Ash adjusted his various accessories: his Dynamax band and Z-ring on each of his wrists and his mega-glove on his left hand. He turned around. Dracovish, Dragonite, Sirfetch'd, Lucario, Gengar and Pikachu all stood there, looking at him expectantly.
"Everyone, it's finally time for our battle against Cynthia! I'm counting on you to give it your all!" Ash exclaimed.
His team replied with various cheers. Ash returned them all to their pokéballs, except Pikachu, who climbed onto Ash's shoulder. He strode out into the stadium, where he was met with a roar of cheers and applause from the crowd. Somewhere among them, Goh was most likely cheering for him. Moreover, Iris and Alain were most likely watching from the booth. It put Ash's racing heart at ease to know his friends were cheering him on, even if he couldn't hear them.
After Ash settled onto his side of the battlefield, Cynthia emerged across from him. The Champion of Sinnoh received a thunderous round of cheers, applause, and whistles. And with the reputation that preceded her, Ash couldn't blame her. Simply put, her feats made her more famous than him.
But titles and fame didn't matter. Because once two trainers entered the battlefield, they were just that: pokémon trainers.
"Cynthia, I've been looking forward to this match," Ash said. "I'll show you I strong I've gotten since we parted ways in Unova!"
Pikachu added his cries to supplement what Ash had said.
Cynthia smiled. "The feeling's mutual. I look forward to seeing what experiences this battle will bring."
The referee was, as usual, in the middle of the field, floating on his Aegislash mount. He cleared his throat. "You may each use a full team of six pokémon and are allowed the use of one gimmick between Mega Evolution, Z-Move, or Dynamax. In addition, now that we're in the semifinals, you may each use two held items, not including mega-stones."
He raised his arms in the air. "Now then, battlers, send your first pokémon onto the field! Three! Two! One! Go!"
"Dragonite, I choose you!"
"Graceful spirit of water, emerge! Milotic!"
The two pokéballs flew into the air and released their respective pokémon into the battlefield. Dragonite gave an energetic cry as she hovered above the ground. Milotic emerged on the floor and released an enchanting cry. She had a Mystic Water pendant wrapped securely around her neck. They gave each other fierce glares.
The referee raised his arms in the air. "Let the battle begin!"
Cynthia shoved her arm forward. "Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
Ash swiped his arm to the side. "Dodge it! Rush in with Dragon Claw!"
Milotic fired a torrent of water at Dragonite. She swerved to the side and swooped down as a shimmering, green veil of energy burst around her claws. She swung them, but Milotic nimbly slithered around her attempted strikes. All the while, a metallic sheen covered her forehead. She tried to counterattack with Iron Head, but Dragonite brought her claws up to block. A stalemate followed as the two pokémon pushed against each other, gritting their teeth.
Ultimately, they separated and jumped back, glaring at each other.
"Disarming Voice!"
"Hurricane!"
Milotic took a deep breath. She expelled an onslaught of pink music notes. Dragonite escaped into the sky and cried out before she frantically beat her wings. A gale kicked up, blasting away Milotic's attack and buffeting her. She flinched, halting her attack as she racked up damage from the wind.
Alright! The first hit goes to us! Ash motioned with his arms. "Let's pick up the pace, Dragonite! Use Dragon Dance!"
She acknowledged the command with a cry and began spinning rapidly in the air. As she did so, an aura of orange particles flared around her. She ended her spin with a flourish, sending a rush of wind outward.
Cynthia raised a pokéball. "Return, Milotic." A red beam of light engulfed Milotic, sucking her into her pokéball.
Ash's brow furrowed in confusion. A switch so soon? What's Cynthia planning?
Cynthia grabbed a new pokéball. "Tremble, souls, as Spiritomb emerges!"
With a bright flash of light, the pokéball released a small rock in midair. It fell to the ground, and the ghastly image of Spiritomb emerged from it. Its chortles sent a shiver down Dragonite's spine, who nervously floated backward. Moreover, something about Spiritomb's presence made her feel tenser than usual.
Ash noticed Dragonite's change in demeanour and concluded that Spiritomb's ability was most likely Pressure. I'll have to end this quickly before Dragonite tires out! "Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!"
"Sucker Punch!"
Dragonite steeled herself and dived in, unsheathing her dragon-claws. However, Spiritomb's projected body suddenly lunged at her, slamming itself into her. Caught off guard, she spun out of control and landed on her back, skidding to a stop.
