My Little Pokémon: Grander World

by Amarvax

Ash vs Bea! The Final Round

The Pokemon World Championships.

A trial to crown the World's Strongest Trainer. Standing at the very top of them all is currently Champion Leon and the one hoping to battle Leon one day is Ash, participating in this Championship and taking on many fierce opponents. Old and new. And at this moment, his next match has been decided. Ash shall face off against Bea for a third time. And this battle would indeed be their last.

---

Galar. Stow-on-side. Day.

The battle would take place at Stow-on-Side Gym. Perfect for their final battle. And at the moment, Bea and her Pokemon were training hard. Machamp, Grapploct, Hitmonchan, Falinks, Hawlucha and Pangoro respectively. Ash and his friends watched Bea train intensively without her even noticing that they've shown up. She was far too focused to even acknowledge their existence until now.

"Hey, Bea!" Ash greeted her, finally grabbing her attention.

"Huh? You're here so soon?" Bea said before facing her Pokemon. "Halt!" With her command, all of her Pokemon ceased their actions. "I thought you would have showed up in the afternoon with the distance between Kanto and Galar, let alone Stow-on-side, Trainer of Lucario."

"We woke up pretty early. Must've been the Food Coma. Plus, Gurkinn helped bring us here by boat. Anyway, I'm here to finish up our battle and everyone else is up for it!" From his pockets, he would throw the Poke Balls into the air. All of them summoned each of his Pokemon. Lucario, Gengar, Dragonite, Dracovish and Sirfetch'd. The whole gang.

"You're this early. Do you wish to train together?" Bea asked, putting her hand out as she offered Ash and his Pokemon for a chance to train.

"Nah, it's fine. We're supposed to be meeting with Korrina pretty soon. I think she stopped by to buy something quickly." Right as Ash said that, appearing in the Gym without making a sound but grabbing everyone's attention was none other than Korrina.

"Korrina?" Twilight spoke her name as they all saw how Korrina was standing. Something was rather off. The way she stood looked rather menacing as her helmet was covering her eyes as she held a bag of unknown items. Looking at her some more, they saw how sharp her eyes appeared and they seemed to be locked onto Bea. Everyone looked rather stunned at Korrina's expression.

"Wait...Didn't she lose to her that one time? Bea didn't exactly see her in high regard." Rarity questioned, recalling how Bea essentially called Korrina weak and soft during her first battle with Ash. And of course, how Bea beat Korrina one time.

"She did, didn't she?" Rainbow Dash would soon recall it along with everyone else. Once they realized this, they all collectively gasped as Korrina approached Bea on her roller skates. But Bea looked completely unphased when seeing Korrina approach.

"Wait, Korrina!"

"Bea...! I'm sorry!" But that was not the case. No hostile intent was shown. Instead, she seemed rather upset, trying to stave away the tears that suddenly showed up by hugging Bea. "I tried! Honestly, I did but they sold out on Miare Galettes." In reality, Korrina was just upset that she failed to get some of Bea's favourite treats.

"They are? Well...It's not that much of an issue." Bea was nonchalant about it.

"So, in return, I brought my latest obsession. Please forgive me." She would hold out the bag to Bea, showing off her own personal favourites.

"Hm. Alright then. Would you all wish to eat with me?" Bea requested.

"Actually...We've been eating a lot recently ever since Opal showed up. I think we'll pass." Applejack and the others would kindly refuse. Food was good but they've been having too much of it back to back. From the Cake Competiont to the Feast that Queen Ilene gave them.

"More for me then." Bea would gladly stick to having most of it since everyone else would skip it. And of course, after this snack, the battle between her and Ash would begin. Korrina revealed all of her favourites, sharing them with Bea who was the only one willing to eat right now while everyone was still recovering from the Food Coma.

"As for this battle...Sunset wants to see this for herself but the lack of gateways messed with that." Ash said, bringing up Sunset Shimmer. Specifically, the one that originally comes from the Human World. "You told Spike about it, right, Twilight?"

