"So, you've decided to keep fighting this pointless battle, huh?" Giovanni chuckled.

"Funny," Ash responded while enlarging another Pokéball. "I was about to ask you the same question."

Giovanni was about to respond but was interrupted by the referee.

"This is an official warning to both trainers!" he began. "Another attack that lands within the trainer's box, of either side, will result in the immediate disqualification of the offending Pokémon and its trainer. Understand?" Both trainers nodded. "Good! Battle resume!"

"Lucario, return, and get some rest! I'll need you, for later." Ash commanded.

Lucario nodded and returned to Ash's side. Ash looked from the Pokéball, that he held in his hand, to his opponent. A smile slowly made its way across his lips.

"No more tricks, no more games! This ends now! Go Feraligatr!"

Feraligatr let out a roar, as he eyed his opponent for the round. Giovanni's Arcanine gave a growl, as it lowered itself to a fighting stance.

"Extreme Speed!" Giovanni commanded.

In a blink of the eye, the Kanto Pokémon disappeared. Feraligatr let out a grunt, as it was pushed, onto its back, and skidded across the battlefield.

Ash didn't hesitate. "Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!"

The big jaw Pokémon quickly turned onto its stomach, while sliding and firing the water attack. The sudden attack caught Giovanni off guard. Arcanine let out a yelp. The water attack sends the fire type flying into the stadium wall.

"Arcanine, Dig!" Giovanni commanded.

The wolf-like Pokémon responded quickly. Its claws dug into the ground and quickly disappeared into the earth below.

"Ice Beam on the ground, under you, Feraligatr!" Ash responded.

The Johto starter let out the light blue beam, just as Arcanine appeared. The attack slowed the Pokémon down, but it still managed to connect its claws to the chin of the water type.

"Iron Tail!" Giovanni commanded.

Arcanine's tail began to glow white, as it was still in the air. It twisted its body and slammed the empowered tail into the momentarily stunned alligator Pokémon.

"Fire Blast! Go!" Giovanni yelled out.

Arcanine didn't let its opponent have a moment of rest. As soon as it landed, the fire type attack was already released.

"Quickly now, Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!" Ash encouraged.

Feraligatr barely managed to find its footing before unleashing the water type attack. The stream of water was so strong that it pushed the large Pokémon onto its back.

The two attacks passed each other. Giovanni growled in frustration, as his Pokémon took the full brunt of the blow again, while his opponent had managed to somehow dodge the torrent of flames.

Ash sighed in relief. They had gotten lucky. With Feraligatr, on the ground, the fire type attack had past innocently overhead, while Arcanine was sent flying into the adjacent wall. The lucky break would buy them a little time, but not much.

Both Pokémon pulled themselves up. Their labored breathing was being drowned out by the crowd's roars. Both trainers felt their blood begin to pump at an accelerated pace. The crowd and intensity of the battle were finally beginning to break their stoical exterior.

"Extreme Speed!" Giovanni commanded.

"Aqua Jet! Meet it head on!" Ash shouted.

The two combatants let out a battle cry, as they flew towards each other. They collided head-on. Neither of them was budging, as they pushed their foreheads together. Each growled, as their gazes met. Suddenly, both Pokémon were sent flying back from their collision.

"Feraligatr, Hydro Pump!"

"Arcanine, Fire Blast with everything you got!"

Feraligatr turned, once it hit the ground, before letting out the massive stream of water. Arcanine landed from his backflip, before also releasing its attack. Again, both attacks crossed paths but didn't connect. Both Pokémon took the brunt of the attack and were sent flying into the adjacent stadium wall.

After a few seconds, a groan of pain could be heard, as Feraligatr appeared with burn marks all over its body. It looked over and smirked, as the figure of Arcanine laid on the floor of the stadium, with swirls in its eyes.

Giovanni felt frustration take control of his actions again, as he eyed his knocked-out Pokémon. He wordlessly returned Arcanine, before tossing out his next choice, to reveal his Nidoking. Nidoking let out another roar when he appeared on the battlefield.

