Hey, look! It's another chapter! Spent the entire week writing this one. I'm getting slightly sick of battles though. Thankfully the next one, even though it will be long, is the last one for quite some time. Depending on how I decide, the story will end with the two-parter or I will write an epilogue to shorten the two previous chapters a bit. Also, I surpassed a 100 favorites a few days ago! Thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed! Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
"It's interesting really, we've been to so many regions and yet you have never faced a dark-type Master. I'm looking forward to see what Karen has planned, and more importantly what you have in mind." Brock said, sipping at his coffe and sitting on the porch, while enjoying the morning air. With Karen requesting them to come quite late compared to the others, there was no stress involved.
"Well, I don't have anything planned really, besides what I usually do. Once the battle is underway I might have a better idea on what I want to do." Ash admitted, taking a sip of his own coffee. Talking with Brock like this brought back memories from the time they spent travelling together. Turning his attention to the battle he would have, Ash had already decided on who he wanted to use. While he didn't know what Karen's Pokemon were, he had enough experience with dark-types to have an idea about what to expect.
"Makes sense," Brock noted, glancing at his friend. "I heard from Gary that you went to the jeweler yesterday."
"You heard that?" Chuckling, Ash looked up at the sky, contemplating on what to say. "Who's saying that Gary's telling the truth?"
"No one would come up with you going to a jeweler," Brock reasoned, seeing his friend accept his reasoning. "So you finally fixed that Latiasite, huh? What did you do with it?"
"I got a pair of earrings, one of them holding the Latiasite." Ash told his friend, pulling them out of his pocket where he had been keeping them since he bought them. He hadn't planned on giving them to Luna just yet. The prospect though of seeing her entire face light up made waiting hard. As they had been laying awake in the same bed together, he had asked if Luna could have them be aware of each other's emotions the entire time. It felt incredible the one time Luna did, and he wanted to feel like that again.
"Go," Brock suddenly said, nodding towards the door. "While there's no rush, give her the earrings now. I'm sure she'll appreciate them, and any time you get to spend together."
"Thanks, Brock." Ash stood up, entering the house in order to find Luna.
"Already dreaming about being the Champion?!" Karen shouted across the battlefield, souding somewhat annoyed that he wasn't focusing. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Ash put all of his attention on the now, instead of what had happened earlier in the day.
"This will be a 3 vs 3 between Ash Ketchum and Elite Four Karen! The rules are unchanged! Send out your Pokemon!"
"Hmpf, I'll show you what a member of the Elite Four can do. Where my three colleagues faltered, I won't. Umbreon, let's go!" Ash thought Gary was overly confident, but Karen was on a completely different level. She didn't only sound confident, her whole demeanor reeked of confidence. Her stance, her words and even her Pokemon. Everything was pure confidence. This might be the hardest of his four battles, not just because Karen was the last Elite. Looking down at his starter, Ash knew what he had to do.
"Pikachu, take the lead!" Pikachu ran as fast as her short legs allowed, taking her place in front of her trainer. The referee wasted no time.
"Begin!"
Ash took a second to think. Umbreon had nothing close to the offensive capabilities of his Pokemon, instead relying on its ability to take hits and indirectly hinder him.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, going first in an attempt to edge out a small lead.
"Protect." Karen didn't even look like she had an ounce of worry as Pikachu's Thunderbolt approached. Umbreon surrounded itself in a blue dome as the Thunderbolt crashed into it harmlessly.
"Quick Attack!" Getting closer would somewhat counteract Protect, since Umbreon wouldn't be able to react as quickly when there was barely any distance between itself and Pikachu.
"Toxic!" Not longer simply defending, Karen turned the table on Ash and Pikachu as she ordered a counter attack. Spewing out the poisonous substance right as Pikachu would hit it, the electric rodent didn't get any further as the impact hurt her quite a bit.
"Pikachu!" Ash called out in worry. He knew that the poison hadn't done anything yet, or barely anything, but over time the poison would grow stronger and stronger. Whittling his Pokemon down and staying defensive seemed to be Karen's plan, at least with Umbreon.
