//------------------------------// // Overcoming Octolock // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Pokemon House, Day. "Riolu! Vacuum Wave!" At the moment, Ash was training with his Pokemon as he usually does. Riolu had whirled his fists, sending waves of pure vacuum forward. Who he was aiming at was Pikachu, who was evading the waves. Gengar, Dragonite, Fartech'd and the Mane 7 watched this small training session go down. "Force Palm!" "Pikachu..." Pikachu had jumped up, preparing to avoid Riolu's incoming attack. Riolu's palms had just missed Pikachu by a hair, but he kept it up by trying repeated palm strikes. And yet, Pikachu avoided them all anyways. But in one instance, Riolu almost hit his mark with one final Force Palm until Ash stopped them. "Alright! That's good!" Ash put it to a halt. "Good job. You got in close at just the right time." "Rio!" "Pika!" "Thanks for helping Riolu out, Pikachu." Ash kneeled down, petting his best buddy. "Chuuuuu...Pikachu!" Pikachu enjoyed the head pat from Ash as it felt comfortable whenever he did it. "Next up is Dragonite and Farfetch'd. You two ready?" Ash looked over to his other Pokemon. "Far." "Dragon." "Good luck, you two!" Fluttershy cheered for them both. "Ash!" Along came Goh, sliding on the grass in a hurry. He ended up crashing into a Snorlax, falling over. "Ough!" "Goh? What is it?" Ash looked down at him. "Ugh..." Goh held his head, raising his Rotomphone for everypony to see. "We might wanna go to the Johto Region today. Look." On the phone, Bea could be seen. Her ranking and everything. "Her again?" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm confused, who's that?" Starlight asked. "Bea. A gym leader from Galar. She's pretty fierce." Pinkie replied as the others nodded. "Fierce is right. This is my chance to have a second battle with her!" Ash grinned, tightening his gloves. "Pikachu!" "And we'll be there to support you as always!" Pinkie hopped on his shoulder. So it was. It was off to the Johto Region to meet with Bea. The way of travel this time was by boat, since Johto's fairly close to Kanto as a neighbour region. So the quickest way to get there was by sailing from Kanto to Johto. The rematch against Bea was drawing near. Johto. Cianwood City Gym. "Here we are. Cianwood Gym." Ash ran up to the gym, seeing how it's changed since the last time he's been here. Still looked similar in appearance enough to be fully recognizable from afar. "Bea's in there? Make sure you don't get hit by a Hitmonchan again, right Ash?" Twilight walked up to him. "Yeah, well. This time, she'd better at least show some sort of sportsmanship this time." Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves, frowning. "Pretty rude of her not to do so before." "BEGIN!" A voice boomed out of the gym, grabbing each of their attention. Inside the Cianwood Gym, a Poliwrath and Bea's Grapploct were currently in the middle of a sparring season, striking their fists and appendages at each other with impactful hits. The Poliwrath actually belonged to the Cianwood City Gym Leader, Chuck. "Remarkable!" Chuck bellowed. "You took every last one of my Poliwrath's Poison Jabs!" "Hm." Bea let out a silent reply. Abruptly, her Rotomphone received a notification that a challenger as nearby. "Oh! A Championships notification!" Chuck leaned forward. And who came through those doors other than Ash along with his friends. "Bea!" Ash exclaimed, causing Bea to turn to him. The two had locked eyes, staring each other down. Bea stared with a frown whilst Ash had his usual smile attached to his face. Goh looked at the ponies, nodding in an understanding of what this meant while Starlight was just confused. "That young man looks familiar." Chuck squinted his eyes, examining Ash. "This is an official battle announcement." Both their Rotomphones spoke. "Would you like to battle or not?" "Bea! Let's battle again!" Ash pumped his fists, grinning. But after a few seconds, Bea gave no response. Not at all. "Uh...Don't you recognize me?" "The Riolu Trainer." She finally responded. "Pika?" "Riolu Trainer? He has a name!