Episode 169: History Competes Itself Part 2

Braydon shouts, "I trained Aegislash specifically to deal with the best Brandon could throw at me! There's nothing you can do to counter our perfect defense and offense! Aegislash! Let's finish this with one more Photon Beam!"

Braydon's Tennoan Aegislash floats above Ash's Incineroar, which has just crashed to the ground.

Ash shouts with concern, "Incineroar!"

In the quarterfinal match of the Cosmic Conference, our hero has his back against the wall as Braydon's perfect combination of offense and defense leaves no opening. Whether or not Ash can make a comeback comes down to his ability to think on his toes.

As Aegislash charges its beam for what could be the final strike against Incineroar, Ash orders, "Roll over and use Fire Blast to protect yourself!"

"Cineroar!" Incineroar quickly rolls from belly down to belly up. While it struggled to stand, it is able to make the roll with relative ease. Once facing up, it fires a burst of flames from its belt just as Aegislash fires the Photon Beam. The attacks collide and explode.

Braydon quickly follows up, "Don't give it a chance to breathe! Use Light Blade!"

Inspiration flashes across Ash's face. "Grab it, Incineroar!"

Having had time enough to briefly recover, Incineroar manages to stand up and with impressive speed reaches around the incoming Aegislash and grabs it by the hilt. This causes the blade to stop just short of hitting its target.

Braydon gasps. "No way!"

"Incineroar, use Darkest Lariat and toss it!"

"Incinerooooooar!" With Aegislash in its hands, Incineroar spins its entire body and lets go of Aegislash. The centrifugal force of the spin sends the blade Pokémon flying away until its light blade embeds itself into the thick trunk of a tree.

"Keep going, Incineroar! This is your chance!" Still spinning, Incineroar now plows its way towards Aegislash with Darkest Lariat.

Braydon orders, "Get up your King's Shield! Hurry!"

But with Aegislash's blade stuck in the trunk, it struggles to move properly to raise its shield.

Incineroar's rotating body strikes Aegislash so hard that it's ripped from the tree and crashes into another. The Pokémon falls to the ground and its blade retracts into its hilt with a hiss.

"Aegislash is unable to battle!"

Ash cheers, "Way to go, Incineroar! You won your first battle since evolving!"

"Cineroar!"

Braydon recalls Aegislash with a chuckle. "Maybe that combo wasn't as ready to face Brandon as I thought…"

In the audience, Brenda recaps, "Okay, so Ash has lost Snorlax and Dashilisk, while both Torterra and Incineroar have been thoroughly worn out. Meanwhile, Braydon's lost Slasharp, Vipyre, and Aegislash, with a partially worn out Lichenthrope."

Brock contemplates, "In terms of numbers, Ash has a slight lead, but both trainers only have two Pokémon that haven't battled yet. Things are fairly tied as they stand now."

Braydon has pulled out his next Pokéball. "Eagladiator, let's go!"

"Glaaaaaaaadiator!"

Ash grins. "Braydon has an Eagladiator, too? Awesome."

Braydon grins back. "Let's see if you still think that in five minutes. Eagladiator, use Aerial Ace!"

"Incineroar, Revenge!"

Eagladiator is too fast for Incineroar to strike first, but that seemed to be Ash's plan. Upon being struck by the Aerial Ace, Incineroar's body glows with a fiery aura. It quickly pivots about and thrusts a fiery paw at Eagladiator as the bird Pokémon flies past it. The attack flings Eagladiator into a nearby tree.

"Follow that with Fire Blast!"

"Cineroooooar!"

Braydon shouts, "Up and over!" Eagladiator, despite the hit, instantly lifts itself up with a powerful thrust of its wings, putting it above the Fire Blast by the time it would hit. "Sky Drop, go!" Eagladiator dives at Incineroar, and before the Pokémon can respond, grabs it by its shoulders using its impressive talons, and lifts it into the air.

Ash shouts, "Incineroar, use Darkest Lariat to escape!" Incineroar attempts to rip itself from Eagladiator's talons, but its grip is locked tight and Incineroar is unable to perform the spinning required.

