Author's Notes (17)
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Hola, back again with another chapter. This time, it's a battle focused one!
Now, this chapter's gonna cover 80% of the entire match. Meaning, it's shorter than the previous 3v3s I've written before.
Now, now, put down those pitchforks. Lemme explain myself.
There are 2 reasons why I'm 'rushing' (not really, since this chap's a bit longer than the norm):
1) I just really wanna write Johto, man. It's already the middle of the year. My itch to write Ash in Johto and Serena's Kalos adventures grows bigger each day.
2) I rewatched Drake's battles against Ash and found that the dude's only strong Pokemon is only Dragonite. Seriously, rewatch it. That Dragonite is overpowered af but his teammates are just a bunch of chumps.
Now, with that, I needed to balance the difficulty of Drake with Ash's experience and came up with one method for him to realistically beat a seasoned veteran in a 6v6 without AURA:
...Biology. I'm not kidding, you're gonna have to read it to find out.
Now that the Orange Island's about to be finished in 1-2 chapters left, Johto's next with some surprise for Ash's 'pilgrimage'.
Fun fact: Cynthia's last name being Tauropolos. It's a completely new last name compared to other fics, which is mainly to differentiate her from the Shironas (seriously, you're just naming her Cynthia Cynthia). Also also, it's one of Artemis' epithet, whose Cynthia's name is based on.
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Review time!
C0rrupted1:
I think the only thing that's ashamed about Tracey not being canon here is that his Scyther isn't here. I'm a big fan of the old man angle they did with Scyther, was really interesting and sweet when he was dealing with the younger 'mon, like Togepi. There a way he could show up? Like Bugsy's Scyther (think used one), is the old man instead?
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That's fine by me. +1 old Scyther for the future.
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Really hoping when Zacian reveals herself more there's a whole bit of how she saw things, like Serena asking for a hug when she's exhausted and Ash just slamming his head into the wall out of nowhere. Just her basically going "Hmm..." as she eats popcorn.
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Well, you got your wish. It's a funny idea that I don't mind putting in.
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MegaSalamence64:
Opening up with the Champions over the Whole Lugia Fiasco is a nice touch going on your words about
But what interesting is Geeta's absence with Sada and Turo (Again, It's odd back in Chapter 58 NO ONE brought up their Absence (And Yes, I get that Chapter 58 was likely written before Scarlet and Violet's Release but I was surprised no one admitted to Ash why the Paldean professors are absent or heck, Even Clavell being their acting replacement till what happened to them are known...) So it's nice to see them get mentioned at least here to show the irregularity of Paldea's Champion and Professors...
(Also odd Rowan's not getting more focused since he co-developed the Pokédex as well (Plus he may have some personal burdens with him being Kamado's descendant and almost getting the Galaxy Team Killed during the Origin Dialga and Palkia Stuff... plus I already mentioned he'll be the most vocal about Sada and Turo's Irregularities as well)
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The easiest explanation for this would be... I forgor. Really, I'm not ashamed to admit it. It's cuz my SV knowledge isn't as advanced since its a gen that takes place a looonnnnggggg time in the future, so I kinda slacked off on the lore digging. That's why Rika not being in the meeting was not included, though I could just say she was teaching the chibi- I mean, Poppy.
As for Rowan's involvement, yeah, that's just plain oversight; sorry about that.
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But Just keep Nemona as Champion Ranked at least... Use the Serena stuff with her for her becoming one and Let her be someone on Ash's Level when he goes to Paldea ok?
Don't rob Nemona of her Champion Ranked Title at least... (Again, Nemona may be filling some of Ash's Canon Traits but don't make her a Failure like he was until Alola... Let the Paldea Rivals keep their uniqueness at least)
LET NEMONA KEEP HER CHAMPION RANK AT LEAST (SINCE SHE'S ACTUALLY A GOOD BATTLER UNLIKE HAU, HOP, BEDE AND MARNIE AT LEAST).
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100% agree. Nemona's staying at the top in Fated. As I've said before, no main series characters are gonna be done dirty. So Nemona being Champion is a guarantee, though right now, she's not Champion yet based on my crude ass timeline on Paint. Soon, though.
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REALLY HOPING GEETA'S A VILLAIN IN THE DLC AT LEAST...
And Trust me, If PokeSpe can make Faba into the True Villain of the Alola Arc (Even if the Alola Arc of PokeSpe sucks a lot admittly, especially if you're a fan of Lillie), Then I'm certain Geeta would be a Villain at least.
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Truthfully speaking, adapting elements from Pokespe kinda hurts the villain suspension thingy since right now, most of you readers already know Pryce is the big bad next region, so there goes that.
Now if I'm being honest, I don't trust myself to write a new villain or subvert expectations. So, what I'm gonna do is enhance the villian experience instead. Hopefully, Geeta's the DLC baddie.
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So regarding what I said earlier about Juliana and Florian... Here's my idea for them to be used for them in Your Fic as well as tying Mermaids into the Fated Universe (As well as Florian being a Team Star Member and giving a more personal Reason for Juliana as well):
Have the two of them be Siblings as well as Merfolk as well.
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Imma stop you right there. Yes, mythological creatures are in Fated, but no protags are gonna be one. It's unique for your fic, but if I integrate it, it's just gonna end up looking like your fic.
Fated has its own set of boundaries and rules, evidenced by my (hopefully good) world-building. Plus, Fated borrows elements from the Fate series so their rules are largely applied here as well. Especially regarding mythological creatures.
So, sorry about this. But SV protags cannot be another race in Fated, since that'll ruin the world-building I already have in mind. A lot of your reviews stem towards SV, which Fated hasn't touched yet. We're still at Gen1-2 and blitzing towards 9 is a no-go. These things can be implemented when we approach Paldea, but for now, it's not needed.
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And that's all folks.
Chapter 62: The Fighter
The two Trainers shook hands as they made their way to their respective sides, a show of good sportsmanship in the Orange Islands' final Challenge:
A Full Battle.
The battle that had Trainers use all 6 Pokémon in their party. It was the ultimate form of battle that put both Trainer and Pokémon's their all to the test.
Ash had only experienced it once before. His final match against Gary.
But now, armed with a whole lot of experiences and tempered bonds, the raven-haired boy stood against Drake as a completely different Trainer from the one in the Grand League.
"That's a great set of eyes, Ash," Drake complimented.
"I get that a lot for some reason," the boy grinned.
The battlefield whirred as a terrain of rocks showed itself to the world. In the middle, a PokéBall-shaped pond was laid.
{ WELL FOLKS! IT APPEARS THAT THE FIRST HALF OF THE MATCH WILL BE CONDUCTED ON THE ROCKS AND WATER FIELD! }
{ ONLY THE CHALLENGER MAY SWITCH THEIR POKÉMON! AND AS PER TRADITION, THE CHALLENGE WILL BE AN UNRESTRICTED BATTLE! }
'That's basically telling the challengers to go all out,' Ash hummed.
With no 4-moves limit, the raven-haired boy's armoury of Fakes scrolled through his mind as they loaded in with eagerness.
He had to depend on them now since the boy was sure AURA would not be saving him now. And for Ash, he felt grateful for once.
AURA was handholding his important matches previously and he wanted to try going all in without it. To gauge his current strength against the Supreme Gym Leader of the Orange Crew.
'Besides, she's watching me right now.'
The chained hand on his left gave a tighter squeeze on the locket in his palm as the bloodred eyes stared forward.
{ 3 }
"Show me what you've got, Faker!"
{ 2 }
"Right back at you, Supreme Gym Leader!"
{ 1 }
The two prepared their capsules…
{ BEGIN! }
And threw them at the same time.
"I choose you, Froakie!"
"Electabuzz, come!"
A blue frog manifested on Ash's side while a familiar Electric Pokémon stood on Drake's. Needless to say, the difference was night and day.
