< Author Note Begins >

Before we begin the next chapter there is a poll based on the recent demand of questions posed in the comments. The question :- "WHAT IS THE END RESULT OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN ASH AND SERENA GOING TO BE?"

The options are :-

1) Ash will win. Very likely because he has a lead.

2) Serena will win. No one can predict the outcome from just one half of the battle.

3) Tied result. Very popular among the comments from the earlier chapter.

4) None of the above (If you choose this option. Mention the reason in the comment)

MENTION YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS WITH THE 1 OF THE 4 OPTIONS CORRESPONDING TO YOUR ANSWER.

< Author Note Ends >

( In the Battlefield )

"Not bad Ash. But let's get a little serious shall we?" Serena says as she enlarges a Poke-ball.

"Why not. After all it's only fair we do. We didn't fight at our full capacity against the others due to the restriction Dragon Emperor placed on us. But now that we are fighting. It would be a shame if we didn't go all out." Ash says as he enlarges his Poke-ball as well.

"You read my mind." Serena says before both Ash and Serena give each other a smirk.

"Salamence. Here we go." Serena says while tossing her Poke-ball.

"Venusaur. I choose you." Ash says while sending out his Pokemon.

"Battle Begin." Referee announces. On hearing the referee both Ash and Serena get into their mega Evolution persona stances as their keystones begin to glow.

( In the VIP Box )

"Oh no." Oak says as he sobs with streams of tears coming from his eyes.

"Why is he crying Gary?" Lillie asks in a confused tone.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Gary says in a disapproving tone.

"Prof. Oak. Why are you crying?" Diantha asks in a concerned tone.

"Indeed Samuel. It is not like you to cry that too in such a shattered manner." Rowan says in an equally worried.

"He's gone. I'll never get to see him again." Oak says as streams of tears continue pouring from Oak's eyes.

"What happened prof? Did you lose someone close to you?" Diantha asks in a concerned tone.

"Yes I did. The loss is irreparable." Oak says as he continues to sob endlessly.

"Who is it?" Grace asks in an anxious tone.

"Ash's Bulbasaur." Oak replies while wiping his nose following which everyone except Gary falls to the ground in anime style with swirly eyes.

"Typical Gramps. Get up everyone the match is starting." Gary says in a disapproving tone as everyone gets up.

https://youtu.be/aXwmLjhWUvo

( In the Battlefield )

"Salamence use Flamethrower." Serena commands.

"Vine-Whip twister." Ash commands as Venusaur creates a mini twister by spinning its Vine whip which stops the Flamethrower.

"Not bad. Let see you stop this hot mess. Use Fire Spin." Serena commands.

"Hydro Pump." Ash commands which causes everyone to get taken aback including Serena as Venusaur indeed fires a Hydro Pump which cuts through the Fire Spin and hits Salamence square in the chest.

"Venoshock go." Ash orders as Venusaur launches Purple colored blobs of poison towards Salamence who is reeling from the impact of the unexpected Hydro Pump.

( In the VIP Box )

"Venusaur can use Hydro Pump! How can that be?" Cynthia cries out in disbelief. Everyone looks at each other to find everyone except Oak, who is still recovering from the tragic loss of separation from Ash's Bulbasaur, bearing confusing looks.

"Beats me how. But it did use Hydro Pump there." Paul says in a confused tone.

( Back in the Battlefield )

"I see. So that's what that Ice beam earlier was for." Serena says while clenching her fist in frustration for not being able to see Ash's plan all along.

"I see that you finally caught up to my little trick." Ash says while smiling broadly.

"I thought it was strange that you used such a weak Ice Beam in the previous battle. But it was thin enough that it barely created enough ice so that when it melted down by the time of the next battle there was sufficient water covering the battlefield. So when your Venusaur used Nature Power it turned into Hydro Pump." Serena says.

"That's not all. The danger with this technique is that you don't know whether the Nature Power will be a Hydro Pump or a Mud Bomb since the Ice is thawed on top of the ground. I knew that if you used a Fire Type move right away then I would get a Hydro Pump but as the battle progressed and time passed the water would have gotten more and more mixed with the ground thereby increasing the chances of getting a Mud Bomb instead." Ash further explains.

"I guess the gamble payed of. Because of the distraction of the unexpected Hydro Pump you were able to poison my Salamence as well. Most impressive." Serena says in a controlled yet irritated tone.

