Showdown in Pewter City
The next morning, Nick woke up to a light beeping coming from the nightstand next to her. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her to get her bearings.
She vaguely remembered the conversation from last night she had with Misty and pursed her lips as she looked over at the bunkbed across from her. Misty was asleep on the top bunk soundly while Ash was sprawled on the bottom in sort of a heap. He seemed to be sweating with the blanket tangled around him. Pikachu was still sleeping soundly on the pillow above Ash's head.
Nick swung her legs over the side of the bed and was about the go to Ash when she heard the beeping again. She jerked her head to the loud sound and snatched up the small wrist-communication device.
Gary was calling her.
Taking one last glance at Ash, Nick bit her bottom lip and quickly shuffled out of the room. She gently turned the knob and clicked the door back in place behind her before tapping on the device's screen.
Gary's face immediately came into view looking very much displeased.
"Morning kind of person, huh?" Nick grumbled. "Ash and Misty are still sleeping."
"Good." he grunted. Nick cocked an eyebrow at his response before Gary continued. "I wanted to talk to you. What's going on with you guys? Why aren't you going for your Gym battles?"
Nick crossed her free arm over her chest and yawned. "I already told you, it's just a detour. I'm still challenging the League." Then she furrowed her eyebrows once she cleared her head of sleep. "Why does it matter to you anyway? Ash and Misty are the companions I chose and they're the ones supposed to be guiding me, aren't they?"
"That's just it," Gary said. "We were supposedly programmed to do that, but since the other day, we have free will now, right? So they aren't disagreeing with your decision."
"And they should be?"
"Precisely. And because they're not, you're taking advantage of them."
"Excuse me?" Nick shot back.
Gary pinched his nose. "No, I don't mean of them specifically, I mean the game-"
"Why would I take advantage of them?!" Nick snapped. "You have no idea why I chose them, or why I'm here, or-… or…!" Nick was practically shaking. "I'm helping them! And you!"
"Nick, that's not what I-"
"I'll talk to you later, Gary."
Nick raised her hand and clicked to hang up before Gary could say anything else. Nick continued to stand there for a minute with her shoulders hunched and fists clasped against her sides. When she was calm enough, she released her fists and slid down the door to the floor.
Taking a few deep breaths, Nick hugged her knees to her chest to keep herself from crying. She wasn't just in complete disbelief that Gary would say that to her, but she just couldn't process how she had wound up in a fight with him. It painfully reminded her too much of the real world and why she had picked up the game in the first place.
The real world…. That thought made Nick cringe. Not only did she have no way of getting back, but she was running out of time. Someone would notice eventually, and Nick feared what would happen if she left now.
She was lost. She knew she shouldn't have snapped at Gary the way she did. But that was something she was still working on herself. And it was part – at least a small part – of why she needed the time off from the real world.
Taking another deep breath, Nick finally stood up and pressed her forehead against the door. She pressed in the code given to her by Nurse Joy and carefully opened the door. She turned and gently shut the door behind her before turning back to the bunkbeds.
"Ash," Nick whispered. He was sitting up in bed now, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with Pikachu looking on.
Ash slowly glanced up at her. Nick's shoulders tensed at the sight of him. There were clear bags under his eyes and his hair was a damp disaster. "Hey…." he said, rubbing his eyes.
Nick stepped over to the mini fridge and pulled out a water bottle before closing it and coming to Ash's side. She was short enough to sit up on the edge of the bottom bunk while Ash was hunched over quite a bit. She handed him the water bottle and he took it eagerly, gulping it down. When he finished it off, he was gasping for air.
"Rough night?" Nick sympathized.
Ash closed his eyes and pressed a hand to his forehead. Unfortunately for Nick, her distress went unnoticed. "Yeah…. I couldn't sleep at all. I was tossing and turning all night."
Nick allowed half a smile for him. "Misty was really worried about you," she said, careful to keep her voice down. "I don't want to tell you what to do…." she trailed off.
"I know, and you're right," he finished for her. He ran a hand through his hair. "I've just never felt this awful in my life. And I don't want to keep this from her, but she's going to be even angrier when she realizes I've been keeping something from her."
