Before we begin this chapter, I would like to introduce you to my Beta, TestSubject069. Most of you reading my fic might know him as the author of 'The Aura is with me' (I keep track of my reviewers :p). As much as I take pride on this story, I admit that my writing is far from excellent and if this were an original fiction and sent to a real publisher, it would be kicked back after five seconds of reading. However, there are few things I can cater for the Ash fans out here. The battles, the crazy Shippings name them. TestSubject069 has done an excellent job in turning this chapter from good to super-good (no, I don't have the right to use the word excellent on my own story.) While I've written the battle like every time, my dear Beta has colored it with beautiful words, making it ten times better than what I intended to write.
Thank you, TestSubject069. This is our first chapter together and I hope we make more of these wonderful chapters.
Here's to another update! Three cheers people. The exciting battle between Ash and Tobias Continues!
17. Electrifying Raikou!
The battle till now: The most awaited match between Tobias and Ash began with sending Darkrai and Staraptor as their respective first Pokémon. The first matchup surprisingly ended in a tactical victory for Ash as he forced Tobias to switch out. However, Tobias proves he's as formidable as ever when he sends out an extremely powerful looking Raikou. Now what will Ash do?
The sky growled as the dark clouds cackled with electricity. The clouds swirled about the epicenter like the dark vortex I had seen in my dreams. Fifteen minutes passed since the battle began and it was still 9:45 in the morning. However, the whole stadium was swallowed in darkness, darkness brought down by the summoned clouds of the Beast of Thunder.
Raikou gnashed its teeth slowly and sent a resentful growl at both me and the bird that was ready to battle before it. Its eyes instilled fear into those who looked at it, a fear so intense I was rendered completely thoughtless.
The clouds rumbled once again and it seemed as if the sky itself had crashed. "Star!" Staraptor let out a frightful cry as it dodged a lightning that almost hit him. The bird was high up in the sky and the constant presence of Raikou's clouds endangered it.
"Raikou's natural ability to summon lightning has cornered Staraptor completely! This brave bird was successful in putting Darkrai in the soup, but will it be able to overcome the type disadvantage and do the same to Raikou? What will Ash's next move be?"
This one.
"Return, Staraptor!" The red light sucked the bird back to the Pokéball I had aimed at it.
"Ash has opted for a Pokémon switch! It seems like he doesn't want to play the disadvantage handicap against a legendary Pokémon!"
Tobias had a little smirk on his face. Although I initially knocked his confidence away with Staraptor, Raikou seemed to have replenished him. Let's see how long that could last.
"Good. Good. Good." Barry nodded his head fervently. "Staraptor wouldn't have stood a chance." Knowing Ash, he expected the raven-haired trainer to blindly continue with Staraptor. He wasn't as smart as Paul but he still made good decisions when it counted, Barry thought.
"Good thing he's being levelheaded," Palmer said, a frown on his face. "This Tobias guy is really a mess to deal with. Darkrai… Latios… Raikou…What the hell is next?"
Brandon who was sitting on the row below the Sinnoh Frontier Brain's heard this. "It's easy to lose your cool. If Ash does that, this battle can easily turn into a disaster." Raikou looked powerful enough to defeat any of Ash's Pokémon in a quick succession of moves and Ash would need a great deal of damage to put Raikou down. A feat like that was only possible with a mindset to maintain calm and chip away Raikou's health bit by bit.
"Of course he won't," Annabel was watching the raven-haired trainer intently. "Besides, if he'd lost his cool, he'd have lost it already. Ash will keep it together."
Brandon raised an eyebrow at this. Yes, that was true. Perhaps he needed to have more faith in the kid. He may be young, but Brandon recognized that Ash had what it takes to win. The desire to win, the tactical expertise to outwit the opponent, the courage to hold his own against an overwhelming force like Tobias... All Ash needed to do was to be patient.
"So," Dawn asked. "What will his next Pokémon be?" She tried predicting Ash's first choice earlier with either Heracross or Sceptile, but he ended up sending Staraptor. It wasn't she expected but it had done surprisingly well.
"Not a Pokémon with type advantage for sure," Alex replied. "Tobias's attitude suggests that he'd switch out his own Pokémon in a disadvantageous situation. Right now, Ash is gunning for a real win, not a tactical one."
A real win? Dawn's attention shifted to the beast that now occupied the battlefield. Which of his Pokémon could be daring enough to take Raikou head on without a type advantage? And that beast looked invincible in her eyes. With just a simple glance one could tell that it was insanely strong.
Very few Pokémon have the raw strength to fight a Pokémon like that. What if things ended up the same way it did in the Sinnoh League? Would Ash be able to take such a loss? He was very confident yesterday and it's true that he had gotten a lot stronger since his last match with Tobias, but the difference between them was huge to begin with. She unconsciously held her chest. She was excited, yes, but she was also terrified at the prospect of what would happen next.
"A cheer leader shouldn't have negative thoughts," Alex said, surprising the girl. Was she being that obvious?
"I'm sorry," she said, feeling silly. "It's just that…" She paused. Oh that's right, she was supposed to cheer Ash here. She realized that brooding on discouraging thoughts was just wasting time. She had to believe that Ash could win and would win.
"Alright Buneary," Dawn said pumping herself up along with her Pokémon. "Let's put more power into our cheering."
The brown rabbit hopped in agreement.
The buzz from the stands began to rise in anticipation from the Pokémon I would send next.
"Alright," I said, holding my second Pokéball high in the air—my answer to the monster Tobias commanded. The crowd seemed to resonate with my actions like they were on my side for some reason. Perhaps people don't like having to fight legendary Pokémon?
"Ash's sending out his second Pokémon. Will it be another win for Ash, or was the first round just a lucky break?"
"Infernape," I said tossing the ball. "I choose you!"
The flaming ape materialized out of the Pokéball. It raised its head proudly and bellowed a battle cry into the sky. It curled up its fists and stooped down, resting its body on four limbs like an ape. Its fiery mane burned magnificently, resembling the torch that was lit in the Rose-Red stadium.
"Ash's answer for the electric type Raikou is Infernape!"
Scoreboard
(2-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (2-6)
Staraptor - Darkrai
Infernape - Raikou
Acknowledging Infernape's presence, Raikou gnashed its teeth again and gave out a trembling roar that literally sent tremors through the ground. Even Infernape took a step back in surprise—only a select few wouldn't have been intimidated after such a ferocious display.
"Infernape," I called for the fire-type's attention. "Raikou is a tough Pokémon, but I know you can handle this." Infernape nodded at this to assure me that he was fine. He had enough fighting spirit to go on, but—
"The reason I've chosen you is because," I said, as the Pokémon turned back to me again. "Back when you are a Chimchar, you faced all those dangerous Zangoose and fought bravely. Well," I said pointing at the beast in front of us. "That Raikou over there is just like that, right? Back then you were young and had no control over your abilities, but now you've evolved twice and perfected Blaze. So," I said clenching my fists. "Infernape, you're my best Pokémon to win this."
My words seemed to have inspired the Pokémon, because Infernape curled its fists, turned around, and pounded its chest before letting out a battle cry. Raikou reacted to this, by stepping forward and gnashing its teeth threateningly.
"Both Pokémon are raring to go, so without further ado let's start the battle!"
The referee raised either flags, "Raikou versus Infernape, commence!"
Alright, we'll make the first move one more time. "Infernape, use Mach Punch!"
The martial arts Pokémon charged at the electric beast whilst the clouds in the sky continued to rumble. The Pokémon was swift, and instead of running all the way towards Raikou, it took long strides and paced towards the electric type at a speed no human could ever dream to achieve.
"Infernape is fast! How will Raikou react to this swift move?"
"Raikou," Tobias's haughty smile returned. "Dodge."
Infernape took one last jump before throwing a swift punch at the electric type. But in one amazing display of speed, Raikou took a quick leap back, avoiding the punch entirely by a long shot.
"Whoa," Iris gasped at the lightning fast reaction.
However Ash didn't let surprise get to him and waste time. "Keep going!" The trainer exclaimed.
Infernape's left fist this time glowed and it took another swift jump towards the electric type. The Pokémon's fist met with air as Raikou managed to duck underneath Infernape's punch. The fighting type didn't need another command from the trainer. It slugged the right fist at the Pokémon's face, but this time Raikou took a swift step back avoiding the attack with a narrow gap.
