Houndoom.
Cyrus couldn't help but glance down at his Houndour. The Dark/Fire-type's entire demeanor had just shifted, his eyes wide and his head sticking through the bars of the balcony railing as he watched the massive form of his evolution appear on the field. Cyrus knew that at that moment, Houndour was thinking about how he would look just like that. Cyrus, though, was thinking entirely about how difficult of a fight this would be for Ash.
Houndoom was huge, dwarfing Hisuian Growlithe in size, and his lithe body belied the strength Cyrus knew it had. Its teeth were bared and its tail were lashing, showing off the wicked sharpness at the ends of both. And it was quite clearly fast, judging by its sleek coat and sinewy form, even if it almost certainly couldn't reach the ridiculous speeds of Malva's Fletchinder.
A proper Ace. And one Cyrus hoped to one day match. For his dreams of a perfect world to be realized, he would need a truly strong team in order to aid him.
But all that was in the future. Right now, Cyrus was fervently hoping Ash could win this. He did like the boy, and he already knew that Ash would most certainly have a place in his perfect world. So to have Ash's journey stopped in its tracks, to have him forced to choose between respecting Hisuian Growlithe's wishes and continuing with the Gym Challenge…that would be quite irritating.
One thing is for certain, though, Cyrus thought as he watched Hisuian Growlithe and Houndoom stare one another down. Even down two to one, Malva is definitively not going to make Ash's victory easy.
"So you're the pup my Trainer's been talking about." The massive Houndoom bared his teeth as he stared Hisuian Growlithe down. "I'll give you some credit - taking out Fletchinder is no mean feat. But you're out of your weight class, simple as that. You should've evolved when you had the chance."
"Malva keeps saying stuff like that," Hisuian Growlithe retorted. "And maybe she's right. I've been thinking, and I do want to evolve, but not because Malva took pity on me. I want to evolve on my own terms."
Houndoom smirked. "Guess that's one way of looking at it. It's a shame, though - you seem like you'd actually be a pretty decent fight if you were an Arcanine. As a Growlithe, though? You're little more than a bump in the road."
"Begin!" The referee's call forestalled any further conversation.
"Rock Tomb!" Ash immediately called.
"Dodge and Snarl!" Malva retorted.
Hisuian Growlithe called upon his newest move, uprooting several stones from the earth as he'd done multiple times against Fletchinder and flinging them at Houndoom. The Dark/Fire-type dove to the side, looking almost casual as he evaded the Rock Tomb with disturbing ease. Twisting, Houndoom inhaled and let out a fearsome snarl; a surge of darkness flew outwards from his jaws, tearing across the arena towards Hisuian Growlithe.
"Spread Flamethrower!" Ash cried.
Hisuian Growlithe obeyed, twisting his head to the side even as flames issued from his jaws. Fire met darkness, and both exploded against one another with a blinding flash that momentarily hid Houndoom from view.
"Fire Spin!" Malva called.
Hisuian Growlithe gulped. No way am I getting hit by that. He skidded to the side, narrowly avoiding the whirlwind of fire that shot through the dissipating cloud of mingled energies. "Counter with your own!" Ash yelled. Hisuian Growlithe landed, turned, and unleashed his own Fire Spin, which he was pleased to see wasn't that much smaller than Houndoom's.
Out of the cloud of fading energy strode Houndoom, eyes locked on Hisuian Growlithe. The Fire/Rock-type's Fire Spin slammed straight into Houndoom; to Hisuian Growlithe's shock, Houndoom didn't even flinch, seemingly heedless of the flames that erupted all around him. Before Hisuian Growlithe's eyes, his Fire Spin seemed to collapse in on itself, the energy flowing into Houndoom's fur like water into a sponge. And Houndoom just kept walking, his stride unbroken as he advanced on Hisuian Growlithe.
"Crap!" Ash cried. "Flash Fire!"
"Indeed," Malva said with a smirk that matched Houndoom's. "Another Fire Spin, Houndoom."
Hisuian Growlithe made ready to dodge as Houndoom inhaled. But this time, the whirling circle of flames that left his jaws was much larger than before. Hisuian Growlithe's eyes widened and he hesitated for a single crucial half-second, unsure of where to dodge; he leaped to the side too late, and slammed straight into a wall of fire as Houndoom's second, stronger Fire Spin rose up all around him.
