Chapter 47:
Curtain up!
Venesi City
"You guys KISSED!?"
Clemont's surprised yell echoed through the whole cafeteria. Even if the group got some stares, there weren't that many people there just yet, and they quickly just went back to their food.
"Louder, big brother. I don't think they heard you back in Kalos," Bonnie deadpanned, shooting her brother a reprobatory stare. Then she turned towards Ash and Serena, and her expression morphed into one of pure joy. "But I agree with him! It's sooooooo great that you guys are finally a couple!" she squealed.
"Yeah, we're really happy for you," Clemont added after regaining his composure.
"Thank you," Serena said.
Suddenly, Bonnie's joy was replaced by worry, as if she realized something she hadn't thought of yet. "Hey, wait a minute, now that you guys are a couple... you'd prefer to travel on your own, don't you?"
"What? Why?" Ash asked. "No, we plan to continue traveling with you guys. What has Serena and I becoming a couple have to do with that?"
"Some couples prefer to be alone in order to have more privacy," Serena gently explained to her boyfriend. "But we don't want things to change between us. It wouldn't be the same without you guys."
Bonnie sighed in relief, her previous happiness resurfacing now that she had been assured this new development wouldn't mean the end of her group as she had known it.
"Still, if you need or want some privacy for whatever reason, don't be afraid to ask," Clemont offered. "And Bonnie and I will get out of the way."
"I don't think that will be necessary, Clemont, But thanks for your consideration," Serena said, smiling at the inventor.
"Still, it doesn't hurt to offer," he said. Then, he asked: "So. What's the plan for today? Remember that you have the gym battle against Rosalind this afternoon."
"Heh, as if I would ever forget that," Ash proudly replied. "But given that I have the time, I think some light training would do us some good. Both as a warm up, and to make sure all my Pokemon are in top shape and ready to face her."
"Make sure you don't go overboard, or else your Pokemon will be too exhausted to fight," Serena reminded him.
"Pika," Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"I know, I know," Ash replied.
"Also, remember that even if the match is scheduled at seven, they told you to come at least an hour early," Clemont interjected.
"Don't worry guys, I don't plan to fumble this battle. Especially since it's against one of Tandor's top three Gym Leaders!" Ash said, his voice full of excitement, as he quickly finished his breakfast. "We can train in the morning so my Pokemon will be rested by the early afternoon."
…
A few minutes later, after everybody finished their breakfasts, they moved to the battleground adjacent to the Center in order to help Ash do some last minute training. The first one to face Ash was Clemont, followed by Serena. Once it was noon, they decided to call it a day so as not to exhaust Ash's Pokemon. Ash was rather satisfied with their performance, and was sure that Rosalind wouldn't even know what hit her.
Once lunchtime was over, they decided to relax a bit in the Pokemon Center before going to the Gym. Then, Serena realized something, something that she and Ash would need to do sooner rather than later now that they finally hooked up.
"Oh my goodness! Ash, we haven't told our moms that we're boyfriend and girlfriend now!" Serena said in realization.
That realization seemed to jolt the raven haired teen as well. "Oh, right, we better call them to give them the news!" Ash agreed. "Especially since my mom helped me out a lot when I was having trouble putting my thoughts in order after your confession."
"Which one do we call first?" Serena asked.
"We can call yours first," Ash offered.
"Alright," Serena said. As Ash and the Lumiose siblings huddled towards her, she dialed her mom's number on her Pokegear. After a few seconds. Grace's face appeared on the screen.
"Oh, hello, Serena! It's so great to see you again!" Grace said, smiling upon seeing her daughter. Then, she looked at Ash, Clemont and Bonnie. "And hello to you three as well!"
"Hi there, Mrs. Gabena," Ash greeted her.
"It's good to see you again," Clemont said.
"Hiya!" Bonnie waved.
"It's been a while since the last time you called. The last time was just to make me know that you were okay when that power plant blew up."
Serena rolled her eyes a little. "It hasn't been that long after that, mom."
Oh, if only Grace knew half the messes they got themselves into.
"Anyway, aside from that, how's the trip through Tandor going?" Grace asked.
"It's going great, mom! I have all five ribbons now!" Serena told her.
"Really? That's great! I knew you could do it," Grace said, beaming with pride and joy. "I'm sure that this time you'll walk out the winner."
"Let's hope you're right," Serena said, before swallowing uncomfortably, mentally preparing herself to give her mother their most recent development. The idea of talking about such a topic made her a little nervous and uneasy. "Mom, the reason I'm calling you it's because, well..." she took a deep breath. "Remember that Ash and I have been dating for the past few weeks...?"
"Y-Yes...?" Grace asked, as she leaned closer to the screen.
"W-Well, yesternight Ash asked me to be his girlfriend, and I said yes! We're a couple now!" she almost squealed.
"He did! Oh my, that's so great! Though, I knew that Ash wouldn't be able to resist your charm, Serena, and that he would fall for you sooner or later" Grace said, before sighing in relief. "Relieved as well. You looked so nervous, I was afraid you were going to tell me I was going to be a grandma."
"M-MOM!" Serena yelled, turned into a yet undiscovered shade of red, with Ash himself choking and turning red as well. "Ash and I are nowhere near the point of doing THAT!"
