Author's Note - Hey everyone, Silent here! It's been a while, but here's the next edited chapter for this story! I'm already working on the next chapter editing and hopefully soon it'll be out. Just to put a time stamp on this, this edited chapter was posted on 06-09-2023.
One last thing is that I've been asked about a posting schedule. As of right now, I cannot say. All I can say is that I'm doing my best to write whenever I have free time to do so but it is difficult as of now with how my life is going. I will say that those who are pat re on members will get things earlier than everyone else along with extra content and I would greatly appreciate your support. And I don't ask for much so please consider doing so if you're able to as that will help me become a full time writer. You'll find more information about becoming a member at the end of this chapter. Thank you in advance!
Okay, with that said, here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!
THE BLUE SPIRIT
CHAPTER 018 – THE SECOND BATTLE
A group of five girls were gathered together in a bedroom and they were remarkably quiet after talking together for a little bit. Four of the five girls locked eyes with one other while the fifth was constantly shifting her attention from one to the other.
No one said anything for what seemed like a long time until the purple haired girl couldn't stand it anymore. "Okay, what the hell is going on?!" snapped Iris with an irritated tone. Misty, May, Dawn and Serena snapped their attention onto Iris with startled looks before glancing at each other again. A second later, they burst out laughing, making the Unovan native become extremely confused. "Okay, am I missing something here?"
Laughing for a few more seconds, the girls calmed down and faced their friend. "Sorry Iris. We didn't mean to go all silent and weird on you," said Serena with a sheepish smile.
"Yeah, my bad," added Dawn before explaining further. "We had promised to talk about what happened with Ash revealing himself earlier and we just remembered it. That's kinda why we were giving each other that look."
Having an understanding expression form on her face, Iris nodded afterwards. "I see. So, I take it you want some privacy then?" she asked as she got up and started walking towards the door.
"Where you going?" asked May, making Iris stop and turn back to look at her. "We didn't mean it to sound like we wanted you to leave."
Misty jumped in as soon as May finished talking. "Yeah, you're our friend. And we wanna know what you think about all this since you've traveled with Ash too."
"What, can't do something on your own without me helping you?" asked Iris in a teasing tone but inside, she was happy that they wanted to have her input as well.
"That's right. We can't do anything without you," said Dawn with a mischievous tone. "Please help us, oh mighty one!" She started doing half bows with her arms going up and down as well.
Chuckling at first, Misty, May and Serena joined in and copied Dawn. "Yes, please help us oh mighty one!"
Stunned over their behavior at first, Iris then rolled her eyes while chuckling. "Oh alright, I'll help you out. You're all hopeless without me anyways," remarked Iris with a wide smile, ecstatic about being involved. Walking back to them, she sat back down on the bed. Immediately after, Dawn and May hugged her from the sides. "Alright, alright! Enough with the mushy stuff!"
"Look who's talking; didn't you get into a relationship first?" countered May with a big grin, making Iris go crimson.
"Alright, c'mon you two. Let's get back on topic," advised Serena. Both the brunette and blunette gave the purple haired girl once last squeeze before letting go. Iris huffed at them before crossing her arms, making the rest smile and giggle. "So, as we were saying, we wanted to talk about Ash revealing himself," started Serena, getting them back on track.
"In more ways than one," commented Dawn, raising her highbrows a few times while grinning.
Blushing over her words as they all remembered the raven haired trainer sparring shirtless with Lucario, it took them a few seconds to compose themselves before Iris spoke up. "Okay, moving on from Ash being a sculpted fighter…" Her words made her friends give her intrigued looks with a couple shit eating grins from May and Dawn. "Oh, shut up! I never expected that dense kid to look like that and I tell it how it is." Her friends couldn't help but laugh at that. "Anyways, what did you want to talk about? Is there really anything to talk about? He came clean and he said he's gonna make it up to us. So, what's left to talk about?" asked Iris, alternating her gaze to each of the four girls as she spoke.
Glancing at one another, the four girls then faced Iris and May was the first to speak up. "Well, we just wanted to talk about how one of our theories was right." Iris cocked an eyebrow as if to say 'go on' and May continued. "We had a few theories about how Solid was affecting us before Ash came clean that he was Solid. One of them was that Ash was in disguise as Solid and that's why we were so affected by him. And it came out to be true, so we were surprised over it."
"Ah, okay. I see. Kinda impressed that you thought about that as a possibility too and not going crazy like you did in the past," stated Iris, making Misty, May and Serena wince since they remembered some of the things they did when they thought they found Ash.
"Oh come on, we're not that bad!" shot Dawn with a whine for them all.
"Tackle anyone lately?" asked Iris with a smug grin.
Blushing a deep crimson, Dawn crossed her arms and pouted. "Cheap shot…"
Iris smirked but then Misty spoke up. "Dawn was right though."
Going quiet at once, Iris faced Dawn who was giving her a narrowed eyed look. "H-Hey, we didn't know at the time, s-so it doesn't count!" said Iris hurriedly to prevent things from escalating.
Dawn didn't say anything for a moment until she just smiled. "True. So it's fine. But, I get to ask you any one question whenever I want in the future and you have to answer truthfully."
Iris let out a sigh of relief and nodded. "Alright, fine, fair enough. So, anything else you wanted to talk about this whole Ash revealing himself?"
"Well, one of our theories was right and it was the best one that we wanted to be true," started Misty, with the girls agreeing with her by nodding. "And I'm happy that he's back. I really am. I just want to know why he really hid from us at first, what his mission is and why he had to leave for so long without contact," said Misty with a sullen tone.
"Yeah, me too. But he did say that he'll tell us when the time is right. And I think we were right about that other theory," added Serena with a small smile, making them all look at her. "How Ash would come back in disguise because he'd be too afraid to see us because we'll be angry."
"You know, that does make sense," said May as she adopted a thinking pose with her right index finger tapping against her chin. "He did ask if we could forgive him for being away so long. And he did tell us himself he wouldn't know how to act if one of us was with someone…"
A chorus of verbal agreements was met by her words though Iris was quiet since she was shocked at hearing that. He told them that? Deciding to think about that later, Iris said something else. "Well, either way, is there really any point talking about this?" she asked, making her friends look at her. "I mean, we're all on the same page. And now that you four are gonna take turns dating him…" There was a slight pause from Iris at this moment, making the girls look at one another before facing her again. Taking in a breath, Iris continued. "Well, I guess we'll see what happens."
Agreeing with their friend, the girls smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Hopefully everything works out for the best," remarked Dawn.
"C'mon. Let's go see what the rest are up to. There's not much time left until Richie's battle starts and then it'll be Ash's soon after," advised Misty. Getting up, they all left the room and joined the rest of their group in the living room.
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Breathe in. Breathe out. Taking in slow breaths while meditating, Ash, Gardevoir, Pikachu and Lucario had taken up sitting positions on the floor with their eyes closed. Around each of them was a glowing blue outline, thanks to the aura bond that was connected between them and the other members of their family back on the island.
A couple more minutes passed by with them in this state until an alarm went off. The glow around them faded away and Ash opened his eyes. Turning off the alarm on his Poketch, Ash stood up and stretched with his pokemon copying him. "Well, that was good. I'm ready for my battle."
"Isn't it Richie's battle first?" asked Gardevoir with her right arm across her chest and her left arm crossed over it in a stretching hold.
"Yeah, but I'm still ready."
Shaking her head in amusement, Gardevoir couldn't argue about that. Looking at the yellow mouse, she saw Pikachu lying flat on his back with his short limbs spread out. "Pikachu? What are you doing?" she asked, drawing the other two's attention to him as well.
"Pika, pi pi pikachu."
Hearing his reply made Ash laugh, Gardevoir giggled and Lucario merely let out a sigh. "Yes, yes, you're treating this as a vacation as Master said. But still. I'm disappointed in seeing your lazy state like this comrade," commented the aura canine.
"Pika! Pi pika pi pikachu!"
"Hard to take your threat seriously with you lying on the floor like that."
"Pika!"
"Alright, that's enough you two," interjected Ash, stepping between them. It wasn't needed to do that since Pikachu didn't even move at all from his spot on the floor. "Lucario, let him be. I did say we can relax during these couple of weeks and you should too."
"I am relaxed. I just don't see the point of being completely lazy."
