Chapter 3 – Comedy Versus Tragedy
With their newfound relationship, Ash and Dawn continued their journey through the remainder of Sinnoh. They were quite affectionate for one another, though Dawn was clearly the one who pushed the relationship forward. Ash, though growing more confident, was still quite nervous when it came to showing his feelings; though he made his fair share of gestures towards the petite girl. They thoroughly enjoyed eachother's company, sharing many passionate kisses and holding one another as they fell asleep many a night, though they went no further than that. Even with this new relationship, Ash continued his quest to re-invent himself as a trainer, finishing his round of the gym leaders yet again and challenging many powerful trainers along the way.
As it was, the loving duo came upon the last landmark of Sinnoh. They finally arrived at Lily of the Valley Island. Ash had not planned in competing in any leagues during his journey, as he wanted to fulfill his pledge of rebuilding his battle style completely. However, upon arrival, the tournament was still taking in contenders. Ash, being in the great mood that he was, decided that he should enter. Having traveled through four regions, decided that he needed to test himself to see if he could apply what he learned in a rigorous tournament setting. He also wanted to see if having Dawn at his side would spur him to victory, as it had done so many times before in his youth.
And so he registered, as he felt that he could take on anything that the other trainers could throw at him. Of course he kept such arrogant thoughts well in check, not wanting a repeat of five years ago. As expected by those who recognized the Pallet native, even after five years absence, he breezed through the early stages of the tournament and after two rough fought quarter and semi-final matches he made it, yet again, to the finals.
On the day of the finals, Ash sat in the trainer locker room. He was mentally preparing himself for the battle to come when he was surprised by a visitor. Dawn had somehow managed to sneak there and greeted him gleefully.
"Oh, Ash!" she called in a sing-song voice, sticking her head into the locker room and playfully stretching out the first letter of his name. He looked up unexpectedly. The look of shock passed very quickly and a smile replaced it. She walked it and the look of shock returned once again. She stood before him in a brand new cheerleader uniform. It looked remarkably like the one she wore in her youth, but it obviously was bigger to fit her adult body. Otherwise, it was like staring at a vision of the past. Dawn did a cute little twirl on one foot and lifted a single pom-pom to the air as a flourish and winked at him cheekily. Ash smile grew several sizes and he bounded over to her. She did the same and they hugged tightly.
"You brought it back!" Ash exclaimed.
"This will be just like the old days! I wear this to a gym, and you win! Except today, you'll win much more than a badge!" Dawn trilled excitedly.
"You're so sweet," Ash said quietly, their foreheads coming into contact again. As he did, he caught a whiff of her scent. Intoxicating was the only word to describe it. No other words could measure up. He wanted to kiss her and hold her forever, but this wasn't the time. He had to focus on the match that would ensue in only a few minutes.
"Just remember, I'll be cheering for you! I know you'll do great!" Dawn spoke in a quiet yet encouraging tone.
Ash could feel his mind unraveling, but he kept himself focused. He spoke just as quietly and with much affection, "Dawn, I love that you're doing this for me. And while I certainly love the outfit," he caressed her side as he said that, "I know you're cheering for me, no matter what you wear. I feel that with you at my side, I can do anything. Thank you... so much... Dawn. You mean so much to me."
Her face was the picture of amorous bliss. Ash turned away to pick up his pokéballs when suddenly she grabbed him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Ash's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at the moment of contact, but as the event progressed, he relaxed into it and returned it, closing his eyes in the process. His hands moved to her slim waist, and her hands gripped the back of his shoulders hungrily. It took all of both of their combined wills not to give in to the sheer carnality that threatened to overtake them then and there on that most important day.
As they both discovered the need to breathe, their lips finally parted. Ash felt like a new man. His will burned like a bonfire that soared into the sky. Dawn felt like a huge weight had fallen from her shoulders and she was fluttering away. She couldn't honestly tell whether or not her feet were planted firmly on the ground.
She sighed blissfully and whispered in his ear before leaving, "I'll always be at your side. So when you win it... you'll win it for us! Will you do that?"
Ash's mouth was rapidly drying out, so it took him some effort to reply. But he did, whispering back with all the sincerity and longing of years gone by, "I promise. For us."
Dawn gave him another peck on the lips and let her hand slide gracefully from his as she sauntered towards the doorway. Ash's mind went into a haze momentarily as she slipped quietly out of the locker room. She didn't say what he thought she was going to say. He thought she was going to say 'Win it for me', but she said... us.
"I know now..." he said quietly to himself as he looked on his five pokéballs, and at Pikachu who had quietly observed this happy moment. Pikachu gave him a knowing look, "I am telling her after I win."
Pikachu's cheeks sparked as his face grew determined. The little yellow mouse was just as ready to put their training to the test as his trainer was.
Ash heard the announcement from the PA in the locker room, "Mr. Ketchum. It's time."
"It is time isn't it, buddy!"
Pikachu happily hopped onto Ash's shoulder as he collected his remaining five pokéballs.
"Let's do this, for us!"
He clipped the balls to his belt and left the locker room.
As he walked down the final hallway to the entrance of the field, he could only feel a building anticipation. Not of the crowd cheering. Not of the millions watching on television. Not of the potential glory of winning the coming match. Not even of the battle itself. He had long ago conquered those feelings in an effort to steel himself for the calm and collected demeanour that he needed for matches like these. No. He was anticipating, and even glowing at the fact that Dawn would be watching and cheering for him in what would likely be one of the most important battles of his life.
It was all about Dawn.
He was ready. He had to be able to surpass the barrier that had stopped him so many times now.
There was nothing missing.
He stepped out onto the field and was met with a roar. This was his long anticipated comeback after a four years' absence from league tournaments. The crowd loved him. But they also loved his opponent.
The announcer blared over the speakers in the stadium, "Ladies and gentlemen! May I present our finalists! The two trainers who have worked tirelessly to reach this point! On the red side of the field, a long time contender in multiple leagues who has shown time and time again his brilliance on the field of battle. He has been in the finals of both the Indigo League and the Silver Conference and has had many great showings before that! May I present to you, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, Kanto!"
A huge cheer went up and Ash was momentarily deafened. The crowd noise took longer than expected to subside, and then the announcer continued, "And on the green side of the field! Home-grown and ready to try and keep the title of Lily of the Valley Conference Champion firmly in Sinnoh, I give you, Jubilife City's Favourite Son! Hamill 'Grin' Jarrow!"
Another huge cheer, went up, perhaps slightly louder than Ash's, considering he was a Sinnoh native after all. Ash could see the opponent from across the pitch. He was about ten or so years older than Ash. He had short, neatly trimmed black hair, almost verging on green. He had a sharp nose, piercing green eyes, and a pointed jaw-line. He was quite pale, which was contrasted sharply by his ruby lips; and those lips always seemed to be bent upwards in an unsettling smile. His clothes spoke volumes about him. He wore a purple vested jacket and matching slacks. His tie was unusually colourful. Ash wondered if this guy was a clown of some kind in the off-season. Ash walked forward with no hint of trepidation while his opponent approached with an overly confident strut. They met one another in the center of the field and shook hands. The referee read them the rules in the meantime, "This will be a 6 on 6 battle, ending when either party is completely incapacitated. Only two substitutions are permitted by either party, and only after the opponent is forced to use another Pokémon. Once a Pokémon has fainted, the trainer must immediately choose their next. Both trainers will release their first Pokémon simultaneously. Neither trainer is permitted to set foot onto the field while a battle is in progress. There is no time limit."
Both trainers nodded, and Jarrow spoke with a smooth, yet almost mocking voice, "Well, I hope this is a fun battle for you boy. I know this is just gonna be a joke for me!"
"We'll see who's laughing at the end; after that you can go back to whatever clown college you came out of," Ash replied sourly.
Jarrow let out a laugh that sounded half-way to a cackle and turned around to stride in his usual manner back to his own side of the field, shouting along the way, "Don't worry about your sourpuss attitude boy! I'll put a smile on that face!"
Ash tried to shake off the comment. It really didn't make much sense to him, nor was it as funny as the man himself seemed to find it. He simply wrote it off to his opponent trying to get into his head.
"Now spectators, the moment you've all been waiting for! Let the battle begin!" the announcer boomed throughout the stadium.
