Hi everyone!!  SK here.

I hope you're all excited for this chapter!!  This is officially the third-last chapter, two more left to go.  And it's the fortieth part!!  (For now) this is officially my longest book.  For chapter AND part count.  

Question: Who do you think the "their" is in the chapter title?

Anyways let's start the chapter now.  I hope you do enjoy it!! :D

Ash

"I... I lost," I whisper, almost trembling.  I lost, I lost, I lost.  

"Gren..." Greninja groans.  With what little strength I have left I stumble over to my Pokemon and make sure that he's alright.  Pikachu scampers up behind me, and I can tell that he's afraid too.

"You did fight nobly, I admit," Drago says suddenly.  I turn to him, filled with hatred.  "That was the most fun I've had in centuries battling a fairy.  You've got skill, that's for sure."  Then he smiles.

"Just... not enough."

I gulp, crawling backwards as Drago slowly steps towards me.  His smile fades away into a look so menacing that even Giovanni would have to compete.  I place my hands over my Necklace, wanting to protect it with my life.  Everyone's trusting me.  I can't let them down.

You already have, my inner voice says, and I feel my confidence begin to ebb away like morning dew at noon.

"You lost," Drago says.  "So why-"

"No."

Surprised, I turn around.  Rin stands up, a sure look on his face. 

Drago seems annoyed, and bitter.  "What did you say?" 

"I said no," Rin repeats.  "Ash didn't lose.  He lost one Pokemon, but he didn't lose."

"What on earth-"

"Drago, that's the thing about these fairy battles," says Xavier, standing side by side with Rin.  "Everyone battles with every Pokemon that they have.  For millenniums it's only ever been one versus one battles.  However it seems," he adds with a warm look at me, "we have a fairy with two Pokemon.  And it's only right that he has a chance to fight with everything he's got."

"Xavier's completely correct," says yet another new fairy.  "It's not just fair- it's the law."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Zagan-"

"Oh, but I do," Zagan's eyes flash.  "I'm the first ever Dark Leader.  I've overseen every single generation of fairies, Dark and Light alike.  And Drago... I hate myself for not trying to become strong enough to stop you sooner.  But this ends now.  Ash has talent... and once he defeats you we will have no trouble banishing you for good."

"We aren't afraid of you!" everyone cheers, saying that and similar phrases.  

"Ash, you've got everyone on your side," Rin says with a grin.  "And we're all gonna help you win."

"This is ridiculous!" Drago screams, but no one pays attention to him anymore.  Honestly I feel a little bad for him; this man is downright sadistic and insane.

Rin approaches me, as well as Xavier and Zagan.  I feel I should bow or something when I see the fairy approach.  Should I bow?  I should bow.

I start to bow but Zagan holds out a hand to stop me.  "I understand," he says warmly.  "I've never even met you before, yet somehow I know that you can do this perfectly."

"Even though Garchomp is immune to Pikachu's attacks but hey!  You've got this," Rin adds, giving me a thumbs up.

I shoot him a look.  "Thanks."

"No problem," he says cheerfully, Raichu giving a little cheer beside him.

"What's the plan?" I ask them.  "Because Rin's right.  I'm so scared... I need to win or everyone will die, but it looks like-"

"Stop that," Xavier complains.  "Yes, you're scared.  But you'll make it.  You have that aura about you.  Remember, Pikachu will be with you!  Speaking of Pikachu- ah, there you are."

Pikachu gives a little yip and jumps onto my shoulder.  Zagan approaches Pikachu and holds a finger to his forehead.  Pikachu seems to instantly calm down, radiating a mellow aura while taking deep breaths.  Through our bond I can sense his calmness at the edge of my mind like a call that can't be answered.  Moments later the fairy steps away, smiling to himself.  "What'd you do?" I ask him.

"Pikachu should be more than ready to battle now," he says instead.  He then holds out a small yellow orb on a string, and I take it.  

"What's this?" I ask, curious.

"Give it to your Pikachu," he says.  "The item will definitely help you."

I put it on Pikachu's left ear, making sure to thank the fairies.  They point me to the battlefield, where Drago is impatiently waiting.  I see his face- boy is he angry.  

He's not going to handle this loss very well then.

Pikachu jumps down as soon as we get there, and we do a small fist-bump with each other.  I'm not at peak focus so I can't understand him, but I can see the emotions in his eyes.  "We've got this," I whisper.  "There's no one else I trust more than you, buddy.  It's always been us since the very beginning.  Let's make sure to end it that way too."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaims, his cry somehow sounding determined.