"Why thank you. I am honored by your words my dear." Ash says.

"Of course you are." Serena says before pausing for a moment. Then she suddenly commands "Use Fire Spin on the battlefield."

"I won't allow it. Use Venoshock one more time." Ash commands.

"Use Steel Wing to block and continue using Fire Spin till the ground becomes a molten furnace." Serena commands.

"In that case use Frenzy Plant to cover the entire battlefield." Ash says as Venusaur gives a roar before stomping his front feet on the ground following which the ground gets covered with Frenzy Plant.

"Use Aerial Ace." Serena commands.

"Wait for it." Ash murmurs. Nothing

"Now use Protect." Ash commands suddenly. A moment after Venusaur fires up the Protect shield Salamence bounces of it.

"Now grab it with Vine Whip." Ash commands.

"Nice Try. Fire Spin." Serena says as Salamence vanishes after being grabbed by Vine Whip. Salamence appears behind Venusaur following which it covers Venusaur in a torrent of flames.

"Nicely done. Using a Substitute along with an Aerial Ace. But that won't last long. Use Seed Bomb." Ash commands as Venusaur roars following which it shakes of the veil of fire.

"Nice try. Dragon Pulse." Serena commands.

"Dig." Ash orders following which Venusaur digs itself out of harm's way.

'What are you up to this time Ash? You can't attack Salamence ,who is flying in the air, from that position.' Serena thinks to herself.

"Now grab it with the Trap maneuver." Ash commands.

"What?" Serena says in a taken aback tone. Everyone watches in a shocked silence when suddenly tens of Vine Whips shoots up out of random positions in the ground. Serena sucks in her breath when one of the Vine Whips brushes against Salamence's left wing following which all the Vine whips stop shooting upwards.

"Jackpot." Ash says as all the Vine Whips turn towards Salamence, shoot towards Salamence following which they bind Salamence like a man being bound to chair.

"Slam it." Ash commands while stressing on the 's' of the slam.

( In the VIP Box )

"Incredible. I have never seen such a strategy before." Rowan says as the Vine Whips coil and bind themselves around Salamence's mouth, neck, arms, legs, wings and joints.

"Neither has Serena." Sycamore says while observing Serena's facial expression.

"How did it work. Venusaur was underground. How did it see where Salamence was?" May asks.

"It didn't. It was sheer luck." Brock replies.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asks.

"What he means is that this move was purely based on chance. There was a very good chance it could have failed." Clemont says.

"Meaning? How can you attack something which you can't see. Big brother." Bonnie asks.

"It's simple yet brilliant Bonnie. Venusaur from underground used as many Vine Whips it could. So that when the Vine Whips came out of the ground and shot upwards they could cover as large an area as possible. That is why when one of the Vine Whips brushed against the airborne Salamence the other Vine Whips stopped moving. It was at that moment Venusaur despite being underground knew Salamence's position. So then all the Vine Whips moved towards Salamence and bound it." Clemont replies.

"Indeed. And this where Ash got lucky. There was a good chance that the Vine Whips wouldn't touch Salamence's body." Paul says as everyone nods.

"But how did Serena not know this tactic. She should have been able to counter. i mean they were training together." Alder asks.

"Your initial premise is faulty." Cynthia says.

"I am sorry what's a premise?" Alder says which causes everyone to once again collapse in anime style.

"My mistake. I forgot some people hadn't finished their education. What I meant was that your initial assumption that Ash and Serena have been training together was faulty. Remember when Dragon Emperor told us that they had gone to Mt. Moon and Silver separately. That is where they must have developed all these battle strategies." Cynthia says to which Lance nods.

"But I think we can all agree that is a risky tactic to say the least." Sycamore remarks.

"Yes but at this stage you need to bet large to win large prof." Lucy says which result in another round of murmurs.

( Back in the Battlefield )

"Grrrrr. Try to break free using Dragon Claw." Serena orders in a desperate tone.

"Huh. No use. Gunk Shot into Leech Seed." Ash commands while smirking heavily.

"What do I do I do?" Serena says as Salamence coughs out pink bubbles while being shocked by Leech Seed. Suddenly Serena sees Salamence's tail moving about.

"That's it. Use Dragon Tail on the Vine Whips." Serena shouts catching Ash by surprise. Salamence roars following which it swings the Dragon Tail at the Vine Whips causing several of the Vine Whips to remove their grip and Salamence to twist its body to free itself of the remaining Vine Whips.