"I definitely did. The only way they can watch the battle as soon as possible is by recording it, right? Sunset passed this through and Spike retrieved it." From Twilight's saddlebag, she revealed that she had a phone in it the entire time. And it came straight from the Human World even though it slightly resembled something that would've come from this world instead.

"Great. Goh, I'm leaving it up to you to record it. That way when Sunset gets this back, she and her counterpart are gonna be sitting pretty watching this." Ash turned to Goh.

"You got it. I'll use my Rotomphone as a backup too." Goh held out his Rotomphone, already prepared to record this.

"I'm glad that didn't go the way I thought it would." Rarity was just relieved that Korrina did not lash out at Bea. "The way she stood there and approached was rather menacing."

"It was? How?" Korrina asked while snacking on a box of chocolates.

"Bea called you soft, didn't she?" said Rainbow Dash. "I figured you'd be pretty heated about that and wanted payback since she beat you and all that."

"Ah, Bea's just a sourpuss sometimes. But I don't mind that side of her." Korrina shrugged it off as she was used to this and couldn't really do anything about that side of Bea. "Ah, Ash. Did you tell her about what happened back at Goldeboron Mountain?"

"Oh yeah. That Ataxia's going down today. It'll happen in our battle so that me and Lucario can go all out without having to worry about too much."

"Luca!"

"Is that so? So you've found a solution to Delayed Aura Ataxia then. I'm surprised I've never had to go through it and I'd rather not. Are you sure today is the day?"

"Yeah. Well, at least for me. I'm still focused on getting rid of it for everyone." Ash looked at his glove which now had a Mega Stone in it.

"Well, since you're so dedicated to that, it would be rather embarrassing if you were to lose right then and there. And that is what I will guarantee." Bea spoke, focusing on the battle and defeating Ash. "And if I win...I'll force you to make that delicious cake of yours for me every week." Bea was also looking forward to having that wonderful cake Ash managed to bake that everyone loved. She could still remember it and how wonderful it tasted.

"Oh yeah? We're the ones who are gonna win this!" Ash confidently said, hitting his chest.

"Pikachu!"

"We'll see. Get ready. In a few hours, everyone will be here to watch us." Bea stood tall as she and Ash looked at each other with a fiery passion. Both were fired up for today's match and only one of them could emerge as the victor. And whoever wins this one will advance in the Pokemon World Championships Rankings while the other will fall behind.

---

2 hours later.

2 hours had passed. And already, the Stow-on-Side Gym was packed to the brim with a large crowd. Many people and Pokemon gathered to view this battle while a select few ponies, AKA Ash's friends, were sitting in the front, getting the best view.

"The Pokemon World Championship. Ultra Class. Striving to be the World's Strongest Trainer, here we have today's contenders!" The announcer of this battle exclaimed. Bea would walk into the arena, making herself visible to the crowd here as this was her gym. "Ranked 30th, a Galar native, Challenger Bea! Equipped with her Dynamax Band as always!"

Indeed. For this battle, since it was in Galar, Bea would stick with Dynamax as that was the only power she had at her disposal. But considering how strong Bea was, Dynamax in her possession made her all the more intimidating and fierce for anyone who would dare challenge her. Which is why her opponent is just that daring.

"And the recent trainer who, in a recent Ultra Class Battle, took down Sinnoh's Strongest Gym Leader Volkner with an outstanding Z-Move...The one who everyone has their on...Ranked 64th, is Challenger Ash from Kanto!"

"Let's go, Ash! You too, Bea!" Korrina violently pumped her fist into the air. It was a good thing she was in the front otherwise someone would've been struck by this forceful fist pump.

"You've got this, Ash!" Twilight and all the other ponies cheered with Pinkie Pie waving a flag with Ash's face on it.

"The gleaming stone on Challenger Ash's left hand is a Key Stone. He seems to have brought Mega Evolution into this instead of Z-Moves like before." The announcer pointed out. "In this tournament, you are allowed to use one of either. Dynamax, Mega Evolution or a Z-Move. Only one. Today's battle shall be a 3v3."

"Do you think he'll use Mega Evolution right away? You know...to see if it works." Applejack asked.

"Knowing Ash, he'll save it for the very end or when he really needs to." Twilight shook her head. "If he pushes himself with Lucario again, then he'll probably unleash it. But we'll see."

