That night, Serena found herself watching out the window, into the dark night. It was raining, heavily. That upset her. She wanted to stand out on the balcony and get some fresh air too, but that was no longer possible. But regardless, she watched outside. She watched the rain hit the glass, and the trees in the wind being swayed side to side.
They had won their first round, but in all honesty, the future of the contest looked bleak. What had started as a fun little adventure for everyone, had instead devolved, into a sort of survival game. Sierra and Beta had slaughtered their way through their opponents, and there had been little to no mistaking their tactics. Unmerciful, unadulterated force and power. They cared little for the health of their own Pokemon, never mind the enemies Pokemon. From the sounds of them, they barely even respected human life, and not just Pokemon's lives. But their attitude also reflected a much darker tactic. They wanted to scare the opposition, intimidate their opponents into giving up, making them leave. They could win without having another battle if they truly horrified their opponents.
And it felt like it had worked.
Serena had seen up close the damage that those two had caused again Markus' Blastoise and Freya's Garchomp. Blastoise had been electrocuted until it was burned on the flesh, and had been shocked until it's nerve endings were completely severed, and removed its ability to move. And Garchomp had come dangerously close to entering the eternal sleep. Covered in sludge, the end result was a Pokemon that would be on a long and painful road to recovery. Freya had been an absolute wreck after seeing her Garchomp's injuries up close. She had cried for a long time, apologizing to the unconscious Pokemon again and again. Serena wondered, what kinda of people could do this without feeling a shred of remorse?
Freya had begged Beta to release her Pokemon. She had fallen onto her knees and essentially bowed to him, pleading for mercy for her Pokemon, and he hadn't even budged an inch. His face never even changed. He just stared at her, his face cold and unfeeling. Calculating. Utterly ruthless and remorseless. He only let her Pokemon go because he saw it as more efficient than simply killing Garchomp. A completely cruel, remorseless and savage individual, Beta worried Serena.
And Sierra seemed like a pure blooded sadist. Energetic and cruel, enjoying toying with her opponents... The two seemed like a pair of complete and utter psychopaths.
Serena shuddered. She was worried for her own Pokemon. She was worried about...
"Serena?"
The blonde girl turned to face the voice that had emitted from behind her. A soothing, familiar voice. "Ash?"
"I've been looking for you for a while." Ash said with a smile. He walked and stood next to his friend and watched the night time outside beside her, like she had been doing moments ago. She was now focused on him however. He had his hands behind his back and a calm expression on his face. "I like just watching the rain."
"You do?"
"Yeah. Its relaxing. Calming. Helps me think." He said. "And it's just refreshing. I did it a lot when I was in Kanto." He thought back to the past two years as he looked out the window into the dark forest at the foot of the hilltop. How often it had rained when he had been there, especially during the spring months. At those times, he had had so little to do. He felt himself go a bit insane from boredom. There had been lots of paperwork to do, as he had found out later on. It had been during those flurries of work he had found out just how relaxing it could be to just watch the rain fall onto the grass.
Serena relaxed herself and watched outside again with him. "So do I." She managed to smile lightly. His company made her feel better, warmer in her chest. Just his presence made her happier. She forced herself to relax more. "What did you need me for?"
Ash sighed and bowed his head. He then looked up at Serena. "Our opponents for the next round dropped out."
"What?" Serena looked at Ash with a sharp tilt of her head towards Ash, looking at his serious face. She wanted to think he was joking, but there was no chance of that. He was telling the truth, just by the look on his face and in his eyes. "They dropped out?"
"Yeah. Kinda disappointing." Ash muttered. "I was hoping for another battle." He folded his arms and sighed, looking out the window, watching the rain hit the glass and run down its smooth surface. He watched a single droplet run down the window, and then fall onto the ground once it reached the bottom.
"So... Does that mean that we skip a round?" Serena asked her crush, concerned. While she wouldn't complain, she felt like Ash would be disappointed.
"...Well, here's the thing... So many people dropped out..." Ash's voice started becoming lower, and his eyebrows burrowed in. His eyes sharpened, with his eyelids coming down and covering half of his visible retinas.
Serena raised an eyebrow. "Wait. How many people dropped out? I know a few groups dropped out, but how many altogether?..."
Ash looked at his partner and read the expression on her face. Concern, curiosity. Anxiety and anticipation. She wanted to know. Needed to know.
"Uh... A few people..."
"Please Ash..." Serena looked at him with pleading eyes.
"...The semi finals start tomorrow."
"The what?!" Serena exclaimed, and stared at Ash in absolute shock. Nearly every single group had dropped out and now only four groups were left? Suddenly, Serena felt her hands shaking. She knew Sierra and Beta were tough opponents. Intimidating opponents. But this effect on people?... But then again, she had almost had a similar reaction. She didn't know what to think. Her mind sprawled out in front of her, thinking, considering, wondering what to do. "The Semi Finals... This was supposed to last a week at least..." Suddenly, she felt the sharp pang of guilt. This had been something Ash had been looking forward to taking part in. It was her surprise to him. To let him let release all the battling energy he had stored over the last few years. For him to kick back and relax. Or, do the closest thing to relax in his case. But she had chosen poorly. This entire tournament had been ruined by the surprise arrival of two opponents whom had shaken the entire foundations of the traditional contest. "I'm sorry..."
