Part CLXXXVI: Mental and Physical
"It's here, the full battles of the Kalos League are upon us!" The announcer said excitedly as the crowd roared, a large Poke Ball replica was opened in the middle of the large Champion's box where Diantha and Professor Sycamore sat sending out a flock of Fletchlings, and fireworks went off over the stadium. "The final tournament is open, and we can't wait for the battles to come!"
Ash was just waiting in the wings with Pikachu on his shoulder as he set himself. He was kicking off the full battles today, so he was in the zone for them. He'd been here many times before, in all of his past Conferences in fact though his first Indigo League where he lost at this stage had been a three-on-three battle so he knew the score. It was time, he was ready to go out, win, and continue his Lumiose Conference journey.
"Let us now begin with the exciting last 16!" The announcer said as Lumiose Stadium rocked from the cheers and that was the cue for Ash to walk out and towards the battlefield in the middle of the large stadium noting that Adam did the same across from him. "We've had 4 days of exhilarating preliminaries in the satellite stadiums but now we move onto the full battles in the main Lumiose Stadium. That means that all battles from now on out will be 6 on 6 and to add to it all they will be on non-themed battlefields with substitutions only allowed after a Pokémon has been defeated and before then next move is used. This is what we've all been waiting for!"
The crowd let out another cheer, but Ash had eyes only for the standard battlefield before him, though it was still circular because of the nature of the platform with the standard markings in the center forming the usual rectangle Ash knew from all his years as a trainer. The ref stood at the midpoint and to the side as expected though Ash was certain that the areas around the rectangle were in play as well. Whatever the case, he didn't mind because this was his element, and he was going to do everything he could to advance to the quarterfinals.
To do so Ash would have to beat Adam, a trainer who he'd gotten to know a little this year mainly through Emily as he was her companion, but it had been his suggestion that Adam challenge gyms, so he felt like this was a good completion of the circle. Ash was more than ready for this battle and the moment he knew that he was against the Hoenn fighting specialist he'd crafted his team accordingly.
Naturally Ash wasn't going to rely on advantages, he'd been the one to tell Adam not to focus on pure fighting types after all, so he knew that Adam had plenty of dual types with some able to negate fighting type weaknesses, but he was more than ready for what was to come. Ash and his Pokémon were ready to show what they could do and win this match with ease.
"Looks like your typical cheer section is here." Adam called out as Ash reached his starting point. "Pretty cool that the girls do that for you though it would probably embarrass me if someone did it for me."
"Yeah it used to be just Misty but she got the others involved in Indigo last year so who am I to deny them their fun and now that I'm used to it I like it." Ash said looking over to the 4 girls in cheerleader outfits that were cheering for him. "Still don't know why May, Serena, and Miette do it as well, or why Dawn, Angie, Anabel, Iris, and Cilan got involved last year, but I'm not complaining as it's touching to have their support."
"I don't get it either." Adam said though those who knew both boys would expect this density from them. "Still cool to have it."
"Well, I'm not the only one." Ash said with a grin as he saw a figure at the end of the group in an orange cheerleader outfit blushing for some reason and not as enthusiastically getting into it as Misty was. "So that explains why Misty went to see her the other day. She's no doubt cheering for you."
"Woah, she looks great in that." Adam said though naturally Ash didn't pick up on anything deeper and was a little surprised at Adam's blush. "I'll have to thank her after this, but I can't look at her because it's a bit much. Still nice to know she cares that much."
"I bet they didn't expect this matchup as Misty saw her before the draw happened." Ash said with a chuckle which was right, the draw had made this rather awkward for them, but it was just for the battle. "Let's make sure we give them a good show."
"Right, I've always wanted a full battle with you Ash so I can't wait for this chance." Adam said clearly getting back into the battle as Ash watched him snap his head back to the battlefield and the blush recede from his cheeks. "Thanks for suggesting that I face gyms this year, I've learned so much from them and grown as a trainer because of what they've taught me. I know that if I lose here I'm going to do the same in Galar next year while Emily takes on their Contest circuit."
"That's the spirit." Ash said with a smile. "Because I don't intend to lose."
"Alright folks it's time for the match to begin." The announcer said interrupting them as the crowd cheered for the coming battle. "And what a starting match we have to kick of the 8 battles we will feast on today. The underdog here is clearly Adam, a Hoenn trainer from Dewford Town who's the only Conference rookie left, all 15 other trainers have made at least one Conference in the past with several of them making deep runs but as we saw last year a rookie can still win it all when a fellow Hoennite Sawyer won the Lumiose Conference, but Adam is up against some tough competition today, right?"
The announcer paused there, and the crowd roared in agreement at his words because they knew full well how good Ash was. Naturally, Ash wasn't letting it get to his head, he'd been around the block many times, so he was just focused on the battle to come.
"That's because other trainer is one of the most unpredictable ones out there folks." The announcer said. "This marks his 7th Conference appearance in 9 years as a trainer and the years off were because he was winning the Orange League out in the Orange Islands which isn't a recognized Conference but still an impressive achievement and beating the Kanto Battle Frontier though he turned down the chance to become a Frontier Brain when he beat it."
Clearly the intro was going to be a big one, but Ash guessed it was for the sake of the Conference, the fact that he was leading off and the fact that this was his first full battle of it though he was surprised by the Orange Island reference given how long ago that journey was for him. He fully expected the other notable names like Paul and Remo to get just as long intros when their turns came, but this was still a bit much to him if he was being honest.
"As you can see he's got accomplishments galore in his career already." The announcer continued. "In his Conference career he has three quarterfinal berths in the Silver, Ever Grande, and Vertress Conferences respectively, a semifinal appearance in that infamous Lily of the Valley Conference where he was the only trainer to defeat that Darkrai that caused a rule change, and last year he was the runner up in the Indigo Conference, the same Conference he revealed fairy types to the world. This time he has a unique Greninja that we really hope to see again. So, give it up for Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town in Kanto."
The crowd roared at that, and Ash just had to let them do it though he did like how Misty and the girls cheered for him with some routine that no doubt Misty had come up with and was glad that they didn't get a mention as well like they did in the Indigo Conference final. That had been embarrassing for them he was sure, especially as several were notable names and, well, one was Cilan in drag which was an image Ash would never forget. Still, it was nice to have their support and he wasn't going to let them down after that intro.
