Kanto. Pallet Town. Ketchum Household. Day.
"Aaah...!" Ash was currently ready to brush his teeth with Pikachu encouraging him. He had his toothbrush ready, laced with toothpaste. Immediately, he got to brushing as fast as he could. "Nnnn!" Ash grunted with effort, beginning to brush his teeth at full force.
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu shook his body around, mimicking Ash's brushing speed.
"Just like yesterday. You brush your teeth in that manner every day?" Sombra, who was currently out as his usual spirit form, grimaced at Ash's frantic brushing skills. "Absolute lunatic, I swear."
"Gotta do your best to have great hygiene, don't ya think?" Ash replied with his teeth out, full of toothpaste while brushing it all around. After brushing for a bit, Ash then rinsed his mouth, finishing his brushing routine before having sparkling teeth that shined so blissfully. "Aaah! That's more like it!"
"Pikachu!"
"At least brush with dignity like a king..." Sombra grumbled.
"Who needs dignity when you've got spirit! You're gonna brush your teeth too, right Sombra?"
"I have no worry about hygiene. The only thing I feel is pain and hunger. That is all. But I could feel more, I can guarantee that my teeth would shine brighter than the Sun itself. Without question."
"Man, you're all about being all big and stuff, huh? Just like Rarity and Adagio when I think about it."
"Do not compare me to those two." Sombra scoffed. "I am far beyond anypony. Even those after my time. I am and always will be in my prime."
"Like now?"
"Kh!" Sombra flinched from that as Ash had quickly shut down his entire sentence with one sentence only. "Curse you boy..."
"Ah, don't sweat it. Being with you wasn't as bad as I was thinking it would be." Ash went to put his clothes on. "You're not so scary, ya know. Haha!"
"Feel lucky, brat. With my powers greatly diminished and me being reversed into this spirit form, apart from a few physical interactions, my skill in berating others and mocking them never faded. If I could do more or the things I would do...Being alongside you temporarily until a solution can be found is downright unfavourable."
"Gotta get used to it, Sombra. You never know. You could find a lot of fun things with the adventures we go along on. And if there's no solution, then you're along for the ride. On my journey to become a Pokemon Master!"
"What exactly is a Pokemon Master?" Sombra asked, fairly curious. "It does pique my interest. Especially with these powerful creatures that now populate our world. Are you aiming towards a goal that involves total domination? IF so, then you might not be as pathetic as I thought..."
"A Pokemon Master's something I don't know yet."
"Your goal is a title that you don't know about? I take back what I said." Sombra shook his head. "Why not just ask a Pokemon Master then so you end up saving yourself the trouble."
"About that...there are no Pokemon Masters out there. Not a single one. It's something no one's ever reached or ever really thought about. That's why I'm gonna be the first one." He then placed his gloves on, tightening them. "The first and greatest master of them all." Ash then put on his jacket as it blew with the air. "I'll go beyond becoming a Pokemon Champion and reach the very top of it all!" And finally, he put his hat on, adjusting it perfectly.
"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped onto his partner's shoulder.
"Hm-hm. Your conviction is strong. I will give you that. And aiming to be the very best of a rank that has never been made before but stands above everything else...That's rather admirable." Sombra had to at least compliment Ash about that. "Not bad, boy. Those are some kingly qualities, I'll admit that. But you're still fairly underwhelming at best."
"You keep saying that. Besides. One way to get closer to becoming a Pokemon Champion is beating Leon."
"Leon?"
"Yeah. He's the world's strongest Pokemon Trainer. Number one!" Ash spread his arms out. "Only way to take that title and become the world's strongest is by taking part in the Pokemon World Coronation Series. That's what you saw me do the other time with Isabelle. Once I jump up the ranks, I'll face Leon for that title of World's Strongest Trainer. And it'll take me one step closer to being a Pokemon Master."
"Very well. You have my full interest. Your goals are notable. Almost somewhat similar to mine, if I'm being honest. So, all you have to do is overcome this championship and face the greatest trainer of them all."
