"Finally, Shalour City." Ash said, looking at the coastal city from Charizard's back. "I hope this is all worth it."
"It will be." Dawn said. "So where is the gym?"
Ash pointed towards the Tower of Mastery. "Over there. Luckily we won't have to wait for the path to open up since we've got these two." He gestured to Charizard and Pidgeot. "That was pretty frustrating when I first wanted to challenge the gym."
Dawn sighed exasperatedly. "Of course it would be. I bet you didn't stop complaining."
Ash laughed, but didn't answer. He just pointed for Charizard and Pidgeot to fly towards the Tower of Mastery and land in front. In a couple of minutes, the two Pokemon landed perfectly in front, and Ash and Dawn looked up at the tower.
A voice behind them got Ash's attention. "I thought this would be where I'd meet you." Ash turned and smiled, seeing Calem. He was on the back of his Fearow. "I saw you guys flying ahead of me and I knew you'd be heading to the gym." He said.
Ash nodded. "Yeah, there's something I'm supposed to do here. Not really sure yet." He looked at Calem with confusion. "You didn't come here just to battle did you?"
Calem laughed, looking a little embarrassed. "Um...actually yeah. See, I don't have much to do besides training, until the Kalos League starts. Since I heard you're so good, I wanted to challenge you."
Dawn shook her head, again looking exasperated. "You two need to find something else to do besides battling."
Ash was about to make a retort, when another voice interrupted. "Ash? What are you doing here?" He turned and saw it was Korrina, dressed in her red and white roller skater outfit, her blonde hair sticking out of her helmet. She looked at Calem. "And you, Calem."
"Hi Korrina." Ash said happily. "I...uh...it's kind of complicated." He pointed inside. "Is it alright if we come in?"
Korrina nodded. As they went in, Ash introduced Korrina to Dawn. He then gave her a rough explanation of what had happened with Serena. He noticed the Shalour gym leader didn't seem surprised at all that he and Serena had ended up together. He then explained the situation with Greninja and how he had gone to Olympia to see if she could help him.
"So she told me to come here. I guess she thinks your grandfather could help me understand it since it seems to be some kind of mega evolution." Ash explained, as they stood in front of the Lucario statue at the centre of the tower.
Before Korrina could answer, Calem interrupted. "Is that what that was that you did at Serena's showcase? Mega evolution? I was wondering about that, since you didn't have a key stone or anything."
Ash shrugged. "I don't know. Professor Sycamore seemed to think it was mega evolution, but I'm not so sure. It seemed...different."
Korrina studied Ash for a moment. "How would you know? You've never mega evolved a Pokemon before, right?"
Ash shook his head. "No...but from what I've seen, it definitely didn't have the same kind of feel to it. It's hard to explain."
"Well, Ash, I think I might be able to help you with what you are here for." Ash looked up and smiled, seeing Gurkinn, Korrina's grandfather, walking down the spiralling stairs of the tower. "I've been expecting you."
Korrina looked shocked and a little angry. "What? How come you never told me grandfather?"
Gurkinn looked a little embarrassed. "I...had my reasons." He looked at Ash. "Now, Ash...before I tell you more, I'd like to see you battle. I saw you arrive with a Charizard and Pidgeot. And obviously you have Pikachu. Could you tell me who else you have brought?"
"I've got Infernape, Sceptile and Houndoom." Ash answered, not quite understanding why Gurkinn needed to know his Pokemon.
Gurkinn looked a little confused. "A Houndoom? I would have thought you'd have your Greninja."
"He's uh...kind of busy." Ash said quietly.
Korrina's eyes lit up in excitement. "That's Malva's Houndoom, though, right Ash?" She clenched her fists. "Can I please battle it?"
Calem coughed and everyone looked at him. "Sorry...but Ash...didn't we have an agreement?"
Ash nodded and then looked apologetically at Korrina. "Sorry Korrina, but I promised Calem I'd battle him. Maybe later?"