"Raikou is blinding fast! Infernape's unable to strike Raikou!"
"Then in that case," Ash gritted his teeth. "Infernape, Close Combat!"
The monkey's glowing Mach Punches stopped. Suddenly it jumped much closer to the beast and threw a melee of punches that made its Mach Punch pale in comparison.
The electric type was thrown off by the sudden change in speed. Raikou ducked the first left punch that came at its face, but then a second Punch came to hit its jaw on the right. The Pokémon managed to avoid it with a graze on its cheek, but the third punch then came immediately after and—
SMACK!
Infernape's third punch landed. The punch caused Raikou to reel its head back in reflex and—
SMACK!
Within no time, the ape landed a right uppercut on Raikou's jaw. When a Pokémon gets caught up in an opponent's Close Combat, getting out of the melee attack is more or less impossible. The only escape is presented when the attacker's assault comes to an end—if it ever does.
Complementing the his punch from the below, Infernape sent a punch from the right and—
SMACK!
The fifth punch landed on the legendary's white beard. The sixth punch followed immediately from the left afterwards, trying to burry Raikou's face into the ground, but—
Crunch!
The seventh punch never landed on Raikou's face. Instead, the fire type found its fist struck between the beast's powerful jaws that clamped it tightly like a vice.
"What a surprise! Raikou managed to break the barrage of punches with its crushing jaws!"
Ash's reaction was a mixture of surprise and worry. He didn't anticipate Raikou to break out of Close Combat. The legendary Pokémon was living up to its name.
Tobias smiled at this. "I suppose you were trying the same tactic you used with Staraptor," Tobias closed his eyes. "But Raikou is far different from Darkrai."
In response the beast lifted Infernape off the ground with the mere strength of its jaws. Then in a quick spinning motion, the great beast turned around with utmost ease, sending the fire type Pokémon flying back towards Ash's side.
"Infernape!" Ash exclaimed as the ape almost crashed on the ground. Thankfully the Pokémon used its right hand as an aid and flipped back on its feet. A smile crept across Ash's face, but it quickly turned into a frown when he saw Tobias move.
"Raikou," the legendary trainer commanded. "Thunder."
The Raikou let out a roar as electricity spread all over its body. Befitting of the Pokémon's title, the legendary Beast of Thunder then let out a huge amount of electricity that scorched the ground as they erupted out of the Pokémon's body. Then the lightning bolts shot towards the fire-type who watched the incoming attack apprehensively.
"Scary," Barry muttered. He had seen many Thunder attacks, but this one was exceptionally powerful. In fact was powerful enough to overpower the electricity in a thunderstorm.
"Yeah," his father nodded in agreement. "Not only does Raikou have exceptional speed, its power is quite a handful to deal with, too."
The lightning came towards Infernape at an alarming speed, charring the field black as it approached us. Type immunity or not, any Pokémon would certainly feel its power, so taking an attack like that was foolish.
But—
"Charge in, Infernape!"
Instead of running away from the beast that reined the chains of Thunder, Infernape charged towards the beast while avoiding the lightning bolts at the same time. A feat like that was possible only by a Pokémon whose movements were as flexible as any acrobat's, like Infernape.
"Infernape charges in! Folks is this a suicidal move?"
Infernape continued anyway. The ape dodged one strike that was supposed to hit by hopping over it like a skipping rope, and it dove to the right when a Thunder tried to hit it from the left. The electric attacks kept coming but the Pokémon continued to close down the distance towards Raikou. A tinge of surprise was seen on Tobias's face as Infernape continued to ape its way until it was only a few leaps away from hitting Raikou.
"Dodging Thunder like that," Lucian smiled as he watched the Infernape weave between the electric attacks. "It's quite impressive." He turned towards the afro red-haired man sitting beside him. "Reminds me of your Infernape when it fought Cynthia."
Flint chuckled, "An Infernape's ability to dodge depends on how much it enjoyed playing as a Chimchar." It was clear that Ash cared for his Pokémon and raised them with love.
"Ape instincts huh," Alder nodded. As a man who enjoyed nature himself, he was in agreement with Flint's observation. The Infernape's movements were natural and didn't seem forced by some kind of training or the other.
Raikou watched in frustration as Infernape found its way towards the legendary Pokémon. Obviously using Thunder was futile, the Pokémon realized. It was better to use its speed to its advantage and deal with physical attacks.
The Thunder stopped as Infernape closed further in. Noticing the chance, Ash decided to attack. "Infernape, use Mach Punch!"
Using the momentum from charging in, Infernape lunged at the beast and prepared its right fist for a powerful Mach Punch.
But the beast was quick enough to react to the obvious attack. Using its extraordinarily powerful limbs it jumped a great deal away from Infernape's reach.
"You must have realized forcing your way through won't work against Raikou," Tobias smiled. "Raikou, show them what real speed looks like."
The Pokémon tensed its muscles at Tobias's command and dashed towards Infernape. The Pokémon transformed into a yellow blur as it dashed towards Infernape. The movements suggested that it could even outrun a racecar.
"What incredible speed! Raikou is as fast as lightning itself!"
Raikou was irrationally fast. With just a few quick leaps it ended up in Infernape's midst, who was quite startled by the speed. The audience was dumbfounded, for one moment Raikou was at the far end of the stadium, and the next it leapt over its opponent effortlessly.
Ash clenched his fists in reflex. "Dodge!"
Infernape leaped away at the last second before Raikou rocketed past where the fire type once stood. The Beast of Thunder swiftly turned around and lunged at Infernape once again in an attempt to hit the Pokémon with brute physical force.
"Jump!" Ash exclaimed.
The Pokémon jumped in the nick of time as Raikou careened into the spot where Infernape landed earlier. The ape landed a fair distance away just as the lightning Pokémon turned back for another round.
"He's in real trouble," Brock muttered. Infernape was actually slower than Raikou, and was dodging only because of its monkey-like hops and springs.
Tobias smirked as he felt Infernape getting cornered by the second. "Don't let it rest, Raikou!"
The beast made another quick leap at Infernape. The ape slid away, but the beast anticipated his move, made a quick turn and followed up with a jump to rake Infernape with its claws.
"Roll to the right!"
Using its hand as an aid, Infernape pushed itself away from the attacking beast and found itself rolling on the ground. The Pokémon braked itself to a stop, performed a flip, and hastily landed before falling to his knees.
"Now is your chance Raikou," Tobias pointed as Infernape was yet to completely get back to its feet.
Letting out another roar, Raikou lunged at Infernape one more time. Each iteration of the lightning type Pokémon's attacks were getting increasingly dangerous to the fire type Pokémon.
Yet Infernape sprang away from the attack, dodging Raikou's swift jump for the fourth time in a row. Unfortunately its jump was weaker and Infernape was still on its knees when it landed.
Raikou's eyes relished with delight now that the distance between it and Infernape was the shortest it had ever been. The next strike would undoubtedly hit. A similar expression crept across Tobias's face.
Raikou snarled as it prepared to catch Infernape by its jaws and leaped forward one last time and it was as good as ensnared.
Then—
"Mach Punch!"
Raikou and Tobias were so involved in the hunt to catch Infernape that they forgot that their opponent was no Deerling in some forest. This was the Pokémon World Tournament.
A powerful strike to its face knocked the daylights out of Raikou. Not only was the punch unexpected, but the extremely close range caused the blow to hit the Pokémon a lot harder than it would've liked. Infernape followed his assault all the way through and sent Raikou flying towards the trainer's box on Tobias's side.
"A startling Mach Punch at a close range! Ketchum has surprised us once again!"
The legendary Pokémon shook its head, trying to recover from the punch that hit like a ton of bricks. Realizing what happened, it glared at the ape and bared its fangs threateningly. On the receiving end, the ape growled something back and tauntingly pointed its thumb at itself as if to say, 'Come at be, bro.'
Tobias on the other hand was smiling. The amount of times he faced some opposition were very rare alone, but to face one in the first match was well… refreshing.
"Hmm," Alex scratched his chin, as if in deep thought. "Tobias is sure taking his sweet time to get into the battle." For the most part, the trainer was letting Raikou move on its own instincts. But what troubled Alex more than Tobias' inaction was the fact that Infernape was barely keeping up despite having an excellent trainer at command. It showed that the only power difference in this battle lay in the huge slant of natural strengths.
"It seems so," Professor Oak frowned in agreement. "I wonder if Ash can push Tobias into action."
