CHAPTER 9 – GENKI UNLEASH
Ash didn't know what to do. This was only the first match of the first round, and so far both his Pokémon had been brutalised by their opponents. He hadn't even come close to winning either of the battles, and one look at his fallen Gliscor was enough to tell him what Ari's Pokémon could do if given license. Raising a shaking hand as the referee made the result official, he recalled his Pokémon amidst a haze of red light, muttering a quiet and reserved thanks for its efforts against Magmortar.
"—Mr. DeVarro receives a second point!" the referee announced, much to the delight of the crowd, who were jumping up and down in their seats in unison. "Since Mr. DeVarro currently leads two points to none with only one battle remaining, he will receive the bonus point for winning this match. That being said," he added, turning to Ash, "the third battle must still take place, and there will be one point awarded to the victor regardless. For the third battle, Mr. Ketchum will select the first Pokémon."
Ash barely heard the words, but nodded in understanding nonetheless as he considered his position. Yes, he'd lost the match. But there was still one point left up for grabs, and he knew very well that sometimes, one point is the difference between advancing to the next round and being eliminated. Thanking his lucky stars that the top two qualifiers from each group of four advanced to the next round, he made his final choice for the opening battle of his campaign, snaring the fifth PokéBall on his belt and tossing it high.
"Infernape, I choose you!"
Roaring proudly from within the burst of light that signalled its arrival, Infernape sprang onto the stadium floor, immediately positioning itself in its regular stance and waiting for an opponent to emerge. As if sensing the occasion, the flames atop its head climbed higher in the stark air, fuelled on by traces of Magmortar's mysterious superheated attack.
All eyes flitted to Ari in anticipation of his response. For the first time in the battle, Ari paused, seemingly weighing his options. He'd seen footage of Infernape's exploits, and had been impressed with its battle against Paul in the Sinnoh League. He knew it was a powerful Pokémon, and probably the most dangerous one he would face in the first round.
After a full minute of deliberation and another request from the referee, Ari made a decision. He smirked and tilted his round-brimmed hat back, checking Ash's eyes for an initial reaction. "Gallade, engage!" he said as he hurled his third PokéBall onto the field, his Gallade appearing on the field and extending the blades on its arms to their full length.
"The third and final battle for this match will be Infernape versus Gallade! Begin!"
DING!
"Infernape, let's start things off with a Flamethrower!" Ash called, throwing an arm out. Infernape took a deep breath and held it for a moment before spewing a jet of orange flames across the field, the tremendous heat of the attack licking at the front-row spectators.
"Teleport!" said Ari.
Gallade fearlessly stared down the incoming Flamethrower before gracefully twirling on the spot and disappearing in a whirl of warm air. A frown crept onto Ash's face as Infernape's attack vaulted through the empty space Gallade left behind and flickered out, his eyes scanning the field for any sign of the Pokémon.
Come on, Gallade, where are you? he thought furiously.
"I'm right here, Mr. Ketchum!" replied a voice in his head. A split second later, Gallade warped into view barely a foot from Infernape, an arm bent in front of it like a tennis player readying a backhand. Before either Ash or Infernape could react, Gallade swung its bladed arm flush into Infernape's temple, delivering a punishing Brick Break that sent the Pokémon sprawling across the field.
"Infernape, are you alright?" Ash shouted, heart racing. His nerves were only slightly calmed when Infernape bounced lightly back to its feet, growling at the Blade Pokémon as it flicked its blades up in an effort to taunt him.
"Ferr!" hissed Infernape, offended by the question.
"Alright! Hit that Gallade with a Flame Wheel!" he said, Infernape curling itself into a ball as the crown of flames on its head unfurled and spread to cover its entire body. By the time Infernape sped forwards like a boulder rolling down a mountain, the fire had consumed it, turning the Pokémon into an earthbound meteorite as it raced towards Gallade.
"Gallade, Psycho Cut into the ground! Divert that Flame Wheel!" Ari countered.
