DISCLAIMER: In order to prevent Nintendo coming down on me like a ton of bricks, I must inform you that I don't own Pokemon! So get over it, already!
THE LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS
CHAPTER 38: ALMIGHTY BATTLE! ASH VERSUS CYNTHIA: PART TWO
The majestic Milotic coiled itself into an attacking position, ready to strike Ash's Pokemon down. The Spiritomb, which had taken mild damage from earlier in the battle, was still standing with its same menacing expression scattered across its warped face. Ash's Gliscor and Sceptile both looked a little weary, yet their desire to win seemed to fuel them to battle on. Cynthia, who was currently disadvantaged by losing two of her Pokemon did not seem too worried at the prospect of defeat. In fact, the more concerned face belonged to Ash. He knew full well of the power that Cynthia possesses, not to mention the intimidating strength that her Milotic contained. I could tell he wished that his Pikachu was still able to battle. It would have been able to cause some major damage to the Water Type, although Sceptile's Grass Attacks would be just as effective. The only exception to Sceptile from Pikachu was that Milotic's Ice Beam would cause nowhere near as much damage to a Pikachu than a Sceptile. It would definitely be something that Ash would need to look out for, and something that Cynthia was bound to exploit.
"Who has the advantage now?" Misty wondered aloud, gazing at the beautiful Milotic as her words were lost in wonderment.
"Who knows?" Brock replied bluntly. "I would say whoever loses a Pokemon next will be at the biggest disadvantage."
"That kind of goes without saying," I noted with a hint of sarcasm. "But you're one hundred percent correct."
"Don't count Ash out just yet," Anabel reminded us. "Remember, Cynthia's Garchomp is one of the strongest Pokemon in possession of any trainer and Ash managed to take it out of the picture. I'm sure he will put up one heck of a fight, even if he doesn't pull through."
"I hope he does though," Misty murmured into my shoulder, cuddling up against me some more. I quickly slid my eyes in her direction, but was forced to look back as the action of the battlefield resumed once again. It was Ash's Gliscor that began by using its claws to flick dirt from the rocky ground right into Milotic's face. This was quite a clever technique. I knew that Sand Attack reduced a foes accuracy. If Ash kept this up, Milotic could quite literally be blinded for the remainder of the fight. Cynthia was quick to notice Ash's tactic, however and ordered Spiritomb to strike. I could see a strange wind blowing from the Dark Ghost, striking both Gliscor and Sceptile, forcing them back a little bit. The Silver Wind attack proved to be more powerful than I imagined. I was surprised that it was using a Bug Type move, but yet the results were quite impressive. Sceptile seemed to be shaken the worst by the attack, but it retaliated by firing a Bullet Seed straight at the Spiritomb, moving closer as it fired the attack. Cynthia's Milotic finally began to move, but rather than attack a veil of water surrounded the serpent.
"Why is using Aqua Ring now?" Misty frowned. "It hasn't even taken any damage yet."
"I suppose when it eventually does get attacked, it will be healed pretty much straight away," I assumed in response.
"Cynthia really knows what she's doing out there," Brock said to us. "She knows that Gliscor's Sand Attack reduced the chances of her attacks hitting, so instead she's using a defensive move until she's ready to attack."
"But if Gliscor uses Sand Attack even more, then there's even less of a chance that her attacks will hit. Surely it would be better to attack now rather than let Sand Attack reduce its accuracy further."
"Like Brock said, she knows what she's doing," Anabel stated firmly to me. "That's why she's Sinnoh's Grand Champion." I frowned at myself a little, deciding it would be best not to argue about this matter any further.
