The Semi Finals 2...

Chapter 47.5 - The Semi Finals 2...

Drax let out a sigh at the sight of Ash's choice. "That's who you choose?! You promised me a tough battle Guardian. He may be a dragon but I'm disappointed. You think your dragons can compete with mine? You're making a big mistake trying to match me. End this with Ice Beam!" ordered Drax. Dragonite fired the powerful beam of icy energy almost instantly. But Noivern dodged the beam and took up a battle position.

"Noi noi." Dragonite saw the bat smirking at him. He grew furious and went for another attempt but once again Noivern dodged his strike easily. The black dragon maneuvered behind his opponent and the beige dragon whirled around with a snarl.

"Dragonite! Relax!" barked Drax and his Dragonite took in a breath, calming itself. "Your evasive maneuvers won't help you forever!" shouted Drax.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Show me what you got," replied Ash. Noivern taunted Dragonite again by gesturing him to come at him with his claw.

Dragonite growled but didn't react further, waiting for his trainer's order. "Oh we'll show you, don't worry about that! And then you'll apologize for taunting us! We're gonna start strong immediately! Let's see you dodge this! Cover the field! Full power Draco Meteor!" ordered Drax. Dragonite flew up high into the air, hovered over the field and charged up his attack. He fired it and a very large meteor looking energy ball rocketed downwards a bit before exploding. Countless smaller meteorites rained down upon the arena, making many scream and shout over the incredible area attack.

Noivern waited patiently and calmly as the projectiles came closer however. "Boomburst!" ordered Ash. The black dragon had his large ears loosen up before letting out devastating sound waves from it that shot in all directions around him. The sound waves were so destructive that they nullified Dragonite's attack by disintegrating them from the sheer force of it. Everyone was astonished as to how the most powerful dragon attack was stopped in its tracks. Not even Drax could believe it, stunned into silence. "Hurricane!" said Ash, seeing their opponent needing a moment to recover from using his attack.

Noivern shot up into the air with amazing speed and began whipping up a fierce vortex of wind around Dragonite that soon engulfed him. The sharp winds were cutting into its victim, making him let out yelps of pain. "Get out of there!" shouted Drax but his pokémon was unable to do so. Every time it tried to escape, Noivern would appear out of nowhere and hit him with his wing to keep him trapped inside it. "Damn it! Use Extreme Speed to get out!"

Dragonite stopped attempting to escape and concentrated. A second later, the mythical beast shot forward so quickly that the bat couldn't stop him at all. Dragonite escaped from the vortex and in the process, clipped Noivern in the wing. Both dragons started falling down towards the ground as the winds died down. "Dragonite!" shouted Drax. "Don't let that wannabe dragon take you down! Compose yourself! Catch that bat in the air and use Slam!" His pokémon heard him and gathered his senses. He quickly adjusted himself in mid air and grabbed the bat, pulled him into a bear hug and prevented him from escaping so he can slam him into the ground.

"Hyper Voice!" shouted Ash. Noivern let out a point blank echoing sound with tremendous power behind it that made Dragonite scream in agony but he didn't let go. The two crashed into the ground, creating a small crater from the impact and drawing up dust and smoke. When it cleared and they could see again, they saw Dragonite still holding Noivern. He was trying to crush him in his embrace.

"Thunder!" snapped Drax, seeing his chance to end him and his dragon's antennas began glowing yellow.

"Echoed Voice nonstop!" shot Ash. Noivern moved his large ears, having them face his enemy and rapidly blasted out sound wave after sound wave onto Dragonite's face. His opponent cried out in pain, his concentration for Thunder interrupted and let go of the bat who continued his relentless attack.

Seeing his pokémon writhing about in agony from the continuous assault that kept getting stronger with each passing second made Drax's blood boil. "OUTRAGE!" It took a moment for his pokémon to gather his willpower and muscled through the onslaught. A blue outline appeared around his dragon as he slammed into Noivern, making him stop finally. But he didn't let up; Dragonite kept slashing away with his claws before grabbing hold of his opponent from his wing and flung him into the stadium wall that brought up another dust cloud. After using the move, Dragonite started seeing double from his exhaustion and became confused.

"WHAT A BATTLE! IS NOIVERN OUT FOR THE COUNT?!" Everyone waited anxiously to see if Noivern was defeated or not. They got their answer when several condensed blades of air were shot through the dust cloud. Each blade of air slammed into Dragonite, breaking him out of his confused state and also made the dragon scream out in pain. A black figure shot out of the cloud and the way he did made the stadium comment in surprise. Noivern was running against the wall, moving faster and faster until he became a blur. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?! NOIVERN IS STILL IN THE GAME AND IS NOW WALL RUNNING SO FAST THAT THE BAT HAS TURNED INTO A BLACK AND BLUE BLUR!"

Drax scowled. He didn't think that Ash's pokémon would be this resilient. He looked at him and saw him with an unreadable expression on his face. Damn him! Just what the hell is he planning?! "Dragonite! We've been going easy for too long! Time to step things up! Stop him in his tracks!" His pokémon went after the blur and was gaining on it. "Use Dragon Claw!"

Dragonite was about to hit his target, having gained on him when… "Super Fang!" shouted Ash. The blur that was Noivern quickly did a u-turn and launched itself onto his pursuer. He sunk his glowing white sharp teeth onto Dragonite's shoulder. Letting out a howl from the pain, Dragonite tried to shake him off but the attack had severely drained his energy. "Take him for a ride!" Noivern spread his wings open and shot up into the air with its victim. He spun around once in the air before flinging him down towards the ground.

"DRAGONITE! STOP YOURSELF!" screamed Drax but the last attack and the sudden spinning had thrown off his dragon. His pokémon smashed into the hard surface. After the dust that had risen from the impact cleared, everyone saw the dragon still up. It was angry, growling but also looked really hurt. "Enough games! End this! HYPER BEAM!" commanded Drax.

Dragonite winced as he tried to power up the attack, breathing heavily but Drax wasn't seeing it. Instead, he kept ordering him to keep attacking when his pokémon couldn't do it. Ash shook his head in disgust. "Noivern! End his pain! HYPER BEAM!" Noivern let out a cry before firing the white beam of energy right at the dragon from up in the air. Dragonite was hit by the beam and a large explosion occurred with smoke filling the arena.

When it finally cleared, the outcome was visible. The beige dragon was out cold in the middle of a crater. "Dragonite is unable to battle! Noivern is the winner! Trainer, send out your next pokémon!" said the referee. The crowd erupted, unable to believe what they just saw and Ash's group was also amazed.

"That was…incredible," said Clair under her breath.

"That's it Ash! Make him pay!" remarked Iris with vigor, making Cilan glance at her again.

Drax returned his Dragonite and turned to glare at Ash. "You got lucky. Let's see if it holds out with him!" He tossed out a poke ball and a blue land shark pokémon appeared. Garchomp roared and stomped the ground, causing tremors to rock the area. Noivern landed in front of Ash and waited to see if he would battle this one too.

"That Garchomp is strong," commented Cynthia. The group glanced at her before turning back to the field with worried expressions.

"Good job Noivern," said Ash, returning him before sending out another. A light and dark purple dinosaur looking pokémon appeared. Goodra took up a battle stance immediately.

Drax took one look at their next opponent and burst out laughing. "HAHAHA! You're using that slimy thing that looks like a melted dinosaur?!" Even his Garchomp let out throaty sounds to show he was laughing. Goodra growled and launched a Dragon Pulse so fast that neither reacted in time. Garchomp was hit square in the chest and pushed back many feet before it stopped. Both trainer and pokémon had their eyes widen at the destructive force behind the attack since Garchomp was hurt. "Impossible," muttered Drax to himself. He glanced at Ash, seeing his eyes narrowed and then at Goodra who was snarling. "No more games. Time to become serious. Rapid Dragon Rage!" stated Drax. His Garchomp let loose multiple shock waves of draconic energy towards Goodra.

