Took me a little more than a week to write this. Since the break has finally rolled around, I got a lot more of time on my hands, meaning I can write more. I will try to wrap tihs story up before the break ends, so you can expect 3-5 chapters before it's done. I'm also quite tired of battles, which is why next chapter will have no signs of battling, at all. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
"I thought you would never show up!" Bruno taunted, grinning as he finally would have his chance at beating Ash. Will and Koga had failed, both sitting among the others this time, Will having been unable to watch the last battle.
"Running isn't an option for me." Ash told his opponent, wearing a matching grin. Taking a pokeball from his belt, Bruno uncrossed his arms and did the same.
"Power is the force that drives us. But, what is power?" A question he longed to find the answer to. A question he never had gotten close to answer. "The answer lies in the heart of battle. Prepare yourself!"
What is power? Ash had never thought about it. Maybe Bruno was right and the answer could be found in the heart of battle. They would find out right here and now, with this battle. If a battle was what Bruno wanted, he would get one.
"Pidgeot, you're up!" Ash shouted as he threw the pokeball, catching it as it returned to his hand. Released was what he had planned to be his ace for this fight. While Bruno was more than adept at dealing with flying-types, Pidgeot would be fine for quite some time. Counter measures wouldn't stop them that easily.
"Pidgeot huh? While I admit it's powerful, don't think you can win with just your Pidgeot!" Confident words left Bruno's mouth, throwing his pokeball between his hands.
"Overly confident much?" Ash asked, waiting for Bruno to reveal his first Pokemon. Maybe it would be his Machamp, in an attempt to defeat Pidgeot as early as possible.
"Hitmonchan, let's go!" Bruno proved Ash wrong as he threw his pokeball, revealing his Hitmoncham, which was eagerly jumping back and forth as it kept punching the air.
"This is a battle between Ash Ketchum and Bruno of the Elite Four! The rules are unchanged," the referee spoke, looking at both trainers. "Begin!"
"Let's strike first! Mach Punch!" With that the battle begun. Hitmonchan started sprinting towards Pidgeot, fist raised.
Ash knew that Mach Punch was always going to strike first, the move taking priority above nearly anything. That didn't mean there weren't ways to deal with it.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack, then blow Hitmonchan away with Gust!" Ash hoped that his plan would work, considering it relied on well Hitmonchan was able to recover from using Mach Punch. If Pidgeot used Gust a second to late could mean the difference between getting in a strong hit or not.
"Don't falter!" Bruno couldn't even blink as Pidgeot moved, only a blur as it became clearly visible again. What incredible speed. "Watch out, Hitmonchan!"
The warning came to late, Hitmonchan tumbling forward as it missed its mark. Not finding any footing, Hitmonchan's eyes widened as it tried to get its fists up in order to form some sort of defence. It was a futile attempt as the wind picked up, knocking it off its feet.
"Hurricane!" Ash shouted, prompting Pidgeot to beat her wings, moving the air surrounding them the way she wanted. Soon Hitmonchan found itself at the mercy of Pidgeot's glowing wings, spinning around in the air as the Hurricane only started to spin faster.
"Hang on!" That certainly made Hitmonchan less worried.
"Get Hitmonchan as high as possible, then let go!" Doing as her trainer told, Pidgeot stopped maintaining the hurricance, her wings losing their glow. In response, Hitmonchan dropped unceremoniously to the ground, resulting in a loud thud.
"Creative one, aren't you? We don't need that though. Close Combat!" Bruno wasn't impressed that easily, something Ash had done in the previous two battles. With Pidgeot still winded, he saw his chance, taking it right away. Hitmonchan dashed foward, heavily annoyed that it got beaten so easily so far, throwing the first punch. Following that one came a series of punches, with some kicks inbetween, each punch hitting harder than the last. One directly at Pidgeot's beak, followed by a kick at her beak. Another punch, this was one striking Pidgeot's eye. Jump onto the bird, punch to her head from above. Standing up, Hitmonchan stomped Pidgeot on the head, before returning to its previous spot. Roundhouse kick striking the side of Pidgeot's head. Leaving its place in front of Pidgeot, Hitmonchan moved to the side of Pidgeot, punching the spot where her left wing connected to her body, adding a kick. Satisfied, Hitmonchan returned to its trainer's side.
