Pokemon: Radical Redux-Chapter 356: Vs Chuck part 2

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Ash held up his next Poké Ball, still grinning. "Alright, Meganium, you're up!"

He threw it, and with a flash of light, Meganium appeared on the field. She gave a soft cry as she looked around, then gave Ash a wave with her vine and a smile, eager to do her best.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Bold, sending in a Grass-type against a bruiser like Hitmonchan. I respect it."

Chuck smirked and got back into his stance. "Alright then, Hitmonchan, use [Ice Punch]!"

Hitmonchan grabbed the gem on his waist, an Ice Gem, and crushed it in his gloved hand. Energy surged over both of his fists, covering them in ice. His ability, Iron Fist, made the attack even stronger. With a shout, Hitmonchan lunged forward.

Ash pointed. "[Reflect], now!"

Meganium's eyes glowed, and a translucent barrier of light shimmered in front of her just as Hitmonchan's icy fist connected. It crashed against the screen and blocked the punch. A few shards of ice chipped her, but Hitmonchan also took poison damage.

Chuck smiled. "Don't let up, [Ice Punch], again and again!"

Hitmonchan's hands stayed frozen as he began punching faster, sending jab after jab. An interesting detail, Gems aren't just for one big attack like in the games. When a Pokémon uses a Gem, just like with a Berry, they get the effect for one minute. So all these punches were boosted.

As the flurry of punches continued, Ash threw out his hand. "[Spore], quick!"

Meganium's little antennae released a sweet scent that drifted into Hitmonchan's nose, making him slow down as his eyes grew heavy.

Chuck's eyes widened, he hadn't known Meganium could use Spore. "Hitmonchan, wake up!"

But it was no use. And since sleep and poison stack, the poison damage continued.

Ash smiled. "It's no use. Now Meganium, [Sappy Seed], go!"

Meganium let out a soft cry as she stomped the ground. Behind Hitmonchan, a stem grew up and dropped multiple seeds that exploded one after another, covering him in [Leech Seed].

The force sent Hitmonchan flying back. When he hit the ground, the shock woke him up, but not before he took even more chip damage from the seeds and poison.

Ash saw his chance. "Now, wrap it up with [Magical Leaf]!"

Meganium's flower petals glowed, and she spun, throwing them out. The leaves flew around, hitting Hitmonchan like he was caught in a blender.

Chuck pointed. "Block with [Ice Punch]!"

Hitmonchan raised his fists and ran forward, trying to strike down the incoming leaves one by one, but he was clearly slowing down.

Chuck clenched his jaw. "One more [Ice Punch]!"

"As if [Protect]!" Ash shouted instantly.

A shimmering shield blinked into place, and Hitmonchan's desperate final punch crashed against it, the ice shattering off his gloves. The momentum carried him forward... and then his knees buckled.

He collapsed, finally succumbing to the combined damage and status effects, with spirals in his eyes.

Chuck returned Hitmonchan to his Poké Ball and smirked. "Ha, I'll give you that one. Well played. But we're only two Pokémon down, and I'm still not doing that paperwork."

Chuck grabbed another Poké Ball and tossed it onto the field. "Hitmonlee, your turn!"

With a flash of white light, Hitmonlee landed on the field in a deep crouch, arms and legs coiled like springs. A White Herb was in its mouth, wherever that was, but it had one.

"Alright, [Knock Off]!" Chuck called out.

As Hitmonlee shot out his foot, it extended, and he made a sweeping motion, coming around like an axe kick to strike Meganium across the face, knocking the berry she had out of her mouth. Even with the damage reduction from [Reflect], it still did solid damage.

Ash pointed back. "My turn, let's go on the offensive! [Zen Headbutt]!"

Meganium's eyes glowed as a soft aura surrounded her head. She tucked it low, charged forward, and slammed straight into Hitmonlee's chest, sending him sliding back.

But Ash didn't stop. "Meganium, now grab him with [Vine Whip] and [Giga Drain]!"

Meganium's vines shot out and wrapped around Hitmonlee, tying his arms around his waist as she lifted him up so he couldn't break free. Energy started draining out of him through the vines.

But Chuck didn't panic. "Too bad, that's not gonna work against us. [Blaze Kick]!"

Hitmonlee's foot ignited. He spun it around and shot it down, landing a flaming strike directly to Meganium's face. She lost her grip just enough for Hitmonlee to spin, break free, and send another axe kick to her head.