"I guess so," I muttered, looking back out to where the battle was taking place. Sceptile was still using its Bullet Seed on the Spiritomb whilst taking several steps forward towards it. In the meantime, Ash had instructed Gliscor to use another Sand Attack on Milotic, which is what I originally thought he would do. Milotic remained in its coiled and defensive stance. Sceptile had now moved close enough to Spiritomb to use its famed Leaf Blade technique, slashing the ghoulish Pokemon across its face, which once again warped as the attack connected. It seemed to have taken some hefty damage, but was still able to maintain its composure. It lauched a sudden Dark Pulse from its body, knocking Sceptile away and also knocked Gliscor to the ground. Milotic then uncoiled itself and suddenly unleashed a large wave of water, somehow keeping its body afloat on the lip of the wave. The water crashed down on top of both Sceptile and Gliscor, with Milotic's body stretching wide, almost clotheslining them both at the same time as the wave's impact. The crowd gasped at this unbelievable move.
"That's one of the most perfect Surf techniques I've ever seen!" the announcer boomed over the PA system in his usual over-the-top manner. "That kind of move would make a Contest Champion proud."
"I'll admit, even I didn't see that coming," Anabel grinned, giving me a little playful look before returning her focus to the match.
"Yeah, I'll bet," I mumbled beneath my breath. I knew that Anabel heard it, but I was sure that Misty and Brock didn't. Slowly, Sceptile and Gliscor managed to get back up to their feet, only to be knocked straight back down by a Dark Pulse from Spiritomb. I suddenly realised what Cynthia was doing. Rather than attack each foe one at a time, she was using moves that struck both opponents. A Surf followed by a Dark Pulse ensures both Pokemon are immobilised to attack for a moment. And with both attacks following each other in quick succession, this would allow Cynthia complete control over Ash. "She's got him beat," I chuckled to myself, thinking that there was no way for Ash to recover from this strategy. As expected, Cynthia's Milotic had returned to where it had originally delivered the first Surf attack and had began to form a second wave of water. What I did not notice before that Sceptile's back was starting to glow. I knew exactly what was coming. The Milotic Surfed forward on the wave it had created. Suddenly, Gliscor darted skyward well out of range of the Surf attack. Milotic's head followed the direction in which Gliscor was flying, completely unaware of what was about to strike it next. Sceptile opened its mouth wide open, firing a large Solarbeam straight at the Milotic. With no time to respond, the powerful Grass Type attack struck the aquatic serpent with magnificent force. The wave suddenly dispersed, causing no damage at all to Sceptile. Gliscor then darted back down, it's wings filling with a familiar silver glow, striking the already grounded Milotic.
"A remarkable combination of Solarbeam and Steel Wing have taken Milotic down, but can it recover before the next attacks strike?" the announcer rhetorically spoke.
"Looks like Cynthia isn't the only one who knows what they're doing," Anabel smiled.
"Hmm…" I hummed, deep in thought. This battle was proving to be much less one sided than I originally thought that it would be. In fact, I thought to myself that if I was to progress further in this tournament I would definitely need to up my own performance as well. I believed strongly in my Pokemon, but I knew there was only so much that we could do. We would all have to try much harder, especially in this upcoming battle with Mimi. I took a quick look at my Poketch. I would pretty much have to head straight for the Steel Field once this battle had finished if I was to prepare fully for the battle.
By now, Milotic had squirmed back next to Spiritomb. I noticed that the Aqua Ring had begun to take effect as its wounds had slowly started to heal. The Spiritomb hit forward first of all, firing a Shadow Ball in the direction of Sceptile. As it had done previously in the battle, Sceptile attempted to counter using Bullet Seed. I then noticed the Milotic fire a freezing beam of ice from its mouth straight towards the Sceptile as well. However, due to what I guess was Gliscor's Sand Attack, it misses by several inches. But what shocked me the most was that the resulting explosion from the collision of Shadow Ball and Bullet Seed forced Sceptile backwards into the trailing Ice Beam. Although not hit directly, it was still enough for Sceptile to scream out in pain as the super effective attack connected.
"Well… that was unexpected," I frowned, noticing Sceptile's discomfort.
"I think Cynthia half expected the Ice Beam to miss," Anabel stated. "And she knew that Ash would try to counter the Shadow Ball, so all in all her plan worked perfectly."
"Only she would think of something like that," Brock muttered.
