//------------------------------// // Short duel between friends // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Unova. Undella Town. Afternoon. Summer and Undella Town go hand in hand with each other. It's the perfect place for anyone to relax during the summer as it's almost the most populated during this season. Twilight had chosen to come to Undella Town to experience the villas that they hold. And she brought some friends along. Mainly her Pokemon, Ash and Delia. Ash was here after his recent awakening just a few hours ago and Delia was going to spend all the time in the world with her son. Plus Mimey. It wasn't just them. The Dazzlings had chosen to come here to experience Undella in the summer as well. Mainly Sonata was the one who recommended it. And much to Adagio's dismay, Sonata invited some friends along. Although, it was only one friend. Sunset. The rest were a bit occupied. "Hello, Undella!" Both Delia and Twilight exclaimed. "Kinda wish Unova had a unique greeting like Alola. I've gotten a bit addicted to saying Alola now." Twilight grinned. "I've been waiting for this for a while." Delia rubbed her hands together. "I would've come here 10 years ago but...better late than never." "Wait. We're staying here for a few days?" Ash scratched his hair. "I gotta head back to the hospital for daily checkups, ya know." "Pika?" "It's fine." Twilight turned around. "I mean, you're pretty great at getting to places faster than most of us can think right?" "Uh guess so..." "Let's spend as much time as we can in Undella together, okay?" Delia said to her son. "Before you end up fainting again like before. Besides, these villas are so comfortable, they might wipe that Ataxia issue away." "Hopefully. So, Twilight. You really saw Reshiram? And it's in Canterlot?" "Sure did. Right when we were headed to Alola and learning about Z-Moves. Matched the appearance and everything." "Really. I wonder if it was N's...Or was it from another world?" "It was. Straight from Ghetsis' world. "For the past days now, Princess Celestia's been taking the offensive on both worlds where Ghetsis and that other me reside. But...Queen Pyrestar ended up getting caught doing her best to push the invasion back." "She got caught?!" Ash suddenly stopped walking after hearing that before turning around. "Then what are we doing?! We should go and save her!" "Pikapi?" "Wait, Ash!" Twilight quickly stopped him with her magic, preventing Ash from blitzing off. "I know you want to help Queen Pyrestar right now but Princess Celestia has it covered. Just hold on, okay? You can trust Princess Celestia and Luna." "Pika-Pikachu!" Ash prioritized the wellbeing of his friends and family more than anything. If they're in danger, he'll rush there to their safety. However, Twilight insisted that Ash should stay put since Celestia is working on the issue. Plus, she didn't want to see Ash push himself again after the last time he stormed into enemy territory. Even Pikachu and his own mother insisted. "Alright..." Ash accepted the decision to wait. But he was very eager to go and help her. "Let's just relax, okay?" Delia put her hand on her son's shoulder. "You deserve the break." "Yeah, okay." Ash nodded as he walked alongside his mother and Twilight towards the villa. Both Twilight and Delia wanted Ash to take it easy for various reasons. One of which involved his Delayed Aura Ataxia. A seemingly permanent issue, but Ash is working hard to work around it. 1 hour later. 1 hour had gone by and fun was already being had. Mostly by the people and Pokemon of Undella including some ponies as well. All of Ash's Pokemon and Twilight's Pokemon were out having fun in the sun. Most of them anyway. Absol chose to stay inside of the villas along with Farfetch'd. But everyone else was fine with the outside and interacting with everyone else. "Pikachu!" Pikachu waved at his fellow Pocket Monsters as he ran off with Eve and Ninetales following. "Espeon!" "Ninetales!" Here in Undella, one very important guest tends to come here in the summer. The Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, of course. Summer is essentially her safe haven even though trainers constantly head over here since they know where her villa is. Speaking of Cynthia, she had noticed her fellow champion, Ash, sitting on a table and eating some cookie dough ice cream with Pikachu. "Ash!" Cynthia waved over. "Hm?" Ash licked the ice cream off his lips before waving to Cynthia. "Hey, Cynthia!" "You look better now. Have you fully recovered?" "Not yet." Ash shook his head. "I gotta do daily checkups. The doctors don't know much about