"Let's start this out strong! I choose you, Garchomp!" Ash swung his arm and released the pokéball. The massive stream of light formed the Mach Pokémon, which let out a terrifying roar. Piplup, fearing for its safety, dove under Dawn's seat. The memories of draco meteor were all too vivid.
At the exact same time, Ash's giggling opponent cried out, "Fun time, Gengar!"
The grinning Shadow Pokémon burst forth, shouting its name in glee. It landed on the field and began laughing a cold and maniacal laugh.
Ash raised an eyebrow before, again, shrugging off the strange behaviour of both the Pokémon and its trainer.
"Begin!" the referee called out.
"Garchomp, sandstorm!" Ash commanded boldly. His dragon responded with a grunt and spun wildly for a few moments before a massive tornado of sands blotted out most of the field. Gengar was clearly displeased with this, shielding its eyes.
"Gengar! Shadow punch!" the trainer coughed out through the storm.
The ghost did as it was told and thrust one of its arms forth. A spectral fist continued on its trajectory, but no sound of impact was heard.
"Huh?" Jarrow gasped in confusion.
A brief move of the earth beneath Gengar shifted him off balance. Had Jarrow seen this through the storm, he would've known what it meant; but he didn't catch it. Garchomp erupted through the through the ground and carried it into the sky. Gengar let out a cry of pain as Jarrow watched in dismay.
"Dragon Rush! Into the ground!" Ash shouted.
"Gaaaarrrr!" the beast roared as it and the ghost were both enveloped in a blue light that spread out like wings of a dragon. Garchomp quickly drove Gengar towards the earth.
"No! Gengar! Confuse Ray!"
The red tinted eyes of the ghoul turned purple momentarily, as did those of Garchomp. Momentary panic gripped the dual ground and dragon type as it flailed and subsequently crashed into the ground, with Gengar only barely escaping the grip before the impact. Garchomp was not done by any means, but it certainly hurt the beast, and it did not serve to end its confusion. The manic dragon let out giant flaming sphere in the sky without a command or warning. The orb's flight path mirrored Garchomp's disoriented state, spiraling through the air before bursting into firework-like display of small projectiles that fell haphazardly back to the earth. The field was coated with small, smoking craters once they impacted. Suffice to say, the poorly executed draco meteor had no effect on the battle. Even though one nearly struck Garchomp and knocked him off balance, the concussive blast only served to antagonize its already frantic movements. It almost seemed as though it were fighting an invisible foe, though no such foe existed save for in its mind.
"Garchomp! Snap out of it!" Ash pleaded, his eyes wide with fear.
Ash's opponent cackled with devilish glee and ordered Gengar, "Pelt it with Shadow Balls! As many as you like!"
Gengar's already freakish smile widened further as it went on to conjure one shadow ball after another, hitting Garchomp with successive explosions of ghostly energy. It seemed how unreal how fast it could create and launch them.
"Garchomp! You need to calm down and get under control! Your opponent is directly ahead of you!" Ash cried, practically begging now.
Garchomp continued to flail around madly, hitting nothing but air. Meanwhile, each shadow ball hit its mark, only further aggravating Garchomp's ailing body. Meanwhile, Jarrow just continued to laugh wildly, almost falling over from the hysterics.
"Just keep doing that, I'll get a soda! Hahahahaha!" Jarrow shouted in amusement.
Jarrow's rude remark gave Ash a brilliant idea.
"Garchomp! Snack! Directly in front of you!"
The dragon immediately stopped thrashing and looked forward. He saw Gengar, but rather he didn't. Instead, he saw a delicacy that only he could imagine. Gengar saw this look and grew nervous, more so when Garchomp licked its lips.
"Eh? What's this?" Jarrow said, paying attention to the battle again. With lightning speed natural to is species, Garchomp did just he used as a Gible. He clamped down on Gengar and tried to eat it.
"What! No! Gengar! Shadow Punch! Shadow Ball! Do whatever you need to get out of there!" Jarrow screeched.
Gengar complied but only mildly, as the pain of a giant, hungry dragon's jaws clamped down on him. Garchomp was still confused, but it knew that it was famished. The ghost delivered two mild shadow punches before it started simply wriggling to try and move from the maw of the beast. Jarrow growled and his seemingly perpetual smile faded, and he grunted, "Destiny Bond!"
Gengar reluctantly complied and a purple light streaked from its eyes into the dragon's. Ash saw this and panicked. He shouted to Garchomp, "No stop! Don't do it! Let him go, Garchomp!"
The dragon, still under the effects of the confuse ray, heard nothing Ash said. It continued to clamp down on his foe until he went unconscious. At exactly the same time, Garchomp did as well, finally releasing the limp ghost.
"Both Garchomp and Gengar are unable to battle. Both trainers must choose their next Pokémon!" the referee announced the first verdict of the match.
Ash cursed himself for not seeing something like this coming. He returned Garchomp to his capsule and complimented him on a good fight, saying, "You did well. This was my fault."
His opponent, meanwhile, was none too pleased with his battler. He gave it a quick insult and a frown, before returning to his creepy smile.
From the stands, Dawn sat there in worry. This was not a good start to the match for Ash. She had seen Garchomp in action many times in the short few months they had travelled together since departing Twinleaf town, and knew full well that this was one of Ash's most powerful companions. She watched Ash carefully, trying to read his actions to gauge his demeanour. She couldn't see his face, so it was difficult, but he seemed steady from what she could tell. She got up and yelled through the droning roar of the audience, "Don't let this get you down Ash! You're still even!" Piplup, who stood on the barrier in front of her, continued to jump and squawk loudly in his support for Ash's team after having deemed it safe to emerge from his hideaway.
On the field, both trainers released their next pokéballs at the same time, revealing the next two duelists. On Ash's side, was the floating ice Pokémon, Glalie. Before him was one that Ash was not too happy to have to fight. Darmanitan.
The rotund fire Pokémon, just like its predecessor, grinned widely at his opponent, just as gleeful as its master for the chance to do battle. Glalie, returned the grin, glad for a challenge like the one before him.
"Battle begin!" the referee shouted, raising both flags he held.
This time, Jarrow made the first move, "Darmanitan! Fire punch!"
With speed that belied its size, Darmanitan lunged forward to deliver a fist that now blazed with deep red flames.
Ash reacted quickly, "Dodge, Glalie, then use ice beam!"
The floating ice type rose a few feet into the air whilst the red blur that was his foe swept beneath him. The red Pokémon twisted its body in surprise only to see a white beam of energy make contact with its face. Its front was momentarily covered in a sheet of ice, only for the ill-tempered fire type to smash out of it in a rampage. Ash knew the attack did little to harm his opponent's Pokémon due to type advantage, but he still had a trick up his sleeve.
His opponent took action again after he saw his fighter break free, giving a new command, "Don't just sit there! Fire punch again!"
"Dar!" the Blazing Pokémon roared in frustration. It jumped up towards Glalie, once again demonstrating its great speed and power, fist wreathed in flames all the while.
"Descend now and use that force to create an earthquake for when it lands!" Ash yelled.
Glalie responded eagerly, quickly dropping out of the arc that Darmanitan created as it soared through the air. Just as Darmanitan hit the ground, Glalie did as well, sending an earth shaking quake throughout the stadium. Darmanitan stumbled and lost its footing, clearly struggling against the ground type move. For the first time, Darmanitan's mocking smile faded. Glalie could only chant his name in glee as the super-effective move wrought havoc on its opponent. As the quake subsided, he gave a second command, "Ice Beam all around him!"
Glalie gave Ash a knowing look and proceeded to make an icy pillar all around Darmanitan. Still reeling from the quake, Darmanitan looked upwards in confusion as he saw his new prison forming.
Jarrow panicked again as he saw this, his smile fading just as his own combatant's had. He screeched out in his high voice, "Melt it quickly with overheat!"
Ash knew his plan would fall apart if he didn't act fast. It wouldn't have as great an effect as it would have, but it was better than the alternative. "Stop ice beam! Earthquake again! Before it gets out!"
Glalie responded to the urgent command and slammed back down into the earth once again, causing it to tremor once more.
"Shoot it upwards! Now!" Jarrow hollered at his Pokémon, now clearly dismayed. Darmanitan, using whatever will it could to remain steady, began to glow white hot, and seconds later it shot a beam of yellow flame so intense, that the now falling shards of its prison were instantly boiled, creating nothing but a shower of steam around the fire type. Through the new mist, neither Ash nor Glalie could see anything.
