"Primeape! Primeape!" The pig monkey Pokémon grunted out proudly, while throwing a series of punches in the air. Steam could be seen coming out of Primeape's nostrils as he was breathing hard and ready to fight.
Misty was in the stands in clear shock, while Gary and Tracey were amused at her reaction. After a few seconds of silence from the orange-haired water specialist, she finally turned to look at them, with a face of realization.
"So that's why you guys went to Celadon City earlier today," Misty said as if she realized a universal truth. "You three went to retrieve Ash's Primeape."
"Yep. Ashy-Boy here apparently wanted to use Primeape for the World Coronation Tournament," Gary replied while glancing down at the battlefield. Gary analyzed the terrain of the field. It was one specially made to accommodate and give rock, ground, and steel-type Pokémon an advantage. "Ashy-Boy may have the type advantage over Brock, but it all comes down to skill and how well Ash understands Primeape. I'm sure he hasn't battled with him for years."
"Yeah. Now that I think about it, I don't think Ash or Primeape ever had a serious Pokémon battle together." Misty commented as she watched her two oldest friends stare each other down on the battlefield.
"Then this is the perfect opportunity for Ash to develop and learn Primeape's battle style," Tracey said as he was messing around with the pencil in his hands. "Ash's battle style is very unique and he always does best when he is in a tight spot during the heat of a battle. Battling a tough trainer like Brock will surely show us how well Ash can battle with a fresh Pokémon."
Gary slowly nodded, not averting his gaze from the battlefield below. "You've got a point there, Tracey. I'm interested in seeing how well Ash and his Pokémon can stack up again an opponent like Brock." Misty and Tracey agreed with the mahogany-haired teenager as the three gazed at the trainers below.
"Primeape, huh. It sure has been a long time since I've seen that particular Pokémon. I'd like to say... eight years? Let's see how much both of you improved." Brock mused out loud.
"You got it, Brock. This will be my first battle with Primeape in a long time. But I've grown as a trainer now and I believe in Primeape." Ash said with a confident smirk on his face.
"Pika-pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked, while standing by Ash's side on their side of the trainer box.
Pikachu hoped that Ash will give him a chance to battle against Brock's Pokémon. Whenever Ash has Pikachu battle, he usually either uses him as his starter or saves him for last. Perhaps Ash is saving Pikachu for the finale.
"We are ready Forrest!" Ash and Brock both yelled out to the boy that was serving as the referee for the friendly match.
"Okay, now that the trainers are ready... battle begin!" Forrest declared as he motioned with his hands by chopping the air.
"We will take the first move! Sudowoodo, use Wood Hammer!" Brock ordered. Sudowoodo's tree-like hands began to glow bright green and he started to rush towards his opponent.
"Primeape, dodge it and use Thrash!" Ash called out to his Pokémon. The pig monkey Pokémon understood his trainer's order and quickly nodded. At the last second, Primeape managed to dodge the incoming Wood Hammer and countered it with a series of Thrash attacks.
Brock simply smirked. "Not bad, Ash! But it will take more than that to hurt, Sudowoodo! Sudowoodo! Use Harden to up your defenses!"
"Woodo!" Sudowoodo said as he hardened his body and started absorbing Primeape's thrashing as if it was nothing.
"Nice strategy, Brock!" Ash complimented with a grin. Brock grinned back. "Thrash is a very powerful normal-type move. Rock-types resist normal-type moves, so I need to have Primeape use another move..."
"Primeape! Use Focus Punch!" Ash commanded as he motioned with his arm.
One of Primeape's fists started to glow brighter and brighter until the fist was surrounded by focus energy. Primeape jumped and slammed Sudowoodo with his fist, dealing a good amount of damage. However, thanks to Sudowoodo's Harden, the damage was reduced to an extent.
"Not bad, Ash. But what if your opponent counters your attack." Brock thought in his head. He knew that Ash could come up with some very unpredictable strategies mid-battle, so he needs to keep his guard up. "Primeape are typically known for their physical punches, so Ash will go for another one right about now..."
"Alright, Primeape! Now use another Focus Punch!"
"Called it." Brock mentally congratulated himself. He knew just what to do to counter Primeape at that moment.
"Sudowoodo, use Mimic!" Brock ordered out.
Ash's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He wasn't expecting Ash to use that move against him. Ash watched as Sudowoodo had a determined expression on his face and begun to place focus energy on one of his tree-like hands.
"Primeape, rush up faster before Sudowoodo can fully charge Focus Punch!" Ash yelled out last second.
"Too late. Sudowoodo counteract Primeape's Focus Punch with your own!" Brock commanded.
"Sudo-WOODO!" Sudowoodo cried out and swung a powerful Focus Punch. The two Focus Punch met, causing a large blast. Both Primeape and Sudowoodo were pushed back to their respective sides of the battlefield.