{ LOOKS LIKE ASH IS OFF TO A BAD START AS FROAKIE STARES DOWN AGAINST ITS TYPE WEAKNESS! }
It was Froakie's first official battle and immediately off to a rough start. However, despite the stacked odds, Froakie and Ash mirrored each other…
Both formed savage grins on their faces towards their adversaries.
…
"Fouuuu~!" Fennekin yipped delightfully on Serena's lap upon seeing her friend on the big screen.
'Hm, when did Red—?' Gary and Blue thought simultaneously.
"Froakie? Since when did he…?" Shauna wondered aloud.
"That Froakie… Ah! That's the rude one that brushed me off!" Tierno complained.
"Then, it must be…" Trevor side-eyed towards an incredibly pleased Serena.
The attention on Serena was met with a flowery honey blonde who was over the moon upon seeing the locket that chained Ash's arm.
Tilting to her friends, Serena merely gave a mischievous smile as her answer.
'You can't just do that so suddenly, you dummy…'
An intense blush coloured her ears.
…
Back at Pummelo, Drake gave an amused smile upon seeing the Kalos starter.
"This is quite the bad matchup for you, Ash. As the challenger, you have the right to switch," he reminded before giving a small chuckle.
"But I can tell the two of you are the stubborn kind."
Ash and Froakie nodded as the latter smeared its white bubbly mane onto its face, turning it into a mask. Pikachu on the side began cheering as the electric mouse found the blue frog to be an unlikely best friend like Charizard despite their limited time.
It was as if it was written in the stars for them to get along amazingly well.
"We'll make the first move then! Electabuzz, [Charge Beam]!"
The Electric Pokémon wasted no time as a condensed cylinder of pure electricity came rushing towards the Water type, alarming the audience of the inevitable OHKO.
But for the two, their grins never faded even at the incoming attack.
"Let's go, [Water Pulse]!"
An orb of aqua intercepted the beam, causing an explosion of steam.
Unable to see anything, Drake scanned the smoke for any signs of life.
"Light it up, Electabuzz," he commanded, prompting his Pokémon to glow light blue from the electrical charges running across its body.
Ash was caught surprised at the Supreme Gym Leader's usage of his Pokémon's biology to his advantage similarly to Karen.
As the light blue glowed around the battlefield, it was stopped by a shadowy figure among the smoke, alerting Electabuzz immediately.
"There, [Power Up Punch]!"
Locking in on its target, Electabuzz kicked into the dirt and rocketed towards the shadow before slamming its powered fist down onto Froakie.
BAM!
Squish!
'Squish?' Drake quirked a brow at the peculiar sound.
What the [Power Up Punch] connected…
"That's…!"
Was an impromptu sculpture of white mousse.
"[Water Pulse]!" Ash called out; his locket hand pointed to the sky.
"KERO!"
Electabuzz turned upwards, eyes widening as a large orb of aqua formed onto the masked frog's hand—
BOOOOM!
—Before getting slammed headfirst with tremendous force.
"Electabuzz!" Drake cried out.
The Electric Pokémon shook its head before glaring at the opposing Froakie.
{ FROAKIE LANDS THE FIRST HIT DESPITE ITS DISADVANTAGE, BUT ELECTABUZZ ISN'T OUT FOR THE COUNT JUST YET! }
"Well, dang. I thought that'll be it," Ash smirked nervously.
It was a given since he was used to his Pokémon being AURA-powered, but now that the raven-haired boy was barred out from that option, Ash was beginning the feel the immediate changes.
"Kero," Froakie croaked.
"Yeah, he's strong," Ash grinned in return.
'Froakie may trained a lot even before I had met him, but even he can't handle 2 or 3 super effective moves,' Ash mused to himself.
In terms of parameters among his current team, Froakie was of a similar build to Pikachu as he was akin to a Water type version of his partner. That alone made Ash a lot more comfortable commanding him as he could use the same strategies he usually would use with Pikachu.
"Nice tricks, Ash. But you're not gonna get the chance to get the drop on us again," Drake declared.
'Aight, bet,' the boy quipped to himself.
"[Thunder Punch]!"
'Hm? But it's still far aw—'
Ash's next thoughts were cut off as Mind's Eye alerted him of the sudden acceleration Electabuzz was showcasing as it blinked in front of Froakie.
"[Double Team]!" Ash's mouth moved before thinking.
Despite his inability to process his current predicament, Froakie instinctively used his cloning technique without much thought as well, autopiloting to Ash's command.
Luckily, Ash and Froakie's instincts paid off as [Thunder Punch] connected to the ground.
'Crap, it's strong!' Ash blinked away the dust.
'That [Power Up Punch] must've boosted its Attack!'
However, Drake had expected this.
"That one! [Thunderbolt]!"
The yellow humanoid expended its lightning as it crackled towards the only Froakie with a shadow, finally earning its hit.
"KERO!" Froakie cried out in pain.
{ OH! LOOKS LIKE FROAKIE'S LUCK HAS MET ITS END! TAKING ON A SUPER EFFECTIVE HIT, THAT'S GOTTA STING! }
"Froakie!" Ash cried out worryingly.
'Now with [Charge Beam]'s Special Attack boost… He planned for it.'
"K-Kero…"
Despite the nerve-wracking pain, a battered Froakie still stood up with fire in his eyes.
"Kero!"
"Yeah…"
The two felt their blood surging with adrenaline as the previous attack gave them the fire they needed to focus. The focus to win.
Without knowing, the pair began to match their minds.
"Let's go!" / "Kero!"
…
"Oh no!" Blue yelped as [Thunderbolt] connected.
Gary and Cynthia watched in silence, their calculating eyes worked through the scenarios, leaving only one possible outcome where Ash would prevail:
'He needs to switch.'
The challenger was given free rein to switch Pokémon as opposed to the Supreme Gym Leader, a huge advantage bestowed.
"Bah! Knowing that blockhead, he's gonna do something stupid again."
Despite his complaining, Gary could not help but smirk at his rival's toothy grin.
"Fou…" Fennekin's ears drooped as she gazed nervously at her friend's battered body.
"Don't worry," a gentle hand swept along the soft yellow fur.
The yellow fox turned to her Trainer, not in the slightest bit worried and carried an air of relaxation around her.
"Froakie isn't one to go down easily, right?"
"Fou!" the yellow fox agreed readily.
"Then, let's cheer for them, Fennekin."
The two turned back to the screen, eyes sparkling at the battle-ready boys as they resume their clashes.
"Go, Red!" / "Fou!"
…
The blue frog went into breakneck speed, surprising Electabuzz and Drake as their eyes swam around the field, unable to catch a glimpse of the Kalos starter.
"Hot damn! I guess it makes sense it'd evolve into that ninja Pokémon if it's already this fast!" Drake complimented.
From an unobserved angle, Froakie screeched to a halt as he fought against the air pressure while a white blade formed on his hand.
"[Cut]!"
A streak of blue blurred across the field with a white line trailing behind it as it converged back into the needle of white light.
Boom!
An explosion followed from Electabuzz as the damage lagged behind. However, despite the speedy attack, the Electric Pokémon was not about to go down yet.
"Kero…" Froakie sweated along with Ash as the former hopped back into position, dispersing the needle back into the void.
"This dude's nothing like Rudy's Electabuzz…" Ash commented nervously.
Somewhere, the Gym Leader felt annoyed all of a sudden.
{ [CUT] HAS DONE MIRACULOUSLY HIGH DAMAGE TO ELECTABUZZ BUT OUR SUPREME GYM LEADER IS TAKING IT LIKE A CHAMP! }
"That Froakie of yours ain't no joke. I daresay it's as fast as your Pikachu in the Grand League," Drake grinned towards the boy.
That statement was true. The blue frog, despite its short tenure, had achieved a speed comparable to the electric mouse's days in the Grand League. However, in the current time…
'Heh, wait till my partner gets his turn,' the raven-haired boy smirked to himself.
Pikachu had long exceeded its previous performance.
"Finish this! [Thunder]!"
Rumbling thunder rolled around the skies above as the yellow druid below called upon its golden hammers.
"Froakie, do it!" Ash licked his lips.