Not missing a beat as its foe closed in, Gallade spun on the spot, bringing a bladed arm over its head and crashing down into the ground, thankful that Magmortar's technique had drained the moisture from the field. The dry rock split apart like tissue paper, sending jagged spikes of earth spearing out from the ground at all angles. Infernape was too slow to change course, hitting one of the spikes at an odd angle that propelled it into the air high over Gallade's head.
"Infernape, tuck out and use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled, seeing an opportunity for attack.
"Spin and cross defense!" was Ari's order as Infernape came out of its spherical pose, now lying prone in mid-air as it fired a searing jet from its jaws, aiming for Gallade's back as it fell towards the earth. On instinct, Gallade twisted around, throwing a pair of shining blades up in a cross formation to buffer the powerful attack away from its body. It was only marginally slow on the uptake, but that was enough for it to feel the flames at its sides as the Flamethrower coursed around it.
Stopping the Flamethrower so it could soften its landing, Infernape performed a lithe barrel-roll then leapt back to its feet, whirling around to continue its offensive. Another burst of fire was ready at its lips but when its eyes found the spikes Gallade had turfed up only moments ago, Gallade was no longer there.
Ash had seen Gallade disappear into thin air just before Infernape had, and he knew Gallade would Teleport in for its next attack. "Settle down and use your other senses to get an idea of where Gallade is!" he instructed, knowing that neither he nor his Pokémon could afford to panic in this situation.
Infernape saw the sense in the move, too, and halted its attempts to locate Gallade with its eyes, instead closing them and focusing, waiting for the slightest of disturbances to alert it to Gallade's attack. The hair on its body stood partially on end, the fire on its head dimmed, and its tail ceased its motion, Infernape becoming like a statue to drown out all disruptive stimuli. Even managing to tune out the voices of the crowd as their voices swelled and surged like a roiling ocean, Infernape waited. It knew Gallade would have to—
SWISH!
From nowhere, an outstretched blade whistled over Infernape's head, missing by millimetres as the Flame Pokémon flattened itself against the ground. The tiniest deviation in a swirl of wind had tipped it off, and its palms gave an almighty twist, pushing itself up off the ground and into a spin as it threw a savage uppercut.
The fist found Gallade's side, the Pokémon's red eyes widening in shock before the lightning-fast punch knocked it sideways to a tidal wave of excited exclamations from the crowd all around it. Righting itself in flight with its psychic powers, Gallade gently lowered itself to the ground as Infernape landed on its feet and opened its eyes, the two combatants glaring at each other with fire in their eyes.
"Good hustle, Infernape!" Ash grinned, delighted by the unamused look on Ari's face. Ordering that last move had been a gamble, but it had paid off handsomely. "Give Gallade a taste of your Mach Punch!"
"Teleport!" commanded Ari, folding his arms over his chest and watching as Infernape's fist glowed white. The next instant, both Pokémon disappeared from view, the only clue to their previous whereabouts the puffs of dust their departure had thrown about. A series of shocked exclamations ran through the crowd as they tried and failed to track their movements, but neither Ash nor Ari gave anything away, instead glaring at each other from across the field.
The two Pokémon rematerialized behind Ash in a swirl of hot air, and Infernape thrust its glowing fist forwards, striking a clean hit on Gallade. But the Blade Pokémon faded into the warm air; an after-image. Infernape gritted its sharp teeth, flames roaring to mirror the Pokémon's agitation, and it swiftly followed Gallade into thin air. Confusion reigned supreme amongst the audience for a moment, furthered along when an identical sequence transpired only metres to Ash's left. Infernape's fist went straight through Gallade this time, and again it faded into the air with Infernape hot on its heels.
The two Pokémon clashed for a third time in the centre of the field. Again, Infernape threw a punch at Gallade, but on this occasion Gallade reacted, swinging a blade up to block the attack. A horrendous ringing echoed from the impact, a noise of steel on glass echoing in the ears of the crowd as the two struggled to break the contact. Gallade eventually parried Infernape's attack, throwing the Fire-type off balance.