The two Pokémon are clear above the tree line. Braydon shouts, "Now!" Eagladiator begins a steep dive towards the ground. A mere moment before hitting, Eagladiator throws Incineroar forward and flaps its wings to climb back into the air. Incineroar slams into the ground with an audible thud and a shockwave of dust blasts outwards from where it hit.

The dust settles to reveal Incineroar collapsed in a small crater.

"Incineroar is unable to battle!"

Ash recalls Incineroar. "Good job. I'm glad we finally got the chance to battle together." He swaps Pokéballs. "Speaking of getting a chance to battle together, here's another Pokémon to test out. Dragonite, I choose you!"

Ash's Dragonite appears with a mighty shout.

Somewhere else, Ryu notices Ash's Dragonite on a screen showing the match. He shakes his head in disbelief. "He wasn't lying. He really does have a Dragonite."

Ryu's Dragonite furrows its brow looking at Ash's Dragonite.

Ash says, "Dragonite, I'm sorry I had to leave you behind so soon after catching you, but I know you have some amazing strength. So, how about you show me what you've got?"

Dragonite roars an excited and confident affirmative.

Brenda questions, "Wait, am I hearing this right? Ash is using a Pokémon he's never battled with before? In a Tenno League match?"

Brock nods. "Ash told me about Dragonite before. He captured it shortly before he traveled to Galar to watch Leon and Lance battle. After that, it wasn't long before he ended up in Tenno, where he wanted to build a new Tenno team, so he had to leave Dragonite behind before he ever had an actual chance to use it in a battle."

"But is now really the time to test a new Pokémon?"

Brock thinks back. "Well, Ash actually did the same thing twice before. Back at the Indigo Conference in Kanto, he took a gamble on both his Krabby and Muk, who had never battled before, and both of them proved great successes and single-handedly won him those two battles."

Brenda shakes her head in dismay. "That is such a… Such an Ash thing to do."

Braydon orders, "Eagladiator, use Steel Wing!" Eagladiator flies at Dragonite in order to attack with metallic wings.

Ash counters, "Blow it away with Hurricane!" Dragonite flaps its wings to summon up a powerful windstorm that immediately blows Eagladiator off-course, forcing it to crash into a tree. Ash grins. "Follow that with Hyper Beam!" Dragonite roars and unleashes a mighty beam of energy at the downed Eagladiator.

Braydon orders, "Back in the air! Then Aerial Ace!"

Just before the Hyper Beam strikes, Eagladiator is able to flap its wings to get out of the way, then disappear in a burst of speed.

Ash orders, "Counter it, Dragonite!"

Just as Eagladiator reappears to attack, Dragonite slashes back at it with glowing claws. This knocks Eagladiator aside.

Ash grins. "Dragonite, did you just learn Dragon Claw? Great! Let's put it to use!"

Dragonite flies at Eagladiator to attack with its claws once again.

Braydon orders, "Close Combat!"

"Glaaaaadiator!" Eagladiator regains control of its flight, then lashes out with its powerful talons.

Both Pokémon both block and trade several blows. At once, both Ash and Braydon order, "Into the air!" Both Pokémon climb straight up into the air at a breakneck speed.

As soon as they're above the forest canopy of the battlefield, Ash orders, "Hyper Beam!"

While Braydon orders, "Steel Wing!"

Eagladiator manages to bank in order to avoid the incoming Hyper Beam and its flies in to deliver a hit from its wing, forcing Dragonite to tumble backwards.

But Dragonite quickly regains control of its flight. As Eagladiator flies back at it for another strike, Ash orders, "Dragon Dance!"

Dragonite spins about as it becomes cloaked in orange energy. This action also moves it out of the way of the second Steel Wing.

"Switch back to Aerial Ace!" Eagladiator deftly maneuvers itself to vanish and reappear to attack at Dragonite from behind. This time it manages to hit.

