Part CXCIV: Dousing the Flame
Ash stood in the entrance way looking out to the battlefield before him in the center of Lumiose Stadium as the crowd cheered mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He had to be fully ready for it and these last moments were key to centering himself for them.
Unlike normally, though, he was alone in this moment as Pikachu wasn't part of his team for this matchup so he couldn't be with him as Ash was only allowed the 4 Pokémon he'd registered for this match on him so Pikachu was with Misty and the others in the box reserved for Ash's friends and family cheering him on. Meanwhile back in either Professor Oak's or Professor Sycamore's labs all of Ash's Pokémon did the same as they watched him on TV from there.
In fact, all over the world the many friends that Ash had made had paused what they were doing to watch him challenge the Kalos Elite Four as the winner of the latest Lumiose Conference. All new Conference winners were announced after they won their respect Conferences so that fans of Pokémon battles could enjoy the challenges where they happened if they wished and those who knew Ash had cheered for his win when it was announced, if they hadn't seen it already that is.
While many couldn't come to Kalos when Misty, May, and Serena reached out to them they were now watching Ash on TV. This included Iris who was in Alola with all her new friends watching Ash's challenge as they all recovered from the first ever Alola League Conference, Anabel who was at home in Kanto, Angie who was watching with many students in Paldea, Max and Bonnie who had been joined by their friend Owen along with Adam and Emily in Galar, as was Gary though he was elsewhere in Galar, and Tracy back home in Kanto was watching it.
Many more were doing the same all over the world where they were, even one or two who were preparing for their own Elite Four Challenges were watching Ash as they all looked forward to Ash's battles. This included Paul who was watching where he had gone after losing to Ash in the Lumiose Conference final.
Ash knew this and he was glad for all of their support as he calmed himself for in the final moments. His friends were there for him either watching on TV or in the stadium, the girls and Cilan even going as far as to dress as cheerleaders again to cheer for him, and Ash drew from all of them as he got ready for the first of the four biggest battles he'd ever had in his career as a Pokémon trainer up to this moment.
If he won all four then an even bigger battle was on the horizon, one that if he won would have massive ramifications on his path to becoming a Pokémon Master, but he couldn't dwell on that as he had to focus on what was to come first. He had four talented type specialists to beat and it started with Malva.
As Ash centered himself in the final moments before he walked out he closed his eyes and couldn't help but smile as he thought back to two days ago when he'd asked Misty to marry him. He'd been thinking about it for a while, since the Wallace Cup at least, and even had the idea to make the ring a Key Stone as it would be practical as well as being an engagement ring, he just didn't know how to go about sorting that out or even finding a Key Stone to begin with.
That had changed when he met Alain as he could get Ash the Key Stone he needed so after their battle together outside the Chamber of Emptiness Ash had put everything in motion for his proposal he just needed the Key Stone to be set into a ring, for it to be ready and finally for the moment to be right. The former had been sorted a week ago enabling the latter to happen two days ago.
Ash had prepared a full speech for why he wanted to marry Misty, he'd thought long and hard about it, but he'd not needed it in the end. She'd been stunned by what he'd done and was quiet for a moment so he was about to go into his speech to show her how much he loved her when she interrupted him with a loud 'yes!'. Ash barely managed to get the ring on her left ring finger before she leapt on him and, well what happened next was too adult to dwell on right now.
In fact they ended up spending the night on the roof and were found by Clemont the next morning sleeping there so he was the first to learn that Misty had said yes. He'd known that Ash was going to propose because he'd been the one to hide the ring there so he was thrilled with the news and left them to sort things out, which Ash and Misty did.
The biggest question was what to do now that they were engaged and in the end they just decided to tell everyone right away to get it over with. That had been interesting to say the least, mainly because Ash had not told his mother his plans which didn't go over well with Delia Ketchum.
It had actually led to a full scolding from his mother for not telling her though not until after Delia welcomed Misty into the family and told her to call her own mother, which Misty would do but first she and the girls went away to discuss it. Ash didn't know what that was all about but figured it was a girl thing and let them as the guys congratulated him.
In reality it was so that all the girls were doing ok in the wake of the news, well all but Lucy as she wasn't in the same boat as Dawn, May, Serena, and Miette were but she just went with them because it was a little awkward to not do so, and they all assured Misty that they were. It was hard on them because they all loved Ash, other than Lucy of course, but they'd all come a long way since either losing or learning they never had a chance and while Dawn took it the hardest, which made sense her love was the deepest, they all accepted it and were thrilled for Misty.
Misty also made sure that they were all ok with being bridesmaids, though Zoey as Misty's closest female friend would be the Maid of Honor, as she wanted them in her wedding party and so it was something to look forward to even if there was the lingering pain of loss. That would ease in time and to help take their minds off that they quickly returned to focus on Ash's last day of training, his intensive fire training for his battle with Malva.
It was also decided, after Misty's chat with the other girls and the subsequent focus on the upcoming battle with Malva to wait until after the challenge to properly celebrate the engagement. As such, they all threw themselves into making sure Ash was fully ready for this battle.
He was and Ash opened his eyes as he focused fully on the battle to come and not what had just happened. It was time for this major battle in his career so he had to be solely focused on it and the other battles to come. Now, he was focused, he was in the zone, and as the clock hit the right time, Ash began to walk out to the cheering crowds ready to give it his all in his first proper, official, battle against a member of a regional Elite Four.
"Folks, the moment we've been waiting for since the end of the Lumiose Conference is now at hand! It's time for the winner's challenge of the Kalos Elite Four!" The announcer, the same one for the final of the Lumiose Conference, said as Ash walked out to the roaring crowds and along the path to the starting box for the challenger while noting that he was all alone which was fine with him. "And as is tradition the challenger will come out first and await his coming challenge so give him a big cheer for making it to this point!"
Ash understood why he was alone at the moment as the crowd's cheer got louder, it was because he wasn't on equal footing to his opponent like he had been during the Lumiose Conference. Back then they were all competing to win it, now Ash was facing a challenge in the Kalos Elite Four so it made sense that he was to step out along before it, that and it gave the announcer a moment to properly introduce him.
"Introducing this year's challenger, the winner of the latest edition of the Lumiose Conference, Ash Ketchum!" The announcer said after a moment as Ash settled himself in his trainer box for the challenge he was about to face. "Ash is a trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto region who's been training for 8 years with, for the most part, progressively better results in various Pokémon League Conferences in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova regions, once in each except Kanto where he competed twice. All that hard work finally culminated in his stunning win over Paul the other week in the Lumiose Conference."
Ash didn't really focus on the announcer though he still heard it as he looked out over the battlefield before him and noted that the battlefield was a standard dirt one as was common so it was going to be a pure skill battle, they all would. That was more than fine with Ash, no matter the conditions or rules he was going to win this battle and the next 3 as well to sweep the Kalos Elite Four and set up the even bigger challenge to come.
"That recent final was a battle for the ages and with that win Ash earned the right to challenge the Kalos Elite Four." The announcer continued as Ash set himself for the coming battle. "He has accepted the challenge so here he is. The battles over the next four days will be four on four battles under the rules of the latter half of the Lumiose Conference, that is to say substitutions are only allowed after one of the Pokémon battling has been defeated and before a move is used so the withdrawal of a Pokémon at any other time counts as a forfeit of that Pokémon. Furthermore, Mega Evolution is allowed though only one Pokémon for each trainer can do so."
Those were the standard rules that Ash had been told so this was more for the crowd's purpose than his own. He just had to focus on getting ready for this as he stood there waiting for his first opponent to walk out and the battle to begin.
"Lastly, should Ash win any of the four battles he will face he will get the chance to replace that member of the Kalos Elite Four due to beating him or her." The announcer said after a pause following his rules explanation. "If he beats more than one then they will decide who leaves amongst themselves, which we'll show you, and if Ash beats all he gets the right to challenge the Champion of Kalos herself, Diantha, for her title but he has to beat all four members of the Elite Four first and that's no small task."