Although her body stung, she picked herself up, still ready to fight.
Ash clenched his teeth. So that was her plan... "Hit it hard, Dragonite! Draco Meteor!"
Cynthia closed her eyes, smiling. "Spiritomb. Use Hypnosis."
Dragonite went airborne; a purple-ish aura surrounded her body as she craned her maw upward, forming a ball of draconic energy above it. However, it took more stamina than usual to complete charging the attack. Meanwhile, Spiritomb glowed and released waves of psychic energy that rippled across the air.
Dragonite roared as she fired her attack into the sky. She sagged and looked toward Spiritomb, panting. Her eyes widened as the psychic waves neared her, but it was too late. They washed over her. She grew drowsier by the second, lost altitude, and eventually crashed into the ground, fast asleep.
Ash gasped. "Dragonite!"
Overhead, the ball she had fired into the sky split into a slew of meteors which struck down upon Spiritomb. The repeated impacts upon the field kicked up a mound of dust, obscuring it from view.
Before long, the dust settled, revealing that Spiritomb had some bruises on its person.
Ash smirked. Good. At least Dragonite did good damage on it.
"Spiritomb, use Dream Eater!" Cynthia ordered.
Ash clenched his fists. "Ah!"
Spiritomb's projected image loomed over Dragonite's sleeping form. It bit down on her, which produced a puff of pink smoke. It sucked it all up, and some of Spiritomb's injuries healed.
Ash hastily fished out Dragonite's pokéball. "Dragonite, return!" Once she was back in her ball, he turned it over. "I'm sorry my mistake cost you like this. You will have your chance to shine; I promise." He set the pokéball on his belt. Spiritomb is Ghost and Dark. I've got just the thing I need to deal with it. He grabbed another pokéball and prepared to throw it…
"Return, Spiritomb." A red light recalled it into the pokéball held by Cynthia.
Ash growled. Now I don't know what to expect… No matter. I can react to whatever she throws at me! "Let's go, Gengar!"
The Poison-Ghost pokémon emerged from his pokéball, crying out. He had a Focus Band wrapped around his forehead.
Cynthia selected her next pokéball. "Bloom, Roserade!"
Across from Gengar, Roserade emerged from his pokéball, taking a battle-ready pose.
Roserade, huh? It could have Natural Cure, so I won't waste an opening to test that theory. Ash shoved his arm forward. "Gengar! Use Sludge Bomb!"
"Dodge it! Leaf Storm!"
Gengar's cheeks puffed up. He spat a volley of muddy projectiles, which Roserade backflipped repeatedly to evade. He then jumped, twirling, and his arms glowed a vivid green light. He jerked them toward Gengar; a storm of leaves fired out.
Gengar braced himself as the leaves barraged him. With his natural resistance to Grass, he easily withstood it, so he stuck his tongue out at Roserade, jeering him. But Roserade remained steadfast. He shifted his stance and spun. A vortex of pink petals swirled around him. With a graceful motion, he sent them flying toward his opponent.
Gengar boldly flew right into it, his body bursting with multicoloured light. The veil shielded him from harm as he bridged the gap. He yelled and let it expand. Roserade winced as the attack made him slide backward on the ground and left him blinded.
Ash punched the air. "Shadow Ball!"
Gengar brought his hands close, forming a dark-purple ball of energy. He hurled it at Roserade; it hit him while his vision was still recovering. The detonation sent him tumbling away. Roserade staggered back up, looking bruised up.
"Return, Roserade." Cynthia switched her pokéballs. Her next pokéball twinkled briefly in her grip before she threw it. "Spiritomb, come out!"
Out of the pokéball came the Ghost-Dark pokémon from before. Gengar warily sized it up, growing nervous from the pressure it exuded.
Another switch? What's she up to this time? "Gengar, use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Sucker Punch!"
Gengar strained to gather multicoloured light around him. Spiritomb interrupted his charge by slamming into him; the super-effective attack sent him reeling through the air. However, Gengar stabilized and, with some effort, unleashed his attack. It washed over Spiritomb; its face contorted into a pained grimace as its spiritual image was destabilized momentarily. On his side, Gengar was panting, feeling the damage that Spiritomb's attack had left on him.
"Return, Spiritomb!" Cynthia stashed its pokéball on her belt and grabbed a new one. "Unfurl your blessed wings, Togekiss!"
In a bright flash of light, The Fairy-Flying pokémon emerged and unfurled her wings, giving a graceful cry as she did so.
