Lake Acuity
Tony2Shanks
Youngster
- Pronouns
- he/him
Something Will Be Born
Lake Acuity
Ash stood on the shore of Lake Acuity as proudly as he could to hide his nerves as he stared out at his opponent. Paul, meanwhile, looked as stoic as ever. Ash's hands trembled with both anger and fear, but more importantly- excitement. Paul's hands were tucked into his jacket pockets as always like he was indifferent to the whole situation.Lake Acuity
Dawn, Brock, and Reggie were already seated on the sidelines to watch their battle. Dawn seemed to share his excitement; she was grinning widely out at him and couldn't hold her feet still to the ground. Brock and Reggie, although they were both smiling, seemed to be a lot more on edge for the battle about to unfold than Dawn did.
The judge stood between them, off to the side as always, ready to referee their battle. Team Rocket- yes, he knew it was them operating the scoreboard- also stood oddly stiff behind him. In a strange way, he was glad they were here. They were there for so many other big moments in his career, so it seemed fitting they found a way to observe what felt like, in his opinion, his biggest battle to date.
"Pikapi?" Pikachu's voice in his ear drew his attention immediately.
He glanced over, and from a single look he understood Pikachu was feeling the same way he was. So, with a deep breath he reached up to scratch Pikachu behind the ears and shouted with as much confidence as he could muster.
"We're ready when you are, Paul!" The wind seemed to make his voice go on forever. Or maybe it was the quietness exuded by Paul in return that just made him feel that much louder. Paul only nodded to the referee, who raised his flags.
"This full battle between Ash and Paul is about to begin! Each trainer may use up to six Pokemon, a full party, and substitute any Pokemon whenever they choose as many times as they want. As this battle is in no way affiliated with the league, it is up to the trainers whether the Four Move Clause is active or inactive. Trainers?"
"Inactive." Ash and Paul answered clearly and in tandem. Olivier nodded.
"The battle will be over when either trainer has lost all six Pokemon! Since both trainers are ready, let the battle commence! Send out your first Pokemon!" Olivier, the ref, declared.
"Buizel, I choose you!" Ash cried enthusiastically.
"It's not something really talked about because it's only really in effect for Gym and League battles. Basically, the idea is to balance out battles and skill-sets by restricting each Pokemon to using only four of its available moves per battle. That way it makes it a lot harder for someone to just teach their Pokemon every move they can learn and go ham through everything, plus not every Pokemon can learn the same number of moves." Brock explained. "Nearly any trainer can just teach their Garchomp every move it can learn, but very few can pick the correct ones and use them in the creative ways Gym Leaders need to test for."
"So why don't Ash and Paul want one here?" Dawn asked next. Reggie answered this time.
"They're done holding back now. They each want to see everything the other is capable of, which they can't do with a limited move pool. This isn't a test like a gym battle or a measurement or a feat of grandeur like the Sinnoh League. This is a battle of wills." He narrated the scene.
Dawn could only nod in the quiet as she kept her eyes on Ash.
"Torterra, stand by for battle." Paul released his starter in another flash of light, the behemoth turtle taking shape with barely a glance around the field before staring down Ash and Buizel intently.
Jessie and James lit up the scoreboard with each trainers chosen Pokemon as Olivier waved his flags again and stepped even further back. The battle had begun.
"Buizel, return!" Ash's decision was immediate. "You'll get to battle soon, I promise."
Nobody could tell if they were surprised or not by the quick choice, but it seemed like the best one. Paul and Torterra both looked unfazed as Ash substituted Pokemon.
"Staraptor, I choose you!" Staraptor appeared in the air with a loud screech. Ash's regional bird was ready for a battle.
As the board changed to accurately reflect Ash's choice, Paul didn't blink or move to attack. Ash knew he wouldn't.
"Staraptor, use Quick Attack!" He pointed firmly out at the Continent Pokemon.
Paul made no effort to give any commands and watched as Staraptor struck Torterra's shell at blinding speed and passing it by.
"Again!" Ash called.
"Giga Drain." Paul retorted this time.
Staraptor rammed into Torterra again on its way back to Ash's side of the field, narrowly avoiding the green energy beams extending from the spikes on Torterra's shell that tried to ensnare him.
"Great job Staraptor, now use Wing Attack!" Ash continued.
"Frenzy Plant."
Torterra glowed green as it summoned large roots from out of the ground, reaching high into the air as they swatted at Staraptor.
"Use Aerial Ace to dodge and get to Torterra!" Ash ordered.
Staraptor, now surrounded by streaks of white light, began to bob, and weave out of the way of the jungle created by Torterra's vines until eventually it struck Torterra on the shell directly above its head. A direct hit. The roots began to retreat underground, and Ash eagerly made the next call as Staraptor passed his opponent once more.
"Brave Bird!"
Immediately, Staraptor entered a climb, bursting into flames as it twirled in the air to face Torterra once again. Once on the way down, Staraptor's flames turned blue and it rammed into the side of Torterra's shell. Everyone could visibly see Torterra wince at the raw power behind the attack, but Paul still issued out no commands.
"Wing Attack, back to back!"
"Huh? How can you tell?" Dawn asked, leaning forward to see Reggie past Brock.
"Well first, there's the change in color of Staraptor's flames. If you noticed, Ash's Staraptor had its flames turn blue almost immediately, but with mine they don't all change at once like that let alone going straight from red to blue." Reggie explained for Dawn, who nodded as she followed along.
"Next is the visual cue, right?" Brock interjected curiously. Reggie laughed, causing a smile to appear on Brock's face as he began talking next. "Reggie's Staraptor, after finishing its dive, extended its wings as it flattened out and took Brave Bird to the next stage. This helps change direction but also serves as a physical cue to the Pokemon using the attack when its time to power up its flames for the impact. Ash's Staraptor, ever since it evolved, doesn't need to use its wings like that and can keep them tucked in or open the entire time its using Brave Bird."
"Then Ash is doing good so far?" Dawn asked, eyes flicking back to the battle as Staraptor swatted at Torterra with repeated wings.
"Probably not." Brock hesitated in his answer while Reggie remained quiet. "I think Paul let Giga Drain and Frenzy Plant miss to give Ash a sense of momentum. He knows Torterra can take anything Staraptor can put out and then some, so he's just waiting for the time to attack properly."
"Which should be soon. Torterra should be able to move after using Frenzy Plant shortly." Reggie commented.
Dawn could feel her stomach drop as she turned back to the battle.
"Get outta there!" Ash cried urgently.
