Make sure to read Pokémon Cosmic Quest the Movie 3: Cosmogogue and the Celestial Cornerstones, the third and final Cosmic Quest movie! Chronologically, it takes place after episode 165 and before this episode.

Also, this episode contains references to the rewritten version of episode 1. If you haven't read that since it was rewritten in July 2023, consider going back and taking a look.

Episode 166: Welcome to the Big League

It's a beautiful night. The Moon is full, but the stars still shine brightly. A shooting star streaks by. Ash stands among hundreds of other trainers in a massive stadium. Also recognizable among the crowd are Ryu, James, Braydon, and Kage. All look up towards the far end of the stadium, where Tenno Champion Galileo climbs a long staircase with a lit torch in hand.

Once at the top of the stairs, Galileo holds the torch to a platform in front of him. The fire instantly ignites the top of the platform and begins to spread. The flames follow the path of the platform in both directions away from Galileo. The path leads both halves upwards until they recombine and light an incredibly ornate and massive torch. Once the large torch is ignited, the flame grows large enough to cast a warm light across the entire stadium. Fireworks are shot off at the exact moment it lights. The spectators in the stadium's audience seating erupt in applause.

Galileo announces with an amplified voice, "The Cosmic Conference Torch now burns with the ever-lit flame given to us by the Legendary Pokémon, Heliosol!"

Ash smirks at the mention of Heliosol.

Galileo continues, "Just as Heliosol serves as the keystone of our Solar System, so too is this flame the keystone of Tenno's greatest competition and tradition! I look forward to watching each and every battle that will occur over the next several days!"

More applause, then Mr. Goodshow steps up next to Galileo and announces, "It is my pleasure, as president of the Pokémon League Competition Committee to declare the Tenno League Cosmic Conference open!"

As he shouts this, hundreds of Minior become visible in the sky above. Leaving a fiery trail behind them, they fall towards the ground surrounding the arena, only to have their shells break away, revealing the many different colors they conceal beneath. Without their heavy shells, the colorful Pokémon, all glowing brightly, begin to slowly float back up. The resulting lightshow leads to a bedazzled audience.

The time is at last here. Ash and Pikachu have been working towards this moment every single day since their arrival in Tenno. This is the Cosmic Conference, a place of dreams that transcends this world.

The next morning, the Cosmic Conference contestants have gathered again in the stadium. Mr. Goodshow is explaining the rules of the tournament. "After the preliminary rounds, we'll move on to the qualifying rounds, where trainers will use three Pokémon each. Only 32 of our nearly 300 trainers here today will make it past the preliminary and qualifying rounds and into the final rounds. That's where the real action is. Battles in the final rounds will be full battles! Six-against-six! The true test of a Pokémon trainer's worth! And after all that, we'll have the winner of this year's Cosmic Conference! The preliminary rounds will begin shortly! Everyone, use this time to prepare for their first battles!"

The contestants begin to go their own ways. Ash spots Ryu and rushes over to him. "Hey, Ryu, how'd that special training go for you? I can't wait for our battle!"

Ryu sneers at Ash, turns away, and keeps walking.

Ash shakes his head with disbelief. "Man, it's one step forward and two steps back with that guy."

Pikachu agrees with an exasperated sigh, "Pik…"

Braydon steps up to Ash. "Wow, what was his problem?"

Ash chuckles. "That's just how Ryu is. You better look out for him. He's probably one of the strongest trainers here."

Braydon laughs. "Did you forget that I took second place in last year's Cosmic Conference? He's the one who should be looking out for me. Without Brandon here, I'll bet there's no one who can beat me."

Ash grins defiantly. "Then call me no one, because I'll be beating you for sure."

Braydon chuckles heartily. "We'll find out. Either way, I know it will be a great battle."

Ash nods in agreement. "Great battles. That's what rivals are for."

James, who is suddenly behind Ash, shouts, "Rival! Did you just call him your rival!? I'm your rival!"

Ash chuckles awkwardly. "Well…there's no reason I can't have two rivals, right?"

James stares at him critically.

Ash chuckles some more. "You're…a very different kind of rival…"

James rubs his chin skeptically. "I suppose so long as he's a different kind of rival than me, then there's nothing wrong here…" He walks away staring daggers at Braydon. This prompts Braydon to leave quickly.

As Ash walks towards the exit of the stadium, he fails to notice Kage has stepped up behind him. "Greetings, Ash Ketchum."

Ash turns around in surprise. "Oh, Kage. You startled me."

"My apologies. Stealth is habit to those born in a village of shinobi." He chuckles. "Although it was cut short, your battle against Armstrong aboard the Battle Station has me intrigued to see you battle more. I hope that we meet again in this arena."

Ash grins. "Yeah, that would be great." He pauses. "Hey, Kage, this is going to sound weird, but do I kn—?" He cuts his own question off when he realizes that Kage is nowhere to be seen. Ash shrugs and continues on his way.

