Chapter 34: Go Scraggy and Zorua!? Double Trouble!
Last time on "Pokémon Unova Journey", while making their way to Castelia City for Ash and Takeru's third Gym battle, the group stops to rest for a moment, until they discover that Ash and Takeru's Eggs started glowing, revealing that they were about to hatch soon!
With a bit of problem cleared out of the way, the Eggs hatched into two new Pokémon. Ash's new Pokémon was a Scraggy, while Takeru's new Pokémon is a Zorua. Both seemed to be full of mischief until Takeru cleared Zorua's mischief away.
Scraggy was more into battling as it challenged both Pikachu and Oshawott, only to be defeated by the two, and to be stopped by Snivy so easily. With the frustration in his mind, a Scraggy refused to join the other Pokémon in lunch, much to Ash's concern.
But then, while the group was sleeping for the night, Zorua and Axew woke up, only to see that the Shedding Pokémon was gone! They woke their trainers up, followed by Ash and Cilan, as they all searched for Scraggy, until they found his tracks.
What is Scraggy doing in the middle of night? And what will happen if the group reunites with him?
"Pika Pika!" Pikachu called along. "En! En en!" Zorua cried, calling for Scraggy. "Come on out, Scraggy! Can you hear us!?" Takeru called. "Where are you, Scraggy!? Answer us!" Riolu barked out loud, hoping to get an answer.
Unfortunately, there was none, until Axew found something. "Ax! Axew ew!" Axew cried, pointing at a track. Everyone looked down to see a track leading towards a giant tree. "Whoa! Those are Scraggy's footprints! Let's follow them!" Ash called.
Everyone agreed as they followed the footprints. As they got closer, they heard head-butting noises, which was coming from the bigger tree ahead! They all realized on who could be doing the Headbutt attack as they all ran towards the Headbutt sound.
Pas they got there, they saw the Shedding Pokémon, head butting himself onto a large tree! Ash widened his eyes as he tried to call for his Fighting-Dark Type. "Hey, Scraggy! What are you doing over there!?" Ash called. "Pikachu?" Pikachu called along.
His voice and Pikachu's caused a startle for Scraggy, as he turned around in surprise. Suddenly, something came out of the tree, flashing itself with electricity, creating another surprise for Scraggy! "Ah!? A Galvantula!" Iris gasped, as Takeru widened his eyes.
"That's a Pokémon that can evolve into Joltik!" Takeru pointed out. Zorua shrieked, snuggling into Takeru's chest, as Riolu clung onto the Nuvema boy's shoulders. Axew hid inside Iris' hair in fright. Ash took out his Pokédex, scanning the EleSpider Pokémon. "Galvantula..." Ash repeated.
"Galvantula, the EleSpider Pokémon. Galvantula attacks its prey by shooting electrically-charged threads and its front mandibles can hold down opponents." Ash's Pokédex buzzed. Cilan grew stern, knowing how much damage a Galvantula could do.
"This is bad!" Cilan grunted. "If Scraggy gets bitten by Galvantula..." Iris started, only for Ash to grit his teeth. "Argh... Scraggy!" Ash yelled. He ran after his Shedding Pokémon, with Pikachu running at his side. "Ash, wait!" Takeru yelled as he ran after him.
"Scraggy, look out! It's dangerous!" "En! En!" Riolu and Zorua yelled. Scraggy could only back away slowly, a bit frightened of the EleSpider Pokémon. "Hey, Scraggy!" Ash yelled, as he tried to run for his Shedding Pokémon. Scraggy still grew frightened before he shook his head.
He used Leer onto Galvantula, which seemed to have no effect. Scraggy then jumped for a Headbutt attack, aiming it towards Galvantula! "Scraggy, no!" Ash, Iris, and Takeru yelled. "You can't win!" Cilan exclaimed in shock. But, it was already too late for Scraggy.
The wild Galvantula shot an Electro Ball, zapping Scraggy, much to his shock and surprise. "Axew!" "Oh no!" "En!" Axew, Riolu, and Zorua all gasped together. Then, the Galvantula shot an Electro Web attack, zapping Scraggy once again, inflicting more pain.
