Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Until Ash got the phone call, he was having a nice, relaxing day.

Ash didn’t have any PWT matches assigned for the next few weeks, giving him plenty of time to train. Professor Cerise didn’t have any specific assignments for him or Goh, which was a bit disappointing- The assignments were usually a lot of fun- but still nice, as it gave Ash and Goh a chance to just hang around the lab and relax. The sun was shining, the flying-types were singing on the rooftops, and it was all in all a great day to spend outside playing with the Pokémon.

Ash was laying on the grass in the middle of the Ceriese Institute's huge outdoor area, Pikachu snoozing on his chest, supervising Riolu as he wandered around the area, trying to start a sparring match with any and all of Goh’s Pokémon, though none of them seemed particularly interested.

Goh himself was around somewhere, making the rounds as he fed his steadily increasing number of Pokémon their lunches. He had so many now that this chore was beginning to become more and more of a time sink. Chloe was relaxing in the shade of a nearby tree, idly petting Yamper as she watched a number of Goh’s Bug-types chow down.

Goh emerged from the tree line, hands empty of food sacks, and waved at them.

“Hey Goh.” Chloe said. “Finally finished?”

Goh grumbled. “You guys could’ve helped, y’know.”

Ash shrugged from his place on the grass, feeling a little guilty. If Goh had asked for his help, he probably would’ve gotten up.

Chloe shot him a look. “Hey, all our Pokémon have been fed already, not our fault you’ve caught a small army.”

Ash suddenly giggled. “I just had a thought, if you ever manage to catch every Pokémon, you won’t get a chance to stop making the rounds, ever. By the time you’re done with breakfast, It’ll be dinnertime, and so on so forth.”

Goh crossed his arms. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out. Maybe I’ll get more considerate friends, for one- and what’s this 'if' business? I’ll catch my way to Mew, just wait and see!”

Ash opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a buzzing coming from his pocket.

Bzzt-Bzzt. Bzzt-Bzzt.

“Hmm?” Ash blinked, then pulled his phone out of his pocket. It was buzzing. Recognizing the number, Ash quickly answered it, sitting up and causing Pikachu to stir. “Oh? Alola, Professor!”

“Alola, Ash!”

Goh raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar greeting, mouthing the word to Chloe as a question.

Pikachu grumbled a bit at being woken up, but perked up when his eyes focused on the call screen. “Pikaa!”

Professor Kukui waved at them from Ash’s phone screen. He looked like he’d just been shaken out of bed, dressed in an interesting combination of his lab coat and pajama pants, and he seemed pretty frazzled, but he gave them a warm smile, regardless. “And Alola to you too, Pikachu!”

“How’s it going, Professor.” Ash asked.. “You look- uh.” Ash trailed off, trying to not be rude.

“Pika, Pi-chuu?” Pikachu suggested.

Ash nodded. “Yeah. You look like Rotom-dex whenever he sees something that ‘does not compute.’ Is everything okay?” A terrible thought occurred. “Is it Professor Burnet? Is she-”

“She’s fine.” Kukui said, cutting him off. “She’s perfectly healthy, the baby is doing fine- sorry, I just woke up- its-.” Kukui pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, two problems you should be aware of, that just became one, maybe bigger problem.”

Ash tried not to wince. Any problem that had Kukui calling for his help at 5:00 AM Alola time was something to take very, very seriously.

“First of all.” Kukui said. “There’s a really powerful foreign trainer challenging the Alola league. He’s blown through Hapu, Olivia and Nanu like a hurricane in less than a week, his match with Kahuna Hala is tomorrow afternoon, if he wins-”

“I’m up next.” Ash finished, nodding. It was good to know. With the PWT happening this year, even the older, bigger leagues were being thrown out of whack, for Alola, there was nothing standing between him and any challenger besides the Kahunas. But that didn’t explain why Kukui was calling him in the middle of the night, especially if he hadn’t actually battled Hala yet. “I’ll start preparing for that, then- you think he’ll beat the Kahuna?”

“What’s a Kahuna?” Goh whispered to Chloe. She just shrugged.

Kukui winced. “I’d say it's almost a certainty, he beat the other three using only a single Pokémon. Caused quite the… uproar.”

Ash smiled briefly at the move pun, and then let out a low whistle, beyond impressed. The Kahuna’s were good. Each of them stronger than most Gym leaders in other regions. They had to be, given how important they were to their islands. For each of them to get swept by a single Pokémon…

Ash couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. And a lot excited.

“The other problem is that, last night, another ultra wormhole opened up. Right outside Iki Town.”

“What!?” Ash asked, alarmed.

Goh looked over at Chloe again, but she cut him off before he could say anything. “I. Don’t. Know.”

Kukui nodded. “That’s why I’m up right now- the guardians are really understaffed right now, Kiawe and Mallow are the only ones on Akala right now, and they were struggling to fight off the ultra beast, and I was about to join them- only the same challenger I was telling you about showed up. He fought off and caught the ultra beast.”

“But I thought it was impossible to catch an ultra beast without beast balls?”

(“What-?”)

(“I don’t know, Goh!”)

“Not impossible, apparently. Just very, very difficult.” Kukui said, rubbing his eyes. “It was a real heavy slam for the rest of us, that's for sure. Especially since, according to what Kiawe told me, he’s now refusing to release the Ultra Beast. Says he caught it fair and square, and he’s certain he can handle it.”

“That's… not great.” Ash said. Ultra Beasts weren’t evil, but they were most certainly dangerous if they were left to run wild, which was why the Ultra Guardians captured them and released them back through the wormholes. Ash had never actually considered the implications of a trainer catching and then keeping an Ultra Beast.

Which was maybe a little hypocritical. In Ash’s defense, he hadn’t actually known that Naganadel- though just a little Poiple, at the time, had been an Ultra Beast, and when he had learned he’d released it too, as soon as it was possible for him to do so, and only sheer luck had reunited them for one last battle more recently, after which Ash had released Naganadel yet again.

Ultra Beasts were out of this world. Literally. They had wants and needs that planet Earth just couldn’t fulfill. They belonged in their own homeworld, not this one.

“Which ultra beast?” Ash asked. “Or is it a new one?”

Kukui told him.

“Well.” Ash said, looking slightly gray. “That’s…”

Not quite the worst case scenario- which would be if someone had somehow caught Necrozma- but this was a distant yet definite second.

“Yeah.” Said Kukui, mirroring his look. “So, Champion- think you can muster up some of that hidden power of yours and protect your title?”

“Did he just say champion? Like, champion champion?”

“I DON'T KNOW, GOH.”

Pikachu squeaked an affirmative, and Ash grinned. “Of course! I’ll do my absolute best-” A thought struck him. “-to endure. And I'll get to Alola with extreme speed to start training.”

Kukui nodded, heard the move pun, and became completely silent. After a long moment, he brushed away a single tear. “I am so, so proud of you, kiddo.”

Ash beamed, but then his expression became more serious. “Tell me about the challenger. What’s his name? Which Pokémon did he use against the Kahunas? What do I need to prepare for?”

Kukui took a deep breath. “It was the same Pokémon each time- We’ll see if he uses it again against Hala, though I’d be surprised if he didn’t.” Kukui fixed Ash with an intense look. “Ash, have you ever heard of a Pokémon called Darkrai?”

Ash heard Goh and Chloe gasp behind him, but he barely paid attention to them, his mind was years in the past, watching what was little more than a red and black blur move at mind-boggling speeds across the battlefield of Lily of the Valley stadium, unleashing terrifyingly powerful attacks that tore his team to shreds.

“Tobias.” Ash said, simply.

“That’s his name, yeah. You’ve heard of him?” Kukui asked.

“I’ve fought him.” Ash said. “At the Sinnoh league a few years ago.”

It had been a very strong contender for the most one-sided beatdown he’d ever received.

Slowly, in spite of himself, a grin spread across Ash’s face. Pikachu let out a small growl, sparks flying from his cheeks. “We’ve gotten a lot stronger since then- this is gonna be awesome!” He smiled at Kukui. “I’ll be back in Alola as soon as I can, and I’m sure I’ll be able to reason with him about the Ultra Beast, no need to worry.”

Kukui laughed. “You got it, champ. Alola!”

“Alola! See you soon!”

Kukui ended the call, and Ash got up and stretched. “A rematch with Tobias huh? should be exciting, whatever happens, right buddy?”

“Ka-chuu.”

Goh tapped Ash on the shoulder. Chloe was right on his heels. “Hey, Ash?”

“Yeah, what is it, Goh?” Ash asked, turning towards him.

“What was that all about?”

“Oh, the phone call? That was Professor Kukui! He studies Pokémon moves and he was just telling me that I’ve got a big battle coming up!”

Riolu, still trying to badger Goh’s Darmanitan, perked up at the word ‘battle’ ran over to Ash’s legs, and pumped his fists in the air. “Rio! Ri!”

“Yeah!” Ash told Riolu. “That’s it exactly!”

Goh narrowly resisted the urge to scream.

The next morning found Ash and Goh on an airplane, bound for Alola.

"Attention all passengers; This is your captain speaking. We are beginning our descent and will be arriving in Melemele Airport in just a few minutes.”

“So you’re a Champion champion?” Goh said, for what felt like the hundred and fifty-first time. “Like… Like Champion Lance? And Champion Leon? You’re the honest-to-Arceus Alola Champion Ash Ketchum?”

“Yep.” Said Ash, pressing his nose to the window. Melemele Island was beginning to come into view. A slowly growing splotch of green in the vast blue ocean. Ash scritched Pikachu, who the flight attendants had graciously let stay with Ash during the flight, gently behind the ears, much to the electric-type’s delight. “I don’t get why you keep making such a big deal outta this.”

“You never once mentioned it!”

“Well, you never once asked.” Ash defended, reasonably.

Goh sputtered. “Well, I’m sorry- I’ll just make sure to ask the next person I meet; Hey, are you by any chance the champion of any other regions?”

Ash stopped to consider this.

“No.” Said Goh, quietly.

“I mean… hey Pikachu, do the orange islands count, Do ya think?”

“Piii, chu pi ka-chu.” Said Pikachu, thoughtfully.

“Yeah, that seems right. Thanks, Pikachu.”

Goh decided not to ask, and the plane began to descend.

“Attention all passengers! We are arriving at Melemele Airport. Please remain seated and thank you for choosing Air Pidgeot!”

Professors Kukui and Burnet were waiting for them at the baggage claim. Ash got hugs and hair ruffles, Pikachu got headpats and belly rubs, and Goh got a much less enthusiastic, but still very warm, welcome to Alola.

Professor Kukui drove Ash and Goh to his house, where Ash was promptly mobbed by his Alolan Pokémon team.

Goh stared in surprise, Ash had a pretty weird group of Pokémon here, two of Alola’s starters, one at its first stage and the other fully evolved, plus something that looked a bit like a lycanroc but was orange for some reason, and a huge metal Pokémon he didn’t recognize at all.

Ash’s Riolu, upon meeting them, assumed that the metal monster was the most powerful, marched directly up to it, and immediately kicked him in the leg as hard as he could. This did little more than get its attention.

“Riolu no. Don’t attack Melmetal.” Ash called, sighing. “I’m sorry about this… He only hatched a few weeks ago and he’s a bit… violent.”

Melmetal slowly bent down to pick up Riolu, gently squeezing him between his two massive arms, and deposited the baby Pokémon in Ash’s arms.

“That’s a sign of good health, in a young fighting type.” Kukui said, smiling. “So, Hala lost too… you weren't kidding about that Latios. Do you have a plan?”

Ash nodded. “Yeah, Hau sent me the video. I’ve spent the whole plane ride strategizing.”

Kahuna Hala had done remarkably well, all things considered. Hau had let out an ear-splitting cheer when, after losing two of his three teammates in an arduous battle, his grandfather's venerable Hariyama had finally finished off Darkrai with All-out pummeling- only for hope to audibly vanish from his voice when Tobias proceeded to send out Latios.

Ash felt his pain. Though he made sure to tell Hau that his grandfather had outperformed all of Sinnoh’s gym leaders just by taking out Darkrai alone, which had bolstered his spirits a bit.

Goh sat down on the professor’s couch, giving a small noise of surprise as Lycanroc padded over to him, putting his snout on the couch next to him. “So Ash, are you going to use these guys in the battle? ‘Cause I gotta say- I don’t see how Gengar or Dragonite could deal with Darkrai and Latios.”

“He wants scratches.” Ash informed him, referring to Lycanroc. “Don’t worry, he’s excited, but he knows not to hurt you. As for Dragonite and Gengar- you’re probably right. As they are now, neither of them would stand much of a chance- they have loads of potential, no doubt about it, but not enough training.”

‘Rio?’ Riolu asked, looking up at him.

Ash gently patted Riolu’s head. The emanation Pokémon had potential coming out of his ears. He’d come out of his egg punching and kicking in a proper battle stance, for Arceus’s sake, but under no circumstances was Ash pitting an infant against an opponent like Tobias. “That goes for you too, bud. You’re not quite ready to be fighting in this one- I promise, you’ll get tons of battles later, once I’ve trained you up a little more.”

Riolu pouted, but didn’t argue. Ash tried to console him with more headpats.

Ash leaned back in his chair. “Darkrai is the biggest threat, I think. The fact that he led with it against Hala, despite knowing he’d have a type disadvantage when he had Latios waiting in the wings pretty much proves that- not to mention that dark void and dream eater is an absolutely deadly combo- but I think I’ve got a strategy that can beat it.”

Hopefully without losing half my team beforehand, this time. Ash thought. “The title defense is in a week, right?”

