DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon… err, I mean Pokemon!
THE LEAGUE OF CHAMPIONS
CHAPTER 39: ALMIGHTY BATTLE! ASH VERSUS CYNTHIA: PART THREE
Ash withdrew his fainted Gliscor from the battlefield, leaving only his dragon-like Charizard amongst the rocks to face the Milotic. The tension in the arena could be felt all over, not only by the competitors but even from those who were merely watching this battle unfold. I knew full well that Ash was feeling a little dejected after having two vital Pokemon taken out of contention in quick succession by Cynthia but he had to maintain his strength if he was to have any chance of winning this battle. He was already at a disadvantage and just one slip up from him could cost him his place in the final eight.
"Cynthia may have the advantage by type, but Ash can still evade her attacks by using Charizard's aerial skills," Brock stated. "Milotic is reduced to the ground, but Charizard has a lot more space to manoeuvre and that could be a key factor."
"But that would also mean that Milotic's Ice Beam will do more damage against Charizard than most other Fire Types," I replied.
"True, but Charizard's Flamethrower can neutralise any Ice based attacks that Milotic throws at it," Anabel responded positively. "Brock has a good point. Ash needs to utilise the air, otherwise he is done for."
"Come on, Ash!" Misty yelled out in support.
"Make your sweetheart happy, sunshine!" Harley called out, glancing out of the corner of his eye to relish Misty's immediate reaction. She soon sat herself back down and burying her head into my shoulder, looking over the battlefield. "Aww, how precious," Harley sneered slyly once more. I shot him a daggerous look, but he simply chuckled to himself.
"Don't let him get to you," I heard Anabel's voice speak to me telepathically. I could not help it though. He just seemed to pinch several nerves. "I know he does," Anabel continued. "But you've just got to try and hide your distaste. It is the reaction that makes him feel so good, so just pretend you don't care." To be perfectly truthful, I didn't care when he mocked me so much, but it was when he started to get Misty's goat that he also got mine. "Well then she should do the same," Anabel replied to my thoughts. I wished that she would stop reading my thoughts, even if she was only trying to help us out. "I understand," her voice said to me. I looked at her for a moment and exchanged a smile. I felt Misty's resulting growl rumble through my torso. I said Sorry in my mind. "That's alright," her assuring voice replied.
"Here we go again, folks!" the announcer suddenly cut off my thoughts. "This is the final part of Cynthia and Ash's battle. Get ready, this is going to be dramatic!" With that, the crowd roared. Cynthia made the first move, predictably creating another wave of water in front of the dragon-like Charizard and Surfing right at it. Instinctively, and under the instruction of Ash, it took off into the air, avoiding the wave which crashed against Ash's podium, showering him and Pikachu with a few droplets of water. Charizard then turned itself around and began to swoop at Milotic, spitting from its mouth a Dragonbreath attack. The Milotic quickly coiled up and took the brunt of the attack, but once again it was sent right back at Charizard from its Mirror Coat. Charizard managed to swerve to avoid its own attack, before preparing a Steel Wing which connected. Milotic was flung back towards Cynthia, instantly healing its resulting wounds with the Aqua Ring technique. Charizard maintained flight as Milotic fired an Ice Beam, but it was a mile off target, striking a section of stairs in the stands, covering them in an icy film.
"Milotic's accuracy is still way off thanks to Gliscor's Sand Attack," Anabel stated.
"Oh yeah!" I suddenly remarked. "I had completely forgotten about that."
"I think Ash knew that he would end up in this situation," Brock declared. "So he had Gliscor use Sand Attack to give him a slightly better chance. And every little bit counts!"
"So Ash doesn't have as much of a disadvantage as we first thought," Anabel grinned, looking towards her boyfriend. By now, Charizard had scorched the serpent's scales using its Flamethrower, although the burns were quickly healed by its Aqua Ring which continued to soothe it. Charizard then followed up by spitting out the smallest Dragonbreath I had ever seen. Nonetheless, Cynthia had Milotic use Mirror Coat. The small stream of flame missed Charizard as it rebounded back as it suddenly spun itself behind the serpent and wrapped its arms around the serpent's neck. It took off high into the sky with Milotic still in its clutches. In midair, it began to loop-the-loop several times. With each passing circle, the aerial lizard seemed to gain speed. Eventually it hurtled back down towards the Rock Field, slamming the Milotic with immeasurable force into one of the rock formations. A large cloud of dust puffed up on impact as the Charizard ascended once more.