"Psycho Cut!" Ari yelled when he saw the shift, and Gallade didn't hesitate in swinging an arm bathed in pink light into Infernape's side. A howl of pain escaped Infernape as it hit the hard ground face-first, but it dug in, hands forming fists as it pushed itself up. A jolt ran through it courtesy of the throbbing ache in its side, but pain wasn't going to stop Infernape at this stage in the battle.
"Come on Infernape, you can do it! Try another Flamethrower!" yelled Ash, worried that this final battle was quickly slipping out of his grasp. Ignoring its injuries, Infernape blasted another fiery spire at its opponent, who had proven to be far trickier and nimble that it had first thought.
"Break through and retaliate with a Brick Break!" Ari countered impassively.
Gallade obliged with a twitch of its head as it charged towards Infernape and its Flamethrower attack. Shining blades at the ready as it ran, it stampeded into the torrent with the same cross-armed defense it used earlier. The Flamethrower curled around the Blade Pokémon as it mowed Infernape down, pushing through the attack like a knife through hot butter. When Gallade emerged on the other side of the stream, it looked like a warrior sent from hell, fire rising from its blades as it dealt Infernape a telling blow across the head.
Infernape crumpled to the ground. Pain was beginning to flood through it from the multitude of scratches and bruises covering its battered body. With Gallade towering over it, blade raised high waiting for an order, it valiantly struggled to its knees for what felt like the millionth time, legs shaking. Gallade's eyes flicked back to Ari.
"An order, Master?"
Let it happen, Ari communicated with a frown, folding his arms across his chest and waiting with bated breath as Infernape stumbled backwards a step. Dutifully, Gallade dropped its raised blade, but nonetheless it assumed a fearsome battle stance. Extending both blades to their full length, Gallade poised itself to strike the exhausted Infernape down on command from its trainer, red eyes keenly tracking every shaking twitch of its foe's body.
Ash knew Infernape was suffering. Everyone could see it. But he also knew that this was when Infernape shined brightest. And sure enough, Infernape let out a bellowing roar of defiance as it stood up tall, its form exploding with a violent red energy. Gallade threw an arm up to shield its eyes from the searing light and jumped back to put some distance between itself and the enraged Pokémon.
"And there it is," Ari smirked. He'd been wondering when Infernape's Blaze would activate, if it would at all.
"Careful, Ari," said Ash, the confidence in his tone surprising his opponent. "You know what they say. If you play with fire, you're gonna get burnt." In front of him, Infernape roared again, its voice overwhelming the noise of the crowd as its crown of fire climbed higher.
"Is that so?" Ari challenged with a grin. "Gallade, let's shown them who's playing with fire!" His Pokémon narrowed its red eyes to slits and held its blades at attention, tuning its hearing towards its trainer.
"Infernape, use Flamethrower again!" Ash called out.
The flame atop Infernape's head doubled in size as a colossal stream of white-hot flames erupted from its maw, flooding the field with light and scorching the ground beneath it. Gallade stared down the fire and raised a gleaming blade high, a moment before the fire swallowed it whole. The crowd erupted in screams, cheers and everything in between as the blaze continued to rage from Infernape's mouth, awed by the amazing power it was drawing on as the supercharged Flamethrower swept across the field.
Ash pumped the air with his fist, overjoyed with the hit. But when he saw Ari hadn't even moved, realisation hit him like a speeding truck.
"Infernape, behind you!"
Time seemed to move in slow motion for Infernape as it stopped the Flamethrower attack, whirling around on the spot. Gallade was barely a foot away, face emotionless as it drove a shining pink blade straight for Infernape's face. Adrenaline provided the reaction. Infernape thrust a glowing fist forward to meet the attack. The punch parried Gallade's strike and deflected the force of the blow away from its body. The energy behind the Psycho Cut tore a massive gash in the field over its shoulder, but Infernape only had eyes for Gallade.
"Flamethrower!"Ash bellowed, the word echoed by five thousand fans behind him.
Gallade's eyes swivelled down to meet Infernape's as the latter opened its jaw wide. In the growing light emanating from its mouth, Infernape's blazing red eyes made it look positively otherworldly; a demon sent to punish Gallade for a past transgression. Gallade only had enough time to throw its blades up in defense.