"Pidgeot, are you okay?!" Ash's heart was racing, having been unable to do anything as Hitmonchan had delivered the brutal beating that was Close Combat, Pikachu crying out as well.
"Pidgeot." Not wanting to worry her trainer, Pidgeot tried to assure him that everything was fine, flexing her wings in an attempt to calm him down.
"Let's go then! Heat Wave!" Believing the large bird, Ash went straight back at it. Using the exhaustion and weakened defence that came with Close Combat, there was a small window to get in a free attack. Opening her beaten beak, Pidgeot gathered the heat before releasing a wind of flames at Hitmonchan. Unable to react in time, Hitmonchan took the flames searing at its body in stride. Revenge was sweet.
"Such a powerful attack after Hitmonchan's Close Combat? The bird has my respect," Bruno was impressed. More than impressed. This was what he was looking for! "Thunder Punch and Ice Punch!"
Ash gulped as Hitmonchan's fists glowed, each one glowing differently. If both of them connected with Pidgeot they were in a lot of trouble. Thankfully Pidgeot didn't need to be told that she would avoid getting hit by the two attacks, both being very effective against her. Hitmonchan surprised them though with a burst of speed, its Ice Punch missing but the Thunder connecting.
"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, once again using the fact that there was a small window to strike after Hitmonchan attacked. What he hadn't calculated for were the small bolts surrounding Pidgeot. She had been paralyzed! Being lucky this time, Pidgeot managed to fly straight into Hitmonchan, sending the Pokemon tumbling backwards.
"Recover with Drain Punch!" A quick retalliation attack, abusing the small distance between them, prompted a grunt from Pidgeot as her energy was drained away by Hitmonchan's attack.
"Air Slash, now!" Ash ordered, like Bruno using the fact that there was practically no distance between Pidgeot and Hitmonchan, meaning Pidgeot didn't need aim in order hit her opponent. Pidgeot's wings glowed as threw saw disc-like energy blades at Hitmonchan who cried out in pain at the impact, knocked off its feet.
"Get up!" Bruno called, looking at Hitmonchan who was standing up after some time. "That's the spirit! Mach Punch!"
"Double Team!" Confusion was what Bruno felt as Ash issued the command, Pidgeot rapidly copying herself until she surrounded Hitmonchan. "Let them come to us before you strike!"
"If you insist, Mach Punch on the one in front of you!" Bruno hoped he guessed right.
"Wrong! Pidgeot, Aerial Ace!" The remaining copies of Pidgeot disappeared as the real one shot forward, coming from Hitmonchan's left. Striking Hitmonchan, glowing white streaks were the only easy way to track Pidgeot's movement.
"Hitmonchan, go for another Close Combat!" Bruno knew that he needed to get rid of this Pidgeot soon, else his remaining Pokemon would be in trouble.
"Not this time! U-Turn!" Ash decided to change the pace right there, Pidgeot flying forward once again with her high speed, striking Hitmonchan before she turned into a white orb as she returned to her pokeball. If needed he would use Primeape against Machamp, which Ash knew Bruno had as one of his Pokemon with it being his ace.
"Are you finally gonna show something we haven't yet?!" Bruno called across the battlefield, looking intensely at Ash.
"Keep dreaming and better deal with this! Charizard, let's finish what Pidgeot started!" Ash threw his pokeball, Pidgeot's pokeball already back on his belt. Charizard landed on the ground with a heavy thud, the ground shaking from the impact as he let out a deafening roar. He was more than ready to beat that Hitmonchan, glaring at it as he waited for his trainer's command to attack.
"Thunder Punch, now!" Where as Ice Punch would have been effective against Pidgeot, it wouldn't be very effective against Charizard, since he was part fire-type. That removed one of Bruno's options.