Letting out a sigh, Ash shook his head. "Why me?"
Gardevoir smile grew over their interactions. "C'mon Ash. Let's go join the others. I'm sure the girls want to spend time with you. Especially now, since everyone knows what's going on between you all."
Blushing, Ash rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I want to spend time with them too. Let's go." Leading the way, the raven haired trainer and his pokemon left his room to rejoin the group.
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In the living room, Max and Richie were on their third game of battleship and this was gonna be the tiebreaker. Having won the first time, Max gloated over it a little too much that made Richie demand a rematch. And on the second turn, Richie won, prompting Max to threw a fit and ask for a tiebreaker. And it was at this point that Brock, Cilan and Gary had finished with their own stuff and gathered around the rather intense back and forth battle. A few bets were made between the three discreetly and so Brock was encouraging Max, Cilan was supporting Richie and Gary was the commentator of the match.
"And with that final strike, Richie sinks Max's midsize battleship! With his back against the ropes, what will the young general do now?"
"You're not helping!" raged Max, having lost three of his battleships already while sinking only one of Richie's.
"It's not meant to help," said Brock, doing his best to keep Max calm and focused as he would with his siblings. "It's just commentary like a pokemon battle. Focus on your match and your next move."
"You're right. Thanks Brock. B-9!"
"Damn it! Hit!" replied Richie, putting a red hit marker on his battleship.
"And General Squirt manages to hit General Lovestruck's battleship with a sneak torpedo!"
"Stop calling me squirt!"
"Why the hell are you calling me 'Lovestruck'?!"
"Deal with it or grow taller shorty and you're smitten with Joy."
"Shut up!"
"Focus Richie. You're moments away from winning. Just a couple more battleships and there's very few spots left for them to be in," commented Cilan, eyeing the miss/hit board that was mostly covered in white and red marks. So close to winning my bet. C'mon Richie!
"Yeah, you're right. F-2!"
"FUCK!" All eyes snapped onto the young trainer, who realized what he let slip in his frustration. A sheepish look formed on his face and he shrunk in on himself. "Sorry. Just, don't tell my sister please."
"Don't tell me what?"
All five of the guys there snapped their gaze towards the girls who had somehow entered the living room without them noticing. Max had a look of terror form on his face while the rest of the guys were frozen, not knowing what to do or say.
"She asked you guys a question," stated Dawn, crossing her arms with the girls copying her and each of them narrowed their eyes onto them.
Looking at one another, they didn't know what to say until Max decided to come clean. "Um, well…I…"
"Hey guys, everyone ready to go?" Prevented from continuing, Max went quiet and he, along with everyone else, turned towards Ash as he stepped into the living room with his pokemon following behind him. "It's a little early, but we should go now so you can get some good seats."
"Yeah, you're right. Let's go," agreed Serena as she started walking towards Ash and the rest of the girls followed after her.
Ash, his pokemon and the girls made for the door and started exiting the suite. Not wanting to draw ire from the girls, the guys followed after them. "Well, talk about lucky. Ash saved our asses again," said Max, making Gary and Richie nod their heads.
"Should you be speaking like that?" questioned Cilan and Max just waved him off.
"Well, I guess it's a draw. Let's just leave it at that," said Brock.
"Pardon me, but Richie was going to win. It was obvious. So I believe I won that bet," countered Cilan.
"What bet?" asked Max and Richie at the same time.
Letting out a sigh, Brock then explained. "We bet on who would win. Max for me, and Richie for Cilan. Anyways, nobody officially won, so nobody wins the bet."
"Well, how about a third opinion." Cilan nudged Gary in the side with his elbow, making him grunt. "You were commentator, so who won?"
Massaging his side, Gary muttered some curse words over the elbow before speaking. "It looked like Richie Rich was gonna win but there was no official winner. So it's a draw and no one wins the bet."
Nodding in agreement, Brock felt relieved since he wouldn't have to pay up. Cilan crossed his arms and glared at the pokemon researcher. "One time. I thought maybe one time you'd be on my side."
"Hey, I'm on no one's side but my own. You should know that by now," countered Gary with a shrug.
"Should've known better than to trust an immature cretin."
"Whatever, pompous asshole."
"Alright, enough. Let's just go," interrupted Brock, stopping the two with a hand on both their shoulders and gripping tightly, making them wince. Nodding, both Gary and Cilan went quiet and left the suite with Brock and Max right behind him.
Letting out a sigh himself, Richie shook his head as he whispered to himself. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with some of them…" Following after them, Richie closed the door behind him and entered the elevator with the rest of the group waiting inside it for him.
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Walking towards the stadium at a leisurely pace, Ash and company made some small talk and joked around. After laughing at a joke, Misty looked at the small yellow mouse curled up in her arms. "Ash, does Pikachu always take naps now? I don't remember him being like this before."
Her question caught everyone's attention and they looked at Pikachu first and then at Ash. Rubbing the back of his head, Ash answered her. "Well, not really Mist. He's treating the tournament like a vacation. Back home we're basically training all day, every day but we take breaks and relax too. Just not as much here. I told my pokémon back home to treat these next couple of weeks as a vacation so they're probably doing the same thing," explained Ash and they all understood.
"Ash, what new pokémon do you have?" asked Max all of a sudden. He kept asking that question at different times, hoping to catch Ash off guard and get him to slip something out since Max wanted to know what new pokemon he had caught.
But with all of Max's attempts, he hadn't been successful yet. "Nice try buddy," answered Ash with a smirk.
"Ah come on; just tell me one or two! Please!" begged Max earnestly.
"Yea, tell us Ash," jumped in May, making Ash look at her with intrigue. "C'mon, don't be so secretive!" she said, slapping Ash's arm playfully.
Ash made eye contact with her making her blush slightly before he chuckled. "Alright, fine. Hmmm…who should I tell you about? Wait…even better, I got an idea." Looking around to make sure it was just his friends around, Ash then held out his hand in front of him with his palm facing upwards and concentrated. Everyone besides his pokemon stared at him, confused as to why he would do that.
But when a small blue glowing ball appeared half an inch above his palm and quickly grew to the size of a regular poke ball, his friends let out surprised sounds. When it stopped growing, the blue glow faded away to reveal a Luxury Ball. He opened the ball and a flash of light later, one of Ash's new pokémon stood in front of them all on the ground. A small four legged cat like pokémon appeared that had a jewel in the middle of her forehead, fine light purple fur coat along with a tail that was split into two halfway down; an Espeon.
"Espe!" A second after it appeared, Espeon jumped onto Ash who caught her and started snuggling against his chest while purring.
"Awww! So cute!" cried Dawn, absolutely fawning over the pokémon.
"Yeah, she is and I'm glad to see you too Espeon!" laughed Ash as the purple pokémon licked his cheek affectionately. "Espeon, say hello to your new friends," he said as he placed her back onto the ground.
Espeon looked around at everyone else. She quickly became excited, jumping up and down, completely thrilled to have some new friends to play with.
"Somebody sure is happy," said Serena with a smile as she watched the pokémon jump up and down.
"Yea, she's a very playful pokémon," commented Ash with a proud look. "She's one of my friendlier pokémon and she loves to play all day but she also trains hard too. Isn't that right Espeon?"
"Espe esp!" Espeon suddenly jumped onto Dawn, causing her to squeak in surprise since she wasn't expecting that. She quickly recovered though and picked up the psychic cat.
"Looks like she likes you Dawn. Maybe because you're both so bubbly," teased May.
"Eh, you're just jealous she likes me more. Isn't that right Espeon?" said Dawn as she hugged her tightly and moved her side to side.
"Espe!" Espeon purred lightly as she cuddled up in the blunette's arms and viewed everyone else from her comfortable position, eyes glinting with happiness.
"What an awesome pokémon! What other pokémon do you have?"
"Nope. No more for today Max. Have to keep some surprises for the tournament."
"Damn it."
"Ash, how'd you bring her here? Did it have to do with your aura?" asked Brock quietly even though there was no one around them.
"Oh, that." Ash started explaining and they all listened in since they too were curious. "Since my pokémon and I have strong bonds between us, I was able to make an aura bond with each one. Because of that, I can use my aura to materialize their poke ball in my hand and summon them at anytime, anywhere. It was hard at first but after some practice it's easy as pie." Ash didn't give them the full details about how the legendary Mew helped him with that since it wasn't necessary but he didn't exactly lie either.
