"Who knew Oshawott had that much power?" Serena heard Iris muttering to Cilan. "If he'd done that against Cameron, Ash would've won easy."

"Well," Cilan said, laughing lightly, "this is a very different Ash, I think. He seems much better at bringing out the power of his Pokemon. And Oshawott learning Revenge helped. It's very powerful when a Pokemon's endurance is low."

"So getting hit by that Hyper Beam actually ended up being a good thing?" Serena asked.

"I wouldn't say that exactly," Cilan said, pointing to Oshawott who, although looking determined, was clearly quite tired. "It brought out great power, but Ash needs to rely on Oshawott's speed for this next match."

That next match looked like it was just about to start, too, as Astrid was pulling out her next pokeball and throwing it into the air. "Meowstic, let's do this!" she shouted, and her female Meowstic emerged on a rock in front of her. It stood still a moment and then a blue aura appeared around it and it started to float up into the air, much like Olympia's Meowstic duo.

"Alright folks, we've got Oshawott versus Meowstic." the announcer informed the crowd, for any who somehow didn't know. "After this match, we're guaranteed an intermission, so let's hope it's a good one."

The referee signalled for the match to continue and Ash made the first move. "Oshawott, we've gotta use the water to our advantage. Dive in!" With a quick nod, the little otter Pokemon dove in and submerged himself quickly.

"Don't think you can avoid Meowstic," Astrid warned, a confident smirk on her face. "Psychic on the water! Let's make the waters a little rough for swimming." Meowstic's eyes glowed a bit as the water seemed to violently whirl around. It wasn't like when Gyrados had used Twister, but the surface was wildly whipping around and it was clearly not much better underneath.

"You can do this, Oshawott," Ash encouraged loudly, obviously trying to make sure his voice was heard above the water. "Use Aqua Jet!"

Astrid's counter order was so fast, Serena was barely able to register it. It was like the blonde trainer had known that would be Ash's next order. "Quick Guard!"

It didn't look like Meowstic had done anything. All Serena saw was her eyes flashing quickly, and then hold up two paws. Oshawott rapidly shot out of the spinning water, emerged in his torrent of water. He was moving at such a speed, Serena was sure it would be a powerful strike. However, just as the otter Pokemon was about to hit, his Aqua Jet slammed into the air in front of Meowstic and the water around him shot outwards and he leaped back, landing on one of the rocks, careful to avoid falling into the water which hadn't calmed down.

"That Meowstic is still pretty strong," Ash acknowledged. Serena could see from her spot in the stands how his eyes were narrowed while he tried to think of a plan.

"We didn't stop training after beating you the first time," Astrid said with a laugh. "All of my Pokemon are stronger. This battle is just a question of which of us has improved more."

"Right," Ash said, nodding. "Well, how about we try this. Hydro Pump!"

"Dodge and use Charge Beam!" Astrid ordered quickly.

The speed at which Oshawott moved, as he backflipped from the stone he was on to another one behind, was quite impressive. The jet of water he produced, however, was even more so. It shot towards Meowstic like all the water from an ocean was being fired out. The psychic cat Pokemon was ready, though. It waited for the water to approach and then thrust out its arms and a beam of electricity fired out, colliding with the Hydro Pump and straining against it for a moment, and then it shot forward and jolted through the water. It smashed into Oshawott and the otter Pokemon cried out in pain and fell into the water. A moment later, he floated up, eyes cloudy.

"Oshawott is unable to battle. Meowstic is the winner!" the referee shouted, waving his flag to Meowstic.

"Well that does it for the first half of this match, everyone," the announcer informed the crowd. "We'll be back in a few minutes with a new field and after Ash has some time to regroup after losing his first three Pokemon."

XXXXX

Ash gritted his teeth as he recalled Oshawott and stepped off of his platform. As he headed towards where his friends were waiting to meet him, he thought of what he needed to do to get back in the match. He knew he had one good way to get back in the match. Hawlucha wasn't the only one who needed revenge here.