Despite his type resistance, Hisuian Growlithe still couldn't suppress a pained yelp as the heat and flames washed over him. He dimly heard a cry of "Bite!" a second before Houndoom exploded through the wall of fire, once more heedless of its effects, his jaws glowing black. Hisuian Growlithe had no time to react; Houndoom slammed into him, sending him flying straight through the side of the Fire Spin. Agony lanced through Hisuian Growlithe's entire body as he sailed through the air, landed on the ground, and bounced twice before coming to a stop.
"Hisuian Growlithe!" Ash's voice was ringing in his ears. "Are you okay?"
Hisuian Growlithe managed to rise back to his feet, though his legs were shaking and he had to fight to avoid falling down again. His eyes beheld the Fire Spin dissipating, revealing Houndoom in the center, crouched in readiness. Malva raised her voice once more. "Your Growlithe stands no chance. Recall him and send out your last."
Ash glared at Malva. "Hisuian Growlithe might not be able to win, but he can still deal some damage! Right, bud?"
"Yes…I can!" Hisuian Growlithe barked, reassuring himself as much as Ash.
Houndoom scoffed. "We'll see about that."
"Snarl!" Malva's order only just preempted the pulse of darkness that burst from Houndoom's jaws.
"Counter it with Flame - no, Rock Tomb!" Ash interrupted his own order just as both he and Hisuian Growlithe saw Houndoom charging after his own snarl, ready to use Flash Fire on the spread Flamethrower that Hisuian Growlithe had used to counter Houndoom's previous Snarl. Instead, he was forced to break off from the hail of stones that Hisuian Growlithe threw at him, while his Snarl was ripped to pieces.
"Fire Spin again!" Malva ordered.
Another sizable Fire Spin left Houndoom's jaws - apparently the boost Flash Fire gave him was permanent rather than temporary - but this time Hisuian Growlithe was far enough away that he managed to leap to the side. He felt the heat of the attack scorch his backside as he threw himself away, but the actual attack missed completely.
Unfortunately, Houndoom was a lot faster than it had initially seemed.
A loud bark and an alarmed cry from Ash was all the warning Hisuian Growlithe got; even as he landed, he twisted to see Houndoom almost on top of him, jaws open and glistening with a Bite. Hisuian Growlithe rapidly tapped into his own Bite and lunged for Houndoom, all he could do at present; the two dog Pokemon met with snarls and snapping jaws.
Teeth clamped down on Hisuian Growlithe's side even as he sunk his own jaws into Houndoom's foreleg. Houndoom snarled in pain but only bit down harder; Hisuian Growlithe nearly passed out from the pain, and barely managed to hold on as Houndoom tried to wrench him off through sheer strength. Dimly, Hisuian Growlithe heard Ash cry out. "Rock Tomb, Hisuian Growlithe! Hit him now!"
Despite the agony, Hisuian Growlithe grinned at the sudden alarm in Houndoom's eyes. Clearly he hadn't been expecting Hisuian Growlithe to still be conscious, let alone capable of fighting. He tried to break off, but it was too late; Hisuian Growlithe's Rock Tomb cannoned straight into Houndoom's side, knocking him straight to the floor.
Hisuian Growlithe dropped to the ground; the pain on his right side was overwhelming, and the rest of his body didn't feel much better. A low growl sounded and he looked up to see Houndoom rising back to his feet, standing strongly despite the super-effective hit. The Dark/Fire-type's eyes burned with fury. "Time to finish this," he snarled. "Take-"
"I forfeit Hisuian Growlithe!"
The energies Houndoom had been building up immediately dissipated; Hisuian Growlithe slumped, feeling both ashamed and relieved. He felt hands - Ash's hands - reach down and pick him up. "You did great, bud," the boy whispered. "No matter what they say, you did great."
Hisuian Growlithe managed to shoot a glance at Houndoom as the Dark/Fire-type trotted back to Malva's side of the field. Though he was trying to pretend he was uninjured, Hisuian Growlithe did not miss the noticeable limp he was walking with.
Yeah, he thought as he slipped into unconsciousness. I guess I didn't do half bad, did I?
"I suggest you use something stronger for your last," said Malva. "You may have gotten lucky with your Growlithe, but Houndoom is by no means finished."
