Well, here it is, the seventh part of the fifth and final installment in my 'Heart' series on the right day as promised. Two battles are done and Ash has won both, he's doused Malva's flames and broken Siebold's wave to really shock Kalos but now he's got to face the steel specialist, Wikstrom. Will Ash be able to withstand the metal of the most chivalrous man in all of Kalos or will he be cut by the sharpness of the man's blade? It's time to see as Ash takes on the third of his four greatest battles to date. That is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and as there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer I will leave this off here but do please keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all. That is it for this pre-Part note which means that it is once again time to sit back which and enjoy the latest installment in Heart of Champions. Part CXCVI: Blunting the Edge.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Part CXCVI: Blunting the Edge
By this point in the challenge Ash was fully in the zone and not nervous as he stood in his entrance waiting to head out for his third battle in three days as part of his official challenge of the Kalos Elite Four. So far Ash had shocked Kalos not once but twice with victories over first Malva and then Siebold in his previous two battles. One victory was enough to grant Ash the right to join the Kalos Elite Four, two showed that he was truly worthy of that honor and really got you noticed.
It was rare for a challenger to win just one of the four matches that he or she had but to win two, well that got attention from beyond Kalos and now more and more people were paying attention to Ash's challenge. For his part Ash just pushed that attention from his mind as he focused on the task at hand. Two victories were good but Ash wanted more. He had a goal in mind and he wasn't going to stop until he achieved it and that meant that he had to keep on winning these battles.
However, unlike the past few days this was a matchup that Ash wasn't as well prepared for as the others. True his team was ready and he'd trained hard for it against various Pokémon with the type he was about to face but unlike with Malva and Siebold he had no clue of anything he'd be facing today.
That was because with those two at least he'd known their Mega Pokémon but that wasn't the case today. That said, Ash did know the type he was facing and he'd prepared for that by facing what he could, predicting the likely Pokémon that would be used, and knowing that he'd need to adapt on the fly as he faced off against the steel type specialist, Wikstrom.
Ash knew next to nothing about the man other than the type that he specialized in as he'd never met Wikstrom in his travels through Kalos and neither had his friends who were either from Kalos or had explored it before he did. All Ash knew was that apparently Wikstrom was the embodiment of traditional Kalos chivalry and virtue and was seen as the second strongest of the Elite Four with only Drasna as stronger. She was tomorrow's problem though, today Ash would face and beat Wikstrom.
He was ready though. Ash may not know what he was facing beyond type but he'd trained hard and he'd faced greater mysteries in the past, albeit not as strong as what he was facing today, so he could handle whatever was coming his way. The one big wildcard was the Mega Pokémon but that was something he'd have to wait and see what it was. He knew which Mega he'd be using, it was an obvious choice, but his whole team had been carefully prepared to handle an opponent that specialized in steel types while factoring in several potential dual types as well.
Now, as the clock ticked over to the correct time for the match to start and Ash took a step forward the moment that it did, the crowd began to cheer. It was to time to put it all together because this was, like the matches the days before, his biggest battle to date and with each win each subsequent battle became bigger that the last. It was time to once again rise to the occasion.
"Folks, the wait is over and for the third time Ash has stepped out to face his next challenge in the Kalos Elite Four." The announcer said to the cheering crowds and Ash walked to his trainer's box for the match. "There really isn't much to say at this point other than that we're more hyped than we've been in a decade for the third match as Ash has done what few have done before, beaten two members of the Elite Four and he's done so in his first two matches! That makes him perfect so far. He's on a roll but can he keep it up as he faces his third challenge?"
The crowd gave a roar of approval and Ash's cheer section, which had gotten a lot of coverage over the last two days though he'd not been focused on that given the importance of the battles, cheered for him as they had each day so far. Ash just let it all wash over him as he made his way over the bridge and onto the battlefield that was nice and fresh for what was to come.
"Superlatives don't even begin to describe Ash and what he's achieved at this point." The announcer continued as Ash came to a stop in his trainer box and set himself. "And I don't think we can wait any longer knowing what's at stake in this battle so there's no need to delay this any longer. Introducing Ash's third opponent, the most chivalrous man in all of Kalos and the embodiment of what is expected from a Kalos native, the steel specialist of the Kalos Elite Four, Wikstrom!"
The crowd cheered loudly at that and Ash looked across the battlefield to get his first look at Wikstrom as the man strode out from his side with a purposeful gait. However, as the slight creaking and scraping reached Ash's ears, he couldn't help but stare at the man's outfit as it put the previous two members of the Elite Four to shame given how unique and unexpected it was.
That was because Wikstrom was wearing an honest to Arceus suit of armor, as in proper old school armor that you'd expect from a chivalrous knight of Kalos. It was a complete set with a full chest piece, metal skirt thing, boots, thigh guards, gloves, greaves, and segmented shoulder pads. The whole outfit was a light gray with gold edging on the skirt and the tops of the greaves and thigh guard things though they may be all part of the boots actually. There was also gold bands over the gloves, in a shallow v over the chest, and at the fronts of the boots.
It was, in short, the perfect outfit for a steel specialist from Kalos who embodied the chivalry of Kalos as it was the very image of their honorable knight. It wasn't what Ash had expected but it was somehow fitting based on what little he'd heard about Wikstrom.
The armor wasn't everything, however, because under it Wikstrom seemed to wear a simply black outfit likely to prevent chafing and rubbing. The mix of black and gold accents on the gray armor matched well his hair which was black and chut short so that it flared out to the sides but for a 6 point star in the center of his forehead that Ash thought could either be a headpiece of sorts or Wikstrom's normal hair he wasn't sure. Finally Ash noticed the man's spectacular sideburns as he came to a stop in his trainer's box facing Ash.
"You have done well so far, beaten two of my compatriots on your path that has taken you to this point in your challenge." Wikstrom said as he looked at Ash. "That is not an easy thing to do and shows your strength. However, to beat me you will need a chivalrous heart and a steely resolve against my Pokémon."
"I will give my all to best you." Ash said grinning at Wikstrom's words. "I may have won against Malva and Siebold but I am not going to let that go to my head because I know that I'll need to keep brining my all and then some to continue along this path."
"It takes wisdom to understand that victory one day does not mean victory the next for the tides of battle can always change and arrogance is a foley that has been the downfall of many who sought what you currently seek." Wikstrom said with a nod. "It is a good sign that you understand this at your age and I can see why you have come so far when many have failed in this challenge before you."
"I've learned a lot over the years from all my friends, my Pokémon, the people I've met, and the many battles that I've had against tough opponents." Ash said. "You are the next to teach me through the medium of battle and help me grow. Win or lose I will take all that I can from this battle."
"Noble indeed." Wikstrom said as he pulled out his first Poke Ball. "Then allow me to be your teacher today Ash and show me how chivalrous you truly are."
"I'm looking forward to this." Ash said his grin widening as he pulled out his own Poke Ball.
"Folks, this is it, the chat between combatants is done, the wait over, the third battle of Ash's challenge is now at hand." The announcer said to the roaring crowd. "So without any further ado, let the battle…begin!"
"Talonflame I choose you." Ash said throwing out his first Pokémon and deciding to go straight for whoever Wikstrom started to start off strong. "Flame Charge!"
"Aegislash, go." Wikstrom said smiling at the boldness of Ash's opening gambit as his Talonflame burst from its Poke Ball with a caw, it was a good sign for to truly battle you had to go all out and overwhelm your opponent as it showed a brave and chivalrous heart but there was a time for defense as well and now was such a time for Wikstrom to display that. "King's Shield."
