Chapter 11: Fire Against Grass!
The next day, in the afternoon, it was lunchtime for the four heroes and for their Pokémon! Everyone was preparing the lunch by setting things up! Just as they were finished, they heard an explosion nearby! "What was that?" Hikaru asked. They ran over to see what was going on! It was Aipom and Piplup fighting over and over! "Hey, you two! Cut it out!" Ash called. "Stop your fighting right now!" Dawn demanded. Just then, Turtwig leapt to the air, and attempted to stop it!
Unfortunately, Turtwig was being thrown back by Aipom's Focus Punch, following up by Piplup's Peck attack! This made Turtwig even mad as it struck back with the Razor Leaf move! Eevee was amazed by this, and sighed. "Hey! You can't treat my Piplup like that!" Dawn protested. "Hold on. Turtwig was only breaking them up!" Brock explained. They all saw that Aipom and Piplup have stopped fighting.
"Cool! Turtwig, thanks!" Ash complimented. That let only Turtwig to jump up and bite on Ash's head! "Hey, cut it out already!" Ash laughed as he tried to pull Turtwig off. "Pathetic." A familiar voice sneered. Everyone turned to see Paul behind them! "Hey, it's Paul!" Ash gasped. Paul only let out a smirk by being recognized.
"Whoa, Paul. You sure do know how to show up somewhere out of nowhere." Ash replied. "I'm just training to get ready, for the Oreburgh Gym battle." Paul explained. "Well, what a coincidence! We were traveling there, too!" Hikaru growled. Then, Paul's sight caught Turtwig! "Am I seeing things, or is that Turtwig your new Pokémon!?" Paul asked. "Yeah! You're not seeing things. We're talking strong!" Ash chuckled. "Doesn't look so to me." Paul sneered.
"What!?" Ash snapped. "Again, he's judging Ash's way of battling, and his Pokémon too!" Hikaru thought. "Oh yeah? Well, let's have a battle, so I can show you!" Ash exclaimed with confidence. "Fine. Our last battle had put a bad taste in my mouth. And I also want to give my friend here for a chance of revenge!" Paul shouted as he threw out a Pokéball! It was his Chimchar!
"Hey, Turtwig! What do you feel like, battling right now?" Ash asked. "Wig..." Turtwig nodded as he walked to battle! "Ash! A Fire Type like Chimchar has an advantage over a Grass Type!" Dawn tried to explain. "Not this time." Ash muttered, glaring at Paul. "Ash, this is crazy! Shouldn't you use Aipom for the battle?" Hikaru asked. "No way! Turtwig and I are gonna win this!" Ash answered. Brock volunteered to be the referee like in the last battle, but Paul says that it won't be needed.
So, the battle was going to take place near a ledge where a waterfall was pouring down. "Chimchar, come on out." Hikaru called, sending his own Chimchar out. His Fire Type looked around, until he saw Paul's Chimchar. "I want you to see Turtwig's first battle against Chimchar, got it?" Hikaru explained. Chimchar nodded as it loiked at the start of the battle. "You can go first." Paul replied. "I'm not holding back either! Turtwig, use Tackle!" Ash called.
The Grass Type Pokémon charged right at Paul's Chimchar! "Quick, dodge it!" Paul yelled. Chimchar evaded the move with high speed! "Now, use Scratch!" Paul ordered. Chimchar obeyed as it quickly got close to Turtwig! Ash told it to dodge it, but Turtwig chose to block it as it took the attack! "!?" Hikaru gasped. "Chim..." Chimchar replied, amazed with the power. "Why didn't Turtwig dodge, like I told him to?... Now, use Razor Leaf!" Ash called. Paul countered the move by telling Chimchar to use Ember!
The leaves were scorched as it made its way to Turtwig! Again, the Grass Type Pokémon stayed to block the move! It tried to endure it, but got pushed back! "That Chimchar must've gotten stronger!" Brock stated. "Pika..." Pikachu agreed. "Uei! Uei!" Eevee called, trying to encourage her Grass Type friend. "Why won't you dodge? Alright then! Use Synthesis to heal yourself!" Ash shouted. Turtwig gained energy from the sun, healing it's wounds!
"Waste of time! Chimchar, finish it with Flame Wheel!" Paul called. The Chimp Pokémon charged at Turtwig with the physical Fire Type attack! "Uh oh! This time, Turtwig! You've got to dodge it!" Ash warned. Turtwig once again ignored the order and took the Flame Wheel! It was pushed back! "Turtwig, you okay?" Ash asked. Turtwig shook off the burn as it prepared for more! "Why don't you dodge when I say so?" Ash asked.
"Are you done yet?" Paul sneered. "Of course not! Turtwig, use Bite!" Ash ordered. Turtwig ran to attack, only to be caught by a net! "What the!?" Ash gasped. Dawn, Hikaru, and Brock gasped, along with their Pokémon!
"Listen, is that a voice that I hear?"
"It's speaking to me loud and clear!"
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"In your ear!"
"Bringing chaos at a breakneck places!"
"Dashing hope, putting fear in its places."
"A rose with any other name is just as sweet!"
"When everything's worse, our work is complete!"
"Ember!" Paul yelled. "Ember... Ember!?" Team Rocket stuttered. Paul's Chimchar attacked with Ember, with Hikaru's Chimchar's help! "Chimchar, you... really want to help Turtwig and Paul's Chimchar, do you...?" Hikaru thought. Team Rocket screamed as they felt fire burning on them! "You can't do that!" Meowth complained. "The kids are still getting used to our new motto!" Jessie shrieked.