Ash began to launch into a retort, but clearly thought better of it, instead simply dropping his hand to his Pokeballs. "Go, Tympole!"
A thrill shot through Tympole as he emerged onto the field. He hadn't known whether it would be him or Kubfu sent out, but he'd suspected it would be him; Kubfu had few defenses against those large Flash Fire-boosted Fire Spins that Houndoom was outputting, and would likely be easily ensnared, whereas Tympole's Bubblebeams could effortlessly dissipate the flaming whirlwinds. Still, though, the realization that this battle all came down to him was as exciting as it was nerve-wracking.
This Houndoom's only revealed three moves - Bite, Snarl, and Fire Spin. His fourth move's a mystery, but I feel like I can answer all three. If he goes for Snarl, I can use Echoed Voice and start building that up, and if he tries to get in close, I can just keep him at bay with my multitude of ranged attacks…
His thoughts were disturbed by a quiet chuckle; it took Tympole a moment to realize that it was coming from Malva. The Fire-type Gym Leader was smiling cruelly. "I'm afraid that was not the wisest decision," she remarked. "Houndoom, charge. Don't let it start setting up Echoed Voice."
Right, she fought me before with that Lampent. She knows what I'm capable of.
"Supersonic!" Ash cried.
"Counter with Snarl!" Malva retorted.
Tympole's Confusion-inducing screech was matched in volume by Houndoom's vicious growl; the wave of darkness that issued from Houndoom's jaws was enough to rip apart the soundwaves generated by the Supersonic, rendering it useless. "Echoed Voice!" Ash called.
"Take it." Malva's order was terse. Houndoom continued to rush Tympole, moving at a terrifyingly rapid pace; he stumbled slightly as Tympole's Echoed Voice slammed into him, but kept going regardless.
"Force him away with Bubblebeam!" Ash called.
"Now!" Malva yelled, her voice overlapping with Ash's. "Use Thunder Fang!"
Thunder Fang? Tympole's eyes widened in an instant. Crap…Ash just played right into Malva's hands!
Ash looked similarly alarmed as Houndoom's jaws exploded with electricity. He opened his mouth wide and hurled himself straight into Tympole's Bubblebeam; energy exploded in all directions as Houndoom charged straight through the attack, ignoring any pain it might have caused him as he bore down on Tympole. "Mud Shot!" Ash called desperately, but before Tympole could get the attack off Houndoom was on him.
Crackling teeth clamped down on Tympole; he screamed in pain as electricity tore into his body from the super-effective attack. "Now slam him!" Malva cried. "And don't let go until he's down!"
"No!" Ash cried. "Supersonic, point-blank - get him off you!"
Mustering as much breath as he could even as Houndoom shook him like a ragdoll, Tympole unleashed a deafening screech straight into Houndoom's ears. The Fire/Dark-type dropped Tympole and staggered backwards, shaking his head to try and clear it. "Now use Bubblebeam!" Ash yelled; Tympole twisted and flung a stream of bubbles from his mouth at he stumbling Houndoom.
"Dodge!" Malva yelled, but Houndoom was still trying to clear his head of the Supersonic, momentarily deaf to his Trainer's commands. The Bubblebeam struck him full in the face, knocking him to the floor. Houndoom snarled in pain, spitting out water as he struggled to get to his feet.
Tympole took in several deep breaths, trying to push back the stinging all over his body. Houndoom's Thunder Fang had left him in serious pain; he wasn't sure he could take another one without falling unconscious. "You've got this, Tympole!" Ash encouraged; up upon the balcony, Clay was calling out as well, Krokorok and Drilbur echoing him.
I can't disappoint them. I won't disappoint them.
"Snarl!" Malva ordered.
"Echoed Voice!" Ash cried.
Once more waves of noise burst outwards from both Houndoom and Tympole; Tympole's Echoed Voice was stronger than before, but Houndoom's Snarl was still powerful enough to match it, and the two attacks exploded against one another once again. "Tympole, use Mud Shot!" Ash called; Tympole fired the Ground-type attack blindly, unable to see Houndoom through the cloud of energy that had resulted from the clash of sound-based attacks.
And then a snarl sounded as Houndoom burst out of the cloud.