Talonflame had already ignited his body and sped at his opponent so he was already on the move as Wikstrom's Poke Ball burst open and his fully evolved ghost and steel type appeared. The opening exchange was going to be a furious one so neither trainer noticed as the images of their Pokémon appeared in the first hexagons by their names on the jumbotron while the crowd continued to cheer at the revelations of Ash and Wikstrom's first Pokémon.
Aegislash had its orders and was already in shield form when it came out of its Poke Ball so that King's Shield was active, the large shield it had over its blade body and eye trained on the blazing Talonflame as it tore at it with a speed that even for a Pokémon like Talonflame was impressive. However, despite Talonflame's speed it wouldn't have mattered as King's Guard had priority and was as good as a move like Protect, if not better.
That was because while the move protected from damage it had an additional feature if the attack coming for it was a contact based one like Flame Charge was, it lowered the attack power of the Pokémon for the duration of the battle. As such, while Flame Charge boost Talonflame's speed, the moment he slammed into King's Guard and bounced off it doing no damage to the Royal Sword Pokémon his attack was lowered as a result of the attack. Wikstrom was ready for this and as Talonflame bounced off he already had his counter ready.
"Shadow Claw." Wikstrom said.
"Dodge and get back to use Razor Wind." Ash said as he quickly adapted to the battle against a Pokémon he'd trained for now that his bold opening had failed as Aegislash shifted to blade form with the shield in its left tassel thing. "You can do it Talonflame."
Had Talonflame not been momentarily stunned by the failure of his Flame Charge and the rebound of Aegislash's King's Shield he would have been able to manage it but alas he wasn't as he was only just able to get his wings under him as the ghost type power formed around Aegislash's blade that then slashed upwards.
The Shadow Claw raked across Talonflame's chest in a diagonal slash that sent him back with an arching caw as he flipped away while also scoring a critical hit in the process due to its higher than normal chance of such a hit being scored. However, as he did he beat his wings to create the blades of wind that was Razor Wind.
Despite the name the attack was a normal type attack but Talonflame pulled it off as the slashes of wind tore over the battlefield and slammed into the blade body of Aegislash before passing through and doing no damage at all as Talonflame recovered and beat his wings to hover over Ash's side of the battlefield. The attack hadn't been to cause damage, Ash knew it wouldn't and Talonflame had understood the reason, it was to distract to get some distance between them and take a moment to think on the battle.
Now, Talonflame was beating his wings gently in the air on Ash's side as Aegislash floated up to be on Talonflame's level while still in blade form. Aegislash was one of the Pokémon that Ash had put as very likely in this match due to its type, native status, and because it seemed to be fitting for Wikstrom to have one. It was also one that Ash could train against thanks to May having one but even with all that training he knew that this would be a tough battle to win as he thought on what to do.
That was because Aegislash was a tricky Pokémon to deal with. It was one of the strongest defensive Pokémon out there with three full immunities thanks to its type combination though it didn't have the Levitate ability despite being able to float so that meant that its ground type weakness was still there, and further 9 types that it was resistant to. In addition to ground type attack it was weak to three other types, including fire, so Ash had that going for him here, but Aegislash had one extra defensive trick that Ash had just seen, King's Shield.
The move was, as far as Ash knew, unique to Aegislash just like there were other moves out there that were unique to specific Pokémon or evolutionary lines and in Aegislash's case tied into its equally unique Stance Change ability. That was an improvement from the No Guard ability that it had before evolving as it gave it a significant defensive boost when in shield form.
It was this combination of unique move and unique ability that Ash had trained against so that he could overcome it. Of course he was facing a member of the Kalos Elite Four who specialized in this type not his old friend so this was very different to training with May but that's just what made this battle what it was and Ash relished in such a challenge.
That was because now that he'd seen what he and Talonflame were up against he had been able to adapted to it and come up with a new plan to face Aegislash. It was a plan that Wikstrom played into as he ended the brief lull.
"Shadow Claw." Wikstrom ordered taking the fight to Ash. "A Talonflame is a good challenge and matchup for us, show it what we can do."
"That's it." Ash said with a grin as Aegislash shot at Talonflame ghost type power coating its blade. "Flame Charge again, that's our best move right now."
Talonflame let out a caw of agreement as he ignited his body and charged at his opponent. They'd trained against this type of Pokémon to prepare for Wikstrom and so they knew that while Aegislash was a strong Pokémon with a unique move and ability there was one thing that they had going for them in regards to Stance Change, it was an ability that was solely depended on the move it was using.
It meant that if Aegislash was using a defensive move like King's Shield then it was in its shield form but if it was using an offensive move then it was in its blade form. So long as it was in blade form then they could damage it without an issue.
That was what they had to target when facing an Aegislash and in this exchange did just that as a burning Talonflame shot at Aegislash and dipped as soon as he got within range before flying up right as Aegislash twisted to bring the edge of its blade down. The result was a boom as the Pokémon collided with each other and pressed against one another trying to break the other's attack, the edge of Aegislash's blade pressing down against the burning head of Talonflame.
This lasted only a minute before Aegislash was blasted upwards with a wail of pain from the super effective attack though Talonflame's ability wasn't triggered, again as it wasn't after the first Shadow Claw either, while Talonflame was driven down and into the ground to slam into the dirt with a loud thud taking another critical hit in the process. Neither was enough to take out the other, both Pokémon were strong after all, and Ash was already pressing his advantage.
"Overheat!" Ash said.
"King's Shield." Wikstrom countered as Talonflame began to glow where he was on the ground. "Into Shadow Claw once the Overheat has run its course."
"The moment you can, Flame Charge." Ash said as Aegislash swiftly moved into shield form.
The priority of King's Shield allowed Aegislash to get its move off just as the inferno at its max power was unleashed from Talonflame's beak and tore up at it, the fire engulfing half the battlefield and completely obscuring Aegislash with its intensity. However, everyone knew that Aegislash was fine thanks to using King's Shield which was why Talonflame had ignited itself and flew up after the flames to charge in at his foe.
This was all part of the plan, well the new plan on the fly as Ash had hoped to catch Aegislash in its blade form with that Overheat but he was adapting to it now, as the flames blew past Aegislash and it quickly shifted into blade form with its blade coated in ghost type power again. However, before it could slash Talonflame with his now twice boosted speed thanks to Flame Charge was on it and slamming his head into the flat of the blade with as much force as he could muster.
Aegislash wailed in pain from the fire type attack and was blasted back, flipping as it did. Despite this, though, it was a highly trained Pokémon and slashed out with its blade so that the top part of it hit Talonflame in the side of the head thus landing the move though this time it wasn't a critical hit. Ash pressed his advantage though and called out his next move as Aegislash spun away.
"Flame Charge, once more." Ash said. "We've got this."
"King's Shield." Wikstrom said. "We can survive Aegislash."
Aegislash let out a noise of agreement as it shifted into its shield form while still spinning in the air and a once more burning Talonflame shot up at it. This time, as Talonflame flew, Aegislash suddenly combusted in flames right after taking its shield form showing that his last Flame Charge had imparted his ability, Flame Body, onto Aegislash burning it which would come in handy as the damage piled up.
Unfortunately it had the slight issue of obscuring things as Talonflame once more slammed into the King's Shield losing attack strength and doing no damage as Aegislash was affected but the burn. Wikstrom instantly capitalized on this with a swift counterattack.
