Chapter Fifty-Eight: Hot, Hotter, Hottest
Serena didn't really listen to the cheers of the audience. Instead, she ran over to Pangoro and said, "Great job, Pangoro! That was an awesome performance."
("Thanks,") Pangoro said with a slightly awkward grin. ("Now let's hope it was good enough; Mamoswine was insanely cool too.")
Serena nodded and she walked over to Dawn, who'd been praising Mamoswine. The two of them shared a high five and Dawn said, "I don't envy the judges right now. I have no idea who won."
Serena shook her head. "Me neither. It was a lot of fun, though, no matter what," she said with a smile.
Dawn smiled back and nodded. "Yeah!"
"And once again, we reach the end of a thrilling match!" Nikolaos said, and Serena felt her heart beating in her throat when she looked up at the judges. "As ever, we now go to our judges to see which of these incredible Artisans will move on to the final. Nurse Joy, your vote, please!"
Serena breathed deeply. She was on green side this time, so if the table turned green…
But Nurse Joy's table turned red instead, and Serena winced and clenched her fists.
"Come on…" she muttered, while she heard Dawn breathe a sigh of relief next to her.
"Next, Gym Leader Blaine!"
Again, Serena's heart began to beat faster — and this time, she was the one who got to breathe a sigh of relief, as Blaine's table turned green.
Serena and Dawn exchanged a look and gave each other strained grins, neither girl able to hide her nerves.
"A split decision, then!" Nikolaos said. "And rightfully so, given how close these two competitors were! So now, it falls to me to break the tie, and my vote will be…"
He paused for dramatic effect, and Serena heard Dawn mutter, "Just hurry it up…" in a voice so impatient it made her giggle despite the tense moment. But then, after what felt like an eternity, Nikolaos's table finally lit up red.
Serena sighed and she felt a momentary stab of envy, but then Dawn pulled her into a hug and said, "That was a great match, Serena, thank you."
In spite of her frustration at losing, Serena returned the hug and said, "Thank you too. You've earned it."
"And with that, Artisan Dawn will advance to the finals, while Artisan Serena will have to settle for bronze this time!" Nikolaos said, drawing Serena's attention back to the judges. "Some parting words from our judges for our beaten Artisan, then!"
He looked at Nurse Joy, who nodded and said, "This was a very tough semifinal for me to call. Both Pokémon displayed fantastic skill, both in setting up their own moves and utilizing those of their opponent. What pushed me to vote for Mamoswine, in the end, was his finesse. While both Pangoro and Mamoswine are large, powerful Pokémon, Pangoro remains more dexterous in build, making Mamoswine's actions all the more impressive to me. That was ultimately the deciding factor in my choice, and not anything Artisan Serena did wrong."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. Gym Leader Blaine, then," Nikolaos said.
"I have been following the Exposition Circuit from the start, knowing I would be judging in this competition," Blaine said. "I have therefore seen the stages of the journey Artisan Serena has undertaken to be here today, including the events of the Fuchsia Exposition."
Serena shifted uncomfortably, even though Blaine had voted for her.
"That exposition was, let's not mince words, a disaster. Her Pangoro was newly evolved and not yet adjusted to it in either mind or body."
Serena felt more uncomfortable by the second. Couldn't Blaine bring up anything from today's performance? Wasn't that what he was supposed to have been judging in the first place? Next to her, Pangoro was getting a bit fidgety as well.
"But the contrast between that Exposition and this one could therefore not have been greater," Blaine went on. "Pangoro seems to have recovered all of his former agility, and he even appears to have added to it. Not only that, he retains his masterful control over all of his moves while performing these feats of strength and acrobatics. While both Pokémon gave it their all, Pangoro's and Serena's superb recovery from what happened last time gave them the edge in this match, in my opinion."
Now, Serena's uneasy feeling was replaced by gratitude, and from the corner of her eye she saw Pangoro standing up straighter as well at the praise. She nudged his arm and smiled at him, and his answering smile was a bit watery. He quickly put his sunglasses back on and returned his gaze to Nikolaos. Serena did the same.
