Chapter 22: Destination: Coronation

On a peaceful afternoon, Ash and Lillie were in the REC room. Ash was on his phone, completing registration for the World Coronation Series.

"Alright, almost there, and…Done! I'm officially in the Normal Rank!"

He checked his phone to see what his rank was: 10,201.

"Looks like I've got a long way to go to get to Leon, huh?"
"It says here that the ranking system operates on points. Every time you win a battle, you earn points, and if you lose a battle you lose points. The more points you earn, the higher your rank climbs."

"So I bet if I beat someone with a high rank, I'll earn more points! Let's see if there's any trainers around here…"

Pressing a few buttons, he brought up a radar screen to look for trainers. After a minute of searching, he found one not too far away at the Vermilion Gym: Gym Leader Visquez, rank 2,109.

"Gym Leader? I thought Lt. Surge was the Gym Leader for Vermillion City."

"Do you want to go for it? You could always start off small."

"Nah, let's go! If I want to get to the Master Class, then I've got to take chances! Right, buddy?"

"Pika!"

"Alright then, to the Gym!"

On the way to the gym, Ash filled Lillie in on his history with their destination.

"So The Thunder Badge was the third badge you ever received.

"Yeah, and man did Lt. Surge make me work for it. Him and his Raichu nearly put an end to my journey right then and there, but Pikachu and I managed to pull through! Right, buddy?"

"Pika!"

"I was hoping for a rematch, but anybody entrusted to take over for him has got to be tough!"

"Well, I know that you'll win no matter what, and Snowy and I will be cheering you on all the way."

"Vulpix!"

Ash smiled, and kissed her on the cheek just as they approached the gym. A trainer came out, looking dejected.

"Why the long face?"
"I just got my butt kicked by the Gym Leader. Are you going to challenge her?"

"Yep, I sure am!"

"Pah, good luck! I couldn't even land a scratch on her."

And he stormed off towards the Pokemon Center. Ash and Lillie just watched him go.

"Someone's a sore loser."

"Yep."

Shrugging off the encounter, Ash and Lillie stepped through the doors into the gym. Two gym trainers stepped forward.

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got another wimp for the boss. Where you from, kid?"
"I'm from Pallet Town, and I've come to challenge Visquez in a World Coronation Series Match!"

"Oh yeah? What's your rank?"

"10,201. This will be my first match."

The two trainers burst out laughing.

"And you want to challenge the boss? Get real!"

"Yeah, she'll stomp you flat!"

"Steve, Tony, enough!"

Coming out from the back was the Gym Leader herself, staring her subordinates down before turning to Ash.

"Tell me, what is your name?"

"Ash Kethcum."

Visquez smiled, and took out a Pokeball.

"I accept your challenge!"

"What? But boss, he's no challenge for you."

"I wouldn't say that. Lt. Surge told me about a trainer from Pallet Town with a Pikachu who gave him his greatest challenge, and I'd be happy to go up against him."

"Great!"

Taking out their Rotomphones, the two hit the accept challenge button before heading toward the battlefield. Just as they were about to begin, a loud whirring noise filled the air.

"Attention, attention! A World Coronation Series battle is about to begin!"

Flying in from an open window was a Drone Rotom, circling around the arena to get a good look at the contestants before settling in the middle.

"Please state your names and hometown for verification!"

"Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!"

"Private Visquez from Vermillion CIty!"

"Registration complete! I am your host, Drone Rotom! I have been certified by the Pokemon World Coronation Commission to oversee this battle! This will be a 2-on-2 Pokemon battle with no time limit! Substitutions are allowed, and each of you will send out your first Pokemon at the same time! Are you ready?"

Both Ash and Visquez nodded.

"Then let the battle begin!"

"PIkachu, I choose you!"

"Go, Raichu!"

"Battle…start!"

"Thunderbolt!"

To the unlookers surprise, both Pikachu and its evolution unleashed the same attack, the clashing bolts of electricity causing a small explosion that pushed them both backwards.

"Raichu, use Volt Tackle!"

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!"

Raichu, despite its size, was incredibly quick, racing towards Pikachu much faster than any other Raichu Ash had seen. Lucily, Pikachu had foreseen what Ash had planned, and dug his tail into the ground, giving him some resistance to Raichu's attack, though his evolution still managed to push him along the ground. Visquez smiled.

"That trick may have worked against Lt. Surge, but it won't work against me! Full power, Raichu!"

"Rai Rai!"

Pushing more electricity into hi\s body, Raichu went faster, hitting Pikachu so hard that he got sent flying towards a column.

"Roll into a ball, then use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu managed to do so just in time, rolling off the column before hurtling towards his opponent. Knowing she didn't have a lot of time, Visquez had to act fast.

"Reflect Raichu!"

"Pikachu, hit him with an Electro Ball when you make contact!"

Raichu just managed to get a Reflect up in time, meeting Pikachu's tail. However, Pikachu managed to get off an Electro Ball, which created another small explosion. When the dust had settled, both Pikachu and Raichu were panting heavily.

"Pikachu, return!"

Confused, Pikachu returned to Ash's side, running up his extended arm to his shoulder.