"Trust me, I understand keeping secrets from people. But in the long run, it's better to be honest with her." Nick's eyes widened when she realized the truth in her own words.
"You're right," he said with a sigh. "I will tell her. I just need some time to figure out how."
Nick nodded. "I think that's the right thing to do."
Ash nodded and tossed the blanket off. He rose from the bed in boxers and a white T-shirt. He stretched his arms out and cracked his back while Nick ruffled Pikachu's fur on his head. "I'm gonna take a shower."
"Take your time." Nick dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I'll go get breakfast for everyone."
Ash gave her a small smile and shut the door behind him.
Glancing over at her own bed, Nick ran a hand along Riku and Charmander's backs. Both of the Pokémon slowly opened their eyes and smiled at Nick. But they quickly realized something was wrong with their trainer's demeanor.
Nick was happy she at least had them to understand her.
The next few days in Viridian Forest consisted mostly of light-hearted banter between the three. Nick was quickly learning that having a third force in the mix wasn't a bad thing for them to break it up when things turned sour. The only part that still clouded her thoughts was that Ash had yet to tell Misty the truth.
Her mind wasn't just on Ash and Misty however. There was very much a missing presence from her Xtransceiver and it began to weigh heavier and heavier on her conscious. She desperately wanted to apologize to Gary, but she didn't know what to say. And if he had yet to call her, she figured he must still be mad at her.
She knew that in retrospect, she was the one that was angry and that Gary wanted to just talk. But she was too embarrassed to call him. So she figured if it was important enough, he'd call her.
He had yet to, and Nick was starting to feel worse and worse with each day that passed.
She did however take the two days to train her Pokémon. By no means was she entirely willing to give up on the League. But while it wasn't her number one priority anymore, it didn't mean she felt any different about getting stronger. If she wanted to help her new friends find out what was happening to them, she needed to be able to protect them as much as they could her.
It was early afternoon when they reached Pewter City. Misty recommended stopping in the Pokémon Center before Nick took on the Gym Leader, who she knew was currently Forrest, Brock's younger brother. Ash recalled from the last time he saw Brock that he was studying to become a Pokémon doctor and wondering aloud whether he was still in Johto or if he had come home yet. Nick suggested that if he wasn't, it was time he gave him – and everyone else – a much-needed phone call.
When the doors to the Pokémon Center slid open, they were immediately greeted by Nurse Joy.
"Hello! Welcome to the Pewter City Pokémon Center! How can I help you?"
"Hi there," Nick said, stepping up to the counter. "Would you please heal our Pokémon?"
"Of course! Please place your Pokeballs on the tray."
Nick turned and faced Riku and Charmander and they both smiled up at her. "They're just gonna heal you up for a little while, okay?" The two Pokémon nodded with a smile and Nick couldn't help but smile back at them before bringing them back into their Pokéballs.
Nick placed the Pokéballs on the tray followed by Ash and Misty. Pikachu hopped up on the counter beside the trays, ready for his much-needed relaxation and a touch-up.
"Ash!"
The three trainers turned around to see the source of the voice was none other than a long-forgotten rival, Ritchie.
Ash's jaw hit the floor and Misty shouted in surprise. "Ritchie! What are you doing here?" She approached him and he gave her a quick hug.
"I was actually challenging the Kanto Battle Frontier." He paused as he looked to Ash. "So what are you guys doing here?"
Ash finally swallowed and stepped forward into a hug with Ritchie. When they parted, he elaborated. "I uh… Misty and I are helping out our friend, Nick," he said, gesturing to her. "It's her first time in a League."
Nick gave Ritchie a small smile. "Hi there!" she said with a small wave. She held her hand out in greeting. "Nice to meet you!"
Ritchie smiled back and took her hand. "Nice to meet you! So, first swing at the League, huh?" Nick nodded. "Best of luck to you! I just heard that Forrest is the new Gym Leader here in Pewter."
"That's right," Misty added. "And while I'm helping out Nick, Daisy took over in Cerulean."
"Daisy took over as Gym Leader?" Ritchie questioned. "Good for her… and you, right?"
Misty waved dismissively. "She's a pretty good battler once she got the training. I'm just happy for the time off."
Ritchie nodded. "So have you guys seen Brock yet?"