"Dark Pulse!" Karen used the lapse in their focus, Ash's worry and Pikachu getting hit by the poison, to strike.
"Countershield!" What he had tried to use to his advantage was now working against him, as Pikachu would very likely be unable to dodge Umbreon's Dark Pulse. Jumping on her back, Pikachu spun around while releasing electricity, nullifying the incoming projectile.
"Sucker Punch!" Karen called, surprising Ash. He hadn't thought about the fact that even though he wasn't attacking, Pikachu was using Thunderbolt which meant Sucker Punch would strike first no matter what. What a simple mistake he had made.
"Iron Tail, let's go!" Pikachu took the attack in stride, wincing slightly and instantly swung her metal coated tail at the defenseless Umbreon. Striking hard, Pikachu flung Umbreon across the field, not waiting for Ash's next order before already dashing after her opponent.
"Dark Pulse again!" Ash hadn't figured out Karen's plan yet, though he would do so eventually. Umbreon was Karen's ace and usually trainers kept their ace until the end. If Umbreon had other moves that only were there to hinder him, like Toxic, he had a grasp on what Karen wanted to do. He couldn't let Umbreon battle any of his other Pokemon, unless he wanted to risk getting them poisoned or anything similar.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash responded, his eyes narrowing as he noticed Pikachu wince before she did as told. Hadn't be been looking for something he most likely would not have noticed. The poison was quickly growing in strength. While he could switch Pikachu out, he would hurt his chances of winning more than doing himself a favor. No. He would keep Pikachu in as long as possible, and hopefully knock out Umbreon, in order to set the match up for his two remaining Pokemon.
"Sucker Punch!" He scowled as Umbreon's left leg glowed and it struck Pikachu. All of Pikachu's moves were attacking moves and even if he didn't have Pikachu attack with them, Umbreon's Sucker Punch would still get a hit in on her. He would have meet Karen blow for blow it seemed.
"Electro Ball, then Quick Attack!" Ash simply needed to have Pikachu get in as many attacks as possible prior to a possible Sucker Punch. If Umbreon couldn't recover from the first attack there was no chance of Sucker Punch being used. Swinging her tail in an arc, the orb of electricity was sent flying at Umbreon, who dodged it by juping backwards. That left it wide open for Pikachu, who only left behind a white trail, to strike, hurling it towards its trainer.
"Don't let up, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Umbreons weren't by any means slow, though when compared to Pikachu that changed. Pikachu's speed was proven as she unleashed her electricity into a bolt, it shooting forwards at a very high speed.
"Get up and use Protect!" Recovering much faster than he had expected, Umbreon repeated what it had done earlier and simply let the bolt strike against the blue dome surrounding it.
"Thunder!" Ash saw the opening and struck. Protect stopped attacks, yes, but putting up the shield and holding it against stronger attacks was straining on most Pokemon. Umbreon was no exception as it only got time to look upwards as Pikachu had shot a large bolt above the Eeveelution. It cried out in pain as an even larger bolt hit it head on.
"Get as close as possible and use Confuse Ray!" Karen ordered, confirming Ash's suspicions. Umbreon, while Karen's ace, was also he rlead Pokemon. With moves like Toxic, Confuse Ray and Protect it had enough ways of weakening and stalling the opposition.
"Don't let that attack hit you!" Ash warned his starter, fully aware that she also knew what that attack could do to her if it hit. Seeing it come closer and closer, he waited, nodding as Pikachu glanced at him. "Slide under it and then use Electro Ball!"
"Counter it with Dark Pulse!"
The two attacks collided mid-air, exploding upon impact as they obscured both trainer's sight.
"Thunderbolt, straight ahead!" He wasn't completely sure, but Ash hoped that his guess were Umbreon was wasn't completely off.
"Umbreon!" The dark-type cried out, making it clear that Ash had guessed correctly.
"Power-up Electro Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash pumped his fist as Pikachu started to sprint so she could get high enough. Her tail reflected some of the light as the small orb was growing rapidly. "Now!"