Fight or flight. If the Thunder Punch hit it could do some damage, but Charizard had never liked the flight approach. "Send it flying with Dragon Tail!"
"Huh?!" Not expecting such an approach, Bruno was caught offguard as Charizard flew straight at Hitmonchan, tail glowing as Charizard slammed it into Hitmonchan, sending the Pokemon flying across the field before slowly stopping in front of Bruno.
"Get close and use Flamethrower!" Ash called, Charizard using his strength to propel himself forward, quickly approaching Hitmonchan. Having managed to stand up, there was nothing Hitmonchan could do as the flames gathered in Charizard's maw were unleashed, covering the Pokemon completely.
"Hang on, Hitmonchan!" Bruno shouted, doubting that Hitmonchan would still be able to fight after that combination of attacks. One could always hope though. As soon as the flames cleared, swirls could be seen in Hitmonchan's eyes.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle!" The referee declared, flag raised in Bruno's direction. Recalling his fallen Hitmonchan, Bruno looked at the pokeball speaking his thanks to Hitmonchan.
"Well done, Ash! But this was just the warm-up!" He shouldn't be that confident after he was put on the back-foot this early, but he still had two strong Pokemon in the waiting, one of them going to show what it was made of now.
"Not the greatest warm-up if I should be honest!" Ash shot back, enjoying the banter they had going. There was a reason why he had looked forward to this battle more than all the other battles, except his possible battle against Lance.
"We'll see! Hariyama, you're up!" Throwing the pokeball, Bruno caught it as it returned, Hariyama landing on the field, making the battlefield shake even more than Charizard had managed to. While he often stayed true to their regions, Hariyama had been perfect for his team, complementing what they had lacked in bulk while the rest of his team made up for Hariyama's lack in raw offensive power. That didn't mean Hariyama was a pushover when it came to power. It certainly packed a punch if needed. Those large hands were there for a reason.
"Nothing we can't handle! It's time to show them what you're truly made off! Slash!" Ash called out, Charizard taking flight once as he flew up higher and higher before quickly descending on Hariyama.
"Use Bulk Up!" Bruno countered, Hariyama powering up as Charizard was about to strike. Opening its eyes it looked at Charizard as the fire-starter was about to strike. "Grab him!"
"No, get out of there!" Ash shouted as Hariyama moved in to fulfill its trainer's command. Shoving away the claw that Charizard tried to strike with, Hariyama grabbed his other claw.
"Slam him into the ground and then use Low Kick!" Bruno followed up, Hariyama using its natural strength to slam Charizard into the ground, ducking as it delievered its kick, stopping Charizard from getting up properly.
"Flamethrower!" Ash ordered, slightly fed up with Bruno's Hariyama already. He knew that it could have Thick Fat as its ability, meaning Charizard's fire-attacks would be less effective. But that wouldn't stop Charizard from inflicting some good damage. Bellowing out the flames straight at Hariyama, the large Pokemon tumbled backwards at the impact of the attack.
"The strength of those flames are impressive, though not enough! Payback!" Bruno smirked as he called out the move, enjoying the look of surprise on Ash's face. With the damage inflicted by Charizard's Flamethrower, Payback would pack a punch. And with no room to really maneuver Charizard had no choice but to accept the return attack.
"Strike with Wing Attack right after!" Ash told Charizard, the fire-type only grunting as he was struck by the open palm of Hariyama. Far from out though, Charizard stretched his wings as they glowed white before bringing them down on Hariyama, who didn't react in time to block.
"He keeps impressing, doesn't he?" Lance asked, the question mostly directed at Karen. He, Bruno and Koga all had experience with Ash, while Karen didn't believe what they were saying about him.
"I'll change your opinion of him once I've beaten him." Karen replied, always the confident one.
"You don't even know what his last two Pokemon are." Sabrina pointed out, rather annoyed with the dark-type Elite Four. They had never been on the greatest terms, but this was close to pushing it too far.
