Chapter 29:

Litten's Trial

"Alright, Ash, here's your challenge," Lana said, stopping between the pillars designating Brooklet Hill as a trial sight.

Ash gave Lana most of his attention; the last sliver of his concentration was occupied rehearsing and contemplating his plan to help Litten. It was early in the afternoon, and, finally, Ash was attempting Lana's Trial. Although, given his plan, 'attempt' wasn't the right word. 'Lesson' was more accurate.

"Beyond here are three lakes. Your goal is to reach the large lake at the bottom of Brooklet Hill. Along the way, you will see the water rippling in different areas. You can find two species of Pokémon within those ripples, but your job is to herd only one species into the last lake. Eight in total, four per lake. Do you understand?"

"So, look for one species of Pokémon, and leave the other be?" Ash ponderously repeated. "Got it."

"You may use two Pokémon during your challenge, and you'll be assisted by a Lapras to travel on the water," Lana explained.

"Got it," Ash repeated, stretching.

"I'll go around the pathways and meet you at the end. You can begin when you see a Water Gun being shot into the air. Good luck!" Lana said. She jogged between the pillars, quickly disappearing from view.

While waiting for the signal, Ash fiddled with the buoyancy aid Lana had provided him, tweaking the straps, and rolling his shoulders until it was snug, movements he enacted automatically while thinking about the trial. It was a different feeling entirely to the previous Trial and Grand Trial. Ash was antsy this time because of the background hardships that had sprung up, as they always did throughout his journey. But his feelings were focused towards Litten rather than the trial itself because of his plan. It was hazardous. It could backfire as easily as succeed.

A jet of water shot into the air a minute later and the trial began. Ash jogged down the path, Rockruff at his side, Litten lagging. At the bottom of the gulley, Ash stopped to scope out the area.

From what he could see, the site was sectioned into three layers. Upon each layer rested a sparkling lake, each varying in size, gleaming like mirrors to the sunlight. The network of lakes was interconnected by streams of rushing, frothy water lined by slick black rocks. A cluster of weathered, craggy tidepools the size of meteorite craters was stacked in front of him above the lakes, little influx waterfalls leaking one into another, and on the right was the forest, greener here and doused with droplets of water that made the leaves shimmer and droop. On the other side of the lake was a fenced pathway.

On the lake before him, a little wooden-plank boardwalk stretched out, alongside which floated a Lapras with a tall, red plastic seat that looked like an umpire's perch strapped to its cobbly shell. Ash jogged over, brushed his hand over Lapras' head affectionately, and climbed into the seat – Rockruff and Litten jumped onto Lapras' back. Ash grabbed the handles and guided Lapras onto the water.

It was easy to spot the first section of rippling water. As Ash approached it, a tiny fish Pokémon leapt out, it's upper body and fin royal blue, its underbelly and lower fins white. It had a sad expression on its face, and a pair of watery, wavering blue eyes shaped like four-leaf clovers.

"Wishiwashi, the Small Fry Pokémon. A Water-Type. When in a tough spot, their eyes tear up, which gives it the look of crying-zzt," Rotom explained, who was hovering above the water beside Ash's head.

"Thanks, Rotom! Rockruff, Thunder Fang," Ash commanded, deciding that, since he saw it first, he would herd the Wishiwashi. Weakening it was the first step.

Rockruff leapt from Lapras' back. He caught the Wishiwashi in Thunder Fang, holding it until he had to disengage when he splashed into the water; Rockruff contentedly doggy-paddled back to Lapras. The Wishiwashi lay still on the surface of the water. Ash wondered if Rockruff had finished it in one hit, but there was no way it was that easy. This was a trial, after all.

Wishiwashi's eyes snapped open. It ducked back into the water and scurried away downstream to the lower lake, a trail of splashing behind it.

It really was that was easy, Ash thought in disbelief, setting off for the next rippling patch. This time, it was a Pokémon he had seen before on Treasure Island: Dewpider, a six-green-legged aquatic, four of which clung to a bubble protecting its black head. Since he decided to focus on herding Wishiwashi, Ash guided Lapras away to the next pool.

"Litten, keep the Dewpider off us with Scratch," Ash commanded as Dewpider advanced on them with what appeared to be Bug Bite. While half-hearted, Litten was able to bat away the Dewpider's attacks.

