When Serena returned to their seats at the end of the intermission, she sat between Dawn and Sawyer. The two of them were visibly shaking with nervous excitement. Serena supposed that neither of them had ever actually seen Ash perform at this level. Even though Dawn had seen Ash make the semi finals before, and Sawyer had often been steamrolled by his idol.

"I really wish Ash had fought like this in Sinnoh," Dawn whispered, as Ash made his way back out to his position in front of the new ice field that had been brought up. "He would've won for sure."

"Well maybe he just learned from what went wrong," Sawyer suggested, holding his notebook close to him.

"And it seems that travelling with you has helped," Serena said to Dawn. "He's done some pretty creative moves that I bet would work perfectly in a contest."

Dawn gave a bit of an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah, I guess we gave each other some ideas."
She then narrowed her eyes at Serena and smirked. "We all know what's really got him going this time around, though."

Serena just politely laughed and turned her attention back to the field. It was about to start again. Both Ash and Malva had pokeballs in their hands. Malva threw hers out first and a large, white fox Pokemon with nine tails emerged. A Ninetales. Serena narrowed her eyes, remembering the last time she'd seen one.

Ash wasn't fazed, though. He quickly tossed out his pokeball, shouting, "Bayleef, I choose you!" With a flash of light, his long necked grass type emerged.

"He's obviously got a plan, but a grass type against Malva's fire types is really risky,"
Sawyer said nervously. "He did well with Heracross despite the type disadvantage, but risking that kind of matchup twice is really pushing it."

Serena shook her head. "It's just Ash's style. He'll be fine."

"It's starting!" Dawn hissed, pointing to the field, where the referee seemed to be signalling to both trainers. Serena squinted and focused. Ash could really take control by winning this battle. And winning with a grass type would be a tough one for Malva to take.

Malva made the first move. "Ninetales, start with Quick Attack!"

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip on the ice pillars and use it to speed up and counter," Ash shouted quickly.

Ninetales quickly lowered itself in preparation to run, and then shot forward, having no problem running on the ice. Bayleef moved just as quickly, though, shooting out her vines and wrapping them around an ice pillar in front of her. She then tugged hard and whipped forward, sliding quickly on the ice to counter Ninetales. The two Pokemon clashed midway, but Ninetales was the one to get sent spinning away, crashing hard into an ice pillar as it slid. Bayleef's weight had proved to be too much, in combination with her buildup of speed.

"Wow, Bayleef isn't a Pokemon known for its speed, but a smart use of the field by Ash and she gets the edge," the announcer called out, sounding impressed.

"Now, let's keep it up, Bayleef," Ash encouraged. "Razor Leaf!"

"Burn through it with Flamethrower!" Malva countered.

Bayleef quickly pulled herself into position, still using her vines to pull herself along the ice, and then got herself in position to attack. She whipped her head forward and razor sharp leaves quickly started to shoot towards Ninetales. The fox Pokemon was ready, though, quick to fire of its jet of scorching hot flames. Serena saw the leaves immediately disappear as the attacks clashed, and then Bayleef was struck hard by the super effective attack and flew back, falling onto her side as she hit the ground hard in front of Ash. Serena was worried that would be it, but Bayleef shook her head and then quickly got to her feet, her determination pulling her up.

"You ok, Bayleef?" Ash called out, sounding concerned.

"Bay!" Bayleef assured her trainer.

"Good, then let's take over this battle," Ash said confidently. "Use Vine Whip on the ice pillars again and gain some speed."

"Follow with Quick Attack!" Malva ordered.

Serena could barely follow what started happening next. Ninetales started running around the field, darting in and around the ice pillars, desperately trying to keep pace with Bayleef. The grass type was just as fast, maybe faster, perfectly using the field to her advantage as she shot out her vines and slid throughout the field. Occasionally the two would clash, causing one or the other to stagger back. One time, Ninetales went crashing into an ice pillar again. Another time, Bayleef was hit and missed wrapping her vines on an ice pillar and was then hit again, causing her to stagger and she barely managed to avoid a Flamethrower as she managed to reach out her vines again and pull herself up by grabbing another ice pillar.

"Amazing," Brock muttered from his seat on Dawn's other side. "Ash has managed to almost completely take away Malva's type advantage while adjusting for Bayleef's lack of speed. He's completely controlling this battle."

Serena didn't say anything, but smiled proudly as she turned her attention back to the battle. Seeing Ash controlling the pace of a battle against one of the top trainers in Kalos was amazing to watch. He was almost living his dream right now. Outside of battle, he might get mocked for being slow on some things, but here, he was a genius. A chess-master of Pokemon battles. And Malva's best pieces were quickly going down, while Ash was quickly approaching checkmate.

