Chapter 83: King of the Ring
"Well, this is it." After visiting the Pokémon Center to make to appropriate changes to his team Ash now stood in front of the dojo where his second Area Boss battle would take place. Taking one look at him Nikki couldn't tell if he was feeling more nervous or excited about it. Either way Ash was ready to get things started. After taking a deep breath they entered the dojo. Looking around they noticed a ring in the middle of the dojo where Ash assumed the battles would take place. They also saw that all the children from earlier had gathered to watch the battle, just as Lesley had said they could. And speaking of Lesley he was standing in the back of the dojo. A smile came across his face once he saw Ash enter.
"Welcome, challenger," he announced. "I hope you are ready for the battle of your life."
"I am," Ash replied.
"Now, before we begin, I must ensure that your Gym badges are real," Lesley said. Remembering what Heath had said Ash took out his badges and handed them to Lesley. The Area Boss then took out his scanner and scanned them.
"Let's see… the Solid Rock Badge of Mineva Town and the Lingering Spirits Badge of Spirit Pass… yes, these are authentic," he said. With his badges authenticated Ash took his place on one side of the ring while Lesley took his place on the other.
"Good luck, Ash," Nikki said as she went to stand off to the side with the children. Moments later a referee made his way out.
"The Area Boss battle between the challenger, Ash, and the Area Boss, Lesley, will now begin!" he announced. "The rules are as follows. This will be a six-on-six battle with only the challenger being allowed substitutions! Also, only Fighting type Pokémon will be allowed! Pokémon are disqualified if they are knocked out or if any part of their body touches the outside of the designated fighting area! Also, only close-quarters attacks will be allowed!"
"Oh man… that's going to make this even tougher for Ash to win," Nikki commented, thinking about the attacks Ash's Pokémon had at their disposal.
"Are both combatants ready?!" the referee asked. Both Ash and Lesley replied they were.
"Very well! Battle… begin!"
"Machamp, battle stance!" Lesley shouted, sending out his first Pokémon. As his Superpower Pokémon appeared Ash readied a Poké Ball of his own.
"Primeape, I choose you!" he shouted, sending out his Pig Monkey Pokémon.
"Give them a taste of your Cross Chop!" Lesley instructed. Machamp charged towards Primeape, two of his muscular arms crossed in an X-pattern.
"Block that, Primeape!" Ash called. Despite being smaller in size Primeape showed incredible power by catching the incoming attack and stopping in in its tracks.
"Good job! Now use Headbutt!" Ash said. With Machamp's attack stopped Primeape delivered a Headbutt, striking Machamp in his midsection. The Superpower Pokémon doubled over, surprised by the power behind Primeape's attack.
"Now use Close Combat!" Ash continued. With Machamp still doubled over Primeape took this chance to launch into a Close Combat, striking Machamp with fist and feet in a brutal fashion. Despite this, Lesley seemed calm.
"Machamp, use Vital Throw!" he instructed. In the middle of one of Primeape's punches Machamp grabbed his arm and threw him towards the side of the ring closest to Ash. Despite the obvious power behind the throw Primeape managed to stay on, but just barely.
"Low Kick!" Lesley shouted. Looking to knock Primeape out of the ring Machamp came sliding towards him with a Low Kick.
"Dodge that and use Seismic Toss!" Ash countered. Right before Machamp's attack was going to hit Primeape used his powerful arms to thrust himself upwards, avoiding the attack. He then reached down, grabbing Machamp's leg, and began swinging him around in a circle. After a few rotation he threw him with all his might towards the side of the ring. Despite his efforts Machamp managed to avoid falling out of the ring, though he was teetering on the edge.
"Headbutt!" Ash called. With Machamp still on the edge of the ring Primeape charged in and delivered a Headbutt, sending the Superpower Pokémon falling out of the circle.
"Machamp is disqualified! Primeape wins!" the referee announced.
"That's how you do it, Primeape!" Ash praised. The Pig Monkey Pokémon looked back towards his trainer and flashed him a smile. On the sidelines Nikki was clapping, glad that Ash got the first victory.
