Chapter 61

It was minutes before his match, and his heart was pounding in his chest. It was his first full battle of the league, and it was against a young lady named Assunta. He didn't know anything about her Pokémon or past battles, but knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Currently, he was sitting in the locker room. His head was looking down in his palms, and in there sat the six Poké Balls he was taking with him to the match. Brock was off to the side watching him, and his smile was assuring Ash through his anxiety. "Remember, you'll get to use six Pokémon for today's match," Brock reminded him. "Pick your best."

"Right," Ash nodded, but he had already decided. The six Pokémon that carried him through the league would be by his side until the end. Blastoise, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Kingler, and Primeape. He had so many memories with each of them, and he definitely couldn't have gotten this far without any of them.

A knock at the door brought him out of memory lane, and the door opened. Seeing who it was, Ash quickly stood up and put his Poké Balls back on his belt. "Ritchie!"

"Hi, Ash," the auburn-haired boy greeted with a smile. "Ready to win?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to wish you luck before your match started," he said. Seeing that his friend harbored no ill feelings against him, a small smile crossed Ash's face.

"Thanks, Ritch."

"I know you'll win, Ash. You're an awesome Pokémon Trainer."

"That's nice of you to say; you're a great Trainer as well. I'll try and win this for both of us."

Ritchie's face lightened further and he gave the boy a thumbs up. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

o 0 o

The familiar cheering of the crowd was something that had become a familiar ringing in Ash's ear now, and it was to the point where it just became background noise as he stepped onto his assigned section of Indigo Stadium. His opponent walked out at the same time that he did, and Ash saw that she was an older girl with long dark blue hair that traveled down to the base of her back. Sitting on her shoulder was a Spearow that it too looked as though it had grown accustomed to the loud audience. The Trainer herself had a fiery look in her dark eyes, blazing with determination as she studied him as he did her, and Ash knew that she wanted to win just as much as he did.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! For those just tuning in, this is the sixth round match here at Indigo Stadium! On the red side is Assunta, a female Pokémon Trainer that has shown time and time again that opponents should not underestimate her. And on the green side is Ash, whose underdog spirit and out-of-the-box thinking has taken him far in this competition."

"Are both sides ready?" the referee asked, shooting glances at either side. The two participants didn't return the look, and refused to break eye contact with their opponent.

"Yes!" they both answered.

"Then let the battle begin!" Both Trainers drew their Poké Balls at his call, and tossed their selections in front of them.

"I choose you, Kingler!

"Go, Rhydon!"

As Ash's Kingler formed in front of him, Assunta's choice came in the form of a large bipedal Pokémon with a large horn on its head. It was a Pokémon that was very familiar to Ash, having battled many in the past, and he couldn't help but smirk upon her selection. "We've got the advantage..." he murmured happily.

But Assunta didn't seem the least bit worried, and ordered her Pokémon to attack right away. "Rhydon, Take Down!" A rhinoceros-like snarl escaped from the Pokémon's throat as it charged forward. It wasn't fast by any means, but Ash knew if that attack connected it would be devastating.

"Kingler, Water Gun!" he ordered.

"Goo-kie!" Pulling in air, Kingler opened its mouth into a small 'o' and fired a spiraling stream of water from it at Rhydon. Assunta said nothing as the attack sailed toward Rhydon, and the Drill Pokémon didn't react in the slightest as well. It didn't react up until the attack made contact with it, and completely enveloped the Ground and Rock Pokémon. "Koo?!"

"What?!" Ash gasped. They barely had time to widen their eyes as Rhydon came plowing through the Water Gun attack directly in front of Kingler, and though it was soaked, it slammed its body into the Pincer Pokémon with enough force to shatter a building. The Water-type stopped its attack and flew backwards before sliding backwards onto its backside.

"In an impressive show of power, Assunta's Rhydon plowed right through the Super-effective Water Gun! And it doesn't even look like it's slowing down in the slightest!"

"Rhydon, Strength attack!" Assunta said as a follow up. Now that it was close to its opponent, Rhydon hardly had to take but a few steps toward Kingler and it scooped up the Water Pokémon with its horn before throwing it high into the air.

"Kingler!" Ash exclaimed, his eyes following his Pokémon into the air and then down as it descended. Finally, it landed with a crash that made Ash flinch, and when he looked back, his Pokémon was down.

"Goo... kie..."

"Kingler is unable to battle! Rhydon wins!" The audience roared at the call as the familiar ding of the scoreboard got rid of the first box under Ash's picture. The Pallet Town native scowled in annoyance as he recalled Kingler back into its Poké Ball, and looked ahead while Rhydon made its way back to its own side of the battlefield.

"Assunta's Rhydon makes quick work of Ash's Kingler. Who will Ketchum bring out for his next choice?"

It was too early to use Blastoise – he needed to save it for when the real guns came out. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he pulled out his next Poké Ball with his decision. Twisting his cap backwards, he threw it out onto the arena. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!" The red and white sphere clattered to the ground before it opened and released his Bulbasaur before sailing back to his palm.

"Bulba-zaur!" his Pokémon uttered.

"Ash has selected Bulbasaur as his second choice! A good match-up in theory, but as we've seen from the last battle, type doesn't seem to matter against Rhydon!"

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf attack!" Ash began, and his Pokémon instantly lowered its head before firing a barrage of razor sharp leaves from underneath its bulb out at the opponent.

