Chapter 11:

The Final Battle, Part Two

Hope you enjoy the end of Without A Trace! - Thanks for all the reviews, you guys are great

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Ash pulled out Aipom's Pokeball and recalled the Long Tail Pokemon. John did the same with Bulbasaur, and then pulled out a third Pokeball. The younger boy gave the ball a toss as Ash selected Totodile's Pokeball from his belt. John's Pokeball opened to reveal a Sandslash. The Mouse Pokemon flexed her two claws, flattening the brown hedgehog spikes on her back. Ash threw Totodile's Pokeball while grinning. He had the upper hand type-wise here.

The Big Jaw Pokemon burst from his Pokeball with a jig. The rising sun, which was seen through the gigantic hole in the wall, glinted of his blue, yellow, and red scales. "Totodile, Water Gun!"

A jet of water shot from Totodile's mouth, straight at Sandslash.

"Sandstorm!"

Sandslash threw her body forward, and sand began to swirl around the air, gathered from outside. The jet of water from Totodile's Water Gun hit Sandslash and she shuddered and climbed to her feet as the storm worsened. Bits of sand hit Totodile but Sandslash expertly stayed out of the way.

"Bite!"

"Slash!"

Totodile ran forward into the Sandstorm, as did Sandslash. The two almost collided, but Sandslash paused and raked her claws across Totodile's scales. Totodile cried out but bit down harshly on one of Sandslash's arms. "Shake it off, Sandslash!" John shouted. Sandslash began to wave her arm wildly, slashing at Totodile with her free claws.

"Water Gun, quick!"

Totodile let go and shot a powerful spray into Sandslash's face. She gave a horrible cry and fell back. The Sandstorm buffeted Totodile one last time before it died out, leaving the floor dusted with sand. John recalled his fainted Mouse Pokemon, and Ash recalled Totodile.

Score: 3-1.

"Espeon, it's up to you!" John said, sending Espeon out. Ash gave a nod to Pikachu, and the Electric Mouse bounded onto the battlefield. "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu began charging up as John called out Espeon's attack, "Psychic!"

Pikachu fired his electricity as Espeon sent out her psychic energy; the bolt and wave missed each other and collided into their targets. Pikachu jumped back into the fray and Espeon still looked well powered. "Slam!"

Pikachu flung himself at Espeon crashing into the Sun Pokemon as John made his Pokemon's command. "Psychic!" The energy hit Pikachu and he bounced off Espeon and hit the ground on all four paws. "Slam!" "Psychic!"

This time Pikachu dodged the wave and slammed into Espeon's chest with great force. The Sun Pokemon flew back and hit the wall, leaving a dent but not shattering it. Espeon fell to her paws and stumbled, and fainted. John angrily recalled his Pokemon, and Pikachu turned and bounded over to Ash. He jumped onto Ash's shoulder and turned to watch again. He panted lightly, exhausted from fighting energy waves.

Score: 4-1. Ash had won more than half the battle.

"Go, Raichu!" The evolved form of Pikachu exploded from John's next Pokeball. The orange-furred electric mouse glared at Ash, waiting for him to summon a Pokemon. Her long, lightning-bolt tipped tail whipped around eagerly. Ash pulled Sceptile's Pokeball out and tossed it, "It's all you, Sceptile!"

Sceptile and Raichu faced each other. Sceptile calmly examined Raichu, searching for weakpoints. "Body Slam," John shouted.

"Leaf Blade!" Leaves, pulled from outside, began circling Sceptile. They were razor-edged and shot towards Raichu quickly. Raichu took the hit, but slammed into the Forest Pokemon will full-force. It was a critical hit and Sceptile hit the wall. He slid down but stood back up, glaring in a strangely calm manner. "Body Slam!" John cried again. "Razor Blade!" came from Ash again.

The same thing happened: Raichu took the Leaf Blade but Body Slammed into Sceptile. Sceptile hit the wall but did not get up. The two trainers recalled their Pokemon reluctantly; that had gone too fast for them. The score was 4-2 now though. Ash had won, but John wasn't ready to give up just yet. "It's up to you, Gro—where's Growlithe?" Everyone looked around for the fire Puppy Pokemon. He was no where to be seen. After that was established, Ash turned to face John. "Give me my hat!"

