//------------------------------// // Ash vs Bertha! The Eventual Rematch // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Hoenn. Mossdeep City. Battle Carnival. The Pokemon Festival. Afternoon. Ash vs Bertha. A battle that would have its second round ever since that battle back at Sinnoh all those years ago. Ash was a different trainer compared to then, which greatly interested Bertha, who managed to emerge as the top trainer at the Battle Carnival, beating out the owner without failure. Bertha had been given all of her original Pokemon back whilst Ash would keep the borrowed Pokemon from his friends plus his partner Pikachu. And to witness an Elite 4 Member battle was a great opportunity as many flocked to this area just to see this imminent battle. With such a loud crowd, it attracted more, especially Sci-Twi and Pinkie Pie, who had just finished having their battle with Pinkie Pie emerging victorious. After Bertha suddenly left their sights, they soon arrived here, where Bertha was currently standing before Ash Ketchum "Ash. Why is it that you want to battle with borrowed Pokemon and only one of your own Pokemon instead of all of them?" Bertha questioned. "It's still curious to me." "Yeah, Ash, why?" Cloudchaser asked. "You'd have an easier time teaming up your Pokemon, right?" "Seems like an unnecessary handicap more than anything," Flitter added. "I hear ya. But I do it for one reason. It's to help me on my path to becoming a Pokemon Master." Ash closed his eyes, bringing back his main dream and what drives him to keep on journeying. "Does it now? How so?" Bertha asked. "I don't wanna just keep battling with the same Pokemon all the time. Being the best means I've got full versatility on a lot of Pokemon, ya know. If I battle with many friends of all kinds, I can learn so much." "And Ashkan can't fail with Hoopa on his side! That's why Hoopa's still battling!" Hoopa chimed in, giving his own opinion as to why Ash wouldn't use his original team. "Hm. I see." Bertha immediately got what Ash was trying to say. "Jack of all Trades. But also a Master of everything. So that's one of the many paths of a Pokemon Master." "Now. Before we start...Pinkie Pie." The Elite 4 Member shot her attention toward Pinkie Pie, alerting her. She even made Pinkie stand up tall as if she was a soldier. "Have you healed my Gliscor?" "Yes ma'am! Gliscor's all healed up after our battle! Here ya go!" Quickly, Pinkie Pie revealed Gliscor's Poke Ball within her mane. By bouncing, she launched the ball out of her mane, sending it towards the original owner. "Thank you." Smoothly, Bertha managed to catch the Poke Ball with immaculate precision. "Now, we can truly begin. Let's finish what we started at Sinnoh, Ash." "Just what I wanted to hear Bertha!" "Pikachu!" The stage had been set. Bertha had all of her Pokemon ready to throw down with Ash's Pikachu and all his borrowed Pokemon. And due to Ash's reasoning for battling with borrowed Pokemon instead of his own, Bertha wanted to see what Ash could do with that handicap. After all, it would show just how fantastical a potential Pokemon Master could become even with some limitations. "Battle to your heart's contents." The owner of the Battle Carnival commented. "As always, our motto here is that there's no limit to what you can do here. Go on and send out your Pokemon." "Okay! Meloetta, I choose you!" Ash would choose Meloetta first. "Meloetta!" Meloetta did a beautiful and stylish frontflip over Ash's head before appearing in front of him, hovering a few feet off the floor. "Then first shall be Whiscash!" First up for Bertha's team was her Whiscash, making its appearance. "Whiscash!" "Meloetta. Let's go for your Pirouette Forme for this one. Your all combat with that."Ash suggested a form change. Meloetta's Pirouette Forme would be the option for this battle. "Melo~" Meloetta would do just that. With a beautiful sound coming from her, she twirled on the spot, picking up impressive speed in a matter of seconds. A beautiful white light eclipsed out of her body, forming into a whirlwind. And out of that whirlwind of light was none other than her combat-oriented form. Her Pirouette Forme. "Meloetta!" "Meloetta has a form just for battling? The more you know..." Pinkie Pie gawked. "Then again, I could've found that out with Mew one day." "Battle Start!" "Okay, Meloetta! Use Close Combat!" "Melo!" With a graceful leap, Meloetta approached Whiscash while also becoming a blur from her amazing speed. In her Pirouette Forme, her speed gained a stupendous boost. "Whiscash, use Zen Headbutt!" "Whiscash!" Whiscash would retaliate with an attack that was perfect for the Normal-Fighting-Type. Covering her head in mental energy, Whiscash would stand in place instead of moving. No way she was faster than Meloetta after all. Meloetta's legs clashed with Whiscash's head, meeting with the mental energy