The announcer paused at that to let it sink in, which got some murmurs from the crowd but Ash ignored that. He intended to do his all to get to that challenge and it started with beating Malva so that was what he had to focus on now, he'd deal with the next battle after he won this one and so on until the end of the challenge.
"Naturally the Elite Four won't let that happen without a massive fight." The announcer said once his words had sunk in. "And of course out four members are all talented type specialists so they will push Ash to his limits in this challenge. Lastly, the order in which Ash will face them has already been determined by random draw as is the way in the Kalos Elite Four Challenge, so without further ado let's begin with today's opponent, his first of the four, the fire specialist of the Kalos Elite Four, Malva!"
At that Malva finally walked out and Ash got his first good look at her in person, as well as his first look at any of the Kalos Elite Four in person, as she confidently strode down the path from her entrance to the cheers of the crowd. He'd seen pictures of the woman but seeing her in real life was different.
Malva was a woman of slightly above average height it seemed, though that could be the heeled black boots she wore, with bright pink hair done in two twisted clumps that fell over her shoulders with the rest gathered in a small tied up tuft at the back and a slight cowlick over her left eye.
She wore a simple, sleeveless black turtleneck shirt with a tiny v cut at the top just below the wide neck that showed no cleavage while the turtle neck didn't hug her throat, the shirt did hug her chest to accentuate her bust and didn't reach her navel leaving her flat stomach exposed. However the most striking part of her look were her pants.
Malva's pants were red on the from and black on the back with 4 black framed diamonds cut out of it on her legs in descending sizes with two above the knee and two below. The pants were held up by a simple black belt with a silver clasp and she completed her look with a pair of red oval shades that were perched on her nose and hid her eyes from Ash as this distance.
It was a bold look and with the way the woman held herself Ash knew she was a talented trainer who was confident but not arrogant in her abilities, she had to be to make it to a regional Elite Four, so he knew better than to take her lightly. To reach this point as a trainer you had to be skilled and he was more than ready to face that skill.
"So you're Ash Ketchum." Malva called out across the battlefield as she reached her own trainer's box and took a casual stance, left hand on her hip with her arm cocked as she looked at him. "Gotta admit, I've heard a lot about you ever since that stunt you pulled in the Indigo Conference a little over a year ago, well actually before as I met your friend May last year and she spoke about you a lot but that wasn't what got me to notice you, it was your stunt that did that. The reveal of a new type, quite bold of you there."
"It had been building for a while what with all the unexplained phenomena that we'd been noticing, that was just the best time for it to happen after Professor Oak confirmed that it was a new type that was causing the phenomena." Ash said. "I didn't mean to cause as big a spectacle as I did, I was just trying to beat Cameron and that was the best way to do so as I had a feeling he'd use a dragon type in that match."
"Sure because that's why you had a Mr. Mime Ice Punch out a Hydreigon after leaping through a dragon type attack with no affect, not because it was going to be a spectacle." Malva said with a smile. "Well, whatever your reasons, it was a reporters dream. A shame that I didn't get to interview you this year before your run in the Lumiose Conference as I did for the serious contenders the year before you won it. Three runners up from past regional Conferences in the same Conference is rare and all of you made it to the semis, would have been a good story but as I'm sure your aware given who you travel with, I'm kinda on a short leash at the moment."
"I am but that has no bearing to this match." Ash said not bringing up Malva's former affiliations or the fact that she could well go to prison soon for her role in the incident that occurred in Kalos at the end of May's first year here. "This is about my right to challenge the Kalos Elite Four and you are one of them, the first I was drawn against, so that's all you are to me right now, a member of the Kalos Elite Four and nothing more than that. I'll beat you and be one step closer to my dream."
"You've got confidence, I'll give you that, and I hear you beat Alain in a training match a few months back." Malva said. "He beat me once, which was a shock to me, but it wasn't official so it didn't count. Let's see if you too can do that as well but rest assured I didn't make it to where I am today without being skilled and unlike against Alain I'll be using four Pokémon against you, not one. Don't forget that all four of us who you will face have once won the Lumiose Conference and fended off many challengers to maintain our spots. I don't intend to lose now even with what might be coming for me."
"Neither do I." Ash said as he pulled out his first Poke Ball and the ref for the match stepped up to his spot to officiate it. "So let's get this started already, shall we?"
"I agree." Malva said casually withdrawing her own first Poke Ball. "Show me what you're made of Ash Ketchum."
"Folks the time is now upon us." The announcer said clearly taking his cue from Ash and Malva's actions to but in and start the battle off now that both combatants were ready for it to begin. "The first battle of the Elite Four Challenge is about to start as our challenger Ash faces off against Malva of the Kalos Elite Four. So without any more delay, let the battle begin!"
"Pyroar, go!" Malva said tossing out her Poke Ball the moment the word begin was over and the crowd cheered for the coming battle.
"Kingler, I choose you!" Ash said at the same time as he threw out his own and the jumbotron in the stadium that showed Ash and Malva's trainer pictures and the first of the four hexagons in a jagged line next to their pictures lit up with images of their first two Pokémon as the Pokémon themselves appeared before their trainers and Ash noted that Malva's Pyroar was female like Misty's based on its mane. "Alright, this is a good start, we've prepared against a Pyroar. Kingler, use Bubble Beam."
"You may be able to face a Pyroar but I'm not where I am for nothing, we can handle a little water." Malva said as Kingler unleashed the bubbles of Bubble Beam at Pyroar. "Blow them away with Flamethrower and then show that upstart how we deal with water types by following it up with Wild Charge."
"Not bad, an electric type move is a clever one to teach a Pyroar." Ash noted as Pyroar opened her mouth and blasted out the flames at Kingler's bubbles. "Ok Kingler, hold and wait my order."
Kingler made a noise of agreement at that as Pyroar's Flamethrower slammed into the bubbles of Kingler's Bubble Beam and burst them with a loud his that created a dense mist as the moves canceled each other out that Pyroar used to her advantage as she charged. As she did, Pyroar covered herself in electricity, the attack activating as she dove into the mist the clash of attacks had caused and charged towards Kingler.
This was something that they'd prepared for as Pyroar was a Pokémon that was on the high likely list so dealing with a charging attack was something they wanted to be ready for as it was a useful attack that was comm for four legged, mammalian Pokémon to know. Usually it was Quick Attack, which was harder to deal with, but other attacks like Take Down, Flair Blitz, and Wild Charge were on the list depending on various factors.
Admittedly Wild Charge was one that they'd not really anticipated as Pyroar was a fire and normal type but they should have so Ash would learn from that oversight. Regardless, it didn't change the plan only that this was going to hurt more than they'd trained for when it happened but they were ready and as Pyroar charged out of the mist with a snarl, electricity crackling all over her body, Ash gave the order.
"Now, intercept Pyroar with Crabhammer!" Ash ordered. "I know that you can time this as we practiced Kingler."
Kingler let out a battle cry as he infused his large pincer with water type power and raised it above his head as Pyroar closed in on him. Then, as she lowered her head to ram it into Kingler's face, he brought his pincer down on her head as hard as he could.
There was a loud boom as the water type contact move hit Pyroar on the top of her head and brought her to her front knees with a crash, wind blasting off the impact to clear the lingering mist from the opening exchange to reveal a slightly surprised Malva on the other side as she'd not expected Ash to defend like that. The tradeoff was that the Wild Charge also hit and Kingler let out a wail of pain from the electric type move as he was jolted backwards and away from Pyroar thus ensuring that both Pokémon took super effective attacks in the second exchange.
However, because Wild Charge had a recoil effect that was also felt by Pyroar it meant that she took more from it due to the recoil despite both Pokémon landing super effective attacks on the other. Regardless, Ash wasn't going to lessen up from that and as Kingler was about to land on his legs from the jolt back Ash already had the next move, another strong one against a fire type but hopefully one Malva wouldn't anticipate.
"Mud Shot." Ash called out as Kingler landed on the ground. "You've got this Kingler."