"Those were some incredible plays on Brock's part. The Harden to absorb Focus Punch was good, but I'd say that using Mimic during that moment was a smart move." Gary said. "But I think I know which of the two will come out with the win."
Misty narrowed her eyes at Gary. "Really? Who do you think will win this round?"
"It's just an educated guess, but we will see how the battle plays out," Gary replied.
While Gary and Misty were having a side conversation, Tracey was focusing hard on capturing the battle. That moment the two Focus Punches collided was a moment Tracey just had to capture on his sketchpad. Fortunately for Tracey, he has a good photographic memory and quick, skillful hands.
Ash and Brock looked at each other and grinned. The battle is only going to get more intense from here on out. Both their Pokémon still had the capabilities to battle and wouldn't give in.
"Primeape! Use Bulk Up to increase your attack and defense stats." Ash shouted out. Primeape closed his eyes and started to build up energy within his body.
"I don't think so! Sudowoodo, use Rock Slide to make Primeape flinch!" Brock shouted. Brock knew that Sudowoodo would be at a disadvantage and his Harden would be nullified if Primeape successfully boosted his stats.
"Sudowoodo!" Sudowoodo cried out. Suddenly rocks started to descend from the air and hit Primeape multiple times. This caused the pig monkey Pokémon to lose its focus and fail to gain any stat boosts.
"I got to admit Brock, that was a good move you pulled off." Ash complimented with a cheeky grin.
"I would say the same to you, but I haven't seen anything amazing from you yet," Brock replied with his own friendly grin. Brock nodded to his Sudowoodo.
"Rock Slide again!" Brock suddenly ordered. Ash's eyes widened as he panicked. Ash wasn't happy that Brock played him dirty by lowering his guard on purpose. However, he was especially frustrated with himself for having his guard down for that moment.
Ash took a deep breath and soon grinned. Rookie Ash would not have thought of a strategy to counter this, but this is the new Ash. The one who will be participating in the World Coronation Series Tournament.
Ash let out a fist and cried out, "Primeape! Jump to your right and use Mega Punch to send those rocks back at em!" Primeape listened and dodged with a moment to spare. The pig monkey Pokémon then started rapidly punching at all the slowly descending rocks summoned by Sudowoodo's Rock Slide and redirected it right back at him.
"Sudowoodo, Wood Hammer!" Brock yelled. "Use the force to crush those rocks!" Brock wasn't going to let Ash win so easily, especially in the first round of their battle. But their efforts went futile as soon as Sudowoodo got hit by a couple of rocks it couldn't destroy. The redirected Rock Slide had put Brock at a disadvantage as Sudowoodo was knocked to the floor.
"Now's our chance!" Ash ordered as he narrowed his eyes towards the target. "Jump up and use Focus Punch!"
"What? No! Sudowoodo, get up!" Brock shouted out to his Pokémon. It was too late. Primeape leaped into the air and quickly dived down and landed a direct hit on Sudowoodo. A few moments later, a cloud of smoke appeared and disappeared in an instant. Sudowoodo was on the gym floor, clearly fainted with a dazed expression.
"Yes, we did it Primeape!" Ash exclaimed as he went up to hug the proud pig monkey Pokémon. However, instead of returning the hug from his trainer, Primeape knocked Ash down and stole his cap.
"Heh heh, looks like habits die hard," Misty chuckled at the spectator area.
"Primeape did the same thing when they reunited," Tracey mentioned with a sweatdrop. "I still have no idea what is Primeape's obsession with Ash's hats."
"You and me both, Tracey." Misty muttered and sighed.
"Say, Misty. We are still going on that date Friday night, right?" Tracey asked her.
"Of course we are," Misty replied, rolling her eyes at what Tracey asked. "What restaurant are we eating at?"
"That nice sushi restaurant in Fuchsia City." Tracey replied. "I even got a coupon for 10% off! What a deal!"
"Oh, I've been meaning to try out that place!" Misty said. At that moment, her stomach slightly made a small noise. "Great... now I'm getting hungry..."
Tracey just chuckled amusingly and patted Misty on the head. She looked at him with an irritated expression, which caused Tracey to redirect his sights towards the battle.
"Sudowoodo, return!" Brock called out as he used the Poké Ball to return it. Brock then took out another Poké Ball and called out another one of his Pokémon. This Pokémon was purple and appeared to be a bat-like Pokémon that was floating in the air. This was thanks to the bat Pokémon's different wings.
"So Brock chose Crobat as his second Pokémon." Ash murmured to himself as he pulled out his Rotom Phone. He needed to get a refresher on this Pokémon.
Rotom Phone: Crobat, the bat Pokémon and the evolved form of Golbat. A Poison/flying-type. Both its legs have turned into a set of four wings. Without a sound, they fly swiftly towards the prey and sink their fangs into the nape of the target's neck skillfully.
