Author's Note:
Here it is, the third Johto gym battle and the final part of the Goldenrod arc. If you're wondering about why I let Ash watch Calem's battle yesterday and give him an almost unfair advantage over Whitney. That will be made clear early on into the battle. To be honest, I never considered Miltank to be that strong since my Bayleaf made a perfect counter, but I couldn't resist the urge to make a reference to the meme. We also get more Haunter madness, she is still my favourite character to write for. I do want to point out that I am changing a relationship between two canon characters, those being Brock and Lola, in the anime Lola is his mother but, in this fic, she is his step-mother. This chapter also marks the one-quart completion of the Johto arc, hooray. Don't forget to vote in the poll and with that, let's begin...
Chapter 25: Ash VS Whitney: Holy Miltank
It was early in the morning and just like yesterday the group were all up. They already had a nice breakfast, ready for today's main event of Ash's chance to battle the Goldenrod gym leader. Although they still have a little time before they agreed to arrive, so Ash is on the battlefield with his three chosen Pokémon.
Inside the centre however, Brock is on one of the video phones. He is using this time to call his family back home, he decided to call them early because his father also has gym leader duties to prepare and he wouldn't be able to put a match on hold to do the rotations for him. Of course, Forest would also be in the gym, but he is the resident referee and just as vital to each gym battle, plus any of his other siblings don't have authority to handle what happens to the gym Pokémon.
While they are technically Brock's Pokémon, many of Brock's Pokémon are registered as Pewter Gym Pokémon which Forest uses to practise since he is a gym leader in training. Even though he isn't old enough to become a full gym leader, he is allowed to take on some challengers provided it is a challenge for the forth-badge or less, the challenger agrees. The official gym leader has to watch the whole thing, while not in a refereeing position as he has to focus on Forest's conduct as acting leader.
It is also interesting how Forest has put in to change the Pewter's gym type from rock to mineral, which means he can use rock, ground or steel types. While most gyms specialise in one type, it isn't absolutely needed and just like how the Viridian gym is a multi-type gym. The gym can only use the type it is registered as though, as to avoid one region being filled with multiple of the same type, but from what Brock knows, the application should be accepted soon. Soon Forest appeared on the screen.
"Hello, this is the Pewter Gym. Forest speaking." Forest spoke before he realised who was on the phone. "Oh, hey Brock. What's up?".
"Hey little man, how's it going?" Brock smiled at his oldest sibling.
"It's great, had three challengers so far this week who let me battle them." Forest replied. "It feels like now-a-days I get more battles than dad doesn't.".
"You'll be the leader before you know, bro." Brock replied. "Speaking off dad, is he around? I wanted to make a few rotations along with catching up with him.".
"Sure, he is just cleaning up after feeding them all breakfast." Forest replied. "If you let me know who you want, I can bring them when I fetch dad.".
"Okay then, I want Golem and Rhyhorn." Brock replied. "I'll be sending Onix and Omanyte back in return.".
"Great, got a challenger this afternoon for a second-badge battle and he already agreed to let me take it." Forest replied. "I was hoping you'd send back Onix and Omanyte.".
"Well just remember don't push them too far, Onix never was much of a battle lover." Brock replied, while he knows his Pokémon are happy to help little Forest progress in his gym leader training, Brock doesn't want them to be un-happy by being used in too many battles.
"Once we get our application back to become a mineral gym, I'll be able to use Dugtrio in battles to take the weight of Onix." Forest replied. "It is a little annoying how dad's Pokémon are too high level for the low-level badges, though. Anyway I'll go and get dad, Golem and Rhyhorn.".
Brock's younger brother disappear but left the phone turned on. A proud smile found its way onto the breeder's face, he really is proud of Forest's improvements on his goal of becoming gym leader. While they have chosen different paths for the future, they can still support each other. Soon Forest returned with two Pokeballs and Flint.
"Good to see you again son." Flint greeted his eldest son. "Where are you now?".
"We're in Goldenrod, dad." Brock replied. "Have been for a few days. Serena had a contest not long ago and Ash plans on challenging the gym leader today.".
"Well wish him luck from us." Flint replied. "Anyway, not to sound unhappy but why did you wanna speak to me? Forest could've handled the exchanges himself and it sounded like you had something important to speak to me about.".
"Well I kind of do, dad." Brock replied. "You see yesterday, I met back up with Suzy and as we spent time together, Vulpix decided to evolve so we brought her a Fire Stone and now she's a Ninetales.".
"My son was able to get a girlfriend and you sealed it with an evolution. So romantic." Flint cried, emotionally.
"Not quite dad, we are just friends at the minute." Brock replied, unable to stop the hint of sadness enter his tone. "Anyway, with Ninetales evolution, I had a thought.".
"Which is?" Flint replied.
"Most of my Pokémon are getting the majority of training over with you and Forest. That means statistically they are more likely to evolve there." Brock replied. "I've been lucky so far and Ninetales had to be exposed to a fire stone but sooner or later, I think one of them might try to evolve when with you.".
"Where are you going with this Brock?" Forest asked.
"You know how I told you about Ash's Ivysaur, how it had a difficult evolution and put off evolving into Venusaur as a result." Brock explained, receiving a nod from both his brother and father as indication to continue. "Well he has come to terms with it but because he put it off for so long, he has to wait until his body tries again. I don't want any of my Pokémon to feel like they have to wait until with me to evolve and possibly be in the same situation.".
"I think I see where you're going with this." Flint replied, thoughtfully.
"Can you let them know that if they begin to evolve whilst at the gym and they want to evolve, then they should embrace it as it happens and not worry about it being put off." Brock requested.
"Of course, Brock." Flint replied. "Now should we get on with those exchanges you wanted to make.".
Like Ash and Serena did yesterday, Brock placed his Pokeballs in the transporter attached to the video phone as Flint did the same. Once they exchanged Onix and Golem, they did the same for Omanyte and Rhyhorn. Once the rotations were completed, they ended the call and Brock clipped his two new Pokeballs to his belt.
Standing up from the seat, he made his way outside to where his friends were waiting. Upon arriving at the battlefield, he saw the three girls sat on the bench chatting as both Serena and Misty took care of their young Pokémon, Larvitar and Azurill respectively. On the actual battlefield stood Ash and Calem, along with Ash's selected team for today's battle: Heracross, Totodile and Haunter.
Heracross was locked in hand to hand combat with Calem's Chesnaught, trying to overpower the much bigger opponent. Totodile was practising his dodging ability which he constructed around his typical dance, by dodging Water Gun's from Calem's Starmie. While Haunter was punching a sandbag which was hanging from literally nothing while the song 'eye of the tiger' played in the background. They were clearly doing some last-minute preparations for today's battle.
"You've picked a nice strong team, Ash." Calem told the raven-haired boy. "I can't wait to see what your Haunter does, imparticular. She certainly seems... Unique.".
"Yeah, that's one word for her." Ash chuckled nervously.
