Iris was trembling with fear as she walked into the arena. She was angry with herself for being afraid. This was a battle like any other. Except it wasn't. This was Cynthia. The woman had a far more intimidating presence than Leon's ridiculous posing. If Iris was honest with herself, she firmly believed that Cynthia was the most powerful trainer in the world, despite Leon being the current Monarch.
Ash was sitting in the stands with Goh this time. Since Iris was his friend, he wanted to be there for her in person, not watching through a screen. Pikachu and Grookey stood on the stadium wall in front of them.
Cynthia stood calmly while Iris was twitching to grab her Poke Ball before the judge finished the obligatory announcement of the rules. Once he'd finally shut up, Iris sent out her first Pokemon, wanting to get into the battle before her nerves paralysed her.
"Emolga, let's go!" Iris cried and an Electric Flying squirrel appeared.
"Gastrodon, battle dance," Cynthia didn't shout as she casually tossed her Poke Ball and released the Sea Slug Pokemon.
"Emolga, U-Turn!" Iris ordered, mentally noting Gastrodon's Ground typing. Emolga darted forwards and slammed into Gastrodon, who barely even seemed to notice that the Sky Squirrel had collided with her. Emolga then disappeared back into the Poke Ball and Iris sent out her next Pokemon. "Go Lapras!"
"Awesome, Iris has completely beaten her fear of Ice!" Ash said as a large Water and Ice type that resembled the Loch Ness Monster appeared.
"Lapras, use Ice Beam!" ordered Iris and Lapras fired three freezing lightning bolt-like beams from an orb of ice she had formed in her mouth.
"Stone Edge!" Cynthia countered and Gastrodon formed a shield of stones around her body. The stones were frozen but the now ice covered Stone Edge was spinning too fast to be stopped and rocketed into Lapras. "Use Earth Power!"
Gastrodon caused the ground beneath Lapras to explode, causing her to rear up on her hind flippers before slamming herself back onto her belly.
"Hydro Pump!" Iris ordered and Cynthia smirked as Lapras fired a massive stream of water which Gastrodon absorbed without taking any damage, glowing orange in the process, "Oh no!"
"That's Gastrodon's Storm Drain!" cried Ash, "Its Special Attack's been boosted!"
"Earth Power!" Cynthia ordered and Gastrodon caused the ground to erupt again, this time with so much force that Lapras was actually hurled into the air this time and crashed down very hard.
"Lapras are you okay?" Iris cried as her Pokemon struggled to push herself up. Lapras caught her eye and nodded "Use Sheer Cold!"
Lapras let out a musical cry as she glowed blue and ice spread across the entire battlefield. The Sheer Cold spread until it reached Gastrodon and froze her. The ice all over the battlefield then shattered and the ground returned to normal, with only scattered shards of ice being left behind as Gastrodon collapsed.
"Gastrodon is unable to battle! Lapras wins!"
"Yes! You hung in there, Lapras!" Iris cheered as Cynthia recalled Gastrodon.
"Togekiss, battle dance," Cynthia said, still unfazed despite losing her first Pokemon. A plump Pokemon with triangular wings replaced Gastrodon.
"Lapras, Ice Beam!" called Iris and Lapras fired an Ice Beam.
"Fire Blast!" Cynthia ordered, so quickly that Iris mistakenly assumed she was worried. Togekiss shot a star shaped flame which melted away the Ice Beam and landed on Lapras. Lapras moaned but was still conscious, causing Cynthia to raise an eyebrow in mild surprise, "Dazzling Gleam!"
Togekiss surrounded her body in a field of rainbow-coloured energy which expanded and finally knocked Lapras out.
"Lapras is unable to battle! Togekiss wins!"
"Iris," Cynthia called, "Lapras' resilience was quite impressive."
"Thanks," Iris said, "Emolga, let's go! Discharge!"
Emolga appeared and unleashed a powerful flare of electricity. Togekiss, without even waiting for a command, glowed green and started dodging every single bolt with ExtremeSpeed. Iris realised that Cynthia's hasty Fire Blast command hadn't been panic at all. She had simply needed to say it before Togekiss did what she was trained to do and instinctively used ExtremeSpeed to dodge.
"Dazzling Gleam!" ordered Cynthia and Togekiss flew above Emolga and darted within range before blasting out rainbow coloured energy which blasted the Sky Squirrel back, "ExtremeSpeed!"