Karen had crossed her arms she watched, knowing that letting the attack hit was better than trying to avoid it. She just needed to wait for the right moment. Closing her eyes, she waited for the inevitable cry of pain that would from Umbreon as she didn't order a Protect. No, she would lure Ash into her trap and then finish off Pikachu.
"Let's finish this! Charge yourself up with Thunder!" Ash had one shot. After that the poison would be too severe for him to let Pikachu continue. If he got Pikachu out off battle fast enough, the poison would become harmless as it slowly would disappear from Pikachu's blood.
"Brace yourself, Umbreon." Karen spoke, carefully watching Ash and Pikachu.
"Volt Tackle!" Ash had intentions of dragging out the battle between his starter and Umbreon any longer, Pikachu would go out with a bang. With the excess electricity, Pikachu's Volt Tackle grew immensely more powerful as she started to chant while running as fast as she could towards Umbreon.
"Prot-" Karen didn't even need to tell Umbreon what to do, as it instinctively raised the protective dome around itself. What shocked Karen though was the leap Pikachu made to reach Umbreon, crashing into what she thought would protect her Pokemon, the shield barely putting up any resistance at all as it broke, leaving Umbreon vulnerable. Striking hard, Umbreon didn't stand a chance as it was sent sliding over the ground by the force behind the attack. There was no doubt about the result.
"Umbreon is unable to battle!" The referee declared, raising a flag in Karen's direction.
"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash cheered, trying to pinpoint his starter. Pikachu was lying on the ground, not moving. "Pikachu?"
"Pikachu is unable to battle!" The referee added, this time raising a flag in Ash's direction. Running across the battlefield without hesitation, Ash scooped Pikachu up in his arms as he watched her for any sign of movement. The poison must have knocked her out. Taking her back to his side, he carefully put her down, smiling at his knocked out starter.
"Take a good rest," Ash whispered to his starter, standing up and staring at Karen. "Looks like we're all tied up."
"That seems to be the case, but not for long!" Karen was confidence incarnate as she picked her next Pokemon. "Honchkrow, avenge Umbreon!"
If Pikachu would still be around this would have been a breeze. She wasn't, so Ash needed to find another way. He could use Glalie, though he wanted to keep Glalie as somewhat of a surprise for Lance, should he make it. Donphan wouldn't stand much of a chance against the flying-type, since most of his attacks wouldn't be able to hit and his mobility on ground wouldn't do anything against an aerial target. Primeape was in a similar spot, leaving him with Charizard and Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, let's show them how it's done!" There was a reason he had brought along Pidgeot over any of the other flying-types he had. Pidgeot was one of his strongest and most experienced Pokemon, and very few of his Pokemon could match her strength. The referee simply nodded and raised his flags as both Pokemon were ready and their trainers had signalled they were ready as well.
"Thunder Wave!" The move wasn't what Ash had expected from Karen and her Honchkrow, but he wouldn't let that faze him.
"Double Team!" Ash threw his fist in a backward motion to the side, as Honchkrow's Thunder Wave went straight through the double left behind by Pidgeot. Now surrounded by over a dozen of Pidgeots, Honchkrow tried to spot the real one as quickly as it could.
"If they're not taking it to us, we're taking it to them! Thunder Wave on all of them!"
"Heat Wave!" Ash countered, all of the Pidgeot's preparing the attack, opening their beaks as they unleashed the attack.
"Drop to the ground!" It was too sudden for Ash to react, as Honchkrow simply fell, avoiding the attack which instead went straight through one of the many Pidgeots. "Drill Peck!"
"Blow Honchkrow away with Gust!" Pidgeot far surpassed Honchkrow in size, flapping her wings at an increasing speed as she slowly forced the other bird away from her. "Quick Attack!"
Shooting forwards, a white trail behind her, Pidgeot struck hard as she connected with Honchkrow, sending it tumbling through the air.
"Get a hold on yourself!" Karen shouted to her Pokemon, watching worriedly as it tried to right itself in the air. "Roost!"
Ash couldn't let Honchkrow recover and have his and Pidgeot's work go to waste.
