The next day, Ash and Hop wake up bright and early as they get ready for another big day ahead. They do their usual morning routines before they both head straight to Motorstoke city stadium for Ash's 2nd Galar preseason match.
After separating at the gate again, Hop heads straight for the stands to take his seat, while Ash heads straight for the tunnel as he awaits the start of the battle.
The stands soon fills up with spectators, as they all brew in anticipation of the Alola champion's second appearance on Galarian soil. The atmosphere continues to build as Ash stands in the tunnel with a few goosebumps on his arms. The raven haired trainer is absolutely buzzing with excitement, and is ready to give some of his new Pokémon a chance to show him what their made of. Today will be a battle for learning, and she's excited to see what it'll bring.
The fans in the stadium quiet down slightly as the announcer begins "Good afternoon Pokémon league fans, and welcome to another Galar league preseason match here in Motorstoke city!"
The crowd roar loudly in approval as they await the arrival of the two trainers. The announcer lets the applause die for a second before he continues "Now first introducing, our very own Motorstoke city gym leader. The fire type phenomenon himself. Please welcome, Kabu!"
The crowd cheers loudly as Kabu makes his way out of the tunnel opposite to Ash. He walks down to his spot on the battlefield with purpose, looking unfazed and unnerved. He takes his place and stands arms folded, waiting for his opponents introduction with a stone cold look on his face.
Ash watches Kabu's mannerisms and can already tell that he's going to a serious trainer. This won't be as easy as his battle against Milo. Kabu has an expression of a man that simply doesn't want to lose. That's just the type of trainer Ash was hoping to face today. A trainer experienced and determined enough to give him a real challenge.
Ash's snapped out his thoughts as the announcer shouts "Now introducing, the Alola champion and the man claimed to be the over whelming favourite for todays match. Please welcome, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"
The crowd erupts into loud cheers as Ash exits the tunnel. He places a friendly smile on his face as him and Pikachu wave to the crowd, taking everything in as they experience another electrifying greeting by the Galarian public.
In the Alola region, Serena watches through aura vision from her usual spot on the beach. However this time, she has a partner to share the experience with. Absol watches with her as she connects her aura to Serena, allowing her to see exactly what Serena is seeing too.
The Kalos queen places a loving smile on her face as she watches her boyfriend enter the stadium. She giggles a little as she lovingly sighs and admits "I love his silly little dumb grin so much. He's just so handsome and cute at the same time. My heart is juts so happy seeing him happy."
Absol rolls her eyes a little at her loved up trainer, having clearly heard her gush over her boyfriend all morning.
Meanwhile, Ash makes it to his side of the battlefield as he stands in his trainer's box. He looks over at his opponent and locks eyes with him as Kabu stares back.
Ash decides to greet people the way he always does as he smiles and exclaims "Hey, my names Ash Ketchum from Pallet town. This here is my buddy Pikachu."
Pikachu waves a hand from Ash's shoulder and let's off a happy "Pika!"
Ash smiles at his first Pokémon as he continues "I'm here to battle one of Galar's oldest and strongest gym leaders. I'm hoping you'll be a great test to see exactly where me and my Pokémon are at. This is a battle that I'm looking forward to."
Kabu looks at the Alola champion for half a second as a look of disgust fills his face. He scoffs a little as he turns his head to the side and mutters "Kids these days."
Ash feels a hint of anger pop up over being called a kid. He hates being insulted and can be quick to rise to the smallest of digs. He frowns and goes to reply with a snarky remark, when he's cut off by the referee.
"This battle will be a three on three preseason battle between the Motorstoke city gym leader Kabu, and the Alola champion Ash Ketchum. Both trainers are allowed to make substitutions at any point and only gigantamax or dynamax is allowed during this battle. Do both trainers understand?"
Both trainer's nod as the referee continues "Then please send out your first Pokémon."
Ash is the first to throw as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He places a small smirk on his face as he throws his pokeball forward and shouts "Morgrem I choose you!"
The pokeball hits the floor as Morgrem emerges from his pokeball. He locks eyes with Kabu and grins a little as he gestures for the old trainer to bring it on.
Kabu scoffs a little at Morgrem's attempt to taunt him, seemingly unhappy with Ash's first choice of Pokémon. He takes a pokeball out of his pocket and throws it forward as he shouts "Burn them Ninetales!"
The pokeball hits the ground as a Ninetales emerges. She extends her tails in the air and let's off an elegant cry, causing the crowd to marvel at the sight of such a majestic pokemon.
Ash smirks a little at Kabu's first Pokémon and comments "A Ninetales huh? This'll be fun."
The referee raises a right hand in the air as he questions "Are both trainer's ready?"
Ash and Kabu look across at each other with intense stares as they nod yes.
The referee takes the gesture as proof as he lowers his hand down and shouts "Then let the battle begin!"
Ash makes the first move as he pumps a fist and shouts in an enthusiastic tone "Okay Morgrem, use dazzling gleam!"Morgrem nods as he places a massive grin on his face, firing off a blinding pink light that heads straight towards Ninetails.
Kabu stands unfazed as he shakes his head and orders "Use fire blast!" Ninetales takes a deep breath before she exhales a powerful fire blast towards Morgrem in its usual unique shape. The two attacks clash together for a second and cancel each other out, causing a huge explosion that kicks up a small amount of dust.
Ash stays on the offensive as he shouts "Let's keep the pressure up Morgrem, use lash out!" Morgrem nods as he coats himself in a dark red aura of rage. He looks his opponent dead in the eye before he takes off, ready strike her down.
Kabu sees the attack coming and orders calmly "Use quick attack." Ninetails crouches down a little before she kicks off towards her opponent while coated in a white glow. The two Pokémon clash together as they struggle against one and other for a second, before they both skid back towards their trainers as the two are evenly matched.
Ash once again takes the aggressive approach as punches a fist forward and shouts "Now use drain punch!" Morgrem instantly takes off towards his opponent with a fist coated in a green glow. He slams his fist forward, punching Ninetales square in the chest. The fire type Pokémon lets off a cry of pain as Morgrem takes a step back. He grins a little as little green orbs float towards him and absorb into his body, restoring any damage taken in the first place.
Kabu feels an anger building up inside of him as he watches Ash control the early stages of the battle. He shakes his head and snaps "That's enough! Ninetales use fire blast!" Ninetales shakes off her previous damage as she takes a deep breath before exhaling a powerful fire blast in its usual unique shape. The attack flies through the air at a rapid pace, catching Ash slightly off guard as he gets a little complacent. The fire blast travels quickly and connects with Morgrem, causing the fairy type Pokémon to let off a cry of pain before skidding back towards his trainer. Moregrem takes a knee in front of Ash and pants a little heavy, as small burn marks coat his body from the powerful fire type move.
Ash places a worried look on his face as he questions in a concerned tone "Are you okay Morgrem?"
Morgrem looks back at his trainer and gives him a small nod as he slightly grimaces in pain from the previous fire type attack.
Kabu sees the fairy type Pokémon on the ground hurt and doesn't hesitate to make his next move as he calls out "Finish this child's play, use fire blast one more time!"