Meganium hit the ground, but she slowly got back up, shaking her head from the pain. She still looked ready to give it her all.

Ash squinted. "Okay... not bad. But we've still got momentum. Meganium, [Body Slam]!"

Meganium roared and charged, throwing her full weight forward. She leapt slightly, twisting midair.

Chuck shouted, "[Bounce]!"

In a blur, Hitmonlee coiled and launched high into the air, completely vanishing from sight.

Meganium slammed into the ground where he had just been, dirt flying.

Ash's eyes darted upward, scanning for where Hitmonlee would come down.

Sure enough, the air whistled sharply, and Hitmonlee came crashing down, feet-first like a missile.

"[Protect]!" Ash shouted at the last moment.

As Hitmonlee came down spinning, extending his leg to bring it down, Meganium shot up a shield. It collided with the kick, Meganium's feet dug into the ground, but she managed to stop the strike. Hitmonlee backflipped off her and landed back on his side of the field.

"Now, [Sappy Seed] again!" Ash commanded.

Chuck frowned, remembering how it worked. "Hitmonlee, watch out for the seeds!"

But as Hitmonlee jumped up, a vine lashed out and wrapped around his foot, dragging him back down into the exploding seeds, covering him in the [Leech Seed].

Chuck looked at the scene but smiled. "Not bad. Let's get serious then, Hitmonlee, it's time! [Close Combat]!"

Hitmonlee opened his eyes and extended his arms, wrapping them around Meganium's neck and pulling her close. He spun, unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches from every angle, spinning in ways Meganium couldn't dodge.

After the final kick connected, Meganium collapsed to the ground, barely still standing. Hitmonlee was visibly tired from the downside of [Close Combat], but he ate the White Herb, instantly healing the stat drop. Still, he took some damage from [Leech Seed], which helped heal Meganium a little.

Meganium wasn't looking well. She was pushing past her limits, she didn't want to lose and disappoint Ash. With great effort, she stood up and grit her teeth."Me-Meganium!" she cried.

Chuck smiled. "Impressive. Even after all that, your Meganium is still standing. But don't think we'll be stopping just for that. Hitmonlee, [High Jump Kick]!"

Hitmonlee sprang forward, legs tucked in, then launched them out in a blazing arc, soaring like a bullet toward Meganium.

Ash snapped, "[Reflect] again!"

The light barrier shimmered into place just in time. Hitmonlee's foot crashed into it with an earth-shaking thud. The recoil was brutal, but he managed to land on his feet, though clearly feeling the resistance.

Chuck punched the air. "Don't let up, [Blaze Kick]!"

As Hitmonlee kicked down, his other leg ignited. He spun and delivered another axe kick like a flaming wheel, crashing into the [Reflect] screen. Cracks began to form.

Ash frowned and pointed forward. "[Magical Leaf], scatter variation!"

Meganium spun again, releasing a spiral of glowing leaves. They flew out in every direction, forming a mini tornado. One by one, the leaves pelted Hitmonlee, who still didn't stop. More cracks appeared on the screen.

Ash saw the moment. "Finish it, [Body Slam], now!"

Meganium roared and charged forward. With all her weight behind her, she slammed into Hitmonlee just as he broke through the barrier, and the two collided.

CRASH!

Dust exploded around them as Meganium flattened Hitmonlee under her weight. The moment she rolled off, Hitmonlee tried to rise... but staggered.

The [Leech Seed] pulsed again, sapping his strength.

Then, thud.

Hitmonlee fell back, finally knocked out, spirals in his eyes. Not long after, Meganium also collapsed from exhaustion, breathing heavily.

Ash and Chuck returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

"You're something else," Chuck said, crossing his arms. "I don't remember the last time I got pushed this far. Might be the first time I've ever been on the losing end of one of these battles."

Ash grinned. "Do you know how many times I've heard gym leaders say it was useless? Just look at Brock over there, had an Onix, and I still ran his pockets with my electric mouse."

"Hey, come on man, you caught me off guard!" Brock called out from the crowd.

"And that's no excuse. You had a Ground-type and still lost, so sit down," Ash said, pointing at him.

Chuck's grin widened. "Then let's turn this into a real brawl. Machamp, it's your turn!"

Ash nodded and threw his next Poké Ball. "Noctowl, show them what you've got!"

Machamp landed on the field, all four fists flexing as he cracked his knuckles and neck at once. Across from him, Ash's shiny Noctowl emerged with a gleam, feathers shimmering in the sunlight. He let out a calm, echoing hoot as he hovered with smooth, gliding beats of his wings.

