Chapter 54:
Storm and Thunder
Route 16
After their day off at Silverport Town, the group decided that it was time for them to continue their journey. It would be a tough trip through continuous upwards slopes and constant snow that would last three whole days until they left Route 16, which went around the mighty Mount Lanthanite, and arrived at their destination in Snowbank Town.
Fortunately for them, mother nature decided to be kind, and even if it was pretty cold, at the very least the skies were almost clear and there was no snow, hail or even rain, making their trip all the easier.
The worst part of the journey was the monotony and inactivity. Due to both the harsh terrain and desire to reach their destination as soon as possible, they only stopped whenever they needed to eat, rest or sleep, and had no time to do anything else, be training their Pokemon or do something remotely fun.
Fortunately, that would end soon.
"Look, there it is!" Serena said, shouting while pointing at something in the distance.
There, on a small plateau, was a single Pokemon Center.
"At last!" Ash said, relieved.
"Pika!"
"Building a Pokemon Center in a route like this might not sound intuitive at first, but it's a complete blessing for people in our situation!" Clemont gushed.
"Yay, tonight we will sleep in a warm, comfy bed instead of in the middle of a cold, snowy forest!" Bonnie gushed as well.
They could feel relief swelling inside them as they approached the lone building among the snow. The automatic doors opened, and the group of four was hit by a wave of heat once they walked in. Going from the outside cold to the Center's heating was a bit jarrying, but it wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. Wasting no time, they walked to the counter.
"Welcome to our Pokemon Center," the blue haired Nurse Joy greeted them with a smile. "I assume you want me to take care of your Pokemon?"
"Your assumption would be a right one," Clemont said, as he and his friends placed their pokeballs (and Pikachu and Dedenne, in Ash and Bonnie's case) on the counter in front of her.
"And one easy to make. The journey towards Snowbank Town isn't an easy one, and takes a toll on both trainers and Pokemon alike," Nurse Joy said, as she placed the pokeballs on trays, which were carried away by her Aromatisse and Miasmedic. "You'd want some rooms as well, right?"
"Yeah, two, please," Ash said.
Nurse Joy nodded again, and gave Ash a pair of keycards for their rooms. "Hope you enjoy your stay here."
"Thank you, we will," Serena said, smiling back.
As they took their keycards, they turned around in order to find a table at the lobby to sit at, when a familiar voice called for them.
"Hey look, it's Ash!"
Looking in the direction of the voice, the group saw the Moki twins, wearing winter clothes just like them and sitting at a nearby table, the girl enthusiastically waving at them.
"Hey look at that, Vitor and Natalie!" Serena said, as she and her friends walked towards the table. "Fancy meeting you here of all places!"
"It's been a long time, isn't it?" Vitor asked. "We haven't seen each other since Bealbeach!"
"Yep, we need to catch up!" Natalie quickly added. "So order a cocoa or some other hot drink and sit with us! Come on, come on, come on, come on!"
"Well, if you insist that much, we have no other option, do we?" Ash chuckled.
So the group sat down with the twins, with the latter being the ones to share what they've been doing so far. Vitor had already earned five ribbons and thus had secured him a spot on the Grand Festival – which earned him a congratulations from Serena – while Natalie, like Ash, also had six badges.
Turns out that the twins didn't agree on going to Snowbank Town together; they had seen each other at Silverport Town, and upon realizing that they both had the same destination with the same goal – obtaining Mega Evolution – decided to travel together in order to both catch up and help each other train.
"I also met Theo on my way to Venesi City," Natalie commented. "We fought, and ended in a tie. I was expecting him to complain or something, but he was okay with the result."
"Guess going on a journey helped him mature a bit," Vitor said. "And honestly, he desperately needed to grow up a little."
"There are many trainers who think they're all that before they begin a journey, until they enter the real world and get a reality check," Ash interceded, before chuckling bashfully. "I know since I used to be one of them."
"Really? It's hard to imagine," Vitor said, raising an eyebrow.
"That's the same thing I thought when he first told me that," Serena agreed.
"But everybody has the potential to change for the better if you give them a chance and motivation," Ash continued. "You should have seen Theo when he helped evacuate the people of Vinoville after the Nuclear Plant blew up. He was afraid, yet he didn't let that fear-"
"Whoa, time out!" Natalie interrupted, making the associated hand gesture. "Are you telling me that you guys and Theo were also in Vinoville during that accident?"
"Oh right. Yes, we went through quite a lot of ordeals since the last time we saw each other in Bealbeach," Clemont said.
"So you better sit down because this is going to take a while," Bonnie said, excitement present in her voice.
So Ash and his friends began to tell the tale of their journey so far: how helping protect Bealbeach City earned them tickets for the Tandor Luxury Cruise; Ripley and the fight against what they believed were aliens; the Nuclear Plant Zeta debacle; their trip through the Baikal Forest and the Anthell, and lastly, how they put an end to Team Omega for good.
Needless to say, by the time they were done, the twins were looking at them with a mixture of awe, incredulity, and horror.
"Nuclear disasters, scuffles with Legendary Pokemon, fighting criminal organizations... is there anything you guys haven't done?" Natalie asked, almost yelling.
"And you did that while you two were collecting Gym Badges and Contest Ribbons," Vitor punctualized, just as astonished.
"No wonder you guys are so hardcore. I think if I had to go through half of what you went through, the stress would have killed me!" Natalie said, throwing her hands into the air.
"That's why we're hoping that the rest of our journey will transpire without any further incidents," Serena said.
"Oh, by the way, we forgot to tell them one last thing!" Bonnie happily interceded.
"There's more!?" Vitor asking, bracing for another insane tale.
"Ash and Serena are dating now!" Bonnie announced.
"Oh. Well, compared to everything else, that's not that much of a big deal," Vitor said, visibly deflating, but also relaxing. "Congratulations to you two, by the way."
"Really? Awesome! It was about time!" Natalie said, clapping a couple times.