The EleSpider Pokémon then shot a Pin Missile, blasting Scraggy away. Ash caught his newborn Pokémon and gasped. "Scraggy, no!" Ash exclaimed. Before he could do anything, the Galvantula shot another Electro Ball, as both Takeru and Ash tried to counter.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt, let's go!" "Tepig, use Flamethrower on Galvantula!" Ash and Takeru yelled. The Nuvema boy sent out his Fire Type out, who shot a Flamethrower at Galvantula, combining with Pikachu's Thunderbolt, creating a direct hit for the EleSpider Pokémon.
Galvantula grunted in pain as it scurried out of sight, heading back inside the tree for cover. As it was gone, Ash held his injured Shedding Pokémon. "Hey, Scraggy. You okay?" Ash asked. "Scraggy..." The Dark-Fighting Type groaned as Takeru frowned.
"He took multiple direct hits, from Electro Ball, Electroweb, and then a Pin Missile attack? There's no way he could've stand up to all of that..." Takeru pointed out. Cilan agreed as he walked over. "Scraggy took a direct hit from Galvantula..." The Connoisseur added.
"Poor Scraggy..." Iris replied, feeling bad for the Shedding Pokémon. Trying to act tough, Scraggy tried to jump after Galvantula, only to be stopped by his injuries, Riolu, and Zorua. "Scraggy, stop it!" Ash called. "En! En en!" Zorua scolded, as Riolu sighed.
"You can't fight with all the damage you took. You have to rest up..." Riolu reminded. Scraggy groaned, before his injuries kicked up once again, making his condition feel worse. "Cilan, is there a Pokémon Center near here?" Ash asked, feeling desperate.
"Let me see... I'm afraid not..." Cilan answered, checking his Town Map device. "Iris?" Takeru asked, turning to the girl. Iris nodded back with a smile. "Leave it to me. I'm going to go find some herbs that can cure the paralysis!" Iris declared. "That's great." Ash thanked.
"Let's go, Axew!" Iris called. So, with that said, Iris ran off with Axew to find herbs that can cure paralysis. Zorua whimpered as she tried to follow, until Takeru noticed her. "You want to help Scraggy, too?" Takeru asked. "En..." Zorua replied with a sad nod.
"I understand. Let's go together, then. Coming, Riolu?" Takeru called. "Oh! Sure, big bro..." Riolu replied with a bark. So, the three followed Iris, as they all tried to find some herbs. Ash and Cilan could only watch, with Pikachu and Scraggy at their side.
As the two trainers and their three Pokémon looked around the bushes, Zorua came out of one bush with a flower in her mouth. "En! En!" Zorua cried with a muffled voice. Iris turned and smiled brightly. "That's just what we need! Way to go, Zorua!" Iris giggled.
Axew and Riolu both grew amazed as Zorua smiled brightly for her discovery. "Alright... Now we just need to find some herbs that can cure the paralysis... Just the flower isn't enough..." Takeru reminded. "Right!" "Okay..." "Axew!" Iris, Riolu, and Axew agreed.
Later...
Takeru and Iris both managed to find some herbs, along with their three Pokémon, allowing Iris to make the medicine for the paralyzed Shedding Pokémon. Cilan made a new fire, with the help of Takeru's Tepig. Ash stayed near Scraggy if anything had happened.
Meanwhile, the Nuvema boy and Iris mixed together the herbs in order to create the medicine to cure paralysis. Once it was done, Iris held the two bowls. "It's ready!" Iris exclaimed. "Axew!" "En!" Axew and Zorua exclaimed together.
Takeru and Riolu nodded together, both realizing that Scraggy will be fine now. They all walked over to the Shedding Pokémon, with the medicine in hand. "Here... This will make Scragfy feel better!" Iris explained. The Kanto trainer nodded as he took the spoon.
He got some of the medicine on the spoon and offered it to the Dark-Fighting Type Pokémon's mouth. "Hey, Scraggy? Down the hatch." Ash called. Knowing what his trainer meant, Scraggy opened his mouth, eating and swallowing the medicine he needed to take.
"And this will make you feel better!" Iris assured. Bravely enough, Scraggy gulped up another spoonful of medicine, this time offered by Iris. Once he swallowed it, he stuck his tongue out, seeing how bitter it tasted like. Ash smiled at how his Pokémon took the medicine so easily.
"Great. Way to go!" Ash complimented. He gave his sick Pokémon some water, making the medicine take its effect. "I'm sure that all Scraggy will need is a good night rest. He should be fully recovered by morning." Takeru assured with a soft smile on his face.
