AN:
Sorry for the long wait, folks! But I'm back and ready to finish the quarterfinals! Let's get right into it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
CW: There's some blood in this chapter.
Ash adjusted his Z-ring, his Dynamax band, and his mega-glove. He glanced at his shoulder, where Pikachu was resting. "Ready to go, buddy?"
Pikachu replied with some pumped-up cries.
Ash grinned. "Right. Let's go, then!"
He strode out onto the field, brimming with confidence.
The crowd cheered with all their might as Ash and Steven entered the stadium. And it only made sense; the winner of this match would battle Cynthia in the semifinals!
The two battlers reached their respective sides on the field. The referee was in the middle, floating on his aegislash mount. "This is a three-on-three battle. You may each use one gimmick and one held item. The first one to knock out all their opponents' pokémon wins!"
"Mister Steven! We'll be the one to head to the semifinals!" Ash declared.
"You sound so confident despite facing me." Steven slowly nodded. "I can't wait to see how this battle will go."
"Now then, both battlers, send out your first pokémon out onto the field! Three! Two! One! Go!"
The two trainers threw their pokéballs.
"Come out, Metagross!"
"Dracovish, I choose you!"
The two pokéballs flew into the sky and released bright flashes of light. On Ash's side, a dracovish, wearing a life-orb pendant, materialized; he cried out to signal his readiness for battle.
Across him, a shiny metagross with a mega-stone bracelet on its foreleg materialized. It gave a single cry and shifted into a battle-ready stance.
Steven spread his arms wide. "Ash, did you know that I'm the strongest and most impressive trainer in the Hoenn region right now? But that's not enough to satisfy me. The World Coronation Series…" He balled his hands into fists. "By winning this tournament, I'll be able to call myself the one true strongest and most impressive trainer!"
"Same goes for us!" Ash shared a knowing glance with Pikachu. "For everyone who cheered us on our way here, and for the pokémon, too! I've gotta win this!"
The referee gestured with his arms. "Let the battle begin!"
Ash brandished his arm, pointing. "Dracovish, Water Gun!"
Steven snapped his fingers. "Agility!"
Dracovish reared his head back. He felt his life-orb empower him, and he snapped his head back, firing several potent gushes of water. Metagross moved in, weaving around the water jets with unnatural speed bursts. Its cross glowed with psychic energy as it prepared its next attack.
Ash shoved his arm forward. "Fishious Rend!"
Dracovish's lower jaw grew bright blue, and he caught Metagross' cross in his jaws as it collided with him. A faint psychic outline surrounded Dracovish, but he bit down with striking force before Metagross could go through with its attack. The force of his bite pushed Metagross back, interrupting its Psychic.
Dracovish spat a few metal chips out of his mouth. A few clinks resounded as they hit the floor.
Steven hummed and put his hand on his hip. "Impressive strength."
Ash grinned. "I've been training hard for this; my pokémon and I will give it our all!" Thanks for the training, Paul; it really helped!
"In that case, we can end this warm-up." Steven grabbed Metagross' pokéball. "Return, Metagross."
A red light engulfed Metagross, and it returned to its pokéball. Steven switched to another pokéball. "Come out, Aggron!"
The rock-steel pokémon bellowed upon entry. He and Dracovish sized each other up, waiting to react to the other's moves. Dracovish was already huffing. Higher stamina drain…a small price to pay for more powerful attacks.
Ash motioned. "Fishious Rend!"
Dracovish bellowed a battle cry as it dashed forward, his stance low and his lower jaw brimming with water energy. Aggron rotated, bringing his tail to face the approaching water dragon. Dracovish crunched down on it, and Aggron winced as he felt the jaws penetrate his stone hide, which sent a chill running up his spine.
Aggron powered through the pain; he twirled a few times to gain momentum and flicked his tail upward. This dislodged Dracovish from his tail and sent him flying into the sky. While he helplessly flailed his limbs every which way, Aggron's horns glowed with a white-blue sheen. His focus sharpened, and he analyzed Dracovish's movements as he came back down, pinpointing the best place to strike him.
Once Dracovish was in range, Aggron stabbed him in the gut.
Dracovish cried out in pain as he tumbled onto the ground. He came to a stop, slumped over his stomach. He started to stagger back up, groaning from the burning pain in his gut.
"Rock Tomb!"
Snorting, Aggron raised his arms, and he conjured numerous boulders. He flung them; the boulders came crashing down on Dracovish, burying him under piles of rock.
"Dracovish!" Ash gritted his teeth. Their momentum… They were doing so well until now!
Steven gestured toward the pile of boulders. "Well? Where's that fiery passion you displayed moments ago? Don't tell me it was all bravado."
Ash clenched his fists. Don't lose your cool, Ash! "We're not done yet!" He swiped his arm to the side. "Dracovish, use Dragon Rush!"
A blinding, blue flash of light came from the pile of rocks. The boulders exploded, revealing a roaring, scratched, and bruised Dracovish, draped in surging, blue energy. He entered a mad dash toward his opponent, although there was a noticeable limp in his step.
Aggron punched his other hand's open palm, and a white aura surged around his body. He charged head-first and butted heads with Dracovish. They struggled intensely, neither combatant budging an inch, but Aggron soon overpowered Dracovish and sent him flying. He landed on his back; struggling, he stood back up.
"Aggron, finish this." Steven pointed. "Use Hyper Beam!"
Aggron reared his head up, and energy gathered in front of his open maw, forming an orange ball of energy. Once it was fully loaded, he snapped his head forward and fired a huge, orange beam of pure destruction.
Ash's face blanched. "Dracovish, Water Gun, quickly!" He had practically blurted out that command.