Just then, a clearly angry Darmanitan, with not so much as a word from its trainer, burst forth from the opaque fog and streaked towards Glalie, its left arm glowing with power.
Hammer arm! Ash noted mentally. It was already too close to dodge. "Double team!"
Glalie split into four copies of itself, all surrounding the rampaging fire type. Darmanitan looked confused and awaited instructions from its trainer.
"Who cares how many there are?! Blast them all! Overheat straight into the ground!" Jarrow shrieked, stamping onto the ground himself.
Darmanitan, with surprisingly little hesitation, quickly summoned up his remaining strength and sent an explosive force of flame into the ground around him. The fire ripped through the ground, permeating it with geysers of flame. Ash could only watch as the fires quickly spread towards the multiple Glalies.
"Protect!" Ash instinctively ordered.
The Glalies all merged into one again, and the true ice type surrounded itself with a glowing, green shield. The eruption hit it, and Glalie showed some strain, but nothing compared to what could have been.
The fires dissipated, and a smile returned to the strange trainer's face. He uttered one word, though it resounded painfully for both Ash and Glalie, "Encore!"
Darmanitan brought its long arms together give Glalie an round of applause. However, Glalie seemed entranced by the simple act. Laughing madly, Jarrow mirrored the actions of his Pokémon, clapping and dancing in a circle. Glalie looked about in confusion, seemingly unaware of what had just taken place. Ash knew now, this match had just become much harder. Jarrow stopped his jaunt momentarily and taunted Ash from across the field, "Let's see how you win this battle only using protect!"
Ash growled as he saw Darmanitan move again, only slightly slower than before, with a fiery fist raised.
Wait, it used hammer arm, it's slower now.
"Dodge it!"
Glalie obeyed its trainer, as it dodged the attack with more breathing room than before.
"Hey no fair!" Jarrow pouted, "Keep throwing those punches until you hit!"
"Darmanitan, while slower, was still quite agile. Every failed punch got closer and closer to its mark. At last, Ash Glalie slumped downwards in exhaustion as its opponent moved in for the knockout.
"No choice then! Glalie! Protect!" Ash instructed reluctantly.
"Once again, a shimmering sphere of green engulfed the floating ice type. It was visibly darker than before, indicating its lower tolerance. However, it managed to hold out, if only barely.
"Don't let up! More! More! More! Show him how fast you can hit!" Jarrow cheered from his end of the field, still letting out small little giggles at every turn.
Glalie, tired now from both dodging and holding up the protect barrier, could barely move. He was left with one option. He used protect again. The barrage of blows on the now thin and dimming barrier was now actively bending it. Several punches later, the barrier finally shattered, and a second punch thereafter send Glalie flying backwards in great pain.
"Glalie!" Ash cried out with great concern.
Though engulfed in flames, wincing every few seconds, Ash's fierce contender managed to hoist himself back into the air. Ash was glad to see he was still conscious, but was far less happy to see it suffering so. Suddenly, he saw a flash of green in Glalie's eyes. He knew what that meant.
"Encore over! Glalie, facade!"
The laughing man at the opposite end of the field suddenly stopped doing so as his eyes widened in shock. He saw Glalie glow red momentarily and saw what was coming. "Hurry! Zen form!"
Darmanitan quickly curled up as Glalie launched himself at the fire type almost faster than the eye could track. Just as Glalie was about to make contact, zen form took hold, and Darmanitan's body turned to stone. Glalie still hit it with all his might and the statue-like foe slid backwards a short distance and fell over with a dull thud. Ash winced. That wouldn't have dealt nearly as much damage as it could have. That was it for Glalie too, who dejectedly slumped to the ground in exhaustion, his eyes closing and lapsing into unconsciousness. Darmanitan retook its normal form and cheered in victory.
"Glalie is unable to continue. The winner of this battle is Darmanitan!"
Ash slumped as he raised his pokéball and recalled Glalie. "You did amazing out there, considering the disadvantage. Your efforts won't be wasted. Thank you," Ash quietly complimented his faithful Pokémon.
In the stands, Dawn had been cheering loudly for Glalie, but had grown quiet as the battle turned against him. She now sat deathly still, both proud and concerned for Ash's dedicated, if not playful, ice type. She continued to watch the man of her dreams have a rough time on the field below and her heart went out to him. But she was confident he would recover. She knew he would. To her, Ash was so strong, so dedicated, and so loving to his family of Pokémon that she knew there was no way he could lose this time. Moreover, she knew that he was not only fighting for himself and his team, but for her as well. Her heart fluttered at the thought.
There's no need to worry! Ash will come back from this! He's strong and determined! And I'll be there to help him all the way! Dawn chanted in her mind, shrugging away the look of worry and replacing it with one of confidence.
Ash's thoughts momentarily flickered towards Dawn at that moment, but then he refocused on the task at hand. He took out his next pokéball and released it before the referee could prompt him to do so. The light from the ball materialized into tall, vicious, red and black Pokémon. He wore a pair of black sunglasses on his snout, and made he held himself in a rather cool posture.
"Krookodile!" he bellowed at the now panting Darmanitan. Regardless of its state, the fire type continued to smile, relishing what it thought to be its next victory. Jarrow, however, had other plans.
"You've done your job, get out of there!" Jarrow spat harshly, recalling his fighter and unleashing another in turn. The next Pokémon to materialize was one he was surprised to see. A large, fit, toad-like creature sat before Krookodile. A toxicroak. Ash knew this would be strange battle; both dual-types had one type up on the other. However, he knew it would come down to more than just types. Glalie had already proven that.
Ash decided to take the lead in this battle, hoping to end it quickly.
"Earthquake!" Krookodile, as smooth as could be, merely lifted one foot, and stamped it into the ground as though it were no effort.
"Foolish boy, don't you know that toads can hop! Jump, Toxicroak!" Jarrow mocked from afar. Toxicroak did exactly as ordered and jumped much higher than Ash anticipated. The only other Pokémon he had seen jump that high was Harrison's Blaziken all those years ago.
The earthquake grew to a halt and Toxicroak landed, its powerful legs absorbing the impact flawlessly. It looked at Krookadile with its tell-tale grin and puffed it poison sac in a sort of gruff, unimpressed manner.
"Now poison jab!" Jarrow commanded in his strangely pitched voice. Toxicroak's fingers on its right paw began to glow an eerie purple as it dashed towards its foe.
Ash's mouth curled to a smile. He said two words, "Grass knot."
Immediately, the crocodilian stamped his foot on the ground again, this time more softly. Vines shot from the ground, wrapping their tendrils around the feet of the dashing amphibian. Its eyes bulged as it realized its predicament, and it fell face-first into the field.
Ash said to Krookodile in a knowing tone, "You know how this ends."
Krookodile nodded and stamped his foot harder again, creating yet another earthquake.
"Nothing can hold my little froggy down!" Jarrow cackled, "Poison jab your way out of those vines and jump again!"
Using both paws this time, it simultaneously cut the vines on both legs and pounced just as the tremors reached it. It didn't jump nearly as high this time for lack of time for preparation. That's where Ash saw his opening.
"Aerial ace!" he yelled, pointing to the target in the sky.
"Krook!" the ground-dark type grunted, just before he lifted off into the sky with startling speed.
Jarrow's jaw fell open and his battler's eyes bulged again as it saw the approaching jaws of its opponent. Krookodile slammed into his foe, sending them both careening downwards together.
"Don't let a little fall keep you from having fun! Revenge!" the grinning man called out.
The eyes of the toad came into focus as it saw the falling reptile beside it. The toad began to glow red momentarily, then it unleashed a furious punch with its right paw, completely putting Krookodile off balance and messing up his landing.
Both of them crashed into the earth, leaving a small cloud of dust to obscure them momentarily. It cleared and the sunglasses-clad combatant rose from the ground while his opponent did not.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He was annoyed that the opposing finalist managed to get a full-powered revenge in before the end of the fight, but he still managed to win the round, thankfully. Krookodile, while still composed, looked a bit less collected and was breathing more heavily. The fighting move had been quite effective against him.
"Toxicroak is unable to battle! The winner is Krookodile!"
Dawn began jumping around, waving her pom-poms in jubilance after she heard the results. She knew Ash would come back around, and she knew that this was the round to signal Ash's resurgence in the match. She watched him with adoration as she called out his name. Through the rest of the crowd's cheers, he could hear her, if only barely. Her encouragement only served to widen the smile on his face.
