Author's Note: A special thanks to Rodimus973 for his help in this chapter.
I don't own Pokémon or its characters, but I own Denise, her Pokémon group and my other OCs.
Enjoy!
Pokemon: Friends to the End
Chapter 165: Facing the Thunder!
Having returned to the now repaired Sunyshore Gym, Denise was ready to finally battle Volkner for the Beacon Badge, the final Gym Badge she needed to enter the Sinnoh League.
Helen, Flint, Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Prinplup and Brock stood together watching the battle.
Dawn, Prinplup and Buneary were dressed as cheerleaders to cheer Denise on.
The robot referee started explaining the rules while Denise and Volkner stared at each other.
"The Sunyshore Gym battle between Denise the Challenger and Volkner the Gym Leader is about to get under way."the robot referee declared."It will be a three on three battle and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon from either side are unable to battle! Furthermore, only the Challenger will only allowed to substitute Pokémon!"
Helen clasped her hands together in delight.
"Ooh, this is gonna be good."Helen chuckled.
"I agree."Flint agreed with a nod."Also, Challengers are lining up to battle him. But Volkner promised his first opponents were going to be Denise and then Ash. There is no doubt that Volkner is really fired up after his battle with Ash was interrupted by all that craziness."
Volkner smirked at Denise.
"All right, Denise."Volkner remarked."It's not often, but some Trainers manage to come and challenge me. But they've all been boring battles. I didn't break a sweat beating them. They say I'm the top Gym Leader in Sinnoh, but…Anyway, I guess we'd better get this done."
"I agree."Denise replied and took out a Poké Ball."I am in this to win it."
"We shall see."Volkner answered and threw out his Poké Ball."Here is my first Pokémon."
Volkner's Pokè Ball opened and Raichu appeared on the battlefield.
"Raichu!"
"Flygon, let's go!"Denise stated.
Denise threw out her Poké Ball and Flygon appeared in the battlefield.
"Flygon!"
Denise and Volkner send out their first Pokémon, Flygon and Raichu.
"So it starts with Flygon vs Raichu."Ash complemented.
"Pika."Pikachu said.
Dawn, Prinplup and Buneary started cheering for Denise and Flygon.
"There is a team to cheer for!"Dawn praised while holding her pom-poms."Go! Go! Go!"
"Flygon is a Dragon and Ground Type Pokémon, so it will have the advantage against Raichu, who is an Electric type."Brock assumed.
"You're right."Flint agreed."But Volkner doesn't attend to be defeated that easily."
"Flygon use Rock Slide!"Denise ordered.
As for hus beginning attack, Flygon unleashed Rock Slide to attack Raichu.
"Raichu, Iron Tail!"Volkner ordered.
Raichu smirked and his entire tail glowed white before effortlessly smashing the large rocks with Iron Tail.
The Mouse Pokémon then jumped up to hit Flygon with the Steel type attack.
"Go, Raichu!"Helen praised.
"Volkner's Raichu sure is fast."Ash stated.
"That's one powerful blow."Brock murmured.
"True, but Volkner is just getting started."Flint informed.
"Looks like Dennie is going to need to try something else."Dawn suggested.
"Flygon, fly up and use Screech!"Denise ordered.
Flygon went up in the air and unleashed Screech to lower Raichu's defence.
"Raichu, Focus Blast!"Volkner ordered.
Raichu activated Focus Blast to hit Flygon again.
"Flygon, dodge it and use Dragon Pulse!"Denise ordered.
Flygon dodged Raichu's attack and then greatly damaged his opponent with Dragon Pulse.
"A direct hit!"Ash praised.
"Flygon use Sandstorm to trap Raichu!"Denise ordered.
Flygon went up in the air to trap Raichu in a Sandstorm which caused the Mystic Pokémon to hide greatly in the process.
"Don't believe you have the upper hand!"Volkner warned with a smirk and gave Raichu his next order."Raichu use Volt Tackle!"
Raichu used Volt Tackle to launch himself into the air and right out of the Sandstorm, shocking Denise.
