Flannery pointed forward quickly, trying to regain control of the situation, "Don't just stand there! Ninetales, [Will-O-Wisp]!"
Ninetales' eyes flashed as several eerie blue flames appeared around it. With a flick of its tails, the ghostly fire shot across the battlefield toward Donphan.
"Too slow," Ash said calmly, "Donphan, [Rapid Spin]."
Donphan instantly curled into a ball and began spinning violently. The rotation kicked up a violent spiral of sand and wind around its body, forming a miniature cyclone.
The Will-O-Wisp flames were sucked into the spinning vortex and snuffed out instantly.
Flannery clicked her tongue, "Fine then, [Solar Beam]!"
Under the harsh sunlight, the attack didn't need to charge.
But Ash didn't even flinch, "Donphan," he said with a grin, "[Ice Spinner]."
Donphan shot forward out of the spin like a cannonball, its tusks starting to become covered with ice as it went straight toward the Solar Beam.
The Solar Beam slammed into Donphan mid-charge, exploding across its armor, but it used the ice to cut through the attack.
Flannery's eyes widened, "What?!"
Donphan slammed into Ninetales, the impact sending Ninetales skidding backward across the ground like a stone.
The fox Pokémon barely managed to stay on its feet, claws scraping through the dirt to stop itself, panting heavily.
"Don't let up!" she snapped, pointing forward, "Ninetales, [Extrasensory]!"
Ninetales' eyes glowed a bright violet. Invisible psychic waves burst forward, slamming into Donphan's massive body and lifting the armored Pokémon slightly off the ground before hurling it backward across the battlefield.
Donphan skidded through the sand, gouging deep trenches before finally digging its feet in to stop.
Then Ash commanded, "Donphan, [Stone Edge]"
Donphan stomped the ground hard, and jagged pillars of stone erupted upward. Then, with a wave of its trunk, the stones started shooting toward Ninetales.
"Ninetales, quick! Dodge with [Agility]!" Flannery cried out.
Ninetales' eyes glowed as it moved so fast it left an afterimage, quickly dodging the first rock, then the next, and the next one after the other, running around the stadium.
Then Flannery pointed upward, "Ninetales, [Flamethrower]!"
Ninetales finally stopped running as it slid to a stop and turned. Its eyes shined red as it stomped its feet into the dirt and shot out a blast of bright orange fire toward Donphan.
"Head-on," Ash said instantly, "[Headlong Rush]."
Donphan roared and slammed its foot down, then began to charge toward Ninetales as Ninetales unleashed a sun-boosted, Life Orb–boosted [Flamethrower].
The Flamethrower crashed into Donphan mid-charge. Donphan let out a pained noise, but it gritted its teeth and pushed through, going even harder and cutting through the fire in an arc.
As it did, Donphan connected with Ninetales, cutting the fire short and sending Ninetales into the air. Immediately, Donphan used its trunk to wrap around one of Ninetales' tails and spun it around, slamming it into the ground so hard that it bounced.
Ninetales fell spinning and landed like a sack of wet potatoes. By the time it stopped rolling, everyone could see the spirals in its eyes, unconscious.
But it wasn't a completely clean victory. The flames had burned Donphan, and it was already heavily injured.
Flannery blinked a few times and sighed, returning Ninetales back to its Poké Ball, "That's...not ideal."
Flannery stared at the battlefield for a second longer, then suddenly slapped both of her cheeks, "Snap out of it!" she muttered to herself, "I'm the Gym Leader here! I can't just freeze up now!"
She grabbed her final Poké Ball and held it high.
"Alright! Time to turn up the heat for real! Come on out, Blaziken!"
With a burst of light, Blaziken landed heavily on the battlefield. The tall Fire/Fighting Pokémon straightened up, flames flickering from its wrists as the sunlight gleamed off its body. A Life Orb glinted faintly in the harsh light.
Blaziken slammed one clawed foot into the ground, "Blazeee!" it cried.
Flannery pointed forward immediately, "You better not think I'm done, we're just getting started!"
Ash tilted his head slightly and smirked, "Heh. Now that's more like it."