"Ah so that's why you don't have any poke balls with you," said Gary with an impressed gaze and several others in the group sported the same look. "But where are your pokémon staying since they're not at Grandpa's ranch anymore?"
"Yea, it is. Came in handy several times," remarked Ash as they started walking towards the stadium again. "I had all of my pokemon go with me when I left three years ago. I even got some of my pokemon back who I had let go on their own separate journeys like Pidgeot. Right now they're just relaxing at the place I went to. Can't say where exactly though, sorry," replied Ash.
Some nodded in the group in understanding but a few wanted to know why. "How come you can't tell us Ash?" asked Serena.
Rubbing the back of his head, Ash gave an apologetic smile. "I wish I could but its part of the mission I'm on so I can't say anything right now," he said quietly. The girls let out sighs but they and everyone else in the group understood and said no more about that particular subject.
Walking for a few more minutes, they reached the stadium. Pikachu woke up when Ash gently shook him while he was in Misty's arms and jumped onto Ash's shoulder. When Ash made to return Espeon, Dawn shook her head and held the pokemon tighter in her arms. "Let me guess; you want to keep Espeon with you?" asked Ash with a smile.
"Of course I do! She's so cute and soft! Plus, I bet she wants to stay with me too! Ain't that right Espeon?" asked Dawn as she looked at the pokemon with a glint in her eyes.
Said pokemon copied her and a happy look formed on her face. "Espe!"
Dawn raised her gaze and beamed at Ash, with a part of her hair falling in front of her face from her quick reaction. "See!"
Chuckling, Ash moved closer to Dawn and Espeon. "Alright. Just don't get into too much mischief you two. I know those looks anywhere," teased Ash. He scratched the pokemon behind her ears with one hand, causing her to purr even louder. With his free hand, he moved Dawn's hair behind her ear gently.
Dawn's smile grew over his affectionate gesture while reddening slightly and reacted without thinking. She went onto her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks Ash," she said in a whisper.
At first stunned over her public display of affection, Ash relaxed and smiled back. "You're welcome Dawn."
"Whoa, whoa, easy there lovebirds!"
"SHUT UP GARY!" yelled Ash and each of the girls there.
The rest burst into laughter while Richie shook his head while smiling a little. Seeing how his closest friend and biggest rival was pursuing his feelings with the girls and they him, made him start thinking about a certain pink haired nurse. Her image formed in his mind and he couldn't help but feel several different emotions. "Joy…"
"What was that?" asked Gary, hearing him since he was right next to him.
Shit! "Nothing, I was just saying let's go. It's almost time for my match," answered Richie and walked forward towards the trainer's tunnel with his friends wishing him luck on his battle.
Bullshit, thought Gary, having noticed his behavior whenever Joy was and wasn't around. He caught up with his childhood friend who was leading the way towards the public entrance and then he elbowed Ash lightly against his side.
"Gary, what the-"
"Richie," interrupted Gary, not caring if he was overheard. "He didn't see Joy when we left the hotel and now he's a little sad. Kind of pathetic isn't it?"
"Only thing pathetic is you trying to be funny with your lame jokes and pranks," snorted Ash.
Gary stumbled over his words. "Damn it Ash. That's twice you got me today. Oh shit, the world's gonna end!" panicked the pokemon researcher.
Ash rolled his eyes and the ones near them laughed at their antics. Once they reached the public entrance, Ash told them that he'll meet up with them in front of the stadium after his match, since he couldn't watch Richie's battle. Agreeing to it, they separated with Ash heading towards the woods with his pokemon while his friends went inside the stadium to cheer on their mutual friend.
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Seated in the stands and waiting for Richie's match to start, the group of friends passed the time in their own ways. While the guys were each doing different things, the girls were talking closely with one another over what Dawn did in front of everyone.
"I know right?" said Serena with a smile. "I'm not surprised at all. Dawn usually is the more impulsive one of us."
"Don't be jealous. Just do the same as I do," advised Dawn with a smile. Espeon was in her lap and purring while being petted by the blunette.
"Oh, we're not jealous," countered May. "And don't worry, we will," said May with a fiery look in her eyes, images of what she wanted to do with Ash playing in her mind.
"Calm down Princess of Hoenn or do you want your fantasies known by everyone," said Misty teasingly, making May squeak and hide her face within her hands in embarrassment while blushing.
"I wouldn't tease her if I were you Misty," started Iris, making the redhead look at her. Before Misty could respond, Iris cut her off. "What happened to the ["I need him"] declaration in front of him and everyone else?" she asked with a shit eating grin.
"Eep!" Misty ended up in the same position as May, with Serena and Dawn both laughing.
"Should I mention yours too?" asked Iris, looking at the two with a sinister smile.
"Nope! I'm good!" said both Serena and Dawn at the same time and they looked forward towards the field.
"That's what I thought," commented Iris before facing the field as well. I'm happy for them that they're finally able to pursue their feelings with him. But they really do need to grow up a bit more. Some more thoughts entered Iris's minds and she thought about them for a bit until trumpets were heard blaring out through the stadium speakers that signaled that the match was about to begin. No point thinking about that stuff. Time to focus on Richie's match. Letting out a sigh, Iris listened to the announcer through the speakers.
Richie entered the field after his introduction and soon after his opponent Judy Smith entered. Both Richie and Judy tossed out a poke ball after the referee reminded them of the rules and their pokemon appeared with flashes of white light. "Let the battle begin!"
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Finding a good spot in the woods for their training, Ash put a thirty minute timer on his Poketch. "We'll train for a bit here and rest before going back to the stadium for my match. How about it Gardevoir?" asked Ash.
"Yes, I'm up for it. Let's have some fun," responded the graceful pokémon happily.
And so they began, focusing on the psychic fairy for this training session to get her warmed up after being bedridden for a couple days. Ash had Gardevoir practice her teleportation technique while Lucario launched Aura Spheres at her. Starting off slowly, they gradually picked up speed. But even when Lucario sent his Aura Spheres at maximum speed, Gardevoir was still dodging them easily. It came to the point when she started giggling at Lucario, taunting him. Lucario growled back in a playful way as he attempted to hit her with the spheres.
Ash shook his head in amusement at the two. "What am I gonna do with you two?" Watching for a little while longer, he decided to up the ante. "Alright, so you think it's too easy huh? Okay, Pikachu, add some Thunderbolts into the mix," said Ash, making Gardevoir become nervous but she remained focused and was determined to not get struck.
"Pika!" shouted Pikachu and he started firing powerful electrical bolts of energy at the psychic.
Gardevoir teleported out of the way. Pikachu kept shooting off Thunderbolts at random, while Lucario kept launching his Aura Spheres as well. Both were trying to trip her up and land a hit yet Gardevoir kept teleporting away from the dual attacks. She was having some trouble however since a few times she was barely able to dodge the attacks.
Seeing her still able to dodge with their combined assault, Ash decided to change things up. "Good job Gardevoir. Now let's see how you do against me." Ash called off Lucario and Pikachu and he gave her a moment to catch her breath. "I want you to intercept this with your psychic abilities. Don't dodge it alright?"
Gardevoir nodded. Ash charged up an Aura Sphere, making it a good deal larger than a basketball then tossed it at her. After the blue sphere traveled over half the distance to her, Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and she caught the sphere in midair with a glowing pink outline around it. She struggled to maintain control, as Ash was still pushing it with his aura.
"Concentrate comrade! You can do it," encouraged Lucario.
"Pi pika!" cheered on Pikachu.
Gardevoir tried to push it back but struggled to do so. After a moment, Ash sensed Gardevoir losing strength rapidly and dissipated the sphere. Gardevoir dropped to her hands and knees, panting heavily.
Ash hurried to her and knelt down beside her while placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, good job Gardevoir. I shouldn't have pushed so hard, especially since you just got out of the hospital. That was my fault. I'm sorry." He helped her back onto her feet and assisted her in moving back to where Lucario and Pikachu.
Catching her breath, Gardevoir shook her head. "No, it wasn't too hard and I'm glad that you're not babying me. This shows that I'm not back to full strength yet, even though I thought I was."
