Vixey - Brina Palencia that played the English voiced Holo in 'Spice and Wolf'
Chrono - Crispin Freeman who voiced Kyon in 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'
Kaze - Hugo Weaving who voiced Noctis in 'Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole'
Sora - Ali Hillis who voices Lightning in 'Final Fantasy XIII/-2'
Shiva - Willa Holland who voiced Aqua in 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep'
Hikari - Hayden Panettiere
Baihu - Paul Mercierwho voiced Bear from '.hack/SIGN'
Fenrir - Steven Blum who voiced Vincent Valentine from 'Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus'
Bahamut - Jamie Foxx
Ifrit - Christopher R Sabat who played characters like Piccolo from 'DragonBall Z', Kuromaru from 'Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles', and Roronoa Zoro from 'One Piece'
Eywa - Tricia Helfer who voices EDI in 'Mass Effect 3'
(AN: Voices are subject to change to a more suiting voice if I come across one. So keep an eye out for changes which will be posted here in the future.)
(Chapter AN: In this chapter, I know that Pikachu's Shield Overdrive is ripped from Minato's Hiraishin. I did it on purpose. It's a cool move and name. Call me lazy and whatnot, I don't care. It's staying and that's that.)
Chapter 11: The Yellow Flash is Born
(Cue song Morning, Morning by Takanami Keitaro from Chobits OST 1)
We had been on the road from Bill's Lighthouse for about an hour and we could already see Vermilion City from where we were. Spirits were high, but none were higher than Ash's, his mind completely on his third badge.
"Hold on a minute!" I said and everyone stopped. "Ash, it's high time we do some training."
"Whoo hoo!" whooped Ash as he jumped into the air in excitement. Misty, on the other hand, slumped to the ground. "Why?! When Vermilion City is just over that low hill over there?" she moaned depressively, pointing to the very small hill with a shaking finger.
"It's ok. You two can go into the city, but Ash and I are staying here for training." I then took out Kaze's Pokeball and tossed it into the air. Kaze streaked out and swooped down to land easily next to me.
"Kaze, you're on lunch patrol. Go with Brock into the city and bring back any food he buys for Ash and myself. Can you do that for me?" I asked.
"Sure thing Josh," the bird replied. I then recalled him and gave the ball to Brock. "Just send us a nice picnic basket with plenty of meat and Poke food," I told him while placing some of my money in his hand. He nodded. "You've got it Josh." Then he and Misty made their way towards the city. I then summoned out all my friends and watched them settle down on the grass next to me.
(Cue song Vana'diel March by Naoshi Mizuta from Final Fantasy XI Original Soundtrack)
"Ok Ash. Today we will be focusing on Pikachu," I announced as Pikachu looked up at me inquiringly. I bent down and scratched him behind the ears, eliciting a pleasing sound from him. "Pokémon have up to two stat specialities. Sometimes they only have one."
"You mean like grass, flying, fire and those sorts?" asked Ash.
"No. They're type elementals. What I'm talking about is different." I then released all of my team and waited for them to settle into a line. "Eywa here is good at Defence while her Overdrives are Support moves only." Here Eywa smiled nodded serenely.
"Baihu here is all about power and his Sword Overdrive shows it. His fire attacks are between 2 - 3x more powerful than normal." Baihu grinned at this.
"Fenrir prefers not to fight much and so he's an Endurance type. He takes the attacks and stays strong from it all." Fenrir nodded.
"Now Shiva here, is good at two things. She's very powerful in her attacks and while in the air has a high Agility stat. She can dodge most projectile attacks in the air and then deliver a strong counterattack of her own." Shiva puffed out her chest proudly at this.
"You understand all this?" I asked Ash, who nodded before pointing at Chrono. "What does Chrono specialise in?" Chrono decided to answer that himself.
"I specialise in Speed and Agility. I'm incredibly fast and can dodge anything!" he boasted.
"Well we've yet to find a move that he can't dodge," I added before mock glaring at Chrono. "But that's no reason to drop your guard."
"So... what's Pikachu then?" Ash asked.
"Well judging from your Pikachu's Overdrive moves, I'd say he's Power and Agility, which is an excellent combination. We'll work on the Agility stat today. Ready?" Ash nodded.