"You did good buddy, I'll send you in later. Go, Dragonite!"

Instead of joining the battle, Dragonite flew over and tackled Ash in a big hug. Ash laughed, and returned the gesture.

"Great to see you too, girl, but I need you to battle right now, okay?"

"Dragonite!"

Up in the stands, Steven and Tony gaped in shock at the Pesudo-legendary's appearance.

"How the- what the- huh?"

"The kid has a Dragonite as is the normal rank? Ah man, the boss is in trouble."

"Go Ash, go! Go Ash, go!"

The two turned around to see Lillie cheering Ash on, dressed in a cheerleading outfit. Her Vulpix was dancing along with her, imitating her movements.

"Attention, may we please get back to the battle?"

"Right. Dragonite, use Thunder Punch!"

"You too, Raichu!"

Dragonite swooped in, fist covered in electricity as it moved in to connect. Raichu met her fist with his own, pushing each of them back with great force.

"Swift, Raichu!"

"Dragon Dance!"

Dragonite took to the sky, spinning around rapidly to boost its power. The gusts from her movements managed to form a semi-barrier, dissipating the stars with ease.

"Alright Raich, use Volt Tackle!"

"Dragon Rush, Dragonite!"

The two competitors built up energy in their bodies before charging in, meeting in the middle in an explosive finale that rocked the building. When the dust had settled, Raichu was out cold, while Dragonite stood triumphant. Drone Rotom floated down to confirm before making the call.

"Raichu is unable to battle, Dragonite wins! Private Visquez, please send out your next Pokemon!"

"Good job Raichu, get a nice long rest. Go, Electivire!"

The evolved form of Electabuzz landed on the ground with a hard THUMP, roaring proudly as it beat its chest.

"Alright Dragonite, use Twister!"

"Rock Tomb, Electivire!"

Dragonite managed to get a small tornado off, but before it could follow through with another attack, rocks began to fall from the ceiling, trapping her. Despite her best efforts to escape, she soon became entombed in a small mountain of rocks. As for Electivire, he tanked the twister with ease.

"Dragonite!"

"Electivire, use Thunder Punch!"

The lumbering giant ran up, punching the rock prison so hard it exploded, sending Dragonite hurtling towards the back wall.

"Dragonite, right yourself with Dragon Dance, then use Dragon Pulse!"

"Light Screen, Electivire!"

Dragonite managed to save itself just before it hit the wall before unleashing a massive burst of energy, which Electivire just barely managed to shield itself from, even though it was still pushed back a significant amount of space.

"Dragonite, hit him with Dragon Claw!"

"Wild Charge, Electivire!"

Electivire built up electricity in his body until he was nothing more than a giant ball of light before charing straight at Dragonite, the poor Dragon barely having enough time to connect her attack before another explosion occurred. When the dust had settled, Dragonite was out cold, while Electivire stood over her, panting heavily.

"Dragonite is unable to battle, Electivire wins! Ash Ketchum, please send out your next Pokemon!"

Despite the turnaround, Ash wasn't worried. He knew Pikachu could handle this.

"Take a good rest girl, you deserve it. You ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika Pika!"

"Alright then, go!"

"Pikachu vs Electivire, Battle Start!"

"Thunder Punch, Electivire!"

"Dodge with Agility!"

Electivire lumbered towards his smaller foe, trying to smash its fist into it, but Pikachu dodged just in time. Electivitre kept it up, but due to its larger size it couldn't catch Pikachu in time.

"Use Thunder Punch on the ground!"

"Use the displaced ground as a ramp, then use Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu did just that, vaulting off the raised rocks before ramming into Electivire with bursts of electricity, nearly toppling the giant.

"Now finish him off with Iron Tail!"

Before Electivire could hope to recover, Pikachu slammed his tail right into his face, sealing the deal. The great Electric type stumbled for a minute before collapsing, all of his energy spent. After a minute to confirm, Drone Rotom gave his ruling.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner, and the battle goes to Ash of Pallet Town!"

"Alright, way to go buddy!"

Pikachu smiled, flashing a thumbs up.

"As a result of this battle, the World Coronation Series rankings shall be updated! Congratulations on a hard fought battle!"

His job, the possessed drone flew back to its base to update the ranks. After a minute, their phones dinged, confirming their new statuses. Ash grinned when he saw his new ranking.

"Oh yeah, 3,763!"

Visquez groaned when she saw that her rank had decreased.

"3,239. I'll never reach the Great Class if I can't leave the gym."

Despite this, she gave Ash a firm handshake.

"Congratulations, Ash. Everything I heard from Lt. Surge is true."

"Thanks, Visquez. And if you ever want a rematch, I'm all for it!"

Visquez saluted him, with Steve and Tony reluctantly doing the same. Lillie, meanwhile, pulled him into a bone crushing hug before kissing him on the lips.

"You did it! I knew you would!"

"Thanks, Lillie. By the way, I love the new outfit."

Lillie blushed hard, looking away in embarrassment. After saying their goodbyes, Ash and Lillie took off for home, ready for whatever the next day had in store.