"Strike with Heat Wave while it can't act!" Ash ordered, Pidgeot rapidly charging up the attack, firing as soon as it was ready. Ash hadn't accounted for Honchkrow's speedy recovery though as the bird effortlessly dodged Pidgeot's Heat Wave a second time. Growling in annoyance, his focus wavered.
"Brave Bird!" Karen's voice cut right through him as Honchkrow entire burst up in flames before the flames turned into a blue aura, Honchkrow crashed into Pidgeot, the larger bird's eyes bulging as the impact sent her hurling to the ground.
"Quick Attack!" Ash clenched his fist as he gave the order through gritted teeth. Pikachu had fainted because he didn't call her back once he noticed the poison starting to kick in. Pidgeot could have easily taken Pikachu's place, the bird would have had an easier time avoiding Umbreon's attack. But he didn't, and it was costing him now.
'Ash, focus!' Reshiram called out to him, trying to act as a calming presence. 'You can't let emotions cloud your judgement!'
Once again Pidgeot got hit, Ash wincing as he saw her recover a lot slower than he knew she could.
'Come on, Ash! You can do it!' Ash's head spun around in direction of the stands at Luna's voice. He had never thought a smile could have such a calming effect on him, but it did.
"There you are!" Ash said as he finally found Luna, lying on his bed in her dragon form. "I've been looking for you."
'You have?' Luna asked, glancing at him. 'Shouldn't you be preparing for your battle?'
"I should," Ash admitted, chuckling at Luna's admonishing expression. "I have something more important to do though."
Pulling out the earrings, the Latiasite attached, he kept them hidden from sight as Luna was watching him. Dropping one into his other hand, he held them out for her to see. A gasp escaped her as she saw what he had been hiding and what he had needed to do. Her small paws pushed her off the bed as she slowly floated closer to him, inspecting the earrings he was holding in front of her.
'For me?' Ash found it adorable how she even thought they could be for someone else.
"I think it would be better if you would transform. I'm no expert on Pokemon anatomy, and do I know that you were wearing earrings during the dinner in Alto Mare." Ash hadn't spotted the holes he knew she had in her human form. He really hoped they would carry over when she changed back. Smiling as she had changed, Ash carefully got the earrings in place, a small yelp from Luna warning him about his minor failure to get them properly in place on his first try. Eventually suceeding, Ash took a step back. They looked fantastic on her, in his opinion, the Latiasite reflecting the sunlight coming through the window.
'How do I look?' Luna twirled around, shyly looking at Ash.
"You look great." He wondered if he should say anything about the Latiasite or if he should surprise her with it later.
'A Latiasite though? Where did you get one?' The dragonness inquired, trying to get the stone in her view.
"From a friend," Ash explained, thinking back to how he had gotten his keystone together with the bracelet and the Latiasite Luna was wearing now. "Do you like it?"
'I love it!' Luna declared, smiling happily at Ash. 'When will I be using it?'
When would she be using it? Ash had no idea really. Whenever both of them felt ready to use it he supposed. "We'll see."
'Thank you again!' Luna said, transforming back to her dragon form. The earrings still sat perfectly. Slowly moving closer to Ash, she looked straight into his eyes. 'Since you got something for me, I gotta give you something in return.'
Not arguing, Ash wondered what his girlfriend had in mind. Seeing her slowly lean closer to him, Ash grabbed her head and pulled her into a kiss. They had kissed before, but it couldn't compare to this in Ash's opinion. Kissing Latias in her true form was simply a different experience.
Remembering that he still was in the middle of a battle, Ash knew had to help out Pidgeot.
"Recover and then use Hurricane!" His frustration with himself was still there. Now though he accepted his mistakes and continued. There was no time for him to be frustrated with himself, especially not when his Pokemon were getting hurt because of it. As the winds started picking up, Ash grinned at Karen's worried expression. Any Pokemon really, with few exceptions, caught in Pidgeot's Hurricane were in trouble. The smaller bird tried its hardest to escape the Hurricane that was growing in strength, its struggle futile against the ever growing force behind the wind.
"Honchkrow!"
"Pidgeot, pin it down with Heat Wave!" Third time's the charm they said. Ash hoped that also applied to Pidgeot's third Heat Wave. The fiery attack hit hard, Honchkrow being surprisingly quiet as its feathers got burned.
