Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!

Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga

Chapter Thirty Eight

Champion Battle! Ashley Vs Gary!

"You were wasting your time getting this far, Ashley." Gary said smugly. "You don't stand a chance at beating me."

"Better not let him know I only have five pokemon..." Ashley thought before she responded. "Why? Because I didn't beat you the last few times? Oh, wait, thats right! I did!" She shot back, sticking her tongue out at him. "I beat the Elite Four, and I beat you before too. So don't think for a second that you actually stand a chance!"

"Those two certainly are mouthy." Professor Oak commented.

"They have known each other for years, its perfectly normal for them to tease each other like this." Catherine said to him.

"Well lets see if you've got anything left in ya! Heracross, go!" Gary held out a pokeball and released Heracross, a powerful looking, blue beetle pokemon with a large horn.

"Looks like a bug type." Ashley thought. "Moltres, go!" She then called out, releasing the fire bird onto the field. Moltres shrieked and spread out its wings in an intimidating stance when it appeared.

"Heracross, attack with Rock Tomb!" Heracross slammed the ground with one foot. At first, nothing happened, but after a brief pause several rocks erupted from the ground under Moltres and shot up around it. The rocks landed on top of Moltres, pinning it to the ground.

"That attack could hurt a bit, but Moltres can avoid it in the air." Ashley thought. "Moltres, shake it off and fly up!" Moltres stood up and spread its wings, knocking the rocks off its body. It then flapped its wings and took off into the air, flying up out of range of any further Rock Tomb attacks.

"Hmph. Coward." Gary snorted.

"Thats hardly cowardly." Ashley thought bitterly. "Moltres, attack from above with Flamethrower!"

"Heracross, defend with Rock Tomb!"

Heracross smashed the ground, causing several large boulders to pop up and then collapse around him. Though he harmed himself somewhat in the process, the Flamethrower attack from Moltres did little. Moltres fired a stream of flames down onto Heracross, but the pile of rocks blocked out most of the attack.

"Ok, now throw one of those rocks at Moltres!" Heracross stood up, knocking the rocks to the side. He took one of the rocks in his hands and then gave it a strong toss, throwing the rock at Moltres. The rock hit Moltres hard and knocked it out of the air, but Moltres recovered before hitting the ground and flew back up out of range of another Rock Tomb attack.

"Staying in the air won't help you! Heracross, throw another!" Heracross picked up another rock and flung it at Moltres, but Moltres was ready for it this time and flew out of the way.

"Moltres, attack with Fire Spin! Lets see your Heracross evade that!" Ashley called out. Moltres aimed down at Heracross and breathed out a spiralling column of fire. The fire surrounded Heracross and formed into a towering vortex, trapping the pokemon inside. Heracross quickly piled rocks around itself for protection.

"Tch. That won't hold Heracross for long." Gary said to Ashley.

"It'll be long enough!" Ashley shot back. "Moltres, charge up for a Sky Attack!" An orange glow formed around Moltres' body as it began gathering power and took careful aim at Heracross for its attack.

"Heracross, use those rocks as a shield and try to get out." Gary commanded. Inside the flames, Heracross picked up a particularly large rock and held it against his side. Heracross then started to walk out of the flames, with the rock protecting Heracross from the heat. The flames collapsed once Heracross was through.

"Now throw that rock at Moltres!"

"Moltres, quick! Dive!"

Heracross held the rock over his head and threw it up at Moltres. Moltres had finished preparing for its attack by then and quickly dropped down out of the way.

"Now attack! Sky Attack!" Moltres pulled out of its dive, skimming across the ground as it flew toward Heracross. A fiery aura surrounded Moltres and it took off, smashing through Heracross and sending the bug pokemon careening through the air. Heracross landed on his head when he hit the ground and was knocked out. Gary gritted his teeth angrily as he recalled Heracross.

"If that was any other fire pokemon we would have had that battle in the bag." Gary said bitterly.

"Oh grow up." Ashley thought, rolling her eyes.

"Well lets see how your fire pokemon holds up against mine!" Gary said as he drew another pokeball. "Arcanine, go!" Gary held out the pokeball and released his pokemon, sending out a massive canine pokemon onto the field. The pokemon reminded her of the legendary pokemon Entei, which she had briefly encountered, only much more canine in appearance and a body covered in orange and black stripes.

"Too bad Moltres really is the best pokemon I have to use against this one right now." Ashley thought.

"-Hmm. A worthy adversary indeed.-" Moltres said to Arcanine. "-Then let us see whose flame burns brighter.-"

"-I'm afraid not. You must be new to this.-" Arcanine replied in a gruff voice. "-My species, like many other fire pokemon in this age, is capable of absorbing fire attacks to power up our own.-"

"-Then...my fire attacks will be useless!-" Moltres said in disbelief.

"-Correct.-" Arcanine replied flatly.

