Episode 167: Hall of James

James is battling in his qualifying round battle. He and Ivine are battling against a Weavile. James orders, "Get it with Ivy Whip!"

"Iviiiine!" Ivine lashes at Weavile with one whip from each hand.

Weavile's trainer orders, "Don't let it touch you! Keep on dodging!"

"Weav!" Weavile nimbly leaps out of the way of each of Ivine's whips.

James declares, "More whips! It can't possibly dodge them all!"

And James seems to be right. Ivine ups the count to six different whips, all moving at different intervals. It's too much for Weavile, and one whip hits its leg as it tries jumping away. It barely a grazing blow, but it's enough.

Weavile tries to resist it, but it quickly breaks down scratching the red rash that appeared on its shin.

James grins smugly. "Perfect. Now let's wrap this up with Poison Jab."

"Iviiiiine!" Ivine rushes at Weavile with a glowing purple arm and jabs it into the distracted Pokémon. Weavile is thrust back by the attack. It skids across the ground and is clearly knocked out.

One may think James would have been out of his element in the Cosmic Conference, but so far, he seems to be holding his own. Just how far can one of our favorite villains go in a legitimate tournament?

James steps out of the stadium and is greeted by Jessie and Meowth, both carrying plates of food with them. Meowth says, "Wow, Jimmy, if you fought like that against the twerps, we'd have captured Pikachu long ago."

James contemplates this point. "I'm not sure what it is, but battling here has put a sort of fire burning inside of me."

Jessie, with a mouthful, comments, "It's probably the tomato sauce on the pasta we had last night. Hit me pretty bad too. I have some antacid if you need it."

James shakes his head. "No. Not like that. Like a real fire burning. Trying to escape."

Jessie nods in understanding. "Oh. You should probably get that checked out. Doesn't sound safe."

James groans.

Meowth changes the topic. "So, what are you going to do for the next round?"

"What about the next round?"

"Well, now that you've made it into the top 32, all the battles from here on out are going to be full six-on-six battles. Last I counted, you only have three Pokémon on you."

James gasps. "You're right! I never expected to make it this far, so I never actually planned for that! What do I do!?"

Jessie, still with a mouthful, suggests, "You could borrow Repiv, Buzzsaw, and the blob."

"Wobbuffet!"

As she drops a plate in order to recall Wobbuffet, she adds, "Though you might be better off going in with only five Pokémon."

James shakes his head. "No. Making it to the Tenno League was my accomplishment. I need to do this on my own. I need to use my own Pokémon."

Meowth asks, "Okay, but how are you going to manage that?"

James grins. "It's time to make some phone calls."

Who's that Pokémon!?

It relies on sound in order to monitor what's in its vicinity. When angered, it will attack without ever changing the direction it's facing.

James is on a holographic videophone in the Cosmic Conference's Pokémon Center. He smiles broadly as he picks a Pokéball up off the transporter. "Thanks so much for sending it back to me."

On the other end is the gym leader Gardenia. She grins. "Of course, it's your Pokémon. You only left it with me for training. And might I say, it has mastered Drain Punch perfectly."

James grins. "I'm glad to hear it. Thank you for everything."

"Of course. Good luck in the next round." Gardenia hangs up.

James looks down at the Pokéball and smiles broadly. "Welcome back, old friend." He walks out of the Pokémon Center with a pep in his step. As he walks through the assortment of stalls and booths that have been set up by various vendors, he says to himself, "Okay, that makes six Pokémon, though I'd really rather not have Mime Jr. fighting in such an intense battle…"

Someone nearby calls, "Hey, you!"

James looks around for the source of the voice. "Me?"

"Yeah, you! Come over here!"

James walks to a nearby stall, where he finds a man with black hair, sunglasses, an overly large mustache, a white headband, and a white shirt. "Yes?"

"I couldn't help but overhearing your little dilemma, and I have the perfect solution for you!"

This intrigues James. "You do!?"

"Certainly! I have with me one of the most powerful Pokémon money can buy."

James suggests questioningly, "Mewtwo?"

"Okay, fine. Second most powerful Pokémon money can buy."

"Mew?"

"Third! Final offer!"

"Okay, I'm listening."

Come around back to my VIP section. I don't just show this to anyone, but seeing as you're a competitor in the Cosmic Conference, I think that makes you a VIP person."

James nods eagerly. "I am a very important person person, aren't I?"

"Come, come." The man leads James behind the stall, where there's a cage covered in shadows. James leans in and squints for a better look.

The man shakes his head. "Oh no, my friend. Don't get too close. You wouldn't want to anger it."

"What exactly is it?"

"Look and see." The man hits a switch to turn on a light. Coiled up inside of the cage is, at first glance, a Gyarados.

James gasps. "A Gyarados! Wow! You know, I actually once owned one those for all of 10 seconds."

The salesman gasps. "Wow. Ten seconds. That's impressive. Only a top tier trainer like yourself could manage to control such a mighty Pokémon."

James ponders things. "I'm not sure 'control' is the right word… More like… Well… Whatever the opposite of control in this circumstance is."

"Still, to even be able to claim ownership of such a rare, powerful, and majestic Pokémon is truly a privilege."

"I never thought about it like that. I suppose it is."

"So, why not make it so again? Buy this Gyarados off of me, and then you'll have double the prestige. Not to mention it will solve your Pokémon shortage problems."

"That it would. That it would." He looks back at the Pokémon in the cage. "Is it just me, or does something seem a little off about the Gyarados?" With a closer look, the Gyarados is much too small. Its color seems slightly off. Its skin is much too smooth, and its crests and fins seem oddly shaped.

