"It is the Pokémon Master, Mellanie Rigger against the challenger, Ash Ketchum." The referee announced. "Challenger release your first Pokémon."
Ash plucked a Pokéball from his belt and studied it for a moment.
"You have long deserved a fight with your new strength," Ash said with a smile. "Pikachu, you were my first Pokémon and you have trained to become one of my strongest. Show them what you can do."
Ash threw the Pokéball and Pikachu appeared in a flash of light. He stretched as he took stock of the plain field that they were fighting on.
"Pika!" Pikachu said indignantly, staring at Ash who laughed.
"I know buddy. You hate your Pokéball. Still, it is worth it just this once right?"
Pikachu considered it for a moment before giving Ash a thumbs up. He turned his attention to the other side of the field where Mellanie was fingering the belt at her waist before eventually selecting a Pokéball.
"Misdreavus, you're up," Mellanie called.
As the Pokémon appeared, she looked across the field at Ash before recognising him. Misdreavus looked back at Mellanie whose jaw was set as she glared across the arena.
"Misdreavus vs Pikachu." The referee said as he raised his flags. "Begin!"
"Misdreavus, Destiny Bond!" Mellanie instantly ordered.
Ash gave her a pitying look as Pikachu fired a bolt of lightning across the field so fast that Misdreavus had barely started the attack before Pikachu ended it.
"You'll have to do much better than that Mellanie," Ash warned. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt."
Instantly a huge bolt of electricity raced away from Pikachu at Misdreavus who tried to dodge but was far too slow. The bolt connected and Misdreavus screamed in pain, falling back towards the ground. She caught herself just before she crashed and staggered back into the air but the damage dealt was clear.
"Misdreavus, use Shadow Ball." Mellanie barked.
The attack raced away from the Ghost-type with impressive speed but Pikachu gave it a disdainful look before darting to one side, the rapidity of his dodge causing many in the crowd to gasp.
"Try Astonish!" Mellanie called.
Misdreavus faded out of sight before reappearing in front of Pikachu. Before she could move any further, however, Pikachu spun, his Iron Tail attack sending Misdreavus flying backwards. A Thunderbolt followed it up, sending Mellanie's first Pokémon crashing into the ground, well beaten.
"The first round goes to Ash Ketchum." The referee announced. "Pokémon Master, release your next Pokémon."
Mellanie recalled Misdreavus with a shaking hand. She stared down at the Pokéball as she replaced it on her belt.
"You want the Pokémon Master?" Mellanie said, her voice gaining anger as she glared across the field at her former mentor. "Fine. I'll show you how much stronger I've become. I'm your worthy successor."
She grabbed another Pokéball and hurled it into the air. Ampharos appeared in front of her and adopted a fighting stance as she looked across the field at Ash.
"Ampharos, yes, that is Ash," Mellanie said loudly. "But this is not a training battle. We are here to win."
Ash shook his head sadly from the other end of the field.
"What happened Mellanie?" Ash asked. "You always wanted to win but never like this."
Mellanie glared across the field at her former mentor. "You need to ask?"
"Because I left you?" As asked. "I left a teenager who was one of the strongest trainers in the world, set for a stellar career. You cannot blame me for the way that you went astray."
Mellanie pointedly turned away from Ash. "You cannot talk about going astray."
Ash felt his muscles tighten in anger, but his voice was level when he replied.
"Only one person has ever dared say something like that to me before Mellanie," Ash said, his quiet voice carrying across the waiting stadium, before turning to Pikachu. "Pikachu, this one is yours. Show your speed."
Pikachu nodded and dropped into his battle stance, allowing Ampharos to tower over him as the referee stepped forwards.
"Round two, Ampharos vs Pikachu. Begin!"
"Ampharos, Thunder Wave." Mellanie barked. Ampharos sent waves of crackling electricity across the field but Pikachu simply flitted between them, dodging with ease. As Ampharos stood back up, Pikachu sent a small jolt of electricity that sent Mellanie's Pokémon staggering backwards slightly. Ampharos' eyes widened at the power of the attack as she recovered.
"Ampharos, Light Screen," Mellanie ordered.
