Hey everyone, I'm here with another quick update. I actually have good news for you, bad news for me, but I'll save that for the end statements. For now, let's get to the chapter.

Chapter Rating: T

Last Time: Paul managed to best Michael in a hard fought battle and pulled off a sweep, earning himself five points for himself and his team. Derek was given a mission by Lance and was told to contact his new partner Christopher Moore to report to G-Men HQ. The final matchup of round one for team battles came with Ash getting ready to face off against Viola Shalvick of Team Ares. But can Ash top a trainer who battles with music?

Bold- PA Systems/Message Bulletins

Bold Italic- Radio/TV/Pokedex Descriptions

Italic-Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks/Legendary Pokémon Speaking

Ash had been on the defensive for the past two minutes. He was being tested by a very unique battling style. Viola had all but eliminated his chances to know what attack was coming. She had Skunktank use an attack whenever she played a note, but he could not predict what would come next. If he was more music literate it would have been another story. He spared a quick glance at Squirtle to see he still appeared fine, but he could tell the battle was beginning to catch up with him.

"This isn't good! I can't figure out how to counter her!" Ash clenched his fists.

He narrowed his eyes at Viola again. Her eyes were closed as she continued playing note after note. With each note, Squirtle dodged an attack that Skunktank dished out.

"Think, Ash!" Ash's mind raced for a solution.

Another note was played, this time it sounded high pitched. Skunktank managed to get around Squirtle and raised her paw. The paw glowed purple and with a quick thrust, buried itself in Squirtle's back. The hit made Squirtle stumble in surprise and hunch over. The toxins from the attack flooded his body and made him tremble.

"Shake it off, Squirtle!" Ash yelled. "Use Hydro Pump!"

Squirtle quickly wheeled around and opened his mouth wide. A giant jet of water shot forth at Skunktank. The close distance did not allow Skunktank to dodge and the attack hit her head on. The attack made her roll across the battlefield and put distance between the two of them again.

Ash let out a relieved sigh. He got lucky. He had seen a handful of Skunktank's attacks and one of them in general had him on guard. Venoshock. When he first saw Skunktank use the move shortly after using Toxic, he tried to anticipate when it would be used next. Now that Squirtle was poisoned, it would do twice the damage if it managed to hit him. He silently thanked Red for making him study status ailments for homework during their training sessions, otherwise he never would have known that.

"I can't delay the battle any longer." Ash thought. "I need to figure out this attack pattern before those toxins take Squirtle down!"

Another sharp note met his ear. It made him grimace at the unpleasant sound, but he almost covered his ears next. The second Viola played the sharp note, Skunktank opened her mouth and an ear piercing shriek flooded the field. The vile scream made the hair on his neck stand on end and it all but halted Squirtle in place. Ash looked back at Viola and saw her play the next note. Low tone. Skunktank ran forward and her claws lengthened with each step.

"Slash?" Ash wondered. "Squirtle, dodge it!"

Squirtle did a quick spin and avoided the attack. He spun again and narrowly avoided it. His eyes stayed fixated on Skunktank, determined not to let her out of sight. Skunktank started running circles around him, just out of striking distance. Her movements matched the small tempo that Viola strummed. The constant circling was making him dizzy. He barely had time to register the next note that was played. It was fast and high. A white hot pain filled his body and he fell to the ground in a heap.

Ash witnessed the Poison Jab send Squirtle to the ground. As his partner struggled to get up, he could feel his frustration rise. He had to give Viola credit for her attack style, but at the same time it flustered him. He was failing Squirtle and at the rate it was going, he would lose the battle. He did the only good thing that entered his mind and took a deep breath. During his training with Red, he learned how to get a better grip of his emotions. He had to calm down.

He opened his eyes again and exhaled. He had Squirtle roll to dodge another Venoshock. With each passing dodge, Squirtle was losing energy. He kept a close watch on Viola and Skunktank, but his mind drifted back to the start of the battle. Everything that Viola had done put her and Skunktank in perfect sync. The speed, the offense, and the defense. She had total control of the field. He thought about each note he heard her play and the way she strummed her instrument to change the tempo of the battle.

"Sharp note." Ash replayed the sound in his head. "She used that with Screech and Toxic…"

As if on cue, another sharp note met his ears. His eyes shifted to Skunktank and she let out another wail. Squirtle froze in place and covered his ears to block out the screech. Now he was getting somewhere. He remembered Viola changed the tone and played at a medium level last time. When she did that it was a light attack. Going with his gut, he gave Squirtle his next command.

