A/N: I do not own Pokémon. I do own a couple of Tazzos though.
NOTE: The FIFA World Cup 2014 has just started in Brazil guys! I'm rooting for Portugal, CR7 being the obvious reason... I am really interested in knowing, how many of you are watching the world cup, and if so, which team or player are you rooting for? My second preference would be Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Netherlands!
XXX
Johto...
"Alright Morrison, what Pokémon do you choose?" Ash faced Morrison, who was standing a great deal away from him on the field they had selected for their battle.
Morrison appeared to be in a thinking pose. 'While I want to use Metagross... I think it would be for the best if I save him till the Champions League... I don't want Ash to uncover our strategies too early!' He obviously didn't know Ash as well as he thought he did.
"I think I'll go with... Tropius!" Morrison exclaimed as he tossed the Pokeball towards the battle field.
The Sauropod Pokémon arrived with a loud cry of its name, flapping his massive wings to take into the air. Tropius also didn't appear to be giving much effort in keeping himself in the air, despite its heavy weight.
Ash already knew what Pokémon he was going to choose. Taking his usual pose of a Baseball player, Ash tossed a Pokeball he had never used in battle before "Tyranitar, I choose you!"
The ground shook violently as Tyranitar stomped out its entrance. With a huge body, impenetrable armour, and menacing look, Tyranitar looked the very definition of a war machine. Turning its gaze towards Tropius, Tyranitar raised an eyebrow in interest, but it immediately shifted into a cocky smirk. It was as if he didn't even consider Morrison and Tropius a worthy opponent.
Morrison gulped "Did you seriously have to use him Ash..." He muttered to himself, although he wasn't about to back out. But if he knew beforehand that Ash was going to use Tyranitar, he would surely have used Metagross.
"Tropius, start out with an Energy Ball!" Tropius immediately created a basketball sized sphere of pure energy. Unlike Dark Ball, Energy Ball had a glowing centre to it, almost like a mini sun. The green colored sphere had enough power to end many a battles in a blink of an eye.
"Tro!" Tropius flapped its massive wings once as he launched the attack at full power towards an unmoving Tyranitar, who didn't appear to be dodging any time soon. The energy ball screeched as it cut through the air at high speeds.
'Why isn't Ash calling for Tyranitar to dodge….' Morrison thought as he narrowed his eyes.
"Use Iron Defence Tyranitar!"
'So that's why…' Morrison thought to himself grumpily.
The glowing ball made of pure energy hit the dinosaur Pokémon with a loud boom, with Ash, Morrison and Pikachu watching on in baited interest. As the smoke cleared, Morrison's eyes widened, and for reason too as there was Tyranitar, completely unharmed from the attack.
As if to prove its point, Tyranitar idly yawned, incurring Tropius's rage.
Ash smirked "No need to get cocky Beast, Tropius has more than just that in its bag of tricks, but so do we! Attack with a Rock Slide!"
Morrison grit his teeth as Tyranitar waved his hands in the air, as if praying to a deity. Huge slabs of rocks appeared in the air above Tropius, with the Sauropod looking in alarms towards its trainer.
"Tropius, dodge them!" Morrison said as the rocks were suddenly hurled towards the flying Pokémon.
"Tro!" Tropius didn't need to be told twice as it showed impressive agility in dodging the barrage of massive slabs of rock which fell towards the ground. Massive craters were created in the ground as a result of the combined weight, making Morrison grin in appreciation, his rival had gotten good!
"Ta…." Tyranitar growled as the Grass type dodged its launched projectiles, but finally, one of the slabs hit Tropius on its back, making it flinch for a moment, but that one moment was all Ash and Tyranitar needed...
"Tyranitar, don't let it go to waste, keep on using Rock Slide!" Ash yelled s he clenched his fists in anticipation of victory.
Morrison however, realised the amount of danger his Pokémon was in and immediately ordered "Tropius, straight up, use multiple Energy Ball, followed up by Sunny Day!" Seeing as the slabs were pretty durable, they wouldn't have been taken out by a single Energy Ball, and if Tropius could get high enough, Tyranitar won't even be able to hit him.
"PIUS!" Tropius exclaimed as it rushed upwards. Not even a least bit afraid of the tonnes of rocks, the Grass Type launched one energy ball after another, finally able to destroy Tyranitar's onslaught. Tropius immediately followed up by launching a golden glowing sphere into the sky, making the sun intensify. Sunny Day didn't actually affect the sun in the slightest; that was just unrealistic, rather it collected the sunlight and natural heat in the surrounding area to focus on one place.
"Ra…" Tyranitar growled as it turned towards its trainer for advice. Ash just raised a hand to calm it down, there wasn't any attack that Tyranitar could use from this distance that could reach Tropius, and he was interested in seeing just what strategy his friend would come up with. 'The Sunny Day will allow Morrison to use Solar beam, but he can't use it at that height, and if he does, Hyper Beam will be more than enough... But then again, all of Tropius's attacks will be intensified due to the Sunny Day...'