"Hyper Voice." Malva said as Kingler buried his large pincer in the ground in front of him. "Ash's better than expected Pyroar, make sure that that Kingler feels that."
Before Pyroar to do more than raise back to all fours after taking Kingler's Crabhammer, Kingler ripped his claw up from the ground and at Pyroar to splatter her in the face and chest with mud. She howled at the super effective ground type attack that had just struck her and instinctively backed up a bit. That wasn't enough to deter her though as she was still a highly trained and skilled Pokémon so with the mud still on her face, she opened her mouth as she backed up and let out a loud, horrible, echoing, shout.
The normal type attack was aimed right at Kingler and with how close the Pokémon still were he didn't have a chance to avoid it and he let out a wail of pain as he staggered under it. It wasn't super effective but he didn't resist it either so he took the standard damage from the attack. Still, it wasn't nearly enough to take him down and Ash knew it as he gave the next order that should win the first matchup and thus set the early tone in this battle.
"Hyper Beam." Ash called out as the Hyper Voice was going on. "You can do it Kingler!"
Kingler had been with Ash since his first year as a trainer so he knew his trainer well and loved him dearly. He'd had some great moments and grown strong with Ash culminating in the selection for a team in one of the four biggest battles Ash had ever had, he wasn't going to let Ash or the rest of the team down after such an honor so he powered through the Hyper Voice, open his large pincer, and formed the orange energy of Hyper Beam there. Then, as the Hyper Voice was ending, he unleashed the powerful normal type attack.
Pyroar was too close and still had mud on her face so she didn't have time to get rid of the mud or hear a yell from her trainer to dodge it as the blast of orange energy shot at her and slammed into the center of her chest with a boom. She let out a howl of pain as she was blasted back by the force of the attack, the mud flying from her face, before she crashed down to the battlefield on Malva's side and rolled over it before coming to a stop around the midpoint of Malva's side.
Ash grinned at that, that should do it and he was already preparing to recall Kingler for his next Pokémon the moment that Malva recalled the now out Pyroar so that he wasn't hit during the cool down from Hyper Beam and could take a rest at the same time. The attack was damned useful given its power but the trade off was the inability to move for a moment that usually allowed for a counter, especially if it missed.
That was why Ash had waited to the end to use it so that he could sub Kingler out and use his next Pokémon against whoever Malva sent out next. At least that had been the plan until a battered Pyroar gave out a groan and slowly rose to her feet, shaking herself but still in the battle.
"Not bad Ash but to defeat Pyroar you'll need more and now you've given me the opening to take care of that Kingler for sure." Malva said. "Wild Charge! This will do it."
"Brace Kingler." Ash said knowing that with Kingler unable to move and being unable to sub out he had no way of avoiding this as Pyroar let out a roar and charged, her body coating itself with electricity as she once again ran full force at Kingler. "I know you can take it and that recoil will end Pyroar, I'm sure of it."
Kingler grunted and set himself as best he could. He too was surprised that Pyroar was still standing after talking two super effective attacks and a Hyper Beam but he'd show her that he too could take a hit and stand as he braced himself for the charging fire and normal type that was crackling with electricity. It took only a few seconds but just as Kingler knew he could move again, Pyroar was on him and slamming into his face with the crown of her head.
The Pincer Pokémon let out a loud wail as the super effective attack hit him and coursed through him before he was blasted back, spinning in the air as electricity coursed over him. He hit the ground hard a moment later and rolled over until he was only a few feet in front of Ash.
Pyroar let out a snort of satisfaction at landing the super effective hit that should take out her strong opponent before her eyes rolled up as the recoil of the hit pushed her over the last bit of health she had. She'd barely managed to cling on after the Hyper Beam but she had so that she could give her trainer this opening and now that it was over she toppled to the side to crash to the ground with a thud and swirls for eyes.
As she did, Kingler's legs twitched rather than fall limp and with a groan, Kingler shocked Malva by rolling over and getting shakily to his feet. Kingler had taken the blow and survived it but he was near the end of his health which Malva could see so with Pyroar clearly out of it and the ref already announcing it she needed to get the battle under control again.
Malva knew just how to do that and so with a speed that showed her rank, she pulled out two Poke Balls just as the announcer finished confirming that Pyroar was out and that Kingler had won. One of the Poke Balls was Pyroar's that Malva used to recall her as Pyroar's image went gray on the jumbotron, the other her second Pokémon which she threw out the moment Pyroar was away and called out an order as she threw it to keep Kingler in the battle and force Ash to fight with him.
"Chandelure, go and use Shadow Ball." Malva called out as she tossed out the Poke Ball. "Pyroar, you did well, weakened your foe to the point that it's almost out but it was stronger than we anticipated so take a rest, Chandelure will win this."
"Mud Shot." Ash called out realizing that he'd been preempted from subbing Kingler out but with Chandelure revealed to be Malva's second Pokémon, another higher than normal chance Pokémon and one he'd prepared against thanks to Bonnie, Ash had just the right Pokémon to counter it in his team for this match. "I know that you're near your limit but you can land it, I know so."
Kingler grunted, Ash was right that he was at the edge of his health but his determination and the faith he felt from Ash had given him the strength to power on as he drove his large pincer into the ground as the ball of ghost type power was blasted at him from the strange looking Pokémon he was facing. He couldn't move much and doubted he could dodge it so he had to focus on making this count so that who was next, he was certain which of his teammates would avenge him given that this Pokémon was being used against their team, had a strong start.
With what he knew would be a final war cry, Kingler used all his remaining strength to rip his pincer out of the ground and launch the mud in a high, strong, and fast, arc at Chandelure as the Shadow Ball tore across the battlefield at Kingler. The result was the mud arcing over the Shadow Ball and coming down onto Chandelure before it could realize what was going on thus ensuring the hit.
However, before the Mud Shot landed, the Shadow Ball slammed into Kingler's face and tossed him onto his back so that his legs were in the air and he slid over the ground to Ash's feet before his legs slumped down on either side of his body. The Shadow Ball had been the last attack that he could take before passing out and lying there with swirls for eyes.
"Kingler return, you were great and I won't let that ending be in vain." Ash said quickly pulling out Kingler's Poke Ball and recalling him as he pulled out his second one of the match and repeated Malva's own fast change while the ref announced Kinglet's defeat and his image grayed on the screen right before Ash tossed out his own second Pokémon of the battle. "Krookodile, I choose you! Dig!"
As Ash was recalling Kingler, the mud from Mud Shot had landed on Chandelure's head and drove it down to the ground with a wail from the super effective attack. That was just the distraction Ash needed to ensure that he could keep Chandelure in the match and use Krookodile as he tossed out Krookodile's Poke Ball.
Ash had only had one practice battle against the fully evolved fire and ghost type and this one would be a hell of a lot tougher than Bonnie's was just as Malva's Pyroar had been tougher than Misty's but Ash knew what he was getting into with a Chandelure as Krookodile burst from his Poke Ball with a roar and dove into the ground to dig there rather than just land on the ground. It was basically the same thing Malva had done to Ash to knock out Kingler only Dig ensured that it would be a lot harder for Chandelure to hit Krookodile the way Kingler had hit it.
"Be wary Chandelure." Malva said as the chaotic few moments that was the defeat of hers and Ash's first Pokémon respectively died down and she had the chance to process and adapt to what was now going on in the battle. "That could come from anywhere, brace and await my order. I'll give it to you Ash, your Kingler was a lot tougher than I expected seeing as it took that Wild Charge at the end."
"I've had him for a long time and he's grown a lot with me so I knew he could hold his own against your Pokémon." Ash said. "Same for your Pyroar though, I thought I had you with that Hyper Beam at the end, that's why I used it."
"A rookie mistake to think that you had it, my Pyroar is a tough girl, she could take it and it helped set this up." Malva said as Chandelure finally shook the mud from it and floated up in the air though despite floating it didn't posses the Levitate ability which meant that the coming ground type attack would be super effective if it landed, which given how Dig worked was highly likely. "And don't think that just because you're using a ground and dark type that you have it on a fire and ghost type like Chandelure."