"Arcanine, strike first with Extremespeed!" Arcanine crouched, as if it were about to pounce, and then shot forward at a blinding speed. Moltres was hovering low to the ground still from its previous attack and was smashed hard as Arcanine blew by it in the blink of an eye. Moltres hit the ground hard and skidded back several feet while Arcanine came to a stop only after crossing more than half the field.

"Moltres, take off again!" Ashley called out. "Then get ready for a Sky Attack!" Moltres shook off the hit and stood up, then flapped its wings to take off into the air. An aura surrounded Moltres as it rose up off the ground and powered up for its attack.

"You won't get the chance to use that technique." Gary thought, grinning to himself. "Arcanine's Extremespeed will take care of that."

"Ok, now drop to the ground!" Moltres flipped in the air to point toward the ground and dove straight down. It was already fully charged and ready to attack at any moment.

"Arcanine, finish it with Extremespeed! Now!"

"Moltres, endure it and strike back with Sky Attack!"

Arcanine crouched down on its front legs and then took off toward Moltres at an extreme speed. Arcanine smashed into Moltres, sending the fire bird flipping through the air. Moltres endured the hit, and its momentum eventually put it back in front of Arcanine. Before hitting the ground, Moltres drew upon its stored energy.

A fiery aura surrounded Moltres and it then took off, slamming into Arcanine and sending the fire pokemon rolling back across the field as Moltres flew past. Arcanine landed on its side when it finally came to a stop.

"Follow up with Wing Attack, now!" Ashley called out. Moltres quickly turned around while dismissing the aura that had surrounded it. Moltres flew over Arcanine as it stood back up, whacking it in the head and continuing on. Arcanine let out a low growl and glared at Moltres as it flew past.

"Arcanine, finish it now and don't mess up this time! Extremespeed!" Arcanine crouched down and then took off toward Moltres, slamming into it from behind at high speeds. Moltres was knocked off to the side and hit the ground, falling unconscious almost immediately while Arcanine ended up standing next to its trainer again. Ashley recalled Moltres.

"Well, Moltres softened it up anyway." Ashley thought as she switched pokeballs. "Articuno, go! Let's finish this one off quickly." She then called out, releasing the ice bird onto the field. Gary scoffed at Ashley's choice of pokemon.

"Thats the best she can do?" Gary thought, grinning to himself. "Legendary or not, that ice pokemon won't last long against Arcanine's flames!"

"Arcanine, lets take this one down fast! Attack with Overheat!"

"Articuno, take to the air!"

Arcanine charged across the field while building up energy in its body, moving in to attack while Articuno flapped its wings and took off into the air. Arcanine unleashed its attack once it was in range, sending out a fiery explosion in all directions from its body. By then, however, Articuno had flown up high enough to avoid the attack altogether.

"Tch. Thats getting annoying." Gary muttered. "Made me waste a perfectly good Overheat. Should have opened with an Extremespeed to close the gap first..."

"Now attack from above with Water Pulse!" Articuno stopped in the air and flapped its wings to hover in place. It then aimed down and opened its beak to fire three small rings of water. The rings expanded as they fell toward Arcanine.

"Arcanine, block it with Flamethrower!" Arcanine raised its head to face the incoming attack and breathed out a stream of flames, engulfing the Water Pulse attack completely. The flames were diminished somewhat, but the rings were still evaporated in the process. Articuno also ended up taking a light hit from the flames, which just barely reached it.

"Still in range of that Flamethrower..." Ashley thought. "Articuno, fly higher and use Mind Reader to lock on!" Articuno flapped its wings and flew up even higher over the field, out of range of any further attacks from Arcanine, then looked down and focused on its opponent. Articuno read Arcanine's mind to ensure the success of its next attack.

"I'm getting sick of these birds." Gary muttered to himself. "Well, I've already watched her battles against the other Elite Four." He then thought with a smirk. "She has no reason to try to attack with Blizzard, so she's obviously going for the win with Sheer Cold. But that technique won't have any effect on a pokemon thats too strong for it. I could have Arcanine jump and attack, but we'll wait."

"Lets finish this now, Articuno! Sheer Cold!" Articuno breathed out and began flapping its wings. At first, nothing happened. But then a sudden cold snap struck Arcanine, encasing it completely in a block of ice.

"I think you'll find my pokemon is too strong for that." Gary said with a grin. "Right Arcanine?" Gary looked to his frozen pokemon, expecting a response. There was none. "Arcanine?!" The ice finally shattered, freeing Arcanine, but the fire pokemon collapsed to the ground. Articuno's Sheer Cold attack was successful and knocked Arcanine out in one hit.

"So much for your Arcanine being too strong for it." Ashley said, grinning to herself. "Wonder if it helped any that Moltres weakened it a bit first?"

"Tch. Whatever." Gary grumbled as he recalled his Arcanine. "You got lucky, thats all. That technique won't work against my next pokemon at all, though!" Gary quickly took another pokeball in his hand and released his pokemon. A yellow, humanoid pokemon with a large mustache appeared on the field. "Lets see you try that on my Alakazam!"