"Bayleef, it's time to move things along. Use Razor Leaf while moving. Hit the ice pillars with everything you have!" Ash yelled and Serena could tell he had a plan to wrap this up.

As Bayleef and Ninetales continued to speed around the ice field, Serena could just barely see Bayleef firing off her razor sharp leaves towards various ice pillars. The effect was immediate. Suddenly, the sounds of the ice pillars shattering could be heard, as the leaves shot into them, slicing them apart like hot knives through butter. The pieces scattered all over the ice, as Bayleef slid away to stand still in front of Ash. Ninetales kept its charge going, though, which proved to be a mistake. It ran straight across pieces of sharp ice and lost its balance and fell to the ground as its paws flinched in pain.

"Now, hit the ground with Vine Whip and jump up for a Body Slam!" Ash ordered loudly and Serena could see in his body position that he sensed victory.

"Aim quickly and use Flamethrower!" Malva shouted, a bit of panic in her voice.

While Ninetales seemed slow to move, Bayleef was fast, in slamming her vines hard into the ground. The grass type shot up high into the air and then spread out in preparation to use Body Slam. However, as Bayleef approached the ground, Ninetales looked up and opened its jaws. Just before Bayleef landed with a sickening crunch on Ninetales, Serena saw flames shoot up.

Bayleef cried out in pain, but she managed to keep going and leaped off of a still Ninetales. She panted heavily in front of Ash, waiting to see if her opponent would move. And unfortunately it did. Ninetales' shaky legs managed to force itself up and it stared back at Bayleef, ready to continue.

"Flamethrower!" Malva ordered quickly.

"You know what to do," Ash said to his grass type. "Vine Whip!"

Serena saw Ninetales open its jaws in preparation to unleash the flames. She was worried this could be the strike to end things for Bayleef, and was almost tempted to look away. However, all of a sudden, vines shot out like s bullet and wrapped themselves around Ninetales' snout, shutting it completely and stopping the Flamethrower.

"Barrage of Razor Leaf!" Ash yelled. "Let's finish this!" Serena couldn't help but pump her fist in excitement as the razor sharp leaves were unleashed on Ninetales. It didn't matter that the attack wasn't a normally effective one, because it was, as Ash put it, a barrage of razor leaves. Ninetales might have been able to get out of the way, but the earlier battling had exhausted it. It could only stand as it was struck again and again by the leaves, before it finally dropped to the ground.

"Ninetales is unable to battle. Bayleef is the winner!" the referee announced.

"Yeah! Great job, Bayleef!" Ash shouted, praising his Pokemon.

"Bay-bayleef!" Bayleef called back, standing up proudly.

"What a win!" Sawyer said excitedly. "Ash is amazing. He might just end up rolling right past Malva."

"Looks that way," Serena said in agreement. The way Ash was battling, how could she not be confident?

She turned her attention back to the field and saw Malva about to throw her next pokeball. Ash had recalled Bayleef, since she looked pretty tired, and was about to throw his as well. They threw them out at the same time and it was almost like they knew each other's choices. A Talonflame emerged for Malva, while Ash's Swellow emerged on his side. It would be an aerial battle.

Ash eyed Malva's Talonflame carefully. He knew from training his own that it was a strong Pokemon to begin with, and he could tell Malva's was very well trained and battle hardened. He trusted Swellow, though. His feisty flier from Hoenn loved a good fight and could definitely handle this.

When the referee signalled for the battle to continue, Ash set to work quickly. "Quick Attack!" he shouted.

"Counter with your own Quick Attack!" Malva countered.

Both birds shot forward and within a second were slamming into each other, before both staggering back from the collision. Neither of them were interested in giving up, though, because once again, they both launched themselves forward. Suddenly, despite being flying types, they were low to the ground as they continuously flew forward and slammed into each other. Each were determined to prove they had the upper hand in flying speed.

Ash knew they couldn't keep that going, though, so he quickly changed tactics. "Swellow, you can win higher in the air. Get some distance and control the battle higher in the sky." Swellow quickly darted upwards, in the middle of a charge towards Talonflame, and shot high into the sky. Talonflame, quickly flapped its wings to stop its charge and then followed Swellow up. "Double Team!" Ash ordered.

"Watch closely," Malva said patiently, her calmness surprising Ash a little, as Swellow began to rapidly multiply.

