Note: Please note, that there have been some major changes to the older chapters to line up with the newer chapters. Feel free to read from the beginning, but I do plan on rewriting the older chapters to eliminate filler and make things that align with the anime. However, the story is now complete in its current stage. I hope you enjoy the remaining chapters of Man in the Mirror!
Chapter 21: …Ready For It?
"It's alright Litleo, you're well now. You can go home," May encouraged the lion cub alongside Ash and Pikachu. The trio watched the Fire-type take small steps toward the woods, but it appeared to hesitate.
Ash raised an eyebrow, "I thought Litleo was eager to leave this place when it awoke yesterday."
"I thought so too," May crossed her arms with concern.
Litleo looked back at her with doubt. The feline knew it was healed, but it could not find itself to go back to the woods as much as it wanted to. As a Litleo, it knew it had to brave the dangers of the jungle and make something of itself, but the cub couldn't answer the call of the wild. "Leo," the Pokémon lowered its head with shame.
The cub stared at the grass, remembering the shadowy pursuer that injured it in the first place. Its fearsome roar and impenetrable armor were difficult to forget. Litleo tried to overwhelm his opponent with everything it could, but it wasn't enough. It failed to hold its ground. The incident turned its pride into embarrassment. May approached Litleo, "What's wrong, Litleo, don't you want to go home?" The girl crouched to look at him.
Ash walked over to them with Pikachu and crouched too. "Litleo seems hesitant. Maybe it's afraid to go out on its own," the raven-haired teen believed.
"Lit!" Litleo barked, trying to argue that it wasn't afraid. Ash nervously laughed and apologized. He didn't wish to offend the cat.
May petted the cub with an understanding gaze, "It's ok to be afraid Litleo. You've been through a lot, so being scared is completely normal."
"Pi pikachu," The mouse jumped off Ash's shoulder and patted Litleo on the back. Pikachu also tried to make the cub feel better over its doubts. It was evident that Litleo was afraid.
"Litleo," Litleo muttered with an uncertain expression. It looked at the trio with uncertainty. It wanted to go home, but was it ready? That's when the cub looked into the distance behind Ash, May, and Pikachu. It saw Sceptile and Blaziken engaging in close combat to keep up their strength while Venusaur and Charizard sparred in an exchange of special attacks. The cub's eyes fixated on the four starters for several moments. It could see the fire in the eyes of these formidable Pokémon, "Lit…" Litleo admired their ferocity. That's when Litleo turned its eyes back to Ash and May, who were still trying to interpret his feelings. Staring at Ash and May made Litleo realize that the powerful Pokémon training in the background was a result of the pair's endeavors to make them stronger.
Ash and May noticed its focus on Sceptile, Blaziken, Charizard, and Venusaur. Before they could recognize what that meant to Litleo, the feline's expression turned into a fiery one. Litleo knew what it needed to do if it wished to get stronger. Litleo cried its name as it eagerly ran over to the four starters. "Litleo, hold up!" May chased after it.
"C'mon Pikachu," Ash and Pikachu followed behind May. The trainer recognized the fiery look in Litleo's eyes when it dashed off. It was an unmistakable sign of the desire to be stronger. A smile grew across Ash's face.
"Leo!" Litleo made itself known to the starters once it was near. The four of them stopped their training to look at the small cub. They stared at it curiously. Litleo smirked at them, "Litleo leo lit," Litleo expressed his wish.
"Scep, Sceptile," Sceptile crossed its arms with a smirk.
Blaziken stepped forward to kneel. It stared intensely at its fellow Fire-type, but the cub did not back down as it returned a fiery stare. May stopped to look at the exchange between the five Pokémon. She could tell there was something serious going on between them. Before she could call out to Litleo, Ash came up behind her. "May, I think Litleo wants to stay and train with us for now!" he believed.
