Part 7
"Get your rear in gear Charizard!" Ash hollered up his airborne fire Pokemon that sailed through the skies, barrel rolling through jets of water and bolts of electricity from Wartortle and Pikachu respectively. Charizard gave a shout before spewing out a stream of flames at the two Pokemon that were using it as target practicing. In response, Pikachu and Wartortle combined their attacks to counter the fire type attack, although Charizard found itself being overpowered by the duo. "Charizard, channel all that anger you have into your attacks. With it you'll be unstoppable!"
Charizard's expression hardened as it roared, opening its mouth even wider to release a second rush of flames with an attack radius that was twice the size of the first. Soon the torrent of electrifying water was completely overcome by the blazing inferno that Charizard had unleashed. Realizing that they would be engulfed in the flames, Wartortle grabbed Pikachu and cloaked itself in an Aqua Jet before rushing out of the range of the flames.
'Whoa…' Was all Ash could say as he looked up at his winged partner that hovered above the smoldering clearing that Wartortle had begun to put out. Ash knew that Pokemon were creatures that relied heavily on instincts based on their performance when they were cornered. But to see Charizard's emotions have such an impact on its power was very interesting.
Charizard gave another defiant roar to the skies above as it tightened its fists, its sights firmly set on battling against Mandi's Pinsir and Aerodactyl.
May 23rd
Main Stadium
"It's truly a pleasure to announce the start of the final round of the Indigo Conference where we will see the remaining trainers begin their pursuit for the Championship!" Charles said as he outstretched his arms to the crowd around him who voiced their delight.
Within the stadium, Ash found himself quietly waiting in a large room where a fraction of the remaining participants were located. None of them could say a word as they prepared themselves mentally for the battles that approached. They had worked and trained for the past year…no, their entire lives to reach this point in the tournament. To stand on a stage where the entire world will be able to see your skill.
Ash leaned against the wall of the room, his gaze set firmly on his feet as he went over the plans that he had prepared. The replays he had seen of his next opponent weren't too valuable considering this guy had seemed to be even luckier than Ash throughout the entire tournament. Miscommunication between trainer and Pokemon and type advantages had allowed Ash's next opponent to reach this round, but luck played its part. Luck was far from anyone's favorite factor, but it had to be taken into account. And Ash didn't plan on losing to a lucky contestant. He wouldn't allow that.
Mandi quietly stroked his chin as he observed the scene before him with a confident smirk. His Aerodactyl gave a snort as it stood over a Hitmonlee as the fans cheered over the dominance they had demonstrated throughout the course of the match. It was fitting victory. He had made his statement that he was one, if not the top contender for the Championship.
"Hitmonlee, you can't give up. We worked too hard to lose like this!" Hitmonlee's trainer shouted, trying to rally Hitmonlee's remaining strength for one last attack. Hitmonlee pushed up its torso on trembling arms to spare Aerodactyl a sharp glance before forcing itself up. This battle wasn't over yet.
"How admirable." Mandi stated as he clapped his hands, although none of this could be heard because of the volume of the audience.
"Hitmonlee, use Bulk Up once more!"
Hitmonlee tensed all of the muscles in its torso, allowing everyone present to see just how developed its muscular body was.
"Aerodactyl, wrap this up with Stone Edge." Mandi said rather casually, motioning for it to attack. Aerodactyl gave a roar as its body gained a silver glow which became two bright rings that spun around the Pokemon as it ascended into the air. The rings broke apart into mutliple jagged gray stones that were quite large.
Aerodactyl gave a screech before the stones were then launched at Hitmonlee one by one as though they were testing the evasiveness of the fighting type Pokemon. Hitmonlee continued to avoid the easy attacks until Aerodactyl increased he pace of the attacks, sending a continuous barrage at its opponent who began to jump from one stone to another to make its way up to the airborne Aerodactyl.
"Well, how interesting." Mandi stated as Hitmonlee moved up toward Aerodactyl. "End your attack Aerodactyl. Hitmonlee can't continue its approach without the stones!"
