I Wanna Be The Very Best

Chapter 89: Slicing Through The Darkness!

After Ash's battle against Bruno, him and Serena returned home to their temporary accommodation to rest up after the intense battle during the day.

After settling back in for a bit, Ash headed off to the pokemon centre to heal up his pokemon that he used today before swapping in and out a few that he wants to have with him for tonight.

Meanwhile, Serena gets a start on dinner with the Kalos queen determined to make her boyfriend a nice meal worthy of his performance during the previous battle.

Ash soon returns home as the amour couple eat their dinner together. A candle lit table and a quick but nice romantic dinner is always something that they can both appreciate. Serena doesn't hesitate to feed her boyfriend up with his usual large amount of food, knowing he really needs energy at the moment for all these battles he's going through.

The Alola champion certainly savours Serena's cooking as usual as he lets off a massive sigh of satisfaction, as he leans back in his chair and compliments "That was amazing Serena. Your cooking is just the best."

Serena giggles a little and blushes slightly at her boyfriend's thanks as she replies "Thanks Ashy. I made it specifically for you so I'm glad you enjoyed it. There's no way I can let my boyfriend go hungry during his big competition. I need to make sure you've got enough energy left for all these battles."

Ash can't help but smile at Serena's words as he exclaims in a clearly happy tone "Your the best Serena! I should probably feel more tired than I am right now but honestly, I've never felt so fresh after two straight battles. I think it's because you give me so much love that it just makes me more relaxed. That probably saves a lot of energy for me to use in battles instead."

Serena isn't too sure about Ash's theory, but she's certainly not going to sit here and argue with it as she replies "Well, I certainly do try my best for you Ash. As your unofficial wife it is my job to keep you as focused and prepared as possible for the battles to come."

Ash nods in agreement as he exclaims with a bright smile on his face "You make such a big difference princess, and that's shown in the results. All we've got left now is two more battles on this elite 4 challenge run. The hard work starts all over again tomorrow against Karen."

The Kalos queen smiles at how driven Ash is to achieving his dreams, always being so inspired by that drive despite how many of her own dreams she has managed to accomplish over the last few years. Being around Ash just makes her want to strive to be better too.

She soon shakes off that thought as she takes a few final spoon fulls of her dinner. She smiles at her boyfriend as she suggests "Well, we can continue on that theme of being focused on preparing for Karen together later. But first, we should probably get our pokemon fed. They'll all be super hungry too."

Sitting on the sofa in the other room, Pikachu hears about being fed and instantly rushes over and leaps up onto Ash's shoulder while letting off an expectant "Pi Pika pi!"

Ash chuckles a little as he exclaims "I'd say that Pikachu is pretty excited about dinner. I'll stack the dishwasher while you ready the bowls."

Serena nods in agreement as she proceeds to make her way to the kitchen to ready bowls of Pokemon food. Ash stacks up the dishwasher with very questionable organisation before he makes his way over to join his girlfriend.

They fill up the bowls before they place them along the table. Once the table is set with all twelve bowls, Serena sends out her pokemon to get their food. Delphox, Sylveon, Pikachu, Absol, Aerodactyl and Pancham all sit at the table and eat their food. Ash's Pikachu soon joins them as well as he begins to munch on his dinner while looking around for some ketchup.

Serena soon raises an eyebrow as she notices that Ash is yet to send out the rest of his pokemon. She shakes her head a little as she questions "Ash, are you going to send out your Pokémon?"

Ash nods as he explains to his girlfriend "Yeah I will, but first I should warn you. I've still got Annihilape on me and you guys haven't met yet. I know how you get around ghosts so I didn't want to just send him out."

Serena hears that statement and does shiver a little at the thought of ghost type Pokémon. She was too caught up in the moment to realise it in the stadium, but now that she thinks about Annihilape is pretty creepy looking.

She soon takes a big deep breath as she puts a brave face on. She looks at her boyfriend with determination as she exclaims "I promise you I'm not going to be scared. But can I suggest one thing, maybe we should feed the rest of your Pokémon outside first? After all they could be a little overwhelmed by meeting each other all again?"

Ash smiles warmly at his girlfriend, not for one second thinking about making any sort of jokes about her fear of the unnatural. He takes her by the hand as he replies "That sounds good to me beautiful."

Serena smiles at Ash's understanding as the two of them walk towards the back garden. Pikachu soon follows on as he excuses himself from the table, wanting to catch up with Annihilape too.

The bowls of food soon line up on a picnic table outside, ready for Ash's Pokémon to chow down on.

The Alola champion soon takes 4 Pokeballs off his belt as he throws them all up into the air and shouts "Everybody come on out!"

Pokeballs hit the ground as: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pidgeot and Charizard emerge. Pikachu soon lines up and joins them too as they all wait for further instructions off their trainer.

Ash soon smiles at the 5 Kanto native pokemon as he explains "Alright everyone, before you eat I've got someone I'd like to introduce you to."

Ash's Pokémon all look on with excited looks on their faces, knowing who they're about to see after watching the battle earlier.

Ash soon reveals exactly who it is as he takes a pokeball off his belt. He throws it up in the air as he shouts "Annhilape come on out!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's newly evolved Annhilape emerges from his pokeball. Almost instantly, a smile coats his face as he lets off a welcoming cry to his old friends.

Pikachu is the first to make a move as he leaps up onto Annhilape's shoulder while letting off a happy "Pika pika!"

Annhilape smiles up at the electric mouse as Bulabsaur, Squirtle and Pidgeot all make a move towards the fighting type Pokémon too. They soon find themselves all shaking hands and letting off happy cries as they reintroduce themselves to each other.

Ash and Serena both look at each other and share a quick warm smile, both genuinely happy to see Ash's Pokémon all reuniting like this.

After a few minutes of greetings Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Pidgeot give Annihliape a bit of breathing room as Ash's Charizard walks over.

The fire type starter looks down at Annihilape with a serious look on his face as he questions "So you finally came back?"

Annihilape looks up at Charizard and smirks a little as he exclaims "You've grown a little. So what are you the boss around here?"

Charizard shakes his head as he replies "Just a regular old team member that's all. As long as you fall in line and don't act out. You remember the Charmander that beat you and lead to you being captured."

Annihilape nods as he explains with clear devotion behind his words "I have no trouble with you or anyone else on this team. I'll fall in line, as long as you promise a spar when all this is over. I owe you a taste of my strength as revenge."

Charizard smirks a little as he holds out his hand and exclaims "Then welcome back."

The two Pokémon proceed to shake hands as they put aside any differences they may still have to work together.

Ash takes a small sigh of relief that Charizard and Annihilape aren't going to have any problems, while also seeing the irony in the fact that they both had similar problems at certain points during their journeys in terms of not listening to him.

He soon shakes off that thought as he realises that now is probably the perfect time to introduce Serena to him. He grips his girlfriend's hand a little tighter as he flashes her a warm reassuring smile.

Serena knows what's about to happen and is honestly still a little scared, especially being this close to Annhilape. Nevertheless, she shakes off her fear as she takes a deep breath and nods in confirmation to her boyfriend.

The two of them soon make their way towards Annihilape with Serena holding on tight to Ash's hand at all times. The Alola champion soon smiles as he introduces "Hey Annihilape, I have someone that I'd like to introduce to you. This is my girlfriend Serena. She's from the Kalos region and she's a super awesome person. She's a pokemon performer who is actually so good she's won a title called the Kalos queen. I'll warn you right now though. She's a little scared of ghosts so don't try and sneak up on her or anything."

Serena takes her turn to introduce herself as she lets go of Ash's hand. She reaches down and takes a basket off the ground, filled to the brim with her world famous pokepuffs. She takes out a black and white pokepuff as she holds it towards the fighting type Pokémon and exclaims "Hi Annihilipae, I'm Serena. It's really nice to finally meet you. Ash told me a lot about you from when you guys used to travel together back in the day. I'll admit I'm a little nervous around ghost type Pokémon but as long as you don't to sneak up on me or scare me then I'll be okay. This right here is a poke puff I made you. It's meant to be really tasty for fighting and ghost type pokemon. Why don't you go ahead and try it?"

Annhilape analyses the situation for a second as he tries to figure out whether to trust this human or not. The fact Ash has a girlfriend is a little weird to him, especially because he doesn't really seem like the lover type.

However, he soon looks behind him to see the rest of Ash's Pokémon giving him encouraging looks as they edge him on to go and take the pokepuff. Charizard looks at Annhiliape with a small glare as he warns him about hurting Ash's girlfriend and the lady who gives him pokepuffs.

In the end Annihilape trusts the rest of his friend's judgement as he takes the pokepuff into his hand. He soon places the pokepuff into his mouth as he bites down, causing his taste buds to dance with happiness.

The fighting type Pokémon swallows the pokepuff as a bright smile coats his face before he lowers his head down to be petted. Serena giggles a little as she pets Annihilape on the head and exclaims "I'm glad you like it Annihilape."

Ash watches on as he smiles proudly at the Kalos queen, happy that she manages to fight her fears as bravely as she does. She soon stands up as the two of them soon fall into a warm embrace.

Ash's Pokémon proceed to sit down and eat their dinner together, all sharing stories about the different adventures they've been on other the last few years. Seeing his old Pokemon so happy to reunite gives Ash an extra surge of energy, wanting to keep this dream run he's on alive for all of them.

Soon after they finish Serena's Pokemon come out too to introduce themselves. They all seem quite friendly with Annilhilape, especially Pancham who finds him quite cool.

Once everyone is happy Ash and Serena return their Pokemon to their pokeballs to rest while they head upstairs to plan for tomorrow's battle.

They take a few hours to prepare before they finally settle on a few different combinations that Ash can use for tomorrow. Once that's done Ash picks his final team and gets them transferred over.

With the team ready, the amour couple change into their nightwear before they climb into bed to watch some tv. An hour or so later they drift off to sleep in their usual embrace, ready for another big day tomorrow.
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The next day, the whole gang are gathered as usual in the stadium as they prepare for day 3 of Ash's indigo league elite 4 challenge run. They all sit in the stands as usual, with Pikachu once again joining Serena despite his protests at wanting to battle today.

He really didn't want to rest for a second day in a row, claiming that he was already fully recovered. In the end Serena had to convince him to come with her by giving him some poke puffs and promising him discreetly some ketchup tonight on his dinner. Pikachu was more than happy with the compromise as he went with Serena up to the stands, after she gave Ash his good luck kiss of course.

She and the rest of the gang all wait for the battle to start as Delia questions "How was he this morning Serena? Was he any more nervous today than yesterday?"

Serena shakes her head as she replies in a reassuring tone "Don't worry Delia, he was fine. He was as relaxed as I've ever seen him and I know he's getting used to battling at this level. Trust me when I say Ash won't be overly nervous going into this battle."

Professor Oak places a more serious look on his face as he wisely exclaims "It's important he isn't over confident either. I know he's beaten two elite 4 members but that doesn't mean he'll beat a 3rd. I expect Karen to be an even tougher test."

Brock nods in agreement as he adds "The battles only get harder from here on out. That is a blessing and a curse in a lot of ways. I just hope Ash is prepared for what's to come today."

Gary decides to take a more positive approach as he smirks and exclaims "Don't worry everyone. Ashy boy has got this in the bag. No way he's losing to the Johto elite 4 member. He's going to show her why Kanto is the superior region."

