Chapter 38: New Task! Catch Golden Magikarp!
Last time on "Pokémon Kalos Journey", the four trainers and Bonnie have arrived at Ambrette Town, where Ash and Yuki would have the chance of training their Pokémon, until Serena requested for everyone to head for the Ambrette Aquarium, much to Yuki's annoyance. But, as they got there, they witnessed many types of the Kalos region's Water Type Pokémon.
What they didn't notice however, was that they passed Haruna and Ryuto, who were revealed to be Yuki's younger siblings, with Yuki being the eldest of the Muramoto family. Haruna was desperate to find Yuki, her older brother again as she had missed her chance of seeing him again, despite of Yuki not having any memories about his family and siblings at all.
Back to the group, as they headed outside upon on hearing about the golden Magikarp from an aquarium visitor, they met with the curator and fisherman of the aquarium named Rodman, who explained about the legend of the golden Magikarp, which made everyone determined to fish it out so that the legend they've heard could come true.
So, while Yuki, Ash, Clemont, and Serena aided Rodman for fishing the golden Fish Pokémon, Bonnie and Dedenne were more interested in making friends with the curator's Clauncher, only for them to be rejected coldy even with just their introduction.
As a few minutes passed, Serena felt something tugging on her rod, which seemed to startle her as she blinked in surprise. "Huh? What's that?" Serena asked, which caught the boys' attention. "A bite! Reel it in quick!" Ash called, which made the Vaniville girl pull as she attempted to pull the object out of the water. "Argh! I'm trying!" Serena grunted as she pulled.
Rodman turned in surprise as he started to become hopeful for the catch. "Oh! Could it be the giant golden Magikarp!?" Rodman asked. At that point, Yuki and Ash ran over, helping Serena pull her catch in. "There's only one way to find out!" Yuki grunted. "We'll give you a hand! Pull!" Ash called. At the order, the three trainers reeled the catch in.
Clemont, Pikachu, Hawlucha, and Rodman watched to see that the catch was not a Magikarp, but a different pink Pokémon! It was a Corsola! "Whoa! It's a Corsola!" Ash pointed out in surprise, much to Serena's joy. "It's so cute!" The Vanville girl squealed. Corsola seemed to have heard the compliment, which caused it to give a smile to the humans.
"La! Corsola!" The Water-Rock Type Pokémon cried out happily. With the sight of seeing the Water Type out, it gave the Kanto trainer an idea. "Serena! Why don't you battle Corsola and catch it?" Ash suggested, catching his old friend's attention. "If you want to catch it, you should battle it right away!" Clemont agreed, agreeing with Ash's suggestion.
Yuki and Hawlucha just watched as the Vanivlle girl smiled in determination. "Right! Okay, Fennekin! Come on out!" Serena called, as she summoned her Fire Type starter out to the field. The Fox Pokémon let out a yip, ready for a battle, until Corsola shot a Water Gun attack! The sight of water frightened Fennekin as she whimpered and ran off, forcing her to hide behind Serena.
The Water Gun followed, splashing right where Serena was standing! "EEEEK!" Serena screamed as she felt the cold water splashed into her face. The Hawlucha Boy and his partner sweat dropped, knowing that this was an epic fail that the Vanivlle girl had made. "You've got to be kidding me..." Yuki groaned as he face palmed at seeing Corsola's escape.
"La La Corsola!" Corsola giggled as it dove back into the water, escaping from Serena's catch. At seeing the wild Pokémon disappear, Ash and Clemont began to scold the Fire Type for running away at the start of battle. "You shouldn't have run away like that, Fennekin." Ash reminded with a frown. "You should've battled with it instead!" Clemont added with a frown as well.
At this, Fennekin began to pout, turning her head away from the two boys. "Fen Fen Fennekin..." The Fire Type muttered, until she opened her eyes to see Hawlucha staring at her in disappointment. "Hawlucha..." The Wrestling Pokémon groaned with a shake of his head. "F-Fen!?" Fennekin yelped in shock, seeing that her crush was disappointed in her.