He makes it to the stadium exit, where Brock and Brenda are waiting for him. Brock asks, "So, how does it feel to be at another Pokémon League?"

Ash grins. "I'm not even sure how to describe it. It's like there's this…this…something that just wells up inside me and wants to break free."

Brenda looks at Ash funny. "That doesn't sound pleasant."

"It's a good feeling, I promise. I just don't know how else to explain it."

Someone suddenly declares, "Well, well, well. It is true."

Ash turns around to see a girl walking towards him. She's wearing a red tracksuit with a white jacket over it. She has long brown hair tied back and a look of confidence on her face. Ash asks, "What's true?"

"That the famed first Champion of Alola is humbling us with his presence."

Ash grins. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal."

The trainer suddenly frowns. "You're right. It's not. Your title is a sham."

Ash is left baffled. "Huh?"

"You heard me. A sham. You must think yourself to be so great because, not only did you win the Manalo Conference, but they called you the Alola Champion. But that doesn't mean anything. Any real trainer watching the Manalo Conference could tell in a heartbeat that it was a complete farce. There wasn't even a requirement to enter the tournament. From what I've heard, it was just a fun game for you and your schoolyard buddies. Forget the minor league, it was the little league. You were the only halfway decent trainer in a group of novices and amateurs. Of course you won. It would have been an embarrassment if you didn't. For crying out loud, the final round was only a three-on-three battle. What self-respecting Pokémon League doesn't have a single full battle? None of them. And to go and make matters worse, they went and called you the Alola Champion without even putting you through a Champion's League first, all on the technicality that one didn't exist yet. And now you come waltzing in here thinking that you're hot stuff. But you're not. I hope I get to battle you, so I can be the one who will inevitably kick you out of the big leagues and prove how meaningless your title is." She crosses her arms with self-satisfaction.

Ash is flabbergasted and uncertain of what to say.

The trainer nods smugly. "Nothing to say to defend yourself when actually confronted by the truth? I thought as much." She walks on. "The name's Cheyanne. Remember it, because that's the name to dread when you hear you're matched against it." And she's gone.

Brenda stomps her foot in frustration. "The nerve of that girl!"

Brock looks to the still shocked Ash. "Hey, don't pay any attention to what she says. She's just trying to make herself feel more important."

Ash sighs. "The problem is, she's not entirely wrong… I'm proud that I won the Alola League, but it definitely wasn't anything like any other Pokémon League I've entered. I wouldn't exactly call it a sham, but…"

Brenda finishes the thought, "But you're not sure it's on the same caliber as the other leagues?"

Ash nods. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Brock suggests, "Well, maybe it isn't. But it's not like you're walking around with an inflated ego and claiming you're better than everyone else because you're the Alola Champion. If you were, then maybe everything that Cheyanne girl said would be justified. She's the one with an inflated ego here, not you."

Ash grins. "You're right. I shouldn't let it get to me." He looks around. "But still, I do have to admit that entering the Cosmic Conference, even after winning the Manalo Conference, is a big step up."

Brenda grins at Ash. "So, you just got to work that much harder to win it all. Since when has working harder been a problem for you, Ash?"

Ash grins back. "It's not. You're right, Brenda. Thanks." He looks forward. "Now come on, league competitors and their guests eat for free. I heard there's a great buffet in League Village."

Brenda chuckles. "That didn't take long for you to switch tracks."

Who's That Pokémon!?

Using a liquid poison, this Pokémon indiscriminately attacks anything that wanders into its territory. This poison can corrode the undersides of boats.

Ash's first preliminary round battle is underway. In this round, multiple battles are taking place on different battlefields in the arena. On a standard battlefield, Ash is using Solurtle to battle against a trainer with a Dusknoir. Dusknoir has just vanished into the shadows.

Ash is about to call an order when he hesitates. He asks himself, "Would the light from Sunny Day reveal Dusknoir, or is it completely invisible now?"

Solurtle glances back to Ash with some concern. It questions, "Sol?"

Ash snaps out of his thoughts and orders, "Solurtle, use Sunny—!"

But before he can issue the command, Dusknoir reappears behind Solurtle and strikes it with Shadow Punch.

From the audience, Brenda comments, "I don't get it. Something is off about Ash's battling. He never hesitates like that."

Brock nods in agreement. "He seems to be overthinking things."

Ash tries ordering, "Flamethrower!"

But Dusknoir once again disappears into the shadows before the attack can land. Ash's opponent laughs. "You snooze you lose!"

This annoys Ash. "No hesitating this time! Solurtle, Sunny Day!"

"Lurtle!" Solurtle increases the intensity of the sunlight. And just as Ash initially predicted, the added light is enough to expose Dusknoir once more.

