Kill me please. Ugh. How long has it been? Over 4 months? I have to apologize for how long it took to finish this. I had written the first 4 pages 2 months ago but after couldn't really find time or motivation to finish it. I wrote the majority of this during the last 10 days, trying to get by with my rusty writing skills. Now that school nearly is over, I really hope I won't ever find myself in such a situation again. Here's the 2nd battle of this story. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
"Didn't I tell you keep it down somewhat?" Ash asked, breathing out as he kept himself from groaning. "Thankfully you didn't fry my boxers or any part of my bed."
Unable to resist, he groaned as he closed his eyes for a few seconds. But, the bliss couldn't last forever. Opening his eyes again, Ash swung his legs out of the bed, letting his feet hit the floor. The temptation to lie down for a little while longer was strong. Not falling for it though, he stood up and stretched. Heading over to the chair, where he had put his clothes last night, he quickly dressed before he put on his hat.
'Do we have to get up already?' Luna weakly asked, her entire body hidden by the covers.
"I suppose we don't have to, but there isn't really much of a choice," Ash said, crossing his arms as he watched Luna slowly get up. "I really don't want to miss my match."
Just as he had spoken, the covers flew to the side as Luna floated above the bed. She quickly floated away from the bed before she started glowing, indicating her transformation.
'Why didn't you say anything earlier?' she looked rather annoyed at him as she made sure her clothes were alright. 'Come on, let's head downstairs before anyone notices.'
Opening the door carefully, Ash looked back to make sure Pikachu was following them, he looked in both directions of the hallway. Seeing no one, he stepped outside and allowed the others to follow him. He was quite confident that the girls weren't up yet, so hopefully they wouldn't take any notice to Luna not being there when they wake up. The door to the girls' room was still closed, meaning they most likely weren't up yet.
"I think I can hear mom and Brock downstairs," Ash said, listening carefully again. Continuing, they walked down the stairs, greeted by the smell of a great breakfast. "Man, I wish you two will never stop making breakfast like this together."
"Got no plans on spending my life making breakfast and cooking for you, but I'll take the compliment anyway." Brock replied, flipping one of the many pancakes he was doing in the air.
About to say something, a knock sounded through the house. Tilting his head slightly, Ash wondered who would knock on their door this early. Heading for the door, he waited a second before he opened it, about to greet whoever was standing outside.
"Sabrina?" he asked, surprised to see her at such an early time. Sure, he had expected her, but there was still nearly two hours until she would have needed to come. "What brings you here this early?"
"I thought I should inform you that Koga is willing to fight you right away." Sabrina spoke, looking straight into his eyes.
Even though she only had two years on him, last time they had met, back at her gym, he wasn't able to look straight into her eyes. Thankfully, he had grown and now both of them stood around the same height.
"Would you like to come in for breakfast?" Ash offered, smiling at her surprised look. She didn't look like she had expected that. "Or have you had breakfast already?"
"I-" Sabrina stopped herself, hesitation clear on her face. "No, I haven't. You would have me?"
"Of course, come on in," he gestured inside, letting Sabrina inside. "If Koga is ready this early I'm sure he won't have any problems with waiting a while longer."
"Ash?" his mom's voice reached him, her head poking around the corner. "Oh, a guest! Give me a second to get another plate."
Walking into the kitchen, Ash glanced behind him to make sure Sabrina hadn't changed her mind and left. Sitting next to Luna, he watched Sabrina take one of the many empty seats, not occupied by May and Bianca yet. Thankfully the table was big enough for the seven of them.
"Tell me Ash, why didn't you win the Evergrande Conference?" Sabrina asked, trying to look into Ash's eyes as she spoke. "You had practically won, so why did you falter?"
It wasn't something he really was comfortable talking about, but he had to cope with it eventually. Now he got a chance as good as any.
"I screwed up," he replied, which was the truth. Didn't mean that he needed to tell everything. "I got distracted and it cost me."
"We're only human after all." Sabrina said, smiling as Ash's mother put down a plate in front of her.
