The past few weeks have been real rough for me. My father passed away just over a week ago, so that's been weighing on my mind for a while. It may take some time for me to get the next chapter out, so please bear with me.
Chapter 70: Returning Champion
"Thanks, Nurse Joy." After traveling for a while Ash and Nikki found themselves in a new town. This gave them the perfect opportunity to change their Pokémon teams around. They decided to call over their Ralts to give them some training. Nurse Joy was even gracious enough to let them use the field behind the Pokémon Center to train. Nikki had hers training with Persian while Ash's trained with Lucario.
"Okay, Ralts! Use Thunderpunch!" Nikki called. Ralts pulled his fist back and threw an electrified punch, shattering Persian's Power Gem.
"Good job! Now use Teleport!" she instructed. In the blink of an eye Ralts vanished and reappeared right behind Persian.
"Zen Headbutt!" Before Persian could react Ralts struck him with his Zen Headbutt. The attack caused a bit of damage, causing Nikki to become concerned.
"Are you alright, Persian?" she asked.
"(I'm okay,)" the Classy Cat Pokémon responded. "(I must say that little Ralts packs quite the punch.)"
"That he does. I'm a little surprised by how strong he is already," Nikki admitted. "Now that we know what he can do in a battle we'll have to start practicing Contest routines soon." Ash, meanwhile, was doing similar training with his Ralts, commanding her in a battle against Lucario.
"Alright, Lucario! Don't hold back!" Ash said.
"(Don't plan on it,)" Lucario replied.
"Okay than, Ralts! Let's start off with Hidden Power!" Ralts conjured multiple orbs around her body before hurling them towards Lucario. The Aura Pokémon responded by smacking each one away with Force Palm before charging forward with Bullet Punch. Ralts barely had time to defend herself before she was struck by the super-fast Steel type attack.
"You okay, Ralts?" Ash asked.
"(I am,)" she replied. Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Lucario was strong so he was glad Ralts was okay after taking his Bullet Punch.
"Alright then! Strike back with Shadow Ball!" Ash shouted. Ralts formed a ball of Ghost type energy in her hands and threw it at Lucario. In response the Aura Pokémon tore through it with his Shadow Claw, continuing on with the attack as he intended on slashing Ralts with it.
"Teleport!" Ash instructed. Before Lucario could make contact Ralts vanished, leaving him slashing at nothing but air.
"Now use Psychic!" Ralts suddenly appeared behind Lucario and struck him in the back with a Psychic blast, knocking him forward a bit.
"(Gah! I should have seen that coming!)" Lucario grunted.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, Lucario. It was kind of a tricky tactic," Ash said. Before they could resume training they heard applause coming from somewhere. Apparently sometime during their training Nurse Joy had come out to observe them and she seemed very impressed by what she saw.
"That was incredible. Your Pokémon are really something else," she praised.
"Thank you," Nikki said. "We've been working really hard with them."
"I can tell," Nurse Joy said. She then turned to Ash.
"By the way, I think you might be interested in this." She handed him a flier. Ash took it and looked it over.
"What is it?" Nikki asked.
"It's an advertisement for a Fighting tournament," Ash told her.
"I really think you and your Lucario could do well in that tournament," Nurse Joy said.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ash commented. He then looked over at Lucario.
"What do you say? Want to take part in this tournament?" The Aura Pokémon thought about it for a bit before giving his answer.
"(This may be a perfect opportunity for me to hone my skills. I'm in,)" he answered.
"That's great!" Ash exclaimed. "Where do we sign up?"
"I can take care of that for you," Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks. Alright, Lucario, let's get you ready," Ash said. Lucario nodded as the two of them prepared for the Fighting type tournament.
The time for the tournament had finally arrived. With Nikki, Pikachu and Buneary in tow Ash and Lucario arrived at the tournament location. Looking around they were left in awe at the numerous Fighting types the other trainers had.
"Oh wow… look at all the different Pokémon here," Nikki commented. The other trainers had every kind of Fighting Pokémon from Machamp to Hariyama. Looking around at the competition only served to get Ash and Lucario more and more hyped for the tournament.
"I can't wait to mix things up with them," Ash commented. "What about you, Lucario?"
"(This will be a true test of my abilities. I can't wait to test myself,)" the Aura Pokémon said.
"Yeah. We're going to win this one," Ash declared.
"Well I may have something to say about that," a voice said behind them. Ash turned around and was met with a face he hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's been a while, Ash."
"Anthony? Is that you?" Ash asked. The other trainer smiled.
"I'm glad you remember me," he said. The two trainers shook hands. Then Anthony noticed Nikki standing off to the side.
"Are you here for the tournament?" he asked.
"Oh no. I'm just here to cheer on Ash," Nikki answered.