Chuck raised his eyebrows. "A shiny Noctowl, huh? You don't see that every day."

Ash smirked. "Yeah, he's one of a kind. Let's see you keep that smile, [Psychic]!"

Chuck grinned back. "Let's find out. Machamp, [Stone Edge]!"

Machamp stomped the ground with both feet, then slammed all four fists into the floor. Jagged rocks burst from the earth in every direction, flying toward Noctowl, until his eyes glowed. He caught them midair with [Psychic] and hurled them right back at Machamp.

As the stones flew toward Machamp, Ash didn't stop. "Let's try something new, [Air Slash] spiral drive!"

Noctowl tilted forward and spun into a barrel roll, slicing through the air with shimmering wind energy surrounding his wings. He dove between the flying stones. With a sharp cry, he launched a cutting arc of air downward, slicing through one of the boulders and striking Machamp across the shoulder. As he flew past, the redirected stones began crashing into Machamp one after the other.

Ash smirked, seeing Machamp fall to his knees. "Now, [Psyshock]!"

Noctowl's eyes glowed. All around Machamp, sharp, needle-like forms of psychic energy shimmered into existence and began raining down, striking the Fighting-type hard. But then, Machamp bit down on a berry and spat out the stem with a grin.

The berry was a Payapa Berry, psychic attacks were no longer super effective, at least for now.

Chuck pointed forward. "Alright, [Bullet Punch], close the distance!"

Machamp blurred forward, all four arms flashing silver as he unleashed a flurry of high-speed punches. Noctowl took the full brunt, wincing in pain as he was sent flying. But Machamp wasn't done, he grabbed Noctowl's foot midair and yanked him back down to the battlefield for another brutal strike.

Ash gritted his teeth. Chuck wasn't letting up. If he wanted space, he had to make it. "Make distance with [Air Slash], point blank!"

Noctowl flapped his wings in a powerful burst of wind, blasting Machamp directly in the chest. The close-range force sent the four-armed titan skidding backward, arms crossed to brace himself.

Chuck gave a big, toothy grin. "That's more like it! But Machamp doesn't go down easy, [Bulk Up]!"

Machamp roared, his muscles bulging as red energy pulsed over his body. His strength and defense surged as he pounded all four fists together, bellowing a challenge toward Noctowl.

Ash's eyes sharpened. "Then let's do things differently. [Roost]!"

Noctowl landed gracefully, folding his wings as a pale glow surrounded him. He began rapidly recovering stamina and wounds.

Chuck's eyes lit up, this was the moment. "[Close Combat], now!"

Machamp charged forward, fists glowing with fighting energy. Noctowl was still on the ground, recovering, but just before impact, his eyes flashed open.

"[Switch]!" Ash shouted.

In a blink, Noctowl vanished and reappeared in the air. Machamp, now suddenly in Noctowl's place, punched nothing but dirt. The entire move was a fusion, part [Ally Switch], part [Teleport], a technique that not only repositioned Ash's Pokémon but could disorient and relocate the opponent's as well.

While Machamp reeled in confusion, Ash pointed. "Noctowl, [Esper Wing]!"

Noctowl spun mid-air, glowing feathers radiating psychic energy. Slashes of light shot out, striking Machamp square in the back. He grunted, staggering forward from the barrage.

Chuck blinked at the reversal, then growled and pointed. "Don't let him control the pace! [Stone Edge], now!"

Machamp roared and slammed his fists into the ground. Jagged stone spires erupted upward, hurtling toward Noctowl with increased speed. This time, some of them clipped the owl, but he managed to dodge most.

Ash didn't let up. "[Lumina Crash]!"

Noctowl summoned a glowing shield in front of himself. His eyes lit up, and with a flash, the shield shattered, light-infused shards scattering and reflecting the sunlight. The shards slammed into Machamp, dazzling him, blinding him.

Chuck's eyes widened. "Machamp! Shake it off! [Thunder Punch]!"

Electricity sparked to life in Machamp's upper right hand. He charged forward, roaring through the blindness. He leapt, and connected, the electrified punch slamming into Noctowl mid-air. Both came crashing down.

But Noctowl didn't fall. He flapped once, hard, wings trembling, but he stayed up.

Ash smiled and snapped his fingers. "Sorry, but this one's mine. [Photon Geyser]!"

