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 Nine
Seeing Red
Ashley managed to get a Revive for Mew and used it to restore the pokemon's strength. She then returned to Pallet Town to retrieve Charizard and explain the situation to her mother. Once she had Charizard back, she went to Vermilion City and took a Sea Gallop ferry to One Island where she briefly stopped by the pokecenter before continuing on her way. Following Ashley was what looked like a Rattata, but in reality was Mew.
"The Sea Gallop would be a faster way to get to Seven Island than flying with Pidgeot, but I don't have the right ticket." Ashley thought as she stepped into the pokecenter. "I know someone who should, though, so maybe he'll let me borrow it?"
Inside the pokecenter, Celio was standing in front of his computer as usual and looked rather perplexed by something. He glanced over toward the door when Ashley stepped inside. "Ashley! Excellent timing! Could you do me a favor?"
"Actually I..."
"I've been trying to get my computer to link to the computers in Hoenn, but it doesn't have enough power to do so." Celio said, cutting her off. "If I had two gemstones, a ruby and a sapphire, then I believe I could make the connection..."
"Wait, why a ruby and a sapphire?" Ashley asked, blinking. "Thats strangely specific..."
"I'm not sure really, but there just happens to be one of each hidden in the Sevii Islands. I believe one is hidden deep within Mount Ember, and the other in the ruins on Six Island."
"I'd like to help you but..."
"Ah! Glad to hear it. Here..." Celio handed Ashley a card with a picture of a rainbow on it. "This is my Rainbow Pass card. With this, you can access all of the Sevii Islands. You'll need it if you're going to Six Island."
"In that case..." Ashley thought, trying to hide a grin as she took the card from him. "Alright then, I'll be back as soon as I find that sapphire for you!" Ashley waved to Celio and hurried out of the pokecenter. The 'Rattata' struggled to keep up with her.
"Well she certainly seemed to be in a hurry. She must have forgotten why she even came here in the first place." Celio shrugged and went back to toying with his computer.
With the Rainbow Pass in hand, Ashley immediately boarded a waiting Sea Gallop and took off toward Seven Island. The speedy ship was able to cross the ocean at highway speeds to reach the island in no time. As the ship approached the island, Ashley could see a single tall structure looming in the distance.
"That must be the Trainer Tower." Ashley said, then looked down at the transformed Mew. "Is that where Rina is?" Ashley asked it. Mew nodded.
"That beast will be waiting too..." Mew thought. "I hope Ashley and her pokemon will be able to beat it, for Rina's sake..."
The Sea Gallop soon docked in the Seven Island harbour and Ashley departed from there. Outside the harbour was a small town with a pokecenter, pokemart, and a few houses. The Trainer Tower lied north of the small town, which was where Ashley immediately headed for. She ended up stopping just outside the town, however, as she spotted a familiar figure blocking her path.
"Red?! What are you doing here?" Ashley asked in disbelief. Without a word, Red drew a pokeball and released his Pikachu.
"I came here for the same reason Rina did. For the same reason you did. One by one, the boss of the Grand Hunters is eliminating his greatest threats." Red said to her. "If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first."
"What! Why?" Ashley asked him. Mew growled at him and reverted to his normal form to float up next to Ashley.
"-Lemme at this guy! I'll take him on!-" Mew said.
"-Try it.-" Pikachu replied flatly, though with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Because when I faced him, he told me something." Red replied quietly. "There's no turning back for me now that I know where my father has been all these years. Now history is repeating itself..."
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"Nevermind." Red shot back. "Call out your pokemon now. We're battling, and I'm not holding anything back."
"Looks like he's really serious about this!" Ashley thought, quickly reaching for a pokeball. "I wanted to battle Red, but not now! I came here to rescue Rina!"
"Snorlax, go!" Ashley called out, releasing Snorlax out onto the grassy field. Snorlax gave a yawn as she appeared, thinking nothing of the tense atmosphere between the two trainers. The sun was low in the sky, though not quite setting, as Ashley and Red prepared to battle.
"This is it then..." Red thought. "If Ashley can't beat me...then I follow in the footsteps of my father. Before my battle with the leader, the ex-Champion of the Kanto Elite Four, I had never lost a battle. I don't think she stands a chance..."
"Pikachu, attack with Thunderbolt!" Sparks shot out from Pikachu's white cheeks, forming into a bolt of lightning that zipped across the field to strike Snorlax. Snorlax growled in pain, finding herself on the receiving end of an electric attack that rivaled even a Thunderbolt from Zapdos.
"Red's Pikachu is undoubtedly strong, and probably agile enough to dodge most of Snorlax's attacks." Ashley thought. "I'll have to think this through carefully."
"Snorlax, Yawn!" Snorlax gave a loud yawn, releasing a white gas into the air. The gas surrounded Red's Pikachu, giving her no chance to evade it. As she breathed in the gas, she felt herself becoming drowsy.
"-Come on! Let me fight this guy! I can take him!-" Mew said, taking a few mock punches at the air. Mew stopped and hung his head sadly when it remembered Ashley couldn't understand it.
