Chapter 22: Fearless
Litleo ran off to the source of the roar without any hesitation. It was bravely going to settle the score. Ash, May, Pikachu, and the other Pokémon rushed after Litleo. "I wonder if Litleo knows what that was," May ran alongside Ash.
"Litleo ran off without giving it a thought. He just might," Ash suspected.
"We'll find out soon enough," May worried for the lion cub as they approached the area where they heard the roar come from.
When they arrived at the scene, the group found areas of May's little paradise blown to bits. Litleo stood just a bit away from them as it growled at the unhinged beast blasting the train tracks to dust and swinging its tail to destroy parts of the carousel and Ferris wheel. The wild Pokémon in the vicinity escaped with fear as the creature invaded.
"A wild Tyranitar," Ash glared at the violent intruder.
Tyranitar immediately turned around when it heard their presence. It flashed them an angry stare as if they had wandered into its home. "It must've strayed from the mountains to claim this as its new territory," May hypothesized. She heard rumors of the Rock-type wandering the mountains, but she never expected it to come down to the base of the mountain.
Litleo loudly growled at the Dark-type. That's when Tyranitar focused its eyes on the cub. The Armor Pokémon roared when it recognized Litleo as the one opponent that managed to escape its wrath. "Leo!" Litleo cried out as if daring Tyranitar to battle.
Ash and May could feel the tension between the two Pokémon. That's when all of it made sense. May pointed at Tyranitar accusingly, "It was Tyranitar. Litleo was injured because of it when we found him!"
"It makes sense why Litleo recognized the roar and looks so intense. It wants a rematch," Ash noted sternly. The raven-haired trainer and Pikachu eyed Litleo with concern. They pondered if the cub was ready for such a battle.
"Yeah, Tyranitar must be the reason Litleo didn't want to return to the forest until it became stronger from training with us," May agreed. She knew what had to happen next.
Sceptile and Blaziken stepped forward as if indicating they would handle Tyranitar. "Lit!" Litleo barked at the pair of starters with a scowl. Blaziken and Sceptile got caught off guard by its reaction, but when they read the fire in Litleo's eyes, they acknowledged him. Blaziken and Sceptile nodded, then stepped back behind Ash and May.
May and Ash smiled with approval at the Fire-type cub. They respected Litleo for refusing to let anyone battle for him, despite the significant disadvantage. "Everyone, make sure to leave this between Tyranitar and Litleo," Ash ordered.
May added, "This is their battle. Don't do anything unless we tell you." Their Pokemon agreed to the instructions.
"Leo," Litleo thanked Ash and May for letting it settle this battle alone. The cat knew it had to defeat Tyranitar alone if it wished to claim its title as the king of the jungle.
Tyranitar halted its destruction of May's home to approach Litleo. This time, the Rock-type would ensure Litleo received the pummeling it deserved for defying its territorial claims. Ash made a fist, "I know you want to be the one to take down Tyranitar after what it did to you, Litleo. We know you will."
"We're right behind you. Give this Tyranitar a piece of your mind that it will never forget!" May encouraged the lion.
Litleo ran toward Tyranitar with a single outcome in mind. The thought of victory captured his mind. Tyranitar stomped the ground to cause an Earthquake as Litleo continued its dash at it. Litleo jumped off the floor the second it noticed Tyranitar preparing to use Earthquake. The Fire-type cub would not be easily defeated this time. Litleo fired Incinerate when the Armor Pokémon was surprised by Litleo's jump to avoid Earthquake. The Rock-type was too slow to dodge, so it received the fire attack head-on.
"Leooooo!" Litleo released as much fire as it could to hurt Tyranitar. However, once the flames dissipated, Tyranitar revealed itself nearly unfazed by the technique. Tyranitar laughed with amusement and shook off the little damage it felt.
May clenched her teeth, "Since Tyranitar is a Rock-type, Litleo will have a hard time breaking through its defense with only Fire and Normal-type attacks."