It took four more rippling pools until Ash found and herded all four Wishiwashi, each immobilised with a single measly hit from Thunder Fang. In the meantime, Litten fought back the attacking Dewpider from the few wrong pools. Unfortunately, Litten's lethargic movements caused him to take unnecessary damage. If this were a normal challenge, Ash would comment on it, berate it, but it wasn't a normal challenge. That was something that needed to happen.

The first lake complete, Ash guided Lapras to the interconnecting stream and found it invited his excitement a lot more up close than from afar. It was a natural waterslide; it was a slim stream, meandering a couple of times, with sharp rocks protruding through the current and white-water rapids ruthlessly crashing together.

Fearlessly, Ash guided Lapras down the stream, lifting himself from his seat a little bit. As soon as they hit the rapids, Lapras was thrust forward by the downwards current. Ash quickly twisted his wrists, prompting Lapras to drift sideways, avoiding a mossy rock. Lapras brushed up alongside the overgrowth lining the river, then Ash guided her back in. He twisted right, left, avoiding rocks hurdling towards him, even catching some airtime when the river dropped quickly. It was exhilarating: the water flicking into his face like pellets; the wind blowing his hat-free hair; the thumping of his heart as he bounced down the water.

When he skidded to a stop in the next lake, Lapras' fins cutting through and splashing a slice of water across the calm surface, Ash had to take a moment to breathe, to compose himself.

Following his tussle with the rapids, searching for, and herding the remaining four Wishiwashi was an underwhelming endeavour. All it took were several Thunder Fangs to dispose of them, and he was on his way to the second stream of unnatural rapids. Again, Ash noticed that Litten sustained too many hits when blocking the Dewpider's attacks, some of which were Super-Effective this time.

Skidding and veering left and right a couple more times, Ash descended into the final lake. It was the largest lake yet. It had a view of the ocean over a wall of stone, and a large waterfall gushed from the largest tidepool, beneath which seemed to be a cave. There was a beach behind him – on which stood Lana, arms folded, smirking – and several large, level rocks dotted around the water. Ash immediately realised they could be used as footholds. But he wasn't going to implement that tactic. That wasn't his current goal.

Ash floated aimlessly around on Lapras, waiting cautiously because Lana had neglected to give him instructions upon reaching the final lake. Then he heard it: a rumbling sound of bubbling water. He looked down, noticing numerous quick bursts like aqua jets soaring past Lapras beneath the surface. They moved on all sides and congregated in front of the large cave.

Ash watched as a black shadow formed beneath the surface, growing and spreading like ink dropped in water. Whatever it was then moved: a large ripple spread over the water, lifting Lapras, repositioning him a fair distance backwards. From the foot of the waterfall, a giant head appeared, then the body, like a submarine emerging. It was gargantuan: its body was various colours of blue and looked almost like jelly; its mouth was as large as a small Wailord's; its white eyes were larger than the Wishiwashi he had seen earlier; and it was oddly shaped, too, as if cobbled together. When it completely emerged, its underbelly slapped the water, creating a small tidal wave that collapsed on top of them all. It was almost definitely the Totem Pokémon.

"Rockruff, Rock Throw!" Ash called, shaking his head like a shaggy dog, as both Rockruff and Litten did. "Litten, use Lapras' head to jump, then use Scratch!"

Litten set off on command, but he remained laboured. The jump from Lapras' head didn't give him enough force to reach Wishiwashi. As Rockruff's Rock Throw flew around him like spears, striking the Totem, Litten plummeted towards the water. Before Litten hit it, though, an Alomomola leapt through the water and struck him head-on with Double Slap, hitting him back onto Lapras.

That must be the Totem's ally like the Yungoos from last time, Ash thought. He turned his focus on the Totem again just as the last of Rockruff's Rock Throw landed. A few Wishiwashi tumbled out from the body, leaving a little hole.

"So, they're all Wishiwashi?" Ash asked aloud, veering Lapras in a circle to avoid a charge by Alomomola. He glanced up at the Totem, whose mouth was opening; he could see something charging deep in the shadowed blackness.

"Indeed-zzt! This is Wishiwashi's Schooling Ability, which allows multiple to merge," Rotom explained.