"Ash, you're doing great, don't worry about it," Serena said, as Ash approached the group.

"You always pull through in situations like this," Clemont added, adjusting his glasses as he did so.

The others quickly followed suit in words of encouragement and praise for Ash. They wouldn't have said anything else to Ash, but the obvious words of encouragement from Serena and his friends meant a lot. And really, he wasn't giving up. He was a bit frustrated, but he was definitely enjoying the challenge. His last nail biting fight was really only against Team Flare and Giovanni. He'd even kind of dominated that one. It was good to go through a little adversity here. Astrid was a good opponent.

"So Butterfree's next, right?" Bonnie asked excitedly. Ash didn't bother trying to hide it since it was obvious. Butterfree wasn't part of Dawn's Pokemon cheer squad, so Bonnie and everyone else knew he'd be getting his shot today.

"Yeah, Butterfree is making an appearance, Bonnie. And if he fights as well as he did against Team Flare, Astrid's in trouble," Ash said, getting both Bonnie and himself hyped up for his butterfly Pokemon's league debut.

"I saw some highlights of Astrid's first round match," Brock said, a light in his eye showing it hadn't exactly been for battle research purposes. "I think Butterfree might get a perfect opponent. You'll see what I mean."

Ash was glad Brock didn't spoil it. He preferred the surprise factor in battles. "Butterfree will beat whoever he battles."

"Pika-pikachu," Pikachu muttered angrily from his position in Serena's arms.

Ash felt guilt hit him hard. He felt awful about sidelining Pikachu again, but something had told him to make sure his most loyal Pokemon was rested. Ash wanted Pikachu the whole way through after this, if he were to win. And for Ash, assuming he was going to win was part of his style. He needed to stay confident. "Pikachu, you'll get your chance. I promise. I don't break promises, do I?"

Pikachu looked at Ash with narrowed eyes for a moment, but then cracked a smile. He nodded slowly and gave a fist pump. "Pikachu!" he shouted out.

"That's the spirit," Ash said, giving his own fist pump.

"What a sweet aroma of confidence blended with loyalty and determination," Cilan sang out, eyes closed as though he was actually smelling some sort of fancy meal.

Serena looked at Cilan with a mixture of confusion and alarm on her face, but then looked back at Ash. "Do you have a plan for Astrid's Absol?"

"I'll probably need to worry about three Pokemon before I deal with that," Ash answered, looking towards the field which was emerging. "I'll bet Absol is her last. I need to worry about one Pokemon at a time before that."

For a couple more minutes, Ash conversed with his friends. He was basically just trying to stay loose and not get too caught up in planning a strategy. He felt he was going to work best if he went with his spontaneous mindset. It had worked well in the past and he had faith it'd work out now.

Finally, the announcer's voice rang out through the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen! The second half of the battle between Ash and Astrid is about to begin on our ice field. Please return to your seats."

Ash gave his friends a quick salute and set off back to his platform. As he stepped onto his, Astrid was stepping onto hers. It took a couple more minutes before things were ready again, and then the referee took his position at the side of the battlefield.

"Alright folks, let the second half of this exciting battle begin!" the announcer shouted out, getting a loud cheer out of the crowd.

The referee officially called for the two trainers to call out their Pokemon and Astrid went first, throwing out her pokeball and yelling, "Vivillon, let's go!" Out of the pokeball emerged a white winged Vivillon that fit perfectly with the ice field.

Astrid's choice brought a smile to Ash's face. Brock was right. She had a perfect opponent for Butterfree. Ash tossed out his own pokeball quickly after her. "Butterfree, I choose you!" Then, his own butterfly Pokemon emerged, yellow scarf not on to allow for easier battle movement. Ash could see the determination in Butterfree's stance. "Ready, Butterfree?" Ash asked his second oldest Pokemon.

"Bwee-ee-ee!" Butterfree shouted back, before giving a nod.

"Looks like an interesting one, here, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer called out. "A butterfly battle between Vivillon and Butterfree."

The referee signalled for the battle to resume and Astrid went first. "Vivillon, start this off with Psybeam!"

