Friends to Lovers
Chapter 19: Brawly's Beatdown
In the Kanto Region, nightfall hung like a deep blue curtain dotted with several stars shining like diamonds. All seemed to be peaceful across the region, with the exception of a certain predicament that had taken place at Team Rocket Headquarters. Just a few days ago, the head of the crime organisation, Giovanni, had received a phone call from the Rocket Trio. He had assumed that they were calling to bring him news regarding the progress of their endeavours in Hoenn, but he stood corrected when they announced that they were calling it quits being members of the organisation. At the moment, Giovanni was sitting at his desk in his office, evidently reflecting on the phone call he had received from the trio only a few days ago. "So, those three have decided to leave Team Rocket…" There was silence for a few moments before a smirk slowly showed on the man's face. "I was beginning to think they would never leave. They were always the weakest link of Team Rocket, and now that they've broken off… it's time for a stronger link to form in their place."
With a decision seemingly firm in his mind, Giovanni reached over to grab the phone that rested on his desk, began to dial the number of the receptionist at the front desk and placed it against his ear. "Now it's time to enlist two members who will be able to succeed where those three couldn't." After a few seconds, he could hear an answer from the receptionist over the other end of the line. "Get me Butch and Cassidy. I have a special assignment I would like to give them."
Meanwhile, all the way on Dewford Island back in Hoenn, the start of a new day had arrived and nowhere was this more true than for a certain raven-haired Trainer. As the doors of the Pokemon Centre opened automatically, Ash stepped outside fully dressed and he had just finished with putting his gloves on as he had one hand placed on the bottom of the glove and he stretched it to make sure it was properly in place on his hand as he stood there with a confident smile. "Great! We're all set now." Once he was certain that he had everything in check for today, he turned his head down to Pikachu as the little electric mouse Pokemon was standing beside him. "Okay, Pikachu, are you ready to challenge the Dewford Island Gym?"
"(You know it, Ash!)" Pikachu replied, nodding in agreement with a big smile as he was looking forward to this as much as Ash was. So without a moment to spare, the two set off to try and find where the Dewford Island Gym could be. While they were already taking off, Brock and Misty slowly stepped out of the Pokemon Centre, the both of them yawning as it seemed they had gotten up earlier than usual; Ash had been so excited to finally go for his second Gym Badge that he insisted for the others to be up early so they wouldn't miss out. Once the two were outside, Misty reached up to rub one of her eyes while Togepi let out a yawn from where she was resting in her arms.
"Ugh… these two are already ready and raring to go, aren't they, Brock? Meanwhile, the rest of us are still struggling to get up." Misty sighed, an expression of annoyance crossing her face at how early it still was in the morning, as it seemed to be a bit too early for them to be up. Brock simply showed a smile of amusement and nodded in agreement as he had a feeling that Misty was right.
"Yeah, you're right, Misty. I'll bet Ash wants to hurry and go for his second badge while he's still hot off his victory at the Rustboro Gym." Misty simply shook her head with an expression of dismay, as she was starting to wonder how long it would take for Ash to realise that he had to slow down before he got too carried away. From the looks of it, the day that happened was seeming oh-so far away now. Just then, the sound of a loud yawn broke Misty out of her thoughts and she and Brock turned around to see May walking up to them, with her having been the last of the four of them to wake up.
"A gym battle this early in the morning should be illegal." May groaned, her eyes only half-open to show how groggy she still looked. As Brock and Misty had their heads turned to notice her, Misty turned her glance down to find that May had something still held in her arms and she turned her glance to point down at it.
"Uh, May? Why do you still have your pillow in your arms?" she asked. May raised her eyebrows in confusion as she was wondering what Misty was talking about before she looked down and her eyes shot wide open in alarm upon seeing that Misty was right; as it turned out, in her half-asleep daze due to her boyfriend's anticipation to win his second Gym Badge, May had accidently taken the pillow from her half of the bunk bed she and Ash were sharing without even realising it. As soon as May noticed this, she felt her cheeks turn red in embarrassment and she showed a nervous smile.
"Oh, how about that? I almost took my pillow from my bed!" May then let out a nervous laugh after she said this, apparently having realised how tired she must have been to make that mistake. While Brock and Misty had their attention on her with matching smiles of amusement, they were then met with the sound of three yawns and they looked up while May turned around to find that Jessie, James and Meowth were on their way over, looking a bit out of it as well.
"Ohhh… is it too much to ask for a lady to get a goodnight's sleep around here?" Jessie groggily asked, seemingly struggling to keep her eyes open as she, James and Meowth slowly walked over. It seemed that the three hadn't gotten a chance to get dressed yet unlike the others, since Jessie was wearing a pale pink nightdress and James was wearing a light brown singlet along with moss green pyjama shorts, with those as their choices of nightwear for the time being.
James slowly nodded in agreement as he let out a sigh of dismay. "Is it just me or does it feel like everywhere we go in this region, we have a hard time getting our eight hours?"
"It's not just you. First Rustboro City and now this… I'm not sure how we're gonna manage at this rate." Meowth sighed, shaking his head as it seemed that he wasn't the only one who was feeling like this. May, Brock and Misty stared at the three silently before they showed matching smiles of amusement at how out of it they appeared to be.
"Sorry about that, you three. But Ash is really excited to get to his Gym Battle right away. It makes me wonder if he's getting a bit carried away in his excitement, though…" Misty replied, lowering her head with an uncertain expression during that last statement. Brock and May looked over at her before showing reassuring smiles.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Misty. Ash is always excited to get started on things right away; that's just how he is by nature." Brock explained; given how long he and Misty had been travelling with Ash, they had become very familiar with the raven-haired Trainer and his manner of behaviour in certain situations. May happily nodded in agreement with an excited smile crossing her face.
"Yeah! And I know I'm excited to cheer him on when we get there." She then turned her glance to Jessie, James and Meowth to ask them about their thoughts. "Do you guys want to come along with us?"
The trio showed matching expressions of surprise at the offer and then they looked at each other for a few moments, seemingly realising that there was something they had forgotten about, before turning back to the others with James being the one to answer. "Oh… thanks for the offer. But we need to get ourselves ready and get moving if we want to be on time for our first day of work."
May, Brock and Misty felt their eyes go wide in surprise at this reply, and they fell silent for a few seconds before Misty was the first to find her voice. "Work? As in, you managed to find a job?" As the three nodded, May then raised an eyebrow in confusion as this didn't seem to make sense to her. "When did you guys do that?"
Jessie showed an amused smile upon seeing their cluelessness before she started to explain. "After we arrived at the Pokemon Centre last night. While the rest of you were all out like lights, we did a bit of searching through the town to see if there was anywhere that had free openings. And as it turned out, there's a small café on the coast that had an opening, so we sent them our letter of interest and they said yes! We'll need to get ready so we can be there on time."
James had his glance focused on Jessie during her explanation, and then he nodded in agreement before turning his head to the others. "Don't want to be late for our first day on the job, you know!"
Meowth then jumped up and grabbed hold on the two's shoulders while he had a confident smile. "Now's the perfect chance for us to start making our own dough!"
May, Brock and Misty were all left at a loss of words after listening to the three and they were simply silent for a few moments before May was the one to break it. "So… what you guys are saying is… it's your fault that you didn't get any proper sleep last night?"
Jessie, James and Meowth froze up at that question, since May had basically summed it in up in one swoop, and they immediately gave nervous smiles as they started to rub the back of their heads before replying in unison. "Well… in a manner of speaking…" Wobbuffet then popped out from behind them and blurted "Wobbuffet!".
May, Brock and Misty then let out resounding sighs of dismay as they were wondering how they were going to manage having these three coming along with them. But on the bright side, as long as they had something to keep them busy, it didn't seem to be that big of an issue. At the same time, Ash was rushing down the path from the Pokemon Centre to find the Dewford Gym with Pikachu running beside him, his excitement to go for his second badge right away shooting sky-high.
A little later, on a part of the island that was overlooking the ocean, Ash was continuing his way down the road with the others following just behind him before he stopped in his tracks. "Look, guys! There's the Dewford Gym!" Ash exclaimed, pointing just ahead. Sure enough, the small group of four had arrived at a building with pale pink paint along with a large roof that was golden and seemed to be rounded: from the looks of the entrance gate, it had to be the Gym. As the four stared up at their destination, Ash showed a confident smile. "Now that we're here, I can't wait to go for that second badge."
"(I'm with you on that, Ash!)" Pikachu commented, nodding in agreement as he was feeling just as pumped up for the battle as his trainer. While they were occupied with that, May turned her eyes up to have a look at the entrance gate and she could see that it was shining golden and had a picture of a Machop and Machamp together along with writing streaked across the sides.
"Guys, take a look at this." The others looked up with May to see what she had spotted and she pointed up at the writing before reading it out loud. "Dewford Island Gym: Fight the Big Wave!" May then placed two fingers under her chin with an expression of confusion on her face as she was trying to make sense of the last part. "What do you think 'Fight the Big Wave' means?"
"I'm not sure." Misty replied, shaking her head as she couldn't make sense of what it meant either. She then turned her head to May as she continued while May kept her attention on the writing. "But there's two things I do know for certain: their gym must use Fighting types and if they have that written right on the front entrance, that must mean they're pretty confident about their skill."
"Yeah, you're right." Brock gave a nod in agreement as he was starting to make sense of what that sign could mean. "I'll bet the Gym Leader is another one of those muscle-bound Trainers, like Chuck from the Cianwood Gym."
As Ash was listening to what the others were saying, he showed a firm expression as he didn't seem to be too fazed. "Who cares? Don't forget, we've had some pretty awesome wins ourselves." He then turned to his partner Pokemon to ask him what he was thinking. "Right, Pikachu?"
"(That's true!)" Pikachu commented, nodding in agreement with the same firm expression that Ash was showing. Without a moment to spare on his end, Ash began to march up towards the front door before holding one fist upwards to start knocking.
"Hello? Is anyone there? I'm here for a Gym battle." At first, he was met with no answer, but after a few seconds, the door immediately flew open and smacked him directly in the face as a group of people holding surfboards charged straight out, evidently hurrying to get towards the coast. The others jumped in alarm upon seeing the group charging towards them and rushed out of the way as they ran by. Once they were certain everything was all clear again, the three made their way back over before turning their attention back to the front door as Ash was left standing there stunned before dropping onto the ground, his eyes having changed into spirals as he fell.
"Ash!" Brock gasped. The three immediately rushed over to him with Pikachu following just beside them and once they got close to Ash, they stopped to look down at him with May bending down to check on him and see if he was okay. "Ash, are you alright?" May asked, showing an expression of worry. Fortunately, after a few seconds, Ash began to sit up and he shook his head rapidly before he started to rub the side and turned his head up to the others in annoyance.
"Those surprise attacks are no fair…" Ash groaned. While the others showed matching smiles of relief that he wasn't hurt too badly, Ash placed his hands against the ground to push himself up so he could regain his footing and he stood up properly before he started to brush his hands against his sweatshirt to make sure it wasn't dusty. At the same time, another person stepped outside the front door with another small group of surfers standing behind him and he showed a smile of amusement at the team of four in front of him.
"Yo, fellas! Probably not the best place for you all to just be standing around, don't you think?" The person in question seemed to be a young man with dark coloured skin and spiked pale blue hair with a light green surfboard in hand and he was wearing a black shirt with bright orange stripes running along the sleeves and front, light blue surfer shorts, black sandal-like shoes with an orange stripe running along the front and side to give the impression of looking like a sandal, along with orange spots where the toes would usually be located, a pair of black fingerless gloves with the top part being orange and a pair of black sunglasses with the lenses being light orange resting on top of his head. The group showed matching expressions of surprise upon seeing him, while Brock was staring with his mouth wide open and his face starting to turn bright red as Ash nodded in agreement.
"I know. It's just that…" Before Ash could continue with his explanation, Brock suddenly interrupted him with a big smile.
"So many beautiful surfer girls!" Brock cheered, his eyes changing into hearts while he spoke and the others looked over at him in alarm while Misty showed an expression of irritation at the fact that this was happening again. With no hesitance, Brock rushed over to one of the girls, who had short dark brown hair and was wearing a deep blue swimsuit with an orange stripe running along the centre, and grabbed hold of her hands while she and her friend standing behind her stared in disbelief. "Hello, ladies! My name's Brock. What do you say we catch a wave on the surfboard of love?"
Before the two could be able to give a reply, Misty made her way over and grabbed Brock by the ear to start pulling him back while he let out a cry of pain. "If anyone tries to catch a wave on your surfboard, they'll be due for a wipe-out." Misty sighed, showing an expression of annoyance while she spoke. "Ow, ow! Not the ear!" Brock cried. Ash and May showed matching smiles of amusement at the display as Misty was paying no heed to Brock's cries, and then they turned their heads to the front as the man walked up to them.
"Can I help you all with something?" he asked. Ash nodded in agreement as he knew exactly why he had come here to begin with. "Yeah, that's right. I'm actually looking for the Gym Leader."
The man quickly showed a big smile as he seemed to know exactly how to help with that. "No way! I'm him!" Ash and May let out resounding gasps of shock at the fact that the man standing in front of them happened to be the Gym Leader, while he simply showed a friendly smile as he was ready to greet them. "The name's Brawly and I'm the leader of the Dewford Island Gym. Are you here to challenge me, little man?"
After allowing a few seconds to pass for him to recover from his initial shock, Ash showed a bright smile before nodding in confirmation. "Yeah, that's right! My name's Ash and this is my partner Pokemon, Pikachu." He then turned his head to the electric mouse Pokemon as he hopped back up onto Ash's shoulder and gave a big smile before waving in greeting. "(Great to meet you!)"