"Alright, Rockruff, get in close and use Thunder Fang! Litten, Ember consecutively! It'll knock some out of formation!"

Rockruff barked and darted in fast as a Quick Attack. He landed on the Totem's head and clamped his teeth down on the giant fin of its upper body. Just as he did, that yellow aura Ash had seen on Totem Gumshoos appeared. The electricity encased the Totem's whole body, yet a disappointingly small number of Wishiwashi dropped off. Ash surmised his defence had been buffed. Otherwise, Thunder Fang would have been more effective.

Meanwhile, Litten moved like a Slakoth, firing Embers randomly at the body, which only knocked off a couple of Wishiwashi. When Ash returned his focus to Litten, he saw the Alomomola darting in from behind.

"Litten, Scratch behind you!" Ash called out, but Litten didn't react fast enough. The Alomomola got to him first, using Double-Slap to knock Litten into the air. A bark from Rockruff alerted Ash to how dangerous that was. When he turned to look at Rockruff, he saw a big ball of water pooling behind Washiwashi's jelly-like teeth. All Ash could do was swish Lapras' saddle and guide him out of the firing line. A huge move that could either be Water Gun or Hydro Pump ripped through the air to the wall fronting the sea like a torpedo, submerging Litten inside of it.

When the impossibly large attack died down, Litten was crushed against the newly chipped rockface on the other side of the lake, unconscious. With the scale of that attack and the previous ones he had needlessly endured, Ash knew it was inevitable. He turned back to Rockruff as he jumped over an attack by Alomomola.

"Rockruff, follow it with Rock Throw!" Ash commanded. Rockruff's spiral of rocks hit the pink Water-Type, causing its re-entry in the water to be like a skimming stone, but then it came back faster, flying in with a prepped Double Slap. "Thunder Fang!"

Rockruff slid beneath the first slap, endured the second, then retaliated with his move, sending Alomomola sprawling onto Lapras' back, twitching. It looked paralysed, so Ash acted on it. A quick combo of Bite and Thunder Fang knocked out the ally Alomomola. However, since he had focused on Alomomola, they had neglected the Totem, and Ash wasn't overly surprised when a blast of water with the force of a Hyper Beam drenched them.

From then, Ash knew he was sending Rockruff into a losing battle. Rockruff was alone. He told him to use Thunder Fang several times, but the Totem's body was too sturdy and the Wishiwashi kept reattaching. Despite being so lethargic and having to charge its moves, it took only a few large attacks hitting Rockruff.

Rockruff fainted. Ash lost.

The slow walk back to the Poké-Center following his Trial attempt was incredibly stiff and silent. Tense, even; Lana hadn't said anything afterwards. She looked rather astonished. Ash presumed that reaction was because she had believed he couldn't lose.

Unlike the instances where he had lost in the past, before Kalos, Ash wasn't downtrodden. He walked through the route with his head raised. Truthfully, the fact he lost wasn't on his mind at all. The only thing occupying his thoughts was whether the reaction to the loss would be as he wanted it to be.

By the time they reached Heahea City, Lana's silence became slightly trying. Ash sighed, glancing at her. "Lana, you can talk, you know. Failing the trial isn't that huge."

"Oh…" Lana muttered. "I just… held your skill in such high regard. I feel kind of shocked… That's not to say I think less of your skills but…"

"Well, it happens, especially when you're at such a severe type disadvantage," Ash answered. That was only half of the truth. "I've lost before, you know. You can't win 'em all!"

"I figured, but… Are you ok?"

"Yeah, of course, I am."

"But you just lost…"

"Did I, though?" Ash answered, being purposefully cryptic. Lana looked at him confusedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah, nothing," Ash said, deciding not to disclose his plan yet. He started to walk again; Lana scurried to his side. "Anyway, enough about that for now, please?"

"Uh… Sure… Then, what did you think of my trial?" she asked.

"Honestly, the Lapras riding was an incredible addition! It was really fun, especially on the rapids between each lake. The idea of the Wishiwashi coming together as the Totem was awesome too!"

"I'm glad you think so," Lana said ponderously. "See, the complication I had was that there are two Totem Pokémon. The other is an Araquanid, the evolution of Dewpider. If you chose to herd the Dewpider, the Araquanid would've appeared instead."