"Counter with your own!" Ash ordered.

If anyone blinked, they might have missed it. Both flying bug types fired off a shiny blast of energy at their trainer's calls, and the attacks met with an explosion that sent both quickly drifting backwards. Their attacks were even.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted, knowing a flying type move would be a good move to use.

"Counter with Struggle Bug!" Astrid yelled back, narrowing her eyes as she watched Butterfree shoot forward.

As Butterfree whipped towards Vivillion, the white winged butterfly Pokemon seemed to hold still a moment. Then, just as Butterfree was about to strike, Vivillon slipped to the side and then barrelled into Butterfree as he started to fly past. Ash saw his Pokemon wince a little but Butterfree righted himself quickly and turned around and hovered in front of Ash, staring down Vivillon.

"Let's do this quickly," Astrid called out, sounding quite confident. "Vivillon, use Hurricane!" Immediately, Vivillon started rapidly flapping its wings, and Ash could feel the wind starting to pick up. It only picked up more speed as Vivillon continued flapping. Suddenly it was so wild that Ash had to grab onto his hat to keep it from falling off and then he squinted and saw Butterfree get whipped high into the sky by what seemed like a tornado within the already crazy amount of wind. The tornado whipped around up high, and then it was slammed to the ground, and the ice where Butterfree landed cracked loudly.

"What a super effective strike for Astrid and Vivillon!" the announcer shouted, while the crowd gasped at what had happened.

Then, Ash smiled as he saw Butterfree flap his wings hard and quickly rise into the air again. Sure it had been a good strike, but Butterfree had handled far worse. He'd migrated across tough winds just to get to Kalos, so that was nothing he wasn't used to. "Ready to show your power, Butterfree?" Ash asked and Butterfree nodded confidently. "Alright then, use Tailwind!" Butterfree then flapped his wings hard once again and flipped around and flew behind Ash where he closed his eyes and gave one more quick flap of his wings before returning to his original position.

The announcer informed the crowd of the effects of Tailwind. "Ash and Butterfree have just given themselves a speed edge, everyone. Tailwind will increase Ash's Pokemon's speed for four attacks."

"Right," Ash said with a nod, "and here comes number one. Butterfree, Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Struggle Bug again!" Astrid ordered.

It wasn't even close this time. Although Vivillon tried to cut away again at the last second, the extra speed Butterfree had from a mysterious wind that seemed to blow from behind him, seemed to give him a major advantage. He slammed into Vivillon with full force and sent the enemy butterfly spinning away.

"Now, use Silver Wind!" Ash yelled, punching the air. As Vivillon spun away from the Aerial Ace strike, Butterfree flapped his wings again, and a sparkling, silvery gust of wind shot forward and seemed to grab hold of Vivillon. It had extra speed due to Butterfree's Tailwind and it carried the opposing bug type up into the air and then slammed it down.

"It looks like Ash and Butterfree have really taken over this one," the announcer yelled out. "Butterfree's speed seems like too much for Vivillon."

Ash smirked, agreeing with the announcer. "Butterfree, let's keep it up. Psybeam!"

"Quick, use Psybeam too!" Astrid ordered, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Vivillon's attack was quick, for sure, but not quick enough. The shiny beam of energy made it forward about three feet before Butterfree's blasted out and countered it. The explosion from the colliding attacks was so close to Vivillon that the opposing butterfly Pokemon was sent flying backwards once again.

Ash knew he needed to make this next strike count, because Tailwind's effect was about to run out and Astrid would make it hard to use it again. "Butterfree, we need to use all your speed and power. Aerial Ace!" Butterfree didn't hesitate. He launched himself forward and just as Vivillon was getting itself up off the ground, it was slammed into once again by the powerful and extra speedy attack. Butterfree pulled back, looking quite proud as his opponent slid away on the ice.

"A barrage of attacks using Tailwind's extra speed has Butterfree in complete control!" the announcer shouted out. Ash could hear the amazement in the announcer's voice. "Will Vivillon be able to counter now that Tailwind has worn off? Or is it too late?"