"Rhydon, Take Down attack!" his opponent declared. Her Pokémon raised its arms to protect its face and ran forward at the spinning leaves coming toward it. It flinched as the leaves pierced and bounced off its tough hide, but didn't falter its stride and continued its charge toward the small Seed Pokémon.

"Don't let its size scare you, Bulbasaur!" Ash encouraged, and then his eyebrow twitched as a light bulb flashed on in his head. Size..? "That's it! Bulbasaur, run toward Rhydon!"

"Bulbasaur!" His Pokémon didn't hesitate at its Trainer's out-of-the-box demand and with a cry it bolted forward.

"Ash is having his Bulbasaur charge headfirst at Rhydon! What exactly does he have up his sleeve?" Assunta had her eyebrows furrowed that showed that she was thinking the same thing, but gave no other order to Rhydon – all according to Ash's plan.

"Alright Bulbasaur... dive!" he grinned when the two had almost met.

"Saur!" his Pokémon replied, and dove and slid on its stomach. Ash's plan came to fruition when the Grass and Poison Pokémon slid between Rhydon's massive tree-trunk legs and avoided the Take Down attack. The audience gasped in unison, but he wasn't done yet.

"Now Bulbasaur! Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur quickly pulled its legs back up, and the motion caused it to leap into the air and flip around in one movement. Just then, two vines emerged from underneath its bulb and struck out, but instead of hitting Rhydon, they wrapped around the Drill Pokémon's ankles. Rhydon was too bulky to come to a complete stop, so Bulbasaur landed on the ground and tugged as hard as it could, and as its opponent slid once it realized its target was no longer in front of it, the movement made Rhydon topple onto its stomach with a ground-shaking crash. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

"Ash used his opponent's size to his advantage and Rhydon comes toppling down like a skyscraper!"

"Let's wrap this up, Bulbasaur! SolarBeam!" The bright, sunny day above meant that Bulbasaur didn't have to draw in too much sunlight before the attack was complete, and as Rhydon finally stood up and swung around to face its opponent, Bulbasaur was ready. "Go!"

"Bulba... SAUR!" A bright light blue beam of blinding energy came bursting out of the opening in Bulbasaur's bulb, and the attack hit Rhydon and knocked it off its feet and through the air. Though it was too bright because of the SolarBeam, Ash could tell when Rhydon hit the ground as the stadium shook beneath the soles of his feet once again. Finally, the attack was over, and with his vision returned, he looked back onto the battlefield and saw that Rhydon was on its back.

"Rhydon is unable to battle! Bulbasaur wins!" the referee declared.

"Yes! Great job, Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered, and Bulbasaur hurried back to its side of the battlefield and gave its Trainer a toad-like grin before turning back to Assunta. She had just recalled her Ground Pokémon back into its Poké Ball, and didn't think at all before turning to the Pokémon on her shoulder.

"Spearow, you're up," she said to it.

"Spear!" her Pokémon shrilled, rising from its perch and flapping out onto the battlefield.

"Now it is Assunta who has the advantage when it comes to typing, but at this point, everyone knows that typing doesn't mean everything!" the announcer cried as Ash pointed forward.

"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf, now!" he commanded, and like before, Bulbasaur sent out two streams of spinning leaves as sharp as blades at Spearow.

"Spearow, Mirror Move!" his opponent called. Spearow let out another loud cry and opened its wings, and it conjured two streams of leaves from the sides of its body. The two leaves hit each other, and canceled out both attacks.

"What happened?! Spearow can't use Razor Leaf!" Ash exclaimed.

"Mirror Move lets Spearow use the last move another Pokémon has used," she smirked back matter-of-factually, then turned back up toward her Pokémon. "Let's confuse Bulbasaur with your Agility!"

"Spear-row!" the Tiny Bird Pokémon cried, and soon it was darting back and forth in the sky. Bulbasaur's head whipped back and forth as it attempted to try and keep its red eyes on Spearow's movements, but it was clear it was having a difficult time.

"Focus, Bulbasaur!" Ash coached, but he quietly admitted to himself that even he was having a hard time keeping up with Spearow. "Try and knock it out of the sky with a Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur attempted to strike out with its vines, but whenever it tried to get a good lock on Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon would quickly fly out of the way.

"Spearow, Mirror Move!" Assunta countered, and though it was too fast to see where, a pair of vines struck out and whipped Bulbasaur from behind.

"SAUR!" the Grass-type cried out in surprise and pain, and spun around where the vines had hit it, but as it did, Spearow darted to its right side and struck out with another conjured Vine Whip.

"Spearow is just too fast for Bulbasaur to keep track of, and now hitting it with its own Vine Whip is like rubbing salt in the wound for the green Trainer!"

"Now Spearow, let's finish it off! Peck attack!" Assunta smirked. Finally sitting still, Spearow let out a cry and dove down at Bulbasaur, who was still trying to get its bearings together.

Anticipation built in Ash's chest and he knew this was his moment to be able to get Spearow out of the air. "Bulbasaur! On your left!" he exclaimed. "Leech Seed!"

"Bulba-SAUR!" the Seed Pokémon responded, and quickly jumped backwards as Spearow's beak stabbed at the air where it had been moments before. Spearow turned its dark eyes to look at its opponent just in time for a small seed to sprout out of Bulbasaur's bulb and launch into the air.