"Can you keep going, Gengar?" Ash asked. After Gengar gave him a thumbs-up, he grinned. "Alright! Use Will-O-Wisp!"
"Counter with Air Slash!"
Gengar slapped his hands together. An orange glow surrounded his body, and a dozen flaming, purple wisps appeared around him. He fired them at Togekiss just as she beat her glowing wings, firing out a barrage of air crescents. The two attacks cancelled each other out, leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
Yeah, it's not going to be that easy to land it.
"Togekiss, use Zen Headbutt!"
"Dodge it!"
Togekiss flew toward Gengar, her forehead glowing blue, but Gengar swerved around her. She banked to the side and came back in for another strike. Gengar dodged once more, but Togekiss didn't give up. The two pokémon had soon engaged in a dizzying dance, which Gengar stayed ahead of.
Eventually, though, he started to tire out. It slowed him down enough that Togekiss managed to ram into him. Gengar cried out in pain as he crashed into the ground.
"Gengar!" Ash cried out in worry.
"Air Slash!" Cynthia ordered.
Togekiss assaulted Gengar with an onslaught of wind blades as he got up. Unable to dodge in time, he racked up cut after cut.
Cynthia shoved her open hand forward. "Finish this, Togekiss! Sky Attack!"
Togekiss landed on the ground. A blue aura surrounded her body as she charged her attack.
Ash clenched his fists. Sky Attack takes time to go off. We can interrupt it! "Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"
Gengar tried to move. However, his body just felt too numb. He was locked in place.
Ash gritted his teeth as he realized Gengar must have flinched. The only thing he could do now was be a sitting duck until he got hit. At least we still have that...
"Do it, Togekiss!"
Togekiss cried out before she became a blur—no, a missile. She shot straight forward like a bullet, slamming into Gengar nigh instantaneously. An explosion of pain rocked his being. As he sailed through the air, he almost blacked out right then and there. However, there was a glow from his Focus Band. It allowed him to keep focus and stay conscious.
He righted himself and skidded to a stop as he hit the ground, panting. His Focus Band detached itself and floated away, its energy spent.
"Gengar, return." Ash turned the pokéball around. "Thanks for your efforts. Rest up for now, okay?" He stashed it away, then focused on the battle at hand.
As things stood, they were being cornered. Since the beginning, Cynthia had been in control: setting the pace as she wanted it, not letting them get any momentum... He had to do something now before things snowballed out of control.
Ash looked down at Pikachu. "Ready to go, buddy?"
Pikachu gave an energetic cry in response.
"Alright!" He pointed at the field. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
Pikachu dashed onto the battlefield. He settled down on all fours, cheeks sparking.
Cynthia smiled for a moment before her look hardened."Air Slash!"
"Quick Attack!"
Pikachu dashed into motion, picking up speed as faint afterimages trailed behind him. He jumped and tackled Togekiss as she prepared her attack. While she reeled from the blow, he bounced back, spinning.
Frowning, Togekiss recovered and fired Air Slash crescents at the falling rodent. As soon as Pikachu touched down, he sped away in a burst of speed. He kept his movement sporadic by zigzagging everywhere he went. As a result, Togekiss had trouble hitting him.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail! Let's try an Air Slash Climb!"
Cynthia flummoxed. "Air Slash Climb…?"
Grinning, Pikachu wheeled around to a stop before he boldly dashed back into the onslaught of Togekiss' projectiles. His tail glowed. He jumped and spun, whacking the wind crescents below him to propel himself higher. Before long, he was higher in the sky than Togekiss. He stopped his spin and fell back down, gearing himself for a strike on Togekiss.
Cynthia swiped her arm to the side. "Zen Headbutt!"
Togekiss cried out to acknowledge the command before she flew up, her forehead glowing with psychic energy.
THOOM!
The two attacks clashed against one another, sending a rush of wind outward.
After a brief stalemate, Pikachu pushed off her and landed a few ways away, poised to follow his trainer's next order. And once it came, the electric mouse's cheeks sparked with increasing voltage. Pikachu yelled as he unleashed a bright bolt of lightning. Togekiss prepared to swerve out of the way, but a series of sparks flashed across her body, keeping her locked in place.
Cynthia gasped.
Ash grinned. That was a decisive moment for Pikachu's Static to come into play!
A hundred thousand volts assaulted Togekiss, who cried out in pain. After Pikachu cut off his attack, she fell out of the sky, struggling to recover as stray sparks danced across her form.