"Alright Tropius, we've got them where we want 'em! Use Leaf Storm!" Morrison said, a sudden gleam in his eyes. 'I'm sorry Ash, but you're about to witness one of our strategies from the Hoenn League…'
Tropius roared in agreement as it glowed with a green aura around it. One of the strongest leaf type attacks, Leaf Storm was only second in power to Frenzy Plant. A large number of leaves were created out of nowhere, swirling around Tropius in the form of a mini hurricane. A glint came from the rapid spinning; mainly due to the razor sharp part of the leaves. Tropius mightily flapped its large wings once, instantly launching the hurricane towards Tyranitar.
"Tyranitar, burn the leaves out with Fire Blast!" Ash said to his Pokémon. This was one move which could provide Tyranitar an instant victory if Tropius was hit point blank.
Tyranitar closed its eyes briefly as it rapidly gathered the heat generated in its armoured body. Taking a deep breath, Tyranitar launched the Fire Blast attack at its full power; nothing less would work against a attack of the magnitude of Leaf Storm.
The large Fireball collided with the Leaf Storm, the Hurricane like effects fanning the flames even more, creating a beautiful scene of destruction and lights. The Leaves tried to mow through the attack, but were burned to crisp by the extreme heat created in the sky. The Fireball completely degenerated into wild streams, causing Tropius to scale a few feet in height to be safe from the undesired effects. Small explosions were created in the sky due to the colliding effect of the fire due to the rapid winds.
"Woah.." The reaction of both Morrison and Ash was the same, the scene was indeed so beautiful.
In a man's kind of way.
The burning leaves fell towards the canopy of trees in the forest, disappearing from sight.
"As good as that was, Tropius, the path is clear for us now, use Aerial Drain to hit Tyranitar!" Morrison yelled to his Pokémon, who barely made out the order from the height it was in the sky.
Ash's eyes widened as Tropius disappeared from sight 'What! What the heck is Aerial Drain?'
Tyranitar's eyes widened in a bit of fear as its opponent vanished from sight. Tyranitar shifted into a ready stance as its moved its eyes to and from. Suddenly, a flash of green appeared from the corner of its eyes. Tyranitar moved to block the attack, but wasn't fast enough as Tropius hit it with great force, immediately disappearing from sight afterwards.
"Are you alright Tyranitar!?" Ash asked in worry. 'Shit... Tropius is fast!' However it was for nothing since Tyranitar hadn't suffered anything more than some minor bruises. "Ra!" Tyranitar growled in the affirmative as he looked around for its opponent.
Ash smirked to himself "It's no use Morrison, Tyranitar's defence is way too strong for it to be breached by something like this!" "Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu was of a similar mindset as its trainer.
Morrison grinned "Think what you want to Ash, our strategy is coming on..." This made Ash pause for a bit. 'Strategy? But what could it be...'
Tyranitar was hit by multiple Aerial Aces, none managing to do anything more than make it cringe for a bit or move a few steps backwards. But then it occurred. The thing Morrison had been planning for a while...
"RAAAA!" Tyranitar roared in pain as red colored lightning covered its entire body. Large seeds arose from its body to cover it entirely in vines. Tyranitar collapsed to one of its knees, breathing harshly.
"Oh no! Tyranitar!" Ash yelled in worry as Morrison's strategy final became clear to him.
Tropius landed in front of a grinning Morrison. The Sauropod was also breathing deeply; no doubt the energy heavy attack taking its toll. While he could immediately regain his energy to his full power by Giga Drain, to do so would mean to get in contact with Tyranitar for a period more than a few seconds.
And that was something neither Tropius nor Morrison wanted to risk; not yet.
"As you can see Ash, Tropius left a mini Giga Drain seed on Tyranitar every time he hit him with a Aerial Ace, so now Tyranitar's energy is slowly being drained, do you still want to continue the battle?"
Ash grit his teeth. So even Morrison wasn't above trash talking, huh? "You already know the answer to that Morrison! Tyranitar, no need to worry, use Sandstorm!"
'So you are getting desperate Ash...' Morrison stood calmly as Tyranitar painfully moved its hands around, creating a huge Sandstorm out of nowhere; no doubt the magical power of the magical creature known as Pokémon. The Sandstorm; albeit large, was nowhere near the scale of what Tyranitar might have been able to produce at its full power.
"Tropius, you already know what to do, get up high in the air!" Morrison wasn't about to underestimate his opponent, and Ash destroyed the people who underestimated him.
Tropius, knowing the dangers of being caught in a Sandstorm, immediately rushed up into the air. Thirty feet above, and the Sandstorm didn't even touch Tropius.
'What will you do now Ash? Tyranitar's energy reserves won't last for much if you keep on using Sandstorm for much longer, also Tyranitar wouldn't even be able to pin point Tropius in such a dusty atmosphere... I think you lose this one buddy...' Morrison could literally feel the grasp of his victory...