Dracovish fired his own water blast, but even with the boost from his life-orb, it paled in comparison.
The two attacks clashed with each other. Soon after the initial stalemate, Aggron's beam started gaining more ground over Dracovish's, pushing him back. Dracovish dug his feet into the ground. His left leg burned with pain, but he couldn't give in. He had to stand his ground, and push back against this overwhelming attack.
If only it was that easy.
Aggron's hyper-beam gained more ground until it was mere inches away from his face. Dracovish felt its intense heat wash over him. Wincing, he shut one of his eyes.
"Come on, Dracovish! I believe in you! You can do this!" Desperation tainted Ash's voice. "You've got to win this!"
Dracovish felt his growing exhaustion coming to snuff him out. He would soon run out of stamina for his Water Gun. He couldn't afford this; his trainer was encouraging him—no, begging him to overcome this hurdle.
And that made something resonate within Dracovish: a primal power—his untapped potential welling up inside him like a furious, bottled tempest.
Dracovish roared, and his water blast tripled in size, dwarfing and overpowering Aggron's hyper-beam. Aggron went wide-eyed in surprise as Dracovish's attack was suddenly fast approaching. The water blast slammed into his chest; he grunted as he strained to hold out, but the torrent sent him flying backward.
CRASH! He slammed into the wall behind Steven, leaving a heavy dent in it.
"Woah!" Ash exclaimed. "Dracovish, was that Hydro Pump? Awesome!"
Dracovish flapped his flippers, emitting a few excited cries. However, his exhaustion caught up to him; he drooped, breathing heavily.
"Ah, right." Ash returned Dracovish. "Rest up for now, okay?"
Meanwhile, Steven returned Aggron to his pokéball as he extracted himself from his indent in the wall. Learning Hydro Pump on the fly… A most unorthodox strategy.
He turned back around and selected his next pokéball. "Cradily, come out!"
The grass-rock pokémon emerged out of her domain, brandishing her eight tentacles.
A slow, rock-grass pokémon, then. Ash smirked. He had an obvious counter to that. "Gengar, I choose you!"
The pokéball released Gengar in a bright flash of light, who announced his presence with a joyful cry. He stuck his tongue out at Cradily, taunting her.
Ash balled his hand into a fist. "Shadow Ball!"
Steven swiped his arm to the side. "Knock it away, then use Ingrain!"
Cradily braced herself for Gengar's movements, but the levitating ghost zipped around her, easily exiting her field of view. Now faced with her blind side, he formed a dark purple ball of energy and flung it. It struck the back of Cradily's head and detonated, making Cradily cry out in pain. Nonetheless, she proceeded with her next move; spectral, green roots came out of her lower body and planted themselves into the ground. The roots drew nutrients from it and slightly healed her wounds.
Ah. That kind of strategy. Gengar puffed his cheeks up, and he spat a volley of poisonous, muddy bullets. They peppered Cradily in the face, and she winced.
"Power Whip!"
Cradily gathered energy in four of her tentacles, making their tips glow green. They sprung forward, elongating past their natural length, and she attempted to bash Gengar with them. He weaved around in the air, avoiding the tentacles with relative ease.
Frustrated, Cradily sent four more his way, and it got harder to evade. Soon, eight tentacles had Gengar surrounded, and they assaulted him with a series of whiplashes.
Afterward, Cradily firmly grappled Gengar's four limbs in her tentacles, rendering him immobile. She retracted her other tentacles, produced her leftovers, and nibbled on them, supplementing the healing from her Ingrain.
Ash gulped. Ack, not good! "Gengar! Another Sludge Bomb, let's go!"
Gengar let loose another volley of his poisonous projectiles, but Cradily shielded her face with her tentacles, mitigating the damage.
"Cradily, use Giga Drain!"
Green energy illuminated Cradily's tentacles. She sapped Gengar's strength through them, eliciting a pained cry from him. Her tentacles carried the energy back to her, which healed some of her scratches and bruises.
Ash clenched his teeth. Cradily was a tougher opponent than he had initially anticipated. "Break yourself free, Gengar! Dazzling Gleam!"
After giving his trainer an acknowledging cry, Gengar began to glow with a multitude of colours. He released an intense burst of light, which pushed him further away from Cradily. The extra tension on her tentacles forced Cradily to release him; Gengar cried out, enjoying his freedom.
Ash punched the air. "Alright! Now use Will-O-Wisp!"
Steven shoved his arm forward. "Deflect it; Rock Blast!"
An orange glow enveloped Gengar's body as he slapped his hands together; several purple wisps of flame appeared around him. He swung his arms and sent the wisps flying toward his opponent. Cradily conjured rocks on her tentacle tips and flung them; they parried the wisps before they could get to her. Moreover, Cradily's Ingrain and leftovers continued to gradually heal her.
Tch. Those tentacles…as long as they were in play, openings were scarce. But if Ash could find a way to neutralize them, the momentum would shift back in his favour!
Ash lifted Gengar's pokéball. "Gengar, return!" He switched to another pokéball on his belt. "Dracovish, let's go!"
The water-dragon pokémon emerged onto the battlefield, and he bellowed a mighty cry.
"Can you do this, Dracovish?"
Dracovish tensed and uttered a cry that signalled he was ready to fight. He still held a few scratches and bruises from his previous battle; nonetheless, he had recovered sizably, especially his leg, which was no longer in pain.
"Alright!" Ash balled his hand into a fist. "Use Dragon Rush!"
Dracovish roared, and his body exploded with an oversized, blue aura of energy. He charged Cradily, a determined glare ever present on his face.
