Chapter 45:
Reigniting the Flames of Rivalry
Maskara Island
It was a beautiful morning. The sun continued to shine in the sky with very few clouds to block it. The air was a little warm, but from time to time a cool sea breeze would blow, refreshing anybody who felt the heat was a little too much. All in all, it was a great day for traveling, so Ash and his friends were already on the road, eager to reach their next destination.
Maskara Island was a paradise of greenery. A sea of green grass extended before them, flanked by densely packed trees, with many small lakes and rivers that added a touch of blue. It reminded the group of the early days of their Tandor journey, with the same greenery with blue splashes.
As they walked, Serena was checking a travel guide on her tablet, wondering if there would be something worth seeing on Maskara Island, but as she scrolled down, nothing caught her interest.
"So, nothing?" Clemont asked.
Serena shook her head. "Aside from Maskara Port, it seems like the only notable spot on this island is Venesi City and... hey, what's this?"
"What's what?" Ash asked, as he tried to peek on her tablet.
"The Labyrinth... oh, it's a cave. One that goes underwater," Serena said, dejected.
"Oh heck no! Not another cave!" Bonnie said, vigorously shaking her head and crossing her arms in rejection. "Every time we get into a cave, something bad happens! So I'm not going to go into a cave that's underwater!"
"Nenene!" Dedenne agreed.
"Relax, we won't have to visit it," Serena assured her. "It says that people used to cross it to go from Maskara Island to the northern part of the region, but after a ferry service was put in place, only people looking for fossils ever visit it."
Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. "Good. After the Anthell, I refuse to step foot in another cave."
That moment, a shadow passed over them. Looking up, they saw a black and yellow bird-like Pokemon flying above them, going in the same direction as they were. They all looked at each other.
"Wait, was that...?" Clemont began to ask.
"A Voltasu," Serena said. She wouldn't forget one of the Pokemon that handed her her latest defeat. She sighed, already dreading what was about to come. "Sayaka must be nearby, then."
"How do you know it's hers?" Bonnie asked. "It could be a different Voltasu belonging to another trainer."
"From what I know of its species, Voltasu are very rare Pokemon, and they can only be found on Tsukinami Island, where Sayaka is from," Serena said. "It has to be hers."
"Look, it's landing near that tree," Ash said, pointing to a large tree next to a small lake in the distance. "There are a few Pokemon there already, though I can't see if they look like Sayaka's..."
"What are those flashes of light?" Clemont asked, placing a hand over his eyes in order to better focus his eyesight. "It looks like two people are having a Pokemon battle..."
To no one's surprise, Ash beamed upon hearing those words, as if a switch inside his brain had been triggered. "Really? I have to see it!"
And the Kantonian trainer quickly ran towards the spot of the battle, with Serena and Bonnie behind him, and Clemont struggling to keep their pace. As they got closer to the site of the battle, they could see the battlers: to Serena's relief, neither of them were Sayaka, but a tall, black haired boy with a distinctive blue scarf and a shorter, redheaded girl in green clothes.
"Wait, are those...?" Bonnie asked.
"Come on, Bebe, Moonblast!" the girl said.
"Block it with Shadow Claw, Chainite!" the boy replied.
A Yellow Flower Florges formed a pink and white orb of power between her hands, before launching it at her opponent, an eldritch Pokemon that looked like a mass of smoky shadows coming out of a withered substitute doll in the form of an eye-less head with huge jaws and four limbs ended in curved claws, with a spiked ball painted like a pokeball chained to its neck. Said Pokemon delivered a swipe at the incoming Moonblast, bursting it like a mere balloon.
"Alain and Mairin!" Serena exclaimed, joyful. Not just to see their old friends, but because that meant she didn't have to deal with Sayaka.
The Kalosian pair turned in the direction of the group upon hearing their names, and they smiled as well. The two Pokemon also halted their battle in order to take a look at the newcomers.
"Hey, look at that! Serena and her friends!" Mairin pointed out.
"What a nice surprise," Alain said, smiling as well. "It's been a while since the last time we met."
"Haha, indeed!" Ash laughed. "It's a good thing that we saw that Voltasu flying towards here, otherwise we might have missed you!"
"Ah yes. Voltasu likes to fly around whenever we're not on the move," Alain said, looking at the Electric and Flying-type Pokemon, who was now resting under the tree. "Guess I should thank it for making this encounter possible."
"So, are all those your Pokemon?" Bonnie asked. No one found it surprising that the young girl was immediately drawn to the group of Pokemon, especially since many of them were unknown to both her and her friends. "They're all so cute! And whoa, is that Chespie?" Bonnie asked, pointing to a large Chesnaught.
"Yes! He has grown quite a lot since the last time you saw him, hasn't he?" Mairin said, patting Chespie on the arm.
"Ches, naught," Chesnaught cried, blushing a little.
Suddenly, one of Clemont's pokeball burst open, releasing Quilladin.
"Qui, qilla!" Quilladin said, as he went to greet Chesnaught.
"Chesna, ches!" Chesnaught said, as both Pokemon fist-bumped.
"Heh, as you can see, Chespie isn't the only one who evolved," Clemont stated.
"Though, if Chespie evolved, his nickname doesn't make much sense, since he's no longer a Chespin," Bonnie pointed out.
Mairin merely shrugged. "Chespie will always be Chespie, no matter how he looks."
"What other Pokemon do you have, Mairin?" Ash asked. "I recognize some Alain's, but I can't tell if the others are yours or his."
"Oh, sure," the redhead said. She waved at the Yellow Flower Florges. "This is Bebe, the very first Pokemon I caught. I caught her back when she was a Flabebé, right after meeting Alain. I don't think I would have captured her without his help, since I was a newbie back then and his advice helped me a lot."
"Even without me, I'm pretty sure you could have gotten the hang of catching Pokemon on your own," Alain replied.
"But then I wouldn't have Bebe!" Mairin protested. "Anyway, because of the whole thing of Chespie getting sick due to that jerk Lysandre I didn't have much time to catch Pokemon in Kalos, but I'm slowly filling my team! Barry, Glassy, get over here!"
Two small Pokemon walked towards Mairin, though 'crawled' might have been a better term, given that one Pokemon only had two legs which clearly weren't meant for moving on ground, and the other had on limbs at all, unless one counted the hand its tail ended in. Ash and Serena immediately took out their Pokedex in order to scan these new Pokemon.
The first Pokemon was a small sea creature, with white skin, dark blue back, and a pair of small blue arms ended in four stubby fingers. It had two big, dark blue eyes.
"Glaslug, the Sea Slug Pokemon. Water/Ice. A Pokémon highly sensitive to the changes in seasons, Glaslug come and go with the warm undersea currents." The Pokedex explained.
The second Pokemon was a small, green scaled serpent with a dull orange underbelly, red spikes along its back, and a hand-like appendage at the end of its tail.
