Part CXCV: Breaking the Wave
Unlike the day before, Ash was already in the zone and ready for what was to come as he stood in the entrance way to the Lumiose Stadium battlefield looking out over it. The battlefield had been repaired after the little damage, mainly caused by Krookodile's Dig, that had occurred to it in his battle with Malva and looked good as new as it prepared for the next battle. It was a new day, a new battle, a new opponent in Ash's Kalos Elite Four Challenge and he was going for his second win in it.
Yesterday, Ash had surprised Kalos, and the world to some extent though few paid close attention to the Elite Four Challenge outside the region it was in as wins were uncommon, when he beat Malva in his first battle. It was the first time in 5 years that a challenger had won one of the battles in the Kalos challenge and had earned Ash the right to claim Malva's spot in the Elite Four when this was over.
While Ash would consider that, and even knew the type he would select as his specialty as a member of the Elite Four if he accepted the spot because it was the one he had the most experience with and one of the ones he could chose so it made the most sense, Ash had a bigger goal in mind. That was what he had to focus on and in order to achieve that goal he needed to keep winning these battles, which was something he fully intended on doing.
That continued with today's battle against the water specialist of the Kalos Elite Four, Siebold. Of all the Elite Four this was the matchup that Ash felt he was the most ready for due to his own experience with water types and the fact that Dawn was here supporting him and she was a specialist herself. Between his oldest friend, along with Misty and the others though in this case Dawn was the main one preparing him, Ash felt fully ready to handle whatever Siebold could throw at him.
To top it all off, Siebold like Malva had a confirmed Mega Pokémon that Alain had faced. It was a Blastoise which was great for Ash as it was one he'd already faced before back in the quarterfinals of the Lumiose Conference when he'd faced Tierno's Mega Blastoise. Of course, Siebold's would be tougher, it had been the only Mega Pokémon to defeat Alain's Mega Charizard which showed how good it was, but Ash was prepared for that as he waited for the moment he'd once again walk out to face a member of the Kalos Elite Four.
There was one other difference today though that differed from yesterday and would differ from the remaining two challenges and that was Pikachu. His best friend, constant partner, and starter Pokémon was on his shoulder just as determined as Ash was for the coming battle. Pikachu was best against water types after all so it was a no brainer that Ash would have his buddy on his team for his battle with Siebold though this would be the only one of the four battles that Pikachu would be a part of.
The rest of his team was also well picked in Ash's mind and they were all trained and ready as the clock ticked over to the time the battle was slated to start. At last the moment came for Ash to walk out and face his second battle of the challenge he'd earned for winning the Lumiose Conference.
"Folks, once again it's time for the moment we've been waiting for and this time we've been even more eager for it following what we saw yesterday." The announcer said as Ash walked out of the entranceway and onto the walkway to his trainer box Pikachu not moving from his spot as the crowd cheered. "For the first time since Malva herself did it, our challenger this year, Ash Ketchum, defeated a member of the Kalos Elite Four in a stunning battle with Malva that we will remember for a long time to come. To top it off, that was just his first battle of the challenge so that begs the question, can Ash do it again? It's been a long time since two members of the Elite Four were beaten in the challenge but it could happen this year."
Ash fully intended on doing just that as the crowd roared and he stepped onto the battlefield and walked into his trainer box his focus solely on the battle to come so he drowned out the crowd as he made his final mental preparations for facing Siebold. It was time for his second win as he kept his goal alive for this challenge.
"We all already know Ash and what he's accomplished to get here as well as the rules so there really isn't more to say on that front." The announcer continued as Ash came to a stop in his trainer box and Pikachu leapt off his shoulder to stand next to him just as ready for the coming battle as Ash was. "And besides, I know you don't want to wait anymore after what Ash did yesterday so there's no point in keeping you waiting any longer. Introducing Ash's opponent for today as determined by the random draw last week, you know him as the head chef of one of Kalos's best restaurants, it's the water type specialist of the Kalos Elite Four; Siebold!"
The crowd roared and Ash got his first look at his second opponent as Siebold walked out of his entrance and onto the walkway, a calm, reserved confidence in his step as he made his way to his own trainer box. To Ash's eyes he looked older than Malva, probably mid 30s if he had to guess, with short light blond hair that was well styled and had a parting over his left eye and as he wasn't wearing sunglasses like Malva did Ash could see his eyes and noted that they were blue.
However, like with Malva, Ash noted that the most striking thing about Siebold was his outfit. The whole thing and how it was his other passion reminded Ash of the Unova Gym Leaders and how all of them had some other profession that they were passionate about with their gyms either being a reflection of it, or at least being known for that other passion that they had since quit in the case of Brycen. However, this was a member of the Kalos Elite Four so a cut above a Gym Leader and Ash took a moment to truly study Siebold as he approached.
The man was true to his other profession as he wore a clean, white, double breasted chef's tunic with white buttons and a high collar that was up and cut in a strange, bulb-like style and came up to the base of his ears The cuffs were just as fancy going all the way to his elbows with a wide ending that was longer on the outside of the arm than the inside and edged with blue. It all made his white pants and shoes unremarkable by comparison.
To complete his look he wore a long, white, chef's apron around his waist that fell to his ankles and was edged in navy blue with a smaller apron over it that was cut in the same style as his collar. Finally, and most strikingly of all, Siebold wore a long ascot thing around his neck that was blue around the neck and the two outer strands over his chest while the inner one was a lighter royal blue.
What caught the eye with ascot though was that it was all held together by a yellow centerpiece at the center of his collar and a clasp of sorts that rested on his chest. Glowing in the center of the clasp was a clear Key Stone showing Ash where it was.
Siebold had a more reserved confidence than Malva had had the day before that Ash felt came with more experience as he came to a stop and stood facing Ash. There was a refinement to him that Ash was certain explained why he ran a high class restaurant but Ash looked past that as he got ready to face his latest opponent.
"I'll admit, I usually don't accept battle requests unless I feel like the trainer is strong but to win the Lumiose Conference you have to be strong so even if you hadn't earned this right I would have indulged a battle request from you should you have made it in my restaurant." Siebold said his voice distinguished to Ash as it carried across the battlefield. "Add in that you beat Malva yesterday and you confirmed your strength not just to me but to all of Kalos. You should know that the last trainer I granted a battle request to was a boy called Alain over a year ago, he had talent but ultimately couldn't beat me, neither could last year's winner. Can you, Ash Ketchum?"
"I'm going to give it my all to do so." Ash said with a grin. "I beat Alain like you did though he couldn't Mega Evolve so my win was less impressive as his Charizard was still weak to water type attacks and as you saw I beat Malva yesterday. I fully intend to keep that streak going."
"Bold words but you must back that up with action." Siebold said with a small smile on his lips. "You may have some impressive wins already but I won't make a final assessment of your strength and potential until you face me."
"Then let's do this." Ash said pulling out a Poke Ball showing that he wasn't going to use Pikachu first. "I'm ready to start this battle."