"Dragon Claw, go!" Despite the impact, Dragonite swivels about and slashes at Eagladiator with its claws. "And Hyper Beam!" As Eagladiator momentarily falls down from being hit, Dragonite attacks with another Hyper Beam. This time, Eagladiator has no shot at dodging and beam connects.

When the orange energy of the Hyper Beam dissipates, a smoking Eagladiator falls straight down to the ground and crashes with a thud.

"Eagladiator is unable to battle!"

Ash cheers, "Amazing job, Dragonite!"

Dragonite roars in celebration as it lands back in front of Ash.

Braydon swaps Pokémon. "Okay, let's try this out again. Go, Lichenthrope!"

The returning Pokémon howls, "Throooooope!"

"Use Nature's Force!"

"Lichen!" Lichenthrope seems to absorb green energy from the forest setting around it and fires off the energy in a burst at Dragonite.

Ash orders, "Hurricane!"

Dragonite whips up a Hurricane, but Ash miscalculated. While the wind does blow Lichenthrope off the ground, it does little to stop the burst of natural energy. Both Pokémon end up being struck by the other's attack.

Braydon urgently shouts, "Rebound and use Shadow Claw!" Lichenthrope kicks off of a tree and leaps forward towards Dragonite. It brandishes claws cloaked in shadows.

Ash orders, "Counter with Dragon Claw!" Dragonite also lunges forward and readies its claws for attack.

The two Pokémon both slash at each other. They block each other's first blow, but then both strike the other with the opposite hand.

As Dragonite goes in for another Dragon Claw, Braydon orders, "Crunch! Now!" Lichenthrope bites down on Dragonite's arm.

"Get it off with Dragon Claw!" Dragonite moves to knock Lichenthrope away with its other arm.

But Braydon orders, "Leap back and use Dark Pulse!" Lichenthrope releases tis jaw, kicks back off of Dragonite, and fires Dark Pulse at it as it moves away. The attack lands.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

"Behind the tree!"

Before Dragonite can hit it, Lichenthrope leaps behind a nearby tree for cover. The thick trunk absorbs the Hyper Beam and renders it worthless.

"Nature's Force!"

"Get ready, Dragonite!" Dragonite braces itself for Lichenthrope to jump out from behind the tree. However, Lichenthrope instead appears perched on a tree limb above and attacks from there, catching Dragonite off-guard.

As Dragonite is struck by the attack, Ash orders, "Hurricane!"

Despite the hit, Dragonite is still able to stir up the wind enough to create another storm that blasts Lichenthrope off of the branch and sends it plummeting to the ground.

"Fly in close while using Dragon Dance!" Dragonite takes off fast and flies at the falling Lichenthrope. While doing so, it performs a corkscrew-like dance in the air as it glows with energy. "And Dragon Claw!" Dragonite was flying so fast that it makes it to Lichenthrope just as it hits the ground. Dragonite slashes at it with claws from both hands. Lichenthrope has no chance at dodging in its state. Dragonite keeps on flying past the werewolf Pokémon.

Lichenthrope tries to get back up, only to collapse entirely.

"Lichenthrope is unable to battle!"

Brenda applauds. "Wow, Dragonite really packs a punch! I guess Ash knew what he was doing after all!"

Brock nods in agreement. "And now Ash has really taken a strong lead. Braydon's down to one Pokémon left, while Ash still has three."

Brenda throws out, "Including Pikachu! Ash has this in the bag!"

Braydon closes his eyes as he recalls Lichenthrope. "Well Ash, you've pushed me into a corner. But the thing is, I've only shown you a fraction of my power so far. The one Pokémon I have left might just be stronger than the rest of my team combined. So, am I really in a corner? Or are you just where I need you to be?"

Ash asserts, "Throw the best you've got at me, Braydon! I want to see everything you've got to offer!"

Braydon nods. "I have to thank you, Ash. This past year I've been so fixated on my loss against Brandon, and how I might beat him in a future battle, that I've lost sight of simply how fun Pokémon battles can be. Thanks for showing me a good time." He pulls out his final Pokéball.

Ash nods. "And thank you for having that good time with me."