She began to sulk until Serena assured that it was okay. "Well, it was all a bit sudden... Next time for sure!" Serena promised. "Fennekin!" Fennekin yipped in agreement, as Yuki scoffed a little. "That is, if there is a next time..." Yuki sighed silently, as he kept his eyes onto the ocean. "Hawlucha Haw..." Hawlucha agreed with a mutter of disappointment.
Meanwhile, while the trainers and Rodman were fishing, Clauncher was standing on the sand alone, watching the sea in front of him, until he felt something towering over him, which caused him to turn... and see Bonnie right in front of him! "Wanna play?" Bonnie asked. "CLAAAUNCH!?" Clauncher screamed in shock as he didn't see the little girl coming to him!
But, knowing that the girl was harmless, the grumpy Water Type turned his attention to see Dedenne attempting to tease him by poking his claws with its tail! Annoyed, Clauncher glared at Dedenne annoyingly, which seemed to be have startled the little Mouse Pokémon. When the glare stopped, Dedenne poked Clauncher by the tail once more, which caused it to gain another glare from the Water Type.
Not intimidated by it again, the little Electric-Fairy Type attempted to try again, only for its tail to grabbed tightly by Clauncher's claws! Both Yuki and Hawlucha watched to see Dedenne flailing, crying that his tail was being grabbed at painfully. "Hey! Stop fighting! Both of you!" Bonnie scolded, only for Dedenne to shock Clauncher with a Thundershock!
The Hawlucha Boy watched in amusement with his Fighting Type partner to see the squabbling continue between Clauncher and Dedenne as Bonnie attempted to make peace between the two. "Dedenne! Stop it now!" Bonnie cried annoyingly. At the order, the Electric Type attack stopped, only for Clauncher to throw it high up in the air!
Angry for being shocked, the Water Gun Pokémon shot a Water Gun attack at the Antenna Pokémon, slamming it under the sand. "Dedenne!" Bonnie cried as she ran over, pulling her little Antenna Pokémon out of the sand. With all the squabbling going on, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Rodman all turned their attention to Clauncher with the curator scolding his Pokémon.
"Clauncher... Now you know better than to attack an aquarium visitor's Pokémon!" Rodman scolded, which Clauncher only scoffed at. It turned its head away coolly, which seemed to look like it didn't care of what its owner thought of it anymore. "Is it always like that?" Yuki asked with a sweat drop, as the curator chuckled nervously, before he explained.
"Clauncher could be a little friendlier, I guess... It originally lived in the aquarium, so anyone who visited us here could watch and interact with it! But Clauncher didn't like to be looked at that way... It lost its appetite, and I could tell it was getting sadder and sadder. So, I decided to make it my Pokémon instead! Fortunately, it's fine with just the two of us!" Rodman explained.
"I see..." Ash replied, understanding what the Water Type could be feeling. Yuki, on the other hand kept his eyes on the cold Water Gun Pokémon, who glared at Dedenne to stay away, who wanted to get closer to it. "Dedenne!" Bonnie called, causing the Electric-Fairy Type to run over to the little girl. It ran into her arms, as she let out a sigh and a giggle.
"Oh you... Hm hm!" Bonnie giggled as she nuzzled her little friend by the cheeks, only to be shocked by the affectionate Antenna Pokémon's Nuzzle attack! Bonnie let out a shriek as she felt numb before she fell to the ground, stunned by the surprise attack. "Bonnie... I told you that Dedenne's Nuzzle was dangerous, remember?" Clemont chuckled nervously.
The little sister moaned before she apologized nervously. "Sorry... My brain's numb..." Bonnie moaned, causing both Yuki and Hawlucha to snicker a little. But just as they were enjoying the awkward moment between Bonnie and Dedenne, the Hawlucha Boy felt something tugging on his line! "Whoop! I've got a bite! And it's a strong one, too!" Yuki grunted.
He held onto his fishing rod, as he attempted to reel his catch in. Hawlucha held his legs in case if his human friend were to slip or be pulled away by the catch. "Could it be it!? The golden Magikarp!?" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Serena, Bonnie, Rodman, and Clemont turned their attention, all having their hopes up for Yuki and Hawlucha's catch.