"Thunder Wave!" Karen called out, this time hitting the mark. Paralysis was a nuisance, since there always was uncertain if a paralysed Pokemon would be able to act in time, since it slowed down Pokemon and sometimes even stopped them from acting completely.
"If that's so, Hyper Beam!" Betting on that Pidgeot would still be fast enough, Ash called out her finishing move. "Get close with Quick Attack!"
All the while preparing her final attack, Pidgeot shot forwards, honing in on Honchkrow. It became a game of cat and mouse as Pidgeot tried to corner Honchkrow, limiting its options of dodging her Hyper Beam. Honchkrow soon found itself outmatched, as Pidgeot caught up to it, even with Pidgeot paralysed, hurling into it which sent Honchkrow tumbling.
"Fire!" Ash didn't need to say more as Pidgeot unleashed her strongest attack upon Honchkrow, the orange beam relentlessly hitting Honchkrow, slamming the opposing Pokemon into the ground. Stopping not too longer after she hit, Pidgeot knew that it was over. Twitching slightly, sparks danced across her body. The paralysis was showing, but Ash had a simple solution to that in mind.
"Honchkrow is unable to battle!" The referee declared as the dust settled, Karen already recalling her fallen Honchkrow.
"I admit that I underestimated you. Do not think though that this is anywhere near over!" Karen's words rang across the field. She was right. This battle wasn't anywhere near being over. Pikachu was out cold, Pidgeot wasn't in top shape anymore and was paralysed and he didn't know what her last Pokemon would be.
"I never thought that! You got me all fired up, so no more waiting!" Ash shouted back, grinning the entire time. He had made mistakes, yes. But, he would learn from them and accept his shortcomings. He wouldn't fail his Pokemon like that again.
"No more waiting? Alright, fine with me! Houndoom!" Karen's last pokeball burst open, revealing the dark and fire-type native to Johto. Karen's Pokemon each had a clear role. Umbreon weakened any Pokemon first with attacks like Toxic. Honchkrow had Thunder Wave for the same reason, but instead was in every way a more offensive Pokemon. Houndoom finished off the stragglers, relying more on power than the previous two. It was a simple, but well planned strategy. He had no plans of letting Pidgeot go down though.
"Pidgeot, Double Team into Quick Attack!" Ash ordered, Pidgeot quickly summoning copies of herself before with a single flap of her wings pushing herself forwards, tucking them to her body as she didn't need them anymore.
"Nasty Plot before you get hit!" Karen took a risk at that moment. Pidgeot was powerful, so a single attack could already weaken Houndoom quite a bit, if it hit. Focusing, Houndoom increased its strength. "Hit as many as possible with Flamethrower!"
Gathering the flames in its mouth, Houndoom opened it, revealing the jaws it had, as it tried to find the real Pidgeot. The amount of Pidgeots soon dwindled down, leaving only one left, right in front of Houndoom.
"U-Turn!" Ash called out, watching as Pidgeot struck Houndoom before making a turn and starting to glow white. Holding up her pokeball, Ash waited until she was inside, putting her on his belt once she was. Time to switch. "Primeape!"
Throwing Primeape's pokeball, he saw Karen's annoyance. Pidgeot was weakened and now she had to face a Pokemon that was far from a pushover.
"Mega Kick, let's go!" Ash didn't give Karem and her Houndoom anymore breathing room. Primeape eagerly did as told, his right leg glowing white as he sprinted towards the dark-type. Jumping into the air, Primeape prepared to land his attack on Houndoom.
"Counter with Fire Blast!" Houndoom unleashed the attack much faster than Ash had expected, his eyes widening at the fact. If that attack hit, Primeape was in trouble. One of the strongest fire-type attacks together with Nasty Plot was nothing to scoff at.
"Dodge it!" Quickly changing approach, Primeape only needed to side step in order to avoid the attack.
