Chapter 31 – Like No One Ever Was
"I knew he was good, I mean, his Luxray could manage to use flame charge, and his Pikachu and Sceptile had taken down legendries. He didn't need to venture into another region, and catch more Pokémon, he just needed to train more with the ones he had, and from what I could see he had done that, and I needed to find another elite anyway to replace Bruno on the Kanto four. Although it was embarrassing to be beaten five: six." Lance
[12:32AM] – 21st May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Third Field – Rock - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).
After a break for lunch, Bruno had come marching to his battle, eager to see who had come to battle him, beating Lorelei and Agatha. If they beat him as well, the challenger would be offered a spot on the elites, and he wouldn't have to travel back and forth to Johto all the time.
Just because he was looking forward to not riding on that horrible magnet train anymore didn't mean he wasn't going to give this challenger an easy time.
"Knock out Hitmontop!"
The fighting type appeared on the field, spinning around upside down.
"Light it up Lanturn!"
The fish appeared, resting on the hard rock of the field, angler sparking slightly. "Well you don't look like much." He scoffed at his opponent. "Signal beam!"
"Dig!" Hitmontop vanished under the ground as the attack passed harmlessly overhead.
Lanturn shifted his weight, uneasily, too slow on land to be able to attack very easily. He winced as the fighting type appeared, knocking him backwards, and then vanishing in another dig before his thunder bolt could hit. "So you like hiding huh?" he asked, the floor beginning to rumble. He shot an ice beam at the ground, allowing him to slip out the way of the Hitmontop when he next used dig.
"Dig again." Bruno smiled, they had this all sorted now. His Pokémon obeyed, scratching down into the floor and quickly vanishing, the hydro pump missing by inches.
"Well if that's how you want to play…" Ter sighed, pressing himself against the ground. "Let's wash this field away - Surf."
The ground began to bubble and rock, and a confused Hitmontop appeared, from the rolling floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, "You can't use earthquake!" he cried.
Ter rolled his eyes. "It's just the ground shaking. Not terribly hard to fake." Then the water he had summoned broke the surface of the rocky field, spinning upwards in a huge, wall of water that spiralled around itself, aqua blue.
"What power…" Bruno breathed; his Pokémon looked terrified of the surf wave that hung threateningly over him.
"And…drop…" Lanturn let his control over his element fall, the sheet of water washing the fighting type clean out of the arena. The Gardevoir in charge of safety from earlier caught him, while simultaneously stopping the wave, and keeping the audience dry.
The referee who had his own Kadabra to protect him, shivered inside his little psychic bubble. "Hitmontop is unable to battle. Lanturn wins. Will Bruno please send out his next Pokémon?"
"Knock out Hitmonlee."
The brother to the previous fighting type appeared on the very wet rock floor. For a moment he looked around in confusion before a hydro pump slammed into him. He shook it off, glaring at the grinning Ter. "Whoops." The fish mocked, "Got you a bit wet didn't I?"
Hitmonlee readied a bullet punch in one hand, darting out of the way of the thunder that followed, allowing it to channel into his fist. Ter shot another thunder at him, trying to take advantage of the water coating him. The fish, still finding it hard to manoeuvre, could not dodge the attack: an electrified bullet-punch, although he looked very smug when it struck.
"Volt absorb." He teased, seemingly re-energized. "Not going to do any damage – remember?"
The second punch from the close combat sent him flying, and Hitmonlee darted after him, with a kick and punch ready.
"Aqua ring!" Ter surrounded himself in a thin layer of water, healing up slightly, wincing as another punch landed. The fighting type was right in front of him, and rather hard to miss. "Electrolysis!"
"That's not a move." Hitmonlee scoffed, and then the hydro pump, surrounded by crackling electricity hit him, throwing him back. Yet still he clung to awareness, rising from one knee to stand, facing his adversary. "Nice try." He scoffed. "But I'm stronger than that."
"I'm counting on it." The water and electric type commented, from where he sat. "Flash."
The bright light emitting from the angler of the blue and yellow fish blinded Hitmonlee, who stepped back, shielding his eyes. As he tried to blink away the glare, he noted numbly that his opponent was no longer there, but for some reason he felt unusually heavy and slow. Paralysis, he realised, mildly, head turning to look for his opponent.
"Behind you!" Bruno shouted, from the side-lines. "The Flaafy…!"
Hitmonlee was too slow to turn, to register the change of Pokémon, because the small pink sheep had already thrown a sparking yellow electro ball at him.
Bruno sighed. Four Pokémon left. And which to choose first…
"Machamp! Knock it out!" he cried, the four armed monster emerging onto the field.
Pumping his muscles, the grey skinned fighter glanced down at the little sheep. "So they send out the little sheep." He scoffed. "How pitiful."
"I'll give you pitiful." Amps spat. "Thunder!"
Machamp barely flinched. "Hah? That's it? Really? Allow me to show you how a real Pokémon fights." And then he jumped forwards, "Dynamic punch!"
Amps dodged with a squeal, whirling around with an iron tail, that to her alarm, she found caught by the second limb.
