Time for another chapter and the end of the Contest. The new picture for this story is thanks to a friend of mine, who was actually the inspiration of two characters in this story. His appearance was used for the Mayor of Drummond Town and his mind was used for Eelektross.
I'm going to address something that came up when I started this story. Kalos Pokémon will start appearing and before anyone asks in this story Ash has been to Kalos, he has met Clemont, Bonnie and Serena but he didn't take part in the League he only went to train and catch some new Pokémon. When more of his Pokémon are revealed I'll introduce them but at the minute the only ones I know of are Froakie and Fletchling, they don't appear in this chapter but they will make a fully evolved appearance eventually.
Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter so I'm going to shut up and let you get to the story. Enjoy.
Chapter 16
Battles and Goodbyes
Ash and May looked at each other and nodded knowing just how to start this battle off.
"Double Dragon." They shouted together, Garchomp and Altaria created multiple copies of themselves which spread around the field and they all became shrouded in red and black energy. It was a tactic that May had created for her appeals, by using Double Team and Dragon Dance to make more of a show. She occasionally used it in her battles but most of the time she only used Altaria for appeals because of the damage to her wings. The appearance of the multiple dragons combined with the glowing energy of Dragon Dance caused Sue and Danielle's points to drop.
"Delcatty, Use Blizzard to clear away the copies." Danielle said. Delcatty took a deep breath and released it as a gale force wind of snow and ice.
"Dodge it!" Ash and May shouted at the same time, Altaria flew high into the air to avoid the super-effective attack as Garchomp dove head first underground doing the same. Once the attack ended all the copies were gone and the two dragon types returned to their former positions in front of their trainers. Ash and May's points dropped halfway between the full and quarter because of how Blizzard cleared away their copies.
"Ninetales, Will-O-Wisp." Sue said, the cream fox opened her mouth and blew out a ball of blue fire, which headed directly towards Garchomp.
"Altaria, protect Garchomp with Safeguard." May called to the Humming Pokémon. Altaria trilled as she flew in front of the Mach Pokémon and formed a glowing green barrier around the two of them. The blue fireball disintegrated upon contact with the barrier.
"Thanks May." Ash said, with a smile.
"No problem just returning the favour from before." May replied before they returned their attention to the battlefield. "Altaria use Dragon Pulse." A ball of turquoise energy flew from Altaria's mouth towards Ninetales.
"Counter with Flamethrower." Sue said, once again the cream fox opened her mouth but this time instead of a ball of blue fire she let out a swirling pillar of red, yellow and orange flames. The flames made contact with the Dragon Pulse and exploded in a shower of sparkles and dying embers. Ash and May's points fell to the quarter from the display.
"Delcatty follow with Double Edge." Danielle called to her Pokémon. A golden glow covered the Prim Pokémon as she tore across the field rushing through the curtain of still falling remnants of Flamethrower and Dragon Pulse. The remains of the two attacks became attached to the energy of Double Edge making Ash and May's points fall further.
"Garchomp, Dig." Ash shouted and without a second's hesitation the Mach Pokémon dove into the ground.
"Altaria, Mist." May called out, Altaria opened her mouth and blew out a cloud of white fog which covered the field, Delcatty stopped her attack and the energy of Double Edge faded. "Now use Refresh and Aerial Ace."
Delcatty looked around nervously trying to find where Altaria was hiding in the Mist. She saw something out of the corner of her left eye, jumping forward and turning to the left ready to attack as soon as Altaria appeared. Altaria burst out of the Mist but not in front of Delcatty she came from above, the Humming Pokémon crashed into the Prim Pokémon driving her into the ground. Delcatty cried out in pain as Altaria flew back into the Mist ready to strike again. By using Mist as a defence while attacking combined with the green glow of energy from Refresh that now infused the Mist caused Sue and Danielle's points to drop to just above the halfway point.
"Ninetales use Flamethrower, burn away the Mist." Sue shouted.
"Oh no you don't," Ash said, "Garchomp now." He shouted. There were a few seconds of silence before a dull rumbling could be heard.
"Ninetales keep moving so he can't find you." Sue shouted desperately. Ninetales started to run around the field zigzagging her way around the field and the rumbling stopped. "Now use Flamethrower on the Mist." Ninetales kept running and was about to launch a Flamethrower when the ground in front of her started to crack and as she move over it Garchomp surged out of the ground sending the fire type into the air.
In the Co-Ordinators room all eyes were fixed on the screen as they watched the battle, however there was one person missing and he was stood in the shadow of the tunnel with a Pokémon hovering by his side.
"We can't let them win," he said, "We need him to mess up so May realises that he's useless and then she'll come running to me." He turned to the Pokémon next to him. "Use Iron Tail on the ground and direct the power towards him." He pointed to Ash's back.
"Fly, Flygon." The Pokémon said shaking his head.
"Do you want to be with Altaria?" Flygon nodded, "Then use Iron Tail." He snapped, Flygon nodded reluctantly as his tail glowed with power and took on the appearance of metal. In the light of the dragon type's glowing tail the man's identity was revealed, it was Drew (AN as if you hadn't worked that out already). Drew's features showed a wicked smile and a bright red mark on the side of his face from his encounter with May earlier, which was slowly fading. Flipping quickly Flygon slammed his tail on to the ground and tried to focus the power towards Ash, timing the attack with a collision of attacks on the field so it wouldn't be noticed.
The tremors travelled towards the field but the direction wasn't focussed enough as they effected the entire trainer's box instead of just Ash's side. Ash managed to keep his balance and stay on his feet but May was less fortunate as she was wearing high heels. As she started to fall forward May closed her eyes and waited to hit the ground when she suddenly felt something wrap around her waist as she was pulled back on to her feet and pressed against a hard yet soft surface. Opening her eyes slowly all she could see was dark blue fabric, she raised her gaze and found herself staring into Ash's eyes, she desperately fought back a blush. Drew cursed under his breath seeing his plan fail and returned Flygon before disappearing into the shadows of the tunnel.
A few wolf whistles could be heard from the crowd along with shouts of 'Kiss her', Adam sat in his seat, whispering under his breath.
"Come on Ash, let her know how you feel." Pikachu and Glaceon nodded in agreement, they'd decided that they would do something to get their trainers together. Even though Pikachu didn't understand why they needed to do that when they already travelling together.
"Are you alright May?" he asked, May nodded unable to speak and she suppressed a groan as Ash took his arm from around her waist as he returned his focus to the battle. "Garchomp, Sand Tomb." Garchomp raised his arms and waved them to one side kicking up some sand, he then moved his arms to the other side. The cloud of sand turned into a swirling vortex of sand and shot across the field towards Ninetales and Delcatty.
As the cyclone of sand
closed in on the opposing Pokémon they tried to dodge and while Delcatty was successful Ninetales wasn't as lucky, she was caught in the ground type attack and lifted into the air. The fire type struggled against the attack she was trapped in but couldn't manage to escape as she was unable to touch the ground to gain some leverage.
"Altaria use Sky Attack." May said, Altaria rose high into the air before diving down at Delcatty as flames surrounded her body.
"Assist!" Danielle shouted. A ball of glowing white light formed on Delcatty's tail and a gust of wind flew from it slowing Altaria down but it didn't stop the attack as the Humming Pokémon slammed in to Delcatty sending her sprawling across the field.
"Garchomp use Dragon Breath" Ash said and the Mach Pokémon growled lowly and let out a blast of green flames into the Sand Tomb, making the sand cyclone glow with green and golden light. Sue and Danielle's points fell again.
"Ninetales use Fire Spin." Sue shouted, hoping her Pokémon could hear her over the rush of the sand surrounding the fire type. For a moment nothing happened but Ninetales opened her mouth and released a vortex of flames which mingled with the sand and Dragon Breath. An orange light mixed with the green and gold, a bright red light appeared in the middle of the vortex. The light was coming from Ninetales, by using Fire Spin while trapped inside Sand Tomb the attack had reflected back and activated her Flash Fire ability. Ash and May's points dropped, each teams points were now between the half and last quarter of the circle May and Ash's points were slightly ahead but not by much.