"That won't stop us." Red thought. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" Pikachu gathered electricity and fired another powerful bolt at Snorlax. Snorlax growled in pain as the bolt struck her and electricity flowed through her body. She was left feeling somewhat exhausted after the second Thunderbolt.
"That pokemon...how can it be so powerful?" Snorlax wondered. Fortunately for Snorlax, the effect of her Yawn technique kicked in and Pikachu fell asleep after attacking her.
"That weak after two attacks? Even Zapdos couldn't do that! Better have Snorlax rest up." Ashley thought. "Snorlax, use Rest!" Snorlax relaxed and closed her eyes, soon falling into a deep sleep and restoring her strength completely in the process.
"Ok, now here goes nothing..." Ashley took a deep breath. "Snorlax, Sleep Talk!" Snorlax mumbled to herself in her sleep and then stood up. She ran toward Pikachu and jumped into the air, though only making it a few feet off the ground, and landed hard on top of her. Pikachu let out a pained cry in her sleep, muffled by Snorlax's immense bulk.
"Well that worked well!" Ashley thought with a smirk. "Now...should I use Sleep Talk again? The chances of getting Body Slam again are pretty slim, and that should have hurt Pikachu pretty badly regardless of how strong it is. So lets try Snore instead."
"Snorlax, attack with Snore now!" Snorlax slowly stood up, leaving Pikachu's sleeping form flattened against the ground. With her head looking down, Snorlax opened her mouth and let out a loud snore. A strong shockwave sent Pikachu rolling back across the ground and hit her hard. After one final bounce, Pikachu opened her eyes and woke up to land on her feet. She nearly fell over though, having been left in pretty rough shape by Snorlax's attacks. Meanwhile, Snorlax was waking up as well.
"She managed to land some heavy blows. Pikachu won't be able to do much with Thunderbolt at this rate, better try Thunder." Red thought before ordering an attack. "Pikachu, use Thunder!"
"Snorlax, use Rest again!" Pikachu raised her head and let out a weak cry, calling down a bolt of lightning from the sky. The bolt of lightning came down on top of Snorlax, inflicting a very heavy blow in spite of Snorlax's defensive capabilities. The damage was erased as quickly as it had been inflicted, however, as Snorlax closed her eyes and went into a deep sleep again.
"Pikachu, keep it up! Knock Snorlax out with Thunder!" Pikachu nodded determinedly and called down another bolt of lightning from sky. Snorlax let out a pained growl as the electricity passed through her, falling onto her back and yet still remaining asleep.
"Ashley...please find a way to beat Red!" Pikachu thought, quietly hoping for Ashley's success though she held nothing back. "For Rina's sake, for Pippi's sake, you must win this battle!"
"Snorlax, finish it now with Snore!" Snorlax slowly sat up, still reeling from Pikachu's Thunder attack. Snorlax then opened her mouth to let out a loud Snore while Pikachu went through the motions to call down another lightning bolt. The shockwave from the loud Snore struck Pikachu, but not before she could complete the attack. Pikachu was knocked out cold by the attack, but a second lightning bolt striking Snorlax similarly finished her off.
"Damn it! If that first Thunder hadn't knocked Snorlax over, Pikachu wouldn't have gotten the second one off!" Ashley thought as she recalled Snorlax. "Still...to be able to knock a Snorlax out with only two Thunder attacks, there has to be more to it than just being a strong Pikachu."
"Looks like you defeated one of my pokemon." Red commented as he recalled Pikachu. "Not many have even been able to do that before..."
"Oh come off it! You're good, Red, but there's no way you're that good!" Ashley shot back.
"You'll see soon enough." Red replied calmly. Both he and Ashley took another pokeball in their hands to release their next pokemon. "Charizard, I choose you!"
"Charizard, you're next! Go!" Ashley and red held out their pokeballs, simultaneously releasing their next pokemon. A Charizard appeared before each trainer, giving a mighty roar to announce their presence and almost mirroring each other's entrance exactly.
"Both of us are using Charizard. I should probably switch to Vaporeon." Ashley thought, reaching for a pokeball but then hesitating. "Then again...neither of us has the advantage...and this would be a good chance to see where I stand against Red."
"Charizard, attack with Dragon Rage!"
"Charizard, counter with Flamethrower!"
Red's Charizard started off the battle by firing a blast of blue flames at Ashley's Charizard. Ashley's Charizard countered with Flamethrower, spewing a stream of fire into the oncoming blue flame. The blue flame dwindled as it pushed against the flames, burning out entirely long before reaching Ashley's Charizard.
"Heat Wave!" Red commanded next. His Charizard responded by flapping its wings, sending a blast of flames and hot air toward Ashley's Charizard. Ashley's Charizard braced itself against the attack as the flames singed the grass-covered terrain.