Delayed Aura Ataxia so they're gonna be working on it. Oh, by the way, did you ever experience that before?" "Me?" Cynthia pointed at herself. "Ah...I think for a bit. I was battling with Lucario once many years ago and I ended up pushing myself too far. I blacked out for at least 2 hours from that. But, I suppose it's not as severe as yours." "Oh! So then, do you know a way around it?!" Ash leaned forward. "Sorry. No one does, really." Cynthia shrugged. "Aww..." Ash sighed, leaning back. "I'm still gonna try and see what I can do." "By the way...do you have any more of that cookie dough ice cream?" Cynthia was a sucker for anything sweet. Much like how Celesia loves cake, Cynthia loves ice cream. "Oh yeah. Here you go." Ash gave her the box that had some of the ice cream left. Cynthia had a pleased look on her face as she took a serving for herself before sitting next to Ash. Excited to eat her favourite type of food, Cynthia already dug into the ice cream as she, Ash and Pikachu were cooling themselves off from the summer sun. "You know, Ash. If you want to, you can always ask an Aura Guardian for advice. But...those are hard to come by, are they?" "Yeah." Ash nodded. "I could ask Riley but who knows where he is?" "Pika-Pika." "Oh! Maybe those Shrine Maidens from Johto could know something! They know about Aura Guardians after all!" Ash had an idea spark in his head. "Shrine Maidens?" "If there's any way I can stop this Delayed Aura Ataxia thing from coming up, I'll take that chance. I wanna protect everyone without even slowing down for once. Pyrestar's already captured and there's probably more happening out there thanks to Team Plasma and that Empire. That's why I can't afford to pass out ever again." "As always, you have a clear cut goal. If you ever do find a way around it then that'll greatly benefit Aura users such as myself." "Yeah. And becoming a Pokemon Master means I gotta be in top condition. I've already missed out on some battles when I was unconscious last week. Gonna have to do some catching up if I wanna shoot for Leon. Can't lose to Korinna and the others, after all. Plus, I'm just itching for a battle right now!" "Then...how about a quick battle here in Undella?" Cynthia offered as she bit into the cone of the ice cream. "Eh? Really?" Ash stopped eating his ice cream. "Pika?" "Really?" She nodded in confirmation. "But perhaps, not something that can push you too far. If you want, you can battle some of the passerby trainers here or...maybe one of your friends?" "Oh yeah! But uh...I don't think Twilight's still gonna consider battling me. She doesn't really feel like it." Ash chuckled. "Pika-Pika. Pikachu!" But, Pikachu reassured that Twilight was more than capable now. Over the months, she's gotten stronger. Plus, she's been taking care of Ash's Pokemon while he was unconscious so she's picked up some new tricks of her own. "Seriously?" Ash turned to Pikachu. "Oh, now I really wanna battle her more than ever!" "Then it's settled." Cynthia had already finished her ice cream, eating the last of the cone and a tiny cookie chip that was in the ice cream. "It's always fun to see a fellow champion battle anyway." "Yeah. But I wanna try it anyway." "Pikachu!" Approximately 4 minutes later, Ash went up to Twilight, requesting that she have a Pokemon battle with him. To his surprise, Twilight actually accepted his request. Finally. She was more confident in her skills now as a trainer. And that she wanted to see Ash happy. That too. After accepting Ash's request, a Pokemon battle was about to ensue between two good friends. Ash stood on the left while Twilight stood on the right. Cynthia would act as the referee while Delia, Togekiss, the Dazzlings and Sunset would watch. "Everywhere we go we just can't seem to get away from them can we...?" Adagio sighed. Yet again, she was in the same area as Twilight. Not to mention, she was about to watch her battle. "Then why are you even watching this?" Aria asked. "Isn't it obvious? I wanna see her lose. Again." Adagio smirked with a light yet devious chuckle. "Gah. You would." Both Aria and Sunset said. "Aren't you joining them, Togekiss?" Delia asked Togekiss. "Toge?" Unfortunately, Togekiss didn't exactly count as Twilight's Pokemon. She didn't have a Poke Ball and she was to be returned to Delphox soon. Although, it's seemingly taking longer than expected. "Let's make it a three on three battle. I...don't wanna push things too far for Ash, after all," Twilight suggested. "Let's try something laid back, okay?" "Alright, I gotcha." Ash accepted Twilight's offer. He didn't want to make her worry any