"Delcatty use Blizzard." Danielle shouted and the Prim Pokémon answered by once again releasing a blast of chilling air from her open mouth. The ice type attack hit Garchomp who was focussing on keeping the Sand Tomb going, the hit forced him to lose concentration and Ninetales was released from the ground type attack landing on the ground shakily. Altaria soared above the attack and was ready for when May shouted a counter attack.
"Altaria, Cotton Guard by Garchomp." Altaria flew over Garchomp and released a shower of fluffy spores, the spores formed a long low wall in front of Garchomp. "Now use a low power Flamethrower on the front of Blizzard." Ash looked at May confused, not knowing what she was planning. Altaria fired a small Flamethrower and the leading edge of Blizzard which melted some of the ice and snow in the attack, the wall of Cotton Spores started to grow. They were absorbing the moisture of the attack and created a larger wall which not only blocked the ice type attack it also used the cold of the attack to strengthen itself. Sue and Danielle's points dropped to just under the final quarter.
"Delcatty stop and use Assist." Danielle said and crossed her fingers hoping her gamble would work. Delcatty's Blizzard stopped and a ball of white light grew from the tip of her tail. A smile formed on Danielle's lips as an enormous column for white hot flames poured out of the ball of energy, Delcatty's Assist was using Overheat.
"Ninetales use Flamethrower." Sue called. Ninetales let a torrent of fire escape from her mouth, aiming it directly at the Cotton Spore wall. The two fire attacks struck the wall quickly burning it down, Danielle was about to order another Blizzard attack when she saw that Garchomp had disappeared.
"Dragon Rush!" Ash and May shouted at the same time. Altaria dove from the Contest hall's rafters coated in an electric blue energy which took on the form of a dragon as the ground underneath Ninetales and Delcatty cracked. Garchomp burst out of the ground covered in the same type of energy as Altaria, lifting their opponents into the air and directly into a collision course with Altaria.
A buzzer rang throughout the Contest hall as the time ran out but it was too late for Garchomp and Altaria to stop their attack. They tried to avoid catching Delcatty and Ninetales in their collision but couldn't move out of the way in time as they crashed into each other creating a flash of bright light, when the light faded Altaria and Garchomp were revealed holding their knocked out opponents. The two dragon types carried Ninetales and Delcatty over to Danielle and Sian, apologising for not being able to stop in time.
"Ninetales and Delcatty were knocked out after them time ran out so this match will be decided on points." Julia said as she turned to face the scoreboard. The points were close so Julia had to listen closely to her earpiece for the official result. "The results are in and the winners of the first Semi-Final match are…," she paused for dramatic effect, "Ash and May!" The crowd cheered as the four competitors on the battlefield returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and walked towards each other meeting in the middle of the field. May jumped on to Ash giving him a hug whilst having a giant smile on her face, Ash returned the hug and smiled back as he felt his heart flutter for reasons that still escaped him. "Let's hear from our Judges."
"This was an excellent display of how strong dragon Pokémon can be." Mr Contesta said.
"I thought that the use of Cotton Guard as a shield was very creative." Nurse joy added smiling, "I also thought it was sweet how Altaria was protecting Garchomp."
"The end of the battle impressed me the most, how Garchomp and Altaria showed good sportsmanship by trying to stop their final attacks and carrying their opponents to their trainers." The Mayor said "What do you think Eelektross?...Eelektross? Where have you gone now?" he sighed and looked around the hall trying to locate the run away electric type.
"EELEKTROSS!" Everyone looked up and saw the Elefish Pokémon floating above their heads still drinking his coffee, they all started laughing as the Mayor just shook his head. Eelektross slowly dropped back to the ground and took his place by the Mayor.
"Well there you have it." Julia said sweatdropping, "Congratulations Ash and May, you are moving on to the finals. Sue and Danielle thank you for competing and we hope to see you both again."
Sue and Danielle shook hands with Ash and May congratulating them on their win, Ash and May thanked them for a great battle. The four of them then waved to the audience and started to walk back to the Co-Ordinator's room, they passed Sian and Donna on their way wishing them luck in their upcoming battle. Once the battlefield had been repaired, Sian and Donna took their place in the trainers box opposite Drew and Celia.
"Now we have our second Semi-Final match, Drew and Celia against Sian and Donna. Whoever wins this battle will face Ash and May in the finals. Co-Ordinators are you ready?" Julia asked. They all nodded, "Release your Pokémon." Four Pokéballs were thrown onto the field releasing Flygon, Rapidash, Cubchoo and Mightyena. "The scoreboard is ready and the timer is set, let the battle begin!" She shouted retreating from the field.
"Rapidash, use Bounce please." Celia said, Rapidash flexed her legs and jumped high into the air.
"Flygon use Earthquake." Drew called out to his dragon type. Flygon flipped in the air and slammed his tail onto the field, sending seismic shockwaves across the field. (AN If your wondering why Flygon used Iron Tail before and not Earthquake it's because Earthquake would've drawn more attention than the force from Iron Tail.)
"Cubchoo use Blizzard on the ground!" Sian shouted so she could be heard over the rumbling of Earthquake. The small ice type jumped in from of Mightyena and released a freezing wind from her mouth covering the ground in a thick layer of ice and slowing the advance from Earthquake until it stopped completely, Cubchoo and Mightyena had taken a small amount of damage from the ground type attack but Sian's quick thinking had saved them from starting the battle at a disadvantage and her idea had also taken out a portion of Drew and Celia's points away.
"Rapidash use Overheat on the ice please." Celia said, Rapidash shook her fiery mane and reared back her head neighing loudly before sending a powerful blast of fire to the ground, the thick layer of ice was starting to melt. The fire washed over the field like a tidal wave hitting both Pokémon damaging them heavily. Seeing that Cubchoo was in more pain then he was, Mightyena quickly picked her up in his mouth and placed her on his back before running around the field dodging the flames. The cuteness displayed caused Drew and Celia's points to fall slightly, though Sian and Donna lost a few more points from the dazzling look of Overheat rolling across the field like a wave and from the damage that Cubchoo and Mightyena had taken.
"Flygon, Dragon Combo." Drew shouted to his Pokémon, Flygon formed a Dragon Pulse in front of his open mouth before sending it into the air with a Dragon Claw attack. Dragon Pulse had absorbed the energy from Dragon Claw and grown slightly in size and power as it rose higher into the air with Flygon following behind it quickly. Flygon over took the Dragon Pulse and readied a Dragon Tail attack, once it was fully charged and the Dragon Pulse was in range Flygon flipped in the air and hit the Dragon Pulse with Dragon Tail, once again adding to its size and power. As Flygon had spun in a full circle he used Dragonbreath which became part of the falling Dragon Pulse making it look like a meteorite, measuring at least two feet in diameter, with blue fire for a tail as it fell towards Cubchoo and Mightyena while they were dodging the flames from Rapidash's Overheat.
Sian and Donna noticed the falling attack but it was falling too fast for Mightyena and Cubchoo to dodge it completely, they called out desperately for their Pokémon to evade it. Mightyena threw Cubchoo from his back and headbutted her out of the way before trying to escape himself. The dragon type combo attack crashed into the ground, melting the ice under and in it's immediate surroundings and sending fissures through the rest of the ice. Mightyena was caught in the explosion of the attack and tossed across the field by the shockwave given off by the explosion. The dark type landed heavily on the ground and lay still for a few seconds before struggling to get to his feet.
Cubchoo ran over to Mightyena trying to help him stand up.
"Cub, Cubchoo Choocub." Said the ice type asking if Mightyena was alright. Cubchoo glowed red as she flexed her arms, she lifted Mightyena up and placed him gently on his feet.
"That Ladies and Gentlemen is a display of true friendship, Mightyena pushed Cubchoo out of the way of Flygon's attack and now Cubchoo has used Strength to help Mightyena to his feet." Julia said from the side of the stage. Donna held her Pokéball in her hand and looked at Sian.
"If you want to I don't mind, as long as Mightyena's okay." Sian said, Donna was about to return Mightyena when he turned and shook his head.