"Most of are at least," Ash joked, laughing at the glare Luna sent him. "After this is over, either with me winning or losing, would you take me on?"
"You already got my badge, so why would you want that?" she wondered, a look of deep thought spreading across her face.
"There's not a lot to it," Brock chimed in, placing a pan full of scrambled eggs on the table before turning around. "He wants to simply test himself. Never having truly beaten you, and you being one of Kanto's strongest trainers, is reason enough."
"That simple?" Sabrina wasn't the most expressive person, a known fact, which made them all the more surprised as she tried to hide her giggle.
"Yes, that simple." Ash finished the discussion, noting that May and Bianca were walking down the stairs. "Good morning you two."
"Good morning," May spoke, blinking a few times as she spotted Sabina. "What are you doing here, Sabrina?"
"Koga is willing to fight Ash already so I thought I should tell him," she explained, which didn't explain the fact why she was joining them for breakfast. "And then Ash invited me."
"That's so like him," May pointed out, sitting down as she waited for breakfast to be ready, with Bianca taking one of the two remaining empty seats. "How are you feeling about taking on Koga, Ash?"
"I have no idea really. It has been forever since I battled him, and now he's a member of the Elite Four," Ash replied, remembering their last battle. "I'm sure he's no pushover."
"He isn't," Sabrina chimed in, everyone looking at her. "Koga might not be as strong as say Bruno, Karen or even me, but he makes it up with the experience that comes with his age."
"Koga certainly is old compared to most," Brock added, "I can certainly not name that many that are at such an age and still are able to compete with the best of the best."
"But, you are able to beat him, right?" Ash directed the question at Sabrina.
"I have, though it certainly wasn't easy. Even with a type advantage I had a hard time taking him down." Sabrina responded, picking up some scrambled egg from the pan and putting it on her plate.
"Then it will be interesting to see how well I will do," Ash said, looking down at his plate. "If I can beat him, my chances of at least standing a chance against you can't be that bad."
"You shouldn't get ahead of yourself," Sabrina pointed out quickly, chewing slowly on her breakfast. "I won't battle you until you're done with your current battles. Now, you better start eating. I'm sure Koga won't appreciate if he needs to wait too long."
"Do I want to know what an annoyed Koga is like?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know. Trying it wasn't such a great idea. "I better hurry up then."
Having sped up the pace at which he had been eating his breakfast, it didn't take him long to finish it. Not slowing down, he had gathered his team and now stood outside the house, like last time, waiting for the rest so they could be done with the teleportation. Sadly, the girls certainly needed to take their time before they could leave.
"We're ready!" May called out, the door just having being opened. "Are you guys ready?"
"Yeah." Ash replied, glancing at Luna. They hadn't talked particularly much during the morning, so he walked up to her and shot her a smile while giving her hand a squeeze.
'I hope you will win today.' Luna said, smiling at Ash as she took hold of his hand and pulled him a little closer.
"So, if you're all done we can leave right away," Sabrina spoke up, gesturing to come closer to her. "Alakazam, come out."
Ash watched as Sabrina held up her pokeball, trigging the release mechanism which let out her Alakazam. It certainly looked impressive, holding its spoons in its hand, barely moving. Except its eyes, which kept moving around looking at all of them. Looking at it again he noticed the shorter mustache, meaning it was a female Alakzam.
"Do you have any way to prevent that slight stomach ache after teleporting?" Ash wondered, grimacing at the thought of having to go through it again. "Let's just get over with it."
Gesturing everyone to get closer, Sabrina told her Alakazam where they wanted to go, and in less than a second they were standing where they had stood last time, directly inside the League.
"You know how it works, so you better use the time you have to prepare yourself." Sabrina said, walking in the direction of the stands, everyone else, except Luna, following her so they could watch the upcoming battle. Ash stood there, watching the others disappear while Luna hesitantly approached him.
'I'm probably going to say this every time, but good luck Ash.' Luna said, giving him a peck on the cheek before she quickly ran the other way to join the others.