"Kero!"
The two finally enacted their counterplan.
The white mane around Froakie's neck bubbled into a sheet of white as the blue frog moulded it like a cape before thorns of lightning descended upon him.
"[Mat Block (Fake)]!"
ZAPPPPPPPP!
BOOM!
{ LOOKS LIKE THIS IS IT, FOLKS! FROAKIE'S OUT OF THE… WAIT! }
The battlefield sizzled as [Thunder] died down…
Leaving behind a tattered Froakie, grinning weakly as his cape of white were blown into pieces around the field.
{ I DON'T BELIEVE IT! FROAKIE'S STILL STANDING! }
Ash was seen narrowing his bloodred eyes towards the blue frog. The boy and his Pokémon were still not done yet.
'How surprising,' Drake could not help but be in awe.
'Electabuzz must be feeling the pressure.'
Indeed, the Electric Pokémon stood there, baffled as to how a Water type Pokémon had survived it for such a long time. Forget the frog's cape, its own pride was beginning to shape up like it.
"That Froakie of yours wasn't in the Grand League," Drake whistled.
'If it was, there's no way nobody would ignore it.'
"That leaves me to believe it's a recent capture. But to be able to train it to this level in such a short time… How did you know its Frubbles could be used in that way?"
"Well… I did my research," Ash showed the Gym Leader his PokéDex, letting it read out his Pokémon's entry.
[=]
Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon
It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked. It protects its skin by covering its body in delicate bubbles. Beneath its happy-go-lucky air, it keeps a watchful eye on its surroundings.
[=]
"The Frubbles having some degree of insulation was a nice accidental surprise," Ash smirked knowingly.
'…This kid's crazy,' Drake chuckled as he held his head in bewilderment at his implications.
His implications were reinforced as he watched Froakie giving Pikachu a thumbs up while the mouse returned it with a cheeky grin and twice the number of thumbs.
"But your little experiments end here. Froakie's too damaged to continue," Drake observed before Electabuzz blitzed towards Froakie with the same speed as last time.
"Finish it off with one last [Thunder Punch]!" Drake roared.
The boy and the frog exhaled simultaneously.
The two dove deeper as they began their thought processes.
Not as synchronized as Pikachu…
But nevertheless, it was enough as they reached the same conclusion.
'Here we go!' / 'Kero!'
"[Double Team]!" Ash responded as clones of Froakie littered across the battlefield.
"[Double Team] doesn't work twice, kid! I thought you'd be smarter than that!" Drake taunted.
The Supreme Gym Leader's words were not unfounded as rarely a veteran Trainer would be fooled again by [Double Team] after experiencing it once. It was a move that worked once, and it did it very well.
But that was it. There were no other benefits the move could provide. Within the consensus among Trainers around the world, [Double Team] would be considered a D Rank move in gaming terms, just shy of E Rank.
'That's right. All I gotta do is find the shado—'
And thus began Drake's first mistake.
The Supreme Gym Leader's thoughts halted as his eyes sought for the blue frog with his shadow…
…Only to find ALL of them to have shadows.
'How did he—?!'
[Thunder Punch] met the earth as Electabuzz was in a similarly confused state upon noticing the [Double Teams] having shadows, making it exponentially harder to find the real Froakie.
"Threw you off for a loop, didn't it?" Ash shot back.
The unbothered tone from the boy had led Drake to figure out what had just happened:
He had fallen right into Ash's trap.
"Now, Froakie!"
"[Quick Attack] plus [Cut]!"
Shwing!
A blue object blitzed through Electabuzz, eliciting a groan from the yellow humanoid as a cut formed on its striped fur.
Shwing!
From another direction, the same blur recreated the same attack while leaving behind a wounded Electabuzz in its wake.
'Don't tell me…!' Drake widened his eyes.
"[Slash (Fake)]!"
Shwing, shwing, shwing, shwing!
The blue mirages went faster, stacking even more cuts onto Electabuzz's body before 5 clones of Froakie circled around the Electric Pokémon.
"[Thunderbolt] all of them!"
The furious Electabuzz blasted a wave of lightning around it without discrimination, destroying all of the clones in one go, leaving behind nothing but sizzling Frubbles.
The Electric Pokémon quirked a brow at the burnt Frubbles around it behind its surroundings gradually turned blue.
"Above!" Drake realized.
Electabuzz curved upwards, stunned to find a swirling orb of blue approaching it with its wounded conjurer grinning in battle lust.
"Point blank [Water Pulse]!" Ash called out, pumping his chained fist into the air.
BOOOOOOMMMMM!
The dust clouds rotated around the field, obscuring it before the natural winds blew it all away…
Revealing a fainted Electabuzz and a tired Froakie pumping his fist up in victory, mirroring his Trainer.
{ E-E-ELECTABUZZ IS OUT! THE WINNER IS FROAKIE! }
{ THE CHALLENGER, ASH KETCHUM, HAS SCORED THE FIRST VICTORY AGAINST PUMMELO ISLAND'S SUPREME GYM LEADER! }
…
"Wooooooooo! He won!" Calem cheered.
"Cal, it's still the first battle," Shauna laughed while the other two boys watched in complete awe at the boy onscreen.
However, the Kanto duo amongst them were in stunned surprise towards their childhood friend, who was hugging Froakie with a child-like grin plastered on his face.
"…Red's gotten a lot stronger," Blue awed.
Gary nodded wordlessly, not wanting to vocalize it but still immensely proud all the same.
'Seriously, it's only been around 2 months and he's already gotten better. And with a new Pokémon no less.'
Cynthia was visibly caught off-guard, unable to hide her astonishment at Ash's continued usage of the Fakes. Although she had seen it before during his matches in the Grand League, the Champion was still fascinated at how the raven-haired boy managed to replicate a move seemingly on the spot without any signs of planning.
The blonde woman took a glance at the two other blondes in the room and held back a cackle upon seeing Serena and Kimia covering their reddened faces upon witnessing the childish smile Ash gave.
A rather rare gem to behold.
…
"Kero!" Froakie smiled.
"Yeah, you did great. Get some rest for now, buddy," Ash praised before returning the blue frog back into his Ball.
"You got me," Drake admitted as he returned his fainted Pokémon as well.
"[Double Team] doesn't produce shadows for the clones. The reason why Froakie's clones do is because…"
The man let out a smirk at the littered Frubbles around the rocky field.
"Yeah, I had Froakie's clones position themselves on top of the Frubbles!" Ash scratched his nose.
'So that's the true secret behind the shadows. This kid ain't a normal thinker,' Drake mused.
From the stands, Oak chuckled at Ash's improvised reversal regarding [Double Team]. Meanwhile, Ivy and Daisy watched in muted silence as the raven-haired boy below seemed like a different person while battling.
"Has Ashy ever smiled like that before?" Daisy asked herself aloud, trying to remember the last time the boy had ever gave such an expression of childlike enjoyment.
"The first time I met him. He would speak fondly of that girl with a mature smile. But this is something new," Ivy chimed in.
The two were experiencing a totally different Ash from what they were respectively used to.
Oak studied the boy's battle style, amazed as to how Ash utilized his Fakes as well as took advantage of his Pokémon's natural abilities and biology. The elderly man came up with one hypothesis.
'He's using Karen's methods. He's using everything he had learnt and incorporating them into his own battles.'
…
Ash and Drake mirrored their poses, locking into their next choice of Pokémon before summoning them in a bright flash of white.
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Ditto, come!"
The raven-haired boy's iconic partner leapt from his shoulder, but not before tapping Froakie's capsule as his way of tagging in.
"Pikachu!" the electric mouse sparked from his rosy cheeks.
On the other side, an unassuming pink blob wiggled with its face resembling that to a Pokémon Ash had battled before during the Grand League.
'It looks like Misty's Quagsire,' he recognized before pulling out the Dex.
[=]
Ditto, the Transform Pokémon.