"Now Hitmonlee, all or nothing Close Combat!"
"Hit-monlee!" It shouted as it sprung off the last available stone, making a beeline toward Aerodactyl as it readied itself for the all out assault.
'It's never smart to place yourself in Aerodactyl's domain.' Mandi said with a smirk. "Aerodactyl, use Aerial Ace!"
As Hitmonlee neared Aerodactyl, the prehistoric Pokemon rose above it with a great burst of speed. Before Hitmonlee even had time to realize that it had missed Aerodactyl, it made a quick loop in the air before rushing back toward Hitmonlee. Only Hitmonlee heard the slice of Aerodactyle's wing hitting its body before it was greeted with a sharp pain that spread throughout its torso as it was sent spiraling to the ground.
"Hitmonlee!" Its trainer screamed as came down for its crash landing. The ref ran over the crash site, using his flag in an attempt to blow away some of the dust. Aerodactyl landed beside the ref, raising its wings which it then used to kick up a small whirlwind which removed the dust cloud. Once the ref inspected Hitmonlee's condition, he raised the blue flag he held, allowing the fans that had risen from his seats to burst into cheers.
"Wow, what a performance from Mandi! He's really asserting his dominance now that he has made it to the final leg of the Conference. If he keeps battling this, he could definitely find himself in the Finals!" One of the announcers shouted over the loudspeaker as Mandi was approaching the reporters and camera crew for feedback on his latest match.
"So Mandi, would you say that this battle has identified you as one of the top contenders for the Championship in the Indigo Conference?" The reporter asked before extending the microphone toward him.
"Of course it has. I wouldn't expect anything less than a Championship at this point since Jeannette Fischer is the only remaining trainer in this Conference that's worth my time." Mandi replied confidently, flashing the camera a smile before waving off the reporters as he began to head toward the exit of the stadium.
Ash watched as Mandi disappeared into the tunnel on the tv monitor in the room he was seated within. Ash had seen Mandi in the Indigo Conference once before, and he was well aware of the fact that Mandi was a trainer that was more than capable of winning a Championship. But after this battle, he could clearly see that Mandi's style when battling improved with each Pokemon he used. Mandi relied on wide move pools to control a battle no matter what kind of match up he faced. And this led to him exerting a level of dominance which was proof that Mandi was going to be his toughest opponent yet.
"Now it's our turn to make a statement." Ash said as he looked at Pikachu out of the corner of his eye, finding his partner on his shoulder where it was always located. "Right Pikachu."
"Pika!" It said with a nod of agreement.
A wooden stick struck the center of a large drum that was placed on a stand as a group of people dressed black harmonized their voice together, gaining the attention of most of the crowd.
"Hey, who are they?"
"Why are they dressed in black? It's way too hot for that."
"What are they doing?"
As most of the group raised their voices, a single male that was quite bulky held a tall poll which he proudly swung about, featuring the flag that was made for Ash Ketchum. Words such as pride, zeal and confidence were written all over the flag as the crowd looked on with mild interest.
"I didn't know Ash Ketchum had his own cheering squad."
"Well I heard from a friend that he's been pretty good since the Conference started." Two generally unconcerned guys had been discussing the next match, but the mention of Ash Ketchum had gotten the attention of the person seated behind them.
"Didn't you hear?" The person seated behind them leaned forward to enter their conversation.
"Hear what?" They asked in return, looking back.
"Apparently Ash and Mandi got into a bit of a fight a few days ago along with their Pokemon because one of Ash's Pokemon was injured in their exhibition match. If Ash wins today they'll have a rematch, and everyone wants to see if he'll try to get even with Mandi."
"For real?"
"Ash believes Mandi injured his Ivysaur on purpose, and if you look at the replay it really does seem that way. I can understand his feeling if someone was purposely aiming to injure my Pokemon."
"Yeah, I hear ya. If the two of them have a rematch, it's definitely going to be heated. Man, I wouldn't mind seeing that battle."
"Are you kidding me? I would love to see that battle!"