"I'm sure they'll be fine," said Fluttershy. "Queen Ilene and Gurkinn seemed very confident in the stone doing the trick. That's why Bertha recommended it and why we set out to find that one Lucarionite.2

"Alright! Both sides, please send out your Pokemon at the same time!" The Rotom Drone said, acting as the referee once more. "3...2...1...Go!"

"Pikachu! I Choose You!"

"Appear, Grapploct!" Both trainers selected their first Pokemon. For Ash, it would be his partner Pikachu, who leapt off Ash's shoulder to make his appearance, landing on the arena. And out of Bea's Poke Ball came her Grapploct.

"Pikachu!"

"Grapploct!"

"Battle Start!"

"Check this out! Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu would start things off, going for one of the fastest attacks out there. Quick Attack. In a flash of light, Pikachu was already moving, leaving behind afterimages.

"Detect!" However, there was a counter to swift moves such as Quick Attack and one of those was Detect as Bea did a fighting pose to bring out more of her Pokemon's power, syncing with them.

"Grapp!" Grapploct was already ahead of Pikachu, having his eyes flash blue. As Pikachua approached, attempting to ram into Grapploct, the Tantrum Pokemon evaded it, detecting his attack and moving to the side.

"Electroweb!" But Ash wouldn't waste any time, wanting to put the pressure on Grapploct and Bea already. He expected Detect to come in and capitalise on that immediately.

"Pika...Pikachu-Pi!" From his tail, Pikachu would form an electric orb, leaping into the air and throwing the orb as it transformed into a web. Grapploct certainly couldn't detect this as the web landed on it.

"G-Grapp!? Loct!" Grapploct cried out as the electricity both shocked and trapped it while Pikachu stuck a stylish landing after overcoming that pesky Detect.

"Nice! We trapped it!" Ash pumped his fist.

"That Electroweb was only pulled off successfully because that Quick Attack was only a feint," Korrina explained. "Ash never lets moves like Detect get past him."

"Gra...Grapp!" Just then, without Bea saying a word, while Grapploct was trapped in this web, it would suddenly slide one of its tentacles through the gaps in the web, attempting to break free.

"Alright, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"

"Chu...Pika!" Pikachu would leap in, going in for an Iron Tail. But at the same time, Bea would give a command to try and quickly counter Pikachu's next attack.

"Close Combat!"

"Grapploct!" The Tantrum Pokemon managed to slip its tentacles through the web even when the rest of its body was currently trapped. The tentacles approach Pikachu, who was in the air, ready to slice at the Fighting-Type.

"It got through?!" Ash gasped, surprised that Grapploct managed to still retaliate even when it was being held down by the Electroweb.

"Pika?!" Pikachu was also surprised by this as one of the tentacles went past him. But that one tentacle was only used to grab him, wrapping around the hilt of his tail and interrupting the attack. "K-Ka?!" With Pikachu's Iron Tail being stopped, he was now the one restrained. As such, Grapploct was free to start attacking, striking Pikachu with the rest of its tentacles.

"Nice catch! Grapploct completely ignored the Electroweb with all of that toughness and is wailing on Pikachu!" The announcer exclaimed with the same level of shock as the crowd.

"It didn't even slow it down that much!" Goh gasped in awe. With all of these hits, Pikachu was eventually knocked back. This was only because Grapploct wished to free itself. It still had the web over it after all.

"P-Pika!" With Pikachu falling on his back, Grapploct would then use all of its tentacles to grab the rest of the web, harming itself in the process. But with its strength, it managed to rip apart the Electroweb, finally being free.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?!" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu was doing fine. He got back up, holding his face as he was just a bit perplexed. But he would manage. One thing he and Ash had to manage was getting past Grapploct's toughness. It was the third battle with this Pokemon and it was proving to be their most formidable one out of Bea's entire team once more. At least for now.

"Come back, for now, buddy!" Ash would call Pikachu back, going for a switch-in. Quickly, Pikachu would return to the side of his best friend. "Okay. Just hang on for a bit. Go Lucario!" Ash's next Pokemon would be sent in and it was the one of great importance in this instance. The Aura Pokemon Lucario.