Misty shrugs her shoulders as she casually remarks "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Right on cue, the announcer takes a microphone into his hands as he shouts aloud "Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen and Pokémon of all ages. Welcome back to the indigo league stadium for the 3rd round of the elite 4 challenge!"

The crowd all instantly roar in approval of such a statement as they mentally prepare themselves for the battle that's about to come.

The announcer takes a second to let the crowd die down before he continues "Yesterday we witnessed one hell of a battle between two special trainers. It was a fierce battle but in the end the challenger managed to break through and take the victory with the help of his Annihilape. Speaking of the challenger, I'd say it's time for us to finally introduce him. Please welcome this year's indigo league winner and the current Alola champion, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"

The crowd roars even louder as they welcome the Alola champion back to the stadium. Ash smiles at such a warm greeting as he makes his way through the tunnel and out into the light of the stadium. The noise from the crowd only increases as he continues to walk forward while smiling and waving to the crowd.

He soon steps onto the battlefield as he scans around the stadium. He quickly spots his friends and family, flashing them a bright smile before he throws a fist up into the air in his signature gesture, causing the crowd to roar with cheers.

In the stands, Serena sees the smile and can't help but smile back as she exclaims "You've got this today Ash! Go and give it your all!"

Pikachu is in agreement with Serena as he lets off a cheer of encouragement from the Kalos queen's lap.

Delia smiles just as bright as her future daughter in law, as she shouts "It's your time to shine Ash! Go out there and show everyone how great you are!"

Out on the battlefield, Ash hears his cheerleading squad in action and finds his heart warmed by their support. His mom, his first Pokémon, and his girlfriend cheering for him always makes a big difference to his mood and confidence going into such a big battle.

The crowd around the stadium soon begins to quiten down a little as they wait for the arrival of the next trainer.

The announcer uses this as a sign as he smirks and shouts with enthusiasm in his tone "Now ladies and gentlemen, it's time to introduce to you our 3rd elite 4 member. The dark type queen of Johto, Karen!"

The crowd roar with noise as Karen steps out of the opposite tunnel. A serious look coats her face as she looks across at her opponent with very little emotion. She stops at the entrance as she takes a powerful stance, holding a hand on her hip while using the other to flick her hair. A fair few shivers almost sound out around the stadium due to the cold presences of her look. She soon begins to walk forward with purpose as she makes her way towards the battlefield.

In the stands, Misty places a serious look on her face as she comments "One thing's for certain, Karen clearly means business. You can just tell just by the way she carries herself."

Brock does his usual stick as he stares down at the elite 4 member with hearts in his eyes as he exclaims "I like a woman who means business."

Gary shakes his head in disagreement as he remarks "Even I can't back you up on this one Brock. You know what they say about girls that are crazy. To me she looks pretty deranged."

Serena nods in agreement as she frowns and exclaims "To me she looks pretty arrogant and full of herself. I mean I can just tell by the way she's walking that she thinks she's something. I hope Ash shows her a bit of humility."

Delia is a little stunned to see Serena talk about someone that way, considering around her she's always been kind and considerate towards others. Nevertheless she doesn't completely crush Serena's point as she replies "Well, she certainly doesn't seem the most friendly to me at least. However, I'm sure that's just her game face so to speak. We can't judge a book by its cover."

Professor Oak shakes his head a little as he exclaims "In all honesty it doesn't really matter how both trainers get on or act in this situation, all that really matters who wins the battle at this stage. Popularity will simply count for nothing."

Back down on the battlefield, Karen soon makes it to her spot as the crowd quieten down to see how the two trainers are going to interact with each other.

Karen stares at the boy in front of her with a small creepy smirk as she exclaims "I am Karen of the Indigo league elite 4! I love dark type Pokémon and their wicked ways. I find their wild, tough image to be so appealing. That mischief that they all possess makes them all so fun. The best part is, they're all so strong. You think you can take me on handsome? Well let's see if you can entertain us."

The crowd roar with noise at the fiery opening statement, sensing early on that Karen is going to try and get under Ash's skin.

For a start she's definitely gotten under one future Ketchum's skin as Serena remarks in a clearly pissed off tone "Did she just call him handsome? Is she trying to flirt with him right now? She better watch herself, because if she carries on she can forget about having a Pokémon battle with him. Instead we'll be having a battle of our own and I'll scram her face off!"

Delia places a frown on her face too as she adds "Count me in too, no one tries to ruin my ship."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash is a little more calmer than the two girls as he doesn't fall for the mind games. He simply smirks as he exclaims in a confident tone "I know we can take you on and win this battle. I can see what you're doing here, you're trying to play mind games. I like it when my opponent's try and play those games. It just means they're not confident in their own ability to win a battle. Luckily for us, we don't have that same problem."

The crowd all left off small ooos as they take in Ash's pretty strong and savage comeback to Karen's opening statement.

The commentator chuckles a little as he exclaims with clear excitement in his tone "It looks like Karen is planning on making this a battle of mind games. But Ash is more than willing to fight back by the looks of things. One's things for certain, this one of going to be fiery folks."

The referee soon takes his place in the referee's box and puts a stop to the back and forth as he announces "This battle will be a 6v6 battle between the Alola champion Ash Ketchum, and the Indigo league elite 4 member Karen. The battle will be decided when either sides pokemon are deemed unable to battle. As always both sides will be allowed unlimited substitutions. As this is an elite 4 challenge match, Karen will now provide the stipulations."

The dark type leader smirks a little as she remarks "I want this battle held on a normal battlefield. I don't want pretty boy to play any sort of games. As for my choice of gimmicks. Your Z moves are banned. Gmax too because I don't want any surprises. But, mega evolutions can stay."

With the stipulations decided, a normal standard battlefield rises up as Ash takes in not being able to use two of his most spam able gimmicks. To be honest he knew a trickster like Karen would want to limit him completely from using his tools. As for mega evolution being allowed, that sort of hints that she may have something up her sleeve in that regard.

The referee takes a second to pause before he exclaims "On order of Karen only mega evolution will be allowed in this battle. After 3 Pokémon are knocked out a half time break will be permitted. Now trainer's, please send out your first Pokémon."

Ash decides to take the confident approach and throws first like he's been doing in all these battles so far. He takes a pokeball off his belt before he throws it forward and shouts "Squirtle I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's energetic Squirtle emerges onto the battlefield. The water type starter smirks a little as he looks over at his opponent with a battle ready look.

The crowd let off cheers of appreciation for the leader of the Squirtle squad as the commentator shouts "Ash has decided to lead off with his Squirtle! A unique choice to say the least but one that we know can do damage given the right circumstances."

Karen sees the first stage pokemon in front of her and tuts a little as she questions "Do you really expect me to be scared of a small Pokémon like a Squirtle?"

Ash just smirks as he casually replies "You should be, because my Squirtle is the strongest Squirtle in the world."

Karen rolls her eyes at Ash's remark as she remarks "What ever you say. It's time for you to step into the darkness."

The dark type elite 4 member takes a pokeball out of her pocket as she holds it out in front of her. She soon throws said pokeball forward as she shouts "Honchkrow you're up!"

The pokeball hits the battlefield as an angry looking Honchkrow hits the battlefield. The mob boss looking pokemon stares at the water type starter in front of him and flashes him a harsh glare.

The referee soon raises a flag in the air as he questions "Are both trainer's ready?"

The two trainers both stare off with intense looks on their faces as they both nod in conformation.

The referee takes that as all the proof he needs as he lowers his flag towards the ground and shouts "Then let the battle begin!"

Ash makes the first move as he extends his hand forward and yells "Squirtle use hydro pump!" Squirtle nods as he tucks himself into his shell before spinning around, sending 4 strong beams of water shooting towards his opponent from the 4 holes in his shell.

Karen shakes her head at Ash's attempted attack as she casually remarks "Dodge it." Honchkrow flaps his wings as he takes off into the sky. He certainly isn't as casual as his trainer as he attempts to dodge the incoming beams of water. It is a struggle but he manages to use his skill and speed to do so, avoiding all of Squirle's attacks.

Karen looks to go on the offensive as she smirks and exclaims "Now use sucker punch!" Honchkrow smirks as he clenches one of his feet into a pseudo fist which glows in a dark purple aura. He soon flaps his wings as he descends down towards Squirtle, hoping to land a big hit.

Ash sees the attack coming and prepares accordingly as he commands "Squirtle push them back with rapid spin!" Squirtle tucks himself back into his shell before he spins off towards his opponent with speed. The two attacks clash tougher as Squirtle's shell grinds against Honchkrow's foot as they both cry out in pain before skidding back towards their trainers.

Karen tuts in annoyance that her Honchkrow couldn't break through the previous attack. She puts that annoyance into her tone as she exclaims "Use brave bird and do it properly this time." Honchkrow listens to his trainer's annoyed tone and knows that he has to make this a good one. He soon flaps his wings and flies up into the air before descending down towards Squirtle with speed while glowing in a strong blue aura.

Ash sees the attack coming and knows he can't dodge this one. Instead he decides to fight back as he commands "Squirtle use skull bash!" Squirtle nods he lowers his head which glows faintly with a strong clear aura, before shooting himself forward like a bullet through the sky. The two attacks soon collide and push against each other for a second before both Pokémon break through. Squirtle takes the worst of the collision thanks to the strength of brave bird as he crashes back along the ground before lying prone in front of his trainer, with a few marks and bruises across his body. Meanwhile Honchkrow skids back a little through the air before he lands down on the ground to take a heavy amount of recoil damage.

Karen looks to take advantage of the downed Squirtle as she shouts "Now use dark pulse!" Honchkrow nods as he takes a deep breath of air before firing off a powerful hexagonal dark purple beam towards his opponent.

Ash sees the beam coming and reacts quickly as he commands "Use rapid spin to dodge it Squirtle!" The water type starter struggles against the pain as he tucks himself into his shell before spinning around rapidly. He uses his training to move out of the way of the incoming attack thanks to the speed of his spinning.

Ash smirks a little as the successful dodge as he shouts "Now keep spinning towards Honchkrow!" Squirtle follows his trainer's call as he changes direction of his spin and heads straight towards Honchrow.

Karen tuts a little at Ash's attempt to damage her Honchrow as she counters "Defend yourself with steel wing." Honchrow nods he turns his wings into complete steel before crossing them over in an X shape. The two attacks clash together as Squirtle continues spins against Honchrow's wings, trying desperately to push him back.

Ash sees the stalemate in front of him and acts accordingly as he exclaims "Use hydro pump quick!" Squirtle can't help but smirk inside his shell as he fires off beams of water through all 4 holes on said shell. The water quickly slams into the flying type Pokémon as he cries out in pain while falling back through the air.

Honchkrow catches himself and flaps his wings to stay in the air while Squirtle lands back on the battlefield. The two of them look a like worse for wear as they both pant heavily while marks and bruises coat their bodies.

Karen doesn't really see the damage to her own Pokemon as she focuses in on the tired looking Squirtle. She soon acts on what she sees as she extends a hand forward and commands "Finish this off with brave bird!" Honchkrow adheres to his trainer's command as he flaps his wings before taking off into the air. He soon descends down with speed while glowing in a strong blue aura, ready to slam into his water type foe.

Ash sees the flying type Pokémon approaching and can't help but smirk as he decides it's time to play his trump card. He smirks a little more as he pumps a fist and commands "Now use ice beam!"