"As am I." Siebold said with a small nod as he pulled out his own Poke Ball. "So show me that strength that allowed you to best my colleague."
"The combatants are ready and so are we so there's no need to delay this any longer, we're all on the edges of our seats already, let's end the anticipation." The announcer said excitedly as the crowd cheered. "Battle begin."
"Sceptile, I choose you." Ash said sending out his Poke Ball.
"Another Sceptile, I faced one last year that beat two of my Pokémon, though Sawyer's other Pokémon helped out, but its Mega Evolution was its downfall but I see yours doesn't have a Mega Stone so it's not your Mega Pokémon in this battle unless it's hiding it of course." Siebold said intrigued by that as Ash's Sceptile burst from its Poke Ball to land before Siebold as he threw out his own Poke Ball, without it Mega Evolving and adding a dragon type he'd have to change things up for handling it but that was fine with Siebold he was looking forward to the challenge. "Barbaracle, go."
"We know how to handle that." Ash said with a grin as the rock and water Pokémon native to Kalos and which Ash had faced once before back in his battle against Max in the semifinals of the Lumiose Conference burst from Siebold's Poke Ball to stand before him as the images of Sceptile and Barbaracle appeared in the hexagons on the jumbotron that were next to Ash and Siebold's images. "Sceptile, Bullet Seed."
"Dodge that and get in close." Siebold said as the battle began with Sceptile opening his mouth and blasting out the seeds of his grass type attack. "Against a grass type we are at a significant disadvantage but that is not something we can't handle; you know what to do Barbaracle."
"Keep it up." Ash said as Barbaracle ran forward and to the side to evade the Bullet Seed. "Land it, I know you can Sceptile."
Siebold just remained calm and collected as Barbaracle ran and showed impressive agility and mobility for a bipedal Pokémon as it evaded not just the first but two more subsequent Bullet Seed attacks as it zigzagged across the battlefield to get in close to Sceptile while puffs of dirt were kicked up from where the missed seeds struck the ground behind it. The moment the Collective Pokémon was close enough to Sceptile, Siebold called out the move Barbaracle had to deal with his biggest weakness in grass type Pokémon.
"X-Scissor." Siebold said as soon as Barbaracle was in range.
There was no way for Sceptile to dodge it as he'd just finished his third Bullet Seed and Barbaracle was in close enough to leap, all four of the claws on its hands glowing before it raked them in a pair of Xs over Sceptile's face and chest. Sceptile let out a wail of pain at that as he recoiled from the super effective attack that was made even stronger by Barbaracle's Tough Claws ability and took a step back as Barbaracle pressed its advantage in close quarters.
However, Ash knew that Sceptile wasn't out yet of the fight by a long shot and he had just the counter with one of Sceptile's new moves that they'd gone for as part of the training for this match. Well that and more importantly for future ones should Ash ever get a Sceptilite stone.
"Dual Chop." Ash said as Sceptile rocked back from the hit. "And then press with Leaf Blade."
"Counter with X-Scissor." Siebold said still perfectly calm as Sceptile used his momentum to suddenly rock forward, hands glowing with dragon type power. "Don't let that Leaf Blade hit."
"You can do it, just as we trained." Ash said as the Dual Chop landed squarely on the center of Barbaracle's chest before it could activate its X-Scissor again and staggering it back with a grunt of pain at the dragon type attack that it was neither weak nor resistant to. "You've got this Sceptile."
"Tile!" Sceptile agreed as he pressed forward the leaves on his forearms merging and extending into curved blades that glowed green with grass type power as Barbaracle recovered from the hit and its claws glowed again with bug type power.
There was always a chance that this could be an attack that Sceptile faced in this battle, along with numerous other close combat attacks of types he might be weak to, and so Sceptile and Ash had trained to handle such a move with Leaf Blade. Rather than go for the strike right away he got his left arm up to if front of his face and kept his right low over his chest as he intercepted the two X-Scissors with his own Leaf Blade.
Sceptile would have preferred to do what he did to that Scizor in Kanto a while back and have one free blade to counter as the two attacks clashed with a boom and the Pokémon locked up in a struggle of strength but alas he couldn't what with Barbaracle having four arms not two so he had to intercept both attacks. Instead, Sceptile just roared as he used his strength and the surprise of his block to push forward and break the X-Scissor which staggered Barbaracle back.
The moment he did Sceptile kept Leaf Blade active as he leapt forward and spun in a diagonal barrel roll in front of Barbaracle so that the two blades scored clean diagonal slashes across its chest one after the other. Both of Barbaracle's types were weak to grass type attacks which was why a Pokémon like Sceptile was the worst kind of matchup for one and Ash pressed that advantage as Barbaracle roared and staggered back while Sceptile landed facing it and mouth already open in preparation for the next move.
"Bullet Seed." Ash said.
"Stone Edge." Siebold countered quietly impressed with what Ash had done as the grass type attack burst from Sceptile's mouth. "Disrupt it as that attack won't do much to a Sceptile."
Alas for Barbaracle it couldn't as Sceptile had already been ready so he got the move off before Barbaracle could and the seeds slammed into the center of Barbaracle's chest staggering it back even more as it wailed in pain from the hit. Two ultra effective attacks were hard to endure but Siebold was a member of the Elite Four, his Barbaracle was tough and managed to withstand it as it came to a stop and fell to a knee to slam one of its palms into the ground to activate Stone Edge while also steading itself. However, Ash knew that it was on its last legs and pressed his advantage.
"Leap over that and end this with Dual Chop." Ash said knowing that one more hit that Barbaracle wasn't resistant to would win the matchup as the stones erupted from the ground in a line that instantly shot at Sceptile. "You can do it Sceptile, I know it."
"Tile." Sceptile said with a nod as he tensed his legs and then dashed forward an at the erupting stones.
It would take timing but Sceptile considered himself to be one of Ash's strongest, he certainly had one of the best wins with that win over a Darkrai that no other Pokémon in Sinnoh had beaten though he did credit Heracross, Torkoal, and Gible for assisting him immensely in the win, so he could do something like this. To be a top tier Pokémon you had to be able to pull off Ash's crazy ideas and this was no less of one which Sceptile would show he could do.
With this Sceptile also intended on showing how good he was with this move to win the battle. However, Sceptile wanted more wins in this battle to boost his cred and he fully planned on doing that to secure his spot in the upper echelons of Ash's Pokémon, maybe even challenge the likes of Charizard and Greninja one day as the top grass type starter Ash had.
As such, Sceptile leapt over the approaching stones with a flip that surprised even Siebold as he infused dragon type power into his hands. All Barbaracle could do was look up as his Stone Edge ended, the eyes in the hand that was its head wide in shock as Sceptile finished his flip and hit Barbaracle in the face with Dual Chop before using it to flip over Sceptile and land on the ground on the other side with his back to Barbaracle as the blow forced Barbaracle to lean back.
