Hey Everybody! Third round of mid-terms, finals, and then finally coming home. All those things kept me from updating, but none are an adequate excuse. I'm really sorry, but I have to admit that for a while, I was just so drained of energy after a day of studying and classes that the last thing I wanted to do was stare at my computer screen for a few more hours. The semester is now over, and I'm actually on vacation, so I've finally regained my muse and actually wrote most of this chapter in the last week or so. It's an all-battle chapter, so if you enjoy my battles, I think you'll really like this one. However, as I was saying before, I know I don't have a good excuse, but I still have about four weeks of vacation left before school starts again, and I really expect to get the next chapter out on time in two weeks, and hopefully the one after that out on time as well. It's been hectic, but thank you to all of my readers and reviewers who continue to support me even when I take unexpected hiatuses like the one I've just returned from. I promise I won't take a break like that again, and if I do I will certainly warn you ahead of time.
Also, merry Christmas! Though it sucks it took this long to get out, I hope you all have a wonderful day today! As a little make-up / Christmas gift for y'all, I've also written two holiday one-shots over the last couple of days that I really think you'll enjoy, so check out my profile page to read those; and if you enjoy them, feel free to review!
Anyway, like I said, next chapter will come out in two weeks, and I'll be much more prompt as we near the end of this epic. Now please, go ahead and read and REVIEW PLEASE!
Disclaimer:I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 22
Misty: 18
Delia: 41
Oak: 56
His heart was pounding. His head was pulsing. His gloved hands were sweating. The sunlight beaming in through the clear ceiling overhead cast his shadow forward, and the roars of all previous audiences bellowed in his ears.
This was a battle, and he loved everything about it.
Even the cocky opponent he found himself pitted against.
"Well, I guess the advantage goes to me, then," Gary mocked, his eyes closed as the smile on his lips went from sincere to sarcastic. "At least, if we're gonna look at it logically."
Ash gave a small smirk of his own. "Squirtle, don't listen to him," he commented calmly. The small turtle Pokémon immediately turned around and gave his trainer a thumbs-up in reply. Both had been through this many time before...size didn't matter when you had enough experience.
"Squirt!"
"Blastoise, try not to beat him up too much...just enough to finish the job!" Gary commanded, pointing forward.
Without so much as a command, the much larger turtle Pokémon's cannons suddenly escaped from beneath his shell and pointed downward.
"Blast-oise!" Gallons upon gallons gushed from his tanks at once, centered in on Ash's water type.
"Squirtle!" cried the light-blue Pokémon, instinctively doing a backward somersault as the Hydro Pump actually broke through the surface of the ground battlefield. Cracks continued to grow around the spot before Gary's Pokémon suddenly realized he had missed his target.
Ash's smile grew larger. Squirtle hadn't lost any battle ability in his time fighting fires.
"It's alright, Blastoise," Gary consoled. "He's a little faster, but we've got power on our side. Show him what a measly Water Gun looks like to us!"
The cannons repositioned immediately, and Ash realized how fast Gary's starter was for his size. He'd forgotten that over the years.
"Blast!"
"Water Gun right back!" Ash pointed at his rival's monster. "Fight water with water!"
Heaving in a deep breath, Squirtle exhaled an impressive Water Gun. The two attacks met mid-way, and neither side seemed to have an immediate advantage.
Why isn't he calling off the attack? Ash wondered, furrowing his brow. It was clearly an even match in power.
"Stoise!"
Oh, right. Blastoise had a far more sustainable water supply than did his Squirtle, no matter how powerful it was. Gary was just hoping to wear it out.
"Squirtle, end the attack and flip out of the way!"
Following orders, the turtle Pokémon did flip - this time sideways - to avoid the high-pressure attack. With no need for command, Squirtle took advantage of Blastoise's slightly slower movements to withdraw his head and arms within his shell.
"Good idea! Skull Bash, now!"
"Squirtle!" His Pokémon's head reemerged as he launched his powerful hind legs forward with as much force as he could muster. Aiming directly for Blastoise's head, the pre-evolved form appeared to almost be a speeding bullet as the two craniums came into contact.
An ear-piercing "crack" surrounded the gym's walls as both Pokémon cried in pain.
"Squirt!"
"Blastoise!"
The two Pokémon stumbled backwards from the resulting damage.
And that was it for Ash.
He bit his lip to the point of drawing blood as he watched his Pokémon take direct damage for the attack that he had ordered. Squirtle almost appeared to be in a different world as he clumsily wobbled around back-and-forth with his opponent.
He felt himself begin to panic. Flashes of Heracross and Venusaur suddenly came to mind.
I can't do this!
There was no way this battle could continue. The longer he stood there - with every passing nanosecond - the more nauseous he felt at what he'd inadvertently caused. There was a time, just a couple of weeks earlier, when this wouldn't have fazed him at all. A time when taking damage from an attack like that would have only mattered had his Pokémon not been able to withstand the recoil.