"Thank you for your efforts, Machamp," Lesley said as he recalled his defeated Pokémon. "Well done, Ash. It would appear as though you and your Pokémon came prepared."
"Of course. We came to win!" Ash declared.
"In that case I'll need to step my game up!" Lesley said. "Now Hitmonchan, battle stance!" As his Punching Pokémon appeared Ash and Primeape wondered what kind of battle they were in for now.
"Okay, let's start of with Headbutt!" Ash called. Primeape charged forward, intend on delivering one of his powerful Headbutt attacks.
"Dodge and use Mega Punch!" Lesley countered. As soon as Primeape threw his head forward for his Headbutt Hitmonchan ducked to the side and delivered a devastating Mega Punch, catching the Pig Monkey Pokémon on the side of his face. The attack was powerful enough to knock Primeape to the ground.
"Comet Punch!" Lesley shouted. With Primeape down Hitmonchan went into a Comet Punch barrage, striking the downed Pig Monkey Pokémon with a flurry of punches to the face. Primeape did his best to cover up, but despite this the vast majority of the punches still made solid contact.
"Quick, Ash! You've got to do something!" Nikki shouted in a bit of a panic over what she was seeing.
"Use Revenge!" Ash instructed. With Hitmonchan still pummeling him Primeape drew back a glowing purple fist and punched the Punching Pokémon in the face, forcing him back and giving him a chance to get back to his feet.
"Close Combat!" Ash called.
"You use Close Combat as well!" Lesley said. Both Pokémon charged forward and began throwing strikes with reckless abandon. Unfortunately for Hitmonchan, who was only attacking with his fists, Primeape was attacking with both fists and feet, which meant he could land more hits than the Punching Pokémon. When the attacks were done both Pokémon stepped back, each one breathing heavily.
"Primeape's tired, Hitmonchan! Finish him off with Mega Punch!" Lesley shouted. Hitmonchan did as instructed and went in for one final Mega Punch.
"Grab his arm and use Seismic Toss!" Ash countered. Right as the Punching Pokémon threw his attack Primeape grabbed his arm and began spinning him around in a circle. After a few rotation he threw him, tossing Hitmonchan right out of the ring.
"Hitmonchan is disqualified! Primeape wins!" the referee announced. As soon as Primeape was declared the winner Nikki let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. The children that had gathered to watch were beginning to whisper amongst themselves. They weren't expecting Ash to put this much of a fight against Lesley.
"Thank you, my friend," Lesley said as he recalled his Pokémon. Looking over at his opponents he could tell Primeape was running on empty, making his next choice easy.
"Hitmontop, battle stance!" he shouted, sending out his third Pokémon. With Lesley down to his third Pokémon an Ash having lost none the Pallet Town trainer didn't want to take any chances by letting Primeape face another Pokémon.
"Return, Primeape. I may need you later," he said. Unfortunately this played right into Lesley's hands.
"Pursuit!" the Area Boss called. Right as Ash went to return Primeape to his Poké Ball Hitmontop sprung into action, tackling the Pig Monkey Pokémon and knocking him out.
"Primeape can no longer battle! Hitmontop wins!" the referee announced.
"Wait… what just happened?!" Ash asked.
"Pursuit is an attack that does double the damage against a Pokémon that's being switched out of battle," Lesley explained. "I know it may seem a bit underhanded, but timing is a part of Pokémon battles." Ash could have complained about what just happened, but he realized that Lesley was right. He just picked the right time to use that attack to maximize its effectiveness. Now it was up to him to respond accordingly.
"You did great out there, Primeape," he said as he recalled his downed Pokémon. He then grabbed another Poké Ball from his belt.
"Heracross, I choose you!" he shouted, sending out his Singlehorn Pokémon.
"Hmm… this could be an interesting battle," Lesley commented.
"Start off with Horn Attack!" Ash called. Heracross charged towards Hitmontop, his large horn lowered to deliver a powerful attack.
"Defend yourself with Rapid Spin!" Lesley countered. Right as Heracross' attack was about to strike Hitmontop flipped onto his head and began spinning rapidly. The speed at which he was spinning caused Heracross' horn to bounce right off.
"Don't give in! Use Fury Attack!" Ash instructed.