Multiple rings surrounded Torterra's body glowing a bright white that quickly separated and turned into chunks of floating grey rocks. The rocks immediately responded by shooting out at Staraptor, trying to fly away but to no avail and getting slammed in the back and front by hordes of rocks.
"Staraptor, are you okay?" Ash called onto the field.
Through the dust, Staraptor flew and emerged on Ash's side of the field. Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he looked over his friend. His feathers were ruffled and dirty, but Staraptor stood proud.
"Doesn't look like Staraptor can take two of those. Stone Edge, again." Paul said confidently.
"We don't need to! Staraptor, fight through with Close Combat!" Came Ash's reply.
If Paul was as shocked as their spectators were at the command, he did a great job of hiding it. Staraptor flew right up to the barrage of stones and began crumbling them one at a time using his wings and talons. It even seemed like he was getting closer to Torterra despite it, using the momentum of his swings to push further forward.
"Keep it up then. Frenzy Plant."
"Brave Bird, full power! Fight through it!"
One after another, the commands came. Just as more roots broke through the soil to swat at Staraptor, he burst into blue flames immediately, skipping the part where he climbed and dove to build power. The Predator Pokemon then seemed to go straight down, taking a small barrage of rocks to the side as he challenged the upcoming roots. All the attacks colliding kicked up another dust ball. Ash looked on worriedly, only relaxing when he saw Staraptor break through the top of the dust cloud.
He was still sparkling with the recoil damage from Brave Bird but still able to battle. Still, Ash thought better than keeping him in. Just as Ash was about to reach for his Pokeball, glowing green tendrils also breached the smoke, wrapped around Staraptor, and tugged him into the cloud.
The force at which Staraptor was yanked seemed to help disperse the cloud though and Ash could see plain as day that Torterra had Staraptor locked in a Giga Drain. Ash struggled to think of what to do as Paul called out again.
"What now? Torterra has Staraptor trapped. All it takes now is one Stone Edge, and that's it." Paul taunted.
Torterra took that as his command and began using the rock-type attack again while Ash clenched his fists.
"Close Combat with your talons!" Ash cried out desperately.
Staraptor's legs, which were the only thing free besides his head, began to thrash wildly around. It only took a few movements for him to figure out what Ash wanted, then he begun to scrape at the Giga Drain using his sharp talons. All it took was one hook before he had enough traction to push one away, giving him enough room to use his wings to bat off the others and fly away.
Ash heard Dawns cry of joy only to have his heart sink a moment later when Staraptor was shot in the back by Torterra's next Stone Edge. Before Staraptor even hit the ground, Ash knew he was out cold. Olivier made the call and, as Staraptor's image greyed itself out on the scoreboard, Ash recalled his regional bird.
"Thanks so much, Staraptor. You did great, now rest up 'kay? We'll handle this." He tucked away one Pokeball in exchange for another. Paul hadn't moved, waiting for Ash to reveal his next choice before deciding his next step. "Gliscor, I choose you!"
Ash's next choice, Gliscor, materialized balancing on his tail with his claws held high.
"You remember Gliscor, don't you? You captured his old leader and left the pack to fend for itself in a city that targeted them." Ash mentioned, voice rising.
"Not my problem. If they couldn't figure out how to leave without their pathetic leaders help, they deserve to get stuck there." Paul shot back. Ash felt his anger spike while Paul looked cold as ever, recalling Torterra without another word. "Weavile, stand by for battle."
Weavile appeared hunched over, standing upright in a swift motion to glare at Gliscor through sharpened claws. Ash growled.
"Gliscor, X-Scissor!"
"No, he doesn't have a plan right now. Ash is letting Paul bait him too easily. He's fighting with his anger right now." Brock said, watching Ash intently. He was the closest thing to an expert there was on Ash's battling style and he knew right away with Gliscor that this wasn't it.
Dawn and Piplup adopted the same concerned expression as they looked out at Ash.
Weavile opened its mouth to form a light blue orb, then three zing-zagging beams of the same color shot out of the ball straight at Gliscor. The attacks collided and Gliscor's attack, a giant light green 'X' shape, was frozen solid. The ice didn't stop and started to creep up Gliscor's arms.
"Start a new X-Scissor, break the ice!" Ash called.
This time the light green glow of X-Scissor was visible even through the layer of ice as Gliscor pulled his claws free, shattering the ice into tiny fragments.
"Hit that ice with your tail!"
Gliscor responded in kind despite the strange command. His large tail swooped through the air, smacking ice fragments down at Weavile, who was sidestepping them.
"Ice Shard." Paul replied swiftly.
A blue ring formed around Weavile's body, breaking into pieces, and turning into shards of ice that launched at Gliscor. They were just big and sharp enough to break through Gliscor's makeshift Ice Shard and, despite him trying to maneuver away, strike him on the wing. This caused Gliscor to go into an uncontrolled spin-dive.
"Ice Beam, predict its location."
"Block it with Sand Attack!"
Gliscor, even while spiraling, did his best to respond. Though he couldn't use his claws like normal, he spun and slammed the ground with his tail and used the prongs to scoop up as much sand as he could and shove it at the ice-type attack while bouncing back into the air. The Ice Beam collided with the shield of sand kicked up and, rather than freeze it, fought with it before they both shattered away.
"Use Steel Wing!" Ash continued.
Gliscor entered back into a dive, the wings under his claws glowing a brilliant white. Weavile took its own initiative and sprinted forward, leaping above Gliscor at the last minute causing him to turn around, going for a second strike now that Weavile was airborne.
"Metal Claw." Paul ordered.
Weavile's claws grew a brilliant white, matching Gliscor's wings, and seemed to extend out further as it swiped downward to slice into Gliscor's back. The force threw Gliscor to the ground right away where Weavile continued its assault until Paul issued another command.
"Blizzard."
Taking a deep breath, Weavile's maw opened and out came a bone-chilling wind so cold it brought out snowballs with it. The Blizzard attack, being so close and focused, struck Gliscor directly in the back and caused him to cry out in pain. As if that wasn't enough, Blizzard's secondary affect seemed to be starting to take effect as well; ice started creeping around the edges of Gliscor's torso and quickly spread to his claw.
"Break out with Fire Fang and go after Weavile!" Ash shouted desperately.
Gliscor screeched as he sank his flaming fangs into the block of ice creeping up his arm. The result was a large steam cloud, through which Ash could only see the flames lit on Gliscor's fangs as the Fang Scorpion Pokemon lunged upwards at his attacker. Ash watched as the fire seemed to latch on to something, followed by another explosion which blew away the steam. Upon gaining vision back, the scene wasn't what Ash imagined.