But this was no longer that time. If something as minute as backlash from a Skull Bash sent his mind spiraling into flashbacks, what chance could he have as a battler? The thrill from only a minute before was suddenly gone. Dread boiling in his stomach, he reached out for his pokéball, preparing to withdraw the water type.
This was a stupid idea in the first place, he silently mourned.
The mourning was more for himself than for Squirtle. As his hand raised the pokéball, he felt - for the first time - that quitting training was real. A sudden flash of all that he'd accomplished streaked through his mind; as if his life were on full display as his old self prepared to die.
All that work...all that time...and I just can't do it anymore. The grieving had begun before his Pokémon had even been recalled.
"Taking Squirtle back already?" Gary's voice suddenly boomed as the two Pokémon continued to try and reorient themselves. The words caught Ash off-guard as he held the ball half-high. He'd almost felt alone in those few seconds. "I told you I had the advantage!"
The smug look that so often plagued his rival's face reappeared, and suddenly the self-pity vanished. Ash grit his teeth at the taunt.
"Squirtle's a lot stronger than any of your Pokémon, Gary!"
How dare he think Blastoise could stand a chance?
"Then why the pokéball?" He motioned to the capsule now loosely-gripped in Ash's gloved palm. "You're giving up on him, right?"
Squirtle, finally getting his senses back, looked to his trainer with a confused - and almost hurt - expression. Why was Ash quitting on him so soon? They hadn't battled together in years, and he was already out of the fight?
"Squirtle..."
Blastoise was quickly recovering from the damage too, so he needed to make up his mind now.
He thought back to a couple of days earlier, when he, Pikachu, and Charizard were on the pier. They said they wanted to battle. It's their choice too...it's not fair for me to just take it away from them.
Sure he would hate himself for even asking, he pushed ahead and did so anyway. "Do you wanna stay in the battle?"
"Squirtle-squirt!" The light blue creature jumped up and down eagerly.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Cannon, now!"
Taking in a deep breath, Blastoise roared his name as his cannons pointed downward.
"Squirtle, get outta the way!"
But it was too late. Squirtle suddenly disappeared from view as two large light blue orbs emanated and quickly doused his first water type Pokémon, sending Squirtle hurtling towards him.
As he watched his Pokémon tumble from the cheap shot, he felt shocked...or was it sad?
No. He realized that it wasn't either. He felt angry.
This was his fault. He took too long in making a decision, and Squirtle had just paid the price for it. Looking on, he saw his small turtle struggling to get back to his feet as Blastoise drew ever closer for an even heavier assault.
It was difficult to describe what was going through his heart and mind at that moment. On the one hand, seeing Squirtle get blasted into the dirt like that was certainly painful, but on the other, the rage and determination he felt swell in his chest were undeniable.
If I give up now, they win, he realized, as if not understanding the arrangement beforehand. Gary gets to think he's better than me forever, and that stupid Blastoise doesn't even take another hit. Squirtle wants this, whether or not I do, and it's time I start thinking about my friends again.
"You're not getting away with that!" he suddenly declared, his fists shaking as determination won out. "This battle isn't over yet!"
"Almost is, though. Blastoise, finish him with a Rapid Spin!"
Now practically on top of Ash's Pokémon, the fully evolved creature jumped into the air using his powerful back legs and, as he neared the rounded ceiling, withdrew into his shell - beginning to spin.
As the extremely heavy monster bore down, Ash steeled his resolve.
"Water Gun!"
Looking upward, Squirtle released another loaded volume of water, and to Gary's surprise, managed to keep Blastoise in the air while he continued spinning without purpose.
"Throw him back at Gary!"
With a gargantuan effort, Squirtle kept the water attack going long enough for him to take a step back. Then, with the remainder of his water power, he projected one last bit of strength to send Blastoise flying backwards towards his trainer's box.
The large blue tortoise's shell quit spinning as it hit the ground and bounced repeatedly closer to Gary like a coin hitting the floor.
Finally coming to a halt, Gary ordered his Pokémon out of his shell and back into battle. However, Ash smiled at what he saw: Blastoise had landed on his back.
"Blastoise-oise!" he cried as he struggled without victory to lift himself back up onto his feet.
"Now's our chance, Squirtle!" Ash declared excitedly. "Knock him out with a Rapid Spin of your own!"
Rushing forward, albeit with a bit of heavy breathing after the intense workout, Squirtle neared the flailing fully-evolved starter. Jumping into the air, he sprung into his shell. Spinning as his opponent had done just moments before, he raced towards Blastoise's head.
"Blastoise, watch out!"
But there was nothing Oak's Pokémon could do. Taking another strong hit to the head, Blastoise spun around the gym floor a few times like a top, and when his dizzying trip was complete, he moaned his name lowly. His Pokémon appearing completely dazed, Gary sighed before reaching for his Pokéball.
"Fine, Ashy-boy. You win on a lucky strike."
"How was that lucky?" Ash asked with a smile as Blastoise disappeared from view. "Squirtle is just better."