"Charizard, push through it and attack with Slash!" Ashley's Charizard roared and charged forward, pushing through the heat and flames to reach Red's Charizard. Ashley's Charizard raised one clawed hand back and lashed out at its opponent, raking the opposing Charizard across the chest. Red's Charizard staggered back, ceasing its Heat Wave attack but easily shaking off the blow.
"Charizard, strike back with Slash and follow up with Flamethrower!" Red's Charizard raised one hand back and lashed out at Ashley's with a Slash attack, raking its claws against it's opponent's chest. Ashley's Charizard groaned in pain and staggered back, taking a far stronger blow than the one it had dealt previously. Red's Charizard then breathed a blast of flames at Ashley's Charizard, searing him at close range.
"Ok, looks like his Charizard is stronger than mine. I can still try to outsmart him, though!" Ashley thought, clenching a fist. "Charizard, take off while using Flamethrower!"
Ashley's Charizard started flapping its wings and hovered up off the ground. It then fired a blast of flames down onto Red's Charizard, distracting it from attacking. Charizard continued the attack while rising higher into the air until he was eventually too high up to keep attacking. Red's Charizard easily took the hit, though, and was ready to give chase as soon as Red gave the word.
"Charizard, take off after it and use Flamethrower!" Red's Charizard quickly gave chase, flapping its wings and taking off after Ashley's Charizard. Red's Charizard was gaining on Ashley's rather quickly and was soon opening its mouth to unleash its attack.
"Charizard, dive!" Ashley's Charizard quickly dove back down toward the ground as Red's fired a blast of flames at it. Red's Charizard cut the attack short, realizing it had missed.
"Dive after it and use Wing Attack!" Red's Charizard turned down and dove after Ashley's, again catching up rather quickly. With its wings stretched out, Red's Charizard smacked Ashley's with its right wing and then pulled out of the dive. Ashley's Charizard crashed hard into the ground and laid unmoving for a moment before slowly rising back to its feet, pain echo'ing through its body. A red glow illuminated him briefly and the fire on his tail grew larger.
"Looks like that last blow nearly did him in!" Ashley thought. "It also activated Blaze, though, so here's our chance at a comeback!"
"Charizard, now! Attack with Blast Burn!" Charizard opened its mouth and quickly gathered a fireball while his opponent still hovered overhead. The fireball continued to expand until releasing in a massive, fiery burst. Red's Charizard tried to fly out of the way, but the blast was too wide and it swept it up anyway. Red's Charizard was incinerated briefly by the intense flames before dropping to the ground in a smoking heap.
"Alright! We got it!" Ashley cheered. Charizard grinned, also thinking he had won.
"You really think that will stop my Charizard?" Red said to Ashley. As if on cue, his Charizard rose up off the ground, looking fairly exhausted and yet not exhausted enough to trigger Blaze.
"It can still fight?!" Ashley said in disbelief.
"Damn it...I didn't stand a chance from the start!" Her Charizard thought, growling quietly. Having used Blast Burn, he was in no condition to fight back now, leaving him open.
"Charizard, finish it now with Flamethrower." Red calmly commanded his pokemon. His Charizard opened its mouth and fired a blast of flames at Ashley's Charizard. In his weakened state, it was too much for Charizard to take and he soon collapsed. Ashley quickly recalled him.
"Good job, Charizard. Return." Red said to his pokemon, likewise recalling it.
"Well now I know Red's pokemon are stronger than mine, the only chance I have of beating him is to get a clear advantage somehow." Ashley thought. "I'll send Vaporeon out next and go from there." Ashley took another pokeball in her hand, as did Red. Both trainers quickly sent out their next pokemon.
"Vaporeon, go!" Ashley called out Vaporeon onto the field, who appeared looking calm and collected as usual. Even at the prospect of battle, Vaporeon kept a calm demeanour.
"Blastoise, I choose you!" Red called out his usual phrase as he released his own water pokemon, Blastoise, onto the field. Blastoise let out a low growl and hunched over in preparation to fight Vaporeon.
"Great! I have the advantage against this one!" Ashley thought, smiling to herself. "Red's Blastoise won't be able to use its water attacks, wonder if that means he'll switch?"
"Blastoise, get ready with a Skull Bash!" Blastoise planted one hand on the ground and lowered its head, looking like a marathon runner waiting for the start of the race as it prepared to attack.
"Or...not." Ashley thought, blinking. "Ok then...Vaporeon, attack with Toxic!" Vaporeon opened its mouth and spat out a purple blob of poison at Blastoise. In the position it was in, Blastoise could make no move to evade the attack at all. The poison landed on its head, and Blastoise quickly shook it off. Blastoise wasn't fast enough in removing it to keep it from seeping into its body though.
"Good, now to get ready for Blastoise's counter attack." Ashley thought. Soon enough, Blastoise charged across the field with its head low to the ground. "Vaporeon, evade with Quick Attack!" Vaporeon gathered himself up and shot off to the side in a blur of movement. Blastoise charged past where Vaporeon had been standing previously and then came to an abrupt stop when Blastoise realized it had missed.