Between Gliscor's flaming teeth was a sharp purple energy stick held in one of Weavile's claws trying to push Gliscor back. They struggled a bit, Night Slash proving to be more than a match for Fire Fang. Ash grit his teeth in aggravation while Paul scoffed again.
"A pitiful attempt at a surprise attack. Use Metal Claw." The purple haired trainer glared out at the field.
Weavile used one hand to snap the Night Slash in half, using Gliscor's forward momentum to slam him even harder with the sharp metal-coated claws on its other hand. Gliscor was sent flying back, skidding and flipping across the field.
"Push off into the air and go in for a Steel Wing!" Ash cried out.
Gliscor spread his wings and slowed down immensely, catching wind under him to force an almost full-stop. This was just enough of a break in momentum for Gliscor to push off the ground with his tail, bouncing back into the air and beginning another swoop down with glowing wings.
"Dark Pulse."
"Bat it back with your wing!"
"Jump it and use Night Slash."
"Catch it!"
The flow of commands was effortless on both sides, each trainer responding immediately to the last. Gliscor swatted back the orb of dark and purple energy rings using his steel-coated wing which Weavile ran at and leapt over, kicking off the ball of the attack to gain extra height needed to meet Gliscor in the air with its glowing dark blade, only to be caught between Gliscor's pincers.
Paul had the decency to appear shocked at least briefly this time at the change of events, even if he hid it very well. After what happened last time where Fire Fang couldn't overpower it, he was sure Night Slash would break through any attack of Gliscor's.
"Gliscor's pincers are a lot stronger than his fangs, y'know? We've only been working with Fire Fang for a few weeks, but he's had his whole life to strengthen those. Snap it and go for Fire Fang!" Ash rushed out.
Gliscor's pincer that was circled around the blade snapped all the way shut, cutting the sword-like construct in half as it did. Then, lunging forward, Gliscor sank his flaming teeth into Weavile's arm. There was a small explosion, but both parties separated in the air and landed awaiting orders.
"X-Scissor!"
"Metal Claw."
Weavile sprinted forward, dragging its claws on the ground for good measure, before leaping at Gliscor. Using its metal-coated claws, Weavile stabbed at the center of the X-Scissor and pried, successfully uncrossing the attack. The force and strength caught both Ash and Gliscor off guard while Paul capitalized on their shock.
"Blizzard, finish it."
Not needing to be told twice, Weavile seemed to grin sinisterly before firing another round of snowballs and wind from its glowing maw. The attack struck true, moving too fast for Gliscor to attempt to block or dodge and sending him slamming down into the ground and all the way back to Ash's feet.
"Oh no, Gliscor!" Ash shouted in worry.
Gliscor was in a hole several feet deep with only his tail remaining on the grounds surface. Nobody needed any more confirmation for Olivier to declare Gliscor unfit for battle.
"Gliscor, return. You were great out there, I'm so proud of you. Rest up for now." Ash switched out Pokeballs again, hesitating slightly. This was a risky play, but he believed in his Pokemon. "Grotle, I choose you!"
The Grove Pokemon appeared on the field in a flash with an eager cry, ready to prove itself again. He heard Dawn and Brock gasp in surprise at his choice and watched as Paul scoffed.
"You still haven't learned anything, have you?" Paul taunted. "Weavile, Blizzard."
"Use Rock Climb to block it!" Ash instructed.
Grotle reared up on its hind legs and, with now elongated and glowing claws, slammed back down onto the dirt field to create a protruding mountain of mud and rocks to take the brunt of Blizzard's assault. As Grotle climbed the other side, the side exposed to Blizzard became coated in an icy layer of snow.
Unlike usual once Grotle got to the top, there was no target to slam into so Ash changed gears quickly.
"Use Energy Ball, but send it rolling down the hill!"
Grotle did as told and, after charging an energy ball, closed his mouth and let it fall and use the slope of the mountain to deliver it to the ground. Along the way as it rolled, it picked up snow around it and seemed to double in size as it headed towards Weavile at the foot of the mountain.
"Dodge it." Paul commanded simply.
Just as Weavile jumped to the side out of the boulders path, crescent-shaped leaves slammed into it hard enough to send it flying backwards. Being concealed behind the glowing ice/grass-sphere, Grotle's Razor Leaf was nicely concealed. Paul grunted, not having anticipated that. He looked as Weavile pulled itself to its feet, holding its shoulder while Grotle's mountain began to recede- the effects of Rock Climb could only be present on the battle field for so long.
"Weavile, return. Electabuzz, standby for battle." Paul substituted Pokemon on the fly, surprising everyone watching.
"Every time I think Ash is getting the upper hand, Paul goes and switches his Pokemon." She complained to herself. Brock nodded.
"And it seems to be with the perfect counter in mind too." Brock watched as Paul had Electabuzz merely set up a Light Screen, blocking Grotle's Energy Ball with ease before being substituted once more in place of Honchkrow. The same Honchkrow that had defeated Grotle once before.
This couldn't end well.
"Of course, Paul's been preparing for this battle for the past ten days. Both of you have noticed by now, right?" Reggie asked rhetorically. "Ash has, so far, only used Pokemon he's caught here in Sinnoh. That's what Paul anticipated from the beginning, so he had his team counter-picked to Ash's."
Dawn felt the sinking feeling in her stomach return. This time, what she didn't know was that Brock felt it too.
But still, there was almost nothing they could do to touch Honchkrow like this.
"Aerial Ace." Paul commanded.
Honchkrow sped towards Grotle, covered in white streaks, and slammed its body into Grotle's shell. It wasn't easy, but Grotle stood his ground and refused to be knocked backwards, leaving Honchkrow only the option of passing him.
"Dark Pulse."
"Razor Leaf!"
Grotle turned around quickly, firing the crescent-shaped leaves again that proved to be sharp enough to slice through the orb of dark energy fired from Honchkrow's beak. However right behind that was Honchkrow speeding at Grotle using Drill Peck.
"Catch it with Bite!" The urgency in Ash's voice was impossible to miss.
Grotle's jaw glowed as it clamped down on Honchkrow's glowing enlarged beak, stopping it from making damaging contact just seconds before impact. Using his impressive physical strength, Grotle slammed Honchkrow into the ground and fired off a close range Razor Leaf, which was proving to be much more effective at the moment than their new favorite Energy Ball.