Ash didn't want to risk that. "Butterfree, let's wrap this up. One more Aerial Ace!"

As Butterfree shot forward and Vivillon slowly floated up into the air, looking utterly exhausted, Astrid smirked. Clearly she had a plan. "Vivillon, use Electroweb!" Just before Butterfree was about to strike, a yellow, crackling web was shot out by Vivillon. It seemed to grab hold of Butterfree and then electricity fired out of it, shocking Ash's loyal bug type.

"What a counter by Astrid! Butterfree gets a good shock and no longer will he have any speed advantage," the announcer informed the crowd.

"We don't care!" Ash shouted, clenching his fists. "Do we Butterfree?" Butterfree flew higher into the air and nodded, not even wincing as the electric web jolted him. "Let's finish this up for real. Psybeam, full power!"

"You use Psybeam as well," Astrid shouted to her Vivillon.

With Vivillon now having the speed advantage, its beam of shiny energy shot out first. Butterfree wasn't too slow to follow, however, firing off his own Psybeam pretty quickly despite his lowered speed. When the two attacks collided, smoke shot out from where they met, but this time, both Pokemon continued their attacks. It was now a battle of willpower.

"Don't give up, Butterfree," Ash encouraged loudly. "You can do this. Show everyone how strong you are!" And suddenly, the energy that Butterfree was shooting out seemed to double. In a second, the Psybeam from Vivillon was quickly rocketing backwards and the opposing bug type barely managed to squeeze out enough power to delay the attack from forcing all the way through. "Finish now!" Ash yelled. With one last cry, Butterfree's Psybeam went the rest of the way. Vivillon cried out in pain as an explosion engulfed it. A moment later it dropped to the ground, smoke coming off of its wings.

"Vivillon is unable to battle. Butterfree is the winner!" the referee shouted, with a flag wave to Butterfree.

Ash could see Butterfree was pretty tired, so he thanked his old friend and recalled him to his pokeball, as Astrid did the same. It was all tied up now, and Ash felt like finishing things up. He had the perfect Pokemon to get things started. "Greninja, I choose you!"

When Ash's powerhouse emerged, he noticed Astrid narrow her eyes, and then she tossed out her own pokeball. Her Pyroar emerged and Ash knew she likely had something planned to counter the type disadvantage, but that didn't matter. He and Greninja would finish this quick.

XXXXX

"P-Pyroar is unable to b-battle. G-Greninja is the w-winner!" the referee stammered out.

Serena exchanged a shocked look with Clemont. Ash and Greninja had looked like they were on a mission. Astrid had tried a Wild Charge, which admittedly was a good move to use against a water type like Greninja, but it had only seemed to tickle the frog-ninja Pokemon. The way he just stared down at Pyroar before smashing a Water Shuriken in its face was...a bit terrifying.

"That Greninja has come a long way from being a little Froakie," Astrid said a little weakly as she recalled Pyroar and pulled out her next pokeball. "I guess he wants revenge as well." She then tossed out her next pokeball and her Meowstic, the same one that had defeated Greninja as a Froakie so long ago, emerged and floated into the air.

"Of course he wants revenge," Ash assured his opponent. "He's getting it, too."

The referee signalled for the battle to resume and both trainers stayed still a moment. This was a crucial moment in the match. If Astrid could find a way to take out Greninja, she'd only have to worry about a tired Butterfree and what Serena assumed would be Hawlucha. And Astrid still had her rested Absol ready to go. Finding a way to upset Greninja would be a likely ticket to victory.

Astrid finally broke, obviously knowing she had to get a strike in. "Meowstic, use Disarming Voice!" Meowstic suddenly opened its mouth and started singing out in a loud, high pitched voice. Serena actually thought it sounded kind of cute, but surprisingly, Greninja seemed to hate it. He was grabbing his head and wincing from the noise.

