Fated Chapter 63: UNITE, a pokémon fanfic

Author's Notes (17)

...Not gonna lie, I think I cooked a little too much in this chapter.

This chapter was crazy to write as I could finally go all out for once. it's the final Kanto chapter after all. So might as well go out with a bang.

From the title of this chapter, you guys can probably tell its even more crazy.

And the best part... This is just a taste for what's coming in the next regions.

So, buckle up, people. Enjoy Fated's last Kanto chapter.

Review Corner:

Tigerhawk51-7109

Great chapter! Ash's [fakes] are one of the most interesting tidbits in fan fiction to me.

One critique: you have Ash saying "ain't" a lot, when it's really not that common in everyday speech.

Thanks a lot for the review! And yeah, Ash saying 'ain't' is a deliberate move on writing his character.

Fated!Ash's childhood is mostly standing up to bullies in Pallet Town, giving him more of a 'hood' upbringing, which is why his speech is rather 'old'. This is gonna be a gag where some characters would call him out for speaking like an old man.

Also, Fated!Ash's dialogue is already weird if you've been reading closely, though I don't blame anyone for not noticing. One example is that he NEVER says OMG, or Good god, or Mah gawd, but only Goddamnit. Why he does this is a minor spoiler in the future.

MegaSalamence64

Nah, it's all good man. I understand it.

1: So regarding Poppy...

Is she part of the Paldea Elite 4 in Fated? (Again, The Rules and all that would be against her even if there's a way she got in Via Geeta)

Even if you mentioned Rika is Teaching her, You never mentioned if she's still part of the Paldea Elite 4 or not...

1) If we're following the timeline correctly, not yet. Poppy's a literal child and with Fated's regulations, she wouldn't even be able to command Pokemon. Assuming Ash reaches Paldea at age idk, 14-16ish? I'm not sure yet, but Poppy would be have to be 10 to become a Trainer, let alone an Elite Four. Fkin Geeta and her underage slavery is really messing up the timeline.

TLDR, not yet since she's a toddler currently, but a prodigy as well. At most, she's 5 right now. (Geeta's management is a pain in my ass to figure out)

2) Any future plans for the Rising Volt Tacklers (Dot and Friede in praticular), Ann (Liko's Roommate in the Indigo Academy) and The Explorers in Fated?

...Heh. Yeah, they're definitely in. The crew, Explorers and Ann (Oshawott enjoyers rise!) are all gonna show up in Fated.

As for Friede... Take a GOOOOOD look at his appearance. Seem familiar?

And that's about it, see ya in Johto!

Chapter 63: UNITE

DRAGON

A mythical monster famous for spewing flames from its snout and taking to the skies with its large wings. A classic legendary force written in myths and folktales.

There existed a theory that modern Dragon type Pokémon were once descended from actual Dragons that may or may not had existed in the past. However, no one would be able to prove it.

And thus, one singular statement regarding the Type echoed for the Trainers:

The Dragon Type is the strongest.

No one ever questioned it for there were truths in that statement. It was arguably the most difficult Pokémon Type to train, let alone capture.

However, if raised right, their pride would transform into loyalty, an unbreakable fealty.

A Type that was deemed strong that only a Dragon could beat another Dragon. Ice types were a deterrent, but with the dragons' plethora of elemental arsenals, it was almost a non-factor.

If there was one that could slay dragons, it would be…

…

Dragonite stomped into the battlefield of ruined ice, roaring its entrance with powerful might. The bellow sent gales of wind vibrating in the air, crawling shivers down Ash's spine.

"This is… a Dragon?" the raven-haired boy stared in awe.

Ash once noted Lance's own Dragonite as his first encounter with a Dragon type, but he had never seen it in action, even during the Grand League.

There was no existing information about the Type in his mind; and so, his only action was to take it down with everything him and his Pokémon had.

'AURA, on?' he tried chanting in his head.

'…Yeah, didn't think so.'

"Pikapi!"

"…Yeah. You got it, partner."

The boy squeezed the locket in his hand. Not out of fear, but for encouragement.

Serena was watching.

His Pokémon was ready for him.

And he had a Dragon to slay.

…

It was time to reenact a myth.

"Marowak, I choose you!"

The skull warrior materialized as he eyed the orange beast before him. Shock and surprise flickered in his eyes, but quickly switched into determination as he brandished twin clubs towards Dragonite.

The team had never once encountered a Dragon type in their journey, but now, it would be a worthwhile endeavour to attempt so.

"Ga-ra!"

{ MAROWAK TAKES THE STAGE AS DRAGONITE ROARS INTO BATTLE! }

{ WILL ASH KETCHUM PREVAIL?! OR WILL OUR SUPREME GYM LEADER SUCCEED A REVERSE SWEEP?! }

"Better keep your eyes open, Ash," Drake smirked.

"If you don't…"

The raven-haired boy blinked. Before he knew it, Dragonite had disappeared from his vision completely.

'What the…?!'

0.15 seconds.

BOOOM!

Marowak came tumbling onto the cold floor with a claw mark on his shoulder. Deep purple talons were briefly seen before disappearing, much to Ash's chagrin.

"Marowak!" Ash cried out, to which the Bone Keeper Pokémon got up and nodded his okay.

'Where did that [Dragon Claw] come from?!' he panicked.

Rightfully so. The raven-haired boy could not react to Dragonite's disappearance fast enough and paid the price for it. Mind's Eye could not even catch its shadow.

As Ash turned back to the Supreme Gym Leader, he found the dragon standing, unmoving. It was as if it was waiting for Marowak to collect himself.

"Was that… [ExtremeSpeed]?" Ash asked.

