Hey Everybody! Nope, I'm not dead…I don't think, though I can imagine you'd think so after over two months! Another hiatus, right? Sorry about that…the good news is that this was such a tough chapter to write that I ended up scrapping it and rewriting it several times. It's not like I forgot y'all or anything, though! I just had an absolutely terrible time writing this battle like I wanted it done!
Anyway, the chapter is up now, and I would really appreciate if you would show your support of my true return with a review – be it good or bad. I really want to have the next chapter up ON TIME Sunday after next, so be on the lookout for that. It promises to be much easier to write than this one.
Also, special thanks has to go here to my dedicated, best fan in the world, Pokemon-Princess.8. She's the one who wrote me and finally motivated me to quit stalling and actually finish this chapter! Also, she wrote the coolest commentary on the symbolism and happenings in chapter 51 – specifically the moment when Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard are on the pier together. When you've finished with this chapter, please read it! I've published it as one of my stories though it was really all her work! Leave your thoughts on what she's written and encourage her so she can continue to encourage me and continue to be one of my best friends!
Well, that's it for up here. 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
Pikachu lay haggard by his master's feet. Ash looked across the field at his rival's smirk, and he felt the desire for victory grow even stronger within his heart. Golem's attack was successful, in so far as it took out his little electric type, but Gary was down another Pokémon too.
A noticeable smirk crossed his face now. He hasn't even seen everything I've got yet. He was outnumbered in Pokémon reserves, but Pikachu had successfully dismantled his Electivire and Golem, which was more than enough to bolster his confidence in the remainder of his team. His surety was growing by the second, and though he couldn't explain it, he somehow could feel Gary's slipping.
"You couldn't even take out my Pikachu with the type advantage?"
"Don't get too cocky Ashy. You still have a long way to go before you've even caught up with me - forget about actually winning this thing!"
His clothes were singed and torn at various places, as were Gary's, but beneath the layer of dirt and soot, both trainers could see where the other stood - where their confidence laid.
Ketchum glanced down once more at Pikachu and gave him a thumbs-up. "Watch this."
Pikachu returned the thumbs-up and a small smile before closing his tired eyes once more. Ash knew he'd be fine - though a trip to Nurse Joy was certainly in order when this was all said and done.
Reaching for his belt, Ash felt the cool metal of his second-to-last pokéball graze his forefinger. Don't fail me now.
"Noctowl, let's go!"
"Time for action, Arcanine!"
In another dazzling shimmer, both creatures emerged on the field of battle; each immediately sizing up the opponent as a rash of golden stars continued to momentarily swirl around Ash's shining Pokémon.
"Extrasensory!"
"Flamethrower!"
Opening his beak as his eyes glowed, a swirl of light yellow and white psychic energy charged at Arcanine as the powerful blast of heated fury raced forward from the experienced dog Pokémon's jaw.
Meeting in the middle, both attacks seemed evenly matched as sparks flew in every direction from the point of contact.
"Get higher in the air!"
Quitting the attack, Noctowl flew closer to the domed roof, evading Arcanine's attack.
"Force him outta the sky! More Flamethrower!"
Fire continued to rain up from below as Arcanine upped the temperature on the battlefield considerably over the next few minutes. However, despite the enormous strength of the attack, Noctowl was simply proving too agile for the orange and black Pokémon.
"To your right! Now your left!" Ash gave orders from below, though he had the distinct feeling Noctowl would've done fine on his own. This is his first battle in a while, though, and especially since his accident back at Giovanni's lab, he reasoned. He couldn't just let Noctowl do this alone – even if he was being more of a nuisance than helpful.
"Arcanine, keep up the good work! You've almost got him!"
With a low growl, the fire suddenly intensified as Arcanine put more strength into his Flamethrower.
"Noctowl, duck!"
The fire singed the back of his owl Pokémon as Noctowl dove for the ground to evade the fire type attack.
Gary's eyebrows shot up in excitement. "Now we have him! Flame Wheel!"
Noctowl was so close to the ground it took Arcanine little effort to match his height in the air as his body was engulfed in flames.
"Get higher!"
"Too late, Ash!"
Arcanine's spinning, fiery form came into immediate contact with his opponent, sending Noctowl hurtling to the ground.
"Flaming Take Down!"
The spinning quit, and Arcanine spread his form over Noctowl as the two hit the ground with a small "thud." The flying type's head barely protruded out from under his much heavier opponent.
"Pika!"
