Chapter 43

The evening before a final was usually an intense affair for the participants of the match but for Ash it wasn't. He'd been in this position three times so far and came out the winner twice, it would have been three but the Orange League fiasco was one that would live long in the memory. The fallout had still not cleared up with that one but as it had been nearly two years ago for Ash he wasn't concerned about it. There were far too many issues where he was to be bothered.

Gyarados had finished her quest and had safely made it to the lake but Lance hadn't had the chance to go and visit due to needing to be at the leagues Semi final so Ash had decided he would take the trip to her to get her in person once the league was over with. Nia had agreed to travel with him so it would be a nice trip for them both before they headed back across Silver Town and onto the Indigo Plateau before flying south to Ash's home. Ash remembered with a grimace the meeting he was going to have with his Pokémon but put it out of his mind for now, he had a match to win tomorrow. Meditating had always been something that had come easy to Ash, especially after learning he had aura and that a calm mind was essential to aura productivity.

Bethany had come round again and her and Nia had spent the evening chatting about their lives and experiences, with a few stories supplied by Jess and Joanne but Ash missed most of it as he was in his room studying Harrison's last few matches. Gary again was a gentleman and walked her back home but didn't say anything when he came back in half an hour later.

Sunday November 4th 2001

The next day Ash woke up very refreshed and in a very positive state of mind. He knew he was the favourite today and was determined to prove it to everyone and he was very happy with his team selection. He knew he easily matched Harrison with who he had available but of course it all depended on who Harrison sent out and in what order. The Johto final format was very strange as it worked like a football match in that you had to submit your team by 11am the day of the final to the referee as usual but this time the opponent would also find out who you have in your team when that was never the case during the tournament.

"Have you chosen your team?" Nia asked, yawning at his side.

"I have yeah" Ash said nodding and holding her closer to him. "I'm using Ampharos, Heracross, Sneasel, Machamp, Salamence and Pikachu."

"Good choices." She said, yawning again and rolling onto her back, opening her eyes fully "it's mad to believe you've been here nearly six weeks already."

"I know," Ash said, sighing "it's crazy to believe that Typhlosion has been gone for over two months. I think of her a lot, you know? I spoke to Agatha earlier on in the week and she said there's been the occasional shake of her urn but nothing major has happened. Apparently it could be a few more months before anything happens, it all depends on what she focuses on and who she becomes in the Reverse World."

"She'd be proud of you Ash." Nia said, giving him a soft kiss on the lips "as I am. Now come on, get up, get ready and prepare to win."

"I'm always prepared to win." Ash said laughing as he rolled over on top of her and started peppering her face with kisses eliciting peals of laughter.

Around 1pm Ash led them all up into his box where they all looked down onto the stadium which was gradually filling up.

"It feels different this time," Ash said quietly to Pikachu, looking down at the field and smiling, "like the field is mine to do what I want with, like everyone is here to see us doing something special today. I feel it Pi."

"Have you decided on a running order?" He asked.

"Yes" Ash replied "that could change though depending on who he sends out first but otherwise my plan hasn't changed from last night."

"Are you ok?" Nia asked walking from behind him to loop his arm and rest against him.

"Thank you" he said puzzling her "for convincing me to do this. I'm not fully invested in battling again but it's better than it was six weeks ago at least."

"You'd have kicked yourself had you given up the opportunity to get there" Nia said squeezing him "and you did get here as we knew you would. Today is just a battle before you begin the real challenge."

"Are you saying Harrison isn't a challenge?" Ash asked amused.

"No, he isn't" Nia said "I think I'd beat him to be honest, he's made so many mistakes over the tournament that he's relied on his Blaziken to get him out of. Find a way to neutralise that and he's pretty average"

"Oh really?" Ash asked again.

"I've seen that people are hesitant to use flying types because of his Blazikens leap," Nia said, "but that just means they haven't ever bothered to figure out how versatile flying types are."

"Yeah I noticed that" Ash said "I have a few things in mind for that. Anyway I need to head down to the field to do my usual with Pi." Kissing the top of her head he picked up an apple from the table and waved goodbye to everyone and made his way downstairs and into the hallways where he followed the signs for the reception. Handing over his Pokédex the receptionist signed him in and her co-worker led him to his room where a security guard was stationed. Thanking the aide he walked in and briefly looked around before he walked back out, much to the surprise of the security guard.

"You can lock it if you want" Ash said to the confused man "I won't be back for at least half an hour."

"But your match is in forty five minutes," he said, confused.

"I know," Ash said, nodding while holding up an apple, "but Pikachu and I have a tradition in the final. So it's up to you if you want to stay there or lock it and leave."

"I'll stay," he replied, "you'll be back soon."

Nodding Ash walked down the corridor that fed into the tunnel and walked out onto the pitch, waving to a few people before he knelt down and picked up a bit of soil, brushing it away and walking to the centre circle and sitting with Pikachu, sharing an apple together and talking about anything but the match.

"It seems yet again Ash Ketchum has taken to the field before his opponent" the TV announcer said to the panel of Cynthia, Blue and Clair who was the stand in for Lance due to a conflict of interest. "Do you have any insight into why he does this?"

"Some trainers like Ash need to feel the dirt that their Pokémon are going to go to war on" Cynthia said "I'm the same way. It helps me feel closer to my Pokémon and helps me sync up with them as beings rather than monsters or machines."

"It's also a facade" Clair said "it could be a cover to hide his nervousness."

"A few years ago that would have likely been true" Blue said "but Ash has reached 4 finals in 3 years. This isn't new territory for him. I asked him about this after our match and he said it's more of a tradition now for him and Pikachu to block out any external noise and just chat about life. It seems to work for him."