"Thank you, Gym Leader Blaine. As for myself… I agree with my colleagues that this was once again a close match, one that makes me feel privileged to have seen it, and to be allowed to judge it. By and large, many of my feelings have already been voiced, so I will stick to what hasn't been said already. Nevertheless, my reasoning is quite similar to Gym Leader Blaine's. Like him, I too have, of course, followed all the Expositions intently. Artisan Serena has competed in every single one to date, and has performed admirably in all of them. Artisan Dawn, by contrast, has only entered three competitions, counting this very one, and yet she has once again shown incredible skill at adapting from the Contest environment to the Exposition one. It is that adaptability which makes me vote for her today, more than any one thing from the performance itself, which was stellar on both sides. I, for one, am very interested to see how this particular matchup will play out at the Grand Expo."
Serena bowed to the judges, and under the still-ongoing cheers of the audience, she and Dawn made their way backstage.
"Man, this might as well have been the final for how tense that was," Dawn said.
Serena nodded. "Yeah." She frowned and went on, "You'll be facing Erin next, so be careful. She's got some tricks."
Dawn shrugged. "No need to worry. Piplup and I can deal with anything. Besides, I'm curious to see what it's like to compete against her. From what I've seen of her before, I wasn't too impressed, honestly."
Serena shook her head. "I'm not, either. Her whole plan is to disrupt your moves enough that her performance will look better by comparison. On its own it's not really that special," she said.
Dawn grinned. "Well, then it'll be a piece of cake for me. I'm used to my opponents attacking me, so some mind games aren't going to cut it."
"Be on your guard anyway," Serena said uncomfortably.
"I will," Dawn promised. She grinned. "Just watch me."
She raised her hand in greeting and went back to her own Pokémon, while Serena rejoined Delphox, Sylveon, and Mismagius.
("Great performance, both of you,") Delphox said.
("It looked like a fun match,") Sylveon said with a smile.
("You were awesome,") Misdreavus said, nuzzling Pangoro at the same time, even though she was addressing both him and Serena at once.
Pangoro smiled at her and then looked at Sylveon. ("Sorry,") he said. ("Now you won't get to compete in the final…")
Sylveon smiled brightly at him and said, ("Don't worry about it! You did your best, right? I had fun today, that's all that matters to me.")
Pangoro smiled at her a bit uneasily, and Serena put her hand on his back and said, "You really did a fantastic job, Pangoro. It was ridiculously close."
Pangoro grimaced at her and said, ("I know, it's just… I hate losing. I'm…I'm angry that I lost, and it's really hard to stay calm…")
("You're managing it really well, though,") Mismagius said. ("I can feel that you're working hard to keep yourself under control, and after working so hard already…I'm proud of you.")
Pangoro gave a shy grin and looked away. ("Y-yeah, I guess I am pretty cool, huh?") he said.
("The coolest,") Mismagius assured him, before smiling at Serena, who smiled back.
Even though she'd lost in the semifinal again, it felt completely different from last time. Sure, she was sad she lost, but her overall feeling was one of happiness, happiness that she'd competed and been able to do her best. And Pangoro, despite his own worries, hadn't shown his difficulties at keeping his temper under control at all. Things couldn't be more different, just like Blaine had said.
She looked up at the monitors and saw that the final was about to begin, Dawn against Erin. Despite Dawn's confidence, Serena couldn't help but worry about what would happen. She and her Pokémon watched as Dawn and Erin made their way onto the field, Dawn using Piplup, and Erin once again going with Sylveon.
("That's a familiar matchup,") Delphox said with a small smile.
("Hopefully it'll end the same way, too,") Pangoro said. ("Uh, no offense, Sylveon,") he added quickly.
Sylveon giggled and said, ("I'll forgive you. I want Dawn to win as well.")