"Argh!" Ash mumbled in frustration. Gary had just been waiting for Noctowl to get closer to the ground. Arcanine was a much more physical Pokémon than was his normal type, and he knew he'd have the advantage if Noctowl would just get close enough.
Looking down at his pinned opponent as the flames continued to lick both their bodies, Arcanine's mouth glowed brightly as he prepared another Flamethrower.
Desperately, Ash reached for a last-second gamble.
"Hypnosis!"
Noctowl's eyes suddenly began to glow again – this time a deep maroon. The flames in Arcanine's jaw and around his body instantly dwindled as equally-maroon circles emanated from Ash's Pokémon's eyes and into his own. "Now try and get out!"
"Arcanine, wake the hell up!"
"C'mon Noctowl!"
Shimmying his body as much as he could, Noctowl managed to get both wings out from under his dazed - though awakening - opponent.
Gary was growing irate. "Finish him now! Don't let a cheap trick like that stop you!"
"Air Slash!"
With both wings free, Noctowl spread them wide, and then clapped them together hard; creating a blade of snow-white air that caused Arcanine to yelp in pain as he was thrown backwards and onto his back.
"Get back in the air!"
"After him!"
Noctowl quickly stood and began to head towards the ceiling again. Rolling over, Arcanine looked up and located his opponent. With a mighty bark, he hunched on his hind legs and then dove upward to meet Noctowl head-on.
Ash's eyes grew wide as he watched Noctowl barely dodge the incoming opponent. It had all happened too fast for him to process a counter, and as Arcanine almost floated in his majesty towards the field once more, the raven-haired trainer wanted to ask if the fire type was somehow part-flying as well.
"Pretty impressive, huh? We've been working on height for a while," Gary explained, reveling in Ash's look of astonishment. "Arcanine are famous for their ability to almost fly in China, you know."
"Why didn't you show off this little skill earlier?" Ash asked, folding his arms as Noctowl barely dodged another graceful leap. He was getting tired of being on the defensive so often.
Gary shrugged. "We both know a good trainer doesn't reveal all his tricks at once. Besides, I didn't even know if he was ready to put our practice to use yet…but I guess he is!"
"Noctowl!" Ash cried as his own Pokémon screeched in pain as Arcanine caught a brief snag on his right leg. He could see the open cut where a little blood was beginning to run. "Watch out and wait for my order!"
When Arcanine turned around and began to leap once more, Ash made his move. "Extrasensory, now!"
Mid-jump, Arcanine was forced onto his back once more at the force of the psychic attack. "Now follow up with another Air Slash!"
Bringing his large wings together once more, Arcanine yelped as his body was forced further into the dirt by the air attack.
With Noctowl's weak defenses and the amount of damage inflicted upon Arcanine, Ash realized the two were almost even, though neither seemed ready to relent just yet.
Rolling back over once more, Arcanine barked repeatedly upward towards Ash's partner.
"Flamethrower!"
"Extrasensory!"
The two attacks met midway again, and soon a dense cloud of sparks surrounded their combined strength.
"Jump at him again!"
Ditching the fire attack, Arcanine leapt from his stationary location on the field and over Noctowl's Extrasensory to get within jaw's length of the flying type.
"Thunder Fang!"
"Huh?" Ash was once more left with no time to react as Arcanine's teeth suddenly sparked and filled the entire room with a bright yellow luminescence.
Noctowl cried out in pain as the two came down together; Arcanine's teeth firmly dug into the flying creature's abdomen. Waves of electric energy pulsed through Ash's Pokémon as he continued to cry out for help.
Suddenly, Ash had another flashback: Noctowl getting electrocuted for his sake.
He grit his teeth. His mind instantly went back to that place – to that warehouse. He wanted to quit…he wanted to pull Noctowl back in a beam of red light, but his determination stopped him. He'd come all this way in the battle, and the same feeling he'd had earlier with Squirtle began to wash him anew.
I can't allow Gary to win this. I can't let him think he's better than us. I can't let Noctowl down after all he's done for me this battle.
…
I can't let this happen!
"Confusion!"
The crest atop Noctowl's head immediately began to glow as he continued his moaning. After another gut-wrenching moment, Arcanine dropped the bird without warning and began to bark incessantly as his pupils dilated. Gary instantly recognized that look, and grimaced as a shot at victory was suddenly pulled from his grasp by another cheap trick.
"Arcanine, snap outta it!"
It didn't help though. Arcanine began running back and forth; spewing flames and tripping all along the way. As the fire type dealt with his terrible confusion wrought by the weak psychic attack, Noctowl remained on the ground, barely moving.