further. "Hm." Cynthia nodded in understanding as she could make the rules. "Alright then. The battle will be a 3 on 3 battle. Both sides will use only three Pokemon each. The battle will be over when either side's three Pokemon are unable to continue. With that, you may both send out your first Pokemon." "Still a bit nervous but...oh well. You can go first Minccy." Twilight chose her Cinccino as her first Pokemon. "Cinccino!" The Normal-Type ran ahead. "Okay. Farfetch'd, you're up first!" Ash turned to Farfetch'd, giving him a thumbs up. "Far! Farfetch'd!" The Wild Duck Pokemon ran ahead by spinning his leek around, standing in front of Ash as he was ready for a good duel. "After this battle, I'm gonna challenge the next trainers that come here. Can't get sloppy after all for the Pokemon World Championships." Ash declared. "Just don't push yourself too far this time? Okay?" Twilight lowered her eyes. "Uh...I'll try." Ash let out a nervous smile. "Good luck you two!" Delia cheered along with Sunset and Sonata while Adagio had a different kind of cheering in mind. She just wanted to see Twilight lose. That's all. "Battle start!" "Okay, Fartech'd! Use Brutal Swing, go!" "Far!" Starting first, the Fighting-Type cloaked his large leek in a scarlet darkness before rushing towards the Scarf Pokemon. "Minccy! Aqua Tail!" "Ccino!" The Normal-Type covered her tail in a sparkling veil of water as she dashed at the Wild Duck Pokemon. Both Pokemon approached each other before entering an exchange. Farfetch'd's large leek had collided with Cinccino's tail, creating sparks of darkness and water. After the collision, they separated from each other before Farfetch'd went for another attack. He swung his leek to the side, but the Scarf Pokemon ended up jumping over his lee, going for an overhead attack with Aqua Tail. Reacting quickly, Farfetch'd put his leek over his head, blocking Aqua Tail from fully connecting. The two of them seemed to reach an impasse before they separated once more. "Far!" "Use your oily scarf to repel the attack, Minccy!" "Cin...!" Instead of continuing the Aqua Tail attack, Cinccino used her scarf for protection. Since a special oil coats her soft white fur, it repels many things such as dust and dirt. It's also capable of deflecting enemy attacks and keeping static electricity at bay. Once that leek connected, Cinccino adjusted her scarf, deflecting the leek. The impact was heavy but the feeling was smooth, something that was hard to describe. However, the force of Farfetch'd swing was strong enough to cause slight shockwaves through Cinccino's body. After the collision, not only did the scarf end up protecting Cinccino, but it also knocked the large leek out of Farfetch'd's grasp via its deflective properties. "Far?!" "Gotcha! Now strike!" "Ccino!" Taking the opportunity, the Scarf Pokemon swung Aqua Tail, striking Farfetch'd in the face, forcing him to feel the coldness of the water while also launching him back. "Fetch'd!" "Farfetch'd! Recover and grab your leek, quick!" "Far!" Farfetch'd opened his eyes before sliding on the ground. "Use Tri Attack on the leek!" "Cinccino!" However, Cinccino wasn't about to let Farfetch'd retain his weapon. When the Wild Duck Pokemon ran over to grab his leek, the Scarf Pokemon summoned a triangular orb with her paws. From that orb, three beams of various elements flew forward. Before Farfetch'd could grab his leek, it had been hit by Fire, Ice and Electricity at the same time, causing a tri-explosion that was in the shape of a dome. Farfetch'd gasped as he had been blown back by the explosion. "F-Fetch'd!" The Wild Duck Pokemon cried out before tumbling on the ground. Ash gasped along with Pikachu and the others as they leaned forward to see the result of the leek. Once the smoke of three elements cleared, it was obvious that one of the elements left a mark. Farfetch'd's leek had been frozen solid from Tri-Attack, encased in an icy prison. "There! So much for your weapon." Twilight smirked. "Cinccino." "Oh, man." Ash was surprised that Twilight and Cinccino actually went directly for the leek instead of Farfetch'd. "Smart thinking." Cynthia nodded in approval while Adagio grizzled her teeth. "Grr! Come on, Ash! Pulverize her!" Adagio cried out. "So, what now, Ash?" Twilight questioned. "Heh." But Ash wasn't worried as he adjusted his hat. "It's a good thing we're battling on a sandy place like Undella, huh?" "Hm?" Twilight tilted her head after hearing that. She expected Ash to be unbothered since he mostly keeps his cool during a battle. "Alright, Farfetch'd! Let's put those wings to good use! Flap them