"And Milotic was taken by complete surprise by that Seismic Toss from Charizard. Has Ash done enough to defeat Cynthia?" the announcer excitedly reported.
"That's one of Charizard's most powerful attacks," Brock noted. "And the way he executed it was pure genius."
"How do you mean, Brock?" Misty questioned.
"You really are as dumb as you look," Harley tisked. "Spikey there had Charizard use Dragonbreath at half-power, knowing Cynthia would use Mirror Coat to defend it. But by doing that, it allowed the Charizard to use Seismic Toss without getting struck by one of Milotic's attacks." I had to hand it to Harley, despite being a complete weirdo he certainly knew his stuff when it came to Pokemon technique. Mind you, he was once a revered Pokemon Coordinator in Hoenn, Johto and Kanto. Apparently he had competed in all three of the Grand Festivals from each respective region. I wasn't aware whether or not he had been to Sinnoh or not. If he had told me otherwise, then I must have rejected to listen.
"Look at that!" Brock suddenly gasped. We all looked over to the dust cloud which had now begun to settle. Amazingly, the Milotic was levitating skywards, surrounded by its Aqua Ring. It's eyes were glowing an eerie pale blue, before suddenly sending an airborne wave of water straight at Charizard, swallowing it in the water. The Charizard let out an agonised roar as the water fell back to the ground, sending Charizard with it. The rock field had now been turned into a muddy swamp thanks to the impressive attack of Milotic, which had now coiled itself around a rock. Charizard slowly got back up to its feet, still reeling from the attack. Milotic then shot an Ice Beam towards Charizard, which was quickly neutralised with a Flamethrower. Milotic then fired yet another Ice Beam, which Charizard was forced to counter once again with a stream of flame.
"Looks like Milotic is trying to wear Charizard out," Anabel stated.
"But surely Milotic would also be worn out too by using all those Ice Beams," I questioned.
"It's an endurance test," Anabel replied. "Cynthia is testing Charizard's persistence. Not only that, but look at what is happening to Charizard." I did as she said. The Fire Flying type was stood on the muddy ground rather than flying in the air. But nothing seemed to be out of the earlier. "Look closer," Anabel said, apparently reading my mind to notice my obliviousness. Once again I looked, examining Ash's Pokemon carefully. But yet I could still see no sign of anything being wrong. Then I was drawn to Charizard's feet. Both were submerged deep in the thick mud. That's when it clicked.
"I see. Cynthia is not only doing it to test Charizard's persistence," I began. "But also the longer it is grounded, the deeper it will sink into the mud."
"That's right," Anabel nodded. "And the further it sinks, the less likely it will be able to avoid one of Milotic's Surf attacks. I can tell that's what she is going to do."
"You know, I really don't find it fair that you are using your telepathic powers to help Ash," I commented, giving her rather a stern look. She simply smiled at me, before turning away with a small frown.
"I'm not," Anabel responded slowly. "Ash told me that he wants to win this battle alone. He never asked me to help him before, but I just want him to win so bad."
"We all do," Misty suddenly joined the conversation. "But that's not good enough to cheat. Ash can win on his own. He certainly doesn't need your help," she scowled. Anabel shot a glare at Misty, who seemed to have her eyes locked on her. Anabel slowly turned away with rather an angered expression on her face. I eagerly awaited to see whether or not Ash could get out of this predicament that he wasn't yet aware of. Still, the two Pokemon were exchanging Flamethrowers and Ice Beams, still getting nowhere. Then suddenly Charizard spat out a large Flamethrower straight at the Milotic, which in turn made no attempt at all to dodge or prevent. The flames engulfed the Water Type, seemingly doing little damage. As the flames dispersed, I noticed a faint black speck on the Milotic's scales. A small flame flickered from it before going out. Milotic let out a disgruntled hiss, before healing itself once more with Aqua Ring.
"This isn't good," Brock frowned. "Milotic has been burnt." I gave him an odd stare for a moment.
"How do you mean not good?" I asked with a small chuckle. "The damage that a burn inflicts gradually wears a Pokemon out."