"Ok. Ifrit? You're up!" In response Ifrit jumped up high into the air, did several somersaults and landed perfectly in front of me, ready for battle. I shook my head in amusement at Ifrit trying to look cool and retrieved my special data storage box, punched in a few numbers and pressed the red button in the middle. An energy like curtain extended from the box and swiped across the grass once before turning off. There, on the ground, were several small collars and a datapad roughly the size of a small tray. (AN: It's an iPad 3) I picked up one of the collars and indicated to Ash that he fix one to Pikachu. While he was busy with that, I attached one to Ifrit. As soon as I did there was a pulse of green energy which flowed over Ifrit's body and then disappeared. Judging from Ash's gasp, the same thing had happened to Pikachu.
"These collars are personal shields. They repel any and all attacks. Trust me, I've made sure. The shields have another purpose as well. Every time someone hits the shield, a point will be displayed on this datapad. Your job, is to use agility only to gain hits on Ifrit's shields. You can hit as hard as you want, it will not affect him as long as he wears the shield," I explained. (AN: Think of the Ancient personal shield devices that Rodney used in Episode 4, Season 1 of Stargate Atlantis.)
"Ready?" I asked. Ash nodded. "Ifrit will start off holding back so we can get a clear image of where Pikachu is with his agility. Remember to use moves like Quick Attack ok?" Ash nodded a second time.
"Then let's do it! Ifrit! Use Trickster stance at half power," I ordered. Ifrit nodded before he rocketed toward Pikachu.
After five minutes I called a halt to the first round and looked at the datapad. Ifrit - 127, Pikachu - 51.
"Not bad, but we still need to develop the agility of Pikachu more," I said to Vixey and Chrono after showing them the data. "Chrono. You take Pikachu and work with him on agility since you're my fastest Pokémon." Chrono nodded and bounded over to the yellow Pokémon. "Ash! I've got some training for you too!"
Ash looked surprised. "Why do I need training?" he asked as he walked over while Chrono and Pikachu ran off to another part of the field we were working on.
"Because the trainer needs just as much training as the Pokémon he trains. We'll go over the strategy you'll be using against the Gym Leader here," I explained.
"Yes sir!" Ash saluted before we seated ourselves on the soft grass overlooking Vermilion City.
(Cue song Tea Country by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack III)
"Ok. How much do you know about Pikachu's moves?" I asked.
"Not much," admitted Ash.
"Ok. Do you know that the Pikachu stage focuses on speedy moves and that the Raichu stage is more about power?"
"No."
"Well it is. And people who are able to evolve their Pokémon manually and do so too soon, will miss out on developing the stat that strengthens the more the Pokémon remains in that evolutionary stage. You understand?"
"I think so," Ash replied dubiously.
"Ok. For example. Pikachu's agility stat will increase the more it stays in that stage. But if you evolve it too soon, then it will never get the chance to train that stat. So an early evolved Raichu is...?"
"Slow but powerful!" Ash exclaimed.
"Spot on! Now your Pikachu is unique as his power is already well developed, but we'll work on that later. For today and this Gym battle you'll use your agility to confuse your opponent and disable him before landing a decisive strike. You can also use agility as a way of discovering what your opponent can do without getting hurt. Now," I said as I stood up, Ash as well. "We're going to do some physical training. Get you fit and in shape. A good trainer will always train just as hard as their Pokémon. So you're going to run for 10 minutes around the field with me and some of my Pokémon."
Ash and I then proceeded to run around for ten minutes with Ifrit, Fenrir, Hikari and Vixey. After that, while Ash caught his breath, I had a sparring session with Ifrit. Ash looked on in awe as Ifrit and I traded devastating close combat blows for another ten minutes. Then Ash and I went through a set of push-ups and sit-ups. I did 500 of each while Ash was only able to do 20 of each. Just as we were finishing up the sit-ups, Kaze swooped down and placed a picnic basket for us. I called for Chrono and Pikachu to join us for lunch. They came over with Pikachu looking just as pooped out as Ash looked.