His leap was at an angle; Tympole's Mud Shot flew wide, and suddenly Houndoom was bearing down upon him once more, his jaws once more beginning to glow yellow with electricity. "Echoed Voice again!" Ash shouted. Tympole screamed outwards, unleashing the familiar soundwaves, now heavily boosted, at the charging Houndoom.
"Take it!" Malva ordered.
Tympole's eyes flew wide as Houndoom bared his teeth and hurled himself straight into the Echoed Voice. A pained growl shot from Houndoom's throat as the soundwaves tore at him, ripping out clumps of fur and forcing him to brace lest he be flung off his feet. Yet, somehow, Houndoom held against the powerful attack, and as the soundwaves swept past him the Dark/Fire-type's head swung back towards Tympole, eyes gleaming with triumph.
"This ends now!" he roared as he lunged straight for Tympole.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, Houndoom's leap carrying him a mere inch every second. Ash is counting on me, Tympole's own voice whispered in his mind. If I don't win this battle, Hisuian Growlithe has to evolve against his will. But there's no time to fire off another move. No time to dodge. And no way I can stand up to another Thunder Fang.
It's hopeless.
Something, a light, began to glow inside Tympole.
But what if…it wasn't?
The light grew, radiating outwards, as Tympole felt himself beginning to, somehow, lift off the ground. He was rising…no.
He was growing.
I said I wouldn't disappoint them…
And.
I.
Won't.
Houndoom's jaws slammed down upon Tympole just as blinding white light erupted all around him, forming a pillar that swirled into the air, only breaking against the ceiling of the Gym. Tympole could feel Houndoom's teeth digging into his skin, could see lightning crackling around them, but there was no electricity coursing through his body, no stiffening of muscles, no real pain. He could see Malva and Houndoom both watching him with obvious shock, and as he looked down upon Houndoom, as the light begin to fade, he heard Ash call out from behind him.
"Tympole - no, Palpitoad! Use Mud Shot!"
And Palpitoad raised one fist and fired a blast of mud straight into Houndoom's face.
Houndoom snarled in agony as the blast slammed his head into the gym floor. Malva cried out, furiously, desperately. "Get up, Houndoom! Snarl - knock it away!"
"Finish it!" Ash yelled. "Echoed Voice!"
Palpitoad inhaled, but what blasted out wasn't an Echoed Voice. It was a scream, an ear-splitting bellow of noise the force of which ripped through the air like an intangible lance. Still struggling to rise, Houndoom tried to brace, but this time there was no resisting the attack. The Dark/Fire-type was picked up and tossed away like a broken toy, his last defiant roar soundless amidst the noise of Palpitoad's final attack.
Houndoom hit the ground hard, bouncing twice before landing limply on the ground. He didn't get up.
"YES!" Ash's shout was somehow nearly as loud as Palpitoad's last attack. "I think that was Uproar! Great job, Palpitoad!"
Palpitoad grinned as he heard Clay, Krokorok, and Drilbur shouting out their congratulations as well. "That was awesome!" he cried.
Which had the side effect of blasting Ash's eardrums.
"Careful, Ash!" Clay called. "Uproar's a continuous move - once a Pokemon activates it, they can't really speak without shouting for the next minute or so."
"What?" Ash shouted, his hands to his ears.
Once Ash's hearing had returned, he was quick to step over to Malva's side of the arena. The Gym Leader hadn't moved since the battle's end, save for recalling her unconscious Houndoom.
"So," said Ash, "is that good enough for you?"
Malva let out an unamused huff. "You got lucky," she growled. "That luck won't last. But…a win is a win." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a Gym Badge. "This is the Flare Badge. Take it."
Ash took it. "Thanks, Malva," he said, his clear dislike of Malva overridden by his euphoria at his victory and the evolution of his Palpitoad. He swiftly turned and dashed off towards the exit, clutching the Flare Badge like it was his newborn baby. Clay and Cyrus quickly followed him; the former shot a quick glare at Malva, but said nothing before exiting the gym.
Malva heaved a quiet sigh as she watched the three go. Then she turned and stepped towards the back wall of her gym. She flipped open a camouflaged keypad, tapped in a code only she knew by heart, and bent down to scan her eyeball when prompted. The hidden door embedded in the wall swung open, and Malva stepped through, swiftly closing it behind her.