Sceptile didn't need to look back to know that he'd won as the stones crumbled away. Barbaracle was well past his limit after taking two grass type attacks and two Dual Chops. Still, the Collective Pokémon remained on one knee for a moment before it collapsed backwards with a groan to land on its back, limps splayed with palms up and all its eyes swirls.
"Barbaracle is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Siebold's side as Barbaracle's image grayed on the screen and Sceptile moved back so that his opponent's trainer could recall it. "Sceptile is the winner."
"Alright Sceptile, well done." Ash said with a grin. "Want to take a break?"
"Tile." Sceptile said with a shake of his head, he wanted to remain in this fight and continue to show his worth with another win as multiple wins in a battle of this magnitude would look good and he'd prefer to be at his best to face a Mega Pokémon even if he had an advantage over it so better to set it all up than to lose without doing more to help his team out.
"Alright then stay in." Ash said. "I know you can keep this up."
"Barbaracle return." Siebold said surprised Ash wasn't subbing out but using the moment to get his thoughts together and decide who to use next as he looked at Barbaracle's Poke Ball. "You did well even against such a tough matchup, well done. Rest, we'll win the next one. Ash's strategy is quite confident, I'll give him that, but this is a four on four battle so confidence alone can't win it."
"I'm more than ready for this battle." Ash said as Siebold put the Poke Ball away and pulled out his next one. "Of all the Elite Four you were the one I could best prepare for."
"Water is the most common type so that makes sense that you were ready for what I have to offer but I'll show you why I'm the only water type specialist in an Elite Four and considered by many to be the second best in the world after Wallace due to him being a Champion at one point." Siebold said as he tossed out his next Poke Ball and used a move to lock the battle in right away. "Starmie, Dazzling Gleam."
"Power through that and use Bullet Seed." Ash said as the Poke Ball burst and the familiar purple, multi-point star shaped water and psychic type Pokémon appeared and suddenly glowed with a bright white light the moment it was out while Starmie's image appeared on the jumbotron in Siebold's second Pokémon slot. "You can do it."
"Tile." Sceptile said with a grunt of pain from the hit but he pushed through it to open his mouth, eyes closed right before the attack went off to keep his vision when it ended, and ready for the counter.
"Light Screen." Siebold said as the light faded and Sceptile open his eyes to make sure he was on target before he blasted out the Bullet Seed across the battlefield.
However, before the Buller Seed could reach Starmie a wall of light appeared before Starmie that intercepted the seeds a moment later. It didn't stop them but rather mitigated their impact as the defensive move reduced ranged attacks by 50% so that when the seeds hit the glowing gem in the center of Starmie it was as if the attack had been normally effective rather than super effective like they should be. Ash knew that he'd have to get up close and personal to win this one and did so with his next move.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade." Ash ordered. "Push through anything that is sent at you."
"Slow it down and disorientate Sceptile with Dazzling Gleam." Siebold ordered as Sceptile charged as fast as he could the leaves on his forearms once again merging into the blades of Leaf Blade. "Then send it back with Surf to keep it at range. We won't let this Sceptile beat more than one of our team Starmie."
Sceptile knew that he wouldn't get to Starmie before it could unleash another Dazzling Gleam, one of the advantages of a ranged attack over a contact one, but he made sure to keep an eye on the water and psychic type as it glowed before he closed his eyes to avoid being blinded. What Sceptile didn't do was stop running as he was going to power through the hit to be in close enough to land his own attack.
While Sceptile couldn't avoid the hit, he at least wasn't weak to fairy type attacks, though he wasn't resistant either, so he could take it. The important thing was that the blinding light enabled him to get in close enough so that when the attack ended and the battlefield could be seen again he was almost on top of Starmie so there was no way to dodge as he slashed it with his Leaf Blade attack.
Starmie let out a sound of pain as it was blasted back by both of Sceptile's blades hitting it, flipping in the air to land on its prongs before it unleash a wave of water that crashed down onto Sceptile because of the distance between them. The advantage of getting close to land the Leaf Blade was that he could land the attack and bypass the damage mitigation offered by Light Screen but being close meant that he couldn't avoid the crash of the wave that landed on him.
The pressure of it smashed Sceptile into the ground to bounce off it and into the air though the damage was minimal as he was resistant to that attack. Besides, Ash was already prepared to keep fighting as Sceptile was far from out of this fight.
"Bullet Seed." Ash said.
"Dazzling Gleam." Siebold countered as Sceptile opened his mouth.
The seeds were already shooting out and at Starmie as Starmie glowed. The result was Starmie taking the seeds to its red gem thing though the Light Screen was still up but they hit as Starmie was glowing so Dazzling Gleam also hit as Sceptile crashed to the ground doing more damage to him and it was all adding up so that Sceptile wasn't sure how much more he could take in this battle.
Ash had shielded his eyes but he was certain that Sceptile was still in the fight, he had to be. As such he was already calling out his next order as the light was dimming.
"Leaf Blade." Ash said.
"Stop it with Psychic." Siebold said having bided his time but now he was going to end it for sure with an attack that would prevent a contact hit. "And toss it back, that should do it for Sceptile."
The light ended but as it did it revealed that Sceptile was already bearing down on Starmie with Leaf Blade active having heard Ash's order and doing so as Dazzling Gleam was ongoing. He was closing in on the end of his rope, Sceptile knew that, but he still had some left in the tank as he charged one more time. This time however, he didn't get to Starmie as Starmie glowed blue with Psychic before grabbing Sceptile in its psychic hold and holding stopping him mere feet from Starmie with his Leaf Blade already swinging around as Sceptile also glowed blue.
This could be it but Ash and Sceptile would fight to the end and even as Starmie prepared to throw Sceptile back and defeat him, Ash gave one more order as the Leaf Blade ended. He wasn't sure if the Light Screen was still active but even if it was, it would do some damage and Ash's plan for what came next would quickly end Starmie before it could get off another attack.
"Bullet Seed." Ash said. "That hold may have stopped you but it can't prevent a ranged attack."
"Throw Sceptile back." Siebold ordered. "It's done in this battle."
This time, however, Starmie wasn't fast enough as Sceptile opened his mouth in the hold and unleashed the Bullet Seed. It was similar to how Ash and Charizard had used Flamethrower to counter Kenny's Mega Alakazam's Psychic a while back during that destructive battle only with a grass type attack and at this distance there was no way for Starmie to avoid it as the seeds slammed into its gem causing it to stagger back again and end its psychic hold on Sceptile.
This was the last turn of Light Screen so the damage was still mitigated but it was all adding up and as Sceptile hit the ground and collapsed, the Psychic had finally pushed him past his limits and he'd fainted the moment it ended, Ash knew that his Pokémon had done enough to ensure the win. All he had to do now was to be quick as Sceptile lay on his chest, mouth open and swirls for eyes.
"Sceptile is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a flag to Ash's side as Sceptile's image went gray on the jumbotron and Ash pulled out Sceptile's Poke Ball. "Starmie is the winner."
"Sceptile, return, you fought well and now we will win this matchup as well all thanks to the effort you put in." Ash said recalling and shrinking the ball as he pointed out to the battlefield. "Pikachu, I choose you. Quick Attack!"