Braydon acknowledges Ash with a nod and pulls something out of his pocket that he hooks to the strap that holds his jacket over his shoulders. Then he throws the Pokéball. "Let's go, Kappaquarius!"

"Kappa appa!" Around Kappaquarius' neck is an ornate necklace with a purple and blue jewel attached, and now serving as the clasp to Braydon's jacket is another jewel.

Ash grins. "So, you can Mega Evolve your Pokémon like Brandon?"

Braydon holds a hand to the Key Stone in front of his chest. "When Brandon and I last battled, he couldn't yet Mega Evolve. When I heard he obtained the ability to, I thought that all my hopes of ever beating him again had completely vanished. But I didn't give up. Kappaquarius and I worked harder than ever. Eventually, we too mastered the art of Mega Evolution. Ash, I didn't plan on using this against any opponent but Brandon. But you've pushed me to my limit. We're going to show you every bit of strength we have. We're going to beat you the same way we'll beat Brandon! Go! Mega Evolution!" He clenches his hand around the Key Stone, and a powerful glow emits from between his fingers.

Kappaquarius' Mega Stone glows similarly and the lights from each connect trainer to Pokémon. Kappaquarius is enveloped entirely in the light as it Mega Evolves. The light explodes away to reveal Mega Kappaquarius. The Pokémon has grown bulkier, with larger muscles. Its back is covered by what almost looks like a shell, but a closer look reveals it's made of pure water that seems to be suspended by Kappaquarius' psychic abilities. The fin atop its head wraps around an indent where water is held in place psychically as well.

Brenda gasps. "Wow! Kappaquarius can Mega Evolve!"

Ash pumps a fist to show his excitement. "Dragonite, get in there and use Dragon Claw!"

Braydon counters, "Ice Beam!"

"Kappaaaaa!" Kappaquarius leans forward and attacks the incoming Dragonite with a freezing beam.

"Dodge it, Dragonite!" Dragonite banks to the side to avoid the beam, but the tips of its wings ends up being hit, causing some ice to form. Despite this, Dragonite keeps on going and lands a hit against Kappaquarius with its claws.

With Dragonite up close, Braydon orders, "Hydroshock!" The water forming Kappaquarius' shell expands to form an orb around the Pokémon. It then explodes outwards as a pulse of water. The shockwave flings Dragonite back. "Then Hydro Cannon!"

Ash urges, "Into the air, Dragonite!" Dragonite stands back up and prepares to lift into the sky before Kappaquarius' intense cannonball of water can strike, but for just a moment, its frozen wingtip delays it, and that's just enough for the Hydro Cannon to hit its target.

The attack explodes into a shower of mist and droplets. When it clears, Dragonite is down on the ground.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!"

Ash recalls Dragonite. "You didn't let me down, Dragonite. That was some great battling. I can't wait until you and I get to battle together again." He puts away the Pokéball and holds out an arm. "I think it's time. Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu leaps off of Ash's arm and onto the battlefield.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuu!"

"Kappaquarius, use Protect!"

"Kappa!" Kappaquarius raises a barrier that blocks Pikachu's lightning.

"And now Ice Beam!"

"Pikachu, slide under and use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu runs forward and allows itself to fall onto its back and slide with its remaining momentum, putting it underneath the Ice Beam. As Pikachu closes in on Kappaquarius, it has room to stand back up and go in for an Iron Tail. "Chu, pika!" The attack hits Kappaquarius in the chest, but the Mega Evolved Pokémon is able to withstand the blow.

"Hydroshock!" A concussive shockwave of water rips out from Kappaquarius' body. Pikachu is unable to avoid the burst and is flung back.

"Pikaaa!"

Ash orders, "Pikachu, rebound off the tree!" Pikachu manages to orient its body just right to kick its feet off a tree trunk it was about to crash into. "And aerial Volt Tackle!"

"Pika, pika, pika, pika, pika, chu!" Pikachu's turnaround is fast enough to catch Braydon and Kappaquarius off-guard. The sudden Volt Tackle makes contact and Kappaquarius is hurled back by the abrupt impact. Pikachu bounces back and lands atop a nearby boulder.

