Part 6
May 20th
Ash sat inside his dark hotel room, seated in front of the computer that lit up a portion of the room. It was early in the morning and Pikachu was sound asleep on his lap, but Ash had been awake the entire night, watching replays of Marcy's most recent matches in the Indigo Conference.
He couldn't deny that the girl was a great trainer that was developing. She was deadly trainer once she found a rhythm, but she was also capable of losing it easily as well. When she was battling, she did everything in her power to maintain the momentum she had gained, but if anything disturbed the onslaught of attacks she was ordering, she would loss the momentum that she had been rolling on. She would be far from easy to beat, but it was certainly possible.
Ash had been watching the replay of her most recent defeat against Angie. This proved his hunch about Marcy. Her one weak spot had been exposed by Angie who had successfully disrupted Marcy's all out offense and made quick work of the battle right after that.
After spending an entire night studying her, Ash had taken notice to another 'flaw' in Marcy. It wasn't really a flaw, but it would be pretty easy to exploit since she was going to do it herself. Clearly her Jolteon was her favorite Pokemon, and she relied on it heavily. In high stakes battles, she always used it, and Ash could tell that she was going to use it against him in their upcoming battle. And he knew exactly how he was going to beat it.
Looking down at Pikachu who rested beside him, Ash placed has hand on its back, beginning to stroke its fur. He knew exactly how he was going to beat this Jolteon.
"Don't let up Pikachu, we have to add this to arsenal today!" Ash exclaimed as he stood beside Pikachu, guiding it through the exercises. Pikachu drew in a few deep breathes, its fur damp with sweat as it keep both of its small hands closed into first beneath its chin.
Ash threw his fist forward, and then Pikachu did the same. They had been doing this for about six hours now, establishing the basic form for this attack into Pikachu's mind so that it would be able to use it freely in the near future. Hopefully tomorrow.
"Pi!" It said as it threw another punch, continuing to mimic Ash who demonstrated. Ash's gaze was pulled toward Pikachu as he saw its fists begin to glow, a sign that this attack was near completion.
"Let's test this out Pikachu!" Ash shouted, motioning to the rock in the ground that was roughly the same size as Pikachu. The small electric type gave him a nod before running up to it where it puts is hands up in a basic combat stance before thrusting one of fists toward the rock. Pikachu buried its small paw into the rock, surprised that it was actually able to break through it before the entire object shattered right before its eyes. "Nice Pikachu!"
"Pika!" It exclaimed happily.
"Let's practice it some more!" Ash said, receiving a nod from his partner as they selected a new target. This was exactly what they would need to defeat Marcy's Jolteon.
Bouncing on her toes, Marcy found herself moving in sync with Jolteon as it launched volley after volley of small, sharp projectiles from its fur at its fast moving target. Marcy's Sneasel continued to dart about the clearing, evading the Pin Missle attack by reading through the path of the attacks. For Jolteon, this was simply training for it to get a grasp on aiming a widespread attack on a fast moving target in preparation for their battle against Ash tomorrow.
What was shocking to Marcy was the fact that Ash's team, or at least the Pokemon she had seen so far, had no advantages against electric types. It was rather odd to have such a flaw in his entire team, but at the same time if you spent enough time examining one trainer and all of their Pokemon, you would eventually find a flaw woven about within their party. Still, she was more then ready to use this to her advantage and bring home a win regardless of the Pokemon he used against her.
Sneasel came skidding to a halt when it saw that a trio of the small missiles would come crashing down directly in front of it. Once it had come to a complete stop, Sneasel broke out in a dash in another direction, only to hit the brakes once again when it found that its path was being caught off again. Before Sneasel knew it, it was caught in Jolteon's attack pattern, and it wouldn't be long before Jolteon caught it in checkmate.
Coming to a complete stop, Sneasel looked about, realizing that every available path of escape had been thoroughly cut off by Jolteon. The white projectiles dropped down on the field surrounding Sneasel with another volley headed straight toward it.