This time Togekiss used ExtremeSpeed to attack, slamming into Emolga with such speed and force that she was sent crashing to the ground.
In the Champions private room, Leon beamed as he commented, "Cynthia know how to make full use of ExtremeSpeed!"
"It's not even a powerful move on Togekiss," muttered Alain.
"Doesn't need to be," Leon responded, "the speed alone makes it very valuable. Plus striking from above with the help of gravity…"
"I know," Alain grunted, annoyed that the Monarch was talking down to him.
"Emolga, Discharge!" Iris cried and Emolga flew back into the air before unleashing another Discharge. Once again, Togekiss darted between the bolts, moving closer until… "Acrobatics!" Emolga darted forwards, catching Togekiss off guard and slamming into her, "Now Discharge!"
"Dazzling Gleam!"
Emolga and Togekiss both unleashed their attacks at point blank range, creating an explosion which blew them both backwards.
"Emolga, Thunder Wave!" Iris ordered.
"Use Air Slash!" Cynthia ordered.
Togekiss unleashed a flurry of air blades from her wings which slammed into Emolga repeatedly before the latter could fire her Thunder Wave. Emolga kept flinching with each one that landed until she finally just went limp and began the long fall towards the ground. Iris caught her but it was clear that Emolga was out of the match.
"Emolga is unable to battle! Togekiss wins!"
"Serene Grace," said Diantha.
"Dragonite, I choose you!" cried Iris and sent out her Dragonite which, in comparison to Lance's focussed Dragonite and Ash's friendly Dragonite, looked borderline feral, "ExtremeSpeed!"
Dragonite shot forwards, surrounded by green energy and slammed into the surprised Togekiss. Cynthia raised her eyebrow and nodded approvingly.
"I need to teach my Dragonite that," muttered Lance.
"Use Dazzling Gleam!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss unleashed a blast of Fairy energy.
"Flamethrower!" Dragonite countered Dazzling Gleam with Flamethrower fired from his mouth and there was an explosion, "Thunderbolt!"
Dragonite, who barely seemed fazed by the explosion, fired a bolt of electricity launched from his antennae but Togekiss shot away with ExtremeSpeed before spinning around.
"Air Slash!"
"Dodge with ExtremeSpeed!"
Togekiss unleashed a flurry of Air Slashes but Dragonite darted between the blades. Togekiss quickly reacted with her own ExtremeSpeed, evading Dragonite and zooming away as the Dragon turned to fly after her. Togekiss noticed Dragonite closing the gap and suddenly pulled back so that he overshot her.
"Air Slash!" Cynthia ordered and Togekiss fired a barrage of Air Slashes which knocked Dragonite out of the sky, "Now Dazzling Gleam."
A super effective Dazzling Gleam sent Dragonite tumbling to the ground. Furious, Dragonite stood up and spread his wings before taking to the sky again.
"ExtremeSpeed and grab it!" Iris ordered and Dragonite shot towards Togekiss, grabbing her before she could escape, "Thunderbolt!"
Dragonite shot Togekiss a rather wicked grin before unleashing Thunderbolt at point blank range before physically hurling Togekiss to the ground, just to be sure that she wouldn't get up.
"Togekiss is unable to battle! Dragonite wins!"
"Glaceon, battle dance," Cynthia said and replaced Togekiss with a small Pokemon that looked like an arctic fox.
"Dragonite, Flamethrower!" Iris ordered.
"Ice Beam!" called Cynthia.
Dragonite fired a stream of flames which Glaceon countered with 3 bolts of freezing energy fired from an orb in her mouth. Despite Flamethrower's type advantage, it was unable to overpower the Ice Beam, which left Glaceon smirking after the resulting explosion.
"Flamethrower's not as hot as Fire Blast," muttered Ash.
"Dragonite, return," Iris said, "Excadrill, lets go!" Her Starter Pokemon, the mole like Excadrill, emerged.
"Glaceon, Ice Beam!" ordered Cynthia and Glaceon fired three bolts of ice from her mouth.
"Use Metal Claw!" cried Iris.
Excadrill's claws glowed as he crossed them in front of him. The Ice Beam froze his claws but he shattered it easily before lunging across the battlefield with surprising speed.
"Barrier," Cynthia said calmly and Glaceon created a blue sphere around her body and Excadrill's Metal Claw slammed into it but failed to break through, leaving him wide open, "Ice Beam!"