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as he leapt out onto the battlefield as Starmie recovered and instantly activated Quick Attack and shot at Starmie as his image appeared on the jumbotron while Starmie was locked into the battle. "Pi, Pikachu!"
"Starmie, Dazzling Gleam." Siebold said as Pikachu ran. "Ash did well to keep you in but you're strong, you can endure a Quick Attack."
Starmie made a sound as it got ready and Pikachu shot at it. It wasn't sure if it could get the attack off before Pikachu hit but it would manage it afterwards if it couldn't. For his part Pikachu was more than ready for this, of all the Pokémon that Siebold could choose, Starmie was one of the worst as both Pikachu and Ash had had extensive training against, and knowledge of, a Starmie thanks to Dawn's.
Even with that, though, Pikachu wouldn't be able to avoid the Dazzling Gleam after his Quick Attack hit unless his ability triggered. Part of the advantage of using a move like Quick Attack was that it allowed for the chance of Static triggering and as Pikachu slammed headfirst into the gem on Starmie and further staggered it back that was just what happened.
It wasn't noticeable at first but as Starmie set to glow with Dazzling Gleam it suddenly sparked with electricity and couldn't move while it let out a sound of pain at what was going on. Both Ash and Siebold knew what that meant and Ash was the first to capitalize on that.
"Thunderbolt!" Ash said.
"Endure and counter with Psychic." Siebold said as Pikachu's cheeks sparked.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu roared as he unleashed his favorite attack as he landed on the ground following a bounce back from the hit.
The electric type attack flew fast and true and slammed into Starmie's gem in a matter of seconds. Rather than blast it back, the hit caused Starmie to fry where it was. To add to it all Starmie no longer had the damage mitigation of Light Screen so without it up anymore the attack was fully super effective.
Between that, a super effective Leaf Blade, and three standard Bullet Seeds due to Light Screen, Starmie was past its limit. As such, when the attack ended it keeled over backwards to hit the ground with a soft thud, smoke rising of it, its purple points singed in places and the gem no longer lit which was the sign that Starmie had been knocked out.
"Starmie is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Siebold's side. "Pikachu is the winner."
"Starmie return." Siebold said. "You did well but an ability like Static triggering is a wildcard all battles must deal with, and unfortunately your ability isn't the one that cures status problems when switched out, so it wasn't your fault it ended like that."
"Pikachu, return and take a break." Ash said the moment that Starmie was recalled into its Poke Ball. "You earned it after that."
"Smart, avoiding the chance I might send out and attack with a ground type move." Siebold said as Pikachu scampered back and he put Starmie's Poke Ball away and pulled out his third. "You're certainly strong but I still have two more and they're only going to get stronger from here. Can you handle that, Ash?"
"I can." Ash said as Pikachu reached his side and the moment his buddy was off the battlefield Ash pulled out his third Poke Ball. "And I'll show you with my next Pokémon. Leavanny, I choose you."
"Clawitzer, go." Siebold said a second later after Ash tossed out his Poke Ball as he threw out his own. "Another grass type but this one has a bug type as well, interesting."
The Poke Balls burst open at almost the same time and Ash's fully evolved Unovan bug and grass type landed on his feet before him with a slight sing of his name while the fully evolved Kalos water type with the oversized right claw that Ash had yet to face landed before Siebold. Ash had trained against Dawn's Clauncher, though, so he understood the Pokémon a little from that but Dawn's goal of trying to evolve Clauncher by training with Ash hadn't come to fruition so he only knew what he'd researched about Clawitzer should he face one.
Usually in a situation like this Ash would use his Pokedex to get a description of Clawitzer but he didn't have the time to do that today. Today he had to fight and win this battle as the images of Leavanny and Clawitzer appeared on the screen.
"Razor Leaf." Ash said.
"Block it with Dark Pulse." Siebold said calmy as the Leavanny flicked his arms and a pair of spinning leaves shot out and at Clawitzer. "Unlike Static, your Mega Launcher ability is always active with pulse attacks."
"So this will be a ranged battle." Ash muttered as the dark rings of Dark Pulse shot out from Clawitzer's claw showing that that was where the attacks came from. "Makes sense with an ability like that. Let's see what else you've got. Energy Ball."
Ash's order came as the Dark Pulse hit the attacking Razor Leaf and the two ranged attacks exploded as they neutralized each other. As they did, though, Leavanny formed the ball of grass type power in his mouth and shot it out at Clawitzer despite the smoke obscuring them from each other. Siebold smiled at that, it wasn't a bad move but he was already ready for it.
"Dragon Pulse." Siebold said. "Block it again."
It was as Ash expected, another pulse attack that was boosted by Mega Launcher, and Clawitzer fired off the dragon type pulse attack at the smoke a moment after Leavanny's Energy Ball. Siebold had maximized Clawitzer's ability by teaching it pulse attacks which meant that it almost certainly had Water Pulse as well as that move also benefited from the same type advantage.
All that was fine with Ash and as the Dragon Pulse hit the Energy Ball despite the smoke in the way which caused another explosion that blew away the smoke entirely. Ash was going to win this no matter what advantages Siebold was using so he gave his order the moment that he could as he adapted his strategy to face what he knew, or suspected he knew, Clawitzer had at its disposal.
"Get in close and use X-Scissor." Ash said. "We need to get up close and personal in this battle."
"Leavanny." Leavanny sang as he rushed at Clawitzer, his arm things glowing with bug type power as he did.
"Stop it with Aura Sphere." Siebold said. "It won't do much to Leavanny but it will stop it and keep this battle at range."
"Use X-Scissor and cut through it!" Ash called out. "And then push on to Clawitzer. You can't dodge a move like Aura Sphere so that's the next best option. You can do it Leavanny."
"Leavanny." Leavanny said as he got his arms ready as Clawitzer launched the ball of blue fighting type power from its massive right claw.
Leavanny was determined to manage this and get up close to Clawitzer so that he couldn't miss, be blocked, or dodged. Leavanny's status amongst the others had been boosted by his participation in the Indigo Final, that had been a prestigious selection and he'd done well on finishing off a Rhyperior that Gengar had weakened and landing some solid hits on a Magcargo that it was really weak too, but they'd lost in the end and Leavanny had been sad for that.
He loved Ash and was really close with his trainer, his second evolution was friendship based after all making him the first of Ash's Pokémon to evolve that way, as well as all the Pokémon who had joined Ash both before and after Leavanny had. He wasn't going to let his trainer and friends down again, not in such an important match as he got his arms up and crossed them in time to take on the Aura Sphere with his X-Scissor.
Leavanny didn't stop running as he slashed his arms in an X shape that cut through the Aura Sphere and destroyed it with a boom as Leavanny's arms came to his side the X-Scissor no longer active. It had cost him his attack but it hadn't slowed Leavanny down as he continued to press on towards his opponent so that he was now close enough to a surprised Clawitzer not to miss the next attack or have it blocked with one of its pulse attacks if Ash was fast enough. He was.