"Sky Attack." Paul ordered, unphased by Grotle's onslaught.
Honchkrow, despite not flying, became cloaked in a brilliant white light.
"Get back Grotle!" Ash warned.
"Too late. Go, now." Paul shot back.
Before Grotle could take more than two steps backwards off Honchkrow, the bird shot forward flying only centimeters above the ground at breakneck speeds to collide with Grotle's underbelly. The force of the attack sent Grotle flying backwards, landing roughly on his back while Honchkrow swooped up and down again, going back in for another Aerial Ace of its own accord.
"Grotle, on my cue use Energy Ball!" Ash said.
Once again, the audience (plus Team Rocket) seemed shocked at the command but Grotle began forming the dark green orb anyway. Laying flat on his shell, holding the Energy Ball as his last line of defense against a rapidly approaching super-effective attack from a stronger opponent, Grotle put his unshakable faith in Ash.
"Now!"
Seconds before contact, Grotle fired the Energy Ball.
Until finally, silhouettes were able to be made out. Both Grotle and Honchkrow were standing, though Grotle looked much worse off than Honchkrow was.
"What? How?" Reggie all but exclaimed. "After the solid hit on an unprotected body part by a super-effective attack as strong as Sky Attack, any damage should've been enough to put Grotle down. What happened?"
"Of course!" Brock suddenly shouted. "That's Ash for you, alright. Always doing the impossible, so easily you don't even realize." He waited until he had both Reggie and Dawn's attention to continue. "Energy Ball was the only attack that could've saved Grotle because it's the only special attack Grotle knows. It activated the Light Screen. Ash needed Honchkrow in close so the Light Screen would still appear as a physical barrier. When the Energy Ball hit Honchkrow and activated it, it gave Grotle a perfect window of time where it was like getting hit by a flat surface psychic-type attack instead of a piercing flying-type one." Brock explained eagerly. "Of course, the Aerial Ace damage was still dealt. It was just cancelled out some after being interrupted twice; once with Energy Ball, next with Light Screen."
Reggie sat in awe at the explanation. Never in his life would he have been able to explain what happened in front of him, let alone think of doing it on his own! Dawn, on the other hand, couldn't contain her squeal of excitement.
"The only problem is, what next?" Brock leaned forward, studying intently.
"Grot." Grotle mumbled. Ash could feel the pain in his friends voice and almost ran onto the field then, but Paul's voice grabbed his attention once more.
"That was lucky and clever. You won't get a chance to be either again. Drill Peck." Paul warned.
"No! Grotle! Rock Climb!" Ash instinctively replied.
It was no use, though, because before Grotle's claws could so much as grow Honchkrow slammed into him. The dark-type made the grass starter face-plant into the ground and simply returned to the skies while Olivier made the call.
"Grotle, return. I'm so sorry you got hurt like that. You were amazing out there, y'know? Thanks buddy." Ash rubbed the Pokeball gently with his thumb, despite knowing Grotle couldn't feel the touch even if he was conscious in there.
"Pika, Pikapi!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he spoke, nudging Ash with his tail. Ash knelt to Pikachu's level.
"This is looking really tough, buddy. I don't think this is gonna go how we wanted it to." Ash said. Pikachu nodded, but pointed at the field anyway. Ash chuckled. "Of course, we're still fighting! We can't just roll over for 'em, right?" Pikachu nodded again, sparking his cheeks as he turned to the field again. "Alright then, Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cried as he jumped in, landing on all-fours and poised to attack.
They couldn't hide their excitement as they updated the scoreboard.
Pikachu leapt into the air, firing a yellow bolt of electricity from his body at the flying Honchkrow. Even though the Light Screen was still active, Honchkrow let out a squeal of pain at the attack.
"Aerial Ace."
"Thunderbolt, again!"
Once more, even with the effect of Light Screen it was painfully obvious Honchkrow was taking an excessive amount of damage from Pikachu's Thunderbolt. Enough that it stopped the Aerial Ace in its tracks, only to be slammed into by a Quick Attack from Pikachu. As Honchkrow tried to right itself before colliding with the ground, Paul gave another order.
"Drill Peck."
"Finish it with one more Thunderbolt!" Ash countered.
Pikachu fired off another bolt of lightning and, as the shiny gold of Light Screen appeared, seconds later it shattered under the force of Pikachu's attack. With nothing protecting Honchkrow, the attack slammed into it and shoved it into the ground, defeated. Olivier made the call as Paul wordlessly returned Honchkrow, looking out at Ash and Pikachu instead.
"Electabuzz, standby for battle." Paul threw back out his own electric-type.
Both trainers and Pokemon mirrored one another, glaring the other down. Surprisingly, it was Paul who made the first move.
"Thunder."
With a deep cry, Electabuzz threw its arms over its head and summoned out a massive bolt of electricity.
"Split it down the middle with Thunderbolt!" Ash countered.
Like a knife through butter, Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit the sweet spot in the center of the attack that allowed it to cleave all the way through. Even though Electabuzz was able to dodge the attack, Ash was a bit relieved.
"Quick Attack!"
"Thunder Punch."
Pikachu took off running at Electabuzz, only to be punched down by its electric-coated fist. Electabuzz went to repeat the attack on a downed Pikachu, but Ash was faster.
"Iron Tail!"
Leaping up, Pikachu swung his tail to meet the attack. In mid-air, he had some advantages where he lost others, but he trusted Ash had a plan.
"Fell for it again, did you? Electabuzz, Brick Break." Paul commanded, almost jovially.
"Agility into Iron Tail!" Ash responded.
Pikachu seemed to vanish in thin air, leaving both of Electabuzz's hands to strike at nothing, while he reappeared behind the other electric-types head and slammed his glowing tail into the back of its skull. Electabuzz ate dirt while Pikachu bounced away and landed cleanly.
"Hmph. Electabuzz, return. Torterra, standby for battle." Paul narrated his substitution for the first time through his irritation.
As the hulking turtle appeared on the field once more, Dawn couldn't help but wince at the match-up. Everyone was thinking the same thing, except for Ash.
"You ready, buddy?" Ash asked.
"Pi!" Pikachu replied, glaring out at his opponent.
"Volt Tackle!" The gasp was unanimous at the command, but Pikachu paid them no mind and took off running.
Cloaked in his veil of electricity, he dashed at Torterra who was unmoving. Ash knew Paul wouldn't give Torterra a command when faced with an attack it was immune to. That's what he was counting on. When Pikachu was only yards away, he cried out again.
