Chapter 27:Conflict
"The challenges we are going to face today, they are going to shape every single battle that we will be facing in the future. I cannot… I cannot possibly explain how important this battle is for us." Ash addressed the entire team that stood before him.
He could swear that the entire group was listening to him with undivided attention. Aoi, who was standing right beside him, simply looked on at the ongoing discussion from a spectator's perspective.
After getting Poliwhirl, Rhydon and Pidgeot sent to him from the Ranch, he had found himself a rather reclusive place in the plantations grown around the Battle Tower. Shelgon, Poliwhirl, Pidgeot, Rhydon, Metagross, Magnus, Crawdaunt—the first seven, along with Absol and Gengar—all nine pokémon stood in front of him. For obvious reasons, Trevenant and Dusclops were inside their respective balls, now kept inside his backpack so as to prevent any sudden mistakes.
"We… we have been through a lot, over the last couple of weeks, learning from Cynthia's team, and then reshaping ourselves into something better. But… we have hardly reached our full potential. This… challenge, that we are going to face, will be instrumental in that."
He took a deep breath. "The higher we win today, the tougher the battles will be in the future."
Every single eye turned towards him, staring at him apprehensively.
"I know… at first thought, it seems a little odd, but the tougher the battle, the more we grow. Don't we? We aren't going to become the best by defeating easier opponents. Are we?"
A cacophony of denials answered his question.
"This challenge we face today, it will show everyone our true worth, and the gyms will take us more seriously, and we get to battle against the real battlers, those who can wipe the floor with us. Those, are the teams we need to fight, and stand back up, no matter how many times we fall, because that is how we can grow stronger."
He could really see the gears turning in his team's heads. Magnus was actively shaking with enthusiasm.
"That brings us to the other point. I can… only take eight pokémon with me forward for this, and I need the most versatile team out there."
Silence. The team of nine that stood there, automatically understood that one of them wouldn't be able to make it, as they glanced at each other apprehensively.
He stood up, his head downcast, "Shelgon… you won't really be making the team this time."
Shelgon did not move. Or make a sound. At all.
"Shelgon?" Ash repeated.
No sound. The rock-head pokémon simply continued to stare at his trainer.
Seconds passed by, as pokémon and trainer just stared at each other.
Then, the rock-head pokémon's countenance twitched, as he took a step forward, his expression defiant, as draconic energy concentrated inside his maw, before he released it out into the air above him, as the orange energy dispersed into several blobs, that fell down onto the ground, like meteors, filled with the highly destructive draconic energy within.
The statement was clearly made, and very well received.
"I am not weak."
Ash fell to his knees, though his eyes never left his starter. "You must really hate me now, don't you?"
Shelgon didn't make a sound, though the slight twitch proved that he was a little surprised by the sudden statement.
"I wouldn't blame you if I were you." Ash muttered. "You are my starter. You were the one who fought Poliwag back then, and Pidgeotto, when she was a tiny little thing, and then Metang. And now… all of them got chosen over you."
Still no reaction.
"There is no excuse on my end, buddy." Ash continued, his voice having a strange, otherworldly affliction to it. "I am being selfish here. I need the most versatile team for this challenge, and your… anatomy, restricts your movement a lot, and you know it."
Shelgon grunted defiantly, stomping his tiny feet onto the ground.
Ash wasn't done though. "It is not a slight to you, my friend. The battles in the future, they wouldn't have such… complications on us, and at that time, you could battle as much as you like. But this time… I need you to step aside." He paused. "Can you do that?"
Shelgon took a step forward.
"Shelgon?"
He didn't answer, just kept taking slow steps forward, never once leaving his constant stare at Ash.
"Shelgon, I-"
Shelgon paid no heed. He just continued to walk ahead, his expressions constant, and before Ash knew it, he was right there near his abdomen, before he finally let out a grunt, raising his head. For one second, Ash felt that Shelgon was going to head-butt him out of anger, and even mentally prepared himself for it, but instead, the rock-head pokémon's reaction was something… worse.
The hard-as-steel armoured head hit against the release-button of the pokeball, which opened up, throwing out a beam of red light, as Shelgon dematerialized, having gotten sucked into the pokeball.
The message was clear. Ash wanted him to step aside. Shelgon stepped aside. End of statement.
Ash couldn't do anything but stare. Blankly.
He stood outside the main lobby, his eyes glassy and without the slightest trace of emotion in them. Beside him, stood a woman of thirty, wearing impeccable white robes as was custom at the Tower. He hardly paid any mind to the list of things the woman was trying to drill into him over and over again, in hope that he would not commit any of the silly flaws while making use of the facilities of the tower.
"Mr. Ketchum, are you listening?"
Ash let out a sigh, as he twisted his neck towards her. "Yes?"
"Do you have any questions?"
Yes. Do you ever shut up? "… No. everything's clear."
It was true. There were only three main rules that he needed to keep in mind. The first—he would have to remember the regulations of the battle, which were different for each level—and follow them to the tee. Any transgressions would immediately cess his progress.
Rule number two—He could keep going upward as long as he had at least one of his eight pokémon left. Of course, he could only go ahead should he manage to win the challenge of the given floor first. Considering that there were no second chances, it meant that losing a single battle meant instant cessation of his progress.
Rule number three—there were no gaps between the battles. While the battles could take as long as they liked, the only time interval between one challenge and the next was the time it took to reach there, which was less than half a minute.
"At the completion of the event, you will be made aware of the conclusions drawn. Be advised that the Indigo League will be getting a copy of the report, as well as a visual recording of the battle. After all, the results might change your trainer status on the League database."
Ash nodded his head. Half of him was still reeling over Shelgon's behaviour, though truth be told, he should have seen it coming. Belittling a dragon's pride wasn't something one did on the best of days, and Shelgon was his bloody starter. Not for the first time, Ash felt that he had been unable to fulfil his promises made to his team.
That said, there was something else bugging him as well. Not wanting to take any chances, he twisted his neck, turning to the woman. "On what basis are the conclusions drawn?"