"Energy Ball." Ash called out.
"Dark Pulse." Siebold said his estimation of Ash going up again after how he handled Aura Sphere to avoid it not only blasting back Leavanny but also getting past it without being slowed at all as Leavanny formed the ball of grass type power in his mouth. "You can't miss from this range."
Clawitzer agreed but as it got its negative thoughts in order the Energy Ball was blasted at him, Leavanny running after it to keep getting close for any follow up attacks that Ash may call. Clawitzer didn't have the time to get the attack off before the super effective grass type attack hit it in the face and exploded causing Clawitzer to rear up in pain, its claw going high as a result and its training the only thing keeping Clawitzer from falling over because of it. This was an opening that Ash wasn't going to pass up as Leavanny got in close combat range.
"X-Scissor." Ash called out. "We've got this."
"Dodge and use Dark Pulse." Siebold said as Leavanny's arms glowed with bug type power again.
Clawitzer could do one of those things and it wasn't the first one. Leavanny was too close to dodge a contact attack and leapt at the rearing Clawitzer, arms glowing with bug type power that he slashed across Clawitzer's exposed underbelly in an X shape. Clawitzer groaned in pain but it wasn't weak to the attack so it rolled with it and got its massive claw down and right in front of Leavanny, open and glowing black where it launched its attacks from. There was no way Leavanny could avoid what came next as the rings of darkness were blasted out.
The Dark Pulse slammed into Leavanny and blasted him back and up with a wail of pain from an attack that did average damage to it, well enhanced average thanks to Clawitzer's Mega Launcher ability. Still, as Leavanny was being blasted back Ash was acting and this was a classic situation all his Pokémon with ranged attacks prepared for when they were knocked back but still in the fight.
"Razor Leaf." Ash said.
"Dragon Pulse." Siebold ordered as Leavanny sliced his arms while still in the air.
Before Clawitzer could get off the Dragon Pulse, and before Leavanny crashed into the ground on Ash's side of the battlefield, two spinning, razor sharp, leaves shot out and spun at Clawitzer. This time the Razor Leaf landed with both of them going under Clawitzer's massive claw and slamming into the side of its body that staggered it to a side with a wail of pain from the super effective attack as Leavanny hit the ground on Ash's side but didn't roll or bounce off it.
"Now use Energy Ball." Ash said pressing his advantage.
Leavanny didn't bother to get off the ground for that, he just lifted his head off it as he turned to face Clawitzer while he formed the ball of grass type power in it before shooting it out and at Clawitzer as Clawitzer was recovering. Only after the move did Leavanny slowly start to get to his feet but as he was doing that Clawitzer recovered, noticed the move, and fired off the Dragon Pulse at Leavanny before the Energy Ball could hit it.
The result was that the Dragon Pulse had been blasted out at a higher elevation than the Energy Ball that was basically just skimming the surface of the ground due to how low to the ground Leavanny had been when he'd shot it out. As such, the Dragon Pulse passed over the Energy Ball, which hit Clawitzer in the face and caused it rear up again. However, a second later the Dragon Pulse hit Leavanny in the face as he was on his hands and knees and sent him flipping back with a wail to crash into the ground in front of Ash.
"I know you can do it Leavanny." Ash said encouragingly. "Use Razor Leaf and make sure it can't be blocked, we've got this."
"Water Pulse." Siebold said confirming that he had that move.
Leavanny and Clawitzer had both taken a good few hits but Leavanny knew that he was in better shape thanks to not taking super effective attacks and he'd heard the love in his trainer's voice so he used that to raise to his feet and slice his arms in the air as Clawitzer landed back from its rear, panting and clearly near the end of its ropes. This time though, as Leavanny sliced his arms he curved the Razor Leaf that shot out causing the leaves to crisscross as they flew so that he could do as Ash said and make sure that his Razor Leaf hit.
Clawitzer wasn't giving up either, however, and the water formed in its massive claw before it blasted out its Water Pulse attack. The angle was such that this time the attacks would collide like they had with the first two attacks of the battle but thanks to the curved throwing the leaves crossed right before the water would have hit them so that it passed between them and then crossed again behind the end of the Water Pulse.
As such, the Water Pulse hit Leavanny in the chest first and staggered him back a step. A moment later, though, the two leaves of his Razor Leaf struck Clawitzer with one on the side of its face and the other its massive claw.
While Leavanny was only staggered thanks to his resistance to water type attacks, and glad that the confusion side effect didn't trigger though Ash was already ready to recall Leavanny if he got the opportunity to do so to clear the confusion had it triggered, Clawitzer wasn't so lucky. The Howitzer Pokémon had already taken three super effective attacks and a standard effective one, the fourth super effective attack was too much for it to handle and it let out a long, soft, wail as Leavanny regained his footing before it crumpled to the side with swirls for eyes.
"Clawitzer is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Siebold's side as Clawitzer's image grayed on the jumbotron. "Leavanny is the winner."
"Clawitzer return, you did well but that Leavanny is strong and Ash's tactics in that matchup were out of the box." Siebold said. "Take a rest. My last Pokémon will really show Ash why I'm in the Elite Four. He may have been ready for me and prepared so that he got this far but he won't go any further."
"Leavanny, return." Ash said recalling Leavanny the moment he could. "Take a break, you earned it. We're almost there so I may need you later but it will take all we have to beat Siebold's last so I want you rested and ready for it should I need you to face it."
"I'll admit, I'm impressed." Siebold said as he put away Clawitzer's Poke Ball and pulled out his last one. "You've bested three of my four Pokémon for this match and only lost one but as I said my last Pokémon is my best and this isn't enough for me to consider that I'm down yet either, you've got to really push me for me to use my Key Stone."
"Oh I know." Ash said pointing out to the battlefield again. "But I'm ready for it. Pikachu, it's your turn again."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said bounding out to stand in front of Ash ready for the matchup they'd all known was coming. "Pi, Pikachu."
"Smart, you're keeping your last Pokémon in reserve and as you've not yet shown which of your Pokémon has a Mega Stone, I am certain you have a Mega Evolution capable Pokémon left to use and given my specialty it's not going to be that Aerodactyl from yesterday, you're saving it." Siebold said as he tossed out the Poke Ball. "Not a bad strategy, gives you a chance to assess my Pokémon but I assure you, my Blastoise will be all you expect and more."
Ash grinned at that, this was the Pokémon he was expecting and the one that he'd had experience against as the Poke Ball burst open and a Blastoise burst out to land in front of Siebold with a roar as its image appeared in Siebold's final slot. It was clearly a strong one, easily the strongest that Ash had ever seen in fact, and it had a leather headpiece thing that had the Mega Stone Ash expected set into it on Blastoise's forehead but he was ready for it. He'd trained hard to be ready for Siebold and he wasn't going to lose now.
"Hydro Pump." Siebold said.