Relieved that he'd at least stopped the attack before it could continue, Ash reached for the bird Pokémon's pokéball. "You did a good-"
Before he could finish, Noctowl slowly used his wings to lift his chest off the ground.
"Noctowl," Ash muttered. He saw the same drive he'd felt himself only moments before light within his own Pokémon's eyes. They were both ready to fight again.
"Alright, Noctowl. I know you're tired, but try getting in the air again!"
Flapping his wings slowly, the flying type eventually took flight. Arcanine was still wrestling with his own demons below, giving Noctowl a few moments of recuperation in the air. Ash noticed more blood dripping from Noctowl's chest, though it was only a small trickle.
I need to keep an eye on that. If the wound grows, I'll have to get him outta this whether he wants to or not.
"Noctowl, let's try to finish this quickly. When Arcanine is turned away, drive him into the ground with a Sky Attack!"
Ash had no problem with letting Gary hear his plans now that he had no control over his own Pokémon. With Arcanine still crying out in confusion, Ash knew he had plenty of time before his opponent would be able to make any move.
Noctowl chirped in response; watching his opponent run himself haggard across the dusty landscape as he prepared for what would hopefully be the final assault of the battle.
After several moments of anticipation, with Gary crying out for Arcanine to regain his senses, and Ash waiting with bated breath for his Noctowl to make his move, the time finally came. Arcanine turned around once again, and with a deep breath, Noctowl's entire body began to glow a bright white light.
The bird Pokémon spread his wings wide and in less than a second swooped down upon his helpless opponent; crashing into his spine and forcing him deep into the ground once more – the entire time Arcanine barking and yelping in pain and self-pity.
The glow beginning to die off, Noctowl backed off his opponent, hovering from a safe distance above once again as all eyes remained glued to Arcanine's haggard figure in the middle of the field. The fire type's breathing sounded labored, and his right eye appeared glued shut, but to everyone's surprise, he slowly began to stand again, turning around to look up and face Noctowl's flying form.
"I-I can't believe it," Ash muttered.
"Pikachu," his Pokémon agreed solemnly. It was not looking good for his flying friend.
"Alright, Arcanine!" Gary whooped from the sideline. "Finish this with a Flame-!"
He was cut short, though, by the sound of his Pokémon suddenly falling back toward the ground once more. With a final wimper of exhaustion, Arcanine closed his left eye and appeared to completely pass out.
"…oh." Gary's face turned red as he reached for the fire Pokémon's capsule and returned him. "I guess you weren't as healthy as I thought."
Latching the ball back to his belt, Gary himself felt the flow of momentum drift ever-so-subtly to Ash's side of the field. The feeling began with Golem's Explosion, but now it was starting to grow more intense.
Almost like this is inevitable…but how?
He looked across the field and saw his childhood rival smiling back with a knowing glimmer.
That's it!
Ash had something he hadn't before the battle had begun; he'd suddenly become sure of himself. And now Gary could feel that confidence radiating all the way on this side of the field.
Well if he's confident, then I've gotta be too!
"Skarmory, take him out!"
In a flash, the steel bird screeched and burst forth; charging head first directly into Noctowl.
"Noctowl!" Ash cried as his Pokémon groaned and hit the ground once more. "Get up, quick!"
Turning over, Noctowl flapped hard and became airborne less than a second before Skarmory rammed her head into the dirt where he laid just a moment before. Fluttering with all the strength he could muster, Noctowl managed a reasonable ten feet by the time Skarmory turned around and recovered from the missed hit.
"Get back in the air!" Gary pointed towards Noctowl. "Finish this!"
With a strong movement, the steel type was back up and flying – soaring directly for Ash's Pokémon.
"Dodge it!"
Prepared this time, Noctowl easily dodged the rather slow flying type.
All that steel armor slows her down, Ash realized happily. We should have no problem wearing her out!
"Agility!"
"Huh?"
Skarmory seemed to suddenly disappear and then reappear behind the confused owl Pokémon.
"Behind you, Noctowl!"
"Pika!"
"Steel Wing!"
With a resounding clang, Skarmory brought his glowing fist down on Noctowl's head, forcing the bird Pokémon into the dirt once more.
Ash gave an exasperated groan. Noctowl wasn't going anywhere in this battle, and his stubbornness as he got up from the dirt once more was almost angering. Ash just wanted to take him out, but he knew the bird wouldn't let him take him out yet.