"So you were listening…" The woman seemed mildly impressed. "Your decision making skills, your ability to improvise, your adaptability, and your pokémon's natural strength. Those are the main parameters, aside from your overall performance of course."
"My pokémon's natural strength?"
"Of course," The woman frowned as if Ash had proved himself to be an absolute simpleton by asserting that query. "You should know that even a well-trained Seadra have a high probability of failing before the might of an untrained Gyarados. Protocol indicates that the higher the pokémon's natural strength, the more strict will be its valuation. It is an integral component to our program and helps us differentiate a truly versatile trainer from someone that simply uses his naturally powerful team to brute force his way into the higher echelons of the Tower."
In other words, the difference between the Ash Ketchum he had been prior to the attack on the Anne, and the Ash Ketchum he was trying to become.
"I understand. I have no more questions."
"Good. " The woman pursed her lips as she pressed her palm against the security check in front of them, as a steel door opened in front of Ash, who walked past it, finding himself in a somewhat spacious metallic contraption.
An elevator…. He mused. Before the thought had escaped his mind, the door behind him shut, as the contraption shot upwards, coming to a halt even before Ash had been able to register the entire sequence.
With a loud ding, the wall in front of him now cracked open, allowing him to step outside.
The entire area looked like a humongous, white-washed hall room. In the dead center of it, was an extravagant battleground with large rock boulders cluttered all over the battle arena. On the other side, he could see a man standing, dressed in white, with long, brown hair and a look that estimated him to be closer to forty.
"Ash Ketchum, "The man had a throaty voice. "Welcome to Tier 1. Let me tell you the rules. This will be a 2 on 2 battle. No substitutions. Once sent in, a pokémon cannot be recalled until it faints. If you do, that pokémon will be declared forfeit either way, rendering it illegible for any future battles during the entire event. Is that clear?"
So the first tier will probably end with one or two pokémon from my team fainting either way, reducing it to six. I can almost understand why only the Elite Four manage to win the damned thing.
"Clear, sir."
"My name is Arnold, not sir. Then we shall begin." The man lifted our first pokeball. "Go, Electabuzz."
Interesting. An electric type on a rock ground. The obvious choice would be to throw in Rhydon, but what if his next pokémon is a water type? It will throw Rhydon out of the loop for good, since I cannot switch pokémon. Sneaky.
All right. Try something like this. Ash made his choice. "Go, Gengar."
Waves of otherworldly energy pervaded the rocky ground as the Shadow pokémon materialized in front of Electabuzz.
"A ghost type. Didn't see that one coming." The man snorted.
Ash wasn't sure if the man was simply laughing in general at his seemingly unexpected choice, or over the fact that Ash had avoided making a potential misstep.
"Electabuzz, use thunderbolt on Gengar."
"Use double team and use confuse ray on Electabuzz."
The Gengar grinned as she dissolved into several illusory forms of herself, totally hindering the use of the thunderbolt, as she sent a powerful confuse ray on Electabuzz, her eyes glowing as the electric type was being bombarded with nightmares.
"Eh, Electabuzz, hit yourself with thunder. Stop its action. "
"Not so fast," Ash countered. "Gengar, use hypnosis and follow it up with dream eater."
Dream Eater. A rather sophisticated psychic move that was in essence, the perfect counter to the psychic move Rest. In effect, it soaked our power from a sleeping opponent, thus effectively countering Rest.
The Electabuzz was screaming its lungs out, as it was haunted by terrible nightmares, as the hypnosis, coupled with dream eater, compounded the effect that Confuse ray was having on its person.
The man stared at his pokémon for a moment, before turning to Ash. "Well, what are you waiting for? Render it unable for battle so that i can choose the next pokémon."
For a moment, Ash had the inclination to follow the request, but he stopped his impulses. "Why bother expending energy to push him out, when Gengar can just wait and grab energy with Electabuzz present?"
"Aren't you a meanie?" The man, Arnold deadpanned. "I forfeit Electabuzz." With that statement, he lifted a pokeball, sucking the electric type inside. "My next pokémon won't be so easy to overpower." He plucked out his next choice. "Go, Cacturne."
The pokémon that was released seemed like a cactus plant made into a makeshift scarecrow.
"Cacturne, use feint attack."
"Disperse."
As soon as he laid down the command, Gengar instantly turned incorporeal into purple fumes, turning Cacturne's attack useless.
"Get away and use Perish song."
"You edgy trickster", Arnold laughed, "It seems I need to up my game now. Cacturne use Destiny Bond."
"Double team, and follow up with Dark pulse."
The concentrated dark spheres hit Cacturne from all sides, rendering him quite tired. Ash could see Cacturne slowly getting sluggish. Just two more moves and Cacturne would be out of the game. He needed to stay impassive and keep away from Cacturne now."
Arnold laughed. It was over now. "Get close to Gengar, and use Sunny day."
To his surprise, the walls of the room all around him seemed to alter their very texture, turning nigh transparent, allowing the harsh sunlight outside to penetrate their way into the battle-ground. After a couple of seconds, it was almost like they were battling under clear skies with a harsh, midday sun overhead.
Arnold smirked. "This building is designed to provide the most efficient environment, which includes changing the nature. Moves that have the ability to affect the weather can be used to full-effect, just as easily as if one is battling outside in the open."
Ash gritted his teeth. Sunny day powered up fire-type moves, and it was quite possible that Cacturne knew Flamethrower. However, that wasn't the problem. The real issue was that the harsh. Sunlight was hurting Gengar, no thanks to his ghost-typing. As powerful as Gengar was, he hadn't trained her to bear the harshness of sunlight during training.
Arnold grinned. "Use Giga Impact."
"No", Ash yelled, "Gengar, disperse."
Gengar did disperse, but before she could do it successfully, the raw power of Giga Impact, which was in effect, the physical counterpart of Hyper Beam, hit her straight in the face, literally blasting her into fumes. Of course, after a couple of moments, the fumes reformed, but it was clear that Gengar was quite tired and affected from the outcome.