But then-
"Tyranitar, launch multiple Dark Pulse, make the Sandstorm as dense as possible!" Ash yelled with a determined look to his Pokémon, who grunted with effort as he stood back up; trembling all the while. Indeed the Sandstorm started getting thicker and thicker, to the point that Tyranitar became invisible to the naked eye.
Morrison's eyes widened in alarm "Oh no! Tropius, fly hig-" But before Morrison could even finish his sentence, A barrage of Black colored spheres hit the Sauropod, causing it to screech out in pain.
"No, Tropius fly high!" However, due to the height Tropius was on, as well as the constant attacks of the Dark Pulses, Tropius became a literal ragdoll in the sky; being thrown off balance more than the times Morrison could be comfortable with. Multiple explosions occurred in the sky, each one more debilitating to Tropius than the last.
"B-But how could Tyranitar aim so well!" Morrison yelled out in panic, almost clutching his hair in frustration.
Ash smirked "Two words Morrison. Sand. Stream. Well, maybe a third, Ability!" Ash grinned, the momentary advantage playing to his ego.
"Tro..." Tropius groaned as it fell head long into the sand cloud. A loud thump was heard as the massive Sauropod hit the ground. Morrison became even more panicked now since he couldn't even see his own Pokémon anymore, not to mention Tropius was working blind now...
'Damn... Ash has completely thrown us off balance here! We might even lose!' Morrison raked his mind to think of some strategy to escape Sandstorm. The move, while pretty common, was extremely useful for a Pokémon containing either Sand Stream or Sand Veil as an Ability. Most Pokémon turned themselves momentarily blind as well while using the move.
Tyranitar was among the lucky few exceptions.
Ash knew that this was the moment to attack "Tyranitar, finish this with Giga Impact!" His fist clenched in victory as Pikachu yelled in support.
"Tropius, try to dodge buddy!" Morrison yelled out with desperation, although he knew full well that the match was way out his hand now.
"RAAAA!" A beastly roar was heard from the rapidly dispersing Sandstorm, allowing Ash and Morrison to look at their Pokémon. The result was surprising to both the parties.
A highly injured Tropius; courtesy of multiple Dark Balls, and the direct impact into the ground, and a similarly laid out Tyranitar were a few feet from each other. Both of the Pokémon were breathing slowly, and didn't really appear to be awake.
"The match is a-"
"Draw." Ash finished for Morrison.
"Tropius/Tyranitar, Return!" Both the trainers returned their Pokémon to their Pokeballs, mumbling sweet nothings, for healing and resting; at least until the time they could get to a qualified Pokémon doctor.
Both the trainers were silent as they made their way to each other. Without even the need for prompting, the trainer's hands met in a shake of respect and professionalism.
"So... the Giga Drain finally did its job, huh Ash?" Morrison grinned as he looked at a sheepish looking Ash.
"I guess so... I think I should have gone for an elemental attack like Fire Blast... The Giga Impact must have put quite a strain on Tyranitar's body." Ash said with a bit of shame. He should know his Pokémon's limits.
"Pika Pi." Pikachu nodded his head in the affirmative, almost as if chastising his trainer.
"You've really improved Ash. I think this my hardest battle since the Hoenn finals." Morrison said honestly. He was really much impressed by his friends improvement.
Ash chuckled "I guess so man. I think we both have improved much from the time we met in Hoenn so many days ago. I bet we both would eb able to ebat Harrison if we battled today!" Ash said with confidence. The older trainer had been one of Ash's toughest rivals of all time. And one neither Ash nor Morrison had been able to defeat.
"Harrison? I think you might wanna do a rain check on that Ash. Harrison beat all four of the Hoenn Elite Four after his victory in the Hoenn League, only losing to Steven Stone by a margin of 6-3." Morrison said.
Ash was visibly surprised at that "Harrison was that good!? Man... have we some catching up to do..." If Harrison was that strong then, Ash couldn't even imagine just how far he would have had gotten in the years following! He hadn't even been able to beat Drake's Shellgon; much less be able to touch his mighty Salamance.
"I agree... wait, what the heck is that burning smell?" Morrison said as his nose twitched.
"Chuu..." Pikachu murmured in support as it analyzed the air with his superior sense of smell.
"Burning... Wait, the burning leaves from the Leaf Storm fell into the forest!" Ash yelled in panic.
Indeed as the two trainers reached the edge of the forest, a pretty large forest fire was in full force as the multiple Ground and Grass types made their way out of the fire as fast as they could. Many of them giving the stink eye to the two trainers for creating such a ruckus.
"AAH! DO SOMETHING ASH!" Morrison yelled out in fear as he fumbled for Swampert's Pokeball.
"I'M TRYING!"
"TRY FASTER!"
XXX
Professor Oak's Lab...