Ash couldn't worry about what Malva was thinking, though. He needed to plan out Swellow's next attack. "Peck!" Suddenly, all the dozens of Swellows shot forward, their beaks glowing white. They all slammed their beaks into Talonflame, disappearing on contact.

"Flare Blitz!" Malva suddenly yelled, as a wincing, but also focused looking Talonflame spread its wings. It then engulfed itself in flames, which were much stronger and wilder than the ones that engulfed Ash's Talonflame when it used Flame Charge. The only thing he could compare it to was his Infernape's Flare Blitz, although perhaps not that strong. Talonflame then shot forward, just as one of the Swellow copies darted in. It they slammed together and the Swellow copy didn't disappear, instead crying out in pain. And Talonflame didn't stop, carrying Swellow within the fiery charge and then darting to the ground. It finally let go, just above the ground and Swellow crashed hard into it.

"Swellow!" Ash called out in concern. "Swellow, are you ok?"

"Swe...swellow," Swellow managed to say, struggling to get up. The blue bird gave a shake of his head and then gave Ash a quick nod.

"Good," Ash said, smiling. "Well, how about we show them some power. Aerial Ace!"

"Brave Bird!" Malva ordered. Ash could see that Talonflame had flown back up high into the sky and had turned around at Malva's order, its body being enveloped by the blue glow.

Ash could tell it wasn't going to work as soon as he saw the speed that Talonflame was moving at. Swellow's Aerial Ace was too slow, and he was flying up, while Talonflame had the downward momentum. Within a moment, the two crashed together again, and then a blue body crashed to the ground. Unbelievably, though, Swellow struggled to his feet again, panting heavily.

"What determination by Swellow!" the announcer shouted. "Two powerful attacks send him to the ground, but he just won't give up!"

Ash smiled, seeing the heart of his Pokemon. Swellow had always been determined and refused to give up easily. Ash didn't want to get his flying type badly hurt, though. He started to reach for Swellow's pokeball, deciding he'd go with another Pokemon, but then Swellow turned his head and looked seriously at him. The blue bird didn't want that. That was just like giving up. He wanted to win or go down fighting. "Alright," Ash said. "Well let's fight, then. Double Team and then Quick Attack!"

"Use Quick Attack as well!" Malva ordered.

Within seconds, dozens of Swellows were spreading along the ice field, looking up to the sky where Talonflame was darting around, building up speed to hit its enemy. Then, the blue birds all shot up at once, like a large group of blue bullets. Ash narrowed his eyes and focused. He could see Talonflame was moving around quickly, once again trying to pinpoint Swellow's location, but this time it didn't work. Just as Talonflame was darting past one of the copies, the real Swellow slammed hard into it, sending it staggering back.

"Quick, use Peck!" Ash yelled. Immediately, Swellow shot forward again and smacked his beak into Talonflame's chest, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Enough of this!" Malva shouted. "Flail!" Suddenly, Talonflame shot forward and slammed its chest into Swellow, causing the blue bird to fly back, before he managed to right himself. "Now, finish this with Flare Blitz!" she ordered. Talonflame once again engulfed itself in flames and then launched forward. In an instant it slammed into Swellow, and then a blue shape began dropping from the sky.

Ash's eyes widened, seeing how far Swellow was about to drop. He didn't know if it was allowed, but he didn't care. He leaped off of his platform and onto the field and then started running. He slipped a couple times, but managed to keep his balance. He could just see that Swellow was about to land a few feet ahead of him, so he dove and slid towards the spot. He got there just in time to catch the blue bird, saving it from a very hard landing. Ash could see that Swellow wasn't going to be doing any more battling, but that didn't matter at the moment. "You alright, Swellow?"

"Swe...swe...low," Swellow barely managed to whisper, looking at Ash with a sad smile, before closing his eyes.

"Swellow is unable to battle. Talonflame is the winner!" a very disappointed sounding referee called out.

Ash quickly recalled Swellow to his pokeball, thanking his loyal flier for his hard battle. As Ash made his way back to his platform, the crowd cheered for him, evidently quite pleased with his desperation to protect his Pokemon from further harm. Obviously there seemed to be no issue with him running onto the field. Maybe that was just because he was battling Malva, but he didn't really care about that. He'd have done it no matter what.

When Ash made it back, he pulled out his next pokeball and threw it out. "Buizel, I choose you!" he shouted, as his orange water weasel Pokemon emerged.

"A smart choice for Ash, as he selects a water type to go against Malva's fire type," the referee informed the crowd.

As soon as the signal came for the battle to resume, Ash made his order. "Buizel, start things off with Aqua Jet!"

"Counter with Flare Blitz!" Malva shouted.