Tensing in anticipation, Cradily primed her tentacles with energy, and they elongated as she shot them forward. She swiped at Dracovish's feet, which tripped him up. He rolled on the ground, and Cradily lashed out with her other tentacles, knocking Dracovish back.
He landed on his back but recovered moments later, jumping back to attention. Infuriated by his failed attempt at an attack, Dracovish retaliated with his newly-learned Hydro Pump, firing a humongous torrent of water. It hit Cradily square in the face; she recoiled but remained fixed in place by her Ingrain roots.
Despite her healing, Cradily started to quiver.
She wasn't the only one: Dracovish was panting too. If he wanted to win, he would have to finish this quickly, before his life-orb took its toll on him. His jaw started glowing with a blue sheen as he gathered energy for a Fishious Rend.
Brief flashes of light followed as Cradily conjured rocks at her tentacle tips. She launched them at Dracovish, who ran forward and crushed any incoming rocks in his mighty jaws.
Steven tched. He pointed. "Cradily, use Giga Drain!"
Cradily's tentacles glowed green, and she shot all of them forward.
Ash grinned. His opening was finally here. He brought his arm back and snapped it forward. "Dracovish, chomp on those vines; Ice Fang!"
Dracovish gaped his maw, and once Cradily's tentacles were in range, he chomped onto them.
Steven gasped. "What‽"
Cradily flummoxed. She tried to pull her tentacles back, to no avail. Frost energy overflowed out of Dracovish's maw, and Cradily's tentacles started to freeze over. The frost ran through them and back to Cradily, who increasingly panicked as ice covered her body.
Before long, Cradily was completely encased in ice.
Ash popped off. "Alright! Dracovish, let's finish this!" He pointed, his stance brimming with triumph. "Use Dragon Rush!"
With a drawn-out roar, Dracovish summoned all his remaining strength; his body exploded with the blue aura of his draconic soul. He charged his frozen opponent and crashed into her with a mighty SLAM!
An explosion rang out; smoke and ice shards flew in every direction.
Once the smoke settled, the referee flew down to inspect the situation. Cradily was slumped over; she had swirls for eyes.
The referee raised his arm in the air. "Cradily is unable to battle!"
The crowd broke out into cheers.
Dracovish's pride swelled from his victory.
However, he didn't have much time to celebrate his victory before his exhaustion caught up to him. His legs were quivering, his body was sore, his eyes were heavy, he was panting, he was tottering…
In the end…
Thud. Dracovish collapsed onto his stomach, unconscious.
The crowd fell silent, gasping.
The referee shook off his initial surprise and did his job. Raising his arm in the air, he declared, "Dracovish is unable to battle!"
Ash returned Dracovish. "You were great out there. Now take a good, long rest, alright?" He stashed his pokéball. That was one problem down and two to go. Ash looked down, adjusting his hat. Steven's remaining pokémon were already hurt by Dracovish, while Pikachu was still fully energized.
Ash looked up, grinning. He was really feeling it!
"Return, Cradily." A red beam of light engulfed Cradily, and she returned to her domain. "You did well," Steven said. Stashing her pokéball away, he turned to Ash. "I'll say I'm impressed — Each of your strategies manage to catch me off guard." He shook his head, raising one arm in a shrug. "But please wipe that grin off your face. You haven't won just yet."
He threw his next pokéball. "Aggron, come out once more!"
The rock-steel pokémon emerged onto the field again, and he roared. He had recovered from his previous battle, although some injuries remained visible, and soreness plagued his muscles.
Aggron snorted. He wouldn't let his previous injuries hinder him in this battle.
Ash selected his next pokéball and pitched it. "Let's go, Gengar!"
The levitating ghost-poison pokémon emerged from his pokéball, and he started zipping around the field. His battle with Cradily had left him with some injuries here and there, but Gengar was still pumped and ready for battle.
"Shadow Ball!"
Gengar zipped around the air as he gathered energy in his hands. A dark purple ball of energy materialized between them, and he flung his projectile. He repeated the process to fire a whole volley of shadow-balls, all coming from different directions.
Snorting, Aggron's horns glowed, and his vision tunnelled. He unleashed a flurry of swift horn swipes, deflecting any incoming shadow-balls. However, Aggron returned the last shadow-ball to his sender.
Surprised, Gengar barely managed to twist himself out of the way. Yeesh, not a single hit? Aggron's defence was on point!
Conjured rocks orbited around Aggron as he raised his arms in the air. He flung them, and they fell around Gengar, who lit up his body with multicoloured light. Before the final boulder could seal the rock coffin, a burst of light dispelled it. Rubble flew in every direction, and the light forced Aggron to shield his face as he winced from its sheer intensity.
Gengar capitalized on the opening, charging and throwing a sizable shadow-ball.
It detonated on Aggron's chest, making his feet slide back a few steps. The stinging pain in Aggron's chest made him snort in annoyance. Ignoring it, his horns glowed, and he focused his sight on Gengar and his movements. He zipped forward and stabbed Gengar with his horns. Gengar soared backward; he bounced on the ground and came to a stop, laying flat on his stomach. He picked himself up, panting but determined.
Ash clenched his teeth. If his attacks weren't hitting hard enough, then… "Gengar, use Will-O-Wisp!"
"I don't think so!" Steven snapped his fingers, smirking. "Aggron, use Heavy Slam! Right on the ground you're standing on!"
Clapping his hands together, Gengar summoned a dozen flaming, purple wisps. And with a motion of his arms, he launched them at his opponent.
Aggron bellowed a war cry as his body burst with a white aura of energy. When he crouched down and leapt, he left cracks in the ground. But when he came back down, his stomp quaked the earth, cracking it even further. A heap of rubble and rocks shot up around Aggron; the impromptu shield blocked Gengar's wisps.