Ninetailes nods in agreement with her trainer as she takes a deep breath before firing off another powerful fire blast in its usual unique shape.
Ash sees the attack coming and acts quickly as he shouts in desperation "Morgrem, get up and dodge it!" Morgrem hears his trainer's call and sees the flames hurtling towards him. He does what ever he can do avoid the attack as he rolls to his left, allowing the fire blast to sail right past him into the battlefield below.
Kabu grunts a little in frustration as he exclaims "Use quick attack." Ninetales crouches a little before kicks off, dashing towards her opponent with great speeds as a faint white glow surrounds her.
Ash feels a small smirk drift onto his face as he watches Ninetales approach. While part of him should be worried that Morgrem is about to be hit by another big attack, he's got an ace up his sleeve that he's ready to show off. An attack that is perfect for situations just like this. He pumps a fist in the air as he shouts "Okay Moregrem, now use sucker punch!"
Kabu's eyes widen in realisation as he shouts "What!"
Morgrem smirks a little as he clocks back a fist, glowing with a dark purple aura. The dark and fairy type Pokémon takes off towards the incoming Ninetales with speed, before beating her to the punch by slamming a fist straight into her chest. Ninetales let's off a cry of pain as she skids back towards her trainer, looking a little wounded from the sudden sucker punch.
Ash decides to stay on the offensive as he extends a hand forward and shouts "Now use lash out back to back!" Morgrem grins a usual cheeky grin as his body encases itself with a red aura of rage. He soon takes off towards Ninetales and slams into her with the attack. He smacks the fire type Pokémon 3 times in a row with his fists, causing Ninetales to skid back a little towards her trainer while letting off a cry of pain.
Kabu grunts in frustration as he nonchalantly commands "Smack him away with quick attack." Ninetales quickly recovers as she kicks off at high speeds while glowing with a faint white aura. She dashes straight towards Morgrem and slams into him, causing the dark type Pokémon to flip through the air before landing on his feet in front of his trainer.
Both Pokémon stand up in front of their respective trainers with multiple marks and bruises spread over their body as they pant hard from the fatigue of the battle. Both Pokémon have clearly seen better days, and are both one attack away from ending the battle.
Kabu is the first to react as he shouts "Let's wrap this one up, charge up a solar beam!" Ninetales nods as she extends her tails towards the sun as bright clear solar energy begins to form in her mouth.
Ash sees the solar beam charging and knows he needs to act fast if he wants to win this battle. He knows is allowed to charge up, Solar beam can be a devastating attack x zHe does just that as he pumps a fist forward and shouts "Quick Morgrem, use sucker punch!" Morgrem's fist glows with a dark purple aura as he takes off towards the stationery Ninetales. Moregrem closes the distance quickly as he zips through the air, ready to strike his opponent down.
Ash smirks a little as he says to himself in his head "We're almost there."
However, his thoughts are interrupted as Kabu places a serious look on his face and shouts "Now Ninetales, fire!"
Ninetales points her tails down as she absorbs all the energy she can from the sun. She opens her mouth wide and prepares to fire of a solar beam, with Morgrem just inches away from her.
Morgrem slams his fist forward, connecting with Ninetales right on the jaw. However at the same time, Ninetales fires off a massive clear beam of solar energy right at point range of Morgrem. The two attacks slam right another, causing a massive explosion that fills the battlefield with smoke.
The smoke blocks everyone's view of the battlefield as both trainers place intense looks on their faces, while the crowd brews with anticipation as they wait to see the result of the collision.
After a few seconds, the smoke clears on Ash's side of the battlefield first to show Morgrem down on one knee with a small smirk on his face as marks and bruises cover his body. The fairy type Pokémon pants a little heavily as he glances up in front of him. On the other side of the battlefield, the smoke clears as Ninetales comes into view as she lays in a small crater with swirls in her eyes.
The referee takes a closer look at the fire type Pokémon before he raises a flag in the air and announces "Ninetales is unable to battle, Morgrem is the winner!"
The crowd roars in approval of the announcement as the commentator exclaims "Ash takes an early lead again folks! Can he maintain his 100% record so far in the Galar region!?"
Ash places a bright smile on his face as he pumps a fist in celebration and shouts "Great job Morgrem!"
Morgrem grins a usual cheeky grin at his trainer's praise as he rises back up to his feet and pumps a fist in victory.
In the crowd, Hop places an impressed look on his face and comments "Ash knew Morgrem was less experienced than Nintales, and didn't have the natural strength to match her. So he used priority to get the upper hand and set traps to lure in Kabu. He won not because he had the stronger pokemon, but because he was the stronger trainer."
Watching in the Alola region, Serena places a bright smile on her face upon seeing her boyfriend take an early lead. She slightly leaps into the air as she shouts in an enthusiastic tone "Great job Ash and Morgrem! I was worried for a second but they really did find a way to win. I'm really proud of both of them."
Absol nods in agreement with her trainer and lets off a happy "Sol Absol!"
Serena focuses in on her boyfriend as she watches him high five his new fairy type Pokémon. She giggles a little before she comments "You know, that Morgrem may look mischievous but he seems really happy with Ash. He's definitely strong too. He seems to have a really fun personality too! I love seeing Ash make new friends on his journey, he always looks so happy."
Back on the battlefield, Kabu shakes his head and returns his Ninetales to her pokeball. He grunts a little as he places his pokeball back on his belt.
Ash looks across at his opponent and can see the frustration in his actions. The Alola champion decides to see if he can have some friendly back and forth with the old man, as he places a bright smile on his face and questions "So, you having fun Kabu?"
Kabu scowls at the precived child in front of him as he completely ignores his question. As far as he's concerned, he's here to battle and not talk with a child,
He demonstrates that further as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He holds the pokeball out in front of him for a second before he throws it forward and shouts "Arcanine heat him up!"
The pokeball hits the ground as a regal looking Arcanine emerges onto the battlefield. He puts his head towards the sky and lets off a loud howl, causing Morgrem to shiver a little thanks to Arcanine's intimidate ability.
Ash places a small smirk on his face as he thinks to himself "An Arcanine huh? That's another pretty strong Pokémon. He's keeping it pretty Kanto based as well which helps me."
The referee turns towards the Alola champion and questions "Ash, do you wish to switch Pokémon?"
Ash shakes his head and replies in a confident tone "No thanks, Morgrem is in it to win it."
Morgrem nods in agreement with trainer before he turns towards Arcanine with a cheeky grin on his face, gesturing for him to bring it on.
The referee nods and lowers his flag as he exclaims "Well then in that case, let the battle resume!"
Kabu wastes no time getting back into the battle as he shouts "End this quick! Use flare blitz!" Arcanine nods as he encases himself in a jet of orange flames before barreling towards his opponent at high speeds.
Ash shakes his head a little as he counters "Morgrem, use dazzling gleam!" Morgrem looks across at his opponent and flashes him a grin, perfectly showing off his pearly white teeth as a bright little shines towards Arcanine. The bright light slams straight into the legendary pokemon, causing him to stop in his tracks as he becomes blinded by the light.