"Iron Tail!" He cried, swinging his arm to the left.
Impossibly fast, Pikachu jumped off the ground at Torterra's shell and left behind the gold cover of Volt Tackle. Instead, he spun out of it and swung his glowing tail at Torterra, mirroring Ash's movement to the left, with such force it lifted two of its legs off the ground.
"Giga Drain."
"Quick Attack, bounce off!"
Pikachu jetted forwards at blinding speed, using Torterra's shell as a springboard and launching back out at Ash's side of the field through the mess of green vines.
"Frenzy Plant." Paul called out again.
Once more, the giant roots broke through the surface and started swinging at Pikachu.
"Climb up them, use whatever you need to get to the top!" Ash said urgently.
Pikachu understood and took off running. Using Quick Attack, he ran along a vine until he sensed one behind him. He quickly pushed off, letting them collide with each other as he turned around and ran up the formerly attacking vine only to be met with another vine attacking that one. With Agility, he quickly changed location to that vine and began running again. Nearing the tip of that root, Pikachu leap for it only to have another appear in front of him. Thinking quickly, he curled in on himself and used Iron Tail, cutting the root clean in half, and passing through where it once was to land on a root behind it. Speeding off once more, he reached that vines tip only to have it launch him straight upwards. Looking down, however, it appeared there was only that root left and that Ash had successfully let the Frenzy Plant destroy itself in… well, in a frenzy.
"Use Stone Edge now!" Paul all but spat out.
The grey rocks launched again at Pikachu's airborne form, but Ash was ready for that too.
"Spin and use Thunderbolt!" He ordered.
Pikachu, upon starting his descent, began spinning right-to-left and releasing his electricity. He knew what Ash was going for and with any luck, this would be their first use of an Aerial Counter-Shield. Pikachu streamlined himself as much as possible to let the rocks pass him on either side so the electricity could pick them off easier and easier. To everyone's surprise, Pikachu spun perfectly around the rocks while destroying them with the beams of electricity he was releasing into the air.
"Stone Edge again!" Paul was now getting just as loud as Ash in his commands.
"Redirect it with Iron Tail!" Ash cried, unwilling to use the same trick twice unless Paul had a counter.
Pikachu replied in kind, spinning to swat the grey rocks with his tail. It was hard work to do while falling, but Pikachu successfully batted away all the rock shards and even sent plenty back into Torterra. With the barrage of rocks gone, Pikachu continued his fall to strike Torterra's shell with Iron Tail once more.
"Leaf Storm!" Paul ordered.
Torterra's tree lit up, glowing a light green, and shot a vortex of leaves glowing the same color at Pikachu, who was too close to dodge. The strength of the attack carried Pikachu all the way back to the other side of the field where he struggled to stay upright against the force after being slammed into the ground.
"Blow 'em away with a Thunderbolt!" Ash cried out.
Once more, everyone seemed taken back by the command until Pikachu, through gritted teeth, summoned another mighty burst of electricity that managed to break the cyclone of leaves surrounding the Mouse Pokemon.
"How is it still standing? Run from this, Earthquake!" Paul shouted angrily.
"Use your tail!" Ash replied.
Just as the shaking began to start, Pikachu powered up an Iron Tail to stick into the ground before it stood up straight. Standing on his tail, Pikachu took much less direct damage from the quaking ground than he would have otherwise.
"Frenzy Plant!"
"Pikachu use Thunder!"
Dawn, Reggie, Piplup and Olivier instinctively followed the warning and closed as well as covering their eyes with their hands or arms. Even still, the flash that followed turned their total darkness into a blinding white light. They could all feel their hair on their body stand up straight thanks to the static that entered the air. Nobody dared open their eyes until a few seconds passed, just to be safe, and everyone was in awe of the sight before them.
The battlefield was littered with Frenzy Plant vines lying limply on the ground, covered completely in Lichtenberg scars.
"Brock… what happened?" Dawn asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Pikachu happened. Pikachu's Thunder attack was so strong it electrocuted the Frenzy Plant down to the root, scarring it like that on the way down." Brock explained.
"I had no idea Pikachu was that strong." Reggie muttered, taking in the damage.
"But I've never seen Pikachu do anything like that before!" Dawn objected. Piplup chirped in agreement from beside her.
"Pikachu's much more like Ash than either of them are willing to admit; they both do their absolute best when they're under immense pressure. Besides the fact that he's already an incredibly strong, well trained, and experienced Pokemon, the higher the stakes the higher the voltage." Brock gave the only explanation he could, for he still didn't understand the depths of Pikachu's power either.
"Giga Drain!"
Pikachu took off running once more, ignoring the aching he felt. As Torterra extended its glowing tendrils again, something stopped it; sparks danced around Torterra's body and caused it to wince. The tendrils halted their pace, and Ash grinned widely. Pikachu's ability Static had activated the last time Pikachu contacted Torterra, and it had given them the perfect window for victory.
"Iron Tail!" Ash cried forcefully.
Pikachu didn't bother to stop the Volt Tackle this time, instead opting to flip around and just begin using Iron Tail. While the electricity couldn't damage Torterra, the force behind Pikachu's momentum could and combined with Iron Tail and being hit directly on the skull this time instead of the shell, Torterra collapsed under the attack. This left Paul nearly speechless and Ash ecstatic when Olivier made the call again.
"Torterra, return." Paul said. He held the ball in his hand for the briefest of seconds longer but switched it out hurriedly. "Magmortar, standby for battle."
Magmortar, Magmar's evolved form, appeared on the field to stare down at Pikachu. Ash looked at his partner; Pikachu was exhausted, that was plain to see. Even only taking two direct attacks, using so many moves tired a Pokemon out just as quick as taking hits. Despite that, Ash knew Pikachu had more to give. The question was would it be better served now, or later?
"Pikachu, return!" Ash ordered. Pikachu, with a quick twitch of his ears, scampered back to Ash's feet. Ash was already bent down, ready to pat him on the head, which the electric-type leaned in to. "You were amazing out there, pal. Rest up for a while, I'll need you later, I'm sure of it." He stood up as Pikachu sat down, content to rest his legs for now. "Buizel, I choose you!"
Ash's confident water-type reappeared once more, eager to finally be allowed to battle.
"Flamethrower." Paul seemed to return to his emotionless command style, all the urgency in his voice was gone.
"Water Gun!" Ash, still energetic as ever, was the opposite of emotionless.