"I wouldn't dream of it, you're not in an Elite Four for nothing so even with both types being in my favor I don't doubt that you have a way to win this." Ash said taking this very seriously as the ground burst up from under Chandelure and it was blasted into the air with a wail of pain from taking a second ground type attack. "But I'm not to be underestimated as well. Krookodile, use Crunch!"
"Now, Confuse Ray!" Malva yelled surprising Ash as Chandelure was blasted into the air and Krookodile opened his maw, his teeth glowing with dark type power as he flew up at the rising Chandelure above him ready to grab it in his powerful jaws. "Aim for its mouth."
What happened next was, well Ash wasn't sure how to feel about it as Chandelure tipped down and blasted out the sinister ray of ghost type power right into Krookodile's open mouth so that he effectively swallowed it as he closed in on the Luring Pokémon. Instantly Krookodile's eyes went funny and his jaws snapped shut on thin air allowing Chandelure to backflip away now that the immediate danger was no longer there.
As Chandelure flipped away, Krookodile suddenly combusted into flames, not that he seemed to feel it before reaching the apex of his blast up from the dig and falling back to crash to the ground in a heap on the other side of the hole he'd made when exiting the ground with Dig. The combustion was a burn showing that his hit had triggered Chandelure's Flame Body ability.
None of that was nearly enough to take out Krookodile who staggered to his feet and swayed around the confusion clear thanks to Confuse Ray. It wasn't good and with the no substitution rule during a battle that would allow Ash to clear the confusion right up by subbing Krookodile out, he and Krookodile would have to power through it and he fully intended to do so. Still, he had to give it to Malva, this was a good tactic against a Pokémon like Krookodile who had a strong advantage over Chandelure.
"Aerial Ace." Ash called out. "Fight through it, I know you can do so."
"Possible but unlikely." Malva said as Krookodile moved his arms and proceed to hit himself in the head with his hand and staggered back. "See. Now I'll give it to you, you've got a good advantage in this matchup Ash seeing as I don't have anything that can do more than average damage to a Krookodile but that still won't stop me. Let's see if you can withstand this while also confused and burned. Chandelure, Flamethrower is the only good attack we have to use against Krookodile so keep using it until you beat it, that's how we will win."
Chandelure let out a sound of agreement at that and then blasted a gout of flames out of its mouth thing at a swaying and staggering Krookodile, engulfing him for a moment before it vanished and the burn activated again thus dousing Krookodile in fire again. Ash grit his teeth; this was going to come down to whether Krookodile could withstand it as another round of Flamethrower was blasted out and struck him in the chest followed by another burn affect which added more to what Krookodile was taking and Ash knew that all this damage was going to add up.
Despite that, Ash knew that his Pokémon could manage it because he had faith, it was why Krookodile was the perfect Pokémon to face a Chandelure, but it was still hard to watch. Of course Ash wasn't going to be idle and he put all his love and passion in his voice as he called out to Krookodile just as a third Flamethrower engulfed him and pushed him closer to the edge thanks to fire type attacks not being resisted by ground type Pokémon like Krookodile.
"I know you can power through Krookodile." Ash said as Krookodile's burn flared up again. "Use Dragon Claw. Focus all your will, you've got this."
Despite the confusing and being burned again, Krookodile managed to just about hear his trainers voice and the move order allowing him to infuse the dragon type attack into his claws. He was still all over the place but he had enough clarity to stagger forward and towards the floating, ghostly, chandelier thing that was a Chandelure, a Pokémon like him native to the Unova region and one he'd trained briefly against, as it blasted out another gout of fire at him.
Krookodile knew that he had little control over his body or his mind but he used all his love for Ash to power through it as he moved his left causing the fire to blast harmlessly past him as he raised his right hand above his head at the same time while lurching forward and into range. He was one of Ash's best, selected for the first ever final Ash had been in and even winning his first matchup there, he wouldn't let some Pokémon that both his types were strong against both its types make a fool of him in an even bigger battle that Ash had entrusted him to win.
As such and despite his confusion, Krookodile pushed through it to bring his claw down and rake it across Chandelure's face as he combusted in flames again. The burn and the Flamethrower attacks were taking their toll on him so he had to snap out soon if he wanted to win as Chandelure let out a wail and recoiled from the hit. Alas the confusion kicked in and he didn't hear Ash's next order or even notice as Chandelure righted itself and blasted another Flamethrower at him from near point blank range.
However, as the Flamethrower engulfed Krookodile his confusion ended and he snapped out of it. Ash saw this just as the flames died down and the burn triggered again but with how close Krookodile had managed to get thanks to the Dragon Claw, Ash knew that he had this.
"Crunch!" Ash called out. "This is it Krookodile, we've got this!"
"It's not confused anymore." Malva said realizing it a second or two after Ash as Krookodile opened his mouth and his teeth again glowed with dark type power. "Confuse Ray once more. Confuse one more time, it can't take more than one more Flamethrower and burn combo."
Krookodile roared as he lunged forward as Chandelure prepared another Confuse Ray. He wasn't going to let that happen, not again, and before the ghost type move could be sent at him, he snapped his jaws down hard and face on Chandelure.
The size was such that the entire head, center area, thing of Chandelure was now in Krookodile's mouth with only the two branch things with the four flames at the end were out and to the side of Krookodile's jaws as he held Chandelure in his mouth. As he held Chandelure, Krookodile shook his head, dark type attack coursing through Chandelure as he did and thanks to its ghost type it was supper effective.
Between the Crunch, two super effective ground type attacks, and a Dragon Claw, Chandelure was blasted past its limit and fainted in Krookodile's mouth, it's branch arm things going limp and flopping down before Krookodile spat Chandelure out and to the side with the final shake of his head where it hit the ground with a slightly wet thud and rolled over a few times before coming to a stop with its face up, branch things limp, and swirls on its eyes.
"Chandelure is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag in his hand to Malva's side of the battlefield finally being properly heard in the match as the image of Chandelure on the jumbotron turned gray. "Krookodile is…oh, er…"
Before he could finish his announcement and just as Malva pulled out Chandelure's Poke Ball to recall it, she already knew who she was going to use next to finish off Krookodile and take away the advantage of any other ground type Ash might use, Krookodile combusted again. However, this time when it ended Krookodile toppled back to land with a crash on his back, his sunglasses askew showing swirled eyes confirming that he had fainted.
Krookodile may be tough but all the burns and Flamethrowers had added up so that all it took was that final burn to push him over the edge. He'd done well though and taken a lot so Ash was still smiling despite the effective tie that Krookodile and Chandelure had had.
"Krookodile is out though it still beat Chandelure." The ref declared raising his red flag to Ash's side. "Both trainers have two Pokémon remaining."
"Folks that was one wild and hectic opening half, one of the most intense starts to an Elite Four Challenge that we've seen in a long time." The announcer said using the sudden and unexpected lull to get some words in as the crowd cheered at what they'd seen so far. "We barely had a moments pause in this battle and already we're halfway through with both combatants now down to two Pokémon each. It's essentially a new match now, let's see what's coming next."
"Chandelure, return." Malva said recalling her Pokémon and looking at her Poke Ball as she held it. "You did well out there, thanks to our tactics and your ability we were able to whittle down a foe with multiple type advantages against us offensively. I'm proud of you for that. Take a rest, you've more than earned it."
"Krookodile, return." Ash said at the same time and smiling at the Poke Ball in his hand. "You did great out there buddy, thanks to you and Kingler we've already taken out two of Malva's Pokémon without losing more than we beat. Even with that confusion tactic you powered through to win it and despite going down afterwards you didn't technically lose. Take a rest, we'll take the advantage now."
"You've done better than I expected Ash." Malva admitted as she put away Chandelure's Poke Ball and pulled out her third one of the battle. "Only one of the last 4 Conference winners has bested two of my Pokémon in the challenge since I joined the Elite Four and that was the first one I faced as a member of the Elite Four. Last year's winner only won one battle and that was only after he Mega Evolved his Sceptile right at the end. Still, you may have done better than most but it will take all you got to beat me."