"For starters, Milotic's Aqua Ring can heal any damage that the burn inflicts," Brock began. "But also Milotic has an ability called Marvel Scale. When burnt, poisoned, paralysed or put to sleep it's defense it raised dramatically. Ash will need to do something pretty special to cause any sufficient damage to Milotic now." With that, Cynthia seemed to gain an extra boost in confidence, ordering her Pokemon to unleash another wave of water. Charizard flapped its wings hard to take to the air once more, but it found that it was still stuck in the mud. It quickly braced itself by shielding itself with its wings just as the wave crashed over it once again, knocking it down into the mud on its back. Ash shouted words of desperation to his Pokemon, which slowly pushed itself back up onto its feet before managing to pry itself from the thick mud to take to the air. Then, the flame on the tip of its turn changed from a small flicker into a roaring bonfire. The sheer size of the flame was overwhelming, not to mention the heat it was producing. I could feel it from where I was sat and I must have been at least thirty feet or so away. Cynthia was forced to shield herself from the heat, before suddenly Charizard swung its tail, sending the giant fireball hurtling towards Milotic. There was nothing it could do, despite trying to prepare a Surf, it was too late. What resulted was a large explosion which rocked the whole arena.
"What move was that!?" I gasped, shielding myself from the heat and the bright light.
"Blast Burn," Anabel replied. "The most powerful Fire attack that a Pokemon can learn. Even a Water Type like Milotic will have trouble surviving!" Everyone watched in anticipation, waiting to see whether Ash had finally managed to put Milotic away.
"Out of sheer desperation, Charizard uses it's Blast Burn to totally incinerate Milotic!" the announcer whooped in ecstasy. "Surely it must be over now." Once the smoke had cleared, there was a large crater left from the impact. Charizard was still airborne, panting heavily. Suddenly, a beam of ice flew from the crater taking Charizard by surprise. It connected it its chest, the ice slowly expanding over the Fire Type's body. Only its tail was left uncovered, the flame now back to its normal size. However, the dragon-like Pokemon fell to the ground, splatting in the mud. With the exception of its tail, it was frozen completely solid. Milotic then prepared another Ice Beam, I assumed to finish the job once and for all… but rather than producing a beam, a small puff of cold air was exhaled. Milotic looked a little stunned by this.
"Milotic has used Ice Beam so many times that it has run out of energy to use that move!" Brock enlightened us. "That means Ash will need to get Charizard out of that block of ice if it is to win this battle."
"But that means that the only two moves that Milotic can use that will do now are Surf or Mirror Coat," I commented. "But all of Ash's moves are offensive moves, so it can still do at least some damage to it." Milotic had prepared yet another wave of water and had began to quickly accelerate towards the frozen Charizard. Fortunately for Ash, the flame on Charizard's tail began to expand and was melting the ice a lot quicker than it would do for any other sort of Pokemon. I could see a small flame building in the Charizard's mouth as well, as the ice tomb suddenly shattered, only to be swept away by Milotic's Surf. Charizard let out another agonised roar as the water drenched it once again. It fell backward, but managed to somehow regain its composure quickly once again, its tail expanding faster and faster. It then darted towards Milotic, wrapping its arms around its neck just as it had done before. I knew it was preparing a Seismic Toss at this point, but yet the flame on its tail was still growing it size.
"What's he up to?" I asked myself, as the winged lizard took off skyward with its opponent, circling in the air to gain momentum as it had done before and then shot back down towards the ground. It then flung Milotic downwards, before releasing a second fireball from its tail. The Seismic Toss and Blast Burn combined both struck the Milotic by surprise, resulting in yet another explosion. Charizard too fell to the ground, but managed to prevent a crash landing. It leaned against a rock, gasping for breath. The crowd gasped in awe as a result of the two attacks.
"That's got to be it, now!" Misty cried, now on the edge of her seat.
"I agree," Anabel nodded. "There's no way Milotic could have survived that." But then, we were proved wrong. The Milotic once again levitated, surrounding itself with its Aqua Ring which provided enough energy to keep it conscious. Then, all of a sudden it created another wave, Surfing along the top of it. With it's eyes still glowing a pale blue, it was headed straight towards the exhausted Charizard, which was still recovering after pulling off that amazing combination. But then Milotic suddenly shot a torrent of water from its mouth, striking the Charizard in the face. Finally, the wave crashed over Charizard too. The flame on its tail that had once burned so brightly was nothing more than a flicker. The Milotic stared at its opponent as the wave washed away into the mud. Charizard was down for the count, but amazingly it pushed itself back up onto its feet. It glared at the Milotic, which was also panting heavily from that last combination.
"So Milotic used a combination as well to attack Charizard?" I stammered. "But why wait all this time to use Hydro Pump? It could have won much quicker if it used it earlier in the match."