"Sneasel, use Faint Attack!" Marcy shouted, giving it permission to evade the attack to the fullest of its ability. Sneasel was more than ready to use this attack since it vanished almost immediately to escape the approaching onslaught. Sneasel reappeared a great distance away from its original location, giving a sigh of relief as it wiped the sweat off of its brow. "Good job Sneasel, you were great!"
Sneasel gave Marcy a nod with slight irritation since it was being used for target practice once again. But that's what happens when you blessed with immense speed.
"Alright Jolteon, I think that ought to be enough for today. Any Pokemon he brings out you should be able to handle whether you have a type advantage or not." Marcy said as she kneeled down beside her electric partner, softly scratching it behind its ear which gained a content response from it as it smiled at her.
"Jolteon." It said with a nod of agreement.
They weren't going to let anyone stop them from reaching the Finals, no matter how strong they appeared to be.
May 21st
Main Stadium
"We have a number of tiebreaker matches to complete today in order to figure out who will be moving on from the tournament round." Charles Goodshow explained as he looked at the other commentators beside him. "Normally we would keep these matches in their separate stadiums, but this year we've decided to have them all take place on the center stage so that everyone can get a look at all of the amazing competitors we have this year."
The group looked down into the stadium since their box was located high in the stands. Down on the actual battlefield, two trainers waited as the monitor above decided what kind of battle would be taking place.
"This battle between Ash and Marcy is one of the matches that seem to be receiving extra attention after everyone saw the result of their first match." Charles began, receiving a nod from Andy and Ray who sat beside him.
"Not only did she beat him in their first meeting, but she dominated him. I think the reason everyone is interested in this one is because they want to see how Ash will respond as a trainer." Andy said. "If Ash is truly serious, he'll make a statement with this match. That last thing he wants to do right now is get eliminated on a losing streak. They're never easy to get out of. "
Marcy was silent as she bounced on her toes, her headphones already canceling the sounds of the outside world as she moved in sync with the beat. Her blood was boiling, something she had experienced a few times, and when this happened, she knew that she would be battling at her very best. Ash's chances of winning at this point were next to nothing, or at least it seemed that way to Marcy.
Ash thumbed the tip of his nose as looked up at the monitor that would determine what type of battle would be taking place. He was unable to suppress his urge to smile as he waited for this battle to begin, even though he was incredibly nervous. He was well aware of the amount of pressure on him right now to win this battle, but Ash welcomed it. Both he and Marcy were aiming to avoid elimination, and that would mean they would be battling at their highest level which guaranteed him a great battle. And that would only increase the satisfaction of winning it.
A single Pokeball lit up on the monitor. It was a little too fitting their rematch would be a one on one elimination battle.
"Trainers, are you ready to begin?" The ref asked, but Marcy and Ash didn't wait for him to give them the signal to begin. Marcy hurled a Pokeball onto the field where it opened up to release her close companion Jolteon who took a shape while Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder. Jolteon spent a moment sizing Pikachu up before it hissed at the electric mouse, allowing its jagged fur to stand up in an attempt to intimidate Pikachu. Unfortunately for Jolteon, Pikachu remained unfazed by this as it prepared itself for the battle at hand.
"Pikachu, let's start out with Quick Attack!" Ash yelled as he thrusted his hand out toward the field.
"Jolteon, dodge it using Agility!"
Pikachu went down on all fours as its speed heightened before it sprung off in a dash toward Jolteon. Despite Pikachu immense speed, Jolteon avoided its frontal attack with ease, practically disappearing from sight as it raced about the rocky field. The fans in the surrounding stands had become silent as they struggled to follow what was taking place on the field. Jolteon and Pikachu were untraceable to the untrained eye, leaving most of the people present unaware of what was taking place. In their high speed exchange, neither of the two Pokemon had landed a hit yet, testing the others speed. Even though the two Pokemon had never interacted before, it was clear to Ash and Marcy that they weren't going to give the other the satisfaction of knowing they were quicker than the other.