"Yes, but also no," Drake answered.

"[ExtremeSpeed], that move your friend created, is a natural acceleration Dragon type Pokémon can use once they had reached a certain level. Though, calling it acceleration wouldn't be right either."

'Acceleration but also not acceleration? The heck… Wait,' Ash widened his eyes as he tried figuring out the man's words.

'Moving fast without being fast… Velocity… Air resistance…'

And it finally clicked.

"…Inertia!" the raven-haired boy exclaimed.

"Correct," the man nodded.

"Once a draconic Pokémon reach their peak potential, through potential and training, it can partially ignore the concept of inertia. However, only a handful of dragon Pokémon has reached this level."

"Heck, the real monsters are the ones from legends. Those so-called real Dragons could straight up ignore inertia if what those stories implied were true."

"Legendary dragons? Like Pokémon?" Ash asked again.

"Them too. But what I'm referring to are the ones from myths. It's only a theory, but it is believed that True Dragons once existed and modern Dragon type Pokémon are blueprinted from them."

"…Even the slow ones? They can do that inertia thing?"

"Yep. It's one of the reasons the Dragon types are considered the strongest."

Such a revelation had Ash increasingly more alarmed due to his realization of how screwed he was now. The reality was…

He could not see a way out. Or rather, his mind was too jumbled to think properly. Marowak and Pikachu saw this, but they still held hope for their young Trainer.

…

"What. The. Actual. Hell?" Calem's jaw slacked open.

"You're exaggerating, Cal," Shauna scolded.

"Can you blame me?! That Dragonite can straight up ignore inertia!"

"Partially," Gary reminded with clarification.

"But still!"

'…This is the worst. To think Gramps' theory was true,' Gary bit his lip in slight worry.

The orange-haired boy remembered tagging along with his grandfather to the latter's seminars and had the opportunity to listen to some of them. The proven theory of Dragon type Pokémon having an advanced physiology that defied laws of physics were learned, but this was the first time Gary was witnessing it in person for the first time.

"Red was so close… Hey, isn't this kinda in bad taste?!" Blue protested.

"That Supreme Gym Leader guy just pulled out a Deus ex Machina outta nowhere! Right when he was about to lose!"

The chestnut-haired girl could not hold herself back. She had just seen her childhood friend and his Pokémon battling their best and now, a last-second overpowered opponent just crushed his efforts without remorse as if his previous 5 Pokémon were mere fodder.

"He's like a Trainer who only trains one Pokémon with the rest of his team as HM slaves or something!" she went in.

"A HM slave?" Kimia repeated, unfamiliar with that term.

"A game term. Don't mind her," Gary shrugged.

Despite the orange-haired boy's casual tone, everyone could tell even Gary was anxious and clearly sharing Blue's sentiments.

His rival worked hard in this one final Challenge, and to see it robbed gave him a rather bitter feeling, as if he was experiencing second-hand frustration.

"Red's not done yet," Serena assured, her royal blue eyes still glued to the screen.

Her voice betrayed no worry nor trepidation. However, it was a voice of hope. The hope that Ash could turn the situation around, just like he had always done.

"How could you be so sure?" Tierno asked, disbelieving her words.

But Serena merely gave a soft grin, bordering on mischievous.

"Because he's Ash, duh."

…

'Seriously, partial inertia negation? That's broken…' Ash thought.

'But even so… Why am I getting even more fired up?'

The raven-haired boy was beginning to believe a part of him was insane. Insane enough to get even more excited at an opponent who seemed too much for the current him. And yet…

He was grinning like a madman.

'This kid… Does he not understand the gravity of his… No,' Drake stared in bewilderment at the boy.

'That's the scariest part: He DOES understand. He just doesn't care.'

A battle maniac, just like him. Drake could feel his mouth turning upwards.

"Let's continue, Ash Ketchum!" the man roared with exhilaration.

"Took the words right outta my mouth!" the boy howled back.

"Descent swing, Marowak! [Brutal Swing]!"

The skull warrior narrowed forward as he brought his bone weapon above and brought it down onto Dragonite like a guillotine, obliterating the iced ground into a cloudburst of cold dust.

Boom!

But as expected, the dragon dodged it thanks to its superior constitution.

"[Dragon Claw] to the back!" Drake commanded.

Triple talons glowed a deep purple, manifesting into a scaled claw that slashed Marowak's position. The attack met nothing, no resistance as it merely served as a mighty clear of the cold dust, revealing not a single soul in front of the dragon.

"Grr?" Dragonite was taken aback.

"Where did he go?" Drake mirrored its confusion before realizing.

'Below!'

"[Dig] plus…!" Ash gritted his teeth.

The ground shook as Dragonite felt a presence below drilling into its entrance.

"[Drill Run (Fake)]!"

The earth gave way to a spiralling Marowak holding together both bone clubs as his drills.

Crack!

"You're still naïve, Ash!" Drake smiled.

The bone clubs were met with the empty air, Dragonite long gone from its standing. A violent surge of wind made itself known as the orange dragon reappeared above Marowak, unharmed and ready to unleash a swirling energy of deep purple within its mouth.

"[Dragonbreath]!"

"Block it with your clubs and [Iron Head]!" Ash responded swiftly.

The combined resistance from the twin bones and metallic skull were clashed with the immense might of the dragon's breath. Within moments, everyone watched with worried looks as Marowak grunted as he began losing ground, slowly drifting backwards through the shattered field due to Dragonite's firepower.

Marowak's efforts were not even close to matching [Dragonbreath].

'Damnit! It's not enough!' Ash shielded his eyes as the purple energy emitted a forceful light that threatened to blind him.