"What do you mean 'it was about time'?" Ash asked.
"I mean, it was quite obvious that Serena was crazy for you. Even I thought you guys were dating the first time we met!" Natalie stated.
Ash hung his head in shame. "Oh boy, was I really that dense? Even somebody who barely knew us could tell how Serena felt..."
"Come on Ash, don't feel bad. It's all in the past now," Serena said, as she gently patted her boyfriend's back.
"Still, it's impressive to hear the kind of adventures you went through. I'm with Natalie, I'm still reeling from the events at the Bealbeach City's power plant, and those were months ago..." Vitor mentioned, bringing the conversation back on track.
"No wonder you guys are such great Pokemon trainers if that's what you had to go through," Natalie added.
"Hey, that has nothing to do with our ability to train Pokemon," Ash stated. "I mean, you have the exact same badges as I do, and your brother already has the five ribbons needed for the Grand Festival. If you managed to do that it's because you worked hard for it."
"Ash is right. We did work pretty hard for this," Vitor stated. "Remember when we started out? We barely had any idea of how to do anything, but we got much better over time."
"Exactly!" Ash agreed. "In fact, now that you mention it... Natalie, I don't think we have ever fought since we met you at Passage Cave, right?"
"I don't think so. Why? Do you want to fight me again?" the brown haired girl asked.
"Why not? Back then you were pretty much a beginner, and after all this months you must have improved a lot."
Natalie placed a finger under her chin as her expression turned pensive, wondering if she should accept the older boy's challenge or not.
"You know what? Fine, I accept!" she declared with energy. "It will be a great way to see how I measure up against you now!"
"Awesome!" Ash happily said. "How about tomorrow morning? This Center is almost empty, so we'll have its battleground all for ourselves."
"Plus according to the weather forecast, it will continue to be sunny tomorrow, if still cold," Serena said, her tablet in hand.
"It's a date then!" Natalie said. Then she looked at Serena and sheepishly added, "of the non-romantic kind, I mean!"
…
The next day, the group of six got up, and after having a good breakfast they went to get back their Pokemon from Nurse Joy before finally going to the battlefield outside. Ash and Natalie took their positions at the two sides of the battleground while Clemont acted as referee, as usual, and everybody else sat on the benches.
"The battle between Ash and Natalie will be single format with no time limit! Both trainers will use three Pokemon, and they are allowed to switch Pokemon. The first trainer whose three Pokemon are unable to battle will lose," Clemont began. "Trainers, select your Pokemon!"
Ash already knew what Pokemon was going to be his first pick. "Dunseraph, I choose you!"
The raven haired boy threw the pokeball forward, releasing the angelic dragon after it opened.
"Dun, dunseeeeee!" Dunseraph cried, spreading his white wings, which caused some wind to blow in Natalie's direction.
"WHOA! What Pokemon is that? It looks so cool and strong!" Natalie gushed, as she pulled her Pokedex in order to scan it.
Dunseraph proudly snickered at the praise. Great, just what he needed, an ego boost.
"Dragon/Flying, huh?" Natalie said, before pocketing her Pokedex back. "In that case, I know what Pokemon I'm going to use! Time to kick ass, Alpico!" she said, while throwing a pokeball forward.
The moment the capture device touched the ground, it opened up, and from the ensuing mass of light formed Natalie's first Pokemon: a rabbit-like bipedal Pokemon with black legs and lower body, dark blue spots on its knees, dark blue upper body and arms, white forearms with a single spike coming from its sides, a light blue ruff around its neck, a white head with long, light blue ears, beady black eyes covered by ski goggles, and lastly a pair of long, thin white tails.
Ash and Serena immediately took out their Pokedex in order to scan the new Pokemon.
"Alpico, the Alpine Pokemon, and one of Pufluff's evolutions. Ice/Fairy. Its two tails are coated with a waxy substance that allows it to glide over snow and ice. They are often seen hurtling down mountainsides at high speeds." The Pokedex explained.
"Ice and Fairy. So Natalie is going for a type advantage here," Serena commented.
"If I went up against a trainer like Ash, I'd do the same," Vitor stated.
"Nice choice. Your Pokemon looks strong. But if you think that type advantage it's all you're going to need to beat me, you're going to have another thing coming," Ash taunted.
"Seraph!" Dunseraph cried in agreement.
"Hey, I'm simply using every advantage I can get. Is that wrong?" Natalie fired back.
Before the trash talk could escalate any further, Clemont raised both hands and brought them down in a chopping motion. "Begin!"
~Ash (Dunseraph, ?, ?) VS Natalie (Alpico, ?, ?)~
"We'll be taking the first move! Dunseraph, begin with Ancient Power!" Ash ordered.
"Dun, seraph!" Dunseraph cried, summoning the familiar ring of glowing golden orbs that quickly grew into large boulders, which were shortly launched forward.
Natalie wasn't intimidated. If anything, her smirk matched Ash's. "Let's go, Alpico! Dodge that attack and get closer!"
"Pico!" Alpico agreed.
The Alpine Pokemon slipped its two tails under each of its feet, and began to move forward. Though "move" might not be the best word, given that Alpico looked like it was sliding, as if its two tails were either skis or skates. Still, this maneuver allowed it to gracefully dodge the boulders slamming into the ground left and right. Once the last golden rock landed, the rabbit made a small pirouette before leaping into the air towards the flabbergasted Dunseraph.
"Dun?"
"Now, Frost Breath!" Natalie ordered.
"Aaaaaaaaal...!" Alpico took a deep breath before exhaling a frigid gust of air at the God Snake Pokemon. "PI!"
The attack squaredly hit Dunseraph, making the dragon cry in pain as he hovered backwards. Alpico gracefully landed on the ground before leaping backwards in order to keep some distance from its foe.
"Yes! Natalie took the first hit!" Vitor cheered.
"And we'll be taking the second! Let's keep the momentum going, Alpico! Dazzling Gleam!" Natalie ordered, her voice growing more excited.