Glaceon gave Excadrill a smirk before firing an Ice Beam at point blank range, freezing Excadrill completely whilst also pushing him off her.
"Excadrill, get out of there with Metal Claw!" Iris yelled desperately. Excadrill's claws glowed but with his entire body frozen, there wasn't much he could do.
"Rapid fire Shadow Ball!" Cynthia ordered.
Glaceon formed no less than 4 Shadow Balls at once whilst Excadrill was struggling to claws his way out of the ice. She then fired them, one after the other, and each slammed into Excadrill, freeing him from the ice but leaving him badly hurt.
"Excadrill, use Drill Run!" Iris ordered and Excadrill put his claws up to the horn on his head and spun towards Glaceon in the shape of a drill.
"Barrier," Cynthia ordered and once again, Glaceon easily blocked the attack although this time the momentum from the collision caused Excadrill to bounce back a few feet, "Ice Beam!"
"Quick, Metal Claw!" Iris yelled.
Excadrill barely managed to block the Ice Beam, shatter it and finally land a solid blow which knocked Glaceon off her feet. Despite the super effective hit, Glaceon rolled and was back upright within seconds, although she was no longer smirking.
"Shadow Ball!" Ordered Cynthia and Glaceon only used a single Shadow Ball this time but it was enough to leave Excadrill exhausted.
"Alright, take this!" cried Iris, "Sandstorm!" Excadrill spun rapidly, whipping up a Sandstorm which swirled around the battlefield, "Use Horn Drill!"
Excadrill formed his body into another drill but this time he glowed orange before rocketing across the battlefield so quickly that Glaceon barely had time to flinch before she was lying unconscious on the ground.
"Glaceon is unable to battle! Excadrill wins!"
"Another One Hit Knock Out move," Cynthia commented casually as she recalled her fallen Pokemon, "Garchomp, battle dance!"
Her Starter Pokemon appeared, a large Dragon that resembled a hammer head shark with legs and claws. The entire stadium went completely silent, with only the sound of the swirling Sandstorm cutting through the tension as Garchomp flexed her claws with a low growl. Everybody was well aware of this Pokemon's reputation. Many feared her even more than Leon's Charizard.
"Use Horn Drill!" Iris ordered and Excadrill shot across the battlefield but, fast as he was, Garchomp was faster.
"Dragon Claw!" ordered Cynthia after Garchomp swiftly evaded the OHKO move.
Garchomp's claws glowed green and the glow extended to the fins extending from her arms. She lunged after Excadrill who spun to face her only to receive a direct slash from Dragon Claw.
"Excadrill is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!"
"Sand Rush vs Sand Veil," muttered Alain.
"Take a break, Excadrill," Iris said, "Alright then. Time for my secret weapon. Garchomp, let's go!"
"I didn't know Iris had a Garchomp!" Ash gasped as the Dragon and Ground type emerged. Unlike his female counterpart, this one had a notch in his fin. Iris took off her tiara and flipped it over, revealing the Key Stone hidden inside it. "And a Key Stone too?"
"Garchomp! Mega Evolve!" cried Iris holding up her Key Stone. Garchomp roared as he transformed, his claws fusing into scythe like fins. Throughout the transformation, Cynthia and her own Garchomp watched without the slightest hint of concern. The Sandstorm was still swirling.
"Isn't Cynthia going to Mega Evolve too?" Goh asked.
"No," Ash said, looking very worried despite the power gap between Garchomp and Mega Garchomp, "I don't think she is."
Iris had been hoping to shake Cynthia's composure but the Sinnoh Champion remained as calm as ever. Frustrated and a little scared by how casually Cynthia was treating her trump card, Iris shouted, "Draco Meteor!"
Mega Garchomp fired a huge orb of orange energy into the sky which exploded and send flaming meteors raining down.
"Move in then Dragon Claw!" Cynthia ordered.
The female Garchomp darted around the battlefield, disappearing in and out of the Sandstorm and evading every single meteor before slamming her glowing green fin into the back of her Mega Evolved counterpart's head.
"Dragon Claw right back!" yelled Iris.
Mega Garchomp's lethal looking scythes glowed green and he started to swing viciously. Cynthia's Garchomp evaded each and every swing, moving almost casually before disappearing into the Sandstorm, leaving Iris' Garchomp momentarily taken aback.