"Oh I know." Ash said as he put away Krookodile's Poke Ball and pulled out his own third Pokémon, one that had been guaranteed to be used in this battle when what Alain had given him was proven to work but right now he wasn't going to use that card yet, he was just playing a hunch based on what he'd seen and felt that this was the best option he had for who he expected to be facing third in this battle. "But I'm more than ready for your next Pokémon so show me what you got. Aerodactyl, I choose you!"
"Talonflame, go." Malva said a moment after Ash announced his own Pokémon and threw out his Poke Ball so that it burst just before hers did to reveal the large, previously extinct, rock and flying type and the images of the two Pokémon appeared in their slots on the jumbotron. "So it's an aerial battle I see, that should be…wait, is that what I think it is?"
"It is." Ash said with a grin as Malva's Talonflame, the Pokémon his gut was expecting and the one he was going to be best against thanks to having his own one and why he'd gone for Aerodactyl now and not last as his other Pokémon would be at a disadvantage in this matchup and besides he had been selected that Pokémon for Houndoom anyway. "Wasn't sure that it would work but it did when I got it this week but don't worry I don't intend to use it just yet."
"Making me earn it, well that's fair I'd do the same if you can win this matchup and face my final Pokémon." Malva said her respect for Ash going up a bit with that but she still didn't expect Ash to beat her in the end. "Gotta admit, I didn't expect to face one that could Mega Evolve but here it is and I fully intend to force you to Mega Evolve it."
Ash just grinned at that challenge as the announcer confirmed it though all could see the glowing Mega Stone that was in the center of a special harness on Aerodactyl's back. The Mega Stone was the one that Alain had given Ash at the start of the week, one for a rock type Pokémon so perfect for facing Malva though Ash's Aerodactyl wasn't as old as Charizard or Pidgeot so there had been some worry about it not working like the other two did.
Thankfully that wasn't to be the case as Aerodactyl had always been very friendly with Ash and loved him since being restored so after some training they confirmed that it worked. Of course it wasn't going to be used right away, especially not against a Pokémon that Ash was as confident against as he was against a Talonflame. They even had a few new moves thanks to training that would be really beneficial in this matchup and that first one was about to be put to good effect very quickly.
"You may still have the advantage, such is the allowance for the challengers, I used that to my benefit when I won one of my battles, but that won't stop me." Malva said. "Talonflame, Quick Attack."
"That will land first." Ash said as Talonflame let out a caw and then flew forward at Aerodactyl as fast as possible, which Ash had to admit was faster than his could manage showing that once again despite training against the same Pokémon the level of skill that Malva's were at were above those Ash had trained against. "Take it, you can resist a normal type attack, and use the closeness the hit provides you to grab Talonflame in your mouth with Thunder Fang."
"Damn, a counter to water types that works in this case due to Talonflame's flying type." Malva muttered, she was starting to get really impressed by Ash and could see why Sycamore and Alain spoke highly of him though the taking a hit to land one was interesting, a style she didn't realize Ash was copying from Lucy as it was a good way to land a super effective counter if you had one like Ash and Aerodactyl did in this case. "Be careful Talonflame, evade the moment you land your hit and then, as soon as you can, retreat and use Brave Bird."
Unfortunately for Malva and Talonflame this wasn't to be the case as Aerodactyl was ready for it, the electricity in his mouth as Talonflame slammed into his face at full speed. Perhaps against a Pokémon that wasn't rock or steel type it might have worked as they would have been hurt enough to move far enough back and away from Talonflame so that Talonflame could evade it but that wasn't the case for Aerodactyl.
All the blow did was shift his head back a little so that as Talonflame tried to arc back and away, Aerodactyl was able to twist his head and clamp his jaws down on Talonflame right at the point where its wing met its body. As such, Aerodactyl's jaws fell over parts of Talonflame's back, wing, and chest as he imparted his Thunder Fang into Talonflame who let out a cry of pain as the super effective attack coursed through its body while Aerodactyl beat his wings to maintain his altitude.
That wasn't the only thing that happened as Aerodactyl tossed Talonflame back and Talonflame beat its own wings to steady itself after the attack. That was because one of the two potential side effects of Thunder Fang triggered as Talonflame was getting itself under control.
Ash had taught Aerodactyl the move over the week mainly so that he was able to handle water types in the future while the other moves that he'd been taught in the intensive training to get Aerodactyl ready for the biggest battle of his life. However, the potential chance of triggering either flinching or paralysis side effects that could occur when Thunder Fang was landed played a role in why this move was chosen.
In this case the side effect that was triggered was flinching and both Ash and Malva saw the shiver that showed that Talonflame had flinched and acted right at the same time to try and deal with it. Ash knew this was a golden opportunity to use a move that was the main reason why a rock type was the best in this kind of matchup while Malva tried to avoid it knowing that it would be a rock type attack as any trainer with his or her salt would use that attack when an opening like this presented itself.
"Rock Slide!" Ash commanded.
"Dodge it!" Malva yelled. "Then use Flair Blitz, let's see how Aerodactyl likes dealing with a potential side effect."
At Ash's order Aerodactyl let out a roar as he activated the move designed especially for a Pokémon like Talonflame or Charizard while Talonflame cawed and tried to move but the flinch had rooted it in place, other than its beating wings that kept it aloft, and it couldn't move more than that as the rocks were formed and by then it was too late. The rocks of Rock Slide fell from the sky and rained down on the battlefield.
Normally a well-trained Talonflame like Malva's could easily evade the doubly super effective attack with its high levels of speed and agility but with the flinch it couldn't and just as Talonflame could move again and began to fly away one of the rocks clipped its right wing allowing for another to crash into the back of its head and drive it down to the ground as debris was kicked up.
Malva gritted her teeth at this as the debris covered the battlefield and hid Talonflame from view as Aerodactyl hover in the air beating his wings as he looked down at the debris. Rock type attacks were the worst against a fire and flying type, one that Malva was aware Ash knew well as he had both a Charizard and a Talonflame and it would seem he was putting that to good use against her own Talonflame. He was ready for this particular matchup and Malva was paying for it.
Still, her Talonflame was tough, it would take more to take it down, albeit, not much more and both Malva and Talonflame were aware of that as the dust cleared to reveal a battered but still conscious Talonflame slowly getting to its feet on the ground. The moment Ash knew that Talonflame was still in it he called out his next attack. He could have gone for another rock type attack but he was sure that would be overkill and probably look bad so went for something else playing on how little the Talonflame had left to take to beat it.
"Wing Attack." Ash ordered.
"Evade with Quick Attack and then counter with Brave Bird." Malva said as Aerodactyl dove, wings glowing with flying type power and bellowing a charge. "You can do it Talonflame."
Talonflame let out a squawk of agreement at that but as it hopped up and beat its wings once to get into the air Aerodactyl showed Ash's talents with flying types as it pulled out of the dive and sped at Talonflame just off the ground displaying more grace and speed than an Aerodactyl should. Regardless, Talonflame wasn't going to lose this as it tried to get higher into the air, wings flapping as hard as it could make them, to activate Quick Attack.
Unfortunately for Talonflame it wasn't quick enough because it had to get into the air so it didn't manage to avoid the right wing of Aerodactyl slamming into its gut and bending it over the wing with a squawk of pain, beak open and eyes wide, right before it could use Quick Attack. Aerodactyl pushed through the attack with Talonflame bent over his wing for a few seconds as the flying type attack was imparted into Talonflame and pushed it over the edge before he arched up and Talonflame was flung back from Aerodactyl's wing.
As Aerodactyl flipped back in a graceful, rolling, backflip to hover above and in front of Ash, Talonflame spun in the air before it hit the ground with a thud and rolled over it before it came to a stop a few feet from Malva's feet on its side with dust falling over it. That dust settled over Talonflame as it lay on the ground with one wing over its body, beak open and eyes swirls.
