By the time Ash and his friends arrived back at the Shalour City Gym, Misty was already waiting for him in the bleachers, near the back, arms folded. Their eyes met for a moment as he walked forward, her stern look tempered by concern for the outcome of the battle ahead. After a second, he turned and looked back toward the gym leader on the opposite side, stepping into the challenger's position with Pikachu at his feet. Behind him, his friends walked into the bleachers; Serena led them to their seats several rows in front of Misty, not wanting to sit too close to the scary lady.
"Well, I'm glad you came back for another try," Siebold commented, studying Ash's chastened expression, pleased to see that he wasn't as overconfident as he was the first time he came in. "You've got tenacity, I'll give you that. I just hope this battle is more savory than the last."
"It will be," Ash replied. "I've been hard at work preparing for this rematch." His voice was confident but not assured, nervousness starting to creep in.
"Good." The gym leader nodded, not sure how much improvement could happen in 24 hours, but willing to give Ash the benefit of the doubt and see. "You already know the rules. Three Pokémon each side. If you don't impress me, you know what happens next."
Ash nodded back, not needing the reminder, watching as Siebold grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it into the arena, bringing out the same Starmie from the previous day. It hovered over the battlefield, waiting for an opponent to appear, watching Ash as his hand moved to his belt. He took a deep breath before throwing the ball out, his Skorupi appearing on the nearest ice floe, trying to make itself look as large as possible. Siebold's eyebrows raised, intrigued by the choice of Pokémon; it was definitely different, but he didn't know yet if it was different for the sake of strategy, or simply for the sake of being different.
"The two trainers are ready to battle!" the referee announced dutifully from the side of the ring. "The battle will begin… now!"
Ash took the initiative, stepping forward and calling out. "Fell Stinger, Skorupi! Stick that Starmie!"
His Pokémon acted quickly, aiming his tail at his foe and starting to fire stingers in Starmie's direction, one after the other. Siebold watched with mild amusement as Starmie dodged the stingers with ease, wondering what exactly Ash was playing at.
"Use Water Gun! Knock that Skorupi off its feet!"
His Pokémon made an affirmative sound, summoning a jet of water from its crystal and firing at its opponent. Siebold watched the attack get closer, expecting the scorpion Pokémon to be knocked back and start floundering in the water. Instead, Skorupi leaped off of the ice floe right before the attack hit, landing in the water and dashing in Starmie's direction with surprising speed.
"Keep moving, Skorupi! Get closer!" Ash commanded, a bit buoyed as he saw the Pokémon swimming easily. His guidance from earlier in the day was paying off, and he watched as Skorupi continued to fire Fell Stingers at his foe, much to Siebold's chagrin. Starmie was still dodging, but it was getting more difficult as its opponent approached.
"Dazzling Gleam, now!" the Gym Leader called out. Starmie acted quickly, too quickly for Skorupi to react, and he was soon blinded by the bright flash that shone forth from the Pokémon's crystal. Ash looked away as soon as he could, managing to save his eyesight, while his friends in the stands covered their eyes with their hands and arms.
"Good work! Now hit it with Rapid Spin!"
Ash bit his lip, watching as Starmie turned itself flat and started to spin quickly, zooming down toward its opponent. Skorupi's eyesight was returning very slowly, too slowly for him to be able to see Starmie approaching, and he had to guess at the Pokémon's trajectory based on his other senses. Starmie curved around, trying its best to be unpredictable as it closed in, wanting to knock Skorupi across the arena.
As it got close, Ash's Pokémon suddenly turned, feeling a light gust of air from the spinning Starmie, and it stuck its tail out straight, wanting to get any small amount of poison damage that it could. When the impact finally came, both Pokémon made a pained noise, as Skorupi was sent flying across the pool, landing on another ice floe. Starmie returned to an upright position, hovering close, still feeling the sting of the scorpion tail; at the moment, nobody was sure if any poison had been transferred.
Siebold frowned as he looked out at the battlefield, thinking that this Pokémon might not be the pushover he was expecting. "Let's end this quickly! Use Psychic!"
Ash nodded, anticipating this and reacting quickly. "Get ready, Skorupi! Like we practiced before!" The Gym Leader raised an eyebrow, wondering what this could mean, as he watched Skorupi stiffen himself up, tensing all of his muscles. Seconds later, a glowing red light surrounded him, as Starmie focused intensely with its Psychic attack.
Just as Skorupi started to rise into the air, one more Fell Stinger shot out of his tail, as his muscles fired off with the last of the control they had. Starmie made a panicked noise as the stinger shot toward it, not having expected another projectile. It quickly shifted focus, using its Psychic ability to stop the stinger before it made impact. As the stinger fell to the ground, Starmie looked back down at its opponent, watching helplessly as Skorupi leaped toward it, jaw outstretched, and sank his poisonous fangs into one of Starmie's ten appendages.
Ash could hear a gasp from Serena in the stands, barely paying it any mind as he watched Starmie try unsuccessfully to shake Skorupi off. It took another Rapid Spin attack to dislodge the Pokémon after several long seconds, a dizzy and dazed Skorupi rocketing back into the water. As Starmie tried to catch its breath, hovering closer to the water than before, it was clear that it had been badly poisoned this time.