"Dragon Rush!"
Iris' Garchomp barely had time to turn before Cynthia's Garchomp, surrounded by draconic blue energy which took on the shape of a dragons jaws, smashed into him with enough force to knock him off his feet.
"Cynthia's Garchomp is faster and has Sand Veil," Lance shook his head, "Iris was hoping to win with raw power alone."
"Sounds like you," Diantha gently teased him.
"Garchomp, Earthquake!" screamed Iris. Mega Garchomp stomped on the ground and a vicious Earthquake spread across the battlefield, actually knocking Iris off her feet in the process. Even Cynthia visibly stumbled while Garchomp fell on one knee long enough to give Iris, who was now on her backside, an opening, "Now Iron Head!"
Mega Garchomp's head turned to iron and he launched himself across the battlefield, smashing into Cynthia's Garchomp with astonishing force sending her flying across the battlefield as Iris jumped back onto her feet. Garchomp crashed to the ground and was groaned, visibly wincing in pain as she struggled upright.
"Excellent use of Sand Force," Leon said.
"And just in time too," Alain noted as the Sandstorm died away.
"I hate Earthquake," Cynthia muttered to herself before calling "Use Draco Meteor!"
Garchomp, who had been treating the battle as a joke up until this point, was now looking injured and angry. She fired a Draco Meteor into the air and the orb exploded. Mega Garchomp smirked and crossed his scythe-like fins over his head. Draco Meteor smashed down onto his fins, one after another, creating an explosion. When the smoke cleared, Mega Garchomp lowered his fins, seemingly unharmed by the Draco Meteor…
"Dragon Rush."
…and received a Dragon Rush straight to the belly for his trouble. Stabbing his scythes into the ground to slow his momentum, Mega Garchomp took a moment to catch his breath and glared at Cynthia's Garchomp furiously.
"I'm flattered that you took a leaf out of my book, Iris," Cynthia said, "but did you really think I wasn't expecting it?" She didn't sound condescending, merely curious.
Clenching her fists in frustration and anger, Iris screamed "Use Iron Head!"
"Giga Impact!"
Mega Garchomp's skull turned to steel as he lunged while regular Garchomp surrounded her entire body with a purple cocoon streaked with orange which spun around the purple energy. The two Pokemon collided. There was a momentary struggle but Cynthia's Garchomp powered through leaving Iris to watch in horror as her Mega Evolution crashed onto the battlefield and returned to his normal form.
"No way!" yelled Ash and Goh at the same time. Pikachu and Grookey were gaping with shock as the crowd went wild. It was very rare to witness a Pokemon defeating its own Mega Evolution, especially in a head to head collision.
"Iris' Garchomp is unable to battle! Cynthia's Garchomp wins!"
"Without the Sand Force boost, Iron Head's much weaker than Giga Impact," Steven noted.
"Garchomp, return," Iris said shakily. She took a quick breath, knowing it wouldn't be long until Giga Impact's recharge time ended, "Go Dragonite!"
"Return Garchomp," Cynthia said, "Kommo'o, battle dance!" A reptilian Pokemon covered in scaly armour which clanged as he moved appeared.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!" Iris ordered.
Dragonite ascended to gain momentum before diving. Kommo'o crossed his powerful arms. Dragonite, now surrounded by blue energy with a dragons jaws on the end of it, smashed into him. Kommo'o held for a few seconds before being thrust back as the dragons jaws snapped shut. He managed to stay on his feet but was visibly shaken as Dragonite flew away.
"It flinched!" cried Ash.
"Use Flamethrower!" ordered Iris and Dragonite landed the stream of fire. Despite the double whammy, Cynthia smiled as she held up the Z Ring band hidden under the black fur trimmings on her cuffs. "Oh no."
"Kommo'o, Clangorious Soulblaze!" Cynthia ordered as she finished the series of stances necessary to activate the Z-Move.
Kommo'o shook the scales on his body before releasing a massive purple shockwave from his mouth. The blast struck Dragonite with tremendous force and Iris' hair was blown back violently by the resulting explosion. When the smoke cleared, Dragonite was still standing and Kommo'o was surrounded by a red glow, signalling that all of his stats had been boosted.