Ash's eyes widened. "Brock's in town?"
"He's doing his residency here!" Ritchie exclaimed. "I saw him a few nights ago when I came in for a few days. He's probably busy right now, but if you stop in later, you could probably catch him on his way out."
"Yeah, definitely," Misty insisted. "We should get rooms first though. Nick plans on challenging the Gym today."
"Oh! That's so exciting!" Ritchie exclaimed, in Nick's direction. "Would you mind if I came to watch?"
Nick's eyes widened slightly for a brief moment before she gave him a small smile. "Sure! It's just that it'll be my first official battle, so don't expect anything fantastic…." she said, scratching her nose.
Ritchie pumped a fist. "I'm sure you've been training really hard. You'll do great! Just keep your head and keep in mind that Forrest knows what he's doing."
Nick nodded. "Thank you, Ritchie."
"And what about you, Ash?"
Ash turned to Ritchie and furrowed his brows. "Me?"
"Yeah! Don't you plan on challenging another League soon? It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
Ash's mouth hung open for a second before he closed it and looked down. "I guess it has."
Ritchie looked to Misty with a look of "Did I say something wrong?" Misty shrugged.
Nick looked to Ash and frowned. She looked to Misty and Ritchie and shook her head. "Why don't you two go find Brock?" Nick suggested. She turned to Ash, and gently held his arm, making him look down to her. "Why don't we go get our rooms here?"
Confusion crossed Ash's face for a moment before nodding. Nick led him away from the group and toward the stairs.
"Nick?" Ash said suddenly on the step above Nick's.
Nick looked up to meet his eyes. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Nick's eyes softened. "Of course."
But Ash wasn't done. He untangled his arm from Nick's and put a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. "I need someone that understands right now."
She allowed him a small smile. "I know." But she bit her lip and looked to the side before adding, "Misty would understand too, you know."
Nick felt Ash's hand tense up on her shoulder slightly before he retracted. Nick held her breath, but then Ash replied, "I know. I just don't know if I fully do, yet."
"You don't have to," Nick insisted. "That's why we're heading to the Tree of Beginning for some answers." At that, Ash raised his eyebrows at her. "I know this isn't just about losing the Kalos League, Ash. You've been through a lot, especially recently."
"You're right…. I just don't want this to change anything between us, you know?" he shrugged and looked away.
"This is Misty, we're talking about, you know." Nick said. "When has she ever doubted you?"
Ash pursed his lips in thought. When he really thought about it, Misty had been there when he had given up his life, when he was chosen to save the world, when he had fought tooth and nail to save his mother, when he had fought to save Celebi, when he had saved Latias and Alto Mare, and when Pikachu was tortured into revealing his memories of the legendary Pokémon. She had fought by Ash's side through it all. Never once did she doubt him, never once did she talk him out of it, and never once did she give up hope for Ash.
Ash sighed. "Even without that stuff, Misty has been acting really strange lately," he said, continuing on the stairs. "I don't know what's wrong."
Nick approached the door to one of the rooms and punched in a key passcode, unlocking the door. "I mean, a lot's happened when you were away. While she doesn't know what happened to you, you don't know what happened to her.
"So you're traveling with Ash again, huh?" Ritchie said after a cough.
Misty tore her gaze away from the stairs and looked back to Ritchie. "Uh… yeah!" she said. "It's been… interesting."
"So Brock said you're headed to the Tree of Beginning after this?" Ritchie asked casually.
Misty bristled. More people knew about their plans than she expected. But to add to her discomfort, she wasn't entirely set on the fact that they were only going there to talk about their memories.
Ash had been acting weird since they left the lab, and Misty wasn't all that oblivious. She knew that Nick was much wiser than her in regards to Ash's journey, and it was unsettling. Misty hadn't wanted to leave, and the nightmares only stopped after she had formed better relationships with her sister and her own Pokémon at the gym.
"Yeah, we are," she conceded.
"You don't sound too thrilled about going up there," Ritchie commented, folding his arms.
"To the Tree of Beginning?"
The two trainers turned to see Brock in a lab coat approach them with a smile that seemed rather forced to Misty.
"Brock!" Misty exclaimed. She ran up to him, and he gladly accepted her embrace.