"You ready for round two, Feraligatr?" Ash asked his loyal water type.

The big jaw Pokémon looked back and gave a thumbs up. Ash nodded, before starting off the next confrontation.

"Feraligatr, Ice Beam!"

The Johto starter let out the light blue beam of ice towards its opponent.

"Earth Power! Stop that attack, and then, follow it up with Sludge Bomb!" Giovanni countered.

The drill Pokémon began to glow yellow, before slamming its foot on the ground. The ground began to crack before a large rock suddenly stuck up from the earth and blocked the attack. As quickly as the rock appeared, it was destroyed by a purple projectile.

"Dodge that, Feraligatr!" Ash shouted.

The water type grimaced, as it barely managed to sidestep the large projectile, but only to be hit with a second shot. He cried out in pain, as it hit the ground. It slowly lifted its head, before groaning and passing out.

Ash sighed, as he returned his fallen Pokémon. Well, that went quicker than I thought it would.

He gave the device, in his hand, a soft smile, before replacing it with his next choice. The soft smile disappeared, and then, it was replaced by a look of fierce determination and fire.

"Charizard, I choose you!" he called out while throwing the device into the air.

Charizard appeared on the battlefield, but there was a difference this time. Instead of flying and releasing flames while roaring, it stood silent and tense. Every so often, its tail would twitch, waiting to strike, while its claws clenched and unclenched.

"Nidoking, use Sludge Bomb!" Giovanni called out.

"Dodge, and then, use Flamethrower, Charizard!" Ash countered.

Finally, Charizard pulled its head back and let out a deafening roar, before launching into the air, to avoid the incoming attack. It skillfully rolled and spun away from the volleys of attacks, that were sent into the air after it. After a barrel roll placed him above his opponent, it unleashed his attack. Nidoking roared in pain, as it vanished in a column of flames.

"Dragon Claw! Go!" Ash commanded.

Charizard descended and began to turn in a circle, around its opponent, while its claws began to glow green. Once it built up speed, it cut from the circle pattern and flew towards the reeling Pokémon. It threw its arm forward and connected the attack to the chest of its opponent but was shocked when Nidoking managed to grab a hold of its forearms.

"Gotcha now, Ketchum!" Giovanni purred. "Nidoking, use Hyper Beam!"

The purple Pokémon grimaced. Using what little strength, it had left, it formed a yellow ball in its mouth. It finally released the attack and let go, as Charizard was sent flying into the air above.

Giovanni smirked, as he saw the fire and flying type Pokémon sent skyward above the stadium. Even if his own Pokémon was barely conscious, it wouldn't matter, if it had managed to deal with the beast that so many believed to be Ash's strongest Pokémon.

"Flare Blitz!"

Giovanni's smirk turned to horror, as the flame Pokémon turned out of the blast and dove into his vulnerable Pokémon. Charizard roared, as it closed in, while its body was suddenly enveloped in blue flames. The Kanto starter collided with the drill Pokémon, driving the Pokémon into the ground, as a shock-wave ran from the impact zone, carrying dust and debris with it.

Ash opened his eyes to see Charizard, as it was standing over the unconscious drill Pokémon. It roared and let out a flame; before suddenly, turning purple and grimacing in pain.

"What?!" Ash yelled out, with a stunned look on his face.

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten about Nidoking's ability?" Giovanni said, through his laughs. "You haven't changed one bit. You're still the same stubborn and stupid trainer that you were before. Nidoking's ability, Poison Point, has the effect of possibly poisoning its opponent if it's hit with a physical attack. Looks like finishing off that beast of yours, will be much easier after all."

Damn it! I thought, with only a 30% chance, that I could have avoided that! Ash looked over to his Pokémon and smiled, as it seemed Charizard hadn't taken much damage from the poison.