"Sludge Wave!" countered Ash. His purple dragon summoned a giant wave of sludge towards the oncoming attacks. The draconic waves of energy slammed into it, one after another. Each time it was hit, the toxic wall was cut down a size until both attacks canceled each other out. But when the wall was brought down, it revealed Ash's pokémon near Drax's, surprising them both. He had moved in closer while shielded by the wave of sludge. "Power Whip!" shot Ash. Goodra violently whipped Garchomp with his appendages that grew out of his head causing the land shark to make anguished cries.

Drax had steam shoot out of his ears. "Push him back with Dragon Breath!" The blue dragon fired a stream of green colored flames from its mouth that washed over the purple dragon, which made it let out cries of agony. Goodra took a few steps back before his body began to tense up a little and he felt like he couldn't move as quickly as before. He had become paralyzed and both trainers noticed. "That's it! It's over! End him with Dragon Claws!"

Garchomp rushed forward and took advantage of his opponent's weakened state and started slashing at him nonstop. Goodra took up a defensive stance at the incoming attacks and held firm as he tried his best to endure the attacks. "LOOKS LIKE DRAX HAS ASH UP AGAINST THE ROPES! GARCHOMP IS TEARING AWAY AT GOODRA! MAYBE THE GUARDIAN SHOULD RECALL HIS POKÉMON BEFORE IT GETS SHREDDED TO PIECES!"

Ash's posse was beyond worried and were wondering why he wasn't taking action. "What's he doing?!" asked Johanna.

"Maybe he's planning something?" asked Grace.

"C'mon Ash! You can do it!" shouted Delia.

Drax was having a large grin appear on his face. He was relishing in what he was causing to happen. Ash however still had a stoic expression. He was watching his pokemon get pummeled continuously by the relentless dragon. However, each subsequent strike that Garchomp landed onto Goodra was making him move slower and slower. That's it buddy. Keep making them think you're on your last legs. We're almost there, encouraged Ash. A moment later, Goodra's stance strengthened and he heard his pokémon's thoughts back saying he was ready. "UNLEASH IT NOW!" yelled out Ash all of a sudden, making everyone jump from their seats.

Goodra had a white glow appear around him that pushed Garchomp back, stopping his assault before following up with an enormous blast of white energy. It slammed against the blue dragon and sent him flying back before it crashed against the stadium walls. "What the hell just happened?!" asked Drax with rage as he watched his dragon barely get back up onto its feet.

"Bide," answered Ash simply and Drax snarled in response.

Many had understanding dawn on them but a young blonde teenage girl tilted her head. "What's Bide?" asked Bonnie.

Max supplied the information to her. "Bide is a move that pokémon can use if it can endure attacks for a while before dealing it back with twice the damage it endured through." Bonnie let out an 'oh' as she understood and so did a few others in the group.

Garchomp sluggishly moved back into his side of the field, since he was very hurt and covered in purple goo. Goodra's slime that he had secreted from his body's pores had went onto him after each strike, hindering his movements. Drax was furious as to how he was being schooled by the guardian. He should've known about these tactics but he was being blind in his haste and rash actions. He glanced at Ash and saw him still being serious. "THIS ISN'T THE END GUARDIAN!" shouted Drax and he raised his left hand, revealing a mega ring on his ring finger. He touched it with his other hand and Garchomp was covered in a white glowing sphere before it exploded and revealed his mega form. He was taller, more stream lined with many sharp protrusions all over its body. His claws and bladed appendage on his arms had merged into one, created curved swords for its hands. His minor wounds were also completely healed and the slime that was on him was melted off from the intense energy. Mega Garchomp let out a vicious roar that made many cover their ears.

"This isn't good," commented Brock. "Garchomp looks much more powerful and his minor injuries also healed. I hope Ash has a plan," he said with the group silently agreeing.

Ash and Goodra however weren't backing down. Drax smirked as his Mega Garchomp took off into the sky. "You will come to understand the true power of a dragon! Dragon Rush!" The land shark shot forward like a bullet while outlined in a blue glow towards Goodra.

"Acid Armor!" Goodra altered its cellular structure to liquefy itself and raised its defenses in preparation to receive the attack.

Seeing that happen, Drax quickly switched up their attack, knowing how to turn the tide. "Now's our chance! Fire Blast!" Garchomp stopped a few feet in front of Goodra and let out a large five pointed fire attack at point blank rage.

"Protect!" shouted Ash but Goodra didn't react in time because of using Acid Armor. It took some time to get out of that liquefied state. The powerful flames scorched his dragon, doing more damage than usual since it was from up close. Goodra let out an agonizing cry from it.

"Finish it! Hyper Beam!" added Drax, not letting up. Garchomp powered up a white ball of energy in front of his mouth before launching the beam. Goodra tried to evade it but his paralysis did not allow him to. He was struck in the chest before the beam exploded, sending him flying back into the stadium wall. He slid down unconscious.

Ash returned Goodra while thanking him after making sure he was alright and not in a severe situation. He went back to his trainer's box and looked at Drax and Garchomp. Drax looked very pleased with himself and Garchomp looked ready to go another round. But Ash could sense that he was tired out some from using such powerful attacks so quickly. A blue orb appeared in the field before a blue and white cat like pokémon appeared. Glaceon let out a cry of its name. Many females started 'awing' over the pokémon. Cynthia let a large smile form on her face. She had both kinds of pokémon that were on the field and they were two of her favorite.

"Finally you make a smart decision. You can't match me by using dragons so you go for pure type advantage. But that still won't save you. Sandstorm!" snapped Drax. Mega Garchomp summoned a swirling storm of sand and rocks that blanketed the area. The blue land shark vanished into the swirling dirt storm.

"Two can play at that game. Hail!" countered Ash. Glaceon summoned a hailstorm of icy thick winds as well that mixed in with the swirling sands. The ice type also vanished from sight.

"INCREDIBLE! BOTH POKÉMON USED THEIR ELEMENT TO HIDE AND DAMAGE THEIR OPPONENT!" The crowd was making noise from the incredible display of the sand and hail mixing, creating a brown and blue swirling cloud.

"Wow, what a sight!" commented Giselle.

"That'll be great for contests!" remarked Dawn and May together, making their group shake their heads.

Drax growled. He wasn't expecting that. "Garchomp! Flamethrower all over the place! Expose Glaceon!"

"Glaceon! Counter with Ice Beam!" snapped Ash.

Multiple flashes of red and blue appeared throughout the swirling mixed up storm with many shouts of pain from both pokémon. This kept going until a large explosion occurred from within the middle of the storm and two figures were seen flying out of it. Both hit the ground hard in front of their trainers. The spinning sand and ice storm dissipated. Garchomp got up looking tired with some scratches and frozen marks on its body. Glaceon got up as well with some bruises and burnt marks on her fur.

"Not bad Ketchum. But this is just the beginning," stated Drax. "Dig!" Garchomp dug into the ground quickly and vanished from sight.

"Use your tail to feel the vibrations Glaceon!" advised Ash. The white cat did just that, placing its tail onto the ground. It focused its mind and body so it can try to sense where and when the blue land shark would appear.

"Not bad but it won't help you! Giga Impact!" shouted Drax. Mega Garchomp popped up in front of Glaceon instantly and was just about to slam into her when he bounced off a white shield at the last second.

The ice cat had used Protect. "Good job! Blizzard!" A howling icy storm was summoned from behind Glaceon and it collided against the disoriented dragon. Garchomp roared with pain and Drax ordered him to escape into the ground again. "Don't let him! Quick Attack into Iron Tail!" Glaceon vanished into the storm before reappearing behind Garchomp and smashed her tail against him, making him stumble about while the blizzard kept slamming into him.

"Fly up over it!" ordered Drax. Garchomp tried too but was grimacing from the incredibly damaging attack he was so weak to. Garchomp went into a defensive stance to try to endure the attack but his entire right side was being covered up with an icy layer. "Push through it Garchomp! You feel no pain! It is nothing to you!" encouraged Drax but Garchomp was unable to not feel it. The icy sting was agonizing but he would not fail. Summoning his will, the mega pokémon shot up into the air and Glaceon stopped her blizzard. "Rock Slide!"

"Double Team!" Glaceon split into a dozen copies as the boulders were dropped onto her and avoided most of the attack until one clipped her and sent her stumbling with the other copies vanishing.

