Chapter 48:
Life's a Masquerade
"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! Miasmedic, Trick Room!"
"Mi, mi, miaaas!" Miasmedic intoned, raising its thin, long arms, as its body glowed light blue. The entire battleground was encased inside a checkered cage of light of the same color. Dunseraph looked around, confused.
"That thing again," Ash grumbled, remembering how annoying it was dealing with such an effect when he had to battle Valerie for his sixth Kalos badge. Still, he had no choice but to soldier on.
"Those who see Trick Room for the first time are surprised or scared, but you seem to be more annoyed than anything, oh brave Knight," Rosalind commented. "It seems like you're familiar with this kind of magic?"
"I am! And the last time somebody tried to use Trick Room against me I managed to overcome it, and this time won0t be any different!" Ash boasted, also remembering how he still managed to defeat Valerie in the end. "Alright Dunseraph, begin with Ancient Power!"
"Duuuuun...!" Dunseraph cried as he summoned a spinning circle of glowing rocks. Ash didn't appreciate any drop in speed, probably because since Dunseraph fell somewhere in the middle between fast and slow Pokemon, the Trick Room didn't have much of an effect on him.
However, Miasmedic must have been a very slow Pokemon, because the moment Dunseraph launched the Rock-type attack, the Plague Doctor Pokemon dodged the barrage of golden rocks so fast, it became a purple blur. Both trainer and Pokemon's jaws fell upon seeing the sheer speed Misamedic moved now.
"Your dragon is stunned by the power of my conjurer, brave Knight," Rosalind cackled. "And that's only a drop of the power of its magic! Miasmedic, Poison Jab!"
Miasmedic vanished from the spot it was standing and reappeared next to the bewildered Dunseraph, a claw coated in a venomous aura already risen, before striking Dunseraph with it in the face. The dragon cried in pain as Ancient Power was canceled.
"Finish him off with Moonblast!" Rosalind shouted.
"Dunseraph, dodge it with Dig!"
As Dunseraph dived to the ground, Miasmedic brought its hands together and formed a large orb of pinkish-white light, and once again it pretty much vanished before reappearing next to Dunseraph, slamming the energy sphere into his face, resulting in a explosion of pink and white that sent the God Snake Pokemon crashing backwards with a loud thud.
"Dunseraph!" Ash cried.
But the angelic dragon didn't move.
"Dunseraph is unable to battle! The winner is Miasmedic!" Ash heard the referee say through his earpiece, and his shoulders sagged in disappointment. Ash sighed, and returned his defeated dragon. "Thank you, Dunseraph. You did your best," he reassured, before picking another pokeball. "Splendifowl, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened upon hitting the floor, releasing Ash's first Tandorian Pokemon.
"Sple, splendi!" Splendifolw happily whistled upon being called to action. He then looked at the checkered walls of light encasing the whole battleground in confusion. "Fowl?"
"Listen Splendifowl, those walls of light around us are part of a move called Trick Room. It's going to make you move much slower than usual, so keep that in mind, okay?" Ash told the bird.
"Splendi!" Splendifowl nodded, before fixing his sight on Miasmedic.
"And the brave Knight's next champion is an elegant bird of prey," Rosalind narrated. "But alas, will the bird triumph where the dragon failed, or will he also fall before the conjurer's power? We'll see it right now; Miasmedic, Poison Jab!"
"Mia, mias!" The Plague Doctor Pokemon leaned forward, and moved towards Splendifowl so fast, it almost produced a sonic boom. The Paradise Bird Pokemon barely had time to react to the attack before a trio of venomous claws stabbed into his chest, sending it careening backwards.
"Splendifowl!" Ash cried.
"Very good, my perfidious wizard! Another Poison Jab!" Rosalind said with a flourish.
"Let's slow him down with Gust!" Ash commanded.
Splendifowl started to beat his wings as fast as he could, blowing a powerful wind in Miasmedic's direction. While still fast, the Plague Doctor Pokemon was slowed down enough to be visible now.
"Fly upwards!" Ash commanded.
Splendifowl elevated slowly into the air, but with enough speed to avoid the second Poison Jab.
"Just as I thought. Unlike Spritzee, Miasmedic can't float. We'll be safe as long as we keep our distance," Ash said.
"Don't be so sure, oh brave Knight," Rosalind said in a taunting manner. "Miasmedic, Moonblast!"
"Stop it with Air Cutter!" Ash said.
Both Pokemon prepared their respective ranged attacks, but the Trick Room allowed Miasmedic to fire much faster. The swirling orb of pink and white barreled towards Splendifowl while the bird was still gathering power to generate the blades of compressed air, finding its mark and producing an explosion of the same color.
"Spleeeeeeeeee!" Splendifowl squawked in pain as he pummeled towards the ground.
"Splendifowl!" Ash cried.
"He won't be able to dodge this time! Poison Jab once more, my sorcerer of shadows!" Rosalind said with a theatrical arm motion.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash said without thinking. It was only after those words left his lips when he realized that what was otherwise a valid strategy wouldn't work here. "No, wait-!"
"Sple!" Splendifowl whistled as he righted himself mid air, and prepared to use Quick Attack.
"Mias!" Miasmedic said, jabbing his poison-coated claws into Splendifowl... but hitting thin air instead. "...medic?"