"Pretty much. It's not gonna be easy. There are some heavy hitters around that I gotta watch out for. But all my friends are gonna be cheering for me all the way through. You'll do the same, right?"
"Hah! As if!" Sombra chuckled. "You are far too rambunctious to reach the very top of it all. I would rather cheer for that Leon individual but he is already at the top, isn't he?"
"You'll see."
Equestria. Ponyville. SugarCube Corner. Day.
"Thank you for the food today, Pinkie Pie." Visiting the place as always was another great friend of Pinkie Pie. One of Galars Gym Leaders, Bea. She was currently holding a basket of sweets made by Pinkie. "It'll be in good faith as always."
"No problem. Oh and thanks for the Dynamax Band that one time." She raised her right hoof, showing the band. "I mean, I haven't gotten to using it yet, but I know it'll be nifty. Helps a bunch since we've got those glowing Dynamax things here in Galar now."
"Use it wisely when you need to. For me, I mainly use this power during my championship battles. But I imagine there's not much use for it here in Equestria, right?"
"Nope!" Pinkie hopped onto a nearby couch. "Nopony's used Dynamax or Gigantamax here in Equestria yet. Most of it comes from Wild Pokemon that bump into something funny. I mean, I'm the only pony here with the Dynamax Band, ya know."
"Then there might be little opportunity for you to use them. What about the Equestria League?" Bea asked. "Is Dynamax allowed there?"
"Oh, it would be if anypony could do it. We've got Z-Moves and Mega Evolution in it so Dynamax is a plus!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Don't know who's gonna use it though! Ooh, maybe the last Gym Leader."
"Hm." Bea made a slight chuckle. She then turned her head to the window, noticing the arrival of Ash and Pikachu. And alongside them, Bea had seen Sombra. "What is that shadow head next to the Trainer of Lucario."
"Oh. You mean Ash?" Pinkie Pie got up from the couch. "That's King Sombra. One scary pony...!" She then flailed her hooves, making a face to present Sombra's intimidating nature. "He used to be the King of the Crystal Empire and now he's stuck to Ash. You know, I've got a good feeling about those two. They could super good friends when you think about it."
"That doesn't look to be the case so far." Bea shook her head as she also noticed Ash and Sombra arguing whilst walking through the streets of Ponyville.
"You absolute clown!" Sombra yelled as Ash swayed his head to the side. "You do realize that we are practically linked? If you perish, I perish! I will not have my plans and essentially my legacy end because you are so courageous!"
"Your legacy's not even that fun at all." Ash pouted, holding his ear after Sombra's shouting. "Besides, you don't have to worry. We're not gonna perish. No matter what."
"In a world full of these creatures of mass destruction, I highly doubt it. Just don't try anything like that. That Delayed Aura Ataxia you brought up could be what ends it all."
"Yeah. But I'm working on that. A Gardevoir ended up making Delayed Aura Ataxia and we beat her. But I guess that didn't stop it entirely. Once we figure it out, it'll be extra smooth sailing from there on!"
"Pikachu!"
"Losing everything because of you will be utterly embarrassing...Those princesses have better hurry with a solution already...!" Sombra growled.
"Hey, Ash! Pikachu!" Pinkie alerted them, making them look over. They noticed her along with Bea. "Oh and Sombra too, I guess."
"Hey, Pinkie! Bea!"
"Pikachu!"
"The Pink One," said Sombra.
"Eating gd and up for a battle?" Ash went up to them.
"Sorry. We can battle another time, Trainer of Lucario."
"My name is Ash.." Ash sighed as Bea still referred to him as a title. Not the title he was hoping fr and the one he has yet to reach.
"This is Sombra? How did this happen?" Bea wondered, facing the spirit of King Sombra. She then narrowed her eyes for a moment. "This feels a bit uneasy as well..."
"I know right?" Pinkie climbed onto Bea's shoulder, whispering in her ear. "Not every day you get a tyrannical ruler as your partner."