Misty found the Tobias guy's attitude irksome. He had this smug smile on his face despite the fact that the first prized legendary was pummeled and the second one was taking quite a few hits too. It was as if all of this was just a game to him! And worse, it was like no matter how hard Ash struggled, Tobias knew the end result would the same.
If it weren't for the fact that she and Ash were on bad terms, she would have actually yelled Ash to kick his butt.
"Kick his butt Ash!" Iris yelled as she banged her stick against the drum. She rolled up her sleeves and put a foot on the railing before her, obviously irritated by Tobias's attitude.
Misty chuckled to herself. She and Iris were a lot alike.
We countered Raikou's speed and countered its special attack… so what now, Tobias?
Whatever happens, I have to be on my toes all the time. Since Raikou was extremely fast and extremely powerful, a single mistake could turn out to be fatal for me.
While I'm constantly anticipating his next moves, Tobias's expression suggests that he's enjoying the struggle! Slowly but surely though he's got to realize that he has to up his battle if he wants to win. I'll just watch what he has up his sleeve before going on the offensive.
"Raikou," Tobias swung his hand majestically. "Wild Charge!"
He had Wild Charge all along?!
Raikou began its assault with the same extreme speed it had a few moments earlier. With a blitzing speed akin to a bolt of lightning, the legendary Beast of Thunder charged at Infernape like it did before, but this time it was coming at us with a fatal move.
"Infernape," I ordered the fire type as Raikou was closing in. "Flare Blitz!"
Electricity enveloped Raikou as its pace increased, gathering static charges with every step it took towards Infernape. Soon the static grew into a powerful flux that totally engulfed the electric type until the Pokémon inside wasn't even visible. All we could see was a mass of electric energy blitzing its way towards us.
Meanwhile, Infernape itself was being consumed by the flame on its mane. Quickly that moderate flame took over the Pokémon's body and Infernape, much like Raikou, became engulfed in elemental energy. With a cry befitting of an ape, my Pokémon rocketed towards the opposing force.
The yellow flux and blue flux met each other at Infernape's side of the stadium. As soon as the two fluxes made contact, so did the Pokémon inside them, crashing their heads against each other. Both Pokémon attempted to overpower the other, resulting in a physical struggle between the two. Raikou managed to push the ape back a step thanks to its superior physical strength, but the flaming Pokémon nudged itself forward in retaliation.
"You can do it, Infernape!" I encouraged the Pokémon.
"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu yelled the same.
Tobias silently watched the struggle. I guess he just wasn't a man of words.
As the two Pokémon continued to push each other, the two fluxes continued to intermix with each other at the intersection, resulting in blue sparks. The blue sparks quickly grew in number as the Pokémon continued to struggle one against the other. Before anyone could even comprehend what was happening, the two attacks exploded abruptly.
"Infernape!" Ash exclaimed in worry as his Pokémon was sent flying away, forced from the strength of the explosion.
Infernape landed on its back, hard. On the other hand Raikou was pushed back by the explosion, except the Pokémon managed to slide across the battlefield, balancing itself against the force.
"A tie between Flare Blitz and Wild Charge! This is starting to turn into an exciting battle!"
"Except," Brock muttered. "They weren't exactly equal."
"Raikou seems to be slightly better," Cilan said, somewhat unsure. "Isn't it?"
"Yes," Alex nodded. "We're quite lucky Infernape didn't receive as much damage from that." It was quite a reckless move, one that he surely wouldn't have made, but this was Ash's style. He'd rather counter the opponent's move with his own move than try going defensive.
Thunder, Wild Charge. So far, both of Tobias's moves were revealed to be electric type. One was a long range move, and the other one used the Pokémon's immense physical strength. Ash would most likely have trouble with the latter than the former, but he could try countering Wild Charge with a long range move like Flamethrower. So why didn't that happen?
Ash had revealed Mach Punch, Close Combat, and Flare Blitz. If Ash had Flamethrower on Infernape, then he definitely would have used it by now. The fact that he hadn't seemed fishy. He must have rotated the move for something, but for what?
"Are you okay, Infernape?" I asked, the Pokémon grunted as it stood up. The ape nodded. Judging by his looks, the damage from the explosion wasn't substantial. I don't know by what miracle that happened, but for now what I was just glad the damage Infernape took was minor. "Good," I said, shifting my attention to the battle.
Thunder, Wild Charge… so what's next, Tobias?
As if to answer my question, Tobias made his move. "Raikou, Shadow Ball."
The Pokémon opened its jaws wide and a purple sphere of energy formed. Just as Raikou shot the attack towards us, another sphere formed, and then another, and then another until five Shadow Balls were launched out of the Pokémon's mouth in quick succession. It was almost like a Bullet Seed attack with Shadow Balls.
"Parry it away with Mach Punch!"
Both of Infernape's fists glowed with energy. The five Shadow Balls were easily swatted away by the swift punches. Each redirect sphere ended up landing on the ground with explosive pops.
"Interesting," Tobias smirked at the exchange of moves. "Let's see how you will stop this." His face turned serious, "Raikou, Aura Sphere!"
"Aura Sphere?!" I exclaimed.
Raikou let its jaws open, much like earlier, but its eyes shone with an uncharacteristic blue light, in contrast to its original red color. A strange but familiar blue energy was rapidly shaped into a sphere between its jaws before releasing it as quickly as it formed. The attack was marvelous. Indeed it was the essence of Raikou, its spirit made into an assault against Infernape and I. Aura Sphere needed extreme concentration and a calm mind to use, so only a legendary Pokémon could pull out an Aura Sphere despite lacking the natural inclination to use it.
But what the heck am I doing? There's no time to be impressed! "Infernape," I said to the Pokémon. "You can't dodge Aura Sphere, so block it!"
As Raikou thrust the sphere of life energy at us, Infernape crossed its arms as a means to defend itself. The sphere moved at an incredible speed, even faster than lightning itself, so dodging it was flat out impossible. Before the onlookers could even comprehend that Aura Sphere was released from Raikou's jaws, the attack had already struck Infernape.
The force was incredible. Despite bracing itself for the impact, Infernape found itself on the ground, hitting the field much harder than it expected.
"Infernape!"
"What an impact," Ritchie blinked after watching Infernape fly away by the power of Aura Sphere. That attack seemed like a football after being kicked in some fantasy football anime, skewed by the wind and elastic motion, and Infernape was the lowly goal keeper who desperately tried to stop it.
"Not to mention it's impossible to dodge," Stephan scratched his cheek. Infernape hardly stood a chance at avoiding the attack. It was as fast as a comet, he felt. "I think Ash's in trouble."
"What?!" Morrison exclaimed, as if he noticed the fact just now. It wasn't far from the truth, but Morrison didn't like seeing the facts. The words 'Ash will win' were deep etched into his mind, and anything showing the contrary just shocked him.
"Aura Sphere is a really cool move," Cameron said, owing to the fact that it was one of his favorite moves, credit to his Lucario. "The only way you can counter it is by using a long-ranged move before it hits." What was odd is how Ash didn't do so. He had enough experience against Aura Sphere attacks thanks to facing his Lucario in the Unova League, so was there a reasonable explanation for why Ash was still hiding his fourth move?
Infernape gritted its teeth as it stood up. Getting hit by the Aura Sphere was something the Pokémon didn't like much. "Calm down buddy," Ash warned the Pokémon, a frown on his face. "We have to wait till the right moment to launch that attack. We won't have a second chance, remember."
The Pokémon shook its head before turning to Raikou. The down side was there weren't many ways to handle Aura Sphere, Ash thought. But the bright side? Raikou had finally revealed all of its cards. There was a general plan in Ash's mind to deal with Raikou, but more importantly he needed a way to handle Aura Sphere.
Meanwhile Tobias noticed the amount of trouble Ash had with that Aura Sphere attack. He knew a sure-hit move would severely hamper Ash's attacking since most of his strategy two pronged. One element involved dodging Tobias' attacks and the other involved exploiting every opportunity to throw in a Mach Punch or a Close Combat. So basically, Tobias' answer to Ash's strategy was simple.
"Raikou," Tobias ordered. "Aura Sphere."
"Charge in Infernape," Ash replied. "Counter Aura Sphere with Mach Punch."
Infernape reacted immediately. Taking huge, swift leaps, Infernape lunged with his fist reeled back while the Beast of Thunder opened its jaws for the unavoidable Aura Sphere.