"More arms, little sheep." The Machamp smirked. "Wake up slap."
Letting a light current flow through her tail, she shocked the fighting type into letting go as she spun out of the way. Spinning around, she lashed out with a thunder punch, which barely did anything.
"Want to have a real fighting match?" Machamp taunted her, as she tried another thunder punch at close quarters. "Cross chop!" he leered at her simultaneously with a scary face, making Amps slow down with fright.
"Come on!" Ash called encouragingly from the side lines "Don't give up!"
Feeling revived and motivated, the sheep lashed out with a thunder punch, letting the electricity bristle and build up until it sparked itself into flames, in a mock reflection of a fire punch. She hit out with a thunder punch with her other paw, colliding solidly with the fighting type's chest. Then spinning around she delivered an iron tail across his face.
He backed away slightly. "Ouch." He winced, "Not bad. No let me show you how a real master fights." And he threw a cross chop at her, followed by a quick succession of dynamic punches, low kicks and wake up slaps. He moved quickly, and the sheep struggled to keep up, letting herself be battered around.
"Amps!" Ash called in alarm. "Come on girl! You can do it!"
No she couldn't. She tried, but she was just a little Flaafy.
"Come on Amps!" Pikachu called from where he sat by his trainer. "Show his who's boss!"
Invigorated, she ducked a swing, letting the fighting type stumble over her, as she got her act together, readying a fiery thunder punch and what she hoped was a brick break.
She lashed out, feeling some hidden strength behind her punches, letting the electricity dance over her skin and hit the fighting type with every punch.
"Is she…" Ash stared, wide eyed, at the glow she was giving off, blinking as it faded.
"Take that!" Amps rounded off with a focus blast, forming between her paws as she threw it forwards, colliding with the fighter's chest. It sent the fighting type flying backwards, eyes faint swirls. She herself felt tired, but happy, her yellow fur sparking with joy.
Wait… yellow?
"You evolved!" Ash called to her, and she paused for a moment, savouring her victory, and examining her new form. He was right – she was now an Ampharos.
"Good fight." Machamp said weakly, "Not bad for a little sheep." He laughed, just before the red beam recalled him back.
Amps gave a triumphant grin, but it faded as the next Pokémon appeared in front of her, rocky boulders curled up and uncoiling into a large rock snake.
"Uh… well that was fun and all…" she laughed nervously, before darting back to Ash's side. "Can you send someone else out now?" She begged. "Please."
Ash rolled his eyes. "Okay then. Pikachu, do you want to handle this?"
"Sure thing!" Rai leapt into battle, cheeks sparking with static. "This is revenge! For all Pikachu everywhere! For the unfairness of ground types!"
"Earthquake." Bruno smirked, but the smile promptly dropped from his face as the Pikachu leapt up into the air… and stayed there.
"Meet magnet rise, ground types everywhere!" Pikachu mocked, running on transparent light screens and his tail glowing with the hum of an electrified iron tail, allowing him to momentarily defy gravity. "By any chance, are there sprinklers in this room?" he asked Onix, glancing thoughtfully up at the ceiling.
"Smack down."
Pikachu glanced back at the rock snake. "That doesn't sound too good." He winced, dodging the giant… was that a cannon ball? Who invented such a thing?
"It's to bring down birds and levitating types." Onix explained, throwing a rock at Pikachu who dodged rapidly. "Then my ground type moves can hit you."
Pikachu glared at him. "It's an abomination." He snapped. "But don't worry. You keep doing that and I'm going to stick with this - Surf."
Onix blinked. "What?"
Pikachu, meanwhile, was forming a substitute surfboard, leaping onto it as the water formed beneath him in a large wave, eerily reminiscent of the fish's earlier tidal wave.
Let's just say that Onix didn't stand much of a chance after that.
Pikachu brushed his hands off, happily surveying the unstable rocky field. "Okay! That's my job done." He chirped happily. "Field destroyed. Check." He glanced at his new opponent. "And now time to take you down." He grinned, and Hitmonchan felt a bit nervous for some reason.
"Double team!" Ash called, trying to save the fighting type some pain. The Pikachu leapt into action, form blurring into multiple copies as Hitmonchan paused, mid punch, trying to locate the real one.
"Behind you!" Bruno shouted, spotting a yellow blur, leaping forwards in an iron tail. Hitmonchan spun around with a kick, but it faded right through the copy. "Hm. Substitute too?" Bruno pondered. "Earthquake."
Several Pika-copies leapt into the air, using magnet rise to avoid the shaking ground, that made the field tremble even more that it had already. One of the Pika-doubles began to blur forward in a volt tackle.
"Meet it head on with thunder punch!" Bruno roared, exhilarated.
"Fly."
The fighting type's attack fell right through the illusion, the static fading from his boxing glove, and he spun around, desperately seeking his opponent.
"Above you!" Ash called out, trying to help the opposition, although he wasn't sure why. His yellow friend was spinning with an iron tail, three yellow rings charging around, orbiting his form as he fell towards the ground.