"We are not partners," Sombra replied, able to hear the whispering without any issue. He then started talking to himself. "Let there be a Pokemon that can solve my issue..."
"No need!" Just then, Twilight's voice could be heard. She had approached the group with Cold Colt by her side. They turned their attention to her as the Princess of friendship and the Rift Pony came to a screeching halt. "We might have an answer to your problem!"
"You do?" Ash and Sombra both said. "Oh!"
"That's right. I don't know why we didn't think this before. Cold Colt." Twilight nudged her student as the little unicorn waved.
"Oh. It's you." Sombra recognized Cold Colt as he had temporarily put him under his control. "I remember you. You were a temporary slave of mine. And from what I recall, the one who helped with my freedom before, correct?"
"W-Well...that was mostly Obsidian and Emerald, not me." Cold nervously said, backing up once Sombra got closer.
"But you are a pony of a similar magical property. You can free me!"
"A-About that..." Cold's nervousness was already rising. "I-I'm not as great as I used to be with it. I mean, I am. I'm even greater but...my magic's still unpredictable. I still haven't reached a crazy level where I can do body separation. I don't know what I could do with a zap."
"But it's a possibility," Twilight uttered. "If Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can't find a situation in time, then the last resort will be Rift Magic. When Cold masters it all."
"And how long will that take?" Sombra questioned with narrowed eyes.
"Hopefully not too long. Cold's a quick learner. Soon, you'll be out of Ash and back in sealing in no time."
"As if I'll be sealed up again. My soul and my spirit will always carry on, no questions asked, little princess.." Sombra scoffed as Twilight did the same.
"Pi. Pika?" Just then, Pikachu had picked up some familiar scents. Two of them. He then tapped Ash on the shoulder, quickly alerting him. "Pikapi! Pikachu!"
"What's up buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu pointed to the south of Ponyville. Soon, Ash, Sombra, Twilight, Bea and Cold Colt's attention were all turned there. And there, they saw the two individuals that Pikachu had sniffed out, arriving. They were familiar to everyone's eyes except for Sombra. But one of them was mainly familiar in Ash and Pikachu's eyes.
It was Red and Gold.
"Red! Gold!" Ash cried out.
"Pi! Pika!"
"Oh, Red's back!" Twilight gasped. "But who's that next to him?" Gold was the only one she and her friends hadn't met yet.
"Heya!" Gold appeared beside Red from behind, waving at them. As always, Red stayed mute but kept a smile on. "Glad we could see you again, Ash!"
"Great to see you two again!" Ash ran up to them. "So you came back to this world, huh?"
"Sure did. I mean, we've kinda already done everything back in our world when we thought about it. Might as well continue exploring this place, ya get what I mean?" Gold shrugged.
"I do, I do. Say? Where's Blue and Silver?" Ash noticed how their rivals were not with them.
"They're doing the same thing. Had the same idea as us. But they're going solo instead." Gold explained quickly before noticing Sombra next to Ash, floating there like a caused spectre. "Woah uh...What's up with that floating head?"
"Hm? Oh, this is Sombra. It's kind of a long story, so don't worry too much about it yet." He chuckled.
"I need not explain myself either. I will go back in hiding for the time being." Sombra then hid back in Ash as Gold had so many questions after witnessing that.
"Uh...okay then. We heard about this town Ponyville and how great it was. So we stopped by to check it out. Good thing a gateway was close to it and all that. Can't wait to get started!"
"...?" Just then, the silent Red's attention was drawn elsewhere. His eyes locked onto someone. And that someone was a shocked Bea.
Bea stood there with a perplexed face. Pinkie Pie noticed this shocked expression as Bea froze there. The Fighting-Type Specialist had never been this shocked before. "Hey, Bea. What's wrong?" Pinkie asked Red gave an intensive stare while looking at her. Ash and the others soon noticed this.
"That's him..." Bea spoke, pointing at Red. "That's the Trainer I lost to!"