I know Charizard can handle a lot. I could still finish this battle with him! We just have to be a little more cautious now.

---

Lance couldn't help it but allowed a sneer to come across his face.

Careless. Absolutely careless! If he isn't careful, that lead, he has accumulated, will quickly vanish. Damn it, Ash! Wh-. Lance was quickly taken out of his thoughts when he saw Cynthia approach him.

"That Ash," Cynthia chuckled. "He sure knows how to make an appearance, doesn't he? After five years of being dead, he shows up to one of the biggest tournaments ever held and is in the Finals no less!"

"Did you expect anything less?" Lance muttered, not taking his eyes off the battlefield.

"From Ash? Not a chance." Cynthia's jovial disposition quickly changed to seriousness. "But from you, I expected a hell of a lot more."

"Excuse me?" Lance asked while trying to pretend that he didn't know what Cynthia was talking about.

"Don't play dumb with me, Lance!" Cynthia finally let the frustration, that she had been holding in, throughout the whole tournament, boil over. "You knew this whole fucking time and you kept it from us, from them!" She pointed to the group of people that were standing and cheering on their long-lost friend.

"I had my reas-" Lance began, before getting interrupted by the angry Sinnoh champion.

"Cut the crap, Lance! You had no right to keep that information from us. Especially considering who his opponent is down there! It doesn't take a genius to piece it together. If that's Ash, then that's Giovanni! You may think that just because we're in Kanto, you have the lead in this investigation or incident, or whatever you want to call it, but you're wrong! Remember, Team Rocket and their antics have plagued all our regions! The second you knew it was Giovanni, out there, it became more than just a Kanto and Johto problem! It became everyone's problem! The worst part, of it all, is that you're too damn stubborn to realize it!"

Lance glanced out, from the corner of his eyes. "Are you finished?"

Cynthia gave one last huff, before nodding her head.

"Good. Now then, let me tell you why your outburst was out of line and childish." Lance began. "First of all, it wasn't confirmed that it was Ash or Giovanni until the Quarterfinals when he faced Paul. Had I acted earlier, or told anyone, other than Sabrina, my thoughts, I would have been ridiculed and been made a laughing stock. Next, it came to my attention that Giovanni was still a very dangerous man, willing to go to greater lengths, in order to get what he wants. His little antics earlier demonstrated that. If I had acted earlier, especially within the stadium, I'd be putting innocent lives in danger. Now, what if I had told you about it? What would have been your first course of action?"

"To get my Elite Four over here, as fast as possible?" Cynthia answered, with a touch of confusion in her voice.

"Exactly. That would raise red flags, and possibly, spook Giovanni into actions that would, again, put innocent lives on the line. It's easy for the Kanto Elite Four to show up, after all, it's in Kanto; but for the Elite Four, of the other regions, to suddenly arrive here, would be too suspicious. No, it's better for it to play out down there. Ash's more than capable of defeating Giovanni by himself."

Lance's brows furrowed, as he finished his last statement. Although he said he had confidence in the young man, his voice betrayed him. Deep down, he had the nagging feeling that Giovanni was far from finished.

Cynthia grimaced, as she saw her pride slowly being ripped apart with every word of Lance's argument. He had been right after all. She was the one, who was acting childish and stubborn. She took her eyes away from the caped champion and focused them back on the battlefield.

"I hope you're right, Lance," Cynthia responded.

"Me too, Cynthia. Me too." Lance stated as they continue to watch the ongoing battle below.

---

Giovanni looked at the Pokémon, who sat at his side, and smiled, as the classy cat Pokémon rubbed its head, into his hand, before strutting out into the middle of the battlefield. The cat stretched out as if it had just woken up from an afternoon catnap. It opened its mouth, and, to the surprise of the onlookers, it yawned.

Charizard's flame, on its tail, exploded, as it roared at the normal type, who seemed to show no interest in the fight. Both Pokémon strengthened their gazes, as the memories, of their last fight, played through their minds.