"Are you sure?" Donna asked, Mightyena nodded. "Alright if you're sure." Mightyena nodded again and looked back to his opponents growling as he shifted his weight to try and lessen the pain in his rear left leg. Donna put her Pokéball away and made her next move.
"Mightyena use Rest." She said knowing she was taking a risk and asking a lot of both Sian and Cubchoo while Mightyena recovered. Mightyena lay on the ground and curled up as he started to glow blue.
"Cubchoo use Blizzard. Full Power." Sian shouted, determined to give Mightyena enough time to recover from Flygon's attack. A frozen gale blew across the field forcing Rapidash and Flygon backwards, the two Pokémon were shocked by the look that was now on Cubchoo's face. Before this point of the battle she wore the usual cute expression seen on all of her kind but now she wore a face of unparalleled rage, she was baring her small fangs and giving off an Aura of intense anger. "Now Surf!" Cubchoo glowed blue and summoned an enormous wave in front of her sending it towards Flygon and Rapidash.
"Flygon, use Iron Tail to split the wave." Drew said, Flygon's tail glowed as it took on a metallic sheen as he flew towards the wave and sliced it down the middle, breaking the water type attack but he was unprepared for the Blizzard attack that followed behind it. Flygon was sent backwards under the onslaught of the ice type attack, landing heavily on the ground next to Rapidash who was using Flamethrower to lessen the power of Blizzard.
"Rapidash please use Flare Blitz." Celia said to the Fire Horse Pokémon. Rapidash neighed loudly and coated herself in flames as she charged through the Blizzard, she started off slowly but soon gathered speed running across the field slamming into Cubchoo, sending the ice type to the side of the field, stopping the Blizzard and leaving the sleeping Mightyena undefended. Red energy crackled over Rapidash's body as she received recoil damage from using Flare Blitz, Celia didn't like calling for moves like that but sometimes they were necessary .
"Flygon, Hyper Beam on Mightyena." Drew shouted seeing an opportunity, he nudged Celia, telling her to do the same.
"Rapidash use Ember please." Celia said half-heartedly, purposely choosing a low powered attack as she didn't want to hurt Mightyena especially after how he had pushed Cubchoo out of the way of Drew's attack before going for safety. Drew glared at Celia and grabbed her arm.
"We'll talk about this later." He growled, squeezing her arm causing her to whimper in pain and fear to show in her eyes. Like Celia, Flygon and Rapidash were reluctant to attack Mightyena as he might be seriously injured given the state he was already in. Rapidash was thankful that Celia had chosen a weak move to use and spat out a small cluster of flames which were half the power they normally would've been. Flygon on the other hand wasn't happy that Drew had picked such a powerful move and although he didn't want to use it he had to, Drew was his trainer and he couldn't disobey him. Flygon did however lessen the power of Hyper Beam hoping it would be enough not to do any permanent damage to Migthtyena.
The attacks crossed the field quickly, Cubchoo jumped in front of Mightyena's sleeping form, covered in scratches and slight burns as held her arms out from her sides (AN Cubchoo is standing in a star shape), fully prepared to take the attacks for her partner.
"Cubchoo use Ice Beam." Sian shouted, hoping it would be enough but Cubchoo ignored what Sian had said simply standing there as the attacks got closer and closer until there was an explosion and dust was blown into the air.
"NOOO!" Sian cried out in panic, nearly running on to the field only being held back by Donna. The audience and the Judges gasped at how Cubchoo had let the attacks hit, everyone was curious to see what was now hidden by the dust.
"You might as well call the match," Drew said to Julia, "There's no way that Cubchoo could still be standing after that attack."
"We'll wait until the dust clears." Julia replied glaring at Drew, not liking his lack of regard towards the condition Cubchoo could be in.
"If that's all then Flygon blow away the dust." Flygon flapped his wings and quickly caused the dust to disperse. Everyone was shocked at what they saw, Cubchoo was still standing in front of Mightyena but unharmed as they were safely encased in a glowing green dome. Cubchoo had learnt Protect to save herself and Mightyena from Hyper Beam and Ember, the small ice type dropped her arms and let the green dome fade away panting slightly.
"Avalanche." Sian shouted, waking Mightyena in the process, she knew that Cubchoo was tired but she couldn't let Drew and Celia have a minute to breath. Mightyena had been seriously hurt saving Cubchoo and Sian was determined to repay that debt. Cubchoo shouted her name and summoned a pile of snow over Flygon and Rapidash before letting it drop onto them, trapping them under the weight of the snow, their heads were visible above the snow.
"Rapidash, melt the snow with Flamethrower." Celia said.
"You too, Flygon." Drew added, both of their Pokémon opened their mouths and released the fire type attack, so they could escape from their snow prison.
"Mightyena, Hyper Beam." Donna said. Mightyena nodded and started to form a call of energy in his mouth but when it got to the size of an apple it stopped growing and the glow of the energy was starting to fade. Mightyena mustn't have enough energy to use Hyper Beam at full power. Donna thought. "Fire it now." She said and Mightyena let the energy go in one blast, the Hyper Beam didn't look very stable as sparks of energy flew off the sides like embers from a bonfire. The sparks had an unintended result, they gave Hyper Beam a unique effect which diminished Drew and Celia's points slightly.
Stealing a quick glance at the score board Donna saw that hers and Sian's points were just about level with Drew and Celia's. She looked at the field then to Sian and finally back to the field. Hyper Beam had hit Flygon and Rapidash and done some damage but they still had a lot of energy left whilst Mighyena was struggling to stand and Cubchoo was starting to breath heavily. Cubchoo had used a lot of her energy making Protect strong enough to withstand Hyper Beam and Ember, even though the attacks weren't at full strength and she had taken damage from Rapidash's Overheat earlier in the battle along with Flare Blitz. A silent conversation passed between them along with a mutual understanding. They both turned to Julia and the Judges with a sadness on their faces, they didn't want to do this but they felt that they had to.
"We forfeit." Sian said. A heavy silence that fell over the Contest hall as she spoke. Mightyena and Cubchoo turned to face their trainers in shock.
"We don't want Cubchoo and Mightyena to get a serious injury." Donna added as she and Sian turned to their Pokémon.
"We know that you'd keep battling but a Ribbon isn't worth either of you being hurt anymore." Sian said softly as she walked up to Cubchoo, taking the ice type into her arms giving her a hug as Donna knelt in front of Mightyena and putting her arms around his neck while stroking his fur. They looked at Drew and Celia who were still stunned at their decision.
"Congratulations." Donna said looking at Celia as she stood up, keeping her hand on Mightyena's head patting him gently. "It was a great battle." Sian nodded in agreement, both of them avoided looking at Drew before turning and walking off the battlefield .
"Well, I'm sure no-one saw that coming. In a display of love for their Pokémon Sian and Donna have forfeited the match which means that Drew and Celia will be meeting Ash and May in the Final. Congratulations and good luck to our winners. The only thing left now is to hear from our Judges."
"I would like to express my admiration for Sian and Donna's actions, they are correct in saying that the love between Pokémon and Trainer is worth more than any Ribbon. I was quite impressed by Flygon's Dragon Combo attack, it was a very thought out and creative move." Mr Contesta said.
"The bond between Mightyena and Cubchoo was beautiful to see and the way Rapidash's Overheat moves like the waves was stunning. If you'll excuse me I'm going to check on Mightyena's condition as he looked quite seriously hurt." Nurse Joy said as she stood up, sending an almost un-noticeable disapproving glare at Drew.
"This was an amazing battle and I would never have thought to use Blizzard to stop Earthquake that was a stroke of genius. I thought that calling an attack against Mightyena was a little excessive after he took the brunt of the Dragon Combo though." The Mayor said, a murmur of agreement rolled through the audience.
"Eelek Eelektross." Agreed the Elefish Pokémon. Drew and Celia recalled their Pokémon and bowed to the Judges as they made their way off the field.