"Ok, now fire back with a Shadow Ball attack!" Ashley called out next. Vaporeon turned to face Blastoise while gathering a shadowy black ball in front of him. With a jerk of his head, Vaporeon launched the ball at Blastoise. The Shadow Ball attack hit Blastoise in the side, though it barely even flinched from the impact.
"Skull Bash won't work then." Red thought. "Blastoise, attack with Bite and lift Vaporeon off the ground." Blastoise turned and charged toward Vaporeon's new position. Blastoise leaned forward as it reached Vaporeon, opening its mouth and clamping down on Vaporeon's neck. Vaporeon gasped in pain and his body hanged limply as Blastoise lifted him off the ground with his powerful jaws.
"Whoa! Even his Blastoise has that much power?!" Ashley thought in disbelief, then shook her head. "No time to be amazed by that, think! Vaporeon's best shot at attacking now would likely be Ice Beam, even if it won't do much its worth a shot."
"Vaporeon, turn and fire at Blastoise with Ice Beam!" Vaporeon turned his head to face Blastoise as much as he could and then fired a cold, blue beam. The beam struck a glancing blow along Blastoise's shoulder, briefly covering it with ice. The attack, naturally, had little effect on Blastoise.
"Launch it into the air now, Blastoise! Brick Break!" Blastoise let go of Vaporeon and then smashed him from below with its hand held sideways in a chopping motion. The impact sent Vaporeon flying up on an angle, as if Blastoise had served him like a volleyball, and briefly knocked the wind out of him.
"Vaporeon, use Shadow Ball again!" Ashley called out while Vaporeon was still in the air. Vaporeon maneuver to face Blastoise and formed a ball of shadows, then flung the ball at Blastoise with a flick of his neck. The ball struck Blastoise in the chest with seemingly little effect.
"His Blastoise can take a lot of punishment, but then again so can my Vaporeon." Ashley thought.
"Again, Brick Break!" Red commanded Blastoise. Blastoise charged across the field, toward where Vaporeon was about to land. Vaporeon's hit the ground and his feet were firmly planted only momentarily before Blastoise struck Vaporeon in the head with a chopping motion. Vaporeon cried out and staggered back, shaking his head.
"Or maybe not..." Ashley thought, looking between the two pokemon. Though both of them were looking quite exhausted, Vaporeon seemed to be moreso than Blastoise.
"Blastoise, finish it with another Brick Break!"
"Vaporeon, evade with Quick Attack!"
Blastoise charged toward Vaporeon again while raising one hand over its head to attack. Vaporeon ran toward Blastoise, seemingly charging straight into its attack. As Blastoise brought its hand down toward Vaporeon, however, Vaporeon shot past it in a blur of movement to move behind it. Blastoise ended up taking a useless swipe at the air.
"Ok! Now fire back with Shadow Ball!"
"Blastoise, Protect! Then use Bite!"
Vaporeon turned around and fired a Shadow Ball attack at nearly point-blank range, but Blastoise was still able to form a barrier around itself before Vaporeon's attack hit it. Blastoise then dropped the barrier and turned around to quickly descend on Vaporeon. Blastoise clamped its jaws down on Vaporeon's neck. Vaporeon let out a sharp cry and then fell unconscious from the attack.
"I can't believe Vaporeon lost, even with Blastoise denied its strongest attacks." Ashley thought as she recalled Vaporeon. She then took a quick look at Blastoise before Red recalled it and noticed it seemed to be barely hanging on as well, courtesy of the poison.
"At least his Blastoise didn't get off scot free. Any pokemon of mine could probably finish it now. Still, I'm in rough shape here. I need to figure out a way to gain the upperhand somehow." Ashley thought over her next move while Red was already releasing his next pokemon without waiting.
"Snorlax, I choose you!" He called out, releasing Snorlax onto the field. Ashley could immediately tell Red's Snorlax was far less lethargic than her own as it was already standing and looking ready for a fight when it appeared.
"Red doesn't seem to really care what pokemon he sends out to fight, and he leaves them out even if they're at a disadvantage." Ashley thought to herself. "He only ever switches pokemon after they beat one of mine, so maybe he'd even leave his Snorlax out against a ghost pokemon?" Ashley nodded to herself and reached for a pokeball.
"Gengar, go!" She called out, releasing the ghost pokemon onto the field. Gengar grinned widely and snickered mischeviously once she materialized. She looked forward to trying out her dirty tricks again after having been resting for so long.
"I don't think she's going to let me battle this guy. I mean, not that I'd want to battle that giant there, but we really need to beat this guy so we can save Rina!" Mew floated out in front of Ashley and flailed its arms wildly, trying to get her attention.
"Huh? What is it Mew?" Ashley asked it. "I'm kinda busy here..." Mew growled and then turned sideways, taking a few mock punches at the air to try to get it's message across. Ashley thought for a moment, realizing what Mew was saying and considering it for a moment.