Breathing heavily, Aggron raised himself upright and snorted.
Ash would have gasped, but he was too busy picking himself up — Aggron's stunt had sent him to the ground. Still, with so much defence, it would be nigh impossible to catch him off guard. "Brace yourself, Gengar! Wait for a counterattack opportunity!"
Gengar gave a single cry to acknowledge the command. Dodge, then counterattack. Easy enough. Aggron was bound to leave himself open if he were the one to attack.
Steven put his hand on his hip. "I won't make it so easy to counter Aggron." He pointed. "Rock Tomb!"
Aggron threw his arms in the air, conjuring two dozen circling boulders around him. Grunting, he swung his arms, launching two or three boulders with each swing. Gengar proved to be incredibly agile; he dodged out of the way of the boulders, moving like a leaf in the wind. As he moved, Gengar charged a dark purple ball of energy. Soon, it matched his own size, and he fired it.
Aggron, although initially surprised, narrowed his eyes at the incoming attack. He held out his arms and caught the shadow-ball in his hands. It immediately began to sear them, which forced a pained grunt and a wince from him. Nonetheless, he held out, and with a roar followed by a jerk of his arms upward, he deflected the ball into the sky, where it exploded harmlessly.
Aggron's shoulders drooped, and he breathed heavily. His arms stung greatly, but at least he had spared himself from taking the brunt of the damage.
Gengar recoiled in shock and gulped. Perhaps…he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew?
The panting rock-steel beast set his glare on Gengar, who flinched. Aggron recovered and tensed, growling as he gathered energy. He roared as his whole body erupted with white energy.
He anchored himself and prepared himself to leap.
Gengar wanted absolutely no business with whatever Aggron was preparing. He flew higher into the sky and gathered as much energy as he could; his body shone with a blinding, multicolour sparkle of hues. With a twist of his body, Gengar put one hand over the other. He shot them forward with a roaring cry and fired a focused beam of light downward.
Aggron grunted as Gengar's attack slammed into him and pushed him a few inches into the ground. However, he endured it. Aggron wouldn't let a silly light show stop him. He gritted his teeth, poured all his strength into his legs, and leapt.
Roaring, he soared through Gengar's beam of light. Gengar could only watch with wide eyes as Aggron rocketed dangerously close to him.
WHAM! The rock-steel beast slammed into him, knocking him even higher. Gengar's flight path followed an arc, and he eventually crashed into the ground. A mound of dust rose and covered him from view.
"Gengar!" Ash cried out in horror.
The dust parted, revealing Gengar's unconscious form.
The referee raised his arm after a quick inspection. "Gengar is unable to battle!"
Aggron fell from the sky. He impacted the ground with a resounding THOOM!, which put more cracks in the ground and kicked up a cloud of dust.
The shockwave from landing rattled Aggron's insides, which made him shudder. A wave of nausea welled up from within, and he descended into a coughing fit. Blood spattered onto the ground.
Aggron wiped his maw with the back of his hand. His body was sore, and his breathing was ragged, but he wouldn't stop fighting until he fainted. He snorted. That was a promise.
Ash returned Gengar. He looked at his pokéball with a determined smile. "I won't let your and Dracovish's hard work go to waste! Rest up and leave it to Pikachu and me, okay?" He stashed his pokéball and glanced down to his left. "Ready to go, buddy?"
Pikachu replied with an energetic cry. He was born ready!
"Right!" Ash pointed toward the battlefield. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
Pikachu ran onto the battlefield and stared at his practically exhausted opponent down. His cheeks sparked. He would take the opening his allies gave him and finish the job!
Steven took the initiative this time. "Aggron, Heavy Slam!"
Leaning forward, Ash swiped his arm to the side. "Dodge it, then use Thunderbolt!"
Glowing bright white, Aggron charged Pikachu, bellowing a war cry. Pikachu jumped onto a nearby boulder. When Aggron came to smash into it, he leapt onto another boulder; Aggron crashed into the vacant boulder, smashing it to smithereens.
Aggron snorted as he noticed his opponent's nimble escape. He charged again, but the small, agile rodent kept up his evasive manoeuvres, effectively staying out of Aggron's reach.
All the while, the electric pokémon charged electricity in his cheek pouches. Once they were primed and brimming with electrons, Pikachu jumped straight up. He slapped his cheeks before unleashing a bright bolt of lightning downward.
Aggron roared in pain as an intense voltage coursed through him. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably as volatile sparks flew in every direction. After Pikachu cut off his attack and landed in front of him, his body was smoking, and he wobbled, wincing.
Ash smirked. Not so tough now that you can't deflect our attacks, huh?
Aggron recovered, and he shot a glare at Pikachu. He raised his arms, snorting. Not yet. He still had more to give. He conjured a slew of boulders. With some heavy swings of his arms, Aggron grunted as he hurled the boulders at Pikachu.
The small rodent dashed into motion with an unnatural burst of speed. He dexterously weaved himself through the boulders as they fell, narrowly dodging each one as he came closer to Aggron.
Aggron shifted his stance and swung his tail in a low, sweeping arc. Pikachu jumped over it and used Aggron's head as a jump pad to propel himself upward. A ball of electricity formed at his tail's tip.
Pikachu spun and launched the ball downward. It expanded into a web of electricity, which trapped Aggron underneath its shocking grasp.
While Pikachu stuck a landing, another hefty dose of voltage coursed through Aggron, eliciting a cry of pain from him. Before long, the web stopped shocking him but kept him trapped within.
the tiring rock-steel pokémon clawed at the net, but the simple exertion of moving his muscles caused them to burn. Moreover, his vision was blurring, and his panting was more severe. His stamina was reaching the point of no return.