"I see…"

"Anything bad you noticed? Any tips to change it?" Lana asked, sounding a lot more hesitant this time. That was only natural when asking for criticism, Ash thought.

"Hmm… I wouldn't say bad, but the herding of the Pokémon was a little slow compared to riding down the streams. What if you herded both? If you had to battle more Pokémon, that would up the pace, right?" Ash suggested.

"Hmm," Lana muttered, seemingly pondering his query for a moment. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I could have the trial-goer herd one group in the top lake and one in the bottom. The Totem appears in the bottom, and the other group could attack from behind. I could have the Wishiwashi and Dewpider attack not only them but each other too. That way, they have to fight more, keeping it action-packed, and they have to forcefully separate the two pairs… Good suggestion, Ash. Thanks."

"No problem! You're a lot more reserved than you seem with all your jokes, aren't you?"

"I suppose you could say that… Why?"

"Just an observation," Ash said, grinning. "I can't wait for the rematch!"

"Rematch? So soon?" Lana asked looking nonplussed.

"Yeah. In two days. We'll be a whole different team," Ash answered as they entered the Poké-Center.

"Ash did you—" Lana began, and Ash could guess what she was going to ask, but she didn't get to because their friends suddenly shouted out loud in the lobby, appearing from behind chairs and tables. They began to congratulate Ash on his assumed victory, something that made him feel slightly awkward. It was not unknown to him that they all rated him highly as Lana had – especially Kiawe. That, then, was another benefit of his plan; Kiawe would finally learn he was human, that he could lose too.

It was the not-at-all-subtle, frantic arm waving from Lana and the bobble-head esque shaking of her head that made them realise the situation. An awkward silence ensued. His friends wore a blend of thoroughly ashamed, abashed, and shock on their face. They began apologising, but Ash simply smiled.

"It's alright, guys. Just remember I can lose too," Ash said as his parting word. He headed to his room after that; he swore he saw Kiawe crying, but it may have been an illusory image. Ash didn't want to seem ignorant upon losing as he may have done, but he had to check something. This was the risk he had taken, a part of his plan. It all depended on how volatile Litten's emotions were.

Ash closed the door to his room gently, then turned to the vacant space of carpet at the foot of his and Lillie's beds. He let out Rockruff and Litten, and they both appeared bearing expressions exactly as Ash had anticipated: Rockruff was scowling, tapping his paw restlessly, and Litten's head was bowed, disheartened, regretful. Ash drew in a deep breath and settled on his bed. This was the moment he would find out if his plan worked.

"How do you feel, Rockruff?" Ash asked first.

Ash's eardrums were assaulted with such loud barking he wished he wore earmuffs. He heard what Rockruff said, though, in amongst the barks that were only noises born of anger and frustration, and maybe a few Pokémon cuss words. And that was exactly how Rockruff was feeling: frustrated, angry. Predictably, naturally, and somewhat rightfully, some of it was directed towards Litten's half-hearted mannerisms. He said he was frustrated they had lost; he said he wanted to get revenge on the Totem; he said he wanted to get stronger and challenge the trial again. He said he was disappointed in Litten. Ash nodded only once, turning his eyes to Litten.

"How do you feel, Litten?"

Litten hesitated at first, that same childlike pause he had performed when Ash had originally examined his wellbeing. When Litten spoke, he blamed himself for the loss. This time, Ash didn't attempt to console him only to abate his tempestuous emotions. This time, it was true. He simply let Litten speak because he was looking for something, one sentence that would determine his success or failure.

Litten reiterated the same quotes: he said he wasn't good enough, that he wasn't strong enough. Ash found it hard to listen to. That was likely how he had sounded the day after his ordeal. But that all changed when Litten raised a new point. Rather than continue chastising himself, Litten said he was disappointed in his performance, that he was annoyed he had caused them to lose. He claimed it was because of how bad he was, but Ash didn't focus on the self-depreciation. That was important, though, if everything went to plan, he wouldn't have those thoughts for too much longer. Litten then apologised to Rockruff. And that was what Ash had been hoping for with his reckless move.

In response to his Pokémon's feelings, Ash said one word before returning them and uttering not a word more on the subject for the rest of the day.

"Good."