The salesman quickly switches off the light. "Nonsense! This is just a rare pygmy Gyarados! Believe it or not, being small actually means they're more powerful! They have to compensate somehow."

James slowly nods as he contemplates this. "I suppose that does make sense." He looks up to the man and suddenly asks, "Hey, do I know you from somewhere? I have the strangest feeling that we've met before."

"What? You and I? Met? Impossible!"

"No. I think I have. Was it in Kanto? No… Johto…? I got it, Hoenn! No… It had to be Sinnoh, right…?"

The salesman is sweating nervously. "Nonsense! Nonsense, I tell you!"

"Grow! Growl!"

James looks around in surprise. "Huh? What was that?"

A Growlithe appears and tackles the salesman to the floor.

James gasps. "Growlie!? Is that you!?"

The puppy Pokémon, while standing atop the man it tackled, looks to James, and happily barks, "Growl! Growl!"

"Why did you tackle that man, Growlie?" Then he looks down and shouts in surprise. Growlithe has knocked off that man's sunglasses and fake mustache to reveal him to be none other than the salesman that scammed him into buying a Magikarp. James shouts in rage, "It's you!"

The man quickly gets onto his knees and pleads, "Please, please forgive me! I know I've done things that were questionable in the past—"

James shouts in rage, "Questionable!? It's because of you that I'll never see my beloved Victreebel ever again!"

"Okay, okay! Bad things! Bad things! But I've turned over a new leaf! I swear! I was trying to give you an honest deal to make up for all those past scams! I swear on my poor mother's grave!"

James crosses his arms skeptically. "I find that hard to believe. And yet, I do admit that having a Gyarados would be nice…"

"Chime!"

James' eyes open widely. "That sound… That beautiful…gorgeous…entrancing sound… It couldn't be… Chimecho…?" He slowly turns around to see a Chimecho floating towards him. "Chimecho!"

The Pokémon passes by James and floats into the cage, hitting the light switch on the way in. It uses psychic powers to summon a gust of wind that blows powerfully over the Gyarados. The paint and decorations that covered it are blown away, revealing a simple Ekans.

James looks back to the Magikarp salesman. He says slowly and angrily through gritted teeth, "Your mother's still alive, isn't she?"

The salesman's eyes widen in fear. "Um…it's a miracle…?"

James ignites in a rageful fire. "Fool me once, shame on me! Fool me six times…!"

"Please, be reasonable! I have a family I'm trying to feed! And my wife! She needs surgery! Please, I'm just trying to support them! Did I mention my mother?"

"Oh, I can be reasonable! Growlie, Flamethrower! Chimecho, Aeromancy!"

"Groooowl!"

"Chime chime!"

Both Pokémon attack the man, sending him shooting up into the sky, only to disappear in a twinkle of light as he shouts, "I regret nothing!"

With the salesman gone, James starts to calm down. He looks from Growlie to Chimecho. "Growlie… Chimecho…"

"Growl!"

"Chime!"

Growlithe tackles James to the floor and licks his face, while Chimecho wraps its tail around James' head. James laughs in absolute glee. "How is this possible? How are you two here?"

"Why, because we brought them, Little James."

James gasps as he turns around to see his Nanny and Pop-Pop. "Nanny! Pop-Pop!"

Pop-Pop grins. "Good to see you, Little James."

"I don't get it. Why are you here?"

Nanny explains, "We saw you on TV the other day, during the opening ceremony. So we booked the earliest ticket we could to come here and support you in person."

James is on the verge of tears. "Really? You travelled all that way in such short notice just to see me?"

Pop-Pop asks, "Why wouldn't we?"

James looks from Nanny to Pop-Pop to Chimecho to Growlie. "Wow. You all being here to support me is more than I could ever ask for." He grabs Chimecho out of the air and gives it a tight hug. "Chime, I'm so glad to see you again. And healthy, too."

"Chime! Chime!"

"This day couldn't get any better."

Nanny grins. "Well, I reckon it's about to anyways. We brought another little one who wanted to see you."

James looks up questioningly. "Another? Who?"

Pop-Pop laughs. "This little one showed up at your Johto summer cottage not too long ago. We quickly realized it was looking for you specifically."

James asks again, "Who?"

The answer comes in the form of an illegible screech.

James' jaw drops. "I'd know that ear-piercing scream anywhere…"

Nanny and Pop-Pop both step aside to reveal several meters behind them is a Victreebel.

James starts running in slow motion as he shouts, "Victreebel!" It's as if nothing else but he and Victreebel exist in that moment.

Victreebel bounces towards him as well. Shrieking as it does.

"Victreebel!"

Shriek.

"Victreebel!"

Shriek.

"Victreebel!"

Shriek.

Just as James is reaching out to embrace Victreebel in a hug, Victreebel instead leaps up and chomps down on his head and upper body, shrieking loudly as it does so.

Pop-Pop questions, "Um…should we do something?"

Nanny shakes her head. "No, clearly that's how they show affection."

Pop-Pop nods. "Affection. Right."

James pulls himself out from under Victreebel. "I can't believe this! I thought I would never see you again after that no-good con artist took you from me! How are you, Victreebel!?"

Victreebel shrieks, and points in the direction it came from. Standing there is another Victreebel.

James gasps. "Is that…the other Victreebel…?" He looks back and forth between the two, and suddenly realizes, "Is that…Mrs. Victreebel!?"

Victreebel nods with another shriek. It bounces over to the second Victreebel and the two hold leaves. Then, from out behind them step two Bellsprout.