“Yeah.” Said Kukui. “Last minute training?”

“Last minute training.” Ash confirmed, nodding. “Is Kiawe around? I could use a sparring partner.”

“He and Mallow heard you'd be in town today. They’ll be over soon.” Burnet said. She shook her head, fondly. “Kiawe’s been looking around for a training buddy as well. He’s a little embarrassed that he couldn’t handle the ultra beast on his own.”

“Okay, seriously.” Goh said, from underneath Lycanroc, who had apparently taken a liking to him. “What's with all this ‘ultra’ stuff, anyways?”

“Oh.” Ash said. “Right, that. Yeah, I should probably explain what's up with the Ultra everything.”

Goh let out a large sigh of relief, happy to finally be getting some answers, for a change.

“So, I think ‘ultra’ might be Lusamine’s favorite word or something, or maybe she saw it in an old cartoon once and got attached? Because she’s the one in charge of naming all this stuff.” Ash said.

Goh waited. Quite patiently, he thought.

Ash turned to Kukui. “So, when will Kiawe and Mallow get here?”

Goh buried his face in Lycanroc’s mane and screamed.

Ash watched Goh in confusion until Burnet, who was laughing quietly, touched Goh’s shoulder and began walking him through the basics of Ultra Space. When Goh perked up to give her his undivided attention, he shrugged. “Well then, Pikachu, ready for some special training?”

Pikachu nodded, pumping his fists. “Cha!”

Chapter Text

Manolo stadium was packed .

Goh, Professor Burnet, Mallow and Kiawe had all received front-row seats, courtesy of Professor Kukui, who was working as the official commentator for the match. It seemed like every Pokémon battle fan in the Alola region had turned up to watch the title defense.

It was a gorgeous day for it, a little hot for Goh’s taste, but apparently even Alolan winters were on the warm side, so he tried not to complain too much. The atmosphere in the stadium was completely different to the professor’s beachfront house, upbeat music was playing from speakers, and the clamoring of the crowd filled the area with an excited energy that made it hard for Goh to hear himself think.

“Popcorn! Popcorn, get your popcorn here!”

“Darkrai candy bars! Pikachu snow cones! We’re moving all sorts a merch for you ta munch!”

“And why not wash it all down with some wonderful honey Malasadas, prepared right here on Melemele Island!”

“Wob! Wobbufett!”

Goh turned to see a trio of oddly familiar food vendors, plus a Wobbufett, walking towards them. Riolu, who was sitting on Burnet’s lap with instructions to ‘watch closely, because that’ll be you someday’ from Ash, growled at them.

Burnet gave Riolu a headpat to calm him down. “Now now, Riolu, these nice people are just trying to sell us some nice food on this nice day.”

“Indeed!” Said the pink haired, female vendor. “The nicest, there’s nobody nicer!”

“Our only thought is to sell the most fabulous foodstuff to the battle fans of Alola, to feast on while the fighters enter the fray.” Said the blue haired, male vendor. “And perhaps fill our purses with pokè in the process.”

“So there’s absolutely nothing for your feelings to fret over.” The short, oddly pale, oddly fuzzy-looking vendor told Riolu.

The Wobbufett saluted, then offered the group a tray of Champion Ash Ketchum bobbleheads.

They refused the bobbleheads, (which Goh had spent an inordinately long time gaping at, because apparently his goofy, scatterbrained roommate had commemorative merchandise. And it was fairly popular to boot) but they did buy some food. Burnet and Kiawe got Pikachu snow cones, and Goh, at Burnet’s recommendation, tried a honey malasada. (It was heavenly.)

Mallow tried to avoid the rest of the group’s pointed looks as she unwrapped her Darkrai candy bar. “I like dark chocolate, okay?”

“Traitor.” Kiawe told her.

Suddenly the music cut off.

“Ladies and Gentlemen!” Kukui’s voice boomed over the speakers. “The battle you’ve all been waiting for is about to begin! So let's give a warm welcome to our competitors. First up, in the green corner, our challenger! Hailing from the Sinnoh region, Give it up for Sandgem Town’s very own Tobias Takuto!”

Tobias himself walked out of the stadium and made his way to the arena, clad in a dark red traveling cloak. He waved politely to the cheering crowd, and took his place in the leftmost trainer’s box.

“Shouldn’t we be booing this guy?” Goh asked. “If Ash is his opponent, and I assume you want him to stay the champion.”

“Of course we’re rooting for Ash!” Kiawe called over the roar of the crowd. “But still, he deserves respect for getting this far- besides, how would you feel if it was you, and the audience hated you just for not being on your home turf?!”

“You Alolans are very hospitable!” Goh yelled back, remembering the jeers Lance faced in Wyndon stadium, with only a handful of Kantonian fans cheering for him when he had faced Leon.

“Thank you!”

“And now, in the Red corner!” Kukui roared over the speakers. “You know him! you love him! It’s our first ever champion, here to defend his throne! Put your hands together for Ash Ketchum from Pallet town!”

Ash emerged from his dugout, Smile on his lips and Pikachu at his heels, and the crowd screamed. Ash turned to face them, his eyes seeking out his friends in the stands. He waved hugely with both arms, beaming. “Thank you, everyone!”

“Cham-pi-on! Cham-pi-on! Cham-pi-on!” The crowd chanted.

“Alola, Tobias!” Said Ash, once he reached his own trainer's box. 

“Greetings, Ash.” Tobias replied. “I must say, I was surprised to learn that you were the champion that I would face today. I offer my congratulations on becoming champion, and I’m looking forward to our battle.”

“Hey, thanks!” Ash said. “I’ve been looking forward to this rematch myself, but could I ask one question before we start? Why the Alola league, specifically? We don’t really have much of an official league system set up just yet.”

Tobias raised his arms. “A fair enough question, with a simple answer. I’m hoping for my luck to improve with a change of scenery. You see, despite multiple attempts at the Sinnoh and Johto leagues, I cannot seem to defeat either Cynthia or Lance.” He gave Ash a competitive look. “My goal, after all, is nothing more or less than to become a Champion. One with the greatest Pokémon team the world has ever seen!”

Ash smirked. “And I’ll bet you think that since you’ve beaten me in the past, I’ll be an easier opponent? Well, hate to tell you, but I’ve grown much stronger since the Sinnoh league. This won’t be anything like last time!”

“Such confidence!” Tobias laughed, not unkindly. “Then I expect a thrilling match from you, Ash. Now, shall we begin?”

“Alright!” Ash slammed his fist into his palm. “Tobias Takuto, As Champion of the Alola Pokémon league, I accept your challenge!” 

“Trainers, select your first Pokémon!” Kukui shouted over the speakers.

Ash flipped a pokéball over in one hand, and chucked it into the battlefield. “Incineroar, I choose you!”

Tobias pulled his own pokéball from a fold in his cloak. “Darkrai, come forth!”

Incineroar emerged in a swirl of fire, the tiger stretched, and extended his claws, the flames on his belt flickering slightly in time with the Heel Pokémon’s breathing. Darkrai hovered opposite the battlefield, its white hair fluttering slightly in some undetectable wind, its one visible eye fixed dead on Incineroar.

“Cham-pi-on! Cham-pi-”

“READY-?!” Kukui roared.

Ash took a deep breath, and his vision tunneled. The rest of the world faded away. Ash’s universe shrank until it consisted only of himself, Tobias, their teams, the battlefield beneath them, and the sky above. Ash’s gaze swept across his new, tiny planet, taking in every minute detail, searching for any possible advantage. It was battle time.

“-BEGIN!”

“Flame Charge!”

“Darkrai, use Focus Blast!”

Both Pokémon exploded into motion. Incineroar broke into a dead sprint, fire flickering across its legs and spreading to his whole body as he ran, propelling him forward. Darkrai cupped its claws, an orb of swirling orange power rapidly growing between them. Darkrai shoved forwards, and the Focus Blast rocketed towards Incineroar.

Without slowing down, and without any input from Ash, Incineroar dropped to all fours, bounded over the fighting type move, landed, and sprang forwards once again, flames still burning bright as he threw himself at the legendary of nightmares. When they were only inches apart, Darkrai moved, slipping out of Incineroar’s path as if he were made of smoke, floating high into the air and out of Incineroar’s reach. Incineroar landed on two legs, and he briefly flashed orange as the blaze of Flame Charge faded away.

At this level, very few Pokémon needed to be ordered to dodge attacks. Ash honestly would’ve been a little disappointed if Darkrai was an exception.

“Focus blast, once again!” Tobias yelled.

“Defend with Darkest Lariat!” Ash countered.

Another energy ball was hurled at Incineroar’s back, but Ash’s fire type spun like a top, dark-type energy coating his arms. The focus blast was intercepted and deflected into the ground by Incineroar’s spinning attack. The powerful, super-effective move doing only minimal damage to Incineroar’s wrist.

Spinning moves are so good for defense. Ash thought to himself, remembering his own struggles against opponents using attacks like rapid spin and gyro ball in the past. “Incineroar, use Fire Blast!” 

“Darkrai, counter with Dark Pulse!”

Incineroar launched a flaming, five-pointed attack, shaped, oddly enough, like the kanji symbol for ‘fire’ from his burning belt, and Darkrai shot out a beam of pure blackness from his claws. The attacks collided in mid-air and began pushing against each other. Slowly, the fire blast began to get pushed back as Darkrai’s raw power started to overwhelm Ash’s dark type.

Which wasn’t to say Incineroar was out of options. “Incineroar, switch to Flame Charge, keep up the pressure!”

Incineroar abandoned his focus on his attack and blurred forwards, looping around the battlefield to avoid the now approaching dark pulse at impressive speeds. The legendary dark type was just slightly too slow to switch focus, and Incineroar’s attack slammed into Darkrai, landing the first clean hit of the match.

Ash was dimly, faintly aware of some sort of cheering noise coming from somewhere outside of his battlefield-universe, but he paid it no mind. If he knew Tobias and Darkrai…

“Use dark void!”

“Ember countersheild!” Ash called, already knowing it probably wouldn’t work.

Quick as a flash, Darkrai created a massive orb of swirling, inky darkness. In an instant, it split into dozens, maybe hundreds of smaller bubbles, and spread across the battlefield like a flood. Incineroar did his best to defend himself, spinning again and encircling himself with ribbons of flame, but Incineroar hadn’t quite had enough time to master this maneuver- his shield had holes, and dark void found them. A single bubble slipped through the cracks and brushed against Incineroar’s knee, and instantly expanded to envelop Incineroar completely. The dark void vanished, and Incineroar slumped forward, fast asleep. 

More than Darkrai’s incredible speed and power, this was the move that made Darkrai truly terrifying. If Darkrai was ever put on the back foot, he could enforce naptime on everything in his general vicinity. Combine that with Darkrai’s ability, bad dreams, and his second scariest move, dream eater, and Darkrai could do massive amounts of damage while also healing himself.

Darkrai is presented with any sort of problem. Darkrai uses dark void. It was like clockwork.

Ash’s one saving grace here was that Incineroar was a dark type, so the psychic typed Dream Eater wouldn’t do a thing to him, but there was still-

“Darkrai, use Nightmare!”

-That. Yeah. “Incineroar, hang in there!’ Ash called through gritted teeth.

***

Litten was scared.

It was windy, and raining, and Stoutland was cold, far, far too cold and nothing Litten did seemed to help. 

Litten snuggled deeper into Stoutland’s fur and cried for help. Litten was a proud Pokémon, but this was beyond him and surely Ash could do something to help. He always helped and wait didn’t he already-???

Litten’s vision became hazy for a moment, and he felt someone approach, it was his opponent, Dark-. For an instant, it looked like a Pokémon he’d never seen before. A floating, vaguely humanoid shadow with a red scarf and a bright blue eye, but then Its form changed, and the Pokémon became the ultra beast, Nihiligo, who surged forwards, its many tentacles extending to attack.

Litten- no, he wasn’t Litten. He hadn’t been Litten for a long time; he was so much stronger than that, He was Incin-. Torracat surged forwards to meet him, flames billowing from his throat and his belt and from the bell on his neck, but his flames weren’t strong enough and Torracat found himself caught in Nihiligo’s grip.

But that still wasn’t quite right. He wasn’t Torracat, either.

Nihiligo squeezed tighter and tighter, Stoutland still wasn’t moving and Incineroar…

…This didn’t make any sense.

…How did he get here? What had he been doing before this?

This was -

This wasn’t real!

Nihiligo turned back into a stunned Darkrai-

-And Incineroar’s eyes opened.

Incineroar felt like he’d just been crushed between two anvils, and his head was pounding, but he could hear Ash cheering for him, and he could hear his crowd cheering for him, so he raised his arms to acknowledge his audience and his trainer, flexing his muscles, before his eyes turned on his opponent. 

Darkrai was watching him, the aftereffects of his attack fading from his body. He looked surprised. He looked maybe a little wary, but he didn’t look scared. He considered Incineroar impressive, but not a threat. 

Incineroar could fix that.

“Use Revenge!” Ash called.

That sounded like an excellent idea to Incineroar, who leapt towards Darkrai at dizzying speeds, a boost from the repeated use of Flame Charge from before. (Ash and Incineroar both loved Flame Charge.) As Incineroar approached, he focused on his anger at being damaged, and on building fighting type power in his paw as he curled it. 

Two speed boosts from flame charge proved just barely sufficient for Incineroar to outspeed Darkrai. The dark type legendary wasn’t quite able to bring his guard up in time, and Incineroar punched Darkrai in the face. 

The nightmare Pokémon went skipping across the battlefield like a stone on a lake. Bouncing thrice before coming to a stop. Sadly, he started getting back up again.