"Noctowl, just give up!" he called to his friend. "I don't need you getting hurt again!"
Noctowl gave Ash a hoot and a sharp look in return. Confused, Ash wondered why he'd just been given the Evil Eye by his own Pokémon as the bird soared once more.
No time to think about that, though, Ash realized as Skarmory came close to swiping Noctowl again. That Agility really sped up his moves.
"Keep dodging, and use a Confusion!"
The crest glowed again as Noctowl ducked a silver wing. A light psychic attack pushed Skarmory back a few feet, but the metal bird was barely fazed as his wings both began swiping once more at Ash's Pokémon.
"Don't tell me you don't remember psychic attacks are weak on steel!" Gary mocked.
Ash gave the trainer a dirty look, but was a little embarrassed. There was nothing Noctowl could do that would actually hurt Skarymory between his normal and psychic attacks.
Unless…
"Noctowl, Hypnosis!"
The owl's eyes grew large again and red circles radiated forth at the cawing silver opponent.
"Metal Sound!"
Opening her beak as widely as she could, Skarmory unleashed a hellish grating noise from deep within her diaphragm. The glass ceiling began to crack and split as the noise permeated every level of the gym. Noctowl's Hypnosis came to a short end as he backed far away from his foe.
Covering his ears, Ash tried to think quickly.
"Sky Attack!"
"Steel Wing!"
Glowing, Noctowl backed up a little more and then charged forward. Waiting for just the right moment, Skarmory's wings sparkled once more and the two attacks met head-on.
"Noctowl!"
The Sky Attack wasn't penetrating the steel-strength of Skarmory's wings as the two attacks met mid-way.
"Don't give up Skarmory! Keep pushing back!"
"You've got her, Noctowl! Don't stop now!"
Noctowl's glowing figure continued to blaze as Skarmory struggled to stay airborne using only one wing while the other continued to blaze against Ash's friend.
For a few moments, it seemed as if the struggle wasn't going to end. Neither side seemed to be giving in…at least, they didn't seem to be initially.
With another groan, the white light surrounding Noctowl slowly began to dissipate, and Ash's fears were quickly realized as the glow completely faded from his fatigued partner's form.
"Steel Wing!"
With a final clang, Skarmory knocked her rival out of the air once and for all. Noctowl fell towards the ground, and Ash ran over to catch him. The bird cooed haggardly in his arms as the raven-haired trainer examined all the cuts and bald spots the creature had taken throughout the battle's duration.
"Ow!" Something had just cut his cheek, and feeling, he realized he was bleeding slightly.
"Uh-oh," Gary muttered. "It looks like the glass is falling apart here.'
Ash looked up and noted his rival was right. The Metal Sound attack had done a big number on the domed overhead. Little pieces of glass were slowly drifting down – appearing almost like white snow as the sunlight reflected off each piece.
"Do you think we should quit for now?" he asked Ash from across the field. "I don't know how stable the ceiling is anymore, and that glass is pretty thick."
Ash smirked. "You're not trying to get out of our battle, are you Gary?"
Gary's eyes went wide, incensed. "What? You've gotta be kidding me! I have you on the ropes Ashy-boy! If you're okay with staying, then so am I!"
"I'm not ready to leave yet," Ash agreed, reaching for Noctowl's pokéball and returning him. "Not long ago I was looking down the barrel of a gun…a little glass isn't gonna scare me away from winning now!"
"That sounds like the Ash I know," Gary answered – his tone and smile surprisingly sincere. "Then let's finish this battle here and now! Me and Skarmory are ready for whatever you've got!"
Ash's smile suddenly became real too. Gary had done it; he was out of his funk. The thrill of battling was coursing through every vein and the excitement of the unexpected was making his heart race.
"I don't think you really are, Gary. My team has something to prove today – not just that they can win, but that they can move on."
"Move on?"
"Every Pokémon on my team knew Heracross or Venusaur personally. I wanted to use them today because I knew they needed to prove to themselves that they still had the fight in them that they've always had. When we lost our friends, I didn't think I could keep battling, and when I agreed to this fight, I realized that if I wasn't careful my Pokémon might start feeling the same way. We've all been so depressed lately, a battle sounded like just the right thing to remind us of how strong we really are and help us move forward after everything that went down with Giovanni."
Gary's smile grew bigger. "I'll give you this, Ashy; you're a good friend."
Ash became a little red. "Thanks, Gary. Don't think that means I'm going easy on you!"