"And Thunderbolt!"

"Pikaaaaaaa chuuuuuuuuuu!"

"Protect!" Kappaquarius raises its barrier again, but this time it isn't quite fast enough. Before it can shield itself, part of the Thunderbolt makes it through. But once it is up, the attack is interrupted. "Give it your strongest Hydro Cannon!"

"Kappa appaquarius!" The moment the barrier lowers, Kappaquarius fires a massive orb of water that seems to sizzle with energy.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Pikachu is able to leap up and over the attack in order to avoid it.

"Bring it back in, Kappaquarius!" Kappaquarius' eyes glow and suddenly the Hydro Cannon veers around and comes back at Pikachu, hitting it from behind. The attack explodes and Pikachu is flung into the air before falling back down with a thud.

Brock looks impressed. "Braydon is leveraging Kappaquarius' ability to psychically control water, which only grows stronger as Mega Kappaquarius. A great technique!"

Pikachu stands back up, but the damage it took is showing.

"Kappaquarius, follow up with Ice Beam!"

"Quick Attack, Pikachu!" Pikachu uses the incredible speed of Quick Attack to dodge out of the way of the Ice Beam and run alongside it.

"Protect!"

"Faster, Pikachu!" Pikachu pumps up the speed even more. So much so, that a shockwave bursts out from its body. With all its speed, it crashes itself into Kappaquarius before it raises its barrier. "And Thunderbolt, right now! Give it all you've got!"

"Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuuuu!"

"Hydroshock!" Even through the electrocution, Kappaquarius is able to use its water shell to create powerful pulse that forces Pikachu away and cancels the Thunderbolt.

"Pikachu, catch that branch and use Thunderbolt again!"

Pikachu catches a branch just as it soars past and pulls itself on so it can ready its next attack. "Pikaaaaaa chuuuuuuu!"

"Ice Beam!"

"Kappapaaaaaaa!"

The two attacks collide, sending sparks of electricity and ice in every direction.

Both trainers try to get the upper hand out of the situation by switching things up first.

"Iron Tail!"

"Hydro Cannon!"

Pikachu leaps up to comes down on top of Kappaquarius with Iron Tail, but Kappaquarius uses its powers to have the Hydro Cannon move in a new trajectory to hit despite the jump.

Ash declares, "Keep up the Iron Tail! Right through that Hydro Cannon!"

"Chuuuu, pikaaaaaa!" Pikachu uses Iron Tail to slice straight through the attack. At this point it is directly above Kappaquarius, so it keeps on going down with its tail positioned to hit the opponent as Pikachu continues to gain momentum from the plunge.

"Hydroshock!"

"Pikachu, give it a spin!" Pikachu forces itself into a series of aerial somersaults, with its Iron Tail leaving a streak through the air as it spins about. When Kappaquarius' Hydroshock reaches Pikachu, the spinning allows Pikachu's Iron Tail to slice a path straight through it.

Realizing his strategy isn't working, Braydon pivots. "Protect! Quickly!" Kappaquarius manages to raise its shield just in time, but the impact of Pikachu into it still forces Kappaquarius to skid backwards. As Pikachu bounces off of the shield, Braydon is prepared to seize the opportunity. "This could be our last opening, Kappaquarius! Use Hydro Cannon and Hydroshock! Give it everything you've got!"

"Kappa appaquariuuuuuus!" The Hydro Cannon, larger than ever, is cloaked in the shockwave of Hydroshock as it rockets towards Pikachu. Kappaquarius is using its psychic powers not only to direct the attack, but also to speed it up.

Ash orders, "Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Pikachu runs away with enhanced speed, but it is unable to avoid the initial wide-angle pulse of the Hydroshock. The first hit causes Pikachu to trip. This allows an opening for the Hydro Cannon to hit its target.

The explosion of the Hydro Cannon not only blasts Pikachu away, but sends it tumbling. Pikachu bounces several times off the floor as it tumbles back, before crashing into a tree. It only takes a moment to realize that Pikachu is down.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!"