"Great work, Skorupi!" Ash grinned wide, watching Starmie slump. "Keep up the stinger attacks! They're sure to hit now!"
Skorupi issued a high-pitched noise of affirmation, aiming his tail once again at his foe and firing out a stinger. It easily hit its target, as Starmie made no attempt to dodge. Skorupi continued to attack, dazed and sore but energized all the same, excited to have done so much damage to such a powerful foe. A second and third stinger hit their marks, digging into Starmie's muscles before falling back down into the water. As he prepared a fourth, however, he was knocked away by a heavy ice floe smashing into his body, controlled by Starmie's telekinesis.
"Oh no!" Serena watched with clasped hands as Ash's Pokémon was sent flying, slamming into the back wall of the pool. All four of the spectators saw Skorupi start to sink into the water, nearly motionless, making no attempt to swim toward solid ground. Ash stepped forward, pulling out a Poké Ball and returning the Pokémon to it, making a signal to the referee.
"Ash has withdrawn Skorupi from the battle!" he announced, holding up a flag in Siebold's direction. "The challenger has two Pokémon left!"
Iris, Brock and Serena looked back and forth between the two trainers. Based on their expressions, one wouldn't think that Ash was the disadvantaged one; he looked determined and resolute, pleased at his Pokémon's performance. Conversely, Siebold was clearly disappointed at this turn of events, his Starmie looking tired and sickly. Ash's clever response to the Psychic attack had taken him completely by surprise, and that moment of hesitation had cost him greatly.
"You're certainly not the same trainer that came by yesterday," he commented, not sure if he was more annoyed or impressed. "But let's see if you can keep this up. Who's your next Pokémon?" He glanced down toward the Pikachu at Ash's feet, but his eyes flicked upward as Ash reached for another Poké Ball.
"Your opponent's weak, Snivy! Finish it off!" Ash tossed the ball in front of him, and it quickly ejected Snivy onto the closest ice floe. She quickly sized up her opponent, smirking as she saw it looking exhausted. She was going to enjoy getting payback for the day before.
"Ash's Pokémon is ready! The battle will resume… now!"
Before Ash could make a move, Siebold stepped forward, not wanting any of what Snivy was going to dish out. "Use Psychic again, Starmie! Stop it in its tracks!" He knew that with all of the poison Starmie had absorbed, there was no chance that any of its physical attacks would work out well; Psychic was now the only option left.
His Pokémon focused as best it could, as a familiar red aura began to surround Snivy. She struggled a bit, trying to free herself, surprised to find that she was much more mobile than she was during the last battle.
"You can fight it off, Snivy!" Ash called out. "Try to grab it with your vines!" She nodded and focused hard, her muscles fighting against the ineffective telekinesis, and her vines soon emerged from her collar. They reached out slowly and wrapped around two of Starmie's appendages as they had before; at this point, Starmie was too weakened to force them back.
"Perfect! Now get up close and finish with Leaf Blade!"
Snivy smirked and began to retract her vines while still holding onto Starmie, sending her rocketing forward, as her opponent started to panic. Just before they collided, Snivy whirled around, her tail glowing, and smacked Starmie across the gem with her Leaf Blade attack. Both Pokémon fell back down to the arena, with Snivy landing gracefully on an ice platform, while Starmie crashed into the water, completely incapacitated. The referee didn't need long to declare his verdict.
"Starmie is unable to battle! Both trainers have two Pokémon remaining!"
There was a visible release of tension from the stands upon Starmie's defeat; Serena and Iris let out audible sighs of relief, while Brock and Misty watched the battle with similar stern expressions, their arms folded. Ash still had an uphill battle ahead of him, but by trading his weaker Pokémon for one of Siebold's powerful ones, he had put himself in a much more favorable position.
Snivy, still fresh as a daisy, was energized and ready to get another shot at Siebold; her normally calm demeanor was gone, and she was chomping at the bit to take on her next opponent and redeem herself for her previous disastrous showing. She stared Siebold down, waiting for him to pull out his next Pokémon, wanting to show him what she could really do.
Siebold exhaled a deep breath, brushing off the frustration as he returned Starmie to its Poké Ball, before reaching for another. "If a battle's what you want, then that's what you'll receive." He hurled the ball into the arena, summoning the Clawitzer that most of them had seen yesterday. Snivy quickly sized up her opponent, studying him, recalling the possible strategies Ash had gone over with her before arriving at the gym.
As the referee signaled for the match to resume, Ash made the first move once again. "Leaf Storm! See if you can damage it!" His Pokémon nodded, summoning a number of leaves around her body before flinging them forward toward her foe.
"Block them with your claw!" Siebold responded. Clawitzer quickly turned himself so his enormous claw was facing Snivy, completely shielding his body. The leaves rammed ineffectively against the hard shell of the claw, leaving Clawitzer's body unharmed. Ash frowned, disappointed but not surprised; at least now he knew not to use that attack again.
"Show them what a real attack looks like! Use Dragon Pulse!" Siebold's Pokémon grunted, forming an energy ball in his claw, which fired out in Snivy's direction at a rapid speed. She yelped and dodged quickly, hopping onto another ice floe.