"I said you're a good friend, didn't I? What kinda friend wouldn't give it his all in a Pokémon battle?" Gary's smirk returned. "Not that I need you to go easy, anyway. Now show me what you've got!"
"Right!"
Hurling his last pokéball high, Ash unleashed his final friend.
"Charizard, time to wrap this battle up!"
With a roar, Charizard unleashed several strong Flamethrowers before looking across the field at his new victim. A flash of pure confidence spread across the fire type's face as he took a step forward – Skarymory subconsciously moving back a little simultaneously.
"A fire type, huh? Lucky he's your last one, I guess."
"Not luck, Gary…strategy. Save the strongest for the end!"
"We'll see about that. Metal Sound!"
More glass fell all around as the screeching bird forced Charizard to cover his ears.
"Flamethrower!"
Without hesitation, a stream of fire burst forth and drowned out the bird's noise as she was engulfed in the flames.
"Skarmory!" Gary cried as he was singed by the extreme heat blazing before his eyes. He was lucky Charizard had restraint, or else, he realized, he would have been consumed there on the spot. The fire had to be burning at least a couple hundred degrees.
As the attack died down – at Ash's command – the steel bird was shown to be completely smoldered, lying in the dirt still.
"Is-is she okay?" Ash asked as Gary ran up to his Pokémon. The raven-haired trainer felt bad for unleashing so much power. Charizard looked a little guilty too after the fact.
Leaning down, Gary seemed to check the vitals of his fighting partner before standing up and returning her to her pokéball. "She'll be fine. You really scorched us, though. I didn't know your Charizard had such strength…he looks even stronger than just a few months ago against Paul."
"Well he's been training hard in the Charicific Valley," Ash boasted. "He's not exactly lazing around all day in a pokéball."
"I shoulda figured you didn't train him to be that strong," Gary teased, reaching for his final fighter. "Besides, you had the type advantage, so it's not something to be too proud of."
"I'm always proud of my Pokémon. Now let's see if you followed my strategy and save the best for last yourself!"
"I'm the one who came up with that strategy!" the brunette boasted, throwing his last pokéball forward. "But yes, I did! Come out Gallade!"
Standing stoically, the lean psychic and fighting type looked across the field at his opponent with a slight frown. He didn't appear fazed by Charizard's size or strength, but rather seemed to be trying to read his opponent's mind.
"Charizard, we have the type advantage again," Ash warned from behind. "So start the battle with an Air Slash this time!"
Spreading his wings wide, Charizard quickly closed them together, creating a slice of silver air which rushed across the field. Ash smiled confidently, but suddenly dropped it when he realized Gallade was no longer standing where he was before.
Looking around, Ash was surprised to look up and see Gallade hanging from one of the bars connecting the cracked glass panels to each other.
How'd he get up there?
Without a sound, the fighting type released the bar and shoved off against the glass with his sword-like elbows pointed towards Charizard.
"Flamethrower!"
Charizard shot another blast of fire towards the incoming opponent, but was shocked as he disappeared once again, this time appearing behind the flying and fire type.
"Look out! He's behind you!"
Charizard turned just as the right bladed arm sliced his right wing hard, causing a trickle of blood to spill down the orange scales as he cried in pain.
"Steel Wing!"
As Gallade went in for another cut, Charizard's wings began to glow, and the sword-arm bounced off their metallic frame.
"Flamethrower!"
The flames barely missing Ash himself, Gallade teleported once again to dodge the attack. Anticipating his next move, Charizard's fist brewed a dark aura as he turned and slashed Gallade across the chest with a Dragon Claw.
Ash pumped his fist as the psychic type flipped backward to avoid more damage.
The celebration was cut short though when he disappeared again, this time leaving Ash completely confused as he looked all around the field for his opponent.
Why isn't Gary giving any commands, either? he wondered – caught off guard as Charizard was suddenly toppled.
Jumping down from directly over Ash, Gallade seemed to be using a Psycho Cut attack to add more strength to his slicing attacks as he pressed Charizard deep into the ground.
"Fire Blast!"
He disappeared as the strong fire attack flew towards his face. Charizard instantly leapt back to his feet, but much like his master, he was completely confused at his opponent's silence. The psychic and fighting type hadn't made as much as a grunt other than a slight one when hit by the Dragon Claw, and his master wasn't giving away their strategy, as he remained silent.
"It's weird, Charizard," Ash conceded, "but just keep your eyes and ears open. He's quiet, but we can catch him."
Charizard replied with a growl. His ears perked as his eyes scanned the battlefield. Ash took this time to ensure the psychic type wasn't hanging around the ceiling again.