"Don't worry Mrs. G, I'll make sure these two behave!" Bonnie said, teasingly patting Ash and Serena on the shoulder, before Serena pushed her away.
"A-Anyway! I mostly called to tell you that, mom," Serena said, the red on her face persisting.
"And I'm so happy for you, sweetie," Grace said, smiling warmly. She then turned towards Ash, and her expression hardened just a tad, but enough to put Ash on guard. "Ash?"
"Yes, Mrs. Gabena?" Ash asked, as a bead of sweat ran down his temple.
"You're dating my daughter now, you can call me Grace," Grace said, smiling at him. Though it didn't appear to be a reassuring smile.
"Uh, yeah, Grace," Ash replied.
"I don't think I need to tell you to take good care of my daughter now," Grace said, her tone turning a little sterner.
"O-Of course! I already promised you that Serena would always be safe with me!" Ash replied, stammering a little.
"And I better not hear that you've been fooling around," Grace continued.
"M-Mom!" Serena shouted, turning even redder.
"Fooling around...?" Ash repeated in confusion.
"Or else you will learn how terrifying a Rhyhorn can be," Grace added, her voice carrying a dangerous edge. "We Rhyhorn Racers know things about them most trainers ignore. Things that-"
"MOM!" Serena yelled.
"Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you!" Grace said, her tone suddenly turning cheerful and relaxed, while holding her hands defensively. "I hope the rest of your journey goes well. And make sure to call me before the Grand Festival."
"I will. Goodbye, mom," Serena said, finishing her call. She leaned backwards and let out a tired sigh. "Ugh, that could have gone so much better," she groaned. The honey blonde then looked at Ash apologetically. "Sorry about that. My mom can be so difficult sometimes..."
"Eh, it's okay. She worries about you, just that," Ash reassured her. "Plus, she was happy that we hooked up, so I think it went pretty well!"
Serena sighed, but chuckled a little. "Sometimes I wish I had your aplomb."
"Alright, now time to call my mom," Ash said, as he dialed his house's number in his pokegear. After a couple tones, Delia appeared on the screen.
"Oh, hi Ash! It's so good to see you!" Delia said, looking unsurprisingly cheerful upon seeing her son. "So, how is your trip going?"
"It's going great mom. I already have five badges, and today I'll fight for my sixth one," Ash enthusiastically said.
"That's great, honey!" Delia said, beaming with pride. "Though, while I'm really happy to hear how good you're doing, I have the feeling that you aren't calling me just to tell me about that, am I right?"
"Hehe, yeah," Ash chuckled, scratching his cheek with his free hand. Then, he used said free hand to pull Serena towards him so Delia could see her. The honey blonde smiled bashfully at the brown haired woman. "You see... Serena and I are boyfriend and girlfriend now!"
Delia gasped, and covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh my goodness! Ash, that's wonderful!"
"I should thank you for this. If it wasn't for that advice you gave me on the cruise... knowing me, I would have screwed it up," Ash sheepishly said, rubbing the back of her head.
"Come on Ash, don't say that," Serena gently said.
"It's okay, son, I'm glad I was able to help you. And even more glad that you decided to pursue her! Serena is a girl you simply couldn't let go!" Delia said, making Serena's face redder.
"I know right? Serena is such a catch!" Bonnie interjected, grinning widely at the screen.
"Hehe, yeah, Serena is amaz-mom? Are you crying?" Ash asked upon seeing her mother's eyes welling with tears.
"Sorry, it's just..." Delia said, as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief. "You have a girlfriend now! You're growing up so fast! I still remember the time you left Pallet Town with Pikachu for the first time... and now look at you! My little boy is turning into a man... but it's only natural, you weren't going to be ten forever."
"Yeah, they even kissed!" Bonnie said once again.
"Bonnie! That's not for you to reveal!" Clemont admonished her, as he pulled her away from the screen. "Leave Ash and Serena some privacy, this is a very important moment for them."
"You kissed!?" Delia echoed, her surprise returning in full force. "Oh, of course. Like I said I shouldn't be surprised that you do such things now," Delia sighed. "Though, take good care of Serena, you hear me? Now that you have a girlfriend, you can't think in Pokemon battles alone, and if you don't give her the attention she deserves, she'll leave you. If you lose her, I doubt you'll find a girl like her."
"Don't worry mom, I don't plan to," Ash replied. "Like I told Serena's mom, I'll be the perfect boyfriend to her!"
Delia nodded. "That's what I wanted to hear. Oh, and Serena?"
"Y-Yes, Mrs. Ketchum?" She asked.
"Oh please, call me Delia, dear," Delia said, smiling warmly at her. "Take good care of my son too. Though, you've been traveling with him for quite some time now, so you should know that he can be a handful."
"H-Hey..." Ash weakly protested.
"Piiika," Pikachu said, patting his trainer's head.
Serena giggled. "Don't worry Mrs. Ket-I mean, Delia. Ash is in good hands."
"Anyway, like I said before, my next Gym Battle will be in a couple hours, so wish me luck!" Ash said.
"Of course, sweetheart. I know you'll do great," Delia said.
"Goodbye, mom."
"Until later then, Ash."
The call finished, and just like Serena had done, Ash leaned back on his seat and let out a sigh of exhaustion.
"Come on Ash, it's already over," Serena said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "The next time we talk to either of them, it will be much easier."
