'm not anxious to see how this final battle will go myself. This is the moment for Ash to put everything he learned to good use, if he wants to have a chance at defeating Paul."
Dawn nodded... and, one second later, she had an idea! "Well then... why don't we let him hear our support, then?" she proposed... and one split second later, she had already inexplicably changed from her everyday clothes to her pink cheerleading dress, pom-poms in her hands! And her Buneary, who had suddenly come out of his Pokeball, had done the same thing! Brock smiled to himself, amused by Dawn and her Pokemon's attitude... but he decided that it was a good idea after all, and mentally braced himself for the deciding moment...
A few seconds later, the lights dimmed, and the audience's voices rose for an instant before falling quiet all of a sudden, waiting for the announcer to start the finals! On a large screen at one side of the stadium, the portraits of the two challengers lit up, separated by a vertical line surmounted by a Pokeball symbol: on one side, Ash, with his cheery smile and his trademark red cap; on the other, there was Paul with his perpetual frown. The announcer cleared her voice... and finally spoke, ending the unbearable wait!
"Ladies and gentlemen... thank you ery much for the wait, and we apologize for leaving you hanging for so long!" she exclaimed. "I can assure you, your wait will very soon be rewarded: here, in this arena, the finals of the Sinnoh Championships are soon to take place, with the two trainers skilled and brave enough to get this far facing each other in a six-on-six battle to the finish! So... let us give a warm welcome to the brave trainers taking part in this decisive fight! At the red corner... a young rising star from the far away continent of Kanto! Ladies and gentlemen... let us welcome... Ash Ketchum!"
"Yahoo!" Dawn exclaimed, as she and her Buneary jumped up and down waving their pom-poms! "Ash! Ash! Is our man! If he can't do it no one can!"
"Bun - ear - y!" the rabbit-like Pokemon squeaked. Brock just clapped his hands, as most of the audience did, as Ash, with his faithful Pikachu following in his steps, made his entrance n the arena, the spotlight immediately upon him!
"Ash! Good luck! We're all rooting for you!" Brock exclaimed from his seat. He wasn't sure Ash could hear him at that distance and with so much background noise, but it was worth a try... doubly so when, after looking around himself to make sure he hadn't been hearing things, the boy from Pallet Town turned to his lifelong friend and waved to his travelling companions. Pikachu did the same, and the audience cheered enthusiastically as the young boy and his first Pokemon reached their side of the arena and took their place there, breathing in and out to quiet their anxiety.
"This is it..." Ash told himself. "This is the moment we have been waiting for for so much time, Pikachu... we've come this far, and we can't stop now! Are you ready to do your best? I... will try to guide you guys as best as I can! This is a battle we have to win together!"
"Pikaaaa..." the electric mouse squeaked, before leaping down from his trainer's shoulder and getting ready for the big battle, as the announcer called for their opponent...
"In the blue corner... a trainer of few words that has reached this far with a powerful, varied and almost invincible team!" the woman exclaimed. Ash frowned as he understood that even the announcer was already expecting Paul to come out on top, without having seen anything... "Let us give a warm welcome to... Paul!"
The audience roared in triumph again as the purple-haired boy walked into the arena, never bothering to acknowledge those who cheered on him. Keeping his cold, unflappable attitude, Paul walked to his side of the arena, and he and Ash exchanged a defiant glare.
"Will you look at their determination! It really looks like our two champions in the making will be pulling out all the stops!" the announcer exclaimed. "Therefore, kind audience... how about we show them some more encouragement? Let's hear it for Ash and Paul!"
Once again, the stadium seemed to almost vibrate with clapping and cheering... but Ash and Paul didn't let the excitement distract them any. It was as if there was only the battle arena and their opponent in front of them... and finally, as the applause died down, Paul frowned slightly and spoke.
"Very well. I see you have come this far without letting anyone defeat you." the purple-haired boy said, distant and hostile. "I have to admit you are more skilled then I thought... then, it was no fluke that you managed to make that Starly and that Chimchar evolve."
"The same Starly and Chimchar you abandoned..." Ash added in resentment. "As you can see, I managed to have them reach their final evolutive stages... it was a matter of much training, patience and perseverance, but I did it."
Paul snorted, uninterested in such discussions. "Hmph. That does score you some brownie point, I'll give you that... but if you don't manage to defeat me, it will have been all for nothing. I only care about victory. The rest means nothing to me."
Ash grit his teeth. No matter how many times they met, what experiences they had been through, Paul's obsession for victory never changed. But this time, it would have been different, Ash was ready to swear it! "Alright then, Paul! If it's victory you want... then I will give you victory... mine!" he shot back, his first Pokeball redy in his hand! "This time... it won't be like our last battle!"
"Excellent! Now that we have the right atmosphere... let us start the final battle of the Sinnoh conference!" the announcer exclaimed enthusiastically. "The finals are between... Ash and Paul! Let us begin!"