Flannery thrust her arm forward.
"Blaziken! [Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken exploded forward. Its foot ignited in fire as it shot across the field fast, boosted by the Life Orb, and with the sun still up it boosted it even more.
"Donphan, block it!" Ash called.
Donphan braced itself, but Blaziken was already there, delivering an axe kick into Donphan's shoulder.
As Donphan coughed out in pain and tried to retaliate, Blaziken spun around, twirling in the air and backflipping back to safety before Donphan could touch it, taking some recoil from the Life Orb. But its ability Speed Boost activated, making it even faster.
Flannery grinned, gaining confidence again, "Don't slow down! Blaziken, [Double Kick]!"
Blaziken dashed forward again, faster now thanks to Speed Boost. Two rapid kicks slammed into Donphan's side. They both hit, causing Donphan to slide back in pain, but it refused to let itself get pushed back. This time, when the second kick came in, Donphan managed to catch Blaziken's foot with its trunk.
Ash smirked, "[Ice Spinner], now!"
Donphan's tusks instantly coated themselves in jagged frost as it twisted its body, still gripping Blaziken's leg with its trunk. The armored elephant spun violently, dragging Blaziken with it like a flail as the icy tusks carved a freezing arc through the air.
But Blaziken didn't give up, and Flannery's grin suddenly came back, "Blaziken, jump!"
Blaziken planted its free foot against Donphan's trunk and ignited it enough to scare Donphan into loosening its grip. Blaziken kicked off it, flipping upward before the Ice Spinner could connect properly.
Donphan's spinning attack carved through nothing as it tried to catch Blaziken, but Blaziken flipped twice in the air before landing lightly on the ground back on Flannery's side.
Ash clicked his tongue slightly.
Flannery thrust her arm forward, "Now! [Sky Uppercut]!"
Blaziken's fists ignited as it exploded forward, faster than before thanks to Speed Boost. In a blur it appeared right in front of Donphan before the elephant could fully stop its spin.
Blaziken drove its blazing fist straight upward.
The punch slammed into Donphan's jaw with a thunderous impact.
Donphan was launched clean off the ground, spinning upward before crashing back down across the battlefield in a cloud of sand.
The burn marks along Donphan's armor flared painfully as it tried to push itself up. It tried to push through, but finally its legs gave out from all the damage and it fell, spirals in its eyes.
Ash sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Heh...you did great, big guy." He returned Donphan to its Poké Ball in a flash of red light.
Flannery pumped her fist, "Y-YES! That's it! That's the heat I'm talking about!" Then she suddenly caught herself and coughed awkwardly, "Uh— I mean! Ahem!"
She pointed dramatically toward Ash, "Puny Trainer! Y-you'd better not underestimate me!"
Ash raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Oh, you wanna play like that?" His grin widened, "Alright then. Let's see if you can keep up."
Flannery's eyes lit up, "Ahahahaha! That's what I want to hear!"
She pointed forward again, full of energy now, "Come on then! Let's make this battle even hotter!"
"First, phrasing," Ash wagged a finger, "Second, go, Taillow!"
Ash tossed the ball, and from it came his bird Pokémon. A Flame Orb hung around its chest, activating and triggering its ability Guts.
Flannery blinked at the tiny bird, "…Huh?" She squinted, "A Taillow?"
Then she shook her head quickly and pointed forward, "N-no way I'm underestimating you, Ash! Blaziken, don't hold back!"
Blaziken crouched low, flames flickering along its wrists, waiting to gain another boost from Speed Boost.
Then both trainers pointed at the same time.
"[Quick Attack]!"
"[Quick Attack]!"
A loud CRACK echoed across the arena as they collided mid-air.
Taillow ricocheted off Blaziken's shoulder like a bullet, flipping through the air before catching itself with a wingbeat.
Blaziken slid back half a step before digging its feet into the ground.
Flannery grinned, "Ha! I love it! Let's crank the heat up even more!" She thrust her arm forward, "Blaziken! [Feint]!"
Blaziken blurred forward again, vanishing into a streak of red.
