Chapter 34: The Flaming Eyes
'One year ago.'
'I met him on an early summer.'
"Welcome, Challenger. I'm the Cerulean Gym Leader. Misty Waterflower."
'He was just another rookie Trainer too young for his own good.'
'Trainers like him were a dime a dozen.'
'And yet…'
"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master!"
'I can never forget those radiant red eyes.'
{ MISTY OF CERULEAN CITY ( 1 – 0 ) RED OF PALLET TOWN }
Ash responded to Misty's declaration with a determined expression. Once more, clutching onto his locket as if asking for courage.
The blood red eyes activated the unknown power unknowingly.
"Let's go! Butterfree, I choose you!" Ash called out.
The purple butterfly manifested from the PokéBall.
In Oak's lab, the butterfly's mate cried out in happiness upon seeing her mate on screen.
"Free!"
{ RED HAS SENT OUT HIS SECOND POKÉMON - BUTTERFREE! }
Without wasting a beat, Ash swiftly made the first move.
"Butterfree, [Energy Ball]!"
An emerald sphere manifested and was shot towards Quagsire, causing Misty to widen her eyes.
'A Grass type move!' she thought in surprise.
'That may be 4x effective against Quagsire, but not good enough!'
'He's attacking too soon and too far away. I can make it!'
"Dodge it, Quagsire!" the redhead commanded.
However, the blue salamander never did. Instead, he began swaying as if in a daze.
"Wha—"
Ash grinned knowingly as it had been his plan all along.
And the verdant bullet found its target, exploding upon contact.
"Quagsire!" Misty cried out in worry.
With a single move, the raven-haired Trainer equalized the playing field.
{ QUAGSIRE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! }
{ MISTY OF CERULEAN CITY, CHOOSE YOUR NEXT POKÉMON! }
Back at the spectator room, the Elite Four had already figured out what had happened. Lance smiled, impressed at Ash's plan.
"Was that…?" Lorelei asked.
"Yeah. It worked," Lance affirmed.
Blue was stunned at her childhood friend's OHKO from Butterfree, not knowing what had happened.
"Ehhh?! Was Quagsire too slow or something?" Blue asked in exasperation.
"No. Your friend appears to be well-versed in Pokémon anatomy, it seems," Bea said, impressed at the boy's cunning.
The halls cheered loudly with Ash's first victory over Misty.
"What the—?!" Calem almost shouted before choking on his words due to surprise.
"He just turned the tables again with a single move!" Trevor exclaimed with amazement.
"Tierno merely grumbled silently as he was beginning to dislike this Ash guy who Serena is enamoured with.
The honey blonde on the other hand, cheered with the crowd, adrenaline through the roof.
"Go get her, Red!"
'Damnit! It was [Iron Tail]!' Misty concluded in her thoughts.
'The blow to Quagsire's jaw messed with his balance and stunned him!'
Recalling Quagsire back into his Ball, Misty took another look at her opponent.
Ash was patting Butterfree before noticing Misty's gaze.
'I thought he was panicking from that early attack…'
'Was Butterfree's accurate attack a lucky shot?'
High on adrenaline, Ash pointed a finger gun towards the redhead, and unknowingly a broadcasting camera behind her, and emoted a "Bang!" while licking his lips. Unintentionally causing a certain honey blonde to swoon.
'…Well, damn. Just how many steps has he made?'
"…Better than I thought, Ash," the redhead praised genuinely.
Petalburg City.
"What just happened, Dad?!" Max asked his father, wanting to know how the red-eyed boy managed to pull a win from a single attack.
"The blow to the jaw probably stunned Quagsire. Plus, a 4x weakness is no joke," the man answered for his son.
"How pretty…" May whispered to herself as the sight of Butterfree and his [Energy Ball] tickled her interest in beauty.
Celestic City.
"What a cunning boy," Cynthia complimented.
"Gar," her dark blue dragon agreed.
"I'm looking forward to seeing this boy's growth in the future."
"Oh! You're interested in that boy, Sis?" the blonde woman's sister asked.