“Follow it up with another Flame Charge!” Ash shouted. Because why settle for being only slightly faster than the other guy?

Incineroar rocketed forwards again.

“Darkrai, use Haze! Then Double Team!”

Darkrai spread its arms, and an icy fog covered the battlefield, as Incinieroar ran into it, he felt a chill all the way down to the bone. The speed boosts seemed lo leech out of his body. Darkrai emerged from the fog, and Incineroar slammed into it with a kick, but Darkrai vanished into smoke as soon as he connected. An illusion.

Incineroar looked around warily.

Ash thought quickly. “Spin and use Ember to light up the area!”

“Focus blast!”

Incineroar, did as instructed, thin walls of flame emerging from each paw and pushing away the icy clouds, The Darkrai and all his illusionary copied each fired a focus blast at Incineroar, but the weak fire attack also popped all the illusions, realizing that the focus blast tearing through his shields was the real one, Incineroar stopped spinning and focused everything he had into the ember, trying to slow the attack down. 

It kind of worked. The focus blast had lost a lot of its bite by the time it hit him, so Incineroar was able to shake off the damage fairly well.

“Incineroar, let’s try your new move!” Ash suddenly called.

Incineroar looked up and saw Darkrai preparing another Dark Void bubble. He let out a long, patronizing sigh. 

(Oh for pete’s sake. Another cheap trick? ) Incineroar Taunted. ( Can you actually battle, or is it all just stupid gimmicks with you? )

Dakrai looked down at him. (Careful how you speak. I can-)

(Blah blah blah.) Incineroar Taunted. (C’mon, I thought Legendary Pokémon were supposed to be good at battles. Stop with the Tauros droppings and fight me like a real ‘mon.)

The Dark void disappeared from Darkrai’s hand. (I am going to hurt you now.)

Incineroar made a ‘bring it on’ gesture with his claws.

Darkrai barreled towards Incineroar, night slashes at the ready, and Tobias frowned. “What just- Oh. Clever. Darkrai, switch to Aerial Ace if you have an opening!”

“Good work Incineroar, now use slash!”

The two Pokémon engaged in a fierce melee, clashing again and again.  Incineroar landed a good hit, but missed the next one when Darkrai ducked, pulling its head deep into its scarf. Darkrai followed this up by cloaking himself in flying-type energy and slamming into Incineroar, sending him sprawling. 

Incineroar dug his claws into the battlefield for leverage and stopped to take a deep breath. 

“Incineroar, you okay?”

Incineroar nodded, but his breathing was obviously labored.

Ash grimaced. “Ouch- Incineroar, let’s save your strength. Use parting shot!”

Dakrai prepared another aerial ace and flew towards him.

Incineroar roared again. (One last thing: Your scarf looks stupid!) before vanishing into his pokéball. Darkrai swept through the place he’d just been standing moments ago, looking utterly enraged. A brief flash of blue washed over Darkrai as the insult registered. 

Kukui’s voice cut through the battlefield. “And Ash switches Incineroar out with the use of a quick Parting Shot, which has the added benefit of lowering Darkrai’s attack power! Let’s see who Ash sends in next!” 

Ash grabbed his second pokéball. “Noivern, I choose you!”

Ash’s Kalosian Dragon took to the field and let out a battle cry, before considering his opponent. Noivern enthusiastically waved hello. Darkrai, a little confused, hesitantly waved back.

Ash smiled at his Pokémon. Noivern had been a riskier pick, he was young, and didn’t have an amazing track record in big battles, but Ash still had faith in him. Noivern had, after all, done fairly well against a Zapdos in the past, and on top of that- “Uproar, go!”

Tobais snapped his fingers. “Darkrai, use Dark Void!”

Noivern leaned back, opened his mouth, and screamed. (I LOVE THIS MOVE!!)

When Professor Oak had called Ash two weeks ago at 11:30 at night to inform him that his Noivern had learned a new move that was preventing anyone from getting to sleep, Ash’s response had been ‘awesome!’

This was not, as it turned out, the correct response.

It was still awesome though. Pure, ear splitting volume emanated from every part of Noivern’s body as he stirred up an uproar. Dark void hit clean, but Noivern’s eyes barely got the chance to droop before another pulse of noise shook him back to full alertness.

Tobias scowled. “Use Ice Beam!”

“Remember your training!” Ash called.

The first part of Noivern’s Anti-Darkrai training was to maintain Uproar for as long as possible.

The second part of Noivern’s Anti-Darkrai training was to have Incineroar tutor him in Flamethrower, and teach the dragon/flying type to shoot it at anything that even remotely looked like it could be Ice-typed. And Noivern, to Ash’s neverending pride, was a quick study. 

Fire and Ice clashed in the sky and canceled each other out. 

“Noivern, go on the attack, use Air slash!”

“Darkrai, stop him with Dark Pulse!”

Noivern took to the skies, launching blades of solidified wind at his opponent, who countered with rays of black energy. The two Pokémon twirled through the skies, dodging and countering one another in a high-speed dogfight. Darkrai tried mixing it up with the occasional ice beam, but a Flamethrower blocked every single one. Noivern was doing his best, and landed a glancing hit or two, but little by little, the young dragon was being put on the defensive. Darkrai was just too fast and too strong.

A dark pulse clipped the flying type’s tail, and Ash grit his teeth. “Noivern, use screech!”

Noivern’s boombox-like ears unfurled, and he let out an ear-rattling scream directed right at Darkrai.

Now, Darkrai was pretty freaking fast. He could move out of the way of a jet plane, a lightning bolt, or a bullet. But he could not move out of the way of a loud noise. Darkrai flinched backwards, flashing blue again, and held its hands over its ears.

“Dragon Claw, go!” Ash roared.

Noivern darted forwards, emerald green energy extending from his claws.

“Darkrai, use Psychic, quickly!” Tobias yelled.

Noivern was mere inches away when Darrkai used his own attack, his bright blue eye flashing a bright violet. Telekinetic energy wrapped around Ash’s dragon bat, and sent him flying into the ground. Noivern landed hard, driving a furrow through the sandy battlefield. Darkai lowered himself closer to the ground, visibly winded.

“Noivern!” Ash called, concern evident in his voice.

Slowly, Noivern lifted his head and gave Darkrai a wobbly look. With a grunt of effort, Noivern sent a quick, weakened Boomburst at Darkrai, sending him skidding backwards, and got to his feet.

“Ice Beam and finish this!”

“Noivern, Flamethrower, please!”

A jet of freezing cold came flying at Noivern, who only barely managed to spit out a spurt of fire in time. Noivern gave it all he had, but his energy had dropped too much. The ice beam pushed through and hit Noivern, who instantly slumped to the ground.

“Noivern is unable to battle!” Kukui called over the speakers, after a moment. “Red Trainer, select your next Pokémon!”

“Noivern, return!” Ash called, sucking Noivern’s unconscious form back into his pokéball. “You were amazing, buddy, just leave the rest to us.” The Pallet town trainer took a deep breath. “Heracross, I choose you!”

Ash’s beetle Pokémon emerged from his ball and fell into a fighting stance. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he saw Darkrai. Heracross was a veteran of Ash’s first battle with Tobias, and it was clear the bug and fighting type was ready for payback.

Darkrai’s been hit several times, and it’s defense is way down after Noivern’s screech. We absolutely need to finish him off, and prevent him from healing with Dream Eater.

“Heracross, get in close!”

“Darkrai, Dark void!

"Use Protect, Togedemaru style!” Ash called.

A force field appeared around Heracross, totally encasing him in a bubble of energy. Heracross then put his arms against the Protect shield and pushed, walking quickly but carefully as he pushed so that the whole force field started rolling forwards. This was a new Ash Ketchum original, inspired by Sophocles’s Togedemaru power generator. Togedemaru powered her trainer’s inventions by running on a giant wheel, and Ash and Pikachu had taken a turn on it too, once upon a time. Ash, being Ash, had taken this invention and applied it to a Pokémon battle to create a rolling forcefield.

Darkrai was so surprised by the rapidly rolling bug type he almost forgot to spam Dark Void like there was no tomorrow. Almost.

“Darkrai!” Tobias called, after a moment of sheer bafflement. “Retreat into the air, and keep using Dark Void! He can’t keep this up forever!”

That was true enough. Already, the forcefield was beginning to wobble. Protect was nigh-unbreakable, but the downside of the move was that it didn’t last very long.

“Full speed ahead, Heracross!” Ash called. “Get as close as you can!”

Heracross chased Darkrai through the air, wings flapping madly as he pushed his hamster ball defense. Dark void bubbles started filling the area. Protect continued to flicker. Heracross made a sharp turn, closing the gap on Darkrai by a small margin, and Ash shouted out. “Switch to sleep talk!”

Heracross dropped his shield and instantly flew into one of the hundreds of stray dark void bubbles, falling asleep immediately. However, this didn’t slow him down much. As soon as his eyes closed, he was back in a sloppy, but workable, fighting stance.

Tobias’s eyes widened. “Darkrai, use Dream Eat-”

-WHAM!

Sleep talk selected a random move of the user. Ash’s Heracross was a simple ‘mon with simple wants and a simple fighting style. His movepool was populated almost entirely by physical Bug-, Fighting- and Normal-type moves which ranged from somewhat hard-hitting to extraordinarily hard-hitting. Sleep talk had spun the wheel of fate and gotten Brick Break; A fighting type move about halfway up that scale. Darkrai had no time to react, before Heracross’s fist came slamming into the dark-type’s gut.

Darkrai wheezed audibly, then slowly but surely floated to the floor. It slumped over on the ground, and did not get back up.

The crowd erupted into cheers. Tobias looked on, visibly surprised.

“Darkrai is unable to battle, Green trainer, select your next Pokémon!”

“Alright, Heracross!” Ash yelled to his sleeping beetle, who was slowly being roused by the noise. Darkrai Down! Ash thought giddily. 

Heracross blinked awake and turned to look at Ash, a question clear in his expression.

“You did it!” Ash yelled. “You won!”

Heracross pumped his fists in the air. (Yeah!)

Tobias clapped slowly. “Not bad, Champion. Truly, I am impressed! But you already know this is far from over. Latios, come forth!”

Latios emerged from his pokéball with an excited trill, doing a loop-de-loop in the air before hovering a few meters off the ground. At Ash’s heels, Pikachu sat forwards, making a concerned noise. No doubt the little electric type was remembering his last bout with the eon dragon- the double KO that had put an end to Ash’s Sinnoh league run.

Ash cracked his knuckles. “So it’s Latios again, huh? Heracross, use Pin Missile!”

“Latios, Reflect!” Tobias called.

A strange, purple energy field surrounded Latios, blunting, though not outright blocking, the strength of the spray of needles that flew from Heracross’s horn. The normally super-effective attack caused only minor injuries. Latios still let out a small, pained grunt when the attack landed, causing Tobias to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Ash pointed at Latios. “Try a Megahorn, now!”

“Outmaneuver him.” Tobias called. “And use Luster Purge!”

Heracross chased Latios into the air, his giant horn glowing with powerful, bug-type energy, but Latios was far faster, pulling off an expert barrel roll in mid-air to get behind Heracross. A brilliant purple lazer fired from Latios’s mouth, enveloping Heracross in a flash of light.

Ash called out in worry as Heracross dropped from the sky like a stone, but cheered when he just barely managed to right himself and land on his feet. Ash’s powerful bug-type fell to one knee, but managed to pick himself back up, burns and scuff marks covering his carapace.

Tobias looked up at Latios. “Finish it off, use Zen Headbutt!”

No time to dodge. No stamina to defend. That Reflect cripples most of our attacks. Alright then- “Heracross, let's go for broke!” Ash called. “Hyper beam, and give it everything you’ve got!”

Heracross set his stance, grunted, and a golden cone of energy erupted from his horn, enveloping the rapidly approaching Eon dragon. Hyper beam was an insanely powerful move, and most Pokémon, if hit with one, would immediately be sent flying as the gigantic ray of raw energy tore any and all natural defenses asunder.

Latios barely slowed down. The legendary psychic-type rammed into Heracross at high speed, and knocked it out in an instant.

“Heracross return.” Ash called. He looked down at his pokéball. “You were awesome, buddy. Great work. Take a nice long rest.” 

Ash pulled out another pokéball. 

Latios was a hard Pokémon to counter. Unlike Darkrai, Latios didn’t rely on any one specific gimmick or strategy to be dangerous. It was simply just that strong . A true powerhouse. Fast. Durable. Capable of a wide variety of powerful close and long-range moves. He had no particular standout strengths, but also no weaknesses. It was a very difficult type of opponent to counter.

But Latios was far from invincible, and Tobias wasn’t the only trainer with powerful Pokémon. “Charizard, I choose you!”

Ash’s oldest fire type emerged with a monstrous roar, flames spewing from his mouth.  Across the field, Latios gave the Kantonian monster an appraising look.

The two Pokémon stared each other down for a second, and then they were off, taking to the skies at incredible speed.

“Charizard, Dragon Breath!” Ash yelled.

“Latios, Light Screen! And keep up the Reflect!” Tobias ordered.

Charizard exhaled slowly, and a stream of ethereal, purple-green flames poured from his mouth, stretching across the battlefield. In response, Latios accelerated sharply, twirling around the attack even as he reset his defenses, purple and yellow energy cages wrapping around his body like a second skin as a defense against all attacks.

Ash grit his teeth. “Try Fire Spin! Spread it as much as you can!”

“Latios, push through it and use Thunderbolt!”