"Use Withdraw!"

Squirtle retreated into his shell just in time. Skunktank's Slash bounced off of his shell. Seeing that happen made Ash smirk. It was their turn to fight back.

"Spin and use Hydro Pump!" Ash yelled.

Squirtle began spinning and used Hydro Pump at once. His shell began to glide all over the battle field, soaking it with water. Not only was he making the surface slippery, he now had Skunktank on the defense, trying to dodge the four jets of water that came from Squirtle's shell. He punched the air victoriously when Skunktank got hit with back to back blasts of water. Squirtle's attack came to a stop, but Ash capitalized on Skunktank's stunned state.

"Follow up with Skull Bash!" Ash grinned.

Squirtle sprang at Skunktank headfirst and a loud thud echoed around the field. Skull met skull. Squirtle shook off the discomfort and regained the cocky look on his face. Skunktank's eyes were screwed shut as she dealt with the pain.

Viola had seen the quick counterattack that Ash and Squirtle managed to hit her with and narrowed her eyes. They were able to pick up on the last two things she tried to do. She was not sure if he figured her style out yet, but she was fairly impressed. Not many trainers had been able to successfully counter her. A small smirk came to her face.

"This is getting interesting." She rested her bow frog back on the strings and started a low pace. "Let's see how he handles this one."

The soft, low notes filled the field and Skunktank shook off the pain. She opened her eyes and slowly crept towards Squirtle who remained vigilant. The notes began to speed up and so did Skunktank. She was now at a light jog and once she got within Squirtle's guard, Viola gave two quick notes. One medium and one high.

"Two attacks?" Ash noted. "Squirtle, dodge and use Water Gun!"

Ash had been keeping track of Viola's notes carefully and believed he now had a solid understanding of how communicated with Skunktank. High notes were for powerful attacks like Venoshock and Night Slash. Medium notes were for quick, average attacks, which were Poison Jab and Slash. Low notes came for a defensive approach followed by a counter with Payback. The speed at which she played came for how fast Skunktank would move.

Squirtle dodged the Poison Jab with ease and got ready to dodge the Night Slash, but it never came. Instead, Skunktank opened her mouth, sending a jet of green liquid out. The attack hit Squirtle in the chest and sent him flying back. He landed on the ground and squirmed as he landed on his back. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Skunktank bounding for him with her claws glowing purple.

"Squirtle, use Rapid Spin!" Ash shouted.

Squirtle spun rapidly and deflected each vicious swipe from Skunktank. Sparks showered the field from the swipes and stopped when Squirtle let loose a Water Gun. The small burst of water hit Skunktank in the eyes and blinded her. He emerged from his shell and opened his mouth to follow up with Hydro Pump, but it never came. His body convulsed and he fell to his knees in pain. The toxins burned in him and his vision was getting blurry. The shrill sound of the two high notes met him again. At first he felt nothing, but then sharp pain hit his chest in the form of Night Slash. Something then pelted his face and made him slide across the wet ground to the opposite side of the field. Venoshock.

He shivered as the toxins flared up inside him again. A cold sweat formed on his being and he was doing everything he could to stay focused for Ash. He did not want to let his friend down. He could not let him down! His eyes stung when he managed to open them. He found Skunktank on the far end of the field and bared his teeth in determination. His muscles ached, his eyes stung, and his body felt like it was burning from the inside, but somehow, he found the strength to stand up. His vision, although blurred, was still able to see Skunktank.

"Are you okay, Squirtle?" Ash called out.

Squirtle glanced back at Ash and smirked. He raised his thumb and nodded. He was not going down.

"Alright, let's do this!" Ash smirked back.

Ash admired the strength of his old friend. After everything he got hit with, he still refused to stay down. It was there that he realized he made the right choice by having him battle. He looked across the field at Viola and Skunktank who reverted back to a slow tempo.

"She'll probably try something similar like she did last time…" Ash's brow furrowed.

His eyes fell on the large puddles on the field and his brain hatched an idea. He never tried this with Squirtle before, but if it worked, it would go into his collection of improvised tactics. The music picked up in speed, and so did Skunktank who was now midfield.

"Squirtle, use Ice Beam!" Ash pointed at the puddles.

Squirtle took a deep breath and released a light blue beam shot out. The beam hit the water and instantly coated the soaked field in a thick layer of ice. The ice did as Ash hoped and tripped Skunktank. He watched as Skunktank continued to slide towards Squirtle and punched forward.