really hard!" "Fetch'd!" Instead of going after his leek and freeing it from its icy prison, the Wild Duck Pokemon suddenly began flapping his giant wings that he usually uses to hold his weapon. But, even without the leek, Farfetch'd himself is a weapon. By aggressively flapping his wings, Farfetch'd was kicking up the sand of Undella Beach itself. He flapped at such speed and strength that was actually managing to lift himself off the ground and sway to the side. And at the same time, he summoned a whirlwind of sand around his body while also raising some of the nearby sand around him like a mini-tsunami. "Oh!" Twilight quickly realized what Ash and Farfetch'd were trying to do. "Minccy! Thunder, go!" "Cincc...!" The Scarf Pokemon covered her body in electricity, sparking up the power of an entire storm. She then unleashed a giant blast of lightning that raced towards Farfetch'd, breaking through the sands as well. "Now!" "Fetch'd!" By using the last ounce of his strength, Farfetch'd put everything into his wings, causing him to boost to the side instead of further upwards. By moving to the side, Farfetch'd had successfully avoided Thunder and was heading for his leek. "Right there, Minccy!" "Ccino!" Cinccino changed directions as she summoned another blast of electricity, shooting it at Farfetch'd for one more try or potential paralysis. "Okay, put in front of the blast, Farfetch'd!" "Far!" With blinding speeds, Farfetch'd grabbed the frozen leek with his wings, quickly placing the ice in front of him as a shield. But it would act more than just a shield. Once Thunder reached Farfetch'd, the blast of furious lightning bolts ended up crashing into the ice instead. Farfetch'd closed his eyes as some of the electricity got to him, but he stood firmly on the ground. Thanks to the amazing power of Thunder, the ice had been shattered, freeing the leek from its icy prison as that was Ash's plan in the first place. Farfetch'd was now at his best. "Farfetch'd!" "Oh!" Twilight gasped. "Hehe! Alright, time for a counterattack! Night Slash!" Ash clawed the air. "Far...Fetch-Fetch-Fetch'd!" By lighting his leek up, the Wild Duck Pokemon swung it around, sending multiple white blades of energy towards Cinccino. "Focus Blast!" "Ccino..." The Scarf Pokemon closed her eyes as she put her paws out, summoning a light blue ball of energy. She then launched it forward, causing it collided against the blades. But instead of cancelling each other out, Focus Blast prevailed, breathing through the blades and heading straight for the Fighting-Type. "Hit it back with Fury Cutter!" "Fetch'd!" Farfetch'd lunged at the ball of mental energy coming his way. With a loud battle cry, the Wild Duck Pokemon's leek glowed green as he smashed it against the ball. With sheer power, Farfetch'd was able to smack the ball right back at Cinccino like a baseball, causing the sand around him to rise. "Use your scarf to defend yourself!" "Cinccino!" The Scarf Pokemon closed her eyes, putting her scarf up to defend against her own attack. Once Focus Blast reached, it struck Cinccino head-on with a bright blue explosion emerging from the impact. The smoke filled the area with Twilight's mane blowing in the wind while Ash held his hat to keep it from flying off. Afterwards, the smoke cleared, revealing the condition of Cinccino. She had fainted. The scarf just wasn't strong enough at the point. Cinccino..." "Cinccino is unable to battle! Farfetch'd wins!" Cynthia declared. "Yes!" Ash jumped for joy. "Great work, Farfetch'd!" "Pika-Pikachu!" "Far." "Haha!" Adagio sat up. "That's what I like to see!" "Can you calm down...?" Sunset gave Adagio an odd look on her face. "Thanks, Minccy. Return and get some good rest." Twilight returned her partner. "You did well, okay?" "Okay. Do you wanna stay in Farfetch'd?" Ash asked. "Farfetch'd!" The Wild Duck Pokemon would gladly stay in. He hasn't taken too much damage anyway. "Then in that case...how about this? Up you go, Ninetales!" Twilight chose Ninetales as her second choice. "Nine! Ninetales!" "Ninetales, huh? Watch out for that Extrasensory, Farfetch'd!" Ash warned him. "Far." "Hey...shouldn't we be worried about like one thing?" Sunset noticed that something was off. Or rather, something unfortunate might happen next. "Like what, Sunny?" Sonata asked. "Well...If it's all five Pokemon...what about him?" She pointed her hoof at the Aura Pokemon, Lucario, who was currently biding his time with his arms crossed. "Who, Lucario?" Aria moved her head to the side. "What about Lucario?" "If Ash battles with him, won't that increase his condition with Aura?" Sunset