But just as the Hawlucha Boy and his Wrestling Pokémon were pulling their hardest, the fishing rod went lax, causing Yuki and Hawlucha to stop pulling. At that moment, a figure jumped out of the water, blasting the Fighting duo with a Water Gun attack! "GAH- Ulp!" Yuki yelped, before some of the water went inside his mouth, causing him to gag a little.
Hawlucha yelped in shock as he was soaked as well, causing him to shake the water off of him as he glared to where the figure had landed. Everyone watched in shock to see who the culprit was. It was a wild Buizel! And it had a mischievous look on its face. "Whoa! It's a wild Buizel!" Ash pointed out in amazement. "It's so cute, too!" Bonnie squealed in joy.
The Hawlucha Boy took out his Kalos Pokédex, and scanned the Sea Weasel Pokémon. "Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. Buizel's collar can be used as a flotation device when inflated. Its head stays above water when floating." Yuki's Pokédex buzzed. "So... you're the little prankster that sprayed us with water, huh?" Yuki said annoyingly as he glared at his soaked clothes.
"Bui..." Buizel snickered as he made a come motion with his paw, which seemed to be like a battle challenge! "What's Buizel doing?" Serena asked. "I think it's challenging Hawlucha to a Pokémon battle!" Clemont guessed. His guess was proven right as the mischievous Buizel shot another Water Gun attack at the Fighting duo, causing the two of them to dodge out of the way.
At the challenge, the Hawlucha Boy smirked as he glared at the Sea Weasel Pokémon once more. "Alright... If it's a battle you want, we'll give you one that you'll never forget! Hawlucha, get him back with a Karate Chop attack!" Yuki called. Hawlucha let out a battle cry as he quickly flew towards the Water Type, slamming his Karate Chop attack on Buizel's stomach!
The mischievous Water Type yelped in pain before it angrily countered back, by shooting water at Hawlucha! It splashed onto the Wrestling Pokémon, with steam coming out of him! "HAAAW!" Hawlucha screamed as he felt the burn on his body. "What the...!?" Yuki gasped in surprise as the others gasped as well. "That was Buizel's Scald attack!" Clemont pointed out.
Recovering from the burn from Scald, Hawlucha angrily glared at Buizel, who stuck its tongue out at him and his human partner. "Tch... This isn't a game! Hawlucha, pay him back with a Focus Blast attack!" Yuki snapped angrily. Sharing with Yuki's anger, the Wrestling Pokémon flew in the air, focusing on its attack to shoot an energy ball at the Sea Weasel Pokémon.
The ball exploded on Buizel, causing it to yell in pain before it fell back into the water. At the direct hit, the Buizel glared at the Fighting duo, looking like it wanted to keep fighting. But then, its ears perked as he turned back to the sea. He gave another glance at the Fighting duo before he dove back into the water, escaping from Yuki's catch.
While Ash, Clemont, Serena, and Rodman were surprised by the escape, Yuki and Hawlucha sweat dropped by the quick escape. "Huh?... That's it? Just two hits and that Buizel calls it quits? What's the deal?" Yuki asked annoyingly. "Hawlucha Haw..." Hawlucha grumbled annoyingly, realizing that his opponent escaped from the battle, making it a forfeit.
"I guess I should say... The winner of this battle goes to Yuki and Hawlucha, since Buizel has forfeited?" Clemont asked nervously, as Ash and Serena laughed nervously at the Fighting duo's failure to capture a new teammate for their team.
Later...
"Tch... I still can't believe it swam off rather than staying to fight..." Yuki grumbled as he held his fishing rod once again, this time while sitting on the rock he was standing on. Ten minutes had passed after the mischievous Sea Weasel Pokémon had escaped from Yuki's grasp as the group and Rodman continued their goal of fishing the golden Magikarp.
Clemont, on the other hand, seemed to be building a new invention of his, which Bonnie seemed to notice. "Hey, Clemont! What are you making there anyway?" Bonnie asked in curiosity. Instead of answering the question, the Lumiose Gym Leader smirked at his accomplishment of his new invention. "All done!" Clemont called, catching Ash, Yuki, and Serena's attention.