"Scraggy... Sleep well, okay?" Ash asked. "Ew ew..." Axew called, trying to soothe his friend's feelings. Zorua and Riolu only watched as Scraggy nodded off, before going back to sleep. The Shedding Pokémon slept peacefully, much to the others' relief.
Soon after, the four trainers went back to sleep, all believing that Scraggy will be fully recovered.
Dream
Takeru's POV
Where... am I? My eyes open, to see that I'm surrounded, standing on a white ground. It wasn't snow, and it wasn't land, too. It was more like... clouds... I was standing on clouds... But to be honest, I wasn't really surprised or shocked for some reason.
All I know was, I've been summoned here by someone. I looked around, to see electricity and lightning striking everywhere in the clouds. That would mean... Only one living being was able to summon me here... That being is... Ah... It can't be! Can it!?
"Are you the one that summoned me here? Zekrom?" I called out, saying the name loud and clear. A loud roar was heard, causing the thunderstorms to be wild, electricity zapping the clouds around me, like it was going out of control. I stayed calm, believing that it wouldn't hurt me.
"That is correct. It was I who summoned you here, my child..." A dark voice growled lowly. That voice... There was no doubt about it. The one who's speaking to me... is none other than Zekrom, the legendary Pokemon of Unova. One of the two legendary dragons.
I turned to face it. His eyes were stern and a bit cold, but it didn't look menacing. Much to my opinion, I believed that he was concerned about Unova, and the whole Pokémon world. We stared at each other for about a minute, until I broke the silence.
"Was it you? Was it you that spoke to me? On that day when I started my journey with Ash, Pikachu, and Riolu?" I inquired, while frowning at the same time. Zekrom let out a small growl, but it didn't seem to be threatening. He then answered with telepathy, speaking to me.
"That is correct. I spoke to you on that thunderstorm... You heard me roar, did you not? The time when I gave judgement to that Pikachu you speak of, my child." Zekrom answered. That left me confused of what he just said just now.
My child? Why is he calling me that? I'm not his son... He's not my father... My father is Hibiki Yamada, a Trainer and a Professor who went missing. Before I could ask, the black dragon seemed to be reading my mind, because he knew what I was going to ask.
"You're wondering why I say you're my child? And you're wondering why I did the judgement on your human friend and his Pikachu?" Zekrom asked, causing me to widen my eyes. I didn't ask, but nodded. "Yes... That's what I was going to ask." I answered back.
"If you plan to hear it... You must prepare yourself... For a harsh truth." Zekrom warned. I narrowed my eyes at this. A harsh truth? Will it inflict pain on my emotions? I shook my head before I looked at the black dragon. "Tell me the truth, Zekrom..." I declared.
Zekrom let out a growl, sounding like he was impressed for my bravery of some sort. "Very well... One part of the truth is... You're, a part... A part of me." Zekrom started, causing me to widen my eyes. "A part of... you? What do you..." I started.
Suddenly, the dream started to fade away. I felt like I was about to fade away as well. "What... What's happening!?" I panicked as Zekrom let out a low roar. "It seems you're not ready to hear the full truth. Other than that, you're starting to wake up." Zekrom answered.
"No! I won't wake! Not unless you tell me the truth! Zekrom, please tell me!" I pleaded. But, it was no use. Despite of my persistence to stay asleep and know the truth, Zekrom and the thundercloud landscapes disappeared, leaving me to wake up in reality. I could only hear someone calling my name.
Reality
End POV
"...keru? Takeru, wake up!" Ash's voice called. The Nuvema boy blinked his eyes several times, before looking up to see the Kanto trainer and his Electric Type looking down at him. "Mm...? Ash?" Takeru groaned as Iris and Cilan came over. Riolu and Zorua both yawned as well.
They seemed to have been sleeping with their trainer while the others were awake, other than Scraggy. "Morning, Takeru. Had a good sleep? Because when we tried to wake you, you didn't feel like waking up!" Cilan teased as the Nuvema boy blinked.
"Oh... I wouldn't say a good sleep... More like my body was asleep while my mind was still awake..." Takeru answered, shaking his head. "What do you mean by... Your body is asleep and your mind is awake?" Iris asked. Before Takeru could answer, there was a startled cry.