"What?" Ash looked at Serena with questioning eyes. He looked deep into her own eyes, searching them for an answer, an explanation. "Why on earth do you feel the need to apologize?"
"Because this was all supposed to be for you..." Serena said, sadly to the Kantoean. Her own bad feelings made her feel sick. She had wanted to treat Ash to something that made him happy, but she had failed.
Ash looked at Serena, his heart heavy and hurting. Seeing her like this was unbearable. He rested a hand on her shoulder sympathetically, but it didn't seem to do much, to Ash's chagrin. He then looked outside. "Hey. The rains stopped..." The Kantoean observed, seeing the water pellets were now no longer bouncing off the glass, but were now rolling down the smooth surface. Serena also looked at the ceased rain too, watching the dark sky and dark clouds still hovering, threatening to unleash more rain upon the Earth, but for now, they were safe from the downfall.
"I guess..."
"Come on. Lets go for a walk."
"So, there's about six teams that are still going." Ash explained, as he slowly walked along a path with Serena to his near left. The two walked together comfortably, as Ash explained the situation to his friend. The petrichor scent that came after the rain was weak on the air, but still there. The cool breeze lightly hit both their faces, making them just slightly cold. Occasionally, they would move to avoid a puddle of water on the ground. The whole area was damp, so they tried to avoid going under trees and the likes, so they wouldn't be hit by dropping water.
"Right." Ash explained. "Technically speaking, the semi finals won't start until later in the day, but they do start tomorrow. There's one quarter final match going on, and then its right onto the semi finals."
"But wont that leave an odd number of matches?" Serena asked, with a quizzical look.
"Yeah. One team will just have to battle twice I guess, I don't know." Ash shrugged. He hadn't found out exactly what would happen there. Maybe they'd flip a coin. Who knew?
"Okay." Serena nodded. Ash would at least get a battle, which was really all he could ask for. But she was confused, conflicted. She wasn't sure if Ash wanted to actually fight Beta and Sierra, never mind if she wanted to fight them herself. "Who do we battle?"
"Well, we're fighting a team of two called Haru and Pietro. From what I've seen, Pietro seems to favor Dark types, and Haru prefers Fire types." Ash reported. As he did so, he held up a piece of paper, showing her the brackets for the torment that hadn't been crossed out.
Serena stared at this piece of paper for what felt like a really long time. She looked at all the names that had dropped out, realizing just how much people were intimidated by the monster pair that was Sierra and Beta. She wondered, did they make the right choice? Never give up till its over. Those were the words, Ash's words, that she had lived by since she had met him. But was it really giving up if it guaranteed your Pokemon's, your friends, safety? These people had decided it was best to guarantee their Pokemon's safety. She couldn't chagrin them that.
"Who are... Those two fighting?" Serena asked, referring to Sierra and Beta. She scanned the brackets, following their names along the bracket line they had progressed up. She stopped and swallowed when she saw. Hard.
They were up against Paul and Miette.
"They'll be fine." Ash said, reassuring Serena. He had had a similar reaction when he saw. But he had confidence in Paul and Miette. "...I hope."
Serena just let out a sigh of depression. She wasn't sure what to think anymore.
"...We don't have to do this, you know." Ash said, suddenly. Serena looked at him, facing him square on. "We could drop out as well if you wanted to."
"But - But don't you want to battle?" Serena asked, her eyes widening at Ash's words, and his offering. She knew Ash. Loved him. Even though she kept that last part to herself, she knew him. He wouldn't want to give up just because it seemed dangerous, and nor would his Pokemon.
"I do. I do want to keep going." Ash said. But he then , surprisingly, smiled at Serena warmly. "But I'm not gonna force you to keep doing something that you don't want to do. If you want to drop out now, I'll have no protests, and no regrets."
"If I dropped out, it wouldn't be fair on you though..." Serena said back to Ash, quieter than before.
"You're too selfless." Ash replied with a light chuckle. "You deserve to be a bit selfish." He then put a hand on her shoulder again, this time, not sympathetically, but affectionately. "Serena, you mean a lot to me. I've known you for years. Forget that, I've known you for most of my life! Don't think for a second that your opinion and feelings are lost on me. I care about them. And you"
Serena felt her heart race and he face heat up, despite the cold air surrounding them. His words were so warm, so sincere. Each one filled her heart with love for him. If only she had the courage to say that...
"But if you don't mind me saying... I believe in you, Serena. If we go out there, we can win. I'm certain of it. You're a much better battler than you think you are. You're smart, and you think on your feet. Pikachu listens to you. That alone took me weeks to make him do. If you think dropping out is better, I won't stop you. But I do know that with you, we can beat this entire tournament." He then looked Serena in the eyes, and smiled at her brightly. "It's your choice."
Serena's own heart was filled now. It had what it needed. It had the encouragement, the belief, and above all, the support of her crush to help her. Her doubt was gone, as was her fear and concern. It was then that she realized she had forgotten something. In this contest, they were a team. She could rely on Ash. And she had to return that. His faith in her had to be matched by her faith in him. And her faith in his was absolute.