("Oh, that's right, you faced Piplup before, right?") Mismagius asked.
Sylveon nodded. ("Back in Cerulean City. It was a fun dance,") she said.
Dawn and Erin had taken up their positions, and when Nikolaos called on them to begin, Serena once again felt her heartrate starting to climb, even though she wasn't the one competing.
It soon turned out, however, that there really was no need to worry. Erin's Sylveon tried all kinds of tricks to break Piplup's concentration, but despite his diminutive stature, Piplup was entirely unfazed. Additionally, Dawn was clearly allowing him to show his spiteful side, as he began to employ the same kinds of disruptive tricks against Sylveon, firing attacks in his direction that only barely missed. Even when Sylveon began to act as if he was going to deliberately get himself hit in order to get Dawn disqualified, Piplup merely smiled cockily before attacking the arena floor with tremendous power, almost as if to say, "You want to get hit by this? Be my guest and try."
("You know, it's at moments like these I remember that Dawn and Ash have traveled together, and that she is as insane as he is,") Pangoro said with a slightly awestruck expression at Piplup's supreme lack of…something impolite to give.
Serena laughed, in agreement, relief, and simple enjoyment at Erin's incredulous expression as her own tactics were being turned against her. When Nikolaos called time, it was obvious who had won the Exposition, and indeed, the judges unanimously voted for Dawn.
When Dawn shook Erin's hand, she was smiling politely, but even on the screen Serena could see the smug confidence behind the veneer of politeness, and she was glad that she and Dawn were friends and not enemies.
("That was impressive, and also a little scary,") Mismagius said, perfectly summing it up. ("I can feel Erin's anger from here, by the way,") she added with a grin.
"Is it tasty?" Serena asked.
Mismagius blinked, taken aback by the question, but then she giggled and her necklace briefly glowed.
("Not as good as fear, but I think I can learn to appreciate this particular flavor…")
Serena laughed, followed quickly by Pangoro, and a moment later the other Pokémon as well. They probably looked really stupid, laughing like that, but at that moment, all Serena's misgivings at having lost the semifinals melted away.
After a festive dinner with Ash and Dawn, during which Piplup was bragging continuously about his gold medal, Serena had a fantastic night's sleep, and during breakfast her good mood still persisted. Ash and Pikachu as well were fired up, because today they'd finally challenge Blaine again.
("I want the first round,") Pikachu said. ("I know you're going to use Charizard and Suicune as well, but I've got something to settle with Blaine too.")
Ash grinned and said, "It's all yours, buddy. I wonder if he'll use Rhydon again, or if he'll open with one of his other Pokémon."
"You'd better give us a good show, Ash," Dawn said. She'd be coming along to watch the Gym battle as well. "After all, we gave you an amazing show yesterday as well."
"Of course I will," Ash said confidently.
"Good. Better look cool for your girlfriend, right?" Dawn said with a wink at Serena.
Ash immediately turned bright red, and Serena felt her own face heating up as well. "Y-yeah," Ash stammered, and Dawn laughed while Pikachu sighed and shook his head at Ash's change in demeanor.
("So confident in battles, but he falls apart when the word 'girlfriend' is mentioned even now,") he lamented.
"You just wait until you get a girlfriend too," Ash grumbled.
("That might take a while,") Pikachu said with a shrug. ("I'm like the anti-Brock.")
"Guess you're Ash's ace in more sense than one, huh?" Dawn asked with a smirk.
Pikachu blinked and then chuckled when he realized what Dawn meant. ("Who knows?") he said.
Ash, however, looked completely lost at the exchange and Serena giggled at his expression.
Dawn noticed as well and said, "We'll tell you when you're older."
"I'm older than you!" Ash protested.
"Clearly not mentally," Dawn said with a shrug.
Ash gave an exasperated sigh and said, "Well, whatever! Let's go and win that badge!"
Before anyone could reply, he'd already gotten up, and Pikachu quickly jumped onto his shoulder.