"Taillow, [Aerial Ace]!" Ash called instantly.
Taillow folded its wings and shot forward like a missile. As they clashed, Blaziken's kick clipped Taillow's wing mid-dash, but Taillow twisted in the air and carved a glowing arc across Blaziken's chest as it flew past.
"Ahahahaha! This is awesome!" Flannery said with a wide grin. She pointed again, "Blaziken! [Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken launched forward like a rocket, its leg igniting in a blazing spiral as it spun, preparing to kick the bird out of the sky.
But Ash still grinned, "Don't meet it head-on, [Facade]!"
Taillow suddenly dove straight into the incoming kick.
Flannery's eyes widened, "What?!"
At the last second, Taillow twisted its body.
Blaziken's flaming kick barely grazed it, but Taillow's glowing body slammed straight into Blaziken's chest with doubled power from Guts + burn + Facade. And don't forget it also had Aerilate, so the attack was both STAB and super effective.
The impact cracked as Blaziken's eyes widened. The tiny bird had hit it way harder than it was expecting. Blaziken was blasted backward several feet, skidding across the battlefield before digging its claws into the dirt to stop.
Flannery's jaw dropped, "Wha—?!"
Taillow spun through the air and flapped once, stabilizing itself before landing lightly on the ground in front of Ash. Its wings trembled slightly from the impact, but it gave an almost mocking grin to Blaziken.
Taillow: [What's wrong, you fake bird?]
Ash casually raised his wrist and tapped an imaginary watch, "Hmm...yeah, that sounds about right."
Flannery blinked, "Huh?"
Ash tilted his head toward the sky, "Looks like you're out of time."
Flannery instinctively looked up.
The sun that Flannery had set up with Ninetales had run out. Since Ninetales didn't have anything to boost the duration, it finally expired.
Flannery's eyes widened.
"W–wait...the sun?!"
Ash smirked, "Been counting the seconds."
Without the sunlight, Blaziken lost the extra boost from the weather.
Flannery clenched her fists, then shook her head hard, "Th-that's fine! That's totally fine!" she blurted, trying to rally herself, "A battle like this only gets hotter when things get tough!"
She pointed forward dramatically, "Blaziken! [Thunder Punch]!"
Electricity burst across Blaziken's arm as sparks crawled over its fist. The Fire/Fighting Pokémon exploded forward in a blur of motion, boosted again by Speed Boost, crossing the battlefield almost instantly.
But Ash seemed to get an even bigger grin, like he was waiting for that.
"Taillow." Ash snapped his fingers.
Taillow beat its wings and flew up, heading straight toward Blaziken.
Flannery blinked, "…What?"
Blaziken's electrified fist crashed directly into Taillow, and Taillow took the hit. Sparks immediately started shocking Taillow, but Taillow didn't look like it had any intention of backing down.
Instead, the electricity started to cover Taillow, causing its feathers to take on a golden color. But it wasn't enough, so Taillow, out of pure spite, started glowing brightly.
The glowing silhouette stretched and grew larger. Its wings spread wider, and its tail feathers grew into sharp points.
When the light faded, Taillow had evolved into Swellow. But the electricity still covered its wings, creating none other than the Thunder Armor that the original Swellow was known for.
—
Swellow ♂
Mutation: Thunderbird's Cry — Vulnerability to Electricity becomes a resistance, and any electricity that hits the user will be absorbed and used for an Attack, Speed, and Defense boost.
—
That's what the Mutation did, and Ash had to admit, it fit. Especially with how much Swellow in the original series could resist Pikachu's electricity. An additional resistance would always be nice.
Over in the stands where Ash's friends were watching, May and Max stared with their jaws wide open.
"Wa—how does that, what?" May stuttered.
Max stared in disbelief, "That's not even a real technique!"
Brock took another bite of popcorn, "I thought you guys would have stopped using logic by now. If Ash thinks he can do it, he's probably gonna do it," he said as he took another bite.
Across the battlefield, Flannery's eyes were wide with excitement instead of fear.
"…Ahahaha…"
She suddenly burst out laughing.