"End that pipsqueak!" shouted Drax to take advantage. "Metal Claw!" snapped Drax. The land shark had its bladed arms coated with a metallic sheen and was about to dive bomb his victim but then flinched. The icy layer on him prevented him from moving. "SHIT!"

Ash capitalized on that. "Ice Beam!" A bluish white energy beam was fired at the pokémon. Drax shouted for Garchomp to move out of the way but it was no use since he was frozen in pain. The beam connected and incased him in a block of ice. The frozen dragon came hurtling down to the ground and the block of ice shattered from the impact. It freed the unconscious pokémon within before Garchomp reverted back into his normal form. Drax returned his pokémon and glared at his opponent.

"INCREDIBLE! WITH TWO POKÉMON DOWN, THAT'S THE MOST DRAGON MASTER DRAX HAS LOST IN THE TOURNAMENT SO FAR! ASH KETCHUM HAS LOST ONE AS WELL BUT HE LOOKS TO BE IN THE ZONE! THIS IS TURNING INTO ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!" The crowd roared and cheered as Drax sent out another pokémon. A huge three headed black, red and blue dragon appeared, making many shout in fright over the sight of it. Ash returned Glaceon and sent out a small white and pink cat like pokémon appeared that made many females go starry eyed over how cute it looked. May and Dawn were about to say something about the adorable pokémon being used for contests. But then Misty and Serena shut their mouths before they could, telling them they got it. That made their friends and family laugh out loud. "DRAX HAS CHOSEN HYDREIGON AND ASH HAS CHOSEN SYLVEON, THE FAIRY EEVEE EVOLUTION! TYPE ADVANTAGE GOES TO THE GUARDIAN BUT SHEER SIZE AND MULTIPLE FIRE BREATHING CAPABLE HEADS GOES TO THE DRAGON MASTER!"

Not wasting time, Drax issued his next command. "Scary Face!" Hydreigon glared at Sylveon with all three heads, making the small pokémon flinch and look away. Many loud boos were heard from many of the females in the stands over him scaring the cute pokémon. "Work up!" The three headed dragon began growling and stretched out its muscles and wings, increasing its power.

"Stand firm Sylveon!" encouraged Ash. "Pysch Up!" The fairy pokémon copied its opponent, doing the same thing and also increased its power. Drax scowled at that. "Good! Now, Swift!" Pink glowing stars materialized in the air and were launched at her target.

"Protect!" snapped Drax. Hydreigon formed a shield in front of it and the stars collided against it. "Tri Attack!" ordered the tall trainer afterwards. Three beams of energy were fired, one from each head at the white and pink fairy.

"Light Screen!" The fairy type brought up a wondrous wall of light that suppressed the beams of energy and it hardly did any damage to it. "Good job! Flash then Calm Mind!" The cat like pokémon let loose a bright light that blinded the three headed dragon before quietly focusing its mind to calm its spirit and raise its special attributes.

Hydreigon roared with annoyance and shook each of its heads, trying to clear their sight. "Stop that at once!" shouted Drax and his pokémon immediately ceased. "Focus Energy!" The dark dragon took in deep breaths from each mouth and focused its energy. As a result, it helped the dragon get rid of their temporary blindness quicker.

Seeing Drax trying to build up its next attack, Ash decided to stop him before he can. "Moonblast!" Sylveon concentrated before it fired a powerful pink beam of energy at its opponent.

"Into the air!" snapped Drax and Hydreigon shot up into the air, avoiding the attack. "Diversionary tactics!" His pokémon nodded in understanding and stayed where it was in the air without moving from its spot.

"WHAT'S THIS? THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN DRAGON MASTER DRAX DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" The spectators who were watching silently with rapt attention began murmuring and gossiping with one another as they wondered out loud what he was going to do.

'What is he planning?' Ash kept his stoic gaze but his mind was racing while trying to figure out what Drax was up to. Need to find out. He said diversionary tactics but he's not doing anything. We're going to have to bite to see what he's got in store. Sylveon glanced back at Ash and nodded, agreeing with her trainer. "Fairy Wind!" ordered Ash. His pink cat summoned pink colored wind towards the brutal multi headed dragon and it slammed against it. But Hydreigon didn't move or make a sound, making everyone become confused. Why didn't that…

Ash's question was answered before he could finish thinking it. The dragon in the air faded away as Drax spoke again. "Steel Wing!" Hydreigon reappeared behind Sylveon instantly and slammed its metallic covered wing against it. It had used Substitute to put up a decoy in its place.

Sylveon went flying forward before crashing into the ground with such force that it rolled a few times before skidding to a stop. It got back up onto its feet, panting a little from the attack. The dark dragon went after it, getting ready to hit it again. "Get out of there with Quick Attack!" Sylveon sprinted away from its spot towards the side to avoid its pursuer.

But Drax had a plan for that. "Shock Wave!" Hydreigon stopped in midair and let loose a quick jolt of electricity that raced after Sylveon. It hit its target, making the fairy type stumble and fall down. The dark dragon closed the distance between the two quickly while the raven haired guardian shouted for his pokémon to use Protect again but the pink cat was barely getting back up. "Fire Fang!" Hydreigon reached his victim and clamped down onto Sylveon with its middle head's powerful jaws coated in flames. Sylveon cried out in pain as it was lifted up and shaken, allowing its teeth to sink into its flesh even deeper. "Finish it with Flash Cannon!" The other two heads charged up a slivery orb in front of their mouths in point blank range of Sylveon.

Seeing his pokémon become a chew toy for the dragon was angering Ash but was also filling him up with fear. "Disarming Voice!" ordered Ash and his pokémon tried to follow up with the command but the dragon bit down harder, preventing it from doing so and the two other heads fired their attacks. Sylveon screamed out from feeling the powerful attack from such close range. After the attack, the small fairy cat was still conscious but was groaning in pain, covered in bruises and burnt marks.

Seeing his opponent still in the fight, Drax smirked. "Impressive! But time to end that annoying cat! Flash Cannon again!" ordered Drax and his dragon began powering up the attack again.

"NO! STOP!" Ash tried to return Sylveon but Hydreigon kept moving about, not letting him. Drax was laughing sadistically while many boos and shouts were made but he didn't care. Ash's group was shouting, yelling, cursing, pleading but the Dragon Master didn't listen to any of them. "DAMN IT! SYLVEON! YOU CAN DO IT! DAZZLING GLEAM!" shouted Ash. Sylveon heard its trainer's voice and it concentrated all the power she had left before letting out a bright pink energy blast in all directions, engulfing the three headed dragon. Hydreigon was finally forced to let go of Sylveon. The fairy fell to the ground as the dragon roared from the tremendous pain before it too dropped to the ground. Both pokémon were still as rocks.

Everyone watched with waited breath to see if one would stir. A moment later the referee lowered both flags. "Hydreigon and Sylveon are unable to…" The referee was caught off when both pokémon began stirring and very slowly raised themselves up. He raised both of the flags. "Correction, they are still able to battle."

"WHAT UNBREAKABLE WILLS! WHO WILL COME OUT ON TOP?!" said the announcer and the crowd was going bat shit crazy over the match. Nobody could believe that they were both still able to fight.

Drax was filing up with anger. He couldn't believe how he was being pushed to his limit. That his dragons are getting beaten, seeing his Hydreigon panting heavily. 'This can't be happening! Nothing is stronger than dragon types! I will not lose! I will reach my goal of becoming the strongest and will show everyone that I am the best!'

Ash let out a slight sigh of relief. He knew that his pokémon could go on but he didn't want her to push past her limits when it wasn't needed. He still had two other pokémon who are fresh and ready to go. He had learned his lesson after Arceus opened his eyes about that and he had sworn to never let that happen again if it wasn't needed. "Good job Sylveon," he praised her and his pokémon turned her head to look at him. "Take a good rest." He raised her poke ball to return the fairy cat so he can switch out to someone else when a loud roar was heard.