Dawn and Serena exchanged a glance and broke down laughing, before getting up as well and following Ash out.
Ash led them through the city and into what looked like a hotel, where he briefly talked to the person behind the reception desk, who nodded and beckoned him, Serena, and Dawn to follow him.
The attendant led them past the hotel's own hot springs and into a tunnel, which extended into the volcano, before heading back to the reception while Ash, Serena, and Dawn set off through the tunnel.
"You need to ask the attendant where the Gym is?" Dawn asked.
Ash shook his head. "Not exactly. The first time we were here, Misty found it by accident. Finding the Gym was something of a challenge Blaine had come up with. Since I already knew where it was, though, I just asked if it was still here and that I wanted to challenge Blaine again."
("I guess that means he fixed the original battlefield, then,") Pikachu remarked.
"Well, it's been a couple of years since then; he's had more than enough time," Ash said.
As they walked through the tunnel, the temperature gradually rose. It made sense, since they were heading into a volcano, but soon it was hot enough to be uncomfortable.
"Ash, if we spontaneously combust, I'm not going to watch any of your other matches, you hear?" Dawn said. Piplup said nothing and was clearly trying not to show his own discomfort, but Serena could see he was sweating bullets.
"It'll be fine," Ash said, waving Dawn away. "We didn't die the first time, either."
"That's because you're as dense as lead, and that doesn't melt easily," Dawn said. Then she cocked her head and asked, "Or does it? I don't know, actually…"
"Now who's the dense one?" Ash asked over his shoulder.
Pikachu laughed and Dawn sputtered for a moment, but then she chuckled and said, "Okay, you got me."
Serena smiled at the exchange, even though the temperature was now really beginning to bother her. Fortunately, there was a reddish glow up ahead that seemed to indicate they were nearly at the end of the tunnel.
Soon, they emerged onto a ridge, where the heat spiked even more. In Dawn's arms, Piplup put on an expression of what Serena assumed was supposed to be stoic endurance, but which looked more like he'd lost all will to live.
Ahead of them was a battle court, suspended from thick metal cables above what seemed to be the crater itself, and connected to the ridge they were on by a narrow, grated bridge. Though Serena couldn't see the actual magma from the angle she was at, the glow clearly reflected off the walls.
"Welcome, Ash from Pallet Town," a voice to their left said, and when Serena turned to look at it she recognized Blaine, who seemed entirely unperturbed by the immense heat.
"And welcome to you as well, Dawn and Serena," Blaine added, with a small nod in their directions. He turned back to Ash and said, "It has been years since we last battled, and now I gather you're here to challenge me again."
Ash nodded. "I am," he said. "I'm challenging all the Gyms again to prove to myself how much stronger I've gotten."
Blaine gave a single nod. "A noble cause," he said. "And I will gladly accept your challenge."
He gestured at the battlefield with his head. "The court itself has a forcefield underneath it, so your Pokémon won't get burned from standing on it, but as you can feel, the heat is intense. Can you take it?"
"I've never backed down from a challenge and I'm not about to start now," Ash said confidently, and Blaine grinned in appreciation.
"Excellent!" he said. "I love that kind of fire in a Trainer!"
He looked at Serena and Dawn and pointed at a door further down the ridge. It was only now that Serena noticed that a thick glass window extended along that side of the battlefield.
"That room is kept at a reasonable temperature. The heat is for the battlers to experience, not the audience. You won't be able to cheer your friend on because the glass is too thick, but I believe that in the heart of the volcano, the Trainers and their Pokémon are on their own. You can hear us, however; heat-proof microphones have been installed in the court to add to the viewing pleasure."
"Wow, you've really rebuilt this place better than ever, huh?" Ash asked with an impressed look around.
"Indeed I have. The hotel is surprisingly profitable, so I was able to afford it," Blaine said. "I guess there is something good about all these tourists… Now! Are you ready to go to the limits of your body?"
Ash nodded. "I am!"