"Dodge that with Quick Attack and then use a second to strike the moment that you can." Ash said as he started his matchup against Siebold's final Pokémon. "Show off your speed Pikachu."
"Pikachu." Pikachu said as Blastoise lent forward and blasted out two high powered jets of water from the cannons sticking out of his shell.
However, before the water could get near Pikachu he'd shot off to the side to avoid it in a diagonal line so that he could get closer to Blastoise as well as avoiding the attack at the same time. The result was the water hitting where Pikachu had been before Blastoise moved its body to try and catch Pikachu with the remaining water from the attack but he outran them with his speed. The moment that the Hydro Pump ended, Pikachu turned on a dime and shot at Blastoise, activating a second Quick Attack the moment that he could.
Siebold realized that between Pikachu's speed and how close it had gotten with the dodge that Blastoise wouldn't be able to hit it. It was obvious to him that this Pikachu was well trained, so rather than try to avoid the hit he got ready for a counter. As strong as Ash's Pikachu might be it was still a Pikachu and his Blastoise was his strongest, all he had to do was land a few good hits and he'd beat Pikachu and force Ash to use his final, likely Mega Evolution capable, Pokémon.
"Power-Up Punch." Siebold said as Pikachu closed in. "Time it right."
"Blastoise." Blastoise rumbled as he clenched his right fist just as Pikachu leapt at him ready to execute his trainer's orders.
A moment later the Mouse Pokémon slammed his head into Blastoise's chin but that didn't even stagger him and with Static not triggering unlike with Starmie there was no worry about a potential paralyzing effect as Pikachu fell to the ground ready to press his attack. He didn't manage that as the moment the opening was there Blastoise roared and punched out, slamming his fist into Pikachu's gut as Pikachu was still in the air with the fighting type move and blasting him up and back. Of course, Ash wasn't idle to this.
"Electroweb." Ash said. "Ensnare Blastoise."
"Blast it away with Hydro Pump and then follow it up with Skull Bash." Siebold said as Pikachu flipped in the air and sent out the web of electricity at Blastoise as he flew back through the air.
"Use Thunderbolt as soon as you can." Ash said as Blastoise looked up at the Electroweb and his cannons shifted to make sure he had the shot before he blasted out the powerful water type attack right at the center of Pikachu's Electroweb.
The force of Blastoise's Hydro Pump slammed into and then through the Electroweb destroying it and sending water high into the sky as the electric type attack dissipated harmlessly into the air the moment its structure was destroyed. Then, as soon as the Hydro Pump ended, Blastoise lowered his head and pushed off the ground his skull aiming at the still falling Pikachu.
Naturally Pikachu wasn't idle either and his cheeks were sparking even before Blastoise pushed off the ground knowing that he had to land this hit for the sake of the team if nothing else. As such he was able to blast off a bolt of electricity that slammed into Blastoise's shell just below where his head popped out.
Blastoise grunted in pain as he was fried by the Thunderbolt but didn't stop showing how well trained he was as he pushed through the super effective attack that had just hit him. It ended before Blastoise reached Pikachu, skull still lowered but only just as a moment later Blastoise's drove his skull into Pikachu's side to send him back again and keep Pikachu in the air where he'd been since he'd landed his Quick Attack.
"Hydro Pump." Siebold ordered.
"Thunderbolt." Ash said as Blastoise landed and slid a few feet over the ground before coming to a stop, head still lowered and the water already on its way out of his cannons. "You can do it Pikachu!"
Pikachu twisted in the air, he wasn't sure he could take another hit even if it was one he was resistant to as this was one seriously strong Blastoise but he could at least make his defeat help the others as his cheeks sparked and Blastoise sent out his Hydro Pump. A second later Pikachu roared as he blasted off his own Thunderbolt at Blastoise knowing that it would likely take all of Ash's remaining Pokémon to win this matchup so he was doing his part as much as possible.
Had Blastoise been any other water type and used his mouth or a claw like Clawitzer or some other single point of exit for his Hydro Pump, which his Mega Evolution would have actually allowed for, then the moves would have likely collided and canceled each other out and exploded giving both Pokémon a reprieve. However, Blastoise wasn't like other water types and that was shown by what appened as the two attacks where blasted out by the respective Pokémon.
That was because Pikachu's Thunderbolt shot through the middle of the two blasts of water from Blastoise's twin cannons before the blasts could merge right before the full attack slammed into Pikachu's face at full force. Due to that, the Thunderbolt flew true and slammed into the top of Blastoise's head frying him with a second super effective attack.
Blastoise grunted from it remained standing, he could take a few super effective attacks and continue fighting. Pikachu, on the other hand, was blasted back for a third time before he finally hit the ground hard and roll over it.
While Pikachu was strong against water type Pokémon providing they didn't have a good secondary type that resisted or fully negated his electric type attacks, he wasn't resistant to their attacks the way he was against flying type Pokémon. As such, between the Hydro Pump, the Skull Bash, and the Power-Up Punch that had boost Blastoise's subsequent attacks slightly it was too much for the first stage electric type and he fainted before he hit the ground.
As such Pikachu rolled unconscious to Ash's feet before he finally came to a stop on his back and wetly lay there with swirls for eyes. It had been a quick, brutal exchange but while Pikachu had lost he'd made sure to land some hits and in a battle like this it was a team effort so all the damage that he'd inflicted would add up over time.
"Pikachu is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Ash's side of the battlefield as Pikachu's image grayed on the jumbotron and Blastoise backed up to be closer to his trainer. "Blastoise is the winner."
"Well done Pikachu." Ash said with a smile as he picked up his buddy and put him safely to the side in his trainer box, kneeling down as he did to say a few more words to him. "You may have lost but every little helps and that gave us some valuable information about Blastoise. It's strong for sure so it's time to show it the respect that it deserves."
"Ah the Mega Pokémon you have." Siebold said as Ash rose and turned to face Siebold pulling out his final Poke Ball for the battle. "Show me."
"Pidgeot, I choose you." Ash said as he tossed out his Poke Ball without any fanfare before reaching to his Key Stone.
"There it is, Ash's last Pokémon and yes there is the Mega Stone on its leg." The announcer said being heard for the first time in the battle as the crowd roared and Pidgeot's image appeared in the final slot of Ash's hexagon row on the jumbotron. "It seems like Ash can Mega Evolve more than one Pokémon, that's going to make him even harder to predict as I don't think we've seen a trainer who can do that."
"Pidgeot, for the first time in an official battle, break past your max and Mega Evolve." Ash said as he touched the Key Stone set into his glove almost as soon as Pidgeot was out. "There's no point in waiting to use this, not against a Pokémon like that Blastoise."
The moment Ash did the red energy shot out of his Key Stone and the Pidgeotite on Pidgeot's ankle and connected before Pidgeot began to glow red and change. However, unlike with Aerodactyl the day before there wasn't much of a change to Pidgeot though were two noticeable ones that all could see. The first change was that Pidgeot got bigger, most notably with his wings as they seemed to extend a bit and the wingspan increased as he flew showing the increased power in them. In addition his tail also broadened though it wasn't a major change.
