Plot-Scorbunny 1: Ruby vs. Ash Part 2
Ruby and Ash's battle for the title of Galar Champion had gotten off to a fiery start. Ash had five Pokémon left while Ruby had four, but three of Ash's Pokémon had already taken heavy damage from the battle while Ruby had only one worn Pokémon and three Pokémon left that hadn't battled yet. One of them was already on the field and ready to battle Ash's Gengar. Galvatron the Metagross was up next and ready for a good, solid battle. Ash had fought Metagross before, but he knew he'd be foolish to underestimate this one. It was Champion Ruby's Metagross after all so it was bound to be strong. But how strong? He'd soon find out.
The audience watched, their eyes glued to the match that was about to begin. With how things were currently going, anticipation was higher than ever. Ash was currently leading, but was Ruby about to turn the tide of this battle? Misty and Brock were equally as anxious. They knew their friend was far from safe with Ruby having four Pokémon left to use and she'd now brought a pseudo-legendary to the field. Galvatron could potentially flip-turn the battle upside down for Ash. Emerald, Sapphire and Hop felt their stomachs tingle excitedly. They knew how strong Galvatron was and were confident that it would be Ruby's ticket to victory in this match. Gengar flexed his arms and frowned. He wanted to show Galvatron that he was serious for this match, no messing around from him. Galvatron just stared back blankly with no interest whatsoever. It just saw Gengar as another opponent to fight, nothing else.
"We can't take our chances here Gengar! Use Will-O-Wisp now!" Ash commanded.
Gengar conjured up his wisps of fire and sent them spiralling towards Galvatron. Ash wanted to burn it and weaken it so that it wouldn't be quite as strong. But unfortunately, Will-O-Wisp never got close to Galvatron.
"Spin out the way!" Ruby ordered.
Galvatron retracted its limbs and spun around like a frisbee, catapulting himself to the side so that Will-O-Wisp missed it entirely. Ash recoiled. He'd never seen anyone use a Metagross like that before! The Steel/Psychic Pokémon spun around and around like a flying saucer above the battlefield, keeping well out of Gengar's way as he tried to use Will-O-Wisp. The flames couldn't reach their target and then to add insult to injury, Galvatron spun straight towards Gengar and ploughed straight into him. The Ghost/Poison Pokémon cried out from the hit and was thrown aside. Gengar crashed onto the ground and came to a painful stop just at Ash's feet. The boy from Pallet Town was incredulous. How had Ruby taught Galvatron to move like that?! Galvatron landed back down on the pitch and drew its limbs back out. Gengar slowly got back to his feet with a frown of annoyance. He hated it when his opponents successfully dodged his attacks and pulled off surprises like this. Ash tried something else by ordering Gengar to use Shadow Ball instead. Gengar threw the ectoplasmic energy ball at Galvatron but once again, the metal spider-bot was able to dodge by spinning out the way again. Then Ruby followed up its dodge by ordering it to use Zen Headbutt. Ash gulped worriedly. Gengar were weak to Psychic attacks! Galvatron surrounded itself with a Psychic energy field and charged straight towards Gengar. It sudden burst of speed caused blades of grass to be ripped away and blown around behind it. Gengar was helpless to defend himself and grunted as Galvatron crashed straight into him. It felt as if he'd been run over by a bus. Gengar crashed down onto the ground and kicked up bounds of grass and dirt behind him. He groaned in pain.
Ash began to feel worried. Gengar wasn't doing so well out here! He was tempted to switch him out for another Pokémon but Gengar seemed determined to keep up the fight. He stood back up again and grinned at Ash as if to say "No worries, I'm still good!" Nodding, Ash told Gengar to phase into the ground. The Ghost Pokémon disappeared down into the shadows, leaving Galvatron to wonder where he would appear. Ruby stood still with her arms folded and her eyes fixated on the field. She knew what Ash was doing of course. She did this all the time with Raven. She imagined that Gengar would either try to ambush Galvatron from behind or from underneath. But to her surprise, he did neither! The silver-haired teen was taken aback as Gengar suddenly appeared from directly in front of Galvatron's face and blasted it with Shadow Ball! Galvatron stumbled backwards from the attack, momentarily dazed. Ash smirked at Ruby.
"Didn't see THAT coming did ya?!" he crowed, "I know you have your own Gengar so I decided not to rely on obvious tactics that you'd expect, just like right now when Gengar appeared right in front of your Metagross and attacked!"
"I'll give you that Ash, I didn't expect that." Ruby acknowledged, "I was anticipating a typical ambush from behind or underneath but no. You do have a knack for being unpredictable as many have said about you." she murmured.
"It may not always work for me, but thinking outside the box does often give me great results!" Ash said proudly.
"No kidding! And who knows, maybe it'll help you at least survive until we're down to our last Pokémon." Ruby said daringly, "Galvatron, use Zen Headbutt again!"
Galvatron obeyed. It coated itself in psychic energy again and catapulted itself towards Gengar. Gengar laughed mockingly at Galvatron as he disappeared into the ground again. But Galvatron didn't stop moving. It carried on shooting around the field. Ash recoiled. If Galvatron didn't stop charging like that, it would make it risky for Gengar to come back up again as no matter where he came up from, Galvatron would likely slam into him with Zen Headbutt. But Gengar couldn't hide forever. He would have to come back up eventually. Sighing, Ash decided to risk it. He ordered Gengar to emerge again and try to get into the air as quickly as possible. Gengar emerged and tried to fly up but the paralysis courtesy of Raven's Thunderbolt earlier suddenly kicked in and Gengar seized up as a result, unable to move. This allowed Galvatron to catch up and charge into him. The psychic powered head butt hit Gengar and threw him directly upwards. He flailed around frantically as he came straight down and the moment he came within arm's reach, Galvatron pummelled him into submission with Meteor Mash. The Ghost/Poison Pokémon was knocked out instantly by the attack and sent hurling across the pitch towards Ash. Gengar crashed down and rolled to a stop just in front of Ash. He'd fought long and hard, but his battle was finally over. Gengar had nothing to smile about in this battle for he was the one who had been defeated. Galvatron had no reaction, regarding the whole thing as something it had calculated would be a success and wasn't surprised that its calculations were right.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!" the announcer barked.