Karen's eyes widen in shock as she realises that she's fallen into Ash's trap. Squirtle takes a big deep breath before he fires off an icy blue beam from his mouth. The cold beam of ice soon slams into Honchkrow, causing him to cry out in pain as the ice grows onto his wing. Eventually the pain all becomes too much as he loses control of his flight path and slams into the ground, causing a small explosion.

Dust kicks up along the battlefield as the crowd watch on with anticipation on their faces. Karen looks completely gobsmacked while Ash stands looking very confident.

The smoke around the battlefield soon clears as both Pokémon come into view. On one side of the battlefield, Squirtle stands with a few marks on his body while panting a little heavily. Meanwhile on the other side, Honchkrow lays flat on the ground with swirls clear in his eyes.

The crowd roars with cheers as the referee raise a flag into the air and announces "Honchkrow is unable to battle, Squirtle is the winner!"

Ash instantly punches a fist into the air as he shouts "That's the way it's done! Great job Squirtle!"

Squirtle smiles at his trainer's praise as he lets off a happy cry while turning back towards him to celebrate together.

The crowd continues to roar with cheers as the commentator shouts enthusiastically "What a big win that is for Ash against a very powerful opponent in Honchkrow! It looked pretty even throughout the match, but that little hidden ice beam was the difference between winning and losing for the Alola champion. His reward for his performance is an early lead here! How will Karen respond to going a pokemon behind?"

Up in the stands, Serena places a massive smile on her face as she shouts "Yes! That was amazing out there Ash! You and Squirtle were just perfect!"

Misty nods in agreement as she adds with a smile on her own face "It's always so nice to see Squirtle battle at such a high level. As you all know I'm a sucker for Ash's water type Pokémon and he is no exception. In fact he might just be my favourite."

Gary smirks a little as he comments "It's all my doing you see. If I never gave Ashy boy the training with my Blastoise then he'd never of been able to use rapid spin and hydro pump so well. I'll accept my compensation in nothing but dollar bills thanks. Or maybe a couple of pints of beer later."

Professor Oak lets off a small sigh as he exclaims "Gary my boy, you really do say some stupid things sometimes. Sure you helped Ash train but you were only a small part of any victory. It's his hard work that should be praised."

Delia smiles as she adds "That's my son alright, always working so hard to achieve his dreams with his pokemon. He makes me so proud."

Brock places a more serious look on his face as he states in a wise tone "Still, we mustn't get overconfident just yet. Ash still has a long way to go in this battle."

Back down on the battlefield, Karen takes a small sigh of frustration as she takes in her loss. She soon shakes off her frustration as she returns Honchkrow to his pokeball and thanks him for his efforts.

Ash soon decides to edge her on a little as he comments "That was a close battle, but you made the mistake of underestimating my Squirtle. You thought he was in trouble when you called for brave bird, but we were just playing with you. That ice beam was hidden in the back for when we needed it most."

Karen scowls a little at Ash's over confidence as she replies "You won the first battle that's true, but we're still far from finished. You are underestimating an elite 4 member, that is your first mistake. Those sort of mistakes are things that I don't let go unpunished."

Ash shakes his head a little as he replies with that same confidence still sneaking into his tone "Your welcome to think what you like, but I know that I'm not underestimating anyone. In fact, the only thing I am currently is confident that I can beat you!"

The crowd all murmur in excitement at Ash's bold claim while Karen feels her anger rising towards the Alola champion, slowly being sucked in by his mind games.

She soon takes a deep breath to keep her cool for now as she remarks "You need a reality check. I guess it's time I gave you one."

The Indigo league elite 4 member soon reaches down into her pocket before she takes out a pokeball. She holds said pokeball out in front of her before she throws it forward and yells "Weavile you up!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Weavile emerges onto the battlefield. She smirks a little as she sharpens her claws to prepare for the battle to come.

Ash sees the Weavile in front of him and honestly isn't too surprised to see such a Pokemon. Weavile is a Pokemon that is pretty common in Johto thanks to its pre evolution Sneasel, so it's no surprise to see her.

The Alola champion decides to stick with what he's got for now and gets the battle back underway as he commands "Squirtle start this up with hydro pump!" Squirtle nods before he tucks himself into his shell and fires off 4 separate beams of water towards his opponent.

Karen shakes her head as she counters "Use your speed to dodge it Weavile." Weavile grins as she takes off around the battlefield with great speed. She manages to use that speed to dodge Squirtle's water type attack before continuing on her path towards him.

Karen smirks as she commands "Now use night slash!" Weavile grins as she forms a dark purple blade in her hand before continuing on her charge towards Squirtle.

Ash reacts quickly as he shouts "Use skull bash!" Squirtle nods as he lowers her head while coating it in a white shade of aura before firing himself like a bullet towards his opponent. Weavile sees the water type starter coming and quickly pulls her blade up rather skillfully. The two attacks soon clash and press into each other with no real winner as they find themselves locked in a stalemate.

Karen smirks a little and takes an advantage of the close proximity as she commands "Weavile use blizzard!" Weavile opens her jaws wide before she breaths out of a strong blizzard of snow towards her opponent. Squirtle has no time to dodge at such close range and finds himself being pushed back by the combination of heavy snow and strong winds. He soon cries out in pain as he flies back through the air before landing with quite the thud in front of his trainer.

Ash instantly places a concerned look on his face as he questions "Are you okay Squirtle?"

Squirtle struggles with fatigue as marks and bruises coat his body, but manages to pull himself back to his feet as he stares off with his opponent.

Karen can feel a victory beginning to close in as she extends a hand forward and shouts "Now use poison jab!" Weavile grins as she clocks back a fist that sparks with poisonous purple before charging in towards her opponent.

Ash sees the attack and knows he can't let Weavile land a free hit as he counters "Use hydro pump quick!" Squirtle nods as he tucks himself in his shell before spinning around as water shoots out of all 4 holes on his shell. The beams of water soon head towards the charging Weavile who needs to react quickly. Fortunately for Karen she does as she uses her impressive speed from before to avoid the incoming beams of water before continuing on her path. She soon reaches Squirtle as she takes her poison fist and slams it into his stomach. The water type starter pokemon cries out in pain as he shoots back through the air before landing on the ground in front of his trainer with a small thud.

Ash gasps in worry for his first ever water type Pokémon while Karen just smirks. The elite 4 member from Johto soon decides enough is an enough as she powerfully commands "Finish this off with icicle crash!" Weavile grins as she holds her hands up in the air, forming a bunch of icy crystals that hang in the air above Squirtle. She soon throws her hands down, sending those same icy crystals crashing down. They slam into Squirtle, causing him to cry out in pain. Eventually the pain becomes too much as the last crystal crashes down, causing a small explosion.

A small cloud of smoke sits on the battlefield as the crowd wait with anticipation on their faces. Ash grits his teeth with worry for his water type Pokémon while Karen just grins confidently.

The smoke soon clears to reveal the inevitable. Squirtle lays down on his back with swirls clear in his eyes as the crowd roars with noise.

The referee takes a second before he raises a flag into the air and announces over the cheers of the crowd "Squirtle is unable to battle, Weaville is the winner!"

The crowd's cheers only get louder as the commentator shouts "Now that's more like the Karen we are used to seeing. She may be the youngest of the Indigo league elite 4 but she's certainly not one to be messed with, especially when she gets in the groove like this."

Up in the stands, Serena frowns a little as she comments "Squirtle did well, but in the end Weavile was just too fast for him."

Brock nods in agreement as he exclaims "Karen's Weavile is a whole lot faster than any I've ever seen before, and any I'd imagine Ash has ever faced. It's going to be difficult for him to make any sort of progress unless he finds a way to nullify that speed."

Gary shakes his head as he remarks in a much more confident tone "Now, I'm sure Ashy boy can find his way around a speed issue. After all, he owns some pretty fast pokemon himself. Take Pikachu as an example, he's a pretty speedy little guy."

Pikachu takes the compliment and runs with it as he stands proudly, puffing his chest out a little.

Misty nods as she adds "That's true, but he's sitting in the stands and can't compete in this battle. It'll be interesting to see what Ash sends out next."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash takes a small sigh before he takes a pokeball off his belt and returns Squirtle. He soon looks down at the pokeball with a small smile as he compliments "You did a great job Squirtle, now leave the rest to us."

He soon clips the pokeball back onto his belt as he looks over at Karen. A complimentary smile sits on his face as he exclaims "That Weavile of yours is pretty strong, and the fastest I've seen. You've trained her really well."

Karen can't help but smirk a little and continue her mind games as she replies "Flattery suits you Ash, but if your trying to impress a woman then you need to be a little sweeter than that. Try complimenting my appearance for a start,"

Up in the stands, Serena takes a deep breath to compose herself as she whispers to herself "Don't make a scene Serena. Stay calm and don't react."

Ash frowns a little at Karen's stupid comment as he remarks in a slightly offended tone "Why would I want to impress any other woman, when I'm already dating the best and most beautiful woman in the world? Kind of a weird thing to say if you ask me. I'm only here to win a pokemon battle, and that continues with my next pokemon."

The Kalos queen internally squeals at Ash's words as she mentally exclaims "That was perfect Ash! She needs to know there's a boundary you don't cross."

The Alola champion soon takes a pokeball off his belt before he throws it forward and shouts "Morgrem I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's Morgrem emerges onto the battlefield. A cheeky smirk coats the fairy type Pokémon's face as he gestures for Weaville to bring it on.

In the stands, Gary raises an eyebrow in confusion as he questions "I get the typing makes sense, but in terms of experience Morgrem isn't exactly the most ready for this level of competition. Why would Ash take such a risk?"

Professor Oak shakes his head a little as he explains "Ash sees him in training more than we do, and he must have seen enough to show that Morgrem can compete. It'll be interesting to see what he has planned."

Serena can't help but smile upon seeing the cheeky fairy type Pokémon as she exclaims "I know he's a bit of an odd one, but Morgrem is so full of personality and I honestly love to see him. He's cute if you ask me. I know him and Ash will do their best."

Back down on the battlefield, Karen frowns slightly at seeing another non fully evolved Pokemon sent out. It's sort of a little disrespectful in her mind, as if Ash is trying to mock her. She soon yawns as she extends a hand forward and commands "Use poison jab and get this over with." Weavile grins as she clocks back a fist that glows in a poisonous purple aura before charging forward towards her opponent.

Ash sees the attack coming and quickly counters "Morgrem use sucker punch!" Morgrem grins as he clocks back his own fist that glows in a dark purple aura. The two Pokémon charge towards each other at equal speed before Morgrem uses the priority of sucker punch to his advantage. He punches a jab forward straight into Weavile's stomach, causing the ice type Pokémon to cry out in pain as she skids back towards her trainer.

Karen rages at being beaten to the attack by Morgrem as she yells "Use icicle crash!" Weavile shakes off the damage as she raises her hands up into the air, forming sharp icy crystals above Morgrem's head. The icy crystals soon fall as Weavile lowers her arms and crash towards the fairy type Pokémon.

Ash tries to find a counter as he shouts "Dodge it!" Morgrem tries to use some form of speed to dodge the incoming attack, but is ultimately unable to as the icy gems slam into him, causing him to cry out in pain as he crashes back along the ground before landing in a heap in front of his trainer.

Karen doesn't give Ash a second to think as she shakes her head and shouts "Now end this as fast as it started with night slash!" Weavile grins as she charges forward towards Morgrem with a dark purple dagger like blade in her hands, ready to finish off her much less experienced opponent.

