Pokemon: Radical Redux

A few days had passed since the breeding competition, and Brock had recovered. Eventually, Ash gave Brock Yui's number again, which he immediately used to call her.

Meanwhile, Ash went ahead and started preparing his team. It was a 4-on-4 battle, and just because he knew what she was bringing didn't mean he was guaranteed to win—just that he had the advantage.

His first choices were Onix and Bayleef; those were immediately in. Heracross too—having a Fighting-type would be good. As for the last one, well, that was iffy. Way back when he let Tauros out to meet his friends, Tauros had made it clear he wanted to fight.

So, his team was Onix, Bayleef, Heracross, and Tauros. Not the most consistent team, but you do what you gotta do. He started training them, prioritizing what they needed for the Gym battle.

Then the day came when Ash went to Whitney's ranch to remove her cast. Once he cut it open and pulled apart the hard case, he asked, "So, how does that feel?"

Whitney flexed her arm, flicking it a few times as she smiled. "Feels great! Good as new."

"Alright, so you're on for tomorrow?" Ash asked.

Whitney gave a thumbs-up. "Yep! I'll be ready for you, and I'm bringing 110%!"

"I expect nothing less," Ash said, shaking his head as he was about to leave.

"Oh no!" Whitney suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked. "Is there still some pain?"

"No, it's just… my nails got ruined! I need to go get them fixed right away!" Whitney said as she ran past Ash, leaving him to sigh helplessly and shake his head.

He was going to make her cry tomorrow.

—

The next day arrived, and when Ash left the hotel with everyone, he was immediately grabbed by Green, who put an arm around his head and pulled him close.

"Hey, how ya feeling, dummy~?" she asked playfully.

"Morning to you too, Green," Ash said, not even bothering to struggle.

"Hi, Green," Yellow said happily as she walked up as well. She didn't do anything to stop it—she was used to this by now.

Green smiled. "Yellow! Always good to see you. Come here." She grabbed Yellow with her other arm and pulled her in too.

"You know, we're here too, you know," Misty said dryly while Brock was still busy looking at his phone, waiting for a text.

"What's wrong? You want a hug too?" Ash teased, opening his arms as if offering one, even though he was still being held by Green.

"As if!" Misty huffed, crossing her arms.

"If you don't want it, I'll take it," another voice chimed in.

Looking to the source, they saw Lyra walking up with her usual cheeky grin.

"Oh really? Why don't you go ask that guy you were talking with? That green-haired kid~ You were flirting with him a bunch," Green smirked.

"Please. Khoury is cute in a nerdy way. Besides, I like my men strong and handsome~" Lyra said. You would have to be an idiot not to know who she was talking about.

"Well, too bad! It is my right as the childhood friend to hold him in a headlock, so too bad for you." Green stuck her tongue out, still hugging Ash and Yellow on both sides.

Ash sighed as Green kept him in a playful headlock. "Is being apart from your little brother, Silver, affecting you that much? You're even clingier than usual," he muttered, earning a smirk from Green.

"Oh, I just know how to show affection properly, unlike some people," Green teased, glancing toward Misty.

Misty huffed. "If 'properly' means getting up in everyone's space, then sure."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Ash groaned, but he was smiling as he pulled himself out of Green's arms.

Meanwhile, Brock was still glued to his phone. "C'mon, c'mon…" he muttered under his breath, his eyes flicking across the screen.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Still waiting for a reply from Yui?"

Brock sighed dramatically. "You don't get it, Ash. This is a delicate process. The timing has to be just right."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Yeah, or you could just text her again like a normal person."

"Dude, the three-day rule already passed. You can just call her again. I don't even know why I'm so invested in this—I have a Gym battle to do," Ash said.

"Can I come? I need to take on Whitney too, so I might as well watch," Lyra asked, putting her hands behind her back.

"Sure, I don't mind. Either way, I'm going. Whether you guys follow isn't up to me," Ash said as he started walking. Lyra, Green, and Yellow followed immediately, and Misty started dragging Brock by the shirt to get him to move.

—

It took a few moments to navigate Goldenrod City—it was huge, and the shops were already full, even this early in the day. Eventually, they arrived at the Gym, a large pink building decorated with plushies on the walls.

Whitney was already there, waving them over happily. "You made it!" she said, bouncing on her heels. "I'm so excited! Can't wait to blow you away with all my cute Pokémon!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Ash said as he stepped into the arena. The others walked over to the bleachers, where a crowd of Gym trainers and spectators had gathered, most, unsurprisingly, wearing Whitney merch.

"I hope you're ready, Ash, 'cause I'm not going easy on you!" Whitney said as she took her position and stretched her arms. "You told me before you had two badges, so I'm your third. I made my team extra special just for you!"

