Yikes, it's been a month since I've posted a chapter. It's been a busy month, so busy that I had this chapter written a week ago and only scraped together the time to edit over the past few days. That's a small issue I have with working on so many projects, unless I focus on one, I need a lot of time to get anything done.
Thankfully, my schedule should be relaxing in 2 weeks, so I'll be able to write more regularly again. If you want to support my work, I do have a Ko-Fi. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!
"Are you certain you're up for this?" Louise asked.
"Of course!" Ash replied enthusiastically in between bites of food. They were having breakfast in one of the castle's smaller guest dining rooms, and Ash had no hesitation in showing his appreciation for the bountiful feast before him. "I'll have Pikachu and Derflinger with me, and you, Swablu, and Cattleya cheering me on!"
"You hardly had any time to train since Pikachu knocked you out," Louise pointed out.
"Pi," Pikachu said apologetically from his seat at the table.
Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, I forgot how hard Pikachu could hit when he gets serious," he acknowledged. "But that battle was all we needed to get back on the same page. Right, buddy?"
"Pikachu!"
Louise narrowed her eyes, but then sighed in defeat. "I'd say you're overconfident or lying, but after what I saw yesterday… just, try to be more careful when dueling my mom, okay?"
Ash opened his mouth to agree, but then paused, for once, to think. "I don't know if I can do that," he said honestly. "Duels are apparently a big deal, if I remember Kalos history correctly. I can't give anything less than my best, and I can't do that while being careful."
While Louise wanted to argue, she knew the truth behind his observation. "Fine," she conceded. "But try to not to die or get maimed."
"Your mom wouldn't go that far, would she?" Ash asked nervously.
"Maybe you should've thought of that before accepting a duel," Louise replied spitefully.
"She won't," Cattleya piped up from her seat next to Louise. "She may break a limb or two, but she'll probably only leave you bruised all over."
Ash stared at her in surprise, and even Louise looked a little nervous.
"But I'm sure you'll be fine," Cattleya assured Ash with a warm smile. "I don't think I've ever seen a powerful creature like your adorable Pikachu!"
"Adorable or not, why are your creatures seated at the table?" Eleonore, who sat next to Cattleya, looked across the table to where Pikachu, Swablu, and even Derflinger had a place at the table for themselves. The pokemon each had plates of food they were devouring, while Derflinger sat in the chair with an empty plate in front of him. "Your sword can't even eat!"
"No one else is using the chair," Ash said defensively. "He might as well have a seat since everyone else is." Technically, Swablu wasn't even using its chair, but his point remained.
"And I like the smell!" Derflinger chimed in. "It's easier to get the aroma from up here."
"How can you smell?" Eleonore protested. "You don't even have a nose!"
"I don't have ears, but I can still hear your whiny voice!"
"You're not helping, Derflinger," Ash said with a sigh. "We already have one Valliere to duel, let's not try to start another fight."
"Where is mother, by the way?" Louise asked her sisters.
"She took a private breakfast on the grounds," Eleonore replied. "It's poor form to be in polite company with someone you plan to duel."
"Aha!" Derflinger exclaimed. "So, you don't plan on dueling us!"
"My mind might change on that matter," Eleonore replied icily.
"Derflinger, cease your petty squabbling with my sister, or you will remain on the floor the rest of your stay," Louise threatened the sword.
"Sorry, girlie, but my partner here is the only one who can boss me around!"
"I agree with Louise," said Ash. "We're guests. We shouldn't be rude to our hosts."
"What?!" Derflinger exclaimed.
"Pika," Pikachu said smugly.
"Wet blankets, the lot of you!"
Ash looked himself over. "I'm pretty sure I dried off after my shower," he responded.
"…I give up. Let's go fight the Duchess of Tornados already."
The chosen battlefield was yet another courtyard at the back of the castle. The sheer amount of space the castle grounds covered made Ash wonder why it was occupied by so few people. While he'd passed several servants in the halls, despite the Valliere castle being almost the size of the royal castle, he doubted it held even a fraction of the population.
Karin was already waiting for them when they arrived. She was standing next to her Manticore, her gaze locked on Ash. The boy stepped forward, only to be stopped when Louise took hold of his hand.