Charizard sprayed out huge rings of flame and swung them at Latios, covering huge portions of the battlefield, but Latios weathered the firestorm, helped by both the light screen and his own type advantage, before letting loose a crackling thunderbolt that Charizard was just barely too slow to get out of the way of.

“Latios, finish this with Water Pulse!” Tobias called

Ash winced as Charizard crashed into the floor, lightning flickering between his wings.  Finish it? We’re just getting started! And we’ve got just the move to turn the tables! “Charizard, defend with Steel Wing-!” 

-Charizard was a step ahead of him. His wings were already glowing a metallic silver as the bubble approached, and a sharp spin from Charizard shoved the attack away.

“-and use Scary Face!”

Charizard smirked, then glared at Latios with a sneer that could curl milk. He let out a soul-chilling screech, a horrible aura surrounding him . In the air, Latios flinched, a faint blue light surrounding him as his power dropped.

Ash grinned. Say goodbye to your speed advantage, Latios! “Now, Charizard, rush him down with a double Brick Break!”

Tobias grit his teeth. “Latios, use your mightiest Giga Impact and finish him off!”

Charizard blasted into the air, ascending until he was higher up than Latios, before shooting down like a rocket, each of his claws clenched and wrapped in fighting-type energy. Latios surrounded itself with a globe of multicolored energy and threw himself forward, but Charizard was upon him in an instant, denying the legendary any chance of gaining momentum. The two Pokémon clashed into each other, straining strength against strength. Charizard, skills honed from hundreds of aerial battles during his training in the Charicific Valley, leveraged gravity to his advantage, pushing down on Latios with his full weight, his wings working furiously to keep up the pressure. 

Eventually, the pair split apart, neither combatant was able to do any meaningful damage, but Ash was grinning widely.

Latios’s defenses, his Light Screen and Reflect, had shattered into tiny yellow and purple shards, courtesy of Brick Break. Ash mentally thanked Professor Kukui for the lesson on that particular technique, and pointed forwards. “Charizard, let's finish this, use Seismic Toss!”

Charizard dropped on Latios, who was still struggling with Giga Impact’s recoil, and grabbed him around the wingtips, pinning Latios to his chest and taking off, high, high into the sky, at ridiculous speeds. Latios struggled, but was unable to break Chariard’s grip.

Tobias clenched his fist. “Latios, Thunderbolt, you can’t miss!”

***

Latios heard his master’s call, and smirked up at the fire type hauling him through the air. 

(Unhand me, you brute!) Latios cried, lightning flashing across his feathered wings and blasting outwards.

Charizard let out a grunt of agony as golden lightning danced across his scales. Still, the fire dragon refused to let go, going into the loop of his attack. Flashes of electricity crackled across his scales, causing Charizard’s muscles to spasm, but the pain only made Charizard grab on harder, his talons digging into Latios’s wings. (Nice try punk!) Charizard roared as he reached the apex of his attack, flipping around and letting gravity take him (But Pikachu shocks way harder!)

Charizard and Latios whirled through the sky, spinning around and around to gain more and more momentum, Latios’s Thunderbolt still igniting both of them. As the ground approached, at the last possible moment, Charizard let go. The fire type’s wings flaring as he prevented himself from becoming a bright red pancake. To say Charizard slammed Latios into the ground at a high speed would be accurate, but it would be more appropriate to say he hit Latios with the entire planet.

The impact sent up huge plumes of sand. Charizard, grinning in spite of the electrical pain coursing through his muscles, landed hard. 

“Charizard!” Ash called through the sand. “You good, bud?”

“Get up, Latios!” Tobais called. 

Charizard flapped his wings, blowing away the smoke and sand, roaring triumphantly as he spewed a small (well, for him, at least) amount of flames into the air in victory.

Latios struggled mightily, managing to lift itself an inch or two off the ground, before collapsing. 

Professor Kukui confirmed it a second later. “Latios is unable to battle, Charizard wins!”

Chapter Text

Goh slid backwards into his seat, barely able to comprehend the events happening below him. 

This Tobias guy was nothing short of insane. To have not just one, but multiple legendary Pokémon on the same team…

Goh had to wonder how Tobias had done it. Goh’s own quest to capture every Pokémon leading up to Mew… he’d never really considered that that would also include every legendary Pokémon. Which maybe was stupid of him, but whatever.

Tobias’s team proved, at least, that it was possible. Goh would’ve liked to ask him how he’d managed it, it seemed unbelievable that a normal human trainer could tame such ancient, powerful beings. 

Even more unbelievable, in Goh’s mind, was the fact that Ash was facing off against said ancient and powerful beings and was holding his own. 

Ash Ketchum. His goofy, ridiculous roommate. The research partner who didn’t know how computers worked and had tripped over his own shoelaces on twenty-seven separate occasions in the relatively short time Goh had known him- battling at the highest possible level of skill. 

Watching this battle- For the first time, Goh truly believed that his friend could be a real and true Champion. A trainer who commanded the respect of an entire region, who could sell out tickets for massive arenas.

Maybe Ash really could be a true rival to Champion Leon, the best in the world. Maybe he could go up against a team packed full of godlike monsters.

Maybe he could even win .

Down below, Ash grinned as his battlefield-universe was shaken by cheers from the world beyond. Charizard was still roaring in triumph, and Ash couldn’t blame him. Latios was a heck of an opponent to take down. 

This is awesome! Ash mentally shouted. This is already way better than I did last time!

Still though, this was not the time to get cocky. The scoreboard might be tied right now, but Ash had multiple injured and tired Pokémon, and he had revealed a lot more of his team than Tobias had. And as for Tobias himself…

The challenger had a grimace on his face as he recalled Latios. He gave Ash an appraising look, clearly deep in thought. If Tobias had been underestimating him before, he wasn’t anymore.

Tobias unveiled another pokéball. “Entei, come forth!”

Ash let out a sharp breath as the beast of Jhoto emerged from its pokéball. Another Legendary. And a completely unique one, at that.

No legendary Pokemon was common. Of course- You could probably count the number of Darkrai or Latios alive on your fingers- but there was only one set of Legendary beasts on the planet. 

Entei stretched as he hit the field, shaking out cramps in his hind legs and rolling his shoulders, before letting out a small puff of smoke and studying his opponent. (So, I’m up then? Jolly good. It’s been ages since I’ve stretched my legs.) 

Charizard responded with a challenging roar, more smoke pouring into the field. The two fire types were clearly raring to go, but Ash could see Charizard breathing heavily, small electrical burns covering his wings. 

It would be a risky play to reveal his fifth Pokémon already, especially since Pikachu was standing right at his heels as his obvious sixth, but against an opponent as fast and strong as Entei, who, being a fire type himself, would resist most of Charizard’s attacks…

Charizard wouldn’t like this, but-  “Charizard, come back.” Ash called. “Save your strength. This battle is still nowhere near over.”

Charizard looked back at Ash in surprise, but eventually nodded, going back into his ball without complaint. 

Ash grabbed another pokéball. “Krookodile, I choose you!”

The Unovan alligator appeared on the battlefield, right at home on the sandy terrain. Kroododile adjusted his signature sunglasses and growled at his opponent, who stretched his legs as he growled back. 

(Alright then.) Krokodile grunted. (Bring it.)

Kukui’s voice blared over the speakers. “Krookodile vs Entei, begin!”

“Krookodile, Stone Edge!”

“Entei, Flamethrower!”

Entei gracefully bounded away from the rock barrage Krokodile sent his direction and retaliated with a burst of white-hot flames.

“Krookodile, use Alolan Stone Edge to block!” Ash called.

The fruits of Krookodile’s recent training with Lycanrok became apparent when he slammed his claws into the ground, causing a massive pillar of stone to erupt from the earth, forming a shield against the flames. Krookodile didn’t stop at defense, either. He created several more stone pillars, trying to hammer Entei’s underbelly, but the beast of Ecruteak was far too fast.

“Entei, Extreme Speed!” Tobias called.

Entei darted around Krookodile with, as the name of the move suggested, extreme speed, ramming into his side and doing considerable damage. Krookodile tried to counterattack, but the legendary fire type was far too fast, weaving out of Krookodile’s range and hitting him in the back with another Extreme Speed for good measure.

Ash grit his teeth. “Krookodile, let's break out our new combo. Use Your Terf!”

Krookodile grinned viciously, and dove underground, displacing a huge amount of sand that sprayed Entei’s face as he came around for another hit and run. Entei growled, and spat another gout of flames into Krookodile’s hole at his trainer’s command.

Not gonna be that easy. Ash thought, and Entei fired another blast of fire, to no effect. You're not the first person to think of that as a counter for Dig. There oughta be enough twists and turns in that tunnel to stop a hydro pump from touching him.

For a while, nothing happened.

“Contestant Ketchum.” Called Professor Kukui in his announcer voice. “If your Krookodle does not emerge within one minute, it will be considered disqualified from the match.” 

“Understood, we only need thirty seconds!” Ash called back, knowing Kukui was saying this more for Tobias and the audience than him. The professor had seen Ash and Krookodile practicing this, after all.

It was kind of hard to miss.

It was subtle, at first, a slight shifting of the sands that comprised the battlefield, a barely noticeable tremor in the ground- but then half the battlefield erupted into plumes of sand as Krookodile’s sand tomb took hold. The entire field sank downwards into a mighty whirlpool of dust and grit, yanking Entei, who suddenly found his paws sinking wildly into the earth, with it. 

Sitting at the bottom of the storm was Krookodile, who had a positively predatory leer on his face, in an instant, the reptilian ground-type dashed forwards, sinking into the churning sands and swimming through it like a psyduck through water. Entei blasted fire at Krookodile, but he sank under the earth for a split second, just long enough to dodge, before lashing out at Entei with his claws. Entei, struggling against the earthen tides, was unable to dodge. 

Combo moves and using the terrain to your advantage were staple Ash Ketchum strategies, but ‘Your Terf’ was the final word in both. Suddenly, the tables had utterly reversed. Now Kroodoile was doing the hitting and running, his opponent not nearly mobile enough to stop him. Krookodile slashed and bit, dodging attack after attack that missed by mere inches.

“Entei, Crunch when it comes at you again!” Tobias roared, desperately.

Krookodile made another pass, but this time, Entei managed to grab one of Krookodile's arms in its jaws, biting down with enough force to crack battleship armor. Krookodile howled in agony, but didn’t slow down. Grabbing Entei’s mane in his other arm, Kroododile sank beneath the churning sands once again at maximum velocity, Dragging the beast of Ecruteak down with him. The ground re-solidified just in time for Entei to slam his jaw into it.

Kroododile re-emerged a second later, using a Dragon Claw to do yet more chip away damage, but it was obvious the croc was slowing down. His control over the field was loosening, the sand-whirlpool moving more slowly, Entei beginning to pick up speed.

The next time Krookodile emerged, he got a Fire Blast to the face. The attack stopped Krookodile in his tracks, ruined his sunglasses, and fused every particle of sand in the general area into a sheet of glass. The devastating sand tomb ground to a halt as Krookodile’s stamina finally gave out. So great was the force of the blow that Krookodile was shoved several feet backwards, until he slammed into one of the rock shards from his stone edge earlier, which had miraculously remained upright this whole time. 

Ash winced. “Krookodile, are you alright?!”

Slowly, Kroododile hauled himself to his feet, swiping the melted plastic from his eyes. Krookodile looked at his fist, now clutching a dark, blobby mass that used to be his prized shades, and turned to the bruised and battered Entei, fixing him with an expression of complete and total fury. 

(I liked those shades.) Krokodile informed him. (You’re gonna pay for that.)

Entei snarled, hiding a wince of pain. (Make me.)

Tobias frowned. Entei had taken considerable damage, the fact that Krookodile still had the stamina to continue fighting after using so much energy controlling the field like that… “Entei, Body Slam and wrap this up!”

“Krookodile, use Strength!” Ash called. “Use the Stone Edge!”

Krookodile grunted, a white aura surrounding him as he used Strength to fortify his body for this last clash, hoping to make up for his decreased stamina. Reaching behind him, the dark type tore the stone pillar from the ground, swinging it around like a baseball player hitting a home run, catching the bounding Entei in the stomach and sending him flying.

Up in the stands, Goh winced as Krookodile turned the legendary fire type into a tennis ball. “Holy cow.”

Mallow nodded. “Krookodile used strength. Krookodile can now push boulders!”

“What?” Kiawe asked, confused at the phrasing.

Mallow blushed. “Just pointing it out…”

Down at the battlefield, both Entei and Krookodile were trying to steady themselves.

“Entei, get up!” Tobias yelled.

“Krookodile, use fling!” Ash called, smirking.

Entei managed to haul himself to his feet, ignoring the bruises on his stomach, but it was too little, too late. The last thing the Volcano Pokémon saw before he blacked out was a very large rock heading towards him very, very quickly.

Tobias winced as he recalled Entei to his pokéball. “Okay then… Well done, Champion Ketchum, but that will be your last knockout. Shaymin, come forth!”

A tiny, hedgehog-esque Pokemon emerged from the ball, giving an excited trill as it hit the floor. Shaymin turned towards Tobias and let out a series of squeaks, and Ash swore he could understand its meaning- Shaymin was thanking Tobias for letting him out to fight. Fitting for the gratitude pokemon, he supposed.

Ash glanced warily at the diminutive grass type that appeared before him. After Darkrai, Latios and Entei, not to mention the ultra beast Kukui had told him about, he’d honestly be a little disappointed if any of Tobias’s Pokémon hadn’t been legendaries. But Shaymin… Sure, it wasn’t weak by any means, but compared to the last three, Shaymin was actually a slightly underwhelming opponent. Especially in its smaller Land Form. Tobias, evidently, either hadn’t seen the need for or hadn’t been able to gather up a Garcedia flower prior to the match, which would’ve unlocked Shaymin’s true capabilities.

