"Welcome to the main stadium!" Mr. Goodshow said, the next morning. "You thirty-two Pokémon trainers are in the finals… and no matter who you are, I hope to see some excellent battling!"
There were cheers from the crowd, and Ash grinned.
He hoped that, too. It'd be nice to win, but the real fun of a Pokémon League tournament was everyone competing to really push the limits of what their Pokémon could do.
To show how much they'd grown, and what they were capable of.
Ash still wasn't really sure what being a Pokémon Master was. It could be a lot of things. But it felt like… it was like one of those things Zacian sometimes said, about mastering a skill in battle.
It wasn't about making it so you could tell your sword what to do, if you had a sword. It was about your sword being an extension of yourself, if you had a sword. So that it was as natural as picking something up without looking because you knew where it was, and you didn't have to watch your hand move, if you had a hand.
In retrospect Zacian's metaphor had been a little confused.
"It's a pity these don't update automatically," Max grumbled, writing in the next battle on his top-32 bracket – Ash against a trainer called Katie. "I don't know how you'd do that, but it'd be helpful."
"Kids these days," Bulbasaur said, knowingly.
"I think I actually qualify as a kids-these-days, don't I?" Bulbasaur replied, scratching her head. "Do you? What's the age cutoff for a kid?"
"I don't think it's an age thing," Brock said. "It's… possibly something to do with attitude? But I think both of you are younger than Max."
Bulbasaur considered that, then nodded his head. "Probably, yes," he concurred.
"Plus, if you consider age to be some kind of dividing line, you have to deal with the existence of Mew," Vulpix said, yawning. "And deal with is the right word…"
She shook herself. "Still too early in the morning…"
"Oh, hey, there's Unown," Max said. "And the battle's started! Um… does anyone have any binoculars? Unown is hard to see at this distance."
"I've got some, but whenever you borrow them you leave the focus wrong," May told him.
Max shaded his eyes, squinting. "Uh… V, I, C, R… I don't know any moves like that."
"I think that I was sideways," May replied. "It was a dash-"
Max put his hand over one eye, and a moment later Katie's Scizor was smashed into the ground by an enormous flaming explosion that half-filled the arena.
"Ouch," Brock said, shaking his head. "That made my eyes hurt!"
"How?" Bulbasaur said.
"I do have eyes, you know," Brock protested.
"Yes, you can tell they're hurt because he's squinting," Vulpix said, then ducked away from a swipe.
"Destiny bond," Phoebe said, some minutes later. "Well, it's a way to deal with a Legendary Pokémon."
"I feel sorry for Latias," Steven admitted. "Are you planning on using Destiny Bond if Ash makes it to you, Phoebe?"
Phoebe considered it.
"Probably not much," she decided, eventually. "Only if one of his Pokémon looks like sweeping right through my whole team… I've only got one who knows it anyway. It's a bit hard to train."
Drake snorted. "I can imagine. Not easy to get much practice without going into the Pokémon Centre so often they'd know your drinks order, and the Pokémon you were teaching wouldn't be happy either."
Meanwhile, in Kanto, the Elite Four – along with a few guests – lay back and watched as Ash's battle continued.
"It seems weird for someone to be sending out a Glalie against an Articuno," Lorelei said, chuckling. "Then you remember that that Articuno is Psychic type, not Ice, and it makes a lot more sense."
"A bit more sense," Koga corrected. "Ash's Pokémon are varied, but I think they all share the property that Type Advantage is not necessarily much help."
He frowned. "Actually, it occurs to me. Does anyone know if he's used Giratina recently?"
All the other gathered Elite Four and Prospective Elite Four turned to stare at him.
"Ash used Giratina's help to bypass my gym challenge," Koga explained. "It was odd… it just occurred to me to ask, that's all."
Will raised his hand, a little hesitantly. "And by gym challenge, you mean…"
"It's a maze," Koga said.
Bruno sniggered. "You can't have expected that!"
"It was a bit unexpected," Koga conceded.
"Aha, there we go," Lorelei said, drawing their attention back to the screen. "His Articuno just cut an ice beam in half with her wing… again."
"Are we actually sure this is Articuno?" Karen said, hesitantly. "And not, um… a disguised Seedot or something?"
Lance opened his mouth, raised his hand, then frowned. "That is surprisingly hard to refute," he admitted.