"I'm May." May said, figuring it best to introduce herself as well. She and Ash then looked to see that Misty had arrived back to where they were standing, dragging Brock behind her the whole while.
"My name's Misty. Nice to meet you!" Misty greeted, letting go of Brock's ear and allowing him to drop onto the ground before jumping back onto his feet to introduce himself as well.
"And I'm Brock." Brock added, showing a bright smile as he had a feeling he would regain the feeling in his ear sooner or later. Ash then showed a confident smile as he was finally looking to this.
"So, Brawly, how do you feel about accepting my challenge for a Gym Battle?" Ash asked, clenching one fist tightly as he was feeling excited for his battle. Brawly showed an expression of surprise at Ash's excitement before he showed a nervous smile as he already had something planned for the day.
"Sorry, no can do right now." Ash felt an expression of alarm cross his face, and so did Pikachu, and before he could have a chance to ask why, Brawly was quick to answer his question as he continued. "You see, right up until yesterday the onshore scene was totally gnarly with some really wicked wave age, but today there's a radical bay show just offshore!" While Ash and the others were left staring in bewilderment and trying to understand a single word he was saying, Brawly lowered his hand from the back of his head. "So after all that's over, come on by tomorrow." He then turned his head to the group standing beside him with a big smile before running off towards the coast. "Hey, surf's up, everyone!" The group of surfers immediately followed him in excitement while Ash and the others watched them leave in stunned silence.
"Totally gnarly with wicked wave age?" Ash asked, trying to make sense of what Brawly was trying to say. He wasn't the only one, as May felt an expression of confusion cross her face before she turned her glance over to the others.
"Does anyone here speak that language?" she asked. "Not us." Brock and Misty replied, shaking their heads in unison.
Ash stared in silence for a few moments before an expression of annoyance crossed his face; here he was, feeling excited beyond belief for his next Gym battle and Brawly just blew off the offer like that. "The nerve of that guy!" The others turned their heads to him in surprise at his outburst, wondering what he was upset about before he continued. "And here I was psyching myself up for this Gym battle! What kind of Gym leader is he, anyway?" While he was left feeling annoyed and trying to make sense of why Brawly was acting like this, May showed a bright smile as she turned to him.
"You know, Ash, it is possible to be a Gym Leader and enjoy life a little bit." She then crossed her arms with a cheeky smile as she winked in his direction, turning her attention to Brock and Misty as she did so. "After all, aren't we the ones who are being able to travel with two Gym Leaders?" Brock and Misty both nodded in agreement as they were aware that she was right, while Ash simply remained silent feeling unable to give a response to May's question. Once she was certain that she had effectively stopped Ash in his tracks, May clasped her hands together as she let out a laugh of excitement. "Besides, I think I want to check out that radical wave age. Come on, let's move!" Without a moment to spare, she began to rush off down the path towards the coast while Brock showed a big smile since there was something he was looking to while heading down there.
"Riding the waves with all those surfer girls sounds good to me!" Brock cheered. So with this, he immediately began to follow after May while Misty showed an expression of surprise before chasing after them so she could keep Brock under control. "Brock, that wipe-out is looking not too far away if you're not careful!"
"Huh? Hey, guys, wait!" Ash called, raising one hand up as he spoke. However, he received no answer to his call as the others were getting too far away to hear him and he simply stood there for a few moments before letting out a groan of dismay. "Ohhh… this is just great…" As Pikachu turned his glance over to him in concern seeing his dismay, Ash looked over at his partner Pokemon as it seemed there was only one thing for them to do. "Well, I guess we don't have a choice, Pikachu. After all, we can't have our Gym battle without a Gym Leader. We better hurry and catch up with them."
"(Yeah, I'm with you on that.)" Pikachu commented, nodding in agreement with that idea. With this in mind, Ash began to make his way down the path to catch up with the others as they were heading down towards the coast. But if there was one thing Ash was certain of, it was that he was going to have his battle by the end of the day.
Down on the coast, it seemed that there was a lot of livelihood, as there were many people on their surfboards and they were enjoying the feeling of surfing on the waves and having a great time overall. While there were people busy with surfing, there were also a few that were simply lying on the lounge chairs, relaxing and enjoying a rest under the sun or under the shade of the umbrellas provided. In the centre of the coast where a few people were gathered, a small café stood where they were allowed to come and buy snacks and refreshments. As the doors opened, Jessie, James and Meowth stepped inside as they were all set for their first day of work; they had made sure they were properly dressed as Jessie was wearing a bright pink dress with puffed sleeves and a dark blue bow at the front along with a light pink apron on top which was heart-shaped at the top half, white socks and dark brown small high-heels and James was wearing a pale blue shirt with a buttoned maroon vest on top, dark grey workpants and small black boots. Once the three stepped inside, Jessie let out a cheerful sigh before turning to her comrades. "Ah, here we are! Are you two ready for our first day of work?"
James turned his head to Jessie with a bright smile before nodding in agreement. "I know I am! And bringing these work uniforms from when we were working at the Silver Conference with us was certainly worth it." As the two were busy with their conversation, a young woman, apparently one of the people who worked at the café, came up to them.
"Good morning! Are you the three who have come to help?" she asked. Jessie, James and Meowth turned their glances upon seeing the young woman and they showed eager smiles before nodding in confirmation.
"Yes, that's us!" Jessie and James replied in unison. "We're all set and ready to take care of whatever work you've got for us!" Meowth added, giving a salute as he was dressed in a chef's uniform to match his teammates. The woman stared in silence for a few moments at the three's enthusiasm before she nodded in understanding and showed a grateful smile.
"I see. Well then, follow me and I'll show you around to the back." With this, she turned around and started to make her way over to the door that led into the kitchen and the front of the bar. As Jessie, James and Meowth followed just behind her, the woman turned her head back to them as she continued. "We really appreciate you three coming to offer your assistance. This place always gets so busy at this time of the year, since we get so many customers who want to take some time to rest and relax after spending a long day in the sun."
While the three were listening, Jessie showed a confident smile as it seemed that this wouldn't be such a big deal. "Well, there's nothing we'd like more than being able to make things a little easier for everyone here. If you get any customers, we'll make sure they don't leave unsatisfied!" She then turned to James and Meowth to hear what they had to say. "Isn't that right, you two?"
James and Meowth both turned their heads to her and nodded in agreement. "You know it, Jessie!" James replied. "We'll make sure those customers get the best service they've ever been provided!" Meowth added, showing a confident smile as he was certain that they would make sure everything was running smoothly. Wobbuffet then popped out beside them and blurted "Wobbuffet!" in agreement.
Back outside, Ash and the others had arrived down on the coast and they were looking around to see how many people had gathered to enjoy some sun and surf. "Wow… Mr. Stone wasn't kidding when he said that Dewford Island was a popular spot at this time of the year." Misty commented, as she was looking around to see the large amount of surfers as well as tourists gathered at the coast.
"No kidding there, Misty. I guess it's not surprising there'd be this many people who come by since Dewford Island seems to be a pretty popular place for tourists." Brock agreed, nodding while he spoke. As Ash and May were following just behind them, May let out a squeal of excitement upon realising where they were and she darted off ahead while the others watched in surprise before catching up to her. After a few seconds of running, May stopped in her tracks with a big smile of delight as she had a lookout at the view of the ocean.
"Look, there's the ocean! Come on, guys! Let's go swimming!" Without a moment to spare, May reached down to unstrap her bag from her waist, while the others watched in shock upon realising what she was doing, with Misty being the first to catch on.
"May, hold on a second! You can't change your clothes on the beach!" Misty's warning went unheard, however, as May proceeded to remove her t-shirt, her biker shorts, her bandana and her shoes and throw them down into a small pile on the sand. However, as she turned around to face the others, they were met with a surprise as it was revealed that May was wearing a two-piece swimsuit, with the colour being a light green with the strap for the bikini top being dark blue and two pink hearts on both sides of the strap.
"Don't worry, guys. I made sure my swimsuit was on under my clothes." May replied, showing a bright smile while she spoke. She then let out a cheerful laugh as she placed one hand against her hip and the other behind the back of her head and tilted her right leg forward as if she was striking a pose. "Not bad, am I right?"
There was silence from the others for a few moments before Misty was the one to break it, a smile of relief crossing her face as she did so. "No… not at all, May. If anything, it looks great. But next time, could you let us know of that before you get undressed? I don't think it'd be a good thing to start getting any unwanted attention."
May showed a nervous smile and started to rub the back of her head before giving her reply. "Oh… right. Sorry about that." Once that had been addressed, May turned her attention to Ash since she noticed that he was staring at her in silent amazement and he looked as though his face was about to start turning red at any minute. May let out a giggle upon seeing Ash looking like this and she showed a cheeky smile and made her way over to him, leaning forward as she did so. "Well, Ash… Looking all flustered, I see? I take it this means you like what you see?" She then took a step backwards and began striking a few poses as she continued. "Since those Sharpedo ripped the swimsuit I bought in Rustboro City, I figured it best to make sure I came prepared. And judging from that look on your face, I'm guessing it paid off, huh?"
Ash didn't seem to give a response as he was simply staring in stunned silence at May, taking notice of the bikini she was wearing. From he was sitting on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu turned his head to notice the look of awe on Ash's face and quickly covered his mouth with his paw as he was struggling not to laugh. After a few seconds passed, Ash was finally successful in finding his voice. "Wow, May…" It seemed that he was unable to say anything else as he was still trying to take in the sight in front of him. 'I don't know why, but seeing May in that bikini… it's leaving me speechless. It's like I'm getting a look at how beautiful she is on the outside, just as much as she is on the inside…' With this thought now circling in his head, Ash began to feel a smile of amazement crossing his face. "Yeah… you bet it did." May felt her smile grow in size hearing how much Ash loved her swimsuit, but then Brock's voice suddenly broke them out of their moment.
"Oh, wow! Check it out!" The group turned their heads to Brock wondering what was up, and then they looked to find that he had his attention focused on the surfer girls. "Look at all those girls hang ten and ride those waves!" Ash and May let out quiet sighs while Misty smacked a hand against her forehead as she knew where this was heading, and they seemed to be proven correct as Brock cupped his hands over his mouth to try and get their attention. "Maybe when you're finished, you can come ride the waves of love with me!"
He was then met with a shock as Misty grabbed his ear and pulled on it to get him to stop, with him letting out a cry of pain. "I'll be happy if those waves of love end up crashing down on you." Misty sighed, showing an expression of annoyance as she was starting to wonder if she was going to have to do this for the whole time that they were staying on Dewford Island. Ash and May proceeded to show smiles of amusement as they were watching the two, but then May turned her glance to the left to notice someone nearby and she quickly looked back at the others to get their attention.
"Guys, look! I can see the Gym Leader over there." The others turned their heads in the direction May was pointing in and they noticed that sure enough, standing nearby was Brawly with his surfboard placed down on the sand beside him and a Pokeball in his hand.
"Okay, let's hit it! Makuhita, you're up!" Brawly stated, throwing out the Pokeball in front of him, allowing it to open and release a bipedal Pokemon with a bulky build and a body that was mostly yellow, but had a black marking on his chest that extended around his neck, the round hands resembling black boxing gloves, red ring-shaped markings on his cheeks, slit-like eyes and a knot on the top of his head which caused his entire head to resemble a punching bag. Once Makuhita was out of his Pokeball, he jumped up onto a dark red surfboard so he could join his trainer with riding a few waves. Ash and the others caught notice of Makuhita with smiles of fascination.
"What could that Pokemon be?" Ash asked, grabbing his Pokedex out of his bag and opening it up to find out.
"Makuhita, the Guts Pokémon. Makuhita never gives up, always getting back on its feet no matter how many times it's knocked over. Each time rising to its feet builds up energy in its body."
As Ash went to place his Pokedex back in his bag, the others were watching Brawly and Makuhita as they were surfing side by side. "Wow… those two are really good! They're surfing on big waves, but they manage to stay completely still on their boards. That's amazing!" May exclaimed, a smile of awe crossing her face.
Unfortunately, Ash didn't seem to think the same way as an expression of irritation crossed his face as he was watching the two, evidently realising that this was why Brawly declined his offer. "Hold on a minute! This guy turned down my challenge just to go do some surfing?!" While the others turned to him in surprise upon seeing how this was starting to test his patience, Ash's eyebrows furrowed as he wasn't going to stand for this. "Well, not for long! I'm going to get him to accept my challenge right now!" With no hesitance, he began to rush over while May, Brock and Misty gasped in alarm.
"Ash, wait! I know you were looking forward to your Gym battle, but I think you're getting a bit carried away!" May called, as she started to run after Ash to catch up with him while Brock and Misty quickly followed. It was obvious to them that the anticipation to go for his second Badge right away was getting to Ash, and from the looks of it, it was seeming like less and less of a good thing by the minute.
With Brawly and Makuhita, the two had already climbed up onto their surfboards and they were looking out at a giant wave that was coming in their direction. "Woah! Check out that awesome wave!" Brawly exclaimed, showing a smile of excitement as he was looking forward to this. He then turned his head to Makuhita while the latter turned to him. "This is the one we've been waiting for, Makuhita, so let's go do it!" Before long, the two stood up on top of their surfboards to start their surfing down the trip. "Great form, Makuhita. You're the number one!"
While they were busy with that, Ash had made his way over to the edge of the shore leading out towards the ocean and he kept a lookout before spotting Brawly and Makuhita not too far in the distance, and a firm expression came to his face before he yelled out to them. "Hey! Since you have time to play around, don't you have time to face me in a battle?!" While he was busy with that, the others had caught up since they could tell this was getting out of hand the more time passed.
