Ch.6: Total Dominance

The next day, the gang had a quick breakfast and after that, they checked out who were their opponents for today's battles. To say, Ash couldn't be happier as he was facing Iris. Trip was facing Bianca, Paul was facing Ritchie, Alain was facing Brendan. As for Bonnie, she had the toughest challenge as she was facing the Hoenn Champion, Steven.

Ash told them about their opponents' Pokémon. Trip knew Bianca as he had seen her in Unova a few times. Paul was a little surprised to learn that Ritchie had nearly the same Pokémon as Ash. Alain was surprised to learn that Brandon had a Regice, a Registeel and a Regirock. Bonnie was the most worried. She has seen how strong Steven's Mega–Metagross was. Nearly her entire team was weak against Steel–types. Squishy, Z2 and Volcarona were her only Pokémon that actually stood a chance against Mega–Metagross. Ash informed her that his other Pokémon he knew Steven had was an Aggron.

Unfortunately, they were being watched by three males, namely Brock, Cilan and Clemont. The moment they spotted Ash and his friends, they saw Serena. As they watched the Kalos performer walk away from the group, they followed her quietly so they could do what Clemont told her they would if she ever sided with Ash. They were so sure that no one followed them that they failed to notice a curtain ninja–frog watching them go after Serena.

Speaking of said girl, she just went up to her room to collect her PokéBalls. But she wasn't expecting to see Brock, Cilan and Clemont outside of her room.

"Ahh," screamed Serena once she eyed the three males.

"You're in trouble, Serena," said Clemont.

"It's bad to back off your word," said Brock as he, Clemont and Cilan slowly advanced on her.

"I–I–I don't know what–," started Serena, but was interrupted.

"Don't even try. We saw you with Ash and his friends earlier," said Brock and Serena gasped.

"You have to be punished," said Cilan.

"No, please don't do it," begged Serena as Clemont grabbed her hands and suspended them above her head.

"I'm going to enjoy this," said Brock as he reached for her skirt and Serena closed her eyes in fear.

But just as Brock was about to grab her skirt, a shuriken was thrown between his hand and Serena's skirt, stopping Brock.

"What the heck," asked Clemont as he, Brock and Cilan turned to their left, and what they saw scared them.

Before them were standing Ash and Greninja, and Ash's eyes seemed to be glowing blue.

"Let Serena go right now," said Ash as his eyes glowed even more.

"H–hey, Ash. Look, it's not what it–," started Cilan, but stopped when Greninja transformed into Ash–Greninja.

"Hit 'em hard with Aerial Ace," said Ash and Ash–Greninja shot like a bullet, and struck Clemont with Aerial Ace, causing him to lose his grip on Serena's hands, and then started to punch and kick the three males as Ash approached Serena and knelt beside her.

"Are you okay," Ash asked Serena and she nodded. Ash then brought out his arms and hugged her and she began to cry uncontrollably. "It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let you go. Don't cry. I'm here for you."

They… they were going to–," cried Serena as she tightly hugged Ash.

"Shh, it's okay. No one's going to hurt you, not while I'm around," said Ash softly. He looked up and saw Greninja turning back to normal and the unconscious bodies of Brock, Cilan and Clemont lying around.

"I was very scared," said Serena as she looked up at Ash. "Thank you for being here for me."

"I'll always be, but I don't want you to wonder off alone," said Ash softly before pulling out of the hug and stood up, and offered her a hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Okay, but what am I gonna do now that they know where I am staying," asked Serena, gesturing to the unconscious Brock, Cilan and Clemont.

"Then you'll move in the Aether Paradise with the rest of us after the tournament is over and until then, I'm sure Bonnie and Lyla wouldn't mind sharing their room with you. Good thing there's another in their room," said Ash with a smile.

Serena didn't know what to say. Ash was inviting her to live with him and the others. How could she say no to that, but one thing was on her mind.

"Where's Aether Paradise," asked Serena.