The announcement that the next match would be starting brought this conversation to an end as everyone gaze became fixated on the two entrances to the stadium where they could see two silhouettes waiting to escape the darkness of the tunnel.
"In our next match, we have Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town in the blue box, battling against Jerry Forge of Vermillion City!"
Both trainers left the tunnel, making their way toward their respective boxes where they gave the other a nod of acknowledgement. Ash excitedly waited for the signal to begin the battle, well aware of who his first choice would be in this battle. This round of the tournament began the race to the Finals, so the battles would become progressively longer. Starting with two on two battles, the next round would be three on three and so on until the final battle was reached which would be a full six on six battle. As the ref explained the rules of the battle, Ash noticed a small portion of the stands that was dressed in black.
'Hmm?' Ash said to himself as he took a closer look, he noticed that one of them was waving a flag with his name written on it, which was more than enough for him to realize that this was the cheering squad that had promised to back him during the tournament. He hadn't even noticed them at first if they were here, although he would account that to nerves, but he was glad to see them. His hometown was backing him up. Nothing could stop him.
But as Ash observed the cheering squad, he soon spotted another face within the crowd, one that he held a fair share of resentment for. Mandi…
He stared at the older male for a moment, having a quick exchange of words with the man.
"Just you wait, I'm coming for you!" Ash stated.
"We'll see…" Mandi replied.
"Trainers, are you ready?" The ref asked, bringing Ash back to the matter at hand. The two trainers gave him a nod of confirmation, and then he raised his flags. "Then let the battle begin!"
Up in the stands, the young woman behind the drum began to strike it at a slow steady pace that gradually began to speed up as the two trainers selected their Pokemon. Her pace continued to rise as the Pokeballs were tossed into the air, coming to a climax as the Pokemon were released. She then stopped just as soon as the Pokemon took shape on the field, stretching a bit as they observed their opponent.
"Yes." Ash said in a whisper to himself as he studied the situation. It was his Pidgeot versus a Parasect. This one would be in the bag.
"Crap." Jerry muttered as he snapped his fingers. Then he shook his head and pointed at Pidgeot. "Parasect, use Poisonpowder!"
"Pidgeot, get rid of it with Whirlwind!" Ash called out. Pidgeot spread its broad wings with a shout before flapping its wings repeatedly; whipping up a strong gust of wind that removed the dark purple dust cloud that Parasect had been produced from the large mushroom on its back. "Now let's make this quick, use Aerial Ace!"
"Parasect, intercept with Sludge Bomb!" Jerry shouted. Pidgeot took flight, disappearing into the bright glare of the sun for just a few moments, then it came rushing down toward Parasect as a speeding blur. Parasect launched a volley of small orbs made entirely of purple sludge toward the approaching Pidgeot, the avian Pokemon demonstrated its high level of agility by maneuvering through the attacks with ease without breaking away from its path toward Parasect. Nothing would stop it. "Parasect, use Endure!"
"Pidgeot!" The bird squawked as it slammed its wing into Parasect, sending it tumbling away. Ash furrowed his eyebrows with confusion as Pidgeot came crashing down to the field after its attack on Parasect, unable to remain airborne.
'What's going on?' Ash said as he leaned forward, trying to get a better look at Pidgeot who struggling just to return to its feet. Observing every part of Pidgeot that he could from where he was standing, Ash couldn't find anything that could be wrong with it, until he caught sight of Parasect. The mushroom on its back had become goldenrod in color as opposed to the bright red that it had been just moments before. 'The color of the mushroom changed and that means…Effect Spore! Dang, we got paralyzed.'
"Awesome, we got him with your Effect Spore Parasect." Jerry exclaimed with a grin as Pidgeot gave a cry of frustration before forcing itself up to its feet. "Now get them with Psybeam!"
"Pidgeot, move!" Ash yelled, but Pidgeot was unable to escape the spiraling psychic energy that Parasect had fired from its eyes. Pidgeot was drowned within the hypnotic colors of the Psybeam attack for a quite a bit of time before Parasect ended its attack. "Pidgeot, are you okay?"