"It's so good to see you, Misty," he said, hugging her back. He pulled away and looked down at his younger friend. "Is that what you and Ritchie were talking about earlier?"
Misty pursed her lips and looked away. "Yeah… weren't you there with him?"
"With May and Max, too, yes," he added. "What are you guys going up there for?"
Misty started but then clamped her mouth shut. She couldn't decide on whether to tell Brock about her doubts. She had always accepted Ash's decisions, no matter how ridiculous. But she was beginning to have her doubts, and she didn't like it. But maybe it had something to do with their memories after all.
"Misty?" Brock asked.
Her gaze snapped back up to Brock and she shook her head. "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Brock asked.
"Something's going on with Ash," she blurted against her better judgement. "I don't know what's wrong with him, or me, or Nick, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do or say, or-" Misty continued her rambling, arms flying and her voice rising.
"Okay, slow down," Brock said, grasping her shoulders.
Misty's body went rigid for a brief second before finally she took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry," Misty said, looking at the floor. "I just don't know what to do."
"Have you considered asking him?"
Misty looked up at Brock, eyes wide. "Asking him what? Where the hell he's been for the last three years? Why he's forgotten everyone until now? Why he's being so secretive? If he still-?" Misty immediately snapped her mouth shut. She had said too much and was about to spill more.
Brock looked from her to Ritchie and then back again. "Why don't we talk in my office?"
"This is Pewter City Gym," Ash exclaimed.
Nick gazed up at the words – surprisingly small on the sign – that read "Pewter City Gym". She took a breath. "I'm ready."
Ash put a hand on Nick's shoulder. "You'll do great. Just stay focused and use what you know." Pikachu – back on Ash's shoulder – let out a "Cha!" in agreement.
"She's going into a Rock-type Gym with two Fire-type Pokémon," Misty commented. "She has a severe disadvantage… like someone else I know," she said, poking Ash's side.
He swatted her away and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure Nick has considered that fact."
Nick nodded. "I have something in my back pocket," she said with a smirk.
"Good for you, Nick," Ritchie said with a thumbs up. "You'll do great!"
"Thanks, guys," Nick said, brushing her fingers over the two Pokéballs on her belt. She stepped forward and the doors to the Gym parted.
"Looks like they did some renovating," Ritchie commented.
The front entrance was no longer the door to the battlefield. Instead, there was a front desk with double door to the right of it, and a wood door with glass panels to the left. It was complete with a doorbell and welcome mat on the floor.
The left door opened just then, and Forrest stepped out with one of his sisters and a brother at his side.
"Forrest, we have challengers!" exclaimed the sister.
Forrest turned his head to the group and smiled broadly. "These aren't just challengers, you guys." Forrest ran up to Ash and gripped him and Misty in a hug. "It's so good to see you two! And Ritchie, how are you?"
"I'm great, thank you Forrest," he said with a nod.
Forrest gestured to the two younger siblings and inclined his head to the group. "You guys remember Ash and Misty, don't you? Brock traveled with them. Ritchie is a friend of theirs."
The two siblings bowed their heads respectfully. "I'm Yolanda," said the girl.
"I'm Salvadore," the boy said.
"Hello!" Ash said happily. "We're actually here for a challenge like you said."
Forrest tilted his head slightly. "But you two already have badges," he said.
Nick then stepped forward and bowed politely. "I'm Nick," she said, lifting her head. "I'm here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge." She smirked.
"Oh, I see…." Forrest replied, also bowing. "Welcome to the Pewter Gym," he said. "How many Pokémon will you be using?"
"Two. This is my first Gym," Nick said casually.
"Oh! That's great! Well, let's head on in then," he said, pointing to the doors on the right.
"Thank you!" Nick said. She strode over to the doors, Salvadore catching up and holding them open for the group.
Walking in, Ash, Misty, and Ritchie looked on in awe. The Gym itself had certainly had a renovation done as well. The walls were lined with bleachers and the battlefield was much larger in comparison to its former counterpart. There were high platforms and rocks jutting out randomly across the field and lights were across the stadium.
"Nice upgrade," Misty commented.
"I guess mom and dad are good for some things," Yolanda said under her breath.