"Cacturne is unable to battle." Arnold declared in a monotone. "You have successfully completed the challenge. Please return to the elevator. It will take you to the next tier."
"Gengar, are you okay?" Ash asked, concerned.
Gengar let out a wide grin, though it was clear that she was exhausted and needed rest. And yet, Ash knew that this was hardly going to be her last before the event was over. "Take some rest. We might need to battle again."
"Gen-gar!"
If not for the fact that he had actually felt the elevator move upwards, Ash could have sworn that he had entered the first tier by mistake. Only, instead of a single person standing there, there were two people, and it seemed, like the battleground was now much larger, and wider in size. Of course, once again, the opponents in front of him were clad in white—the first being a red-haired guy that looked around his late twenties, and a blonde woman who looked around his age.
"Ash Ketchum," the red-haired man welcomed him. "My name's Green, and this is my partner Cassidy. Welcome to the second tier of the Battle Tower."
"… Thanks." Ash muttered, wondering what it was about the formality all around.
"The second tier will be a combination of two 2 on 2 battles. The first will be between my own team and yours. The second will be the same, only between yourself and Cassidy."
The woman gave him a casual smile. "The rules are quite simple. You have to use a different pokémon for every battle. No substitutions. Four pokémon for four matches. Should you be able to win three out of four, you can proceed to the next tier. Also, you cannot use any pokémon already used in Tier 1. Any questions?"
Translation. By the end of the tier, Ash would have five pokémon, all of which would have fought, and would be extremely tired, and that was the optimistic scenario.
And this is just the second tier. Ash scowled inwardly.
"You will be facing me first." Green returned what Ash thought was a rudimentary attempt at trying to impart false comfort. "Go, Feraligatr."
The seven-foot tall, fully-evolved form of the Johto starter Totodile appeared in front of Ash. The creature had a draconic look, though from what Ash knew of it, its abilities were centered on physical attacks and sheer strength.
"Alright," Ash made his mind. He knew just what to use against this water-type beast. "Go, Magnus."
If Green or Cassidy were surprised at the odd variant of the Charmeleon species in front of them, their faces didn't register it at all.
"Magnus, the same rule as with the big guy." Ash tried to go as elusive as possible. The Tower was too good at cornering him, without him intentionally giving out more information about himself. "Same moves, only this one uses water."
Magnus let out a grunt, the air around his claws already drenched in fumes of draconic energy, as his eyes began to glow. Almost instantly, the walls around the room turned transparent, as harsh sunlight pervaded into the entire battle-chamber.
Sunny Day was active.
Ash had a ghost of a smile on his face. It was time to see just how much the intense training back on Sulphur Island had gotten his fellow teammate. Back on that mysterious island, none of his abilities could be used efficiently, and Ash didn't really get a chance to use him against one of Gary's own. This setting however, was more of an ideal one.
He crossed his elbows, something that incited a reaction from his opponent.
Green decided to cut the theatrics and go ahead with the first strike. "Feraligatr, time to test the waters. Use Hydro pump."
The big-jaw pokémon opened his maw to shoot out an enormous torrent of water towards Magnus, who almost contradictorily, didn't bother to dodge the attack. Instead, he crossed his large claws, each dripping with draconic energy in front of his face as a makeshift barrier, taking the entire attack head-on.
Green seemed to be slightly confused at the lack of reaction from Magnus. "Feraligatr, double the power."
Feraligatr obeyed as he threw in the full force of hydro pump, regarded as one of the strongest water-type attacks, on what he assumed was a fire-type. Interestingly enough, Magnus seemed to be dealing with it better than the original attempt, much to Green's confusion.
Ash smirked. As a Charmander, his low inner-flame had seemed like a rather significant weakness on Magnus. However, on evolution, when his typing turned to dragon, the fact made much more sense. It was true that his fire-based attacks would be lesser in terms of power and effectiveness compared to the normal specimens of his kin, but at the same time, Magnus didn't share a normal Charmeleon's weakness to water. After all, Magnus wasn't a fire-type.
He was a dragon.
The sudden brightness in Magnus's tail flame gave Ash an indication that his opponent was about to get a taste of Magnus's abilities as well.
It was time to test the power of the TM he had bought from the Cerulean Pokemart.
"Use Solar Beam!"
Magnus lifted his maw and threw up the full force of a solar beam, one that he had been slowly manifesting within his maw, the rate having tripled because of sunny day. Any other day, Ash would have used the Sunny Day technique to empower his fire-based moves, which he would then use with other speed-inducing move sets in union. However, Feraligatr was a water-type, and thus, grass-type attack would have a greater effect on it than a dragon pulse to the face.
The solar beam slammed head-on with Feraligatr, sweeping the big-jaw pokémon off his feet, literally throwing him away by several feet, as he fell to the ground.
"Feraligatr, get up, and use agility." Green yelled.
Feraligatr obeyed instantly. The fact that it was able to shrug off the effects of the solar beam so quickly was a testament to his own experience and power, and to some extent, about just how much Magnus needed to harvest the raw power of the solar beam technique. By the next three seconds, Feraligatr was a little more than a bluish blur in the air, shooting towards Magnus at incredible speeds.
"Jump."
The moment Feraligatr had come within a few inches close to Magnus, the dragon leapt into the air, completely missing the powerful claw attack, as he landed behind Feraligatr's back, throwing a half-powered dragon pulse on the water-type's back. Though, considering the armoured hide Feraligatr boasted, the attack wouldn't have done a lot save some minor bruising at best.
"Magnus, stick to physical attacks." Ash muttered, knowing very well that the dragon's keen sense of hearing would be able to hear him perfectly fine.
With another roar, and his claws shining with draconic energy, Magnus charged ahead.
"Feraligatr, use aqua jet."
The two overly powerful creatures rushed towards each other, with Feraligatr, using aqua jet to speed himself up, and Magnus relying on his own ability. It was only until they were too close when Ash muttered his next command.
"Leap and use dual chop!"