"Ahahahaha! That's incredible!" She pointed at Ash with a fiery grin, "Now that's what I call a hot battle! I haven't had a battle this fun ever!"
Blaziken rolled its shoulder, electricity still crackling faintly where it had struck Swellow.
Flannery raised her arm high, "Blaziken! Don't slow down now! Let's turn the heat up even more!"
Ash tilted his cap slightly, and Swellow hovered in the air, its feathers glowing gold as sparks moved across its body.
Ash grinned, "Alright, Swellow, let's finish this."
Flannery thrust her arm forward, "Blaziken! [Blaze Kick]!"
Blaziken shot forward like a rocket. Flames exploded around its leg as it leapt high into the air, spinning downward toward Swellow in a blazing arc.
Ash swiped his arms, "Swellow, [Aerial Ace]!"
Swellow shot forward instantly, its lightning-coated wings slicing through the air as it met Blaziken head-on.
The two collided midair.
BOOM
Fire and electricity exploded outward in a shockwave. Both Pokémon bounced apart, landing on opposite sides of the battlefield. Blaziken slid backward, claws scraping against the stone. Swellow flapped hard, stabilizing itself in the air.
Flannery grinned wildly, "Not bad, but not good enough." Flannery pointed forward again, "Blaziken! [Sky Uppercut]!"
Blaziken crouched low before launching upward like a missile, its glowing fist cutting straight toward Swellow.
But Ash only smiled, "Just what I wanted." He snapped his fingers, "Swellow, [Boomburst]!"
Swellow's chest expanded. Then a massive shockwave of sound erupted from its beak. The sonic blast slammed directly into the rising Blaziken mid-jump.
Blaziken was blasted backward through the air before crashing hard onto the battlefield, skidding across the dirt.
Flannery clenched her fists, "Blaziken, get up!"
Blaziken pushed itself back onto its feet, breathing heavily but still ready to fight. Flames flared around its body. Its ability Blaze was beginning to activate.
Flannery grinned fiercely, "Now we're talking!"
Ash tapped his chin and grinned, "Heh...cute you think that's enough."
They both raised their arms and called out at the same time.
"Blaziken! [Flare Blitz]!"
"Swellow! [Facade]!"
Blaziken exploded forward, its entire body engulfed in roaring flames as it charged like a living comet. Swellow dove from the sky, electricity crackling across its wings.
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as, finally, they collided. The fire and lightning crashed against each other, and a massive cloud of dust erupted across the arena.
For several seconds no one could see anything through the dust.
Max gripped the railing, "Who won…?"
The smoke slowly began to clear, and in the dust they saw a shape.
Blaziken was on one knee...barely holding itself up.
Then it finally tipped forward.
THUD
Blaziken collapsed, spirals in its eyes.
A second later, Swellow flapped its wings and rose back into the air, lightning flickering faintly around it as the Thunder Armor finally faded away. The bird gave a triumphant cry.
Flannery stared at the battlefield. Then she laughed breathlessly, "…Whew!"
She wiped her forehead, "That battle was super hot…"
She looked up at Ash with a bright smile, "I guess I was trying too hard again, huh?"
Then she reached for the badge case on her belt.
"Well! A promise is a promise!"
Flannery held the Heat Badge up for a moment, letting the light catch on the polished metal, then tossed it lightly toward Ash.
Ash caught it easily between two fingers.
"Nice catch," Flannery said with a grin.
Ash flipped the badge once before clipping it onto the inside of his badge case with the others, "That makes 4 for me," he said before finally recalling Swellow to its ball so it could rest.
Flannery stretched her arms over her head with a long sigh.
"Whew...that battle was super hot…" she said, wiping sweat from her forehead, "My heart feels like it's gonna overheat!"
Ash started walking toward the exit tunnel, and Flannery quickly jogged over to walk beside him.
For a second she puffed up her chest dramatically, "Puny Trainer!" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, "…Ah—wait."
Flannery scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Eheheh...I was doing the speech again, wasn't I?"
Ash grinned, "A little."