Salvadore shot her a look and she just shrugged.
"Alright, enough you two," Forrest said. "Sorry. They gave us the money and left again. So we had to do most of this ourselves."
Nick pursed her lips before choosing her words. "Well you've done a great job without their help… all of you," she said, inclining her head.
That made the three of them exchange smiles. "Thank you, Nick," Forrest said. "Please step to your corner of the field. You guys," he said tilting his head to the rest of the group, "can take a seat in the stands."
"Good luck, Nick," Misty said, putting a hand on her arm.
"You'll do great," Ash added, flashing her a smile.
Nick nodded and walked to the end of the battlefield.
"I will be the ref," Yolanda shouted, going to the middle of the field on the outer edge. "This battle will be between Pewter Gym Leader Forrest versus Nick, the challenger! Each trainer is allowed two Pokémon, and only the challenger is allowed substitutions! The battle will end when both Pokémon on one side are both unable to battle! Is the Gym Leader ready?"
Forrest nodded. "Ready."
"Is the challenger ready?"
"Let's go." she said.
"Then let the battle begin!"
"Nick," Forrest called, "I will call out my Pokémon first to give you the choice!"
"Sounds good to me, Forrest!"
"Crobat, go!" he called. Appearing in a flash of white light was a round, purple, bat-like Pokémon. It cried out and then eyed Ash and Misty on the sidelines and screeched happily.
"It's Brock's Crobat!" Ash exclaimed. "Good luck out there!"
"In that case…. Riku, let's do this!" Nick called out. She threw her right arm across her chest, flinging the Pokéball onto the battlefield. Riku appeared on the ground, ruffled his tail, and let out a tiny howl. The Gym seemed to get a little brighter as Riku's Drought took effect inside the Gym.
"Fire type, huh?" Forrest called out. "And a shiny at that! This'll be interesting. Alright, Crobat, use Whirlwind!"
Crobat soared over the battlefield and above Riku, flapping its wings triumphantly.
"Riku, use Ember into the Whirlwind!"
Riku immediately obeyed his trainer's orders.
"What is she doing?!" Ritchie exclaimed. "The fire's going to be thrown right back at Riku!"
But despite that thought, Riku's perfectly aimed bursts of fire went shooting through the wind tunnel of Crobat's move and hit Crobat.
"It's a direct hit!" Misty yelled, standing up.
"How did she know that would work?" Ritchie asked, also standing.
Ash merely watched carefully, his eyes narrowed on the field. There were only two thoughts running through his head: one, Nick's strategies were learning from watching his battles all of those years, and two, she was risky… like him.
Crobat became slightly disoriented by the attack and fell back to shake it off. Nick didn't hesitate to take the opportunity attack. "Riku, use Tail Whip!"
Riku launched himself up at Crobat who was hovering closer to the ground. Riku's tail lit up with white light and crashed down into Crobat.
"Crobat!" Forrest called out. The Pokémon had fallen and hit the ground with a thud. He quickly shook it off and flapped his wings to gain ground once more. "Alright, if you can still fight…. Use Supersonic!"
Riku was just landing on the ground again, regaining his balance as this took place, and the attack landed.
"Riku, keep your head straight," Nick called to him. But the fox Pokémon was shaking his head and spinning in circles.
"Crobat, use Wing Attack!" Forrest called.
"Counter Shield!"
"No way…." Ash muttered, finally standing at the ledge of the bleachers.
Riku looked determined, and so he laid on his back and spun as fast as his furry little body would allow, kicking up dust around him until he released Ember. The bursts of flame erupted from Riku's mouth and shot into the air in a violent fiery funnel. Crobat had already been closing in with wings glowing blue, and the flames encircled the bat-like Pokémon, closing in.
Crobat screamed as the flames burned his wings as they stopped glowing blue. He fell from the funnel as the Ember stopped and hit the ground with louder thud.
"Crobat is unable to battle! Riku is the winner!" Yolanda called.
"Riku, that was great!" Nick called, smiling at her now-mess of a Pokémon.
Riku smiled through the dirt but quickly began grooming himself.
"Not yet, we still have to finish this," Nick scolded.
Riku let out a huff before turning around and looking out over the field.