There was a collective gasp as Splendifowl rocketed upwards and away from Miasmedic's grasp, leaving a trail of fading white light behind. Even if Rosalind's face was hidden by a mask, Ash knew she was as surprised as he was over this new development.
"So speed-based moves like Quick Attack can overcome Trick Room..." Ash said, a wide smirk forming on his face as this new information sunk in. "...the course of this match is about to change."
"Don't think this changes anything!" Rosalind replied, undeterred. She threw a hand forward. "Moonblast!"
Miasmedic formed yet another orb of swirly white and pink energy, and tossed it at Splendifowl, the sphere barreling towards the songbird. Ash, however, wasn't worried.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Ash said. "And keep going forward! Miasmedic won't be fast enough to dodge it!"
"Sple!" Splendifowl whistled in agreement, as he folded his wings and dived towards Miasmedic as he gracefully avoided the energy blast, the speed boost granted by the attack unhindered by the Trick Room.
"We don't need to dodge! Because my evil sorcerer is also a master of close combat!" Rosalind boasted. "Gyro Ball!"
"Miasmeeeeeeee...!" Miasmedic cried, as it began to spin in place so fast, it turned into a blurry purple tornado.
Splendifowl slammed against Miasmedic, but the force of the Gyro Ball proved to be greater than that of the Quick Attack, and the Paradise Bird Pokemon was smacked backwards.
"Of course. An attack like Gyro Ball, that becomes more powerful the slower the Pokemon, is a great fit for somebody as slow as Miasmedic," Ash thought. Then, he noticed that the Trick Room around them was starting to flicker. "Trick Room doesn't last forever. Still, Rosalind can call for another one the moment this one disappears. Better prepare for that."
"Miasmedic, use Moonblast again!" Rosalind commanded. The Trick Room flickered again. It seemed that Rosalind hadn't noticed. "Rapid fire! He can't dodge forever!"
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash replied.
Miasmedic began to fire a barrage of smaller orbs of pink and white energy at Splendifowl, who used Quick Attack to fly around the battleground, dodging them as best as he could. At least until one of the Fairy-type projectiles hit him in the back.
"Fooooowl!" he whistled in pain.
Then, the Trick Room vanished completely.
"Now, Splendifowl! Air Cutter!" Ash shouted.
Feeling how his natural speed returned to him, Splendifowl beat his wings twice, sending a pair of blades of compressed air at Miasmedic, who was unable to dodge them now that it no longer had the Trick Room to boost its speed. The blades of air found their mark, pushing the Plague Doctor Pokemon backwards.
"Yes! Let's see how you do now that the Trick Room is over!" Ash taunted.
"Just as easy as raising another one! Come on my fearsome conjurer, Trick Room!" Rosalind ordered.
"We're not gonna let you! Stop it with Sing!" Ash said.
Miasmedic raised its claws as his whole body began to glow with a light blue aura, just as Splendifowl intoned a beautiful, dynamic melody. Ethereal musical notes began to appear around Miasmedic, interrupting its move as it began to succumb to drowsiness.
"Use Aromatherapy to resist the sleepiness!" Rosalind commanded.
"Mirror Shot, Splendifowl!" Ash said.
Miasmedic's body began to glow with a green light as clouds of pink mist appeared around it, eliminating the effects of Sing and remaining awake. Unfortunately, while Miasmedic was busy doing that, Splendifowl had fired a metallic green energy beam at Miasmedic, blasting the Poison and Fairy-type backwards.
"Miasmedic!" Rosalind cried.
"Finish it off with Quick Attack!" Ash said, already savoring the win.
Splendifowl shot like a rocket, leaving a trail of fading white light behind, before slamming into Miasmedic, who was still trying to get up. The Plague Doctor Pokemon was launched even further backwards, falling painfully on its back. Rosalind's Pokemon had its arms sprawled and its eyes were all swirly.
"Miasmedic is unable to battle, the winner is Splendifowl!" Ash heard the referee announce through his earpiece.
"Yes! Good job Ash! And you too, Splendifowl!" Serena congratulated them.
"Sple, splendifowl!" the songbird thanked her.
"One more Pokemon, and that badge will be yours!" Serena said.
"I know. Still, I better be careful. I'm sure that Rosalind has saved the best for last," Ash said, as he fixed his stare on the masked Gym Leader, who recalled her defeated Miasmedic.
"You have no idea how right you are, oh brave Knight," Rosalind began, as she grabbed the pokeball containing her last Pokemon. "For the villainess had one last champion that she could call to battle. One so powerful and terrifying, its mere sight caused even the boldest of heroes to whimper in fear: a wraith from the deepest, darkest pits of hell! To the scene!"
Rosalind tossed the pokeball forward, and Ash and Splendifowl braced for what would no doubt be Rosalind's strongest fighter.
"Huh?"
So both of them were understandably confused when another Winotinger came out of the capture device.
Sure, her first Winotinger proved to be a tough nut to crack, but in the end Ash had managed to beat it, even with Dunseraph's natural weakness to Fairy-type moves. So beating this one shouldn't be a problem even in the case Splendifowl was beaten, given that Ash still had Frosthra and either Metalynx or Archilles, the latter two completely fresh.
"I see you're not impressed by my fearsome wraith," Rosalind stated, though her tone made it clear she was expecting such a reaction from Ash.