"At least my mom didn't threaten you," Ash said. "Or joke-threaten."
"She didn't ask if she was going to be a grandma either," Serena added in gratitude.
…
The afternoon arrived, and thus the group headed towards Rosalind's Pokemon Gym/Theater. As they walked through the streets of the watery city, the group engaged in conversation.
"...though he hasn't mastered it just yet," Ash said. "It's a pity, I think Steel Wing would have been such a good move for Dunseraph to have for this match."
"It can't be helped. Though, hopefully he'll have it down for the next Gym Battle," Clemont said, shrugging.
"Your Pokemon aren't the only ones trying to learn something new. Coatlith has been hard trying to master Dragon Rage," Serena chimed in. "Seeing Alain's Voltasu use that move inspired her."
"By the way, Ash, now that Raptorch has evolved, you can use Mega Evolution with him besides Metalynx, right?" Bonnie asked.
"Huh? Oh right! Vaeryn also gave us an Archillesite. I kinda forgot about that," Ash sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still, Raptorch evolved just recently, so I don't feel confident enough with using Mega Evolution on him without testing it first."
"Well said," Serena said, nodding in approval. So far, there weren't any problems with Metalyx's Mega Evolution, and she believed there wouldn't be any either with Archilles, but better safe than sorry. If Ash needed an additional boost, he had both Greninja and Metalynx.
"It's a pity. I wanted to see what Mega Archilles was like," Bonnie said.
"Now that you mention it, I still couldn't manage to see how Electruxo handles Mega Evolution either," Clemont said in realization. He looked at Ash. "I think we should both correct such oversight as soon as we're done here, Ash."
"Of course! A Mega Evolution match between the two of us sounds great!" Ash said, beaming with excitement.
Serena was about to say something, until she noticed something unusual. She looked around, and asked: "Hey guys, did you realize that pretty much everybody is going in the same direction as us?"
Her three friends began to look around, and like her noticed that every other pedestrian was indeed walking in the same direction.
"It seems like they're going to the Gym too," Clemont said, scratching his temple. "They said the Gym is also a theater. Maybe there's a play today?"
"They also said there are no plays when there are challengers," Serena pointed out, as worry began to creep up her back. Did they get the day and hour wrong or something?
Her worry only increased once the Pokemon Gym/Theater was in sight, with a large queue of people leading into it. This was an image common when going to a Contest Hall, but the first time it happened in a Pokemon Gym.
"Oh come on, don't tell me we have to wait in line to enter..." Bonnie whined.
"Nene..." Dedenne said as well.
"I don't think so. Come on, let's go inside. Once I tell them that I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader, they'll clear any misunderstandings,"
They did as Ash suggested, and walked through the double doors of the building, ignoring the line outside. Once in the lobby, they saw the same receptionist who had greeted them the first time. Upon seeing Ash, her face perked up.
"Oh, hello Mr. Ketchum!" the receptionist happily greeted Ash. The fact that they were waiting for him lifted the worry weighting on Serena's shoulders. "You came even earlier than we told you too. Good."
"So, is Rosalind here? I can't wait to fight her!" Ash stated.
"Yes, Rosalind is here, though she's overseeing the preparations for the battle. And you must prepare as well," the receptionist said, and before Ash or any of his friends could ask what she was talking about, she pressed a button. "Mr. Zeppeli? The challenger and his friends are here!"
Almost immediately, a side door opened as a man walked through it. The man was tall, had blue eyes and messy blond hair, and was wearing a headband. He was followed by a smaller woman, also blonde, who was smiling joyfully.
"The challenger is here already? Great. Follow me, andiamo!" the man said, as he turned around and walked away. "Suzie-Q, can you take care of the girl? And lead the other two to their seats."
"Certo, Mr. Zeppeli!" the bubbly girl, Suzie-Q, said as she grabbed both Clemont and Serena through their wrists and dragged them to another door. "Come on dearies~!"
"Are you deaf, ragazzo? Come with me!" Mr. Zeppeli impatiently insisted upon seeing that Ash didn't move.
"Follow you where? To the battleground?" Ash asked.
"Not yet. To the dressing room," Mr. Zeppeli said, and upon seeing Ash's confused expression, he added: "I mean, you don't plan to face Rosalind wearing that, don't you?"
Ash looked at his clothes, half confused and half offended. These were the clothes Serena had chosen and bought for him at the start of their journey, and he wasn't going to let anybody talk them down. "What's wrong with my clothes? I wore them when I faced every other Gym Leader so far."
"Maybe, but this isn't like the other Gyms, as you're about to see. Now come on!" Mr. Zeppeli insisted.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming! Sheesh..." Ash grumbled as he followed the blond man. "Pikachu, you better go with Clemont."
The rodent nodded, and followed the inventor.
And indeed, like the man had said, he led Ash to a large dressing room, where plenty of make-up artists, hairdressers and other stylists were working. Mr. Zeppeli had Ash sit on one of the empty seats, and a pair of women began to work on him.
"Don't worry honey, this will take no time!" one of the women said, as he placed a black sheet around his neck, covering his body.
"When we're done with you, you'll be so dazzling everybody will have to wear sunglasses to look at you!" the other woman giggled.
Ash cringed and wondered what kind of Gym he had stumbled into.