"Fire Spin into Dragon Claw." Serena commands in an angry tone. Salamence covers Venusaur under a torrent of flames following which it mercilessly slashes Dragon Claw at Venusaur causing an explosion which sends Venusaur flying.

"Don't let it breath. Use Fire Fang. No mercy." Serena commands as Salamence pounces on Venusaur while biting down fiercely with burning fangs.

"VENU." Venusaur groans in pain as Salamence on its own powers up Dragon Claw and uses them to hold down Venusaur while increasing pressure in its Fire Fang bite.

"Venusaur!" Ash shouts as he sees his first grass type in pain.

"Now use Fire Spin." Serena orders. Suddenly a light bulb light up in Ash's mind.

"Quick use Poison Powder to cover the surrounding." Ash commands as Poison Powder comes out from .

"What! No. Very sneaky Ash." Serena says as a cloud of Poison Powder to cover both Salamence and Venusaur which she knows will be much more damaging for Salamence than Venusaur.

"Come out and use Gust." Serena says as Salamence flies out of the Poison Powder cloud while bearing a pained expression due to the effect of the Poison Powder.

"It seems we are at somewhat of an impasse." Ash remarks as Venusaur, on it's own, uses Vine Whip as an anchor against the Gust to which Serena smiles.

"Is that so?" Serena asks in a skeptical tone.

"Yes." Ash replies in a somewhat defiant tone.

"I don't know about you Ash, but I am winning by my calculations Ash. Use Fire Blast." Serena commands.

"Use Vine Whip to propel yourself of the ground." Ash says as several Vine Whips propel Venusaur off the ground into the sky and above the incoming Fire Blast.

"Use Dragon Rush." Serena commands as Salamence starts moving towards Venusaur while using Dragon Rush.

"Double Edge let's go." Ash counters. An explosion takes place in mid air following which Venusaur falls down on the floor while Salamence also flies down to the ground.

"Too poisoned to continue flying? Eh?" Ash taunts.

"Mind your own business. Your Venusaur is all out of juice I would say. Use Air Slash." Serena commands.

"Use Energy Ball." Ash orders.

"Dragon Rage." Serena orders which meets head on with the Energy Ball.

"Now use Solar Beam." Ash commands after both attacks have neutralized each other. The bulb of Venusaur's back starts glowing as a few bright sparkles start appearing in Venusaur's back.

"Use Flamethrower." Serena commands.

"Take it. I know you are reaching your limit but you can still pull through." Ash says as Venusaur gives a grunt while enduring the Flamethrower and continuing charging the Solar Beam.

( In the VIP Box )

"How can Ash's Venusaur take so many direct hits from Fire type moves. It doesn't make sense. My Venusaur would have collapsed by now." May says.

"That's because it's your Venusaur sis." Max says while smirking which results in Norman, Drew, Dawn, Lucy, Caroline  and Misty snickering and May to whack the back of Max's head.

"Hey what was that for?" Max says while rubbing his head.

"You deserved it." May says in a dismissive tone. She sits with an expression of not caring about anything.

"Sure." Drew says.

"Don't you joke as well." May says as she swats Drew's shoulder which he doesn't mind.

"Well jokes apart. Why is that?" Dawn says after she stops snickering.

"Why is what?" Clemont asks.

"The question May asked earlier. Why can Ash's Venusaur take so many Fire type moves." Bonnie says.

"Oh that? That's because Venusaur's ability changes when it Mega Evolves." Clemont remarks which Alain confirms by nodding.

"Venusaur has ability Overgrow or chlorophyll but upon Mega Evolving it's ability changes to Thick Fat which cuts down the damage taken from Fire and Ice type moves." Sycamore explains.

"Still. That Venusaur's stamina is far more impressive than any other Venusaur I have seen before." Birch comments.

"Of course. That's because it's my old friend in its evolved form. As a Bulbasaur its power and determination along with obedience was quite phenomenal. Now that it has evolved and Mega Evolved on top of that. Of course it will be very strong." Oak says while wiping a tear.

"Crying again gramps?" Gary asks.

"Not really these are tears of joy really." Oak says.