The other major change was that his crest got bigger, wilder, and a long, elaborate, strand of it shot out of the front of it right at the center to form an odd cowlick of sorts while a long strand of sorts complete with a ridged center part shot out from his crest and behind Pidgeot until it was past the end of his tail. Then the Mega Evolution faded, and the real change that Pidgeot underwent when he Mega evolved was revealed, his plumage.
Mega Pidgeot was no longer cream and brown but now an off white where the cream was and orange where the brown had been. His large wings were mostly the off white now other than the top part of it and the tops of the end feathers were blue. As were the tips of his tail feathers while the rest were dark pink. That dark pink was also the color of the wild, long strand of his crest, as well as the one out the front and the left quarter while the rest was yellow. All in all, he looked a lot stronger and faster just as he should after being Mega Evolved.
"I've never faced a Mega Pidgeot before." Siebold admitted as the change ended. "Let's see if you can force me to Mega Evolve Blastoise. Blastoise, use Hydro Pump."
"Evade it and use Giga Impact." Ash said as he and Mega Pidgeot dove straight into their first official battle using Mega Evolution, metaphorically and literally. "Then as we practiced, use the air to get away while you recharge."
Mega Pidgeot cawed as Blastoise leveled its cannons on him and shot at his foe as Mega Pidgeot dove down at Blastoise. He had the speed and strength boost now and was going to show it as the water was blasted out and at him. Rather than go with evasive flying, however, Mega Pidgeot flew to the side as he dove and then banked his wing so that he corkscrewed around the Hydro Pump as he closed in on Blastoise and charged at Blastoise with every ounce of power that he had.
The result was a fast, diving, and corkscrewing, Mega Pidgeot that avoided the Hydro Pump and slammed into Blastoise's face with a massive boom that staggered Blastoise back a few steps seconds after the Hydro Pump ended. The force of the impact was such that it rocked Blastoise back onto one foot and almost onto its back.
As this was happening Mega Pidgeot extended his wings and caught the air to get as high as possible while he couldn't move. This was a trick that he'd learned from Gliscor who'd developed it with Ash to deal with the drawback of Giga Impact and hopefully get out of range of a counter though there was only so much that Mega Pidgeot could do without a lot of wind helping him out.
Regardless, it was a good tactic and Siebold noted it but he had the ability to hit that Mega Pidgeot no matter where it went in the air of the battlefield while unable to move and it seemed like it was time to act. He'd been waiting for this, to see if he needed to use it, and it was now clear that Ash had the potential to beat him so Siebold would have to use all he wanted to avoid that.
"Now Blastoise, Ash has shown he's worthy so it's time for our full power." Siebold said as he reached up to his ascot and touched his Key Stone with his left hand. "Mega Evolve and use Dragon Pulse."
Ash couldn't do anything as the red light connected Siebold's Key Stone to Blastoise's Mega Stone and it began to change due to Mega Pidgeot still recovering. This Blastoise was sturdy as hell as it had taken a fair bit of damage and was still standing but right now all Ash could do was watch as for the second time in a battle a Blastoise was Mega Evolved.
At least he knew what to expect as Blastoise changed with the two cannons becoming a massive one on its back and two smaller ones appearing on the backs of its hands on new shells there and its under chin got a pointed protrusion in the center. Add in that there was no change in coloration and other than the new launchers, Blastoise's Mega Evolution wasn't all that remarkable compared to some of the other ones that Ash had seen.
Still, the change didn't take long and the moment that it ended Mega Blastoise roared as he locked onto Mega Pidgeot and blasted off his Dragon Pulse attack from the massive cannon sticking out of its back. Mega Pidgeot was still recovering so his only hope of avoiding it was that he was too high but Mega Blastoise was too strong and the dragon type attack reached him just as he felt like he could move again and slammed into his chest.
Mega Pidgeot let out a cry of pain before he was blasted further up and flipping back before he fell out of the sky. The intensity of the hit, which was boosted by Mega Blastoise's ability changing from Torrent to Mega Launcher upon Mega Evolving so it had the same ability as Clawitzer, was enough to cause Mega Pidgeot to fall from the sky. That was just what Siebold was looking for and he gave his next order as Mega Pidgeot began to fall.
"Skull Bash." Siebold ordered. "Don't let it fall from the sky."
"Twister." Ash counter as Mega Blastoise roared and leapt off the ground, rocketing up and at the falling and disorientated Mega Pidgeot. "I know that you've got the strength to pull it off Pidgeot."
Mega Pidgeot knew that he needed to recover and get the attack off but that had been a serious attack that he'd just taken. Still he focused on getting his wings under him and preparing his Twister attack. Alas, before he could, Mega Blastoise reached him and slammed his skull into Mega Pidgeot's gut blasting him up again and sending him even further backwards.
However, Mega Pidgeot wasn't going to give up that easily. He was one of Ash's oldest Pokémon having been with him since basically the start of Ash's journey to becoming a Pokémon Master, even if he'd spent a few years as a wild Pokémon after he evolved, and one of only a few with a Mega Stone which carried an extra responsibility of being selected for a battle given what Mega Evolution could provide.
That had for him in this battle even if he didn't have any advantages over Mega Blastoise as he also wasn't weak to Mega Blastoise. Therefore, he wasn't going to let Ash and the others down by losing this.
It took all his skill and training to pull it off but Mega Pidgeot showed it as he got his wings out and stabilized himself long enough to bring them together several times to whip up a vicious hurricane that he sent at Mega Blastoise who was still falling back to the ground following the Skull Bash attack. He wasn't going to miss this and this should do it.
"Dragon Pulse." Siebold said as Mega Pidgeot beat his wings. "Use the angle to land it."
Mega Blastoise roared as the tornado of dragon type power was blasted down at him and he blasted off his own dragon type attack to moment that it was ready. Thanks to the angle he was able to move his cannon down a bit and send out his Dragon Pulse so that it flew under the Twister and to where Mega Pidgeot was falling back to as he finished his attack.
This was just in time as a second later Twister slammed into Mega Blastoise and the vicious tornado that was Twister tore at him as it engulfed him before he was blasted down to land on his back with a boom on the ground that kicked up a lot of dust when the hit ended. As he fell, though, he saw the Dragon Pulse land, striking Mega Pidgeot under the jaw as he finally stabilized himself in the air following the two hits he'd taken.
For his part Mega Pidgeot hadn't been able to avoid it and was sent flipping back from hit before he too fell out of the air and crashed down to the ground to land hard on the battlefield on Ash's side so that both Mega Pokémon were on the ground at the same time. It had been an impressive display of precision and power from both Pokémon and there was a brief moment as both Pokémon lay there while every waited to see if either, or both, were out of the fight following what had just happened.
Usually Mega Pidgeot would be able to go on after three hits from moves he wasn't weak or resistant to but the boost that Mega Blastoise had from its ability coupled with that Power-Up Punch power up from earlier was too much for him. So, as he tried to get up his strength failed and he fell back to the side as he passed out with swirls for eyes.