"The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, on!" Clemont declared as he revealed his invention to his friends and the curator. "It's named... 'The No-Need-for-Water-type-Pokémon-Food-Chinchou-Model-Magikarp-Magnet'!" Clemont explained. The little sister sweat dropped at the name as she said it to her big brother.
"Your names are pretty boring, but they say it all..." Bonnie sighed in disappointment as Clemont began to explain of the invention's use. "A sound wave inaudible to people will emit from Chinchou's antennae all the way down to the bottom of the ocean!" Clemont explained. He imagined of what success his invention might be when the Magikarp are attracted to it.
"That sound wave has a naturally soothing effect on Magikarp. So, they will be attracted to, and gather around my wonderful device! And that's when we'll reel them all in!" Clemont explained in assurance, much to the Hawlucha Boy's doubt and the Kanto trainer's excitement. "Wow... Science is so amazing!" Ash complimented as Yuki sighed.
"But... Won't the sound waves attract other Water Type Pokémon, too?" Yuki asked, with Hawlucha folding his arms in doubt as well. "Lucha...?" Hawlucha questioned, making the Lumiose Gym Leader sneer in confidence. "No need to worry, Yuki! I made perfectly sure that this device will only attract one type of Water Type Pokémon, and that will be Magikarp!" Clemont assured.
Despite the assurance, the Fighting duo together were still unsure about the device's use. "We'll see about that, once it drops into the ocean..." Yuki thought as he sat back on the rock once more, with his Fighting Type partner sitting next to him. "You're a genius to make up something like that, Clemont!" Rodman complimented along, much to Clemont's embarrassment.
"Aw, shucks... You flatter me. Let's get to it! Power on!" Clemont smirked as he turned to the ocean. He activated the device once he had thrown it into the ocean, where it was near the shore. Then, everyone waited as the antennae did its work, sending sound waves in order to attract the Magikarp. But what Yuki saw made him frown in confusion.
"Clemont... Are you really, really sure that it's supposed to attract the Magikarps only?" Yuki asked as he narrowed his eyes to take a closer look. The inventor blinked in confusion before he confirmed his answer once again. "Why, yes I did! Why do you ask, Yuki?" Clemont asked as the Hawlucha Boy pointed to where large fins surrounded the device.
"Then what is that? That large, dark fin over there?" Yuki asked, pointing to where the fins were. Everyone turned their attention back to the ocean where they saw the dark fins as well. "Oh! Is that a Magikarp?" Serena asked eagerly, as Rodman shook his head with another thought in mind. "I don't think so..." Rodman answered, until one fin popped up!
It revealed a familiar Hoenn Pokémon, which Ash recognized. "Ah! It's a Sharpedo!" Ash gasped in shock. At the mention of its name, the Sharpedo blasted a Water Gun attack, right where Yuki, Hawlucha, Ash, and Serena were standing! The three trainers and the Wrestling Pokémon yelped in shock as all they dove to opposite sides to safety.
Then, once the attack missed, everyone witnessed the destruction of Clemont's new invention as the fins slammed against the invention. Due to the effect of the Sharpedo's Rough Skin ability, the multiple hits created some serious damage to the machine, causing it to explode in the water! The controller Clemont held exploded as well, due to the device exploding.
BOOM!
Clemont was dazed by the explosion, with his hair all puffed up as well. "It didn't work in a big way..." Bonnie commented with a sigh, causing the Lumiose Gym Leader to be confused, while still dazed at the same time. "It shouldn't have attracted them... just Magikarp..." Clemont groaned as everyone nervously laughed to see the Sharpedos swimming away in annoyance.
"Better luck next time, Clemont..." Yuki chuckled nervously. "Hawlucha cha..." Hawlucha smirked along, seeing the puffy hair funny. The Lumiose Gym Leader slumped down, seeing that another one of his inventions had failed him again.
Later...
