Charizard flew down and slashed at the King, who caught the attack easily. Charizard was nearly out of breath but kept fighting as the King laughed.
"Charizard {Is this the best you can do? You'll never-}" the King began to say but was abruptly cut off.
"CHARIZARD! {SHUT UP!}" Charizard roared as his other hand broke free. He thrust forward, stabbing the King in the chest.
As the King recoiled slightly from the pain, Charizard seemed to recover a bit, gaining a surge of energy and stamina.
"Chari-zard! {I don't care if I'm weak. He NEVER cared if I was weak, so WHY SHOULD I?}" Charizard shouted, gripping the King's arm and unleashing a point-blank [Dragon Breath] straight into his face.
The blast forced the King to stumble, and Charizard followed up with a powerful dropkick to his stomach, knocking him down. The King shook his head, trying to regain his senses. When he finally opened his eyes, Charizard was already flying higher, performing a Dragon Dance in the air.
A smaller Charizard flew up to the King. "Char? {Sir, should we catch him?"
But the King smiled, "Char~ {No, he passed my test. I knew I liked him when I first saw him.}"
—-
Meanwhile, Ash and the fake Ash were locked in battle, surrounded by swirling fire and water that formed a prison. Crystals around them also began to close in.
Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile were fighting against Houndoom, Mantine, and Bellossom. Though they had been pushing their opponents back, fake Ash's commands were turning the tide, giving his team the upper hand.
But Ash wasn't worried. There was one reason for his confidence: this wasn't Molly. That meant the illusion wasn't invincible, so there was a chance Ash could win.
Ash threw out his arm, "Chikorita, [Energy Ball], rapid fire!"
Fake Ash countered, "Houndoom, [Will-O-Wisp]!"
As Chikorita charged a green sphere, Houndoom conjured six flames. Their attacks clashed in a fiery explosion.
When the dust cleared, fake Ash's voice rang out, "Mantine, [Water Pulse]!"
Ash responded instantly, "Cyndaquil, [Flamethrower]!"
A stream of water met a blast of fire, creating a massive burst of steam.
Fake Ash smirked, "You see now? In this form, I am your perfect copy. Everything you can do, I can do just as well, if not better. You can't win."
But as he opened his eyes, time seemed to slow, "Wha—"
0.1 seconds: Ash emerged from the steam, his eyes glowing.
0.2 seconds: His fist shot forward.
0.5 seconds: A blue aura surrounded his hand.
0.8 seconds: His punch connected with fake Ash's face.
1 second: Fake Ash's face shattered as he crashed into the ground, cracking the surface beneath him.
Ash clenched his fist, activating his aura to prevent fake Ash from reforming.
"You talk too much..."
With fake Ash defeated, Houndoom, Mantine, and Bellossom were left without commands. Seizing the moment, Ash shouted, "Finish this, now!"
Chikorita's vine shot out, wrapping around all three enemies and slamming them together. Totodile followed, skating across a frozen path created by his [Ice Beam]. He spun and danced, circling the trapped opponents as Cyndaquil, engulfed in a [Flame Wheel], joined the fray.
Chikorita extended two more vines, one gripping Cyndaquil and the other grabbing Totodile. She spun them faster, creating a vortex of green, red, and blue energy. The spiraling colors blurred into a glowing white ring.
As they stopped, Bayleef, Quilava, and Croconaw stood tall, raising their heads.
"[Energy Ball]! [Flamethrower]! [Hydro Pump!"
The combined attack struck Houndoom, Mantine, and Bellossom in a final, devastating explosion. The crystals around them shattered, leaving only fragments scattered on the ground.
Ash dusted off his jacket and smiled at his team, who were panting but triumphant.
"Good work," he said, pulling out their Pokéballs. "Now, get some rest."
With a beam of light, he returned them all.