Ash doesn't panic at Morgrem clearly being hurt, having an ace up his sleeve just begging to turn the tide of this battle. He soon uses Karen's over aggressive nature against her as he smirks and commands "Now Morgrem, show them your thunder wave."

Karen's eyes widen in shock, not expecting a move like that from a pokemon like Morgrem. The fairy type Pokémon soon stands up as he grins while holding a hand out in front of him. All of a sudden his prankster ability kicks in as a yellow wave casts over Weavile. The dark type Pokémon cries out as he freezes in place thanks to the sudden paralysis.

Ash smirks as he quickly follows up "Now use dazzling gleam." Morgrem smirks again, showing off a set of pearly white teeth. A bright light soon shines off those teeth and slams straight into Weavile. She cries out in pain thanks to the super effective hit before skidding back and landing hard in front of her trainer.

Karen places a concerned look on her face as she calls out "Are you okay Weavile?"

Ash doesn't give the dark type Pokémon an opportunity to answer as he instantly punches a fist forward and commands "Now wrap this up with drain punch!" Morgrem grins as he clocks back a fist that glows in a bright green aura before charging towards his opponent. He soon reaches Weavile as he punches her straight in the midsection, causing the dark type Pokémon to cry out in pain thanks to the 4x super effective attack.

Morgrem takes a step back as a few green orbs slam into his body, restoring some of his health. Meanwhile, Weavile staggers a little before she eventually falls backwards. She lands on the ground hard as she lays unconscious, looking up at the sky with swirls in her eyes.

The crowd roars in approval as the referee raises a flag in the air and announces "Weavile is unable to battle, Morgrem is the winner!"

Ash instantly punches a fist into the air as he shouts in celebration "Great job Morgrem! That's the way to make your Pokémon league debut!"

Morgrem smiles at his trainer's praise, showing his softer side for a second. He soon turns back around with his usual cheeky grin, ushering Karen to send out whoever's next.

The crowd continue to cheer as the commentator exclaims "A strong series of moves sees Ash take the lead back. There was a bit of confusion around the stadium when we all saw Morgrem hit the battlefield, but you have to credit Ash for his decision. Morgrem has certainly repaid his trainer's faith in him with that performance."

Up in the stands, Serena places a bright smile on her face as she shouts enthusiastically "Yes! That's what Karen gets for underestimating Ash and Morgrem! They showed her why they're so amazing!"

Delia nods in her agreement with her future daughter in law as she remarks "She had some nerve underestimating my son and she paid the price. Now hopefully she can stop saying stupid things."

Brock analyses the battle as usual as he comments "Ash was smart to paralyse Weavile the way he did. Not only did it slow her down but it also gave her the chance of being unable to move. You can have all the experience you want, but Ash knew if he set up that series of moves the way he did then he'd have a shot of completely blowing Weavile away."

Misty nods as she adds "That level of planning ahead has given Ash quite the boost over the course of this league. He's using it to his advantage and it could be exactly what he needs to get over the line in these tough battles."

Professor Oak turns towards his grandson and causally remarks "So, I guess you were wrong about the whole experience theory you had."

Gary just shrugs his shoulders as he replies with his usual arrogance and confidence "Even Ashy boy is right twice a day. I'll admit he knew what he was doing on that occasion."

Back down on the battlefield, Karen sighs in frustration as she takes a pokeball out of her pocket. She soon returns Weavile to said pokeball before thanking her for her efforts.

As she places the pokeball back in her pocket, Ash smirks a little as he casually remarks "That battle was actually winnable for you, but you got over aggressive. You thought my Morgrem could never hurt your Weavile but you were mistaken. If you weren't so intent on just getting the battle over with then maybe you might have won. It was a bit of a rookie mistake if you ask me."

Morgrem grins a little more at his trainer's words as he does a little crying mimic towards Karen to just rub salt into the wound.

The dark type elite 4 member falls for Ash's games as she snaps "Your just a child! Who are you to tell me what I should have done? So far I've taken it easy on you, but that stops right now with my next Pokémon."

Karen takes a pokeball out of her pocket as she holds it out in front of her. She soon throws it forward as she shouts "Your up next Muk!"

The pokeball hits the ground as an unusual looking Muk to the locals emerges from his pokeball. The poison type Pokémon looms large as he gestures for Morgrem to bring it on.

The confusion around the stands continues for a few seconds before the commentator explains "Karen has sent out a form of Muk that is extremely rare around here, Alolan Muk. How will Ash cope against the unfamiliar opponent?"

Back down on the battlefield, Ash isn't really all too fussed or surprised to see the Alola form. Yes it's a bit of a different pokemon to face but he's the Alola champion so a pokemon from that region isn't a surprise to him. If he didn't know an Alolan form then he'd be pretty embarrassed to call himself the champion of that region.

He soon decides to get the battle started as he commands "Morgrem, use drain punch again!" Morgrem nods, not at all intimidated by the larger pokemon as he chargers in while clocking back a fist that glows in a bright green aura.

Karen shakes her head as she calmly counters "Use shadow sneak." Muk smirks a little before he suddenly disappears into the ground, leaving Morgrem dazed and confused. All of a sudden he pops back above ground and slams into the fairy type Pokémon, causing him to cry out in pain as he skids back towards his trainer.

Ash looks a little dazed by such counter but soon shakes it off as he commands "Morgrem use thunder wave." Morgrem shakes off his previous damage as he nods with his head with his signature grin. However, he soon lets off a cry of pain as a sheet of poison coats his body.

The commentator instantly shouts "Muk's ability has come into effect and badly poisoned Ash's Morgrem. It looks like Karen's giving him a taste of his own medicine when it comes to status effects!"

Karen doesn't let Ash have a chance to recover as she exclaims "Now use moonblast." The crowd all gasp in shock as Karen calls for a pretty unusual attack for a dark type trainer and a Pokemon like Muk to use.Muk soon opens his jaws wide as he forms a pink sphere in his mouth before firing it off towards his opponent. The fairy type move slams into Morgrem with super effective damage, causing him to cry out in further pain as he skids back toward his trainer before landing flat on his back.

Ash grits his teeth with worry as he questions "Are you okay Morgrem?"

Morgrem struggles against the pain from the moonblast and the poisoning as he slowly drags himself back up to his feet.

Karen sees the struggling fairy type and decides to keep pushing the pace of this battle as he commands "Use crunch." Muk nods as he slivers his way ominously towards his opponent while baring a sharp set of fangs that glow with a faint white aura.

Ash sees the attack coming this time and quickly counters "Use dazzling gleam!" Morgrem struggles against his poisoning as he opens his mouth and shows off his pearly white teeth. Suddenly a bright glow shines out and smacks into Muk, causing the poison type Pokémon to cry out in pain.

Almost instantly, Ash looks to follow up one attack with another as he commands "Use drain punch!" Morgrem nods as he clocks back a fist that glows in a bright green aura before charging off towards his opponent.

Karen shakes her head as she confidently counters "Use poison jab." Muk nods as he clocks back a fist that coats itself in a toxic purple aura before sliding his way over towards Morgrem.

The two attacks soon collide and push against each other as both Pokémon look to fight back. Eventually though the poisoning begins to take its toll as Morgrem's grip falters. This gives Muk the perfect opportunity to strike as he pushes a fist past Morgrem's guard and straight into his stomach. The fairy type Pokémon cries out in pain as he slams back through the air before crashing straight into the stadium wall.

The crowd all look on with anticipation on their faces while Ash grits his teeth with worry for his Pokemon native to Galar. In contrast, Karen looks completely composed as she folds her arms over her chest and smirks away.

The dust around the battlefield soon clears as the result of the battle becomes clear. Muk stands on one side of the battlefield while looking supremely fresh and confident. Meanwhile on the other side, Morgrem lays flat out in the stadium wall with swirls in his eyes.

The crowd roars with cheers as the referee raises a flag into the air and announces "Morgrem is unable to battle, Muk is the winner!"

The noise from the crowd only grows as the commentator exclaims "A brutal assault from Muk leaves Morgrem flat out in the stadium wall. The Alola form certainly looks in good shape today folks. It'll be tough for Ash to beat a Pokemon with such an impressive mix of high defence and power."

In the stands, Brock analysis the situation as he exclaims "With type disadvantage and the poisoning, Morgrem didn't really stand a chance in the end."

Misty nods in agreement as he adds "He did well for a debut, but no level of enthusiasm is going to counteract such a huge disadvantage."

Gary places a more serious look on his face as he exclaims "The problem Ashy boy has now is Muk is still relatively refresh, and with his poison touch ability he can out stall a lot of Ash's Pokémon. As far as I'm concerned he needs to hit Muk hard enough to the point where out stalling him isn't an option anymore."

Professor Oak nods in agreement but wisely states "In theory that sounds right, but it's much easier said than done. Hitting a pokemon like Muk hard enough to knock them out in one hit is extremely difficult, especially when you take into account all the extra resistances that the Alola form has."

Delia places a small frown on her face as she questions in a clearly worried tone "Do you think Ash will be okay?"

Serena hears all the negativity and knows that it's her time to bring back the positivity. She places a determined smile on her face as she exclaims "I know he'll be okay. Ash has had setbacks in battles before and he always finds a way to overcome them. Watch, he's going to win this battle and take the lead going into the break! I know he will because that's what the man I love does!"

Pikachu nods in agreement with his trainer's girlfriend as he shouts positively "Pika pika!!"

Back down on the battlefield, Ash takes a pokeball off his belt as he returns the fainted Morgrem. He soon smiles down at the pokeball as he whispers "That was an awesome debut Morgrem. I'm so proud of how well you did. Now take a good long rest."

He soon clips the pokeball back onto his belt before he looks up over at his opponent. A small smile soon coats his face as he actually compliments "I have to hand it to you, that Muk of yours is pretty strong. The move set is pretty unique too, plus that poison touch is a super handy ability."

Karen almost smiles at Ash's compliment for a second, almost mind you as she soon shakes her head and exclaims "He's trained well and he's not going to be beat so easily. If you want to lead at the half time break then you need something special to overcome us."

Ash just smirks as he casually replies "It's a good thing that doing special things is kind of my go to then."

The Alola champion takes a pokeball off his belt as he holds it out in front of him. He soon throws said pokeball forward as he shouts "Heracross I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's bug and fighting type Pokémon emerges onto the battlefield. He grins happily as he looks over at his opponent, ready to battle for the second time in this league.

The commentator takes a strong interest in Ash's decision as he exclaims "A strong choice here as Ash calls on his Herracross a lot earlier than a lot of experts would have predicted. A battle between the fighting type Pokémon's power and Muk's defence. It'll be interesting to see which one comes out on top."

Ash decides to start the battle up at a distance as he extends a hand forward and commands "Herracross use bullet seed!" Heracross nods as he takes a deep breath of air before firing off a barrage of bullet like seeds that head towards his opponent.

Karen shakes his head as she swiftly counters "Use moonblast!" Muk opens up his jaw wide as he takes a deep breath of air before firing off a powerful ball of pink mist towards his opponent. The two attacks clash together and manage to cancel each other out, causing a small explosion.

Ash is the first to react the explosion as he commands "Use close combat!" Heracross flaps his wings and flies forward while coating his limbs in a bright white shade of aura. He soon reaches the dark type Pokémon fast as begins to swing fists towards him.