She looked at Ash, with a warm and ready smile. Her confidence restored, and her will to never give up revitalized. "You're right. We can win this."
Ash returned that same smile. "That's the Serena I remember."
Serena managed to let out a small laugh.
"Besides, its not like we are definitely going to fight them." Ash reminded her with a smile of his own. "We're kind of just counting Paul and Miette out of the fight already." He chuckled, amused at himself. "Nah, if I know Paul, he isn't gonna go down without a fight."
Serena's eyes widened slightly when she realized Ash was right. She then started to giggle lightly to herself. She hadn't even given time to the thought that they might be able to beat the two. It amused her.
"But hey, regardless of what happens... Thanks. For bringing us here. Thanks for the thought."
Serena couldn't help smiling. No matter how down she felt, or how worried she was, Ash always managed to make her feel better. He knew what to say, and just when to say it. She might have been feeling miserable but a few moments ago, but now? She had confidence.
They could win this.
"You're welcome."
Once the next day had rolled in, and the day of the semi finals had begun, the announcement of the drop outs had been made to the public. To out it bluntly, there was an outcry. Thousands of boo's and negative shouts were screamed from the stands from disappointed tournament goers. They had wanted a much longer tournament, and it was hard to blame them, Serena had thought. She doubted the non-trainer viewers would be able to understand why so many had dropped out. But she could. She had come close to dropping out herself.
But despite their outrage, there was nothing to viewers could do about it. There simply would be no time to train or gather a fresh batch of contestants. Very few trainers were willing to send their Pokemon into battle against the slaughterhouse this tournament had turned into. Instead, they had to just make do with what they had. There was one additional match that would be going on later today. There was the only quarter final match, and then, to round out the numbers, the judges would flip a coin to decide who had to fight the winner from that additional match, to leave the final two teams for the finals. For Ash and Serena's battle, however, they were focused on first. There was noticeably less enthusiasm from the crowd today. There were cheers and shouts, but much less than the last round. Like they were sulking, like children who were being told they couldn't have a toy from a toy store. Ash actually felt offended. Two Pokemon had nearly died in the previous match, and the crowd somehow had the attitude to be upset that some people had decided to make sure their Pokemon were safe? His hand curled into a fist, shaking with his barely suppressed anger.
"Ash." Serena whispered, smiling at him gently. She felt his same fury, she did, but they both had to relax. They had to remember what they were here to do. There would be time for anger later.
Ash took a look at Serena and relaxed. His fist loosened and became an empty hand again. "Yeah. Sorry." He sighed, resetting his emotions, and forced himself to ignore the selfish attitude of the crowd. He was here to battle. To train. To help get stronger still. But above all, he was here to have fun. Not to impress these people.
He and Serena reached their positions on the battlefield, like they had yesterday. Once there, it finally clicked for Serena just how surreal it was that this was the semi finals. Just yesterday, they had been battling here in the first round, and now, they were here. Same place, but much further in the tournament. It was eerie. It hit home just how many people had been intimidated out of the tournament.
In this moment, Serena felt a shiver run down her spine. She made herself remember Ash's words from last night. They could win this. Just remembering his words, she felt herself regain her composure. She wasn't alone.
Their opponents came onto the battlefield, Pietro and Haru. For anyone to still be here, they had to be confident, or arrogant. These two seemed to fit the bill exactly.
Pietro had an air of arrogance about him. He had silver hair, which was long, and left uncut, reaching to his shoulders, and some threads dangled in front of his hazel eyes. He had pale skin, and he wore a black leather jacket, and a set of black jeans. He also wore a set of glasses that rested on the tip of his nose, so he looked over them. He had a smug composure, which simply radiated from him. He specialized in Dark type Pokemon, according to Ash. His clothing did seem to reflect such.
Haru on the other hand, was very calm and confident. He was Fire type specialist. He wore a red jacket over a black t-shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. His hair had been dyed a bright red color, and had styled it so it was spiked, upwards to the sky, representing a blaze on top of his head. He seemed to very much enjoy his Fire types.
"Today, due to the high number of contestants dropping out of the tournament, we will be beginning the semi final matches, plus one quarter final match today!" The announcer had tried to put enthusiasm into his voice to rally the audience, but to no avail. "To start this day of battling up, we will begin with Ash and Serena versus Haru and Pietro! Both teams have passed their first rounds with flying colors, both displaying strength, teamwork, and strategy! Would the contestants call upon their Pokemon of choice!"
"Arcainine, lets go!" Haru moved first, throwing a Pokeball into the air, putting a backwards spin on it as it it rose into the air. The ball cracked, and what the Pokedex described as the legendary Pokemon leaped out from the materializing light. The canine Pokemon let out a loud roar once it took its position on the battlefield, standing proudly.
Next up, Pietro called upon his Pokemon. He tossed his Pokeball on a backhanded throw, allowing it to spin into the center of the battlefield before it released its inhabitant. "Bisharp, battle time!"
His Dark/Steel Pokemon landed onto the battlefield from its capsule home, letting out a loud battle cry. It displayed it's sharp blades that were its natural defenses, and displayed itself in a manner that was ready for conflict. This Pokemon stood ready now, awaiting its opponents.