May was initially surprised since Litleo wanted to leave ASAP, but it continued to hear the cub exchange words with the four starters. They seemed to respect the cub's resolve. "I think so too, Ash. It seemed so unsure of itself just a bit ago, but now it looks determined to stay," May agreed. The brunette walked over to the cub. Litleo and the starters shifted their attention to May when she approached the lion. May smiled confidently at Litleo, "Do you want to stay and train here, Litleo?"
"Lit litleo!" Litleo proudly answered back and pounced into May's arms with confidence.
"Well, whaddaya know," May giggled as she held the cub in her arms. She admired the fire in its eyes.
"You got to respect its decision to get stronger. It probably saw how strong our Pokémon are and wants to become just as good as them," Ash scratched the cub behind the ear.
"Pika!" Pikachu was delighted to see their new friend tag along for some training. The Electric-type stood in front of the four starters as they all smirked at Litleo.
Litleo leaped out of May's arms and smirked back again. The cub wagged its tail as it got into a pouncing position as if indicating to Ash and May's Pokémon that it was ready to start training as soon as they were. Ash crossed his arms, impressed by Litleo's out-of-the-door eagerness. May smiled confidently at Ash, "There's almost nothing quite as impressive as a Litleo's resolve. It kind of makes me think of you, Ash."
Ash chuckled, "If I were Litleo, I'd want to start getting stronger right away, too!" The auburn-eyed boy made a fiery fist to show his support for Litleo.
"Leo!" the cub concurred with Ash.
Ash and May respected the Fire-type, then simultaneously welcomed it. "Welcome to the gang, Litleo!"
Litleo was thankful for the opportunity. It knew it could learn more from its time with the humans and their Pokémon to become the king it needed to be. The feline felt prepared for any challenge they threw its way. "Right then, let's begin!" May turned her hand into a fist as her fiery eyes fixated on Litleo.
Litleo was ready as it eyed Sceptile on the other end of the field. May stood behind the cub, while Ash and Pikachu stood behind Sceptile. "Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Ash commanded.
The cub prepared for action, but Litleo was surprised when May said to wait. "Hold your position, Litleo," May's command perplexed the lion. For a moment, it appeared ready to defy May as it wished to dodge the incoming blade. "Trust me. If you want to get stronger, you will follow our guidance," May nodded assertively. Litleo returned a stern nod to May, the lion placed his faith in the coordinator's experience.
Ash and Pikachu grinned with interest. They had a feeling May would teach Litleo to think outside the box during battles. As Sceptile closed in, May made the move. "Now, Litleo, use Noble Roar!" Litleo was surprised she didn't order a dodge or offensive attack, but the cub jumped in the air and released a cry that echoed through the field. It was such a mighty cry that it stopped Sceptile in its tracks. It also caused the Grass-type's attack stats to drop. "Follow it up with Fire Fang," the coordinator didn't waste a moment to strike. Litleo followed her lead by unleashing fiery fangs at Sceptile.
"Agility, Sceptile!" Ash countered. Sceptile's superior speed allowed it to dodge the fiery attack. Suddenly, Sceptile came up behind Litleo and struck it with Leaf Blade. Litleo's eyes widened since it had no time to react. The next thing it felt was the stinging pain of Leaf Blade as it got slashed across the battlefield. Sceptile's trainer nodded, "Awesome follow-up Sceptile."
Litleo rolled across the field. It winced in pain as it struggled to stand up. Despite Leaf Blade being a Grass-type move weakened by Noble Roar, Litleo took significant damage due to Sceptile's high level. May clenched her fists, "Hang in there, Litleo! We're just getting started."
"Scep!" Ash's Sceptile unleashed a Bullet Seed barrage at Litleo. The reptile gave Litleo little time to regain its composure. If Litleo wished to get stronger, as it had told him and his friends earlier, Sceptile would not hold back against the small lion. Litleo glared at the incoming barrage. "Incinerate, Litleo!" May instructed.
"Leo!" Litleo cried as it decimated the energy seeds with its flame, but Sceptile was only amused.
"Close in with Quick Attack," Ash adjusted his hat as he fixed his gaze on Litleo. Sceptile bypassed the stream of fire with a Quick Attack and lunged at the cub, knocking it down.