"Well, well... finally, we will be able to see what this Champion in the making is capable of." Lucian said, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he and his companions got ready for the final battle, wich they were about to watch from their reserved seats. Along with him, Aaron, Flint, Terrie and Cynthia herself were waiting for the last battle to begin. "Miss Camilla, you have beheld that youngster in action with your very eyes, as you fought side by side against Team Galactic. And you told us that he possesses the potential o become an outstanding trainer, possibly even a Pokemon Master. Do you believe he has made progress enough to overcome this challenge?"
Cynthia, sitting in the center of the group, smiled gently at that. "As always, Lucian, you never fail to make use of your wide vocabulary." the blonde commented. "As for the answer to your question... I think he stands a good chance of victory. Personally, it would be satisfying for me to see him come out on top... although, as Champion and Elite Four of the Sinnoh League, we need to be impartial on the matter."
Aaron nodded... then, he leant forward slightly from his seat, impatient to see how the battle would go. "Okay, the fight is about to start! Let's see how it goes!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. His Sinnoh League companions quieted down immediately, and began watching...
oooooooooo
"Alright then... let's get down to business You go first, Staraptor! Gotta Catch 'Em All!" Ash took out one of his Pokeballs and threw it on the battle arena... and for some reason, he once again used his old battle cry, which had been one of his trademarks at the beginning of his journey. The red-and-white ball popped open and released a large bird of prey with dark grey plumage which turned white on his front, neck and chest. A tuft of black feathers tipped in red decorated his head, and his wingspan was wider than an adult human's arm extention!
Paul smirked slightly. That was a Pokemon he knew all too well... the Staraptor he had caught and then released when it was just a Starly! What made Ash think it would have gone differently, this time?
"Such a predictable choice..." he commented, selecting his first fighter as well. "Come out, Weavile!"
A stream of red light came out of the Pokeball and solidified into a blue-black feline Pokemon with a short bright red mane around his head, two tails and razor-sharp fangs and claws, with a sly and sneaky look to his face. It was a Weavile, a fast and powerful Ice / Dark type. Now was the perfect chance to show Paul how much he had gotten better, since their last fight...
"Staraptor, start off with Agility!" Ash ordered from his side of the field.
"Don't let him get ahead, Weavile! Use Ice Punch and take that Staraptor down now!" Paul shot back. While Ice had the advantage over Flying-types, the purple-haired boy was not about to run needless risks. As far as he knew, that Staraptor could really have made a lot of progress...
The two Pokemon ran towards each other at maddening speed... and Staraptor, thanks to his keen vision, could already see the first ice crystal condensating around the feline Pokemon's clenched fist! If that blow had connected, Staraptor would have been in for some major damage...
With a sudden burst of speed, Staraptor shot forward and flew upwards just enough to dodge the direct attack, to which Weavile looked up in shock as his ice-coated paw struck nothing but air... but Staraptor himself did not come out completely unscathed, as the periferal cold created a thin layer of ice on the bird Pokemon's plumage and sent a shiver through his body!
"Take care, Staraptor!" Ash exclaimed as his Pokemon flinched slightly. Luckily, Staraptor regain his balance in midair and started flying circles around Weavile, as if he was some sort of winged shark about to close in on his prey! Weavile hisssed in irritation and stood his ground, trying to follow his movements despite the bird Pokemon's greatly increased speed. On the other hand, Paul's expression didn't change one bit. He didn't predict Staraptor would have become that skilled, but he was not the type to fret over such minor things... if Staraptor's speed had gone up, the logical thing to do was simply to use an attack that couldn't be avoided!
"Change of strategy, Weavile! Aerial Ace, now!" Paul ordered. Weavile smirked ominously and jumped up in the air, swooping down on the speeding Staraptor with all of his strength! Weavile's accuracy was perfect, and the Ice / Dark Pokemon landed exactly on Staraptor's back and struck with his lethal claws! However, Ash was not about to let the situation get worse, and he reacted readily and efficiently!
"Alright, Staraptor... use Brave Bird, and blow Weavile away!" the young boy exclaimed. Staraptor screeched in understanding and folded his wings against his body, before swooping down with all of his speed! Paul's Pokemon let out a startled gasp and was forced to let go... but even so, the bird Pokemon had gained too much speed for him to resist, and Weavile was violently tossed to the ground, breaking the pavement in the process, as Staraptor executed a spectacular maneuvre and soared back up! Paul grit his teeth, acknowledging that this match was not going to be as easy as he thought... and since Weavile despite having been able to stand up again, seemed to be quite spent, the purple-haired boy decided to recall him.
"Enough for ow, Weavile! Come back!" Paul exclaimed, calling the black weasel back in his Pokeball as Staraptor continued flying around the arena, trying to catch his breath. That Brave Bird had seriously hurt Weavile, but the recoil had had an effect on Staraptor as well...