Noctowl's feathers glowed with stored energy as he took a deep breath. The air around him shimmered. Then, whoom, a brilliant pillar of light burst from the ground beneath Machamp, engulfing him in psychic brilliance.

The light faded.

Machamp stood for a moment, swaying... then collapsed to his knees and fell, unconscious.

The field went quiet, then roared with applause.

Chuck looked at the scoreboard, then burst out laughing. "Ah, this is fun! I wouldn't have guessed a single one of those moves if you gave me a million tries. But I'm not complaining. This is a real battle, alright!"

Chuck returned Machamp to his Poké Ball with a chuckle. "Well, you've got me here, I'm down to my last Pokémon, and you've technically still got three left. But don't think that means you've won yet. Poliwrath, you're up!"

Poliwrath emerged with a splash, flexing his muscular arms as he landed. A Mystic Water dangled from one wrist, glinting in the sunlight. He let out a deep, throaty croak and stomped forward, ready.

Ash narrowed his eyes. Tch... not great. Noctowl was still standing, but after using [Photon Geyser], a move typically reserved for legends, he was suffering backlash. Psychic-type moves were likely off the table for now.

"One more time, Noctowl! [Hurricane], full power!" Ash shouted.

Noctowl let out a sharp cry, his wings flaring wide. A monstrous vortex howled to life, the wind shrieking as it tore across the field toward Poliwrath.

Chuck's eyes lit up. "Don't think so! Poliwrath, [Water Gun], at the ground!"

Poliwrath pointed both palms downward and fired strong jets of water, propelling himself up like a rocket. The storm blast tore past just below him, the crowd gasping as he soared through the air in a wide arc.

"Now let's get to work, [Waterfall]!" Chuck called out.

Water surged over Poliwrath's arm like a spiraling drill as he flew toward Noctowl. He slammed his water-coated fist into Noctowl's face, sending the owl spiraling back through the air, vision dazed and wings flailing.

Ash clenched a fist. "Don't give in, [Air Slash]! Break his rhythm!"

Mid-spin, Noctowl let out a strained cry, flapping with a burst of strength. A slicing arc of air cut through the sky, hitting Poliwrath in the shoulder just as he tried to press the attack. Poliwrath grunted, crashing down into a shallow puddle and skidding across the soaked field.

Chuck wasn't done. "[Bubble Gun]!"

Poliwrath formed a finger-gun gesture with his hands and started firing, one bubble, then a barrage. Bubbles of all sizes filled the battlefield, floating and hovering all around Noctowl.

Ash squinted, confused. "What the-?"

He hadn't seen this before. This wasn't a standard move, Chuck was improvising something.

"Now, let's end this, [Waterfall], again!" Chuck shouted.

Poliwrath leapt onto one of the floating bubbles, punching it to burst and launch himself higher. He repeated the process, each burst propelling him upward like stepping stones. As he closed the gap, he brought both fists together, water swirling around them in a double-fisted sledgehammer strike.

He brought the blow down directly on Noctowl's head.

Noctowl went hurtling downward. Just as he hit the ground, he bounced into one of the bubbles. Pop. Then another. Pop-pop. The battlefield lit up as each bubble exploded like miniature mines, chaining one after another with a thunderous rhythm.

When the last bubble burst, Noctowl fell limply out of the sky, spirals in his eyes.

Poliwrath landed in a flexing pose, the crowd cheering.

Ash watched, wide-eyed, then whistled. "Huh. Neat trick. Didn't think bubbles could do that."

He returned Noctowl to his Poké Ball. "You did perfect."

Chuck crossed his arms, grinning with pride. "We trained hard. Gotta have some aces for Flying-types, right?"

Ash returned the grin with fire in his eyes. "Fair. But your good mood ends now, because I'm ending this."

He threw his next Poké Ball. A beam of light shot forward and materialized into the imposing figure of Wyrdeer. The majestic Pokémon landed with a stomp, digging his hoof into the dirt as psychic energy pulsed around him.

Chuck's grin faltered slightly as he took in the sight. "Nice deer... I saw the reports about that new evolution, but I didn't think I'd get the honor of battling one so soon."

"Let me give you a crash course on how they fight then. Wyrdeer, [Psychic Terrain]!" Ash called out.

Wyrdeer's antlers flared with energy, and the battlefield shifted. A strange, calming aura spread from the ground, warping the air around them as psychic energy began to pulse.

