Ash vs Tobias part 2

"Sceptile, do you want to keep going?" I asked as I noticed the effects of Sunny Day fading away.

"Sceptile," I took it as a yes.

Latios and Sceptile fought, it could be described as two lightning bolts dancing, one green and one blue.

Latios was struggling to find an angle to land his Luster Purge.

I allowed myself to smile, feeling quite proud of Sceptile as he dodged the special psychic attack.

On the other hand, Latios was somewhat limited in this field. The area was too small for him, which is why the jet Pokémon couldn't go as fast as it wanted to, not wanting to get disqualified for crossing the boundary. He had to be careful with his flight.

"Sceptile, on the next Luster Purge, use that move I taught you."

Another thing to criticize Ash for was that some of his Pokémon had a terrible move set, like Sceptile, who only had Grass-type attacks.

I have memories of Ash sadly asking himself why he couldn't win…

But no worries, I'll win for him.

Just as we predicted, Latios used Luster Purge, and Sceptile leaped behind Latios. It was satisfying to see Sceptile use Dragon Claw and hear Latios growl.

That attack must have taken quite a bit of HP.

Tobias, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased with how things were going.

"Latios, finish this with Giga Impact."

Latios performed an aerial maneuver, ending up in front of Sceptile.

Damn.

The Giga Impact move was like a missile being launched at my Pokémon; he couldn't even react.

Seconds later, I saw Sceptile flying past me and crashing into the wall. Needless to say, he was unconscious.

Without wasting a second, I recalled Sceptile and waited for the referee.

"Sceptile is unable to continue, Latios wins, 5-5."

"Alright, Glalie, this is important. Please don't freeze me," I said, remembering how playful this Pokémon could get.

Glalie happily came out of its Pokéball, as if there wasn't a legendary standing right in front of it.

"Glalie, he's tired from Giga Impact. One attack, and we win."

At that, Tobias frowned. "You think you can defeat another one of my Pokémon?"

"I don't think, I know." It was better if Tobias was prideful. If not, he could just bring out another legendary Pokémon and ruin my strategy.

But luckily, he didn't switch Pokémon.

"Latios, Luster Purge!"

"Ice Beam."

Luster Purge overpowered Ice Beam, hitting Glalie, who turned a bit blue for a moment (its special defense dropped).

You can't beat a legendary Pokémon with brute force.

"Light Screen and Giga Impact, Latios."

A yellow barrier surrounded Latios, and then he proceeded to use the same attack that had taken down Sceptile.

I could only think of one solution.

"Stop him with Body Slam, then Blizzard."

If Glalie could withstand the Giga Impact, we'd win. If not...

The Ice-type Pokémon threw itself against the "meteor" heading towards it… The Ice Pokémon didn't back down, despite feeling a burning sensation all over its body… At least it managed to stop the legendary Pokémon.

Now his attacks should be slower thanks to Giga Impact, so...

"Come on, Glalie, Blizzard at full power."

Latios, still tired, almost managed to dodge the attack, except for his right wing, which got frozen.

Watching Latios struggle to maneuver and avoid leaving the stadium, I cruelly smiled.

"Ice Beam."

Glalie had great aim, proven by the direct hit against the Dragon-type.

Latios fell unconscious.

Hmm, better than if I had used Pikachu. I turned to look at my little friend, who was thrilled by Glalie's performance.

I couldn't help but taunt Tobias.

"Are you out of legendaries, Tobias?"

For a moment, Tobias smiled.

"I have three left."

I stayed silent, processing what he had just said.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I admit you're the strongest trainer I've ever faced, but it ends here. Go, Lucario."

Lucario, huh. So my theory is true; he has the Pokémon from the opening, meaning he still has Entei and two more mysterious Pokémon

Brock's POV

"Incredible," I was impressed by Ash.

I knew my friend was a good trainer, and very skilled since he had competed in the Hoenn League... but this surpassed any feat Ash had accomplished before.

But...

According to Tobias, he still had three more legendary Pokémon left. Ash had defeated legendary Pokémon before, but never several in the same battle.

"Three legendaries? Does that mean Lucario is the only non-legendary Pokémon he has?" The blue-haired girl spoke.

I turned to see her looking worriedly at the battlefield. She hadn't even had time to celebrate Ash's victory against Latios because, just like the entire crowd, she was speechless after hearing the words from the Darkrai trainer.