…
After leaving Serena in what appeared to be a dressing room – their questions of why they needed to "prepare" Serena for the battle went unanswered – Clemont and Bonnie were led to a large theater by Suzie-Q.
"And these are your seats!" the bubbly blonde said, motioning to the central seats of the front row. "The challenger's companions get the best seats, free of charge!"
"Uh, thanks," Clemont said. "But I think there has been a mistake. We're here to cheer for our friend in his battle against Rosalind, not to see a theater play."
"Oh, there hasn't been any mistake, I can assure you that," the smiling woman said. "Now just relax and wait for the spectacle to begin," she then looked at her wristwatch, and pursed her lips. "Though you may have to wait some time, given that the match won't begin until another hour."
"Okay..." Clemont said, as he and Bonnie took their seats, the latter placing both Pikachu and Dedenne on her lap.
And indeed, the wait was pretty long. It was just an hour but it felt longer. The inventor was somebody who hated wasting time, so he wished he could just pull a half-done project from his backpack and work on it, but alas he wasn't in a place suited to do so.
After the first half an hour passed, people began to slowly enter and fill the seats. As people began to trickle in, a cacophony of murmurs and chatter began to form and increase, until it was completely full, at which point it looked more like they were in a Contest hall rather than a Gym.
And as soon as it became seven o'clock, the lights went out and the curtains went up, revealing a seemingly pitch black scenario.
"Oh, it's beginning!" Bonnie began, hopping on her seat.
A low, melodious piano music began to play. The scenario was illuminated a little, showing what appeared to be some sort of medieval village with a tall castle in the background. There were two dark figures at the opposite ends of it. Somebody spoke with a voice Clemont recognized as Rosalind's.
"Long time ago, there was a prosperous kingdom, ruled by a young but very wise princess," Rosalind's voice began, sounding as if she was narrating a fairytale. "And while its people were peaceful and didn't know the ways of war, they weren't afraid of threats, for there was a brave knight ready to defend them from whoever dared to disturb their peace!"
A spotlight shone over one of the figures, the one standing on the leftmost side of the scenario, revealing to be a raven haired teen dressed as a medieval knight and looking extremely confused.
Clemont leaned forward, and adjusted his glasses to check he was seeing right. "Is that... Ash!?"
"Wow, look at that! Ash rocks the knight look so hard!" Bonnie gushed.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu agreed.
…
Ash didn't know what was going on, nor what was he supposed to do. After Mr. Zeppeli left him in the dressing room, the pair of stylists combed his hair, applied some makeup, and had him wear a knight costume – Despite the armor looking like genuine metal, it was actually plastic, something Ash appreciated. Ash protested all the time, insisting that there has to be an error, but everybody was adamant that there wasn't any.
Once the hour of the match approached, Mr. Zeppeli returned.
"Alright ragazzo, it's your time to shine. The match is a four versus four, single format, with only the challenger allowed to make substitutions," the blonde man explained, before placing a tiny earpiece on Ash's ear. "So you can hear the referee. You won't see any referee, but trust us, there will be one. Only you and Rosalind will be able to hear him, otherwise it would break the immersion."
"Break the immersion...?" Ash dumbly repeated.
"You'll understand once the match begins," Mr. Zeppeli said.
And thus Ash was led to the battleground, which was completely pitch dark at first, though he could see the shape of another person at the other side of it. Then, he was startled to see a curtain rising to his right, revealing a huge audience as if this was a contest. Then, the person at the other side of the battleground started talking, and Ash immediately recognized the voice as that of Rosalind. When the Gym Leader mentioned a knight, he was suddenly illuminated by a spotlight from above, making him wince by the sudden increase of light.
"But alas, the knight was about to meet his greatest challenge, for there was a villainess who could only feel hatred and misery, and the fact that such a happy kingdom existed filled her with the burning anger of a thousand Magcargo," as Rosalind said this, a spotlight illuminated her, allowing everybody, Ash included, to see her. She was wearing her usual half black, half white clothes, the only difference was that her face was covered by a theater mask, also half black and half white. "And thus, the villainess gathered her minions, and prepared to attack the little kingdom! She sent her first minion, a trickster imp, to open the attack! Duplicat, to the scene!"
That moment Ash realized that his match against Rosalind had just begun.
Rosalind tossed a pokeball forward, releasing a curious looking Pokemon that Ash had never seen before: it was a small white cat with two stumpy legs and no arms, black ears, four yellow eyes, and a black tail in the shape of the Omega symbol.
"Dupli, du!" the Pokemon meowed.
"What Pokemon is that...?" Ash asked, as he pulled out his Pokedex from within his costume. Thankfully they allowed him to keep it on him.
"Duplicat, the Copycat Pokemon. Normal. This Pokémon has the ability to create an identical copy of itself or its opponent. These copies only last a few minutes before fading away." The Pokedex explained.
"I see," Ash said, putting the pokedex away and grabbing a pokeball from his belt. "Alright then, Frosthra, I choose you!"
The capture device opened, releasing the Frost Moth Pokemon, who buzzed happily.
"And the Knight sent the first of his companions, a mystic from the frozen north!" Rosalind grandiosely narrated. "But will it be enough to stop the devious villainess?"