Magnus pushed himself off the ground, as Feraligatr passed underneath him, as Magnus sank down his blade-like protrusions that shot out of his elbow towards Feraligatr's back, slicing into his thick hide. Unable to control his speed under the influence of Aqua Jet, the water-type slammed all the way towards the other end of the battle-stadium, hitting face-first against the boulders, fainting almost instantly.
Magnus let out a roar.
"Feraligatr is unable to battle." Cassidy declared. "Please choose your next pokémon."
Ash smiled as he glanced towards Magnus. Unlike what he feared, the battle hadn't tired Magnus, who looked all hyped up. Irrespective of that, Magnus had wasted some energy fighting Feraligatr, and thus, it was essential to get him some time to relax before the next time he would need to battle again.
"Nicely done, Ash." Green smiled. "That Charmeleon of yours is truly something, though not a normal one, I think." The strange smile on the man's face made Ash feel at edge. As if he needed more reasons to be irritated with, apart from his… standing issue with Shelgon.
"Magnus, great work. Take some rest for now." He lifted the pokeball, sucking Magnus inside. It was time for the next battle.
Having already returned Feraligatr, Green chose his next pokémon. "All right. Go, Typhlosion."
Ash almost rolled his eyes. What was with this guy and Johto starters? He silently mused if the guy was a trainer from Johto himself.
First a water-type, and now a fire-type. This guy surely knows to choose versatile ranges of pokémon for battle. Ash mentally scowled, as he released his next battler. "Go, Crawdaunt."
The rogue crustacean stood on his hind legs, giving off an intimidating aura at the overgrown rat with a bunch of flames on its back, whom he had been called to battle. However, Ash's words to the team had been clear.
Rule number one. You win the battle. Whatever you need to do to get that, you do it. Rule number two. Get in. Strike hard. Get out. Save your power for future battles. You will need it. Rule number three. When in doubt, fucking cheat!
Crawdaunt raised his pincers. He needed this victory and fainting wasn't an option.
"Typhlosion, use flame charge."
A head-on collision then. Ash decided. While he understood that type-advantage meant jackshit when it came to professional battlers, he wouldn't hesitate from taking an advantage when it came gift-wrapped to him. "Use Aqua jet."
Crawdaunt summoned a miniature tornado of water around his person, as he shot towards the incoming barrage with tremendous speed. Apparently, there was a psychic component to Aqua jet that allowed the user to incorporate agility into it.
"Typhlosion, use lava plume when on top." Green commanded, and the moment the two were just inches apart, Typhlosion's entire body became inundated with light, as hot, scorching flames shot out of it, affecting Crawdaunt despite the aqueous-barrier that Aqua jet provided him with.
"Twin pulse."
The combination of lava plume and the twin water pulses erupting out of Crawdaunt's pincers created a massive explosion, pushing either pokémon towards opposite sides, slamming into the ground. It was only due to the cushion provided by the Aqua jet that prevented further bruising on Crawdaunt's part.
Typhlosion on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.
"Aqua punch." Ash called out, utilizing the same attack that he had used against Gary's Sableye, as Crawdaunt enveloped himself in another shell of water enclosing around him, as he flew towards the Typhlosion.
"Use lava plume."
"Endure it and use double hammer."
It was a shocking sight, as Crawdaunt shot through the incoming wall of flames, his protection being the water enveloping him and his own shell, as he slammed his pincers into Typhlosion, one on his face and the other on his chest.
"Finish with Guillotine."
"Typhlosion, use burn up."
"Crawdaunt, get out of there." Ash yelled, but it was too late. Typhlosion was inundated with white flames which spread outwards, and with Crawdaunt being in direct contact with his neck, the damage it dealt was extremely severe scarring and scorching the crustacean before it managed to get out, as the massive fiery explosion threw it backwards.
"Typhlosion is unable to battle." Cassidy stated. "Crawdaunt is the winner."
Ash on the other hand, raged in silence. It was a cruel and trick move, one employed to render Crawdaunt incapable of battle. From the looks of it, the rogue crustacean would be knocked down by another attack. For all intents and purposes, Crawdaunt was out of the game.
And it was all because of his own lack of ability. Had Ash been able to consider the potential of a trap, he could have salvaged the situation.
His fists clenched tightly.
Cassidy raised a pokeball at his face. "Choose your next pokémon."
An angry scowl marred Ash's face. "Go get them, Rhydon."
Meanwhile in Pallet Town.
Samuel Oak stared blankly at the notification he had received from the Cremini Town Battle Tower. As Ash's official sponsor, he was always sent notifications whenever Ash entered through legal contracts and the like—the contract he made with Bill Montgomery for one, though that one was mostly open-ended with a lot of room to breathe.
I can only hope that you will get through this, without turning into a bitter and angry young man, Ash. Please forgive me.
"Young Ash registered at the Battle Tower then, it seems."
Samuel pinched his nose, as the region between his eyebrows furrowed in irritation, realizing the voice, and the company he was in. Of course, he should have seen this coming.
"I didn't realize that you were so invested that you'd just walk into Pallet Town, Mr. Stone?"
Derrick laughed. "Nothing like that. Just decided to accompany my little assistant to her home. It was a good excuse to be in the grand company of the revered Samuel Oak, and well, a chance to walk through Pokemopolis."
"Pokemopolis is out of bounds for Devon Corp, Mr. Stone." Samuel snapped, as he turned around. "Your wordplays won't have an effect on me."
Derrick just arched an eyebrow. "I can only wonder what I have done to incur the wrath of the affable Professor Oak."
"Your unusual interests in my protégé would be one of them, Mr. Stone."
"Well, Daisy is a rather bright and talented student, a keen mind for deductions and analysis, that one. Besides-"
"I'm not talking about my grand-daughter. I am talking about Ash."
Derrick's forehead furrowed. "I was under the opinion that your own grand-children would be your protégé."
Samuel stared squarely at Derrick in the face. "I think both of us know what I'm talking about. I have talked with Lance and Montgomery. I think I realize a pattern when I see one. Tell me Derrick, what makes you so interested in Ash Ketchum, so much that you don't find yourself above tweaking the situation, going so far as to involve Silph Co. and the Elite Four?"