"That thing's more dangerous at a distance," Ash observed to himself, before raising his voice. "Try to get closer, Snivy!"
She nodded in response, extending her vines a bit and using them to propel herself around, jumping from one floe to the next. Clawitzer fired off one Dragon Pulse after another, trying to knock her back, but he was forming them a bit too slowly, and they were unable to catch the highly agile Snivy. She smirked as she got closer, ready to deliver a beating, but just before she landed on Clawitzer's platform, he aimed his claw directly at her, firing off a powerful Aqua Jet and landing a direct hit.
Ash and his friends watched nervously as she was knocked backwards into the pool, landing with a large splash. Seconds later, her vines shot out of the water, grabbing a nearby floe and pulling her onto it; she was soaked and quite unhappy, but not choking on water as she had been the previous day. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, before both he and his Pokémon turned their attention back toward Clawitzer, who was charging up his powerful jet, ready to blast off.
"Use the ice! Knock him off course!" he called out, diving into the well of tricks he had devised for this particular fight. Snivy understood the command perfectly, smirking as she leaped into the air, her vines grabbing the ice underneath her. She heaved it toward Clawtizer as hard as she could, and the crashing of the ice floes knocked him off course just as he was blasting off. He ended up zooming in a completely different direction, crashing face-first into another ice platform, breaking off a small chunk of it.
"Great work!" Ash grinned wide, wanting to press the advantage, as Snivy landed gracefully in the water. "Use Vine Whip! Aim for his body!"
His Pokémon nodded, reaching out with her vines as she treaded water, starting to slap Clawitzer about before he regained his senses. He yelped and snapped with his claws reflexively, trying to fight off the attack. After a couple seconds of this, his large claw managed to clamp down heavily on one of Snivy's vines, causing her to yelp in pain. She tried to pull herself free, slowly reeling Clawitzer in as they both struggled against each other.
"You're stronger in the water than she is!" Siebold called out. "Now swing her around!"
Clawitzer nodded, turning its body about, swinging Snivy with the giant claw clamped down onto her vine. She yelped as she was dragged along, swinging around in a wide arc and eventually being pulled out of the water and into the air. Her flight was short-lived, however, as she crashed painfully into the side of the pool before dropping into the water right below her. She felt her captive vine go slack and reflexively recalled it back to herself, not noticing the Dragon Pulse that her foe was charging up. She didn't have time to get out of the way before it exploded in her face, sending her flying and landing on another ice platform.
Ash watched nervously, nearly holding his breath as Snivy pushed herself up, exhaling in relief as she got back to her feet. The spectators in the stands were nervous as well, worried about the strength of Siebold's Pokémon, surprised at how difficult the battle was so far.
"Can you still fight, Snivy?" Ash asked, as Clawitzer used a water jet attack to propel himself back onto an ice floe. Snivy turned around and nodded resolutely, breathing harder than before, but looking more determined than ever, almost angry. He sighed and nodded back. "Good. Try to get up close and personal again, and watch out for Aqua Jet. You know what to do." She gave an affirmative reply before turning back toward Clawitzer, extending her vines again and using them to leap forward, as she had before.
"Keep her away, Clawitzer! Use Water Pulse!" Siebold called out in response. Everyone watched as Clawitzer started firing off balls of water, trying to knock his foe out of the air; Snivy's vines were as agile as ever, though, and she was able to dodge them with ease, even as she got close. Just as she launched herself toward his platform, he aimed at her once again and fired off another Aqua Jet, as he had before. This time, however, she reached out her vines and grabbed the floe he was resting on, pulling herself downward, just underneath the rushing jet of water.
Siebold watched as Snivy landed on the platform, inches away from Clawitzer, vines still extended, wondering what attack she was going to use. With so little space between them, his Pokémon had no chance of getting away even with his powerful water jet, and he worriedly watched her approach. After a brief pause, she adopted a coy smile, leaning in and affectionately rubbing her nose against his, much to his surprise and confusion. She stood up again, giving him a flirtatious wink before using her vines to leap away, returning to Ash's end of the battlefield and motioning for him to follow her.
"Don't do it, Clawitzer!" Siebold warned, recognizing the powerful Attract ability. "Keep your distance! Don't follow her!" His words fell on deaf ears, as his suddenly lovestruck Clawitzer started charging up his jet, wanting to join the object of his desires as quickly as possible. The whole room watched as he took off in her direction, flying across the battlefield, as she kept her gaze on him. Once he was a few feet away, she smirked and leaped into the air, over his head; he looked upward, trying to keep his gaze on her, his affection turning into confusion. He didn't realize until it was too late that he was unable to stop his charge, and he slammed full force, face-first, into the concrete that lined the battlefield. Ash's friends all winced in unison at the impact.
"Geez, that looks like it really hurt…" Iris commented. "I'm surprised he didn't crack his shell slamming into that wall."
"That Snivy's a real heartbreaker, isn't she?" Serena wondered aloud, impressed by Snivy's feminine wiles. "I almost feel sorry for that Clawitzer."