"Lets not!" Ashley shot back. "Articuno, thats enough for now! Return!" Ashley held out Articuno's pokeball to recall it, then took another one in her hand. "Ok, Hypno! Your turn now!" She then called out, releasing Hypno out onto the field.

"-Is there no end to this day!-" Hypno cried out when he saw Alakazam. "-Now I have to face an Alakazam too?! For psychic pokemon they're the best of the best!-"

"Heh! This will be a piece of cake!" Gary said smugly. "Alakazam, start with Calm Mind! That Hypno won't be able to keep up with your special attack power!" Alakazam closed its eyes and focused, concentrating and raising its special attack power.

"If I try attacking that Alakazam with anything then it'll just Teleport out of the way." Ashley thought. "We'll need to lure it into using Teleport first, so we can Disable it!"

"Hypno, attack Alakazam with Poison Gas!" Hypno extended its snout toward Alakazam and breathed out a cloud of purple gas. The gas slowly floated across the field toward Alakazam.

"Alakazam, Teleport!" Alakazam shimmered briefly and disappeared, reappearing in the corner of the field and well out of the way of the Poison Gas attack.

"Ok, now's our chance! Hypno, use Disable!" Hypno nodded and held out his pendulum toward Alakazam, then began to concentrate. A yellow glow surrounded Alakazam as Hypno attacked its mind and prevented it from using Teleport again.

"What!? You stinker!" Gary growled. "You were planning that, weren't you?!"

"Yep." Ashley replied smugly. "Hypno, lets put Alakazam to sleep now! Hypnosis!" Hypno began waving his pendulum around and focused its psychic powers on Alakazam, sending out hypnotic energy waves toward it.

"Well we're not going to just stand here and take this!" Gary shot back. "Alakazam, attack with Shadow Ball!" Alakazam cupped its hands together as it felt drowsiness starting to set in. Alakazam quickly formed a ball of shadowstuff and flung it at Hypno before collapsing to the ground in a deep sleep. The ball soared across the field and struck Hypno. Despite being weak to the attack, Hypno barely flinched.

"Now use Poison Gas again, then follow it up with Meditate!" Hypno stretched out his snout and breathed out a cloud of purple gas. The cloud floated across the field, toward the sleeping Alakazam, while Hypno then closed his eyes and began to meditate. The cloud eventually reached Alakazam, poisoning it, and Hypno's meditation raised his physical strength.

By the time that was all over with, Alakazam's eyes were open again. Feeling the poison running through its body, Alakazam focused on Hypno. Hypno felt a chill go through his body as Alakazam fixed its cold gaze on him, but then felt a burning sensation go through him. Poison had manifested in its body, courtesy of Alakazam's Synchronize ability.

"Heh! You've put the ball back in my court now, Ashley!" Gary called out. "My Alakazam can use Recover, but your Hypno's poisoned as well now and can't use Recover! All Alakazam has to do is outlast your pokemon!"

"No! He's right!" Ashley thought in dismay, clenching a fist. "I need to keep up the pressure on his Alakazam! I'll have Hypno power up again, and then go on the offense with physical attacks!"

"Hypno, use Meditate again!"

"Alakazam, set up with Reflect!"

Hypno closed his eyes and concentrated again, relaxing his mind to increase his physical strength. Alakazam, meanwhile, focused its psychic powers to form a transparent blue barrier around its body. The barrier would specifically decrease damage from physical attacks, which is what Ashley was planning to go on the offense with.

"Grr...so much for that idea..." Ashley muttered to herself.

"Now use Recover!" Alakazam focused and its body shimmered briefly. Using its psychic power, Alakazam sent a surge of energy through its body to heal itself.

"Hypno, put Alakazam to sleep again with Hypnosis!" Hypno focused on Alakazam, who still couldn't teleport away, and started swinging his pendulum. Hypnotic waves hit Alakazam, causing it to become drowsy and collapse into a deep sleep again.

"That won't do you any good, you still won't make up for the poison damage on Hypno. Not while Alakazam is still protected by Reflect." Gary said to Ashley.

"Oh yeah?" Ashley shot back defiantly. "Then what if we did this? Hypno, Nightmare!" Hypno held his pendulum toward Alakazam, focusing a strange power through it. A dark aura descended on Alakazam and the psychic pokemon looked to be in great pain while it slept. Hypno had inflicted a terrible nightmare on it.

"That much indirect damage might be able to make up for Alakazam's head start!" Gary thought nervously.

"Ok, now to finally attack." Ashley thought, taking a moment to consider her next move. "With Alakazam lying on the ground, Headbutt won't be easy to pull off. We'll have to go with Pound."