"A super effective move for Meowstic. Disarming Voice is a fairy type move, which Greninja will struggle with," the announcer explained, sounding fascinated that the powerhouse that was Greninja, had been hit so suddenly.

"You're Greninja's strong," Astrid admitted, looking pleased with her attack, "but so is Meowstic."

"Yeah?" Ash called out, and Serena could hear the determination in his voice. He wasn't letting Meowstic get in his way. "Greninja, Water Shuriken!"

"Quick Guard!" Astrid ordered quickly.

Greninja's speed was usually a deadly part of his attacks, but it didn't do anything here. As his watery ninja stars shot towards Meowstic, the psychic cat Pokemon raised its invisible barrier and Greninja's attack struck it and evaporated.

"That's fine," Ash said, tensing up. "Greninja, get in close. Use Night Slash!"

"Quick Guard again!" Astrid called out. Serena was starting to get irritated by the blonde trainer's confidence. If Greninja could land a hit, she wouldn't be so cocky.

Again, Greninja used his incredible speed to shoot forward. He didn't struggle on the ice at all. Serena almost thought he was running on air. Just before he reached Meowstic, he pulled out his purple sword of light and prepared to hit his opponent with the super effective strike. However, once again the barrier was up and Greninja's attack smashed into the invisible wall. For a moment, it looked like he was going to force his way through, but then he leaped back and his sword vanished as he stared at Meowstic in frustration.

"Charge Beam, now!" Astrid ordered. Ash seemed almost immobilized by shock. Serena realized he was scolding himself for letting Greninja get in close when he knew Meowstic could use a move like that. Unfortunately it was too late for both of them. The electric beam of energy shot out and crashed into the frog-ninja Pokemon. He skidded along the ice and then quickly got to his feet. It had been a powerful strike, and he'd felt it, but Serena knew Greninja could take a lot more than that.

"Not bad," Astrid admitted. "Charge Beam was enough last time."

"Well it's nowhere near enough this time," Ash warned, sounding even more determined than moments before. And then Serena realized what was going to happen a second before it began. Ash and Greninja pulled their fists up in front of their faces in unison. "We're going to be stronger!" Ash yelled. "Let's go!" Then, he and Greninja pulled down their fists, spread the arms out and cried out. A torrent of water shot up from Greninja, wilder and far more powerful than the one that had enveloped Oshawott during Aqua Jet. Serena could just barely see the features on Greninja that signalled Ash-Greninja. It wasn't complete, but it was better than nothing.

"Amazing!" the announcer screamed. "Ash's Greninja appears to have mega evolved, just as the reports claimed it could do."

Ash didn't seem to care about what the announcer had said or the now crazy crowd. He wanted to wrap this battle up and get onto the last one. "Night Slash!"

"Quick Guard!" an alarmed looking Astrid squeaked out.

Meowstic was able to put up its barrier on time, which actually impressed Serena. Greninja had launched off like a bullet and had ripped a hole in the ice as he did so. When he slashed out with his sword, it met with the barrier for a moment, but then there was a loud shattering sound. Then, there was a little squeak as Meowstic was launched into the air with an upwards strike. The psychic cat just spun around for a couple of seconds and then dropped in front of Greninja a moment later.

"Meowstic is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner!" the referee called out.

"Yay!" Bonnie yelled out happily next to Serena, Dedenne chirping away from his place on the railing in front of her. "Ash-Greninja!"

"They finally got it back," Serena breathed out in relief. She'd been so worried. She'd wondered if the Sundial being gone had actually ended it, but obviously that wasn't the case. And it didn't matter if it wasn't complete. Serena had faith in both Ash and Greninja that they'd get the full form back.

As Astrid recalled her Meowstic, Greninja's torrent disappeared from around him and he reverted back to his original form. He and Ash looked a little tired, but they'd been through enough that a minor use of their transformation wouldn't be too difficult on them. Greninja gave a quick nod to Ash, who returned the nod before recalling the frog-ninja Pokemon to his pokeball. Serena couldn't help but smile at this. Ash had finally got the form back, but he wasn't letting his last Pokemon lose his opportunity for revenge.