"There's no way you knew Blastoise was gonna land on his back after that Water Gun!" Gary declared, sounding slightly jarred by the loss. "And you know it!"
"No, I didn't, but I did know he'd be worthless when we got him on his back. Even if that hadn't worked like I wanted it, that was still gonna be my strategy."
Gary rolled his eyes. First his Charizard beats Blastoise, and now his Squirtle?
Though he'd be loathe to ever admit it, Ash certainly found interesting ways to overcome clear disadvantages in power.
On the other side of the field, Ash ran and grabbed Squirtle, proudly holding him over his head as the exhausted water type smiled broadly.
"You still got it, buddy! Way to go!"
"Squirtle!" The blue water type clapped his hands happily.
"Do you wanna take a rest in your Pokéball for a little while?"
"Squirt!" He shook his head quickly.
Ash looked concerned. "You took some big hits back there. You should take a little breather before going back out."
But his stubborn Pokémon shook his head again.
"Pika-pikachu," advised the electric type from Ash's shoulder.
"Squirtle-squirt."
As best Ash could tell, Pikachu was trying to convince him otherwise, but it didn't seem like Squirtle was willing to let it go. He was ready to fight to the end...but was Ash?
It makes sense to keep him in. After all, he only has a little energy left, and basically no water power. If I take him out, it'll only be putting off the inevitable, and if he stays out it gives me a chance to prepare for Gary's next Pokémon before I send out a counter.
That didn't change the fact that he didn't like the idea of letting any of his creatures stay in for the purpose of letting them get knocked out.
"I really don't want you pushing yourself too hard out there, Squirtle. It's not safe to risk it like that."
Squirtle shook his head again, though.
"Hey, are we gonna battle, or are you gonna keep begging your Pokémon to quit fighting?" Gary shouted from across the room. "I've already got my next one picked out, so whenever you're done chatting!"
Ash gave his rival a quick look of disdain before going back to the Pokémon in his hands.
"I don't want this, but if you want to, I won't be the one to stop it from happening. If you wanna quit early, though, don't be ashamed to tell me! We'll call you back before they can hurt you anymore."
Giving a small look of confusion at the unusual advice, Squirtle nodded and jumped out of his master's grasp. Turning back to Gary, he gave the gym leader a sneer, and the brunette resisted the urge to laugh at the small water Pokémon.
"He thinks he's hot stuff...like Pokémon, like trainer, I guess."
"He doesn't think it, Gary. He knows it; just like me."
Rolling his eyes, his rival reached back for his next battle partner. "Listen, you got lucky in the first round, but this battle's a long way from being over, and I have a friend that I think will give you a little more trouble than Blastoise."
His interest piqued, Ash's fist tightened subconsciously as he awaited the next opponent.
"Electivire, come out!" Gary ordered, a blast of light emanating from his hand as the Pokéball burst open within his grip.
"Vire!"
Ash gulped a little at the familiar sight. After what happened at Giovanni's cartel warehouse, it was hard to see another Electivire and not feel a deep resentment begin to boil.
"Squirtle, Rapid Spin!"
Leaping forward, Squirtle again withdrew into his shell.
"Bad move, Ash," Gary clucked with a smirk. "Thunderpunch!"
Rearing his massive hand backward, electricity began to surge from Electivire's antennae through his arm as Squirtle approached.
"Now, Hydro Pump!"
Though weakened by his exhaustion on water reserves, Squirtle still managed to shoot a few powerful streams of water from the arm and leg openings in his shell; knocking the large electric Pokémon back several feet before his punch could land.
Jumping out of his shell, Squirtle took matters into his owns hands when he saw Electivire on his back. Withdrawing his head once more, he quickly sprung forward in a hasty Skull Bash. Making contact with the side of his opponent, he forced him to skid back a few more feet, but little else.
"Electivire, I know you can take more than that. Get up!"
"Electivire," grunted the Pokémon, suddenly springing back to his feet - seemingly unfazed by the two impressive attacks.
Ash grit his teeth. He thought even a weakened Hydro Pump would do more damage than that. "Squirtle, fall back!"
The turtle withdrew back into his shell and retreated back to his side of the field as Electivire took a creative liberty and attempted to zap him with a small Thunderbolt.
"Try an Earthquake attack!" Gary ordered. "Don't let him get away from you!"
"Withdraw, Squirtle!"
As Electivire jumped several feet into the air, the water starter hid within his shell once more. As the ground shook and cracked beneath the large Pokémon's feet, the brown and cream shell simply bobbled back and forth with the motion of the gym.
"Ah!" Ash himself took a small tumble to the ground from the attack's effect. "That can't be safe to do up here," he mumbled half-heartedly as he stood back up and found Gary laughing at him.
"Does it count as a win if I knock you out instead?"
Glaring at his opponent, Ash couldn't think of a decent comeback. Instead, he began to panic as Electivire suddenly charged onto his side of the battlefield; now taking advantage of Squirtle's position and going on the offensive.
"Squirtle, get out of your shell and use Water Gun!"
"Squirt." As the blue turtle's head emerged, though, it was already too late.
