DISCLAIMER: I don't own a Bugatti Veyron… just like I do not own Pokemon…

MESSAGE TO READERS: Man, this chapter was difficult to write. Obviously, Cynthia versus Ash needs to be special, so I've put a lot of time and thought into how I want this battle to turn out. To be honest, as I write this top section now, even I don't know who is going to win this battle. It just depends on how it will affect the rest of the story. After all, they are both major characters in this story in their own right. But hey, I guess we'll find out soon. So, go grab a lemonade or something, kick back and enjoy!

THE LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS

CHAPTER 37: ALMIGHTY BATTLE! ASH VERSUS CYNTHIA: PART ONE

Since Ash had made his way to the arena, Misty had mainly just been talking to Brock, trying to avoid talking to Anabel wherever possible it seemed. I couldn't exactly understand why, but then again she is a girl. A very weird species indeed, but it was just alien to me why Misty's behaviour changed so dramatically every time the Frontier Brain made her presence. I could see it in her face that she had something against her. Maybe it was down to their different relationships with Ash. But then again it wasn't my place to question so I remained silent, despite having a hunch that Anabel would be reading my thoughts anyway. By now, we too had arrived on the battlefield on which Ash and Cynthia would be battling. The Rock Field. The same battleground in which I had defeated Casey in my second round battle. It looked fairly sturdy, despite the battering that it surely must have taken over the last few days from various Pokemon attacks. We sat ourselves near the front of the stadium. It was surprisingly empty, but due to the security restraints, there were long queues heading right out of the Indigo Plateau.

"This is going to be awesome!" I grinned to myself, facing Anabel. She nodded in agreement. Misty, who still seemed somewhat uncomfortable with Anabel's presence cuddled up to me in the adjacent seat. Brock too had made his way down to where we were sat, sitting next to Anabel. He passed us a tin of drink each… Remoraid Lemonade… what kind of name was that? But still, it tasted good.

"I wonder which Pokemon Cynthia will be using…" Brock muttered as if to himself, but in a volume high enough for us all to hear.

"Probably Garchomp and Milotic, they're her strongest," Misty suggested, giving me a small peck on the cheek just as Anabel paid attention. I gave her a small frown, but then looked out across the arena. More and more people were beginning to pile into the stadium.

"Ash will more than likely start with Pikachu and Gliscor," Anabel smiled. "Charizard and Sceptile are two powerhouses and are perfect for taking on her strongest Pokemon."

"Fully evolved starter type Pokemon are always powerful choices," Brock began. "But there's always going to be a Pokemon that is stronger. Look at Cynthia's Garchomp for instance." Brock paused and leaned forward to get a view of me. "By the way, how is your Bayleef?"

"Bayleef?" I questioned. "I'm not too sure. I haven't seen it since I swapped it for Quagsire before. But depending on how we get on in this next battle I could bring it back for the six on six duels."

"Ah, so you know about that, huh?" Brock grinned.

"That's right," I bobbed my head to confirm my knowledge. "After you have successfully defeated trainers on all five battlefields, you move to the Main Arena where all battles are six on six."

"You've still got to make it through that Mimi girl first," Anabel said with a serious tone.

"He will!" Misty growled a little in response to defend me from Anabel's comment. We both seemed a bit taken aback by her tone of voice, but simply smiled it off. I could almost feel Misty's blood boiling inside of her. But why was she getting so worked up about it? "Jonathyn, if you end up facing Ash you know I'll be rooting for the both of you?"

