Ash moved to one side of the stadium, and Pryce slowly wheeled into position at the opposite end of the field.
The director was rubbing his hands as the group went over to the bleachers to watch. He turned to Mary and gave her the mic. "This is perfect. A battle like this will definitely boost our ratings. Come on, start commentating!"
Mary blinked as the mic was shoved into her hands. "R-Right! Uh… Ladies and gentlemen tuning in, you're in for a treat! We're coming to you live from the Mahogany Gym, where we are about to bring you a match. Ash vs. the legendary Ice-type master Pryce."
Down on the field, Pryce raised his voice. "Standard rules. You may use five Pokémon. Substitutions are allowed. Let's have a good battle."
Again, there was his choice of words. One thing he didn't announce was that this field was considered a permanent hail zone.
"Right," Ash muttered. He didn't really say much back. The first one he was planning on using was Vee, still in Flareon mode.
During training, Ash told Vee that under no circumstances should he evolve or devolve when they were in public or around people they didn't trust, not until they knew it was safe, like in another region or something.
Pryce grabbed a Poké Ball and opened it. On the field, a Dewgong plopped onto the ice, stretching its back and looking ready, some Leftovers already in use.
Vee understood anyway, so he jumped onto the field, wagging his fluffy tail. "Vee!"
"Yeah, come on Ash and Vee, beat that wrinkly mummy!" Whitney stood on the railing and cheered, until everyone made her sit back down.
Mary waved her hand, signaling for Whitney to please be quiet as she continued, "And it looks like we're starting with a Dewgong and a Flareon! I wonder how this battle will go."
Ash watched the field. The floor was slippery, and the hail was annoying. If he didn't fix that, he would probably lose. Thankfully, he already had a way out, "Vee, let's move [Quick Attack]!"
Vee blurred forward, darting across the icy floor. Despite the slick surface, he dug his claws into the ice to redirect his movement.
"Dewgong, [Ice Shard]," Pryce commanded calmly.
Before Vee could close the distance, Dewgong opened his mouth and shot shards of ice at him. They were fast, almost too fast, but Vee ducked and rolled under most of them, a few grazing his side, sparks of frost briefly clinging to his fur.
He rebounded off the ice and delivered a clean hit to Dewgong's side with the momentum of [Quick Attack]. Dewgong winced but held firm, sliding back a little on the icy floor.
Ash quickly followed up. "Now [Flamethrower] at the ground!"
Vee turned his body in the air and shot a blast of fire at the floor. The main purpose was to melt the ice, but some of the flames licked at Dewgong and hurt the big seal.
But it didn't do much damage. For one, Dewgong was part Water-type, so it only did neutral damage. And with the Thick Fat ability, it did even less than that. The Leftovers healed him up anyway, so the fire did almost nothing.
As everyone in the stands reacted and Mary commented, Pryce's expression remained unreadable.
"Dewgong, [Surf]."
A roar echoed through the icy gym as Dewgong summoned a crashing wave of water that surged forward across the field. Vee's eyes widened for a second, but Ash was ready.
"[Ember] on your claws, then [Dig]!"
Vee used a burst of fire on his claws to heat them just enough to dig through the snow and ice beneath the field that he couldn't melt. He vanished underground just as the massive wave slammed across the arena, washing over the spot where he'd stood seconds ago.
Pryce didn't blink. "You won't get far burrowing through my arena. Dewgong, [Aqua Ring] and prepare [Blizzard]."
Dewgong spun in place, creating a ring of water that shimmered protectively around its body. It started healing even more, almost back to full HP, as it began preparing the ice for the incoming attack.
"Sorry, but running was never the plan. Vee up and [Flare Blitz] with a [Covet]!" Ash commanded.
The ground shook as Vee suddenly shot out like a flaming rocket, delivering an uppercut to Dewgong's jaw, tilting its head back. While airborne, Vee snatched something in his mouth, the Leftovers he'd just stolen from Dewgong.
Mary spoke into the mic again. "Whoa! What a combo! After that hit, Dewgong lost its Leftovers!"
Whitney threw her fists into the air. "Haha! That's right! You fluffy menace, you take their snacks!"