"There will be a half hour break to let our Co-Ordinators and their Pokémon rest before we begin the Final." Julia said. Some of the audience members rose from their seats to go for refreshments, use the halls facilities or just to stretch their legs. Adam stayed in his seat with Umbreon on his lap and Pichu sat on his head under his hood knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to get to the Co-Ordinators room, while Pikachu and Glaceon ran to find Ash and May.
Pikachu and Glaceon found their trainers in the room where they could have their Pokémon healed between matches talking with Sian and Donna. Ash and May had gone straight there once they had seen how the battle ended. The four of them waited anxiously for Nurse Joy to return with information about Mightyena's condition. Pikachu and Glaceon walked up to Donna, Pikachu jumped on to her shoulder and rubbed his cheek against hers while Glaceon rubbed against Donna's leg trying to comfort her. Donna smiled slightly at their attempts to make her feel better.
"Thank you." She said to them. Ash and May were happy to see what their Pokémon were doing for their friend.
"Mightyena will be fine." May said supportively, "Nurse Joy is in there right now, she'll take care of everything."
"It's my fault," Sian said apologetically, "If I'd seen that attack sooner then this wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault Sian." Donna replied, "It's because of you and Cubchoo that Mightyena isn't more seriously hurt. Both of you protected him while he recovered his energy. We both agreed to forfeit the match for the sake of our Pokémon. It wasn't your fault." Sian nodded and they waited in silence for a few minutes when Nurse Joy walked up to them.
"Nurse Joy, is Mightyena going to be okay?" Donna asked, worried laced into her words. Nurse Joy smiled at her.
"Mightyena's very weak right now and needs his rest but he'll be fine. Just to be sure don't do any training past simple exercises for a few weeks, until he back to his full strength." Nurse Joy replied reassuringly. Donna smiled and gave Nurse Joy a hug, the pink haired nurse smiled and patted Donna on the back. Once Donna released Nurse Joy from the hug she took a step back slightly embarrassed by the way she acted.
"Thank you Nurse Joy. Can I go and see him?"
"Not just yet he's still sleeping, we had to sedate him because of the pain. I might have to report that boy for using excessive force during a battle, there was no reason for him to call a Hyper Beam on Mightyena while he was asleep. Drew say how badly hurt Mightyena was."
"What about Celia?" Ash asked, "She called an attack as well." Even though he's only talked to her for a little while Ash didn't feel right pointing out what she had done.
"Celia did the smart thing in that battle, she chose a low power attack. She saw how hurt Mightyena was and didn't want to hurt him unnecessarily, so she picked Ember knowing that it wouldn't hurt Mightyena anymore then was needed to knock him out." Nurse Joy said, a look of annoyance crossed her face before her professional expression settled into place on her features. Turning round Ash, May, Donna, Sian, Pikachu and Glaceon saw that Drew and Celia had entered the room. A silence fell across the room, where you could almost hear everyone blinking, Celia stepped forward slowly with her head bowed. She stopped in front of Nurse Joy still looking at the floor and held out a Pokéball with both hands.
"Nurse Joy," she said quietly, "Could you take a look at Rapidash for me please?" Nurse Joy put a finger under Celia's chin lifting her head up so she could look her in the eyes, she gave Celia a kind smile.
"Of course I will." Nurse Joy answered taking the ball for the blonde girl. "Rapidash will be as good as new before you know it."
"Here," Drew said walking forward. "Can you look at Flygon too?" he asked holding the Pokéball out. Nurse Joy gave him an obviously fake smile, even though she didn't like him she wouldn't let his Pokémon suffer for it. She took the Pokéball and turned to the recovery machine, while her back was turned Drew gave her a once over with a seedy smirk on his face. Once Nurse Joy was out of sight Drew turned and left the room, leaving Celia on her own. Celia looked at the floor again and walked over to Donna and Sian, stopping a few paces in front of them.
"I'm sorry about what happened I didn't want to but…." Celia trailed off and rubbed her arm, she didn't need to finish her sentence they all knew that it was Drew's fault. May noticed that where Celia was rubbing her arm was red and that she's tried to cover it with make up.
"What happened to your arm?" May asked.
"N-Nothing, I just walked into something." Celia replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder. "Is Mightyena going to be alright?" She asked trying to change the subject.
"He just needs to take it easy for a while and get some rest." Donna said. "Are you okay? You should ask Nurse Joy to take a look at your arm, if it hurts."
"N-No I'm fine really." Celia protested starting to back away as Nurse Joy came back to the room.
"Your Pokémon are back to full strength." She said handing Celia Rapidash's Pokéball. "I'll keep hold of Flygon till his trainer comes back." Contempt was heavy in her voice as she mentioned Drew, her mood changed to concern when she saw Celia rubbing her arm. "Here let me take a look at your arm." Nurse Joy didn't wait for Celia's answer as she gently took hold of it and examined it, she took a small package from her pocket and pulled out an antiseptic cloth carefully cleaning away the make up revealing a red mark that was starting to bruise.
"How did this happen?" Nurse Joy asked. Celia nervously looked at the ground.
"I slipped earlier and hit my arm on the door handle." She said quietly. Nurse Joy lifted Celia's head up so she cold look her in the eyes.
"This isn't the type of mark you'd get from hitting a door handle." The pink haired nurse said, "This looks more like a handprint." Hearing that Donna remembered something she'd seen during the battle, everyone's attention was drawn to her as she spoke.
"Hey, didn't Drew grab you when you asked Rapidash to use Ember?" she said. Nurse Joy looked back at Celia who was once more looking at the ground.
"Is that true?" Nurse Joy asked. Celia looked up and tears could be seen in the corners of her eyes.
"He didn't mean it, he was just too focussed on the battle to realise what he was doing." Celia said quickly but quietly. May turned to walk out the room but Sian stopped her.
"May, you don't want to do that." She said, holding May's arm as she tried to get out of the room.
"Yes, I really do." May replied angrily, trying to wrestle her arm from Sian's grasp.
"If you go to him now and do what you're thinking, you'll be disqualified from the Contest. If you really want to get back at him, then hit him where it will really hurt. Beat him in the Contest where everyone will see it." May stopped struggling and after a couple of minutes calmed down.
"You're right." She said, "Ash, you know that combo we thought of yesterday. Let's use it."
"May, are you sure? You said it might be a too strong for a Contest." Ash asked.
"I'm sure."
"Will the Finalists please report to the battlefield. The Final will be starting in five minutes." Julia said over the speakers. Pikachu and Glaceon ran back to Adam while Sian and Donna went to the Co-Ordinator's room to get changed and watch the final. Nurse Joy handed Celia Flygon's Pokéball and made her way to the battlefield, Celia followed behind her leaving Ash and May alone in the room.
"May, I don't think we should use that combo, we'd be attacking Rapidash as well." Ash said, he didn't want to hurt Celia anymore that she already was.
"I know Ash, I feel the same but how do we get around it?" May asked, Ash shrugged and flicked open his Pokédex scrolling through Garchomp's moves looking for some inspiration. A smile started to come on to his face, May saw this and looked at his Pokédex.
"What is it Ash, do you have an idea?"
"Yeah, I think I do."
"Well, what is it?" Ash didn't answer her, he just pointed to one of Garchomp's moves. May started to smile as well when she worked out what his plan was. Ash closed his Pokédex and started to walk to the battlefield, May quickly caught up to him and linked her arm with his as they exited the tunnel and went to the trainers box.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the Final of the Drummond Town Contest. We have our Finalists," Julia pointed to Drew and Celia at one end of the field, then at Ash and May on the other side, "We have our Judges," she pointed to the Judges, "and we have you our wonderful audience, all we need now are the Pokémon. So Co-Ordinators release your Pokémon." Garchomp and Altaria appeared in front of Ash and May with Flygon and Rapidash in front of Drew and Celia. "Let the Final begin!"
"Flygon, Dragonbreath on Garchomp." Drew shouted. Flygon pulled his head back before snapping it forward letting a stream of blue fire out towards Garchomp.
"Counter it with your own, Garchomp." Ash said calmly, Garchomp roared and fired a blast of green flames from his mouth, the two attacks clashed in the middle of the field, Flygon's was slowly pushing Garchomp's attack backwards but Ash just stood there smiling, not seeming bothered by what was happening. Even Garchomp didn't seem to notice that his attack was being forced back towards him.
