Authors Notes: This is what it all comes down to folks. Took me two frigging years to get here, but we are here at last. The final round of the battle. (remember when I said this battle would have a faster update rate than the non-battling chapters? Hilarious...)
Now, can Ash win?
Contest: Last chance, I'm revealing the detail next chapter. This is the final hint I will give you.
One Grandmaster has had this detail about themselves already openly revealed. Another...the hint to it hides in plain sight. Here's the final hint you're getting: While the answer may revolve around Ash, but the clues...well maybe you should focus on another Grandmaster.
Soundtrack:
Jason Paige: Pokémon Theme (there's no way you can deny that the original theme is perfect here. The version from the first movie is also good too.)
Dragonforce: Seasons
Stan Bush: The Touch (has had quite a few versions over the years, take your pick)
Freedom Call: Follow Your Heart
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A very long time ago...
Ash put his hat on, briefly taking a look at himself and smiling. Now he was ready to go. He turned to the mirror, taking a glance at his outfit once more. His jacket; perfect. Gloves; perfect. And his hat...he lightly touched it, there could be no other hat. "I am Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. And I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master."
"Ka Pika!" Not likely!
Pikachu tugged at the washing line, which was tied to the bed, creating a futile endeavour for himself. Ash wasn't sure if he should smile or frown, the idea was ingenious but why was it needed? All Pokémon were supposed to listen to their trainers, right? Well at least he had those rubber gloves if need be...
Ash checked his drawers, checking for the first time (that morning) for anything he might have missed, though in reality everything had been packed days ago. He glanced, Metapod Pencil Case, Magnamite flashlight, and-
He blinked. So that's where he put it. He reached in an extracted a copy of Master's Monthly.
He smiled. The cover was almost familiar in its way, given the face had consistently appeared in this magazine (along with the rest of the trainer-centric magazines) at the time of the year for as long as he could recall. Once again, Quentin Gelden had delivered a sound defeat to his challenger, securing his reign for another year, and continuing a reign some were becoming certain was going to go on until age itself decided to dethrone him. There wasn't a trainer leaving town today that wouldn't want to face Quentin, but none of them wanted it even a tenth, a hundredth as much as Ash did.
No, nobody's desire even began to compare to his. He'd wanted to battle Quentin for...forever. As long as he knew of Pokémon, of Pokémon battles, taking on that man had been his dream. And now he could start his path to realizing it. He'd dedicate every day from here on in to his dream, to become a Master, to become strong. If he became a Master, he could go to the Championship. He could face Quentin.
He looked up from the magazine, slowly, finding the mirror again. He clenched the magazine tighter, scrunching it in his hand as he lowered it, his eyes suddenly ablaze.
No...
Not if.
When. When he became a Master.
Then he would face Quentin.
He crunched the magazine completely.
And he would win!
He threw the magazine away, sending it on a one way trip to the bottom of the trash can. He put on the rubber gloves, untied Pikachu from the bed and started walking, through his mind was far away from his home already, somewhere else, somewhen else.
"Someday..."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As Ash's tears had begun, they had come to an end, in the rain. Yet the darkness had not passed. Under the dark sky above, the battle, his battle waged on.
He did not need the light to see his way.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Smeargle, Iron Tail!"
He would make his own light. He would find his way through the darkness.
"Pika!"
"Smear!"
The strikes met, the air quaking from their strength.
They parted.
They smiled.
Their trainers smiled.
This was it, this was the battle they'd waited for.
Ash held her tightly, her memory, their memories tightly. "Guys, this one is for you all."
Quentin's smile, had finally become true, for the right reasons. "He's ready. Now let's see if he's ready to take my place."
Ash looked around, the battleground had stopped smoking, the fires quenched and the lava reduced to rock once more, but the sparks of Volt Marking remained, Flash Step was beyond their reach now.
So they'd use something else. "Pikachu, Extremespeed!"
Pikachu grinned. If Smeargle truly thought he'd ended this by sealing Flash Step...his cheeks sparked, and he slowly brought himself to all fours.
Smeargle was in for a rude awakening.
Pikachu's paw touched down. A burst of wind appeared from it, it surrounded Pikachu. Pikachu rushed forward, like the force of wind itself.
