Mastermind

10 - Battle

Paralleled enthusiasm bursted from the hundreds of crowds upon the scene. Most people were shouting, clasping their mouths or throwing their arms up in the air from amazement. Some percent stood up to express their astonishment and almost all members clapped in aggressive temperament.

"Phew, good work pal!" Ash spoke into his microphone, wiping his brows from sweat.

Lucario stretched, arched his back and turned behind him, soon smiling and bringing his loose arm up, symbolising his loyalty and persistence to the advancer.

"How? How did you do it!?"

Ash looked up from his wounded friend and gave a warm grin.

"Paul, it isn't hard to understand... my Lucario has the ability Steadfast, so whenever it flinches, it gains speed. I simply asked him to flinch as many times as possible, whether it would cause him damage or not."

Paul thought intensely, digging his nails into his palm as he clenched his hanging hands. "So in those hurricanes..."

"Yep, all he did was flinch, and then he simply used Detect to find a path here." The victor smiled.

Over at the stands, his companions were left speechless.

"So... Ash knew this was gonna happen?" Goh asked.

"No..." The Professor started, causing the others to flip their heads to him curiously. "Ash trusted Lucario to make this plan work out. If he hadn't believed in his Pokémon, this output would never have happened..."

Bluntly, Chloe was astounded. After watching but one battle, she had learned a term's worth of information if the girl were still in school.

"Ash, did research... on battling?" She timidly whispered.

"Huh? Well yeah, he's so passionate about his Pokémon and battling that he devotes all of his time into it!" The boy next to her smiled.

"Paul Shinji, please send out your next Pokémon." A rigid lime drone spoke as it flew over the disadvantaged.

After deliberation, Paul's clenched hands released and a Pokéball flew onto the field. "Obstagoon, stand by for battle!" He screamed, still sore from the obvious loss.

What stood with pride in the beaming light of prison was a black and white demon with blood red eyes, shoulders collecting and arms in the centre, protecting its hanging skull. Furred legs bent in battle position whilst a long neck and a loose, drooping head hung below.

"What the hell is that?" Chloe asked in disgust.

"It's an Obstagoon, a dark and normal type. A Pokémon found in the Galar region which evolves from a Linoone. The pre-evolved versions fight most their lives, furthering their survival instincts and leading to their natural evolutions, one of the few that hate neutral species and naturally evolve." The boy blabbered.

"It's not the smartest play... Lucario is a steel and fighting type, and Obstagoon is weak against fighting." Chrysa stated quietly.

"Ash Ketchum, will you stick with Lucario?" The Rotom Drone questioned, floating above the middle of the match.

"'Course, I'm sticking with my beast!" He said, clutching his right wrist, adjusting for comfort.

"Alright, battle resume!" The drone exclaimed.

"Night Slash!" Paul screamed, bending his legs and back, angered from how relaxed and joyful his opponent was behaving.

From Obstagoon's mirrored pose of the dead Lucario in front of him, it opened its arms to its sides and catalysed a bright silver sword in each hand, soon boosting off its calf's and sprinted low to the ground towards the directed victor.