"Then follow me onto the court! Ladies, enjoy the spectacle, and allow me to demonstrate my own Showoff Round to you," Blaine said.
Serena and Dawn walked down the ridge, and as soon as they had passed the double steel sliding door, Serena breathed a sigh of relief. While the room was still probably much warmer than a normal room would be, after the searing heat of the volcano it felt pleasantly cool.
Dawn likewise spread her arms and said, "I will never underestimate being cool ever again."
("It wasn't that bad,") Piplup said, attempting to sound casual despite his croaking voice.
"Says the Pokémon sounding like he gargled sand for fifteen hours," Dawn said.
Serena called out her own Pokémon, all of whom instantly groaned at being released into the heat, except for Delphox, who seemed perfectly at ease.
("I love watching Ash battle, but my fur is too thick for this,") Pangoro said.
("I'm already dead. Cremating me like this is overkill,") Mismagius added.
("I hope Ash wins quickly,") Sylveon said, her voice much flatter than usual.
("I do not believe I have ever been this uncomfortable,") Absol said in his typical formal way.
("It's kind of chilly in here, I wonder if we can turn the heat up a bit,") Delphox said, clearly immensely enjoying her teammates' discomfort.
Dawn had also released her Pokémon to watch the fight, and Quilava said something to Delphox, who shrugged and replied, ("They're just not used to anything, are they?")
Serena and Dawn exchanged a grin, and then focused on the battlefield, where the referee — where had he come from? — had just finished explaining the rules.
"Well then, Ash, let us begin our battle! May the best Trainer win! Ninetales, come out!" Blaine said, and Ninetales appeared on the battlefield, fanning his nine tails out wide.
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and faced Ninetales down for a second, before Ash yelled, "Quick Attack, go!"
"Make him feel the heat, Ninetales, Will-O-Wisp!"
Pikachu dashed forward, while a ghostly, purple ball of fire appeared at the tip of each of Ninetales's tails, which he lazily sent forward in a spread pattern.
"Dodge those flames, Pikachu!"
Pikachu easily zigzagged between the balls of fire and smashed into Ninetales, who skidded back a short distance.
"Nice moves, Ash, but how will you do without that speed? Disable, Ninetales!"
Ninetales's eyes glowed red, and for a brief moment, a similar red glow appeared around Pikachu, who stumbled momentarily but seemed otherwise unaffected.
"Now, Will-O-Wisp again!"
Again, Ninetales conjured up purple flames at the tip of his tails and fired them at Pikachu in a loose wave, and with his Quick Attack disabled, Pikachu wouldn't be able to dodge them this time.
Ash, however, didn't seem troubled in the least. "Thunderbolt, arc it through the flames!"
Pikachu leapt up and fired off a wide arc of lightning, which punched clean through Ninetales's attack, but before it connected with Ninetales himself, Blaine yelled, "Quick Attack, Ninetales!"
Now it was Ninetales's turn to blur forward and slam into Pikachu at high speed, but even as Pikachu flew through the air, Ash yelled, "Electro Ball!"
"Counter with Flamethrower!"
Pikachu made a backflip and launched his Electro Ball at the same moment as Ninetales opened his mouth to fire off an impressive Flamethrower, and the attacks met in the middle of the arena, causing a massive explosion.
Before the dust had even cleared, Blaine already yelled, "Quick Attack!"
In response, Ash shouted, "Iron Tail!"
("A Steel-type move isn't going to do much to a Fire-type like Ninetales,") Delphox said grimly.
"It wouldn't be Ash if he didn't have some kind of plan," Dawn replied without taking her eyes off the battle.
Serena just nodded, hoping that Dawn was right. In the cloud of smoke, she saw Pikachu's tail beginning to glow, but she had no idea where Ninetales was.
Pikachu apparently did, though, because Serena saw his glowing tail being slammed down forcefully, and at the same moment Ash yelled, "Thunderbolt, now!"