Ash grins. "Solar Beam, go!"

With the extra sunlight, Solurtle is able to instantly charge its Solar Beam and fire a devastating beam at the exposed Dusknoir. It's enough to knock the ghost Pokémon out.

A referee declares, "Dusknoir is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum will advance to the second preliminary round!"

The opponent drops to his knees and shouts, "No! Not in the first round!"

Ash grins at his victory, but something also still seems to be gnawing at him. He recalls Solurtle without any excitement and heads for the exit.

Brock and Brenda are there to intercept him. Brenda crosses her arms and asks firmly, "Okay, what gives. That wasn't you out there."

Ash questions, "What do you mean?"

Brock explains, "Ash, we've both seen you in enough important battles to know how you react to them. This was not it. You never hesitate as much as you did out there. It could have cost you battle."

Ash sighs. "You're right…" He pauses for a moment. "Have I ever told you guys about the World Coronation Series?"

Brenda thinks back. "That's the world-wide tournament to find the world's strongest trainer, right? You said you watched Leon and Lance battle in its finals soon before coming to Tenno, right?"

Ash nods. "Exactly." He pauses again. "Well, what I haven't told you is that watching that battle inspired me. It made me realize that more than anything, I want to have a battle with Leon. If he's the world's strongest trainer, the Monarch, then I just have to see how powerful he is for myself. The only way to do that is to enter the World Coronation Series and battle my way up the ranks to him."

Brenda gasps. "You want to enter the World Coronation Series? Don't you think that's a little—" She realizes something too late and cuts herself off.

Ash supplies the rest, "Out of my league?"

Brenda is a little flustered. "You're a great trainer, Ash, I didn't mean to say otherwise."

Ash shakes his head. "No Brenda, you're right. I haven't done anything yet to prove myself worthy of joining the World Coronation Series."

Brock nods in understanding. "That's why what Cheyanne said to you earlier had such an impact. She was telling you that you weren't worthy of battling Leon."

Ash nods. "Exactly. My win in the Alola League wasn't enough. When I heard about the Tenno League, I told myself that I would use it as my real test. I need to prove myself here if I'm going to enter the World Coronation Series."

Brenda also nods in understanding. "And that's why you were psyching yourself out in that last battle. This is all really important to you. Moreso than any previous Pokémon League you've entered."

Ash affirms, "That sums it up."

Brock suggests, "Ash, I don't think you need to prove anything. Your list of accomplishments is far beyond that of any average trainer. If you want to enter the World Coronation Series, you should. And you know what? Even if you don't make it to the top, that's okay. Someday you will, and someday, you will battle Leon. That's just the type of trainer you are. And the same thing applies here. Just making it into the Cosmic Conference is a feat that is far out of reach for most trainers. Whether you win or lose here doesn't make a difference. You're still one of the most—no—the most incredible trainer I know."

Brenda adds, "Here, here!"

Ash looks at his friends and smiles broadly at them. "You two are the best friends a guy could ask for." He clenches a fist in determination. "Enough of this second-guessing myself. It's time to go out there and do what I do best, and have a fun time while doing it, no matter the outcome. You with me, Pikachu?"

"Pika pi!"

It's Dragalge!

Ash readily makes it through his second preliminary match, where Ninjitsu defeats an opponent's Falinks. Also making it through their preliminary matches are James, Ryu, Braydon, and Kage.

James has Haking fill the field with smoke to launch a surprise Sludge Bomb and defeat a Cetitan. Ryu's Kommo-o delivers a devastating Sky Uppercut to a Vaporeon. Braydon has his Slashogun quickly and brutally defeat a Tyranitar with an all-out assault. And Kage uses a Greninja that leverages its speed to defeat a Seismitoad.

All five of them have made it past the preliminary rounds and into the qualifying round.

And for Ash's first qualifying round, he finds himself facing off against Cheyanne. Both trainers have taken positions on the battlefield. Cheyanne lets out a self-satisfied laugh. "I had hoped I'd be the one to show you door, but I wasn't certain you'd make it far enough. This should be satisfying."

From the audience, Brenda is irked as she watches. "Of course, Ash ends getting paired with that jerk."

Brock suggests, "This could be good for Ash. If what Cheyanne said really had an effect on him, then he can prove her wrong right here and now and do away with any doubt that may linger."

After a moment of silence from Ash, he says, "Hey, Cheyanne, how about we drop the hostilities, and just have a good time battling?"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm going to have a good time."

Even though it's obvious what she meant, Ash grins and declares, "Well, so am I." This earns him a scowl from her.

An announcer declares, "It's time to see what field this battle will take place on! Spin the wheel!" Everyone looks up to a large screen, where a wheel with different themes is displayed. The wheel spins. It begins to slow and soon it stops so that an arrow is pointing at an icon representing water. "Oh! It's a fan-favorite! That water battlefield has been selected!"