"Now lets go on the offense! Pound!" Hypno lowered his pendulum and then charged across the gym. As he neared Alakazam, he raised one hand back. Hypno stopped in front of Alakazam and brought his fist down, punching Alakazam in the gut. Almost immediately after, the psychic pokemon woke up. Alakazam slowly rose to its feet, looking to be in a great deal of pain. Hypno was starting to look very exhausted, as well, from the poison taking its toll.

"Good try, but not good enough!" Gary said smugly. "Alakazam, Recover!" Alakazam closed its eyes to focus on its recovery, but then suddenly collapsed. Alakazam was too weak to resist the poison long enough to attack. "No! Damn it!" Gary growled, furiously raising his pokeball to recall Alakazam.

"-I...I won?-" Hypno said to himself in disbelief. "-I beat...an Alakazam?-"

"Hypno, good job! You can rest now!" Ashley called out, recalling her Hypno before Gary could even send out another pokemon. She was intent on making sure Hypno wouldn't faint from the poison.

"Exeggutor, go!"

"Zapdos, go!"

Gary and Ashley sent out their replacement pokemon at the same time. An armless, humanoid grass-type pokemon with three coconut-shaped heads appeared on Gary's side of the field. On Ashley's side of the field appeared Zapdos, still paralyzed from its battle with Lance's Gyarados.

"If Zapdos is going to fight like this, then I'll have to even the odds first." Ashley thought. "Zapdos, attack with Thunder Wave!"

"Her Zapdos is still paralyzed? Looks like this is my chance to strike down another of her legendary pokemon!" Gary thought, grinning to himself. "Exeggutor, Sleep Powder!"

Exeggutor leaned forward and shook its heads, releasing a cloud of powder from the leaves that formed its 'hair'. The powder started to float across the gym while Zapdos slowly got into position to fire its attack. The powder soon descended on Zapdos, but not before it could fire an electric pulse at Exeggutor. Zapdos fell over, fast asleep, while Exeggutor became paralyzed from the electricity.

"Looks like its our turn to go all out on a helpless foe!" Gary said to Ashley. "Exeggutor, use Leech Seed and Poison Powder!"

Exeggutor leaned back and then thrust its heads forward, launching a seed toward Zapdos. The seed latched onto the back of the sleeping pokemon and immediately began to slowly drain away its strength. After using Leech Seed, Exeggutor kept its body bent forward and shook its head, sending a cloud of purple powder toward Zapdos. While the powder floated across the field, Zapdos began to wake up.

"Zapdos woke up plenty early, but no chance at dodging this one." Ashley thought. "Zapdos, fly through the cloud and use Drill Peck!" Zapdos flapped its wings and took off, flying toward Exeggutor and passing through the cloud and becoming poisoned in the process. A vacuum of air swirled around Zapdos' beak as it approached the target, then Zapdos jabbed at Exeggutor with a strong Drill Peck attack. Exeggutor stumbled back and then fell to the ground.

"Exeggutor, put Zapdos back to sleep and use Hypnosis this time!" Exeggutor raised its three heads to look directly into Zapdos eye. Exeggutor began emitting a hypnotic energy wave at the electric bird.

"Zapdos, Detect!" Zapdos focused and quickly saw through Exeggutor's attack, allowing it to resist falling asleep.

"Now use Drill Peck again!" Zapdos raised its head back and a vacuum of air began to circle around its beak again. Zapdos then thrust its beak forward, stabbing Exeggutor's middle face and causing it to stagger back again.

"Zapdos is putting up a good offensive so far, but I don't think it'll be enough." Ashley thought. "Leech Seed and poison are wearing it down too quickly. Besides, I think another pokemon can finish this in one go now."

"Zapdos, good enough! Return for now!" Ashley called out, holding up Zapdos pokeball and recalling it. She took another one in her hand and released her next pokemon. "Articuno, your turn again! Go!" The pokemon materialized on the field, forming into the legendary bird of ice, Articuno.

"Hmph. She switched. There goes that idea." Gary thought.

"Articuno, attack with Blizzard now!" Articuno opened its beak and exhaled a blast of ice and snow while flapping its wings. The ice and snow swirled arround, forming into a narrow column to strike Exeggutor with full force. The Blizzard hit Exeggutor head on, causing the grass pokemon to stumble back as it was bombarded until eventually it fell over. Exeggutor was knocked out, and Gary quickly recalled it.

"I don't get it, this has been way too easy." Ashley thought, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "How does a guy like Gary get past the rest of the Elite Four? Its down to four against two now and I know he definitely has Blastoise! Two of my pokemon have the advantage against that one!"

"I'm surprised you managed to push me this far, but I've saved my best two pokemon for last." Gary said to Ashley as he took a pokeball in his hand. "Tyranitar, go!" The pokeball opened up and the pokemon began to materialize on the field. A large, lizard-like pokemon with a body hard as rocks appeared on the field and gave a menacing roar. Sand then blasted out in every direction from the pokemon's body and began to swirl around the field in a sandstorm.