"You've nearly got him!" Ash called out, grinning. "Finish the job! Use Slam!"
Snivy nodded, grinning in anticipation of her victory, as she extended her vines and grabbed the edge of the pool. Once they had a grip, she quickly pulled herself in, sending herself flying toward her dazed opponent. Partway through her charges, her eyes widened in shock as she saw Clawitzer's jet charging once again, and he rocketed backwards toward her. The two Pokémon slammed into each other with incredible force, knocking each other back; Snivy landed heavily on an ice floe in the middle of the arena, while Clawitzer landed on another platform, close to Ash.
After lying motionless for a moment, Snivy coughed and tried to rise to her feet, one hand holding her chest. Her breathing was harsh and labored, even more so than before, and despite her best efforts to push herself up, she eventually collapsed back into a kneeling position. Ash's friends looked nervously toward the referee, fearfully waiting to see if he would make an announcement, but he continued to stand and watch carefully. Snivy was still technically able to battle, but there wasn't much fight left in her.
"That was a clever trick, Ash, but you need more than that to defeat us," Siebold taunted, his confidence having returned to him. "Take her down, Clawitzer! One more jet will end it!"
Ash's fist clenched as he watched the battered and heartbroken Clawitzer charging up to take off once again. His eyes darted back over toward Snivy, who was still unable to stand, looking as if she had no strength left in her. She slowly extended her vines, still able to move them decently well, as she glanced back at her trainer, wanting him to know she wasn't completely out of it. He could see the desire in her eyes, the message that she was clearly sending: let me finish this.
He looked back and forth between the two Pokémon for a moment, mind racing for an idea, before coming up with one last gambit. "Tilt him upward! Send him sky high!"
She nodded, her vines shooting out in front of her and grabbing the near edge of Clawtizer's ice floe, tilting it up and aiming her foe toward the ceiling, just as he blasted off. He made a panicked squeal as he flew uncontrollably into the air at an amazing speed, ultimately slamming into the ceiling of the gym.
"No! What?!" Siebold exclaimed, his swagger evaporating in an instant.
Ash grinned wide, pleased and impressed. "Now, bring him back down to Earth!"
Snivy smirked as she extended her vines one more time, reaching upward and snatching Clawitzer out of the air. Using all of her strength, she swung him downward toward the arena, sending him crashing into one of the ice floes, which were starting to dwindle in number. His body smashed right through it, breaking it into small pieces that spread across the pool. The entire room watched the area where Clawitzer had landed, as bubbles slowly rose to the surface of the water. His body eventually bobbed up to the top, mostly motionless, the dazed expression on his face clear to everyone.
"Clawitzer is unable to battle!" the referee proclaimed, raising a flag in Ash's direction. "Snivy has won the bout! Gym Leader Siebold has one Pokémon left!"
"Yes!" Ash thrust his fist into the air, thrilled, able to hear cheers from the stands as well. "You did it! Great job, Snivy!"
Snivy smirked, glancing back at her trainer as she breathed heavily, proud of herself. The next instant, her arms and legs finally gave out, and she collapsed onto the ice, her eyes closing as she slipped under. Ash gasped, running to the corner of the challenger's box, trying to get a better look at his Pokémon, futilely hoping that she might still be conscious. As he got a glimpse of her face, it was clear that she was down for the count, having given everything she had.
"Snivy is down as well!" the referee announced. "Both trainers are down to their final Pokémon!"
"Oh gosh, poor Snivy…" Serena spoke quietly to the others, her hands clasped nervously. "She was hurt a lot worse than I thought…"
"Me too," Iris responded. "After that last attack, I thought she was going to be able to tough it out and let Ash return her."
Brock shook his head. "There was no way she could have kept battling after the injury she sustained. She should have fainted after that Slam attack, honestly. I guess she just wanted to beat Clawitzer that badly."
Several rows behind them, Misty was still sitting quietly, her gaze fixed on the Gym Leader opposite Ash, trying to figure out what was going through his head. Siebold was having his Pokémon fight harder than they should have for a third-badge battle, and she didn't know why. Perhaps he was trying to punish Ash for his hubris the previous day. Whatever the case, she wasn't happy about it, but she was reluctant to intervene just yet. She would wait and see how the battle turned out for Ash.
Ash sighed, proud and upset at the same time, taking out Snivy's Poké Ball and returning her to it. "You did a great job, Snivy. Get some rest and we'll fix you up soon." He put the ball away, glancing down at the Pokémon at his feet, who was looking back up at him.
"It's all on you, Pikachu. Whoever he's got, I know you can beat them." Pikachu nodded resolutely, turning and leaping out onto the closest ice floe, on all fours.
On the other end of the arena, Siebold sighed as he returned Clawitzer to his Poké Ball. On one level, he couldn't help but be pleased by the massive improvement Ash had shown; it was almost baffling to him that this could be the same trainer who so badly fumbled yesterday's battle. On another level, however, he was certain that his Clawitzer would defeat Snivy, and his own pride was somewhat wounded by the fact that she had been the victor instead. He tried to push it out of his mind as he reached for his final Poké Ball.