Distracted, he and everyone else turned their gaze in time to see the brutal pokemon flying through the air in a downward fashion while in a multi colored glow towards Sylveon. Ash quickly hit the recall button on the poke ball, knowing his pokémon won't be able to dodge it. Yet the red beam didn't reach his pokémon in time. Hydreigon smashed into her hard, making it scream out in agony while being pushed down into the ground, making a crater form and dust to rise up from the sheer force. The dust cleared away to show both pokémon out for the count. Drax had sacrificed Hydreigon in order to take out Sylveon. "Both pokémon are unable to battle! Trainers, send out your next pokémon!" Drax merely returned his dragon while Ash ran to his fairy.

Many in the stadium couldn't believe what the Dragon Master just did. That he would be so brutal and literally have his pokémon do something like that. "How could he be so cruel?" asked Daisy in disbelief.

"Because Drax has no heart," commented Clair with anger and her closest friends nodded in agreement.

"I can't believe he did that," whispered Iris, making Cilan look at her again.

He saw the shock in her eyes towards the one she was promised to but had left. He then saw her move her gaze slowly towards something else. He followed her line of sight and saw their mutual friend reach his pokémon in the crater. He looked at her again and saw her eyes become filled with something he never saw before. Iris…

In the VIP room, the president and champions were astonished over the incredible match and by the brutal tactics of Drax. Sure they had seen him being ruthless in his matches before. But for some reason, he was being even more so now against Ash. "Looks like Drax really has it in for Ash. But why? The rumors didn't say the reason," asked Steven.

"Who knows?" replied back Alder as they watched Ash went to check on his pokemon.

Diantha turned her gaze towards Lance. She saw him deep in thought as he kept his gaze on Drax. "Are you alright?" she asked him.

It took a few seconds but then Lance turned to face Diantha. "I'm alright. I was just thinking if I was that brutal when I was younger. They say Drax is better than me when I was young. I didn't believe it before but seeing him go all out against Ash and giving him a run for his money…it's making me think that they could be right. And its making me think of how people see me as," he told her.

Diantha gave him a reassuring smile. "It's alright Lance. You're the Dragon Champion. You earned that title. You didn't name yourself it. Drax is just a hard headed trainer who believes brute force is better than skill or experience. Let them say what they want. Let him call himself a Dragon Master. Boasting about things is nothing because he will never be you," she told him kindly.

Lance went crimson at her words and felt his heart beat increase in speed. "T-thank you Diantha," he said quietly and she replied back saying he was welcome.

"Hey you two, quit flirting and pay attention to the match!" shot Alder, making both of them become embarrassed and shout at him to shut up and stay out of it. Goodshow and Steven chuckled, unable to hold it in.

When Ash reached his fairy, he saw Sylveon completely out cold with many bleeding injuries. He gently picked her up into his arms. "I'm so sorry Sylveon," he whispered to his pokémon. He placed a glowing blue hand onto his pokémon and pulsed out some healing aura onto her for a bit. Sylveon's bleeding stopped and its injuries went away. The fairy cat slowly opened its eyes and looked up at her trainer. Seeing the concern in his eyes, she let out a weak cry to let him know she was okay. "It's alright. You'll be fine Sylveon. You did great. Take a nice long rest," he told her. The fairy pokémon closed its eyes and went to sleep. Ash returned his pokémon before moving back towards his trainer's box. He turned around slowly and locked eyes with Drax and saw him smirking. His eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. "Drax…"

"Shut up," cut off Drax, angering many with his disrespectful attitude and harsh battling. "I told you I will make you look weak in front of everyone. You couldn't even save your own pokémon. You will bow to me and you will give up being a trainer! You're not powerful enough to win! You don't deserve to be able to use aura! You're nothing compared to me! This is power! Power is everything!"

"You want power?" asked Ash in his scary calm tone of voice, sending shivers down many spectators' spines. A blue orb appeared in his hand. He was shaking in fury and the ball began shaking as well, the pokémon inside sensing his anger. "You want to see how powerful an Aura Guardian and his pokémon can be?" He glanced at Pikachu who nodded at him with a serious face.

"Even your rodent from hell can't beat me!" shot Drax.

Ash turned his gaze back onto Drax. "Oh, I'm not talking about Pikachu. He's powerful and one of my best. But I have someone else in mind for you."

Drax just laughed however, not at all afraid. "No matter who you use against me, you won't win! Not even a legendary pokémon can beat me!" boasted the Dragon Master.

"Is that so? You want to test that out?" he asked him.

Drax scoffed as he unclipped the ultra ball from his belt and Salamence glanced at his trainer, wondering if the pokémon inside will listen to him or not. "Doesn't matter who you have! You can't beat me! You are unworthy of everything that you have! You're weak and unable to make the hard decisions! Just like your friends! Just like that piece of trash that got with my intended! Because of him, the one who I was supposed to marry had bailed on me and instead of becoming strong, she has grown weak!" insulted Drax, gripping the ultra ball tightly.

Iris and Cilan went crimson in embarrassment at his words. Though others had no idea who Drax was talking about, their friends and family did. Iris started having tears form in her eyes as many memories and things went through her head. Her friends noticed and did their best to comfort her as she started crying. Cilan felt saddened and wanted to help in some way but something was holding him back from helping Iris…

Ash snarled in response and his eyes glowed blue because of his rage, making everyone become surprised. His family and friends became concerned and wondered what he was going to do. "That's it Drax! No more insults from you! No more gloating! You wanted power? THEN YOU GOT IT!" The raven haired guardian tossed out the ball high into the air. Bright white light escaped from the ball and shot up towards the heavens above, disappearing from sight.

The stadium went eerily silent as everyone waited to see what pokémon would appear. But after some time passed with nothing happening, Drax started laughing loudly before controlling himself. "Your pokémon is so scared that it bailed on you! It knows that you can't win against me so it would rather flee than face humiliation!" insulted the silver haired man. Though Ash paid him no mind, the people in the stands began laughing out loud as well as conversing again with one another about that while his group looked around with uneasy expressions on their faces. "Just forfeit Guardian," advised Drax. "Forfeit and show everyone that you're not some great person that…"

Drax trailed off as dark clouds began forming above the stadium. Rumbling was heard from them that silenced everyone. Streaks of lightning began appearing all over them and the sounds of thunder sounded out that made many flinch. "Drax!" He lowered his gaze from the clouds onto his opponent and saw him with a serious gaze on his face. "You say that not even legendary pokémon can beat you. I normally don't condone using legendary pokémon in official battles because that's not fair. But you're asking for it because of your disrespectful behavior." Drax glared at him. "So let's put it to the test. Allow me to introduce my pokémon…one that I just recently befriended…the Lord of the Sky…the Lord of all Dragons…" Drax's eyes widened and so did many others such as Clair, Iris, the President and the Champions. "…the Sky High Pokémon…Rayquaza!" An incredible roar was heard from above after Ash's small speech that made all sets of eyes except for one to look up.

A very large and long green and yellow colored snake like figure with two limbs appeared through the dark clouds. Rayquaza flew down from above towards the middle of the stadium. The crowd was frozen still from what they were seeing. Not a single soul was making a sound nor were they moving as they watched the mythical beast. At the last second the legendary dragon pulled up and went towards the raven haired guardian. Rayquaza encircled Ash with his body before raising the top half of him behind the young man. It was so large that it took up much of its half of the field. The green dragon let out an ear splitting roar that sent out shockwaves from its sheer power. Except for Ash, everyone else in the stadium was forced to hang on to their seats to prevent being blown away while Drax crouched low to the ground to escape most of it but was still pushed back greatly. Even the glass windows in the VIP room were vibrating from it.

When it ended, the crowd slowly recovered and Drax stood back up and stared at the two. "No way…" he whispered. His eyes were glued onto the dragon, unable to process what he was seeing.

And he wasn't the only one in that state. Nobody could believe what they were seeing. Rayquaza was there in front of them, in the stadium. They saw him but it felt so surreal. Even Ash's group was too shocked to see him to comment but soon enough each of them was having many thoughts racing through their minds. Finally, after several long moments, the referee came to his senses. "Red trainer, send out your pokémon or you will forfeit!"