But Infernape was swift. Even before Raikou properly prepared the blue sphere of energy, it had reduced the distance between the two Pokémon by half. That was when Raikou launched the attack. If Infernape Mach Punch could be described as sonic fast, then Raikou's Aura Sphere could only be described as lightning fast, for it covered the same distance the ape did in a fraction of the time.
Infernape threw its fist at the upcoming move, still a few long strides away from the ultimate target. The two moves met, halting Infernape's advancement. The fire and fighting type Pokémon intended to parry the attack away much like it did with Shadow Ball, but that feat was nearly impossible. For one, Aura Sphere had a much more momentum than Mach Punch and Aura Sphere never leaves an intended target once it has been locked in. Aura behaved like magnetic attraction so no matter how hard Infernape tried to push it away, it repelled with even more force. There was a slim chance for martial artsists to deflect Aura Sphere, but without practice that ability simply wouldn't yield results. And in this case, when that sphere of energy is pierced by another attack, the energy would detonate instantly.
Morrison blinked. "Uh…." He trailed off, slowly comprehending the fact that Ash was indeed getting attacked back. "I guess you're right," he scratched his cheek.
A rush of wind enveloped Infernape thanks to the release of Aura Sphere energy. It didn't last too long and the dust settled soon enough, revealing the Pokémon standing inside it.
"Ah," Ritchie gasped at the sight. Infernape was standing still, its right fist rigid in the air. On closer inspection, the Pokémon wasn't quite as stoic as it appeared. The Pokémon's hand trembled, its teeth were clenched, and the right portion that was exposed to the explosion was bruised. Judging by the fact that Infernape's right knee was about to collapse, it was pretty obvious that the Pokémon had received a good amount of damage.
"That's some damage isn't it," Cameron said, nodding to himself in assurance.
"Well it seems fine now," Stephan frowned. The damage wasn't enough to put the Pokémon down, but Infernape was noticeably straining to remain standing. Considering that Infernape had reduced most of the impact with Mach Punch, the fire type should be able to stand a couple more of these. "But, I wonder how will he keep up from now on."
"I know Ash," Morrison said in an assuring tone. "There must be some plan in his mind if he's trying this. He doesn't look desperate or anything."
Ritchie agreed. Ash's gaze told him that he still had some tricks up his sleeve. Besides, Infernape managed to halve the distance between Raikou before it could even launch an attack. So if Infernape could attack again, this time Mach Punch will hit before Aura Sphere launches. "Yes, I guess Ash wants to hit Raikou before he Infernape takes too much damage."
Morrison beamed at this. "Now that's a strategy I'd expect from Ash." The main reason Morrison liked Ash was because they had such a similar attitude in battle. Just like Morrison, Ash was headstrong and wouldn't hesitate to go head on against the enemy.
"Infernape, Mach Punch!"
Infernape cried in excitement, resuming its previous pace. Yes, that was our plan for Aura Sphere for now. All we had to do was take on one Aura Sphere and everything else will be fine.
Tobias on the other hand was having mixed reactions from our move. He was slightly happy to see some damage, but even he could comprehend the fact that Infernape would be right onto Raikou by the next move.
"Raikou, Aura Sphere!" Tobias exclaimed, finally getting into the serious mood. Raikou slowly concentrated, formed the energy in the gap of its jaws, and its eyes slowly turned blue from red.
"Do you best Infernape!" I shouted.
The gap between Raikou's jaws glowed with a mystic light as a small sphere took shape—
Infernape only one leap away from punching Raikou—
"Now!"
A punch with the power of a moving truck hit Raikou in the face, knocking the daylights out of legendary beast for the second time in this battle. The punch sent Raikou sliding away, but the Pokémon used its claws to anchor itself firmly on the ground. The sphere between its jaws was still glowing.
"Once more!" I commanded right after.
Infernape jumped at the retreating Raikou once more and struck with yet another punch, pushing the Pokémon even further back.
"Keep those punches coming! Close Combat!"
Tobias gritted his teeth. At this rate, Aura Sphere would never be launched. "Dodge, Raikou."
Infernape sprang towards Raikou intending to pummel it with more punches but the other Pokémon had no desire to let that happen. At this point, holding onto Aura Sphere was more of a hindrance than a help, so it let go of the sphere and jumped away from the monkey with a single leap.
Realizing that the legendary was slipping out of Infernape's grip I exclaimed, "Mach Punch!"
Mach Punch was our means to close the gap while Close Combat was amazing at dealing damage at close range. In other words, if I wanted to land as many hits on Raikou as possible, I had to force it into a corner with Mach Punch and then use Close Combat when we got close enough.
Just as I anticipated, Infernape's Mach Punch closed the distance alright, but Raikou still managed to duck underneath the attack. Now the stage was set and our winning pattern could repeat. So basically, I would have to order a—
"Close Combat!"
"It's a continuous switch between Mach Punch and Close Combat! Ketchum sure knows how to mount some impressive offensive pressure!"
The melee move rained on Raikou with multiple kicks and punches sent to and received by the electric type. Infernape's first attack was a straight right punch at its snout.
SMACK!
The second attack came towards Raikou's chin in the form of Infernape's left side kick. Infernape took a step back after that, giving Raikou time to lash its fangs at Infernape, which the monkey ducked aside like an expert boxer. Using the ducking momentum he launched a left punch on Raikou's neck.
SMACK!
Raikou felt its weight shift in response and tried to face Infernape again, raising its forelegs to strike. Infernape hastily ducked and returned with a punch that was blindly thrown to hit Raikou on the cheek, the Pokémon managed to duck away from such an ill-timed move. Without hesitation Raikou jumped back just as Infernape lifted its right leg to kick.
Raikou may have taken a few hits, but the legendary Pokémon was quick to familiarize itself with Infernape's movements, making them easier to dodge. But then—
Infernape took a swift step forward. Raikou thought that this was just a blind, foolish move that Infernape concocted in desperation, so the electric beast jumped at the fire type. Needless to say the Beast of Thunder had not expected an extremely powerful right punch to its gut. The attack knocked the wind out of the beast as one could notice from the sudden growl when the punch landed. As the Pokémon withered with pain, Infernape turned around and struck the Pokémon once more with its left elbow for good measure, causing the beast some intense pain.
The electric type staggered in pain and Infernape finally took a moment of rest after the constant barrage of attacks. Infernape jumped back a reasonable distance just as Raikou tensed up to collect itself, and I let out a breath of air I hadn't realized I'd been holding for so long. Here I thought we had this matchup handled.
But of course, we didn't really consider how extremely temperamental Raikou was.
Rrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwrrrrr!
If Raikou's roar was anything less than frightening before, its bellow was surely frightening after Infernape landed dozens of punches on the Pokémon. Raikou opened its jaws wide and let out a beastly roar that literally shook the ground apart. Infernape with all of its bravery even took a step back in fear.
The clouds echoed Raikou's cry. The sky which had remained merely a spectator to the entire battle now decided to join Raikou by sending a bolt of lightning towards Infernape. The fire type had to jump away from the electric shock to save its brown skin.
"What in the world is going on?" Alex wondered with a hint of terror in his voice. The sky was flashing with electricity and the clouds began to circle about each other, rather than standing still like they had a minute ago. Without a doubt, the clouds were responding to Raikou's rage .
Ash was equally startled. Looking at the sky he wondering if another bolt of lightning would pop out of nowhere and even surge through his own body. Infernape on the other hand was glaring at Raikou, mostly because it was startled by the arcane cries of the Beast of Thunder.
A smile crept across Tobias's face. It was as if he predicted something like that to happen, like he knew that Raikou's true strength came out when it was burning with rage.
"I-It's scary," Dawn said, holding onto Buneary tightly. Good thing too. The brown Pokémon nearly fell through Dawn's grasp when the Raikou let out its menacing roar.
"It's now or never," I gritted my teeth. Raikou was in a terrible rage, and it was scary to be honest. But this was a good time for us to attack it. "Infernape, you can do it!"
As a response to Raikou's roar, Infernape let out its own battle cry. The flame on its head grew slightly larger, clearly indicating that the Pokémon was ready to put more into its next attacks. "That's the way," I clenched my fists.
Infernape's cry got Raikou's attention. It silently glared at the Infernape responsible for its pain with its jaws slightly open.