"In moments like these it's just us, isn't it Pikachu?" Ash asked his most trusted Pokemon, looking down at her with a big grin. "Now then, let's go and take on Koga and prove that we're able to challenge for that spot."
Walking confidently into the room that was used for last preparations with Pikachu in tow, he sat down on one of the benches attached to the wall, letting his head rest against the wall behind him. Taking a deep breath, Ash reflected back on his last battle against Koga. How many years had it been? Far too many in his opinion. He had no idea of what Koga would have in his team, except that they would Poison-types most likely. Whatever he had fought the first time really didn't matter. Maybe he used an evolution of one of these Pokemon, maybe he wouldn't. Hopefully Donphan would be able to cover most of his Pokemon, and whatever was left could be taken on by someone else on the team. Without having noticed how much time had passed, Ash felt Pikachu nudge his leg. Was it already time? Standing up, Ash headed straight for the door that would lead him to Koga. Stepping out on the battlefield, he glanced to his side, seeing everyone sitting there. To his surprise the remaining Elite Four members, Bruno and Karen, and Lance were sitting there.
"Here to try and give yourselves an edge against me?" Ash joked, grinning at the League members.
"Certainly not," Karen spoke, the only one Ash never had met, looking down at him. "The way you battle and your accomplishments are no secret, Ash Ketchum."
"Enough talking," Koga's voice rang across the battlefield, his presence no less imitating than it had been the last time. "The time for action is at hands. Show me the power you possess."
"The power I possess?" Ash wondered, placing a hand on his pokeballs. "If you insist."
"Let us fight!" Koga exclaimed, mimicking Ash's movements.
"Gladly!" Ash responded, quickly deciding on who he wanted to lead with.
Both trainers threw their pokeball at the same time, allowing neither an advantage by picking first. Standing on their respective sides were Donphan and Muk. He had seemingly made a good choice going with Donphan, hopefully allowing him to get himself an early lead against the Poison-type master.
"This is a battle between Ash Ketchum and Elite Four Koga!" the referee announced, his voice sounding across the entire battlefield. "Begin!"
"Donphan, Earthquake!" Ash shouted, not hesitating in the slightest. Koga was a veteran in Pokemon battling, and even at a disadvantage would prove to be a formidable opponent.
"Minimize!" Koga countered, his Muk instantly shrinking by a large amount leading to be very hard to spot.
As expected, Earthquake did a lot less than it would normally have. Being so small, Muk only got affected by a small part of the ground. While only a minor setback, it meant that he needed to take a different approach.
"Rollout!" Ash tried, hoping that Koga wouldn't simply stall out the battle through the use of Minimize. By the looks of it, he had no plan of doing that as he stood with his arms crossed, watching Donphan quickly getting closer to Muk.
"Wait for it!" Koga ordered, still having his arms crossed while seemingly having something in mind. "Now, Ice Punch!"
Ash didn't worry that much about Koga's command, even though Donphan was weak against Muk's attack. To his surprise, Muk's fist collided with the spinning Donphan and managed to stop him right in his tracks. This wasn't going as planned at all. With Donphan still spinning, Muk's Ice Punch kept doing damage while there was nothing he could currently do.
"Roll backwards then strike!" Ash hoped Donphan was able to do what he wanted, even if they had never practiced it.
Thankfully just that happened, Donphan escaping Muk's attack before quickly regaining his speed while heading straight for Muk. Striking Muk, Donphan did something neither Ash or Koga had expected.
"Use Hyper Beam!" Ash didn't hesitate as Donphan had used the momentum gained in order to push himself into the air, uncurling at the same time.
"Minimize!" Koga countered quickly, a smug look on his face.
"We won't let that work again! Aim lower, Donphan!" Ash commanded, knowing that there was only a slight change needed in order to compensate. Having quickly shrunk in size, Muk had no time to avoid the incoming attack, slamming it straight into the ground.
"Get a hold of yourself Muk!" Koga called, watching as Donphan landed, making the ground shake. "Swagger!"