'What else can I do? Think!'

"Get outta there, Marowak! Disengage the beam!"

The skull warrior nodded as he parried off the attack with his bone clubs, retreating sideways as he revealed his sizzling skull and weapons. Despite his resistance, the Bone Keeper Pokémon was still damaged by the Dragon type move.

But Marowak was not granted a moment's rest as Dragonite seemingly reappeared behind him again.

"[Breaking Swipe]! Finish it off!" Drake commanded.

'There it is!' Ash narrowed his bloodred eyes.

"That trick's getting stale, Mr Drake! Now!" Ash called out, already predicted Dragonite's next appearance.

"Ga-ra!"

Without pause on his movements, the skull warrior had shifted himself into a low position, barely evading a would-be well-timed crescent tail slash from the orange dragon, surprising it slightly.

Reflex and intuition. Ash and Marowak had both, but none were useful against the inertia-negating dragon. A monster that could enter 0 to 100 without any gradual buildup and halting without so much as a tiny drag was outmatching him regardless.

And so, the raven-haired boy opted to predict instead. The dragon's tendency to get behind its opponent was something he noticed, even though it took the boy two attacks to figure it out.

"[Heavy Slam (Fake)]!"

The Bone Keeper Pokémon flourished his own club as he raised his body back into position after [Breaking Swipe]'s end and proceeded to barrel himself into a cyclone of brown before performing a vertical slash onto the dragon's tail.

"Grr…" Dragonite grunted at the sudden pain.

But the boy was not done yet.

"As if we'll let you run! Marowak, like we practiced!" Ash bared his canines.

His mother's club was dug out in a flash as Marowak faced the orange draconian with a fierce gaze before unleashing a flurry of slashes upon it.

"[Swords Dance (Fake)]!"

Twin swords of bone cleaved the orange dragon, the wielder roared fierce as he squeezed every ounce of strength in his body to vanquish the foe before him.

Slash, slash, slash!

Every strike was imbued with might.

Slash, slash, slash!

None were discriminate towards the dragon's targeted parts.

Slash, slash, slash!

Marowak was not going to let the dragon flee into subsonic speed again.

Slash, slash, slash!

But even still…

"Turn it around, Dragonite! Grab the bones!" Drake fought back.

The orange dragon glared in oblige as its powerful claws intercepted [Swords Dance (Fake)] by catching the twin weapons. Marowak shuddered as he found himself face to face with the dragon's unimpressed expression.

'Are you kidding me… It's not even bating an eye from [Swords Dance (Fake)]?!' Ash thought in frustration.

"Let it all out, [Hyper Beam]!"

The Gym Leader's command was accepted with a whirring cannon of bright white coalescing within the dragon's mouth, aimed at the skull warrior nearly point-blank.

"Kuh! Marowak, let the bones go!" Ash instructed as fast as he could.

Shinnnnnnggggg!

A bright laser blasted without remorse, but the Bone Keeper Pokémon barely dodged it in time. The proof was shown when Marowak's skull had a burnt mark on it, courtesy of [Hyper Beam].

A low laying Marowak sighed in relief before counterattacking Dragonite.

"[Double Edge]!"

A full powered tackle from Marowak crashed into the dragon's underbelly, prompting it to unequip the bones form its claws. But both Ash and Marowak knew that it was not because Dragonite suffered enough damage to let the skull warrior's bones go, but rather because of its need to recharge.

'Forget being fast as hell, this guy's durable too!' the raven-haired boy sweated profusely.

The bloodred eyes had tried to capture the orange dragon in his sights, only to be met with failure as Dragonite was going too fast.

"[Dragon Claw]!"

"[Fling]!"

The acrobatic Marowak spun his body once more, proceeding to kick his bone club into the incoming purple claw.

BOOM!

The bone spiralled off while Marowak put some distance from the Dragon Pokémon, leaving the skull warrior with only his mother's club in one hand.

'Not only that, its refractory period from [Hyper Beam] is so damn short!' the boy observed, timing the length of time from [Hyper Beam to [Dragon Claw].

"This is the best, Ash! Finally, I've found a Trainer capable to take on Dragonite!" Drake expressed his excitement, grateful towards the boy.

"Pretty funny considering we're basically fighting for dear life here!" Ash quipped in response.

'I need to know Draognite's weakness, otherwise, we're screwed!'

But the raven-haired boy was not given the leisure to think as he felt incoming winds rushing from above.

"Up there! [Brutal Swing]!" Ash called out again.

The skull warrior acted without even thinking, knowing that miniscule timeframe was important if he needed to land another shot on the dragon. [Brutal Swing] took the form of an overhead slash, threatening to pulverize the dragon above.

Unfortunately, Dragonite had anticipated even that and vanished again from [Brutal Swing]'s arc, highlighting its prowess as a Dragon type.

"Ga-ra?!"

Marowak was instantly blindsided as a sharp pain crashed into him from the side, his vision turned from the above sky into a blur towards a deep darkness as he was blasted into the battlefield's corner.

"Marowak!" Ash shouted in worry.

"Looks like Dragonite got too excited using [Giga Impact]," Drake commented.

Click, click.

The rocks clicking its falls was heard by Ash, signalling Marowak was still in the game. However, the raven-haired boy was still unable to find a weak point of the orange dragon.

'That guy's really strong, way too fast, and goddamn durable to boot!'

Ash felt like an ant facing against an elephant as he processed his situation again.

"…Not yet. Sorry but I'm not losing here!" the bloodred eyes narrowed defiantly.

Ash raised the locket chained hand to the sky with the other hand grasping onto its forearm to support it. Anybody who had watched the raven-haired boy's battles in the Grand League immediately knew what was coming.