Ash smiled at her honesty. "Don't worry Gardevoir. You still did great. I'm actually impressed that you were able to do so much so fast. Just keep doing your best and if you need a break, just let us know. I'm all up for good training but not to the extent that we hurt ourselves intentionally. Deal?"
"Deal," agreed Gardevoir.
When the two of them reached Lucario and Pikachu, the aura canine used Heal Pulse on Gardevoir to help her recover some strength. As soon as he was finished with that, Ash's alarm went off suddenly. Dismissing it, Ash motioned for them to head back to the stadium and they traveled through the forest.
Reaching the trainer's entrance, they went inside. Glancing at the time, he saw it was 4:50pm. Finding the battle board inside the tunnel, he scanned through it to see the previous match's outcome. He quickly learned that Richie had triumphed in his battle with only one of his pokémon fainting in the process. "Not bad Richie. We might actually get that rematch if things keep going this way." Feeling a little excited over that possibility, Ash turned to his pokemon. "Hey, why don't you three go find the others and watch the match with them? And you can get some snacks for yourselves and them too." Taking out some money, Ash handed it to Lucario.
Immediately after, Gardevoir's eyes glowed blue and she, Lucario and Pikachu teleported to where the others were in the stands after locking on the girls' position the second she sensed their location. Their sudden appearance caused some surprised shouts from amongst the crowd near their friends but they quickly got over it after seeing that the pokemon weren't causing any trouble.
"Hey guys. You guys done with training, huh?"
"Yes Lady May."
"And Ash gave us some money to grab snacks," stated Gardevoir as she sat down near the girls who welcomed her. "Can we get something please? I'm a little hungry after the training we did."
"Ash made you train already? I'm gonna mallet him!" growled Misty, appalled that he made her train so soon right after she just got out of the hospital.
Gardevoir frantically waved her hands in front of her as she spoke. "It's alright Misty! I wanted it and he stopped the training when it became too much for me. No need to worry," explained the psychic fairy hurriedly to make her new friend calm down.
"Hey! That's my line!" complained Dawn with a pout as Misty calmed down.
Several chuckled over Dawn's complaint as Brock stood up. "I'll go get the snacks for us." Lucario handed him the money as Pikachu jumped onto Brock's shoulder. "So you're coming to huh?"
"Pika!" nodded Pikachu.
Watching the two leave, the honey blonde haired girl spoke up. "One guess as to why he's going," said Serena with amusement.
"Ketchup," replied the group together.
After a short while, Brock and Pikachu returned with the yellow mouse holding a bottle of ketchup and grinning. Laughing over his obsession, they received the snacks from Brock as he handed out popcorn, chips, pretzels and drinks to everyone. Gardevoir started munching on the popcorn and pretzels while Lucario didn't take anything. He merely sat up straight in his seat next to Gardevoir and grimaced slightly as he watched her eat the snacks so quickly, thinking that she must be very hungry since he never saw her eat like that before.
As soon as Brock took his seat, the announcer spoke over the speaker system. "Thank you for being patient folks! Our last match of the day will be between Jack Thompson in the red box versus Ash Ketchum in the green box!" The crowd roared very loudly in approval as the two trainers walked onto the field from opposite ends. It seemed that this was the match everyone was waiting for today since they wanted to see the raven haired trainer battle.
And the group of friends noticed it. "Wow, is it just me or is the crowd louder?" asked Iris.
"They're definitely louder since Richie's match," remarked Cilan as he looked around in amusement. "Looks like Ash's first battle with Pidgeot seemed to spark everyone's interest."
Meeting up in the middle of the field where the referee was at, Ash and Jack received their microphones from the official. They attached it to their shirts and then looked at one another. Jack was a well built trainer who was wearing green shorts, brown hiking boots, a black shirt and a green short sleeved jacket.
Ash wondered if he was a pokemon ranger or something since he dressed similarly to them. Pushing that thought aside, Ash raised his hand towards him. "Hey Jack. Let's have a good match."
Jack grinned confidently. "Likewise Ash," he replied as he shook hands with Ash. "I heard about your first match and how your opponent forfeited. That won't happen with me since I'm gonna win."
"We'll see Jack," said Ash calmly but inside he was excited to start the battle already.
The two trainers separated and went to their respective boxes. The stadium began to buzz with the amount of people talking excitedly over the upcoming match and how the trainers seemed more than ready to go. Once the two trainers were at the opposite ends of the field, the referee began to speak. "Okay, you know the rules. This will be a three versus three battle; one on one, no mega evolutions allowed, no time limit, substitutions allowed. Are you ready?" Both trainers nodded. "Let the battle begin!" ordered the referee as he raised both flags.
Immediately both trainers tossed out a poke ball and two pokémon appeared in flashes of light while letting out battle ready roars. "The battle between Ash and Jack begins! Jack sent out an Abomasnow while Ash sent out Flygon! Bad break again for the Pallet Town trainer! His pokemon is extremely weak to ice type attacks!"
"No way, Ash has a Flygon?!" Iris was happy to see a dragon pokemon in person, especially one that she hadn't seen much before. But when she looked at the ice type, she shivered in her spot. Cilan noticed that and threw an arm around her and brought her close to calm her down. Iris was mildly annoyed over that, since she didn't want to be seen as weak. But she couldn't deny that she enjoyed the body warmth and so she thanked him quietly before returning her attention to the match.
"That Flygon looks strong indeed. Look at how shiny his wings and eyes are," remarked Brock, making his friends look more carefully at Ash's pokemon. "You see it? That shows how strong that particular species of pokémon is the shinier it gets. But I don't know if Ash should use him against Abomasnow. His extreme weakness to ice type attacks could end him with a single powerful shot," expressed Brock in concern.
"No need to worry Brock," said Dawn cheerily.
"I'm sure Ash has a plan," stated Serena with a smile.
"We won't doubt him again after last time," replied Misty calmly.
"He's gonna win," stated May confidently.
Ash's pokemon nodded in agreement and remained silent. Hearing the girls, the group of friends was surprised at hearing the absolute belief in their words. They didn't say anything else back and instead, turned to face the field to watch the battle that was about to begin.
Back on the field on the red side, Jack looked at his opponent's pokemon and he couldn't help but smirk a bit as he thought something; too easy. "I'm not gonna make a mistake like that girl did in the opening match from what I heard Ash. I won't go easy on you and give up an easy win just because of type advantage and I don't underestimate my opponents," boasted Jack as he raised his fist in front of him to show he meant business.
Ash however merely smiled back and crossed his arms. "Good. Show us what you got."
"Alright then. Don't blame me when you lose and start crying! But hey, at least you can find that girl and go cry together!"
"HEY!"
Ash's friends, along with many others, heard an angered female's voice shout out against those words and looked behind them. They found the voice belonging to Sarah Wiseman who was standing up from her seat some rows behind them watching the fight. She had an angry look on her face with her hands clenched into fists.
"She's mad," commented Max.
"Yup," concurred Brock, turning back around to view the match and most of them copied him.
Gary's stare however lingered for a few seconds longer as he looked at her intently. Her attractive face and figure had captured his attention before he was able to face the field again with a thought going through his mind; damn, she's fuckin hot! Gotta talk to her later…
Ash wasn't bothered by the remark but he heard someone screaming 'hey' and he knew it was Sarah. He remembered her being distraught and that made his smile disappear. However, he didn't shift his attention away from his opponent. "That wasn't nice Jack. C'mon, let's battle and we'll show you who's gonna win," said Ash and everyone heard him, making the stadium buzz once more in excitement. Flygon let out a roar and took up a battle stance.
"Let's get started then, shall we? Abomasnow, Blizzard!" ordered Jack. The grass and ice type summoned forth a furious cold wind that contained ice and snow debris towards the dragon.
"Dig." Flygon dug underground with such speed it was as if the hard dirt wasn't even there. He evaded the attack with no problem.
"I figured as much. Earthquake!" Jumping up a good distance, Abomasnow slammed back down against the ground hard that caused the ground to tremble violently. A few seconds later, the tremors stopped and there was no sound or noticeable movement from beneath the ground. "Was that all it took?" asked Jack with a smirk.
Ash however ignored the jab and replied back with two words. "Earth Power."
The ground underneath Abomasnow started shaking, making the ice type look down with worry. Before he could react, an intense blast of rocks and dirt shot up from below him. Striking the ice type with a direct hit, the strength of it made the ice type fall backwards. Flygon shot out of the hole and was ready to continue to assault.