"This is where the real battle begins Ash," Tobias smirked. "Raikou, go!"
The beast didn't need a second word. It pounced at Infernape, closing the distance between them in just one step.
That's right. It's time to step up my offense too.
"Dodge and use Mach Punch!"
The beast landed with a ground shaking impact but Infernape slid away from where it once stood. However, instead of attacking Infernape blindly, Raikou paused to watch the ape move. The fire monkey prepared its right fist and lunged at Raikou to land the super-fast punch on the legendary beast for the umpteenth time.
"Jump, Raikou!" Tobias exclaimed all of a sudden.
What?!
Infernape's fist ended up striking thin air as the Pokémon's target, the beast, had already jumped away. The Pokémon was alarmed to find its target missing.
"Above you, Infernape!"
The monkey looked up and gaped in surprise to find Raikou high up in the air, its shape quickly growing larger.
"Let's finish this battle with one move," Tobias smirked. "Raikou, Wild Charge!"
Time froze at the moment when Raikou managed to gain a definitive upper hand for the first time since the match began. The beast was directly above Infernape while the monkey watched the Pokémon in awe with its mouth wide open.
"This is bad!" Brock exclaimed, getting up from his seat. Infernape was a sitting duck, entirely confused by the sudden jump by Raikou. A Wild Charge from such a strong electric Pokémon would surely deal massive damage to Infernape.
A lightning landed from above and struck Raikou engulfing the legendary Pokémon completely in electricity. The Pokémon gave out its majestic roar one more time as the electricity it took from the lightning slowly shrouded the Pokémon.
Misty, Dawn, Iris, Professor Oak, Delia Ketchum, Alex, Cilan and Brock all had the same despondent expression on their faces, their mouths open in horror, their bodies were frozen with fright. Dawn gripped onto her Buneary a lot tighter than she should, Iris suddenly paused her drumming, and Misty gripped the chair's arms unconsciously. Delia's finger remained on the camera's button, unable to click it. Alex who usually remained calm and collected couldn't help but grit his teeth. Cilan was on the edge of his seat, half sitting-half standing. Brock snapped into rigidity, his body frozen like a tree.
But Ash Ketchum smiled.
"Infernape," Ash waved his hand. "Overheat!"
Engulfed in an electric flux, Raikou was falling onto Infernape's position in no time. The beast was only a foot away from the fire type.
Infernape's body grew extremely red as a white-hot heat enveloped the Pokémon.
Raikou was only a few inches away from the fire type. The electric aura would land on the monkey any time and finish it off in a single hit with Raikou's immense physical strength. Then when all was lost for sure, Infernape opened its mouth and—
A giant flame erupted from the Pokémon's mouth. The flame was so bright and huge that not only did it engulf Raikou's immense expanse completely, it managed to light up the otherwise cloud-darkened stadium with a bright orange light. The electric aura that surrounded Raikou disappeared amidst the flames.
What people could hear at that moment were the whimpers of a ferocious beast, and a cry sent from Infernape's vocal chords as it shot out the extremely powerful flames from its mouth. The blast from the flames was so powerful, that not only did it nullify the electric field that surrounded Raikou, it completely overpowered its attack and threw the heavy weight Pokémon away. Just as the flames died down, Raikou crashed on the ground a few feet away from Infernape.
A unanimous silence engulfed the arena. Not a single word was heard, nor a single sound. Of course, that was only the silence before the storm, and the crowd exploded with cheer right after.
"Now that's what I call a critical hit!" Alex jumped from his seat. An Overheat taken from such a close range, literally inches away, would do more damage than anyone could conceive without experiencing it. That was the perfect way to use Overheat.
"Ash outdid himself once again!" Cilan said, humming in joy. Today's battle was just one surprise after the other.
"Yeah," Brock nodded, a smile on his face as he sat down. "He saved Overheat till the last moment, just like when he battled Articuno!" Brock still admired the original strategy even though he saw it fail the first time. In the battle against Articuno, Charizard managed to defeat it without Overheat, but that fateful day sealed the strategy forever.
"What an amazing move! Ketchum has turned the tables one more time! This is an amazing battle of pure power and strategy!"
Misty chuckled at this, "I never thought Ash and the word strategy would ever be associated."
"Me too," Iris said, giggling at the fact that she and Misty were thinking along the same lines. On that note, the two girls proceeded to give each other a high-five.
Delia who watched the scene smiled, "They're copying us, Dawn."
Dawn replied to that with her own smile. The tense atmosphere that had engulfed the spectating group before had finally disappeared.
Raikou lay on the ground, motionless. Its body had suffered first and second degree burns in some places, the bright yellow skin of the Pokémon was charred black, and its front belly, neck, and chest were deeply singed having been exposed to Overheat directly.
Professor Oak watched the field intently. He was equally happy at the surprise move Ash just pulled as he was watching the crowds reciprocate the excitement. An Infernape defeating a Raikou was not an ordinary feat after all, Oak thought, but somehow the atmosphere on the battlefield however was slightly different.
The referee stood very still, paying more attention to the sky above than observing Raikou's consciousness on the ground. Indeed, even Ash and Tobias were doing the same, feeling the wind pick up and moisture collect.
For some reason, the clouds remained intact despite the fact that Raikou was severely injured. That could only mean one thing.
This battle wasn't over.
"So it can even survive an Overheat from a close range huh," I muttered as I watched the clouds refusing to go away since Raikou crashed after Infernape's surprise attack. It was unfair. Any ordinary Pokémon without a type advantage should have been defeated by now, especially after such a close range Overheat. Raikou neither had a type advantage nor could it dodge the attack, took my Pokémon's attack at point blank and still…!
The Pokémon's previously motionless legs twitched a bit, gathering the attention of everyone nearest to the field. Those who were watching from the stands settled down silently, realizing the battle wasn't over.
The legendary beast let out a low growl and pushed its legs against the ground in an attempt to stand. The Pokémon's legs wobbled twice before it could upright itself again. It was severely injured, but was still able to battle.
Tobias merely smirked at this. It was as if he'd known from the start how this battle would play out and he stood just as proudly as ever. Thankfully I could tell that the move I made earlier left a hint of distaste in the expression on his face.
"We'll finish them off with the next move," I encouraged Infernape, who nodded. Raikou may have managed to stand up but that Overheat did a lot of damage. It shouldn't be able to attack with the same force again, so I could try finishing it with Flare Blitz or Close Combat? But using Overheat took a lot out of Infernape's stamina too.
"Infernape, Flare Blitz!"
The flame on Infernape's mane grew larger as it prepared the powerful physical move, Flare Blitz. That was when something surprising happened.
Something cold pricked my nose and caught my attention. I lightly touched the spot with my finger and I realized it was a droplet of water. That was when more of these droplets started to fall. Even the fire type stopped the move it was preparing out of surprise and looked at the sky.
The clouds were circling around the arena again, lightning cackled, and the sky turned greyer than ever. The water drops at one moment fell occasionally, then the next moment they fell with fervor, drenching us all of a sudden. Within just a few moments, we were being drenched in water.
"I-it's raining?" I was honestly puzzled. Yes, there were clouds before, but there wasn't any rain! And Raikou's only moves were Thunder, Wild Charge, Shadow Ball, and Aura Sphere. I don't remember it using Rain Dance?
"'Nape," Infernape growled, obviously displeased by the rain. If it weren't for my hat, I wouldn't haven even been able to see anything. For the fire type, the discomfort doubled by the second.
Raikou on the other hand closed its eyes, enjoying the rain as the drops soothed the burns on its body. Like taking cool shower after being exposed by summer sun, the Pokémon's face looked pleasant, peaceful even.
I knew there were many miracles a legendary Pokémon could perform, but I never expected this. I guess using the clouds to make a rain was one of those unknown mysteries.
I took the Pokéball to return Infernape, considering that he wouldn't like standing outside in the rain. "Infernape, re—"
The Pokémon growled, giving me a don't-do-it look, and I figured he didn't want to hide away at such a crucial moment. It made sense. Defeating a legendary Pokémon all by himself was an achievement reserved for only the strongest of Pokémon. I shouldn't just take that prize away from him.
"Alright," I said, pumping with enthusiasm. "Let's finish this Infernape," I pointed at Raikou with my finger. "Close Combat!"
Infernape cried, obviously pumped by the fact that it just brought a legendary down to its knees. Letting out a battle cry, Infernape proceeded for one last time when—
Tobias exclaimed, "Raikou, Thunder!"