"Lucario!" And when making his appearance, Twilight and the others were reminded of when Lucario was a Riolu and took on Grapploct. The first time, he lost but the second time, he managed to tie with the Tantrum Pokemon. With this being their third battle, Lucario was looking to make this their last. But with him coming out as the victor.

"Lucario! This time we're gonna beat that Grapploct!"

"Luca!" Lucario roared in agreement, preparing himself. He knew what to expect from Grapploct but it would not be easy. Not one bit.

"Hmph. Liquidation!"

"Grapp!" All of Grapploct's tentacles became covered in water, approaching Lucario.

"Double Team!"

"Rrr!" But once Grapploct approached him, Lucario would form multiple clones in the blink of an eye, using them to confuse Grapploct. Suddenly, Grapploct was surrounded by multiple Lucarios from every side.

"Ash doesn't want to get too close to Grapploct, doesn't he? He's not going for his usual hard-hitting choices like always." Rainbow Dash noticed.

"He's wary about Octolock, isn't he?" Rarity added. "It is a bit dangerous to get too close to Grapploct, especially with all those tentacles. But any other opponent right now would receive the usual approach."

"Spin, Grapploct!"

"Grap!" With all of these clones, Grapploct had a way to get rid of them. By spinning them around as fast as it could. With this spiral tactic and speed, Grapploct sent out the water as blades at high speeds in multiple directions. Each of the Lucario clones went into blocking stances, only to be fizzled out once the blades hit them.

Bea managed to find her way past the clones as soon as possible. Being a Fighting-Type Specialist, getting up close and personal was her best option and she certainly wouldn't let anyone prevent her from battling at her best and trying to put a handicap on her. However, there was the issue of the real Lucario since the ones that fizzled out were all clones as Grapploct was searching for it.

"Aura Sphere!"

"Luca!" Appearing behind Grapploct, Lucario would prepare an Aura Sphere, unleashing the ball of concentrated Aura from his paws.

"Detect!"

"Loct!" Unfortunately, enough time had passed for Detect to be successful once more. With another glint in its eyes, Grapploct would perform a limbo move, pulling its head and upper body back, narrowly evading the Aura Sphere. Just short of another hit for Ash's team.

"Return, Grapploct!" And after that evasion, Bea would return Grapploct, choosing to switch out.

"Gah. She's holding out until the end." Goh sighed.

"Oh, they're just barely getting started," Korrina replied. "That was just those two checking each other out, no?"

"I guess so. I'm so used to seeing Ash's battles explode in the beginning. That's what they're all about, right?" Pinkie added as all of Ash's battles tend to have an explosive start and end explosively as well.

"Go! Hawlucha!" Bea's next Pokemon would make its appearance. This time, it was her Hawlucha, appearing in the sky and descending afterwards just to strike a pose.

"Hawlucha!"

"So it's Hawlucha next, huh?" Ash smirked, having a blue glimmer in his eye that was reflected off the sun's rays. "Now I can finally lay it on 'em! Lucario! Rush in!"

"Rrr!" He would do just that. The Aura Pokemon approached Hawlucha, moving relatively fast as Ash had yet to choose a move.

"High-Jump Kick!"

"Hawlu!" With its knees glowing white, the Wrestling Pokemon took flight for a moment before descending, going straight for a knee attack. But Lucario had the instinct to block it, putting his arms up. He successfully blocked the knee with the only thing he received being a pushback and nothing more.

"Wing Attack!"

"Lucha!" Still in the air, Hawlucha's wings glow light blue as it went in swinging. But once more, Lucario would simply block them, however, Wing Attack had more pressure behind it that than Wing Attack as they were consecutive hits instead of just one. Continuously, the wings would hit Lucario's arms, trying to break through.

"Knock its attacks, back, Lucario! Fist for fist!"

"Luca!" Lucario would retaliate, using his paws to hit the wings. It was suddenly a close-quarters clash between Hawlucha's Wing Attack and Lucario's fists as sparks were flying. Neither Pokemon managed to land a truly decisive blow against the other but it was still a strong and fierce blow-for-blow encounter. And Lucario was just simply using his fighting capabilities instead of a move.