Ash looks to take advantage of the situation as he commands "Now, go on the offensive and use drain punch!" Morgrem nods as he kicks off towards Arcanine with a green glowing fist clocked back.
Kabu shakes his head at Ash's refusal to be beat as he exclaims "No more games Arcanine, stop him with iron head." Arcanine nods as he lowers his head while coating it in a layer of steel, before charging towards his opponent.
The two attacks clash together head to head and struggle against each other for a few seconds, before both Pokémon are pushed back towards their respective trainers as they skid along the ground.
Kabu is the first to react to the separation as he shouts "Now use extreme speed!" Arcanine crouches down a little before he kicks off, dashing towards his fairy type foe while glowing with a faint white aura.
Ash smirks a little as he pumps a fist forward and shouts "Now Morgrem, use sucker punch one more time!" Morgrem nods in agreement with his trainer as he coats a fist in a dark purple aura before rushing towards his opponent at high speeds.
The two attacks clash against each other for a second before Morgrem's fatigue begins to set in. He feels himself becoming slower than before as Arcanine manages to just gain enough speed over him to push through his guard and slam into the dark type Pokémon. Moregrem let's off a cry of pain as Arcanine slams his body into his, causing him to fly through the air and crash into the ground with a hard thud.
Ash gasps in worry as he shouts in a concerned tone "Oh no Morgrem!"
Kabu smirks a little as he finally feels some control in the battle. The old trainer points his hand forward and calmly commands "Finish it off, use flare blitz." Arcanine roars as he coats himself in a jet of orange flames before charging towards his opponent. Arcanine soon reaches the downed Morgrem, with the fairy type Pokémon having no time to dodge. He slams his whole body into him with force, causing Morgrem to shoot back through the air and slam into a nearby stadium wall with a massive impact.
Dust kicks up around Ash's new dark type Pokémon as the stadium waits in anticipation for the result of the collision. Once the dust does settle, Morgrem is laid out on the ground with swirls in his eyes.
The referee takes a closer look before he points his flag towards Kabu and exclaims "Morgrem is unable to battle, Arcanine is the winner."
The crowd gasp in shock at the announcement as they begin to murmur in confusion at what just happened. Never in their life did they think they would see what they just saw. The announcer shakes his head in disbelief and shouts "What a turn of events we have here folks! Ash has lost his first Pokémon on Galarian soil! I can't believe I'm saying this! But a champion has seen a pokemon defeated on Galarian soil for the first time since Leon became champion! This is unprecedented!"
The crowd completely split upon hearing this fact. A few rational members of the crowd analysis the situation and see Ash's point of view. Clearly that Morgrem was newly captured and wasn't part of any of his championship teams. If anything, it's an achievement that he was able to take out one of Kabu's pokemon.
The majority of the crowd are impressed that Kabu managed to achieve such a feat, and begin to cheer for one of their own. His popularity grows by the second as the support for the old fire type trainer increases.
However, there are those who show Ash the tribalistic side of Galar's crowd for the first time. A loud minority of clear die hard Leon fans rise to their feet and begin to chant "Champion? Your having a laugh! Champion? Your having a laugh! Champion? Your having a laugh!"
The chants ring out around Ash as he feels that hatred towards him for the first time. However in truth, he did expect this eventually. The Galar crowds are known for their tribalism, and he was ready to be the victim of that eventually.
While a younger version of himself definitely would have rose to these insults, his current self is a little more relaxed than to be goaded by such things.
He places a small smirk on his face as he blocks out the crowd's messages. It's just like Serena told him in the Alola league, block out all the noise and focus on what you do best. Don't battle for the crowd or the reaction of the media, battle because that's the thing him and his Pokémon love to do.
Ash has really taken that advice to heart and he's definitely not about to forget that now. After all if it wasn't for that advice then there's no way he'd be a champion right now.
In the crowd, Hop places a small frown on his face as he comments "I never realised just how hostile the crowd can be at times."
In Alola, Serena isn't quite as calm as her boyfriend as she sees the crowd trying to question Ash's title.
Her blood boils and her body fills with rage as she feels herself falling for the crowd's taunts. She places a pissed off look on her face as she screams in a furious tone "Oh you really want go there! Well news flash for you idiots! Ash just caught Morgrem two days ago! If you really want to see who a champ is then let him go one on with Leon right now! Greninja vs Charizard one on one! Ash would show you just what he's made of! He's a 100x the champion he is! I swear to Arceus, if I was in that crowd I would go to that section and slap all there faces! How dare they say that about my Ash! About my Ash!"
Absol sweat drops a little as she takes in her trainer's statement. She's honestly the sweetest person in the world but if you mess with her boyfriend, she turns into a complete animal.
Meanwhile on battlefield, Ash can almost feel Serena's anger as she rants while connected through aura. He lets off a small chuckle at her clear defence of him, while always feeling a determination to shut the crowd up and make her happy.
He shakes off that thought for now as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He holds the pokeball out in front of him and exclaims "Morgrem return!"
Morgrem returns to his pokeball as Ash holds the pokeball up to his mouth. A small smile coats his face as he whispers "You were awesome Morgrem, now take a good rest."
Ash places Moregrem's pokeball back on his belt before he looks across at his opponent. A small smile coats his face as he exclaims "Not bad Kabu, you knew all along that extreme speed was fast enough to keep up with Morgrem's sucker punch. I'm impressed."
Kabu scoffs a little at Ash's statement and replies in a slightly mocking tone "I wouldn't fall for childish tricks like that twice."
Ash shakes his head a little at Kabu's persistence when it comes to comparing him to a child, if he didn't know any better then he'd think he was Iris's long lost uncle or something.
The raven haired trainer decides not to rise to the games. He places a small smirk on his face as he cryptically exclaims "You know, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm an 18 year old champion who is pretty experienced by now. Biggest shock is, I'm so mature that I have a girlfriend these days. Although I must admit, she probably wouldn't class me as mature. But if you you want to battle a child, then so be it."
Ash finishes his mini tirade as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He throws said pokeball forward as he shouts "Riolu I choose you!"
The pokeball hits the ground as the young aura pokemon emerges. He looks back at his trainer with a happy expression upon being picked to battle, before he turns around and gives Arcanine a glare.
Kabu sees Ash's choice of pokemon and instantly frowns at the perceived disrespect he's showing him. He shakes his head vigorously as he shouts "So, you decide to insult me by using a baby Pokémon!"
The crowd seem to agree with Kabu as they all murmur in confusion as to why Ash would send out a Riolu. After losing his Morgrem, they thought he might send out one of the big guns to prove a point.
Ash smirks a little at the crowd and Kabu's reactions as he simply replies "I wouldn't be so confident if I was you. This one right here has special potential, allow us to demonstrate."
Without any further delay, Kabu decides to end this battle just as quickly as it started as he goes on the offensive and shouts "Arcanine, end this quickly with flare blitz!" Arcanine roars as he coats himself in a jet of orange flames before rushing towards his opponent.
Ash sees Arcanine coming and knows he can't win this battle with straight up power. Instead he tries to take a more swift approach as he commands "Riolu, get ready to dodge it with quick attack." Riolu nods and waits for Arcanine to approach. He crouches down a little before he kicks off with a faint white glow surrounding him, swiftly moving out of the way of the incoming attack.