"You really are a remarkable trainer Ash." Adam called out to him getting Ash's attention once again. "I've followed your progress since Vertress when I watched you in that Conference despite how you lost in it. You redeemed yourself last year in Kanto in that rematch with Cameron, so it really is an honor to face you in a Conference like this."
"Thank you, I've done a lot in my time, I know that, but I just love what I do, and I will continue doing it." Ash said with a grin as he pulled out a Poke Ball showing that he wasn't starting with Pikachu who leapt down from his shoulder to stand at his side and await for his own moment to battle. "So how about it, let's do this."
"I can't wait." Adam said as he too pulled out a Poke Ball. "I'm ready to beat you Ash."
"Bring it on then." Ash said.
"Alright folks it's time." The announcer said as the images of Ash and Adam appeared on the jumbotron on either side of the screen with Ash above Adam while 6 hexagons spread out from their faces in a zigzag pattern to show their Pokémon during the match. "Battle begin!"
"Noivern, I choose you." Ash said tossing out his first Pokémon.
"Toxicroak, time to fight." Adam said a second after Ash as he tossed out his Poke Ball and the images appeared in the first slots on the jumbotron.
"That's new." Ash said as both Pokémon burst from their Poke Balls to either hover in Noivern's case or stand in a battle stance, arms and legs spread as it lightly bounced on its feet and shuddering with its Anticipation ability in the case of Toxicroak. "You catch it recently?"
"Yeah in the wetlands to the north of here." Adam said mentioning one of the few areas of Kalos Ash hadn't been to mainly because it was the area that connected Lumiose to Laverre so they'd missed it, but he hoped to visit it after the Conference if he could as it sound like a cool area to go to. "Found her on the way to Laverre the second time and we bonded, knew I'd need her in Laverre so asked her to join and she agreed. She carried me through my final gym battle with Valerie and is a great counter to my fairy weaknesses. I still don't have a Lucario like you, but a Toxicroak is just as good a Pokémon against that type as Lucario is."
"I bet but as with Pokémon like Scrafty and Pangoro, it helps with one but make another weakness worse whereas a Lucario also negates the other two fighting type weaknesses as well as the fairy type weakness though he does have 3 steel type weaknesses to contend with." Ash pointed out. "Oh well, I don't have a psychic move so not a problem for me. Noivern, start us off with Acrobatics."
"Sludge Wave." Adam called out as the battle began.
"Dodge with Acrobatics then strike with a second one if you have to." Ash said. "You can do it Noivern."
Noivern roared as he shot forward with the nimbleness of Acrobatics as the ground around Toxicroak bubbled as it was turned to poisonous sludge before it was risen up and sent at Noivern as a wave not unlike a Surf attack only this wasn't water that was coming at Noivern. Noivern just angled his wings and used the nimbleness afforded him by Acrobatics to move himself up and over the wave and then tip his body down in a dive. That was when the move ended, and he quickly activated it again as ordered and shot down at Toxicroak.
This time the Toxic Mouth Pokémon couldn't avoid that and Noivern slammed into her at full speed driving her into the ground with the super effective move that cause Toxicroak to wail in pain before rising up and above her but within striking distance. Ash grinned at this as he pressed his advantage after landing an attack like that.
"Dragon Claw." Ash said.
"Dodge and counter with Poison Jab." Adam said. "I know you can do it."
It turned out that Adam was half right as Noivern dove, the claws on his wing hand talon things extending and coating with dragon type power as he dove. At the same time the spikes that protruded from the back of Toxicroak's hands glowed with poison type power as she readied herself for her attack.
Thanks to the speed of the dive, Toxicroak was unable to get out of the way as Noivern dove down from above and raked his claws along the top of Toxicroak's head causing her to wail in pain. However, thanks to the clear training that Adam had done with his fighting types Toxicroak was able to thrust her right fist forward as Noivern struck her and jab Noivern cleanly in the chest as he landed his own hit.
The force of the blow blasted Noivern back over the battlefield and Adam clearly saw his advantage and pressed it. He also saw what Ash couldn't which only added to what came next though Ash would acknowledge the cleverness of it afterwards.
"Venoshock." Adam said.
"Dodge it." Ash called out. "And counter with Boomburst."
Alas Noivern didn't get the time to get his order off as a gout of poison shot from Toxicroak's mouth and hit Noivern as he was flying back from the Poison Jab, slamming into his chest and adding to his blast back. The Venoshock was increased thanks to the Poison Jab poisoning Noivern, so he let out a roar of pain as the second move hit him with increased strength which also let Ash know that it had been stronger than anticipated and as Ash knew how it worked thanks to Gengar knowing it he was sure that Noivern had been poisoned.
As such Ash grit his teeth through all this as Noivern hit the ground on his side and rolled along it for a few feet before finally came to a stop and slowly rose to his feet. Adam was clearly pressing now but Ash wasn't out of it yet and he'd show that now.
"Sludge Wave." Adam called out as Noivern shuddered from a poisoning and was clearly near the end of his ropes. "We have this."
"Blast through it and hit Toxicroak with Boomburst." Ash said as the wave of sludge was formed. "I know you can do it Noivern."
Noivern let out a roar of agreement at that and angled his ears at the Sludge Wave bearing down on him. He was battered, weak, and knew he couldn't take to the air in time, but this would work just fine with him as he unleashed the powerful, area affecting, sound based normal type attack.
The Boomburst roared across the battlefield and blasted right through the Sludge Wave sending what was left of it flying to Noivern's sides thus missing him and slamming into a shocked Toxicroak who hadn't expected that. That was the last thing she would remember from the battle as she was knocked clean out from the Boomburst, the two other attacks she'd taken, mainly the super effective Acrobatics, ensuring that she couldn't survive a normal type attack of such power and was blasted back from the move.
Adam actually had to hit the deck so that his limp Pokémon could fly over him and hit the walkway behind him that he'd used to get to the battlefield, guard rails instantly raised to protect her though they weren't needed as she rolled like a ragdoll in a straight line along it. Finally, she came to a stop most of the way down it on her back, arms spread, and swirls for eyes.
"Toxicroak is unable to battle." The ref declared raising an arm to Ash's side of the battlefield as another poisoning rocked Noivern and he fell to a knee but didn't pass out while Toxicroak's image on the screen went gray. "Noivern is the winner."