"Shadow Claw." Wikstrom ordered.
"Overheat." Ash said knowing that even with the reduced power that a second Overheat had compared to its first usage it was still a fire type attack so it was going to be useful on a steel type like Aegislash regardless of its reduction in strength. "You can do it Talonflame!"
Talonflame tried, he really did, and his body glowed red as he built up the heat but alas he wasn't in time. Aegislash had shifted into blade form, still burning from the burn, as ghost type power formed over its blade and twisted in the air, spinning once to bring down the entire length of its blade onto Talonflame's back as the burn ended.
For the third and final time it was a critical hit, it hadn't been Talonflame's day on that front, and the Scorching Pokémon let out a caw of pain as he stopped glowing and was driven down into the ground, hard. He'd tried his best, landed some good hits on a Pokémon with a defense that was hard to match and even had his ability trigger so he'd set things up for the others in the team but he'd failed himself.
Talonflame had beaten a Mega Pokémon in the final that had won it all for Ash, the first matchup of that in fact which had really helped them to victory in it, and he'd shown his worth there. That, along with his work throughout the last year, had been enough to be selected for this match but in the end he'd failed to beat his opponent and that was the last thing he thought as he fainted just before he hit the ground.
The force of Talonflame's landing kicked up a lot of dust that covered his body but when it settled it was clear that he was out as he lay on his chest, wings splayed, beak open, and swirls for eyes. For the first time all challenge Ash had lost the opening matchup and was down in one of the battles as Talonflame's image went gray on the jumbotron.
"Talonflame is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Ash's side. "Aegislash is the winner."
"Talonflame return." Ash said recalling his Pokémon and reaching for the next Poke Ball but he wasn't fast enough.
"Aegislash, return." Wikstrom said the moment that Talonflame was recalled and right before a burn could trigger again showing his own speed to recall a Pokémon as he'd beaten Ash so a burned Aegislash wasn't forced to remain on the battlefield. "Rest, you need it after that battle. We may have won but Ash made sure we felt it. A good showing."
"You were amazing out there Talonflame." Ash said impressed by Wikstrom's quick substitution and showing for the first time that one of his opponents would be willing to do that so Ash used the moment to properly thank Talonflame for his efforts in that matchup. "You did a lot of damage and that will help. This is a team effort and every little counts in the long run. Take a good long rest now, you earned it."
"That it is Ash and having a team that can work together is important." Wikstrom said as he took out his next Poke Ball. "As is Pokémon you can trust and who share your heart and convictions."
"I couldn't agree more." Ash said as he pulled out his next Poke Ball. "And now you'll see a Pokémon of mine that has been through a lot with me. Infernape, I choose you."
"Interesting, this will be a good matchup then, a strong balancing of types." Wikstrom said as Ash's Infernape appeared before him to land in an attack stance grinning and ready for battle once more before Wikstrom sent out a Pokémon that had not been high on Ash's list of expected Pokémon making it his first surprise of the match. "Klefki, go."
"Klefki?" Ash asked surprised by the choice as the Poke Ball burst open and the small, steel and fairy type native to Kalos appeared before Wikstrom while Klefki and Infernape's images appeared on the jumbotron in their respective trainer's second hexagons. "I'll admit, that wasn't what I thought I'd see in this battle."
Klefki was naturally on Ash's list of Pokémon he thought that he might face due to its type and native status but he'd overlooked the tiny Pokémon because of its size and how the only one he really knew was Pierre's and that wasn't a battle orientated Pokémon. True Dawn's friend Emily had one and used it in Contest battles from time to time but that was because she was a fairy specialist and those types were a bit harder to come by compared to steel, well that and it was a Pokémon that just fit Contests more than traditional battles.
Clearly that wasn't the case with this Klefki and Ash could see that it was one that loved to battle. He'd underestimated the Pokémon and made stupid assumptions regarding its size, style, and the few he'd seen which was something that Ash shouldn't have done and he scolded himself for that as Dawn had repeatedly shown that any Pokémon can be used in a Contest so the reverse was true as well and Ash had forgotten that in his prep work. However, he wasn't going to let that mistake cost him as there was no way that he'd underestimate this Klefki.
"Any Pokémon can serve well in battle." Wikstrom said as his Klefki floated before him with only one key hanging from its loop and while Ash wasn't 100% sure he was pretty certain that it had the Levitate ability which meant that Dig was out of the question unless things got desperate and he had to try it. "And as you can see my Klefki is a battle hardened warrior. In fact, he was the very Klefki that sparked the process to confirm the addition of a fairy type last year when I used him in my failed challenge against Drasna to move up in our internal rankings as he is one of the few Klefkis out there who battles regularly. I understand your confusion, it is why I trained my Klefki for this, and now you will see how one can be used in a battle."
"I can tell." Ash said grinning as he and Infernape noted that this was truly a battle orientated Klefki, an oddity for a Pokémon like that but it was a challenge they'd face head on as he knew better than most to never underestimate an opponent based on size or style. "I've never faced one before so I relish this challenge and the balance of types at play."
"Yes, the fairy type balances out well against steel's weakness to fighting while Infernape's fire type balances out its fighting type's weakness to fairy types and gives it the edge as Klefki isn't resistant to fire type attacks." Wikstrom said. "This shall be fun, show me what you got as I can already tell that you and that Infernape have been through a lot."
"You don't know the half of it." Ash said grinning. "Now Infernape, we're going to have to win this by getting up close and personal so use Mach Punch and then Fire Punch the moment that you can."
"Infernape." Infernape said with a grin as he launched himself at Klefki his fist cocking back.
"Impressive but two can play at that." Wikstrom said. "Dazzling Gleam into Fairy Wind."
"Klefki." Klefki said as he glowed bright with light.
Infernape closed his eyes, the entire team had trained hard to be able to deal with Dazzling Gleam should it show up and clearly it was going to show up more than once seeing as Siebold had used it the day before as well, as he neared Klefki. Even with his speed, he had to cross the whole battlefield and didn't get there before Klefki let out a blast of light right before Infernape reached it.
Had Infernape not been a fire type as well as a fighting type then he would have taken a lot of damage but his fire types resistance to fairy type attacks balanced out his fighting type's weakness so it was only normal effectiveness on him. As such he was able to get through it without much issue and punched out his fist hard and fast as the light dimmed.
The effect of that was that Klefki couldn't see the Mach Punch either and didn't have time to move before it slammed into his face. The blow blasted him back in the air with a wail of pain though he didn't flip in the air, just moved backwards from the force of it.
As with how Infernape's types balanced out a move like Dazzling Gleam, Klefki's did the same with a move like Mach Punch as his steel type weakness to fighting type attacks was balanced out by his fairy type's resistance to them, a benefit of the strange change he'd gone through around 2 and a half years ago that had added the new type making him a dual type. As such the blow wasn't too bad and Klefki was able to move to the side as he recovered while beginning to spew pink mist from his mouth that covered Infernape who couldn't evade it.
That was fine with Infernape, he could take a good few fairy type attacks thanks to his type combination and he twisted in the mist, his right fist clenched and igniting in flames, before leaping at Klefki as it fell back from him. As with Fairy Wind, the close confines of the Pokémon made it hard to evade and all Klefki could do was brace himself as the Fairy Wind ended and Infernape's Fire Punch slammed into his face just like the Mach Punch had.