The next hour was spent eating and talking casually. I sat leaning up against Baihu while he munched on his own lunch. Ash sat up against Shiva. He also had released his Pokémon and they had split off from us to explore and play. Ash's Pidgeotto and Kaze seemed to get along great as they flew together in the sky. Ash naturally had questions about me being a Pokémon Master.
(Cue song Sit Beside Me by Yuki Kajiura from .hack/SIGN Original Soundtrack 1)
"So when did you start your journey?" Ash asked as he bit into a chicken and mayo sub.
"Let's see. I'm thinking it's been 15 years or so," I replied as I chomped down on a burger.
"Wow! You really are experienced!"
"Of course I am! How else do you think I was able to attain Master rank?"
Ash hesitated. "Well, I thought... umm..."
"You thought I was lucky?" I asked. Ash nodded softly. "It's ok Ash. You don't have to be scared of asking those questions. Luck does play a part in battles but it's mostly skill. There is no shortcut to becoming a master. I became one ten years ago and only recently have I reached the top tier for masters; the S rank. Compared to attaining that rank, becoming a Master is easy."
"So where do you live?"
"A small town called Celestic in the Sinnoh region; north of Kanto. It's quite an historic town. Also one of the oldest," I explained. I then slipped into nostalgia as I remembered a certain long blonde haired girl who wore black.
"Thinking about Cynthia again?" Vixey asked.
"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. It's been quite a while since I last saw her," I replied with a reminiscent smile.
"Five years. I reckon she's even more 'Bow Chicka Bow Wow' than before, right?" Chrono asked with a big grin on his face. Until Vixey swatted at his head with her tails.
"Who's Cynthia?" Ask asked.
"My childhood friend from Celestic. I found out a while ago that she was tracking me down. But I reckon our little safari while getting here has probably thrown her off my trail," I sighed. Ash had the decency to look sheepish at that point.
"Do you think I might go there someday? The Sinnoh region I mean," asked Ash.
"Quite probably," I smiled. "You don't intend to stick around the Kanto area forever, do you?" Ash shook his head. "So how did you become a Master?"
I hesitated. "Sorry Ash, but I can't tell you right this moment. Wait until you've competed in the Kanto Tournament. Then I'll tell you." I saw his face drop. "I'm not trying to be mysterious with you. There are just some things you can't know until you've grown up a bit more. Do you understand?"Ash nodded and we spent the rest of lunch silent.
After Ash and Pikachu rested, Ifrit and Pikachu were tested again. This time the score was 124 - 76. Pikachu was improving at a rate that took me by surprise. We then did exactly the same sort of stuff we did before lunch, which raised Pikachu's score to 95. By this time it was beginning to get dark. So we packed up our stuff and walked into Vermilion City.
(Cue song Pint-sized Alchemist by Michiru Oshima from Full Metal Alchemist Original Soundtrack 1)
Kaze told us that Brock and Misty would be waiting for us at the Pokémon Centre. So we made our way through the slowly transitioning city as street lights turned on and bars and restaurants opened up for the night. The Vermilion City Pokémon Centre was the usual high tech building of red and gold, looking like a giant, upturned mixing bowl with two large Pokeballs for ears. Lush plants and green grass surrounded the complex.
Inside we quickly met up with Brock and Misty, who looked well fed indeed, and much cleaner. Ash wasted no time by putting his Pokémon up for a healing session. Pikachu, especially, looked in need for a rest. The heavy training that Chrono made him do tired the electric Pokémon out.
"Can you heal up my Pokémon?" asked Ash.
"We'll fix them right up," said Joy, however Ash looked a little confused. Joy seemed to notice and smiled. "I know why you're surprised. I look like all the other Nurse Joys don't I? My first cousin works in Pewter City, and my second cousin works in Viridian City. I think I'm the prettiest one, don't you?" Here she giggled softly.
"Yeah," agreed Brock.
"Yeah, you would Casanova," mumbled Chrono to which Vixey and I grinned. The moment was ruined by a loud and worried call behind us.
(Cue song The Wall by Ramin Djawadi from Game of Thrones Soundtrack)
A kid no older than Ash's age was rushing in a Rattata, which looked like it had been through the grinder. The two rushed past and into the intensive care unit.