"Your turn, Magmortar!" Paul went on as he fielded his next Pokemon... a chubby-looking monster looking like a cross between a duck and a salamander, with a yellow and red skin wreathed in flames, his legs looking small in proportion with the body, his shoulders topped with a pair of flame-like appendages, pink lips contorted in a sardonic smirk, and tube-like arms, withshort white fingers. It looked like an overgrown Magmar... and in fact, it was Magmar's newly discovered evolved form. Ash frowned, knowing that Paul's Magmortar was not an opponent to sneeze at... but if he could just handle the situation, Staraptor could still be in the lead!
"Okay... Staraptor, start off with a Wing Attack! A direct hit!" Ash instructed him, trying to make the best out of the brief time he had after his opponent's switch. Staraptor shrieked and dove towards Magmortar, who just stood his ground, knowing that such a simple attack was not enough to knock him out. From his cold and detached expression, it was easy to see that Paul was thinking along the same lines... and he would probably have been right, if only for the fact that Ash gave another order a split-second later, just as his Staraptor was a few feet away from his opponent!
"Staraptor, cancel that attack... and hit with a Mud Slap!" Ash exclaimed. Magmortar's eyes widened in surprise... and Staraptor, acting with almost dazzling speed, stopped in midair and thrust his right wing in a wide arc in front of him, causing a small mass of wet mud to splatter directly in his opponent's face! Caught off guard, the Fire-type Pokemon couldn't defend himself and was hit, staggering backwards with an indignated roar as he tried to clear the mud off his face!
"What?" Paul exclaimed, his usual stoicism forgotten for a second. "You... you canceled your Pokemon's attack at the last possible moment, so that we couldn't expect your next move? Tch... much as I hate to admit it, that was a clever move..."
"Sometimes, you just have to keep it simple to be effective!" Ash answered. "Mud Slap certainly isn't the most powerful move a Pokemon might learn, but it can't be denied that it's quite useful, if used correctly!"
In fact, Magmortar had taken quite a debilitating hit... and before he could clear out the mud from his face, Ash gave another order to his Pokemon! "And now, Staraptor... go for an Aerial Ace!"
"STAAAAR!" the raptor shrieked, before diving on his opponent and striking him with a quick claw-claw-wing combo! Magmortar staggered but didn't fall, and managed to raise his guard again, mentally scolding himself not to fall for that same trick again. Staraptor, as Paul and his Pokemon had predicted, attacked again with a spectacular dive... but this time, his opponent was ready to intercept and counter him!
"Use a Thunderbolt attack, Magmortar! Now!" Paul exclaimed... and this time, it was Ash's turn to remain dumbfound!
"WHAT?" he exclaimed, his jaw dropping. "When... when did he learn that?"
Magmortar smirked nastily and raised and arm, his fingers spread so that the limb resembled a real cannon... and inside of his arm, a crackling sphere of electricity appeared, which the flaming Pokemon wasted no time in shooting towards the brave Flying-type! Ash, in a desperate attempt to save his champion from a nasty hit, tried to warn him and get him to move, but Staraptor was diving down too fast to avoid the blow, and had to settle for tanking it as well as he could. The Thunderbolt struck Staraptor head on, and a powerful electrical discharge coursed painfully through his body, making his feathers stand on end and revealing his skeletal structure for a moment... then, it all ceased and the Flying-type Pokemon, still conscious but stunned, began falling to the arena's floor! Ash felt his heart skip a beat as his Pokemon continued falling... if he didn't manage to recover quickly, that first fight would have gone to Paul... and that would be very bad way to start the tournament finals!
"Staraptor!" Ash called out to his Pokemon. "Staraptor, pull yourself together! I know you can still do it! I have faith in you! Do not allow that Pokemon to defeat you... you can still win! Please, don't give it up now!"
Staraptor seemed to get a second wind by hearing those words... and his keen eyes noticed Paul's indifferent expression - his former trainer was watching him fall with absolutely no feeling about it. That made the bird pokemon's blood boil in his veins... that was the ingrate trainer who had caught him back when he was a beginning Starly, only because he was capable of using Aerial Ace... and who had later gotten rid of him just because, for some reason, he didn't live up to his standards, despite the fact that he had won the battle! No... he couldn't allow that blowhard to get away scot-free! At least, he had to defeat one of his Pokemon!
With great effort, Staraptor managed to spread his wings, stopping his own fall when he was more inches away from the ground, and finally gained back his altitude! Magmortar followed him with his eyes, keeping his haughty expression...
"I didn't expect that Staraptor to recover..." Paul admitted. "But he's on his last legs anyway. Magmortar, put an end to this with a Flamethrower!"