"I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting to see a Pokemon you had already used in this fight for the second time." Ash admitted. "But I'm not stupid enough to think that this Winotinger is going to be exactly like the first one."
"It seems you've some brains on top of all that brawn, oh brave Knight," Rosalind said. "Go on, I even let you deal the first blow."
Ash knew she wasn't making such an offer of either overconfidence or kindness of her heart. Still, it's better to play this safe. "Splendifowl, Air Cutter!"
"Counter with Shadow Ball!" Rosalind replied.
Splendifowl beat his wings, sending a pair of blades of compressed air towards the pink rabbit, who brought its paws together, forming a sphere of ghostly power. The two attacks clashed in the middle, producing an explosion of darkness.
"Now, grab him with Psychic!" Rosalind ordered.
Winotinger held out a paw, and made a gripping motion as its eyes glowed pink, just as a pink aura appeared around Splendifowl, who was frozen mid air.
"S-Sple?" the bird helplessly squawked.
"Don't let it control you, Splendifowl! Go for a mirror shot! Aim for the face!" Ash commanded.
"Dodge it!" Rosalind said.
Splendifowl opened his beak and fired yet another stream of metallic energy at the Chimerical Pokemon, who was forced to cancel the attack in order to hop backwards and dodge the move.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
"Sple, splendi!" Splendifowl whistled, as he folded his wings and dived at the pink rabbit, leaving a trail of fading white light behind.
"Stay your ground!" Rosalind replied.
Ash felt a chill running down his spine. It was obvious Rosalind was planning to let him carry out that move for a potentially bigger payback. However, it was too late to cancel the attack, since Splendifowl was now reaching Winotinger...
"Sple!?"
"What!?"
...and to both trainer and Pokemon's astonishment, Splendifowl phased through Winotinger's body, as if Rosalind's Pokemon was some kind of mirage or illusion. Ash knew Rosalind was smirking behind her mask.
"Psychic again, my vile demon! Put that bird through a world of pain!" Rosalind said before cackling evilly.
Winotinger held out a paw, and making a gripping motion trapped Splendifowl under its telekinetic power. It then repeatedly brought its paw down, slamming the songbird against the hard ground multiple times.
"Splendifowl!" Ash cried.
Once it was done, Splendifowl made no attempt to take off. His body was bruised, the ground was covered in fallen feathers, and his eyes were swirly.
"Splendifowl is unable to battle! The winner is Winotinger!" Ash heard the referee say through his earpiece.
"Thank you, Splendifowl. You did great," Ash gently said, as he recalled his defeated bird. He then stared at the seemingly unassuming Winotinger. How did that Pokemon manage to turn itself intangible? There was something strange with that Pokemon, and Ash was going to find out why. "Metalynx, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened, releasing Ash's Tandorian Grass-type starter.
"Metal!" Metalynx roared upon being released, possibly in an attempt to intimidate her opponent. A failed attempt, given that Winotinger remained impassable.
"And thus the brave Knight calls forth the last of his champions: a mighty feline from the dark jungle!" Rosalind continued narrating. "But would this green beast be enough to defeat the villainess' foul wraith?"
"You can bet that she will be!" Ash confidently stated. "Metalynx, Energy Ball!"
"Lyyyyynx...!" Metalinx opened her jaws, forming an orb of green energy between them, before firing it at the pink rabbit.
"Counter with Shadow Ball!" Rosalind said.
Winotinger formed another sphere of darkness between its paws before launching it forward. Both orbs met in the middle, producing an explosion of onyx and emerald. Just like Ash expected.
"Now Metalynx! Jump forward and use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.
"Meta!" Metalynx growled as she leaped into the air, her glaive-shaped tail glowing with a silvery sheen.
"Don't let her get close to you! Hold her with Psychic!" Rosalind ordered.
Winotinger held out a paw as its eyes glowed pink. An outline of the same color formed around Metalynx to hold the feline mid-air, stopping her momentum and canceling her attack.
Something Ash was expecting as well.
"Now Metalynx! X-Scissors!" Ash shouted, throwing a fist forwards.
Metalynx's claws glowed with a greenish-yellow light as she delivered a pair of cross-diagonal slashes, sending an X-shaped energy blast at Winotinger. The Chimerical Pokemon was unable to dodge it in time, and was blasted backwards by the attack, canceling the Psychic.
"Well done, Metalynx!" Ash praised his Pokemon, just as she landed on all fours on the ground.
"Meta, ly!" Metalynx roared in appreciation. "Met?"
As Winotinger got back to its feet, it began to flicker and turn blurry as if it was a malfunctioning hologram. Then, much to Ash and Metalynx's surprise, Winotinger transformed into a completely different Pokemon, one Ash had never seen before.
…
"Uh? What's going on?" Bonnie asked, just as confused as Ash. "What kind of Pokemon is that?"
"Pika?" Pikachu asked as well.
Rosalind's Pokemon, previously a Winotinger, had transformed into a Pokemon Bonnie had never seen before, one with a rather bizarre appearance: It resembled a bird at first sight, with a long neck, a head that was white on either side with a black stripe running down the center. Its main body was covered by a red coat with a white fluffy trim.
On its head and tail are crowns of multicolored feathers with eyespots on them. Said feathers moved and wiggled in an unnerving way, almost as if they had life of their own.
"I don't know. But it looks pretty strong," Clemont commented.
