Destiny Rebirth

The Promised Battle!

Shout out to RingoAndou for making the artwork above!

Part 1 of Ash and Max's Battle! Enjoy!

Clemont groaned as he rolled over in his bed. With his eyes closed, he noticed something moving around, before hearing a loud explosion. For the love of God, what is going on?

He let out another groan, before slowly opening his eyes. He moved his hand from underneath his sheets to cover his pupils from the light of the TV. He was temporarily blinded, but once his vision began to come back, as his eyes adjusted to the bright lights, he could see Max, on the edge of his own bed. The young trainer was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his vision firmly secured to the TV.

Clemont groaned once again, before turning his gaze to the TV. He slowly began to recognize the images, on the screen, as the battle between Aaron and Iris from the first round of the tournament. He groaned as his eyes shifted, once again, to the clock, which rested on the table, next to his bed.

"Max, what are you doing up at this hour?" Clemont managed to ask, although his words were a bit jumbled. "It's four in the morning."

"Huh? Oh, hey, Clemont." Max mumbled, acknowledging Clemont's presence while continuing to keep his focus onto the screen. "I'm just doing some last minute studying."

"Yeah, sure." Clemont began. "That's what you said three hours ago."

"Well, I have to garner whatever info that I can possibly get about this guy," responded Max in a slightly panicked voice. "Rex saw something I overlooked and that got me thinking about what else I could have missed."

"Max, you have watched those videos, at least 4 times each," Clemont said as he swung his legs off the side of the bed, taking a seated position. "You didn't miss a thing. Brock, Misty and I were watching every one of those tapes, right alongside you. Now tell me, what we came up with."

Max let out a sad sigh. "Aaron is mostly straightforward with his attacks. He uses speed to take away any disadvantages he might have. He uses quicker, weaker attacks, to set up for more powerful ones. Any Pokemon, he chooses, will most likely be at an elite level power with a wide range of moves. He hasn't shown any signs that he teaches defensive moves, especially since he is always on the attack. He uses moves, like Dig, which allow him to dodge attacks while going on the offensive at the same time. Counters, for this kind of battling strategy, are Pokémon who can combine moves, to protect themselves from repeated advances, Pokémon with speed to counter Aaron's own speed, who can also respond to any attacks that may be called, and finally, the move, Detect, to counteract the wide-ranging move pool."

"Very good," Clemont said with a sad smile on his face.

He knew the pressure Max felt and wanted to help his friend out as much as possible, but even he had to admit the difficulty in planning against Aaron. Iris had said it herself, along with Gary; Aaron doesn't just attack your Pokémon, but you as well. He makes his opponents panic and no trainer could truly have a game plan for that.

"You know your team for tomorrow?"

"Yeah I do," Max said as a small smile slowly crept onto his face. "I decided that if I'm going to have any chance to beat Aaron, then I'm going to have to use my comfort picks. I know which three that I'll be using tomorrow."

"That's good Max. It's always a smart choice to depend on those you trust, the most, for a tough battle," Clemont said with a smile. "Now then, get some rest. You've got a big day tomorrow."

Max gave a tired chuckle as he reached for the remote and turned off the TV. "Yeah. You're right, Clemont. I know I'm ready for tomorrow. Now all I got to do, is go out there and show him what I'm made of." Max went to lie down and was asleep, from the moment his head hit the pillow.