Ash pumps a fist forward and shouts "Force palm let's go!" Riolu uses quick attack to spring up behind Arcanine, before raising a hand in front of him while holding out a strong palm. He slams his palm forward, smacking straight into the back of Arcanine who lets off a cry of pain as he skids back towards his trainer.
Kabu grunts in annoyance of Ash's actions as he snaps "That's enough! You won't dodge this one! Use extreme speed!" Arcanine crouches down a little before he kicks off towards Riolu as a thick faint white glow surrounds him.
Ash hears Kabu's statement as a small smirk rises up onto his face. He shakes his head a little as he comments "Who said always need to dodge? Riolu go on the offensive and use copycat."
Riolu nods as he closes his eyes, allowing a blue aura to surround him. A few seconds later, he opens his eyes as a white glow surrounds him. He copies Arcanine's actions as he kicks off, dashing straight towards the legendary pokemon.
The two attacks collide and push against each other for a second before both Pokémon skid back towards their trainers.
Ash is the first to react to the separation as he commands "Riolu, use force palm again!" Riolu nods and holds his palm out as he dashes forward towards his opponent.
Kabu places a small smirk on his face as he counters "We've got you now. Arcanine use play rough."
Ash's eyes widen with realisation as he soon realises what's about to happen. Arcanine let's off a loud howl before he rushes towards Riolu with glowing white limbs. He soon reaches the young aura pokemon and slams into him with multiple strikes. Riolu cries out in pain as Arcanine lands a big kick, sending his opponent tumbling back through the air before slamming into the ground with an almighty thud as a small amount of dust kicks up around him.
Ash gasps in worry as he calls out in a concerned tone "Riolu! Are you okay!?"
Riolu lays on the ground for a second as his body throbs in pain from the super effective attack. Marks and bruises coat the young Pokémon's body as he lays in pain. However, he refuses to give up just yet as he drags himself back to his fee. He turns towards his trainer and lets him Leno he still wants to continue as he shouts in determination "Rio!"
Kabu frowns slightly at Riolu still being on his feet as he shouts "No more playing around! End this with flare blitz!" Arcanine nods in agreement with his trainer as he coats his body in a jet of flames before charging forward towards his opponent.
Ash sees the attack coming and knows that Riolu can't take another big hit. However, he does have a small trick up his sleeve that could turn the tide of the battle. The only problem is, Ash isn't sure how well Riolu can use this attack yet or how sustainable it is.
Nevertheless, Ash decides to go for it as he pumps his fist and shouts "Now Riolu, use aura sphere."
Kabu's eyes widen in shock as he shouts "How the!!"
Suddenly, Riolu cups his hands together as a blue ball of aura starts to form in his hands. The young pokemon charges the ball up and takes aim, before throwing the ball towards the incoming Arcanine. The aura sphere heads straight towards the legendary pokemon and hits him straight in the head with Arcanine already committed to the attack. The fire type Pokémon cries out in pain as he flies up into the air from the impact.
With Arcanine now airborne, Ash sees his opportunity to end this. The Alola champion grins and orders in a confident tone "Okay Riolu, finish this off with one more aura sphere!" Riolu nods as he leaps up into the air, getting to Arcanine's height while cupping his hands together. He soon reaches the height of the legendary pokemon, as a blue ball of aura forms in his hands. He soon throws the ball towards Arcanine with the fire type Pokémon helpless to dodge. The ball slams right into head of Arcanine, causing him to cry out in pain and tumble towards the ground.
Arcanine lands with quite the thud as dust kick up all around him. Meanwhile, Riolu lands back on the ground as he takes a knee, panting heavily from using so much aura so quickly.
The crowd waits in anticipation as dust starts to clear. Once it does, Arcanine comes into view as he lays on the ground with swirls in his eyes.
The referee takes a closer look before he raises his flag in the air and announces "Arcanine is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner!"
The crowd roars in approval of the statement as they all cheer in support of such an upset. Non one in the stadium thought that Riolu could compete with a fully evolved pokemon as strong as an Arcanine. But in the end, they were wrong. The announcer shakes his head and shouts in an enthusiastic tone "I don't believe it! The young Riolu actually beat Kabu's Arcanine! Not only that, but he used aura sphere as well. That's a rare move for a Riolu to use!"
In the crowd, Hop place a small smile on his face as he comments "That Riolu is certainly special. He's already so strong and he only hatched days ago. The strange thing is, he's not even really a baby Pokémon. Apart from his age he has no signs of being a baby, in terms of his intelligence and strength. It's almost like he was still maturing while in the egg for so long.
In Alola, Serena bubbles with pride as a bright smile appears on her face. She pumps her fist a little as she shouts "Great job Ash! Just one more to go now! You've got this!"
Absol nods in agreement with her trainer and lets off a happy "Sol!"
Serena smiles as she sees her boyfriend grin in celebration and Riolu do a little celebratory fist pump. The Kalos queen giggles a little before she comments "Not only is that baby Riolu super cute, he's also a tenacious battler too. I think he'll suit Ash pretty well. Plus, why is my boyfriend so hot? I mean just look at his face! He's actually so handsome that I could melt!"
Absol rolls her eyes a little as she listens to her trainer go on another tangent about why her boyfriend is so great. Not like she can really complain, she's glad Serena has someone like Ash who loves her and she loves back.
Back on the battlefield, Ash places a smile on his face as he praises "Good job Riolu, just one more to go now!"
Riolu smiles at his trainer's praise as he lets off happy "Lio," before turning back towards Kabu as he awaits his next opponent.
Kabu returns Arcanine to his pokeball and scoffs a little in frustration as he places the pokeball back on his belt.
He looks across at the Alola champion and simply states "No more mister nice guy."
The fire type gym leader reaches down and takes another pokeball off his belt. He throws said pokeball forward as he shouts "Centiskorch go!
The pokeball hits the ground as a massive centipede like pokemon emerges from his pokeball. He lets off a loud roar as fire exhales from his nostrils, giving Ash a distasteful look.
Ash looks at the Pokémon in front of him and scratches his head in confusion as he questions "Who's that Pokémon?"
He takes out his Rotom phone and scans Centiskorch with the Pokédex feature, revealing to Ash that he is indeed a fire and bug type Pokémon.
Ash looks up at the fire type Pokémon in front of him and comments in his head "It looks strong, and I have no doubt that Kabu has saved him until last for a reason. I need to stay alert.
Ash turns his attention back to his own pokemon as he look towards Riolu. The young fighting type Pokémon is panting quite hard, and seems to be a little worse for wear after his close finish with Arcanine.
Ash focuses in on Riolu as he thinks to himself "Riolu has used a lot of aura up, and he looks tired. It might be a good idea to switch him out for some rest. I don't want him to take too much damage in his first battle.
Ash takes a pokeball off his belt and decides to do the logical thing. He points the pokeball towards his young pokemon and exclaims "Okay Riolu, return!"