"You're wrecking our battle! Get lost!" Paul demanded. "Well, there is a twerp with a different color." James stated, staring at Paul. "Yes, but the one we know interrupted, too!" Jessie shrieked, glaring at Hikaru! "Look, Team Rocket! Give me my Turtwig back!" Ash demanded. "Turtwig?" James repeated, as he, Jessie, and Meowth took a closer look at the captive one! They gasped, when it wasn't Pikachu, but it was Turtwig that they've captured! "And here I thought Ash was the pathetic one." Paul sneered.
"How dare you! Educate the new one, will you!?" Jessie demanded. "Right! Look, twerp, we are known as Team Rocket, the coolest, the smartest, the nastiest, the cheapest... The hungriest..." James explained, then broke down, crying. "Wow, that's telling them!" Meowth scoffed. "Carnivine, come out and help me!" James ordered. Again, James was bit down, again. He weakly ordered his Carnivine to use Bullet Seed! Glowing seeds was aimed towards Paul and Chimchar!
"Get out of the way, Paul!" Ash warned. "Be quiet! Chimchar, use Ember!" Paul ordered. Chimchar shot out another Ember attack, battling with Carnivine's Bullet Seed attack! "Now, Turtwig! Use Razor Leaf, let's go!" Ash called. The Grass Type Pokémon freed itself by cutting the net with Razor Leaf! Ash caught his Turtwig, relieved. "Okay, Pikachu! Time for a little Thunderbolt!" Ash called. "Chimchar, use Ember!" Hikaru called. Both the starters nodded as they attacked the balloon with Thunderbolt and Ember!
Team Rocket screamed as they were sent flying! "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Team Rocket screamed as they were out of sight. Suddenly, the impact from the explosion caused Ash, Turtwig, Paul, and Chimchar to fly off the ledge! "Ash!" Hikaru called. "Chim!" Chimchar gasped as they looked down to see them falling! Ash and Turtwig fell in the river, but Paul and Chimchar skillfully made it down to land with the training they had for themselves!
"Hey, you two!" Dawn called. Ash and Turtwig swam out of the lake and made it to land. "Are you two okay!?" Brock called. "Yep! Just fine!" Ash answered. "Let's meet at the far side of the forest!" Brock called down. "Sounds good to me!" Ash called back. Hikaru wasn't sure if Ash and Turtwig were going to be fine, so he recalled Eevee and Chimchar, and fell down, on land like Paul did.
Ash and Turtwig ran over to Hikaru, surprised at his skills, until the three of them saw Paul return his Chimchar. The rude trainer then began to walk away! "Paul, where are you going? Hey, wait up!" Ash called. Hikaru sighed and followed along.
Later, time passed as Ash, Turtwig, Paul, and Hikaru were in the middle of the dark forest! "Hey, wait up, Paul! So, what're you doing?" Ash asked. "Getting out of here." Paul answered. "Hey, since we're all trying to get out of here, let's do it together!" Ash suggested. "That sounds stupid." Paul sneered. "Fess up, Paul. What's with you? You've been very rude during the days that we meet. Explain that." Hikaru growled.
Paul took a moment to look at Hikaru, then let a small laugh. "It's just that I don't need any help from you two. Especially from a little kid like Ash." Paul explained as he began to walk away again! "What's with that guy?" Ash asked himself. "While you're talking with your friend, or yourself, you better watch out for Stantlers, since this is Bewilder Forest." Paul explained. "Bewilder Forest? What's that?" Ash asked. Paul only scoffed to see Ash didn't know about Bewilder Forest, and called him pathetic.
Hikaru only grew angered about this as he walked with Paul for a conversation, forgetting about Ash. "You still haven't answered my question yet. Why are you so picky on everyone?" Hikaru asked. "It's just... I can't stand anyone who doesn't know anything about here in the Sinnoh region." Paul explained. "Hey. Ash is from the Kanto region. Of course he wouldn't know everything about Sinnoh." Hikaru assured.
Paul only kept walking, not looking at Hikaru. "Well, I have something for you." Paul replied. "What?" Hikaru asked. "What is YOUR goal?" Paul asked. Hikaru was taken aback as he sighed. "My dream? It's to become a Sinnoh Champion, and to become a Top Coordinator in Pokémon Contests, too." Hikaru answered. "Heh, Top Coordinator? Only a spoiled brat would have that dream." Paul sneered. "It's not for me. My mother was a Top Coordinator, winning the Grand Festival and all. So, I'm doing this for her." Hikaru explained. Paul grew silent as he kept walking.
"My turn to ask again. What's your goal, besides winning the Sinnoh League?" Hikaru inquired. "Goal? My goal is to defeat not just the Champion, but win against the Frontier Brains of the Kanto region." Paul answered. "Why the Frontier Brain!" Hikaru asked. For once, Paul was going to say it was none of Hikaru's business, but he only sighed. "For my brother, that is." Paul answered.
"Your... brother?" Hikaru repeated. "You'll soon find out later, if you head to Veilstone City." Paul explained as he continued walking. "Veilstone City? If I go there, will I find out why Paul has a cruel personality?" Hikaruthought.
Hikaru soon discovers Paul's dream and why he has a cruel streak soon. Will he be able to find Ash and get back to Dawn and Brock, or will he be stuck in Bewilder Forest forever, along with traveling with Paul from now on?