"It does work" Cynthia said "I found it very helpful. As assured as I am going into any battle, getting rid of any exterior noise or nonsense helps me focus on the task at hand."

"So what do we think about his opponent today?" The host asked "very little has been said about him in the last few weeks as he's been very efficient in getting through his battles, causing no fuss and just getting on with things."

"As opposed to Ash who kicks up Beedrill nests wherever he goes?" Blue asked humorously "he's been good. As you said he's been consistent throughout."

"Very reliant on his Blaziken though," Clair said, "which is never a good thing."

"Clair is right" Cynthia said "to be great you need a varied team that can cover any eventuality and at the moment he is struggling to do that. He still has time on his side though as he's only eighteen years old, has reached three semi finals, now two finals, winning one of them and about to take part in his second."

"By this point though you'd expect to have at least two Pokémon in your party to use as anchors" Blue said "he only has one so that would make this match a lot easier if it was me facing him down there."

"Can you explain that?" the host asked.

"Certainly" Blue said looking at Cynthia "both Cynthia and I have reached Champion level because we have several Pokémon that if we're losing by the time we need to use our fifth Pokémon we can send out one or maybe two or three Pokemon that can face and beat the opponents Pokémon and win from a losing position, not needing to use my sixth Pokémon. I have Blastoise, Alakazam and Rhyperior. Now that's not a knock on my other three Championship Pokémon but they have certain attributes that let me know what strategy I need to use to pull back from a losing position."

"I have Garchomp, Milotic and Spiritomb" Cynthia said "Blue is right, I've not trained them any more or less than the others in my team but there's certain characteristics they exhibit in a battle that sets them above my others. They're the ones who want to be pushed harder, to battle more and seem to almost relish taking punishment. That's what separates a top tier Pokémon from an Elite Pokémon."

"And that's why Ash is heavy favourite going into this battle because he has three" Clair said "he's yet to use Salamence or his Charizard in this tournament, he's only used Pikachu but we've seen just how devastatingly quick and powerful that little mouse can be when it needs to be."

"But Harrison still made it here to the final" the host pointed out "he got here on merit."

"No one is disputing that" Cynthia said "But Ash has more to draw from than Harrison."

"I'll give you an example" Blue said "in my match with Ash he found a way to not only neutralise Alakazam but I also very nearly lost Rhyperior straight away afterwards to the same Pokémon leaving only Blastoise as a potential anchor. I had to resort to use what I knew to be a sacrificial move just to get into the break at 3-2 and not 3-1. I decided not to use Blastoise as an anchor because Ash still had Pikachu and Charizard in reserve that I knew I would need him for. In the end I lost because both of them were too much for even him to combat. If we're being brutally honest, my Blastoise, Cynthias Garchomp, Lance's Dragonite, Stevens Metagross, Alders Volcarona etc etc would have very little problem dealing with half of Harrisons team forcing him to bring out Blaziken where we would then win through attrition. Ash is favourite because he has more than one Elite Pokémon to be able to rely on if it came down to it. That's all we're trying to say."

"It's not a knock on Harrison" Clair said immediately "we all know he got here on merit and he has as much of a chance to win as anyone, but Ash has the experience of being here consistently, along with more battle hardened trainers and their Pokémon that give him the edge and I believe that gives him the advantage here today."

"Well let's take a look back shall we on just how both competitors got here shall we?" the host said looking into the camera "Harrison topped his group as we expected him to do before earning a bye into the last 16 where he beat Timothy rather handily, his biggest challenge though was arguably his last eight opponent Vincenzo who pushed him all the way. He faced his sister in the last four and beat her 5-3 so his road to the final has been fairly straightforward."

"Vincenzo has to be the surprise of the tournament for me" Blue said "he was very unlucky in that match. I've had a secondary effect from a move impacting my match in the past, in fact it's what cost me my title match to Red so I understand Vincenzo's pain but Harrison set it up on purpose for that reason."

"Battle without strategy will usually only ever end one way" Clair said "and that's in defeat. Many of Harrisons opponents have gone into the match already thinking they'll lose and so they do and he didn't need strategy. Vincenzo though proved to everyone that with the right mindset you can overcome all odds. He was incredibly unlucky to get the paralysis when he did so Harrison was very fortunate to go through."

"He was but as you said he intentionally paralysed Feraligatr knowing what could happen." Cynthia said "and in doing so neutralised Vincenzo's biggest weapon. Harrison deserved the victory."

"Ash by comparison had a rather tumultuous Silver Conference very nearly going out in the group stages." the host said "and while he went through in second place with two wins out of three it was still up in the air heading into his last match of the group."

"That's because he was taken aback by the way the group stage battle structure is formatted" Blue said nodding "It's very skewed to those who have physical Pokémon rather than special and it's a big shock when you've not had anything like that used in the gym challenges to reach here. Having your best Pokémon hampered and limited like that is something I've always thought was very strange."

"It is very strange" Cynthia chimed in "many of my Pokémon are ranged attackers so to be banned from using them wouldn't sit right with me either."

"It's a debate that's put forward every year" Clair said tiredly "we gym leaders aren't allowed to give hints at what the format is for those who want to participate but the Johto Board won't spring for two new stadiums to have proper battles. Every region but ours has at least four at their disposal but we just have the one."

"Well he certainly didn't mess around in his two wins using only Pikachu," the host said "he made sure to progress after the embarrassment of being disqualified in his first match."

"My son told me that Ash wanted points on the board and to avoid any potential tactical play from his group rivals," Blue said. "Pikachu was his guaranteed ticket to the knockout rounds."

"What do you mean?" Clair asked confused. "What tactical play?"