At this rate, it was now time to take drastic measures.
Aggron's maw opened, and, pooling his remaining strength, he strained to gather energy. An orange ball of destructive force slowly formed in front of his maw. However, its composition wobbled, and it took all his focus to keep it from fizzling out of existence.
Pikachu let out a cry of denial. As if he would stand there and let him do this thing! He dashed forward, his tail hardening to steel. With a jump and a tail swing, he bashed Aggron on his lower jaw. Aggron's head reared up from the blow, and his orange ball of energy fizzled into nothing.
The electricity web around Aggron dissipated as well. However, the hulking beast remained still for a few seconds before toppling onto his back with an audible thud.
His eyes were black swirls.
The referee confirmed it with his inspection. "Aggron is unable to battle!"
The crowd unleashed a chorus of cheers.
"Alright!" Ash punched the air in celebration.
Pikachu flexed his biceps and emitted his own victorious cries. He silently thanked his allies for their invaluable contribution.
Steven grabbed Aggron's pokéball. "Return, Aggron." The pokéball recalled him into his domain. He turned the pokéball around. "Thank you." He stashed it, rummaged with his belt, and took hold of his final pokéball. "Win or lose, this will decide it all. Come forth…" He threw the ball. "Metagross!"
The shiny metagross emerged from its pokéball and stood by for battle. Pikachu dropped to all fours and readied himself. Metagross still had a few chips on its cross from its earlier skirmish with Dracovish.
"Aggron was exhausted from his previous battles; let's see how your pikachu fares against an opponent who isn't so tired." Steven snapped his fingers. "Flash Cannon!"
Ash punched the air. "Thunderbolt, let's go!"
The two pokémon charged and released their respective attacks; a white beam of energy collided with a lightning bolt. The two attacks were at a stalemate for a few seconds before they exploded, sending smoke everywhere.
"Move in! Iron Tail!"
"Meteor Mash!"
Pikachu emitted a cry before entering a dash, his tail hardening to steel and glowing white. Metagross slammed its two forelegs together, wrapping itself in a blue aura, and it rocketed toward Pikachu.
Pikachu jumped and whacked his tail on Metagross, but the larger pokémon overpowered him and sent him flying. Pikachu cried out as he soared in the air.
Ash gasped. "Pikachu!" He clenched his fists and shot a glance at the field. This was no time to worry. Was there anything he could use here? Boulders, uneven, cracked ground, various rubble…
An idea sprung forth in Ash's mind, and he made a karate chop motion. "Slam the ground, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
Pikachu repositioned himself and spun, building up momentum. He slammed his hardened tail into the ground, which sent countless sizable rock chunks into the air.
Ah, of course! Pikachu anticipated his trainer's next command; he smacked the rocks with his tail as they fell, sending them at his opponent.
"Metagross, use Agility!"
Metagross sped up, effortlessly dodging the rocky projectiles Pikachu sent his way. However, it made no effort to approach him. With prior knowledge of what happened the last time it did so, Metagross opted to use Psychic from afar.
Its cross lit up, poised with psychic power. It grabbed Pikachu in a psychic grip and hovered him higher off the ground. Pikachu struggled in vain against it, but a fresh wave of pain made him cry out as he felt his insides get rattled by Metagross' psychic energy.
Afterward, Metagross sent Pikachu hurtling toward the ground.
Ash gulped. Not good! With another scan of the field, Ash scrambled to come up with something. What could break a fall? Pikachu would need the ability to fly or levitate, which was out of the question. But if he had water, or perhaps something soft to land on, like a net, then maybe he could—
Wait! Of course! "Quick, Pikachu! Use Electroweb! Straight down!"
Pikachu gritted his teeth in determination, and he gathered the required electricity at his tail's tip. With a swift flick and cry, he launched a web of electricity downward, which affixed itself onto some intact boulders as it expanded. Pikachu whumped into the improvised net, spared from taking any fall damage.
The web dissipated, and Pikachu landed on the ground, ready to keep battling.
"Impressive," Steven said, nodding. "I suppose this ends our warm-up, yes?"
Ash steeled himself. That meant…
Steven grabbed a pin from his vest, which held a key-stone. "Sparkle of stone, become our bond!"
The key-stone brimmed with blinding light, producing tendrils of light, and he brandished it forward. The mega-stone on Metagross' foreleg glowed similarly, producing blue tendrils of light. The two types of tendrils connected, and their shine rose to a blinding sheen.
"Metagross, mega-evolve!"
Rainbow light covered Metagross' form. Its physiology morphed: its legs became arms, and four legs grew from the back of its head. A spike grew below its cross, giving the impression of a goatee.
The light dispelled, and Mega Metagross, who now levitated, slammed its arms together, sending a rush of wind at Pikachu.
There it was — Mega Evolution! "Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash pointed. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked, and he unleashed a bolt of lightning. Metagross effortlessly moved out of harm's way, however. Surprised, Pikachu tried shifting his lightning bolt toward it, but Metagross moved out of the way each time.
Pikachu gritted his teeth. It was like trying to hold a slippery soap bar: nigh impossible!
"It's pointless." Steven gestured to his mega-evolved metagross. "This is the power of Mega Metagross. As long as its eyes are trained on Pikachu, it can accurately predict his movements. Moreover, its speed boost from Agility will make escaping it nigh impossible."
"We'll see about that! Pikachu, use Quick Attack! Use the rocks to hide yourself!" Ash motioned as he gave the command.
