One Love, One Heart

Chapter 42: Time of Dying

The wind was howling today as the new day reached noon. Yesterday's rains ended, but a partly cloudy day remained. Ash and Drew stood on opposite ends of a field on the outskirts of Pallet Town, where they could battle without any concerns. Misty and May sat a few feet apart while Pikachu stood beside Ash. There was tension in the air as the boys exchanged gazes. May and Misty did not speak to each other either. Their friendships were hanging by a thread.

Drew was the first to speak, "Let's get this over with."

"By all means," Ash smiled smugly at him.

Drew smirked after he flicked his hair. "I'm going to wipe that smile off your face for good, Ketchum."

"We'll see about that," Ash glared at him. He wasn't going to hold anything back against Drew. He needed to win to prove his innocence.

The raven-haired boy pulled his arm back with a Pokeball in hand. "Go, Totodile!" He launched it into the air. The Big Jaw Pokémon emerged from the ball. It performed a small dance upon being called, but it became focused once it saw Drew. Totodile was determined to win for Ash.

Misty and May hadn't seen Totodile in action recently, so they carefully eyed Ash's water Pokemon. They wondered what techniques or abilities the blue Pokemon knew.

Drew smiled arrogantly, "Go, Masquerain!" The emerald-eyed coordinator threw his Pokeball and released his Eyeball Pokémon. Masquerain opened with a majestic Silver Wind that dazzled Totodile, but the starter shook its head immediately. It retained its focus.

"Showing off already, Drew?" Ash crossed his arms. Drew merely laughed at his comment and shrugged his shoulders. Totodile and Ash wouldn't waste any more time. "Alright, Totodile, use Water Gun!" the auburn-eyed teen commanded.

"Masquerain, use Silver Wind!" the lime-haired coordinator shouted.

Masquerain's Silver Wind dispersed the Water Gun and hit Totodile directly. Totodile took some damage with that Silver Wind but shrugged it off.

Ash clenched his teeth a bit but decided to take a different approach. "Totodile, go for a Slash!"

The Johto Starter leaped for Masquerain with glowing claws. Before it could strike, Drew called out a Hidden Power. Masquerain didn't waste any second to fire the white beam at the croc-like Pokemon.

Ash shouted to Totodile to move out of the way and use "Water Pulse!"

Drew got caught off guard and watched frustratingly as his Masquerain got blasted off by the blue orb released by Totodile. Masquerain dropped to the ground, and Ash hastily ordered a Slash attack.

However, when Totodile went in for the offense, multiple Masquerain appeared and multiplied. Masquerain had used Double Team, and Totodile only managed to hit a fake. The group of Masquerain were hovering over the ground as Totodile was left confused about what to do, "Totodile, try an Aqua Tail to take them all out!"

Totodile released a stream of water in all directions when its tail hit the earth. Masquerain's copies got soaked, but the real Masquerain barely avoided the attack. Suddenly, Drew called out an unexpected command, "Masquerain, use Energy Ball."

"Dodge using Water Gun!" Totodile obeyed Ash by firing a Water Gun to pulse itself off the ground, narrowly dodging the Grass-type move. The Water-type Pokemon flew past Masquerain as the force of Water Gun allowed it to gain altitude.

Drew flicked his hair, "Cute, but not enough." The coordinator ordered Masquerain to release Stun Spore into the air above it. Ash, Pikachu, and Misty gasped as the air turned orange. May wondered how Ash would get himself out of this one.