As he started running up the stairs again, he felt a buzz from his Pokédex. He pulled it out and saw it was displaying an update for his Pokémon. He checked it—and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
—--
[Bayleef {F}]
Nature: Modest (+SpA, -Atk)
Ability: Overgrow, Hidden Ability: Leaf Guard
New Moves: Spore, Sappy Seed
[Quilava {M}]
Nature: Quiet (+SpA, -Spe)
Ability: Blaze, Hidden Ability: Flaming Soul
New Move: Fiery Dance
[Croconaw {M}]
Nature: Jolly (+Spe, -SpA)
Ability: Sheer Force, Hidden Ability: Strong Jaw
New Moves: Fishious Rend, Jaw Lock
—--
He stared at the screen, feeling like he was seeing things. None of them should know these moves. They didn't learn them. Sure, he knew some Pokémon had different move sets, but this? Spore and Sappy Seed on Bayleef? That was insane.
Shaking his head, he pushed the confusion aside and kept running up the stairs. He wouldn't complain about a bit of good fortune—finally. Right now, he had more important things to do, like getting to his mother.
—-
{Back downstairs}
Brock and Misty were waiting for the right moment to execute their plan. Zubat and Poliwag were fighting hard, but it wasn't going well. Still, there was one thing to remember: the best way for a Pokémon to get stronger was to battle someone as strong—or stronger.
Even as they took hit after hit, Zubat and Poliwag were growing. This was part of Brock's strategy.
"Brock, can we do it now?" Misty asked, panic in her voice as Poliwag staggered from another Metal Claw from Teddiursa. "I don't know how much longer Poliwag can hold on!"
"Not yet…" Brock said through clenched teeth as Zubat was struck by a Rollout from Phanpy.
Adult Molly clapped her hands gleefully, "This is so much fun! Now I see why Brother Ash likes you guys so much."
Zubat and Poliwag collapsed again, barely able to stand. Misty glanced at Brock with desperate eyes, but he shook his head, his jaw tight, "Not yet..."
Teenage Molly stretched lazily, arms behind her head, "Hmmm, this is getting kinda boring. Let's finish them so we can go play with Brother Ash!"
"Yeah, you're right!" Adult Molly agreed with a smile.
As the Mollys were about to give their final commands, the ground suddenly shook. Entei growled, placing a paw on his head, his eyes narrowing in pain, "Grrr!"
The Mollys whirled around in concern, "Papa, what's wrong?" they asked in unison.
"I'm fine, Molly. J-just… my head hurts a little," Entei lied, his voice strained.
Brock's eyes widened. This wasn't the opening he had been waiting for—but he wasn't going to waste the chance, "NOW!"
Misty didn't need to be told twice, "Right!"
Zubat and Poliwag got the message, as Zubat forced his aching muscles and shot back into the air and Poliwag rolled up blasting ice around herself going into an [Ice Ball] and rolling forward
"Let's end this [Supersonic]!" Brock commanded
Zubat circled around and shot a [Supersonic] at Phanpy and Teddiursa, as he didn't slow down and spun as the 2 Pokemon began to spiral,
"Right behind you, Poliwag your turn!"
Poliwag spun forward and hit Phanpy and Teddiursa across the side and kept rolling past them hitting a wall and changing trajectory.
Brock took the chance while they were dazed, "Zubat now [Aerial Ace Barrage]!"
This was something he based on when he fought next to Falkner, it wasn't the same but the idea was still there, as Zubat shot down with his wings glowing and slashed at them, as Phanpy and Teddiursa recovered Poliwag came back in for another hit.
Then another, then another, and another, Zubat's speed began increasing as the Soothe Bell he kept on his leg rang a soft tune, as he shot down one more time he began glowing, and growing until he became a Golbat slashing again.
Previously Molly still believed she couldn't lose, but seeing a Pokemon evolve in the middle of battle, was extremely cool for her, she was still a child, and in all the cartoons when a Pokemon evolves mid battle that means they have to win.