"Ugh... Fishing's kind of boring when you don't get any bites..." Serena admitted with a bored look on her face. "You can say that again... That tricky Buizel and that Corsola were the only ones that took the bait of ours..." Yuki sighed in annoyance with his legs crossed on the rock. "Hawlucha Haw..." Hawlucha grumbled as he glared at the open ocean.
"But, isn't it nice to relax with nothing to do, with all the time in the world to feel the delightful ocean breezes?" Rodman asked, causing Yuki to blink as he felt a small breeze blow into him as he smiled a little. Hawlucha seemed to have felt it too, as the Fighting duo relaxed. "Yeah... I guess you're right, Rodman..." Yuki sighed in relaxation.
"Lucha Haw..." Hawlucha agreed along, feeling relaxed as well. "All done!" Clemont shouted out, startling the duo from relaxing. They both glared to where Clemont had created another invention for the Magikarps. "The future is still now, thanks to science!" Clemont declared, with Bonnie sighing. "It's time for take two!" Bonnie called, believing another failure coming up.
"Clemontic Gear, on! It's named, 'The This-Time-it-Will-Attract-Only-Magikarp-for-Certain-Lanturn-Model'!" Clemont declared, causing the little sister to sigh in annoyance. "Your names are still pretty boring, but they do say it all, like them or not..." Bonnie sighed. At the new invention, Serena this time felt doubtful of it, along with Yuki, too.
"You sure this is going to work this time!" Serena asked. "Yes! I just ran extensive tests on the Magikarp in the aquarium, and discovered on which sound wave they prefer!" Clemont explained. The Vaniville girl sighed with Yuki still keeping his eyes on the ocean. "Let's just hope that it doesn't attract other Water Type Pokémon, like Gyarados..." Yuki sighed.
Imagining a Gyarados coming out of the ocean made Hawlucha sigh, but wonder if it will make it a challenge for him in a battle. The Lumiose Gym Leader explained the device's use, which seemed very familiar with the first device. "This improved device will emit a special sound wave down to the bottom of the ocean, basically the same procedure as the Chinchou model!" Clemont explained.
The similar explanation caused the Fighting duo to sweat drop as the Hawlucha Boy face palmed. "That's nearly the exact same thing you said about the Chinchou device..." Yuki sighed in annoyance. "Cha Hawlucha..." Hawlucha replied, patting Yuki's shoulder in comfort. Ash, on the other hand was again amazed at the improved device.
"It's amazing that science is so amazing!" Ash complimented, which seemed to have boosted Clemont's confidence as he prepared to throw it in the ocean. "Let's get started, then!" Clemont declared, until Serena asked a question, still feeling doubtful of this. "You're sure about this?" Serena asked, only for the inventor to get started on the device's use.
"Golden Magikarp, come to me... NOW!" Clemont called as he threw his Lanturn device into the ocean. It soon activated, sending sound waves to attract the Magikarp, while the group and Rodman waited for the catch. A few seconds passed as nothing happened at the moment. "Hm... Nothing seems to be happening..." Serena started.
That was when something started to tug onto Rodman's fishing rod! "Ah! I've got a bite!" Rodman yelped. At the same time, Ash, Yuki, and Clemont's fishing rods were being tugged at as well! "Yeah! So do I!" "I got a pull, too!" Ash and Yuki exclaimed together. "I seem to have a bite, too!" Clemont grunted as he began to pull on his fishing rod.
"Alright! You can do it!" Bonnie cheered. At that moment, Serena's fishing rod was tugged as well! "Hey! I got a bite!" Serena cried out. At that point, everyone began to pull hard, attempting to reel their catch in. "Argh... So... heavy!" Serena grunted as she pulled harder. "Mine's heavy, too! I've never caught something like this before!" Rodman admitted.
"Me... neither!" Ash grunted as he kept pulling. "What the... heck is this...!? It's really strong, and it's resisting... too much!" Yuki grunted as he pulled his fishing rod back. "Hang on, Clemont! Hang on, everybody!" Bonnie cheered, as she attempted to encourage everyone to not give up. But, as seconds passed, the pull was stronger!