Both Pokemon immediately engulfed themselves in their element of choice, Talonflame from the air and Buizel from the ground. Then, they both launched towards each other, like missiles of fire and water. When they collided in midair, there was an explosion of steam and smoke, which enveloped both, blocking everyone's view of them.

Ash wasn't going to let lack of sight stop him from making an order, though. "Buizel, I know you can do this. Ice Punch!" Then, just as the smoke was clearing, Ash could just see the outline of Buizel pulling a fist back and slamming it forward into Talonflame, who staggered back. "Now, use Sonic Boom and send it to the ground!" The smoke was now cleared enough, that Ash could fully see what happened next. With Talonflame staggering back, Buizel was able to pull his tail back and then shoot out the shock wave of white energy. It struck Talonflame and seemed to take hold of it and then rocket it to the ground. The fire bird crashed hard into one of the remaining ice pillars and it exploded on impact.

"A devastating hit by Buizel!" the announcer shouted happily.

"Not done yet," Ash assured the crowd. "Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" Buizel, starting to drop from his place in midair, immediately engulfed himself water and shot towards where Talonflame was struggling to get up. Once he was halfway, Ash added to the order. "Add in Ice Punch!" Ash could just barely see Buizel thrust out a frosty fist through his torrent of water, and then the jet of water began to freeze. It picked up speed due to the extra weight of the ice, and then it was fully encased, just before slamming into Talonflame as an ice torpedo.

Once again, Talonflame was in a shower of broken ice, as Buizel's attack exploded around it. Ash could see the fire bird was in rough shape, while Buizel was barely fazed by the earlier collision. Malva didn't seem too bothered, though. She quickly made her next order. "Flail!" she shouted. Immediately, Talonflame lunged forward, and slammed hard into Buizel. Ash was stunned, as Buizel was blasted away with incredible force, skidding along the ice like a rag doll. He managed to get to his feet from the other end of the field, but that attack had clearly done a lot of damage. Ash remembered something about Flail. It does more damage if the Pokemon is hurt. Did Malva let Talonflame get hurt?

"Buizel, we can finish this if we move quickly. Use Aqua Jet!" Ash ordered.

"Fight back with Quick Attack!" Malva countered.

As Buizel engulfed himself in water, Ash noticed Malva's Talonflame bracing itself in preparation to fly forward. Then, both Pokemon kicked off and charged towards each other. Just before colliding, however, Talonflame shot up and then dove down, striking Buizel in the middle of the back. The water weasel crashed to the ground and skidded along the ice, grunting in pain.

"Quick! Finish with Flare Blitz!" Malva ordered. There was nothing Ash could do. Buizel wasn't in a position to counter, and Talonflame was moving too quickly. The fire bird quickly manoeuvred itself so it was above Buizel again, and then it shot down, engulfed in its flames. It crashed into Buizel, just as the water type tried to get up, and then flew back up, wincing from the recoil.

Ash clenched his fists, knowing the call was coming from the referee. Then, sure enough, it did. "Buizel is unable to battle. Talonflame is the winner!"

Ash quickly recalled Buizel to his pokeball and then took a deep breath. He could tell by how Pikachu was looking at him, that his loyal buddy wanted to get back out there, but he knew it was time to bring out his final weapon. He couldn't risk Pikachu right now, and Bayleef would be at a double type disadvantage against Talonflame. No, he had to use his last Pokemon. "Houndoom, I choose you!" he shouted, throwing out the pokeball that flashed and revealed the horned dog Pokemon.

"Amazing! This battle is reaching its climax, folks!" the announcer shouted out. "Ash isn't pulling any punches. He's using the very Houndoom that used to belong to Malva. This one has just gotten very interesting."

Houndoom turned his head and locked eyes with Ash. They both knew how important this battle was to the dark dog Pokemon. Malva needed to learn a lesson and Ash and Houndoom were going to teach it to her.

"Oh wow!" Dawn said, excitedly. "This is the big moment."

"Yeah," Serena agreed, squinting so she could focus better on the field. "I hope Houndoom can really teach Malva a lesson."

"Well..." Dawn said quietly, "we did teach him a pretty cool move yesterday. I think Malva's getting a lesson in training either way."

Serena just laughed and kept her focus on the match, which the referee had just signalled could resume. Ash made the first move, obviously wanting to get the determined Houndoom going right away. "Houndoom, Flamethrower!" he shouted.

"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Malva countered. Serena only saw it for half a second, but she could've sworn she saw a hint of sadness on Malva's face as she looked at Houndoom.