~Challenger Ash (Frosthra, ? ,? ,?) VS Gym Leader Rosalind (Duplicat, ?, ?, ?)~
"We'll be taking the first move! Frosthra, Signal Beam!" Ash ordered.
"Evade it with Double Team, Duplicat!" Rosalind ordered.
The Frost Moth Pokemon fired a multicolored energy beam at the small white and black feline, who flickered for a second before the entire battleground was full of them. The Signal Beam only managed to dispel a single copy.
"Remove all the copies with Blizzard! Make it as wide as possible!" Ash ordered.
"Fros! Froooooo...!" Frosthra nodded, and started beating his wings as fast as possible, producing a powerful gust of frigid wind with snow and ice chunks. As the battleground was quickly covered in ice, the Duplicat copies started to disappear.
"The northern mystic was powerful, but his magic alone couldn't match the imp's trickery," Rosalind narrated. "Confuse Ray!"
As Frosthra launched the Blizzard, the real Duplicat among the few remaining copies locked eyes with him. Duplicat's four eyes began to glow with an eerie yellow light.
"F-Fro...?" Frosthra slurred, stopping the Blizzard.
"Frosthra, hold on! Don't let that Confuse Ray mess with you!" Ash encouraged his Pokemon, though deep down he knew it was in vain, since Confuse Ray's effectiveness was absolute. "Frosthra, Blizzard again! It won't be able to dodge it a second time!"
"Thra...?" Frosthra slurred again, before firing a Signal Beam at multiple spots on the battleground, none of them coming close to hit the target.
"Unfortunately for the brave Knight, the imp was too much for his champion to deal with. Not only was the ice mystic confused out of his mind, it soon wouldn't be able to move yet," Rosalind dramatically said. "Glare!"
"Protect, quickly!" Ash urged.
Duplicat locked eyes with Frosthra for a second time, its four eyes flashing with all colors of the rainbow. Fortunately, this time around Frosthra was able to follow Ash's orders, and threw over him a protective energy shield that blocked the paralyzing move from taking effect.
"Double Team, Confuse Ray, Glare... what's with that Pokemon? It doesn't have offensive moves?" Ash wondered. "Blizzard again!"
"The imp didn't need offensive moves, for it had the ability to use the enemy's power against him!" Rosalind said with a hand flourish. "Mirror Coat!"
"What! No, Frosthra, stop!" Ash shouted.
However, in his confusion, rather than Blizzard, Frosthra used String Shot instead. The sticky substance hit Duplicat in the face, leaving it blinded and causing the Mirror Coat to fail.
"Yes!" Ash pumped his fist at his good luck. Luck that didn't end, as at that moment Frosthra shook his head, his eyes now clear and focused, no longer under the effect of confusion. "Frosthra, Signal Beam, come on!"
"Fro, frosthra!" the Frost Moth Pokemon buzzed, firing yet another multicolored beam from his antennae. The blinded Duplicat didn't have a chance to dodge it, and the attack hit him in full.
"Du, dupli!" Duplicat meowed in pain, before using its tail to wipe the sticky thread from its face.
"Alas, it seemed that the Knight finally managed to work around the imp's trickery. However, the imp still had one ace in the hole!" Rosalind said, her voice growing bolder. "Duplicat, Transform!"
"Duuuu...!" Duplicat wailed as its body glowed with a white light. The copycat Pokemon then grew and took on a different shape, almost as if it was evolving. When Duplicat stopped glowing, it was now a perfect replica of Frosthra.
"Not bad, but a copy will never surpass the original!" Ash stated. "Frosthra, Blizzard!"
"Shield yourself with Protect!" Rosalind ordered.
Frosthra once again sent a freezing storm towards its now identical enemy, but Duplicat protected itself from the attack by encasing itself inside the familiar green energy bubble.
"Now bind him with String Shot and follow up with Signal Beam!" Rosalind quickly ordered.
From the white cloud of powdery ice formed by the failed Blizzard a single sticky thread shot through, wrapping itself around Frosthra's body, and pulling him towards said cloud, just as it was rapidly dispersed by a Signal Beam. The Bug-type move struck, breaking the sticky cord and blasting Frosthra backwards.
"Froooo...!" he cried.
"Frosthra, are you okay?" Ash asked.
The ice insect shook his head, looked at Ash, and nodded. "Fro, frosthra!"
"The ice mystic was brave and powerful, but he wasn't used to fight against somebody who wielded his very same magic," Rosalind narrated. Ash could tell she was grinning under that mask. "The imp's trickery was more than a match to his power."
"So, her strategy was to use defensive moves to see what attacks Frosthra could use, then use Transformation and turn Frosthra's power against him," Ash's lips curved into the faintests of smirks. "Still, your tactic has a flaw you have overlooked."
"Duplicat, use Blizzard!" Rosalind ordered.
"Counter with a Blizzard of your own, Frosthra! Show that copycat who is the best of the two!" Ash told his Pokemon.
"Frosthra fro!" Frosthra agreed.
Both Pokemon flapped their crystal-like wings, blowing a powerful cold wind with snow and sharp chunks of ice. The attacks met in the middle and locked into a stalemate, no move being able to overpower the other.
"Frosthra, drop the Blizzard and switch to Protect!" Ash quickly ordered. "And get close to Duplicat!"
"Frost!" Frosthra buzzed in agreement, as he stopped beating his wings while conjuring a green energy shield around himself.