Then Articuno used Mystical Fire.
"At this point I'm starting to think we need a Ditto to tell what Ash's Pokémon are," Lance added.
"That's one down, and four to go!" Pikachu said. "Nice work, guys!"
Articuno rolled her head around on her neck. "That was a proper battle, that was."
She sighed. "That's it for me in the tournament, though, I assume?"
"I might want you back for the Elite Four battles, but I'm not certain," Ash admitted. "Glacia is going to have seen that, so she'll be ready for it now."
Articuno shrugged. "Worth it," she declared. "It's funny watching a trainer from somewhere where Articuno are Ice type handling it when one drops fire on them."
She flipped over, landing on Ash's outstretched arm, and furled her wings. "Who are you planning to use next? I'll let them know."
"Silver wanted a go, so probably him first," Ash decided. "After that… I think Entei's still in the Safari Ball, but I'm going to check that."
"I want to know where he got all these Legendary Pokémon," Will said, during Ash's next battle, as Silver rolled out of the way of a Dark Pulse before replying with a concussive blast of air pressure. "They're not just lying around in caves, are they?"
"Even if they were, most people have to battle to capture powerful Pokémon," Lance replied. "Or raise them. Ash has such an outrageous relationship with that kind of thing… you know he actually met that Lugia when he was about seven? Misty told me the story once."
Karen did a double-take. "Seven?"
"I'm just passing on what she said he said…" Lance defended himself.
"Well done, Silver!" Ash said, holding up the Lugia's Dive Ball. "Come on back!"
"Right!" Silver agreed, nodding, and returned himself with a flash of red light.
Ash's opponent – a trainer called Brendan who he remembered from LaRousse – nodded in recognition, then sent out his Swampert at the same time as Ash sent out Entei.
"We picked up a new trick since I last saw you!" Brendan announced. "Swampert!"
Swampert clashed his fists together, and Mega-Evolved in a flare of gold-and-orange light.
"That's cool!" Ash said, pleased. "Okay, Entei, time to use your new trick too!"
"Lava Plume!" Entei declared. "Woof."
His mane rippled, and a small volcanic eruption took place on his back. The plume rose up to about three feet, then spread out in a flat disc, and ash fall began raining down underneath it.
The miniature volcano intensified, producing more rock and ash fall in a kind of flowing torus shape that carried more and more air along with it – until Entei's paws left the ground, propelled up by the downwards-flowing current of heated rock and ash.
"I'm still not sure how this one works," Pikachu admitted.
"Well, Suicune can fly, and Raikou can fly, so clearly Entei can fly too," Ash said. "Makes sense to me."
Steven blinked. "...okay, on the one hand that's a very impressive bonsai Vesuvian eruption, but on the other hand how exactly is that allowing Entei to fly?"
"Beats me, boss," Sidney admitted.
Phoebe stated laughing.
"That's hilarious!" she said.
"What's hilarious?" Steven asked.
Swallowing, Phoebe stopped giggling long enough to answer. "I… hee… I think the idea is that… well, you know how when a helicopter is flying the blades look like a flat disc? I think that's where he started, anyway."
Steven looked again, then snapped his fingers. "Yes, I think you're right – and the rest is a jet of air, I think. That's good to know."
Several minutes and three Pokémon later, Brendan cupped his hands around his mouth.
"Earthquake, Aggron!" he called. "That Phanpy's still on the ground!"
Aggron used Earthquake, but as the attack happened Phanpy launched herself into the air with Flamethrower. The boost kicked her away from the range of Aggron's actual attack, and she bounced twice before peeling out in a wide turn.
"Phaan!" she announced.
"Fling!" Ash replied.
"Look out, Aggron!" Brendan called, then Phanpy skidded to a halt and threw something orange at Aggron. It hit with a crash, shattering, and Aggron caught fire.
"A Flame Orb?" Brendan said, blinking. "Where'd she get it from? She should be on fire by this point!"
He shook his head. "Aggron – Ice Beam yourself! Cool yourself down!"
Aggron raised his hands and used Ice Beam on them, sending a cooling wash of blue light through his form.
"Now turn it on her!" Brendan added.
"Flamethrower!" Ash retaliated, and Phanpy turned into a spinning flame-bladed projectile again. This time she rolled over onto her side, and began bouncing around the arena with a klang klang klang sound that collided with Aggron several times.
