Guarding the Guardian of the Mountain!

Announcer: Ash, Misty, Iris, and Dent are walking down a road towards Icirrus City for Ash's seventh gym battle.


Misty is cuddling her Spheal in front of her chest and commented, "I never realized that a Spheal could be so cuddly!"

"Spheal, Spheal," said the Clap Pokémon, clapping her fins.

Dent look down at the map and stated, "If we continue down this pathway, we'll be very close to Icirrus City."

"Great, I can't wait to take on the gym leader," Ash replied, fist-pumping.

Pikachu mimcked Ash and said, "Pi pika chu!"

"I'll just be happy one we get out of this cold," Iris responded, shivering.

Dent was about to offer his jacket to the shivering girl but two large boulders fall off of the cliff towards them. The group runs away from the boulders, as Brycen and his Beartic come down from the cliff and destroy the boulders with a strong kick.

Ash said, "Thanks for saving us!"

"Spheal," cried the Clap Pokémon.

Misty bounced her little Pokémon and cooed, "It's okay, little one. We're safe."

Iris then notices Beatric and says, "Yikes, an Ice type!"

She hides behind Dent, who blushes, and then notices Brycen.

Dent stated, "Oh wow, you're Brycen the movie star! I'm a big fan!"

"He's a movie star," Misty asked, since she finally calmed down Spheal.

Dent answered, "Yes, from Martial Arts movies! It's Movie Time! Brycen made his debut in the movie "Freeze Beartic" and it was very popular. It was also the first Martial Arts movie with fights. I'm glad that I am able to meet you both! You had three very famous movies and that I watched all three of them."

"What's the movie about," Iris questioned.

Dent explained, "Well, in the move a Martial Arts tournament was held on an island where Brycen fought against a Beartic. Both Beartic and Brycen gained respect for each other after the tournament and became friends. At the end of the movie, they join forces to defeat the evil organization. In fact, Brycen quit before the sequel was made and didn't appear before his fans again."

Ash asked, "Well, why are you in the mountains then?"

Brycen answered, "I'm continuing to train with Beartic."

After the introductions, Brycen says that the rocks that fell down may have been caused by hunters. Brycen explains that the mountain is not just a dormant volcano, but also a Pokémon Reserve. He says that Pokémon hunters appear occasionally on the mountain, and that he kicks them out once he finds them.

Dent commented, "That is a different ingredient training."

"But it does strengthen both the trainer and the Pokémon," Misty pointed out.

Iris stated, "Misty does have a point."

Ash asked, "Brycen, what type of training do you do in the mountains?"

Brycen answered, "I'll demonstrate."

Ash asks if he can train with Brycen, as he brings out Krokorok to train as well. Brycen and Beartic begin with handstands, while Ash and Krokorok try and do the same. Brycen and Beartic release one of their hands, and hop around on the other hand before jumping and landing in a pose. Ash and Krokorok try to do the same, but crash to the ground while trying to lift an arm up. The next training exercise that they did, was Brycen and Beartic jumping across rocks and doing a pose. Ash and Krokorok tried to do the same, as Ash slipped and fell down to the ground while trying to go from rock to rock.

Krokorok also slipped and fell while trying to jump across the rocks. Brycen breaks a large rock with his hand, while Beartic breaks another large rock with Ice Punch. Misty, Iris, and Dent are very impressed by that. Ash tries to break a large rock, but hurts his hand and runs around in pain. Krokorok also tries to break a large rock, but also hurts his hand and runs around in pain. Brycen and Beartic jump off of a cliff and dive into water by a waterfall, before jumping onto a rock and posing. Ash is ready to do the same, but Krokorok is too scared since he does not like water. Ash tries to push Krokorok off of the cliff into the water.

However, Krokorok moves out of the way and Ash falls into the water. Ash realizes that without a lot of training, they will be unable to do any of the hard training that Brycen is able to do. Iris asks Brycen why he stopped appearing in movies. Brycen says that there was an accident when they were shooting the movie, that was due to his lack of training. He says that it is why he decided to once again train with his Beartic. Misty replies that does make sense since he doesn't want the same thing happening again. Dent agrees with this, saying that he is sure that Brycen will get stronger soon.

Everyone looks into the sky, as they see dark clouds and a lightning strike and Iris says that it can happen in the mountains usually. They look over at the mountains, as they see a red flash in the distance. Brycen says that something could be happening to the Guardian deity of the mountain Volcarona. Volcarona flies out of a bush, as a Male Jellicent and a hunter chase after it. Volcarona uses Fire Spin and Jellicent uses Confuse Ray, as both attacks collide. Volcarona flies away, as Jellicent and the hunter chase after it with a cage attached to the hunter's bicycle. Volcarona ends up in front of the mountain and is cornered, as the hunter and Jellicent catch up to it.