"As expected! Will-O-Wisp!" Karen called out, a glint in her eyes as he did. He had done what she wanted him to do. Fire Blast was not the most accurate move, since it was quite hard to control at times for even the strongest of Pokemon. Getting hit by it was still no option, which forced him into a bad spot. With no time to react, Primeape was unable to dodge a second time as he got burnt by Houndoom's Will-O-Wisp. The damage wasn't the biggest problem, even though it was a nuisance, since Primeape was durable enough. No, the problem lied within the fact that the burn weakened Primeape's offensive potential. Did Primeape still pack a punch? Yes. Was it as potent as before? No. In the end it changed nothing about his approach to the battle, it only slowed him and Primeape down.
"Mega Kick again!" Primeape's move were still for the most part effective against Houndoom, somewhat counteracting the burn that had been inflicted on him. Landing a solid kick on the dark-type, Primeape started to jump on the spot in order to be ready to move the moment it was needed.
"Flamethrower!" With virtually no distance between Houndoom and Primeape, Karen took her chance.
"Prime." The monkey grunted, managing to stand as it removed its fists and shifted back to a more offensive stance. Houndoom's power was formidable, and with Nasty Plot used it was even stronger. Ash knew he had to be more careful, especially since Primeape's burn would be weakening him the longer the battle went.
"Seismic Toss!" Ash shouted, Primeape quickly closing the gap between himself and Houndoom, throwing one arm around Houndoom's neck while the other grabbed its two hind legs. "Jump!"
With that, Primeape left the ground as he made a flip in the air before he threw Houndoom with everything he had into the ground.
"Houndoom, Fire Blast!"
"Shit!" Ash cursed as Primeape was hit by Houndoom's Fire Blast, hurling him towards his side of the field. That one had to hurt. "Use Close Combat!"
Retalliation was instant, as Primeape dashed across the field, looking less than pleased if the vein on his forehead was any indicator.
"Don't let that hit you!" Karen called out, Houndoom barely avoiding the first, the inevitable pummeling from Primeape still coming. Eventually stopping, Primeape didn't create a lot of distance as he detached himself from Houndoom, always ready to go at it again.
"Mega Kick!"
"Dark Pulse!" Ash kept underestimating Houndoom's speed at firing off its attacks, silently watching Primeape get hit. For a not so effective attack it definitely packed a punch. Pushing through, Primeape delivered a roundhouse kick to Houndoom's head.
"Don't stop there, Ice Punch!" While Ice Punch wouldn't hurt Houndoom a lot, there was still a chance that wherever Primeape would strike Houndoom would freeze. Any advantage was welcome. To Ash's chagrin, nothing froze.
"Go for another Nasty Plot!" Karen ordered, having her Houndoom increase its power even further. Ash started to get worried. One more Fire Blast might be the end for Primeape. But, Houndoom wasn't in top condition anymore either, especially not after that Close Combat from Primeape. He was going to take a calculated risk and hope that it worked in his favor.
"Primeape, Final Gambit!" His Pokemon grunted as his right fist turned black. If it would work, Ash had beaten the entirety of the Elite Four. If not, Pidgeot would have to finish the job.
"No! Houndoom, do not let that hit you!" The urgency in Karen's voice was clear, Houndoom shooting her a quick glance as it quickly focused on not gettig hit by Primeape's black fist. The attacks it used weren't even used in any meaningful way, besides trying to keep Primeape at bay. Ash saw an opening left by the dark-type.
"Now!" Ash shouted, as Primeape swung his fist at Houndoom's flank, his opponent crying out in pain as he fainted simultaneously. Had he actually done it? Had he beaten Karen?
As everything became visible, Ash's eyes widened. Houndoom was down!
"Houndoom is unable to battle," Ash felt elated, his smile growing bigger and bigger. "The winner is Ash Ketchum!"
"YES!" Ash nearly screamed, picking up the the now conscious Pikachu. Hugging her tightly to his chest, Ash sprinted up to Primeape, including him in the hug. Four grueling battles against the Elite Four of Kanto and Johto, but he still pulled through. Turning to his friends, who seemingly didn't care about anything else either currently, he saw Brock jump over the wall separating them, the biggest grin he had ever seen on the face of his friend. May followed him, with Bianca and Luna walking through the door made for them, while Sabrina was a lot calmer. Letting go of his two Pokemon, Ash didn't hesitate as he threw his arms around Brock and May. His laughter soon intertwined with their's as he was only feeling joyful glee.