Brawly lifted his head up to spot Ash standing on the edge of the shore and he could hear what the raven-haired Trainer was saying. "I told you, little man, I'm not doing any battling today! Don't you get it?" At that moment, Makuhita was starting to lose his balance on his surfboard, as he was struggling to stand up on it properly. Taking notice, Brawly immediately turned his head to his Pokemon. "Concentrate, Makuhita! Don't get distracted. You're losing your balance!" Hearing his trainer's call, Makuhita placed his foot back down on the board as he was struggling to keep his balance now.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Ash wasn't willing to give up on having his battle as he began to run so he was now going into the ocean. "Come on! Please?" Once he was certain that he had gone deep enough, Ash jumped forward before diving underwater so he could make it over to where Brawly and Makuhita were surfing. The two in question were left watching in surprise noticing how insistent Ash was on having this Gym Battle.
"I've got to say, he's one determined Trainer." Brawly commented, with Makuhita nodding in agreement with him. As the two started to look around wondering where Ash could have gone, they were met with a shock as Ash poked his head from under the water right where they were, causing them to start losing their balance on their surfboards. At that moment, the wave Brawly and Makuhita had been surfing suddenly came crashing down, pouring over the three and sending them flying towards the shore. From where they stood watching the scene, May, Misty and Brock all gasped from shock.
"Ash!" The three gasped in unison. With no hesitance, the three ran over to see that Brawly had just managed to pick himself up after that wipe-out and was going to check on Makuhita and see if he was okay from being swept away by that wave. "Is everyone alright?" Brock asked as he and the others were looking on in concern.
Brawly lifted his head up to them with a reassuring smile. "Yeah, we're fine. We're hanging in there." He then looked down at Makuhita as he was starting to sit up. "Okay, Makuhita, we don't want to miss the big kahuna."
The others started to show smiles of relief upon seeing that things seemed to be fine, but then Misty started to look around once she noticed that there was someone still missing. "Wait… has anyone seen where Ash went?" May and Brock showed matching expressions of surprise upon realising that Misty was right and as they were starting to wonder where the raven-haired Trainer went, they were met with their answer as they spotted a small bump in the sand shuffling its way over before out popped Ash with the bottom half of his body still buried in the sand.
"Won't you just battle with me?!" Ash blurted, having his arms upwards as this was really starting to get on his nerves. The others kept their glances down on him before Pikachu began to shake his head in exasperation, letting out a sigh as he did so. "(Found him…)"
"And from the looks of it, he's still wanting to go for that challenge." Brock commented. While Misty nodded in agreement, May showed a smile of amusement as she was noticing that Ash was stuck in the sand and she walked over to him before bending down, resting her hands against her knees as she did so. "Are you alright, Ash? It looks like you need a bit of help getting out of there."
Ash lifted his head up to May before showing a confident smile as he waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry, May. I'm fine. I can get out myself." He then started to try and pull himself out from under the sand, but unfortunately, it seemed that the bottom half of his body was buried deep since he didn't seem to move an inch. After a few seconds of struggling, Ash let out a sigh as he stopped with his struggling before looking back up at May with an uneasy expression. "On second thought, I might be a bit stuck…"
May felt her smile grow before she placed a hand against her mouth as she was attempting to stifle her giggles with little success, with Ash crossing his arms and letting out a groan under his breath that May found his predicament amusing. Fortunately, after a few seconds, May managed to stop before she bent down and held her hands out to him. "Well then, let me give you an extra hand." Ash showed a grateful smile at May's offer of assistance before he placed his hands in hers and May began to take a few steps backwards as she was starting to pull Ash from out of the sand. Once he was out, Ash let go of her hands so he could start brushing off the sand that was stuck to the bottom of his sweatshirt and pants, and then he looked up at May while she was watching him on.
"Thanks for the help, May." Ash softly said. May simply gave a big smile and clasped her hands together behind her back, while Pikachu scampered over to climb back up onto Ash's shoulder while he turned his head to notice his partner Pokemon looking at him in worry as he was wondering if he was alright. "Don't worry, Pikachu. I'm okay. A small wave like that never hurt anyone." As Pikachu gave a smile of relief after hearing this, Brock and Misty made their way over to the two with matching looks of concern at the way that Ash was behaving at the moment.
"Ash, this is really getting out of hand. I know you want to go for your second Gym Badge as soon as you can, but this is going too far. Isn't it too much for you to wait for one day?" Misty asked. Brock nodded in agreement as he crossed his arms, clearly taking notice of the amount of impatience Ash was displaying; it honestly looked like how Ash used to act at the start of his journey. "That's right. I mean, you were able to wait to have your battle at the Rustboro Gym."
Pikachu then turned his head to his trainer in concern since it seemed that he was taking notice of Ash's impatience as well. "(Is everything alright, Ash? What's wrong?)"
Ash let out a sigh under his breath upon hearing what the others had to say and he lowered his glance since he was aware that they were right before looking back up at them so he could explain. "I know, guys. It's just that… after we were in Rustboro City for so long, I really want to start making up for lost time."
The others were silent for a few moments before they turned their heads to each other, seemingly realising that Ash was right. "Well… I guess that's true. I mean, we did stay in Rustboro City for longer than we expected to…" Brock commented, with May and Misty nodding in agreement while he spoke. Between helping Roxanne out at the Trainer's School, Ash and May going out on their first date, helping to stop Team Aqua at the Devon Corporation and everything they went through to get to Dewford Island to begin with, what Ash was saying did seem to make a lot of sense. As the four were busy with their conversation, they didn't notice that Brawly was listening in to what they were saying and he lowered his head to think for a few moments before nodding in confirmation, and then he stood up to make his way over to the group.
"Well, I guess some things are just meant to happen." The group of four turned their heads in surprise to notice that Brawly was walking over to them with Makuhita following just beside him, and he was silent for a few moments before showing an eager smile. "You got it! I accept your battle challenge, little man!"
Ash quickly felt a smile of excitement cross his face upon hearing that he would be able to go for his second badge now. "That's great! Thanks, Brawly!" However, his excitement was quickly deflated as Brawly didn't seem to be quite finished with his sentence just yet.
"But… before we do that, there's just something to take care of for today." Ash nearly felt his mouth drop open in disbelief at this news and the others seemed to look just as surprised as he was, silently wondering what Brawly could mean by that before he continued. "We'll need to pay a visit to the Gym."
The group of four showed matching expressions of surprise at this. "What for, exactly?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
Brawly simply showed an enthusiastic smile before giving a wink in the group's direction. "You'll find out when we get there. Come on, follow me." He then started to make his way towards the path that would lead towards the Gym with Makuhita following beside him, while Ash and the others were left staring in silence for a few moments before deciding to start following to catch up with him.
Meanwhile, at the café, Jessie, James and Meowth were busy at work with taking the orders of visitors and giving them exactly what they had asked for. While Jessie and James were taking care of delivering the orders, Meowth was in charge of getting everything prepared in the kitchen so they would be ready for serving. As the three were occupied with their respective jobs, the front door of the café opened automatically to allow two people to step inside, with one of them being a young man with short brown hair and wearing pale green swim shorts and dark brown sandals, while the other was a woman with dark purple hair that extended to her shoulders and she was wearing a long bright orange top and white sandals. As the two looked around, they found that the place appeared to be empty. "Hey, is there anybody working here or what?" The man asked, placing his hands on his shoulders as he and the girl were looking around in surprise, wondering where the employers were.
From inside the kitchen, Jessie poked her head out to spot the two and a smile of excitement came to her face before she turned to James and Meowth to let them know. "We have more customers here! Be sure to look professional." Her teammates nodded in agreement as Meowth went back to work behind the stove while Jessie and James made their way to the front to greet the two. "Good day there, you two! How may we serve you?" Jessie asked, with James giving a cheerful wave to the two while she spoke.
The pair in question showed matching smiles of delight that there was someone here to serve them before the man was the one to speak up, holding up two fingers as he did so. "Hey, awesome! We'll have two super sodas, if that's okay."
Fortunately, Jessie and James didn't need to be told twice as they immediately showed that they were holding one tray with a soda can on top of it each. "Service with a smile!" The two happily stated. The two surfers felt their smiles grow upon seeing that their order had arrived immediately before grabbing one soda can each.
"That's great! Thanks a lot." The girl happily commented. "We'll see you later, dudes." The man added, before the two of them turned to head back outside to enjoy a break from surfing, with Jessie and James happily waving as they were on their way out.
"Come back anytime! We'll be here waiting to serve you." Jessie cheerfully replied. "We make sure to give complete satisfaction!" James added. Once the two had stepped outside, the door closed behind them and when they were certain they were the only ones, Jessie and James let out quiet sighs before turning their heads to each other, with the two of them showed matching bright smiles.
"Well, I'd say that things are going better than I expected it to. I didn't realise that doing honest work would be much easier than I thought." Jessie commented; it had only been a few hours since they got started on this first shift, but they were getting through it like it was nothing. James let out a chuckle as he nodded in agreement.
"Mm-hmm, and it feels extremely rewarding too. Not just for us, but for everyone we're serving. It basically feels like a win-win situation!" James eagerly agreed, and he and Jessie proceeded to let out matching laughs of excitement at how well things seemed to be going for them. From where he was inside the kitchen, Meowth poked his head out from the open door and showed an expression of annoyance once he caught sight of the two just standing there, and he hopped up onto the front of the bar before flailing a spatula and a small frying pan he was holding in each of his paws to get their attention.
"Hey, if you two are done just standing there yapping, maybe you could help me with these hot meals!? I may be the chef around here, but I've only got two paws and those ain't enough to keep up!"
Jessie and James turned their heads to Meowth at the sound of his griping and Jessie showed a confident smile as she didn't seem too fazed about the whole situation. "Oh, stop your worrying, Meowth. We've got things under control so far. Besides, the only time you'll need to worry about keeping up is if we have a rush hour."
"And the only time that's going to happen is during the days that ask for it, and during a day like this, I don't see that happening anytime soon." James commented, nodding in agreement with her. As Meowth simply kept his glance on the two in annoyance, silently asking himself how they were staying so calm, the trio were met with a surprise as the manager approached them with a smile of delight, having been keeping an eye on their progress during the morning.
"Well… for your first day, the three of you have been doing very well so far. I don't normally do this for new employees, but I think you three have earned yourselves an early break today. Be sure to come back in time for the afternoon shift."
The trio immediately showed matching smiles of delight at their reward, with their eyes lighting up in excitement, and they let out a resounding cheer in unison, now fully aware that their hard work was paying off. "Thank you! We'll be back before you know it!" The three replied in unison, nodding in understanding. Without a moment to spare, the trio made their way out the front door, with Meowth dropping the spatula and frying pan he had been holding as he followed his teammates, with the manager watching in surprise before showing a smile of amusement and laughing to herself, clearly taking notice of the three's eagerness to have an early break.
As the trio stepped outside, they turned their heads to each other in immense delight. "Did you two hear that? All of that hard work and we get ourselves an early break on our first day of the job!" Jessie happily stated, turning her heads to James and Meowth as she spoke.
"I think we have ourselves a good deal with this place. If we keep it up, we'll start earning our own money in no time!" James agreed, showing a smile of delight that matched Jessie's. Meowth lifted his head up to his comrades as he was listening to what they had to say before nodding in agreement with them.
"There's nothing like getting off to a great start with this new outlook!" While Meowth was talking, Wobbuffet popped out of his Pokeball from behind the trio and blurted "Wobbuffet!" in agreement. Jessie turned her head to notice him standing behind her and she let out a giggle before turning her head to her teammates as she seemed to have an idea on how to make the most out of their break.
"Since we're out here, why don't we make the most of it? Who's up for some fun on the beach?" While James and Meowth were watching in surprise wondering what she meant, they were met with a shock as Jessie went to grab her dress before removing it, with the two screaming in alarm before James proceeded to cover his eyes and Meowth and Wobbuffett began flailing their arms in panic.
"Are you nuts, Jess?! This ain't a great place for changing!" Meowth cried, raising his paws in front of his face while he was talking. After a few moments, he, James and Wobbuffet were met with the sound of Jessie's amused laughter and they turned their glances to her to find that she was wearing a dark blue two piece swimsuit with a bright pink stripe running along the straps.
"You both worry too much. What made you think I wouldn't make sure my swim gear was on underneath my clothes?" She then showed a smile of amusement at the two's dumbstruck faces before she reached to grab her other two Pokeballs. "Besides, we shouldn't be the only ones enjoying ourselves. Seviper, Wurmple, come out!" She threw the Pokeballs in front of her, allowing them to open and release her other two Pokemon as they appeared on the sand in front of them.
James and Meowth watched in silence for a few moments before they showed matching bright smiles, evidently catching on with what Jessie was trying to tell them. "Hey, great idea, Jess! That way, we'll all be out for some much needed relaxation." Meowth commented.
With a nod in agreement, James went to grab out his Pokeball before throwing it in front of him. "Come on, Cacnea! It's break time!" The Pokeball then opened and released Cacnea, with the small Pokemon immediately turning around to hug James, prompting him to let out a cry of pain. "I said break time, not pain time!" Cacnea seemed to get the message right away, as he let go of James before hopping over to the other Pokemon that were gathered together.
"All right, everyone. Who's up for some rest and relaxation?" Jessie asked, bending down to the small group of Pokemon. The Pokemon proceeded to cheer in unison, clearly looking forward to having some fun on the coast. As James was watching the others, he turned his head to notice the group of surfers that were gathered together and he immediately turned back to the others to get their attention.