James' eyes go even wider. "Victreebel Juniors!? You've went and got yourself an entire family! This is amazing!" He kneels down to the two Bellsprout and pats one of their heads. "Welcome to the family."

"Bellsprout!" The Bellsprout he's patting bites down on his finger.

Instead of crying out in pain, James just laughs. "Like father, like son! This is wonderful!"

James looks around at everyone now surrounding him. Seeing them all in place suddenly becomes too much for him and he breaks down sobbing.

Nanny asks, "What's wrong, Little James?"

James shakes his head. "Nothing's wrong. Everything is absolutely perfect. With all of you here to support me, how could I ever lose? They could face me against the Twerp himself for my first full battle, and I would still win. There's no doubt."

It's Boldore!

And somehow, James' first opponent is Ash. The two stand across from each other on the empty battlefield. Ash says to James, "Hey, James. I want you to know that for that for this battle, I'm forgetting about all our history. This battle is going to be about here and now."

James nods. "The same goes for me. I would expect nothing less from my rival. Clearly this battle was destined. We'll make it a rival battle to end all rival battles."

In the audience, Brenda shakes her head in disbelief. "This is just surreal. Ash and James battling against each other in an official tournament. And it's not a scheme to steal Pikachu." She pauses. "Wait…this isn't actually a scheme to steal Pikachu, right?"

Brock shakes his head. "I can tell that James' heart is fully in this. Not to mention the fact that he's been earning gym badges for almost as long as Ash has in Tenno. Team Rocket doesn't play the long game like that."

Elsewhere in the stadium, Jessie and Meowth are seated next to Nanny and Pop-Pop. Also, there is the second Victreebel, the two Bellsprout in the next seat over, and Mime Jr., Chimecho, and Growlie sitting in the laps of Nanny and Pop-Pop.

Jessie comments, "Of course James would be matched with the Twerp. He's doomed."

Meowth suggests, "Perhaps not. James has been in top form so far. And now with all the extra help he managed to gather, this could be his greatest chance at ever defeating the Twerp."

Jessie crosses her arms and slumps down in her seat. "And, of course, he's wasting that shot in an official tournament where he's barred us from stealing Pikachu." She glances at the seat next to her, where the Victreebel sits. It's staring at her. "What are you looking at?"

The Victreebel shrieks, then bites down on Jessie's head, leaving Jessie to struggle to free herself.

Nanny, somehow oblivious to Jessie's strife, suggests, "You should have a little more faith in your friends. Little James can do this. I know it."

Pop-Pop nods. "Once our Little James gets his mind set on something, nothing can stop him."

Jessie finally rips the Victreebel off her head and throws it back down onto its seat. She pants. "Yeah, he's almost as stubborn as this one." She stares daggers at it. "I almost forgot why I kicked you out even as James pleaded me not to. Never again."

The announcer declares, "The randomly selected field for this battle will now be revealed! It's the desert field!" The plain battlefield folds away to reveal one covered in sand and rocks with several cacti growing in various spots.

Ash and James both pull out their first Pokéball as they prepare for battle. They throw them.

Ash shouts, "Krookodile, I choose you!"

Simultaneously, James shouts, "Go, Cacturne!"

Ash's Krookodile with its signature red sunglasses appears. Across from it is not James' Cacnea, but a Cacturne.

But, to confirm its identity, the Cacturne spins about and leaps at James to tightly hug his face, burying its needles into James' skin. It shouts joyously, "Cacturne!" This leads to gasps and murmurs of confusion from the audience.

Meowth and Jessie both groan. Meowth remarks, "The more things change, the more they stay the same…"

James, who at first seems to be enjoying the hug, shouts, "Sorry old friend, but we have a battle to focus on." He grabs Cacturne, rips it away from him, and tosses it back onto the field.

Ash orders, "Krookodile, use Dragon Claw!"

"Krooko!" Krookodile leaps forward to slash at Cacturne with its claws.

James grins. "Cacturne, let's show our rival the result of all your training! Dodge and use Drain Punch!"

Cacturne is able to sidestep Krookodile's attack. As it does, it pulls a fist back to prepare for a punch. The fist glows yellow and green and Cacturne corkscrews it at Krookodile's side for a powerful punch. Krookodile is knocked away and Cacturne absorbs some of its energy through the punch.

James wipes a tear from his eye. "You really did master it. That means none of our time apart was a waste. Congratulations, Cacturne."

Cacturne glances back at James and grins. "Cacturne!"

Ash can't help but grin too. "Congratulations, but we're not going to let it stop us."

"We'll see about that! Drain Punch again!" Cacturne leaps at Krookodile to deliver another punch.

"Krookodile, use Dig!"

"Dile!" Krookodile digs its way into the ground, causing Cacturne to fling itself right over it. Then, just as Cacturne lands again, Krookodile springs out from the ground to attack, hurling Cacturne away.

James orders, "Pin Missile!" Without even needing to turn around to face Krookodile, Cacturne launches the needles on its back towards it like missiles.

Ash counters, "Stone Edge!" Krookodile launches a barrage of pointed stones to counter the Pin Missile. The projectiles from both sides collide and explode.

James swaps to, "Needle Arm!"

At the same time, Ash orders, "Dragon Claw!"

The Pokémon leap at each other, Cacturne with a glowing arm featuring extended needles, and Krookodile with glowing claws. One arm of each Pokémon collides, then bounces back, only for the other arm to go in for a strike and the process repeats. They trade multiple blows in quick succession. It seems like neither will let the other pass, until Cacturne gets a lucky break.