Korrina sighed but nodded. "Alright." She turned around and started walking. "Come on, why don't you guys battle here?"
In a few minutes, Ash and Calem were standing on opposite sides of the gym battlefield. Ash was on the challenger's side, while Calem stood on Korrina's usual spot. Gurkinn was on the sidelines as the referee, while Dawn and Korrina sat in the stands.
"How many for the battle?" Ash asked Calem.
Calem shrugged. "Full battle?"
Ash nodded and then Gurkinn, who seemed eager to start the battle, spoke up. "Alright, this will be a six on six battle between Ash and Calem. Substitutions are allowed. Once all Pokemon for one trainer are unable to battle, the other will be declared the winner. Let the battle begin!"
Calem threw out a pokeball first and his Blaziken appeared before him. Ash was tempted to use Infernape, but something told him to go with someone else. "Sceptile, I choose you!" He yelled, throwing out his pokeball, which flashed and then revealed the reptilian grass-type.
Calem made the first move. "Blaziken, sky uppercut!"
"Leaf blade!" Ash countered.
Both Pokemon whipped forward with incredible speed and Ash was barely able to register it. It seemed that both of them sensed this was an important measuring stick for each trainer. Blaziken's fist clenched and he lowered it quickly, before springing it up with extreme force. Meanwhile, Sceptile jumped up, his leaf blade glowing in a green light, and then he slammed it down. The attacks slammed together and a shock wave of wind blasted outwards, causing Ash to grab his hat, before it could fly off. Sceptile and Blaziken leaped away from each other and stood in front of their trainers and stared each other down.
Ash noticed Calem looked quite pleasantly surprised. "Amazing." He said. "Even though he's a grass type, Sceptile's leaf blade matched Blaziken's power perfectly."
"Sceptile's no ordinary Pokemon." Ash said. "None of my Pokemon are."
Calem looked like he was thinking and then he smiled. "This is the Sceptile that beat the Darkrai in the Sinnoh League isn't it?"
Ash looked at him in surprise. "Yeah."
"I've done my research, Ash. I've been planning for this battle. I've got my A-Team as well." Calem said confidently."
Ash narrowed his eyes. This was definitely going to be quite the challenge. "Alright then, why don't we get this going again? Sceptile use leaf storm!" Sceptile answered immediately and turned quickly and raised his leafy tail. Immediately green wind started swirling towards Blaziken, leaves whipping around inside of it.
"Blaziken, flamethrower!" Calem ordered. Blaziken opened his mouth and blasted a massive jet of flames towards the leaf storm attack. The attacks met head on clashed together for a few moments, but ultimately the flamethrower was able to power through. It burned through the swirling leaves and slammed straight into an alarmed Sceptile, blasting him back, causing him to land on his face in front of Ash. "Quick, blaze kick now."
Ash's eyes widened, knowing two consecutive super effective hits would take a huge toll on Sceptile. He needed to concentrate. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. "Sceptile, bullet seed on the ground. Use it to get some air!" Sceptile opened his mouth and blasted the seeds quickly. It worked perfectly. Ash thought it might have been the best bullet seed Sceptile had ever used. He immediately was carried into the air as Blaziken kicked out with his flaming foot, missing Sceptile by mere inches.
"Sky uppercut!" Calem ordered, looking surprised.
"Solar beam!" Ash yelled.
Blaziken turned towards Sceptile and leaped up, his fist clenched and ready to strike. Meanwhile, Sceptile's seeds on his black glowed brightly as he continued to soar into the air from the momentum of his bullet seed attack. It seemed like he wasn't going to be able to charge it in time, but just as Blaziken was about to strike, Sceptile's mouth opened and a massive blast of yellow energy shot down. Blaziken was slammed down with extreme force and there was a massive cloud of dust.
Both Ash and Calem waited for the dust to settle, not knowing if Blaziken managed to handle the attack. Sceptile quickly hopped over to his spot in front of Ash. Finally, the dust settled and Blaziken could be seen. He wasn't completely done, but he was on his knees, panting and wincing.