"Squirtle, hit her with Hydro Pump!" Ash yelled.

Skunktank was sent back at Viola like a hockey puck. Viola quickly played a low note and started slow strum. Skunktank sank her claws into the ice and managed to come to a stop and stood up slowly.

Ash made his next move. It was time to end the dance.

"Squirtle, withdraw and use Hydro Pump!"

Squirtle withdrew his limbs into his shell, but spun around before doing so. He opened his mouth wide and aimed for his head hole. His shell started moving from the push Hydro Pump gave him and suddenly launched. The word rocket came to Ash's mind when he saw his friend soar across the field like a bullet. He looked back at Skunktank and Viola, but grinned when he saw Skunktank struggle to pull her claws free from the ice.

"Now use Skull Bash!" Ash hollered.

Squirtle righted his shell and his head poked back out. He was now on a headfirst collision course with rooted Skunktank. The audience had fallen silent to watch the outcome of the attack. Another loud thud echoed around the stadium as Squirtle's head slammed into Skunktank's. Squirtle rebounded into the air and landed on his feet, almost losing his balance on the ice.

Seconds ticked by and finally, Skunktank landed with a dull thump. Squirtle swayed and did his best to stay standing. All he had to do was wait for the referee to signal his victory before he could pass out. He could hear his heart beating loudly and his face felt warm from the toxins.

"Skunktank is unable to battle! Squirtle is the winner!" The referee raised his flag towards Ash. "The match goes to Ash Ketchum of Team KAHB!"

The stadium roared with approval at the end of the match. Everyone expected to see an outstanding battle for the end of the first round and they got it. Ash let out a loud whoop and slid onto the field to catch Squirtle just in time. He looked down at his old friend and grinned.

"You're the best, Squirtle. You know that?"

Squirtle smirked and nodded. He then pulled his shades out of his shell and put them back on before standing up. Ash went to help support him, but stopped when Squirtle glowed white. He watched in surprise as Squirtle evolved before him. When the glow vanished, where Squirtle once stood, was now a Wartortle. A cocky smirk was back on his face. The crowd let another loud roar fill the stadium after witnessing the extra show.

Ash stood up and saw Viola standing in front of him holding her hand out. He gripped her hand and gave it a firm shake.

"You did well, Ketchum," Viola said.

"Thanks. You're really good." Ash smiled back.

"Until next time…"

Viola let go of his hand and gave a light bow before walking off the field. Ash returned Wartortle to his ball and did the same. Once he left the field, he began to make his way to the tunnel and back to the stands.

"There you have it, folks!" The announcer bellowed. "That brings an end to round one and Team KAHB remains undefeated! Ash Ketchum has earned five points for himself and his team!"

The roar of the crowd met Ash's ears and he gently scratched Pikachu's head. He was now tied for points with Paul. All he had to do was continue winning matches and getting all the points he could get to avoid being eliminated. It would be a struggle, but that was fine. Nothing good was ever free.

Ash rejoined Paul, Ritchie and Barry up in the stands after his match. They congratulated him on his victory and for keeping them in the lead with points. Once the battlefield was cleaned up, it was pulled underground to allow for a normal floor to be in place of it. All the trainers filed their way through the tunnels and back to the center of the stadium where Goodshow and Cynthia had taken the stage again.

The spotlights shone on the two of them, and after blinking the bright light from his eyes, Goodshow picked up his microphone and started talking.

"How was that to wrap up the first round?"

He got a series of cheers from both spectators and trainers in reply. He grinned and clapped. For an old man, he was still lively as ever. He motioned up to the massive monitor overlooking the stadium and everyone turned to it. The screen transitioned to show team and individual standings. This garnered cheers from the crowd and mixed responses from the trainers. A lot of teams were tied for points with their members in similar positions.

Current Team Standings:

1st: Team KAHB, 15 points

Ash Ketchum: 5 points

Barry Anderson: 3 points

Paul Henderson: 5 points

Ritchie Busch: 2 points

2nd: Team Izanagi, 13 points

Tobias Sullivan: 5 points

Specter: 5 points

Zane Blackwood: 3 points

Michael Shadow: 0 points

3rd: Team Metal, 12 points

Derek Fiers: 3 points

Leonard Wortham: 3 points

Varina Elspeth: 3 points

Alexia Cerelia: 3 points

4rth: Team Nyx, 11 points

Ryuu Sinclair: 3 points

Tommy Walker: 3 points

Arielle Rose: 3 point

Aura Elliston: 2 points

4rth: Team Deus, 11 points

Christopher Moore: 3 points

Wulfreign Vonvader: 3 points

Kate Hikari: 2 points

Lily Evans: 3 points

4rth: Team Cyclone, 11 points

Jayleen Okido: 3 points

Daphne Smitty: 2 points

Orion McKenna: 3 points

Kariya Oakenthorn: 3 points

5th: Team Wang, 10 points

Yue Wang: 1 point

Corey Spina: 3 points

Maaya Yoshida: 1 point

Samuel Kindle: 5 points

5th Team Hawk, 10 points

William Mercurious: 3 points

Carly Riordon: 3 points

Carlos Del Grove: 2 points

Lily Hale: 2 points

5th Team Spartan, 10 points

Nathaniel Murphey: 2 points

Tony Miller: 3 points

Nelson Hicks: 3 points

Chase Gasnier: 2 points

6th Team Ignis, 9 points

Jin Kensei: 3 points

Rosemary Hollins: 0 points

Kaito Hironori: 3 points

Soul Wildfire: 3 points

6th Team Phoenix, 9 points

Jason Phoenix: 3 points

Jake Washington: 3 points

Gage Alous: 0 points

Jeffery Gibbs: 3 points

7th Team Orpheus: 8 points

Andy Dion: 3 points

Bryce Athens: 2 points

Jordan Baker: 3 points

Calvin Grayson: 0 points

8th Team Ares, 6 points

Claire Atwood: 3 points

Danny McBride: 0 points

James Mcleod Jr.: 3 points

Viola Shalvick: 0 points

From what Ash could see, the top trainers and team prospects had remained the same. He could see that a lot of his friends and rivals were behind him, but not by much. The thought of being ahead of his rivals excited him, but he would not drop his guard. Tomorrow the second round would start and it would be a whole new ballgame. He still remembered what was required to reach the next round. All teams would battle until they reached one hundred points. From there on, the two individuals who scored the most for the teams moved on to final round of the tournament. In the event of a tie breaker, the two with the same amount of points had to fight for their spot.

"I have to get at least thirty-five points to make it to the final round." Ash folded his arms. "But with the way Paul, Barry and Ritchie are battling now, this will not be easy."

He glanced at his teammates and did a quick analysis. One thing he knew for sure was that Paul would make it to the final round. He was one of the toughest, if not one of the top ten trainers in the tournament. Barry and Ritchie were good, but in his mind, it would be a close call between the three of them for the second slot. He smiled inwardly and clenched his fists. If it came down to a tiebreaker like he thought it would, he vowed that he would be the one to win and advance.

"Ah, come on! Are you freaking kidding me?" Paul's voice broke Ash from his thoughts.

His friend's outburst caused many heads to turn to him. Paul and Barry were looking at their phones. Barry had a large grin on his face whereas Paul had a scowl on his. He and Ritchie exchanged looks and tried to get a glimpse at what their teammates were engrossed with.

"What's wrong, Paul?" Ritchie asked.

"My bracket went straight to hell! That's what's wrong!" Paul shook his head.

"Your what?" Ash raised a brow, now confused.

"My basketball bracket! Barry and I made brackets for this basketball tournament and four of the teams he chose for the first round beat four of my choices by one damn point!"

Ash and Ritchie shook their heads. Paul angrily stuffed his phone back in his pocket, muttering angry curses under his breath. Barry was smiling and doing a celebratory jig in front of Paul, who looked as though he wanted to throttle his hyper friend.

"Paul, do you know any deep breathing exercises? Because you are right on the verge of a freak out." Barry laughed.

"Up yours!" Paul growled.

While Paul and Barry continued their bickering, Ash and Ritchie returned their attention to Goodshow and Cynthia. Now that the first round was done, they would be starting the second round the next day. They turned their gaze to the board after it refreshed to show the opening matchups for the next day. Their match was schedule at eleven the next morning and they would be going up against Team Orpheus. Seeing the matchup put them at ease since they would not be fighting the toughest teams off the bat, but they would by no means underestimate them. All the trainers in the tournament were recognized as strong and would not be a pushover.

"There's your next group of matchups folks!" Goodshow beamed. "Take time to plan with your teammates, get some sleep, and be ready to put on a show tomorrow!"

Once Goodshow finished talking, he put his microphone back on the stand and departed the stage with Cynthia close by. The crowd of trainers dispersed and made their way to the exits to begin their preparations for the next day. Ash, Paul, Barry and Ritchie agreed to go get some food to eat before and discuss their plan of attack for tomorrow before turning in.