"Keep it up Pikachu!" Ash called out. Marcy on the other hand, remained silent, beginning to shuffle from one foot to the other as her eyes darted around the field. She could see her Jolteon clearly even at its current speed as well as Pikachu, and it became clear to her that the two Pokemon were on an even plane when it came to speed. These exchanges would be meaningless and a waste of stamina right now.
Pikachu lowered its head slightly as it raced alongside Jolteon now, getting a smirk from Ash. This would mark the true beginning of the battle now. Pikachu threw itself at Jolteon who immediately hit the brakes, barely escaping Pikachu's attack before pouncing at the smaller Pokemon who had come skidding to a halt once it realized that it had missed its target. The crowded watched in awe as Pikachu and Jolteon appeared with their vision for just a moment before vanishing once again as they reengaged each other in the speed duel.
"Alright Jolteon, I think it's time we stopped playing around. Use Double Team!" Marcy ordered. As Jolteon received the order from Marcy, it slowed down enough for Pikachu to take advantage of the moment. Rushing at Jolteon, Pikachu aimed to land the first hit of the battle, although it was shocked to find itself pass right through and image of Jolteon.
"Pika?" It exclaimed as it stumbled a bit, coming to a stop to look around the field. There were four Jolteon's on the field now, glaring at Pikachu who couldn't separate the copies from the original.
"Now Jolteon, use Pin Missile!" Marcy said, getting a frustrated sigh from Ash. He was hoping they wouldn't have to deal with this scenario early on the battle.
Double Team combined with Pin Missile was one of Marcy's favorite combinations that Ash had seen her use on several occasion in the matches she had been in, and it was far from easy to break it down. Pin Missile was a high volume attack, so mixing it in with Double Team spelt doom for any opponent. Fortunately, the level of focus required to maintain both attacks limited Jolteon to just four copies of itself, although there no imperfections with the images. Anyone of them could be the original which meant that it wouldn't be a quick task to figure out which one of them was real.
The spiky fur on each of the Jolteons stood on end as multiple small white projectiles were fired into the air. The air above the field became littered with the large scale Pin Missile attack that Pikachu and Ash could only stare up at in dread.
"Pikachu, use Agility to dodge it!" Ash said quickly. Pikachu's already heightened speed reached a new level as it began to move about the field, putting forth all of its effort to evade the Pin Missile attack.
Ash stared intently at the battlefield, stroking his chin in deep thought. He had studied this method that Marcy had used, but this move hand an incredibly high knockout percentage. None of the trainers that had faced this combo were able to stop the attack before their Pokemon was defeated. The combination would wear away at a tough, slow Pokemon until it eventually succumbed to the high volume of hits, and it also contained the movements of fast Pokemon to prevent them from moving out to trying and attack Jolteon. It was a very solid creation and Ash had to give Marcy some credit for it.
Pikachu grinded its teeth together as it sprinted across the field, making sharp turns at any given moment to make sure the Jolteon couldn't get a lock on it. Even though three fourths of the attack was fake, Pikachu wasn't going to take any chances at the moment. Avoiding the entire thing was the best option right now. All it had to do was hold out long enough for Ash to figure out how they would handle this.
"I can guarantee you that Marcy and her Jolteon will use this combination against us tomorrow Pikachu." Ash said as the two of them sat in front of the computer in their hotel room, watching a replay of Marcy's first round matchup. "It's not easy to beat, but I want you to focus on just dodging it and the leave the rest for me."
"Pi-Pika?"
"I can handle it. You can count on me."
Ash chewed lightly on his lower lip, struggling to follow the paths of the Pin Missile attack. Only one fourth of the attack was real, and he could see that they were leaving little cracks in the field where they landed, but tracing the fading paths back to each of the Jolteon's was the hard part since they twisted about all over the field. He knew that the time he had was slipping away as the widespread attack slowly cut of Pikachu's paths of escape. It was just so tricky trying to read through this attack. No wonder no one had managed to beat it yet!