"Keep that Rapid Spin going!" Lesley said. Heracross went for repeated attacks with Fury Attack, but just like with his Horn Attack each blow was deflected by Hitmontop's Rapid Spin. This was starting to frustrate both Ash and Heracross, something Lesley picked up on.
"Now, fight back with Triple Kick!" Lesley shouted. Using the speed from his Rapid Spin Hitmontop struck Heracross with three perfectly placed kicks, forcing the Singlehorn Pokémon back.
"Keep up the pressure! Close Combat!" Lesley instructed. With Heracross still reeling Hitmontop charged in and attacked with Close Combat, using all of his limbs in the attack. Hands, feet and tail were all used to relentlessly batter Heracross. When Hitmontop was done Heracross collapsed onto his hands and knees.
"No, Heracross!" Ash cried.
"Looks like this battle is just about finished," Lesley commented. "Let's end this with Triple Kick!" Hitmontop once again flipped onto his head and began spinning up to deliver a Triple Kick. Seeing this Ash knew he had to try something.
"Heracross, try to get under Hitmontop with Megahorn!" he shouted. Heracross managed to recover just in time to use his Megahorn, getting his glowing green horn right under the still-spinning Hitmontop. He then lifted his horn, throwing the Handstand Pokémon into the air.
"Now knock him back down with Brick Break!" Ash called. Heracross flew up to where Hitmontop was and delivered a powerful Brick Break, sending him hurtling back down to the ground. He was a bit shaken but Hitmontop was still able to battle.
"Well, seems you still have some fight left in you," Lesley commented. "That's good. I was hoping this battle would go on a bit longer."
"It won't be going on for that much longer if we have anything to say about it," Ash declared. "Now Heracross, use Horn Attack!"
"Use Rapid Spin!" Lesley countered. Just as he had done before Hitmontop flipped onto his head and began rapidly spinning. However, this time Ash was prepared.
"Aim for the ground right underneath Hitmontop!" he instructed.
"What?!" Lesley gasped. All too late he realized what Ash's plan was, for when Heracross attacked he struck the ground right where Hitmontop was spinning, causing the Handstand Pokémon to lose his balance and stop spinning.
"Use one more Horn Attack and knock Hitmontop out of the ring!" Ash shouted. Now that Hitmontop wasn't using Rapid Spin to defend himself it was easy for Heracross to land his Horn Attack, the attack being enough to knock Hitmontop right out of the ring.
"Hitmontop is disqualified! Heracross wins!" the referee announced.
"Alright, Ash!" Nikki cheered. With Lesley having lost half of his Pokémon to Ash's one she believed this would be an easy victory for him. Even Pikachu was beginning to think Ash had this in the bag, despite seeing situation like this before.
"You did well, Hitmontop," Lesley said as he recalled his defeated Pokémon. He then looked towards Ash and Heracross, who looked ready to continue.
"You may have defeated three of my Pokémon, but let's see you defeat this one!" he challenged. "Poliwrath, battle stance!" Ash looked on as Lesley's next Pokémon took the field. Heracross had taken a bit of damage from the previous battle, but otherwise was okay to keep going.
"Alright, let's hit them hard right from the get-go! Megahorn!" Ash shouted. Heracross did as he was instructed, charging towards the Tadpole Pokémon with a glowing green horn.
"Grab his horn!" Lesley instructed. As soon as Heracross was close enough Poliwrath reached out and took hold of his horn, halting his attack.
"Try to break free!" Ash said. Heracross did all he could, but he just couldn't break free from Poliwrath's grip.
"Submission!" Lesley called. While still holding onto Heracross' horn Poliwrath leapt into the air and came crashing back down to the ground onto Heracross, hurting himself a little but hurting Heracross considerably more.
"Now use Ice Punch!" Lesley continued. Heracross was still trying to get to his feet, but that mattered not to Poliwrath who proceeded to batter the Singlehorn Pokémon with a barrage of Ice Punch attacks. The repeated blows not only cause damage, but also left Heracross frozen in a block of ice.