"Vee!" Flareon chirped proudly, spinning mid-air before landing gracefully on the newly scorched, slightly melted patch of arena.
Pryce narrowed his eyes. "Hmph… clever, but that won't work on me. [Water Pulse], now."
Dewgong raised its head and shot out a blast of water toward Vee.
Ash snapped his fingers. "[Double Team], and spread out with [Flame Charge]!"
The water slammed into Vee, but it turned out to be a clone. Five more Flareons burst outward, each igniting and darting in a wide circle around the field, creating what looked like a tornado of fire.
Pryce calmly scanned the field with his eyes. He didn't look worried. "Counter with [Aurora Beam], sweep left."
Dewgong charged a beam from its horn, then spun in a full 360-degree arc. The beam struck all the clones, making them vanish, none of them had been the real Vee.
Pryce raised an eyebrow. Everyone on the bleachers watched in shock. Vee had just vanished.
Ash stuck his tongue out slightly. "Hope you didn't think that was it?"
He snapped his fingers again. "[Sunny Day], and then [Flare Blitz]!"
Everyone heard the sound of scurrying, from above. There, clinging to some overhead ice, was the fluffy orange fox, smirking. When Vee made the clones, he'd also created a [Substitute] and used it to launch himself upward, digging his claws into the icy ceiling.
He pushed off and shot downward like a meteor, flames igniting as a miniature sun formed above the battlefield. The sun's heat began to warm the arena, melting the artificial snow pouring from the snow machines, but it wouldn't last forever. Vee would need to make it count.
He spun his body mid-air and slammed into Dewgong's back in a blazing [Flare Blitz]. The impact cracked the thinning ice under Dewgong and sent the seal Pokémon sliding across the field.
Of course, Vee was hurt by the recoil, but he landed and jumped back as Dewgong skidded away.
Mary's voice jumped an octave as she narrated, "Unbelievable! With sunlight active and a direct [Flare Blitz], Vee is tearing through what looked like an impenetrable defense! Dewgong's aura is flickering, can it keep going?!"
Pryce's expression didn't change, but his fingers gripped the edge of his chair more tightly. "Dewgong, [Rest]."
Ash smiled. "Oh please. [Wish]."
Dewgong curled up and fell asleep, healing immediately. But Vee hummed softly toward the sky, just as what looked like a shooting star soared upward through the sunlit air.
"Now then, yo, Whitney, you said you liked moves with cute names? Let me show you another one: [Sizzly Slide]," Ash commanded.
Vee lit up as his fur ignited. He ran forward, jumped into the air, and pounced on Dewgong, then flipped off and landed, sliding to the other side. The attack left Dewgong with a guaranteed burn, since, again, status conditions can stack.
With another snap of Ash's fingers: "Now [Fire Blast]!"
Once Vee landed and slid back, he pulled his head back and blasted another huge wave of fire toward the sleeping seal, creating a small explosion of flames.
As the fire was still burning in the air, Pryce finally spoke. "Dewgong, [Brine]."
From within the blaze, a superheated blast of water shot through the flames and slammed into Vee, sending him rolling backward. Dewgong dragged himself out of the fire, steam hissing off his burned body.
After that hit, Dewgong woke up. Even though he'd recovered some HP from [Rest] and [Aqua Ring], the burn still ticked away at him, it was a net loss. But that didn't mean he was giving up.
At that moment, the shooting star from earlier came arcing back down, and hit Vee, activating [Wish]. Vee stood up again, fully healed, more or less.
Ash smiled, just about to call out another move, when Pryce raised his voice: "That's enough. I concede this match. Dewgong has had enough." He returned Dewgong to the Poké Ball.
Everyone, including Ash and Vee, blinked owlishly. Up in the bleachers, the director grumbled, "Hey, what's the big idea? Shouldn't you fight to the end? Surrendering isn't as good for the viewers."
Pryce shot him a side-eye. "Are you saying you want to see my Pokémon suffer, even when I see they cannot win?"
The director flinched. "Wha—no! That's not what I'm saying at all, I just—"
"Then I will ask you to be quiet," Pryce said coldly, his voice like a winter gust.