"Finish him with Earthquake!" Ash shouted, knowing that if Swagger connected his best bet against Koga would be gone.
Donphan stood up on his back legs, before slamming his entire weight onto the ground, making it tremble heavily and changing the face of the battlefield again. At the same time, Muk glowed red while staring at Donphan, seemingly completely ignorant of his surroundings. There was nothing he could really, except recall Donphan or hope that he recovered fast enough.
"Muk is unable to battle!" the referee declared, Koga recalling it in response. It didn't take long before Koga's next Pokemon appeared on the field.
"Let's show them what a true Poison-master can do!" Koga exclaimed, crossing his arms as a Crobat was flying in the air.
"Donphan, come back!" Ash called, holding up the pokeball as he returned Donphan. Maybe, if enough time passed he would be able to snap out of the confusion once he returned to the battlefield. "Pikachu, you're up!"
Glancing down to his side, Ash watched as his trusted starter took her place on the field, glaring at Koga's Crobat. Just because he managed to defeat one Pokemon didn't mean he was any closer to winning. Koga's Muk had done more than enough damage, taking a lot of energy out of Donphan, and confusing him.
"Crobat, use Super Fang!" Koga ordered, throwing his hand out. The bat Pokemon flew at an incredible speed for its size, flapping its wings rapidly in order to reach its intended target.
"Pikachu, meet it head-on with Iron Tail!" Ash replied, testing the waters with his first move. If Crobat's attack would inflict more than moderate pain it certainly wasn't a pushover, especially since Pikachu's tail would be a lot more resilient than it was usually. Catching the bat Pokemon as it bit on her tail, Ash could see Pikachu clearly being in pain. How could he have forgotten? Super Fang didn't rely on anything besides connecting, it would always drain around half of a Pokemon's energy. Meaning that Crobat relied more on speed and other things that it hadn't show yet over strength if it used such an attack, or Koga was simply hiding his hand so far.
"We're not done yet! Add Electro Ball on top of it!"
"Crobat, let go right now!"
The result wasn't a very good one for Koga, Pikachu using the momentum to send Crobat crashing into the ground, sparks clearly surrounding the bat. Landing on the ground, Ash saw his starter wince. He really started disliking Koga's Pokemon. The way they fought left little breathing room for him, limiting his options by either weakening them heavily or stopping him from using them by inflicting some type of negative status on them. He always prided himself on relying on speed over anything else, but this would push his use of speed to the limits. There was a ticking clock hanging over his head with all the status effects Koga had in his arsenal.
"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, taking his chance with the small lapse. If Pikachu was hurt, Crobat was as well. With both Pokemon being rather frail, especially compared to others, it couldn't take that much to take down Crobat.
"Dodge it!" Koga responded, relying on speed in this case as much as Ash relied on it. What he didn't expect was Pikachu not giving up after a failed attempt.
"Keep going, Pikachu!" Ash told her, Pikachu keeping up the assault of attacks. Not long after that, she connected with the bat, knocking him out of the air, her success being accompanied by the gasps of everyone.
"Don't let that faze you, Crobat! Use Toxic!"
Looking down on the field, Luna gasped as she saw Pikachu hit Crobat. She wasn't the only impressed by the speed and persistence Pikachu showed off.
"I gotta give it to him, the boy's certainly persistent, a trait his Pokemon seem to share." Karen spoke, arms crossed as she watched the battle unfold. Multiple Thunderbolts kept Koga from possible doing anything.
"You better watch out Karen, the boy surely will mop the floor with you should he make it past me." Bruno added, grinning as Pikachu pulled off an impressive combination of moves, managing to paralyze Crobat.
"There's a reason I'm the last Elite Four, while you aren't," Karen responded, her eyes never leaving the battle once. "Don't think I have ever seen a trainer like him. The bonds he shares with his Pokemon speaks louder than any of his accomplishments."
"He will absolutely beat you," Sabrina said, like everyone else all of her focus was on the battle, no disagreement allowed. "Everyone of you will push him to his limits, allowing him to grow at an extremely impressive rate with each battle. But, by the end of this he will be far above all of you."