"What is that thing?!" Ashley wondered. "It looks powerful, but I've never even heard of Tyranitar before! Either way, it definitely looks like a rock type. Maybe even a ground type since most rock types in Kanto are ground type as well."

"Tyranitar, take down that Articuno with Rock Slide!" Tyranitar roared and slammed one foot into the ground. Several large rocks broke free and were sent rolling across the field, rapidly approaching Articuno.

"Articuno, quick! Fly up!" Articuno gave a flap of its wings and flew straight up, narrowly getting off the ground in time to avoid the attack.

"That was close...Articuno would have taken a beating from that attack." Ashley thought. "Fire back with Ice Beam!" She then commanded Articuno. Articuno stopped and hovered in the air while it took aim at Tyranitar, then opened its beak and fired an Ice Beam. The blue beam streaked through the air and struck Tyranitar in the chest. Ice formed on its chest briefly and then shattered, but Tyranitar hardly looked bothered by it.

"It'll take more than that to take down my Tyranitar." Gary said with a smirk. "Tyranitar played clean-up against the Elite Four and not once did it lose, now its going to do the same to you! Tyranitar, use Thunderbolt!" Tyranitar roared as electricity coursed through its body. It raised one hand toward Articuno and blasted it with a bolt of electricity, sending Articuno crashing into the ground.

"So thats how he bested the Elite Four! He kept one strong pokemon in reserve to finish them off!" Ashley thought. "Articuno, quick! Get back up!"

"Finish it before it gets the chance! Rock Slide!" Articuno weakly struggled back to its feet while Tyranitar slammed one foot into the ground. Another barrage of rocks was sent rolling toward the ice bird. Articuno started to flap its wings, but was too slow. The rocks bowled Articuno over and pummeled it into the ground, knocking it out. Ashley recalled Articuno.

"Well it can't be a ground type, thats for sure." Ashley thought. "It took that Ice Beam way too easily. Must be just a rock type then. I'll try to gain some ground by having Hypno put it to sleep."

"Hypno, you can do it! Go!" Ashley held out Hypno's pokeball and released him. Once Hypno was out on the field she wasted no time in ordering an attack, knowing Hypno wouldn't last very long. Poison was slowly draining Hypno's strength already and the blowing Sandstorm meant it had even less time.

"Hypno, attack Tyranitar with Hypnosis!" Hypno slowly raised its pendulum, eyes narrowed to shield them against the sand. Hypno used its pendulum as a focus, sending waves of hypnotic energy at Tyranitar to put it to sleep.

"Good job, but not good enough I'm afraid." Gary said smugly. "What will your Hypno do now? Or didn't you know? Tyranitar is a dark-type!"

"Its a...what type?" Ashley asked, blinking in confusion at first but then remembered hearing about them before. "Wait, thats right, there are some pokemon that qualify as 'dark' type pokemon, but they're not native to Kanto. Other than that, I don't recall what was so special about them."

"Well, whatever! Hypno, attack Tyranitar with Poison Gas!" Hypno slowly extended his snout and shot a small puff of purple smoke that didn't get anywhere before it dissipated. Hypno was too weak to finish his attack and suddenly collapsed, fainting from the poison and sand. Ashley let out a sigh and recalled it.

"So much for that idea then..." She muttered, taking another pokeball in her hand. "Ivysaur, you're up next! Go!" Ashley held out Ivysaur's pokeball and released the grass pokemon onto the field. Ivysaur winced as he appeared, immediately feeling the sand blasting him. On the other side of the field, Tyranitar was still asleep, buying Ashley time to attack.

"Ivysaur, move in while attacking with Leech Seed!" Ivysaur charged toward Tyranitar, quickly crossing the field while it was still asleep and preparing a seed to attack with. Ivysaur had closed to within 20 feet before finally launching the seed from the top of his flower. The seed sailed through the air, hindered somewhat by the sandstorm, and landed on Tyranitar's shoulder. The seed sprouted vines and latched on to begin sucking away Tyranitar's health.

"Still asleep. Lets keep up the attack, then." Ashley thought. "Ivysaur, get closer and attack with Poison Powder!"

"I can't help but feel as though getting close to this guy is a bad idea." Ivysaur thought. Despite this, he moved in another ten feet toward Tyranitar and then fired a burst of purple powder from his flower. The sandstorm was at its weakest near Tyranitar, on whom the storm was centered. Though some of the powder was blown away, enough eventually landed on Tyranitar to poison it. Almost as soon as the poison seeped into its body, though, Tyranitar woke up and didn't look very happy with Ivysaur.

"Tyranitar, hit that wimp hard! Rock Slide!" Tyranitar slammed the ground in a rage, cracking the ground around it and under Ivysaur. Several large rocks were dislodged from the ground and sent rolling across the field, dragging Ivysaur along with them. Ivysaur was pounded against the rocks until finally deposited further away from Tyranitar. The attack hit Ivysaur very hard, leaving him weakened for a moment. A green glow surrounded Ivysaur as he became weak enough to activate Overgrow, but the energy from Leech Seed caused it to fade away as he regained some strength.