"Barand, the Hand Dragon Pokemon. Dragon. The appendage at the end of its tail is its primary form of attack, and it is able to deftly manipulate objects with it as if it were a hand." The Pokedex said.
"They both look so cute!" Bonnie cooed, as she knelt before them in order to take a better look at them.
"So, what are you guys doing here? Are you going to Venesi City too?" Ash asked. "Because if that's the case, we can go there together!"
"Oh, no, we've already been in Venesi City. I even defeated its Gym Leader too. No, we came here to prepare for my last Gym battle," Alain told him.
"Last Gym battle?" Ash repeated in amazement, which quickly turned into worry. "So you must have seven badges already! Oh man, and I only have five!"
"Hey, relax, Ash. This isn't a race, and there's still plenty of time until the League begins," Alain reassured him.
"Besides, I'm sure that if it wasn't for my contests and other... unexpected events," Serena said, and all her friends could tell she was talking about the nuclear disasters that happened when they passed through said areas."... you would have just as many badges, Ash."
"Plus, the winner of the Pokemon League isn't decided by who can collect eight badges the fastest, but who is the best trainer," Alain reiterated. "Speaking of which, now that you're here, this is a chance I can't let slip by a second time! I challenge you to a Pokemon battle, Ash! Your Greninja versus my Charizard!" Alain said, his excitement growing with each word.
"And I accept!" Ash said, Greninja's pokeball already on his hand.
"Great! Charizard, come here!" Alain said. But nobody came. A few seconds passed, and Alain began to look around. "Charizard...?"
"Ahem," Mairin said, poking Alain on the shoulder. When the taller boy looked at her, Mairin leveled a flat, unamused stare at him and pointed towards the tree with her thumb.
There was Charizard, leaning against the large tree, eyes closed and breathing slowly, deep in slumber.
"Oh... right." Alain said, a little dejected.
"Alain?" Ash asked. "Something wrong with your Charizard?"
"Eh... well, let's say that Charizard and I were training last night until very late. I got so much into the training that I lost track of time, and well..." Alain said in a rare display of bashfulness. "I'm somebody who doesn't need much sleep, but Charizard it's another story. Especially after how much we trained. I don't think he'll wake up anytime soon."
"Haha, I can relate to that, so no worries. I sometimes stay training until late because me and my Pokemon are having such a great time, Serena has to remind us to take it slow, hehe," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Pikaa..." Pikachu said, patting his head.
Mairin sighed. "Boys..."
"I know, right?" Serena added, shaking her head.
"They're the worst," Mairin replied, crossing her arms.
…
After Ash and Alain calmed down from their mutual euphoria of seeing each other again, they agreed on a battle without either Charizard or Greninja. This time, they would use three Pokemon instead of just two.
The match was about to begin, Ash and Alain in front of each other, and Clemont in the middle, playing the role of referee as it was usual for these casual matches. The group had let all their Pokemon out, with Ash's Pokemon standing behind him, and Serena and Clemont's standing around her, Bonnie, Mairin and her Pokemon, watching the match as well.
"The battle between Ash and Alain will be a one on one with no time limit! Both trainers will use three Pokemon, and they are allowed to switch Pokemon. The first trainer whose three Pokemon are unable to battle will lose," Clemont began. "Trainers, select your Pokemon!"
"Alright, Xenogen, you go first!" Alain said. No pokeball was thrown, as just like with Ash's, Alain's Pokemon were all standing behind him.
A Pokemon Ash had never seen before crawled forward. It had a long, black thin body with two bulky arms sticking out of it, and a long tail ending in green short tendrils. It had a large, curved oblong head with green fleshy tendrils around it as well as covering its mouth, fish-like green eyes with slitted pupils, and seemingly organic tubes connecting its arms, back and neck.
It reminded Serena of Xenomite. Perhaps an evolution? The Pokedex would tell if she was right or not.
"Xenogen, the Mutant Pokemon, and Xenomite's evolution. Nuclear. A bizarre life form which thrives in irradiated fields of nuclear waste. It is a parasitic creature that latches on to any prey and sucks out its life force." The machine explained, confirming Serena's assumptions.
"So, your Xenomite evolved, huh?" Ash asked.
"Sometime ago, yeah. Though I haven't been able to use him much lately," Alain pointed out. "After all the troubles with the nuclear plants... Nuclear-type Pokemon might make people uncomfortable. But not only you've already seen him before, but there are Nuclear Pokemon in your group as well," the taller boy said, taking a look at Geigeroach and Nucleon, sitting next to Bonnie.
"Alright then. My first pick is Frosthra!" Ash said.
"Fro, fros!" The Frost Moth Pokemon chirped in joy over being picked up first for the battle.
Clemont raised both hands before bringing them down in a chopping motion. "Begin!"
~Ash (Frosthra, ?, ?) VS Alain (Xenogen, ?, ?)~
"The first move is ours! Xenogen, Gamma Ray!" Alain shouted.
"Counter it with Signal Beam, Frosthra!"
The two Pokemon fired energy beams at each other, a multicolored one coming from between Frosthra's antennae and a vibrant green one coming from Xenogen's tail. However, much to Ash's shock, Xenogen's attack overpowered Frosthra, cutting through the Signal Beam before blasting the Ice and Bug-type pokemon backwards.
"Fro, frost!" Frosthra cried in pain.
"Ha! You can't just overpower a Nuclear-type attack," Mairin said. "Their offensive power is too much."
Serena hoped that Ash would take that lesson.
"Great! Let's keep the pressure on with Radioacid!" Alain ordered. Serena never heard that move before, but judging by the name, its type was obvious.
"Frosthra, use Protect!" Ash replied.
Something began to flow inside the tubes connecting to Xenogen's neck before the Mutant Pokemon released a stream of sickly green sludge. Fortunately, Frosthra was able to erect a defensive shield just in time. The sludge slid down the energy barrier, burning the grass and soil below with a loud sizzling noise the moment it touched it.
Serena cringed upon seeing that attack: it was the same move that Nuclear Gyarados had used on Sylveon during the battle of Bealbeach City. Sylveon began to whine and tremble, the memory of that battle still on her mind. Fortunately, Delphox and Pangoro, who were sitting next to her, quickly placed their paws on her back in order to calm the Fairy-type.
"Now, counter with Blizzard!" Ash replied.
"Use Protect yourself, Xenogen!" Alain ordered.
"Get closer to Xenogen!" Ash shouted.
As Frosthra began to beat his wings, producing strong gusts of really cold wind with ice shards and snow, Xenogen created a green energy shield around itself just like its opponent had done a couple seconds ago. Ice and frost began to gather around it, but the Mutant Pokemon was protected. However, as Frosthra used the powerful Ice-type move, he slowly floated closer and closer to the Nuclear-type Pokemon.