Ash smiled. They had a very good advantage here. Both Serena and he had Pokemon that had type advantage, and Pokemon that worked well together. Both Pokemon were strong, and had high amounts of power, and the two got along well, and knew each others strategies. Ash knew whom he would use for this battle. "Greninja, I choose you!"
Ash threw his powerful Water type Pokemon's Pokeball into the air, and watched his Ninja Frog Pokemon leap out from it's spherical home, and land on its feet, ready to start a fight once again. The well trained, and highly capable Water/Dark type stood upright, and stood calmly and composed, ready to begin the battle at any time.
The inexperienced but competent battler took notice of her crushes Pokemon choice. She quickly came to a similar conclusion that he had done, and selected her Pokemon accordingly. She had faith in her choice, and enlarged its Pokeball. "Braixen, come out!"
Her Fire Pokemon entered the battlefield with both grace and calm composure. Unlike the other participants in this conflict, Braixen made no extravagant noises, or furious battle cries. It simply stood up, and armed itself with its stick it used in conflict, spinning it in one hand, ready to begin when it had to.
The two Kalosian Pokemon knew each other very well, and made a very good team. This match looked to be in Ash and Serena's favor. Obviously they both knew it still was not going to be that easy, but they felt better about having the type advantage to begin with.
"If there are no objections... Battle begin!" The announcer declared, marking the beginning of the conflict. He spoke with the same enthusiasm as he did yesterday, so at least someone was still enjoying themselves.
Ash felt eager and impatient, so he made the first move. He smiled to himself, and called out his first attack. "Greninja, use Water Shuriken on Arcainine!"
His Greninja complied rapidly. Once the move had been called out, Greninja was already collecting the water vapor from the air into it's palms, and crafted them quickly into the shapes of ninja shuriken throwing stars, and as quickly as he had formed them, Greninja had aimed and fired two spinning water blades at the Fire type Pokemon.
"Bisharp, intercept!" Pietro commanded. His Bisharp moved with speed, its moves deliberate and well coordinated. It was very fast, especially for a Steel type Pokemon, as it managed to reach its ally before the rapidly reaching Water type moves were able to connect. Using its steel blades on its arms, it was able to make a perfect slice against them, exactly down the center of the Water Shuriken attacks, erasing them completely.
"Braizen, use Flamethrower on Bisharp!" Serena told her Pokemon. Braixen spun its stick in its hand, generating the heat and sparking the fire, and then unleashing the Fire type move upon the Steel type Pokemon. The blast hit with searing heat, and was sure to do high amounts of damage.
If it had been able to hit. Acting on impulse, without order from its trainer, the Bisharp had quickly used the move Protect, encasing it and its partner in a kinetic shield, defending it from the blast. The move had been used at the last second, and had lasted a rather long time. This was a very strong Bisharp, no doubt. The Dark/Steel type dropped the Protect, and made a target of Braixen.
"Night Slash!" Pietro ordered. With that command, the blades on Bisharp's arms extended, and glowed a dark black color, and it made its way quickly to Braixen, reaching out and slashing at the Fire type, whom took to dodging it very quickly, narrowly avoiding each attack. Bisharps attacks were as quick as its improvisation, putting Braixen, a Fire and Psychic type at a huge disadvantage. An attack from this Bisharp would cause a lot of damage, damage that couldn't be afforded.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken on Bisharp again!" Ash commanded, his Greninja already aiming it's strikes.
"Braixen, use Fire Spin!" Serena commanded at the same time. Braixen took to unleashing a Fire type move every few times it dodged a Night Slash attack. Bisharp was able to dodge as quickly as it could attack, but this was mostly a diversionary tactic. Bisharp wouldn't be able to dodge both Braixen and Greninja attacking separately.
"Arcainine, Thunder Fang on Greninja, go!" Haru commanded. Ash bit his lip. Haru had been sitting on the sidelines for a while, evidently waiting for an opportunity to attack. It had a move that could counter its Water type weakness. Static charges sparking from its elevated fangs, the Arcainine ran towards the Water type with speed, already running when it's moved had been called out, and halfway to its target before Ash could call out a response.
"Greninja, Double Team!"
Arcainine leaped at Greninja, fiercely snarling at the cornered frog Pokemon, and widened its jaw, and then clamped down, striking the Water Type, only for it to explode into a puff of dust. Now surrounding it, was at least a group of ten Greninja, with only one real target. Through skill and careful precision, the Water Shuriken attack was still powering up. It took a few more seconds for the attack to be aimed, but now, ten Water Shuriken attacks were flung towards Bisharp. The Dark type was able to dodge several of them, narrowly dodging the majority of the attacks, until one finally connected, hitting the speedy Steel type, knocking it backwards, away from Braixen. Staggering, the Steel/Dark type regained its placing. The attacks had come too quickly for it to use Protect to defend itself, but thankfully for it, the attack hadn't done too much damage.
"Use Cut!" Ash ordered.
Before Bisharp could register what was happening, Greninja skidded from nowhere behind it, already holding its energy stick that it would attack the oblivious opponent with. It was in too close a proximity for Protect to do any good. It would just trap Bisharp into a close proximity to Greninja.
