Chapter 29: Preliminaries (5)

The Preliminaries (Day 2)

Ash had called out his Pokémon in the nearby woods where he was staying. Apparently, the PokéCentre was full due to booked rooms from some of the earlier participants of the Grand League as well as visitors/spectators waiting for the main event to start.

Gary and Blue were quick enough to already do so since they had arrived at Indigo Plateau a week prior. Ash, however, arrived on the day the Preliminaries started, meaning he would have to camp outdoors until he earned the right to participate in the main event.

The 16 Trainers of the main event would have access to a whole room for themselves and would stay for the entire duration of the Grand League. Regardless, if they had lost or not.

"Alrighty, let's get hyped guys!" Ash announced to his rambunctious Pokémon.

"First, well done to Pikachu and Lapras. Thanks to you guys, we're through to Round 2," he began.

"It's been a year since I've set out from Pallet Town. Looking back on everything we've been through; we've always given everything 100% in whatever we did."

"So, let's keep that up and give everything we've got in our battles!"

The raven-haired boy then clutched his locket and put out that fist towards his Pokémon.

"For our dreams! Let's do this!"

And the Pokémon cheered by fist bumping their Trainer, now more motivated than ever.

"We're gonna make them remember us!" Ash continued to declare; his tension was through the roof.

"We're gunning for the top. Higher than the Elite Four! Higher than the Champion!"

"The Pokémon Master!"

With that, morale of Ash's team soared even higher.

Beep! Beep!

Ash's Pass pinged. His next match had been decided.

"Let's go, guys!"

The battles raged on.

Trainers from all around the world fought to be the chosen 12.

Kanto. Johto. Hoenn. Sinnoh. Unova. Kalos. Alola. Galar. And many others.

That was how renowned the Indigo Grand League was.

Pokémon never before seen. Common or rare, it did not matter.

What they all had in common was their strength. Not a single one was weak.

The strong gathered and fight their way to the top.

Dreams and goals. Everyone had their motivations. But…

One loss was all it took.

There was no room for error.

Preliminaries Final Day

"Hurry up, Ash!" Misty cried out, pulling Ash to their destination by hand.

"Slow down, Misty. I've to check up on Blue," the raven-haired boy said, bewildered by the Gym Leader's attitude.

"She's already passed the Prelims. It's this next one we have to go to," Misty answered back.

"It's…"

B-01 MATCH 24: GREEN VS VOLKNER

"Your friend, Green!"

An enormous red canine was battling against a smaller yellow one.

The battle was now 2 to 1, Gary winning by a large margin. Only having used Arcanine the entire match.

"Red!" a voice called out behind Ash.

"Blue!"

"I passed! What about…"

"My last match is right after this. Congrats by the way!"

Suddenly, a concentrated beam of electric shot towards Arcanine. The attack brought everyone present to attention.

"Jolteon, [Charge Beam]!"

Gary looked annoyed by his opponent's attack.

[Charge Beam] was a move that had a chance to increase the user's Special Attack stat.

Normally, this would not be a problem for Gary, but Volkner had already used it so many times that Jolteon's Special Attack was close to max. This meant Gary was now on the clock, he had to finish the battle fast.

But the green eyes harboured no fear.

"Let's end this! Jolteon, [Agility]!" Volkner ordered.

His strategy was to build Jolteon into a heavy attacker with increased mobility. Defense was not a priority as the yellow canine would be too fast to be caught.

Jolteon danced around the battlefield, its yellow body impossible for the eye to see. Sparkles of electricity tickled Arcanine's fur as the red canine's eyes focused on the yellow one's next strike.

And it happened.

'Jolteon's speed rivals that of Flying types! Arcanine can't do anything against it!' Volkner thought in confidence.

'Release the kinetic energy Jolteon had built up!'

"[Thunderbolt]!"

From behind the red canine, a large surge of lightning came blasting at him. Its power magnified by [Charge Beam].

Boom!

A large explosion bloomed.

It looked as if it were Volkner's victory.

'Nice. Now all that's left is one mo—'

The yellow-haired teenager's thoughts were cut short as the dust settled.

Behind Jolteon… was Arcanine, who had dodged the powerful blast of lightning.

Gary gave a smirk towards the teen.

"[Extremespeed]."

Volkner widened his eyes, his mind in disarray both due to the outcome being out of his expectations as well as a move he had never heard before.