Brenda gasps. "Ash had such a lead, but now Braydon's managed to tie everything back up."

Brock nods. "The good news is, Dragonite and Pikachu combined have done a lot of damage to Kappaquarius. The bad news, Torterra has already taken a good amount of damage itself, and, in the end, Kappaquarius is still Mega Evolved. This battle could still go either way, but I'm afraid that Braydon has the edge right now."

Ash points forward and declares, "Torterra, let's kick things off with Leaf Storm!"

"Torteeeeerraaaa!" From the tree on its back, the Leaf Storm rips forward at Kappaquarius.

"Kappaquarius, dodge it, then use Ice Beam!" Kappaquarius rushes sideways to avoid the attack, then aims an Ice Beam at Torterra.

"Pivot, Torterra!" Torterra changes its aim and uses what's left of its Leaf Storm to intercept the Ice Beam. The result is frozen leaves being flung in every direction across the field. The moment the Ice Beam ends, Ash shouts, "Headlong Rush!" Torterra charges forward, plowing through the frozen leaves still in the air, and throws its entire weight at Kappaquarius.

Braydon orders, "Hydroshock!"

Ash grins. "Just like every other time we try to get close. Torterra! Push on through!"

"Torterraaaaaaa!" Torterra completely ignores the water shockwave as it charges through it, and then plows into Kappaquarius.

Braydon gasps. "No way!" as Kappaquarius is hurled back by the impact.

Ash grins. "Torterra's specialty is withstanding just about anything! Hydroshock is a move that's only effective if the target gets caught in the shockwave."

Braydon nods. "I see my mistake. We won't make it again. Kappaquarius! Hydro Cannon!" Kappaquarius is quick to get back up and attack with another Hydro Cannon.

"Frenzy Plant, go!"

"Terraaa!" Torterra slams its forelegs into the ground in order to summon a horde of massive vines that grow out from the ground. Several of the vines weave together to form a barrier that blocks the Hydro Cannon, forcing it to explode prematurely. The other vines slam down over Kappaquarius.

"Quicky! Protect!" Kappaquarius is able to raise its shield just in time to stop the first vine from slamming into it.

"Keep up the Frenzy Plant, Torterra! Give it all you've got! That Protect has got to give eventually!"

"Tooooorterraaaa!" Torterra creates another wave of vines. An onslaught begins against Kappaquarius. The Protect holds, but it's whacked by vine after vine in a continuous pummeling. Then, in a change of strategy, two of the vines wrap entirely around the barrier and pick Kappaquarius up as they squeeze hard on the shield. They constrict tighter and tighter. Kappaquarius begins to struggle to hold up the barrier. Then, suddenly, the Protect collapses under the intense pressure. Kappaquarius slips between the vines as it falls to the ground. Two more vines slam down on it.

There's a massive flash of light visible through the resulting dust cloud kicked up by the attack. The vines retract and the dust settles to reveal Kappaquarius is no longer Mega Evolved, and it lies on the ground.

"Kappaquarius is unable to battle! That makes Ash the winner!"

Ash runs out onto the field and hugs the exhausted Torterra. "That was amazing, Torterra!"

"Terra."

Braydon stands still as he contemplates the results of the battle. He recalls Kappaquarius and says to the Pokéball, "You did an amazing job, my friend. You would have even given Brandon a run for his money. I know it." He looks up and spots one of the cameras positioned around the battlefield. He looks directly at it and asks, "Were you watching, Brandon? I wonder what you're thinking right now. Do you see how much stronger I've gotten? Or do you think I'm a joke for losing twice in a row?" He grins confidently. "But then again, I know you. I am your rival, after all. I think you see my strength."

Watching elsewhere in the region, Brandon nods at his holovision. "Yes, Braydon. You've grown so much stronger. I'm ready for that rematch whenever you are." Even separated by unknown miles, the two stare each other dead in the eyes as only rivals can.

Who's That Pokémon!?

Its iron horns grow longer a little at a time. They are used to determine the Pokémon's age. The gouges in its armor are worn with pride as mementos from battles.