Chuck eyed the battlefield warily. "Clever, but that's not going to stop us! Poliwrath, we've got this, [Focus Punch]!"

Poliwrath charged up his fist and ran forward as it glowed orange, but Wyrdeer didn't look scared, and neither did Ash.

"Wyrdeer, dodge with [Agility], then [Zen Headbutt]!" Ash called out, pointing forward.

Wyrdeer phased out of the way of the attack and, appearing behind the frog, lowered his head and charged forward, stabbing his horns into Poliwrath's back and sending him flailing to the floor.

Chuck gritted his teeth. "You're good, but Poliwrath isn't backing down! [Hypnosis]!"

Poliwrath's eyes glowed with a strange, swirling energy as it locked eyes with Wyrdeer, attempting to lull it to sleep.

But Ash quickly countered, "No you don't, [Calm Mind], now!"

Even though Wyrdeer was hit by the [Hypnosis], he closed his eyes and cleared his head. When he opened them, he was fine and ready to go again.

Chuck's eyes widened at that, but he shook his head. "[Drain Punch], now!"

"I won't let you, [Psyshield Bash]!" Ash called out, swiping his hand, now seeing the tables were turning in his favor.

Poliwrath ran forward with his fist glowing as Wyrdeer charged with his head glowing. They collided, struggling against each other, both trying to overpower the other, but thanks to [Psyshield Bash] also boosting Wyrdeer's defense, Poliwrath tired first.

Wyrdeer pushed forward, catching the frog in his antlers and throwing him into the air like a rag doll.

Chuck panicked and called out, "Quick, save yourself with [Bubble Gun]!"

Poliwrath snapped out of his daze and started spinning mid-air, letting out tons of bubbles around him and catching himself, landing on one of them. But before he could touch the ground, he began glowing purple.

Looking at Wyrdeer, they saw his antlers were glowing purple, and Ash was smiling. "You know, something hit me while you made that move. Your Poliwrath doesn't have Water Absorb, does it?"

Chuck flinched. How did he guess? "Yeah, why does it matter? It's not like you had any Water moves. How did you even guess that?"

"Pretty simple. It was your bubbles. When Poliwrath touched them, they exploded instead of being absorbed. That gave me my guess. So that means one thing..." Ash snapped his fingers.

Wyrdeer channeled more energy and lifted Poliwrath up, along with all the surrounding bubbles, which also started glowing purple. Ash continued, "That means you're not immune to this. That's why you wanted Poliwrath in the air when you sent Noctowl down. Not a bad plan... too bad you had to face me, because I've already mastered your strategy." He snapped his fingers one last time.

All the bubbles turned and shot at Poliwrath, creating a giant explosion in the air that nearly knocked people off their feet.

When the dust settled, they saw Poliwrath falling from the sky and landing with a thud on the ground, spirals in his eyes.

Bea ran over and checked. Then she raised her hand. "Poliwrath is unable to battle. Therefore, the challenger Ash is the winner!"

As soon as he said that, everyone started cheering, not just for the battle, but also because it meant they didn't have to do paperwork.

Brock ran up and grabbed Ash's head under his arm, giving him a noogie. "Ha! You did it! I didn't doubt you for a second, my guy!"

"What did I say? When have I let anyone down? I always got you," Ash said with a grin as he pulled his head out of Brock's arms.

Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder, sparking with excitement. "Pika pii!"

Yellow clapped from the sidelines, "Yay, you did it, i knew you could!"

Cain twirled dramatically, and gave Ash a flower (where they came from, no one knew), "Victory never looked so good"

Misty went up grabbed the flower and handed it to Heather who crushed it up and shoved it into Cain's shirt

Bea looked at Ash. "Congratulations. I would've challenged you to a rematch, but I think we've done enough battling for one day."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to beat you too soon," Ash said with a smirk, and Bea couldn't hold back a snort at Ash's playful comment.

Chuck walked up to Ash and smiled. "Well, you got me. I guess I can't really go back on my word. I'll fill out your and your friends' paperwork. And for your friends, I'll make sure what happened doesn't leave the island."

Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Badge, "But for now, you earned this, the Storm Badge!"

Ash took it and let it shine in his hand. "Well, five down, three to go."

Chuck laughed as he looked at everyone. "Well, I'm hungry. How about you and your friends join us for dinner? My wife's food is delicious, and she makes the best desserts."

Ash looked back at everyone and shook his head helplessly. "Sounds good to me, seems to me like we could use a break. If it's not too much of a bother, please take care of us."