"Dragonite," Iris said softly, sensing that it was taking all of Dragonite's strength just to stay upright. Part of her also noticed that Kommo'o would be even more powerful after the Z-Move but right now, she just needed to know if Dragonite had the strength to do anything after such a tremendous blow.
He didn't. There was a loud thud as Dragonite collapsed.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! Kommo'o wins!"
"Only Haxorus left," Ash said quietly. Pikachu and Grookey yelled at Iris and Ash pulled himself together, "Iris don't give up! It's not over yet!"
Iris glanced up into the crowd and caught Ash's eye. She thought back to all the times they'd supported each other in Unova and took a deep breath as she took out her last Poke Ball.
"Haxorus, you're my last hope," she said quietly, "I choose you!"
The ball opened. Haxorus emerged, the blades of the axe like tusks on his face glinting and his long tail whipping through the air. Far from the scared little Axew he had been in Unova, Haxorus stood tall and proud as he faced Kommo'o.
"Kommo'o use Clanging Scales!"
"Haxorus, Dragon Tail!"
Kommo'o unleashed violent blue shock waves and Haxorus stood his ground, sliding back due to the boosted move until Kommo'o glowed blue, signalling that his Defense had lowered. Haxorus launched himself across the battlefield, his tail glowing green as he slammed it into Kommo'o, sending him back into his Poke Ball and replacing him with Garchomp.
"Kommo'o's stat boosts won't be a problem now," Ash said.
"Yeah, but Haxorus is still outnumbered 3 to 1," Goh added, "and Clanging Scales alone would have done a lot of damage."
"Garchomp, Draco Meteor!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp launched the same attack that Ash's Dragonite had used to defeat Haxorus when he last battled Iris.
"Use Outrage!" Iris ordered, having learned from her previous experiences with Draco Meteor.
Haxorus' eyes glowed red and he sliced through several meteors with his tusks whilst knocking others away with his tail and even punching a couple with his fists as he closed the gap between himself and Garchomp. He smashed headlong into the opposing Dragon, who looked taken aback that her Draco Meteor had been completely useless.
"Dragon Claw!" Cynthia ordered as Haxorus started whaling on Garchomp.
Garchomp and Haxorus traded blows but it was clear that Haxorus's Outrage gave him the upper hand in a head to head fight. Using his tusks to repel Garchomp's counterstrikes, he slammed his fists into her belly, then slashed a vicious blow across her face with his tusk. Snarling, Garchomp whirled, trying to knock Haxorus away with her tail only for the other Dragon to block it with his own, shove her tail away and land a vicious headbutt right in her face.
Then Haxorus became confused. Cynthia and Garchomp smirked as he slammed his head into the ground. But their smirks faded when Haxorus raised his head and glared at Garchomp.
"It knocked itself out of the confusion," Ash exclaimed.
"Way to go, Haxorus! Use Psycho Cut!" Iris ordered and Haxorus' tusks glowed before he launched pink blades at Garchomp.
"Dragon Claw!" Cynthia ordered and Garchomp sliced through the Psycho Cut, which was exactly what Iris had been expecting.
"Draw her in!" she ordered.
Haxorus once again blocked Garchomp's blow with his tusks, which were still glowing with Psychic energy. He thrust the other Dragon back and after another brief flurry of slashes from Psycho Cut and Dragon Claw alike, Garchomp leaped away. Haxorus fired Psycho Cut after her, striking her in the chest before she could block it and Garchomp stumbled backwards.
"Use Giga Impact!" Iris and Cynthia yelled at the same time.
Two Dragons surrounded by cocoons of purple and yellow energy collided in the middle of the battlefield, creating a terrific explosion. The Aegislash the referee was riding on used King Shield to defend itself and its trainer from the blast. When the smoke cleared, Haxorus and Garchomp were glaring at each other. Iris was silently counting down the minute it would take for them to recharge.
Then Garchomp collapsed. Cynthia's usually calm demeanour was now one of astonishment.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! Haxorus wins!"
The crowd roared its approval as Cynthia recalled her Pokemon, trying to remember the last time Garchomp had actually lost a battle. It had certainly happened but she wasn't sure how long ago. Shaking off her shock, she took out Kommo'o's Poke Ball.
"Iris, if you can get past Kommo'o, you'll be a Dragon Master in my eyes," Cynthia said and then sent out her second Pseudo-Legendary, "battle dance!"
"You heard her, Haxorus," Iris said, "even if we can't win the war, we can win this battle! Use Outrage!"