"Meet Volt Smash!" Pikachu cried, as he let the circles fuse together, his tail landing on its target, who couldn't dodge in time, and creating a small cloud of dust that hid the field for a moment before clearing, Pikachu sitting on top of his defeated opponent, looking dizzy. "Okay." He muttered, as he began to stagger drunkenly towards Ash. "That's me done. I think I'll sit the next one out…" he fell to the ground next to Amps, who looked at him concerned.
"Are you okay?"
"I will be." He mumbled. "That was some finishing attack. I think I just created an electrical hyper beam variant."
"Okay Luxray!" Ash threw the sphere containing his gleam eyed Pokémon onto the battlefield. "Let's round this up."
Lux bared his fangs, waiting for his opponent to emerge. In a flash of red, a black and blue aura Pokémon was revealed, fists clenched into a fighting stance.
"You are my opponent?" the Lucario asked. "Then let us duel."
Lux titled his head to one side. "If ya' want." He drawled, stalking across the field, avoiding the numerous fault lines. "But you're the one who is going to lose."
The Lucario was silent, forming a bone rush.
"Well that's new." Lux observed, tail hardening into an iron tail, breath growing frosty. "But I've got just the thing for that, see?" he opened his mouth, revealing his icy fangs.
"Detect!" Lucario dodged the ice fang, whirling out with his bone rush and encountering…
Nothing…?
The aura Pokémon frowned, reaching out to sense his opponent. There was a blue spark in the ground below him… using dig, huh? Well he had just the thing for that…
But the earthquake he shot off was not a good mix for the cracked and battered field, which couldn't take much more. It crumbled, literally beginning to fall apart around the battling duo. Luxray leapt out, dodging some tumbling rock and lashing out with an ice fang, which missed, Lucario shielding with a protect and then throwing an aura sphere which clipped Lux's hind legs, sending him stumbling.
Lucario bounded out of the way of the collapsing field, finding a strong perch and remaining there, watching his opponent. "You like destroying battlefields, don't you?" he asked, "But at least from over there, you can't use ice fang."
Lux narrowed his eyes, as coloured lights began to circle him.
"What's that?" Lucario asked.
"Meet hidden power," Lux smirked, as the lights began to shoot towards him. The fighting steel type cursed. There was no way he was going to be able to dodge all of those.
"Protect!"
But the shield, recently used, failed and Lucario was left staring at the smirking Luxray upon a ruined battlefield before the hidden power knocked him out.
Bruno smiled. Finally, they had a new elite and he could stay in Johto! He stared at the kid who was currently trying to coax his Luxray away from the ruined field so that the Gardevoir could slowly begin the arduous process of piecing the field back together. Although coax might be the wrong word… there was a lot of arguing involved.
He liked the new elite. Ash had come a long way from the scrawny kid he had met before. He was going to get along brilliantly with Lance, and he couldn't wait to see the next two battles.
The pair both had a penchant for destruction after all.
[13:42AM] – 21st May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Fourth Field – Water - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).
Pikachu was now in a substitute, double team illusion battle with Koga's Crobat, the one flying above the water, and the other leaping from podium to podium, and occasionally disregarding the laws of physics and running over the water itself. There were about two dozen Pokémon images in the stadium, and Ash was sitting next to his Charizard, who was keeping his tail far away from the water's edge. The former was practising his aura sight and trying to spot the real duelling pair.
An air slash whipped past a pika-double, to be followed by a thunder bolt.
"Well at the very least." Koga said, trying to find his own Pokémon amongst the illusions. "At the very least I can say that you qualify for ninja training."
Ash, who had just managed to locate the Crobat skimming low over the water, looked up, startled into losing the image. He cursed. "Dammit. Pikachu just electrify the whole field!"
Koga frowned. "And here I hoped you had subtly."
Lance was watching nearby, hurriedly feeding his Gyrados a lot of Wacan berries. "Whatever you do…" He told his dual type water and flying. "Try and avoid using rain dance."
Back on the battlefield, Pikachu, having just used rain dance himself, had turned it into a living indoor lightning storm. The whole arena was lit up with sparking electricity, and the purple bat could now be seen, trying to dodge the multiple beams. One clipped his wing, sending him spiralling towards the water, but he managed to pull out of the way in time.
In the stands, Misty was smirking, watching the elites being thrashed. Brock, sitting next to her, looking shocked at the improvement, and Gary was making notes in a notebook. "I have to teach Electivire to do that." He said, planning how to incorporate that into a gym battle or two, as Pikachu used his electrical hyper beam, falling from the sky above Crobat, and crashing into the middle floating podium, sending water cascading everywhere.
Charizard shielded his tail. "Watch it here!" he snarled and Ash caught a flying Pikachu, who had been hit with the wave, washing him out of the arena. "Fire type sitting here!" he grumbled, shifting away from the edge.
He was ignored as Ash sent out Ter, the water type finally at home in the still sparking pool, which was a little bit emptier than it had started out as. He immediately set up an aqua ring, refreshing himself for his next opponent.