'[Extremespeed]? What is that?' he thought with a bead of sweat flowing down from his forehead.

"It… it caught up? Even against [Agility]?!" the teen cried out in disbelief.

From the stands, Misty was just as baffled as Volkner.

"[Quick Attack]?! But that isn't a move an Arcanine can learn!" the redhead stated in shock.

"Not only that, but that's also way too fast to be [Quick Attack]!"

Ash widened his eyes.

The red eyes recognized the move. He, like everyone, had not heard of [Exremespeed], but the speed that Arcanine possessed was something he had seen before.

Crimson red flickered for a second. A memory flashed before him.

'That's… the spitting image of Raticate's speed!' he thought, figuring out the resemblance.

But it did not stop there. The memory continued, all condensed into a second.

Viridian Forest. Cerulean City. S.S. Anne. And finally, Lavender Town.

No one saw what was happening to Ash. For if someone did…

They would have saw short-lived embers of blue flames from his hands.

Blue watched the battle with a face of sympathy.

"Raticate's speed…" she began.

Ash snapped out of his trance. The feeling he felt dissipated.

'What the…?'

"Arcanine has inherited it and surpassed Raticate himself."

A clash of [Thunderbolt] and [Flamethrower] blinded the spectators.

"He trained hard until he was able to reach his maximum speed," Blue continued, unflinching at the light.

"That allowed him to learn [Quick Attack]… just like Raticate."

Emerald green eyes declared the end.

"I'm done with you."

"Before it evolved into a completely new move…"

"[Flare Blitz]."

"A Godlike swiftness, [Extremespeed]."

And a blazing charge shattered the earth.

Jolteon defeated by the large paw on its neck. A howl of victory signalled the end. And a confident Gary stood victorious, acquiring the right to participate in the main tournament.

"I knew he was strong, but this is nowhere close to what he was a year ago," Misty said aloud, recounting the time Gary challenged her for the Cascade Badge.

Ash then walked away.

"Red?" Blue uttered out, wondering where her friend was going.

And the boy made his way to the battlefield.

Gary shook hands with Volkner before the latter left.

Footsteps beckoned closer behind him. The orange-haired boy did not move a muscle. He already knew who it was.

"Hey…"

The green eyes turned to look at the red ones.

"Red."

The two smirked at each other, acknowledging one another.

Tension was in the air. The crowd stared at the two rivals.

Blue was worried another episode back at Saffron General Hospital was going to occur again.

But…

Beep! Beep!

Ash and Gary got slightly startled at the sound, the former looking at his Pass.

L-08 MATCH 6: RED VS REIJI

"Welp, looks like ya got a match coming up," Gary said.

"Yeah. You coming?" Ash asked.

Gary shrugged his shoulders and began walking out of the battlefield.

"Lead the way."

{ Each Trainer is allowed 2 Pokémon for this Match. }

'Green, Blue, and Misty are already in.'

{ Switching Pokémon is allowed but only for the 2 Pokémon used. }

'It's just me now.'

{ If your last Pokémon faints, you are disqualified. }

'I'm not even at the starting line yet.'

{ Trainers, are you ready? }

"Yes!" the two final Trainers called out.

{ Then, Preliminary Match 6 of Block L shall now begin! }

'I can't lose here!'

{ REIJI OF VEILSTONE CITY VS RED OF PALLET TOWN! }

{ BATTLE START }

"Go, Nidoking!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pikachu!"

The boy's partner squeaked out before realizing who his opponent was.

Ash and Pikachu widened their eyes at the purple behemoth.

Gary narrowed his eyes, his expression unreadable whereas Blue had a worried look on her face. Misty was confused at Ash's reaction.

"Hey, Green… Is Red going to be alright?" the chestnut-haired girl asked worryingly.

"If this is enough to shake him, then Red doesn't belong here," Gary simply answered.

A bead of sweat rolled down Ash's cheek.

'Of all the Pokémon in the world… It just had to be Nidoking,' Ash sighed internally.

The boy did not think that he would have trauma over his battle against Giovanni. No, he was not scared of the Nidoking, but rather at his Pokémon getting hurt badly again.

Ash would never allow it. Never again.

"Pika!"

Ash looked at his partner. The electric mouse determined to win. Ever since that night, Pikachu had been training himself vigorously, not wanting to ever experience that uselessness against Nidoking ever again.