He turned his attention back to Ash as he grabbed another Poké Ball. "Let us continue then. Sneasel." He threw the Poké Ball out, and from it, Sneasel jumped onto the field.
"Vee!" Vee shook his fur and smiled, wagging his tail to say he could keep going.
Pryce wasted no time. "Sneasel, [Hone Claws]," he said, his voice as cool as the ice beneath them.
Sneasel crouched low and raked her claws together as sparks flew out, her claws growing sharper and deadlier.
"Alright, [Quick Attack]!" Ash commanded as Vee sprinted forward to charge into Sneasel.
But Sneasel leapt up with a grin, flipping cleanly over Vee's charge. "Now, [Ice Punch]!" Pryce called.
Vee barely skidded to a stop before a blur of black and blue came crashing down on him. Sneasel's claws were coated in frost as she slammed into Vee's shoulder, sending a shock of cold through his body and throwing him across the field.
Ash frowned as Vee rolled but landed on all fours, growling.
"Vee, it's faster than you, so keep moving. [Flame Charge]!"
Vee ignited in fire and took off, speeding toward Sneasel. But Pryce didn't even flinch. He simply raised one hand.
"Use [Agility], then [Knock Off]."
Sneasel vanished just as Vee was about to strike. She reappeared above him, slashing down at Vee's back with [Knock Off], sending the stolen Leftovers flying off into the snow.
Ash narrowed his eyes. "[Return]!"
After the slash to his back, Vee dug in with his front paws and kicked both hind legs into Sneasel's face, causing her to stumble back a step.
Sneasel wiped its mouth as Vee looked hurt. He wasn't healing anymore, so Ash did the only right thing in that moment: he pulled out his Poké Ball and returned Vee.
"That's enough for now."
Once Vee was back in his Poké Ball, Ash quickly grabbed another one from his belt.
"You're up Arcanine!" he called, throwing the Poké Ball. His newly evolved fire dog burst onto the field, a Life Orb hanging from her collar like a tag.
Pryce's eyes narrowed slightly. "Sneasel, [Agility] again. Don't let it touch you."
Sneasel darted across the field in a blur, flickering between the patches of melting ice and dry land, her movements becoming almost impossible to track.
Ash pointed forward. "[Extreme Speed]!"
Arcanine vanished in a golden flash. She moved faster than Sneasel and reappeared behind her, clipping her shoulder mid-motion and sending her spinning.
But Pryce wasn't rattled. "Counter with [Low Kick]!"
As Sneasel fell back, she caught herself on her claws and kicked Arcanine's legs, sending the larger Pokémon crashing into the ground.
Ash narrowed his eyes. "Quick! Retaliate with [Wild Charge]!"
Arcanine kicked herself up, her fur sparking with electricity, and charged forward while Sneasel's claws were still stuck in the ground. The blow sent the small Ice-type flying.
While Sneasel was airborne, Pryce called out, "[Ice Shard]!"
Sneasel shook her head, smirked mid-air, then spun and shot shards of ice down at Arcanine, piercing her fur and making her stagger with a pained huff.
"Don't stop, [Ice Shard] again," Pryce said, tapping his cane on the ground.
As Sneasel landed, she began rapidly launching more shards over and over again.
Ash countered, "Arcanine, push through with [Flare Blitz]!"
Arcanine ignited into a full blaze and charged forward, the ice melting before it could touch her. She crashed into Sneasel, triggering a small explosion of heat between them. If there was any ice left on the field, it was certainly gone now. But with that, the [Sunny Day] Vee had set up earlier finally faded, and the snow machines kicked back in, it was starting to snow again.
Ash was just about to call for [Morning Sun]
Sneasel was knocked back and breathing heavily. But she was still standing, barely, but standing. Arcanine wasn't much better. Between the Life Orb recoil and all the chip damage, she was in rough shape too. With healing off the table, one more hit from either side would likely end it.
Pryce saw this and looked at Ash. "Neither of our Pokémon can take much more. Shall we call it a double knockout?" But the way he said it… it didn't really sound like a question. More like a command.
Ash had no complaints. "Fine by me."