"Salvadore was already guaranteed to go through as winner even if he lost his last match because he won against Ash so would go through as winner on the head-to-head should Ash finish on the same points" Blue said "so when he did lose his opponent leapfrogged Ash into second place. If Ash had then lost his last match he would have finished bottom on three points, Macey and Jackson drew against each other in their first match and would have had four points and Ash would have gone out on three. He made sure he secured second place with Pikachu in both battles to spare any embarrassment or potential tactical play to eliminate him."

"Isn't that dangerously close to cheating?" the host asked. "I mean from his group stage trainers."

"Normally yes" Cynthia said "however this is the Championship Tournament and you do whatever you can to win legally. If that means making sure a tournament favourite doesn't advance then so be it. It's not morally correct but it's also not illegal."

"I'm not saying Salvadore lost on purpose," Blue said, clarifying "just that Ash wanted to make sure that he alone decided his fate."

"Well his way to the final was a lot tougher than Harrisons was" the host continued "he made short work of a very nervous Walter, Evelyn was a much harder challenge for him, Timothy a harder challenge than Evelyn but no one could have seen the whitewash of Bethany given she was the third seed could we?"

"No" Clair replied shaking her head "I thought she may the one to send Ash home as we'd seen what Nia Morgan did a few years ago and how out of his depth he was with the Metronome strategy but it was rendered pointless by the fact she would have had to sweep all five of his Pokémon with just her starter. That was never going to happen."

"Something seemed to click for Ash in that battle" Cynthia said nodding in agreement "for every move she made Ash had a perfect, seamless counter to which she had no answer."

"Was it a surprise then" the host asked "given you've just told us about the anchor position to see him use his starter, arguably his strongest Pokémon from the get-go?"

"Very" Cynthia said nodding "but as we said given he has a few that are capable of sweeping it isn't unheard of. Ash has previous in using Pikachu first in matches but I would have been a bit hesitant. My own battle style is very different from Ash's."

"It's a very Kantonian style to be honest" Blue said "it's not really seen much anywhere else but Ash grew up watching the Elite Four, even my own fathers battles and we all have used our starter in first or last position in matches. The other regions focus more on trying to keep theirs in reserve a lot. I felt it's why Cynthia lost her match against Steven the first time, she changed her battle style and used Garchomp first whereas he kept his Metagross until last but when she went back to her original style she won. Sometimes it's all about sticking to what you know works. Ash knows that he has two Elites in his party that he can open and close with. He very rarely uses them in the anchor position."

"It was Garchomps idea that" Cynthia said chuckling "she insisted on showing her power that day, so determined was she that she beat three of his Pokémon but drew to his fourth. I held the advantage but Steven's Metagross quickly evened it up and I lost momentum. My rematch was very different though as I felt instantly more comfortable opening with Spiritomb and ending with Garchomp."

"As a trainer you find a rhythm that works for you" Clair said nodding in agreement "and once you find that it's very difficult to regain it when it's knocked out off balance. Ash has a knack for putting you in that position which makes him a dangerous opponent."

"It should be a great battle then when he finally reaches Sinnoh then" the host said looking at Cynthia.

"It should be but I can't see him winning" Cynthia said "his team isn't consistent enough yet, he chops and changes a lot and that's always a hard thing to overcome."

"His priorities changed not long ago" Blue said "He originally set out on his journey with a team in mind and he initially refused to catch anything other than that team but once they expressed their desire to do other things he then had to replace them and found it difficult. Don't get me wrong his replacements are still very good but if he'd have kept his original six with him at all times he'd be formidable by now. He lost half of his team before our match and then his strongest at the start of his Johto journey so as it is he has only a few that are Elite level and like Cynthia said, consistency is everything to remain Champion."

"I wasn't aware of that" Cynthia said "I did wonder why we haven't seen all three of his Kanto starters here this year."

"Yeah his Venusaur and Blastoise are now part time and his Charizard is leader of the Charicific Valley so couldn't help." Blue said "Venusaur was only drafted at the last minute because he has no fire type to counter Timothy's Steel types."

"Isn't that very strange for a trainer?" The host asked "I've never heard of anyone doing that before."

"It's what makes Ash unique" Blue said nodding.

"It's still a testament to how good he is of a trainer then to consistently reach finals without his strongest line-up then" the host said "and speaking of we've just had the line-ups sent to us, they're on the screen now. Any surprises?"

"Not from Harrison" Clair said "it's the team that got him to the final. Why fix what isn't broken?"

"I knew what four of Ash's would be," Blue said, "the last two were always going to be a toss up."

"Evidently he wants to showcase how good his newly acquired Johto Pokémon are by giving them a chance in a final." Cynthia said "we've seen them in battle already but they've not really been tested."

"Ok, well we're about to go live to the field once more to witness the opening ceremony. It looks like Ash is moving off the field and heading to his room so we'll hand it over to Mark. Mark, how are things pitch side?"

"They're good Sharon" Mark said "the conditions here are absolutely perfect for what should be a fantastic battle. It was interesting listening to the views of the panel, something that has been echoed a few times over this tournament by myself and my co-workers. Consistency is something Ash doesn't seem to have whereas Harrison does, but on the flip side Ash looks formidable and unbeatable at present, the whitewashing of his semi-final opponent will live long in the memory so it will definitely be a good match. The final odds just came in for the match and it puts Ash as the very heavy favourite. We're handing over now to three people Blue knows very well for the opening remarks of the tournament."

The camera panned to the centre of the field where Giovanni, Lance, his Elite Four and Gary walked out waving as they did so.