So why was Tobias so confident?

Ash was just forming the thought ‘he must have some trick up his sleeve’ when Tobias pulled back his cloak, revealing a Z-ring glittering on his wrist. Which was much more literally up his sleeve than Ash was expecting.

Ash’s eyes widened. Right. He did the trials to get here. “Krookodile, watch out, Z-moves are incredibly strong!”

Tobias smirked. “Indeed, but perhaps not in the way you imagined. Shaymin, let the power of Alola fill you, and use Z-Celebrate!”

Shaymin grinned as he glowed with power, energy radiating off of him, splitting into strands that connected to Tobias’s Z-Ring. Another wave of power erupted from the grass type, causing Krookodile to throw up his arms in a defensive posture as Shaymin, overflowing with the Alola reigon’s boundless energy…

…began to do a silly little dance.

(Thank you for coming, everyone!) Shaymin chirped as he completed his dance. When he hit his final pose, a bright orange aura shimmered into being around him, signifying an intense power-up.

Ash swallowed. That's not good. “Krookodile, use Aerial Ace!”

Shaymin had barely stopped its dance when Krookodile barreled into it, his body wreathed in flying-type energy. Shaymin was sent flying, no gracidea flower required, and bounced twice before he stopped.

Krookodile snorted at the grass type (How do you like that, punk?)

Shaymin rubbed his aching head. (Thank you for showing me your super-effective attack!)

Krookodile turned to give Ash a look like; I can’t with this kid.

“Shaymin, use Giga Grain!”

“Krookodile, counter with Dragon Claw!”

Emerald green vines burst from Shaymin’s back, tangling through the air as they creeped towards Krookodile. In response, the reptilian ground type let dragon type energy flow through his claws, each claw extending into a purplish-green scimitar of energy. Krookodile slashed at every giga drain vine that got anywhere near him, turning them to ribbons. Krookodile attempted to rush forwards to complete his attack, but was forced to dodge one particularly tricky vine and stumbled, falling to one knee.

Tobias grimaced. “Shaymin, use Growth, then try Giga Drain again!”

“Krookodile!” Ash called. “I know you can still go on! Use strength and then another dragon claw!”

Shaymin began to glow with a greenish tint, before, to Ash’s shock, ballooning outwards in size. Like a plant in a time-lapse, Shaymin swelled dramatically in mass. Growing from roughly the size of a football to coming up to Ash’s waist in a manner of seconds. 

Ash’s eyes widened. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen the move Growth used before, and certainly never by a legendary pokemon. He’d known, vaguely, that it was a move that increased a grass-type’s offensive capabilities, but he’d never anticipated this.  

Krookodile, stalwart as they came, didn’t even slow down in his assault. More Giga Drain vines reached for him, but Krookodile bobbed and weaved through them as best he could, slashing at any that got too close- but the vines were larger now, thicker and faster and much harder to deal with, and on top of that Krookodile was struggling even to stand, with how much energy he’d used up. With one last, desperate charge, Krookodile managed to close the distance between him and Shaymin, as Giga drain closed in from every angle, Krookodile managed to reach out and score one last hit with dragon claw, scratching Shaymin from forehead to nose, before he was snatched off the ground by the emerald vines, with bound his limbs and restrained Krookodile a few feet off the ground.

Shaymin called out another thank you as the Giga Drain began to do its job- though in a significantly lower voice, now. (Thanks for the energy!)

Krookodile slumped over, unable to resist any more, and Ash pulled him back into his Pokeball the moment the referee declared him unable to continue. “Great job, my friend. You were awesome.” 

Ash stared at the opposing, much larger Shaymin, his mind racing through various strategies. As always, his first thought when confronted with a seemingly overwhelming adversary was ‘how could Pikachu face this?’ - but he dismissed that thought as soon as it formed. Out of his three options, Pikachu had the worst matchup, and was the most important to save for later on. So. Charizard or Incineroar?

At a glance. Charizard was the better option. He was more experienced, had a better type matchup as a dual fire/flying type instead of pure fire, and his ability to fly could let him stay out of range of Shaymin’s attacks. But on the other hand, Incineroar had rested longer, and had one other trump card- Inferno Overdrive. 

Ash had been hoping to save his own Z-move for the end of the battle, but if he didn’t deal with Shaymin soon, the end of the battle could happen much sooner than he’d like. “Incineroar, I choose you!” Ash called, feeling his Z-ring dig into his wrist, the electric yellow of the Pikashium-Z he’d placed there before coming to the battlefield glinting in the sunlight.

Incineroar took to the field and roared in challenge. Flexing his muscles to the roars of the crowd.

Z-move right away? Or do I try beating Shaymin without it? Incineroar has plenty of fight in him. “Incineroar, use Flame Charge!”

“Shaymin, Giga Drain!” Tobais countered.

Incineroar rushed forwards, darting between the dangerous vines, and rammed into Shaymin knees-first. To Ash’s horror, the attack did not seem nearly as damaging as he’d expected. 

“Shaymin, use Growth once again and shove him off of you with Seed Flare!” Tobias called.

“Incineroar!” Ash cried in panic, as Shaymin began to swell up even more in size. hand darting to his jacket to grab at his other Z-crystal. “Back away as fast as you can and use Fire Blast!”

Ash had only seen seed flare used once, years ago, but the power he’d witnessed then would be ingrained into his brain for a long time to come. He hadn’t even suspected that a Shaymin as young as Tobias’s appeared to be could’ve known that move.

Incineroar responded with impressive speed, leaping far away from his grass type adversary and throwing out a massive Fire Blast as a makeshift barrier, and for a fraction of an instant Ash believed that it might’ve worked.

Then the explosion came.

Shymin’s entire body, now so big he towered over Incineroar, seemed to burst with energy, every pore on every quill on its back exploding simultaneously into miniature green suns, which raced in sequence at Incineroar, devastating the battlefield and tearing the Fire Blast defense into shreds. Incineroar barely managed to brace himself before he, too, was engulfed by the blaze. Incineroar was sent flying in an uncontrolled backwards somersault covering the entire distance of the battlefield before landing flat on his face. Ash threw his arm over his face and closed his eyes, but he was still momentarily blinded by the attack.

Ash blinked spots out of his eyes and looked around in panic for Incinerator, shouting his name in worry. Tobias, for his part, just looked calm. He even tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for Ash to send out his next teammate to the meatgrinder he’d managed to turn Shaymin into.

The referee looked carefully at Incineroar, and began to raise his flag, before something made him pause. 

Ash noticed it himself barely a moment later. A flash of heat seemed to be radiating from Incineroar’s prone form, as if somebody had just lit a campfire where he was laying.

One of incineroar’s claws clenched, tiny sparks of reddish flames started to cover his chest.

“...Blaze?” Ash whispered, a smile appearing on his face. “Incineroar! Get up, I know you still have more left!”

“That just isn’t possible.” Tobias muttered. “After that attack? Even most legendary Pokemon wouldn’t have been able to withstand something that powerful.”

Incineroar clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground, slowly pushing himself to all fours.

Ash grinned, fitting his Firium Z into his Z ring in anticipation. “Maybe, but we’re not legends, we’re champions! You’ve got this, Incineroar! Show him what the king of the battle royal can do!”

Letting out a defiant roar, Incineroar pushed himself up to his knees, and then his feet, his fur burning a blackish-red from the heat of his Blaze. Ash crossed his arms, the Z-crystal shimmering in the sunlight. 

“Here we go, at full power!” Ash yelled, ethereal bands of orange light bursting from his Z-ring and reaching towards Incineroar. “Use Inferno Overdrive!” 

“Shaymin, counter it!” Tobias shouted. “Seed Flare, and give it everything you have!”

Shaymin let out a cheerful shout, perhaps thanking Incineroar for such an exciting battle, and the blindingly bright missiles appeared once again, but this time Ash had an answer to match it. Incineroar glowed with Alola’s energy, and he shaped a truly massive fireball to counter Shaymin’s attack. The sphere of flames grew and grew until Incineroar was gripping an orb the size of a small house above his head, which he hurled at Shaymin with all his strength.

The attacks collided in the center of the battlefield with a titanic explosion that threw massive clouds of dust and sand into the air. The explosion resulting from this collision was deafening, and it took several seconds before the smoke cleared and the ringing in Ash’s ears abated enough for anyone to tell what had happened.

When the smoke died down, however, the result of the clash was obvious.

“Both Incineroar and Shaymin are unable to battle!” The referee called. “Both trainers, select your next Pokemon!”

Chapter Text

Tapu Koko hovered quietly over Manolo Stadium, his eyes laser-focused on the proceedings below. As the guardian of Akala Island, A deity long associated with the concept of conflict, and the personal rival of one of the combatants, he could hardly just ignore a battle of this magnitude, a battle that would determine the champion of Tapu Koko’s region- however, at least for now, he was content to let the trainers battle it out without drawing any attention to himself, darting only briefly into the stadium itself, for purposes of the mysterious and utmost important variety. Or so he would tell his siblings if rumors of his presence at the tournament ever started to circulate.

(He may or may not have stolen an Ash Ketchum Bobblehead from one of the vendors.)

His Champion had acquitted himself very well, holding his own against the foreigner’s team of demigods at every turn thus far- (and yes, Ash was also, technically, a foreigner, but Ash Ketchum had also spent many months in the islands, traveling it’s beaches and jungles, immersing himself in its secrets and customs, learning of and befriending all that lived in the region, human and Pokémon alike, until he was as much of an Alolan as a Kantonian, if not more ) Alola’s champion had already protected her from many disasters, and was poised to lead the region’s trainers into a new age of growth- Tapu Koko would hate to see Ash’s reign cut so short.

More than that, though, there was much that troubled Tapu Koko about the new challenger. The foreigner had barely spent two weeks on the islands, blowing through the island challenges with a speed that spoke of great skill, yes, but also a distinct lack of appreciation for the challenge itself. His team, composed of legendary Pokémon like Tapu Koko himself- how had he found them, and come to earn their respect? If Tobias ever sought to add Tapu Koko, or any of the Tapu, to his team, could he be stopped? Would he respect Tapu Koko’s desire to remain wild?

And the Ultra Beast that remained in the challenger’s possession in spite of the warnings from multiple people, his own chosen Kahuna and the worthy professor who Tapu Koko had once allied with chief among them- could Tobais really keep it under control?

If he couldn’t keep the Ultra Beast tamed, then Tapu Koko, and every living creature on Akala Island, for that matter, had reason for concern. Tapu Koko certainly wouldn’t want to face that particular beast in combat, at least not without a good deal of backup, and definitely not without a Z-move. -a prospect Ash would now have to face, having used his Z-power up against that adorable but very powerful Shaymin.

Tapu Koko considered, for a moment, swooping down and restoring the power to Ash’s Z-crystal. Victory would come much easier for Ash, if Pikachu’s own exclusive Z move remained in his arsenal. Unfair, perhaps, but the danger…

The sun shone brightly down on Tapu Koko and Manolo stadium. Glinting warmly off the wreckage of the battlefield. Tapu Koko caught a glimpse of Ash’s expression. Worry-free and even excited. Pikachu, at his heels, mirroring his expression perfectly. Something warm and comforting brushed the edges of the deity’s awareness and Tapu Koko decided to dismiss his idea of interference.

Ash, Tapu Koko decided, would never allow the champion’s throne of Alola to fall into unworthy hands, be that his own or someone else’s- and he was not without allies should the worst happen. The ultra rangers were trained specifically to deal with out-of-control ultra beasts- and, as Tapu Koko relaxed in the mid-morning heat, he realized that he was not the only one of Alola’s legends keeping an eye on the fight. 

If Ash Ketchum had wanted the help of the gods, he would’ve asked.

Down on the battlefield, Tobias, as the challenger, was instructed to send out his next Pokémon first. A disadvantage that didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest. 

Tobias hesitated for a moment, before pulling out an ornate luxury ball. “Everyone, battle fans of Alola! If you could allow me a moment for ceremony, I’d ask you all to greet this next Pokémon with a very warm welcome! You see, she is one of my most recent captures, and this will be her debut in official battles.”

Her debut? Ash wondered. Tobias is sending out a rookie? Beginners' luck isn’t that good. Though, granted, she's probably a legendary beginner, so I shouldn’t underestimate her. Could this be the ultra beast at last?

“Show the world what you can do!” Tobias shouted. “Enamorus, come forth!”

Ash blinked up at the light pink figure that materialized before him, who twirled in the air and blew kisses to the crowd who loyally greeted her with thunderous applause, even as many scratched their heads in confusion. Ash had, over the course of his journey, met hundreds upon hundreds of Pokémon, including dozens of legendaries, but he’d never even heard of Enamorus.

Ash slipped his hand into one of his pockets and withdrew his Pokédex, pointing it at Enamorus and getting a result he’d seen only once before - << error. No data found.>>

“So.” Ash started. “When you said this was her debut…”

“I meant it very literally. As far as she’ll tell me, she’s unique, and I am the first trainer to find her resting place since before the Pokémon battle was an officially recognized sport.” Tobias gave Ash a wry smile. “I will of course contact a professor, so that the records may be updated with all I’ve learned about her… after this battle.”

“Talk about a secret weapon!” Ash chuckled. “My choice, on the other hand, should be someone you're all super familiar with.” He paused here, explicitly for dramatic effect, because if Leon could get away with it then dang it, Ash could too- “Pikachu, I choose you!!”