"Spearow, look out! Agility!" its Trainer cried with worry in her voice, but it was too late, and as the Normal and Flying Pokémon turned to flap back into the air, the seed planted itself on its back in its feathers and instantly sprouted vines that quickly wrapped themselves around the small bird's body. Its wings now tied down and unable to fly, Spearow quickly lost the speed that it had gathered and fell to the ground. As Assunta gasped in horror, Ash cheered with excitement.

"Yes!"

"And a Leech Seed clips Spearow's wings and forces it to the ground!"

Red energy sizzled as the Leech Seed sapped away at Spearow's strength, but Ash wasn't done yet. "Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" This time, when Bulbasaur's vines shot out at Spearow, they successfully managed to wrap around the helpless Flying Pokémon and lifted it into the air before slamming it down and tossing it over its shoulder. Spearow gave one last cry before it collapsed in a limp pile and the vines let go and back into the seed they sprouted from.

"Spearow is unable to battle!"

"Spearow!" Assunta cried, running out onto the battlefield after the call was made by the referee. The audience rang out in applause as she scooped up her Pokémon, and though her words were unheard over the cries, she pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled it into it.

"Ketchum's Bulbasaur has proven itself a force to be reckoned with after taking down two of Assunta's Pokémon! Can it follow up with a third?"

Assunta pulled out her next choice and held the Poké Ball up before throwing it forward. "Venomoth, let's go!" In the blink of an eye, Assunta's choice came in the form of a purple moth with large eyes and lilac wings. The Pokémon had barely gotten out a battle cry before its Trainer commanded it. "Venomoth, Sleep Powder!"

"Mothhh!" As the Pokémon gave a mystifying cry, it began to flap its wings, and a sparkling blue powder left the scales on its wings and floated gracefully down to Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, blow it away!" Ash instructed with a wave of his arm. The Grass and Poison Pokémon pulled in a deep breath until its cheeks puffed out, and then it expelled the air it had built up in its lungs. The light dust was soon carried off by the brisk wind, but Assunta didn't seem surprised.

"Venomoth, Whirlwind!"

"Venononomoth!" Even more rapidly than before, Venomoth flapped its wings faster and faster until a strong gust of wind was sent out from how hard it was flapping. The gust of wind produced by Venomoth's wings easily and quickly overpowered Bulbasaur's breath. The powder washed over Bulbasaur's face and body, and the Seed Pokémon blinked as it breathed it in. Soon, its eyelids seemed to be getting heavier by the second, and moments later, it fell forward with its eyes closed.

"No! Bulbasaur!" Ash yelled. "C'mon, you've got to wake up!" But his efforts were in vain, and after a few moments, the referee made his decision.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Venomoth wins!"

"Venomoth's Sleep Powder gets the knockout! This match is neck and neck! I'm on the edge of my seat!"

Think Ash, think! the dark-haired boy thought to himself as he safely put Bulbasaur's Poké Ball back on his belt. How could he beat that Venomoth?

His brain working a mile a minute, he remembered the time he fought Koga at the Fuchsia City Gym for the Soul Badge. Koga had a Venomoth as well, and he was able to overpower it with his Charmander. If it worked then, then it would work now.

Ash opened his eyes and drew his choice of Poké Ball like a knight drawing his sword from its sheath, and held it up before tossing it out. "Charmeleon, I choose you!" In a matter of moments, Charmeleon appeared, and instantly its dark eyes locked upon the Bug and Poison Pokémon fluttering above it. The Poison Moth Pokémon was already prepared to strike.

"Venomoth, Sleep Powder!" Assunta repeated with her index finger pointing at Charmeleon. The quick response confirmed that she was scared of Charmeleon's Fire typing, which gave Ash a bit of a confidence boost.

"That's not gonna work this time! Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"

"Chaarrr!" his Pokémon growled, smoke already billowing out from between its sharp teeth. Craning its neck, it watched as Venomoth flapped its wings, and sparkling sapphire powder came out of its scales and threatened to rain down over the Flame Pokémon. Before it could breathe it in, Charmeleon sent out a blaze of fire from its mouth up at Venomoth. The brilliant orange flames killed two birds with one stone – not only did it block, burn, and dissipate the Sleep Powder into soot and embers, but it also plowed right through it and scored a direct hit on Venomoth.

"Moooooth!" Assunta's Venomoth cried, its eyes closed as the Super-effective attack sent it soaring backward.

"Venomoth!"

"Ash's Charmeleon blocks a repeat Sleep Powder attack with a direct hit of Flamethrower! That had to hurt!"

"Venomoth, are you all right?" she called to her Pokémon as it fluttered down in front of her. Her Pokémon nodded, but places of its body were slightly browned from being burned.

"Let's wrap this up, Charmeleon! Fire Spin!" Charmeleon waved its long tail to knock away the remains of the now-burnt Sleep Powder around it and pulled in air through its nostrils before blowing out another stream of fire through its mouth. Instead of aiming for Venomoth, the flames hit the stadium floor directly under Venomoth, and soon began to spiral upward and around it. Venomoth could only look on helplessly as the flames quickly condensed together into a fiery tornado around it.

"Hurry! Use your Psybeam!" Ash's opponent commanded with worry in her voice. Nothing happened for a few moments, and the only movement on the arena was the spinning Fire Spin. But then, suddenly, a blast of rainbow-colored energy shot out like lightning into the sky. The blast of psychic energy was so powerful that it broke the red-orange flames, and cut off the rotation of the fire, which made the fire dissolve into the oxygen.