"And why did it look like a Winotinger before? Can it Transform like Duplicat?" Bonnie asked again.
Clemont shook his head. "That's an ability called Illusion, which allows a Pokemon to change their appearance in order to look like another Pokemon. Rosalind used that ability to trick Ash into thinking he was fighting another Winotinger."
"That's such a great ability to have..." Bonnie admitted.
"Indeed. I believed that only Zorua and Zoroark had such an ability, but guess I was wrong..."
…
"Dramsama, the Masquerade Pokemon, and Masking's evolution. Psychic/Ghost. A sinister and vengeful Pokémon, it puts its foes into an eternal sleep and steals their souls to add to its tail," the Pokedex explained.
So, a Ghost-type. No wonder that Quick Attack didn't land. Oh well, now that Ash had finally found the trick with Rosalind's last Pokemon, the rest of the battle would go smoothly.
Or so he hoped.
"Dramsama, Shadow Ball!" Rosalind called.
"Parry it with Night Slash!" Ash replied.
The Masquerade Pokemon formed a sphere of darkness in front of its face before launching it at Metalynx. An aura of darkness coated the Armored Pokemon's metal arm, as three dark purple claws grew at the end of it. With a mighty swipe, the Shadow Ball was no more, and Metalynx still had enough momentum to reach Dramasama and strike it.
"Dodge!" Rosalind commanded.
Dramsama moved away with astonishing speed. The Masquerade Pokemon didn't walk or run, but slid like a ghost.
"Keep going with Iron Tail!" Ash heatedly ordered.
"Lynx!"
Metalynx pounced at the eldritch looking Pokemon, her glaive-like tail shimmering with a silvery glow, while delivering a flurry of tail swipes at her opponent. However, Dramsama's dodging game proved to be top notch by avoiding all of them, moving from one side to another in the blink of an eye.
"Aerial Ace!" Rosalind called.
Dramsama's tails started to glow with a white light before swiping them at Metalynx, smacking her in the face with them. The Armored Pokemon growled in annoyance as the hit made her tumble backwards.
"And follow up with Psychic, my fearsome wraith!" Rosalind said with a flourish, her voice growing confident.
Dramsama's eyes began to glow pink, as it did its body. However, rather than a telekinetic hold to immobilize Metalynx, it released the attack in the form of a destructive psychic shockwave powerful enough to carve a furrow on the ground as it moved forward, hitting the Armored Pokemon squarely. Despite type resistance, the attack was powerful enough to blast Metalynx backwards.
"Metalynx!" Ash cried.
Thankfully, Metalynx jumped back to her feet, and glared at Dramsama while baring her fangs. She still had more than enough fighting spirit. That was good.
Maybe it was time to give his Pokemon a little boost. Ash brought a hand under his armored costume, and pulled out the shuriken-shaped keystone holder that Serena had bought him.
"Alright Metalynx, time to take things to the next level!" Ash said, placing two fingers on the Keystone. "Let's do it... TOGETHER!"
Both his Keystone and the Mega Stone attached to Metalynx's collar glowed with a bright light, before shooting beams of light at each other. The tendrils of light merged with one another, binding trainer and Pokemon through energy links. Metalynx's body began to grow and shift, her tail going from curve and glaive-like to straight, and a massive blade growing across her metallic foreleg. Once the transformation was complete, the light faded as soon as it came, the Mega Evolution helix flashing in front of her.
"Ohohoho, look at that folks! Our brave Knight had one last ace under the hole! That jungle feline isn't a mere cat, but had a hidden power within her all along!" Rosalind said. Ash was unable to tell if the emotion in her voice was real or merely acting. "But will that power be enough to vanquish the villainess once for all?"
"Why don't you find it for yourself, huh?" Ash taunted.
"Don't mind if I do, then," Rosalind said, undaunted. "Dramsama, go for another Psychic!"
Dramasama's eyes glowed pink, as it released yet another psychokinetic shockwave that rippled through the air as it barreled towards Metalynx.
"Metalynx, X-Scissor!" Ash commanded.
"TALY!" Metalynx loudly roared, as she gave a pair of diagonal swipes mid air in opposing directions, launching an X-shaped greenish-yellow energy blast at Dramsama.
The two attacks collided in the middle and struggled against each other for a few seconds. At first it looked like both moves were evenly matched, until the X-Scissor overpowered the Psychic, tearing through it and continuing unimpeded until it smashed against Dramsama. The Masquerade Pokemon let out an otherworldly screech of pain that sent chills down the spines of those who heard it.
"Well done, Metalynx! Follow up with Energy Ball!" Ash commanded.
"Stop it with Shadow Ball!" Rosalind countered.
The Mega Evolved Pokemon charged another emerald orb, this one bigger than the previous ones, and fired it at the Masquerade Pokemon, who launched a sphere of darkness in return. Both attacks met in the middle, but the Energy Ball proved to be the strongest of the two, overpowering the Shadow Ball and smashing against Dramsama, who screeched in pain again.
"Yes, keep going Metalynx! Night Slash!" Ash ordered.
"Dodge it!" Rosalind shouted.
As Metalynx pounced at the eldritch Psychic and Ghost-type Pokemon, the blade running across Metalynx's left arm was covered in a dark purple aura. She swung her darkness-coated blade at Dramsama, but the Masquerade Pokemon slid backwards just in time to dodge it.