"Dodge and charge in!" I exclaimed almost immediately. We had dodged the move once, and we can always dodge it again.
Infernape continued its charge, expecting Raikou to send a Thunder but… nothing happened.
The flaming monkey had the same doubts in mind, but it kept charging regardless. Maybe the Overheat knocked the electricity out of Raikou or something like that? Whatever it was, it was a perfect opportunity for us.
Or so I thought until the sky rumbled…
"What the—!"
The lightning that kept cackling amongst the clouds suddenly shot towards the ground and came straight towards my Pokémon.
"Infernape, watch out!"
The first bolt of lightning crashed on the ground with an explosion and the ape jumped back in fear. Little did we anticipate that that was the beginning of a lightning storm nightmare.
More thunderbolts erupted from the sky. The cloud rumbled once… twice… thrice... so many times as more and more of those attacks from heaven crept around the sky and smacked the ground.
"Just what the hell is going on?" I posed the question to no one in general, to which the referee shrugged in response. He had to cower under a small roof in fear when another thunder almost struck the referee box.
"Infernape, be careful!"
The situation was really bad. The said Pokémon was already busy dodging the electricity that came one after the other, and not only was there rain hampering Infernape's potential, Raikou didn't seem to be actually doing anything. It simply stood there while watching Infernape scamper about with electrophobia.
We can't just keep dodging while they enjoy the show. "Infernape, charge in!" If Infernape was quick enough to dodge a direct Thunder attack coming from Raikou while charging forward, then dodging a thunder from the sky shouldn't be too difficult a task.
Infernape began its brave run towards the opponent, disregarding its own apprehension and trusting me completely. As the lightning continued to rain down from the sky like some sort of divine punishment, Infernape kept dodging each one of them while maintaining its pace. Without hitting Infernape even once, each dodged bolt of lightning crashed into the stadium floor and exploded when they touched, creating a crater in the process.
"What incredible bravery! Infernape is like a soldier charging through a mine field!"
I guess the Freddy described the scene perfectly, especially since it was not far from the truth. Every time Infernape's feet touched the ground, lightning struck right afterward. So as the Pokémon leapt toward Raikou, dodging the thunderbolt after thunderbolt, it created the illusion that every step Infernape took was equivalent to triggering an explosive mine. Although, I am pretty sure only my Infernape could survive such a harrowing feat and emerge unscathed thanks to his jumping power.
I glared at Tobias. His expression usually gave away what kind of situation we were in. Infernape was successful in dodging the Thunder and would soon be attacking Raikou. So—
Oh no. At that moment Tobias wore the last expression I wanted to see. He was smiling. That meant he wasn't surprised by the move, but even worse that meant that he had more up his sleeve.
"Raikou," he said, the smirk not disappearing. "Aura Sphere."
"What!" It could use Aura Sphere while using Thunder?!
I shifted my gaze to Raikou, hoping that the Pokémon would stop the lightning shower before preparing the Aura Sphere, but the lightning never stopped. Raikou opened its jaws, preparing the blue sphere of energy for the fourth time in the match. As Infernape continued to struggle past the Thunder attacks, Raikou completed gathering energy and launched Aura Sphere without holding anything back.
"Dammit!" I cursed as the sphere rocketed its way towards the ape.
The attack slammed into Infernape directly, sending the already unbalanced Pokémon flying away. Not a moment later, a Thunder struck Infernape from the sky. In the longest of briefest moments it convulsed in pain as innumerable volts of electricity passed through the Pokémon's body, coursing each and every cell of the Pokémon in the process.
The excruciating moment ended in a flash, but to me it seemed like all of eternity.
Infernape collapsed onto its knees, its body unable to protest gravity as it crashed on the ground.
"Infernape is down!"
And then silence engulfed the stadium, the cheers and sounds ceasing immediately. Some were disappointed that the battle had already been decided, others were speechless at the valiant effort. Others still just couldn't articulate how unfair the matchup was from the get go. Raikou was superior to Infernape in every way possible. It was faster, it had more powerful attacks, and it was even able to launch two attacks at the same time. Not only that, Raikou could summon rain to reinvigorate itself while dampening Infernape's flame, the Overheat trump card was played, and there was nothing left. Yes, Raikou outclassed Infernape in every aspect. But—
The stadium was dark due to the cloud cover that permeated the skies above. The occasional cackle of electricity lit up the stadium for a few seconds but nothing more than that. It was still just around ten in the morning so the flood lights were turned off, so it looked like the epic battle was going on at night. The rain was relentless, not letting a single moment of peace slide intervene, drenching the arena and the people inside it. Puddles of water formed in each of the craters blasted wide by Raikou's Thunder.
Tobias closed his eyes with a satisfied expression on his face. Infernape was a good opponent, and the legendary trainer quite enjoyed its display of power and its struggle against such an incredible force as he. The fire ape had forced his Pokémon to use the best moves and deserved every word of praise possible. Not to mention Tobias recognized that his trainer had surely grown into a fine, fine battler.
The referee examined Infernape for a second, frowning and unsure of what the final word was.
"I hope it stands up," Dawn muttered, jarred by the turn of events. She wished as hard as she could that Infernape would rise just like it did against Paul's Electivire two years ago.
"Don't worry," Alex said, looking at his wife who looked equally shocked at the sudden end. With that, Alex's words gained him the attention of all the people around him. He looked at the field, "I'm not sure how it did in the Sinnoh League," he paused. "But Ash has trained Infernape to endure attacks that would surely put others down for the count."
"What do you mean?" Brock asked, quite confused despite Alex using the simplest of words.
"That," Alex said pointing at the field.
"Oh my," Delia muttered as she looked at the field.
A bright orange light lit the dark stadium like a candle, and the source was a Pokémon lying on the ground with its face still to the ground. The Pokémon's fiery mane engorged in size, and the flames that were once mundane orange intensified into a bright orange-red.
"What," Tobias looked aghast. While he would admit his knowledge about Infernapes was limited, he rightly assumed that the flames around its body should get smaller when the Pokémon faints. Since it was rising, Tobias had to refocus on the battlefield instead of letting out that sigh of relief he was holding. Raikou let out a low growl while watching the opponent.
One of the Pokémon's white-furred fists, ablaze with flames, moved and landed in a puddle of water. The water hissed as it made contact with Infernape's hands and the puddle of water disappeared, leaving nothing but the crater behind. The Pokémon slowly pushed itself up, revealing its face that was buried in the ground.
The Pokémon's eyes were scorching red and the usual brown iris inside had completely disappeared. The flames swayed in the cool breeze created by the clouds above but never lost any intensity—they only grew larger by the second.
"T-this… what the heck is this?! What is this amazing power coming from Infernape? Could this be the special ability Blaze?!"
The trainer standing behind the aforementioned Pokémon now grew a smirk on his face. "Tobias," he said at the top of his voice. "The real battle begins now!"
Tobias frowned at the change in developments. "I've never seen a Blaze so powerful like that," he said, seriously commending Ash and his Pokémon. A smile returned to his face. "It seems like we both have to go all out now."
"I'm looking forward for it!" Ash said, clenching his fist. "Isn't that right, Infernape?!"
The Pokémon let out a deep uncharacteristic cry in response. The flames on its head revved in response. Watching it, Raikou let out its own heart-halting roar.
"Raikou," Tobias said, swinging his hand in full excitement. It was the first time in a very long while since he became this involved in his battles. "Launch Thunder from the sky!"
At its trainers command, Raikou snarled at the clouds. At its command, the sky instantly rumbled once again and multiple bolts of lightning shot for the fire type Pokémon.
"Infernape," I said pointing at the sky. "Let's use that lightning. Spin and use Flare Blitz!"
"What?" Tobias was befuddled by command.
"NAPE!" Infernape cried as the huge flames on its head engulfed the Pokémon in a reddish blue aura, then launching itself into the sky while spinning at the same time. The huge flame around Infernape spun along with the Pokémon, creating a flaming tornado in the process.
The lightning struck at the tornado from the sky, but the swirling flames caught the electric attacks, causing the Thunder to combine with the flames. The blue flames infused with electricity produced a greenish-blue vortex of energy in the process.
"Wow! Now this is something straight out of a Contest Battle!"
