Chapter 25

Drake and Tony walked down to the lobby, nervous about their battles later that day. Drake thought to take some stress off and watched some recent battles on Battle TV. Drake was studying the battles because the one he was watching had a Charizard in it, which he hoped to have one day. Tony couldn't care less so he grabbed Drake's pokedex to entertain himself. While he was using it, a message popped up that read: "To Tony Wright." Tony read it and got a discouraged look on his face. Drake looked up from the battle to see Tony's saddened expression.

"What's it say?" Drake asked, worried about the look on Tony's face.

"Basically, it is telling me that the championship battles will be full battles and that my battle time has been moved to before yours," Tony said with a sad tone, thinking he would have to forfeit.

"Like a six on six battle?" Drake asked, showing his blondness. Tony looked at him like he was stupid and nodded sarcastically. "So what's so bad with that? It's only for Expert and Intermediate right? So, your battle is before mine and mine is the last of the tournament?" Drake asked, excited about being the last battle.

"Well let's see Drake, I don't have six pokemon while the guy I am facing does, so they are making me," Tony said, starting to get angry. Drake put on his thinking face and came up with an idea.

"How would you like it if I let you use Doduo and Weepinbell? I know you already have one of their types but they are your missing pieces," Drake explained. Tony smiled and nodded. They walked out of the Pokemon Center and went to a park. Drake let go of two pokeballs and they revealed Doduo and Weepinbell.

"Hey, I know you two have only been with me for a day or two, but I need y'all to do me a favor," Drake said, hoping Doduo, the rebel of his team, would agree. Doduo looked at

Tony and then looked at Weepinbell, who was already nodding her head. She was very lovable and would battle for anybody. "I need you two to battle with Tony for his championship battle and then come back to me." Weepinbell nodded immediately, whiled Doduo took awhile to decide. Doduo looked down at the two trainers, and then nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank y'all so much," Tony thanked the pokemon. Drake and Tony went back to the Pokemon Center and he called Bill on the video phone. Tony stayed outside of the Pokemon Center and trained with his two temporary team mates.

"Hey Drake, how are things going?" Bill asked.

"Well, Montana left with this guy she met and…" Drake began to explain, but was interrupted by Bill.

"You let my daughter go with some guy and you didn't tell me?" Bill questioned angrily. Drake looked at the ground, trying to keep his cool.

"Your daughter left without telling us. I have tried to call her and sent her messages," Drake retorted. Bill's face was burning red.

"That's not acceptable, I trusted you with her and you do this. This is unbelievable. How could you let her go off with some guy she probably just met?" Bill asked, still shouting at Drake. Drake lost his temper and began yelling at the man.

"Look, I had no control over the situation! All I want is my Scyther back!" Drake yelled. Drake punched the screen and ended the argument, breaking it in the process. In irritation, Drake looked down to see his Scyther's pokeball appear on the Transfer Pad. Before he could feel the relief of having Scyther back, Nurse Joy scolded him for the broken video phone.

Nurse Joy took pity on Drake after he explained his messed up situation, only making him pay one hundred dollars for repairs. She wrapped up his bleeding hand before letting him go, fulfilling her duties as a Nurse even though she probably didn't want to. He met up with Tony at the park, who was playing with his pokemon.

"Tony it's time to go; your battle starts in forty-five minutes!" Drake yelled, trying to get Tony's attention. He forgot how young Tony was and how short his attention span was. Drake ended up having to get on the playground and pull Tony off the slide. Tony calmed down and came back to reality, after fighting with Drake about getting off the playground.

"Okay guys time to go," Tony said, recalling his pokemon. Drake and Tony began walking down the street, making their way towards the Battle Dome. "So Drake what did you do to get your hand wrapped up?" Tony asked, trying to break the silence. Since the time when Montana had left Drake didn't talk much and Tony usually had to start the conversations.

"I called Montana's dad…" Drake stuttered. Tony nodded his head and told Drake to continue his story. "I asked for him to send Scyther back, but he got mad when I told him that Tana had left. He yelled at me, but I ended the conversation with my fist, breaking the video phone," Drake explained.

"I'm so sorry…Did you at least get Scyther back?" Tony asked sympathetically. Drake held a pokeball in his hand and smiled. "That's good," Tony commented as they walked into the Battle Dome. Drake left Tony's side to find a seat in the crowded stands.