Stunned at first, Jack quickly came to senses. "Shake it off quick and counter with Ice Punch!"
"Fire Punch."
Abomasnow scrambled to his feet and covered his right fist covered in an icy layer while Flygon had his covered with fire. Both pokemon threw a hard punch and ended up hitting each other's fists. But they continued pushing against one another, trying to overtake the other.
Seeing them at a stalemate, Ash decided to take things to the next level. "Flamethrower."
"Ice Beam!" screamed Jack.
Both pokémon fired the elemental attacks from their mouths at point blank range. An explosion occurred when the attacks collided against each other, bringing up smoke that covered the field. A moment later it cleared and there stood Abomasnow and Flygon. Both pokemon were standing in front of their trainers and ready to go another round.
"Wow, that Abomasnow's tough," said Iris, shivering again in her spot.
"Looks like it won't be so easy for Ashy-boy this time," joked Gary.
"Shut up Oak!" yelled the girls together at once without even looking at him that made Gary raise his eyebrows and lean away from them in fright.
"Please, all of you calm down and relax," advised Lucario and they all turned to look at the aura canine. "Master is testing his opponent's strength."
"Testing? Are you serious?"
"Yes, Brock. Watch and see." After listening to the aura canine, they too turned their attention back onto the field and focused on the battle.
As a result, none of them noticed that Sarah had overheard their conversation since she had moved a few rows down to get closer to the battle. Initially surprised over the pokemon speaking with telepathy, she got over it and thought about something else. Is he really that strong? How could anyone be that powerful? And who are these people? Wait, I remember the red head. Was she his girlfriend or something? They have to be his friends though, that's for sure. Well, whoever they are, I want to learn more about him, thought Sarah before turning her attention back to the match.
"You alright, Flygon?" asked Ash and his pokemon let out a loud roar in response. He chuckled before speaking. "I know buddy, just checking."
Jack was surprised to see how Ash seemed to be completely at ease. How can he be so calm? He's up against my pokémon that Flygon is extremely weak to, thought Jack. Clearing his mind, he decided on his next move. "If you're not going to attack then I will. Solar Beam!" shouted Jack. His Abomasnow raised his hands and began charging up a green ball of energy between them as he took in sunlight.
"Fly up and then dive bomb him with Dragon Rush," ordered Ash.
Flygon shot up into the air a good distance before he hovered in place and focused his draconian energy. A blue glow outlined him after a few seconds and once he gathered the required energy, Flygon shot down right at his opponent. At the same time, Abomasnow finished charging up his attack and fired the powerful green beam at the dive bombing dragon.
Abomasnow's beam and the cackling blue sphere that was Flygon struck head on and another stalemate occurred with each attempting to overwhelm the other. "What an incredible display of power from both pokemon! But who will come out on top?!" The announcer's words made the crowd go crazy over the power struggle.
"C'mon Abomasnow, you can do it!" encouraged Jack, trying to lift his pokemon's spirit.
Ash watched the struggle for a bit longer until he noticed the ice type wince in holding up the beam. "Good job Flygon! Now, finish this! Full power!"
"What?!" cried out Jack. His eyes widened in horror as he and everyone else watched Flygon glow a brighter blue before he began pushing through the beam rapidly towards his opponent. "No, dodge it!"
Jack's warning was no use however. Flygon was too fast and Abomasnow was too tired out. Cutting through the beam, the dragon slammed into the ice type at incredible speed. Abomasnow was sent flying back into the wall behind Jack and crashed into it. He then slid down to the ground unconscious.
The referee lowered the red flag while raising the green flag. "Abomasnow is unable to battle. Flygon wins!" The stadium erupted in cheers as Flygon returned to Ash's side of the field and hovered in front of him.
Jack let out a sigh before returning his pokemon. "Nice try," he said while looking at the poke ball before clipping back onto his belt. Turning to face Ash, he grabbed another poke ball from his belt. "Not bad Ash. But don't underestimate this pokémon!" he said and tossed out the poke ball. It opened up to reveal his second pokemon, which was a Magnezone.
"Magne!" The rather large magnet pokémon let loose many sparks from its attached magnets.
"That Magnezone looks powerful!" Pikachu growled and sparks shot out from his cheeks at Max's comment, making the youngest of the group chuckle weakly. "I mean, he looks strong but I'm sure he's not as strong as you Pikachu."
"Pika!" Pikachu crossed his arms and nodded, making several chuckle over the mouse's behavior.
Seeing the electric type, Ash grinned as he held up a poke ball. "Good job Flygon. Let's have someone else battle now. Return!"
"What's this? Ash has called his Flygon back! He had the type advantage but perhaps his pokemon was too tired? Is he trying to buy some time for his dragon to rest?" Opinions were shared throughout the stands with hundreds of voices heard as Ash returned his pokemon and continued until he tossed out another poke ball. A large, red, bipedal dinosaur pokémon with big jaws, short arms and a long powerful tail appeared. The moment it did, it let out a fearsome roar that made the entire stadium go silent. "Well, would you look at that! Ash has sent out Tyrantrum, a rare and powerful fossil pokemon!"
"What the hell?! How and when did Ashy-boy get his hands on a Tyrantrum?!" His researching side kicking in, Gary got up and went up against the rails to get a better look at the rare pokémon, having never seen one before in person.
"How did he get one Lucario?" asked Brock, repeating Gary's question.
Lucario however shook his head. "You'll have to ask him that."
"Either way, they're powerful dragon types. I'm so jealous," remarked Iris, her eyes locked onto the red pokemon.
A little behind them, a blonde girl was staring in astonishment over what she was seeing. "Amazing," whispered Sarah to herself. She couldn't believe what she saw. Tyrantrum are supposed to be almost impossible to get. Only if one was lucky enough to find a fossil of them could they try to revive them. But even then, the chances of reviving it were slim and very costly. How did he get one?
Letting out another roar, Tyrantrum then stomped his feet. Small tremors shook the stadium a bit that made many people hold onto their seats. "We've got one impatient dinosaur folks! I wouldn't want to be facing him right now! But Magnezone has the advantage, being part steel type. Will the ancient pokemon be strong enough with his weakness as a rock type?"
Jack was at first stupefied in seeing the rare pokemon. But the announcer's words drew him out of his funk and he refocused on the battle. "Magnezone! We'll be alright as long as we don't underestimate him. Flash Cannon!" Magnezone quickly shot a beam of white energy at the large jaw pokémon.
"Do a barrel roll," ordered Ash calmly. Tyrantrum quickly rolled to the side, dodging the attack and landing on his feet.
"Thunderbolt!" Ordered Jack immediately after, taking advantage of the slow movement of his opponent. Magnezone fired a powerful bolt of electricity at the dinosaur and it was way too fast to even attempt to dodge.
But again, Ash wasn't worried and said his next words calmly once more. "Take the hit then close the distance."
"WHAT?!" His friends shouted in shock but Lucario, Gardevoir and Pikachu smirked.
The T-Rex like pokémon took the electric attack head on and let it run through his body. The electrical current flowed quickly through and ended up doing very slight damage as the fossil pokémon was resistant to it naturally and had grounded his tail against the ground. Once finished, Tyrantrum shook himself to clear the lingering static feeling on him. He then roared even louder and charged towards the magnet pokémon.
Jack was in shock since the attack did nothing except piss off the dragon. "Magnezone! Rapid fire Mirror Shots! Stop him in his tracks!" Magnezone quickly shot blast after blast of white energy balls at the dinosaur pokémon. Both trainer and pokemon had their eyes widen in shock and fear since all of the attacks made contact and yet Tyrantrum kept charging at them.
"Tyrantrum isn't going down without a fight! Even after taking a direct Thunderbolt to the face and multiple strong Mirror Shots, he's still running at full speed! This is one stubborn pokemon!"
"I get it now. Damn, why didn't I think of it before?" said Gary. Brock and Cilan murmured their agreement as they understood.
"What do you mean?" asked Max, completely lost while the others had an idea of what he was talking about.