There was another small explosion, and when the dust cleared, Pikachu was still standing, albeit very much worse for wear, while Ninetales lay unconscious at his own end of the battlefield.
"Ninetales is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"
Blaine recalled Ninetales and grinned widely at Ash. "Well done, Ash. It's plain to see that you have improved since we last fought. Then now, let's see how you fare against another old friend. Magmortar, it's your turn!"
Magmortar appeared in a flash of light, announcing his presence by firing off a dual Flamethrower into the air from his arms.
Ash grinned as well, mirroring Blaine's expression, and he said, "Pikachu, return! Charizard, I choose you!"
Pikachu bounded back to Ash and leapt onto his shoulder, while Charizard appeared on the battlefield. As if he'd seen Magmortar's fiery entrance, he shot a massive Flamethrower of his own straight up, even more intense than Magmortar's double blast had been.
He smirked and flared his wings, and Pangoro said, ("I don't often say this, but I'm so happy I don't have to fight him.")
"You train with him now, don't you?" Serena asked.
Pangoro nodded. ("Yeah, that's why I can say with confidence that if Charizard looks at you like that, you run.")
("What about Pikachu?") Delphox asked.
Pangoro shook his head. ("All of Ash's Pokémon are monsters, but Charizard is vicious in a way none of the others are when he gets serious.")
"Then you haven't met Infernape yet," Dawn said. "That guy is something else. When his Blaze activates, you don't want to be around. I wonder who'd win between him and Charizard, to be honest."
"Let's see how Charizard does here, first," Serena said, and not a moment too soon, because with Magmortar's and Charizard's introductions over, the battle began.
"Flamethrower, Magmortar!"
"You too, Charizard!"
Magmortar pointed his arms at Charizard, who inhaled deeply, and the two Pokémon fired off their attacks at the same moment. The blasts of flame met in the center of the court and created a veritable wall of fire, exactly on the middle line of the field. Neither of them seemed to want to yield as much as a hair's breadth to the other.
("This is insane,") Delphox said, her expression awestruck. ("Charizard shouldn't be able to keep up with Magmortar's firepower.")
("Tell that to him,") Pangoro said with a grin.
Magmortar and Charizard both gave a final push with their Flamethrowers, their smirks perfectly mirroring those of their Trainers, both of whom seemed to be having the time of their lives.
"Impressive, Ash! But if raw firepower isn't the answer, then let's try something else! Brick Break!"
Magmortar moved forward with surprising speed, his right arm glowing.
"Into the air, Charizard, and use Wing Attack!"
Charizard beat his wings and took off, causing Magmortar's attack to miss. In the same moment his wings began to glow and he hit Magmortar on his exposed back.
"Great job, Charizard, keep going!"
"Don't relent, Magmortar!"
Now both of Magmortar's arms began to glow, and he and Charizard engaged in brawl. Unlike the Flamethrower duel, though, in this fight Charizard seemed to have a clear upper hand, and he was driving Magmortar back across the battlefield.
"A change of plans, then! Thunderbolt, Magmortar!"
Blaine yelled, and before Charizard could back off, Magmortar had already fired off a Thunderbolt from point-blank range, sending Charizard skidding across the battlefield — but though he was clearly hurt, he wasn't out yet and quickly scrambled back to his feet.
He quickly looked over his shoulder and shot a grin at Pikachu as if to say, "You hit harder than that," and then looked forward again.
"Thunderbolt again, Magmortar, finish it!"
"Dragon Breath, Charizard!"
Magmortar fired off another Thunderbolt, but this time it was met by a massive jet of green flame, and the two attacks caused yet another explosion.
"Dragon Breath again!"
Ash yelled immediately, and another jet of green fire cut across the battlefield before Magmortar could react.
To Serena's immense surprise, however, Magmortar was still standing, and Blaine said, "Good job resisting that, Magmortar, now use Fire Blast!"
"Okay, Charizard, put everything into this one! Overheat!"