"Don't draw any conclusions yet Sabrina. Koga is still a member of the Elite Four and he's one of the most veteran trainers across both regions, only surpassed by Blaine and Pryce in that regard." Lance countered, nearly regretting his words as Koga's Crobat was sent flying into the wall behind its trainer by a combination of Iron Tail and Thunderbolt.
"Crobat is unable to battle!"
Luna sighed in relief. That meant Ash only needed to take down one more Pokemon in order to win. With Pikachu exhausted by the looks of it and Donphan possibly still out of it, Ash needed to bring out his third Pokemon unless he wanted to take a risk.
"It's not over yet! Come out, Toxicroak!" Koga released his third and final Pokemon, a humanoid like Pokemon made up of dark blue and red colors.
Closing her eyes, Luna sent her thoughts over to Ash, hoping it would not distract him.
'I know you can do this, Ash.'
"A Toxicroak? That won't stop us!" Ash taunted, a grin on his face. The question was what to do. Keep going with Pikachu or switch it up? While he wouldn't go with Glalie or Primeape, Pidgeot and Charizard were still both options.
"You'll find out there's more to him than you think!" Koga called back.
"We will see," Ash said, more to himself than anything else. "Pikachu, think you're up for one more?"
"Pikapi, chu pika kapi!" Pikachu stated, confidence in her voice. Ash didn't need to hear more. If Pikachu thought she was up for one more he wouldn't stop her.
"Alright, let's do it! Pikachu, use Electro Ball and then power it up with Thunderbolt!" Ash started, not bothering to test Koga's Toxicroak. The faster he won this the better.
"Sucker Punch!" Came the fast reply from his opponent, Toxicroak proceeding to run forward with its fist glowing. Much to his annoyance it struck first, a trait of Sucker Punch, and dodged the attack.
"If that combination didn't work, take this! Iron Tail together with Electro Ball!" Ash didn't hold back with the attacks he called. If Toxicroak was Koga's last Pokemon it was most likely his strongest, meaning there was point in hesitating or holding back.
Swinging her tail as she turned it metallic, Pikachu focused on gathering the needed electricity to form the orb that she would slam into her opponent.
"Use Cross Chop!" Koga ordered after the combination attack connected. It clearly struck hard, but also left a small opening for him and Toxicroak to take. "Use it while she's vulnerable!"
Ash had to accept the fact that there was nothing he could do to spare Pikachu the pain from the attack. Instead he waited. Toxicroak crossed its arms, striking Pikachu as they glowed, sending her flying a bit.
"Don't let that faze you, Quick Attack!" Throwing out his arm as he told his starter to attack, Ash watched contently as Pikachu hit Toxicroak, the opposing Pokemon tumbling backwards from the force behind the attack.
"Gunk Shot while she can't dodge!" Ash cringed at Koga's call, watching as the toxic hit Pikachu, prompting a cry of pain. It seemed to be rather potent.
"Thunder!" While it was a move he rarely bothered to use, Ash knew that now was the time to use it. The reason he and Pikachu never used was simply the fact that Pikachu couldn't really control it. It would just strike where she summoned it, trading reliability to immense power. One hit could spell disaster for most Pokemon, unless they were resilient and beefy or simply resisted the electric-type move.
Not expecting the move, Koga stared a second too long at the cloud gathering above Toxicroak, actually missing out on calling out the order to dodge.
"Drain Punch, let's go!" Koga ordered, taking his chance at trying to recover some of Toxicroak's lost health.
"Dodge it, then use Iron Tail!" Ash retaliated, not all too worried. If the attack should hit it would be a setback, but not one they couldn't overcome. To his shock, Toxicroak jumped over Pikachu's tail, before turning around and delivering a punch that wasn't to be joked about.