Serena looked at Astrid, who was pulling out her last pokeball. The blonde trainer looked across the field at Ash, who had his final one in his hand. "I'm on my last one, Ash," she said, "but don't think that makes things easy. My final Pokemon is my strongest."

"I know," Ash answered, appearing to grip his pokeball tighter, "but someone needs some payback for a rough outing last time." He then threw out his pokeball. "Hawlucha, I choose you!" The light flashed and the fighting hawk Pokemon emerged, spinning through the air and then posing proudly for the crowd.

Astrid smiled, obviously glad to have the rematch. She held her pokeball a moment and then finally threw it out as well. "Come on out, Absol!" Then, her loyal disaster Pokemon emerged, immediately staring down Hawlucha. "Ready, Ash?"

"You bet!" Ash assured her.

"Well, I'll get serious from the start," Astrid said, placing her finger up to her earring. Serena tensed up, knowing that was where Astrid's key stone was. "Absol, mega evolve." Serena was honestly sick of the bright lights of mega evolution. They hurt her eyes too much. However, it only lasted a few moments and then she was able to look at the product. Mega Absol looked pretty fierce, now with wings and a longer horn. Hawlucha had his work cut out for him.

"We can do this, Hawlucha," Ash said to his determined looking fighting type who nodded.

"Here we go, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer shouted. "Astrid's final Pokemon is Mega Absol. Let's see how Hawlucha fares."

The referee signalled for the match to resume and neither trainer hesitated in ordering their first attacks. Serena could tell this one meant a lot, whether it was for the league or not.

XXXXX

"Hawlucha, High Jump Kick!" Ash yelled, putting all his emotion into the order.

"Absol, Megahorn!" Astrid shouted at the same time, just as much emotion in her call.

Both Pokemon whipped forward and the determination to win was apparent in the speed at which they moved. Hawlucha kept his body low as he ran, arms spread out, and then he leaped up, stretching out his leg for his kick. At the same moment, Absol was bounding forward, and then he spread his wings, bowed his head, and his large horn glowed green. There was a brief second where they launched towards each other in silence, and then their attacks smashed together.

"Lucha!" Hawlucha yelled out, doing his very best to force his kick to overpower the extreme power of Mega Absol's strike.

Absol wasn't having an easy time, though. Ash could see the disaster Pokemon gritting its teeth as it tried to edge its horn forwards. Absol had definitely not expected the strength Hawlucha was showing.

Finally, after a few more moments of straining against each other, both Pokemon shot backwards and retreated to stand in front of their trainers. Ash could see the concentration in Absol's eyes. He was watching Hawlucha very carefully. On a happier note, Ash could see Hawlucha shaking with excitement. He'd wanted to join Ash's team for this very reason. To fight alongside him in exciting battles.

"Having fun, Hawlucha?" Ash called out with amusement.

Hawlucha quickly turned and gave him a nod, smiling. "Haw! Lucha-lucha!"

"Good," Ash told his fighting type. "Well you know the way to have even more fun. We've gotta win this. Let's show them what we're made of!"

"Lucha!" Hawlucha yelled in agreement, turning his attention back to Absol.

Astrid didn't seem interested in letting Ash show his strength first, though, because she made the next move. "Absol, hit him with Psycho Cut!"

"Cut that Psycho Cut with X-Scissor!" Ash ordered, mimicking the crossed arms required for the move.

On Astrid's order, Absol flapped his wings and fly higher into the air. Once he'd gained some height, his horn glowed pink and then he quickly shook his head towards Hawlucha. The pink blade of air then shot towards the fighting hawk Pokemon, who braced himself with his arms crossed in front of his body. Just when it looked like he'd be hit, Hawlucha quickly uncrossed his arms and an X shaped blast of air shot outwards and struck the pink blade of air and split it into three pieces which all struck the ground at Hawlucha's feet.

"Let's take the battle to them!" Ash yelled. "Jump into the air and get ready for some in close fighting."

"Get ready, Absol," Astrid warned, though not sounding worried.