Litleo snarled at Sceptile as it shook the dirt off. Its legs trembled from the heavy damage it sustained. With his eyes glued to Sceptile, Litleo pictured his aggressor from the night before he got found by Ash and May. The lion's snarl became more intense as it refused to back down. It would never lose that way to anyone again. Like May, Litleo refused to back down. "Let's dial it up. Litleo, use Work Up," May glared at Sceptile.
The cub nodded as it became enveloped in a light red aura to increase its attack power. It was going to fight Sceptile with everything it had. "Sceptile, let's wrap this up with Leaf Blade!"
May grinned slyly at Ash, "I don't think so. Litleo, Fire Fang!"
As Sceptile dashed toward Litleo, the cub released the fiery fang attack to collide with Sceptile's blade. "Power through it," Ash extended his arm forward. Sceptile took the Fire Fang head-on despite the Fire-type move's increased power. Leaf Blade was cutting through the stream of flames.
Litleo gasped at the unexpected turn of events. May noticed its shock, "Stay focused, Litleo. In a battle, you can't let anything shake your guard!" Litleo became reassured by May's determination. However, it was unsure of how to counter Sceptile's offense. Abruptly, May executed her move, "Litleo, dive into the fire with Take Down!"
Ash, Sceptile, and Pikachu were alarmed by May's willingness to let Litleo collide with Leaf Blade. Litleo pounced into the remnants of Fire Fang as Sceptile neared. The cub got enveloped by Fire Fang's embers, and the Fire-type collided with Sceptile's blade. When the attacks clashed, a spark formed between the techniques. Sceptile growled at Litleo while Litleo snarled back. Neither backed down, and the Pokémon leaped back to their respective positions. Litleo winced as it took recoil damage, but it impressed the trainers and their Pokémon with its ability to withstand Leaf Blade. "Awesome job, Litleo. Keep it up!" May encouraged him.
"That was amazing. You're doing great!" Ash chimed in, excited by the thrill of the battle.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu celebrated Litleo's determination.
Sceptile nodded with approval. It crossed its arms as it retreated its blade. The lizard expected a fiery showdown with the cub. Sceptile wasn't disappointed. Nonetheless, Litleo would have more to learn as Sceptile delivered devastating strikes and counters that had Litleo scrambling to defend against. If it weren't for May and Ash's encouragement, the small Fire-type might have lost already, but they were testing his limits, and if they believed in him, then so would he.
Ash and May were also learning from the cub. If this little Fire-type could find strength it didn't know it had to fight against juggernauts like Sceptile, then they had no excuse for not being able to find the same courage in their struggles. Every time Litleo took a beatdown, it got up. The bruises didn't deter it from taking another beating as long as it continued to get stronger. I know Litleo is so small and young, yet it's so fierce. Its spirit is getting me fired up. I feel like we can do anything! May cheered as Litleo charged up more power with Work Up.
Litleo is incredible. As long as it believes in itself, then there's no doubt it will get stronger. The same can be said for us, Ash believed, as he thought about the problems he and May recently faced.
The days went by as Litleo got thrashed by all sorts of attacks from the starters. Sometimes, it was too slow to dodge a Blaze Kick or too weak to counter a Dragon Tail, but the lion did not surrender in its quest to become more powerful. Bit by bit, the intense training compounded into a greater experience for Litleo to the extent that May was having him try to combine attacks like in a contest battle.
In Litleo's latest training session, Ash guided Litleo against May and Venusaur, where Litleo tried mastering a combination attack May introduced against Blaziken and Charizard. Venusaur's Vine Whip came for Litleo as it narrowly dodged the speedy vines. "Great speed, but we can't rely on dodging if we want to close in on Venusaur. Litleo, combine Noble Roar and Incinerate!" Ash countered with the combination May showed it.