"That's right, and besides, Lucario is a rare Pokémon to obtain." I really didn't know what to say to the girl. I knew well that Dawn was worried about what was going to happen from now on.

"There's no need to worry, Brock." The dark-haired boy noticed a small smile on the girl's face. "I know Ash will manage to win, right Piplup?"

Piplup didn't respond, still upset with Ash for reasons unknown.

"Piplup," Dawn said, embarrassed, while the penguin simply watched the battle.

Ash's POV

"Glalie, return." Glalie complained, still motivated by its victory, but I explained the reason.

"He's a Fighting/Steel type. Unless you're a masochist, you can't fight him."

"TOBIAS SENDS OUT LUCARIO AND ASH SWITCHES POKÉMON, WITH ONLY ONE SWITCH LEFT."

"Time to shine, Heracross."

The referee gave the signal.

"Begin!"

Heracross is the Pokémon I've spent the most time training. I taught him a bit of boxing and two moves. His secondary Fighting type worked wonders for his motivation.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Destroy it with Megahorn and keep attacking!"

The beetle did exactly that, destroyed Aura Sphere with his horn, and with a leap, lunged at Lucario.

Lucario waited patiently under his trainer's orders and prepared a Close Combat.

"HERA!"

"Brick Break!"

Both Pokémon charged at each other and began exchanging blows, the crowd couldn't stop cheering in excitement. It looked like a battle between two martial artists, blocking and deflecting their opponent's punches or kicks.

But the reality was different for me.

And for Tobias, who smiled.

It's true that I taught Heracross some boxing, but he was a novice compared to what I wanted to teach him, and it seemed like Lucario was a master.

So, Heracross was taking a beating, still standing only thanks to his strong exoskeleton.

Lucario's speed and power were far superior, causing Heracross to back off during the exchange of blows.

"Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed… Close Combat," I murmured.

In this world, Pokémon can learn more than four moves, but it seemed Lucario's set was limited to Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed, and Close Combat.

The beetle, now struggling a bit, attacked again. His opponent wasted no time and circled the Bug-type with Extreme Speed, who stared in disbelief as if there were more than five Lucarios surrounding him.

Frustrated, the beetle tried attacking Lucario again, but the latter disappeared and returned to his trainer's side.

"He's far too fast for us."

"It's time," Tobias gave a vague order to his Pokémon, which gave me a bad feeling.

Is he going to…- "HERACROSS, DON'T LET HIM RAISE HIS STATS, MEGAHORN!"

Tobias smiled again. He was probably pleased with my reaction.

Swords danced around Lucario.

"Stats, huh? That's a strange way of putting it. I admit you're a good trainer, but your Heracross is slow compared to Lucario."

And he was right. Lucario had time to complete Swords Dance, retreat, and charge an Aura Sphere.

Heracross, without me having to say anything, broke the Aura Sphere with Megahorn, but Lucario circled him again.

I grew frustrated as Lucario kept striking my Pokémon where its jaw would be if it were human.

Heracross growled, enraged by the unfairly fast attacks.

"Another Swords Dance, and combine Extreme Speed and Close Combat."

"TOBIAS ORDERS A COMBINATION ATTACK, INCREDIBLE! ONLY CHAMPIONS AND THE ELITE CAN DO THAT."

Ah yes, I forgot, combination attacks are a thing here.

"Heracross, don't go in, you won't make it. Remember the last thing I taught you."

Heracross nodded at me. You see, as I mentioned earlier, I taught him a bit of boxing and two moves, those being Brick Break and…

Counter.

Lucario, as fast as lightning, charged at the beetle, and he turned his back to him.

"Turn around!"

Heracross's back was as hard as metal, being the toughest part of his exoskeleton. It was the only thing we could do.

Heracross was withstanding all the attacks thanks to his tough armor, until…

"Counter now," I said calmly.

Heracross's fist became enveloped in a red aura as he turned around, landing a powerful blow on Lucario, who ended up behind Tobias.

Tobias couldn't believe it. "How?"

I responded kindly.

"Two weeks ago, Heracross specialized in Sleep Talk, but something told me to teach him Counter."

"Hera!" Heracross said excitedly about his new power, though he was clearly in pain from the last Close Combat.

Tobias said nothing and simply pulled out another Pokéball.