"Noivern, do you want to return?" Ash said as he pulled out Noivern's Poke Ball ready to recall him, but Noivern shook his head at that, he knew he'd pass out soon, so he wanted to aid Ash as much as possible by at least damaging the next Pokémon up to aid his own team as Adam recalled and thanked his Pokémon with another Poke Ball swiftly replacing it. "Alright, I understand, do your best and we will keep this up."
"I don't get that but ok." Adam said tossing out his next Pokémon. "Hitmonlee, time to fight. Start us out with Mega Kick."
"Get high and then blast it down with Boomburst." Ash said. "I know you can manage it before the poison hits you again."
Noivern cawed in agreement as he spread his wing and with a powerful beat took to the sky as Hitmonlee ran at him. Noivern and Ash knew that he wasn't going to survive this battle so he was ensuring that the next Pokémon up came up with an advantage because that was how you won a full battle and so Noivern would do his part by landing this powerful hit before going out. It would ensure that Hitmonlee was injured so that his teammates could easily beat him without much effort, a selfless act for the good of the team.
Hitmonlee of course knew none of this as he focused on Noivern and leap up to bring his foot to beat with his powerful leg muscles, but Noivern had already angled his wings down as he leapt so Hitmonlee had no chance of landing his attack. Long before he could get in range Noivern unleashed his second Boomburst of the battle right at the leaping Hitmonlee.
The normal type attack slammed into the Kanto fighting type in mid air with full force. One moment Hitmonlee was in the air, the next he was abruptly brought to a stop before being driven back to his point of origin with a boom to slam into the ground with enough force to crack it. Ash knew that it wouldn't be enough to take out Hitmonlee, but it would do plenty of damage which would come in handy in the long run. Noivern too knew this and was grinning as the third round of poisoning hit him and he fainted in midair.
Noivern was still smiling as he suddenly went limp and crashed to the ground with a thud though no dust was kicked up from the impact. As such all could see that he was lying there on his chest with his wings to his sides and swirls for eyes, but he knew that he'd done his part and now it was time for Ash to capitalize on it which he more than intended on doing.
"Noivern is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Adam's side as Noivern's image went gray on the screen. "Hitmonlee is the winner."
"Noivern return, I'll thank you later for all you've done, but you've ensured we will win this matchup." Ash said recalling his Pokémon and shrinking the Poke Ball as fast as he could as Hitmonlee got up confused at his victory while Ash just pointed out to the battlefield as he put the Poke Ball away. "Pikachu, Quick Attack."
"A quick change, be ready Hitmonlee." Adam said as Pikachu shot out and sped towards Hitmonlee before he could do anything while Pikachu's image appeared in the second slot on Ash's Pokémon row. "Block it and counter with Blaze Kick."
By the time that the order was out Pikachu was already on Hitmonlee and leapt up to slam his head into Hitmonlee's face, the force of the Quick Attack enough to stagger Hitmonlee back a few paces but not enough to down him. However, the stager back ensured that Hitmonlee could still bring his foot to bear, and it blazed with fire as he brought it up and slammed it into Pikachu's gut as Pikachu fell back to the ground.
"Thunderbolt." Ash called out as Pikachu was blasted into the air with a wail from the Blaze Kick. "I know you can do it."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu yelled as he sparked and reorientation himself in the air.
Before Adam or Hitmonlee could react a blast of electricity shot from Pikachu as he was arching back and slammed into Hitmonlee's face. The Kicking Pokémon let out a wail of pain as he fried there for a moment before the Thunderbolt ended. He stood there for a few seconds before he keeled over backwards and landed with a crash on his back with swirls for eyes as Pikachu hit the ground hard and rolled towards Ash but other than the damage he'd taken from the Blaze Kick was alright.
"Hitmonlee is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side as the second image on Adam's Pokémon bar went gray, the remaining 4 still unknown as he hadn't used those Pokémon yet. "Pikachu is the winner."
"Stay in Pikachu." Ash said and Pikachu nodded as he slowly got to his feet ready for what was to come. "I know you'll handle whatever comes next."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said with a nod as he prepared himself. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Well seeing as you've used your starter, I may as well use mine as well." Adam said as Ash watched him put away Hitmonlee's Poke Ball and pull out his third of the battle before he tossed it out though Ash knew at least what evolutionary like this Pokémon would be from. "Makuhita, time to fight."
That was exactly what Ash expected but surprised him was the Makuhita was still, well, the same Makuhita that he'd actually faced with his Riolu the day after he first met Adam back in Odyssey Village. Sure, Ash had Pokémon who didn't want to evolve and some like Pikachu could avoid it due to needing a stone to do so but outside of Ash's other Pokémon that hadn't evolved, Misty's Piplup, and Tyson's Meowth, Ash didn't know many Pokémon that chose not to evolve despite being experience based evolutions. Apparently this Makuhita like them.
"Quick Attack." Ash said as soon as Makuhita was present to press his advantage.
"Bulk Up." Adam said as Pikachu shot at Makuhita. "Boost that strength and defense."
Pikachu neared Makuhita as the latter bulked up, clearly the move was done for the boost because regardless Pikachu would have reached Makuhita before it could get an attack off, so this was a better strategy, not that Pikachu really cared. He was here to win, and he'd show it as slammed his head into Makuhita's gut at full speed driving Makuhita back with a grunt.
"Poison Jab." Adam called out as Pikachu's Quick Attack ended.
"Leap over it and strike with Iron Tail." Ash said. "Show what you can do Pikachu."
"Pikachu." Pikachu agreed as Makuhita cocked back a now purple glowing right fist.
With an expert leap from years of practice Pikachu leapt up and over the poison type attack much to Makuhita's shock as he turned his tail to steel. Then, with practiced ease, Pikachu flipped forward and drove his tail into the center of Makuhita's head. Makuhita grunted in pain from it and Pikachu leapt back off Makuhita who was now sparking showing that Pikachu's Static ability had been triggered giving Ash an advantage in the battle but only if the paralysis effect happened. It didn't for the next move.
"Brick Break." Adam called out as Pikachu leapt back from him.
Before Ash or Pikachu could react, Makuhita took a step forward and with a swift chop brought his right-hand thing down onto Pikachu's face. The angle sent Pikachu back as he landed on the ground and skidded on all fours to steady himself. Clearly Adam was going to press this advantage. However, this was where the Static showed its usefulness.
