Chapter 140: A Master's Test Part 2

"Dragonite, I choose you!"

"Go, Lycanroc! Use Stone Edge!"

"Use Dragon Dance to dodge!"

Lycanroc howled, summoning massive pillars of stone to try and crush her, but Dragonite evaded them with ease due to Dragon Dance.

"Keep it up, Lycanroc!"
"Dragon Rush, Dragonite!"

Dragonite sped towards her opponent, powering through the stones in her way before headbutting right into Lycanroc, pushing the Rock type back a good distance.

"Now use Aqua Tail!"

"Accelrock!"

Dragonite rushed forward, swinging her tail around to hit Lycanroc. Lycanroc charged forward, meeting her attack head on before they separated.

"Rock Tomb, Lycanroc!"

"Hurricane!"

Lycanroc grunted, digging his claws into the earth to try and keep himself grounded as Dragonite created massive gusts of wind with her wings, trying to blow him away as he summoned massive rocks to rain down on her, battering her and forcing her to the ground. Dragonite tried to get back up and fly away, but before long she was entombed by them.

Now, Accelrock!"

Lycanroc charged once more, content with his opponent being too blocked in to counterattack. However…

"Draco Meteor!"

With a sudden burst of energy, Dragonite threw the rocks ensnaring her off, catching Lycanroc off guard. By the time he had shaken off the surprise attack, he was being bombarded by Dragonite's next one. By the time the dust had settled, Lycanroc was down for the count.

"Lycanroc is unable to battle, Dragonite wins!"

"Alright! Way to go, Dragonite!"

Dragonite clapped her claws happily, making Mustard chuckle as he returned Lycanroc to his Pokeball.

"Well done, boy. Get some rest. Go, Kommo-o!"

The massive Dragon-Fighting type snorted as he glared Dragonite down, the two Pseudo Legendaries bracing for the battle ahead.

"Alright Dragonite, go at her with Dragon Claw!"

"Clanging Scales!"

Dragonite surged forward, the chaotic noise from her opponent grating on her nerves but not deterring her as she reached Kommo-o, swiping furiously at her as the noise continued.

"Dragon Tail, Dragonite!"

"You do the same, Kommo-o!"

The two went at it again, tail clashing against tail. But try as she might, Dragonite found it harder to keep up with her opponent's speed and strength. Finally, one massive swing from Kommo-o's tail sent her flying, landing hard at Ash's feet.

"Dragonite, are you ok?"

Dragonite was badly bruised, but she refused to let Ash down, and so pushed herself to her feet, flashing him a smile, which he returned.

"Alright then, Draco Meteor!"

Dragonite raised her head, charing up the powerful move

"Breaking Swipe!"

The second the order had left mustard's mouth, Kommo-o swung his massive claw around and struck Dragonite hard, her attack dying as she keeled over. For a minute, she stood frozen in place. The next, she collapsed to the ground, exhaustion finally winning out.

"Dragonite is unable to battle, Kommo-o wins!"


From the sidelines, Goh could only watch jaw dropped at the sight.

"No way! Dragonite is one of Ash's best battlers, and Kommo-o took her out like it was nothing."

"That's the master for you," Avery chuckled. "Hits hard and fast. Ash has his work cut out for him if he wants to win."


Despite everything, Ash was as pumped as ever, taking out his next Pokemon with a wide grin.

"Alright, go Lucario! Mega Evolve!"

Lucario howled with pride, glaring Kommo-o down as she did the same.

"Dragon Tail, Kommo-o!"

"Dragon Pulse, Lucario!"

Kommo-o charged, ready to strike Lucario with her massive tail, only to be blasted back by a Dragon Pulse, stunning her momentarily.

"Double Team, then Close Combat!"

As Kommo-o regained her senses, she saw a bunch of Lucario charging at her, swarming all around her and punching her before she could counter.

"Breaking Swipe!"

Kommo-o snorted, swinging her claw wildly, dispersing the clones and dealing a hard blow to the real Lucario.

"Counter!"

Lucario recovered, and dealt a big uppercut to Kommo-o's stomach, causing her to recoil in pain.

"Dragon Tail, Kommo-o!"

Swinging around wildly, Kommo-o struck Lucario with her tail, sending him flying. Even in his Mega Evolved state, the long battle had taken its toll on Lucario.

"Alright Lucario, time to pull out the big guns!"

Lucario nodded, and began charging up a massive Aura Sphere.

"Draco Meteor, Kommo-o!"

As Lucario's attack charged up, Kommo-o began charging a massive one of her own. Their respective moves got bigger and bigger, Ash and Mustard waiting for the right moment until…
"NOW!"

At their trainer's command the two launched their attacks, Lucario hurling his massive Aura Sphere across the battlefield while Kommo-o sent her many energy blasts raining down on Lucario, smoke filling the arena as they connected. Once everyone could see again, Kommo-o was face down on the ground, while Lucario panted heavily over her.