And this was the little mouse's chance. To move on from his pain.

Ash smiled at his partner and clenched his locket.

"Let's go, Pikachu! We're not losing here!"

"Pika pika!"

And the battle started.

"Nidoking, [Toxic Spikes]!" Reiji commanded.

A dark purple orb fired onto the ground, turning the battlefield's colour into a subtly purple hue.

However, since Pikachu was already on the field, he was not affected but the Trainer and his partner did not let their guard down.

In addition, Nidoking was part Ground type, which meant that Electric moves have no effect on it.

'Why does everyone in these Prelims keep sending out Ground types against Pikachu?'

"Sorry, kid," Reiji apologized to Ash, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"But if you keep sending out Pikachu first as predicted, you're just asking to be countered," the older teen explained.

"And yet, I'm still here," Ash retorted with a grin.

"Yeah, that's why I can't take you lightly. No hard feelings, Red," Reiji said with a grin of his own.

"I get it, but I'm still going to win."

"[Swift]!"

The ray of stars surrounded Pikachu's tiny frame and fired at Nidoking.

"[Earthquake]," Reiji simply called out.

The stars seemed to deal no damage and the purple behemoth stomped his foot. A rumbling began but Ash swiftly countered the impending move.

"Hit the ground with [Iron Tail]! Jump up!"

And Pikachu complied, the force of [Iron Tail] propelled it upwards; thus avoiding [Earthquake]. But this was Reiji's plan all along.

"It's my victory, Red," Reiji said with a smile.

Nidoking had moved to where Pikachu jumped from. Right under the falling Pikachu.

"Pikachu can't manoeuvre in the air since there's no footing like your battle against that Sandslash," Reiji explained, waiting for Pikachu to come down.

"All Nidoking has to do is wait and victory is mine."

"Do it. [Horn Drill]."

Ash widened his eyes as he figured out what Reiji was planning.

[Horn Drill] was one of 4 one-hit KO moves in existence. The trade-off for such powerful moves was its low accuracy, therefore making one hit extremely rare.

This was not the case for Ash and Pikachu. Reiji had baited Pikachu into the air without any way for the electric mouse to avoid [Horn Drill], creating a situation where the one-hit KO move will hit 100%.

Ash was now forcing himself to find a solution. He was no stranger to performing miracles, but it was different this time. This time, there was nothing he could use around Pikachu.

No debris. Nothing on the ground to abuse. His only non-Electric ranged attack did absolutely nothing to Nidoking.

Nidoking countered Pikachu with his Ground typing. [Iron Tail] on the [Horn Drill] was basically asking to lose. After many arduous battles, Ash Ketchum was finally checkmated.

"Give it up, Red. Save both of us the time," Reiji simply said without the tiniest hint of sneer. The teen genuinely believed there was no way for Ash to win.

Sighing to himself, Gary prepared to leave.

"Green, where are you going?" Blue asked.

"There's nothing to see anymore. Red's done," Green replied.

The orange-haired boy, despite the harsh words he conveyed to his rivals at Saffron City, had hoped that Ash would at least earn the right to participate in the main event. Needless to say, he was thoroughly disappointed.

Blue and Misty could not rebuke what he had said. There was literally no way for Pikachu to win. Even if it was 2v2, the second Pokémon Ash would send out would just get poisoned due to [Toxic Spikes].

All Reiji had to do then was wait. The strategy the teen was employing was called 'stalling'. A long-term strategy that if done correctly, would theoretically gain victory 100%.

And everyone knew in their mind that it was over for the raven-haired boy.

Gary. Blue. Misty. The Elite Four who were watching on TV. The Pokémon Academy in Kalos. Grace. Calem. Shauna. Trevor. Tierno. Sycamore.

…

All except one.

Sycamore had lost hope seeing Pikachu's inevitable defeat.

So did the students, teachers and parents watching.

The group of friends and Grace could only wait for Ash's defeat. Fully knowing what Reiji's plan was.

"Well, that's that," Calem sighed in defeat.

"There's always next time, right?" Shauna said, forgetting that the Indigo Grand League only happened per decade.

Trevor and Tierno said nothing, already accepting the results of Ash's imminent loss.

Sycamore and Grace shared a look and turned to Serena.

Who was still watching with bright blue eyes full of faith.

She had not given up hope. He promised her that he would never give up.

The honey-blonde stood. She knew it was impossible for the boy to hear her. But she did it anyway.