"Uh oh!"Denise gasped in disbelief.
"Focus Blast!"Volkner orfered.
While Denise was in shock, Raichu was able to hit Flygon with a direct hit from Focus Blast.
Flygon landed on the ground, making Denise worried.
"Don't give up, Flygon!"Denise encouraged."Use Rock Slide!"
Flygon recovered and attempted to hit Raichu with Rock Slide again.
"Raichu use Thunder!"Volkner ordered.
Raichu blasted the giant rocks into pieces with Thunder.
Denise bit her lip at the sight in front of her.
Suddenly, the Top Coordinator realised that Raichu was more preoccupied with Flygon's Rock Slide, making an idea hit her head.
"Now I see."Denise murmured with a confident smile and then called out Flygon's next order."Flygon use Dragon Pulse!"
Flygon goes up to Raichu from behind and then hit the Mouse Pokémon with Dragon Pulse, surprising Volkner.
Raichu ended up crashing back onto the field, fainting instantly.
"Raichu is unable to battle!"the robot referee announced and lifted up the green flag on its right hand."Flygon is the winner!"
"Yes!"Ash chuckled."Flygon did it!"
"Pika!"Pikachu cheered.
Dawn smiled at seeing Denise defeat Volkner's first Pokémon.
"That's the spirit, Dennie!"Dawn cheered."Keep it up!"
Both Prinplup and Buneary cheered in agreement.
"Aw, Raichu lost and he was doing so great."Helen pouted.
"Don't feel down, Helen."Flint stated with a smirk."Your big brother has more tricks up his sleeves."
Brock glanced at Flint at his reply, but didn't say anything.
Volkner recalled Raichu in his Poké Ball.
"Thanks a lot, Raichu. Take a long rest."Volkner instructed before looking at Denise."Denise, I'm impressed. I sensed the spark between you and your Flygon. I am really enjoying our battle."
Denise was quiet as Volkner took out his second Poké Ball.
"Now get ready for this!"Volkner remarked.
Volkner tossed forward his second Poké Ball and his Luxray appeared in the battlefield.
"Luxray!"
"Now he takes out Luxray."Denise stated quietly.
The Top Coordinator glanced at Flygon.
"Flygon, can you still battle?"Denise questioned.
Flygon glanced at Denise and gave her a nod.
"Okay."Denise said with a nod."Use Dragon Pulse!"
Flygon leapt up in the air and fired a multicoloured beam of energy from his mouth at his new opponent.
"Luxray, dodge it and use Ice Fang!"Volkner ordered.
Luxray dodged Flygon's Dragon Pulse attack before tackling down his opponent.
The Gleam Eyes Pokémon then swiftly bites down onto Flygon's arm with Ice Fang which ended up knocking out the Mystic Pokémon.
"Flygon!"Denise shouted in shock.
"Flygon is unable to battle!"the robot referee announced and lifted up the red flag on its left hand."Luxray is the winner!"
"That's the way to do it, Luxray!"Helen chuckled.
"Now both Denise and Volkner are down with two Pokémon."Ash stated.
"Wow, I bet Volkner had Luxray learn Ice Fang as an advantage against grass or dragon type Pokémon."Brock assumed.
"Well, his the Gym Leader after all."Flint remarked."Winning against Volkner is no walk in the park I'll tell you that and watching this battle has got me completely pumped up."
Denise returned Flygon into his Poké Ball.
"You did your best, Flygon. I am proud of you."Denise praised and then out her second Poké Ball."Luxray, go!"
Denise's Poke Ball opened and her own Luxray appeared in the battlefield.
"Luxray!"
Volkner's Luxray and Denise's Luxray glared at each other in silence.
"Ooh. Luxray vs Luxray?"Helen said, eagerly rubbing her hands together."This is gonna be good."
"Yep."Ash agreed with a nod.
Pikachu smirked. "Pika."
"I assume you raised your Luxray from when he was a Shinx?"Volkner assumed."Am I right, Denise?"