"Al, alp!" Alpico cried as it brought its front paws together. Its body began to glow with a bright rainbow aura that quickly exploded outwards into a barrage of rainbow colored barrage of energy projectiles.
"Dunseraph, dodge them with Dig, quickly!" Ash ordered.
Wasting no time, Dunseraph dived towards the floor as his whole body spun, turning himself into a living drill and quickly burrowing underground just as the rainbow energy blasts rained on the spot.
"Al?" Alpico asked, upon seeing its opponent gone, and began to look around itself with apprehension.
"Be careful! He can come out from anywhere!" Natale warned.
Said "anywhere" turned out to be "right below Alpico's feet", as the God Snake Pokemon quickly burst from underground, launching the Ice and Fairy-type rabbit into the sky with tremendous force.
"Picooooooooo...!" the ice rabbit squaked as it was hurled upwards.
"Don't panic, Alpico! Stay cool! Dunseraph is right below you! Use Frost Breath downwards!" Natalie commanded.
"Block it with Dragon Pulse, Dunseraph!" Ash quickly countered.
Both Pokemon took a deep breath and exhaled, one a gale of freezing wind, the other a dragon-shaped purple and amethyst energy. The two attacks clashed in the middle, resulting in an explosion. The ensuing shockwave pushed said Pokemon in opposite directions, with Alpico making a backflip before gracefully landing on its feet and skidding backwards a few meters.
"So, the big guy knows how to hide, huh? I'll keep that in mind," Natalie observed, as she narrowed her eyes a little at Dunseraph. "But we aren't stopping anytime soon! Quick Attack!"
"Alp!" Alpico cried, leaning down before shooting towards Dunseraph like a rocket, leaving a trail of fading white light behind.
"Dunseraph watch out-"
However, the serpent didn't have any time to react as the Alpine Pokemon slammed into the angelic dragon. It didn't stop there, as it slammed a second time, then a third and then a fourth, each hit pushing the struggling dragon backwards.
"Whoa, I've never seen such a powerful Quick Attack before," Serena commented.
"Pika..." Pikachu, sitting on her lap, agreed with her.
"That's because Alpico's ability is Technician. It enhances mid and low-power moves like Quick Attack and Frost Breath," Vitor explained. "Between Alpico's speed, greater offensive power and type advantage, Natalie has this fight in the bag."
"Don't claim victory so soon!" Bonnie protested. "The match is far from over!"
"Quick Attack again!" Natalie ordered.
"Dunseraph, protect yourself with Steel Wing!" Ash ordered.
Dunseraph quickly folded his wings over his body, as they began to glow with a metallic sheen. Just as he did this, Alpico smashed its body against one of them, producing a resounding CLANG and sending the ice rabbit tumbling backwards from the impact.
"Alpico!" Natalie cried.
"Well done, Dunseraph! Ancient Power again!" Ash ordered, pumping a fist.
"Duuuuun...SE!" Dunseraph cried, summoning and throwing another barrage of glowing golden boulders at the Ice and Fairy-type Pokemon.
"That didn't work the first time and it won't work again! Alpico, send those rocks back with Double Kick!" Natalie heatly commanded.
"Al, alpi!" Alpico cried while nodding, its legs glowing with a white light.
The moment a boulder came close to the rabbit, it would kick it back at Dunseraph, repeating the process as many times as it was needed. Dunseraph dodged some rocks while being hit by others, while others were completely shattered by the Alpine Pokemon's kicks.
"Very well, Alpico! Get close with Quick Attack!" Natalie ordered.
"Al, pico!" Alpico cried, as the Alpine Pokemon slid its tails under its feet once again, and rapidly slid towards Dunseraph, leaving a trail of white light behind.
"Meet it head on! Use Sky Fall, Dunseraph!" Ash replied.
Glaring at the coming rabbit, Dunserph coated his body with swirly, pressurized air and flew towards it like a giant missile.
Natalie smirked. "Jump over him and follow up with Frost Breath!"
Taking advantage of its building momentum, Alpico jumped over the coming Dunseraph, avoiding the onslaught, and once it was above him, the Alpine Pokemon blasted him with another gale of frigid wind, causing enough damage to force the angelic dragon to cancel the attack.
"Dunseraph, hold on!" Ash said.
"Get closer once again with Quick Attack!" Natalie ordered.
"Stop it with Dragon Pulse!" Ash ordered.
Natalie chortled.
"Dragon Pulse?" Serena repeated, no doubt shocked by such an awful choice. "Did Ash forget what kind of Pokemon he is fighting against...?"
As Alpico blitzed forward leaving a trail of white light, Dunseraph exhaled a purple and amethyst beam of energy in the shape of a serpentine dragon. The attack washed harmlessly over the ice rabbit, who didn't slow in the slightest and plowed through it unimpeded.
This time, it was Ash's turn to smirk. "And follow up with Steel Wing!"
Natalie's confident demeanor instantly evaporated as she realized what Ash had done. "What? Alpico, abort and fall back!"
But it was too late. The moment Alpico came out of the Dragon-type wave of energy, it was smacked by a huge metallic wing, sending it rolling backwards with a loud clanging noise.
"Of course. Ash wouldn't order his Pokemon to use an ineffective attack if he didn't have an underlying motive..." Vitor said in realization.
"Wait, what just happened? What did Ash do?" Bonnie asked, unable to follow Ash's strategy.
"Ash basically used Dragon Pulse both as a way to bait Alpico, and to reduce its vision. That way, it reduced the window of time for Alpico to dodge the following move," Vitor explained, and frowned. "And given that Both of Alpico's types are weak to Steel..."
Upon understanding this, Bonnie beamed. "Come on Ash and Dunseraph, you have this on the bag!"
"Now, before it has time to recover! Go with Sky Fall once again!" Ash quickly ordered.
"Dun, raph!" Dunseraph cried, coating his body once again with a cloak of pressurized air as he barreled towards Alpico.