Magmortar's torrent of flames collided with Buizel's stream of water at about the middle of the field. They pushed at each other for a bit before, surprisingly, Magmortar's attack broke through Buizel's to strike him in the chest.
"Shake it off, Buizel, and use Aqua Jet!"
"Rock Tomb."
Magmortar chucked a line of recently formed dark grey rocks the size of itself at Buizel, all separated by a yard each. They formed a straight line; rather than entombing Buizel, Paul made the rocks a line of barriers that Buizel would have to break if he wanted to reach Magmortar. Unfortunately for him, Buizel was a determined one and, despite the struggle sometimes, managed to break through every last rock in his path on his way to Magmortar while he was coated in the water armor of Aqua Jet.
Once he reached where Magmortar was, though, there was nothing to be seen except the dust cloud he created by smashing rocks.
"Smog attack." Paul's voice echoed through the smoke as Buizel looked around hurriedly for Magmortar.
Unable to find it in time, Buizel found himself staring down the arm of Magmortar's cannon arm and hit directly with a cloud of purple poison. The force of the blast pushed the smoke away, revealing them to Ash and Paul once more. Ash could tell by the purple hue on Buizel's cheeks that not only had Smog landed successfully, it had also poisoned the Sea Weasel.
"Fire Punch." Paul continued.
Magmortar's non-cannon arm bust into flames as it bent down to slam it into Buizel's chest, sending the smaller Pokemon skyrocketing across the field. Buizel skidded to a stop on his side only inches before Ash's feet and struggled to his own, glaring over at the fire-type.
"Fire Blast, finish this."
"Use Water Gun, then throw a Water Pulse!"
As the star-shaped fire attack shot across the field, Buizel trusted Ash and used Water Gun quickly before forming and tossing the sphere of water he formed between his hands directly at his own stream of water. The Water Pulse, being stronger, tore right up the middle of the attack until it got to the front where, for the briefest of moments, acted as a plug on the pressure of the attack.
The Water Gun squirted out in a vast array of other directions including the ones the shape of Fire Blast covered. The briefest moment when the Water Pulse was at the front creating the starfish-shape Water Gun was the moment the Fire Blast collided with the attack. The fire appeared to be naturally stronger and broke through after a struggle, but the splashes of water left being plus the collision was enough to weaken and slow it down considerably; enough that a simple Aqua Jet was enough to protect Buizel from almost all damage.
"Magmortar, return. Weavile, standby for battle." Paul substituted again. Weavile reappeared, scraping its claws together to intimidate Buizel.
"Metal Claw."
"Water Gun!"
Buizel shot another torrent of water out, but Weavile merely sliced through it with its glowing claws and continued running. Buizel jumped to the side but it was no use and Weavile simply turned on a dime to swipe at him again. Weavile went for another slash, but Buizel shot forward with Aqua Jet and caught the Sharp Claw Pokemon off guard. Buizel landed several yards away, only for Paul to retaliate easily.
"Night Slash!"
Buizel attempted to dodge again, but it just wasn't fast enough to avoid Weavile and its blinding speed. Even though he managed to avoid a direct hit, he felt the blade of Night Slash nick his arm. Then, as Weavile turned to do another repeat slash, Ash's voice called out.
"Block it with Water Pulse!"
Determination renewed, Buizel shoved both hands out while charging the ball of water in both palms. The two collided and exploded immediately, the droplets from the larger-than-average Water Pulse spraying them both as they skidded apart from each other. Weavile grinned again while Buizel clenched his fists and fell to a knee.
"Buizel's just not fast enough. Weavile, Ice Beam." Paul ordered and taunted in the same breath.
Ash's eyes widened right away, having gotten an idea.
"Aqua Jet, straight through!" He cried.
Buizel nodded, jumping headfirst at the beam of blue energy, and coating himself in a bullet of water. They collided and, as Ash expected, formed an Ice Aqua Jet once again. Paul, however, simply ordered a Metal Claw. The attacks collided and, despite Paul's best efforts, gravity was on Ash's side and Weavile was pounded into the ground by Buizel's Ice Aqua Jet. But Ash wasn't done yet.
"Throw a huge Water Pulse into the sky and hit it with Sonic Boom!" Ash cried next.
Breaking the skid that he entered after leaving the ice, Buizel rapidly charged a Water Pulse twice the size of any he made before and threw it as high as he could. Then, leaping into a forward flip with tails glowing, it send a glowing white shock-wave at the orb in the sky. After colliding, a light drizzle was in effect over the battlefield.
"Sonic Boom, again!" Ash commanded.
With new unfounded speed, Buizel fired off a volley of Sonic Boom's at Weavile that hit home. Weavile could only cross its arms to defend until Ash called out again.
"Aqua Jet!"
Before anyone could blink, Buizel was behind Weavile and charging a Water Pulse. Weavile instinctively used Dark Pulse to counter, blowing them both apart.
"Water Pulse, Sonic Boom and Aqua Jet!" Ash belted out command after command.
Water Pulse was thrown, blown up by Sonic Boom to splash a wave of water at Weavile, who leapt into the air to avoid it only to be struck in the chest with Aqua Jet and slammed back into the ground. The smoke cleared just as the drizzling stopped, with both Pokemon hunched over, but standing.
"Weavile, return. Ursaring, standby for battle." Paul substituted rather quickly. Paul's beastly Ursaring appeared on the field in a flash, standing nearly three times the height of Buizel, but the Sea Weasel reared himself up anyways.
"Hyper Beam." Paul commanded.
"Counter Shield!" Ash countered.
Buizel dropped to his back and started using Water Gun while spinning in circles, creating a gyro-sphere of water beams that went in all different directions. The idea was to hold off the Hyper Beam, but it proved far too strong and simply broke through the three of four lines of water it did encounter before striking the still spinning Buizel. Buizel lay flat on the ground for a second before pushing to his feet, glaring while Ash reached for a Pokeball.
"Buizel," He started, only for Buizel to shake his head. Ash looked him over and looked out at Ursaring. He knew this was a loosing battle, but he wanted to respect Buizel's wishes. He tucked the Pokeball away and nodded. "Use Aqua Jet!"
"Hammer Arm."
The result was inevitable, though Ash hoped it would've taken a little longer. Despite Aqua Jet hitting Ursaring directly in the ring, it was too bulky to matter and brought both of its glowing forearms down on Buizel's form. Right away, it was obvious Buizel couldn't get back up.
"Buizel, return. You were great out there, really. We couldn't have done it without you." Ash tucked his Pokeball away dejectedly. He knew Buizel would take this loss hard, but he would have to deal with that later. "Pikachu, you ready to get back in there?"