"Now blast her away with Psychic!" Rosalind heatedly followed.
"Don't let it, Metalynx! Keep your ground!" Ash encouraged her.
Dramsama's eyes glowed pink, and so did Metalynx's whole body. However, before she could be lifted by her foe's telekinetic's powers, Metalynx dug her claws into the ground, anchoring herself. There was an invisible force trying to pull her into the air, but the steely feline resisted.
"Come on my powerful wraith, you can do it!" Rosalind encouraged her Pokemon.
The glow of Dramsama's eyes grew brighter, as did the aura around Metalynx. The air around the Armored Pokemon started to ripple as the psychic force intensified, but the Mega Evolved Pokemon resisted, as beads of sweat started to run down her head. And in the end, it was Dramsama who gave up to exhaustion first.
"Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.
"Dodge it!" Rosalind countered.
Once again, Dramsama's superior speed allowed it to avoid a swipe of Metalynx's glowing sword-like tail, sliding back to put some distance between it and the powerful feline.
"I have to admit, oh brave Knight, that your final champion is one mighty warrior. Few things are able to stand behind the power you're wielding right now," Rosalind began, as she slowly removed her mask, allowing Ash to see her face, the same face he had seen countless times sitting at the judge panel during Serena's contests. "But unfortunately for you, I have a power that can match yours."
Rosalind showed the reverse of the mask to Ash, and the raven haired teen saw a Keystone embedded on it. And as she did that, Dramsama moved one of its many tails to reveal a metallic clip with a Mega Stone grafted onto it.
"Let's go, my fearsome wraith! Shed the illusions of your trickery, drop your mask of deception! Let our bond bring your hidden power to the surface, reveal your true self!" Rosalind said, sounding like she was chanting some curse. "MEGA EVOLVE!"
Just like it happened with Ash and Metalynx, tendrils of light shot from the Mega Stone and the Keystone, linking to each other and merging into one, creating a connection between trainer and Pokemon that allowed Dramsama to evolve further and acquire a new, more powerful form. As usual, the Mega Evolution helix flashing for a second marked the end of the process.
"Behold, the true form of my wraith, who shall reap the souls of those who dare oppose me!" Rosalind cackled.
Dramsama had become even more eldritch-looking upon Mega Evolving. Its head was bigger and longer, now being half black and half white, like Rosalind's hair and costume. Its tails were not only longer – and continued unnervingly wriggling on their own, now even faster – but now they had also grown to the sides of its body, forming a pair of rudimentary arms.
"We'll see about that! Metalynx, Energy Ball!" Ash ordred.
"Counter with Psychic!" Rosailind replied.
Metalynx fired yet another orb of emerald light from her open jaws, just as Dramsama fired a telekinetic shockwave in the opposite direction. Ash could see how much stronger the attack was by how much the air rippled as it traveled forward. Both attacks met in the middle, and after a couple seconds of struggle the Psychic overpowered the Energy Ball, bursting it like a balloon and continuing unimpeded until it blasted Metalynx.
"Meeee...!" Metalynx whined, as she was pushed backwards.
"Come on Metalynx, get up! I know you're far from done!" Ash encouraged his Pokemon.
The Armored Pokemon looked at Ash nodded fiercely in agreement, before shooting Dramsama a burning glare.
"Your jungle feline is determined, I'll give you that," Rosalind said, smirking confidently. "But determination alone won't win you this battle! Shadow Ball!"
Dramsama fired a sphere of darkness at Metalynx, the attack noticeably bigger than it was before it Mega Evolved. Still, it didn't deter Ash. "Deflect it with Night Slash, and keep moving forward!"
Metalynx's body tensed as the blade that ran across her metallic arm was coated in swirling darkness, before launching herself forward. With a mighty swipe, she was able to slice the Shadow Ball in two, both halves disintegrating into nothing, as Metalynx continued forward.
"Now another Night Slash!" Ash said, throwing a punch forward.
"Dodge it!" Rosalind shouted.
Just as Metalynx swiped her darkened blade at the Masquerade Pokemon, Dramasama slid to the side, narrowly avoiding it.
"Follow up with Iron Tail!" Ash ordered.
Using her growing momentum, Metalynx spun around herself as her tail glowed with a silvery sheen, hitting Dramsama, who was unable to dodge this time around.
"Hypnosis!" Rosalind ordered.
"What!?" Ash shouted. Rosalind really caught him off guard by saving such an attack until now. "Metalynx, quickly, get away!"
Dramsama's eyes glowed an eerie yellow, as it sent psychic waves towards Metalynx. The Armored Pokemon began to softly growl as she fell asleep. However, the moment she did so, she whined in pain as a black smoky aura surrounded her, almost as if Metalynx was having a particularly bad nightmare.
"Metalynx, quickly, you need to get up!" Ash urged.
"You must have seen the Bad Dream ability before, given that you don't look that surprised by what's happening to your Pokemon," Rosalind observed. "Dramsama acquires such an ability in Illusion's place upon Mega Evolving."
Bad Dreams was an ability that passively harmed nearby Pokemon that were asleep. However, Ash believed that such ability only belonged to Darkrai. Just like with Zoroark and Illusion, it wasn't the case.
"I've encountered a Darkrai more than once in my journeys," Ash bitterly replied.