Meanwhile, the skiing rabbit was trying to get back to its feet, since that super effective move had made a number upon him, much to Natalie's distress.
"Alpico, quickly, get out of the way!" she urged, but it didn't look it could dodge in time. With that option out of the way, Natalie chose the next best thing. "Dazzling Gleam!"
"Aaaaaal...!" Alpico's body was surrounded by a bright rainbow colored aura, which expanded outwards just as Dunseraph slammed into it.
The clash of the two moves produced a loud and rather colorful explosion, which blew wind in every direction.
"Dunseraph!"
"Alpico!"
When the dust and smoke raised by the attack finally settled, everybody could see a large but shallow crater that had formed in the middle of the battleground, with both Pokemon laying on it, unmoving.
Clemont raised both arms. "Both Dunseraph and Alpico are unable to battle. The result of this match is a tie!"
The mood was brought down a little. Double knockouts were always anticlimactic. Both trainers returned their fallen Pokemon while whispering words of encouragement.
"You really make me sweat a lot, and I wasn't even able to score a win," Ash said, placing Dunseraph's pokeball back on his belt while picking another one. "Compared to the other time we fought, the difference is night and day."
"When I left you I was but the learner. Now I am the master," she said in a dramatic and theatrical manner, her voice taking on a lower pitch. She then giggled and added: "Sorry, I always wanted to say that and this was too good a chance to pass."
"Heh. Don't think I'm going to let you claim the title of 'master' so easily," Ash said, pokeball in hand. "You will find this Pokemon familiar. Splendifowl, I choose you!"
The pokeball opened, and from the burst of light emerged the Paradise Bird Pokemon, spreading his long wings in a majestic pose while filling the air with a melodious whistle.
Natalie stared at the bird for a few seconds. "Oh, I see. That's the Birbie you used to kick my ass the first time we fought, isn't he?"
"Indeed. Look how much he has grown since then!" Ash proudly boasted.
"Sple, splend!" Splendifowl whistled in appreciation.
"Are you going to use your Raptorch to see how it stacks against Splendifowl now?" Ash asked.
"It's an Archilles now, and if the idea is tempting, I prefer not," Natalie said, pokeball in hand. "Escartress, time to kick ass!"
The capture device opened, revealing a Pokemon of considerable that Ash had never seen before: it was a very large sea snail with a blue body standing on six fins, a white underbelly, a pointy head with four black eyes at the end of a long neck, and a large orange shell on its back shaped like a tower. Ash remembered Natalie having a Pokemon like that, but it wasn't so big. An evolution, perhaps? The Pokedex would yield the answer.
"Escartress, the Fortress Pokemon, Sableau's evolution and Cassnail's final form. Ground/Water. Its shell has hardened into a nearly unbreakable fortress. It shoots water from the turrets on its back." The Pokedex explained.
Oh right, now he remembered that he had seen this Pokemon under Natalie in its pre-evolved form when they explored the island where Nuclear Plant Epsilon was located.
It felt like it happened a lifetime away despite being only a few months.
Clemont's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Splendifowl versus Escartress, begin!"
"This time, we'll be the ones attacking first!" Natalie declared. "Escratress, Muddy Water!"
"Escaaaa...!" Escartress cried as a torrent of brown water began to swirl around the Fortress Pokemon before launching it at Splendifowl in the form of a wave.
"Fly upwards, Splendifowl!" Ash ordered.
"Splee, pleee!" Splendifowl whistled in agreement, shooting upwards just as the wave crashed below him.
"Follow with Air Cutter!" Ash added.
"Ple, fowl!" Splendifowl whistled again, beating his wings with force and producing a pair of blades of compressed air.
The transparent missiles hit the groundbound Pokemon, making it flinch in pain a little.
"Don't let that get you down, Escartress! Counter with Ice Beam!" Natalie ordered.
"Tress!" Escratress said, as it opened its mouth and fired a blueish-white beam of freezing energy at the Paradise Bird Pokemon in the air.
"Dodge it again and follow with Quick Attack!" Ash ordered.
Splendifowl easily avoided the freezing ray by swerving to one side before folding his wings and barreling towards his enemy, leaving a trail of fading white light behind. The Paradise Bird Pokemon smashed against the large sea snail, making it wail and pushing it a little backwards.
"Yes! Those are two hits that Splendifowl has delivered!" Bonnie cheered. "That slow slug can't match Splendifowl's speed!"
"Do not count Natalie out so easily," Vitor replied. "She didn't choose this Pokemon willy-nilly."
"The bird moves fast and hits hard, just like expected. But he won't be able to take this fortress down! Use Light Screen!"
"Hurricane!" Ash ordered.
"Eeeees...!" Escarted moaned, its eyes glowing yellow as a golden, glass like sphere of energy appeared around it before vanishing.
Meanwhile, Splendifowl beat his wings with as much force as he could muster, producing an extremely powerful tornado around Escartress. However, the moment the attack formed, the Light Screen appeared around Escartress, softening the otherwise powerful attack.
"That won't stop us, Ash! Escartress, Recover!" Natalie ordered.
"Cartreeeee...!" Escartress cried as its body started to glow with a pleasant emerald light, the bruises and wounds over it slowly healing and disappearing.
"What do you think, Ash? This isn't just a normal fortress, but one that can repair itself!" Natalie boasted.
"An impressive defense, yes. But you can't win this battle if you can't touch Splendifowl!" Ash fired back, before throwing a hand forward. "Come on Splendifowl, Air Cutter again!"
"Oh don't worry, that's what the next move is for," Natalie said with a savage grin. "Sandstorm!"
As Splendifowl launched another pair of air blades that crashed into Escartress – though sadly they were softened by the Light Screen as well – a sandstorm formed around the Fortress Pokemon and expanded outwards until it covered the entire battleground.
"Sple... spleeee...!" Splendifowl wailed as he tried to keep himself in the air while he was buffeted by the powerful wind.