"Rapidash use Flamethrower on Altaria please." Celia said quietly, she didn't want to take part in this battle with Drew but she also wanted to earn her first Ribbon of the new season. She reluctantly decided to keep battling with him and resolved to never work with him again. Rapidash took aim at Altaria and released her attack sending the blast of flames at the Humming Pokémon.
"Altaria, dodge with Aerial Ace." May said, Altaria flew forward diving under the Flamethrower before disappearing and reappearing behind Rapidash, striking her in the back and returning to float in front of May once more.
After a minute Ash spoke again. "Garchomp stop." Garchomp ceased his attack and Flygon's came barrelling towards him, now a mixture of both attacks having merged with some of the energy from Garchomp's attack. "Now, EAT IT!" Ash shouted. Garchomp open his mouth wide and let Flygon's attack in as he swallowed it. Drew's face went pale and Celia covered her mouth in shock, the audience and judges were in a stunned silence. Once the last of the attack had flowed into Garchomp's mouth he closed it and let out an ear-splitting roar, the energy of the attack flowed through his veins as his eyes filled with draconic power. "Dual Chop." Garchomp lived up to his name of being called the Mach Pokémon as he charged at Flygon at incredible speed, the fins on his arms glowing with power. Flygon didn't have time to react as the first strike came crashing into his ribs, he barely dodged the second one as it scraped past his chest. The Mystic Pokémon was using all his speed and experience to dodge Garchomp's onslaught of attacks, Drew as calling out counter attacks but Flygon couldn't get enough of a break between attacks to defend himself. Garchomp had taken some damage from swallowing Flygon's attack but the damage was lessened because part of Garchomp's own Dragonbreath was in the attack.
"Rapidash, please use Fury Attack." Celia said, Rapidash lowered her head and started to stab at Altaria with her horn, some of the attacks found their mark while others missed due to Altaria's graceful dodges. "Heat Wave please." Rapidash lifted her head, opened her mouth and created a ball of orange flames before blowing out a wind of flames which ripples in the air. Due to the close proximity of the two Pokémon and the wide area of effect the Heat Wave possesses, Altaria was unable to evade the fire type attack taking it head on. The Humming Pokémon was forced backwards by the attack, taking a slight burn.
"Altaria use Refresh." May said, Altaria glowed green for a few seconds and once the glow had faded her burn was completely healed. "Now, use Bulldoze." Altaria looped in the air before diving to the ground, skimming across the field as a gold energy covered her and the ground in front of her started to build up as she rushed towards Rapidash. "Add in Aerial Ace for more speed." May shouted, the gold energy around Altaria turned lighter as the white energy of Aerial Ace mixed with it, the Humming Pokémon picked up a lot more speed and shot across the field crashing into Rapidash with a wall of earth just ahead of her. Rapidash fell to the ground and some of the earth that knocked her over gather on her legs, not enough to stop her from getting up only to slow her down a little.
"Rapidash please stand up." Celia said anxiously, May started to feel guilty when she heard the worry in Celia's voice. Rapidash kicked the earth from her legs and rose from the ground, ready to continue with the battle. "Rapidash please use Sunny Day." A ball of energy formed on the tip of Rapidash's horn as it glowed white, the ball of energy flew from her horn to the ceiling growing bigger at it flew higher. "Now please use Solar Beam." Rapidash's horn shone with a pale yellow light seconds before a beam of the same energy shot across the field towards Altaria.
"Altaria, dodge it with Dragon Dance." A shimmering haze of red and black energy cloaked Altaria as she pirouetted in the air, spinning to the side evading the powerful grass type move. "Now Ash?" May asked quietly. Ash looked over the battlefield, it was still early but looking at how Flygon and Rapidash was so focussed on their opponents it was time to pull a little trick.
"Now." He replied, "Garchomp." He said loud enough for the menacing dragon type to hear.
"Altaria." May called to the Humming Pokémon.
"Switch!" They both shouted, Garchomp and Altaria nodded. They dove to the sides Altaria barrel-rolled over Garchomp, still using Dragon Dance, while Garchomp skidded across the ground under Altaria. Righting themselves Garchomp went back on the attack his forearm fins glowing with power once more as he slashed them at Rapidash causing the fire type to dodge skittishly. Altaria finished her Dragon Dance and faced Flygon, who was reluctant to attack due to his feelings towards the graceful Pokémon in front of him.
"Altaria, Sing." May said, Altaria opened her beak and produced a soothing melody, multicoloured musical notes hovered around her as she put Flygon to sleep. Drew was nearly pulling his much loved hair out as he watched helplessly. "Now use Dream Eater." Altaria's eyes flashed red as a shadowy silhouette flew forward and passed through Flygon, draining his energy and waking him from his slumber.
"Flygon use Dragon Pulse on Garchomp." Drew shouted, Flygon fired a turquoise ball of energy at Garchomp who was still chasing Rapidash cross the field.
"Altaria, Protect." Altaria swooped in front of the attack and formed a shield of green energy stopping the attack. Drew knew this battle was going badly, he glanced at the score board and saw that Ash and May still had most of their points but his and Celia's were creeping to the half-way point. Flygon won't attack Altaria he thought, How can I change this to our favour?
"Switch again." Ash and May shouted, once more Garchomp and Altaria changed sides facing their original opponents. Garchomp and Flygon glared at each other, a wicked grin on the Mach Pokémon's face displaying his razor sharp teeth and a burning anger flared in Flygon's eyes.
"Flygon, Dragon Rush." Drew yelled, the Mystic Pokémon shot forward faster then he had been moving before and slammed into Garchomp's stomach while cloaked in light blue energy shaped like a dragon. Garchomp stumbled backwards and was only just recovering when Flygon slammed into him again. "Dragon Assault." Flygon launched into a frenzy of attacks keeping Garchomp of balance and unable to counter attack.
"Garchomp, get out of there!" Ash shouted, he saw a smug grin on Drew's face along with the movement of his shoulder indicating that Drew was laughing and for the first time in his life Ash felt real hatred for someone. Garchomp tried his best to get away from the barrage of attacks but he wasn't given a moment to breath, Flygon would come in close with Dragon Rush then switch and deliver a flurry of Dragon Claws before pulling back and using Dragonbreath as he gained height to start his assault all over again.
"Altaria, Sky Attack on Flygon!" May shouted, she'd seen enough of Flygon and Drew's actions. Rapidash was sleeping peacefully after falling victim to Altaria's Sing and unable to come to Flygon's aid. As the Contest progressed Adam noticed that Ash and May were doing little to actually attack Rapidash only spooking her and trying to keep her out of harms way, their main focus was Flygon and Drew. Garchomp's Dual Chop attack had almost missed completely and although it looked powerful May's Bulldoze/Aerial Ace combo should've done more damage. He figured that something had happened during the break that made them want to make sure Drew didn't get the Ribbon.
Altaria flew across the field as a fire flowed across her body, as she performed the strongest flying type move. She glided towards Flygon with a determined fire in her eyes, during their first battle Garchomp had protected her from attacks when her wings had been hurt. Now was her chance to repay the favour.
"Aerial Ace for more speed." May added, seeing that Garchomp was still being hurt and Flygon was getting ready to dodge. White energy was added to the fire making Altaria look like a streaking comet, without being told the Humming Pokémon started to spin gaining more speed and power. Flygon was unable to evade the attack in time and thrown backwards by the forceful collision, Garchomp staggered backwards having been hit by the shockwave of the attack. "Land on Garchomp's head and use Roost." The golden healing energy flowed from Altaria on to Garchomp, removing some of the damage done by Flygon.
"May, I think it's time to end the battle, can you keep Flygon busy for a minute?" Ash asked, May gave a quick nod.
"Altaria, use Cotton Guard on Flygon." She said, her dragon and flying type Pokémon left her perch on Garchomp's head and flew at Flygon who was starting to get up. Altaria circled above Flygon and cotton spores fell from her wings, the spores landed round and on top of Flygon coating his wings, making it hard to move them.