Ampharos pushed her hands forward, and a square of light appeared in front of her. Pikachu sat back on his haunches and looked at it disdainfully. His cheeks crackled with electricity but a quick glance back at Ash who was shaking his head made them stop.
"Ampharos, Power Gem," Mellanie commanded.
As the gem raced away from Ampharos, Pikachu simply twisted, letting the attack rush past him. He bounded forwards a couple of metres before back-flipping over Ampharos' follow up Thunderbolt.
"Ampharos, keep Pikachu at a distance," Mellanie ordered. "But stay behind your screen."
Ampharos fired a series of rapid-fire Thunderbolts that raked into the ground, causing cracks to appear where the attacks struck. Pikachu danced backwards from the first strike before slipping around the second. As the attacks continued, Pikachu slid around the field, always staying ahead of the attacks with ease. After nearly two minutes, Ampharos started to slow his attacks and Pikachu glanced at Ash who now nodded.
Pikachu suddenly moved faster, vanishing from where Ampharos had targeted. There was a noise of confusion from Mellanie's Pokémon as she searched for her opponent, but Pikachu was already attacking from his new position directly in front of Ampharos. The Thunder attack smashed straight through the Light Screen, hammering into Ampharos and sending the Light Pokémon flying. Ampharos screeched in pain as she crashed into the ground, sliding to a halt just in front of her trainer. Before Ampharos could recover, Pikachu had dashed forwards, faster than the eye could see and slammed into Ampharos with a devastating Iron Tail.
Mellanie looked down at Ampharos, firmly embedded in the ground by the power of Pikachu's attack before silently recalling her Pokémon.
"And the Pokémon Master has now lost two of her frontline team to the challenger!" The announcer shouted gleefully. "Ash Ketchum is showing that despite his years away, there has been no diminishing in his power or style and his successor is looking utterly outclassed."
"You have gotten stronger," Ash said, his eyes fixated on Mellanie. "But nowhere near strong enough to touch me."
Mellanie didn't answer, instead, hurling another Pokéball out onto the field. Magby appeared with a cheerful chirp and flourish. He landed on the field and bowed to cheers from the crowd. He looked up at Pikachu who waved at him. Magby grinned back and bowed to his former teacher.
"Magby, Fire Spin," Mellanie ordered.
Magby immediately fired spirals of fire across the field, but just like the Thunder Wave, Pikachu dodged with ease. Mellanie gritted her teeth with frustration as she was still yet to hit Pikachu. Pikachu rolled under the final string of flame and came up smiling at Magby who's own grin hadn't wavered.
"Magby, Smog." Mellanie barked.
Magby threw his head back before unleashing a massive cloud of poisonous gas across the field. Pikachu swung backwards on his tail and spun around, firing a Discharge attack. The gas was pushed backwards by the power of the electricity and Magby screeched in pain as Pikachu's attack crashed into him. He rolled backwards and came back to his feet, his grin wiped from his face. Pikachu looked at him with a smirk.
"Magby, Flamethrower."
Magby fired a large torrent of flames across the field but Pikachu slipped to one side. As he fired a Thundershock back, Magby dived to one side, just evading the attack. Ash coughed pointedly, getting a dismissive wave from his Pokémon.
"Magby, keep moving and fire Ember attacks," Mellanie ordered.
Magby started to move sideways, firing bursts of flames that Pikachu simply stepped past dismissively. The two Pokémon circled as Magby continually attacked before Ash decided to go onto the offensive.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt."
The attack raced away from Pikachu almost before Magby had time to register that Ash had spoken. He threw himself flat to the ground and the attack raced over him before rolling to one side to evade the follow-up. Pikachu began to advance, attacks crackling from his cheeks as Magby was forced back towards the wall by the relentless assault.
"Magby, keep backing up," Mellanie shouted. "Draw him in."
Pikachu looked back at Ash who simply gestured for him to continue. The small electric-type smiled; he knew what his friend was planning. As Magby was pushed up against the wall, Pikachu stepped forwards and paused slightly to charge a stronger attack.