So that means when Golbat went down for the last slash for the first time in this battle, Phanpy and Teddiursa were genuinely damaged.
As Molly was watching Golbat with stars in her eyes, Misty called out, "Don't forget about me, Poliwag, now [Whirlpool] beneath you!"
Just like how Brock was inspired by Falkner, this one was inspired by Ash, specifically his [Counter Shield] it was a bootleg version but it was the same in concept.
Poliwag was still in an ice ball then crashed into them again and began spinning in a circle summoning water that began spinning around and catching Phanpy and Teddiursa, and in the center, a bright light came from the Ball.
Then when the water reached its peak the Ball rode the wave up and uncurled revealing that Poliwag also evolved into Poliwhirl, then when he was at the peak he used his hands and threw them down into the center slamming.
Molly was starstruck again, waving her hands, wanting to see what they did again. In her imagination, she was starting to see that Brock and Misty were now even better, so that meant they were getting better.
Brock waved his arm up in the air, "Now let's finish this Golbat!"
"I'm right behind you Brock," Misty announced as she pointed to the center, "Poliwhirl now!"
Golbat began flying at high speed around the spiraling water, his bell ringing. One fun thing was that Brock never took the Soothe bell off, so Golbat was already at max friendship with Brock.
As Golbat flew to the top of the water, Poliwhirl was at the bottom, then Poliwhirl shot a [Hydro Pump] directly under Phanpy and Teddiursa sending them flying up, as Golbat dive bombed using a [Brave Bird].
As Golbat's form was clever with small flames and he crashed into the 2 Pokemon he began glowing again and growing as he became a dark purple and pushed them down cutting the [Whirlpool] in half, in a beautiful shower.
And when he flew up, he wasn't a Golbat anymore, he was a Crobat, and Phanpy and Teddiursa were both knocked out because Molly believed that a move like that definitely should have beaten them.
The 2 Molly laughed and clapped their hands, "That was super cool, you're both super strong!" Adult Moly said
Teen Molly looked at Entei and smiled, "Papa, this is so fun, I'm having so much fun!"
Entei shook his head, waving off the pain, and looked at Molly, "I am happy you are happy…"
Misty pointed at them accusingly, "Enough, where is Yellow! You took her where she is!"
"Oh her, she's right here," Molly said innocently as she pointed at a wall and it went down, where 10-year-old Molly and Yellow were drinking some tea together.
Yellow looked over and smiled with a wave, "Hey guys are you ok!"
Misty and Brock looked at the scene with their eyes twitching, they wanted to say something, but honestly this fit Yellow's track record, so they stayed silent.
The Mollys laughed at all 3 of them, "Ok let's all keep playing some more, and then we can go with Brother Ash."
But Just then Entei looked up and frowned, "Forgive me Molly, but we need to stop, we're going with your Mother now,"
Molly looked at Entei with confusion, "What? But Papa, why?"
Entei didn't answer, he just got up and jumped up phasing through the floor, as he did the 3 Mollys all turned into crystal statues, with no life.
Misty, Brock, and Yellow watched this and were silent for a few seconds until Misty looked at everyone, "That was kinda disturbing don't you think?"
"Oh yeah completely," Brock said as he looked at the statues, "But we don't have time to wait, we need to keep going up,"
Yellow snapped out of her daze as well, "You're right! Ash is still up there alone, we need to go help him!"
So with that, the trio started climbing the steps to try and catch up.
—-
{With Ash again}
Ash and Pikachu finally reached the top of the tower, as he ran up he saw it was converted to a bedroom, and in the central bed, was Delia sitting with Molly sleeping on her lap.
Ash's face softened slightly, finally seeing his mom again, and once Delia saw Ash she smiled, "Ash you're here I knew you would!"
Ash slowly started moving then he started running as he got close then hugged Delia tightly, his stress and anger starting to go away as he was slowly starting to go back to his old self, and Pikachu also jumped in and nuzzled Delia.