Swift as the storm. "Evade!" Smeargle jumped aside, just barely evading the bash to his chest as Pikachu passed him, not losing any speed as he continued running. "Bulletseed!" Smeargle's hands glowed green again, he raised them. Pikachu turned, stopping for a heartbeat as he turned, running-he turned again, headed towards him again. Smeargle jumped away, aiming both hands. He fired one hand, directly into Pikachu-he shifted left, without any visible slowdown. Smeargle fired again, and again, and again, all evaded as Pikachu drew closer and closer-
Smeargle vanished. Pikachu hit air, stopping Extremespeed as he slowed in midar. "Shock Wave!" His body flared-as he looked for-
"CHUUUUUUU!" Smeargle appeared, just in time for a beam to shoot at him. He raised a hand, forming Protect, the wave exploding on impact, covering him in smoke, shit, Pikachu was still fast! He had to keep on his guard! One slip up and-
Tap, tap. He jumped to the side, Pikachu dashing right where he'd just been-Pikachu slammed to a halt, leaping at Smeargle swiftly, his fist glowing white. Smeargle's Tail shot over his shoulder, in the path of the oncoming blow-his own tail slammed into his cheek, and he back to the ground, sliding across the ground into a jacket. He opened his mouth, and smog spread from him, covering him in a dense fog. He vanished, leaving the jacket behind. He was high above the smoke. He used flamethrower, turning the smog into flame. Got him-
Scratch that. Pikachu was running up the middle claw, what was left of it, he leapt, spinning into Thunder Wheel. "Meteor Mash!" Smeargle's fist became surrounded a meteor of light, and as Pikachu closed in he threw it fast and true.
The light was briefly blinding.
It faded, showing two things falling away. Pikachu was soaring back to the claw, his rotation in opposite to his direction. The electricity vanished for just a second, Pikachu rotating the other way before becoming a saw again He rolled down, and kicked off, all power fading as he jumped to the ground, he landed, and was on one knee, before he growled and forced himself to his feet. "Pikaaaaa!" His cheeks sparked.
Smeargle fell back, slower, his form still as he descended. He closed his eyes, his body suddenly glowing blue as he got closer to the ground, slowing even further, and touching the ground with a light tap as his glow faded. He opened his eyes.
It burned, loudly. Ash's eyes turned, finding his jacket burning. The water it absorbed had dried out, and inch by inch it was consumed. The jacket he had worn through Unova, and beyond, all the way up to this day... He was almost glad, to watch it burn. Now if only his sins could so easy be burned away...
He shook his head. He couldn't burn them away. They were not a pile of evils to be burnt. They were ruins, waiting to be rebuilt. First he had to lay his foundations. Going back to them after all this was one thing, to go back a failure was quite another.
It had all come down to this.
It was always coming to this. Everyone he'd ever met, every he'd ever faced, everyone he'd ever beaten or lost to. Everything, everything was towards this end. Everything was just for this battle! This was not the battle he'd set out on his journey for.
This is the one he was born for!
This was the battle he was born to win!
Quentin Gelden, the man whose true reign seemed without end, Ash knew his prowess, and his battles well. More than any he remembered the recording he'd watched, of the day he faced his own predecessor in battle, when he had been in Ash's place to take the throne. Ash had watched that battle a thousand times. He considered it by far to be the greatest battle ever waged.
...before today. In spite of himself, his body burned with excitement, the fire coursing through every vein.
This was the greatest battle ever!
Quentin smiled. "I haven't felt this since... This is the battle I've waited for."
Briefly he saw her, a woman, with deep crimson hair and a mischievous smile, her hazel eyes with the same fire as his own, as Ash's...
"He's even stronger than you."
Pikachu hit all fours again, rushing forth, Ash smiling. "I've never fought anyone like this. He's stronger than the Champions. He's stronger than anyone..."
Smeargle launched Magical Leaves. "He's stronger than anyone..."
Pikachu's body sparked, streams of electricity perfectly targeting, and burning every leaf. Smeargle vanished, appearing just to the side of Pikachu, Mach Punch swiftly thrown. Pikachu ducked it, grabbing Smeargle's wrist, and span the pair of them in place. Smeargle's free palm glowed. Pikachu stopped, drop-kicking Smeargle in the chest and rebounding off it, opening his mouth for his own.
Smeargle used Force Palm.
Pikachu used Charge Beam.
The two beams shot across the arena, on a crash course as the two trainers watched.
If a Pokémon's power was truly a reflection of its trainer strength, then...