"Venomoth's Psybeam blows apart the Fire Spin, saving it from what was surely to be a finishing move!"

"Venomoth, Psybeam!" she repeated again. With a mystifying cry, Venomoth fired a jagged beam of rainbow energy from its eyes down at Charmeleon. But the Fire-type was quick on its feet and jumped out of the way, then darted forward as the multi-colored energy beam hit the floor and sizzled away.

"Charmeleon, Slash attack!" Upon its Trainer's command, Charmeleon leapt into the air and pulled its arm back. Its claws were already glowing white, and the whole audience seemed to gasp in unison as it raked its claws across Venomoth's front side. The Bug and Poison Pokémon plummeted to the ground and landed on its back, and as Charmeleon landed back firmly on the ground, Venomoth had spirals in its eyes.

"Venomoth cannot battle! Charmeleon is the winner!"

"And a spectacular finish to this round, and as Assunta recalls her Venomoth, this means that she is halfway out of remaining Pokémon with just three left at her disposal."

Halfway there... We can do this... Ash thought to himself, trying to quell both the anxiety and confidence that were fighting each other in his chest.

Across the stadium, Assunta seemed to hesitate in her choice, but finally decided by drawing a Poké Ball and holding it up. "Gastly, I choose you!" she cried, throwing the red and white ball forward into the air. The ball burst open, and a dark ball with wide eyes, a vicious grin, and a purple fog of smoke around it appeared in the air.

"Gaaaastly!" it cried hauntingly with a chilling, toothy grin.

"Assunta's next Pokémon is the Ghost Pokémon Gastly!"

"A Gastly..." Ash muttered, and then called louder to his Pokémon, "Be careful, Charmeleon; that Gastly may be tricky!" His last experiences with Gastly sent shivers down his spine. "Skull Bash attack!"

"Char! Charmeleon!" Once again, Charmeleon closed the distance between it and its opponent, but neither of them seemed to react and only looked onward with smirks on their faces. Finally, Charmeleon lowered its head and jumped up at Gastly, only to pass through the Pokémon's gaseous body.

"W-what?!"

"Ash makes a blunder, calling for a Normal-type move against a Ghost Pokémon!"

"A rookie move," Assunta sneered. "Normal moves won't work against Gastly. Hit it with Psywave!"

Ash could feel his face burning from embarrassment, but he hardly had any time to let that feeling linger. "Gas gas gaaaasss!" her Pokémon called, and the fog around its body shot out and formed into an arrow before driving itself into Charmeleon's back. Ash's Pokémon cried out in pain as it was forced to its stomach, and the purple smog pushed it further as it drifted back up around Gastly's black body.

"Charmeleon!" the black-haired Trainer cried. Hearing its Trainer call its name, Charmeleon slowly peeled itself off the ground before whipping its body around and glaring at Gastly.

"Gast?!" the Ghost Pokémon hesitated upon seeing the fire in its eyes, and this hesitation was just enough for Charmeleon and Ash.

"Charmeleon! Flamethrower now!"

"Gastly, Night Shade!" Assunta countered quickly. Despite the moment's hesitation, as Charmeleon opened its mouth and let out a stream of fire from its mouth, Gastly fired a light purple beam of ghostly energy from the front of its body outward as well. The two elements collided between them and struggled to overpower each other.

"Flamethrower and Night Shade come together and are neck and neck with each other!" the announcer cried over the audience's roars of excitement. They pushed back and forth for a bit, but eventually, Gastly's Night Shade began to lose strength. As Assunta gasped upon seeing this, Charmeleon took the waning strength to its advantage and gave a mighty cry.

"Chaaaaaaaaar!" With its cry, the flames came blasting out from its throat, and quickly pushed back. Within seconds, Gastly was enveloped by flames and its own Night Shade attack in a blinding light. As Charmeleon stopped its Fire attack and finally took the time to catch its breath, Gastly floated to the ground with the delicate drifting of a falling leaf, and landed on its side.

"Gastly is unable to battle, so Charmeleon is the winner!" The onlooking crowd gave a loud, echoing cheer and when Assunta pulled out Gastly's Poké Ball and recalled it back into it, a smile stretched across Ash's face.

"Yes! You did it, Charmeleon! Great job!" he praised as his Fire-type came back to its own side of the battlefield. Charmeleon gave its Trainer a smirk over its shoulder, but Ash could see on its face that it was tired. Just two Pokémon left...

Despite being backed into a corner, Assunta didn't seem too worried, though she no longer wore a smirk on her face. This time, she chose her next Poké Ball quicker, and held it up. The ball was a Safari Ball, topped with a green cap. "Get ready, Ash! This is my secret weapon." Rearing her arm back, she threw the Poké Ball forward. "Dragonair, go!" Ash's mouth dropped open as the ball opened, letting the plasma pour out onto the field, and a serpentine dragon with sapphire scales appeared.

"Assunta's penultimate Pokémon is the dragon Pokémon Dragonair! A rare sight to behold as not many Trainers know of its existence!"

"Let's hit it as hard as we can!" Ash encouraged his Pokémon and trying to hide his nerves. "Flamethrower, now!"