On one of the collisions, Cacturne is able to slip its arm past Krookodile's claws and hit the side of Krookodile's head with Needle Arm. This blow flings Krookodile's sunglasses off of its face. They land ten feet behind the Pokémon.

Krookodile freezes up the moment it realizes its glasses are gone. It looks frantically about in a panic as it tries to find them.

Ash urges, "Krookodile, you've got to keep your head in the battle!"

James senses the weakness and grins. "Cacturne! This is our shot! Show them your strongest Drain Punch!"

"Cactuuuurne!" Cacturne leaps at its distressed opponent, who makes no attempt at dodging, and drives its fist into its stomach. Krookodile is flung back by the attack. It crash-lands next to its sunglasses.

And once the dust from its crash clears, it has somehow managed to put its glasses back on, but also seems to have been knocked out. The referee declares, "Krookodile is unable to battle!"

On opposite sides of the stadium, both Brenda and Jessie gasp in disbelief. Brenda asks, "Did Ash just lose a Pokémon against James!?"

While Jessie simultaneously asks, "Did James just beat a twerp Pokémon!?"

Ash grins as he recalls Krookodile. "You know what, James? I owe you an apology."

James looks at Ash with surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah. I said that I would treat this battle like any other battle in the Cosmic Conference. That I would forget about our history and treat you with the respect of a fellow trainer. Despite that, I was still assuming this would be just as easy of a battle as any other I've had against you. But after that, I was clearly wrong. You really are providing me with a real battle. I won't make that mistake again. And now I'm excited to see what else you have in store for me."

James grins proudly. "I've got plenty left where that came from, rival."

Ash nods. "Glad to hear it. Let's see what you've got." He pulls out his next Pokéball. "Go, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba!"

James grins. "Bulbasaur. That takes me back. It's like seeing an old friend again." He pauses. "If you ignore the fact that the old friend sent you blasting off more times than you can count…" He pushes the thought aside. "That doesn't matter now. Cacturne, take a rest, my friend." He recalls it and swaps out Pokéballs. "Go, Haking!"

"Hak! Hak!"

Ash orders, "Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"

James counters, "Sludge Bomb, Haking!"

As Bulbasaur flings sharp leaves at Haking, they get caught in Haking's Sludge Bomb, which continues on its way towards Bulbasaur.

Ash orders, "Out of there, Bulbasaur! Dig!"

"Bulbabababa!" Bulbasaur digs its way into the ground.

Brock crosses his arms as he watches with interest. "Fascinating. Dig isn't a move that Bulbasaur can usually learn. I never knew Ash's could use it."

James orders, "Smoke it out, Haking! Smokescreen!"

"Hak!" Haking floats over Bulbasaur's hole and lets smoke flow directly into it.

It's only a matter of seconds before Bulbasaur bursts out of the ground nearby while gasping for breath. "Bulbaaaa!"

"Gyro Ball, now!" Haking spins about itself and rams into the coughing Bulbasaur.

Ash thinks fast and orders, "Catch yourself with Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!"

As it hurtles back, Bulbasaur extends a vine and wraps it around one of the battlefield's cacti as it flies past it. It uses the vine to redirect its momentum and send itself flying back at Haking.

"More Vine Whip!"

"Bulbasaur!" As Bulbasaur hurtles towards Haking, it lashes at it with two vines extended from its bulb.

"Gyro Ball again, Haking!" Before Bulbasaur's vines can reach Haking, Haking begins to spin once again.

Ash realizes his mistake. "Bulbasaur, stop!" But it's too late for Bulbasaur. The vines hit Haking, and instantly get caught and tangled by the spinning. Bulbasaur is pulled in, spun around, then flung out in the other direction. It crashes into another cactus.

James shouts triumphantly, "Another Sludge Bomb! Give this one everything you've got!"

"Hak! Hak! Haaaak!" Haking fires several Sludge Bombs at the fallen Bulbasaur.

Ash orders, "Bulbasaur, you've got to escape with Dig!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur manages to get back up and starts to dig, but it doesn't have enough time before the first Sludge Bomb strikes, quickly followed by the next few. "Saaaaur!" Bulbasaur succumbs to the attacks.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle!"

Jessie and Meowth both leap out of their seats and shout, "That's two!" They look to each other in surprise.

Jessie says, "Could James actually have a shot at winning? For real?"

Meowth says in complete disbelief, "He's in the lead against the Twerp two to zero! If I wasn't seeing this for myself, I wouldn't believe it!"

Jessie states, "I'm seeing it too, and I still don't believe it!"

Elsewhere, Brenda comments, "It's hard to believe this is the same James. If he battled like this normally, Team Rocket would have stolen Pikachu a long time ago…"

Brock suggests, "Sometimes, all someone needs to push them into greatness is an honest goal. James is actually fighting for something that matters right now. It's brought out a whole new side in him."

Despite his loss, Ash is still smiling. He returns Bulbasaur. "Okay, James. Let's see how you do against this one. Go, Heracross!"

"Heraaaa!"

James nods. "I remember this one well. And I have the perfect counter for it. Haking, Return. Go, Victreebel!"

Victreebel practically appears on top of James, already biting down on him as it shrieks. James basks in it for just a moment, before pulling Victreebel off of his head and tossing it back onto the field.

Ash kicks off the round by ordering, "Heracross, use Mega Horn!"

"Heracroooss!" Heracross extends its wings and flies in at Victreebel with a glowing horn.

James grins. "Let's show everyone what the missus taught you! Use Sweet Scent!"