However, unlike with Mach Punch, Fire Punch was super effective on Klefki and he wailed as he was blasted back and Ash pressed this advantage. The Mach Punch was just to get close before Klefki could evade it, now that he was he could focus on fire type attacks and really bring the fight to Klefki.
"Flare Blitz." Ash said.
"Dazzling Gleam." Wikstrom countered as Infernape cloaked himself in flames. "Keep it up Klefki, we're almost there."
Klefki let out a sound and began to glow with light as Infernape charged. With the distances involved there was no way to avoid the Flare Blitz but Klefki was tougher than he looked and besides if he landed this it would continue to add up and that was the overall goal so with all his strength he blasted out the light right before Infernape reached him.
The result was that Infernape took the attack head on, his third Fairy type hit, but powered through it to slam into Klefki and blast him back. Klefki flew a fair bit, more than with the last two attacks, and was racked with pain from the super effective attack as Infernape shook his head to deal with the recoil but he was still in it and that was a very brief window that Wikstrom used to his advantage.
"Dazzling Gleam." Wikstrom ordered as Infernape finished recovering. "You've got the distance and understanding of what that Infernape can do now. Use the blast to evade any subsequent attacks and then use Fairy Wind the moment that you have the opening."
"Fire Punch." Ash said as Klefki glowed. "We got this Infernape, it's not much more before that Klefki falls."
Infernape grunted, he was impressed by this little Pokémon, it was a lot tougher than he gave it credit and he'd given it plenty of credit from the start. He'd not spent much time in Kalos, pretty much just the week getting ready when he was selected for this match, so he'd not learned much about the Pokémon here but Klefki had been an afterthought and now he and Ash were paying for that as flames covered his fist and he attacked as the Dazzling Gleam was blasted out again adding more to the damage that Infernape was taking.
However he wasn't going to let a little light bring him down as he leapt towards the Key Ring Pokémon having tracked it before it blinded him with its light. Infernape knew he was in the upper echelons of Ash's Pokémon, selection for any of these matches all but confirmed it with one possible exception due to extreme type advantage, and that was even with the focus on type advantages in general. Infernape fully intended on showing that he belonged in a battle like this.
He'd won Ash's first quarterfinal win a while back beating his old trainer in the process to really show his worth back in Sinnoh. That trainer had returned in Kalos and was who Ash had beaten again to earn this right in that recent final, so Infernape wasn't going to let a sentient keychain show him up.
Alas said sentient keychain was a highly skilled and battle hardened Pokémon with a chivalrous spirit and a small size who knew how to use it well on the battlefield. This was a matchup that would teach Ash a lot about how to never overlook a Pokémon based on size or past examples as Klefki used the light to shoot up and over Infernape so that the Fire Punch missed before opening his mouth and dousing Infernape in another Fairy Wind from above as the light faded.
Infernape growled in pain as the pink mist covered his head and back, the blows were really adding up on him, but he pushed through it as he turned to look up at his foe. He was going to keep going until the end no matter how much it took and Ash knew it as well.
"Flare Blitz." Ash ordered. "Leap at Klefki, it can't take another hit like that."
"Dodge and use Dazzling Gleam." Wikstrom said impressed with the Infernape as it was taking a lot of damage that it wasn't resistant to, though not weak either, and showing its chivalrous spirit as it fought hard against Klefki while showing Klefki the respect that he deserved. "We're almost there."
Klefki let out a noise of agreement as Infernape cloaked himself in flames and then leapt up at him. However, rather than glow right away, Klefki shot back and to the side to avoid the attack and then, as Infernape passed him, unleashed the Dazzling Gleam. It wasn't just because of the order, this was prudent as Klefki knew that he couldn't take that attack again. A Fire Punch maybe but not a second Flare Blitz along with that first Fire Punch he took so he needed to fall back and did so, landing another Dazzling Gleam in the process.
Infernape grunted at that as the Flare Blitz ended though at least he didn't deal with any recoil damage from landing it. Still, he'd taken four Dazzling Gleams and two Fairy Winds along with that recoil so he was close to his limit.
At most he could take one more hit if he was resistant to it, which he wasn't when it came to these fairy type attacks, but Infernape wouldn't give up until the end and neither would Ash. They may only have one more chance to land a hit and given what was most likely to land it likely wouldn't take out Klefki but it would make it so that all they needed to land was a fire type attack to beat it for sure, maybe even an attack it wasn't resistant too.
"Mach Punch." Ash said as the light began to fade. "It's not over until it's over!"
"Fairy Wind." Wikstrom said as Infernape began to fall and angled himself at Klefki with his right fist cocking back. "If you can't avoid it you can withstand it and use it to ensure that you land Fairy Wind."
Infernape seemed to speed up as he fell, Mach Punch allowing for it and without a full battlefield to cover he was on Klefki before Klefki could open his mouth and punched him hard in the face as he fell. The blow landed and Klefki was blasted down to land on the ground with a thud but he'd landed face up so as he fell he opened his mouth and the pink mist of Fairy Wind billowed out and up in a stream as he fell and after he hit the ground.
The result was that there was no way for Infernape to avoid it as he fell face first into the fairy type attack. That was it for him, he knew it, and he was out cold before he finished falling through the wind, his body limp as the Fairy Wind passed him and he crashed face first into the dirt before the rest of his body flopped to the ground. Klefki for his part had managed to fly up and away, battered and near his own limits but still in it as Infernape lay on his chest, head to the side, arms splayed and eyes swirls showing that he was out of the fight.
"Infernape is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Ash's side. "Klefki is the winner."
"Infernape, return." Ash said recalling Infernape and taking a moment as the image of his Sinnoh fire type starter went gray on the jumbotron and the announcer talked about how Ash was already halfway through his Pokémon without a win which was surprising after the last two days. "Don't worry, we may not have won but that doesn't mean we're out. Neither Aegislash nor Klefki can fight for much longer and we've still got two Pokémon who will give it their all to win this while playing off the hard work you and Talonflame have already put in. We will fight to the very end, don't worry, and you've helped tremendously in that."
"Klefki return for a rest you will be needed later." Wikstrom said the moment Infernape had been recalled which was exactly what Ash had hoped for hence why he was taking his time before sending out his third Pokémon. "Ash is right, he's taken a lot out of you and Aegislash, this battle is a lot closer than it looks on the jumbotron."
"I expected you to notice that." Ash said as he put away Infernape's Poke Ball and pulled out his third of the match. "So you're sticking with fresh verses fresh to avoid the chance of swift victories that would even this thing up."
"It is the prudent strategy and the right and chivalrous thing to do." Wikstrom said as he put away Klefki's Poke Ball and pulled out his own third Pokémon of the battle. "You deserve my best at each stage of this battle so I am giving that to you. That and I want to see what you do when I balance out that fire type advantage you've been using so far for I am not without Pokémon who can avoid that weakness."
"I fully planned for that, a member of an Elite Four is too good to not have a dual type that negates a disadvantage that they might use." Ash said as he tossed out his Poke Ball. "But sometimes that can create a greater disadvantage, I wonder if this is such a case. Donphan, I choose you."
"It is, I commend your forethought and planning, Ash." Wikstrom replied as he threw out his own third Poke Ball. "Probopass, go. This is just what you were talking about and I seem to have fallen into your plan this time as we both can only register 4 Pokémon for this but alas I do not have an Empoleon which would be a better negation of fire. In this case, while I have negated your fire, I've gone with what ground and fighting is really good against but you made it this far and still haven't lost, I expected to face a ground or fighting type like that Lucario of yours."