"Welcome all to the 32nd Final of the Silver Conference" Giovanni said to a raucous cheering crowd "the conditions are absolutely perfect to have what will be a fantastic battle between two very deserving competitors so without further ado let's kick off the proceedings. Announcing the referee, refereeing her first Championship final please give it up for Silver Towns own Alyssa Hargrave." The crowd cheered as a tall brunette walked out in a green and silver top with the date and initials of the final and its participants on the back, waving as she walked up to her box and waited patiently for Giovanni to announce the finalists. "And now to the participants, first hailing from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn Region. He was the semi-finalist in the Hoenn League last year before going on to become the current Orange League Champion by beating Drake in March of this year. Please give it up for Harrison Hazuki!" The crowd cheered wildly again as Harrison walked on from the eastern side of the arena and waving to the crowd before stopping in front of the referees box. "And his opponent, he hails from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. He won the Indigo League as a rookie, faced Drake the former Orange League Champion before walking away in the final. Last year he invoked his Elite Four battle rights and beat them before beating the former Champion Blue and becoming the youngest ever Champion of any league. Please welcome the Kanto Champion Ash Ketchum!" The crowd went wild again but it took a few moments before Ash walked out looking immaculate in a brand new outfit with his hair styled into a long ponytail. It was a green and silver suit but he had left the blazer hanging over his shoulder, holding onto it with his finger with Pikachu on his other shoulder. His shirt was a cut off vest shirt showing off his huge impressive frame and the outfit was completed by very new and smart silver sneakers.

"Oh my God" Nia said wide eyed at seeing Ash looking smart in a suit.

"You ok there?" Jess asked her.

"I think I've just had a crisis" Nia said looking hungrily down at Ash "what right does he have to look that good?"

There was raucous laughter from the room as Nia had apparently forgotten where she was when exclaiming out loud about how attractive Ash was. Bethany, who was very new to the group, didn't know if she should laugh or not so she just shook her head in amusement.

"He scrubs up quite well doesn't he?" Jess said looking at the screen in their box "I've never seen him in a suit before. Where did he get that as he wasn't wearing it when we left."

"Joanne had it in our room" Karl said "she brought it to his room while he was out on the field. She should be joining us anytime now as he's out on the field now."

"Oh that makes sense" Nia said "she could have warned me."

"Hello gentlemen" Alyssa said to the two men who were standing on the field looking up at her "today's match will be a six on six singles match with no substitutions. OHKO moves are still banned but the four move rule is still in effect. When one side loses three Pokémon we will be enforcing a thirty minute break but the field will remain neutral and not change. And while they haven't been used yet there is still only one Mega Evolution to be used by either side. Now I have been given the team sheets and as there have been no changes submitted in the time up until you walked out these Pokémon are the ones that you will use. Any changes will be instantly disqualified. Are there any questions?"

"Nope" Ash said, shaking his head and looking at Harrison who said the same thing before looking at Ash, smiling slightly. "Good luck" Ash said holding his hand out which was taken by Harrison who nodded and said the same thing.

"Very well, if you could take your places in your boxes and place your Pokéballs on the plinths provided. Ash, obviously as you don't use Pikachu's we have only placed five up there." Alyssa said.

"Thank you" Ash said before clapping Harrison on the shoulder and heading back to his side's podium and placing five Pokéballs on them before looking up at Harrison who was waiting.

"Ash, Harrison grab your first Pokémon and when I lower my flags you will release them. 3, 2, 1 go!"

Ash picked up a Pokéball and threw it onto the floor releasing Heracross while Harrison released Pidgeot. Inwardly grimacing Ash remained outwardly calm as Harrison immediately had the advantage but it would be a fantastic test for Heracross against an aerial opponent.

"Heracross vs Pidgeot begin." Alyssa shouted.

"Pidgeot get up high" Harrison shouted "we have the advantage here, stay high and stay alert."

"Heracross break the field up with Brick Break and use Rock Slide" Ash shouted "we're going to see what Pidgeot does before anything else."

"Pidgeot Aerial Ace into Hurricane" Harrison said, taking decisive action as Heracross broke up the ground near him and started smashing rocks in preparation for his rock attack.

"Protect yourself Heracross, let him break the field up more for you" Ash shouted and his Pokémon glowed bright blue as the winds started picking up as Pidgeot flew around and around Heracross in a tight circle getting harsher and harsher. Ash had no choice but to wait it out as the winds were too fierce for him to be heard but he trusted his Pokémon to survive this. Ash was just unlucky in his choice as if he'd have known Pidgeot was out first he'd have chosen Ampharos. Seeing the winds begin to die down he nodded as the blue sphere was still as solid as ever. He had a slight advantage using Heracross in a situation like this because they lived in trees so they were used to harsh weather conditions so a storm while not normal to him it was still bearable.

"Great stuff Heracross" Ash said as the wind disappeared and Pidgeot appeared hovering thirty feet above the ground "How was that?"

"Manageable" He said, shaking his wings out from the debris that had landed on them when the rocks settled. "What's the plan?"

"I wanted to see what he would do," Ash said, looking up at Pidgeot. "I fear though this may be a long one if he stays up there all the time."

"Is there no restriction for keeping out of the way and not attacking?" Heracross asked, also looking up.

"There is but the moves he used were both attacking moves so there's little chance he'll be warned" Ash said "No, we need to knock him down because I'm not forfeiting you."

"It may be the only choice he said" as he dodged an Air Slash and threw a rock up which missed by a wide margin "If I can't hit him we're just basically waiting for him to come down here, which he doesn't need to as he can attack from up there safely."

"I know" Ash said grimacing "I think at some point we need to look for a Mega Stone for you because this would have been a fairer fight then."

"Does us no good for this match though" Heracross replied sending another rock up which was again effortlessly dodged "I wish there was a way I could get him down here and smash its face in with my horn."

"Wait a minute" Ash said, bringing out his Pokédex "Keep dodging and retaliating. I'll be as quick as I can."