Persian finally lowered itself, onto the ground, and showed its claws. Charizard roared and jumped into the air, circling his opponent, like a hawk eyeing its prey.

"Charizard, dive, and use Dragon Claw!" Ash commanded.

The fearsome orange Pokémon rolled and began to dive, as its claws began to turn green. It let out a roar, as it closed in on its target.

"Power Gem! Now!" Giovanni yelled out.

Persian purred at the order. Its focused energy into the gem, on its head, before launching a red beam at the diving Pokémon. Giovanni smiled, as he watched the attack closing in on the vulnerable Pokémon.

Ash chuckled. Got you! He thought, before calling out his next attack.

"Aerial Ace!" he shouted.

Persian saw a small smirk, on Charizard's face, before the flame Pokémon suddenly vanished into thin air, avoiding the attack. Charizard then appeared to the side of the normal type, as it buried its shoulder into the stunned Pokémon while sending it across the arena floor, before ascending into the air again.

"Persian! Get up and use Power Gem again!" Giovanni yelled.

The classy cat Pokémon quickly got up from the ground and fired the attack up towards the ascending Pokémon, once again.

"Turn to dodge, and then, use Flamethrower!" Ash countered.

As Charizard began to turn; but was stopped, as a spasm took over its body, while also quickly turning purple from the effects of the poison. The red beam hit its mark, causing an explosion in the air above. Ash growled as Charizard appeared to fall from the cloud of dust. He watched, as the Pokémon got closer and closer to the ground.

"Charizard, snap out of it!" Ash yelled out.

Charizard's eyes shot wide open, upon hearing his longtime friend's voice. It let out a roar, before spinning and remedying itself while flying across the stadium floor. It opened its mouth and sent out the fire type attack. Persian made a jump up, into the air, to avoid the attack.

"Water Pulse!" Giovanni yelled out.

"Dodge, and then, use Dragon Claw!" Ash countered.

The classy cat Pokémon began to form a condensed sphere of water, in its mouth, before sending the attack at its opponent. Charizard made a quick upturn and made a giant flap of its wings, causing him to travel slightly backward while avoiding the attack. Without wasting time, it darted to its target and connected, under the chin of the normal type. Persian grunted in pain, as it was sent flying into the air, followed by the flame Pokémon.

"Iron Tail! Let's go!" Giovanni commanded.

"Dragon Claw, Charizard! Go!" Ash encouraged.

Charizard raced upwards, with its claws still glowing green. It unleashed the attack, but only for it to be deflected by the glowing white tail of Persian. The two combatants continued the onslaught, with claws connecting with tail, as they sat in a midair clashing. Both trainers saw their opening.

"Water Pulse!"

"Flamethrower!"

The attacks were called at the same time. The attacks collided in the air, causing another explosion. From the smoke, came Persian landing softly on the ground. Charizard flew above the smoke, before looping and landing across from its opponent. Both Pokémon were smiling and panting, until a grimace passed Charizard's face, as the poison took effect again.

Giovanni couldn't let the moment pass him up. "Giga Impact!"

The classy cat Pokémon cried out before pink energy enveloped its body and sprinting at its opponent. Charizard looked up; but was too late, as the attack hit it in the chest. Both Pokémon careened into the stadium wall, as dust enveloped the entire area. Screams of horror came from the onlookers, who barely managed to escape the collision in time.

Giovanni smiled, as he watched the dust slowly begin to dissipate. His face went from an arrogant smile to a curious expression, and finally, too shocked disbelief.

"WHAT?!" he screamed out.

The dust settled to see a still conscious Charizard, barely, while grasping firmly onto an immobile Persian. Persian was glaring daggers at the Kanto starter, who was smirking down at the Pokémon.

"Charizard, finish this off, once and for all, with a Seismic Toss!" Ash commanded with all his might.

This is it. This is where he would bring down Giovanni, for good, and get his life back.

