Pokemon Legacy: I Can't

Chapter Nine

Ash was on the battlefield. It was finally his turn. He felt his heart start pounding with adrenaline. Battling was the best feeling. He relished the challenge each of his opponents presented to him, and the sweet feeling of accomplishment when he and his Pokémon were able to prevail was euphoric.

"This will be a three on three battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Battle Master Aliyah. Substitutions are allowed, and the battle will be over when either side's Pokémon are unable to continue. Trainers, bring out your first Pokémon."

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he jumped out onto the battlefield.

"Milotic, help me please." The powerful Pokémon appeared out of her Pokeball, howling a challenge to Pikachu, who responded with more sparks.

"Battle begin!"

"Milotic use Bulldoze." Aliyah started promptly.

"Pikachu dodge!" Ash exclaimed. He saw the power of that bulldoze when Aliyah used it against Gary. And those weird eyes and purple smoke still freaked him out. Pikachu used his speed and jumping ability to launch himself into the air, effectively dodging the ground attack. "Thunderbolt!" Pikachu gathered up electricity around his body, loosing the powerful, jagged beam of electricity. The move hit Milotic directly, and caused severe damage, but still, ash was concerned because that move should have KO'd Milotic. He had a good sense of Pikachu's power, and the fact that Milotic was a water type should've caused an immediate knockout.

"Pikachu is really powerful, that should've knocked Milotic out," Serena muttered, brow furrowed as she watched the battle.

"You're right," Clemont said. "I wonder why it didn't?"

"I'm thinking it is something to do with their weird eyes and the vapor surrounding them," Serena was so used to Clemont having the answers, she had forgotten that Gary was a research assistant for Professor Oak and Professor Sycamore. "I think we can deduce that something about all the Pokémon we've faced: the vapor clouds and red-ringed eyes, are side effects of something that happened to these Pokémon, something that caused them to power up."

"I get what you're saying, and I wonder that if those shapes we saw in the smoke are a product of the potentially twisted minds they could've inherited? Bane's Pokémon seemed unusually savage, and the same thing with Aliyah's Gyarados and how it gave that roar that wasn't quite right." Clemont agreed, adding his own observations to Gary's.

"It could always be Fieronite," Luca murmured.

"There's no way," Gary said, which Clemont nodded. "Researchers have looked for that Pokémon for centuries and haven't found a single trace of any devil Pokémon living in the Aspera Mountains." Gary continued. "Even with Yveltal there were signs, as well as Mewtwo and Giratina."

"Mewtwo was made in a lab, that's not a fair comparison," Naomi pointed out. Gary inclined his head in acknowledgment.

"Still, there's no way it's Fieronite, it's one of the few Pokémon that are actually myths."

"If you say so," Luca conceded. As the group was talking, Ash and Aliyah had exchanged several more hits, and Milotic looked like it was about to faint. Pikachu was tired and beat up, but he looked okay for now.

"Pikachu use Quick Attack to get in close, then use Electro Ball!" Aliyah's eyes widened slightly as Pikachu darted close with Quick Attack while charging up his second move. Ash smirked, that was the first hint that she was starting to worry. Aliyah regained her composure instantly. But that split second, he knew he could win.

"Dodge please." But Milotic was too slow, and it got his with the electric type move. Because of the incredible speed of Pikachu, Electro Ball has a disastrous effect on Milotic, causing it to spin and slam into the wall with a loud crash as rocks fell over her. Milotic didn't get up.