Pikachu zipped forward with a burst of speed, leaving a trail of faint afterimages as he dashed around the numerous, scattered boulders on the battlefield. He zigged and zagged between the rocks before jumping on top of one of them. Using it as a springboard, Pikachu propelled himself toward his target.
However, Metagross had its eyes fixed on him the entire time, and it dodged Pikachu's laughable attempt at a tackle. Pikachu landed and whirled around to face it, cheeks sparking as he glared daggers at it.
"Ridiculous! One does not simply brute force his way out of Mega Metagross' sight." Steven pointed. "Meteor Mash!"
Metagross practically disappeared, leaving Pikachu stunned. Reappearing behind him, Metagross slammed its arms together, and a blue aura surged around it. It barreled forward and slammed into Pikachu, sending him flying.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried out in worry.
Pikachu bounced on the ground a few times before his chest hit a boulder. Pikachu's body burned with pain, but he fought through it and staggered back up. He held a determined glare and gave a few resolute cries. He was nowhere near done yet. The true battle had barely begun, after all.
Steven acknowledged Pikachu's resolve. However, it would take more than that to win. "Metagross, use Flash Cannon!"
Ash clenched his teeth. "Dodge it, Pikachu! Use the rocks!"
Following his trainer's order, Pikachu took cover before Metagross unleashed its attack. A searing, white beam of energy collided with the boulder he was hiding behind, blowing it to shreds while leaving him unharmed.
Seeing this, Metagross fired another beam. However, instead of aiming for Pikachu, it swept the blast across the ground, destroying all of Pikachu's potential cover. Afterward, Metagross fired his Flash Cannon again. With no more cover available, it hit Pikachu head-on, sending him flying. He cried out in pain as a searing pain in his chest flared up.
Gritting his teeth, Pikachu recovered in mid-air and stuck his landing. Scratches and bruises covered his body, and a faint amount of blood stained his yellow fur. Moreover, he was panting.
Ash's mind was working in overdrive. This was bad. He needed something out of the box, something that Metagross couldn't prepare for nor react to. Once again, he swept a scrutinizing gaze around the field. What could fall out of Metagross' perception range? If Ash wanted to surprise someone, he'd want to go invisible, but that was out of the question.
Hold on… While Pikachu couldn't go invisible, if Metagross ever lost his sight, it'd have the same effect!
Ash punched his other hand's palm, smirking. Alright! I know just the thing I need!
Steven briefly widened his eyes, curious. "Oh? Have you figured something out?"
"You bet!" Ash balled his hand into a fist and punched. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack! Run around Metagross!"
Glaring in determination, Pikachu dashed into motion, leaving faint afterimages in his wake. He traced circles around Metagross over and over again. However, Metagross spun in place, effortlessly trailing its eyes on him without even getting dizzy.
Steven shook his head. He didn't know whether to feel pity, bemusement, or a mix of both. "I'm sorry to say this, but if you're hoping to dizzy Metagross with this little stunt of yours, then it won't work."
"That's not my goal, actually."
Steven furrowed his brow, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
As Pikachu increasingly completed more laps, dust began to rise. His circular velocity propelled the dust upward, which got into Metagross' eyes; it flinched.
Metagross was now effectively blinded.
Steven gasped. "That was your plan‽"
Ash grinned, and he motioned triumphantly. "Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu came to a stop, and his cheeks started sparking, priming themselves with electricity. Crying out, he shot a powerful bolt of lightning at Metagross. It connected, and Metagross cried out in pain as a hundred thousand volts overloaded its system. Volatile, stray bolts flew everywhere for the duration of Pikachu's attack.
Once he relented, stray sparks danced across Metagross' smoking body.
"One hit means nothing in the long run! Metagross, Use Psychic!" Steven pointed as he gave the command.
Metagross recovered swiftly enough. Its cross glowed with psychic energy and grabbed Pikachu in a psychic grip. Pikachu gasped in surprise as he was lifted high in the air. He struggled against it, but it was futile: Metagross' psychic grip was too powerful.
Metagross prepared to slam Pikachu into the ground. However, before it could do so, its body locked up, and sparks flashed across its body. Fully paralyzed, its psychic grip on Pikachu faltered, and he dropped onto the ground, unscathed.
Steven tched while Ash popped off. "Alright! Iron Tail!"
Pikachu dashed in; his tail lit up with a white glow as it hardened to steel. He jumped and struck Metagross' underside, sending it flying upward and crying out in pain.
Pikachu smirked internally as he landed, panting. Finally, the tides of the battle were changing.
Steven's next order came, and Metagross flipped back into an appropriate position. It slammed its arms together, and its body burst with a blue aura before it rocketed down toward Pikachu. Hearing a swift order from Ash, Pikachu gathered electricity at his tail's tip, forming a ball. He launched it upward, and Metagross fell into the expanding net of electricity.
Metagross cried out in pain as it received a thorough shock. It crashed into the ground, losing the aura around its body.
Pikachu capitalized on this, jumping into the air. With his tail hardened to steel, he whirled as he came down, and WHAM! He slammed his tail down on Metagross, sinking its body a few inches into the ground.
Pikachu jumped back a respectable distance away while Metagross reeled from the blow. Its internal circuitry sparked as it processed the situation. If paralysis impeded its reflexes, it would also impede its moves' execution time; dodging and countering in accordance with Pikachu's movement was thus no longer foolproof.
The most optimal course of action was to end this battle before it took further damage.
Metagross lifted itself out of its crater. It needed to counteract its paralysis, so it started speeding up with Agility. Its form blurred as it traversed the air. Pikachu had trouble keeping his eyes on it and eventually lost sight of Metagross.