"I'm quite sure of it that Ash will use one of his two still unknown Pokemon, for two different reason." Brock added to the discussion, knowing what Ash's last two Pokemon were. While he could be hiding both of them, the thrill of using one of them against Bruno would be too big for Ash to resist.
"Then enlighten me." Karen sneered, not very happy that everyone seemed to be against her, the battle raging on below. A close range Dragon Breath had knocked Hariyama down, the large Pokemon having a hard time getting up again.
"If he should need his third Pokemon he will use it, not because it's his best against Bruno but because it's part of his enjoyment of battling, and he wants you to know what's coming." Brock explained calmly, smirking as Charizard shoved Hariyama backwards with Slash.
"He wants to show me what he has up his sleeve? If he wants to I won't be the one stop him." Karen said, focus never wavering from the battle. Anything that happened down there could help her if Ash should win.
"Dragonbreath!" Ash called out, toning out the discussion held on the stands, arm thrown out. Bruno's Hariyama proved to be a lot bulkier than he had thought. Did that stop him in any way? No, it only slowed him down. The draconic energy came naturally to Charizard, who had no problems with releasing it open his opponent.
"Take it and then use Close Combat!" Bruno told Hariyama, hoping for a result similar to what Hitmonchan had managed to do against Pidgeot. Running forwards, at a surprising speed, Hariyama opened with a chop-like attack towards Charizard's right wing, followed up by one to the neck. Dodging the first one, Charizard only managed to avoid getting hit where the hit was supposed to land, instead taking a hit to the side.
"Enough of this!" Ash shouted, fist balled. It had worked once against Pidgeot, but he wouldn't allow another beating like that. "Overheat!"
"Ah, crap." Bruno muttered, maybe having been a bit too reckless in his assault. The intended barrage of hits stopped as Charizard jumped backwards, growling loudly. The white orb that was Overheat glowed brightly in the lizard's mouth before it was unleashed upon Hariyama. Spiralling around the white fire were orange flames, the attack relentlessly striking Hariyama, with no means of escape.
"Slash!" Ash went on, hoping that all the pressure would eventually have Hariyama cave in. That Pokemon was tough. Didn't mean he was against a good challenge though. "Now Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it, Hariyama!" Bruno shouted, hoping their training it would pay off, especially in a moment like this. Doing as told , the large Pokemon to the side, avoiding the attack meant for it.
"Dragon Tail!" Ash ordered, simply to trying to whittle Hariyama down. Maybe he should finally go for the switch, since Hariyama's increased resistance to fire didn't do them any favor. Charizard swung his tail in a wide src, hitting Hariyama in its stomach, a grunt being its only response.
"Cross Chop!" Bruno returned the favor, Hariyama crossing its arms before going in and striking Charizard with its large hands, knocking Charizard down.
"Return, Charizard!" Ash caled, holding up Charizard as he returned the lizard to it. It was time tomchange the pace of the battle. He had planned to save him for his battle against Karen, but using him now would be his besy option.
"You're recalling him?" Bruno questioned his decision, but said nothing as Ash confidently picked his next Pokemon. As strong as Charizard was, Bruno couldn't help but worry at Ash's choice. If he recalled his Charizard, what would be waiting to take his place?
"Primeape, it's your turn!" Ash declared, throwing his pokeball, releasing Primeape. Lacking the weight of Charizard and Hariyama, Primeape was awfully quiet and barely made any sound as he stared at Hariyama
"A Primeape?!" Bruno hadn't expected Ash to pick a fighting-type against him. Against Karen it would have been understandable, but against him? "I won't be beaten by a fighting-type! Hariyama, brace yourself for any attack!"