The crowd exploded with cheers. Understandably, given Ash had just played his ace.

Pikachu had leapt into the battlefield almost before Ash had finished talking, having anticipated being selected. The mouse let a few thin tendrils of lightning shoot from his cheeks and dance across the battlefield to even more applause as a casual show of force- and also because, seriously, what is the point of being a nationally renowned athlete if you don’t work the crowd a little?

Kukui’s voice boomed over the speakers. “Pikachu versus Enamorus, begin!”

Tobias started the proceedings immediately. “Enamorus, use Earth Power!”

“Pikachu, Quick Attack!” Ash countered.

The ground beneath Pikachu began to rumble, but the electric mouse was off like a shot, zipping away microseconds before the earth beneath him erupted into a column of pure energy. Enamorus used earth power again and again, turning the entire battlefield into a minefield trying to catch Pikachu in the blast, but Ash’s starter was simply too fast to be caught, blasting around the ruined field with immense precision, never so much as getting scratched by any of Enamrous’s attacks. In moments, Pikachu had found an opening and- faster than either Tobias or Enamorus could react, came slamming into the ancient legendary’s gut hard enough to send her flying backwards.

“Follow up with Iron Tail!” Ash called. 

“Block with Brick Break, and get higher off the ground!” Tobias called, frantically.

The tricky part- Ash thought to himself, as the two Pokémon collided in mid-air, tail against tail, Enamorus just barely managing to fend off his partner’s assault. -is that I don’t know what types, Enamorus is. I’m guessing it’s part flying type- given the cloud, and how much she looks like Landorus and the other Unovan genies, but could she also be a ground type? She does seem really good at Earth Power.

Pikachu, only slightly winded from the clash, landed on the field, looking up at his opponent. Electricity sparked at his cheeks, and Ash knew he, too, was wondering if his opponent was thunderbolt-proof. 

“Well if it ain’t broke...” Ash mumbled. “Pikachu, get up there and Iron Tail again!”

“She’s like twenty feet up.” Tobias wondered. “How is he going to- Dazzling Gleam now!!”

The abrupt shift was because Pikachu had taken off in a jump with more speed and strength than something Pikachu’s size should’ve been capable of. The electric type rocketed towards Enamorus, spinning rapidly to build up momentum for his tail strike, which glowed a metallic silver and radiated enough power to split the hull of a battleship in half.

Unfortunately for Ash and Pikachu, while Pikachu was ludicrously fast. Fast enough to get out of the way of a jet plane, a lightning bolt, a bullet and maybe even a loud sound- he could not outpace what was basically a bright light.

Pikachu hit the incoming pink glow and rebounded back into the battlefield at roughly the same force he’d left it, bounced once, and landed on his feet, shaking the dust off.

Ah, the heck with it. “Pikachu, go for it, Thunderbolt!”

“Counter it with Springtide Storm!” Tobias yelled.

Enamorus spun in midair, a bright pink heart shining around it, and the winds began to pick up, whirling around and around until a bright pink tornado was touching down on the battlefield and racing towards Pikachu. In response, Pikachu unleashed a massive torrent of lightning, a crackling, writing wave of energy that slammed into the tornado.

The two attacks strained against one another, both Pokémon pouring everything they had into them- until, eventually, the tornado broke apart, and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt surged forward and blasted Enamorus out of the sky.

Enamorus hit the ground with a loud 'thunk' and groaned. Dimly, he heard Ash ordering Pikachu to use Iron tail, and she panicked- another super-effective blow would finish her off for sure. On instinct, she began to use her favorite move- Attract.

In an instant, a swarm of valentine hearts began to emerge from Enamorus’s body. Pikachu, recognizing the attack, instantly aborted his attack and moved into a full retreat- attempting to put as much distance between himself and Enamorus as possible- but unlike the Attracts he remembered being used by Ash’s Snivy (A simple ring of hearts that could be countered or dodged fairly easily)- hundreds upon hundreds of hearts swarmed the battlefield, moving randomly and unpredictably. Pikachu put all he had into evasive speed, but the hearts just kept coming.

“Pikachu use Thundershock!” Ash called. “Blast ‘em away!”

Pikachu did so, sending a weak but widespread wave of electricity at the upcoming valentine’s horde, bursting a massive number of the attacks into pixels. As soon as they popped, however, Pikachu’s nose was greeted with the single most incredible scent he’d ever smelled. It was like dew on grass after a nice rain, ketchup fresh from the bottle, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and some of Brock’s most delicious food all blended together and made somehow better by the mixing. Pikachu stopped dead in his tracks, just trying to savor a whiff of it.

Then, emerging slowly from the rubble of the battlefield… or wherever he was, the details suddenly seemed unimportant… rose the most magnificent creature Pikachu had ever laid eyes on. 

She was divine. Gorgeous beyond description. By comparison to Enamorus, the scales of a milotic seemed dull, and the coat of a ninetales hideous. He wobbled closer, hoping for a better look at perfection.

Wonder of wonders, the goddess actually turned to look at him. (Hello, little one.)

“-kachu! snap out of it!” Another voice called, sounding to Pikachu as though it were coming from a long, long way away. With effort, Pikachu started to turn away from the beautiful Pokémon, curious about this new, alarmed voice. Something tickling his consciousness that this was important somehow- but Enamorus swooped down in front of him, and that wonderful smell seemed to increase in intensity, and Pikachu found he could not have looked away again if he’d wanted to.

(That's right. Focus on me.) Enamorus crooned, smiling at him. Then she paused for a moment, as though listening to something else Pikachu couldn’t hear, before nodding.  (I’ll tell you what, little Pikachu. How about a kiss, for being so well behaved?)

Pikachu’s soul very nearly left his body. Dumbfounded, he just nodded. 

“-the smell! Pikachu, please, use-”

And there was that voice again! Panicked and strangely familiar, piercing through the fog… seemed important, but before he could think about it too hard Enamorus came swooping down, pressing her mouth to Pikachu’s forehead. 

It might’ve been the greatest moment of his life- certainly he couldn’t remember ever feeling this great , but when Enamorus pulled away Pikachu felt bizarrely exhausted . As though he’d just run a marathon while wearing clothing made of lead. His ears felt like they had been stuffed with cotton, and his head spun.

“Pikachu switch out, come back, retu-”

Seriously, what was that voice he kept hearing? And what was this… ‘pee-ka-choo’ thing it kept saying? 

Enamorus was still hovering over him. Looking somehow even better than ever before, her body lacking the cuts and bruises he hadn’t even noticed until they’d disappeared. (Now now, dear one. Just keep your eyes on me. That's right. Don’t look back. Don’t look down…)

Pikachu was still trying to form the thought ‘why would I look down?’ when ‘down’ violently exploded into a pillar of earthen energy.

Pikachu was sent flying, landing uncomfortably on his back on a patch of still-warm glass. He groaned, trying to catch his bearings, and he blinked several times, trying to dispel the spots dancing in his vision. When it cleared, a silhouette slowly began to unblur.

(Ash?) Pikachu mumbled.

Ash looked down at him, joy and fear warring on his face. “Pikachu? Can you see me?”

Pikachu, so that was his name, and that voice must have been Ash’s this whole time, sat up slowly. (Wha’s goin’ on?)

“She’s messing with you. It’s Attract, like what Snivy does, but way, way stronger.” Ash said, words leaving in a rush.  “All you have to do is smell it and she has you. Use Thundershock, small and all around you. Your nose especially. That should snap you out of it, and the ozone might-”

(Now now.) Enamorus cut in. Pikachu glanced over and saw that she was forming a large, glowing, golden ball in her hands. (No need for that now! Just hold still for a few seconds, please sweetie?)

“Don’t listen!” Ash’s voice called, but already the fog was beginning to set in “That’s hyper beam!”

(Ignore him!) Enamorus sang. (You're doing wonderfully. Just stay perfectly still for juuust a second more…)

“...dershocks, ple..!”

Enamorus fired her hyper beam- a gigantic, brilliant energy blast that carved across the entire battlefield, kicking up massive showers of sand. The spray settled to reveal that Enamorus had cut a deep trench across the battlefield, bisecting it neatly in half. 

Pikachu stood a few inches away from the trench. Sparks flying across his fur. The scent of ozone pushing away the dangerous pheromones. He was giving Enamorus a look so ugly it might’ve turned a lesser Pokémon to stone.

Enamorus audibly gulped. Tobias looked for all the world like a man staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

(How?) Enamorus asked, finally. 

Pikachu shrugged. (I choose him. Always)

Ash grinned. “Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!”

Neither Enamorus nor Tobias had any time to react. One second, Pikachu was just standing there. The next, a golden missile was hammering into Enamorus’s stomach, a truly terrifying amount of electricity being discharged in the collision. There was a deafening CRACK-BOOM! and then Enamorus was lying in the sand, out cold. Pikachu landed easily a few feet away, barely even reacting to Volt Tackle’s recoil effect coursing through his system.

Ash smirked as Tobias called back his unconscious Enamorus, then his expression became more serious. “Pikachu!” Ash called, before Tobias could move. “Return for now.”

Pikachu scampered over to Ash’s side. He knelt down to scratch him behind the ears. “Great work. Take five buddy.” The Kanto born trainer looked up to meet Tobias’s eye as he grabbed Charizard’s pokeball. Here it comes…

“Trainers!” Kukui called. “Select your next Pokémon!”

“Charizard, I choose you!”

Tobias pulled out a black and yellow ultra ball. “Guzzlord, come forth!”

Guzzlord emerged in all his terrifying glory, his sheer weight enough to rock the battlefield as he landed. The ultra beast opened his main mouth- large enough to swallow a grown man whole and edged with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth, and screamed so loudly it shook the entire stadium. Charizard, never one to be intimidated, responded with a roar of his own, curls of fire rising from his nostrils. Next to almost any other Pokémon, Charizard would’ve been impressive, but standing next to Guzzlord, Ash’s first fire type looked like a first-stage starter spewing his first embers.

Ash took a deep breath, eyeing Charizard’s fading injuries carefully. “Charizard, are you up for this?”

Charizard snorted, like- ‘don’t you know who you're talking to?’ And gave him a thumbs up.

Guzzlord blinked at its surroundings, before scooping up a massive clawfull of sand and shoving it in his mouth, much to the surprise of everyone watching, Guzzlord swallowed, then made a face slightly uglier than the default. (Ugh. Food here NOT GOOD! Too clean.) He looked up at Charizard, pointing at him with his larger claw-mouth. (YOU! Are you Guzzlord Food, bringing Guzzlord Food, or Stopping Guzzlord from getting food?)

Charizard snarled. (I’m Charizard. I’ll be the one kicking your tail this evening.)

Guzzlord groaned. (Stopping Guzzlord from getting food!) he wailed. (That is the WORST KIND! So ANNOYING! But you will be Guzzlord Food soon anyway.)

“Guzzlord!” Tobias shouted. “Remember what we discussed last night with Darkrai and the others! When they explained all the rules to you!”

Guzzlord sighed, nodding in remembrance. (FINE! Guzzlord will hit you until you stop moving, but NOT EAT! Because APPARENTLY that is a BIG NO NO on this STUPID PLANET!)

Pikachu gulped, and maybe if Ash or Tobias had been able to actually understand what the ultra beast was saying the whole battle would’ve been called off, but if Charizard was bothered by this implied cannibalism, he didn’t show it. (You can try, tubby.)

“Charizard, use Brick Break!” Ash yelled.

“Guzzlord, use Dark Pulse!” Shouted Tobias.

Charizard raced forwards, his claws clenched into glowing orange fists, but was quickly forced into a retreat. Guzzlord’s dark pulse was like nothing Pikachu had ever seen- instead of a single beam of energy, Guzzlord’s attack split into dozens of shadowy tendrils, which reached towards Charizard like some eldritch octopus grasping for prey. The fire type took evasive maneuvers, but was still clipped from behind by a few tendrils, causing him to shout out in pain before- at Ash’s command, spewing a gout of dragonbreath at Guzzlord. The ultra beast brought its massive arms up to deflect the attack, and glared at his opponent with extreme irritation

(You actually strong!) Guzzlord wailed. (UGH! That means you won’t just stay down when Guzzlord hits you like you SUPPOSED TO! Just FALL DOWN so Guzzlord can EAT EVERYTHING IN PEACE!)

Charizard smirked. (Nah.)

Guzzlord screamed again, and rushed Charizard with his claws outstretched, attempting to catch him in a Vice Grip attack, but Charizard had more luck now in evading his opponent, flapping out of the way of Guzzlord’s flailing limbs without too much issue.

“Charizard use Fire Spin!” Ash called. “Try and lock him down!”

Charizard obeyed, and rings of burning chains wrapped tightly around Guzzlord, pinning his mouth shut and his arms to his sides. Charizard poured the entirety of his elemental ability into the attack, the fire spin winding itself thicker and tighter around the ultra beast. Guzzlord grunted and strained, and- after only a few moments- burst free from the trapping move, sending embers flickering away in all directions.

Guzzlord grunted in annoyance. (Spicy! But Guzzlord LIKES spicy!)

Tobias snapped his fingers. “Guzzlord, focus! Stick to ranged attacks, he’s too mobile to fight up close. Use Dark Pulse, as a single, focused beam!”

“Counter it!” Ash yelled. “Use Dragon Breath once more!”

Guzzlord opened his mouth and fired off a massive blast of dark-typed energy, more similar to the standard version of the move than his attack earlier- if a little blobbier than most, and Charizard responded with a jet of purple flames. The attacks collided in a crash of energy as the two tidal waves of power began to push against each other. Slowly, to Ash’s horror, the ray of darkness began pushing forwards, in spite of Charizard’s best efforts.