"So who are you planning and starting with?" Calem asked.
"Well I want to keep Haunter fresh as long as possible because she is the most powerful of the three." Ash explained. "Of course, it depends on who Whitney chooses, I mean if she goes with her Fearow, then I could use Heracross. Otherwise, I think start off with Totodile because he doesn't have as much experience.".
"Sounds like a solid plan." Calem nodded in agreement. "I look forward to see how you handle her challenge.".
The boy's continued to speak about the upcoming battle while the three Pokémon continued their warm ups. They were doing anything to strenuous or any sort of proper battle as they didn't want to get injured before the gym. Soon the three girls realised the time and approached the two boys.
"Come on boys, you don't want to be late for the gym battle." Misty drew both Ash's and Calem's attention.
"Oh, you're right." Calem replied, as he checked the time.
Ash took out his three Pokeballs before returning his Heracross, Totodile and Haunter. Once they were secure in the Pokeballs, Ash picked up Togepi before they started to walk towards the gym. While Togepi is big enough to walk by himself, after seeing how busy the streets of Goldenrod are, Ash doesn't want to risk losing track of him.
As they were walking, Pikachu ran up Serena's body until on her shoulder. He was a little heavier than one might expect, causing Serena to stumble but mostly keep her footing. Knowing she doesn't understand him, Pikachu decided to rub her cheek against hers to get his message across.
"Pikachu sure seems affectionate." Miette smiled at the display.
"It's just his way to ask me to let Eevee out." Serena giggled before looking at the electric type. "Isn't that right, Pikachu?".
"Pi." Pikachu replied, while nodding his head. Suddenly, Haunter burst out of her Pokeball.
"Ya know yellow... Do you mind if I call you yellow, Blastoise does." Haunter addressed Pikachu. "Anyway, ever since I saw the Detective Pikachu trainer, I just hear you with Ryan Reynolds voice, and so does the author. I hope you won't try to still my bit, ya know, since he plays Deadpool who yours truly is based off.".
"What are you on about?" Pikachu asked.
"Just reminding you about who breaks the forth wall around here." Haunter replied, before getting sucked back into her ball.
"It's too early to deal with this, Haunter." Ash sighed, attaching her Pokeball back to his belt.
She giggled at the electric type once more and motioned for him to jump down, so he did. Once he was walking on the floor next to her, she took out Eevee's Pokeball before releasing her. Eevee appeared and started walking next to Pikachu, as he interlocked his tail with hers. While they continued to walk towards the Goldenrod gym.
Soon the group arrived at the gym and stood outside was Whitney, who appeared to be waiting for them. As soon as she saw the group approaching the gym, she smiled brightly before walking up to greet them.
"Hey guys, thought you got lost." Whitney greeted the group before she spotted the new member of the group. "Whose your friend?".
"This is Brock, he is a breeder whose travelling with us." Ash explained.
"Nice to meet you Brock." Whitney greeted, as she held her hand out.
Brock saw the pretty teenager around his own age and had a dazed look appear on his face as he thought about his regular proposal. Suddenly, Suzy's image appeared in his head. How could he expect Suzy to be his girlfriend if he keeps flirting with every girl who comes around? Using every bit of will power he had, Brock returned the handshake.
"P-pleasure is m-mine." Brock stuttered as he politely returned the handshake. This was a little weird for Whitney, as she isn't exactly intimidating. She figured the only other reason than fear, that someone would stutter is because of nerves, possibly attraction but she isn't full of herself and will let it slide, she isn't interested in romance anyway.
"So shall we get going?" Whitney suggested, as she lead the way into the gym. "Miltank and the others have been egar for another battle.".
"They aren't the only ones." Ash replied, clearly pumped up.
Soon they made it to the same battlefield that Calem's battle took place on yesterday. The referee was already waiting, playing with a Jigglypuff by her feet, it is common that gym refs are students the gym leader has took on, so it makes sense that the refs use the same type as their gym. All gym leaders are also qualified league referees.
Serena, Misty, Brock, Calem and Miette all took a seat in the stands with Serena giving Ash a kiss on the cheek beforehand to wish him good luck. Pikachu also went to the stands to watch the battle with Eevee instead of being down on the field with Ash. The raven-haired boy took his position in one of the trainer boxes while Whitney stood in the other one. The referee was also stood in the ref's stand, returning her Jigglypuff to a Pokeball.
"The gym battle between the Goldenrod city gym leader, Whitney, and the challenger, Ash from Pallet Town." The ref declared. "Each side may use three Pokémon and the battle will be over when both Pokémon on either side is deemed unable to continue. Furthermore, the gym leader shall reveal her Pokémon first and is unable to substitute her Pokémon while the challenger may make substitutions at any time. There also won't be any time limit.".
"Go Wigglytuff!" Whitney shouted as she threw her Pokeball into the air. In a flash of light, the normal fairy type appeared on the field and inflated her body to make herself seem bigger. Do to this, it was hard to compare it to Miette's one from the contest a few days ago but it did look slightly bigger.
Needless to say, Ash was nervous. He planned his team based on the team she faced Calem with yesterday. He did suspect that she would you another team. Whitney smirked seeing his reaction before speaking to her challenger.
"You didn't think I would let a challenger have an unfair advantage by watching the team I would use against them right before our battle, did you?" Whitney asked. "Knowing you saw Calem's battle, I knew this would be a good challenge of dealing with surprises when the team you expect isn't used.".
Ash clenched his fist, he should've known better than to think a gym leader would be so dipsy as to let him watch the team he would face. Of course, she would have multiple Pokémon able to deal with a four-badge team. He really should've saw this coming. Clearing his head, it is too late to change his team now but that doesn't mean they will lose, he would've used Heracross anyway and Haunter did convince him to use Totodile so he likely would use the same team anyway. He pulled out his Pokedex:
Wigglytuff, The Balloon Pokémon. The final evolved form of Igglybuff. Wigglytuff's body is very flexible. By inhaling deeply, this Pokémon can inflate itself seemingly without end. Once inflated, Wigglytuff bounces along lightly like a balloon.
"Then I choose you, Totodile!" Ash shouted, as he released his water type. Totodile appeared on the field and did a happy dance, causing Whitney to gush at the cute antics of the big jaw Pokémon. Realising he has a gym battle and wanting to prove Houndour's and Ash faith in him isn't misplaced, he stopped dancing and entered a battle stance.
As the two Pokémon faced off against each other, waiting for the ref to start the battle, Miette became very interested in the upcoming battle. She has a lot of battle experience with her Wigglytuff but getting to see a gym leader use one would be a great way to come up with new combinations or moves to teach her.
"Wigglytuff VS Totodile." The ref declared. "Let the battle begin!".
Whitney VS Ash (P. I):
"Stockpile!" Whitney shouted, the second the battle began.
The normal fairy type inflated her body once more as her body was surrounded by a light. As the light faded, Wigglytuff's body returned to its normal state as she embraced her increased defences. She smirked at the water type, as if to taunt him into attacking.