It can reconstitute its entire cellular structure to change into what it sees, but it returns to normal when it relaxes. When it encounters another Ditto, it will move faster than normal to duplicate that opponent exactly. Its transformation ability is perfect. However, if made to laugh, it can't maintain its disguise.
[=]
'Transform? …Hol' up.'
As he finished that thought, the pink blob began to twist and turn, morphing its body while its pink transfigured into yellow.
"…Well, kinda expected this," Ash joked to himself.
Before long, Pikachu was face to face with a carbon copy of himself, albeit wearing Ditto's face.
"Pikapi! Pika Pikachu!" the electric mouse squeaked out in protest.
"Nah, you've always looked that ug— Gwaaaakk?!"
The electric mouse proceeded to zap his Trainer swiftly with a huff.
"Cough… Yep, I deserve that…" a cloud of smoke coughed out of the boy's mouth.
As the two finished their banter, they shifted back into their battle-ready expression. Both exuded high levels of concentration that startled Drake.
Despite their easy-going attitude, the pair wore their seriousness when it mattered as if they were hardened by real fights. It was not something a typically 11-year-old child should be showing.
"Give us your best shot, Ash," Drake shook his head from his thoughts.
Hearing the Supreme Gym Leader's goading, the boy let out a grin as he repeated his words from his first Challenge with equal amounts of sarcasm.
"You can bet I'm gonna try!"
The two mouses bolted to each other, meeting in the middle of the field where [Iron Tails] clanged, reverberating across the stadium, and rippling the small PokéBall shaped pond.
CLANG!
Ditto and Pikachu were equally matched in terms of power as neither Pokémon had the edge over the other.
'Alright, let's see how much you can copy!' Ash squeezed his locket.
"[Thunderbolt]!"
"Do the same!"
Surges of lightning snaked onto both Pokémon, repelling them from each other as they landed back with small sizzles of smoke.
But to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, Ditto was unfazed by the electric shocks despite its presumed Typing. Putting all of that into perspective, the raven-haired boy now understood what he was truly dealing with.
"…Ditto even copied the Typing," he muttered in understanding.
"Correct. Ditto doesn't just transform into its opponent's Pokémon," Drake nodded.
"Moves, Typing, even Stats. All are inputted into Ditto's unstable physical state, mimicking them for battle."
'…Dang, this just got a lot harder than I thought,' the boy gulped.
"Don't tell me a Ditto is gonna outperform the Faker in his specialty now."
'C'mon. Show me, kid. Show me those fiery eyes from back then!'
"Pikachu…" Pikachu squeaked to his Trainer.
The electric mouse took a second to analyse Ash's expression before grinning back into position, lightning sparkled around him as he held no worries nor doubts.
All Pikachu knew…
"[Volt Tackle]!" Ash bared his fangs.
Was that his partner was up to something.
…
'Yeah, he's definitely up to something…' the group collectively knew upon seeing Ash's expression.
Serena watched with giddiness as the honey blonde was immensely pleased at the sight of a wild Ash battling to his heart's content. Though the kind boy from all those years ago frolicked in her memories, the honey blonde could not deny seeing a more bestial Ash had her strangely excited, much to her surprise.
'Yeah… There's something wrong with me,' Serena gave a squirmed smile as she watched Ash and Pikachu decimate the battlefield with a deranged grin on their faces.
…
Boom!
Twin avatars of golden lightning danced around the battlefield as [Volt Tackle] chased after [Volt Tackle]. Both met each other with a headbutt before repelling backwards, only to repeat the cycle again.
Ditto had copied Pikachu on a genetic level, so reproducing [Volt Tackle] was rather easy. Though, it rubbed the electric mouse the wrong way as seeing his cultivated move in memory of Raticate being recreated so easily irked him.
"Don't worry, partner," Pikachu heard his partner assure.
"We'll make them pay the fee for tarnishing Raticate."
"Pika!"
The chain on Ash's arm clinked into place as he pointed his locket towards Pikachu, beginning his next act.
"Pikachu…"
The electric mouse sprung towards Ditto, not to hit it with [Volt Tackle] but to jump over it, evading any damage. However, that was not the mouse's true intent, but rather… his face right in front of Ditto.
"[Scary Face (Fake)]!"
On command, the electric mouse contorted his face into the most frightening thing he knew:
Charizard.
The wondrous talent to be able to change his face into another Pokémon's horrified Ditto, hindering its Speed and ended its copied [Volt Tackle] into an abrupt halt.
Meanwhile…
"Ow, ow, ow! Give, give! Why me?!" Ash retorted as Charizard summoned himself from his Ball to grab his Trainer into a chokehold.
The Flame Pokémon was not impressed.
The crowd and Drake could only sweatdrop at the boy's antics.
"Pikachu's the one who did it!" he defended himself.
"Grr?"
"Pikapi."
The shameless mouse pointed an accusing finger towards a betrayed Ash.
"Oi, rat!"
The two Pokémon were definitely colluding with each other. Charizard's annoyed hold got tighter.
"Gah, fine! Ketchup bottle and a meat dish tonight, happy?!"
His two starters were pleased by the boy's quick wit as Charizard quietly returned himself back into the Ball, waiting for his turn.
"These dang gangsters…" Ash grumbled under his breath childishly.
'You guys are breaking my heart, y'know? I didn't raise you guys like this.'
"That's cute and all, but we're still in the middle of battling!" Drake reminded as Ditto rocketed again towards Pikachu.
"I know!" Ash grinned as his partner repeated [Scary Face (Fake)].
…
"Hey, Grandpa? Why's Ashy making Pikachu use [Scary Face] instead of attacking?" Daisy asked, curious as to what the boy was thinking.
"Haha, I've given up trying to figure out what that boy's thinking," Oak admitted with a hearty laugh.
"Right now, Pikachu's battling a clone of himself, meaning his attacks aren't going to be effective as time goes on. Not only that, but Pikachu's stamina also can't be sustained for so long which means Ash needs to find a solution quick."
"Eh?! Doesn't that mean he's screwed unless he switches?!" Daisy exclaimed upon realizing the current state.
"But knowing that boy, he won't switch, right? Especially since it's his partner Pokémon," Ivy said with worry.
"I can't tell what he's thinking sometimes," Oak sighed in defeat.
"But… I believe Ash will surprise us once again."
…
"Are you out of tricks, Ash?!" Drake asked as Ditto missed another [Volt Tackle].
The electric mouse's nimble body and inherent knowledge of [Volt Tackle] allowed him to manoeuvre around Ditto's attack. It was his instinctual understanding of his cultivated move that gave him the ability to [Scary Face (Fake)] his opponent while not getting punished for it.
However, Pikachu was running out of gas from the evasion, something Ash took notice of and nodded to his partner, signalling the end.
"Let's go, Pikachu!" Ash called out.
"Pikachu!"
Drake smiled again as he could tell the boy was up to something but decided to bite.
"What's next, Ash?"
"This, [Smokescreen (Fake)]!"
'Wha—'
[Thunderbolt] primed its thunderous fangs around Ditto as clouds of smokes burst into existence, covering Drake's field of vision.
"That cheap Fake isn't gonna work! Ditto, sweep it off with [Thunder]!"
Instantly, Ditto called upon a tower of gold from the skies as it descended onto the ground with a deafening roar. The smoke dispersed, revealing Pikachu who was already face to face with Ditto.
"Too slow! It's over, Ash!" Drake declared his victory.
But all Ash gave towards the Supreme Gym Leader was a devious smirk. A smirk that was painfully like a certain person he hated.
"Pikachu…!"
A mischievous glint in his eyes gleamed as he called out his secret weapon.
"[Goofy Face]: Ratatta Series!"
…
…
…
"THE WHAT NOW?!"
{ THE WHAT NOW?! }
With a delighted grin, Pikachu contorted his face once more as it turned into a cross-eyed Ratatta while blowing raspberries.
'Man, the dude holds a grudge…' Ash deadpanned as he watched the expert mimer mimicking his late rival's face with incredible finesse.
The abrupt change in expression as well as the sheer absurdity of it broke Ditto into a series of guttural laughter…
And that was Ash's plan.