Hawlucha was obviously more than willing to try to get in close. That was his style. He ran forward a few steps and then kicked off of the ice field hard and zoomed into the air. He actually passed Absol quite quickly and in a moment, was well above his enemy, looking down at the disaster Pokemon, while hovering.

"Dark Pulse!" Astrid ordered, clearly not wanting Ash to get the opportunity for close combat.

Ash was ready, though. He had a plan to move this battle in the direction he wanted. "Hawlucha, use Flying Press! Spin past that Dark Pulse."

As Absol carefully aimed and then fired off the powerful jet of purple and black energy, Ash clenched his fists, willing Hawlucha on. It was a move Ash had used a lot in Sinnoh, since Dawn had taught him, and he'd had the feeling that Hawlucha's Flying Press would work perfectly with it. And it definitely did. With the jet of dark energy shot towards him, Hawlucha spread his cape-like wings and then dipped down. Just as he reached the oncoming Dark Pulse, he started to spin. As he moved down, he picked up speed, both from gravity and the spinning. Absol didn't even see it coming. The disaster Pokemon ended its attack and then was slammed into, obviously not having seen Hawlucha or expecting the speed he'd be moving at.

"Now hit him with your new move. Brick Break!" Ash yelled, thinking of the night before when he'd noticed Hawlucha's more powerful Karate Chops.

Absol, still staggering away from the Flying Press, wasn't able to do anything as Hawlucha sped towards him once more. The hawk Pokemon pulled back his fist and then slammed it down, just as he flew above Absol's back. The attack was so perfectly placed, that Absol's front and back jerked upward as the middle of his back was jerked downwards. He rocketed to the ground and the ice cracked from the hard landing.

"Flying Press! One more time!" Ash yelled, wanting to keep up the barrage of super effective hits.

"You can do it, Absol," Astrid encouraged. "Shadow Claw, followed by Psycho Cut!"

As Hawlucha launched towards the ground, preparing his strike on Absol, it looked like he was going to land another easy hit. Then, suddenly, Absol grunted and stood up straight, flapped his wings and shot into the air. As he approached Hawlucha, he pulled back his front paw and a dark energy covered the claw. Then, just before Absol met Hawlucha in midair, he thrust his Shadow Claw forward, and hit the fighting type in the chest. Ash saw Hawlucha's eyes bulge and he was suddenly stopped in midair. Then, Absol held onto him, manoeuvred into a position above Hawlucha and then slashed downwards with his glowing pink horn. The pink blade of air picked up Hawlucha and carried the fighting type to the ground and crashed him hard into it.

"Hawlucha!" Ash called out in concern. "You ok?"

"Lu...cha," Hawlucha grunted out, managing to get to his feet. Looking up and watching Absol like a...well, like a hawk.

"Good," Ash said, smiling. "Let's keep going. High Jump Kick!"

"Dark Pulse!" Astrid ordered, clearly knowing the spinning move would be harder to do from below while using High Jump Kick.

Ash gritted his teeth, but watched, determined Hawlucha could do it. As Absol fired off the blast of dark energy, Hawlucha kicked off hard and aimed his leg up. For a moment, the dark energy shot down, and Hawlucha flew upwards. Then, they met and surprisingly, Hawlucha seemed to power through. His kick forced its way through much of the jet of dark energy, but he quickly lost momentum, just as Absol ended the attack.

"Quick, use Psycho Cut again!" Astrid yelled, seeing the opportunity with Hawlucha suspended in midair. It was too quick for Ash. The pink blade of air shot down again and took hold of Hawlucha. Once again, the hawk Pokemon was whipped to the ground and landed hard with another cracking of the ice. Luckily, Hawlucha managed to get up again.

Ash knew he needed to think of a way to get up to Absol without putting Hawlucha in a vulnerable position again. If Absol stayed up high, it was hard get up there, with him having two powerful long ranged attacks. Hawlucha needed to get in close, though, so Ash needed a way up.