Everyone turned to see Scraggy finally waking up, much to everyone's relief. "Hey, Scraggy! Feel better now?" Ash asked with a chuckle. "Scraggy!" The Shedding Pokémon nodded in response. "That's great!" "Pika!" Ash and Pikachu chuckled together in relief.
"You look much better, too!" "Axew ew!" Iris and Axew added together. "You really gave us the scare last night, being attacked like that..." Takeru reminded with a scolding look as he changed into his traveling clothes. "En! En!" Zorua growled, glaring at Scraggy.
The Shedding Pokémon sweat dropped, as Riolu folded his arms. "Just what were you doing out there in the first place, Scraggy?" Riolu asked in curiosity. Scraggy cocked his head, until Cilan cleared his throat. "Scraggy! Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Cilan asked.
Scraggy turned before he recalled what happened last night. The attacks he took from Galvantula without landing a single hit... It all came back to the Shedding Pokémon as he made an angry face, feeling humiliated for losing in a battle so easily!
"Then, Iris whipped you up some awesome medicine!" Ash added. "Axew, Zorua, and Riolu helped me and Takeru find the herbs!" Iris explained. "En!" "Axew!" "Mm hm!" The three Pokémon agreed with smiles on their faces. Ash smiled and nodded.
"So... I think you should be thanking everyone, Scraggy!" Ash reminded, until the angry Shedding Pokémon jumped up and ran off. "Hey! It's almost time for breakfast, Scraggy! Where are you going!?" Ash called. Takeru frowned, guessing where Scraggy could be going.
He turned to his Emanation Pokémon for some assistance. "Keep an eye on Scraggy and see what happens..." Takeru whispered. "Right!" Riolu barked with a nod. He followed after the Shedding Pokémon. Both Axew and Zorua frowned, so they followed Riolu to where Scraggy was headed.
As the three little Pokémon followed the newborn Pokémon, what they saw was just the thing that Takeru guessed about. It was the same tree where the Galvantula had lived and Scraggy! And there was not just one, but about four or five of them! "AXEW!?" Axew shrieked.
Zorua began to shake, seeing that there wasn't just one giant spider to worry about. "You... have got... to be kidding me..." Riolu gulped as he turned to the other two. "We have to warn everyone else!" Riolu cried out. "Axew!" "En!" Axew and Zorua agreed together.
So, the three ran off, hoping to be able to save Scraggy with everyone else. Meanwhile, Scraggy glared at his incoming opponents, as the four Galvantulas glared at their little intruder. They weren't going to make this easy for the Shedding Pokémon now.
Meanwhile...
As Cilan, Ash, and Iris were preparing their breakfast, Takeru just stood by, holding the plates. He narrowed his eyes, remembering the vision he had before he awoke. Zekrom was... a part of him? But what could that mean? He frowned, until Iris walked up to him.
"Hello? Earth to Takeru? What are you doing, just standing around there for? Is something wrong?" Iris asked. Cilan and Ash stopped to hear the Nuvema boy say something as Takeru smiled weakly. "I guess... You could say that." Takeru answered, sighing.
"Well then, what seems to be the problem, Takeru?" Cilan asked. "Come on! You can tell us!" Ash assured. "Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed. Iris nodded along as the Nuvema boy smiled back, before clearing his throat. "I... had a vision while I slept." Takeru started.
"A vision? What kind?" Cilan asked. "I had a vision... about Zekrom, the legendary Pokémon." Takeru answered nervously. That froze everyone into place as they let out a loud shocked outburst. "You had a dream about Zekrom!?" Ash, Cilan, and Iris yelled.
"Pika!?" Pikachu was shocked as well, causing the Nuvema boy to sweat drop. "I thought you'd all react to this... But, anyways... Yeah, I had a vision about Zekrom..." Takeru answered, making the Kanto trainer excited. "What did you see!? Come on, tell us!" Ash exclaimed.
He seemed excited to hear more about Zekrom, as Iris glared at him. "Ash! Calm down! He's trying to talk here! What a kid... Iris grumbled, much to Takeru's annoyance. "Thunderclouds... And I was standing on them... I felt like I was in Zekrom's world..." Takeru explained.
The others listened as the Nuvema boy continued. "Zekrom spoke to me... using telepathy. He confessed that he made judgement on Pikachu, the time when you arrived in the Unova region, Ash." Takeru explained as Ash and Pikachu looked at each other.