Karen smirks confidently, seeing this current situation as nothing but a win win scenario for her as she shouts "Muk, strike back with poison jab!" Muk takes two punches from Heracross as he slides back a little while only feeling small bursts of pain due to his defensive gooey body protecting him somewhat. He soon clocks back his own fists that glow with a poisonous purple glow.

The two Pokémon soon find themselves in close quarters combat as they try and land big strikes on each other. Straightaway it's easy to see that at this sort of range Heracross has the advantage over the Alolan form in terms of skill as he constantly lands strikes. However, Muk's defence stat is simply too high for him to break through for the most part as he struggles to do the damage he needs.

Eventually the inevitable happens as Muk's poison touch ability activates thanks to all the constant strikes. This causes Heracross to cry out in pain as a poisonous purple glow suddenly surrounds him. With Heracross suffering from poisoning, Muk takes advantage of his guard being lowered as he slams a fist straight into the bug type Pokémon's midsection. Heracross cries out in pain as he skids back a little while still under the effects of the poisoning.

Karen smirks a little as she sees the state Heracross is in, confident she can stall him out now thanks to the poisoning. She soon tries to do just that and waste some time as she commands "Use shadow sneak." Muk grins himself as he disappears into the ground like a complete shadow.

While on the outside things are looking a little bleak for Ash, in reality they are actually perfect. He soon demonstrates exactly why as he pumps a fist in the air and exclaims confidently "Herracross, turn around and wrap this up with megahorn!" Heracross nods as he puts his faith in his long time trainer. He quickly turns around while coating his massive horn in a bright white aura. At that second, Muk emerges from out of the shadows as he tries to strike him down. Unfortunately for him Heracross is much quicker and strikes him harder than ever before with his giant horn, much to the shock of a large majority of the crowd. Muk cries out in pain as he flies back through the air before crashing into the stadium wall with quite the thud.

The crowd all gasp in shock as they try to figure out what just happened. Karen has a similar reaction too, stunned by the pure power that was the megahorn. Ash meanwhile looks completely composed and confident as he waits for what he already knows to be confirmed.

Soon the dust settles in the wall, as Muk comes into view. The poison type Pokémon lays out unconscious with swirls in his eyes.

The crowd shake off their initial confusion and cheer loudly as the referee raises a flag in the air and announces "Muk is unable to battle, Heracross is the winner! Karen has now lost 3 Pokémon which means it's time for the scheduled half time break."

The crowd roar in approval of the announcement as the commentator explains "Well, what a well thought out strategy that was by Ash. His Heracross just so happened to be packing the guts ability. For those who don't know, guts is an ability that strengthens a Pokémon's attack if they are inflicted with a status condition. Ash's plan was to use Muk's poison touch against him to actually make Heracross even more powerful. I have to give it to him. What a strategy that was to give him the lead at the half time break!"

Back down on the battlefield, Karen returns muk to her pokeball in disgust of her herself more than anything for forgetting such an important detail. She soon trudges on back to the benches to try and regroup for the second half to come.

Meanwhile, Ash decides that he should probably return Heracross to his pokeball for now. After all he doesn't want to let the poison damage rack up any more than it needs to.

He soon does just that before he holds the pokeball up to his mouth and whispers "You were awesome out there Heracross. Now take a good rest because there's a good chance I'm going to need you later."

The Alola champion soon places the pokeball back on his belt before he makes his way back towards the stands. He soon climbs into them as he makes his way over towards his friends and family.

As usual, Serena instantly embraces her boyfriend as she exclaims with a bright and proud smile on her face "That strategy was so cool Ash! Using poison touch to your advantage to activate guts is something I never even considered for a second. You're really doing so well out there."

Ash smiles at Serena's usual loving support as he replies "Thanks beautiful, Karen is pretty difficult I'm not going to lie. But we're staying strong so far both on the battlefield and mentally with all these mind games."

Serena rolls her eyes a little as she remarks his distain for the dark type elite 4 member in her voice "You might be dealing with her stupid words well. But I'll admit it, if she makes another flirtatious comment then I might lose myself a little."

Ash internally chuckles, knowing some of her comments definitely would have made Serena a little upset. Instead of teasing her about such things he decides to be reassuring as he exclaims "Hey, she's just trying to get in my head and in turn yours too. Just ignore her and focuses on the important things okay? You know what we are and what we have. No one will ever get in the way of that I promise."

Serena smiles brightly at Ash's reassuring words as she replies in a more positive tone "Thanks Ash, I know I can be a little insecure so I need that reassurance sometimes. That was the perfect thing to say."

Moving away from Karen's antics, Gary raises an eyebrow as he exclaims "Looking at your Pokémon choices Ashy boy, I was expecting Heracross to come out later than he did. Are sure about what you're doing? If not then I can write your Pokémon order next time."

Misty rolls her eyes at Gary's usual stupidity as she exclaims "If you did that then there's no way Ash would be battling the elite 4. Hell getting past that first round would have been a struggle."

Professor Oak nods in agreement as he adds "I think we should trust a champion's mindset over yours Gary. Plus if you were picking the pokemon the job would never get done. You're too busy staying up partying and drinking to get actual work done."

The gang all laugh at Gary's expense as he mutters something under his breath about how under appreciated he is.

They all continue on their conversation for a few more minutes in a very relaxed manner before it's finally time for the second half to start. Serena gives Ash his usual good luck kiss before the two trainers both return to the battlefield for part two of this contest.

Upon returning to the battlefield, Karen places a more serious look on her face as she exclaims "You may have won the first half of this battle, but there is still a long way to go. As for us, we'll be better than ever in this second half."

Ash smirks back as he replies "Good, because we're going to be even better too. I want to beat you at your strongest, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."

Karen rolls her eyes a little at the fact that no matter what she says, Ash always seems to have a comeback for her. She soon reaches down towards her pocket as she takes a pokeball out. She holds it out in front of her before she throws it forward and shouts "Umbreon go!"

The pokeball hits the battlefield as Karen's Umbreon emerges. The dark type Eeveelution glares at her opponent with darkness in her eyes, ready to get this battle back on track for her trainer.

Ash sees the choice and was expecting Umbreon at some point, considering she is one of Karen's signature pokemon.

The Alola champion quickly decides his choice as he makes his decision. He takes a pokeball off his belt before he throws it forward and shouts "Butterfree I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's Butterfree emerges onto the battlefield. The bug type Pokémon flies around in the air, ready to get this battle started.

Up in the stands, Serena almost instantly takes a pokeball out of her purse before she releases her pink Butterfree. She smiles at the bug type Pokémon as she exclaims "You know what to do Pink Butterfree. It's time to cheer as loud as you can for your husband."

Butterfree smiles at her trainer's words as she perches herself next to Pikachu on the railing and begins to shout words of encouragement to her husband.

Back down on the battlefield, Karen mumbles a few words and moans about Ash bringing a second bug type to the battlefield. Nevertheless she soon shakes it off as she commands "Umbreon get us started with dark pulse!" Umbreon nods as she takes a deep breath of air before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards her opponent.

Ash sees the attack coming and responds accordingly as he counters "Butterfree use bug buzz!" Butterfree flaps his wings and lets off an ear piercing cry, sending a beam of sound like bug waves towards his opponent. The two attacks soon meet in the middle before cancelling each other out with a small explosion.

Ash considers using sleep powder for a second, before deciding against it with him knowing that Karen could potentially have a plan to counter his status effecting move. Instead he goes down a different route as he commands "Use quiver dance." Butterfree uses the cover of the smoke to fly up into the air and do a little back and forth dance, boosting his stats in the process.

Karen isn't too fazed by Butterfree's set up move, knowing that it's going to take multiple boosts for her to be overly concerned about a Butterfree's power. She soon goes back on the offensive as she orders "Use dark pulse again!" Umbreon nods as she takes aim before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards her opponent.

Ash shakes his head as he confidently shouts "Dodge it Butterfree!" The bug type Pokémon nods he uses his wings to take flight. The extra speed boost from using quiver dance certainly comes in handy as he manages to avoid the incoming dark type move with little to no effort.

The Alola champion smirks as he punches a fist forward and commands "Now use bug buzz." Butterfree nods as he flaps his wings while letting off an ear piercing cry. All of a sudden powerful bug like sound waves crash through the air and smack towards Umbreon. This time the attack connect as the dark type Pokémon cries out in pain and skids back towards her trainer.

Ash's confidence only grows by the second upon landing a super effective attack. Judging by the state of Umbreon, a few more of them and this battle will be over.

However, that confidence takes quite the knock as Karen casually remarks "Umbreon use moonlight." Umbreon nods as shakes off her previous pain and raises her head up the air. All of a sudden, a pink ball the size of a crescent moon slams into her and completely restores the health she lost from the last attack.

The crowd can't help but cheer as the commentator exclaims "Karen has made Umbreon heal herself up with moonlight. It looks to me like she was able to restore any damage done from that previous attack. Just like Muk before her, Karen is using another very stall like strategy to try and prolong this battle."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash sees the moonlight and kind of groans in frustration at having to try and break through a defensive pokemon like Umbreon with the advantage of reliable recovery.

He soon realises that the only way he's going do such a thing is if he makes Butterfree's attacks even stronger. He soon tries to do so as he commands "Use quiver dance again." Butterfree nods as he flies back up into the air while once again trying his signature dance.

This time, Karen is much more switched on to what is about to happen as she shouts "Not this time! Umbreon stop them will psychic!" A blue glow casts over Umbreon's eyes before it transfers over to Butterfree. All of a sudden, Umbreon controls Butterfree's movements as she instantly stops his signature dance. She holds him in her psychic grip as she slams him straight into the ground hard.

Ash grits his teeth, not at all expecting psychic as he watches Butterfree slam into the ground over and over again.

Soon Karen switches things up as she commands confidently "Now use iron tail!" Umbreon throws Butterfree towards her with psychic as she readies a tail that coats itself in metal. As Butterfree comes towards her she smacks it away as she uses her metal tail like it's a baseball bat and he's a ball, sending him skidding across the battlefield before landing in a heap in front of his trainer.

Ash grits his teeth with worry as he questions "Are you okay Butterfree?"

Butterfree lays on the ground with marks and bruises all over his body, trying desperately to get back up to help his trainer win this battle.

Karen sees the weakened Butterfree and doesn't hesitate to try and finish this off as she commands "Finish this off with dark pulse." Umbreon takes a deep breath of air before she fires off a dark purple hexagonal beam that slams through the air towards her opponent.

Ash can only really hope at this point as he calls out with a hint of desperation in his tone "Counter with bug buzz!" Butterfree tries his best as he lets off an ear piercing cry before firing off his traditional sound like bug waves. Unfortunately for him, the bug buzz is weaker than usual due to his fatigue as the dark pulse breaks straight through, connecting with Butterfree and causing a huge explosion.

Dust sits in the air for a second as the crowd wait with anticipation on their faces. Ash grits his teeth in worry while small tears sit in pink Butterfree's eyes.

The smoke soon clears to reveal the inevitable as Butterfree lays unconscious on the ground with swirls clear in his eyes.

The crowd roars as the referee raises his flag in the air and announces "Butterfree is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner!"

The noise in the stadium only grows louder as the commentator exclaims "And that folks is a huge win for Karen. Her Umbreon's bulk plus moonlight combination is certainly a hard one to take down. How will Ash respond to such a defeat?"