Jarrow on the other hand was fuming. He returned his unconscious Toxicroak, and then angrily cursed, following it up with, "Who uses a frog to fight anyway! Should have you served up for supper!" He chuckled at his own dark joke and flipped another ball out onto the field. This time another ghost Pokémon appeared: Banette.
Ash was sensing an ongoing theme here. All these Pokémon served to only creep him out with their insane smiles. This one was the worst of the bunch so far. Not only was its smile yellowed and far too wide, it wasn't even a real smile. The thing had a zipper for a mouth. Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he decided, that while tired, the type advantage that Krookodile had was enough, and he elected to keep him on the field. The referee raised his flags once again and called for the battle to continue.
Ash knew he had to end the battle fast so that he might be able to withdraw Krookodile for some much needed rest. He decided to act quickly knowing that most Banettes typically had little stamina, "Aerial ace into crunch!" Krookodile quickly took the sky again, leaping much higher than most though the reptile could.
He descended on his foe until Jarrow called out his first move, "Ready for you your close-up, croc old-boy? Lights on! Flash, Banette!"
Even with his stylish shades, Krookodile was blinded by the sudden burst of light. Ash too, had to avert his gaze, which left him seeing spots. Krookodile had it far worse though, as in his blinded panic, he crashed straight into the field before the smug ghost type.
"Will-o-wisp!" Jarrow gleefully called to his Marionette Pokémon. It obeyed and surrounded itself with several small balls of blue fire which spun around it momentarily before they all streaked towards the hapless target.
"Move out of the way! Quickly!" Ash yelled desperately. It was no good. Completely disoriented, Krookodile heeded his trainer's warning, but chose the wrong direction, instead running towards Banette. The balls of fire screeched forward, and before Unovian Pokémon realized his horrible mistake, the searing orbs pelted the poor black and red creature. After the impacts, Krookodile struggled to get back on its feet. The world was still a haze around him, but his vision was slowly returning.
"Everything burns!" Jarrow commented darkly, his sly grin never leaving his face.
Ash winced as he saw the scorch marks adorning his friend. He mentally berated himself for not providing Krookodile with a direction. It was his job to aid his Pokémon in their time of need by giving them commands to overcome otherwise insurmountable odds. But he had failed, and now the disheveled reptile was paying for it.
Jarrow cackled again and screamed out joyfully, "Let's put this one to bed with a hex shall we!"
Purple rays emanated from Banette, causing Krookodile to writhe in pain. Even though ghost attacks were not terribly effective on dark types, the increased damage from the already present burn along with all the abuse taken from Toxicroak pushed Krookadile to his limit. Krookodile fainted right then and there. Jarrow was laughing so hard, thinking that it was the comic event of the year.
"Krookadile is unable to battle! Banette is the winner!"
Dawn was utterly shocked. Ash hadn't landed a single move on his opponent in that bout, and even she could see the disappointment on Ash's face in the short glimpse she got of it. She couldn't believe that Ash's comeback had been so quickly halted. Worse yet, the Banette and his trainer barely broke a sweat over it. "Please, please Ash. Don't lose heart now! You can do this. I believe in you! You always manage to come through somehow!" she pleaded quietly towards the field.
Ash mentally scolded himself again. He had decided that with type advantage, he could go straight for the knockout, but hadn't considered the consequences. It had cost him the round and had forced his companion to endure a rather painful end to his appearance in the finals. As he contemplated his next move, he glanced to the audience behind him. He saw Dawn, leaning forward in her seat, concern obvious on her face. When her and his eyes met, a small, indescribable spark occurred. Even through all the noise, even through the distance that separated them, they connected. A small smile appeared on both their faces, and they nodded to one another in affirmation. The battle was not yet lost, and Dawn believed in him. He couldn't stop now. He wouldn't.
"Ash Ketchum! You must choose your next Pokémon!" the referee reminded him, snapping the trainer's attention back to the field.
"Oh what's the matter lil' boy? Too scared to finish what you started?" Jarrow taunted from his end of the field.
Ash let out a small chuckle, "Not on your life. Sceptile, let's show 'em!"
The Forest Pokémon materialized onto the field, cried out his name, overpowering even the crowd's roar. Then, as always, he took his signature twig and placed it deftly between his lips at the right corner of his mouth. The lizard's almost taunting glare and relaxed composure seemed to perplex the normally jolly Jarrow, if only momentarily.
"No problem! We'll trim this hedge of an opponent!" Jarrow commented slyly, "Banette, will-o-wisp!"
"Dodge and come in for a leaf blade!" Sceptile, being one of Ash's fastest Pokémon, easily complied and closed the gap between them in speed that made caused a look of sheer terror to appear on the ghost type's face and caused the Jarrow's jaw to drop in momentary awe. The leaf blade struck true and Banette tumbled backwards onto the ground clumsily.
"No no no no no!" Jarrow stamped his foot into the ground angrily, "Get up and use curse, fool!"
Banette winced at the command, but sure enough, it raised itself from the ground and began to glow an eerie red before an ethereal pin appeared in mid-air in front of the disheveled ghost-type. The pin quickly entered the ghost type's body, vanishing and clearly causing it more pain. At the same time, a red glow overtook Sceptile, causing him to bellow in both rage and pain.
"No! Sceptile!" Ash cried out in fear.
Sceptile shook the pain off and barked his name back to Ash, confirming his ability to continue the battle. Banette's once prominent grin was now displaced by an equally creepy scowl that denoted its obvious pain and anger towards its foe.
"I need to end this quick before curse takes too high a toll on Sceptile! Go for another leaf blade!" Ash commanded.
Sceptile leapt forward, but this time, Banette was ready for the lizard's speed. Its eyes began to glow a brilliant white as he approached. Ash knew what was happening this time, and he called out, "Sceptile, it's flash! Cover your eyes!" As the brilliant light intensified, Sceptile did just that. The lizard ceased his advance and used the leaves on his arms as an effective curtain against the light. When the white-out faded, Sceptile removed the cover to find Banette gone.
"Behind you!" Ash called.
At the same time, Jarrow called out his own move, "Will-o-wisp again!" The ghost, while on its last legs, still conjured the flames rapidly and sent them to its foe that had only just become aware of the direction.
Ash knew that his battler was caught flat-footed, so he called out the only move he could think of to counter it, "Sword's Dance!"
Sceptile crossed his arms, his arm-bound leaves expanding to their bladed forms, and he began to spin rapidly. Just like Bugsy had once done years ago with his Scyther against Ash in their gym battle, the flames were repelled by Sceptile. Only this time, the flames bounced harmlessly off his spinning form and began to orbit the rotating grass type. Banette was still controlling them. The ghost tried to have them hit the impenetrable spinning barrier time and time again, but to no avail.
Ash knew. however, that Sceptile would tire and stop soon. He had to find a way to repel the flames. Then, it all clicked in his mind. A brilliant idea formed.
"Sceptile, use the spin to conjure a leaf storm, and send it right back at Banette!"
Sure enough, a tornado of leaves formed around Sceptile as he spun, even more powerful than his usual form due to the force of the sword's dance spin. Better yet, the leaves of the storm caught on fire as the storm force carried the balls of flame back towards Banette. The battered ghost type could do nothing but watch in a mix of terror and fascination as a whirlwind of flaming foliage careened towards it. The ghost was quickly engulfed. When the storm ceased, no one was surprised to find the ghost type on the ground unconscious.
"Banette is unable to continue! Sceptile wins this round!" the referee called out, trying to mask his own amazement.
"Great job Sceptile! I knew you could do it!" Ash shouted happily from his end of the field. Sceptile nodded in cool affirmation, as though there were no doubt. However, his visage of calmness was shattered moments later when a red glow overtook him and caused him to drop to the ground on one knee in pain.
"Sceptile! What?" then it clicked in Ash's head again, "The curse..."
A grim laugh carried its way over the field. Jarrow, despite having lost the powerful ghost type, was still pleased at the end result. He taunted him further, "Don't worry about your walking shrub, kid! I'll end his suffering sooner rather than later! Go Darmanitan!"
The fire type re-entered the field. It still bore the bruises of its previous battle with Glalie, but seemed like it had some renewed energy from its rest. The referee held up his flags and shouted to the contenders, "Let the battle continue!"
