Chapter 31
"Take that!" Ash yelled as his Aura Sphere finally took down Houndoom. He turned to his Pokémon. While it seemed like they had the upper hand, Ash could tell the day's events had taken a toll on them. One mistake could mean the end for them. "Pikachu, spin and use Iron Tail Drill! Skye, electric, use Thunderbolt on Pikachu! Latios, Dragon Pulse to your right! Latias, Aura Sphere to your left!" Ash commanded.
Pikachu smirked. Time to show Dugtrio the power of real Pokémon. With his tail glowing with steel-type energy, he began to spin. Pikachu was spinning so fast that the Thunderbolt from Skye circled around him instead of damaging him. Pikachu aimed his attack, and the electricity jolted him forward, sending him hurling towards Skye, courtesy of her Volt Absorb. And the best part? Dugtrio was right between them.
Latios shot his Dragon Pulse, completely missing Kangaskan on purpose. He didn't know what Ash's plan was, but he trusted his trainer. Sure enough, just as Kangaskan was about to hit him, an Aura Sphere hit it from the side, knocking the Dark Pokémon into the wall. Latios charged a Dragon Claw and smashed it into Kangaskan's head. It was over. He looked over to see that Latias was also finishing off Pinsir. Because of my Dragon Pulse. Sometimes, I have no idea how Ash comes up with this stuff.
Ash smiled as his Pokémon finished off Nigel's Pokémon. This was why he loved Pokémon battles so much. The trust he felt and the bond he forged with his Pokémon was something he couldn't get anywhere else. Whether that was a casual battle against a friend or one that determined the fate of the world, knowing that he could trust them and that they trusted him was the best feeling in the world.
"Great job!" Ash praised as the last of Nigel's Pokémon slumped over in defeat.
Pikachu smiled. "We couldn't have done it without you, Ash,"
Skye nodded. "I agree,"
"It's great to have you back," said Latios.
"Same," said Latias, "best trainer ever."
"Aww," Ash hugged them as best he could with his tiny Latius arms. "I missed you guys too."
But as much as Ash wanted to catch up with his team, he knew they had work to do first. "Who's ready to free some Pokémon?"
"Tsk, tsk, did you really think it would be that easy?"
"Nigel," Ash flew forward to glare at him. "Stop this right now, you said if I beat you, you would give up, and I defeated you."
"Wrong," said Nigel, "I defeated you, Latius. You fell straight into my trap. Your pesky Pokémon have only delayed the inevitable. You thought you freed Ho-oh? Well, think again!"
Nigel threw the Dark Ball into the air, releasing Ho-oh along with a cloud of black fumes. "Sacred Fire, finish them!"
"Skye, Dig! Pikachu, Eletro Web! Latias, Mist Ball! Latios, Protect!" There was no holding back now. Ash knew he had to think fast. How had he freed Ho-oh last time? Right before he defeated Ho-oh, he remembered hearing all of his friends cheering him on… That was it! The only way to free Ho-oh from the Dark Ball was to give Ho-oh the exact opposite of what the Dark Ball contained. The Dark Ball represented hate. Ash needed to give love. He was done fighting fire with fire. It was time to fight fire with water.
"Hurricane,"
Despite his Pokémon's best efforts, they were no match for Ho-oh. One by one, they fell to the powerful winds until only Ash was left standing.
"Just you and me again," Nigel laughed. "How fitting. It's a pity I'll be the only one to remember it."
Ash ignored Nigel and instead concentrated his entire being on one final move. His most powerful move.
Nigel grabbed a crystal from his pocket and snapped it into a bracelet on his arm. A crystal that would produce the most powerful move a dark Pokémon could ever use: Void Vengeance.
~~~
"I can't believe we failed da twerp," said Meowth.
"Now he'll probably be stuck there forever," James groaned. "We'll be out of a job."
"That stupid, big-headed, ugly, poophead!" Jessie roared, "How dare he-" She was cut off as a blinding flash of light lit up the sky, heading straight towards them.
"Duck!" yelled James.
The trio dived for cover as the ball of light shot past them, leaving a trail of glowing particles behind.
"What was that?" asked Meowth.
"I don't know," James looked in the direction the light had gone. "But it's headed straight for Team Void's base."
~~~
Well, this is it, thought Ash. The beam of energy flowed out of him like a stream of water, looping around itself as if dancing along to an unsung rhythm.
"Void Vengeance!" yelled Nigel, holding the crystal high in the air. Beans of black energy shot toward Ho-oh and a jagged stream of darkness toward Ash, zig-zagging in a sharp
The two moves collided with a bang louder than an erupting volcano. The entire room was leveled, obliterated into nothing but ashes, and the ceiling collapsed, crumbling into tiny bits of rock and dust. The two attacks struggled in the middle, as if alive. The final battle had begun.
Ash poured every ounce of his strength into his attack, thinking of every happy moment he had, every challenge he had faced with his Pokémon, and how, together, they had overcome.
Nigel wasn't holding back either, pouring out every bit of hatred and anger he had. All the times he had been defeated, humiliated, and bullied were brought to the front of his mind and poured out as dark energy.
Neither side was backing down, and the attacks were locked in a stalemate. Neither one was able to overpower the other. They struggled for an entire minute before Ho-oh's attack started pushing towards Ash.
Ash watched in horror as his attack was slowly overpowered. Taking every good memory he had, he shot them all at Ho-oh's attack. It wasn't enough. The attack was ten feet away.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One…
~~~
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