"Not bad," Forrest called out, Crobat returning to his Pokéball. "But let's see how you deal with a Rock-type Pokémon. Rhyperior! Go!"
Forrest threw the Pokéball overhand onto the field, and in another burst of white light, Rhyperior appeared with a deafening roar and stomped his foot down, shaking the field.
Riku's fur stood on end as he took a few shallow breaths. Nick knew he wasn't going to last much longer, so she looked down to him.
"Riku," she said, his head turning to her, "it's up to you if you want to rest or keep going."
Riku's eyes widened for a brief instant before he shook his head, a smile on his face.
Nick smiled back. "If that's what you want, I'm here to back you up. Alright Riku, use Tackle!"
"She let Riku decide!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"Not too far off from something I've seen Ash do," Misty commented, eyeing him.
But Ash was too busy taking in the action in disbelief. Her flair for unorthodox battling was coming to life before his eyes, and his strategy was being utilized in ways he never would have given the same circumstances.
Nick was definitely something else.
Riku's attack connected, but Forrest was quick to think on his toes. "Rhyperior, grab Riku!"
The larger Pokémon caught Riku after the attack hit, and held him out in front of him with one hand by the tail.
"Riku!" Nick called out, "Try to use Ember to break free!"
But the smaller fox Pokémon was trapped, and Ember wasn't nearly strong enough to loosen Rhyperior's grip on him.
"Use Rock Wrecker!" Forrest called.
To Nick's horror, a large rock began to form with a blue glow in Rhyperior's free hand. The Pokemon drew back and slammed it into Riku, sending him flying across the battlefield and into a tall pillar in front of Nick.
"Riku!" she yelled.
The Pokémon was fallen limp at the base of the pillar.
"Vulpix is unable to battle! Rhyperior is the winner!" Yolanda made the call.
Nick ran out to Riku and cradled him in her arms, soothing his disheveled fur on his head. He opened his eyes a crack and whimpered.
"Hey, you did a great job," she said quietly to him. "Thank you for pushing yourself." She held out his Pokéball and he gratefully went back inside. Nick stood up and faced Forrest.
"Your Vulpix isn't just unique; he's really tough, too," he complimented.
"I agree completely," Nick said, "but you haven't seen anything yet."
Nick ran back to her side of the field and clicked to enlarge her second Pokéball. "Charmander, let's go!" she called. She whipped the ball out in front of her and her large Charmander appeared on the battlefield, nose in the air.
"Another Fire-type?" Forrest asked. "If you insist…."
Wasting no time, Nick called out, "Charmander, Body Slam!"
The larger-than-average Charmander swiftly ran between boulders and pillars coming up closer to Rhyperior before jumping to the side and landing a direct hit.
"Holy shit!" Misty yelled. "I've never seen a Charmander move so fast!"
"He's a cocky one, I'll give him that," Ritchie added. "Reminds me of a certain someone's Charizard."
Ash nodded. "That's Charizard and Bayleef's egg. He happened to be hatching when Nick came to the lab."
"That explains it," Ritchie said. "That's how he knows Body Slam."
"Fortunately," Misty added, "he's not nearly as much of an asshole as his father. He got his cockiness, but he takes after his mother a lot in how protective he is of Nick."
"Rhyperior, shake it off and use Dig!"
The Drill Pokémon jumped and descended into the dirt beneath them in loud torrent of sand. Charmander had to shield his eyes to see through the dust, and when it settled, Rhyperior was gone.
"Don't panic just yet," Nick called to Charmander. "Use Smoke Screen!"
Charmander opened his mouth wide and released a black-purple fog onto the field, cloaking everything in it.
Nick covered her face and coughed a bit as the smog made its way over to her. "Just listen for Rhyperior's digging! He won't be able to see or hear you, but he'll have to come out eventually!"
On the other side of the field – where Nick couldn't see – Forrest was grimacing. Nick was right, and his options were limited. He had one idea, but it had to be quick because Charmander would hear it coming. "Alright, Rhyperior! Quick, use Megahorn!"
As instructed, Rhyperior burst out from the ground behind Charmander and lunged forward.
But the sound was enough for Charmander to hear it coming and dodged out of the way while a very blind Rhyperior charged through the fog and collided with a wall.