"Tyrantrum is part rock type and dragon type so the Thunderbolt, even though powerful, hardly affected him because of his typing and also because he grounded himself with his tail," explained Gary with everyone in the group and even some of the random people around them that also included a certain blonde girl, paying attention to his words. "All it did was just piss him off. Because of his anger, the normally super effective Mirror Shots are just being ignored, even though they're damaging him."
"It's genius really, using type advantage in that case and using his pokémon's own nature to increase his chances of winning," added Brock after Gary finished with his explanation. "Looks like Ash has really grown these past three years he was away training." Understanding the two, their friends and the others around them, turned their attention back to the match.
As soon as Tyrantrum got close to his opponent, Ash said his next command. "Good job buddy! Fire Fang!" shouted Ash.
Those monstrous jaws that held dozens of sharp teeth was too close to his pokemon for Jack's comfort and Ash's command completely caught him off guard. "Magnezone! Full power Flash Cannon!" said Jack hurriedly. Magnezone fired his attack directly into Tyrantrum's face as the dinosaur clamped his now enflamed teeth on the magnet pokémon. Both cried out in agony but the dinosaur pokemon held on and bit down harder, making the magnet pokemon cry out in pain.
Seeing the result of the traded attacks, Ash had to admit that he was surprised. Impressive. Magnezone should've gone down with that one attack because of Tyrantrum's Strong Jaw ability that enhances his already powerful biting attacks. Hmm, it must have the Sturdy ability that lets him last longer than most of his kind. Well, time to finish this, thought Ash. "Tyrantrum, Crunch!"
"No!" shouted Jack. "Magnezone, throw him off and end it with Thunder!"
Magnezone used its remaining energy to summon a large and powerful lightning bolt to slam down onto the dinosaur pokémon from above before it could begin its attack. Even though it was resistant against electrical attacks, the energy of the move was too great this time. Tyrantrum roared in pain and let go of his opponent while being thrown back a good distance from the intensity of the attack. When his attack finished, Magnezone looked drained and slowly floated down to the ground in exhaustion but was still conscious.
Tyrantrum recovered and got back to his feet. Roaring at first, he charged back towards the downed pokemon to deliver the finishing blow. "Tyrantrum! Stop!" Hearing his trainer's orders, Tyrantrum stopped his advance, skidding to a halt a few feet away from the electric type. Turning his head to look at the raven haired trainer, Ash made a signal at the dinosaur. Understanding him, Tyrantrum faced his downed opponent but then slowly backed away while keeping his attention on Magnezone.
"Why didn't he finish the attack?" asked Max.
"Because Magnezone is exhausted and can't defend himself anymore. It used up all of its energy on the last attack and can't go on. Ash is a fair battler and wouldn't finish off a match like that if he didn't have to," answered Brock.
"That's right! I can't believe I forgot about that. No wonder he's been my idol for years. Ash is the best!" said Max as he pumped his fist, making several in the group to chuckle but none of them contradicted his statements.
Sarah's eyes widened at what she saw Ash do and what she heard from the spiky haired man. She had moved even closer to them during the second part of the battle but wasn't noticed. She's never seen anyone with such sportsmanship. Everyone she's faced before were always arrogant or smug about their victories and never showed any mercy to their opponents. She couldn't help but be impressed by his actions and her mind was racing with many thoughts.
"Now that's sportsmanship! Ash called back his pokemon before he could seriously injure Magnezone! This trainer has heart and is fair!" Smiling at the announcer's kind words, the four girls knew that it's true as the crowd screamed its approval. Some even called him 'Ash the Merciful'. Many random girls even began to scream out that they love Ash. Hearing that, the four girls got jealous looks on their faces and their friends began fearing for the worst. Yet, when they noticed that Ash was paying attention to his opponent only, they all relaxed.
Jack returned his Magnezone while thanking him for doing his best. Looking at Tyrantrum, he noticed that he was a little tired but not what he was hoping for. Shifting his attention to Ash, Jack saw how he was still in his same position. Damn, did he even move once? Well, that doesn't matter. But he really is strong. He smiled a bit before he pulled out his last pokémon's poke ball. I'm surprised it's come to this.
Jack took in a breath before he started speaking. "You've done well Ash. Not many have been able to put up a decent fight against me in a long time. I might be down to my last pokemon, but he's no pushover. I didn't think I would need him to beat you so the real battle starts now! Go! Dragonite!" Jack tossed out a poke ball and after a flash of light, a tall, bipedal beige and cream colored dragon type appeared. Spreading its wings and raising its large claws into the air the moment it appeared, it roared while also slamming its long tail against the ground.
"Wow, so many dragon types in this match," exclaimed Iris excitedly, since she loved dragon types beyond all other types. "And this one looks tough and that's saying something since Dragonite by nature are extremely strong."
"Well, Ash does have two dragon pokémon with him," reminded Misty.
"That's true but they're both tired. Then again, maybe they still have the energy to fight him if Ash doesn't have a suitable pokemon for his third," replied Iris.
"We'll find out soon enough," said Dawn and they all quieted down.
"Good choice Jack!" Ash praised his opponent out as he returned Tyrantrum, thanking him for the battle while everyone awaited his next pokémon. "This should be interesting," muttered Ash as took out a poke ball from underneath his jacket.
"Who do you think he's going to use?" asked Serena.
"Charizard maybe? I don't know who else could compete with Dragonite," worried May. Lucario shook his head slightly in amusement while Gardevoir smiled and Pikachu sniggered over her words that caught her attention. "What's so funny?"
"You'll see Lady May," answered Lucario as he pointed at the field.
They faced the field in time to see Ash toss out his poke ball. Everyone in the stadium held their breath, waiting to see who his third pokémon will be. A flash of light later and a tall bipedal bird like pokémon appeared. Covered with red and yellow feathers all over his body, the pokemon did a few stretches with his strong legs and toned arms to quickly limber up his body. "Ash has chosen Blaziken! Will this fire and fighting falcon be strong enough to compete with the mythical dragon?"
"Blaze!" roared the pokémon as soon as the announcer finished its words as if offended by him before taking up a fighting stance with his wrists becoming enflamed when he was ready.
At first stunned over what pokemon her crush brought out, May snapped out of it and felt extremely happy. "I can't believe he has a Blaziken just like me!" Standing up from her seat, she went to the rails and yelled out to her love. "Show them how strong Blaziken are Ash!" Hearing her, Ash turned his gaze towards her and gave her a big smile with a nod. Beaming back at him, May returned to her seat to watch the battle.
"I wonder how many new pokémon Ash caught and trained over the last three years?" thought Brock out loud and most in the group just shrugged in response.
The three pokemon who were with them however, shared a discreet smirk with one another with all three of them thinking the same thing. If only they knew how many he has…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In the VIP room, the president of the league along with several others were comfortably seated and watching the matches of the day. So far in the tournament, they hadn't seen anything too crazy yet after the opening match the previous day. That was one that they'd all remember since it involved a contender against a champion getting completely swept by Ash Ketchum who hadn't done an Elite Four challenge himself. They knew he was strong because of his past tournament rankings along with the things he's done but they didn't expect him to be that strong. And after that battle, they hadn't seen anything else so far that warranted more than just mild interest because all other battles had expected performances and outcomes.
When it was finally time for Ash's next match, they were excited to see what he would do. Since all of them wanted to battle someone who could push them to the distance again. And so far, he hadn't disappointed them at all. They were impressed with Ash and awed by his strength, battle style and pokemon choices. Yet his current choice of using Blaziken against Dragonite baffled them just like when Ash decided to keep using Pidgeot in the opening match. To say they were curious was the least of it.
One of the president's guests moved her white coat off her legs so she can get more comfortable in her seat. "Jack's Dragonite is going to pose a problem for him," remarked the woman while fixing her attire.
"Perhaps," mused another with spiky red hair. "But that boy's Dragonite is nowhere near as strong as mine. If he can't take him down, then I got my hopes up for nothing."
"Of course not my fellow champion, but it's still a Dragonite," replied back the woman.
"Have you even looked at the Blaziken?" interjected another, making both of them turn to look at him. He stood up and his height was noticed since he was taller than them and because of his karate uniform, his overly muscular form was also noticed. Moving closer to the wall windows, he crossed his arms and spoke. "You can feel the confidence and strength that pokemon has. Even from here. But it still won't be an easy match for sure."
"Well, in that case, let's pay attention and see what happens," spoke up another male with silver hair as he set his drink down so he could pay attention without accidently spilling anything.