A red light flashes towards Riolu as Ash attempts to return him. However, Riolu doesn't quite see things the same way as his trainer as he jumps out of the way of the incoming red light.
The crowd gasp in shock of the lack of obedience Riolu has, as the fighting type Pokémon looks back at Ash with a disapproving look on his face.
The whole stadium wait with anticipation as they await Ash's response to Riolu's disobedience. Surly Ash can't let a Pokémon disobeying his wishes go without consequences?
However to their surprise, Ash just places a warm smile on his face as he takes in Riolu's wishes. He leans down the young aura Pokémon's height and questions "So, you want to give it a shot huh."
Riolu looks back at his trainer with a determined expression and nods in approval of his statement.
Ash places a small smirk on his face as he exclaims in an enthusiastic tone "Okay then, let's do this!"
The crowd raise eyebrows at Ash's decision as they wonder why he's so okay with his own pokemon going against his decision to sub him out. As an experienced trainer, he should know when it's time to give his Pokémon some rest.
Kabu shakes his head in disapproval of Ash's actions and scolds "That is irresponsible of you. It is the trainer's job to decide when a pokemon should be subbed out, not the pokemon themselves."
Ash places a small grin on his face as he shrugs his shoulders and casually remarks "Well, I just believe in my Pokémon. Let me demonstrate for you."
Riolu pumps a fist in determination as he gets ready to resume the battle.
Kabu shakes his head a little at Ash's supposed naivety, not understanding why a trainer of his calibre would make such a decision.
Ash decides to kick the battle off as he pumps a fist and shouts "Okay Riolu, use quick attack!" Riolu nods and kicks off towards the fire type Pokémon with a white glowing aura surrounding him. He moves quickly across the ground before slamming straight into the fire type Pokémon, causing him to let off a small cry off pain while keeping his feet planted.
Kabu shakes his head a little as Riolu bounces back. He places a less than impressed look on his face as he commands "Suck it up and use power whip!" Centiskorch recovers quickly and slivers along the ground before he slams his front end into the floor. Suddenly, multiple green vines sprout up from the ground and head straight towards Riolu.
Ash sees the attack coming and shouts "Riolu, block them all with aura sphere." Riolu nods as he leaps into the air while cupping his hands together. He forms a blue ball of aura in his hands before he throws it towards the incoming vines. The ball smashes straight into the incoming vines, destroying them as Riolu lands back on the battlefield.
Ash pumps a fist and shouts "We Now use aura sphere one more time!" Riolu cups his hands together as he gets ready to fire off another aura sphere. However as he tries to charge his aura, nothing happens as the young pokemon just keeps his hands cupped with no sign of a blue appearing. Riolu gasps in shock as his widen in bewilderment. He looks down at his hands and shakes his head in disbelief, trying to figure out what he can't charge up another aura sphere. He feels his body weakening as all his strength slowly starts to fade.
Ash looks at the young pokemon and can instantly tell what is wrong as he focuses his aura. He can see that the blue glow that usually surrounds Riolu is practically none existent as only faint blue swirls in its place. He grits his teeth as he thinks to himself "Dam, he's out of aura."
Kabu bursts out laughing at how stupid Ash looks right now as he comments "How useful is your Riolu now that he can't use aura sphere? It was the only attack that was making him a viable option."
Ash grits his teeth a little as he feels a vulnerability come over him, knowing that he can't rely on aura sphere. He shakes his head a little as he exclaims "We don't need it anyway, Riolu use quick attack!"
Riolu takes a second to shake off his previous shock before he kicks off, dashing towards Centiskorch while glowing with a faint white aura.
Kabu smirks a little as he hears Ash's call. He folds his arms across his chest and commands in a casual tone"Use fire lash." Centiskorch nods as he surrounds himself with in a bright red aura as he waits for Riolu to approach. Once he's close enough, he swings his long tail forward and smashes it straight into Riolu. The young fighting type Pokémon is smacked like a baseball across the stadium, zipping back through the air before slamming straight into the stadium wall as dust kicks up all around the fighting type Pokémon.
Ash gasps with worry for his newly captured pokemon and shouts "No Riolu!"
The dust clears around Riolu quickly as to no one's surprise, the aura Pokémon lays in the wall with swirls in his eyes
The referee raises his flag and announces "Riolu is unable to battle, Centiskorch is the winner!"
The crowd roars in approval of Centiskorch's performance as as the announcer shouts "We have a one on one to end it all folks. What a battle this is turning out to be! Many thought that the Alola champion would walk all over over Kabu, but the fire type expert is proving to everyone just how strong Galar's gym leaders are!"
In the crowd, Hop places a serious look on his face as he comments "Riolu tried his best, but in the end he was too inexperienced to compete with Centiskorch. Ash was right to sub him out earlier."
In Alola, Serena places a frown on her face as she sniffs back a tear upon seeing Ash's baby Pokémon laid out in the wall. Her bottom lip slightly quivers as she whispers "Poor Riolu, all he wanted to do was make Ash proud and win the battle. I hate seeing the little ones get hurt.
Back on the battlefield, Ash feels Serena's sadness as a feels a twinge of guilt in his heart for making her sad. In truth, he knew she would get emotional seeing any of us his pokemon hurt but she's always had a soft for the little ones. She used to hate Noibat getting hurt when he was a baby and he can only imagine it would be the same for Riolu. The only thing he can do now to make her smile again, is go and win this battle.
Ash takes a breath before he takes a pokeball off his belt and exclaims "Riolu return!"
He takes the pokeball and holds it up to his mouth as he smiles and whispers "You were awesome, now take a good rest."
On the other side of the battlefield, Kabu smirks a little as he casually remarks "I told you it was irresponsible to let that Riolu battle. His lose is on you."
Ash places Riolu's pokeball back on his belt as a small smile coats his face. He shakes his head a little as he replies in a satisfied tone "You want to know something Kabu. Riolu will learn a lot from our defeat. When you consider the fact that he only recently hatched, to have had you on the back foot like that is certainly impressive to me. I'm not angry that he wanted to keep battling. He wanted to keep going and I respect that. At the end of the day, he wanted to keep battling and he didn't realise he was nearly at his limit. I'm sure he'll learn from this and we'll only get stronger from here.
Kabu scoffs a little at Ash's statement and remarks in a slightly bored tone "I don't care about all that. I'm tired of fighting babies, I want a real battle now."
Ash takes a second to think as he considers sending out Pikachu to continue this not fully evolved theme. It would be pretty funny to beat this guy with a team of supposed babies. However, he decides to grant Kabu his wish as he smirks and replies "Well, luckily I saved a strong one for last."
Ash takes a pokeball off his belt and throws it forward as he shouts "Dragonite I choose you!"
Dragonite emerges from her pokeball and lands on the battlefield with quite the thud, causing the ground to shake slightly. The pseudo legendary pokemon glares at her opponent, ready to defend her trainer's pride after hearing some of the comments made during then battle.
Kabu smiles a little at Ash's choice of pokemon and whispers under his breath "Finally a real fight."
Both Pokémon and trainers stare down with each other as they prepare for the final battle, with neither willing to make a move without thinking first due to the potential repercussions of their actions.
