A Journey's Link

Chapter 22 - Resolve

Goh watched in anticipation as Pikachu neared Torterra, who was moving to Pikachu's location. The Iron Tail made contact with Torterra's mouth, which sent dust flying everywhere due to the sheer speed of Pikachu's contact. Ash and Paul both frantically looked through the dust to see what had happened, and Goh had watched in awe as the collision had occurred.

The dust settled, revealing two Pokemon evenly stacked against each other. Pikachu was fighting against Torterra's Crunch, which wasn't budging. "Come on, Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "Just a little more! Fight through it!" Pikachu pushed harder into Torterra's mouth to try to inflict damage, but to no avail.

"Torterra, apply more pressure!" Paul commanded. Torterra strengthened its bite, but to Paul's surprise, Pikachu was completely unfazed by it. It seemed that neither Pokemon could break through the other, leaving no room for error on either side to allow a window of opportunity for the enemy.

Ash and Paul recognized each other's strength and decided to call off the stalemate. "Pikachu, come back buddy!" Ash yelled, causing Pikachu to flip backward and out of Torterra's reach, who was also called back by Paul.

Ash gritted his teeth. Torterra is super strong! he thought. How are we gonna counter it? He looked at Torterra and appreciated its huge size. This gave him an idea and he was going to try to execute it. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack and run circles around Torterra."

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu yelled, becoming a bright white blur and running towards Torterra. He began doing small rings around Torterra, who was frantically looking around at the speedy electric mouse. "Don't let Pikachu land an attack!" Paul yelled. "Use Frenzy Plant to stop it!" Torterra roared and slammed the ground, causing thick roots to appear and chase after Pikachu.

Ash smiled and yelled, "Now Pikachu! Run underneath Torterra!" Pikachu quickly corrected its course, stopping the circles it was running around Torterra and now running underneath it. Paul looked in confusion as Pikachu ran past Torterra and confidently looked back. Suddenly, the Frenzy Plant that was chasing Pikachu made its way underneath Torttera, causing it to get thrown over onto its back.

"Torterra, get up!" Paul yelled, watching in horror as Torterra struggled to turn itself right-side up. Unfortunately, its shell centered its weight, so it was unable to reposition itself. Ash felt a little bad for the large turtle Pokemon, but saw the opening and went all in. "Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash delivered, to which Pikachu responded by jumping up with his metallic shiny tail.

Paul had thought of a way to utilize Torterra's current state. "Torterra! Spin around on your shell to face Pikachu and use Crunch!" Torterra understood and used its legs as a way to turn in the opposite direction toward Pikachu. Goh gasped at the sight. It's just like a move Ash would use! he thought.

Torterra opened its mouth, revealing glowing white teeth. It was too late for Ash to aim for another spot, so he encouraged Pikachu to give it his all in this Iron Tail. It's the same clash as before, Goh thought. A Crunch versus an Iron Tail, both super strong! However, he somehow knew that this exchange would be the deciding factor in who won the battle.

Both Pokemon clashed with each other, creating a loud explosion noise. Ash and Paul covered their faces against the strong boom created by the collision. It became very quiet as both Pokemon struggled to get the upper hand. "Pikachu! You can do it! I believe in you buddy!" Ash yelled from across the field.

Pikachu was inspired by Ash's words and fought through the Crunch, giving Torterra a surprised look on its face. Pikachu gave one final push into Torterra's mouth and landed the Iron Tail, flipping backward and away from the upside-down Torterra. Paul yelled, "Get back on your legs, Torterra!" in an effort to salvage and continue the battle.