"You did it!" May happily cheered, wearing a smile nearly rivaling Ash's. Eventually stopping, Bianca gave him a quick hug, while Sabrina simply stood there with her arms hanging at her side. Taking matters in his own hands, Ash pulled her into a hug, the psychic going stiff as he hugged her. It didn't take long until she accepted the fact that Ash was hugging her as she hugged him lightly back. Letting go, he turned to the only one left.
"Come here!" No hesitation was what Ash had as he grabbed Luna by the waist and pushed his lips against her's. He felt on like he was on cloud nine as he kissed his girlfriend, gasps coming from Bianca and May.
"I think that's enough, Champ in the making," Karen interrupted, having crossed the battlefield, smiling at them. "I expected no less from someone who took down Will, Koga and Bruno. But you're not done yet, Ash."
"She's right." Lance's voice added, the other members of the Elite Four standing behind him.
"Now that I've beaten the Elite Four I can battle you for the title of Champion." Ash stated, knowing what was waiting ahead for him. This might be possibly be the tallest mountain Ash would have to climb in his entire life.
"Yes, but not today. Tomorrow, at 10 am we will meet where this year's League was held and we will battle it out for the title of Champion in front of a live audience."
"What?" Ash wasn't prepared for that. Battling Lance in front of people from both regions, who were watching who would become their next Champion?
"A battle of this calliber deserves nothing less," Lance explained. "The stadium isn't far from here, and if you don't find it just ask someone. Remember, 10 am."
With that Lance left, the members of the Elite Four following.
"So, what now?" Ash asked, scratching his head. They had celebrated yesterday, plus they would celebrate again should he beat Lance.
"We'll help you train," Brock said, gesturing to May as he said that. "Anything would probably help before tomorrow."
"I will help," Sabrina suddenly spoke. "You know that Lance is a powerful trainer, but power isn't what will win you tomorrow's battle. It's the will to succeed that will show who's the stronger trainer."
"You will battle me?" Ash wondered, grinning at the thought.
"No," Sabrina quickly crushed Ash's hope of getting a battle against her. "I will assist you in your training, pushing your Pokemon to their limits as much as I can."
Accepting that, Ash looked at everyone present once before he took Luna's hand in a very different display of affection compared to earlier.
"Let's train then."
Training was something Ash was very familar with. Heck, the amount of training he had put himself and his Pokemon through over his entire journey was massive. But training under Sabrina's watchful eye together with his Pokemon was something different. She never participated in the battles he had, instead letting Brock and May battle him. Instead, she simply had her Alakazam use Psychic on his Pokemon until they could overpower Alakazam. All of his Pokemon had suceeded with the task, some with more difficulty than others. Once again he found himself on the porch of the house, Pikachu lying in his lap and snoozing while he had a bottle of beer at his lips. He wasn't a drinker by any means, but sometimes a beer was approriate. Like now.
"Hey Ash."
Leaning forward a bit so he could turn around, he found May watching him.
"Hey May," Ash greeted his coordinator friend cheerfully, smiling widely at her. Gesturing to the chair, he waited until she sat down. "What brings you out here?"
"Can't I simply want to talk to a friend?" May wondered, taking the chair next to him. "So, where's Luna?"
After the battle against Karen, Luna had finally told everyone about her real name, much to Bianca's joy. She wanted to be called by her real name, and nothing else anymore.
"I've no idea," Ash admitted, taking another gulp of his beer. "I suppose inside somewhere with Froakie."
Since they had gotten back, Ash had let Froakie out of his his pokeball for the rest of the day, allowing him to watch his training so he got an idea of what he would be doing later on and what he could accomplish with the right amount of training. It had worked so well that he did some battling with against Pikachu. Nothing serious of course, just some fun battling to see what he was capable off. While Froake wouldn't be beating Pikachu anytime soon, he was talented and a lot stronger than Ash had expected. Pikachu had been holding back, but most Pokemon that were unexperienced wouldn't stand a chance. Froakie did, getting in a few good hits before Pikachu ended the battle with a Thunderbolt.