The next evening, after a day of explaining the trial attempt to his friends, reassuring them that he was ok – especially Mallow, who he noticed had been consoling Hau when he passed through the lobby – Ash stealthily exited the Poké-Center deep into the darkness, heading to the one place he had been recommended to but hadn't yet visited. The Battle Royal Dome.

Royal Avenue, on which stood the Battle Royal Dome, was still moderately busy even so late into the evening. It was a beautiful outdoor arcade: shops and stalls manned by various employees were dotted around in the fashion of an amusement park; there was an immaculately paved square brimming with a plethora of colourful flora with a small fountain off to the side, around which people and their Pokémon chatted and congested, some resting on benches. Situated at the base of the island's volcano park, it was all backdropped by the spire of the volcano, three faint plumes of steam rising from the open shoots into the night sky.

Ash wasn't there to admire the sights. He headed for the Battle Royal Dome itself, a large black steel stadium fronted with multi-coloured, fluorescent windows, glowing and flashing like disco lights in the night. The walkway to the doors was a bridge over a rectangular lake and decorated with flag poles, neon white searchlights tilted skyward, flowerbeds, and small trees, and a large Pokéball statue in the centre.

Before venturing inside, Ash found a secluded section on one of the flower bed walls and pulled out Litten's Pokéball. Aside from Pikachu, Ash had only two Pokémon with him: Litten and Infernape. It was also a part of his plan. The demonstration.

Ash let out Litten onto the wall and crouched, looking him in the eye, a gesture Litten struggled to meet.

"Alright Litten," Ash said, much more stern than usual. He took out Infernape's Pokéball and let him out, garnering a fair amount of attention from passers-by, likely due to his foreignness. Ash paid no attention to them. "I know you're having a tough time at the moment. Being abandoned and feeling worthless are two terrible experiences. I know because I've experienced them too; Pikachu has experienced them and… Infernape has, too. We all know how you feel after Rowlet knocked you out. And it's ok to feel that way. But you can't keep that mindset.

"Yesterday when you lost and were the cause, you said something different. You said you were annoyed with yourself, that you regret causing the team to lose. You acknowledged your mistake. To me, that means you want to keep fighting. You want to fight well. You want it desperately. The only thing that's holding you back is your self-doubt, that feeling of worthlessness because you failed once. Pikachu has lost loads of times. All of my Pokémon have." Litten looked like he was going to speak up, so Ash lifted his hand, silencing the words before they touched his lips. "But you feel your situation is different, don't you? 'An abandoned Pokémon was abandoned for a reason'. By that, did you mean because they were too weak?"

Litten slowly nodded.

"Well, let me tell you a story," Ash said. He reached over and patted Infernape's shoulder. "Originally, Infernape was another trainer's Pokémon. At the time, that trainer wasn't a nice person. Just because Infernape, as a Chimchar – his first evolution – lost a battle, he decided to release him, to abandon him."

Ash immediately saw Litten's eyes go wide. Presumedly, he made the same link Ash had.

"That's right," Ash said. "I don't know what happened with you, but it's similar, right? Infernape's original trainer thought he was weak, so he released him. You know what I did? The moment he released him, I approached Chimchar and asked him to join me. He's a Pokémon who thought he was worthless when he was abandoned too. That's Infernape's story. You can say you're weak all you want, that you're worthless, but at the end of the day, none of it's true. Maybe you're not as strong as you want to be, but it takes time," Ash said, then trailed off.

Litten, looking bewildered, shared a glance with Infernape, who nodded, flashing his infectious grin. When Litten looked back at Ash, he nodded too.

"Why am I telling you this? Well, because he used to be like you. He's not like that anymore. I'm going to fight a Battle Royal match with Infernape right now. Just watch. Just watch, and I hope you'll learn something," Ash said. He returned Infernape and marched through the doors, knowing Litten and Pikachu were following.

The reception was marble white inside, full of bustling bodies and blaring voices. Above the check-in desk was a large flat-screen television broadcasting the current Battle Royal in progress.