Charizard stumbled slightly as the darkness began to approach him, and Ash grit his teeth. “Charizard, switch to Overheat!”

All at once, Charizard shut off his dragon breath, and Guzzlord’s dark pulse raced forward unimpeded. Charizard took a deep breath, his tail flame burning hotter, and, when the Dark pulse was mere inches from his snout, Charizard blew.

A white hot laser beam erupted from Charizard’s mouth, causing the air around him to shimmer with the heat of it- Charizard had unleashed a cone of plasma that carved through the approaching dark pulse like a knife through butter, splitting it around Charizard’s body and surging forward until it slammed into Guzzlord, who screeched in pain as his body was forced to endure a truly stupendous amount of heat . Guzzlord stumbled backwards, his type resistance only going so far, trying to escape the blistering fire bath, but Charizard was not letting up. He slowly marched forwards, keeping up the Overheat for as long as he possibly could, his tail flame starting to sputter slightly as the Kantonian starter poured every drop of firepower he possessed into his attack.

And Charizard possessed many, many drops of firepower.

Eventually though, Charizard’s attack sputtered out, and Charizard heaved, coughing out smoke as his tail flame shrank noticeably. Overheat’s power was incredible, but the cost it demanded was also incredible, and Guzzlord, while visibly wounded, was still standing. And he looked furious .

(TOO SPICY!) Guzzlord wailed. (GUZZLORD MAKE YOU PAY!)

Charizard beat his wings furiously and took off, trying to line himself up for another attack run. PIkachu and Ash had told him about Guzzlord’s weak spot, the bizarre horn/eye stalk thingy growing from the center of his head. Charizard’s ranged attacks were all massively weakened after using Overheat, but if he could get close enough to hit it with a super effective dragon claw or brick break…

…It still probably wouldn’t be enough to take it out. Guzzlord’s defensive abilities were absolutely ridiculous. But it would definitely help.

And sure enough, Ash called for a Brick Break, and Charizard moved in to execute it, but Guzzlord had plans of his own. 

The ultra beast leaned backwards, and his jaw seemed to unhinge, opening wider than even his massive maw seemed capable of. Charizard was confused at first- unable to work out what Guzzlord was trying to do. The only warnings he got than an attack was coming were a barely discernible hum of energy and a faint ripple in the air, and then the atmosphere around him transformed into a vortex of purple fire. Charizard yelped in alarm as the Twister sprang into existence around him, the vacuum swiftly dragging an enormous amount of sand, rocks and fire into Guzzlord’s stomach. Charizard tried to fly out of the vortex, huffing in annoyance. Annoyance which shifted into concern, then anger, and finally- to Ash’s shock- fear, as as his efforts proved useless. Charizard, buffeted by draconic winds at every angle, flew as hard as he could, but inch by inch, foot by foot, lost ground. Finally, he lost his balance and tumbled head over tail towards Guzzlord’s waiting mouth.

A red beam of light from Charizard’s pokeball, recalled the fire type to Ash’s fist about half a second before Guzzlord’s many rows of teeth slammed shut.

Guzzlord chomped a few times, perplexed. (Where Guzzlord food go?)

“Guzzlord!” Tobias shouted, as Kukui judged Charizard to be forfeit from the match. “Your meant to listen to me in battle! I never ordered that attack! Charizard could have been critically injured!”

Guzzlord growled. (But Guzzlord HUNGRY! Guzzlord not eat in MINUTES! Feed me! SOON!)

Guzzlord punctuated each sentence with a thunderous step towards Tobias, who stumbled back in alarm.

Ash grit his teeth. “Okay Pikachu, let’s finish this before things get out of hand. I choose you!”

Pikachu springboarded off Ash’s outstretched arm and hit the battlefield with a battle cry. (Hey Guzzlord, eyes on me!)

Guzzlord grunted dismissively, barely giving him a glance. (You? You barely crumbs! HUMAN! GIVE GUZZLORD FOOD!)

“I don’t understand.” Tobias murmured. “Is it hungry already? I gave him a feast just this morning…”

“How much?” Ash asked, a hint of worry creeping into his voice.

“Enough for a Snorlax.” Tobias grumbled. “Guzzlord, we had an understanding! Fight for me, and I promise I will get you something to eat afterwards!”

“A Snorlax meal? I have a Snorlax, and I’ve met a few Guzzlord before. That’s not going to be nearly enough.” Ash said, grimacing. “Pikachu, get his attention!”

Pikachu nodded, and raised his paws to the sky. Slowly, a thick blanket of gray clouds began congregating over their heads, a storm cloud conjured by sheer willpower.

Guzzlord had still been yelling at his trainer, but the growing shadows drew his attention skywards. For the first time, he noticed the cloud. (What-?) 

Pikachu slammed his paws on the ground, and the skies split open. A pillar of raw energy slammed down into Guzzlord’s eyestalk, hundreds of thousands of bolts of raw power rooting him to the spot for several seconds, but Guzzlord’s pained roar was drowned out by the booming of Thunder.

(So.) Said Pikachu, stretching into his fighting stance with sparks cascading from his cheeks. (Are we doing this or-?)

Guzzlord responded with a screech of fury and a many-tendrilled dark pulse that raced across the battlefield.

“Pikachu, use Agility!” Ash called.

Pikachu instantly blurred into motion, leaving afterimages in his wake as he sidestepped, jumped over and slipped around each and every spike of dark-typed energy, and the second Guzzlord’s attack began to falter, Ash called out another order. “Electro Ball!”

“Guzzlord!” Tobias shouted. “Deflect that with Brutal Swing!”

Pikachu somersaulted forwards, a writhing orb of electricity flicking out from his tail and flying towards Guzzlord, who slammed it into the ground with one of his massive arms, cloaked in dark typed power. The Electro Ball exploded into harmless wisps of lightning, and Guzzlord turned towards his trainer with a small nod.

Tobias smiled. “Use Draco Meteor!”

Ash clenched a fist. “Pikachu, Countersheild!”

Guzzlord spat a glowing purple ball high into the sky, which, upon reaching its apex, burst into a dozen streamers of draconic fire which raced downwards towards Pikachu. In response, the electric mouse jumped onto his back and began spinning, weaving a cage of lightning around himself to shield him from every angle. A salvo of explosions rang across the stadium when the two forces clashed. Pikachu’s defenses held, and he emerged from the collision with only a few minor scrapes.

Ash beamed. “Awesome job! Now, let’s break out our new move! Pikachu, Play Rough!”

Pikachu charged at Guzzlord, his fur glowing with a misty, dazzling pink energy that danced around his paws, and Ash grinned. There was a distinct advantage, Ash thought, to knowing- or at the very least having a very educated guess about- half of the Pokémon your opponent would be using a week in advance. Darkrai, a dark type, did not like fairy type moves. Latios, a dragon type, despised fairy type moves. And as for Guzzlord, who was both? Well-

Pikachu jinked across the field and slammed into Guzzlord’s side, causing him to roar in anguish as the damage registered.

“Guzzlord, use Vice Grip!” Tobias yelled. 

Pikachu came in for another pass, leaping over Guzzlord’s first swipe and landing a blow to Guzzlord’s wrist, before dashing towards Guzzlord’s weak point, his tail shining with fairy type power- but Guzzlord moved with greater swiftness than a being his size should’ve been capable of. One of the ultra beast’s smaller arms came up and seized Pikachu by the torso, immobilizing him.

Pikachu yelped as Guzzlord began to squeeze. His arms were pinned to his sides by the Vice Grip, and he couldn’t maneuver his tail for a counterattack either. Ash’s mind raced as he tried to find a way out.

“Guzzlord, Brutal Swing!” Tobias yelled.

Guzzlord grinned, and slammed Pikachu into the dirt, before lifting him up again and repeating the process. Ash grit his teeth as Pikachu cried out. “Pikachu, try channeling Play Rough into your whole body, and use Thunderbolt!”

Pikachu sparked pink for a few moments, before, with a loud bang and flash of light, a small explosion came out of him. It wasn’t the fairy-typed Thunderbolt Ash had envisioned, or even close really- in fact it seemed to do more damage to Pikachu than Guzzlord, but the flash did get Guzzlord to drop Pikachu, and Ash would take small victories where he could get them. There was definitely potential with this combo, and a portion of Ash’s brain sectioned off to figure out what went wrong while the rest of him remained focused on the battle. 

High above the battle, Tapu Koko made an interested noise and floated a little closer. Combining his two types was definitely possible, and the guardian wondered if the champion might be able to figure this out.

“Guzzlord, Dragon Rush!” Tobias roared.

Pikachu was still disoriented from the unintended flash-bang, and Ash had a better view of the battlefield as a bystander, so he got specific with his counter. “Pikachu run to your left, a little towards me, fast as you can, and use the biggest electroweb you’ve got when I say!”

Pikachu, still wobbling, but on his feet, obeyed. He took off just ahead of Guzzlord’s enormous rushdown at a slight angle, and barely a second passed before Ash yelled. “Jump on it!”

Pikachu moved automatically, and it took a second for him to register what happened after that. Pikachu flung a ball of electricity from his tail forwards, which broke rapidly into a physical net that stretched over the gaping hole Krookodile had left in the battlefield earlier, which Pikachu hadn’t even realized he’d been approaching until it was right in front of him. Pikachu bounced on the net, unbothered by the electricity coursing through the ropes, using it as a springboard that carried him high out of Guzzlord’s reach. The ultra beast, however, was too slow to stop his charge and much too heavy to stand on the electroweb. He crashed into and through the net, falling into Krookodile’s pit and quickly getting stuck.

Ash grinned as Pikachu took a second to breathe. “Alright! Play Rough, as much as you can!”

Pikachu shouted an affirmation and, after a very brief pause, rushed forwards once more, lit from within by a pink light. He jumped onto Guzzlord’s head and slammed his paws once, twice, three times into the gigantic Pokemon’s eye. Guzzlord howled and tried to swipe Pikachu off his head, but Pikachu was quicker, backflipping off of his opponent and resetting his stance.

Tobias was shouting commands, trying to get his Pokemon to calm down and strategize, but Guzzlord was having exactly none of it. 

(ANNOYING MORSEL!) Guzzlord wailed. (Guzzlord end this! NOW!)

Then, completely ignoring Tobias’s shouts, Guzzlord’s jaw unhinged once again, and another Twister stretched across the battlefield, electroweb, sand and stones being vacuumed into the black hole of Guzzlord’s stomach. 

Pikachu shouted in alarm and began trying to run against the deadly current. Pikachu’s speed was incredible, but even still, escape seemed impossible. It was, after all, incredibly difficult to move when the ground beneath you was rapidly disappearing.

Ash’s heart caught in his throat. Unlike Charizard, Pikachu’s lack of pokeball meant there would be no easy escape for him this time. Ash’s mind raced for a way out, any way out. Tobias was shouting at his Pokemon to switch tactics, but the Ultra Beast was no longer listening. If this didn’t end soon, not just Pikachu, but many, many others could be in serious danger-

A ray of sunlight hit Ash’s shoulders, and something familiar buzzed at the corner of his consciousness. A sense of-not calm, exactly- but a relief from the worst of the panic, filled him. A fog seemed to lift from his mind, and Ash remembered something. The trainer cupped his hands around his mouth to be heard over Twister’s roar and shouted- “Pikachu, Thunderbolt! It’s just Cerulean City all over again!”

Pikachu grinned at the reminder, and lightning blasted into the vortex, getting caught in its gravitational pull and sucked back in, lining the Twister with rings of electricity. Rings which PIkachu then jumped on top of- the lightning bowing to Pikachu’s abilities and solidifying into footholds and handholds beneath his paws. Pikachu climbed, firing off a constant stream of electricity as he dashed expertly from bolt to bolt, accelerating more and more as Guzzlord gradually ran out of steam. Slowly, Pikachu made ground. Finally, with a mighty leap, Pikachu escaped the Twister’s fading pull. He slammed headfirst into Ash, who caught him on instinct.  

For an instant, Ash could feel Pikachu’s heartbeat racing through his ribs, blending with Ash’s own, and something clicked in the Trainer’s mind. He quickly turned, maneuvering Pikachu onto one shoulder and raised his other arm, creating a ramp that Pikachu dashed across without an instant of hesitation. Pikachu used Ash’s wrist as a springboard and landed back on the battlefield. The entire interaction had taken maybe half a second.

Both combatants studied each other. Each decided his opponent looked nearly ready to drop. Guzzlord gasped for breath, tenderly rubbing his injuries, clearly exhausted. The Ultra Beast seemed so confused by Pikachu’s continued existence that it was almost comical, except that the confusion was rapidly bleeding into rage. Pikachu looked rough too, if anything he seemed more worn out than Guzzlord, but he seemed to be handling the aches better. The battlefield had been utterly ravaged by the Twister. The entire field sunken over a foot into the ground due to sheer lack of material left. All that remained was a gaping pit, edges clearly defined by the psychic barrier put up to protect the audience.

Guzzlord grit his teeth and the hugest dark pulse yet sprang forth from his many claws. A mass of writing power that filled the entire battlefield, leaving no room for escape. 

Ash recalled the sudden revelation he’d had when Pikachu had collided with him. “Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, and then focus .”

Lightning and Darkness collided and began to struggle for dominance. Pikachu fought hard but, slowly but surely, the dark pulse was beginning to advance.

“Focus on your heartbeat, Pikachu.” Ash called. “And use Play Rough, start it inside your body, and push it up through your cheeks. If covering Thunderbolt in fairy type energy won’t work, what if we fueled your electricity with it?”