'That pose…!' Drake swerved his attention towards the crash site of the skull warrior.

The dust clouds burst open with a brutally injured Marowak circling his single bone club above before entering the same pose as his Trainer.

The Bone Keeper Pokémon entered a state of concentration. Finally able to use the inherited move from his mother by himself, not with AURA.

But with his own strength.

"Clench your teeth, Dragonite—"

"—[Nine Strikes]!"

"Cra—!" Drake was a step too late.

The skull warrior unleashed a single subsonic movement, blitzing Dragonite in a flash before slashing across its underbelly with all his might.

Schwing!

"…What? It's different from last time?" Drake noticed the difference.

'Just one slash? Could it be… It can't use it properly?'

His conjecture held the truth. Despite multiple times training and recreating that move, Marowak's [Nine Strikes] never reached the AURA-powered version.

The truth was… Marowak could never reach the original.

However…

"One."

'…?!'

Who said a fake cannot beat the original?

"That's right. It's called…"

[NINE STRIKES]: VERSION 2

"GA-RAAAA!"

The descended bone flicked upwards by the wielder's wrist, repeating an exact slash as the first as it cut Dragonite again.

And just like Marowak, Ash mirrored the Pokémon's movements as well.

"Two."

"It can't be… A variant of that [Nine Strikes] move?!" Drake figured it out.

The raven-haired boy took a step back. Marowak did so as well.

The two synchronized their bodies like they trained countless times. With one inhale, the two twisted themselves to the right.

Then to the back.

And finally, Marowak slammed his weapon into Dragonite's side on the left.

"Graaahhh!"

At last, a cry of pain. The skull warrior was pleased.

"Three."

"You're not finishing that! [Dragon Tail]!" Drake clicked his tongue.

Eyes of bloodred glinted at the purple tail as the boy and Marowak front flipped into the air, avoiding the attack completely.

Landing behind the dragon, Marowak slashed sideways onto the Pokémon's back with one of its wings as a bonus.

"Rooaaarrrr!"

"Four!"

Right now, Dragonite was having a taste of its own medicine as Marowak was completely hidden from its view at the back. Ash and Marowak caught onto this and decided to unleash the remainder.

Schwing, schwing, schwing!

"Five, six, seven—!"

Schwing!

"—Eight!"

The stacking pain was responded with a roar from Dragonite as it had enough of the Bone Keeper Pokémon. The last action it felt was the upward slash of the bone club, meaning there was no way for Marowak to return to neutral without a step or two.

The orange dragon turned back, readying its sharp claws, and swiping back with assurance. Much to its surprise, it found Marowak had backstepped. But what confused it was the absence of its weapon.

"Dragonite, above you!" Drake warned.

On cue, the bone club swivelled down from the air, leaving Dragonite to realize that the skull warrior had purposely thrown it after the last upward slash.

And as the bone club came down, it met the punch of a determined Marowak as it aimed itself towards the orange dragon.

"NINE!"

"GA-RAAAAAA!"

The punched club stabbed itself onto Dragonite's forehead, sending it reeling backwards from the forceful impact.

Thus, concluded young Marowak's [Nine Strikes]. A version of his mother's move.

And despite that…

Dragonite's head came facing back towards a stunned Marowak.

Bright white light blinded the skull warrior as he was exploded by [Hyper Beam] with unrelenting fury.

BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!

"Marowak!" Ash cried out.

"ROOOOAAARRRRRR!"

The orange dragon roared with all its might as it came out the unquestionable victor against the fallen warrior.

{ MAROWAK IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! DRAGONITE WINS! }

{ OUR SUPREME GYM LEADER'S DRAGONITE IS JUST TOO STRONG! }

The raven-haired boy returned his Pokémon in a bright red light.

"You did your best, Marowak. I'm proud of ya," Ash thanked the skull warrior.

The bloodred eyes stared down the orange dragon, now looking at the small boy before it with a serious gaze. It was beginning to take him seriously after Marowak's last attack.

"Leave the rest to us."

…

The group watched silently, unable to breath as Marowak used [Nine Strikes] Version 2 skilfully, damaging the previously assumed invincible dragon to the point where visible wounds could be seen.

And then…

The ninth strike.

Marowak's punch delivered the final blow, echoing Ash's own attack during Team Rocket's invasion on his first Challenge.

But even so, Marowak was instantly felled by one nigh point-blank [Hyper Beam] to the face, ensuring Dragonite's victory.

"Even all of that, that Dragonite still won… This is really going to end up as a reverse sweep," Trevor was beginning to lose hope.

"Just how tough are those scales? Even [Nine Strikes] was barely able to bruise it," Calem bit his nails anxiously.

"If I remember correctly, he's left with Pikachu, Froakie and Charizard, right? Pikachu's tired from Ditto, Froakie's injured badly, leaving only Charizard as the healthy one," Tierno commented.

"If Charizard goes down…"

Everyone knew the other half of the statement.

Pikachu's exhaustion would be a non-factor if this had been a longer match, but due to Ash breezing rather easily through Drake's gauntlet, the electric mouse currently was not back at full power.

It was as if Drake had purposely placed everything in place for his eventual win.

"Damnit… Charizard has to win," Gary clicked his tongue as he became increasingly concerned for his rival.

'To think the Orange Islands was home to such a monster. How does he fare against…?' the orange-haired boy turned towards the blonde woman sitting on her favourite chair.

"Something the matter, Gary?" Cynthia asked, noticing his gaze.

"Nothing, but… Drake against you, who would win?"