"Huh!?" I gasped, a little stunned that she would bring that up at this moment in time. I took a second to regain my composure, before giving Misty and small kiss on the lips. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I smirked, before turning away to look out over the battlefield once again. "Besides, he's got no chance against Cynthia," I chuckled to myself in a sinister fashion. Fortunately, the crowd was becoming so loud that my words were drowned out.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the announcer's voice suddenly boomed over the personal announcement system, silencing the crowd slightly. "It's time for one of the most anticipated matches in Pokemon League history. Grand Pokemon Master Cynthia takes on the dominant Ash in this huge battle. We are about ready to get underway, so let's bring out the trainers!" The crowd suddenly erupted into roaring cheers as both Ash and Cynthia walked out from opposite ends of the field at the same time. The announcer was still introducing them both, but we could not hear a word he was saying. I saw Cynthia standing on the green platform, whereas Ash was stood on the red one, his Pikachu clearly visible on his shoulder. An official positioned himself on the side of the field in the direct centre, a flag being held in each hand as is the norm. "The battle is a four on four double battle with no time limit. Trainers are not allowed to switch Pokemon until they can no longer physically battle. Now are you ready for the battle of the century!?" The crowd replied with another outburst of cheers. "Then let the battle begin!" the announcer declared. Everyone cheered as Ash threw just one Poke Ball forward, his Gliscor emerging next to Pikachu who had already made its way onto the battlefield.

"Told ya," Anabel beamed, delighted with her correct prediction. Cynthia had also chosen her two Pokemon to battle. The first was her ominous Garchomp, which many crowd members cheered for as it appeared. The second was a strange pink slug-like Pokemon with small protrusions sticking out of the side of its head. Misty let out a gasp.

"A Gastrodon! Wow, it's so pretty!" Misty's eyes lit up in sight of the Pokemon.

"Looks like something you step on if you ask me," I snorted, cracking a smile.

"It's no laughing matter for Ash, though," Brock frowned. I gave him a glance, signalling for him to explain. "Gastrodon is a Water Type with Ground Type traits as well. In the same way that electric attacks don't harm your Quagsire, Gastrodon is also unaffected."

"But Garchomp are also part Ground type," I exclaimed. "That means Pikachu's electric attacks will do absolutely nothing! And he can't switch out until Pikachu is beaten!" I then looked over to Cynthia, who currently had a prematurely victorious pose. "Ash had better think of something, or else he's done for." With that, Pikachu shot forward at high speed, circling both Garchomp and Gastrodon, who seemed confused. They both appeared to look around, trying to spot where it was. This allowed Gliscor to swoop in and strike a strong X-Scissor on Garchomp, which was then finally struck by Pikachu's drawn-out Quick Attack. Garchomp did not seem to phased by this, particularly as it retaliated by surging forward at Gliscor, it's body glowing a strange yellow. I could tell by the glow that it was using its Giga Impact. Gliscor was struck hard, knocking it down to the ground. Gliscor did manage to get back onto its feet, balancing on its tail. All of a sudden, a wave appeared in front of the Gastrodon, before sending it towards both Pikachu and Gliscor. The wave of Muddy Water struck both Pokemon hard.

"Ash's first moves didn't do a thing to Cynthia's Garchomp," Misty gasped. "But Giga Impact and Muddy Water took them both down."

"Ash will have to do much better than that," I frowned. Back on the battlefield, Ash's Gliscor was back in the air and ready to attack again, this time what looked like a Steel Wing connected with Garchomp's fins, which it was using to defend itself from the attack. From nowhere though, Pikachu had leapt into the air, its tail glowing with the same silver colour as Gliscor's wings. It slammed the Iron Tail across its unprotected face, sending it staggering a little. However, Garchomp was not taken down yet. It stood back up to a vertical base before thrusting one of its elbow fins upward, smacking Gliscor in the jaw. Gastrodon in the meantime had began to summon another Muddy Water attack, which Pikachu quickly dove aside to avoid. However, Gliscor was not so fortunate, taking the full force of the super effective attack.

"I can see what Ash is trying to do," Anabel exclaimed. "He's trying to pick off Garchomp by having both Pikachu and Gliscor gang up on it. But Cynthia knows this and is having Garchomp use powerful attacks like that Giga Impact and that Brick Break just a moment ago, then Gastrodon uses Muddy Water to hit both opponents."

"Pikachu can't do a thing with its electric attacks," I nodded. "Ash is relying on Iron Tail and Quick Attack. Gliscor poses more of a threat right now and Cynthia is doing a good job of picking it off. But it does have persistence, I'll give it credit on that one." Back out on the battlefield, Ash had instructed Gliscor to use an attack I had not seen before. It flew directly at Garchomp, hitting it hard before flying straight back towards an open Poke Ball. Ash threw a second forward, his Sceptile emerging from it. "What happened?" I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. "I thought he wasn't allowed to switch Pokemon in this match?"