With obvious confidence in his fire-type, Jarrow smiled widely, and commanded, "This will be easy! Burn that bipedal bush to a crisp! Overheat!"
The beam of fire streaked across the field immediately, though it was still far less powerful than its previous incarnations. Ash smirked and called out once more, "Sword's Dance again!" Sceptile mimicked his last move once again, spinning, deflecting the fire attack, and increasing its own attack power in the process.
"Knew that was coming! Now push it off-balance with a fire punch!" Jarrow cackled, as his fire type dashed across the field, raising its fiery fist in anticipation.
"You know what to do!" Ash called to his battler. Sceptile called out his name as he continued to spin in place, not moving an inch. The punch connected, to everyone's surprise, having expected something to happen to counter the attack; but no such event occurred.
The punch hung in the air against the grass-type, but Sceptile continued to spin as though nothing had happened. Jarrow let out a dull 'huh' of confusion and Darmanitan grunted in the same manner. Moments later, the Sceptile before them disappeared in a shimmering white light, and the crowd collectively gasped.
"A substitute? No look out!" Jarrow cried out in shock. But it was too late. Sceptile seemingly dropped out of the sky from nowhere and connected with a devastating leaf-blade to the top of Darmanitan's head. Sceptile smoothly flipped away, crouching on the ground before raising himself back to his full height. Not even looking at the opponent he knew he had felled. Just as Sceptile knew it would, Darmanitan toppled over, its combined damage from both Glalie and the now devastatingly powerful grass-type move becoming too much for the fire-type to bear.
"Darmanitan is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Sceptile!"
Jarrow cursed and returned what he had thought to be the superior half of the match-up. His smile faded, but then returned moments later. Sceptile was on the ground again, the red glow returning and causing it much pain. Ash's opponent let out a small, if somewhat evil sounding laugh, and let out another taunt, "Poor little lizard can't cope with the curse much longer can he! I know I promised that his time on the field would be short lived... but I've never been a man of my word. The idea that it might have to feel the pain of the curse is just all too appealing!" He said this part especially gleefully. Ash just looked on at the man in disgust.
He pulled out his fifth pokéball and flung it forth. A large, staunch, bulky creature materialized before them. An Electivire. Memories flooded back for Ash; he had a long and storied history facing this particular species of Pokémon. Its beady red eyes and tooth-filled grin seemed to goad Ash from across the field.
Sceptile is the only Pokémon I have left that could deal with an electric type... but the curse is taking its toll, and if it's anything like that Banette, it could easily overcome the type resistance, Ash thought to himself. Sceptile, now recovered from his latest bout with the curse, turned to Ash and seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.
"Scep!" he called out Ash. He looked at his loyal companion and the lizard stared back. He saw the determination and willingness that the grass-type possessed, and knew that he couldn't withdraw him. Not now.
"Alright Sceptile, let's keep this up!" Ash shouted in encouragement, and the Forest Pokémon looked back to his grinning opponent. Sceptile returned that smile with one of his own, switching the twig in his mouth from one corner to the other. He knew this was going to be a good battle.
"Continue the match!" the referee called again.
"No mistakes this time! Electivire, go show that laughable lizard that it's not easy being green! Thunderpunch!" Jarrow cowed severely at his battler. The yellow electric type responded eagerly and leapt across the field, readying its crackling fist.
"Dodge to the side and come in with a leaf blade!" Ash ordered. Sceptile executed his order flawlessly, and gracefully stepped aside as the lightning-clad fist hammered into the ground where he once stood. The leaf on his arm grew once again, and proceeded to deliver a devastatingly quick slash to the left side of his opponent. Electivire staggered back, nursing both the fist that pounded the hard dirt field, and the arm received part of the blow from the sword's dance-enhanced leaf blade.
Jarrow had enough of these antics clearly, "Stop fooling around with the field and start fooling around with greenie! Grab him!" Electivire lunged forward. Naturally Sceptile would dodge this, Ash knew that he didn't have to call it out, as they both knew the kind of situation this would lead to. But unfortunately, Sceptile did not move. By great misfortune, the curse began to take hold once again, causing Sceptile to cry out in pain and rooting him to the spot. Electivire seized the opportunity and used both his hands to grab both of Sceptile's arms, effectively forbidding the use of leaf blade.
"Sceptile no!" Ash yelled in horror, flashbacks of his battles with Paul running rampant in his mind.
"Give him a good buzz! Shake!" Jarrow commanded, mimicking a handshake with his own hand. Lightning crackled from Electivire's clenched fists. The sparks soon turned into a torrent of electricity that travelled into the lizard, causing him even more pain on top of the curse already plaguing it. All the while, an expression of devious pleasure spread across Electivire's face as it proceeded to shake Sceptile's hands as though they were acquaintances. Ash could only stand and watch as the current of electricity flowed from his mocking foe into his own contender. He had to figure a way out of this.
That's it! Ash's mind clicked yet again as another idea formed.
"If he's gonna shake! We're gonna spin!" Ash called out in with renewed vigour. Sceptile's eyes, having closed in pain, shot open, and glinted with mischievousness. The leaves on his arms grew into blades once again, and even through the pain, Sceptile began to perform another sword's dance. With the death grip Electivire had on the grass-type, it was soon spinning too, like a dance partner caught up in something that it didn't want to be a part of. Quickly, the electric-type's grin turned to a scowl of both annoyance and dizziness.
"Keep going until it lets go!" Ash cried out.
"We won't let go! You're going to stop!" Jarrow yelled out gleefully, "Flamethrower!"
Ash's heart dropped as he realized exactly what was going to happen next. He went to warn Sceptile to do anything to get rid of Electivire, but it was too late. The electric-type's already red eyes glowed even more brightly red as it opened its toothy mouth to deliver a searing stream of flame directly into Sceptile's face. The spinning slowly died down, and both battlers fell over onto the field. Electivire got up, though it staggered around, clearly attempting to get its bearings in its dizzy state. Sceptile however, had taken a major beating, and was laying on unconscious on the ground, his twig nearly ready to fall out of his mouth.
"Sceptile is unable to continue, Electivire wins this round."
Ash lowered his head as he returned Sceptile. He looked at the pokéball and a small smile crossed his face, "You did great, you evened up the field for me. You can't imagine how proud I am of you, or how much I appreciate it." He slipped the ball back onto his belt and looked towards his opponent. Electivire, though still somewhat dizzy, was quickly regaining its composure, and had only minor abrasions due to Sceptile's one clean, powerful hit.
I can't use Pikachu yet. Not against him, not unless it's the only option. Because of Motor Drive, Electivire can use electric attacks to become faster, and it's already dangerous enough. Ash looked down to his partner Pokémon and Pikachu looked up at him questioningly. Ash gave him a small smile and said to him, "Not just yet buddy, I know you want a crack at Electivire, but there's too much riding on this match to settle a grudge. I need to play it smart." Even if using him against an electric type isn't terribly smart...it's the best option I have.
"I choose you, Charizard!"
A massive cheer went up through the stadium. Even after years of absence, many people remembered this draconian terror. While Ash would never admit it, not wanting to hurt the feelings of his other Pokémon, he knew that Charizard had carried him to many a victory. Ash hoped he would do the same here. Clearly, the crowd was ecstatic to see what most considered Ash's most powerful Pokémon.
"Oh ho ho ho my... finally... I've been waiting for this one," Jarrow said, an unnatural sense of calm coming over him. In a way, this put Ash off even more than his silly, giggling antics.
"Well you wanted him, you've got him! Charizard," the massive, orange, winged lizard turned its head upon being addressed, "this is it. This is where we finally make our mark." Charizard acknowledged this sentiment with a healthy roar in the air, followed by a snort of flame, after which he turned his gaze to the Electivire, whose grin while still present, was less pronounced, being clearly nervous about facing down the behemoth that stood before it.
"Continue the battle!" the referee called, himself clearly intimidated by Charizard. Even he had heard of the destruction this particular Pokémon could wreak upon the battlefield, and he was clearly nervous to be so close.
"Flamethrower!"
"Rain Dance!"