"Garchomp, are you okay to finish this now?" Ash asked. Garchomp looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Alright, use Roar on Rapidash." Garchomp made his way over to Rapidash quickly and cried out with a terrifying bellow, Rapidash's eyes snapped open as she reared up and returned herself to her Pokéball.
"Rapidash is unable to battle. This is now a battle of Garchomp and Altaria versus Flygon." Julia said from the side of the stage. Ash and May gave Celia a sympathetic look, they hadn't wanted to do it but it was the only way to use their last move without hurting Rapidash.
"May, you ready?" Ash asked looking at his partner.
"I'm ready." May replied, with a nod.
"Alright then, Garchomp use Draco Meteor!" he shouted. A ball of orange energy formed in the Mach Pokémon's stomach and slowly made it's way up to his mouth.
"Altaria, fly up high and get ready." May said, Altaria flapped her wings and was soon hovering in the rafters, charging an attack in her open beak.
"Garchomp/Altaria," They shouted together, "Dragon Shower!" Garchomp launched his Draco Meteor into the air, a few seconds later Altaria shot a Dragon Pulse towards the ground. The two attack met in the middle, colliding in mid air, exploding in a flash of light and creating a fireworks display which held the colours of both attacks and their combined power.
"Garchomp, go deep." Ash yelled, Garchomp dove into the ground using Dig and went as far down as he could.
"Altaria, stay above the attack." May said, Altaria nodded and circled above the field. Drew and Flygon couldn't do anything but watch at the attack demolished a large portion of his points and started falling to the field to finish the battle.
"Flygon use a weak Flamethrower on our wings to get rid of the Cotton Guard." Drew shouted desperately, Flygon turned his head around and released a thin stream of fire from his open mouth,, burning away the attack that kept him confined to the ground. The cotton was destroyed quickly and Flygon flapped his wings before zigzagging across the field dodging the attack until as he weaved his way past one falling meteor the debris kicked up from another clipped his wing sending him directly into the path of another. He was hit hard, tumbling across the field head over tail skidding to a stop as more meteors rained down on him. Ash and May felt guilty for doing his to Flygon seeing that it was Drew they wanted to get back at. They figured that Flygon would've been able to dodge the brunt of their combined attack taking only minor damage while sight of the attack took out Drew's points. The buzzer sounded as the last of Drew and Celia's points vanished, but Ash and May's attack hadn't finished yet.
"Garchomp/Altaria," Ash and May said to their Pokémon, "Protect!" The two dragons understood what their trainers meant, Garchomp burst out of the ground close to Flygon and Altaria dove into the meteor shower, weaving in and out as she made her way to Flygon. When they were together they projected a dome of dark green energy that held off the attack. Once the attack had ended they dropped their shield and Garchomp helped Flygon to his feet, Flygon nodded his thanks and flew slowly back to Drew. Landing heavily in front of Drew Flygon was struggling to stay upright, Drew patted Flygon's head and returned him so he could rest. Garchomp and Altaria went back to Ash and May, Ash stroked the yellow cross on Garchomp's snout thanking him for all his hard work and May wrapped her arms around Altaria's neck giving her a hug. They then returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and walked to the centre of the field, they shook hands with Celia and tried to shake Drew's ,even though they didn't want to, but he just nodded his head in acknowledgment.
"That's the end of the Final Round of the Drummond Town Contest and our winners by points are…Ash and May!" Julia announced as she walked to the centre of the field careful to avoid the craters created by Dragon Shower. The audience applauded loudly, giving them a standing ovation. Once the audience had calmed down Julia turned to the judging panel. "Now let's hear from our Judges."
"This was a remarkable battle, everyone should be proud of their Pokémon. The combination of Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse was a beautiful display of how powerful attacks can be fused together to create a marvellous display." Mr Contesta said.
"The way that Garchomp and Altaria went to Flygon's aid after the time ran out was a true example of the bonds that all Pokémon share." Nurse Joy said, she was happy that they had gone to help Flygon as she felt the same as Ash and May. She wasn't fond of Drew but didn't think that Flygon should have to deal with people's feeling towards his trainer.
"I couldn't agree more with the comments from my fellow Judges," the Mayor said, "I feel privileged to have been able to hold this Contest here in Drummond Town and I look forward to seeing many more."
"EELEKTROSS!" The electric type shouted after downing the last of his coffee, he shuddered slightly from the caffeine. The Mayor chuckled under his breath.
"Eelektross feels the same." He said.
"The only thing left to do now it to award our winners with their Ribbons." Julia said, the Judges rose from their seats and walked to the centre of the field, Mr Contesta carried a small polished wood box that shone in the light. When he stood in front of Ash and May he opened the box revealing two small Contest Ribbons, they each had a small golden oval shaped shield with orange ribbon tied with white border behind them. Nurse Joy took one of the Ribbons and handed it to Ash as the Mayor took the other and gave it to May.
"Congratulations to both of you, through the teamwork and dedication of both yourselves and your Pokémon you have more than earned these." Mr Contesta said. The audience applauded as Ash and May bowed and waved, celebrating their victory. Ash saw the disappointment on Celia's face and felt guilty, he'd won the Ribbon but he didn't need it, he wasn't going to enter the Grand Festival he'd only entered this Contest to help May.
May could see that Ash was wrestling with something and decided to ask him about it when they were back in the Co-Ordinator's room. After a couple of minutes Ash and May left the stage to get changed back into their normal clothes. Adam let Pikachu and Glaceon run off to be with their trainers and left the Contest Hall as got himself ready to use his plan to distract the reporters so that Ash and May could avoid any awkward questions, he released his Pokémon and told them it was time to put the plan into action.
Once Ash and May were changed they found Pikachu and Glaceon waiting for them.
"Hi buddy," Ash said as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, "Is it time to go?" Pikachu shook his head.
"Pikachu Pichu Pika."
"Got it."
"Glaceon, can you tell Adam we need a few more minutes please?" May asked, Glaceon looked puzzled but did as her trainer asked running from the room to find Adam. As the ice type left the room May asked Ash what was bothering him, he explained that he felt guilty about winning the Ribbon and May had come up with a plan to fix that but they needed Adam to buy them a little more time. A couple of minutes later they heard a commotion outside the room and the rumble of hurried footsteps, May peeked out of the door and saw that the reporters had disappeared. She beckoned Ash to follow her as she left the room, they quickly ran to the main desk and asked for directions. The lady on the desk told them where they needed to go and they ran off calling their thanks back to her, after running down a couple of corridors they found the right room. Ash knocked on the door and a male voice answered.
"Come in." May opened the door and entered the room with Ash close behind her. "How can I help you?" the man said.
"Mr Contesta, we have something we need to ask you." Ash started before explaining the situation, Mr Contesta listened silently and a minute after they finished he nodded.
"It's never been done before but there's a first for everything. I'll meet you at the front desk in a minute and we can sort everything out there." He said with a smile. Ash and May thanked him and ran back to the Co-Ordinator's room, as they arrived in the entrance hall they saw the person they were looking for just about to leave.
"Celia!" May shouted, the blonde girl jumped, startled by May's voice, she was just about to leave the building and didn't expect anyone to be shouting her name.
"May?" Celia replied. May ran up to her and took hold of her wrist.
"Come on, we've got something to tell you." She said as she pulled Celia, gently, towards the main desk. A couple of minutes later Mr Contesta arrived and walked behind the desk.
"Ash, Celia can I have your Contest Passes please." He said, Ash handed his over while Celia looked confused, handing her pass over slowly. Mr Contesta took both passes and started to enter their information into the computer.
"Why do you need out passes Sir?" she asked.
"Didn't they tell you?" Mr Contesta asked surprised, Celia shook her head. May decided to clear everything up and started to explain their idea.
"Ash doesn't usually compete in Contests, he only entered this one to help me. He felt guilty for winning the Ribbon when he wouldn't be using it, it would only be in his bag gathering dust. He told me and said he didn't know what to do with it, I said he might be able to pass it onto someone else. We've just been to talk to Mr Contesta and he said that we could….we decided to give the Ribbon to you. You worked so hard in this Contest and had to put up with Drew, you deserve it. That's what Mr Contesta's doing now he's moving the information from Ash's file to yours."