"I see. Then you must be his new traveling companion," Anthony assumed.
"That's right. My name's Nikita, but you can just call me Nikki," Nikki explained.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Anthony. Ash and I met a long time ago when he was traveling through the Kanto region," Anthony said. "He left me his Primeape to train up to become strong."
"Speaking of Primeape, how is he?" Ash wondered.
"See for yourself." Anthony took out a Poké Ball and tossed it, calling out the Pokémon inside. Ash's eyes grew wide once he saw who it was.
"Primeape!" he called. Upon hearing his name called Primeape turned, saw Ash and immediately pounced on him, knocking him to the ground.
"Ash! Are you alright?!" Nikki asked.
"I'm fine. This is just how Primeape says hello," Ash answered. Then, to prove his point, Primeape reached up aht took Ash's hat off his head, all with a smile on his face.
"You haven't changed on bit," Ash commented.
"(Nope!)" Primeape replied. While this was going on Nikki took out her Pokécomm and scanned Primeape.
Name: Primeape
Species: The Pig Monkey Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: It becomes wildly furious if it even senses someone looking at it. It chases anyone that meets its glare.
"I'm glad to see you too, Primeape, but do you think you could let me up?" Ash asked. Primeape kept smiling as he got off of Ash and helped him up. Once Ash was back on his feet he handed him his hat back.
"So, I take it you're here for the tournament too?" Ash assumed.
"That's right. I figured this would be a good place to test and see how well I've trained Primeape," Anthony explained. "And I guess your entering too."
"Yeah. Lucario and I plan on winning this," Ash declared.
"Well I think Primeape and I are going to win," Anthony said. Upon hearing each of their trainers declare victory in this tournament Lucario and Primeape looked at each other. The moment their eyes locked they both smirked, eager to test themselves against the other.
"Well good luck, Ash, and may the best pair win," Anthony said.
"Same to you," Ash replied. The two of them once again shook hands before Anthony went off to prepare Primeape for the tournament.
"They're going to be tough to beat," Nikki commented.
"Yeah," Ash agreed. "I can't wait to see how much stronger Primeape's gotten over the years." He then turned to Lucario.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"(He looks like he'd be a powerful fighter. I can't wait to see how he does in an actual battle,)" the Aura Pokémon answered. The two of them continued to look in the direction Anthony and Primeape went, eager to face them in battle.
The tournament soon got underway. Numerous competitors had already competed in fiery battles, and soon it was Ash and Lucario's turn. They took their placed on one side of the battlefield. Their opponent, a young boy and his Makuhita, took their place on the other side.
"Battle… begin!" the referee announced.
"Alright, Makuhita! Belly Drum!" Makuhita obeyed his trainer's command and started punding on his stomach. At the same time a red aura surrounded him.
"What's he doing?" Nikki wondered.
"(Belly Drum cuts into your health, but at the same time maxes out your attack strength,)" Pikachu explained. "(If Ash and Lucario don't end this quick this could be a problem for them.)"
"Oh no," Nikki gasped.
"Okay, now attack with Arm Thrust!" Once his Belly Drum was done the Guts Pokémon charged at Lucario with sumo-style arm thrusts.
"Counter with Force Palm!" Ash instructed. Lucario stayed calm and began parrying Makuhita's Arm Thrust with his Force Palm, slapping away each thrust with ease. Eventually the Aura Pokémon found an opening to attack and struck Makuhita in the face with a well-placed Force Palm. The Guts Pokémon held his face in pain.
"Now use Bullet Punch!" Ash called. While Makuhita was holding his face he left his midsection wide open for an attack, which is just where Lucario attacked with a powerful Bullet Punch, forcing Makuhita to double over.
"Alright, one more Bullet Punch!" Ash said. Sensing that the battle was near its conclusion Lucario delivered an uppercut-style Bullet Punch, lifting Makuhita off his feet and sending him crashing down at the feet of his trainer. The referee took a close look at Makuhita before making his decision.
"Makuhita can't continue! Lucario wins!" he announced. The crowd showed their appreciation with a round of applause.
"Good job, Lucario!" Ash praised.
"(That was an easy battle,)" Lucario said. "(I hope future battles prove more of a challenge.)" With the battle over the two of them left the battlefield, where they were approached by Nikki.
"You sure made short work of them," Nikki commented.
"He took a gamble using Belly Drum right at the start. Unfortunately for them it didn't pay off," Ash explained. While they talked they were approached by Anthony and Primeape.
"That was quite the impressive display you two put on," Anthony praised. "Your Lucario must pack a punch."
"He does," Ash said.
"Will the next two combatants please come to the battlefield."
"Well, that would be us," Anthony said. "Wish us luck."
"Good luck," Ash said. With a nod Anthony and Primeape headed towards the battlefield for their battle.