"This battle is between Tony Wright from Double T Ranch and Freddy Walker from Fuchsia City. This battle was originally scheduled for seven, but we had to make a change. So, the Intermediate Championship will be at seven and the Rookie Championship is right now!" boomed the announcer. Freddy waved to the crowd and showed his cocky attitude. Tony waved also, but shyly and nervous. He never thought that he would make it this far in the tournament.

"So Tony, are you ready to lose?" Freddy asked rudely. Tony glanced at him, too nervous to answer. "Well let's go! Beedrill time to battle!" Freddy yelled, throwing a Great Ball in the air. The Beedrill hovered in the air, ready to fight. Tony could tell that the Beedrill was powerful by the way it was readying itself for battle.

"Farfetch'd time to go!" Tony yelled, forgetting his nervousness. Farfetch'd popped out of the ball and cried, "Far, Far, Far," as he flipped his stick around his head and pointed it at the Poison Bee pokemon.

"Beedrill use Focus Energy and Rage to boost your attacks," Freddy ordered. The Poison Bee pokemon flashed white, using Focus Energy to land critical hits and then it got an enraged look on its face, using Rage to power up its attacks. Beedrill flew towards the Wild Duck Pokemon with its needles pointed out, ready to pierce anything that got in their way.

"Farfetch'd use Poison Jab to block those needles!" Tony yelled. Farfetch'd's stick glowed purple and he blocked all the attempts from the Bug Pokemon to sting him. The two pokemon were going blow for blow, Beedrill's power was beginning to over power Farfetch'd, so he retreated by flying into the air. Beedrill glared at the fleeing Wild Duck Pokemon and pursued him.

"Beedrill use Pursuit now!" Freddy yelled. The Bug Pokemon's needles became outlined with a white line, showing that they were being used to attack. Farfetch'd's eyes widened as he was struck in the air and sent downward, crashing into the ground. The Bug Pokemon hovered over him and continued to glare at him with its bug eyes.

"Farfetch'd show them power with Swords Dance and Air Cutter," Tony ordered. The Wild Duck Pokemon twirled his stick while singing, "Farfetch'd," over and over again. Farfetch'd finished singing and put his stick in his mouth, so he could utilize both wings. His wing's tips glowed and he sent slashes of air at Beedrill. The slashes hit the Bug Type Pokemon and sent him falling out of the sky. "Farfetch'd use Aerial Ace to finish this," Tony ordered. His opponent couldn't attack nor defend itself from the Aerial Ace and took the hit full power, which caused it to faint after hitting the ground.

Farfetch'd flapped his wings, staying in the air and laughing at the same time. He thought this was one big joke. "So that weakling is laughing, I'll show it a lesson, go Psyduck!" Freddy yelled, angered that Farfetch'd took out his ace so easily. The Duck Pokemon had a plain look on its face and had both its hands on its head. "Psyduck use Water Pulse and knock it down!" Psyduck took its hands off of its head and stuck them outwards, created a sphere of water. It sent the Water Pulse high in the air and Farfetch'd simply dodged it.

"Farfetch'd use Poison Jab now!" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs. Farfetch'd's stick glowed purple and he dove down, ready to strike.

"Psyduck use Confusion," Freddy ordered. Psyduck's eyes glowed pink and the stick came out of his hand, leaving the Wild Duck Pokemon with confused look. The stick floated in front of Farfetch'd and slapped him across the face. Psyduck made the stick hit Farfetch'd so hard he fell to the ground on his back. Farfetch'd got up and his eyes flashed purple, showing that he was poisoned.

"Farfetch'd use Air Cutter," Tony ordered. On the ground, Farfetch'd's wings glowed and he slashed the air, sending slices of air and power at Psyduck. The Water Pokemon used Confusion to throw the stick into the line of fire, stopping the attack and destroying the stick. Farfetch'd's mouth was wide open and he released a couple of tears, losing his stick was like losing his best friend.

"Psyduck use Ice Beam while it's stunned," Freddy ordered. Psyduck opened its mouth and released a powerful beam of ice that knocked Farfetch'd to the wall, freezing him to it. Tony grabbed his Pokeball and recalled him.