"… A little. It's not everyday that you see someone that young battling at such a high level," Cynthia answered with a smile.
'Now that Pikachu's out, the biggest threat on his team is no more,' Misty thought and summoned her second Pokémon.
"Go, my steady! Golduck!" she called out.
From the Ball emerged a large bipedal duck with webbed claws.
"Phase One is complete. You know what to do, Golduck," Misty said to her Pokémon.
"Duck!" the dark blue duck quacked before the red gem on its forehead glowed.
"Looks like she's got something big planned…" Ash speculated while Butterfree began charging up another [Energy Ball].
"Defend with [Water Pulse]!" Misty commanded.
The clash between [Water Pulse] and [Energy Ball] ensued, but unfortunately for Golduck, the verdant bullet was too strong, and it would have hit the duck had it not dodge in time.
"This is our chance! Grass beats water!" Ash exclaimed confidently.
"Golduck can't run as fast in sandy terrain as well!"
Butterfree continued shooting [Energy Balls] at the darting Golduck.
{ BUTTERFREE IS ON THE OFFENSIVE! }
{ LOOKS LIKE GOLDUCK CAN ONLY NARROWLY DODGE ON SUCH TERRAIN! }
Misty looked on anxiously, waiting for something.
"Butterfree, [Stun Spore]!" Ash called out.
A cloud of yellow dust emitted from the purple butterfly and using his wings, flapped the dust towards Golduck, paralyzing it in the process.
A paralyzed Golduck was a sitting duck. And Ash knew it.
"[Energy Ball] again!"
And Golduck was down for the count.
{ GOLDUCK IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! }
{ MISTY OF CERULEAN CITY, CHOOSE YOUR FINAL POKÉMON! }
"Yes! Just one more!" Ash cried out happily, pumping his fist.
Justifiably as the boy's Butterfree had taken out 2 of Misty's roster without any damage.
"Whaddya think, Misty? We've come a long way from a rookie team with only one Badge!" Ash declared to the redhead.
Recalling Golduck, Misty enacted her grand scheme.
"Thank you, Golduck. Quagsire," the teen thanked before she slowly raised her arm towards the sky. Her eyes shadowed by her bangs.
"…?"
A confused Ash stared at his opponent.
"Phase Two is complete!" Misty declared with a triumphant tone.
As if on cue, the stadium began to darken, causing everyone to look up.
Ash looked up in horror as a cluster of menacing dark clouds formed above the battlefield, swallowing up the bright sky.
{ CL- CLOUDS?! NO, RAINCLOUDS! }
{ WHEN DID THEY START FORMING ABOVE THE STADIUM?! }
Even the commentator was lost for words.
"What in the…" a threatened Ash whispered.
"Quagsire dispersed water into the atmosphere with [Water Pulse]," Misty explained.
"Golduck summoned the clouds by using its psychic powers."
"And now, for the finishing touch! Go, my steady!" the redhead called out as she summoned her final Pokémon, Starmie.
{ MISTY'S FINAL POKÉMON IS STARMIE! }
"Phase Three! Starmie, [Rain Dance]!"
The amethyst starfish let out a stream of liquid towards the rainclouds. Within moments, rumbling began brewing in them.
"This isn't good! Butterfree, attack qui—" Ash tried to call out but was pelted by heavy falls of raindrops.
"Gah!"
{ WHAT HEAVY RAIN! IT'S ENOUGH TO IMPEDE SIGHT! }
{ THE RAIN IS CAUSING A FLOOD IN THE BATTLEFIELD! }
Droplets culminated into puddles. The puddles then formed streams.
The stream then found their way into the sandy battlefield, flooding it almost instantaneously.
"You're right, Ash," Misty said in the harsh rain, almost drowning in the heavy pitter-patter.
"Water types cannot display their full potential on land…"
"But now…"
Blood red eyes that tried to shield away from the rain now finally saw the altered grounds of battle.
"I've rebuilt the entire field to my advantage!"
With that, the redhead began to take off her hoodie, preferring to feel the droplets of rain on her fair skin.
The Tomboyish Mermaid.