"I see. Well, my wraith is no Darkrai, but it's strong enough to finish your feline off," Rosalind said, just before her stare turned fierce. "Nightmare!"
A dark purple aura surrounded Dramsama, while ethereal black flames appeared around the sleeping Metalynx, the poor Armored Pokemon began trashing on her sleep as the Nightmare took hold.
"Metalynx, please, wake up!" Ash begged.
"Finish her off with Shadow Ball!" Rosalind's command was merciless.
Dramsama fired a sphere of shadows at the trashing Metalynx, resulting in an explosion of darkness followed by a black cloud. The fact that Ash couldn't hear his Pokemon trashing and growling wasn't a good sign. And indeed, once the smoke dispelled, Metalynx was lying on the ground, motionless, having returned to her base form.
"Metalynx is unable to battle! The winner is Dramsama!" Ash hear the referee say through his earpiece. The boy sighed, and returned his Pokemon. "Thank you, Metalynx. You did your best. Don't worry, Frosthra will finish the job."
…
"No! Metalynx lost!" Bonnie moaned, holding Pikachu and Dedenne close to her. "How could she have lost?"
"Rosalind is good. She's able to keep some of her best moves hidden until the time is right to catch her opponents off guard. Not many trainers can do that without crippling themselves," Clemont observed. "No wonder she's considered among Tandor's best leaders."
"At least Ash still has Frosthra..." Bonnie said.
"Pikaaaa..." Pikachu nodded, though there was worry in his voice for his trainer. Times like this is when the rodent lamented his predicament the most.
"Still, Frosthra took a few hits in his battle against Duplicat. While Dramsama isn't unharmed either, going against a Mega Evolved Pokemon on your own is no small task," Clemont said, looking at Rosalind's eldritch Pokemon. While Ash had been able to take down Mega Evolved Pokemon without using Mega Evolution or Greninja's Battle Bond, he had the advantage of numbers, which he lacked this time around. "Let's hope Ash can prevail..."
…
"And the brave Knight sends back his northern mystic. The very first champion who aided him in his righteous quest," Rosalind narrated. "He was at the beginning, and he's at the end. Kind of poetic, isn't it? Though, that won't be of much help against my fearsome wraith."
"That's what you think! Frosthra has more than enough energy left to beat you!" Ash boasted.
"Thra, fros!" Frosthra buzzed in agreement, though even Ash could tell that his voice lacked the energy from the beginning.
"Bold words, oh brave Knight. Let's see if you can back them up with actions," Rosalind said, as her mouth curved into a feral grin. "Hypnosis!"
"Protect!" Ash quickly replied.
Sleeping waves were sent in Frosthra's direction, however the Frost Moth Pokemon erected a green energy barrier in front of him to stop them.
"As expected. Catch him with Psychic!" Rosalind commanded.
Dramsama's eyes began to glow pink, as an aura of the same color glowed around Ash's Pokemon, who froze on the spot.
"Use String Shot before it can slam you against the ground!" Ash commanded. "Aim for the face!"
"Froooo!" Frosthra buzzed, as he fired several threads of sticky substance, all of them latching onto the eldritch Pokemon's face, leaving it temporarily blinded and stopping the attack.
"Yes! Well done, Frosthra! Follow up with Shadow Claw!" Ash encouraged.
As Dramsama removed the sticky substance from its face with its many tails Frosthra dashed forward, both front claws coated in ghostly energy.
"Aerial Ace!" Rosalind ordered.
Frosthra managed to strike first, delivering a swipe with his empowered claw. However, he was repaid in kind in the form of several of Dramsama's tails, now glowing white, slashing into him and driving him backwards.
"And Hypnosis again!" Rosalind quickly added.
"Protect!" Ash shouted just as quickly.
Dramsama tried to put Frosthra to sleep for the second time, but the result was the same as the first time around.
This seemed to amuse Rosalind, who chuckled at the sight. "What's wrong, oh brave Knight?" she asked in a teasing tone. "Are you afraid that if your ice mystic is put to sleep, he may never wake up again?"
"While I admit that I'm not the brightest bulb in the box, I do learn from experience. I won't let you make this fight a repeat of what you did to Metalynx," Ash retorted.
"Very well then. Why should I want to make you suffer in your dreams when I can cause just as much harm in the real world?" Rosalind shrugged. "Shadow Ball, my wraith!"
"Counter with Blizzard!" Ash replied.
The Masquerade Pokemon gathered dark power in the form of a large orb before firing it away, just as Frosthra began to flap her wings, producing a powerful cold wind with snow and ice shards. When the attacks collided, the Shadow Ball plowed through the Blizzard, much to Ash's shock, but the closer it got, the slower its advance was, until the ice storm stopped and destroyed it completely. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of the Ice-type move exhausting all its power.
"Hypnosis!" Rosalind ordered, seemingly undeterred in her attempts to put Frosthra to sleep.
"Protect!" Ash replied, gritting his teeth. Ash knew that if Frosthra was put to sleep, he wouldn't resist a Nightmare on top of Bad Dreams, hence he had saved Protect to fend off that attack alone, even if it left Frosthra open for other attacks. "Follow up with Signal Beam!"
"Frooooo!" Frosthra buzzed before firing a multicolored beam from his antennae.
"Dodge it and get close!" Rosalind ordered. "And use Shadow Ball!"