They called out each move at exactly the same time. Electivire let out a howl of its own name towards the sky, which darkened almost instantly. Clouds appeared and sheets of rain began falling. As the sky grew darker, Charizard let out a roar of his own and sent a jet of flame across the field. The rain had begun to fall as it reached Electivire. The flames hit their mark, but the rain had already begun to douse them, and as a result, it had only half the effect it should have. Now bearing a few scattered scorch marks, Electivire looked more angry than hurt. Charizard on the other hand, was now being drenched in the deluge, and he wasn't pleased at all.
Jarrow unveiled a purple umbrella, opened it, and began doing a mocking jig underneath it, singing, "I'm singing in the rain! I'm singing in the rain!"
Both Ash and Charizard gaped at this strange and outlandish behaviour. Jarrow saw their expressions and stop with a small laugh, "Oh sorry, am I supposed to be beating you now..." he let out a sigh, "If you insist then! Give him a good jolt! Thunder!" As he gave this order, Jarrow stretched his arms open wide in a grand gesture.
"Vire!" the smile of the electric-type grew twice its usual size and it began to glow brightly as lightning began to spark across its entire body. It was unleashed in a grand display, arcs shooting for its arms and twin antennae, bouncing from raindrop to raindrop, enveloping the entire field.
Ash was about to give the order to dodge, but the bolts found Charizard all too quickly and proceeded to ravage the fire-flying type relentlessly. Charizard let out a roar of displeasure as his eyes snapped back open after initially closing during the impact. Even while lit by the brilliant light of the thunder attack which persisted longer than any thought possible, Charizard bore the pain as he flew forward, claws glowing ominously. The dragon claw attack struck true and Electivire was knocked backwards towards its trainer. Jarrow was dumbstruck. He knew Charizard was powerful, but even he underestimated his capabilities here today.
"Gah! This damned beast will go down here and now! Another thunder, every ounce of energy you have! DO IT!" Jarrow screeched in displeasure.
"Hurry Charizard, take it to the sky!" Ash commanded desperately.
Even as Electivire attempted to stand up, it found itself being lifted off the ground. Charizard picked up the ailing electric type and was flying high into the sky. Ash was worried. He knew that this could lead to a very devastating shock for the fire type, but at this point, he knew it was pointless to call it off. It was a bold move, but he knew Charizard could handle it. They were already far above the stadium, and he knew exactly what the fire type had planned.
Just as Ash predicted, Electivire let off another brilliantly lit thunder attack. Both of their wails could be heard against the pounding rain, but neither of them fell.
"Use Dragon Claw to keep it from doing that again!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping his loyal draconic lizard could hear him from that high.
He could see Charizard beginning his telltale loops in the air as he saw another small flash. He could only assume it was the dragon claw he ordered in an effort to keep Electivire from resisting.
After a few more loops were made, Ash made the call.
"SEISMIC TOSS!"
Soon, the two came plummeting back down to earth in the only way Charizard could manage.
"No! Stop him fool! Thunder! Thunderpunch! Flamethrower! Something!" Jarrow cried desperately.
Electivire was too dizzy from the loops and the dragon claw to heed any commands. Charizard let the electric-type hit the ground while the orange beast himself pulled up in time to avoid the same fate. The impact of Electivire landing let out a huge wave of dust straight up into the air and resounding crash. Ash's powerful behemoth landed on the ground with a small thud, while the cloud of dust surrounding Electivire dissipated. No one was surprised by the referee's next call.
"Electivire is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner!"
Charizard, true to his own fashion, let out a huge flamethrower straight into the sky, which was slowly beginning to clear up from the rain dance. It was almost impossible to notice the little sparks of electricity that arced on Charizard's arms as he did so.
"You never fail to impress me Charizard!" Ash complimented the draconian Pokémon standing before him.
Jarrow's scowl was working overtime as he withdrew the crumpled Electivire into its ball. But as he put his hand onto his last pokéball, the scowl turned into a small smile. That smile widened into a sadistic grin, and then into a toothy, terrifying grimace. As he expanded the ball to its proper size, he began a slow, low laugh. It grew as he held it there, going from chuckle to a hearty laugh into a full on cackle. He looked like he was going to fall over from the sheer hilarity of whatever it was that was so funny to him. Neither Ash, nor anyone else could deduce what it was that was causing him to laugh so hard. Even Dawn, in the stands, was utterly perplexed at his actions, and wore a matching expression.
"What's so funny? Seems like you've lost it. Both your mind and the match." Ash questioned as the man who was in stitches over this perceived humorous situation continued to let out high pitched laughs that reverberated throughout the stadium. The crowd was transfixed, awaiting a reply, or an explanation for the latest outburst from this colourful finalist.
Between laughs, Jarrow began to explain, "Oh it's... just that you... you think you've," more laughs kept him from finishing his sentence immediately, "you think you've won! You think you have... have your ace on the field and," the laughing began to die down somewhat, "and your little buddy as backup! Oh how wrong you are... Though you are half right... I've lost it. Then again... I never had it," his laughter all but ceased and he grew deadly serious, "But the match... well that's most certainly still mine."
Ash looked at the man as though he was the weirdest thing he had ever seen, and with what Ash had seen, that was saying something. Jarrow continued, his tone growing sinister, "I'm honestly insulted... that my hour of glory, comes down to sweeping aside a mewling wimp of a trainer! You are nothing, a mere speck of dirt on my road to greatness! A sad little boy on a sad little quest... burdened with the idea that he can become great when he clearly cannot. A witless child with an idle dream of climbing the rungs of a decrepit ladder to the elusive rank of master! No! The road to mastery is reserved for me and me alone! You are just another mote of dust that passes beneath my shoes!"
And just as quickly as it came his contemptuous scowl was replaced by his normal, if unnatural, giddy smile. His voice reflected his new mood, "And to show you exactly how futile your efforts are, I'd like you to meet my oldest friend. He and I never used to get along. But, in the end, I got old dreary and dark, here, to see the happier side of life. And now, he'll help me show you too!" He let out another low, almost menacing laugh, "Come on out, Bats!"
From the pokéball sprang a medium-sized, purple, four-winged creature. Unlike all its predecessors, it wore not a smile, but a scowl typical to his species. Ash could not believe that this was Jarrow's final Pokémon. A Crobat hovered in the middle of the field, flapping his wings expectantly.
"Aww come on now bats! This is gonna be fun! Turn that frown upside down!" Jarrow said jokingly to the new arrival. As if on cue, the scowl twitched and turned into a devious smile that made the unexpected Pokémon all the more unnerving. Charizard eyed it with a mix of disdain and curiosity, and snorted out a puff of smoke.
"Charizard, I want you to get some rest, that Electivire was tough. Pikachu is still fresh and has the advantage," Ash explained to his fiery friend. Charizard roared in disapproval, but did not attempt to disobey as Ash recalled him. Pikachu called its name up to Ash eagerly, and the trainer nodded, "You're up old buddy. Let's do this."
Pikachu bounded onto the field enthusiastically and gave a look of determination to the opposing Crobat, whose eyes returned the glare.
"Let the battle resume!" the referee called once again.
"Bats! Throw some smoke onto the field! Haze!" Jarrow commanded with a grin just as maniacal as his partner. Crobat executed the order immediately, flooding half the field with smoke. Pikachu looked around apprehensively, trying to see any sign of Crobat in the smoke, but could find none. Ash couldn't see him either. Just then, Pikachu felt a cold wind rush behind him. He turned to see nothing. He felt it again from the opposite side and once again was greeted by nothing. Pikachu began to grow fearful, and shouted out into the smoke.
"Pikachu, keep calm, concentrate and listen for the wings!"
Pikachu closed his eyes, and his ears began twitching, picking up on sounds. It was hard to hear through the murmur of the crowd, but he thought he picked up on it momentarily, then it ceased again. He then heard a rush of wind coming from behind. Pikachu's eyes snapped open and instinctively he flipped his tail upwards, to try and intercept the incoming foe. The tail missed, but during the flip, Pikachu managed his first glimpse of the bat since the beginning of the match. The bat quickly re-entered the haze, where Pikachu lost track of it again. Ash saw this all occur; only barely managing to see Crobat. It was so fast. It was certainly faster than Pikachu, and perhaps faster than any other Pokémon he had ever seen.
"Can't hit what you can't see, can you boy! Bats, let's end the games and give 'em a nice little bite!" Jarrow teased.
Just as fast as it had vanished, Crobat reappeared from a different part of the haze, baring two large fangs that were glowing white.