Hearing the referee made him snap out of it. Drax growled under his breath as the grip on his ultra ball tightened. "How did you capture the Lord of all Dragons?! You're not even a dragon trainer! You're not from any bloodline of dragon trainers! You can't be strong enough to beat him! How is this possible?! Rayquaza should be partnered with a dragon trainer like me! Not you!" shouted out Drax with jealousy. Ash didn't reply at all but maintained his serious gaze and so did Rayquaza. Drax started shaking from anger and humiliation filling his body. How could he be its trainer?! I should be! Not him! I was supposed to capture him one day! This isn't fair! But it doesn't matter! I will not lose and I will not be mocked! "Damn you Guardian! You may have him on your side, but you will not triumph! And you're not the only one with a legendary pokémon! I will win! I swear it!" shouted Drax before he tossed the ultra ball into the air. A flash of bright white light and then his pokémon appeared.

Ash let his arms fall and a surprised expression formed on his face after seeing who it was. Even Brock and Misty let out surprised gasps as to who appeared. That made their family and friends glance at them to see if they were alright. "No…" remarked Brock quietly with his face covered in shock.

"It can't be," stated Misty in a sullen whisper.

The pokémon that Drax had released was none other than the single remaining survivor of the dragon and psychic pokémon family that protected Alto Mare…Latias.

The second that she appeared, the pink and whitish dragon didn't know where she was and felt intense anxiety, fear and hopelessness. She didn't want to battle but had to. Before she could get a good look around her surroundings, she was called. "Latias!" The legendary flinched hearing her trainer talk before slowly moving his gaze to his. "You better win or you will face the consequences! Now get ready to battle!" ordered Drax. Latias cowered under his command as if he just struck her again.

"YOU DAMN FOOL!" Latias had her eyes widen. She knew that voice anywhere. She looked around frantically and now noticed her opponent. She gulped, knowing who the dragon was and knew she was no match for him. She was about to back away when she lowered her gaze and saw…him. Before she even knew it, Latias shot forward and when she reached him, hugged him tightly. "It's okay Latias. It's okay," he told her while gently hugging her back. Some awes were made throughout the crowd by the females, including the girls he has feelings for since they were moved by the display. Ash locked eyes with Drax as they narrowed. "What have you done to her?!" he shouted with anger in his voice.

Drax couldn't believe what he was seeing. His own pokémon being friendly with his opponent?! Not if he could help it! "None of your business guardian! Latias! Get back over here and battle right now!" Latias shivered from his yelling and separated from Ash. But she didn't go back towards him. Instead she went behind Ash. "Get back here right now or you will face my wrath!" shot Drax, earning himself some rude comments from the spectators.

Ash's eyes glowed a brighter blue before his aura flared out from him. Seeing his aura emerge made everyone, including Drax, become concerned and filled up with fear. "She doesn't want to be with you and she doesn't belong to you either," said Ash coldly, with his voice echoing.

Drax was at first frozen from seeing the guardian unleash his aura like that but he snapped out of it and shook with rage over what he was just told. "It matters not what she wants! I captured her! I am her trainer! She will listen to me! You have no authority to tell me that I can't keep my pokémon! And if you don't give her back to me then you will be disqualified!" snapped Drax.

"I'm not keeping her from going back to you," said Ash calmly. "If she wants to join you she's free to do so." He glanced at the eon pokémon. "Go if you want." Latias shook her head and stayed where she was. Ash faced Drax again. "See? She doesn't want to. And as Arceus's Knight, I do have the authority to take pokémon away from their trainers if they are abusive or if the pokémon they caught has important duties or is important for the world's balance," he said calmly.

Drax let out a frustrated sound. He locked eyes with the referee. "Do something!"

The referee stammered a bit before composing himself. "He is not preventing her from coming back to you. There is nothing I can do," revealed the referee. Drax cursed out loud and started shouting loudly at Ash and the referee.

"SILENCE!" Everyone in the stadium went quiet immediately. Rayquaza had started speaking telepathically and he was facing Drax with an angry gaze, who started shaking a little in his spot. "You disgrace the name of dragon trainer." Drax felt like he was stabbed over those words. "A true dragon trainer would know that Latias is needed to stay at her home to protect Alto Mare. You have endangered the city for your own selfish desire. You will withdraw her from the match and release her at once so she can return to her duties of protecting the city," finished up the green dragon with a very serious tone of voice.

In the VIP room, the Champions were unable to believe what was going on anymore. But now the Lord of all Dragons was telling Drax what he had to do. "Can Ash and Rayquaza make him do that?" asked Diantha, turning her head towards Lance.

The spiky haired champion faced her and thought for a moment before answering her. "They can. He is a legendary pokémon and whatever they say goes when it comes to protecting the world and keeping the balance. And one of the jobs of an Aura Guardian is to maintain that balance." Lance turned his gaze back towards the field. "So in this case, both are correct and cannot be crossed. Drax has no choice," stated Lance. The others nodded in agreement as they continued to watch.

Drax was feeling like the green dragon was looking into his soul with the way he was staring at him. After a long moment, Drax swallowed the saliva in his mouth before replying back in a somewhat quiet voice. "You say I'm not a true dragon trainer but that is false! I've worked and trained with dragons all my life!" Drax began regaining some of his confidence back as he spoke and his voice became stronger. "I've worked hard to get where I am now! I know of many more secrets and prophecies regarding dragons than any and all others! And how is it fair that I give up a pokémon that I caught legitimately? Especially now in the middle of a battle?!" asked Drax. "Aren't dragons honor bound to serve the one that has beaten them fairly in a battle and then captured by them?! And aren't you important for the world's balance as well? Why are you with the guardian then?" asked the silver haired trainer.

The eon pokémon looked up at the Lord of all dragons with fear over what she heard. "You are correct about dragons being honor bound to do so in that regard," answered the green dragon after a moment, making Latias feel horrible that she would have to serve him no matter what. Drax smirked in triumph but then it went away when he heard what the dragon said next. "However, if a dragon has a duty to protect something, like a city for example, or is vital for the world's balance, than all other things are unimportant and will not affect its honor." Drax felt his stomach churning since what he said held no value. "And I am not needed unless there is a world endangering event. Nothing else." Drax frowned at that since his reasoning was brushed aside. "But a dragon is always fair. You will not be the only one to withdraw your pokémon. Withdraw Latias and release her so she can go back to her duties and I will withdraw from the battle completely as well." Ash did not get involved in that since he knew that when legendary pokémon decide on something, then there is little to be done to change their minds. Most of the time.

Drax thought about that offer carefully. If Rayquaza withdraws, then I'll have an even better chance of winning. I might have been able to defeat the Lord of all Dragons, but my pokémon would've been in poor conditions to continue on…and he still has one fresh one to use along with two others who aren't too tired. Damn it. I have no other…wait…I do have another option… Drax let a small grin form on his face as he thought up of something. "Alright then. You have yourself a deal but only if you agree to my condition too."

"What condition?" asked Ash. His aura had regressed back to him and his eyes returned to brown when his legendary dragon started speaking with his telepathy.

Drax's grin grew larger. "I will do as Rayquaza has commanded but my condition is that when I win, he will become my pokémon instead."

"What?!" replied back Ash in surprise. "I don't bet my pokémon! They're my friends! Not objects!" he snapped at the silver haired trainer.

"Take it or leave it. That is my condition and won't be changed. I'm releasing a legendary pokémon that I caught fairly. I should get something in return," stated Drax.

Ash began shaking with rage. "It is alright." Ash felt his anger evaporate as he looked up at Rayquaza in shock. The green dragon was looking at him with a kind expression before he turned his head towards Drax and it turned serious. "Drax," started the legendary making all look at him. "The Aura Guardian will never agree to a deal like that. But I will. I accept your condition with one more added from me then." Drax nodded with a grin. "Good. Release my kin and I will withdraw from the battle completely. Win or lose, you will leave her alone and you will also not pursue any other legendary pokémon. Am I understood?" Drax nodded his head in agreement. "Good. Do not go back on this agreement or I will unleash my full wrath on you." Without even waiting for a response back, the Lord of the Sky looked at Latias. "And you will not interfere in the battle." Latias didn't object to that. Rayquaza looked at Ash and nodded his head.