The beams met.
"He's the strongest!"
The air burned as the beams struggled for dominance against the other.
"But there can be only one!"Smeargle grunted his name, his beam growing larger, it started pushing harder, pushing Charge Beam back. "Only one who stands at the top!"
Pikachu roared, his power soon covering his own body. With another roar his own beam grew, pushing back.
"There can be only one Grandmaster!"
Boom.
Both Pokemon covered their faces as the debris of their attack flew at them. In seconds it was all over. Both Pokemon were still standing, both Grandmasters were still standing.
That was going to change, one way or another. "Make no mistake, Ash. It may be our time, but we fight to win, as we always have. If you cannot defeat us then it's not you who will succeed me." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and exhaling loudly...
"Ash." The new Grandmaster looked at his predecessor. "I deem you worthy." He opened his eyes. "Now you face our true ultimate weapon."
"True weapon?" Ash's blood chilled, he didn't know about this term. If there was an ultimate technique, sure it'd have been Lava Vein, but he'd used that already...
"Our darkest secret." Smeargle's tail raised, ink dancing in the air around it. "We saved this for the day of our final battle. That day, seems to have come!" His brush touched ground. "Destiny's Chains!"
From Smeargle's tail, the black ink spread in a line across the ground, in a straight line, copious amounts of it gathered as a blob in the center of the ring. Smeargle pulled back his tail, and parted his arms, Quentin copying him.
"What the-!"
The blob spread out, chains spreading from it, both marked into, but somehow moving across the ground. The ink seemed alive! Pikachu raised his guard ready for-the chains burst from the ground, in the blink of an eye they touched him-they didn't hurt, they didn't feel like anything, but they moved across his skin as across from him Smeargle too was becoming host to the chains.
The Pokémon, and the Grandmasters. Ash froze as the chains jumped him, etching his skin with their existence, as Quentin too was marked by them. The ground beneath all their feet was a network of chains, all linked back to the center it started from, each entity's chains meeting at the heart. It covered their bodies, their limbs, their faces.
"We are bound, by a cruel fate." Quentin signalled to the field of chains. "There will be no more glancing blows. This is a battle of absolutes. There is only a full hit, or a full evasion. There will be no blocking. All hits shall strike with their full power upon even the slightest touch."
Ash's voice jammed briefly, that was-that was completely insane! "Are you trying to get 'em both killed?!"
"No. Not if you're truly strong enough. If you have what it takes to keep your promise, then Pikachu will walk away from this fight." He glanced at Ash's wounds. "I suggest you don't let yourself take another attack, or you might be the one that wont walk away from this." He looked at the chains on his own hands. "I didn't originally design it with the intent to mark the trainers, but it's hard to control its range. And... " His expression turned...bitter? "Anyone truly willing to do this job better be ready to pay the price." It didn't change as he looked at him again. "We are all marked." He sighed, and the bitterness was gone. "Ash, I did not lie before. Some Pokémon have met their ends in battles the likes of us wage. If you have second thoughts, I won't blame you." Ash did not speak, he did not need to. Pikachu's cheeks sparked into life wildly. He smiled softly. "Come, Ash Ketchum."
He did, Pikachu did. He came rushing forth.
Smeargle stepped forward, his fists igniting. Pikachu broke out of Extreme Speed, leaping forward, brandishing his sparking tail like a blade. He slashed, Smeargle ducking the blade as his own tail's thrust was avoided, Pikachu landed on his feet, seeing the oncoming fire punch. Pikachu evaded it, leaning out the way and stepping back, then again, the heat so close to his face. He jumped back, far from the sudden tail, but Smeargle jumped after him, punching once more.
The flame scarcely grazed his cheek.
"KAA!" It burned, everywhere! "KA-!" Another found his face-"KA!" He was knocked back, and down. Ash and Pikachu got the concept, the slightest touch. Pikachu rolled out of the way, getting some distance, and his bearings for a few seconds.