"That one looked like it hurt, I should probably try to avoid having Ivysaur that close to Tyranitar again." Ashley thought. "Ivysaur, use Synthesis!" Ivysaur quickly gathered as much light as he could with the Sandstorm blocking out the sun. He then used that light to heal his body of the damage inflicted by Tyranitar.

"Her Ivysaur can't stand up to Tyranitar for long, not with Sandstorm keeping it from healing itself." Gary thought with a smirk. "Tyranitar, attack with Rock Slide again!" Tyranitar slammed the ground, sending another barrage of rocks at Ivysaur. Ivysaur tried to dodge the attack, moving to the side, but was still flattened by a particularly large rock.

"Ivysaur, heal with Synthesis again!" Ivysaur hopped back on his feet and gathered light into his flower again, absorbing it and using it to heal himself. Poison and Leech Seed continued to inflict their damage as well. Tyranitar gave a low, pained growl, nearly reaching the point of being knocked out by the continuous drain on its body.

"Ok, time to get back on the offensive!" Ashley thought with a determined look. "Ivysaur, finish this now! Razor Leaf!" Ivysaur grinned and gave a nod, then fired several sharp leaves from the base of his bulb. The leaves cut through the air like rotating blades, cutting through the storm to rake across Tyranitar's body. Tyranitar let out a pained roar and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Tch. You seem to be getting all the luck today." Gary grumbled as he recalled Tyranitar. "Well either way, I've still got one pokemon left and two of your pokemon aren't going to last long against it anyway." Gary said with a smirk as he took his final pokeball in hand.

"I only have two pokemon left anyway..." Ashley thought, also taking a pokeball in her hand. "Ivysaur, thats good enough for now. Return!" Ashley held out Ivysaur's pokeball and recalled him, then placed the pokeball back on her belt and took another one in her hand.

"Zapdos, go!"

"Blastoise, go!"

Ashley and Gary sent their respective pokemon out onto the field. In Gary's case, it was also his final pokemon. The thunder bird, Zapdos, and the water pokemon, Blastoise, appeared on opposite sides of the field. Both of them felt the sand blasting their body as they materialized.

"This won't take long." Gary said, grinning to himself. "Blastoise, attack Zapdos with Ice Beam!"

"Zapdos, attack Blastoise with Thunderbolt!" Zapdos started charging electricity, its body reacting slowly due to the paralysis. Gary's Blastoise managed to take advantage of this, firing an Ice Beam from its twin cannons. The beams combined into one as they shot across the field and struck Zapdos, freezing it briefly. The ice that formed on Zapdos' body shattered, leaving the pokemon looking very weak.

Zapdos was still able to fight back, however, and had gathered enough electricity to attack by then. Zapdos brought its wings together and fired a bolt across the field. Blastoise cried out in pain as the bolt of electricity struck it, but managed to endure the attack. Zapdos, however, didn't fair as well. After taking the Ice Beam attack from Blastoise, Zapdos was left far too weak to endure the sandstorm and poison that still inflicted it. Zapdos lost consciousness and collapsed.

"And thats the last of your legendary pokemon." Gary said with a grin. "Now we can make our comeback!"

"Well at least Zapdos got one attack in." Ashley thought as she recalled her pokemon. "Looks like this one's all up to Ivysaur. We'll need to get the upperhand early on this one!"

"Ivysaur, lets finish this! Go!" She called out, releasing Ivysaur back onto the field. Ivysaur grimaced as he found himself once again in the midst of a raging sandstorm, even though Tyranitar had already been defeated by then.

"With that sandstorm still up, Ivysaur won't be able to use Sleep Powder without getting in close." Ashley thought. "That Blastoise knows Ice Beam, so I doubt we'll get the chance. I have to think this through carefully." Ashley thought out her next move carefully, while Gary waited. He planned to let her make the first move with the intent of countering it. Ashley nodded to herself once she was sure she was ready.

"Ivysaur, get in closer to Blastoise!" Ashley called out to Ivysaur. Ivysaur hesitated for a moment before charging toward Blastoise.

"She better know what she's doing..." Ivysaur thought.

"Thats the best you can do? Oh well, its been fun." Gary shrugged. "Blastoise, attack with Ice Beam!"

"Ivysaur! Stop!" Ivysaur suddenly came screeching to a halt as Blastoise fired off another Ice Beam. Since Blastoise had been compensating for Ivysaur's movements, the sudden stop threw it off. The beam came short of its target, freezing the ground in front of Ivysaur and forming a small block of ice.

"Ok! Now use Leech Seed!" Ivysaur leaned his flower forward and fired a seed at Blastoise. It was too soon for Blastoise to fire another Ice Beam or attempt to stop the seed, so it landed almost unerringly on Blastoise's chest.

"Hmph. Thats not going to help you now." Gary said to Ashley. "Blastoise, Ice Beam again!"