It was starting to drag both Ash and Yuki near the ocean! "It's too big for me to hold onto!" Ash grunted as he tried to keep pulling. "Argh...! You're not... the only one... who's... having a hard... time here, Ash...!" Yuki snapped as he increased his strength on holding the rod. "Pika Pika!" "Haw! Hawlucha!" Pikachu and Hawlucha called, cheering on to their trainers.
But then, as the two starters turned to the ocean, something big was coming out to the surface! Everyone opened their eyes to see something coming out as they all noticed on how big it was. "It's huge!" Ash gasped. "Humongous!" Rodman added. "Could we... have caught it?" Clemont asked, feeling hopeful.
The answer was confirmed as the figure was giant, and golden! It was a golden Magikarp! This made everyone yell in shock and widen their eyes at the same time. "WE DID! IT'S THE GOLDEN MAGIKARP!" "PIKA! PIKA PIKA!" "HAW! HAWLUCHA HAW!" Everyone, Pikachu, and Hawlucha shouted out in amazement and awe, as they realized that the legend was true.
"Amazing! It really does exist!" Ash breathed out in amazement. "Pika...!" "Cha..." Pikachu and Hawlucha agreed in amazement. Serena jumped up and down, happy that the catch was a success. "We really caught it! We really caught it!" Serena cheered as she pulled Yuki into a tight hug, startling the Hawlucha Boy in the process.
"Um... Serena?" Yuki gulped, causing the Vaniville girl to open her eyes and see who she was hugging. She blushed as she realized that she hugged the Hawlucha Boy, causing her to shriek and jump away in embarrassment. "EEK! Oh... I... I'm sorry!" Serena apologized, causing the Hawlucha Boy to blush back. "S-Sure..." Yuki replied.
Hawlucha smirked and chuckled a little, believing that his human friend had found a future girlfriend, much to the Hawlucha Boy's annoyance. "Watch it, Hawlucha..." Yuki hissed, as Hawlucha responded with a smirk, teasing his human friend even further. "Excellent! My new device worked!" Clemont exclaimed, to which Bonnie praised at.
"Great job, big brother!" Bonnie praised. Dedenne and even Clauncher were surprised and amazed to see that the catch of the golden Magikarp was a success! The Kanto trainer, on the other hand, turned to his Electric Type partner, determined to catch it. "Alright! Pikachu, are you ready to battle it?" Ash asked. "Pika Pika!" Pikachu confirmed as he got ready to fight.
"This one looks tough. What do you say, Hawlucha?" Yuki asked. "Haw cha cha!" Hawlucha replied, as he got into his fighting stance. But at that moment, the top fin opened up! Three familiar heads popped out of the 'golden Magikarp', shocking everyone in the process, including the two boys and their two starters. It was Team Rocket!
"Pika!?" "No way!" Ash and Pikachu gasped together. "You've got to be kidding!?" "Haw!?" Yuki and Hawlucha gasped together along. At that moment, the evil trio smirked and began their motto!
"Prepare for trouble, 'No way', you say?"
"And make it double, "No kidding, no way'!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of fishing hooks!"
"To extend our denouncing to twerpish crooks!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare for an aquatic fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
At the sight of the evil trio once again, the group glared at their enemies while being shocked at the revelations at the same time. "Team Rocket!?" The group gasped as Jessie glared at the four trainers and Bonnie. She looked obviously annoyed for being dragged out of the ocean by the 'twerps' like a helpless Water Type Pokémon!
"Can't you see we're trying to catch the golden Magikarp! Get yourselves in someone else's way for a change!" Jessie shrieked angrily. "Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet agreed. Tossing his fishing rod away in anger, the Hawlucha Boy clenched his fists at seeing his old enemies. "Do you morons ever give up!? You messed with us big the last time we met!" Yuki snapped angrily.
"Right! You guys are always messing everything up!" Ash agreed, understanding Yuki's annoyance. "Well, who are those guys?" Rodman asked in confusion. "They're bad guys who steal other people's Pokémon!" "Mm hm!" Clemont explained, with his little sister agreeing. Meowth, annoyed at seeing the twerps again noticed Pikachu and Hawlucha and made a plot.