"Hmm...The Pokechow appears to be well stocked... Dragonite's and Arcanine's medicines will be arriving next week... Ash's Arbok looks to be well settled..." It was a normal day at the Oak ranch for Professor Oak. Having earned a high amount of money from his own days as a Trainer, as well as the multiple revolutionary devices he invented, Samuel Oak's Laboratory was the single most well maintained structure in the whole of Kanto. Hundreds of Pokémon resided here, both wild and caught. Ash was just one of the trainers under his watch.
Taking care of them was a self imposed Oath Oak had taken upon himself.
And as much as it saddened him, his own Pokémon were getting up in age, just like him. The medicines required were absolutely necessary for their survival. Oak had owned sixty Pokémon during his decade long journey as a trainer. The reason that the number was less was solely because the routes between the regions hadn't been well developed by then; and not a question on his more than capable qualities as a trainer. So Oak had managed to catch sixty Pokémon belonging from the regions of Johto, Kanto and Hoenn.
And he would be damned if he let that number dwindle anytime soon...
A sudden ringing attracted Oak's attention. 'Who could it be... Maybe Ash needs to change his Pokémon? Or maybe it's one of the new trainers?' Oak wondered as he made his way to the Telephone.
Gary and Tracy were out to get something he had asked from a local professor near Pewter City, so his work load was kind of heavier than usual...
"Professor Oak..?" A uniformed woman Oak knew very well appeared onto the screen.
"Yes it is me. How may I help you Officer Jenny?" Oak smiled as he talked to the pretty law enforcer. It was rare that someone like her called his Laboratory.
" Sorry to disturb you Professor, but is it true that..." Jenny took out a paper from her pocket "A trainer named 'Ash Ketchum', is under your watch?"
"Yes, he is... Is something the matter Officer Jenny?" Oak said, his tone getting a bit nervous at the end. Ash was a teenager after all, getting into trouble with the law wouldn't be too unlikely.
Oak's worries were immediately put to rest "Oh no no! It's nothing like that. It's just that we had the information that Mr. Ketchum owns thirty Tauros...?" Jenny asked as she scanned the paper in her hand for confirmation.
"Why yes he does! But what does that have to do with anything Officer?" Owning multiple Pokémon of the same kind wasn't anything illegal, unless you weren't taking good care of them.
"You see Professor, the League has asked us to diversify the kind of Pokémon we have under our services. So, we have been contacting all those Kanto Trainers who have multiple Pokémon of the same species under their ownership. We are wondering whether Ash would be interested in a Pokémon trade." Jenny said with a smile.
Oak nodded and though for a while 'Ash doesn't really have a use for all thirty of his Tauros. It would be a very good experience for one of them to go and work under the law... I think Tauros #18 showed an interest in the mock battle Quilava and Servine had a while back. And with the Champions League coming up, I guess Ash needs all the advantage that he can get...' The decision was pretty sure to Oak. Not to mention the amount of damage the damn Tauros caused while stampeding...
He needed the money for his Cruise ship vacation dammit!
"I think he will be agreeing Officer Jenny. But first, what Pokémon is it that you wish to exchange." Oak asked. There was no way in hell we would exchange one of Ash's Tauros with a Rattata or a Dunsparce...
Jenny grinned. "I'll show you right now, Professor!" Jenny whistled loudly, causing a small, Orange colored Pokémon to appear beside her. The Pokémon had tufts of regal looking fur on various parts of its body, and an overall happy demeanour.
Oak smiled at seeing the Pokémon, a hint of nostalgia in it "I think it would do perfectly Officer, just perfect..."
XXX
Johto...
"The theory behind using Frenzy Plant is your energy." He started, Torterra and Sceptile listening along with rapt attention, "But instead of compressing it, you need to spread the energy out under the ground beneath you and form the vines of the attack with both your energy and willpower. The Vines need to come as you want, not just in any direction. The speed has to be so that the Attacking Pokémon gets entwined in it..." Ash explained to the two large Pokémon standing in front of him.
Torterra blinked.
Sceptile deadpanned.
Ash sighed. "Look guys, even I don't know how it works; I'm just saying what Dexter showed me."
Torterra and Sceptile, being his only current fully evolved Grass Types in his party, were the only ones capable of learning Frenzy Plant. Being the strongest Grass Type move, it was an immense asset to have, and one which Ash was sure most of his rival's Grass types knew. Servine would have a much better learning experience once she evolved, since Torterra and Sceptile could teach her in a better manner...
"Scep." Sceptile looked at the pathetic, shrivelled up vines that appeared after his first try of the move. "Terra..." Things looked to be in similar state for Torterra, only his Vines looked to be something that could be used in a play of Tarzan, rather than something used in League battles...
Ash sweatdropped. 'Then again... maybe not.'