Ash raised his premier ball and pressed the return button. The sky high pokémon disappeared into its ball and then he clipped the ball to his belt. "I withdraw Rayquaza from the match completely," stated Ash immediately.

Drax reacted almost instantly afterwards. "I withdraw Latias from the match completely." He then dropped her ultra ball onto the ground before crushing it with his foot. "There, she is released."

Latias felt so much happiness fill her all of a sudden that she was finally free. She took up Pikachu in her arms and zoomed around Ash. The sight of her doing that made many smile and laugh. The people in the stands all smiled and some even laughed a bit at the happy display. Ash watched the eon pokémon zooming around gleefully until a loud roar was heard from the other side of the field. He turned his attention to that and saw Salamence had taken up position. "So you finally decide to use him do you?" asked Ash as another blue orb appeared into his hand. Latias glided back down to hover beside Ash while Pikachu stayed on top of her back.

"You got lucky until now guardian," replied back Drax. "You might have won with Rayquaza on your side but without him, you have no chance. You're Glaceon is tired out and so is your Noivern. And your Goodra, Sylveon and the Lord of Dragons are out of the match completely. I still have Salamence and one other. You will lose like I said so and when I win, I will be the trainer of the most powerful dragon in the world! I will become unstoppable!" remarked Drax before laughing loudly. "You know, I must thank you! I didn't think he would be mine until much later!"

Ash shook his head in disgust. "Having a legendary pokémon isn't everything. I've beaten them before in the past and will continue to do so. And don't thank me just yet!" Drax narrowed his eyes at Ash when he raised his hand and showed the poke ball in it. "I was planning on giving you a taste of your own medicine by having you think you could win before unleashing Rayquaza on you." Drax growled loudly at that. "Though you may not fight against Rayquaza, you will fight against the pokémon who beat him!" Drax's eyes widened and so did everyone else's. The raven haired guardian tossed the ball into the air and it opened with a bright white light.

A large red and orange dragon appeared and landed against the ground, spreading its mighty wings. Instead of its usual letting out a stream of fire into the air, Charizard took up a battle stance at once, growling at Salamence. The flame on the tip of its tail grew larger.

"That's it?!" asked Drax, confused. "You're Charizard is nothing! There's no way it could have beaten Rayquaza! Not by its own! Not in this stage! It's not even a true dragon type! " mocked the Dragon Master. Salamence even let out throaty growls at its opponent, laughing. Charizard growled and narrowed its eyes, its tail flame growing larger from his rage.

The occupants in the VIP room couldn't believe what Ash was saying. "Drax has no idea what he's getting himself into," commented Alder rather calmly.

"If that Charizard really can take out Rayquaza on its own, I wonder how each of us might fare against it," added Steven and the others began thinking about that too.

Ash remained quiet, not replying back. "Fine. I'll make the first move. Dragon Rush!" Salamence covered itself in a bluish glow and rocketed to the red dragon. Charizard caught him but was pushed back several feet before he dug his clawed feet into the ground. Both Drax and Salamence had their eyes widen in shock. "Impossible! Flamethrower!"

"Show them a real Flamethrower!" snapped Ash. Both pokémon spewed out flames at close range but Charizard's flames overpowered his opponent's and flowed over him. Salamence let out a cry of pain at it and freed itself out of the red dragon's grasp and backed up a bit.

"AND THE SHOW CONTINUES! AFTER AN UNINTENTIONAL INTERMISSION REGARDING THE LORD OF ALL DRAGONS, THE SEMI FINAL BATTLE OF THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN KICKED UP A NOTCH!" The crowd began cheering and shouting over the match. But the two trainers and their pokémon in the field had their attention onto each other only.

I will not lose! I will not miss my chance to have the most powerful dragon in the world be mine! "Dragon Dance!" ordered Drax.

"Stop him with Aerial Ace!" Charizard vanished from sight and struck Salamence with his tail before he could finish the dance, preventing the power up.

"DRAGON CLAW!" shouted Drax in frustration.

"Dragon Claw!" copied Ash. Both pokémon had their claws glow and intercepted each other's attacks. Charizard growled and his flame grew once again. He began pushing back Salamence.

Both the silver haired man and his blue dragon were astonished over that. "CRUNCH!"

"METAL CLAW!" The blue dragon attempted to bite the red dragon on the neck but instead the fire starter had him bite down on his claw covered in a metallic sheen. Salamence let out a cry of agony, hurting its teeth and jaws from trying to bite the metalized claw. "Stun him! Wing Attack!" ordered Ash. Charizard slammed both his wings at once against Salamence's head, making him become dazed. "Seismic Toss!" The red dragon grabbed the blue dragon in a tight hold and flew up into the air.

"NO! SALAMENCE! GET OUT! FREE YOURSELF!" screamed Drax but it was no use. Salamence was unable to regain his senses, especially when Charizard started doing a few circles in the air while spinning his body rapidly. Midway through his final circle, the fire starter pulled the blue dragon away from him and hurled him down to the ground with tremendous force. "STOP YOURSELF!" commanded Drax but it was no use. Salamence slammed into the ground at maximum speed, making a hole in the ground. Charizard landed gracefully in front of Ash. Both waited to see what happens.

Ash's group was flabbergasted over what was happening in his latest match. "That has to be it! How could he survive that?" asked Kate.

"Don't say it's over till it's over," advised David.

"SALAMENCE!" shouted Drax. A few seconds later, an angry roar was heard before the blue dragon shot up onto the field again. It was gravely hurt, panting heavily, covered in bleeding scratches and blackened bruises. Yet it was snarling at Charizard who maintained its angry glare back.

"UNBELIEVABLE! EVEN AFTER ALL THAT PUNISHMENT, THE HOENN DRAGON WON'T GIVE UP!" The crowd was going wild over the unbelievable battle going on between the two.

"This cannot be fuckin happening!" cursed out Drax, ignoring the announcer's warning. "Shut up! We're not done yet!" He pushed the Mega Ring on his left hand again and Salamence was covered in a white sphere of energy before it erupted. Mega Salamence appeared with a loud roar. Its red wings have changed its shape and becoming larger with its body becoming slightly larger but much more streamlined. Most of its wounds healed and the dragon was ready for round two.

Did he just mega evolve his pokémon again?! Can he do that?! wondered Natasha. The red haired woman was rendered silent over her savior's battle just like her new group until now. The second mega evolution had snapped her out of her trance. She wasn't able to ask the others but her question was soon answered.

"Damn it," muttered Cynthia, making her group fix their attention onto her. "I knew we should have changed the rule to only allowing one mega evolution in the final battles. We didn't think anyone would have more than one mega pokémon since the stones are hard to find."

The group let out sighs and sounds of understanding but didn't give up hope. They knew that Ash can do it. Among them, a certain blunette gym leader was looking at Ash intently. Please be careful Ash. I know you'll win but be careful.

"That wasn't bad Ketchum, but now you're done! No one has ever beaten my Mega Salamence! The only one who could've done so was Rayquaza!" boasted Drax.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," replied Ash calmly.

"It'll never happen! End him with rapid Dragon Pulse!" The mega dragon fired beams of draconic energy, one after the other to the red dragon.

"Smokescreen!" Charizard let out dark smoke from his nostrils, hiding within it. The beams of energy went through the smoke but hit nothing except the ground and walls.

"Clear away the smoke! Air Cutter!" Many razor like winds was launched into the smoke, clearing it and revealing a hole in the ground. "Dragon Pulse into it!" The blue dragon quickly fired the attack into the hole before backing away and a loud explosion was heard. The stadium quieted down to see what would happen. "I don't think he survived that," smirked Drax.

Ash paid him no mind but grinned in return, making Drax and many to become confused. "Charizard is just getting warmed up. I think he's ready. FIRE SPIN!" roared Ash.