"Ditto—!" Drake widened his eyes.
The Pikachu form of Ditto began to crash apart as it returned into its original form of a pink blob.
"No way, that was your…!"
"Now you're getting it. Pikachu!"
The electric mouse immediately cloaked itself in crackling lightning, charging himself before mercilessly bolting into Ditto, no holds barred.
"Abayo*, [Volt Tackle]!"
*'See ya' in Kanto
BOOOOOOMMMMMM!
.
.
.
{ DITTO IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! PIKACHU WINS! }
{ THE SECOND BATTLE GOES TO ASH KETCHUM ONCE AGAIN! }
"Let's gooooo!" Calem jumped from his seat in pure excitement.
"I've never seen anyone win with a goofy face," Trevor blanked out.
"I can't tell if he's messing around or…" Tierno deadpanned.
Meanwhile, Gary and Blue were laughing their hearts out at Pikachu's natural imitations.
"Hahaha, that does look like him!" Blue held her stomach.
"Pft!"
Gary had to stifle a chuckle from the screen, prompting Blue to smile inwardly as the orange-haired boy was seeing his late ace fondly and not an object of hurt.
Kimia was starry-eyed at Ash's performance, absorbing every little detail of his battle techniques and ways to win. But even that was not painting the full picture of his mindset.
A Trainer's battle style was intrinsically linked to their character.
Gary's style of planning ahead suited his nature of not leaving things to chance.
Blue's style of directing complimented her desires to becoming a movie actress in Unova.
And that begged the question…
What did Ash's style of Fakes imply?
"Kyaa~!" Serena squealed lovingly as she blushed intensely.
The raven-haired boy had found the camera after Pikachu equipped himself back onto his shoulder and proceeded to hold up a loose V-sign with his locket hand, as if dedicating his success to her.
The honey blonde was promptly entered into a world of her own, much to everyone's embarrassment.
'Please hurry up and pick up your girl…' everyone sighed tiredly.
…
"You worked up a sweat, partner," Ash quipped.
"Pika…"
Without warning, the raven-haired boy pinched his partner's rosy cheeks gently with a twitching smile.
"Was this the mouth that got me strangled?" he smirked playfully.
"Pikachu~"
The electric mouse was smug about his actions, bearing no signs of regret.
'Well, so far so good. But Froakie's injured and Pikachu's tired,' Ash analysed as he rubbed his partner's chin.
"Chaaa~"
'It should be alright for now. The boss probably ain't coming out for now.'
"You got me good, Ash. I didn't expect you to beat Ditto like that," Drake complimented.
"Most Trainers lost their cool whenever I chose Ditto first."
"Well, the Dex gave me the clue after all," the boy replied.
The Supreme Gym Leader quirked a brow before remembering the raven-haired boy's red device's entry about the Transform Pokémon:
However, if made to laugh, it can't maintain its disguise.
When Ditto's transformation faded, its Typing returned to Normal, thus giving Pikachu the firepower needed to land a devastating blow and win the battle.
"…That's a useful device right there," Drake could not help but laugh at himself for getting played.
"Professor Oak sends his regards," Ash smirked as he pointed a thumb towards the stands with a sheepish Oak smiling back.
"And what was your plan if you hadn't known about Ditto's weakness?"
"Battle to the end. What else?"
'Alright, this kid's certified crazy,' Drake reaffirmed, slightly disturbed that Ash's answer implied that switching was not an option.
That was how obstinate the challenger before Drake was. A Trainer who battled to the bitter end, refusing to switch in order to level the playing field.
'I see. 'If my opponent can't switch, I won't too,' huh?'
"Well, let's see if you can beat 3 in a row, Ash," Drake readied his capsule.
Scrolling through his capsules, Ash picked up his next roster.
"Ready when you are."
Thus began the third battle.
"Venusaur, come!"
"Snorlax, I choose you!"
The rotund bear bellowed lazily towards his opponent, the rafflesia amphibian.
"That's a familiar face," Ash commented, referring to his childhood friend's starter.
"Shall we?" Drake steeled his eyes.
"Venusaur, [Rain Dance]!"
"…Wat?"
The clouds darkened as Ash tried sorting out his thoughts as to why did the man make Venusaur use [Rain Dance].
'Why did he do that?'
"Pika?" the mouse's nose twitched, pointed to the air.
"Pikachu?" Ash quirked a brow.
However, Drake was still smiling, already finished with his preparations.
"Ash, using Ditto's natural weakness to laughter was a stroke of genius. It's something I've never seen another Trainer do in my years of being Pummelo's Supreme Gym Leader," Drake praised.
"However… That's a tactic I use as well."
'What's he sayi—'
All of a sudden, Snorlax bellowed with enthusiasm and salivating in his mouth, hobbling his large body towards the flowering amphibian. The raven-haired boy would have been a lot amused if the
"Snorlax?! What're you…?!"
Just as Ash was about to finish his sentence, a sweet aroma wafted through the air, catching his attention. The raven-haired boy's nose had been likened to a bloodhound's as it immediately traced it back to the originator:
Venusaur.
'…Oh, shit.'
…
Serena's face wore a worried expression as she used her own Dex and scanned the fully evolved Kanto starter.
[=]
Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon.
By spreading the broad petals of its flower and catching the sun's rays, it fills its body with power. After a rainy day, the flower on its back smells stronger. The scent attracts other Pokémon. There is a large flower on Venusaur's back. The flower is said to take on vivid colours if it gets plenty of nutrition and sunlight. The flower's aroma soothes the emotions of people.
[=]
"Wow, so that's what Bulbasaur's final stage looks like…" Shauna whistled while caressing her starter's Ball.
Gary clicked his tongue as he sighed at Ash's foolishness.
"That blockhead's not gonna switch, is he?"
"Yeah… And it's Snorlax outta everyone else," Blue chuckled sheepishly.
The honey blonde and her yellow fox watched with exasperation at the gluttonous bear, ending with the former imagining her future with Ash.
'I'll be a lot busy with Snorlax around…' she held back a giggle as she imagined herself pushing a wheelbarrow of food to the rotund bear.
…
"Snorlax, get outta there!" Ash shouted to his hypnotized Pokémon.
"It's useless. Venusaur's aroma is even stronger in the rain," Drake smiled.
'Damnit! It just had to be Snorlax outta everyone!'
The Sleeping Pokémon was as gutsy and strong-willed as his teammates. However, when it came to food, Snorlax was willing to abandon his constraints and indulge in his gluttony.
Ash did not blame Snorlax, since he was a fellow connoisseur of culinary delights, being somewhat of his Pokémon's chef (read:servant) or sorts.
"That ain't food, Snorlax!" he tried to persuade to no avail.
"Pikachu! Pika pika!" Pikachu tried as well, only to be met with similar results.
Soon, Snorlax had made his way in front of Venusaur with [Rain Dance] reaching its time limit.
"Ka?" the bear snapped out of his captivation.
But it was too late.
"Release all the charge, [Solar Beam]!"
The flower amphibian had been charging its attack since the beginning and with a toothy smirk, it unleashed the Grass type energy blast onto Snorlax, who was propelled into the air.
BOOOOOMMM!
However, the rotund bear rolled backwards, minimizing the fall damage, and standing upright again despite his injuries. Snorlax glared at the offending Pokémon before roaring his anger.
"That's kinda misplaced, but eh. Snorlax, [Hyper Beam]!" Ash shrugged before calling out his next move.
A white energy beam blasted towards Venusaur swiftly, but the Supreme Gym Leader had already anticipated it.
"Venusaur, make a makeshift shield by spiralling [Vine Whip] in front of you!"
The Seed Pokémon's thick vines emerged and twisted themselves, spiralling into a round shield of greenery. [Hyper Beam] met the shield head-on, but due to the thickness of the vines, it failed to pierce through.
"Kuh, Snor…?!" Ash widened his eyes in alarm.
The rotund bear breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath as his Trainer realized his rather juvenile mistake.