Frosthra's attack came to an end, and so did Xenogen's Protect.
"Now use Shadow Claw!" Ash said, thrusting a fist forward.
"What?" Alain asked. "Xenogen, dodge it!"
The Frost Moth Pokemon lunged forward, one of his front claws coated in grayish black ghostly energy. Xenogen tried to move back, but mobility wasn't the Mutant Pokemon's forte, and the strike connected, sending Xenogen tumbling backwards.
"And Signal Beam again, before it can recover!" Ash quickly added.
From between his antennae, Frosthra launched a second multicolored beam at the still recovering Nuclear-type Pokemon. Given that it had used Protect just now, a second Protect was unlikely to work. Still, Alain was a resourceful trainer, and it was unlikely that he would bet everything on Protect. An assumption that proved true by his next command.
"Double Team!"
In an instant, a multitude of Xenogen clones littered the battlefield, one of them disappearing after being struck by Frosthra's Signal Beam. The obfuscated Frost Moth Pokemon began to look around, seeing nothing but Xenogen wherever he looked.
"Stay calm and don't let it confuse you! Dispel the copies with Blizzard!" Ash said.
"Fro, frosthra!" Frosthra chirped in agreement, as he gained a little altitude and began to beat his wings, producing a powerful freezing wind that Frosthra blew in a wide arc, quickly dispelling the copies around it.
"Xenogen, Flamethrower!" Alain shouted.
With only a couple copies remaining, the real Xenogen exhaled a stream of orange flames from its tentacle-covered mouth. The flames quickly cut through the blizzard, melting the ice chunks into water and evaporating said water into steam almost instantly, dangerously getting close to the Frost Moth Pokemon.
"Dodge it, quickly!" Ash urged. "And get closer to Xenogen!"
Thanks to Frosthra's altitude, he was able to avoid the stream of flames with greater ease than if he were closer to the ground, while also slowly bridging the distance between them.
"Radioacid!" Alain commanded. The tubes connecting to the Nuclear Pokemon's neck began to bulge as fluid was pumped through them,
"Use Protect and keep getting closer!" Ash said.
As the Mutant Pokemon sprayed forward a cone of highly corrosive chemicals, Frosthra encased himself inside an energy bubble while flying closer to his opponent. For the second time, the green glowing liquid splashed against the barrier while leaving the Bug and Ice-type inside unharmed. The Protect vanished just as Frosthra reached Xenogen.
"Gamma Ray!" Alain shouted.
"Fly upwards and dodge it!" Ash shouted back.
Frosthra used his building momentum to move upwards, narrowly dodging the green energy beam.
"Time for String Shot! Aim for the tail!" Ash ordered. "And tie it to its head!"
Before Alain or Xenogen had any time to react, Frosthra spat a sticky thread from his hidden mouth which was attached to the tail of the Mutant Pokemon. He then tugged back, pulling Xenogen's tail against its head, and quickly spun around his enemy, tying the tail and head together.
"No! Quick Xenogen, try to break free!" Alain commanded.
The Mutant Pokemon tried to break the sticky thread, but in its position it was easier said than done.
"Whoa! I didn't even know you could use String Shot like that!" Mairin said, her worry over Alain being on the losing side being momentarily surpassed by amazement at Ash's strategies.
Serena smiled in vicarious pride. "Yeah, Ash is really good at coming up with unorthodox ways to use some moves!"
"Now Frosthra, fly over Xenogen, and another Blizzard from above!" Ash commanded.
"Xenogen, Protect again!" Alain shouted.
Hovering above the Mutant Pokemon, Frosthra began to beat his wings for the third time, raining a storm of ice chunks and snow upon the immobilized Nuclear-type. Still, Xenogen was able to cast Protect, shielding itself from the powerful Ice-type move. Ash, however, didn't seem to be fazed over the fact that his attack had been foiled yet another time.
Serena soon realized why: while Xenogen was protected from the attack, all the ice and snow was piling up around him, forming a growing, frozen prison around it. When the attack was over, Xenogen was entirely encased in ice.
"Xenogen, use Flamethrower to destroy the ice! It should also burn the sticky strings binding you!" Alain commanded.
A red glow came from within the ice prison before a fiery explosion destroyed the makeshift prison, shattering and melting the ice at the same time, while releasing Xenogen from its bindings.
"Frosthra, now! Signal Beam!" Ash said with a vigorous arm motion.
Alain's eyes grew wide, realizing what Ash had been doing. "Avoid it with Double Team, quickly!"
A multicolored beam fell from above directly on top of Xenogen, who was a bit dazed from the explosion caused by its flamethrower, and was unable to carry out Alain's orders in time, and was blasted backwards by the Bug-type attack.
"Xenogen!" Alain cried upon seeing his Pokemon rolling backwards.
"And follow up with Shadow Claw!" Ash shouted.
"Froooo...!" Frosthra dashed at Xenogen, both his front claws coated in ghostly energy, and delivered a mighty ascending swipe at the Nuclear-type Pokemon right on the face, sending Xenogen flying into the air a short distance.
The Mutant Pokemon landed on the ground with a soft thud. It made no attempt to get back to its feet.
Clemont raised an arm in Ash's direction. "Xenogen is unable to battle! The winner is Frosthra!"
"Fro, fros!" Frosthra cheered as he turned towards Ash and his teammates and waved at them in joy.
"Great job, Frosthra!" Ash said, with the rest of his Pokemon, even Dunseraph, crying in support of their friend.
Needless to say, Serena and Bonnie also cheered over Ash's first victory, while Mairin slumped on her seat, sad over Alain's loss.
Alain merely returned the defeated Nuclear-type to its pokeball, smiling slightly. "Thank you, Xenogen. Take a rest," Alain said, buckling the pokeball to his belt. "You haven't been wasting your time, Ash. I can tell you got even better since the last time we fought."
"The first time I was caught off guard since I had never seen a Nuclear-type before," Ash said, as his gaze turned fierce. "But since then, I have fought countless Nuclear-type Pokemon! Me and my team have gotten much better at dealing with them."
"I see. Alright, in that case, you may find this Pokemon a more suitable challenge," Alain said without even looking at the Pokemon behind him. "Jungore, go!"
A Pokemon none of them had seen before walked into the battleground. It was a reptile that walked on four legs. Its body was rocky brown with a purple underbelly, but its front legs, lower jaw, spiked crest over its head and the tip of its tail looked to be made of solid gold.
"Huh, a new Pokemon," Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex.
"Jungore, the Gold Ingot Pokemon. Fighting/Rock. Its hide is studded with pieces of solid gold. Because of how valuable this Pokémon is on the black market, its population dwindled until it became extinct in the wild." The Pokedex explained.
"It became extinct?" Bonnie repeated, the implication of how Alain could have one unsaid.