Talonflame moved into Quick Attack with incredible speed. It darted through the air like a bullet. It was a speed that could maybe even match Greninja, in his regular form, but it meant nothing to Houndoom. His jet of flames were carefully aimed and he knocked Talonflame out of the air with a flawless strike. Talonflame fell to the ground and landed hard, shaking its head as it struggled to get up.

"Let's get in close. Use Crunch!" Ash yelled. Serena was surprised at Houndoom's speed, not thinking he was a Pokemon that would be known for it. However, he shot forward and within a couple of seconds, he was clamping his jaws onto Talonflame's wing, causing the fire bird to shriek in pain.

"Flail!" Malva ordered, and once again Serena could see something wasn't quite right about the former Elite Four member's expression. Whether Malva's heart was in it or not, though, didn't matter. The attack was well timed. Talonflame jerked its body outward and slammed hard into Houndoom and the dark dog flipped over and flew off to the side from the powerful attack. "Now, get into the air and get ready to use Brave Bird!"

"This is his chance!" Dawn suddenly whispered, nudging Serena.

Before Serena could be surprised at Dawn's ability to sense opportunities in high level battles, she noticed that Ash seemed pleased from his relaxed posture and that he had also likely noticed something. "Houndoom, let's do what we practised. Fire Tornado!"

Houndoom didn't hesitate. He quickly bowed his head low to the ground and then suddenly transfered all his weight onto it and started spinning, using his curved horns as a the way to spin. The ice allowed him to gain speed very quickly, and suddenly he just looked like a rapidly spinning, black top. Then, the flames came and swirled around him, quite similar to a fire spin, but somehow different as they shot up like a vortex. Like a tornado. It was an expansion of Counter Shield. Fire Tornado.

Suddenly, the fiery vortex swirled upward as it gained more and more power. Houndoom didn't seem to be bothered by the spinning at all, having practised long and hard at it the day before, being taught by Ash, Dawn, Pikachu and Buizel on the Counter Shield technique. The Fire Tornado was becoming so wild now, that Talonflame was clearly feeling the effects. As it attempted to fly upward in preparation for its Brave Bird, it was getting pulled back by a suction from the tornado. Then, finally, as it grew even more, Talonflame was pulled in.

"Now, add in Dark Pulse!" Ash yelled, his voice clear, as the crowd had gone quiet as they watched this move in stunned silence. The Fire Tornado suddenly began to change colour, as black and purple began to mix wit the fire. After a few moments, the Fire Tornado seemed to have black and purple lightning crackling within it. "Now let it go!" Ash ordered, and immediately Houndoom leaped back, only panting a little from his continuous spinning. He seemed to be watching his work with pride. "Hit the tornado with one more Dark Pulse!" Houndoom nodded and then opened his jaws, and the jet of black and purple energy shot forward. It struck the Fire Tornado right in the middle.

The explosion was enormous, and Serena was sure that a move like that was capable of winning the most difficult of Performance Showcases. The Fire Tornado burst apart with flames shooting outwards like live fire snakes and the Dark Pulse energy exploding like fireworks. And, within the explosion, a smoking shape was falling to the ground, feathers shooting off of it as it went. Serena's eyes widened seeing how rough Talonflame looked. Its feathers were all ruffled and its body was smoking. It was definitely not a surprise when the referee signalled it unable to battle.

As Malva recalled Talonflame to its pokeball, Serena tensed up. This was it. Malva was sending out her final Pokemon. If Ash won this, it was over. She couldn't help but allow a little bit of fear creep into her, though. Bayleef and Pikachu were both exhausted from their battles, and they would likely have a very hard time against a fresh Pokemon. Houndoom was the healthiest Pokemon Ash had for this battle, and even he had taken a hard hit from Talonflame before finishing that battle.

"Come on, Ash...you can do this," Serena whispered, holding on tight to her ribbon.

"Houndoom, I'm sticking with you. This is your battle to finish, right?" Ash called out to his determined looking Pokemon. The answer was a confident bark, before Houndoom turned to Malva, who was throwing out her final pokeball. It was no surprise when her Pyroar emerged, already in battle position, crouching low to the ground in preparation to leap forward. Houndoom quickly copied the position. Ash could tell this was going to be a heated battle.

When the referee signalled for the battle to resume, neither Ash nor Malva called an order. Instead, they watched the field carefully, as their Pokemon started to circle each other. The tension was obvious. Both Houndoom and Pyroar were desperate to sink their claws and teeth into each other, but were waiting for their trainers to find an opening. Neither wanted to disappoint either their trainers or themselves. Finally, both Ash and Malva ordered their attacks and at the same moment.

