Destiny Rebirth

When Lightning Strikes!

Author's Note: Before I get complaints about this, yes Pikachu did use more than 4 moves in this battle. Well, according to Mightyena's Shadow, the author of Battles of the Past, he stated that they wouldn't just randomly forget a move, like that, so that's why Pikachu was using five moves in this battle.

---

After intermission was over, Ash, once again, stood in his box eyeing the opponent that stood across from him. Although Ash was behind right now, he still didn't look fazed by his current situation. It didn't shock Trevor in the slightest.

They were the best trainers, of their generation, to come from Kanto and Ash respected Trevor as both a friend and rival. However, he was here to win, not revisiting the past.

"You ready for round two?" Ash questioned the trainer across from him.

"Yeah! Show me what you got!" Trevor responded back.

Ash turned to his loyal mouse Pokémon, who was standing by its trainer and then bends down, on one knee, to meet Pikachu's eye level.

"Ready, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu, who nodded back in response.

Ash also nodded, as he lifted himself off from the ground, before sending Pikachu into battle.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu gave a chirp, before leaping onto the battlefield. He crouched low, while sparks were flying in anticipation, for the upcoming battle.

Trevor grinned while looking at the mouse Pokémon that Ash started his journey with.

Pikachu seemed to really want that rematch against my Charizard. However, that won't happen! He thought as he unclipped a Pokéball from his belt.

"You're up, Empoleon!" Trevor called out as he threw his Pokéball into the air to reveal his fourth Pokémon.

When the light, from the Pokéball, vanished, a large, navy blue, penguin-like Pokémon was now standing before its trainer. It had a wide, yellow beak with three pointed horns that form a trident-shaped crest and small, blue eyes. There's a blue marking, resembling a crown, over its eyes and a white, lacy marking running down its chest. A blue, fin-like projection forms a collar, around its throat, and runs down the length of its chest and belly. On its back, there are two raised, gold bumps and a second bluefin that forms its tail. It was wide, flipper-like wings, rimmed with blue, along the tips, and three golden claws. Its yellow feet were webbed with three toes each. As soon as the emperor Pokémon appeared, it got into a battle stance.

Ash and Pikachu were surprised that they weren't facing off against his Charizard in this round.

"Huh? No Charizard?" Ash asked puzzled about why Trevor didn't send out Charizard, to continue battling.

"I'm saving Charizard, for later," Trevor responded to the masked trainer while motioning him to make the first attack.

"Alright then," Ash said, before calling out the first attack, to start the second half of the match. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Empoleon, use Steel Wing on the ground!" Trevor countered.

Both of Empoleon's wings glow white and one of them hit the ground, while the other was pointing upward to the sky. Pikachu released a powerful bolt of yellow electricity, from its body, and launched it towards the motionless water type. Despite a type advantage, Empoleon didn't seem to be taking damage from the electric attack.

Ash immediately knew why. He noticed the Steel Wing was acting as a lightning rod, similar to how Winona, Gym Leader of Fortree City's Gym, did it with her Pelipper when it went up against Pikachu during that gym battle.