Ruby's fans cheered ecstatically, screaming their approval for the Champion's performance. But none cheered louder than her sisters and boyfriend. She'd managed to clinch another win! Now both sides were equal with both down to four Pokémon each! Ash was feeling the weight of this battle starting to press down on him. He was down two Pokémon with two Pokémon that had already taken a beating and two Pokémon he hadn't used yet. Ruby still had Raven, who was no doubt close to unconsciousness from the beating she'd taken, and two Pokémon that hadn't seen battle yet while Galvatron was out on the field having barely so much as gotten a scratch from Gengar's efforts. Even his earlier Shadow Ball onslaught barely even seemed to have wounded Galvatron. Ruby was really showing why she was the Champion of Galar! She was calculated, cool and merciless on the battlefield! Even the way she stood with her arms folded and her face blank to give nothing away made her look like she was in complete control of the battle in spite of everything that had happened. The scores maybe even, but Ruby was clearly the one on top so far.
"Man she's strong…I'm gonna have to fight carefully if I have a hope of winning this!" the Alolan Champion muttered.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.
Ash returned Gengar to his Pokéball and smiled softly.
"You fought your best buddy. Thanks so much." he said, "We'll finish this fight for you."
Ruby smiled with awe. Not only did Ash have a reputation for being an unpredictable, unorthodox trainer and fighter, but he was practically famous for his unfailing kindness towards Pokémon. She loved it when trainers would thank their Pokémon for a good fight. It reminded her of how kind she and her sisters could be with their own Pokémon.
"So what will you bring out next, Ash?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"One you'll know all too well I'm sure." Ash declared, "It's one from your region after all. Sirfetch'd, I choose you!"
Ash was correct. Ruby knew a Sirfetch'd whenever she saw one. How could she not when Emerald owned a Sirfetch'd as well? She could already imagine Percival would love to duel this Sirfetch'd if ever possible. Sirfetch'd stood before Galvatron in a combat ready position, sword leek held back and leek shield held up to protect himself. Matilda's Stealth Rock cut into him upon entry but like with Lucario, Rock attacks didn't mean much to a Fighting-type like Sirfetch'd. Regardless of his type, Ash knew that Ruby had put Sirfetch'd at an immediate disadvantage before the fight had begun. He had slightly less health and in this match, he needed all the health he could spare. He had to get rid of that Stealth Rock before it did any more damage. He eyed up Sirfetch'd's shield and got an idea.
"I know how to get rid of that Stealth Rock! Sirfetch'd, use Brutal Swing to destroy all the rocks!" he ordered.
Sirfetch'd threw his shield like a frisbee at the Stealth Rocks. It glowed with red energy as the shield spun around through the air and ploughed through the rocks. It was like a giant mobile saw slicing through wood. Ruby couldn't believe her eyes. This was incredible! How did Ash ever come up with the idea to use Brutal Swing that way?! The shield sawed its way through the rocks until eventually, each one was destroyed and Ash's side of the field was left clear with no Stealth Rock to inflict further damage in the future. Sirfetch'd caught his shield and stroke a haughty pose as if to emphasize his own awesomeness. The crowd cheered and clapped for the mighty duck Pokémon. They thought that was the most impressive thing they'd seen all day. Emerald was especially amazed at what had happened.
"No way! Sirfetch'd can use its shield just like that?!" she cried, "Wow...why didn't I ever think of that with Percival?!"
"I bet you'll be teaching him to do that first chance you get." Sapphire chuckled.
"Absolutely!" Emerald concurred, "I bet I could use that in a battle or a contest now I think about it...
Brock and Misty just smiled, not at all surprised their friend had pulled off such a move.
"That's a typical Ash moment right there." Brock declared, "Always thinking of creative ways to use his Pokémon's moves."
"I'm glad that hasn't changed since we last saw him!" Misty cried, "Now that Stealth Rock's gone, Ash can send his Pokémon out without them getting hurt! But Ruby's still got that Metagross on the field and I bet even without Stealth Rock softening its opponents up, it's still gonna be tough to beat…"
The ginger-haired girl looked to Galvatron anxiously. She had to admit, if she were in Ash's position, she'd be nervous about fighting it too. Hopefully Ash would come up with a creative strategy to defeat it.
Ruby shook herself out of her shocked state and cleared her throat, half-embarrassed that she'd been left standing there slack-jawed for a second.
"Well…that happened!" she gasped, "How is it my sister owns a Sirfetch'd and yet I never expected anything like that? I doubt even Em would've thought to use Brutal Swing that way."
"You got that right!" Emerald replied from the crowd.
"It was a gamble but it paid off at least!" Ash said casually, "Now Sirfetch'd, use Brutal Swing again on Galvatron!"