Ash clenched his fist, he knows that Wigglytuff is a spongy Pokémon with a lot of HP but not the greatest of defences, but Stockpile just made it so much harder to properly damage Wigglytuff. Clearly, she knows how Wigglytuff battles and exactly what's best to counter her weakness'
"Water Gun!" Ash shouted.
Since Wigglytuff is clearly a powerful physical force, at least Miette's was whenever Ash saw her, Ash decided it is best to keep her at length. True, Totodile is also more of a physical attack than special but Ash isn't confident that Totodile will be able to out power the Balloon Pokémon in a head to head match.
The big jaw Pokémon took a deep breath as the pressure built up in his stomach. In a matter of seconds he felt ready and he opened his mouth before firing a powerful jet of water at the normal fairy type. While Ash's Blastoise and Lapras have used bigger water attacks, for a Pokémon of Totodile's size, it was pretty impressive.
Unfortunately for Ash, Whitney didn't even need to tell her Wigglytuff what to do. The normal fairy type knows well enough what she has to do. Quickly inflating her stomach, she took off into the air, similar to what Miette's does in battle. Despite having increased her defences, avoiding attacks is still best for her.
"Body Slam!" Whitney shouted.
Not staying in the air for long, once Wigglytuff was sure she was high enough, she quickly deflated herself and began to fall directly on top of the water type. He had stopped his Water Gun attack and seemed frozen when he saw the incoming Balloon Pokémon.
Ash shouted out for Totodile to dodge it but due to his in-experience in battle he was frozen in place. Wigglytuff landed directly on top of the big jaw Pokémon and pulled off him, revealing Totodile lying on the ground, not looking good after being crushed but still clearly able to battle.
"Sweet Kiss!" Whitney hollered.
With her already being directly above him, Wigglytuff didn't have to move much. She reached down and picked Totodile up, as he came to his senses. Her lips puckered as they glew bright pink, filled with fairy type energy.
Realising what is gonna happen, Totodile began to struggle to try and escape Wigglytuff's grasp but to no-avail. It did however make it difficult for Wigglytuff to use Sweet Kiss straight way. As it looked like the fairy type move was gonna land, Ash had a light-bulb moment.
"Use Bite on the Sweet Kiss!" Ash shouted.
Totodile heard Ash's voice and didn't try to comprehend why he suggested it. Back when they first started training, Pikachu told him to not question Ash's moves in the middle of a battle, even if they sound crazy. He has no-idea what Ash is thinking but this is the type of situation that Pikachu was talking about.
Opening his mouth, Totodile stopped trying to escape Wigglytuff's grasp. Totodile crunched down hard on Wigglytuff's lips, trapping the normal fairy type. With her Sweet Kiss being cancelled, Wigglytuff dropped Totodile due to the sudden pain in her lips. As Totodile landed on his feet, he didn't let the Balloon Pokémon go
"Now use Water Gun!" Ash shouted. "But don't let go of the bite!".
That was also very confusing for the big jaw Pokémon, while not an experienced battler like some of Ash's Johto team, he did have a few friendly matches with water types who lived in the lake where Ash caught him, but he never would've thought of this combination.
Still he isn't going to ignore what his trainer says, he trusts Ash knows what he is doing. Whilst still holding Wigglytuff in place with his Bite, he fired a Water Gun direct into her mouth. Wigglytuff's body began to inflate once more but this time she had no control over it.
"Alright Totodile, that's enough!" Ash instructed.
Totodile was thankful for that as that wasn't the easiest combination to pull of specifically without any specific training for it. The second he let go, Wigglytuff began to fly around the field as the water spewed out of her mouth. Like a child blew up a balloon then let go without tying up the end.
The group and Whitney were all pretty speechless at the unique combination used. Never have they quite seen a Wigglytuff get used like that, but it makes her live up to the name Balloon Pokémon a lot more than usual. Soon she came to an end and landed on a ceiling light.
"Double Edge!" Whitney shouted.
Wigglytuff jumped off the light, up to the ceiling, she kicked off the roof as a powerful energy field formed around her. She also began to spin as the power field grew around her, she also began to increase in her falling speed.
Totodile began to jump around the field in hopes of avoiding the move, after being crushed last time Wigglytuff was airborne, he didn't freeze up this time. Unfortunately, this was turning out to be pretty useless as it seemed that regardless of where he moved, he was still in the crash zone.
Eventually time ran out and Wigglytuff crashed into the centre of the field. While not directly over Totodile, that didn't do much good as the power field surrounding her expanded out in an explosion, which consumed the big jaw Pokémon. He was blown into a wall, with swirls in his eyes.
"Totodile is unable to battle." The ref declared. "Meaning the victor is Whitney and Wigglytuff.".
Ash sighed sadly as he looked at his defeated water type, who was slumped against the wall. He hates the fact that his first real battle with the big jaw Pokémon ended the way it did but what can he do? He can't let it get to him now or he can kiss that gym badge good bye. He pulled out his Fast Ball.
"Return Totodile." Ash recalled the normally jolly Pokémon. Once he was secure in his Pokeball, Ash smiled sadly at it. "Thank you for all your hard work, Totodile. I promise you that all your hard work against Wigglytuff won't go to waste.".
He clipped the Fast Ball to his belt while his hand hovered over his two remaining Pokeballs containing Heracross and Haunter. Haunter has a clear advantage in terms of type because of Wigglytuff's part fairy type but chances are Whitney still has stronger Pokémon waiting to be used, so he should save Haunter as a last resort.
"Please select your next Pokémon." The ref requested.
"I choose you, Heracross." Ash shouted as he released the bug fighting type. He appeared on the field and had a serious look on his face. He knows that they are currently loosing, and he wants to turn things around. Ash has helped him with so many things since they met so he wants to help him win this badge.
"So now a fighting type, a more tradition counter to normal types." Whitney commented. "Just don't expect an easy victory, Ash, Wigglytuff still has plenty of fight left in her, along with the rest of my team.".
Ash clenched his fist, he may have made a mistake by building his team on who she used yesterday and while Totodile wasn't the greatest of choices due to his inexperience, Chikorita couldn't use because of her attitude problem and the risk of another flying type, especially since Heracross is an obvious choice. Although Houndour would've been at an even bigger disadvantage against Wigglytuff because of her fairy typing so there wasn't a lot that could be used against her.
In the stands, the group were looking at the awaiting battle. It was a little weird to see Heracross with such a serious expression on his face as he has always been more calm and while physically strong, was never as big on battling as Pokémon like Chikorita or Houndour.
"Heracross sure looks different than he did yesterday." Calem commented thoughtfully. "Although a lot of Pokémon have a battle mode, I suppose. So it will be interesting to see him in an actual battle.".
"To be honest, Heracross has never been big on battles. He was always more of a pacifist before Ash caught him." Serena told her cousin. "Although he also wasn't very social, but Ash has helped him open up, so I think that is why he is so up for this battle. Sort of his own way to pay Ash back.".