She groaned and waved her arms in embarrassment, "Gah! I keep doing that! I keep trying to sound all dramatic like my grandpa did when he battled!"
"Well, maybe use it against someone who didn't save you~," Ash teased.
"Hey!" Flannery pouted, "That's not fair. It's not like I asked to be kidnapped and saved."
Ash chuckled, "True. But you still owe me a proper thank you~."
Flannery blinked, "Wha, hey! That's not how that works! Besides, I took you to the hot springs!"
"Maybeeee, but then again I did also save your volcano, so I dunno~." Ash just grinned and kept walking.
For a second Flannery looked like she was about to argue, but then she huffed and crossed her arms, "…Fine," she muttered, "But if we're talking about owing things, you still owe me another battle someday."
Ash tilted his head, "Already asking for a rematch?"
Flannery straightened immediately, "N-no! I mean-uh-well-yes! But not because I lost!" she said quickly, waving her hands in front of her before trying to look like a "smart" trainer, minus the glasses, "A real Trainer keeps training and battling! Losing a battle isn't going to deflate me!"
She pumped a fist, "I love Pokémon! I love to battle! And I love this Gym!"
Ash laughed, "Yeah, that sounds like you."
They reached the exit tunnel just as the large doors opened.
Outside, the rest of the group was waiting.
May waved the moment she saw them, "Ash!"
Max ran forward first, nearly tripping over himself, "That battle was insane! How do you do that?!"
"A secret, my young apprentice, that I'll teach you later. After all, what kind of big brother would I be if I gate-kept?" Ash said with a smirk as he patted Max's head.
Flannery laughed again before stretching her arms above her head with a long sigh.
"Whew...after the week I've had, that battle was exactly what I needed."
Ash raised an eyebrow, "The Gym Leader meeting?"
Flannery groaned dramatically.
"Oh man, don't remind me," she said, rubbing the back of her head, "That thing was exhausting. We didn't even solve anything, and Tate and Liza never showed up, and Norman he—"
She stopped when she realized, oh wait, Norman's kids, May and Max, were standing right there.
"Wait...Dad was there?" he asked again.
May leaned forward slightly, "Yeah, what happened? Is everything okay?"
Flannery rubbed the back of her neck, clearly debating how much she should say, "Well...okay, first off, he's fine," she said quickly, "Nothing bad like that. But the meeting was...kinda intense."
"Intense how?" Ash asked as he walked over and got Pikachu and Vee from May.
"It's complicated. I can tell you, but…" Flannery stretched her arms overhead again, "Honestly? I'm exhausted. Between that meeting and everything else that happened this week…"
She turned toward the group with a grin, "…I vote we stop thinking about serious stuff for the rest of the day."
May immediately raised her hand, "Seconded!"
Brock nodded approvingly, "That sounds like an excellent idea."
Flannery pointed toward the steaming pools further down the path, "Hot springs round two?"
Ash smirked, "You really like those, huh?"
"Of course I do!" Flannery puffed out her chest, "This is Lavaridge Town. If I don't recommend the hot springs, I'd lose my Gym Leader license."
Max snorted.
May giggled.
Ash chuckled and adjusted his cap, "Alright," he said, "Hot springs it is. And I guess we can talk more about that later."
—
{Back at Artisan Cave}
The Frontier Brains were mid-battle against the Guile Hideout.
The moment the sword cleared its sheath, he stepped forward with a sudden burst of speed that none of them expected from someone wearing full plate armor.
"Lucy!" Tucker called.
"I'm on it!" Lucy snapped, already throwing a Poké Ball, "Seviper, go!"
The massive serpent appeared in a flash of light and immediately lunged forward, "[Poison Tail]!"
Seviper's glowing tail whipped toward Guile, but Guile didn't dodge. He sent his sword straight through the attack, the blade glowing faintly as it parried the strike.
For a split second the sword shimmered, almost like it had drunk in the energy.
Then Guile swung.
A violent arc of purple energy blasted outward.
Lucy saw it and tried to call out, "Seviper, dodge—!"
But it was too late. The reflected strike slammed into Seviper with twice the force, sending the massive snake crashing into the cave wall with a thunderous impact.