Back in the stands, Drake was watching the battle and was impressed with the battle. He took his attention of the battle and looked around the stands. He saw his opponent, Derek Risque looking for a seat. "Hey Derek, I have a seat right here!" Drake yelled, waving his hand high in the air. Derek nodded and walked over to the empty seat.

"Thanks, I couldn't find a seat anywhere," Derek said. He put his attention on the battle and Drake could tell he was analyzing every move.

"So we are from the same town and I have never heard of you," Drake said confused, thinking that he should know who this kid was.

"Yeah, same here," Derek said, shrugging off Drake's conversation. Drake looked back at the battle and began watching it again.

"Go Tangela!" Tony yelled, tossing out the Vine Pokemon. Tangela popped out of her ball and began dancing around, she loved to battle. Psyduck glared at her and it was ready to battle again. "Tangela use Bind now!" Tangela unleashed all of her vines and wrapped her opponent up, squeezing it up as tight as she could. Psyduck grabbed its head, trying to stop its headache.

"Psyduck use your headache to power up Confusion," Freddy ordered calmly, Tony had just played into his plan. Psyduck lifted the attacking Pokemon up in the air, also lifted itself up and dropped them both on the ground. Tangela retracted her vines and rolled on the ground. She shook her head and then was back in her jolly mood.

"Tangela use Growth and Vine Whip," Tony commanded, knowing that Psyduck was slow and couldn't dodge. Tangela glowed green and then released four vines, two to hold it and two to whip it. Freddy ordered Psyduck to counter with Ice Beam, but it winced in pain from its headache, making it unable to attack. Psyduck was taking a lot of damage. "Use Absorb to finish it off," Tony ordered, finishing off Psyduck. Tangela's vines glowed green, draining the remainder of Psyduck's energy.

Tangela had her vines wrapped around Psyduck's arms, ensuring that couldn't use a Water Pulse and a vine was closing its mouth, stopping an Ice Beam attack. Psyduck was defenseless and down for the count when Tangela was done with it. She threw Psyduck into the dirt, finishing it off.

"That Tony kid's not half bad," Derek noted. Drake noticed he wasn't focused on the battle now that it was basically one-sided.

"Yeah, Tony has some real battling skills. I've known him for two weeks and he is a pretty cool little dude," Drake said, making conversation. "So where do you live in Pallet?" The little town had boomed since Ash had beaten the Masters League and the population had tripled in the past five years.

"I lived in the more recent part of town, my family hadn't been there for a while, after all," Derek explained. Drake nodded his head and showed interest in the boy's back round. "So how long have you lived in Pallet?"

"My whole life, my mom is from Lenora Town and my dad is from there I think," Drake said, he had never known a lot about his dad. He was only home for six months every two years. He had never gotten over his adventure stage of his life.

"I see." Derek turned back towards the battle. "Seems that Freddy made his decision.

"Taillow, I am counting on you!" Freddy said, throwing a Nest Ball high in the sky. A bird with a mostly blue body came out and soared in the sky. The Tiny Swallow Pokemon had a red face and a white belly, making it look intimidating.

"How in the heck did you get a Taillow when you live in Fuchsia?" Tony asked. Freddy smiled and chuckled at Tony.

"Well bird pokemon have a migrating season so they can breed. This little one was flying over and saw me training my Quilava about a month ago and challenged me. I caught it and now its one of the rarest catches in Fuchsia," Freddy bragged, thinking he was the coolest person in the world. "Taillow use Wing Attack to show them what you got!" Taillow did a flip in the air and dove for Tangela with its wing ready to hit. Taillow was closing in on the Grass type and she was getting uneasy about this battle.

"Tangela there is no way to stop it, but use Absorb while its attack," Tony ordered, using a strange strategy. Tangela's eye's glowed green and then a green aura appeared on the outline of Taillow's body. Taillow smashed its wing into the Vine Pokemon, sending Tangela rolling in front of Tony.

"Taillow use Focus energy and then use Wing Attack again!" Taillow recouped itself in mid air, taking a deep breath to focus on its power. Taillow circled in mid air once more and dove for Tangela, who was getting very tired and taking a lot of damage. The Flying type smashed into Tangela with a lot of force and drove her back into Tony. Tony and Tangela stood up after being knocked down.