Ash knew he needed to take his chance. "Sceptile, finish with leaf blade!" He yelled.
"Blaziken, blaze kick!" Calem ordered.
Sceptile shot forward, the leaf on his arm shining bright green. It looked like Blaziken wasn't going to be able to pull off the attack, but as Sceptile quickly approached him, he rolled back and then got up. His leg began flaming and then he brought it up in a defensive position.
"Keep it going Sceptile. You can overpower it." Ash encouraged.
Sceptile nodded and continued his charge. He slammed forward with his leaf blade, smashing it hard against the flaming foot of Blaziken, who at the last second, seemed to pull back and then shoot it forward. Another shock wave of wind blasted out. However, this time both Pokemon kept their position, doing their very best to force their attacks through.
"Use your other arm for another leaf blade!" Ash yelled, sensing a perfect opportunity. It was at this moment, Ash realized he was fighting like he had been before losing focus against Malva. He was completely in sync with Sceptile. Both of them had complete focus. Ash smiled, seeing a quick smirk from Sceptile as he pulled back his other arm, preparing his next strike.
"Sky uppercut!" Calem ordered.
Blaziken suddenly released his blaze kick and pulled back, causing Sceptile to lose balance as he shot forth with leaf blade. Ash wasn't letting this faze him, though. "Use your tail to steady yourself!" He yelled. Sceptile did it perfectly, slamming his leafy tail to the ground and using it to prop himself up. His leaf blade shot up once again, slamming into Blaziken's jaw. However, just as he did this, Blaziken's sky uppercut slammed into Sceptile's in the exact same moment.
Both Sceptile and Blaziken were launched into the air and flew back in opposite directions. Blaziken landed hard in front of Calem, while Sceptile landed hard in front of Ash. Gurkinn looked at both Pokemon for a moment and then raised both his arms. "Both Sceptile and Blaziken are unable to battle. It's a draw!"
Ash and Calem both smiled at each other. There was really no better way to start this battle. This showed they were on even terms. Both of them recalled their Pokemon and then prepared to call out their next ones.
"Blastoise, you're up!" Calem yelled, throwing out his pokeball and revealing the large turtle-like Pokemon with cannons on its shoulders.
Ash smirked. "In that case..." He threw out his Pokemon. "Charizard, I choose you!" The light from the pokeball flashed and Ash's faithful flying fire-type emerged.
"You don't like type match ups, do you?" Calem asked, amusement in his eyes.
"Well...uh...I don't really think about it too much." Ash said with a laugh.
Gurkinn signalled for the battle to continue and once again, Calem made the first move. "Blastoise, hydro pump!" Blastoise dug his feet into the ground and then aimed his cannons at Charizard. There was a brief pause and then water blasted forth.
Ash smirked. "Flamethrower!" Charizard didn't move except for opening his jaws and unleashing his powerful blast of flames. They blasted forth and slammed into the water barrelling towards him. There was a hissing sound as the water immediately began to evaporate. For a moment, the attacks were even, but then Charizard's attack quickly began to overpower the hydro pump. He saw Calem's eyes widen as the flames completely overpowered Blastoise's hydro pump and then slammed into the turtle Pokemon, knocking him back, causing him to get stuck with his shell on the ground.
Calem narrowed his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected that kind of power from Charizard. And now, his Blastoise was stuck. Ash then saw his eyes widen, as if realizing something. "Blastoise, rapid spin now." Blastoise quickly started spinning, withdrawing into his shell. He headed straight towards Charizard.
Ash wasn't worried, though. "Charizard, knock it back with dragon tail!" Charizard flapped his wings and he hovered in the air and then his tail glowed in a green light. He waited until Blastoise approached and then slammed his tail down. As soon as it struck, Blastoise immediately stopped spinning. Things seemed to freeze in time and then Blastoise was launched back. He slammed hard into the wall behind Calem and slumped to the ground.
