Chapter 121: Ash VS Wallace Part 1

The very next day, everyone got to the stadium bright and early to get good seats. Serena and Calem decided to join them (Serena more than Calem), and they soon learned that they didn't leave early enough. All of the seats were crowded.

"Aw man, this sucks!"

"In hindsight, finding seats for seven people wasn't going to be easy," Dawn said, with Piplup nodding in agreement.

"Hey guys, looking for a place to watch the action?"

Just then, Lisia came up to them.

"Hey, Lisia! Yeah, we were hoping to get good seats, but clearly that won't be happening."

Lisia giggled.

"Well, what do you expect? The World Coronation Series is huge, even among the Coordinator community. But don't worry, I can get you into some awesome seats!"

"Really?" Serena asked, shocked.

"Yep! Just follow me!"

As it turns out, the seats Lisia were referring to were in a private suite above the others.

"I bought this suite a few years ago to make sure I could get the best seats in the house! That is, when I'm not performing, of course."

"Thanks, Lisia!" Chloe said, taking a seat in the front.

"No problem! I just feel sorry for you, knowing Ash is going to get his but kicked by my uncle."

"No way!" Lillie and Serena shouted, only to be embarrassed when they realized they had said that at the same time. "I mean, there's no way Ash would lose that easily," Serena added.

"Definitely not," Lillie agreed.

"We'll see!" Lisia said with a knowing grin. "Look, here they come now!"

Sure enough, Ash and Wallace made their way to the battlefield as the announcer began his opening remarks.

"Welcome back to another exciting Pokemon World Coronation Series Ultra Class Match! We're coming to you live from The Wallace Cup with this one, folks! Joining me today as commentator is the MC herself, May Maple!"

"Pleased to be here, Cecil!"

"In the red corner, all the way from Pallet Town, ranked 15 in the rankings, it's Ash Ketchum!"

Ash waved to the crowd as he walked on stage.

"And in the green corner, the former champion of Hoenn, and the Contest Master himself, ranked 12, here's Wallace!"

Wallace bowed to his cheering fans, before shaking Ash's hand.

"Ah, I remember you from Sinnoh! Steven has been talking nonstop about you, now let's see if you live up to the hype.."

Ash chuckled.

"Oh, I'll do more than that! I'll exceed it!"

Wallace smirked playfully.

"We'll see, won't we?"

Once the two took their spots, the battlefield shifted into a pool of water, with some small platforms scattered around. Once everything was set, the judge began to explain the rules.

"This will be a 3-on-3 battle with no limit on time or switching out! Both trainers will send out their Pokemon at the same time, and the battle will continue until all Pokemon on either side are unable to battle! In addition, each trainer will be allowed one Mega Evolution, a Z-Move, or Dynamax once per battle! Trainers, are you ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ready!"

"Battle begin!"

"Milotic, grace us with your presence!"

"Dragonite, I choose you!"

"Alright Milotic, let's start off with Ice Beam!"

"Dragon Dance, Dragonite!"

Milotic shot out a powerful blast of Ice, which Dragonite managed to leap over gracefully, dazzling everyone with her grace.

"Oooh, and what a beautiful dodge!" Cecil commentated.

"Ash may not be a Coordinator, but he sure knows how to work a crowd!"

Wallace, while impressed, was not bothered by the setback.

"Impressive, but I'm not worried! Milotic, use Disarming Voice!"

"Light Screen, Dragonite!"

Dragonite quickly threw up a quick shield, lessening the damage a little bit.

"Aqua Ring, followed by Aqua Tail!"

"Dragon Tail, Dragonite!"

Milotic leapt out of the water, a veil of water shimmering around her as she sprung towards Dragonite, her tail swinging at her ready to strike. Dragonite was quick to attack as well, their tails striking each other over and over again. But while Dragonite's energy was slowly being depleted, Milotic was able to heal with Aqua Ring.

"Thunder Punch, Dragonite!"

"Dragon Pulse!"

Dragonite dealt a hard, swift punch to Milotic's stomach, sending her plummeting back down to the pool, but not before she fired back with a Dragon Pulse, nearly sending her to the ground as well. With a big splash, Milotic hit the water, but resurfaced a minute later, though it was clear the battle was taking its toll on her.

"Ice Beam, full power!"

"Draco Meteor, Dragonite!"

Milotic charged up a huge Ice Beam before firing it, the attack hitting Dragonite head on and sending her crashing down into the pool. But Dragonite was quick enough to fire off her Meteors, the attacks hitting Milotic head on in an array of explosions. When the smoke disappeared, both of them were out cold.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! This round ends in a draw!"

"I don't believe it, folks! It's only the first round, and already we have a double knockout!"

"Incredible!" Goh gasped. "Dragonite is one of Ash's strongest, and to be taken out just like that?"

"What do you expect?" Lisia giggled. "My uncle used to be the champion of Hoenn, after all."

"Ash will pull through, I just know it!" Lillie shouted, which Serena agreed.

"He always does."

Calem just sighed, making Serena roll her eyes.

"Oh, hush! You know I love you."

"I hope so," Calem smiled. "I'd be heartbroken if you didn't."

Serena smiled, and kissed his cheek.

"Don't be so dramatic."

"Aw, you know you love it."

"Yes, yes I do."

"Milotic, return! You were amazing as always, get some rest."

"Come back, Dragonite! You were awesome!"

Wallace turned to Ash with a smirk.

"I hope I haven't worn you out already! That was just the opening act, the real show starts now!"

"Bring it, Wallace! Dracovish, I choose you!"

"Go, Walrein!"

"Begin!"

"Dragon Rush, Dracovish!"

"Powder Snow!"

Both Pokemon leapt into the pool, Dracovish swimming full speed towards Walrein. But Walrein was faster, using Powder Snow to slowly freeze the pool, trapping Dracovish.

"Break out using Bite!"

Unfettered by the setback, Dracovish began powering through the icy terrain, making his way towards Walrein before clamping down hard on his head.

"Aurora Beam, Walrein!"

Walrein roared, throwing Dracovish off of him with a powerful blast from his mouth, launching Dracovish clear back to Ash's side of the arena.

"Now Walrein, use Surf!"

Before Dracovish could recover, Walrein created a massive tidal wave from all of the water in the pool before crashing it down on it, covering Dracovish, Ash, and a good portion of the front row in it. When the water had receded, Dracovish was out cold.

"Dracovish is unable to battle, Walrein wins!"

"This is getting down to the wire, folks! Ash is down to his last Pokemon, Can he turn it around?"

Wallace scoffed, and flipped his scarf dramatically.

"Is this the best you can do? Pathetic!"

"Come on Ash," Lillie pleaded. "You can do it!""

"Sorry hon, but he can't," Lisia said. "He's good, but Uncle Wallace is better!"

"No way!" Serena shouted. "As long as he still has one Pokemon left, the battle can still be won."

Hearing that, Lillie remembered a promise she had made to Ash and took out a Pokeball.

"Hey, isn't that Lucario's Pokeball?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah," Lillie nodded. "Ash asked me to hold on to it until he got down to his last Pokemon."

"Why?" Zoey inquired.

"He didn't say, just that Lucario would enjoy it."

When he was let out, Lucario wasn't happy with being sidelined. But as he inspected the battle, he couldn't help but sense a powerful aura coming from the Pokeball Ash took out.

Ash smiled. He may be on the backfoot, but that just made him even more pumped up.

"Alright Wallace, get ready for the showstopper! Greninja, I choose you!"