'That nickname followed me since I was a child.'
'Since I've started befriending Water Pokémon.'
'I've chased after your figure, Miss Lorelei…'
'I've admired you so much…'
'But in that admiration, I almost lost me.'
'The me who specializes in the way of Water, not Ice.'
'That's why… I want to face off against you again.'
'Not as a faker, not as a copycat…'
'I want to fight against Lorelei of the Elite Four as Misty Waterflower.'
"Thank you, everyone…"
The redhead thoughts lingered at her teammates who made this possible.
'Leave the rest to us!'
The Tomboyish Mermaid's cerulean eyes radiated their determination.
"Let's do this, Starmie!"
Pokémon Academy was in an uproar over Misty's performance.
Even the teachers and parents in attendance were flabbergasted and in awe over the Tomboyish Mermaid's unpredictable usage of Water Pokémon. It was truly a never-before-seen spectacle.
"That girl's amazing! She just turned the unfavourable battlefield to her advantage!" Calem exclaimed in awe and surprise.
"She's so dazzling! Like a Performer!" Shauna squealed at Misty's appearance.
"No kidding! Are all the Trainers in the Grand League this skilled?!" Trevor questioned in disbelief.
"If that's the case, then that Ash guy is waaay out of his league," Tierno huffed, secretly enjoying the raven-haired Trainer's panicked expression.
"Oh, Ash… Do you think he can win, Professor Sycamore?" Grace asked the young professor worryingly.
"It's hard to say, Miss Gabena. This is the first time I've witnessed something this incredible as well," Sycamore answered, unable to peel his eyes away from the screen.
Beside the professor sat a blue frog that had been returned to the man for the sixth time. The Pokémon was Froakie.
An unnaturally strong Pokémon, even among starters. And a very selective one at that.
The Pokémon was a rather difficult one to handle for rookie Trainers as he would disobey their orders because in his eyes, they were unworthy.
This led to the unpopularity of the water starter in Kalos, thus earning Froakie the resentment of his fellow Froakies. Despite that, the blue frog continued training by his lonesome to a remarkable degree, capable of taking on evolved Pokémon, albeit with difficulty.
The professor had brought the starter with him to spectate the Grand League as well as making sure he would not burn out from training.
When Sycamore finally looked away from the screen, his eyes landed upon Froakie, who was staring with an unreadable expression. Sycamore hypothesized that Froakie was probably interested in Misty as a Water Pokémon.
However, although Misty's brilliant use of Water types did interest the blue frog, his eyes were magnetized to the raven-haired boy instead.
For some inexplicable reason…
Besides the frog, another one was also glued to the boy.
A worried Serena stood up and cheered louder for her sweetheart in encouragement.
"You can do this, Red!" the honey blonde shouted with vigour.
Her friends and mother may lose hope for Ash's victory, even for a little bit.
But the honey blonde will never. Not even once.
The bright blue eyes filled with hope now found their other halves.
Those blazing red eyes of light.
'Calm down!' Ash chided himself in his thoughts as the rain finally conclude.
'The rain's gone now. All I hafta do now is take advantage of this new terrain!'
Ash then had an idea and began directing his Pokémon.
"Butterfree, [Stun Spore] into the water!"
'I'll just mix in the paralysis into the water!'
But his plan got, for a lack of better wording, washed away.
"[Bubblebeam]!"
The amethyst starfish then shot a burst of bubbles onto the [Stun Spore], thus negating its effects.
'It got washed away! I can't just half-ass this with a status move!'
Desperate, Ash cried out his attack.
"[Energy Ball], full power!"
The verdant bullet began charging up once more.
Suddenly, in an instant, Starmie got up into Butterfree's face.
Reacting to this, Ash hurriedly called out his last-ditch attack.
"! Now, Butter—"
But Starmie was faster.
'Attack and attack!' Misty thought.
"[Hydro Pump]!" she commanded.
Due to the field advantage and the effects of [Rain Dance] within the battlefield, [Hydro Pump] charged quicker and was even stronger than a regular one.
'We keep on attacking!'