"Close Combat." Adam said and Ash knew that this was his all-out attack designed to end Pikachu.
"Electro Ball." Ash said going for a move that should stop Makuhita from landing that powerful fighting type move but as he said it he saw Makuhita suddenly spasm and lock up, sparks everywhere from the paralysis that suddenly affected him and Ash knew that the tables had turned for him, so he pressed that advantage. "And follow it up with Quick Attack."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as he formed the Electro Ball on the end of his tail, he too saw his opening on the shocked face of Makuhita as it spasmed from the paralysis as he flipped forward.
The Electro Ball shot off the end of his tail and straight at Makuhita who couldn't move for the moment thanks to being paralyzed and that was all Pikachu needed as he was already charging after his Electro Ball with his Quick Attack the moment he landed from his flip. The distance was such that the Electro Ball hit first, slamming into Makuhita's face and causing him to wail in pain and take a step back before Pikachu himself slammed head first into Makuhita's gut with Quick Attack as he was still frying from the Electro Ball attack.
Makuhita let out a grunt of pain as he doubled over while sliding back as Pikachu came to a stop. Rather than rise however, Makuhita just pitched forward when he did come to a stop and hit the ground face first to lie there with swirls for eyes. The last combo had been too much for Makuhita and he'd been knocked out.
"Makuhita is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Ash's side and Makuhita's picture went gray showing that Adam had lost half of his Pokémon now. "The winner is Pikachu."
"Makuhita return." Adam said and Ash instantly acted on that.
"Pikachu, return, you've done enough for now buddy." Ash said. "Take a well-earned rest."
"Pika, pi." Pikachu agreed as he hurried back, the order Ash gave good enough to classify as a return so Adam couldn't force Pikachu to stay though Ash noted he didn't but rather opted to thank Makuhita instead.
"Good job my friend." Ash said crouching down to pat Pikachu on the head and compliment him. "If I need you later be ready, but I intend to win this with minimal losses and next up is my best Pokémon against fighting types."
"Really well I was hoping to save this for later, maybe even your Greninja, but perhaps I can force your hand now and make you use it earlier than planned." Adam said as Ash rose and pulled out his next Pokémon, Adam doing the same across from him. "This is one of my oldest Pokémon from my first year as a trainer a few years ago and my bond with her is deep so it is time to lay all my cards on the table. Medicham, time to fight."
"Sigilyph, I choose you." Ash said a second later though both boys threw out their Poke Balls at about the same time. "Ah well this just made things more interesting."
The Poke Balls burst open, and Ash's odd looking psychic and flying type appeared before him to hover as Adam's psychic and fighting type appeared before him standing on one foot with arms out and knee raised in some strange yoga pose. Instantly both Pokémon were sizing each other up as they prepared for the battle to come.
Ash had seen Adam use his Medicham once before, it was one of the 6 he'd entered into the fighting tournament and one of the 4 who got past the first round but then lost in the second, losing to May's Blaziken due to using a move if Ash recalled. It was going to be a tough foe as its psychic type negated its fighting type's weakness to that type. However, there was more to this Medicham than Ash had seen before which made it even tougher than Ash had expected.
That was because there was now a small charm thing attached to the Pokémon's top head thing that rested gently on the side of her head. At the end of the charm was a circular royal blue stone with a pink and yellow swirl in it and Ash instantly recognized it as a Mega Stone and grinned.
"So, Medicham is a Mega Evolution Pokémon." Ash said. "I didn't know that."
"Neither did I but after her and I helped out someone in Laverre just before I got my 6th gym badge I got this as a reward." Adam said as he lifted his untucked shirt to reveal a Key Stone hidden there because it was set into his belt buckle. "Course I had to scour the areas on the way back to Lumiose for a Key Stone hence why Emily and I were a little late returning, but it will be worth it because we know we can Mega Evolve, we confirmed it two days ago when we were preparing for the full battles. I knew you'd force me Ash so here's my first Mega Evolution in battle."
"Bring it." Ash said grinning at the sight and challenge that it posed. "I can't wait. Sigilyph, ready."
Sigilyph just buzzed in agreement at that. This was more than a challenge for him, and he intended to live up to it and overcome it to claim victory in this matchup. It was time for Sigilyph to add an impressive win to his growing collection of them.
Few in his team had beaten Mega Evolved Pokémon, in fact as far as he knew the only ones were Talonflame who bested a Mega Lucario as a Fletchinder though it was set up by their team's Lucario, which had evolved during the battle, so that Talonflame could claim the win quickly, Charizard who bested a Mega Alakazam when Mega Evolved and Greninja. The latter had already bested the Mega Evolutions of Abomasnow, Blaziken, Banette, and Beedrill at least but all had been with the Battle Bond active.
"Alright Medicham it's time to go beyond evolution and Mega Evolve!" Adam yelled out as he slapped his free hand to his Key Stone.
As expected the glowing energy that was Mega Energy emitted from the Key Stone and Mega Stone at the same time, seeking each other out and then when they did Medicham began to glow and change. Unlike other Mega Evolutions that Ash had seen she didn't grow but rather the thing on her head changed to form more things while her legs seemed to thicken slightly and 4 scarf like things appeared from her back and then detached to float there and that was it.
It wasn't a big change at all compared to the others that Ash had seen that year. Then the evolution faded, and Ash saw the changes were more noticeable just like they tended to be when a Pokémon Mega Evolved.
Medicham's general body and colors stayed the same though now she had three gold bands on the top of her thighs with 4 blue teardrop things hanging from the lowest bands, two on each side. She also now had gold cuffs on her wrists to add to it.
However, most notably her pink head thing had turned white and now looked like a turban with flair things on the sides and top and all held together by a large gold thing set in the middle of her forehead though the pink thing atop her head remained. Lastly there were the odd white scarf things floating behind her, two on each side.
Ash just grinned at this. He'd hoped to face more Mega Pokémon in the Lumiose Conference and now he had his chance to do so, and he was going to start off with the best move that Sigilyph had in this matchup in his opinion though Sigilyph had a few good ones for it.
"Dazzling Gleam." Ash said.
"Shadow Ball." Adam called out as Sigilyph began to glow. "I know you can power through that and land the hit Medicham."