"There he is!"
Another Flamethrower shot out and filleted the window where the fighting type had been hanging.
"He dodged again?" Ash shouted in frustration. "Wait, no!"
Charizard had instinctively turned around and tried to slash at his opponent with another Dragon Claw, expecting that Gallade was hiding behind him once more after disappearing, but this time the psychic Pokémon seemed to foresee the dragon's strategy and was instead standing directly before him.
The sword appendages began to glow light pink as another Psycho Cut sliced across Charizard's chest and sent him flying backwards towards Ash.
"C'mon, Charizard. Get up!" Ash commanded as his flying type slowly stood again. They'd taken two big hits in a row without returning fire, and Ash was quickly growing agitated with Gary's strategy.
"Well, if he isn't telling Gallade what to do, then they must have had a strategy already made before the battle. All we need to do is throw them a curveball then, Charizard. Try another Flamethrower."
However, as Charizard prepared another blast, Ash suddenly ordered a halt to it with a quick and forceful "Stop!"
"Now we've got him!" Ash pointed to the ceiling. Because Charizard wasn't already mid-attack, he refocused his aim and took a quick shot at the psychic type before Gallade could escape unscathed.
"No, wait!" Gary shouted, but it was too late.
"Great work, Charizard!"
As the fire attack died down, Ash was unsurprised to find that the psychic Pokémon had disappeared once more.
But this time we got him! The pattern was actually fairly simple. Gallade would dodge the attack, and then teleport right behind or in front of his opponent for a strong physical attack. He almost had to wonder why Gary would try such an easy-to-interpret strategy.
"Wait, where is he?" Ash suddenly asked. He hadn't noticed immediately, but Gallade wasn't following the pattern of sneaking up for a close hit again.
Before either could respond, Charizard was covered in a light yellow light.
A Thunderbolt?
Gallade was back on his side of the battlefield, unleashing the rather weak-looking electric attack. Nevertheless, Ash could see Charizard flinching in pain as the electricity coursed through his body.
"Flamethrower!"
Gallade disappeared.
"Crap!"
Another Thunderbolt appeared as Gallade reemerged just a little to the right of his original position, causing Ash to grit his teeth in frustration. Gary was mocking him; this clearly wasn't some simple pattern of attack.
Then how does he know what to do?
Following up his electric attack, the Gallade began charging towards Charizard with amazing speed as his arms glowed once more.
"Charizard, it's time to take this to the air!"
With another flap of his large wings, Charizard sped off into the air. Ash noticed that the glass shards were still dripping down, and he wondered if the ringing in his ears was ever going to go away as another cut appeared on his arm.
Gallade tried to stay close to Charizard, following him on the bars lining the ceiling, but it was clear the psychic type was struggling to keep up now that his opponent had taken to the air.
Ash was glad that at least this theory was right. He knew Gallade was a more physically oriented Pokémon naturally, and when he saw the little damage the Thunderbolt had done earlier in spite of the type advantage, he realized Gary hadn't especially trained the fighter for long-range combat.
"Keep him far away, Charizard!" he warned as the Gallade swung from one bar to another, shooting off another weak shot of electricity that seemed to barely phase his fire type.
"Get far away and then Flamethrower!"
Charizard took a sudden nosedive, landing and looking up. With a roar, he unleashed another fiery wave of fury upon his opponent above. Though the psychic type managed to teleport again, he was once more struck by the attack before doing so.
We just have to keep getting in those little hits. By now, Ash had another realization. With Gallade's ability to teleport so frequently without wearing down, he must have been especially strong in his psychic abilities. Gary must be communicating with him through his thoughts!
It also explained how he was so ready for Charizard's attacks. Psychic Pokémon were notorious for their ability to read opponents' minds before an attack came.
Which is how they make up for a weak physical defense, Ash noted. He was sure that Dragon Claw did more damage than any of Charizard's Flamethrowers. After all, psychic types usually had a lot more special attack stamina. But if we get too close, then he's able to use his stronger physical attacks too!
This was difficult. As Charizard took back to the air and dodged various attacks –firing back at random with his own firepower – Ash considered their situation. If this were a regular psychic Pokémon, like a Kadabra, he could just get Charizard close and have him hack away with Steel Wing and Dragon Claw.
But this particular psychic Pokémon was by far stronger on the physical front than on the special, and if Charizard got too close trying to take advantage of a weak defense, he'd have to worry about leaving weak spots open.