Volcarona uses Fire Spin and Jellicent uses Hydro Pump, as both attacks collide. Jellicent uses Confuse Ray to confuse Volcarona, as the hunter pulls out a net gun and shoots a net to capture the Volcarona. Volcarona struggles and tries to use Fire Spin, as the hunter explains that the net is fireproof. The hunter says that it can be sold at a high price; as Ash, Misty, Iris, and Dent arrive. Brycen demands that the hunter lets the Volcarona go, as he says that the mountains are a Pokémon Reserve because of the Volcarona. Ash scanned it with his Pokedex.

Dexter chirped, "Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon. When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun. A sea of fire engulfs the surroundings of their battles, since they use their six wings to scatter their ember scales. Thought to be an emobiment of the sun, it appeared during a bitterly cold winter and saved Pokémon from freezing."

Brycen says that Volcarona used to replace the sun when needed on the mountain in ancient times, which is why it's called the guardian deity of the mountain. Brycen demands that the hunter lets the Volcarona go and leave the mountain. Brycen says that the hunter was the one who set up the rock trap from before, as the hunter admits that he was responsible for it happening. The hunter says that they should have a Pokémon battle to settle it. Ash decides to battle the hunter with Krokorok, as he says that he cannot forgive the hunter and will defeat him. Jellicent uses Hydro Pump, while Krokorok dodges the attack.

Krokorok uses Crunch, while Jellicent dodges the attack. Jellicent uses Hydro Pump to send Krokorok flying, as he crashes to the ground. Krokorok uses Stone Edge to send Jellicent flying, and then uses Stone Edge again on Jellicent. Krokorok uses Crunch, as Jellicent uses his head to stop the attack and send Krokorok backwards. Krokorok uses Crunch again, as Jellicent uses Hex to send Krokorok hard to the ground. Jellicent uses Confuse Ray, as Krokorok uses Dig to dodge the attack. Krokorok comes out of the ground to hit Jellicent, and then hits him with Crunch. Dent says that Dark Type moves are super effective against Ghost Type Pokémon.

Krokorok waves at them, as Ash commands for him to use Crunch again. Krokorok uses Crunch, as Jellicent uses Hex to send him crashing into the side of the mountain. Jellicent uses Confuse Ray, as Krokorok uses Dig to dodge the attack. Krokorok uses Crunch to send Jellicent hard into a rock, which impresses Iris. Krokorok moves in for the final hit, as the hunter brings out a Female Jellicent. Misty says that using two Pokémon is unfair, as the hunter says that Ash has to defeat his Jellicent and that he did not say he had only one Jellicent. The Female Jellicent uses Confuse Ray to confuse Krokorok.

Then both Jellicent use Hydro Pump to send Krokorok into Volcarona and both of them into a cage. Misty about to use Spheal but Ash tells her not to, in fear that she might lose Spheal. The hunter mocks Ash for helping him capture both Volcarona and Krokorok without effort. The hunter walks away, as Brycen steps forward to say that he will never forgive him and that he will protect Volcarona. Ash and his friends decide to leave everything to Brycen, as Iris mentions that it's two against one in the battle. Both of the Jellicent use Hydro Pump, as Beartic uses Brine to stop the attack which surprises the hunter.

Beartic uses Brine to send both Jellicent flying, as everyone is very impressed. Beartic uses Ice Punch, as the Male Jellicent uses Hex to hit Beartic. Beartic breaks through the Hex to hit both Jellicent with the Ice Punch and send them flying. Iris and Ash are very impressed, as Cilan says that the battle is better than a movie. Both Jellicent use Confuse Ray, as Beartic dodges the attack and jumps on top of their heads. Beartic hits both Jellicent with Ice Punch, as they are sent into the cage to free Volcarona and Krokorok. Both Jellicent use Hydro Pump, as Beartic dodges the attack and lands behind them.

Iris and Misty free Volcarona from the net, and tells it to get away from the area. Beartic uses double Ice Punch to send the two Jellicent and the hunter flying and into the cage. Everyone are very impressed by how powerful Beartic is. Volcarona flies away, as the sky clears up. As the sun sets, Officer Jenny shows up to arrest the hunter, as she thanks him for his help. Officer Jenny says that they've been having a lot of problems with dangerous hunters, as Brycen says that he just wanted to chase them away. Officer Jenny drives away with the hunter, as Ash thanks Brycen for his help with training and battling.

Brycen asks Ash where they are heading towards, as Ash tells him they are going to Icirrus City. Brycen points out where Icirrus City is, as Ash is excited about his next Gym match. Brycen introduces himself to Ash as the Icirrus City Gym Leader, which surprises Ash. They shake hands, as Brycen says that he is looking forward to their match. Dent says that he would've never known that Brycen was the Gym Leader. Misty is impressed by Brycen's strength as they head out for Icirrus City and for Ash's seventh gym badge.


AK1028: Will we ever get to see Spheal in battle? Eh, we might sooner or later, that is for sure. Can Ash win his seventh gym badge? Stay tuned to find out! Until then, guys, please read and review! And always think outside of the box!