"Ready when you are, Drago!" I yell.  I summon some magic in my hands, form my baseball cap, and place it back on my head.  I grab the brim and turn it backwards, getting pumped up as I do so.  We have a second chance, and I'm not taking it lightly.

"Very well," Drago says, sounding as bitter as ever.  "And just because you have allies does not mean you've won.  Idiots standing together are still idiots; alliances mean nothing."

"We'll see about that," I say.  "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumps up, it's tail turning silver as it goes to strike Garchomp.  Of course, Drago's Pokemon easily dodges the attack, but we aren't letting up.

"Quick Attack!" I shout.

Pikachu breathlessly nods and launches itself at Garchomp from a multitude of angles.  He hits every time, and I feel a sense of pride for my buddy.

Drago is beginning to look angry though.  "Silly boy, Garchomp is immune to your attacks.  Finish this rat with Earthquake," he commands.

Garchomp lets out a roar and suddenly the ground begins to shake.  "Quickly, use Garchomp to launch yourself upwards!" I yell desperately.  Pikachu hits into Garchomp, and using the large Pokemon's head he jumps upwards, evading the attack.

I do notice something though, when Garchomp uses Earthquake.  The ground trembles of course, but each time the mighty Pokemon uses it I see the tiny cracks that were created by Greninja's Cut blades begin to get larger and larger.  That gets me thinking...

"You think you can get away?  Use Draco Meteor!" Draco yells with a manic smile on his face.

For a moment time seems to slow down as the meteors smash Pikachu towards the ground, a huge pile forming on top of him.  Every hit feels like it's breaking me, like I'm getting all the air knocked out of my chest.  

Pikachu!

"Help..." comes his reply.  Crap.

I try to think of a plan but I notice that my entire left arm is pulsing with pain.  It's really distracting.  Come on, don't let yourself get distracted.  

"Pikachu, if you can hear me, use Thunderbolt to smash the meteors to pieces.  Use Iron Tail to hit them towards Garchomp!" 

"Pika!" the Electric-type shouts, and a huge burst of electricity is emitted from within the boulders.  The rocks are reduced to bits and I see Pikachu's tail turn into steel as they do.  One by one, he deflects them towards our opponent.  

"Use Protect, create as many shields as you need to," Drago calls out.

Garchomp starts forming blue shields all around himself, each of them deflecting the shards thrown out by Pikachu.  Soon, blue shields surround the massive Pokemon; there's absolutely no way we can get through them.

"Ash!"

I turn to see who it is, and it's Rin.  "Try using Thunderbolt," he suggests.

"But Garchomp has an immunity against Thunderbolt-"

"Just try it," he says with a wink.  

"Okay..." I say skeptically, my voice trailing away.  Has Rin lost his mind?  I think to myself, shaking my head.  

"This is all we've got," Pikachu says.  "We should try it."

Okay then...

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" I yell, raising my arm up in the air.

"Pikachu!" he cries, jumping up and surrounding himself with an electric aura.  He fires a bolt of electricity directly towards Garchomp.  I expect it to do nothing, but as soon as it makes contact with one of the blue barriers it snaps directly in half, vanishing into thin air.

"What...?" I ask, confused and curious at the same time.  It's now that I remember that mysterious orb that Zagan gifted to me.  

"That orb takes your electric type attacks and strengthens them, increasing their durability," calls out Zagan.  "In terms of the effects, they vary between attacks.  However, I can say for certain that your Thunderbolt can now break barriers, just like it broke those meteors a few moments ago.  I've used the orb myself, when I used to train on a regular basis, and I've come across other moves that become strong enough to turn into barriers like Protect themselves.  It's all in the magic," he adds with a wink.

"What is this nonsense...?" Drago seethes, gritting his teeth at the same time.

We can use our Electric attacks now! I realize.  

"Pikachu, I don't like the idea of shields on our battlefield, do you?" I ask with a smile on my face.

"Pika!" he shouts, running around Garchomp while firing off the attacks.  With each hit a shield breaks apart.  When Pikachu finishes his job he stands still, panting a little.

"Great job, Pikachu!" I cheer.

"Pikapi!" he responds.

"Don't you be getting all confident now, little boy," the enemy sneers.  "Garchomp, use Draco Meteor."