In his element (quite literally) Ter managed to takes down Ariados and Venomoth without too much trouble. The Muk gave him problems, as it kept using minimize, so he hit it with a hydro pump, knocking into the water where it promptly began to dissolve and has to be recalled.
He was now staring down a Skuntank, who sniffed at the watery environment, before shooting out a flamethrower.
Ter dived under the water, hearing the hiss of steam produced from fire on water. He shot out a water pulse, which did nothing more that got the fluffy skunk wet. He followed up with a thunder, but the poison type released a smog attack, the electricity dispersing in the airborne particles.
"No way…" He cried, trying a signal beam which was dodged by the surprisingly nifty Skuntank jumping to another podium and shooting another flamethrower towards him. Unable to dodge, the searing heat caught him full on, and he dived beneath the water again, wincing as he felt the burn.
"Set the water on fire!" Koga cried.
Ash looked aghast. "I thought you were a poison type user!" he complained, backing away from the raging inferno. "Why's the water burning?"
"Skuntank shot a sludge attack into the pool." Koga explained. "It's highly flammable. Your Lanturn won't last long."
With the burn and flaming pool, he was right, as Lanturn eventually floated weakly to the surface near Ash. "I think…" he coughed out, "I'm done."
Ash returned him quickly, complimenting the Pokéball, before sending out Luxray who was already charged up, and racing forwards in a wild charge. The flamethrower from the Skuntank did nothing more than turn the wild charge into a flame charge, burning off the poison attack.
Skuntank sighed. "Not again." He muttered, seconds before he was hit by a maniac Luxray.
Wincing from the recoil, the gleam eyed cat struggled to maintain his balance on the podium, his vision swimming. He peered at the Arbok. "Why are there four of you?" he asked.
"Only one," The snake hissed before shooting forwards in a wrap attack, adding in a little poison for good measure.
"Ah…" Lux complained, "Get off me!"
"Bite."
"That hurt." Lux complained. "Crunch!"
Arbok let go very quickly, slithering away, fangs bared.
Lux stumbled away, almost falling into the still warm water. "I feel weird." He considered, blinking. "Oh." He realised. "You poisoned me right?"
"Goodbye." The snake grinned; as Lux toppled over, being caught by a red beam before he could hit the water.
Ash sighed, pocketing the red and white sphere. "Snake huh?" he mused. "Okay then, enough saving you as 'my secret weapon'. Eelektross! Illuminate!"
The happy eel landed on a podium, the white floatation rocking violently before steadying.
"Use dig!" Koga smirked. This was all over. He paused, realising that Arbok hadn't done anything other than turn around and give him a quizzical look. Of course – the field was water. Oh well. If Ash's crazy team could improvise, so could he. "Just do it!" he snapped, and Arbok paused for half a second before obeying and shooting forwards across the water.
Eelektross laughed happily. "Yeah," He scoffed. "Good luck with that." He leapt out of the way easily of the snake, almost seeming to float over the water. "Like it?" he asked, "It's my ability – levitate!" He dashed forwards with a dragon claw in one hand, the other in a thunder punch.
Arbok wondered if his trainer had called out more sensible attacks he might have managed to last a bit longer against the strange crazy eel.
[14:30AM] – 21st May 2005 - Kanto – Indigo Plateau – Elite Battle Stadium – Fifth Field – Mix - (NB: All Pokémon speech will be temporarily translated).
After stuffing his Gyrados with another Wacan Berry, Lance marched on field, ready for what he knew was going to be a hard battle.
"Gyrados! Intimidate!"
"Electrify Pikachu!" Ash let his small electric type leap of his shoulder and race towards the dual type. "Light it up!" he called out, and Rai obeyed, letting loose a thunder which fried the grass on the ground. The field this time was a mix of forest, rock, water and grass.
To the mouse's annoyance, the sea serpent did not immediately faint, and instead released a dragon rage towards him.
So naturally he ran right towards it cloaked in a volt tackle.
Lance sighed as he recalled the serpent, muscles still jerking with electricity. Perhaps he shoulder make his Gyrados live on Wacan berries to overcome that damned electric weakness.
Aerodactyl appeared on the field, as Pikachu ran back, Ampharos appearing with a loud cry, red beacon tail lighting up. Lance cursed. With most of his team at least partially weak to electric, and the other part having some resistance, this match was going to be horribly intense. He couldn't wait for it to be over, yet at the same time, he didn't want it to end.
Thunder ripped across the sky, but the rock type dodged, wings flapping as rocks materialised to rain down upon the electric sheep. She summoned her own power gem to block the attack, breaking up the large boulders into fine gravels which fell to the field below.
Ash frowned at the battlefield, trying to think of a strategy. Lance however, had gotten there first. "Aero! Use ancient power! Use the status boost to then use sky drop!"
The aura guardian bit his lip. He hadn't heard of sky drop before, but it didn't sound good. "Electric shield!" he called, "Then prepare a focus blast. Fire it at the ancient powers."
Lance smirked. "Call off the sky drop! Heat wave!" he called, "Then rock tombs!"