"Now, X-Scissor!" Koga commanded, Toxicroak crossing its arms once again. Preparing to strike the already damaged Pikachu, a response wasn't expected.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, Pikachu releasing the attack as she was struck by Toxicroak's X-Scissor. The attack, while maybe not as potent as hoped, did give them some space to work with.
"Gunk Shot!" Koga didn't let the pressure up, hoping to be able to beat Pikachu before the switch came.
"You still up for it?" Ash asked, earning a quick grin from his starter. "Well then, dodge it with Quick and then use Electro Ball!"
A trail of white followed Pikachu as she deftly dodged the poisonous move, a second later swinging her tail to attack from a distance. Having put as much force behind it as possible, Toxicroak was unable to avoid the attack, instead forced to take it directly. Grunting from pain, Toxicroak stood still as it waited for its trainer to continue the battle.
"Gotta get closer, Toxicroak! Swords Dance!" Koga changed his approach, seemingly looking to end this fast. With the restored energy from Drain Punch, Toxicroak was still fit to fight. Doing as told, Toxicroak increased his power, swords swirling around him.
"That's not good. Keep a distance with Thunderbolt!" Ash didn't currently see any other option. With the power-up, Toxicroak would pack a bigger punch which was something they couldn't afford at this stage. Pikachu was exhausted and certainly couldn't take that many hits anymore.
"You want to have it that way? Fine, Gunk Shot!" If this was a battle of ranged attacks, Gunk Shot was the only option Toxicroak had.
While they could keep going like this for some time, it wouldn't be satisfying and wasn't very reliable. Eventually one of them would get tired, allowing more attacks to him them. No. Instead Ash knew that something needed to change, and he would be the one prompting the change.
"Iron T-" Ash started, stopping himself to late.
"Sucker Punch!" Koga countered, Toxicroak running forward with more speed than usual, its fist glowing. All the speed in the world wouldn't help against Sucker Punch.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, caught off-guard by the punch to her gut.
"Pikachu, are you alright?!" Ash couldn't help but worry a little, the knowledge that Pikachu could take attacks like that fine. That she was pushed to her limit didn't help him in any way to keep his worries down. The earlier Swords Dance worked wonders in Koga's favor.
"Cross Chop!" Koga couldn't let the pressure he had created disappear, lest Ash would find a way back in. Crossing its arms, Toxicroak's arms hovered above Pikachu, poised to inflict more damage upon the electric-type.
"We won't go down that easily! Quick Attack into Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, Pikachu showing off her incredible speed as she tacked Toxicroak, releasing the electricity stored right away.
"Toxicroak!" It called out, unable to do anything about the pain coursing through its body.
"Don't let up, Pikachu! Electro Ball!" Ash followed up, pumping his fist into the air. This was their chance. If they could beat Koga now, they would be halfway through the Elite Four, with only two battles standing between them and the chance to battle Lance.
"Dodge it!" Koga responded, Toxicroak jumping backwards, barely avoiding the electric attack.
"Not done yet! Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered, a big grin plastered on his face. He wouldn't let Koga stop him. No, Koga certainly wouldn't be his downfall. He had a rematch with Bruno waiting for him, something he wouldn't miss. Taking the hit, Toxicroak recovered rather fast.
"We're not done either. Get close and use Ice Punch!" Being frozen could devastate anyone, something proven in the last battle, and Koga had no problems trying that again.
"Hit him before he can strike! Quick Attack!" Dashing forward in a blur of yellow with a trail of white, Pikachu hit Toxicroak and sent him sliding backwards, having braced himself for the impact.
"Counter it with Cross Chop!" Koga commanded, Toxicroak crossing its arms as the two Pokemon clashed. "Shove her back!"
Succeeding in the task, Toxicroak stared as Pikachu stood across it. Both could see the other's exhaustion, knowing the battle would be decided soon.
"Iron Tail!" Ash called, Pikachu jumping up in the air as she coated her tail in metal. There was no need for Koga to tell what to do, as Toxicroak lifted its arms again and used Cross Chop in order to counter the attack.