A large beam of high-pressured water came crashing onto the butterfly with enough force to land it directly in front of his Trainer.
Boom!
"Argh!"
Ash was knocked away slightly by the intense pressure of [Hydro Pump] and the slippery floor where he stood caused him to slip, drenching himself in water.
"…"
The raven-haired boy's vision was slightly blurry due to the water and his mind in a daze from the knockback. But when he came back to his senses, he saw the aftermath.
A Butterfree with swirls for eyes floating on the battlefield.
"Butterfree!" Ash cried out.
{ BUTTERFREE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! }
{ ALL TRACES OF THE ORIGINAL BATTLEFIELD ARE GONE! }
{ WAS THIS ALL THE TOMBOYISH MERMAID'S PLAN?! }
{ LOOK OUT, FOLKS! STARMIE IS RUNNING RAMPANT IN ITS HOME TURF! }
The stadium went wild at the amethyst starfish's finishing blow. A magnificent preparation from Misty had destroyed Ash's winning streak as well as strengthened her final Pokémon to its absolute best condition.
'A Water type attack overpowered a Grass one…' Ash pondered with drenched visor covering his alarmed expression.
The boy recalled his purple butterfly and thanked him for his hard work.
'…! No way, did the battlefield strengthened the move?!'
Misty stood tall and confident with her fists on her hips, striking her victory pose.
{ THE TOMBOYISH MERMAID, MISTY WATERFLOWER, IS NOW DISPLAYING HER FULL POWER HERE! }
Her fellow Gym Leaders that were watching looked proud at their youngest colleague's brilliant stance. All except one at least.
'That's cool and all, but I'm the one who has to fix everything y'know?' Brock sighed in defeat.
Her sisters watched with pride as well, smiling at their sister's confidence and fantastic display of their trademark Water type skills.
Her admiration, Lorelei, looked upon the redhead from the glass and smiled as well.
'You've grown, Misty…' she mused with elation.
Meanwhile…
"Ah. This is bad, that idiot's doomed," Gary nonchalantly stated.
"I- It's not over yet!" Blue argued back.
'Hmm… Did I expect too much from him?' Cynthia pondered.
"That guy's done for," Max said with a sigh.
"Hmph, pathetic…" the purple-haired boy huffed, disappointed.
"Aww… poor guy," Dawn uttered in pity.
"Well… at least he got into the Grand League," May chuckled weakly.
"This was out of that kid's league anyways," Iris stated, laying back onto the chair she was sitting.
"Kid got a good run at least…" the muscular professor said to himself, scratching his head.
"Aww man! That chap's gonna lose!" Hop exclaimed in disappointment as he was hoping Ash to win.
"Hmm…" Leon hummed to himself; his expression unreadable.
{ BOTH COMPETITORS HAVE A SINGLE POKÉMON LEFT! }
{ RED OF PALLET TOWN, CHOOSE YOUR FINAL POKÉMON! }
Gripping his last PokéBall, Ash bent down towards the water.
"I'm glad you're my final Pokémon," he said to the Pokémon inside.
"I'm counting on you, Lapras!"
And the Trainer sent out the Transport Pokémon.
Her bellows echoed the stadium, and her beauty captivated the audience, including Misty.
{ THE CURRENT BATTLEFIELD RESTRICTS LAND BASED POKÉMON'S MOBILITY! }
{ LUCKILY, IT APPEARS RED HAS COME PREPARED WITH LAPRAS! }
{ CAN THE TRANSPORT POKÉMON RESCUE HIM OUT OF THIS PREDICAMENT?! }
"Hoh… Lapras, huh?" Misty whistled, impressed at Ash's choice and admiring the Water type.
"She's a pretty gal, I'll tell you that."
The Water type specialist's compliment was enough to make a highly intelligent Pokémon like Lapras blush.
"Right? Betcha jealous!" the boy teased back with a grin.
"Ha!... Maybe," Misty admitted.
"But I'm not gonna go easy on you just because of that!"
A curious Blue started up her PokéDex and aimed it at Lapras. The device then showed the Transport Pokémon's data for her to see.