"Crobat are known to be one of the quickest species of Pokémon in the world, so I need to keep that in mind," Ash noted in his thoughts.
"In that case," Ash said out loud. "This should be a very interesting match-up. I'll be sticking with Primeape!"
"I was counting on that," Brock responded with a smile. However, the smile on his face didn't last long as it shifted into a neutral expression rather quickly. "Crobat hit things off with Sonic Boom!"
"Nah, I don't think so. Primeape cross your fists together and block it!" Ash yelled immediately, determined not to let the Sonic Boom hit. Primeape managed to block the attack, despite being damaged a bit from the collision.
"Great job! Now get up close and use Thrash!" Ash shouted. Within a couple of seconds, Primeape was charging up towards Crobat with all its rage. Brock simply grinned as he put his plan into motion.
"Crobat, use Supersonic, while Primeape is within close range!" Brock ordered, with a confident tone. Crobat obeyed and swiftly screeched, which hit the Pig Monkey Pokémon and caused it to lose its momentum and crash to the ground.
"Oh no!" Ash cried out.
"Oh yes!" Brock said sarcastically.
"Snap out of it, Primeape!" Ash cried out desperately to his Pokémon, but to no avail. Primeape was simply too confused and started hurting itself in confusion. Ash couldn't do anything besides watch helplessly as Primeape punched itself in the face with multiple Mega Punches.
"Finish it off with Leech Life!" Brock ordered and clenched a fist.
Crobat screeched and flapped his four wings violently as he attacked the opposing Pokémon, sucking out the life out of it. After a few long seconds, Crobat departed from his target and flew back to Brock's side. Primeape was leaning back and forward slowly, until it tumbled and collapsed onto the floor. Swirls were seen in his eyes.
"You did well Primeape. Now return and rest up," Ash sighed as the Pokémon got absorbed by the red flash of light. Ash then smiled. "Great strategy Brock! I didn't see that Supersonic Leech life combination attack coming at all!"
"Thanks, Ash. But you come up with some unexpecting moves during the heat of the battle way more than I do. Why don't you show me?" Brock insisted with a grin. He was having fun battling against his young friend.
"Gladly! Lucario, I choose you!" Ash called out his bipedal aura Pokémon. Ash knew that Lucario really loves to battle, so why not let it engage in a battle before their actual training commences. Lucario opened its eyes and barked out in determination. Both Ash and Lucario shared a nod at each other.
"Lucario, huh. Good choice. Crobat, Cross Poison!" Brock commanded.
"Lucario, evade it and use Force Palm!" Ash directed with his hand. Lucario nodded and leaped to the side while sliding. Lucario then put focus on one of its paws and struck Crobat, causing it to get knocked back to Brock's side.
"Now use Aura Sphere!" Ash commanded.
"Ruh! Rauh!" Lucario barked out, moving his hands together, and started forming a sphere of aura energy. Lucario then launched the Aura Sphere.
"Crobat, use your superior speed to dodge!" Brock shouted. Crobat obeyed and easily dodged the Aura Sphere with seconds to spare.
"Lucario, throw out mini Aura Spheres, rapid-fire!" Ash ordered as an alternative strategy. Lucario formed multiple small-sized Aura Sphere attacks and began launching them towards Crobat.
"Crobat, dodge them all!"
Crobat flapped his wings quickly and was dashing through the air with incredible speed and agility. None of the mini Aura Spheres landed a hit on the purple bat Pokémon.
Lucario gritted his teeth and snarled in frustration as even his quick-moving mini Aura Spheres are proving to be ineffective against Crobat's speed.
"So, Ash. Do you have a strategy to counter Crobat's lightning-fast speed?" Brock asked.
"Don't underestimate Lucario. He still has a couple of moves that can put the battle in our favor." Ash said with a determined look on his face.
"Lucario! Use Extreme Speed to get up close and then Force Palm!" Ash shouted to the aura Pokémon.
"What!?" Brock shouted with a surprised expression. "He didn't expect Ash's Lucario to have that move at his disposal. Then again, this is Ash he is talking about."
Lucario's body was quickly surrounded by a white aura and rushed towards Crobat, out-matching the bat's speed. The Pokémon then focused his aura energy in one of his palms and attacked Crobat at close range, sending Crobat to the gym floor. A mini crater was created due to the impact.
"Crobat! Can you still battle?" Brock asked the bat Pokémon with worry. Crobat simply nodded at his trainer as he slightly struggled to get back up from the ground. Multiple dark spots and bruises could be seen on Crobat's body.
"Good, now use Sonic Boom." Brock ordered. Crobat screeched and shot a wave of energy from his mouth and managed to hit Lucario directly.