"Hm? Huh?" Pinkie was confused for a bit until recalling something that Bea said a while back.
"I can take a loss. But not like the one I went through. I've lost to even Champion Leon but I knew I could always improve to try and be better than the best. But, I came across one trainer not too long ago. I've never experienced something like that before."
"Oh! That was Red?!" Pinkie gasped as her eyes and tongue promptly left her body for a moment.
"Oh uh...You two know each other?" Gold looked back and forth, seeing Red's intensive stare. The atmosphere was changing from this interaction. Bea then closed her mouth with a single sweatdrop showing. She then tightened her fist, gulping with nervousness entering her system.
Then, she started approaching Red. At least, getting close to Trainer Red enough. Once she did, she stood before the otherworld visitor. "Red." She cried out his name with vigour. "Please. Battle me again."
"..." Red stayed silent for a moment, not fully responding to Bea's answer. He doesn't talk to respond. He mostly lets battling do it for him or slight head movements and facial expressions. But he didn't do either of those. Instead, Red walked off, not engaging with Bea.
"W-Wait!" Bea stuttered, running after him. She then got in front of the mute trainer. "I demand a rematch against you at once! You might think I'm the same as I was before...then again you're so silent it's hard to tell...but I can assure you, I'm stronger than before! I wish to show you!"
"..."
"Uh, hold on..." Gold slid into the scene. "I can speak for you."
"You can understand Red?" Twilight said.
"Kinda. Being around him makes you get his silent stuff easier." Gold shrugged. "You see, Red's not neglecting you. He's just wanting to check the place out before he starts battling."
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. He may be battle-hungry, but he's not that hungry." Gold wagged his finger playfully. "I can say the same for me. Isn't that right, Ash?"
"You said it!"
"Pikachu!"
"Well...A-Alright then. My apologies for shouting at you like that." Bea bowed. "I should've waited. Honestly."
"..." Red paused before smiling at her, accepting her apology. Just then, at the corner of his eye, he noticed a pony nearby that his attention was drawn to. Vinyl Scratch was the pony. Red then approached, noticing how she was carrying records with her. Records that played music with names that interested Ash.
"Hm?" Bea's head was raised as Red approached the DJ unicorn. Soon, the two of them came face to face. It was at this moment that Twilight and Pinkie noticed that Vinyl couldn't talk either. Well, it wasn't that she couldn't talk, she just chose not to.
"How's this gonna go?" She and Pinkie said the same thing.
"..." Red and Vinyl then looked at each other. Red then pointed at the records, showing interest in them. He then nudged his head as Vinyl did the same. They then kept staring at each other with absolute silence. There wasn't even any audible sound with their movements.
The two then smiled at each other as Vinyl nodded her head, holding out a record to Red. She then nudged her head over at her home, implying that Red could come by and listen to some tunes. Red gave a thumbs-up afterwards before turning around and returning to the others.
"You understood each other?!" Twilight, Pinkie, Cold Colt and Bea simultaneously said with booming shouts. They were surprised by how well Red and Vinyl communicated. Then again, in a strange way, it made perfect sense.
"..." Red then put his hands in his pocket before holding out a Poke Ball. He then stood before Bea with it.
"Looks like, Red's changed his mind." Gold translated for her. "He's up for that battle right now. Guess he's already got something to do later on like listening to that music."
"Oh. T-Then, thank you!" Bea bowed again. "I promise you, Red. I won't be the same as I was before! Count on it!"
"Hey!" Bursting out of Town Hall was Mayor Mare, shouting in their direction. "If you two are about to battle, please do so in a location that doesn't involve the potential destruction of this town! I remember from last time, Red!"
"...!" Red flinched from a bit, putting the rest of his hands in his pocket after Mayor Mare's shout. They would have to enact their battle elsewhere. And thankfully, there were some options.
Saddle Lake. Day.