A loud roar was heard from beneath the ground before the spot underneath the mega pokémon began glowing red. The dragon moved out of the way at the last second before a swirling vortex of red, orange and yellow flames burst forth and shot up into the sky. Many gasped at the sight of the fire tornado. Another one popped from underneath Salamence's new position and once again the dragon was barely able to dodge it at the last second. This kept going on until there were many holes caused by the powerful fire attacks. "IT'S LIKE WHACK A BUISEL BUT IN OPPOSITE! CHARIZARD IS TRYING TO CONNECT HIS TRAP MOVE BUT SALAMENCE KEEPS DODGING! MAYBE THE BLUE SPIRIT SHOULD TRY A NEW TACTIC?!" Ash and Charizard kept going however. He would barely miss Salamence but prevented him from attacking back. Finally, one of the Fire Spins connected, singing his wing and making the dragon cried out in pain.

That made the silver haired dragon master became even more angered. "That's it! Make him get out! Earthquake!" ordered Drax and his dragon slammed his tail onto the ground hard but Charizard was already out of the ground by then covered in a red glow.

"INFERNO!" yelled Ash and his fire starter let out an intense ball of flames at the dragon. The flames engulfed his opponent and made Mega Salamence cry out in agony. The flames died down, leaving the dragon in multiple scorch marks, wincing. It was left with a severe burn from the flames. "Good job buddy! Hidden Power and Slash combo!" Charizard focused and brought out his inner power that materialized into multiple white energy spheres around him while his claws glowed white.

"SALAMENCE! YOU BETTER NOT LOSE! FINISH IT WITH HYPER BEAM!" The mega pokémon quickly charged up the attack and launched it at Charizard with many shouts and screams made from the crowd. He was hit in the chest and the beam exploded, covering the red dragon with smoke.

The smoke cloud was still up with Mega Salamence panting heavily, waiting to see its fallen opponent. Many white spheres of energy shot from the smoke cloud and struck the blue dragon, making it roar with pain. The red dragon then appeared through the smoke, flying towards its weakened opponent with its claws glowing white. Charizard slashed the dragon several times, making him stumble back, barely conscious. "Finish it Charizard! MEGA PUNCH!" Charizard clenched his claw into a fist and it glowed a bright white before striking Mega Salamence in the chest, sending the powerful pokémon through the air before it collided against the stadium wall. It dropped to the ground and reverted back to its normal form.

"THE BLUE SPIRIT TRIUMPHED OVER DRAX'S MOST POWERFUL POKÉMON EVEN WITH IT MEGA EVOLVED! LOOKS LIKE THE GUARDIAN'S CHARIZARD MAY HAVE BEATEN THE LORD OF DRAGONS!" Many in the stadium and all those watching couldn't believe it while Ash's group was shouting out praise and encouragement.

Liza however was still seated, lost in thought. She couldn't believe how powerful Ash's Charizard is. She knew that Ash wouldn't lie or boast about how strong his pokémon can be. But to hear about a Charizard beating the legendary Rayquaza in a one on one match? And something about this particular one was making her rethink some things. It was moving just like the Charizard who had beaten the test. She shook her head after a moment. It can't be. There's no way that's the same one. The trainer had white hair not black…and...and not…silver… Liza's eyes widened as she remembered something else. Ash did say he disguised himself during his disappearance…but it…couldn't be…could it? Could Ash be the one? Could he be…could he be the one who I'm…promised to? Liza's heart began beating faster as she thought of the possibility that he could be the one…

Drax returned his Salamence and looked at the Charizard in front of him. It had some scratches and bruises from the Hyper Beam but it didn't look as damaged as he hoped. That's one powerful pokémon! Drax took in a deep breath. Maybe it did beat the Lord of Dragons…no, that's impossible. Get a grip on yourself because it's no match for my secret weapon. "I'm impressed Ketchum," said Drax, unclipping his final pokémon. "I never thought you would have Rayquaza on your side. Nor did I ever think that your Charizard would be this strong. But I also have to say this too; Salamence isn't my strongest pokémon." Everyone went silent, startled at the revelation. "I hope you're ready!" He tossed out the poke ball and what emerged from it, made many gasp and become surprised.

"No way…"

"What are the chances?"

"Are you kidding me?"

The pokémon landed onto the field opposite Charizard and roared loudly. "WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS! DRAGON MASTER DRAX ALSO HAS A CHARIZARD! BUT THIS ONE IS BLACK INSTEAD OF RED! THIS SHOULD BE ENTERTAINING WITH BOTH POKÉMON BEING AMONG THEIR TRAINER'S STRONGEST!" The crowd went insane, anxiously waiting to see both powerful fire starters go at it. Both Charizard looked insanely strong and Liza started worrying again about Drax being the possible winner.

"I thought you only train dragon pokémon?" asked Ash curiously.

Drax chuckled before answering him. "I do. My Charizard may not be a dragon…yet." He pushed the mega ring again and his Charizard was engulfed in a white glow.

"NOT AGAIN!" screamed out the girls in the group at once. The white glow erupted to reveal the fire pokémon in its mega form. It was now colored dark and light blue, with flames trailing out of its mouth from both sides. Its wings becoming wider and jagged as well. The flame on its tail and mouth were colored blue instead of the usual red orange.

"Now he is a true dragon! I introduce to you my most powerful pokémon…MEGA CHARIZARD X!" declared Drax with a large smirk on his face and his mega pokémon let out a loud roar that made many cover their ears. "You may have overcome my Mega Salamence, but my Mega Charizard X is three times stronger! There is no way you'll triumph over my most powerful pokemon!"

Charizard glanced back at Ash. Both pokémon and trainer looked into one another's eyes. After a moment, Ash nodded and so did Charizard. The red dragon faced forward once more and eyed his kin. "Dragon Master Drax…" started Ash, making everyone quiet down to listen to his words. "You are wrong to think like that." Drax scoffed and laughed, shaking his head. "We will show you that you don't need to be a dragon type to be a true dragon!" Ash uncrossed his arms and raised his left hand to be level with his head. A blue glow appeared around his wrist and a second later, it faded away only to have a pure white bracelet appear with a blue stone embedded in it; a Mega Ring.

His group gasped. They didn't know he had found mega stones and could mega evolve as well. Liza's eyes went wide and she let out a yelp, making everyone around her, from her group of friends to strangers, look at her. Clair, Cynthia and Sabrina were looking at her with very concerned expressions. "I can't believe it! No way! He…he…" but she couldn't finish, stammering until she was silenced by Ash speaking again.

"The Charizard you're facing here in front of you…is one of the few pokémon in the world to go the distance…to reach new heights in its power…to have taken on several legendary pokémon on its own and come out the victor …and it is the only Charizard in history to complete the Gauntlet of the Charicific Valley!" revealed Ash. Drax, the Champions in the VIP room, Liza, Sabrina, Clair and Cynthia all had their jaws drop and their eyes widen.

The self named dragon master was frozen for a bit before snapping out of it. "Impossible!" retorted Drax. "No Charizard can do that! None can fight fifty battles one after another against the strongest in the valley with no rest!" The crowd took in sharp breaths, utterly stupefied that the Guardian's Charizard had so much strength and endurance that he was not only able to beat a legendary pokémon on its own but also able to survive against fifty nonstop rounds against the strongest in the valley. It was practically suicide since the pokémon there are so brutal.

"Mine did and he was rewarded for his determination to be the best," replied Ash calmly and touched his mega ring. Charizard was covered in a white glowing sphere. The white sphere glowed an intense white before it erupted, revealing its mega form. Unlike its opponent, it stayed its normal color of red orange. Its body grew larger but also became very aero dynamic. Its wings grew longer, sharp appendages grew from its fore arms and another horn grew out from the top of its head. "Allow me to introduce the strongest Charizard in the world…the King of the Charicific Valley…MEGA CHARIZARD Y!" The mega evolved pokémon let out such a loud roar that the glass windows shook in the VIP room and sent shockwaves throughout the stadium, making everyone close their ears. They felt the sound wave wash over them but instead of sending them flying, it sent shivers down their spines. The temperature around the stadium and field began going up, the heat becoming almost unbearable. His Charizard's special ability of Drought had activated.