wondered. "I'm not sure if this is a good idea." "He doesn't seem too bothered by it so I'm sure it's fine." Aria shrugged as she wasn't thinking too much about it. But Sunset was and especially Delia, Cynthia and Twilight. If anything, they were nervous about when Lucario ends up having his turn. That is if he gets his turn. "Okay, okay! Let's go for Brutal Swing, Farfetch'd!" "Fetch'd!" By cloaking his leek in shadows, Farfetch'd bolted forward towards the Fox Pokemon. "Ninetales, use Extrasensory!" "Nine!" Ninetales' nine tails stood up along with his hair as his eyes shined gold, releasing a rainbow-coloured beam from his eyes. "Use the dark aura from Brutal Swing to nullify it!" "Farfetch'd!" By utilizing Dark's immunity to Psychic, Farfetch'd used the dark aura around his leek, placing it forward as it had nullified the Psychic beam. Extrasensory had been cancelled out, failing due to Farfetch'd's nullification. "Far!" After the attack had been nullified and Ninetales' eyes stopped glowing, Farfetch'd slammed his leek onto the Fox Pokemon's head, causing a loud smashing noise to occur while Ninetales' face and head shook from the impact. "T-Tales!" "Grab him with your tails!" "Nine!" But after recovering quickly from such a heavy hit, Ninetales opened his eyes with a wide glared before turning around. The Fox Pokemon used all nine of his tails to suddenly catch Farfetch'd after the impact of Brutal Swing. The tails had wrapped around him like vines, covering his entire body due to the size difference. "Far!" Farfetch'd gasped before his voice became muffled in the tails. "Oh!" Ash and Pikachu pulled back. "Pika?!" "You're the one who taught me this, Ash. Sometimes a Pokemon's own body is their greatest weapon." Twilight smirked, using Ash's lessons to full use. After all, Cinccino was a good example of a Pokemon using their natural body to their advantage with that oily scarf. "Heat yourself, Ninetales!" "Ninetales!" While holding Farfetch'd, the Fox Pokemon then increased his own body heat. Right all the way up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. A heat equal to that of lava. "F-F-Far!" And obviously, Farfetch'd was definitely feeling it. The heat wasn't kind to him as even his leek was starting to feel these blazing effects. At the end of the day, it's a leek. Just a plant. A very sturdy plant. And it didn't help that it was summer so the heat was already harsh enough. Plus, Fire-Types like Ninetales are stronger than ever in summer. It's safe to say that Ninetales was in his prime right now. "That looks like it stings!" Sonata winced as she held her Eevee and Buneary close. "Eevee!" "Buneary!" "Tch! That's nothing. That Ash guy's known for thinking out of the box right?" Adagio kissed her teeth while crossing her hooves, wanting Ash to absolutely come out on top. But she was right. Ash always comes up with something in dire situations. Good or bad. He let out a smirk, already having an idea. A simple one but effective either way. "Sorry about this, Ninetales. Bite the tails!" "F-Far...! Fetch'd!" While being punished with heats equal to lava, the Wild Duck Pokemon was about to do something that might harm his beak. But, he didn't care. By opening his beak as wide as he could, which wasn't much considering how thick the tails were, the Fighting-Type bit hard onto one of Ninetales' tails with the tip of his beak. "N-NINE!" And Ninetales most definitely felt that as he let out a howl while wincing. Due to that immediate bite, his grip on Farfetch'd loosened, causing the Wild Duck Pokemon to have a better chance of breaking free. And break free he did. By gripping onto his leek, Farfetch'd spun around as hard as he could, blowing the tails away as he freed himself from Ninetales' blazing hold. "Farfetch'd!" "Ninetales! Are you okay?!" Twilight gasped. "T-Tales! Tales!" Ninetales pranced around on the spot, blowing on the spot where Farfetch'd bit him. A little bite mark could be seen as Ninetales stopped prancing with the pain soothing down. "Hehe!" Ash grinned. "Okay! Use Night Slash!" "Farfetch'd! Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd chose to stay back with Night Slash via multiple white blades being swung out of his leek. "Dodge and use Hidden Power Dragon!" "Ninetales!" Ninetales, using his swift feet, bolted to the side, avoiding the incoming white blades before covering his own body in a bluish and purple aura. The Fox Pokemon then opened his mouth, summoning a blue and purple light that had the eyes of a dragon inside. "Here it comes! Get ready, Farfetch'd!" "Far!" Farfetch'd put his leek behind his back, ready for whatever comes his way. "Nine!" Out of Ninetales' mouth, a giant blue and purple blast came flying out with the sound of a dragon roaring. It even had draconic energy inside. "Now surf on it with your leek!" "I beg your pardon?!" Twilight was thrown back by that command. "Fetch!" In an unexpected approach, Farfetch'd lunged himself like a rocket while locking his eyes onto the leek. Then, by placing the leek underneath him and using his feet to step on it as a platform, the Wild Duck Pokemon began surfing on the beam of draconic energy itself as if it was a wave. This would allow Farfetch'd to get close to Ninetales and catch him off guard for sure. "Now, use Night Slash!" "Far!" Farfetch'd readied himself to grab his leek at the right moment as he was closing in on Ninetales. "Not good! Ninetales, pull back and use Extrasensory, go!" Twilight ordered in a hurry. "Tales!" Knowing what was coming, Ninetales quickly ended Hidden Power Dragon, causing the leek surfing to come to an end. The Fox Pokemon then looked up, turning his eyes into a beautiful golden colour. But it was too late to retaliate. "Fetch'd!" Farfetch'd had already gotten too close thanks to him using Ninetales' own attack as transportation. Once in the face of the Fox Pokemon, Farfetch'd began wildly swinging his leek, smacking the Fire-Type in the face repeatedly. "Far! Far! Far!" "Nine-Nine!" "Far...Fetch'd!" After 12 consecutive hits, Farfetch'd ended it off with his last swing, smacking Ninetales with sheer strength. Ninetales had actually slid back from that. "Mystical Fire!" "Ninetales!" After sliding back, Ninetales shook his head from the hard-hit he was given from Farfetch'd. The Fox Pokemon then opened his mouth, pulling his head back before firing a red-orange stream of magical flames. "Block it!" "Far!" Farfetch'd quickly put his leek out in front of him, using its sturdiness to try and block the flames. Mystical Fire crashed onto the leek with flames spreading out. The leek had split it into two while the flames poured on. The Wild Duck Pokemon gripped onto his leek tightly, making sure that it would not move. "Move in Ninetales!" "Nine!" Suddenly, while still using Mystical Fire, Ninetales ran in, closing the gap between him and Farfetch'd as the range of Mystical Fire was getting smaller. "Far?!" "We'll close that gap immediately! Go Ninetales!" "I don't think so! Now, Farfetch'd! Brutal Swing! Forward!" "F-Farfetch'd!" Farfetch'd cloaked his leek in scarlet darkness as he also closed the gap between him and Ninetales. The Wild Duck Pokemon pushed the leek further as it slid on the sand. And just like that, when the gap was eventually closed, a chain reaction occurred. The flames of Mystical Fire eventually combusted when the leek got too close. Like a balloon that pops when it's squeezed too much, it gave out, causing the explosion to blow both Farfetch'd and Ninetales away. "Far!" "Nine!" Both Pokemon tumbled on the ground as the explosion was being blown away by the wind. They had equally taken the same amount of damage as they then slid on the ground, causing shapes to form in the sand. "Ah!" Both Ash and Twilight leaned in to see the condition of their Pokemon. Unfortunately, that explosion had finished them both. Plus, Farfetch'd was already damaged from the first battle against Cinccino. They had both fainted. "Farfetch'd..." "Ninetales..." "Both Farfetch'd and Ninetales are unable to battle! It's a draw!" "This summer sun's not helping the intensity of this battle..." Aria sighed as she lowered her head. "Popplio, use Hydro Pump." "Popp!" Assisting her trainer out, the Sea Lion Pokemon showered Aria and everyone else with a high volume blast of cold water to cool them off. Immediately, their faces, hair, fur and clothes had gotten wet thanks to Popplio. "Thanks..." Aria let out a satisfying smile while Adagio groaned, flipping her wet mane to the side. "Return." Both Ash and Twilight recalled their Pokemon, thanking them both for doing a great job. It was now time for them to choose their next Pokemon. For Ash, this would be his second while Twilight could only select one more due to this battle being a 3 on 3. Meanwhile, Twilight and the others were worried that Ash might choose Lucario next and end up using most of his Aura in this, resulting in yet another fainting session. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Instead, he was going for his Tried and True, his ace and best friend from day one of their timeless journey together. "Alright. Pikachu, I choose you!" "Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped over Ash before landing in front of his best friend. "Whew..." Twilight and the others sighed. "Okay. Eve, you're up." "Espeon!" Stepping forward was the Sun Pokemon Espeon as Twilight's final choice. Both Pikachu and Espeon stared each other down, knowing that this will be their very first time going against each other. However, even if Ash wasn't using Lucario, his Aura can still show with Pikachu considering how strong of a bond they share. Cynthia knew this as she was worried about how this one might turn out. "Quick Attack!" Both Ash and Twilight commanded at the same time. "Pikachu! Pika-Pika-Pika!" And in unison, both Pikachu and Espeon surrounded themselves in a white aura before moving at lightning speeds, leaving a white trail behind. "Esp! Espeon!" With their speed, both Pokemon smashed their heads against each other, causing a bit of vibration as they both closed their eyes. Afterwards, they knocked each other back from their head-on collision. "Iron Tail!" "Chu...Pika!" Pikachu slid on the ground before hardening his tail, lunging towards the Sun Pokemon for an overhead attack. "Dodge with Quick Attack!" "Eon!" Using Quick Attack once more, Espeon zoomed backwards, leaving an afterimage as Pikachu's tail smashed the ground afterwards. "Dazzling Gleam!" "Espeon!" After moving back, the Psychic-Type formed a rainbow sphere around her body as multiple rainbow rays came flying out. "Reflect it with Iron Tail!" "Pika!" Pikachu put his tail out, utilizing the advantage Steel had against Fairy. The rays of Fairy magic collided with Iron Tail as the Electric Mouse Pokemon swiped his tail, sending them straight back at Espeon. "Esp?!" Eve gasped as he had been hit directly by her own attack, forcing her back as she cried out. "Espeon!" "Psychic, go!" "Eon!" The gem on Espeon's forehead glowed a multicoloured light as her body became outlined in light green while a multicoloured shadow reaches around her. She then unleashed an invisible blast straight for Pikachu. "Use Thunderbolt!" "Pika...Chu!" Pikachu sparked his body in an electric aura before unleashing a blast of 100,000 volts forward. The bolt of electricity connected witht an invisible blast of mental energy as both moved cancelled each other out, blowing up and forming a smoke cloud. "Zip around with Quick Attack, Pikachu!" "Pika! Pika!" Afterwards, Pikachu moved into the smoke cloud with Quick Attack, using his lightning speed to zip around Espeon in an attempt to befuddle her. "Esp?" Eve looked around, noticing how Pikachu was moving from one spot to the other. "Control him with Psychic!" "Eon!" In an attempt to stop Pikachu's movements, Espeon would try and hold Pikachu in place with her Psychic mind as her eyes started glowing blue. "Now strike!" "Pika!" Pikachu found the right moment as he zoomed forward, tackling Espeon head-on. "Use it, Eve! Now!" "Eon!" But even after being hit by Quick Attack, Eve continued utilizing Psychic. Once she had been hit her eyes widened as she outlined Pikachu in that same blue light. "Pika?!" "Espeon!" Afterwards, she launched Pikachu into the air with the force of her mind, sending him spiralling while also dealing invisible damage to him. "Pika...!" Pikachu cried out as his voice faded out in the distance when sent to the air. "Now, Shadow Ball!" "Esp...!" Eve prepared another attack by summoning a ball of shadows in front of her. She then hurled the ball of shadows as fast as she could to the sky. "Use Electroweb, Pikachu!" "Pika-Pika-Pika-Chu-Pi!" By sparking his tail, the Electric Mouse Pokemon sent a small sphere of electricity downwards while he fell. That small sphere then transformed into a large net of electricity that had caught the Shadow Ball within it. Electroweb kept going with Shadow Ball within its hold. Afterwards, it had landed on Eve, not only catching her but also forcing Shadow Ball back down on her, dealing super-effective damage and trapping the Sun Pokemon at the same time. "Eon!" Eve cried out as an explosion of shadows happened within the net of electricity. "Go! Iron Tail!" "Chu...!" Pikachu came zooming down, hardening his tail with pure metal as he was going for an overhead smash. "Dazzling Gleam your way out of there!" "Eon!" By forming another rainbow-coloured sphere, Eve used the sphere of Dazzling Gleam to blow the net of electricity away. She then launched herself at Pikachu with the sphere still around her, heading for a direct collision. Then, Pikachu's tail crashed into Eve's sphere as the two of them entered a clash and power struggle, trying to overpower each other in this. "P-Pika...!" "E-Esp...!" The two of them reached an impasse, unable