"Argh, forget this!" Ash shouted as his grasped his head. He shut his eyes for a few moments and massaged his temples for few moments in an attempt to calm his nerves.
Jolteon smirked as it launched yet another volley of Pin Missile into the air, confident that this would be the one that would finally hit Pikachu. Slowly but surely, Jolteon had been cutting of Pikachu's paths, building up to this point where it would finally corner Pikachu with the help of its decoys. Pikachu came to a halt, looking about as it realized that everyone possible route it could use had been cut off perfectly by Jolteon. From every possible direction, Pikachu could see that the Pin Missile attack was headed toward it, there was no escape.
'Gotacha.' Marcy said.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt as a shield!" Ash yelled as he took a hold of the visor of his cap, swinging it around his head. Trying to breakdown Marcy's combination with Jolteon was going to take too long and cost him the battle, so Ash moved on to his second option. Face it head on.
Without wasting a moment, Pikachu charged up its cheeks before throwing itself on its back where it began to spin. Multiple bolts of electricity were fired upward from Pikachu's body, swirling around the small electric Pokemon. The bolts began to whip about around Pikachu, destroying the approaching horde of Pin Missiles which created a dazzling display of sparkles all over field. Marcy could only raise her eyebrows at Ash's defensive move as the crowd cheered for the impressive move. But she could only admire the move for so long since the bolts continued to extend to the point where they were reaching each of the Jolteons.
Jolteon gave a hiss as it was slapped by the Thunderbolt while the other three copies faded away. Marcy drew in a sharp breath as she realized what Ash had managed to pull off. Offense and defense at the same time. It wasn't easy to do, but when used correctly it was a joy to watch. Thunderbolt had not only stopped Pin Missile, as Pikachu's continued to spin it used it to attack all of the Jolteon's while the option was open.
'Nice move.' Marcy said as she looked across the field at Ash. He wore a smile that was brimming with confidence with his hat turned backwards. Now she couldn't help but smile. It was clear that he wasn't going to let her command the tempo of this battle. He had even gone as far as to break down one of her best combinations. But that was going to stop her now. This was going to interesting to say the least.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"You're not he only one who uses electricity for defense. Jolteon, use Discharge!"
Pikachu flipped itself back onto its paws and rushed at Jolteon, only to find itself charging head first into and electrical cloud that had been created by Jolteon. Pikachu gave a grunt as its advance came to a sudden halt, unable to pierce through Jolteon's shield with its speed.
"Now Jolteon, get it with Shadow Ball!" Marcy ordered, seeing that Pikachu couldn't advance any further thanks to their Discharge defense. Pikachu was pretty close to Jolteon, and a hit like this from so close would surely to a great deal of damage. Ash's eyes widened as Jolteon opened up its mouth, allowing a large quantity of black sparkles to gather in its mouth.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail and destroy that Shadow Ball!" Ash shouted as Jolteon finished molding the dark energy into a sphere within its mouth. Pikachu's tail began to glow as Jolteon spat out the orb toward Pikachu moved back before jumping into the air. Performing a quick front flip, Pikachu dropped its tail onto the approaching Shadow Ball, cutting it in half. The Shadow Ball then exploded directly beneath Pikachu, propelling it high into the air over the field.
"Alright Pikachu, let's use Mega Punch!" Ash roared, throwing his fist into the air. All eyes were Pikachu as it cocked its now glowing fist back, readying itself for the next part of the battle as it fell toward Jolteon who had kept up its Discharge shield. They were going to break through it with brute force.
"Jolteon, strengthen your Discharge!" Marcy ordered quickly. Jolteon grunted before the cloud of electricity around it darkened. They weren't going to let Pikachu break through this without being punished.
Pikachu dropped its first onto the shield, creating a result that had the crowd up on its feet. A shockwave was sent out of the base of Jolteon's electrical shield, kicking up a large cloud of dust that obscured everyone vision of the field. Both trainers called out to their respective Pokemon, waiting for the dust to settle which took quite a bit of time. But once they could see, they found a rather interesting sight. Jolteon was clearly dazed from the hit as it stumbled about the field while Pikachu rested on its stomach, clearly suffering from a mild paralysis.
