Episode 31: Setting Things Straight (part 3)
Part 3 of episode 31 in my Fan Fiction series about the Pokémon journey of Ash and Angie. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.
Although Ash had already beaten two of Paul's Pokémon, and still had two Pokémon left, he was wondering about how to beat Torterra, now that Pikachu seemed to be getting tired, and had suffered quite some damage in it's battle with Honchcrow. Paul's heavyweight Pokémon looked menacingly at it's much smaller opponent. "Torterra is part ground-type, so electric attacks are useless..." Ash thought, "but maybe with Pikachu's speed, we might have a chance..."
"Torterra, start off with Stone Edge!" Paul broke the silence.
Blue rings formed around Torterra's body, then split into numerous pointed stones. It's eyes began to glow, and Ash knew it was time to act.
"Pikachu, try to avoid those stones with your speed!" the trainer from Pallet Town shouted.
Torterra released a volley of stones at Pikachu. The little Pokémon sped around from back to front, and from left to right. Sometimes it even used it's tail to jump up and avoid an incoming stone. "Yeah, that's the way little buddy!" Ash cheered without making a sound, as this might break Pikachu's concentration. The last stones flew past Pikachu, all missing it, although some just barely.
"Great job, Pikachu! And now it's our turn to make a move! Do Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.
Paul didn't say a word, and his Torterra just stood there, apparently not even trying to avoid the oncoming attack. Pikachu's tail started to glow, and hit Paul's Pokémon right on the head, just between the two horns that pointed sideways. Torterra barely blinked, while Pikachu landed a few metres behind it.
"Do Frenzy Plant!" Paul ordered.
Torterra started to glow all over it's body, and then it stomped in the ground, causing cracks to appear. The soil opened up, and large roots emerged from it, first just close to Torterra, but they closed in fast on Pikachu's position.
"Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash yelled in panic.
The little mouse Pokémon managed to dodge the first roots, but then a big one hit Pikachu, and hurled it up into the air! After this involuntary flight, Pikachu landed just in front of Ash. The brave little Pokémon was still standing, although it was trembling on it's feet. Then it's paws gave way underneath it's body, and Pikachu was out. Ash fell down on his knees, and cradled his Pokémon friend. Pikachu opened it's eyes again, and Ash brought it to his other Pokémon.
"Pikachu is no longer able to battle! The first trainer who loses yet another Pokémon, will lose the match!" Angie spoke, stressing that this was the decisive battle.
"Okay Gliscor, I guess it's up to you now. Are you ready?" Ash asked.
"Gliscor-Gli!" the bug Pokémon answered, bouncing up and down on it's tail.
"You really think that cry-baby has a chance to win?" Paul asked sarcastically.
Gliscor stopped bouncing, and it's eyes became watery, as it turned it's head towards Ash.
"I've got enough of you insulting my Pokémon!" Ash shouted, and to Gliscor, "Don't listen to Paul! I believe in you!"
"I suggest the trainers continue this battle with their Pokémon only," Angie said, mostly looking at Paul.
"As you wish, referee..." Paul answered with a flat voice.
"Okay, Gliscor, fly up high!" Ash ordered.
"Torterra, do Stone Edge!" Paul reacted.
Again a swarm of pointed stones was launched at one of Ash's Pokémon. Ash had to choose whether to try dodge it, or use a counter attack. He decided to go for the last option.
"Gliscor, do Steel Wing on those rocks!" Ash yelled, as Gliscor was about to get hit.
The bug Pokémon swooped down, it's wings glowing, shattering the incoming rocks into little pieces.
"Yeah, that's it!" Ash cheered, "now do your X-scissor!"
"Hmmm, seems like you have been training after all..." Paul remarked.
Gliscor dived down, closing in on the now motionless Torterra. Just a few meters away, Gliscor crossed it's front paws and sent a glowing X-mark towards Torterra. The large Pokémon braced itself however, and simply chose to endure the X-scissor attack.
"Now!" was all Paul shouted.
Torterra stomped on the ground, and suddenly roots came up. It was doing another Frenzy Plant! One of the roots hit Gliscor, but before it could try to get out of reach, another root grabbed Gliscor!
"Oh no!" Ash shouted, surprised by Paul's tactics.
"Do Mega Drain!" Paul commanded.
With Gliscor captured by the roots that Frenzy Plant had summoned, it was unable to get away. The rocks on Torterra's back started glowing, and three green vines of light emerged from those, wrapping around Gliscor's body! Energy from Gliscor was drained and sent to Torterra, helping it to recover from the damage it had taken from the X-scissor it had endured a few moments ago. Angie was watching this scene with fear, as things were beginning to look grim for her boyfriend. "Come on Ash, you've got to pull through!" she thought. Meanwhile Ash had his own thoughts about what was happening. "This brings back memories..." Ash pondered, reminiscing an earlier battle with Paul. Then it was also Gliscor versus Torterra, but Ash lost back then... "But this time will be different!" Ash said in his mind, as he clenched his right fist.