"Gliscor can use a move called U-Turn," Brock smiled, noting Ash's strategy. "It's a move that does damage and then the Pokemon returns to its Poke Ball. Being an official Pokemon move, switching out is legal in this instance."

"Clever," I grinned. "And now Ash can use Sceptile to do double damage to Gastrodon, as a Rock Ground combination is really weak to Grass moves." Ash wasted little time in exploiting this, as Sceptile formed to large green blades from its wrists. But rather than hitting Gastrodon as I thought it would, it hit Garchomp with such force that it knocked it to the ground. However, it was too close to Gastrodon and failed to avoid a sudden blob of green and purple ooze that it flung straight at the Grass Type. "Man, it can use Sludge Bomb too!" I gawped, completely amazed that another of Ash's Pokemon could still be taken out with super effective moves. All of a sudden, the whole arena began to shake. Both Gastrodon and Garchomp seemed to be pounding at the ground at the same time, causing a freakishly powerful Earthquake. I could see cracks forming in the Rock Field's base, before suddenly bursting up through the ground sending both Sceptile and Pikachu hurling backwards. "Wait a minute," I frowned once again. "Earthquake affects all Pokemon on the field, bar the user. So if Garchomp and Gastrodon were BOTH using Earthquake, they would have taken damage as well!"

"True, but a very minimal amount," Anabel nodded. "They're both Ground type after all…" I rolled my eyes a little, negating a jealous look from Misty. Sceptile and Pikachu were both still recovering from that last attack. Sceptile seemed to stagger limply towards Gastrodon. Something seemed strange about this… It wasn't until Sceptile's mouth opened and a ridiculously large beam of energy flew straight at Gastrodon. The sea slug-creature was engulfed by the solar powered beam, emerging pretty much fried, yet it was not defeated despite taking a huge amount of damage from that attack. It somehow launched a second Sludge Bomb at Sceptile, who this time managed to evade. But it couldn't dodge Garchomp, which appeared to be using Dragon Rush in a very similar fashion to my Gabite, with the exception that there was considerably much more power behind the attack. Sceptile skidded across the rocky terrain, halting just inches away from Ash's Pikachu. It seemed to give the Sceptile some words of encouragement, which appeared to work as the jungle lizard got back up to its feet. Garchomp did not seem as though it was at all phased by the earlier attacks. Gastrodon on the other hand looked on the brink of defeat.

"That Gastrodon won't survive long unless it takes out that Sceptile," I noted. "One more hit could knock it out." Pikachu surged forward, using its Quick Attack to pick up a head of steam. It shot like a rocket towards Garchomp, before leaping up at the last possible moment and swinging a well placed Iron Tail right in the Dragon's chest. It let out a disgruntled growl, before connecting a Brick Break to the much smaller opponent in quick retaliation. I began to think that Garchomp was invincible… and if that was the case, then I really hoped that Gabite could some day evolve into such a magnificent creature. My mind dawdled away for just a moment, when I suddenly caught sight of Pikachu charging up an electric attack. It fired what looked like a Thunderbolt at Gastrodon. The attack did indeed hit, but Gastrodon did not seem to bothered by the ineffective attack. Blinded by the electricity, it could not see Sceptile charging up a second Solarbeam, firing it in quick succession and blitzing the Water Ground Type once and for all. To the crowd's amazement, the sea slug Pokemon wearily lowered its head, smacking it on the ground in defeat.

"Cynthia's Gastrodon can no longer battle!" the announcer boomed over the announcement system once again. "Ash's strategy of using an ineffective Thunderbolt to blind it and then have Sceptile fire a Solarbeam is something that a true Champion would think of! But speaking of true champions, Cynthia is not defeated yet! Which of her Pokemon will join her Garchomp on the battlefield?" We did not have to wait long for an answer. Cynthia's next Pokemon was one that I had seen briefly before. I think it was back in Azelf's Cave… it was like a swirling purple vortex coming from a strange stone. "Cynthia is using Spiritomb, a Pokemon with no weakness at all! How will Ash fair?" the announcer proclaimed.