"It's poison fang, Pikachu! Watch out!" Ash warned. Pikachu, barely managed to tumble out the way, one of the fangs grazing his ear. Pikachu screeched in surprise. When he looked to see the culprit, it had already vanished back into cover once more. Ash saw that Pikachu had been bit, but only barely. He hoped that he hadn't been poisoned, as the venom from a poison fang was as bad as a shot of toxic.
I can't hit him if Pikachu can't see it... but that does mean that Crobat can't see us either... Ash thought to himself. That gave him an idea.
"Keep on your guard, but start shooting thunderbolts into the haze! Flush it out!" Ash ordered strongly. Pikachu did exactly that, sending bolts into the clouds of black. After a few shots that he could only assume missed, Crobat took advantage of the situation and tried another poison fang on Pikachu from the left. Ash couldn't even warn him in time, but Pikachu, still keenly aware of all sounds, anticipated the attack and lay flat on the ground as the bat passed mere inches above his head, soaring back into the smoke again. Pikachu shot a bolt into haze where the bat had just vanished, but it appeared to have missed. Pikachu continued his probing of the haze with thunderbolts, managing to evade each attack by the swift bat until, at last, one attack drove the bat up into the sky above his cover.
"There! Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out excitedly. Pikachu did just that and a bolt sailed towards his elusive foe. The bat, having recovered from the surprise that drove it upward, easily dodged around the bolt and pressed down towards his hapless prey.
"It's coming in for an attack! Iron tail!" Ash commanded instinctively.
"Power through that attack with a giga-impact!" Jarrow replied in his high pitched voice.
As Pikachu wound up for the iron tail, Crobat shrouded himself in purple energy, surrounded by yellow trails that left streaks behind it. Finally, the two attacks clashed, but Pikachu got the worst of it. Pikachu was knocked into the haze himself, while the momentum carried Crobat into another region of smoke as well.
Ash searched the field for either Pikachu or Crobat, but saw neither. Not long after, the two emerged from the black gases that pervaded the field. Pikachu looked quite exhausted. Sending in so many thunderbolts into the haze, then taking what was clearly a very powerful giga-impact had drained him. Crobat, with only a few bruises from the clash of iron tail and giga-impact, looked in far better condition than his opponent.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered quickly. Pikachu whipped around and let off a quick bolt in Crobat's direction. Ash gritted his teeth as Crobat dodged it with little more than a flutter of his wings. The flying-type dodged it so fast, it looked as though he almost teleported away rather than actually moved. Ash became frustrated, and ordered another attack. It was risky, and it would be both draining to Pikachu, and would leave him vulnerable for the slightly longer charge time, but he saw it as the only option. "Discharge! Fill up the whole stadium with it if you have to! Just hit it!"
Pikachu, clearly tired beyond all measure, nodded slowly to his trainer and looked at the mocking Crobat, still smiling at him, as though taunting him. It willed Pikachu to gather all the power he could.
"PIII KAAAAAA CHUUUUUUUU!" Ash's long-time partner cried out as it sent out what was likely the biggest spread of electricity in his life. Despite being exhausted, he managed to do exactly as his trainer ordered, filling up the entire field with arcs of electricity. Crobat dodged between sinews of electricity with grace, but eventually, one connected. When that one connected, many others managed to sweep by and gave the bat a healthy shock. The lightning subsided soon after, and Pikachu slumped to the ground. Crobat, while having been delivered a super-effective shock, hadn't been too adversely affected. The electricity had been spread so far around, and done by such a worn out electric-type that it wasn't nearly as powerful as it could have been. In fact, Ash could see now, it likely did more to hurt Pikachu than it did Crobat.
Ash was growing livid, while Jarrow was simply ecstatic. Jarrow knew he took a hit, but he knew it cost his opponent more. Jarrow saw the still moving mouse on the ground and gave the order he felt would end this round, "Giga-impact!" Crobat's grin grew even wider and its eyes gave off a light of deviousness as he began to shroud himself in more of the purple and yellow energy.
"Pikachu you need to move!" Ash cried out to his partner. Pikachu managed to pick itself up to its feet and looked to Ash, with a gleam of reckless determination in his eyes. Ash knew what that look meant. Pikachu wanted to meet the bat head on. He could already see sparks beginning to envelope his starter's body. He wanted to cry out for him to stop. He knew at this point, if Pikachu did that, with all the damage and exhaustion piled onto the poor mouse, that he could be severely injured. And yet, some voice in the back of his mind told him something else. Something that he so desperately wanted to believe. Something that he had been travelling for years to be able to accomplish.
I could win this. Right here, right now, his mind tried to convince him.
Ash hesitated for a split-second, and that was all it took. Ash came to his senses, realizing that Pikachu's safety was far too important and tried to call Pikachu off. But his moment of hesitation was his undoing. Pikachu was already dashing towards Crobat, who now was streaking towards Pikachu in his purple and yellow shell of energy.
"NO! STOP, PIKACHU!" Ash cried out in desperation.
It was too late. The yellow mouse was committed and there was no stopping him. Pikachu gained a layer of energy as well, summoning up his last bastion of strength as he prepared for his last move of the match: Volt Tackle.
"Pika pika pika pika pika pika," the cries of his name began to ramp up in speed and intensity as he screeched towards his blindingly fast opponent. Sheer lightning enveloped his body as transformed from a running mouse to a sheer force of lightning and he continued to chant his own name, "Pika pika pika pika pika PIKA PIKA PIKA!"
At last the two forces met. An explosion of epic proportions shook the stadium. All the haze was blown away instantly and a massive cloud of dirt and dust flew upwards into the sky, climbing even higher than the stadium's massive lights. Both trainers and much of the audience had to cover their eyes to not only avoid going blind from dust, but just to keep the forceful wind out of their face. Silence fell on the stadium. Everyone stood trying to peer into the field, seeing who was still conscious, if anyone at all. Dawn stood at the edge of the rails, hoping but knowing the attempt would be futile in helping to locate her beloved and his oldest friend sooner. The dust began to settle and they saw it. Pikachu lay beaten on the dirt, while Crobat fluttered sluggishly above him.
The referee, tentatively approaching from the edge of the field, coughed a few times to clear his throat of dust before hoarsely announcing, "Pikachu is unable to battle, Crobat wins this round."
Ash was dumbstruck by the fact that Crobat was still afloat. But more than that, Ash was absolutely livid with himself for allowing Pikachu to do that. Pikachu looked like he had taken the worst beating of his life. He could only stare in cold shock at his friend who now lay helplessly and only barely breathing on the field. He was so blind to the world that he didn't even notice a Nurse Joy quickly roll a stretcher onto the field until it entered his field of view. Seeing her move Pikachu onto the stretcher broke his stone-like trance and he ran onto the field to inspect his Pokémon along with the nurse who was now rushing it away.
"Is he going to be ok? Tell me Nurse Joy! Is he going to be ok?" Ash asked desperately.
Joy answered quickly as she continued to roll him towards the entrance to the field, "He looks pretty bad, but I'm sure we can help. I assure you we will do our best." She passed through the threshold to the battlefield where the door shut and locked behind her. It was like a piece of himself was being carted away beyond those metal doors.
"Mr. Ketchum, you must return to your designated area and use your last Pokémon."
The referees words echoed inside him like an empty shell, but they still registered, if only barely. He slowly walked back to his place on his side of the field and took out his last pokéball. His mind wasn't on the battle anymore, only with Pikachu.
Dawn watched helplessly from the sidelines. The shouting from the audience had grown to a feverous pitch with the prospect of the final battle unfolding before them. Dawn tried to shout to Ash, "Ash you can do this! I know it's hard to think about the battle right now, but he'll be fine! You need to give it everything so that he won't have gotten hurt for nothing!" She took another breath and yelled again, "I know you can do this! I believe in you! I believe in us!"
Though the words themselves never reached his ears, he caught a few notes of her wonderful voice in his ears, even through the commotion of the audience. He knew that he made a promise to her. He wouldn't break it. Ever. He would contemplate how he failed as a trainer, how he had failed Pikachu... later. Now he had to finish what he had started. Wordlessly, he tossed his pokéball forth onto the field, and Charizard's monstrous form took shape once again. The fire-type roared defiantly as he was clearly eager for the prospect of battle once again. However, when he saw his opponent was a diminutive bat, he snorted in annoyance.