"While you're busy with your rest, I'm thinking of riding a few waves with those surfers. We just need to find where the surfboards are and then it's time to start riding the waves of enjoyment!"
Jessie was silent while she was listening to what James had to say and she showed an expression of puzzlement as she rested one hand against her hip. "Since when were you a surfer?"
James turned his glance to her and showed a confident smile before raising one hand with his forefinger up. "Oh, Jessie, Jessie, Jessie. Don't you remember our time on Seafoam Island? I happened to pick up a few things while we were there on our business, and one of those just happened to be the art of riding the waves. With my skill, I'll be able to fit right in with that group without any trouble! I'll be right back; you two can go on ahead!" Showing no hesitance on his end, James rushed off to grab a surfboard for himself while Jessie and Meowth were left staring in dumbstruck silence. After a few seconds passed, Jessie was the one to break the silence.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like James is letting this whole being on an island resort get to his brain?" Meowth let out a sigh of dismay before slowly shaking his head. "You're far from the only one…"
Back with Ash and the others, the small group were continuing their way down the path that was leading back to the Gym, with May having changed back into her regular clothes before they left. "So, Ash, I'm guessing that since you're here, that means you've already gotten the Stone Badge in Rustboro City?" Brawly asked, having decided it best to strike up a conversation on the way there.
Ash nodded in confirmation, fully aware that was indeed the case. "Yeah, that's right. Me and my Pokemon went up against Roxanne and her team. Her Nosepass gave us a bit of a challenge, but we managed to come out on top in the end!" He then turned his head to Pikachu as the mouse Pokemon was listening to him. "Isn't that right, Pikachu? Our training with Iron Tail really paid off, didn't it?"
"(You bet it did, Ash.)" Pikachu replied, nodding in agreement; he could still remember how hard they trained to make sure Pikachu had Iron Tail perfected before their battle with Roxanne. Brawly showed an awestruck smile while he was listening to Ash.
"Woah… that's awesome! You know, not a lot of Trainers manage to beat her team so easily. I go to challenge her sometimes and she manages to give me a challenge even though I have the advantage against her! I guess that says a lot about how strong she is, huh?"
Ash and the others showed matching expressions of surprise after hearing Brawly say that. "Wait… so that means you know Roxanne?" Misty asked, pointing to Brawly in surprise to make sure she was hearing this correctly. Brawly turned his head to the group and nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, that's right. Whenever I'm not busy with the Gym, I tend to pay a visit to Rustboro City so I can see her. I've invited her down here a few times, but she's always busy between the Gym and her teaching at the Trainer's School. She's a bit of a tough girl, probably just as much as the type of her Gym." He then felt an amused smile come to his face as he could recall just how much of a hard time Roxanne gave him during his visits. "But… you got to love a girl who knows how to make you work for some time with her."
May let out a giggle as she was listening to what Brawly had to say before she made her way over so she was walking beside him, to which he turned his head to notice her there. "You're not the only one who knows her, believe it or not." Brawly blinked in surprise as he was wondering what May meant by that, and she showed a bright smile as she was more than happy to explain. "Roxanne and I met while I was at Trainer's School, and when we met again while we were at Rustboro City, she recognised me right away! You wouldn't believe how exciting that was for me. She also said that she'll keep in touch with me whenever she can." While she was talking, May reached over to open her bag up and grab out her PokeNav to show Brawly, with the latter looking down at the PokeNav in silence before showing a smile of fascination as he raised his glance up at her.
"Now that's something exciting to hear! It's awesome to know that Roxanne has a few friends that she knows really well." May let out a cheerful laugh and nodded in agreement, since she seemed to know that Brawly was right about that. She felt just as glad that she and Roxanne remembered each other from her days at the Trainer School, and that they'd be able to catch up with each other now. From where he, Ash and Misty were walking not too far behind, Brock turned his head to Brawly as there was something he had been wondering about.
"Brawly, I was wondering: would you happen to know someone named Steven?"
Brawly turned his head to Brock and his smile immediately grew as he nodded in confirmation. "If you mean Steven Stone, then you bet I do! He and I are really good friends. Whenever he makes a new discovery on this island, he tends to come and show me. I don't get all this stuff about rare stones and whatever there is around here, but I always look forward to finding out what discoveries he makes." Ash and the others were all listening in stunned silence, all four of them clearly left at a loss of words after hearing how Brawly and Steven knew each other so well. As Brawly turned his attention back to the road in front of them, he came to a stop once he saw that they were approaching the entrance into the Gym before turning around to face the group. "All right, here we are."
As Ash and the others looked up at the Gym, May turned to Brawly with an eyebrow raised in confusion as there was something she was still wondering about. "What exactly are we doing back here?"
Brawly let out a chuckle at how lost she appeared to be before giving his reply. "I'll show you when we get inside. Come on, follow me." He then turned to open the door and make his way inside. Ash and the others turned their heads to each other as a few seconds of silence passed before they figured that maybe they should follow Brawly's lead and began to follow him inside. As the small group were walking through the hallway, Brawly turned his head to them. "This might come as a surprise to you all, but this Gym isn't just known for its battles. We also have fitness circuits for Trainers who are looking to get into proper shape. After all, there's no good getting into battle if a Trainer can't keep up with their Pokemon, is there?"
As Ash and the others were listening to what Brawly had to say, Ash was the first to speak up as he showed an expression of puzzlement. "So… this place doubles as a Pokemon Gym and a fitness Gym?" He wasn't the only one who was feeling a little flummoxed as Pikachu rested one paw against his chin as he was trying to make sense of it. "(That does sound a bit unusual…)"
Misty didn't seem to look too worried, though, as she showed a reassuring smile. "You have to admit, it does sound like a good idea." The others looked over at her in surprise as they were wondering what she meant, with May being the first to address their thoughts.
"Really?" she asked. Misty turned her glance to her before nodding in agreement.
"Of course. There's no harm in staying in shape, especially when you're travelling. Besides, it might help you for when you're battling, even if it's not completely obvious." While May was looking a bit uncertain about that, Brawly showed an enthusiastic smile as he was listening to what Misty had to say before giving a nod.
"Yeah, that's true! All the Trainers who come here say that after they've exercised here, their battle performance tends to improve quite a bit. If you all are interested, how would you like to join in?"
There seemed to be no hesitance on Ash's end as he showed a smile of determination before nodding in agreement. "If it means getting ready for our Gym battle, then you can count me in!" He then turned his glance to Pikachu to hear what his partner Pokemon thought. "What do you say, buddy? You up for it?"
Pikachu showed a confident smile and immediately nodded, clenching one fist as he did so. "(You know I am, Ash. Bring it on!)"
While May showed an expression of surprise at Ash's immediate reply, she was met with a shock as Misty nodded as well. "I'd like to join in as well."
Brock seemed to think it was a good idea as well as he gave a nod in agreement too. "I could use a good work-out myself, so I'm in too."
May turned her head back and forth to the others in stunned silence, since she didn't seem to feel as enthusiastic about this as they were. "But… guys, I don't really see the point in all of this."
Ash turned his glance to May upon taking notice of her uncertainty and showed a reassuring smile before placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think you should join in too, May." May looked over at him in surprise wondering why he thought that before he continued. "Whether this helps or not, it won't hurt to just try it for yourself. I bet it'll help you out quite a bit when you get into battles and maybe even help for your next Contest. After all, there's nothing wrong with making sure you and your Pokemon are in good shape, right?"
May lowered her glance to think it over, since what Ash was saying did seem to make sense. Even if she felt it didn't seem necessary, there was no harm in ensuring she and her Pokemon were in top condition, especially if things got tougher later down the road. After a few seconds passed for her to have some thinking time, she gave a reply. "Well… no, I guess not." She then raised her head and showed a smile of confidence before nodding in agreement. "All right. You can count me in too!"
This seemed to sit well with the others as they all showed matching smiles of delight that May would be joining in as well. "That's great! You just make sure to do your best with your exercises." Ash replied. May turned her glance to him and nodded in agreement, as if to silently say that she would keep that in mind.
"I think we'll all keep that in mind." Misty commented, with Togepi letting out a cheerful chirp of agreement from where she was sitting in Misty's arms. Brawly let out a chuckle to himself as he was hearing what the group to say, noticing how excited they were to get started.
"All right then, you all won't need to wait very long to get started. Here's the place!" As he stopped in his tracks, Ash and the others turned their heads to find that they had come to a door with a sign over the front that said 'Circuit Room: For Trainers looking to get into top condition!'
"You have a circuit room here?" Ash asked, pointing up at the sign. Brawly gave a nod in confirmation.
"Yep! We have all kinds of exercising equipment for Trainers and their Pokemon to use so they can reach their best physical condition. Let's head inside."
"All right!" Ash and the others replied in unison, nodding in agreement with that idea. Upon hearing that the group were eager to get started, Brawly went to push the doors open and allow the group to step inside. As the group of four entered, they were met with quite an impressive sight: all around the room, that seemed to be huge, they could see that there were all kinds of exercise equipment organised around the room: there was a row of exercise bikes lined up on one side of the room, punching bags of various sizes were pinned to the ceiling, a few balancing beams, a couple of treadmills, heavy metal Pokeballs of varying sizes and weights, different obstacle courses that had been set up around the room, there were a few Pilates mats laid out on the floor and other kinds of equipment. It also seemed that there were a few Trainers busy at work with exercise with their Pokemon. Needless to say, it was a sight that left Ash and the others feeling a bit speechless.
"Woah… this place is huge." Ash silently gasped, with him being the first to break the silence that hung over the group. "(No kidding…)" Pikachu commented, slowly shaking his head while he spoke.
Brawly showed a smile of amusement at the group's silence. "Pretty impressive, isn't it?" He then turned to face the group to continue. "We have all kinds of exercises and circuits that accommodate any Trainers who come here with their Pokemon. And for anyone with Water Pokemon at their disposal, we have an indoor pool area."
Misty felt a smile of delight immediately come to her face as she was listening to what Brawly was saying about the indoor pool. "I think I've found where I'm heading off to first." She then went to grab her Pokeballs out before throwing them. "Come on out, everyone!" The Pokeballs then opened, releasing Horsea, Goldeen, Psyduck and Starmie who appeared in front of her. Once she was certain she had all four members of her team out, Misty bent down to them. "Who's up for some exercise in that pool area?" The Pokemon in question immediately began to cheer in agreement, with the exception of Psyduck as he tilted his head in confusion, having no idea what was going on.
As Misty stood up, Ash turned his head to Pikachu as he was starting to have the same idea. "We should get everyone out so they can join in too." Pikachu promptly nodded in agreement with that idea, so Ash opened his bag up to grab his Pokeballs out before throwing them. "Come on out, guys. It's time to start our training!" The Pokeballs then opened and released Ash's team of four consisting of Larvitar, Taillow, Riolu and Treecko, with Treecko going to grab his twig and put it in his mouth once he was out.
"All right, looks like it's my turn." May commented, as she went to open her bag and grab out her four Pokeballs. "Let's go, everyone!" She then threw her Pokeballs into the air, allowing them to open and release Torchic, Azurill, Ralts and Wurmple.
"Forretress, Lotad, Sharpedo, let's go!" Brock stated, grabbing out his three Pokeballs and throwing them, allowing them to open and send out his three Pokemon. Once they were certain everyone was out, Ash turned his attention to the Pokemon that were gathered, including Pikachu as he hopped off Ash's shoulder to join the others.
"Everyone, we're here to do some training. They've got all kinds of exercising circuits so you can all join in. Does that sound good?" Ash asked. The idea seemed to fit perfectly with the group of Pokemon as they all cheered in agreement, with the exception of Wurmple as she seemed to be looking a little out of it, if her droopy eyes were any indication. This happened to grab the group's attention, especially May as she bent down to look at Wurmple in concern.
"What's the matter, Wurmple? Are you feeling okay?" May softly asked. Wurmple slowly shook her head before lying down on the floor, to which May lowered her head to think about what to do before she looked up with a smile. "Hey, I know what might help you feel better." She then went to open her bag and grabbed a can of Pokemon food that had been especially made for Wurmple and she removed the lid before placing the can in front of Wurmple. "Here you are. I'll bet you haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."
Wurmple looked up at the can of Pokemon food before slowly shaking her head. "(No thank you… I'm not feeling hungry…)" The group were immediately caught by surprise, since this seemed to be very unlike Wurmple.
"I've never known Wurmple to turn down the chance for food. Usually Wurmple's got a pretty big appetite." Ash commented, crossing his arms with a concerned frown as he was starting to wonder what had gotten into Wurmple all of a sudden. He wasn't the only one as Brock was beginning to think about it himself.
"Maybe Wurmple's just feeling tired. After all, with everything we've been through over the past few days, that would wear any Pokemon out." Ash and Misty turned their heads to him while he was speaking, to which Misty showed an expression of puzzlement as something about that didn't make sense to her.
"But… everyone else feels just fine. Why would Wurmple suddenly be so worn out?" While the three were busy with their conversation, May wasn't paying any attention to them as she had her focus on Wurmple, since she was beginning to wonder what was getting into her little Pokemon.
"Wurmple, what's wrong? Do you feel sick?" Wurmple lifted her head up to see her Trainer looking down at her with immense worry in her eyes before slowly shaking her head in response.
"(No, I don't think so…)" May reached down to place a hand against Wurmple's forehead, and she could tell that Wurmple seemed to feel the same as she usually did.