"Taillow don't give them time to attack! Use Quick Attack now," Freddy ordered. Taillow dove back down with great speed, looking for contact.

"Tangela launch all of your vines and use Absorb!" Tony yelled, knowing that Taillow could dodge all the vines, but the vines gave Absorb a larger range. Tangela tried to grab Taillow, but to no avail. Taillow's energy was getting drained as it was weaving in and out of the vines. Taillow finished its attack by ramming its body into Tangela's, knocking her out.

"Your Taillow is a battler," Tony complimented. Freddy shrugged off the compliment rudely and prepared for Tony's next pokemon. "Voltorb let's go!" Tony pulled out a pokeball that unleashed a Pokeball looking pokemon: Voltorb. "Voltorb use your new move: Charge Beam!" Voltorb charged up his power and released it in a powerful beam.

"Taillow use Double Team now!" Freddy yelled, knowing that a Charge Beam could knock Taillow out. Taillow used its speed to create illusionary copies of itself in the air, making it difficult for Voltorb to hit the right one. The Charge Beam blasted through a copy and it vanished upon contact.

"Keep on using Charge Beam and spin!" Tony yelled. Voltorb continued to charge his energy and then he began to spin, making it hard for Taillow's copies to stop him. Voltorb destroyed all of the copies and was chasing the original Taillow with the Charge Beam.

"Taillow kick it up with Quick Attack and hit it," Freddy ordered. Taillow gathered its speed and dove for the Ball Pokemon. Voltorb wasn't quick enough to move and took the brute of the attack. Voltorb rolled into the wall and recoiled roughly.

"Voltorb are you okay?" Tony asked, worried about his pokemon. Voltorb nodded and sparked electricity around his body. The leftover energy from Charge Beam was increasing his power. "Use Screech and then Sonicboom!" Voltorb released a powerful scream from his mouth, causing everybody to put their hands to their ears. Tony had to order a double attack because he knew Screech would make it nearly impossible for Voltorb to hear another order.

"Taillow try to use a Wing Attack!" Freddy yelled at the top of his lungs, but Taillow was flying around aimlessly. Taillow couldn't hear its trainer and was relying on its instincts. Voltorb stopped his Screech and released sonic waves from his body, forcing them upon his opponent. Taillow fell down from the sky and landed harshly. Taillow didn't have enough energy to fly and was straggling on the ground.

"Voltorb use Rollout," Tony ordered, knowing that there was nothing for Taillow to do. Voltorb rolled over Taillow, knocking it out. Freddy had a angry look on his face and recalled his pokemon.

Back in the stands, Drake and Derek were talking about battling strategies and how Tony was young, but talented. Drake had told Derek that he used offensive moves as defensive counters, which was one of the toughest battle strategies. Drake would regret telling Derek his strategy, Derek was a strategist and would use anything he knew to make a battle plan. Drake and Derek were near opposites, but were becoming friends quickly.

"That was all luck," Freddy commented rudely, making Voltorb glare at him. "Cubone do it!" Freddy tossed up a ball and it revealed Cubone: the Lonely pokemon. "Cubone use Focus Energy and then use Leer!" Tony was shocked at Freddy's battle plan for this battle. He thought Freddy would use a physical attack after Focus Energy, but he had to be ready for anything.

Cubone took a deep breath and focused on the battle, and then glared a Voltorb with a soul piercing stare. Voltorb froze up at the sight of the Leer attack and couldn't move. "Cubone play some baseball with Bone Club!" Freddy shouted, excited for Cubone to show its power. Cubone ran at Voltorb and hit him like a baseball, sending him crashing into the wall. Voltorb bounced off the wall and caught himself before he would be playing pinball.

"Voltorb use Sonicboom," Tony ordered. Voltorb unleashed the sonic booms, making Cubone jump in the air to dodge the attack. The force from the Sonicboom hitting the ground launched Cubone in the air, sending it over Voltorb. Voltorb kept his eyes on Cubone, readying for an attack.

"Cubone use Headbutt to knock it out," Freddy commanded. Cubone landed behind Voltorb, in his blind spot. Cubone smashed its hard skull on Voltorb's back and sent him rolling across the ground. Voltorb rolled to face the referee and his eyes were closed, making the referee call him out. Tony recalled his fallen pokemon and hoped Drake's pokemon would obey him.