The entire field begins to rumble as it begins to lift up out of the ground, revealing a transparent tank full of water beneath it. The top of the field retracts away to expose the water, as well as several platforms floating on its surface.

With the field transformed, the announcer declares, "And remember, while only three Pokémon can be used in the qualifying round, the trainers can only select those three from a team of six that was locked in before the battle began, when they didn't know what the field would be. I sure hope that these trainers brought some Pokémon that don't mind getting a little wet!"

Cheyanne grins. "I sure did." She throws a Pokéball. "Go, Saws!"

Into the water appears a shark-like Pokémon with a metallic gray color. The bottom of its body is flat, and its upper jaw is very long. All around the long flat upper jaw is a series of spikey points, like the teeth of a saw. The Pokémon's fins also look razor sharp.

"Saaaws!"

Ash consults his Pokédex. "Saws, the Saw Shark Pokémon and a Water and Steel Combo-Type. Its elongated upper jaw serves as an extremely sharp saw. It has been known to cut through even the steel hull of ships. Evolves from Marlance at level 48."

Ash swaps the Pokédex for a Pokéball.

Brenda guesses, "I bet Ash uses Dashilisk for the water field. He could also go with Eagladiator, who could just fly over the water too."

Ash throws the Pokéball. "Squirtle, I choose you!" Ash's Squirtle appears atop one of the floating platforms.

"Squirtle squirt!"

Brenda gasps, "No way! Squirtle!? Where'd that come from?"

Brock chuckles. "Ash was up late last night making arrangements. He really wanted to go all out in this tournament, so he pulled out all the stops and arranged for some of his Pokémon from across his different journeys to help out here."

Brenda grins. "That's awesome! This is going to be great!"

Cheyanne laughs derisively. "That's what you send out against me? An itty-bitty baby Squirtle? Can't even manage a fully evolved Pokémon, can you? How did you even make it this far?"

Ash asserts, "This 'itty-bitty' Squirtle is about to teach you that looks can be deceiving."

Squirtle adds, "Squirtle!"

"Sure it will."

"Let's show her, Squirtle, use Skull Bash!"

"Squirt!" Squirtle lowers its head and propels itself at Saws, which is sitting at the surface of the water.

"Parry with Maw Saw!"

"Saaaaws!" Saws' saw glows a metallic silver and the Pokémon slashes it at the incoming Squirtle.

Ash quickly orders, "Up and over!"

In a display of athleticism, Squirtle, mid-Skull Bash, thrusts an arm down on to the top of Saws' blade and uses it as leverage to push itself up and over the slashing attack. Squirtle then comes straight down from above and rams itself into Saws, forcing it underwater as Squirtle bounces back up.

Cheyanne grunts with disdain.

Brock cheers, "Amazing! That must be all that firefighting training paying off for Squirtle! It's in incredible shape!"

Ash follows up, "Into the water and use Rapid Spin!" Squirtle aims itself into a headfirst dive into the water. Once it passes the surface, it pulls into its shell and spins about as it moves towards Saws.

Cheyanne orders, "Saws, use Aqua Jet!" Saws propels itself forward at an incredible velocity. It and Squirtle meet midway and collide. Both Pokémon bounce off of each other. As they bounce back, Cheyanne orders, "Pin Missile!" Several of the spikes on Saws' blade glow white, then launch off as projectiles aimed at Squirtle.

Ash orders, "Rapid Spin in place!"

Squirtle pulls back into its shell and stops its upwards motion as soon as it starts spinning. The rotation of its shell creates a whirling current around Squirtle. When the Pin Missiles approach Squirtle, they get caught in the current, spun around, and then flung back at Saws.

Cheyanne grimaces. "Again! Another Pin Missile!" Saws fires off even more missiles. The leading ones destroy the redirected projectiles. The resulting explosion fills the water with bubbles, ruining visibility.

Thinking it's safe, Squirtle emerges from its shell, only to find the lagging Pin Missiles still heading at it. Squirtle has no chance to avoid them and is buffeted by the attack. "Squirt!"

Ash encourages, "That's okay, Squirtle! We can still—!"

He's interrupted by Cheyanne seizing the momentum and ordering, "Maw Saw!" Saws itself now emerges from the still settling bubbles and slashes its glowing saw at Squirtle, striking the Pokémon again before it was able to recover from the last hit. "Keep it up! Don't let up!" Saws goes in for another slash. And another. And another.

Brenda shouts, "This is terrible! Squirtle can't escape!"

Brock nods in agreement. "Squirtle may be at home underwater, but it's still a Pokémon that lives primarily on land. It can't maneuver as well underwater as Saws can."

Ash shouts, "Withdraw!" Squirtle just barely manages to retreat into its shell before Saws can land another hit. The saw bounces off of the hard shell. But this doesn't stop Saws. It keeps striking over and over.