"A few miles from here in the middle of the ocean. Lillie's mother is the President so I'm sure she'll allow you to stay," said Ash much to Serena's shock.

"Are you sure she'll accept me there," asked Serena.

"Hey, all of my Pokémon roam free there and I've got a horde of 30 Tauros and few Legendaries, and Lusamine doesn't have a problem with that," said Ash.

"You have Legendary Pokémon," asked Serena in shock.

"Well, Bonnie, Lillie and I do," said Ash. "Some of them are too big to be there so they roam around the islands."

"Which Pokémon are you talking about," asked Serena.

"Rayquaza, Zekrom, Ho–Oh and Lillie's Lugia," said Ash. "Latias and Bonnie's Latios are guarding the Aether Paradise in case of intruders."

"Wait for a moment. Bonnie has Latios," asked Serena.

"As well as Xerneas," added Ash, which took Serena of guard.

Ash, Serena and Greninja made their way to the arena and when they entered the V.I.P. area, they met Lillie, Lyla and the Elite Four.

"Where have you guys been," asked Bonnie.

"We had to take care of three rapists," said Ash in a cold tone.

"What do you mean," asked Lyla.

"Clemont, Brock and Cilan really tried to rape Serena," said Ash and saw the said girl tremble a little and noticed her horrified look, and hugged her gently.

"Okay, that's IT! The next I see Clemont, I'll use Close Combat and Rage on him myself," exclaimed Bonnie.

"Don't worry. Greninja knocked them unconscious," said Ash and Lillie walked up to him and Serena, and put a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"You don't have to be scared anymore. All of us got you back," said Lillie softly.

"Thank you, Lillie," said Serena with a smile.

"Hey, Lillie, will it be okay with your mom if Serena came to live with us at Aether Paradise," Ash asked his girlfriend.

"I'll talk to her, but I'm sure it won't be a problem," said Lillie.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but the first battle's about to start," said Paul.

"Then I better get going," said Ash as he guided Serena to sit between Bonnie and Lyla.

"Good luck! Show Iris how strong you are," said Lillie as she gave Ash a quick kiss to the lips.

"Don't worry, she's about to see true dragon power," said Ash.

"But you have only 4 Dragon–types," reminded Alain.

"Yes, but Iris is scared of Ice–types, so Glalie will take part as well and wanna see her expression when she sees Mermaid," said Ash.

"4 dragons, plus Glalie and Mermaid," counted Trip and smirked at Ash. "You really wanna gave her a hard time, don't you?"

"You know it," said Ash with a smirk of his own and looked at Pikachu, who was taking a nap on Lyla's lap. "Don't wake him up. He'll need his strength for the later rounds."

"Got it, bro," said Lyla. "Now go out there and show Iris who's boss!"

"You know I will," said Ash and walked out of the room towards the battlefield.

A few minutes later, both Ash and Iris were in their respective corners, ready for their battle.

"The battle between Champion Ash and Dragon Master Iris is about to begin. Each trainer will use 6 Pokémon and the battle will be over when all 6 Pokémon on one side are unable to continue," explained the referee. "Are the trainers ready?"

"Ready," said both Ash and Iris.

"Please send out your first Pokémon," said the referee.

"Fraxure, let's go," said Iris, much to Ash's surprise.

"So Axew evolved, huh," said Ash with a chuckle and brought out a PokéBall. "Time to show you a dragon of my own. Noivern, I choose you!"

"It looks like we have a battle between dragon–types," said Goodshow.

"Let the battle begin," said the referee.

"Fraxure, use Dragon Claw," said Iris.

"Noivern, stop it with Boomburst," said Ash.

Fraxure charged in with Dragon Claw, but Noivern fired his Boomburst, sending Fraxure flying in the air.

"Fraxure, use Iron Tail," said Iris and Fraxure use the momentum, and struck Noivern with Iron Tail.

"Noivern, use Dragon Pulse," said Ash.

Noivern fired his Dragon Pulse, which struck Fraxure, sending it crashing on the ground, knocking it out.