"Now finish with Brick Break!" Lesley said. With Heracross frozen he was nothing but a sitting target for Poliwrath's Brick Break, the Fighting type attack shattering the ice prison and knocking out the Singlehorn Pokémon in the process.
"Heracross can no longer battle! Poliwrath wins!" the referee announced. Ash sighed as he recalled Heracross, thanking him for his efforts. He then looked over at Lesley's Poliwrath, who looked completely fresh.
"We weren't able to do anything to him," he mused. Despite the odds still being in his favor he knew he had to be careful with who he sent out next. Thankfully he had just the Pokémon for the job. Grabbing a Poké Ball he threw it out.
"Breloom, I choose you!" he shouted.
"That's kinda risky, isn't it?" Nikki questioned as she watched Ash's Mushroom Pokémon appear on the battlefield.
"(What do you mean?)" Buneary wondered.
"Well, normally a Grass type would have the advantage over a Water type, but Lesley's Poliwrath knows Ice Punch, which is super effective against Grass types like Breloom," Nikki explained. "With that in mind maybe Ash should have went with someone different."
"(Maybe, but I'm sure Ash knows what he's doing,)" Pikachu said.
"Interesting choice, especially considering what you just saw my Poliwrath do," Lesley commented.
"Don't count my Breloom out just because your Poliwrath knows Ice Punch. He may surprise you," Ash warned.
"In that case let us continue our battle," Lesley suggested. "Use Ice Punch, Poliwrath!"
"Dodge that and use Sky Uppercut!" Ash countered. As Poliwrath swung with his Ice Punch Breloom ducked underneath the attack and rose up to strike with a Sky Uppercut, lifting the Tadpole Pokémon into the air.
"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. Breloom leapt into the air towards the still-airborne Poliwrath and swung a Steel charged tail down onto him, knocking him back down to the ground.
"Mach Punch!" Ash called. Before Poliwrath could get back up Breloom dove onto him and began pummeling him with repeated Mach Punches, each strike causing more and more damage. Eventually Poliwrath was able to force Breloom off of him, but by then a considerable amount of damage had been caused.
"I see… so that's his strategy. He's using a high-speed barrage to wear down my Poliwrath," Lesley mused. By now Poliwrath had gotten back to his feet, but he didn't look like he could take much more punishment.
"Okay Breloom, let's finish this with one more Mach Punch!" Ash called. With Ash looking to end the battle now Lesley knew he had only one shot at getting out of this.
"Ice Punch!" he shouted. As Breloom swung his fist his attack was met with an Ice Punch, the two attacks seemingly canceling each other out.
"Don't let up!" Ash urged.
"You too, Poliwrath! Keep those Ice Punches coming!" Lesley shouted. The two Pokémon kept swinging at each other, Mach Punch and Ice Punch attacks continually clashing. At first it appeared as though nothing was happening, but over time it became clear that Poliwrath's attacks were starting to have an effect as Breloom's fists were starting to get a thin coating of ice on them.
"Switch to Iron Tail!" Ash said, hoping to catch the Tadpole Pokémon off guard. Unfortunately this was just what Lesley was looking for.
"Grab his tail and use Submission!" he instructed. As soon as Breloom swung his Iron Tail Poliwrath grabbed it and leapt into the air, crashing down onto Breloom moments later.
"Now use Ice Punch!" Lesley said. With Breloom down Poliwrath was free to batter him with repeated Ice Punches, the super effective attacks eventually leaving him frozen just as they had Heracross.
"Not again!" Ash groaned.
"Now use Brick Break!" Lesley shouted. With one Brick Break Poliwrath shattered the ice and knocked out Breloom.
"Breloom can no longer battle! Poliwrath wins!" the referee announced. As Ash recalled his defeated Pokémon Nikki was beginning to worry. What looked like a sure-fire victory was beginning to look less and less likely.
"Lucario, I choose you!" Ash shouted, sending out his Aura Pokémon. Lesley knew his Poliwrath was running on empty, but due to the rules he couldn't recall him. All he could do was let him battle on.
"Alright, Brick Break!" he called.
"Force Palm!" Ash countered. Poliwrath swung down with a Brick Break, but Lucario simply parried the attack and struck him in his midsection with a well-placed Force Palm, sending the Tadpole Pokémon falling to the ground unconscious.