Up in the stands, Serena places a small frown on her face as she mutters "Poor Butterfree, as always he tried his best but it wasn't enough on this occasion."

Pink Butterfree's tears of worry begin to suddenly overflow as she gets off her perch and flies down towards her husband to help him recover from such a beating.

Brock analyses the battle as usual as he comments "Umbreon is just as bulky as the Muk Ash faced before her, except she has reliable recovery with moonlight. That sort of combination is pretty difficult to take down."

Gary nods in agreement with Brock as he adds "Especially when you consider Ash's biggest hitter in Heracross has already been used. He might be able to break through those defensive when fresh, but with the poisoning plus fatigue I'd say it'll be more difficult than usual. Plus he's weak to psychic too so he's not a perfect option.

Misty places a serious look on her face as she exclaims "Well in that case, Ash needs to come up with a different sort of strategy if he wants to win this one."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash soon makes his way over to the Butterfree couple and as usual gives Pink Butterfree permission to take her mate up to the stands with her. She does just that as she takes him up with her to watch over him and help him heal up while of course still supporting the rest of the team too.

Ash soon walks back to his trainer's box, before Karen instantly exclaims "You know, I told you this second half would be different. I've got the lead now with your Heracross being so tired. I'm not looking back from here."

The Alola champion shakes his head in disagreement as he exclaims "I wouldn't say you have the lead, in fact I'd say we're both pretty even. Or maybe even I'm still slightly ahead and you just don't know it."

Karen rolls her eyes and tuts a little in annoyance as she replies with ignorance "How did you figure that out genius? You just lost a pokemon you know?"

Ash takes a a small sigh as he exclaims "That's a very simple minded way of looking at things, although I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. Even when I lose, I learn something. Right now, I've just learned that I have the perfect pokemon to take on Umbreon."

The Alola champion reaches down towards his belt before he takes a pokeball off it. He throws the pokeball forward as he shouts "Tyranitar I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's mighty Tyranitar hits the battlefield with a small thud. The stadium shakes a little as he roars, causing a stream of sand to blow through the air thanks to his sand stream ability.

Up in the stands, Professor Oak chuckles a little before he exclaims "That's an excellent strategy my boy! Complete genius in fact."

Delia raises an eyebrow in confusion as she questions "What do you mean Professor?"

Professor Oak smiles a little as he explains "Tyranitar's sandstorm is why it's so clever. You see while sandstorm is active, moonlight will restore only a small percentage of Umbreon's health instead of the usual it does with no weather conditions in effect.Plus, Umbreon will take chip damage over time. It's a great way to not only wear her down, but stop her source of healing too."

Serena places a hopeful smile on her face as she exclaims "That certainly sounds good to me, and it's Tyranitar's league debut too! That just makes things even more exciting if you ask me! I know him and Ash are going to do their best like they always do! I have faith in both of them."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash can tell by Karen's face that she was definitely not expecting a Tyranitar to come out to counter her strategy. Nevertheless, the dark type trainer makes the first move of the battle as she commands "Use dark pulse!" Umbreon nods as she takes a deep breath of air before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards her opponent.

Ash shakes his head as he calmly responds "Dodge it Tyranitar." Despite not being the fastest pokemon in the world, Ash's Tyranitar is a little faster than your average Tyranitar due to his trainer specifically training some of his weaker aspects. The pseudo legendary soon uses that speed as he dodges the incoming dark pulse.

Ash smirks and decides to go on the offensive as he commands "Now use stone edge!" Tyranitar nods as lets out a large roar before stamping his foot into the ground. All of a sudden, sharp pointed stones begin to spring up from the ground and head straight towards the dark type Eeveelution

Karen sees the attack coming and quickly shouts "Block it with iron tail!" Umbreon nods as she turns her tail into pure metal before smashing it back against the incoming rocks. She manages to block against most of the damage, sending sharp pointed shards of rocks up into the air.

The dark type elite 4 member looks to go on the offensive as she commands "Now use iron tail on Tyrantitar!" Umbreon takes off as she leaps up into the air while preparing to swing her tail of metal down towards her opponent.

Ash is quick to react and uses his usual innovation as he shouts "Use crunch and bite down on the tail!" Tyranitar grins as he opens up his set of large fangs that glow with a bright white aura. As soon as Umbreon slams her tail down Tyranitar bites down on it, trapping the Eeveelution in his grasp as she cries out in pain.

With Umbreon completely trapped and unable to really defend herself, Ash takes advantage swiftly as he orders "Use dragon claw and slash away!" Tyrantiar roars as he extends a set of green glowing claws. He readies both claws as he begins to slash away at the dark type Pokémon. Umbreon cries out in constant pain as she's constantly smacked into by Tyranitar's sharp claws. Eventually he smacks her so hard with a slash that she falls out of his grip and tumbles back through the air before landing hard in front of her trainer.

Karen gasps in concern as she questions "Are you okay Umbreon?"

Umbreon lays on the ground with marks and bruises all over her body, desperately trying to get up to help her trainer.

Ash sees the weakened Eeveelution and doesn't hesitate to attack as he punches a fist forward and commmands "Wrap this one up with stone edge!" Tyranitar roars as he slams a foot into the ground, causing the ground itself to shake. All of a sudden sharp pointed stones begin to sprout up and head towards the dark type Pokémon. The array of stones soon slam into her as she cries out in pain before a huge explosion occurs.

Dust sits on the battlefield as the crowd wait with anticipation to see what sort of state Umbreon will be in. Karen looks on with concern on her face while Ash looks on with a confident smirk.

Eventually, the smoke clears around the battlefield as both Pokemon come into view. Tyranitar stands on one side of the battlefield while looking a little tired but still in relatively good shape. Meanwhile, Umbreon is in much worse shape as she lies flat on her back with swirls in her eyes.

The crowd cheers as the referee raises a flag in the air and announces "Umbreon is unable to battle. Tyranitar is the winner!"

Ash punches a fist into the air as he shouts enthusiastically "Yes! Awesome job Tyranitar!"

Tyranitar shows the lighter side of his personality as he smiles at his trainer's praise, before he quickly refocuses as he prepares for the next match to come.

The noise from the crowd continues to grow as the commentator exclaims "A very very important win there for Ash, with a great strategy setting up sandstorm like that. Karen needs to respond next time out or this one is on its way to being over."

Up in the stands, Serena smiles brightly as she shouts "That was amazing Ash! Tyranitar too! That was another perfect debut if you ask me!"

Pink Butterfree seems to be in agreement with her trainer as she lets off a happy cry at her trainer's words, clearly happy that Tyranitar managed to beat the pokemon that took out her mate before.

Brock smiles an almost proud smile as he comments "Ash executed that battle perfectly from start to finish. From the sand stream stopping iron tail to the smart little trap with crunch."

Gary nods in agreement as he continues on "Ashy boy knew he had the perfect pokemon for Umbreon as soon as he saw his complete move set. The little crunch to trap iron tail is the perfect example of that if you ask me. He knew Karen would try and call for a super effective attack like that at some point so found the perfect way to use it to his advantage."

Misty smirks a little as she remarks "And now Karen only has two Pokémon left to Ash's 3. He just needs to be calm and collected from here on out."

Professor Oak is as wise as ever as he comments "While it is true that Ash has the Pokémon numbers advantage, two of his Pokemon have battled already whereas Karen's last two are still fresh. I have a feeling that this one is closer than it looks on paper."

Delia places a serious look on her face as she finishes "My boy might be a lot of things, but he's definitely not dumb when it comes to the ins and outs of Pokémon battles. He'll know that just as much as us and won't lose his focus."

Back down on the battlefield, Karen takes a small sigh as she returns Umbreon to her pokeball and thanks her for all her efforts.

She soon places her pokeball back in her pocket as Ash comments with confidence in his tone "Just like that I'm back in the lead. I told you that I had the perfect Pokemon to take on Umbreon and I think I proved that to you."

Karen would love nothing more than to come up with some sort of snarky remark back but she simply has no ammunition. On this very rare occasion she decides to take the humble route as she replies "I'm not afraid to admit that you caught me out with your little weather tricks. A sand stream Tyranitar was not in my plans to face before this battle started. However, I still have a pokemon capable of taking on your pseudo legendary."

The dark type elite 4 member takes a pokeball out of her pocket as she holds it out in front of her. She soon throws it forward as she shouts "Absol go!"

The Pokemon hits the battlefield as a strong looking Absol emerges from his pokeball. The disaster pokemon glares at his opponent while looking ready to go.

Ash sees his opponent and can't help but wonder about Karen's Absol. Considering she decided before this battle to allow mega evolution, there is a chance it could be capable of mega evolution like Serena's.

One's things for certain, he's definitely not as cool as Serena's without that shiny red colour scheme or the ability to use aura.

The Alola champion is soon snapped out of his thoughts as Karen commands "Absol, start this off with dark pulse!" Absol nods as he takes a deep breath before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards his opponent.

Ash reacts quickly and accordingly as he shouts "Block it with ice beam!" Tyranitar takes a deep breath of his own before firing off an icy blue beam that slams straight through the air. The two beams soon slam against each other and push against one another for a few seconds, eventually causing a small explosion that kicks up some dust around the battlefield.

Ash tries to take advantage of the reduced visibility as he commands "Now use stone edge!" Tyranitar nods as he lets off a loud roar while slamming his foot into the ground. All of a sudden the ground itself starts to shake as pointed stones begin to sprout up and head straight towards Absol.

Karen decides to take a leaf out of Ash's book and use a somewhat innovative strategy of her own as she orders "Absol, use the stones as pedestals and jump on them!" Absol takes in his trainer's command and doesn't hesitate to try his hand at the task despite the risk in it. He jumps up into the air while demonstrating great agility before he begins to leap from rock to rock, using them as his personal pedestals to get closer to Tyranitar.

The crowd roars in approval of such an innovative manoeuvre as Karen shouts with enthusiasm "Now use X scissor!" Absol follows her trainer's command as she turns the horn on top of her head a bright shade of bug like green before launching herself off the rocks like a torpedo towards Tyrnatitar.

Ash sees the attack coming and shakes his head a little as he commands "Tyrnatitar, use dragon claw to block it!" Tyranitar nods as he extands a set of green glowing claws before crossing them out in front of him in an X shape. Absol slams her horn straight into the claws as Tyrnatitar skids back a little while letting off a small cries of pain thanks to the super effective bug type attack. However, he soon manages to dig his heels in as he blocks the attack with his claws, locking Absol in his grip as his claws begin to dig into her skin.

Absol lets off her own cries of pain as Ash and Tyranitar both smirk, finding this scenario perfect to leading them to another win as their confidence grows by the second.

However, that confidence is soon shattered as Karen smirks herself and commands "Now, finish this with close combat."

Ash's eyes widen in shock as Karen calls for what is essentially his Tyranitar's kryptonite, a fighting type move. Absol shakes off the pain as she turns her limbs bright white. She soon slams her legs into Tyranitar! Kicking free of his grip. Before he knows it Tyranitar is on the receiving end of many super effective quick strikes as he cries out in pain. Eventually the pain becomes too much as he's kicked off his feet before landing hard against the ground, causing a ton of dust to kick up from the impact.

The crowd wait with anticipation on their faces as they speculate on the state that Tyranitar is in. Ash looks on with a concerned look on his face while Karen looks supremely confident.