The electricity and power were already pent up as the electric Pokémon bore down upon Ash's, and within the blink of an eye, a small explosion appeared as Squirtle was sent flying out of the field's limits and into the glass of the surrounding dome.
"Squirtle!" Ash ran to his Pokémon's side, slowly picking him up and taking note of the water types many lacerations and bruises. "Squirtle, I'm so sorry, buddy. I shoulda taken you out of the battle." His voice wavered as he watched his friend struggle with the pain.
"Squirt?" Surprisingly, the pain didn't seem to last too long, as confusion once again took its place. It was one thing for Squirtle to be told he did a great job out there, but never before had he ever seen his trainer this upset about losing a battle; especially one that was so one-sided. The way Ash was acting now seemed more in line with a funeral than a Pokémon fainting from battle fatigue.
"You-you're okay?"
"Squirtle-squirt." The Pokémon nodded; confusion still marring his features.
Suddenly, Ash realized how stupid he probably looked to his Pokémon right now. They'd done this many times before - why was he so upset?
Well, he knew why he was scared and on the verge of forfeiture, but it hit him that Squirtle didn't know about that. As far as Squirtle knew, Ash had seemingly just lost his mind.
Giving a small smile, Ash reached back for the turtle creature's Pokéball. "Heh, sorry about the overreaction, buddy. I guess I'm just a little shaken up still about Bulba- I mean, Venusaur. You did a great job, and I know you woulda made him proud if he were here."
The confusion instantly evaporated, and a sad smile crossed Squirtle's face. "Squirt-squirt."
Turning red, the water type was soon back within his confines, and Ash turned around to find a gloating Gary on the other side of the field.
"Told you Electivire'd give you more trouble."
"You also said this battle was a long way from being over, and it beat a Squirtle with an Electivire you've had for years - nothing impressive about that."
Now Gary was at a loss for words as Ash reached for his next Pokémon.
"Pika-pikachu!" the small mouse suddenly declared, looking up at his trainer with fiery determination.
"Not yet, Pikachu," he answered. "I know you want revenge, but I don't wanna use you until I hafta. We've still got a few good friends who might be a better choice in this case."
His ears drooping, Pikachu kicked the dirt. "Cha."
"I promise that if it gets outta hand, you'll come in, but you're too strong to throw out so early." Reaching back once more, Ash smiled as his hand grazed his belt.
"We'll see how he does against Donphan!"
The elephantine Pokémon trumpeted her arrival loudly, and then got into a battle stance.
"The type advantage won't help you as much as you think, Ashy," Gary warned. "Electivire, we'll start with an Earthquake!"
Jumping up, the electric Pokémon caused the ground to rumble once again as the gym floor splintered further.
"Vire!"
"Just take it head-on," Ash directed calmly; this time managing to maintain his balance. "You've got this.'
His Pokémon trumpeted in acknowledgment. After the attack was over, it was clear that it had done little damage to Ash's partner - though the damage to the battlefield itself was becoming more evident.
"You'll have to do better than that, Gary! Donphan, show him what a real Earthquake looks like!"
Now it was the elephant's turn. Jumping high into the air, she momentarily curled into a ball as Electivire tried to interrupt the attack with a lightning-fast Thunderbolt. After the attack ended, she unrolled herself and hit the ground hard; her thick, sturdy legs forcing Electivire to shout his name in surprise as he toppled over.
"Follow it up with a Rollout!"
Curling again, the ground type sped quickly toward her target.
"Electivire, get outta the way!" Gary warned far too late. His Pokémon barely had time to move before he was sent hurtling backward and into his own trainer.
"Ugh, get off me," Gary groaned as his Pokémon hastily rolled off his master's legs.
"You okay?" Ash asked, more than a little amused at the lucky direction of the attack.
Gary simply shot the trainer a dirty look as his electric type returned to the field. "More than okay."
Donphan was still rolling around the field, and the second Electivire returned within bounds, she was once again charging in his direction.
"Electivire, wait for it," Gary warned sternly. "Don't make a move till I say."
"Elect-vire."
What could Gary be planning by taking another hit like that?
Deciding that he had no choice but to continue with the attack, Ash watched on as his loyal partner sped across the field.
"Ice Punch, now!"
With no time to react, Donphan was sent flying backwards as the Ice type attack made contact squarely on her form. She landed on her back a few feet away from her trainer.
"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
Nodding, Donphan quickly flipped back onto her legs. Trumpeting her trunk, she returned to a Rollout position and began charging at Electivire once more.
"Do it again!" Gary ordered as she drew near.
"Hyper Beam!" Ash countered.
Unfurling her body, she made a quick jump over the electric Pokémon's icy fist and blasted him directly with a strong ray of light that again sent him flying backward. Landing, she took several deep breaths as the attack's power took its toll on her health.
"Looks like she's getting tired. Electivire, get up!"