Jessie, James, and Meowth stand in a dark room. Meowth groans. "Do we really have to do this lights-out thing every time we meet? Don't you think it's a little bit overdramatic?"

James adds, "Not to mention cliché."

The electronically disguised voice that contacted Team Rocket earlier responds, "My identity is not to be known in any form. I must remain anonymous until the time is right."

Jessie rolls her eyes. "Sure. Whatever." She leans and whispers to James, "I bet he's ugly."

James whispers back, "Maybe there's something crazy about him. Like a third hand or something." They both snicker together.

The voice snaps, "I can hear that!"

Wobbuffet appears and declares, "Wobbuffet!"

Meowth steps forward. "Please forgive Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber. Let's get down to business. What is it you need from us?"

"The semifinal round of the Cosmic Conference will begin shortly. The Cosmic Conference is the most viewed televised event in the region. Everyone's eyes will be on the tournament. And that's why we need to act now. Secrets will be revealed, one way or another."

James crosses his arms skeptically. "And what is it exactly we'll be doing?"

"You'll be doing what you do best. You'll be causing mayhem."

Jessie grins. "We can do that."

"Here's the plan."

It's Aggron!

Ash retrieves his Pokéballs from a Nurse Joy and turns to walk through a mostly empty lobby. The Pokémon Center door opens and Ryu and Dragonite step in. Both trainers pause when they see each other.

Ryu crosses his arms. "I will admit. It surprised me to learn you actually do have a Dragonite. Training a Dragonite is not something most can manage."

Ash grins. "You were watching my battle?"

"You and I are to be opponents in the semi-finals. It would be foolish of me not to study my opponent."

Ash grins smugly. "Why do you need to study me? Don't your superior dragons not need any kind of advantage? They are so great after all."

Ryu scowls. "I would think by now that you would have a greater understanding of my philosophy. I work just as hard as any other trainer—no, I work harder. I don't win simply because I have a Dragon-Type."

Ash reluctantly nods. "I suppose that's true." Then Ash grins. "But hey, it looks like you have no choice but to battle me tomorrow. I bet that annoys you."

"It is a necessary step to achieve my goals." He and Dragonite start to walk on past Ash.

Ash steps in front of him. "Wait, there's someone I want you to see."

Ryu stares critically at Ash. "What do you mean?"

Ash pulls out a Pokéball. "It just got here." He tosses the Pokéball up and the Pokémon inside appears.

"Modo!" Curemodo has appeared. It's happy at first, but then it sees Ryu and locks its gaze on him. "Cure…"

Ryu crosses his arms. "Then its training with the Dragon Master is complete?"

Ash shakes his head. "Holloman told me that there's always more to learn, so the training is never complete, but Curemodo can now flawlessly execute Dragon Force. Plus a few other new tricks."

Ryu pauses. "That's exactly what he told Dragonite and I." He looks from Dragonite to Curemodo.

Ash smiles. "Yet another reason that you and I aren't as different as you like to think."

Ryu breaks his gaze from Curemodo and keeps on walking. "Leave that assumption to be reassessed on the battlefield." After walking several more steps, he stops again. Without turning to face Ash, he declares, "Ash, of all the trainers in the Cosmic Conference, you are the one I am most determined to defeat."

Ash gasps. "Huh? Where's that coming from?"

Ryu doesn't elaborate. He just keeps on walking.

Ash shakes his head in dismay. "Every time I think I begin to understand that guy, he just goes and does something else crazy." He looks to Curemodo. "Welcome back, Curemodo. I hope you're ready for our greatest and hardest battle yet."

Curemodo thrusts an arm in the air and hops up, much like it would have when it was a Heala observing Ash's battles and cheering him on. "Curemodododo!"

"With you on my side, I know we'll do it!"

Pikachu agrees, "Pika pik chu!"

Rivals about to battle again. Rivals about to have their final battle. Ash has never managed to defeat Ryu before. Is this the time he changes things? Or will Ryu come out on top once again? The Cosmic Conference is about to reach a boiling point. Stay tuned!

To Be Continued…