"WHAT HAS THIS COME TO?! WE HAVE MEGA CHARIZARD X AND MEGA CHARIZARD Y WHO IS ALSO THE KING OF THE CHARICIFIC VALLEY?! MY LORD, I NEED A DRINK! HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS AND SEATS FOLKS! THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE HELL OF A BATTLE!" The crowd snapped out of their trance and they made so much noise that many people that they would go deaf.

Drax had his anger fill him at being shown up by the guardian. "It doesn't matter if your Charizard is the king or also mega evolved! I will still win!" he snapped, not allowing himself to become overwhelmed. His Charizard X growled at his opponent as well.

"You said power is the only thing important and that you are powerful. So prove it against the King," suggested Ash.

Drax snarled in response before shouting his command; "Dragon Claw!"

"You too!"

Both Charizard shot forward with their claws glowing and struck each other across the chest, damaging each other. "Flamethrower!" shouted both trainers. Blue and red flames collided and erupted, covering the field in smoke. Charizard Y flew up into the air.

"Dragon Rush!" ordered Drax. Charizard X followed his opponent and slammed into him, making him move backwards while letting out a grunt of pain.

"Air Slash!" snapped Ash. Charizard Y quickly shot condensed blades of air with his wings at the blue pokémon and they connected, making him flinch. "Follow up with Ancient Power!" Boulders made out of energy appeared in the air and collided against his target. Charizard X roared with agony and started falling to the ground.

"SNAP OUT OF IT! FLAME CHARGE!" yelled Drax. His pokémon composed himself, covered itself in flames and shot forward, slamming into his target once more and increased its speed. "Send him to the ground with Thunder Punch!" An electrified clawed fist hit the red dragon and sent him rocketing to the ground.

"Level out!" shouted Ash and his pokémon stopped his descent immediately with his wings. "Barrel roll!" snapped the raven haired guardian and his pokémon rolled to the left, avoiding the other pokémon's dive bomb.

"Not bad! But not good enough!" taunted Drax as the two mega Charizards righted themselves and growled at one another.

"Funny. I was going to say the same to you," admitted Ash, making the tall trainer shake with fury.

Pure dislike appeared on both trainers' faces before they sent out their next command. "FLARE BLITZ!" shouted both at the same time. Once more both dragons shot forward but this time they intercepted one another's attacks. Each was trying to overtake the other.

"Overheat!" shouted Drax.

"Dragon Claw!" ordered Ash.

Charizard X opened its mouth but was quickly closed again by a powerful strike against its jaw, sending it to the ground. Even with his opponent's speed boost, Ash knew his pokémon was much faster. He had his Charizard fly up into the air again.

"GET UP!" screamed Drax and his pokémon got back up. "DRAGON PULSE!" A powerful beam of draconic energy was launched up towards the red dragon.

"Show them a real Dragon Pulse!" said Ash and his pokémon fired an even larger beam of energy right at the incoming one. Drax and everyone else was left in a startled state as they watched it completely overpower the other beam like it wasn't even there and slammed into its target. Charizard X was pushed into the ground with a large explosion. The smoke cleared and they saw the pokémon panting but still able to fight.

"You're out classed Drax. Surrender!" advised Ash seeing the state his pokémon was in.

That however just pissed off both his opponent and his pokémon. "HELL NO! I HAVE NEVER SURRENDERED, I HAVE NEVER LOST AND I WON'T START NOW! FLAME CHARGE INTO FLARE BLITZ!" ordered Drax. Charizard X shot forward again but with tremendous speed, surprising Ash and his dragon. The black and blue starter engulfed itself in a large blue sphere of flames and smashed into the red starter. Charizard Y was hit hard and he began falling to the ground. His friends and family shouted out over it.

But then Charizard quickly recovered and flew up into the sky. Drax ordered his Charizard to go after him. The two began flying around the stadium with the red dragon evading random streams of flames shot at him while being pursued by the black and blue dragon. "Go into the ground!" ordered Ash, confusing many as to why he would do that, giving advantage to his adversary. The red dragon dodged another stream of flames by diving down immediately. He angled his descent towards one of the holes in the ground and disappeared into it.

"You fool! You just gave me the match! EARHTQUAKE! MAX POWER!" shouted Drax. Charizard X rocketed to the ground and slammed onto it, causing a massive tremor to rock the area. Many people were thrown from their seats with many others screaming in fright. No sound came from below the field and when the tremors finally stopped, it was silent. "That was idiotic!" said Drax to Ash. "So much for your Charizard being the King! Looks like he's reign is over before it even began! And without him, you're done for! Your other pokémon can't beat my Charizard X!" cackled Drax and his pokemon let out throaty growls, also laughing.

Ash however let a smile form on his face, making the two stop laughing and everyone to become confused. "Thank you Drax for allowing us to finish the battle with our next move." Drax was about to comment back when he was silenced abruptly by Ash. "CHARIZARD! FIRE STORM!"

The entire field began glowing red, making everyone gasp and shout out in fear. Drax looked at his pokémon and saw that he was surrounded by many holes, right in the middle of them all. Before he could order his pokémon to get out of there, what happened next was something he never would've even dreamt of seeing.

Vortexes of fire shot up from each and every hole, climbing higher and higher into the sky. The fire pillars were so hot, so powerful that they started melting the ground around them. The fire pillars were expanding so rapidly that Charizard X couldn't get out of there in time. He let out anguished cries as the scorching flames struck him. His resistances did nothing to help lessen the damage or the pain. He attempted to get out from within the fire pillars but kept getting struck over and over by them. Soon enough, the fire pillars had merged into one colossal blazing fire that had engulfed the entire field. The heat was so overwhelming that it made almost everyone sweat uncontrollably and the people in the front stands were frantically moving as far back into the stands as they could from it. The mega pokémon collapsed in the middle of the deadly attack, unable to move and reverted back to its normal form. The attacked immediately ceased, the last trailing flames dissipating into the air. A large red sphere of flames shot up from beneath the ground. It went high up into the air before it burst to reveal Mega Charizard Y in all his glory with its wings spread out. He let out a loud victory roar into the sky.

"Drax's Charizard is unable to battle. Winner of the battle is Ash's Charizard and the winner of the match is Ash Ketchum!" said the referee, holding up the green flag.

"HOLY COW! THAT IS ONE MATCH THAT WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED! WHAT POWER! WHAT STRATEGY! WHAT CUNNING! WHAT HEART! THE AURA GUARDIAN HAS ADVANCED AND WILL FACE TOBIAS, THE TRAINER OF LEGENDARIES, IN THE FINALS OF THE TOURNAMENT!" The crowd and Ash's group cheered loudly and clapped, ecstatic over his victory. The stadium quieted down though as Ash and his now normal Charizard walked over to Drax who had already returned his pokémon. Latias and Pikachu also followed but stayed a little behind them.

Drax glared at Ash as he came closer to him. "What do you want?! You already won!" he shot at him.

Ash was quiet for a second before answering him. "We had a deal. Apologize," he told him seriously.

Drax had his eyebrows raised. "That's it?! That's all you want?!" he asked him in surprise. Ash said nothing, waiting for his apology. Drax growled at him before mumbling out an apology.

"Speak clearly and louder so you can be heard," stated Ash.

Drax had steam shoot out of his ears. He grabbed his microphone, holding it to his mouth. "I apologize to Clair, Daisy, Iris and Cilan. There I said it." He threw the microphone to the referee before turning his back to Ash and walked towards the field exit.

"Do not forget the other parts that you agreed to Drax!" stated Ash, making him stop. "You will no longer battle until you learn to be a decent person! And you will never go after a legendary pokémon again! Is that clear?!" The silver haired man glanced back the raven haired man before barely nodding. He then continued on his way and soon exited the arena. Ash looked around before spotting his friends and family. He brought the microphone to his mouth. "I dedicate this victory to my friends; Iris, Cilan, Daisy and Clair." The four mentioned felt so much gratitude and were humbled over that while the rest had smiles form on their faces over what he just did. "I'll see you guys back at the hotel…" He glanced at the eon pokémon. "…after I take Latias home." The crowd watched as the guardian, the starter and the dragon disappeared with a blue glow...