"Glad to hear it. And here I thought we were going to get another rare oak emotional special." Gary says in a relieved tone.

https://youtu.be/aXwmLjhWUvo

( In the Battlefield )

"Defense Curl." Serena commands as Salamence gets hit by Solar Beam.

"Frenzy Plant." Ash commands.

"Dodge it. Fly through it." Serena orders as Salamence zig zags its way through a forest of Frenzy plant coming left, right and center.

"Now use Draco Meteor." Serena shouts.

"Protect yourself by a Frenzy Plant shield." Ash orders as Venusaur slams its legs on the ground and envelopes itself under an umbrella of Frenzy Plant. When the Meteors stop falling both Salamence and Venusaur seems to be panting heavily. Salamence is not panting that heavily but occasionally its body is glowing purple due to being poisoned.

"Use Vine Whip to grab it." Ash commands. Serena internally smirks knowing Ash has made a mistake.

"Now use Dragon Rush." Serena commands as the Vine Whips bind around Salamence's joints.

"Oh no. Venusaur let him go." Ash shouts as Salamence flies into the air while using Dragon Rush. Ash watches as Venusaur also gets pulled into the sky while dangling from Salamence's flight.

"Now stop." Serena smirks as Salamence suddenly stops flying but due to the momentum of the motion Venusaur gets slammed on the ground.

"Not bad." Ash says.

"I have enjoyed this but this is where the fun ends Ash." Serena says Salamence lands in front of Venusaur who is struggling to get back on its feet.

"Use Dragon Pulse." Serena commands looking to finish the battle once and for all.

'What do I do? Think Ash think.' Ash thinks to himself as he sees Dragon Pulse forming in Salamence's mouth. Suddenly a flashback occurs in Ash's mind as he remembers Dragon Emperor teaching the two of them about evasion tactics. He remembers how Dragon Emperor's Meganium managed to avoid his Dragonite's Flamethrower.

"Use Vine Whip to knock it off balance." Ash shouts.

"What?" Serena gets taken aback as Venusaur's Vine Whip wraps itself around Salamence' left leg and then pulls it sharply to the left. Salamence stumbles to the left and the Dragon Pulse misses it's mark but grazes Venusaur's left body.

"Use Giga Impact." Ash roars intending to seize the opportunity.

"Defense Curl." Serena shouts at the top of her voice. Salamence's curled body gets slammed as it rolls away.

"Now that you have been immobilized. It's time to end this battle. Once and for all. Use Dragon Twister." Serena commands as Salamence flies high into the sky while coughing out pink bubbles of poison. Once Salamence reaches the needed altitude it starts moving towards Venusaur while surrounding itself with a Fire Tornado with Bands of Dragon Breath.

"Don't think you are the only one with a signature move Sere. Use Toxic Frenzy." Ash commands as Venusaur musters all of its little remaining energy and uses its signature move.

( In the VIP Box )

"What's a Toxic Frenzy. Looks like a normal Frenzy Plant to me." Aria says in a somewhat skeptical tone.

"It is a Frenzy Plant but look at the thorns. They are all coated purple with poison." Alain remarks.

"That makes sense. Venusaur is grass and poison type so of course its signature move will combine both Grass and Poison attributes." Oak remarks as everyone nods.

( In the Battlefield )

A blinding explosion takes place which sends a bolt of energy right into the sky from the origin of the explosion. A huge dust bowl gets kicked up which appears to engulf the entire battlefield and the first 2 empty rows of the stands. When the dust settles everyone sees Ash and Serena standing completely normally while the referee is coughing incessantly due to the dust. After the referee stops coughing and the dust completely settles everyone sees Venusaur fainted on the battlefield with Salamence barely able to stand.

"Not bad. Turn about is fair play I suppose." Ash says as he recalls his faithful Kanto Pokemon.

"Of course. You didn't think you would win them all did you?" Serena says as she recalls her Salamence as well.

"Too bad your Salamence is poisoned too badly. I doubt whether it will last for even a couple of moves in its next battle." Ash says while smirking.

"Better poisoned than fainted." Serena replies to which they both smile at each other.

The smile worries everyone in the VIP Box. They know that smile is more devious than saintly. They know it's the smile one bears when one enjoys being in danger and they don't like it.

< Author Note Begins >

IF ANYONE DIDN'T TAKE PART IN THE POLL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER. DO SO NOW THAT YOU HAVE FINISHED THE CHAPTER.

< Author Note Ends >