"What is he doing?" Bethany asked Nia who looked just as confused.

"I can't hear Heracross through a microphone" Nia said "I can only slightly understand Pokémon when I'm there in person but from what Ash was saying he can't hit Pidgeot but could defend all day so it'll just come down to people being bored. It's not much of a contest at the minute. Ash was right though, Mega-Heracross would have a much easier time."

"Why?" Bethany asked, having never seen one.

"Their arms basically turn into hoovers and then machine guns" she said wryly "imagine trying to dodge thousands of tiny rocks that are able to track you in the air."

"Wow" she said, taking a look at her own Pokédex at Mega-Heracross before looking up to see, to everyone's amazement Pidgeot get beaned by a glowing rock and fall out of the sky crashing to the ground. "What did I miss?"

"Ash taught Heracross Smack Down" Nia said amazed "during a bloody battle."

"I thought he knew it already?" Bethany asked, surprised.

"Evidently not but this has evened the battle up now, Pidgeot can't remain in the air and pepper him with attacks" Nia said shaking her head before shuddering as she thought about how handsome and smart he was.

"Did you just teach your Pokémon a move mid battle?" Harrison asked Ash amazed as his Pidgeot took flight again, minus a few feathers on his wing, squawking angrily.

"Yeah" Ash said nodding "it's the best way I've found as there's no room for error" Ash said nodding "I'll be honest, I think I started to teach Heracross the move months ago but then for some daft reason stopped."

"Greenfield" Heracross said "you started in Ilex Forest but then Greenfield happened."

"Ah that makes sense" Ash said "I know I would have taught it to you given what we saw Bugsy do. Anyway move forwards, we have a move we can use now so it should be more of a battle."

"We'll need to end this one Pidgeot, Sky Attack" Harrison shouted, annoyed that his advantage had disappeared so quickly. He was quite happy to have this one be a long drawn out one because he knew Pidgoet could evade those rocks all day due to being so high up so he could just pepper Heracross and be safe. He had never come across anyone who taught their Pokémon a move mid battle and it had thrown him somewhat.

"Reckless," Lance said from the box beside the Johto Elite Four, shaking his head.

"Very much so" Karen said "for someone with a Pidgeot he seems to understand very little about using its abilities as a threat."

"How so?" Will asked.

"Ash has one move he can use against Pidgeot" Lance said "his strategy shouldn't need to change despite it being a potent attack. All he needs to do is stay airborne and avoid the Smack Downs as they're incredibly taxing for a Pokémon to just spam. So to change his strategy and try to take Heracross head on, a fighting type that has incredible defence is just madness and is throwing away a Pokémon."

"On the flip side should he connect with Sky Attack this match-up is over with" Will said.

"I disagree" Gary said piping up "he doesn't need to engage in close quarters especially when you know your opponent has already used Protect as it leaves you heavily open to a counter. It's pure ego that is making him want to end this in one move. I have my own Pidgeot, so I know its limitations. Hyper Beam would have been a better move than Sky Attack or continue with the Air Slashes. He's just thrown away an easy 1-0. And Heracross still has a move in reserve which makes it even more idiotic. There we are, told you. Ash could just Protect and then bean Pidgeot with a point blank Smack Down. What a waste of a match."

"Tell us how you really feel," Lance said, chuckling.

"He's been making mistakes like this all tournament though" Karen said shaking her head "mistakes you should know to cut out very early on in your career."

"They should be cut out immediately" Lacey said "he should have cut them out when he lost doing the same thing in the Hoenn League but it seems he hasn't learned that lesson."

"Ash said the same thing" Gary said nodding "It's why he didn't feel too worried this morning. He knew Harrison had mistakes in him and could just wait for them."

"Awfully arrogant of him" Will said, sniffing and wincing slightly as he held his ribs. He had been playing off broken ribs for several weeks now, claiming a training accident when in reality it was because he defied the Master and demanded Ash be arrested. His master had seen fit to punish him harshly and he was lucky he was useful as an Elite Four member as he knew he would likely have gone the way of Hubert and Thomas.

"It's not arrogance, it's assurance" Gary said looking at Will "I'd prepare yourself if I were you because you are the one he will not hold back on when he faces you."

"He's not won yet" Will said as the referee raised his flag signifying Pidgeot had lost.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle" Alyssa shouted "Harrison, please send out your second Pokémon."

"Damn" he said recalling his flying type and shaking his head. How the hell had he lost that one? Looking up he saw Ash staring at him. "Well?"

"Well what?" Ash asked, confused.

"Usually this is where you tell people what they did wrong," Harrison said. "What did I do wrong?"

"Usually you'd be right" Ash said chuckling "but you're a Champion now Harrison, and you've reached at least two semi finals and a final in the last few years. This is something you need to figure out. If you still want to know after the match I'll tell you but I'm not giving anything away in a final."

"Spoilsport" Harrison groused before placing the ball on his belt and picking one up from the plinth and throwing it onto the pitch where a strange creature Ash had never seen before appeared. Taking out his Pokédex he scanned it but was still no wiser as to what it was.

"Kecleon, Pokédex number 352 the Colour Swap Pokémon. Kecleon alters its body coloration to blend in with its surroundings, allowing it to sneak up on its prey unnoticed. Then it lashes out with its long, stretchy tongue to instantly ensnare the unsuspecting target."

"I've heard of them," Ash muttered, "never seen one though. Ok Heracross, at least this one is land bound, get in close and use Brick Break"

Heracross nodded and shot forwards to get closer to his opponent who simply disappeared causing him to stop. "Ash, it's not a Ghost type is it?"

"No," Ash said, shaking his head "it's a chameleon Heracross. It's still there, just using the surrounding field to camouflage itself. It's on your five now."