"Return, Togekiss!" After Togekiss was returned to her pokéball, Cynthia turned it around, looking at it with a pensive look on her face.
Ash wondered what she was thinking. This must have been the first thing to go wrong in her plan; there was no way to predict something like Pikachu's Static. How would she react? How would she proceed from here on out?
She stashed Togekiss' pokéball and gave Ash a warm smile. "Ash Ketchum. I admire the bond you hold with Pikachu." She grabbed a new pokéball. "And I wish to see how deep this bond of yours goes!
"Emerge from the waves, Gastrodon!"
Gastrodon emerged from her pokéball and cried out. The Rocky Helmet she wore twinkled briefly. Pikachu tensed, sizing up his foe.
Ash frowned. See how deep our bond goes...? She even picked a natural counter for Pikachu's typing. Is this a test? He gave Cynthia a determined look. "We're ready to face whatever you throw at us!"
She nodded, then motioned with an arm. "Gastrodon, use Sandstorm!"
Gastrodon gave a long cry. A swirling sand hurricane appeared around her and swallowed up the entire field. Pikachu dropped to his belly and anchored himself to the ground, wincing as the sandstorm buffeted him.
Ash shielded his face with his arm. Darn, Cynthia means business! "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
"Stone Edge!"
Two rings of small, pointed stones appeared around Gastrodon. She launched a volley of them at Pikachu, but he was already speeding away, so the projectiles went wide. Pikachu took the opening, dashed in, and slammed into Gastrodon's chest. However, the bounciness of the doughy flesh repel him, and there was a flash from her Rocky Helmet before Pikachu felt himself get pricked all over.
Pikachu cried out in pain as he bounced away. Gastrodon capitalized on the opening, sending a second volley of stones at him, racking up the damage on him.
Ash cried Pikachu's name in worry. He gulped. Is there some way of attacking Gastrodon without activating her Rocky Helmet…? He quickly scanned the field, but there was nothing there to use. Not much we can do with this. But maybe Gastrodon can give us an opening...
Meanwhile, Pikachu staggered back up, teeth gritted. With the sandstorm eating away at his stamina, he started to pant.
"Earth Power!"
Ash smirked. Finally! "Use it now, Pikachu!"
Gastrodon's third eye gleamed. The ground below Pikachu began to crack, light filtering through. It exploded, shrouding Pikachu in a burst of orange energy.
But when it settled, Pikachu was gone.
Gastrodon blinked. She looked around her, wondering where Pikachu could have possibly gone.
A skyborne cry was her answer.
She looked up and saw Pikachu floating in the sky as he held on to his Air Balloon.
Cynthia smiled. "So you came prepared yourself. Gastrodon, Stone Edge!"
There it is! An opening! "Let's go, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
Pikachu let go of his balloon and entered a free-fall as a white sheen covered his tail. On her end, Gastrodon reared up and stomped on the ground. Blue spires of rock jutted out of it, heading toward where Pikachu would fall.
Pikachu twisted himself and swung his tail, slicing the rock spire horizontally. The top part went airborne, and he cut it two more times into four chunks. He knocked them into Gastrodon; they hit her in the face, dizzying her.
But Pikachu was not done yet. He ran up to another rock spire and cut that one too. This time, he sent the whole chunk toward Gastrodon. She recovered in time to rear up and catch it. The impact made her slide back on the ground.
"Quick Attack!"
Pikachu sped into motion. Afterimages formed behind him as he ran faster and faster. He slammed his body into the rock Gastrodon had caught. It transferred the force of the impact into Gastrodon and broke. She cried out in pain as she toppled onto her back. Pikachu landed across from her, unharmed from any Rocky Helmet damage.
"Alright! Great job, Pikachu!" Ash said.
Pikachu puffed up his chest in response. Meanwhile, the sandstorm started to subside as Gastrodon picked herself up.
Cynthia recalled Gastrodon to her pokéball. "Once again, you have managed to surpass unfavourable odds." She nodded. "You're a magnificent trainer, Ash."
"Thanks! Whenever I battle with Pikachu, our hearts sort of sync up, and everything clicks into place! We both give each other the strength to go on!"
"Then I'm afraid your hearts must fall out of sync; otherwise, I won't be able to proceed to the finals." She took out another pokéball. "Come out, Spiritomb! Hypnosis!"