Derrick stayed silent.
Samuel Oak however, was far from finished. "You have my gratitude for bringing Ash face-to-face with a prospective pseudo-legendary lair like the Beldum Colony. I will not deny you this. However, unlike Ash, I do have the experience of being betrayed enough times to know when other games are being played in my presence, and I will not blindly allow him to be subject to them."
Derrick had a little smile playing on his lips. "To have earned such fierce loyalty from the revered Professor Oak. One wonders Ash is capable of doing, if Samuel Oak believes him to be this much… well… it makes me wonder just how much the great Oak was… influenced back then."
Samuel clenched his fists. He knew exactly what the man was talking about, and just how… precipitous his words were. On a side point, he was also somewhat frustrated that his views and objections were simply evaded with an indirect answer. As far as Derrick's views towards Ash were concerned, it had contained nothing but pride and approval, as if he was praising his own child or a beloved younger sibling. He didn't know what to make of it.
Derrick gave him a soft smile. "I'm interested in Ash's growth, to the point of being personally invested in it. It is more than what I had initially anticipated it to be, but that is neither here nor there." He paused, with an almost wistful expression. "It is also true that I am somewhat… curious about how the entire situation regarding Ash and the Legendaries, especially this… Mewtwo will play out. The Fates have always been whimsical to a degree, at least in the short term, but they are completely… flighty as far as our mutual interest is concerned."
"I do not believe in your theories of fate and pseudo-legends, Derrick Stone." Samuel replied succinctly.
"Of course not. You only believe the myths that you have personally been a part of."
Samuel opened his mouth, and then closed it.
"Ash continues to grow on his own. My own interference has only served to… augment his growth in certain aspects, and personally, I was rather surprised when you suggested him to go to Lavender Town. The boy has in him, the makings of an excellent ghost-master, though I am… not quite sure if he will turn out that way. The fates are rather whimsical like that."
"I'm not as surprised as I should, but answer me this." Oak stressed. "What are your future motives for Ash? I doubt it is as simple as having a prospective Elite under your influence."
"Elite? Try Champion. You and I both know that he walks the path of a Champion. Though… whether he actualizes that possibility or not, is a completely different ball game. No, my interests in him lies mainly in the esoteric fields, something, I am sure you will forgive me if I don't feel necessary to inform you."
"Of course." Samuel forced out. "Does Bill know that?"
"Bill Montgomery is a man of many talents. To be satisfied with his own limits of curiosity is one of them." Derrick paused. "Something… that Daisy shares with him."
For the second time in his life, Samuel Oak had the nasty feeling that he had bitten off more than his ability to chew.
Back at the Battle Tower.
Rhydon screamed.
Ash couldn't believe his eyes, as one of his strongest battlers—Rhydon, now lay fallen on the ground, face-first, screaming in agony, doing his best not to move his upper extremities. Beneath him, was a black humanoid pokémon Cassidy had called 'Bisharp', which lay unmoving. Somewhere close to the shoulder blade, two long steel protrusions lay raised, impaled through Rhydon's dense armour and tissue.
Rhydon had ended the battle in a powerful body slam, and at the same time, took in Bisharp's counter attack, in which Bisharp had impaled the twin blades through the rock-type's chest, impaling through the delicate tissue behind the rock-hard armour that protected Rhydon's body.
Ash was pale with horror, as he raised the pokeball shakily, returning his friend back to his pokeball, before he turned to Green. "Rhydon needs emergency treatment. Please tell me there is something you can do to treat him?"
"If you do that, it means that you won't be able to use him in the further challenges." Cassidy pointed out in a monotone, almost like she was talking about the weather, and not about a heavily injured pokémon.
"Do I look like I fucking care?" Ash yelled back. "Rhydon needs treatment."
Green raised a hand in a calming gesture. "Do not worry. Our doctors will take care of him. You can hand over his pokeball to me. I will take care of it."
Ash slowly, hesitantly, extended his hand towards Green, the pokeball almost touching Green's palm. His entire body was shaking at the prospect of his friend suffering a grievous injury, or worse. Then he stopped.
"Rhydon will be okay, right?" He asked, his voice strained and hard.
Green gave him a melancholic smile. "Don't worry. He will be all right."
Ash felt a part of him… constrict, as he left the pokeball in Green's palm, watching the man walk away towards a door on the right end. Accidents were a part of training and battles, but seeing Rhydon lying there, like that, had shocked him beyond comprehension. He couldn't even keep his hands steady.
What am I… am I doing? This place. This… this battle tower… I am not supposed to be here right now. It is for advanced trainers and I… I allowed this to happen. Because of my greed, Shelgon… because of my foolishness, now Rhydon is…
He is…
"Ash Ketchum?"
The words meant nothing to the boy whose mind was already trapped in a vicious circle of incrementing self-doubt. The words that Cynthia had said to him, the reaction that his starter, his friend Shelgon had given him… the pains that Rhydon might have gone through… the explosion Crawdaunt had suffered from…
All of that because of him and his stupid incessant need to prove himself.
Why are you doing this? Whom do you want to prove to, and why does it matter?
"Ash Ketchum." This time the voice was more stern and demanding.
"Ye—yes?" He somehow composed himself, as he shook himself out of his inner trauma.
"Are you able to continue battling?" Cassidy asked, her voice casual and free of emotion. Clearly, she didn't have any qualms over the fact that her Bisharp might have mortally wounded the Rhydon.
A part of Ash felt unbridled anger seeping through his very veins, as her callous words struck a raw nerve. How dare she imply that… that…?
He lifted his head. "I can battle."
Cassidy curled her lips. "Very well. Choose your next pokémon."
"But why? I have my three victories. Send me to the next tier." Ash retorted.
Cassidy arched an eyebrow. "Three victories, yes. But I never mentioned that getting three wins would be enough to skip the fourth match."
His fists clenched, Ash decided his next choice. If he were to quit right now, Rhydon's suffering, Crawdaunt's injury, Magnus and Gengar's victories… they would mean nothing.
Nothing.