Dramsama gracefully slid aside to avoid the Bug-type move, before moving forward. It formed a sphere of ghostly energy without stopping its movement, firing it at Frosthra.
"Parry it with Shadow Claw!" Ash said, refusing to use Protect.
Frosthra delivered a swipe at the coming orb of darkness with his claw coated in the exact kind of energy, destroying it, but not without harming his claw a little.
"Now! Aerial Ace!" Rosalind commanded.
Dramsama reached Frosthra and delivered a powerful swipe with one of its arms made of tails, which were glowing a bright white. The super effective hit knocked Frosthra backwards, the poor insect crying in pain.
"Your ice mystic doesn't look so good, oh brave Knight," Rosalind observed. She was right, though, as the Bug and Ice-type Pokemon appeared to be on his last legs, with bruises across his body and even some cracks on his crystalline wings, and was having trouble hovering above the ground. "I'd say he will go down the next time my wraith lands a hit on him."
"Maybe. But it still looks way better than your Pokemon will look in a few seconds," Ash boasted confidently.
Rosalind shook her head and clicked her tongue in a chastising manner. "It's not wise to make threats you cannot carry-" Rosalind was saying, until it was interrupted by a soft crunching noise, sounding like ice being formed. She then noticed that the tails that formed Dramsama's right arm were now covered in frost. "...wait, what?"
And it didn't end there. The frost condensed into solid ice, as it continued to quickly spread around the Masquerade Pokemon's body, covering it in ice, leaving Dramsama completely frozen.
Ash wished he could take a picture of Rosalind's incredulous expression.
"It's frozen! But... how?"
"That's Frosthra's ability, Deep Freeze," Ash explained. "Frosthra has a chance to completely freeze a Pokemon that touches him, and yours did so with Aerial Ace, multiple times, might I add. It was a risky maneuver, especially since Frosthra wasn't at his one hundred percent, but sometimes you need to take risks in order to win."
"N-No! Dramsama, break out of the ice, quickly!" Rosalind urged.
"I don't think so! Frosthra, Blizzard!" Ash ordered.
Frosthra, feeling energized by a second wind brought by his enemy's sudden predicament, blew yet another gust of winter wind, piling more ice and frost on top of the already frozen Pokemon, ensuring that it wouldn't be able to break out of it anytime soon.
"Dramsama-"
"And now, Signal Beam!" Ash said, throwing a punch forward.
"Froooo...!" Frosthra buzzed, gathering the last bits of his strength for the move. "RA!"
The multicolored beam sailed through the air, blasting the iceberg Dramsama was encased in, sending chunks of ice flying everywhere and launching the Mega Evolved Pokemon backwards. The Masquerade Pokemon fell to the ground in front of Rosalind with a soft thud just before it returned to its base form.
Rosalind looked at her Pokemon with a dumbfounded expression. Dramsama remained there, immobile.
"Dramsama is unable to battle! The winner is Frosthra! And since Rosalind has no more Pokemon, the winner of the match is Ash!" Ash heard the referee hear through his earpiece.
It seemed that the voice of the referee snapped Rosalind from her stupor, as the woman sighed, her shoulders sagged as she returned her defeated Pokemon to its pokeball.
"And after a fierce battle, the last of the villainess' champions fell before the brave Knight and his equally bold companions," Rosalind narrated. "Alone and defeated, the villainess surrendered, and released the princess."
As soon as she said that, the cage where Serena was being kept was lowered until it touched the ground. With a snapping sound, the cage opened on its own, allowing Serena to get out.
"And once his quest was over and his princess was safe, the two of them returned to their land," Rosalind continued. He then looked at the duo and grinned savagely. "But alas, since the princess was not only his ruler, but also his lover, he rewarded his brave Knight... with a kiss."
While Rosalind's words caught Ash by surprise, Serena's expression hadn't changed. She looked at Ash, and smiled.
"What do you say, my brave knight? Will you accept your princess' reward?" she said, giggling a little.
Ash at first was a little awkward over kissing in front of a large audience, but he quickly nodded, and the two of them locked her lips into a passionate kiss.
The public erupted into a wild cheer and applauded. Ash could swear he could hear Bonnie's squeals above the roar of the public.
Frosthra then launched himself at Ash and Serena, hugging both of them with an arm each, and smearing frost over them.
"Fro, frosthra!" the insect happily buzzed.
"Thanks a lot, buddy. You did way more than I could have asked for," Ash told his Pokemon. He pulled Frosthra's pokeball and recalled him. "Take a good rest. After this match, you deserve it."
"And thus, our tale comes to an end," Rosalind said. She placed herself between Ash and Serena, grabbed them by their hands, and made them bow alongside her towards the public just as the curtains went down.
…
Once the curtains were finally down, Rosalind took Ash and Serena to what appeared to be a break room. Once there, she let out a sigh of exhaustion.
"Oh boy, what a battle! I knew you were going to be a challenge, but..." she huffed. "You almost made me break character, and I never break character until the curtains go down."
"Thank you. You were a tough nut to crack. No wonder you're among Tandor's greatest Gym Leaders, hehe," Ash chuckled. He then frowned a little at the thespian. "Though, what was that kiss at the end? Serena and I are a couple, but what if we weren't? It would have been very uncomfortable."