"Fraxure is unable to battle. Noivern wins," announced the referee.

In the audience, the traitors were shocked. It's true that Fraxure wasn't Iris' strongest Pokémon, but it never went down that easily. Heck, as an Axew, he managed to withstand Cynthia's Garchomp's Dragon Rush and Draco Meteor! That got them thinking just how strong Noivern was.

"Fraxure, return," said Iris as she returned her defeated Pokémon and made her second choice. "Emolga, let's go."

"So she's using Emolga," muttered Ash. "Noivern, return. Glalie, I choose you!"

"You're doing it on purpose. You know I hate ice–types," Iris exclaimed at Ash.

"You got that right," said Ash. "Glaile, use Headbutt!"

"Emolga, stop it with Attract and then use Charge Beam," said Iris.

Glalie charged in with Headbutt, but Emolga stopped it with Attract, followed by Charge Beam, which raised her special attack.

"Alright, Emolga! Use Air Slash," said Iris and Emolga fired her Air Slash, which struck Glalie. "Now show them your Thunderbolt!"

"Glalie, use full power Ice Beam," said Ash.

Emolga fired her Thunderbolt, but Glalie got over the infatuation and fired his Ice Beam. The two attacks collided, ad despite the power boost, Ice Beam overpowered Thunderbolt, striking Emolga hard, knocking her out.

"Emolga is unable to battle. Glalie is the winner," announced the referee.

"I can't believe it! Just when Iris and Emolga had the upper hand, Ash and Glalie turned things around with a powerful Ice Beam," exclaimed Goodshow.

"Emolga, return," said Iris as she returned Emolga to her PokéBall and brought out another one. "Dragalge, let's go!"

"Iris' third Pokémon is Dragalge. How will Ash deal with this," asked Goodshow.

"Glalie, return and take a rest," said Ash as he returned his ice–type to his PokéBall. "Time for a little dragon battle. Goodra, I choose you!"

"And Ash switches Glalie with his Goodra," said Goodshow.

"Dragalge, use Dragon Pulse," said Iris.

"Goodra, stay still and use Rain Dance," said Ash.

Dragalge fired its Dragon Pulse, but much to Iris' shock, Goodra was unfazed after getting hit by the super effective move and summoned a Rain Dance.

"We'll use that Rain Dance. Use Hydro Pump," said Iris.

"Counter with Thunder," said Ash.

Dragalge fired its Hydro Pump, which easily countered by Goodra's Thunder, but that wasn't all as the electric attack made its way through Hydro Pump, hitting Dragalge hard, paralyzing it in the process.

"Let's finish this with Dragon Pulse," said Ash and Goodra fired his Dragon Pulse, which struck Dragalge, knocking it out.

"Dragalge is unable to battle. Goodra is the winner," announced the referee.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing! Ash's Goodra didn't seem to be affected at all by Dragalge's Dragon Pulse," said Goodshow. "I've got to say, that's a one tough Pokémon!"

"Dragalge, return," said Iris as she returned Dragalge to its PokéBall and brought out another rone. "Druddigon, let's go!"

"So it's Druddigon. Goodra, return," said Ash, returning Goodra to its PokéBall. "Let's get serious. Naganadel, I choose you!"

Pretty much everyone in the audience was in shock that Ash chose Naganadel as this was his own Ultra Beast. The last time anyone saw Naganadel in a battle was a few months ago. Several Ultra Beasts had invaded the region, but Naganadel defeated them all by itself!

"Iris is in serious trouble," smirked Bonnie.

"I haven't seen a Pokémon like that before," said Serena and turned to Lillie. "It looks pretty strong."

"It's one of Ash's strongest Pokémon, and it's also an Ultra Beast," said Lillie. "I won't be surprised if it's Ash's strongest poison–type."

"Druddigon, get close with Dragon Claw," said Iris.

"Don't think so, Iris," said Ash with a smirk. Naganadel, use Dragon Pulse!"

Druddigon charged in with Dragon Claw, but Naganadel fired its Dragon Pulse, sending Druddigo flying and was slammed into the wall behind Iris, knocked out.