"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into a standing position, pumping his fist to mirror Ash.
"Alright, then let's go! Pikachu, I choose you again!" Ash pointed out to the field and Pikachu leapt, landing on all fours. Then, it all happened at once.
"Focus Blast."
"Quick Attack!"
"Hammer Arm!"
"Iron Tail!"
Ursaring shot a giant blue orb at Pikachu, who rushed forward and slid underneath it with ease. After reaching Ursaring's feet, Pikachu spun upward to block Ursaring's glowing forearm with his own glowing tail. Pikachu pivoted out, moving Ursaring's center of gravity by shoving his arm forward and turning again to slam Iron Tail into his chest. Ursaring tried to use Hammer Arm with its other arm, but Pikachu burst straight up with Quick Attack, hitting the Hibernator Pokemon under the chin.
"Use Thunderbolt!"
"Hyper Beam."
Pikachu launched another bolt of electricity from his position in the air while Ursaring fired its orange beam of destruction. The two collided and fought for dominance until Pikachu twisted the bolt, letting it cleave through the center of the Hyper Beam much like it had against Sho's Raichu to strike Ursaring. Pikachu landed on two feet, breathing heavy while Ursaring roared angrily.
"Ursaring, return. Magmortar, standby for battle." Paul substituted again.
The Blast Pokemon appeared again, looking no worse for wear after its last battle.
"Flamethrower." Paul ordered.
"Iron Tail the ground!" Ash countered.
Pikachu slammed his glowing tail into the ground once more and kicked up a cloud of debris along with a medium size rock formation. Combined, they formed a strong defense against the torrent of flames shot by Magmortar.
"Rock Tomb."
Magmortar formed more rocks again, this time all in the air above Pikachu and released them all at once. They all slammed into him one after another, but Ash wasn't ready to give up.
"Blow it away, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
Through the grey rocks, sparks of electricity were visible. Sparks turned to volts until volts turned to bolts. The Rock Tomb all gave at once, sending shards out in all directions while Pikachu then focused its attack on Magmortar, forcing it to slide backwards under the pure force in the attack.
"Use Smog everywhere!"
Magmortar began to fire large globs of purple smoke everywhere, landing on all parts of the field and Pikachu. Ash was sure it wouldn't remain for long, but still- better safe than sorry.
"Counter Shield!"
"Pikachu too?" Paul couldn't help but mutter as Pikachu spun on his back and let Thunderbolt loose.
The electricity collided with and destroyed the globs of poison as well as slamming into Magmortar, tossing him between arcs of electricity until Paul growled in frustration.
"Smoke Screen and Fire Blast." Paul ordered.
Quickly, thick black smoke began to seep out of Magmortar's cannon arm causing Pikachu to stop spinning to remain on guard. He noticed the flicker of a flame in the distance just as Ash called for Agility. Then, the whole battlefield ignited.
It was seconds until anyone could see what happened, but everyone was confused when Magmortar stood alone on the field. Ash scanned the arena and took a breath of relief, confusing everyone.
"Prepare a Flamethrower. Don't let it get away again." Paul continued; eyes focused on Ash's as they started down Magmortar.
"Volt Tackle!" The confusion from everyone was evident as the ground started to shake.
Then, from under Magmortar, Pikachu's black and yellow form appeared and rammed into Magmortar's chin to knock the behemoth fire-type on its back. Still in the air, Pikachu let his gold aura fade as Ash prepared another command. Pikachu knew in his heart what it was.
"Thunderbolt!"
The command and the attack came out in perfect tandem, with Pikachu shocking Magmortar until it saw stars. Pikachu landed just as Magmortar struggled to its feet, pointing its cannon at Pikachu in a threatening manner.
"Quick Attack, go!" Ash cried.
Pikachu took off running at an impressive speed, although noticeably slower than his usual pace due to fatigue. The real problem came in a few yards when Pikachu suddenly stopped and burst into flames, brought to one knee.
"Pikachu!" Ash couldn't help but cry out in worry.
"Magmortar, use Flare Blitz now! Finish it." Paul ignored Ash's worry.
Magmortar covered itself in a veil of red-orange flames before charging at Pikachu, still kneeling, until Ash's voice rung out again.
"Volt Tackle!"
Pikachu took off again, surrounded in the familiar powerful golden aura of Volt Tackle. The attacks collided and despite Magmortar's obvious size advantage, Pikachu held his ground firmly. It took Paul ordering for a Fire Blast to change anything, but Ash was quicker still.
"Pikachu use Thunder!"
Same as last time, the whole arena was filled with a blinding white light as Pikachu shot out a massive burst of electricity from its already massive trail created by Volt Tackle. It was double the size of Magmortar's Flare Blitz and easily pushed it straight down into the ground so deep, even standing it wouldn't have been visible above ground.
Pikachu stood tall after the attack, yellow fur filled with burns and caked with dirt. The electric-type was breathing heavy and his paws ached, but his cheeks sparked, ready for more. Luckily, Magmortar didn't feel the same.
Olivier declared Magmortar unable to battle, and just as Paul recalled it, Pikachu gave in.
"Pikachu!" Ash was moving before Olivier even noticed the change in Pikachu's condition. Ash slid on his knees as he reached Pikachu and quickly but carefully scooped him up in his arms. "Pikachu, you were incredible. Just like always, right?"
"Pi-Pikachu, Pikapi." Pikachu muttered back. Ash chuckled.
"Thanks pal. Let's get you to Brock- "Ash started to stand, but Pikachu let out electricity to shock him. "Is that a no?" Ash chuckled but retreated to his side of the field with Pikachu in his arms. "Fine, you can stay here. But behave." He set the mouse down gently, leaning on his backpack for support.
This battle was quickly becoming an uphill one for Ash to conquer, and they both knew it. Battling with Pikachu always helped Ash to calm down; he fell back into his rhythm again after Pikachu was on the field and it carried on through Buizel after. But now?
"Brock, why isn't Ash giving one of us Pikachu like he normally does?" Dawn asked.
"If I had to guess, I would say Pikachu doesn't want to leave Ash's side right now. He knows how important this is to Ash and isn't ready to be put on the sidelines yet, even if he can't battle." Brock hazarded his guess.
"Incredible. Those two are certainly something." Reggie commented on Ash and Pikachu, getting a chuckle out of Dawn and Brock.
"There's not a more interesting pair out there, that's for sure." Brock deadpanned.