"This Jungore was revived from a fossil I found while exploring a cave," Alain explained. "They don't exist in the wild anymore, but many scientists are trying to breed them in enough numbers before releasing them into the wild."
Serena's mind went to those scientists in Kalos who bred Aurorus and Tyrantrum, two Pokemon also extinct that no longer existed in the wild.
"Frosthra versus Jungore, begin!" Clemont said, lowering both arms in a chopping motion.
"Jungore, begin with Rock Slide!" Alain quickly ordered.
"Dodge it and use Blizzard!" Ash said just as quickly.
"Juuu...!" Jungore cried as it summoned several large boulders above Frosthra.
Gravity did its part, and the rocks began to fall down on the Frost Moth Pokemon. However, thanks to Ash's warning, he was ready and dodged all of them. Once the last boulder passed by him, he began to beat his wings, producing a gust of freezing wind with snow and ice shards.
"Dodge it with Dig, quickly!" Alain ordered.
"Ju, jungo!" Jungore cried as it burrowed underground, seconds before the Blizzard covered in ice the spot it was on.
"Cover the area in ice, Frosthra! Don't let it come out near you!" Ash said.
"Fro, frosthra!" Frosthra chirped, as he began to flap his wings even faster, as he slowly covered the area below him in solid ice. When Jungore would try to come out, the layer of ice would act as an additional obstacle that would make it wide open and ripe for a strike.
Or at least, that was the plan.
"Jungore, break through the ice with Brick Break!" Alain ordered.
There was an explosion of ice under Frosthra as Jungore burst from underground, sending small chunks of ice in every direction. Its front legs were glowing white with the power of the Fighting-type move, which still had enough energy to attack the Ice and Bug-type Pokemon directly.
"Frosthra, Protect!" Ash cried.
However, the order came too late, and the moment Jungore reached Frosthra, it delivered a powerful swipe with its glowing arms made of solid gold, sending the Frost Moth Pokemon spiraling down.
"Frosthra!" Ash cried.
"Now use Rock Slide one more time!" Alain shouted, throwing a punch forward.
"Jungo!" Jungore cried, summoning another batch of large boulders above Frosthra the moment Ash's Pokemon crashed against the icy ground.
"Frosthra, get out of there, quickly!" Ash urged.
But Frosthra was still reeling from Jungore's unexpected attack, and was unable to move as fast as he needed. The boulders rained upon Frosthra, smashing into him with painful thudding noises.
"Frosthra!" Ash cried again.
When the boulders vanished, Ash could see Frosthra: his body was covered in bruises, his wings mangled and cracked, and his eyes were rolled back.
"Frosthra is unable to battle! Jungore is the winner!" Clemont declared, raising an arm in Alain's direction.
"Yes! Well done, Alain!" Mairin cheered, while Bonnie pouted and slumped on her seat. It was amazing how the two girls' moods had switched in such a short amount of time.
"Aw, Ash lost the advantage. And Frosthra wasn't even able to land a single hit on Jungore..." Bonnie lamented.
"Goes to show how strong Alain is as a trainer," Serena admitted.
"Well done, Frosthra. Take a good rest," Ash said, recalling his defeated Pokemon back to his pokeball. "Now, which one of you could I-"
Before Ash could choose his next pick, there was a crackling sound, following Jungore glowing a bright bluish white light, as it began to grow and change form, going from four legs to standing up on two.
"Whoa, look at that!" Mairin squaled. "It's evolving!"
"Aw come on! That's not fair!" Bonnie protested.
"Don't say that, Bonnie. Ash has benefitted from evolution in the middle of a match before," Serena told the younger girl. "Remember the matches against Davern and Cali?"
Bonnie crossed her arms and pouted even more. "...but it sucks when it happens to Ash's opponents..."
Once the process was complete, the light faded, revealing the newly evolved Pokemon. It was much larger and stood on two legs. Its body was still rocky brown, but it was now covered by a black shell of stone that only left its arms and legs bare, with a large hunch on its back. Its golden forearms had grown into massive ingots of gold, while a golden helmet with several protrusions covered its head, leaving only its eyes exposed.
Ash and Serena both pulled out their pokedex to scan the new Pokemon: "Majungold, the Gold Bar Pokemon, and Jungore's evolution. Fighting/Rock. Its enormously heavy arms are made of solid gold. This Pokémon has developed extraordinarily strong muscles to hold them up."
Ash looked at the newly evolved Pokemon, and after a couple seconds of thinking over it, he decided who was going to be his next battler.
"Alright, my next Pokemon is Dunseraph!" Ash declared.
"Duuuun...!" Dunseraph cried as he flew towards the battleground, placing himself between Ash and Majungold. He also beat his wings with more force than necessary in order to blow some wind onto Majungold and Alain's face. The former appeared annoyed, but the latter didn't react.
"That's quite the impressive Pokemon, Ash," Alain said, taking a look at Dunseraph. "May I ask where did you find it? So far, I have only seen another trainer with one, and its power was incredible."
"Oh, you already saw this Pokemon before, Alain. Remember the Dunsparce I used during our bout in Comet Port?" Ash asked. "Well, this is him now!"
"Dun, dunseraph!" Dunseraph proudly cried.
"Amazing. I wasn't aware that Dunsparce could evolve," Alain said, before his lips curved into a confident smirk. "But evolution or not, Majungold will be the one walking out with a victory!"
"Ma, majun!" Majungold cried in agreement, slamming his two golden ingots against each other in a threatening fashion.
"We'll see about that," Ash replied, just as confident-
"Dunseraph versus Majungold, begin!" Clemont said, resuming the match.
"Majungold, begin with Rock Slide!" Alain began.
"Counter with Dragon Pulse, Dunseraph!" Ash replied.
"Jun!"
"Ser!"
As Majungold raised its arms and summoned several boulders above Dunseraph, the God Snake Pokemon opened his mouth and released a dragon-shaped beam of swirling purples, pinks and magentas. The Dragon-type move was able to destroy half the boulders, but the other half found their mark.
"Duuun...!" Dunseraph cried upon taking some of the super effective attack.
"Dunseraph!" Ash yelled.
The dragon shook his head to shake off the pain, and glared at Majungold. Thankfully, the revived fossil would need more than that to take him out.
"Why did Ash tell Dunseraph to do that? Wouldn't it be better to just dodge?" Bonnie asked.
Serena pondered Bonnie's question for a moment, putting a finger under her chin. "I guess that Dunseraph's too big and not fast enough to dodge an attack like that. Then again, Ash could have ordered Dunseraph to use Dig..."
"Okay, Alain got a hit, but that means nothing! Dragon Pulse one more time!" Ash ordered.
"Seraaaaa...!" Dunseraph cried as he opened his mouth, a second dragon-shaped beam of swirling violets and amethysts coming from it and barreling towards Majungold.