The risk may have to be taken, though, he realized sadly. Charizard would have to take some damage, but at the rate the battle was progressing, neither side would win…they'd both just collapse from exhaustion eventually.
Still, though, he didn't savor the idea of intentionally putting Charizard – or any of his Pokémon for that matter – in harm's way, and he decided to let the little game of cat and mouse progress for a few more minutes between the two in the air. He hoped he could at least wear down Gallade's psychic powers a little more by making him teleport around some more before putting his new plan into action.
After about five minutes had passed, he knew things weren't going to change, and with a sigh he gave a new order to Charizard.
"Dragon Claw!"
Gallade was back on the ground, firing off weak Thunderbolts whenever the opportunity arose, and initially he and Gary both were thrown off by the new order. Without time to react, Gallade took the dragon type attack directly to the chest once more as Charizard dove towards him in the blink of an eye.
However, the psychic type was soon back on his feet, staring down his now-grounded opponent. A split in one of the windows above suddenly emanated a loud crack as half of the large glass fell to the ground behind Charizard – causing the ground to shake with its contact as it shattered into a million smaller pieces. However, not a single eye flicked to the scene as all attention remained on the battle at hand.
"Do it again, Charizard!"
"Psycho Cut!" Gary countered, apparently dropping the telepathic line between himself and his partner for a moment.
"Both claws!"
The two met halfway and started combating one another fist-to-fist – Gallade's pink bladed arms against Charizard's dark purple, almost black, claws. Each Pokémon released respective grunts and moans as the battle went back and forth on the ground.
After a few minutes, though, Gallade suddenly changed tactic once more and disappeared, reappearing behind the fire type. Taking a slash at Charizard from behind once again, Ash was even surprised by his Pokémon's response time, as Charizard's wings grew bright in a defensive Steel Wing. The Psycho Cuts were completely ineffective as they slashed against the hardened appendages.
"Fly behind him!"
Without turning, Charizard used his wings to do a backward somersault, catching Gallade off-guard.
"Steel Wing!"
Now behind the psychic type, Charizard used the slight disorientation to his advantage as his wing glowed. Thrusting it forward, he "clang"ed Gallade back several feet. This time, the psychic Pokémon did not jump right back up.
"Flamethrower!"
With a roar, Charizard followed up the Steel Wing with a strong breath of fire; again taking advantage of his opponent's confusion to blast him. As the attack ended, Gallade teleported back to his side of the field, but Ash knew he'd taken serious damage from the Steel Wing and even a little from the fire type attack.
"Go to him!"
"Thunderbolt!" ordered Gary; again dropping the psychic communication. The telekinetic connection Gary shared with his Pokémon seemed to grow weaker when he grew distressed.
Let's take advantage of that.
"Don't let it stop you Charizard!" Ash warned as the electric attack caused his Pokémon to groan a little under the pressure. He continued to move forward; albeit flying a little slower than before across the battlefield. "You're almost at him!"
"Teleport away!"
As Charizard grew close, Gallade suddenly popped up on Ash's side of the field, now behind Charizard.
"Thunderbolt again!"
"Dodge, Charizard!"
Ash's fists tightened. "We're back where we were at before," he realized to his own dismay. Dodging attacks and providing weak special blows wasn't going to do anything except wear Charizard down, but Gary seemed intent on picking it back up after seeing Charizard overpower Gallade hand-to-hand.
I have to get Charizard close again to finish him. If we could just get a few quick shots, this would already be over!
"Keep dodging and use Flamethrower!" Ash ordered, buying time. He needed to think, and it was impossible to do so as long as his attention was focused on giving continual orders to Charizard.
There's no way we can just go in for another direct attack…
He snapped his fingers. That was it!
"Forget Flamethrower! Air Slash!"
Turning around mid-air, Charizard charged a large slice of silver wind directly into Gallade; pushing him into another one of the windows, and causing the glass to shatter as it came into contact with his back.
"Gallade, Teleport!" However, the psychic Pokémon fell along with the massive shards of glass back towards the battlefield without moving, giving Ash reason to smile.
The Air Slash was super-effective. It did enough damage to slow him down.
"Follow it up with a Dragon Claw!"
Turning and making another dive towards the earth, Charizard's claws and wings began to glow once more. Within the blink of an eye, he tore across Gallade's heaving chest with a sharpened Dragon Claw; forcing the psychic type to tumble sideways several feet. Following him, Charizard turned on his side and flew directly into Gallade's back. His metallic right wing forced the Pokémon to let out a sharp "Lade!" as he flew out of the battlefield and hit the sidewall to the arena.