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the back. "Young lady. You've battled him before?" Chuck asked Bea. "I remember his Riolu and Farfetch'd at least." "BAHAHAHA!" Chuck burst out in laughter. "That response is to be expected from you!" "I'll accept any challenge and I am given." Bea turned to Ash. "Official Battle Appointment made." Their phones both said. "Yes!" Ash yelled with excitement. "Pika!" "Riolu..." Riolu was eyeing down Bea's Grapploct who noticed him doing the same. "Grapploct. Return for now." Grapploct had been returned to its ball, being saved for when its turn arrives. "Chuck!" Ash ran over to him and Bea. "Mind if we use the gym?" "OH! I knew it! You really are Ash!" Chuck finally recognized him. "Yeah! Long time no see!" "Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his arm up for a wave. "Very well. Use it however you please!" "Thanks!" "You know him?" Bea questioned. "But of course. I am a Gym Leader. They say I let my roaring do the talking." Chuck reminisced of when Ash took him on in a battle. With Ash's Bayleef managing to defeat his Poliwrath and Machoke, granting him the Storm Badge. "I never forget any trainer with whom I have exchanged roaring fists with!" "Bea! I'm back in the Great Class just to battle you a second time!" "You had dropped into the Normal Class?" Chuck asked. "I see. You can only battle trainers in the same class as you, after all." "Yeah! This is gonna be Ash's rematch!" Pinkie Pie nodded. The two trainers went on opposite sides of the gym arena. Now that they've initiated a Championship match, the Rotom Drone came flying in to be the referee as usual. "I'm gonna win my way up into the ranks again and reach Ultra Class!" Ash exclaimed. And yet, Bea said nothing. "The Pokemon World Championships has approved this Great Class Battle!" said the drone. "The match-up is Contest Bea VS Contestant Ash! This battle will be a 2V2!" "Say...what is this...Pokemon World Championships?" Starlight asked Twilight and the others. "What is it? It's a competition to determine the world's strongest trainer. Ash has registered just to reach the top and battle Leon to become the strongest." Twilight explained. "Mhm. We've got something sorta similar in the form of the Equestria League back home. But uh...the stadium isn't done yet and it's kinda smaller in scale compared to the Championships." said Rainbow Dash. "Pikachu! Riolu! Stay sharp!" "Pika!" "Rio!" "Alright. Both sides, send out your Pokemon at the same time. 3...2...1...GO!" "Pikachu, I choose you!" "Go, Hitmontop!" At the same time, their Pokemon had come forth. Ash and his trusty Pikachu, Bea and her Hitmontop. "Pikachu!" "Hitmon...Hitmontop!" "Hitmontop?" Rainbow Dash and Goh both took out their dexes. "Hitmontop. The Handstand Pokemon. Hitmontop spins on its head at high speed, all the while delivering kicks. This technique is a remarkable mix of both offence and defence at the same time. The Pokémon travels faster spinning than it does walking. The centrifugal force boosts its destructive power by 10. If you are enchanted by its smooth, dance-like kicks, you may get a closer experience with one than you’d like." "Battle Start!" "Hitmontop! Gyro Ball!" Bea made the first command and move. Hitmontop did what it does best by getting on top of its head, spinning at high speed, utilizing it as a form of offence whilst it made its way towards Pikachu. "Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash followed up. "Pika!" Pikachu propelled himself forward, avoiding Gyro Ball. "PIKACHU!" Following with his own attack, Pikachu sent a bolt of 100,000 volts forward, however, Hitmontop's spinning was fast enough to avoid even lightning itself. "Stand strong, Pikachu! Iron Tail!" "Pika!" Pikachu soared towards Hitmontop as if he was a jet, enforcing his tail with hard steel. "Chu...Pika!" The Electric Mouse Pokemon swung Iron Tail forward, clashing with rapid movements of Hitmontop. Their clash had caused a mini-explosion that forced them both to retreat, showing that they're evenly matched. "Quick Attack at lightning speeds!" "Pi..." Pikachu slid off the ground, recovering himself. In blinding speeds, he made afterimages whilst moving towards Hitmontop, tackling the Hand Stand Pokemon. "Pika!" "Hitmon!" Hitmontop had been knocked off balance, soaring in the air. Bea said nothing at all. She just kept her stern face throughout this. "Now! Electroweb!" Ash, however, kept the attack up. "He's really putting the pressure on," Chuck commented. "Ash might be trying his good ol' 'fight with speed' tactic." said Applejack. "Pika!" Pikachu had made a web of electricity, holding it in place until Ash made the call. "Grab em!" "Pikachu!" With the command, Pikachu sent Electroweb downwards, ensnaring Hitmontop and forcing it to fall back to the ground. "Now we've cut your speed!" "Hmph. Focus Energy!" Bea finally gave a second