The dust soon settles as both Pokémon come into view. Absol stands on one side of the battlefield while looking a little tired as she takes a few heavy breaths. Meanwhile on the other side, Tyranitar lays flat on his back with swirls clear in his eyes.

The crowd cheer loudly in approval as the referee raises a flag in the air and announces "Tyranitar is unable to battle, Absol is the winner."

The commentator places an excited look on his face as he shouts over the top of the crowd "What a big win that is for Karen and her Absol! Ash looked like he was about to take control and extend his advantage, but that unexpected close combat completely changed everything! I'll tell you one thing folks, you'd be a brave person to put a bet on the winner of this battle!"

Up in the stands, Serena takes a sigh of frustration as she exclaims "I thought Ash had that one in the bag. It would have been so much more relaxing if he did. I hate how every battle has to give me a heart attack."

Delia nods in agreement with her future daughter in law as she replies "Me too dear, and that's exactly why I tend to stay away from the stadium. The tension is too much for me."

Professor Oak places a serious look on his face as he exclaims "Losing in such a manner will be a tough pill for Ash to swallow. Especially when that fighting type move came out of nowhere. Still as long as he stays calm he still has a chance of winning. But you have to give Karen credit for that surprise close combat."

Gary doesn't exactly see things the same way as his grandfather as he shakes his head and remarks "Na that bitch doesn't deserve any credit. She's acted like a hoe this whole match. Ashy boy is going to take her out this time. If not then I'm coming out of retirement!"

Misty just sighs as she mutters under her breath "Can he say anything smart?"

Back down on the battlefield, Ash places a small smile on his face as he return Tyranitar to his pokeball. He soon looks down at said pokeball as he whispers "You were awesome out there Tyranitar. Now take a good rest."

He places the pokeball back on his belt before he looks up over at his opponent. Karen lets off a small snicker as she exclaims "I told you that I had the perfect pokemon to beat you. I think we just proved it. You completely had no clue that I had a fighting type move just waiting to be used."

Ash isn't one to sulk when he messes up these days as he calmly replies "I'll admit I didn't really expect it. I was only really considering play rough because that's what my girlfriend's Absol tends to use to take out any opposing dark type Pokémon. By the way her's is so much cooler but that's beside the point. Tyranitar still did some damage with those dragon claws and the sandstorm. Id say that's more than enough to take us back to square one."

Karen rolls her eyes a little at Ash's words as she exclaims "Whatever you say Boy Scout. I'm tired of talking. Send out your next Pokémon so I can end this."

Ash just smirks as he casually replies "With pleasure."

The Alola champion takes a pokeball off his belt as he holds it out in front of him. He soon throws the pokeball forward as he shouts "Heracross I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the battlefield as Heracross remerges. Almost instantly little poison bubbles float up around him as the poisoning from his earlier battle with Muk still continues on.

The commentator raises an eyebrow as he comments "Interestingly enough Ash has chosen his guts boosted worn down Heracross instead of a fresh last pokemon. With both Pokémon in the state they are in, I doubt this will be a long one."

Ash decides that with the poisoning he needs to push the pace of this battle and hit hard while he can. With that in mind he calls for the first move as he shouts "Heracross use bullet seed!" Heracross takes a deep breath before he fires off a ton of small seeds towards his opponent.

Karen shakes her head as she quickly counters "Use dark pulse!" Absol takes a deep breath of air before he fires off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards his bug type foe. The two attacks clash head on as they push against one and other, causing a small explosion in the process.

Ash looks to use the explosion to get himself in close as he commands "Now use the smoke as cover and use megahorn!" Heracross obeys his trainer's orders as he flaps his wings and takes off into the smoke with his horn glowing in a strong clear aura.

Karen manages to see the attack coming and exclaims "Defend yourself with X scissor!" Absol hears his trainer's call and turns the horn on his own head a bug like shade of green before using it in a defensive manner. The two attacks clash as they both push back against one another. Heracross's horn is slightly stronger as he manages to get the better of the exchange, pushing Absol off of him and sending him skidding back towards her trainer.

With Absol on the back foot, Ash tries another ranged attack as he commands "Now use rock blast!" Heracross nods as he forms a few boulder like rocks in front of him before sending them crashing towards his opponent.

Karen needs to react fast and does as she orders "Defend yourself with psycho cut!" Absol nods as he turns the horn on his head a bright shade of psychic pink before sending a slash straight towards his opponent. The slash connects with the incoming rocks, managing to cut them in half and cause some dust to kick up in the process.

With the poison damage slowly but surely racking up, Ash knows that he has to make a play right now to do some major damage. He decides to go for it as he extends a hand forward and commands "Heracross use close combat!" Heracross turns his limbs as bright shade of white as he flies in towards Absol.

Knowing she just needs to keep Heracross at bay for as long as possible, Karen decides to fight fire with fire as she orders "Use close combat too." Absol nods as he turns his four limbs a bright shade of white before taking a defensive approach. The two Pokémon soon clash as they engage in a close quarters duel. At first Absol stays on the defensive as he constantly slips Heracross's punches, much to the frustration of the bug type Pokémon. Eventually Absol lands a quick jab to the midsection, causing Heracross to skid a little.

The bug type Pokémon grits his teeth a little but refuses to give into any sort of pain. Instead he comes right back with even more ferocity than before as he flies over towards Absol. He uses his experience as a fighter to great effect as he times his punches perfectly, smacking Absol with a few quick blows. The dark type Pokémon cries out in pain as he tumbles back along the ground before landing prone in front of his trainer.

Ash sees the opportunity to end this as he shouts "Now wrap this up with megahorn!" Heracross nods as he turns his horn a bright white shade of aura before charging in towards his opponent.

Karen gasps with worry and acts quickly as she yells in desperation "Use psycho cut!" Absol struggles but manages to muster up the last of his strength as he turns his horn a shade of psychic pink before slamming it forward. The two attacks soon collide and push against each other for a second with no clear winner in sight. Eventually it all becomes too much for both Pokemon as a huge explosion occurs that kicks up smoke all across the stadium.

The crowd wait with anticipation as both trainers look on with serious looks on their faces. Those in the stands look just as serious as they wait to see the result of the collision.

Eventually the smoke does clear as the crowd gasp in shock at what they see. Both Pokémon lay in a heap on the battlefield as swirls sit clearly in their eyes.

The referee soon raises two flags up in the air as he exclaims "Both Pokémon are unable to battle."

The crowd shake off their shock and roar with noise as the commentator shouts enthusiastically "A draw between them two Pokémon is probably the best result the neutral could have asked for! Now we're in a situation where it's winner takes all in a one on one battle. For the first time in Ash's elite 4 challenge he's been put in this situation. How will he respond to such pressure!?"

In the stands, Serena nervously grasps her blue ribbon as she comments "A one vs one for the win is the most stressful outcome that could have possibly come up. I'm practically shaking I'm so nervous."

Pikachu and the two Butterfree's can see Serena's nerves and try to comfort her as they edge nearer. Pikachu leaps up onto the honey blonde girl's shoulder while the other two sit on her lap.

Delia has a similar reaction as she comments "I'm not sure I can watch. I hate this."

Misty shakes her head at the drama as she exclaims "Keep it together now girls. Worrying about it won't get you anywhere."

Brock nods in agreement as he adds "Misty's right, Ash doesn't need nerves right now. He needs support."

Gary smirks a little as he exclaims "We all know what Ashy boy needs to hear, so just go ahead and do it already little miss Kalos queen."

Serena takes a second to take in her friends words before a bright smile coats her face. Just like Ash down on the battlefield, sometimes she needs support from others to provide her own support to him.

She soon shows off that support as she cups her hands around her mouth and shouts "Come on Ash! I know you can do this! Forget about the pressure and focus on what you do best! I believe in you!"

Back down on the battlefield, Ash hears the supportive shout from his girlfriend and instantly feels this wave of confidence shoot through his body. At times like this he really needs her support, and that is exactly what she's done for him as usual.

The Alola champion soon takes a pokeball off his belt and returns Heracross. He smiles down at said pokeball as he whispers "You were awesome out there Heracross. Now take a good long rest."

He places the pokeball back on his belt before he looks up at Karen. The two of them stare down for a second before the elite 4 member remarks "So, it all comes down to this huh?"

Ash smirks a little as he casually replies "Yeah it does. This has been a really fun and intense battle, but as always there can only be one winner, as far as I'm concerned, that winner needs to be me. Simply put, it's my dream to be a Pokemon master. No one is standing in my way."

Karen smirks back as she exclaims "Nice speech, but I couldn't care less about your dream. It's time to show you exactly what I can do,"

The dark type elite 4 member takes a pokeball out of her pocket as she holds it out in front of her. She soon throws it forward as she shouts "Houndoom you're up!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Karen's ace Houndoom hits the battlefield. The dark type Pokémon lets off a loud howl before he looks up over at his opponent with a small glare.

Ash takes in Karen's choice of Pokemon and honestly isn't too surprised to see Houndoom. He knew going into this that he is Karen's ace, and that he was most likely coming to this battle.

Ash's choice isn't so obvious with a variety of Pokemon that could in theory match up well with the fire type pokemon.

He soon reveals his choice as he takes a pokeball  off his belt. He holds it out in front of him before he throws it forward and shouts for the first time in years "Sceptile I choose you!"

The pokeball hits the ground as Ash's Sceptile emerges from his pokeball. The grass type starter stands on the battlefield with his arms folded, as he chews his signature twig and cries out Sceptile!"

The crowd roar with approval at the sudden appearance of the Hoenn native pokemon as the commentator exclaims "Ash has chosen to use his Sceptile! We haven't seen the grass type starter since the Sinnoh league where he managed to defeat a mythical pokemon in Darkrai. Will we see more heroics from him today?"

Karen sees Ash's choice of pokemon as she casually remarks "I see you've managed to save the wrong Pokemon until last. Thanks for the type advantage by the way."

Ash shakes his head as he replies in a confident tone "Since when have I ever cared about type matchups? Sceptile will have no problem keeping up with anything you've got to throw at us. I'm not stupid, I know you picked the gimmicks you did for a reason. So, show us your full power straight from the off."

Karen smirks a little as she casually remarks "Then it's your funeral Ketchum."

Suddenly, the dark type elite 4 memeber flicks her wavy hair, revealing a small hairpin with a keystone attached. She smirks a little as reaches a hand towards the hairpin and shouts "Houndoom, release the darkness that you hold inside! Mega evolve!"

Her hand graps around the keystone as a bright light shines out from it before connecting with the mega stone attached to Houndoom's horns. Suddenly, the fire type Pokémon howls as he's surrounded by mega evolution energy. He continues to howl as his body begins to glow and change. Suddenly, the glow dissipates as a mega evolution symbol flashes up in front of him. A more aggressive howl sounds out as Houndoom now stands in his mega form.

The crowd roars in excitement as the commentator exclaims "Karen has played her trump card ladies and gentlemen, mega Houndoom!"

In the stands, a serious look coats Gary's face as he comments "Not only is Ashy boy at a type disadvantage, he's also got the issue of facing a mega evolved pokemon."

Delia tries to think positively as she exclaims "Well he has beaten mega evolved pokemon before right?"

Brock nods as he adds "That's true, but not one as strong as an elite 4 members ace with Sceptile. It's hard to see how he can with no mega of his own to fall back on."