"Dodge it with Dig, Majungold!" Alain ordered.
Majungold jumped into the air before turning into a living drill, burrowing into the ground just as the Dragon-type attack passed by, avoiding it. Despite missing, Ash smirked confidently.
"I knew you'd do that. Dunseraph, use Dig yourself too and bring Majungold back to the surface!" Ash ordered.
"What?" Alain asked.
Dunsearph nodded, and dived down as he began to spin like a drill, just like his opponent had done before, digging underground. After a few seconds, the ground began to shake, followed by an underground explosion that threw small chunks of rock and dirt in every direction, caused by Dunseraph violently sending Majungold upwards.
"Yes! Well done, Dunseraph!" Ash cheered.
"Majungold!" Alain cried upon seeing the Gold Bar Pokemon launched into the air, before falling to the ground with a loud and painful sounding thud. "Majungold, are you okay?"
The Rock and Fighting-type Pokemon groaned as it got back to its feet, using its oversized solid gold forearms to push itself up.
"Ma, maju!" Majungold replied.
"Alright. Let's go with another Rock Slide!" Alain said.
"Maju, gold!" Majungold said, summoning another cluster of boulders above the God Snake Pokemon.
"Let's try Ancient Power this time, Dunseraph!" Ash suggested.
As the boulders formed above him, Dunseraph summoned a spinning ring of golden orbs which quickly grew into rocks of the same color, and threw them upwards just as the Rock Slide came down. Rock smashed against rock, shattering each other in a rain of brown and golden peebles. This time, though, no part of the Rock Slide ever touched Dunseraph.
A golden aura flashed over Dunseraph's body for a second.
"Yes!" Ash cheered again. "It worked!"
"What? What worked?" Mairin asked, a little confused.
"Ancient Power's additional effect. It has a small chance to boost every attribute of a Pokemon when used," Serena explained.
"But thanks to his ability, said chance becomes much bigger!" Bonnie chimed in.
"So Dunseraph can get stronger every time he uses that move? Oh no!" Mairin said, taking her hands to her head. "Be careful, Alain!"
"Don't worry, Ash is going to need a little more than a lucky boost to defeat us," Alain confidently stated.
"How about we try a second time, then? Ancient Power again, Dunseraph!" Ash commanded.
"Dun, duns!" Dunseraph cried, as he summoned another ring of golden rocks around him. This time, the golden rocks were a little larger than before.
"First of all, let's bridge the gap in power! Majungold, use Bulk Up followed by Brick Break!" Alain ordered.
"Majuuuuu...!" Majungold began, flexing its oversized arms as his body briefly glowed with a fiery red aura. Dunseraph then launched the barrage of golden rocks, which Majungold began to shatter with precise strikes of his gigantic arms, reducing the stones to rubble.
Fortunately for Alain, the Ancient Power's additional effect wasn't triggered this time around. Unfortunately for Alain, Ash wasn't planning on giving him any time to breathe.
"Alright Dunseraph, let's go with Sky Fall!" Ash shouted.
Dunseraph beat his wings as he gained altitude, before coating himself in swirling, pressurized air and diving at Majungold, blowing gusts of wind in every direction as he moved.
"Don't let that attack touch you, Majungold!" Alain spoke as if he had seen that attack before, not unusual given that he was familiar with Dunseraph. "Use Dig!"
For the second time in the match, Majungold turned into a living drill as it burrowed underground, just as Dunseraph passed by it, blowing wind in every direction.
"Now come out and use Ice Punch!" Alain quickly commanded.
Majungold came out from the ground like a missile, barreling towards Dunseraph with both forearms covered in frost, slamming one of them into the large dragon's body.
"Seeeeer...!" Dunseraph cried in pain.
"Dunseraph!" Ash cried.
"Let's keep the pressure on, Majungold! Rock Slide!" Alain energically shouted, as he made a quick arm motion.
"Maju!" Majungold cried as it summoned another bunch of giant rocks over Dunseraph, these ones noticeably larger than the previous ones thanks to the boost provided by Bulk Up.
"Dunseraph, dodge them, quickly!" Ash commanded.
As the rocks rained over him for a third time, Dunseraph began to fly down and, fittingly, twisted and turned like a snake, avoiding the falling boulders with a speed and grace he didn't possess a few minutes ago, making Serena realize that the speed boost from Ancient Power had allowed him to dodge an attack that he couldn't have before.
"Now that he's wide open, go for another Ice Punch!" Alain commanded.
"Ma, maju!" Majungold cried, slamming both arms of solid gold together, before they were cloaked in a freezing aura, and dashed towards Dunseraph.
"Block it with Poison Jab, Dunseraph!" Ash cried.
As Majungold came closer, Dunseraph's drill-shaped tail began to glow with a deep purple light, before using said tail to parry the incoming freezing punch. Both attacks met in the middle, the resulting clash pushing both Pokemon backwards.
"M-Maj!" Majungold winced, as its body flashed purple for a second before coughing purple bubbles.
"Poisoned?" Alain asked.
"Yay! Serene Grace for the win!" Bonnie cheered.
"Great job, Dunseraph! Now Dragon Pulse! And be ready just in case it uses Dig!" Ash warned him.
"Duuuuun-SERAPH!" Dunseraph cried, firing another swirling purple and magenta energy beam shaped like a dragon.
"We're not some one-trick Ponyta! Majungold, Ice Punch into the spot in front of you!" Alain ordered.
A freezing aura appeared around the bars of solid gold that Majungold had for arms before slamming the two of them into the ground, producing a massive iceberg in front of it, and winced upon being hurt by the poison. The Dragon Pulse slammed into a mass of ice, shattering its upper part but unable to reach Alain's Pokemon.
"Well done Majungold! Now Brick Break into the remains of the iceberg! Launch the ice chunks at Dunseraph!" Alain commanded, energized by the prospect of recovering lost ground.
"Dunseraph, get closer with Sky Fall!" Ash commanded.
As Dunseraph covered himself in a cloak of pressurized air and dived at Majungold, the Gold Bar Pokemon began to relentlessly punch the iceberg, shattering it with each impact and sending the shards flying at Dunseraph. The God Snake Pokemon tried to dodge them as best as he could, but even with his enhanced speed it was difficult to do so while flying towards his enemy, meaning that he had to endure some impacts.
However, Dunseraph's gamble paid off and the dragon struck the fossil, sending it flying backwards, before landing on the grassy ground on its back.
"Majungold!" Alain cried. "Are you okay?"
With great difficulty, Majungold climbed back to his feet. His breath was heavy and was having trouble standing on his two feet, but it seemed the Pokemon still wanted to fight. That's it, until his body flashed purple for a second and the Rock and Fighting-type Pokemon fell victim to a coughing fit, before finally falling to the ground facefirst.
This time, it didn't make an effort to stand up.