"I don't care if you win or lose, just try to not get hurt too badly, okay?" she tried to make it sound like an order, but the uncertainty in her voice grew stronger as she finished.
"I'll try to avoid anything worse than bumps and bruises," Ash promised. "And we'll try to win too. Right guys?"
"Pika! Pika!"
"You got that right, partner!"
Louise couldn't help the proud smile that spread across her face. She turned away quickly and made her way back to her sisters, who remained in the shade of the courtyard wall, far from the potential collateral damage. Cattleya gave her a knowing, teasing smile.
"So, you still wish to face me?" Karin asked as Ash approached.
"We're always up for a challenge," Ash declared.
"Your courage is commendable, however—" the duchess's voice grew harsher "—there is a fine line between bravery and foolishness."
At that point, Ash felt like he had to ask, "Does everyone expect us to lose that badly? Even if we don't win, we're going to give it our all. We won't give up no matter how many times you try to scare us!"
"Pikachu!"
"You tell her, partner!"
"Unwavering dedication, even in the face of adversity," the duchess said, so softly Ash barely caught it. In a louder voice, she declared, "Very well. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, prepare yourself."
"We're ready when you are!"
From the sidelines, Eleonore called out, "Begin!"
The duchess wasted no time, chanting and drawing her sword in one swift motion. "Wind Blades!"
"Get down, Pikachu!" Ash called out, drawing Derflinger and channeling his Aura. He hunkered down with Pikachu, hiding behind the barrier he projected from Derflinger's blade. The attack reminded him of Razor Wind, but with a much shorter delay. Once the barrage of attacks stopped, he called out, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu leapt high out from the cover. "Pika-chu!"
"Wind Shield!" Karin moved with calm and practiced movements, summoning a convex barrier of wind that dispersed the stream of electricity.
"Aura Sphere!"
The small blue orb Ash fired ground useless into the Wind Shield as well before exploding harmlessly. The explosion created a small smokescreen, giving Ash a window to charge the barrier directly.
Karin watched his approach stoically, feeling disappointed. Wind Shield was well-known for its ability to deflect almost any attack, be it from magic or physical sources. Despite the unsubstantial element, it took overwhelming power to break through such a spell. Ash was certainly stronger than a boy his age should be, but raw force alone would never penetrate her defenses.
The duchess's eyes widened in surprise when Derflinger pierced through the barrier. The thrust was slowed considerably, but the sword steadily slid through, unraveling the spell like a knife cutting through threads of thick yarn. Karin put her own sword against Derflinger's blade and pushed.
To his credit, Ash managed to stay on his feet. However, Derflinger was successfully pushed out of the Wind Shield, and Ash was clearly off balance. She dispersed the spell and lunged forward, only to see a blur of movement in the corner of her eye. She pulled back, letting Pikachu streak in between her and Ash.
"Get him," she commanded.
Her manticore lunged forward, like a cat pouncing on a mouse. Pikachu zigzagged to dodge with surprising speed and agility.
"Thunderbolt!"
Karin noticed that even as Ash gave the command, he only briefly glanced at the fight between familiars, keeping his attention focused on her. There was a technique for mages to use the familiar contract to share senses with their familiars, but that usually took months to learn, if not years. She knew that Ash would not have been able to pick it up within a single day. Despite this, he was still able to properly command his familiar in combat. That was a level of confidence that could only come from deep trust, which was usually built through experience.
Experience that the average teenager did not have.
Ash engaged her again, using the same straight forward thrust as before. For all his battlefield awareness, he didn't seem to have a foundation on combat. His form was surprisingly crisp, but very clearly telegraphed. The average soldier would be overwhelmed by his speed and power. However…
Clang!
Karin of the Heavy Wind was far from average. She struck down, sending Derflinger into the dirt before swinging upwards, being careful to angle the flat of the blade so she would only break a rib instead of cutting the boy in half.
Ash surprised her by leaning far back, taking one hand off his sword, before reengaging. He pulled Derflinger out of the ground, holding the sword in an awkward reverse-grip while reaching out to her with his free hand.
A casual sword swing deflected Derflinger, and Karin sidestepped Ash's open hand before spinning on her heel and kicking him in the gut. She had a preference for wearing short but well-tapered heels, which doubled as an effective weapon when hitting an unarmored opponent The boy tumbled backwards and rolled back onto his feet, not losing his grip on his sword.