"Poliwrath can no longer continue! Lucario wins!" the referee announced. Ash let out a sigh of relief, glad to have gotten Poliwrath out of the way. But now he had to prepare for Lesley's next Pokémon, who was just about to appear.
Hitmonlee, battle stance!" the Area Boss shouted. As had seen his fair share of Hitmonlee over the years, so he knew just how powerful they could be.
"Start off with Blaze Kick!" Lesley instructed.
"Dodge that and use Bullet Punch!" Ash countered. Hitmonlee struck with a flaming kick, but Lucario managed to jump back in time and countered with his Bullet Punch.
"Double Kick!" Lesley called. Lucario's Bullet Punch was met with a well-placed counter kick from Hitmonlee, followed up by another kick that caught him across the face.
"You okay, Lucario?!" Ash asked.
"(Yes, I am fine,)" the Aura Pokémon replied. "(Come, we must go back on the attack.)" Ash realized he was right and got back into the battle.
"Shadow Claw!" he called. Lucario formed two claws of Ghost type energy, one on each fist, and charged towards Hitmonlee.
"Counter with Close Combat!" Lesley said. The two Pokémon clashed in the middle of the ring, Lucario using Shadow Claw while Hitmonlee used Close Combat. Unfortunately for Lucario his attacks were getting blocked by Hitmonlee's fists while the Kicking Pokémon's feet were free to land clean hits. Once the attacks were done both Pokémon were breathign heavily from exerting a bit of energy, but Lucario looked a bit worse for wear.
"Blaze Kick, Hitmonlee!" Lesley called.
"Block it and counter with Force Palm!" Ash shouted. Hitmonlee struck with his Blaze Kick, but instead of dodging as he did earlier Lucario blocked the attack with one hand while striking the Kicking Pokémon with his other, hitting him with a Force Palm.
"Keep the pressure up with Bullet Punch!" Ash instructed. Now that he had landed a clean hit Lucario pressed his advantage by charging in with Bullet Punch, striking Hitmonlee repeatedly with Steel charged fists. When he was finished it was Hitmonlee that looked worse for wear this time.
"This is our chance, Lucario!" Ash shouted. "Use Force Palm!" That Aura Pokémon charged in, looking to finish off Hitmonlee with his Force Palm.
"Fight back with Double Kick!" Lesley countered. Just as Lucario attacked Hitmonlee kicked his hand away.
"Use your other hand!" Ash said. Lucario did as he was instructed, but once again Hitmonlee kicked it away.
"Blaze Kick!" Lesley shouted. With Lucario wide open for attack Hitmonlee kicked him in the chest with a Blaze Kick, the flaming attack doing super effective damage.
"Continue with Close Combat!" Lesley instructed. With Lucario still reeling from the Blaze Kick Hitmonlee went into a Close Combat, battering the Aura Pokémon with fists and feet relentlessly. When he was done Lucario was in no shape to continue battling.
"Lucario can no longer battle! Hitmonlee wins!" the referee announced.
"Oh no. They've drawn even," Nikki commented.
"(Maybe by number of Pokémon left, but remember Hitmonlee is tired from battling Lucario while both of Ash's remaining Pokémon are fresh,)" Pikachu pointed out. Hearing that made Nikki feel a bit better, but in the back of her mind she was still concerned.
"Thanks, Lucario. You did great out there," Ash said as he recalled him. He then grabbed another Poké Ball and threw it out.
"Infernape, I choose you!" he shouted. As Ash's Flame Pokémon appeared Lesley looked at his own Pokémon. Hitmonlee hadn't taken many hits from Lucario, but the ones he did were powerful, showing that he needed to be careful when dealing Ash's Pokémon.
"Alright Hitmonlee, let's use Double Kick!" he called.
"Grab him with your tail!" Ash instructed. Lesley had no idea what Ash was up to, but he would find out soon enough, for when Hitmonlee attacked Infernape ducked under the attack and wrapped his tail around the Kicking Pokémon's outstretched leg.