"Use Electroweb," I shout.  Please do something useful please do something useful please do something useful...

With a cry Pikachu forms a web of electricity, and launches it upwards.  I expected Pikachu to launch it at Garchomp, why would he-

"Trust me."

Shocked, I turn to Pikachu, who nods at me.  

I always do, Bud.

The net lands on top of Pikachu just as soon as the meteors start to fall from the sky.  The rocks come crashing down on him, piling on top so I can't see my partner anymore.  

"Use it again, just for good measure," Drago orders.  "Harder for it to break through with that Iron Tail of his."

Garchomp lets out a low roar and repeats its previous attack.  My eyes round with despair as I see the pile of rocks on top of Pikachu grow twice as big.  I hang my head.  There's no way Pikachu can survive that-

"I'm fine, Ash."

What- how?

"The Electroweb," he explains.  "It became tough acted as a shield."

"It acted as a shield," I whisper to myself, shaking my head while smiling.  "Thank goodness."

"What did you say?" Drago demands.

"N-Nothing," I stammer, caught off guard.

"So it is using a shield, huh?" he smiles.  "Use Earthquake.  That shield should be preventing it from jumping up, as well as those meteors."  

"No!" I scream, but it's too late.  I feel the ground shake under me as a pain shoots up inside me.  It's so bad I feel like passing out.  I hear Pikachu's pained cry from the battlefield, and it just breaks my heart.  

Pikachu...

"Hahaha!" I hear Drago laugh.  "You see now, Ketchum?  You've lost.  That idiotic attempt to dethrone me was pointless."

"I..." I have nothing to say.  Pain courses through me as despair washes over me.

Wait... why am I in pain?

Is it because of Pikachu?

But that usually happens only when Greninja and I...

The realization sparks just as strong as Pikachu's Thunderbolt.  

The Bond Phenomenon seems to be working its magic again.

"You're wrong," I say.  I hold my chin high, and look at Drago squarely.  "We have not lost.  Me and Pikachu have a bond unlike any other.  Our strength is combined... and we will use that strength to defeat you!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu lets out a might cry, breaking through the shield as a vortex of sparks fly all around him.  He flies through the meteors as if they were thin sheets of plastic waiting to be ripped apart.  I toss my hat up to Pikachu and he catches it, slipping it on his own head.  As Pikachu lands I catch a glimpse of the extra bits of fur sticking out of the sides of his cheeks, and the blue stripes that run up the back of his legs.  

"What... that's... impossible!" Drago yells.

"Nothing is impossible," I say.  "Pikachu, let's show them our combined power!  Electroweb!"

"Don't you dare!" Drago says.  "Earthquake, Garchomp!"

"Grawwr," Garchomp roars, using his attack.  Before Pikachu can be hit, he runs over to his previous Electroweb shield and turns it on its side.  He jumps onto it and using the sheer power from his Thunderbolt aimed at the ground, he's able to project himself into the air.  It's a bit stretchy, but it holds enough for Pikachu to ride it like a surf board as he uses Quick Attack to propel himself forward even more.  He flies through the air, letting out a squeal of excitement as he does so.  Looks fun... that almost wants to make me try it myself!

"It is fun," Pikachu tells me, making me smile.

"This is pointless!" the Dark Leader yells.  "Use Draco Meteor, knock it down from the sky!"

All of a sudden the rocks start coming down, but of course Pikachu, acting like a pro, dodges them all.  He glides through the gaps swiftly, watching the rocks thud against the ground below.  

That's it.  Keep making him use Draco Meteor.  According to my plan, this should work.

"Argh!" Drago seems to be getting frustrated.  "Knock it down already, do your job!"

Garchomp keeps letting up the attacks, but it seems to be getting tired.  Meanwhile, Pikachu and I just keep cruising.  "That's it, Buddy," I say encouragingly.  This keeps up for a couple minutes, until I see enough tension created to start the plan.  "Pikachu, you can land now.  Go right where they want you."

"Pikapi," he nods, leaping off the surfboard shield and onto the ground.

"Finally!" Drago says, looking insane.  "Use Earthquake."

I guess Drago's too frustrated to wonder why we gave him an easy opening like that.

"Pikachu, jump back onto your Electroweb," I tell him.