One of the Gym trainers stepped forward to act as the referee. She raised her arm and announced, "This will be a four-on-four battle between Gym Leader Whitney and Challenger Ash. The match will continue until all four Pokémon on one side are unable to battle. Trainers, are you ready?"

Whitney grinned excitedly. "You bet!"

Ash spun a Poké Ball on his finger. "Let's do this!"

The referee raised her flag. "Then let the battle begin!"

"Yosh! Alright, Blissey, let's go!" Whitney shouted as she threw her Poké Ball. It burst open, revealing Blissey, who stomped onto the field, clutching a piece of Leftovers.

Ash stopped spinning his Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. "Heracross, let's do this!"

With a flash of light, Heracross emerged, wings already fluttering as he prepared for battle. With a Choice Band around his head.

Whitney swiped her arm. "Blissey, use [Stealth Rock]!"

Ash had anticipated this. "Heracross, use [Swords Dance]!"

As spectral swords spun around Heracross, boosting his attack power, Blissey flung small glowing rocks that disappeared into the battlefield, lying in wait.

Ash wasted no time going on the offensive. "Heracross, take to the sky and use [Arm Thrust]!"

Heracross shot into the air, wings buzzing as it sped toward Blissey. With a battle cry, it thrust its arms forward, striking Blissey's large body multiple times. Four consecutive hits landed, making Blissey stumble and nearly fall backward.

"Blissey, [Counter]!" Whitney called out, a confident smirk on her face.

Blissey grinned as she steadied herself and then slammed both hands forward, striking Heracross with double the force. Heracross tumbled backward through the air.

Ash pointed forward. "Heracross, recover and use [Throat Chop]!"

Heracross adjusted midair and zipped toward Blissey in a blinding streak, his arm glowing black with energy. If this attack landed, Blissey would be in serious trouble.

Whitney clapped her hands. "[Minimize]!"

Blissey's body shrank just in time, narrowly dodging the attack as she became half her original size.

"Now, [Soft-Boiled]!" Whitney said with a sly smirk.

Blissey's egg glowed as she rapidly healed herself, erasing most of the damage. Combined with the passive recovery from her Leftovers, she was almost back to full strength. Ash squinted—he knew this was going to be annoying, but it was already testing his patience.

"Heracross, get back in there with [Close Combat]!" Ash commanded.

Heracross fluttered his wings and shot forward, aiming directly for Blissey's glowing egg.

Whitney crossed two fingers together. "Nope! Dodge, then use [Seismic Toss]!"

Blissey's smaller size made dodging easier—she leaped aside just in time, then quickly latched onto Heracross' back, pulling at his wings and forcing him to ascend into the sky.

"Heracross!" Ash yelled, watching as they soared higher. "Get her off you with [Megahorn]!"

"It's too late for that! Blissey, don't let go!" Whitney said, her cheeky smirk never fading.

Heracross' horn glowed as he threw his head back, landing a hit on Blissey. However, she refused to release her grip. As they climbed higher, Blissey adjusted her position, gripping Heracross' wings tightly—preventing him from flying.

Then, gravity took hold.

Blissey positioned herself on top as they plummeted.

Boom!

They crashed into the battlefield, Heracross taking the full brunt of the impact. The Stealth Rocks embedded in the ground stabbed into him as well, worsening his condition.

Ash clenched his fists. "Heracross, are you still good to fight?"

Heracross struggled to rise, his wings clearly damaged.

Blissey hopped off, and Whitney grinned. "Too bad! But let's make sure it's over [Toxic]!"

Before Heracross could react, Blissey leaned in and blasted him with a point-blank [Toxic] attack, leaving him badly poisoned before finally jumping off.

From the top of the stands, everyone was watching intently. Whitney's fans cheered loudly, rallying for her to take Ash down, while Ash's friends observed the brutal beating Heracross was taking.

"Yikes, that doesn't look pretty," Lyra muttered, resting her head in her hand. "Glad it's not me out there. Definitely need to prepare for that."

"Hey, it's not over yet! I'm sure Ash can pull it back," Yellow said, trying to defend him.

"I don't think she was saying Ash was going to lose," Brock added, momentarily putting his phone down. "But to be fair, Ash has gotten out of worse situations than this."

"Not wrong," Green said with a small, playful smile, leaning back with her hands behind her head.

Misty crossed her arms. "I swear, he's an idiot, but he knows what he's doing."

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield, Heracross was struggling to stand, the poison continuously chipping away at his strength.

Whitney giggled playfully, placing her hands behind her back. "Hehe~ So, what's it gonna be? Are you gonna surrender~?"

