Pokeshipping- "Fight for the Title"

Going All the Way!

"CHARIZARD, DODGE IT!" Ash screamed.

This was it. The moment he had been waiting for. 15 years of blood, sweat, and tears have led him to this moment and he wasn't going to let it slip through his fingers again.

As the Hyper Beam drew closer, Charizard opened up his wings and began to take flight. However, even he wasn't fast enough to dodge the ferocious attack.

The Hyper Beam hit the dragon full force in the stomach, sending him careening into the stadium's wall. A cloud of dust ensued soon after the impact and prevented the match from continuing. 

Over time, the dust began to settle and revealed that Charizard was on the ground. However, despite everything, Charizard slowly got back on his feet and stared down his opponent.

With a labored growl, the dragon began to take a step forward, his knees buckling in response. However, to everyone's dismay, the combination of the initial blast and the harsh landing was too much for him and he inevitably fell to the ground.

Ash's heart dropped at the sight. Everything had been going great at the beginning of the battle. Ash had gotten his opponent down to his last Pokemon, but what he wasn't expecting was the power, strength, and skill the Pokemon would possess.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" The referee called out. "Tyranitar wins the round!"

The crowd was dead silent. Ash had absolutely dominated the league throughout the preliminaries and the finals, yet one of his strongest Pokémon was just taken out after only a few hits.

Ash was speechless. He had only one Pokémon left, his trusty electric rodent Pikachu, and if he went down... then that was it. There were no more chances after that. It was now or never and he knew which option he preferred.

"It's time to shine buddy." Ash looked down at his side and gave Pikachu a determined glance. The Pokemon nodded in return and bounded out to his starting position. The crowd erupted into a fit of cheers and cries at the sight of the tiny electric mouse entering the arena.

As the two Pokémon took their battle stances, Ash glanced toward his opponent. The man seemed to be around his age and just as determined to win.

"May the best trainer win." Ash whispered to himself. "The very best."

Ash took a second to take in a deep breath and look toward the stands where the people watching over him were seated. All of his friends and family were there, some of which he hadn't seen in a long time. However, he could only focus on one of them. 

The one whose eyes were the same color as the water she knew and loved. The one whose hair resembled the fire that burned inside of her. The one who he called... the love of his life.

As Ash stood in awe at her beauty, Misty noticed his impenetrable stare and smiled at her boyfriend of 3 years. She blew him a kiss, threw her arms into the air, and began to jump up and down, screaming and cheering as loudly as possible.

Despite the roar of the crowd, Ash could hear Misty as plain as day. Actually, that's all he could hear. It was like he was suddenly cut out of existence and placed in another... one where all he could see... all he could hear... was her. 

This caused a warmth to build up inside Ash and made him even more determined to win than ever. It was like a fire was suddenly lit inside of him and the only way to douse it was to win. He was going to finally do it. If not for him, then for her.

"Let the battle... COMMENCE!" The referee yelled as he retreated from the skirmish that was about to unfold.

'Speed will be the key here.' Ash thought. 'He won't be able to keep up with Pikachu if we can be quick enough.'