Sneaking up behind Pikachu, Metagross launched a white beam of energy. Pikachu cried out in pain as it bored into his back. Moreover, it sent him skidding on the ground, which scraped his belly.
Pikachu staggered back up and turned around to see Metagross' cross light up with a blue light. He gritted his teeth, growling. He wasn't planning on taking another Psychic from it. He dashed, accelerating with a sudden burst of speed. He jumped and tackled Metagross in its face. It flinched, and whatever energy it had been gathering dissipated; its cross lost its psychic glow.
Pikachu wasn't done yet. Using the momentum from his tackle, he bounced backward, spinning as went higher into the air. His cheeks sparked with increasing intensity as he gathered electricity in them. With a mighty cry, Pikachu unleashed a lightning bolt, which arched down toward Metagross.
However, it managed to shift itself out of the way with a dash of Agility, avoiding any damage. Just because it was paralyzed didn't mean it would be that easy to hit.
Unfortunately for Metagross, Pikachu had a resourceful trainer who wasn't yet out of tricks.
Following his trainer's command, Pikachu lit up and hardened his tail. He spun, spun, and spun before slamming it on the ground; a slew of boulders flew into the air.
Steven scoffed. "This trick again? It had no effect the last time you used it, and it certainly won't have any effect now!"
"That's why I'm putting a little spin on it!" Ash motioned. "Pikachu! Use those rocks as platforms! Quick Attack!"
Pikachu jumped onto the nearest rock. He immediately jumped onto another one, and then another one, and again onto another one. He increasingly sped up as he leapt from rock to rock.
Metagross kept its eyes on the blurring, yellow rodent, and it tried to grab him in a psychic grip. However, faint sparks flashed across its body, slowing it down. Coupled with the way Pikachu was moving, it couldn't pinpoint Pikachu's location decisively.
Pikachu seized the opportunity; he jumped on top of Metagross and held on tight. Smirking, he gathered electricity in his cheek pouches; they released volatile sparks with increasing intensity. The electric rodent roared as he released a hundred thousand volts, point blank, right into Metagross, who cried out in pain for the duration of the attack.
Satisfied, Pikachu jumped off and stuck a landing. Metagross still felt the aftermath of Pikachu's Thunderbolt: namely, its twitching limbs, frying nervous system, and wavering levitation.
Ash was sweating. They were close. On the next opening, he would seize the opportunity and seal the match!
"You know, Ash, I must thank you."
Huh? That was possibly the last thing Ash expected Steven would say to him.
Steven put his hand on his chest and looked down, closing his eyes. "Fighting someone such as yourself has taught me that I've still much to learn and improve in the ways of battling."
Ash furrowed his brow in confusion. "Thank you…?" This was coming out of nowhere. Where was he going with this? Shouldn't he be saying this after the battle concluded?
"However!" Steven straightened his posture. "I will be the one claiming victory today!" He pointed with force. "Metagross, use Flash Cannon! Aim it at the ground!"
Metagross cried a single time to acknowledge the command. It fired a white beam of energy at the ground. The explosion kicked up a large amount of dust, which swallowed Pikachu and Metagross.
Ash gasped. He motioned with his arm. "Pikachu, get out there, quick!"
Pikachu picked a random direction and ran. He exited the smoke screen and whirled around, staying alert for when Metagross would pop back out.
Soon enough, Metagross rocketed out of the smoke, arms outstretched and draped in a blue aura. It attempted to slam into Pikachu, but he jumped out of the way with a burst of speed, causing Metagross to slam into the ground.
While airborne, Pikachu gathered electricity in his cheek pouches and fired a lightning bolt. However, Metagross recovered from its missed Meteor Mash just in time to dodge out of the way with a burst of Agility. As soon as Pikachu landed, it shot a white beam of energy in retaliation, which Pikachu dodged with a swift roll to his right. Metagross swerved his blast to hit him, but Pikachu sped out of the way, a white trail trailing behind him.
Metagross pursued him, unable to land a hit on the speeding rodent.
One more opening. That's all I need. Focusing, Ash thought about everything that had occurred in this battle. What could he use to seal the deal? The environment was pretty much out of tricks for him. At least, any trick that would surprise Metagross.
Metagross… Even if paralyzed, Metagross kept up with Pikachu using Agility. There was a chance it could get fully paralyzed soon, but Ash couldn't bet on that.
Was there anything else about Metagross that could be taken advantage of? Any weak spots? Any injuries?
.
.
.
Ash perked up. He slowly grinned. Of course! There's still that!
"Pikachu! I've got an idea; you ready‽"
Pikachu jumped and spun as Metagross swept its beam across the field. He landed in the initial position he took when he first entered the field, this time facing Ash. He gave him a few pumped cries in reply and whirled around to face Metagross, who had stopped his Flash Cannon assault.
"Alright! Use Iron Tail; aim for the cross!"
"As if!" Steven pointed. "Metagross, counter that with Meteor Mash!"
Metagross slammed its arms together as Pikachu dashed in, his tail hardening to steel. Its paralysis surfaced to try and subdue him, but it fought back, straining to gather the energy for its attack. A few flames flashed across its body, but its aura didn't fully ignite.
This was his chance. Pikachu pumped his limbs with energy and sped up; a white trail appeared behind him. He jumped onto Metagross' arms and swung his tail in a wide arc; it struck Metagross' cross with a resounding clang!
Metagross cried out in pain and eeled. Pikachu jumped off, panting as he awaited his opponent's next move.
Steven tched. "Use Psychic!"
Metagross recovered and gathered psychic energy in its cross, which glowed bright blue. Pikachu tensed in anticipation of the incoming attack, but some psychic sparks coming out of Metagross' cross made him flummox.