"Charrrr... meleon!" Once again, the Flame Pokémon released a stream of fire from its mouth at Dragonair, but like Rhydon before it, it didn't bother to dodge and Assunta didn't even bother to tell it to. The fire scored a direct hit and engulfed Dragonair's body, but with a brisk wave of its serpentine body, the Flamethrower broke apart.

"What?!"

"Dragonair, Hyper Beam!" A mythical cry that sounded similar to a sad song rang out from Dragonair's throat and it raised its body up before lowering its head. With its glossy black eyes locked on the shocked Charmeleon, it fired an orange beam of energy out from its horn at the Fire-type. The attack hit fast and hard, and a huge explosion rocked the stadium beneath Ash's sneakers. When he lowered his arms that were protecting his face, the dust settled and Charmeleon was down.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle! Dragonair wins!"

Assunta smiled and praised her Dragonair, though it couldn't be heard by Ash as he recalled his Charmeleon back into its Poké Ball – the audience was applauding too loud. Before he could even think about deciding on another Pokémon, the MC's voice grabbed his attention. "What's this?" Ash's eyes perked up and he looked across the stadium to see Assunta's Dragonair glowing brightly. His eyes widened upon realizing what was happening, and a breath of air escaped past his lips.

"It's evolving!" Assunta said in a hushed voice, and even the crowd grew silent as Dragonair changed shape. Its body bulked out completely, and the wings had changed into stringy antennae. When the glow faded, an orange, chubby dragon with a pair of small wings on its back appeared.

"Arrooo!" it cried happily, and the audience once again cheered, this time even louder than before.

"Dragonair has evolved into Dragonite! If it was a force to be reckoned with before, it will certainly be a tough cookie to take down now! And with Ketchum down to his halfway mark, he now has a very tough decision to make."

"I don't believe it..." Ash muttered, pulling out his Pokédex to scan the newly-evolved Pokémon.

"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokémon. This extremely rare and highly-intelligent type is able to fly faster than any known Pokémon."

The Pokédex entry didn't help his decision either. He had Blastoise, Pidgeotto, and Primeape left. He had to save Blastoise for last, and Primeape couldn't handle speed attacks very well. That only left... "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

The Poké Ball burst open with a pop, and his Flying-type Pokémon threw its head back as it fluttered in the air. "Pijotoh!"

"I'm counting on you, Pidgeotto!" he beseeched, and the Pokémon gave a cry back, and shot like a rocket high into the air.

"Dragonite, after it!" Assunta cried.

"Aro!" her Pokémon responded, and opening up its newly-formed wings, it lifted off the ground and took off into the sky after its opponent.

"Dragonite and Pidgeotto have turned this into an aerial battle! Don't let the sun block out your vision, folks; this is going to be one heck of a round!"

"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, craning his neck up and keeping his dark eyes locked on the Normal and Flying Pokémon. Even from the distance above the stadium, he could hear his Pokémon cry out and it immediately dove down at Dragonite. A flash of light appeared at the point of its beak, and a spiral of flames appeared around it as it closed the distance between it and its opponent.

"Dragonite-" Assunta began to counter, but Pidgeotto had already sailed past Dragonite and struck it. Her eyes widened, and she gasped. "It's fast!"

"Keep going, Pidgeotto!" Ash encouraged, tightening his fingers tightly. He needed to get in as much damage as he could to reduce Dragonite's hit points.

Like its Trainer, Dragonite seemed surprised at Pidgeotto's speed, and Pidgeotto went back and forth, hitting it left and right while the Dragon Pokémon struggled in the air. But slowly, it started to adjust to Pidgeotto's movements. "Dragonite, Thunderbolt!"

Dragonite bellowed and static electricity danced around the antennae on its head in between its horn, and as Pidgeotto sailed around and dove at the Dragon-type, it lowered its head and fired a blast of yellow electricity from the antennae at the Bird Pokémon. It didn't take long for the electricity to make contact with it, and Pidgeotto let out a cry as the Electric attack coursed through its body. Seconds later, the electricity faded and Pidgeotto seemed frozen in mid air with static running through its feathers. But then, gravity took over and the Normal and Flying Pokémon plummeted through the air. "Pidgeotto!"

"Finish it with Ice Beam!"

"Roooooooohhh!" Dragonite cried, opening its mouth as a white ball of energy formed in front of its mouth. It then fired light blue jagged beams from the orb down at the defenseless Pidgeotto, and they surrounded it momentarily. When they faded, Pidgeotto was encased in a block of ice that only made its descent even faster. With a massive crash, Pidgeotto landed on the stadium floor, and as the dust settled, static shivered around the iceberg.

"Pidgeotto has been hit with a devastating duo of Super-effective attacks, leaving it both paralyzed and frozen solid!"

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" the referee declared.

Ash took in a sharp intake of breath as Dragonite descended gracefully and landed firmly on its feet in front of its Trainer, and ignored the roar of the crowd as he raised Pidgeotto's Poké Ball. "Pidgeotto, return!" he called, and the red recall beam drew his Pokémon back inside.

His next choice was obvious, so he retrieved his second to last Pokémon and gripped the metal ball tightly in his grip before rearing his arm back. "Primeape, I choose you!" The pop was barely audible as the ball burst open, but soon the Pig Monkey Pokémon appeared, and raised its arms in a battle position as soon as it saw the Dragonite. Ash silently wondered if Primeape could feel the strength emanating off Dragonite, but this question was left unanswered as Assunta called her attack.