"That's correct, Volkner."Denise responded before becoming serious."And his determined to win as I am! Luxray use Shock Wave!"
Denise's Luxray unleashed Shock Wave towards Volkner's Luxray.
"Deflect it with Iron Tail!"Volkner ordered.
Volkner's Luxray immediately deflected the Shock Wave of Denise's Luxray with Iron Tail.
"Volkner's Luxray is equally fast as Denise's Luxray."Dawn said worriedly.
"Use Thunder Fang!"Volkner ordered.
The fangs of Volkner's Luxray started showing
Sparks of yellow electricity started to form inside the mouth of Volkner's Luxray.
The sparks grow, forming into four fang-shaped, electric masses and they stretch to the outside of his mouth.
Volkner's Luxray then rushed forward to attack Denise's Luxray with Thunder Fang.
"Luxray, dodge it!"Denise ordered.
Denise's Luxray quickly dodged from getting hit by the Thunder Fang of Volkner's Luxray by doing a spin jump, surprising both Volkner and Helen.
"Whoa!"Helen said in awe.
"Use Night Slash!"Denise ordered.
The claws of Denise's Luxray glowed light purple before hitting Volkner's Luxray from above with Night Slash.
"That's it!"Ash remarked.
"Shock Wave!"Volkner ordered.
Volkner's Luxray unleashed his own Shock Wave to hit Denise's Luxray.
A scowl escaped from the mouth of Denise's Luxray.
The other Gleam Eyes Pokémon was barely hurt, but he still took a bit of damage.
Seeing Luxray's situation, Denise remembered Ash's Pikachu getting a bit of damage from Paul's Elekid.
"This seems a little too familiar."Denise muttered before giving her Luxray his next order."Luxray use Wild Charge!"
The body of Denise's Luxray becomes surrounded by yellow electricity before rushing towards his opponent.
"Luxray hit the ground with Iron Tail!"Volkner ordered.
Volkner's Luxray used Iron Tail on the ground and created a wall of thrusted up stones that makes Denise's Luxray get blown back upon collision.
"Volkner just made his Luxray create a shield with its Iron Tail."Ash said in surprise.
"My big brother is the toughest Gym Leader in Sinnoh, Ash."Helen praised proudly."Expect the unexpected."
"Luxray use Shock Wave again!"Denise ordered.
Denise's Luxray used Shock Wave to blast apart the stone wall, making Volkner's Luxray get blinded by the blast's bright flash.
"Ice Fang!"Denise ordered.
The fangs on Denise's Luxray become covered in light blue icy energy before biting the paw of Volkner's Luxray.
"Come on, Denise's Luxray!"Dawn called out."Show them what you got!"
Flint smirked as he watched Denise's Luxray used Night Slash to clash with the Thunder Fang of Volkner's Luxray Thunder Fang which results in creating a powerful shockwave that blasted both of them back.
"I've got to say that Denise's Luxray seems equally strong as Volkner's Luxray."Flint commented."The speed and movements of these Pokémon are in perfect sync."
"Though Denise's Luxray had competed in Pokémon Contests as well."Brock added.
"Luxray use Wild Charge again!"Denise ordered.
"Iron Tail, Luxray!"Volkner ordered.
Denise's Luxray used Wild Charge and Volkner's Luxray used Iron Tail as they collided with each other, creating a big explosion
When the smoke cleared, it revealed both the two Gleam Eyes Pokémon had been knocked and unable to battle, stunning everyone.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!"the robot referee announced while raising both its robotic arms up.
"Wow."Helen stated, utterly surprised at what she saw."I don't recall ever seeing my brother's Luxray being taken down the same time as his opponent's Pokémon."
"Now they are both down with one Pokémon left."Dawn complemented and became serious."You can do it, Dennie!"
Both Prinplup and Buneary cheered in agreement.
Volkner and Denise then returned their Luxrays back in their Poké Balls.
"This it, Denise. Whether I win or lose, I will still feel eager to take on the challenges from Ash and other opponents."Volkner exclaimed as he took out his third Poké Ball."Here it comes! Get ready for my trump card!"