"Talonflame is unable to battle." The ref declared raising his red flag to Malva's side. "Aerodactyl is the winner."
"Folks, I don't believe it!" The announcer said the incredulity clear in his voice as Malva pulled out Talonflame's Poke Ball as its image grayed on the jumbotron. "Malva is down to her last Pokémon. We're all aware which Pokémon it is as we all know which Pokémon is Malva's strongest but still, this is big. Can she rally against Ash's remaining two?"
"Talonflame return." Malva said ignoring the commentator as she recalled her Pokémon. "You did as well as you could there, that's a type both of yours are weak against and to add to it Ash has at least two Pokémon with that type combo, one almost won the Indigo Conference for him and the other beat a Mega Aggron in the first matchup of the Lumiose Conference final that he won so he knows the combo well so he knows how best to counter it. He deserves the credit for being ready for what I have but he's got no clue how to beat my best."
"Aerodactyl, return." Ash said recalling his Aerodactyl the moment that he could despite Aerodactyl still able to fight because he understood that he had the trump card for the team and should rest up to use it if need be in the final matchup while also allowing for the final member of their team to at least deal some damage to Malva's final Pokémon. "You were great but take a rest for the moment, I'll use you again if needed. I've got just the Pokémon for Houndoom, however."
"You think so." Malva said as she pulled out her final Poke Ball and looked at Ash though he couldn't see what was in her eyes thanks to her sunglasses. "I won't lie, I'm impressed with your planning, skills, and talent Ash, you've clearly used your week wisely to prepare for this battle and have countered three of my Pokémon well. One you have, I know that and still you were more than ready for mine, and two you must have had access to, you confirmed as much with Pyroar, but my final Pokémon is on a whole new level. Let's see if you can back up that claim that you've got just the Pokémon for it. Houndoom, go."
"Oh I do, I've been thinking about your last Pokémon the most and while I can't prepare against like it turned out I could for the others, I can prepare as best I can and I've gone with what you might not expect given how I've addressed your specialty so far." Ash said as Houndoom burst from its Poke Ball and its image appeared on the fourth and final slot for Malva on the jumbotron while Ash noted that the Johto dark and fire type that he'd met several times had a red dog collar around its neck with a glowing Mega Stone in the center of it at the base of its throat. "I can't be too reliant on what you'd expect after all so here's my answer to Houndoom. Conkeldurr, I choose you."
"Ah I see, you've gone with a fighting type to counter the dark type not like the last three that have been examples of the three types that are strong against fire, albeit with one also having an advantage against a ghost type." Malva said reaching up and into her oversized neck thing as Ash's Conkeldurr burst from his Poke Ball with a roar and landed in front of his trainer, his pillars slamming into the ground as he did and his image appeared on the jumbotron in Ash's 4th slot completing the Pokémon for the match. "I was hoping to either not use this or to use it after you pushed me in battle with Houndoom but I can't take any chances now if I want to win so you get my full power from the start."
With that Malva pulled out and took off a simple cord thing from around her neck with a silver holder thing dangling from it that held a softly glowing, spherical stone in it that she held in her left hand. At once Ash recognized it as a Key Stone that Malva kept on her as a pendant and what it meant but before he could do anything Malva let go of the cord to grab the Key Stone before the pendant fell thus making the necessary contact with it.
"Now Houndoom, unleash your full power and Mega Evolve." Malva said. "Ash has already pushed us to the edge, let's make sure we don't fall off it."
Houndoom howled in agreement as the red light of Mega Evolution shot from the Key Stone in Malva's hand to the Mega Stone around Houndoom's neck before connecting and causing Houndoom to glow as the Mega Energy surged into it. The crowd cheered at this and the announcer talked about how this was what they were all hoping to see but Ash ignored it as he focused on Houndoom.
Almost as soon as it was glowing, Houndoom began to change getting taller and sleeker as the horns on its head shifted from curling back into bent, straight up horns. At the same time the markings on its back and chest grew and merged together to form a sinister looking breast plate with two tusks curving out on either side and three points at the base over its chest while the cuffs on its hind legs vanished and the ones on its forelegs split apart to be separated from each other with gaps in the front. Lastly, it's tail forked at the end to become more prominent with two prongs to it.
The change only took a few moments before it ended and the red light burst off it and Mega Houndoom howled showing Ash that its coloration had remained though its claws were now red not white and the horns and markings on it were whiter than before. It was certainly an interesting Mega Evolution to see and Ash grinned as he and Conkeldurr got ready to face it.
"Good to see that I've forced you to Mega Evolve your Houndoom from the start." Ash said as Conkeldurr smirked, finally he got the chance to really prove himself to the team and the other Pokémon Ash had with a matchup against a Mega Evolved Pokémon so even with his type advantage the new power he was facing was going to boost his cred with the others while also showing why he deserved this honor. "I knew I couldn't win without beating a Mega Pokémon so it's time to do just that. Conkeldurr, charge in and use Hammer Arm."
"Stop it with Flamethrower." Malva countered as Conkeldurr charged the moment Ash gave the order.
"Use your pillar to part the flames and then land your attack." Ash said, the idea coming to him in the moment as Mega Houndoom opened its mouth and the fire formed there. "This is going to be intense Conkeldurr but I know that you can do it."
Conkeldurr grunted in agreement as he charged and the fire type attack was blasted out at him. He was in this battle for the Houndoom that Ash had known he'd be facing, it was part of Ash's strategy to not use all strong against fire type Pokémon just in case and switch up to counter a different type with the one Pokémon he was certain would be in the battle which meant having an advantage over Houndoom's dark type.
With the fire type as well that meant that only fighting types would be strong against a Houndoom's primary type and Conkeldurr was the fighting type that Ash had selected for this matchup. That said, Conkeldurr had to get in close to really be effective in this battle as his only ranged move was Fling which as a dark type attack wasn't going to be of much use here so they needed a strategy to deal with a ranged attack meant to stop him from getting up close and personal.
That strategy turned out to be using the concrete pillars Conkeldurr always had as a makeshift shield. As such Conkeldurr used his immense core strength to lift both up, hands over the ends, and slam them together to form barrier in front of him as he ran so that the flames slammed into and were parted like a wedge thus allowing Conkeldurr to continue running as fire blasting to either side as the concrete pillars protected him.
It was an impressive move and one only Ash could come up with on the fly like this as it got Conkeldurr in range without taking any damage from the Flamethrower attack. The moment that Conkeldurr was in range, he leapt up and out of the fire, the remaining of it passing beneath him, and raise both pillars high overhead.
All Mega Houndoom could do was look up with a bark of surprise at the way its Flamethrower was countered in a completely unexpected way before Conkeldurr roared and brought down his pillars as hard as he could. The result was that both ends slammed into Mega Houndoom's face with a loud boom that drove it down to its front knees while letting out a howl in pain at the super effective fighting type attack in the process.
There was a slight cost, Conkeldurr's speed was reduced, but it got him in close just what he needed and dealt a lot of damage to Mega Houndoom which was the whole point of the attack. Naturally, though, it wasn't enough to take Mega Houndoom out and Malva already had a counter planned the moment that it was clear that her Pokémon would take the hit.
"Smog." Malva said. "Then dodge anything and use Flamethrower."
"Use Hammer Arm again." Ash said as the poison type attack was exhaled from Mega Houndoom's mouth, the range too close to avoid. "We're in close now, Conkeldurr, you can do it, push through the Smog and land it."
Conkeldurr did just that as the Smog engulfed him, doing some damage but not much and causing him to cough but he ignored that as he got his pillars up again and brought them crashing down in another Hammer Arm. He wasn't going to let a little poison smoke stop him from landing this hit.
However, this time Mega Houndoom had the time to show off its increased speed, which coupled with Conkeldurr's reduced speed was enough to ensure the dodge, and with an agile leap to the side. As Mega Houndoom leapt it also twisted in the air slight so that it was still facing Conkeldurr as his pillars hit the ground with a boom and missing Mega Houndoom who's mouth was already open with fire in it.