Celia was speechless, they'd only known her for a few hours and Ash was willing to give her a Contest Ribbon that he'd work hard for. She couldn't believe that someone would be willing to do something like that, she really wanted to take the Ribbon but knew that she couldn't.
"I…I can't accept it." She said, turning to Ash, "You won the Ribbon, you should keep it. I appreciate this, really, but I just can't take it from you." Ash smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Like May said, I won't use it besides you're the Co-Ordinator, not me. You deserve it, if May and I hadn't taken part then you would've won." He said, taking the Ribbon out of his pocket and offering it to her.
"All I need to do now is confirm the transfer of information," Mr Contesta said, "Are you going to take it?" All eyes were on Celia waiting for her decision.
"Think of it this way," May said, "If you take this Ribbon then it'll be like me and Ash are supporting you in every Contest and Grand Festival you compete in." May reached into her bag and pulled out her half of the Terracotta Ribbon, Ash saw what she was doing and brought out his half as well. "That's how Ash and I feel about this Ribbon, we entered a Contest in Terracotta Town and drew in the Final. We split this Ribbon and keep it close so that even if we're alone, we still have each other. I know that no matter what Ash will be supporting me," Ash nodded in agreement, "and that drives me to do my best in every Contest I enter. I know Ash feels the same about me during his battles. You're a great Co-Ordinator Celia, much better than I was when I was starting out, take the Ribbon and show the world what you can do. No matter what happens I'll always be supporting you."
"Me too." Ash added.
"PiPikachu."
"Alright," Celia said taking the Ribbon out of Ash's hand slowly, "I'll take it." Mr Contesta hit one last key on the computer and confirmed the transfer. Celia stared at the Ribbon then looked at Ash. "Is there anything I can do to repay you for this?" Ash shook his head.
"There's no need, I'm happy to do it." He said.
"No, I really want to do something for you. I can't just take this." Celia replied. Ash was quiet until May whispered in his ear, he fought against a fierce blush as he felt her breath on his skin. He didn't know why he felt like that but he knew one thing, he liked the feeling.
"Ok, if you really want to do something then win four more Ribbons and we'll see you at the Grand Festival." Ash said as he vocalised May's idea. Celia smiled and gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek.
"I will, thank you." Celia said happily before turning and walking away, May fought against her anger towards Celia for kissing Ash on the cheek and watched her new friend walk towards the main doors. Celia stopped and looked out of the doors. "What's going on out there?" she said.
Ash and May walked to the window and looked out to see what Celia was talking about. Mr Contesta looked at his watch and went back to his room, he needed to leave soon to get to the next Contest.
Out of the window Ash, May and Celia could see a large group of people, including the reporters that Ash and May wanted to avoid, lined up watching Adam and his Luxray battling someone. Adam had pulled his hood down and now had Pichu sitting on Umbreon's back, Glaceon stayed by Adam's side watching the battle. The man Adam was battling had spiky red hair, a red cape and had a Dragonite dodging attacks in front of him. It was Lance, Champion of Johto.
Ash chuckled as May and Celia stared out of the window. Adam was calling out attacks while Lance stood impassively as his Dragonite continued to evade the attacks flying towards him, occasionally an attack would hit but only do minor damage.
"That's Adam giving us a way out of here without the reporters bothering us." Ash said smiling. May turned to him.
"How does Adam know Lance?" she asked, Ash laughed again as he kept looking out of the window.
"He doesn't. That's not Lance. Come on, we need to get out of here before the reporters remember we're here." He said taking May's hand and pulling her out of the building towards the Pokémon Centre. Once they were past the reporters and the Pokémon Centre was in sight Ash sent Pikachu back to let Adam know that his plan had worked, they were out of the building and he could stop distracting them.
Adam didn't like the attention from the crowd of people or the reporters shouting question while taking pictures but he was doing this to help his friends, that's all he needed to know so he endured everyone and focussed on keeping them distracted by making his battle tactics more showy then he'd normally the ones he usually used.
After a few minutes he saw Ash and May exit the hall out of the corner of his eye and a little later then that Pikachu came next to him.
"They're back at the Pokémon Centre, aren't they." He said.
"Pika."
"Alright then, time to end the charade. Luxray, stand down." He said as he flicked his hood back up. Luxray relaxed his stance and jogged back to Adam's side.
"Hey, what's going on?" A reporter asked, "Finish the battle." Lance and Dragonite walked over to Adam.
"This was never a battle. It was a distraction." Adam replied, as he recalled Umbreon and Luxray and Pichu ran up his body and on to his favourite place on top of Adam's head. Before anyone could say anything Adam patted Lance on the shoulder and the Champion glowed white before shrinking and changing his shape. Once the glow faded where Lance once stood there was now a Ditto. "Thanks buddy." Adam said as he recalled the small pink Pokémon and climbed onto Dragonite's back with Glaceon and Pikachu jumping on behind him. "Dragonite, let's go." The dragon type nodded as he flapped his wings and took to the skies.
The crowd looked at each other in confusion before the reporters remembered why they had come to Drummond Town in the first place, they spun on their heels and ran into the Contest Hall to see if Ash and May were still inside.
Dragonite landed behind the Pokémon Centre and Adam thanked him for his help. He entered the Pokémon Centre finding Ash and May waiting for him, they'd changed their teams around so they had strong Pokémon with them for the journey ahead of them. The shortcut Adam knew was going to take them on would pass through the territory of some powerful Pokémon that didn't see humans very often.
"Is Dragonite okay after the battle?" May asked, Adam chuckled.
"He's fine, Luxray's attacks were all flash and no bang." He replied, Adam then explained how he was battling 'Lance' to May as he entered the Pokémon Centre to change his team around. He then found out which Pokémon Ash and May were bringing with them.
Ash was bringing Pikachu and Lucario, obviously, along with Infernape, Donphan, Krookodile and Sandshrew. He planned on using Sandshrew in his upcoming Gym Battle along with Rhyhorn who was being trained by his other Pokémon back at Professor Oak's ranch. He was going to call on Rhyhorn before getting to Vermillion so he could get to know the Spikes Pokémon. Torterra was teaching the ground and rock type how to time his attack so he could battle his faster opponents, while others were helping him learn some new moves and increase his attack and defence power.
May had Glaceon and Blaziken with her and had asked Professor Oak to send her Wartortle, Venusaur and Delcatty. She'd decided to keep Altaria with her to act as a scout if they needed one. She was going to ask for Spoink but decided against it as she wouldn't be strong enough for the places they were going to travel through.
Adam had bought the supplies they'd need while Ash and May had been training for the Contest, all he needed to do was change his team a little and then they could go. He went to the computer and contacted Dinah, sending his Ditto back and asking for a Pokémon he'd captured a few years previously in Kalos. Adam's team consisted of Umbreon, Luna, Luxray, Pichu (Adam did want to send the baby Pokémon to Dinah but the electric type wouldn't leave his side), Dragonite and a skilled water type.
With the exchange complete Adam, Ash and May said a quick farewell to Donna and Sue before they left and Adam gave Donna a small bottle of yellow liquid. When she asked what it was Adam told her it was an old family recipe for Pokémon, it would help Mightyena heal but only to give the dark type a couple of drops with each meal until he was back to full strength, any more after that would make him hyperactive for a few days and leave him unable to do anything other than sleep and eat for about a week.
Ash, May and Adam had just made their way to the edge of town when they heard the sound of engines, realising that it could be the reporters looking for them they ran into the trees as they started on their way to Vermillion City. While they travelled through the forests on their way to Vermillion City Adam advised them to keep a few Pokémon out at night to keep watch. Adam himself would stay up every few nights to keep watch as well, though he'd let Ash and May think he was sleeping so they wouldn't worry.