The duchess quickly checked on her manticore using their connection. The electric mouse was proving to be quite nimble, dancing around her familiar and throwing out blasts of electricity every time it gained enough distance. Her manticore had been hit the first time, but not since then. Karin was certain that her manticore would be able to catch Pikachu if they were moving in a straight line, but Pikachu's nimbleness was a vexing issue, especially since this was land battle.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!"
Ash had used the extra space to reassess Pikachu's situation. He was unused to not being able to keep an eye on Pikachu during the entire fight, but he trusted Pikachu's judgement.
Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity, notably weaker than the previous ones. Her manticore dodged all the same, and then lunged forward. Pikachu dodged to the side, but this time the Manticore's tail was poised to strike. The tail was clad in a thick exoskeleton, it's stinger tipped with one of the deadliest venoms known on Halkegenia. Of course, Karin wasn't planning on using such an extreme measure in this fight. The tail was over twice Pikachu's length from ear to tail, so even a glancing hit from the bulb would hurt.
"Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's tail glowed with a silvery sheen as it deflected the deadly tail.
Karin's eyes narrowed at the development. She had assumed that the unfamiliar creature was more of a more magical inclination, and the triangle-class spells it was throwing around substantiated that idea. Its agility and size made it also seem frail, but it was able to strike with surprising physical strength.
Seeing the duchess look distracted, Ash took a moment to hold his free hand out and use, "Aura Sphere!"
"Crescent Wind."
A slice of wind, expanding as it flew until it was longer than the duchess was tall, ripped through the Aura Sphere with ease. Ash leapt to the side, a nervous but excited grin on his face. "Looks we're taking it up a notch," he said. He crouched down into a sprinter's stance and pushed off the ground, blitzing towards Karin.
He was certainly moving faster than before. Karin assumed that Ash was using a subtle spell to increase his speed. While his speed was impressive, it wasn't anything she hadn't seen from training Wardes. And as per usual, his attack was clearly telegraphed. Worse, he was only thrusting with one hand, which made parrying his attack comically easy.
Karin's eyes widened as she realized that Derflinger was parried far too easily. Her instincts were proven true as Ash spun in midair with the momentum, planting Derflinger in the ground so he could use both feet to dropkick her.
Ash's feet caught her right in her ribs. The duchess was knocked a pace back, but caught herself quickly and grabbed one of Ash's legs. Rather than hang helplessly, Ash pulled himself towards her, yanking Derflinger out of the ground in the process, forcing Karin to drop his leg and get more space to defend with her sword.
"Innovative, but clumsy," she lectured him, shoving him back. This time, she went on the offensive, striking with a balance of speed and precision that Ash struggled to keep up with. Her parries made his physical strength useless, and the positioning of her blade prevented him from making openings with his usual wild swings.
"Then we'll get more creative!" Ash responded. "Pikachu, use Thunderwave!"
Pikachu jumped high into the air to get space from Karin's Manticore. "Pika-chu!"
Karin's attention was focused on pressuring Ash, but a warning howl from her familiar gave her pause. Sharing her manticore's vision, she saw that rather than target his opponent, Pikachu had aimed his attack at her. She pulled back, only to be stopped by Ash grabbing her arm while standing in the path of the attack.
The duchess didn't even have time to cast a defensive spell before the electric-type move struck Ash, and then flowed into her.
"Foolhardy," she said, forcing her body to enunciate the words. She could still move, by sheer force of will, but she was clearly deliberated. Every movement she tried to make was slow and jerky. "Crippling yourself with your opponent is a death sentence on the battlefield."
"I'll be fine," Ash said assuredly. His eyes shone blue, as did the hand that was gripping her arm. "Force Palm!"
As Karin's feet skidded over the grass, she cast a quick lightning spell of her own, Ash swung Derflinger to block the bolt before charging at her with far more speed than a normal person should have in his condition.
"Celerity," she chanted. While her muscles still weren't responding properly, with her enhanced speed she was easily able to outpace Ash.