Spiritomb emerged, and its face glowed faintly as it released waves of psychic energy. Pikachu warily dropped on all fours, frowning.
"Don't worry, Pikachu. I've got a plan," Ash said. "Spin around using Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu smirked. As he gathered electricity in his cheek pouches, he started breakdancing. First, by spinning on his back. Then, by twirling on one paw. And finally, by wheeling on his belly. He unleashed his pent-up electricity; it formed an electricity tornado around him, which repelled Spiritomb's Hypnosis.
Cynthia's eyes widened in awe. "Could that be…?"
Ash cocked a fist back and punched. "Finish it, Pikachu!"
Pikachu directed his lightning at Spiritomb, shocking it with a hefty dose of voltage. Its projected image was left frazzled afterward. Pikachu stopped spinning and tottered briefly before he found his balance.
"Cynthia, that was Counter Shield, a technique we developed when we travelled through Sinnoh!" Ash said.
Pikachu put his front paws on his hips and puffed up his chest proudly, uttering a few proud-sounding cries.
"I remember it!" Cynthia said, smiling. "You showed it off at the Sinnoh League."
Ash grinned. "We're stronger than we were back then!" He motioned. "Pikachu, Electroweb!"
"Sucker Punch!"
Pikachu charged a ball of electricity at his tail's tip. Spiritomb charged at him, although he was slower than usual with the sparks that flashed across it, slow enough for Pikachu to jump over it. He launched an expanding net of electricity downward; it trapped Spiritomb underneath, shocking it once again.
"Finish it! Iron Tail!"
Cynthia gestured with her hand. "Spiritomb, go ahead."
Spiritomb's rock briefly glowed with a dark aura, but Pikachu didn't notice it. He came down from the sky and slammed his glowing tail on Spiritomb. A rush of wind burst out from the point of impact.
As Pikachu jumped back, his Electroweb dissipated, and Spiritomb's image retracted into its rock, which went inert.
"All right!" Ash cheered. With this knockout, the momentum should shift back in our favour.
The referee went to inspect Spiritomb. It remained unmoving. But then, a dark mist rose out of the stone, snaked toward Pikachu, and enveloped him. Confused, he looked around, wondering what was going on.
And then it hit him.
Unimaginable pain.
His whole body went numb as all his stamina was sucked out of him.
The mist retreated. Pikachu wobbled and fell backward, knocked out cold.
"PIKACHU!" Ash cried.
The referee gave his verdict. "Pikachu and Spiritomb are both unable to battle!"
Ash clenched his fist. Destiny Bond…
Losing Pikachu this early put them at a massive disadvantage, especially when comparing his team's condition to Cynthia's. Gengar was badly damaged, and Dragonite was sound asleep—practically useless. Meanwhile, Cynthia's pokémon were generally healthier than his.
In other words, the odds were piling up in Cynthia's favour.
Cynthia… She's always one step ahead of me. How will I counter this?
AN:
For your information, my adaptation of Focus Band is that it's one free Endure. For Pressure, since PP technically doesn't exist in the anime, it just makes the opponent tire out faster.
So, yeah. I'll be mostly following what the anime did, with the caveat that Dragonite, Gengar, and Gastrodon will actually get to do something in this battle. And I'm also going to make sure the final matchup is as bombastic as it deserves to be. You know which one I'm talking about ;)
I'll try to get part 2 out by the end of this month. See you guys then!
Ash's Team:
Dragonite (F)
Ability: Inner Focus
- Dragon Claw
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Dance
- Hurricane
Gengar (M)
Ability: Cursed Body
Item: Focus Band
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Dazzling Gleam
- Sludge Bomb
Pikachu (M)
Ability: Static
Item: Air Balloon
- Quick Attack
- Thunderbolt
- Electroweb
- Iron Tail
Cynthia's Team:
Milotic (F)
Ability: Marvel Scale
Item: Mystic Water
- Hydro Pump
- Iron Head
- Disarming Voice
- Unknown...
Spiritomb (N/A)
Ability: Pressure
- Sucker Punch
- Destiny Bond
- Hypnosis
- Dream Eater
Roserade (M)
Ability: Natural Cure
- Leaf Storm
- Petal Blizzard
- Unknown...
- Unknown...
Togekiss (F)
Ability: Serene Grace
- Air Slash
- Sky Attack
- Zen Headbutt
- Unknown...
Gastrodon (F)
Ability: Sand Force
Item: Rocky Helmet
- Sandstorm
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
- Unknown...