"That won't be enough against Primeape! Let's show them why, Close Combat!" His Pokemon had been on the receiving end of that attack twice already, so it was time for him to return the favor. Eagerly sprinting forwards, Primeape ran as fast as he could before jumping into the air, preparing a kick against the defending Hariyama. The larger Pokemon was not ready for the strength behind the kick, as Primeape simply crashed against the larger Pokemon, getting rid of the defence instantly. An uppercut followed by another one, combined with a kick to the stomach. A dozen of punches to head and other parts of the body, kicks weaved inbetween. Not slowing down at all was an impressive feat, seeing how long Primeape went at it without taking any sort of break.
"What on earth was that?" Bruno asked, not expecting an answer from anyone.
"That's Primeape for you," Ash answered grinning. "And he's far from done!"
Standing up after Primeape was finished, Hariyama shook a little from its exhaustion but took a battle stance anyway. Looking up at his friends, especially focusing on Luna, Ash smiled at them. Their presence gave him strength. Moving to the other Elites and Lance, he had to turn away as he saw how pale Karen looked. She truly seemed worried about Primeape, which was good for him. Holding in his laugh, he focused on Hariyama.
"Earthquake!" Ash picked up where he had left off, Primeape leaping into the air, gravity pulling him back down. Using the momentum, the Pokemon slammed into the ground, making everything shake and the field to split, leaving it uneven. Perfect for a switch, should he so choose. The large Pokemon losts its footing as it fell to the ground, this time not moving for quite some time. As it stood up, it was clear though that it was exhausted beyond imagination, eventually giving in and falling over.
"Hariyama is unable to battle!" The referee shouted, earning cheers from Ash's friends.
"Man, you're on a roll, aren't you?" Bruno questioned, the answer already there. "I still got one Pokemon left and as long he stands I'm not out! Machamp, avenge your fallen comrades!"
The four-armed Pokemon entered the fray, flexing his muscles as he judged Primeape. This would be far tougher than any of Bruno's previous Pokemon, with it being his ace. Machamp had absolutely destroyed him last time he battled Bruno and it had most likely only gotten stronger since then.
"Dynamic Punch!" Bruno called, taking action first. His ace charged up his attack, running closer and closer to Primeape before jumping.
"I hate confusion," Ash muttered. If the attack hit, Primeape would be confused no matter what. So dodging was the only option in this case. "Don't let that attack hit you!"
"Keep going until you hit!" Bruno ordered, Machamp keeping his assault going, swinging his fists as he tried to hit Primeape. Confusion would really work wonders in Bruno's favor, since it would make Primeape less reliable when it came to attack and even easier to hit.
"Duck and then use Mega Kick!" Ash had to attack, else he wouldn't win this. While Primeape most likely wouldn't get exhausted, him getting tired was certainly possible.
Charging up his attack, Primeape waited for another swing, ducking in time while kicking at the same time with his glowing leg.
"Let's change it up! Ice Punch!" Bruno swiftly altered the way he was going at it, Machamp switching arms as his fist was covered in ice. Unable to react, Primeape blocked the attack with his two arms. Much to the chagrin of Ash though, Primeape's arms froze.
"This is not good." Ash's options were very limited now that Primeape couldn't use his arms. While he could still kick, that wouldn't work that well since Primeape didn't have his arms to help with the balance needed.
"Heavy Slam!" Bruno followed up, hoping to knock out Primeape so Ash would at least lose one of his three Pokemon. Anything else would be an embarassment.
"Dodge it and then use Final Gambit!" Ash shouted, watching as Primeape jumped to the side, which lead to Machamp hitting the ground instead of Primeape. Recovering, the four armed Pokemon noticed the black leg Primeape was lifting but was unable to avoid the kick he received. Looking proud, the smaller Pokemon fainted nearly instantly after the attack.
"You couldn't even leave me a single KO?" Bruno asked, grunting in annoyance. He had no idea how much that Final Gambit had taken out of Machamp, besides that it was probably was quite a lot of damage since Primeape hadn't taken that much.
"So you can brag that you took down at least one Pokemon of your future Champion? No thanks," Ash replied, recalling his fallen Pokemon. Primeape had served him well so far, but now it was time to finish it. "Charizard, finish what we have started!"