John sneered, spit on the ground, and then threw the hat at Ash. Ash lunged forward and caught his beloved hat. May took the hat from Ash's hands and put it on his head, backwards. He smiled at her and then looked back at John. He glared, and then he softened to a blank look. What was he supposed to do with the kid? Send him blasting into the air? Ash hesitated, and then glanced at Brock. "What do I do to him?" John threw a Pokeball, and Pikachu jumped down, prepared to battle the surprise Pokemon. However, the ball was empty. Pikachu tilted his head.

"...What was that for?" Ash asked, confused.

John raised an eyebrow. "It's Growlithe's Pokeball."

"...So why didn't you recall him?"

"I don't want that traitor."

Ash glared briefly before looking around. "Like you could find him anyway."

John shrugged, and then pulled out another Pokeball. He didn't throw it, but pressed the button calmly and out came his fainted Sandslash. Ash tilted his head in a confused manner as he watched John revive his Pokemon quietly and quickly. Ash felt kind of stupid at the moment. What was the kid doing and how did –

"SANDSTORM!"

Sandslash waved her claws around, summoning the sandstorm. Sand whirled around faster than before, whipping Pikachu harshly. Pikachu bounded back into Ash's arms. Ash held Pikachu with one arm, and held his hat in place with his other hand. May held onto Ash's arm as the sandstorm got even fiercer. It buffeted the remaining walls, knocking the one closest to the group over; Delia screeched and Brock grabbed Max and pulled him away from the wreckage. Everyone threw themselves to the ground except for Ash and May. Ash tried to step forward, but the raging sand stopped him. "John is escaping!" he yelled, but could do nothing except get whipped by the sand. The Sandstorm spread out, the gusts of sand getting more sharp. May tugged on his arm and he put the arm holding Pikachu around her so he was holding both of them. "Pikachu!" Pikachu cried, trying to get Ash to duck down too. Ash hesitated, getting whipped by sand again, before sending out Swellow. "Fly above the storm!" He yelled, hoping the Swallow Pokemon could hear him.

Swellow did, and flew above the raging Sandstorm.

"Whirlwind!"

Swellow flapped her wings fiercely, sending sand flying. Slowly the storm began to slow as Swellow pumped her wings as fast as they could go. Little by little the sand stopped whirling. Ash still stood, letting the sands whip at him. However, the sand also hit Pikachu and May, so Ash reluctantly dropped to the floor to avoid injuring himself and his friends. Finally the wind from Swellow's wings defeated the storm, and there was, once again, an eerie silence. The group stood up slowly, slightly confused, looking around for JT. There was no sign of the boy, and the bulding lay in ruins: the storm had raged through the rest of it as well. Swellow dived down and perched on a nearby tree branch, exhausted. Ash looked around, feeling a little... disappointed. He shook himself of the feelings mentally and looked at his friends with a confident grin. "Everyone alright?"

They had some scratches and a few bruises, but everyone was okay. There were sirens in the distance, probably the police come to check out the aftermath. "We have to get out of here," May said urgently. Max looked confused. "Why?" May explained the deal with the guard as Ash pulled Charizard's Pokeball from his belt and summoned Swellow with a gesture. Swellow dutifully flew to her trainer, and Ash sent out his Fire- and Flying-type. At that moment, Growlithe appeared. The Puppy Pokemon jumped over crumbled bits of the walls, looking like he'd taken some serious damage. The group rushed over to the injured Pokemon, who collapsed in May's arms. "Poor Growlithe," the Coordinator said, stroking the Pokemon's ears. Ash sighed, almost in defeat. "He did bite me, but actually, he also saved us. Without him, Pikachu wouldn't have gotten out, and neither would we. We'd still be in that cell if it wasn't for him." Brock, Max, and Delia nodded in agreement.

Ash turned to May. "And he's wild now, remember? John released him." May looked up at him, blinking curiously. She looked down at Growlithe, who had closed his eyes and was breathing shallowly. "Oh no! He won't die, will he?" May asked, biting her lower lip slightly. Brock bent down to examine the Puppy Pokemon. After a moment, Brock shook his head. "Nah. He just needs some rest. Ash?" Ash shook his head, "I already have a Growlithe, Brock." Everyone looked at May, who kind of squeaked. "I have a Fire-type," she said, thinking of Combusken. Attention turned to Max, who said simply, "No way."

There was some arguing. "Why don't we just take him to the Center, and then let him back into the wild? I can carry him," Brock offered. "No! Think of all he's been through, Brock! He just got dumped by his trainer," May argued, so THAT was dismissed.