Mega Medicham just opened her mouth and blasted out a powerful Shadow Ball as Sigilyph unleashed his Dazzling Gleam. The Meditate Pokémon let out a wail of pain, but the Shadow Ball flew true and slammed into Sigilyph's body causing him to wail as well as his glow came to an end. Both had landed super effective attacks to start the battle and it was only going to get more from there on out.
"You're not the only one with that move." Ash said. "Sigilyph, Shadow Ball."
"Use Psychic to deflect it off course then grab Sigilyph and pull it towards you." Adam said as Sigilyph recovered and blasted out his own Shadow Ball though Ash was still not sure where it was produced as he was still confused by Sigilyph's biology. "And show what Ash taught us last year in his final in the Indigo Conference and finish Sigilyph with an Ice Punch."
"Whatever happens use Dazzling Gleam." Ash said as Mega Medicham's eyes glowed blue and the Shadow Ball was twitched slightly to the side so that it would harmlessly pass over her shoulder without her needed to move, but she kept her Psychic up to grab Sigilyph in the hold before he could react, all the while showing the boost that she got from being Mega Evolved. "She may have you in that hold but that's it Sigilyph, you can still make this cost her."
Sigilyph let out a sound agreement as he was suddenly yanked towards Mega Medicham. He was sure that two super effective attacks and one not effective attack wouldn't bring him down, though that Shadow Ball had hurt more than he had expected, but he wouldn't take any chances. As he sped towards Mega Medicham he glowed and then unleashed his Dazzling Gleam as he was dragged towards his opponent.
He'd long heard the tales of how to overcome a Psychic attack and once again showed how it could be done, this time with a ranged fairy type attack. It might even blind his opponent enough that she missed.
Alas for Sigilyph, Mega Medicham already knew where he was so she didn't need to see that Sigilyph was on a crash for her as she was hit by the Dazzling Gleam but thanks to her Mega Evolution and being fully evolved she could handle a second one of them without much of an issue. As such she dropped the psychic hold as soon as she was sure that Sigilyph was where she needed it to be, cock her fist back as it coated with ice, and then as the light of Dazzling Gleam ended she punched forward and slammed her fist as hard as she could into Sigilyph's body.
Sigilyph let out a long wail of pain as he was blasted back from the impact and across the battlefield to hit the ground on Ash's side and skid over it on his back but by that point he was out of the battle. He didn't know how he'd ended up unconscious, he'd learn that later, but he did and by the time he came to a stop near Ash his one eye was a swirl and his wings splayed around him as the dust of his slide settled around him.
"Sigilyph is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Adam's side as Sigilyph's image on the screen went blank. "Mega Medicham is the winner."
"Sigilyph return." Ash said confident that Adam wouldn't sub out his Mega Pokémon, so he had a moment to thank Sigilyph as he formulated a plan for how to handle Mega Medicham now. "Take a rest you earned it. Clearly Adam's note taking has paid off, that's a combo Gengar uses to great effect, and it was just used on us so I can't fault him for learning from watching other battles, that's how a trainer grows after all. I am surprised that he won with only three moves even if two were super effective, that shouldn't have happen to you."
"I won because of Pure Power." Adam called out as Ash put away Sigilyph's Poke Ball and pulled out his next one ready to end this Mega Medicham without having to resort to his trump card as he didn't want to rely on that too much in the Lumiose Conference unless it was absolutely necessary. "That's how Medicham was able to beat Sigilyph so quickly."
"Pure power is good and all but that doesn't explain it." Ash said confused.
"No as in Pure Power, the name of Medicham and Mega Medicham's abilities." Adam said. "Medicham is one of a few Pokémon that keeps its ability after being Mega Evolved and Pure Power is an ability that raises a Pokémon's attack power. That's how I won; those attacks were just a bit stronger than expected and that added up to push your Sigilyph over the edge to knock it out."
"Ah I see well that is useful, but I can overcome any ability." Ash said as he tossed out his Poke Ball. "Lucario, I choose you. Start us off with Aura Sphere."
"Huh and here I was expecting that Greninja of yours given how good it is against psychic types but oh well." Adam said as Lucario burst from his Poke Ball with a bark. "Your Lucario is arguably your second strongest that you have so beating it will be an honor especially as it's one of the most iconic fighting types that I don't have and how it beat me in the fighting tournament a while back. Medicham, Aura Sphere doesn't miss so stop it with Psychic and then drive it into the ground to destroy it."
"Just as I expected." Ash said as Lucario got off his Aura Sphere also understanding what Ash was getting at. "Lucario, follow that up with Bone Rush, follow that Aura Sphere and the moment it stops, leap over it to attack Medicham before she can get rid of that Aura Sphere."
Lucario barked in agreement at that as he charged forward, arms behind him as he ran after his Aura Sphere and an aura bone forming in his paws as he ran at Mega Medicham, his speed fueled by Ash's passive aura as he went. Mega Medicham for her part used Psychic to stop the Aura Sphere as it approached her, the blue orb the same color as her hold so the only way to tell that it had worked was that it had stopped dead in midair.
However, that was exactly what Lucario was waiting for. The moment it had stopped, he leapt up into the air, taking the bone in both paws and raising it high above his head.
All Mega Medicham had time to do was look up in surprise as Lucario cleared the Aura Sphere and brought the bone down hard with a howl to slam it into her forehead with enough force to drive her to her knees. The blow also broke her psychic hold on the Aura Sphere, so Lucario spun around her as she tried to raise and swiped his bone into the small of her back for the second hit in the process that staggered her forward as he got behind her.
This was an improvised move on Lucario's part, but it worked because the moment Mega Medicham's psychic hold was broken the Aura Sphere began to move towards here again. That was why Lucario had used his Bone Rush's multiple hit nature to get behind Mega Medicham so that she was between him and his Aura Sphere. As such it hit her in the body to add to it all though she was resistant to the attack thanks to her psychic type.
However, Lucario still wasn't done because he still had his Bone Rush active as Mega Medicham now staggered back from taking the Aura Sphere, so he leapt up and over her with a flip and slashed his bone at her as he was upside down, the end striking her in the chest and keeping her on the back foot as Lucario twisted and landed so that he was facing her. He knew he had one more hit left, so he brought his bone upwards in his favorite angle to strike Mega Medicham under the chin with the end for the final strike.