"Toxicroak, X-Scissor!" Koga told his Pokemon, it didn't matter. Toxicroak's speed simply couldn't match Pikachu's speed and at such close distance there was even less of a chance that Toxicroak could be faster.
"Thunderbolt, then create some distance with Quick Attack!" Doing as told, Pikachu fired off the bolt before dashed in the opposite direction, ignoring the grunt of pain that came from her opponent.
"Toxicroak-"
"This ends here! Pikachu, let's finish this!" Ash shouted, an even bigger grin now on his lips. It couldn't get any worse than this, could it? "Volt Tackle!"
"Volt Tackle?!" Fear was an emotion that Koga rarely felt. Fear was an emotion that had no place on a battlefield. At least he wasn't the only one who was surprised. A quick glance to the side showed the surprise of his colleagues, mostly Karen's, who had never met Ash before. At a speed that he had never seen before, Pikachu was running towards him and Toxicroak, electricity surrounding her entire body and forming an aura around her.
"Now!" Ash called out. What shocked Koga the most was the weird tone in his voice. Had someone else spoken? Impossible! The gasp from Sabrina all but proved him correct.
"Pikapikapikapikapika!" Pikachu chanted as she was running. There was no way Toxicroak could put up any sort of defense against the attack, and even if he could there was a high chance it wouldn't stand a chance against Pikachu's Volt Tackle. Colliding with the defenseless Toxicroak, the contact sending out a shockwave that forced everyone to cover themselves and try to not fall over.
"Toxicroak is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum!" The referee announced, loud cheers coming from Ash's friends. A glare was what he got from Sabrina.
"Yes!" Pumping his fist into the air, Ash had no problems showing his glee and happiness to everyone else. Running across the field, he met halfway with Pikachu, picking her up and cradling her to his chest. "You were incredible."
Walking down from the stands, everybody let Ash have his moment with Pikachu. The only ones left were Ash and Koga, the referee also gone.
"When I asked you to show your power, I hadn't expected this," Koga spoke, gesturing with his hand across the field, referring to the battle that had just taken place. "That Donphan of your's certainly was impressive, but your Pikachu is something else entirely. Your Pidgeot and Charizard from last battle are also some amazing Pokemon."
"Thanks Koga," Ash replied, accepting the praise. "You will watch the remaining battles, right?"
"After you beat me like this? Of course," During the entire battle, Koga hadn't cracked a single smile. Now though, one was clearly visible. "Now go and meet your friends. I'm sure Bruno, Karen and Lance want a word with you."
"I'll see you then," With that Ash left the battlefield, walking rather slowly his Pikachu on his shoulder. "You sure feel excited, Reshiram."
'It's not my fault your excitement is contagious.' Reshiram responded, her voice a bit teasing.
"I think Sabrina noticed you more than the others, considering your voice could be heard loud and clear." Ash continued, shutting of his connection with Reshiram as he spotted everyone standing outside.
'Hey, don't leave me hanging like that!' Reshiram's outcry went unanswered.
"Hey guys!" Ash waved at everyone, getting their attention. May and Bianca were standing off to the side, talking excitedly between each other. Brock had a discussion with Sabrina, while Bruno, Karen and Lance had a talk of their own. Only Luna wasn't a part of any of the conversations. Instead she was the to acknowledge him, latching onto him with a happy that could rival the sun's brightness. No words were needed as she hugged him, only a small yelp of surprise as he pulled her closer.
"Kid, I'm so looking forward to that battle we will have tomorrow!" Bruno exclaimed, smashing his hand into Ash's back once Luna had taken a step backwards, sending him nearly crashing into the ground.
"Tomorrow? Would you be up for our battle right now?" Ash asked, confidence brimming.
"Now?!" Bruno rarely felt giddy, but now was one of the times he did. "You're on!"
"I gotta heal up everyone but then I'm ready!" The adrenaline was still running through his body, and he wouldn't waste the chance of using it. Wide eyes was what met him.
"You're gonna battle again?" Brock wondered, not really surprised. Ash was a battler, and nothing would stop him from doing what he did best. "We won't stop you."