"I don't think it'd really be fair to use you in this battle, but we really do need to beat him so I'll send you in if he manages to get past the rest of my pokemon, alright?" Mew nodded and floated off to the side again, letting Ashley get back to the battle.
"Are you ready now?" Red asked in an agitated tone.
"I'm ready, but first I want you to answer something." Ashley replied. "You said you know where your father has been and that history was repeating itself, just what were you talking about?"
"I..." Red thought for a moment, considering his response, but then shook his head and pointed out toward Ashley's Gengar. "Snorlax, use Yawn!" Red's Snorlax opened its mouth and let out a loud yawn, releasing a white cloud of gas into the air. The gas surrounded Gengar, causing her to become drowsy as she breathed it in.
"-Tsk...tsk...that is supposed to be my job...-" Gengar replied quietly, followed by a yawn.
"Guess I'm not getting a straight answer out of him unless I beat it out of him!" Ashley thought, angrily narrowing her eyes at Red. "Fine then, my pokemon might not be able to beat you in a straight up fight, but Gengar never was good at that anyway."
"Have it your way, Red! Gengar, attack his Snorlax with Will-o-Wisp!" Gengar grinned as she held her hands out toward Snorlax. A purple flame surrounded her hands and then released in a ghostly ball of fire. The wisp floated across the field until it struck Snorlax, searing it's torso and leaving a burn in the process.
"Now attack with Curse!" Ashley called out, hoping to get in another attack before Gengar fell asleep. Though her eyelids were starting to close, Gengar summoned a dark, shadowy pin. The pin stabbed through her, cutting her life force, and then disappeared. A dark aura then descended upon Snorlax, inflicting a Curse on it. After making the attack, Gengar fell to the ground and was fast asleep.
"Snorlax won't have a chance to beat her Gengar, not while inflicted with both Curse and burn. Guess Snorlax will have to sleep too." Red thought. "Snorlax, use Rest!" Red's Snorlax plopped down on the ground and closed it's eyes. Snorlax drifted off into a deep sleep, restoring its health in the process. The burn on its chest likewise disappeared, leaving Snorlax perfectly healthy and both pokemon asleep.
"Ok, now I have to keep up the pressure on it." Ashley thought. "Once Gengar wakes up, we'll keep the pressure on Snorlax so it has to keep using Rest. Eventually, that'll create an opening where Snorlax is just waking up and we can attack with Torment then. Snorlax won't be able to use Rest again, and then we can use Hypnosis to keep it from attacking while the Curse finishes it. Its just a waiting game now."
"Snorlax, Sleep Talk!" Snorlax mumbled something in its sleep and then suddenly stood up. Snorlax charged toward the sleeping Gengar, while still asleep itself, and jumped onto the ghost pokemon in a Body Slam attack. However, with Gengar being a ghost, it ended up phasing through Snorlax's attack.
"Well that didn't work..." Red thought. "Try again, Sleep Talk!" Snorlax stood up and moved off of Gengar, even though it made little difference to the ghost pokemon, and then curled up into a ball with Defense Curl. "Not bad. If Snorlax uses Rollout now, it'll be able to launch a stronger attack from the start. Snorlax should be awake now too, but that Curse is still causing a lot of damage. I'll tell him to go back to sleep."
"Snorlax, use Rest again!" Red called out. Remaining curled up in a ball, Snorlax went back to sleep to restore the damage inflicted by Curse while it had been asleep before. It was hard for anyone to tell whether it was awake or asleep just by looking, however. Shortly after, Gengar finally woke up.
"Could've timed that better, but at least we can keep Snorlax from doing too much while its asleep." Ashley thought. "Gengar, use Torment on Snorlax!"
"-Oh dear! You're not going to use the same attack over and over, are you?-" Gengar said to Snorlax condescendingly while waving her finger at him. "-Tsk, tsk, tsk, no real pokemon would ever sink that low...-" Though Snorlax was asleep, Gengar's words struck home as she tormented him into not using the same attack consecutively.
"Only going to get to use Sleep Talk once, better make it count then." Red thought to himself. "Snorlax, Sleep Talk!" Snorlax mumbled something to himself in his sleep and then suddenly uncurled. Snorlax began beating on his chest like a drum, hurting himself greatly in the process but maximizing his attack power as well. Snorlax sat back when he was done, still fast asleep.
"One Rollout will finish Gengar after that." Red thought to himself. It took a few seconds for him to realize the truth. "Wait a minute..." He then thought, looking suddenly distraught. "With that loss of health, he won't be able to resist the Curse long enough to attack!"
"Looks like I win this round." Ashley said with a smirk. "This isn't necessary at this point, but go ahead and attack Snorlax with Dream Eater, Gengar. The Curse will finish him off before he can wake up." Gengar nodded and held out her hands toward Snorlax while opening her mouth. A purple orb began to form in front of her as she drew out Snorlax's dreams into an edible form, inflicting minor damage on Snorlax. She then chomped down on the orb, restoring some health to herself in the process. Almost immediately after, Snorlax fell back. It was no longer asleep, knocked out by the Curse instead.