"Weepinbell go!" Tony yelled throwing Drake's pokeball high in the air. Weepinbell popped out of the ball and cried, "Weep!" in a happy tone. Weepinbell was a jolly pokemon and was never down, unlike her friend Doduo. "Weepinbell use Growth and then Energy Ball!" Weepinbell glowed green, using the sun's rays to power her up. She released a powerful ball of energy like a cannon and sent it at Cubone. The Energy Ball was too powerful for Cubone to stop and it was struck by it.

"Cubone catch yourself and use Headbutt," Freddy ordered. Cubone's Bone Club wouldn't do much damage so he was relying on Headbutt. Cubone charged Weepinbell with its head ready to hit. Tony chuckled at the fact that Cubone would never get close to hit Weepinbell.

"Weepinbell use Vine Whip now!" Tony yelled. Weepinbell released two vines from behind her leaves and whipped Cubone, making it stop the Headbutt. Weepinbell smiled and picked Cubone up by its little arms. "Weepinbell finish it!" Weepinbell flung Cubone across the field and it was knocked out on impact.

"Crap, this is unbelievable!" Freddy yelled, shocking Tony with his rage. Freddy had recalled Cubone and sent a Premier Ball in the air. The white ball released a tan and blue pokemon with a flame Mohawk and flames on its behind. The pokemon cried, "Quil!" and stood on its hind legs, ready for battle. Weepinbell had a frightened look on her face, but she still seemed ready for battle. "Quilava use Flame Wheel to start things off," Freddy ordered. Tony could tell he wasn't worried about the Flycatcher pokemon.

Quilava's flourished and grew all over its body, creating the Flame Wheel. It took a leaping start and rolled its body into a ball, rolling towards Weepinbell. Weepinbell looked at Tony and looked back to see the Flame Wheel moving fast towards her. "Weepinbell use Energy Ball to make it slow down," Tony ordered, feeling helpless. Weepinbell quickly fired an Energy Ball that was pushed back by the flame. Tony's plan to slow Quilava down failed and Weepinbell was sent backwards.

"Finish this with an Ember!" Freddy yelled. Quilava used the momentum from the Flame Wheel and jumped in the air. Quilava turned around and fired small flames from its mouth. Weepinbell closed her eyes on impact. She had scorch marks all over her and she retreated back to Tony.

"Use Synthesis to recover," Tony ordered, kneeling down to Weepinbell. Weepinbell glowed green, trying to use the sun's energy to heal her injuries. Freddy yelled something to Quilava and it was running at Tony. Quilava got close and released a black smoke from its mouth and fire holes, it had used Smokescreen. The Smokescreen had covered the sun's light and had stopped Weepinbell's Synthesis move.

"Now, finish this with Quick Attack!" Freddy shouted, not waiting for Tony to make a counter move. Quilava ran in the smoke and smashed into Weepinbell over and over with incredible speed. The smoke cleared and Weepinbell was fainted while Quilava was beside its trainer, smiling.

"Return Weepinbell," Tony said, recalling Weepinbell inside the safe pokeball. Tony picked another pokeball off his belt and the ball revealed Drake's Twin Bird pokemon. "Doduo use Aerial Ace!" Doduo ran at Quilava with great speed and his beaks ready to pierce.

"Quilava use Flame Wheel to battle it out," Freddy ordered. Quilava spread its flames around its body and ran at the attacking Doduo. The two pokemon hit each other and pushed their hardest to go through one another. The two attacks eventually gave out, causing a stalemate. "Quilava hurry and use Ember," Freddy ordered quickly. Quilava pulled up and fired the Ember attack to force Doduo into the wall.

Doduo staggered forward and recovered from the attack. "Doduo use Quick Attack!" The Twin Bird Pokemon ran at Quilava with his great speed.

"Quilava use Ember to stop it," Freddy ordered. Quilava shot the Ember at Doduo's feet, but Doduo moves side to side, dodging the attack. Doduo rammed himself into the Volcano pokemon. Quilava fell backwards and was struggling to get up.

"Doduo use Rage and then Pursuit," Tony ordered. Freddy smiled and ordered his attack.