"I know what that's like." Calem smiled. "I hatched Espeon from an egg not long after reaching Kanto. It took a while before she was ready for any big battles but once I did it was great to see how far she came.".
"I imagine it will be similar when Ash uses Togepi in a gym or league battle." Brock commented. "Same with you using Larvitar in a contest, Serena. Or Misty using Azurill in a proper battle or even gym battle when she takes over.".
"You guys sure do have a lot of young Pokémon." Miette commented. "Larvitar, Togepi, Azurill... And Chikorita didn't even seem to be the most mature Pokémon around. It's almost like you guys go for the youngest Pokémon you can find.".
"I wouldn't let Chikorita hear you say that." Misty replied. "She can have a pretty big attitude problem, she still doesn't speak to Serena no-matter what she or Ash tries.".
"I've seen she acts like a little Princess." Calem replied.
"Oh no, if you want to see a princess than you should see Ash's Dragonair." Misty chuckled. "If Chikorita and Dragonair ever meet than Ash sure will have a battle of egos to deal with.".
"Hey look, the battle is about to begin." Miette pointed out.
It might seem weird that the ref waited about a minute after Heracross was sent out to start the battle, but it is common for the ref to test the Pokémon's obedience, as if the Pokémon rushes straight in without care for the judge then they would be deemed unable to battle for not following the rules.
Of course, they can also be stopped from battling if they don't listen to the trainer, due to risk of seriously injuring the opponent. The ref's can however tell the difference between a disobedient Pokémon who won't listen and an experienced Pokémon where the trainer lets them do their thing until they come up with an endgame plan.
"Heracross VS Wigglytuff." The ref declared. "Let the battle begin!".
Ash VS Whitney (P. II):
"Stockpile into a Spit Up!" Whitney shouted.
Wigglytuff inflated her body once more as her body was surrounded by a light. As the light faded, Wigglytuff's body remained inflated while she almost threw up a ball of energy towards the bug fighting type. Due to already using two Stockpiles, it was a decent size. Wigglytuff also lost her defence boosts.
Upon seeing the incoming ball of energy, Heracross spread his wings and took off, narrowly avoiding the move. Ash smiled proudly as Heracross flew around the field, keeping an eye on Wigglytuff, back when they first met, Heracross wouldn't have been able to even dodge without Ash's say so. He really has come a long way since they first met.
"Get in close and use Arm Thrust!" Ash shouted.
While Heracross does know how he battles best, he also isn't experienced enough to know exactly what to do in every situation. For example, he wasn't sure if whilst in the air he should try a long distance move like Pin Missile or go in for a close-up attack.
Heracross quickly pulled his wings back inside and landed right in front of Wigglytuff before she could properly inflate her body to take off. He began to thrust his arms into the normal fairy type, causing her inflated body to quickly deflate as she grunted in pain. Although Heracross continued his assault.
"Defence Curl!" Whitney hollered.
The pink-haired gym leader knows this is a risky move but sometimes those are the best choices. As Heracross continued to hit the Balloon Pokémon with an Arm Thrust assault, she curled up and her body glew once again, with her physical defence being raised.
Wigglytuff already knew what move Whitney would have her use next. Heracross continued his Arm Thrust assault, excited as he believes that he has taken a massive lead in this battle. Ash noticed the smirk on Whitney's face, and he realised she had something planned.
"Get away from her, Heracross!" Ash shouted.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Not sure why but Heracross wasn't going to question his trainer. He ended the Arm Thrust and spread his wings, ready to take off once again but Wigglytuff was too fast and started rolling. She used Rollout, knocking Heracross over.
Heracross landed on his stomach as Wigglytuff rolled away from him, picking up speed. The normal fairy type turned around and began to roll back towards Heracross. Ash saw the direction Wigglytuff would've hit Heracross and knew exactly how to stop it.
"Horn Attack and into Pin Missile!" Ash hollered.
The single horn Pokémon grunted as he attempted to push up. He saw the rolling normal fairy type coming head on towards him and she knew exactly what Ash wanted him to do. His horn glew white and he placed it on the floor. Whitney saw this and quickly figured it out, but it was too late for her.
Wigglytuff continued to roll and the moment she hit Heracross' horn, the bug fighting type flung his head back, sending the Balloon Pokémon flying. She was soon in the air and attempted to inflate her body to avoid a crash landing.
Meanwhile Heracross turned around and launched a barrage of small stinging pins out of his horn. These hit the air borne Wigglytuff, meaning she couldn't concentrate on inflating herself. The normal fairy type crashed on the ground in front of Whitney, but she still had fight left in her.
"Brick Break!" Ash hollered, seeing an end of this battle.
Heracross held both of his arms to the side as his hands glew white. He started running towards Wigglytuff who was pushing herself up off the ground. Whitney clenched her fist in anger, there is one thing she didn't want to do because of the chance of Heracross having the Guts ability but she might not have a choice now.
"Thunder Wave!" Whitney shouted.
A field of electricity surrounded the Balloon Pokémon and it connected with Heracross who didn't have chance to divert his running. The electricity wasn't enough to hurt him, but it did spread across his body. Heracross came to a stop in his tracks, he was fully paralysed.
Wigglytuff jumped back to her feet and charged at the bug fighting type, who was fully paralysed. She began to slap the single horn Pokémon with her hand, using a double slap attack. She continued her brutal assault on him and while not very effective, it was slowly widdling away at the paralysed Pokémon.
Although Heracross continued to fight against the status condition and his body also began to glow red. Whitney knew exactly what this was, and it was exactly what she was worried about. It was Heracross' Guts ability activating. Before she or Wigglytuff could make a move, Ash beat her to it.
"Arm Thrust!" Ash shouted, also realising what was happening.
Heracross began to fight back against Wigglytuff's Double Slap attack. He thrusted his arms forward, while his movements were very stiff because of the paralysis, he still was able to land a solid Arm Thrust. Then a second one with his other hand.
He continued to switch between arms, each one more powerful than before. His Guts ability was giving him a massive power boost, as he continued to beat up on the normal fairy type. Unfortunately, the defence she got from the previous Defence Curl didn't match to the Guts boost Heracross received.
Eventually Heracross came to a stop because of the paralysis but not before it all became too much for Wigglytuff. She fell backwards, it seems that two battles in a row and the big boost from Guts was too much for the Balloon Pokémon. The result of the battle was clear.
"Wigglytuff is unable to battle." The ref declared. "Meaning the victor is Ash and Heracross.".
Upon hearing the result, a massive grin spread across Heracross' face. He turned around and flew over to Ash, ignoring the paralysis best he could, he landed on Ash's head and began to suckle on his hat to show his affection. Ash fell on his behind, laughing at Heracross' antics.
"That was awesome, Heracross. You really pulled through." Ash laughed, reaching up to scratch the bug types head. "I know you've been down after what happened in the Azalea gym. Thanks for all your hard work.".