command. "Hitmon...Top!" Hitmontop got back up, spinning around as usual. But this time, it was building up power by tightening its focus. The speeds it was spinning at were so great that it blew away the bolts of electricity that were surrounding it. "Be careful, Pikachu!" Ash warned. "PIka..." "Focus Energy, huh? That'll make it easier for Hitmontop to hit a vital spot without a high chance of failure." Chuch explained. "Triple Kick!" "Top!" Spinning forward, Hitmontop managed to score a devastating hit with its signature move, Triple Kick. One kick that sent Pikachu flying, a second that kicked him so hard he spun around and third that sent him back down the floor. It was like its speed never dropped even when Electroweb was used. And thanks to Focus Energy, Pikachu felt those hits for sure. "That hit hard!" Chuck exclaimed. "It didn't look like it slowed down, even with Electroweb," Fluttershy spoke. "You okay, Pikachu?!" "Pi...Pika!" "Well then, how's this?! Use Electroweb on the arena!" Ash raised his fist in the air as Pikachu did the same hand gesture as him. "Pika!" Getting up to their usual wacky antics once more, Pikachu slammed his tail on the arena floor whilst having Electroweb apart of it. Threads of bolts had come forth with Hitmontop being in the middle of one of them. "Huh?" Bea gasped. "Hitmon?!" Hitmontop looked around to see that the entire battlefield was now filled with electric threads around every corner. "What crazy scheme is he up to now?!" Twilight leaned forward. "Gyro Ball!" Bea pressed on. "Hitmontop!" Hitmontop moved forward, spinning about once more. However, each time it moved, it had been caught up in the threads, shocking it in the process. Not only that, but due to the Electroweb being everywhere, this meant that Hitmontop's speed was being cut each time it made contact with the threads. "Iron Tail!" "Pikachu!" Pikachu was unaffected by the bolts since it was his own move. He bolted towards Hitmontop, slashing the pointed part on its head with Iron Tail, causing the Hand Stand Pokemon to fly up. "Quick Attack!" "Pika!" Pikachu followed up by moving at lightning speeds, crashing right into the opposing Pokemon in just a few seconds. An explosion followed afterwards with Pikachu flying out of the smoke. As for Hitmontop, it fell from above, laying on its back. But it wasn't getting back up. It had fainted. "Hitmon..." "Hitmontop is unable to battle!" "Alright! The first battle is ours!" "Rio!" "Good job, Pikachu!" "Pika..." Pikachu shook the sweat off of him. "Pikachu." "Yes! Pikachu did it!" Fluttershy squeed as the others cheered. "You seem rather ecstatic, my little ponies." Chuck turned to them. "Ash couldn't take out a single one of Bea's Pokemon the first time. So if he keeps up this momentum and beat the next one..." Goh spoke. "I see. But how do you think she feels about this loss?" Chuck pointed out how Bea was unaffected by this. "Come back, Hitmontop." The stern trainer returned her fainted Pokemon to its ball, keeping herself adamant still. "You fought well...Now. GO! Grapploct!" Out came the ferocious Grapploct, raring to go as usual. "Grapp!" "Pika..." Pikachu got on all fours, preparing for the worst. "Here comes Grapploct. Stay sharp, buddy. And keep it up." "Pika!" "There it is. Grapploct." Pinkie Pie gulped, getting flashbacks to the first battle with it. "Let's strike first. Quick Attack!" "Pika! Pika-Pika!" Pikachu moved at high speeds, preparing to get the first hit on. "Close Combat!" Bea punched the air, giving Grapploct the command to infight. "Grapploct!" The Tantrum Pokemon jumped over Pikachu, evading Quick Attack without an issue. And with a swift swing of its appendages, Grapploct smashed them against Pikachu's face, causing the Electric Mouse Pokemon to fly off. Grapploct chased him down, delivering a barrage of brutal blows to Pikachu, giving him an endless assault of attacks. "Loct! Grapp!" The ponies closed their eyes, unable to watch this absolute all-out pummeling that Pikachu was receiving. But they ended up seeing it again by moving their hooves and opening their eyes. "Pi! KA!" Pikachu couldn't do anything and neither could Ash. Close Combat was moving at ludicrous speeds, faster than that of Quick Attack even. After being absolutely bombarded with devastating hits, Grapploct delivered a final blow that rocketed Pikachu back. But Ash saw an opportunity for this. "Now! Thunderbolt!" "PIKA!" Pikachu gave a retaliation. 