Love in the Time of Tenacity

Chapter 20: A Sunshine

For the last matchup of this battle, I'll admit to using XY&Z to write it for pacing purposes, but I think any fast-paced song will work. That said, time for Chapter 20!

Chapter 20

A Sunshine

Ash was breathing heavily, feeling the slight starting of sweat underneath his cap and vest. Yet he couldn't be happier about it. This was the kind of battle he enjoyed more than any other. A chance to truly reach out and clash with the person in front of him in a way that harmed neither. Hau provided all of that with a smile on his face. He really was bringing the absolute best to the table, with even Pikachu looking exhausted.

Now, he was to face another Pokémon that Ash had never seen before. Hau had called it a Drampa. Though, as it emerged, it hardly looked like a deadly kind of Pokémon: more like an elderly and wise dragon with a very long neck, colored in a sea green hue, it seemed. However, Ash knew he had to remain on his guard. Pikachu looked back at him, and for a second, he thought of pulling him out.

"Pikapi," Pikachu called back, and the intention was clear. It didn't matter how much damage Pikachu had taken, hit by the Electric type Z-Move under an Electric Terrain while soaked in water, he was willing to do what little bit he could to help the next Pokémon down the line. Ash shook his head with a chuckle...they were all so self-sacrificing.

It was just like him, when he thought about it, doing anything he could to reach out and understand the person in front of him. Just in the same way that Hau's Pokémon were all excited to battle, no matter the outcome, even if their initial dispositions didn't show it. The thought made Ash look up, noticing Gladion there. He wondered just what he'd glean from a battle between them.

"Okay, Pikachu!" Ash said, throwing a palm out as he grinned across to Hau; it was time for the battle to begin. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"Counter that with Dragon Pulse, Drampa! All right!" Hau said, once more jumping up and down with full enthusiasm. It made Ash's blood rush with excitement.

"And Hau is getting right into the action with that Drampa of his!" Kalas called, making the crowd cheer around them. Pikachu was charging up his electricity all around his tiny body, not drawing as much power owing to the disappearance of the Terrain. Then he fired out, the lightning barreling across the field. "This is a Pokémon on his team we haven't seen before! How will the mighty Pikachu stand against it?"

"Rrrrampa!" Drampa called out, its long neck undulating creepily as it opened its mouth. From within that maw shot out a draconic shape, mixed in colors of purple and pink. It soared through the air in a soaring arch. The Thunderbolt slammed into Drampa, though it stayed in place. For the same reason, Pikachu was unable to dodge as the Dragon Pulse hit home, the maw of the dragon practically consuming Pikachu.

"Pi-kaaa!" Pikachu cried, flying back in pain. Ash suddenly clenched a fist, watching as Pikachu did his best to hold on. He skidded on the dead grass while on all fours, panting. "Pi...ka...pi...ka...chu..."

"All right, let's do this with Draco Meteor!" Hau said, throwing a fist high into the air. Ash's eyes widened.

"Pikachu, get moving with Quick Attack and dodge it!" he yelled in response. Pikachu shook his head and his body blazed with white light before taking off across the field. Drampa took to the air, practically flying on what looked like white clouds, each of them more or less surrounding its body. Its neck snapped up high, and an orange glow started at the base of its body before moving through the neck to its mouth. It then fired the energy in the form of a giant orange orb. When that orb reached a zenith in the air, it exploded, raining numerous meteors upon the battlefield.