"Damn...well one win won't win her the match." Red thought as he recalled Snorlax. "You only got lucky there, Ashley, don't think I won't be able to make up for that loss."
"It might only be one win, but if Gengar can somehow take out another of his pokemon then I'll be able to catch up." Ashley thought with a smirk. "And I know just how to do that!"
"Espeon, I choose you!" Red called out as he released his psychic pokemon, Espeon, from its pokeball. The Espeon had a determined look on its face as it prepared to face down Gengar.
"Espeon, finish it in one shot! Psychic!"
"Gengar! Destiny Bond!"
Gengar and Espeon both began to focus on their attacks, with Espeon moving only slightly faster than Gengar was. A blue glow surrounded Gengar as Espeon reached out with its psychic powers, and this was shortly followed by a dark shadow appearing under both pokemon's feet.
"What? No!" Red said in disbelief as he witnessed what would lead to his Espeon's demise. Gengar grimaced in pain as Espeon's psychic powers crushed it from all sides. Once Espeon's focus began to waver it released Gengar by slamming her into the ground, knocking her out. Triggering Destiny Bond, Espeon collapsed as well, its strength suddenly drained from it entirely. Red and Ashley then recalled their fallen pokemon.
"You've still got only two pokemon left against my three, Ashley, you're still not winning this." Red said to her as he took another pokeball in his hand. "Venusaur, I choose you!" Red released his pokemon, sending Venusaur out onto the field to battle next. Venusaur snorted loudly when it appeared.
"The way I see it, Red, its two against one." Ashley thought with a smug grin. "Your Blastoise and Charizard are already weakened quite a bit, and so long as I can put your Venusaur in the same condition with my next pokemon, my final pokemon can win it all!"
Mew glanced over at Ashley, noticing her expression. "She looks confident...does she have something planned?"
"Pidgeot, your turn now! Go!" Ashley called out, releasing the bird pokemon Pidgeot onto the field. Pidgeot appeared in a perched position, briefly stretching its wings to get ready for the fight.
"-Beat up the eldest member of the Bulbasaur family?-" Pidgeot offset his beak in a birdlike version of a grin. "-I'm going to enjoy this!-"
"Venusaur, attack and grab it with Vine Whip!"
"Pidgeot, Quick Attack and fly up!"
Venusaur lashed out at Pidgeot with a pair of thick vines, but Pidgeot quickly flapped his wings and shot forward. Venusaur overshot its target when it made for a grab, and Pidgeot was already flying straight up and out of reach by the time Venusaur was coming back around.
"Ok, Pidgeot, now attack with Swift!" Pidgeot turned in the air and came to a stop while facing the ground. While flapping his wings, Pidgeot dropped down a few feet while making one broad motion and sending out a barrage of star shaped rays at Venusaur. Venusaur winced as the rays exploded along its back, though they didn't seem to have much effect in the end.
"Venusaur, fire back with Razor Leaf!" The large flower on Venusaur's back twitched, sending a barrage of sharp leaves spinning through the air. The leaves were able to reach Pidgeot and slash across his body, inflicting minor injuries and causing him to drop down again due to the distraction. Pidgeot gave a few strong beats of its wings to rise up and make up for lost altitude.
"Pidgeot can't win in a ranged battle like this. Venusaur will be able to restore itself with Synthesis no doubt, while Pidgeot won't be able to heal at all." Ashley thought, then focused her attention on Red. "Lets see what he's going to do next, then."
"Alright, lets try to hit Pidgeot with something stronger." Red thought. "Venusaur, start charging Solar Beam!" Venusaur started to draw sunlight to the flower on its back, emitting a glow near the center where it gathered.
"Solar Beam? Lets get ready to dodge it then." Ashley thought. "Pidgeot, use Agility!" Pidgeot continued to hover in the air while he closed his eyes and tried to relax. Pidgeot took deep breaths, loosening up his muscles for increased speed.
"Now! Get ready and dodge with Quick Attack!" Pidgeot nodded and opened his eyes to watch Venusaur. Venusaur finished charging and angled the flower on its back toward Pidgeot, then fired a wide beam of solar energy. Pidgeot gave a flap of its wings and shot off out of the line of fire, distancing Pidgeot enough from the beam in one move that he couldn't even feel the heat radiating from it.
"Good! Now fire back with Swift!" Pidgeot spread his wings in a wide arc, dropping a few feet as he ceased flapping them. Several star shaped rays fired out from along Pidgeot's wings, peppering Venusaur with a series of light blows.
"No good using Solar Beam it seems, gives her too much time to get ready for it like this." Red thought. "Back to Razor Leaf then. We can win in a straight up fight with that."
"Ok, Venusaur, back to using Razor Leaf! Fire away!" Venusaur dislodged several sharp leaves from its flower and sent them flying toward Pidgeot. The sharp leaves cut across Pidgeot's body, causing him to drop down again as pain shot through his body.