that resulted in sparks flying. Meloetta jumped back, unable to successfully land the first hit. But a series of attacks is exactly what Close Combat was all about. "Go for it, Meloetta!" "Melo!" Meloetta moved back in, but this time from the side. She zipped to the side, going in for a knee. It was a successful hit as Meloetta kneed Whiscash's side, knocking her back. "No water to use as our advantage but that's fine. It's time to move in, Whiscash!" "Whiscash!" Whiscash would recover surprisingly quickly. While not as fast as Meloetta in this form, she could most definitely move at a formidable pace. She instantly lunged at Meloetta, still keeping the mental energy of Zen Headbutt in. "Stay sharp, Meloetta! Use Close Combat to defend yourself!" "Etta!" Meloetta would use her knee to fight back and block the incoming Zen Headbutt as well. A direct impact with this Zen Headbutt was different. Whiscash put some force into this once she lunged forward, resulting in Meloetta feeling the pressure of that impact. "Melo?!" "Cash!" Whiscash managed to catch up to her strength that quickly as Meloetta slid back. Whiscash moved in for another Zen Headbutt, forcing Meloetta to fight back at a faster pace. Soon, Meloetta began dancing around, evading the incoming Zen Headbutt from Whiscash by jumping over her. After that, the Melody Pokemon did a twirl above Whiscash, going for a downward attack. A dive-kick to be precise. "Flip your head up, Whiscash!" "Whiscash!" But Whiscash was ready for that as well. The moment Meloetta came down with a dive-kick, the Water-Ground-Type flipped her head up instantly, sending Zen Headbutt with her. Meloetta was shocked to see Whiscash's raid retaliation as Close Combat and Zen Headbutt had met once more. Once more, Whiscash managed to win this exchange, expanding the mental energy to push Meloetta away. "Etta!" Meloetta cried out before flying back. "Getting close will have to wait! Meloetta, use Psychic!" "Melo!" Meloetta recovered midair via her natural levitation. By performing an aerial flip in the air, she would fight back with her own mental energy. By holding her arms out, Meloetta unleashed waves of Psychic energy in retaliation. "Whiscash!" Whiscash tried using her own energy to fight back by expanding the mental energy around her head. However, from this distance, Meloetta had the advantage. She slipped the Psychic waves past Whiscash's front and focused on her sides like before. However, in her Pirouette Forme, Psychic wasn't as potent as to be expected. While it was strong enough to push Whiscash back, it was only a few metres and with medium impact. "Cash!" "Yeah. I figured that her Pirouette Forme would be better up close," said Ash. Her Aria Forme would be the better option for Psychic in this case. "Let's go all in for this one, Meloetta! Close Combat!" "Melo!" Meloetta did a quick drop from above, sticking a superhero landing. Afterwards, she began running, which was rare to see in its own right. "Earthquake!" "Cash!" Whiscash wouldn't let that happen. By smashing her entire body on the ground, the Whiskers Pokemon caused a potent tremor that birthed large golden shockwaves. "Here they come, Meloetta! Do what you do best and dance!" "Melo!" Meloetta would do just that. By using the speed of Close Combat, she began dancing just to manoeuvre around the shockwaves of Earthquake. And as to be expected from Meloetta, she did with immaculate moves. She danced around the shockwaves in a perfect motion, moving in a zig-zag pattern. And after evading them all with such precision, she got up close, giving Whiscash a heavy kick to the face. "Etta!" "Cash!" Whiscash ended up tumbling on the floor after that meaty kick. The Whiskers Pokemon even felt a bit dizzy from the impact but she was still active, albeit receiving a good chunk of damage. "Hm. Impressive. Return, for now, Whiscash." Bertha chose to return Whiscash, seeing that she suffered enough damage in this battle. It was time for a quick swap-out for someone who would fare well against Meloetta. Bertha had her options, she just needed to know how to properly approach this. "How are you feeling, Meleotta? Wanna keep going?" Ash asked Meloetta since Whiscash had been returned. "If not, then let Hoopa go!" Hoopa chimed in, latching onto Ash's shoulder as he truly wanted to jump in after Meloetta. "Melo." Meloetta could indeed keep going from this point. She wanted to stay out a bit longer and wasn't ready to head back just yet. Hoopa then lowered his head as he would have to wait, slowly backing up. "Let's see...I think this will do! Gliscor! Come out!" Next up was Bertha's Gliscor, who she had recently received back from Pinkie Pie. "Gliscor!" "Gliscor..." Ash said with observant eyes. Gliscor could be that blockade for Meloetta. But there was no blockade that Ash wouldn't try and break down. "Meloetta. Change back." "Meloetta!" Meloetta