"Not well, I don't think," I chuckled to myself again, which encouraged Misty to nudge my side a little bit venomously. I apologised by kissing her on the cheek before returning my attention to the match. Now that it was not restricted to certain attacks, Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt at the Forbidden Pokemon. Although the attack did appear to do some damage, the Dark Ghost type suddenly shot a ghostly orb of black energy straight at Pikachu. The Shadow Ball was intercepted however by a barrage of seeds shot from Sceptile's mouth, which caused it to explode causing little harm to the small yellow rodent. In the melee of this, Garchomp slammed into Sceptile with a Giga Impact, streaks of orange energy flowing behind it. Just after this, Pikachu leapt up at Garchomp, striking it once again with an Iron Tail. This time, Garchomp took considerable damage since it was still recovering from the Giga Impact. Sceptile also followed this up with a Leaf Blade to the exhausted Dragon. Garchomp fell to one knee, reeling in pain!

"And Garchomp can't seem to be able to withstand too much more of this punishment!" the announcer boomed excitedly. "Can Sceptile and Pikachu finish off Cynthia's most powerful Pokemon before it can recuperate?" Ash seemed to have an extremely confident stance, pointing out onto the battlefield. Sceptile began to attack by unleashing a Bullet Seed attack, causing Garchomp even more discomfort. It attempted to shield itself from the barrage with one of its elbow fins. Pikachu quickly attempted another Iron Tail attack, but suddenly stopped in mid air, a strange blue aura surrounding it as it floated helplessly above the arena.

"Now what?" I exclaimed.

"Spiritomb is using Psychic," Anabel frowned. "Despite being a Dark Type, it can also use Psychic attacks with great effect." Once Sceptile's Bullet Seed attack ceased, Garchomp quickly shot towards Pikachu covered in blue streaks of energy, still being held in the air by Spiritomb's prolonged Psychic attack. Garchomp slammed into Pikacu with such force that it flew from where it was and literally crashed into the wall just in front of where Misty, Anabel, Brock and I were sat. The crowd seemed to wince at the sight of this. Everyone in the front row peered curiously over the side of the wall, but Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. We wondered for a moment, before it suddenly fell from the crevasse in the wall that the impact had made.

"And Pikachu has been eliminated!" the announcer declared as Ash desperately ran over to his beloved Pokemon with a sense of concern in his stride. He knelt down next to it, picking up the defeated creature in his arms. He did not face us at all, he was far more concerned with the well being of his Pikachu, which is entirely understandable. Misty and Brock had told me of the bond that Ash and his Pikachu shared. Ash returned to his podium, placing Pikachu down next to him to rest. Ash took a moment to think. I wondered which of his Pokemon he would choose now. Gliscor had already taken some damage from its earlier encounter with Garchomp and Gastrodon. However, his Charizard was still available and paired with Sceptile could prove an unbeatable combination. My questions were eventually answered as the flying scorpion creature reappeared above the battleground. "It's Round Two for Gliscor! Can it perform better than it did earlier in the match?" the announcer asked.

"I wonder why he's chosen Gliscor again. Charizard would have been a fresh start," I frowned.

"He knows what he's doing," Anabel smiled, earning yet another scowl from Misty. It was now my turn to nudge her, although I did it with a lot less force than when she had done it to me just now. With the match still raging, it was still anyone's guess who was going to win. Cynthia seemed quite calm, whereas the nervousness in Ash was quite evident compared to his confident expression before. Sceptile began by launching another barrage of Bullet Seeds at Garchomp, which once again shielded the attack with its fins. Gliscor meanwhile flew up further into the sky, narrowly missing a Shadow Ball that Spiritomb had produced. It flew back down at great speed, opening its pincers. It attempted to clamp down on Garchomp, but Garchomp swatted it with a Brick Break attack, sending it crashing to the ground. Sceptile intervenes with a Leaf Blade, slashing the powerful Dragon across the chest. It let out another agonised snarl, before stumbling backwards. The Garchomp then seemed to start chewing on something… everyone appeared to be a little bit confused at why it had started to make a chewing motion with its jaw, until its wounds slowly began to heal. I let out a disbelieving gasp.