Quentin's mind wandered, just slightly, as they fought. "We are marked." Smeargle vanished, appearing before Pikachu, his Shadow Claw extending beyond him. Pikachu ducked it, rolling across the ground across his back, all five of his limbs covered in electricity as he tired to sweep Smergle with a swift spinning motion. "Marked as the strongest. Marked as the burdened.Now which us will carry the weight?" Smeargle jumped, a Thunderbolt soon following him, and missing as he vanished again. He reappeared, waving his hands, and unleashing two psycho cuts. Pikachu leapt up, scarcely missing the blades and firing swift. Smeargle mirrored it with his own, the two would-be constellations wiping each other out. "Which of us will be chained to the duty?" Pikachu rolled into Thunder Wheel, making Smeargle vanish and reaching ground safely before he started running again. "She held it, she carried it. As did I. As did we all. Ash, are you strong enough? Are you strong enough to carry it on?"
Pikachu came to a stop, clenching his fist and jumping backwards. It sparked into life. He turned, swinging his fist-his wrist was blocked by Smeargle's tail. Pikachu's other paw was already glowing, slashing to unleash a Thunder W-
-ave, but Smeargle had vanished. He was above as Pikachu hit ground. He was building his attack as Pikachu looked up and responded in kind. Smergle used Psybeam. Pikachu used Zap Cannon.
The orb hit the beam in a ballet of flashing light, a sphere of blinding flashes. It burst, in every direction blasts of yellow and pink firing. Pikachu evaded, Smeargle vanished, they were free from damage.
One blast shot at Quentin.
Another shot at Ash.
Quentin shifted his body.
Ash jumped to the side.
Quentin's ear was very lightly grazed.
Ash's arm was too.
Each gave a shocked cry, and fell down.
Ash's entire body burned, screamed out in protest. It'd taken too much today already. It needed to stop, to rest, to save itself from collapse.
His body was out of luck. He couldn't stop yet...
"Ash, stop messing around!"
"I'm trying!"
Dammit was he trying...but he was facing no ordinary opponent. That being said... he roared, forcing himself to his feet, panting heavily, even as his bones swore an oath of pain upon him. He far from ordinary himself.
Quentin was rising to his feet too, quickly wiping blood from his mouth.
Finally, Ash could see it...through an outsiders eyes, through his own open eyes. He could see his own reflection, of what he had become, and what ultimately, he had failed to do. He'd made his way to the house he'd been raised, he'd traversed its doorway, he'd slept in his bed, but he'd never truly come home. Part of him was still out here, lost on the battlefield. He'd be leaving the battlefield too. And that boy...It was time for him to come home too.
He just had to finish this one thing. "Pikachu!"
This was for them.
Pikachu rushed forward, nearing Smeargle and unleashing a Thunderbolt. Smeargle jumped it, debris smacking him as his tail thrust at the still Pikachu.
Still so he seemed. "Thunderlasso!" Pikachu's electricity spread from his hands, forming a lasso, Pikachu slipped it below the base of Smeargle's tail, pulling it tight. A graceful move, a certain someone would have appreciated it.
May.
His first legacy, the first one who entrusted herself to his teaching over the long haul. One who had even taught him something new... That old Terracotta ribbon...the half he kept around the neck of that wooden Teddiursa.
"Iron Tail!"
Pikachu pulled, and pulled Smeargle of his feet, bringing the artist his way. Smeargle kicked out, his feet aflame, Pikachu jumped up, the fire just barely missing single strands of fur before he struck at Smergle's face. The artist leaned back, evading a face full of hard metal...
...metal that lightly grazed his chin.
Smearge hit the ground, the lasso dissipating as Pikachu jumped away. Smeargle quickly jumped to his feet. "Lock on." Smearle's right eye glowed red, a mass of red firing from it and almost instantly hitting Pikachu. He was marked with a big, red circle. "Megahorn." A green spot formed on his head, and it grew to a glowing green horn. He quickly rushed towards Pikachu, who responded in kind, rushing in an Extremespeed.
He was kicking ass.
Max
The legacy he had yet to make, and perhaps, in a way, that little brother he never had. All his faults aside, Max really was a good kid, and Ash was going to keep his word. They had a meeting to keep.
"Volt Tackle!"
The wind picked up static electricity, and that spread over the entire windy Aura Pikachu generated. He rushed at the Megahorn, picking up his pace before meeting it head-to-head.
Horn met shroud of electricity, Smeargle grunted, so fast-his attack gave out, the energy of the horn breaking apart, the resulting burst of light forcing both fighters back. The winds eliminated even a remote chance of either attack touching skin. With no skin, there was no damage. No damage, no recoil. Pikachu landed first, recovered first and charged.