Then Ash became outlined in a blue haze, and his speed redoubled as well. The duchess found herself only going blow for blow, with her previous skill advantage being hampered by the partial paralysis, and her speed and strength being matched, if not surpassed.
Over at the familiars, Pikachu was desperate to get some distance. Going up in the air had given space to assist Ash, but it had cost Pikachu his own advantage. Manticores were well suited for aerial combat, and once Pikachu touched back on the ground, he no longer had the space to charge enough electricity to force the familiar to back off. "Pikapi!" he called out.
"Quick Attack, then Iron Tail!" Ash responded, only needing a quick glance to assess the situation and come up with a plan.
Given what Ash had displayed so far, Karin had an inkling of what Pikachu was going to do. "To me!" Karin commanded her familiar.
Pikachu sprinted towards the two humans, but in a burst of speed, Karin's Manticore reached them first. Karin leapt upwards and landed on her Manticore's back. Pikachu ran to Ash, who presented the flat of Derflinger's blade like a springboard and launched Pikachu into the air after them. Piakchu's Tail glowed with a metallic sheen as he swung for Karin, who deflected it with her own blade. Her Manticore then smacked Pikachu away with one of its wings.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Pika-chu!"
"Wind Shield!" Karin countered. The lightning struck the circle of swirling wind, but failed to penetrate.
Ash planted Derflinger in the ground to catch Pikachu with both arms. "We'll go for a combo attack," he said. "Electro Aura Sphere!"
Ash charged his Aura Sphere near Pikachu's tail, and then Pikachu formed an Electro Ball around it. The electric orb had faint showings of blue underneath, and was notable larger than an average Electro Ball.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he threw the attack.
Karin watched as the orb flew into her shield. The swirling winds ate away at the electricity and the blue aura underneath. The attack exploded, and the smoke quickly cleared away, leaving her unscathed.
"Is that all?" she called out.
"Time to give it your all, Pikachu," said Ash. "Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pi…" Pikachu charged up as much as electricity into his cheeks as he could, and then released with a "ka-chu!"
This bolt of lightning was thicker than the last. Rather than be broken down by the Wind Shield, it collided and flared around it, as if it were a torrent of water breaking against a rock. Karin also quickly noticed that the attack wasn't stopping. It was not a burst of lightning, but a constant stream. She could feel the triangle class spell buckle under the pressure. Wordlessly, she nudged her manticore with her leg. Her familiar responded by banking sharply to the side a mere second before the Wind Shield exploded, and the lightning pierced through her previous position.
On the sidelines, Eleonore's jaw dropped. "That lightning, it had the power of a square class spell. How?"
"Ash certainly is impressive, right Louise?" Cattleya asked with an impish smile.
Louise, enraptured by the sight, nodded along, not even consciously registering the words.
Karin, from the safety of her Manticore, circled around Ash until all that was behind him was open fields. "Do your best to survive," she called out as she raised her sword in the sky.
Ash could see the power building up around Karin. The aura of her body was flaring brightly, much like when Louise was putting her full effort into her explosions. "Derflinger, how much of that spell do you think you can eat?" he asked.
"Partner, I can feel the tingling from all the way over here. I don't think I'm going to be much help stopping this one."
"Pika pi…" Pikachu said nervously.
"Heavy Wind!"
"Mother, no!" Lousie cried out. "You're going to kill him!"
Swablu, who had been content to watch this all unfold from the comfort of Louise's hair, popped its head out to better see the chaos unfold.
Below Karin's manticore, three tornados sprang into existence. Each was the size of a castle tower, and were filled with a swarm of Wind Blades. Ash's eyes bulged as his Aura Sight took in the full scale of the spell. "Pikachu, we're going to have improvise a new version of Counter Shield. You ready?"
"Pika!"
"Derflinger, can you focus on absorbing the wind more than Pikachu's lightning?"
"Magic is easier for me to digest than his lightning, but this is new territory, partner," Derflinger warned Ash.
"Someone's got be the first," Ash said encouragingly, even as the tornados bore down on their position. He held Derflinger high in front of him. "Pikachu, use Thunder all around us! Derflinger, drink up!"
"Pika-chu!"
