What If Ash was in Pokemon Horizons?

Liko vs. Rika! Towards the Battle's End

Ash and Grusha send out Pikachu and Cetitan respectively. While Larry sends out Staraptor and Flamigo.

Larry: Got lots of respect for ya, Monarch. So don't expect me to go easy on ya.

Ash: I'm fine with that! Go all out!

The battle begins, Ash remembers his own Staraptor and has Pikachu trap it in an Electroweb, while Grusha has Cetitan use Ice Shard on Flamigo, Larry counters by freeing Staraptor with Brave Bird and Flamigo hitting Cetitan with a Close Combat, doing big damage, Cetitan fires back with Ice Spinner, but Flamigo dodges. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and it hits Staraptor, making it weak. Flamigo then gets close to Pikachu and tries a Throat Chop, but Cetitan fires a Liquidation to knock Flamigo back, spilling water everywhere. Ash sees this and gets an Idea, having Pikachu use Thunderbolt, but no clear target. The thunder goes everywhere and thanks to the spilled water, hits all three pokemon, even Cetitan, knocking Staraptor and Flamigo out. Larry and Ash then shake hands.

Larry: Great on the spot thinking kid, but that was a little reckless, don't you think?

Ash rubs the back of his head sheepishly

Ash: Yeah.. Guess I just got carried away.

Larry: Just be careful, okay?

Ash: Of course!

Thee Tag Battle of Liko and Katy versus Rika of the Paldea Elite Four is about to begin. While Ash, Roy, Ann, and Nemona discuss about Liko's chances, Dot sees Terapagos wandering off and runs after it, unnoticed by the other four. On the battlefield, Rika, noticing Liko acting nervous, delays Dendra's declaration to start the match and walks over to Liko.

Rika: Hey Liko, you wanna pet my Clodsire?

Liko: Um, sure.

Liko reaches out

Rika: Stop!

Liko: What?! What did I do?

Rika: Clodsire's skin is poisonous, and you aren't wearing protective gloves.

Liko is unamused by the tease, but is surprised to notice she's feeling less tense now, being ready to start battling.

Once Rika has returned to her spot, Dendra properly starts the battle. Rika starts her offensive right away, telling Dugtrio to use Dig and Clodsire to follow up with Sludge Wave. Nemona explains to Roy and Ann that Sludge Wave is a move that hits the entire field, so Dugtrio had used Dig to avoid being hit by it. While Floragato and Lokix both dodge the Sludge Wave, Floragato ends up taking a hit from Dig as Dugtrio resurfaces. Although it is not very effective on the Grass Cat Pokémon, Nemona knows that repeated hits from it can still sting. Rika repeats her previous moves, as do Floragato and Lokix, except this time, Floragato manages to wrap her vine around Dugtrio, who proceeds to spin around to send her flying. Floragato performs a hard landing, though Liko doesn't notice her partner's pained expression and only congratulates her performance. Rika orders Dugtrio to use Rock Slide on Floragato, who trips while trying to dodge due to her hurt leg. Fortunately for Liko, Katy has Lokix defend Floragato with Throat Chop, stopping the barrage of rocks before they can hit. Liko thanks Katy for her help, and Katy tells her to pay attention on other things than just Clodsire. Liko complies by glancing all around the field, but Rika criticizes her for having too many thoughts in her head at once, telling her that during a battle, she shouldn't be think about anything else. She asks Liko what she thinks she's battling for, and while she admits that Liko is not wrong by saying that she wants to win, there's also more to it than that. Katy assures Liko that she'll understand everything by the end of the battle, which Rika is already eager to continue. Looking at Floragato, Liko smiles as she can sense how excited and eager her partner is, and promises to focus on winning.