Sirfetch'd threw his shield directly at Galvatron. Ash smiled approvingly, glad Sirfetch'd had chosen to use it that way again. Fighting from a distance might give him a slight edge in this match. But the shield failed to hit its target as Galvatron just spun around on the spot and deflected the Brutal Swing. The shield ricocheted off of its tough body and sailed straight back towards Sirfetch'd, walloping him hard in the face. Sirfetch'd was so surprised that he stumbled over onto his side. Ash balked as his warrior duck Pokémon collapsed. His shield landed down beside him with a clatter. While he was down, Ruby took advantage of the moment to have Galvatron use Zen Headbutt again. The Metagross charged towards Sirfetch'd and ploughed straight into him like a runaway express train. Sirfetch'd cried out as he was thrown through the air by the charge. Before he could hit the ground, Galvatron positioned himself to where he was about to land and threw a terrific uppercut into the duck Pokémon as Ruby ordered him to use Hammer Arm. Galvatron's powerful limb slammed into Sirfetch'd's gut and threw him back into the air again. Ruby ordered Galvatron to position himself beneath his opponent and use Hammer Arm again only for Ash to counter by ordering Sirfetch'd to use Brutal Swing again. Sirfetch'd's sword glowed with dark energy and he spun his whole body around as he came towards Galvatron. He became a white blur with a red ring surrounding him with this manoeuvre. Galvatron's Hammer Arm just missed as Sirfetch'd slammed down on top of its body and knocked him down.
The audience oohed with amazement. That was a very strong attack, and super-effective too! But was it enough to stop Galvatron? Sirfetch'd hopped away from his dazed opponent and collected up his shield. He held it up defensively in anticipation for another attack. Galvatron wasn't down for long despite the power of Brutal Swing. It stood up again, looking very much like it could keep on fighting despite Ash's best efforts. Ash was questioning if Galvatron was even hurt at all with how it seemed to shrug off whatever attack he landed on it. He was about to call another attack but then Ruby whipped out Galvatron's Pokéball and recalled it. The Alolan Champion was dumbfounded.
"Huh? Switching again? But why?" he asked.
"Why use up Galvatron's strengths right away when I can save it for later?" Ruby said smoothly, "Besides, I'd rather not risk taking another Brutal Swing like that as I've still got three other Pokémon to handle after your Sirfetch'd. Now Freddy, you're up next!" she declared, throwing her next Pokéball.
The audience immediately exploded with joy upon seeing Freddy the Toxtricity making his grand entrance onto the field. The Poison/Electric salamander rocker bowed conceitedly as the audience cheered for him.
"Yay, Freddy's here!" cried Emerald.
"Trust Ruby to add an air of showmanship to her matches." Hop chuckled.
Brock and Misty were curious about this big reaction.
"Whoa, the crowd's really excited to see that Pokémon!" Brock exclaimed.
"It's not one I've seen before." Misty noted, "I wonder why everyone's cheering for it?"
They soon got their answer as Freddy broke into yet another Queen classic to really ham up his entrance. He strummed his chest organs and the music began to boom all around the arena as he played.
I want to break free!
I want to breaaaak freeeee!
I want to break free from your lies
You're so self-satisfied I don't neeeeeeeeeeeeed you!
I've got to break free!
God knoooooows!
God knows I want to breeeeak freeeeeee!
I've fallen in loooove!
I've fallen in love for the first time
And this time I know it's for reeeeeeeeeeeal!
I've fallen in loooooove…
God knoooooows!
God knows I've fallen in looooooove!
Ash even found himself bopping to the beat and Pikachu joined in, singing in his own language in time with Freddy.
"Wow, I don't know much about Toxtricity but that one rocks! Is he trying to start a band?!" Ash joked.
"Freddy's been a show mon ever since I first met him at that Pokémon Nursery." Ruby explained, "He loves to pepper his battles with a song or two and as you can hear, the audience loves him for it."
Ash could hear the audience cheering for Freddy and applauding him for his singing and music playing. Who'd have thought the Champion of Galar liked to spice things up with a little music in her fights? But Ash couldn't let himself be distracted by Freddy's showmanship. This Pokémon was clearly more than just a singing sensation. He soon got an idea on what kind of opponent he was up against as Ruby gave the first command.
"Use Noble Roar!" she commanded.
Freddy strummed his chest organs again, creating an electrifying sound and he let out his loudest roar he could emit.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he bellowed.
The roar cut through Sirfetch'd with enough force to rupture his eardrums. He grimaced and covered his ears in pain. While Noble Roar wasn't an actual attack, it still caused pain from now loud it was. But the worst was yet to come for Sirfetch'd glowed blue to signify a decrease in his power. He suddenly seemed weaker than before, almost unable to even keep his leek sword and shield upright. Ash was puzzled. What did Freddy just do?
"Sirfetch'd, what's wrong?" he asked, "Ruby, what was that?!"
"Noble Roar." Ruby explained, "It lowers the Attack and Special Attack of your Pokémon so I'm afraid Sirfetch'd will only be fighting at a fraction of his full power now."
"Ah! Oh no!" Ash exclaimed.
"Oh yes." Ruby taunted, "Freddy's more than just a showman as you can see. He's often my little ace-up-my-sleeve to weaken my opponents if necessary. And I definitely think now was VERY necessary. Now Freddy, use Overdrive and show Sirfetch'd what loud is REALLY like!"