Saddle Lake was the place to be. Gathering there were Red and Bea. And this time there was a slightly larger crowd. The rest of the Mane 6 had gathered to see this. Mainly due to Red's return along with a few other friends that were Ponyville residents. They were expecting him to battle Ash again but that was not the case.
"No battling Ash this time?" Scootaloo said. "And where's Blue?"
"Busy." Gold translated. "For now, think of me as Blue. I'll be doing some of the commentating and all that, huh? Just like when they both showed up at this place.
"Hm...No thanks. Blue was cocky and you seem too nice." Scootaloo said as she preferred the banter that she and Blue had back then.
"Gah!" Gold took a hit from that as that response caught him off guard.
"Okay. How many Pokemon do you want for this?" Twilight asked, acting as a referee in this instance.
"Please make it 6." Bea requested as Red did not object to her decision. A battle was a battle either way. Plus, he didn't respond at all with anything.
"A full 6-on-6 Battle it is. The battle will be over when all 6 Pokemon on either side are unable to continue. Good luck you two and don't hold back. Just uh...make sure not to destroy us in the process." Twilight floated back.
"Come on, Bea! You can do this!" Pinkie was mostly rooting for Bea than Red. Ash would observe this battle closely to see what he could learn as would Sombra to an extent. Both Trainers were ready to send out their Pokemon.
"Here goes..." Bea took a deep breath before throwing the Poke Ball out. "Go! Hawlucha!" Her first Pokemon was Hawlucha.
"Hawlucha!"
"..." Red didn't say anything as always. He just held his Poke Ball out and allowed the first of his many Pokemon to emerge. In this instance, it was Lapras.
"Lapras!"
"Red's only gonna talk to give commands like before right?" Sweetie Belle asked. "That's still pretty weird but cool how he does it."
"Not this time." But Gold had a different answer, shaking his head. "You see, Red's been working on something. He learned how some trainers could give commands to their Pokemon without even saying a word most of the time. So, he decided to learn that stuff and picked it up easily."
"Huh?! You're saying he can battle without saying a word at all?!" Rainbow Dash gasped. "That's just like Vinyl and sometimes Zecora! How'd he learn it so fast?"
"He's Red."
"Battle Start!"
"We shall be the first ones to make a move! Hawlucha! Karate Chop!" Bea chopped her hand downwards.
"Hawlu...!" Hawlucha advanced on the Transport Pokemon with a glowing hand, ready to deal the first super-effective hit of the day. The Fighting-FlyingType then leapt into the air for some extra height and speed.
"..." Indeed, Red didn't say anything to make a command. He simply pointed ahead for the command and Lapras understood.
"Lapras!" Lapras had used Ice Shard, summoning a massive shard of ice in front of her with a flash-freeze. Right before Hawlucha could land the attack. She then sent in Hawlucha's direction.
"Break it!"
"Lucha!" Hawlucha simply used the strength of Karate Chop to break through the shard of ice. A clean hit as small shards started dropping beautifully. That was another idea for Sweetie Belle and her Pokemon Contests. If she had a Pokemon that knew Ice Shard. "Hawlu!" Hawlucha then continued with Karate Chop, striking Lapras in the head.
"L-La!" A super-effective blow.
"Now, launch yourself back with High Jump Kick!"
"Hawlucha!" Right after dealing the overhead Karate Chop, Hawlucha's legs then hit up, slamming them onto Lapras. It then used that foot strength to launch off of the Transport Pokemon while also dealing damage that had slightly pushed Lapras back. "Lucha!"
"Pras!"
"Excellent!" Bea cheered.
"..."
"Lapras!" Lapras had then used Waterfall. She did so by first singing into the sky. Afterwards, her eyes glowed light blue as a column of water rises from the nearby water in Saddle Lake. And this Waterfall was unnaturally massive. Everyone looked over to see it approaching as it cast a large shadow over a majority of Saddle Lake.
"H-Hawlu...?!" Hawlucha gasped at this ridiculous Waterfall size.