Pikachu jumps upwards and I watch the ground shake from my position.  However, instead of mere shaking I see cracks start to appear right where Garchomp is standing.  The platform breaks apart and Garchomp falls through the hole onto the real ground below, and I see fairies rush to get out of the way.  Pikachu summons another Electroweb shield and floats downwards on it, landing right in front of Garchomp.  I knew those meteors would weaken the ground enough for an Earthquake to actually break it.  Thank goodness it worked.

"Nice job, buddy!" I shout, floating down on my own platform to ground-level.  Drago does the same.

"You think you're so special," Drago shouts.  "Draco Meteor, and for my sake, finish this rat and his trainer."

Rocks start to rain down again, but I have a different plan.  "Pikachu, jump up on each meteor, climb higher and higher!"

"Pika," he says, jumping up from rock to rock.  He does that, gracefully climbing higher, until he leaps off of the last rock.  He hovers for a split second, and I make my move.

"Pikachu, it's time to finish this!" I yell.  "For Serena and Sylveon, for everyone we've sworn to save and protect!  IRON TAIL!"

"PIKACHU!" he shouts, his tail turning to steel as he falls faster and faster towards Garchomp. 

"Use Protect to defend yourself!" Drago orders quickly, but I know that even he knows it's the end.

Pikachu keeps coming faster and faster, his tail growing larger by the second.  "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the shield!"

He uses Thunderbolt, not only destroying the shield, but surrounding his tail in a trail of shimmering electric sparks.  "Pikapi!" he cries, then hits hard on Garchomp.  The impact of the giant Iron-Electro-Tail sends him flying backwards, narrowly missing some fairies.  I hear his mighty roar fade away, and soon I see a blue light return to Drago's Necklace.

Pikachu hops back up, and I run to him and pull him close.  "We did it," I whisper.  "You were amazing, absolutely incredible.  Thank you," I say, my voice filled with emotion.

He doesn't say anything, but a tired but strong "You're welcome" graces my ears.  

"We'll keep battling like this for years to come," I say, fist-bumping him.  "We'll keep getting stronger and stronger."

"Pika!" he agrees happily.  

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, Drago has sunken to his knees in defeat.

"How... how could I lose...?" he whispers to himself.

I sigh, and with Pikachu, as well as Greninja, now following me, I walk up to Drago.  A more evil person would not be doing this right now.

I'm not that person.

I hold out my hand.  "You're very strong," I comment.  "That was an honourable match.  Thank you for fighting with me."

He looks away, and doesn't attempt to take my hand.  Not that I'm surprised.  But I tried, just saying.  Zagan comes up and lifts the Necklace from Drago's neck.  He turns to me with a warm look in his eyes.

"I've waited centuries to do this," he says emotionally.  "To place the Necklace on a new fairy for good.  Ash, I know you will do great things as the new Dark Leader.  All of us have accepted you, and I trust that you will continue our line in an honourable way."

"I will," I say confidently, bending my head slightly so he can place the Necklace on me.  It feels surreal to have it on, its light weight on my chest giving me some kind of reassurance.

"We have many things to show you," Zagan says, offering his hand.  I take it, but someone stops us.  It's another fairy, one who I haven't met before.

"Ash has to go," she says to Zagan.  "That, ahem, Last Resort you and Lita came up with?  The fairies out there are about to use it."

"Oh my," Zagan says, letting go of me.  He nods, telling me to head towards the black hole from which I came.  

I look towards Drago, but he shakes his head.  "We will deal with him," he says.  "Now go!"

"Thank you," I say breathlessly.  "I'll try not to let you down."

"Don't try," Rin shouts, but I can't see him.  "JUST DO IT!"

I roll my eyes, smiling as I do.  Pikachu leaps on my shoulder and Greninja runs beside me.  I stop before the exit, taking a deep breath.  I have one victory under my belt, but another, more dangerous battle lies ahead of us.  All three of us step into the portal, and the darkness surrounds us, making us stronger, smarter, and more powerful.

"I'm coming, Serena," I whisper.  "It's time for all of this to end."

Wow that was a long chapter.  3K words.  I also think it's safe to say that between all the battles I've written for my Pokefics, this is one of the better ones (even if it was a slight bit confusing oop-).  What did you all think?

Anyway that's it for this chapter.  Two left to go!!  

See you all in the next chapter everybody..

P.S. You might see a lag in updates, but that is because I want to post these chapters relatively close to one another.  So stay tuned for the grand finale!!  Do you think Ash and Serena will get rid of the problem Drago started?