Astrid gave Ash the answer immediately. She was ordering a powerful attack, but little did she know, it made Ash think of one of the better strategies he'd ever come up with. "Psycho Cut rapid fire!" Astrid yelled.

Ash smiled, seeing the blades of pink air shoot down in rapid succession. "Hawlucha, use those Psycho Cuts to your advantage. Psycho Cut Climb!"

As the Psycho Cuts rained down, Hawluch leaped forward and charged into them. He did it perfectly, kicking off of the ground and the slamming his foot down on one of the attacks and using the momentum to lift himself up further. He quickly used the others in the same way and suddenly was using the blades of pink air as some kind of speedy staircase towards a stunned Absol. Finally, on the last one, Hawlucha kicked off hard and then spun around, looking at Absol below him. Ash was glad he'd made sure to keep that move as part of his training program with his Pokemon.

"Let's do this! Brick Break!" Ash yelled, punching out with his own fist like he was the one doing the move.

"Megahorn!" Astrid countered, sounding a bit off, likely still surprised by the Psycho Cut Climb.

Surprise didn't matter at the moment, though, as Absol and Hawlucha were once again engaging in battle. Hawlucha whipped down and thrust out his fist, which was glowing white with power. Meanwhile, Absol's horn glowed green, as he waited to counter. They met with full force, as the attacks smashed together, causing a shock wave that rippled Absol's fur and shook Hawlucha's feathers.

Then, suddenly, the two Pokemon were engaged in a fierce aerial battle, as Ash and Astrid rapidly called out their close range attacks. Brick Break clashed with Megahorn. Shadow Claw clashed with High Jump Kicks minus the high jump. Whenever Astrid tried a Psycho Cut or Dark Pulse, it was quickly countered with X-Scissor. Neither side was giving an inch.

The battle was the closest of the tournament so far for Ash. These Pokemon were evenly matched, whether one was mega evolved or not. It was exhausting, but exhilarating. Ash didn't want it to end and he knew Hawlucha was feeling the same way. He even had a feeling Astrid and Absol felt that way, too. However, if he wanted to move on, he had to do it. And he could see an opportunity appearing.

"X-Scissor!" Ash yelled, knowing how Astrid would counter.

"Psycho Cut!" came her predictable order.

"Use it to get some height!" Ash quickly yelled, knowing it would work, with Astrid and Absol being focused on the close combat. Hawlucha quickly brought up his leg and brought it down on the pink blade of air before him. He then shot up a few feet, already preparing the strike Ash was about to order. "Flying Press!"

"Megahorn!" Astrid countered.

It didn't matter, though. Hawlucha's signature move shot down with incredible power. He forced his way through Absol's glowing, green horn and then struck the disaster Pokemon in the back, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Hit it with Brick Break!" Ash yelled, feeling excitement bubble up inside him, sensing his victory. Hawlucha quickly pulled back his fist and slammed it down, sending Absol crashing to the ground. "And finish with one more Flying Press!"

It was kind of bittersweet for both Ash and Hawlucha as he posed and then began his descent downwards with a spin. They both loved a tough battle and having to end it was kind of disappointing. However, winning was satisfying and especially a win against someone who'd showed them up before.

Absol actually managed to get up once he'd hit the ground, but Ash could see him breathing heavily. It was only a couple of seconds before Hawlucha was slamming into him with Flying Press and sending him to the ground again.

Hawlucha, once landing his strike, quickly hopped over to stand in front of Ash, standing at the ready in case Absol could continue. Then, to both Ash's and Hawlucha's surprise, Absol did rise to his feet again. He spread his wings and stares threateningly at Hawlucha for a few moments. Then, the disaster Pokemon winced and seemed to laugh, before giving Hawlucha a smile and a nod. Ash saw Hawlucha return the nod, which Absol accepted with another smile. The disaster Pokemon then closed his eyes and keeled over.

The referee watched Absol a second longer and then held up his flag. "Absol is unable to battle. Hawlucha is the winner! The match goes to Ash from Pallet Town and he moves on to the next round!"