Litleo stopped dodging the Vine Whip. When the vines prepared to attack once more, Litleo stood its ground. May focused her eyes on the cub to see how it would fare this time. Litleo started to glow in a fiery aura as it clenched its eyes. When the vines were within milliseconds of striking, it opened its eyes and roared into existence a wall of fire from the flames it built up inside. Vine Whip got incinerated as Litleo successfully defended itself. Venusaur expressed surprise as it retreated its burnt vines and felt its attack power drop. After the initial burst, the fire disappeared to reveal Litleo with a proud grin. "Awesome!" Ash and May celebrated.
"We're not letting up though, Razor Leaf!" May warned Litleo. Venusaur fired a barrage of energy leaves at the cub.
"Try again, Litleo, we need to master it!" Ash demanded. As spectacular as the counter was, the pair needed to be sure that Litleo was consistent in its ability to unleash it.
Litleo tried to charge up the fire again. Just when it seemed ready, Litleo's cry delivered nothing. "Darn," May was disappointed by the result.
"It still needs more practice," Ash lowered its head with a sigh.
The Razor Leaf cut through Litleo, making the cat squeal in pain. Venusaur took advantage of Litleo's defenselessness to continue with Vine Whip. The Kanto Pokémon grabbed Litleo with its vines and threw it in the air. "Leo!" the feline cried.
"Break your fall!" Ash shouted, hoping Litleo could react in time.
Litleo opened its eyes after absorbing the pain. When Litleo saw itself nearing the ground, Litleo fired Incinerate to slow the crash. Litleo broke the fall and then rolled on the ground to absorb the drop. The feline panted as it tried to pull itself together after its failed combination technique. The cub lowered its head in defeat. "Don't get discouraged, Litleo. Remember when you first tried it, all you could puff out was a cloud of smoke," Ash reminded it.
"It just takes practice. If you were able to learn it in just a few days, then I'm sure you will master it soon," May added to what Ash said.
Litleo could not deny their claims. The training was getting somewhere. He knew the payoffs were revealing themselves even faster than he imagined. Litleo shouldn't get impatient when it was doing so well with Ash and May. "Lit!" Litleo acknowledged as it reverted to its battle stance.
"Right!" Ash made a fist as they prepared to continue.
"Let's keep at it!" May extended her arm forward. They were not going to let the momentum slip from them.
Later that afternoon, Ash and May had Pikachu guide Litleo on the battlefield to increase its speed alongside its power. This time it was up against Charizard again. "Litleo, I want you to follow Pikachu's lead in terms of maneuvering the battlefield. Speed is just as important as power in a fight, but you need to learn to use it in your defensive and offensive techniques. Understood?" Litleo replied with a nod.
Ash and Charizard mobilized quickly, "Charizard, give them a volley of your attacks!"
Charizard roared as it speedily flew toward the small Pokémon. "Pika," Pikachu told Litleo to get ready. Litleo braced itself. When Charizard was in close range, the Fire-type swung with Dragon Tail. Pikachu jumped over the attack while Litleo crouched down. Charizard followed by using Wing Attack. Pikachu and Litleo rolled across the ground as Charizard swung its wings. Then the Flying-type tried to dig its claws into them with Slash. "Pikachu!" Pikachu used Thunderbolt to push itself off the ground, narrowly dodging Slash.
"Litleo, use Incinerate to push yourself off!" May had Litleo follow Pikachu's counter. Litleo unleashed the stream of fire just in time to push itself off.
"Wing Attack!" Ash commanded Charizard. Charizard took the opportunity to strike at them while they were in midair. Both its wings glowed with power as it approached the pair. Pikachu countered with Iron Tail. Unfortunately, Litleo wasn't as quick as Pikachu, so it felt the full force of Charizard's wing hit its gut. The cub gasped as the attack pushed the air out of him. Pikachu blasted Charizard away with Thunderbolt as Litleo fell to the ground.
"Pika!" Pikachu scampered over to Litleo when it landed on the ground.