Lucy's eyes widened, "What?!"
Greta reacted instantly, "Hariyama! Stop him!"
Hariyama burst out of its Poké Ball and charged forward like a freight train.
A rapid barrage of palm strikes shot toward Guile one after the other, but Guile moved with inhuman speed, parrying every strike.
Anabel's eyes narrowed immediately as she looked at the sword and realized what it was.
That metal…
Guile twisted his wrist.
The sword erupted with stored kinetic energy and blasted outward.
Hariyama was launched backward, skidding across the cave floor before crashing into a rock formation.
Greta clenched her fists, "Hariyama!"
"What the hell is that sword?!" Tucker growled.
Anabel stepped forward slightly, her eyes glowing faintly, "…It's the metal," she said quietly.
Everyone glanced at her.
"The scraps we found earlier," she continued, "They absorb energy...like Counter and Mirror Coat."
Brandon's eyes sharpened, "…You mean every attack we throw at him—"
"Can be reflected," Anabel finished.
"And at greater power," Spenser added.
But Tucker didn't hear them; he was further to the side, so he threw his arm forward, "Salamence! [Dragon Claw]!"
"Wait, Tucker, don't!" Anabel tried to call out to him, but it was too late.
Salamence roared and dove from above, its claws glowing bright green as it slashed downward.
Guile looked up.
The sword rose.
The claws struck the blade, and the cave filled with a blinding flash. The energy was swallowed instantly.
Then Guile swung upward.
A massive crescent of draconic energy exploded skyward.
The reflected attack slammed into Salamence midair, blasting the dragon back across the cave and forcing it to crash hard against the stone ceiling before falling to the ground.
Tucker's jaw dropped, "SALAMENCE!"
Dust and rubble rained down. For a moment the cave was silent except for the echoes of the impact.
Guile lowered his blade slowly.
"You are wasting your strength," he said coldly.
His single visible eye scanned across the group, "You cannot defeat me."
Brandon stepped forward calmly as he clenched a Poké Ball on his waist, "…We'll see about that."
The Poké Ball he had was Regirock's, but the problem was that Regirock was the strongest Pokémon they had on their side. If Guile absorbed one of Regirock's attacks, the force would be strong enough to collapse the cave with them still inside.
So for the sake of all of them, he couldn't use Regirock right now. Instead, he switched and brought out his Dusclops.
At the same time, Guile stopped and pulled out a watch he had inside the armor. His visible eye narrowed, "It's here, finally!"
The chamber began to glow and shake.
No one knew what was going on until a rock from the cavern started to glow and float up toward the ceiling. The rock began glowing and cracking like an egg.
Then the entire cave was enveloped in light, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.
When they opened them again, they saw it.
Floating in the cave was Jirachi. For the first time in centuries, Jirachi had returned.
"Jirachi! Finally you're here," Guile said as he took a step forward, "Grant my wish!"
"Hey, don't pretend we're not here!" Tucker called out first.
"Yeah, that's right! We're not gonna let you take Jirachi," Greta nodded.
Spenser tapped his cane on the ground and grabbed a Poké Ball, "You have much to answer for, and we will stop you."
However, Anabel didn't say anything. She looked at Jirachi with a complex expression.
Guile recognized that look. It was the look of someone who had a wish they wanted granted.
And that put Guile into a rage, "Don't get in my way!" Guile screamed as he opened the chest of his armor.
Stuffed inside were hundreds of Poké Balls. They spilled out and rolled across the ground, and when they hit the floor they opened.
From them, hundreds of different trained Pokémon appeared, all facing the Frontier Brains.
Not all of them opened. One rolled to Greta's feet, and she picked it up. Looking at the ball, she saw the logo for the Battle Factory. That's when she figured it out, "These are the missing Pokémon from the Battle Factory!"
Lucy gritted her teeth and stared at the armored man, "So you are the one that attacked Noland!"
"He stood in my way," Guile said simply, "And now, you are too."
The battle had only just begun, and the Frontier Brains were already on the losing end.