Charizard already knew Blast Burn, so he could teach it to Infernape and Pignite once he evolved. Quilava could learn Blast Burn after evolving into Typhlosion, but Eruption was a much better move for him. Eruption was an extremely rare move not often learned by Fire Types. It had equal power to Blast Burn, and Quilava's and Typhlosion's body modifications allowed for a easier learning experience. But then again, Quilava didn't show any particular interest in evolving, so it was all hypothetical.
One thing which Ash was sure of was that all of his Water Types wished to fully evolve. Blastoise, Feraligatr, Samurott, Floatzel, Seismitoad, Kingler and Crawdawnt... That was a heck of a team that most Water Type specialists would die to have. And he would, by the time he got the Champions League.
The thought excited him.
Blastoise already knew Hydro Cannon, the strongest Water Type move, so Feraligatr and Samurott wouldn't have any problem learning it. Floatzel could probably do it too, but he wouldn't hold his breath on it.
"Keep on trying harder guys!" Ash weakly cheered his Pokémon. Torterra and Sceptile grumbled as yet another one of their efforts failed.
Staraptor, Swellow, Pidgeot and Unfezant were the other four Pokémon that he had called for this week. His Flying Types had always been helpful in whatever battles he had chosen them in, and their scouting abilities were also good for the times Team Rocket struck. Tyranitar didn't want to go away, but Ash managed to coerce him into doing so. While he would have liked to keep Tyranitar for another week, he knew that it important for Tyranitar to meet his other squad mates.
On a side note, Ash became probably the first man ever to have been attacked by a Puppy Dog eyes attack from a Tyranitar.
"Dexter, show me the moves my current Pokémon have on them.." He muttered to sentient Pokedex. He hadn't had the time to properly learn the moves his Pokémon possessed right now, instead choosing to instantly get into training.
"Aye Aye Sir..." Dexter blinked once as he processed the data. In a matter of seconds, six tabs were open in the browser, allowing Ash to get an overview of the capabilities of his Pokémon...
"National Pokedex Entry #254: Sceptile
Sceptile, the Jungle Pokémon. Its arms are equipped with razor-sharp leaves, and it moves lightly through tree branches in order to attack its enemies.
This Sceptile has the Ability: Overgrow
This Sceptile knows the Attacks: Pound, Agility, Bullet Seed, Leaf Blade, Solar Beam, Leaf Storm, X-Scissor, Night Slash, Double Team, and Giga Drain."
"Night Slash? That can come handy against Psychics... and Giga Drain can prove handy." Giga Drain's effectiveness didn't really need to be explained to Ash after his draw with Morrison.
"National Pokedex Entry #389: Torterra
Torterra, the Continent Pokémon. Torterra is the final evolved form of Turtwig. Sometimes small Pokémon will gather to make their nests on Torterra's back.
This Torterra has the Ability: Shell Armour
This Torterra knows the Attacks: Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Energy Ball, Rock Climb, Leaf Storm, Wood Hammer, Giga Drain, Earthquake, And Solar Beam."
"Torterra's pretty well balanced... He has both long range, as well as close range attacks. Mastering the Frenzy Plant would provide him a sure fire winner..."
"National Pokedex Entry #398: Staraptor
Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staravia. Staraptor's ferocious nature means that it has no problem challenging much larger opponents.
This Staraptor has the Ability: Reckless
This Staraptor knows the Attacks: Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Gust, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Aerial Ace, Brave Bird, and Close Combat."
"Close Combat? Hmm... Must have been Infernape. That will definitely come handy in some tight scenarios..." Ash excitement just rose up by a few hundred degrees.
"National Pokedex Entry #277: Swellow
Swellow, the Swallow Pokémon. Swellow uses its impressive dive-bomber speed and its large talons to capture its prey.
This Swellow has the Ability: Scrappy
This Swellow knows the Attacks: Wing Attack, Aerial Ace, Agility, Double Team, Air Slash, Focus Energy, Brave Bird and Steel Wing."
"Wow! The Scrappy Ability will help Swellow against Ghost Types... and I can see that Staraptor has taught Brave Bird to him..."
"National Pokedex Entry #521: Unfezant
Unfezant, the Proud Pokémon and the evolved form of Tranquill. Female Unfezant's flying skills surpass that of male Unfezant.
This Unfezant has the Ability: Rivalry
This Unfezant knows the Attacks: Gust, Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Wing Attack, Aerial Ace, Razor Wind, and Sky Attack."
"Hmm... Unfezant is pretty well balanced. Her speed and strength are nothing to scoff at, and the Sky Attack just provides her the killer attack she needed..."
"National Pokedex Entry #18: Pidgeot
Pidgeot, the Bird Pokémon. The evolved form of Pidgeotto, this Pokémon flies at Mach 2 speed, seeking prey. Its wicked talons are feared as tearing weapons.
This Pidgeot has the Ability: Keen Eye
This Pidgeot knows the Attacks: Gust, Hurricane, Agility, Sandstorm, Whirlwind, Steel Wing, Feather Dance, Mirror Move, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, and Aerial Ace."