Whitney had returned her Wigglytuff with a word of thanks before swapping Pokeballs. She looked at her opponent and smiled at the scene. She doesn't have many Pokémon herself who are openly affectionate but the sight of it is very nice to see. She can remember recently having a purple haired kid around Ash's age challenge her. He made no attempt to celebrate his victory which was a straight 3-0 win. Still, it is clear to her that Ash shares a close bond with his Pokémon.
"That was well done Ash, but you still have two Pokémon of mine to face." Whitney told him, enlarging her second Pokeball. "Go Noctowl!".
In a flash of light, a brown owl Pokémon appeared hovering over the field. He landed in front of Whitney with a serious expression on his face, it tilted his head to the side while also maintaining constant eye contact on Ash and Heracross, who stopped his show off affection. Ash used his Pokedex on his new opponent:
Noctowl, The Owl Pokémon. The final evolved form of Hoothoot. Noctowl never fails at catching prey in darkness. This Pokémon owes its success to its superior vision that allows it to see in minimal light, and to its soft, supple wings that make no sound in flight.
"Alright Heracross, take a break for now." Ash returned his bug fighting type. A flying type is Heracross' worst possible match up.
While Ash does have a Noctowl himself, he hasn't gotten to see much of his battle style because of his reluctance to listen to Ash, which is one reason he decided to scan the Owl Pokémon once it appeared. It is also weird to see a none shiny Noctowl since Ash is used to his own Noctowl's golden feathers. Guess he only has one option left for a Pokémon to go with. With a sigh, he took the Pokeball of his belt. He has a feeling he is going to regret this.
"I choose you, Haunter!" Ash shouted as he released his ghost poison type.
Haunter appeared on the field and she was much bigger than before. Her body was buffed up and she seemed quite intimidating. Noctowl, however, didn't change his serious expression as he analysed the ghost poison type. Suddenly, Haunter leaned down, with her hand rubbing the back of her neck.
"Ten thousand years, will give you such a creek in the neck." Haunter announced, before realising the unamused expression on Noctowl's face and the sweat drop on the back of Whitney's head. "You haven't watch Aladdin? Seriously? I'm gonna need to speak with author about the films he puts in this story of his.".
"Shut up, Haunter!" The author commanded.
She rolled her eyes as she realised only, she heard the authors voice, guess she should just get on with it. She wants to get the MCU film marathon started before Avengers Endgame is in cinemas. Cracking her knuckles, she entered a battle stance as both Whitney and the ref shook themselves clear of Haunter's antics.
"Haunter VS Noctowl." The ref declared. "Let the battle begin.".
Ash VS Whitney (P. III):
Upon the ref starting the battle, Noctowl took off before circling around the air, watching Haunter like a predator watching his prey. Haunter gave the owl a big smile and overly-friendly wave, which seemed to annoy the Noctowl. Noctowl formed a Shadow Ball by his beak before firing it at Haunter.
She side stepped so it hit the floor and imploded. Not happy by the ghosts joking nature, Noctowl formed another Shadow Ball, taking extra care to launch this one. Once she did, Haunter clicked her fingers and a brick wall appeared in front of her, which took the Shadow Ball. Haunter turned around to Ash.
"Hey trainer, could ya, you know, give me a move or something to use?" Haunter asked, with attitude clear in her voice. "Preferably, Switcheroo. I really wanna use Switcheroo.".
"Why?" Ash asked.
"Because it's a fun move!" Haunter shouted back. "Now could you hurry up because this wall won't stop Hedwig forever! Especially if he keeps up with these Shadow Balls!".
"Fine!" Ash shouted back, Haunter really knows how to push his buttons. "Use Switcheroo!".
Haunter smiled brightly at her trainer before disappearing, as another Shadow Ball curtsy of Noctowl hit the brick wall she materialised out of no-where. The brick wall smashed to pieces as Haunter appeared behind him.
"I know in the bible it says thou shall not steal but I never saw it say, thou shall not swap." Haunter told the Owl Pokémon as she grabbed a pile of clay out from under his wing, putting a purple pile of sludge in its place. "I've done it before, take Ferrari, leave a Hot Wheels. Take an I-phone, leave a walkie-talkie.".
"I hope your joking Haunter!" Ash interrupted with a stern voice, not happy what he just heard.
"Yes officer." Haunter replied, in a heavily sarcastic voice as she shook her head in a 'no' fashion. Suddenly, Noctowl took some damage from the pile of sludge Haunter gave him. Interested by what she gave him, Ash pulled out his Pokedex:
Black Sludge: This item is used by poison types to help recover their health, but it hurts all none-poison types to touch it
"Haunter... Where did you get that Black Sludge from?" Ash asked.
"Well..." Haunter replied sheepishly as a flashback started, which everyone could see. It showed Muk asleep in the lab, and Haunter sneaking up on him before cutting a bit of his body off his back. As the flash back ended, Ash gave her an annoyed expression. "What? You did want Muk in this battle, right? And I'll give it him back.".
Whitney was just confused by what was happening, she has never had a challenger quite like this before. Sure, she has faced Pokémon who have a joking personality, but this is on a whole different level. It is a stark contrast to her Noctowl who was always a little uptight.
Trying to ignore the burning feeling of the sludge Haunter gave him, he turned towards the ghost type who wasn't paying attention to him. Two red beams shot out of Noctowl's eyes and they hit Haunter. They didn't hurt but she tried to disappear again, only for it to fail.
"Great, he used Foresight." Haunter rolled her eyes. "You know, anytime you wanna start one of those wacky strategies to win, I am all ears.".
"Alright Haunter, let's set the field." Ash instructed, after taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Use Poison Gas.".
She turned back towards the battle and saw Noctowl charging towards her with a Take Down attack. A cloud of purple gas surrounded her and Noctowl was unable to avert his attack Noctowl breathed in the poison gas as he crashed into the ground. Taking recoil damage, he also became poisoned. Haunter appeared out of the poison gas cloud with a trail of gas leading from her back. She jumped out of the computer screen in front of the author.
"I know I am the only entertaining character this chapter, but I am not going to lower myself by making a fart joke." Haunter told the author, who only nodded, nervous about what she was going to do. "Good. Now let's get this battle done with, shall we.".
Haunter returned to the battlefield, and was facing off against the Noctowl who returned to the air after recovering from the crash landing. He was hovering in front of Whitney, not looking very happy. Whitney knew she had to get rid of the poison gas so her final Pokémon didn't get hit by it.
"Defog!" Whitney shouted.
Noctowl began to flap his wings harder as a powerful gust was formed. It quickly blew the purple cloud away, as it disappeared into nothing. Haunter saw the wind and smiled, taking out a camcorder along with a plastic bag.
She let the plastic bag go and it began to float around in the wind Noctowl created. She hit the record button and began to follow the plastic bag around with it. Needless to say, no-one was quite sure what was happening.