Not exactly. I mean, nothing in contest battles will ever have anything as powerful as this combination! A Thunder attack from the strongest electric legendary mixed with a Flare Blitz from my blazing Infernape? That's what I would like to call:
"Lightning Blitz!" I exclaimed. "Let's finish this with one last move!"
The bluish green vortex in the sky arced towards the target Raikou who watched the Infernape with jaws wide open. I bet the electric legendary never dreamt of someone using its own signature move against it.
In reality, I had to wait until Infernape activated Blaze to use this move. During our training with Pikachu, Infernape managed to perform Lightning Blitz on Pikachu's Thunderbolt by using an ordinary Flareblitz to power up the move against Pikachu's Thunderbolt—much like Buizel's Ice Aqua Jet. But when we challenged Lt. Surge's Gym during our one year training period, Infernape tried using the move against Raichu's Thunder and their attack managed to overpower Infernape's spinning Flare Blitz and defeat him immediately.
That was when I realized the limitation of this combination: Lightning Blitz can't be used against a Thunder stronger than Infernape's Flare Blitz.
Raikou took a step back, comprehensively in fear. Being a legendary Pokémon meant being exposed to many dangerous foes and participating in high risk battles, so Raikou knew what to fear and what to laugh at. This was no laughing matter; the move it was facing was atrociously strong. It could knock the legendary Pokémon out in one hit.
"Infernape," Ash pumped his fists. "Go!"
Raikou watched as the bluish green vortex crashed towards the Pokémon. There was no surviving the move.
Tobias gritted his teeth. He didn't expect this. He didn't need a second opinion to say that if the attack were to succeed, his beloved legendary would fall to the ground. It was unacceptable. His Raikou can't lose against a regular trainer's Pokémon, let alone in the first round!
Ash was confident. This matchup would be over in one hit and he would emerge ready to take on the next opponent too. After all, the recoil Infernape would take wouldn't be enough to knock it out because Raikou's Thunder was supplying half of the energy. This was good, if Ash could keep the momentum, Tobias' team would be defeated.
"Don't underestimate my Raikou!" Tobias snapped for the first time. "Jump!"What happened then was the most anti-climactic move ever. Just as Lightning Blitz rocketed towards the ground, the beast quickly jumped away with all its might and Infernape struck the ground instead of the intended target. It created one of the biggest explosions ever in Pokémon battle history without even making contact with its target.
A bright light engulfed the whole stadium in a stark contrast to the darkness caused by cloud cover. Rubble and dust rose from the explosion as if the ground itself was like a crumbled cookie. Much to Ash's disdain, only some of the stone and dust ever managed to catch the legendary Pokémon. Raikou had very much escaped the most brilliant attack the PWT had yet seen.
Then the light disappeared just as the dust cleared. Apart from the bright orange light of Infernape, the stadium turned dark again. The Pokémon itself was incredibly displeased at the unexpected dodge.
"What a powerful impact! The field has been blow into bits!"
Although the commentator's words were somewhat exaggerated, there was a huge hole large enough to fit an Onix inside, not to mention the numerous craters formed by Thunder's impact. All things considered, it was a miracle that the field was generally still usable.
"That was close," Tobias said, silently releasing the breath he held upon. Had he been frozen still in surprise like some other trainers, Raikou would have buried into crater epicenter. His pride and experience thankfully took over, snapped him out of his fear, and helped even the legendary Raikou snap out of its own.
But that said something very important. The legendary Pokémon feared something. In that very moment, Tobias decided Ash Ketchum was something else. He could not be underestimated.
Infernape convulsed in pain due to the recoil from the Flare Blitz, draining the very little stamina left to its very last dregs. Another miss or any hit was something my Pokémon could ill afford at that moment.
And then Infernape lost its footing and collapsed down to its knee. The second we missed our best combination move, this battle turned in Tobias' favor.
"Dammit!" I muttered under my breath. The good news is after watching a move like that, Tobias would no longer let me rest and he would no longer underestimate me as an opponent—the look on his face told me that. But the bad news was Infernape was barely on the verge of staying awake. That meant Tobias would try to attack as quickly as possible and end this battle.
"Raikou," he moved his hand briskly. "Aura Sphere!"
The Pokémon prepared the unavoidable move, an attack that we could counter only by hitting Raikou before it launched. Well, that window passed the second Tobias commanded the move because Infernape had too much distance to cover, not to mention he could barely stand.
"Get up Infernape!" I exclaimed.
The blue sphere was already shaped and was ready to launch. A Tackle from a Rattata was good enough to finish Infernape at this point. If this hits, it's over.
But we can't lose!
"Infernape, counter it with Overheat!"
Thanks to Blaze, Infernape didn't have to charge much for Overheat this time because he was already flared up. The Pokémon opened its mouth to let out the insanely powerful attack at the same moment Raikou launched the blue sphere.
Although Overheat wasn't at full power like earlier, the flames that came out of Infernape's mouth were much larger thanks to the boost from Infernape's Blaze. The flames consumed Aura Sphere in no time and continued forward, hitting Raikou right in the face.
Raikou whimpered in pain because the attack hit its old burn marks. Most of the damage was absorbed to counter Aura Sphere but it still affected Raikou. Had it not been for Raikou's ability to summon the flame extinguishing rain, Infernape's power wouldn't have been hampered and the attack would have done much more damage.
Both Pokémon were now beyond exhaustion. For the record, Raikou had taken an incredible amount of from Overheat, a few Mach Punches that managed to hit, and two flurries of Close Combat. I knew at this point just a Mach Punch would bring it to its knees; a Close Combat would finish it. Other than that, Overheat was needed to counter another Aura Sphere and Infernape's third Overheat should be just strong enough to counter an Aura Sphere or Thunder. Unfortunately Flare Blitz was not an option. The recoil would finish Infernape first—and I wanted my Pokémon to see his legendary opponent go down with its own two eyes.
There was no real option for either of us. Raikou would have to Thunder or Aura Sphere. I had to close the distance with Mach Punch and then finish the match.
Tobias seemed to have made the same decision too, judging by the expression on his face. And on further inspection, he and I both knew these last moves would decide the fate of our battle.
"Infernape, Mach Punch!"
Tobias responded immediately. "Raikou, charge in!"
Charge in? For once Tobias made a move that I didn't expect.
As Infernape ran towards the beast with its glowing fist, the beast used its blinding speed to approach Infernape within no time.
"Attack!" I yelled as soon as the Pokémon were in close proximity.
"Jump, Raikou!"
Ah!
As Infernape prepared to strike Raikou with its mighty Mach Punch, the Pokémon used its agility to jump in the last moment.
Raikou was above Infernape now, leaving the Pokémon stunned in response.
"Raikou, finish this with Thunder!"
No you won't!
"Overheat!"
Raikou's body sparkled with electric energy as the Pokémon charged itself to shoot the powerful electric attack at the ape. The ape on the other hand opened its mouth to let out a still incredibly white hot blast of energy straight at the airborne Raikou. The powerful beam of flames and the lightning struck each other in midair, detonating at the midpoint outward.
The Beast of Thunder landed back onto the field, dragging the residual smoke with it. The two champions glared at each other, both Pokémon wanting to finish the battle as quickly as they could.
I quickly calculated that at any other time, Overheat was weakened to the maximum extent. But factoring Infernape's Blaze ability, another Overheat should still be powerful enough to counter a minor attack. It may not be strong enough to counter Thunder, but our last Overheat should be enough to deal with Aura Sphere.
"Mach Punch!"
That was our best bet. Get in closer and finish the battle once and for all the old fashioned way.
"Raikou, dodge!"
Infernape lunged at Raikou, sending the swift punch at the Pokémon. The legendary Pokémon dodged with ease, letting the punch pass through thin air. But it still served the purpose of getting closer to Raikou.
Now that the distance between Infernape and Raikou was pretty much zero, we could launch our favorite strategy.
"Close Combat!"
Although fighting type moves weren't boosted by Blaze, the excitement pushed Infernape's martial arts techniques to the extreme. Like he activated yet another ability, the Pokémon began its rain of punches one more time.
Tobias was displeased. His strategy to close down on Infernape failed and Infernape was only inches away from destroying his electric legendary. But now, since dodging the Close Combat was impossible at this range, there was only one thing left to do—join in.
"Raikou, grab Infernape!"
The ape's melee attack had begun. The Pokémon began with a right punch at Raikou's snout, which happened to be Infernape's favorite target. The electric type snarled and attempted to grab the punch like it was ordered to, but the ape took a quick sidestep, and proceeded to punch the Pokémon's jaws from the left.