"Now throw him!" Ash shouted. With a twist of his body and a flick of his tail Infernape slung Hitmonlee towards the edge of the ring. Despite this Hitmonlee didn't fly out, though he was left right on the edge.
"Mach Punch!" Ash called. Before Hitmonlee could recover Infernape charged in and struck him with a Mach Punch, the high-speed attack being enough to knock him out of the ring.
"Hitmonlee is disqualified! Infernape wins!" the referee announced. Now the hushed whispers amongst the children were getting louder. None of them expected Ash to push Lesley to the brink of defeat like this. As he recalled his defeated Pokémon Lesley looked towards Ash, a smile on his face.
"I must say this has been very enjoyable," he commented. "I never would have thought you would put up a fight like this."
"Thanks. We're having fun, too," Ash replied.
"Unfortunately for you this is where your good fortune ends," Lesley declared. "Now Hariyama, battle stance!" Ash grimaced once he saw the Arm Thrust Pokémon appear. He knew he was in for a tough battle if he wanted to emerge victorious.
"Okay, let's attack first with Mach Punch!" Ash called. Infernape darted forward and threw a Mach Punch. In response Hariyama held out a hand, blocking Infernape's attack.
"Don't let up! Keep attacking!" Ash instructed. Infernape did as he was instructed and began swinging with both lefts and rights. Unfortunately it didn't appear to be doing any good as Hariyama continued to block each attack. Eventually Ash decided it would be better to change to a different attack.
"Switch to Thunderpunch!" he said. Mid barrage Infernape switched from the high-speed Mach punch to the electrifying Thunderpunch. Not only did Thunderpunch cause Electric damage but it also caused more damage than Mach Punch, a fact Hariyama was finding out the hard way. The more Thunderpunches Hariyama got hit with the more he flinched, showing that his onslaught was having some effect now.
"Enough! Time to go on the attack, Hariyama!" Lesley declared. "Arm Thrust!" Hariyama was just as tired of being on the defensive as his trainer and he let that show when he used his Arm Thrust, forcing Infernape back with each successive strike. Once Infernape had been forced back Hariyama began rubbing his hand, sore from Infernape's assault earlier.
"Those attacks managed to do some damage," Ash mused. "Let's try something that hits a bit harder, Infernape! Flare Blitz!" Infernape let out a loud battle cry before charging, his body elgulfed in a blue flame.
"Don't let that attack hit!" Lesley shouted. Right before the Flare Blitz hit Hariyama managed to catch Infernape in his hands, halting the attack.
"Try to break through!" Ash urged. Infernape roared again and intensified his flames, slowly forcing the Arm Thrust Pokémon back. Lesley could tell his Pokémon was having a difficult time holding back Infernape, but he was about to go back on the attack.
"Seismic Toss!" he shouted. With Infernape still in his hands Hariyama picked him up and hurled him towards the other side of the ring. His sudden attack caused Infernape to cancel his Flare Blitz as he crashed to the ground in a heap.
"Now use Arm Thrust! Pound him into the ground!" Lesley instructed. Infernape had just enough time to look up and see Hariyama charging him. Once he was in range the Arm Thrust Pokémon began battering the Flame Pokémon with a vicious Arm Thrust assault. When he was finished Infernape could barely get back to his feet.
"He can't fight back. Go ahead and throw him from the ring," Lesley said. Infernape put up no resistance as Hariyama picked him up by his tail and tossed him out of the ring.
"Infernape is disqualified! Hariyama wins!" the referee announced.
"Oh no. Ash is down to his last Pokémon," Nikki said.
"(And compared to everyone else she's not exactly a powerhouse,)" Buneary commented. "(What do you think he's going to do?)"
"Not much he can do but send her out," Nikki answered. Ash, meanwhile, had recalled Infernape and was looking down at his last Poké Ball.
"I had hoped to win this without using you, but I don't have a choice now," he said. He then took a moment to look over at Lesley's Hariyama, who was breathing a bit heavily from his battle with Infernape.
"At least Infernape did some damage before being defeated," he commented. With nothing left to do Ash tossed his final Poké Ball out.
"Meditite, I choose you!" he shouted. When Ash's Pokémon appeared Lesley looked a bit surprised.