The yellow Pokémon answered with a grunt as his two tails lifted his body back to his feet. Though he'd taken some serious hits, he appeared to be in better shape than Ash's partner, and the raven-haired trainer wondered how Gary had managed to imbue his fighting creatures with such endurance.
"While she's tired, hit her with another Ice Punch!"
"Vire!" roared the Pokémon, running towards the ground type with his fist aglow.
"Dodge it!"
Using all of her strength, Donphan narrowly avoided the icy assault with a quick hop backwards; Electivire's fist instead coming into direct contact with the ground and forcing a large frozen hole in his fist's place.
"Both fists, Electivire!" Gary ordered. "Don't let her get away."
Both hands now glowing, Electivire continued the attacks.
We can't stay on the defensive. Donphan was running out of room to jump backward as the two creatures approached the battlefield boundaries.
"Get away with a Rollout!" he suddenly ordered, running out of ideas.
Rolling back into a ball, Donphan tried to curve out of Electivire's range. Unfortunately for the grey Pokémon, her estimation was slightly off and as she began to speed away, the electric type managed to land a not-so-direct hit to her side. Stumbling out of the rollout, she tripped and fell to her side.
"Finish it!" Gary commanded.
"Defense Curl!"
Using his powerful tails once more, Electivire flew through the air and bore down on Donphan with an electrically charged fist.
"Vire!" The crackle of the assault boomed in both trainers' ears, but when he stood up, Donphan was still conscious in her defensive position.
"Keep it up until she faints!"
Electivire nodded, as one hand began to crackle with electricity, and the other started to glow in icy power.
"Vire! Vire! Vire!" The pummeling continued with every repetition of the yellow creature's name. There was no doubt Donphan couldn't take much more in her fetal position, and Ash's teeth came to a grind again as he tried to think of some way out of their predicament.
This shouldn't be happening. Donphan had the advantage!
But no matter how he looked at the situation, there simply was no leverage for him to gain the upper-hand. Donphan was being relentlessly forced deeper into the battlefield's dirt with every Ice and Thunder Punch.
"I give up!" Ash declared; hating himself instantly. There was no other choice, he knew, but that wouldn't stop that smarmy grin from appearing on his rival's lips.
At his words, Electivire immediately quit the assault. As he stepped back from his opponent, Ash saw Donphan's form uncurl one last time.
"Donphan, you did a great job." Slowly, he returned the hurting Pokémon back to her capsule. "You need a long rest. I'll get you to Professor Oak's as soon as we're done."
Taking a deep breath, he wasn't shocked to see Gary smiling. "Told you that type advantage didn't matter. I've specially trained Electivire to deal with all kinds of threats."
"He's not invincible, Gary, and I'll prove it."
"Pika?"
"No, Pikachu. Not yet. We're saving you for late in the battle, like we did with Paul, remember?"
Pikachu huffed and folded his arms. Ash was a little taken aback by the Pokémon's restlessness - he was usually satisfied with his master's strategies.
"I promise you'll get to battle soon enough. Don't worry about that."
"Chu." The Pokémon gave a quick nod - his eyes never leaving the battlefield.
As upset as he was at the loss, Ash couldn't help but notice a small bright spot. When Squirtle was first hurt, he'd almost collapsed in grief, and when Squirtle fainted, he'd been pretty upset. When Donphan got hurt, he was still upset, but noticeably less so, and after fainting, he found he wasn't nearly as grief-stricken as he was with his water type.
Though he wasn't ready to say Brock was right just yet, he had to admit that getting back into a battle was certainly making him feel differently than he had before about quitting. Being back in the groove - the dance - of the entire affair shed a familiar, yet altogether new, light on the matter.
He was sweating, his opponent was laughing at his expense. He was now at the disadvantage, and everything rode on his next move.
Can I really leave all of this?
Shaking his head, he returned to the present. He'd be forced to leave all of this if he didn't win this battle.
If I win, then I'll think about retirement.
Smiling, he reassessed his current situation. Pikachu wanted to come out, but experience told him to never release his strongest Pokémon mid-battle. He needed them to finish.
Clicking through the ones he had left, he smiled. Perfect.
"Meganium, come on out!"
"Meganium!" The green flower Pokémon emerged onto the field.
Gary started laughing. "I'm not sure if you know this, Ashy, but Ice type attacks still have the advantage over Grass types. I didn't know I was battling with a newbie."
Ash smirked. "Meganium's gonna level the playing field a little."
"Whaddya mean?" Gary asked, still smiling, but a trace of concern evident in his tone.
"Sunny Day!"
Looking up, Meganium shot a blindingly bright orb high into the air, illuminating the entire field and instantly heating up the arena.
Ice Punch won't do much good if it melts before landing.
Covering his eyes to see the field, Ash pointed forward. "Now follow it up with a Solarbeam!"
The petals around her neck glowing white, Meganium released a sizable yellow beam of energy before her opponent had time to register what was happening under the glare of the artificial sunlight.
"Electivire!" Gary shouted worriedly as his Pokémon took another direct hit. Despite all the training the two had done to increase his defenses, Gary knew that the combination of the Hydro Pump, Earthquake, Hyper Beam, and now Solarbeam attacks were beginning to take their toll.