"Personally, I think there was a little bit of luck involved," I stated. Everyone else chose to ignore my comment as the battle raged on. Ash had resumed his strategic plan to minimise Milotic's accuracy as Gliscor had begun to use Sand Attack once more. This time, the Spiritomb intervened by manipulating the winged scorpion with a Psychic attack, hurling into the air without use of its wings. Gliscor tried to break from the mental hold, but failed as it was thrust straight into Sceptile's torso. The jungle lizard was quick to get back up to its feet and began to glow a strange colour of green. This took me by surprise a little bit.
"What is that? Overgrow?" I raised my eyebrow in suspicion. An answer followed, but not through words. The glow remained a constant pale green before suddenly several thick and spiked roots bore through the rocky surface before launching themselves at Milotic. To my bewilderment, the Milotic did not even attempt to resist the attack. It simply glowed a strange colour briefly before the gargantuan roots slammed into it. Suddenly though, the roots rebounded off Milotic and straight back towards Sceptile, hitting the Grass Type with shocking force.
"Even I didn't know that Sceptile had learned how to use Frenzy Plant," Brock admitted. "But when Milotic countered with Mirror Coat, it did double the damage that Frenzy Plant would have caused. And Frenzy Plant of course is the most powerful Grass attack there is."
"And Sceptile looks completely wiped out after using that move," the announcer's annoying voice continued to bore us. It was at that moment that the Spiritomb attacked with another Silver Wind attack, but Ash was prepared for it. Despite it's weary state, Sceptile used its strong legs to propel itself skyward to join Gliscor. Sceptile latched itself to Gliscor's feet, using a tremendous amount of strength to hurl it back down towards the ground at break neck speed. As it did so, its wings filled with silver, preparing for a Steel Wing attack. The Spiritomb suddenly noticed this and tried to counter with a Dark Pulse, but Gliscor quickly managed to evade the shards of dark energy and slammed straight into the Dark Ghost. An explosion of dust flew into the air as Sceptile landed with great agility. When the dust had finally settled, the Spiritomb's warped face was now flat on the ground, looking completely wiped out. The official on the side of the battlefield raised his flag, signalling Spiritomb's defeat.
"And Cynthia's Spiritomb has been defeated by a powerful Steel Wing attack from Gliscor!" the announcer's voice echoed across the already electrified arena. "That means that Cynthia is now down to her last Pokemon, whereas Ash still has three! Could this be the end of Cynthia's Kanto Title race?"
"Amazing!" Anabel gasped. "Using Sceptile's physical strength to propel it, Gliscor's Steel Wing became even more damaging than normal!"
"Now Cynthia only has Milotic left," Misty smiled excitedly. "And Ash still has Sceptile, Gliscor and Charizard!"
"Not to mention that Gliscor's Sand Attack has already reduced Milotic's accuracy dramatically," I added. "Ash may have a chance after all."
"It'll be interesting to see how Cynthia comes back from this!" Brock exclaimed, a little more enthusiastically than his normal tone of voice. I looked back out to see the facial expressions of the trainers. Ash's was that of ecstasy and confidence, whereas Cynthia's was cool, calm and collective despite being at a huge disadvantage.
"Well, look who it is! It's the dumpling brigade!" an unfortunately familiar voice cackled from nearby. Misty let out a small shriek as Harley took a seat next to her, ogling her in his usual weird manner.
"What are you doing here, Harley?" I scowled, wishing that this creep would leave us alone.
"I've already won my Fifth Round Battle," he boasted cheerfully. "It was a cinch! My divine Pokemon performed absolutely gorgeously. I'm one of the final eight trainers!"
"Good for you," I replied half-heartedly, trying to focus back on the match.
"You know what the best part about it is, though?" Harley chuckled, before glaring at me maliciously. "It gives me more of a chance to go head to head with you so I can humiliate you in front of your girlfriend." Misty's face turned a bright red. Whether or not it was due to embarrassment or frustration I couldn't tell.
"Don't push your luck," I warned, turning away from him to resume watching the battle. Misty continued to glare at the strange man dressed as a Cacturne, but soon followed suit.