Ash, seeing this reaction quickly moved to try and stifle this behaviour, "Don't go thinking this one is going to be easy. It took out Pikachu. It's plenty strong!" At this, Charizard raised one eyebrow in keen interest. Crobat had gained back some of his vitality through the rest between rounds and his formerly unsteady hovering had leveled out. The poison-flying type still bore that malevolent grin, just the same as its master.
"Now do you see why this is so funny boy? This is supposed to be how it ends. You've gone and thrown your very best at me and lost! Powerful as your Charizard is... it cannot stand up to ol' batsy here! Your last hope was Pikachu... and I quashed it," Jarrow taunted from his place on the opposite end of the field, small laughs punctuating his speech. Ash's fists clenched in anger as the arrogant man continued, "You're broken now, boy! I honestly hoped to be the one to do it. To show you, you have no power here. But as it so happens... you did it yourself! I can see it in your eyes! The grief wrapped in guilt! You sent your own little friend to his own worst beating, and your prospects at a title along with it! It's better than I could have possibly hoped for!" He giggled in almost girlish glee at his speech as Ash's rage intensified.
But the man wasn't finished, and he concluded, his voice growing deep and sinister, "And now, you'll fail, just like every single time before... you can't do anything to stop it, and the harder you try... the harder you will fall!"
That was it. Ash lost it. He could only barely restrain himself for the referee to call the match back on so he could give the first order, "Flamethrower!"
Charizard gladly executed the order and blew a searing hot jet of flame at the bat. Crobat easily dodged to both Charizard's and his trainer's chagrin.
"Again!" Ash barked.
Charizard, just as eager to show this agile bat the meaning of real power, launched another flamethrower, moving it this time to try and fake out the winged fiend. However, the bat easily saw the attack pattern and compensated. Though the bat clearly moved slower than in his battle with Pikachu, he still far exceeded Charizard in that respect. Even without order, Charizard continued his assault on Crobat, hoping to score a decisive hit, but none came.
"Haze!" Jarrow called out with a slight chuckle. Crobat poured smoke from its mouth, attempting to cover the field in smoke-like vapours again.
"Not this time! Charizard, burn it all away!" Ash countered. Charizard belched forth even more flames and just as quickly as it came, the haze was incinerated before it even hit the field, leaving a very surprised Crobat in its wake.
"No matter! If deception doesn't work, speed will!" Jarrow announced, "Poison fang!"
"Dodge it!"
Charizard began flapping his wings, but then something came over Charizard that caused him to wince in pain. Sparks crackled all over the fire-flying type as he found himself incapable of moving.
"No! One of the thunders must have done that!" Ash exclaimed. He gritted his teeth. If Charizard couldn't move or fly out of the way, he would have to use an offensive move as a defensive one, "Use Steel-Wing to block!"
Even through the gripping paralysis, Charizard's wings took on a steely sheen. The Flame Pokémon, with great effort, managed to move his wing enough to clash with the maw of the Crobat when it came within range. Poison fangs had no effect on the steel barrier, allowing Charizard's superior weight to prove effective. The act of Charizard unfurling his now metallic wing caused Crobat to be sent flying to the ground.
Jarrow was still smiling, even at this turn of events. He berated his partner, "Come on now, Bats! Can't let one brutish slap keep you down! Get up and try again!"
"Hurry and burn it before it recovers!" Ash interjected. Charizard, recovering from his current bout of paralysis sluggishly turned and let out another flamethrower. However, Crobat saw it coming, and quickly reacted, pulling away just in time to leave the ground under him scorched, but the bat itself fine, aside from a few beads of sweat from the heat. As ordered, Crobat quickly flew around Charizard and bore its fangs in preparation for another attack. Charizard tried to whip around to catch it but failed.
"Patience... patience, wait for it to happen again..." Jarrow advised to his combatant.
Ash knew exactly what they were waiting for, and knew he had to act fast before the opportunity rose again. He formulated a new plan. "Charizard, set the area around you on fire!"
"Charizard raised a curious eyebrow at Ash before complying. He quickly drew a circle of flames around himself using flamethrower. Now the only place Crobat could reach him was from above. Naturally, Crobat attempted to reach him through the gaping hole above, and that is when Ash decided it was time. "Now fly and grab it!"
Charizard smirked and did just that. The bat looked utterly surprised at this development as Charizard rose into the sky with Crobat in hand. The audience's already loud cheers began to erupt further as they saw what was coming. Dawn's hopes began to soar as he saw Ash beginning to control the match again, and she too joined in. Charizard continued to soar higher and higher and he began his trademark loops in the sky in preparation for a seismic toss.
"Haze now!"
Ash's expression turned from one of hope to one of panic as a giant cloud of smoke formed above them. He could hear Charizard coughing and choking all the way from down on the field, and then several painful roars. Charizard came plummeting from the opaque haze and crashed onto the field, much to both his horror and that of many spectators. Dawn's heart plummeted just as fast as Charizard had. She looked to Ash on the field who looked completely frozen.
Jarrow was practically dancing on the field, giddy with how this was all playing out. Ash finally saw why when he saw the fallen form of Charizard. On his wings, were several bite marks, all oozing purple fluid. Ash felt his heart stop momentarily. He knew that Charizard was most certainly poisoned. Worse was the fact that it was a particularly virulent poison that worsened over time.
"We got this one in the bag now bats! Just keep your distance and hit him with venoshock!"
Crobat's smile returned in full force and he began to spit green, acidic ichor at Charizard. He was helpless and unable to avoid it, as the beast was struggling to get back on its feet. Every hit caused Charizard immense pain, and it was clearly evident for Ash to see. Charizard gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself to his feet, but each splash of venoshock sent him back to the ground with a roar of agony. Every cry pulled at Ash's heartstrings, and all he could think about was how there might be a second critical patient for Nurse Joy to tend to. He was already unsure how Pikachu would fare, and he didn't want to have the neglect of two of his best friends' well-being on his hands. Even if he could think of a way out of this, he just couldn't bear the pain.
Ash could see Charizard's eyes, almost begging him to help. It was a look of desperation and fear that he hadn't seen Charizard's eyes since he was a Charmander. Between the poison now wracking him from within and the constant splattering of the acidic venoshock on his back, Ash could almost pinpoint the moment his heart was crushed.
Not again. I won't make the same mistake twice. No hesitation.
"Enough!" Ash cried. The audience grew silent and Dawn's expression changed from concern to shock.
"I forfeit! Call him off!"
Crobat voluntarily ceased and looked at its master. With a smile as big as ever, the trainer nodded to his partner and Crobat withdrew from the field to the side of his trainer.
"The red trainer has forfeited the match. The winners are Crobat and Hamill Jarrow, of Jubilife City!"
The announcer began once again, "Incredible folks! Trainer Ash Ketchum has forfeited the match in the final round of the final match. That leaves us with the victor and Champion of the Lily of the Valley Conference, Hamill 'Grin' Jarrow, and his amazing team!"
Ash returned Charizard, to his pokéball and quickly dashed off the field. The only thing he could think of now was getting his Pokémon medical attention. The in-stadium Pokémon Center staff were expecting him as he ran to their reception. He quickly handed Nurse Joy his pokéballs, and asked tentatively, "Is Pikachu ok? Could I see him?"
The nurse looked at him with caring eyes, and told him, "My sister is currently helping him. But I hear that Pikachu will be alright. The worst is behind him. Unfortunately, he needs some more treatment yet, so I'm afraid you won't be able to see him tonight. Come back tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."
"Thank you," Ash managed to choke out, nearly on the verge of tears, and he added, "Please, help these five as well. Especially Charizard. He fought hard, but he got it the worst of it after Pikachu."
"I will do my very best," Nurse Joy said as she took the tray containing the pokéballs. As Ash turned away to leave, the Nurse called his attention once more, "I saw the battle on the TV, Mr. Ketchum. I know what you had to do was hard. But in the end, you made the right decision. You are a credit to your Pokémon."
Ash nodded to her, but in his mind, he could only tell himself one thing: I did the right thing... but only too late for my oldest friend.
Thanks for all of you who have followed, favourited and reviewed so far. It's greatly appreciated.
I know this chapter was a fairly lengthy one, and I hope my battle writing was exciting enough to keep you engaged throughout.
And if any of you are wondering how long it will take Misty to make an appearance: Fear not, she will make her debut in the story very soon.