Ash cursed under his breath. They had been lucky to get away from this after their first contact with the Discharge shield. Attacking it again wasn't a brilliant idea, but it's clear that Jolteon didn't get away from the attack either. Now they were on a real time limit with this battle. Since electric types were not as susceptible to get paralyzed as other Pokemon, it would take some time before the paralysis fully set in.
Marcy had tuned out the music she was listening to for a few moments, realizing that's some thinking would be in order now. Jolteon's biggest weakness had been exposed from that quick exchange. Even though it was incredibly fast, it had a body made of glass. It couldn't take a hit well at all, and a hit like that had surely taken away its legs. If they wanted to win this battle, they would have to try and extend this battle so that Jolten could regain its legs.
"Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash asked, watching as Pikachu forced itself back up onto its feet before giving Ash a thumbs up. "Then let's not waste any time. Use Quick Attack!"
"Jolteon, dodge it!" Marcy hollered desperately, but to no avail. Jolteon was hit and sent tumbling across the field by Pikachu. It was then Marcy noticed that Pikachu came to a stop, electricity jumping about on its fur. 'So they're trying to win before the paralysis sets in…'
Jolteon rose to its feet, shaking its head to reorient itself. Even though it could stand, Marcy could see that its legs were trembling, as though its joints where about to buckle beneath it. Ash and Pikachu were aiming for the knockout here, so she would have to be clever to stop them. Taking in a few deep breaths to steady her breathing, Marcy exhaled before smiling. She could hear the music again.
"Pikachu, let's keep going. Iron Tail!"
"Jolteon, use Shadow Ball to keep Pikachu away!"
Marcy was well aware of the fact that Pikachu would surely use the Shadow Ball to send it flying into the air again, but that was exactly what she wanted. Jolteon wouldn't have to move in order for them to knock out Pikachu in the air. Once again, Pikachu dropped its tail on the Shadow Ball, sending itself soaring into the air while Jolteon looked up at its target.
"Pin Missile!" Marcy ordered. Jolteon gave a small yip before its fur stood up again. Unleashing a large volley of small needle like missiles, the attack raced up toward the airborne Pikachu.
"Pikachu, start spinning and use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded, watching as Pikachu began to twirl in the air, creating several bolts of electricity that flew about around the Pokemon, blocking out the Pin Missile attack with ease.
"Jolteon, start charging a Shadow Ball." Marcy said to her Pokemon. Jolteon obeyed, opening its mouth to begin preparing the attack as it watched Pikachu begin to descend toward it as the tip of an electrical cyclone. That was their target. "On my mark…fire!"
Ash observed the situation, staring at the field with an expression that was entirely different to what he had been wearing throughout the battle. His eyes had gained an intensity that she hadn't seen in them before, and it felt as though he was exerting a force that washed over the entire field. But it wasn't chilling force...it was bright. She could clearly see it now, Ash's love for Pokemon and battling.
"Pikachu, use Mega Punch!" He ordered. Pikachu extended its right hand, closing it into a tiny fist that began to glow it rushed straight toward the Shadow Ball that Jolteon had fired. Pikachu prepared itself for contact since this was going to be far from pleasant. But to everyone's surprise, even a few of the former professionals that were commentating, Pikachu sailed right through the Shadow Ball that then exploded once it came into contact with the electrical bolts that were trailing behind Pikachu, giving it a boost in speed.
"What?!" Marcy exclaimed as Pikachu came crashing down onto Jolteon. There was a pained shout that clearly came from Jolteon as it was buried in the field while Pikachu was sent reeling from its own attack. The electric mouse hit the field with a thud, rolling a few times before it came to a stop on its back, looking toward the area where it had hit Jolteon. While Pikachu couldn't see Jolteon, everyone else it could. It had been powered down into the rocky earth of the field where it remained completely still. "Jolteon!"