Gurkinn looked at Blastoise for a moment and then held up his hand towards Ash and Charizard. "Blastoise is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner!"
Calem just stared at his Blastoise with wide eyes. He clearly had never lost a battle like that before. He turned to Ash and Charizard. "Wow...that Charizard is something else..." He said quietly.
Charizard roared happily and landed in front of his smiling trainer. "Not many Pokemon can match Charizard's power." Ash said.
Calem pursed his lips and then recalled his Blastoise. "Don't expect things to continue to be so easy." He threw out his next pokeball. "Tyranitar!" The light flashed and the massive green, armoured Pokemon emerged.
Ash recalled Charizard and then looked down at Pikachu. "Ready to go, buddy?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded confidently and ran out ahead.
Ash knew Calem wasn't a dumb trainer, because he watched Pikachu closely, with caution. Many trainers would normally look at a little Pikachu going up against a massive Tyranitar and expect an easy win, but Ash's Pikachu was definitely not one to lose battles easily.
"I've been looking forward to battling Pikachu." Calem narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I'm going to take him lightly, though."
"No one should." Ash said. Gurkinn signalled for the battle to continue and this time, Ash made the first move. "Quick attack, go!" Calem had no time to react. Pikachu was on the ground in front of Ash in one instant, but then the next second he was slamming into Tyranitar's jaw. It was almost comical watching the little electric mouse cause the huge Pokemon to stagger back in pain. Pikachu leaped back after landing the attack and stood in front of Ash again.
Calem didn't let the attack faze him. "Hyper beam! Be careful, you can't miss on this one." Tyranitar opened his jaws and a bright, orange and yellow light began to shine in his mouth.
"Get ready Pikachu." Ash called. "Use your speed. Quick attack to avoid the hit."
Pikachu immediately started bolting quickly around the battlefield. Tyranitar continued to charge his attack, watching Pikachu closely. Finally, his eyes narrowed and he seemed to lock in on a spot. Calem pointed with a smirk. "Tyranitar, go!" The hyper beam was unleashed immediately and it slammed into the ground to Ash's right.
"Pika!" Pikachu yelped in pain, as a cloud of dust followed him into the air. He then landed with a thud near Ash.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in concern. "You ok?"
"Pi...ka." Pikachu managed to say, struggling to his feet and turning to glare at Tyranitar, who was panting after using hyper beam.
"Alright, we have an opening." Ash said. "Iron tail!" Pikachu took a deep breath and then jumped forward. His tail glowed in a silvery light and he swung it towards Tyranitar.
"Not so fast." Calem said with a smirk. "Dragon claw!"
Ash's eyes widened. With incredible speed, and somehow already recovered from the hyper beam, Tyranitar pulled back his claw and then launched it forward, now glowing in a green light. It slammed hard into Pikachu and knocked the electric mouse back once again. Pikachu landed with a thud in front of Ash. Ash felt sweat go down his neck. He had let Pikachu down. He'd screwed up.
"Chu..." Pikachu said, somehow managing to force himself to his feet. Even Ash was surprised at his loyal Pokemon's determination.
"Ok Pikachu, if you're up for it, use thunderbolt!" Ash said. Pikachu nodded and immediately electricity shot out from his cheeks, rocketing towards Tyranitar. The massive armour Pokemon roared in pain as the electricity shocked his body.
Calem gritted his teeth. "Tyranitar, dark pulse."
"Thunderbolt, one more time." Ash ordered.
Electricity and dark energy blasted against each other. It reminded Ash of the battle with Houndoom and Malva. However, he was again feeling that lack of focus. He was so frustrated with the lack of consistency in how he was battling and it showed here. Tyranitar forced the connected attacks down and it created a large cloud of dust.