The Blizzard blown by Duplicat advanced unimpeded towards Frosthra, encased inside the green shield, who plowed through the Copycat Pokemon's attack.
"He won't be able to use Protect a second time! Use Signal Beam!" Rosalind ordered.
"Deflect it with Shadow Claw!" Ash ordered.
"...what!?" Rosalind exclaimed.
Ash's smirk widened.
As Duplicat's Blizzard disappeared, the Copycat Pokemon fired a multicolored energy beam from its antennae. However, Frosthra's front claws were covered in a ghostly aura, and with a mighty swipe, it blocked the Bug-type attack while still getting closer.
"You didn't take into account that Frosthra might have more moves than those he initially used. Since Duplicat was a Normal-type, I had no reason to use a Ghost-type move like Shadow Claw. But Transformation also changes the user's type, so I guess I can use it now! Go for another Shadow Claw, Frosthra!"
Frosthra reached close combat distance in no time and delivered a pair of powerful swipes at the copycat's face with his ghost-empowered claws, pushing it backwards with each strike.
"Duplicat, Blizzard!" Rosalin ordered.
Wasting no time, Duplicat blew yet another freezing storm at Frosthra. The close distance between them meant that Ash had no time to issue a defending order, and the Frost Moth Pokemon was blasted backwards by the powerful Ice-type move.
"Frosthra!" Ash cried.
Despite Frosthra not being vulnerable to Ice-type moves, Blizzard's sheer power must have hurt a lot. He'd better make sure Rosalind wouldn't catch him like that again.
"Duplicat, go with another Signal Beam!" Rosalind ordered.
"Protect, and get close to Duplicat!" Ash ordered.
As Frosthra once again shielded himself with a green energy bubble while flying forward, Duplicat fired yet another multicolored beam that crashed uselessly against the shield.
"Throw a Protect before he attacks again!" Rosalind warned her Pokemon.
"And now, Blizzard!" Ash said.
"The brave knight wanted to copy the copycat's tactics, but alas it's impossible to copy a copycat's skill to copy!" Rosalind narrated.
"Keep going Frosthra! Put as much power into that Blizzard as possible!" Ash ordered.
People in the audience began to murmur, wondering if the challenger planned to overpower a Protect with sheer brute force, something that was patently impossible under normal circumstances. However, past battles had taught Ash that even if some protective moves can't be bypassed, they can be turned against their users.
As the Blizzard washed over copycat, ice and frost began to build around the green energy shield, slowly encasing the Copycat Pokemon inside a prison of ice.
Rosalind's body language betrayed that she almost broke character.
"Not bad, but not enough to stop my devious minion!" Rosalind cackled. "Break out with Shadow Claw!"
Duplicat smashed its icy prison from the inside with darkness-coated claws, making a crack that increased in size with each hit, until the Copycat Pokemon broke through it, sending chunks and bits of ice everywhere.
"Now quick, String Shot!" Ash shouted.
As the doppelganger was finally able to get out of the ice prison, it was blinded by a sticky thread quickly wrapping around its head.
"No! Get rid of that with Shadow Claw!" Rosalind ordered, her voice losing her cool.
And that was the opening Ash was waiting for.
"Now Frosthra, another Blizzard!" Ash said, throwing a fist forward.
"No, wait, use Protect-"
Too late. While Duplicat was busy removing the sticky strings from its head, Frosthra beat his wings and sent another ice storm towards his enemy. This time, the attack hit it full, blowing the Copycat Pokemon backwards among the chunks of ice and snow, before falling to the ground with a loud noise.
"And finish with Shadow Claw!" Ash said.
As the badly beaten Duplicat tried to get back into the air, Frosthra zipped to its position, claws coated in ghostly energy, and delivered a pair of powerful swipes that sent the doppelganger back to the ground.
This time, not only didn't Duplicat get back to its feet, but it returned to its original form. It didn't move.
"Duplicat is unable to battle, the winner is Frosthra!" Ash heard a man say through his earpiece.
"Alas, in the end, the northern mystic was able to best the villainess' trickster imp," Rosalind conceded, as she returned her defeated Duplicat. "But in the end, the villainess had won, for the true purpose of her shapeshifting imp was to distract the hero while the perfidious evildoer kidnapped the Kingdom's princess and took her to her lair!"
That moment, the background changed, from a bucolic medieval village with a tall white castle during daylight, to a dark mountain with an ominous, scary castle on top during the twilight.
But what surprised Ash the most was a cage descending from the roof with a person on it. A person she knew very well.
"Serena!?" Ash asked in shock. "What... what are you doing there!?"
Serena was inside the cage, hanging above them. She was wearing a pink princess outfit that glittered a lot, complete with a conical princess hat.
"Rosalind said it was part of the show," Serena said, sounding a little bashful. "Eh, don't worry about me, just focus on winning this."
"Uh, okay..." Ash said, a little unsure. He didn't know how to feel about the idea of continuing his battle with Serena inside a hanging cage, but decided that it would be better to listen to her.
"Fro... fro..."
Ash's thoughts went from Serena to Frosthra. The Frost moth Pokemon was wheezing, and was having difficulties just staying afloat. Even if in the end he had won, the battle had taken its toll on him.
"You did a great job, Frosthra. Take a good rest," Ash said, returning his Pokemon.