Marcy ripped off her headphones and hurled them to the field, screaming to Jolteon. But there was no response from her Pokemon. The ref approached Jolteon, and then he raised flag into the air.
"Jolteon is unable to battle…" The ref didn't continued as he looked across the field at Pikachu who was still resting on its back. It hadn't moved either yet, although his gaze was more than enough for Pikachu to realize that it now had to prove that it was able to continue.
'Come one Pikachu.' Ash said, watching as Pikachu slowly rolled over with a grunt before rising up to its feet.
"Pikachu is the winner!" The referee declared. The fans erupted with cheers as Ash ran onto the field to catch Pikachu as it fell backward.
"Awesome Pikachu, simply awesome." Ash said to his partner, getting a bright smile from it as it thanked him.
Marcy was still speechless. How did Pikachu pass right through that Shadow Ball at the end of the battle? That Shadow Ball should've knocked Pikachu out from point blank range, and yet Ash and Pikachu came out on top? How as that possible?
Slowly walking onto the field to collect her unconscious partner, Marcy sighed as she returned it to its Pokeball.
"Hey Marcy, great battle!" Ash shouted as he jogged across the field, waving to her. Marcy looked at him curiously as he came to stop in front of her. She looked directly into his eyes in search of the stare he had given her in the closing moments of the battle.
"How did you do that?" She asked him.
"Do what?"
"Pass right through the Shadow Ball as if it weren't there."
"Oh, that…" Ash trailed off as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, ghost and normal type's moves have no effect on each other, so I figured we could use Mega Punch to negate Shadow Ball and bypass it."
Marcy tilted her head as she stared at him, allowing this information to settle for a moment. Then she blinked.
"So it was a gamble...?"
"Not really." Ash replied. It was something he had discovered by accident thanks to the usual antics of his Haunter. He never once though it would come in handy, but look where that got him now.
"Hey, the next match will be starting soon. The two of you have to go." The ref called out, motioning for them to leave.
They shook hands, and then went out the stadium through different exits, although Marcy couldn't help but look back at Ash's back as he disappeared into his own corridor. He wasn't gambling with that final attack...he knew he could get past that Shadow Ball.
Ash Ketchum was something else.
Studio
"Well I must say Ray, your boy Ash really lucked out at the end of the battle." Darnell said as he looked across the table at Ray who only spared him a glance.
"So what, luck plays a part in winning as well." Ray shot back.
"I don't know if it was truly luck." Andy cut in, getting odd looks from both Darnell and Ray.
"What do you mean?" Darnell asked as he leaned forward in his seat.
"Well I went to the analysts about this one. And they had to call up Professor Oak to find an answer for what just took place. The Professor actually has the answer for us and he's waiting on the video phone." Andy explained, motioning for them to put on their headsets sot that they could speak with the Professor Oak who appeared on the monitor at the end of the table. "Professor Oak, are you there?"
"Yes." He replied.
"I hope you weren't waiting too long."
"Not a problem, so I'm explaining the scenario we talked about right?" Oak asked, receiving a nod from Andy. "Alright. It's quite a simple explanation, but logical decision making in a battle would not allow this scenario to take place. Since ghost and normal type Pokemon can't damage each other, it's unlikely that you would find something like this taking place. But in truth, the chemical composition of a ghost and normal type attacks negate each othe. This is what allowed Pikachu to pass through Shadow Ball without taking any damage."
"Really?" Darnell said, impressed with the observations of the Professor.
"Yes. Something like this won't happen too often, but I've already tested this method after I saw the match, and it has worked." Oak continued.
"Well thank you very much Professor." Ray said, giving Oak a wave as he ended the call. Then he looked toward Andy. "So you think Ash knew what he was doing?"
"Maybe. I checked the replay, and he ordered the Mega Punch after Marcy called for a Shadow Ball. I doubt he was just testing his luck." Andy replied.