The bird had been standing up completely still since the attack before, but now it began to stumble about the field, tripping over its own feet.
'Ah crap, it's confused…' Ash muttered as he looked across the field at his opponent. 'Geez this guy is lucky. Two status effects in a row…'
Watching his Pidgeot rest on its stomach in its sorry state only increased Ash's irritation. He would not lose to someone that had luck on their side. That would be unacceptable! Ash stomped his foot, beginning his appeal to Pidgeot as he tried to snap the Pokemon out of its confusion.
"Pidgeot, get up!" Ash commanded, although this did not change anything as it continued to chirp softly while resting on its stomach.
"Parasect, finish it off with Sludge Bomb!" Jerry ordered.
"Pidgeot, dodge it!" Ash roared as Parasect launched the finishing attack. Unfortunately, Pidgeot remained unresponsive to Ash's pleads until it was bombarded by the Sludge Bomb attack.
Each of them exploded as they met with Pidgeot, creating a thick cloud of smoke around Pidgeot that took several moments to clear away before the ref could inspect the condition of Pidgeot. Finding the bird still resting on its stomach with a pair of swirls replacing its eyes, the ref could make his declaration.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" He shouted, raising the ref flag to confirm that Jerry was the victor of the first matchup of this battle.
Ash took a moment to absorb this information, then he let out a sigh of irritation before removing Pidgeot's Pokeball from his belt which he used to call back his unconscious Pokemon. Looking down at the device that contained his Pidgeot, Ash held it tightly.
'Don't Pidgeot, I won't let it end like this.' Ash said to himself as he shook his head. He wouldn't go down, not like this. "Muk, I choose you!"
Ash pitched his next choice onto the field, releasing his ever loving, made of sludge companion Muk onto to the field who gave a mighty roar with its entrance.
"Parasect, use Psybeam again!" Jerry ordered, deciding to take full advantage of the type advantage they had.
"Oh no you don't, Muk use Disable!" Ash shouted, using one of Muk's favorite attacks. Muk was a Pokemon that simply enjoyed getting under its opponent's skin, and a number of its moves were a perfect fit. Parasect stumbled back as though it had been struck by something, and after this it failed to use Psybeam despite its best efforts.
"He got us." Jerry exclaimed he rubbed the side of the neck. "Alright then, Parasect, use Slash!"
"Muk, use Minimize!" Ash ordered as Parasect began its approach toward Muk. The poison type Pokemon began to shrink in size until it was half its former size and weight, leading to boost in speed for Muk. As Parasect neared Muk to attack, the sludge Pokemon circled around it with its new speed, coming to a stop behind Parasect where it was completely open for attack. "Now get it with Sludge Bomb!"
"Parasect, behind you!" Jerry yelled, but he was far too late to help. Parasect was hit by the widespread attack which removed what little health it had remaining after taking an Aerial Ace from Pidgeot. The ref had no trouble declaring that Parasect was unable to continue from a distance while raising the blue flag for Ash. Jerry sighed at this, then he smiled since this shouldn't be too difficult. He already had an advantage since he could select a Pokemon with a type advantage, and he had one available. "Return Parasect. Okay, let's go Hypno!"
"Hypno!" His Pokemon cried out as it took shape on the field.
"Start off with Psychic!" Jerry commanded.
"Dodge it Muk!"
Hypno waved its hands about, distorting the air around it before several waves of psychic energy was released from the air, heading straight toward Muk. Seeing the approaching attack, Muk began to duck and weave its way through the onslaught, successfully evading each of the attacks.
"Hypno, get it with Psyshock!" Jerry continued, pointing at Muk current location. Hypno threw its hands into the air, causing numerous small orbs to materialize in the air around it. Then Hypno thrusted its arms toward Muk as if to order the spheres to attack Muk who struggled to avoid the entire attack.
"Muk!" It groaned as a portion of its body fell under the attack Psyshock.