Alas, while usually that would lay a Pokémon out, Mega Medicham was able to withstand it thanks to her Mega Evolution and stayed on her feet though she did stager back a few paces. That was just what her trainer clearly needed as he countered with something that would be super effective on Lucario.
"Low Sweep." Adam called out. "Knock that Lucario over and toss it away with Psychic."
"Reversal Lucario." Ash said as Mega Medicham's head snapped down and she planted one foot on the ground before sweeping her other leg and knocking Lucario's from under him with a startled yelp. "I know you can do it."
Lucario heard his human's voice and felt his passive aura that was heightened by the intensity of the battle fuel him as his legs shot up and above his head from the super effective fighting type attack he'd been hit with. He was middle of the pack in terms of weight damage from the Low Sweep, but that damage was doubled by his weakness to the type and that was key now as it just increased his Reversal which Mega Medicham would be resistant to anyway. He knew he could do it and with Ash's passive aura fueling him he did just that.
As Mega Medicham's eyes began to glow Lucario placed his left forepaw on the ground, bent his elbow and tucked his legs in before he pushed off the ground and activated his Reversal. Just seconds before he would have been stopped by the Psychic, both of Lucario's feet slammed into Mega Medicham's face staggering her and breaking her concentration.
Lucario used the move to flip around and land on his feet in a crouch. He then shot up from it, slamming his head into Mega Medicham's gut before finishing the all-out attack that was Reversal.
It only lasted a few moments and Mega Medicham's resistance weakened the Reversal which itself wasn't as strong as it could be. However, it was still plenty strong enough to add to all the damage she'd already taken from both Lucario and Sigilyph.
As such it was all to much for her and as Lucario landed the final blow before hopping back to be in striking range for another Bone Rush or Metal Claw, his paws up and ready, Mega Medicham just continued backwards from the final blow to crash to the ground on her back, arms splayed and eyes swirls. A second later her Mega Evolution fell confirming that she was out of the battle.
"What a display!" The announcer, who'd been quiet until then said as Lucario howled his victory before backing up quickly just in case there was a quick change. "Ash's Lucario continues to show why it's one of the strongest Pokémon present with that devastating win over a Mega Evolved Pokémon and folks, Ash doesn't have a Lucarionite so that's not the max we might one day see from this Lucario."
"Medicham is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a hand to Adam's side as Medicham's image went gray on the screen. "Lucario is the winner."
"Medicham, return." Adam said recalling his Pokémon as Ash pulled out Lucario's Poke Ball to recall him. "Take a break, I've got just the Pokémon for Lucario. You will be avenged and by a Pokémon that needs to settle things with Lucario."
"Lucario…" Ash began ready to recall Lucario, but Lucario gave out a bark and shook his head no, he had a gut feeling he knew who was coming as Ash clearly hadn't heard the other human, who he now recognized from that fighting tournament he'd won this year, and there was no way that Lucario wasn't going to be recalled when had had a chance to face that Pokémon in a proper battle now. "Alright, I trust you buddy, stay in."
"Good, I was hoping for this matchup today." Adam said as Lucario grinned at the Poke Ball in the other human's hand that he tossed out a moment later while Ash just put Lucario's Poke Ball away. "Because I have a loss to get payback for. Poliwrath, time to fight."
"Oh, now I get it." Ash said grinning like Lucario as Adam's Poke Ball burst open and his Poliwrath, the Pokémon that had lost the fighting tournament final to Lucario, burst from it and landed, fists up and eyes narrowing at Lucario as he stared at the only Pokémon to even go the distance against him in that tournament, let alone beat him to win the whole tournament. "Alright this is good, ready Lucario?"
Lucario just barked in agreement at this as he locked eyes with Poliwrath. Their last battle had seen him win but this would be different, now moves were at play so he was the one with the slight disadvantage, but he'd just taken down a Mega Pokémon so he knew that could handle this.
"Poliwrath, Mega Punch." Adam said.
"Dodge that and counter with Bone Rush." Ash ordered as both Pokémon began to charge at each other. "Show Poliwrath what you can do in a battle Lucario."
Lucario barked again understanding his job in this battle as he ran at Poliwrath who was running hard at him. This would take timing, but Lucario was sure that he could do it as he formed the aura bone that was his Bone Rush and neared Poliwrath focusing intently on his opponent as he remembered their three rounds in the fighting tournament to be ready for the incoming attack.
Thus, the moment the water and fighting type cocked his fist back Lucario was ready, and he leapt up and over Poliwrath's punch, thankfully Dynamic Punch wasn't very accurate to begin with, to avoid it and bring his bone to bear. That match between them in the fighting tournament had really given Lucario a sense for Poliwrath's raw power hence why he could to this and strike his foe with his ground type attack.
This time he only got two hits in though as the first on struck Poliwrath behind his, er, upper head part, Lucario still didn't understand his opponent's physiology, with the bone inflicting average damage in the process as he turned and landed while swinging his bone for the second attack. This one collided with Poliwrath's back but then the bone vanished as Poliwrath took the attack on his muscular back and Lucario was already too close to avoid the counter as Poliwrath turned to Lucario before his own trainer even gave the next order.
"Submission." Adam yelled out.
"Lucario, I know you can endure that." Ash said as Poliwrath lunged for Lucario to tackle him to the ground in a reckless dive. "And counter with Reversal."
"Stand tall Poliwrath and if Lucario fights back end it with Dynamic Punch." Adam said as Poliwrath tacked Lucario to the ground. "This time we will beat Ash's best fighting type."
Submission was a recoil move and Poliwrath was hit by it, but it wasn't too bad despite it being more than usual as Submission was also super effective on Lucario due to it being a fighting type move thus adding to the damage he took from the recoil. However, to Poliwrath's utter shock, which after facing this Lucario in the ring he should have really expected, Lucario wasn't down despite taking a second fighting type move in this match as Lucario suddenly unleashed the furry that was Reversal on Poliwrath while Poliwrath was still on top of him.
For Lucario's part the Submission had been devastating and he knew that he was on the brink of fainting but that passive aura that he felt from Ash and the strength he drew from it was just enough to keep him in the battle on the barest sliver of health. As such he unleashed a maximum power Reversal on Poliwrath despite being under him.