"Well whether it was luck, or skill, Ash has advanced from the tournament round. From this point on he'll be facing the best competitors, so we'll see what he's made of."
Ash grinned as he looked at the tv screen in his room. He had been watching the analysts talk about his match with Marcy, he couldn't contain his excitement. He had professional analysts discussing his battle. He had always dreamed of this.
Even though most of them thought his victory was built on a lucky break at the end of the battle, Ash was satisfied with just this because he would show them that this win was no fluke.
"Pika?" Pikachu asked, looking up at its trainer who had both his hands closed into tight, trembling fists.
"I'm all fired up Pikachu!" Ash said, unable to relax his arms. "Let's go do some training!"
Ash snatched his belt off of his bed and quickly put it around his waist before rushing to the door of his room. Shutting off the lights and television, Ash exited his room with Pikachu only to crash straight into a girl who shrieked as she was knocked to the floor.
"Oh, I'm really sorry." Ash said as he extended a hand to help her up, only to raise his eyebrows when he recognized this girl. "Marcy, what are you doing here?"
Marcy rested on her bottom, rubbing her head as she accepted Ash's hand.
"Thanks." She replied once she was back on his feet. "And I just wanted to talk to you for a bit."
"About our battle?"
"Well, that's part of it…" She trailed off. "At the end of the match, when you told Pikachu to use Mega Punch there was something, different about you."
"Something different about me. What do you mean?"
Marcy began to look about the corridor, unable to find the words to describe what she had felt.
"It felt like you were a different person when I looked at you. You looked serious, but you were smiling at the same time. You looked so intense. I had goose bumps." She had been looking all over the place while she was speaking, but her gaze finally settled on Ash. "It was amazing, I mean, you're amazing."
Ash found himself with his back against the door of his hotel room as Marcy took a step closer to him.
"I never met someone like you before." She lowered her voice a bit as she leaned toward him, placing her index and middle finger on his lower torso. She gave him a flirtatious glance as she walked her fingers up his chest as if to tease him. Soon enough her fingers had made it all the way up to his lips, but as Marcy rose to the tip of her toes to press her lips against Ash's, a hand was placed in her path.
"Sorry, but I'm not available." Ash said in a deadpan. Marcy furrowed her eyebrows at this, looking directly into Ash's eyes. They held no doubts to the answer he gave. He was loyal to the one he loved.
"Are you sure?"
"Positive." Ash replied, moving his head a bit as a motion for her to give him some space. Marcy watched as Ash turned, beginning to walk down the hall as though the scene had never taken place. Admiring his broad shoulders as he became smaller, Marcy felt a pang in her heart. Ash was one of kind, and he was already taken. But now she only wanted him more.
"Haunter, quit fooling around use Shadow Ball!" Ash shouted as he approached the ghost Pokemon who only snickered at his commands. "Come on Haunter, we're heading to the next round and I plan on using you. So please quit being such a pain in the ass."
Haunter smirked at this, and clapped his hands together, causing multiple small dark bolts to extend from its hands that were soon separated by a black sphere. Ash smiled now that Haunter finally followed his orders, but it maintained a firm grip on the spherical attack.
"Alright Haunter, let her rip!" Ash declared, pointing at a nearby tree stump that would be their target, but Haunter held onto the Shadow Ball. "Haunter?"
Ash looked at the Pokemon that floated beside him, noticing the crooked smile that had grown large on its face. Then the Shadow Ball exploded, creating a thick cloud of smoke around the two of them that was blown away after a short period of time. All of the Pokemon that Ash had taken out to practice with could help but laugh when they spotted their blacked trainer alongside a grinning Haunter who laughed openly at Ash.
"Oh, so we're playing that game…" Ash said as he leered at the Pokemon. "Wartortle, use Soak on Haunter!"
Haunter's laughter came to a stop immediately, although not quick enough to escape Wartortle who was more than prepared to launch the attack. It was almost a daily routine for Ash since he couldn't discipline Haunter while it was a ghost type. He had taught Wartortle Soak just to make sure he could come into contact with the ghost Pokemon when he couldn't get through to with just words alone. Haunter gave a shout as it was completely drenched with water and then tackled the ground but Ash who held it tightly with both of his arms.