Then, as Mega Houndoom landed and the Smog fully cleared, the Flamethrower burst out and bathed Conkeldurr in flames causing him to roar in pain from an attack he was neither weak nor resistant to. To make matters worse for him and Ash, as the flames died down he suddenly shuddered in the tell-tale sign of being poisoned which Malva could see from where she stood as the line of purple was under Conkeldurr's eyes and she grinned knowing that she had Conkeldurr right where she wanted it.
All this wasn't good for Ash but he wasn't going to give up that easily. All he needed was another hit to boost Conkeldurr's back up enough to allow him to go for another Hammer Arm that would do a lot of damage.
"Drain Punch." Ash called out.
"Leap over it and use Flamethrower again." Malva countered as Conkeldurr turned to Mega Houndoom, pillars falling from his hands and right hand clenching into a fist that he cocked back as he prepared his Drain Punch attack. "That's our best move against Conkeldurr."
Mega Houndoom barked in agreement as Conkeldurr punched at him but with an easy grace Mega Houndoom leapt over Conkeldurr so that the punch flew under it, twisting in the air and opening its mouth to unleash another Flamethrower while still in the air. Once again the attack landed and flames washed over Conkeldurr as Mega Houndoom fell to the ground, its mouth still open and keeping up the attack through the move as Conkeldurr wailed in pain.
Ash grit his teeth but this wasn't over and he called out to Conkeldurr as the move was going putting all his faith and trust in his words. They needed to land another hit to ensure that Aerodactyl had a good foundation to work on when he came back out and Ash won this battle with him.
"Chip Away!" Ash yelled. "I know you can do it, power through anything that is thrown at you and land it."
"Leap back and use Flamethrower again." Malva said. "One more will do it, I know it."
Conkeldurr heard his trainer's voice, the faith he had in Conkeldurr despite Conkeldurr's past as a bully in that forest and the Muscular Pokémon drew on that as he turned in the flames from his missed punch and roared, pushing through them, fists clenched, and dove at Mega Houndoom with all his strength as the Flamethrower ended. Mega Houndoom let out a slight yip of surprise at that and didn't have time to leap away before Conkeldurr, pushing through another round of poisoning, was on it and began to strike consistently having found the opening that he needed to use Chip Away.
Mega Houndoom knew that it couldn't get away right before the first blow landed but it had an order and it pushed through the normal type attack that was striking it and opened its mouth once more to blast out a gout of flames right into Conkeldurr's face as it pounded away at Mega Houndoom. There was no way to avoid it but Conkeldurr wasn't trying to avoid it anyway.
He knew he couldn't win this now; the poison made it clear, but he'd landed a serious blow with the Hammer Arm and this hit would help as they still had Aerodactyl who had one big benefit that had yet to be uses. Therefore, Conkeldurr would give his all to make sure that it was easier on Aerodactyl and ensure victory in Ash's toughest battle to date.
That was why he'd pushed through the fire and poison to land Chip Away but as the third Flamethrower engulfed him, Conkeldurr knew that it was too much. He might have been able to last had his opponent not been Mega Evolved but he couldn't and has he drew his fists back after his attack ended he fainted, the fire still washing over him, to crash back to the ground and lie on his back, arms spread and swirls for eyes but a smile on his face as the Flamethrower ended knowing he'd given it his all to win this for Ash.
"Conkeldurr is unable to battle." The announcer declared raising his red flag to Ash's side as Conkeldurr's image went gray on the screen. "Mega Houndoom is the winner."
"Conkeldurr return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon and looking at the Poke Ball in his hand as Mega Houndoom moved to stand in front of Malva and get ready for the final matchup of the battle. "You did great buddy, landed some strong hits there and those will count in the end. It's time to win this though and seeing as Malva's giving her all, it's time for our all as well."
"Folks this is it, one Pokémon left each and we are on the edges of our seats to see if one of the Elite Four will lose a match for the first time in 5 years." The announcer said as Ash put away Conkeldurr's Poke Ball and pulled out Aerodactyl's for the second time in the battle. "And we saw that Mega Stone so this will be really good. Who will win? It all comes down to this."
"Yes, it does Ash." Malva called out. "You've really impressed me but as you saw, my Houndoom is my best and easily handled a fighting type Pokémon, we can handle a rock and flying type just as well. Let's see if you can counter than with your Aerodactyl."
"I will because it's time to finally use this in battle." Ash said as he tossed out Aerodactyl's Poke Ball. "Aerodactyl, come back out and use Rock Slide."
"A distraction to ensure Mega Evolution, not bad." Malva said as Aerodactyl burst from his Poke Ball with a roar and suddenly the rocks were sliding out of the air the moment that Aerodactyl could use his attack. "Houndoom, dodge it and then when it's done Mega Evolving use Dark Pulse."
Mega Houndoom barked in agreement at that as the rocks began to fall. Ash had to admit, it was a good strategy to counter his own distraction and set up a solid ranged attack that Aerodactyl was neither weak nor resistant to but he was going to still use it and then show what his own Mega Pokémon could do.
"For the first time in battle, break past your max Aerodactyl and Mega Evolve!" Ash said as he touched the Key Stone on the back of the glove on his left hand. "Then evade the Dark Pulse with Wing Attack and use it to hit Mega Houndoom."
Aerodactyl roared as the red glow of Mega Energy shot form the Key Stone on Ash's hand to his Mega Stone on his back, connecting before he too glowed with red light. They'd done this in training to prove it could be done and now it was time to finally do it in battle as Aerodactyl began to change.
The growth was minimal and barely noticeable as Aerodactyl changed with his Mega Evolution, what wasn't was the spikes of rock that formed. They formed on from the horn things on the back of his head and feet, his lower mandible, chest, one on his back, three on his tail, the top of his jaw on either side, and his clawed hands turned into them.
As part of the change his head became narrower and the tail end smaller but the big thing was the rock spikes that seemed to make him more aggressive when the changed occurred. However, his love for Ash allowed him to use that positively as he roared and the change ended.
As with Mega Houndoom, Mega Aerodactyl's coloration remained pretty much the same though he was a little darker on the body and the undersides of his wings were a richer purple but that was it. However, people didn't have much time to take this in as the Mega Evolution ended at the at the same time the Rock Slide ended so Mega Houndoom, who'd skillfully avoided the as it had been raining down, was able to get into position to open its mouth and blast out the beam of black rings that was the dark type attack Dark Pulse.
Mega Aerodactyl had his orders though and as soon as he was done changing he flew forward in the air before he turned and dove as fast as he could, which was faster now that he'd been Mega Evolved, at Mega Houndoom as the attack came for him, Mega Houndoom strafing it to try and hit Mega Aerodactyl who's wings were now glowing with flying type power. Rather than fly to the side though to fly ahead of it, though, Mega Aerodactyl pivoted on his left wing to barrel roll over the attack as he dove so that it shot past as he continued to dive at a now worried Mega Houndoom.
Mega Houndoom had good reason to be worried as the Dark Pulse ended right as Mega Aerodactyl was on it so there was no way to avoid it as the left wing of Mega Aerodactyl slammed into the bone like chest protector on Mega Houndoom. It let out a grunt of pain as it was driven back, sliding over the ground as it dug its claws into to prevent itself from being moved too far back to create deep grooves in the ground as it was pushed back.
However, even with the Tough Claws ability that Mega Aerodactyl now had in his Mega Evolution form it wasn't nearly enough to take down Mega Houndoom. Malva saw this and saw her counter right there. This was going to be a tough matchup and one where range was best but she had more moves to counter a Mega Aerodactyl than a Conkeldurr so she was still confident in winning this and it started with a little status affect, if it took like it did before.
"Smog." Malva called out. "Then use Dark Pulse again as soon as you can."
"Use your wings to get high and evade it." Ash said as Mega Aerodactyl finished pushing Mega Houndoom back just as Mega Houndoom opened its mouth. "You can do it; I know you can."