"Relax, Ash," Serena said, placing a reassuring hand on the raven haired teen's shoulder. "Rosalind came to see me before the battle and asked me if we were dating and if we'd be willing to kiss should you win your match. I said yes to both, though maybe I shouldn't have assumed that you'd be okay with kissing in front of so many people..."
"Eh, it's okay. If she at least asked about us before making us kiss, then I don't mind," Ash reassured her.
That moment, the door opened, and Clemont, Bonnie and Pikachu entered the room. Pikachu wasted no time and quickly climbed Ash and perched on his shoulder.
"Oh my goodness, it was so awesome!" Bonnie squealed, jumping up and down. "Such an amazing kiss! You have to do it again!"
"Bonnie, shouldn't we congratulate Ash for his victory instead?" Clemont asked a bit exasperatedly.
"Eh, I have seen Ash beating many Gym Leaders," Bonnie said in a deadpan tone before stars returned to her eyes. "But this is the first time I see Ash and Serena kiss! And with those outfits! It was SO ROMANTIC!"
"It's great to see somebody liking my artistic choices so much," Rosalind chuckled. "But your friend is right, the important part here is your victory over me. So now that the match is over, I should give you this," Rosalind said, pulling out a small object from one of her pockets. "For making me taste defeat, I give you the Drama Badge. Complimenti, ragazzo."
Ash accepted the badge. It was shaped like a mask, half black and half white, like the mask Rosalind had been wearing for most of the match.
"I won the Drama Badge!" Ash said, raising the badge above his head.
"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu cheered alongside him.
"Well, now that you defeated me, you have two choices: you can either go north towards Snowbank Town and challenge Vaeryn, or take a ship south to Tsukinami Island and challenge the Gym Leaders there," Rosalind told him.
"I think I'll go to Snowbank," Ash decided. "Since there's something I need to show to Vaeryn."
"Alright. Good luck against him, then," Rosalind said, before looking at Serena. "And guess I'll be seeing you at the Grand Festival. Don't be late, alright?"
"Don't worry, I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world," Serena reassured her.
…
By the time Ash and his friends left the theater, it was already nighttime.
"What a match," Ash huffed, before he let out a yawn. "Oh boy, I'm so spent! I think I'm going to bed early today."
"Pika..." Pikachu said, patting Ash on the head.
"Indeed. Rosalind has been quite the challenging adversary," Clemont commented. "And I have the feeling that the battle against Vaeryn will be more intense than that one-on-one you had after we met him for the first time..."
"Honestly, that only makes me more excited to face him!" Ash replied, before yawning again.
"Guess not excited enough to make up for all the energy you and your Pokemon spent today," Serena giggled.
"Hey, like I said-" Ash was about to reply, but he was interrupted by the beeping noise of his Pokegear. Wondering who could be calling him at this time, he looked at the caller ID, and raised an eyebrow. "Professor Sycamore...?"
That got everybody's attention.
Ash accepted the call, and the Kalosian professor's face appeared on the screen. He looked a little upset.
"Hello, Ash. Sorry for the late call. I'm aware it's nighttime on Tandor right now, but this is important," the black haired man began.
"Hello, professor," Ash replied. "And sure, if it's important, I don't mind what hour you call. Do you need anything from us?"
"It's... well," Sycamore sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe I'm overreacting but... well, I've been trying to contact Alain recently, but neither he nor Mairin are picking up their Holocasters."
"Oh..." was all Ash could answer.
"Are you afraid something might have happened to them?" Clemont asked.
"Oh, no! I'm sure it's nothing! Maybe they're somewhere with no connectivity, or maybe their Holocasters broke, or something like that," Sycamore tried to downplay. "Still, I can't help but feel a little worried. We last talked a couple days ago, and Alain told me that you guys met him, right?"
"Yes. He and Ash even had a friendly spar," Serena interceded.
"Alain is one of the strongest trainers there is. I'm sure that he's okay, professor," Ash confidently stated.
"Yeah, I know. Though... if you run into him again, tell him to call me as soon as he can, okay?" Sycamore asked.
"Sure thing, professor!" Ash said.
The call ended, and the group of four continued their walk towards the Pokemon Center.
And despite Ash's words, they couldn't help but feel a little worried over Alain and Mairin.
Author's Note: And thus, Ash wins his sixth badge! Was there ever any doubt? XD
I'm gald I had the chance to finally showcase Frosthra's ability, since I think it's one of the coolest (pun totally intended) new abilities introduced in Pokemon Uranium. While 30% chance to freeze on contact might seem like a lot, it is balanced by the fact that Frosthra isn't exactly a tanky Pokemon.
Kudos to hirowriter who guessed that the match/play would end with Ash and Serena sharing a kiss in front of the audience, much to Bonnie's delight.
Now, we say goodbye to Venesi City, but only for the time being, since we will be back to see Serena compete at the Grand Festival.
Look at that, it seems, like Sycamore hasn't been able to contact Alain and Mairin for some time, and it's starting to get kind of worried. But hey, I'm sure that they're both fine and his worries are unfounded ;)
Thanks a lot to 61394, Fox McCloude, Lipeghoul, Guest, MarkusDarkus87, MegaSalamence64 and hirowriter for reviewing last chapter, and special thanks to my betareader Viroro-kun, whose edits and suggestions made this chapter so much better.
Next time, the conflict between Serena and Oblivicorn finally reaches its boiling point. Until then, make sure you leave a review for this chapter with your thoughts and opinions.