"Dragonite, Thunderbolt!" she ordered with a wave of her hand. Dragonite reacted immediately, and like it had in the air, its antennae crackled with sparks of yellow electricity, and it fired forth the Thunderbolt from them at Primeape. The attack enveloped Primeape, and the Pig Monkey Pokémon seized up as the electricity coursed through it, but with a wave of its muscular brown arm, the Thunderbolt dissipated, leaving only residual sparks. Its fur stuck up on end, but otherwise, it only seemed irritated more than anything.

Silently, Ash was thankful that his Mankey's temper had all but mostly subsided upon its evolution, but his Pokémon's endurance continued to impress him. Trying his best to repress his proud grin, he punched the air in front of him. "Primeape, Mega Kick now!" he called.

"Priyah!" his Pokémon cried, and bounded forward with its feet slapping against the hard stadium floor.

"Stop it with Thunderbolt!" Ash's opponent countered quickly, and Dragonite once again fired another Electric attack at Primeape. Instead of taking it this time, Primeape swerved to its left, and the Thunderbolt hit the ground uselessly below. Not giving up, Dragonite fired another, and another, but Primeape simply weaved back and forth to dodge it. Once it was at a good distance, Primeape leapt high into the air and dove down at Dragonite with its leg extended. The heel of the Fighting-type's foot drove straight into Dragonite's cream-colored chest, and pushed it back, but the Dragon-type's wings flapped to keep it steady.

But as Primeape went to use Dragonite's chest like a springboard to back flip off it, Dragonite's stubby claws reached out and wrapped around Primeape's ankle. "Dragonite, Dragon Rage!" Immediately, Dragonite opened its mouth and a yellow and red ball of flames appeared in front of its mouth. It spiraled for a moment before shooting at Primeape and hitting it point-blank rage like a meteor. The fire enveloped Primeape's body and the Dragon-type Pokémon let go upon impact, letting Primeape soar backwards. Ash's breath caught in his windpipe and he could almost feel his eyes dilate painstakingly as he tried to see movement in the red-hot flames as they crashed to the ground.

His breath was finally let go when Primeape leapt from the flames and charged at Dragonite. The messy fur on its body singed and smoked, but otherwise, it seemed physically okay. "Primeape!" he cried with glee.

"As we've seen in previous battles, Primeape is showing its great endurance, being able to take on a point-blank Dragon Rage attack and managing to stay on its feet!"

It was almost as if they were in sync, and Ash's dark eyebrows lowered over his upper lids as the corners met above his nose, and at the same time, Primeape quickly closed the distance between it and Dragonite. "All right, Primeape! Thrash attack now!" A loud snort erupted from Primeape as it flung itself through the air at its opponent. Assunta and Dragonite were so surprised from the fact that Primeape managed to make it out of its Dragon Rage attack that they simply stared with their mouths open, and could only watch as Primeape landed on Dragonite and began to pummel it any way it could.

A series of punches, kicks, and scratches made the Dragon Pokémon stumble backwards, its stubby arms reaching up to try and peel the Fighting-type off it. "We've got it right where we want it!" Ash said with encouragement bringing a smirk to his face. "Now, Seismic Toss!" With its Trainer's order, Primeape climbed off Dragonite, and while the Pokémon was still getting its bearings together, it snatched the Pokémon by its round waist and hoisted it into the air. Bending at the knees, the crowd was silent in anticipation as Primeape jumped up high. In one fresh movement, Primeape swung its whole body around, and in doing so moved Dragonite below it, and it threw the Dragon-type Pokémon to the floor.

The yellow Dragon Pokémon sailed downward, but before it could hit the bottom, its wings opened up, and it managed to use them like a parachute to stop, and its brow lowered and peered up at Primeape, who was hanging helplessly in the air. "No!" Ash cried, knowing what was coming next.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!" Assunta yelled. Pulling in a deep breath, Dragonite's mouth opened once again, but this time an orange shimmering ball of energy formed. A loud cry erupted from her Pokémon's throat before it fired an orange beam of energy from the ball at Primeape. The beam instantly connected with Primeape, and it exploded, sending the Fighting-type flying through the air with a trail of smoke behind it.

"Primeape!" Ash cried with worry, his eyes following his Pokémon as it crash landed at his feet. It was covered in bumps, scrapes, and bruises, and the referee kept a close eye on it, but before he could open his mouth, the Pig Monkey Pokémon twitched and slowly stood up.

"Pri... Pri-yah..." the Fighting-type panted. Its eyelids were lowering as if it were taking all of its strength to keep them open, and it stumbled before steadying itself. Ash didn't even have time to get his hopes up, however, before his Pokémon let out one last puff and fell on its stomach.

"Primeape is unable to battle! Dragonite wins!"

"After a stunning display of endurance and power, it seems that not even Primeape could stand up to the wrath of Dragonite! Now Ketchum is down to his last Pokémon, and Assunta's ace is still going strong with one more Pokémon to boot. Things aren't looking good for the green Trainer."

Ash silently wholeheartedly agreed as he recalled his Primeape back into its Poké Ball. Muttering a few words of praise to the red and white ball, he shrunk it back down and slowly reached to his last Pokémon. His fingertips felt like they were frozen from anxiety, and he could barely feel his thumb as it pressed against the silver button on the Poké Ball's face. "It's up to you, now..." he breathed, holding the ball close to his face before his eyelids shot open. "Blastoise, go!"