"Lapras, huh?" the chestnut-haired girl uttered.
The three teenagers, on the other hand, marvelled at the PokéDex as it was rare to see a Trainer with it.
"Looks like most of them have the Ability Water Absorb!" Blue exclaimed excitedly.
[ Water Absorb: Restores health if hit by a Water type attack, instead of taking damage. ]
"Then that means Red no longer needs to worry about Water type attacks. No wonder he included her in his team!"
"However, Starmie only receives half the damage from Water and Ice moves due to its typing," Gary replied calculatingly.
"Water vs Water."
"You'd think that'll make them even…"
"But Red's against a specialist of that type."
The green eyes narrowed at the raven-haired Trainer.
"Red's gonna have to give his all if he wants to stand a chance."
The girls looked in surprise at Gary as it seemed that he was rooting for his rival rather than talking him down like usual. Blue affectionally smiled at him, knowing that the boy she fell for was still there inside that arrogant exterior.
"Lapras, [Whirlpool]!"
The Transport Pokémon then created a swirling vortex of water in the battlefield, with her as the eye of the [Whirlpool].
The vortex then pulled even Starmie into it steadily.
'By nature, Starmie should be a fast glass cannon, specializing in Special Attack,' Ash recalled in his head.
'With that, I hafta limit its movements and attack directly!'
Misty smiled at Ash's strategy.
"I see… Trying to drag us into the [Whirlpool]?" the redhead observed.
"Great plan, let me help you with that!"
"Starmie, [Rapid Spin]!"
The amethyst starfish then spun at high speeds, manoeuvring itself around Lapras freely, seemingly unbothered by the [Whirlpool].
And without warning…
Crackle!
"Starmie, [Thunderbolt]!"
A burst of lightning came upon Lapras, damaging her significantly.
"Kuh!" Ash gritted his teeth, not expecting the Electric type attack.
{ WHAT A SHOCKER! STARMIE USES AN ELECTRIC ATTACK! }
{ IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE! }
"How's a taste of your own medicine, Ash?!" Misty taunted with a grin.
"Kuh! Lapras, [Ice Shard]!" Ash called out, irritated at her comment.
Having enough of the attack, Lapras complied and shot the icicles towards the amethyst starfish.
Sensing danger, Starmie dodged the attack and jumped from the water's surface with [Rapid Spin] and landed safely. The place where it was now frozen by [Ice Shard].
"Lapras, you okay?!" Ash asked his Pokémon worryingly.
Although sizzling from the damage, Lapras nodded her head towards her Trainer, albeit panting.
{ LOOKS LIKE LAPRAS HAS ESCAPED THE [THUNDERBOLT]! }
{ NEVERTHELESS, IT HAS RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE! }
"Did you really think I didn't plan to fight against Lapras?" Misty lectured with a heavy sigh.
"I mean, that's Lorelei's ace!"
"Tch! Try putting it to sleep! [Sing]!" Ash clicked his tongue in frustration.
Rumble, rumble.
Before Lapras could do anything, a large wave manifested in front of them with Starmie riding on top of it.
Seeing this, both Trainer and Pokémon widened their eyes in alarm as their appearances were shadowed by the imposing wave.
With a confident smile, Misty pointed towards her opponents.
"[SURF]!"
And the huge wave came crashing down on both of them.
Ash blocked the incoming water with his arms, shielding his eyes but got drenched a second time by the splashing waves of water.
"That's some crazy pressure!" Ash muttered, gritting his teeth at the cold icy water that splashed on him.
'But at least Water Absorb will recover her a little,' Ash thought.
Lapras emerged from the aftermath of [Surf] and looked rejuvenated slightly. But before she could catch her breath, Starmie once again appeared in front of her with a [Thunderbolt] ready to fire.
'! It's gathering electricity!'
"Oh no! Counter it with [Ice Shard]!" Ash called out in alarm.
The [Thunderbolt] struck its target with full force while [Ice Shard] only damaged the amethyst starfish slightly.
{ AN EXPLOSIVE SECOND [THUNDERBOLT]! }
{ LAPRAS SURELY CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE! }
"This is over," Lorelei stated simply.