The two Fighting-Types then leapt into the air, continuing their clash, swiftly striking against each other as their arms became blue and red blurs. Lucario would receive a strike on his chest while returning the favour to Hawlucha each time they clashed. They were far too even, clashing their legs against each other in an X-Position. Afterwards, they both leapt off each other's legs, returning to the ground and ending their clash.

"Brave Bird!"

"Hawlucha!" With some build-up, Hawlucha's body became surrounded by a gradually intensifying light blue aura that looked rather divine once it gathered enough energy.

"Force Palm!"

"Ca!" Lucario would try and interrupt this, approaching the Wrestling Pokemon. He slid on the ground before thrusting his palm out. But right as he did so, Hawlucha built up enough energy, evading Lucario's attack and ascending into the air. Once the aura flared up and enough energy was gathered, Hawlucha came crashing down on the Aura Pokemon at high speeds. "L-Lu!"

Enveloped in a bright blue explosion, Lucario was sent flying back, tumbling on his back as Ash gasped. "Ah! Lucario, are you okay?!"

"Rrr!" Lucario growled after being dropped onto his back with smoke from the explosion trailing out of his body. Lucario was still able to continue.

"So now she's not giving me the chance to attack...!" Ash narrowed his eyes at Bea. He got back up, growling at the Wrestling Pokemon, having way more strength to share than this. He also had incredible toughness.

"Is he gonna use it now?" Goh asked.

"Not yet." But Twilight knew that Ash wouldn't go for Mega Evolution just yet. He wasn't being pushed that far. Not just yet. But if there was someone to push him, it would be Bea. "But if I was Ash, I would because I have a feeling the next Pokemon will make it harder for him."

"Return, Hawlucha." Bea would soon return Hawlucha, opting for another switch-in. Ash and Lucario prepared for who else could show up. "Go...Machamp!"

"Machamp!" Out came Machamp, joining the fray. And of course, she arrived with a show of determination, much like every Machamp out there. "Champ! Machamp!"

"As expected. She brought her true ace into this since it's Ash she's facing." Korrina said.

"True ace?! I thought it was Grapploct?!" Rainbow Dash gasped before looking at the Dynamax Band. "But then again...that would explain the Dynamax Band. Is she going for a Gigantamax Machamp?"

"Gigantamax Machamp?!" The ponies collectively gasped, recalling the appearance of Gigantamax Machamp. Because of how Big Mac's Machamp accidentally Gigantamaxed himself, they all got a taste of Machamp's other form and the raw power that form possesses. And that was just a confused Machamp. Bea's Machamp was more capable, making that all the more terrifying.

"Bullet Punch!"

"Champ!" Machamp ran rushing in, having all four arms out.

"Force Palm!"

"Luca!" Lucario would also approach her as it would be another close-quarters altercation. With both Fighting-Types approaching each other, Machamp managed to get the first hit off, smacking Lucario's face. For a moment, Lucario flinched but managed to regain his momentum, blocking the next hit from one of Machamp's upper arms. Soon, Machamp would be the one getting attacks off, swinging her four arms at Lucario who could only block, unable to get Force Palm off.

It was one heavy blow after the other, specifically targeting Lucario's head as he kept blocking it. But with these mountain-shattering punches, one of them broke through Lucario's defences, creating a shockwave as the Aura Pokemon stumbled back for a bit. But Lucario was a persistent one, still managing to put his arms back up to defend.

"Oh! All Lucario can do is defend against Machamp's fierce assault! It hasn't even gotten off its Force Palm at all!" The announcer said as Machamp was pushing back Lucario with each rapid blow.

"Ma...Champ!" Machamp got off a decisive blow with her heaviest punch thus far. Once again, Lucario's defences were broken through but this time without a chance to continue blocking as a golden flash of energy occurred from the impact, sending the Aura Pokemon back.

"L-Luca!" Lucario growled, managing to land on his feet. He truly was a tough and resilient one. He refused to let himself go down here so soon.

"Rush in, again! Force Palm!"