"Not what I expected your final choice to be, but if I've learned anything from battling you it's not to underestimate you or your Pokémon," he said. "Get ready, Hariyama!" His Arm Thrust Pokémon took a fighting stance, preparing himself for whatever Ash and Meditite would throw at him.
"Meditite, start off with Hi Jump Kick!" Ash instructed. Meditite leapt into the air towards the much larger Hariyama, looking to land a powerful Hi Jump Kick.
"Use Knock Off!" Lesley shouted. Right when Meditite was close enough Hariyama slapped her away with one of his massive hands, knocking her down to the ground.
"You alright, Meditite?!" Ash asked. Despite taking a super effective attack Meditite nodded, letting him know she was fine and could continue battling.
"Use Arm Thrust!" Lesley said. Despite his size Hariyama could move quite quickly, as was shown when he charged forward to use his Arm Thrust.
"Dodge and use Hi Jump Kick!" Ash instructed. Right when Hariyama went to use Arm Thrust Meditite jumped back, leaving him to hit nothing but the ground. She then jumped up and connected with her Hi Jump Kick, striking him across the face and forcing him back a bit.
"That made solid contact!" Nikki cheered.
"Follow up with Fire Punch!" Ash added. Meditite ignited her fists and charged forward to strike the still-reeling Hariyama with her Fire Punch. Unfortunately the Arm Thrust Pokémon recovered and managed to grab her with one of his massive hands.
"That's not good," Nikki commented.
"Quick! Use Fire Punch on his hand!" Ash called. Meditite did as she was instructed and began pounding on Hariyama's hand with her Fire Punch, hoping to break his grip. Each blow seemed to do something, for Ash could see the Arm Thrust Pokémon wince with each hit.
"That's it! Keep it up!" he urged.
"Throw her out of the ring!" Lesley shouted. Hariyama cocked his arm back and, with a mighty heave, threw Meditite as hard as he could towards the edge of the ring.
"No, Meditite!" Ash shouted.
"There's no way she can stop herself from flying out of the ring!" Nikki said. Right when it looked like she would hit the ground outside of the ring, leaving Ash as the loser, Meditite's eyes took on a blue glow. That glow soon spread to her entire body, stopping her mid-flight.
"What the… what's going on?" Nikki wondered. Moments later Meditite floated back into the ring and touched down inside of it.
"Meditite, did… did you just use Psychic to stop yourself from flying out of the ring?" Ash asked.
"(I did,)" she answered. Ash thought that was a clever move and was about to praise her for her quick thinking when the referee spoke up.
"Challenger Ash, that was an illegal move your Pokémon just used," he announced.
"Wait a minute! She used that move on herself, not to attack her opponent!" Ash argued.
"Still, that move was against the rules. Therefore, I have no choice but to…"
"Hold on! As Area Boss I have some thoughts on the situation," Lesley interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "Now, it is true that his Pokémon used an illegal move, but Ash didn't instruct her to use it. And, as he said, she used said move on herself, not to attack. Therefore, I will allow it, but just this once. However, if she uses it again you will be disqualified. Understand?"
"Yes. Thank you," Ash said. Over on the sideline Nikki breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that Ash's Area Boss battle wouldn't end due to a technicality.
"Very well. Continue the battle!"
"Hariyama, Arm Thrust!" Lesley called.
"Dodge it!" Ash shouted. Hariyama began attacking with his Arm Thrust, but because of Meditite's small size and maneuverability he couldn't land a single blow on her. After a few more dodges Hariyama stopped his attack.
"Well, you may have dodged my attack, but you left yourself without anywhere to go," Lesley commented. Ash looked at the field and let out a panicked gasp. What he didn't realize was that, with all the dodging Meditite was doing, she was positioning herself closer and closer to the edge until she barely had any room to move.
"And now it's time to end this battle," Lesley said. "Use Knock Off and knock her out of the ring!" A sinister smile can across Hariyama's face once he saw how panicked Meditite looked. He then brought his massive hand back and prepared to knock Meditite out of the ring.