"You don't seem to have a fever…" Once she was certain that there was nothing wrong, May removed her hand from Wurmple's forehead and looked down at her little Pokemon as she simply lay on the floor, evidently not looking in the mood for moving at all. As May kept her eyes on Wurmple, she felt a few tears beginning to build in her eyes from immense worry; here she was, having one of her Pokemon not feeling like themselves and she had no idea why. "Oh, Wurmple… I wish I knew what was wrong with you…"
Ash, Misty and Brock kept their glances on May with matching expressions of worry, clearly taking notice of how upset she was about being unable to help Wurmple since she had no idea what the problem was and silently wondering how they could help. As Togepi was watching the situation from Misty's arms, an idea suddenly lit up in her head and she started to poke Misty's arm to get her attention. "(Mum?)"
Feeling Togepi poking her head, Misty looked down at her little Pokemon. "Hmm? What is it, Togepi?" Togepi then pointed down at Wurmple and Misty had a look down at the worm Pokemon with her, before she seemed to figure out what Togepi was trying to say. "You want to stay with Wurmple and make sure there's nothing wrong?" Togepi gave a nod in confirmation to say that was indeed the case. Misty showed a small smile before nodding in understanding. "That sounds like a good idea to me."
As May was still looking on at Wurmple, she was met with a surprise as Togepi ran over to her before placing a small hand over her and turning her head to May. May blinked twice in surprise as she was wondering what Togepi was saying, and she was given with her answer as Misty bent down to her. "Don't worry, May. Togepi will stay here and keep an eye on Wurmple." May felt her eyes go wide in surprise before looking back at Togepi to see her showing a reassuring smile, as if to say not to worry about Wurmple for the time being. After a few seconds, May showed a grateful smile.
"Thanks, Togepi. I'm sure Wurmple will appreciate it too." Togepi happily nodded in agreement before turning her attention back to Wurmple as she began gently tapping her to make sure she was okay. Once they were certain that things were under control for the time being, Misty turned her glance to the others.
"Well, me and my Pokemon will be off at the pool area." She then looked over at Sharpedo and Lotad since she suspected that they would like to come along too. "Sharpedo, Lotad, would you like to come with us?" The two turned around to face Misty and her team of Water Pokemon before nodding; that sounded like a plan to them. Upon seeing that Sharpedo and Lotad agreed with her idea, Misty happily smiled. "Great! We'll see you guys later!" Without a moment to spare, Misty began to head off towards the pool area with the small group of water Pokemon following behind her. Once she had left, Brock turned to face Ash and May.
"What do you say we all get started too?" Brock suggested.
"Yeah!" Ash and May agreed in unison, nodding while they did so.
With their plan in mind, the group proceeded to get to work, with them splitting up to start looking through the circuit room to figure out a starting point for each of them. With May, she was having a look around at the equipment that was organised across the room. "Hmm… let's see… where would be a good place for me to start?" She rested one finger against her chin as she turned her head back and forth to look around at the equipment, feeling uncertain of what she should go with first.
"Hey there!" May jumped in alarm at the sound of a voice from beside her and she turned her head to notice just nearby from her, there was a young woman sitting on one of the exercise bikes, pedalling at what seemed to be a fast speed from May's perspective. Once she was certain the woman was talking to her, May walked over to find out what was up. "Are you looking for something to get you started with some exercise?"
May showed an expression of surprise upon hearing that the woman had figured it out without needing to be told, but then she nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, that's right. My name's May."
The woman showed a friendly smile at May's introduction and gave a cheerful wave as she was holding onto the front bars of the bike. "It's great to meet you, May. My name's Isabelle. I was just about to finish up my regular cycling exercise. Would you like a turn?"
May took a look down at the exercise bike; it seemed to look similar to the ones she had seen on TV in Petalburg City, but then again she never paid too much attention to the full exercise session, so she didn't feel certain. She then looked up to notice that Isabelle had just finished up her cycling and was hopping off to get herself a drink after her circuit. As she watched Isabelle walk off, May turned her glance back to the exercise bike and looked down to think. "It does look pretty easy. I guess it's worth a try." With her decision in mind, May made her way over and climbed on, sitting down on the seat and placing both of her feet on the pedals. Once she was set, May began pedalling and it didn't take long for her to get started. "Hey… this is just like riding an actual bike, except it's in one place." After a few seconds passed, May felt a smile of delight come to her face and she let out a cheerful laugh, just as Isabelle was arriving back and happened to notice her. "This is more fun than I expected!"
Isabelle showed a bright smile once she saw that May was enjoying herself and happily nodded in agreement. "Isn't it? Cycling improves your leg-strength and that can really help your footwork during battles."
May quickly showed an expression of puzzlement as she didn't quite understand what that meant. "Why would a Trainer need to have good footwork?"
Fortunately, Isabelle was more than happy to explain. "In battle, your Pokemon are constantly in motion, aren't they?" May slowly nodded in confirmation, silently wondering where she was going with this. "In order to keep an eye on what's happening, a Trainer needs to be mobile and active as well."
May was silent for a few moments before a smile of awe crossed her face as it seemed to make sense to her. "Oh… I get it. Well then, I'll make sure to pick up the pace with this!" With an expression of determination crossing her face, May immediately began to pick up her pedalling speed, prepared to make the most out of her exercising.
With Ash and Pikachu, the two of them were having a look around together when Pikachu spotted something nearby and started poking Ash's head to get his attention. "(Ash, look at this!)" Ash turned to his head to his partner Pokemon, wondering what was up, and he was given his answer when he looked in the direction Pikachu was pointing in and he noticed just ahead from them, there was a machine consisting of two ropes hanging from one horizontal wheel each, with the whole machine being attached to a generator via a pulley system. As Ash had a look at the machine, he and Pikachu showed matching smiles of amazement.
"Wow, that looks pretty cool!" Ash commented. He then turned his head to Pikachu to hear what he thought about this idea. "You want to give it a shot?"
"(I don't see why not.)" Pikachu replied, nodding in agreement. With their idea in mind, the two made their way over to the machine, with Pikachu hopping off Ash's shoulder before they went to grab one rope for each of them and climb up it. Once they were set up, the two turned their heads to see to find that Brock had spotted them and was making his way over.
"Hey, you two need help starting it up?" Brock asked. Ash and Pikachu were silent for a few moments before nodding in reply.
"Yeah, that'd be great, Brock." Ash replied. Brock could see that the remote for the machine was sitting nearby on one of the shelves for the weights, so he went to grab it and pressed the button. Once he did so, the wheels began to slowly rotate with Ash and Pikachu spinning in place as they were holding onto the ropes. As the two were holding on tight, Ash turned his glance to Brock in between spins. "What exactly… is the idea… of this thing?" Ash nervously asked, struggling to get his question out in between spins.
"I think I can answer that for you." Brock showed an expression of surprise at the sound of the voice from beside him and he looked to notice that Brawly was walking over, having spotted the three and figured that maybe he should help them out. "The way to do this one is that you need to time the ropes so you both grab at the same second."
Ash and Pikachu were silent during Brawly's explanation before they both nodded in understanding. "All right then, let's give it a shot." Ash commented. Pikachu gave a nod in agreement, so once their respective ropes got close to each other, the two proceeded to reach forward to grab onto the other, but unfortunately, that was proving to be much easier said than done since timing proved to be a bit tough. As Brock and Brawly were watching the two, the latter turned his glance to the former to explain the idea behind this machine.
"This machine over here help Trainers and their Pokemon with getting into perfect sync with one another. It's great exercise for improving teamwork."
Brock showed a smile of fascination and placed two fingers under his chin as he was starting to understand how all of this worked. "I have to admit, it does make a lot of sense."
However, it seemed that Ash and Pikachu didn't quite think the same way as they were still struggling with their timing. After a few seconds passed, Ash turned his glance to Brawly and Brock. "I think… now might be… a good time to… try something else."
Pikachu nodded in agreement with him. "(Yeah… this is starting… to make me… dizzy!)"
Brawly showed a smile of amusement before nodding in understanding. "All right, let's switch this off then." He then pressed the button on the remote, causing the wheels to stop rotating with the spinning ropes slowly coming to a stop. Once they were certain that they were now completely still, Ash and Pikachu let go of the ropes to place their feet back on the floor, with the both of them feeling their eyes spinning around in their sockets as they rested a hand against one of the poles to regain their bearings. As Brock was watching them, Brawly turned his head to the three. "I was gonna head down to the mats to start some push-ups. Would you fellas like to come along?"
Ash and Pikachu immediately nodded in agreement, since that seemed like a better idea than the machine they were using. "Yeah, that sounds great to me. What do you think, Pikachu?" Ash asked, turning his head to his partner Pokemon to hear what he had to say.
"(Works fine with me.)" Pikachu commented, nodding as well.
Meanwhile in the pool area, Misty was having a look around with the group of Water Pokemon following just behind her. "Wow… this place looks amazing. I think we've found the perfect training place for us." As she was talking, she took a look down at the team that was following her with the Pokemon cheering in agreement. It didn't take them to approach where the pool was, with the size of it taking up about half the room, with Misty bending down to them. "You can all go on ahead. I'm going to get myself ready. I'll be right back." With her plan in mind, Misty stood up and began to make her way over to the change rooms to get herself prepared to join her team. After she was gone, Horsea was the one to address the others.
"(Come on, everyone. Let's get ourselves started too!)" With no hesitance on his end, Horsea hopped over towards the pool before jumping in, landing in the water with a splash. He then surfaced and turned his head to the others. "(Come on, join in!)"
The rest of the Pokemon looked over at each other before figuring it best to follow Horsea's lead, since Misty was going to join them shortly, and began to make their way over to jump in too, with the exception of Psyduck as he simply stood there watching the others with a blank look on his face.
Back inside the main circuit room, May had finished with her pedalling and she was sitting down on one of the benches to have a break. "Whew… that was quite a workout. And to think I've just gotten started too. I'll bet this is how everyone on Dewford Island manages to get into good shape." She then stood up from the bench and started to walk over to one of the vending machines that was in the corner of the room. "I could use a good drink after that." As she arrived at the vending machine, she had a look over the drinks before pressing two buttons on the front. After a few seconds, a bottle of water dropped down into the front compartment and May reached inside to grab it. Once she had her drink in hand, she removed the lid before starting to gulp down some of the water. She then lowered the bottle from her lips and let out a sigh. "Ah… now that's a much needed refreshment." After placing the lid back on, she went to open her bag up and placed the bottle inside so she'd have it on hand when she needed it.
"I wonder how the others are doing with their exercising. I'll bet they're probably working as hard as they can. I better pick up the pace so I don't get left behind." With a confident smile coming to her face, May began to walk off to start looking for other exercises she could do. As she was looking around, she could see that the other Trainers gathered were busy at work. "I'll bet all our Pokemon are keeping themselves busy as well. Hope things are going well for them." While she spoke, an expression of worry came to her face as she realised that there was one Pokemon who wasn't joining them. "That is, except for Wurmple…" She then shook her head the moment she realised what she was saying. "No. I don't need to worry for now. Wurmple has Togepi to stay with her and make sure she's alright."
With the two Pokemon in question, Togepi was sitting beside Wurmple with one small hand placed on top of her. After a few seconds of silence passed between them, Togepi turned to Wurmple with an expression of concern. "(How do you feel now, Wurmple? Are you feeling any better?)"
"(No… still the same…)" Wurmple wearily replied, slowly shaking her head. She then turned to Togepi as the small Egg Pokemon was looking down at her friend in worry, evidently wondering what could be wrong. "(This makes no sense… I've never felt tired before…)"
Togepi showed an expression of surprise at what Wurmple was saying. "(What do you mean? What does this usually happen?)"
Wurmple slowly raised her head to think before looking back at Togepi so she could explain. "(Well… when I was still in Petalburg Woods, I've seen this happen before with other Wurmple. If I remember this right, they usually get this worn out when…)" Before Wurmple could continue, she suddenly began to glow white all over. Togepi jumped back in alarm at this sight and immediately jumped on her feet.
"(Wurmple? Are you okay? What's happening to you?)" Togepi worriedly asked. She received no answer from Wurmple and immediately began looking around before looking back at Wurmple. "(Please stay right here, Wurmple. I'm going to get Auntie May. She'll probably know what's going on!)" Without a moment to spare, Togepi began to rush off in search of May.
With the brunette in question, she had made herself comfortable at one of the seated arm press machines and was rhythmically pulling the weights back and forth as they moved up and down on the back of the machine. "One two, one two, one two… Wow, what a workout this is proving to be! I wouldn't be surprised if my results as a Trainer become better by the end of this workout." May commented to herself. As she was resuming her rhythm, she was met with a surprise when she saw Togepi running over in a panic and let go of the front bars of the machine before looking down at her. "Togepi? What are you doing here by yourself?"
Togepi came to a stop and bent down for a few moments to catch her breath before looking up at May. "(Auntie May… it's Wurmple!)" She immediately pointed towards the back of the room, with May tilting her head in puzzlement as she was trying to figure out what Togepi was trying to tell her.
"If you're by yourself, then that would mean…" She raised her head to think for a few moments… before she let out a gasp of shock as soon as she realised what that could mean. "Has something happened to Wurmple?" Togepi immediately nodded in confirmation, since she knew that May had the right idea. May felt her eyes go wide in alarm at the thought at something bad happening to Wurmple, and she bent down to pick Togepi up in her arms before standing up properly. "Don't worry. I'm on my way!" With Togepi resting in her arms, May began to head off to the back of the room to find Wurmple and figure out what was going on.