Serena is in complete disagreement as she grasps her blue ribbon rightly and passionately defends "You all need to stop being so doubtful. If Ash can beat Diantha's mega Gardevior then he can beat a mega Houndoom despite the disadvantage. As long as him and Sceptile work together I know they can! They won't give up until it's over!"

Professor Oak can't help but smile as he nonchalantly replies "With that sort of logic, I know who my moneys on."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash sees the mega evolved pokemon in front of him and can't help but feel excitement run through his veins. Match ups like these are why he trains so hard, so he can prove himself as the very best!"

The Alola champion soon decides that he wants to get this battle underway as he extends his hand forward and commands "Use dragon pulse!" Sceptile grins for a second before he takes a deep breath of air. He soon takes aim before he exhales a powerful dragon shaped purple beam toward his opponent.

Karen sees the attack coming and shakes her head as he counters "Use dark pulse!" Mega Houndoom grins a more sinister grin before he takes a deep breath of air and fires off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards his opponent. The two attacks soon collide and clash together, pushing one and other back before causing a small explosion.

Karen is the one to react first to the explosion as she commands "Now use flamethrower!" Houndoom takes a deep breath of air before firing off a powerful beam of orange flames that travel towards Sceptile rather quickly.

Ash sees the attack coming and knows that letting Sceptile take any super effective hits will be risky. Instead he relies on the grass type starters speed as he yells "Dodge it Sceptile!" Sceptile reacts accordingly as he uses his speed to zip the past the flamethrower like a green flash through the air.

The Alola champion decides to go on the offensive as he punches a fist forward and yells "Now use bullet seed!" Sceptile opens his mouth wide before firing off a barrage of seeds from just above his opponent. The seeds soon make their way quickly towards the mega evolved Pokemon and slam into him, causing him to cry out in pain from the sudden assault of seeds.

Ash looks to stay on the offensive as he orders "Now use leaf blade!" Sceptile extends the two sharp blades on his arms before he kicks off with speed, ready to slice his opponent up with his signature attack.

Karen sees this one coming and reacts as she commands "Use sucker punch." Houndoom nods as he rushes forward while surrounding one of his paws with a dark purple aura. The two Pokémon soon reach each other with the added priority of sucker punch coming in handy. He slams his paw forward into the stomach of the grass type starter, causing him to cry out in pain as he skids back a little.

However, Sceptile didn't train so long to be thrown off by a simple sucker punch. He raises his blades back into the air while kicking off towards his opponent. This time he comes in with even more force and speed, slashing away at Houndoom viciously. He moves like a green flash, landing multiple hits as his fire type foe cries out in pain before tumbling back towards his trainer.

Houndoom slouches down towards the ground before rising back up again despite the marks and bruises coating his body from the viscous assault.

Seeing as though Sceptile seems more than capable of keeping up with her mega evolved Pokemon, Karen decides she needs to power up even more as she orders "Use sunny day."

Houndoom raises his head up into the air while letting off a loud howl. All of a sudden, a cloudy day turns into a scorching hot one as bright sunshine beams down over the stadium.

In the stands, many jackets are shed thanks to the overwhelming heat. A serious look coats Gary's face as he explains "Karen is going all out. You see Houndoom's ability upon mega evolving is solar power. His attacks will be powered up significantly each turn at the cost of some health. It's not a long term strategy but for a one on one it's perfect."

Misty nods in agreement as she adds "If even one attack lands then Ash is done for. He needs to be extremely careful."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash doesn't mind the heat at all as he rolls up his sleeves. He doesn't hesitate to start the action back up again as he commands "Sceptile use leaf storm!" Sceptile nods as he throws his arms back, before throwing them forward as he sends a forest's worth of leaves shooting towards Houndoom.

Karen shakes her head a little as she orders "Block it with dark pulse!" Houndoom obliges with his trainer's command as he takes a deep of air before firing off a dark purple hexagonal beam towards his opponent. The two attacks soon meet head on and clash together, causing a small explosion that kicks up some smoke around the battlefield.

The dark type elite 4 member looks to take advantage of the sudden smoke as she commands  "Now use flamethrower!" Houndoom takes a deep breath of air before firing off a solar power plus sun boosted beam of orange flames towards his opponent.

Ash tries the same counter as before as he shouts "Dodge it!" Sceptile tries to move but this time the increased strength of the flamethrower is seemingly his downfall. He moves quick enough to dodge the worst of it, but the hot flames do graze his leg, causing him to cry out in pain and slip to the ground.

Almost immediately, Karen reacts as she shouts "Now pin him down!" Houndoom leaps like a predator, pouncing on his prey so to speak as he pins Sceptile to the ground.

The grass type Pokémon can only struggle as Houndoom's paws sit on his blades, rendering  them useless. Karen smirks widely as she orders "Now finish this with flamethrower." Houndoom grins widely while taking a deep breath in preparation for his final blow.

Ash knows it's now or never as he screams "Use leaf storm on yourself!" Sceptile struggles against Houndoom's grip as a storm of leaves begin to form around them. All of a sudden those leaves carry them both up into the air while both screaming out in pain thanks to the sudden storm.

Karen gasps in shock at the sudden escape route while Ash shouts "Sceptile, use the storm to your advantage, go with the wind and use leaf blade!" Sceptile struggles against his own leaf storm but doesn't let it overly affect him. He soon angles himself to move in the wind as his blades extend from his arms. He soon reaches Houndoom and slashes him a few times with his blades as the leaf storm subsides.

As it does, Sceptile lands on his feet with a grin on his face while Houndoom lands with a thud, struggling to get up after the sudden assault.

Ash soon feels the same confidence as Karen before as he commands with a sense of finality in his voice "Wrap this up with solar beam!" Sceptile begins to aborb sunlight into his tail before he opens his mouth up wide and fires a massive beam of solar energy towards his opponent. The beam soon slams into the mega evolved wide eyed pokemon, causing a huge explosion.

The crowd waits with anticipation on their faces while Karen's jaw nearly hits the floor. Ash looks completely confident as him and Sceptile smirk away.

The smoke soon does clear as Houndoom comes into view. He lays on the ground as he reverts back into his regular form with swirls clear in his eyes.

The crowd roar with loud cheers as the referee raises a flag into the air and announces "Houndoom is unable to battle, Sceptile is the winner! That means the match goes to the Alola champion Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!"

The noise from the crowd only grows louder as Ash punches a fist into the air and shouts "We won Sceptile!"

Sceptile lets off a happy cry as he dashes towards his trainer with a bright smile on his face to celebrate together.

The commentator shakes his head in disbelief as he yells "Against the type advantage odds Ash pulls through and wins the 3rd battle in this elite 4 challenge run! Honestly you have to say he looked out of it at one point, but the master of innovation has booked his ticket into the final round!"

Up in the stands, Serena places a bright smile on her face and jumps for joy as she shouts "Yes Yes Yes! Ash and Sceptile did it! They nearly gave me a heart attack but they did it!"

Delia stands up and claps as she exclaims "That's my little boy! He's into the final round of his big challenge!"

Professor Oak claps too as he remarks "That wasn't the most perfectly executed performance Ash has ever had, but under type disadvantage and such pressure it might just be his best yet."

Brock nods in agreement as he adds "Using leaf storm on yourself? Now that's just vintage Ash. Right when he needed it too."

Gary smirks as he comments "And now Ashy boy is through to the final round against good old aunt Agatha. The train just keeps on rolling forward."

Misty nods in agreement as she finishes "I can't wait for that match up either, but for now Ash deserves to celebrate. This is a big achievement for him."

Up in the elite box, Lorelei lets off a small chuckle as she comments "Well, well it looks like Ash has beaten another one of us."

Bruno folds his arms over and smirks as he exclaims "I told Karen that she shouldn't underestimate Ash. She was too cocky and paid the price."

Agatha smiles down at the battlefield as she exclaims "The small boy has grown up quite significantly. He's got that same natural talent as his dad, but a healthy mind that can be tough to handle. It's finally time I paid Red's son another visit."

Lorelei's eyes widen in shock as she replies "Are you serious?"

Bruno chuckles as he exclaims "I knew there was something about him that was similar, but I could never put my finger on it. Ash Ketchum, Red Ketchum. How did we never know?"

Agatha smiles as she explains "Oak may be a lot of things, but one things he's not is dumb. He hid away everything he could so no one can prove it. In fact, I'm one of the few people who actually know."

Lance stands up and looms over his elite 3 so to speak as he exclaims with a hint of authority in his tone "Oak hid that fact for a reason, so it stays that way. We don't mention it to Ash or anybody else, that is unless the professor gives you permission to. Understood?"

The 3 of them nod while Agatha places a smile on her face as she looks down at the boy and whispers "I think I'd like a word with you."

Back down on the battlefield, Ash finishes celebrating with Sceptile before he returns him to his pokeball while thanking him for all his efforts.

He soon places the pokeball back on his belt before he makes his way over towards Karen at the centre of the battlefield.

Despite the hostility between the two during the battle itself, Karen is more than willing to let things go as she exclaims "That was a fine battle, congratulations and good luck in the next round."

Ash smiles at the more warm approach to things as he replies "Thanks Karen for such an awesome battle. Me and my Pokémon certainly enjoyed that one."

The two soon shake hands as the crowd cheer loudly at the show of sportsmanship on display. Once they break the handshake they both go their separate ways as Karen heads down the tunnel while Ash heads towards the stands.

As usual he climbs the barricade to see his friends, almost immediately receiving a big hug and a quick celebratory kiss off his girlfriend as she spouts her usual supportive words.

Ash smiles at his girlfriend's words and thanks her as always, as well as the rest of his friends and family as they give him with props for another hard fought victory. Soon they all make their way out of the stadium as they decide to head back home to prepare for the next battle to come.

As they leave the stadium, the commentator exclaims "Well that's it folks for round 3 of the Indigo league elite 4 challenge. After an absolutely heroic performance, Ash managed to pull off another victory with that help of his Sceptile. Now only one more battle stands between him and the final obstacle, the champion. However, that obstacle may be the toughest yet as he takes on the oldest and wisest of the elite 4. The ghost type specialist Agatha! How will Ash cope with her many tricks and super natural approach? Find out next time folks when the elite 4 challenge comes to a close, right here at the indigo league stadium!"

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And cut!

Word count: 20145

Well that's it for another chapter.

So, what did you guys think of the battle between Ash and Karen.

I wanted to make this one a little more fiery after the last one was so respectable so that's why I made Karen act like a bit of a bitch.

She's one of those characters that haven't appeared in the anime yet so I could basically do what I wanted.

I gave Ash a strong team in this one to show that we're reaching the end of the competition.

Sceptile is a choice that I know a lot of people wouldn't have expected and honestly I've been wanting to unleash him for a while.

It was between him and Infernape for the final battle but in the end, Infernape already got the Diantha battle so I decided to give this one to Sceptile instead.

Anyway in the next chapter.

Ash steps onto the battlefield for his final elite 4 challenge battle against Agatha (my fingers are so happy😭😭)

Will he be able to overcome her ghost type Pokémon and beat the elites?

What Pokémon will shine this time?

What happens when he finds out this battle is a little more personal than expected?

Well I guess you'll all find out soon.

So on that note, make sure to vote and comment as always.

We're getting closer to 2K votes and 100K reads so if you want to get there quicker then you already know what to do.

Have a nice day and I'll see you all soon

Bye bye :)