"Gliscor, do Fire Fang!" Ash shouted.
Flames formed around Gliscor's fangs, and it bit in the root that was holding it. The root caught fire, and quickly burnt down to the ground, setting Ash's Pokémon free. Gliscor immediately seized this opportunity to gain some altitude.
"Gliscor, do Screech!" Ash commanded.
An earsplitting sound filled the air. "Aaaw! I'd forgotten just how annoying this attack sounds!" Ash thought, as he covered his ears. Angie was looking reproachful at Ash, as she wasn't prepared for the awful sound Gliscor suddenly produced. Quickly she also put her hands over her ears, and Paul did the same. Torterra however had no way to protect itself, and could only close it's eyes as the horrible sound affected it.
"Now, do your X-scissor again, but keep a little more distance between Torterra and you!" Ash shouted, a little louder than usual, since he was still covering his ears, and didn't hear his own voice so well as a result.
Gliscor swooped down, but like Ash told it, kept it's distance, before sending another glowing cross Torterra's way. With the lack of speed of Paul's Pokémon, all it could do was brace itself. Usually that wouldn't be any problem, since it has an enormously high defence, but Screech had lowered this significantly, and Gliscor's attack did really hurt this time. Paul gritted his teeth as he watched his favorite Pokémon taking hits. Still he didn't worry too much about the outcome of the battle. Even when weakened, Torterra was a pain to bring down, and Paul knew that. "A little Mega Drain and Torterra will be like new, and Ash will be begging for mercy, like he always does..." he thought, as a smile formed on his face.
"What are you smirking about?" Ash asked, with a questioning look on his face.
"None of your business!" Paul answered in his usual 'polite' manner.
"Fine, have it your way! Gliscor, do Steel Wing!" Ash commanded.
Angie was surprised at this move. "Why not keep attacking with X-scissor, and weaken Torterra more, before getting in close again, Ash?" she wondered. "Don't rush things, just when your getting the upper hand!" Gliscor was now close to Torterra, with it's wings glowing...
"Now! Mega Drain!" Paul shouted, knowing this was his chance.
Angie looked at Ash with an expression on her face that was a mix of disappointment, over not taking the actions she just thought of, and fear of her boyfriend possibly losing to Paul, again. But Ash didn't seem very surprised by Paul's strategy. "What is Ash up to?" she wondered, as the green vines that came from Torterra's Mega Drain attack, were now rapidly closing in on Gliscor. Ash quickly straightened his cap, although it was already close to it's usual position on his head, and pulled up his gloves.
"Gliscor, Fire Fang again, and this time spin around while flying upwards in circles!" Ash suddenly shouted.
"Huh?" Paul wondered, as in his thoughts he had already envisioned Torterra draining Gliscor's energy again.
Gliscor's mouth was once more filled with flames, and with the extra energy of the Steel Wing attack it had started before this, the bug Pokémon started spinning rapidly around it's axis, while spiraling upwards, forming a cylindrically shaped cage of fire. Torterra was trapped right in the middle of it, and it's green energy draining vines shattered against the fiery "bars" of the cage Gliscor had created.
"You've got to break free from this, you hear me!" Paul commanded his Pokémon, which seemed a little lost with all these flames surrounding it.
Torterra charged towards one of the sides of the cage, but the fire was too strong, and it was forced backwards, with a loud cry.
"Paul, Torterra is hurt, don't you think it's time to call it back?" Angie suggested.
"Never! You just stick to your task, and leave my Pokémon to me, okay?" Paul replied, irritated at what he felt like an improper intrusion.
"Fine, it is your call, but for Torterra's sake, I sure hope you know what you are doing..." Angie answered, as her features hardened.
"Torterra, I told you to get out of there, now move!" Paul commanded, sounding even more angry than before.
The large Pokémon raced forward again, and collided with the fiery wall with much force. Slowly, and apparently taking a lot of effort, it started to push itself through the wall of fire, with it's eyes closed, to protect them from the flames, and also indicating it apparently had to use all of it's strength to keep moving. Torterra eventually managed to get it's head out, then the front of it's large shell appeared. Then, with a final push, the rear part of it's body managed to escape from it's fiery prison. Smoke was coming from all over it's body, as the large Pokémon slowly stepped forward. It looked as if it had just tried to sweep a dirty chimney. Then, all of a sudden, Torterra stopped walking. It opened it's eyes again, and turned it's head towards Paul.