Ash closed his eyes and fully embraced the Aura within him. The hazy glow around him flared like bonfire. Instead of using this Aura as a shield to weather the storm, he let the Aura flow through his body, and he dove straight into the central tornado. He dove in, eyes still closed, relying on his Aura Sense instead of his sight. When he sensed a Wind Blade, he let the runes' autopilot takeover his body, allowing Derflinger to slice through each one with ease. Pikachu's constant use of Thunder constantly shocked Ash's body, but with his Aura and natural endurance, it was hardly a hinderance. Derflinger's blade drank in a little of the attack and also guided most of the lightning in front of them, but that only aided in Ash's plan. The biting winds of the Tornado were unable to pierce the power of Pikachu's Thunder, and stray Windblades often crashed ineffectively against the improvised counter shield.
As the Valliere ladies watched anxiously, the Heavy Wind spell tore through the ground. Slicing through the central tornado was Ash, sparking with remnants of lightning and radiating a dying blue glow. Ash raised Derflinger in triumph—
—Only for Karin's Manticore to divebomb him, sending him face first into the ground.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu declared, swinging with Iron Tail. Karin parried and then retaliated. While Pikachu was able to block her first strike, he was too slow to block the second. The duchess's sword caught him in the stomach, sending him skidding into the ruined grass.
Karin surveyed her work. Pikachu was out cold—she had hit him with the flat end, but she hadn't held back her strength or speed—and Ash, despite having over a ton of weight crash into him after fighting his way through her signature spell, was still struggling to rise from underneath her Manticore's paw. The glow of his Aura had faded, but she could see the glow of the runes shining brightly from underneath his fingerless gloves. One of his hands still held Derflinger, while the other was braced against the ground in an effort to push himself up despite the colossal weight on his back.
Karin stepped towards Ash and put her blade to his throat. "Do you yield?" she asked.
Ash took a moment to swallow, "I yield," he agreed.
Karin sheathed her blade as her familiar stepped off of Ash. She offered her hand, and, with a brief look of surprise, he took it with a smile. Then he dashed over to Pikachu. The duchess was surprised that he'd break decorum, but only for a moment. Seeing the concern in Ash's face as he picked up his long-time partner, she found herself nodding in approval.
"You did great, Pikachu," Ash assured his Pokemon. Pikachu stirred in response to Ash's voice. "Get some rest, you deserve it."
"Pika… pikapi…" Pikachu said sleepily, before curling up in Ash's in embrace.
Ash carefully walked back to where Karin and her manticore stood, making sure that Pikachu was properly cradled in one arm in a way that he wouldn't be jostled and the cap on his head wouldn't move either. The other hand still held Derflinger, with the runes still faintly glowing. "Thank you for the duel, Duchess Karin," Ash said, ducking his head. "It was an honor. We learned a lot from this."
"Good," Karin replied. "You have potential. Don't waste it."
"I'll do my best."
Karin gave him and Pikachu an evaluating look. "A question, if you will. Your familiar, are all of its species that strong?" she asked curiously.
"Ah, no, not really," Ash admitted. "Pikachu are pretty popular pets; not many trainers catch them for battling. And if they do, they usually evolve them into Raichu. But Pikachu doesn't want to evolve, so his strength comes from all the training and battles we've done."
The specifics of what Ash explained sounded like gibberish to Karin, but she could understand the gist of it. "Manchester has fought many familiars and mounts, but few have given them as much trouble as your familiar," she said. "And you, if I was still the Captain of the Manticore Knights, I would recruit you immediately."
"Uh…" Ash sweatdropped. "I'm flattered, but… why? Without these runes I don't even know how to swing a sword, and I don't know the first thing about being a soldier."
"You held back at the start of our duel," Karin stated.
"So did you," Ash shot back.
"I held back because I was testing you. You held back to test me as well, and to catch me off guard with your true abilities," Karin responded clinically. "You knew you lacked formal training, so you played a fool and used unorthodox and elaborate plans to get every advantage you could find. When faced with an attack you couldn't endure, you took the initiative to go on the counteroffensive. Your bond with your familiar is on par with seasoned soldiers with years of combat experience. Even now, you're exhausted on your feet, but your first action was to see to your familiar, even though the polite thing to do would be to address me first."
"Ah, sorry?" Ash apologized. "I'm not good with the formal customs here."