"Hold on, Splendifowl!" Ash encouraged, before glaring at Escartress. "If that Light Screen weakens special attacks, then we'll resort to physical ones! Quick Attack!"
Natalie's smirk grew even wider. "Dodge."
Then, just as Splendifowl was about to slam into Escartress, the sea slug slid to the side so fast, it looked like it just teleported, while Splendifowl passed right beside it.
"What?" Ash asked in shock. "Quick Attack again!"
"Dodge again," Natalie merely replied.
Splendifowl took an U-turn and barreled again towards the Ground and Water-type Pokemon, but just like before, Escartress moved out of the way fast enough to dodge the second Quick Attack again.
"And follow up with Muddy Water!" Natalie added with a hand flourish.
Brown torrential water burst around Escartress, before the Pokemon directed the liquid towards Splendifowl in the form of a large wave. The bird, wide-open from the last failed attack, was unable to dodge and the wave crashed over him.
"Splendifowl!" Ash cried. But much to his relief, the Paradise Bird Pokemon burst from under the torrential swampy water and flew into the air. "Splendifowl, can you keep going?"
"Spleeee!" Splendifowl whistled. Even if his fighting spirit was unbroken, the sandstorm combined with that attack had shaved quite a bit of his energy.
"Good," Ash said, before looking at his opponent, who smiled smugly. "I see what's going on. It's the Sandstorm, isn't it? Your Pokemon has an ability that allows it to dodge attacks much better."
"Bingo. The name of the ability is Sand Veil," Natalie confirmed, her confidence evident. "As long as the Sandstorm is in effect, your Pokemon won't touch mine."
"Oh, you think so?" Ash said, smirking back. "Here's a move your sand won't help you dodge. Splendifowl, Sing!"
Splendifowl began to whistle a melodious song, conjuring ethereal musical notes of many colors around Escartress. The Fortress Pokemon appeared unaffected at first, but its four eyes began to slowly close as its neck lowered down.
"What? No! Escartress, don't fall asleep! Resist!" Natalie urged.
"Now, Air Cutter!" Ash ordered.
Splendifowl flapped his wings again, sending a pair of blades of air. This time, the drowsy sea slug was unable to dodge and the attack connected, the Light Screen briefly flashing over its body to remind Ash that even if the attack connected, it didn't deal as much damage as it should.
"Escartress, Ice Beam!" Natalie shouted.
Its trainer's shout combined with the pain caused by the Flying-type attack jogged Escartress awake enough for it to carry the order. Opening its mouth, it fired an energy beam of chilling energy which Splendifowl was unable to dodge due the sandstorm difficulting his flight. The attack connected, and Splendifowl whistled loudly in pain as he was encased inside a block of ice.
"Splendifowl!" Ash cried, taking his hands to his head as he watched his first Tandorian Pokemon crashing against the ground, shattering the ice on impact.
"And finish him off with Muddy Water!" Natalie excitedly said, as if already savoring victory.
"Es, esca!" the sea slug cried as it once again summoned a torrent of swampy water around it, before sending it against Splendifowl in the form of a fearsome wave.
The attack connected, washing Splendifowl away. Once the bird resurfaced, everybody could see his swirly eyes and tongue sticking out of his open beak.
Clemont raised a hand in Natalie's direction. "Splendifowl is unable to battle! The winner is Escartress!"
"Wohooo! Way to go, sis!" Vitor cheered.
"Aw what a bummer, Splendifowl lost..." Bonnie lamented as she slumped on her seat.
"Don't worry. Ash can still turn this around," Serena said as she placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
"YES!" Natalie shouted, bouncing in place while pumping her fists. "Oh yes! One more Pokemon and victory will be mine!"
"Thank you buddy. You did your best," Ash said as he recalled his defeated bird. Then, he directed his gaze at his current opponent. "Well done, Natalie. Your Escartress is well trained and your strategy was really good. It's amazing how far you have come since the last time we fought."
"I've been training and working my ass off in order to become somebody who could beat people of your level, Ash," Natalie replied. "And as you can see, all my effort is paying off!"
"It surely looks like that," Ash agreed. "Though, you haven't seen everything me and my Pokemon can do together."
"Are you talking about your Greninja? Because I'm ready to face him too!" Natalie boasted. "Come on Ash, do you worst! I'm not afraid of challenges!"
Ash couldn't help but smile at her burning determination. He unbuckled a pokeball from his belt. "How could I say no to such enthusiasm? In that case... Greninja, I choose you!"
Ash tossed the pokeball forward, which opened up and released the Kalosian Water and Dark-type starter upon touching the ground.
"Gre!" Greninja said, shielding his face with one arm as the sandstorm buffeted him.
"Ah, there he is. I was rather disappointed when I didn't get to see it in action when you challenged Cali," Natalie said. "But fighting him myself is so much better! Get ready, Escartress!"
"Greninja versus Escartress, begin!" Clemont said, bringing down both arms.
"Alright, now that we aren't against a Flying-type, we can use this move! Escartress, Earth Power!" Natalie ordered, her voice filled with conviction.
"Eeeeees...!" Escartred cried, its body glowing with a golden light, releasing shockwaves of the same color through the battlefield, making the ground crack and quake.
"Greninja, jump into the air and get close to Escartress!" Ash ordered.
"Ninja!" Greninja nodded before leaping above the battleground, easily avoiding the Ground-type attack as he arched towards the Fortress Pokemon.
"Of course, frogs can jump quite a bit..." Natalie groaned.
"And now Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.
"GRE!" Greninja cried, his four limbs glowing white as he approached the sea slug.
"As long as the Sandstorm is active, you won't hit Escartress! Now dodge!" Natalie ordered.
Just as it tried to do before, Escartress slid to the side at an almost imperceptible speed. However, the resounding SLAP that echoed through the battlefield the moment Greninja's hand smacked against Escartress' face, followed by a string of arm swipes and powerful kicks.
"What the...?" Natalie asked, sounding stumped as for why her Pokemon had failed to dodge.