"Magby, FIRE BLAST." Mellanie bellowed. Pikachu immediately stopped his attack and waited as Magby conjured up a huge torrent of fire that was straight at him. Mellanie felt a small surge of triumph as she watched the attack smash home into Pikachu.
"Guess you are overconfident." She taunted across the field. "You just fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. Don't back yourself into a corner whilst attacking."
Ash turned his piercing gaze onto Mellanie. "And you just fell for an even older one. Don't assume your attack hit."
Mellanie's gaze snapped back to the battlefield where the smoke from Magby's attack was clearing. At the centre of a scorch mark was Pikachu, standing looking unharmed, not even a mark on him.
"What the…" Mellanie started but Pikachu spun, his Iron Tail attack sending Magby soaring into the air. The following Thunderbolt sent Mellanie's third Pokémon crashing to the ground, well beaten.
"Magby is unable to battle." The referee announced, stepping forward with a flag raised. "The Pokémon Master has lost three Pokémon, meaning that there will be a short intermission."
Ash held out an arm and Pikachu leapt from his position, landing on it perfectly balanced. Ash then turned and strode away from the field, without looking at Mellanie.
The camera panned around to the figure of Zane Zito, lounging in his chair. Across the studio from him was Whitney, the former Gym Leader of Goldenrod City.
"Well, this was certainly a surprise," Zane said to Whitney who nodded in agreement. "After three years away, Ash Ketchum the former Pokémon Master returns and shows he is still the strongest around. What have you made of his return?"
"He's been incredible." Whitney gushed. "Nobody expected him to return and challenge his former tutee, but he is tearing through her Championship winning team with ease. Mellanie cannot come to grips with the speed of his Pikachu."
"This is the first time that his Pikachu has made a competitive appearance," Zane said. "And Pikachu was also not present at the famous Clash of Legends. For a Pokémon that Ash introduced as his first Pokémon, where has he been?"
"That I'm afraid I don't know," Whitney said. "But Mellanie needs to find a way to pin it down or she is going to lose without making an impact on it."
"Can she hurt Pikachu?" Zane asked. "It looked like she caught him out with Magby but it was utterly ineffective."
"That was classic Mellanie Rigger at her best," Whitney said with a smile. "Drawing you in with evasive tactics before counter-attacking ferociously. She is one of the best exponents of countering in the world, but I can't help but feel that Ash let her. Magby, while very hard to pin down is not Mellanie's hardest hitting Pokémon and Pikachu's strength meant that he could just shrug the attack off."
"Did it even make contact?" Zane asked. "It looked like a powerful attack, but Pikachu didn't even notice."
"I'm not sure," Whitney admitted. "Before it struck Pikachu looked to be charging an electric attack, but he then struck with an Iron Tail. It is possible that whatever he was charging was used to block the Fire Blast, nullifying it."
"Can Mellanie win?" Zane asked.
"No," Whitney said simply. "She needs to hit the heights where she can, to show her class but with the power of Pikachu, she doesn't stand a chance. Nobody has ever beaten Ash Ketchum since he became Pokémon Master, and Mellanie won't be the first."
"Thank you," Zane said, before swivelling the chair to look into the camera. "We're now returning to Indigo Stadium to see the second half of Mellanie Rigger, current Pokémon Master against Ash Ketchum, recently returned exile."
Pikachu sat on the bench next to Ash, neither saying anything. Ash took a deep breath and then let it out, causing his friend to look at him. Espeon prowled out of the corner of the room.
"Not as easy as you expected, is it?" She asked.
Ash sighed. "No."
Espeon shook her head. "I understand why you need to do this. But try to remember that the student you once taught is in there. I cared for her for a long time, this won't be easy for her."
Ash leaned back against the wall. "I cared for her too Espeon."
"As did I," Pikachu added. "Beating Magby wasn't enjoyable."
Ash reached out and scratched his friend behind the ears.
"I'm sorry buddy," Ash said. "But without Charizard, you were the obvious choice for this fight."
"You could have used me," Espeon said pointedly. "Or any of the rest of us."
"I know," Ash said quietly. "But Pikachu was my first ever Pokémon, and Charizard was the most famous from when I was Pokémon Master. It would have to be one of them for this fight."