Poliwrath grunted in pain as he rose up to he knees and backed away a little though he still sat on Lucario's lower legs as Lucario rose with him continuously landing blows on Poliwrath's body. However, Poliwrath showed his own resilience in this moment as he withstood the attack and cocked his fist back.
He knew that this was going to be overkill but with this Lucario it was warranted, that's how good it was as a fighting type and Poliwrath had the utmost respect for his foe. As such he was going to end this decisively as he brought his fist forward the moment the Reversal ended.
The Dynamic Punch didn't miss this time as Poliwrath's fist slammed into Lucario's chin at full force as Lucario tried to lean back. Lucario knew he couldn't take a hit from anything other than a poison type attack as he was immune to that type thanks to his steel type, so he didn't make a noise when the punch hit him, he was out the second it did.
That was why Lucario didn't feel himself get drive down into the ground with enough force to crack it as Poliwrath kept his fist in contact with Lucario's jaw the entire time. Only when it was done did Poliwrath get up and backed away as Lucario lay there on his back, arms spread and eyes swirls.
"Lucario is unable to battle." The ref declared raising his hand to Adam's side as Lucario's image on the screen went gray showing that Ash still had 3 Pokémon left with two that were still unknown. "Poliwrath is the winner."
"Lucario return." Ash said not bothering to check to see if Adam was going to change out, he only had two Pokémon left for Ash's 3 and Ash had two fresh ones still to use and he intended to use both of them to win this. "You were great out there, really hung in against both Mega Medicham and Poliwrath, beating the first and ensuring that we will beat the second just like Noivern and Sigilyph did for Pikachu and yourself. A full battle is a team effort, and I couldn't have asked for more from you. I promise we will win this."
Ash put the Poke Ball away and pulled out his next one as he looked up to see Poliwrath was still there. Clearly Adam was going to give it his all with Poliwrath until it was down before revealing his final Pokémon. A shame that would end now as Ash was sure he'd win this one quick.
"Greninja, I choose you." Ash said finally tossing out Greninja though their wavelengths weren't nearly in synch as Ash was in control of this battle at the moment. "Night Slash and dodge whatever is sent at you."
"At last, your Greninja, I've hoped to face this for a while." Adam said as Greninja began to run at Poliwrath, a blade of dark type power forming in his right hand. "Let's see if I can't trigger the change that I saw the other day. Poliwrath, Submission. That Pokémon is also a dark type, so we've got this."
Poliwrath bellowed and charged as fast as he could, showing his speed as he barreled at Greninja ready to tackle him. Greninja saw this but kept running, he knew where his opening was and he'd heard Lucario's tale of his brute force battle with this Pokémon after that fighting tournament, there was a good way to counter it and Greninja would show that. This was a simple battle and one that Greninja didn't need the Battle Bond or even his flying type move to win.
The moment of Greninja's opening came as Poliwrath reached him and Greninja leapt up with a flip, flipping over Poliwrath as he tried to tackle him and slashing him across the back with Night Slash before landing and standing still not looking back at Poliwrath. That was because Greninja knew that his foe was done.
The only way for Poliwrath to go down to a dark type attack would be a critical hit as he was resistant to the type so despite the damage he'd taken from the Bone Rush and Reversal he should be fine. Alas for him it was a critical hit and so he only had time to process his miss and the hit he'd taken, turning slightly as he moved forward before he fainted and crashed to the ground. Poliwrath rolled over a few times before finally coming to a stop on his back, arms spread and swirls for eyes.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle." The ref declared raising his hand to Ash's side as Poliwrath's image went gray leaving Adam with just one image left that had yet to be filled and as Ash was aware of at least two other Pokémon that Adam had he wasn't sure what it would be though he was pretty certain he knew the type combination as both Pokémon that Ash knew of were dual fighting and dark types. "Greninja is the winner."
"Poliwrath return." Adam said and the moment he did that Ash had his own Poke Ball out and ready to swap out.
"Greninja, return." Ash said recalling Greninja and looking at the Poke Ball with a smile. "You were great out there my friend but take a break, if I need you later you'll finish this for us, but everyone should get a chance here."
"I thank you for the experience, but I was hoping to face that Greninja in its Mega-like form so as to really see it up close and learn more about it." Adam admitted as he pulled out his final Poke Ball while Ash did the same though he still had Pikachu and Greninja's images lit up on the jumbotron. "So, I'll just have to win this one and then try to get Greninja to change. Scrafty, time to fight."
"Talonflame, I choose you." Ash said a second later as they both tossed their Poke Balls out at nearly the same time.
"A flying type, this will be tough." Adam admitted as Talonflame burst out before Ash to hover there while the fighting and dark type Scrafty, the evolved form of Scraggy, appeared before Adam. "Still, I'll ensure this win. Feint Attack."
"That's going to hit." Ash said as Scrafty ran at Talonflame to leap up at him. "So, brace but you can take it with ease and counter with Overheat. Use the moment you have to ensure that it's maximum power."
Talonflame cawed in agreement at this as he began to glow red but didn't move. He knew the score here and he knew the attack coming because that Banette his human's mate had knew it, so he was aware how it worked and just braced as Scrafty leapt up and suddenly struck Talonflame with the dark type attack. The blow was to the top of his head, but Talonflame rolled with it to stay aloft before he lifted his head up as Scrafty fell to the ground and opened his mouth knowing he wouldn't miss.
A second later a raging inferno burst from Talonflame's mouth and washed over Scrafty as he fell to the ground, completely engulfing the Hoodlum Pokémon for a moment and scorching the battlefield in the process. It was at its most powerful in this instance and would do a lot of damage to Scrafty and with what Ash had planned next he knew that this was it. He was going to go all out to ensure this win now that he was on the cusp of beating Adam and advancing to the quarterfinals.
"Payback." Adam said as the flames ended to show a scorched but standing Scrafty in the center of the blackened stage.
"Brave Bird." Ash said as Scrafty leapt up to use the now twice as strong attack. "Dodge that to land it."
Talonflame cawed in agreement knowing what he had to do as he beat his wings and shot forward and down so that Scrafty missed him. He then arched up and rolled around as a blue aura formed around him as his speed increased. Scrafty only had enough time to turn and look at the speeding bird that was now diving at him with to know how screwed he was. A second later Talonflame slammed into him driving him down into the battlefield with a boom that cratered it and kicked up a lot of dust that covered Scrafty in it.