"Yeah. The boy's fighting defensively now," Lance agreed.
'A Gym Leader against a mere rookie,' he thought to himself.
'There's too much of a difference between them.'
'Both experience and skill.'
'Well, kid…?'
'This all you got?'
'In the end, you're still a child…'
'This is the expected outcome.'
"Well, that's that," Calem sighed, now definite that Ash was going to lose.
"There's just no way he's coming back from that," Trevor said softly, beginning to lose hope.
The hall of Pokémon Academy shared their sentiment. No one believed that the Ice Queen's childhood friend was going to make a comeback, let alone a victory over a Water type specialist, of all Trainers.
All except one. The Ice Queen herself.
"YOU CAN STILL DO THIS, RED!"
The honey-blonde shouted at the top of her lungs, catching everyone's attention.
Although it was endearing to hear, everyone could not share her enthusiasm.
"NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!"
And from the silence that followed…
"FROAKIE!"
A passionate croak echoed beside Sycamore, causing the professor to look in surprise at the Kalos starter.
The blue frog was rooting for the boy instead of the Water type Gym Leader that he should have.
Froakie felt something towards the raven-haired Trainer. As if his soul was calling out to the boy.
Hearing another cheer brought the honey blonde a wide smile and the two began cheering even louder.
Even if no one believed in Ash Ketchum.
Froakie and Serena did.
And that was more than enough.
'No matter how much I knock it around…'
'It'll just come back with an Electric attack!'
'Misty… is amazing!'
And what seemed like forever, the raven-haired boy gave a crazed grin.
A grin that he would show when the battle-hungry side of him emerged.
A shiver ran up his spine from excitement. His blood roaring with adrenaline. Hot flames flowed in his veins.
'She drew out her Pokémon's maximum potential even on dry land!'
He recalled her words.
"I can guarantee this won't be like a Gym battle."
'She wasn't kidding!'
'This is... Gym Leader Misty's true power!'
"You put up an amazing fight, Ash!" Misty honestly commended.
"But this is the end!"
Another huge wave began closing onto Lapras once more.
"For the sake of my dream…"
"I will defeat you right here!"
Within the chaos, within the loud rumbling of the wave…
The crimson red orbs shone brightly. And he whispered his aria of activation.
AURA, on.
Unconsciously, Ash activated the unknown power once more.
His thoughts accelerated. And he noticed something.
'Wait… It's changing shape?' he observed as his flaming eyes scanned the wave.
Link established.
"This is it, Lapras! Can you still do that?!" he cried out to his Pokémon.
The 'link' conveyed his thoughts and meaning.
'We're breaking open a path!'
"We only get one shot at this!"
'AND WE'RE GONNA WIN!'
Lapras' eyes looked at her Trainer and recalled the words that she and her teammates said to him back then.
The visage of her Trainer, the boy who took her in.
Once a defeated human boy in the past, now a determined Trainer striving to become someone worthy of them.
And Lapras began swimming rapidly towards the [Surf] attack without hesitation. Without fear.
She swam towards the overwhelming wave with complete faith in Ash.
Although surprised at Lapras' brazen attempts, Misty was not deterred.
"You've got guts! I can respect that!" Misty praised again.
"Then I'll go all out in respect of your courage!"
"[SURF]!"
The already huge wave of water now turned into a tsunami.
A tsunami that was on its way to crash onto Lapras, and to a smaller extent, Ash himself.
{ IT'S ENOURMOUS! }
The sheer size of the tsunami shocked everyone in the crowd.
Even the Elite Four was surprised at such a feat. Even for them, it would not be easy to shrug off such a powerful technique.
Gary and Blue widened their eyes in shock, the latter began panicking for her childhood friend.
Not only that, but everyone also watching the broadcast as well:
Misty's sisters.
The Galar brothers.
The muscular professor and his students.
The Petalburg family.
The Twinleaf mother and daughter.
Iris and her village.
The purple-haired boy.
Cynthia and her family.
Clemont and Bonnie.