'We can't dodge this attack completely, so we'll have to get rid of this one as opposed to Psychic.' Ash said to himself as the Psyshock attack came to an end. "Muk, use Disable!"
"Damn." Jerry mumbled as Hypno stumbled a bit as a result of being hit by Disable. "This still doesn't change anything. Hypno, use Psychic!"
"Muk counter it with Sludge Bomb!" Ash yelled. Both Pokemon unleashed their respective attacks, watching as they collided together which only created a plume of smoke at the center of the field. "Now attack with Sludge Wave!"
Muk gave a roar as a torrent of sludge erupted from the lower part of its body that it began to ride upon into the cloud. Hypno, who stood on the other side of the cloud, could hear Muk's roar but was unable to see where it would be approaching from.
"Hypno, remain calm and prepare a Shadow Ball." Jerry said. Hypno did as it was told, forming the dark type attack within the space between its two outstretched hands. Hypno then used Psychic to create a synthetic vision in order to detect where Muk was approaching from within the smoke. Thrusting its hands forward once again, Hypno fired the Shadow Ball into the smoke, watching as it disappeared into the darkness of the cloud, but this was closely followed by an explosion, proof that it had hit its target. "Nice Hypno!"
"Muk!" Muk roared as it came sailing out of the smoke toward Hypno, beginning a fast decent toward its opponent. Hypno received no chance to react before Muk came crashing down onto it using Body Slam.
"Awesome Muk!" Ash shouted as he ran alongside the perimeter of the field to get a better view of what was taking place. "Now let's use Mud Bomb while you're so close."
Hypno looked up in horror as Muk opened up its large mouth where it could see a dull light forming within Muk. Hypno shut its eyes tightly in preparation for the attack it was going to receive at point blank range, preferring to take the attack as though it hadn't seen it coming. Muk spat out a large sphere of hardened mud directly onto Hypno's head which exploded on contact. The force of the blast had blown Muk off of Hypno's body, sending it tumbling across the field until it came to a stop in front of Ash.
"Are you okay Muk?" Ash called out to his Pokemon as it groaned before rising up.
"Muk!" It replied as it shook itself for a bit to get rid of the dust on its body.
The ref approached the cloud that Hypno had disappeared within, waving his flags to clear it away, although he soon found himself wishing that he had kept his distance just a bit longer. Raising both of his hands in front of his face, the ref was blown away by a wave of psychic energy that parted the smoke, revealing Hypno who had both of its hands on its head, shouting in pain.
"Hypno?!" Jerry shouted, trying to calm his Pokemon, but his words failed to get through to Hypno.
"Hypno!" It screamed as its eyes snapped open with a dark blue hue. Hypno's body gained a blue outline as it rose into the air, glaring at Muk and Ash. The stare from the psychic type Pokemon sent a chill down the spine of Ash as he soon realized that Hypno was now acting without any commands from Jerry. This was going to get ugly.
Hypno threw both of its hands into the air, creating a large distorted around itself that only impressed the cheering fans even more. The psychic Pokemon then thrusted its hands toward Ash and Muk once again, unleashing an enormous shockwave of energy that rippled through the air as it traveled toward its target. Both Ash and Muk.
Muk glanced back at Ash who was standing directly behind it, realizing that Ash was bound to get hit by this attack, and it was clear that the blast radius would be too large for him to escape the range on his own. Throwing itself onto Ash, Muk completely enveloped Ash into its body before shutting its eyes in preparation for the attack.
"Muk! What are you doing?!" Ash roared from within Muk, unaware of what was taking place outside. The wave of psychic energy collided with Muk and the field surrounding it, destroying the field around it, although Muk remained unharmed. The stadium became silent, realizing that Ash could've potentially been killed in the blast.
Everyone stared at Muk, waiting to see if the Pokemon's efforts were successful. A blue barrier appeared around Muk for just a moment, then it flickered away as Muk rose up from the ground with a groan. Muk shoved one of its hands into its torso as though it was searching for something, then it ripped Ash out of its body. He was covered in the slime that made up Muk's body, although he didn't seem to mind as Muk set him down on his feet. Ash stumbled a bit before standing up right, much to the delight of the crowd.