"Staraptor! Use Agility once again!" Ash answered. Magmortar raised his head and tried to aim at Staraptor... but just then, the mud Staraptor had splattered on him a few moments earlier made his eyes hurt, and the flaming Pokemon squinted in an attempt to drown out the burning sensation, which caused his aim to be thrown off! A huge gout of flames came out of his mouth and soared towards Staraptor... but his accuracy had been ruined, and Staraptor's Agility did the rest, allowing the Normal / Flying type to dodge the Flamethrower with a sideways acrobacy!
"Magmortar! What are you doing?" Paul exclaimed angrily. But his indignation availed him nothing: Staraptor closed the distance in a flash and assaulted Magmortar with all of his strength!
"Now, Staraptor! Use Close Combat!" Ash exclaimed.
The bird of prey shrieked and followed suit, overwhelming Magmortar with a flurry of claw and wing strikes, executed with impressive speed and power! The Flame Pokemon had been caught off guard, and had no choice but to take the attack, staggering backwards with every registered hit! The assault lasted no more than four seconds, which still looked very long to Magmortar... and just when it seemed Staraptor was done, the Flying Pokemon struck Magmortar with an head butt that floored the stunned Fire Pokemon! Staraptor spread his wings agin and took to the skies once more before Magmortar could recover... and when Ash saw that his opponent's Pokemon was about to stand again, he wasted no time ordering his Staraptor to finish it!
"And now, Staraptor... Another Aerial Ace!" Staraptor swooped down and struck Magmortar once again with his powerful wings... and this time, the weakened Fire Pokemon couldn't resist anymore and fell with a dull thud, remaining prone, with his eyes turning into spirals and his arms spread! By an incredible irony, one of Paul's strongest Pokemon had been defeated by the attack that had almost convinced the arrogant Sinnoh trainer to keep Starly in his team back when Ash had just started his journey in Sinnoh!
"Aaaand... with a spectacular and unexpected attack, Staraptor turns the tables on Magmortar!" the announcer cheered. "Magmortar is no longer able to fight! Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town gets his first point!"
A brief applause from the audience brought a smile to Ash's, Pikachu's and Staraptor's faces, as Paul recalled Magmortar in his Pokeball with an annoyed gesture.
"Hmph. You have disappointed me quite a bit, Magmortar." the violet-haired trainer commented, before placing his Pokeball back in his roster, and taking another one, of a freshly-rested Pokemon. "No matter. That Staraptor is weakened! Finish the job, Honchkrow!"
The new Pokeball let out a large raven-like Pokemon with dark blue-black feather, which turned red below his wings, a prominent tuft of white feathers on his chest, and a hat-like formation on his head - an Honchkrow, a Dark / Flying type Pokemon and the evolved form of Murkrow, not quite as agile, but definitely more powerful. Not the strongest member of Paul's team, for sure, but he did know a rather large roster of moves to handle a lot of different Pokemon types... and Staraptor was not in condition to fight much longer, so Ash rightly called him back.
"Okay, Staraptor... thanks for your help!" Ash said as he recalled the fierce bird Pokemon in his Pokeball. He gave a quick look to his Pokeballs, then he chose one and threw it on the ring. "Gliscor! Your turn now! Go!"
Now soaring to oppose Paul's Honchkrow was a weird-looking Pokemon looking like a giant purple scorpion with a pair of membranous wings, an overgrown stinger, and a thick, segmented carapace. Gliscor, one of Ash's quirkiest Pokemon, entered the battlefield with a pirouette on himself, before striking a fight pose with his claws held in front of him. "GLISCOR!"
Once again, Paul showed no outward surprise at Ash's choice of Pokemon. He had already seen that Pokemon, and he had a fairly good idea of what to expect from him.
"Honchkrow, let's not waste time. Attack with Drill Peck." the purple-haired trainer ordered. The raven Pokemon let out an high-pitched croak and threw itself at Gliscor, spinning on itself like a drill... but luckily, both Ash and Gliscor had seen that move coming, and they were able to counter effectively.
"Gliscor, dodge that, and strike back with X-Scissors!" the black-haired boy exclaimed. As soon as Honchkrow was at the right distance, the winged scorpion executed a spectacular midair maneuver, which caused the black bird to swiftly pass beside of him without harming him at all! However, the sheer velocity of the Drill Peck, combined with the movement of the air, was enough to throw Gliscor off his stability for a split-second, and when the Ground / Flying Pokemon turned to strike Honchkrow with his claws, his opponent had already managed to position himself at a safe distance. The X-Scissors nicked his right wing, only causing a little bit of cosmetic damage to his wing.
"You didn't think I had Honchkrow use Drill Peck just on a whim, did you?" Paul asked rhetorically, a slight smirk on his hard face. "I chose this attack because, even if your Gliscor had dodged it, it would have been difficult for him to counter. And now, Honchkrow... strike back with Shadow Ball!"