The ball spun like a top through the air as it left his fingers, and in moments, Ash's trusty starter Pokémon appeared and landed on its feet with a mighty crash. "Blaaaastoise!"

"Ash's final Pokémon is Blastoise! Will Dragonite be able to get its fourth consecutive victory and bring its Trainer to the semi-finals?"

Upon seeing the Water-type, Assunta smirked. "This battle is as good as ours. Dragonite, use Thunderbolt!" Its Trainer's confidence was bleeding into the Dragon Pokémon as well, and it smirked too before electricity danced along the length of its antennae, and it fired a blast of lightning at Blastoise.

But Ash mirrored Assunta's smirk with one of his own. "This battle won't be as easy as you think! Blastoise, go!" He pointed forward, and knowing what its Trainer was going to call out for, the Water-type quickly dove downward, and tunneled into the ground in a flash just as the lightning from Dragonite's Thunderbolt hit the newly-upturned dirt uselessly. Assunta seemed taken aback by the sudden Dig attack, but quickly recovered and pulled her eyebrows together.

"Dragonite, fly into the air!" she commanded. Dragonite responded with a small call, and flapped its wings before floating up into the air and hovering some distance above the stadium floor so it could get a bird's eye view. "Now it can't hit us!"

"That's what she thinks..." Ash muttered. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Near where Dragonite had flown from, the ground began to crumble, and soon Blastoise's upper body appeared, and peered up at Dragonite.

"Blaaaasttt!" it cried before unleashing a torrent of water from its cannons up into the air. But the Dragon Pokémon instantly noticed Blastoise and with a quick wave of its wings, showed everyone in the audience why the Pokédex told Trainers why it was 'able to fly faster than any known Pokémon'. He could hear murmurs of approval as Dragonite easily dodged the Water attack.

"Dragonite, Thunderbolt!" Assunta repeated again. As fast as she ordered, her Pokémon whipped around with lightning already discharging out of its antennae.

"Back underground, Blastoise!" Ash said hurriedly. Lucky for them, Blastoise was able to dip its head back underground quickly, and the Thunderbolt hit the ground and disappeared with no target. The ground crumbled some time later, and Blastoise appeared again and fired another Hydro Pump at Dragonite, only for the Dragon Pokémon to dodge it and fire a third Thunderbolt. Then the cycle repeated, with Dragonite firing a Thunderbolt, only for Blastoise to dive underground and appear in a different spot and blast water at Dragonite.

"It looks like this has gone from a Pokémon battle to a game of Whack-a-Mole, with Blastoise making Dragonite's Thunderbolts completely useless."

Assunta's eyes flickered from Dragonite to Blastoise; Ash knew that she was trying to figure out a strategy to hit Blastoise, but couldn't. And as Ash smirked, her eyelids slowly widened, and she realized she was backed into a corner. "Blastoise, use Skull Bash!" he commanded.

Dragonite also saw the flaw in this strategy now, and frantically looked all around. There were many different holes now scattered across the stadium, as well as open areas, and it could come out of any of them. The entirety of Indigo Stadium was silent as all ears screamed in the silence, straining to try and hear Blastoise. Just then, the ground to Dragonite's left exploded, and a barrage of rocks of all sizes came flying up at Dragonite. The Dragon-type Pokémon flinched, and covered its face to avoid getting hit in the eye with debris, and Blastoise shot from the rubble like a silver-coated rocket. Within seconds, Dragonite was pelted with rocks, and seconds later, Blastoise drove its head into the Dragon-type's stomach. All of the air seemed to leave its lungs, and it was thrown backwards.

"Dragonite!" Assunta yelled as her Pokémon arched in the air and soared toward the ground where it landed with a crash. As Blastoise crash landed as well, Dragonite's body slumped as all the energy left its body.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!"

The crowd went wild as the referee gave his declaration, and excitement broiled in Ash's chest. He had defeated Dragonite! "Yes! I knew you could do it, Blastoise!" Ash cheered. "Now we just have one Pokémon left." Blastoise huffed at the praise in its direction, but only looked forward as Assunta recalled her Dragonite back into its Poké Ball.

The blue-haired Trainer muttered a few words of praise to her fainted Pokémon before she replaced the Poké Ball with her final choice. Seeming to take her own deep breath, she threw her Poké Ball forward, and in a flash of light, a quadruped Pokémon with a half-sprouted flower bulb on its back appeared. "Assunta has chosen Ivysaur as her final Pokémon."

"Ivy, Ivysaur!" the Grass Pokémon cried, and bounded forward with a Tackle attack.

"Get ready, Blastoise! Here it comes," Ash warned. The blue Pokémon weaved between the holes that had been dug in the last match and came in for a close-ranged Tackle attack, and as it did Blastoise planted its feet into the ground. But much to their surprise, Ivysaur swerved at the last moment and skimmed Blastoise's body but overall missed with the Tackle attack. The Seed Pokémon skidded to a stop, and as Blastoise turned around to face its opponent, it was charging at the Water-type once again. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Toise!" Aiming its hydro pumps at Ivysaur, the Shellfish Pokémon fired streams of water from them, but like the holes earlier, Ivysaur weaved in and out of them.