"Hmph," snorted Harley before he also looked out to see what was happening. Not much had happened since Spiritomb's elimination. Milotic had healed more of its wounds with the Aqua Ring circling around it briefly. There was a momentary stand off as the Champion's water serpent examined its opponents carefully. It shook its head, trying to shake some of the sand from its eyes. After a moment, the Gliscor took to the skies once more, circling above the Milotic. Ash's Sceptile then moved in for the critical blow, preparing its Leaf Blade. Gliscor then swooped down, widening its pincers as far as it could. Both Pokemon went to strike the Milotic, when suddenly the Water Type darted back, firing one of the largest Ice Beams I had ever seen. It was so large that it engulfed both Sceptile and Gliscor in the freezing beam. Gliscor fell limply to the ground, but after a moment and some encouraging words from its trainer, it managed to push itself back onto its feet, balancing on its tail once again. Sceptile was not so fortunate, as it had been imprisoned in a tomb of ice.
"I know how that feels," I shuddered, recalling the moment that Darkhan's Articuno had done the same thing to me.
"You look a bit numb," Harley cackled, sliding his eyes in my direction. I paid no attention to him. I was more focused on Gliscor, who darted towards Milotic and struck it quickly before flying straight back into its Poke Ball.
"It used U-Turn again," Brock stated. "It must have taken a lot of damage from that Ice Beam, so a rest seems like a good idea."
"I'm not so sure," Anabel remarked. "Sending an already weakened Pokemon into battle again seems more like a move of desperation. But since Ash still has his impressively powerful Charizard still to come, he has decided now would be the best time to utilise its power."
"That Milotic is pretty," Harley beamed. "But it's nowhere near as pretty as my buddy, Banette." I gave him a strange look. It was like comparing Rhonda of Sinnoh Now to Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four. Nonetheless, I looked forward as Ash threw the Poke Ball forward. Cynthia had already battled one of these Flying Fire Types earlier in the tournament, which in fact belonged to Darkhan. Actually, no… it belonged to that Squadron Seventeen… I then fell deep into thought once again; the whole world seemed to stop to allow me to think properly.
All the negative emotions suddenly started to flood back. The duels with Darkhan, the arrival of that strange duo from Squadron Seventeen, the Articuno, the Azelf, then Sandra… I could only imagine how horrific her injuries had been since I had only been told through word of mouth what had happened to her. Her own father beating her mercilessly the way he did. It made anger and hate build up inside of me to an extent that I thought I was going to go wild. But I refrained from doing so, for the sake of not only my sanity but also for Misty. I cared for her more than most things in my life, but there was also a special place in my heart that was constantly filled by Sandra. Could it be that… No. Of course not. That would be a preposterous preposition. But was it? Was it really?
"Jonathyn, look sharp!" Misty nudged me. I suddenly came to my senses and looked back out over the battlefield as I had done before. "What's wrong with you?" she asked with a hint of concern.
"Looks like he's bored of your company," Harley mocked, earning him an irritated glare from Misty. Back out on the Rock Field, things were beginning to heat up quite literally. Ash's Charizard was using the flame on the tip of its tail to defrost the frozen Sceptile. Slowly, the ice began to melt. However Cynthia would not allow such an easy escape. Milotic created yet another wave before our very eyes and Surfed straight towards Charizard and Sceptile. However Charizard quickly dug its claws into the block of ice and took off into the air, only getting splashed slightly by the wave. Milotic quickly fired an Ice Beam, which was well off target to be fair. Charizard then turned around spat a Dragonbreath at the majestic Pokemon, hitting it just above its tail. The Milotic let out a small moan, before Charizard finally landed with Sceptile. There was a loud crack, followed by a shattering noise as Sceptile broke free from the ice. Shards of ice were sent hurtling at the Milotic, but Aqua Ring quickly recovered any damage that was caused from it.