"What are you doing, Haunter?" Ash asked, slowly, trying not to lose his temper with the psychotic ghost.
"Trying to win a film award." Haunter replied, matter-of-factly. "You know how these film critics like the artsy stuff.".
"Can you just focus?!" Ash snapped.
"Fine, if you want to win that badly." Haunter replied.
She jumped out of the computer once more before grabbing the keyboard of the author. Noctowl began panting heavily before landing on the ground on his back, he took too much damage from Haunter's pure awesomeness. Haunter then gave the keyboard back and returned to the battlefield.
"Excuse me, ref." Haunter clicked her fingers at the referee, who was just as confused as everyone else. "Don't you have a call to make?".
"Oh um, yeah... Noctowl is unable to battle." The ref declared, a little taken back from the crazy battle. "Meaning the victor is Ash and Haunter.".
Whitney had a perplexed expression on her face as she looked at the battlefield. That was the craziest battle she has ever seen. She shook her head, trying to get what happened straight in her head as she recalled the Owl Pokémon.
"Well done, Noctowl. I don't know what happened but thank you." Whitney told the fallen normal flying type before shrinking the Pokeball down and clipping it away. She pulled out a second Pokeball and turned to look at Ash, who had Haunter floating next to him. "I must say Ash, that is a very unique Haunter. Plenty of challengers have tried to counter my normal types with a ghost type but we've never had a battle quite like that.".
"Hehehe, yeah." Ash chuckled nervously. "Haunter is certainly unique.".
"... I don't know what to say." Miette admitted.
"I second that, I've never seen a battle like that." Calem added.
"Well that was a typical Haunter battle." Misty explained.
"She certainly has a stage presence." Miette added. "I would say she should have a go at contests. I can only imagine what sort of appeals performance she could pull off.".
"Haunter... In a contest?" Serena questioned. "I guess I could sort of see it, but I don't think Ash is suited for that sort of thing. He is like my Kadabra, a straight up battler".
"So what sort of things does your Kadabra do with you now, if he doesn't help in contests?" Calem asked.
"We still train together and stuff but in battles he point blank refuses to try and use contest combinations." Serena explained. "To him, making his moves flashy or appealing is just a waste of time.".
"Well if that is how he feels, why not trade." Calem suggested. "Haunter would do very well in contests and Kadabra would get to still very much stick to his straight battle.".
"Trade?" Serena repeated, in a questioning manner.
"I know what it sounds like, but it wouldn't have anything to do with either of your skills as trainers. Sometimes certain Pokémon and trainers just don't click." Calem explained. "And look on the bright side, if you realise it was the wrong idea, you're travelling together and could easily trade back. Plus it would allow for both Haunter and Kadabra to evolve if nothing else.".
"... I don't know." Serena admitted. "And I would have to talk to Ash about it.".
"Of course." Calem replied. "It was just a suggestion. Just think about it, cuz.".
"Well this may be my last Pokémon, I want you to know she has dealt with all three of a challengers' team on her own before." Whitney warned. "Go Miltank!".
In a flash of light, the pink cow shaped Pokémon appeared in front of Whitney. Despite Miltank being known as a calm peaceful Pokémon, this one had a fierce expression on her face. Ash took out his Pokedex and scanned this new Pokémon, he may have seen her battle Calem yesterday, but every bit of information is useful:
Miltank, The Milk Cow Pokémon. It produces over five gallons of milk a day. The higher the quality of the pastures it lives in, the richer and tastier its milk becomes. It is believed Miltank have some sort of link to the Pokémon Tauros. Scientists are still working on the exact link. It is known as the female Tauros because of this suspected link.
"Alright then, take a break for now Haunter." Ash told the ghost type as he pulled out her Pokeball.
"But..." Haunter tried to argue back.
"No buts... I don't think any of us could handle two battles in a row with ya." Ash replied.
"Fine..." Haunter sighed before floating over to Whitney. She grabbed Noctowl's Pokeball before reaching inside, wiggling it around a bit before pulling her Black Sludge out of it. She handed the Pokeball back to Whitney before handing over the clay she took of Noctowl during their battle. "Be a doll and give this back to the old chap for me.".
"Return Haunter." Ash recalled the ghost poison type, annoyance clear in her voice. With a sigh, he quickly swapped her Pokeball with Heracross'. He knows Heracross isn't in the best fighting position, but he deserves the chance to battle. Plus, Ash doesn't think he could handle another battle with Haunter just yet. "I choose you, Heracross!".
The bug fighting type appeared next to Ash, static electricity was surrounding his body. He stood next to Ash and looked at him expectantly. Ash smiled sadly at him, while he knows Heracross doesn't stand much chance, he has to give him the choice.
"Well Heracross, I know you did really well against Wigglytuff, and I couldn't have asked for more." Ash explained. "But would you be willing to go in again, to battle Miltank? I know your tired, so this is completely your choice.".
Heracross listened to what his trainer said, and turned to look at his opponent. It is clear that Miltank hasn't taken any sort of damage yet and he would be going in at a massive disadvantage against her. Still, Ash has done so much for him and he still has his ability giving him a power boost. He can't just stand down with some fight left in him. Houndour or Chikorita wouldn't and while he isn't as battle mad as them, he doesn't want to let his team down.
"I'll do it." Heracross told Ash before flying into the field.
He did his best to put on another serious expression while ignoring the static electricity around his body. Both of the Pokémon on the field leaned down, almost like it was some sort of sumo wrestling match. With both Pokémon in position, the ref raised her flags.
"Miltank VS Heracross." The ref declared. "Begin!".
Ash VS Whitney (P. IV):
Upon the battle starting neither trainer had to make a move as they stared hard at each other. Whitney knew Miltank would easily beat Heracross and letting her trusted partner take this one on might scare Ash for when the battle with Haunter starts. Intimidation is one trick a gym leader uses against their challengers, after all.
Both Pokémon charged forward and met in the middle of the field, locked hand to hand, each trying to push the other one down. While Heracross was weak after his previous battle, the boost he was receiving from Guts was enough to make them even, but Ash knew the paralysis could take over at any moment and give Miltank that edge.
"Horn Attack!" Ash shouted.
The bug fighting type's horn glew white and swinging his head around meant it hit Miltank's head. The Milk Cow Pokémon was knocked to the side and Heracross loomed over the normal type. He prepared to use a Brick Break as a follow up move... until the paralysis took over, bringing him to a stop.
Seeing the opening, Miltank curled up into a ball as her physical defence stat increased. Without a moment's hesitation, she began rolling but didn't go straight for Heracross, instead she rolled around Ash to pick up speed. Once she felt like she was at a decent speed, she turned and rolled towards Heracross.
"Use Aerial Ace to escape!" Ash shouted.
Heracross attempted to spread his wings but the paralysis slowed him down. Just as he started taking off, Miltank reached him and knocked him back down. The normal type rolled over him, leaving him face down on the ground. As she rolled away, picking up more speed.