Victreebel shrieks as a pink gas wafts out from its mouth.

As the scent passes Heracross, the Pokémon instantly notices it and can't help but stop to take a deep whiff of it. "Cross? Heraaaaa!" Heracross then flies excitedly at Victreebel without its Mega Horn and voluntarily dives into Victreebel's mouth.

Ash shouts, "No, Heracross! This isn't the time for a snack!"

James chuckles confidently as he orders, "Vine Whip!" Victreebel uses its vine to grab the distracted Heracross by the leg, yank it out, and slam it into the ground.

The other Victreebel in the audience shrieks its cheer. The Bellsprout add their own cheers.

James follows up while Heracross is still down, "Let's hit it with Razor Leaf now!"

Ash promptly commands, "Heracross, Focus Punch!"

"Heraaaacross!" Before Victreebel can manage its Razor Leaf, Heracross has used its wings to get back to its feet and it delivers a quick and powerful punch to Victreebel, blasting it back with great force.

"Now follow up with another Mega Horn! No distractions this time!"

As Victreebel gets back up, James suggests, "We don't need to rely on the same trick twice! How about this one? Use Sleep Powder!" Victreebel spews a sparkling powder from its mouth that surrounds the incoming Heracross.

Within a brief moment, Heracross begins to nod, then it drops to the floor as it falls asleep.

James grins. "And if you're asleep, then you have no way of fighting back. Victreebel, Razor Leaf!"

Ash shouts, "Don't be so sure of that! Heracross, use Sleep Talk!" Although still asleep, Heracross stands back up. Its horn glows again as if it were using Mega Horn. With its arms and legs dragging from its sleep, Heracross flies at Victreebel and uses Mega Horn to bat away the Razor Leaf, and then strike the surprised Victreebel.

James shouts, "No way!"

Ash chuckles. "You're not the only one with tricks up their sleeves. Heracross, Sleep Talk again!"

This time, Heracross leans forward as the very tip of its horn begins gather energy. It fires that energy like a cannon as it unleashes a Hyper Beam. The massive, point-blank beam crashes into Victreebel, having given it no chance to dodge. It's blasted into the air.

Once it lands, the referee immediately declares, "Victreebel is unable to battle!"

Jessie laments, "Well, so much for that…"

Meowth points out, "Hey, it's not over yet. James is still in the lead."

Jessie shrugs. "But I would have really loved to see him put that smug Twerp in his place with a clean sweep."

Meowth nods in agreement. "That would have been nice, but alas, it was not meant to be."

Having recalled Victreebel, James pulls out his next Pokéball. He looks to the Pokéball and says, "I hope you're as excited for our reunion as I am. Go!" He throws the Pokéball and Carnivine appears.

"Carniviiiiine!" Like the others before it, Carnivine is quick to turn around and bite down on James.

James laughs with glee. "You are! You really are! Now let's celebrate our reunion by winning this battle!" He throws Carnivine off of him.

Brenda seems completely unsure of how to react as she watches James. "Do all of James' Pokémon do that to him?"

Brock chuckles. "James sure does seem to attract a certain kind of Pokémon, doesn't he?"

James orders, "Quickly, Carnivine, Victreebel left us an opportunity we have to seize upon! Use Bullet Seed to hit Heracross while it's still asleep!"

"Viiiiiine!" Carnivine fires a volley of seeds from its mouth at the sleeping Heracross.

Ash shouts, "Heracross, it's time to wake up!"

As if by Ash's command, a bubble from Heracross' snoring pops and its eyes snap open. "Heracrooooss!" It unfolds its wings and flies out of the way of the bullet seed.

"Great! Now use Mega Horn!" Heracross dives back down to strike Carnivine with its glowing horn.

"More Bullet Seed, Carnivine!" Carnivine fires another barrage of seeds at Heracross, but Heracross is able to knock them aside with its horn, it then dives down and strikes Carnivine directly. However, despite the powerful attack, Carnivine seems able to withstand it. James realizes this and orders, "Vine Whip!"

"Carniii!" Carnivine extends two vines, grabs Heracross before it can back off from the attack, and flings it aside.

"And Bullet Seed again!"

"Viiiiiine!" Heracross is unable to avoid the Bullet Seed this time, and they seem to inflict great damage.

Brenda complains, "Hey, what's going on here? There's no way a Grass-Type like Carnivine should be able to stand up to a Bug-Type move as powerful as Mega Horn."

Brock adds, "And that Bullet Seed seems to be doing a good amount of damage too. Carnivine must have the Insectivore ability. It flips the type match-ups when it comes to Grass and Bug-Type Pokémon."

James seems to have realized his advantage as well. "Keep up the Bullet Seed, Carnivine! Don't let Heracross get a foothold again!"

Ash shouts, "Heracross! You've got to get out from under that attack! Fly away!"

Heracross unfolds its wings and attempts to fly, but some of the Bullet Seeds hit its wings, stopping that plan. "Croooooss!" Another few moments of that, and Heracross falls to the ground.

"Heracross is unable to battle!"

James cheers, "Way to go, Carnivine!"

"Carnivine!"

Ash recalls Heracross. "You did great out there, Heracross." He pulls out his next Pokéball. "Here's one that's a little closer to home. Arborrior, I chose you!"

"Borrior!" Arborrior looks all fired up for battle.

James declares, "We'll keep up the momentum, Carnivine!"

"Carniviiiine!"

Ash orders, "Arborrior, Fire Punch!"

"Arbor!" Arborrior leaps at Carnivine with a fist cloaked in flames.