Volkner tossed forward his third Poké Ball and it opened, revealing an Electivire.
"Electivire!"
"An Electivire."Ash murmured.
Ash took out his Pokédex to scan Electivire.
"Electivire the Thunderbolt Pokémon, and the evolved form of Electabuzz."Ash's Pokédex buzzed."When Electivire attacks, it pushes the tips of its two tails against its opponent."
Denise took a deep breath as she took out her third Poké Ball.
"Here we go!"Denise informed and threw forward her third Poké Ball."Torterra! It's your turn now!"
Denise's Poke Ball opened and Torterra appeared in the battlefield.
"Torterra!"
"A Grass and Ground Type like Torterra has a definite advantage against Electivire who's an Electric type."Brock remarked.
"We'll just have to wait and see where this all goes."Flint responded.
beginning, Denise can order Torterra to use Seed Bomb, but Volkner has his Electivire use Fire Punch to block and burn them all.
"Torterra use Solar Beam!"Denise ordered.
Torterra gathered energy and fired a white beam from his mouth towards Electivire.
"Electivire use Ice Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Electivire used Ice Punch on the ground and this creates a large ice pillar that reflected the Solar Beam in a different direction which was the sky above.
"Electivire used Ice Punch to make Torterra's Solar Beam go another direction."Dawn spoke up.
"I didn't know Ice Punch can do that."Ash said in awe.
"Pikachu."Pikachu replied.
"Surprise."Helen sneered with a smug look.
Brock frowned. "Now that's Gym Leader strategy."
Denise bit her lip before looking back at her fully evolved Starter Pokémon.
"Torterra use Seed Bomb and aim towards the sky!"Denise ordered.
Torterra shot Seed Bomb into the air, creating a rain of Seed Bombs that started shootings down to Electivire.
"That's the way to do it!"Ash praised.
"Pika!"Pikachu cheered.
"Electivire, Fire Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Electivire prepared to use Fire Punch for defence, but Denise was ready to give Torterra his next move.
"Torterra use Earthquake!"Denise ordered.
Torterra used Earthquake which caused the ground to shake violently and this ended up throwing Electivire off its feet while the Seed Bomb rain barraged down on it.
"Shocking...I didn't see this coming."Volkner admitted with a smirk before becoming serious."Electivire use Giga Impact!"
Electivire recovered and unleashed Giga Impact which hit Torterra directly.
The powerful Normal type attack ended up causing a great amount of damage to Torterra as he skids right back to Denise.
"Torterra!"Denise shouted in worry."Can you still battle?!"
Despite the pain he felt, Torterra stood up to show he was still strong enough to fight.
"Great!"Denise remarked."We are still standing!"
Seeing that Torterra has taken a great deal of damage and that Electivire can't move after using Giga Impact, Denise gives Torterra his next attack.
"Torterra use Giga Drain!"Denise ordered.
The three mountains on Torterra's shell glowed green and matching energy beams extend from their tips.
The beams wrapped around Electivire's body to drain his energy, so that Torterra began to regain health.
"That was a clever move from Denise."Helen commented."Electivire isn't able to launch another attack after using Giga Impact."
The beams then receded back into Torterra's shell when the attack was complete.
Electivire went on its knees a bit for a moment, but then went back on its feet due to still be able to fight.
"Electivire use Ice Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Electivire used Ice Punch and its attack dealt a lot of super effective damage to Torterra.
"Torterra!"Denise called out."Hit Electivire with Solar Beam!"
Torterra shoot Electivire with Solar Beam at close range.
"Use Earthquake again!"Denise ordered.
"Electivire use Thunder Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Torterra attempted to use Earthquake once again, but Electivire used Thunder Punch on the ground and this makes the electricity course through the shaking ground and cancel out Torterra's Ground type attack.
"This fight is really pumping up big time."Flint chuckled.
"Electivire use Fire Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Electivire launched forward and used Fire Punch which caused more super effective damage to Torterra.