would make a strategic change. Despite her Pirouette Forme being the one where she could focus on combat some more, there were some disadvantages, especially in the face of Gliscor and to an extent Whiscash's Zen Headbutt. With another dance and a beautiful melody, that same white light emerged from Meloetta's body, changing her back into her Aria Forme. "Melo!" "Good choice. But will it be enough? Gliscor, Guillotine!" "Gliscor!" Gliscor was coming in hot with a devastating attack, one that could take Meloetta out in one go. "No way we're letting that happen! Meloetta, Dazzling Gleam!" "Etta!" Meloetta had something else up her sleeve that she could utilize. Dazzling Gleam. From her entire body, a beautiful multi-coloured shine of magic had erupted in the form of a sphere, expanding brightly. "G-Gli!" Gliscor immediately flinched at the sight of this blinding light. He flinched so hard that he lost his momentum when flying but it didn't stop there. The shine then shot out rays of rainbows that bombarded Gliscor, pushing him back and essentially putting an end to Guillotine. "Scor!" "We'll keep our distance with this one and won't let you get close! Relic Song!" "Melo~Melo~" Meloetta did what she does best, by singing a beautiful melody so great that it was soothing to everyone, even her opponent. Already, the people and ponies within the crowd could feel this wonderful melody coming through. "Oh, this is nice..." Cloudchaser gushed as everyone felt like melting. Since they weren't involved in the battle, the sound of Relic Song would easily affect them without failure. "Yes...Yes, it is." Sci-Twi held Hisuian Zorua, rocking her around. "Can you now? Night Slash!" "Gli-Gli-Gliscor!" Gliscor had an answer to that. From afar, he would use Night Slash instead of getting close. The alternate variant of Night Slash was utilized as the Fang Scorp Pokemon swung his claws so fast he sent white blades of darkness. "Yeah, we can! Louder!" "Melo!" Meloetta's beautiful singing had increased in volume. And with that volume increase, the soundwave of Relic Song shot up ten-fold. Its power was immense to the point where it shattered the blades of Night Slash from its intensity. Gliscor gasped before being engulfed by this song. "S-Scor..." Captivated by the sound, Gliscor fell asleep. Right in the air too, Gliscor dropped to the floor, dozing off. Damage had been dealt to him too just for extra measure. "Now, Psychic!" "Etta!" Meloetta then used Psychic on Gliscor while he was on the ground. With all her might, she raised the Ground-Flying-Type up before then smashing him down, creating a large dust cloud. A perfect combination of moves on Ash's part and with the dust clearing, Gliscor's fate had been sealed. Total defeat. Gliscor had fainted. "Gliscor..." "Gliscor is unable to battle! Meloetta wins!" "Alright! You rocked, Meloetta!" In unison, Ash and Pikachu jumped for joy, celebrating Meloetta's first victory. And with such finesse too. "Pika!" "Melo?" Hearing that pleased Meloetta. And it was even better for her as she was receiving compliments from Ash, making her blush. If she could keep this up, further compliments would come from Ash, which would be perfect in her eyes. Arriving here at the scene of the battle, just after Meloetta claimed victory over Gliscor, were Twilight, Hilbert and Hilda. Just in time to witness the battle in its earlier stages. "So this is where all that commotion came from," Hilbert commented. "Looks like Ash's throwing down with Bertha." "Has he used Absol yet?" Twilight leaned in, wondering if her Absol had battled yet since Ash currently had him in waiting along with Sci-Twi's Alpha Rapidash. "Not yet. But you're in time to see the rest..." Suddenly, commenting behind them all was none other than the Witch. She appeared once more without making a sound, startling Hilbert, Hilda and Twilight. "You! It's you!" Twilight gasped as the mysterious lady she was waiting to see finally arrived. And this time, within her presence. "The witch!" "Just 'Witch' is nice." She bowed her head to Twilight. No longer did she decide to hide herself. But she still ended up appearing unexpectedly. That remained the same. "You're hitting your stride, Ash. But what about this? Go, Nidoking!" Bertha's next Pokemon had been unleashed, ready to tackle Ash's team. "Nidoking!" "M-Melo." Meloetta was briefly intimidated by Nidoking just for his appearance and entrance alone. His bellow even made her flinch but she kept her composure either way. "Nidoking, huh...Come back, for now, Meloetta!" Ash decided to call back Meloetta. Despite believing in her to defeat this Pokemon, he wanted to switch things up. Meloetta flew back to Ash, having the widest smile on her face as she wanted one response from him. "Well done, Meloetta." "Etta!" There it was. Those words were good enough for her as Meloetta stayed behind