In the Footage—
Sawyer looked at the shattered debris on the field and then at Pikachu's small frame. Suddenly, an idea struck him! If he used Hurricane... it might just work!
Following Sawyer's command, Salamence beat its blood-red wings, and a massive cyclone began to swirl across the battlefield! Pikachu's small, light body was slowly lifted into the air by the fierce winds.
Swirling along with him were the chunks of earth uprooted earlier by the Air Slashes. In the heart of the storm, Pikachu was flying helplessly, pelted relentlessly by the flying debris! By incorporating the earth into the Hurricane, Sawyer had effectively given the move the added power of a Rock-type attack!
[Lance: Hmm... this battle style. Rather than being like Cynthia, it feels more like Ash's!]
[Cynthia: Hehe, it seems to be a fusion of mine and Ash's. This boy, Sawyer, possesses a calm, observant mind as well as unexpected ideas. It's just... he's not quite a master of either yet.]
[Diantha: Oh? A fusion of you and Ash?]
[Catlin: A fusion?]
[Cynthia: ?]Are these two sisters of mine losing it? Stop taking my words out of context!
In the Footage—
Seeing Pikachu swept into the sky by the Hurricane, a flash of inspiration hit Ash. He shouted to his partner:
"Pikachu! Use the rocks to jump, and use Volt Tackle just like that!"
Sawyer: "???" What in the world?
Sawyer thought he had misheard, but then—
"PIKA!!"
Pikachu quickly stabilized himself in the gale. As a boulder was whipped past him, his short limbs planted firmly on the stone, and he kicked off with explosive force! He began jumping frantically from one piece of flying debris to another, gaining momentum.
Golden electricity began to build around his body, eventually erupting into a blinding, magnificent aura! The sheer intensity of the lightning tore through the surrounding Hurricane! Pikachu leaped off a final stone high into the sky, then descended like a golden meteor wrapped in light! The very air seemed saturated with static.
Under Sawyer's shocked gaze, Pikachu's Volt Tackle slammed directly into Salamence! The dragon was sent plummeting like a cannonball, crashing into the field and carving a massive crater into the lush grass.
As the dust settled, Pikachu landed gracefully after a somber roll. When the smoke cleared, Salamence lay there with swirls in its eyes—unable to battle!
Ash had secured his first victory of the Battle Festival! And it was a total landslide!
Sawyer recalled Salamence, looking somewhat dejected. Ash's strength now far surpassed what it was during the Lumiose Conference! Especially Pikachu—his speed, moves, and raw power had all reached a new level. And that Sceptile... it had completely crushed his own without even needing Mega Evolution...
Ash... what on earth did you go through during this time?!
After the match, Ash shook Sawyer's hand and slung an arm around his friend's shoulders.
"What's with that face? Winning and losing are part of the game. I wasn't even this down when I lost to Alain!" Ash grinned. "Besides, this was just a Normal Class match.
Let's battle again when we reach the Great Class, Ultra Class, or even the Master Class!"
In terms of romance, Ash's EQ might be negative, but when it comes to friends and Pokémon battles, he is second to none! His intuition for comforting friends is world-class... It's just a shame that same intuition fails him completely in the face of love.
With Ash's encouragement, Sawyer's smile returned, and he promised to battle again. After a short break, Ash prepared to keep the momentum going.
In less than half a day, he won five consecutive matches! His rank soared to just outside the top 1000. One more win would promote him to the Great Class!
[Lance: ...This kid, Sawyer. I hope he doesn't get corrupted by Ash's 'logic'.]
[Professor Birch: Regarding Sceptile... looking at its base stats, it's actually better as a Special Attacker. I'm not sure about the Mega form, but the base form is definitely special-leaning.]
[Leon: Ash's Sceptile... is unique. It's a dual-wielding physical attacker! It's normal for Ash to train it that way. Sawyer's knowledge base just isn't deep enough to understand that Ash's Pokémon don't follow the rules.]
Sawyer's love for learning wasn't the problem; the problem was his teacher. None of Ash's Pokémon are "normal." Their potential is nonsensical, and their development paths defy common sense.
Sceptile is a born swordsman; why on earth would Ash make it a Special Attacker? Sawyer trying to copy Ash's growth path was a recipe for disaster.
In the Footage—
Ash and Sawyer talked about someone they both knew in Shalour City.