Smeargle hit the ground on his back, but he could hear a certain mass of wind making its way towards him. If he stayed still too long-"Aerial Bulletseed."
He vanished, Pikachu slammed to a halt, Bulletseed was coming, from the-he leapt away, a barrage of seeds hitting his previous spot, and as he looked briefly, he found Smeargle, taking aim-he was gone. Pikachu ran again, the sound of rounds hitting the ground affirming his choice. He fired a thunderbolt, Smeargle spinning in the air before-Another direction, another barrage.
Another memory.
Dawn.
His second legacy, his most headstrong to be sure, but in a way his supportive as well... Dawn and Piplup were dancing, cheering for him as he battled... Their bond wasn't an item, it wasn't a promise.
It was just what he needed. "Counter Shield!"
Pikachu span in place, building momentum in seconds and unleashed a technique he had not used in years, the streams of light an elegant dance of power.
Smeargle vanished, reappearing and getting read to fire-shit! He vanished again-"GLEEE!" He was knocked out of the air. His Tail caught a claw and he vanished again. He was on ground level, and with an order was soon dug underground. Ash wondered if he should send Pikachu after, but dismissed it. Smergle would come forth when Quentin-
"Demolition Fist!"
Pikachu, and Ash could feel the tremors of movement underground, it was getting closer and closer. Pikachu took a step back, waiting for Smeargle to pop-up and make his move.
The ground under Pikachu was launched up, and it shattered before he could jump off. A creature rose up in front of him, it's form rippled with many muscles and glowing blue, it's fist was raised behind it, glowing a bright blue as well.
"CHUUUUUU!" He cast Thunderbolt.
"SMEAR!" It didn't slow him down.
Smergle's Focus Punch lunched, slamming into Pikachu with enough force to more than justify the combination's name. Pikachu was sent sailing through the air at break-neck speed. "Pikachu!" Pikachu could sense something approach, or that he was approaching, he could see the middle claw, and Ash, so he was headed for-!
The claw crackled heavily from what became its new hole.
Quentin closed his eyes. "I'm sorry Ash. You weren't strong enough. You're not ready. Not now. But get stronger, come back. Fight me again."
"Hey!" Quentn's eyes snapped open, finding Ash mad at him. "Don't fall asleep yet! We ain't done!"
"What do you-?" A spark.
Another spark. Something yellow was walking out of that hole. Pikachu's cheeks were sparking, glaring at Smeargle. Though far worse for wear, he was not yet out of commission. He jumped from the claw, rushing back to the battleground, standing across from his foe again.
Ash ran through a list of ideas, but after everything else...well, there was only..."Pikachu. There's one thing we haven't tried."
Pikachu turned on him so fast it was a wonder his neck break. "Ka chu pika!? Chu pikachu pika pikaka! Pika pi ka-!" Are you nuts!? You know what happened last time! And the ground-!
"I KNOW! But what else have we got?" He didn't get an answer, they both knew why. "Just make sure your aim's right." Pikachu's speeks sparked into life, this was a dumb idea, but.."Please work..." He squeezed the lure. "Please make this work..."
"What's he up to..." "Smeargle! Focus Energy!" Smeargle clenched his fists, his body glowing red. Quentin knew one thing, that if Smeargle charged in it was obvious what would happen, another go on the merry-go-round of back-and-forth. No, they were going to meet this head on. "With everything we've got, we'll bare our might against there's, as we always have! As we must!"
Pikachu's entire body was sparking, the ground beneath his feet reacting to the power build-up. This was...this was the absolute mother-load of all gambles. In a way, this move was more unfinished than Frost Bite. In another, it was far more complete. Flash Step's logical conclusion: right now it was pretty much an all-or-nothing, even under normal circumstances. Now seemed the perfect time to use it. Or the worst, opinions always seemed to differ in these situations...
Some might call it a calculated risk.
Brock.
"Brother." If May and Dawn were his legacies, then Ash was Brock's. Their paths were perhaps even more at odds than his own with May and Dawns, but his contribution to Ash was different. He'd had a lot of practice, after all, in being a big brother, and the one best suited to keeping their head on their shoulders. He was the voice of reason, and in the end Ash had refused to listen. Even after that, all that, he'd prepare, and eat his meals from that lunch-box Brock had given him, so many years ago. Brock, in better times, would trust his judgement. In honor of that, Ash would too.
"Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Pikachu's power built, his veil of choice clothed him again. "Kaaaaaaa!" The power grew, spreading out like a sphere.
Quentin wasn't sure what was coming, but-"Giga Impact!"
Smeargle ran forward, swiftly shrouded by purple and orange. This was it... Ash held the lure tighter.
All or nothing. "Shinespark!"
Flash.
Crash.
Ash's heart skipped a beat...as he grinned.
The ground parted slightly beneath them. Giga Impact, and Shinespark. Smeargle and Pikachu were locked together, the unstoppable force, and unmoveable object. The air shook and crackled. "KAAAAAA!" Pikachu's power grew larger, the ground cracking further as Smeargle's orb was starting to be pushed back.
"Smear!" It stopped. "Glleeeeeeeee!" Smeargle pushed back against the larger sphere.
"Piiiiii!" Pikachu dug in his feet, his body sparking, he took a step forward-crack. His eyes brielfy darted down, the ground at Smeargle's feet!
"PIIIIIIIIIII!" He stepped forward again. Crack. "KAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" He stepped forward again. Crack, crack. "AAAAAAAAAAAA!" The ground broke. Smeargle was off his feet "CHU!"
Flash.
They were gone.
BOOM!
The claw on Quentin's side seemed to partially explode, electricity radiating from the smoke source violently, the claw cracked, parts of it crumbling, and falling to the smoke source. Something jumped out of it, something small, yellow, and leaping back to the arena, breathing heavily. -"Kaa!" His body crackled with power, though not in a good way, he wasn't trying that one again...and he wouldn't have too.
"That one was for you, Brock."
"Pi?" Pikachu looked at his paw, a link was coming-A link undone, another, and another, one by one, the links were coming apart, on Ash, on Pikachu, on the very ground the ink was separating and breaking away, Ash could almost feel it as it came to an end...
Destiny's Chains had been broken.
Quentin watched as the markings left him, if the chains were broken, then that meant one of two things. Either Smeargle was unable to fight any longer, or he couldn't maintain the chains. He clenched his fist.
He knew his friend better than anyone. "Smeargle! Emerge!"
Ash laughed. "What are you going on about? Destiny's Chains broke, he's not getting back-" Crack. "No way..."
Crack...
...Crack.
...
Boom!
Smeargle burst from the rubble, glowing white. "SMEEEEEARRRRRRRRRRRR!" His wounds, some of them, began to fade...
"This battle is not over yet, Ash!"
Smeargle leap from the claw, landing across from his foe, his glow no more "Smear!" He met Pikachu's gaze, his resolve clear in all that he was, even through a body that had been through all kinds of hell. All those strikes, all that punishment, and he was still standing, if tired, but Pikachu was too...
It wasn't enough. Pikachu didn't have the power to put him down. "That will come back to bite you, one day." Today was that day. "I-I don't have anything else. Dammit we ain't got anything else to hit him with!" He held the lure tight, his fist shaking. "We can't give up! We can't give up. I won't give up!"
The sky roared again...Drip...drip...drop, drop, drop, drop...and the chorus of rainfall sang. Ash smiled...He could laugh right now. This really was like their first day, in so many ways. Seemingly impossible odds before them. The rain beating down as the enemy bore itself on them both. Still neither had backed down, they'd both stood unwavering. Making their final stand as-Ash gasped.
The sky roared once more...
He slowly turned his gaze upwards, his eyes slowly widening, realization suddenly dawning upon him...
There was only once chance.
"Pikachu, the sky!" Pikachu looked up, following Ash's hand. "Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "Pika-!" His body flared in power, forcing everything he had left into-"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
It shot to the sky, into the clouds, creating a cry of thunder. Quentin looked up, watching..."The sky was darkened by Charizard's attack, but what caused the-" Smargle had opened the ground, creating immeasurable amounts of smoke and that had just gone..."The vein heated the air. When heat finds the atmosphere..."
The sky flashed and roared, and Ash watched, both now, and then, The day was clear in his mind. The countless Spearow before him, the sky shining with power as Pikachu leapt forth, preparing his attack as-
A lightning bolt struck.
From the heavens came a bolt, striking Pikachu with its absolute power. The light was blinding, briefly, and in the end Pikachu stood, with a glow greater than even his Veil had ever yet managed.
The sky grew silent.
Ash looked ahead, this was it...this was the day he'd waited for..."Someday..."