"Stone Edge!" Brendan said. "Form a defensive wall!"
Ash gave Phanpy a hug. "Nice work, Phanpy! You really got a lot of use out of that Fling."
"I don't know why more Pokémon don't use tactical Mega Evolution!" Phanpy replied brightly. "Mega Aggron's just a Steel Type, so it was easier to get Flamethrower to work!"
"Uh… question?" Brendan asked.
Ash looked up. "Huh? Is something wrong?"
Brendan held up the Aggronite. "Don't you want this back?"
"Oh, no," Ash shook his head. "That's the second Aggronite Phanpy's found. You can keep it."
Brendan blinked a few times, not sure what to say, then laughed. "I guess I'll just take that, then! Thanks!"
He grinned. "And at least I've got a great badge of honour now… being beaten by Ash Ketchum!"
"That's as it should be, honestly," Pikachu declared.
Steven's jaw was still hanging open.
"Wow, boss," Sidney said. "Never seen you like this before."
"He made his opponent Mega Evolve," Steven said. "He made his opponent. Mega Evolve. To make them easier to defeat."
He rubbed his temples. "I spent a day talking to that Phanpy about how she finds Mega Stones, and talking to Suicune about the Legendary Pokémon who makes Mega Stones, and… I think I can honestly say I've never thought of that one before. Mega Evolution is such a power boost that…"
Steven stopped, then began to laugh.
"Even if he doesn't reach me – even if he doesn't win the League – I want to challenge him anyway," he declared. "Ash has the kind of insights that almost never come along. I want to see more of them!"
"Dig!" Ash called, in his next battle – against a trainer called Morrison, currently using a Metang.
Quilava smashed at the ground with his forepaw, then slipped inside before Metang's Confusion attack could hit him, and Morrison frowned as he considered the situation.
"Make sure you stay in the air," he said. "That way Quilava can't use Dig on you… and get ready to hit him as soon as he comes out of the ground."
"Taaang," Metang confirmed, scanning the ground.
"Mr. Ketchum?" the referee said, after several tense seconds. "Your Pokémon cannot remain underground indefinitely, or you will forfeit the match."
"I know," Ash replied. "Quilava, get ready to come back – now!"
Quilava burst out of the ground on a plume of flame, shooting up higher than Metang had been hovering in the first place, and the Psychic-type shot a Confusion attack at Ash's Fire-type.
Twisting in the air, Quilava avoided the worst of it, then swooped down towards Metang and hit him with a Fire Punch.
"Counter with Meteor Mash!" Morrison said. "Match him punch for punch!"
Quilava used Fire Punch again, but this time Metang hit him hard enough to knock him to the ground. He slid along it for a second or so, then his hindpaw contacted a rock, and he compressed himself like a spring to launch himself right back at Metang again with a Flame Wheel.
"Iron Defence!" Morrison instructed. "And keep up that Meteor Mash!"
The crashing impacts kept happening, Quilava moving faster each time, but Metang was a tough Pokémon and its Iron Defence made it especially good at dealing with physical impacts. Each one only knocked the Iron Claw Pokémon sliding backwards an inch or two in the air, and the recoil from its punches didn't do much more, while Quilava kept pinging back and forth at a much greater speed.
"Now!" Ash said suddenly. "Rock Slide!"
Quilava pinged up, this time, and clapped his hands together. A ring of light appeared around him before suddenly turning into more than a dozen rocks, and he kicked off from three of them to make them fall much faster than gravity alone would allow.
The impact knocked Metang down, all the rocks coming in such quick succession that its normal ability to float was temporarily overloaded, and it hit the ground with a crash.
Which was the point at which the ground exploded underneath him.
"Wow!" Flannery said, as the flames died down. "What was that?"
"I think that was a Lava Plume," her grandfather replied. "Though I've no idea why it only went off then."
"It worked!" Ash cheered. "Nice one, Quilava!"
Quilava chuckled.
"That was…" Morrison began, then nodded. "I see! Your Quilava set a trap underground, and that's why he was down there so long!"
"Yeah, that one took a lot of time to work out!" Ash admitted. "Your Metang was tough, though – it seemed like the best option."
"Then I'll have to choose my next Pokémon carefully," Morrison said. "Growlithe! Watch out for falling rocks!"
AN:
It's not just the absurd Pokémon. It's the absurd tricks.