"Finally..." Paul sighed, "now do Stone Edge!"
Ash's Gliscor was hovering not far above Torterra, awaiting further orders from it's trainer. Ash had been watching in awe how Torterra struggled and finally even managed to escape from the fiery Counter Shield his Gliscor had formed around Paul's Pokémon. "It almost seems like nothing can take that Torterra down..." Ash wondered. He remembered how fast Torterra was beaten by Cynthia's Garchomp, back then in Sinnoh. But it was clear it had gotten much stronger since that battle.
"Didn't you hear what I just said!?" Paul shouted, as Torterra still made no signs of preparing the attack Paul had ordered it to do.
Torterra was still motionless, just looking at Paul. It almost seemed like there was something desperate in Torterra's eyes, almost as if it was asking it's trainer for help, new energy, anything. But all it's trainer gave in return was his usual cold, piercing glance. Torterra shut one of it's eyes, and suddenly the legs on it's right side gave way, making Torterra collapse on one side! It's left legs were also no longer able to support the weight of the large Pokémon, and now it was laying flat on the ground. It still managed to raise it's head a little, looking at Paul with just one eye open, but Paul lowered his head, and turned away. Torterra laid down it's head on the ground again, and shut it's other eye as well.
"Oh Ash! You did it!" Angie cheered, as she fell around Ash's neck, and kissed him.
Then Angie realized she was still "on duty" as referee, so she quickly let go of Ash and straightened her face.
"Ehmm, what I meant to say is... Torterra is no longer able to battle, the winner is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!" she stated on a more formal tone.
"I don't believe it!" Paul shouted, as he recalled his fainted Pokémon.
"Hey Paul, it was a close fight, and you know your Pokémon tried really hard," Ash tried to cheer up his opponent, who was looking even more gloomy than usual.
"But it didn't help much, now did it!?" Paul suddenly shouted.
"I think you'd better worry more about getting Torterra to a Pokémon Center," Angie suggested, "it looked pretty beat up after you forced it to go through that wall of fire."
"Weak Pokémon don't deserve to be pampered," Paul replied, glaring at Angie for her unsolicited advice.
Angie at first returned the glare, but suddenly her features softened a little. "Was... that a tear in the corner of Paul's left eye?" she wondered. But before Angie could take a better look, Paul blinked once, erasing any traces of that tear that might or might not have been there. Paul then raised his right hand, in some sort of faint greeting gesture, and turned to face Ash.
"Congratulations Ash, I guess today I was weaker than you," he said at an emotionless tone.
"Why you!" Ash started, as he was beginning to lose control of his anger about Paul's attitude.
"Just let him be, Ash..." Angie whispered in her boyfriend's ear, "I think Paul is hurt more than he is willing to show to us."
The purple haired trainer put away Torterra's Poké Ball in his pocket, and started walking away.
"Will he ever change?" Ash sighed.
"I don't know, but at least he is heading in the direction of the nearest Pokémon Center, so he may have Nurse Joy take care of his Torterra after all," Angie answered, as she put her arm around Ash's waist.
Paul had now disappeared beyond the visible horizon, and Ash called Gliscor back into it's Poké Ball, after giving it lots of praise first, and a few of it's favorite poffins.
"So, how do you feel now?" Angie asked.
"What do you think? I feel like I can take on anybody!" Ash chimed happily.
"I'm also very happy for you. But don't let this victory get to your head..." Angie replied.
"No 'mom', I won't," Ash mocked.
"Oh you!" Angie said, as she tried to make her voice sound angry, pulling Ash's cap over his ears, "but I think this calls for a celebration, right?"
"What did you have in mind?" Ash asked, while his eyes were getting bigger.
"How about your favorite dinner, and... a kiss?" the green haired girl proposed.
"Hmmm, it was the battle of the century, you know..." Ash started, "but I guess it will do..."
"I can always serve you an old slice of bread with nothing on it, if you like that better!" Angie replied, a little agitated.
"No, no, I do prefer that first option. Please...?" Ash almost begged.
"Just teasing you. And it worked!" Angie answered, "now if you can get me some water, I'll start cooking."
"I'm on it!" Ash shouted, as he and Pikachu raced towards a little stream they passed earlier.
Having beaten his arch enemy almost gave Ash wings. "This turns out to be a pretty nice day!" Ash thought, as he was considering the fine meal Angie was going to make, not to mention the kiss she promised him. "Better not keep her waiting too long!" he thought, as he started to run even faster.
My 51st fan-fiction chapter. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.
Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.