Slowly, Electivire, got back to his feet from his knees; wheezing all the way as Meganium took a moment to recover from the quick assault.
"Try a Thunderbolt attack!"
"Vire!" From the antennae atop his head, two strikes of lightning bolted towards the grass type. However, despite the strength of the attack, the electric Pokémon was still adjusting to the light. The dual bolts flew over the heads of both the grass type and her trainer, allowing Meganium another free attack.
"Throw him in the air and use another Solarbeam!"
"Jump high into the air!"
As Meganium's vines approached her opponent's legs, he dodged while sailing into the sky.
"Solarbeam, now!"
"Thunderbolt!"
His eyes now healing, Electivire shot off another round of lightning bolts as the grass attack came directly towards him. The two attacks met mid-air, and almost instantaneously escalated into a full-blown explosion.
"Elect-vire!" the Pokémon shouted, falling back to Earth and landing on his stomach with a thud. Meganium, however, remained untouched.
This is going even better than I planned, Ash realized happily. Meganium was handling herself a lot better than he'd have expected considering how long it had been since the two had trained with one another.
"Razor Leaf!"
From beneath her petals, sharp leaves suddenly sprang forth by the dozen: further damaging the already hurting Electivire.
Now Gary began to sweat.
If only there was some way we could get close enough to - wait!
An idea suddenly emerged within the brunette's skillfully strategized mind.
"Electivire, I know you're hurting, but try to use Protect!"
Putting up his hand, a green barrier suddenly appeared; temporarily fending off the incoming leaves.
"Viiire," he moaned.
"I have an idea. Thunder Punch the ground as hard a few times."
The Razor Leaf attack had ended, and Ash was waiting for his opponent's next move; allowing Electivire to drop the protective shield and quickly pummel the ground as hard and fast as he could.
That's it.
"Megan?"
"I can't see," Ash complained, more to himself than his Pokémon. The Thunder Punches had raised a significant amount of dirt and smoke into the air - completely surrounding and shrouding Gary's Pokémon. "Try and find him with your vines. We don't want to get too close."
Sending her vines out once more, the grass type felt through the smoke for a few quiet moments before Gary saw his opportunity.
"Pull her in, now!"
"E-lect!" With a strong grunt, Gary's Pokémon reeled in the fairly heavy grass type like a fish on a hook.
"Meganium, watch out!" But there was nothing Ash could do as his Pokémon flew directly into the clearing dust cloud.
"Fire Punch!"
"What?"
With the Sunny Day still beaming brightly from above, Electivire's entire arm became engulfed in flames as the evolved Johto starter approached her demise.
The second the conflagration on Electivire's arm made contact with Ash's partner, the flames lashed out across her entire body. The ensuing explosion from the heat and ferocity of the attack shot her backwards with such force that she completely cleared the battlefield and found herself cemented into the glass dome wall behind her master - much like Squirtle before her.
Looking on with complete dismay, Ash watched as his Pokémon slowly slid off the glass and onto the floor in a heap.
Panicking, he ran to her side.
"Are you okay?" Her neck was badly burned from the damage. As if the strength of Electivire added with the help of the Sunny Day wasn't enough, the fact that she'd practically flown into his fist with such momentum added even more to the pain of her injuries.
"Meganium," she muttered with a sad smile. "Meg." She nuzzled her head against her trainer's chest and looked up with pleading eyes.
"You did excellent," he assured. "There's no reason to feel bad at all. If anything, it's my fault for letting you get caught by the vines like that. I should've known he was waiting for me to make that move."
"Megan."
"You just need to take a long rest." He took out the pokéball to the Johto native. "Don't worry about a thing. We've got this battle under control."
Returning her to the capsule, he stood up and walked back to the trainer's box.
"Wow, Ash," Gary taunted; seemingly picking back up where he left off from last time. "I knew I was gonna win, but I didn't think it was gonna be this easy. Electivire's finished, what? Three of your Pokémon now?"
Swallowing hard, Ash didn't even try to think of a comeback. He was too busy simultaneously panicking in his mind and trying to appear unshaken to his opponent.
He didn't want to make the move he knew he was about to. It went against his gut instinct to save the best for last, but his gut instinct wasn't working too well at the moment.
There's nothing to lose by trying.
Looking down, he gave his best friend an apologetic smile. "I guess I shoulda listened to you earlier. It looks like we're in trouble. You think you can win in a rematch?"
Pumping his fists in determination, Pikachu looked up and gave a quick nod. "Pi!"
"He's taken out half my team by himself. We have to stop him here if we want a chance at winning the battle...I'm counting on ya, buddy."
"Pika!" The electric mouse hurriedly made his way onto the field. The light from the Sunny Day began to fade as the two Pokémon took to their respective sides of the field.
"Electivire, Thunderbolt!"
"Thunderbolt too!"
The two attacks met midway, and instantly plumed into smoke.
"Volt Tackle!"