Stopping briefly in small villages along the way every of often to re-stock on some supplies Ash would occasionally change his team. He asked Adam if they could visit a few places while they were travelling. Adam said it would take them a little longer to get to Vermillion but only by a day or so. The first place they visited was the Hidden Village where Ash had met Bulbasaur. There was a tearful reunion between Melanie and the now fully evolved Venusaur, they spent a day there as Ash told Melanie about his adventures with Bulbasaur. How one day he'd decided that it was time for him to evolve into an Ivysaur because he couldn't grow any stronger as a Bulbasaur, then how he evolved again into Venusaur while training in Eterna Forest.
A few days later after a close encounter with an angry pride of Persian's the group arrived at the next stop on Ash's list, the raven haired trainer hesitated before calling on his next Pokémon as this probably wasn't a place he would want to see again. They were standing in the Pokémon Centre where Ash, Brock and Misty had brought an abandoned Pokémon during a violent rainstorm. This was the place where Ash and Charmander had met and become friends, Ash released Charizard from his ball and dodged the customary Flamethrower greeting. Charizard recognised where he was as anger was etched into his features, the Nurse Joy who had helped heal him was stood outside to see how much the small fire type had grown. Ash placed a hand on Charizard's neck and sent a pulse of calming Aura into the fire type, Charizard's anger subsided just enough for him to get control of himself. Ash then told Nurse Joy how Charmander had evolved, the 'differences' they'd had and the problems they caused, how he'd earned Charizard's respect and every battle they'd had together including the battle against Noland and Articuno.
The final place Ash wanted to visit was where he'd met Squirtle. He released the water type who had now evolved all the way to a Blastoise. Officer Jenny was passing when the group entered the area and stopped to tell them about a group of Squirtle who used to terrorise the area but stopped when Blastoise pulled an arm into his shell and when it came back out he was holding a pair of sunglasses that were pointed at the upper corners. The Shellfish Pokémon put them on and smiled at Officer Jenny, Ash then told Officer Jenny what had happened since she had last seen him. Squirtle had evolved into Wartortle while fighting a fire with the Squirtle Squad and they needed more power, Ash had collected Wartortle soon after that because the water type wanted to return to battling and he'd trained a replacement to take command of the Squirtle Squad. A year later he evolved again while battling against another trainer's Kingdra because his will to win was strong enough to help him reach the next level of evolution.
At this point they had been travelling for just over a week and a half and they were walking through a dark section of forest even though it was a bright and sunny day. Luna was walking in front with Adam close behind her, Pichu still on his head Adam's hoodie back in his bag, Luxray and Umbreon walked at his sides. Ash and May followed behind them with Pikachu and Glaceon at their sides, the two trainers where holding hands as the area they passed through made them feel uneasy, behind them and ending the group were Lucario and Blaziken. Luna and Lucario were scanning the surrounding area with their Auras on the lookout for any Pokémon that might attack.
"Adam," May said quietly, "Is there any other way to Vermillion City without coming this way? I don't like it something feels wrong." Adam looked back over his shoulder and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry May, the only other way round is a couple of days travel back and would take another week. If we want to get to Vermillion in time for that Festival we need to keep going this way." He replied, suddenly Luna stopped, her head snapped to the right as she growled and she dropped into a fighting stance. It was then that they realised that the rest of the Pokémon had positioned themselves in a defensive line in front of their trainers. Adam, Ash and May reached for their other Pokéballs in case they needed them, after their encounter with the Persians they decided to be ready no matter what might be coming towards them. This had happened a couple of times before, each time it wasn't anything major just a Pokémon wondering who they were but this time however was different.
They continued to watch the trees until a branch fell from above them, Blaziken grabbed it and threw it out of the way before it hit anyone and as they looked up they saw what had caused the branch to fall. Adam swore violently under his breath.
"I didn't think they'd be here yet." He said quietly, "They usually come through here in a few weeks-time." In the trees above them was a horde of Primeape, glaring back at them. "We can't fight them here, we need to run and find an open space." Adam passed Pichu to May," Get out of here, there should be a clearing ahead. I'll buy you sometime to get there, stay in the middle and let all of your Pokémon out. Make sure Ash goes with you, I'll be right behind you." Adam threw two Pokéballs into the air as he shouted "RUN!" to Ash and May. Adam's Pokémon charged into the battle being joined by Dragonite and the Kalos water type Greninja. May gripped Ash's hand tightly and dragged him in the direction they were travelling in, while cradling the baby electric type.
They should leave Ash and May alone, Adam thought hopefully, The way they're looking at me means they're still angry about the last time they saw me. Reaching into his bag Adam brought out a handful of small spheres, they were replicas of a gift from an old adventurer he'd met years ago. The old man had told Adam how to make them and how helpful they could be. They were like the smoke bombs that ninja's used except instead of smoke the spheres released a blast of extra strength Max Repel, Adam threw them after Ash and May hoping it would keep the Primeape from chasing them just in case they did.
Primeape dropped from the trees descending on Adam and his Pokémon, Adam saw that a group of the Primeape had taken off after Ash and May, passing over the cloud of Max Repel before it had a chance to rise into the tree branches. He cursed again but focussed on the Primeape that now surrounded him and his Pokémon.
"Alright then," he said, his mouth a thin line on his face changed into a small smirk, "Come and have a go, if you think you're hard enough." The Primeape charged in and Adam started calling out attacks, soon the forest was filled with the sounds of battle.
May kept dragging Ash when she saw a break in the trees, pouring on more speed until they ran out of the forest and into the clearing, May released Ash's hand as she reached for her Pokéballs. The sounds of Adam's battle reached them as they turned to look at the trees they'd just exited.
"May, we need to go back and help Adam." Ash said starting to make his way back into the forest. May grabbed his arm and spun him round, staring him dead in the eyes.
"Adam said that we couldn't fight them there and he was right, they live in the forest and they'd be used to battling in that environment. In this open space our Pokémon can move about properly, we need to let all our Pokémon out in case the Primeape come after us. Now do it!" She said forcefully, Ash shrank back slightly at the tone of her voice and quickly released his Pokémon. May did the same with hers and started to tell them what was happening when she heard Ash cry out. Turning back she saw a Primeape standing over Ash, who was face down on the ground. Primeape's arms were glowing white while they were crossed over his chest, Ash's Pokémon had only just come out of their balls and were adjusting to their surroundings.
"Blaziken, Overheat!" May shouted angrily, without wasting a second her faithful fire type glowed red as she opened her beak and released a torrent of white hot flames at Primeape sending the fighting type hurtling backwards. When the flames stopped Primeape was knocked out and covered in soot, still smoking from the attack. May stepped forward so she was between Ash and the Primeape.
"You've just made a big mistake." She growled as more Primeape came into the clearing, they saw their fallen comrade and then looked at May. Their anger was evident in their eyes just like it was in May's, she glanced over her shoulder to Ash's Pokémon. He'd released everyone except for Sandshrew and Rhyhorn, so standing alongside her Pokémon were Pikachu, Lucario, Donphan and Krookodile.
Pikachu walked forward and stood in front of May, electricity sparking from his cheeks, followed by Lucario, who cracked his knuckles, then Donphan and Krookodile, her own Pokémon followed suit. She knew what that meant, Ash's Pokémon were willing to listen to her during this battle. A flicker of doubt shot through her, Can I do this? She thought, her inner voice shaking slightly, May shook her head, I have to do this, I'm going to beat them all! She thought in a more confident voice. For a minute no-one moved May and the Pokémon in front of her stared at the Primeape across the clearing as the fighting types stared back.
One of the Primeape got tired of waiting and charged forward screaming loudly, she was followed by the rest of the group. Panic started to grip May's heart, she looked down at Ash and remembered all the time he'd encouraged her, trusted in her, believed in her and she felt that panic fade away as it was replaced by a burning fire of confidence. She was going to defeat these Primeape and show Ash that she could take care of herself and make him proud to have her as a friend.
"Pikachu, Glaceon Ice Bolt!" May cried out in anger as the battle started, if they want to get to Ash they'll have to go through me. May thought as a Primeape managed to get past the Pokémon and now charged towards her.
That's it for now, I'll be starting the next chapter tomorrow and hopefully have it finished soon.
Please review and tell me what you think.
Until Next Time.
Basic Trainer