The giant crow nodded and spread his wings, then he summoned a large, black energy sphere in front of him and threw it at Gliscor, who tried to dodge... but he wasn't fast enough, and the Shadow Ball struck him on the side, causing him to lose his balance for a moment. Gliscor lost some altitude, but quickly clapped his wings to remain in mid-air...
"Alright, Gliscor, that doesn't matter! Now, get down and use a Dig attack!" Ash exclaimed, giving an order no one saw coming! Gliscor obeyed and dropped to the ground, then he used his claws to dig a hole in the ground and disappear inside of it! Paul frowned in perplexitude... what was Ash trying to gain out of that attack? He would never be able to hit an Honchkrow with a Ground-type attack, and even Paul, despite having little to no respect for Ash, didn't believe Ash was that daft...
"Huh? What's Ash doing? Has he gone crazy?" Dawn exclaimed, almost dropping her pom-poms in surprise. "A Ground-type attack is useless against a Flying-type Pokemon!"
Brock, who already had an idea of what Ash was trying to do, smiled astutely. "Don't worry, Dawn... you now Ah has a very unorthodox style of , a Dig attack can't hit Honchkrow... directly... but this doesn't mean Ash can't use it to place his Gliscor in an advantageous position!"
Back inthe battle arena, Honchkrow was looking at the ground with a confused expression, trying to figure out what his opponent was trying to do. Paul himself looked undecided on what to do, for once... had he sent out a Pokemon who knew Earthquake, he would have used that to take out Gliscor quickly, but as it was, he could only stay there and wait for Ash's next move... and Ash, for his part, was looking at the arena floor with the utmost attention, seemingly following Gliscor's movements... until he saw that his Pokemon was just in the right position!
A split-second later, Gliscor burst from the ground in a sudden explosion of speed and soared towards the surprised Honchkrow, who squeaked in astonishment and tried to gain more altitude to dodge the flying scorpion's attack... but his opponent was too fast for him!
"Now, Gliscor! Hit him with Thunder Fang!" Ash ordered! Gliscor opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of pointed teeth crackling in electricity, and chomped down on one of Honchkrow's legs, sending a painful electrical pulse in his body! The raven screeched in fury and pain, and furiously flapped his wings to escape the attack, but he could only shake Gliscor off after a few seconds of taking his Thunder Fang attack!
"Is that so? Two can play at that game, twerp." an annoyed Paul commented, resolving not to get surprised any more. "Honchkrow, use a Fly attack, and get out of his range!"
Although still stunned by the electrical shock, Honchkrow quickly took to the air and hovered above the stadium, where Gliscor was unable to follow. The flying scorpion descended, his eyes glued to the sky in order to see the next attack coming...
"Very well, Gliscor!" Ash exclaimed, getting a bit excited over his momentary advantage. "Now... stand ready, and hit Honchkrow with Giga Impact as soon as he comes down! We've got this in the bag!"
Gliscor nodded in agreement and squatted down on the floor, his eyes still trailing Honchkrow... and when he saw something shining in the sky above him, he jumped up and darted towards Honchkrow with all of his strength! Honchkrow let out a battle cry and folded his wings against his body in order to get more speed as he swooped down... and in a moment of pure tension, the two Flying-types shot towards each other...
...
...
SMAAAAAAASH!
A terrifying crash forced Ash, Dawn, Brock and even Paul to grit their teeth as Gliscor and honchkrow impacted on each other in midair! The two Pokemon remained suspended for a moment... and then, they were both knocked back from the powerful blow and started falling! Luckily, Gliscor managed to regain his altitude soon enough, stopping in midair to catch his breath after such a powerful Giga Impact; while Honchkrow, who seemed to have been hit harder, continued in his free fall. Maybe that meant Ash and his Pokemon had gained another victory?
But it turned out to only have been a hope spot - just a few feet from the ground, Honchkrow flapped his wings and took to the air again, squawking in indignation! He was not about to get humiliated by that jester, and now he wanted to pay him back for that blow! Gliscor looked at his opponent in surprise and fear, realizing he was now helpless!
"Honchkrow... Heat Wave!" Paul ordered, and the Dark / Flying Pokemon cloaked himself with his wings and then opened them wide, releasing a wave of red energy that struck Gliscor head on, lifting him up in the air some more, before dropping him on the ring, his carapace smoking and black with soot. This time, Gliscor couldn't recover in time and slammed on the floor, remaining there with his tongue lolling out and wheezing in exhaustion.
"Gliscor is unable to battle anymore. This round goes to Paul and Honchkrow!" the announcer's voice declared, as the crowd's clapping of hands resonatd once again. Ash grit his teeth and looked downwards. What a pity, it was so close too...
"Return, Gliscor!" he called out, as the exhausted Ground / Flying Pokemon returned to his Pokeball. "Don't be sad, my friend, I know you did your best! You've been great, now you earned yourself some rest!"