Heracross immediately swung his arm in the direction of where he was told and felt a connection with something which was smashed away skidding along the ground kicking up dust, groaning as it did.

"Come on Ref, Ash shouldn't be able to do that" Harrison shouted frustrated.

"It's not against the rules," Alyssa said.

"It should be," Will muttered, getting a look from Gary. Will just sneered in response.

"I will hold a five minute timeout while I contact Giovanni and Lance, but as I said it's not against the rules" Alyssa said, pressing a button on her podium.

Lance immediately picked up his phone and walked off to the side just before it rang. A minute later he came back and sat down, not giving anything away but looking intently down at the field.

"You know you could just say 'You'll find out guys'" Bruno said chuckling at his old friends actions "you don't need to do that."

"Sorry" Lance said chuckling "I've left it down to Giovanni's discretion. I don't see any harm in it myself as it's not cheating given a Pokémon could just concentrate and find them. Is it in the spirit of a battle though? That's the question."

"It should be banned altogether," Will said, shaking his head.

"As should your ability to communicate silently via telepathy with your Pokémon" Gary said earning another glare "we can have this debate all day Will but at what point do you stop? When it suits you 100%?"

"He's right," Karen said, "we all have our own abilities and traits that we share with our Pokémon. There's a reason why your ability, nor Ash's hasn't been outlawed in battle. It's because they're part of your genetic make-up. No, if I was in Ash's shoes I'd be using every advantage I could."

"And yet one of ours was banned globally not long ago" Will said angrily "And everyone jumped on that bandwagon vilifying the lot of us."

"Reading the mind of an opponent to gain an advantage is rightfully banned" Bruno said "It's entirely different and you know it! Do not dare try and equate cheating to this."

"I would have thought you of all people would be sympathetic" Will said to him. "Especially given your child's ability."

"Who told you that?" Bruno said standing up looking livid and moving to stand over him before he was checked by Lance who stood in front of him, "very few people know that Will so I'll ask again, who gave you that information?"

"I must have heard it somewhere" Will said unfazed, waving it away.

"Oh no, you don't get to try and slink out of this one" Bruno said angrily.

"Bruno," Lance said, pushing his friend back "it will be dealt with."

"Dealt with how?" Bruno asked.

"It will be dealt with," Lance said, punctuating each word with a small push to Bruno who moved his seat to the other side of Lance and bringing out his Pokégear and dialling a number. The others looked on concerned as they'd never really seen Bruno angry. When the phone was picked up Bruno walked off to where Lance had stood and had a brief but angry conversation before looking up angrily at Will. A minute later he walked back and sat down, fuming.

"Who did you ring?" Lance asked quietly.

"Best you don't know" Bruno said darkly, saying nothing more.

Lance could only feel concerned at his friends demeanour. He could feel the simmering rage, just boiling underneath the surface of his usually placid friend.

Down on the ground Ash received a phone call from Giovanni that people only heard one side of. "Hello… Yeah I know… Why? No... Not really no… I mean they've not asked me… No I don't… Alright…Yeah I'll speak to you later."

"Mr Ketchum, Mr Hazuki" Alyssa asked looking at them "after speaking with Champion Lance and President Giovanni they have stated that it isn't illegal for Ash to use aura as it's an ability he can't switch off. This match will continue as usual."

"That's ridiculous," Harrison said, shaking his head in irritation. "It's a clear advantage."

"You know you could have just asked me" Ash said looking confused at him "I've no issue with just not telling my Pokémon where yours are."

"Really?" Harrison asked, surprised.

"Yes" Ash said nodding "there's a few circumstances where I won't accommodate an opponent but usually I don't see an issue with it. I prefer my Pokémon to figure it out for themselves anyway but if you would have just asked me I'd have been fine with it."

"Oh" Harrison said his anger disappearing instantly "well can you?"

"Yeah of course" Ash said "as I said I'd prefer my Pokémon to be able to figure it out for themselves. Most of my Pokémon can so don't be surprised if your Pokémon can't hide."

"And in an incredible show of sportsmanship Ash has agreed to not use his aura for the rest of the match" the announcer on the TV said "it's something we've come to expect from young Ketchum as this isn't the first time in this tournament he's helped his opponent out."

"Ok" Alyssa said "Now we've no way of actually monitoring if you actually have muted your aura so we'll just have to trust you."

"I'm pretty direct with my Pokémon" Ash said "for example, Heracross, four o clock."

Heracross quickly turned his body, his horn glowing bright green in preparation for an attack that never came. A few seconds later he shook his head when he realised that Kecleon hadn't moved from in front of him, thirty feet away.

"You see it's pretty ingrained in all my Pokémon now that when I say the time they act" Ash said "otherwise I just don't tell them."

"Very well" Alyssa said "I will strike the use of Megahorn from your moves used as it was for show. You have used all four moves, I hope you remember them. Are we ready to continue?"

"Actually no," Ash said, "am I allowed to give instructions like 'on your left, on your right, behind you' etc? Because that limits what I can actually say to Heracross and the rest of my Pokémon for the rest of the battle if I can't."

"I will use my discretion and judge" Alyssa said "so long as you react and not just act you should be fine. So shall we continue?"

Getting nods from both parties she dropped the flags again and both Pokémon moved, Kecleon disappearing again from view.

"Focus Heracross" Ash said "there's a limited space it can use, we're not out in the open, there's lines it cannot cross and you can see if it's dug a hole so use what you've been taught."

Heracross moved forwards cautiously keeping his head on a swivel looking for any movement when he realised what a fool he was being. He didn't need to look for Kecleon, he could make Kecleon show itself. Stopping he focused and his arms started glowing and he furiously started smashing the ground in front of him creating tremors while also trying to listen out for moving stones. It didn't take long before he discovered Kecleon and he quickly rushed forwards to engage the chameleon.