Clemont raised a hand in Ash's direction. "Majungold is unable to battle! The winner is Dunseraph!"
"Yes! Great job, Dunseraph!" Ash cried, pumping his fist.
All of Ash's Pokemon behind him cried happily for their teammates' victory, while Dunseraph fired a Dragon Pulse into the air in a boastful manner.
"Yes! Another victory for Ash!" Bonnie cheered. "One more, and he'll finally beat Alain!"
"Don't count Alain out so soon!" Mairin replied, crossing his arms. "He still can win this. He has made comebacks under much worse odds!"
Speaking of which, the black haired teen returned his defeated fossil to its pokeball. "Thank you, Majungold. Take a rest," Alain said, before turning back and scanning his remaining Pokemon. With a thoughtful hum, Alain made his choice. "Alright, Voltasu, time for you to battle!"
"Vo, volt!" the Three Legged Pokemon cawed as it flew to the battleground, and glared at Dunseraph. The dragon returned said glare with a taunting smirk.
"Have you seen this Pokemon before? You seemed to be familiar with it," Alain pointed out.
"Yeah. One of Serena's contest rivals has one and used it in a contest more than once," Ash explained. "I may not have fought against one myself, but I'm aware of what it can do."
Alain's lips curved into a smirk. "I look forward to surprising you, then."
"Dunseraph versus Voltasu, begin!" Clemont said, resuming the match.
"Dunseraph, begin with Ancient Power!" Ash shouted.
"Take it and use Thunder Wave!" Alain commanded.
As Dunseraph summoned a spinning ring of large glowing rocks, Voltasu's body began to crackle with yellow electricity. The golden boulders flew at Voltasu, all of them hitting the Electric and Flying-type Pokemon, while at the same time Voltasu sent rings of yellow electricity at Dunseraph, who flinched and cried in discomfort when the attack took effect.
"Yes! Paralyzed!" Mairin cheered.
"That won't stop us! Dunseraph, Dragon Pulse!" Ash shouted.
"Dodge it and counter with Thunder!" Alain ordered.
Dunseraph fired a purple and magenta dragon-shaped beam of energy at Voltasu, who was able to dodge it with ease by flying upwards. As it did, its body was cloaked in a coat of yellow electricity, before releasing all of it in the form of a massive, single bolt that hit Dunseraph head on.
"Duuuuun...!" he cried in pain.
"Dunseraph, hold on!" Ash tried to encourage his Pokemon. "Dragon Pulse again!"
Struggling against the paralysis, Dunseraph opened his mouth and fired another beam of draconic power at his opponent. But he was too slow to do so, and Voltasu dodged the attack without much trouble.
"Now get closer and use Dragon Rage!" Alain instructed.
"Dodge it with Dig!" Ash replied.
Dunseraph dived towards the ground as he began to spin like a drill, but he suddenly stopped all of sudden as his body fell prey to a series of spasms. This gave Voltasu more than enough time to get closer to Dunseraph, and the God Snake Pokemon was engulfed by a sea of dark blue and purple flames.
"Se-seraaaaph!" Dunseraph cried in pain as he fell to the ground.
"Dunseraph!" Ash shouted.
Dunseraph slammed against the grass below with a thundering noise, the impact raising a cloud of dirt and dust. When the cloud dispelled, they could see Dunseraph sprawled on the ground, immobile.
"Dunseraph is unable to battle! The winner is Voltasu!" Clemont said, raising an arm in Alain's direction.
"Yes! Awesome job, Alain!" Mairin cheered, pumping both fists into the air. The teen boy smiled in return.
"You were amazing out there, Dunseraph. Take a good rest," Ash said, returning his defeated dragon. The raven haired teen turned back at his remaining Pokemon, wondering who he should pick for his last choice. He didn't take long to make a decision. "Alright Raptorch, I choose you!"
"Ra, rap!" Raptorch happily yipped, as he hopped towards the battleground.
"Raptorch? I thought Ash would choose a heavy hitter like Metalynx," Bonnie said, raising an eyebrow.
"Raptorch's choice makes sense," Serena replied. "Being part Ground-type, he's immune to Voltasu's electric attacks, so there's no danger of being paralyzed."
"Hmmmm," Bonnie hummed and nodded in understanding.
"Raptorch versus Voltasu! Whoever wins this battle will win the match!" Clemont said, lowering both arms in a chopping motion. "Begin!"
"Raptorch, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.
"Counter it with Thunder!" Alain replied.
Raptorch took a deep breath before releasing a powerful stream of flames from his open jaws at Voltasu, while the Three Legged Pokemon charged his body with electricity and released it in the form of a powerful lightning bolt, aimed not at Raptorch, but at its attack. The two moves met in the middle, resulting in a deafening explosion.
"Now, Aerial Ace!" Alain commanded.
"Repel it with Brick Break!" Ash shouted.
Fast as lightning, Voltasu pierced through the cloud of smoke, splitting it in two, as it flew headfirst towards Raptorch, its long, black wing glowing with a white light, while Raptorch's tail glowed the same color. Wing met tail, the impact sending both Pokemon backwards, but Raptorch was thrown with greater force than Voltasu.
"Now, Dragon Rage!" Alain ordered.
"Use Flame Impact to dodge it and get close to Voltasu!" Ash said.
"Voooool!" Voltasu screeched, before opening its beak wide and releasing a torrent of dark blue and purple flames.
"Rap, raptorch!" Raptorch yipped as his entire body was coated in flames, before shooting forward like a missile. However, he was able to move aside in order to dodge the stream of draconic flames, before smashing into the Three Legged Pokemon, smacking it backwards.
"Now, Flamethrower! It won't be able to dodge from up close!" Ash urged Raptorch.
"Stop him with Aerial Ace!" Alain shouted, making a swift arm motion. "Use it non-stop!"
Raptorch took a deep breath, but before he could release all the fire building in his belly, Voltasu's both wings glowed with a white light and used them to repeatedly smack Raptorch in the face, pushing him backwards with each swipe and preventing the Fire Dino Pokemon from using said move. The last wing slap was so strong, it sent Raptorch tumbling backwards.
"Raptorch!" Ash cried upon seeing his Pokemon taking such a beating.
Alain, however, wasn't planning on losing his advantage. "Well done Voltasu! Now follow up with Air Slash!"
"Raptorch, quickly, dodge with Dig!" Ash countered.
Voltasu flew a little higher and began flapping its wings relentlessly, sending a barrage of blades of pressurized air at Raptorch. However, they never reached their target as the Fire Dino Pokemon burrowed underground just in time to avoid them.
"That won't work again! Voltasu, use Thunder on the ground itself! Tear it apart and force Raptorch out!" Alain commanded.
"No! Raptroch, quick, come out!" Ash cried.