Eventually, Kabu breaks first as he extends a hand forward and shouts "Use lunge!" Centiskorch nods as he coats himself in a green bug like aura before charging towards Dragonite.
Ash sees the attack coming and shakes his head a little as he commands "Block it with Dragon claw." Dragonite nods as she lets off a loud roar. She extends a set of green glowing claws before she crosses them over in an X shape. Just at that moment, Centiskorch reaches Dragonite and slams straight into her claws. The two attacks clash together for a second and push against each other, before both Pokémon break as they skid back towards their trainer's from the force of the collision.
Kabu is the first to react to the separation as he shouts "Use power whip!" Centiskorch slivers along the floor before he slams his front end into the battlefield. Suddenly, multiple bright green vines spring out from the ground and head straight towards the pseudo legendary.
Ash extends a hand forward as he commands "Dragonite, defend yourself with fire punch!" Dragonite nods as she flaps her wings, taking off into the air. She clenches two fists that emanate with fire before slamming them towards the incoming vines, completely destroying them thanks to the fire type move burning them up.
Kabu finds himself becoming increasingly frustrated by his failure to land and early attack as he commands "Now use crunch!" Centiskorch takes off towards Dragonite with his fangs bearing, ready to bite down on the pseudo legendary pokemon.
Ash smirks a little as he sees Centiskorch approaching. He decides now's the time to go on the offensive as he pumps a fist and commands "Now use hurricane!" Dragonite nods as she takes off higher into the sky while flapping her wings furiously. She soon forms a giant hurricane that she sends towards Centiskorch. The centipede Pokémon charges straight into to the hurricane, and is swooped up into the air as he lets off a cry of pain. The hurricane swirls around for a few seconds before it dissipates, leaving Centiskorch to slam straight into the ground with a mighty thud.
Ash smiles a little as he praises "Great job Dragonite." The pseudo legendary pokemon lands back down on the battlefield and lets off a happy cry as she takes in her trainer's praise.
On the other side, Centiskorch slowly makes his way back to his feet with a few marks and bruises spread across his body. The bug type Pokémon shakes off his pain and looks back at Kabu with a fiery passion as he gives him a small nod of approval.
Kabu smirks a little at Centiskorch's gesture as he feels the thrill of an intense battle surge through his body. It's been a while since he's been tested like this and he must admit, he is having fun, He takes a pokeball off his belt and exclaims cryptically "I agree Centiskorch, it's time to stop playing around."
Kabu returns Centiskorch to his pokeball as his dynamax band flashes a shade of red. He press down on the button, sending a red energy shooting towards his pokeball. The dynamax energy quickly absorbs into the pokeball, causing it increase in size exponentially. The pokeball grows in size until it reaches it's maximum size.
At that point, Kabu takes the pokeball out into two hands and shouts "Alright Centiskorch, gigantamax!"
He throws the giant Pokéball behind him as the it pops open. The sky above darkens as Centiskorch lands on the battlefield with a loud thud and let's off a loud roar as he stands in his gigantamax form.
The crowd roars loudly upon seeing the gigantamax pokemon as the announcer shouts "It looks like Kabu has revealed his ace up his sleeve. His gigantmax Centiskorch. How will Ash respond to this!?"
In the stands, Hop puts a serious look on his face as he comments "Gmax Centiskorch can be tough to handle, Ash needs to be on top of his game."
In the Alola region, Serena places a worried look on her face as she whispers under her breath "Be careful Ash."
Ash sees the massive fiery centipede in front of him as a giant smirk rises onto his face. He shakes his head a little as he exclaims in a confident tone "I've always said, the bigger they are the harder they fall. I know just how we'll beat you."
Kabu places a confident smirk on his own face as he comments "We'll see about that."
The old fire type gym leader extends his hand out and shouts "Use Max flutterby!" Centiskorch roars as he takes in a deep breath before firing off a massive beam of green bug like energy towards his opponent.
Ash sees the attack coming and shouts "Quick Dragonite use hurricane!" Dragonite nods as she flaps her wings furiously, creating a large hurricane that she sends straight towards Centiskorch. The two attacks soon collide as Dragonite manages to hold back the max move, causing a small explosion.
Smoke fills up portions of the battlefield which Ash looks to use to his advantage as he pumps a fist and shouts "Now use dragon claw!" Dragonite roars as she extends a set of green glowing claws. She takes to the skies and dashes towards the Gmax pokemon, landing a few quick strikes as she slashes Centiskorch with her claws. The fire type centipede cries out in pain as Dragonite continues to slash him.
Kabu smirks a little as he sees what's happening in front of him. In truth he wanted Ash to close the distance like this, so he could lead him right into his trap.
He shakes his head a little as he exclaims "Just like taking candy from a baby. Centiskorch, use Gmax centiferno!" Centiskorch nods as he takes a step back from Dragonite. The fire type Pokémon spins where he stands, creating a large fiery vortex around himself. He lets off a loud roar as he releases the vortex towards Dragonite. The vortex swirls towards Dragonite with no time for the pseudo legendary to dodge. The dragon type Pokémon ends up caught in the vortex as it lifts her up into the air. Dragonite struggles and cries out in immense pain, thanks to the intensity of the flames.
Ash gasps with worry as he shouts in a clearly concerned tone "Dragonite no!"
Suddenly, the vortex explodes around Dragonite, causing a large cloud of smoke to appear in the air. Dragonite slams straight through that cloud of smoke and lands hard on the ground with a massive thud.
The crowd roar in excitement of the battle in front of them as the commentator screams "What a move by Kabu! Can Ash recover from this!"
In the Alola region, Serena places a small frown on her face as she shouts in encouragement "Come on Ash! You can still win this! Don't give up until the very end!"
The dust on the battlefield clears as Dragonite drags herself back to her feet. Marks and bruises cover the large dragons body as burn marks plaster her skin. A small fire swirls around her body for a second as she cries out in pain, taking more damage thanks to Gmax Centiferno's additional effect.
Ash grits his teeth as he sees Dragonite take further damage. He instantly knows that Gmax Centiferno must have some sort of secondary effect that causes Dragonite to take more damage each turn, time of like fire spin or whirlpool. He places a serious look as he exclaims "Dragonite, looks we need to end this quickly."
Dragonite looks back at her trainer and nods, knowing that the longer the battle lasts the more damage she is going to have to take.
Kabu smirks a little as he hears Ash's statement and casually remarks "We can do that for you if you would like. Centiskorch, one more Gmax centiferno." Centiskorch nods as he spins around, coating himself in a fiery vortex before sending the attack crashing towards Dragonite.
Ash sees the attack coming and knows he can't let Dragonite take another hit. He decides to use the biggest advantage he has on the Gmax pokemon as he shouts "Quick Dragonite, fly up as high as you can!" Dragonite nods as she flaps her wings, taking off into the sky. She flies as high as she can, practically flying out of the stadium itself as the fiery vortex floats below her, before fading away without the range to hit Dragonite that high in the atmosphere.
Kabu raises an eyebrow in suspicion as he watches what Ash's doing. He shakes his head a little as he thinks to himself "What's he doing? He can't attack from up there."