"So?" Paul called to him, as Honchkrow remained in suspension slightly above him, noisily flapping his wings. "If you're done with kissing your Pokemon goodnight, hurry up and choose another. I don't like it when I'm left hanging."
Ash hmphed in annoyance for his opponent's arrogant attitude and chose his next Pokemon. "Tch... of course I have! Go, Hearcross, it's up to you!"
Ash's Pokeball flew on the battlefield, and a large rhinoceros beetle Pokemon appeared, his blue armor gleaming under the lights of the stadium, and his large horn, about half as long as Heracross himself was tall, proudly raised up in the air! The gigantic Bug / Fighting Pokemon exclaimed his own name and raised his guard, ready to fight against Murkrow's evolved form!
Once again, Paul was somewhat surprised, but didn't let it show. Sending an Heracross against a Flying type? What kind of stupid idea was that? Even a beginner had to know that his dual type made Heracross extremely vulnerable to Flying-type attacks... so, that meant Ash had something in mind! And in any case, he knew nothing of that Pokemon. Even just that meant he had to be careful...
But Ash denied him the time to think up a strategy, and had Heracross attack immediately! "Now, Heracross, let's do it!" he exclaimed. "Attack that Honchkrow with Stone Edge, now!"
"HERACROSS!" the humongous beetle exclaimed, raising one of his heavy arms and bringing it down! A volly of fist-sized rocks flew up from the ground and sped towards the raven Pokemon, whose eyes immediately widened in alarm! That could have been dangerous...
"Fly again, Honchkrow!" the violet-haired trainer ordered hastily. Honchkrow managed to carry the order out just in time, spreading his wings and taking to the air, the Stone Edge just barely missing him. Then, Honchkrow started flying around, like a vulture, above the battlefield, waiting for the right moment to swoop down and hit his opponent! Such a hit would surely have taken out Heracross in a single blow...
But Ash had planned this carefully, this time. He took looked upwards to catch the right moment... and as soon as Honchkrow stopped and began dropping down, the boy from Pallet nodded and did a quick calculation, so that he could give the order at the right moment!
"Heracross... Counter!"
Paul grit his teeth in surprise and annoyance, as he reallized that he had playedd right into Ash's hands! As Honchkrow swooped down beak-first on Heracross, the large beetle extended one of his heavy limbs and grabbed him right in midair... then, Heracross vaulted Honchkrow over his shoulder and slammed him on the ground with all of his strength, using the Fly attack's own momentum against his opponent! Honchkrow squawked in pain and blacked out, laying in a fissure created by his own impact. An halo of shining stars appeared above the raven Pokemon's head as a sign that he had been defeated.
"Aaand... once again, Ash surprises us with his strategy!" the announcer said. "We thought Heracross would be an easy prey to Honchkrow's Flying-type attacks... but this young trainer sure knows his stuff! As you know, Counter damages the attacker for the same amount of damage he would have otherwise inflicted upon the user. And since Heracross is extremely weak against Flying-type attacks... well, I'll let you imagine just how powerful this Counter attack was!"
"Hey! Hold on a second! I am usually the one doing the explaining!" Brock protested, feeling like his own field of competence had been invaded!
Paul recalled Honchkrow in his Pokeball and looked at the sphere for a few seconds, as if he wanted to berate his Pokemon... but then, he thought better of it. "Hm. You did your job." he said, before sending out his next Pokemon. "Alright, then. Looks like the gloves are off. Come out, Ursaring!"
The mighty grizzly bear Pokemon materialized on the battlefield, roaring in defiance and causing Ash and Pikachu, despite everything, to briefly shiver in fear - every time Paul sent his Ursaring in battle, his opponents could only expect a savage battle! However, Heracross was well trained and well rested, and his Fighting-type moves had the advantage on the bear Pokemon's Normal-type... so, maybe, this time it wouldn't be such a one-sided battle!
"Ursaring, start with a Strength attack!" Paul ordered, without missing a beat. The fierce bear Pokemon planted his claws on the ground... and literally ripped out a chunk of the arena floor, before hoisting it above his head and throwing it against Heracross, like a boulder from a catapult! But the giant beetle was not impressed and, after slightly bending his knees, he raced towards the flying projectile, his horn glowing a strange white light...
"Heracross, use Megahorn now!" Ash ordered... and Heracross dealt a tremendous blow with his front horn, blasting the boulder into smithreens before dashing towards Ursaring and trying to hit him as well. However, the bear defended himself skillfully, parrying the blow with his mighty forearms and takking only very minor damage. Paul smirked slightly, satisfied of how he had trained his Ursaring... then, he gave another command!
"Good reaction, Ursaring. Now use Hammer Punch!" he ordered.
"Heracross! Counter with Brick Break, now!" Ash readily countered. The two Pokemon raised their arms at the same time, and Ursaring clenched his paw into a fist and brought it down on Heracross, who tried to counter with a chop to the ribs...