"I understand," Espeon said.
"I doubt that," Ash said, rising to his feet as a buzzer sounded. "But you have shown your strength when you have needed to. It is somebody else's turn."
He strode away from the Sun Pokémon who vanished into the shadows as Ash strode back into the light of the stadium. From the other end of the field, Mellanie emerged, glowering as she stared fixatedly at Ash as he took his position in his trainer's box.
"Are both trainers ready?" the referee asked as he took his position. A curt nod from Mellanie was mirrored by Ash.
"Challenger, release your Pokémon."
Ash glanced at Pikachu who had taken up his position on his trainer's shoulder once again.
"You're up buddy."
Pikachu gave him a thumbs up with a grin before leaping forwards and landing on the field, cheeks sparking.
"Pokémon Master, release your next Pokémon."
Mellanie grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and held it out. Spoink appeared in front of her, bouncing.
"Interesting." Ash murmured. "Spoink's bouncing could be an interesting dodge technique."
Pikachu glanced back at his trainer with a derisive expression, causing Ash to chuckle slightly.
"Yes, I know you're quick enough to adjust Pikachu," Ash said, slightly louder. "But it will still be a different challenge to what you're used to."
Pikachu gave Ash another thumbs up as the referee stepped forward and raised his flags.
"Pikachu vs Spoink. Begin!"
Pikachu fired an immediate bolt of electricity at Spoink who bounced out of the way. Ash put a hand to his mouth to hide his grin as Pikachu fired a follow-up that Spoink evaded easily as well.
"Spoink, Psychic to catch the next attack," Mellanie ordered.
As Pikachu fired a third bolt of electricity, Spoink's eyes glowed blue and the bolt froze in mid-air. Mellanie's lip curled.
"Now send it into the ground around Pikachu."
The bolt of electricity revered direction, ripping into the ground around Ash's Pokémon who looked around a little uncertainly. As the electricity dissipated, Spoink's Psychic attack continued to tear up the ground, leaving Pikachu stuck at the centre of a pile of rubble.
"Interesting." Ash murmured. "She's borrowed that one from us."
Pikachu threw Ash a look as if to tell him that it didn't matter where Mellanie had gotten the idea from, they needed to beat it.
"Pikachu, jump," Ash said slightly louder.
His Pokémon leapt into the air but Mellanie was waiting for him.
"Spoink, catch Pikachu" she ordered.
Pikachu let out a shout of surprise as he felt his downward momentum dissipate, caught in mid-air by the strength of Spoink's attack. Ash raised an eyebrow slightly before raising his voice to speak clearly.
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle."
Pikachu glowed bright yellow as electricity surrounded him before he started to run in mid-air. Spoink let out a cry of frustration and panic as Pikachu broke through her attack and raced down towards the Bounce Pokémon.
"Spoink, move!" Mellanie shouted, but it was too late. The speed of Pikachu, combined with gravity pulling him towards the ground meant that there was nowhere for Spoink to go. Pikachu smashed into his opponent with a sickening crash, before darting away to take up his position in front of Ash once again.
The referee stepped forwards, one flag raised.
"Spoink is unable to battle. Pokémon Master, release your next Pokémon."
Mellanie snatched at Spoink's Pokéball, frustration causing her to fumble as it as she recalled Spoink. She glared across the field as she threw another Pokéball out.
"Something wrong Mellanie?" Ash asked, his voice only just carrying across the field.
"No." Mellanie snapped as Scizor appeared in front of her. "Just battle."
Ash inclined his head as Scizor adopted a battle stance in front of his trainer.
"Scizor vs Pikachu." The referee announced. "Begin!"
"Scizor, Agility," Mellanie ordered instantly.
Pikachu glanced back at his trainer as Scizor's move caused Mellanie's Pokémon to move noticeably quicker. Ash shook his head slightly, causing Pikachu to sigh. It had become more like Ash to showboat when he was trying to make a point, and letting Scizor raise his stats before Pikachu knocked him out was very typical of his trainer.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt," Ash ordered quietly.