Cheyanne taunts, "So, you've resorted to hiding? Is that really all you can do now?"

Ash grins. "Who says we're hiding? Maybe we're just preparing for something else."

Cheyanne hesitates. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Squirtle, use Hydro Pump!"

A massive blast of water, powerful enough to even be seen underwater, shoots out from the head, arm, and leg holes of Squirtle's shell. Saws, just about to strike again with another Maw Saw, is blasted back by the sudden torrent.

Ash grins. "Perfect, now combo it with Skull Bash!"

Squirtle extends its head alone from the shell. Using the water jets of the Hydro Pump to propel itself, Squirtle launches faster than ever at Saws. "Squirtle!"

The impact is so hard, that the resulting shockwave causes water to fountain up out of the tank before falling back in. The water is so turbulent that it's impossible to see what's going on inside the tank.

And then Saws floats up to the surface. The referee declares, "Saws is unable to battle!"

Cheyanne gasps, "No! Not possible!"

Squirtle has swum up to the surface. It announces happily, "Squirtle!"

Ash grins. "Well, it looks like my 'itty-bitty' Squirtle just beat your big, bad Saws."

Cheyanne glares at Ash. "You got lucky. Just like you did in Alola. It won't happen again." She recalls Saws and swaps Pokéballs. "Let's see how you handle this one! Go, Hailfire!"

The Pokémon that appears in the water this time is a large one. It looks like a combination of a whale and a ship, and is colored a mixture of white and gunmetal gray. Its flat top is covered in several icicles, like spikes that point upwards. A dorsal fin looks like a structure on the center of its back. One massive icicle sticks out the front of the Pokémon's head, like a horn. The Pokémon is large enough that while floating at the surface, it takes up most of the room in the tank that isn't already covered by a floating platform.

Ash grabs his Pokédex again. "Hailfire, the Dreadnaught Pokémon and an Ice and Steel Combo-Type. An arsenal of Hailitzer lives atop its back. Combining their attacks with its own allows Hailfire to provide an impressive volley of frozen fire. Evolves from Hailitzer with an Ice Stone."

Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the icicles sticking up on Hailfire's back are indeed the shells of several Hailitzer. One of them suddenly launches its shell like a missile. The icy projectile explodes in the air above the battlefield and causes hail to fall. The Hailitzer that launched its shell quickly grows it back.

Ash asks, "You good to keep going, Squirtle?"

Squirtle nods. "Squirt."

"In that case, use Rapid Spin!" Squirtle launches itself at the large Pokémon.

Cheyanne shouts, "Broadside Salvo, go!" All of the Hailitzer on Hailfire's back point their shells towards the incoming Squirtle. It also points its head in the same direction to aim its horn. All at once, every single icicle is launched like a missile. They are fired with such force, that a shockwave rips outwards across the surface of the water from where Hailfire floats.

Squirtle has no hope of dodging the incredible barrage of projectiles. Multiple hit it directly, while the ones that don't explode in the surrounding area, sending icy shrapnel to buffet Squirtle. "Squiiiirtle!" Even with its shell to protect it, the damage it took looks impressive.

When the smoke from the explosions have cleared, Hailfire has regrown all of its icicle missiles and Squirtle floats in the water on its back.

The referee announces, "Squirtle is unable to battle!"

Cheyanne chuckles. "See? Just a fluke."

Ash ignores the taunt as he recalls Squirtle. He thinks for a moment before selecting his next Pokémon. "That was one powerful attack. But it wasn't particularly fast. A speedy Pokémon should be able to avoid it." He nods, pleased with the thought. "Go, Swellow!"

"Sweeeeeellooow!" Swellow performs a somersault in the air upon being sent out.

Brenda objects, "Isn't a Flying-Type like Swellow weak against Ice-Types?"

Brock responds, "That may be true, but if Ash is thinking what I think he's thinking, then he's going to be relying on Swellow's speed. And with this hail falling, Ash is going to need that speed to end this battle fast."

Already, Swellow is being pelted by the hail. While it can ignore it, it's clearly uncomfortable.

Cheyanne commands, "Fire Icicle Spear!" Several of the Hailitzer closest to Swellow's position fire their shells. The shells, trailing lines of light behind them, arc out and away, then back in to converge on Swellow.

Ash orders, "Aerial Ace, go!"

"Swellooow! Swellow disappears with a burst of speed, just in time to avoid the icicle missiles. It reappears directly in front of the floating Hailfire and rams into it. However, the bulky Pokémon seems to easily absorb the attack.

"Ice Beam!"

"Haaaaail!" Hailfire's mouth launches a freezing beam directly ahead at Swellow.

Ash shouts, "Get out of there, Swellow!"

"Swellooooow!" Swellow climbs up into the air as fast as it can with the Ice Beam lagging just behind it.