When she arrived, she let out a gasp of shock at the sight of Wurmple glowing white all over. "Wurmple… you're shining all over. What's going on?" Just then, she realised what she was saying. "Wait a minute… shining? That only happens to Pokemon when they're…" The moment the realisation started to sink in, May silently gasped in amazement before she bent down to Wurmple. "But then… that means…!" Sure enough, Wurmple's body began to slowly transform from a worm-like figure into the shape of a large oval. After the shine faded, sitting in Wurmple's place was a cocoon-like Pokemon covered in white silk with only two holes, with a pair of red eyes visible through the holes, but partially hidden through a fringe of silk. At the sight of her new Pokemon sitting in front of her, May felt a smile of amazement cross her face. "No way… what is this?" She then opened her bag and grabbed out her Pokedex to find out.
"Silcoon, the Cocoon Pokémon. Silcoon is the evolved form of Wurmple. Using its thread to attach itself to a tree branch, it waits to evolve to its next stage. When it grows thirsty, it drinks the dew that collects on its string."
As she placed her Pokedex back in her bag, May took a look down at Silcoon with an awestruck smile on her face. "So that's why you weren't feeling well. You were getting ready to evolve!" She then bent down to pick Silcoon up, letting out a cheerful laugh as she did so. "How exciting is this? You're my very first Pokemon to evolve!" From where she was standing listening to what was going on, Togepi let out a cheer of excitement while Silcoon happily nodded, feeling just as delighted about this accomplishment as her trainer.
Back inside the pool room, the Water Pokemon had more than made themselves comfortable in their new area. Sharpedo, Starmie and Goldeen had dived down and were doing a few laps underwater, while Horsea and Lotad seemed contest with floating on the surface, with Lotad kicking his legs. While they all seemed to be occupied, Misty stepped out of the change room wearing a white swimsuit with dark blue stripes that ran along the sides and she had also removed her hair tie, allowing her hair to hang freely behind her head. She made her way over to the edge of the pool and let out a giggle upon seeing the Pokemon together. "I take it everyone's enjoying themselves?" The group of five turned to her and nodded in agreement. "Well, don't you worry. I'm joining in too."
Misty took a look around the room for a few moments before spotting one of the high diving boards that was near the pool. She made her way over before slowly climbing up the ladder with the Pokemon, including Psyduck as he stood near the edge, watching on. Once she arrived at the top, Misty walked over to the edge of the board before looking down at the Pokemon below. "All right, here I come!" She then jumped off and dove down towards the pool before landing with a heavy splash and diving down underwater. Once she was certain she had landed, she swum up before poking her head out from under the surface and turned to the Water Pokemon as they were watching in stunned silence. "Come on, everyone. Let's get our exercise started!" The group of Pokemon happily cheered in unison at this idea, but then Misty had a look around to notice that there was one member of the team who was missing. "Hold on… where's Psyduck?"
Lotad lifted one of his small feet and pointed to the back, to which Misty turned around to find Psyduck standing there watching the rest of the group. Misty showed an expression of surprise when she noticed him, so she swum over before resting her arms on the edge of the pool and looked up at Psyduck in concern. "Psyduck, why are you here by yourself? Don't you want to come join everyone else?" Psyduck rapidly shook his head before stepping backwards in panic. Misty blinked twice upon seeing Psyduck's state of panic, and she looked down to think about why that could be before the answer suddenly became obvious to her. "Oh, that's right. You're scared of water, aren't you?" Psyduck was silent for a few moments before slowly nodding in confirmation. As Misty was keeping her attention on him in worry, the other Pokemon were listening in.
"(We have a Water Type who's scared of water?)" Goldeen asked, staring in disbelief before she rolled her eyes. "(How's that for irony?)" The others looked over at her in shock, with Horsea nudging her to get her to stop.
"(Goldeen! You shouldn't say things like that.)" Goldeen shot a glare in Horsea's direction, while Misty wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. As Psyduck lowered his head in dismay, Misty showed him a reassuring smile as she reached one hand forward to rub the side of his head gently.
"There's no need to you to be afraid. I know it probably seems scary to you, but it's just being surrounded by the same thing as your type." She then looked down to think over what she could do, and she clicked her fingers as an idea went off in her head. "I know! How would you feel about riding on me while we do our exercise?" This idea seemed to work well for Psyduck as a wide smile crossed his beak and he happily nodded in agreement. Misty let out a giggle at his cheerful reply, having figured he would enjoy that. "I thought you'd like that. Come on, hop on." She then turned around so she was facing Psyduck from the back and he waddled over and hopped on her shoulders. Once she was certain that Psyduck was comfortable, Misty began to swim over to the other Pokemon. "I'll be busy with Psyduck here. You can all go off ahead if you like." As the other Pokemon nodded in understanding, Misty turned her glance to Psyduck. "Come on, Psyduck. What do you say we do some exercising of our own?" Psyduck happily nodded in agreement, to which Misty showed a smile of delight seeing him excited. She then lowered her glance as there was something she was still wondering. "I wonder how the other Pokemon are doing?"
Back inside the circuit room, the small group of Pokemon that were with Ash, May and Brock had gathered together in the same area. Treecko was lying on one of the mats and was busy doing sit-ups, Azurill had chosen to do balancing on one of the small exercise balls, Riolu was showing Larvitar how to use the punching bag while taking a few turns himself, Taillow and Forretress were keeping an eye on the group to make sure they were okay and Torchic and Ralts were having a look at one of the balance beams. With the two in question, Ralts was climbing up onto the balance beam to try it out for herself while Torchic was watching her with a look of concern. "(Are you sure this is safe?)" Torchic nervously asked, as she was wondering whether or not this was a good idea. Ralts looked down at her in surprise before showing a reassuring smile to say that there was no need to worry.
"(Of course it is. We have the mat underneath so we'll have something to land on if we fall off. Besides, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out how this thing works.)" Ralts then turned her focus back to what was in front of her so she could maintain her balance while standing on the beam. "(Okay… this shouldn't be too hard. Just stay calm and take one step at a time.)" Ralts quietly said to herself as she was slowly starting to walk across the beam. However, as she was placing one foot forward, she suddenly felt herself beginning to fall over to the left. "(Uh oh… that's not good!)"
As Riolu was busy with Larvitar, the sound of Ralts's cry reached his ears and he turned around to notice her struggling to keep her balance on the balance beam and from the looks of it, it seemed that she was close to falling off. "(Ralts!)" he gasped. He then turned to Larvitar as he was wondering what was going on. "(Wait here. I need to go help Ralts!)" He then began to rush off towards the beam while Larvitar tilted his head in confusion as he was watching Riolu leave.
Ralts was starting to flail her arms in panic as she was tumbling over from left to right. "(Waaahhh… I guess this isn't as easy as I thought it would be!)" As she was struggling to keep herself from falling over, she couldn't see that Riolu was climbing up onto the beam and making his way over to her, and right as she was about to lose her balance completely, she felt Riolu's paws wrap around her and she turned her head in surprise to see him standing behind her, with an expression of concern on his face after watching her stumbling.
"(Whew… that was close. Are you okay, Ralts?)" Riolu asked. Ralts turned around to face him and nodded in confirmation, to which he showed a smile of relief.
"(Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks, Riolu.)" Ralts replied, showing a grateful smile that he had prevented her from falling off. Her smile then faded and became replaced with an expression of dismay as she let out a quiet sigh. "(This beam is harder to figure out than I thought…)"
Riolu was silent upon hearing what Ralts was saying and he lowered his glance to think for a few moments before looking back up at her. "(Maybe I should give this a try. I doubt it could be that tough.)"
Ralts showed an expression of surprise at Riolu's suggestion, and it didn't take long for her to show a look of uncertainty. "(Are you sure? I could barely keep my balance just trying to walk across it.)"
Riolu gave a nod in confirmation. "(I think you'll be in for a surprise, Ralts. Just watch and see what I mean.)" Ralts looked uncertain for a few moments before she slowly nodded, deciding it would be best to trust that Riolu knew what he was doing. With this, she hopped off the beam and levitated herself down onto the mat before lifting her glance to watch Riolu's attempt. Once he was certain that he was the only one standing on the beam now, Riolu raised his head to keep his focus on the rest of the beam just in front of him. He quietly took a deep breath and raised both of his paws in front of him, before slowly stepping forward and placed his paws against the beam before lifting himself up into the air, landing safely on his feet after doing so. He then turned around and slowly walked across the beam, standing on the tips of his feet while he did so, and began to twirl in a circle a few times before stopping with one leg raised upwards and the other still placed tightly on the beam.
As she was watching from the mat, Ralts let out a gasp of amazement and her eyes began to go wide from awe. "(Wow… that's amazing…)" While she was focused on Riolu's display, Torchic made her way over to find out what was going on.
"(Ralts? What's up?)" Torchic then turned her glance up to notice Riolu as he was jumping up into the air and proceeding to spin his body around in a curled up formation before uncurling himself and landing safely on the beam. At the sight of Riolu's display, Torchic felt a smile of amazement cross her beak. "(No way… is that Riolu?)"
Ralts slowly nodded in confirmation, still keeping her focus on the Aura Pokemon the whole while and clasping her hands together. "(It certainly is. I never expected him to be able to pull off something like this…") As the two were continuing their watching, the others began to make their way over to see the display for themselves; somehow, Riolu continued to surprise them.
With Riolu, he was now standing upright with his paws raised over his head and he proceeded to backflip across the beam before leaping off and rotating in a circle a couple of times before landing safely on the mat. Once he had touched down, Riolu lowered his paws and opened his eyes before letting out a quiet sigh. After a few seconds passed, a voice from behind him suddenly broke the silence.
"(Wow… Riolu…)" Riolu turned around in surprise to find it was Ralts, with her and the others left staring in amazement at what they had just seen. After a few moments on her end, Ralts showed a large smile and happily began clapping in excitement. "(That was amazing! I wasn't expecting you to pull off something like that.)"
The others began chattering in agreement with her, with Treecko placing one hand on his hip with an impressed smile on his face. "(I have to agree; that was pretty impressive.)" Riolu was left staring in stunned silence as he started to feel his face turning red from embarrassment, since he wasn't expecting this kind of reception. Larvitar then walked over as he had something he wanted to ask.
"(How did you learn to pull off that kind of display?)" Riolu showed an expression of surprise before he placed one paw near his chest as he was prepared to explain.
"(Well… during the time I lived in the Lucario Kingdom, I learnt that balance is always important, and it's especially when it comes to doing things you wouldn't imagine yourself pulling off. I also figured that being mobile is also important for these kinds of things, especially with training.)" The others let out gasps of fascination at his reply, and Torchic turned to the group with a smile of excitement.
"(Then that means we need to pick up the pace ourselves. We came here to do training, and that's exactly what we're going to do! Right, everyone?)" The others began to cheer in agreement, since they knew that Torchic was right about that. As Riolu and Ralts began to walk over to the group with matching smiles of amusement, Torchic began turning her head back and forth as there appeared to be one member of the group who wasn't with them. "(Wait… where's Azurill?)"
As the others began to walk around, wondering where the small Ball Pokemon could have gone off to, they were suddenly met with the sound of her voice from behind them. "(I'm right here!)" The team turned around to find that she was rolling their way on the exercise ball and they let out resounding cries of panic before managing to rush out of the way as she rolled by before turning back around to come over to them. "(Hi there, everyone! I've been having so much fun on this ball. Would you guys like to try it out?)"
The others were left staring in shock for a few moments before Taillow was the one to speak up. "(No thanks… I think I'd prefer not nearly being run over again, if that's okay.)"
"(I'm with you on that, Taillow.)" Forretress nervously agreed.
As Ralts was watching with a smile of amusement, she noticed something that caught her eye and she immediately turned to the others to get their attention. "(Everyone, look at that!)" As she pointed just ahead, the small group looked with her to find out what she had spotted and they could see that just nearby, there were two bars set up side by side, with the bars at the front being shorter than the one at the back. "(I'm thinking of giving that a try. It looks like fun!)" Without a moment to spare, Ralts began to rush over to the beams with Riolu and Torchic following behind her in concern.
"(Ralts, be careful! I don't think May would be too happy if you end up hurting yourself.") Riolu warned, to which Torchic nodded in agreement with him. Ralts looked over at them in surprise before showing a reassuring smile.
"(Don't worry. I'm sure I'll be able to figure these things out. It doesn't seem like it'd be too much harder than the balance beam.)" Once she got close enough to the short bar, Ralts jumped up to grab onto it. "(All right, let's think. How should these work, exactly…?)" Ralts quietly wondered to herself, looking up at the top bar as she was trying to wrap her head around how this thing worked. After a few seconds, she began shifting her body weight back and forth so she was moving left and right until she had her legs raised up and slowly lifted herself up so her legs were up in the air. "(Okay… the hard part's been figured out. Just need to figure out what to do next.)" Feeling certain that she was in the correct position, Ralts began spinning herself around in a circle, keeping a tight grip on the bar while she did so, before flinging herself into the air.
As Riolu and Torchic were watching from the floor, they started to show matching expressions of worry. "(Uh oh… I hope Ralts knows what she's doing…)" Torchic worriedly commented, as she was starting to feel her feathers shivering in worry.
Fortunately, it seemed that Ralts had it all figured out as she flipped over the bar and as she began to drop, she grabbed onto the bar again and began to spin herself around again. While she did so, she felt a cheerful smile cross her face and she let out a laugh of excitement. "(Hee-hee… this is actually really fun! I wonder if I could reach over to the other bar.)" Figuring it best to find out for herself, Ralts spun around a few times before throwing herself into the air, aiming in the direction of the higher bar. Once she got close enough, Ralts grabbed onto the bar and proceeded to start spinning around like she did on the lower bar. After a few more spins, Ralts flung up into the air and began to spin around a few times in a curled position before releasing and landed safely on the mat. Once she was certain she had touched down, Ralts rushed over to Riolu and Torchic while they were both staring in silent amazement at what they just saw. "(Wow… that was so much fun! I had no idea just how simple that would be.)"