"Judgement? But for what?" Ash asked. "I don't know... All he said was judging a Pokémon... Then, he said something about being a part of me, like being a part of my true self." Takeru explained. "Being a part of you? What does that mean?" Iris asked, frowning.
"That's just what I was thinking. He was planning to say a truth... A harsh truth about me... Unfortunately, before I knew it, the dream had vanished, causing me to wake up... I believe it was your call that woke me up, Ash." Takeru explained, glancing at the Kanto trainer.
"Ah... ha ha ha..." Ash laughed nervously. Pikachu sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "A harsh truth..." Cilan repeated, thinking over it. "What could this all mean? Is Zekrom trying to give you a warning of some sort for the future?" Iris asked.
Before Takeru could answer back, Riolu, Axew, and Zorua let out frantic cries, running for the four trainers. Everyone turned to see the three panting with little exhaustion. "Whoa! Axew, Riolu, and Zorua? What happened!?" Ash asked in surprise.
Riolu was the first to answer, while panting. "Scraggy... Galvantula... They're..." Riolu panted as the Nuvema boy widened his eyes. "Galvantula!? Again!?" Takeru yelped in shock. Ash, Iris, and Cilan all widened their eyes in shock, knowing what this could mean.
Both Ash and Takeru took out their Pokéballs, throwing them into the air. Takeru's three Pokémon (Tranquill, Tepig, Joltik) and Ash's four Pokémon (Tepig, Snivy, Oshawott, Pidove) all appeared together, ready for their trainers' orders.
"Okay! Everyone! We've got to go help Scraggy!" Ash called. All seven of the Pokémon nodded and ran ahead, with the four trainers following from behind. They all hoped that they weren't too late to save their Shedding Pokémon friend.
Back to Scraggy, he was still glaring at his four opponents, refusing to back down. As for the four EleSpider Pokémon, they were angry to see the same foolish Shedding Pokémon once again. They all glared at Scraggy, preparing to attack at the same time.
The Shedding Pokémon attempted to imitate his opponents with his Leer and his Headbutt act, which didn't seem to work. To his surprise, one of the Electric-Bug Type Pokémon were coming down, attacking from above! Scraggy gasped, until a Thunderbolt zapped it.
"Pika Pika!" "You've gone far enough, Galvantula!" Pikachu and Riolu's voices called out. The four Pokémon, along with Scraggy turned to see Ash, Iris, Takeru, and Cilan, standing with their eleven Pokémon with them, all ready to fight in battle.
Scraggy grew alarmed to see his friends, while the Galvantula were more angry. They prepared to fight as Ash called out to all the Pokémon. "Okay, everyone! Protect Scraggy!" Ash called. "That goes for you guys, too!" Takeru shouted along.
All of Ash and Takeru's Pokémon cried out their understandings before they faced off against the four EleSpider Pokémon. Two of them shot Electrowebs, until Pidove and Tranquill countered them with a double Air Cutter attack! The webs were destroyed, proven to be useless.
Another Galvantula shot an Electro Ball, which the two Tepigs countered, by launching a Flamethrower and an Ember attack. The three moves collided, creating an explosion. For the fourth, this one shot another Electroweb, as Oshawott countered back as well.
The Sea Otter Pokémon slashed the web with Razor She'll, rendering the Electroweb useless as of now. But suddenly, the same Galvantula came down, attempting to knock down the Water Type Pokémon! At that, Snivy used her quick and smart thinking, pulling Oshawott out of danger.
She used Vine Whip to throw the Water Type out of the enemy's target range. Riolu took this chance to use Dig, preparing a surprise attack, while Joltik distracted his evolved form with a String Shot attack, which was countered by another Electroweb!
Snivy sighed, before jumping into the air. She surrounded herself with leaves, preparing for a Leaf Storm attack. The powerful Grass Type move made a direct hit, pushing Galvantula away hard! Then, came the Dig attack, as the EleSpider Pokémon grunted in pain.
Once the four Electric-Bug Types were pushed into the same corner, Pikachu gave a small smirk. He shot a Thunderbolt attack, zapping the four EleSpider Pokémon once more. Not wanting to get attacked anymore, the four Electric-Bug Types all escaped into their home.