Pikachu sighed again as he fired the attack, knowing what his trainer wanted. As expected, Scizor responded to Mellanie's call and used Agility again to dodge the attack, flickering around the field to evade the bolts of lightning that Pikachu was sending at him. After firing attacks for nearly a minute and watching Scizor use Agility a further two times, Pikachu glanced back at his trainer asking for permission to fight properly.
"Scizor, Slash." Mellanie barked.
There were gasps around the stadium as Scizor shot across the field at an incredible speed, but his attack missed Pikachu who had moved even quicker. Scizor looked around for his opponent to see the small electric-type smirking at him from the other side of the field. Growling in frustration Scizor launched himself at Pikachu who dodged once again. Scizor's confused expression drew patches of laughter from the crowd who no longer seemed in awe of the Pincer Pokémon's incredible speed.
"Scizor, Quick Attack." Mellanie ordered.
Despite moving even quicker this time, Scizor still found his attack hitting open air as he swung and missed Pikachu. Ash's starter stood with a huge grin on his face, clearly enjoying himself despite his complaints to his trainer.
"Scizor just hit him." Mellanie snapped.
Scizor launched himself forwards, claws swinging but Pikachu danced backwards, evading each attack calmly. The growing fury in Scizor's movements was exacerbated by the laughter of the crowd, particularly as a particularly aggressive swing caused Scizor to smash a claw into the ground as Pikachu slipped to one side.
"Pikachu put him out of his misery," Ash said. "Iron Tail."
As Scizor swung his claw again, Pikachu spun, easily avoiding the attack before smashing his glowing tail into Scizor. Mellanie's Pokémon doubled up in pain as Pikachu skipped away again.
"Scizor, after him," Mellanie growled. "Pursuit."
With a grunt of pain, Scizor launched himself forwards to chase after Pikachu who raced away, accelerating around the stadium. Within moments the two Pokémon were mere flashes of colour against the ground as Scizor's attack pushed him faster and faster against an opponent who simply refused to be caught.
"You can't dodge this one." Mellanie taunted as Ash gazed intently down at the field. "No matter how fast Pikachu moves, Scizor will catch him.
"We're not dodging," Ash said quietly. "Pikachu, Iron Tail."
There was an echoing crash and Scizor appeared, flying backwards. As he hit the dirt, the referee stepped forwards once again, the result clear for the entire stadium to see.
"Scizor is unable to battle. Pokémon Master, release your final Pokémon."
Mellanie shakily held out Scizor's Pokéball before meeting her former mentor's eye, her confidence and sneers from a moment earlier completely gone.
"How?" she asked simply.
Without speaking, Ash gestured to the big screen that towered over the field. Mellanie looked up to see the last moments of the battle between Pikachu and Scizor slowed down.
Despite it being obvious from the crowd in the picture how much the image had been slowed down, Pikachu and Scizor were still hurtling along on the replay. Suddenly Pikachu stopped running and his tail started to glow white. He swung around, slamming it into Scizor who seemed almost surprised at the speed which his opponent had managed to go from fleeing to attacking and the Pincer Pokémon had no chance to dodge. The Iron Tail attack caught him squarely in the midriff and he was launched backwards.
Mellanie looked back down at Ash and Pikachu who had returned to stand in front of his trainer.
"Why?" she asked.
Ash cocked his head slightly before gesturing to the Pokéball in her hand.
"Release your final Pokémon Mellanie." He said. "It is time for this battle to end."
Mellanie shook her head in disbelief. She opened her mouth, before clenching her jaw shut. Instead, she threw the Pokéball, causing Totodile to appear in front of her.
"So it is the clash of the starters," Gary said thoughtfully. "Totodile is in for a schooling."
Misty nudged her husband playfully. "He is a fearsome Pokémon. He might be able to hurt Pikachu."
Gary looked at her for a long moment before she burst out laughing.
"Okay, perhaps not."
"Pikachu is something else," Max said, joining in the conversation breathlessly. "To be able to beat a Pursuit like that."