("Why do they insist on fighting fire with fire?") Delphox wondered idly as both Magmortar and Charizard fired their attacks.
Magmortar's Fire Blast was bigger than even Delphox's and he shot before Charizard did, but just when Serena thought Charizard would be too late, he launched his Overheat. It was white-hot and so bright it was almost painful to look at, and it punched through Magmortar's Fire Blast, dissipating it and slamming into Magmortar's body with full power, engulfing him in the flames.
The flames died out, and Magmortar was still standing…but then he fell over backwards and the referee said, "Magmortar is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"
Charizard roared defiantly, but then he sagged down onto one knee, his injuries finally catching up with him.
"Great job, Charizard, you did it!" Ash yelled, and despite his fatigue, Charizard gave him a thumbs-up.
"Charizard must have been pushed into Blaze by that Thunderbolt," Dawn said. "Now I really want to see him fight Infernape. You could probably sell tickets to that match…"
"What a fantastic battle!" Blaine yelled. "This is really making my blood boil! Well then, I guess I'm down to my final Pokémon. Let's see if he can turn the tide for me! Arcanine, it's time!"
Arcanine appeared with a roar, imperiously staring at Ash, who had by now recalled Charizard to give him some rest.
"Arcanine, huh?" he said. "That's a strong Pokémon for sure. A friend of mine has one, too."
He smiled. "It's called the Legendary Pokémon, isn't it? Then you surely won't mind if I bring out a legendary Pokémon of my own. Suicune, I choose you!"
Next to Serena, Absol immediately straightened up when Suicune appeared on the battlefield. Suicune's expression was bloodthirsty and eager, and Serena smiled at how well that personality fit in with the rest of Ash's team.
Blaine laughed and said, "You are always full of surprises, aren't you? But legendary or not, Arcanine isn't going to go down without a fight! Extreme Speed!"
Arcanine blurred into motion so fast that Serena couldn't even follow it. Even the earlier Quick Attacks from Pikachu and Ninetales seemed to be slow in comparison — but Suicune simply jumped to the side, and when Arcanine materialized directly behind where Suicune had been standing a split second earlier, Suicune gave him a cocky smirk, while Arcanine narrowed his eyes and growled.
"How did he even see that coming?" Serena asked in amazement.
("While Extreme Speed is faster than even Quick Attack, it has the drawback of following a more simplistic trajectory,") Absol said. ("Lord Suicune heard the command and could begin his dodge before Arcanine actually moved. Had this been a battle in the wild, he would not have been able to react in time.")
Serena nodded slowly and focused on the match again.
"Great dodge, Suicune, now use Crunch!" Ash yelled.
"Use Crunch as well, Arcanine!"
("Another mirror match?") Delphox asked with a sigh, but despite her supposed misgivings she couldn't look away.
Suicune and Arcanine leapt at each other, their fangs glowing white as they tried to sink their teeth into each other, and they were soon moving all around the battlefield, trying to be the first to hit cleanly, but then Blaine broke the stalemate by shouting, "Arcanine! Distance and Flamethrower!"
Arcanine disengaged and inhaled, but Ash reacted quickly and yelled, "Mirror Coat, Suicune!"
A shimmering wall appeared in front of Suicune just before the Flamethrower hit, and the attack was bounced back at Arcanine without leaving a scratch, but rather than recoiling in pain, the flames simply seemed to be absorbed by Arcanine's body instead.
"Good reflexes, but you've just activated Arcanine's Flash Fire, making him even more dangerous! Show it off, Arcanine, Flare Blitz!" Blaine shouted.
"Then we'll just need to end this battle quickly! Suicune, Surf!" Ash countered.
Arcanine cloaked himself in fire and dashed forward at incredible speed, but Suicune managed to summon a tremendous wall of water despite the insane heat of the volcano, and he didn't stop at just a single one, calling up another as soon as he'd fired off the first one, and then a third for good measure.