They crept under the trees to retreat, proving their defeat. As soon as they were gone, all the Pokémon sighed in relief, while Scraggy and Zorua both watched in amazement. For Zorua, she was amazed on how well her friends have fought in the battle.
As for Scraggy, the Shedding Pokémon was speechless, seeing hoe his new friends have saved him from trouble. "Scraggy! Scraggy!" Ash called. All the Pokémon turned to see the four trainers running over to the Dark-Fighting Type. "Scraggy! Are you okay?" Ash asked.
"Scrag!" Scraggy responded with a nod. "And you guys, thanks!" Ash thanked, feeling thankful for his five Pokémon. His Pokémon responded happily with nods and smiles on their faces. "Thanks for your help too, guys." Takeru thanked along, as Riolu, Tepig, Joltik, and Tranquill all nodded together.
The Kanto trainer knelt down to his newborn Pokémon's level with a stern look. "You know that you shouldn't be messing with that tree..." Ash scolded, until Cilan thought up a guess. "Maybe this was all about revenge!" Cilan guessed as the Nuvema boy sweat dropped.
"Well, considering the fact that Scraggy did seem agitated in the morning, that seems to be the obvious answer..." Takeru agreed. Iris sighed, relieved for Scraggy. "After all what happened, I'm just glad you're alright." Iris sighed, smiling. "Ew!" Axew cried with a smile.
The Shedding Pokémon sweat dropped in embarrassment as Zorua smiled in relief, seeing that her other friend was feeling well now. She gave a little yawn, before cuddling in her trainer's arms once again. Takeru smiled, seeing how affectionate Zorua was already.
"Hey, Scraggy. Let's all eat breakfast together! What do you say?" Ash suggested. Scraggy blinked in surprise with get offer, before he turned to the other Pokémon. All of Ash and Takeru's Pokémon smiled at their new friend, causing Scraggy to be touched and amazed.
So, with the offer asked, Scraggy accepted it. Soon, once the crisis was over, the group was back at their break area, having their breakfast. Scraggy was eating with the other Pokémon, but still grew a bit distant on them. Zorua was eating besides her new friends, easily getting along with them.
She showed the other Pokémon her ability to switch to different Pokémon, much to the other's amazement, while the four trainers watched with smiles on their faces. Axew turned to Scraggy, seeing that he was still eating by himself, despite the experience he had.
The little Drafon Type walked over to Scraggy with his bowl in his hands, as he tried to ask if he could eat with him. The Shedding Pokémon scoffed and turned away, annoyed with Axew's sudden appearance. Zorua stopped eating for a moment, as she noticed the tension between Axew and Scraggy.
"Axew! Axew Ax!" Axew called, trying to get Scraggy's attention again. But like before, Scraggy only scoffed, as he attempted to ignore the Dragon Type once again. This time, it offended Axew as he snapped angrily at Scraggy. The two glared at each other, head butting against each other.
"En! En en!" Zorua scolded, pushing her way between Axew and Scraggy. However, Axew's annoyance got a bit over him, causing him to slash Zorua away with Scratch! The little Dark Type squealed in pain as she rolled back to Takeru, much to his surprise.
"Zorua!? What..." Takeru yelped in surprise. Ash and Iris widened their eyes, as they looked at their Pokémon. "Stop it, Axew! You shouldn't fight!" Iris scolded. "She's right! Scraggy, you too!" Ash agreed. The two ran over to their Pokémon, trying to pry them apart.
Takeru ran over as well, until Cilan had an idea. "Say... I've got it! I just realized that Scraggy would be a perfect training partner for Axew!" Cilan declared. The others looked at the Connoisseur in surprise, until Scraggy seemed to get the battle challenge.
"That would be great! What do you think?" Ash asked. "Scraggy!" Scraggy replied with a nod. Iris smiled, looking down at her starter. "What do you say, Axew? Would you like to have a battle with Scraggy?" Iris asked. "Axew! Axew Axew! Ax!" Axew cheered.
"Hold it right there... Axew will have to face Zorua first!" Takeru reminded. The attention turned to the Nuvema boy as Takeru wasn't happy at all with both Iris and Axew. "Your Axew is the real pain here, Iris..." Takeru commented annoyingly, causing Iris to glare.
"What? What do you mean by that!? What did Axew do?" Iris asked. Takeru sweat dropped, realizing that she hasn't see what her Dragon Type did to Zorua. "Axew attacked Zorua as she was trying to break up a fight between him and Scraggy... That's what he did." Takeru explained.