As Wikstrom had been speaking both Pokémon burst from their balls moments apart, the quadrupedal Johto ground type landing in front of Ash with a bellow while the large, strange rock and steel type with an impressively bushy mustache thing that could only evolve in certain places landed before Wikstrom and their images appeared in the third hexagons on the jumbotron. This was a matchup that really favored Ash though he wasn't going to rule anything out. That said he still fully intended to maximize his advantage right from the start.
"Earthquake." Ash ordered.
"Endure and use Earth Power." Wikstrom said as Donphan reared knowing that while this attack would take a hell of a lot out of Probopass, it wouldn't knock him out due to Probopass's Sturdy ability and that would allow Wikstrom the chance to land at least two hits before Probopass went down as he smiled at Ash's choice for this matchup accepting that in this case he wasn't going to win the encounter but he was going to make sure that Probopass went down fighting. "Then use Flash Canon."
Probopass made a noise of agreement as Donphan came down hard and the entire battlefield shook the moment his forelegs slammed into the ground. The Compass Pokémon knew that this was going to be a tough challenge from the start but he rode it out as the battlefield rocked with Donphan's Earthquake and he focused on his opponent so that as the field shock he made the ground beneath Donphan erupt with power. The explosion didn't stop the Earthquake but it made Donphan grunt in pain as he wasn't resistant, or weak, to his own type.
Still, the Earthquake ran its course and with an area attack like that there was no way for Probopass to avoid it as he let out a long sound of pain from the hit he was taking. Both his types were weak to the attack and it was a damned strong one to begin with so he was taking a hell of a lot of damage.
If he had the Magnet Pull ability then he'd already be done for as a move the strength of Earthquake being four times as effective as normal was not an easy one to walk away from even for an Elite Four Pokémon. Thankfully he didn't have that ability, he had Sturdy which meant that he couldn't be knocked out in a single move like this.
That was going to be useful as the rocking ended and he gathered up all his light energy before releasing it all at once. Ash and Donphan had expected the attack to be devastating but neither were under any delusions as to think that it would end Probopass in one go so as the Flash Cannon shot across the battlefield Ash gave the order.
"Rollout." Ash said. "End this, there's no way that that wasn't the result of the Sturdy ability we know that ability well."
Donphan roared as he shook off the earth from the Earth Power and leapt forward into a roll that shot at Probopass and the Flash Cannon coming at him. The steel type attack hit as he rolled and held up Donphan for a moment as it imparted normal amounts of damage due to Donphan not being weak or resistant to that type either before it ended and he shot at Probopass. There was nothing now that would stop the attack and all Probopass could do was make a noise before Donphan slammed into his nose.
The force of the hit tipped Probopass back to crash to the ground before he rolled to his side resting on his nose facing the ref as Donphan bounced off him, still rolling, before he popped out and landed on all fours facing his opponent. There was no need for more though as Probopass's eyes were swirls as he lay there.
It was a lot faster than Ash had expected but even with all the training and skill that a Pokémon who was part of an Elite Four team had, an attack the strength of Earthquake with double weakness took a significant toll on a Pokémon hence the speed of the win. It was also just what Ash needed to get his momentum back in this battle that was looking like it might get out of hand on him.
"Probopass is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Wikstrom's side as Donphan backed up a bit and Probopass's image grayed on the jumbotron. "Donphan is the winner."
"Probopass return." Wikstrom said as Ash kept Donphan out, he wasn't going to use his final Pokémon just yet and he didn't expect Wikstrom to either so this way Ash might be able to take at least one more before he using his last Pokémon, one he knew would turn the tides but he didn't want to be reliant on just one Pokémon in this battle because he wouldn't win if he did. "You did well but a powerful ground attack like Earthquake on a rock and steel type is hard to overcome. Thankfully you have the Sturdy ability so we got two hits off there."
"I figured that was what it was when that Earthquake didn't work." Ash said as Wikstrom put the Poke Ball away and pulled out his next one which Ash was ready for as he was sure it would be either Aegislash or Klefki. "I didn't expect it to be a one hit KO but even then it was quicker than I thought it would be."
"Even at my level there are some type combinations that have such a great weakness that the right type and power level move can be devastating provided that my opponent is strong which you clearly are Ash." Wikstrom said before he tossed out his Poke Ball. "But that won't be the case now. Aegislash, Shadow Claw."
"So it's back." Ash said adapting his strategy as Aegislash rejoined the fight already in its blade form with ghost type power coating it as it flew at Donphan and knowing just the move to use though against a Pokémon like Aegislash with its defensive capabilities Ash would have to pull a trick from Lucy's playbook to land it but he knew that Donphan could take it and the benefits outweighed the damage of taking a Shadow Claw. "Brace and take the blow then the moment you do…"
Ash trailed off as Donphan understood what was being asked of him and he grinned stetting himself as the Pokémon neared him. This was a new move that he'd learned this week not only because it was a great counter to two of the three types he was weak against but because he'd been selected to take on the steel specialist that Ash was set to face so it would work well against those Pokémon as well.
However, as good as this move was, against an Aegislash the only way to truly ensure it worked was to take a contact hit which he braced for. Donphan was tough, though, he knew that he could handle it.
Handle it he did as the Royal Sword Pokémon reached him and slashed him with a powerful downward slash to the top of his head that drove him to his front knees and registered a critical hit in the process. It was a painful hit but he powered through it, three moves he wasn't weak or resistant to was nothing to him even with a critical hit from one of them, and the moment it was done Aegislash's burn from his match with Talonflame that was still with it ignited and it wailed which was just the opening Ash needed.
"Now, use Fire Fang!" Ash roar and Donphan bellowed as he reared up, flames in his mouth before he clamped it down over the point of the sword that was Aegislash's body as it was recoiling from its burn.
Thanks to the closeness Donphan had landed it before Wikstrom could call out King's Shield and thus imparted the super effective move into Aegislash as he held his opponent in his mouth for a moment, shaking it, before spitting it out. There was no telltale shiver indicative of flinching which would have ended it given the combo it would allow Ash to make but the chances of that were only about 10% so Ash didn't mind as the point had been to land it and then follow up.
While a flinch would have all but ensured the win, a hit was good and Ash was giving this his all even with the expected defense. That burn was going to be really useful regardless of what happened.
"Earthquake." Ash ordered.
"King's Shield." Wikstrom countered as Donphan reared up. "Then use Sacred Sword."
Before Donphan could land his feet on the ground Aegislash was already in its shield from on the ground showing how fast that move was so Earthquake didn't affect it. What's more, as the ground shook under it the force bounced Aegislash up so that it was floating now as the whole battlefield shook, unaffected thanks to King's Shield and riding out the move as the Pokémon stared at each other.
The only thing of note that occurred was another burn igniting but Aegislash powered through it as the burn ran its course and ended the same time as the Earthquake did. The moment that that happen, Aegislash sprang out of it and into blade form and shot at Donphan. Ash and Donphan weren't going to be idle though and while they may take a hit they were certain that this was the opening they needed to end Aegislash at last.
"Earthquake one more time." Ash said.
"Donphan!" Donphan roared as he reared up right before Aegislash reached him and sliced upwards.