All of that because Ash Ketchum, their trainer, could not digest the fact that he could also lose, lose horribly, and had decided to run away.
No. He would be damned before he let that happen.
His fists tightened. He would show this woman what it meant to injure someone of his team.
I'll battle."
Cassidy's lips twisted. "You are up, Talonflame!"
Ash watched the hawk-like bird, one that Cassidy call a Talonflame, rise up into the air. At first sight, she seemed like any other ordinary avian from some distant region, presumably from the same place she had gotten that Bisharp from. He couldn't care less. However, on closer look, he could feel the temperature rising up in the room, and it could only point him towards a single conclusion.
He was dealing with a fire-type.
A bird, with a fire-typing. I know just what to send in return.
His fingers latched themselves to his next pokeball, as he plucked it out, and held it high in the air. "I choose you… Pidgeot!"
And then everything changed.
Cassidy smirked as she observed Ash Ketchum ready to fall apart. It was something she saw quite regularly. Between Green and her, the job was to make sure that most trainers trying their skill against the tower smash their confidences down to the ground. The first tier was more of a warm-up for the challenges, through which the Tower staff analysed the trainer's skill level at battling, along with his decision-making skills, and importantly, whether said trainer was one to have overwhelming faith on type-advantage or not.
Ash Ketchum had passed that test.
That black Charmeleon had been a nasty surprise, and if Cassidy were truthful to herself, without that sudden self-sacrificial move at the end, even Ketchum's Crawdaunt would have scored a win with nothing but superficial injuries.
That was where she had come in.
Her steel-type from Kalos, had literally shattered his hopes on Rhydon, who by the looks of it, was easily the kid's top pokémon, if not one of the most powerful ones on his team. Bisharp were, by nature, extremely ruthless and pragmatic, a perfect follower of the 'ends justified the means' philosophy. The Rhydon knowing a flamethrower, had been a rather surprising thing for her, and if she were honest with herself, a young kid like Ketchum defeating her Bisharp was rather surprising. Either way, the rules clearly stated that the contender needed three wins to move to the next round, and considering Ketchum's present situation, he was all but ready to lose the next round.
Then again, it wasn't like some newbie would be able to move past the Tier 2 just because he had the money to pay for the facilities.
She saw Ketchum's fingers clench tightly. Whatever it was, the battle would have end now. Considering his battle against her Bisharp, the result of the oncoming battle was pretty much damning.
Her lips twisted into a menacing grin. "You are up, Talonflame!"
Talonflame was a large, hawk-like bird with a dual fire/flying typing, and was one of her strongest fighters. Between her powerful aerial moves, and her affinity with powerful fire-attacks, she was literally one of the most powerful aerial battlers out there. For most cases, her Bisharp took care of most trainers for good before she even had to bring out Talonflame. She silently wondered what this… Ash Ketchum would bring out to face the aerial fire-demon of Kalos.
Ketchum raised a pokeball in the air, not going through his previous dramatic 'throwing the pokeball on the ground' antics. Clearly, it was a sign that his psyche had been afflicted with a deep wound. Cassidy had never really expected to have to eat her own words so soon as uttering them aloud.
"I choose you… Pidgeot!"
What is that thing? Cassidy couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the avian that Ketchum called a Pidgeot. For once, the beast was almost double the sheer size of a standard Pidgeot, and for another, Pidgeot didn't have the beautiful plumage and the innate royal look that this one so commanded so easily. This… this ethereal creature simply stood on the ground, staring at her and Talonflame like they were mere insects, insignificant in the scheme of things.
First that strange Charmeleon and now this….? Who the hell is this kid?
"Talonflame, use flame charge." She began, not wanting to give this strange kid and his odd pokémon team a chance to catch her by surprise. Talonflame raised his wings with a harsh screech, as he enveloped himself with flames, charging towards Pidgeot who had taken to the air.
"Her pokémon hurt Rhydon." Ash yelled angrily. "Show her why no one tries to harm one of us."
Pidgeot screeched angrily, as she soared up high into the air, her sharp eyes following the fiery bird racing towards her. In less than a few seconds, Talonflame was right in front of her, as he slammed in, only to find empty space.
"Talon?"
"Air slash." Ash commanded, as both Cassidy and Talonflame watched in shock as Pidgeot suddenly appeared on the other side of the field, her wings glowing powerfully as she sent several blades of energy through the air at Talonflame.
"Dodge and use Flamethrower."
"Intercept." Ash commanded, as Pidgeot raised a powerful gust attack enough to stop the Flamethrower, sending it back towards Talonflame. "Reverse."
It was something he had developed for Pidgeot back on Sulphur Island. Along with the powerful gust attack, Pidgeot's wings began to glow silver as she threw powerful slashes of energy towards Talonflame. The defense-offense combo was something particularly useful against both aerial and stationary combatants.
"Talonflame, dodge it and return with brave bird."
"Steel wing. Prepare for it."
Pidgeot let out a screech of acknowledgement, letting her trainer know that she understood his command.
At first sight, it seemed like a flawed plan. While steel wing was a powerful move, it stood nowhere in front of a devastating attack like Brave bird. Cassidy smirked as the two aerial combatants shot closer and closer to each other.
"Now, double team."
Instantly, several dozen illusory forms of Pidgeot appeared all over the place.
Cassidy yelled. "Attack them with Brave bird."
Checkmate. Ash thought in his mind. While brave bird was a powerful attack whose power seemed to grow, the longer it was maintained, there was a negative aspect of it as well. While the power increase was significant, it reduced the user's ability to deviate from his path, exchanging manoeuvrability for raw power, a version of Outrage for flying types.
Talonflame was now enveloped in Brave bird, and now she was heading for a head-on collision with Pidgeot, consequences be damned.
"Hyper beam." Ash commanded with a tone of finality in his voice, as Pidgeot unleashed the full force of her hyper beam straight on Talonflame, detonating with the force of a small bomb.
The only thing visible was a falling Talonflame, scorched, and wounded, pummelling towards the ground. Pidgeot on the other hand, was still in her position, her wings beating gently, just enough to maintain her altitude.