"Oh yeah. She seems to be attached to him, doesn't she?" May asked, a content expression on her face.
"She does," Ash replied. Since they had met yesterday, Luna had always hovered around Froakie, even carrying him around in her arms. He would have to ask her later why she was doing that. "What are you gonna do once this is over?"
"Most likely heading home and taking it easy, since I just won the Grand Festival." May answered, looking at Ash as she spoke.
"You're going to have it easy compared to me," Ash said, scratching Pikachu behind her ear, a light 'Pika' coming from his sleepy starter. "Either I beat Lance tomorrow and become the Champion, which comes with a lot of work, or I lose and I go to Kalos. Not that I'm complaining."
"Kalos? Isn't that where Froakie comes from?" May clearly sounded interested as she asked.
"Yeah, he comes from there." Ash responded, finally emptying his bottle of beer. "I'm going to bed. Gotta be as ready as possible for tomorrow."
Picking up Pikachu, Ash carried her in his arms like Luna had been doing with Froakie.
"Don't do anything unappropriate with Luna!" Sighing at May's comment, he shook his head as he went looking for Luna. He had done that quite a bit lately, hasn't he? Neither were there any plans of doing something "inappropriate" with Luna. Well, there were plans, but for way later. Spotting his mom on the couch, reading a book, Ash called out to her.
"Hey Mom," His mother looked up from the book she was reading, smiling and giving him her full attention. "Have you seen Luna?"
"I think she was upstairs with Bianca, sweetie." She told him, shaking her head as he took off immediately.
"Thanks Mom!" Ash shouted as he stopped at the stairs. Taking two steps at a time, he soon found himself on the second floor. If Luna was with Bianca, they were most likely in the room Bianca and May shared.
'This is incredible, Bianca!' Luna exclaimed. Ash chuckled at her enthusiasm about whatever they were talking about. He knew that Luna could make sure that only whoever she wanted would hear her, but he supposed there was no need for that in his house.
"Well thanks," Bianca giggled. Walking up to the door they were behind, Ash listened to their laughing for a second before he knocked on the door twice. "Come in!"
Entering the room, Ash found the two girls sitting on Bianca's bed with their legs crossed, looking at something with great interest.
"Hi." Ash hadn't noticed Froakie sitting in Luna's lap. The frog quickly left his place there, instead climbing up his shoulder and taking Pikachu's usual spot.
'Hello.' Luna greeted back, while Bianca only waved at him.
"What are you two looking at?" Ash asked, unable to see what it was from his current spot. Walking closer, Bianca turned what she was holding around so he could see it. They had been looking at a drawing of him, during his battle against Karen. While he wasn't fully certain, he was pretty sure that was the moment he looked up at Luna.
"Here, take it. It was meant for you anyway." Bianca simply said as she handed him the picture. Taking it carefully, Ash smiled at his friend.
"Thanks," Ash replied, now having to hold Pikachu with one hand while holding the drawing with the other. "I actually only came to here to ask if you wanted to come to bed with me, Luna."
Okay, maybe he hadn't worded that in the best possible way.
'Of course!' Luna quickly answered, standing up. 'Goodnight Bianca.'
"Goodnight," Bianca grinned at her two friends. "I didn't know you would be so eager, Luna."
A gasp escaped Luna at her friend's comment.
"I've already heard that one before." Ash interfered, handing over Pikachu to Luna as he lead her out of the room. Going into his room, Ash recalled Froakie and had Luna put Pikachu on the end of his bed. His girlfriend quickly transformed into her dragon as she went and made herself comfortable on the bed.
'I'm already done,' She informed him, closing her eyes. 'Are you coming?'
"I gotta go to the bathroom first," Ash said, watching his girlfriend move slightly. "Dont force yourself to stay awake."
With that, Ash left his room in order to make sure he was ready to go to bed. Tomorrow he would probably face the toughest test of his life, and one that had massive implications. He was ready.
Tried to make this battle a bit closer, with Ash having some issues throughout it.