The Cut attack hit Bisharp right in the back of the neck, which created a reaction from the recipient, in the form of a grunt of pain. The attacks momentum carried into Bisharp, and sent it flying from Greninja, albeit just a few meters away.
Greninja made a smirk of satisfaction at its rapid success. The speed it was so proud of had once again, aided in battle. However, as it was grinning, its smile turned into a cry pf pain, as the Arcainine that Greninja had duped had caught up to the Water type, unleashing a critically striking Thunder Fang attack. The strike had caught Greninja's arm, but the electricity from the attack sent itself throughout the Water types body.
"Use Psybeam!" Serena commanded Braixen, and her command was obeyed with speed and precision. The Psychic type attack was already making contact mere seconds after Serena had called the attack. Braixen had aimed and struck with force, knocking the opposing Arcainine off Greninja.
Greninja staggered on its feet, unbalanced. The electrical energy that had quickly administered itself throughout Greninja's system, causing a great deal of damage, as well as disorienting the Water frog. Greninja fell onto one knee, but was quickly supported upright by Braixen. The Fire fox Pokemon gave a small cry of concern. In return, the Water frog Pokemon gave a small noise of reassurance, and shrugged off its remaining static charge. Greninja was far from out of this fight.
"Arcainine, use Ember!" Haru requested from his Pokemon. A salvo of small flames of fire flung themselves at the pair of Pokemon, hitting, but not damaging all that much. Greninja and Braixen were able to stand up, and simply tank the hits, as they did such little damage.
In this moment, in a manner mimicking Greninja's feat, the opposing Bisharp had made its way into close proximity, behind the two assisting Pokemon. The opponent let a cruel grin appear.
"Night Slash!" Pietro called out, and it was to be. A sharp strike from Bisharp made contact with a fatigued Braixen, sending a super effective direct hit right into the abdomen of the performing Pokemon, knocking it to its knees. The attack had winded the Fire type. No cry of pain came out, just a breathless gasp.
"X-Scissor!"
Greninja looked at Braixen on the ground attempting to reclaim its breath. Seeing this, Greninja faced its opponent in a fit of rage, only to be hit back by a X-Scissor attack straight to the face, the momentum knocking back the Water/Dark type backward, off its feet, and sending it flying backwards a few meters.
"Greninja!" Ash called out with concern. Seeing these moves done with such timing, he began to piece together his opponents strategies.
The Bisharp was the main threat behind the enemies attacks. It was clear it was stronger than the Arcainine, despite being at a type disadvantage to it. The Bisharp was fast, precise, and could hit with power and deadly accuracy. It could move quickly, unnoticed, and strike its opponents for deadly damage. It had a range of moves that helped it compensate for its weaknesses, but above all, it was able to use its raw strength to hammer its opponents. Meanwhile, while the Arcainine was strong, it was being used primarily as a whittler. It would damage the opponent for Bisharp, so Bisharp could hit for more damage, and kept away from its opponents until needed. Arcainine weakened the way for its stronger partner to wipe the floor with its opponents. They seemed to take hits, and then strike their opponents with extreme force. They covered one another too, making sure one of them was never under too much direct fire.
That was noticeable to Ash. It was a weakness in the strategy they were employing. The majority of people who had entered the tournament had been solo battlers, paired up with other solo battlers. As a result, they didn't seem to get along all that well. These two were experienced trainers, used to having to work in unfavorable conditions. It also seemed likely that, due to their coordination and risks to help the others Pokemon, that they were friends, or at least got along well. There was some respect between them, no doubt, which lead them to have faith in one another. Like Ash had faith in Serena. They could work as a team. But this left an opening.
Without one, the other wouldn't be able to stay upright.
If Serena's Pokemon was knocked out, it would be possible for Ash to recover the battle. He had far more experience than her, and she was acting as support more than anything in these battles. Haru and Pietro however, they acted as one unit. This lead to a weakness in their team. It was unlikely that the other would be able to stand and fight solo should one be knocked out. An appropriate metaphor would be that they were acting like legs of a chair.
If they only had half the needed number, the chair was useless. Likewise, if one of them was knocked out of the battle, the other would swiftly follow.
'But which one to target?...' Ash wondered. He scanned the battlefield.
Arcainine was the logical choice. Weaker, and Greninja had a type advantage, as well as priority moves that would damage Arcainine for a lot. It made sense to target the weaker half of this combination.
But Haru and Pietro had to know that.
So, Bisharp? That was an easier task said than done. Bisharp was exceptionally tough for its species and typing. This made attacking it very difficult. It was quick, enough to dodge attacks, and tough enough the harm both their Pokemon, with super effective moves no less. Type advantage aside, that meant nothing if you couldn't make contact with your target.
But then again, Bisharp seemed to defend Arcainine a lot...
Ash grinned. He had his strategy.
"Serena!" He called out to his partner. She looked at him, ready to hear what he had to say. "Focus everything on Arcainine! Don't hold back on Fire type attacks!"
Serena gave him a quizzical look. Fire type attacks wouldn't help against an Arcainine. But regardless, she had total faith in Ash. She wouldn't question his plan. She believed in him. She nodded at him, agreeing to do so. 'He knows what he's doing.'