So long has passed since then. He'd left his hometown, he'd wondered his homeland, and so many others since. He'd seen, and done things so many could only ever hope to hear about. He had lived such in these years, all for the day he would stand before the Grandmaster, and defeat him.
He clenched his fist. That day had come! "This is the end."
Pikachu's eyes flashed gold, and even they were crackling with power.
For Ash, the world seemed to slow down. Pikachu's aura seemed to become less fierce, Smeargle's movements became less swift, and the air seemed less fierce. The rain less chilling against him. For one moment, it was just him, him and his own thoughts.
He clenched his hand..."Misty..."
He could so clearly see her...The day she pulled him from the river. The festival at Maiden's Peak. Waking up to her there. Walking countless days with her. How she looked. How she smiled. How she smelled. How her eyes looked at him.
How she felt in his arms...
He saw everything.
He placed his hand on his heart, her over his heart, and felt that feeling stronger than he had ever known.
"This is for you."
That thought was all he needed. This feeling was all he needed. And the clouds above began to part.
"This is it."
This battle.
His uncertainty.
What he had become.
"This is the end!"
"THUNDER!"
"PIIIIIIIIKAAAAAA-!" His body, cheeks, even his eyes were overflowing with power. The ground around him shattered. "CHUUUUUUUU!"
The size of it was far beyond its caster, far beyond its target. It was a gigantic mass of might, and its target was Smeargle. The world started to white out as the bolt shot across the arena, the ground beneath it cracking as the river flowed to its endpoint.
"Mirror Coat!"
Smeargle's body was covered in some kind of clear, reflective material, a reflective barrier, and faster than the blast could move Ash processed it. The almost-holy blast was stopped at Smeargle's skin, held there by incredible force. "If this your limit Ash then this is the end!" Smeargle began to push against the blast. "END IT!"
"SMERRRRRRR!" He stepped forward, roaring, his reflection growing bright and brighter, pushing the last of everything he had. "SMEARGLEEEEEEEEE!"
The blast was cast back.
"KAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Pikachu!" The blast consumed him, surrounding him in his own power as it turned against him. Ash didn't know where it came from, he didn't know why it came.
All he knew is that it did. "Hold your ground!"
He did, gritting his teeth, and glaring at his foe. I'm not going down. Even as his own power flared. I'm not going down!
Ash took a step forward. "I am Ash Ketchum!"
Heaven's gate was open, its light spreading upon all beneath.
Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn... in one instant he saw them all. From here, there were things he had to face, from both his past and future, and as he clenched the lure just a bit tighter, he knew. As the power of Thunder danced before him, as the sky opened above him, he knew...
He was ready.
"I am Pokémon Grandmaster!"
With a final war-cry, Pikachu exploded with power, and in all directions pure light spread.
"No matter what..."
Pikachu faded to light.
Smeargle faded to light.
Ash and Quentin did too.
All faded to light.
"I won't regret anything else anymore."
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End of Chapter
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Next chapter: The True Grandmaster
Wow, finally done. I've been working my ass off these past few days to write chapters 18-20. 19 was actually first done, and then it was one hell of a grind to get the other two finished. Clearly I require a lot of practice in writing fight scenes.
This chapter was planned out yesterday, and written almost entirely in whole today. (Some lines, and the skeleton of the ending were done) Literally dawn until dusk (with some delays, family obligations and such) and beyond I've been working non-stop on this. (couldn't get it done Christmas day UK time though, bummer) I haven't been this motivated to write this fic (or indeed anything) in literally, years, not since this fics first days. A nice return to the old ways. Doubt they will remain though.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
CONTEST!: Last chance folks! Won or not, the detail will be revealed next chapter (in the compulsory flashback) so move your asses if you want the prize!
Remember what I said at the chapter's start. One Grandmaster has had this detail revealed openly about them. Just remember: It's spelled out in front of you, far more than 100 times. Well, actually, it's more than 200.
Now what could I write that many times without anybody wondering about it? Or, to put it another way, what would you read in this fic 100s of times without thinking twice about it? Seriously think about it.
(If anybody's wondering, I first wrote it down in chapter 7.)
(probably just gave the contest away with this one)
If nobody gets the answer, I'll post an author's note chapter a day or two before I intend to upload. I'll make it even clearer if I think of a possible way. If even that don't work, I'll just pick a winner.