"Carnivine, use Bind!" Carnivine ducks down to avoid the punch, then ensnares Arborrior in its vines. It wraps so tightly around Arborrior's body that the Pokémon becomes immobilized. "Now Bite!"

"Viiiiine!" Carnivine bites down on Arborrior's trunk.

Ash orders, "Carnivine, break free with Wood Hammer!"

Arborrior begins to use Wood Hammer to slam a stump-like hammer down on Carnivine's head, but the constricting vines are too tight to allow it the range of motion necessary.

Carnivine laughs as it bites down again on Arborrior.

"Okay, if that won't work, we'll try Razor Leaf instead!" Leaves fly down from Arborrior's upper branches down towards Carnivine. They hit their target, but Carnivine refuses to budge.

James grins at seeing Ash's Pokémon struggle to escape Carnivine. "Okay, now let's try aiming a Bullet Seed upwards!"

"Viiiiine!" Carnivine attempts to fire a Bullet Seed at Arborrior's face, but Arborrior is able lean back just enough, so they don't hit their target. They do, instead, go into Arborrior's upper leaves.

Ash encourages, "Come on, Arborrior! We've got to do something to get you free from Carnivine!"

"Borrior!" Something begins to glow in Arborrior's branches. A large seed has appeared hanging from one of them. The seed glows brightly.

Ash gasps. "Is that a…?" He grins with a chuckle. "Arborrior! Use Seed Bomb!"

The seed drops from the branch and falls towards Carnivine.

James orders, "Carnivine, stop it with Bullet Seed!"

The barrage of tiny seeds hit the one massive seed. The collision causes a mighty explosion that envelops both Pokémon.

Through silhouettes in the smoke, James sees Carnivine above a fallen Arborrior and cheers. "All right, Carnivine!" But then the smoke clears, and reveals that both Pokémon ended up knocked out, with Carnivine lying atop Arborrior.

"Both Carnivine and Arborrior are unable to battle! It's a double knock out!"

Both trainers recall their Pokémon at the same time. Ash comments with a grin, "You're keeping me on my toes today, James."

James grins. "Well, rival, think of it this way. That's how I always feel battling you."

Ash nods. "I think you're going to like this next one." He looks down to Pikachu who stands at his feet. "You ready to get in there, buddy?"

"Pika." Pikachu runs out onto the field.

James nods slowly. "Pikachu…"

Jessie groans. "Oh no. It's all over now. Pack your bags, everyone. We're going home."

Meowth objects, "Hey, don't speak so fast. James is still leading. He's got four Pokémon left, and the Twerp only has two."

Jessie rolls her eyes. "But we all know Pikachu is worth at least ten Pokémon. Twenty if we're talking about James' Pokémon specifically."

Meowth scratches his chin. "That might be true, but don't forget, James has more experience battling Pikachu than any other Pokémon ever. If this new and improved James we're seeing can put that experience to use, then maybe, just maybe, he'll stand a chance."

Jessie sits up straighter. "Huh. Maybe you have a point."

James stares intensely at Pikachu. He thinks to himself, Pikachu, I've battled against you more times than I can count. And almost every one of those battles ended with a blast off. But not today. Today is different. Today has to be different. I knew this moment would come, so I put together a plan. Maybe separate my Pokémon don't stand a chance against you, but when they work together, I know we can win. He grins confidently as he pulls out his next Pokéball. "It's time for round two, Cacturne!"

"Cacturne!"

"Okay, Cacturne! We can do this! Use Cotton Spore!"

"Cactuuuuurne!" From its mouth, Cacturne releases large clumps of cotton-like material that float through the air towards Pikachu.

Ash orders, "Up and over it, Pikachu! Then use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu leaps into the air, easily avoiding the slow moving Cotton Spore. "Chu, pika!" As it comes back down, it flips and uses Iron Tail.

James orders, "Stand strong, Cacturne! Don't dodge! Use Cotton Spore!" This elicits gasps from many in the audience.

Pikachu hits Cacturne with Iron Tail but has no choice but to collide with the Cotton Spore on the way down. Cacturne is flung back.

Jessie demands, "What does he think he's doing!? Why would he give Pikachu a free hit!?"

While he can't hear her question, Brock suggests an answer, "James must have a plan with the Cotton Spore being pivotal. By allowing Pikachu to hit it, it in turn ensured that its Cotton Spore could land."

When Pikachu lands back at the ground, it looks at its body to see the fluff from the Cotton Spore stuck all over.

Ash suggests, "Don't worry about it, Pikachu! Let's give them a Thunderbolt!"

As Cacturne gets back up, James orders, "I'm sorry, Cacturne, but hopefully you're used to Pikachu's Thunderbolt. Don't dodge! Use Cotton Spore again!"

Cacturne doesn't question James in the slightest. Just before it gets electrocuted, it releases another wave of Cotton Spore at Pikachu. Both attacks land. But Pikachu takes no damage from the fluff, where Cacturne takes a great deal of it from the Thunderbolt.

When the Thunderbolt ends, Cacturne falls to its knees, and then forward, face into the ground.

"Cacturne is unable to battle!"

Jessie shouts, "James! This is insane! What are you doing!?"

As James recalls Cacturne, he says under his breath, "What needs to be done to defeat Pikachu. Thank you for your sacrifice, my friend. Now for part two of the plan. Go, Ivine!"

"Iviiine!" The Pokémon leaps onto James' face as it comes out. Once he gets it off, a nasty rash has developed on James' face, but somehow he's able to resist scratching it.