Ash and May carefully watched to see if Litleo could continue. The cat shook as it got up on all fours. "Lit…leo," Litleo communicated that it would continue as it clenched its teeth. Ash and May nodded sternly at it. They wouldn't baby Litleo since he wanted to be treated as a full-fledged Pyroar on the field.
Charizard puffed out smoke as it smirked at Litleo. The Kanto starter was impressed by how Litleo found the willpower to continue after the powerful hit. Charizard wasn't pulling any punches with the cub just like its friends.
"Litleo, I know you saw how Pikachu countered with Iron Tail against Wing Attack. That's the kind of mix of speed, defense, and offense that we are aiming for. You can do it. We know you can," May reminded him.
Litleo acknowledged her comments. It dug its claws into the earth as it snarled at Charizard. It would improve in every measure, even if it had to be here all day. "Pikachu, come back to me. Now that you've demonstrated to Litleo, let it try to fight Charizard on its own," Ash instructed. Pikachu nodded as it ran back to Ash.
"Get ready," May braced herself.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash stretched his arm to the side.
Charizard released the attack at Litleo on a whim. "Go in with Take Down!" May commanded the familiar countermeasure that Litleo performed during its first day of training.
Litleo built enough power, speed, and stamina to endure the flames as it pounced into the Flamethrower. It ran through it to close in on Charizard. When it was at close range, Ash had Charizard bash Litleo with Dragon Tail. Litleo tried to stop the attack with Noble Roar, but Charizard swung too fast and sent the cub flying into the air. "Leo!" Litleo cried as it shot upward.
"Finish this with Slash!" Ash's Charizard took off like a rocket after Litleo. It prepared to slam the Litleo back to earth with its glowing claws.
As Litleo saw Charizard nearly reach him, it thought of how Pikachu reacted so quickly to Charizard's Wing Attack with Iron Tail. It studied the moment in its mind by picturing Pikachu's somersault as it built power when it speedily swung Iron Tail. Litleo glared at Charizard. It knew what it had to do. Without any command from May, Litleo charged up heat in its body. Just as Charizard prepared to slash it, Litleo roared and unleashed the combination of Incinerate and Noble Roar. The wall of fire stopped Charizard's slash, surprising the dragon-like Pokémon. It became annoyed and followed with a volley of strikes that combined Dragon Tail, Wing Attack, and Slash. This didn't break Litleo's momentum. The cub repeatedly unleashed the combination in quick succession as it countered the volley perfectly.
"No way," Ash was astonished by Litleo's abilities.
"Again Litleo. You're doing fantastic!" May was just as impressed.
Litleo smirked at Charizard as the Flying-type's attack power diminished. Litleo's constant roars of fire countered every strike, but Charizard would not let Litleo's ego get too inflated. It knew how it could crush its defenses. Just as Litleo thought Charizard would continue with another physical attack and unleashed "Noble Incinerate," Charizard fired Overheat. As much as Litleo had weakened Charizard, Charizard still had vastly superior power. The powerful Fire-type attack broke through Litleo's wall and blasted the cub downward. The cub cried in pain as it crashed to earth.
Charizard gently descended as Ash and May watched the dust settle to reveal Litleo with swirled eyes. "That was impressive," Ash acknowledged Litleo's power contently. Charizard and Pikachu also recognized that Litleo had successfully learned from watching Pikachu how to mix power, speed, and defense in battle. They were pleased by the lion's progress.
"Litleo!" May ran over to the cub. The brunette picked him up as he regained consciousness. Litleo looked at the coordinator's eyes, which were glowing with happiness. "I'm so impressed. You really held your own out there!" May spun him around as she congratulated him.
Ash walked over to them with Pikachu and Charizard. "Not only did you learn from Pikachu, but you mastered your combination attack well enough to use it back-to-back. That was impressive," Ash petted the top of the feline's head.
"Pikachu pi!" Pikachu jumped on May's shoulder to smile proudly at the cub. Litleo basked in the praise, especially when it saw Charizard give him a thumbs up. The fellow Fire-types grinned at each other.