"Pidgeot, Air Cutter from above Venusaur! Then go into a dive with Wing Attack!" Pidgeot turned over as he fell to point itself toward Venusaur and then fired a v-shaped blade of air. The blade sliced down into Venusaur's back, causing it to growl in pain. Pidgeot then pulled out of his dive near Venusaur to slice across its tree with his wing, inflicting more pain on Venusaur. Pidgeot used his remaining momentum to distance himself from Venusaur, then came to a stop and turned in the air to face it.
"Not bad. She inflicted quite a bit of damage there..." Red thought, narrowing his eyes. "Venusaur, use Synthesis!" Venusaur drew in light toward its flower again, with a white light emitting from the center of its flower where it gathered. Venusaur then used the gathered light to heal itself of some of the damage inflicted on it.
"Pidgeot, attack with Air Cutter again!" Pidgeot dropped down to the ground and brought his wings together, forcing air between them, then parted them and fired it in a blade. The blade struck Venusaur in the face and cut across its back from there until it hit the flower. Venusaur grimaced and growled in pain, the Air Cutter attack had landed a strong hit against it.
"We can go all out with Pidgeot on the ground, but lets make sure it stays there!" Red thought. "Venusaur, attack with Sleep Powder!"
"I was waiting for that!" Ashley grinned. "Pidgeot, counter with a Gust attack!" Venusaur shook its flower, releasing a green powder into the air. The powder floated through the air, toward Pidgeot, but Pidgeot flapped his wings and sent a strong gust of wind at Venusaur. Venusaur winced as the wind pushed against its body, but then soon dropped asleep. The wind blew Venusaur's own Sleep Powder back into it, putting Venusaur to sleep instead.
"What?! Did I fall into a trap?!" Red wondered in disbelief. Venusaur was fast asleep now and helpless against Pidgeot's assault.
"Ok, lets finish this quick! First, use Air Cutter!" Pidgeot nodded and brought his wings together again, then opened them to fire a v-shaped air blade at Venusaur. The blade cut into Venusaur's face and then dissipated, causing Venusaur to emit a low growl. A green glow surrounded Venusaur briefly and the flower on its back grew slightly, indicating its Overgrow ability had activated.
"We've almost got it! Double-Edge!" Pidgeot flapped its wings and took off toward Venusaur at full speed. Pidgeot took aim at Venusaur's face and crashed head first into it at full speed. Pidgeot was knocked to the ground by the impact and Venusaur staggered back then collapsed as well. Though it hurt itself a bit in the process, Pidgeot managed to knock Venusaur out and forced Red to recall it.
"Looks like I've managed to win in a straight up fight. What do you say to that, Red?" Ashley asked, grinning to herself. Red said nothing as he took another pokeball in his hand. Though it seemed like he had little chance of winning now, he wasn't about to back down.
"-Woohoo! Ashley has him cornered now!-" Mew cheered.
"Blastoise, I choose you!" Red called out, finding himself in an unusual situation as he sent out Blastoise. He didn't usually have to send out a pokemon twice in the same battle. Blastoise appeared on the field and a blue glow surrounded it briefly, as it had been weakened enough in the previous battle to activate Torrent.
"Blastoise, go all out! Hydro Cannon!"
"Pidgeot, quick! Take to the air!"
Pidgeot quickly picked itself up off the ground and flapped its wings, taking off just as two wide and powerful blasts of water passed through the spot it had been lying in. Pidgeot flew straight up in an effort to evade Blastoise's attack but, even with it's enhanced speed, Blastoise eventually got a lock on. With its cannons angled high, Blastoise finally struck Pidgeot.
The initial blast was enough to send Pidgeot plummeting toward the ground, but Blastoise followed it down as well. The water pressure pushed Pidgeot further and further away as he fell, until eventually the water dwindled and Pidgeot had been pushed out of range. Pidgeot crashed into the ground near Ashley, losing consciousness upon impact. Blastoise soon collapsed as well as the poison still afflicting it finally finished it off. Ashley and Red each recalled their pokemon.
"This is it then, our last pokemon." Ashley thought, reaching for her final pokemon. "My pokemon only needs to be able to withstand one attack, because I know I can defeat his Charizard with the right attack."
"Primeape, go!"
"Charizard, I choose you!"
Ashley and Red each sent out their final pokemon. Red's Charizard gave a loud roar as it appeared, and Ashley's Primeape screeched loudly. Both pokemon were trying to put on a tough appearance.
"Charizard, Wing Attack!" Red called out almost as soon as Charizard was on the field. After announcing its presence, Charizard flapped its wings and took off across the field toward Primeape and dropped down in front of him. Charizard then brought both wings forward, striking Primeape with the tips. Primeape shrieked as he was knocked back hard, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop at Ashley's feet. Though it didn't look like a strong attack, Primeape was feeling it.
"Nice try, but it'll take more than that!" Ashley called out to Red as Primeape quickly jumped back on its feet. He was in a lot of pain, but that wasn't going to slow him down. "Primeape, finish this now with Rock Slide!"