Freddy strummed his chest organs again but this time, he launched an attack instead of just roaring. He created an explosive charge of electricity from his body that threatened to sweep over Sirfetch'd and cause immense damage to him. Freddy also had the Punk Rock ability, an ability that made his sound based attacks even stronger so this was going to REALLY hurt! But Ash was quick to act and ordered Sirfetch'd to use Detect. The duck Pokémon did so and was able to dodge the Overdrive before it could hit him. He weaved out the way of the electric soundwave and sprinted towards Freddy. Ruby was undeterred, ordering her Pokémon to use Sludge Bomb on him next. Freddy took aim and fired huge blobs of poisonous gunk at Sirfetch'd from his mouth. The warrior duck held up his shield to block the attacks. Each Sludge Bomb exploded against his shield upon impact but despite not doing any damage to him, they gradually slowed down his charge as each explosive impact pushed him back slightly. Eventually, the last Sludge Bomb hit and Sirfetch'd was ground to a halt before he could finish his charge. Seizing her moment, Ruby ordered Freddy to use Overdrive again. Freddy unleashed his electrical charge but at the same time, Sirfetch'd use Brutal Swing. He threw his shield at Freddy just before Overdrive hit him. Both attacks hit their targets but Freddy's did more damage than Sirfetch'd's. Sirfetch'd was thrown away by the Overdrive while Freddy staggered back but remained standing despite the clean blow to his head. Both Pokémon shook themselves off and prepared to fight again.
"Your attack may have been lowered, but we'll still make this one count!" Ash declared, "Use Meteor Assault!"
Ruby wasn't at all surprised to see that Sirfetch'd knew that move. It was Sirfetch'd's signature move after all. The warrior duck took aim with his leek and charged towards Freddy with a huge aura of yellow energy surrounding him. To Ruby, it looked as if he'd turned into a miniature sun and was about to charge into her Pokémon. Sirfetch'd rocketed towards Freddy, the energy blazing around him as he made his mad charge. Ruby ordered Freddy to try and stop the attack with Sludge Bomb. Freddy blasted Sirfetch'd with his explosive balls of sludge but they only broke away harmlessly against Sirfetch'd's Meteor Assault. Ruby recoiled. Nothing could stop it! Freddy could only brace himself for impact as Sirfetch'd crashed straight into him. Luckily, he was half Poison-type so he didn't take as much damage as any other Pokémon would take for Fighting attacks weren't effective against Poison-types. But Meteor Assault was still a powerful move regardless of type. After Sirfetch'd had finished his charge, Freddy was left wincing from the impact and coughing heavily.
"Good gracious, that took a bit out of me there darling." he muttered, "For a Fighting move, that was quite a hit!"
"I bet if you'd been any other type, that might've KO'd you." Ruby agreed, "Lucky us you're half-Poison or else I'd be down another Pokémon!"
She looked to Sirfetch'd. As expected, he looked exhausted and couldn't move for the moment. That was Meteor Assault's biggest downside. After it was used, the attacker was immobilized for a while. But Ash had prepared for that. Now Sirfetch'd had finished the attack, he recalled him and switched him out for another Pokémon. Ruby wasn't surprised to see Lucario making a comeback to the field. Why not? His half-Steel typing would render him immune to Freddy's Sludge Bomb after all. In fact, Overdrive would be the only attack Freddy would be able to use to do any real damage to Lucario as the only other attack he knew was Boomburst, a Normal move and they were useless against Steel-types. Even with Punk Rock powering it up, it still wouldn't do much to Lucario. The fighting jackal Pokémon balled his fists and barked in anticipation. He was thrilled to get the chance to fight again. Despite the beating he'd taken from Matilda earlier, he looked more than ready to take on Freddy.
"Clever choice there Ash." Ruby acknowledged, "Against a Lucario, Freddy's options are considerably limited. But he can handle this no problem. Use Noble Roar again!" she ordered.
Freddy let out his huge roar once more and Lucario grimaced as the tremendous sound tore through this ears. He stumbled back, overwhelmed by the noise and he clutched his ears to try and drown the sound out. His body flashed to signify a drop in his attack stats. Ash began to feel nervous. His Lucario knew both Physical and Special Attacks and Noble Roar lowered both attack stats so no matter what he did, he was a little weaker than before now. He was determined not to let that deter him. Lucario would still win this battle no matter what! But before the fight could even start, Ruby immediately recalled Freddy after he'd finished using Noble Roar. Ash blinked in disbelief. Switching again?! His hands shook with nerves. Was Galvatron going to return to the field?
"Raven, time for you to come out once more!" Ruby declared, throwing her next Pokéball.
The audience murmured with interest as Ruby's stoic Gengar returned to the field for the second time. Ash could see what Ruby was planning. She was trying to use his own strategy against him. With Raven in play, Lucario couldn't use any Fighting attacks as they didn't work on Ghost-types. He'd be stuck only being able to use Bullet Punch and Double Team now. But Raven had taken lots of damage already so it wasn't going to be entirely one-sided. Even with Lucario's lowered stats, he might still pull off a victory.
"Looks like we're gonna have to make the most of what we have buddy!" Ash declared, "Use Bullet Punch!"
"Use Focus Blast!" Ruby ordered at the same time.
Lucario sprinted towards Raven with his fists glowing as a sheen of metallic energy covered them. As he came in, Raven formed a huge energy sphere between her hands and floated up high to give herself some distance to charge up the attack. Lucario jumped up towards her, ready to start whaling on her with Bullet Punch. Raven threw the Focus Blast sphere at Lucario. The fighting jackal cried out in horror as the energy ball came hurling towards him. He tried punching at it in a vain attempt to break through it but all that did was cause the Focus Blast to explode and throw him down into the ground. Ash grimaced. Even he had to admit that wasn't the best idea Lucario could've tried. Lucario hit the ground and Raven took advantage of this moment by throwing a Shadow Ball at him while he was down. She scored a clean hit and Lucario was left even more damaged as a result. But Raven wasn't in the clear either. She was still burned from Gengar's Will-O-Wisp earlier and it sapped away some of her strength just as Lucario was getting back up. Lucario barked furiously and clenched his fists again. Ash ordered him to try again with Bullet Punch. The Fighting/Steel Pokémon sprinted towards Raven and this time, he was able to land a hit on her. He whaled on Raven furiously with Bullet Punch, trying to do as much damage as he could in spite of his weakened attack from Freddy's earlier Noble Roar. The Ghost/Poison Pokémon grunted and cried out from each punch that slammed into her. Ruby winced. Even she could tell those punches were PAINFUL!