May squeezed Litleo in her arms. "If this is how well you did today. There's no doubt you'll get even stronger tomorrow. You're going to become king of the jungle in no time," the coordinator smiled at him.
"Lit," Litleo blushed at her comment, then licked her face. It was a proud moment for all the friends.
May and Ash prepared to go to bed as they concluded the day. Just as May entered her room, she looked back at Ash before he left to go to his room. "Hey Ash, thank you for all your help with training Litleo. You could've gone to train on your own to prepare for the next league competition, but you just chose to train with us," the coordinator eyed him with a soft smile.
Ash nodded with an equally gentle smile, "Of course, May. It was a team effort, so I'm glad I could help. I feel we've gotten stronger just from helping Litleo, too."
The brunette agreed. She admired his unwavering belief and support for her and the Pokémon. He was still somewhat of a stranger to her since she couldn't recover her memories of him, but his spirit gave her a warmth she didn't want to get away from. May felt she could trust someone new for the first time in a long time. "Have a good night, Ash," May beamed at him when she closed her bedroom door.
"Good night, May," Ash took one last look at her sapphire eyes as she shut the door. He was thankful for spending this time with her. He needed it just as much May.
After closing the door, May turned her attention to Litleo, who waited for May on her bed. The Fire-type cub swung its tail playfully, wishing May hopped to bed already. "You're so cute," May bent over to smile at the cat.
"Leo," Litleo smiled as it nuzzled its nose against hers. He had grown attached to Ash, May, and their Pokémon, but since May was the one by his side since the night of his injury, he had gotten attached to her the most. May showed Litleo ways to battle that he never would have imagined and drove him beyond his limits.
May tucked herself into bed beside him. She made herself comfortable and then looked at him. "You know, it was just some days ago when you were clinging to life, but you made a dramatic recovery. On top of recovering quickly, you also got a lot stronger. I'm so proud of you."
"Litleo," Litleo proudly smiled when he pressed up against her shoulder.
May caressed the lion's face. "You inspire me, Litleo." The cub was surprised by the human's confession. He never imagined he could make such an impact on a human. The coordinator could tell it was amazed, "I mean it. I will bounce back from my situation and get stronger like you. We'll both get stronger."
Litleo purred while he nuzzled more against May's shoulder. They rested in each other's embrace as sleep fell upon them. Tomorrow would be another day.
After breakfast, Ash and May challenged Litleo's ability under new circumstances. This time, the Fire-type was battling against the combined might of Pikachu and Glaceon. The pair of trainers believed it would make good practice for Litleo to fight varied opponents under varied situations. Unsurprisingly, Litleo was ready for the new challenge. Ash and May stood behind Glaceon and Pikachu as they engaged the cub in battle.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam!" May ordered.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.
"Gla!" Glaceon released its icy attack.
"Pikaaaachuuu!" Pikachu fired the mighty electric move.
Litleo leaped into the air and used its combination attack to protect itself against the double attack. However, May and Ash would not give Litleo a chance to attack. Simultaneously, they ordered their Pokémon to use "Iron Tail!"
Glaceon and Pikachu jumped into the air to meet Litleo with their powerful tails. Litleo countered with Incinerate, which caused a midair explosion between the three Pokémon. The trio coolly dropped to the ground on their feet as they smiled at each other. Pikachu and Glaceon approvingly nodded at Litleo for demonstrating that it was much quicker on its feet than when it met them. The cub nodded back, eager to defeat them in battle.
Just as Ash and May enthusiastically prepared to attack again, a loud blast occurred in the distance. The burst made the ground shake. "What was that?" May planted her feet firmly as she became concerned.
"Maybe the other Pokémon are training?" Ash suggested as he also got caught off guard. Pikachu and Glaceon tried to look in the direction of where the blast came from.
Suddenly, a menacing roar echoed through the land. "That's not any of my Pokémon or yours, and definitely not from around here," May realized with fear.
Litleo snarled as it looked in the direction of the roar. It was the only one who recognized the disturbing cry.