"Greninja, can you still battle?" Ash asked his damaged Pokemon. Greninja stood up, but the fatigue from battle showed. The Water type was injured, had ragged breathing, and had trouble lifting its arms. It managed, but it was clear that last attack had battered a lot of energy out of it. It let out a call, saying it was able to continue. But Greninja was stubborn. It wouldn't admit that it was losing energy with time. It would not accept or admit defeat until it could no longer move. And maybe not even then.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken on Arcainine!" Ash commanded. As it had done before, the water simply appeared from the air in Greninja's palms, aimed and threw within seconds, letting loose two separate shuriken. The stars spun in their axis, gaining speed and cutting through the air.
Their opposing Bisharp quickly ran in front of the strikes, and unleashed a Protect attack once again, defending its partner. The water splashed off it's shield harmlessly, but it hadn't been a gentle impact. Bisharp's shields had taken a beating. They couldn't withstand the next attack.
Braixen, Flamethrower!" Serena called out. Braixen had struggled to its feet, and fired a blaze of fire right at its target, holding nothing back. The attack made contact with the Bisharp's shields, knocking them aside in seconds, hitting the Dark/Steel type for huge damage for the first time.
"Bisharp!" Pietro called to his injured Steel type. Bisharp had taken a huge amount of damage, and struggled to its feet.
"I figured out your strategy." Ash grinned. "Bisharp defends Arcainine because Arcainine is weaker. But even your Pokemon has its limits. You weaken your opponents with smaller damaging attacks, and then Bisharp comes in for the finishing blow. And without one of you, the other will fall very quickly." He had left them two options. Continue defending and lose Bisharp, or separate and attack individually, which would make them individually weaker.
"He figured it out..." Haru muttered to himself.
Serena smiled at Ash. 'I knew he had a plan...'
"Alright, no choice." Pietro decided. "Go to plan B, individual attacking!"
The two started calling out attacks against targets at their own leisure, Bisharp focusing on Greninja and Arcainine focusing on Braixen. Each calling out moves to weaken their opponents. Moves like Flamethrower, X-Scissor, Night Slash and Quick Attack. Each strike was either dodged or deflected by the now better coordinated Ash and Serena and their Pokemon. Greninja and Braixen had seemed to gain their second wind, as their energy seemed to return to them, able to dodge and unleash attacks with relative ease. Occasionally, they would be hit by an opponents move, but they were able to withstand these attacks with ease.
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken on Arcainine!" Ash called out, suddenly changing targets. "Give it everything you've got!"
Greninja responded by leaping into the air as high as it could, and targeting the battling Fire type, and unleashing a bombardment of water throwing stars against the Pokemon. Arcainine couldn't dodge them even if it had been enough. Hugely damaging multiple strikes sealed its fate. Slamming i to the Fire types side, the attacks sent Arcainine into the ground, knocking it out of the battle completely.
"No, Arcainine!" Haru called out to his knocked out Pokemon. The call was made, that the Fire type could no longer continue. Haru gritted his teeth and returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball, thanking it for its hard work.
"I can still win this!" Pietro called to his partner, filled with bravado and suicidal courage. He ordered more moves, rapidly. He called out move after move, to the point where even Bisharp was having difficulty keeping up. It slashed and defended, alternating battling styles rapidly. Ash had to give credit where it was due, this Bisharp was a very powerful Pokemon. It as he had said, even it had its limits. Fatigue and damage had worn it down, and it simply could not move its legs anymore. It was left open to a heavy double tag team attack.
"Water Shuriken!"
"Flamethrower!"
Both of the battling Pokemon charged up their final moves, putting every single ounce of strength they had into their joint attack. Instead of creating multiple, Greninja focused onto making one large, heavy start, which it threw with still deadly pinpoint accuracy. Braixen channeled every fibre of energy it had into its Flamethrower, the heat and intensity in its flame reflecting such focus and specialist energy. Both of the Pokemon let out a huge, deafening roar, and fired their moves with their perfect aim, both hitting Bisharp at the same time. A huge erupting explosion sent Bisharp flying across the battlefield.
Bisharp was declared out of action before it even hit the floor.
Their brutal battle over, Ash found himself grinning. They had defeated a pair of exceptionally difficult opponents. The satisfaction he felt after defeating the pair had been immensely good. He found himself reflecting on why they had been such difficult opponents to defeat. The answer he had come up with was teamwork.
The ability to work as one despite there being two of them. It had made them much stronger.
Ash smiled. He and Serena were able to work as a team. It made them stronger as a team themselves. He couldn't have asked for a better partner.
They were in the finals now, he realized. While it hadn't exactly been as extravagant as expected, due to so many people bailing out, but that didn't matter so much, as long as there was a few good battles. It was now just a simple question.
Who would they face?
A brutal battle had been anticipated in the match between Paul and Miette versus Beta and Sierra. Both groups had tough reputations of brutal battling, solid tactics, and pure, raw power. Despite that, the odds had been heavily stacked against Paul and Miette. Their opponents were like technologically advanced barbarians, and were as ruthless as such. They had single handedly intimidated more than half the competition into bailing out. That was a testament to their strength. But their current opponents wouldn't give up without a fight.