She turned around and was on a straight shot for Heracross once more. The single horn Pokémon began to try and push himself up, but he was clearly on his last legs. Having a favourite move to finish battles with, Miltank ended her Rollout by launching herself into the air.
The normal type spread her four limbs out as she appeared directly over Heracross. The bug fighting type's eyes shrunk as he realised, he couldn't dodge this move. Miltank landed directly on Heracross before she stood up and walked back next to Whitney, leaving the single horn Pokémon on the ground with swirls in his eyes.
"Heracross is unable to battle." The ref declared. "Meaning the victor is Whitney and Miltank.".
"Return Heracross." Ash recalled his flattened bug fighting type. "I'm sorry that happened to you, Heracross. I never should've let you battle with the state you was in.".
He shrunk the ball down and clipped it back to his belt. He is now determined to win, so Heracross wasn't put through that for no-reason. Part of him wished he had gone with someone other than Totodile since it was his first official battle with Ash.
"Ash. I wouldn't beat yourself up over that. Heracross wanted to battle for you." Whitney told him. "Granted, he wouldn't have beaten Miltank in that stat, but you should know that Miltank here has been four fresh Pokémon in a row. Even if Heracross hadn't battled Wigglytuff, he would've had a tough time.".
Ash didn't blink as he looked at Whitney along with Miltank, he isn't stupid. The fact that Whitney didn't give Miltank any commands against Heracross showed she has complete trust in her. Adding on her friendly advice, it is clear she is trying to intimidate him.
"I choose you, Haunter." Ash shouted, as he released his female ghost.
She appeared out of the Pokeball and looked at her opponents. A devilish smirk grew on her face. "I am so ready for this... I've played Heart Gold three times since the author started the Johto arc.".
"Don't even start with that, Haunter." Ash instructed, as Haunter floated onto the field.
"Miltank VS Haunter." The ref declared. "Let the battle begin.".
Ash VS Whitney (P. V):
"I saw this in one of the reviews last chapter and thought I might give it a try." Haunter told Ash, as she clicked her finger making a TV appear on the field and a remote appear in her hand. She began switching channels before landing on an episode of Teen Titan's Go. "Now just watch this like a good little cow and it should be bad enough to end this battle pretty early.".
Miltank didn't seem amused by the joke and charged at the ghost with a Double Edge attack. She smash through the TV set, leaving it destroyed, which resulted in Haunter muttering something like - 'that wasn't very nice' - before she slammed into the ghost, knocking her into the ground.
"Mother f*cker." Haunter cursed, as a giant nail appeared and hit Miltank, taking away a chunk of her health. "Oh come on author, don't start with that censoring sh*t again.".
"How did Stomp hit Haunter anyway? When I returned her to her Pokeball, it should've cleared her of the Foresight effects." Ash questioned as he pulled out his Pokedex:
Ability Scrappy: This ability allows the user to hit a ghost type Pokémon with either normal or fighting type moves without the aid of Foresight or similar moves.
"Well there goes your immunity advantage." Ash sighed. "Let's try hypnosis.".
Haunter clicked her fingers and an old styled clock watch appeared in her hands. She floated in front of Miltank and began have it rock back and forth in front of the Milk Cow Pokémon, releasing psychic waves which were having a sleepy effect on her.
"Your falling into a deep sleep." Haunter instructed in a surprisingly calm voice. "One... Two... Three.".
As she said three, Miltank fell completely asleep and fell on her back. Smiling as she the trick work, Haunter pulled out a giant knife and fork from no-where and began to cut up the dream cloud popping out of Miltank's head. Haunter used dream eater.
Miltank pulled a pained face as she suffered from the dream eater attack. Suddenly, Haunter burped, indicating she was full. She then threw the giant cutlery away before grabbing a brown bag out of no-where and started putting the dream cloud into it.
"What are you doing, Haunter?" Ash asked.
"I'm full, so just getting a doggy bag to go." Haunter replied. "Just don't let Snorlax know or I'll never get to eat it.".
After having her dream destroyed by the psychotic ghost, Miltank woke up not looking at all pleased. Her face was a full frown and she looked ready to punch the next person to speak. Haunter was rubbing her inflated belly with a pleased smile, almost like she was trying to annoy Miltank.
"Zen Headbutt!" Whitney shouted, even if her normal and fighting moves work, they aren't very effective, especially because of Haunter's part poison type.
Miltank scrapped her foot against the ground as a ball of blue psychic type energy appeared between her two horns. She started to run towards Haunter, head first ready to knock this ghost down a peg or two. She is really getting on her nerves. Haunter, however, saw another way to have some fun.
With a click of her fingers, a red towel appeared in her hands. She began to wave it in front of the charging Miltank as if she was some sort of matador. It was hard to tell but this only seemed to make Miltank angrier. Once the normal type was close enough, Haunter ran the towel over her head as Haunter swiped to the side.
The Milk Cow Pokémon continued running and looped around so she was charging at Haunter once again. She continued to wave the towel in Miltank's face before doing the exact same thing. Miltank cancelled her Zen Headbutt, realising it wouldn't do anything but continue to make her mad.
"I'm almost afraid to ask you this, Haunter, but got any way to finish this battle?" Ash asked.
"Well we could try this." Haunter replied, as a ball appeared floating in her hand.
The ball was a rainbow design on it but was split up by a plus sign although the sign wasn't exactly even, the horizontal line was to the left and thicker than the vertical line, which was also slightly lower than the half way mark. It was a smash ball.
Before Ash could ask any questions, she crushed the smash ball in her hand, and she started to glow with some sort of fire surrounding her. She pulled a list of smash characters out of thin air and started to go through them.
"Now just to pick which final smash to use..." Haunter mused as she looked through the list. "Eenie meenie miney, that one.".
Once she decided to go with Sonic's final smash, her body turned a golden light colour. She also gained a massive speed boost, shooting at the Milk Cow Pokémon she stuck once, then twice, and again and again... this continued for several more or seconds, with Haunter hitting Miltank multiple times.
Haunter came to a stop right in front of Miltank, as the effects of the smash ball came to an end. She smirked at the blank look on Miltank's face before blowing the pink cow a kiss and once it hit her, she fell on her back with swirls in her eyes.
"Miltank is unable to battle." The ref declared. "Meaning the victor of this battle and the plain badge is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.".
With the gym battle now over, the group in the stands walked down to the field - well most of them walked, but Serena ran down and embraced Ash with a hug as soon as she was close enough. Ash was barely able to remain stood from the impact but returned the hug before they leaned in for a celebration kiss.
"Return Miltank..." Whitney recalled her Milk Cow Pokémon. "And take a nice long rest. Thank you for your hard work.".
Whitney walked up to the group who seemed to be waiting for Serena to finish congratulating her boyfriend in her own special way. However, Haunter didn't want to wait any longer and floated up to them, with a mischievous smile plastered on her face.