That single punch sent Raikou staggering while building up the rage inside the Pokémon at the same time. Anticipating Raikou's turn to the left, Infernape moved swiftly away from the beast's jaws and landed a kick on it's right end.
That was it.
Raikou lost its patience entirely, it's stamina finally pushed to the absolute limit. As Infernape prepared to hit Raikou with yet another kick, the beast let out a blood chilling roar.
That bellow of anger caused the ape to flinch and step back. That briefest of brief moments was more than enough for the beast to lunge and grab Infernape's hand.
"Ahhh!" Ash let out a gasp, almost feeling like his own hand was clamped. Getting captured at this stage spelled death.
"Uh oh! Infernape's been caught by the vicious jaws of Raikou! Could this be end?"
Tobias waved his hand to signify the final move. "Raikou, finish it off with Thunder!"
The battle was over. Raikou would release Thunder at point blank range—something Infernape wouldn't be able to dodge no matter how hard it tried. The epic battle had finally come to an end with Infernape getting hit by Thunder all over again.
At least, that's what everyone thought.
"Infernape," Ash clenched his fists and pumped them in the air. "Mach Punch!"
Infernape's other hand was still free. That was Tobias's mistake. The Pokémon clenched its fists and it glowed with a bright light. Before Raikou could even think of using its electric move to fry Infernape into unconsciousness, the punch rocketed towards Raikou and hit it perfectly on the neck.
The punch was powerful enough to release Raikou's iron grip on Infernape. Seeing its chance to escape, Infernape jumped back to a safe distance.
Tobias gritted his teeth. "Raikou, don't let it go. Thunder!"
For a moment everyone expected the beast to roar again and let out the powerful electric attack. The roar never came.
The crowd remained silent, watching the Raikou anxiously. Tobias's face expression turned from a frown to curiosity. Taking that as a cue, Ash and Infernape looked at the electric type skeptically, expecting the beast to lunge back any moment.
Instead, Raikou let out a whimper. The Pokémon that was at one moment standing majestically on its four legs, buckled from its royal stance. The legs gave away first, unable to hold its heavy weight any longer. The white skin underneath the Pokémon's jaws made contact with the ground along with a heavy thud.
The red eyes that symbolized the Pokémon's temper were closed and its previously pristine white underside was muddied by the mud and rain. Its legs were tucked under the Pokémon's heavy body after they buckled. The only hint of movement from the Pokémon's side was the slightest expansion of its belly muscles as it breathed air.
Ash closed his eyes briefly as something bright blinded his view.
"Pika," the rodent muttered as they shifted their gaze to the sky.
The clouds that darkened the sky slowly gave way, revealing a bright blue sky. The sunlight that had been obscured from view shone brightly, casting its light onto the crowd that was spellbound into silence.
The referee lifted the green flag.
"Raikou is unable to battle. Infernape wins!"
Scoreboard
(2-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (2-5)
Staraptor - Darkrai
Infernape - Raikou
"Raikou is down! What an unbelievable match! Ash Ketchum has managed to defeat Tobias's Raikou!"
The applause that came after that was stronger than any roar Raikou sent. In just one moment, the silent stadium turned into a mass of noisy chatters and whistles.
Ash watched the crowd cheer with his mouth wide open. He turned to the rodent beside him, "W…We did it," he muttered slowly. A smile slowly crept into his face. "We did it!" He said pumping his fist. He turned to the blazing ape. "We did it, Infernape!"
Tobias watched silently as Ash jumped in excitement along with his Infernape and Pikachu. He was honestly stumped. "I never thought you'd lose," he muttered as he aimed the Pokéball at the unconscious Raikou. A smile crept across his face.
"I've never expected such a wonderful battle from you," he called out, catching the attention of the raven-haired trainer. "Saying you've improved is an understatement."
Yes, his pride was deeply hurt, but Tobias enjoyed it. Not only did it mean he was having fun in this battle, it also meant he needn't hold back any of his tricks. He would be battling at his full power, his Pokémon fighting with all their strength. For the first time ever he could show more and more of his prized legendary Pokémon and their wonderful abilities, with Raikou, Darkrai, and Latios only the tip of the iceberg.
"However, the battle is just beginning," he said, smirking.
Ash narrowed his eyes at that, "Yes," he nodded. "But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna win."
"We'll see about that," Tobias smiled.
"Amazing," Lucian gasped, even the ever calm psychic elite four quite stunned. "I never thought Ash would be the one to score the first win." Yes, the trainer from Pallet Town was good. But was he good enough to beat a legendary Pokémon in a one on one battle? Until this moment, Lucian thought the odds were incredibly unlikely.
"Ash's burning spirit brought him the win," Flint said, a smile on his face.
"Burning spirit?" Alder laughed. "You use strange words for a young man." He said slapping Flint on the back.
Alder was elated. He expected another crushing performance from Tobias—he expected Raikou to tear apart Ash's team and maybe fall to his fourth or fifth Pokémon. He certainly didn't expect the same Pokémon he sent out first to defeat it. This battle was going to be a real treat.
Misty was stupefied. Ash had defeated a legendary Pokémon in a one-on-one battle. Yes, she heard from him that his Charizard defeated an Articuno back in the Kanto Battle Frontier, but witnessing it right now was extremely hard for her. Was this the same Ash who challenged a Rock-type gym leader with a Pikachu? Is this the same naïve child who lost in the Indigo league because his Pokémon couldn't even be properly trained?
"Raikou," Alex was ecstatic. Infernape has managed to defeat a Raikou. Alex looked at the scoreboard one more time.
Scoreboard
(2-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (2-5)
Staraptor - Darkrai
Infernape - Raikou
Just watching the board brought him tears. One year of extreme training was finally paying off. All that hard work he and his son had been through was finally showing some results.
"It'll be amazing if he continues this performance," Brock said. Even for one of Ash's first traveling partners, the thought of Ash defeating Tobias seemed unrealistic. But that opinion changed dramatically after what he had seen just now.
"Tobias is sending out his next Pokémon. What kind of menacing beast will come forth next? Will we see an even more powerful performance?"
The crowd fell into silence once again. The battlefield was shining with hope and sunlight. Infernape was still in its Blaze state. Ash was on a roll.
But even then, something told Brock that Ash wasn't going to switch out Infernape. Even though Infernape was extremely tired from battling Raikou and switching would help remedy that, activating Blaze even once is a daunting task. If Ash were to switch out at the moment, Infernape wouldn't be able to activate Blaze again. And looking at some of the injuries Infernape endured, Brock realized that those couldn't be recovered quickly during a Pokéball switch.
The outcome of the battle would depend on whatever Pokémon Tobias sent out next.
Tobias took the third Pokéball from his belt. The man's pride was dented but he was still smiling. After all, that pride wasn't small enough to be crushed by a single loss. Furthermore, the source of all that pride was not due to the way he raised Pokémon or strategized—it lay in mere face his Pokémon were legendary. These mystical beasts needed no introduction, their power was revered throughout the land. No, his pride came from bringing them together into one unbeatable, indomitable force.
"Come out and show them your glory, my Pokémon…" Tobias foreshadowed, brushing his red cape aside, clutching a Pokéball tenderly. Tossing it into the sky he yelled out to his opponent.
"The greatest Beast of the Therian legends!"
Ash managed to defeat the beastly Raikou with his Infernape's insane Blaze. The battle had begun with a positive note for Ash. Will things continue like this? What other dangerous Pokémon does Tobias have by his side?
Next Chapter: Beastly Therian Forme!
Whoever guesses the name of the next legendary correct gets a cookie! :p
A tidbit for the next chapter: Giovanni will be extremely disappointed when he sees Tobias's next Pokémon.
Also, my new story Beyond Truths and Ideals is under plot-construction. It will be more action-esque…and I will copy the Aura concept from 'Sinnoh Revamped'. (Don't sue me Analon, you know how delaying Indian Courts can be.)
This time, I am planning to stick to one Poke-girl than try another harem. So, I would like you guys to vote on my poll. Right now, May, Dawn are leading with Misty close behind. But if you prefer Hilda or Iris or Annabel, you might have to vote them to bring them up.
Also, I wonder who my 200th reviewer will be. I didn't keep track for the 100-mile stone. It kinda happened fast.