The girl widened her eyes, as Axew gulped, before laughing nervously. Zorua wasn't impressed with Axew's expression as she scoffed, sticking her tongue out at Axew, causing him to be offended once again. Cilan then had another idea, making the situation much more easier.
"In that case, why don't you three have a triangle battle?" Cilan suggested. "A triangle battle?" Ash repeated in confusion. "You mean, in a three way battle..." Takeru replied. "You mean to say, the three of them would battle against each other at the same time?" Iris asked.
"Right! Since Zorua and Scraggy wants to battle Axew at the same time, I think a three way should be a perfect battle setup for the three!" Cilan explained. The girl sweat dropped, not liking where this was going. "Call me crazy, but this is going to be a long fight." Iris grumbled.
So, the group moved to a wider space, where the triangle battle would take place. Soon, the green trainers faced against each other, all preparing to battle. "Axew! You can do it!" Iris called. "Axew!" The Dragon Type grunted, feeling determined to win.
"All the way, Scraggy!" Ash called. Scraggy glared at both Zorua and Axew, ready to fight as well. "Don't let their tricks get to you, Zorua!" Takeru encouraged. "En!" Zorua yipped, narrowing her eyes in preparation. "And... begin!" Cilan called.
Iris: Axew VS Takeru: Zorua VS Ash: Scraggy
"Now, Scraggy! Use Leer on Axew!" Ash called. Scraggy ran up to the Tusk Pokémon, making a leer at it. Axew yelped as he backed away, until Takeru called out his attack. "Zorua! Pay Axew back with Leer as well!" Takeru called.
The Tricky Fox Pokémon leered at Axew as well, causing the defense to decrease once again! Axew whimpered as Iris glared at the two boys. "That's no fair! Axew can't handle two opponents at once!" Iris complained. But, Takeru ignored her, making his attack.
"Now, Zorua! Use Scratch on Scraggy!" Takeru shouted. Ash blinked in surprise as Zorua slashed Scraggy a bit, causing the Kanto trainer to complain. "What!? No fair! Scraggy, use Headbutt on Axew!" Ash cried. With Zorua dodging Headbutt, it actually landed on Axew!
The Dragon Type yelped in pain as he stumbled back. "You can't give up, Axew! Use Scratch on Scraggy!" Iris yelled. Axew jumped up and slashed Scraggy on the head several times, until the Nuvema boy interrupted. "Use Pursuit!" Takeru called.
Zorua jumped up, bashing Axew from behind, much to his shock. "Ah! Oh no, Axew!" Iris gasped. "That's how to do it! Now, Scraggy! You use Headbutt on Zorua now!" Ash yelled. Scraggy turned away from Axew and started to head for Zorua!
Zorua blinked, before she squealed, dodging Headbutt that was aimed for her. Cilan folded his arms in confusion. "Now they're all attacking at random, rather than attacking who they planned to attack..." Cilan pointed out. Pikachu and Riolu blinked as they watched carefullyl
"Now, Axew! Use Scratch on Zorua!" Iris called. The Tusk Pokémon attempted to slash Zorua now, as the Tricky Fox Pokémon blinked in surprise. "Dodge it, Zorua! Then, use Pursuit!" Takeru called. Once again, Zorua dodged the attack and bashed Axew to the ground.
"Ah! Axew, you can't give up! Use Scratch on Scraggy, once more!" Iris called. Axew quickly recovered as he aimed to slash Scraggy for a bit. The Shedding Pokémon took multiple damage until the Kanto trainer called for a counterattack. "Don't give up, Scraggy! Use Headbutt!" Ash yelled.
Recovering from the Scratch attacks, Scraggy slammed his head onto Axew, knocking it down once more. "Axew, no!" Iris gasped. "Zorua, use Scratch on Scraggy!" Takeru called. Like before, Zorua shot up into the air and slashed Scraggy, dealing some damage onto him.
Ash gasped, giving Iris the chance to strike back with her new move. "Alright, Axew! Use Dragon Rage, let's go!" Iris called. Both boys widened their eyes as Takeru gritted his teeth. "Get away from there, Zorua! Quickly!" Takeru called.