"Ca!" But much like Ash, Lucario wasn't going to let this stop him. He would once again rush in for another Force Palm. And this time, he was dedicated to get it off. And with his synergy with Ash, he suddenly caused a wind pressure from the speed he threw his arm at. Machamp caught his fist, as another golden flare emerged, showing just how much force was put behind these attacks. It felt like lightning bolts were flying from how hard and fast these arms moved.

Truly staggering to the core as Lucario pulled his right arm just to throw both his fists in, only for that one to be caught by Machamp's other two arms below as well. It was now an arm wrestle with two more of Machamp's arms being free.

"Bullet Punch!"

"Champ!" And with this position, Machamp had an advantage. And that was with two of her arms being free. Then again, this was a natural advantage of the Machamp species and she was ready to capitalise on it while holding onto Lucario's paws, refusing to let go. And Lucario was already struggling to break free of this double grip considering the strength of the Machamp species. "Machamp-champ-champ!"

"C-Ca!" Lucario found his entire face and head being slugged by Machamp's fists repeatedly. The first two hits felt like being hit by a train from both sides, truly punishing and tremendous. Twilight and the others felt it and they weren't even the ones in the battle. "Rrr!"

But even after being slugged in the face by the first few hits, Lucario had the strength to move his head, avoiding the next hit, refusing to let himself take so much more punishment. He would then duck the next punch, finding his footing before managing to break one of his arms free with his own brute strength. There was still his other arm that was stuck as he used the only free one to block Machamp's incoming strike. Even when blocking, it still felt like a building was being dropped on his body, making his arm tremble.

However, Machamp's fists would smash into his face even after that successful block, delivering a crushing jaw strike. And he was still unable to get his other arm free to block the rest. Practically mocking Lucario, Machamp kept slugging Lucario's face, while holding onto his only arm. Even so, Lucario would still find opportunities to keep blocking.

"Come on, Lucario! You can't let her humiliate you like that!"

"It's no use! He can't break free!" Applejack held her hat, raising it as Lucario was getting absolutely thrashed out there by Lucario. In response to this violent beatdown, Delta Riolu would suddenly exit his Poke Ball, surprising Applejack.

"Rio!" Delta Riolu watched his Sinnohan Final Evolution was being clobbered by the Superpower Pokemon. "Riolu!" He cried out for Lucario, cheering him on as well.

"Champ!" At last, Machamp, after slugging Lucario multiple times, would decide to grab both his arms. Lucario gasped as he was then pulled in by the embrace of the Superpower Pokemon. And for extra measure, she tightened her grip on him, harming his arms.

"Lucaaa!"

"Now Machamp's got Lucario trapped!" shouted the Commentator. "Can it even get away from it!"

"Cross Chop!"

"Machamp!" With two of her arms holding Lucario, the other two on the top were free to strike down on the Aura Pokemon. In a way, Machamp perfectly represents Bea. Having so many opportunities for fierce attacks with these four arms. Machamp crossed the top two arms on her to form an 'X', letting off a bright orange light. She then struck Lucario's head with her hands as it felt like a hammer was pounding on his face.

"Rrr!"

"Bullet Punch!" And Bea would just continue to the assault, not letting up at all, being truly unrelenting.

"How come Ash isn't doing anything?!" Goh grimaced.

"He's thinking about what to do next! Getting trapped by a Machamp is a tough one!" But Rainbow Dash knew exactly why. Ash was just waiting for that moment. A moment to break free. But he had to think fast as Machamp was continuing to strike Lucario relentlessly.

"Gotta break free. Maybe now I should..." Ash had one way he thought off. And that was by raising his arm, looking at his Key Stone. He was planning on using Mega Evolution now to break free from Machamp's powerful grip. Bea was getting ready for this, leaning her head back a bit as all of Ash's friends did the same, expecting Mega Evolution to make its arrival here.

"Oh, that might be a good way!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Lucario! Let's go!" Ash tapped on the Mega Stone, ready to go through with it.

"Ca!" Suddenly, Lucario yelled at him with a thunderous voice. So thunderous it startled Machamp, making her cease her attacks for a bit. "Lucario!"