The Champion blinked owlishly at the orange-haired boy before chuckling at him with an amused laugh, confusing everyone in the room.

"One-on-one, Full battle. It doesn't really matter."

"I'll still win."

The confidence in the platinum eyes as well as the woman's tone was powerful enough to shut Gary up as he began to imagine what kind of Pokémon did Cynthia have that could spark such certainty.

"That said, it may not look too good for Ash," Cynthia turned back to the screen.

"Yeah, that partial inertia thing is whack…" Calem agreed.

"Hm? Oh, that? Ash already took care of that."

The Champion's words befuddled the group minus Serena.

"But Red's up against that broken Dragonite…" Blue looked at the screen, seeing Dragonite roaring its victory.

"Red can do it," Serena voiced out for the first time.

"If anyone can come back from this, it's Red."

"Fou!" Fennekin yipped her agreement.

Though all were about to convince the honey blonde to face reality, the seriousness in her eyes told them otherwise. Once more, they watched Ash's battle against Drake, seeking to find Serena's unwavering faith in the boy's victory.

…

"Oh boy, this isn't looking good for Ashy!" Daisy began panicking in her seat.

"Professor Oak, what do you think?" Ivy asked the elderly man.

The researcher and older sibling found themselves staring at a stunned Professor Oak, who was still engaged in the battle despite Marowak's defeat.

"…Ash won't give up, even against the odds," he simply said.

The memories of Delia holding her revived baby resurfaced, causing the old man to give a bittersweet smile. The man once postulated that the entire world was against his survival, and he was still adamant on that thought.

And yet, that very same boy was standing there, eyes full of fire and unwilling to go down without a fight.

'Oh, Delia… Your boy's shaping up to be a man…'

…

"Leave the rest to us."

All at once, Froakie and Charizard summoned themselves beside Ash with the frog taking the empty shoulder on the boy's left while Pikachu took the right.

Pikachu, Charizard and Froakie.

The last remaining members of his team.

And the ones who were about to face against the dragon on the battlefield.

"Pikapi! Pikachu!" Pikachu volunteered from his shoulder.

"Roar!" Charizard made his desire to face off against the Dragon type known.

But one of them merely stared deeply into Ash's bloodred eyes.

"Kero."

The blue frog croaked his wishes. Froakie knew he was too injured to continue and that going first was the best choice for them.

"Froakie… Are you sure?" Ash placed the blue frog in front of him, kneeling as he did.

"Kero!" the Kalos starter nodded with a smirk on his battered face.

"…Heh. For a newcomer, you sure think like us," Ash grinned his approval.

"Pikachu!"

"Grr!"

The raven-haired boy clenched his locket-chained hand and gave the fist to the blue frog. Froakie stared at Ash with awed eyes, touched by his gesture, something he had never experienced with any other Trainer before.

Without question, this boy was his answer:

His fated Trainer.

Froakie fist bumped Ash's locket hand with Pikachu and Charizard joining in. The 4 comrades grinned as they broke off. Pikachu and Charizard nodding towards Froakie, who entered the battlefield.

{ IT APPEARS ASH HAS SENT OUT FROAKIE FOR THE THIRD TIME! CAN HE PULL OUT A WIN OR WILL DRAGONITE INEVITABLY WIPE HIM OUT?! }

"You have a lot of faith in your Pokémon, Ash," Drake complimented.

"That goes without saying. Us 4 here…" the raven-haired boy steeled his eyes.

"We're taking you guys down!"

The Supreme Gym Leader felt a rush of adrenaline as the boy made his declaration. It had been so long since anyone had managed to push him to such an extent.

Though he had lost multiple times to Lance, Drake felt something was missing as if his losses were meaningless. And now, seeing an 11-year-old boy using everything he had to defeat him made him absolutely ecstatic.

With that, he found what he wanted:

A battle where win or lose did not matter, but a battle that could make his blood thrilled in exhilaration. That was what he craved.

And the raven-haired boy shared that sentiment.

"Focus up, Dragonite!" Drake grinned to which his Pokémon gladly did so with joy.

It had been a long time since the orange dragon felt such excitement as well.

"Froakie, [Cut]!"

"Dodge it!"

A white needle conjured in the blue frog's hands as he slashed the orange dragon in front of him before the latter disappeared once more. However, Ash and Froakie felt it.

An incoming danger to…

"The right! Block him!" the raven-haired boy shouted.

The white needle's movement switched from a slash to a guard as it was swivelled to its wielder's right, successfully defending him from a surprised Dragonite as it found its [Dragon Claw] blocked.

However, the resulting force was too much for the wounded frog to handle as he was flung back from the attack.

Boom!

{ FROAKIE DEFENDS BUT CAN'T HANDLE IT! IS THIS THE END?! }

"Ke… Kero…!" Froakie groaned to his feet, unwilling to bend.

'Like hell we will!' Ash glared forward.

'There's something I wanna check.'

"Froakie."

"Kero."

"You sure? I don't really have a backup plan if you do this."

"Kero, kero!"

"Pft, touché. Alright, I'll leave it to you."

Drake watched as the two seemingly understanding each other's thought with but a mere glance, leaving him to wonder if Froakie was really a newcomer.

'Their similarities are way too uncanny,' the Gym Leader observed.

"I don't know what you have planned, but it isn't gonna go the way you want!"

Dragonite's claws whirred deep purple as [Dragon Claws] began manifesting again, its signature move. Once more, it entered lessened inertia drive as it waited to strike the wounded frog, hoping to catch it.

Froakie closed his eyes, listening to the whizzing sound of Dragonite's flight.