Haunter absolutely hated having its ghost type properties removed, but it was the only way to get through to it. Now that it knew Ash was capable of actually coming into the contact with it, Haunter had no choice but to listen.
"Haunter, I'm warning you now that my patience only lasts so long." Ash said as he held the Pokemon, giving it a squeeze as a warning. Haunter groaned loudly at the unfamiliar feeling before giving Ash a nod.
"Uh, hello?" A voice called out, gaining Ash's attention as he released Haunter who stuck its tongue out at him before floating off to join Muk who was resting under the shade the trees. Marcy stepped out into the clearing, giving Ash a wave and a nervous smile although this changed to a frown as Ash simply returned to his training, shouting for Haunter to return to his side.
She was easily the biggest reason why he was training so furiously. No girl had ever done that to him before, and it had gotten under his skin almost immediately. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation, but he was confident that his response was correct.
"Do you need something?"
"Yeah. I just came to apologize for my actions earlier. I didn't know you already had a girlfriend." Marcy began. "I thought you were single, and just by battling you I could tell that you were a good guy."
Ash perked up at this, giving Marcy a curious glance.
"How did you come to that conclusion by battling me?"
"I could see it on your face. You don't treat Pokemon battles as just business, you love every minute of it." Marcy said.
"Well, you hit the nail on that one." Ash replied.
"I don't know. I've met a lot of people how only battle for the money. It was just so refreshing to battle someone like you that I wanted to get closer to you." Marcy explained. "I was a bit irrational though."
"No worries, I can understand that feeling." Ash had run into his fair share of people who didn't enjoy the lifestyle of a trainer at all, but the money involved was enough for them to continue pursuing championships and contracts. "I take you get lonely too?"
"…Yeah." Marcy replied. "I have my Pokemon, but sometimes it just isn't enough."
Ash knew the feeling a little too well, but he would keep quiet. Voicing his agreement was the last thing he wanted to do since he wasn't exactly sure how the team chemistry would be affected. He could understand Marcy's feelings since he couldn't get into contact with Dawn as freely as he would like to. No matter how close you are to your Pokemon, they were still unable to provide everything a human would need. Perhaps Marcy wasn't as frivolous as she appeared a while ago.
"Apology accepted." Ash said, looking toward Marcy who tilted her head.
"Hmm?
"I accept your apology. At first I thought you were just after me, but I tell you were just looking for company." Ash replied with a smile, watching as Marcy looked down at her feet with flushed cheeks. Maybe she wasn't so bad, just in need someone to talk to. After all, he was in need of that too.
"I also have something else to talk to you about." Marcy continued, gaining Ash's attention once again. "You're next opponent, or really the one after your next one."
"What's the problem?" Ash asked as Marcy motioned for her to come over to him as she pulled out her Pokegear. She brought up a page that showed the brackets for the remainder of the tournament, and Ash found his picture next to someone he didn't recognize. But in the bracket next to his own, Ash saw a picture that placed a frown on his face.
Mandi and his irritating smirk…
A/N
And there you go, Ash comes out on top against his first legitimate opponent with an unorthodox tactic to pull out a win. For those of you who were wondering, the ghost versus normal agruement I had in this chapter was something I had been thinking about for a while and I'd appreciate anyone opinion on it if you have something to say. Did it make any sense? It did to me considering ghost and normal types have no effect on the other. Any thoughts?
Continuing on, I'm glad there's been a nice reponse to Marcy so far. At first when I was writing the Indigo Conference, every trainer Ash was going to battle was going to be nothing but fodder, but I thought that wouldn't be any fun, so I decided to have some fun with it. So I've got Marcy to create a little romantic tension which you've already seen. And Mandi to be that bad guy that adds fuel to the fire.
So thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter :) Much appreciated. Your feedback is very appreciated, so please review!