"Gallade, get up!"
"Charizard, get ready in case he does!"
For a few short moments, all was still within the room as everyone waited to see if the psychic type would try for yet another stoic comeback as had become almost common throughout the battle. However, after the brief moment had passed, Ash breathed a sigh of relief, and Gary broken-heartedly reached for his Pokémon's capsule.
We did it, he realized, quietly amazed. It almost hadn't really sunk in yet. Going into this battle he'd been filled with so much dread and worry. He felt only sure that he was there –nothing more. He didn't know if he would win or even last the entire battle.
Yet here he was.
It was intense. He was bleeding, as were many of his Pokémon, and he was completely covered in dirt, soot, and water from head to foot due to the various attacks that had taken place over the course of the last couple of hours, but here he was.
We did it.
He looked down at Pikachu with the largest smile the small mouse Pokémon could remember his master ever wearing. He looked even happier than he did after they had defeated Cynthia together.
"We did it!" he cried happily; picking up the small mouse and throwing him in the air joyfully as Charizard rushed to his side. The dragon bowed his head as Ash caught Pikachu and pet his loyal companion. "And you don't even look exhausted yet, Charizard."
With a bellow, Charizard released a strong Fire Blast into the air, verifying his master's claim. He was proud of how much strength he had left to give if the need had arisen.
"You did a good job," Gary sullenly admitted, sticking out his right hand for a shake. Despite his somber tone, Ash noticed that there was still the slightest tinge of a smile noticeable on his lips.
Without a word, Ash understood how he felt, and quickly grabbed ahold of his hand, shaking it firmly.
"So did you. Thanks…for everything."
"What're rivals for?"
"What're friends for is the right question."
Ash gave his old nemesis a grin as they released each other from their respective grip.
Looking around Ash's smile suddenly grew wide as his cheeks turned a little red. "Uh, sorry about the whole destroying your gym battlefield thing though."
The floor was now littered with broken glass, jagged rocks, burn marks, huge holes, and the entire ceiling looked like it was on the verge of collapsing inward.
"Nah, don't worry about it. A gym leader dreams about having a battle so epic it wrecks his gym…except I usually dream about winning it when it's all over."
"Well, you came close."
Gary narrowed his eyes. "Don't patronize me, Ashy-boy. You weren't even using your best out there, and you still beat me. Your Charizard looks like he could go another three rounds before giving up."
Ash pet his dragon again. "Well, you're probably right about that, but it was still really close, and a good battle."
"Well, the sad news is that I've gotten rusty after all these years. Though I hate to admit it, you are a champion and everything, so I should probably have been a little more prepared for this battle. I just figured you wouldn't be any more difficult than when we were kids.
Ash nodded. "Yeah, I think we've both come far from where we used to be. That Metal Sound attack was something else."
"It did quite a bit to my windows. These are all actually insulated solar panels, so they're even tougher to crack than regular glass. Nice strategy getting Blastoise on his back, by the way."
"Thanks. Nice trick with the telekinetic powers between you and Gallade."
"Oh, you figured it out, huh?"
Ash shook his head. "It took me a few minutes, but yeah it became pretty obvious something was going on."
"Well, I've actually been practicing with Sabrina. She had a ghost problem at her gym like a year ago, and after I went to help her out, she gave me some lessons on utilizing Gallade's psychic powers with my own. I'm nowhere near as good as she is, but it is a pretty cool strategy. Since this is a ground gym, I never really get to try it out on other trainers, but I was glad to see it worked so well."
"Uh-huh."
An awkward silence fell between the two trainers. It was nice trading compliments and all, but at the end of the day they had still been rivals most of their lives, and the civility could only last so long.
"So I guess we should get outta here before the walls crumble."
Ash agreed. "Good idea."
Jumping back onto the platform elevator in the center of the battlefield, the two slowly descended back into Gary's room and office. As they went down, Ash withdrew Charizard and put Pikachu back on his shoulder.
Author's Notes: I hope y'all liked it! It was by far the longest battle I've ever written for this story, so that should at least somewhat make up for my absence. I think the entire affair was fairly accurate – after all, with Ash being an ex-champion, it's not hard to believe that Charizard wouldn't have much trouble taking out Gary's group. And the only real reason it came so close to begin with was because Ash wanted to include the Pokémon that had known Heracross and Venusaur personally. However, if you disagree, leave me a review and let me know!
Alright, until Sunday after next, Later Days!