"Rhyperior!" Forrest cried.
"Charmander, Ember!" Nick yelled quickly.
Charmander did as instructed and set flames through the fog – clearing it – and hit directly where he had heard Rhyperior slam into the wall. Still disoriented from the collision, Rhyperior had no time to react and took the attack head-on, yelping out in surprise and pain.
"Rhyperior, shake it off and use Horn Drill!" Forrest called.
With the Smoke Screen cleared, Rhyperior headed straight for Charmander with its horn spinning, and Nick had yet to call a command.
"Tell Charmander to dodge!" Misty screamed onto the field. "What is she doing?!" she snapped at Ash.
"Just wait," he said.
Confused, Misty and Ritchie looked back to the field.
"Spin, Charmander!"
To everyone's bewilderment, Charmander picked up speed just as with his first attack and jumped into the air slightly off-center toward Rhyperior. As the two Pokémon came close, Charmander spun just above the horn, grazing him only slightly, but was still enough to latch onto the larger Pokémon's head.
"Give it everything you've got and use Ember!" Nick called again.
Charmander bit down on the Rhyperior's head and released as much fire as his small body could handle, making the Rhyperior cry out in pain.
Finally, the larger of the two pitched forward – the smaller leaping backward off of him – and hit the ground with a thud.
Silence.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle!" Yolanda finally called when she collected herself. "Charmander wins! Which means the victory goes to the challenger, Nick!"
Charmander ran back to Nick and jumped into her waiting arms. Nick jumped up and down while holding him and cheering, "We did it!"
In the bleachers, the other three had yet to move.
"She won…." Ash said finally.
"With only Fire-types," Ritchie added.
"To be fair," Misty pointed out, "Forrest's first Pokémon wasn't a Rock-type."
"But a Charmander up against a Rhyperior?" Ritchie asked. "That win is unheard of."
"It is now," Ash said.
He watched as Nick danced around with Charmander in her arms, smiling. He realized how happy she was and smiled to himself. It reminded him of his win here, over seven years ago.
Then he realized how much he missed competing, himself.
Clemont wiped the sweat off his brow with the oil-filled rag he pulled from his pocket. The young engineer had been working on an invention designed to measure the stats of a Pokémon, and its changes during Mega Evolution.
He was about ready to keel over. He had two Gym Battles that morning to take care of – thankfully Bonnie had offered to clean up after – before he sprinted to his internship at Professor Sycamore's lab. He was so happy to finally be able to work on inventions – and being paid was also a big plus – but he was also obligated to run the Gym. Balancing the two for the older teen wasn't the best of situations, but he figured it would work for now.
"Need any help?"
Clemont turned his head with a water bottle to his lips to see the older researching assistant with black hair smiling at him.
"I'm alright, thanks Tracy," he said with a sigh. "I think it's almost done."
"Why don't you take a break and come get lunch with Professor Sycamore and the other researchers? We'll be glad to have you."
"I don't know," Clemont lamented, "I mean, I want to, but I'm sure Sycamore wants me to get this done soon."
"He was the one that offered, actually."
"Really?" Clemont asked, eyes lighting up.
Tracy chuckled. "Yeah, and I think you need the break more than you're willing to admit."
Clemont sighed again. "Maybe you're right." He put down the water bottle, wiped his face a little more precisely and went to the sink to wash his hands before following Tracy out the door.
The two made their way to the table in the kitchen of Sycamore's apartment upstairs. Clemont was greeted amicably by the other researchers before Sycamore himself pulled out a chair next to him. "Clemont! Please, have a seat! You've been working so hard."
Clemont's cheeks flushed but he sat down. "Thank you, sir."
Sycamore waved his hand dismissively. "You've earned it, kid. Before we order lunch, I wanted to show you something."
With a raised eyebrow, Clemont pulled in his chair. Professor Sycamore reached behind him, and pulled a case from the counter that Clemont hadn't noticed before sitting down. Sycamore pushed the box toward him.
"What is it?" he asked.
Sycamore inclined his head. "Open it and find out."
Skepticism crossed Clemont's features for a brief instant before he shook it off and pulled the box toward himself. He flipped open the golden latch on the side closest to him and lifted the lid.