"Maybe she saved it as a last resort," Anabel stated. With that, we all fell silent. There was a momentary stand off between the two Pokemon, with both Pokemon being completely exhausted. Then suddenly, Milotic began to sway a little, before regaining its composure just as Charizard fell forward into the mud, no longer able to stand. As soon as the Fire type hit the ground, Milotic did as well, no longer able to summon energy to maintain its stance.
"Both Pokemon are down, but Charizard was the first to fall. After a climactic battle, Cynthia has defeated Ash Ketchum and is moving on into the final eight!" the announcer declared. With that, the crowd began to applaud, in the same manner which they had done when Garchomp was defeated. Ash and Cynthia both recalled their Pokemon before walking around the side of the main arena to congratulate and commiserate one another respectively. I could see both of them exchange a handshake, before Cynthia raised Ash's arm symbolically. The crowd then began to cheer, acknowledging the heart and passion that both trainers, winner and loser had put into the battle. Everyone stood up, including myself, Misty, Anabel, Brock and even Harley to give the two trainers a standing ovation. Despite the fact that Ash had come up short in the battle, he had a proud and happy smile across his face.
"There's no disgrace in losing a battle like that," Harley smiled. "I'm impressed, I have to say."
"Wow, Harley," I grinned. "I never knew you had a compassionate side."
"I save it for special occasions," he smirked back wickedly. "I'll be doing this too when you get beat." With that, my grin turned into a small frown, but laughed it off before returning my attention back to applauding the two trainers, who had both separated and were heading back into the tunnels from which they had emerged from. The crowd had began to disband.
"Don't forget, we've got a lot of battles still to come in the other arenas," the announcer called. "Coming up shortly on the Steel Field, the master of mimicry Mimi goes head to head with the ever impressive Jonathyn. Don't you miss it and neither will I!"
"So I guess you're going to be heading off for your match now?" Misty gazed at me. I simply nodded, mentally preparing myself for the upcoming battle. "I'll be there, rooting for you," she smiled sweetly at me, kissing me softly on the lips."
"Eww, get a room!" Harley grunted, but both of us paid little attention.
"I'm going to meet up with Ash," Anabel smiled. "I'll be there to watch you too!"
"I'll go and save us some seats," Brock smiled. "Misty, what do you want to do?"
"I'll come with you," she replied to the tanned male. "I'll let you finish getting ready for your battle. Please win… I don't want two people I care about lose today."
"Don't you worry," I grinned with confidence almost overflowing my body. "I've got this one covered." We both exchanged another kiss briefly. I noticed now that Harley had also made tracks. I didn't know where he was heading to, so long as he didn't bother Misty while I was battling Mimi. As much as I had wanted to face Ash in the next round, it looks like we weren't meant to face each other. Fate had other plans, and whoever should win this next battle would be facing another powerful opponent in the next round. But I had to stop thinking about the future and focus on this next match. It was only a few minutes away and I knew that I would have to get a move on. "Gotta go," I smiled, quickly kissing Misty on the cheek before heading towards the stairwell, which was brimming with people still leaving.
"Good luck!" I heard all three of my friends' voices call to me. I randomly waved to signal that I had heard them. I apologised as I shoved my way past some of the spectators, some of whom wished me luck as I passed them. I quickly arrived in the lobby, where several people were healing their Pokemon, which made me thankful that I hadn't left it until the last minute. I clasped my hands over the four Poke Balls which I would be soon launching into battle. After weaving through the crowds some more, I eventually made it to the Trainer Lounge area. I placed my backpack on a random bench, since there were only a couple of trainers still left to battle. I was shocked when I saw a familiar girl dressed in pink stood not too far from where I had just sat down.
"So… here we are," Mimi smiled, walking up towards me. Her outfit was slightly different from that when I had seen her last. She was wearing a pink, shiny leather coat with brown tassels and decorative features. Her hat was also pink and glittery, some sequins sparkled as the light reflected from them. She walked right up to where I was sat, crouching just in front of me locking her eyes with mine. "Tell me," she said, running her fingers along my thigh, "do you want to become Champion?" I tilted my head at her, confused by her behaviour.
"Umm… yes?" I replied with a confused tone as she moved from my thighs to my arms, stroking them as if they were fur. "What are you doing?" I asked, taking a deep gulp of saliva.
"Hush hush there, little boy," Mimi smiled seductively, licking her lips. She stood over me, pressing herself up against my body. "I will throw this match for you if you do me a little favour," she smiled, nipping my ear in what seemed to be a rather provocative manner.