"Pidgeot is definitely my strongest Flying Type... Hyper Beam will provide Pidgeot the advantage in fights where it can't get into close range... also Giga Impact, Steel Wing, Hurricane... I just... damn!" Ash had an ear splitting grin on his face as he read off the moves that Pidgeot knew. Not only did it allow him to put less focus on teaching new moves, now Pidgeot could even teach Staraptor and the others!
And not to forget, Unfezant's Sky Attack was the strongest flying type Attack, so she could help the others understand it.
"Staraptor, Swellow, Pidgeot, Unfezant, come on down!" Ash yelled towards the sky.
Meanwhile a loud boom was heard from a distant corner 'Must be Pikachu...' Pikachu had had much success in improvising his Thundershock to hit and encase multiple targets. Another thing that Ash had begun teaching to Pikachu was using his Electricity with effectiveness other than the hi-fi moves. Static Jolt and Thunderspark were the funny names he had decided on when Pikachu battled a Paras and Parasect back during his first journey.
The Paras was pathetically weak, so Ash and Pikachu couldn't well go full power on them. So, he had told Pikachu to use low powered versions of his attacks. While he hadn't seen the advantage of using those moves back then; now he could see the immense potential they had.
Electricity was notoriously hard to control. Pichu hurt themselves while attacking, and that was a prime example. Pikachu gained much control of the Electricity present in their bodies after evolving. Never did his Electric Attacks hurt him when he performed them. But one thing which Ash had noticed about Pikachu was that whenever he used Thunder, which was an extremely precise move, Pikachu used to close his eyes. Not in pain, but to focus. Such a thing could allow the opponent to break Pikachu's defences and get into attacking range. Through gaining control over Static Jolt and Thunderspark, Pikachu would gain much better control of the attacks he could do.
And it was then that Ash could truly teach Pikachu one attack that would increase his level beyond anything any Pikachu had ever reached before.
A loud screech alerted Ash to the arrival of his Pidgeot, with Unfezant, Swellow and Staraptor following close behind. Being the most experienced, as well as oldest of the group, Pidgeot had become a sort of pseudo leader for the group of flying Pokémon Ash had.
All of the four Pokémon landed in front of Ash. Pidgeot was the most massive one among them. Standing at an impressive 6'1", Pidgeot far surpassed the average height for its species. The normal Pidgeot reached a maximum height of 5", so Pidgeot's size was indeed something to be proud about. That didn't mean that it was slow though; far from that. Pidgeot was the fastest Pokémon he had in his party. Even Sceptile couldn't match the pure speed that Pidgeot possessed in the skies.
Ash wondered whether these two of his Pokémon had learned to use Extreme Speed in the same way as Arcanine's...
Ah. It wasn't as if he was going to get an Arcanine any time soon. They were extremely rare in the wild, and Growlithe were also mostly under the control of the Police.
Staraptor was the second largest one. Its height was also an impressive; 5'11" and was certainly not what most Staraptor's reached. Staraptor had multiple strong attacks in his repertoire, so his size wasn't an impediment, just like Pidgeot. Both of his two Flying types were big enough to carry him over long distances. Although he still preferred Pidgeot due to his experience, and Charizard for his size.
Unfezant, being a female, had the normal height that the Pokémon of her species reached. She flew with a grace that Ash didn't notice in any of his other flying types. Unfezant was strong physically, but her speed wasn't as good as Pidgeot or Staraptor. But then again, the Sky Attack move just took her dangerousness to a whole new level.
Swellow was the smallest one among his comrades. But that didn't mean he didn't pack enough of a punch though; he had proven it enough against the shiny Swellow back during his Hoenn journey. Swellow had a very big, almost unnatural, advantage over most flying types...
Electric attacks had very little effect on him. Thunder Armour was a move that could destroy most competition in double battles. Swellow had shown an extreme pain tolerance in controlling the move, which increased even more once he used Steel Wing. Also, training with Staraptor had expanded Swellow's move-set, so he was more well rounded than before.
"Alright guys, we have got to get to our highest levels if we have to even dream of winning the Champions League." Ash started. Beginning with a motivational speech always helped in intensifying the training. "Now as for your training..."
The flying types were ran through multiple courses that Ash had designed with the help of Torterra and Sceptile around the area. Staraptor and Pidgeot had scoffed at the idea, but Unfezant managed to reel them into line. The idea in itself was pretty indigenous. Ash tied multiple weighted rocks around the flying Pokémon, and then they had to go through the multiple wooden rings and flaps created by Sceptile.
While the wooden rings seemed to be a kind of cliché idea, it was actually pretty helpful. While Pidgeot could fly at high speeds no problem, it was at the turns that he had the real problem. Making sharp turns, all the while maintaining his supersonic speed would make Pidgeot nigh near unstoppable in the sky; that is of course, if mastered properly. Ash wasn't a fool, and knew full well that such a thing was not possible, but it was a great method to improve his turning speed.