"Machamp, let's show them that we won't go down without a fight! Ice Punch!" Another freeze would definitely work in Bruno's favor.
"Slash!" Ash hoped that Charizard either simply avoid the incoming punch while striking, or the secondary effect of Ice Punch kicked in. This time though they had much more to work with, since Machamp wasn't nearly as heavy as Hariyama. At the same time Final Gambit had weakened Machamp. While it surely hadn't decided anything yet, every small thing helped.
"Show them what an uppercut looks like!" Bruno shouted, Machamp dodging Charizard's claw and performing a very painful looking uppercut on Charizard's jaw.
"Flamethrower while he's close!" Ash countered, Charizard glaring at Machamp as he breathed out the flames.
"Keep punching him!" Bruno's ace did as told, enduring the pain it received from Charizard, hoping to outlast the lizard.
"Retreat!" Ash called out as he noticed that Charizard's left claw had frozen. "Use your frozen claw to strike!"
Since it was frozen, using his claw was a bigger effort than before, but nothing that bothered Charizard too much. Using the extra weight to increase the power behind his swing, he struck Machamp in the chest sending him flying across the field.
"Follow up with Dragon Tail!" Ash ordered, Charizard moving towards Machamp with a single flap of his wings, his tail glowing as he hovered above the downed Pokemon.
"Perfect. Use Stone Edge!" Bruno had Ash where he wanted him, with no way out. Preparig his attack, Charizard had no time to react as stones were sent hurling at him, hitting his body in multiple spots.
"Pull back!" Ash cried out, flinching a few times as the stones struck. Charizard wouldn't be held down by a single attack, that didn't make it any easier watching though.
"Keep going with Stone Edge! Don't give them any chance to retalliate!" With that Bruno forced Ash into a corner, leaving him no chance of attacking while at the same time Charizard would keep taking damage from the stones.
"Fly straight at Machamp and use Slash!" Ash changed his approach. He had to get close, since none of Charizard's attacks would be able to hit Machamp from such a distance. Enduring the stones that struck, Charizard let out a challenging roar as he was flying closer and closer to Machamp.
"Dodge-" Bruno tried to call out, stopping himself as Machamp hit the ground.
"Overheat!" Ash shouted, watching in satisfication as Charizard unleashed the hell that Overheat was at such a small range. "Now, Flaming Seismic Toss!"
"Flaming Seismic Toss?!" Surprises were seemingly common when it came to Ash, something Bruno found out in that moment. "What the hell is Flaming Seismic Toss?!"
"You're about to find out!" Ash replied, now grinning. Battling was what he lived for, even if watching Pokemon getting hurt wasn't part of what he liked about battling. "Let's go!"
Charizard roared in agreement as he grabbed Machamp, slowly starting to ascend into the air. Machamp struggled in Charizard's grasp, desparately trying to break free, but to no avail. While flying, Charizard started to use Fire Spin, going higher and higher until he reached the roof of the battlefield. As soon as he did, he took a nosedive back down, rapidly descending towards the ground, spinning as he did with the fire surrounding him and Machamp. Crashing into the ground, a grunt and a scream of pain could be heard, leaving no doubt about the success of the attack. Flying from the crater left behind, Charizard landed on Ash's side of the field, grinning at his trainer.
"Machamp, get up!" Bruno shouted, his ace struggling to get up. He had sorely underestimated Ash. "We can't lose here!"
"You can and you will," Ash spoke, a fire burning in his eyes as he stood there with Charizard and Pikachu at his side. "Looks like he needs some help with getting up. Use Dragon Tail to help him up!"
Bruno grit his teeth as Charizard sent Machamp hurling, who had just gotten up.
"Stone Edge!" The move had proven to be very effective, since it kept Charizard at a distance or inflicted a lot of damage should Charizard get close.
"Send the stones back with Dragon Tail!" Ash called out, Charizard swinging his tail at the incoming projectiles, sending them straight at Machamp. Surprised by the returning projectiles, Machamp didn't defend or dodge in time, instead getting hit by his own attack.