"Nat, Aerial Ace cannot be dodged!" Vitor yelled.
"Oh crap! How did I forget that?" Natalie groaned, smacking her forehead with her open palm. "Alright, no need to panic, that was just a minor setback. Escartress, Muddy Water!"
"Escaaa!" Escartress cried as it summoned yet another torrent of swampy water, sending it in the form of a wave towards Greninja.
Ash, however, was prepared for such an attack. "Stop it with Ice Beam!"
"Ni, nin!" Greninja said, cupping his hands together to summon an orb of chilling energy, before thrusting said hands forward, releasing the energy stored in the orb in the form of a freezing beam that quickly solidified the wave of liquid mud.
"Oh come on!" Natalie protested. Then, the sandstorm subsided. "COME ON!"
"I don't feel like I'm going to lose this," Ash confidently stated. "Greninja, shatter that ice with Aerial Ace!"
"NINJA!" Greninja said, shooting forward with a fist extended, said limb glowing white. The moment the attack connected with the ice statue, it shattered completely and its shards were flown towards Escartress.
"Es, esca, es!" Escartress wailed upon taking the storm of sharp ice shards.
"Shit, this is bad! Recover!" Natalie called.
"Don't let it! Ice Beam again!" Ash called.
As a pleasant green aura formed around Escartress, Greninja quickly fired a second Ice Beam from his cupped hands. The Light Screen flashed, reducing the damage the attack would have done, but it didn't stop the ice from spreading over the Fortress Pokemon as the attack quickly encased it inside a block of ice, canceling the Recover.
"Escartress, break through the ice, please!" Natalie pleaded.
"And follow up with Night Slash!" Ash commanded.
"Gre, ninja!" Greninja croaked, a sword of pure black energy with purple edges appeared on his hand, before rushing forward and delivering a series of slashes so quick, they were almost imperceptible to the human eye, before reappearing behind it. Greninja then relaxed and crossed his arms.
For a couple seconds, silence reigned supreme.
Then, there was a loud cracking noise as the ice block Escartress was trapped inside shattered into a thousand shards, followed by the Fortress Pokemon letting out a wheeze of pain and collapsing on the ground.
"Escartress is unable to battle! The winner is Greninja!" Clemont declared, raising an arm in Ash's direction.
"Yes! Way to go, Ash and Greninja!" Bonnie cheered.
"Keep calm and don't get nervous, sis! You can still win this!" Vitor reassured his sister.
"I know, I know!" Natalie replied, recalling her fallen Pokemon. "Whew, I wasn't even able to touch your Greninja. What a monster!"
"I assume he met your expectations?" Ash asked.
"That, and then some," Natalie admitted. "And you didn't even use that super mode that's kinda like Mega Evolution..."
"Like your brother just said, this battle isn't over, so you might end up seeing it," Ash teased her.
"Very well. In that case, this will be my last Pokemon!" Natalie said, pokeball in hand. "Time to kick ass, Theriamp!"
The pokeball opened, releasing Natalie's final battler. It was a very large sloth-like Pokemon, easily a head taller than Greninja, with a long body, long arms ending in long, sharp claws, and short but robust legs. Its body was mostly covered in black fur, except its head, which was yellow, its neck which was covered under white ruff, and a dark blue lightning-shaped tail ending on a ruff of the same color. It had large yellow spots on its knees and forearms, the latter also having a pair of dark blue lines that reminded Ash of an electric socket.
Ash and Serena took out their Pokedex in order to scan this unknown Pokemon.
"Theriamp, the Giant Sloth Pokemon. Slothohm's evolved form. Electric/Rock. An ancient Pokémon known for its lightning-fast strikes. It used its incredibly sharp claws to shave the bark off of trees." The Pokedex explained.
"So that Slothohm you got evolved, huh?" Ash said, before pocketing back his Pokedex. "It looks really strong."
"It is really strong," Natalie punctualized.
"Theri!" Theriamp agreed, as sparks crackled over its body.
"Very well. Let's test how powerful your Pokemon is, Natalie," Ash said.
"Greninja versus Theriamp! Begin!" Clemont said, lowering both his arms in a chopping motion.
"Let's start with a bang! A loud one! Theriamp, bring down the THUNDER!" Natalie loudly ordered.
"Theriiii..." Theriamp began, as its body was charged with electricity. "AMP!"
"Greninja, Double Team!" Ash ordered.
As Theriamp released a massive bolt of electricity at its opponent, the ninja frog created dozens of illusory duplicates across the battleground, one of them disappearing after the powerful Electric-type move blasted it.
"Quickly, dispel those duplicates with Quick Attack!" Natalie ordered.
"The, theri!" Theriamp growled, its body crackling with electricity before shooting forward at a breaknecking speed towards the closest duplicate, leaving a trail of fading yellow light.
"Hey, that doesn't look like a normal Quick Attack..." Bonnie observed.
"Yeah. It looks like... when Nucleon used Quick Attack, after his ability changed its type," Serena remembered. "Maybe something similar?"
"Yeah. Theriamp's ability is Galvanize, which converts Normal-type moves into Electric-type ones, plus giving them a small power boost," Vitor explained.
"Now Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Ash ordered.
As Theriamp rammed into the fakes one after another making them disappear on contact, the real Greninja formed a liquid shuriken between his hands and quickly tossed it at the prehistoric sloth. Despite the speed it was moving, it didn't notice the attack and time and was hit. However, a glass-like bright yellow sphere of energy appeared around Theriamp, softening the attack.
"Is the Light Screen still active?" Ash asked in surprise.
"Escartress is the ultimate fortress! It provides defense even after going down!" Natalie proudly boasted. "Now Theriamp, X-Scissor!"
"Amp!" Theriamp growled before barreling towards Greninja, its terrifying claws glowing a greenish-yellow.
"Use Water Shuriken as a shield!" Ash ordered.