"I have to say, Ash, you've impressed me," he admitted, tossing his Poké Ball in the air and catching it repeatedly. "This is a much more savory battle than I anticipated. But it's not over yet."
He hurled the ball into the ring, dispensing a sizable amount of energy that quickly formed into a rather large Pokémon. Seconds later, Ash and Pikachu were looking up at a Gyarados as it hovered above the pool. He let out a loud roar that nearly shook the gym, wanting to intimidate, wanting to dominate his competition.
"Both Pokémon are ready! The battle will resume… now!"
Siebold made the first move this time, speaking just as soon as the referee finished. "Dragon Dance, Gyarados!"
Ash's eyebrows raised as he watched Gyarados spin in circles, powering himself up as a blue aura enveloped him. He was surprised to see a power-up move like that so soon; the Gym Leader he was up against was not clearly pulling any punches. He held his ground, not issuing any commands to Pikachu yet, waiting to see what Siebold had in store.
Siebold smirked a bit as he watched Ash hesitate. "Not going to make the first move? Then allow me." He looked up at Gyarados, who had just finished powering up. "Use Whirlpool!"
Gyarados gave another roar before pointing his tail toward his opponent, drawing circles in the air as the tip of his tail began to glow. Pikachu looked around as the water around him started to stir and churn, forming a large whirlpool. He yelped as the ice he was standing on started to move, caught up in the churning water, and he dug his meager claws into the ice to keep from falling off.
Ash's eyes scanned the pool quickly, looking for a way that Pikachu could escape, and he quickly found one. "There's another ice platform just outside the whirlpool, Pikachu! Jump to it when you can!"
His Pokémon nodded, looking around and quickly finding the floe in question, as Gyarados started to approach for another attack. Siebold's Pokémon whipped at the ice with his tail, just as Pikachu managed to jump off, scampering several floes away.
Ash sighed in relief before speaking up again. "Good work! Now use Electroweb!"
Pikachu quickly whirled around, forming a ball of electricity on his tail and flinging it at Gyarados, watching as it spread out into a wide web. His foe tried to escape, but he was both too large and too slow to get out of its way. Both trainers watched as the web wrapped around Gyarados and delivered a powerful shock, knocking him out of the air and dropping him into the pool.
"Great job!" Ash pumped his fist, glad to be starting this battle off strong. "Use Thunder Bolt on the pool, before he gets out!" Pikachu quickly aimed his head downward at the water, his body crackling with electricity; just before he delivered the shock, however, Gyarados roared and burst from the pool, hovering in the air again. Pikachu stopped charging, looking up at his opponent.
"Well, we can't be having more of that," Siebold commented. "Use Rain Dance!"
Gyarados growled and looked upward, focusing intently, a dark cloud forming above his head and swirling outward until it covered the arena. Seconds later, rain started to pour down from it, soaking both Pokémon and lightly misting the trainers on either end of the arena. Ash frowned, having expected something like this; all the water in the air would diffuse most of Pikachu's electric attacks, making them much less effective. They would have to get up close and personal for this fight.
"Swoop in and attack with Aqua Tail!" Siebold commanded. His Pokémon immediately swooped in toward Pikachu, a large mass of water forming on his tail, and once he got close he whipped his entire body around, swinging the tail directly at his foe. Pikachu leaped upward to avoid the attack, getting splashed a bit but mostly unharmed.
Gyarados quickly turned back around, realizing his attack had missed and trying to find his opponent again. As his eyes focused on Pikachu, he only had a moment before an Iron Tail smacked him heavily across his face, knocking him back into the water. He landed with a large splash, disoriented and needing a moment to regain his bearings; seconds later, a powerful electric shock ran through him, as Pikachu slammed into him with a Volt Tackle.
"Wow, look at that!" Up in the stands, Serena was watching excitedly with Iris and Brock, feeling more confident that Ash would win this battle and his Torrent Badge. "Pikachu's running circles around Gyarados!"
"It's a great matchup for Ash," Brock replied. "Pikachu's really agile, and Gyarados clearly isn't. So long as he doesn't mess things up, this should turn out in his favor." Iris nodded in agreement; as pessimistic as she usually was, she couldn't deny that Ash had a strong upper hand.
On the other end of the arena, Siebold watched as Pikachu leaped away from Gyarados and back onto a nearby ice floe, ready for the next attack. He had hoped to give Ash a decent challenge with his final Pokémon, but so far he had done nothing of the sort. At this rate, Ash was going to walk away with an easy victory, with barely a scratch on his Pikachu.
He looked across the pool, seeing the confident grin spreading across Ash's face, as he planned out his next attack. This expression was very familiar; it was the same overconfident grin he had yesterday, when he had gotten utterly trounced by just two of Siebold's Pokémon. As the Gym Leader envisioned Ash walking away with a Torrent Badge in hand, the same cocky expression on his face and the same foolish confidence settled in his mind, he felt a surprising anger rising up inside him, an almost visceral disgust. In that instant of anger, Siebold came to a hasty decision, one that would completely change the tide of this battle.
"This battle is going a bit too smoothly for you, I think." Siebold reached up with his left hand, adjusting the gold brooch that he wore just under his collar. "What do you say we make things a bit more interesting?"