"Flamethower!" Malva shouted.

"Dark Pulse!" Ash countered

The attacks clashed in between the two Pokemon, and despite both continuously trying to force theirs through, neither was able to move their attacks forward. The purple and black energy continued to struggle against the jet of flames, neither gaining any traction. Then, finally, both Pokemon stopped and continued their circling.

"Enough of this!" Malva shouted. "Fire Fang!"

"Crunch!" Ash yelled back!

Then, just as both Houndoom and Pyroar seemed to want, they both leaped forward, teeth bared in preparation for their attacks. They collided in midair and then hit the ground, rolling around as both tried to sink their jaws into the other. Pyroar was the first to do so, sinking her flaming fangs into Houndoom's back. However, a moment later, the dark dog was able to use his horns to shove Pyroar back and then he turned and bit into her shoulder, causing her to roar in pain.

"Now hit Pyroar back with Dark Pulse!" Ash ordered quickly. Houndoom seemed to smile as he knew it was the perfect opportunity. He opened his jaws wide and the jet of purple and black energy shot outwards, smashing into the fire-lion Pokemon and sending it flying into the air.

"Wild Charge on the way down!" Malva shouted.

"Fire Tornado!" Ash countered.

Pyroar somehow seemed to be able to right itself in midair and managed to aim itself in a position to charge towards Houndoom, starting to crackle with electricity, as it landed and began to charge. However, the dark dog acted swiftly on Ash's orders and flipped and rapidly began spinning. The determination in Houndoom to win this battle seemed to speed up his tornado generation and Pyroar had only made it halfway, before the flames were shooting high into the sky and swirling around rapidly.

Ash didn't bother combining it with Dark Pulse, wanting to use the attack differently this time. "Now, stop spinning and stay within the tornado. Use it as a shield." Houndoom immediately stopped spinning and then suddenly disappeared from where he was, beneath the tornado. Now, he was within it.

"Think that'll stop us?" Malva asked. "Keep up Wild Charge. Hit that tornado with everything you have!" she ordered.

And Pyroar did just that. Ash was honestly not sure what to think when the fire-lion Pokemon crashed into the flaming tornado, crackling with electricity. Then, there was a large explosion as the flames shot outward, spraying the ice field and instantly melting large sections of it into slushy patches. Then, Ash tensed up, seeing Houndoom crashing to the ground, the defence having been unable to protect him.

"Flamethrower!" Malva ordered quickly. Pyroar immediately fired off a powerful jet of flames and they quickly engulfed the opposing fire type and he howled in pain, trying to get up, but unable to with the barrage of flames hitting him. "Dart in quickly and use Fire Fang!" Timing it perfectly, so that Houndoom had no time to move after the Flamethrower, Pyroar leaped forward, her jaws flaming up, and then bit hard into Houndoom's side. When the bite hit, Houndoom howled in pain once again, and then flames shot out across his body, and Pyroar leaped back, admiring her work.

Ash stared at the scene, eyes wide and jaw clenched. He couldn't let this happen. Malva was not going to beat Houndoom. He knew he had Pikachu and Bayleef left to battle, but they were already pushed to their limits. And even if they were fully healthy, this was Houndoom's battle to win. It was just like his battle with Paul, when Infernape it was only right for Infernape to be the one to finish the job. Houndoom had the score to settle with Malva and it was going to be Houndoom that would win.

Suddenly, Ash could feel it. It was like a burning sensation, throughout his body. It hurt, in fact it hurt quite a lot, but something about it made Ash feel stronger. He could use this pain to his advantage. Then, he locked eyes with Houndoom, and he knew. There was a brief flash of light from his mega stone and Ash knew he was feeling what Houndoom was feeling. The flames biting into his body. The lasting burn effect from Pyroar's Fire Fang. It was excruciatingly painful, but it would also bring out some of Houndoom's extra power. Flash Fire.

Houndoom struggled to his feet, the flames flaring up brightly once more, before settling down. He turned his gaze towards Pyroar, and Ash was pleased to see the fire-lion take a nervous step back. Houndoom's fury was evident. "Houndoom, let's take control of this battle," Ash encouraged. "Time to hit Pyroar with everything you have. Flamethrower!"

"Counter with your own!" Malva shouted.

In one moment, the two Pokemon were just glaring at each other, and then in the next, massive jets of flames were connecting in between them. The heat was extraordinary, almost seeming to fill the entire battlefield and even escaping into the stands. The ice field was almost completely slush and water at this point, taking away any advantages of using the ice for speed, and likely making the Fire Tornado technique completely useless now. That didn't matter, though. That wasn't how this was going to end, anyways. It was going to have to be a regular exchange of attacks. Improvised moves weren't going to do anything anymore.