Torchic and Riolu were both left at a loss of words before Riolu was the one to speak, showing a bright smile as he did so. "(Well, you certainly made it look easy. I wouldn't have been surprised if you turned out to be a natural at it.)" Ralts showed a shy smile at Riolu's praise and she felt her cheeks starting to glow bright red. After having a few moments to recover, Torchic showed a big smile before happily nodding in agreement.
"(I'll say! It really looked like you were enjoying yourself on that.)" Ralts turned her glance to her partner and nodded, since she was certain that Torchic was right about that.
Meanwhile, Ash, Brock and Brawly had finished up with their session and they were slowly walking off, with Ash struggling to catch his breath after that work-out; it seemed that it had proven to be tougher than he expected. "Ohhhh… I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out how you make that look so easy. I felt like my back was going to snap like a twig at any moment!" Ash groaned, having one hand pressed against his back as he was slowly rubbing it after having needed to go through that ordeal of an exercise.
As Brawly was listening to what Ash had to say, he let out a chuckle since he figured that was exactly what Ash would be thinking. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It feels pretty tough when you're starting out, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. I know it certainly wasn't easy for me on my first day." As Ash let out a groan of dismay since that didn't seem to be helping his mood, Brawly continued with his sentence. "Well, I guess that should wrap up my work-out for the day."
Ash immediately stood upright the moment he heard Brawly say that and he turned around to face him with a smile of excitement crossing his face; if they were finished up with their exercising, that could only mean one thing. "So then… does that mean what I think it does?"
Much to his delight, Brawly nodded in confirmation. "That's right. We'll be able to have our Gym battle. I'll see you at the arena when you're ready; I'll be looking forward to our battle." With a wave, Brawly made his way over to the door of the circuit room and stepped outside so he could make his way over to the battle arena. As Ash watched him leave, a determined smile came to his face; the moment he had been waiting for was finally here.
"Oh, you bet I'll be ready for it." He then turned his head to Pikachu as the electric mouse Pokemon climbed up onto his shoulder. "Did you hear that, Pikachu? We can finally go for our second Gym Badge. Are you feeling up for it?"
Pikachu promptly nodded in agreement with a determined smile that matched Ash's showing. "(You know I am!)" Just then, the two were met with an unexpected surprise as the sound of Ash's stomach grumbling reached their ears, and they let out resounding sighs of dismay while Brock showed a smile of amusement as he was standing not too far behind them.
"Though, maybe it'd be best if we thought about getting something for lunch before you go off for your challenge. We could stop by that café down on the coast." This idea seemed to work well with Ash, as he eagerly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" He and Brock then turned their heads to find that Misty was on her way over to where they were, having finished up with her exercising with their water Pokemon and having gotten changed back into her regular clothers and tied her hair up the way she usually had it. As Misty walked over with the water Pokemon following behind her, Ash and Brock showed matching smiles of delight upon seeing her. "Hey there, Misty. How'd everything go with your group?" Ash asked.
As Misty was finishing up with tying up her hair, she lifted her glance to notice Ash and Brock and immediately showed them a big smile. "Oh, it went better than I was expecting it to. Of course, I had a bit of trouble with Psyduck, but overall things turned out well."
"Well, that's great to hear. We were going to go get some lunch before Ash's battle with Brawly." Brock commented. Ash eagerly nodded in agreement, as he was now feeling anticipated to aim for his second Badge. Misty showed a smile of amusement since she figured that Ash would be looking forward to that.
"And I'm guessing that someone is eager to go for that right away, huh? Why does that not surprise me anymore?" Misty sighed, slowly shaking her head while she spoke. Just then, the sound of May's voice could suddenly be heard from behind the three.
"Guys! Guys, you're not going to believe this!" Ash, Brock and Misty turned their heads to each other in surprise, wondering what May could be sounding so excited, and then they turned around to see her running over to them with Silcoon in her arms and a large smile on her face, with Togepi just beside her. Once she arrived at where they were standing, May stopped in her tracks to catch her breath.
"Woah, May, what's got you acting so excited?" Ash asked, blinking in surprise as he was wondering what had May so on edge. While he was busy with that, Misty bent down to pick up Togepi. After she was certain she had regained her composure, May looked up at the trio.
"You know how Wurmple wasn't feeling well when we got here? Well, it turns out that it wasn't because she was sick, she was getting ready to evolve. See for yourselves, guys!" May then lifted her arms up to reveal Silcoon sitting there, with Ash, Brock and Misty letting out gasps of shock upon seeing that she was right. "I know! I couldn't believe it either, but it's true. I have my first evolved Pokemon!"
Ash, Brock and Misty were all staring in shocked silence, struggling to let what they had just heard May tell them sink in. "Your Wurmple… evolved…?" Brock asked, being the only one who was feeling able to express his thoughts on the unexpected news coherently.
Down on the coast, things seemed to be going well for Jessie, James and Meowth as they were enjoying their own arrangements. Jessie had made herself comfortable on one of the lawn chairs, James was busy with surfing and Meowth was relaxing right beside Jessie. After a few seconds passed, Jessie was the one to break the silence as she let out a content sigh. "Ah… isn't this the life? Enjoying some much needed break time on an island resort, with no thoughts of stealing Pokemon or other business getting in the way. Nothing but peace and relaxation."
As Meowth was lying on the lounge chair beside Jessie, he turned his head to her and slowly nodded in agreement. "I get what you mean, Jess. Being in a place like this just makes you feel like all your troubles are melting away." From one of the lounge chairs next to them, Wobbuffet cheerfully blurted "Wobbuffet!" in agreement with Meowth. While the three appeared to be content where they were, James was arriving back on the shore, having finished up with his surfing, and made his way over to where his teammates were.
"I don't get why you two weren't willing to join in. Riding the waves is always such a thrill! I think you might have enjoyed it." Jessie lifted her sunglasses up from over her eyes as she turned to James while he was talking before placing them back.
"Oh, I'm just more comfortable over here. You can take care of that, but I just feel like relaxing under the sun." She then let out a content sigh, clearly enjoying herself. After a few seconds passed, a voice they didn't expect to hear could suddenly be heard from just ahead.
"Come on, it's just down this way!" The trio turned their glances in surprise to find that Ash and the others were approaching where they were with their group of Pokemon following behind them, with Ash leading the way. As the team got close, May spotted the trio in front of them and showed a cheerful smile as she waved to them.
"Hey there, you three! Having a good time over here?" she asked. James nodded in agreement, while Jessie and Meowth were starting to sit up in their lounge chairs after noticing the others coming over.
"Yes; we just happened to be enjoying a break from our work. What brings you all down here?" May showed a smile of amusement when she saw how comfortable the three appeared to be before figuring it best to answer their question.
"We've just been busy with exercising at the Gym and we were thinking we could do with a good lunch before Ash's Gym battle." The moment this last statement reached Jessie, James and Meowth's ears, the three immediately showed matching smiles of excitement at the thought of being able to serve the group honestly and jumped up on their feet with no hesitance.
"Say no more!" Jessie exclaimed. "Just follow us and we'll make sure you get whatever you need." James added. "We'll be certain to serve you with a smile!" Meowth stated.
With this, the three began to make their way towards the café. As they watched the trio walk off, Ash and the others looked over at each other in surprise before following after them.
Once they were inside, Ash and the others sat at one of the tables while Jessie and James came over to them with trays in head. "You all just make yourselves comfortable and we'll have your food ready in no time." Jessie stated. She then turned to head over to the door leading into the kitchen and poked her head inside to let Meowth know. "Meowth, we have four customers and a small pack of Pokemon to serve. Let's not keep them waiting!"
Meowth turned his head to Jessie before nodding as he saluted with a spatula in his paw. "You got it, Jess! Ready to start cooking!" With this, he started to make his way over to the stove to get started while James was still addressing the group of four.
"We'll have your meals delivered to you before you know it. Be right back!" Once he was finished, he and Jessie proceeded to head inside the kitchen to help Meowth out with getting the meals ready. After the two left, Ash and the others looked over at each other clearly trying to wrap their heads around what they were seeing.
"I can't believe that the three are actually doing well at this. It feels like they do better at selling things than stealing things." Misty said. Brock nodded in agreement, having evidently taken notice of that.
"Yeah, you're right. Sounds like they found something that works for them." As Ash and May were listening to what the two were saying, Ash turned his glance to her since he was still wanting to address what May told them at the Gym.
"That's so awesome, May. You've got your first evolved Pokemon!" As the group of Pokemon were sitting together on the floor next to the table, Silcoon bounced over while Ash was talking, which May lowered her glance to notice and she bent down to pick her up while Brock and Misty shifted their focus over to listen to Ash. May showed a bright smile and nodded in agreement.
"I know! I still can't believe it myself. Of all the Pokemon I have on my team that would evolve, I wasn't expecting Wurmple to be the first one."
"Well, Bug Pokemon are known to evolve faster than other Pokemon. That's because they're usually found in forests, and the natural surroundings allows them to reach that point quickly." Brock explained. May felt her eyes go wide in fascination while she was listening to Brock's explanation and Ash nodded in agreement, since he was familiar with that kind of thing himself.
"That's true. Back when I started my journey in Kanto, the first Pokemon I caught was a Caterpie, and it didn't take long for it to evolve into Metapod and then to Butterfree." Ash raised his head while he spoke, as he could remember catching Caterpie in Viridian Forest, seeing him evolve after battling the Rocket Trio and then watching him become a Butterfree while protecting him from the horde of Beedrill that attacked him and Misty. As he was sitting with the other Pokemon, Pikachu turned his head to Ash and nodded in agreement since he remembered Caterpie fondly as well.
While the group were occupied with their conversation, they were met with the sound of the kitchen door opening and they looked to find that Jessie, James and Meowth were walking over to them with their meals. "Here we are! Your orders are here to serve." Jessie greeted, with her and James carrying the trays that had the orders for Ash and the others, while Meowth was carrying a tray that had bowls of Pokemon food stacked on it. Jessie and James went to place the plates where Ash and the others were seated, while Meowth was busy handing out the bowls of Pokemon food for the small group.
"And here we have food for all your Poke-pals!" Meowth stated. The small group of Pokemon showed matching smiles of delight as the bowls were being placed down in front of them and once they were certain all the meals had been served, Jessie, James and Meowth went to stand side by side.
"Enjoy!" The three cheered in unison, before rushing off to head back into the kitchen. Once the three had left, Ash and the others were left staring in silence before Ash was the one to break it. "Well then, everyone. Let's enjoy our lunch!" The group of Pokemon immediately cheered in unison, clearly agreeing with them. As Ash and the others were eating their meals, Brock turned his glance up to Ash since there was something to start thinking about.
"Ash, have you figured out what Pokemon you're going to use for your battle against Brawly?" Misty turned her glance to Brock upon hearing his question and she nodded in agreement, clearly recalling that they were going back to the Gym after they finished up here.
"Yeah, that's right. It'll most likely be a three-on-three battle just like your battle with Roxanne, and since Brawly's using Fighting types, that means his team will rely completely on physical power."
Ash showed a confident smile as if to say that he already had that covered. "I'm already ahead of you guys. I plan on using the Pokemon I know have a lot of mobility and agility so we'll be able to dodge and counter whatever attacks Brawly's team throws at us." He then turned his head to look over at Taillow and Treecko as they were busy munching down on their food. "Taillow, Treecko, are you both ready for our battle?"
Taillow and Treecko both lifted their heads once they heard Ash speak and they both nodded in agreement. "(I sure am!)" Taillow replied, flapping his wings a few times while he spoke. "(I'll be ready for whatever comes my way.)" Treecko added.
May then showed an expression of concern since there was something she figured Ash hadn't noticed yet. "Well, that's two Pokemon down, but have you figured out a third one you can use?"
Ash blinked twice in silence before lowering his glance to think. "Well… no, actually…" He fell silent for a few moment to try and think of what Pokemon he could use. He didn't plan on putting Larvitar in the centre of a battle like that, and he figured that Pikachu and Riolu could use a break after their involvement in the battle with Roxanne. 'Hmm… what other Pokemon besides Taillow would have an advantage over Fighting types…?' Suddenly, the answer became all too obvious to him and he lifted his head up with a smile on his face as an idea clicked in his head. 'Of course!' He then turned his glance to May, figuring it best to ask her first. "May?" May turned her head to him in surprise, wondering what he wanted to say. "Would it be alright if I borrowed Ralts for the battle?"
May felt an expression of alarm cross her face the moment she heard Ash ask that. "Huh?! Ash… w-what did you just say?" Ash didn't seem too fazed about it, however, if the confident smile he was showing was any indication.
"Let's think about it. Ralts has a double advantage over Brawly's team, since she's both a Psychic and a Fairy type. Plus, with her other moves like Double Team and Teleport, she'll be able to avoid any attacks Brawly's Pokemon throw at her and she'll be able to confuse them before taking them by surprise. With Ralts's help, we'll be able to win the battle easily!"
May was silent as she was listening to Ash before she looked down in uncertainty; while what Ash was saying made a lot of sense, she didn't feel too certain about letting one of her Pokemon assist Ash in one of his Gym battles. "I… I don't know, Ash… it does sound right, but… I just don't feel confident about letting one of my Pokemon participate in a battle like that. I never thought about doing that…"
Ash showed an expression of concern cross his face, since he could tell the reason why May was looking so uncertain, and he reached over to place one hand under May's chin so he could turn her head to face him, and she could see him showing a reassuring smile. "May, I know you're worried about Ralts getting hurt, but Taillow and Treecko will be out as well to make sure nothing happens. It won't be just them; I'll make sure she stays clear out of harm's way."