Donphan bellowed as the fighting type attack scored a line up his belly but he powered through it as Aegislash backed off and came down to hit the ground with his forefeet as hard as possible. Aegislash didn't have the time to do anything else and Wikstrom could only say 'king' before the Earthquake rocked through the battlefield for a third time and unlike a moment ago this one hit Aegislash.
The moment that it did Aegislash fainted. He'd been close to his limit for a while and the strong, super effective, ground type attack blasted him past it causing him to fall back and out of the air while still in blade form to crash into the ground as it rocked with Earthquake which bounced Aegislash a little but it was already gone by this point. That lasted for a few more seconds before everything came to a stop and they could see Aegislash there on its back, shield to the side and the solitary eye in its hilt a swirl.
"Aegislash is unable to battle." The ref said raising a red flag to Wikstrom's side and Aegislash's image went gray on the jumbotron. "Donphan is the winner."
"And just like that Ash has pulled back level in this match!" The announcer said excitedly as the crowd roared. "It's a new battle now as both have two left of which one is known and has taken plenty of damage while the last ones for each trainer have yet to be seen so they're basically even at this point! What a comeback from Ash!"
"Aegislash, return, you fought bravely and with great chivalry so take a rest as we use you're the effort you and Probopass made to end this Donphan." Wikstrom said as he recalled his Pokémon and put the Poke Ball away before quickly pulling and tossing out his next Poke Ball with an order. "Klefki, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Earthquake." Ash said realizing that the only way he'd get a move off would be the area affecting ranged attack so he'd have to risk it as the Poke Ball burst open to reveal a glowing Klefki back for a second time. "It may not have Levitate, take it down!"
Donphan roared as he reared once more but as he did the quick move choice paid off and Klefki unleashed another Dazzling Gleam. This was too much for Donphan after all he'd taken so far and the fairy type attack hit him as he reached the top of his rear, the battlefield impossible to see in the white light, and knocked him out as he was rearing up. As such no one saw as Donphan crashed onto his back and rolled to the side so that his face was towards Ash.
They may not have seen it but Ash knew that Donphan was out, as did everyone for that matter, because there was no rocking of the stadium meaning that Earthquake hadn't happened which was a shame as Klefki did not have the Levitate ability so an Earthquake would have taken him out as well. That was confirmed when the light faded and they saw Donphan on his side with swirls for eyes as he faced Ash.
"Donphan is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Ash's side and Donphan's image on the jumbotron went gray. "Klefki is the winner."
"Donphan return, that was to be expected with all you'd taken just a shame you couldn't return the favor but Wikstrom showed us how to win and we'll follow his lead now." Ash said as he put Donphan away and pulled out his final Poke Ball and tossed it out with an order before Wikstrom could change if he'd wanted to, which he didn't. "Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Dazzling Gleam." Wikstrom countered as Charizard burst from his Poke Ball already blasting fire from his mouth before he landed in front of Ash as his image appeared in the final hexagon on the screen. "Not bad Ash, using my own tactic against me, I expect no less from someone who's made it as far as you have. This will make the final battle interesting."
It was clear to all that that would be the case as the fire tore across the field and washed over Klefki before he could do more than start to glow. The flames completely covered Klefki but they all knew the result as Klefki fell from the fire before it had fully passed over him to land on his back on the ground with a light thud, his ring limp and small eyes tiny swirls.
"Klefki is unable to battle." The ref declared raising a red flag to Wikstrom's side. "The winner is Charizard."
"Folks this is it!" The ref announced. "After a furious battle and two very quick defeats showing the true nature of a multi-Pokémon battle, Ash has pulled back into the battle and now both have just one Pokémon left. We can see the Mega Stone on Charizard and any who saw Wikstrom's challenge of Diantha 18 months ago knows what Wikstrom is about to use so this is going to be epic."
"Klefki return." Wikstrom said recalling his Pokémon and smiling at the Poke Ball in his hand taking this moment to thank his Pokémon before he and Ash engaged in their final clash to decide this match. "You did well handling Infernape despite being pushed to the edge by it and working off what Probopass and Aegislash did to end Donphan. Charizard was always a longshot after all that so don't feel bad about that. Take a rest, it's time for our best and while this is another serious disadvantage for us, we have Mega Evolution and more skill so this will be good. A great challenge to end what has been a great battle."
"Ah your Mega Pokémon." Ash said as he raised his right glove to show his Mega Stone ready to touch his fingers to it. "I've been looking forward to seeing which it is and facing it to defeat you. I'm here to win so I'll be giving it my all from the start of this, I hope you honor me with the same. Now Charizard, once again break past your max and Mega Evolve."
At that Ash touched his fingers to the Key Stone and instantly it glowed red, as did the Charizardite Y on Charizard's forearm, before the red tendrils of Mega Energy shot out from each stone and connected with each other. The moment that that happened Charizard began to change.
This was the fourth time Ash had Mega Evolved Charizard in battle so he knew the change well by this point and just watched as Charizard got a bit bigger, his wings became more ragged, the strange, ragged, blade like things came formed from his wrists, his horns got longer with a third forming as well as a random one where his tail met his back and the flame ignited more on it. It only lasted a moment before it ended and Mega Charizard roared his coloration slightly lighter but not much more.
"Impressive, I will of course match it with my own." Wikstrom said, he'd pulled out his Poke Ball as the change was happening and tossed it out the moment it was done as the sunlight in the stadium intensified thanks to Mega Charizard's Drought ability. "Scizor, go."
The ball burst open and Wikstrom's fourth and final Pokémon in the battle appeared before him, the red steel and bug type that Ash had seen plenty of times before and faced at least once in a past Conference. So this was the Mega Pokémon that Wikstrom had, it was certainly going to be at a disadvantage as both its types were weak to fire, which was its only type weakness with its type combination, but neither Ash nor Charizard took it lightly. The latter nodding at it as he recognized a fell battle hardened Pokémon.
This may be a Pokémon with multiple weaknesses' to Mega Charizard's primary type but he wasn't going to take it lightly as Mega Charizard knew that having a type advantage did not mean that you'd win a match against a strong opponent. This Scizor was such an opponent so a win against it would be a good win indeed and not just because it would give Ash the match or because it was a Mega Pokémon, that was clear by the belt it wore where a glowing Mega Stone could be seen but because it was a truly worthy foe for Mega Charizard to face.
"Now Scizor, let's match Ash and Mega Charizard, it is the right thing to do." Wikstrom said as he moved the flap on the metal skirt part of his armor to reveal a strap with a glowing Key Stone on it that he took off and raised to his head where he had exposed skin and pressing it to his forehead in a salute so that his skin was touching it. "Mega Evolve!"
As with Charizard and all the other Mega Evolutions that Ash had seen, the corresponding stones glowed and Mega Energy shot between them, uniting and then causing Scizor to glow and change proving that it and Wikstrom's hearts were one. As expected it grew, a little more than half a foot if Ash had to guess so not an unnoticeable amount, as its legs became straighter with no knee joints, the points were it met its abdomen more pronounce, the same for its shoulders, and its head spikes a little sharper.
However, the big change was in its claws as they elongated a bit and became more rectangular forming into jagged pincers with three spikes at the bottom rather than the more rounded ones they'd been before it Mega Evolved while a new headpiece thing formed on its forehead to complete the change. Only then did the glow end and Mega Scizor was revealed.
For the most part it remained red though its hips, shoulders, and the new headpiece thing were now black like the center of its abdomen had been before the change. The big color changes though were its eyes that had gone blue from the former amber, same with the center of the circles it had had on its pincer things that now looked like the hinge for the new ones rather than a marking, and the lower part of its pincers were a cream color.