"Now, Scraggy! Use Headbutt on Axew!" Ash cried. While the Dark Type ran off to dodge Dragon Rage, Scraggy slammed into the Tusk Pokémon once again, causing the glowing orb inside Axew to explode! It exploded right onto both Axew and Scraggy, causing both Ash and Iris to gasp.
As the smoke cleared, Axew and Scraggy were groaning, unconscious with the attacks they've taken, including the self-destructed Dragon Rage. Meanwhile for Zorua, she remained unharmed as she gave a little yawn, satisfied with her little victory.
"Both Axew and Scraggy are unable to battle! Zorua wins! So the victor goes to Takeru!" Cilan declared, gesturing to the Nuvema boy and Zorua. Takeru blinked, before laughing nervously. "We won, I guess... But this didn't really like a fair battle..." Takeru confessed.
Winner: Takeru
Iris sweat dropped, while laughing nervously as well. "Mm hm... It didn't work again..." Iris stated, sighing. "Still... This seemed like a real battle, didn't it?" Ash asked. Iris and Takeru blinked, before they both thought it over. "I wonder..." Iris stated.
The Nuvema boy shrugged before he turned to Zorua. "Still... Nice job out there, Zorua. I think you might have the potential to be stronger! Do you want that?" Takeru asked. The Dark Type Pokémon thought it over for a while, before making her decision.
"En!" Zorua cried with a silly grin. For Ash, he nearly asked the same thing to Scraggy. "Hey, a Scraggy! You want to work hard with me?" Ash asked. "Scraggy!" Scraggy cried with a nod. That went for Iris and Axew, too. "I want you to work hard and get stronger too, Axew!" Iris giggled.
"Axew!" Axew cried with a nod. Cilan smiled, seeing how the three little Pokémon were sharing the same goals. "And I'll be looking forward for the three of you to refine your skills! Along with the rest of your Pokémon friends, of course!" Cilan assured.
The Nuvema boy and the Kanto trainer then took out Pokéballs, making their request to their newborn Pokémon. "Okay, Scraggy. Why don't you take a good rest?" Ash asked. Scraggy blinked, reminding Ash as he realized that he hadn't officially caught Scraggy yet.
"Oh yeah! Scraggy! Let's be good friends!" Ash called. He threw the Pokéball in the air, with Scraggy head-butting it. The ball sucked him in while Takeru did the same for Zorua. "What do you say, Zorua?" Takeru asked, showing her the Pokéball.
Zorua let out a yip and a smile, nudging her nose at the Pokéball. Like with Scraggy, the ball sucked her in, resulting he two Pokéballs to shake before they stopped, resulting in a double capture. The two boys held their Pokéballs, high into the air.
"Yeah! I've caught... Scraggy!" Ash cried out. "Pika Pika!" Pikachu cried in delight. "Well, Zorua... Welcome to the group!" Takeru called. "We have a new sibling in our team!" Riolu barked happily. Cilan and Iris watched, smiling as he two boys welcome their newborn Pokémon into their teams.
To be continued...
Takeru's Team:
Riolu: (M): (Force Palm, Blaze Kick, ThunderPunch, Dig)
Joltik: (M): (Electro Ball, Signal Beam, String Shot, Electroweb)
Tranquill: (M): (Air Cutter, Gust, Aerial Ace, Roost)
Tepig: (M): (Flamethrower, Smog, Flame Charge, Rollout)
Zorua: (F): (Scratch, Leer, Pursuit, ?)
Next chapters:
Chapter 35: The Sewaddle Gets Us Lost!
Chapter 36: The Grass Guardian Protects the One!?
Chapter 37: A Connoisseuse!? Or a Fraud!?
Chapter 38: Cilan VS Burgundy! It's Evaluation Time!
Chapter 39: The Triple Ducklett Thieves!
Next chapter preview:
Cilan: It says here that anyone could get lost in the Pinwheel Forest, so we should move cautiously while we can...
Ash: OW! That Sewaddle... Did it just attack us? You inspire me more, Sewaddle! I want to be your friend!
Iris: What a kid... You just got us lost now!... Huh? Where did Takeru go? Did we get separated!?
Takeru: Where is this place... And why am I feeling a peaceful presence around me? Who's there? Where are you!?
Burgh: My name is Burgh... I'm the Gym Leader of Castelia City and an artist, of course!
Takeru: Something's wrong in Pinwheel Forest... What... These nets!? And traps... Poachers!?