His flying rock type tried in vain to keep up, throwing forward glowing stones which were promptly crushing into small pieces by Amps' focus blast. It immediately followed up with a gust of boiling hot air, filled with large stones which gathered around Amps, as if attracted to her. When they reached her, however, they broke up, cracked into pieces by the electric field on her body.
Ash glanced down, wincing at the stones scattered around the battlefield. He would have to get those out of the way before Lux or Rai were sent back out… maybe… "Amps! Magnet rise on the field! Float those rocks!"
"Here we go!" she released a light thunder waves, charging the poles as the rocks began to float in a mock stealth rock, or possibly a stone edge. "More power! I see." She smirked, throwing a discharge over the field.
Aerodactyl cursed as suddenly multiple rocks flew upwards towards him. One hit his wing, and he managed to avoid another, before being hit on the head. "Ouch." He winced, charging a dragon pulse and firing it downwards.
"You can have it back!" Amps hit it with an iron tail. "Along with this!" she threw a focus blast upwards.
"Steel wing," He thanked his Skarmory ancestor, knocking it back down, and charging another in his mouth.
Once again an iron tail hit it back, along with the second that he had thrown. Now they were alternating between bouncing the focus blasts and dragon pulses back and forth, with their steel type moves.
"Add in some chaos!" Lance called. "Rock slide!"
Aerodactyl laughed, flapping the rocks that formed down towards the electric type, who was charging up a signal beam. She dodged wearily under the rocks, knowing that she could not keep this up much longer.
"You have to end it!" Rai called, from where he sat.
"He's a flying type!" Charizard growled. "Hit his wings!"
"I'm trying!" Amps aimed a charge beam upwards, but it was intercepted by one of their own bouncing pulses. "Fine, if that's how you want to play it… rain dance!"
Now the weather of the field was a mock Draco meteor, with rocks, dragon and focus pulses, and rain pouring down, the sky rumbling with thunder.
"One chance," Amps gritted her teeth, glaring at the annoying fossil Pokémon flying above her. "Here we go! Outrage!"
Lance took a step forward in alarm. "Where did she learn that?"
The pulse of flaming red dragon fire hit Aerodactyl dead on, knocking him from the sky and bringing him tumbling back to earth with a loud crash, Amps being hit moments later by the flaming debris from the sky.
"I think that's it from me." She murmured weakly, closing her eyes, as the pair were withdrawn simultaneously in red beams.
"Tell me when you learn new moves." Ash chided, analysing the now burnt forest and grassland area, before throwing Lanturn out towards the water. Lance must have had the same idea, for a Dragonair appeared in the pool, pearl beneath its neck gleaming.
Dragonair considered his opponent. "Can't thunder you." he mused, "You'd just absorb the voltage. Nor can I flame you, you're a water type. Ice won't be that effective so how about… dragon fire!" he shot a dragon rage towards Ter who ducked under water, sending a light discharge through the pool.
"Not going to work!" Lanturn scoffed, shoot an ice beam toward the dragon, but it missed and instead froze some of the pond. "Blizzard!" he tried.
This time Dragonair dived beneath the water. However he didn't reappear.
Lanturn frowned, about to go and look for his opponent when something barrelled into him. Damn it, he didn't think they could learn dive! Before he could recover, a water pulse and aqua tail barrelled into him, sending him flying across the water. He could also see the fading effects that suggested a mist attack had been used. So he couldn't paralyze it.
"Use the water!" Ash called out. "Whirlpool!"
Obediently Ter followed instruction, although he couldn't see what good it would do…
"Electrify it and use the extra control to bring the columns up higher!"
Oh. That would work. Ter allowed some electricity to seep into the water, moulding the liquid into long, spinning funnels. Dragonair was caught in one, and the dragon rage he fired was rebounded back, wrapped around the twister of water.
"Eye of the storm!" Lance cried, "Get into the centre of it!"
Dragonair slipped through the whirling water and was lost from sight, flicking into an extreme speed.
"Charge up and shock!" Ash called, "Its using dragon dance so watch out for the dragon rush when it hits!"
Ter grunted as his charge beam and dragon rush hit, the strain was great. Both combatants were sent flying backwards, trying to regain their sense of direction.
"Not bad." Dragonair admitted. "I haven't had a strong opponent in a long time."
"I'll beat you yet." Lanturn vowed, charging up a signal beam and allowing the bug type move to be run through with static. "Rai isn't the only one with finishing moves. Would you like to meet Water Spark?"
"How about giga impact…?" Dragonair responded, charging forwards, ignoring Shard's disgruntled, 'How come he can managed giga impact and I can't?' The serpent was wreathed in blue fire, slowly turning white as he built up momentum
"Who names these moves anyway?" The dragon grumbled. "Why don't you call it something cool like the collision of water and lightning, or…"
He was drowned out by a colliding giga impact and water infused spark variant, both combatants sent flying out of the arena and hitting the walls, sliding down them in a faint.
"I think you overdid it." Ash said to his water and electric type's Pokéball. "But it was a good job."