Cheyanne orders, "Add extra pressure with an Icicle Spear barrage!" This time, the Icicle Spears from the Hailitzer fire one at a time. Swellow is forced to avoid missile after missile while also trying to outpace the Ice Beam. On top of that, the hail continues to pelt Swellow from above. Swellow manages several complex aerial maneuvers, including dives, rolls, and flips to avoid the missiles, but the longer the barrage lasts, the more it seems like it won't last. Then, after performing a particularly difficult barrel roll, Swellow, while dodging the icicle, fails to dodge the Ice Beam. The beam grazes Swellow's wing and encases the tip of the wing in ice.

With its wing partially frozen, Swellow comes plummeting down towards the water. Ash acts on instinct and orders, "Swellow, return!" and recalls the Pokémon before it falls all the way.

Brenda comments, "Tough break. Swellow was completely overwhelmed by all that firepower."

Brock nods in agreement. "Having those Hailitzer able to independently attack in addition to Hailfire is a big advantage for Cheyanne. No doubt."

Ash looks down to Pikachu, who stands next to him. "You want in, buddy?"

"Chu!" Pikachu leaps forward onto the closest platform.

Cheyanne laughs. "Ah, the famous Pikachu has made its appearance. Let's see if it's really all it's cracked up to be."

Ash declares, "Pikachu may be small, but it packs a punch. You'll regret underestimating it."

Cheyanne chuckles. "Sure."

"Let's show her, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa-!"

"Icicle Spear!"

Before Pikachu can fully charge its electricity, Hailfire has launched a salvo of icicle missiles aimed right for Pikachu's platform.

Ash shouts, "Switch to Iron Tail for defense!"

"Pika! Chu, pika!" Pikachu stops its electrical attack and instead uses Iron Tail to destroy each incoming icicle before they can hit.

"Then we'll just turn up the fire power! Broadside Salvo!" Hailfire aims every single weapon it has at Pikachu and fires them all together, once again releasing a massive concussive shockwave from the combined force.

Ash orders, "Let's play defense, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu doesn't even attempt to dodge and is quickly enveloped first by the spray of water from the shockwave, and then the volley of icicle missiles. Pikachu can no longer be seen.

Everyone in the audience leans in close for a better look. Brenda questions, "Did it hit? I'm not sure even Pikachu could withstand such an attack…"

When the mist and smoke clears, Pikachu is still there on the platform. It's spinning about as it generates electricity, creating a whirlwind-like electric barrier around it which seems to have protected it entirely from the Broadside Salvo.

Brock cheers, "All right! That's the counter shield! Ash is using all his tricks here!"

Cheyanne is stunned. "What in the world is that!?"

Not even bothering to answer her, Ash orders, "Now Pikachu, jump up and use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaps up and over Hailfire. As it does, it generates electricity for an attack. "Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuu!" From above, Pikachu electrocutes the massive Pokémon.

Cheyanne scowls. "Icicle Spear, main cannon!" Even while being struck by Thunderbolt, Hailfire aims its horn at the overhead Pikachu and launches it as a massive projectile. Stuck in the air, it looks like Pikachu has no way to dodge the attack.

But Ash seems to have other plans. "Grab on, Pikachu!"

"Pik!" Pikachu manages to maneuver itself just perfectly to wrap its arms and legs around the side of the massive icicle just as it flies past. This carries Pikachu straight up at an extreme velocity.

Cheyanne demands, "What's the point!?"

Ash grins. "Now Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu lets go of the icicle mere moments before it explodes in midair. Pikachu plummets back down towards the battlefield, and as it does, it cloaks itself in electricity. "Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika, chuuu!"

Cheyanne has no chance to react and Hailfire has no chance to dodge. Pikachu falls so fast and with so much power that the Volt Tackle causes an explosion upon impact.

When the resulting smoke clears, Pikachu is standing safely on a platform, while Hailfire is floating on its side.

"Hailfire is unable to battle!"

Cheyanne sneers as she recalls Hailfire. "You must be so proud of that silly little Pikachu right now. It would be a shame if it suddenly became worthless. I have you exactly where I want you." She throws her next Pokéball. "Lanturn, go!"

"Laaaan!"

"Lanturn, use Sparkling Flare!"

"Tuuuuurn!" Lanturn's lure generates a dazzling and shimmering light that rips outwards towards Pikachu.

Ash orders, "Dodge! Then Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaps up and over the light attack. "Pikaaaaa chuuuuuuu!"

Cheyanne grins as the electricity strikes Lanturn and is absorbed into the bulb over its head.

Brenda asks, "Wait, what just happened? That attack looked like it did nothing."

Brock nods in understanding as the answer dawns on him. "It didn't do nothing, it helped Lanturn."

"What does that mean?"