It looked cool and menacing and Ash and Mega Charizard grinned as they faced off against their latest Mega Pokémon challenge. This would be the 10th Mega Evolved Pokémon that Ash had faced and he couldn't wait to see what a Mega Scizor could do.
"Thank you for giving me the moment, it shows that you have a truly chivalrous heart and makes this final confrontation all the more enjoyable." Wikstrom said with a nod of respect at Ash. "And now we shall end it, bring your all Ash for we are doing the same."
"I intend to." Ash said thrusting his hand out. "Now Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Bullet Punch into Night Slash." Wikstrom said as Mega Charizard opened his mouth and the fire began to form in it. "We need to be close for this to work so fly through it, I know you can endure it."
Mega Scizor let out an affirming buzz as he tensed and then shot across the battlefield and at Mega Charizard his wings beating hard as the flames burst from Mega Charizard's mouth. It was a risky move but with the moves that Mega Scizor knew he had to be up close and personal with Mega Charizard to pull them off, especially the only really had one good one for it, so he was going to get close and take this hit, ready for it as the flames reached and engulfed him as he flew at them.
They didn't stop Mega Scizor though and he powered through the flames that fully obscured him as they washed over his body, grunting as he took serious damage from the one type he was weak to, which he was double weak to, before he burst from the end and close in on Mega Charizard. Only when he was free of the flames did he cock back his right pincer, closed it, and infused it with steel type power before pulling up at the last moment and punching it out and at Mega Charizard's gut at high speed.
The tough, fast, punch wasn't going to be blocked or avoided as it slammed into Mega Charizard's gut but all Mega Charizard did was grunt at that. He could easily take a steel type attack, he was resistant to the type after all, but that wasn't the point of the attack as the moment it landed, Mega Scizor pulled his arm back, opened his pincers as they glowed with dark type power and slashed them at the sudden opening caused by the Bullet Punch landing as the whole goal of this combo was to get in close and land the Night Slash.
As expected, the Night Slash was true and the pincers slashed across Mega Charizard, one going across his gut the other his neck. It was the one move that Mega Scizor had that Mega Charizard wasn't resistant to, though he wasn't weak to it either, but its big advantage was the higher than average critical hit ratio that it had which in this case did trigger thus adding to the damage that Mega Charizard took from the Night Slash.
Mega Charizard grunted at that, he hated this move as it was the one that that strong Sceptile had used a lot of to beat him in that final when he'd had the chance to win it all for Ash and he wasn't going to let it beat him again. Neither was Ash as he already had his next move ready, a special combo that he and Mega Charizard were great at, that he knew he'd land this time as Mega Scizor had made the mistake of getting up close and personal which all but ensured that Mega Charizard could pull this off.
"Now Mega Charizard." Ash said. "Grab it and use Seismic Toss, accelerate its fall with Dragon Tail."
Mega Charizard roared in agreement as he recovered from the Night Slash, grabbed Mega Scizor's right arm in both of his and with a powerful leap and beat of his wings rocketed up into the sky with enough force to crack the battlefield. Mega Scizor didn't even have time to blink before it was in the air and in Mega Charizard's grip that was how fast it had been.
Thanks to the boosted strength and speed of Mega Evolution, Mega Charizard was able to get really high, at least twice if not thrice the height of the stadium, before he reached the apex of his leap. The moment he was at his apex Mega Charizard roared as he tossed Mega Scizor over his shoulder and down to the center of the battlefield that was so far below it was nothing more than a mere dot to them.
As he did, Mega Charizard flipped in the air with practiced ease from using this combo several times before, his tail glowing with Dragon type power, so that as he tossed Mega Scizor down he finished his flip and his tail slammed into the center of Mega Scizor's chest just as the pincer Pokémon was being tossed down to the battlefield. The resulting boom from the impact of Mega Charizard's Dragon Tail could be heard in the stadium below and the air seemed to cone out from it as Mega Scizor was blasted down to the battlefield with the full force of Mega Charizard's combo.
"I'd get down low if I were you!" Ash yelled as he fell to a knee, lowered his head and braced himself as best he could. "This isn't exactly going to be gentle."
Wikstrom didn't need convincing, he'd heard the boom and matched Ash's action silently praising the boy's chivalry for the heads up and bowed his head low as his Pokémon sped down to the battlefield. The only thing that Wikstrom noted was that at least this wouldn't take out Mega Scizor as his bug type negated his steel type's weakness to fighting type attacks and the steel type was resistant to dragon type ones so he'd still be able to fight once the dust cleared.
That didn't mean what was about to happen would be any less pretty though and just as Ash and Wikstrom braced for it, a speeding Mega Scizor slammed back first into the very center of the battlefield at terminal velocity. To say that what happened next was spectacular would have been the understatement of the decade. What had happened with Mega Alakazam paled in comparison to this but then again Mega Scizor had 170 pounds on Kenny's Mega Alakazam so it should have been expected that the resulting impact would be grander than that one had been.
That was because the moment that Mega Scizor hit the ground there was boom louder than any Ash had ever heard in battle before as the whole platform they were on shook violently form it, the only reason that the stadium didn't shake was because the platform where the battlefield was was in the center of the stadium with a gap between it only connected to the main body of the stadium the bridges.
Thankfully, those bridges had been detached from where they connected to the stadium the moment Ash got down, which saved them from shattering at the connection point in the aftershock of Mega Scizor's impact with the battlefield. They remained attached to the shaking platform, however, which proved useful.
That was because the wind force generated from the impact was on scale Ash had never felt before and both he and Wikstrom were tossed back by it and onto the bridges behind them, rolling on them at least halfway. Ash actually rolled along his bridge a little more than Wikstrom did on his as Wikstrom's heavy armor helped slow him down and protected him better than Ash.
To add to it the wind was such that it blasted the ref off his feet, over the gap, and all the way into the stands where the crowd caught him as the whole lower level of the stadium felt the force of it. The wind was such that it pushed them back and into their seats while the other levels had their hair ruffled and hats blown off by the updraft.
On top of all of this, the earth of the battlefield exploded outwards, some breaking through the metal that bordered the battlefield where it couldn't fly upwards to fall away into the gap while the rest flew up into the air before raining down and into the bowls below though none reached the stands thankfully. Lastly, the dust plume from it was so high that it went above the top of the stadium and it was towards that that Mega Charizard dived as the battlefield continued to shake.
Ash looked up, as did Wikstrom, though neither got up from their spots on the bridge as Mega Charizard dived. As he did Ash called the next order, one that he was sure would win it.
"Flamethrower!" Ash yelled up at Mega Charizard.
"Scizor, dodge and counter with Night Slash the moment you can." Wikstrom countered looking down to the dust cloud between him and Ash and knowing that at the bottom of the massive crater that was the battlefield that his Pokémon was still able to fight as Mega Charizard opened his mouth. "We're not out of this battle yet!"
The intense gout of flames shot from Mega Charizard's mouth right before he reached the dust cloud and cut through it and down to the crater below, Mega Charizard keeping it up as he dove and filled the crater with flames from his attack. It was such that the flames mingled with the dust and created a roiling conflagration of fire and burning dust that filled what looked to be the hole battlefield and blasted upwards as Mega Charizard dove into it.