And the outcome was clear.
Talonflame is unable to battle." Ash replied in a strange voice. "I won 4 matches out of 4. Is that good enough for me to move to the next tier?"
Apparently, the tower had a strange sense of humour and architecture, because once again, there was practically no difference between the previous tier and the third one. Only this time, there was a single woman present on the opposite side, and the battleground was a grass-type.
"Ash Ketchum," The woman had an ethereal voice, complimenting her light, silvery hair. "Congratulations on succeeding past Tier 2. I'm Janet and your only opponent for this tier." She indicated at the large battleground, only instead of rock, it was a grass type one. "This will be a 3-on-3 battle. Rules are thus. You may only use pokémon that you used in the previous two tiers. Substitutions are allowed. The battle will end when either side has lost all 3 pokémon. Any questions?"
Ash shook his head. From what he understood, he would have to fight the battle with Magnus, Gengar and Pidgeot. Rhydon was off-limits and Crawdaunt wasn't an option either, unless he were facing a ludicrously underpowered opponent, which was unlikely to be the case.
"You might have won past the previous two tiers. However, this is where you stop."
"Don't be so sure of that." Ash retorted coldly. "I have three pokémon, just like you." The more cynical part of his mind happily pointed out that out of said three, one had already fought over two battles, and had had an intense exposure to Sunny day. The other two had faced and won a single battle each. On the contrary, Janet's pokémon were completely rested and ready to give their all.
"Fine. Let us begin." Janet began. "Come out, Charizard."
Ash wasn't sure whether to feel exhilarated or angry. He lifted up the pokeball and released Magnus, who stared at his own fully evolved form. Or at least, what would have been his evolved form if he were a normal Charmeleon.
The Charizard in question was roughly a foot taller than Magnus. It spread its wings wide to try intimidate Magnus, who scoffed at the attempt.
If anything, this battle will cement a final level of confidence in Magnus's mind.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower."
"Dragon breath."
The two ranged attacks intercepted each other, exploding midway.
"Use agility and metal claw."
Ash smirked. Agility. A psychic-based technique that temporarily increased the speed of the user. He couldn't care about the Charizard using such a technique on Magnus. Magnus didn't know agility because he didn't need it.
"Use rush."
Enveloped in a mist of draconic energy, something that temporarily raised his attack and defense stats, Magnus shot towards Charizard, using his innate speed to maximum effect.
"Envelop yourself with flame charge, Charizard."
Ash winced. Agility combined with metal claw made for a devastating combination. To be able to put in something like Flame Charge with it, made it an extremely lethal combination, even for fire-types. Thankfully, the dragon rush would be able to counteract some of the passive damage from flame charge. However….
"Magnus, stop on your tracks and take the hit."
"What?" Janet replied, completely shocked by his command, as Charizard slashed against Magnus with his powerful claws, bruising the dragon-type. She could hear Magnus hiss in pain as the sharp claws dug under his hide.
"Now use thunder punch. Aim for the wings."
While having wings gained Charizard the ability of sustained flight, it also increased the drag on him, reducing the speed that agility provided him. Another negative consequence was that the wings provided Magnus a greater surface area to strike on.
The draconic must having nearly blinded Charizard, Magnus slammed two consecutive thunder punches on either of Charizard's wings, causing the fire type to roar in rage and excruciating agony.
But Magnus wasn't done yet.
"Double slash."
His claws elongated and saturated with draconic power, Magnus slashed Charizard's abdomen, before spinning around and slashing three more times on the same spot, the entire action having executed with such speed that even Janet had been left flustered.
"Charizard, use blaze."
Blaze. An ability that increased Charizard's ability to ludicrous levels when it activated. Considering the powerful offense-based attacks that a Charizard was capable of performing, using Blaze was pretty much the beginning of what usually became a kill-off power play.
Damn. Ash scowled. Damn. Damn. Damn. I need to finish this now.
Blaze was an ability that increased Charizard's power when it was wounded. It greatly enhanced all kinds of Fire type attacks. Considering the fact that Magnus was outrun Charizard in terms of manoeuvrability, the next attack was somewhat predictable.
The problem was, said attack had the potential to wipe out Magnus from the battle altogether.
"Magnus, finish this quickly. Draco meteor."
Janet had a shine in her eyes. It was almost poetic, using the ultimate dragon-type move against her next choice. "Show them Blast burn."
"Magnus, use rush and jump." Ash yelled.
The moment Magnus he threw out the glowing orange blob of compressed draconic energy, he surrounded himself with a mist of dragon rush all around himself as Charizard slammed his fist into the ground, channelling his entire rage, stamina and firepower into the ultimate attack move.
The earth shattered apart, as Magnus flexed his powerful muscles to propel himself upwards, as Blast burn, the fire equivalent of hyper beam, and Charizard's strongest offensive move, slammed into the arena. Under the effects of Blaze and Outrage, the power of Blast burn had been increased exponentially. If not for the fact that Magnus had the ability to shoot up to high altitudes, it would have ended up with a sure shot defeat for the dragon.
But that was not all.
The orange blob that Magnus had propelled out into the sky, exploded far and wide, sending down showering meteors filled with draconic energy, down to a completely spent Charizard.
It was almost beautiful, watching the golden meteors fall down to the ground, onto a weakened Charizard who had just given away his entire power into the single strike.
Magnus returned back to the ground and let out a roar. He had been able to defeat a Charizard, who now lay on the ground, spent and defeated.
It was over.
"Charizard is unable to battle." Janet spoke after a while, returning the fire-type. Had someone looked into her eyes, they would have described the expression as 'practically shocked out of her wits'. She looked up at Ash. "You trained that Charmeleon well."
"Magnus," Ash corrected automatically.
"Magnus." Janet repeated.
"I have three pokémon fit for battle, and you have just two. Who do you think will win?" Ash asked challengingly.
Janet just pursed her lips. "Guess we will have to see."
"Very well. Let's see how well you fare against my next pokémon." She lifted up her next pokeball. "Go, Gardevoir."
Gardevoir huh? I wonder what Metagross or Alakazam would make of it.
