Going for Glory ;; An Amourshipping Fanfiction

Chapter 23 - The Final Stretch

One by one, Pokemon continued to drop to sleep. Parker didn't even struggle as he climbed up the mountainside, he made it look like child's play while other trainers struggled to keep their Pokemon safe as Umbreon dashed up and around the mountain. 

"Ca-n...'t run..." Clemont was panting for breath as he reached the end of the path. He looked up at the mountain and dropped down onto the ground, groaning.

"Come on, Clemont" Serena patted him on the back and then hopped onto the mountainside. A few tiny pieces of rock crumbled under Serena's foot.

"What's lazy doing sitting down?" Misty walked up and then climbed up next to Serena. "Let's get going before we hit dead last"

"Right" Serena nodded. "Good luck Clemont!" she yelled as they jogged off. 

Clemont may have been completely drained, but he wasn't the only one feeling fatigued. Many trainers along the course had given up and dropped off to rest, practically ensuring defeat. Ash and co were also feeling tired, struggling to keep up, but they were all around the front of the pack, meaning that their stamina didn't really matter now. 

"Come on Pikachu, we can make it!" Ash was urging himself on, as Pikachu sat on his shoulder. Ash gripped a loose rock and it flew down the mountainside. He had to grip hard onto the steep rocky side, clawing at it to stay on. Ash then pulled himself up to the path that leads to the top. 

"Oh, so you finally made it here" Ash's head snapped to the side and Parker was already stood there, Umbreon sat by his side like an obeying dog. 

Pikachu instinctively jumped off Ash's shoulder, standing in front of Ash protectively. 

Parker chuckled slightly and casually leaned against the rocky wall to his right, folding his arms. "You guys sure are stupid..."

"Umbreon, hypnosis" a voice behind Ash spoke, making him turn. Elizabeth, another Team Shadow member, stood and watched as her Umbreon sent Pikachu to sleep. 

"You never thought about two Umbreon's, huh?" Parker shook his head. "Umbreon, shadow ball"

Ash couldn't move, he was overwhelmed by the ambush's deadly speed. Within seconds, there was a purple flash and a miniature explosion that sent Ash flying back. He landed on his back, looking up at the sky. 

"We bid you, adieu" Ash heard Parker's voice, but he couldn't tell the direction. Everything was hazy in his mind as he slowly sat back up.

"No one else is here yet... I hope the others are safe" his concerns immediately changed to everyone else. "I still need to talk to Serena and Miette..."

Ash stepped over Pikachu and scooped him up. "You will be ok, we will win Pikachu" 

Pikachu continued to silently snore, fast asleep. 

"Spearow!" A flock of Spearow suddenly appeared, flying around Ash and Pikachu.

"Why am I sensing deja vu?" Ash frowned, watching the Spearow. They thought Ash was trying to live on their mountain and flew down, pecking at him. Ash covered Pikachu and was hit by a very fierce peck, that sent him tumbling back down the path. He hit a large rock sticking out of the path in a jagged position, adjacent to the cliff edge. 

"I wonder where Ash and the others are" Cilan was with Iris, Brock and May, heading up the path. They had climbed up just past Ash's position and where heading to the top, where their flying Pokemon was supposedly waiting. 

"Hopefully, Team Shadow haven't been causing trouble. After all, they can't hurt us with their Pokemon" May thought carefully back to the rules.

"Well, if it isn't seen, technically they can," Cilan said, making everyone think a little more. "They can't be disqualified for the unknown, so if someone was hurt..."