"Lanturn must have the ability Volt Absorb. Cheyanne is planning on using Pikachu's electricity against it. That's what she meant when she mentioned Pikachu becoming worthless. Ash might have to consider substituting Pikachu."

Brenda gasps. "But Ash's only other Pokémon is Swellow. He can't use a Flying-Type against an Electric-Type!"

Brock nods. "I suspect that was why Cheyanne chose Lanturn in the first place. It's a lose-lose situation for Ash."

Cheyanne laughs at Ash. "You see what I mean? It doesn't matter how much electricity you throw my way. Lanturn will absorb it all."

Ash looks to be thinking something over. "Pikachu, come back."

Pikachu looks at him in surprise. "Chu?"

Ash nods. "It's okay. I know what I'm doing."

"Pik." Pikachu jumps back to Ash's platform.

"Come back, Swellow!"

When Swellow appears, its wingtip is still frozen, but by pounding it against the platform, Swellow cracks the ice away and flies back into the air.

Brenda shakes her head. "I don't like this. Surely Pikachu would have been the better option. It could still use Iron Tail at least."

Brock suggests, "Ash knows his Pokémon better than we do. Besides, even if Swellow can't do it, Ash still has Pikachu left to try again later. However, I will admit, ever since Ash first met Swellow when it was a Taillow, it has had an unusually strong resistance to electricity for a Flying-Type. Maybe Ash is counting on leveraging that here."

Cheyanne orders, "Let's add some more pressure. Use Thunderstorm!"

"Lantuuuuurn!" Lanturn sends pulses of electricity into the sky, which generate dark thunderclouds above them. Light flashes in the clouds from lightning and thunder booms.

Ash watches the cloudy skies warily, but doesn't seem overly concerned by them. "Swellow, let's end this as fast as we can. Use Air Slash!"

"Sweeellow!" Swellow flaps its wings and creates a series of wind blades that fly down at Lanturn.

Cheyanne orders, "Down in the water!" Lanturn quickly submerges itself and the wind blades impact the surface of the water, only going down a few inches before dissipating entirely. "And Thunder!" Lanturn leaps back out of the water to launch an electrical attack at Swellow.

Ash counters, "Double Team!" Swellow splits into five duplicates of itself. The Thunder strikes one of them, but it's not the real Swellow. "And Aerial Ace!"

But before Swellow can attack, another bolt of electricity appears, this one from the storm clouds above. It strikes the real Swellow as thunder echoes across the stadium. Swellow shouts in surprise and pain, "Sweell!" Despite the sudden and powerful nature of the shock, Swellow grunts through it and comes out looking mostly okay. It immediately tries for the Aerial Ace again, but Lanturn has already taken the chance to retreat underwater once again.

Cheyanne cackles. "Do you understand the no-win situation you're in now? Your Swellow doesn't stand a chance, and neither does your Pikachu. You may have gotten some lucky breaks to take an early lead, but here, where it really matters, I'm commanding this battle."

Brenda asks with worry, "Is there anything Ash can do to overcome this? He has no options."

Brock asserts confidently, "Whenever Ash is faced with no options, he makes one of his own. I'm certain he'll come up with something. We can only hope that he does in time."

Ash surveys the battlefield carefully. He watches the glow of Lanturn underneath the surface. He looks up to the thunderclouds, which continue their ominous presence. Suddenly, an idea hits him. "That's it. Of course." He grins confidently. "Swellow, it's time to show everyone your inner strength!"

Swellow looks back to Ash with surprise. Somehow, it seems to know exactly what Ash is thinking.

Cheyanne shouts, "Fine, we'll teach you the lesson the hard way! Lanturn, use Thunder!"

Ash orders, "Dodge it, Swellow!"

Swellow swerves to the side to allow the Thunder to pass straight up into the clouds. The powerful bolt of electricity breaks into the clouds, leaving a hole behind. For a moment, nothing happens, but then an even more massive bolt of lightning strikes straight down, and Swellow is right there to be struck by it.

Brenda gasps. "No! Swellow!" But then she notices the confident grin hasn't left Ash's face. "Huh? Did Ash want Swellow to be hit by lightning?"

Brock's face lights up with recognition and surprise. "No way. It couldn't be."

Swellow is grunting in pain as the electricity continues to pour out from the cloud onto it.

Cheyanne laughs. "So much for whatever you had planned. There's no way your Swellow could withstand such a powerful blast of electricity!"

Ash chuckles. "Check again."

Cheyanne scoffs at the notion, but looks up anyways. Swellow continues to struggle as electricity continues to pulse around it. But then, Swellow opens its eyes suddenly with a renewed look of strength. The electricity from the lightning explodes off of it. "Swelloooooow!" Swellow has transformed. Its entire body now glows with a reflective golden sheen.

Cheyanne demands, "What is this!?"

Brenda gasps. "Is Swellow using that thunder as armor!?"