Metagross' cross, which previously only had a few chips in it, courtesy of Dracovish, was now developing further cracks. Psychic energy flowed from the cracks like pressurized water in a leaking pipe.
Before it knew it, Metagross' own Psychic exploded in its face, and it crashed onto the ground, headfirst.
Steven gasped. "What's the meaning of this?!"
Ash had a wide smirk plastered onto his face. And now, for the coup de grâce!
He grabbed his cap and tossed it in the air. "Pikachu!"
Pikachu turned around and noticed Ash's flying cap. He jumped, caught the cap, and donned it, crying out in delight from the snug fit.
"Let's use our full power!" Ash raised his left arm, the one that had his Z-ring. The ring glowed and emitted bright yellow tendrils of light.
Pikachu fell from the sky, and, grinning, he shared a fist bump and a high five with Ash.
He landed in front of his trainer, now in full focus. Moving in tandem, the pair shifted their stance and punched their right fists forward. Z energy flowed from Ash into Pikachu, empowering him.
"Far greater than Thunderbolt, a million-volt Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu felt his inner electricity rev up and magnify. A million? Just that?
Ash balled his hand into a fist. "No, way, way greater than that! Our super full power!"
Pikachu's cheeks started sparking with more intensity. Right. Everything he had to give!
"Pikachu! Use Ten-Million-Volt"—Ash punched the sky dramatically—"THUNDERBOLT!"
Pikachu jumped, and the skies darkened to grey as lightning jumped from him to the storm clouds above. A circle of electricity enveloped him before it all burst into lightning.
Pikachu released a booming, drawn-out war cry, firing seven huge bolts of lightning, each a different colour.
Metagross, still dazed from its own attack backfiring on it, had no way to escape; all seven lightning bolts rammed into it. An overwhelming amount of voltage overloaded its senses, causing its limbs to spasm uncontrollably.
A massive explosion of electricity rang about, sending smoke and stray sparks flying everywhere.
Pikachu dropped to the ground, observing the smoke cloud. Similarly, Ash and Steven observed the situation with tension ever present in their body language.
A pregnant silence filled the atmosphere as the referee flew down, waiting for the smoke to dissipate so he could get a better look.
.
.
.
The smoke parted, revealing Metagross, who was knocked out and in its base form.
Nodding, the referee raised his arm in the air. "Metagross is unable to battle! As such, the winner is Ash Ketchum!"
The crowd erupted into a wild flurry of cheers.
A wave of relief swept over Ash. We won…
Relief soon gave way to joy, and he popped off. "ALRIGHT! We did it! We won!"
Pikachu jumped up and down, crying out in joy. Ash ran over and picked him up, hugging him tightly as they laughed all the while.
"A wonderful battle, this was," Steven said as he walked up to them. "I could truly feel the powerful bond between your pokémon and you." He extended his hand. "Congratulations on this victory."
Ash shook it. "Thanks a lot."
They separated, and Ash made his way back into the hallway.
The last moments of the battle played in Ash's mind as he walked. The victory still felt surreal. He had just defeated a champion! The third strongest trainer in the world!
Soon, he spotted Goh and Iris approaching him. "Oh, you guys! What's up?"
The former had stars in his eyes. "Ash! That was an amazing battle! And the finish! It was shocking!"
The latter huffed and rolled her eyes at the pun. She gave Ash a smile. "Looks like you're one step closer to winning this tournament. Next up: Cynthia. How are you feeling?"
Ash went pensive for a moment, humming. Finally, he grinned. "I feel like I'm going to have an amazing battle tomorrow!"
Pikachu, back on his usual spot on Ash's shoulder, supplemented his answer with his own cries.
Iris flicked her hand and sighed, looking away with a sly look on her face. "That is such a 'you' kind of response."
Ash crossed his arms. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Before things could escalate, Ash's stomach grumbled, and he groaned. "Man, I could eat a whole cow!"
Goh's shoulders drooped, and his face's features dulled. Iris and Pikachu snickered. They all had one thought in mind: Classic Ash.
"You'd think that the pokémon would get hungry after all that fighting." Iris wagged her finger as she spoke. "But once again, Ash manages to defy any pre-established notion!"
Ash's cheeks flushed red. Ugh! "Yeah, yeah… Can we go get dinner? You can keep snarking me afterwards."
"I think I know a good place." Goh took out his rotomphone and started scrolling through. "I saw this fancy-looking restaurant near here. It's a bit pricey, but I think this victory deserves a proper celebration, yeah?"
He nodded. Yep. Some food sounded good. "Let's go there before I starve to death."
Iris shook her head. "Never change, Ash. Never change…"
AN:
When I was writing this chapter, I wanted two things: smart Ash and a win for all his 'mons.
With the former, I experimented a bunch before I was satisfied with a simple but effective way for Ash to show off his smarts. With the latter, I quickly realized as I started writing that I was making Steven more underpowered than I wanted him to be. After a lot of tweaking and rewriting all around, I realized, with the way I was writing this, that someone had to get the shaft. Sadly, it had to be Gengar.
TL; DR. Writing Smart Ash and a dub for everyone gave me goofy ahh Writer's Block.
Anyways, the quarterfinals are now over. Next up, the semifinals!
As always, if you enjoyed this chapter and/or have anything to say, click the buttons and leave a review.
To answer your question, Jason, I thought it would be more interesting to give Hydreigon a physical Dragon Dance set. It's really all about my personal interpretation.
For the next chapter, I'm giving myself a soft deadline of mid-late March. No promises, but this time, I have a strategy: I'm going to split the battle, that way I don't spend three months writing a 15k+ words chapter.
That's all from me. See you guys on the next upload!