This was a battle the audience did seem excited for. There was lots of cheering and chants of support and enthusiasm. They were anticipating a very good battle between the two groups, ferocity, conflict, fast paced action. The things crowds always loved to see in these events.
Ash and Serena were in that same crowd, watching the battle between the two groups. Ash say in solemn silence, his hands together, and his head resting on those hands. He watched intensely. He wanted to see if either side had any openings. He had absolutely no doubt that one of these two groups would be the finalists. He didn't even consider the additional match that would have to take place. He knew those guys would lose against whoever they went up against. Ash had confidence in that.
"Do you think Paul and Miette can win?"
Serena's worried voice caused Ash to turn his head to face her. She was concerned. She probably didn't care too much for Paul, but she was going to be concerned about her friend.
Ash looked back at the match. Already under way, with attacks flying left and right. High paced and high action, and the crowd was already chanting and cheering as the fight commenced. Paul's Aggron and Miette's Slurpuff were sending attack after attack against their vastly stronger opponents. Beta had called upon his Metagross and Sierra had chosen her Porygon-Z, and there were brushing off strikes, and sending back attack after attack, with such displays of power. Paul and Miette were able to hold their own against these attacks, but they were on the defensive. If they were unable to break through their opponents strikes, they would definitely lose this battle.
"...I don't know, Serena." Ash sighed as he watched their battle. He neither wanted to tell Serena the truth, nor did he want to lie to her. He was stuck. And he didn't know how to reply to her right now, torn between the truth and what would make her feel better. He looked to her again, and saw her with her hands tightly balled up into fists. "Hey. If they lose, we can still best Beta and Sierra, I'm sure."
Serena smiled weakly at him. That hadn't done much to reassure her.
"Aggron, Flash Cannon!"
His Steel type Pokemon was battered, but Paul continued calling out strikes regardless, which it took a very valiant attempt at following. Releasing a shrill roar of power, Aggron released a flash of brilliant light at the opposing Metagross. The attack hit, but it did essentially nothing. Paul had known the attack would have been resisted due to typing, but Aggron was very powerful. It should have at least had some sort of effect on the opponent!
"Tri-Attack!" Sierra called out to her Porygon-Z. A brief flash of three of the elements, Fire, Electric, and Ice, and a brilliant white beam hit Miette's Slurpuff directly. The attack had been focused directly on the weakest point Slurpuff had; its nose. Blasting the Fairy type into the sky, it landed next to its trainer, completely out of action. Slurpuff had held its own for a long time, but it wasn't a battling Pokemon. It had reached its limits a long time ago, and had been running in sheer adrenaline reserves for a while now.
"Slurpuff!" Miette knelt down by her Pokemon, holding it in her arms. The poor Fairy type was absolutely battered. Cuts, scars and bruises everywhere, and it's nose, from that attack, had been seriously injured. A random after effect from Tri-Attack had effected Slurpuff. In this case, a burn. Slurpuff had not only been knocked out of the match, it had been knocked out altogether. Horrific damage had been done to Slurpuff. Like it had been to Blastoise and Garchomp the day before, but thankfully, this was controllable damage. This wouldn't be too dangerous. But all the same, the paramedics came out with stretchers once again for the Fairy type. It was worse than it looked...
"Conclusion assured. Data retrieved." Beta said. His monotonous and robotic voice was not unheard by Paul and Miette. "Further fighting is irrelevant. Recommend opposition surrender to ensure safety of their Pokemon. Failure to do so will be met with hostility. And extreme power."
"Don't give them a way out, Beta." Sierra told him, her cruel grin showing her pristine white teeth. "Knocking them out is much more fun."
"Aggron, Iron Tail!" Paul commanded in a last ditch assault of defiance.
"Meteor Mash."
"Zap Cannon!"
Aggron charged at its opponents, only to be met by a fierce combination attack, sending it skidding across the ground, back to where it started. The damage was done, and it had severally injured Paul's Aggron. The battle was done.
"Well that ended... Abruptly." The same meeting place as before, Psi made a comment about the battles earlier that day. He scanned through each competitor, looking at each of their Pokemon and their moves.
"Clarify." Beta instructed.
"Well, I was referring to all the matches." Psi muttered. "But mostly..."
"Who cares, really?" Sierra asked. She was leaned against a wall, lighting a cigarette. Easily far too young to smoke, but she didn't care. She was bored out of her mind. Striking the lighter twice, she eventually got a flame going, and shielded it from the rain again. She then took a very long inhale.
"Query. Those objects cause negative health to the human body. Why do you willingly inhale the fumes of nicotine, tar, rat poison and other such unhealthy products?" Beta interrogated Sierra. He had a habit of doing this with things he did not understand, or saw as totally illogical.
"Gee, I dunno, maybe because you two are such great company." Sierra retorted back with thick sarcasm. "I've got freaking beep boop Beta the computer, Mr. Serious Psi who acts like the freaking masked vigilante of Lumiouse city with about ten times less extravagance, and you're asking me why I'm lighting a cigarette?" She then inhaled and then loudly declared, "Because I'm bored out of my god damned skull!"
"Acknowledged." Was all Beta would say after that.
"Aaargh!" Sierra loudly declared in frustration. "You're driving me insane!"