"Blind him with Dazzling Gleam!" she ordered frantically.
Raven unleashed an explosion of fairy lights that left Lucario reeling in pain. The attack wasn't super-effective against him but it did its job. Lucario was momentarily blinded by the Dazzling Gleam and couldn't see for now. He rubbed his eyes to try and ease the pain but he didn't get the chance as Raven only threw another Focus Blast ball at him. Lucario was hit full on by the blast and sent skidding across the grass and dirt. He came to a painful stop on his side just in front of Ash. The audience gasped. Brock and Misty leaned closer in their seats. Was Ruby about to claim another win? It seemed likely but shortly after he'd stopped skidding, Lucario picked himself back up again. Ruby whistled with amazement. That Lucario had guts and she loved it! Ash really must've trained it so well to withstand so much punishment and keep going! She ordered Raven to use Focus Blast one more time. The Ghost/Poison Pokémon formed the huge sphere of power and threw it towards her opponent. But it never hit its target. Lucario used Double Team and the Focus Blast only ended up hitting one of the fake Lucarios instead. Raven kept a close eye on the shadow clones to see which Lucario was the real one. But she didn't spot him in time and was too slow to react as the real one launched himself towards her and pummelled her repeatedly with Bullet Punch again. He threw one punch after the other with lightning speed and Raven was helpless to defend herself against them. He threw one last punch in-between Raven's eyes and sent her crashing down onto her back. Raven hit the dirt, bounced into the air and rolled to a painful stop by Ruby's feet. Lucario landed, barking with glee as if voicing his pleasure with how the battle was going.
Raven picked herself up, visibly straining from the effort. Ruby watched with baited breath. It seemed her faithful Pokémon could carry on. Raven floated off the ground again, ready to do more. Ruby ordered her to use Focus Blast again…only for Raven to suddenly burst into flames as the burn damage kicked in again. Raven grimaced as the flames ate away what was left of her energy. She no longer had the strength to fight and collapsed onto the ground. It was all over and Ruby was now another Pokémon lighter in this battle.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Lucario is the winner!" boomed the announcer.
The crowd cheered, impressed with Ash's next big win.
"Alright! Now Ash has the lead again!" Misty hollered excitedly.
"Too right. He's still got four while Ruby's down to three." Brock observed, "But this is no time to celebrate. Remember, Ruby still has that Metagross left to fight with, her Toxtricity hasn't taken that much damage and she's still yet to bring out her sixth Pokémon."
"Yes…you're right Brock." the Cerulean Gym Leader said grimly, "And Ash only has one Pokémon left that hasn't taken any damage while Pikachu, Lucario and Sirfetch'd have all been exhausted quite heavily."
"Right. And Ruby hasn't Dynamaxed any Pokémon yet so she could still pull that out on Ash to overwhelm him." the Pewter City Gym Leader noted, "But Ash also hasn't used any of his power-ups too. It really could be anyone's match…"
Nearby, the twins and Hop seemed to share the same thoughts.
"Ash may have the lead, but he can't relax yet." Sapphire observed, "He has three tired Pokémon left and one that hasn't battled while Ruby's remaining three are either barely even damaged or not been used yet. Weirdly enough, it still feels like Ruby's got the advantage here."
"Goes to show having more Pokémon left doesn't mean you're on top." Hop concurred, "I bet once Galvatron comes back out, Ash will be back on the back foot again..."
Ruby returned Raven to her Pokéball and patted it softly.
"Don't feel too bad Raven. You were amazing out there and I'm proud of you." she said kindly.
She exchanged her Pokéball for another one.
"I must say Ash, this might be the toughest battle I've had in a while." Ruby complimented, "I feel like for the first time since my title battle against my sister, I'm actually having to WORK for this win! Most other trainers have been pretty easy wins, but not you! You really are as amazing as people as you are!"
"That's really swell! Thank you!" Ash said graciously, "You're really strong too Ruby! It's easy to see why you're Galar's Champion!"
"You're too kind. Really." Ruby said modestly, "Now how's about we wrap this up? Galvatron, you're back in the game!" she cried.
The audience let out a chorus of gasps and excited cheers as Galvatron returned to the field. This battle was about to escalate now Ruby's powerful Metagross was back in the fray! Ash gulped. Galvatron was back! This was not going to be easy. He was sure Lucario could handle it. The question was should he Mega Evolve him? He looked to the Key Stone on his glove. Maybe if he Mega Evolved him, he'd have a chance in this match and could beat Galvatron. But what if it didn't work and Galvatron STILL won? Then Ruby would have a power-up left to use and he'd be high and dry. He needed to be able to Mega Evolve or Dynamax his Pokémon to fight Ruby's last Pokémon. The temptation was strong, but in the end Ash decided to wait and see. If Lucario could beat Galvatron and carry on fighting, THEN he'd Mega Evolve him for the big finish.
"Show Galvatron your awesome power with Aura Sphere!" Ash commanded.
Lucario conjured up the ball of energy and threw it directly at Galvatron. It was a direct attack, slamming directly against the Steel/Psychic Pokémon's body but Galvatron didn't even flinch from the attack. Lucario may as well have thrown pebbles at it for all the damage Aura Sphere did! Ruby ordered Galvatron to use Zen Headbutt. The spider-bot charged towards Lucario in a mad psychic powered dash and scored a clean hit. He hit Lucario with the force of a speeding truck and the fighting jackal was thrown backwards by the blow. Lucario landed on his back but he was soon back up on his feet and ready to retaliate. Ruby frowned.