On the screen was a large boxing ring, the four corners coloured red, blue, yellow, and green. Outside the ring were large Pokémon heads with the entryways to each corner of the ring paved through their open mouths. Charizard was the entryway for the red corner, Gyarados for the blue, Haxorus for the yellow, and Tyranitar for the green corner. In the ring, a Machamp, a Golem that looked to be an Alolan variant, a Turtonator, and an Umbreon were battling. It looked like the Umbreon was winning, but Ash took his eyes off when he reached the front of the queue. He asked if he could battle and was put in for the next fight after filling out a form. They instructed him to follow the red pathway to his right.

The battle before his ended in victory for the Umbreon and its trainer – Ash watched the rest from the entryway. It seemed the trainer was also in the red corner; he exited the stage immediately after his victory through the Charizard's mouth.

He was a tall boy, Ash noticed, probably a few years older than he was. He wore a grey hooded shirt with a large red cut across it, a black undershirt and black joggers – both ripped in sections – red shoes, and a belt with a pouch around his waist. It almost looked like a unique variation of a Team Skull uniform. What caught Ash's eye about the boy was his hair and eyes: light blonde hair all swept over the right side of his face, the left more shaved and detailed with a ripped design like his clothes, unveiling two stud earrings in his upper ear, and emerald eyes. It was a colour combination he had seen before. The same as Lillie.

"Nice battling," Ash said as he and his Umbreon walked past, his movements smooth and calm. The boy acknowledged Ash with a deep frown, almost a scowl.

"Hmph," the boy grunted, folded his arms, and leaned against the wall opposite Ash. He scanned Ash up and down, then Pikachu and Litten. "They weren't a challenge. I need tougher opponents. Are you going out there with a Pikachu and first evolution Litten? Dubious choices if you want to fight seriously."

If not for the offence he took from that statement, and the likelihood of it worsening Litten's mood, Ash would've laughed in the boy's face, as rude as it would have been. Ash didn't know if he were being pointedly obnoxious or if he honestly believed only evolved Pokémon could be strong.

"Nope. I'm going with this guy," Ash said calmly, sending out Infernape, who's eyes were as angered as during his blaze when it was feral. Evidently, he had heard what the boy said. Immediately, the boy's eyes went wide. He scanned Infernape, from his feet to his fiery mane, his interest clearly piqued. Ash heard the call for the next battlers and began down the walkway. He looked over his shoulder.

"Just a heads up. Maybe don't make assumptions like that. Any Pokémon can be strong. You have no idea how strong my Pokémon could be."

The packed stadium rumbled with cheering as the four battlers entered the ring and the announcer began his overly enthused raving about the contestants. Ash easily ignored most of it, choosing to scan his opponents instead. He did, however, pick out the key information he needed from the speech, foolhardy comments on the announcer's part that alerted him to the names and types of his opponents, all of whom were eying Infernape with fierce looks akin to malevolence. There was quite clearly a target on him. It was all bravado meant to intimidate; Ash knew what the stare of true hatred and bloodlust looked like.

The opponent in the green corner had a levitating blue Pokémon with a saw-like jaw and glassy, semi-circled wings. The announcer said it was named Vikavolt, a Bug and Electric Type. In the yellow corner was a sandcastle Pokémon: Palossand, a Ghost-Ground Type, Ash overheard. The final opponent in the blue corner was a Snorlax. When explaining the Pokémon, the announcer stalled on Infernape, having to check the sheet Ash had signed upon entry to figure out its name. Yet another consequence of Alola being so far estranged from society.

"Today we have for you a four-way single battle! The style of this match is Last Pokémon Standing! Battlers are you ready?!" the man yelled, and Ash automatically nodded, sharing a grin with Infernape. "Aaand… fight!"

"Snorlax, Heavy Slam!"

"Palossand, Shadow Ball!"

"Vikavolt, Spark!"

Predictably, they all attacked the unknown threat.

"Infernape, Flame Wheel into the ropes and rebound into Vikavolt!" Ash commanded, feeling a rush of nostalgia at signalling to use Flame Wheel. As instructed, Infernape gyrated into a flaming ball and rapidly rolled into the ropes. They stretched a fair distance before catapulting Infernape through the Shadow Ball and into Vikavolt, overcoming the Spark with ease. "Land and use Close Combat above you!"