"I don't want you to throw the match," I replied, staring at the girl. "I want to prove that I am the best trainer in the world."
"I know that you are," Mimi smiled. "Everyone knows it. You know, you and I don't HAVE to battle… I will repay you greatly…"
"Wait, hold on one second there," I said, standing up which forced Mimi back a little. "You want to throw the match for me… and you will also repay me if I do? What's going on?"
"Maybe I didn't word it right," she smiled, walking over to the door and locking it with a key. She then slowly strut towards me, unzipping her pink jacket to reveal a very minimal amount of clothing beneath. My jaw dropped upon seeing her figure. "I'll do something for you… but it's something I want as well." I could not take my eyes off the girl's figure. I thought she was a young, innocent girl but she had developed beyond her age. "I know what you are thinking," she whispered to me seductively. "This could be yours… so make it yours," she said, approaching me further before wrapping her arm around the back of my neck and pressing herself into my body once again.
"N-no… I can't!" I stammered, trying to resist all the temptation. "I am dating Misty… I could never do that to her."
"Who's going to know?" Mimi licked her lips deliciously before moving her face closer to mine. I lifted my head up to avoid contact with her lips, but as a result she began to kiss my neck instead. "Come on, Jonathyn," she pleaded, rubbing my chest with her free hand. I began to sweat a little. Misty had never done anything like this with me… and this girl Mimi was surprisingly rather attractive. I slowly looked at her, lowering my head before she began to kiss me passionately on the lips. I pulled away, but ended up backing into one of the cupboards. "Just close your eyes," Mimi sweetly smiled. I let out a long and worried sigh. Our match was scheduled any minute now… but could I really be tempted to do this… I suddenly noticed a flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head, but Mimi quickly pressed her lips against mine again. But once more, I shook her off, so much so that I shoved her back. I then noticed what had made the flash. A camera… set up in a nearby locker. I glared at Mimi, who had a mischievous smirk on her face.
"What the hell?" I demanded.
"Aww, come on. I thought it would be cute," she smirked with a sinister glare.
"I'm not buying it," I snarled. "You're just trying to get me to guilt trip you towards a victory. No chance!" I quickly grabbed a Poke Ball, knowing exactly what to do. "Rotom, come on out!" With a flash of light, the small plasmatic ghost appeared.
"Rorororo!" it chuckled, causing Mimi to shriek a little.
"Rotom, you see that camera over there?" I pointed to the device. Rotom spun around before nodding, a wide grin appearing on its face. "You feel like playing with it?" Rotom began to laugh again, sparks flying from it as it faded into the camera. There was a momentary silence, until suddenly a loud pop filled the room. Shards of the camera and film scattered across the floor. Rotom reappeared, apparently having a great time.
"No!" Mimi squealed. "I was so close, too!"
"Alright, you little slut," I cursed, pinning her against the locker. "What's this all about?"
"Heehee," she giggled innocently. "I just wanted to have some fun with you."
"Tell me the truth," I snapped. "I'm sure Rotom wouldn't mind making you go "pop" the same way that camera did." This made Mimi a little nervous.
"Fine!" she huffed. "I wanted to blackmail you so I could win because I don't think I can beat you… Happy now?" With that, she did her pink jacket back up and shoved me aside, leaving me and Rotom slightly bemused.
"You know, you could try hard to win the battle rather than try to cheat," I said with a little bit more of a calm voice. "Even if you don't win, it is the effort you make that matters. Ash showed me that today."
"Don't lecture me," Mimi snarled. "Let's just get out there and do this," with that, she picked up four Poke Balls from her changing area before walking down the corridor towards the end of her tunnel. I called Rotom back into its Poke Ball, before holding the Poke Balls of Aggron, Gabite, Houndoom and Nidorino in my pocket. I took a slightly different route, heading down a different passage until I was at the very end of the Steel Battlefield. An official was waiting for me. After that strange turn of events, I was not too sure whether or not I was ready to do this… but then I realised that perhaps that was one of Mimi's sick intentions.
"Hmph… you're going down, you harlot," I sneered to myself as I heard the crowd roar once I stepped out into view…
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT TIME: After a very strange confrontation, Jonathyn must now battle Mimi in what is sure to be his toughest battle yet. But what is Mimi hiding from Jonathyn and what is the true reasoning behind her actions? Jonathyn's battle finally begins in the next exciting chapter!