"That Rattata's in rough shape," commented Brock. "I wondered what happened?"
"Ohh! It's the 15th one brought in this month!" said Joy in an annoyed tone.
"What the?" exclaimed Ash. We then rushed to the hallway adjacent the IC unit and saw several Pokémon damaged quite severely. "This is terrible," said Brock as soon as he saw the scope of the injured.
"They all lost to Lt. Surge, the Vermilion Gym Leader," explained Joy.
"That crackpot's still the Gym Leader?" I exclaimed.
"You know him?" asked Ash.
"Yeah. Ten years ago I fought against him, and steamrolled over him at the time. Just before I left, he looked ready to quit the Gym business. I guess he stuck around after all," I explained.
"Well, do you know what he's like?" asked Ash.
"Oh yes. Idiot believes in nothing but power when it comes to Pokémon. He kinda pissed me off the last time I was here. I overwhelmed him with my own power at the time. If I wasn't so ticked off I would of played more strategically to show him that it's not just about power. There are all sorts of things to factor in when battling. I may have won easily but Surge is not someone a rookie trainer should overestimate. Most of these trainers look like they just started out. Of course Surge would stomp all over them," I replied.
"So he's really tough?" asked Ash.
"He is, if you don't know his big ass weakness," I grinned.
"What do you mean?"
"I'll just say that today's lesson will be essential to wining the Gym Battle," I said.
Ash was silent for a moment before his eyes widened and he turned to me. "You mean...!"
"That's right," I nodded.
There was a soft chime sound over the centre's intercom. "Time to go check out Pikachu and the others," I said and we made our way over to the entrance hall.
We spotted Pikachu munching away happily at an apple as he sat on a tray with Ash's other Pokémon.
"Hey Pikachu!" called Ash. Pikachu looked up to see us walked over to him. "Hey guys!" he replied courtesy of Vixey translating.
"We'll take on Lt. Surge tomorrow after we get some rest tonight. We're going to win that badge!" said Ash passionately. "Hell yeah!" replied Pikachu, just as pumped as Ash was. And at that precise moment someone rushed past with a very injured Pidgey.
"I guess that came form that Lt. Surge's gym," said Misty offhandedly.
"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-HAT! I changed my mind! I don't want to get creamed!" wailed Pikachu, looking totally freaked out.
"Nice going Misty," Chrono growled.
"Don't worry. We've been training hard today. No way will we lose!" replied Ash. This seemed to calm down Pikachu. "Really?" he asked. Ash nodded. "I know his weakness!" he whispered conspiracy like to his partner.
"Well then, ok! I'm with you! He'll be the one who get's creamed!" replied Pikachu, back to normal.
"Yeah!" said Ash.
"Ok, that's enough you two, or you'll never get to sleep. Let's go get some dinner and then some rest," I suggested, to which everyone agreed to.
(Cue music silence)
The Gym looked exactly like it did 10 years ago. Giant lightning bolts decorated the large building. There wasn't much imagination in the setup.
"I guess Lt. Surge specialises in Lightning Pokémon," observed Brock.
"What was your first guess? His name or his gym layout?" asked Chrono sarcastically.
"So this is the Vermilion City Gym," said Ash as he took it all in.
"It's not too late to back out," smirked Misty.
"Why should I back out?" asked Ash. "I've got the perfect plan to beat him!"
"I'll stick around to see your face when you get creamed," replied Misty with that same smirk on her face.
"Misty, why do you think Ash will get beat?" asked Vixey.
"Because this is his first real Gym battle and he isn't ready," she replied.
"Well we'll certainty see, won't we?" I said with a mysterious smile plastered all over my face.
"Are we ever going to go inside?" asked Brock.
(Cue song BEFORE THE STORM from Dynasty Warriors 6 OST)
Ash walked forward and the gym doors swung open. It was dark inside but there were two people inside. One was an almost bald guy with a leather jacket with metal studs on the shoulders over his bare chest and tight, fingerless gloves. The other was a woman with red hair, a tight red singlet shirt, a headband and a dog tag around her neck.
"Hello. I'm here to earn my Thunder Badge!" said Ash with conviction.