"Sceptile is finally free to battle once more, with the help of Charizard!" the announcer bothered us once again. "Can these two power packed Pokemon put an end to Milotic once and for all?" Without delay, Milotic quickly shot another Ice Beam at Sceptile, but was met head on by a Flamethrower from Charizard, nullifying it completely. Charizard then darted forward, preparing a Steel Wing of its own. It was mere inches away from striking, but the serpentine Milotic completely stretched out its body along the ground, sending Charizard soaring over it and crashing into a protruding Rock formation on the battlefield. Milotic then wasted little time in heading towards Sceptile, which attempted to defend itself using a rapid Bullet Seed, but Milotic avoided every one of its rounds, firing a close range Ice Beam into Sceptile's chest. The roar was agonising as it fell backwards.
"This could be the end of Sceptile," Anabel gasped, looking on in awe. No one else said a thing, not even Harley. Sceptile slowly tried to get back up… after a moment of waiting it did indeed manage to get back up to its feet. It managed to stand upright, barely. From nowhere, Charizard spat a second Dragonbreath at Milotic, which was barely able to evade. What it could not evade were several spiked roots reappearing from beneath the ground, lashing it with brutal force. The glow coming from Sceptile as it attacked was even more intense than the last time it used the move. I guessed this was down to the fact that it had taken a lot of damage and thus its Overgrow ability had kicked in. Suddenly though, the roots lashed backwards in the same way that they had done before. Milotic was obviously using Mirror Coat again. How could Ash be so foolish to try this tactic twice? Especially against Cynthia? Sceptile skidded across the stoney floor before crashing into a nearby rock. This time, it was well and truly defeated.
"Sceptile is no longer able to battle! Despite the type advantage, it looks like Ice Beam and Mirror Coat took their toll on the Jungle Pokemon!" the announcer declared. The crowd had erupted into more cheers, some were even chanting Cynthia's name, egging her on towards victory. But equally, there were people chanting for Ash. The young trainer from Pallet Town called back his Sceptile before slowly summoning his Gliscor back on to the battlefield. Yet I could tell straight away that it was still exhausted.
"Ash needs to think very carefully about how he is going to attack," Brock stated. "If he loses one of his Pokemon now, this whole match could get turned on it's head."
"He can do it," Misty spoke with a whisper. "I know you can do it, Ash." I tried not to give her any sort of look, but what I expressed was a little bit of envy. But nowhere near the rate of Misty's whenever Anabel or Sandra spoke to me. I then paid closer attention to Gliscor's facial expression. Sweat was still cascading from its forehead. It's pincers were almost scraping on the ground. As it had done before, it was using its tail to help balance itself. Ash sent an instruction to Charizard, which suddenly spat a Dragonbreath attack straight at Milotic, which quickly attempted to respond using its Mirror Coat technique. However, Gliscor quickly darted forward, opening its pincers once again and clamping them across the serpent's throat. It was attempting to use that Guillotine again. The crowd watched eagerly, waiting to see where there was enough force in the pincers to cause a knockout. After a brief moment, the Milotic slowly lowered its head to face Gliscor, firing an Ice Beam at point blank range. Gliscor fell limply to the ground. To everyone's shock, it was unconscious.
"And now Gliscor is out of the battle as well!" the announcer yelled. "What a turn around by Cynthia! Now we are down to one on one!"
"It was a nice try," I admitted. "He must have figured Milotic would use Mirror Coat to defend from that Dragonbreath, but it wouldn't be able to protect it from a physical attack like Guillotine."
"But if Guillotine worked against Garchomp, then why not Milotic?" Misty whimpered, obviously afraid that her close friend would lose.
"Gliscor was still exhausted from battling earlier," I predicted. "And being a Flying Ground type, Ice attacks are the most effective to use against it."
"So now it's just down to these two," Anabel almost whispered, deeply engaged in what was happening. Even Harley was watching with a high level of interest. So much so that he had completely forgotten about our presence, so at least he wouldn't say anything for the moment.
"It's going right down to the wire," I grinned with a mixed feeling of excitement, worry and anticipation. "Charizard versus Milotic… winner takes all!"
TO BE CONTINUED!
NEXT TIME: It's the explosive climax to one of the most heated battles the Pokemon League has ever seen. Can Ash pull off a huge victory over Cynthia? Or will the Champion of the Sinnoh region bury the hopes of the Pallet Town native? You won't want to miss the next unmissable chapter!