With all her might, she gathered her courage as well as encouragement for her love and cheered.

"NEVER GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!"

The crowd looked at the girl. Bewildered at her unshakeable faith in the raven-haired Trainer. When everyone had given up, she still believed in Ash.

The Ash she knows and loves will always fight to the bitter end.

And out of the blue, it happened.

As if her words had reached him. The screen showed Ash clutching his locket tightly.

A loving smile appeared on Serena's face as she watched the boy she loves perform his most craziest comeback yet.

{ I… I… }

The blue eyes lit up, sparkling at his words.

{ Don't give up… }

Serena cheered even louder, ignoring the stares boring at her.

"Go, Red!"

{ Until it's over! }

With that, the red eyes glowed once more. His determination stoked the flames.

Ash Ketchum will never accept a defeat like this.

Pikachu losing to a Nidoking again? He rejected that.

Defeated before even reaching the starting line? He rejected that.

The words that were impossible to reach him… reached him.

He heard them. Loud and clear.

"DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!"

The raven-haired boy knew that voice. He did not care if his mind was just playing tricks on him.

It was all he needed to hear to snap out of his dilemma.

He searched. He sought.

The words came to him naturally.

'Visualize something you can win with.'

Ash gritted his teeth. The stubborn and reckless nature surfacing.

"If there's no footing…" he began, directing his words to Reiji.

The teen stared nervously at the boy who should have already given up.

But those blood red orbs told the opposite.

"Then I'll just make my own!"

"Pikachu, [Thunder]!"

Pikachu grinned at his Trainer. He trusted him unconditionally even in a tight situation like this and did not panic.

If [Thunderbolt] was a surge of electricity, then [Thunder] was a tower made of golden lightning.

"Pika… CHI!"

The tower of gold came crashing down onto Nidoking. The battlefield cracked but it was not enough to create flying debris.

Seeing this, Reiji scolded himself for getting spooked.

"Looks like your plan failed!" he called out confidently.

But Ash shot him his signature toothy grin.

"No, it worked! Pikachu!" he called out to his partner.

The air around the falling Pikachu was electrified. Bolts of electricity travelled the excited atmosphere.

And Ash revealed to everyone his craziest miracle yet.

"Use the lightning as platforms! [Quick Attack]!"

The yellow mouse obeyed and touched the lightning with its feet. Before one foot could pass through the sparks, Pikachu concentrated [Quick Attack] into said foot and propelled it to his intended direction.

Thus, Pikachu was walking on air, thanks to the lightning [Thunder] created.

"Wha—"

"We're turning this around! Pikachu, [Iron Tail] from the side!" Ash interrupted, calling out his next move.

"Pika!"

Pikachu then travelled downwards at blinding speed and avoided [Horn Drill]. Nidoking was still standing still, unable to move until the move ended. And Pikachu struck.

One swipe from the metallic tail turned to two. Then three. Then four. And it continued even faster.

"Pika!"

Like an expert swordsman, Pikachu's swings were refined and polished. Not a single movement was wasted. His body rotated at every swing, giving more power for the next.

Nidoking could not react fast enough. And it could not counter, for the little mouse was beyond his grasp. Every [Iron Tail] was unleashed on a different angle.

A combination of [Iron Tail] and [Quick Attack]. A whole new move designed to overwhelm larger opponents.

A status move that increased the user's Attack by two stages. Non-damaging and purely for increasing stats.

Ash had turned that move's concept into an attack. Sacrificing the Attack buff in exchange for devasting damage.

The combination had no name; and so, Ash decided to call it…

"[Swords Dance (Fake)]!"

Ash Ketchum had turned a status move's concept on its head, creating a flurry of attacks instead of a buff.

And Nidoking could not take it anymore. An accurate hit to the jaw and it was lights out.

It was over.

{ Ni… Nidoking is unable to battle. Pikachu wins! }

{ Reiji of Veilstone City, please send out your next Pokémon! }

Not a single soul watching said anything. There only existed the ragged breathing of Ash and Pikachu. The latter exhausted from the taxing usage of [Swords Dance (Fake)] while the former was tired from the extraordinary concentration he performed.

'It's that thing again…'

Ash knew something was going on with him, but he was too tired to figure out what.

Meanwhile, Misty and Blue looked at the exhausted raven-haired boy in silent awe. It was inspiring to watch as even if it seemed all hope was lost, Ash would always find a way to win.