"Get close and use Thunder Punch!" Bruno ordered, taking a risk. Getting close meant being at the mercy of Charizard's attacks. But, with Stone Edge proving less effective it was his best option.
"Slash!" Ash knew what Bruno was trying and had no intentions of letting it work. Pushing himself off the ground, Charizard pulled his right back as he waited for Machamp to get close enough for him to attack.
"Dodge it!" Bruno trusted in Machamp's ability to pull through in difficult situations. They had done it before and they would do it again. Rolling to the side, Charizard stopped and turned around, coming face to face with Machamp's crackling fist.
"Block!" A direct hit could be dangerous after such a long time of battling. Listening to Ash, Charizard lifted his arms as Machamp's fist struck, putting everything he had into not faltering.
"Push through!" Bruno saw his chance to take Charizard down and he would take it.
"Shove him back and finish this with Blast Burn!" Ash screamed, adrenaline running through his body. He was exhausted himself from standing on the field for such a long time, feeling exhaustion kick in. Giving it his all, Charizard managed to push Machamp backwards, leaving him wide open to the fiery red orb that left Charizard's maw. The impact resulted in an explosion, covering the area closest to the two Pokemon.
"Machamp is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum is the winner and will advance to face Elite Four Karen!" The referee shouted, the final result declared.
"Yes!" Ash pumped his fist into the air, Pikachu mimicking her trainer and sharing his excitement. Running up to Charizard, Ash latched onto his neck, wrapping his arms around his trusted Pokemon. The excitement was palpable in the air.
"You did great, old friend," Bruno said to his fallen ace, pointing his pokeball at Machamp as he recalled him. "Hey Ash."
Letting go off Charizard, Ash recalling him before he looked at Bruno, wondering what he wanted.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Bruno asked, wearing an expectant expression.
"Figured it out? Oh yeah, I have," Ash responded, smiling at the Elite Four member. "Power is different for everyone. My power comes from the bond and trust I share with my Pokemon and friends. I trust them completely, as do they. That's my power."
"I'm happy you found your answer to the question. I haven't found mine yet, but I will keep looking until I do. Before I can do that though, I got some battles to watch. Isn't that so?"
"It is," Karen cut in, smiling weakly. "I'm impressed, which doesn't mean I will go easy on you, tomorrow when we battle. I await you around afternoon here, ready to battle. Until then."
With that, Karen left the stands, Koga and Will following her. Lance stayed a little longer, looking at Ash before he departed with a nod. That only left his friends up there, all of them leaving as well.
"You better go with your friends. Your Pokemon will certainly appreciate some healing and mine would to, and I won't deny you your time off," Bruno spoke, holding out his fist. Smiling at his opponent, Ash bumped his fist with Bruno's, taking his leave with a wave.
Taking it easy sounded nice. His Pokemon deserved it after two hard fought battles.
'You too should take it easy~' Reshiram pointed out, laughing as she did. 'Pallet Town sounds like a nice place to be right now, doesn't it?'
"Yeah it does," Ash replied, enjoying the idea. "Once I've healed everyone up we're heading straight back home."
Set on what to do, Ash sighed in relief. He was close, so close. It would only get tougher from here on out though. Approaching the healing machine, Ash put Charizard's, Pidgeot's and Primeape's pokeball in the healing machine, leaning against it as he waited for the healing to be complete. A bling announced that the healing was, prompting Ash to remove the pokeballs and fasten them back on his belt. Going a little faster, Ash couldn't wait to get back home and spend the rest of the day relaxing. It was only early afternoon now, meaning his mom was probably waiting with dinner at home. Good grief was he hungry. Spotting all of his friends standing where they usually stood, Ash grinning at them as they spotted him.
"Sabrina, take us to Pallet Town," He said, not giving anyone a chance to speak. Simply nodding, Sabrina gestured for Alakazam to step forward. Already feeling the teleportation starting, Ash spoke before they left.
"And you're staying with us."