Ash narrowed his eyes, watching the two Flamethrowers fight against each other. He was sure Houndoom would be able to overpower it with his increased strength from Flash Fire, but Pyroar was managing to keep it at bay. Then, his eyes widened as he came up with an idea. "Houndoom, stop using Flamethrower and charge right in and use Crunch!"

"What are you trying, Ketchum?" Malva asked, actually almost sounding like she was genuinely curious, except for the angry suspicion in her voice. Then her eyes widened. "Flash Fire, no!"

Ash ignored her and watched closely as Houndoom ended his Flamethrower and charged forward, teeth bared to strike with Crunch. He didn't flinch at all as he charged into the flames and within seconds, he was leaping towards a startled Pyroar and biting into her shoulder and knocking the fire-lion to the ground. "Now use Smog!" Ash ordered. Houndoom quickly bowed his head low over Pyroar and breathed out a sickly purple gas. Ash could even see from his distance, the purple puffs of air that started to come from Pyroar's nostrils as she breathed, now poisoned.

"Close range Hyper Beam!" Malva shouted suddenly. Ash's eyes widened as he saw Pyroar open her jaws and then lift her head up and fire off the massive blast of yellow and orange energy. Houndoom was rocketed away and landed with a splash in a pile of slushy ice.

"Houndoom!" Ash yelled, sick with himself for falling into that trap.

Then, amazingly, Houndoom got to his feet. Ash could tell, it was just pure desire holding him up. The dark dog Pokemon was exhausted. One more hit was surely it. Ash was so tempted to call him back, not wanting him to get hurt. But that's even worse to him than losing, Ash thought. Houndoom wants to win. He wants to show Malva how wrong she was.

"Incredible determination from Houndoom, as not even a close range Hyper Beam can keep him down," the amazed announcer shouted to the crowd, which cheered happily for Houndoom.

"Alright, Houndoom, let's do this," Ash said confidently. "Clear a path with Flamethrower!" Houndoom quickly reared back his head and then unleashed a massive jet of flames that blazed through the slush in between him and Pyroar. Ash was stunned, as it seemed as though almost all the slushy ice that had been between the two, was evaporated and it was just a clear metal surface between them. "Charge forward full speed!" Ash yelled.

"Wild Charge!" Malva countered.

As both Pokemon charged towards each other, Ash watched closely, waiting for his opportunity. Houndoom just kept his head low and his eyes locked on his opponent, patiently waiting for his order, or even just the collision. Meanwhile, Pyroar charged from the opposite direction, her body crackling with electricity. As the gap closed, Ash saw the opportunity. "Dark Pulse on the ground and get some air!" Houndoom immediately complied and hit the ground with a powerful jet of black and purple energy, which sent him up into the air, causing Pyroar to run past and then skid to a halt, losing the electricity around her body. "Now, Dark Pulse again! Hit Pyroar!" Houndoom, now dropping down, quickly turned his head and fired off another jet of purple and black energy. It quickly struck Pyroar and sent her crashing to the ground.

"What a strike for Houndoom!" the announcer yelled. "This could be it, folks!"

It is! Ash told himself, knowing it to be true. "Crunch!" he yelled, seeing that Pyroar wasn't getting up, wincing as purple smoke puffed out from her snout. Houndoom landed softly and then charged forward. He bared his fangs and then drove them into Pyroar's side, causing it to screech in pain again. "Now, leap back and finish this with Dark Pulse!" Ash ordered.

Ash could see it in Houndoom's movements. The horned dog knew he was about to win. He knew he was about to prove his old trainer wrong. He quickly leaped back with one jump and then aimed his attack. He then opened his jaws and a jet of purple and black energy blasted outwards. It smashed into Pyroar with a mini explosion. The smoke quickly cleared and the result was clear.

The referee raised his flag to Ash. "Pyroar is unable to battle. Houndoom is the winner! This means the winner of the match is Ash from Pallet Town!"

The crowd roared loudly in approval, chanting out Ash's name and Houndoom's name and even the names of his other Pokemon that he'd used. It was clear who they'd been cheering for. It had been clear from the beginning. Malva had shown herself to be a cruel trainer. A trainer that desired power over a bond with her Pokemon, despite having been able to achieve a strong bond once before.