"...Her name is Korrina! She's a really strong Fighting-type Gym Leader! Her Mega Lucario gave me a massive headache back then!" Ash recalled.
"I haven't battled her, but I met her during the Great Crisis in Kalos. She seemed like a very powerful Trainer!" Sawyer added.
"Great Crisis?" Chloe asked.
Just as Sawyer was about to explain, Ash's Riolu suddenly perked up and ran off!
"Riolu, wait! What's... wait, this is..."
Before Ash could finish, his own Aura began to ripple. This familiar frequency... Ash chased after Riolu, with Chloe and Sawyer close behind.
Soon, Riolu reached the 'person' who had attracted him. No, it wasn't a person—it was a Pokémon! One that looked exactly like a fully grown version of Riolu.
Lucario!
"Ri-olu..." Riolu sensed the powerful Aura emanating from the Lucario. His eyes were filled with both admiration and a fighting spirit.
"I knew it. It's Lucario!" Ash arrived, looking satisfied. Pikachu sniffed the air and let out a joyful cry. "Pika-pi!"
"Yeah, this Lucario belongs to her."
Chloe and Sawyer stood there, completely lost. What are you two even talking about?!
"YAHOOO~~ ASH!!"
A bright, energetic voice rang out from behind them. A beautiful girl came zipping toward them on roller skates! She wore a helmet, a red-and-white sports outfit, and black leggings that accentuated her athletic figure.
With her long blonde ponytail and bright blue eyes, she immediately captured the hearts of the audience.
"Korrina! I knew it was your Lucario! I felt it—the Aura belonging to you two!" Ash wasn't surprised at all. Even before he mastered his own Aura, the bond between Korrina and her Lucario had left a deep impression on him.
"Long time no see, Ash! And Pikachu!" Korrina reached out and affectionately rubbed Pikachu's ears.
"Pika~~" Pikachu leaned into the touch, looking very content.
Chloe's eyes narrowed. This Korrina... doesn't seem like just an 'ordinary' friend.
[Catlin: Tsk tsk. Another one? What kind of ultimate luck with women does Ash have? That's the second one in Kalos alone, right?]
[Sabrina: Ash, divine punishment!!]
[Diantha: Look, another 'special friend' in the comments. I didn't know Sabrina was interested in Ash too.]
[Sabrina:? I just can't stand players. Who said I'm interested?]
(Despite her words, Sabrina's face was flushed. She didn't know how she felt about Ash, but seeing him surrounded by girls made her inexplicably annoyed.)
[Diantha: Pro-tip: Ash is obsessed with battling. Therefore, girls who can battle attract him the most! Korrina is a Gym Leader, cheerful, athletic, and a bit of a foodie. Sound familiar? Her personality is almost identical to Ash's! If you say they aren't close, I don't believe you. Girls who like Ash, you'd better start practicing your Pokémon battles!]
Shalour Gym, Kalos: Gurkinn looked at his granddaughter, who was blushing and sweating slightly. "Korrina, do you really feel that way about Ash...?"
"No! No! Why would I? We're just... like-minded friends! Yeah, friends! We both love battling, and he has a Riolu now, and he's an Aura Guardian..."
Wait, why does the more I explain, the less it sounds like 'just friends'? I should stop talking.
In the Footage—
The reunion was warm and familiar. Korrina was thrilled to see that Ash had a Riolu. "Work hard to get strong, Riolu! Ash is a wonderful Trainer!"
"Ri-olu!" Riolu nodded. He already knew that; he had waited for Ash since before he was even born.
"Hey, Chloe! This is Korrina! See, I told you she was easy to get along with!"
"Ash, who is this?" Korrina asked, eyeing Chloe.
"This is Chloe, my current traveling companion! My goal is the Master Class, and Chloe is aiming for the Grand Festival!"
Korrina nodded. "I see! Well, Ash... I actually saw your match earlier! You've gotten way stronger since our Gym battle. That Sceptile was so cool! How about it? Do you want to face me in the next round?"
"Face you? Are you in the Battle Festival too? You signed up for the World Coronation Series?!"
Korrina puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course! I'm currently ranked 1001 in the Normal Class. One more win and I'm in the Great Class! Besides, this festival is in my home city! As a Gym Leader, there's no way I'd miss it!!"
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