"Finish with dragon claw." Calem calmly ordered. Tyranitar did just that. Somehow the massive Pokemon had pretty good speed and he lunged forward and slammed his glowing green claw to the ground where Pikachu was. The dust settled and Pikachu was revealed to be slumped over on the ground.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Tyranitar is the winner!" Gurkinn announced. Ash noticed he sounded slightly disappointed. Ash quickly ran out to get Pikachu and carried him back, placing him carefully on the ground next to him.
Ash then turned to Calem, who was recalling his Tyranitar. The battle was now even. Ash plucked a pokeball from his belt and tossed it out. "Infernape, I choose you!" He yelled. The fiery monkey-like Pokemon emerged from his pokeball, already in battle position.
Calem called out his next Pokemon as well. "Sylveon, you're up." He shouted and the pink fairy-type Eeveelution emerged.
Ash went first. "Infernape, use mach punch!" Calem didn't order a counter, presumably because fighting moves wouldn't do much effect. Ash expected it though. He was only testing Sylveon out. Infernape whipped forward and pulled back his fist and it glowed in a white light. He then slammed it forward with all his might and towards Sylveon, who held up her feelers to block. It made full contact and slammed hard into Sylveon, sending it flying back, spinning through the air.
"Psyschock!" Calem yelled. Sylveon managed to right herself as she went through the air and then she sent a blast of pink shock waves towards Infernape, having the attack land perfectly. Infernape screeched in pain as the shock waves jolted through him.
Alright, Ash thought, you got your super effective hit. Now it's time to get some payback."Infernape, flare blitz!" Ash yelled. Calem had no time to react, as Infernape pulled off the attack perfectly and with amazing speed. The fire-monkey launched forward, enveloped in a blue light and slammed into Sylveon with extreme force. Sylveon went flying and slammed hard into the opposite wall, right next to where Blastoise had landed.
For a moment, it looked like Sylveon was done, but then she managed to struggle to her feet. Ash also noticed Infernape wince a little from the recoil damage from his attack. Calem narrowed his eyes. "Fairy wind!" He yelled.
"Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.
Pink wind shot forth from Sylveon, while a jet of flames were blasted from the opposite direction by Infernape. They met with a massive explosion in the middle of the field, creating a huge cloud of dust and smoke.
"Draining kiss, now!" Calem ordered, clearly hoping to use the smoke and dust to hide.
Not going to work. Ash thought. "Infernape, deflect with mach punch!"
Sylveon leaped into the cloud of dust, while Infernape pulled his glowing fist back in preparation. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then, Ash's eyes narrowed, seeing a shape shooting through the smoke. Infernape saw it too and shoved his fist forward. Sylveon appeared, her lips puckering up creepily to land the draining kiss, but it didn't matter. Infernape's fist landed perfectly on her chest, launching her up into the air.
"Flare blitz, one more time!" Ash yelled. Infernape nodded and was enveloped in a blue light and his fiery mane started billowing with increased flames. He shot up and slammed hard into Sylveon once more. He then rolled back and landed swiftly in front of Ash, while Sylveon dropped limply to the ground.
"Sylveon is unable to battle. Infernape is the winner!" Gurkinn called.
Ash smiled. He'd been able to get his focus back. As inconsistent as it seemed to be, at least when he had it, he felt he was almost unbeatable. He recalled Infernape, while Calem did the same with Sylveon. Ash then threw out his next pokeball. "Pidgeot, I choose you!"
"Pidgaw!" Pidgeot yelled, emerging from the pokeball and flying around with a perfect spin in the air, before landing gracefully in front of Ash.
"A sky battle, then." Calem said with a smile. He threw out his next pokeball and it flashed, before revealing his Fearow.
For a moment, Pidgeot and Fearow glared at each other, and then, suddenly, Ash noticed Pidgeot tense up and Fearow's eyes widen. Pidgeot quickly turned around and looked at Ash with the same expression Fearow had. "Pidge! Pidgaw!" Pidgeot shouted.