Voltasu, whose body was crackling with rapidly building electricity, hovered above the hole Raptorch had disappeared into, before releasing the stored up charge in the form of a massive electric blast into the ground, breaking it open and sending rocks, peebles and dirt flying in every direction. And among the rocks and the dirt was also Raptorch, who was blasted into the air.
"Follow up with Air Slash now that he can't dodge!" Alain mercilessly ordered.
"Vo, volta!" Voltasu cawed, as it began to flap its wings a second time in order to produce another barrage of air blades that this time found their mark.
"RAAAAA!" Raptorch cried in pain before landing painfully on the ground.
"Raptorch, are you okay!?" Ash asked, his voice carrying a nervous edge. "Raptorch!"
"Raaaa..." Raptorch groaned, as he slowly climbed back to his feet and shook his head to shake off the dazing. He glared at Voltasu.
Then, there was a crackling noise, and Raptorch's entire body glowed brightly with an intense blueish-white light.
"Whoa, look at that!" Bonnie said, pointing at the glowing dinosaur. "Raptorch is evolving!"
"So now it's not unfair, right?" Mairin grumbled, crossing her arms in annoyance at both Ash's luck and Bonnie's reaction.
Raptorch's shape remained the same as he evolved, the transformation merely causing him to grow in size and made his body slender and his limbs longer. Then, the light of evolution went out, allowing everybody to see the new Pokemon.
"Ar, archi!" the new Pokemon cried, his voice sounding like a low pitched whistle.
Both Ash and Serena took out their Pokedex in order to learn what this Pokemon was.
"Archilles, the Fire Raptor Pokemon, and Raptorch's evolution. Fire/Ground. With a specialized saddle and reins, Archilles can be ridden. Make sure that you have earned its trust first."
In general terms, Archilles looked mostly like a bigger version of Raptorch, though there were some differences: his skull was longer, and so was his tail, which had red feathers to the sides and a fan of red feathers at the end of it. His teeth and claws were longer, and had fire coming out of his elbows, knees and the end of his tail.
"Chil, chille!" Archilled growled, letting out a puff of flames.
"Yes! Awesome, Archilles! Now there's nothing that can stop us!" Ash cheered.
"Just when I think I have you against the ropes, you come back from the brink even stronger," Alain said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. His eyes then shot open, a glint of excitement visible on them. "But this is why I like battling against you so much! Come on Voltasu, Dragon Rage!"
"Dodge it and use Flame Impact!" Ash replied.
Voltasu sent another torrent of blue and amethyst flames in Archilles direction. The newly evolved Pokemon flexed his longer and stronger hind legs, and easily leaped above the Dragon-type attack. As he was mid-air, the flames on his elbows, knees and tail began to grow and spread around his body, covering him in a cloak of flames, before shooting like a fiery missile at Voltasu.
"Voltasu, get out of the way!" Alain commanded.
But Voltasu was unable to match the temporary speed boost granted by Flame Impact. Archilles' blazing body slammed into the Three Legged Pokemon, sending it tumbling backwards.
"Excellent! Now Brick Break!" Ash ordered.
"Parry it with Aerial Ace!" Alain shouted.
Once again, Archilles leaped into the air, making a frontal somersault in order to deliver a vertical chopping strike with his white glowing tail, while Voltasu's wings began to glow with a white light. Tail met wings, and unlike the previous time where Voltasu won the struggle, this time the two Pokemon appeared to be evenly matched.
"Keep going on, Archilles!" Ash shouted.
"You too, Voltasu!" Alain replied.
The two Pokemon continued to trade tail slaps and wing strikes, the two unable to land a hit on the other. That was, until Archilles misstepped and fumbled his attack, allowing Voltasu to deliver a powerful wing strike to his face that sent him rolling backwards.
"Yes! Direct hit!" Mairin cheered. "Way to go, Alain and Voltasu!"
"Archilles!" Ash cried.
Fortunately for Ash, Archilles wasn't down for the count, as the Fire Raptor Pokemon managed to get back on his feet, even if he struggled to do so. Then, Archilles glared at Voltasu with glowing orange eyes that looked like burning coals, and a burning red aura enveloped him, while the parts of his body that were on fire burned with far more intensity.
"Oh, what now? Is he going to evolve again?" Mairin protested.
"No, that's Blaze," Serena pointed out. "Archilles is on his last legs, but his fire attacks will be now more potent. One way or another, the next couple moves will decide the victor of this match."
"Come on Archilles, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded, his voice dripping with nervousness and excitement, since he knew the match was reaching its climax.
"Counter with Dragon Rage!" Alain told his Pokemon.
Once again, Voltasu released a stream of dark blue and magenta flames from its beak at Archilles, while the Tandorian starter opened his mouth and exhaled not so much flames, but what appeared to be red hot plasma. The empowered Flamethrower cut through the Dragon Rage as if it was nothing, engulfing the Electric and Flying-type Pokemon inside a sea of raging fires.
"Vol, voltaaaaaaa!" Voltasu cried, as it tried to get away from the burning torrent.
"Time to finish this! Archilles, Flame Impact!" Ash ordered, throwing a punch forward.
"Air Slash!" Alain commanded.
Once again, the fire around Archilles spread around his body, encasing him into a blazing cloak, before shooting towards Voltasu, leaving a trail of burning grass in his wake. Voltasu, meanwhile, flew into the air and began flapping its wings, pouring the last of its remaining strength into the attack. The blades of wind all crashed into Archilles, but they failed to stop his advance, and the Fire Raptor Pokemon slammed into his opponent, resulting in a fiery explosion that raised a huge cloud of dust and dirt.
"Voltasu!"
"Archilles!"
As the cloud dispelled, everybody held their breath, worried to see which of the two Pokemon had come out on top.
The answer was none, as the two Pokemon were sprawled on the ground, eyes swirly and bodies completely motionless.
"Uh... both Archilles and Voltasu are unable to battle. And since neither trainer has more Pokemon, the result is a tie!" Clemont declared.
There was a brief lull as everybody processed what Clemont had just said. Clearly everybody found such a result to be unlikely, and felt a bit underwhelmed over it, Serena included. The honey blonde was hoping that Ash would finally beat Alain this time. But alas, a tie was the best they could do.
Something the raven haired teen appeared to be okay with, given that he was smiling brightly, and the same was true for his opponent.
"Amazing battle, Ash. You always go beyond my expectations, and they are pretty big to begin with," Alain said, as he recalled his defeated Voltasu.
"Yeah, I had a great time as well battling you," Ash said, also recalling Archilles.
"You got really strong since the last time we fought," Alain praised him.
"Not as much as you think. Had Archilles not evolved, maybe you would have won," Ash replied.
"Well, my Majungold also evolved over the course of the match, so that makes us even," Alain insisted. "Though, how come you didn't use Pikachu? I believe he would have been a pretty good match against Voltasu."