to gain the upper hand. Thus, they cancelled each other out with Pikachu flipping back and Eve descending to the ground. "Let's finish this! Pikachu use-" And just then, Ash twitched with his body pulsating. His Delayed Aura Ataxia was showing while battling furiously with Pikachu. Cynthia, Twilight and Lucario both noticed as well. Nevertheless, Ash persisted with his command. "Ugh!" Thunderbolt!" "Pika...!" Pikachu jumped into the air, performing a few flips before summoning a giant blast of 100,000 volts from his body. "Dazzling Gleam, go!" "Espeon!" Espeon cried out as she shot out multiple blasts of Fairy magic from her body The rays met with the blast of electricity as the move that came out victorious in the end was Thunderbolt as Pikachu put everything he had while responding to Ash's Aura. "Pika!" "Esp?!" Eve gasped as her rainbow rays had been overpowered by this furious electric blast. Afterwards, she had been struck by Thunderbolt, causing a giant electric explosion to form that blew the sand away. "Ugh...!" Ash winced as he held his heart. Battling so hard with Pikachu really brings out everything in him as he got on one knee. However, he wouldn't have to push himself any further as once that smoke cleared with electricity sparking, it was revealed that Eve had fainted. "Espeon..." "Espeon is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! Thus the winner is Ash!" Cynthia pointed at Ash and Pikachu. "N-Nice." Ash gave a thumbs up while still kneeling as Pikachu ran to him with excitement. "Pika!" Pikachu lunged over, hopping into Ash's arms after his victory. Twilight went over to Eve picking her partner up from the ground. "Thank you, Eve. You did your best." "Esp..." "I kinda expected this to happen." Twilight chuckled. "This was kind of the obvious result a bit honestly. I'm just glad Ash's other Pokemon weren't involved. He could've fainted here." "Ash. Are you alright?" Cynthia walked over. "Fine. Almost pushed it too far there." Ash responded as he stood up. "Sorry if I gave you guys a scare." "Haha!" Adagio clapped her hooves together. "That's good stuff, Ketchum! But I wanted to see more distraught on her face so...meh." "Thanks for the battle, Twilight." Ash nodded as he held his head. "Oh, Ash!" Delia rushed over to her son's aid. "That's enough battling for one day. Maybe you can challenge the approaching trainers of Undella next time. Right now, you need some rest." "Yeah. I got it." "Pikachu." Nightfall. Night fell on Undella and all of Unova. Many of the villas were closed with some lights still being on. Currently, Ash was asleep on one of the villa beds with Pikachu beside him. They were both snoring away. Delia and the others were still awake as they allowed Ash to have his peaceful sleep so that he rests up. He almost fainted today anyway. "That was close..." Twilight sighed as she drank juice alongside Delia, Cynthia and Sunset Shimmer. "Choosing a 3 on 3 was the best choice." "I thought it was only gonna happen with Lucario? Why'd he suddenly almost faint?" Sunset asked. "While Aura is best controlled with Lucario, other Pokemon can utilize it in their own way. Especially those that share a deep connection with their trainer. Something Ash and Pikachu have together. Every time they battle, their Aura shows." Cynthia explained. "The same goes for all of you." "Wait...really?!" Sunset gasped. "I was surprised too." Twilight nodded. "I think I remember back at the Pokemon School when we were at Brawly's class, Applejack had Aura too. In fact, she had the highest Aura out of all of us in the classroom. But, I'm not sure how large it was." "There has to be a way to regulate it, right? I know Ash is working hard to find a way around it." Delia questioned. "Ash told me that he can head to the Shrine Maidens in Johto for assistance. Apparently, they know about Aura Guardians." Cynthia turned to Delia. "Oh yeah!" Twilight sat up. "I forgot about them! Great thinking, Ash!" "This Pokemon stuff's still so new to me." Sunset drank on a straw. "Especially the human world." "Well, we'd best get some rest. I'm hoping that another trainer doesn't come by." Cynthia stood up. "I'd like my rest for at least a week." And with that, they all clocked out for the night, finishing their drinks before heading to their respective villas. Summer was still young and early. Far from being over yet. Even during the night, the heat of summer could be felt around the silver moon's radiant moonlight. The moonlight broke through the windows, shining right on Ash as to give a sign for something occurring as the journey continues. Chapter 444 End.