Staraptor's prized move was Brave Bird. While he could do it pretty accurately, the rings and flaps, as well as the numerous hindrances helped Staraptor to properly master the move, and that was only when he could do it with zero percent recoil damage. Not to mention; all of the Pokémon's Aerial Aces had the potential to improve.
Swellow had a lot of advantages in the course, most of which were due to his small size. To compensate, Ash had increased the weight tied on Swellow.
All in all, the third week of training had been going on well for Ash Ketchum and Co.
XXX
Oak Ranch...
That however, wasn't exactly the case at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"Hey dude, my claws can totally match the Metal Gear Solid tune now..." Kingler happily said to Crophish, all the while clicking his claws, and indeed it was the Metal Gear Solid tune.
The Pokémon were just lazing around at one place. Or, to be more specific, Ash's Pokémon were enjoying a day off from their training. Charizard and Garchomp were curled up under two trees, not sleeping, but resting. Scraggy was running around; challenging multiple Pokémon including Infernape, Pignite, Blastoise and Krookodile, to a fight. Donphan, Palpitoad, Muk and Buizel were playing a game of Rock Paper and Scissors. Servine was lazily talking to Dewott, privately...
Wonder what that means?
Tyranitar, the new guy, was off brooding somewhere else, not wanting to be around Garchomp and Tyranitar after their less than pleasant meeting.
"Holy Crab! How did you-" Corphish was just about to respond were a sudden voice filled every Pokémon's ears.
"Attention all! Attention All! This is code Delta 5-1-2-fatass. The Glutton has gotten free, I repeat, the Glutton has gotten free. Every Pokémon is to make way to the no man's Land between the Mother Base and the Pallet House. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!" The distinct voice of Noctowl ringed in everyone's ears.
The clearing busted into a flurry of movement at that time. Servine quickly handed Scraggy to the trio of Muk, Kingler and Crophish, who made up the Homeland Security.
"Take care of the kid!" Servine commanded in an authoritative voice as Muk, Kingler and Corphish nodded resolutely. She took off after Dewott and Pignite, quickly gaining up to the duo.
Charizard's eyes steeled as he rose up with a ferocious roar. Garchomp following close behind, the monstrous duo took off towards the direction where the no man's land was situated. Both Pokémon had been tested and tried for situations like this; they were the veterans. Taking off at super high speeds, the trees shook as the two Dragons made their high paced way towards their location.
"Shit! This is the first time this month! How could have we got so reckless!" Charizard growled angrily as he dodged a few annoying Pidgeys.
"I know... It was Krookodile's job to watch after him this week, wasn't it?" Garchomp asked, a bit of anger seeping into his voice.
"Grr... I'mma have some words with him some time... soon..."
Gliscor immediately followed his flying counterparts, using Quick Attack to increase his pace.
Buizel nodded to Gliscor, who bobbed in the affirmative.
"You know what to do SkullCandy!" Buziel yelled towards Glailie, a layer of water already covering his lower half.
Glailie had a tick mark on his... body, as he spoke "I know... AND STOP CALLING ME SKULLCANDY! IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY, ITS FREAKING LAME-"
Buizel cut off the Ice Monster "Yeah Yeah, whatever. You create super froot Ice Cream, and you are basically a head, so it's alright. But don't forget that we have far more important things to do now!"
Glailie nodded, although he was a bit let down; it didn't seem that Buizel would stop using the nickname any time soon...
"Ice Beam!" Glailie exclaimed as he launched a much more refined version of the powerful attack on the ground. Immediately, Buizel jumped on the platform, taking hold of Glailie's body at that moment, and used his Aqua Jet to propel himself at high speeds towards the direction where all of the others were headed.
Donphan had already rolled out at high speeds, with Tauros following soon after. Krookodile was digging furiously underground, with Bulbasaur following him close behind. Blastoise had already reached the site, having been close to it in the beginning.
At the Site...
He ran.
He ran like never before.
They were coming. He could feel them, coming at him like Falcons after their prey. It was just him against a highly trained team of Elite Defenders...
A lone Pokémon, betrayed by the people he loved...
But...
The Mission...
He had a mission. A mission Snorlax wouldn't fail, no matter what.
After so many days of torture... no he wouldn't give up, no matter what!
"LAX!" Snorlax gave a resolute roar as he jumped over a car, and subsequently dodging a Razor Leaf Attack from out of nowhere.
'Damn! They caught up to me!' Still, Snorlax had much fight left in him, he wasn't about to go out like a pussy; not after what he had been through.
"STOP! Servine, you know this area is a DMZ, Demilitarized Zone! We can't use our attacks here, wait till we cross the 100 metres." An authoritative voice, sounding much similar to Bulbasaur's came out.
Servine cursed as she stopped her attack, allowing Snorlax to continue his pace towards his destination.
"Dammit Bulbasaur! Where are the others?" Dewott asked frantically as he and Pignite flanked Snorlax on either of his sides. Krookodile's snout was visible, but the Pokémon was still underground as he digged at a high pace a little bit behind Snorlax.