He glanced up at the field which was slowly crumbling into a state of disrepair. The Gardevoir from earlier was gone, probably having retired due to the work load. "Let lightning dance Lux!"
"Inferno Charizard!"
Ash swallowed, as he witnessed Lance's starter Pokémon take that instruction very literally with what might have been a blast burn, only the orange dragon didn't bother to recharge before taking to the skies. Luxray had run through it in his typical flame charge fashion, and Ash's own Charizard had perked up, intently watching the battle.
"Flamethrower." He predicted, and when, moments later, the airborne Charizard let out a flamethrower, Ash glanced around in confusion.
"So when you bragged you could counter the counters of these lizards, you weren't lying?"
"Of course not," The prideful Pokémon looked affronted. "I'm one of the strongest there. Look, now, see the wing tip. He's going to dodge out of the way of the thunder and… see the throat pulse. He's hiding a dragon pulse or outrage there."
Ash looked alarmed. "Dodge the outrage!" he called, moments before the attack itself was released, and by then Lux had managed to use dig, reappearing the other end of the field.
"Tiring opponent," Lux grumbled. "He won't stay still. Oh well. Let's change things around a bit, shall we?" the gleam eyed Pokémon raised his head, eyes flashing as all the lights in the arena went out.
Shard raised his tail as a torch, peering at the field. One solitary flame of Lance's Charizard was visible, illuminating blue and orange wings, which were descending to land.
"What's he doing?" Ash hissed. "Unless… Rai…?"
"Still here..." The mouse said. "He hasn't asked to swap or anything."
"He must be planning something." Ash pondered. "Something shocking that he shouldn't be able to do. Not weather related, we've run that option out… Where is he anyway? We should be able to see the illumination of his fur…"
"The enemy is on the ground." Charizard pointed out, observing a flamethrower attempt to illuminate the field. "And he isn't. So he's using dig."
Ash glanced up. "Ah. How hard to you reckon it would be for Lux to dig under the arena and use fissure."
Rai retreated to the safety of the flying types back. "Knowing him," He scoffed. "Ridiculously easy..."
The red flaring light of Lance's starter vanished in an enormous rumble and with a spark Ash could see his own Pokémon leap up to safety, just as the technicians managed to get the lights working.
The mess was terrible. There was an enormous hole in the middle of the field, filled with crumbled rocks, still sparking slightly, and a red dragon lying fainted within, the ground having quite literally given way beneath him.
Lux was looking terribly smug, although when the Altaria began throwing fluffy cotton balls at him he looked more annoyed. Attempting a thunder, he was even more annoyed when it caught on the cotton guard and hit him instead, making him wince. So entertain he was, by his fluffy predicament, that he missed Lance's order for a Draco meteor.
"Dodge!" Ash called, but by the time he gleam eyed cat looked up, and tried to move, he was too slow, weighed down by the cotton guard. Trying to spark a flame charge failed, as the electricity died, leaving Lux at the mercy of the powerful dragon attack. "Return," Ash called, letting his defeated Pokémon be recalled before the attack hit. "I withdraw Luxray." He told the referee and Lance. "Although he will be pissed with me later..." He added, under his breath, before throwing Eelektross forward.
"Don't get caught by cotton guard!" he warned, as his happy eel began dancing, a dragon pulse hurtling past but missing.
"Sunny day!" Lance called, wanting to avoid any adverse weather affect that might favour electricity. "Then use solar beam."
"A grass type move huh?" Eelektross chuckled, preparing to bat it aside with a dragon claw. "Not bad." His other fist began to glow with a fire punch. "But I've got my own tricks." He then engulfed himself in a wild charge and began to race forward.
Altaria sighed, shooting out a dragon breath which washed off. "No!" she protested, and surrounded herself in safeguard. It did little to protect the brunt of the attack, but at least she wasn't paralyzed or burnt. Eelektross too took damage from the recoil, but he didn't let it affect him as he immediately began to prepare a brick break in one hand, while shooting off a flamethrower.
"Missed," Altaria mocked, dodging the flamethrower, but putting herself in the way of the brick break. She let out a cry of pain, and Eelektross winced at the high pitched sound, closing his eyes. "Uproar!" she announced smugly as she collided with him, but a paw lashed out with a dragon claw, sending her reeling backwards. "And I added a little perish song in there too."
Both battlers looked weary, the echoes of the song in their ears. Their turns were running out.
"Well if that's it for me." Eelektross announced, smugly. "Then you won't mind U-turn."
Altaria screeched her protest, but changed tact, shooting hearts at her opponent. Failing to dodge, Eelektross skidded to a halt, infatuated.
Ash hit his head with his palm. "Attract." He moaned, "Snap out of it Eelektross." Altaria was using rock smash. "Talk about unrequited love." Ash sighed, watching his Pokémon sit there and take it. "Bit abusive too…" as Altaria threw another solar beam at him.
"Altaria!" Lance cried, "Return!"
But it was then that Eelektross snapped out of his daze, and knocking the dragon out of the way with an acrobatics. "We go down together!" he snarled, skidding in the dirt, and for a moment the two contestants stared at each other in a death glare.