"Protect!
Pikachu's body began to glow with the strong crackle of electric power as he raced across the field. Electivire's arms went up and created another green psychic shield, but Ash held strong.
He's taken too much damage. No way he'll be able to hold this off.
So Pikachu kept charging ahead at full speed, and the second the tiny mouse met the wall, he simply continued his sprint. Initially, Electivire's shield remained up, and Pikachu seemed to be running in place against it. However, Ash's theory proved true as the strain of the past battles proved too much. Releasing his protection, the thunderbolt Pokémon was instantly sent flying by his opponent's pent-up momentum.
"Electivire!"
Hitting the wall himself, the electric Pokémon groaned and hit the floor facedown with a loud thud.
Ash breathed a small sigh of relief as Gary recalled the impressive warrior.
"I guess you had to take him down eventually," he noted, reaching for his next pokéball as Pikachu returned to his side of the field. "But if my next Pokémon does as good as him, you'll lose without knocking out anymore!"
"Just send out whatever you've got," Ash urged, no longer in the mood for banter given his dire straights in the battle. He looked forward to Pikachu. "You did a good job, but don't let your guard down. We have a lot of catching up to do yet."
Enlarging his next choice, Gary threw the capsule onto the field. "Come out, Golem!"
"Golem," growled the ground and rock type after rolling closer to the center of the field and unfolding his arms and legs.
"Let's start this battle with an Earthquake!"
Much like his counterpart, Golem used his strong lower-body to propel himself skyward.
"On your tail!"
Coming down, the rock Pokémon forced the ground apart as the entire building swayed once more with the attack.
Pikachu, holding his entire body up with the help of his lightning bolt-shaped tail, managed to avoid any serious damage from the attack.
"Now Quick Attack!"
"Chu! Chu! Chu!" Jumping off his tail, the yellow Pokémon began appearing and then disappearing from plain sight as he neared his much slower opponent. Right before he came into contact with Golem, Ash changed orders.
"Iron Tail!"
Jumping up to the Golem's chest, Pikachu swung his strong iron-clad tail around and sent the Pokémon rolling backwards.
"Back on your feet!" Gary ordered to his dazed partner. "Hit him with a Rollout instead, then!"
"Gol!" Retreating within his rock-hard exterior, Golem began to spin around the battlefield; slowly gaining speed as he rounded Pikachu repeatedly while the mouse tried and failed several more Iron Tail attacks.
"We can't keep wasting time with this," Ash mumbled. Golem was now outpacing Pikachu, and he knew it was only a matter of time before Gary called him to attack. With Pikachu's one advantage being speed, and all the other Pokémon he had in reserve directly ineffective against a rock and ground type, he strained himself trying to figure a way out of the current predicament.
Pikachu can't even run as fast as normal because of all the stupid cracks in the ground from the Earthquakes.
Suddenly, an idea surfaced.
"Okay, Golem, now attack!"
The giant, rolling marble-like Pokémon suddenly shifted position at the order; now directly headed towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Agility to the front of that ramp!" Ash pointed to a chunk of the battlefield that had been spiked out of angle.
Running as fast as he could, Pikachu managed to make it to the ramp with Golem in hot pursuit.
"Jump outta the way, now!"
"Pika!" With a strong somersault to his right, Pikachu narrowly avoided the rock Pokémon hot on his heels as Golem continued rolling forward and off the ramp altogether; flying high in the sky momentarily before gravity brought him back to Earth.
"Iron Tail again!"
Speeding along the field, Pikachu smashed through his opponent's rocky exterior once more and sent him hurtling past Ash and out of the battlefield.
"You okay, Golem?"
"Lem," muttered the tired Pokémon, standing back up - to Ash's surprise - and making his way back onto the field. "Golem."
"Then Rock Blast!"
Three light blue rings suddenly encircled the gym leader's tired Pokémon. The rings began to spin in ovular form and then turned white and split into dense, sharp rocks which continued spinning around him.
"Pikachu get ready for some dodging!"
"Cha!" Pikachu nodded and fell to all fours in preparation.
"Do it now!"
First, one of the rings simultaneously broke apart and shot out from around Golem's body towards Pikachu; who deftly dodged all ten boulders.
"Again!"
Another ring of rocks cascaded down from above, and Pikachu was again forced onto the defensive, managing to escape the last one by the breadth of a hair as it cracked the ground beside him.
By now, the battlefield was completely littered with the sharp stones dug into its dirt, making it more difficult for Pikachu to evade the attacks without worrying about running into one.
"He's got nowhere safe to go now. One more time!"
"Pikachu, try to move out of the way!"
"Golem!" With a roar, the rock and ground type Pokémon lifted his arms into the air and shot off the last batch of stones. They too went flying high in the air before beginning their descent upon the middle of the arena; where Pikachu stood, looking for a clear path to escape.
Ash was kicking himself for allowing this to happen. With all the Rock Blast debris, he should have known Gary was going to try and force Pikachu to stay in place.
Think, think...