Ash only glared as he picked off his last Pokeball.
"You bet." He held out his own, stepping forward to face Paul directly again. Olivier waved his flags again, signifying the start of the next bout. "Chimchar, I choose you!"
"Electabuzz, standby for battle!"
Chimchar appeared first, jumping for joy at being selected while Electabuzz appeared just after. Its arms were folded, and it was smirking down at the chimp.
"Start off with Flamethrower!"
"Thunder."
Chimchar spar a large torrent of flames from its maw out at Electabuzz, who responded by firing a massive bolt of lightning from the antennas on its head. They collided, but after only a brief struggle the Thunder slammed through the flames and into Chimchar, electrocuting him.
"Thunder Punch." Paul ordered.
"Use Scratch, then Flame Wheel!"
As Electabuzz charged forward with its fist crackling, Chimchar launched forward and swiped at its face. Electabuzz moved its arm to block, leaving it to collide with the Thunder Punch. But Chimchar was prepared and already shifting into Flame Wheel, rolling down at Electabuzz now that the power was drained from its fist.
"Thunder Punch from both sides." Paul's next command gained surprise from the audience.
Electabuzz dug its heels into the ground to gain traction. Once it stopped being pushed back by Chimchar's Flame Wheel, it lifted both arms above its head as if to power them up because it was then they sparked to life with electricity before he slammed them down, each on one side of the wheel. The fire disappeared quickly and Chimchar was thrown back, clearly roughed up.
"Land into Dig!"
Chimchar flipped so he was upside down, landing nearly face first if he hadn't started to burrow under the ground. Unlike usual, Chimchar wasted no time before coming up, going for a swing on Electabuzz only to be stopped by a green barrier. Protect.
"Flamethrower!" Ash switched right away.
"Switch to Light Screen." Unfortunately, Paul was just as quick and the green bubble of Protect was replaced by the light yellow of Light Screen. The flames bounced off the protective surface, negating half the damage Electabuzz would've taken. "Thunder Punch."
Thunder Punch hit hard, slamming Chimchar in the stomach and sending him flying backwards into the ground. Chimchar stood after a few seconds in a crater half as deep as he was tall, but he glared out at Electabuzz and wailed, becoming surrounded by a brilliant white light.
The whole world seemed to stop as Chimchar grew and changed in shape behind the veil of light, leaving behind a newly evolve Pokemon when it disappeared. Ash cried out in joy while Paul and Electabuzz kept their eyes narrowed and mouths pressed into thin lines.
"Monferno!" The newly evolved Pokemon shouted, jumping up and down. Then, one of his hands glowed white and it punched forward, sending a gust of air out at Paul, who stood motionless. "Fern, Monferno!"
"Monferno, huh? And you learned Mach Punch?" Ash all but shouted with joy. "Alright, then let's get to it, huh? Monferno, use Mach Punch!"
Monferno, with speed that tripled its previous form, took off running and reached Electabuzz before it could even raise its arms in defense. Mach Punch slammed into the electric-type's guy and sent it flying back this time, shattering a rock several yards behind Paul. Electabuzz stood up and glared briefly, but smirked and generated sparks in its antenna again, preparing for Paul's orders.
"Thunder!" Paul's orders came and Electabuzz carried it out.
"Counter Shield!" Ash countered.
Monferno entered Flame Wheel and began rolling, shooting off flames in all different directions while doing so courtesy of Flamethrower. The attacks collided and with its added momentum and power boost from evolution, this time Monferno was able to hold off the Thunder and slam its attack into Electabuzz.
"Brick Break." Paul said simply.
Electabuzz easily shook off that impact and swatted Monferno on the head with its arm. Luckily, Monferno used the impact to launch into a Dig but Paul capitalized on that and ordered Electabuzz to use Thunder down the hole. The force of the attack alone tore away enough dirt to reveal the screeching chimp. After the electricity stopped, Monferno fell to its knees with Electabuzz staring down at it. Monferno growled and pushed itself up again, the flame on its new tail doubling in size and growing above its head.
"Wait to go, Monferno! Now use Flamethrower!" Ash cried.
Electabuzz stood static still, expecting the Light Screen to save it as before only to be surprised by the amount of pain it felt despite the damage being halved. It had to erect another screen to stay standing under the pure force of the attack.
"Mach Punch!"
"Thunder Punch!"
The Pokemon rushed forward and collided, sending shock-waves across the field. Ash and Paul watched as their Pokemon stood still, each pushing hard against the other. Each had scored a hit, both having taken the attack with their cheeks, but neither was willing to drop right away. Monferno glared at Electabuzz, who only smirked in response. It knew who won.
Seconds later, Monferno collapsed on the ground.
"Monferno!" Ash cried out in worry, rushing onto the field.
"Monferno is unable to battle! With all six of Ash's Pokemon unable to continue battling, the winner of this full battle is Paul!" Olivier's words barely registered in Ash's head as he knelt by Monferno, petting the ape's head.
"Thank you so much Monferno. You did you're best, and I'm so incredibly proud of you too." Ash whispered to him, returning him gently before Monferno had a chance to object.
Ash stood to his feet, looking out at Paul. Paul stared back at Ash. Pikachu leaped onto Ash's shoulder, getting his attention for the briefest of seconds and when he turned back, Paul was already walking away. It was over, and he had lost to Paul again.
He noticed Reggie speaking to Olivier, Team Rocket taking the judges balloon and Dawn and Brock coming over to him. Luckily, they didn't seem to want to try and speak to him yet either. Brock put a hand on his shoulder while Dawn surprised him and nearly tackled him into a hug.
Her arms were around his sides as to not disturb Brock or Pikachu on his shoulders while her head was in the crook of his neck. Ash only sighed as Brock put his other hand on Dawn's shoulder and hugged Dawn back. Only Pikachu noticed the tear slide down his face.
That said, here's a plot-bunnyish-thing I've had for ages now. This isn't how the battle SHOULD'VE gone, mind you, just an alternative take. I adore the way the battle went in cannon as well as Ash and Paul's rivalry as a whole. I just wanted to see if I could do it a different way and still keep a lot in tact. I tried to put more emphasis on Ash being, like, a very good trainer here who just can't keep a foothold against Paul. I also let Pikachu shine a lot more than in cannon, I did feel like that was necessary. Might have gone overboard (admittedly), but it makes sense to me. I didn't want it to be any closer for Ash though, as any more wins would've made it a lot less of a crushing loss and I felt like the loss here was really important for the rivalry later as well as Ash's character in general.