"Don't forget type advantages and disadvantages aren't everything in a battle, May. We trained with Litleo so it could learn to battle more effectively and creatively. We will see how all of that pays off," Ash knew Litleo was in for a significant challenge, but if the cub could maintain its determination, victory would be assured.
Tyranitar picked up a large boulder beside it. The Armor Pokémon locked on Litleo to throw it at the Fire-type. Litleo got into a pounced position once Tyranitar threw the giant rock. Ash, May, Pikachu, and the other Pokémon watched with suspense over what Litleo would try next. As the boulder neared, Litleo smirked. The cub jumped on top of the boulder, which it jumped off to build more height over Tyranitar. Litleo's opponent growled over Litleo's successful counter. While in midair, Litleo used Work Up to build up more power. The cub's red aura intensified as its fangs turned into fire. That's when Litleo aimed down at Tyranitar as if it were an incoming missile ready to strike. Litleo's fiery fangs began to envelop the lion with flames as it remained determined to eliminate Tyranitar. Ash and May watched anxiously at Litleo's gamble.
Litleo opened its jaw as it saw Tyranitar raise its arm at it. The Dark-type intended to smack it away with one swing, but Litleo hung on with its fangs. Tyranitar angrily growled as it frantically shook its arm to get the cub off it. Unfortunately for Tyranitar, Litleo had a tighter grip with its fangs than anticipated. "Leo!" Litleo channeled flames through its body and had them course through Tyranitar, scorching the Armor Pokémon.
However, Tyranitar remained resilient as it ignored the flames stinging its armored flesh. It grinned evilly at Litleo when it looked down at the ground, realizing how to shake off the feline. May and Ash interpreted its next move too late when they simultaneously warned, "Watch out!"
The Johto Pokémon swung its arm at the ground, smashing Litleo into the dirt. Litleo squealed in pain as it failed to react in time. That's when Tyranitar realized it had Litleo right where it needed him. Tyranitar roared as it unleashed a Rock Slide on the battered Litleo. Litleo watched with horror as the rocks fell on it, nearly burying him. Sceptile nearly leaped into action, but Ash stretched his arm out. The Grass-type looked at Ash with widened eyes. Ash looked at Sceptile sternly. He shook his head sideways, "Litleo wants to do this alone. It's the only way it will feel it earned its power."
"Scep," Sceptile murmured, realizing that Ash was right. It retreated beside Blaziken as they endured the harsh sight of Litleo getting buried under the rocks.
Abruptly, Litleo burst out of the rocks with a powerful roar. It unleashed Noble Roar to push the rocks away from it, which staggered Tyranitar. The Armor Pokémon took a step back as its attack power dropped slightly. Litleo fired another Incinerate at Tyranitar. The violent rock Pokémon stuck its chest out as it cockily tolerated Litleo's firepower. Amongst all the fire, Litleo threw itself into the flames with Take Down. Tyranitar failed to notice this was Litleo's strategy, and the next thing it felt was a tackle in the gut. Litleo smirked through its exhaustion as Tyranitar slid a few meters back whilst squealing pain over the powered-up Take Down.
May yelled, "Nice one, Litleo!" She knew Litleo was giving the battle everything it had.
"Keep it up!" Ash commented. He knew the cub was building momentum against the titanic Pokémon.
Tyranitar glared at the humans that encouraged Litleo. Once it finished Litleo, it would remove them from its new territory. The rock lizard stomped the ground to cause another Earthquake, but Litleo jumped in the same fashion again to avoid damage. This is what Tyranitar predicted. It devilishly smirked when Litleo was in midair. That's when the Rock-type fired Hyper Beam at Litleo. Litleo failed to foresee the incoming attack as it took the full force of a close-range Hyper Beam.
"Liiiiiii!" Litleo cried as the Hyper Beam blasted it through several tree trunks.
"No!" Ash yelled with worry. May placed her hands over her mouth when she gasped. It was a troubling sight for the pair and their Pokémon.