Ash's eyes followed Siebold's hand curiously, wondering what he was referring to, studying the brooch and the rainbow stone laid within it. His eyebrows shot up as he recognized what the Gym Leader had just revealed, and what it meant for the remainder of the battle. "What the… a Mega Brooch?!"
He smirked back at him, secretly pleased to see the expression on his face. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" He touched the Key Stone with two fingers, as if he was checking his pulse, a rainbow light emanating from it.
Ash watched in horror, turning his attention to Gyarados as a rainbow jewel embedded in the Pokémon's forehead began to shine as well, with a similar rainbow light. Gyarados began to glow and transform, growing in size as a number of additional fins emerged from his body, including an enormous one on his back, giving him a much more imposing appearance. A few seconds later, the transformation was complete, and everyone looked on as the enormous form of Mega Gyarados hovered over the battlefield.
Iris, Brock and Serena were aghast at the sight of the enormous Pokémon, dwarfing the tiny Pikachu as it glared down menacingly. Their momentary optimism and excitement had completely vanished, replaced by confusion and fear. This battle had been difficult for Ash before, but now things were really going off the rails. None of them had any idea what was going to happen next.
"Let's get this battle started for real, shall we?" Siebold call out tauntingly. "Gyarados, Waterfall!"
His Pokémon growled, eyes glowing a bit, and Pikachu noticed the water underneath him starting to churn and swell. A moment later, he yelped as a column of water shot up from underneath him, sending him into the air; the ice he was standing on tilted and fell away, leaving him trapped in the water, fighting to keep his head dry.
"See if you can swim out of it, Pikachu!" Ash called out, shouting to be heard over the sound of the water. Pikachu didn't get the chance, as a quickly-aimed Hydro Pump knocked him out of the column of water and back into the pool. He emerged a moment later, climbing onto another ice floe, coughing and choking on water as he had been before. Ash watched nervously, not daring to issue another command until Pikachu had recovered, but knowing Siebold wouldn't grant the same courtesy.
"Go after him with Aqua Tail!" the Gym Leader commanded. Gyarados roared and zoomed toward Pkachu's position, water forming around the tip of his tail once again. Pikachu managed to catch his breath again just as his foe was getting close.
"Dodge it and follow up with Electro Ball!" Ash commanded, hoping that the concentrated electricity blast would survive despite the rain that was still falling in the arena.
Pikachu nodded, leaping out of the way as Gyarados's tail slammed into the ice, smashing it into small pieces. He quickly whirled around, flinging a ball of electricity toward his foe, as large as he could make it. The attack hit Gyarados squarely in the center of his back, causing him to roar in pain; he recovered almost immediately, however, minimally damaged. Pikachu watched in shock as his foe whirled around once again, smacking Pikachu with his Aqua Tail and sending him flying across the arena, landing heavily on another ice platform. Ash gritted his teeth as he watched his Pokémon get back to his feet, sore and irritated.
"Having trouble, Ash?" Siebold called out, smirking. "There's no shame in throwing in the towel, you know. You should know that already."
Ash glared back angrily, trying to suppress his emotions, knowing the Gym Leader was trying to get under his skin. "No way! I'm not giving up, not when I still have a chance to win!"
"Still stubborn, I see. Well then, it's time for us to eliminate that chance."
Ash's fists clenched, then unclenched, as he took a deep breath; he would need to stay calm and focused if he wanted to get out of this with a win. Gyarados was still hurt from the damage Pikachu had done earlier in the match, but the Mega Evolution had given his stamina a huge boost, and now Pikachu was the one who was worse off. After a few more powerful attacks from Gyarados, the match would be over.
"Keep it up, Gyarados!" Siebold ordered, no longer having any intention of allowing Ash to win the match, his emotions and his pride fully in control of the battle. "Chase him down and use Ice Fang!"
"Get away from it, Pikachu!" Ash called out in response. "Keep your distance! Wait for an opening!"
Pikachu nodded, starting to leap between the ice floes, which were becoming more and more sparse as the fight went on. Gyarados chased after him, moving as fast as he could, trying repeatedly to chomp down on his foe, but hitting only water or air. After a minute of this, Gyarados chomped down hard on an ice platform that filled his mouth, as Pikachu leaped into the air.
Ash watched as Siebold's Pokémon took a moment to spit out ice, stepping forward. "Now's your chance! Iron Tail! Aim for his eyes!"
Gyarados growled as he spat out the remaining ice, looking upward just as Pikachu was spinning around, unable to dodge the incoming attack. Pikachu's tail turned as hard as iron once again, and he swung it directly into Gyarados's eyes, the pointed corners of his tail digging in deep. The dragon Pokémon roared in pain, shutting his eyes tight as he backed away, his cries reverberating loudly through the gym.
"No!" Siebold cried out, watching as his Pokémon writhed in pain, furious. Ash sighed a bit in relief as Pikachu scampered away, thinking about what his next attack was going to be. To the surprise of both trainers, however, Gyarados dove back into the water and started thrashing about angrily, desperate to cause some sort of damage to Pikachu, even though he could barely see.