"I know," Gary said, turning to the Brainiac. "Usually once the chasing Pokémon has gotten to that speed it is a certain hit but Pikachu was able to turn it into a knock-out blow. Scizor's own speed gave Iron Tail even more power."
"I'd forgotten what it was like to watch Ash," Max said. "He is still awesome."
"And you still are a fanboy," May said with a grin, causing her younger brother to blush and growl something unintelligible. May and Dawn laughed as Max withdrew into himself.
"What will this do to Mellanie?"
At the sound of the new voice, they all turned to see Sam looking across at them.
"Sorry?" Brock asked.
"I've learnt about politicking," Sam said. "But not as much about trainer mentality. This defeat, what will it do to Mellanie?"
"I'm afraid I don't know," Brock said. "This kind of defeat has never been handed out to a reigning Pokémon Master before."
"She could step down." May offered. "I'm sure nobody would question it if she stepped down in favour of Ash."
"Yeah… maybe." Sam said but he didn't sound very confident. "But still, to be publically thrashed by your mentor…"
"This won't be easy for her," Misty said, her voice surprisingly compassionate. "But she will learn from this experience and might get back to how she used to be."
"I hope so," Sam said fervently. "It hurts to see her like this."
"If Ash is anything like he once was, it will hurt him as well," Dawn said, rising from her seat to sit next to the leader of Kanto. "He won't have enjoyed doing this."
"Then why is he doing it?" Sam asked, allowing Dawn to put her arm around him.
"I'm sure he has a plan." The bluenette said. "Remember, no need to worry."
"Totodile vs Pikachu. Begin!"
"Totodile, Hydro Pump," Mellanie ordered instantly.
Ash threw her a pitying look as Pikachu slipped to one side before firing a bolt of electricity straight into the attack. Totodile roared with pain as the water conducted the attack straight back to him. Mellanie gritted her teeth, frustrated at her mistake.
"Pikachu, get Totodile moving," Ash ordered.
A quick Thunderbolt sent Mellanie's starter scrabbling for an escape as his trainer watched on helpless. Pikachu began to construct a series of attacks that forced Totodile towards a corner as he advanced on the Big Jaw Pokémon. As the attacks continued Mellanie couldn't take her eyes away from the demise of her final Pokémon.
"Pikachu, net him." Ash barked.
Pikachu flashed his trainer a grin before closing his eyes and releasing by far the biggest attack of the entire match, high into the sky. Lightning flashed around the field, and several of the spectators screamed at the display of raw power. Totodile froze in fear for a split second before he darted forwards, trying to evade the bolts of electricity that were smashing down onto the stadium. After a few moments, the number of bolts from the sky rapidly increased and Totodile slowly moved backwards as Pikachu continued to pour more and more energy into the air.
The sky started to darken as the electricity crackled through the air. Lights around the stadium flickered on and off as they were powered by Pikachu's attack as more and more energy was poured into it. Ash watched on impassively as lightning jumped around the stadium, the lightning rods on the roof being heavily taxed by his Pokémon's strike. Dozens of small bolts crashed down, creating an almost constant barrage of electricity. On the field Totodile was trapped, the onslaught creating a cage. Any movement would cause him to be hit by Pikachu's attack as it homed in around him.
Mellanie stood, her mouth wide open as her Pokémon was trapped in a tiny area, no more than a metre square on the field. She looked up at Ash who had turned his gaze onto her, the piercing look burning into her eyes.
"Please." Mellanie mouthed, knowing what was to come. Very slowly, almost pityingly, Ash shook his head.
"Pika… CHUUUU!"
Pikachu threw all his energy into a final bolt into the sky and finally drew his attack to an end. The smaller strikes continued to flash into the ground around Totodile who looked around uncertainly, waiting for an escape to present itself. There was a split second as the final wave of strikes came down and there seemed to be peace on the field, Totodile miraculously untouched at the centre of the display of power. The lights around the stadium turned off again, the electricity that had powered them dying out. Totodile started to take a step forwards before a huge bolt of pure lightning raced down, faster than the eye could follow. As it passed, every single electrical device in the stadium drew power from the air. Every single floodlight snapped on, illuminating the darkened morning to make it look like highest noon. The bolt of lightning smashed straight into Totodile from above with a deafening explosion. Dust rolled away from the impact, quickly smothering the field and the lower parts of the stands.