"ANOTHER ONE OF TOBIAS'S POKÉMON FALLS. THE CROWD IS SPEECHLESS. Wait, is that Articuno?"

Articuno majestically emerged from its Pokéball.

Seeing this, I recalled Heracross—there was no way I would risk him against a Flying-type with a 4x advantage.

"THE PALLET TOWN PARTICIPANT USES HIS LAST SWITCH!"

"I should have taught him Stone Edge. It would've been great coverage against Flying and Fire-types," I muttered, adding another move to the list of techniques I'd need to train my Pokémon.

Infernape? No, it's part Fighting-type.

Glalie? No.

Swellow? No, Ice is strong against Flying.

Sceptile's K.O'd.

"Pikachu, this is your battle."

"PIKA!" The electric mouse responded excitedly.

"Begin!"

"Articuno, use the clone strategy."

Articuno's eyes glowed blue as it flapped its wings, summoning a blizzard. It was Blizzard.

Pikachu endured the attack, but when the storm ceased, we saw three Articunos.

"Now, use Roost while the clones attack."

"Pikachu, Quick Attack through the middle and hit with Thunderbolt!"

I hadn't had time to teach Pikachu Extreme Speed.

Still, Pikachu navigated through the clones and landed a Thunderbolt on Articuno, but unfortunately, Articuno had enough time to finish using Roost.

"Blizzard again and repeat the same strategy."

The clones closed in on Pikachu from behind, surrounding my Pokémon.

It seems like the clones are created using the move 'Substitute,' meaning they can't actually attack.

"Ignore the clones, dodge the Blizzard, and strike Articuno at the right moment, and we'll win."

In the games, Substitute uses up 25% of HP, so two clones meant Articuno had used up half its health.

Pikachu dodged Blizzard and launched a Thunderbolt, this time hitting the real Articuno before it could use Roost again.

Frustrated that such a humble Pokémon was putting up a fight, the legendary chose not to heal and fired an Ice Beam, which missed.

"Articuno, fall back!" Tobias ordered, his frustration evident.

The bird glanced back at its trainer with a cold stare. Tobias sighed, realizing that the Ice-type Pokémon hadn't yet acknowledged him as a worthy trainer. "Don't let emotions cloud you—one wrong move, and you could be defeated. Use Roost."

"Counter now!" I shouted.

Pikachu spun around like a breakdancer, releasing Thunderbolt in every direction.

The bolts bypassed the clones, striking the real Articuno hiding behind them.

The crowd was in disbelief. My electric mouse had single-handedly taken down a legendary Pokémon.

Even I couldn't believe it. Neither could Pikachu.

It was pure luck that Articuno had chosen not to heal, but still...

"Articuno can no longer continue. Pikachu wins! The score is 5-2."

Tobias was furious. It was clear he saw this as a humiliation. His expression said it all.

"Cresselia."

"INCREDIBLE, TOBIAS SENDS OUT ANOTHER LEGENDARY—CRESSELIA, THE COUNTERPART TO DARKRAI!"

"Begin!"

"Calm Mind!"

"THUNDERBOLT!"

"PIKACHU LANDS THE FIRST HIT!"

"Calm Mind again."

"Thunder Wave."

Confident, I called out Pikachu's new move, and a wave of electricity shot toward Cresselia.

"Cress..." For a brief moment, the legendary Pokémon fell to the ground, as Thunder Wave causes paralysis.

"Now use Psychic."

Cresselia responded, creating a massive psychic wave, boosted by Calm Mind, that enveloped Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge!"

Moments later, Pikachu was caught in the psychic grip.

And then, with incredible force, Pikachu was slammed into the ground, leaving him K.O'd.

"Pikachu can no longer battle. Cresselia wins. Tobias still has—"

I stopped listening to the referee and pulled Pikachu's Pokéball from my belt, but memories flooded in.

Pikachu hates his Pokéball.

I quickly ran across the battlefield and picked up my electric Pokémon. When I lifted my head, I saw Cresselia giving me a defiant look, to which I smiled.

Returning to my side, I placed Pikachu down and grabbed Heracross' Pokéball.

Let's see if I can land a Megahorn, if Arceus wills it.

"Heracross, you're up again."

"Begin!"

"Psychic, again."

"Jump and beat your wings."

Heracross performed an Olympic-level leap, dodging the massive psychic wave coming at him.

"Now, Megahorn!"