"Ivysaur, quick! Synthesis!" Blastoise trained its twin cannons on Ivysaur and fired another Ice Beam attack while Ivysaur started absorbing light energy. The beam struck Ivysaur, forming ice on him briefly. The ice then shattered, leaving Ivysaur free to continue its technique and use Synthesis to heal himself.

"We've got him now!" Ashley thought with a smirk. "In the end, its his own sandstorm thats going to do him in. With Leech Seed and Synthesis, Ivysaur is much better equipped for enduring it." Sure enough, Blastoise was starting to look exhausted. Ashley's techniques were starting to wear it down. "Now, if I'm right about this, then Blastoise's next Ice Beam..."

"Grr! Blastoise, take it down now! Ice Beam!" Blastoise focused on Ivysaur and fired yet another Ice Beam attack, as though it were the only technique Gary's Blastoise knew. The beam struck Ivysaur head-on, freezing him over. The ice then shattered, causing Ivysaur to stagger back in immense pain. A green glow then surrounded Ivysaur and his flower seemed to grow slightly. His Overgrow ability had activated again, and this time it was staying active even after the Leech Seed took effect.

"Just as I thought! Blastoise's Ice Beam is still doing more damage than Ivysaur can restore, meaning now is our chance to strike back!" Ashley grinned to herself. "Ivysaur, finish this now with Razor Leaf!"

Ivysaur nodded and fired a barrage sharp leaves from the base of his bulb. The leaves sliced through the air and cut into Blastoise's body as they flew past it. Blastoise growled in pain as it was forced to endure the attack, which had been powered up by Ivysaur's Overgrow ability. Blastoise was still standing after, but then suddenly collapsed. It didn't have enough strength left to endure the sandstorm and leech seed. Gary gritted his teeth and recalled Blastoise.

"This...this isn't happening!" Gary growled in disbelief. "I lost again? And to ASHLEY?! This isn't fair! I'm supposed to be the champion!" Gary slowly backed away from the field, then turned around and took off running back inside. Gary was in a hurry to leave the arena after his second loss as the new champion of the Kanto Elite Four. Soon after Gary had left, the sandstorm finally died down.

"ALRIGHT! We did it!" Ashley cheered excitedly, jumping up and pumping her fist into the air.

"-Thats it then... I, Ivysaur, have beaten the toughest trainers and the toughest pokemon in the region...-" Ivysaur grinned to himself. "-Well...no reason to put this off any longer then...-" Ivysaur relaxed and focused for a moment. A surge of energy flowed through his body and a white glow surrounded him as he began to evolve.

The plant on Ivysaur's back grew larger and thicker, looking more like a tree than a flower. The flower opened as Ivysaur evolved, producing broad petals. Ivysaur's own body doubled in size as well. He stood six feet tall at the top of his flower when he was finished growing. The glow then faded, revealing his new form as a fully evolved Venusaur.

"Oh sure, now you'll evolve into a Venusaur." Ashley muttered, rolling her eyes.

"-Hey, its not like we needed it.-" Venusaur replied with a shrug. "-Evolving during the match just would have been overkill at this point.-"

"Well congratulations Ashley!" Professor Oak said as he and Catherine came to greet her. "I admit, I had my doubts when you struggled against Agatha, but you and your pokemon pulled through in the end! Looks like Gary will have a lot to think about after his second loss in a row."

"Way to go, Ashley! I took plenty of pictures for you, like you asked. Here." Ashley's mother handed her camera back to her.

"Thanks but...where are the pictures?" Ashley asked. Her mother pointed down at Rolly, who was struggling under the pile. Her mother had taken pictures of just about every blow traded between her pokemon and the Elite Four's. "Oh..."

"-Why...why am I carrying these?-" Rolly wondered aloud.

"If people like you keep showing up, we're going to feel a lot less elite." Ashley looked up to see that Lance had entered the arena while they were talking. "Thats now the third loss in a row for the Elite Four, and the second loss for Gary. Gary seems to be taking it particularly hard."

"Hey! You guys were still pretty tough, you know." Ashley replied.

"Perhaps." Lance shrugged. "Regardless, I would like for you to come with me for a moment."

"Oh...sure."

"Lance, would you mind if I tagged along? I would like to have a word with that grandson of mine." Professor Oak asked Lance.

"I'm afraid he's already left the building." Lance replied. "Like I said, he's taking the loss pretty hard."

"I see." Oak sighed. "I will have to go and find him then. Ashley, congratulations again on your victory over the Elite Four and good luck should you choose to go after Red's title."

"Thanks, professor." Oak nodded to her and then left the arena to find Gary. "I don't know if I want to go after Red's title or not, but I'd like to battle him either way..."

"Are you ready, Ashley?" Lance asked her. Ashley nodded in response and then followed Lance across the field. Her mother stayed behind to wait for her. Ashley was lead through a corridor, where she was congratulated by the rest of the Elite Four, and eventually found herself in a large room with a computer in the center. A large screen was mounted on the wall.