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Counter-Shield!"
Immediately heeding the command, Pikachu jumped backward and fell on his back; emitting high doses of electrical power in all directions from beneath his frame as the boulders drew closer.
One by one, each stone crumbled the closer it got to the electric mouse as the voltage forced them to deteriorate. When the dust cleared a little, Pikachu stood back up; only some dirt-tinged fur to show for the merciless assault.
"Pretty impressive thinking," Gary conceded, gritting his teeth as he watched his own Pokémon labor in his breathing. He knew it was too late to recall Golem - not to mention too embarrassing with the type advantage he held.
However, he was running out of options.
Earthquake didn't work. Rollout was ineffective. And now he can just zap the Rock Blasts out of the air before they touch him.
Though he didn't want to, it was quickly becoming clear what he'd have to do if he was to win this battle and maintain his lead.
"Golem, Rollout again!"
"Pikachu, head-on with an Iron Tail!"
Curling once more, the heavy Pokémon sped toward Pikachu; the rocks from his previous attack being punched into the ground like nails into wood as he hurriedly tried to make contact with his opponent.
At the same time, Pikachu ran as fast as he could around the various cracks, rifts, and boulders littering the field toward Golem while his tail glowed brighter by the second.
"Pika!"
"Golem!
The two met within a few seconds of the orders, and the second he was within reach, Pikachu pivoted off his right paw and clanged the much larger Pokémon with as much force as he could muster. At the same time, Golem resisted the urge to give up, and continued to press forward with his Rock type attack for as long as he could manage.
For a brief moment, it appeared neither side had the advantage - with Golem using all of his strength to power through, and Pikachu using all of his to stop the Ground Pokémon from running him over. Both stood still as the power of the attacks matched one another.
"C'mon Pikachu! Use the electricity in your tail!"
Remembering the move he'd used during his battle with Entei and Dragonite, Pikachu shot his trainer a grin and prepared to release a massive amount of electrical voltage through his appendage.
"Piiii-kaaaa-chuuuuuu!"
This finally gave him the advantage, as the lightning struck and weakened the Golem just enough to allow the Iron Tail to push him into a backwards roll.
"Pi...pi...pi," Pikachu took several slow, panting breaths.
"Golem, gol," the Rock type complained, standing up once more, but with much less determination and ferocity than minutes before. His rock-hard shell was scratched and, in some places, completely split or chipped, and his head, arms, and legs were all lined with cuts and bruises.
Pikachu's just tired because of all the work he's had to do, Ash realized. Though little damage had been done, there was no doubt that his best friend had exhausted himself after all the attacks he'd been commanded.
Both trainers gave their Pokémon another moment to rest.
However, deciding it was time to finish the battle and tie up the record before Gary could retaliate, Ash hurried his friend's healing process along and gave Pikachu a subtle nod. "Quick Attack and then Iron Tail to finish it."
"Pi!" The mouse fell to all fours again; determined at the sight of the battle's nearing end.
"Chu-chu-chu," he declared, disappearing and reappearing in the blink of an eye; mimicking his style from the start of the fight as he fully exerted the energy he had left.
"Golem, wait for it," Gary ordered calmly.
Again, Ash found himself instantly worried at the tone of his opponent's voice. He knew Gary wouldn't allow the battle to end without a fight; but once more he realized there was little he could do. They had to take advantage of Golem's battered state to finish him - even if they were heading into a trap.
Pikachu suddenly reappeared in front of his opponent, his tail shining once again as he prepared to jump.
"Golem, Explosion!"
"Huh?"
Ash couldn't say or think anything else. There was no time to react, and even less to comprehend. Instead, he was forced to cover his eyes as a bright white light filled the upper battle room and the noise of a roaring attack rang through the ears of all present. All the while, a blazing heat singed Ash's hat and jacket, and forced him to cry out in pain as the fire engulfed his body.
Author's Notes: Long battle. That's all this is. So many of you have told me how much you loved the battle between Ash and Paul about twenty chapters ago, so I want y'all to know now that I put a lot of time and effort into making sure this chapter would meet your expectations. There's nothing worse than raising your readers' expectations to such a level that you fail to meet them in a following chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed the fighting thus far.
For those of you keeping count, we're almost exactly halfway through the battle, with both Ash and Gary down three Pokémon now. Let me warn you, though, it only gets tougher for our protagonist from here, so be ready for some twists and turns in the next chapter.
Also, the Ash and Paul battle that so many of you loved was actually only about 8,000 words, while this chapter alone was over 7,000, and I plan on the next chapter being about the same length, so yeah. I'm not saying longer chapters are better, but I do think that you Pokémon battle aficionados (such as myself) will probably appreciate a drawn-out battle like this after the lack of battles in the recent chapters.
Anyway, whether you liked it or not, as always, let me know in a REVIEW PLEASE! Any and all questions you pose in your reviews will be answered by me personally in the near future, so feel free to ask anything you like! (Except how the story ends, of course)
Well, that's it! Y'all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I'll see you in 2012!