"That thing had a Berry in its mouth this whole time!?" I snarled.

"It's perfectly legal," Brock stated. "I think she used a Sitrus Berry as they have more healing power than that of an Oran Berry and whatnot."

"It's never ending!" I moaned a little.

"I wish it didn't end!" Brock exclaimed. "I haven't seen a match this exciting in a long, long time."

"It really is a good match," Anabel bobbed her head in agreement. "I just hope Ash can see what is coming."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know about you but I know which Pokemon she will be using once either Garchomp or Spiritomb faint."

"Which is that then?" I tilted my head as I asked the question.

"A Pokemon that will defeat all three of Ash's remaining Pokemon in a flash," Anabel cryptically explained. "Now that Pikachu is out of the question, there's not much chance of stopping it."

"Which one is it, then?" I demanded, growing ever more impatient.

"You'll see soon enough," Anabel grinned at me, turning back to the match. I let out a frustrated scowl beneath my breath, along with an envious one from Misty. After calming her down by kissing her on the cheek, which was fast becoming a routine, my eyes were once more fixated on the battle. Gliscor once again had taken to the skies as Sceptile swiped at the Spiritomb with a Leaf Blade, however it simply faded from view, reappearing behind Sceptile and launching what looked like a Dark Pulse, knocking the Grass Type a few feet back. Garchomp attempted to take it out with a Dragon Rush, but this time Sceptile was able to evade the attack. Gliscor descended from the skies, using an X-Scissor on the Ghost Pokemon. It's body seemed to warp as the attack connected. Sceptile followed this up with a Leaf Blade, this time also hitting its mark. The Spiritomb unleashed a second Dark Pulse, only for Gliscor and Sceptile to evade. Garchomp was also nearly hit in the stray attack, but managed to leap out of the way. The Mach Pokemon attempted to hit another Brick Break on the airborne Gliscor. As its fins came down, Gliscor's pincers opened wide, clamping down on the fins. Both Pokemon began to fall to the ground, the weight of Garchomp proving to be too much for the evolved form of Gligar to maintain flight. I noticed that as they did fall, Gliscor twisted its body so that its arms were crossed. As if they were paper, Gliscor managed to tear a part of Garchomp's fin. Garchomp let out a horrific roar, thumping to the ground below creating a cloud of dust. The crowd fell instantly silent as Gliscor hovered just above the impact site. The cloud eventually dispersed, revealing that Cynthia's Garchomp was laying motionless on the crowd. It was eerily silent, before one single person began to applaud… then another… then another. Everyone was clapping their hands in recognition of the feat they had just witnessed.

"I… I don't believe it," the announcer stammered over the PA system. "Cynthia's Garchomp has been defeated… GARCHOMP IS DEFEATED!" he suddenly erupted along with the crowd, whose applause morphed into cheers. Cynthia called back her defeated Garchomp with an impressed look on her face. "Who would have thought that a Gliscor could beat Garchomp? And the one hit knockout move Guillotine really hit its mark! Cynthia is down to just two Pokemon, whereas Ash still has three!" The crowd continued to cheer, whether in encouragement of Cynthia or in congratulation of Ash I wasn't too sure. Despite the uproar, Cynthia seemed to maintain her composure. I turned to face Anabel, who had a surprisingly smug look on her face.

"Ready?" she grinned, observing Cynthia's movements. As the Sinnoh Champion threw her Poke Ball forward, I had completely forgotten about her chosen Pokemon. The majestic water serpent known as Milotic. "This Milotic can use Water attacks to beat Gliscor and Charizard. Not only that, it knows Ice Beam, which can be real trouble for Sceptile in particular.

"So, the fun is only just beginning?" I asked with a small grin.

"It certainly is," Anabel nodded in response, her eyes returning to the battlefield…

TO BE CONTINUED

Next Time: Cynthia versus Ash Part Two! Who will emerge victorious from this explosive battle?