It was such that it was hard to tell if the attack had ended or not until Mega Charizard flew up and out of the blazing inferno and lopped in the air before banking and turning to look down at his handywork, wings beating as the flames and remaining dust began to die down. When they did the crowd gasped at the sight.
To say that there was no actual battlefield left would be accurate as the crater covered the whole battlefield leaving just the training boxes as they were though even they had cracks running through them. The metal surrounding it had held it in somewhat but the parts at the edges were badly cracked and there were chunks just missing from it as the metal hadn't been able to contain the force of the impact explosion and had thus been blown out and into the walls below the stands with enough force to lodge in them.
The crater itself went all the way down to the base of the battlefield and in the very center was a charged, battered, but unbelievably still in it Mega Scizor that was getting to its feet with a cough albeit slowly. It was unbelievable that it was still in the fight as it had to be at it's limit and he had an order so the moment that Mega Scizor saw Mega Charizard, his pincers glowed with dark type power, his wings buzzed, and he shot up at Mega Charizard with all that he had determined to fight to the bitter end of this intense Mega Evolution battle.
"Intercept it with Dragon Tail." Ash said as he rose to his feet, Wikstrom doing the same but both of them remained on their respective bridges. "You've got this Charizard!"
Mega Charizard roared as his tail glowed with dragon type power and as Mega Scizor sped up at him he flipped forward in the air and brought his tail to bear on the other Mega Pokémon in a diagonal slash. He had the angle and the health so he knew he had the edge but Mega Scizor wasn't going to give up as he crossed his pincers and took the blow on them with a boom and they locked up.
For a moment the two powerful Pokémon pushed against each other with Mega Charizard pushing down and Mega Scizor pushing up trying to break the attack of the other in a brute force struggle that only two Pokémon on their level could manage. In the end one of them had to give, though, and in this case it was Mega Scizor who just didn't have the strength to break past Mega Charizard.
With a roar, Mega Charizard pushed through the Night Slash sending Mega Scizor's pincers to the sides before he slammed his tail into Mega Scizor's chest in a diagonal slash. Immediately Mega Scizor was blasted back and down from the blow to slam into the side of the crater he'd formed when he'd hit the battlefield with enough force to cover himself with dust and shake the now unstable platform some more.
He knew that that was it though, Mega Scizor may be resistant to Dragon type attacks but two Flamethrowers with his type combination, a Seismic Toss and two Dragon Tails were too much and he passed out as he stuck in the side of the crater. This was confirmed a moment later when the dust cleared to reveal Mega Scizor stuck in the side of the crater, arms spread and swirls for eyes. The moment that was seen though the Mega Evolution fell and he returned to normal though he remained stuck in the side of the crater.
"And that is it folks!" The announcer said as the crowd cheered and the rattled ref just raised first a red flag to Wikstrom's side and then a green one to Ash's to signal the end of the match and the winner while Scizor's image on the jumbotron turned gray leaving only Charizard's lit on it. "After an epic battle where Ash had to come from behind and what can only be described as the hardest impact that has ever hit the Lumiose Stadium battlefield, which somehow Mega Scizor survived along with a second Flamethrower, we have a winner! For the third day in a row Ash has won giving him three wins in three battles!"
The crowd cheered even louder at that as Ash and Wikstrom finally began to make their way back to their respective boxes as Mega Charizard landed in Ash's and belched a tongue of flame high into the air in triumph at his victory before his transformation fell. There was no way to cross the battlefield, which would need some serious repairs before tomorrow's battle, but they could still exchange some words though the announcer wasn't done just yet.
"Folks, that means that all Ash has left to do to face Diantha this year as a challenger and not an established member of the Elite Four is defeat the fourth and final member of the current Kalos Elite Four but as you've probably guessed by now that won't be an easy task." The announcer continued. "That's because the only one left for Ash to face is the best of our Elite Four, the dragon specialist, Drasna! Come back tomorrow and see how that goes as Ash takes on his last battle of the challenge but for now we are done with the day, see you in 24 hours for the thrilling conclusion to what has to have been the best challenge in decades!"
"You were amazing there Charizard." Ash said as he patted Charizard on the back and Charizard smiled down and thankfully didn't bathe Ash in flames in celebration of his latest, and to date greatest and most destructive, win. "It was a team effort, we all pitching in to win it so thank you, all of you, you deserve a good rest after that."
Charizard just let out a loud roar before Ash recalled him, they'd all celebrate a little later while also getting ready for tomorrow, before he looked out across the battlefield where Wikstrom was having already recalled and thanked Scizor for his efforts there against a really strong opponent that had a serious advantage over the bug and steel type. It was a match Wikstrom would never forget and he had tears of jubilation in his eyes as he looked up and smiled at Ash across the battlefield.
"It is a shame I cannot shake your hand after that Ash but there is no battlefield anymore so allow me to off this instead." Wikstrom said as the tears steamed down his face and he came to attention before bowing perfectly at the waist to Ash and holding it for a moment and then raising to look at Ash once again. "You showed great strength and skill in that battle, I am honored to have had it. I eagerly look forward to seeing what you do against Drasna tomorrow. She is all that is left between you and your goal so best of luck and fight on with that chivalrous heart of yours."
"I will, thank you Wikstrom, this battle has taught me a lot and I will use it going forward into my next and final battle of this challenge." Ash said bowing to Wikstrom as well though not as low before rising. "I will strive to accomplish my goal."
Wikstrom just nodded at that before he turned and walked way crying jubilantly at the battle he'd just had and how he could claim that he'd been part of that spectacular ending. He would tell the tale of this epic battle to all those who came to his Castle of Chivalry for training for years to come.
He may have lost but Wikstrom couldn't be happier at a defeat. He hoped that Ash continued his streak against Drasna as he aimed to do what not even Diantha had done when she challenged them, sweep the Elite Four in the challenge and earn the right to face the Champion for her title without even being a member of the Elite Four at the time.
Ash had one person left to beat to get that chance and Wikstrom would join Malva and Siebold in watching Ash closely as he rounded out his challenge against the strongest of their number. Tomorrow, the challenge came to an end as Ash faced Drasna in a battle that now had the world's attention.
For his part, Ash just smiled as he turned and walked off leaving yet another massive pile of destruction behind him following using Mega Charizard, which he would get an earful for but wasn't against the rules so it was more just stop please destroying Kalos battlefields. However, it had been necessary, Wikstrom had pushed him to the edge in that battle and Ash had had to use his all to win that match. He needed it though, he needed to be pushed to get stronger in his battles as he continued chasing his dream, chasing his goal.
Now that goal was on the horizon, he could see it and his desired rematch with Diantha was in finally within his grasp. He couldn't get complacent though and as he left the battlefield and headed to his special exit to reunite with everyone he turned his focus on his final and toughest obstacle between him and Diantha. He had one more member of the Kalos Elite Four to beat and that was who he needed to be ready for as tomorrow Ash ended his challenge against the dragon specialist, Drasna.
I think that's a good and at this point traditional place to end off Ash's third Elite Four battle and third victory which he did in spectacular, come from behind and destructive fashion. There isn't much to say about this battle, it was different to the others but Ash didn't let it get to him as he pushed back and won in the end through great teamwork and strength. Next up is his final battle of this challenge and he'll need his all if he is to beat Drasna and go four for four thus allowing him to face Diantha in an official, full, battle for her title. That is all that I have for this Part though so I will leave it off here. As always if you like my work then please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), if possible leave a review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.
Stringdog