"I agree. Let's watch and see what Ash plans to do," chimed in a blonde woman. Glancing at the others, she then looked towards the field. Her mind was filled with thoughts over the raven haired trainer. She wanted to see just how much stronger he'd become since the last time they had seen each other. For a few seconds she was momentarily saddened since their last interaction was during a rather awful time. She quickly cleared her head after thinking some thoughts and focused on the match once more.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Seeing who Ash had chosen to fight against his mythical dragon, Jack was a little underwhelmed. "What, Blaziken? Really? After two dragon pokémon, you use him? I'm kind of let down. They're strong sure, but against my Dragonite?" Jack shook his head and shrugged.
Ash however continued smiling, not letting his words affect him. "Oh, don't you worry. We've got a surprise for you." Blaziken didn't move from his fighting stance and gave a rather intimidating glare.
Jack and Dragonite however weren't affected as much as the crowd was. Instead, they just scoffed at their bravado. "Well, if that's the case, we'll start things off again! Dragonite! Dragon Claw!"
"Fire Punch."
Both Dragonite and Blaziken shot forward with amazing speed while readying their strikes. Each of them landed their hits against their target's torso that made them both take a step back from the impact.
"Follow up with Blaze Kick."
"Counter with Wing Attack!"
The fire pokémon engulfed his leg with fire and smashed it against the dragon's side, causing it to yelp from the burning pain. However, the dragon quickly recovered and retaliated with its wings slamming against the falcon, who was forced back a short distance.
"Keep up the pressure! Dragon Breath!" stated Jack, trying to continue their momentum.
Ash wouldn't let them however. "Flamethrower."
Both pokemon let out a torrent of flames in close proximity of each other. The falcon's was colored red and yellow while the dragon's was green. People in the stands thought there would be a power struggle but the colliding flames exploded and covered the field with smoke. Dragonite flew up into the air and hovered a good distance away while scanning the field for Blaziken.
"Good work Dragonite!" praised Jack, glad that his pokemon was still looking fresh after the last few exchanges. "Get a Dragon Pulse ready and when you get a shot, take it!" Dragonite powered up the attack and waited for his chance when the smoke finally clears.
But Ash had a different idea. "Sky Uppercut."
Blaziken's right fist glowed white before he used his incredibly strong leg muscles to jump high into the air to both escape the smoke and go after Dragonite. Stunned at seeing the falcon coming after him, the dragon didn't react in time to fire his attack before getting hit. A devastating punch was delivered into Dragonite's abdomen that caused the mythical pokémon to fire the beam of draconian energy off aim. Barely grazing against Blaziken's shoulder, the falcon still yelped in pain.
After exchanging attacks, the two pokemon began to fall down towards the ground with many in the stands screaming in fright and worry. Blaziken was able to land on his feet and immediately rolled to offset the pressure of the landing. Dragonite was able to slow himself down enough to land safely back onto the ground but still winced from the sudden stop. Yet both pokemon got back into battle ready stances immediately afterwards.
Their resilience and fighting spirits were resonating with the crowd and they cheered over seeing it.
"Incredible! Both pokemon are still standing! What an amazing battle! This is anyone's match at this point!" Both Ash and Jack continued, telling their commands to their pokemon who obeyed. The crowd continued cheering with many awestruck over the amazing battle.
One of which was Sarah. She was so absorbed in the continuing battle, that she didn't realize she had gotten up from her seat and went towards the guard rails. Leaning slightly over it, Sarah was watching the amazing match with wide eyes and mouth left slightly open from being so impressed over it.
A certain pokemon researcher noticed her and Gary couldn't take his eyes off of her. Eying her up and down, he took in her looks. Just as he thought before, she was very attractive with her attire of white skirt that reached halfway down her slender thighs and a tight blue shirt that showed off her curves. Looking at her for a few more seconds, Gary then noticed where she was looking, which was right at his childhood friend. Well, color me surprised. Damn it. Hmm, I do like a challenge though. But what if she gets involved too with them? Might make things interesting…
Grinning to himself since either scenario would bring him entertainment, he then nudged Brock who was sitting next to him. The older male glanced at him with an annoyed expression over it. "Looks like we have a fan," whispered Gary after leaning in closer and discreetly pointing at Sarah.
Brock looked where Gary was pointing and he was surprised to see her. "Damn, she is pretty. Oh shit, I hope the girls don't notice," whispered Brock in worry, shifting his gaze towards the girls but relaxed when he saw them paying attention to the ongoing match instead. Letting out a sigh of relief, Brock looked back at the blonde and it hit him then. "Wait, isn't that Sarah from the first match?"
"I think so," replied Gary. "She's smoking hot. Reminds me of the old days when I used to travel with fan girls. I might finally get some action here unless Ashy-boy somehow gets his first hot groupie," chuckled Gary while speaking a little louder than he meant to.
"Ash has what, Gary?" asked Dawn, not looking away from the battle.
Brock and Gary both looked at each other with fear and they both thought the same thing; shit! "Ah, I said Ash has a good chance to win if he doesn't blow it," lied Gary quickly while sweating a little from nervousness and Brock looked uneasy.
"Oh, okay."
Gary and Brock shared a look before they both sighed in relief. They didn't want to get mixed up in a catfight right now. Though Gary couldn't deny that he would've enjoyed seeing it. "Close call."
"Yeah," agreed Brock. "Let's just watch the match." They returned their attention back to the battle in time to see both Blaziken and Dragonite land punches against one another's face.
"Blaziken, you good?" asked Ash and his falcon let out a loud screech.
"Dragonite, you ready for more?" questioned Jack and his dragon roared in response.
"Alright. Thunder Punch."
"Dragon Breath!"
Dragonite fired a torrent of green flames at Blaziken again. But the falcon quickly used some impressive acrobatics to dodge them while the dragon chased him down with the flames. All the while, Blaziken got closer until he was within distance to jump the rest of the way and landed an electrified punch against Dragonite's face. That punch stopped the flames and also made its target take a couple steps back from the power behind it.
"Don't back down now! Dragon Claw!" Dragonite regained his composure quickly and countered back with his claw covered in green draconian energy. Grazing against the falcon pokémon's chest, Blaziken was forced to take several steps back with Dragonite continuing his advance to land another strike.
Seeing that, Ash quickly made a command. "Overheat!"
"Counter with Flamethrower!" barked Jack quickly afterwards.
Both pokémon released powerful flames at each other in close range again. But Blaziken's Overheat soon overpowered Dragonite's Flamethrower and plowed through. Dispelling the dragon's flames as if they weren't even there, Dragonite cried out in pain from the intense heat and burns.
"No! Dragonite, use Twister! Push the flames away!"
Dragonite flapped his small for his size but powerful wings and pushed the flames back away from him. Blaziken stopped his attack and back flipped away from him. Stopping a short distance in front of his trainer, his arm twitched a bit. It was the same one where the Dragon Pulse grazed the shoulder.
"You alright buddy?" asked Ash after noticing it thanks to his aura bonds with his pokemon. His bonds with his pokémon had grown stronger over the past few years and were practically unbreakable even with his newer pokémon like Blaziken. He could understand what they were thinking and feeling at any giving point. Especially when he was focused on them like now.
"Blaze!" Blaziken nodded and took up a battle stance again.
On the other side of the field, Jack was both impressed and also frustrated. He couldn't believe that a mere Blaziken was not only keeping up with his Dragonite but also giving him an equal thrashing. Damn it, I need to finish this quick otherwise I'm in shit since he still has the other two pokemon. "Alright Ash. It's been a great battle but it'll take more than that to finish us!" said Jack and Dragonite straightened out to his full height and roared at them in challenge while flapping his wings.
Dragonite's display was meant to show off his prowess and determination to keep going and how he wasn't scared of them at all. But then he grimaced for a split second when he raised his claws above him to continue his display.
Ash noticed the injury and so did Blaziken. "It looks like I'm nearing that amount," remarked Ash.
"What?!" shot Jack with disbelief before narrowing his eyes. "You're bluffing. My Dragonite is far too strong!"
Ash and Blaziken smirked. "He is strong. But not strong enough."
Becoming frustrated and annoyed, both Jack and Dragonite growled a little. "We'll show you! Dragonite! Dragon Rush!" Dragonite covered himself with blue draconian energy and practically launched towards the falcon.