Ash was on his way over to Houndoom, when he thought of that. Of how Malva must not have always desired power over Pokemon. She'd had a bond with the very Houndoom that had just defeated her. An incredible bond that was capable of letting him mega evolve. Ash glanced over at Malva, and was surprised to see her getting onto the field as well, making her way over to her Pyroar. His distraction stopped him from noticing that Houndoom had come up to him.

"Houndoom," Ash said happily, "you did it!" Houndoom gave a happy bark nudged Ash's leg happily, as if congratulating his trainer on his own accomplishment in defeating Malva. "You really put everything you had into it," Ash said quietly. "You did a great job. You proved Malva wrong."

"Pi-pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed in agreement.

"He...he's right, Houndoom." Ash looked up and was surprised to see Malva walking over, through the slush, obviously having returned her Pyroar to its pokeball. "I..." Malva stared at the ground, unable to finish her thought. Ash was stunned to see a tear drop down to the ground.

"You know, Malva," Ash said cautiously, "you fought pretty well. Your Pokemon and you. You were a team, whether you realize it or not. Your Pokemon fought their hardest for you and obeyed your orders without question. They trusted you. Even Talonflame, after you let it get hit, just so it could make better use of Flail."

"What are you saying, Ketchum?" Malva asked, although it wasn't with bitterness.

"You didn't become an Elite Four trainer for nothing. You're a great trainer. You've worked hard with your Pokemon," Ash explained, not really sure why he was complimenting the woman he'd been wanting to beat so badly since Geosenge Town.

"I suppose I did," Malva muttered, sadness creeping into her voice. "I lost my way to Team Flare, though. I let them...change my views. They made me think power was so important. They made Houndoom so much stronger when they gave us his mega stone. We were both so happy. Instead of seeing the mega evolution as a sign of our bond, though, I just looked at it as a sign I could be so much stronger.

"You don't need to think that way anymore," Ash informed her. "Pokemon aren't for power. They're for...friendship." He looked down to Houndoom, who nodded in agreement. The horned dog then stepped towards Malva, and gently nudged her leg with his head.

"Houndoom..." Malva whispered, slowly kneeling down and looking her old Pokemon in the eyes. "I'm...so sorry." Houndoom's only answer was to lean his head forward and brush it against Malva's forehead. A signal of his forgiveness.

"Excuse me ma'am, but we've been told to bring you into custody," a voice said from behind Ash. He turned and noticed a couple of police officers had come, one of them holding handcuffs. They were actually here to arrest Malva righ then and there.

Ash did another crazy thing that he would never have imagined himself doing even a few minutes before. He stepped between the police officers and Malva and spread out his arms, blocking the officers from coming forward. Pikachu go the idea and leaped off his shoulder and stood in battle position in front of them. "Just hold on," Ash told the officers. "She's no threat right now. Her Pokemon are exhausted. Let her talk to Houndoom."

"You're interfering with an arrest, Mr. Ketchum," one officer said. "Do you know the consequences for that?"

"I'm really not one to care about consequences," Ash said seriously. "So don't try anything."

"It's alright, officers, give her a moment," a familiar voice said, and Ash saw Diantha approaching from behind the police officers.

Ash gave the Champion a grateful look and then turned back to Malva and Houndoom. He saw the former Elite Four member hugging her old Pokemon, a few tears streaming down her face. "I promise, Houndoom," she said, "I will never treat a Pokemon the way I treated you ever again."

Ash smiled and watched the pair for a few moments. He thought of the way Malva had treated Houndoom and how willing the Pokemon was to forgive her. Their bond was never actually broken. It had been harmed, for sure, but it was easily fixable. And the healing had begun. Malva was changing, and Houndoom was willing to accept her back. Ash pulled out a pokeball from his belt and stepped forward, holding it out to Malva, who cautiously took it and stared at it. "I'll take care of Houndoom for now, but maybe when your done with..." he let Malva's eyes drift over to the police before coming back to him, letting the look say his words for him. "When you're done with that, I think Houndoom should go back with you. If that's alright with him." He glanced over to the dark dog, who gave him a slow nod.

"Really?" Malva asked, looking stunned. She then looked over at Houndoom, who nodded back at her. "Houndoom...you would really come back to me?" Again, the dark dog nodded. Malva then looked at the police and then at Ash. She held out the pokeball and he took it back. "Please take good care of him while I'm gone."

"Of course," Ash assured her. "That's what I do."

Malva actually laughed a little at that, realizing what she was saying. "Right...well one more thing then, Ketchum."

"What's that?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Win the Kalos League. Win and become a Pokemon Master. If anyone deserves it, it's someone who knows the true meaning of the relationships between Pokemon and their trainers more than anyone else. And Ash Ketchum, that person is you."