100,000 volts had struck Grapploct, forcing the Tantrum Pokemon to fall to the floor. Once it did, smoke emerged from both the impact of it falling and the aftershock of Thunderbolt. However, when the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Grapploct had its appendages crossed together in a blocking position. "It withstood the hit!" Ash pulled back. "Octolock!" Here it comes. The move that granted Bea absolute victory before. Octolock. Grapploct's signature move. The Fighting-Type slithered forward, raising its appendages up to prepare for a mighty lock. "Iron Tail!" "Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped up, avoiding the first appendage whilst charging Iron Tail. He avoided the second. And the third. But the fourth one caught him. And soon all of Grapploct's appendages wrapped around the Electric Mouse Pokemon's tiny body. "PI!" "Oh no, Pikachu!" "Pika..." Pikachu strained, attempting to push himself out of the Octolock. But that was no good. "Don't struggle! It'll just make it hurt more!" Ash warned, causing Pikachu to stop struggling. "Pikachu..." Pikachu put an end to its struggling, but the Octolock was still in motion. With each passing second, the appendages closed their gaps, causing Pikachu to become even more trapped with the Tantrum Pokemon's grip. "Then..Use Thunderbolt!" "Pika..." Pikachu's red sacs emitted electricity, preparing to shock Grapploct's entire body. But even that didn't work. Pikachu couldn't let it out. "You can't put out the strength?! Then try Iron Tail!" "Pika...Chu...Chu..." Yet again, Pikachu gave an attempt, but the result didn't change. Octolock still had him trapped. "Nothing they do is working..." Rarity said. "That's what makes Octolock so terrifying. Its tentacles can restrain your entire body." "There's gotta be something we can do..." Ash growled. "Liquidation!" Bea commanded. "Grapp!" The Tantrum Pokemon raised one single appendage up, creating a full-force blast of water out of thin air. There was nothing Pikachu could do to stop this. Octolock restricted every last one of his movements. "PIKA!" Pikachu gasped as he was struck by the devastating Water-Type move. It was so powerful that it even managed to deal major damage to an Electric-Type like Pikachu, who resisted it. But then again, Pikachu's a glass cannon. The Electric Mouse Pokemon flew into the air before falling down, tumbling on the floor. The Rotom Drone flew forward to confirm Pikachu's status. "Pikachu is unable to battle!" "Ah! Pikachu!" Ash gasped. "Rio!" Riolu ran over to his friend's side, worried about him. The Emanation Pokemon, being the good friend that he is, helped Pikachu up, carrying him on his back. "Pika..." "It's so rare to see Pikachu lose." Fluttershy sighed. "Yeah. Only Leon's managed to take him out." Rainbow Dash replied. "Thanks, Riolu." Ash kneeled down, grabbing Pikachu. "You did well, Pikachu. Thank you. Cheer Riolu on, please." "Pikachu..." "It's all on you now, Riolu!" "Rio..." Riolu turned around to glare at its fellow Fighting-Type who was just standing there with its arms out. "Oh! I can sense Riolu's fighting spirit rising!" Chuck exclaimed. "Riolu's already lost to Grapploct once. So it makes sense that it's serious about this one." Twilight nodded. "That Octolock was overwhelming aggressive. Even for a second time." Rarity gulped. "But if Pikachu couldn't get out of it, can Riolu?" Pinkie said in a worried tone "Rush in, Riolu!" "Rio!" The Emanation Pokemon rushed in, anticipating Grapploct's moves. "Liquidation!" "Loct!" Grapploct surrounded all four of it appendages with water, preparing to strike Riolu the moment he got close. "Vacuum Wave!" Instead of getting close for a physical attack, Riolu instead, unleashed Vacuum Wave from a distance. This whirl of waves broke through Liquidation, causing both its own water and Riolu's wave to strike Grapploct. "Fall back!" And with quick instincts, Riolu leapt back before he got too close to the Tantrum Pokemon. "Now there's an interesting approach. He blew the water from Liquidation in its face." Chuck uttered. "But why wouldn't he close in for an attack?" Goh wondered. "He may have deliberately changed the rhythm of his attacks just to throw Bea off," Chuck answered. "That's just like Ash to try something new and unexpected." Fluttershy nodded. There was a moment of silence between the two. Riolu pivoted his foot to the side, grabbing Bea's attention. "Hm. Octolock!" She saw that Riolu was wide open. Ash didn't' give a command. Instead, he just stood there, letting Grapploct head in. The