Gary wore a look of surprise at his rival's impossible victory, flabbergasted at his insanity to use lightning as footing. And he grinned at the sight of Ash.

'Looks like I'm getting that rematch after all,' he thought.

Back in Pokémon Academy, everyone had their breath taken away. The raven-haired boy's determination and sharp expression destroyed their doubts.

The boy had pulled off the most ridiculous comeback they had ever witnessed. In addition, it was their first-time witnessing Ash's (Fake) moves usage which further increased their astonishment.

Sycamore especially. The professor had never seen such ingenuity before. It was the first time he had witnessed someone turn a buffing move into a multi-hit attack.

Sycamore's interest grew tenfold. He now believed that Ash was not an ordinary Trainer. The boy had the ability to see the world differently, unbound by common sense.

A boy who could imitate moves. Alter their uses. As well as strengthening them.

Imitation, alteration and strengthening.

These were the basis of Ash's skills.

'What an extraordinary boy…'

While everyone had their jaws hanged, a happy Serena was beaming at her love's victory. She never lost her faith in Ash. Not even once.

"Do you want to meet Ash again?"

That was the question Serena was asked by Grace. But to everyone's surprise, she declined immediately.

Her reasoning was simple. Ash will come find her like he promised.

"Ash never breaks his promise. That's why I'll always wait for him," she said with a tender smile, not even worried about the possibility of Ash failing.

That was how strong her faith towards Ash was.

"No matter how long it takes."

Then, Serena quickly added something.

"Ah, but him not knowing would be sad. So, can you find a way to tell him I'm watching and cheering for him?" the girl asked shyly.

Although Serena had complete faith of meeting Ash again, she could not help but want to let the boy know she was watching him.

After all, it was not fair for only her to be aware of what the other was doing.

Grace chuckled and accepted her request.

Finally, after a long minute of silence, Calem started ranting.

"How is that even possible?!" the boy shouted, completely baffled at Ash's strategy.

"Running on lightning shouldn't be possible! What's more, did he just make a whole new move again?!"

He then turned to Serena with swirly eyes.

"Your boyfriend is one crazy dude, Serena…" he said.

The boy was having a migraine just by watching Ash's battles. The raven-haired boy seemed to defy logic at every chance he got.

"Red was going to win either way, so your headache is your own fault, Calem," the honey blonde replied, pretending not to notice the boy calling Ash her boyfriend.

But to no one's surprise, her blushing ears gave it away as well as her action of biting her lips in delight.

"Actually, Calem," Sycamore called out to the boy suffering from a migraine.

"It is theoretically possible to walk on lightning due to it having mass," the professor explained.

"However, it's not practical for humans to perform such a feat. But for Pikachu, it's possible since Pikachu's body was designed to handle electricity, after all."

Murmurs of understanding echoed in the hall after hearing the professor's explanation.

Serena watched at the broadcast again, silently cheering for Ash's victory.

Reiji could not believe his eyes. What should have been the perfect victory was overturned in an instant. All because the Trainer in front of him refused to give up.

Ash and Pikachu were breathing heavily. The electric mouse had been poisoned due to [Poison Point] after the series of [Iron Tail] against Nidoking.

"Pikachu, come back," Ash called out, his breath ragged. The red eyes still glowed albeit dimmer now, to the point where no one could notice unless they were close enough.

Then, Reiji summoned his last Pokémon. A large boulder-like bipedal tortoise appeared.

"I'm guessing you're gonna choose Lapras now, aren't you?" Reiji guessed, looking at Ash.

Ash caught his breath and grinned at the older Trainer.

"Nah, I'm finishing the Prelims with my starters," the boy answered back.

Clutching his next PokéBall, he summoned his final Pokémon.

"Charizard, I choose you!"

The Ball burst into flames as an orange dragon roared at his opponent.

Reiji could not help but laugh.

"Seriously? A Fire/Flying against my Rock/Ground…" the teen said before stopping.

"No. I have underestimated you for the last time. We're taking this seriously now, Red."

Seeing the serious expression on Reiji's face made Ash grin in return.

"Bring it on! We're the ones who's gonna win!"

"Roar!"

Charizard vs Golem.

'Visualize something you can win with.'

The final battle for the last spot in the Prelims.

Chapter 29: Preliminaries (5)

The red eyes brightened with fire.