Denise scowled in silent frustration as she began to realise if Torterra took more damage, she was going to lose her battle against Volkner.
"If this keeps up, I am going to end up having to a rematch against Volkner."Denise thought with a hint of worry."What can I do?!"
"I think we should put an end to this!"Volkner sneered."Electivire use Giga Impact!"
Electivire prepared to use Giga Impact again to finish off Torterra.
Then an idea hit Denise's head, making her eyes widen.
"Of course!"Denise chuckled and quickly gave Torterra his next order."Torterra use Giga Drain on the ground!"
Torterra sprouted out his green energy beams from the three mountains on his shell again and they dig their way into the ground before suddenly emerging right below Electivire, shocking Volkner.
The beams grabbed the Thunderbolt Pokémon by its ankles, making him trip down before he could successfully hit Torterra with Giga Impact.
"Dennie found a way out!"Ash remarked.
"That's it, Denise!"Dawn cheered joyfully."Don't give up!"
"Torterra use Seed Bomb!"Denise ordered.
Torterra attacked Electivire with a Seed Bomb barrage, landing a critical hit.
"Electivire use Ice Punch!"Volkner ordered.
Seeing Electivire was about to power through with his Ice type attack, Denise quickly gave Torterra another order.
"Torterra, Solar Beam!"Denise ordered.
Torterra used Solar Beam while Electivire used Ice Punch.
Both Pokémon end up unleashing their attacks at very close range, creating an explosion that consumed them both.
When the smoke clears away, Denise and Volkner see that Torterra and Electivire were still standing and glaring at each other.
But then after a couple of seconds, Electivire fell down on the ground and fainted which made Denise the winner of the battle.
"Electivire is unable to battle! Torterra is the winner!"the robot referee announced."Which means the victory goes to Denise from Twinleaf Town!"
Denise cheered in delight as she rushed into the battlefield and embraced Torterra in joy.
"We done it, Torterra!"Denise remarked happily."We really did!"
Torterra nodded. "Terra."
"Yes!"Dawn laughed."Dennie won!"
Prinplup and Buneary cheered at Denise's victory.
"I knew she could do it!"Ash complemented.
"Pika pika!"Pikachu cheered.
Later, Volkner congratulated Denise and her Pokémon and presented her with the Beacon Badge.
"Congratulations, Denise."Volkner congratulated."This is your eighth Gym Badge. You've earned this."
"Thank you, Volkner."Denise thanked.
"Your desire and the noble way your Pokémon battled for you."Volkner admitted."I even felt thrilled during our match. That was a very good battle."
"You and your Pokémon gave my big brother one amazing battle."Helen praised.
"Also, you were enjoying it, Volkner."Flint chuckled.
"Indeed I was, Flint."Volkner agreed with a nod.
Denise then takes the Beacon Badge, finally completing her requirement for the Sinnoh League.
"Yes! We did it!"Denise declared in joy and lifted up the Beacon Badge."We won our eighth gym badge and got the Beacon Badge!"
Flygon, Luxray and Torterra all cheered at their victory.
Brock glanced at Ash.
"So this means next is your turn, Ash."Brock reminded.
"Right."Ash agreed and smiled confidently."And I am looking forward to it."
Pikachu smirked. "Pikachu!"
Denise's Team
Torterra (Male): Solar Beam, Giga Drain, Seed Bomb and Earthquake
Vaporeon (Female): Water Gun, Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump and Aurora Beam
Luxray (Male): Shock Wave, Night Slash, Wild Charge and Ice Fang
Flygon (Male): Sandstorm, Rock Slide, Dragon Pulse & Screech
Gardevoir (Female): Psychic, Ice Punch, Magical Leaf and Trick Room
Combusken (Male): Ember, Peck, Focus Blast and Fire Spin
With Professor Rowan
Noctowl (Male): Heat Wave, Reflect, Aerial Ace and Supersonic
Drifblim (Female): Ominous Wind, Thunderbolt, Will-O-Wisp and Astonish