"Damn that was quicker that I wanted" Harrison muttered "Dig get away."

"Fill it in" Ash said quickly "we'll make sure it cannot come up that way to attack you from behind. Use the rocks."

Heracross nodded before flapping his wings and covering the hole with rocks.

"That's a point" Ethan said from the stands "why didn't Heracross fly up to Pidgeot. It's got wings."

"They're not proper wings" a voice from behind him said. Turning around he saw Vincenzo sitting with a stern looking man in a very sharp suit. "They're not sturdy enough to maintain flight, just move short distances so if he'd have flown up there he'd have been picked off by Pidgeot almost at will."

"Oh right" Ethan said "thanks."

"Kecleon, come up and use Flamethrower" Harrison shouted.

"Protect" Ash shouted quickly as ten feet away Kecleon burst out of the hole and fire swept across the ground before it popped back into the hole.

The next few minutes were pretty much the same. Dig, Protect, Fire, cover the hole and then repeat in another location.

Several times Heracross had managed to hit Kecleon with a rock before it dug away, but more often than not Heracross was the one who came off the worst as the field was getting very hot and every now and then flecks of fire would stay on his protect bubble and hit him when it was cancelled.

Just as Ash was about to make a command he received another phone call. Bringing out his Pokégear he didn't recognise the number so he buttoned it and put it on silent, looking up just in time to see Heracross get bathed in flames from close range, passing out as the move finished.

"Shit" he said looking at his phone and then up to the TV screen "whomever just rang me better have a bloody good explanation. You've just cost me the battle."

"You received a call?" Alyssa said "why was your phone not on silent as is instructed."

"Are you forgetting Giovanni rang me?" Ash asked. "I must have forgotten to put it on silent after the call. Return Heracross. Sneasel, you're up."

Sneasel appeared on the field before quickly jumping onto a rock and glaring at Ash.

"What the hell man?" he said "the field is like lava. Are we playing the lava game again?"

"No" Ash said palming his face "we're not playing the lava game you tool. I didn't realise the ground would still be so hot."

"It's like a million degrees!" he said outraged, sitting on the rock and blowing on his paw "I swear if this blisters…"

"It's not going to blister" Ash shouted shaking his head "stop being so bloody dramatic and focus on the battle."

"Hard to do so with the world burning" Sneasel said grumbling, climbing down the rock and tentatively putting his foot down on the ground before drawing it back like he was getting in a hot bath.

"Oh for Arceus' sake" Ash said taking a seat in the chair provided for him that blocked him from the view of most people but not the camera that was in his box. He heard a voice say "It's still hot" before rubbing his face and looking directly at the camera before saying "If anyone wants a Sneasel, free of charge just email me."

"I can hear you you know" came a voice from the field.

"You were meant to hear me!" Ash said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before standing up and trying not to laugh along with the audience.

"Is Sneasel always like that?" Bethany asked Nia who couldn't answer as she had fallen out of her chair, crying with laughter nodding vigorously. Between breaths she said "you should see it when Sneasel and his Shuckle get together. They bounce off each other and are the most dramatic Pokémon you will ever meet. Sneasel is the only Pokémon I know that can get away with insulting his Salamence to her face because she thinks he's 'special' and he can't help it."

"Sneasel vs Kecleon begin" Alyssa shouted drawing their attention to the match. Ash had stood up by this time and had his game face on, ordering Sneasel to use Blizzard which Sneasel rejected as the snow would melt instantly such was the heat still on the ground.

Sneasel had decided to take over this battle and hopped from rock to rock tentatively before sending an icy white ball into the air where strangely snow began to fall seconds later.

"I see your plan" Ash said nodding in approval as the snow began to melt and form little areas of steam that rose a foot or two into the air all over the field.

"Mr Ketchum…" Alyssa was going to ask before Ash interrupted her.

"It's a move called Snowscape" Ash said, looking at her briefly, "essentially the ice version of Rain Dance or Sunny Day. It creates a snowstorm but it's not fierce or harsh like the rain and sun. It's a move that was created in Alola by their variation of Sandshrew and Vulpix as a way of hiding in the snow. Their ability Snow Cloak automatically summons a snowstorm so when it is cancelled they wanted it to come back, hence Snowscape"

"Oh ok" Alyssa said nodding "I've heard of their ability but I had no idea the Pokémon themselves created the move."

"Oh yeah" Ash said "I think Articuno had something to do with it but that is just rumour as no one has had the chance to study her for very long without freezing. That reminds me Pi, I need to have a word with her at some point don't I?"

"You need to have a word with an Articuno?" Alyssa asked, forgetting where she was at the proclamation.

"Yeah," Ash said, nodding "her daughter keeps flying over my house and freezing up my lake and the inhabitants are none too happy about it."

"Oh" Alyssa said before realising where she was "anyway, I've just been informed the move is legal. Continue."

"How's the field now Sneasel?" Ash asked.

"Manageable" he said, zipping across the ground to get close to Kecleon's last location.

"Ok" Ash said "now will you use Blizzard?"

"Happily" Sneasel said before twirling in mid air and sending out a torrent of ice and snow which covered the field and located Kecleon very easily.

"Flamethrower " Harrison shouted "melt the ice and then use Dig."

"Let him" Ash shouted to Sneasel who stopped as Kecleon dug a hole and disappeared. "I think he's just left himself wide open Sneasel, Blizzard down the hole."