"-Dragon go BYE BYE!-" Primeape screeched and slammed his gloved fists into the ground. The ground cracked up, dislodging several large rocks and sending them flying into Charizard. The first rock struck Charizard in the chest, knocking it over in a pained growl. The rest of the rocks piled on top of Charizard, knocking it unconscious. Red didn't take long to realize this and recalled his fainted pokemon back into its pokeball.
"Nice work, Primeape! Thats it for now." Ashley held out Primeape's pokeball and recalled him.
"-Ashley beat Red! Now we can go rescue Rina!-" Mew cheered excitedly.
"I must be losing my touch..." Red muttered to himself. "That strategy you used...in a way, its the same plan Giovanni had..."
"Type advantage might not be everything, but sometimes it can overcome a strength disadvantage." Ashley said to Red. "Now, want to tell me what this is all about? I think I at least deserve an explanation! Why are you battling me instead of helping Rina?!" Ashley demanded angrily.
"Why? Because when I went to challenge the leader of the hunters, I found out something." Red paused for a moment. "I found out that the man behind all of this...is my father."
"WHAT?!" Ashley yelled in disbelief. "You mean your father is the leader of the Grand Hunters?"
"No." Red replied, shaking his head. "The hunters are just a front for something even bigger. A means for someone else to gather powerful pokemon, the legendary pokemon in particular."
"And that someone is...your father?" Ashley asked. Red nodded solemnly. "Wait! How do you know this guy isn't just lying? And what does this have to do with you anyway?"
"The leader of the hunters, Duke, showed me a recorded message from my father." Red explained. "Apparently, I'm a lot like him. Both of us have very powerful pokemon, and we both prefer the company of pokemon over other people."
"Gee, there's a shocker." Ashley thought, rolling her eyes.
"Why would that be a bad thing?" Mew wondered.
"In a way, Ashley, this involves your father as well." Red said to Ashley, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"Wait...what? Do you want to explain this from the beginning?" Ashley asked, still in disbelief. "What does all of this have to do with anything anyway?"
"Well, as you're probably aware, both our fathers were talented trainers." Red explained calmly. "They also knew each other well. One day, my father told your father of his intention to recruit the strongest pokemon and use their power to remove humans, and only humans, from the world. Your father tried to stop him. The two battled, my father won, and then he killed your father to make sure he'd never say anything..."
"Your father...my father...but then..." Ashley was at a loss for words from the initial shock. She now finally knew where her father had disappeared to. "All this time we thought he was just off somewhere in the world with his pokemon..." She mumbled to herself.
"I thought all that was left for me was to follow in my father's steps. To help him in his goal to make a world where only pokemon exist." Red continued.
"Thats just stupid!" Ashley countered, snapping out of her daze. "Red, even you should be able to see that! You're not your father, and you don't have to get involved in this!"
"You're right, I was being stupid." Red replied quietly. "Thats why I'm going to find him and put a stop to his plan instead." Red reached into his backpack to take out a sapphire plate, then walked over to Ashley and handed it to her. "Here, you might as well take this. I got it off a couple of Rockets."
Ashley took the sapphire from Red and blinked in confusion. "What are you giving me this for?"
"-Hey! Weren't you asked to find a sapphire?-" Mew asked, forgetting for a moment that Ashley couldn't understand it.
"Its connected to Hoenn somehow. Somewhere in Hoenn is where my father is." Red explained to her. "Once you've rescued Rina, you should head there as well..." Red then walked past Ashley, heading into the town behind her.
Ashley quickly turned and called out after him. "Wait! Red! Why don't you help me?!" Red stopped, but didn't turn around to face her. He remained quiet for a moment as he contemplated his answer.
"Red! This guy beat you, and he beat Rina! What if I can't face him alone either?" Ashley said to him. Red continued to remain quiet. "He obviously has a powerful pokemon or something, but we can beat him for sure if we fight him together!" Again, Red remained quiet and kept his back to her.
"...Fine. Mew, lets go." Ashley placed the sapphire in her travel bag and headed off toward the tower. She assumed that, as the tower was regularly used for battling, that there would be healing facilities there rather than going back into town to heal her pokemon. Mew followed behind her.
As Ashley continued toward the tower, Red turned to watch her as she walked away, still debating whether or not to join her...
"Does she really need my help?"
Author's Notes: I pretty much got what I wanted into this chapter I think, but I can't help but feel there's something missing. I mean, maybe I should have had Red talk about Duke and his pokemon? Well, I guess Duke's personal introduction can be handled when he appears anyway. Still sorta debating what to do with the next chapter at this point, so there's plenty of room for more explanations/backstory if they're needed I suppose. Starting to get a few ideas in my head now actually...
For those who have been wondering, you can probably tell we're getting close to Melany and May finally appearing. When I eventually do the Sinnoh Saga (have to finish this one first of course, I do have plans for Sinnoh and then Johto though) I'll be making sure to have the old characters appear earlier than this. There's still roughly 20 chapters left in this saga though.