Queen Ilene and the man with the blue hat.
Pokémon Academy.
Serena and Froakie.
"RED!"
The ominous tsunami inched closer. Ash's accelerated thoughts went into overdrive.
He observed every last detail of the fight previously. The crimson red eyes whirred brighter.
The 'link' transferred his thoughts to Lapras.
'Starmie always uses another move before using [Thunderbolt].'
Closer.
'It can't fire off Electric moves one after another.'
Even closer.
'It's not an Electric type, so it needs more time to charge. [Surf] masked that detail.'
Recalling every time Starmie used [Thunderbolt].
'Plus, its [Thunderbolt] is nowhere near as fast nor powerful as Pikachu's.'
The fainted electric mouse was in a safer location, further from the battlefield.
'We'll hit it while it's still charging. This is our last chance to win this, Lapras!'
Lapras' eyes showed her an image etched into her memories when she was a child.
Her birthplace, the Orange Islands. And the majestic view of the breath-taking ocean.
After some time, she was captured by humans and made to become the mascot of Silph Co.
It was a life without worry of food and danger. And she was intelligent enough to recognize that.
Her interactions with her caretakers developed a great interest towards humans.
Before she knew it, she had become accustomed to the domesticated life.
Her memories of her home and family began to fade.
But then, Team Rocket invaded.
The villainous crime organization became conducting experiments on the helpless Pokémon.
The body. The mind. And their blood-curdling reactions to various stimuli.
And once a Pokémon reached their limit, they were discarded like disposables.
A memory of a grunt preparing an injection that took the life of her fellow Pokémon flickered.
She remembered the emotions she felt that time from inside her PokéBall.
Fear and despair. The cold realization of her impeding demise.
"Free the Pokémon, assholes."
Suddenly, a raven-haired boy and his Pokémon came to her rescue.
Another memory etched to her being.
After experiencing the terrifying malice of humans, Lapras experienced a vastly different emotion with Ash.
It was the first time that she saw someone who understood the pain of another Pokémon like his own as she recalled her first meeting with Cubone.
A human boy who fought on behalf of Pokémon with immense fury.
As if he himself felt the pain the poor Pokémon suffered.
And he was determined to make those responsible pay.
Lapras wanted to help the boy. To fight alongside him.
However, due to her inexperience, she was swiftly defeated in the claws of Giovanni's Nidoking.
In a real fight to the death, it was the epitome of powerlessness.
And she felt ashamed.
Even after the battle was won, that shame persisted.
"Go. Live your lives. You are free."
The battle had scarred the boy she grew to love. His resolve shaken.
However, his Pokémon's resolves were stronger than ever. Recalling Pikachu's gestures to the team.
There is only one road.
Lapras wanted to remain with the kind boy. And the Pokémon that were proud to have him as their Trainer.
She wanted to see. Not familiar sights of home nor the mundane sights of captivity.
But totally new sights, beyond anything they could have imagined.
And we walk it together.
And the tsunami that stared down Lapras as if a predator that cornered its prey, came crashing down onto the Transport Pokémon with Ash as collateral.
The violent waves had seemingly drowned the opposing Pokémon.
{ STARMIE'S HUGE [SURF] HAS SWALLOWED UP LAPRAS! }
{ IS THIS THE END?! }
Meanwhile, Starmie had already charged up another [Thunderbolt] amidst the chaos. Misty was not taking any chances.
"Good. You're all charged up!" Misty praised.
"Let's end this! [Thunderb—"
And Misty widened her eyes in shock.
Creak! Creak! Creak!
Starmie's body slowly became encased in ice from the amethyst stubs.
Lapras made her choice.
The crowd froze in surprise. All wore the same expression of disbelief.
She would stand by Ash until the end.
The Elite Four widened their eyes in surprise.
Anywhere…
Gary and Blue could not believe their eyes at what they were witnessing.
Against any foe…
The hall of Pokémon Academy was filled with gasps of shock and awe.
They would rise to victory.
Serena could not tear her bright blue eyes away what she saw:
From the mist conjured by the ice, emerged Ash Ketchum.