"Break it up, you two... If you want to that stuff get a room." Haunter told them, forcing them to jump apart, both with bright red faces. "In fact, you already have a room back at the centre. Save it for there but careful author or you might need to raise the age rating.".
"HAUNTER!" Ash shouted, as his face heated up even more, he quickly pulled out her Pokeball and recalled her.
"Anyway Ash, I want to congratulate you on your victory over me." Whitney approached the raven-haired boy, hoping to move the conversation on from their embarrassment and also complete her duty as the gym leader. "As proof of your victory here at the Goldenrod gym, it is my honour to present you with the Plain badge.".
She held out one of the gym badges which looked just like the one she gave Calem yesterday, it was a diamond shape with a simple pale-yellow colour in the centre and a silver edge. Despite it being a simplistic design, it still felt like a massive achievement like every other gym badge. He smiled as he took out his badge case and put it next to his hive badge. Ash smiled as he saw only one spot left on the top row, he is almost half way to the Silver conference, in terms of badges.
"Thank you, Whitney. That badge really means a lot." Ash smiled.
"None-sense Ash, you earned it along with your Pokémon." Whitney replied. "I should be thanking you because I have never faced a Pokémon quite like your Haunter, so now my team have some training to do so we aren't caught off guard like that again.".
"Hehehe, yeah... Haunter certainly is one of a kind." Ash nervously chuckled.
"Well you two have each one a badge and unless I am mistaken Serena, you also won a contest ribbon while in Goldenrod." Whitney spoke to the group. "How about as a celebration before you all set off, I take you all for some Miltank Milkshakes before you leave the city.".
"Thanks but no thanks Whitney." Calem replied. "Miette and I are heading to Violet City and we are running late as the contest there is in just under a weeks' time.".
"Well good luck then, I hope you win your ribbon Miette." Whitney replied. "And I assume you'll take on the gym whilst there.".
"Yeah, I heard the Violet gym specialises in flying types." Calem replied.
"It does." Ash replied. "Falkner was a really tough opponent, you will really need to battle hard against him.".
"That will make his badge all the sweeter." Calem smiled. "So I guess this is goodbye.".
The group all bid goodbye to both Calem and Miette as they walked to the front of the gym. Once outside, they parted ways with Calem and Miette walking North to set off once more, while the group headed south, deciding to take Whitney up on her offer.
On the way to the department store, the group stopped off at the Pokémon centre so Ash could leave his Pokémon to get healed up. Not only the ones he used in the battle but everyone. Serena, Misty and Brock also left theirs so they would be fit before they set off once more. Speaking off, where should they go to next?
Soon the group made it to the department store, but along the way they realised that for as good in battle that Whitney was, she was terrible with directions. Luckily, Brock was there to make sure they kept on track. Once in the department mall, they made their way to the food court and Whitney brought over the milkshakes. Ash and Serena were each having a strawberry one, Brock was going with mint, Whitney was going with bubble-gum and Misty was going with vanilla.
"Here you go!" Whitney announced as she placed the tray of milkshakes on the table. As she started handing each one out, Haunter appeared out of no-where.
"Sorry for ruining that amour moment in the gym, readers so I'll make it up for you here." Haunter told the readers. She clicked her fingers and the two strawberry milkshakes were combined into an extra-large one with two straws.
"Haunter!" Ash shouted as both himself and Serena blushed.
"Shut up, you kiss each other often enough so sharing a milkshake isn't a big deal." Haunter replied, as she put one straw into each of their mouths. The two of them started to try the milkshake as Haunter disappeared back to the Pokémon centre.
With the psychotic ghost gone, the others decided not to bring attention to the moment between the couple and they also tried their own milkshakes. Of course, Whitney has had many over the years living in the city, but it was always nice to see someone's first reaction to it. The first to respond was Ash.
"It's sooooooooooooooo good!" Ash announced, with stars in his eyes.
"Hahaha, yeah. That is similar to a lot of people's first reaction to a Miltank Milkshake." Whitney replied. "Not only is it tasty but also very nutritious.".
"I don't know if we have any products like this back in Kanto." Misty commented, with a pleased expression on her face as she also enjoyed it.
"You probably do but it's not as widespread as it is in Johto since Miltank are native to this region." Whitney explained. "So Miltank products are normally kept for those really fancy places outside of Johto.".
"Well if Miltank products are this good, we might have to eat at fancier places next time were in Kanto." Serena suggested with a small giggle.
"I actually grew up on a Miltank farm practically." Whitney commented. "You see, my Uncle Milton runs a farm just outside of the city and supplies most of the places in the city itself. I would visit every weekend and work there with him, as well as spend most of my summers there. It was also where I first met Miltank you battled earlier.".
They continued to have small talk about the Miltank products as they finished their milkshakes. Once they were finished with the tasty treats, they sat around talking before Whitney changed the topic of conversation.
"Have you guys decided where you're going next?" Whitney asked.
"Well probably North since we just came from the south." Misty suggested. "But as to which place, we are actually going, we haven't really discussed it.".
"According to the map, if we go North, we'll go straight past the national park which is said to be the heart of Johto." Brock commented as he looked at his guidebook. "As for the next place with a gym or contest hall. It would have to be Ecruteak City which is directly North of here.".
"Why does it have to be Ecruteak?" Misty asked, out of curiosity.
"Well because all the remaining places with gyms or contest halls are North, even if some or either East or West." Brock explained. "Ecruteak is the place of the centre, so no matter which place we want to head to, we have to pass through Ecruteak.".
"Ooooh, you'll love Ecruteak!" Whitney beamed. "It is so rich with history and is believed to once be the resting place of the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh.".
"Ho-Oh?" Ash and Serena questioned, as they looked the Pokémon up.
Ho-Oh, The Rainbow Pokémon. This is classed as a legendary Pokémon. Ho-Oh's feathers glow in seven colours depending on the angle at which they are struck by light. These feathers are said to bring eternal happiness to the bearers. This Pokémon is said to live at the foot of a rainbow. Since it disappeared, it is believed to view the world through the roaming beasts of Johto, waiting for the time when it could once again return to the human world.
The two preteens looked at the image which the Pokedex brought up and couldn't help but gasp, this was the Pokémon they saw all the way back when they first started their journey. With this revaluation, they can't wait to make it to Ecruteak to learn more about it. After what happened back on Shamouti Island whilst in the Orange Archipelago they have been wondering about the whole chosen one thing and this could be a chance to learn something about it.
It also holds both a contest hall and a gym. Of course, you can challenge a gym at any time so it will be Ash's chance to win his fourth Johto gym badge, but they wouldn't be able to see if they would be holding a contest when they arrive. Luckily the bigger cities with contest halls tend to hold multiple during the contest circuit so it isn't a one chance to compete and looking at the map, they would have to loop around regardless of if they go east or west after that so she will get another chance to compete in the Ecruteak contest hall, as the journey continues...
Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. Don't forget to vote in the polls. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...