The flames dispersed when Infernape's large feet slapped the floor of the ring, his fists – pulled tight to his sides – charging red as the shadow of Snorlax's large frame fell upon him. The Heavy Slam came to an abrupt halt in mid-air when Infernape, fists a blur, pummelled against it, his hips squared and low. For a moment it seemed like Snorlax was levitating as the two forces collided, an almost impossible scene given its size. After the final punch, Infernape was able to cancel out Heavy Slam completely and send Snorlax crashing against the ropes.

"Vikavolt, Bite on Palossand!"

"Infernape, intercept it with a Mach Punch hammer fist to the side!" Ash called. Infernape rather violently spun his body in a circle, lashing his right arm out behind his body. The strike caught the speedy Bug Type in the jaw, shattering the prepared Bite, redirecting it spinning into the ropes. "Flame Wheel to follow up!" Once more, Infernape clattered into Vikavolt in a flaming ball and bounced across the ring. It looked to Ash as if Vikavolt was nearly unconscious already, which was a slight let-down.

Ash turned his attention to the scuffling Snorlax and Palossand, the former enduring the latter's Sand Tomb with Defence Curl. "Flame Wheel to separate them!" Infernape dived in, knocking both clashing parties into their respective ropes, eliminating the spiralling sand in the process.

"Shadow Ball, Palossand!"

"Thunder Punch!" Ash commanded, and Infernape punched straight through the Shadow Ball as if it were a mass of air.

Snorlax approached from behind with a body slam.

"Duck and roll to the left!" Infernape did, bouncing onto his feet seconds later, fists raised. The crash of Snorlax hitting the canvas with Body Slam made the whole ring shake.

Ash had no time to think because Vikavolt was charging at Infernape with Spark again. Ash merely shouted to dodge. Infernape performed a sequence of impressively fast, flexible movements: he jumped, flicked his shoulders left and right, weaved his body side-to-side, and ended with a back handspring.

"Lean back!" Ash called. Infernape lent back as if preparing to shuffle under a limbo bar. "Grab it and throw it into Snorlax!" Vikavolt passed over Infernape, whose arm became a bolt of lightning to grab his jaw. Infernape quickly spun and threw Vikavolt into Snorlax's round chest. "Flame Wheel off the ropes into Palossand!"

The ring looked like a pinball machine as Infernape rapidly ricocheted around it, hitting Palossand repeatedly until it seemed to be about to faint. To prevent that, their trainer enacted an Iron Defence. But, Infernape let loose one more Flame Wheel that eliminated Palossand from the battle despite the heightened defence.

Meanwhile, Ash saw the Snorlax was being worn down by the barely-holding-on Vikavolt, who was still fast enough to bounce off his body with Spark and avoid counters in the way Infernape used Flame Wheel on Palossand.

"Alright Infernape, finish it with Close Combat!" Ash called out.

Infernape ran into the other ongoing battle. All it took was two hits for Vikavolt to go down: a straight jab to counter a Spark and an invisible hook to the body that knocked it out of the ring. Snorlax's sturdy frame lasted a while longer. Infernape ducked in and out like a boxer as he delivered jab after jab, avoiding Snorlax's laboured lunges of Body Slam and, surprisingly, Hammer Arm until he fell back and hit the canvas, knocked out of the fight.

The bell was rung, signalling the end of the fleeting, one-sided match. Ash stood up straight and lifted a hand for Infernape to high-five. Their moment was succeeded by uproar from the crowd, loud enough to shatter a whole glass building. Slinging an arm around Infernape's shoulders, Ash tuned it out and coolly left the ring with not a word to the announcer who begged him for one. He left mysteriously, which only seemed to heighten the emotions permeating the stadium.

When Ash returned to the tunnel, he was satisfied for three reasons. Firstly, most importantly, Litten looked different. The gloomy shadows in his eyes had vanished. The sparkle was revived in them: he looked widely at Infernape as if he were royalty. As if he were Arceus. As if he were his mentor. Secondly, he'd finally found something for his older Pokémon to partake in while on the side-lines. And finally, the look on the blonde-haired boy's face, who seemed to have watched, was priceless. But Ash ignored that. He crouched down to Litten's height.

"What did you think, Litten? You may feel worthless for being abandoned, but you're not. What you just saw? That was the performance of an abandoned Pokémon. You can become like that too. You can be that strong," Ash said.

With that, Ash contentedly left the stadium because he knew it had worked. His plan to not only teach his Pokémon but to heal Litten had worked.