'Oh, for the love of…! I forgot Snorlax needs to recharge after [Hyper Beam]!' Ash berated himself for making such an oversight.
"Not gonna attack? Well, don't mind if we do!" Drake grinned opportunely.
"Venusaur, [Grass Knot]!"
The Seed Pokémon released its vines again; this time, they snared the Sleeping Pokémon and toppled it with extreme force.
BAM!
"Now, toss it up with [Power Whip]!"
The vines turned bright green as power welled up within them before exploding the condensed strength into Snorlax, pummelling him into the sky.
"Snorlax!" Ash panicked.
The large bear, now airborne, painted a rather comical picture, but Ash had time to laugh. The raven-haired boy was desperate to figure out a way to get out of his situation.
But Drake was not done yet. As he had lost 2 Pokémon already, the Supreme Gym Leader was looking to level the playing field as he mercilessly called out his second 'check'.
"[Vine Whip]. Grab Snorlax."
The airborne and wounded bear, his ears still ringing from [Solar Beam], felt a thick rope entangling his stubby feet and before long…
"Slam him into the ground!"
…Made Snorlax experience the full force of gravity.
BOOOOOM!
A crater cracked onto the field with a fainted Snorlax laying in the middle.
{ SNORLAX IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! VENUSAUR WINS! }
{ OUR SUPREME GYM LEADER MAKES HIS COMEBACK! }
"Good work, Snorlax. Leave the rest to us," Ash returned the Sleeping Pokémon back into his capsule.
{ NOW THAT 3 POKÉMON HAVE BEEN DEFEATED, THE BATTLEFIELD SHALL BE CHANGED! }
The battlefield swapped terrain into one of grainy dust, sweeping from the wind.
{ IT'S THE SANDY TERRAIN! NOW THEN, WHAT WILL THE CHALLENGER SEND OUT NEXT?! }
"I didn't know Venusaur could do that," Ash admitted with a toothy grin.
"You'd be surprised as to how strong and versatile he can be. There's quite a lot of passive-like abilities within Venusaur's physiology, making it arguably the best Kanto starter, though not many people understand."
"Haha… That 24/7 [Sweet Scent] of his is a pain, for sure," Ash side-eyed towards the camera.
'Why didn't Blue take advantage of this?' he wondered.
…
"Hey! Red's being a meanie!" Blue huffed at the clearly judging eyes of the boy.
Gary stayed silent as his clashing feelings of affection and logic demanded him to do so.
"Well… He was plain stupid to not switch out Snorlax," he tried to mitigate the damages.
'But that ain't Red's style…' the orange-haired boy understood.
…
"Lapras, I choose you!"
Ash's Transport Pokémon took to the stage as she bellowed pridefully.
{ ASH KETCHUM HAS SENT OUT LAPRAS AGAINST VENUSAUR! THOUGH ICE MAY BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST VENUSAUR, IT IS STILL WATER AGAINST GRASS! }
"This is just going to end the same, [Solar Beam]!" Drake called out, already ready to release Venusaur's pre-charged attack.
A bright flash of verdant cylinder throttled towards Lapras, who was still stationary.
"As if! [Surf]!"
The plesiosaur conjured large waves of water that rushed towards the [Solar Beam].
"That's not enough to stop it, Ash!" Drake reminded.
But the boy was not done just yet.
"Plus…!"
The memories of his match against a vermilion-haired woman reappeared, tugging a grateful grin on his face with battle-crazy eyes to compliment it.
"[Ice Beam]!"
The large wave of water froze immediately, now acting as a frozen barrier between Lapras and [Solar Beam]. And unfortunately for the latter…
Boom!
It failed to destroy the makeshift defence.
"An… ice shield?" Drake widened his eyes as he remembered this during his watch of the Grand League.
'Lorelei's…!'
"I ain't done just yet, Mr Drake!" Ash howled with adrenaline laced in his voice.
The raven-haired boy sharpened his bloodred eyes onto multiple points of the icy shield in front, pointing to all of them for Lapras before enacting his next plan of action.
"[Water Gun] all of them!" Ash called out.
Lapras obliged as [Water Gun] filled her mouth, allowing some part of it to open to deliver extremely pressurized water that hit the points Ash directed with pinpoint accuracy.
On the other side, several bullets of ice were shot out of the frozen wall, carried towards Venusaur with the added thrust of the pressurized water from behind.
"This is...?!" Drake realized too late.
Shards of ice rained down upon the flower-bearing Pokémon, landing super effective damage at a constant rate.
'Venusaur can't hold much longer from this,' Drake pondered.
Krrrsshhh!
Suddenly, Venusaur's feet were frozen solid, barring it from any type of movement.
"He froze the field?!" the man exclaimed.
"Payback time!" the boyish voice cried out.
Lapras 'swam' up the frozen using her flippers that traversed quick on frozen surface and stared down at the shocked Seed Pokémon before inhaling the deepest breath she could.
"Destroy the wave with [Hydro Pump]!"
Destructive water blasted out of the plesiosaur's maw as it thoroughly obliterated the icy wall and forced the chunks of frost to rush towards an immobilized Venusaur.
"Venusaur!" Drake cried out in shock.
"[Avalanche (Fake)]!"
Booom!
With overwhelming power, the flower-bearing amphibian was drowned within blankets of snow. Venusaur's head popped out with swirls for eyes as it had been defeated.
{ VENUSAUR HAS FAINTED! LAPRAS WINS! }
{ ASH KETCHUM BITES BACK AFTER HIS SETBACK WITH SNORLAX! }
"Damn, you're one ballsy kid. You do realize one error in that little stunt of yours and your whole plan goes up in smokes, right?"
'Does he mean the [Ice Shard (Fake)]?'
"I don't hafta worry about that," Ash replied with a confident smirk.
"Oh? And what makes you say that?"
"One of my best friends… Well, let's just say he gave me some pointers as to do mental math quicker."
Ash recalled some strenuous memories of a haughty Gary trying to teach him how to calculate faster in his head rather than use his fingers back when they were still kids.
'It paid off… in exchange for Green's sanity, though,' the boy chuckled inwardly.
"When it comes to vectors, I'm never wrong."
The raven-haired boy found Mathematics to be rather easy, since it was malleable with a bit of imagination, a trait that suited Ash very well. Though, his childhood habit of air-headedness mid-calculation was frustrating for Gary, who taught him the basics.
…
"Holy… He must be real salty for losing Snorlax," Calem gulped after witnessing the destruction wrought by Lapras.
"No. Red's just doing his best to rectify his mistake," Serena observed, carefully stroking Fennekin's fur.
'But did he have to go overboard, though?!' she fumed mentally, her expression never betraying her thoughts.
…Save for the slightly puffed-up cheek, discernible only to Cynthia, who was inwardly giggling at her student's silent exasperation.
…
The two Trainers let out their feral grins as they restarted their tempo with Lapras staying in.
"Gengar, come!"
A purple ghost manifested, blowing raspberries at the plesiosaur with a menacing smile.
However, Ash and Lapras were not discouraged. In fact, their fires grew larger instead.
"[Night Shade]!"
"[Water Pulse]!"
Malefic eyes shone as beams of darkness met pressurized water as both exploded upon contact, both equally matched.
'I can't see,' Ash darted his eyes around.
Bam!
Lapras was punched on her face by a warbling mass of darkness. The plesiosaur cried out in pain before jetting out [Water Pulse] towards the assailant, only to be punched again from a completely different angle.
Bam!
'Lapras' Defence ain't really that low, but if this goes on, she'll get overpowered!' Ash felt a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.
Bam!
The raven-haired boy swiped through his head, searching for a solution to his obscured predicament before noticing the frozen floor, courtesy of Lapras.
'…That's it!'
"Lapras, we're taking another page outta Miss Lorelei's book!" Ash glared at the battlefield.
"Kyuu!"
Before another [Shadow Punch] connected, Gengar found itself slashed and trapped by multiple polearms of ice as they shredded its purple body.