"Okay, well obviously, we gotta take him to the Center. Why don't we decided what to do with him when that's all done?" Ash offered hopefully, wanting to get out before the policemen came. Everyone agreed, and so Ash turned to Charizard and Swellow.

"Okay, Charizard can carry everyone but Max. Max, you'll ride with Swellow." Max hesitantly clung to the large Swallow Pokemon's feathers. "Go easy on 'em, Swellow," Ash said before hopping aboard Charizard. Charizard stooped low and spread out his wings, allowing easier boarding for Brock, May, and Delia. Charizard took off when everyone was safely on and hanging onto the person in front of them, and Swellow soon followed, Max clinging to her like cream cheese on a bagel. Well that was a random simile, wasn't it?

The ride was pretty eventless. No one fell. They sailed over Viridian as the sun rose higher in the sky. Ash pointed out the PokeCenter to Charizard, and the Flame Pokemon dipped down and headed for the red roof. Swellow followed Charizard's lead but slower since Max wasn't used to flying around on a huge bird. They landed, and Ash returned his Pokemon. Brock carried Growlithe in his arms, and they entered the PokeCenter; it was only slightly busy, a few Trainers hanging around the counter, waiting for their Pokemon, but nothing like the rush Ash and May had seen before. Ash and Brock approached the counter. "Hello, can I help you?" the Nurse Joy asked, smiling rehearsedly at the two boys. "Nurse Joy, you had my heart - " Ash stepped on Brock's foot, hard, before he could finish proclaiming his love.

"Yes, I'd like you to heal my Pokemon, and this Growlithe."

"Is it wild?"

"Well, yes, his trainer just abandoned him."

"Oh, the poor thing! But I'm afraid we can't heal it if it isn't in a Pokeball."

"Chansey, Chansey," a large pink Pokemon with an egg in its stomach pouch tugged on the Nurse's sleeve.

The Nurse's face brightened. "Oh! That's right; we have something in the back." Brock handed Growlithe over to the Nurse Joy while Ash's foot hovered above his own, ready to smash if he tried another pick up line. Chansey took Ash's Pokeballs and the two returned to the group, who were discussing where Growlithe would go.

Ash sat rather closely next to May, earning stares from his mother and Max. But he ignored them and the nervousness that jumped around in his stomach. "So, anything decided?" The group shook their heads sadly. Ash looked at his mother, who was clearing sand out of her shoes. "Mom, why don't you take Growlithe?" Ash said suddenly.

"Me? I'm not a Trainer, sweetie."

"You have Mimey! And Growlithe is a good Pokemon, he just got mixed up with the wrong people. I'm sure Mimey needs male company anyway, and a Pokemon companion. You don't have to train him, you don't train Mimey; he could be your pet. Or our pet."

Delia looked a little taken aback, yet thoughtful. The rest of the group pondered on the fact Ash had used the petname "Mimey" and hadn't said anything about being called sweetie. Delia glanced at the counter, where a girl was retrieving her three Pokeballs, and then back to the group. "Well, I guess I could take him in, if you put it like that... but I don't have a Pokeball for him." Ash produced an empty one from his pack, and handed it to his mother. Delia reluctantly took it, and Ash and his mother headed up to the counter again. Ash took back his Pokemon from Chansey as Nurse Joy came up with Growlithe in her arms. The fire puppy looked much butter, panting happily and looking from Ash to Delia. "Here we go, good as new! What are you going to do with him?"

"Mom's gonna take him and care for him," Ash said as he gestured for his mother to "catch" Growlithe.

Delia looked a Growlithe and awkwardly tossed the Pokeball. She'd never been a serious trainer; the motion was strange for her. Growlithe went into the Pokeball as a red beam. The center of the Pokeball glowed and the ball wiggled for a few moments. Ash stared at the Pokeball with intensity, and it stopped moving after a moment. He smiled as the center returned to normal color, and he took the Pokeball from Nurse Joy. He tossed it to his mother, who barely caught it. "Thank you, honey!" And the two rejoined the group, who were exhausted. Max had fallen asleep on the couch next to May, and Brock looked like he was about to nod off. Ash woke Brock and pointed at Max; Brock took the hint and picked up the younger boy. Ash offered his hand and helped May up with a smile. The teen's eyes met for a moment, and then their hands separated, Ash's fingers grazing her palm for a moment before he turned and grinned at his friends.

"Well, I'm hungry! Let's get cheeseburgers!"

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The end.

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My first fanfic is complete!