"Enough!" Psi slammed his fist into the side of the nearest metallic wall, causing the sounds and clang to shut both his companions up. "This is not even remotely relevant to the cause here. Shut up, both of you, or I'll have to report this to Zeta."
"An efficient idea." Beta agreed. "I agree with this course of action."
Psi nodded at Beta. The more he knew Beta, the more he was growing to like him in a weird sort of way. He didn't let insults or bias get in the way of doing his job. Psi could respect that.
Sierra made a dismissive grunt noise, but kept quiet. She hated admitting fault. In any sort of manner.
"Have we confirmed our targets?" Psi asked Beta.
"The loss of the majority of competitors was an unexpected negative side effect. In retrospect, actions taken may have been too efficient, causing intimidation to the general populace. Our targets have been severally reduced. However, extensive analytical information would suggest that the individuals whom have stayed are ideal targets nonetheless." Beta replied, holding up s holographic device, skimming through the remaining competitors. "An additional match was held earlier today to determine which group of an odd number would challenge an already finalist opponent. They faced Sierra and I. They lost. Records indicate a high level of bravado and unwarranted arrogance. Pokemon weak. Unsuitable." He then brought up the competitors, and deleted the, from his files, a beep noise emerged from the device, and then their images were gone. "Unsuitable targets."
"And the actual finalists?" Sierra asked, leaning over Beta's shoulder to see the list of trainers left. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the list of candidates, seeing who was left. "What about that Kantoean?"
"He seems suitable." Psi commented simply. His hood still hid his face, but Sierra swore she saw a frown or something there. There was a reaction, that was certain. that seemed to be the first reaction she had seen from him that wasn't anger or seriousness. It... Interested her.
"The Kantoean. Ash Ketchum. Kanto Native. Like myself. Age, 17. Competed in six regional tournaments, placing in the high end of the tournaments each time consistently. Impressive track record. High win/loss ratio. Experienced."
"Not to mention, he's not hard on the eyes..." Sierra commented. Couldn't deny that, despite how much see felt this sort of annoyance towards him.
"Irrelevant." Beta commented.
"You're a buzz kill, you know that, Beta?"
"Focus." Psi reminded them. "Do we think he's a suitable target?"
Beta looked at Psi. For the first time, an eerie smile appeared on his usually vacant face.
"Affirmative."
Ash was stunned that Paul had been completely knocked out of the tournament. Paul was one of the strongest trainers he knew, and he had been completely knocked out by the terror duo. Miette and Paul's Pokemon, although badly injured, were not damaged even close to the extent the previous victims had been. Arceus had to be thanked for that.
"I guess that's that." Paul had said while he watched the surgery on his Aggron being performed. His eyes closed as he watched, relaxed, and sighing. "Aggron did good work." He had heard from Nurse Joy that these injuries, while they looked bad, and while the effects were worse than they looked, it wasn't anything to worry about. Injuries like this happened all the time. While they were still harsh injuries, Aggron would make a recovery.
"You okay?" Ash had asked, concerned. Despite the two not really being technically friends, he did care about Paul's well being. He didn't think Paul was a bad person. He had definitely improved in his treatment of his Pokemon. He was more relaxed, but still intense at the same time.
"I'm okay." He said, not taking his eyes off of Aggron. "You sure that you can win tomorrow? It's you and the blonde girl against those two."
"Serena." Ash said, somewhat firmly. "Not 'The blonde girl'. Her name is Serena." It was only after he had said this that he realized just how protective of Serena he had become. Paul had been told her name. He had no reason to give her such a dismissive name like that. The fact he had angered him, more than it should have.
"I forgot it. Sorry." Paul said, defensively.
Ash relaxed and sighed, looking at Paul's Aggron again. He had to remember, Paul did have a Pokemon in intensive care right now. He needed to remember that. He used his sigh as an emotional rest. Why had he gotten so upset by that? Focusing on the question he had asked, Ash replied, in a much softer voice. "I'm gonna give it my best shot, you can be sure about that."
"Will that be enough?" Paul asked. When Ash looked at him again, he explained. "Since I last saw you in Sinnoh, I've done lots of traveling, lots of training. I've been thinking. Considering. That sort of thing. I know how you think. Never giving up. Admirable... But is that gonna be enough against these two?"
Ash nodded in understanding. Paul made sense. But... "That's all I can do."
Paul sighed again. "I guess that is true." He watched Nurse Joy work on his Aggron. The Steel type was resting now, looking rather peaceful. The Steel type behemoth was fast asleep. Miette and her Pokemon would be in another work space. He then looked at Ash again. "I must admit, I would have enjoyed battling you again."
Ash grinned himself. "We could still have that battle. I could do with some practice."
"Perhaps." Paul said with a small chuckle. It was in that moment Ash noticed just how much Paul had lightened up. He would have dismissed Ash a few years ago, or he would have had to be in the mood to totally crush him. Now he had a sort of back and forth attitude with Ash. He wondered if they actually were friends or not. "But... Not right now."
Ash was puzzled, and asked, "Why not?"
"I want to check on that Miette girl. See if she's okay. Her Pokemon took a heavy beating."
Ash couldn't help but smile.
"What?"
"Nothing."