Ash narrowed his eyes in confusion and then looked at Fearow. And then he saw it. "No way..." He muttered.
Calem was watching this, having no idea what was up. "What is it?" He asked.
Ash pointed at Fearow. "Did you catch that Fearow in Kanto? Near Pallet Town?"
Calem opened his mouth in surprise. "Uh...yeah." He then looked at Pidgeot and recognition showed in his eyes. "Wait...I recognize that Pidgeot!" He said. "I saw it fighting with Fearow before I caught it. I...uh...I tried to catch it too, but it didn't work. Obviously since it already belonged to you."
Ash nodded. "Pidgeot was protecting his flock from that Fearow. It was constantly attacking them." He noticed Fearow look a little guilty. Apparently he must have changed through his training with Calem.
"Yeah I thought something was up." Calem nodded. "But Fearow's changed since then. He's a lot nicer now." He narrowed his eyes. "He's also a lot stronger, though."
Ash narrowed his eyes as well. "Well Pidgeot," he said, "how about we work together against that Fearow one more time?"
"Pidgaw!" Pidgeot yelled ferociously and he flapped his wings hard and whipped into the air. Fearow quickly followed. They glared at each other again. Maybe they weren't forest enemies again, but they were still clearly rivals.
"Aerial ace!" Ash yelled. He immediately felt his focus and determination seem to go into overdrive. He knew Pidgeot desperately wanted this win and it made his own desire to win grow even stronger.
Pidgeot's speed was phenomenal. In an instant he was behind Fearow and then he whipped forward, scraping his claws across Fearow's back as he did so. Fearow tried to charge after Pidgeot, but the latter was easily able to fly low and dodge.
"Drill peck!" Calem shouted.
"Steel wing!" Ash countered.
Fearow whipped down towards the ground, charging straight at Pidgeot, who braced himself for the incoming attack, his wing starting to glow with a silvery gleam. Ash narrowed his eyes and watched Fearow carefully, trying to pinpoint the perfect time to strike. And then, his vision seemed to change. He was looking straight up. It was as if...Fearow was about to attack him. But he knew...he wasn't going to let that happen. He knew how to stop it.
"Pidgeot, dodge and strike!" Ash yelled.
But it wasn't him yelling. It was his trainer. He heard the command from someone else. It washim who was battling. As Fearow approached him, he quickly pulled back at the last second, causing Fearow to completely miss. He then slammed down with all the strength he could muster in the steel wing and struck Fearow hard in the back.
"Stop the battle!" Gurkinn yelled.
Ash gasped for air and opened his eyes. He could see Pidgeot ahead of him, staring down with pride at Fearow who was struggling to get up after being slammed to the ground. Ash blinked, trying to understand what had just happened. Wait...someone had told them to stop. He looked at Gurkinn, who was staring at him with a mix of shock and pleasure on his face.
"I've seen enough." Gurkinn said. "There is no more to learn from this battle."
"But why?" Calem asked. "This is probably the best battle I've ever had."
Gurkinn shook his head. "There are more pressing matters." He looked at Ash. "I hope you understand."
Ash was still trying to recover from what he'd just seen...or done, he supposed, in the battle. He honestly didn't have much interest in battling at the moment after that. It had been kind of alarming. He looked apologetically at Calem. "I'm sorry, Calem. I think Gurkinn's right. There's some work I need to do with him."
Calem looked at him for a few moments and then nodded, understanding in his eyes. "Alright, I understand." He recalled Fearow, while Ash did the same with Pideot. "I guess you win this round, Ash." Calem said, a hint of frustration in his voice.
"Why?" Ash asked, not really caring about victories at the moment. That thing with Pidgeot had him a little freaked out.
"I lost three Pokemon and Fearow was about to lose. You only lost two Pokemon." Calem answered. "I'd say that makes you the winner."
"The battle didn't properly end." Ash said. "We'll have a proper one soon enough."
Calem nodded. "And it'll go differently next time."