{ WHAT?! IS THIS [ICE SHARD]?! }
"Another one of Lorelei's?" Drake watched in amazement as the smoke cleared, revealing a field of polearms.
"That doesn't matter. Gengar, free yourself with [Shadow Punch]!"
Warbling darkness accumulated in the grinning ghost's fists as they shattered the ice weapons, free from its capture.
"[Hydro Pump]!" Ash called out.
A torrent of spiralling water barrelled towards Gengar, but compared to [Water Pulse], it was slower. Its speed was what gave it its 80% accuracy, according to the Pokémon experts.
"Too slow! Gengar, dodge!" Drake retaliated.
The mischievous ghost evaded [Hydro Pump] with ease, edging close to the waters as if to provoke Lapras as it charged a sphere of malefic purple.
"This is over! Gengar, [Shadow B—!"
Krssshhhh!
The sound of freezing ice reached Drake's ears as he snapped towards [Hydro Pump]…
Only that instead of an aqua beam of swirling water, the Supreme Gym Leader found himself gawking at a frozen arc of frigid ice.
'He froze it with [Ice Beam]?' Drake observed.
"Thanks for making it easier, Gengar!"
The bloodred eyes sharpened with confidence as they complimented the bestial grin with cornered fangs.
"Lapras, [Ice Shard]!"
The Shadow Pokémon finally dropped its grin as it caught sound of cracking ice next to its body.
…Coming from the frozen arc.
And it was too late for it to escape.
Slash, slash, slash!
The purple ghost was spared no time to hightail as 3 polearms impaled its body, resulting in the Pokémon's wailing descent onto the ground with a resounding thud.
Around its fallen body, the polearms that sealed its defeat surrounded it:
A glaive, fauchard and a woldo.
{ GENGAR IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! LAPRAS WINS! }
"Alright! Lap—"
Thud!
The raven-haired boy took a double take as he witnessed his Transport Pokémon fallen as well, despite not taking any additional damage.
"Thankfully, I had my own contingency plan," the Supreme Gym Leader said with a prideful tone.
'This must be…!' Ash recognized the move from Blue's repertoire.
"But you still managed to surprise me, kid."
'[Destiny Bond]?!'
{ OH! IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT! }
{ ASH KETCHUM IS IN THE LEAD WITH 4 POKÉMON REMAINING WHILE DRAKE HAS 2! CAN OUR SUPREME GYM LEADER TURN IT BACK AROUND?! }
…
"He fell for the same thing I did," Gary sighed towards a snickering Blue.
"Hehehe, feels like I'm the one who beat Red," the chestnut-haired girl nodded.
Calem watched even more intently, absolutely awed by Ash's battles. The black-haired boy was amazed as to even the Orange Island's Supreme Gym Leader, the strongest Trainer of the archipelagos, was cautious around a mere boy his age. It spoke volumes as to how brilliant the fighter on-screen was.
'Can I… Can I reach that level?' he gulped.
A spark of rivalry blossomed in his heart as it beat faster, the screen showing both Ash and Drake still grinning like a pair of warlords.
They were enjoying the battle. The time of their lives.
"That dummy…"
A smiling Serena gave off 'can't be helped' vibes as she watched Ash being Ash.
…
{ BOTH TRAINERS, SEND OUT YOUR NEXT POKÉMON! }
Wiggle, wiggle.
Ash felt one of his PokéBall shook, conveying the contained Pokémon's eagerness to battle.
"…Heh. Of course, I trust you," Ash grinned.
'You're my connection to her, after all.'
"Steelix, come!"
"Froakie, I choose you!"
The raven-haired boy and the manifested blue frog glared at their opposition:
A silvery-gray serpent with segmented rocks for its serpentine body and a large wide lower jaw.
"That's… an Onix?" Ash wondered aloud.
'No, it looks nothing like Brock's Onix,' he pulled out the Dex once more.
[=]
Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon
It is thought its body transformed as a result of iron accumulating internally from swallowing soil. Tempered underground under high pressure and heat, its body is harder than any metal. It chews its way through boulders with its sturdy jaws. Its eyes can see in the darkness underground.
[=]
The raven-haired boy had half a mind to analyse the snake's body composition before focusing back on the battle before the final boss:
The Pokémon within the capsule around Drake's neck.
'I don't need AURA to know that his ace is strong. Hell, it might stronger than Miss Lorelei's Lapras,' Ash sweated.
"Don't lose focus, kid. Go for the [Bind]!"
Steelix wormed its large body swiftly, taking Ash and Froakie aback before recovering as the Iron Snake Pokémon was about to trap the blue frog.
"Dodge!"
The nimble Froakie hopped sideways, avoiding the massive snake entirely. However, the gigantic maw of the steel serpent opened as it manifested crackling lightning that formed 2 pairs of sharp canines that primed themselves onto the Kalos starter.
"[Thunder Fang]!"
"Tch! [Mat Block (Fake)]!"
The blue frog's quick thinking bubbled into a shield of Frubbles, but due to the sheer size of [Thunder Fang], he took a lot more damage than before.
Boom!
{ OH MY! IT APPEARS FROAKIE HAS TAKEN THE FIRST HIT! LOOKS LIKE IT HASN'T RECOVERED FROM ITS FIRST BATTLE! }
The Kalos starter was still harbouring injuries from his victory against Electabuzz and the additional super effective damage from Steelix just made it harder for the frog to make a comeback.
But despite that, Ash and Froakie never once faltered.
Their eyes were trained onto Steelix as they felt a similar feeling welling within themselves.
Thump, thump!
"I trust you, Froakie."
"Kero!"
And the Bubble Frog Pokémon took off at high speed.
The two shared a glance, prompting Froakie to produce more Frubbles from his mane while Ash called out his next move.
"[Smokescreen] around the field!" Ash followed up.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Hazy bursts of smoke adorned the battlefield, causing Steelix to twist and turn its large head to follow the sound of Froakie's hops.
"It's useless! Steelix, use [Sandstorm] and condense it!" Drake responded back.
A tornado of grainy yellow burst forth as it swept around the icy battlefield, dispelling the blackened smoke and tossed Froakie into the air.
"Kero…!" he struggled to breathe before pulling up his front mane as a scarf around his mouth and nose.
'Froakie's mid-air now. There's no place he could possibly run,' Drake determined as no platforms were present for the frog to take advantage of.
'Furthermore, Steelix has the ground advantage so he can just wait at the bottom.'
"Steelix, we're finishing it off with [Fire Fang]!"
It was an ineffective attack going by the Type chart; however, the Supreme Gym Leader was certain Froakie would fall right here and there. His reasoning was not unfounded though as the blue frog was riddled with multiple wounds of lightning-based attacks from both Electabuzz and Steelix, making Drake wonder how an unevolved starter, let alone a new addition, was able to power through so much punishment.
'I guess it's true that a Pokémon mirrors their Trainer,' he pondered.
Red-hot flaming fangs opened, about to devour the airborne frog.
All seemed to be lost. Froakie was about to be eaten by raging canines of flames…
Until…
"Kero!"
'…A rope?' Drake noticed the apparatus on the grinning Bubble Frog Pokémon's hands.
The man now turned towards the raven-haired boy…
'?!'
—Who wore a confident smile on his face.
"Okay, Froakie! Clamp that mouth shut!" Ash instructed in an excitable tone.
The blue frog obliged readily as he circled the Frubble rope around Steelix's flaming jaws before tightening it with full force.
Booom!
"Steelix!" Drake exclaimed with surprise.
The sudden shut of the gaping maw of the steel serpent had caused [Fire Fang] to combust within, thus exploding the damage internally.
'It was a super effective move too!'
Drake was starting to berate himself for using [Fire Fang] instead of finishing off Froakie instantly.
'I've underestimated that Froakie. I thought that his Pikachu and Charizard were the ones I had to watch out for, his Marowak too…'
'But I don't have enough info on this Froakie! This guy's a wild card!'
The blue frog was beginning to look as formidable as Ash's powerhouses.