The ninja frog nodded, summoning a second four pointed watery star just as Theriamp was over him. The sloth brought down its claws in opposite diagonal slashes just as Greninja raised the makeshift shield. The water shuriken shattered in a million water droplets uon being it, with Greninja being pushed backwards by the force of the move, however, it managed to soften the power of the super effective attack.
"Well done, Theriamp! Now, Quick Attack again!" Natalie shouted.
"Night Slash!" Ash replied.
Once again, Theriamp's body crackled with electricity before rocketing towards Greninja, who was summoning a sword of dark power between his hands. As Theriamp was about to smash its shoulder into Greninja's body, the ninja frog expertly raised his weapon to parry the attack, the giant sloth pushed backwards by the blowback of the impact.
That moment, the Light Screen flashed over Theriamp again before it exploded into a thousand bits of light that quickly disappeared. The Light Screen's effect had reached its end.
"Now, keep the pressure on, Greninja!" Ash ordered.
"Ninja!"
The Kalosian starter continued delivering quick and painful slashes at Theriamp, forcing the Fossil back with each blow while it tried to defend itself by raising its claws.
"Rock Tomb!" Natalie shouted.
"Ther!" Theriamp growled, raising its long arms bove its head.
Giant boulders materialized above Greninja, leaving him covered in shadows. Soon, gravity took effect and the massive rocks fell upon him. The Water and Dark-type Pokemon didn't need to be told to dodge for him to avoid the rocks from crushing him as they fell, sidestepping them with quick jumps and elegant backflips.
"Now Water Shuriken!" Ash said, pumping a fist.
"Gre!" Greninja cried, summoning a watery star on each hand before tossing them forward.
The liquid missiles appeared that they were going to fly away in different directions, but in the last moment they took a sharp turn and smashed against the giant sloth before it had time to react. This time, without the Light Screen, the attack was taken in full.
"The, therr!" Theriamp cried.
"Keep going, Greninja! Ice Beam!" Ash ordered.
"Quickly, counter it with Thunder!" Natalie replied.
Using one of the boulders as a springboard, Greninja jumped into the air and thrust his cupped hands in a diagonal downward angle, firing a freezing energy beam at Theriamp, who charged its body with electricity before firing a massive bolt of yellow electricity. Both attacks clashed in the middle, producing a shockwave followed by a thunderclap, and after a couple seconds of struggle, the Thunder tore through the Ice Beam as it got closer to Greninja.
Fortunately for the frog, the shockwave had pushed him a little backwards, moving him out of the powerful Electric-type attack's trajectory, and after another backflip, landed on the ground.
"That was a close one," Ash observed. "Your Theriamp is really strong. You did a superb job training it."
"Thank you," Natalie replied. "Your Greninja is surely something else. His reputation is entirely deserved. Though, don't think we aren't going to give it our all to bring him down!"
Ash smirked confidently. "Well, too bad for you, we're going to give our all as well!" Ash said, crossing his arms in front of his face, Greninja mimicking the gesture. "Let's do it, TOGETHER!"
Trainer and Pokemon brought their arms outwards in unison, and Greninja was engulfed by a spiraling tower of torrential water. Through the bond shared with his trainer Greninja quickly transformed into his stronger form, the water tower condensing into a single shuriken that was attached to his back.
"Gre, ninja!" Greninja cried, taking a battle stance.
Theriamp appeared more guarded. Although the change wasn't as dramatic as with some Mega Evolving Pokemon, the Fossil could tell that Greninja's power was much greater than before.
"So, is that the famous transforming Greninja, huh?" Natalie said. "Heh. I'm both excited and terrified to fight such a powerful Pokemon."
"I know that feeling. And trust me, in time, it will be just excitement," Ash reassured her. "Now, get ready to feel the full power of Greninja! Water Shuriken!"
Greninja quickly took the shuriken attached to his back and launched it towards the Fossil Pokemon.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Natalie ordered. "And get close to him!"
"The, theri!" Theriamp growled, as it quickly dashed out of the shuriken's trajectory, leaving a trail of fading yellow light behind.
"Now, X-Scissors!" Natalie shouted.
"Parry with Aerial Ace!" Ash replied.
Theriamp brought down its claws, which were glowing with a greenish-yellow light, in opposing diagonal slashes, creating an X-shaped energy blast that barreled towards Greninja. The transformed Pokemon delivered a horizontal chop with his left arm, glowing a bright white, shattering the attack into hundreds of bits of light.
"Now, Night Slash!" Ash called.
Before Theriamp had time to fall back or even move, Greninja pretty much appeared right in front of the surprised sloth, one hand gripping the handle of a katana made of pure darkness, before delivering a series of fast swipes, sending the Electric and Rock-type Pokemon rolling backwards.
"Theriamp!" Natalie cried.
"Such a potent move!" Vitor said, amazed.
"That's Ash-Greninja to you!" Bonnie proudly stated.
"And that's far from the most awesome thing Greninja can do!" Ash boasted, having picked the reaction among their small audience. "Come Greninja, let's show them how far you have come! Rain Dance!"
"Gre!" Greninja cried, raising his arms above his head as his body glowed blue.
"ASH, NO!" Serena shouted, sounding almost panicked, getting up from her seat.
This both startled and confused Ash, and left him wondering why his move had elicited such a reaction out of her. Still, there was no going back now, the clouds above them darkened and stirred, and soon rain began to pour from above.
"That was a big mistake, Ash," Natalie said, her lips curved into a grin that almost sent chills down Ash's spine. "Theriamp, THUNDER!"
Ash felt as if somebody had slapped him in the face with a cold Magikarp. Of course Serena had reacted like that. Now he realized that the chance of using Storm Shuriken in a proper match had blinded him.
"Theriiiii-AMP!" Theriamp loudly growled as it send a huge lightning bolt into the clouds above it.
The lightning bolt then fell down from the skies and struck Greninja, so fast the amphibian wouldn't have any time to dodge or use a move to evade it.
"GREEEEEEE...!" Greninja screeched.