"Of course, the brave Knight wasn't going to let the devious villainess get away, so he chased her all the way to her lair, a sinister castle on the top of a cliff in a land perpetually covered in darkness!" she narrated, as a pokeball appeared on her hand. "But alas, one obstacle stopped him from entering the lair of evil, as the castle was protected by a mighty ogre! Winotinger, to the scene!"
The pokeball opened, releasing Rosalind's second pick, another Pokemon Ash had never seen before: it was a bipedal pink rabbit with yellow feet and underbelly, as tall as a human being. It had a ruff of white hair around its neck, small antlers above its eyes, small wings on its back, and a long tail ending on a puff of white hair.
It was Pokedex time.
"Winotinger, the Chimerical Pokemon, and Jackdeary's evolution. Fighting/Fairy. It combines illusion and trickery with physical strength. Because it can only be seen by drunk people, it was considered an imaginary Pokémon until very recently," the Pokedex explained.
Weird. Ash was sober and he could see it perfectly. Oh well, better not mull on unimportant details. Ash was quick to select his own second pick.
"Dunseraph, I choose you!"
The capture device opened, releasing the angelic dragon.
"Dun, dunse!" Dunseraph cried upon appearing, flapping his wings a couple times, blowing wind in Winotinger's direction.
"Alas, the brave Knight is also a dragon tamer!" Rosalind commented. "But a dragon might have not been the wisest choice to battle the guardian of my fortress!"
"We'll see about that!" Ash replied.
"Very well, oh brave knight. I shall test your dragon's mettle then!" Rosalind said with a flourish. "Winotinger, let's begin with Dazzling Gleam!"
"Counter with Ancient Power!" Ash shouted.
"Wi, wi, wino!" Winotinger cried, as its body glowed with a pinkish-white light, before releasing a barrage of light missiles of the same color.
Meanwhile, Dunseraph summoned a ring of spinning golden rocks around him, and launched them towards the incoming attack. The boulders clashed against the light bolts, producing explosions of gold and pink, with neither attack being able to overpower the other.
"Follow up with Sky Fall, Dunseraph!" Ash shouted.
"Dodge it with Bounce!" Rosalind replied.
Compressed air began to swirl around Dunseraph's body, before folding his wings and diving towards the Chimerical Pokemon like a missile. Unfortunately for the angelic dragon, the rabbit leaped into the air just before the God Snake Pokemon could smash into it.
"And Aura Sphere from the air!" Rosalind said.
As it soared above the battleground/scenario, Winotinger quickly brought its paws together, forming a sphere of bluish-white energy, and launched it at Dunseraph. The Fighting-type move homed onto the large dragon, smashing against his back and exploding immediately after.
"Duuuuuun...!" Dunseraph cried, as he quickly turned around, just to see Winotinger land on its feet.
"As the brave Knight's dragon found out, the fortress guardian wasn't somebody to be trifled with," Rosalind narrated.
"Dunseraph!" Ash cried as well. Despite the type resistance, that Aura Sphere had done no small amount of damage. "Come on Dunseraph, you can do this! Go with Poison Jab!"
"Dun, seraph!" the God Snake Pokemon cried, as he dived towards Winotinger tail-first, the drill at the end of his tail being coated into a bright purple aura.
"Bounce once again, Winotinger!" Rosalind commanded.
And once again, Winotinger leaped into the air just in time to avoid Dunseraph's venomous attack, which hit nothing but empty space.
"And Aura Sphere one more time!" Rosalind happily ordered.
"Oh no, not again! Dunseraph, dodge it with Dig!" Ash commanded.
As Winotinger brought its paws together to form another sphere of destructive energy, Dunseraph dived towards the ground as his body spun as fast as it could, burrowing underground. When Winotinger finally launched the attack, the angelic dragon was safe underground and the Aura Sphere only hit the ground.
And as soon as Winotinger's feet touched the ground, so did Dunseraph burst from below the surface, smashing his head against the surprised rabbit, sending it flying upwards.
"Wiiiiiii...!" Winotinger cried.
"Well done, Dunseraph! Follow up with another Poison Jab! It can't dodge while it's in the air!" Ash commanded.
"Dun, dunse!" Dunseraph cried in agreement, as he thrust his drill tail at Winotinger, a venomous aura quickly cloaking it.
"Parry it with Thunder Punch!" Rosalind heatedly ordered.
Winotinger was able to right itself mid air, and clenching its paw into a fist as it was covered in yellow electricity, the electrified punch parried the poison drill strike. Dunseraph kept thrusting his tail towards the rabbit, but the Chimerical Pokemon was able to block each strike with fast and precise hits, until it landed on solid ground once again.
"And Aura Sphere one more time, my fortress guardian!" Rosalind said.
"She probably expects me to use Dig again to dodge it, so better pick something else," Ash thought as Winotinger formed the energy sphere. "Block that attack with Dragon Pulse!"
Dunseraph opened his mouth and exhaled a blue and purple dragon-shaped energy blast. Both attacks clashed against each other, resulting in an explosion that made the battleground shake.
"Now, get close and use Play Rough!" Rosalind ordered.