Ash takes a deep breath as he thinks to himself "This next move is risky, but I believe in Dragonite to pull it off."
Ash decides to go for it as he extends a hand forward and shouts "Dragonite! Fly forward and use Draco meteor, just how we practiced!"
Dragonite roars loudly as she repositions her wings and flies straight down towards Centiskorch. At the same time, she takes a deep breath as an orb begins to form in her mouth. She fires the orb forward as it explodes into multiple mini draco meteors. Dragonite flaps her wings and flies ahead towards her opponent, while the many mini orbs follow close behind her.
Kabu soon realises Ash's plan and tries to find a counter as he calls out "Use max overgrowth!"Centiskorch nods as he takes in a deep breath before he fires off a massive green beam, containing a vast array of different leaves and branches.
Ash sees the attack coming a mile away and yells "Dodge it!" Dragonite nods as he she swerves around the attack, before repositioning herself to to fly straight towards Centiskorch with the orbs still flying close behind.
Kabu sees he can't stop Dragonite now and tries to play defensive as he shouts "Defend yourself with gmax centiferno." Centiskorch quickly spins around as he coats himself in a fiery vortex to try and deter Dragonite from flying forward anymore with the prospect of flying straight into molten fire.
Ash shows no fear on his face as he screams "Do it!" Dragonite does just does just that as she flies straight into the fiery vortex with the orbs following her close behind. The orbs slam straight into the vortex, causing a massive explosion that fills up the entire stadium with smoke.
The crowd gasp in shock at such an impact as both trainers stare down with their eyes fixated on the battlefield.
The smoke clears on Ash's side first, as Dragonite takes a knee in front of Ash while breathing heavily, as marks and bruises litter her body.
Meanwhile on the other side, the smoke clears in front of Kabu as Centiskorch comes into view. The centipede Pokémon lays on the ground swirls in his eyes, while reverting back into to his regular form.
The referee takes a closer look before he raises a flag in the air and announces "Centiskorch is unable to battle, Dragonite is the winner! That means the match goes to the Alola champion Ash!"
The crowd erupts with noise at the announcement of Ash's victory as the commentator shouts with enthusiasm "Well there we have it folks! Ash is the winner once again! What a performance by him and his Dragonite!"
Ash places a massive grin on his face as he pumps a fist in the air and shouts "Great job Dragonite!"
Dragonite turns towards her trainer with a beaming smile on her face before she flies towards him and locks him in a bone crushing hug.
Ash laughs nervously as Dragonite knocks him to the floor. He fidgets around a little as he exclaims through short breaths "Thanks Dragonite, but you are kind of suffocating me."
Dragonite gasps in worry as she hears her trainer's short breaths. She quickly realises her mistake as she moves off of Ash and hangs her head in shame of her actions.
Ash sees the sad look on Dragonite's face and instantly feels a twinge of guilt for making her feel that way. He decides to make amends for his actions as he stands back up to his feet and lunges towards Dragonite, returning the hug. The pseudo legendary lets off a happy cry upon feeling her trainer's affection and gently hugs him back as the two embrace.
In the crowd, Hop places an intrigued look on his face as he comments "I've never seen draco meteor used in that way. Ash and Dragonite certainly are unique a unique duo."
In the Alola region, Serena places a joyful look on her face as she jumps up in the air and shouts "They won! They did it Absol!"
Absol let's off a happy cry as she too celebrates Ash's victory.
Serena practically prances about the beach before she finally gets a hold of herself. Once she does, she places a bright smile on her face as she focuses her aura towards her boyfriend. She takes a small loving sigh before she exclaims in a sweet tone "Congratulations Ash, you and Dragonite were amazing at the end!"
Meanwhile on the battlefield, Ash breaks the hug and returns Dragonite to her pokeball. He takes a small breath as he take a step forward, before stopping in his tracks as he hears the familiar angelic voice of his girlfriend.
Upon hearing her reaction to his victory, he smiles and replies through aura "Thanks Serena. I could feel how upset you were when Riolu fainted and I really wanted to win for you. I guess your support carried me through as usual. I'll speak you later when I'm out of the stadium beautiful. I love you."
Serena hears Ash's sweet words as a small blush coats her cheeks. She smiles brightly as she exclaims "Okay Ashy, I'll speak to you later. I love you too."
The two disconnect their aura connection as they promise to speak to each other later. Ash takes a small sigh as he feels his girlfriend's presence disappear and a small shiver go down his spine.
He shakes it off as he walks to the middle of the battlefield to meet with Kabu. The fire type gym leader is the first to speak as he extends his hand forward and simply remarks "Well played."
Ash smiles at the old gym leader's praise as he shakes his hand and replies "Thanks Kabu, let's battle again someday. Next time I might even bring a few Pokémon you wouldn't consider as babies."
Kabu grunts a little at Ash's point, and nods in agreement of battling again. The two break up their handshake and head towards separate exits as they leave the battlefield.
The announcer gets on the microphone and shouts "Well that's all folks, and that brings us to the midway point of our preseason battles. Join us next time where Ash will face his toughest challenge yet. The dark type gym leader, Piers!"
The crowd roar in approval of the announcement, before they too start flocking towards the exits.
_______________________________
Ash makes his way out of the stadium with Pikachu on his shoulder as he walks out of the competitors entrance. As he does, a bright ray of sunshine hits his face, causing him to adjust his cap to block out the harsh sun.
As he adjusts his cap, he can't help but stare at the bright blue sky and the gorgeous slightly setting sun.
The blueness of the sky, just reminds him of the gorgeous blue that shines in Serena's eyes. The sun makes him think of her strawberry smelling short honey blonde hair.
Ash feels his heart hurting as he feels the need to see his girlfriend increasing by the second. As much as this journey has been fun so far, he really is missing Serena at this point. Missing her smile, her eyes, her cute giggle and everything else in between. Holding her in his arms is the greatest feeling in the world, and he's craving that feeling right now.
He takes a small sigh as he comments in a conflicting tone "Two down, two to go. Just a few more weeks left."
Pikachu hears his trainer's conflicted tone and instantly knows that he's missing Serena. It's been something that happens from time to time and Pikachu has taken it upon himself to help. He tries to comfort his trainer as he nuzzles a cheek against his and questions in a concerned tone "Pi pika pi?"
Ash feels his first Pokémon's affection and instantly feels a little better. He rubs a hand on Pikachu's head as he exclaims "Don't worry about me buddy. We'll get to see her soon I promise. Then once we're all back together, we can take on the indigo league once again."
Pikachu smiles at his trainer's words and pumps a fist in the air as he shouts "Pi Pikachu!"
Ash smiles at his first Pokémon, feeling really blessed to always have him by his side. At the end of the day, Pikachu will always be his best friend and the one he's spent the most time with over his whole journey.
Ash suddenly snaps out of his thoughts as he hears a pattering of footsteps to the side of him. He looks to his left and spots Hop running towards him. Hop stops in front of Ash and places an excited look on his face as he questions "Ash that battle was amazing. How did you come up with that unique Draco meteor at the end?"