The bald one looked over his shoulder to the darkness behind him. "Hey Boss! Another one for the emergency room!"
A large shape in the blackness rose up and walked over to us. "Which one?" asked a familiar tone. As he walked into the light, his features became visible. He wore dark green pants and jacket with no shirt underneath, showing off his well developed six-pack. His muscles were large and powerful. His hands were gloved in heavy material. He had a large chin, short, spiky, dirty blond hair and a dog-tag around his neck. Oh, and he was seven foot tall.
"Woah!" exclaimed Brock. "He's huge!"
"Is he the Gym leader you have to beat?" asked Misty.
"Welcome to Vermilion Gym!" said Surge as he bent down and hugged Misty. "Oh! My next challenge is a cute one! Don't think I'll go easy on ya."
"Umm, excuse me, but I'm not the challenger," replied Misty.
"Then who?" he asked.
"Me! That's who!" said Ash.
Surge turned and looked at Ash before laughing. "Oh! Ok baby!" he said while ruffling Ash's cap on his head. Ash pushed the giant hand away. "I'm no baby! My name is Ash Kechum!"
"Heh! I call everyone who loses to me baby!" he replied arrogantly.
"But you called me that and yet I owned you completely," I said as I stepped into the light. He took one look t me and pointed at me angrily. "You!" he said.
"Yes, me," I replied. "But I'm not battling you today Surge. I've already beaten you. There's no need to prove myself against you a second time."
Surge scowled before taking a deep breath and returning his gaze to Ash. But he then noticed Pikachu, who was half hiding behind Ash's leg. "Huh! A Pikachu!" he then turned to his lackeys. "Hey, look at this! Baby brought along a baby Pokémon!" They all then laughed nastily. I growled before stepping up to him. "Maybe you need a reminder to never underestimate your opponent Surge," I said in an icy tone along with an equal icy glare. Surge stopped laughing at once and glared back. "We'll see what the baby's got," he said before he enlarged his Pokeball and released the Pokémon inside.
After a few seconds, a powerful Raichu stood in front of Pikachu. The size between Pokémon was about the same as between Surge and Ash. Pikachu immediately glared at Raichu, who simply assumed Surge's stance by putting its paws on its hips.
"Ok baby, if you wanna quit, now's your chance!" said Surge.
"There's no way we're going to quit now!" replied Ash.
"Heh! What could a baby like that do?" Surge then kneeled down to Raichu's level and patted him on the head. "If ya's want to become a Pokémon master, you should make your Pokémon evolve as soon as you catch it!"
"There's more to raising a Pokémon then forcing it to evolve! And I like this Pikachu just the way it is!" retorted Ash, placing his own hand on his partner's head.
"Wrong baby!" said Surge as he wagged his finger at Ash. "Electric Pokémon are only useful if they've learned all their different electrical attacks! You keep a puny like that it's only good as a pet!" As he was saying this, Raichu was coping Surges finger wagging. This was pissing Pikachu off and sparks began to fly from his cheeks.
"Can Pikachu beat Raichu?" asked Misty.
"I seriously doubt it. Especially if Raichu knows all the electric attacks," replied Brock.
"Ok baby!" Surge taunted. "Did you just come here to show us your little pet?"
"We came here to battle for a Thunder Badge!" said Ash.
"Fuck yeah!" growled Pikachu, with sparks flying around him.
"Let's show him that we're not weak!" grinned Ash, which was mirrored by Pikachu. It seemed they still remembered the plan.
"Oh well," shrugged Surge. "I guess you'll learn that playing with the big boys can be a shocking experience!"
The lights then turned on and showed the battleground. It was standard issue, compared to Brock's rocky stage and the Cerulean Gym's water field. I dug around my bag and pulled out my special camera, activated it and let it go invisible.
"The Pokémon battle will now begin!" came the announcer's voice. "Only one Pokémon can be used. The Gym Leader, Lt. Surge, has chosen Raichu. The challenger, Ash, has chosen Pikachu. No time limit! Let the battle begin!" There was a loud bell ring to signify the start of the battle.