Delia hugged Ash tightly as she cupped his cheek and made him look at her, Ash's glowing blue eyes finally stopped glowing, ever since he stepped foot in this castle he never stopped using his Aura,
Delia looked into his eyes which were still red and smiled, "You know, you're looking more like your father every day,"
Ash was slightly confused as to why she brought that up, after all, he didn't know his eyes were red, "What do you mean Mom? Why are you saying that now,"
Delia smiled grabbed a piece of crystal and handed it to him, "Your eyes, it looks like you finally got your father's eyes."
Ash took it and for the first time, he looked at himself, and saw that his eyes were red instead of their usual brown as genuine confusion passed his face, "Wait what? Why are my eyes red?"
Before Delia could give something, Molly stored and opened her eyes slowly seeing Ash and Delia, she immediately jumped up and hugged Ash nuzzling into his chest, "Onii chan! You're here, I missed you so much, did you miss me!"
Ash was taken back again, but he started patting Molly's small head, "Uh…Yeah," he said as his gaze softened and he gave a warm smile, "Yeah I did miss you, Molly, I'm glad you're ok,"
Molly smiled leaning into the head pat, "Now I have Mama, and Papa, and even my big brother!"
Delia looked at Ash and gave him a sad look as she looked at Molly, "Molly, I'm sorry but I'm Ash's mother…"
Molly didn't understand, "Of Course, you are silly mommy, you're my Brother's mom, and my mom too!"
"N-no, I'm just Ash's mom, not yours, I'm sorry, I'm not your mom and the one you think is your dad isn't your father," Deila said putting a hand on Molly's shoulder.
Molly looked shocked as she gripped Ash's jacket tighter, the room seemed to get colder, "I-I don't understand…" she said as she buried her head in Ash's chest, "Onii chan makes mama stop saying those things they aren't true!"
"I'm sorry…"Ash put a hand on her head letting her lean on him, as he remembered something, 'By the way Mom, the Professor wanted me to give you this," he said as he took the Pokeball out and handed it to her.
Delia slightly flinched seeing that Pokeball, and she slowly reached out, "A-Ash…you really shouldn't have.." she said as she was about to hold it suddenly the ground shook.
From the ground, Entei jumped and slammed on the ground roaring, "Get away from Molly!!"
Molly flinched seeing Entei/her dad scream as she got close to Ash again, "Papa? Why are you so angry…?"
Entei didn't answer her as he looked at Ash, "You insolent Brat, stop getting in the way of Molly's happiness, you don't belong here Molly doesn't need you!"
Molly held Ash's Jacket even tighter and started shaking. "Papa, what are you saying? Don't talk to my big brother like that…"
"He is not your brother Molly, he is an intruder that wants to take away your happiness and I won't let him, I shall get rid of him once and for all!"
"No, Papa, you're lying. Don't fight my Brother, please. I don't want to see you both fight!" Molly said as she was starting to cry. The room started to get colder, and crystals began shooting up from the ground.
Ash didn't flinch at Entie's words as he held Molly against his chest protectively as Pikachu striped in front of them, "I refuse, I'm taking Molly away from here, and I won't let anyone stop me, not even you fourth-rate overgrown dog!"
Entei dug his claws into the crystal and dashed forward, his jaws igniting with fire. But Ash didn't move. He held Molly close and took a breath as he screamed, "CHARIZARD!!"
From the ceiling, the crystal shattered as an orange blur came in like a missile and delivered a stomp on Entie's head sending him crashing into the ground, as the figure became clear, everyone could see it was Charizard giving a smirk and thumbs up.
Ash smiled back, because from now on the real battle begins now.
---
So if it wasn't obvious, this is a powerup arc, this was a long chapter, so can I get some stones, also the next chapter, was going to be 2 chapters, but I made it all into 1 chapter because I want to end this arc at 300, so can you donate some power stones for this poor soul so you can get that super long chapter.