"Ivine, use Ivy Whip!"

Ash shouts, "Pikachu, unless you want an itchy rash like that one, get out of the way!"

Pikachu attempts to leap away, but somehow the cotton fluff stuck all around its body seems to slow its movements. Ash gasps as he watches Pikachu struck by the poisonous vines. "Pikaaaaa!" Pikachu instantly begins scratching the parts that were hit.

"Ignore it, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu forces itself to stop in order to attack. "Pikaaaa chuuuuuu!"

James orders, "Ivine, go for the full body Wring Out!"

"Vine!" Ivine runs forward while Pikachu makes no attempt to escape due to its attack, sends out several vines, and wraps them around Pikachu. Pikachu may not have dodged, but it didn't need to. The electricity pouring out of its body now goes straight into Ivine, electrocuting it. "Viiiiiiine!"

James shouts, "Stand strong, Ivine! Keep up the contact as long as you can!"

Brenda gasps. "What is James planning!? He may be a bad guy, but I know him well enough to know that he would never have his Pokémon attack so recklessly! This is insane!"

Brock nods in agreement. "This isn't like him at all. That's how much winning this battle means to him. He's gone all in. And his Pokémon seem to back him all the way. Look at Ivine."

Despite the shock it's receiving, Ivine is resolutely focused on keeping the squirming Pikachu in its grip.

James urges, "Just a little longer! Then you'll have done enough! You can do it, Ivine! You can withstand this!"

Ash, not sure what else to do, urges, "Pikachu, keep up the Thunderbolt until it has no choice but to let go!"

James seems to be keeping a mental count in his head. After another moment, he shouts, "That's it! You've kept contact long enough for a maximum rash!"

With James' word, Ivine lets go of Pikachu and instantly drops to the ground.

"Ivine is unable to battle!"

With Ivine out of the way for now, Pikachu begins to furiously scratch all over its body.

Jessie and Meowth are at the edges of their seats. Jessie asks, "What is James going to do next? What is his plan?"

Meowth responds, "I like to think of myself as the mastermind of Team Rocket, but right now James is planning something that I can't even begin to figure out."

James announces, "This is it. This is the time where I, James of Team Rocket, defeat Pikachu. Mark my words, rival, this battle will not end with Pikachu defeating me like so many have before."

Ash grins. "I don't know what you have planned, James, but I'm interested in seeing what it is."

James pulls out his next Pokéball. "Come back out, Haking!"

"Hak! Hak!"

James declares, "No more games! We end this now! Haking, I am so, so sorry to ask this of you, but I need your strongest move!"

Haking looks back at James and nods in understanding. "Hak."

James orders, "Haking! Get in close and use Explosion!"

Jessie and Meowth gasp. Jessie says in disbelief, "No way! That's Haking's forbidden move!"

Meowth adds, "And if Pikachu avoids it, then Haking will have sacrificed itself for nothing!"

Ash shouts, "Pikachu, get away!" Pikachu attempts to run, but it's still slowed down by the Cotton Spore, and its rash is so bad that it's only able to go a second before it has to start scratching again.

James grins. "Got you."

"Haking!" Haking flies in close to Pikachu and explodes. It's so loud and bright that the entire audience is forced to look away.

When Ash is able to look back, he asks, "Pikachu…?"

The smoke has cleared to reveal a crater in the ground. At the bottom of the crater, both Pikachu and Haking are knocked out.

"Both Pikachu and Haking are unable to battle! It's another double knock out!"

Jessie leaps up from her seat. "Quickly, Meowth! Pikachu is down! Grab the net! Grab the net!

Meowth stands on his seat and puts a hand on Jessie's shoulder to gently lower her back in her seat. "Not today, I'm afraid." He takes another look at the smoking crater with disbelief. "Jimmy Boy did it. He actually did it. He beat the unbeatable Pikachu.

James seems to be in a similar state of disbelief. "I…did it…? I…did it… I did it! I beat Pikachu!" He jumps in jubilance. He recalls Haking and looks to the three Pokéballs he now carries in his hands. "No. I didn't do it. We did it. Thank you. Thank you all."

Jessie comments, "You know, I hate to have to point this out now, but while James did defeat Pikachu, he completely squandered his lead in the process. Now both he and the Twerp only have one Pokémon left."

Meowth crosses his arms. "You know what? I think that that even if James loses this battle, today will still be a victory for him."

Jessie stares at Meowth with annoyed confusion. "Um, Meowth. You can't both win and lose. That's not how it works."

Meowth chuckles as he shakes his head.

James pulls out his final Pokéball. "So, rival? Are you ready for our battle to come to an end?"

Ash nods. "I am. It's been great, but all great battles must end eventually."

"Shall we on three?"

Ash nods as he produces his final Pokéball. Together, they count, "One… Two… Three! Go!" They throw their Pokéballs.

From Ash's Pokéball, Infernape appears. From James' comes Mareanie.

Mareanie turns around and its face lights up upon seeing James. It leaps at him and wraps its tentacles around his head.

Brenda sighs. "Another one… Why am I not surprised?"

Mareanie leaps back off of James and looks back to him. The poison from its spikes has turned James' face purple, and his hair has become messy, overall giving him the appearance of a Mareanie. Mareanie blushes at the sight. "Marean!"

Even through the poisoning, James manages a smile at Mareanie. "Yes. It's great to be reunited. Let's work together to win this." He gives Mareanie a thumbs-up.

This gets Mareanie excited. Its eyes turn into hearts for a moment, before it turns back around to face its opponent.