Tantrum Pokemon spread out its appendages, lunging towards Riolu, whilst Ash suddenly smiled. "He's smiling?" "Grapp!" All four of its tentacles wrapped around Riolu's arms and legs, trapping him in Octolock. Just like before. But this time, there was no struggle. Not at all. It was almost as if Ash was allowing Riolu to be caught. Despite Grapploct bringing Riolu closer to tighten the grip, the Emanation Pokemon stayed calm with his eyes closed. "What's he doing? Why isn't he attacking back?" Starlight was confused. "He didn't even bother trying to attack Grapploct before Octolock landed," said Fluttershy. "What are you planning, Ash...?" Twilight thought in her head. The plan was starting to make sense. When Grapploct's appendages tightened Riolu's arms, Bea noticed that Riolu was copying the exact same movements Grapploct's appendages were making. "That's it Riolu! Match up to Grapploct's movements!" Ash exclaimed. "Start breaking through the Octolock!" "Most intriguing." Bea was impressed, but she believed that nothing was breaking through Octolock in this situation. "Let me see what you have." "She's letting it happen out of intrigue?" Rarity pulled back. "Riolu! Store up your power!" Ash suddenly commanded. What did he mean by that? "Rio." Riolu closed his eyes, deepening his focus, cooling his mind off and relaxing. All of a sudden, he generated a field of blue energy that rose up from within his body. This appeared to be Aura due to how the energy looked in appearance. This field of energy just stayed there whilst Riolu kept calm. "Now! Force Palm!" "Lu!" Riolu had struck Grapploct's single appendage, creating an explosion from point-blank range. "Grapp!" Grapploct jerked back from the hit, tumbling on the floor whilst Riolu skidded back to Ash's side. "Loct!" "We did it!" Ash grinned. "Pika!" "OH! Awesome, Ash!" Rainbow Dash clapped. "Instead of fighting the Octolock, he waited until the last possible moment when Grapploct had grabbed hold, and release a Force Palm from point-blank range!" Goh pointed out. "So that way he could escape while still dealing considerable damage. That's so Ash." Twilight nodded. "Your Force Palm has gotten stronger." Bea complimented him. "Well then, we shall answer in turn with our full power! Close Combat!" "Grapploct!" "Let's finish this! Use Force Palm one more time!" "Riolu!" Both Fighting-Types were aiming to finish this with all their strength. They took to the air, staring each other in the eye. "GO!" Both their trainers bellowed. Thus began an up close and personal bout. Grapploct sent an appendage forward, missing Riolu who evaded with precision. Another appendage was sent and even that missed. Then, a series of rapid-fire blows from Grapploct's appendages were thrown towards Riolu, who kept evading, left, right, up and even over Grapploct's head. The speed they were both moving at was almost invisible to the eye. "Riolu!" Riolu had mounted Grapploct's head by performing a handstand. Both Pokemon managed to hit their mark with their own moves. Riolu with Force Palm which ended up generating that same blue energy aura once more and Grapploct with Close Combat, striking Riolu's jaw. An explosion of power came as a result of the two colliding. Their sheer strength had sent them both rocketing to the floor, tumbling next to their respective trainers. Both Fighting-Types were down on the ground, unresponsive. Now the result would have to come via the Rotom drone. "Grapploct and Riolu are both unable to battle! As such, the battle is a draw! No change to the rankings!" "A draw?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "Bahahahaha! That was a great battle!" Chuck laughed. "Well done, trainers and Pokemon alike! Alright! Let's take a break!" Chuck stood up. "Take a break? From what? The battle's over." Twilight asked. "Just you wait and see my little pony." What the break actually ended up being was a desert picnic outside of the gym. Courtesy of Chuck. The look of it was so good it could be equal to that of SugarCube Corner's pastry. "Oooh!" They all gawked at the deserts. "Look at all of this!" Rainbow Dash flew about the table. "All of this for us?! AWESOME!" Ash squeed. "Baha! My energy comes from these truly delicious sweets!" Chuck said. "Eating sweets helps build up stamina! Plus, I have ones for Pokemon as well!" "We can eat...whatever we want?" Pinkie Pie was drooling. "Go ahead, my little ponies! They're all free to be devoured! After all! Ash and Bea showed us a most heated battle