Up in the higher tiers, just above where the dust and smoke reached, silence reigned. Max tried to open his mouth several times, but nothing came out. After a long minute where the dust didn't seem to be clearing, Dawn finally managed to stammer words out.
"I…"
From next to her, Sam turned to look at the rest of the group.
"Do you still think there is no need to worry?"
"I… But…" Dawn stammered, but Sam cut across her.
"Ash had better have had a plan." He said shortly. "Because this could be a career destroyer. Mellanie may never come back."
"I'm sure…" May started, but Sam didn't give her a chance to talk either.
"That Ash didn't intend that?" Sam snapped. "Well, he has a funny way of showing it. That is the single worst defeat he has ever dished out."
"But Cynthia…" This time it was Max that Sam interrupted.
"Cynthia was taken apart by Charizard. Mellanie was just destroyed. Her starter, her most powerful, her most famous Pokémon was at the centre of that."
Sam gestured to the field which was still hidden by a thick bank of rolling smoke and dust.
"How do you come back from that?" Sam demanded.
"Mellanie can't."
Sam's gaze was snapped to Brock, his eyes burning with anger.
"Precisely," Sam growled. "Ash has just destroyed her career."
"No," Brock said softly. "He just saved it."
"Explain," Sam growled.
"This Mellanie can't recover from this," Brock said, his voice infuriatingly calm. "But the old Mellanie can."
Sam opened his mouth furiously, but nothing came out.
"Think about it," Brock said. "Mellanie used to be this battling prodigy who had all the features of this amazing young trainer. Look at her now."
"She is Pokémon Master," Sam said uncertainly. "I think she fulfilled that potential."
"But she used to be the darling of the media. Somewhere she has lost that. And that is what she will need to recover. To pull off the aloof, dominant persona is extremely difficult. Everybody loses, and you are expected to react to it well. Better than I suspect she will."
"But…" Sam said, before being stopped by a tight grip on his arm from May. "What?"
She pointed down at the battlefield where the dust was finally clearing. At the centre of the battlefield, Ash was kneeling, Totodile next to him. Pikachu was stood beside the two of them, not looking especially fatigued despite the attacks he had unleashed.
Totodile stirred, and looked around, before slumping back on the ground acknowledging his defeat. To the side of the field, the referee raised his flags, coughing to clear his throat before he spoke.
"Totodile is unable to battle. The Pokémon Master is out of Pokémon, meaning that Ash Ketchum is the victor!"
There was a subdued cheering that rapidly grew in intensity as the stunned crowd came back to life. Pikachu beamed around the stadium before hopping up onto his trainer's shoulder and poking Ash on the side of the head.
Ash chuckled, scratching Pikachu behind the ears before he rose and strode towards Mellanie. As he reached her, he held out his hand.
"That was a good battle Mellanie," Ash said.
She looked at his hand dismissively, before looking up into the eyes of her former mentor. As Ash met her gaze, he saw the tears well up.
"You just had to do it, didn't you?" Mellanie snapped. "Everything I did was for you, and this is how you repay me?"
"I never asked for any of this," Ash said softly.
"I brought you home." Mellanie hissed. "Without me, you'd still be stuck in exile."
Ash smiled sadly. "And you assumed that was a bad thing."
"You mean you didn't want to come home?" Mellanie asked, taken aback.
"It isn't that easy," Ash said. "I wanted to come home, but there are lines that I wouldn't cross to do it. If there hadn't been, I would never have been exiled in the first place."
"Which is why I had to do it for you!" Mellanie burst out. Ash shook his head.
"No Mellanie. The fact that you threw yourself into this tells me what kind of person you once were." Ash said. "But the way you finished it, and your actions since tell me what has been lost along the way. Now shake my hand and lose with dignity."
"Screw you." Mellanie snapped, turning on her heel and storming away. Ash watched her go, he felt a sorrow well up inside him. He turned and strode away from the field, disappearing into the trainer's room as the cheers of the crowd slowly faded away.