"Gyarados, stop! Save your energy!" Siebold commanded. His Pokémon ignored him, out of control, splashing water all about and shattering one ice floe after another. Pikachu kept jumping around, trying to keep himself on solid ground as best he could, not wanting to get struck by an errant fin or tail.
"I don't believe it," Iris commented, her eyes glued to the fracas in front of her. "Siebold can't control Gyarados right now. I never thought I'd see something like that from him."
"It might be because of the Mega Evolution," Serena offered, remembering how Korrina had trouble controlling her own Mega Lucario during her first journey through Kalos. "That and his eyes… and Gyarados are probably hot-tempered all on their own. That's a bad mix."
"Well, if Gyarados wears himself out, that's good for Ash," Brock added. "But this could go really badly, too…"
Pikachu continued to jump between ice floes as best he could, until one of his jumps finally landed him in the water. He surfaced and looked around quickly, trying to find some ice to climb onto, before realizing there was none left. Gyarados, in his rampage, had destroyed all of the floes in the arena, leaving Pikachu practically nowhere to go. He started to panic upon realizing this; he wasn't a terrible swimmer, but there was no way he could travel faster than his Water-type opponent.
It took nearly a full minute, and plenty of shouting from Siebold, for Gyarados to finally come to his senses. He slowly rose out of the water, growling and squinting as he scanned the water, his damaged eyes coming to rest on a yellow blob in a sea of hazy blue. He roared loudly, ready to exact his revenge.
"Finally," Siebold muttered, before raising his voice once again, ready to put this battle to a quick end. "Use Whirlpool again! Don't let Pikachu get away!"
Pikachu quickly tried to swim away, using his legs and even his tail to propel himself, but it was no use; he was easily caught up in the whirlpool that formed underneath him, spinning round and round with the water. He focused on Gyarados as best he could, trying not to get dizzy and wanting to keep his eyes on his still-dangerous opponent.
Siebold looked toward Ash, smirking as he saw the worried expression on his face, his confidence gone. "This is your last chance, Ash. Are you going to finish this, or are we?"
Ash looked back at him, conflicted. Siebold's taunts were infuriating him, but at the same time he was extremely worried for Pikachu. He stood wordlessly, not sure what he should do, not wanting to give up but also not wanting his Pokémon to be too badly hurt.
After a moment of this, Siebold chuckled, pleased that he had taken this trainer down a peg. "Very well, then." He looked back toward his own Pokémon. "Finish it off, Gyarados! Use Hyper Beam!"
Pikachu jumped a bit as he heard the name of the attack, looking up at his foe, watching Gyarados charge up an enormous yellow energy ball in his mouth. He panicked, trying his best to swim away and escape the whirlpool, but it was to no avail. Gyarados squinted down at his tiny opponent, roaring as it unleashed a powerful beam toward the whirlpool, and the Pokémon trapped inside.
The blast from the Hyper Beam created an enormous splash as it hit the pool, sending water flying in every direction. Ash's friends covered their faces as they were sprayed with stray droplets, while Ash was nearly knocked back by a wall of water, soaking him from head to toe. The attack left a cloud of mist where it had hit, obscuring both Pokémon, and the entire room watched with bated breath to see the aftermath of the attack.
As the mist slowly cleared after a few seconds, the pool became visible once again. Gyarados was still hovering above it, squinting and breathing hard, the last attack having sapped plenty of its stamina. The whirlpool had been completely destroyed by the Hyper Beam, with all of the water in the pool rocking about, disturbed by the powerful attack. Pikachu, however, was nowhere to be seen.
"Hm?" Siebold scanned the surface of the turbulent pool, then the rest of the gym, briefly thinking that Pikachu might have been disintegrated. Everyone else followed his lead, searching the water carefully, trying to find any signs of Ash's Pokémon. After a few seconds, a yellowish blob started to appear in the water underneath Gyarados, and several spectators gasped as Pikachu burst forth from the water, having propelled himself forward by using his Iron Tail.
"What?!" Siebold goggled. "But… how?! Did the attack miss entirely?!" He watched with everyone else as Pikachu shot up, grabbing onto the tip of Gyarados's tail and hanging on for dear life.
Ash was briefly stunned like everyone else, but he quickly shook it off, knowing not to waste this opportunity. "Thunder Bolt, Pikachu! Give it everything you've got!"
With an almighty cry, Pikachu glowed yellow with electricity, shocking Gyarados with every last bit of energy he had. Siebold's Pokémon roared and shrieked in pain, his body convulsing as the powerful shock coursed through him for several long seconds. Pikachu eventually relented, spent, letting go of Gyarados and falling back into the water; his opponent quickly followed suit, crashing into the pool heavily, sending more water flying about. Pikachu popped back up above the surface moments later, tiredly treading water, watching with everyone else as Gyarados started to glow and shrink, the Mega Evolution wearing off. As he reappeared in his normal form, the expression on his face, and the outcome of the battle, was clear for everyone to see.
"Gyarados is unable to continue!" the referee declared, raising a flag in Ash's direction. "Challenger Ash has won the match!"