"Lucario hang in there, and use Reversal!" Ash called out. Lucario swiftly nodded as it charged up its palm for a Reversal and struck Crobat face on. Crobat was slammed to the ground as smoke appeared from the impact. Moments later, Crobat reappeared from the smoke and was declared as unable to battle.
"Well done, Crobat." Brock muttered as he recalled the Pokémon. 'Well, Ash time to show you my final Pokémon. Go!"
From Brock's ball emerged a large metal snake-like Pokémon with different segments on the body. It was extremely large, but also heavy.
"I knew it." Ash said, as he gave Brock a grin. "Saving the best for last I see." Ash then turned to his Lucario.
"Lucario, can you still battle?" Ash asked with concern evident in his tone.
"Rua Rah!" (I'll serve you until the bitter end, Master) Lucario barked and nodded in response.
"Understood," Ash responded to Lucario. Through their aura bond, Ash could understand what Lucario was saying to him at times. "Okay, Brock! We are ready for anything you throw at us!"
"If you say so, Ash," Brock shouted back. "Steelix, use Stone Edge!"
"Lucario, dodge and use Reversal!" Ash ordered in an effort to minimize the damage from Stone Edge.
Lucario focused his fighting-type energy and was able to retaliate against Steelix's Stone Edge, nullifying the damage taken by both sides.
"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" Brock ordered his iron snake Pokémon next.
With quick thinking, Ash shouted, "Lucario, jump up on Steelix's tail and use Aura Sphere, close range!"
Lucario jumped high in the air and successfully evaded the Iron Tail attack. Quickly, while he was up close and personal, the aura Pokémon forced out an Aura Sphere from the palms of its paws right at Steelix's face.
"Great job! Direct hit! Now use Force Palm!" Ash yelled out and placed a fist up in the air. He was starting to get into the groove and enjoy the heat of the battle.
"Use your tail to counter it!" Brock instructed with a clenched fist. Steelix obeyed and used its tail to smack Lucario back to the ground. Lucario landed on his two feet and panted a bit before standing firm. The aura Pokémon stared down his opponent with a calm expression.
"We are still in this, Lucario use Aura Sphere!"
"Steelix! Form a Gyro Ball!"
"GROOUHHH!" the mighty iron snake Pokémon roared as it began spinning into a sphere. When the Aura Sphere connected, it was nullified due to the momentum of Steelix's Gyro Ball.
"Way to go, Steelix! Now use Dig!" Brock shouted out as it began burrowing under the gym floor. It only took a couple of seconds for Steelix to completely disappear under the ground.
"Lucario, stay calm and use your aura to figure out where Steelix will dig out from," Ash ordered. Lucario closed his eyes and focused his aura energy on the gym floor. Lucario could see that Steelix was still deep under the gym floor, but was quickly digging up. He let out a loud grunt to signal that he found Steelix.
"Okay great! Now jump up high and use Double Team!" Ash shouted out, his heart racing with excitement. In a blink of an eye, Lucario started forming copies of himself all around it, as Steelix popped out of the ground.
"Nice try, Ash. But that is the oldest trick in the book. Steelix, use Sandstorm!" Steelix roared and then formed a sandstorm which wiped away all the copy Lucario that was formed via Double Team. "There is the real one, now use Stone Edge!"
"Lucario, dodge it!" Ash ordered quickly. But unluckily for Ash, Steelix managed to summon pillars of rocks and directly hit Lucario's body. The damage was so powerful that it caused Lucario's HP to deplete to zero, thus making the aura Pokémon succumb to its fatigue.
"I'm sorry, master..."
"Return, Lucario. You did amazing." Ash called the aura Pokémon back to his Poké Ball and reattached it to his belt. Ash then looked down to his left at his partner Pokémon, who was patiently waiting the entire time. Ash gave Pikachu a determined smile. "You ready buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked and gave a thumbs up, before scurrying to the battlefield. Finally Pikachu will be able to stretch his legs and warm up.
"Looks like you are finally taking me seriously, if you are using Pikachu that is." Brock joked with a friendly laugh.
"You got that right, Brock. Pikachu vs. Steelix, just like how it was back then when I was trying to win the Boulder Badge" Ash said with his signature friendly grin.
"Well maybe, it's time for me to get serious too," Brock said as he quickly took off his shirt and vest, to reveal a keystone tied around his neck like an amulet or necklace.
"Oh, man! Mega Evolution!" Ash exclaimed with stars in his eyes.
Brock grinned at his friend's childlike attitude when the battles get tough. Ash usually always loved a challenge, as he recalled his journeys from Kanto through Sinnoh with the raven-haired trainer. "It's time to provide Ash with a good challenge and heat up the battle."
"Steelix! Mega Evolve!" Brock shouted out, holding his keystone close to his chest.
"One thing is for certain. The battle is going to get more intense from here. Pikachu and I must be ready."
To be continued...