Ash mused from his vantage point. While Gardevoir were powerful psychics, it was their dual typing with fairy that gave them an advantage while dealing with ghosts. However, contrary to what most people would think, he was more comfortable dealing with Gardevoir and their lines, having had lived with Kirlia for several years.
"Magnus, get yourself some rest." He lifted the pokeball, returning the dragon type. "You are up, Gengar."
A wave of ghostly energy enveloped the battle arena as Gengar appeared in front of Ash and Gardevoir, grinning madly at the prospect of battling the psychic/ fairy type.
"A Gengar, huh?" Janet mused. "Type advantage against psychic. You are betting your victory on that?"
"No." Ash replied. His voice was no longer contained the excited tone with which he had begun the battle. The incident with Crawdaunt and Rhydon had diffused it away. Now, he just wanted to win.
"I'm betting on Gardevoir's weakness against Gengar."
Janet arched an eyebrow. The boy's words were truth, after all. By virtue of her dual psychic/ fairy typing, Gardevoir was extremely vulnerable to both ghost-type and poison-type attacks. And Gengar, fortunately, had both.
"You are betting everything on type advantage?"
Ash's lips twisted into something that was almost but not quite a sneer. "No, just my own experience talking. Gengar, get closer and use Shadow Ball."
"Now you're talking." Janet returned. "Use Shadow ball as well."
The two ghost-type attacks slammed into each other, exploding in a violent mixture of otherworldly energy. However, because of their proximity, the entire area around them was covered with dense fog of said energies, allowing Gengar ease get closer for her next attack.
"Gardevoir, use disarming voice."
"Disperse, now." Ash yelled, alarmed. Disarming voice was a rather potent tool to be used, especially for fairy-types. Considering Gengar's own lack of vulnerability to fairy-type attacks, turning incorporeal could help in complete neutralization of the effects of Disarming voice.
"Get close and use smog."
"Gardevoir, teleport."
Damn. Ash cursed. He had Gardevoir in a nice little position. The sudden teleport had thrown him out of the loop. "Turn corporeal and use mean look."
"Teleport."
Damn. Ash cursed. "Use double team and use confuse ray."
"Use shadow ball on all of them." Janet commanded, as Gardevoir began to slam shadow balls at Gengar's illusory forms who enclosed her on all ends, firing confuse rays at her. It was difficult, considering that she had to do it while making sure not a single of Gengar's attacks hit her person.
Gengar let out a whimper as one of the shadow balls scored a direct hit on her person, sending her tumbling down into the field.
"Use Sunny day to rest."
Gengar hissed in visible pain, as harsh sunlight pervaded all over the arena. Gardevoir meanwhile, had shifted into Rest, taking advantage of the opportunity.
"Not again." Ash gritted his teeth. Gengar had already suffered the impact of a single sunny day, and another one would be downright detrimental to her. "Return, Gengar."
Gengar gave him a strange look, but didn't refute his command as the red light from the pokeball turned her incorporeal.
"Time to test something else. Go, Magnus."
Janet raised an eyebrow. "You are using an injured dragon-type against my Gardevoir? Is this your way of demonstrating submission?"
"Guess, we will have to see." Ash muttered. "Magnus, use take advantage of the sunny day. Use solar beam."
The black dragon lifted his maw, as the power of the active sunlight enhanced his abilities to create a powerful solar beam. With a roar, he propelled it towards Gardevoir in the form of a shaft of pure light.
"Teleport." Janet replied calmly.
"Keep using solar beam, Magnus."
Janet couldn't understand what Ketchum was up to. Apart from utilizing the effects of a free sunny day like an eat-it-all buffet, it didn't make any sense. Gardevoir was too fast for a move as slow as solar beam to hit her. So far, every single attack had missed her, hitting the ground instead. There was no real point in wasting so many attacks except-
Janet lifted her eyes, as she stared at her challenger.
Cunning. She admitted.
Ash hadn't been attempting to strike Gardevoir. He was making sure that she was running out of places to teleport. With the battle-ground being a grass-type, the application of solar beam in continuous succession had resulted in the grasses to be inflamed, and right now, the two pokémon were standing in the middle of a fiery battlefield, with one of the pokémon nearly immune to fire while the other…
Smart move. Janet confessed to herself. Young or not, the kid had significant battling potential. There was no doubt in her mind that he was battling in the third tier, trainer experience duration be damned.
However, like all good things, it was time for Ketchum's ploy to come to an end.
"Use icy wind, Gardevoir."
"Draco Meteor." Ash commanded.
Damn. Damn that kid. Janet cursed, knowing fully well that she was trapped. Without the application of icy wind, the fiery battle-ground would scorch Gardevoir, but doing so would give the Draco Meteor that was slowly building itself in the air above them.
No matter. "Use Misty terrain."
Misty terrain was an unusual fairy-type technique that created a fairy-type mist all over the arena, and halved the power of dragon-type moves for five turns. It was in effect, a dragon kill-off move. With Magnus having spent nearly all his energy into firing the Draco meteor after such continuous use of solar beam, it meant that Magnus would have a really hard time now, even if he were to stick to normal attacks.
And then it was time, as the orange blob exploded into dozens of draconic meteors which fell onto the battlefield, their energies halved already.
"Use protect." Janet commanded, as a force-field formed all around Gardevoir, protecting her from the effects of the attack.
Ash grit his teeth. "Use flamethrower."
"Moonblast." Janet responded, knowing very well that in the presence of misty terrain, the effect of Moonblast would be magnified several times. Gardevoir let out a long, pitched yell, before propelling the devastating attack onto Magnus obliterating his flamethrower, scoring a direct hit.
Silence reigned the arena for three seconds.
"Charmeleon is unable to battle. Gardevoir wins." Janet pronounced, as she stared squarely at Ash. "Your Gengar is injured, and your Charmeleon is unable to battle. I have two pokémon able to battle, and you have one. Who do you think will win?"
"Guess we will have to see." Ash gritted his teeth, as black onyx eyes stared at the opponent in front of him