Hyper Beam left Litleo twitching on the ground. The cub clenched its teeth as it tried to regain its composure. Litleo could feel his entire body shaking when he tried to stand up. Tyranitar was shocked to see Litleo try to stand up after unleashing a Hyper Beam. The rock Pokémon felt insulted by Litleo for finding strength after delivering its most powerful attack. It would make sure it'd finish the job with its next move. Tyranitar roared once more. It stomped on the ground when glowing blue towers of rock emerged from underground. They traveled toward Litleo, who still couldn't stand on all fours.
"It's Stone Edge!" Ash froze as he saw the mighty rock attack go for Litleo, who helplessly watched the jagged stones come for it.
Litleo closed its eyes. It knew it did not have enough power to counter Tyranitar, but it wouldn't go down without a fight. The feline built up heat in its body. As its last stand, Litleo roared to release its wall of fire against Stone Edge. Tyranitar was not concerned by the combination technique, but its attack power dropped again. Stone Edge would still break through and hit Litleo, except it didn't.
"Enough!" May threw herself between Litleo and Stone Edge. Litleo gasped at the sight of his friend putting herself in danger for him.
Ash and the Pokémon tried to stop her. "May, don't!" Ash reached out to grab her, but it was too late. Litleo's eyes grew with fear when he saw May get struck by Stone Edge. Ash and the others were horrified when they saw the brunette fly in the air after Stone Edge hit her.
"Blaziken!" Blaziken leaped into the air to grab the coordinator. Her fire starter dropped to the ground on one knee with May held tightly in its arms.
Ash, Pikachu, and the others ran over to May with haste. "No, May!" Ash's eyes began to swell with tears building up. He saw May's head hang as Blaziken eyed the ground with defeat. The Blaze Pokémon felt it failed in its duty to protect its trainer. Glaceon used her paw to touch the lifeless girl's hanging hand while Venusaur got paralyzed with devastation over the sight of the coordinator.
"Pika chu," With lowered ears, Pikachu eyed May as tears rolled down his cheeks. The mouse couldn't believe this was happening. Ash's hands trembled as he tried to nudge her to wake up.
Litleo watched from a distance as his friends frantically tried to make May wake up. It glanced at Tyranitar, who showed no remorse for its actions as it looked pleased with itself for what it had done. Litleo's frozen eyes turned back to May. He saw the beautiful brunette's face. The cub wished she would open her eyes at any moment, but she didn't. She remained motionless. Litleo's entire body trembled with fear over May's fate. He began to relive flashbacks with the coordinator he had befriended. Litleo remembered his nights in May's bed, her kisses on his head, and her encouraging cheers. He remembered the first time they met.
"Litleo, you're awake! Thank goodness!" May cheered with joy.
"Li?" Litleo looked at her with confusion, then looked around and became further confused by everything it saw. It certainly didn't look anything like his home. "Leo…" Litleo became frightened by the unknown as it lowered its head in fear and took a few steps away from May.
"Awww, you're scared, aren't you? Come here," May tried to get the little thing to feel better by reaching out her hand. "Don't be afraid, little guy, I won't hurt you. You can trust me. I'll look after you and protect you," May gently placed her hand on his bed and made a "tch, tch, tch" sound to make it come over. Litleo stared at her and saw how hard she tried to reach him.
Litleo jumped into May's chest. The coordinator felt a sense of empathy for the feline, so May started to caress Litleo while it looked at her curiously. "It's ok, Litleo, nobody will hurt you anymore. I promise to make sure you're alright," May said with a tender voice and kissed its head, making the Fire-type blush.
Litleo's blushing made May giggle, but her kiss wasn't enough for Litleo to feel completely safe. He hid his face shyly as he tried to deal with his emotions of sadness and curiosity. "Are you feeling better?" the sapphire-eyed girl asked.
"Lit," Litleo responded in confirmation as it remained in May's arms, feeling that her arms were safer than any other place right now.
Tears swelled up in Litleo's eyes. The cub cried, "Leooooooo!" a stream of tears traveled down its face. The cub glared at Tyranitar as it clenched its teeth. The tears intensified, and its crying grew louder as Litleo's friends turned to see what was happening to the cub. That's when Litleo's body started to glow blue. Litleo's built-up anger caused a gust in the surrounding area.