"Kommo-o is unable to battle! Lucario-"

But before Honey could finish the call, Lucario collapsed as well, reverting back to his base form. After a minute to process the development, Honey began again.

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


"Another draw?" Goh gasped.

"I must admit, I didn't expect him to get this far," Avery mused. "No one's ever defeated Kommo-o, even in a draw. But now Ash has to face Master's oldest and strongest Pokemon. I wonder…can he do it?"

"Of course he can! Go Ash!"


Mustard chuckled, proud of his student for pushing him this far.

"This is it, Ash! My final test for you! Be sure to give it all you've got, because I won't accept anything else!"

Ash smiled, equally as excited.

"I wouldn't dream of giving you anything less!"

"That's what I want to hear! Go, Urshifu!"

"Urshifu, I choose you!"

Mustard's Urshifu was a tall, Single Strike Style who exuded wisdom and experience. Ash's felt nervous going up against him, but refused to back down.

"Alright Urshifu, use Surging Strikes!"

"Bulk Up!"

Ash's Urshifu ran across the battlefield, punching his opponent over and over while he stood there, cross armed as he tanked the assault.

"Wicked Blow!"

At last, Mustard's Urshifu returned blows, striking Ash's hard in the gut with a fist empowered by dark energy. Being a Dark Type attack it wasn't Super Effective, but it was enough to put some distance between the two of them.

"Rock Smash!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Once again the two combatants traded blows, Ash's dealing a hard uppercut to the face while Mustard's dealt a hard blow to the gut. This time the attacks were so powerful they sent the two flying to opposite sides of the field.

"Focus Punch!"

The two braced themselves once more, focusing all of their energy into one fist before charging once more, meeting each other in the middle with a small explosion as their attacks connected.

"Counter!"

No sooner had the aftermath of their previous clash died down did the two of them go at it once more, punching each other in the face hard. After this, the two combatants paused, panting heavily as they glared each other down.

"Ash, what say we take this to the next level?"

Realizing what Mustard meant, Ash smiled, and took out Urshifu's Pokeball.

"You're on!"

With that, they returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs and Gigantamaxed them, ready for the final showdown.

"Max Airstream, Urshifu!"

"Max Guard!"

Mustard's Urshifu created a strong windstorm from his hands, but Ash's stood firm, withstanding the attack before bracing for the next.

"Max Knuckle!"

"Max Ooze!"

Ash's Urshifu unleashed a flurry of energy fists to strike down his opponent, powering through the poisonous sludge gathering at his feet. At the end of the assault, both giants were reaching their limit. Knowing that the battle was reaching its conclusion, both Ash and Mustard knew it was time to go all out.

"G-Max One Blow!"

""G-Max Rapid Flow!"

Ready to finish the long battle, both Urshifus began gathering energy into their fists, the ball glowing larger as they waited. At last, they charged forward, striking each other with so much force a huge explosion rocked the battlefield, the protective force field being the only thing protecting the audience from the backblast.

As the dust settled, the result of the battle became clear. Mustard's Urshifu lay in a crater, too weak and tired to move, while Ash's stayed standing, panting heavily but feeling triumphant.

"SIngle Strike Urshifu is unable to battle, Rapid Strike Urshifu wins! Which means the victor of this battle is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

"Yes! Way to go, Urshifu!"

Urshifu smiled, and gave Ash a thumbs up. Mustard stood at the other end, silent and still. For a few moments, all was silent, until he began clapping. Slowly at first, until it got faster and louder. Soon, all of the students were clapping as Mustard ran over to shake Ash's hand.

"Well done, my boy, well done! You truly are deserving of being in the Masters Eight! Well done."

Ash chuckled, and reciprocated.

"Thanks, Master. My team and I will make you proud."


Later that evening, Ash was in his room, preparing for tomorrow.

"This is it, buddy. Tomorrow we show the world what we're made of."

"Pika!"

Ash chuckled, and rubbed his partner's head.

"My thoughts exactly."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Goh entered, looking worried.

"Hey Goh, what's up?"

"Ash…during your match, I got a call from Project Mew."

"Oh no, they didn't kick you off the team, did they?"

"No, nothing like that. That was the call to action."

Ash's eyes went wide.

"No way, you mean…"

Goh nodded.

"The dry season is expected to come quicker than they thought, and we need to capitalize on it now. I need to leave for Hoenn tomorrow to get to the pickup point. I have to miss The Masters Eight, or at least the first round."

"Goh…"

"I want to be there for you, Ash, I do. But…this is my dream, and I can't let this opportunity go. I'm sorry, I truly am, but…"

"Goh, it's fine."

Goh looked up, surprised.

"It is?"

"Of course! I would never expect you to give up your dream for me. Besides, how long could it possibly take? I bet you'll have plenty of time to catch the rest of the tournament."

Goh smiled, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Thanks, Ash. And you know that even though I can't see it in person, I'll be rooting for you!"

"Of course I do! And I'm rooting for you as well!"

The two shook hands, their goals set in mind.

"Just remember, the future…"

"Is in the palm of our hands!"