A moment in the left turned into a whizz from the back. And from the back, turned into a whizz on the right. There was no rhyme or rhythm to Dragonite's attempt to disorganize the blue frog.

With one last dash, [Dragon Claws] came down upon Froakie.

"Now!" / "Kero!"

Due to his small frame, Froakie was able to twist his body in between the two [Dragon Claws], avoiding both entirely. However, the reason he was able to do that was the exact check Ash wanted to see.

'That confirms it! Dragonite's gotten slower!' Ash grinned.

'Question is how… Nah, think about that later!'

"Frubbles on the eyes!"

A ball of creamy bubbles splattered onto the dragon's eyes, blinding it as it swung its claws everywhere in a panic.

"[Water Pulse]!" Ash continued his assault.

An orb of water landed a clean hit on the Dragon Pokémon's underbelly, but there was no visible damage seen.

"Tch, its scales are tough as iron!" Ash clicked his tongue, signalling Froakie to get some distance.

'What do I do? Why did [Water Pulse] not wor—'

'…Type disadvantage!'

Fire, Water, Grass and Electric. The seemingly omnipotent Dragon type resisted all.

'Froakie, Charizard, Pikachu. Water, Fire, Electric… Man, was this on purpose?' he grinned to himself.

"Froakie! We can't damage it with just attacks!"

"Kero!" the Bubble Frog Pokémon nodded as he knew what the boy was implying.

And as he hopped, a thick chain of Frubble frothed into his hands.

Meanwhile, Dragonite finally removed the Frubbles on its eyes, glaring towards Froakie who was still hopping off.

"You should have stuck close, Ash. [Earthquake]!" Drake instructed.

Bloodred eyes trailed to a certain object close to Froakie, an idea struck his mind like a lightning bolt.

"Froakie!"

"Kero!"

As the cracks of the ice-clad field ruptured into the surface, Froakie jumped…

…Onto the bone club that stabbed into the ground.

"Marowak's club?!" Drake recognized.

'That's right! He didn't recall his weapons back!'

Froakie placed himself atop of the bone club, negating [Earthquake]'s damage. As the Ground type move passed, Dragonite began charging towards the bone-sitting frog.

As expected, the orange dragon had been slowed considerably since Ash and even Froakie could follow its movements, though still far faster than normal.

"Throw it!" Ash called out.

The Frubble chain on Froakie's hand was catapulted towards Dragonite with its Morningstar-like ball as its vanguard.

"Dodge it!"

With expert turning, Dragonite circled around the missed Frubble chain and resumed its pursuit towards the blue frog.

"Your luck ends here, Froakie! [Thunder Punch]!" Drake commanded, wanting this to be the final blow.

Crackling lightning converged into the orange dragon's fist as it hammered it down onto Froakie.

But the blue frog was not about to tag out just yet. He knew him alone was not enough to bring down the Dragon type, leaving that role to his other 2 teammates. However, Froakie was going to pour every last drop of his abilities to weaken Dragonite before it came to that.

If he was able to make it easier for his friends…

So be it.

"Kero!"

The blue frog pulled onto the chain as hard as he could with Dragonite catching wind of a foreign object rushing behind it.

"Graahhh?!"

A hardness slammed into the back of its head, cancelling [Thunder Punch] while Froakie hopped off towards the fallen object.

"The second bone! He was aiming the Frubbles at it instead of Dragonite!" Drake realized the Kalos starter's actions now.

'Did he blind Dragonite on purpose then? So that I would assume he would pull the same trick twice?!'

"Marowak sends his regards!" Ash gave the biggest smirk towards the flabbergasted Drake with glee.

Froakie skidded onto the ruined ground, swinging the connected Frubble chain and whirling the two bones as they gained more and more centrifugal force.

"…! He made them into—!"

"[Bone Rush (Fake)]!"

"Nunchucks?!"

And the barrage of bone weapons whirled towards Dragonite's body.

…

Cynthia watched in amazement at the raven-haired boy's creativity as [Bone Rush (Fake)] was brought down upon a guarding Dragonite.

[Nine Strikes]: Version 2 served its duty as the Dragon type was beginning to show signs of damage as well as tiredness, albeit a little.

'I see… [Bone Rush] is a Ground type move, unaffecting Flying types, but as a Fake move, it completely bypasses that,' she observed.

"Go, Red! Kick his ass!" Serena yelled out.

The group was shocked at the honey blonde's cuss, but she was far from done.

"C'est des conneries, that stupide Gym Leader! That's what you get, putain!"

As it turned out, Serena was holding back a lot since the beginning of Dragonite's entrance.

'Wow, she's mad…' everyone steered clear from her.

'She really speaks her mind, huh? Red should take notes,' Blue sweatdropped.

But as Froakie continued his onslaught of [Bone Rush (Fake)], Fennekin yipped louder, cheering for her first and closest friend as he gave everything he had.

"Fou, fou!"

"That's right! Go, Froakie! Go, Red!"

…

Faster. Even faster.

Each strike served to interrupt Dragonite's actions, so that it may never get the chance to act.

Froakie was reaching his limit. Exhaustion cracked his performance.

But even so…

His Trainer's mantra echoed in his head. The honey blonde who wished him to be with Ash said the same.

'Don't give up until it's over.'

The blue frog could not be any more grateful towards Serena for gifting him the Trainer he had been searching for.

"KERO!"

Like a whip, Froakie extended a finger onto the stretched Frubble as it acted as a fulcrum, bringing down the above bone club and crashing it onto Dragonite's skull with a deafening bang.

BAAAAAANNNNNGGGG!

And yet, the orange dragon was still not going down.

"An opening, Dragonite! [Dragon Pulse]!" Drake commanded.