Meanwhile, Steelix glared at the falling frog as the fiery damage within its jaws had subsided but was immediately blinded as its vision went dark suddenly.
"Grah?!"
"The Frubbles?!" Drake recognized the creamy bubbles that covered the steel serpent's eyes.
"That's not all! Froakie, snare its entire body with the rope!" Ash commanded with surety.
"Kero!" the frog nodded.
With swift movement, Froakie landed atop of Steelix's steel-like head and proceeded to tangle its long body with Frubbles. Once the rope met its end, the blue frog tossed it to the ground, sticking it in the process.
Now realizing what Ash was planning, Drake finally gazed upon the field, eyes shot wide open as he found tripwires of Frubbles surrounding his Pokémon.
'That's what he was doing within the [Smokescreen]?'
The Frubble lassos stuck with the net-like strings below, merging into one another due to being the same viscous material. And within seconds, the steel serpent was covered with sticky chains of Frubbles.
"What was it again? 'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum to place, and I shall move the world'," Ash paraphrased with a feral grin.
'That quote… Don't tell me…!' Drake scanned the frog's masterpiece around the field.
"I'll be yoinking Venusaur's move now!" Ash shouted with an adrenaline-laced voice.
The bubbly cream-coloured ropes that tangled Steelix was merged into the Frubble tripwires below. It took Drake a second, but soon he found out the context as to Ash's paraphrased quote.
The rope of Frubbles, the main one that connected everything together, was stretched and weaved around the icy debris, acting as fulcrums for said rope in the hands of the blue frog.
Froakie was able to adjust the adhesiveness of his Frubbles, a trait he discovered during his lone training back in Sycamore's lab. Ash found this out as well, but during the current battle, he did not give any commands or instructions regarding the stickiness.
The raven-haired boy was able to relay his insane plan to Froakie but as for the fine tune regarding the Frubble rope, the boy trusted the frog to do his utmost best.
That trust was what led to Drake's current predicament. And that same trust…
Was Froakie's lifelong desire, in the form of an 11-year-boy.
"[Sticky Web (Fake)] into…!"
Creak!
"[Grass Knot (Fake)]!"
"Affix: Frubbles!"
Craaasssshhhhh!
With a single forceful pull, Froakie toppled down the behemoth steel creature into the cold dirt.
Mechanical advantage = Load / Effort
Steelix stood no chance as it struggled to get up from its immense fall.
But Ash and Froakie were not done yet. They aimed for victory…
As well as a spiralling [Water Pulse] towards the flat top of the steel serpent's head.
Boom!
The sphere of water exploded, but the attack merely left a dent.
"Steelix's body isn't that weak, Ash! Counterattack with—!"
"Nah. If one doesn't work…" Ash interrupted as bloodred eyes narrowed towards the nod of the blue frog.
"Then we'll just blast it with even more!"
[Water Pulse].
Boom!
[Water Pulse].
Boom!
The cycle repeated. Not a shred of hesitation showed between the two as Froakie unleashed his aqua bombs onto Steelix.
All upon a singular point.
[Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]! [Water Pulse]!
A series of explosions burst from the steel serpent's head; the latter was fading into unconsciousness from the amount of rumbling damage atop its gradually cracked head. The vibrations created headaches and rang viciously in its mind.
And with one last attack…
"[WATER PULSE]!"
"KEEERRROOOOO!"
BOOOOOOOMMM!
Steelix found itself in a sea of darkness.
{ STEELIX IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! FROAKIE WINS A MIRACULOUS SECOND BATTLE! }
The crowd went wild as the blue frog and his Trainer panted for deep breaths of air. Their last plan was frankly way too dangerous, even for Ash.
The raven-haired boy hinged everything into that one play. Just a bit of bad luck, and Froakie would have been the one on the dirt. But the two came through together.
Through their newly forged bond.
"Kero!" Froakie wobbled to Ash, who ran towards his frog with a prideful smile.
"You did it, Froakie!" Ash praised.
"Kero…"
"Thanks for trusting me too. For now, get some rest."
The raven-haired boy returned the pokemon into his capsule before retreating to his spot with a nervous grin on his face.
'…It's not over yet.'
"…Hey, kid. You ever got yourself checked out?" Drake asked playfully as he returned his fallen Pokémon.
"Nope. But my close friends would agree with what you're thinking," Ash replied with amusement.
"How you're really just utterly insane?"
"Kinda rude, but yeah."
The raven-haired boy would be lying if he thought that it did not bother him.
"Still, 5 of my Pokémon beaten in a rather short time span compared to your 2. You're the first Trainer to ever drive me to this much of a corner," Drake admitted with gladdened voice.
"You're happy about this?" Ash raised a brow.
"Of course. It's been a long time since I've had such a close battle," the man nodded.
"Sparring with Lance was starting to get monotonous too, and you're a breath of fresh air. Seriously, that cousin of mine has only offense in mind. It's a wonder how he's even Johto's Champion."
'Woah, he's really going in,' Ash sweatdropped.
"And now, Ash Ketchum. You face the Supreme Gym Leader's ace…"
'…Here it comes.'
"Dragonite, come!" Drake reached for the Ball around his neck as it materialized the creature within.
A bulky light orange draconian stood tall, its grayish-green eyes exuded power and intelligence just by its stare. Danger rang in the raven-haired boy's ears as he realized a horrific truth:
'This guy…! It's way stronger than the rest of his team!'
AURA was not needed to convey the sheer strength Dragonite was conjuring with merely a roar of confidence.
Ash's mind went into disarray. Instinctively, he began to simulate all his previous plays onto Dragonite…
Only to be met with complete defeat each time.
For the first time in this match…
Origin entering awakening phase.
"Now, come face me, Challenger!"
The locket clenched tight.
The raven-haired boy was unsure of his victory.
Reenact a myth.
"…Haha."
Chapter 62: The Fighter
And the maniacal grin on his face grew wider in elation.
Author's Notes (17.5)
.
And there you have it. Using Pokemon's biological advantages in battle.
Froakie's Frubbles were easy to write since the anime does show our resident Keroman using them. Hell, I even thought the Frubble/Keromousse was an actual move before actually finding it out AFTER XYZ ended. I was so disappointed. So, by using canon material and stretching it as far as feasibility could take it, Frubbles have become even more versatile.
Ditto laughing to remove its transformation (legit Pokemon entry) plus Pikachu's canon face impressions were a match made in heaven.
.
And now, the final showdown between Ash and Drake is finally happening! It's also Fated!Ash's first ever battle against an ACTUAL Dragon since he got yeeted outta consciousness in the Semis.
To give you guys some Fated tidbits, there are two Types that are significant to the entire story: Dragons and Fairies.
So much so that if this was a Final Fantasy game, these two would be the title's logo like the new FF16. (It looks sooooo good)
Why Fairies Dragon? Why are these two the ONLY mythological creatures to receive a Type of their own?
...Good question. Here's a Zacian omake, courtesy of C0rrupted1. Buh-bye!
Zacian no Omake!
Ash: "...I wanna hug you so bad."
Serena: "W-w-wha?!"
"You oaf, Tonelico! Tis not how you court the opposite sex!" the snow-haired woman fumed childishly with an exasperated tone.
"Adorn thy words fanciful before you speak to a lady! Thy honesty may be a boon, but a bane it excels more!"
She kept silent when she found how effective those honest words were on Serena, though.
'Oh, thou art easy, my future goddaughter-in-law...'
.
{ STEELIX IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! FROAKIE WINS A MIRACULOUS SECOND BATTLE! }
"To! Ne! Li! Co!"
The black veiled woman cheered delightfully as her outfit was swapped with a cheerleader uniform with cyan pom-poms.
Zacian recalled the boy's fleeting viewing of certain Contests shown on TV after he was forced to stay aboard the blimp by Daisy. Needless to say, she found the outfit appropriate for such an occasion.
"My godson is strong; nay, the strongest! Delia would be proud!" she squealed proudly, replacing the pom-poms with paper fans of Delia's face.
Truly a fairy godmother drunk on familial love.