Destiny Battles

The Rival Rematch of the Century

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, as it jumped off his shoulder and ran out to the battlefield with sparkles flying off its cheeks.

Gary smiles as he stares at Ash's Pikachu. He had only battled against Pikachu twice; although he won both those times, Gary had never battled against Pikachu in a full battle before. Gary grabs a Pokeball from his belt and activates it.

"So you're starting with Pikachu, huh?" Gary stated, with Ash responding with a nod of approval. "Good choice. I choose you, Umbreon!"

When Gary threw the Pokeball into the air, a light came out of it. Once the light faded away, it revealed the Dark-type Eeveelution Pokemon. Umbreon has a sleek, black body with four slender legs and crimson eyes. It has two pairs of pointed teeth, one in the upper jaw and the other in the lower jaw, which is visible when its mouth is open. It has long, pointed ears and a bushy tail, each with a yellow band around them. Its forehead and legs have yellow rings on them.

Once the Moonlight Pokemon took a quick look at its opponent, its eyes became tense and its body positioned itself into a battle stance. Umbreon growls at the Mouse Pokemon, while Pikachu starts expressing tension within its facial features. Its eyes were burning with determination and revenge for its previous loss. The two had a history of battling in the past; but now, here they are once again, on the fields of battle, where there can only be one victor.

---

"This should be interesting," Delia stated as she watched Ash and Gary called out Pikachu and Umbreon respectively.

"What do you mean, Delia?" Angela asked Ash's mother.

"Well, Angela," Delia started to explain. "The very first battle Ash ever had with Gary was a one-on-one battle between his Pikachu and Gary's Eevee, who is now an Umbreon."

"So who won that fight?" Ashley asked curiously about the outcome.

"Well, it was Gary's Eevee who won that battle," Delia replied, causing a sad sigh from the four-year-old girl who asked the question in the first place.

"Poor Pikachu," Ashley said before looking at her Aunt Serena.

"Hey, Auntie Serena!" She said which got Serena's attention. "Do you think Pikachu will win?"

"Well," Serena started to say while thinking carefully about which words to say to Ashley. "It's been a long time since Pikachu battled against Gary's Umbreon. After all, they never had another battle after Gary's Eevee evolved. I'm sure with all the years of training that Ash has put into Pikachu, they will come out on top in this fight."

"I hope so," Ashley said as she refocuses her attention back to the battle.

Serena's eyes made their way to Ash'. While Ash's eyes expressed burning confidence in the battle that's about to unfold, Serena's eyes expressed a bit of worry for him.

Don't get overconfident, Ash. Stay focused on the battle at hand. You can do this! I know you can! She thought while watching Ash and Gary's battle as it is about to take shape.

---

"Ash," Gary said, which got his opponent's attention. "Remember our first battle?"

"Yeah, I do," Ash responded with a smile on his face. "It was Pikachu vs your Eevee if I remembered correctly."

"I may have been the victor that day, but that battle showed me I still had a lot to learn about Pokemon," Gary said, giving a summary about his first battle against Ash.

"Well, I guess it's time to see how far we have grown together, right Pikachu?" Ash said to his faithful starter.

"Pi pika!" The Mouse Pokemon said, agreeing with its trainer.