"Hmm…I was hoping Zen Headbutt would make him flinch." she observed, "By any chance does your Lucario have the Inner Focus ability?" she asked.
"You got it! Lucario ain't flinching no matter what you do!" Ash boasted.
"Then I guess I'll just settle on pummelling him into submission." Ruby said dryly, "Use Hammer Arm!"
Galvatron raised one of its limbs up and swung it down towards Lucario. Lucario lashed out and caught the attack with his paws. His muscles bulged as he fought to keep the huge, metal arm from moving. Galvatron pressed down hard but Lucario wouldn't budge. Strength-wise, it seemed an even match as neither one could move the other. But Lucario was in the worst position. He was stuck having to keep Galvatron's arm from moving…while Galvatron still had its other arm to use. Ash tried to call for Lucario to dodge but it was too late. Galvatron used Hammer Arm with its other arm on Lucario, upper-cutting him into the air with a punch so powerful that it nearly took his head off. Lucario spiralled through the air but before he hit the ground, he threw another Aura Sphere at Galvatron. Again, it barely did anything but as far as Ash was concerned, any damage was enough for him. Lucario crashed down onto his side and grunted from the impact. Galvatron skittered towards him and Ruby ordered him to use Hammer Arm again. But Lucario was quicker. Ash ordered him to use Double Team to avoid the attack. Galvatron's powerful arm slammed down onto a fake Lucario and left a huge imprint in the grass from where he'd hit. The shadow clones danced around Galvatron in an attempt to confuse and disorient the robotic Pokémon. But Ruby had other ideas…
"That won't work on Galvatron." she purred, "Flatten them all with Earthquake!"
"No way! It knows Earthquake too?!" Ash screamed in shock.
Galvatron jumped into the air and slammed down heavily onto the ground, creating a huge shockwave that threatened to obliterate the entire stadium. It tore through the ground and destroyed all the shadow clones. Eventually, the real Lucario was the only one left standing and he was hammered brutally by the earthquake. Ash cried out for his fighting friend as Lucario was pummelled into submission by the earthquake. He was thrown onto his back and he skidded to a painful stop just by Ash's feet. He didn't get back up again. Lucario's drive to win had finally been snuffed out by the superior strength of Galvatron. Galvatron, once again, displayed no emotion about its win.
"Conclusion: a win exactly as calculated. Success rate: 100% as of now." it said flatly.
"Lucario is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!" barked the announcer.
The crowd cheered for their champion, ecstatic that she'd managed to score another knock out. Now the odds had been evened again! Both Champions were down to three Pokémon and Ruby was starting to look unbeatable thanks to Galvatron. Sapphire and Hop both nodded in acknowledgement. Just as they'd expected, Galvatron evened the odds again. Their Champion wasn't losing her crown after all!
"It's like you said Brock." Misty murmured sadly, "No time to celebrate. That Metagross comes out again and now Ash is on the back foot. Is there any Pokémon he has that can stop it?"
"We'll just have to see." Brock said cryptically. It was the only answer he could give.
Ash returned Lucario to his Pokéball. Sadly, Mega Evolution would be a no-go for this battle. He was starting to wish he HAD used it as then maybe he might've been able to beat Galvatron. He only had a battle worn Pikachu and Sirfetch'd and one Pokémon he hadn't even used yet to battle with. He thought for a moment. Maybe Pikachu could win the fight, even if he'd already battled against Lancelot earlier? After all, his Pikachu did have a habit of winning battles against Metagross. It was worth a shot. He turned to his faithful companion.
"Alright Pikachu, it's time for you to return to the battle!" Ash declared.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried excitedly.
He was thrilled to get the chance to fight again. He scampered onto the field and growled viciously. His cheeks crackled with electricity. Despite his small size, he wanted to show Galvatron that he was not to be taken lightly. Galvatron showed no emotion. Once again, Pikachu was just another opponent to face.
"Analysis: Opponent knows no super-effective moves against Psychic or Steel type Pokémon while I possess an attack that is super-effective against Electric-types. Conclusion: A 100% chance of victory for me." the Metagross calculated.
"Don't try and predict Ash, mate." Ruby warned, "Not even a supercomputer like you can predict someone like him."
"And my Pikachu's no pushover!" Ash declared, "Show him your stuff with Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu took action and fired a sizzling bolt of electricity at Galvatron. Unfortunately, Galvatron was able to dodge by using its usual spinning manoeuvre again. Brock and Misty were surprised. Surely Pikachu would've been fast enough to land a hit before Galvatron could dodge? Galvatron had used Hammer Arm a few times already and that move lowered the user's speed so shouldn't Galvatron be too slow to dodge? Pikachu was equally as incredulous. Galvatron circled through the air and straight towards Pikachu. Ruby ordered him to use Meteor Mash. Galvatron aimed both his front limbs and rocketed towards Pikachu in a powerful charge that threatened to flatten him into the ground. Pikachu tried to dodge but he didn't get very far. While Galvatron didn't hit him, the force of the impact punched into Pikachu's back and threw him off his feet. He landed flat on his stomach and winced from the impact. Galvatron advanced menacingly towards Pikachu, his body flashing orange. Meteor Mash's side-effect of increasing the user's attack had kicked on. Now Galvatron would be even stronger! Thinking fast, Ash ordered Pikachu to use Quick Attack. Pikachu picked himself up and scurried at lightning speeds towards Galvatron. Of course the attack wasn't meant to actually attack, but to get Pikachu in close enough to do some damage. Pikachu jumped over Galvatron and landed directly on top of its body. While up there, Galvatron couldn't do any damage as it wouldn't be able to hit Pikachu.