Infernape unleashed an immense pillar of blue fire at the Blade Pokémon, the flames pouring out of the Fire-type's mouth like a bursting dam. With the momentum of a speeding train, the attack drove Gallade's frail form towards the boundary wall. Helpless to deflect the onslaught, it took all Gallade could to buffer the attack with its blades as it was forced back, its feet carving deep trenches in the ground.
"Hang in there, Gallade!" cried Ari, and for the first time he wasn't in control of the battle. Infernape's Blaze was much stronger now than he'd seen before. He doubted even his strongest Pokémon could keep pace with an attack like this for very long.
Amidst the furious inferno, Gallade dug its feet into the blackened earth, struggling back against the overwhelming attack. But Infernape seemed to have found a bottomless reservoir of fire, and it wasn't until Gallade felt its feet touch the boundary wall that it finally came to a stop. The heat of the attack was absolutely incredible. Within seconds the metal wall began to warp and twist. Ignoring the pain threatening to overload its body, Gallade tried to shift its body away from the epicentre of the attack. But to no avail. It was pinned, even if its crossed blades were blocking the worst of the fire.
The entire crowd was on its feet by now, stamping and cheering and screaming themselves hoarse. None of them had expected a battle this exciting on the first day of competition, but the two trainers were world-renowned, and they hadn't disappointed. Even in the brightness of the morning sun, Infernape's flames were the ones dictating the light. Illuminating the entire stadium with a wavering blue glow, they raged against the foe Gallade, but Ari's trusted choice would not yield, pulling on all its strength to try and free itself.
"Zen Headbutt!" Ari yelled, his voice straining as he tried to make himself heard over the blazing fire.
"Flare Blitz!" Ash countered, silently willing Infernape on with everything he had.
With the sound of creaking metal, Gallade flung its arms to the side, and an X-shaped blade of white flew into the flamethrower. The blade split the flames down the middle and funnelled them away from its creator, but it dissipated well short of its target as the Flamethrower faded into the wind. Infernape gave a bellowing roar as its body exploded once again with energy, and it rocketed forwards, enveloped in a blazing coat of blue fire. Gallade shrouded itself in an identical blue aura and threw itself head first at Infernape's Flare Blitz.
Infernape screamed for blood as it cannoned into Gallade, the sheer power of its Flare Blitz obliterating Gallade's Zen Headbutt and driving onwards into its foe. But it felt no impact against Gallade's thin frame, passing straight through the empty air Gallade had been only a moment ago. Out of nowhere Gallade reappeared high above, streaking down into Infernape like a meteor and crushing the Flame Pokémon face-first into the ground.
Ash could do nothing but watch as Gallade crashed into his Pokémon, sending the two of them tumbling to the ground amidst a vortex of black smoke. He would've yelled at the top of his voice for Infernape to get up and keep fighting, but when he saw the flames on Infernape's head flicker and disappear, he couldn't find the heart to. Beside his defeated Pokémon, Gallade stumbled to a knee. The left side of its body was charred black and unrecognisable, and it flung a bladed arm into the ground to steady itself after Infernape's assault.
"Infernape…" Ash mumbled, joining Gallade on his knees as the referee raised his green flag for the third and final time.
"Infernape is unable to battle!"
Raise your hand if you picked this result from the outset of the battle. …I thought not. I sure hope you enjoyed this thrilling conclusion to Ash's opening battle, though!
Many thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing in the last four weeks; your comments and that viewer bar in story stats are what drive me to keep writing. So keep 'em coming, ya!
Chapter 10 will be released on Thursday, December 15th. I know it's a big deviation from my current bi-weekly updating schedule, but alas, work and other life stuff is taking up more and more of my time with every passing week. As it stands, this "new" update schedule of only-Thursdays will remain in effect until January 5th, when the holiday season has more or less ended. The way I see it, you're all going to be busy over the holidays, and slowing down means you're less likely to miss out on that fresh chapter smell greeting you on update mornings. Aren't I just so considerate?
Until next time, keep reading, and don't forget to review~