As that happened Talonflame shook his head from the recoil that Brave Bird had as he pulled up from his dive before again arcing and rolling so that he could hover over the rising cloud of dust from a safe height just in case Scrafty attacked again. He needed have worried because after a full powered Overheat and a Brave Bird that was twice as strong thanks to Scrafty's weakness to flying type attacks he was already down for the count after taking just two hits.
That was confirmed as the dust settled to show Scrafty in the center of the crater with swirls for eyes and hands no longer holding up his shed skin thing. The moment that happened the crowd erupted as they knew what it meant.
"Scrafty is unable to battle." The ref said raising his hand to Ash's side as the final image went gray in the line of Pokémon that were attached to Adam's image on the jumbotron. "Talonflame is the winner. Adam is now out of Pokémon which means that Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is the winner and advances to tomorrow's quarterfinals."
"Well folks that was a thrilling start to the full battles was it not!" The announcer said as Adam and Ash recalled and thanked their Pokémon, Ash at least knew that this part had to be quick as there were other battles to be had that day, but it was the right thing to do as well. "Adam did well and defeated some of Ash's best but in the end he could only manage to beat three in that battle before his final Pokémon was beaten. A shame we didn't see Greninja use Battle Bond, but we did get to see a Mega Medicham which was something new for us. This is just the start folks because once the stage is fixed we've got an all Kalos match to look forward to next."
As the announcer was speaking Ash and Adam were walking out and onto the battlefield, Ash avoiding the crater that Scrafty had made at the end and approached each other. All the full battles would end this way if both trainers wanted it to though this would have to be quick, and Ash already had his hand out as he reached the center.
"Well done." Ash said as Adam shook his hand and meaning it. "That was a good battle, and you did well for your first full battle in a Conference."
"It was always going to be tough; I knew that from the moment I was drawn against you, but I learned a lot despite my loss." Adam said with a smile. "So, thank you for it, I'll use what I learned in Galar next year and at least I beat your Lucario at last. I hope we can battle again soon."
"Same." Ash said as they ended the handshake. "And good luck in Galar."
"Thank you." Adam said as they both turned and hurried off to allow for the battlefield to be repaired before Tierno's match against Titus.
Ash smiled as he left though. He'd won and he'd won convincingly. It was a good boost for his team going forward and he was ready for the quarterfinals tomorrow, whoever he faced. Now he could just sit back in the winner's waiting room and watch the rest of the matches unfold and support his friends in the process. The Kalos League's full battles had started well for Ash, and he was going to keep this momentum going forward as he continued on deeper into the Lumiose Conference.
After Ash's win he retired to the waiting room to watch the remaining battles of the day unfold and see who, if any, of his friends joined him in the quarterfinals. The first of those to manage it was Tierno who won his battle with Titus handily and had two Pokémon remaining at the end thanks to his Mega Blastoise taking out a few of Titus's Pokémon in the middle of the battle and Ash congratulated him when he joined him in the waiting room during Trevor's match. Already that match was really intense by the time Tierno made it to the waiting room.
In the end though Trevor won it, again using Mega Charizard that was the same as Ash's Mega Charizard to do so but it didn't matter because a win was a win and Trevor was clearly pleased with it when joined them as he'd significantly improved on the year before. Naturally, Trevor wanted to keep that momentum going forward but the draw would determine a lot when it happened.
Finally, Max rounded out the morning's successes with what was considered to be the first upset of the Lumiose Conference as he beat Astrid in a back-and-forth battle that left only one Pokémon standing in the end. Max won it thanks to his until that moment hidden secret that he had a Key Stone and Gardevoirite, but he revealed it in the final matchup to best Astrid and her Mega Absol to advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight year having made it that far in the Ever Grande Conference the year before.
After that the four boys enjoyed a good lunch chatting and waiting to see how the afternoon slate played out though only one of their friends was actually in the battles with Lyra who was the third one up in the 7th battle of the day. First it was Remo verses a Hoenn trainer called Dominick that Remo won handily without even needing to Mega Evolve his Garchomp. This was followed by the only battle where Ash knew he'd seen the trainers in past conferences but didn't know them and in the end Jeffery prevailed over Kenton to reach the quarterfinals.
Then it was Lyra's turn, and she won her matchup against Darren, the other Johto trainer remaining, without much fuss showing how much she'd improved and that she had a bit of a chip on her shoulder as many saw her semifinals berth in the last Indigo Conference as more due to a lucky draw she had and not skill. She showed the doubters wrong with a convincing 6-3 win to advance to the quarterfinals and join Ash, Tierno, Trevor, and Max in them.
That just left Paul against Ultimo in the final matchup of the day, but it wasn't really a match as Paul was clearly better. It took four of Ultimo's Pokémon to beat Paul's Electivire and his last two couldn't do much against his Avalugg giving Paul a dominating win yet again while also keeping any other Pokémon that Paul may use unknown. He'd now established himself as the top favorite and clearly didn't care about joining the others as he just stood on the battlefield looking at the screen once the match was over.
"Well folks we've got our quarterfinalists." The announcer said now that the match was over and the images of the 8 remaining trainers appeared on the board in the stadium and on the screen in the waiting room for the 7 in it. "So here are how they will matchup in tomorrow's battles."
There was the usual scattering of the cards that was the shuffle complete with spinning and random movements before they all settled down in two columns with two matchups in each to show the morning and afternoon battles. Once they were settled they flipped over to reveal the matchups and Ash let out the breath that he was holding when he saw it while Paul just seemed to nod on the stage before walking off.
That was because Ash was not facing Paul like they had in the Lily of the Valley quarterfinals though both had morning matches with Ash going in the second one and Paul starting the day off against Lyra. However, Ash was facing someone he knew as he was up against Tierno in the battle before lunch. Max began the afternoon matches off against Trevor while Remo rounded out the day against Jeffery.
Again, there were no words needed as they all left the waiting room to head back to their lodgings and friends to plan, those would come tomorrow. Ash was already coming up with a strategy to face Tierno and his style, along with his Mega Blastoise, that would require some last-minute training in the Lumiose gym to perfect.
Ash was looking forward to it and couldn't wait to see how it played out. Tomorrow he faced off against a friend in the Lumiose Conference quarterfinals, a round he often faced a friend or rival in, as his quest to win the Kalos League continued.