"Kecleon get out of there!" Harrison said realising Ash was right. A very cold Kecleon burst out of the ground shivering and snow falling from him looking very annoyed but had to dive out of the way as a rapidly approaching Sneasel nearly cut him in half. Yelping he looked around to try and find where Sneasel was but it had disappeared in the snowstorm which was still raging on.

"To your left!" Harrison shouted as his Kecleon twirled away just in time away from another Slash attack. "Good job Kecleon, I knew you were quicker."

"Uh oh" Ash said shaking his head drawing Harrisons attention "see you've gone and done it now."

"Yes he has" Nia said, shaking her head, getting the attention of those in the box "Sneasel is by far his most happy Pokémon because he loves life but the one thing he prides himself on is his speed. He's not been running at nearly half the speed he can go in this battle because he didn't want to. I suspect that's about to change now."

"Why?" Harrison asked.

Ash simply pointed to the field where a pair of eyes could be seen glowing an icy blue in the snow and without warning rocketed forwards and smashed into an unsuspecting Kecleon repeatedly who didn't even have the chance to land before being battered about. It was absolutely brutal.

"Sneasel enough" Ash said after the fifth hit as Kecleon came crashing down and the snowstorm ended showing Sneasel glaring at his opponent "It wasn't Kecleon who said anything Sneasel, we've been over this time and again that you need to get that sorted. We already know you're fast so I don't know what you're trying to prove."

"I know, I know" Sneasel said irritated before sitting down heavily on the snow glaring at the red beam as his opponent was recalled before closing his eyes and centering himself.

"We'll discuss it later" Ash said as a Weavile was thrown onto the ground "Oh for Arceus' sake."

Sneasel immediately stood up in disbelief when he saw the evolved version of himself staring back at him, smirking and smoothing back its feathers before sliding its claws against each other.

"Weavile Pokédex Number 461, The Sharp Claw Pokémon and the evolved form of Sneasel. Evolution made it even more devious and they form groups of four or five that hunt prey with impressive coordination. They communicate by clawing signs in boulders and work together to surround enemies."

"Wonderful" Ash said nodding to himself but internally he was quite worried as Sneasel had a particular aversion to Weaviles that he was very reluctant to talk about. Ash had put it down to a relation that had forced him out from his pack just before Ash first met him.

"Hello pipsqueak" Weavile said, smirking to Sneasel.

Sneasel didn't say a word as he set himself with his claws behind his back, leaning forwards ready for the referee.

"I hope you're prepared for this" Ash said to the referee who looked confused before dropping her flags. Neither Sneasel or Weavile moved for a few seconds before exploding forwards at crazy speeds, snow spraying up behind them as they moved, clashing with terrific force. It wasn't a battle, it was a scrap and one that was extremely fierce as the crowd were treated to clashes of steel claws and yells from them both. Alyssa looked at Ash and Harrison hoping for them to get some kind of handle on it but Harrsion was shouting, getting no response from his Weavile and Ash just shook his head at the scene.

"If you do not gain control I will have no choice but to disqualify them both" Alyssa said.

"You'll have to do that" Ash said shaking his head "unfortunately this goes deeper than a battle between two competitors. This is personal on a species level for bragging rights. Harrison, where did you catch your Weavile?"

"She was traded to me," Harrison said, shaking his head "My friend lives in Fuchsia and I wanted a Sneasel so I traded her an Absol. She's from somewhere in Kanto though, but I don't know where."

"Oh shit" Ash said looking up to the skies in disbelief "there's only one place for Ice Pokémon in Kanto where they thrive. How long ago was this?"

"Two years roughly" Harrison replied "why?"

Looking down at the same time they saw them both spring apart, each having gashes on them where the Slash attacks had hit. Weavile though looked like she had come off the worst as she was heavily favouring her left arm where blood could be seen dripping slightly onto the white snow.

"Ash," Alyssa said, looking at him.

"I know" Ash said, nodding as he picked up Sneasels ball but waited for the official call.

"You've grown strong brother" Weavile said, panting harshly and wincing as the adrenaline started to wear off and the cut became very painful.

Sneasel had a sense that he was about to be recalled and glared at the Weavile "This is not over with sister, not by a long shot. I will have my day of reckoning. Ash, recall me before I do something I know I won't regret."

"I forfeit Sneasel," Ash said, immediately recalling him and looking strangely at his ball. He brought out his Pokégear and sent a quick message to both Giovanni and Lance informing them he'll write up a report later about what happened. Looking up he saw Alyssa raise an eyebrow at him. "Just letting Lance and Giovanni know what happened and why. I'll let you both know after the match too."

"Very well, send out your third Pokémon" Alyssa said nodding.

"Let's go Ampharos, you're up" Ash said releasing his long necked sheep who looked balefully at the very injured looking Weavile. "Sneasel?" he asked looking up at Ash who nodded without saying anything.

"Weavile vs Ampharos, begin." Alyssa said.

"Weavile, use Blizzard" Harrison said as his Pokémon steeled herself to use said move.

"Discharge" Ash said immediately countering. Ampharos was faster, likely due to the damage Sneasel had done and his attack shot to every corner of the field, melting the snow with the electric current and slamming into Weavile who could do nothing but scream as thousands of volts of electricity coursed through her. It wasn't long before she passed out.

"Weavile is unable to battle" Alyssa said raising a flag "As Harrison has lost three Pokémon we will now have a thirty minute break. Mr Ketchum as your Ampharos is unharmed we won't need to send Nurse Joy to your room but he must immediately be released upon getting back into your box. Gentlemen, I will see you both in half an hour."

Ash nodded recalling Ampharos, grabbing the other two balls before wandering down the stairs and down the tunnel to his room where he sat down and meditated. He was 3-2 up again in a final when he should have been 3-1, possibly even 3-0. Sighing and shaking his head he relaxed into his trance and blocked out the world.