Ash's eyes grew, "It's evolving!" Pikachu and the other Pokémon were astounded by the sudden transformation. Even Tyranitar was alarmed by the change. Before their very eyes, Litleo started to grow in size. A large mane grew around broad shoulders as its paws enlarged. Its tail grew significantly longer with a thicker tuft at the end. When the transformation was complete, the blue glow vanished. The light revealed a feline beast with regal qualities that intimidated any foe, including Tyranitar. Ash and the others were captivated by its powerful presence.
The lion glared at Tyranitar. Without any warning, it roared fiercely, "Pyyyyrooooaaaaar!" The lion's roar unleashed through a Hyper Voice that pushed Tyranitar back.
"Amazing, it evolved into Pyroar and learned Hyper Voice!" Ash squeezed May's hand while his auburn eyes fixated on Pyroar.
Pyroar charged at Tyranitar before it could recover from the Hyper Voice. Tyranitar took notice of Pyroar with a displeased stare. This time, the Armor Pokémon would make sure to finish the job. The rock Pokémon stomped the earth to unleash another Stone Edge. Jagged blue stones sprouted viciously from the ground as they aimed for Pyroar. Nevertheless, Pyroar did not back down from its charge. When it was within striking distance of the Stone Edge, Pyroar did the remarkable and jumped on the stone pillar. Pyroar's friends became impressed by the workaround as the lion leaped from one stone pillar to the next stone pillar. It allowed Pyroar to close the distance between it and Tyranitar much quicker.
Ash's eyes glistened with admiration, "You've got him now, Pyroar. Keep going!" Pyroar briefly glanced at Ash with a nod. Once Pyroar leaped off the last stone pillar, it prepared to tackle Tyranitar.
Tyranitar roared as it prepared to counter. The Dark-type unleashed Hyper Beam to eliminate Pyroar once and for all. Sadly for Tyranitar, Pyroar released a combination of Noble Roar and Flamethrower that created a firewall, much like Incinerate with Noble Roar. Thanks to Pyroar's increased power, Hyper Beam could not break through the shield. That's when Tyranitar's jaw dropped with dread. It had to recharge, so it could not do anything against Pyroar. Pyroar dropped before Tyranitar with a fierce gaze. The grown lion snarled at Tyranitar for the pain it caused, but it would end the battle now. "Pyroar!" Pyroar fired a Hyper Beam point-blank range that sent Tyranitar flying into the air. Tyranitar cried in pain as it got blasted off into the distance. It would never dare to return and if it did, then Pyroar would be there to defeat it again.
Pyroar turned his attention from the sky to his friends. The lion hurried to them with concern over May. "Pyroar, you did it." Ash petted him with bittersweetness in his eyes. He and the Pokémon wished they could congratulate its victory under better circumstances, but all their attention focused on May now.
"Pyroar," Pyroar tried to nudge May awake with its nose, but she remained motionless. With the hope she'd open her eyes, "Roar," Pyroar nudged again. When May failed to move, tears rolled down Pyroar's face onto May.
Ash squeezed May's hand as his tears fell on her, too. "No, it's not going to end like this. There's just no way," Ash refused to give up on May's life. He swore he'd be there for her, and he was going to keep that oath. "Blaziken, come with me. We're going to take May to her bed," Ash wiped away his tears. The raven-haired boy turned his eyes to Pikachu, "Pikachu, get Audino and the other healing Pokémon over to the house quickly. Let them know what's happened." Pikachu obeyed as it scurried off for help. Ash looked to everyone else present, "The rest of you, make sure the surrounding Pokémon are alright after Tyranitar's attack. May would've wanted to be sure everyone was safe. Let's not let her down."
Sceptile, Glaceon, and the others agreed as they split up to tend to the injured. Ash and Blaziken nodded to each other as they ran back to the house. Ash remained anxious as tears continued to swell in his eyes. They trained and fought hard against the threat posed by Tyranitar, but with May's current condition, he knew they were not out of the woods yet. Don't leave us, May.