"Thanks Muk." Ash said, receiving a large smile from his purple companion as it attempted to absorb him in a hug. "Not right now Muk, we got something more important to focus on."
"Hypno!" Hypno continued to shout as it hovered above the field, wildly thrashing about as both Jerry and ref spoke to each other.
"Can't you call it back to its Pokeball?!" The ref hollered at Jerry since he was more than prepared to declare that this battle was over.
"I've already tried that, but all of the kinetic energy Hypno is producing has shut down its Pokeball." Jerry explained as he looked up at his Pokemon. "I can't call it back!"
"Can you tell me what's wrong with you Hypno then?" The ref asked.
"I have no idea. I've never seen anything like this!" Jerry exclaimed.
"Muk, use Screech!"
An ear piercing scream filled the stadium, forcing everyone present to cover their ears as Muk produced this horrific sound. But out of everyone that was in the stadium, Hypno seemed to face the worst of it as the sound waves pounded against its eardrums.
"Now Muk, knock it out with Sludge Bomb!" Ash continued, pointing at their target. Muk opened up its mouth, firing a round of small bombs at Hypno's shield had fallen thanks to Screech. In the silent stadium, everyone could only hear the shouts of Hypno as it was hit repeatedly until it was finally knocked out. Hypno came crashing down to the field where it landed with a thud, remaining completely still. An awkward silence passed before the ref approached Hypno with a bit of uncertainty, concerned with his own safety.
Inspecting the Pokemon for a few moments, the ref then raised a flag into the air. Ash let out a sigh of relief followed closely by the stadium bursting into cheers. Muk happily pounced onto Ash as it always did, cheering for their victory although Ash didn't respond to this as he saw Jerry rush over to his Hypno to check on his Pokemon himself.
"You're Hypno will be fine." Ash assured him as he neared Jerry who was kneeling down beside his partner.
"I know, Nurse Joy can fix just about anything." Jerry replied with a false, trying to hide his frustration. "I just want to know what made Hypno go berserk like that."
"That was partially our fault." Ash said sheepishly as he motioned to himself and Muk.
"What do you mean?"
"A friend of mine has a Psyduck that has psychic powers that go haywire whenever it has a headache. I think when Muk used Mud Bomb on Hypno, it gave it a headache and it lost control of its psychic abilities." Ash explained. "I thought this was something that only her Psyduck experienced, but I guess it applies to all psychic types."
"Wow, you figured all that out?" Jerry exclaimed, raising a brow.
"Just a hunch." Ash replied. Jerry shrugged before extending a hand toward Ash.
"I can see the reporters coming our way, so I guess I'll take my leave here. Great battle."
Ash extended his hand toward Jerry, although he was hesitant to shake hands with Ash since he was still covered in slime. Ash withdrew his hand with a grin, realizing how appalling Muk's slime might have seemed to Jerry.
"I'll just pretend we shook hands." Ash said, receiving a nod of agreement from Jerry who then made a one eighty on his heels to begin traveling toward the exit of the battlefield.
Ash then turned to the camera crew that had stopped a few feet away from him, refusing to come any closer. He could only chuckle as the female reporter came up to him while holding her nose to avoiding gagging on camera from the stench Muk's slime had left on him.
"Ash, congratulations on your win today." She began, speaking with a nasally voice that Ash found incredibly amusing. "With this win, its now been confirmed that your next opponent will be Mandi. I'm sure you've heard some of his recent comments, is there anything you'd like to say in return?"
"Well right now I'm really happy to have made it this far into the Indigo Conference. I've heard a lot of people say I'm too young to actually win in this Conference, or even beat some of the more experience trainers. But I still don't see why I can't beat them. I put in the hours and train from morning to night with my Pokemon to give us a chance to win a Championship, and that's what we came to the Indigo Conference to do. Mandi is looking up at a Championship right now, and that's the easiest way to trip on a stone that's in his path." Ash stated, giving the cameras a nod. The crowd cheered for Ash as he left the stadium, anticipating his next match.