But Ash simply smirked in response as Heracross pushed himself back up, breathing heavily. "Why would I? The party's just getting started, isn't that right?"

Heracross let out a loud battle cry, echoing through the stadium. His body suddenly radiated energy as Guts activated, sending a thick cloud of smoke swirling around him.

Ash snapped his fingers. "Let's show them—[Brick Break]!"

With blinding speed, Heracross dashed forward, appearing right in front of Blissey and delivering a powerful strike straight to her chest.

Whitney's eyes widened in panic. "Blissey, no! [Minimize] and dodge!"

"Blissey, yes! Now, [Arm Thrust]!" Ash countered.

Blissey shrank even smaller, making herself harder to hit, but Heracross was relentless. He unleashed a rapid barrage of strikes, one after another. Blissey managed to dodge three in a row, but eventually, a hit landed, sending her skidding backward.

Still, the prolonged effort was taking its toll—Heracross was visibly weakening as the poison continued to sap his strength.

Whitney waved her arm. "Blissey, use another [Minimize] and run! Just outlast him!"

Blissey shrank even further—down to the size of a coin—before dashing around the battlefield. She didn't need to fight Heracross directly. All she had to do was survive. With her evasion maxed out at +6, most opponents wouldn't even be able to touch her.

But Ash only grinned. "Alright, you wanna dodge? Then dodge this—[Aerial Ace]!"

Heracross buzzed his wings and took off, locking onto Blissey. No matter how fast she moved, it wouldn't matter—Aerial Ace never misses.

With pinpoint precision, Heracross dived in and slashed directly at Blissey's tiny form, landing a devastating hit that left a crater where she stood.

Blissey tumbled backward, her tiny form expanding back to normal as her eyes spiraled in defeat. She was knocked out.

For about five seconds.

Then, with one final shudder, Heracross, overcome by the poison, collapsed onto his back.

The referee raised both arms. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle! This round is a draw!"

Ash and Whitney recalled their Pokémon at the same time.

Whitney smirked. "Not bad! But now, neither of us has the advantage, do we?"

Ash chuckled. "Maybe if you didn't run, we could've had a normal fight."

"Ouch. Alright then," Whitney teased, grabbing a fresh Poké Ball. "If that's how you want it, I'll give you exactly what you're asking for."

Ash held up his next Poké Ball, determination in his eyes. "Then let's do this."

Ash and Whitney threw out their Poké Balls simultaneously. With a flash of light, two Tauros emerged onto the battlefield—one from each side, both stomping the ground with powerful energy.

Both Tauros were equipped with a Life Orb, boosting their attacks, but Ash's Tauros winced slightly as Stealth Rock chipped away at its health.

Whitney clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, fun! Tauros versus Tauros~"

Ash smirked. "Well, I gotta show my product to my customer, don't I? Gotta let you see where your money's going."

Whitney grinned. "Then show me!" She wasted no time in attacking. "Tauros, use [Headbutt]!"

Her Tauros charged forward, head glowing as it barreled toward its opponent.

Ash reacted quickly. "Tauros, you too [Headbutt]!"

His Tauros met the charge, its head glowing the same way. The two bulls collided in the center of the battlefield, slamming into each other with brute force. The impact echoed through the stadium, but neither backed down. Their Sheer Force abilities canceled out the usual recoil from Life Orb, keeping them at full strength.

The battle turned into a power struggle, both Tauros pushing against the other, refusing to give an inch.

"Tauros, [Take Down]!" Whitney commanded.

Ash waved his arm forward. "Oh no, you don't, Tauros, use [Strength]!"

Whitney's Tauros dug its hooves in, trying to drive Ash's back, while Ash's Tauros locked horns and pushed upward, attempting to lift Whitney's Tauros off the ground. For a moment, they were at a stalemate until Ash's Tauros tensed its muscles, flexing with raw power.

With a mighty huff, it lifted Whitney's Tauros completely off the ground, leaving it kicking in midair.

Whitney's eyes widened. "No way…"

Ash's grin widened. "Now! [Double-Edge]!"

With a powerful heave, Ash's Tauros threw Whitney's Tauros into the air. As it came crashing down, Ash's Tauros rushed forward and slammed into its side, sending Whitney's Tauros skidding across the battlefield.

Whitney ran up slightly, concerned, "You okay? Do you wanna stop?"

Her Tauros shook its head, huffing as it stomped the ground, clearly ready to continue.

The two Tauros locked eyes, neither one willing to back down. Their nostrils flared, muscles tensed, hooves scraping against the floor.

Whitney smirked. "Alright then. Let's show them what we can really do!" Her Tauros charged forward.

Ash's eyes gleamed with excitement, "Right back at ya!" His Tauros rushed in to meet the challenge.