With a mighty crash, the two blows met in midair, luminous beams of light spreading from the impact in all directions and raising a shockwave that forced Ash to hold his hat not to have it blown away, and Pikachu to grab a steady hold on the side of the arena! Heracross and Ursaring began pushing one against the other, in an attempt to overpower the other... but for a few seconds, none of the two seemed to be about to make any progress!
"This is unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen! These Pokemon have truly earned their right to take part in this deciding battle! Look at their power... the ring itself cannot contain their awesome might!" the announcer commented in awe. "And now, I think I speak for all of us when I ask myself who's going to prevail between these two juggernauts! Heracross or Ursaring? This is surely going to be a pitched battle!"
The two contenders continued pressing one against the other for awhile... and finally, in a burst of rage, Ursaring got the upper hand, tossing Heracross backwards and causing him to stagger! The giant beetle shook his now numb arm, but he was unable to react in time before Ursaring mounted his next attack...
"Excellent, Ursaring! Now, strike with Aerial Ace!" Paul instructed him. The brown bear jumped up and discended on the unfortunate Heracross, striking him with a mighty flying claw strike before he could brace himself for a Counter! The Bug / Fighting Pokemon was lifted clean off the ground by the mighty blow and crashed on the ground a few feet away... but, much to Paul's surprise and Ash and Pikachu's relief, he managed to pick himself off the ground and wobble back on his feet... his unbelievable willpower did not allow him to give up so easily!
"C'mon, Heracross, I know you can do it!" Ash encouraged him. "Now... use a Flail attack! Quick, before he can attack again!"
The beetle, after regaining his position, nodded and charged th bear head-on, striking him inthe stomach with his mighty horn! Ursaring, finally taking some damage, doubled over in pain, which Heracross took advantage of to unleash another barrage on close-range thrusts, forcing the furious grizzly bear Pokemon to lose some ground!
"The Flail attack works best when the user is weakened." Brock said, explaining to Dawn how the attack worked. "Using Aerial Ace against Heracross was a good move on Paul's part, but it ended up backfiring since Ursaring wasn't able to bring it down in one shot."
Ursaring flinched under Heracross' relentless assault, but his fortitude and determination soon kicked in, and the colossal grizzly grabbed Heracross' horn with both hands just as the giant beetle tried another thrust. Roaring in rage, Ursaring lifted the massive bug clean off the ground, despite the latter's best efforts to free himself, and executed aquick spin on himself, then he relinquished his grab, and the momentum caused Heracross to sail towards the edge of the arena! However, Heracross managed to open his wings and float down harmlessly, and he quickly got back in position!
"Nicely done, Heracross! Now, use an Earthquake attack!" Ash instructed him. Heracross raised both his arms and brought them down, causing a miniature quake that struck Ursaring head-on... but the ferocious bear Pokemon endured the blow without much effort, and remained standing despite the ground shaking madly underneath him! Then, completely ignoring the pain from the latest attacks, he charged towards Ursaring, his claws unsheathed and his eyes red with lust for revenge! A revenge that Paul was all too eager to allow him to take...
"Ursaring, Slash!" the purple-haired boy ordered. Ursaring's razor-sharp claws struck, and this time, Heracross could not resist any more and was sent to the floor in defeat!
"And with this... our contenders are even once again!" the announcer said. "Ash's Heracross was obviously strong and skilled, but Ursaring was not any less so, and in the end, his determination prevailed! We still have to hand it to Heracross for putting up a great fight, though!"
Ash recalled Heracross in his Pokeball, and smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the sphere. "Yeah, she's right, you did great, Heracross! And you still managed to weaken that Ursaring, so from now on, things will be a little bit easier!" he told the Bug Pokemon. Then, after thinking for a little while, he decied that, in order to get the upper hand on the mighty Ursaring, he needed to pick an agile and swift Pokemon, who could dodge his attacks and answer with quick hit-and-run tactics... Sure!
"Alright... are you ready, Staraptor? It's up to you again! Go!" Ash selected his faithful bird Pokemon once again, and Staraptor appeared on the battlefield in front of Ursaring: luckily, the giant bird of prey seemed to have gotten back some of his strength since his recalling, and he spread his wings in defiance! The huge bear was not impressed though, and he glared at the Flying-type as if asking himself what such a common Pokemon was planning to do against him...
"Don't let him get his act together, Staraptor! Use Quick Attack, now!" Ash exclaimed. Staraptor obeyed without hesitation and charged Ursaring with blinding speed, pecking him in the forehead before darting away as Ursaring squinted from the annoying pain. Just as Ash thought, the damage had been very limited... but the intent was to distract Ursaring and make him lose concentration, buying Ash a few seconds!
"Ursaring! Get your act together and strike him down with a Strength attack! Now!" Paul exclaimed, figuring out what Ash was up to. It was better to take that annoying flyer down now, before he could cause too many problems... but as Staraptor turned in midair to attack again, and Ursaring raised his arm to strike him down at the right moment, Ash countered in the most effective way!