James has shaken his face back to normal. He looks across to Ash's Infernape. He recalls the Chimchar it once was. "Little Chimmey…" He stands up straight and grins confidently. "This is going to be a great battle! Mareanie, use Spike Cannon!"

"Reaniiiiiie!" Mareanie leaps up and spins about as it fires spikes from its tentacles as projectiles.

Ash orders, "Mach Punch, Infernape!"

"Fernape!" With a burst of speed, Infernape rushes forward, ducking beneath the Spike Cannon, and striking Mareanie with a glowing fist. Mareanie is blasted back by the attack.

"Mareanie, Sludge Bomb!"

"Rean reanie!" As Mareanie flies backwards, it manages to fire off two globs of sludge that both manage to strike the unprepared Infernape.

"Flamethrower, Infernape!"

"Infeeeeernape!" Infernape breathes a powerful breath of fire at the downed Mareanie.

James urges, "Quickly, Mareanie, Liquidation!" Mareanie gets back up as fast as it can and covers its entire body in water. It lunges forward with one tentacle outstretched to push through the incoming fire and towards Infernape.

"Mach Punch, Infernape!"

Mareanie and Infernape end up trading blows. A strike from Mareanie's Liquidation hits Infernape, only for Infernape's Mach Punch to hit Mareanie. But both Pokémon stand their ground and continue to exchange hits.

James is the first to change things up. "Switch to Spike Cannon!"

Mareanie suddenly changes its movement and is able to blast Infernape away with the close-range Spike Cannon.

But much to James' surprise, Infernape is able to gain control of its backwards flight. Ash orders, "Flamethrower!" Mareanie has no chance to dodge or counter the incoming flames. It's scorched by them and knocked onto its back. Infernape lands nimbly back on the ground. "And now Flare Blitz!"

"Infern fernape! Flames burst out around Infernape's body as it leaps forward at Mareanie. As it moves forward, the flames transform from red to light blue as they get ever hotter.

James is about to give Mareanie an order, but then realizes that it's still down on its back and will never recover in time. Instead, James relaxes his posture and watches Infernape closer. Once more, he sees the Chimchar it once was instead of Infernape. He says with a tone of acceptance under his breath, "Little Chimmey… If I had to lose this battle, I'm glad it was against you." He closes his eyes and grins just as Infernape's Flare Blitz strike Mareanie.

"Mareanie is unable to battle! The winner is Ash!"

James opens his eyes again to see Infernape breathing a celebratory fire into the air. James recalls Mareanie to its Pokéball and takes a deep breath. "Well, so much for that."

He thinks back to his very first gym battle against Halley. He lost that battle. But despite that, Halley gave him a gym badge because Halley saw worth in him. Then James went on to actually start winning gym battles. All the way up to his battle with Neil, where Mime Jr. pulled through and helped him defeat the strongest gym leader in Tenno.

James stands up a little straighter and grins faintly. He says under his breath, "Frostbite— No, Halley, you were right after all. I do understand your decision to give me your gym badge. I now see what you saw in me. Thank you."

Ash approaches James. "James, that battle was the best! I'm glad that we had the opportunity to have a real battle as rivals, rather than enemies. Thank you, rival."

James looks up with disbelief at Ash. "You really do accept me as your rival?"

Ash nods. "Anyone who can give me that kind of a fight is my rival. No doubt about it."

James nods. "Of course, you do realize once this league is over, so is the truce."

Ash chuckles. "I figured as much. But hey, I'll take a week's break from you trying to kidnap Pikachu."

Then Meowth and Jessie come running in. Meowth shouts, "You actually did it, James! You beat Pikachu!"

Jessie crosses her arms. "I don't see why you're celebrating. He still lost."

Meowth glares at Jessie. "It's called a symbolic victory. You don't need to literally win in order to be victorious."

Jessie shakes her head. "No. I'm pretty sure you do. It's kind of in the definition of winning that you need to win."

Nanny and Pop-Pop have caught up. Nanny says, "Now, now, there are hundreds of different ways to win, but only one to lose. You lose when you give up on yourself. And Little James never did that."

Pop-Pop puts hand on James' back. "I'm proud of you, my boy."

Mime Jr. puts a hand on the back of James leg in the same way. "Mime mie mime mime, mime mime."

"Chime chime!"

"Grow! Grow!"

The second Victreebel shrieks and the Bellsprout cheer.

James nods. "This was really a victory for me, wasn't it?" He pauses. "But it wasn't just mine. It was everyone's." He pulls out all of his Pokéballs and throws them into the air to send out all of his Pokémon. Haking, Ivine, Victreebel, Cacturne, Carnivine, and Mareanie, all back on their feet after the break, appear. "I want to thank all of you. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. Bring it in, guys!"

All at once, Ivine wraps its vines around James' torso, Victreebel scoops James' legs into its mouth, Mareanie wraps its tentacles around his head, Carnivine bites down on his left arm, Cacturne hugs his side, and Chimecho wraps its tail around his right arm. Haking simply floats behind James and watches. Mime Jr. climbs up to the top of the pile and declares happily, "Mime mime!"

James declares with a muffled voice, "I'm the happiest man in the world!"

Well, I'm not sure if any of us expected James to win his battle against Ash, but he sure did give it his all, and came a lot closer than most probably thought possible. And with his win here, Ash is now moving into the top sixteen of the Cosmic Conference, and the battles are going to continue to grow fiercer and more exciting. Stay tuned!

To Be Continued…

Make sure to visit the Cosmic Quest Official Website on July 3rd for its 10th anniversary, where a very special announcement is planned.