(Cue song Lightning Speed by Takanashi Yasuharu from NARUTO Shippuuden Original Soundtrack)
"Go Raichu!" called Surge and his Pokémon surged forward.
"Use the strategy we planned Pikachu! You can do it!" ordered Ash and Pikachu simply stayed where he was, watching Raichu's movement.
"Raichu! Show them a thundershock!" ordered Surge and Raichu complied, but the move was obvious and open, allowing plenty of time to jump quickly out of the way.
"What?" asked Surge.
"Do it Pikachu! Use Agility!" ordered Ash and Pikachu quickly began to speed around his opponent. Surge ordered a series of Body Slams but they were even slower than the Thundershock. Pikachu had no problems dodging them swiftly and easily.
"Uh, Raichu?" asked Surge in wonder and confusion.
"Oh, I get it now!" exclaimed Brock.
"Bout time," I said.
"What?" asked Misty.
"Pikachu's more speedy compared to Raichu because Surge didn't bother to learn the advanced agility moves after the electric moves and evolved Raichu before that could happen, therefore stunting Raichu's own agility," explained Brock. "Am I right?" he asked me.
"Yep," I replied. "Yesterday I worked on Pikachu's agility stat and levelled it up seriously. What's the use of power if you can't hit the opponent."
"Go for it Pikachu! Keep on using Agility!" Pikachu complied by running very fast around Raichu. Soon the poor Pokémon was very dizzy from trying to catch up.
"Having trouble keeping up?" asked Ash to Surge.
"That's it! Raichu! Give it a Thunderbolt! Finish it off!" roared Surge and Raichu let off a large electric attack, but not before Ash yelled out his own move.
"Pikachu! Use Shield Overdrive: Hiraishin!" At that moment the whole field was covered in electricity. It tore up the ground, it smashed windows, and it kicked up large amounts of dust. However when the dust cleared, Pikachu was still there, clad in a strong yellow halo of energy. Electricity was flowing over his body but always stuck close to Pikachu's skin.
"What?" repeated Surge before ordering another Thunderbolt. But before anything could happen, Ash ordered Pikachu to attack and Pikachu vanished in a flash of yellow light before Raichu was knocked away and out of the battle. Pikachu reappeared and stood there, panting slightly.
(Cue song Victory by Toshiro Masuda from Naruto Original Soundtrack I)
"Unbelievable!" cried out Surge as the announcer called the battle in Ash's favour. Pikachu released the Hiraishin and fell backwards, too tired to do anything but raise his arm into the air and say, "Yeah... did it!" Ash quickly scooped Pikachu up into his arms and smiled down. "Nice one partner!" he congratulated.
"So that was the Hiraishin?" I said as I came to stand beside Ash. "I gotta say, that was impressive. Well done to the both of you. You've earned your first badge for real!" I patted Ash on the back before recalling my camera back to my hand. "I need to study the recordings to see how the Hiraishin works."
"Congratulations Ash. You're no baby!" said Surge. "As proof of your victory, your Thunder Badge!" Here he handed Ash his third badge, in the shape of a golden eight petal flower with a large ruby in the centre. "You and your Pikachu really fought well together! And that last move! Where Pikachu vanished in a yellow flash and KOed Raichu. That was something!" praised Surge.
"Thanks! Oh yeah!" Ash suddenly posed with his new badge. "I've got a Thunder Badge!"
"Nice job kiddo! You really earned that one!" I said, grinning.
(Cue song Dragons Gate by Hiroshi Takaki from Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi Soundtrack)
"So where now guys?" asked Ash.
"Well, we could take the ferry to Porta Vista for a well deserved holiday before moving off to Maiden's Peak. I've been invited to play a few love songs for them as their special festival is on the same date as Valentine's Day," I explained.
"Porta Vista!" squealed Misty. "Ohh, I can't wait!"
"It'd be nice to relax and get some well deserved time off as we've been travelling almost nonstop for a month now," said Brock.
"And I'm sure the Pokémon would love a break out of their Pokeballs too," added Ash.
"So we're agreeing on my plan?" I asked to which everyone nodded.
"Ok! Let's see if we can get the next ferry off to Porta Vista!" I grinned before we began to make our way to the port.