Moments later the perish song came into effect and both tumbled to the ground.
Lance swallowed. "Last Pokémon," he murmured. "I know you won't let me down." He enlarged the sphere. "Take to the skies Dragonite!"
Ash glanced at Pikachu. "Ready to do this buddy?" he smiled. "You may be my fifth Pokémon, but you're my last electric type. It's only you left."
"Ready as always," Rai chirped excitedly.
"Then Pikachu I choose you!"
The mouse bounded forwards, cheeks sparking, and for a moment dragon and mouse stared at each other, before mutually launching into attacks.
Dragonite fired off a hyper beam straight off, while Pikachu threw an electro ball, before using magnet rise and hopping up the light screen platforms he created.
Rushing up to meet him in a flap of his leathery wings, Dragonite blew fire towards the mouse, which let out a chirp of alarm and leapt for the safety of his substitute surfboard, letting water coalesce under it as he surfed towards Dragonite.
"Break the wave!" Lance cried, "Air slash!"
Dragonite fired off a sphere of razor sharp air which disrupted the water flow, and in alarm Pikachu jumped of the board, letting it reform into a balloon to which he held onto.
"Drop onto the dragon's back!" Ash called.
"Are you mad?" Pikachu cried. "Don't answer that." And trusting his trainer, he let go of his red balloon.
The breath shot out of him as he landed on something orange. Had he actually managed it?
"Roll!"
Uh oh. Rai grabbed onto a spike and held on for dear life as the rollercoaster ride began. He let loose a thunder, which raced through Dragonite in a paralysis, the wings pausing mid flap.
"Not a good idea." Rai sighed, before jumping for his balloon as the paralyzed dragon began a course for the ground.
"Shake it off!" Lance called, "Come on! Snap out of it."
Seemingly at the last minute, Dragonite pulled up, the electricity's hold breaking as he twisted around, heading now for Pikachu hanging onto his little red balloon.
"Hyper beam."
Pikachu formed an iron tail. "Right back at ya'." He bounced the attack back, using its momentum to let himself by thrown backwards, still clutching his balloon, he closed his eyes, hating the height, and after cracking one eyes open to check Dragonite was in a feasible position, he once again, let go of his air support.
Dragonite snarled in annoyance at finding the mouse back on his spines. "Let go!" he growled, shaking his head. "Get of me."
"Nu Uh!" Pikachu clung on for dear life. "It's a long way to the ground."
Dragonite let himself become surrounded by a dragon rush, but Rai was so close it didn't affect him. "Very well then," He scoffed. "If you insist – seismic toss…" And he then proceeded to spin towards the ground at high speeds.
Pikachu closed his eyes. "You asked for it." He muttered, "Mega volt!"
"What?" Dragonite only had the time to wonder what the hell that was, before several thousand volts shot through him.
Ash winced, "Deep fried Dragonite." He sighed. "Isn't he over doing it?"
Charizard shrugged. "I survived that attack once." He admitted. "And Dragonite resists the electric in part, while being weak to it in part, so he'd survive."
"You were knocked out by a quick attack afterwards." His trainer scoffed. "And that was only because you used endure."
Back on the field Dragonite had finally met the ground, and his original plan of rolling over and squashing the annoying Pikachu failed due to the high voltage. Pikachu was dislodged by the impact, and landed in the ruined crater that Lux had created, Dragonite lying next to him. He was tired and felt like he didn't have a drop of electric power left.
"Come on Rai!" Ash called. "It's the final push!"
But he was so tired…
"Look! There's a giant bottle of ketchup!"
Pikachu blinked. That sounded good. He sat up, tail twitching, looking for the giant ketchup bottle. His trainer looked slightly guilty.
"I'll buy you some." Ash promised. "…because after that battle you deserve it."
"Battle?" Rai blinked, before glancing at Dragonite who was stirring weakly. "Oh yeah, battle. Wait… did I win?"
Ash nodded, approaching the crater, before deciding better and staying where he was. "Come on." He smiled, and Pikachu blinked for a moment.
"We… we won." Pikachu blinked. "WE WON!" and with that he leapt towards Ash, for a cuddle in his trainer's arms.
Misty, who had been waiting with bated breath in the stands with Marill, was next there, beating Lance (who had to navigate the crater) and Brock (who got distracted by preaching his love to a pretty girl). He won! She mentally squealed. Ash won, Ash won, Ash won!
She threw herself into his arms, and he caught her laughing, spinning her around once, before putting her down, grabbing her arm to stop her moving around, and kissed her.
She let herself relax, overcome by the feeling of his lips of hers, before kissing back. The moment couldn't be any more perfect.
"Stop that!" Rai complained. "Pikachupi! Pikapi!" he whined. "Guys!"
Slowly they broke apart, Ash with a goofy grin across his face. "Remember." He whispered. "We were already dating before Brock and Pikachu got us together."
Misty giggled, tucking herself to his side. "You ruined the battlefield." She chuckled. "All of them actually..."