"Let's grab those goons' Pokémon, and show them no one gets in Team Rocket's face!" Meowth snapped, with James sneering. "And getting with Clauncher!" James added as he noticed the Water Gun Pokémon. Jessie seemed to agree with this plan as she made the call. "Down we go..." Jessie smirked. At the order, the trio hid inside their submarine, preparing to attack.
They controlled the mechanical arms, aiming to capture both Dedenne and Clauncher! The claws missed Clauncher as he dodged every grab, with Dedenne getting out of the way! "Speedy Pokémon!" James grunted in annoyance. "Change up! Let's set our sights on Dedenne!" Jessie ordered. With that said, the claws began to target the Antenna Pokémon!
Dedenne let out a scream in shock to see that it was being targeted instead! The claws grabbed the little Electric-Fairy Type Pokémon by the tail, much to Bonnie's dismay. "Dedenne! No!" Bonnie gasped in dismay. "Argh! Hawlucha! Get Dedenne out of there!" Yuki called. "Haw!" Hawlucha replied with a nod. Ash followed along, as he turned to Pikachu.
"You too, Pikachu! Help Dedenne out!" Ash called. But before either Pikachu or Hawlucha could move, Clauncher shot forward and grabbed the arm that was grabbing Dedenne! Everyone watched in surprise as the Water Gun Pokémon quickly spun to break the arm holding Dedenne, causing the Electric-Fairy Type to fall into the ocean.
Dedenne flailed, only to stop when Clauncher appeared, getting the Antenna Pokémon to shore safely. Opening the hatch, Team Rocket was mad to see that the speedy and stubborn Water Type Pokémon were getting in their way! "Argh! Out you, Pumpkaboo!" "You too, Inkay!" Jessie and James called as they summoned their Pokémon out to battle.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Jessie called. Just as Clauncher gave Dedenne back to Bonnie, the Ghost-Grass Type shot her Shadow Ball attack towards Clauncher, to which Rodman warned. "Look out, Clauncher! Dodge it!" Rodman called. Seeing the Shadow Ball coming to his way, Clauncher dodged the attack, with Bonnie and Dedenne getting out of the way.
"Inkay! Psybeam!" James called. The Psychic-Dark Type took his turn, shooting a Psybeam attack towards the Water Gun Pokémon, only for Clauncher to flip back to dodge it! Rodman took this chance to counterattack as he called some moves for Clauncher to make. "Now, use Water Gun!" Rodman called.
At the order, Clauncher shot the Water Gun attack, splashing and knocking Inkay away! Pumpkaboo was next as Rodman pointed to the Ghost Type as well. "Crabhammer, let's go!" Rodman shouted out. Clauncher jumped, slamming his attack right where Pumpkaboo's stomach was! The Ghost-Grass Type yelped in pain as he was knocked away, like Inkay was.
Yuki, Ash, Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie all watched in amazement to see Rodman and Clauncher battling together so well with each other. "Now, use Bubblebeam!" Rodman called. Not giving the opponents the chance to attack, Clauncher launched a Bubblebeam attack, blasting both Inkay and Pumpkaboo back into the sub with the evil trio as well!
Team Rocket yelped as they were forced inside, giving Ash and Yuki the chance to finish them off. "Pika! Pika Pika!" Pikachu called. "Haw! Hawlucha Haw!" Hawlucha shouted along. Knowing what their partners were saying, the two boys nodded as they turned to the soon defeated Team Rocket. "Yeah! You've got it, buddy! Thunderbolt, let's go!" Ash called.
"Finish them with Focus Blast, Hawlucha!" Yuki shouted along. At the orders, both starters launched their special attacks towards the golden Magikarp submarine, causing it to explode and to send the evil trio flying in the air! "WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" Team Rocket screamed as they were soon out of sight into the blue sky.