Warbling deep purple swirled within Dragonite's mouth as its downed head aimed it directly below Froakie, instantly after the frog's last attack.

"Sidestep!" Ash cried out.

With precise movement, Froakie dashed back away from the dragon. But to the two's shock, [Dragon Pulse] was not shot out; but rather, Dragonite had been holding it in its mouth, waiting for the blue frog to create some distance.

'Crap! I forgot Pokémon can delay their attacks!' Ash widened his eyes.

'This must be it! There's no way that Froakie can withstand this!' the man assured himself.

"Let it all out!" Drake ordered.

A cylinder of pure purple energy roared towards Froakie, unable to evade the incoming beam.

But Ash was not about to let his Kalos starter suffer the full brunt of the attack. With pure instincts and reflexes, the raven-haired boy outstretched his fists above himself.

And through an indescribable phenomenon, Froakie did the same but was holding onto the Frubble chain instead.

"Froakie, we're parrying that!"

"Kero!"

With that, the two brought down their fists into a X with Froakie pulling down the chain and bringing the two clubs together in front of him in a X-shape.

[Dragon Pulse] met the defending clubs, and a large explosion ensued.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!

A second explosion rang on Ash's side of the field, another cloud of dust bloomed.

The mighty orange dragon beat its wings, dispelling the smoke as it roared out in another bout of victory.

{ FROAKIE'S DOWN! I REPEAT, FROAKIE'S FINALLY— }

A bullet of water interrupted the announcer as [Water Pulse] shot Dragonite's lower jaw from the impacted smoke.

Splash!

The sudden intake of water choked the orange dragon, causing it to cough while the smoke on Ash's side cleared.

As it dissipated, the now revealed Froakie gave a small cough as he laid on the battlefield's corner, covered in debris and bleeding wounds.

Right then and there, the blue frog felt a pair of gentle hands picking him up from the rubble.

"Froakie forfeits, also gimme a timeout for a while," Ash declared simply, holding Froakie close to his chest.

The referee and Drake agreed as Ash walked back to the side with his Pokémon in arms.

"Ke… ro…"

"Like hell I'm letting you continue. That was reckless, y'know?" Ash reprimanded.

"Kero…" an immediate croak made the boy irk in embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm not one to talk…"

The raven-haired boy's peeved expression brought a chuckle form the blue frog. Hearing that, Ash gave a soft smile to his Kalos starter.

"Pikachu!"

"Roar!"

"He's worn out. Pikachu, can you use the Potions in the Bag?" Ash requested to his partner.

"Pikachuuu!" the electric mouse gave a salute.

The raven-haired boy removed his blue vest, revealing his black tank top, and wrapped it around Froakie, making a makeshift blanket. Then, he turned to Charizard and gave him a fist bump.

"Let's do this, Charizard," Ash grinned.

"Grr!" The Flame Pokémon grunted his agreement before turning to Froakie.

"Kero…" a hand weakly raised towards Charizard.

"Roar!"

And the two teammates slapped each other's hand, with Froakie tagging out and Charizard tagging in.

"ROOOOOOAAAARRRRR!"

"Charizard, I choose you!"

As the Flame Pokémon took centre stage, the clash between two dragons began.

{ IT'S A BATTLE BETWEEN DRAGONS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THOUGH, CHARIZARD ISN'T REALLY A DRAGON… }

Charizard took mild offense to the announcer but eventually rationalized that taking on a Dragon type as a Fire/Flying was more impressive.

"You think you can take on Dragonite, Charizard? If it was that Galar punk, maybe… But you?" Drake trash talked.

"Keep talking. You almost got trashed by Froakie," Ash gladly participated in trash talking as well.

The two Trainers grinned at each other, their Pokémon following suit as they immediately dashed to the middle and started their clash.

"[Dragon Claw]!" / "[Dragon Tail]!"

Deep purple talons collided with a deep purple tail as the two orange dragons duked it out with seemingly equal strength.

'…Charizard's as strong as Dragonite? That's praiseworthy…' Drake complimented internally.

'Phew! I knew a couple of [Flame Bursts] wouldn't hurt, but to think it was this close!' Ash was screaming mentally in relief.

The truth was that Charizard was still leagues weaker than the raw power of the Dragon Pokémon and Ash secretly instructed him to use short and condensed [Flame Bursts] on his tail to create a backdraft that increased his strength.

Though, Charizard matching Dragonite despite the buff was surprising to the two younglings.

Claw and tail repelled with Dragonite swooshing away to create distance for another [Dragonbreath].

"Not this time. Defend with [Fire Spin]!" Ash called out readily.

'Like hell I'm going through that again!'

A tornado of flames flung into existence from Charizard's tailfire.

'Plus…!'

[Dragonbreath] blasted from the orange dragon's snout before the raging flames devoured it before settling it on the caster itself.

"Dragonite!" Drake exasperated.

'That wasn't a normal [Fire Spin]! These fires are too hot!'

"…I see! He's feeding it with—"

"[Flamethrower]!" Ash answered the man's realization.

[Fire Spin] grew wilder as Charizard spewed more flames like meat to a carnivore. Even Dragonite could not escape it.

'That should do it. There's no way it can—'

0.15 seconds.

A sudden reappearance of Dragonite literally blinked into existence beside a still flame-spewing Charizard. The Dragon Pokémon had torn the tornado of fire asunder as it ripped out of the fiery prison while glaring at the offending Flame Pokémon. Its orange body was still covered in sizzling embers, but it soon descended towards Ash's starter like a speeding bullet.

'Oh, fuc—'

BOOM!