The first wall doused Arcanine's flames, the second stopped his movement, and the third forced him back, slamming him into the floor of the arena and knocking him out cold.
"Arcanine is unable to battle! Suicune is the winner, and therefore victory goes to Ash from Pallet Town!" the referee announced, and Ash shouted, "Yes! Great job, Suicune, fantastic fight!"
("Intriguing,") Absol said. ("Lord Suicune could have ended the fight with that immediately, but Ash chose to allow him to have some fun instead. I believe I now understand why Lord Suicune was so eager to join forces with Ash. Their mentalities complement one another.")
"They're both battle-crazy showoffs, you mean," Dawn said with a grin.
("I would not feel comfortable saying something so disrespectful about Lord Suicune,") Absol said.
"I feel so alive! It's great to have such a thrilling battle again!" Suicune shouted. "When is the next important battle? When can I face my next powerful opponent?" he asked, turning to Ash, who laughed.
"Soon enough. My next Gym battle is in Viridian City, and after that it's the Pokémon League. You'll get plenty of battles yet, Suicune."
"Like I said, battle-crazy showoff," Dawn said with a grin.
Serena smiled fondly as Blaine handed Ash his Volcano Badge and held it out for her and Dawn to see. He was definitely a battle-crazy showoff, as were all his Pokémon…and Serena wouldn't want it any other way.
Cries of pain emanated from behind the unmarked door in the secondary laboratory. Giovanni barely spared it a glance before returning to his reports. The secondary lab was not quite as well-equipped as the main one, but Mewtwo's sudden appearance there had made it clear that a temporary move would be prudent.
Of course, there was no guarantee that Mewtwo wasn't also aware of this location — though none of the binders detailing the Mewtwo project had been connected to this particular facility — but this experiment was too important to let it be interrupted by a meddlesome Pokémon.
There was another pained scream, and Giovanni idly wondered if all of Lucius's assurances that things were going smoothly might not have been just a tad exaggerated, but the Doctor knew the price of failure. If the schedule Lucius had given Giovanni was correct, everything would be ready exactly on time for the festivities at the Indigo Plateau, providing the perfect testing grounds for the project.
Yet another shriek filled the air and Giovanni sighed. Perhaps he should order Doctor Lucius to make some noise-canceling earplugs…
It's been a while yet again, but at least the chapter's of a decent length. Pokémon is where my fanfic journey began, and even now it's just the most comfortable fandom to write for. I just love these characters and this universe so much.
Anyway, as usual I have a couple of notes. First, Pikachu's remark about being ace. I'm fairly certain that this, like the 'Pikachu doesn't fight Misty' thing from earlier in the story, has probably been disproven somewhere in the anime. For the purposes of this fic, though, Pikachu has never been in love or had a crush. Whether or not he's really ace, I haven't really decided yet. He might be, but I might also someday decide to give him a crush. I doubt it, though.
Then, the melting temperature of lead. Lead actually has a really low melting temperature of only 327.5 degrees Celsius (621.5 Fahrenheit). By comparison, the melting temperature of steel is around 1205 degrees Celsius (2200 Fahrenheit). I just liked the stupid joke too much not to make it, and that somehow made it even better.
I'm also sorry for sleeping on Infernape a bit in this fic. I admit to being a filthy casual who likes Charizard a lot, but I'll be using Infernape at least a bit during the remainder of the fic because he deserves the attention. I also want to give Torterra at least a few fights.
Lastly, Mirror Coat and Flash Fire. I'm pretty sure that in the game, an attack reflected by Mirror Coat doesn't trigger Flash Fire. Mirror Coat also doesn't negate damage like it does here. I'm working with an unholy hybrid of anime and game logic in this fic, though, so I'll be using the interpretation of moves I think would be coolest, regardless of whether the move has ever been shown working in exactly that way in either the anime or the games.
So there we go, a fairly long note for a fairly long chapter. As always, feel free to let me know what you think, good or bad, and see you in the next one!