Ash scratches the back of his head nervously as he replies "It just came to me I guess. I needed a way to attack from range with Dragonite and that was the solution that came to mind."
Hop places a confused look on his face as he comments in an unsure tone "So it just happened. You really are something you know that."
Ash let's off a small chuckle before he exclaims with an excited smile on his face "Well I guess so. Anyway Piers the dark type gym leader is up next, where do we have to go for that battle?"
Hop shivers a little at the thought of their next destination as he replies in a disgusted tone "Spikemuth city, the worst city in Galar. That place is disgusting. You sure you want to face him? You could ask Rose to change your opponent."
Ash places a confused look on his face as his mind wonders what makes Spikemuth such a bad place. In the end, he shrugs his shoulders a bit as he questions "How bad can it be? I'm going there to battle Piers no matter how bad the city is. I never back down from a challenge."
Hop takes a small sigh before he replies "Okay then, I guess it's your funeral."
Ash raises an eyebrow as he questions "So, how far away is it?"
Hop thinks for a second before he informs "It's probably around a weeks walk from here."
Ash smirks a little as the excitement of his next battle begins to take hold. He pumps a fist in the air and shouts "Well then, what are we waiting for. Let's gooo!"
Ash instantly lets off a childish laugh as he runs off in the direction of the next preseason battle with a smile plastered on his face. Forgetting about his problems for a minute as his need for adventure takes over.
Hop sighs a little as he questions "Do we really have to run everywhere?"
Ash looks back at his traveling companion and shouts "Hurry up Hop!"
The brother of Leon shakes his head in defeat, before he runs after Ash. He soon catches up as the two of them race their way to Spikemuth city, ready for Ash's penultimate preseason battle!
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Rose Tower
Lab equipment scatters everywhere as many office workers type frantically at their computers. Wires coat the ground, leading straight into a spherical glass chamber at the front of the room.
Inside that chamber, purple energy swirls around in a sphere, ominously building up by the second.
At the front of the room, chairman Rose with his assistant Olena next to him, typing on her computer with her eyes fixated on the screen.
The chairman takes a sip of coffee as he questions "So, are the results as I predicted?"
Olena nods her head and replies in a professional tone "Affirmative, I can confirm that the energy Ash naturally uses during battle is compatible with dynamax and mega evolution energy."
A small smirk coats Rose's face as he comments "Good, and will we be able to extract enough of this energy from his two remaining battles?"
Olena shakes her head and exclaims "Unfortunately not, maybe if Piers agreed to our demands. I still can't believe he had the audacity to challenge Ash specifically to a battle. We needed him competing in proper stadiums with our equipment for our plan. I don't like that convenient timing of Piers's request.
Rose lets off a small chuckle as he replies "Let Piers and team yell have their small wins. I have another way of collecting enough power in only one match."
Olena raises an eyebrow as she questions "How do we do that sir?"
Rose places a sinister smirk on his face as he explains "That's simple, we make Ash use his full power in the final battle. We make him use that special form of his in the stadium, where we can pick up all the energy we need. All we need to do is convince him."
Olena take a second to think about Rose's statement before she questions "So, you need to force him to use that Pokémon. Any ideas?"
Rose nods and replies with evil in his tone "It'll be easier than we expect. I have it on good authority that the famous Greninja now resides in Alola. We have two ways of doing this. We could find and attack Greninja directly with our specialist units, forcing him to call on his trainer to activate his form in order to fight them off. Or we go for the more aggressive approach. You see, the girl is also in Alola for a competition. A man like Ash wouldn't let her go without a set of eyes to watch her. He cares to much for her and she is a good looking young lady. A man would be a fool to leave her with no form of help close by. During his last battle, we send our specialist to capture her while she's distracted. Once we attack her, Greninja will come out of hiding and aid her. We'll attack him with a force so strong that he's forced to call on his trainer's help. We'll do this at the same time as the battle so all the energy used goes straight to us. It's a fool proof plan."
Olena hears Rose's plans and can't help but feel a small grin grow on her face. She turns towards the chairman and exclaims "I like option B the best. Make sure the specialist roughs her up as much as possible while their there. If possible, it would be good if the kidnapping could be completed."
The Galar league chairman can't help but put an interested look on his face as he takes in Olena's point. Hearing the hatred in her voice only makes him even more intrigued. He raises an eyebrow before he replies "I'm afraid that would draw too much suspicion to us and cause a chain reaction of events. Although I must ask, what is it with your hatred of this girl?"
Olena snarls a little in disgust before she spits "Because she's everything I hate! A prissy girl with a silver spoon in her mouth from birth. You know what happened to me, what I had to endure to get to where I am. The society where she is from ruined mine! She acts all humble but I know the truth about what they did! I will expose her for who she is! Nothing but a stuck up rich brat!"
Rose chuckles a little as he hears Olena's rage. He places a hand on her shoulder and simply remarks in his usual authoritative tone "Calm down Olena, I'll put our strongest on this one. I'll give them full permission to use force if needed, enough to keep you satisfied. You'll get your chance to give her what she deserves soon."
Olena takes a small sigh as she feels herself calm a little. She turns her head back towards the chairman and replies "Thank you sir."
Chairman Rose smiles warmly and exclaims "No problem Olena, now get our specialist on the phone. I need to inform them of the plan."
Olena nods and simply replies "Understood sir, patching you through now."
Olena types a few buttons on her computer before a ring tone sounds out throughout the tower.
After a few seconds, the ring tone stops as the person on the other end picks up the phone.
Suddenly, a powerful female voice rings out from the speakers as the recipient of the call exclaims in a short tone "What is it Rose? I'm busy."
Rose places a small smirk on his face as he replies in an inviting manner "Good evening J, I have interesting proposition for you. How wood you feel about getting some revenge?"
_________________________________
And cut!
Word count 12188
An actually reasonably sized chapter from me?
Colour me surprised.
Sorry if anyone is upset with this chapter only begins this long but I can't write 20K words every chapter just for the sake of it.
If I did then every chapter would just drag and wouldn't flow.
I never set out with a word goal for these chapters, I just write what I want to write for a chapter and call it a day.
Plus, a shorter chapter means a quicker upload so there's positives.
Anyway moving on.
Well that ending brings quite the turn of events doesn't it.
So Rose has something planned in the near future?
I wonder what it could be?
Who was he talking to at the end?
What is with Olena's hatred of Serena?
All questions that will be answered in due course.
Anyway, what did you think of today's battle?
Obviously it was a lot closer than the last one but that was more down to the team he used.
Although, all his Pokémon definitely showed their potential and it'll be interesting to see how some of them progress.
In the next chapter, Ash will travel over to Spikemuth where he will battle against the dark type gym leader Piers.
Upon entering the city, Ash finds a strange supposed evil team at play and wants to investigate.
However, is there more here than initially meets the eye?
How will Ash cope against Piers and his dark type team?
What happens when one of his Pokémon begins to get desperate.
Well you'll have to find out when the chapter drops.
So as always, please vote and comment down below.
As I explained in my thank you chapter for 1k votes. 50K reads and I promise I'll drop a Christmas special if we hit it by mid December.
Have a nice day and I'll speak to you all soon.