Showcasing admirable speed, Winotinger quickly bridged the gap between it and Dunseraph. Jumping towards the dragon, the rabbit raised both paws, which were glowing with a light pink aura. Winotinger then delivered a flurry of strikes, slaps and swipes at Dunseraph, who could only yelp in pain as each strike pushed him backwards.
"Poison Jab!" Ash ordered again.
"Jump backwards with Bounce!" Rosalind ordered. "And go for another Aura Sphere while you're in the air!"
Dunseraph tried his Poison-type move again, but it failed once more as Winotinger leaped backwards as he formed yet another sphere of energy. The God Snake Pokemon snarled as he glared at the bright pink jackalope.
"Dunseraph, Sky Fall! He won't be able to dodge that mid air!" Ash ordered. "Plough through the Aura Sphere!"
"Dun, dunser!" Dunseraph cried in affirmation.
"The brave Knight and his dragon, while steadfast, resorted to increasingly desperate measures to take down the fortress' guardian," Rosalind narrated in a mocking manner.
Glaring at Winotinger, the God Snake Pokemon flew at his foe as he covered his body in a cloak of swirling pressurized air. Just Ash had ordered, Dunseraph pushed through the Aura Sphere, the cloak of pressurized air softening the blow, before slamming headfirst into the winged rabbit's chest, triggering an air explosion and sending Rosalind's Pokemon flying backwards.
"Poison Jab, Dunseraph! This time it won't be able to dodge!" Ash insisted.
"Sera!" Dunseraph cried, as he flew towards the fallen Winotinger as the drill end of his tail was coated in a cloak of venom.
"Dodge it with Bounce!" Rosalind urged.
Winotinger quickly jumped back to its feet, but winced the moment it attempted to jump a second time, its body shaking in place.
"Yes! Paralyzed!" Ash heard Serena cry from above. For a second he had forgotten she was above them in that small cage.
That moment, Dunseraph's poisoned drill tail slammed into Winotinger's gut. The Chimerical Pokemon cried in pain as it took the super effective attack, thrusting it even further backwards, next to its trainer.
This time, though, it didn't get up.
"Winotinger is unable to battle! Dunseraph is the winner!" Ash heard the referee through his earpiece. Okay, so far, so good, he had taken down half of Rosalind's team without losing a single Pokemon himself. Even if the monochrome-haired woman proved to be a tough nut to crack, if he could keep the momentum, everything would be fine.
"Yes! Way to go, Ash!" Serena cheered from above. "You're almost there!"
As Rosalind recalled her defeated Pokemon, the background changed again. It no longer showed the dark castle atop a cliff during sunset, but the inside of the castle instead, which was as creepy on the inside as it was on the outside, especially the amount of skeletons lying around.
"And thus, the brave Knight defeated the guardian of the gate, and entered the fortress in search of his beloved princess," Rosalind continued narrating, as she slowly reached for another pokeball. "Unfortunately for our hero, another foe would obstruct his quest: a malignant conjurer proficient in the dark arts! To the scene, Miasmedic!"
The capture device opened up, revealing the tall, lanky, purple and beak-masked Plague Doctor Pokemon. Unlike Rosalind's previous two picks, Ash had seen this Pokemon countless times, usually flanking a Nurse Joy on a Pokemon Center, and sometimes using a healing ability like Heal Pulse or Aromatherapy to heal an ailing Pokemon. But he had never seen one used for combat, so he wasn't sure what he could expect.
"Dunseraph, can you continue?" Ash asked.
"Dun, dunse!" Dunseraph cried in agreement.
"Alright, I trust you then!" Ash said. "It's another Fairy-type, but I know that won't be a problem for you!"
"Emboldened by his previous victory, the brave Knight underestimated the foe in front of him, trusting that his mighty dragon may be able to fell it as well," Rosalind said with a flourish. "But alas, the masked spellcaster had powers that went beyond mere brute strength!"
Rosalind called for Miasmedic's first move, and Ash knew that the battle had turned way more complicated.
Author's Note: Yeah, this was starting to get too long for my tastes, so I split this gym battle in two. I was only planning for the 8th gym battle to be a two-parter, but this chapter had so much going on before the actual battle actually began (Ash and Serena telling Clemont and Bonnie about their relationship upgrade, the call to their respective moms, the setup for the gym battle...) that by that point the chapter was +5K words long. And given that this was going to be a 4v4... yeah.
If you have played the game, you noticed that I omitted the part about Rosalind being the very first theatre actress, beacuse I found it unbelievably silly. While it's true that women were banned from theaters in ages past (female roles were played by male actors in drag) said restrictions were lifted as soon as the 17th century. And it's doubly stupid in the Pokemon universe, which is shown to be egalitarian to an almost utopian level when it comes to things like race or gender.
I also changed the gimmick of the first time you fight Rosalind being a decoy beacuse it would be hard to implement out of the games, so instead I made it so her battle is like a play, complete with an audience. Hope such change makes the battle feel unique.
Thanks a lot to Lipeghoul, dmrm, Fox McCloude, MegaSalamence64, MarcusDarkus87, hirowriter and BrightNova169 for reviewing the previous chapter, and special thanks to my beta Viroro-kun, whose edits and suggestions made this chapter so much better.
Well, Ash has defeated half of Rosalind's team without losing a single Pokemon himself, but he shouldn't get too confident, since Rosalind has yet to show her true power. And while part 2 comes, don't forget to leave a review!