"Meditite, you've got to block that somehow!" Ash shouted. As soon as he said that Hariyama swung his hand towards her. With nothing left to do Meditite held her hands out, somehow blocking the attack and prolonging the battle. However, Hariyama continue to push, believing that she couldn't keep this up forever.
"(N-No! I can't let it end like this!)" Meditite mused. "(I can't let Ash down! He's depending on me!)" The more that these thoughts ran through her head the harder she fought back against Hariyama's Knock Off. Eventually she felt a huge surge of power well up within her.
"(I. Won't. Let. Him. Beat. Me!)" Suddenly, her body took on a white glow, causing Hariyama to stop his attack.
"M-Meditite!" Ash stuttered.
"Is she really evolving now?!" Nikki wondered. She got her answer when the light doed down and revealed a new Pokémon where Meditite once was.
"Meditite's evolved into a Medicham!" Ash cheered. Overcome with excitement Nikki took out her Pokécomm and scanned Ash's new Pokémon.
Name: Medicham
Species: The Meditate Pokémon
Pokécomm Entry: Through yoga training, it gained the psychic power to predict its foe's next move.
"Well now, I was not expecting that," Lesley said. "No matter, that still won't help you win. Knock Off!" Hariyama shook off the shock of seeing Meditite evolve and went back on the attack, swinging his hand in another attempt at Knock Off.
"Medicham, Hi Jump Kick!" Ash instructed. Along with her evolution cam new-found strength and speed, something that was made clear when Medicham jumped over Hariyama's Knock Off and kicked him in the face with Hi Jump Kick, causing him to stumble back while holding his face.
"Now that had some power behind it," Nikki commented.
"Now use Fire Punch!" Ash added. Medicham closed the distance between the two of them and began pummeling Hariyama with a Fire Punch barrage to the gut, each blow forcing him back more and more. When she was done Hariyama was doubled over in pain.
"Alright, finish this with Hi Jump Kick!" Ash called. With the momentum in her favor Medicham rose up into a Hi Jump Kick, once again striking Hariyama in the face. This time, the blow was enough to render the Arm Thrust Pokémon unconscious.
"Hariyama can no longer battle! Medicham wins! The victor is the challenger, Ash!" the referee announced.
"Yes! We won!" Ash cheered. As he celebrated his victory Lesley had recalled his defeated Pokémon and was looking over at Ash. He didn't like losing, but knowing that he had so much fun during the battle made it a bit easier to take.
After the battle everyone gathered out in front of the dojo. Ash had called out all the Pokémon who had competed by his side during the battle. They were pleased to have gained the victory, but many of them couldn't get over the fact that Meditite had evolved into Medicham. Lucario was especially proud of her.
"(I always knew you had the potential to do great things. I'm glad to see I was right,)" he said.
"(I owe it to all the training we did together back at the ranch,)" Medicham replied. While they talked the children were talking with Ash about his battle.
"That was an awesome battle!" one child said. "I never thought I'd see anyone beat Lesley."
"Are all you battles like that?" another asked.
"Pretty much," Nikki answered. "Seriously Ash, you've got to stop doing that."
"Doing what?" he inquired.
"Getting me so stressed out over your battles. I don't know how much more my heart can take," she said.
"(I've been dealing with this for years. How do you think I feel?)" Pikachu chimed in. At that moment Lesley walked up to Ash, carrying a case Ash guessed held the Area Crest.
"Ash, you battled with heart and determination. It gives me great please to present you with the Iron Fist Crest. Congratulations." The crest had a fist design engraved on it and two indention where Ash's two Gym badges were placed.
"Thank you, Lesley," Ash said as he took the Crest. "Check it out, guys! We won the Iron Fist Crest!"
"(Halfway there, buddy,)" Pikachu stated.
"It's only going to get more difficult from now on," Nikki warned.
"I don't doubt that, but I know my Pokémon and I will be ready for whatever comes our way!" Ash said. With his second Crest in his possession he was feeling unstoppable, a feeling he hoped would last.
After a hard fought battle Ash not only earned himself a new Pokémon but also won his second Area Crest. With half the job done what lies in store for him and his companions next? Find out in the next chapter of Search for Power!
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