"The Air support will be coming in a couple of minutes; Commander Noctowl has already given us the mental commands! We are to stop the glutton from reaching his top speed!" Bulbasaur's high speed was visible to all as he kept up with the plethora of evolved Pokémon.
By this time, the small group had already reached the No man's land, separating the main area of Pallet Town from the Pallet House restaurant, owned by none other than their Master's mother.
ROOOOAAARRRR!
A loud roar was heard as Charizard and Garchomp landed in front of Snorlax, halting him in his way.
Snorlax's eyes steeled as he surveyed the scenario. He flanked on the left and right by Pignite and Dewott. Servine and Bulbasaur covered his back, and the two monsters smirked at him from the front, with Krookodile joining them after a few seconds.
He grimaced.
This wasn't looking good for him; not at all.
"Give it up Snorlax... You're surrounded and outnumbered. Give up peacefully, and your punishment might be reduced..." Charizard said with a smirk as he faced Snorlax, who had shifted into a ready stance by now.
"Yeah. We damn sure have the advantage over here, don't make us take any unnecessary steps.." Krookodile warned as his glasses shone menacingly. Garchomp didn't say anything, choosing to just smirk with a haughty look at the Sleepy Pokémon.
"We can do it either the easy way, or the bad way buddy. Despite your recent infraction, you are still one of us, give it up." Bulbasaur, ever being the peace maker, interjected, with Servine nodding in support of the better approach taken by Bulbasaur.
'Give... up...?' The words echoed in Snorlax's mind. The words spoken to him by all of the Pokémon standing in front of him. The ones who looked at him as if they were his betters. "Give up?" Snorlax gave a chuckle as he said that, surprising all of the Pokémon looking at him. Snorlax's head was hanging low, not letting the Pokémon see his expression.
However, when Snorlax's head snapped back, the Pokémon nearly drew back at the sheer willpower coming from the Hungry Pokémon. "I will never give up! Win or lose, I will fight till the last moment! Its the way of my master, and the way I will follow, none of you chumps can take me, Believe it!"
Charizard crossed his arms in dejection as he muttered "Very well..."
"ATTACK!" Noctowl's sudden command screeched through the air as a flurry of movement overtook the calm area. Arbok exploded from the ground to try to coil around Snorlax, Glailie's Ice Beam froze up a few rocks, a missed Hypnosis caused Boldore and Bayleef to attack each other, Blastoise was less than pleased with the Flamethrower which hit him on the back, Garchomp's tail destroyed a few boulders...
It was pure pandemonium.
A little ways back...
A large crowd had gathered on the edge of the small town by this time. Due to the amount of noise and commotion caused by the large group, the residents had curiously come out of their houses.
"Is it the Ketchum's Pokémon?" A lazy voice came from one of the many men standing there.
"Yeah..." A woman replied back.
"So how do you think it will go this time?"
"I don't know man... Snorlax was able to outwit them a few times, but this time they are all united..."
"Dammit! Isn't it the fifth time this year?"
"Only Ash's Pokémon guys... only his Pokémon can create such a big deal of Snorlax raiding his Mother's restaurant."
XXX
Johto, night time...
Ash groaned as fell into his sleeping bag with a level near to reverence.
The day of training had been especially hard; even for their new standards. And not to mention a little bit less productive for his liking. Staraptor had a broken wing from teaching Brave Bird one too many times. Unfezant was drained out from the multiple uses of Sky Attack. Pidgeot's Giga Impact had left many a craters into the ground.
The only positive was the learning of Frenzy Plant by Sceptile and Torterra; at least to a partial level. IT was still nothing compared to what Paul's Torterra could have done with ease, but it was more than enough for just a day of training.
"I think I'm gonna keep the alarm a bit late tomorrow..." Ash grumbled as he pushed a few buttons on the XtremeDex, who was seemingly in a 'Sleep Mode', or rather its AI, Dexter.
'Ahh... After a visit to the Pokémon centre tomorrow, we will once again be ready to train!-"
'Where are you Master...?"
Ash sat straight up in his bag, eyes wide. Pikachu looked at his trainer confusedly.
"W-What... What the heck was that!?"
Just... Just whose voice was the one echoing in his mind...
XXX
A/N: OK. I will say it myself.
I'm an Asshole.
Alright? I'm really sorry for not updating guys, but the curse called as the real world got in the way of my writing. To be more precise, The FIFA WORLD CUP! And exams too.
I hope this chapter was mildly enjoyable to the lot of you, a new Pokémon, and just who is the one calling out to Ash?
The answers will be coming soon, keep on following To be the best, like there no one ever was.
P.S. I AM STILL OPEN TO ANY RECOMMENDATION ABOUT A COOL ONE WORD NAME; JUST REMEMBER TO PM IT TO ME, RATHER THAN REVIEWING.