"Agility, Staraptor! Now!" The preybird Pokemon accelerated swiftly, catching the massive grizzly off guard, darted under Ursaring's descending arm and struck him in the chest with a powerful headbutt. Ursaring roared in frustration and tried to strike his opponent by random flailing with his arms... but Staraptor had accumulated too much speed now, and managed to attack again in little time! A wing slash struck Ursaring in the shoulder and caused it to flinch for a split-second, and when Ursaring turned to attack, Staraptor had already flown away! Ash smiled to himself, recognizing the right moment to deal a decisive blow!
"Now, Staraptor... end this with a..." Ash began to say, but was surprised when Paul raised his Pokeball and recalled his bear Pokemon, sparing him from a dangerous Close Combat attack.
"Come back for now, Ursaring!" Paul exclaimed. Ursaring was too strong and precious a Pokemon to risk him getting KOed like this...
Staraptor screeched in disappointment when Ursaring went back to his Pokeball. and his Close Combat only hit the air... and Paul, wasting no time, sent a Pokemon who had already seen action before. "It's your turn again, Weavile! he ordered, sending hs Ice /Dak Pokemn back on the field. In other situations, Ash and his Pokemon could have taken advantage of those few seconds to mount another attack, but Staraptor still had to recover from the failed Close Combat attack. Paul had chosen the right moment to call for a substitute...
Before Staraptor could soar again and attack Weavile, the feline Pokemon dashed forward and leapt on his opponent, his claws unsheathed, already anticipating the pleasure of putting an end to the previous battle!
"Weavile, do a Faint attack!" Paul ordered. In a flash, Weavile disappeared from Staraptor's sight, moving at such a speed that even the preybird's excellent sighting abilities could not follow him, and moved to his opponent's side, reappearing a few inches away from him! Grinning in triumph, Weavile raised his left paw, as Ash tried to at least buy a few seconds with a random attack!
"Ouch... Quick, Staraptor, Wing Attack!" the boy from Pallet exclaimed.
"Weavile, Ice Punch!" Paul shot back. Unfortunately for Staraptor, while he was obviously fast, Weavile was even more so, and the latter's fist, coated in a chilling white-blue aura, slammed into the former's body before Staraptor could slam Weavile with his wings! The bird Pokemon screeched as he was enveloped in cold energy... then, with a resigned moan, he slumped to the ground and fainted, giving Paul his third point. Weavile somersaulted through the air and landed elegantly in front of Ash, looking at him with a mocking smirk.
Ash sighed himself. Unfortunately, his strategy had not gone according to his plans, and all he could do was recall Staraptor in his Pokeball. "Well, it's okay, Staraptor. You still did a great job, though!" he commented. Since one of the two contestants had lost three Pokemon already, it was time to call for an interruption.
"And with a brilliant and swift assault, Paul and his Weavile obtain their third win in this bout! Now, according to the rules, both contestant are allowed a five-minute break, in order to reorganize their teams and keep sharp for the remainder of the fight! So, fellow Pokemon fans... stay with us, and keep rooting for your favourites!" the young woman said, as the trainers retreated to consider their options. At the moment, Paul was in the lead for 3 to 2, and things were beginning to look grim for the Kanto trainer, as Paul's strongest Pokemon (Ursaring, Electivire and Torterra) were still pretty much intact.
But still, Ash thought, there was somethinggoing for him as well! He, too, still hadn't used his best Pokemon, and Paul didn't know anything about one of them...
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"Oh, dear, Ash is in trouble..." Dawn murmured as her Buneary lowered her ears in disappointment. "He already lost three Pokemon, and Paul still hasn't used his strongest ones... this is looking bad! Brock, what do you think?"
The dark-skinned young man frowned, keeping his arms crossed and looking at the arena in worry. In fact, it couldn't be said that Ash was doing that well... "Hmmm... once again, Paul proves that he's no one to be taken lightly... he's got some impressive tactics, and in more than one occasion, he managed to anticipate Ash's. I'm afraid he's not in a good situation..." he said in worry, but soon after that, he raised his head and smiled lightly, trusting that Ash could prevail in this occasion! "But still... I'm confident that nothing is certain as of now! You know, 'giving up' is just not in Ash's vocabulary... I'm sure he'll find a way to counterattack, and he will gain back the advantage! Trust in him!"
"Alright, Brock!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed, grabbing her pom-poms back. "C'mon, Ash! Do your best! We're all rooting for you!"
And as the audience, after a brief round of applause to the two finalists, seated back down to wait for the next round, the tension raised to the point where Dawn and Brock felt like they were shivering...
How would the battle have ended?
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TO BE CONTINUED...
And so ends the first part of the finals! Stay tuned, the conclusion of this climatic fight will be up soon!