Ash, holding onto his shoulder. "Right. I know who I'm sending out. It's time for you to shine." Ash held out a Poke Ball. This meant one thing. Either Twilights' Pokemon would emerge. "Absol! I choose you!" "Absol!" Princess Twilight's Absol was next. He made his entrance before turning to face Ash. Ash and Absol looked at each other before Ash gave a confident thumbs-up. In response, Absol smiled at Ash. That was a sign of utmost respect. Absol was already prepared to battle alongside Ash after all they have been through. "Yes! My Absol!" Twilight shouted, taking her attention away from the Witch just for this moment. It was what she was waiting for after all. "Let's go for it, Absol! Night Slash!" "Absol!" Absol would go first, coating his horn in darkness before running in. "Nidoking, use Thunderbolt" "King!" Nidoking would try and put a stop to his movements with Thunderbolt. Out of his massive claws, 100,000 volts of lightning came crashing out, homing in on the Disaster Pokemon. "Jump and strike!" "Sol!" Absol leapt with the moment he gained from all that running. It helped greatly as he managed to evade the bolts of lightning, resulting in them only touching the floor and nothing more. Nidoking gasped, looking up to see the Dark-Type hover there for a bit like an angel. But that didn't last as Absol delivered a fierce overhead slash, striking Nidoking's head. "N-Nido!" "Absol!" After striking him once in the head, Absol followed up with a second slash to the face. This one pushed the Ground-Poison-Type back, garnering some distance between the two. The second slash even seemed to hit harder than the last. "Awesome! Now, use Dark Pulse!" "Sol!" Absol wouldn't let up. Ash knew exactly how to battle with Absol and his instincts. By opening his mouth, a beam that was embedded in dark thoughts came hurling out. "Be on guard, Nidoking! Earth Power!" "King!" Nidoking angrily smashed his arms on the ground, wasting no time recovering. Much like Earthquake, golden shockwaves came storming out. These shockwaves met with Dark Pulse, resulting in a clash. This clash was momentary as they both cancelled each other out. "Let's move in again!, Absol Night Slash!" "Absol!" Absol came rushing in, jumping through the black and gold smoke with another Night Slash imminent. "Not this time. Earth Power, Nidoking!" "Nido...King!" Nidoking would face Absol head-on instead of utilizing ranged attacks. By swinging his earth-clad claws, he meant with Absol's dark-coated horn, initiating another clash. But this one would last longer. The two of them growled at each other as they started going back and forth. Absol swung his horn repeatedly while Nidoking would do the same with his claws. In terms of strength, both Pokemon were experts in that category. Their physical strength was stupendous enough to result in brute force being the overwhelming factor. But because both of them were experts in physical strength, their struggle could go either way. "S-Sol!" Absol had been slugged by one of the Earth Powers once Nidoking found a blind spot. He staggered from the blow, resulting in Nidoking winning the exchange. Nidoking paid Absol back by delivering multiple Poison Jab blows before delivering a flow blow that pushed the Disaster Pokemon away. "Ab!" "Now's our chance! Counter!" But this would work in Ash's favour. He's seen Absol battle a lot to know how great he was at making a full counterattack. "Absol!" And now was the time for that counterattack. After being knocked back, his eyes flashed red. Immediately, he used the power from his horn, exuding energy from it. Instead of jumping back in to hit Nidoking, he would attack from afar, sending an orange pulse of energy. "Hm?!" Bertha's eyes widened as she had never seen Counter utilized in such a way. Usually, it's a physical blow but not this time. "Earth Power!" "Nido...!" Nidoking would try and strike back by using Earth Power's golden shockwaves. But it was too late. The pulse reached him at great speeds, sending all of that gathered damage back to Nidoking. "K-King!" Now Nidoking was the one to stagger and the force of that Counter was enough to make him stumble. "I taught him that! That was something I taught Absol! Right here!" Twilight raised her hoof, cheering for Absol. "Woo! Go, Absol!" "Not enough to make Nidoking fall over." Ash adjusted his hat as Absol shook his head. Both Absol and Nidoking were full of scratches from their exchanges but yet seemed to be healthy at the same time. "Amazing, isn't it? This is Ash's first time battling with Absol and the others...but he's doing so well against an Elite 4 Member." Hilda commented. "Can someone catch up that fast?" "I don't know anyone else who can catch up that fast." Hilbert shook his head as neither of them had seen growth this exponential. It was somewhat rare. Ash's decision to battle with Pokemon that wasn't his original