Brock says with excitement, "A move like that takes a lot of guts!"

Ash orders, "Swellow, Aerial Ace!"

"Sweeeell!" Swellow dives in down towards Lanturn.

Cheyanne, completely unsure of what is going on, shouts in minor panic, "Lanturn, Sparkling Flare!"

"Lantuuuurn!" Lanturn fires its pulse of light at the incoming Swellow.

Ash orders, "Air Slash!" Swellow, without slowing its dive, flaps its wing to hurl more blades of wind. These ones are charged with golden electrical energy. They slice easily through the Sparkling Flare and Swellow continues on towards Lanturn.

"Dive, Lanturn! Get out of there, now!" Lanturn dives as fast as it can.

But Swellow won't be stopped. It collides into the water with such force that it shoves it all aside and it keeps moving down deeper and deeper. The tunnel through the water it leaves in its wake sparks with electricity. Swellow continues to tunnel until it gets to the very bottom of the tank where Lanturn dove to. Swellow rams into it with explosive force. The resulting shockwave rips outwards and flings all the water in the tank into the air and transforms it into a fine mist that drifts away, still carrying some of the electric sparks from Swellow.

As Swellow flies back up, the golden aura dissipates. Lanturn lies on its side in the now empty tank.

The referee declares, "Lanturn is unable to battle! The trainer moving on to the final rounds is Ash Ketchum!"

Ash cheers, "Way to go, Swellow! That was perfect!"

Pikachu adds, "Pika pi pik!"

Cheyanne is dumbfounded. "What…just…happened…?"

Brenda says, "For once, I'm with her. What was that?"

Brock explains, "That was Thunder Armor. A trick Ash came up with during a gym battle in the Hoenn Region. I always thought it was a one-off trick that was impossible to replicate. But somehow, not only did Ash replicate it, but his opponent was the one who created the perfect situation for it to happen. Amazing."

Brenda adds, "And thanks to it, Ash not only won, but he won this battle three knockouts to one. In the end, it wasn't even close. That was a commanding lead he had."

Both Ash and Cheyanne have climbed down from their elevated platforms on the battlefield. Ash approaches Cheyanne. Cheyanne looks at him critically. "Come to gloat?"

Ash offers her a handshake. "Cheyanne, that was a really great battle. I wasn't sure if I would lose or win. Thanks."

Cheyanne hesitates. "You're thanking me? After everything I've said to you?"

Ash nods. "A battle is a battle, and that one was great."

There's some further hesitation from Cheyanne, but then she shakes Ash's hand. "I guess I was wrong about everything I said. I'm sorry. I guess it just made me feel better about myself."

Ash shakes his head. "You weren't wrong about the Alola League being a lower caliber than most other Pokémon Leagues. But I never claimed that being the Alola Champion made me better than anyone else. I'm still on my way up. The Manolo Conference was just a steppingstone on that path. The Cosmic Conference is another. Hopefully, I can step a little further this time."

Cheyanne nods. "Yes. Well, don't go and lose this thing now. That would only embarrass us both."

Ash grins. "I don't plan on it. But hey, don't beat yourself up over this. You've already proven yourself to be one of the best trainers in Tenno simply by making it here. Losing on a stage this big is no shame."

"I suppose that's one way to look at it. Thank you, Ash."

Ash grins back at her, and they go their separate ways.

The Cosmic Conference is just kicking off, and already the battles are as heated as they get. And things are only going to get better from here now that Ash has made it into the final rounds. I know I always say this, but I really mean it this time. Stay tuned.

Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet step out from a restaurant with extremely stuffed bellies. Meowth declares, "This 'contestants and friends eat free' thing is the best."

Jessie agrees, "James should have entered a Pokémon League ages ago."

Wobbuffet agrees, "Wobbuffet!"

They've walked across the street to one of the cabins where contestants are staying and enter. It's dark inside. Meowth questions, "Odd. I don't recall turning off the lights before we left."

Jessie tries hitting a light switch. "The lights aren't working at all."

Meowth complains, "No fair! I'm demanding a refund!"

Jessie reminds him, "Meowth, we're not paying for this place."

"Oh. Right. Well still. Someone needs to fix it."

A voice announces, "You are Team Rocket, correct?" The voice is heavily disguised via electronics.

Jessie and Meowth leap up in shock and demand, "Who's there!?"

The voice continues, "You two worked with the supervillain Bushido on several occasions. I could use those skills. I have job for you that will pay handsomely."

Jessie says reluctantly, "Well, I don't normally take money from strangers—"

Meowth interrupts, "Unless we're stealing it!"

"Unless we're stealing it, but I do love pay. Especially the handsome kind. Do tell."

The voice chuckles menacingly. "There's a secret that's been kept for far too long. A secret that I will see revealed before the end of this tournament."

To Be Continued…