"NGGGHHH!" Ash groaned as he clutched his body, feeling every bit of pain his Pokemon was experiencing. He suppressed his desire to yell for the sake of not worrying his friends and not stopping the ongoing battle.
"Ash...!" Serena cried, proving that his efforts weren't going to fool people already aware of the side effects of battle Bond.
"Quick Attack, Theriamp!" Natalie ordered.
"Stop it with Night Slash!" Ash replied.
Once again, Theriamp rocketed towards Greninja, a trail of yellow light fading behind it, while Greninja whipped out a katana made of pure darkness, rising it just in time to stop the incoming attack. Still, the force of the blow was enough to push Greninja backwards.
"Doesn't Greninja move a little slower than usual...?" Bonnie observed.
"Now Theriamp, follow up with X-Scissors!" Natalie commanded, her voice growing louder.
"Avoid it with Double Team!" Ash ordered.
Theriamp rushed forward, raising its arms, the claws at the end glowing with a greenish-yellow light, while Greninja attempted to once again litter the battlefield with illusionary copies.
"G-Gre-!"
"Attempt" being the key word, as the Kalosian Pokemon winced in pain, as electric sparks crackled around his body.
"What!?" Ash asked.
"Oh no! That Thunder, it must have left Greninja paralyzed!" Serena said in realization, covering her mouth with her hands. "No wonder you said he moved slower before!"
Greninja couldn't do anything as Theriamp reached melee distance and brought its glowing claws down in opposite diagonal direction forming an X. Greninja croaked in pain as the super effective move sent him flying backwards.
"G-Greninja...!" Ash shouted, struggling against the pain washing over his body.
"And Rock Tomb!" Natalie said.
"Theri!" Theriamp growled, raising its arms and summoning several boulders above the downed frog.
"Greninja, you need to move out!" Ash urged.
But Greninja was unable to do so, and was buried under the rain of giant rocks that painfully crashed on top of him the moment gravity took hold of them.
"Greninja!" Ash yelled again.
Theriamp carefully walked towards the pile of rocks and pushing them aside, revealing Greninja back in his base form, with his back against the ground, limbs sprawled, and swirly eyes.
Clemont raised a hand in Natalie's direction. "Greninja is unable to battle! And since Ash has lost three Pokemon, the winner of the match is Natalie!"
"Oh YES!" Natalie shouted, as she pumped a fist into the air. "I did it! I beat Ash! Not just that, but I managed to beat Ash's strongest Pokemon! Wohoooo, go me!"
Ash merely sighed, as he returned his defeated Pokemon back to his pokeball. "You did your best, Greninja, take a rest," he said. Then, he walked towards the still cheering Natalie, and extended his hand. "An amazing battle, Natalie. A well earned victory."
"Thanks!" the brunette energetically replied, taking his hand and giving a shake. "Though, if I'm being honest, I don't think I would have won if you didn't make that blunder with the Rain Dance..."
"Hey, capitalizing on the opponent's mistakes is key to winning! You saw an opportunity and took it, like any good trainer would have done!" Ash praised her.
"Well, in that case... I guess I just accept my victory, hehe!" Natalie said. "Still, blunder or not, after this battle I believe that I'm more than ready to face the remaining Gyms, as well as take Vaeryn's Mega Evolution trials."
"I'm sure of it," Ash said. A cold breeze blew, which prompted the boy to add, "Hey, it's getting a little chilly here. How about if we go back inside, leave our weakened Pokemon under Nurse Joy's care and have some chocolate for all of them?"
"That sounds like a great idea! My treat!" Natalie said, her mood high from her victory.
…
Ten minutes later, the group was back at the Pokemon Center, sitting on several tables with steaming cups of hot chocolate in front of them. The two pairs of siblings were sharing a table, while Serena had asked Ash to sit together. Though, Ash could tell by the look of the honey blonde that she wasn't interested in cuddling or kissing right now.
"Say Ash," she started. "You okay?"
"Sure," Ash replied, taking a sip from his cup. "Why shouldn't I be?"
Serena shot him a flat look.
"This isn't the first time I have lost," Ash replied.
"I know. But this is the first time you have lost against Natalie," Serena said. "Plus you lost against somebody who didn't even use Mega Evolved Pokemon against Ash-Greninja. It's... well, I'd understand if you didn't take such a defeat very well."
"Hey, it's okay. If anything, this battle was a valuable lesson in not lowering one's guard," Ash said. "If I'm going to make a blunder, I prefer it during a friendly spar rather than a League battle."
"Guess that's one way to put it," Serena said. "Still, I just wanted to make sure."
"Thank you for caring so much," Ash said, as he leaned against his girlfriend and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
They both looked at the table next to them, where Natalie, still high on her victory, excitedly talked with the other three about the match, and how well she was going to do against anything Vaeryn would throw at her.
And despite his loss, Ash wasn't planning on doing any less than that either.
Author's Note: Many of you weere wondering what Vitor and Natalie were doing, given that it's been a while since the last time we saw them. The last time they showed up was... chapter 26? Damn! They've been gone for far longer than I realized! Oh well, as you can see, their long absence has finally come to an end, and thankfully they haven't been wasting their time.
Natalie had long due a rematch against Ash, given that her first and only match with Ash was all the way back in chapter 6. I guess that balancing three recurring rivals it's much harder than it looks without stuff like contests or casual tournaments.
Sorry for those of you who expected Greninja's first deliberate use of Storm Shuriken to be better than this. But well, I wanted to show that it's not going to be an "I win" button like the anime treats Z-moves (*especially* 10MV Thunderbolt), and it can blow up in Ash's face if it lets that new move give him tunnel vision as it happened here. This will be a very valuable learning experience for Ash.
Thanks a lot to TheDoctor1998, Kamencj, Fox McCloude, Lipeghoul, hirowriter and MarcusDarkus87 for reviewing the previous chapter.
Next chapter, Ash will face Vaeryn for his seventh badge. In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review!