team didn't seem as wild anymore as he was holding his own. "He does grow fast..." Bertha thought to herself before reminiscing. "It's just like before at Sinnoh when we battled for the first time. He was so quick to learn from my teachings to the point where he forced me to put in more effort. And the same is somewhat happening here. Just how far will your ceiling go, Ash? How much stronger can you possibly get?" "Hm. Sludge Bomb, from above!" "Nido...King!" Nidoking would then perform an attack from above while still staying on the ground. Out of his mouth, a large ball of poison was shot up, similar to how Draco Meteor would be fired. In fact, it was a lot like Draco Meteor as out of this ball, multiple poisonous sludges came raining down from above. "You've used it with Twilight before! So let's do it together! Counter Shield with Dark Pulse!" "Ab...Sol!" Just then, Absol went for the Counter Shield. By using Dark Pulse, he got on his back, unleashing the attack to such a size that it would cover his entire body. Soon, a frantic burst of darkness went flying everywhere, acting as both an offensive and defensive tactic. The burst of darkness had blocked the sludges, preventing them from reaching the Disaster Pokemon while also whipping Nidoking, dealing damage in the process. "K-King!" "Awesome! Now, head in there at full force! Giga Impact!" Ash was going for another full-force attack. This time with Absol's Giga Impact. "You use brute force to its absolute best, Ash!" Bertha smiled, complimenting Ash and his usage of brute force. Most trainers with brute force would fall short, but Ash knew how to battle with it and grow with it. "We'll respond with Earth Power!" "Nido!" Nidoking would reply with a brute force blow as well. He sent all of his strength into his claws for this final attack, raising them high. Once Absol and Nidoking got close, Giga Impact and Earth Power collided, unleashing a paroxysm of Infinity Energy. This full frontal clash had a grand impact, enough to almost knock everyone off their feet with this strong pressure. Ash held onto his hat while Bertha grasped her coat. Twilight bit her hoof, going that Absol withstood it. The answer would be revealed once the dust settled and the pressure had died down. Everything cleared out as both Absol and Nidoking could be seen standing. They looked at each other as there was a moment of silence. The two of them were completely static when looking at each other, but only one of them managed to continue standing. "N-Nidoking..." Dropping to the floor was Nidoking. He had fainted. "Nidoking is unable to battle! Absol wins!" "Awesome stuff, Absol!" Ash pumped his fist into the air as Absol put on a smile with one of his eyes closed. "You did it!" "Pikachu!" "A-Absol." "That's my Absol..." Twilight started weeping which resulted in the Witch passing her a box of tissues to wipe her tears. This victory greatly struck Twilight as while she wasn't the one battling, the fact that Absol claimed a stunning victory was fantastic to her. "Is that what it feels like to be proud of someone? I feel like a mom, right, Eve?" "Espeon." "Come back and take a rest, Absol. I'll send you back out later," said Ash as he returned Absol to his Poke Ball. "Thank you, Nidoking. Return." Bertha quickly swapped out Poke Balls after returning Nidoking. A proud smile graced her face. "I haven't had to think this hard before. How long has it been since I've faced such a formidable opponent? But now...this is the perfect time for me to catch up as well." "A totally flawless run! That's what he'll have!" Flitter exclaimed as she and Cloudchaser were excitedly flapping their wings, cheering for Ash. "Even if it isn't, he'll win for sure!" Pinkie Pie replied, holding up flags of Ash, showing her utmost encouragement. "Mhm. But I hope he sends out Rapidash next." Much like how Ash sent out Twilight's Absol, Sci-Twi was hoping for Alpha Rapidash to appear. Ash's next action is what will determine that. "Go now! Mamoswine!" Bertha sent out Mamoswine, letting him join the fray. "Mamoswine!" "Alright." Ash held out another Pokemon. That meant one thing. Rapidash was coming."Sci-Twi trusted me with you because she was so afraid to battle with you. Rapidash. Work with me, okay? Rapidash, I choose you!" "Rapidash!" Alpha Rapidash had emerged, in all her glory. Her height surpassed that of a regular Rapidash, making everyone in the crowd witness the sheer size of her. Sci-Twi scrunched her face, putting her hands together and praying that Rapidash would take action here. She feared that she could cost Ash the battle, if not. Ash was still sitting healthy with 6 active Pokemon while Bertha had lost two. However, the tide of a Pokemon Battle can shift at any time, especially when it's a full 6-on-6 battle. The rematch between Ash and Bertha was escalating as the journey continues. Chapter 878 End.