"THat size doesn't intimidate us! Karate Chop! Slice it in half!"
"Lu! Hawlucha...!" Hawlucha leapt from the ground, approaching the incoming Waterfall. Its hand illuminated once more as the objective was to now slice the water. With pure strength, the Wrestling Pokemon had managed to slice through Waterfall with Karate Chop.
"Oooh!" The group had awed at that impressive display of strength. That was almost on the same level as Sawk's cleaving technique. But the moment that Hawlucha cleaved the Waterfall it half, making the water disperse and hit the ground, that was when Lapras jumped into the air. Something that it is rarely ever seen doing.
"Hawlu?!
"La...Pras!" She had her mouth wide open as she had caught Hawlucha's hand while it was still in the chopping position. The Transport Pokemon's weight came into play as she couldn't stay in the air for long. But now that she had Hawlucha in her hold, she brought the Wrestling Pokemon down with her.
"L-Lucha!" Hawlucha cried out as it had been slammed on the ground by Lapras.
"Hawlucha!" Bea gasped.
"Pras!" Not only did Lapras slam the Fighting-Flying-Type, but she had also used Ice Beam while holding onto it. The ice emanated within its mouth, instantly freezing Hawlucha's arm.
"L-Lu...!" Hawlucha was still weak to Ice-Type moves even with its Fighting-Typing. It shuddered once the ice came through, freezing its arm and soon its entire body.
"Hawlucha, break free with Wing Attack!"
"H-Hawlu...!"
"Lapras!" But before Hawlucha could do so, Larpras did it for it. With brute force. Lapras unleashed the full force of Ice Beam, causing the rest of the attack to fly out as it had consumed Hawlucha instantly. The Wrestling Pokemon was forced out of Lapras' hold and carried away by the beam. The rest of its body started freezing.
"Hawlucha! Slam your fist into the ground!"
"H-Hawlu...Cha!" Hawlucha managed to slam its fist into the ground while being carried by the beam. The moment it did so, it promptly stopped the movements of Ice Beam by sticking to one position. But an icy explosion happened afterwards, damaging Hawlucha still. At least it didn't continue.
Out of the icy blue smoke, Hawluch could be seen still in the same position. But it was not in a great state. Parts of its body had already been frozen over and its strength was already waiting. "H-Hawlu..."
"Hawlucha! For now, please return!" Bea chose to recall her Hawlucha for the time being. She took a deep breath as she cul already tell that was a close one. "Not the best start that I was hoping for..."
"It's okay. She's still in this." Pinkie said with a confident face.
"It's tough though...Before, Red at least said something when battling with his Pokemon. Now he doesn't say anything so Bea has no idea what to expect." said Spike.
"It'll be fine," Fluttershy reassured. "If we can win against Zecora and Vinyl who don't use commands all that much or at all, then I know that Bea can handle it even better than all of us."
"This battle is just getting started! Come! Hitmontop!" Next came Hitmontop, emerging out of the Poke Ball.
"Hitmontop!"
"..." But then, Red ended up returning his Pokemon as well as Lapras was brought back into her Poke Ball. But Bea was ready for the next Pokemon.
"It's either Blastoise or Venasaur this time..." Bea held her breath. Red threw out the next Pokemon as it was neither of those two Instead, it was a different Pokemon than what Red had before.
Arcanine
"Arcanine!"
"Arcanine?!" Bea gasped. "He didn't have that before...! Be careful, Hitmontop!"
"Hitmon!"
"..."
"Canine!" Arcanine made the first move via Extreme Speed. The Legendary Pokemon left the ground at blitzing speeds, approaching the Fighting-Type.
"Hitmontop, Dodge and use Gyro Ball!"
"Montop!" Hitmontop spun on the spot for a moment before leaping into the air. By a hair, it had managed to narrowly evade Extreme Speed by jumping over Arcanine. However, this was quickly reversed as Arcanine made a swift detour, skidding on the ground and dashing into the air. With the speed of Extreme Speed, he had excellent airtime on his side.