The cloudy night sky had blocked out the moonlight which allowed for the perfect insertion for the two G-Men agents. Their mission was simple. Infiltrate the objective, gather intel, bug all forms of communication, and get to extraction point and go home. Covert operations were always carried out by the G-Men to get the needed information so they could legally take down any threat to national security.

The cargo bay opened on the plane and the two partners got out of their seats. It was time to go. They did a quick check of their gear and after confirming they were ready to go, walked to ramp. They stayed silent and waited for the light to turn green.

"Comm check!" Derek pointed to his ear.

"Comms are up!" Chris raised a thumb.

Derek looked down at his watch. Thirty seconds until their jump. He spared a look at Chris who stayed silent. The two of them had never been paired together on their missions since they were two of the best agents in the field, but given the importance of their mission, it was not negotiable for Lance. Deep down, Derek was dreading the mission. While his style followed the ROE and more tactics, Chris' was more dynamic. Even though Lance put him in charge of leading the mission, he had the gut feeling that Chris' personality would cause trouble.

The light of the bay turned bright green. Chris patted Derek on the shoulder and dove out with Derek close behind. The rushing wind met their ears, but was soon replaced with silence as they fell to the earth. Just when they reached their desired altitude, their chutes deployed. The light breeze carried them towards their drop zone which was a small clearing in the center of the woods.

Chris and Derek landed smoothly in the clearing and began dropping their gear to travel light. Once they had taken off their free fall gear, Chris pulled out a map. He shined his red light on the map and Derek pointed to their position. They were three kilometers to the southwest of the airfield owned by Giovanni. Once Chris put away his map and light, he checked his compass to get them on the right path.

"Derek, we're moving that way," Chris whispered.

"Alright. I gotta' check in with command." Derek nodded back.

He opened the channel on his radio and smiled lightly. He had missed the crackling static.

"Boss Man, this is Doc Holiday. We have arrived at LZ Alpha and are about to step off, over," Derek said.

"Roger, Doc Holiday. You are clear to move. Break. Keep me posted on your movement and radio again when you reach the objective, over," the man replied.

"Roger that, we're moving now. Out."

Derek ended the call and stood up. He motioned for Chris to stand and he pulled out his first poké ball with Chris doing the same. They each had three pokémon to help them complete the mission, with one to be used as a contingency escape option if they were compromised. Derek released his Umbreon and Chris sent out his Haunter.

"Maintain spacing and noise discipline from here on out," Derek whispered.

"Got it," Chris whispered as he and Haunter moved to the back.

Derek waited for everyone to get in their positions before he signaled to move. Umbreon would take point to sense anything from the front. He would be in the center to control the squad. Chris and Haunter were on rear guard. He raised his hand and waved forward. There footsteps were silent as they began their trek to the airfield.

Well, that's the chapter. Short, yes, but I am trying to cut down on my writing by trying to get the point across quicker with less detail and I believe this worked out well. I hope you enjoyed the different view point with the battle since I wanted to focus more on Ash's thoughts going against a trainer that doesn't give verbal commands. On that note, I hope you also enjoyed the March Madness reference with Paul and Barry. Anyway, check out the end statements and story shout outs below. Till next time!- CaptainPrice

Statements:

1.) Keep up that awesome critique! Keep doing that for every story you read to help writers everywhere improve!

2.) Good news for you, bad for me. I got dropped from my class that was supposed to begin on April 1st because my clearance didn't get through in time. So you got me for another month or so. I'll keep you posted on that.

3.) Paul's March Madness moment in the chapter was actually representing my real bracket. Last Thursday five of my teams I chose to win lost by one point and my entire south region went to hell when Iowa State lost. My bracket would have been perfect up until Sunday if those teams didn't lose. Personally, my original Final Four choices were Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Virginia, but I changed it before brackets were finalized to be Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Iowa State with Iowa St going against Wisconsin for the championship. On Wisconsin!

4.) I will be making two supporting character changes, one for male and female in the story here. Namely because these characters can fit better. I will reveal them next chapter.

OCs Featured:

Derek Fiers (CaptainPrice) Last appearance chapter 36

Christopher Moore (The Fan Fiction Writer) Last appearance chapter 36

Story Shout Outs:

"The Pokemon World League" by The Fan Fiction Writer (recently updated 3/21/2015)

"Gray" by FlyPandaBear (recently updated 3/14/2015)

"Rise of a Master: Diamond and Pearl" by Reborn Dark Phoenix (recently updated 3/26/2015)