The impactful [Body Slam] from the orange dragon sent Charizard tumbling backwards and crashing him into the same spot as Froakie's aftermath.

"Grr…!" the Kanto starter grunted in pain.

'Paralysis?' Ash gasped.

"Payback for the Burn," Drake grinned from his place.

Seeing the two grinning Pokémon lit a hotter fire within Ash as the bestial smirk began to form once more.

"Which one? This or the Froakie comment?"

…

Serena was shocked. Delightfully so.

The moment Ash removed his blue outerwear, she used every ounce of her strength to hold back the delighted scream that threatened to break out with a poker face for good measure.

'Nsdfinsiudidheruiguvasdihfrubaidccpauefb!' her brain short-circuited.

"Oh wow. Red's showing off~" Blue grinned mischievously at the blonde girls.

Kimia was struggling to keep a calm and collected expression, blushing madly at the Kanto boy's sudden strip. Due to her upbringing as a princess, such an act was incredibly judged as obscene in her mind. And yet, she could not bring herself to look away.

But it only lasted for a minute before everyone's faces warped into worried expressions as the raven-haired boy wrapped the blue vest on Froakie as well as the small and faded scars adorning his lean arms.

"There's so many…" Kimia covered her mouth to hide her shock.

Gary and Blue remained silent, not wanting to recount the Mewtwo incident where they saw firsthand Ash's actual death. If it were not for the Sword, the raven-haired boy would have perished there.

'Luckily he didn't take everything off, otherwise…' the chestnut-haired girl bit back a frown.

The image of the X-marked scar on his chest from [Psystrike] terrified both Gary and Blue, causing them to never mention it unless needed.

Everyone saw the white-hilted dagger tucked in a small sheath around his waist, but only Serena took notice of it.

And then, the battle reached a new development as Ash and Charizard battled it out with Dragonite.

The true dragon vs the fake dragon.

Although the classification for Dragon Pokémon was broader than merely just Dragon types, the stigma and elitism that was present among Dragon Tamers they stemmed from warped that categorizing into the latter.

Both dragons seemed equal in power, though Charizard was technically using two attacks at once to match Dragonite's one.

"Wow…" Trevor breathed out in awe at the sight of Charizard going toe to toe with the unstoppable Dragonite.

A capsule in his hand burst open, revealing a starry-eyed Charmander crying out with joy at its fully evolved counterpart.

"Char!"

"We'll get to that level someday, Charmander," the normally quiet Trevor said with an uncharacteristic burning determination.

[Fire Spin] burned Dragonite but Charizard was paralyzed in return.

Despite the traded blows, both sides were still at a standstill.

'C'mon, Red…' Gary watched as his rival seemed to be having troubles against the evidently overpowered dragon.

However, the raven-haired boy's snarky reply deteriorated his concerns.

…

That ignoring inertia bit… I think I've got it.

The instances during Marowak and Froakie's battles came into my mind as I replayed them, noticing one key constant between them:

Dragonite must be mid-air to ignore inertia.

That's what he meant by partial… If it was on the ground, other forces are applied to it.

But what good did it do now that I know?

Charizard's paralyzed, so his Speed took a hit.

…Wait.

But Dragonite's in a same situation. It's Burnt, meaning its Attack is halved!

"…Alright."

Let's do this.

…

"Ya alright, Charizard?" Ash locked in on Dragonite, never leaving his sight away from the threat.

"Roar!"

The Flame Pokémon was not about to give up just because of a little paralysis.

"Yeah, we're not giving up here!"

The Dragon Pokémon shrugged off its burnt body before dashing towards Charizard, roaring its dominance. Not one to be outdone, Charizard roared in kind, his will clashing equally with the Dragon Pokémon's show of force.

'If Charizard's done, it's over! Pikachu won't stand a chance!' Drake narrowed at the Flame Pokémon.

"[Dragon Claw]!" the man ordered.

Deep purple talon slashed the Kanto starter cleanly, earning a pained roar from him. But just as Dragonite was about to pull away…

Grab!

"What?!" Drake exclaimed.

"Gruh?!" Dragonite cocked a brow in confusion.

Despite the bleeding gash on his underbelly, Charizard showed an insane grin as he held on tight onto Dragonite's large claws, effectively locking its position close to the Flame Pokémon.

"I've got you now."

The raven-haired boy bared his fangs as he let out a bestial grin.

"You're not getting away again! [Thunder Punch]!" Ash called out.

'It'd be nice if I could teach Charizard [Dragon Claw], but that kinda traumatises me for some reason…'

Somewhere, a certain person was sneezing.

Crackling lightning converged within Charizard's remaining fist as he pummelled into Dragonite's face.

BAM!

'Huh? It's working?' Ash raised a brow, not expecting the Dragon Pokémon to take moderate damage compared to the elemental attacks before.

'Electric type works… Why?'

Use thy red tome for goodness' sake, Tonelico!

'Huh? Who's… Oh right, the Dex!'

The scatterbrain Ash pulled out the red encyclopaedia and noticed Dragonite's Typing rather than acknowledging the disembodied voice fuming at him. However, he was rather comforted by the voice instead, therefore, not minding it much.

'Oh! Dragon/Flying!'

"Keep punching it, Charizard!"

"ROARRRRR!"

The Dragon Pokémon was met with electrifying impacts onto its face as it grunted in pain.

'Damn, kid's Charizard packs a punch!' Drake mused before replying to Ash's attack in kind.

"We're returning the favour, Dragonite! [Dragon Claw]!"

"Oi, oi, move spamming's rather cheap, don'tcha think?" Ash grinned.

"Hey, if it works, it works," Drake shot back.