With a bellow, Mega Aerodactyl agreed and flapped his wings hard and fast as the Smog came out. The result was that the poison type attack was pushed down as Mega Aerodactyl rose into the air to evade it by getting above it thus avoiding the attack and the chance of being poisoned. However, there was the second half of the order and Mega Houndoom wasn't going to not use it despite missing as it finished its Smog attack, channeled all its dark thoughts, tilted its head back and unleashed a second Dark Pulse at a rising Mega Aerodactyl.
This time the Dark Pulse flew true and slammed into center of Mega Aerodactyl's chest as he flew up causing him to roar in pain from the hit, though it wasn't super effective thankfully, and flip back in the air trying to get his wings under him and avoid falling to the ground. Despite this, Ash knew that it wasn't enough to take Mega Aerodactyl down and already had a combo he needed that he was sure would win this.
"Ancient Power as you flip back, I know you can land it." Ash said all his trust and faith in his voice. "Then use Rock Slide again."
"Dark Pulse one more time." Malva countered. "We've got this Houndoom, just a little more and the battle is ours!"
Mega Aerodactyl heard his trainer and as he flipped he looked at Mega Houndoom as he drew on the prehistoric power that was Ancient Power. Going into this, Mega Aerodactyl knew he was only here because of the stone on his back and the boost it provided. He hadn't served as long in a region as other Pokémon and he'd only had one notable battle in a Conference quarterfinal so being selected for a team in this challenge was big.
That was why he'd gone through intensive training to get up to standards to uphold Ash's honor and that of the team. Now that he was here, he wasn't going to let any of them down, he was going to show that he deserved this chance as he released the power mid flip.
The ranged rock type attack flew true, a surprise given that Mega Aerodactyl had been flipping at the time, and before Mega Houndoom could finish channeling its dark thoughts for another Dark Pulse the balls of rock type power slammed into its face staggering it and causing it to howl in pain from the super effective attack. That wasn't enough to take it down though and Mega Houndoom shook its head to clear it as it looked up at Aerodactyl and unleashed Dark Pulse it had been preparing.
At the same time, Aerodactyl had gotten himself under control and used Rock Slide. There was no point in dodging the Dark Pulse, he had to focus on landing the Rock Slide in his opening and the rocks began to fall as the rings of darkness were blasted up and at him but Mega Aerodactyl didn't care. He knew that if he landed his Rock Slide then he was certain that he'd win and he could withstand another Dark Pulse, at least he believed he could and that was all he could do at the moment.
In fact, he'd have to believe it as the Dark Pulse shot up and under the falling rocks to slam into his face and flip him back again. This time, though, Mega Aerodactyl wasn't able to get his wings under him and as such he fell out of the air and crashed to the ground.
However, as he fell the rocks landed, crashing down all around Mega Houndoom as it finished its attack so it couldn't escape from the downpour of rock, the impacts of which sent dust and rock debris flying into the air covering the Dark Pokémon so that no one saw the rock that landed squarely on Mega Houndoom's back or hear it's yowl of pain from the supper effective attack as it fell down and the debris covered it.
"What's going on, I can't see." The announcer said as the Rock Slide finished pounding down covering the ground and Mega Aerodactyl slowly got up to his feet but didn't take off just yet as he had to see what the result of his attack had been. "Is it over?"
Both Malva and Ash looked intently at the dust and rock debris as it covered Malva's half of the battlefield as they both waited with baited breath to see what had happened. It took a moment but it finally cleared and the crowd gasped at the sight it revealed.
Lying on its side, covering in rock debris with its tongue out and eyes swirled was Mega Houndoom. The second super effective rock type attack coupled with the two blows it had taken from Conkeldurr, one being super effective in its own right, an ability enhanced Wing Attack and the fact that Mega Houndoom's Solar Power ability increased its ranged power at the cost of health when in sunshine, as was the case at the moment, had been too much for it. As such, right after the rock stuck its back, Mega Houndoom had fainted.
"Mega Houndoom is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Malva's side as the Mega Evolution fell to revert it back to normal though still unconscious as Houndoom's image turned gray on the jumbotron leaving only Aerodactyl's illuminated before he lowered the red flag and raised a green one to Ash's side. "The winner is Mega Aerodactyl. Malva of the Elite Four is out of Pokémon and therefore has lost this battle making the winner the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
At that Mega Aerodactyl extended his wings, tipped his head back, and bellowed triumphantly to the sky. He'd done it, he'd won not just one but two battles including the decisive one to give Ash his greatest victory to date and set him up to continue that tomorrow as he made his way to the ultimate challenge at the end of the all the Elite Four battles while the crowd cheered following what they'd just seen.
"I don't believe it!" The announcer said excitedly as Malva recalled Houndoom. "For the first time since Malva herself managed it, a member of the Kalos Elite Four has lost an official battle to a challenger and folks, it's this is only the first battle of the challenge. This is huge and with three more to come the ramifications aren't yet known but what is known is that Ash Ketchum has won his first battle against one of the Kalos Elite Four!"
"We did it!" Ash said smiling broadly as the crowd continued to cheer and leaping out of his box to run and embrace Aerodactyl who had just returned to normal now that the battle was over so there was no need to remain Mega Evolved. "You were amazing Aerodactyl, all of you were."
Aerodactyl roared in agreement as Ash embraced him and nodded at that. He couldn't have done this without the others. They'd done their part, taken down or weakened the other Pokémon, well other than Talonflame as that had been solely Aerodactyl's doing, and set it up so that at the end, with the aid of his new powerup, Aerodactyl could win the battle and they'd all be celebrating it tonight while also getting ready for the next one.
"You did the best you could, Houndoom." Malva said with a small smile on her face as she looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "Ash really is all that he's cracked up to be and then some it seems, beating me in an official battle is impressive as hell. This is probably for the best in the end seeing as I'm likely to be stripped of my rank for my crimes soon anyway so I can go out with dignity now. Let's congratulate him, he's more than earned this."
With that Malva put the Poke Ball away and still smiling walked out and onto the battlefield, ignoring the scars and rock debris on it from the battle and made her way to Ash as the crowd cheered. As she did Ash turned and noticed her approaching and knew what was coming so he quickly recalled Aerodactyl, they would all celebrate later and use this to motivate tomorrow's team as they prepared for their battle, but for now it was time to end this with the class it deserved.
"You really showed me in that battle why Alain and Sycamore speak so highly of you." Malva said as she reached Ash, confirming that she was a little taller than him, and holding her right hand out to him. "Congratulations on winning, Ash. It's been a while since anyone beat one of us in an official battle that can cost us our membership in the Elite Four if we lose and while you've now earned the right to replace me, you've still got the other three left and you know what will happen if you beat all three so best of luck against them. I look forward to seeing what you can do and if you can beat them just like you beat me."
"Thank you and I intend to; my goal is what happens if I win all four battles and I am going to do everything I can to achieve it." Ash said as he grasped Malva's hand in his and they shook while the crowd cheered at that. "You really pushed me so I can't wait to see what the others manage to do as well."
"Well, they say I'm the weakest so it's only going to get harder from here." Malva said as they ended the handshake. "I'll be watching though, seeing trainers like you reinforce my renewed hope for the future so don't disappoint me."
"I won't." Ash said and Malva nodded before she turned and walked off.
"Well folks that is it for today and what a day it was to start this challenge." The announcer said. "Ash gas defeated Malva in a surprise win and let's see if he can keep it up when he returns tomorrow as he faces the second member of the Kalos Elite Four as determined by last week's random draw. Until tomorrow."
With that the announcer ended and the crowd began to disperse chatting about what they'd just seen. Ash too turned to head out of the stadium and to meet up with Misty and his friends. They had a lot to celebrate but they couldn't do too much and get complacent as Ash still had three more battles that he had to win and he fully intended on doing that. It was time to use this to boost his confidence as he geared up for the next battle of his Kalos Elite Four Challenge and made his final preparations to take on the water specialist, Siebold.