Heracross charged at the Psychic-type, landing a clean hit on Cresselia's face. She couldn't dodge, paralyzed as she was.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Cresselia, return."

"Entei, come out."

"Brick Break!"

Entei's majestic appearance was met with a hard strike to the face.

The legendary simply stepped back and, enraged, launched a Fire Blast at Heracross, which hit and knocked the Bug-type down.

Heracross tried to get up, but I didn't let him. I returned him to his Pokéball. "My Heracross won't battle anymore," I informed the referee.

My Bug-type had given it his all against Lucario. His movements were slow, and he was exhausted. It was better to let him rest.

I looked at the majestic legendary Pokémon from Johto.

"Infernape."

Infernape vs. Entei.

"Begin," the referee allowed.

"Entei, return!" Tobias commanded, attempting to switch to Cresselia. Cresselia was Psychic-type, which had an advantage over Infernape's Fighting and Fire-types.

But Entei ignored him, refusing the red light of the Pokéball, having found a rival in Infernape.

Yes, yes, yes.

"Entei!" Tobias shouted, but Entei didn't even glance his way.

Entei used Fire Blast against Infernape, and before my Pokémon could use Flare Blitz, I stopped him.

"Infernape, Dig!"

Infernape used Dig, burrowing into the ground with superhuman speed and closing in on Entei.

The Ground-type move hit hard, making Entei even angrier.

What followed was a head-to-head clash between two Flare Blitzes. The impact of their collision wiped out the grass field entirely.

The two opposing forces ceased their clash, backing off before one final explosion.

In the end, Entei prevailed. It was one of those typical anime moments where both Pokémon are on their last legs, staring each other down until one collapses. Infernape fell first.

"Entei wins. Ash has only one Pokémon left."

"AND WITH THAT FINAL CLASH, TOBIAS' POKÉMON PREVAILS. ASH HAS ONLY ONE POKÉMON REMAINING. WHAT WILL IT BE?"

"It's all up to you," I said, looking at the Pokéball in my hand.

"Swellow, no pressure."

Everything depended on this next strategy.

"Entei, Flamethrower!"

A massive stream of flames headed straight for my Pokémon.

"Graze the attack and let yourself burn!"

With graceful flight, the bird Pokémon tried to graze Flamethrower but got hit directly.

Swellow crashed to the ground, but soon, its aura turned red for a moment—the telltale sign of a burn.

"YES!" I celebrated, confusing Tobias and the crowd.

Now my chances of winning weren't zero.

Swellow rose, taking to the air once more.

"Flamethrower!"

"Dodge with Brave Bird and Facade!"

Facade, a move that doubles in power if the user is burned, paralyzed, or poisoned.

And Guts, Swellow's hidden ability, boosts its power when afflicted with a status condition.

Now, Swellow was doubly powered up.

As ordered, Swellow dodged the flames, using the momentum of its flying attack.

"Flare Blitz," Tobias said, once the bird was close enough.

But before the match, I warned my Pokémon about the foolishness of a direct clash with a legendary, so...

Instead of accepting the collision, Swellow dodged Flare Blitz, leaving Entei's back exposed.

"Now, do it!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Swellow landed a powerful Facade on Entei's back, creating a crater where the attack landed.

"Entei can no longer battle. Swellow wins."

The crowd erupted in cheers after witnessing another legendary fall.

I impatiently watched as Tobias summoned his final Pokémon.

Cresselia returned to the battlefield.

Now, the legendary was paralyzed and weakened by Heracross' Megahorn.

"The battle is ours. Double Team and Facade at full power."

"Ice Beam!"

Cresselia was weak, no longer boosted by Calm Mind, and slow due to paralysis.

Meanwhile, Swellow was almost in perfect condition.

So it wasn't surprising when Swellow closed the distance to Cresselia despite the Ice Beam.

BOOM!

The referee, shocked, finally spoke.

"Cresselia can no longer continue. The winner of the match is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, 1-0."

No one said a word about the outcome until the stadium started to shake.

"WOOOOW!"

The crowd's roars startled me—they were intense, not like the cheers from Ash's memories.

The applause I remembered from previous leagues wasn't like this, I thought, as Swellow perched on my shoulder, waving to the crowd with its wing.

Usually, only half the audience applauded Ash, but

 today...

Today, everyone was cheering, and they were excited too.

I didn't go home that day. My theory turned out to be false, but now I was famous.