Would he be the stone that manages to trip up Mandi on his path to the Championship, or will Ash be just another pebble that gets crushed underneath Mandi's strength?
Studio
"I must say, Ash Ketchum is starting to get on my good side." Darnell stated as he nodded repeatedly, completely oblivious to the peeved stare he was receiving from Ray.
"How has he done that?" Charles asked as he leaned forward on the table.
"Well at first, he only came across as all business to me." Darnell replied.
"All business?" Charles repeated, lowering his eyebrows.
"Yeah. He was all work and no talk. Yeah, he's a good trainer, but he didn't bring any special atmosphere to his battles. He could walk the walk, but there was no talk." Darnell explained. "I know flashy trainers aren't the best, but I just think they're the most fun to watch instead of the down to earth trainers."
"There's a lot of fans that would agree with you Darnell." Charles interjected.
"But with a statement like what he said today, Ash Ketchum has definitely given his last battle in the Indigo Conference some hype." Darnell continued.
"Whoa, whoa wait." Ray exclaimed. "Last battle? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said, his next battle against Mandi is going to be his last one." Darnell stated.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"As much as the kid is starting to grow on me, he's up against Mandi, a premier trainer in any Conference. Frankly, Ash is just too young to beat Mandi right now. This will be the end of the road for him." Darnell went on.
"Ash has already proven that he'll punch pressure in the face if he could. I see no reason why he couldn't beat Mandi in their upcoming match." Ray replied.
"Alright then, Andy, what do you think?" Darnell asked, glancing over at the man that one again was reducing his role in the conversation to escape being thrown in the spotlight.
"Well, I don't really have an opinion on this match. There's too many factors that can and will tip the scales. Mandi is used to battling with in high stake battles where he will be threading the needle so to speak. Ash on the other hand, may not know what to do in a situation where the battle is on the line." Andy explained, gaining a smug look from Darnell. "But at the same time Ash is coming into this battle with his emotions fueling him after the injury to his Ivysaur, not to mention his Pokemon are clearly out to get back at Mandi too. I don't really know who I'd side with for this one."
"Mhmm, good observation." Charles commented.
"What do you think Charles?" Ray asked, looking at the elderly gentleman on who began to stroke his beard.
"I don't know what to make of this match either. All I know is that it's going to have the fans on their edge of their seats from beginning to end. It's a classic matchup that everyone loves to see, the underdog versus a contender." Charles said, unable to hide the smile on his face. "It's exciting to think about these two trainers getting ready to battle each other. It feels as though a fuse has been lit for an explosive battle."
The sun had set for about and hour now, and Ash found himself resting on his back underneath the darkened skies of night, wrapped the warm air.
"Hey guys, can you believe we've made it all the way to the final sixteen trainers in the Indigo Conference?" Ash asked, looking around at the Pokemon that were resting out on the grassy clearing around him. Each of them voiced their own opinions on the matter, not that Ash could understand any of it, but at the very least he could tell that they were excited. "I know right. If we keep on battling the way we have been, no one in this Conference can stop us."
Charizard, Primeape and Tauros were quick to add their agreements while the others took their time. They were all confident that their winning streak could continue all the way to the championship. Ash sat up and cleared his throat to call for their attention.
"I know you guys have heard me go on and on about this, but tomorrow I want each of you guys to be level headed about battling Mandi and his Pinsir. We're all upset about what happened to Ivysaur, but if anyone is to blame, it's me." Ash stated. "It's my own fault that Ivysaur was injured, but I'm not going to let that happen again. That also doesn't mean Mandi is off the hook. He hurt one of our friends, so let's teach him a lesson he won't forget."
A/N
And now we've finally made it to Ash versus Mandi. I don't have much to say this time around since I've been really busy as of late. Hopefully my next update won't take quite as long as this one, but school is starting again so a lot of my free time will be disappearing pretty soon. Anyway, thanks for the reviews once again and please continue to give feedback.