"Vine Whip!" Assunta commanded with a flick of her wrist, and from underneath the half-sprouted bulb on its back, a single vine stretched out and shot at Blastoise, and instinctively, the Water Pokémon raised its arms to defend itself. However, the vine flickered downward as it approached Blastoise and swept across its feet. In that one movement, Blastoise's feet came out from under it, and it began to fall backwards.

"Oh no!" Ash gasped, and then quickly thought on his feet. "Blastoise, Withdraw!" As soon as the order was spat out, Blastoise managed to pull its limbs into its shell, and it rolled backwards on its side. Ash smiled slightly, but he could see his small victory was short lived; this was all a diversion. Movement catching his eye, he looked to see that Ivysaur had used its vines to launch itself high into the air – and the inside of its bulb was glowing brightly. "Blastoise, Skull Bash attack!"

Sensing its Trainer's haste, Blastoise quickly popped out of its shell in mid-roll, and landing firmly on the ground, it bent at the knees and launched itself at Ivysaur with its head lowered and a silver aura flaring around it. SolarBeam took some time to charge up, so with the speed of the Skull Bash attack, it didn't take long for Blastoise to ram into Ivysaur, and with a cry, Assunta's Pokémon went flying backward through the air.

"Ivysaur, SolarBeam now!" the blue-haired Trainer commanded. As if her voice brought Ivysaur back into reality, the Grass and Poison Pokémon caught itself and flipped so its flower was pointing straight at Blastoise, and it fired a bright beam of energy straight at the Water-type just as it was landing on the ground.

"And here comes Ivysaur's SolarBeam!"

A bright light shot out as the SolarBeam made contact, and it forced Ash to close his eyes from the intensity of it. It was almost like the sun itself had descended upon the battlefield. "Blastoise!" Ash yelled with horror. Not even he knew the outcome.

Finally, the commotion on the field stopped, and as Ash's eyes adjusted to the fading light, he struggled to see if he could make out his Blastoise through it all. Assunta's Ivysaur landed in front of him, and it seemed that even the Grass Pokémon didn't know the results of its attack as well.

The seconds passed like hours, and after some time, the field was visible again. But Blastoise wasn't on its feet. In fact, Blastoise wasn't even visible on the field. And that's when everyone quickly realized: Blastoise had managed to dive underground in one of the holes it had created in the last round. Ivysaur's eyes widened slightly, but it nor Assunta had any time to react before the ground beneath it broke apart, and Blastoise jumped through the ground and drove its fist into the Grass and Poison Pokémon's stomach.

"Saaaauuuurrrr!" Ivysaur went flying through the air, and it bounced before landing on its side.

"Ivysaur! You can do it!" Assunta encouraged as her Pokémon attempted to stand back on its four feet. And it did for a split second, but soon buckled under the damage that it had taken and fell onto its stomach. The whole stadium was silent as they all waited for either Ivysaur to move first, or the referee.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! The match is over! Ash is the winner!" the blue-shirted referee cried, raising the green flag in his hand. Assunta's picture faded from the scoreboard, and Ash's face expanded outward, officially declaring him the winner. A roar from the crowd rang out around him, but it was all drowned out from his disbelief.

"A spectacular finish to a spectacular match! Blastoise's Dig just overpowered Ivysaur, and Ash is victorious!"

"I... won...!"

o 0 o

The Pokémon Center wasn't nearly as crowded as it had been in the past. With fewer and fewer Trainers competing, it seemed that the non-stop rush of Pokémon going in and out of the medical room was quickly dwindling down.

Still feeling like he was on cloud nine from the victory over Assunta, Ash was giving his Pokémon a well-deserved rest. They all battled brilliantly and Ash couldn't have been more proud of them. "Ash, your Pokémon are all healed up and feeling much better," one of the Nurse Joys stationed at the desk told him as she slid a tray containing six Poké Balls forward.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash thanked with a bow of his head, and collected his Poké Balls from the pink-haired nurse, but didn't have time to put them on his belt before Brock came running in from the lobby.

"Ash! You're gonna want to see this!" the former Gym Leader said with urgency. Hurrying after his friend, he brought him to the lounge where a few other Trainers waiting for their Pokémon to be healed up were watching a match. But it wasn't just any old match.

"It's Gary!" Ash exclaimed as the camera closed in on his rival's face. The chestnut-haired boy was as cool and collected as ever.

"Nidoking, Horn Attack!" Gary's voice filled the lounge, and soon, a roar replaced it. The image flashed over to his Nidoking, who launched itself into the air and jabbed its horn powerfully into its opponent's Golbat. The Poison and Flying Pokémon crashed to the ground, and when the debris from the stadium was gone, it was clear that Golbat wasn't getting up.

"Golbat is unable to battle! Nidoking is the winner! The winner of the match is Gary Oak!"

"Amazing, folks! It seemed like young Gary Oak had been one step ahead of Keaton this entire match, and only lost two Pokémon that entire match!"

"He only lost two Pokémon?!" Ash repeated, blinking as if trying to wake up from a bad dream. Meanwhile, he had just scraped by his victory by the skin of his teeth.

"And with this victory, Gary Oak moves onto the next round, where he will be facing..." The image of Gary's face appeared on a screen, and a very familiar face appeared to Gary's left, which made both Ash and Brock gasp in utter shock.

It was Ash's picture. His next match would be against his rival.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Blastoise (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, Withdraw

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmeleon (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash

Primeape (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

Kingler (Poké Ball)

Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball) x2

Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Volcano Badge

Earth Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility, Quick Attack