"Koga ruined the water field." Ash pouted childishly. "He was the one who set it on fire."
"Good battle." Lance said, and the pair turned. The red-head was smiling at the couple. "Welcome to the elite four."
Ash closed his eyes for a moment. "I can't believe I actually won." He admitted. "Although, if you're going on technicalities my five Pokémon won instead of me."
"I can't believe you only used five." Lance grumbled. "Out of curiosity what was your sixth choice?"
"Charizard is my sixth actually." Ash admitted, nervously. "I only have five electric types."
Lance rolled his eyes. "So you beat the elite four with only five Pokémon in your arsenal? Not even a back-up Elekid or something?"
Ash winced, scratching the back of his head nervously.
The champion sighed. "Cynthia is never going to let me live this down."
Having heard his name mentioned, the snoozing dragon had stretched and stood proudly behind his trainer, playfully snatching at his trainer's head, great teeth catching the red and black peaked cap, which he then tossed in the air.
"Give that back!" Ash complained, snatching for it, but missed as Shard tossed it higher, flames building in his throat.
"Hey!" Ash complained, wide eyed as he observed the demise of his hat, as his dragon tossed it in the air, and then roasted it with a flamethrower. "Charizard! You just roasted my hat!" he observed the ashen pieces drift to earth.
"It's time you grew out of it." Misty teased him.
Ash glared at her. "You can talk. You still kept my original one from when I was ten as a, and I quote, 'memento of our journey'."
Misty hit him.
The celebrations of new elite continued long into the night. Ash had spoken with Lance, and they had mutually agreed that the dragon tamer could stay champion, and Ash would act as an elite, being viable to play the champion role if needed. The pair had a lot in common, beyond their similarities for mass destruction.
"SECTION?" Ash asked, "What does it stand for?"
Lance was explaining the roles of the league and their more military section, for which he was trying to recruit Ash. He shrugged. "Don't know. Ask Lorelei, she's better at remembering this sort of this. You practically work for them already, being a guardian, and since you won't be an elite full time."
"Well." Ash considered. "It sounds safer than anything I did with Riley."
Lance laughed. "You say that now. What did he teach you anyway?"
"How to dodge rocks while blindfolded," Ash listed off, "Various ways to make things explode. The basics of aura, forming spheres, blades, shields, elemental attacks… The good and bad things about Cynthia Shirona…" he paused guiltily, "Did I say that last one out loud?"
"Want to spar sometime?" Lance asked, grinning. "As part of the Blackthorn Clan I know how to wield a sword."
"Sure." Ash agreed, never quite realising how much he might regret it later, after discovering that the dragon master liked to used gasoline to set his blade alight, along with swapping his blade for various hedge cutting implements, which were all but lethal in the champion's hands.
Later that evening, nearing midnight, and after a full dusk of seeking out his friends from the crowd of people he might have met maybe one or twice, he found his childhood friend, standing outside.
"Hey! Gary!" Ash called out to the researcher standing on the cliff edge. "Are you okay?"
The spiky haired man nodded. "Sure am, Ashy-boy. That was pretty good battling by the way!" he smirked, "I could still beat you."
"You're a researcher." Ash retorted. "Yeah, right…"
"Actually," Gary winced, "I accepted the post of Viridian Gym Leader. I still have to pass the exam and all, but…"
"That's brilliant!" Ash smiled, "Go for it! I'll cheer you on – got it?"
"Really…?" Gary blinked. "You don't mind?"
"Why would I mind? And even if I did why would you let that stop you?"
Gary shrugged. "Don't know. Leaf wasn't too happy to hear about it."
"Leaf..?" Ash blinked. "Leaf Greene..? Our Leaf..?"
Gary laughed, "Yes, our Leaf, although she's more my Leaf."
It took a moment for the new elite to process this before Riley's love lessons kicked in. "You… you're dating?"
Gary sighed. "I had hoped that you dating the Cerulean red-head gave you some lessons in the art of love." He sighed. "It appears not."
Ash rolled his eyes, instead pulling something from his pocket and examining it. "I'm glad we're back to being friends." He smiled at the broken half of a Pokéball.
Gary smirked, pulling his own half out. "Me to," He agreed. "So here's to the future, and hoping that everything works out okay."
And as the fireworks shot into the sky above Indigo, the pair simultaneously threw the broken sphere over the cliff.
September 2013 – Finally finished those damn battles! Hope you enjoyed them, and all cooed at the thought of Pikachu hanging onto a little red balloon in the middle of a battle. I totally stole that from the manga. I was definitely running out of ideas for electric types to take down the elite's Pokemon All moves are totally learn-able according to Bulbapedia, except for Luxray who defies all expectations because he is simple that awesome.
The next chapter involves Ash, Lance and Misty's falling out and the whole Celadon Incident. You might notice that it's a lot different from any flashbacks that I included in the main story, but that's because the one was Ash's view on everything (and he lost his memory) and the other is Ash, Misty and whoever's present joint account of it.
Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys are beyond amazing! Pikachu gives you a red balloon in thanks!
Until next time,
~ Eclipse