The same couldn't be said for Mega Blastoise who slowly rolled onto his side and got to his feet with a groan showing that he was feeling the hits. He'd taken a lot of damage that included two super effective attacks, a powerful Giga Impact and two not insubstantial attacks that he wasn't weak or resistant to so he was nearing his limits. However, he wasn't there yet, Mega Blastoise estimated that he could take at least one more attack so long as it wasn't a super effective one, and as such he was able to get to his feet as the crowd cheered at that.
"Mega Pidgeot is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Ash's side as Pidgeot's Mega Evolution fell and his image grayed on the jumbotron. "Mega Blastoise is the winner."
"Pidgeot return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon and smiling at the Poke Ball in his hand. "You were great out there, really added to the battle and we've got it now, I know it. The battle comes down to what happens next and I for one don't intend to be on the losing end of it."
"Folks it's come down to this!" The announcer said excitedly. "Despite being down to his last Pokémon while Ash still had 3 left, Siebold has shown his status as a member of the Kalos Elite Four by taking out two of Ash's Pokémon with his final one and so now it's next Pokémon to faint decides the match."
"That it does." Ash said as he pulled out his final Poke Ball for the battle and looked at Siebold. "So it ends here."
"Agreed." Siebold said. "Send out Leavanny, it's time to see who wins our battle, Ash."
"Lets, Leavanny, you're up again." Ash said throwing out his Poke Ball but not announcing a move as it burst open and Leavanny landed on the battlefield again.
"Dragon Pulse." Siebold said the moment it became clear that Ash wasn't going to attack so he was going to do so but he was more than ready for anything that might happen. "End this."
"Block it with Steel Wing." Ash said revealing the newest move he'd taught Leavanny, mainly to counter weaknesses that Leavanny had but it would serve well now as Mega Blastoise lowered his head and shot off his Dragon Pulse attack from the massive cannon on his back for the third time in the battle. "And then use Energy Ball. You can do it Leavanny, I have faith in you. Win this match!"
"Leavanny." Leavanny said as his arms turned to steel and he crossed them over him just before the Dragon Pulse hit.
Unlike with the Aura Sphere earlier Leavanny wasn't running at his opponent with an order to use his move on the attack coming his way. No, this was a block so he was driven back by the impact of the Dragon Pulse on his steel type move and slid over the battlefield, even leaning back for a moment as the Dragon Pulse pushed hard against his block, but Leavanny had heard the trust and faith in his trainer's voice.
Leavanny knew that this was the decider and with a roar he managed to set his feet and came to a stop as he pushed his upper body forward using all of his strength to hold the block. If he could hold out he had this and so with everything he had Leavanny did just that holding the block against the strong dragon type attack.
It was damned impressive and Leavanny gave everything that he had to manage it as the Dragon Pulse ran its course. However, just before it was to end, he let out a roar and pushed his arms out dispersing the last of the Dragon Pulse sending it past him on both sides and ending his Steel Wing at the same time. As soon as it ended he formed the Energy Ball in his mouth.
"Leavanny!" Leavanny yelled as he blasted out the Energy Balls as fast as he could.
"Intercept it with Hydro Pump!" Siebold ordered.
Mega Blastoise grunted as he tried but the Energy Ball was too fast and had too much of a head start on him so it slammed into his face as the water was welling up. The hit didn't move Mega Blastoise back or anything but it was super effective and it was just enough to end it after all he'd taken in his three matchups in this battle. As such, with a long, low, groan, Mega Blastoise pitched forward and crashed to the ground to lie on his chest, arms to his sides and chin on the ground so that his face was up and thus showing the whole stadium the swirls he had for eyes.
"Mega Blastoise is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Siebold's side as the Mega Evolution fell and the image of Blastoise grayed on the jumbotron, the last of Siebold's leaving only Leavanny's still lit and as that happened the ref lowered the red flag and raised a green one to Ash's side. "Leavanny is the winner. Siebold is out of Pokémon so the winner of this battle is the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"
"Folks I don't believe it!" The announcer said as the crowd erupted at the confirmation of Ash's victory. "For the second day in a row Ash had defeated a member of the Kalos Elite Four in the official challenge. It's been over a decade since this happened in Kalos when Diantha herself managed it and that means that regardless of happens, after this is over we will at the very least get a four on four battle between Malva and Siebold to determine who drops out of the Eliter Four, provided that Ash takes his earned spot. Still, this is unreal, we are now halfway through the challenge and Ash is two for two!"
"Blastoise, return." Siebold said recalling his Pokémon. "You did as well as I could have asked for out there old friend and you almost won it for us. Ash really is as strong as he seems but I wonder how he'll handle the other two, I'll have to keep an eye one him. For now, though, I should congratulate him. We can consider our strategy for Malva later, we have the advantage but with how Ash is doing who knows, we may have to face Wikstrom or Drasna as well, or both if he beats all of us. He's one to watch for sure."
"We did it!" Ash said rushing out to help Leavanny as Leavanny panted and Pikachu finally came too but he'd need a full healing to really get back in it so he just lay there waiting for Ash to help him out. "Leavanny, you were amazing at the end. We couldn't have done it without all of you giving your all and working together to ensure that we won it. Well done, we've won two now so we're halfway there."
"Leavanny." Leavanny said with a smile as Siebold began to walk out.
"Take a rest, you've earned it." Ash said as he pulled out Leavanny's Poke Ball and recalling him. "You all have, along with a nice, long, healing at the Pokémon Center. We'll celebrate later but we can't get complacent as we still have two battles to come."
"That you can't." Siebold said getting Ash's attention and he turned to the man as he approached him on the battlefield as he put away Leavanny's Poke Ball. "You've done better than anyone has since Diantha challenged the Elite Four but don't let that go to your head, Ash. Both Wikstrom and Drasna are stronger than me so it's only going to get harder from here on out."
"I know but I'm ready for them." Ash said as Siebold reached him. "I am going to give it my all to beat them just as I did against you and Malva."
"Then I wish you luck and know that I will be watching you closely over the next few days." Siebold said as he held his hand out to Ash which Ash took as they shook on the battlefield as any trainers should after a hard fought battle. "I look forward to seeing what you can do in your remaining battles."
"Thank you." Ash said. "I won't disappoint you, or anyone for that matter, in them."
Siebold just nodded as they ended the handshake before he turned and left. Ash just smiled as he watched his second opponent leave while the commentator talked about how the day was over and that they were all eager for what tomorrow had in store for Kalos after two already memorable battles before he turned as the crowd began to file out and walked back to Pikachu.
Picking up his partner as Pikachu was still recovering after the match, Ash made his way to the exit and to meet up with Misty and the others to celebrate this win, his second, and get ready for his third battle. This would be the first of the two Ash knew nothing about so he had to be fully prepared for them as he left the battlefield his mind already focused on his team for tomorrow and how best to strategize. Next up it was the steel type master of the Kalos Elite Four, Wikstrom.