"Quilava use Flame Wheel and fight to the finish!" Quilava spread its flames around its body while Doduo had a angry look on its face. Doduo's beaks were outlined black and he ran at Quilava. Quilava did the same, just it was covered it hot flames. The two pokemon collided and the power shook the stadium. A great flame shot into the sky and created a black smoke. The smoke cleared a few minutes later and it revealed that both pokemon were out cold.

The trainers recalled their pokemon and sent out their last pokemon. Freddy threw out a purple pokemon that was made of slime. Drake and Derek revealed the pokemon to be a Grimer. Tony released his Raticate, also known as his most trusted pokemon.

"Raticate start this off with Shadow Ball," Tony ordered. He knew physical attacks wouldn't do much to a pokemon that was made of sludge and slime. Raticate formed a ball filled with shadows and flung it at Grimer. Grimer took the hit and it seemed like it had not taken any damage.

"Grimer now use Mud Bomb!" Freddy yelled. Grimer created a ball of mud and sent it flying at the Mouse pokemon. The ball was sent through the air slow enough that Raticate dodged it and prepared for attack.

"Use Sucker Punch," Tony ordered. Raticate moved at the speed of light and began punching Grimer. Grimer was taking the hits and Tony could tell that it was beginning to feel the pain.

"Grimer hurry and use Minimize!" Freddy shouted. Grimer shrunk down to minimal size and moved away from Raticate. Raticate looked around confusedly and began worrying where it will pop up. "Now use Sludge and then Poison Gas!" Grimer grew back behind Raticate and threw Sludge at his back. Raticate fell to the ground struggling to get the poisonous Sludge off of him. Grimer then released a Poison Gas attack that made Tony choke at the smell. Raticate gagged at the smell and accidentally inhaled it. Raticate's eyes flashed purple, showing that it was poisoned.

"Raticate we have to finish this quick, use Hyper Fang on the Sludge!" Tony yelled. Raticate's fangs glowed and he chomped his way through the Sludge, freeing himself. The Normal Pokemon popped up and a purple aura outlined his body. The poison was depleting his energy quick. Grimer was still and not prepared to move so Tony ordered a Shadow Ball from Raticate.

Before Raticate formed the Shadow Ball, he used a Swords Dance to increase his power. Raticate used his new power to unleash a powerful Shadow Ball that knocked Grimer back into the wall. Grimer's body spread on the wall and recouped itself after waiting for Raticate's poison to take place. Grimer moved in front of its trainer and crossed its arms in a cocky attitude.

"Show them another Swords Dance and Shadow Ball," Tony ordered, knowing this would be the last move because Raticate's poison status was going to end the battle. Raticate quickly used another Swords Dance by jumping around and created a Shadow Ball that hit Grimer so hard that it exploded and its slime was all over the arena. The slime gathered in the center to form a knocked out Grimer.

"Grimer is unable to battle! The winner is Raticate and Tony Wright is the Champion of the Rookie bracket!" yelled the referee. Raticate smiled and then fell over from the poison. Tony ran to his side and pulled out an Antidote to relieve the poison status.

Tony met up with Drake and Derek in the Trainer Room for a thirty minute recess before their battle. "Nice battle," Derek complimented.

"Thanks! Do y'all want to go with me to get my awards?" Tony asked the trainers. Both of them nodded and they walked to the awards table. "Hi, my name is Tony Wright and I need my prizes for winning my bracket and division."

"Oh yes, you get a Pokemon Egg," said the attendant as he smiled. He pulled out three eggs and said, "These pokemon have been bred for new trainers, so any one of them will be a good pokemon to have." One egg was a pale blue with white markings, the second one was a pure dark blue, and the last was brown and black. Tony studied the eggs and pointed at the pale blue one.

The attendant handed over the egg and Tony held it tightly. The attendant also looked under the desk, looking for something. The man pulled out a Pokedex, registering it to Tony. Tony leaped up in the air out of pure happiness, almost dropping his new egg. The group left to the Trainer Room and Drake prepared for his battle against his new friend: Derek.

A/N- Yay! Tony get's a Pokedex and becomes an official Trainer. I am still deciding whether he will compete in the league or not. I would like him too, but I dont know:) Everybody PLEASE review! Let's see if y'all can get up to 40 reviews before the next chapter:) REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW:)