Pikachu then jumped upwards and slammed down hard on top of Galvatron with Iron Tail. The robotic Pokémon let out an electronic wail as it was hit. Pikachu landed back on top of Galvatron and followed up by using Thunderbolt. The Metagross grimaced in pain as it was electrocuted. Ruby gritted her teeth anxiously. If Pikachu stayed up there, Galvatron would be out of the match! She ordered the Metagross to spin around and throw him off. Galvatron retracted his limbs and spun around like a demented merry-go-round. Pikachu was thrown off instantly the moment Galvatron picked up speed. He hit the ground and rolled to a stop on his stomach. Pikachu picked himself up but he looked very worn out and was having to use all the energy he had in him just to stand again. He panted heavily.
"Pikachu, are you OK?" Ash called out to him worriedly.
Pikachu nodded but Ash could tell that he wasn't OK at all. He looked as if he was about to collapse any second now. Ruby observed this with a smile of satisfaction.
"Just as I planned for." she mused.
"Say what? What plan?" Ash demanded, "What are you talking about?"
"Going into this battle, my plan from the start was to wear your ace down as much as possible." Ruby explained, "Having watched your battles on TV in the past, I've noticed you have a habit of sending Pikachu out first since he's your ace and all. So I knew that in order to stand a chance against you, I'd have to wear Pikachu down as much as possible and then the rest of your team would follow. I even chose Lancelot for the job, knowing that he'd be a Pokémon Pikachu would tire itself out just trying to beat. And while I didn't actually expect Pikachu to win, Lancelot still gave the desired result. Pikachu's still too exhausted from fighting Lancelot earlier and as a result, he can barely keep up with Galvatron in this match. Maybe in future Ash, you'll save your ace for last and not use Pikachu up so early on."
That made everyone gasp in amazement. Trust Ruby to be so cunning as to plan something like that right before the fight even started! Emerald and Sapphire knew their sister liked to plan ahead but even they wouldn't have guessed that she'd planned for this. Ash hated to admit it, but Ruby was right. He'd fallen right into the Galar Champion's trap hook line and sinker and he was paying the price for it! Pikachu was too tired to put up any real fight against Galvatron and Ruby still had two more Pokémon to use, one of them being HER ace that hadn't even seen battle yet! While Pikachu might have a chance in this match, he decided it wasn't worth the risk. He needed Pikachu if he had any hope of defeating Ruby's last Pokémon. He called him back a second time. Pikachu returned to Ash and gave him a solemn gaze as if to say "Sorry I couldn't beat him, Ash". Ash stroked his head tenderly.
"You have it your all buddy, but I'm afraid you're too tired to fight against Galvatron. You need to rest up some more." Ash said softly, "Maybe once we bring Ruby down to her last Pokémon, I can give you a new burst of energy when I Gigantamax you…"
He showed Pikachu his Dynamax band. The Electric Mouse nodded in agreement. That could work at least. Pikachu lay down behind Ash to rest up while his trainer took out his next Pokéball.
"Your Brutal Swing had Ruby worried before, so let's see if it can do the job!" Ash cried, "Sirfetch'd, out you come again!"
His duck knight made his grand return, and this time without any Stealth Rocks to ruin it. Sirfetch'd stood tall and mighty, his leek sword and shield raised up and ready for action. Galvatron adopted a battle-ready stance. Unlike Pikachu, Sirfetch'd had a much stronger chance of beating it so it wasn't going to take any chances. Sirfetch'd may have Brutal Swing, but it still had the advantage in terms of type.
"Go for it now! Brutal Swing!" Ash commanded.
Sirfetch'd spun around on the spot, his leek sword and shield glowing with dark energy. He spiralled towards Galvatron like a supernatural tornado aiming to suck it up and grind it to smithereens. Ruby had been worried about that move again, but now she knew what Sirfetch'd could do she was ready for a counter attack.
"Throw it off with Earthquake!" she screeched.
Galvatron raised its limbs up and slammed them down hard onto the ground. Sirfetch'd was blown off his feet by the pulverizing tremors but as he was thrown aside, he quickly threw his shield at the last minute so he wouldn't miss his chance to land a hit. Galvatron was hit by the spinning shield and it staggered back from the blow. Both Pokémon had been hit in this match so they were on even footing. Ruby smiled with admiration. Trust Ash's Pokémon to improvise quickly on the battlefield! How did he train them to do this? Sirfetch'd and Galvatron regained their senses and sprang into action once more. Galvatron rushed towards Sirfetch'd with Zen Headbutt and Sirfetch'd retaliated by using Brutal Swing again. Both attacks collided and cancelled each other out, throwing them both backwards. Unfortunately for Ash, Zen Headbutt caused Sirfetch'd to flinch so he couldn't move for the moment. Ruby took advantage of this by ordering Galvatron to use Zen Headbutt again. Galvatron did so and barged Sirfetch'd down onto his back again. Sirfetch'd grunted and lay on his back for the moment, trying to fight off the pain from Zen Headbutt. Galvatron's attack boost from his earlier Meteor Mash made every blow it landed feel even worse than normal.