"I'll meet you on the field in a second!" Ash said, walking the way he came, looking for a healing machine. Soon he noticed that he wasn't alone tough. Sabrina was following him.
"Tell me, what Pokemon is hanging around your neck?" Sabrina questioned him, her tone allowing for no arguing on his part. Lying wasn't an option, since she had heard the voice and probably felt something because of her psychic powers.
"I suppose you would believe me if I told you?" At least he tried getting out of it.
"Tell me."
"Reshiram is the Pokemon residing inside the pokeball." Ash, in unison with Pikachu, sighed. Really, as few people as possible were supposed to know of Reshiram. He supposed that it didn't matter with Sabrina. She would never tell anyone, unless she felt it was necessary.
"I never expected that your voice could sound so feminine," Sabrina joked, Ash chuckling alongside her. "But a Reshiram? Would that mean you're the Hero of Truth?"
"Uh, yeah." No point in denying anything when it came to Sabrina. Finding the healing machine, Ash returned Pikachu to her pokeball and put everyone's pokeball in the healing machine. While he had only used Pikachu and Donphan it couldn't hurt healing everyone else.
"I'm surprised by your choice to take on Bruno today," Sabrina said, walking beside him as they returned to where they came from. "I have no doubt that you will succeed, but why not take a break?"
"I'm feeling like I'm unstoppable right now, which I'm probably not am, and my adrenaline is helping me." Ash explained, having a high pace as he walked, Sabrina showing no signs of trouble of walking at his pace.
"Overconfidence is dangerous," Sabrina pointed out as they reached where they would separate. "I think I'll give you two some space."
"Huh?" Looking ahead, Ash saw Luna standing there, hands clasped together in front of her as she looked at the ground, Sabrina walking past her to join the others. "Luna?"
Walking up her, Ash put a hand under her chin, tilting her head upwards. A light blush was gracing her cheeks, prompting a smile from him. Getting her to look at him, Ash felt bold as he slowly leaned forward. Lips touching, Ash smiled as they slowly kissed. While many would simply describe it as nothing special, for him, and hopefully Luna, it was something incredible. While he wanted to draw it out, Ash decided against it, as they slowly pulled apart.
'Ash…' Luna spoke softly, blushing heavily as she stared into Ash's eyes. Averting her gaze, she didn't resist as Ash once again made her look into his eyes.
"Is everything alright?" Ash knew there shouldn't be anything to worry about. That didn't mean there wasn't something and he wouldn't let Luna sit on that without telling him.
'Yeah, it's nothing. I'm just happy that you are doing well,' Luna answered him truthfully, smiling at him. 'You should be going now.'
"Spending time with you is more important than battle," Ash pointed out, taking her hand and gave it a squeeze. Instead of letting it go though, he lifted it to his lips and gave it a light kiss before he let it go. "Wish me luck."
'Good luck!' Luna called after her boyfriend, waving at him as he looked back. Lingering for a second longer, she soon left her spot as she joined the others on the rafters. Now alone with Pikachu, Ash clenched his fist.
"It's just again, isn't it?" Ash stated, no answer need to his question. Taking a deep breath, he thought about Bruno and his team. Obviously he used fighting-types, but he hadn't that much to go on beyond that. He knew of Bruno's ace, his Machamp. He knew that Bruno had an Onyx last time, so there was a chance it was Steelix. He had used those two and a Hitmonlee in their last battle. He definitely had more Pokemon than that, but which he would first find out once they battled. While Pidgeot would most likely be his ace, Ash was very much aware that Bruno had multiple ways of dealing with flying-types. Meaning he needed a backup plan in case Pidgeot was defeated.
Having mulled long enough about these things, Ash walked out on the battlefield he hadn't fought on long ago. Taking his place, Pikachu still on his shoulder, he looked across the field, staring at Bruno. This was it. His third battle against the Elite Four. If he won this and the next one he would have a chance, a single chance, to become the Champion of Kanto and Johto. He wouldn't fail, not now and not tomorrow either!