"It's going to come down to us," Ash commented.
"You and Anthony? You sure about that?" Nikki questioned.
"I have no doubt in my mind," Ash assured her.
The battles continued on until there were only two trainers left, and just as Ash had predicted it came down to him and Anthony. The two trainers stood across from each other, their Pokémon standing in front of them.
"I was hoping it would come down to us," Anthony said.
"I always knew it would," Ash replied.
"Battle… begin!" the referee shouted.
"Start off with Bullet Punch, Lucario!" Ash called. In the blink of an eye Lucario closed the distance between him and Primeape and struck the Pig Monkey Pokémon with a powerful Bullet Punch.
"Strike back with Revenge!" Anthony countered. To counter Lucario's attack Primeape pulled back a glowing purple fist and struck the Aura Pokémon in the face, forcing him back a bit.
"(That looked like it hurt a bit,)" Buneary commented.
"It sure did," Nikki agreed.
"Close Combat!" Anthony called. Primeape let out a primal screech before furiously charging Lucario. Fist and feet were thrown at the Aura Pokémon, who was doing his best to protect himself. Despite this a few strikes made solid contact, causing a good deal of damage with each hit.
"Use Force Palm to push him back!" Ash shouted. Despite the ongoing onslaught Lucario managed to land a Force Palm, forcing Primeape to stop his attack while knocking him back a bit.
"Now use Shadow Claw!" Ash continued. Before Primeape could attack again Lucario slashed at him with his Shadow Claw, the Ghost type attack causing a good bit of damage.
"Now hit him with Bullet Punch!" Ash instructed. Feeling the momentum shifting in their favor Lucario was all too eager to attack, charging in with his Bullet Punch.
"Block that attack!" Anthony shouted. Before Lucario's punch made contact Primeape caught his fist, blocking the attack.
"Use your other fist!" Ash shouted. Lucario did as instructed and attacked with his other fist, but Primeape just caught that one too. It appeared as though the two of them were locked in a stalemate until…
"Seismic Toss!" Anthony shouted. Primeape started swinging Lucario around in a circle, gaining speed with each time around. After about a dozen or so spins he left Lucario go, tossing him down at Ash's feet.
"Get up, Lucario!" Ash urged. The Aura Pokémon struggled to get back to his feet, but he eventually did so, though he was a bit unsteady.
"Finish him with Headbutt!" Anthony shouted. With Lucario unsteady on his feet the Pig Monkey Pokémon dove towards him and struck him with a powerful Headbutt. The attack was strong enough to knock the Aura Pokémon back down, knocking him out.
"Lucario can't continue! Primeape wins! The champion of this tournament is Anthony!" the referee announced. While the crowd showered Anthony and Primeape with applause Ash checked in on Lucario, who was just coming to.
"You okay, Lucario?" Ash asked.
"(Yes. I'm sorry I lost,)" he apologized.
"It's fine. I knew Primeape would be strong, but I didn't think he'd be that strong," Ash admitted. "Anthony really did a good job with him." Ash looked on as Anthony and Primeape were presented with a trophy for winning. He smiled as he thought about how strong his old Pokémon had become.
Later on everyone had left the area except for Ash, Nikki and Anthony. The trio were gathered together to talk about the tournament. Nikki was impressed with both of their performances today, and was quick to let them know that.
"It's too bad you both couldn't win. You two put on a great showing out there," she said.
"She's right. You really did a good job with Primeape the past few years," Ash commented.
"Thanks," Anthony said. "So, where are you headed now?"
"We're on our way to the Valley of the Iron Fist. That's where I plan on winning my second Area Crest," Ash told him.
"So you're going for the Legenda League, huh," Anthony said.
"That's right," Ash confirmed.
"Then, may I offer some assistance." Before Ash could ask what he meant by that Anthony handed him Primeape's Poké Ball.
"I don't understand," Ash said, clearly confused.
"You're going to need all the powerful Pokémon you can get to win this league, and I figure Primeape would be a perfect fit for you," Anthony explained. "Besides, I think he misses traveling with you." Ash looked down at the Poké Ball and then at Primeape.
"Well, do you want to come back and travel with me again?" he asked. To answer his question Primeape once again took Ash's hat off his head and placed it onhis, a huge smile on his face.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Ash laughed. "Welcome back to the team."
"(Things are going to get more interesting now,)" Pikachu commented. Primeape then looked over at Lucario. The two Fighting types smirked at each other before sharing a fist bump.
"Well, I wish you luck in your endeavors, Ash," Anthony said. With that they said goodbye before going their separate ways.
Ash's team has become stronger as he welcomed back his Primeape. With this new addition how will Ash fare in his future battles? And what of his upcoming Area Boss battle? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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