"Flare Blitz." Blaziken covered himself with swirling red flames and charged at the rushing dragon. The red sphere and blue sphere collided that caused a shockwave to burst out from their energies as they slammed into each other.
Many people in the stands that were standing near the railings lost their balance over it and stumbled around as they tried to regain their footing. They got their balance back and looked at the field once more to see both pokemon trying to overcome the other.
"You can do it Dragonite! Show them whose boss!" encouraged Jack. Dragonite growled as he summoned his brute strength and started pushing Blaziken back a bit.
"Spin and grab him!" shouted Ash. Blaziken spun to the side quickly, causing Dragonite to lurch forward and the falcon pokémon grabbed its tail when it moved past him. "Superpower!" Having a red outline glow around him, the falcon then lifted up the dragon from his tail into the air and slammed him back down against the ground. He picked him up again and brought him back down with even greater force the second time.
"No! Dragonite, get up! Counter with Dragon Claw!" Dragonite got up and landed a last ditch Dragon Claw on Blaziken's side that connected but struggled to remain on his feet.
Blaziken took a step back and grunted in pain yet was ready for more. "Time's up Jack," stated Ash, sensing the energy levels of both pokemon. Before Jack could say anything, Ash said his final commands to end the battle. "Blaziken, Dual Chop followed by Blaze Kick!" Blaziken shot forward and delivered two powerful strikes against Dragonite's head. And right afterwards he swung his right leg that was covered with red and yellow flames against the dragon's side.
The enflamed kick connected and sent Dragonite flying back towards his trainer. Jack could only watch with a stunned face as his pokemon crashed into the ground and slid several feet until he stopped in front of him. "Dragonite! Please get up!" pleaded Jack. Hearing his trainer, Dragonite tried to pick himself up but his arms trembled violently before giving way and he slumped back onto the ground. He didn't move again.
The referee raised the green flag while lowering the red flag. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Jack has no more pokémon to use! The winner is Ash Ketchum!"
The crowd roared in response and Ash's friends were amongst the loudest. "What a battle! Ash has won his second match of the tournament without losing a single pokemon again! What an incredible display of skill and strength!"
Ash congratulated Blaziken on his well earned victory before returning him and made his way to the middle of the field. Jack had returned his Dragonite as well and was there waiting for him. Both trainers returned the microphones to the referee and then shook hands.
"That was a great battle Ash," remarked Jack with a small smile. "Good luck in your future battles at the tournament."
"Thanks Jack and you were pretty good," replied Ash sincerely. "I had to think outside the box in order to win." Letting go, Jack was about to leave when Ash spoke up again. "Oh and you should have the pokémon center take a look at your Dragonite. I think he got a bad injury on his side."
Jack stopped when he started talking again and he was taken aback at his thoughtfulness. "I see. I'll get right on it. Thanks Ash. Take care."
"No problem. See ya." Ash watched Jack go towards the trainer's exit for a second before turning his gaze to where his friends were seated. He quickly found them and pointed at the exit to convey that he would meet them at the exit and they nodded in agreement.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What did I tell you?" asked the man in the karate uniform rhetorically to the woman in the white coat. She didn't respond but merely frowned before getting up from her seat to leave the room.
The blonde woman couldn't help but giggle a little. "He and his pokemon have gotten much stronger. I think his Blaziken could even take on your Dragonite as well," remarked the blonde woman to the spiky haired man while smirking.
"Yeah, right. Next thing you'll say is that his Pikachu could take on all of us at once." Scoffing at her statement, he turned towards the door to leave the room with his black and red cape trailing behind him.
Shaking her head, she stood up as well but instead of following after her friends, she walked to the windows. She was able to see the raven haired trainer walk towards the trainer's tunnel to leave the field and she couldn't help but smile. She remembered some of the things they went through together and wondered about some of it for a bit. Until she shook her head slightly as a final thought ran through her mind when he finally disappeared inside the tunnel; it's been way too long since the last time we talked but I'm glad that you're finally back.
When she first went up to the window and stayed there for a bit, she missed the lingering look on her from the spiky haired man at the door before he finally left.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When Ash, his friends, his pokemon and Richie who was waiting for them outside the stadium, finally gathered back together in front of the stadium, they congratulate Richie first on his victory before moving onto Ash's. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and raised his small fist in triumph while Lucario and Gardevoir gave their trainer a smile. Thanking them all, Ash then returned Espeon, who had surprisingly fallen asleep in Dawn's arms even with all the loud noises going on at the stadium.
"That was amazing Ash!" complimented May once more and this time, she hugged him tightly.
"Thanks May," replied Ash as he returned the hug. "Dragonite was a little tough but everything worked out in the end."
"A little tough?!" repeated May as she separated from him and gave him a look of surprise.
"Yeah, you man handled it like it was just an overgrown serpent with wings!" blurted out Max.
"Okay, enough bashing on dragons please," remarked Iris with a scowl. She was happy that Ash won of course but didn't like how they were insulting her favorite pokemon type.
They all chuckled or giggled over Iris's words, who crossed her arms and glared at them. Ash shook his head. "Anyway, I got lucky that Blaziken's attacks hurt Dragonite's side and caused him too much pain. I would've still won, but it might have taken longer," revealed Ash and his friends gave him surprised looks. He didn't see it and kept going. "Then again, Blaziken has been practicing against Flygon so I guess it would've been the same outcome sooner or later."
"Blaziken and Flygon fight each other huh?" asked Gary, his researcher side kicking in. "Is that how Blaziken was quick to overcome Dragonite's moves? He was used to fighting dragon types?"
"Yeah, they help each other out," answered Ash. "They learned how to deal with their shortcomings and turn them into strengths." Seeing their impressed gazes, Ash rubbed the back of his head. "So, how about we get back to the suite and eat. I'm starving." Agreeing to it since they were all hungry too even after having some snacks during the battle, they began walking back towards their hotel. As they did so, they talked about Ash's match and his pokémon.
Unknown to everyone but Ash and Lucario who sensed a presence near them with their aura, someone was following them. They didn't pay much attention to it though since the aura around the follower wasn't filled with ill intent.
The one who was following them was Sarah. After watching Ash's battle and being so impressed, she had decided to follow them for the moment as she built up her courage to try and talk to him. He's so incredible. And his friends seem to respect him a lot. I hope I can convince him to help me in my training. Even if he only tells me a little bit, I'm sure it'll help me, thought Sarah as she followed after them patiently.
When the group finally arrived at the hotel, they entered the building and spoke with Joy who only had half an hour left until her shift ended for the day. Sarah entered the lobby when they started talking and moved to the side unnoticed by most of them and wondered if she should say anything now. The group of friends talked for a bit until Ash's stomach rumbled loudly. Amused over it, they took his stomach growling as a sign for them to continue back at the suite while they eat and Ash was grateful for it.
They invited Joy to join them after her shift ends and she accepted. They were about to head to the elevator to head upstairs but then they started hearing noises. Remaining where they were, they listened in to it and they realized someone was shouting. Wondering who it was, they seemed to get their answer when the hotel lobby doors opened and they listened in to the shouting girl since they were curious and wondered if something bad had happened.
"No! A hundred times no! I told you already I'm not going out with you!" yelled the girl angrily.
"Ah c'mon, you know you want to. And we agreed if you had won your last match, then you'd go out with me," said the boy as he completely ignored her denial.
"No, I never agreed to that! Stop making things up and…and…my boyfriend's gonna get angry that you're talking to me like that!" she added hastily.
"Boyfriend? Yea, right. Quit playing hard to get. Look, one dinner is all I ask."
"You think I'm lying? That's my boyfriend right there!"
All of a sudden, Ash's arm was grabbed and he was forced to turn around. "Why me?" muttered Ash quietly so only his friends could hear him as he turned. His friends also turned around and they all faced the new arrivals…
Author's Note - So what did you think? I'd like to hear from everyone about your thoughts and what you liked/disliked. I'm already working on the next chapter and hopefully I can get it out soon enough. Do remember that I'm working on multiple stories at once so thanks for the patience in advance. I do want to hear from you all so remember to review, fav and follow! I do have something else to say as well.
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My Active Stories (Take a look!)
The Blue Spirit
Tale of the Forsaken
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