Going forward and beyond {Path of the Aura Ranger: Book I}

XIII Ash's P.O.V

"Are you ready?" Cynthia asked me, mirroring my excitement.

"I am!" I exclaimed, taking out my third Poke Ball.

"Then let's do this together!" She told me, raising her Poke Ball.

"Spiritomb!/Tyranitar!"

My Tyranitar roared as soon as his feet landed on the ground, shaking the whole room with the raw power of his roar. Spiritomb appeared silently, but that did not mean I underestimated him at all. His silence was deadly. I've learnt a lot of Ghost-type pokemon this last year, the main things I learned is that you never and I mean it, never, underestimate a ghost.

"Shadow Sneak and then use Sucker Punch!" Cynthia commanded her Spiritomb.

However, we were already expecting a sneak attack like that, so Tyranitar easily blocked it with rocks. We then used those hugge rocks to hide Tyranitar's large body and sneak up behind Spiritomb. "Use Brutal Swing!" I shouted and watched as Tyranitar threw Spiritomb against the upcoming Stone Edge, we had planned beforehand. "Let's finish this! Black Hole Eclipse!" After striking various choreographed poses- they are so much fun! Tyranitar raised his head and a spiraling sphere of purple, red, and black energy formed above his head. He then threw the sphere at Spiritomb, and it expands into a miniature black hole. Spiritomb waas sucked into the black hole, which then shrank to a much smaller size, causing it to explode. "All right!" I cheered but then gasped when Tyranitar also fainted alongside Spiritomb. "What?!" Then I realized what had just happened. "You used Destiny Bond!"

"Got it in one try!" Cynthia praised me. "I had Spiritomb do it as soon as Tyranitar had caught him to use Brutal Swing."

"Ghosts are so sneaky!" I cursed.

"So, are you," Cynthia told me with a small laugh, as we both returned our pokemon. "I did not expect this battle to be so evenly match."

"Neither did I," I told her, while internnally thinking that I was expecting her to kick my ass.

The following battle was a short but intense one, Cynthia's Lucario against my Primeape. It was a purely Fighting-type style of battle. Kick after kick, punch after punch, until they both knock each other out.

 "Sceptile you are next!"

"Come on out, Kommo-o!" Cynthia called out her fifth pokemon.

"A Kommo-o? All the way from Alola?" I inquired surprised. "Honestly, Alola pokemon and culture is in bloom lately."

"Mostly because of you," Cynthia joked. "But I've had her since I was a young trainer, a gift from my parents who had went to Alola as a wedding anniversary trip."

"That's so nice," I thought out loud.

"It is," Cynthia agreed. "But now it's time to continue our battle! Kommo-o, use Clanging Scales!"

Shit! Not that move! I thouhgt worredly. It was one of Kommo-o's strongest moves and a pain in the ass while we were doing our Island Trails!

"Frenzy Plant!" I shouted, and sighed in relief as both moves canceled each other.

"Breaking Swipe!" Cynthia commanded her pokemon.

"Meet it with Leaf Blade!" I countered. That lead to both pokemon to meet each other in a close combat battle, which worked on my favor. "Dragon Breath!" Our Dragon-type move caught him right on the face, sending him flying various yards back. "Agility and Dual Chop!" Sceptile got two hits on Kommo-o, before being enveloped in a hug by Kommo-o and unable to move.

"Clanging Scales!" Cynthia commanded.

What is she planning to do? I shouted in my head. Without any distance between the pokemon, the move will ricochet on Kommo-o and take both of them out?!