"Ashley, this is the Hall of Fame, where those who manage to defeat the Elite Four are recorded." Lance said, stopping at the machine and turning to face her. "Place your pokeballs into the recorder so you and your pokemon may be added to the Kanto Hall of Fame."

Ashley walked toward the machine and took each pokeball from her belt one by one. She placed each pokeball in a rounded indent and then inserted her trainer card. The machine activated and recorded her entry into the Hall of Fame.

"Congratulations, Ashley. You and your pokemon are now recorded in the Kanto Hall of Fame." Lance said to her. "I'm curious though...do you plan to go after Red now?"

"Maybe..." Ashley replied with a slight shrug. "I mean, I want to see how I'll fare against him, but I don't think I'll go after his title..."

"I see." Lance nodded to her. "Its strange, though, how this seems to be such a somber affair for a trainer who has bested the Elite Four. Its unusual for so few people to show up to watch..."

"I don't really mind that there weren't many there..." Ashley thought. "I'm only worried about one person in particular..."


With her battles over, and her and her pokemon recorded in the Hall of Fame, Ashley made one final stop at the Pokemon League. She stopped by the pokemon center to heal her pokemon and then switch her entire team, her newly evolved Venusaur included. She had decided that the six pokemon she brought with her to challenge the Elite Four should take a well-deserved break. After that, she met up with her mother outside and released Charizard and Pidgeot from their pokeballs.

"Mom, you can go home with Charizard for now. I want to go to Pewter City to check up on Rina."

"Rina?" Catherine thought for a moment. "Oh yes, you said she was going to watch your matches today. I didn't see her around, though..."

"Thats why I'm going to check up on her, I just want to make sure nothing happened. I should be home within the hour anyway."

"If you say so. I will wait for you at home, then." Catherine climbed up onto Charizard's back and Ashley climbed onto Pidgeot. Rolly then hopped up and latched onto the back of Charizard's neck.

"Don't be gone too long, I'll have a special lunch prepared for winning today!" Catherine said to Ashley.

"Like I said, I shouldn't be gone too long!" Ashley replied, smiling lightly. "Charizard, you take good care of my mother, got it?" Charizard nodded and gave her a thumbs up, then took off toward Pallet Town.

"Ok, Pidgeot, lets go!" Pidgeot nodded and took off into the air, heading straight toward Pewter City.


For Pidgeot, the second fastest pokemon Ashley could fly on, the trip to Pewter City from Indigo Plateau was fairly short. The city was almost directly east of the plateau, though there were no roads on the ground between the city and the plateau. Pidgeot was able to make it there in less than five minutes and dropped down in front of Rina's house. Ashley hopped off Pidgeot's back but kept him out of his pokeball incase she needed help.

Ashley immediately suspected something was wrong when she arrived. The front door was wide open and the house was quiet. She cautiously stepped inside and took a quick look around the main hallway. She didn't immediately notice anything out of place,

"Rina?" Ashley called out to the house. The only reply she heard was a pained mewling coming from the kitchen. Ashley quickly ran to the kitchen and found Mew lying out on the table, looking as though it had been injured in a fight with another pokemon.

"Mew!" Ashley cried out in disbelief. She found herself frozen in place at the sight of the injured pokemon. "What happened to you?!" Mew weakly raised one of its small hands and pointed to a letter lying nearby on the table. Ashely slowly approached the table and picked it up, then quickly read it over.

"Did she...go after him alone?" Ashley asked Mew, slowly looking up from the paper. Mew nodded weakly. Mew had managed to escape in the fight, courtesy of its Transform technique, and fled to get the letter and find help. Mew was too weak to go on by the time she got to Rina's house, however, and collapsed on the table. Mew was fortunate that Ashley found it, but was worried it would now be too late.

"Looks like I'll have to cancel my lunch plans. Are you able to fight at all?" Mew slowly shook its head. "Might need to get a Revive for Mew then. Even though its conscious, I think its injuries are too severe for a potion. Definitely couldn't bring it to a pokecenter outside its pokeball like this..."

"Mew, wait here! I'm going to go get a Revive." Ashley said to Mew, then took off out of the house to do so.

"-Please...hurry...-"


Author's Notes: Well, I think its rather obvious what happened to Rina now. Other than that, not a whole lot to say I don't think. Venusaur was originally going to evolve to finish Blastoise with a boosted Frenzy Plant, but it seemed like he should be able to handle it without evolving. So I had Ivysaur evolve after the battle, just to have it still happen. He was going to evolve in Chapter 40 originally (or thereabouts) but I decided it would get a break for a while so Ashley's other pokemon can get back into the spotlight.

Yeesh, really procrastinated with this one though. The 7 hour road trip I had today didn't really help things either. Nearly had it finished off this morning but still wasn't finished before I had to leave. Still managed to keep it from slipping into Tuesday at least...