"Canine!" The Fire-Type crashed into Hitmontop in the air, becoming an afterimage afterwards.
"H-Hit!"
"Hitmontop?! Bea cried out.
"Canine!" Once passing HItmontop with a swift hit via Extreme Speed, Arcanine had then used Flamethrower, turning his head and releasing the scorching flames.
"Spin, quick!"
"T-Top!" Even in the air, Hitmontop could still spin. And it had still utilized Gyro Ball, rotating its body. By doing so, Hitmontop had created a temporary defence against Flamethrower. Once the flames approached it, the Handstand Pokemon had put them in an orbit, causing the flames to disperse. "Hitmontop!"
"Now, Triple Kick!"
"Top!" After dispersing the flames, Hitmontop then got on its head, unleashing a trio of kicks once Arcanine fell close. The Legendary Pokemon had been hit three times in the stomach while in the air.
"Ar...ca...nine!" Fittingly, it cried out three times as the third hit had launched him away. It was safe to say it was a heavy one as Arcanine tumbled on the ground. But he ended up recovering afterwards. Right as he had recovered, with a hand motion from Red, Arcanine had then used Dig, burrowing into the ground as fast as he could.
"It's Dig!" Bea recognized this move. "Be careful, Hitmontop! Use Gyro Ball to make a hole as well!"
"Hitmontop!" Hitmontop did just that. To match Aracnine's current action, it used the speed and strength of Gryo Ball, spinning rapidly on the spot as the ground was being influenced. It had made its own hole just from its spinning speed alone. And the next thing to do was pursue Arcanine.
"Now, pursue Arcanine and use Rapid Spin!"
"Hit!" Hitmontop jumped in, ready to engage with Arcanine while underground. However, the instance the Handstand Pokemon entered the underground, Arcanine was already near the surface, bashing his head onto Hitomontop's head and forcing him out of the hole.
"Arcanine!"
"H-Hitmon!" Hitmontop cried out after being forced out. It was seen hurling in the air. Afterwards, upon emerging from the surface, Arcanine had unleashed Flamethrower. And this time, there was no time to counteract as the force of this Flamethrower was enough to slightly push Arcanine back. Hitmontop took the blast of fire as an explosion of scarlet colours could be seen above. The trees rustled as nearby Flying-Type Pokemon flew off after being startled.
Falling out of the black smoke from Flamethrower was Hitmontop as it was even trailing out of it. The Handstand Pokemon fell without any control, crashing to the ground. It had fainted.
"Hitmontop..."
"Hitmontop is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!" Twilight announced as some applauds and cheers went through with how fun that first round turned out. But it was far from over.
"Return Hitmontop." Bea retrieved her partner. "You fought well, partner."
"The first to second Pokemon going down always gives me a bad feeling." Rainbow Dash shuddered. "But at least Arcanine got hit in the long run."
"Yeah, but it ain't worn out at all. Look." Applejack pointed out how Arcanine still seemed to have high energy. He even stood tall to prove it. "Charizard's not out yet too."
"Not enough to grab Red's attention yet." Gold shook his head. "Bea has to do something for Red to show his stuff. Believe me. I know."
"I'm getting excited just thinking about how this will end!" A giddy Ash said. "Man, this is awesome!" He raised his arms in the excitement of this battle.
"Pikachu!"
"It's your turn!" In came Bea's next Pokemon with another throw. "Pangoro!"
"Pan...GORO!" Pangoro appeared with sheer ferocity, roaring at Arcanine and even causing the wind to blow in its direction, making its majestic fur flow. But it could not intimidate the Legendary Pokemon.
"Red!" Bea exclaimed as Red stood there with a stern look, also unintimidated by Pangoro's roar and unphased by the wind at all. "This battle is far from over!"
"..."
The rematch against Red and Bea was something no one knew was coming. Neither was their first battle even heard of either. Only one of them will emerge victorious as the journey continues.
Chapter 662 End.