Once again, the director grumbled that it wasn't as entertaining as a full-out slugfest, but everyone ignored him.
Yellow was probably the happiest. Sure, she liked watching Ash battle, and maybe she was starting to enjoy battling herself with her friends, but she still preferred it when they stopped before anyone got too hurt.
Ash reached for his next Poké Ball. He had two options: Crocalor or Quilava. Ironically, they were both close to evolving. He'd been training them hard. Maybe, just maybe, by the end of this battle, they'd evolve.
He grabbed Crocalor's ball. It'd been a while since the little croc had gotten to have some real fun.
He threw it, and the small crocodile jumped out, bouncing from one foot to the other, cheering and letting out a cheerful little hum.
"And it looks like we have a singing Pokémon, and this one's not native to Johto! A Pokémon all the way from Paldea: Crocalor!" Mary announced excitedly into her mic.
The director perked up. "Record that and release it as a single! We'll ride the popularity wave—I just know it!"
He was once again ignored, as Pryce glanced at him, somehow even more annoyed, but said nothing. He turned back to Ash, grabbing his next Poké Ball and throwing it out. From the Pokéball came a Piloswine.
Pryce spoke first. "Piloswine, [Earth Power]."
The mammoth-like Pokémon reared up and slammed the icy terrain. Golden energy rippled outward, cracking the ground as an [Earth Power] surged toward Crocalor.
"Jump, then [Flame Wheel]!" Ash snapped.
Crocalor leapt as high as he could, then curled into a flaming wheel. He rushed through the surging energy, dodging most of it, though he still took some chip damage. He slammed directly into Piloswine's head.
"Counter with [Rock Slide]," Pryce said coolly.
The ground rumbled again as Piloswine reared up, letting loose a sudden volley of icy rocks from beneath them. Crocalor tried to dodge, but one after another slammed into him, sending him flailing backward into another rock.
"Piloswine, [Icicle Spear]," Pryce commanded again.
The woolly pig grunted and snorted as sharp shards of ice formed around him, launching like missiles in quick succession.
Ash shouted, "Counter with [Flame Charge]!"
Crocalor stomped his feet on the ground, igniting his body in flames. He charged forward as the ice shot toward him. Most of it melted, but the larger spears broke into smaller shards that still struck him.
With another leap, Crocalor slammed into Piloswine, sending the big Pokémon sliding back.
Pryce followed up immediately. "[High Horsepower]."
But Ash countered just as fast. "[Flamethrower] on the ground!"
As Piloswine began stomping to launch the attack, Crocalor jumped and blasted the ground beneath him, launching himself high into the air and dodging the move.
Now airborne, Ash called out, "Now, [Zen Headbutt]!"
Crocalor spun midair, his head glowing with psychic energy, then came down hard on Piloswine's back. The impact made the large Pokémon stumble with a cry of pain, nearly falling, but it steadied itself and stayed up.
Pryce narrowed his eyes. "Shake it off and use [Blizzard]!"
As Crocalor landed, Ash swiped his arm and smirked, getting back into his usual rhythm. "Meet it halfway with a [Flamethrower]!"
Piloswine let out a roar as it fired a powerful blast of frigid wind and snow, just as Crocalor exhaled a stream of fire. The two moves collided in the center, clashing hard. For a moment, the entire arena was caught in the struggle, fire pushing one way, ice the other.
But in the end… fire beats ice. [Flamethrower] pushed through and engulfed the attack.
When the flames cleared, Piloswine was still standing, breathing heavily. Crocalor stood on the other side, also winded, but clearly with more fight left in him. Ash was already planning his next move. Pryce had two more Pokémon, one was probably a Lapras, and the other... could be anything. If he had to guess? Maybe a Jynx.
The good news: with one more hit, once Crocalor took down Piloswine, he'd probably evolve. That would help. And after that? Quilava could probably evolve too.
Ash was just about to call out the finishing move when—
Pryce raised his hand. "That is enough. I know when I am beaten. There's no point in having my Pokémon get hurt more than they need to."
He returned Piloswine to his Poké Ball, then looked across the field at Ash.
"I surrender. You win."
Everyone: "...EHHH?!"