Finally, it's over.

Charizard roared, as the sound of the command came in. He spread his wings and flew into the air. His flight path was labored, but he still managed the climb. He got to his apex and began doing loops, in the air, before roaring, once more, and diving to the stadium floor.

Giovanni snarled, as he saw his Pokémon was helpless. Even if it could manage to regain movement, it was held too tightly by the fire and flying type, to get off any type of attack. He saw the dive begin and felt his heart sink. Could this really be the end? How could the little punk have beaten him?

I'm sorry, Domino. I wasn't strong enough. Giovanni thought as he looked back up and his heart jumped into his throat.

Suddenly, the draconian Pokémon turned purple and its grip loosened just slightly, but enough for an attack.

"Persian, Thunder!" Giovanni yelled in desperation.

Ash saw the labored flight of his Pokémon but couldn't help to let a toothy grin become visible on his face. The grin suddenly vanished, as the pair began the dive. He knew immediately that something wasn't right.

His suspicions were confirmed when Charizard suddenly roared out in pain and turned purple. To Ash's horror, he saw his Pokémon's grip loosen.

Ash's thoughts began to race while panicking. No! This can't be happening! Not now!

"CHARIZARD!" Ash screamed, at the top of his lungs.

The pair were suddenly enveloped in a bright, yellow bolt of lightning, at the same time, as they hit the ground. A dome of dust, mixed with electricity, swirled in the middle of the battlefield, before finally unleashing the energy that it had amassed in a gigantic eruption of power.

Ash brought his arms, in front of his face, as the shockwave, that had carried debris, crashed into him. He felt himself being pushed back by the force of the explosion. He leaned into the explosion, before falling to his knees. He brought his chin to his chest and placed both hands on the ground until everything began to settle down. His breathing was labored, and he felt the effects of the previous injuries that he had sustained.

He managed to lift his head, in order to view the devastation, that the explosion had caused. The once beautiful battlefield was now a crater, while the sturdy walls, protecting the spectators, were now crumbling all around. His eyes then focused on the middle of the crater. He gasped at what he saw.

Stumbling in the middle of the crater, was the normal type, while next to it, laid the unconscious form of his precious Pokémon.

Ash felt anger slowly build up in him. If he had not been so careless, if he had played the battle earlier right, his Pokémon wouldn't have lost. It was because of him that Charizard was unconscious. It was because of him that Giovanni was still free and not somewhere in jail. It was all because of him. He really wasn't strong enough.

"GODDAMN IT!" Ash cried out, as he brought both hands, above his head, before violently hitting them on the ground.

He felt tears begin to accumulate, in his eyes, until he felt a paw on his shoulder. He looked up to see the smiling face of Lucario and Pikachu, who sat on the Aura Pokémon's shoulder. His ears then heard something else.

"GET UP, ASH!"

Ash turned to see Serena, as she was leaning over the railings of the elite suite.

"DON'T GIVE UP UNTIL IT'S OVER!" Serena shouted at the top of her lungs.

He smiled, as his eyes again fell to the ground. He pushed himself back up to his feet and turned back to the blue-eyed performer. He gave her a meaningful smile, before lifting his hand, while showing her a thumbs up.

He turned back to his two companions. "Are you ready, Lucario?"

"Thought you'd never ask." The aura Pokémon answered.

Pikachu leaped from his perch, on Lucario's shoulder, to his normal roost on Ash's. Lucario made his way out into the middle of the crater, where Persian had stopped wobbling.

He frowned, as he saw his friend disappear, in a red beam of energy. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Lucario's thoughts began to race.

This is where I repay you, for all that you have done for me, Master. For all the love you've shown me, for giving me a family once again, for making me stronger, but most of all, for being my friend.

He shot open his eyes and let out a pulse of aura that sent chills down the spines of everyone that it contacted. Lucario was ready for the fight of his life.

I will give you your life back, Master . . . Just like you gave me mine.