"Oh, well..." Ash said, growing a little uneasy. Pikachu lowered his head, his eras dropping down. "You see, Pikachu can't fight for the time being, due to an... injury he got fighting Nuclear Pokemon."
Mairin gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my goodness, that's terrible!"
"Oh. I'm very sorry to hear that," Alain said, now sounding a little regretful over asking that. "I'm sorry if it was a sensitive topic, it's that... Well, Pikachu looked good to me."
"Yeah, on the outside he looks great, but he can't afford to exert himself much," Ash said. "But I'm sure that with enough rest, he'll be back in business in no time."
"Pi, pika!" Pikachu nodded.
"Well, now that the match is over," Clemont began. "How about we give your fainted Pokemon some medicine and food to get them back in shape, and relax a little?"
"That's a great idea," Alain agreed.
…
After the match was over, everybody did what Clemont suggested and used some medicine to heal the Pokemon who had fought, and after that, the two groups settled in and simply engaged in conversation with one another as the Pokemon relaxed.
Needless to say, Ash and Alain were mostly interested in the new Pokemon the other had caught. Ash explained how he had captured Orchynx and Raptorch, and how the former had evolved into Metalynx during the battle of Bealbeach City, and how Dunsparce had evolved into Dunseraph after the battle against Tiko.
On Alain's end, there were only two Pokemon Ash hadn't seen, the first one being the weird and creepy looking Pokemon that Alain was using in his spar against Mairin.
"Chainite, the Retribution Pokemon, and Linkite's evolution. Ghost/Dark. A malicious and dangerous Pokémon, it seeks revenge against the trainer who abandoned it. Its shackles were reinforced in order to keep its violent nature under control." The Pokedex explained.
"Well, it's a good thing that I have never ever abandoned a Pokemon, and never will," Alain stated matter-o-factly.
"Too bad there are some people out there who don't think like us," Ash said, remembering all the callous trainers he had met across his journey who did exactly that.
The other Pokemon, which kinda stood out a little among the rest of Alain's team, was a Tricwe.
"A scientist working for Professor Cypress gave me this little guy as part of an experiment the last time I was on Rochfale, less than a week ago," Alain explained to the group as he gently patted the small Bug-type. "Currently Tricwe's only known evolution is Harylect, but the scientist I talked to hypothesized that under the right circumstances, Tricwe might have more evolutions besides that one. He just needed a trainer to help her evolve."
"Really? That's fascinating. I hope that scientist is right. If he's right, you'll be remembered as somebody who discovered a new evolution!" Clemont said, excited by the prospect.
"I'm only doing the grunt work. It was the scientists who did all the important labor," Alain replied. "But one way or another, I'm more than happy to help."
Ash and his friends stayed with Alain and Mairin for a couple more hours. After that, at Ash's request, the group decided to continue their journey, since Ash wanted to be at Venesi City by the next day. According to Alain, if they kept a good pace, they'd be able to arrive at Venesi City sometime before sunset.
The two groups bid each other goodbye, while Alain and Ash hoped to see each other again at the League.
…
The very next morning, Alain made a decision.
"Pack your things. I think we already trained enough. I believe it's time to finally go to Tsukinami Village," Alain declared.
"Oh? I thought we were going to spend at least one more week here," Mairin asked, raising an eyebrow. "So, do you feel ready now?"
"I think I've been ready for quite some time," Alain told her, as he began to put his belongings inside his backpack. "I think facing no opponent of Ash's caliber for so long made me a little lethargic."
"And fighting Ash woke you up?" the redhead asked.
Alain couldn't help but smile softly. "Whenever I fight against Ash... he manages to ignite a flame inside me no one else has been able to. His passion is simply contagious."
Mairin snorted a little. "You know, the way you talked about Ash..." she began.
"Yes?" Alain asked, looking at her quizzically.
"I mean... should I warn Serena that you're going after her crush?" Mairin merrily asked in a mocking tone, before giggling a little. "You know I'm on your side, but on this issue I'm kinda rooting for her and Ash to hook up."
"You must think you're so funny, don't you?" Alain said, rolling his eyes, but his smile didn't disappear. "Anyway, get ready for-"
"Heeeeeeey!" Somebody called from afar. "Heeeeeeeey!"
Alain and Mairin stopped what they were doing, and looked in the direction of the voice: it was a brown haired boy, probably around Ash's age, who ran at them waving his arms.
"Do you know him?" Mairin whispered at Alain, who shook his head.
"He looks to be a bit distressed," Alain noted, as the boy came closer.
"Oh thank goodness there's somebody here!" the boy said upon finally reaching the duo. "Please I need your help! My Pokemon! It-"
"First of all, calm down. Breathe," Alain instructed, placing a hand on the agitated boy. "Okay, now tell me what happened. Is your Pokemon in trouble?"
"Y-yes! It fell down a grotto under a tree, and it can't climb back! Please help it out!" the boy pleaded.
"Of course. Take us where your Pokemon is. I'm sure one of ours will be more than able to help it out," Alain offered.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" the boy said, bowing repeatedly. "I've been looking for anybody to help for hours around this place and found no one! I was about to give up until I met you two!"
"Hey, it's okay. We aren't going to turn down anybody in need of help," Mairin said, smiling at him as a way to calm him down. "Oh, by the way, we haven't introduced each other! I'm Mairin, and this is Alain."
"My name's Maury," the boy said. "Come here, this is where my Pokemon is trapped..."
The duo didn't say anything, and followed Maury's lead.
Author's Note: Well, it's been a while since Alain appeared, so it was about time for him to make a return, didn't it? This chapter also helps show the rest of his team. We see how his Xenomite and Linkite evolved offscreen, plus he got a Jungore (which also evolved as you saw here) and a Voltasu on top of Charizard. Oh, and a Tricwe too, but it's not like such an insignficant Pokemon will be relevant later, right?
Sorry if any of you were hoping that Ash would beat him this time around. Oh well, even if it was with the help of a mid-battle evolution, at least this time he scored a tie. Though, all I'm asking you is to be a little patient. Good things come for those who know to wait ;)
While I'm not fan of having mid-battle evolutions, I was having a hard time finding a good place and moment for Raptorch to evolve, so in the end I decided that a friendly spar was better than an important battle like a Gym or League match. And with this evolution, Ash's team is finally fully evolved.
And speaking of returns, Maury makes his after almost forty chapters. Bet all of you forgot about him, huh?
Thanks to 61394, lipeghoul, Sanji xyz, Fox McCloude, dmrm, MegaSalamence64, MarkusDarkus97, hirowriter and Guest #1 for reviewing the last chapter, and special thanks to Viroro-kun for betareading this chapter, retaking his role of the story's official beta after last chapter's absence.
Next chapter, our heroes arrive to Venesi City, and... well, let's say it's not a chapter you really want to miss. Until then, don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts on this one and its battle.