Pikachu growled slowly, doing as instructed. BA-BUMP. Flashes of his training to learn Play Rough flashed through his head. The idea had merit. Fairy type energy came from within. BA-BUMP. Pikachu tried fusing the powers together. Failed. Abruptly stopped the attempt to reset. BA-BUMP. A split second’s lapse in focus allowed Guzzlord’s dark pulse to advance several inches. BA-BUMP. Deeper and deeper. Pikachu reached within himself and teased out tiny strands of light. BA-BUMP.  The dark pulse was almost upon him now, only a thin wall of lighting separating them. BA-BUMP.

For a fraction of a second, Pikachu’s cheeks sparked pink. 

BA-BUMP.

Bright, luminous energy poured from Pikachu’s cheeks, bathing the arena in light and power. Pikachu’s attack surged pink and gold, glowing like stardust. In an instant the tides of battle turned, this new combination attack, this fairy-typed Thunderbolt, cutting through Guzzlord’s dark pulse like a knife through butter. Guzzlord howled as he was struck, rooted to the spot as fairy typed lightning tore into him, torching every pore of his body.

BA-BUMP.

Pikachu kept up the attack for as long as he could manage, calling every iota of energy he had to bear, sparing only enough to keep standing, and finally, finally, Guzzlord fell. 

BA-BUMP.

Guzzlord was no longer moving. Pikachu forced himself to stay awake and standing long enough to hear Kukui’s voice announce what he already knew. Then a second longer to hear Ash’s whoop of joy, before he flopped over, a familiar set of hands cradling his head before it could hit the ground, and let sleep take him.

Chapter Text

“It needs a name, dontcha think?” Ash asked Pikachu, who was riding comfortably on his shoulder.

Pikachu nodded, putting his paw on his chin. “Pikaaa- chupi?”

Ash nodded. “Yeah, I like that. Sounds good!”

“Hey, Ash?” Goh called from behind them. “Where are you taking us? We’ve been walking for hours now.”

“Not much further, it’s just past that tunnel up ahead!” Ash called back, pointing at said cavern. “You’ll like this, Goh, I promise.”

Tobias slowly maneuvered over a mossy boulder. “And you're certain that we will be able to find an Ultra Wormhole for Guzzlord out here?”

“Yeah, for sure!” Ash called back. 

Ash, Goh and Tobias had set out earlier that day to Poni Island, and had been hiking through Poni Canyon, a vast mess on the outskirts of civilization, since their arrival. Ash was leading the way, but refused to tell the others what their destination was because; “That would spoil the surprise!”

Goh found himself struggling to keep pace with the other, better traveled, trainers as they marched through the wild canyon. At one point, Goh stumbled on a tricky ledge, and Tobias turned back, reaching out a hand before the boy managed to steady himself. 

“I got it, I got it.” Goh said, waving him off. “Hey- are you sure you want to do this? Releasing Guzzlord, I mean. Not just anyone can say they trained a Pokémon from another dimension.”

“Well, technically, I will still be able to say that.” Tobias said with a wry smile. “And besides, it is clear to me now that Guzzlord’s place isn’t here with me, or anywhere on this earth, for that matter.”

Goh nodded, absorbing this. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you catch all those legendary Pokémon? I’ve never encountered a trainer who had one before, much less six.”

“It was a combination of years of study and research, a large amount of skill, and- to be perfectly honest- a great deal of good luck.” Tobias said, shrugging. “Each capture, aside from Guzzlord, I suppose, was the work of years.”

“It’s just… I ask because. Well. All my life, I’ve wanted to capture Mew.” Goh said, slowly. “And I figured- hey, Mew is meant to be the ancestor of all Pokemon, right? What better way to get its respect than to capture one of all its descendants? It’s just… watching your battle made me realize the scope of that dream in a way I never really have before.”

Tobias looked at him, considering, and let out a hum. “That’s certainly a lofty ambition. One I myself- and I imagine many others- have shared at one point or another. You have reached the threshold where most young trainers change their dreams. When the reality of that old ‘gotta catch em all’ slogan hits.”

Up ahead of them, Ash chuckled. “I remember that old jingle!” He turned back to Goh and grinned. “Do you remember- of course you do, we’re the same age and both from Kanto. The old Poke-rap thing they used to have on TV? I used to have the same dream as you- to catch every Pokémon. Thought it was fate, actually, because of my surname. It wasn’t until I was registering all ten of the Pokémon I had up to that point for the Indigo League that I realized I may have been out of my depth.”

“I’m not giving up .” Goh said in defiance. “I’m just… reassessing.” He turned towards Tobias, a little sheepishly. “Are you sure only one Entei and Enamorus exist?”

Tobias smiled at him, and Goh had the distinct feeling he and Ash were trying not to laugh at him. “Fairly sure, yes.”

Goh scuffed his shoe on a rock as the trio entered the tunnel Ash had pointed out. “… I don’t suppose you’d be willing to make any trades?”

Tobias did laugh at him then, but managed to stifle it quickly. “Perhaps in a few years, once you too have had a chance to hone your research and skills, and you’ve tried your luck a little longer.”

Goh decided that was probably the best deal he was going to get and continued through the tunnel. 

Grinning, Ash pushed aside a specific wall of Ivy, and Goh gasped at the impressive sight that greeted them. The tunnel opened up into a wide valley hidden within the mountains, and it was perhaps one of the most beautiful locations Goh had ever seen. The valley was ringed by a small lake, which seemed to sparkle like stardust in the light. In the center of the valley was a huge stone altar. A series of steps leading up to a large structure that had strange, circular sigils etched into its surface. The whole structure seemed to glow in the sunlight.

“Wow.” Said Goh, approaching slowly.

“This is a sacred place.” Tobias whispered. “Those markings- this was a temple built to one of Alola’s legendaries. Maybe hundreds or thousands of years ago.” He looked intently at the glyphs. “Looks a little like the sun. A shrine to Solgaleo, perhaps?”

“I’m impressed, you really know your stuff.” Ash said, as he walked up the steps. He turned towards them and stretched his arms out. “Welcome to the Altar of the Sunne.”

“This place is amazing.” Goh said.

“Indeed. But how will this altar help us get Guzzlord back into Ultra Space?” Tobias questioned, glancing around the valley and noting the distinct lack of extra-dimensional portals in the immediate vicinity.

“I” said Ash as he reached the top of the stairs. “Am going to ask a friend of mine to help us out. This is just the best place to reach him.”

Goh was still trying to puzzle out what friend Ash could have that could only be reached at a shrine at the edge of civilization when Ash looked to the sky, cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, at the very top of his lungs; “Hey, Solgaleo! We’re here! Come down and say hi!”

“…He’s cracked.” Tobias said, after a moment.

Goh frowned, not entirely agreeing with that assessment, but not entirely disagreeing either. 

Ash let out a loud sigh and slung his backpack off his shoulders. He opened it to reveal a large, brightly colored plastic bag. “What a shame!” He called, still looking heavenward. “Looks like me and Pikachu will have to eat this JUMBO BAG of Mallow’s special STAR CANDIES all by oursel-“

VROOM!

Goh and Tobias gaped in utter shock as a multicolored light shined down from the sky- an aurora borealis in broad daylight. Riding the prismatic wave was a Pokémon that radiated a blinding light. The air around the Pokémon seemed to ripple, and all at once with a bright flash, the Pokémon was standing on the altar’s dais.

The Pokémon who had arrived seemed to glow with raw power. He was, basically, a lion, but he was a lion in the same way Mt Silver was a pile of rocks. He was roughly the size of an eighteen-wheeler, His fur was so white it was hard to look at, lined with stripes of red and gold. Heat shimmered off his form, causing lines of steam to rise into the air off his mane. The most startling thing about him was the glow- it was as if he had molten lava running through his veins instead of blood. 

Maybe he did. This was Solgaleo, the Sun incarnate. A being venerated in the Alola region above nearly all others, matched only by his lunar counterpart. One of the most powerful and regal legendaries to ever live.

He immediately tackled Ash and began licking his face like an excited house pet.

“Ha ha!” Ash laughed, rubbing Solgaleo’s head. “I missed you too, Nebby! Hey, stop! That tickles!”

Goh pinched himself, hard, and then turned to Tobias. “You’re seeing this too, right?”

Tobias nodded mutely as he watched Ash hand feed the sun god candies.

“You were watching the battle, right?” Ash asked Solgaleo, rubbing his head affectionately. “I thought I could sense you for a second- when Pikachu was in trouble.”

Pikachu squeaked out his own take on the matter and jumped onto Solgaleo’s head.

Solgaleo huffed in confirmation, nuzzling against Ash’s hand. A rumble made the entire valley tremble, and it took Goh a second to realize Solgaleo was purring. 

“ Solgaleo is the friend who’s going to get Guzzlord back to Ultra Space?” Goh asked once he’d found his voice.

Ash, Pikachu and Solgaleo looked at each other, looked back at Goh, and nodded in unison.

Tobias knelt. “Mighty Solgaleo, you honor me with your aid in this matter.”

Solgaleo blinked, then turned to look at Ash in confusion, who shrugged. 

Ash pumped his fist, a white crystal glittering on his Z-ring. “Ready, Nebby?”

The celestial lion grinned , jumping to land in front of Ash, facing towards the altar. Ash turned to Tobias. “You can let Guzzlord out now. Solgaleo and I can open a wormhole, but it’ll only stay open for a few minutes.

“I- right.” Said Tobias fumbling for his pokeball. 

Goh raised a hand. “What if he goes on another rampage? Pikachu only barely stopped him last time. Should we send out a few more Pokémon?”

“Nebby can handle it.” Ash assured him. He twisted the Solgalium-Z on his wrist. “But you might want to take a few steps back.”

Goh, who had seen Ash walk directly towards an enraged Pokémon using Hyper Beam on more than one occasion, retreated to the farthest edge of the valley possible. 

Guzzlord appeared in a flash of blue, and he looked around blearily. His eyes settled on Solgaleo.  The Ultra Beast took a step forward, licking his lips and moaning about something, but Solgaleo cut him off with a low growl.

A wave of pure energy radiated off of the lion Pokémon. Invisible and intangible but somehow still there to be sensed. The word aura, half remembered from some Riolu-adjacent conversation with Ash, came to Goh suddenly. The boy wasn’t even the target of Solgaleo’s warning, and yet every hair on his body stood on end. He got the sudden, distinct sense that this Pokémon’s power eclipsed by a wide margin any other he’d seen since coming to Alola. 

Guzzlord also seemed to get the message. He clamped his maw shut and made no more noise.

“Good boy.” Ash said. He tapped his Z-Crystal, which began to sparkle, and crossed his arms. “Let’s go!”

Goh, Tobias and Guzzlord watched in fascination as Ash went through the motions for the Z-move, bands of power racing from him to the lion Pokémon. As the power of Alola filled him, Solgaleo’s brightness intensified even more, forcing the others to look away.

Ash’s voice cut through the atmosphere. “Here we go at super full power! Searing Sunraze Smash!”

Solgaleo marched forwards, and the space in front of him seemed to splinter under the sheer pressure of his strength. With a small flare of golden sparks, the cracks widened, and with a low growl, they split open, and a swirling vortex of blue and purple opened before them. 

Guzzlord looked into the wormhole. Some kind of recognition seemed to cross his face. Unprompted, he walked forwards until he stood at the portal’s mouth. Recognizing a road home. He stopped and turned back towards the rest of the group. The ultra beast bowed twice in respect- first to Tobias, then to Ash and Pikachu, before stepping through.

Solgaleo’s light dimmed, and the portal closed.

“I suppose that’s it, then.” Tobias said. “Thank you again for your help.”

“It was our pleasure.” Ash said, stepping forwards to rub Solgaleo’s nose. 

Tobias watched the pair with a rueful expression. “Solgaleo is… truly something incredible. I think he could have beaten half my team by himself, minimum, had you used him in our match.”

“Which begs the question.” Goh chimed in. “Why didn’t you?”

“I confess I wondered that as well.” Tobias said. “I was also a little confused by the lack of Sceptile in our match. I would have expected you’d bring him in against Darkrai once more, given he won last time.”

“Well, for Sceptile, you just answered your own question.” Ash said. “Why would I use the strategy you already knew about?” He shrugged, looking pointedly at Tobias, as if hoping he would understand something. “As for Nebby here- he’s a good friend, and we’ve been through a lot together, but he isn’t my Pokémon. I never caught him. I didn’t train him to be this strong. Using him for his power, even for something like a title defense, just seems… unfair.” 

Tobias considered that, and chuckled. “You are certainly a very unique trainer, Ash. I’ll have to keep that in mind, should we ever compete again.”

“Please do!” Ash said, grinning. “I’m always up for a good challenge.” He turned to Solgaleo, giving him one last pat. “I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?”

Solgaleo rumbled, nodding, and Ash stepped away from him. 

Ash smiled at him. “Good luck out there, and tell Lunala I said hi!”

Solgaleo huffed in agreement, and then, with a shower of rainbow light, he was gone. Vanished into the sky.

Goh sat down on a nearby rock. “Well. I’m beat. Watched the craziest battle, like, ever, recontextualized the goal of my entire Journey’s purpose, and watched my Co-worker give a sun god noogies, and just got a glimpse of another dimension. I think I’m done for the day.”

“I hope you aren’t too tired.” Ash said. “We still have to walk all the way back.”

Goh groaned in a mixture of rage and exhaustion, and Ash tried and failed to suppress his laughter. 

All in all, it had been a pretty good day.