"Yes! Yes!" Ash jumped and thrust his fist into the air, unable to contain his excitement. "We did it! Great job, Pikachu!" His Pokémon turned back to him, exhausted but relieved, smiling as he slowly swam back toward dry ground. On the other end of the arena, Siebold was unable to do anything but stare in complete disbelief at his defeated Gyarados, not even returning him to his Poké Ball.
Ash could hear the excited cheers of his friends in the stands as well, as they started to scamper downward. Serena was the first to escape her seat, running down the stairs.
"Ash, you were amazing!" She ran right up to him, a wide smile on her face as she threw her arms around him. "CongratuEEK!" She immediately let go, jumping backwards as if she had been stung. "Ash, you're freezing! You're soaked through!"
"Haha, yeah…" He rubbed the back of his head. "That last attack was a doozy, huh?"
"You did it, Ash! You won!" Both of them turned back toward the stairs to see Misty running over, grinning from ear to ear as she ran up to Ash, raising her arm above her head. Ash grinned wide, raising his hand as well, and the two of them shared a high-five, before clasping hands and bringing them down together. "What a great battle! That's the Ash I wanted to see."
"Thanks, Misty. I doubt I would have won that battle without all your help."
"I don't know about that," she replied, grinning at him. "I didn't teach you any of those ice tricks you used, that's for sure."
The two of them kept talking, discussing the battle that had just happened, as Iris and Brock stood nearby and listened in. Beside them, a bedraggled Pikachu pulled himself out of the water, getting on all fours and shaking as much water out of his fur as he could. He sat up, looking toward his trainer as he talked excitedly with Misty, waiting to be noticed and given attention. As he watched, he felt a different pair of hands lifting him up into the air; he turned about to find himself looking into Serena's eyes.
"You were amazing, too, Pikachu." She smiled warmly as she held him in her arms. "You're every bit the fighter you were before." Pikachu murmured happily, nuzzling her chest and collar, his whole body relaxing as she lightly scratched his head.
"Well, that certainly didn't go the way I expected." Everyone turned to see Siebold walking along the side of the pool toward them, attaching Gyarados's Poké Ball to his belt. "Here I thought I would be giving you a lesson in humility… but it looks like I'm the one who got served a slice of humble pie."
He stopped walking, standing in front of Ash with his arms folded. "You're definitely no ordinary trainer, I can see that now." His eyes glanced over to the redhead standing by his side. "I should have known something was amiss when this little firebrand walked into my gym."
Misty smirked at him, inwardly satisfied to see the defeated expression on his face. "Don't be bitter just because you lost our last battle, Siebold."
He smirked back at her. "That was a fluke. I'll have my rematch with you one of these days."
"Don't worry, you'll get one," she replied. "But right now, I think your Pokémon need some fixing up."
He let out a laugh, stung and amused at the same time, before turning back toward Ash. "In any case, that was quite a battle you fought. There's no question you've earned your Torrent Badge now." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a metallic badge with the appearance of a rushing river, bent into an S-shape. Ash grinned and reached out to accept the badge, but instead of handing it over, Siebold pulled his arm back.
"So my question is, who was the sorry trainer I battled against yesterday?" His eyes narrowed as he looked back toward Ash, who appeared taken aback by the question. "How did a trainer of your caliber turn in such a pitiful performance?"
"That… I…" Ash stammered for a moment as he grappled with the answer, able to feel everyone's eyes on him. His head tilted downward, as the memory of yesterday weighed shamefully on him.
"I was…" He took a deep breath. "I was overconfident… reckless… I was taking the badge for granted. I thought it would be no problem, and I didn't need to prepare for it." He looked back up, forcing himself to meet Siebold's eyes. "It's a mistake I won't make again, I promise."
Siebold nodded, pleased with this answer. "You had better not. You need to bring your entire self to every battle, and always fight as if it's your last. Even the strongest trainers can fail if they aren't taking their battles seriously." He extended his arm again, offering the badge to Ash. "I fully expect to see you at the Pokémon League, and if I find out you ended up sinking in battle against some other Gym Leader, I'm going to be very disappointed."
Ash nodded, smiling as he gracefully accepted his Torrent Badge. "Don't worry, I don't plan on disappointing you again."
"Good. Now, I need to close this gym up. We've got some cleaning up to do."
All of them turned to leave, walking back toward the front door. Ash kept his eyes down and on the badge he had just received, filled with an immense relief he could barely quantify, which drowned out the shame of his previous failure. Serena walked next to him, still holding Pikachu in her arms, smiling down at the badge, thrilled that his journey was once again back on track.
"I think we all need a break after that battle," Misty spoke up, turning to face the group as she walked in front of them. "Dinner's on me. What do you say?"
Ash grinned, looking back up at her. Amidst everything that had happened, he had nearly forgotten that one of his oldest friends was here with him, and they definitely needed to catch up. "Sounds good to me. I think I need to get changed first, though…" He glanced down at himself and his completely soaked clothes.
Brock quickly agreed, picking up the pace a bit as they all walked out of the gym. Serena and Iris followed close behind, both of them curious about Misty's apparent personality change, but thankful that she was no longer giving Ash a hard time as she had been for most of the day. All of them turned and walked down the main street of Shalour City, taking in the sight of the setting sun as they returned to the Pokémon Center.