Kneeling and drenched from the tsunami.
His red cap had fallen off, revealing his now wet and messy raven-black hair.
Surrounding him was water. However, ripples manifested with the boy at the epicentre.
His body seemed to be burning with invisible steam emitting from it.
His face shadowed by his long unkept bangs as he picked up his red cap.
Returning the cap to its original position, Ash Ketchum finally looked to his opponent with a determined gaze
His right hand still on his cap while his left pointed to the sky.
The blood red eyes now visible for the whole world to see. Glowing so intensely that streaks of red followed the crimson orbs.
From where the tsunami was, was now an enormous monument of ice in its shape.
There is only one road.
And Lapras was at the top. And beneath her was Starmie.
And we walk it together.
A role reversal from their previous clashes.
"Wha?!" Misty gasped in disbelief.
'She rode to the top of the wave and froze it?!' Misty hypothesized, still reeling in shock.
'But why? What's it—'
The redhead could not finish her thoughts.
"Descend, Lapras!" Ash shouted with all his might.
"Slide down the wave!"
Without thinking, Misty commanded her Pokémon in a panic.
"Oh no, you don't! Starmie, [Thunderbolt]!"
The charged [Thunderbolt] struck Lapras with blinding yellow light.
Lapras began squirming in pain from the super effective damage.
And she remembered the time from the battle against Giovanni.
How Pikachu saved her with his ultimate move.
Ash and Lapras were now of one mind. And they shared the same thought:
'Visualize something you can win with.'
'Imitation, alteration and strengthening.'
'Imitate Pikachu.'
'Alter [Body Slam] to suit Lapras/me.'
'Strengthen it with the downforce.'
"Huh?!" Misty cried out in confusion.
Lapras was now cloaked with crackling lightning began descending towards Starmie with unparalleled speed. Powering through the pain.
"[VOLT TACKLE (FAKE)]!"
{ LA- LAPRAS IS SOMEHOW CHARGING TOWARDS STARMIE WHILE TAKING ON THUNDERBOLT! }
Blue and the teenage girls watched in excitement at the unbelievable display.
And Gary finally cracked a smile in his own excitement towards his rival.
"…Ha!"
'It's not slowing down!' Misty pondered in a panic.
'Should I use [Psychic]? No, I'll never make it in time…!'
The two Trainers cried out their souls.
"[Hydro Pump]! Full power! Give it everything you've got!"
"WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!"
A large blast of high-pressured water violently clashed with the high-speed lightning clad Lapras.
Before the match…
"Listen, guys," Ash called out to his three Pokémon against Misty.
"We're the challengers here."
"Our experiences don't measure up to our opponents."
"So, we've gotta take any chance we can get to win."
"Concentrate on what's ahead."
"But most of all, believe in yourselves!" the boy said with a grin, pointing to his heart with his thumb.
'Remember what you're fighting for.'
'Channel that into everything you've got.'
'We're not gonna let anyone stop us!'
"FORWARD!"
'Towards our dreams of the future!'
Lapras had reached Starmie, her face riddled with wounds but fiercely determined.
Moments before the inevitable impact.
'Ah…'
'It's those eyes again…'
'He's in the moment now, but…'
'I can see it…'
'He's only looking ahead.'
'Towards something beyond this battle…'
'He… might actually reach it…'
'To that ever-distant future…'
'To where those flaming eyes are seeing.'
KA-BOOM!
The waters exploded upon impact, crashing onto both Trainers.
{ LAPRAS JUST SMASHED INTO STARMIE WITH GREAT FORCE! }
{ BUT WHO… WILL BE LEFT STANDING…! }
Ash and Misty were panting due to the adrenaline rush as well as coughing slightly due to the water they accidentally swallowed.
And suddenly…
Splash!
From the waters emerged a tired and battered Lapras…
The rusted sword pulsed in jubilance.
And an unconscious floating Starmie.
The Great Tree rejoiced.
{ ST- ST- STARMIE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! }
Chapter 34: The Flaming Eyes
{ THE WINNER IS RED OF PALLET TOWN! }