"Would you do the same thing now that you are aware?"
"Yes," Ash replied immediately. "Sorry, but Pikachu will always be my first priority."
"Then don't apologize," Karin said firmly. "Your actions are noble, and all who say otherwise fail to understand the importance of the bond between mages and familiars. Speaking of, there is someone who is waiting. You should go."
There was a long moment of blankness on Ash's face, before he turned to where the spectating crowd had been. Louise was standing at the edge of the ruined grass, hands kneading the edges of her skirt, with Swablu's face sticking out from her voluminous hair. Ash quickly bowed his head to Karin before trudging through the ruined ground. The winds had turned the perfect lawn into a twisted stew of grassy dirt clumps and uneven footing. Ash stumbled and nearly fell twice before he finally made it to where Louise was standing.
"Sorry, Louise, we couldn't win," Ash said sheepishly.
"You idiot," Louise said with surprising gentleness, hitting his shoulder with her fist. Compared to her usual hits, it felt like a light tap. "What kind of idiotic, stupid, moron runs straight into a Square Class spell?"
"It worked, kind of," Ash said in his defense.
"Swa! Swa!" Swablu chirped happily.
Louise shook her head and wrapped her arms around Ash, pulling him close, their bodies only separated by Pikachu's sleeping form. "You're an idiot, you know that?"
"I get it, I get it," Ash said drily.
"Aww, you two are so cute together!"
Louise jumped away and nailed her hands to her sides. "It's only natural for a mage to check on her familiar," she instinctively said in her defense.
Catttleya's smile only widened at that. "Of course, Louise, I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
Eleonore, who stood beside Cattleya, gave Ash a critical glance, and then sighed. "I must apologize for my earlier conduct," she said, sounding embarrassed as she forced the words to come out. "You… certainly aren't an ordinary commoner, and there likely is some truth to the rumors."
It wasn't the best apology Ash had heard, especially when it was said through gritted teeth, but he nodded and said, "Apology accepted. Some of the rumors probably exaggerated a bit, but I've made some friends that helped make the impossible into reality."
"Now, how about we get you two to a nice bed and healer," said Cattleya.
"Yeah," Ash said, sheathing Derflinger. "I'm beat." When the glow from the runes faded, Ash stumbled forward. Louise yelped as he fell into her. Caught off guard and lacking in physicality, she hardly slowed him down as they fell to the ground.
"Ash! What are you—get off me!" Louise quickly realized that Ash was out cold. And she couldn't push him off; he had Pikachu cradled with him. "Cattleya, Eleonore, help me!"
"How romantic," Cattleya said dreamily.
"Really, sister?" Eleonore scoffed. With a quick chant she levitated Ash and Pikachu off of Louise. "If he was awake, I would threaten him for his impropriety."
"For falling asleep in the arms of his lover?"
"I'm not his lover!" Louise protested vehemently.
Her furious blush was less than convincing.
So yeah, one day is not enough to recover all the Aura usage. Especially not when you're fighting someone who's out of your league even while holding back. Ash needs a training Arc. Where can I pencil that in? Hm… I guess I'll try to do something next Arc, since it's smaller.
While this duel was one of the first things I thought of once I decided to bring back Pikachu, I had only a few notes for it. A lot of it treads old ground with Ash's strengths and weaknesses in traditional combat, but hopefully it also shows how he gets more effective the more he's in his element. I said at the start of this that I didn't want to write a traditional crossover where Ash goes anywhere and just does normal trainer stuff, but he is trainer. It's his bread and butter. This is where he gets to shine.
And with this out of the way, we can finally fill in the pokedex next chapter! Cattleya is the only animal specialist I know of in Halkegenia, so the role she'll be playing should be obvious.
I wish I had finished the pokedex earlier, so I could've worked in a Pokemon appearance before the Salamence reveal, but after going back through the chapters, I'm not sure if it's worth shoving the mention in. What do you all think? Small retcon or no retcon?
Oh, and funny thing I found when trying to name the Manticore (because it's not named in canon):
Man-chester is a word chimera of "mam" "caster"
"Mam" comes from the word for "woman/breast"
"Caster" in this case means "roman fortress", but you could use the more modern meaning too.
You're welcome for that mental image.
Remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!