"Lucario?" Ash understood Lucario clearly as the light from the Mega Evolution Stone would not flow out just yet. Bea even understood him as well as his words were clear along with his mannerisms. He did not wish to Mega Evolve just yet.

"No?! Why not?!" A confused Pinkie Pie blurted out.

"I don't get it either!" Even Korrina was surprised by this, having a Lucario of her own who was sitting next to her. Speaking of Korrina's Lucario, it looked intensively at Ash's Lucario, waiting to see what he could do to break free since he did not wish to Mega Evolve just yet.

"Luca...Rio!" Lucario found his own way. And it was the most brutish and straightforward way possible. He smashed his head against Machamp's own head, having impressive force behind it as it made a shockwave reverberate through the Superpower Pokemon's head.

"C-Champ!" With that staggering headbutt, Machamp flinched, letting go of Lucario who would also kick off the Superpower Pokemon's chest.

"Just like that?!" Bea gasped as Machamp even fell on her back.

"Rrr...Rrr..." Breathing in and out was Lucario and that was to be expected. He just spent an entire minute or so getting absolutely slugged, clobbered, socked and struck by Machamp's attacks repeatedly. He was winded and yet, he could still continue.

"Lucario's own strong will resisted the light of the Key Stone? That's impossible though..." Korrina's jaw dropped.

"T-That can happen?" Rainbow Dash uttered as she and the other Mega Evolution users learned something new today.

"Okay, Lucario. I got it." Ash understood Lucario's wish, respecting it. He also decided that the time wasn't right, fully trusting Lucario with this. "I was kinda losing my temper there. Not really thinking ahead there, huh?"

"Lu." Lucario nodded in understanding, not blaming Ash for it. After all, all Lucario needed to do was headbutt to break free. That didn't require much thought as it was rather common for someone to try that. But against a Machamp? Well, that was rather gutsy even if that is the only option.

"They're on such equal footing with each other..." Bea observed the communication between Ash and Lucario and how unified it was. For that, she put on a smile. "That's the ideal I aspire to achieve. I never thought they'd be the ones to show it to me."

"Mega Evolution hasn't gone through!" The commentator in the booth exclaimed. "I-Is the bond between Ash and Lucario not strong enough?!"

"That's not it." Suddenly, someone replied to the commenter, appearing next to him in the booth casually. It was none other than Champion Leon. The World's Strongest Trainer. "It's far from that. It's perhaps that their bond is just too deep. That's why this happened."

"C-Champion Leon?!" The commentator gasped, nearly falling off his chair. That name passed through the microphone, which in return, reached the ears of everyone here. "I was worried you wouldn't show up for this like you said you would."

"Sorry about that. I got lost!" Leon laughed, having a poor sense of direction as always, making him a bit late for the battle. But not too late since it was just ramping up from here.

"Leon's here?!" Twilight gasped as everyone turned their heads to the booth, speaking about Leon's presence. Ash and Bea would also focus on the screen that showed Leon's face.

"Their deep bond means it'll happen when it's necessary." Leon continued, speaking through the microphone for everyone to hear. "That's what Mega Evolution is all about. But now was not the time. Lucario knew that and stopped his trainer right then and there. Sure it would've broken the bind and given him a massive power boost, but it's the timing that matters. Can't you feel how close they are?"

"Hmph. It's obvious he saw through it." Bea looked back at Ash. "I'd expect him of all people to. But don't think that'll save you, Ash."

"Since Leon's watching, I gotta show him that I'm getting close to throwing down with him!" Ash smiled back at Bea.

"No, It shall be me!" Bea roared back at Ash, ready to continue this battle. Both Trainers would resume their battle, having their fighting spirits light up some more.

With Leon here, they had to give it their all and show him what they were made of as they both had the goal to take on the Undefeatable Champion. Their goals are on the line once more, rekindled by Leon's presence as the journey continues.

Chapter 95 End.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Oh yeah! Been really excited for this one.

Can’t wait to see the rest of this battle next chapter. It’s gonna be so awesome seeing Ash use Mega Evolution

[Rider09]

keep this up pls!