indeed! So help yourself!" "In that case...out you come!" Ash sent out the rest of his Pokemon to snack up. So did Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack. And Starlight's Hatterene can enjoy the food if she wants to. "Now to dig in!" Ash grabbed a cupcake, devouring it in one bite. Everypony and Pokemon had their fill, eating away at all the pastry that laid before them. "Young lady. I suppose this might not fit your tastes..." Chuck was referring to Bea since she was a stern and serious trainer after all. But when he turned to her, he was shocked to see the unexpectable. "HUH?!" Everypony else turned as well, spotting the expression that laid on Bea's face. "HM?!" They all said with their mouth's full. Bea, despite her seriousness, was enjoying the sweets along with her Grapploct and Hitmontop. "It's delicious, Mr Chuck." She suddenly let out a soft smile. One that nopony would've ever expected her to have. "She can smile?" Rainbow Dash said with a full mouth. "Very good! Very good, indeed!" Chuck chuckled, patting Rarity on the back, causing her to cough out the food. "BAHAHA!" "Oooh...She's got a sweet tooth!" Pinkie Pie realized. "You like sweet stuff?" Ash questioned Bea. Bea placed a cake in her mouth, licking off the chocolate from her fingertips, revelling in its taste. "I love it!" "Pika Pika?" Pikachu ran up to Bea suddenly. "Here." Bea kneeled down, kindly lending a cake to the Electric Mouse Pokemon. Both of them at the same time took a bite out of a cake, feeling the deliciousness fuel them. "Delicious!" "Pika!" Bea then looked over to see Ash's Riolu looking right up at her. "Rio?" "Riolu. Do you want some too?" "Grapploct." Grapploct had gone over to Riolu, pushing him forward towards Bea. "Here." Bea took a piece of cake, lending it over to the Emanation Pokemon. Riolu kindly took the offer, getting a bite of the cake for the first time. "Rio!" What a taste it was. "Good for you, Pikachu and Riolu," Ash said to his Pokemon. "Rio!" "Pika!" "The way you broke free from Octolock was remarkable." Bea complimented Ash's strategy. "But I guess it won't be easy to beat you." Ash scratched his hair. "I gotta train more!" "Then, I shall move on to the Ultra Class further onwards." "I won't lose either, Bea!" "Baha! Just as I expected! That attitude of acknowledging her foe yet striving to rise above them comes from her father!" Chuck bellowed. "Her father?" Starlight turned to him. "Mhm!" Chuck grabbed a piece of cake, eating it. "You see, A long time ago, I learned Galar Karate in the Galar Region. She was the beloved daughter of a teacher there. Even back then, she possessed a considerable talent for Galar Karate." "It's only natural since I'm aiming to be the strongest." Bea scarfed down some more deserts whilst Ash looked at her with a blank stare. "Whatever the case, I will defeat Leon and become the strongest trainer in the world! A true Pokemon Trainer!" "No way! I'll defeat Leon first and become the true strongest!" Ash responded. "We will both ascend to greater heights, aiming for Leon." Bea smirked at him. "Yeah! Even greater heights!" The fire between the two was igniting, showing their passion for reaching the top. "OH! I see. You both share the same goal." Chuck nodded. "I look forward to your coming battles. I wonder...which one of you will bring down the Unbeatable and Invincible Leon? I can't wait to see! Bahahahahaha!" Chuck gave both Rainbow Dash and Applejack a pat on the back, causing them to almost choke on the deserts. "We will battle again, trainer of Riolu." "My name is Ash!" Ash gave out his name to her, causing everyone else to laugh. Back to Ponyville and at the Pokemon House, Ash, Riolu and Pikachu were already training hard for the next time they come across Bea. "Training hard, huh Ash?" Fluttershy flew over to him. "I'll win next time!" Ash was doing push-ups with his Pokemon. "For sure!" "Pikachu!" "Mhm! We'll be rooting for you too!" Pinkie Pie nodded as she ate the last of Chuck's food since she brought it here. "Mmm." "In any case, we've learned a lot from seeing you engage in a real battle." Twilight said. "Oh, yeah! I hope you guys got something great out of that. I know I did! Pikachu. Riolu. Let's work even harder, okay?" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Riolu!" Ash has faced another challenge in his second battle with Bea. His challenge to reach the mightiest and strongest Champion, Leon, burns brighter than ever before, as the journey continues! Chapter 197 End!