Once the evil trio was gone, Bonnie ran over to Clauncher, thanking it for the heroic actions. "Thanks! That was so nice of you to rescue Dedenne!" Bonnie thanked, as Rodman explained with a smile. "Clauncher may be a bit stubborn, but it has a strong sense of justice!" Rodman explained. The explanation was enough to make Clauncher blush and smile at the same time.
Everyone laughed at seeing the usual stubborn Water Gun Pokémon blush in embarrassment, as the afternoon turned to sunset.
Later...
Hours passed with the sun setting down. Rodman sighed, seeing that there was no sign of the real golden Magikarp now. "I guess we have to call it a day..." Rodman sighed, as the group walked over. "I'm sorry for all the trouble you had to go through..." Ash apologized, feeling sorry for the curator. "And that we weren't able to help much." Serena added.
"Anyways, thank you for letting us borrow your fishing rods, Rodman..." Yuki thanked, to which the curator smiled at. "You kids go on and keep them! I'm certain that they'll go on in handy someday!" Rodman chuckled. The answer left everyone smile in joy and amazement, as they began to thank the curator for the fishing rods.
"Really? Thank you so much!" Ash thanked with a grin. "We'll take good care of them!" Serena assured, as she held her new fishing rod close. "Thank you so much again, Rodman." "Hawlucha Haw!" Yuki and Hawlucha thanked together. Before Rodman could talk, something splashed out of the water, catching everyone's attention as they turned to see what it was.
It was a Magikarp, but golden! Everyone widened their eyes to see the Magikarp as it splashed back into the water, causing them all to be dazed, shocked, and amazed, all at the same time. "Was... that it!?" Ash exclaimed in amazement. "YEEAAAAH! The legend is really true!" Rodman cheered as he threw his fishing rod in the air, filled with joy.
"Alright!" "Yeah!" Ash, Serena, and Yuki high-fived each other with Clemont and Bonnie cheering together. Pikachu and Hawlucha cheered to see that the legend was true all along as they high-fived each other as well. "It really does exist...!" Clemont exclaimed in amazement. "Happy! Happy! Everyone's happy!" Bonnie cheered, seeing that everyone was smiling and looked happy.
At that, everyone laughed, enjoying the sunset together, until the four trainers and Bonnie got ready to go again. "We gotta go." Ash replied, turning to the curator. "We'll be back!" Bonnie assured with a giggle. Rodman chuckled, as he made his declaration. "Good! And I will have caught the golden Magikarp by the time I see you next!" Rodman promised with a smile.
"Right! Well then, best wishes, Rodman!" Yuki called with a smile. "Hawlucha Haw!" Hawlucha agreed, making the same smile as his trainer. "Dedenne!" Dedenne called, waving Clauncher goodbye. "Claunch..." Clauncher responded by waving back as well. With the goodbyes said, the group continued their way, heading for Cyllage City once more.
Meeting the golden Magikarp, was something that the group would never forget about, as they soon discovered that the legendary golden Magikarp was real.
To be continued...
Yuki's Team:
Hawlucha: (M): (Flying Press, Aerial Ace, Karate Chop, Focus Blast)
Heracross: (M): (Swords Dance, Protect, Brick Break, Megahorn)
Litleo: (F): (Ember, Headbutt, Take Down, Tackle)
Bulbasaur: (F): (Razor Leaf, Tackle, Vine Whip, Leech Seed)
Next chapters:
Chapter 39: Come Play With Us, Amaura!
Chapter 40: The Rescue! Amaura in Danger!
Chapter 41: Find the Cussler! Buizel and Skrelp!
Chapter 42: Save the Cussler! VS Team Rocket!
Chapter 43: Climb the Wall! Yuki VS Grant!
Next chapter preview:
Alexa: It's been a long time, you guys! I'm here to study about the Pokémon fossils here in this town!
Clemont: Whoa... There are lots of fossils in here... And look at that!
Yuki: It's an Amaura and an Auroross... And this Amaura here seems playful and naive at the same time...
Bonnie: Wow! Amaura feels so nice and cold all at the same time!
Serena: Hm... It feels a bit too cold, to be quite honest...
Ash: Nice to meet you both! Amaura and Auroross!