The secret room was small, occupied only by a chair, a desk with a computer on it, and a small metal stack of drawers. Malva sat down in the chair, turned on the computer, activated her voice recorder, and began to speak.
"September 23, 1997," she began. "Malva speaking. I have just battled Ash Ketchum for the second time, the result of which was a narrow victory in his favor. He is quite a strong Trainer, but sadly, he never showed off the true strength of his team, contenting himself with utilizing multiple unevolved Pokemon even in our rematch. I was almost certain he would send out his Genesect once that strange Growlithe of his went down. But I suppose he's still too young and inexperienced to understand that type advantage is only half the battle."
She chuckled ruefully. "It certainly is a shame, though, that I never got to properly gauge the power level of his Genesect. That data certainly would have been useful to have. But at the very least I was able to ascertain the relative power level of his Primeape, Aegislash, Hisuian Growlithe, and his newly-evolved Palpitoad. My conclusion is this - he is quite strong, but not too abnormally so, aside from his access to Genesect. And, of course, preliminary data on that Pokemon suggests that even it is incapable of standing up to Project Mewtwo."
Malva shifted in her seat. "That said, seeing as he just defeated the team I normally use for six-badge Trainers at a time when he only had four badges, his strength cannot be denied. it is inadvisable for any number of Rocket Grunts to challenge him to battle, with or without Genesect. As such, new protocols must be instituted regarding Ash Ketchum. I will be visiting the Rocket Hideout in Celadon to offer my advice; I do hope it is taken into consideration. This is Malva, signing off."
Malva shut off the audio recording software and quickly saved the recording to her computer. Then she rose from her chair and stepped out of the secret room. Her own Pokemon would need to be healed at the Pokemon Center, and then it was off to the Celadon Game Corner for what was sure to be a rather lengthy meeting, after which she would have to return to her Gym to face her next Gym Challenger.
She smiled thinly. Her life was certainly a busy one.
"Hey, Hisuian Growlithe," said Ash. "You doing all right?"
Hisuian Growlithe glanced up at Ash; fresh from the Pokemon Center, he'd just been released from his Pokeball. "Did we win?"
"We did." Hisuian Growlithe recognized Tympole's voice, though it sounded strangely deeper. He turned, and then looked up, his mouth dropping open.
"You evolved?" Hisuian Growlithe's eyes widened. "That's amazing, Tympo - sorry, Palpitoad!"
"Yeah," said Palpitoad. "Yeah, it sure is."
His voice seemed off somehow, but Hisuian Growlithe paid his tone little mind as he turned back to Ash. The boy was grinning widely. "Looks like you're doing just fine!" he said. "And, yeah, as Palpitoad just likely told you, we won!"
Cheers came from all around as Primeape, Kricketune, Kubfu, and even Aegislash loudly celebrated their Trainer's triumph.
Ash knelt down before Hisuian Growlithe. "So…" Ash took out the Fire Stone Malva had given him from his backpack. "Since we beat her," he said, "I figured I'd offer you this. I know this is a big decision for you…but now that it's on our own terms and not on hers, do you want to evolve? If you don't, I promise it's okay."
Hisuian Growlithe smiled. "Yes," he said, nodding his head. "I do want to evolve."
The rest of the team began murmuring excitedly among themselves as they crowded together, each looking down upon Hisuian Growlithe.
Ash beamed. "Then let's not waste any more time." Reaching forwards, he touched the Fire Stone to Hisuian Growlithe's nose.
And Hisuian Growlithe's world became light.
So yeah. Hisuian Growlithe's evolving.
I thought about this decision for quite a while - do I follow the example of Pikachu or not? The thing that sent me over the edge was the realization that Pikachu's main strength (due to his lack of evolution) was his increased speed compared to Raichu. That's not applicable for Arcanine (or Hisuian Arcanine) since one of the main points of the Arcanine line is getting access to Extreme Speed.
Plus I didn't think it made much sense in this context to keep Hisuian Growithe unevolved, since the main motivation I gave him for staying unevolved was not wanting to do it on Malva's terms. Now that Malva's beaten, though, that motivation doesn't really apply anymore. And coming up with a new motivation for wanting to stay unevolved just didn't sit right with me. Thus, evolution.
Oh, and speaking of Malva...yeah, I think it goes without saying that we'll be seeing her again.