Clemont's mouth hung open.
"Sir…. Where… where did you get these?"
Inside the box were several Key Stones, each glowing brilliantly. Below the row of Key Stones, there were several other marble-like jewels each in a different color; they were Mega Stones.
"Tracy has been sent all over the region to collect the Key Stones of people willing to give them to us for research purposes. The Mega Stones were found by yours truly as well as a friend of mine in the Sinnoh region, Roark, as well as another friend of mine, Clay, in the Unova Region. We've been collecting them for over two years now."
Clemont ran his index finger over each one. Some were uncharacteristically warm while others were cool to the touch. Some shined brighter than others and were various sizes relatively-speaking.
"So," Clemont started, his eyes not leaving the box, "you're going to use these to test out Mega Evolution on the different Pokémon?"
"Not exactly," Sycamore explained. "Some of them, yes, but others, I want data from the real world. So I want to give them to trainers I trust that will use them in the field. I'd just ask them to collect the data on their respective Pokémon's Mega Evolution in their Pokédex. Does that make sense?"
Clemont nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, of course! That's a great idea, Professor!"
"Tracy here knows a few people in the Kanto region that can obtain data on Pokémon there," he explained. "I'm going to have to use my connections to the fullest to spread the word that I need help. Do you know of anyone I could use the help of?"
Clemont put a hand to his chin in thought. Then he looked to Tracy. "You know Ash Ketchum, right?"
Tracy chuckled. "I certainly do."
"It's too bad Greninja couldn't stay with him, or we could've used him."
"Actually," Tracy said, lifting a finger, "Ash also has a Charizard."
"Charizard can Mega Evolve!" Clemont recalled Alain's Mega Charizard X and Trevor's Mega Charizard Y.
"Which is why he's one of the people I'm sending a gift to," Sycamore continued.
"But what about Alain and Trevor?" he asked. "Don't you know them? They have each of the Mega Evolutions."
"While this is true, I have a spare Mega Stone for each form," he said. "So I want to give them both to Ash and let him make a decision on if he wants one or both. And if so, it's just more data on various Charizard's obtaining Mega Evolution, anyway."
"Huh, that's very kind of you, sir," Clemont said.
"So I'm heading back to Kanto to meet up with Daisy at the Cerulean Gym," Tracy said. Clemont recalled how Tracy had a long distance relationship and how often he spoke to her on the phone in his downtime. "Would you like to come along?"
"Me?" Clemont asked bluntly, pointing to himself. He turned to Sycamore. "Don't you need me here, sir?"
"Once you finish up that machine, I'll be needing to collect Mega Evolution data, so it would be great if you could help Tracy spread the stones."
"I… Uh… Yes! I would love to! But my Gym…."
"Can't Bonnie or your dad run it while you're gone?" Tracy asked.
"My dad has been a bit… busy…." He hesitated a little too long. "But maybe I can get Bonnie certified in the next few days."
"Wonderful!" Sycamore said, clapping his hands together. "Then let's order some lunch! I'm starving!"
Sitting in the lobby of a Pokémon Center, a teenage girl was brushing the fur on her female Meowstic.
"There! How does your fur feel, now?" she asked, setting the brush down.
The cat-like Pokémon turned to her and purred lightly, nuzzling the trainer's hand.
"And that's it!" the MC called into the microphone.
Serena turned to face the TV mounted on the wall and watched as the image of a girl with long blue hair was shown on the screen with her Lopunny.
"And the winner is… Dawn! She will be moving on to the semi-finals! Stay tuned folks!"
On the screen, Serena could see the girl dressed in a blue ball gown with a crown waving to the audience with one hand and hugging her Lopunny with the other.
Serena watched in awe as they replayed the final moments of the battle. Dawn's Lopunny was an absolute powerhouse but also a symbol of grace.
She looked down to Meowstic who was looking at her, trying to decipher her trainer's reaction to the show.
"Meowstic… I think our next stop is Sinnoh!"
[A/N 2-22-17]: Hi everyone! Thank you for sticking with this story! I know it's been a bit of a rough start, but I do plan on continuing to the end!
For more on my stories, go to .com
Stay tuned!é