"Outrage too!" Cynthia yelled, adrenaline pumping through her veins for the first time in ages.
Haxorus and Kommo'o's eyes glowed red and they hurled themselves across the battlefield and collided in the middle. There was no technique or strategy this time. It was just a vicious slugfest as the two Dragons pounded each other repeatedly, recklessly, furiously, no regard for their own wellbeing, just determined to see the other fall. Several blows were brutal enough to elicit winces from the audience. Ash and Goh were clenching their fists hard.
Finally, battered, bruised and barely able to stand, Haxorus and Kommo-o staggered away from each other as the confusion kicked in.
"Haxorus, don't do anything!" yelled Iris, knowing that if Haxorus tried to knock himself out of confusion again, the battle was over. She reached out a hand, silently willing the Dragon through their special bond. Just a little bit more!
Kommo'o's eyes glinted, not with the red energy from Outrage but with a clear sign that he wanted the battle over right here and now. Without waiting for Cynthia to give a command, the confused Pseudo-Legendary charged.
"Psycho Cut!"
Haxorus swung his head and a single pink blade shot out of one tusk and landed directly in Kommo'o's face. The Scaly Pokemon keeled over backwards and lay still.
"Kommo'o is unable to battle! Haxorus wins!"
"I can't believe it! Iris' Haxorus took out both of Cynthia's Dragons!" roared the commentator over the deafening hollers of the crowd.
"Kommo'o return," Cynthia said with a smile, "Milotic, battle dance!"
A beautiful, serpentine Pokemon with long scaly red "hair" and a fan like tail appeared. As Milotic landed on the battlefield, Iris breathed out and looked at Haxorus who was panting heavily and covered in bruises. He was still standing, he could still battle but Iris knew he had absolutely no chance of beating Milotic in this condition. But if she gave up, would Cynthia think less of her?
Then Iris remembered when she had insisted on forcing Excadrill to keep battling when he clearly couldn't win and how it had fractured their relationship. Even if Cynthia didn't look down on her for fighting a lost battle, Drayden certainly would. He had always told Iris that forcing a Pokemon to fight a battle that was already over was shameful behaviour born out of a trainers ego.
"Haxorus," Iris said as she walked out onto the battlefield. Haxorus turned to look at her and she smiled up at him, feeling teary, terrified about how all the people watching would respond as she took out his Poke Ball, "You've done enough. More than enough. I'm so proud of you."
Iris recalled Haxorus and, struggling to maintain her composure, turned to Cynthia. The older Champion smiled and Milotic let out a musical cry of affirmation as the referee spoke.
"Iris has forfeited the match! The victory goes to Cynthia!"
The crowd were clearly uncertain how to respond, unused to a trainer, especially a Champion, surrendering in a publicly broadcast battle. Ash quickly took the initiative.
"Iris, Iris, Iris!" he chanted with Goh quickly joining him, then Jessie, James and Meowth from the back, without calling her a twerpette for once, then it spread until the entire crowd was chanting the young Unova Champion's name. Iris struggled not to cry as Cynthia approached her and held out her hand. Milotic was by her side and emitted a calming aura which helped Iris keep her emotions in check.
"That was a very mature decision," Cynthia said with quiet pride as Iris shook her hand, "Unova has a wonderful Champion."
That last bit of validation from Cynthia enabled Iris to walk out of the stadium with her eyes dry and her head held high.
Ash and Goh found Iris in a corridor. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood in front of her. Iris smiled down at Pikachu but was trembling so hard from suppressed emotion that she didn't trust herself to pick him up.
"Thanks guys," Iris said quietly.
Then she broke. Tears streamed down her face as she started sobbing. Goh stepped forwards but Ash shook his head. Iris was glad that he knew her so well. The last thing she wanted was pity.
"You know, Cynthia said that if I could beat Garchomp and Kommo'o, I'd be a Dragon Master to her," Iris said, smiling as she wiped her eyes.
"Awesome," Ash said, "and you did it. That's the first time I've ever seen Garchomp lose a battle."
"And then taking out Kommo'o too," Goh added, "I'd be proud if I could manage that."
"I am," Iris confirmed, "Haxorus has grown so much. But we're not done," Ash smiled as he noted that Iris was her feisty, determined self again, "I'll be the Monarch someday. Even if I have to get past you to do it, Ash."