Ruby waited to see if Sirfetch'd could get up again. Had Galvatron won another battle for her? It seemed as if it had done but at the last minute, Sirfetch'd was able to stand back up again. The fighting duck climbed back to its feet and pointed its leek sword at Galvatron, daring it to carry on fighting. Ruby obliged by commanding Galvatron to use Zen Headbutt again. Galvatron rocketed forwards, aiming to run down its feathered opponent again but Ash ordered Sirfetch'd to use Detect to dodge the move before it could hit. Sirfetch'd weaved aside, leaving Galvatron to miss him completely. He then followed up by using Brutal Swing on his robotical opponent. He hammered Galvatron repeatedly with his sword and shield, swinging them into the spider-bot as hard a she could and doing as much damage as possible. Galvatron wailed in pain as it was battered by the heavy blows. But just as Sirfetch'd was about to hit it one last time, Ruby ordered it to block the attack with Hammer Arm. Galvatron's back limbs shot out and shielded it from the final swing. Sirfetch'd's sword hit Galvatron's arm and pushed against it but Galvatron wouldn't budge. Ash didn't want to fall for that again so he ordered Sirfetch'd to jump back before anything else could happen. The duck knight jumped back, safe from any other Hammer Arms. Galvatron turned around and Ruby ordered it to use Zen Headbutt one last time. Ash ordered Sirfetch'd to use Meteor Mash.
Both Pokémon gathered energy around themselves to power up their attacks and they charged towards each other. It was like watching a jousting match between the two and only one of them was going to walk away from this in the end. Galvatron and Sirfetch'd collided with each other, the impacts creating a powerful explosion that kicked up huge clouds of smoke that obscured the arena and made it impossible to see. The crowd let out exclamations of astonishment and awe from the awesome collision they'd just witnessed. It took a minute for the smoke to clear. Ash and Ruby coughed heavily and looked ahead to see if their Pokémon were alright. Amazingly enough, Sirfetch'd and Galvatron were both still standing! They were standing on the spot, frozen as if the match had been put on pause. Neither one move for the moment. Then eventually, Galvatron grimaced and stumbled. The crowd gasped in shock. Was it all over for the powerful Metagross! It seemed like it…but then Galvatron stopped stumbling and remained upright. It had been stunned by the powerful Meteor Assault but wasn't down yet. Sirfetch'd on the other hand…was. The duck knight let out one last gasp of breath before he keeled over onto his stomach and passed out. His leek weapons lay forlornly beside him. Ash was incredulous. He'd been so ready to celebrate but nope! Sirfetch'd took the fall in the end! Ruby placed a hand over her heart with relief. She'd been so sure Galvatron was done for and was amazed it wasn't.
"Sirfetch'd is unable to battle! Metagross is the winner!" boomed the announcer.
"My god! There's no stopping that Metagross!" Misty shrieked in amazement, "It just keeps taking down Ash's team one at a time!"
"I'm not sure about that Misty." Brock murmured, "That Meteor Assault came so close to making it pass out. I think Galvatron's reaching the last preserves of its energy."
"Ash better hope so. He's only got two Pokémon left now." Misty said grimly, "They have to make this count or Ash will never win this battle…"
Ash returned Sirfetch'd to his Pokéball.
"That was awesome! You get a good rest buddy." he said kindly.
He drew out his last Pokéball.
"That Metagross has gotta be exhausted by now." Ash observed, "At least now I can go in with a Pokémon completely fresh! Dragonite, I choose you!"
He threw the ball and out came his last Pokémon that he hadn't revealed yet. The orange draconian Pokémon emerged from her Pokéball and let out a bellow of joy. She was excited to get the chance to battle. Ruby's eyes widened with amazement.
"That's incredible! You own a Dragonite!" she exclaimed, "Only the best of trainers can tame such powerful Pokémon! This is gonna be epic!"
"It will be!" Ash declared, "Especially as Dragonite's one of my aces! She'll be all I need to turn this match around!"
Dragonite and Galvatron faced each other, glaring into each other's eyes and bracing themselves for action. It was pseudo-legendary vs. pseudo-legendary for this battle and the resulting showdown was guaranteed to be titanic in scope!
"This is gonna be so awesome!" Emerald squealed, "Ruby's up against a Dragonite!"
"I've always wanted to see one in action." Sapphire said eagerly, "And here we are!"
"Galvatron may be tired but I bet it'll still give Dragonite a tough match." Hope murmured, "Show them what you got, my girl!"
All eyes were on the two pseudo-legendries as they prepared to throw down...
Ash is down to two Pokémon while Ruby is left with three and her Metagross is looking downright unstoppable for now! Can Dragonite change all that or is Ash's fight truly over for him? Find out in the final part next time...
Trivia: Ash's Sirfetch'd using Brutal Swing to destroy the Stealth Rock is taken straight from the anime. His Sirfetch'd did the same thing when battling Cynthia. Her Garchomp set up a Stealth Rock and Sirfetch'd destroyed it with Brutal Swing, which was pretty damn awesome.
Also Pikachu failing to defeat Galvatron was completely done on purpose. As you know, Pikachu has a 100% winning streak against Metagross in the anime, defeating three Metagross over the course of the series (including Steven's Mega Metagross which was REALLY stretching it!) so I thought it'd be funny to flip that on its head and have it so that for once, Pikachu ISN'T Ash's go-to solution for defeating a Metagross this time and even has to be switched out lest he take the fall before he can battle Ruby's ace.
Also Ash has a tendency to beat Metagross despite them being powerful psuedo-legendries (In the Diamond and Pearl anime, he beat one in a Tag-Team battle with Turtwig and Paul's Chimchar, which is complete bollocks if you ask me. Two first-stage starters beating a psuedo-legendary? Get outta here!) so making him lose half his team to Galvatron was another way of flipping that on its head and kind of a middle finger to the anime for its annoying tendency to nerf Metagross whenever they're depicted in the anime. None of that shit here, instead Ruby gets to use one that's basically a one-man army at this point. XD
Ash's Lucario having Inner Focus is a reference to two things: the Sword and Shield game where during a giveaway event, we got Ash's Lucario and it has the Inner Focus ability and the anime pretty much implies that he has that ability even if they don't outright say it.