"Druddigon is unable to battle! Naganadel is the winner," announced the referee.

"And just like that Druddigon goes down," said Goodshow. "Naganadel sure knows how to live up to its reputation as an Ultra Beast."

"Druddigon, return," said Iris as she returnred Druddigon to its PokéBall and looked at Ash, who just returned Naganadel. "You're going to pay for this. Excadrill, let's go!"

"I'm not impressed. Mermaid, I choose you," said Ash, bringing out his water/fairy–type.

"Excadrill, start with Metal Claw," said Iris.

"Stop it with Psychic and then use Energy Ball," said Ash.

Excadrill charged with Metal Claw, but Mermaid stopped it with Psychic and scored a direct hit with Energy Ball.

"Excadrill, stay strong. Use Focus Blast," said Iris.

"Counter it with Sparkling Aria," said Ash.

Excadrill fired its Focus Blast, but it was easily overpowered by Sparkling Aria, which struck Excadrill hard, knocking it out.

"Excadrill is unable to battle. Primarina is the winner," announced the referee.

"And Iris is down to her last Pokémon. Can she make a comeback," said Goodshow.

"Excadrill, return. Dragonite, let's go," said Iris, bringing out her pseudo–legendary Pokémon.

"Mermaid, return," said Ash as he returned Primarina to her PokéBall and looked at Iris. "I'm not surprised by Dragonite, but you'll be surprised by my choice. Garchomp, I choose you!"

"And Ash chooses his Garchomp to take on Iris' Dragonite," said Goodshow. "Now that's what I call a dragon showdown."

"You're going down hard, Iris," said Ash as he revealed a bracelet on his right hand and pressed it. "Garchomp, show them your true power and Mega–Evolve!"

"No way," muttered Iris as she stared at Mega–Garchomp.

"Garchomp, use Hone Claws," said Ash and Mega–Garchomp raised his attack power and accuracy.

"Dragonite, use Ice Beam," said Iris and Dragonite fired its Ice Beam, which struck Garchomp, freezing it solid. "Game over, Ash. Looks like your Garchomp isn't that strong."

"Is that what you think? Garchomp, use Dragon Rush," said Ash.

The ice around Garchomp began to crack and soon, Garchomp got freed from it and flew in the air, and struck Dragonite hard, with Dragon Rush, sending it crashing to the ground, also knocking it out.

"Dragonite is unable to battle. Garchomp is the winner," announced the referee as Garchomp turned back to normal. "Therefore, the winner of the match is Ash."

"What a battle," exclaimed Goodshow. "I've never seen anything like it. Garchomp didn't even seem to be hurt by Dragonite's Ice Beam and delivered a powerful Dragon Rush to give Ash the victory."

Ash returned Garchomp to his PokéBall and walked out of the battlefield without saying a word, leaving a devastated Iris.

Later that day, Paul defeated Ritchie by using Aggron and Electivre, Trip defeated Bianca using Chandelure and Conkeldurr, Alain defeated Brendan using Tyranitar, Metagross and Charizard. Bonnie managed to knock out 5 of Steven's Pokémon, but his Metagross defeated Dedenne, Chesnaught and Volcarona. Thankfully, Volcarona's Flame Body activated and gave Metagross a burn, which reduced its attack power. Bonnie Mega–Evolved her Altaria and managed to defeat Mega–Metagross by a combination of Flamethrower and Hyper Beam.

At dawn, the matches for the third round were revealed. Ash was facing Diantha, Trip was facing Cameron, Alain was facing Volkner, Paul was facing Brock and Bonnie was facing Max.

Everyone was excited, but Ash and Lillie were the most excited as tomorrow was also their anniversary as it marks exactly 3 years since they've met.

To be continued…

Hi, everyone. Here's the 6th chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but I'm afraid I've got some bad news. I'll have to put the story on hiatus for the time being, but I promise that it'll be finished. Believe That! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all next time.

R&R