May was silent as she kept her glance on him, taking notice of how sure he seemed to be certain that he would make sure nothing happened, and she remained that way for a few moments before she showed a small smile and nodded in understanding. "All right, Ash. If you're sure that you know what you're doing, then I'll trust you. Ralts can help you with your battle. Just make sure to be careful, okay?"
Ash showed a grateful smile at May's acceptance before nodding. "I will. Thanks, May."
The two kept their gazes on each other for a few moments before May turned her head to Ralts to hear what she would have to say. "What do you think, Ralts? Would you like to help Ash in his Gym battle?"
Ralts lifted her head up in surprise before she immediately nodded. "(Of course. I'll be sure to do my best!)" As Riolu was sitting nearby, he looked over at Ralts with a wide smile, since he felt certain that she would do her best to help out Ash and his Pokemon. But at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if this would go over well.
Now that he was certain he had everything covered, Ash showed a confident smile. "All right then. Once we're done here, it's time to head back to the Dewford Gym and win my second badge!" The others simply watched him in amusement, since they could tell he was thinking it wouldn't be too hard to win against Brawly. Little did Ash realise just how wrong he would end up being.
Sometime later, the group arrived back in the Gym ready for the battle; Ash and Brawly were standing on opposite sides of the arena while May, Brock and Misty sat on one of the benches to watch, with Pikachu sitting comfortably with May. The referee was standing to the side in the centre of the arena with a red and green flag in his hands. "The match between Dewford Gym Leader Brawly and challenge Ash Ketchum will now begin. Each trainer will use three Pokemon and only the trainer is allowed to make substitutions."
Ash showed a confident smile as he grabbed out his first Pokeball, eagerly looking forward to starting the battle. "Here comes my first Pokemon. Taillow, let's go!" He then threw out the Pokeball, releasing Taillow who took to the air right away. Brawly had a look up at Taillow and showed a surprised smile at Ash's first choice.
"A Taillow, huh? Not a bad choice, Ash. I can dig that strategy, but let's see if you can beat this." He then grabbed out his first Pokeball and threw it out in front of him. "Machop, I choose you!" The Pokeball then opened, releasing a small humanoid, bipedal Pokemon with grey coloured skin, with three brown ridges on the top of its head, large red eyes and a relatively flat head, three thin, rib-like stripes on either side of its chest and a short stubby tail. As Machop touched down on his side of the arena, May, Brock and Misty showed matching expressions of surprise at Brawly's first pick.
"Looks like Brawly's starting out with a Machop." Misty commented. May immediately reached over to open her bag and grab out her Pokedex so she could look Machop up.
"Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Machop have muscles that never tire no matter how much they exercise. Machop have enough strength to throw one hundred average sized adults."
"Woah… one hundred, huh…?" May nervously asked to herself as she looked down at the entry; if that was any indicator, it seemed that Machop had a lot of physical power at his disposal. She then went to place her Pokedex back in her bag before she turned her head to Ash. "Ash, are you sure about this?"
Ash turned his glance to May and nodded with a confident smile. "You bet, May! Just wait and see; if I play this right, I'll be finished with this battle in no time at all. You ready, Taillow?" He then looked up at his Pokemon to hear what he had to say, to which Taillow let out a squawk and spread his wings out, clearly looking ready. May showed a bright smile on seeing that Ash had things under control.
"Wow… Ash really sounds like he knows what he's doing." she commented, looking at Misty and Brock while she spoke. Brock showed an expression of uncertainty as he crossed his arms, since he wasn't feeling as confident about Ash's strategy as May.
"Yeah, but if he's not careful, Brawly could prove to be a tough match for him." Misty turned her glance to Brock and nodded in agreement. "That's true. Fighting type Gym Leaders may use Pokemon that rely on power, but they can come up with strategies that take advantage of that."
May turned her head to the two in surprise before she showed a reassuring smile. "You guys worry too much! Knowing Ash, I'm sure he'll be able to come up with a way to counter Brawly's team." Brock and Misty looked over at her before turning their glances to each other in uncertainty, silently wondering if May was unknowingly placing too much faith in Ash.
With Ash and Brawly, the two clearly looked ready for battle with their first two Pokemon out. Upon seeing that the two looked set, the referee raised his arms to get the battle underway. "Begin!"
With this, Brawly was the one to make the first move. "Let's go, Machop! Start with Karate Chop!" One of Machop's arms began to glow white and he charged forward before leaping up towards Taillow, prepared to make the first strike. However, Ash wasn't willing to let that happen.
"Dodge it, Taillow!" Taillow immediately took to the air, soaring out of the way of Machop's attack and flew in a loop before stopping and looked down at Machop, flapping his wings rapidly while he did so. "Now use Wing Attack!" Ash stated. With this, Taillow proceeded to charge forward with his wings glowing white.
"Coming right at ya, Machop!" Brawly warned, with Machop showing an expression of alarm as he spotted Taillow coming his way. Once Taillow got close enough, he struck Machop with one of his wings before soaring back up into the air, with Machop being thrown forward and tumbling across the battle arena before coming to a stop. Noticing that his attack was a success, Ash looked up at Taillow with a smile of delight; already they were off to a good start.
"All right! Great job, Taillow!" However, it didn't take long for Machop to get back on his feet, with Brawly showing a confident smile since he knew that Machop was going to be tough to knock out. Since things seemed to be going his way, Ash turned his head up to Taillow. "Keep up the good work, Taillow! Let's hit him with one more Wing Attack!" Taillow's wings began glowing white and he proceeded to lunge forward before striking Machop repeatedly. However, for each time that Taillow attacked him, Machop was back on his feet with little trouble. Upon taking notice, Ash felt his eyes go wide in alarm. "What's going on? How come Machop keeps getting back up?"
He wasn't the only one to notice, as May turned her glance over to Brock in worry. "Do you think Taillow's Wing Attacks are missing?"
"Not at all; they're hitting. It's Machop's endurance." Brock replied, shaking his head while he spoke. May showed an expression of surprise as she was starting to wonder what he meant, while Misty turned her head to the brunette so she could explain. "Because Machop's body is so bulky, it can keep absorbing attacks with little effort. That means Taillow's Wing Attacks have done no damage."
May let out a gasp of alarm before turning her attention back to the battle in concern; that meant Ash would have to change his strategy if he wanted to have a chance of taking Machop down. Fortunately, Ash seemed to realise this as he was starting to think about what he should do. "Looks like physical attacks aren't doing any good, so I guess that means it's time to start fighting smarter." With an idea in mind, Ash went to grab Taillow's Pokeball. "Great job, Taillow. Return for now." As Taillow chirped in agreement, Ash returned him back into his Pokeball and placed it on his belt for the time being before grabbing another one out. "Let's go, Ralts! I choose you!" He then threw the Pokeball, allowing it to open and release Ralts as she landed on the arena in front of Ash.
May immediately showed a smile of excitement upon seeing that Ralts was out and she cupped her hands around her mouth to call out to her. "All right, Ralts! Show Brawly's team what you can do!" Ralts turned her head upon hearing her Trainer's call and nodded, obviously looking ready to give this battle her all. Since Ash had left his other two Pokeballs with the others during the battle, one of them immediately opened on its own and May, Brock and Misty looked down in surprise to find that it was Riolu, having evidently come out to watch Ralts battle. May showed a bright smile at the sight of the Aura Pokemon and bent down to pick him up to hold him in her arms. "Ralts is up now. You looking forward to it?" Riolu nodded in agreement and turned his attention to the battle. May proceeded to do the same with a look of worry showing on her face. 'Ash, I hope you know what you're doing with Ralts…'
Brawly had a look down at Ralts in surprise before showing a bright smile as he looked back up at Ash. "Well, Ash, I see you came prepared. But don't think we're gonna start taking it easy on you!"
Ash showed a confident smile as he was already prepared for that. "Oh, I already know that. Let's see what you've got!"
"With pleasure!" Brawly replied. He then looked down at Machop so they could continue. "Machop, use Bulk Up!" Machop began flexing his arms to increase his attacking strength, while Ralts watched in silence, preparing herself for Machop's next move. "Now, use Cross Chop!" Machop raised both of his arms in front of him as they started to glow white and he began charging towards Ralts.
"Go, Ralts! Teleport!" Ash called. Ralts immediately vanished in a blue flash, leaving Machop to strike at nothing and he began looking around in disbelief, wondering where Ralts could have gone, unaware of her suddenly appearing behind him. "Now, Confusion!" As she stood behind Machop, Ralts sent out a wave of light purple psychic energy which struck Machop directly, sending him flying backwards before slamming against the floor. "All right!" Ash cheered, with Ralts showing a smile of delight at her success.
After a few seconds passed, Machop slowly climbed back on his feet, though it was becoming apparent that he was starting to look a little worn out by this point. Taking notice, Ash looked down at Ralts. "Brace yourself, Ralts! Looks like Machop's still ready for more." Ralts gave a nod in understanding to say that she'd keep that in mind. "Okay, now let's use Double Team!" Ralts proceeded to split herself into multiple copies, all of them standing in a row side by side. As Machop looked around in alarm, wondering which one could be the real Ralts, Brawly showed a smile of confidence.
"Machop, use Foresight!" Machop's eyes began to glow light blue and he scanned the row of copies closely before spotting Ralts standing at the far right of the row. "All right, now use Cross Chop!" Machop raised both of his arms as they began to glow white and he started to charge forward towards Ralts. As Ralts watched in alarm, Ash was quick to take action.
"Go, Ralts! Disarming Voice!" Ralts opened her mouth and shot out a beam of bright pink hearts, reaching Machop and causing him to stop in his tracks as the sound was causing him to lose his focus and become disoriented. After a few seconds, the attack stopped, leaving Machop looking dazed and now unable to identify Ralts. "Now, Confusion! Let's go!" Ash called, now seeing his opportunity. Ralts then shot out a stream of light purple psychic energy which struck Machop and sent him flying backwards before landing on the floor, knocked out much to Brawly's shock. "No way!" he gasped.
"Machop is unable to battle! Ralts is the winner!" The referee stated, raising his right arm as he had the green flag in that hand, pointing towards Ash and Ralts as they had matching smiles of excitement.
"All right!" Ash cheered, while Ralts was happily clapping in delight. As the others were watching, May felt a smile of joy cross her face after seeing Ralts's battle and she stood up from the bench.
"That was amazing, Ralts!" she happily exclaimed, with Riolu standing up with her and cheering in agreement. Ralts turned her head to the two and waved to them, feeling happy to see that they enjoyed seeing her battle. As May went to sit back down, Misty turned her head to Brock as she just realised something.
"I just noticed something about Machop absorbing Taillow's Wing Attacks like it was nothing." Brock and May looked over at her in surprise, wondering what she meant. "Did you notice the way Machop was moving while it was being attacked? It's actually the same movements someone would use while riding a surfboard."
Brock was the first to catch on as he showed an expression of alarm once he understood. "Hey, you're right! That means the surfing Brawly was doing earlier is his own method of training." May felt an expression of amazement come to her face while she was listening to their conversation. "Wow… I had no idea that was possible."
Meanwhile, Brawly was returning Machop into his Pokeball and he looked up at Ash with a smile of amusement. "I've got to say, that was some pretty wicked moves you showed there. But I should warn you: our second wave is on its way." He then grabbed out his second Pokeball and threw it out towards the battlefield. "Meditite, I choose you!" The Pokeball opened and released a small humanoid, bipedal Pokemon sitting in a yoga position with its knees bent and feet together with its hands resting on its knees. It also had a lower body that was light blue with the wrists, feet and lower body being coloured grey, a white onion-shaped head with large black eyes and pink swirls on its cheeks and round swirled ears on the top sides of its head. As it touched down on the arena, Meditite stood upright prepared for battle.
"Meditite, huh?" Ash quietly asked to himself, grabbing his Pokedex out to look up information on this new Pokemon.
"Meditite, the Meditation Pokémon. Meditite meditates in order to build up its mental energy. It is said that it eats only one Berry a day."
Ash felt his eyes go wide in awe as he was listening to that last statement in the entry. "Woah… it eats so little, but it's still that strong? Guess that means we'll need to be careful." He then went to place his Pokedex back in his bag before grabbing out Ralts's Pokeball. "You did great, Ralts. Let's give you a break for now." Ralts nodded in agreement before Ash returned her into her Pokeball and went to grab Taillow's out again. "Come on, Taillow! You're up again!" The Pokeball then opened and released Taillow, allowing him to take up into the air again as he was prepared for the next round.
From her seat, May showed an expression of surprise once she caught sight of Brawly's next Pokemon. "Wow… he's got a Meditite too? Brawly's really coming prepared, isn't he?"
Brock nodded in agreement as he and Misty were keeping watch of the battle too. "Yeah; looks like Ash will really need to be careful." Misty silently nodded with a look of concern; while Ash had been successful in taking out one of the heavy hitters in Brawly's team, she had a feeling that things were going to be tougher with Meditite.
Back down on the arena, Ash was prepared to make the first move. "All right, Taillow, use Wing Attack!" Taillow began to charge forward towards Meditite as his wings were starting to glow white, ready to make the first strike. However, it seemed Brawly wasn't going to let that happen.
"We'll see about that. Meditite, Detect!" As he stared down at Taillow, Meditite's eyes began to glow green and he simply moved out of the way as Taillow zoomed by, with the Pokemon in question and Ash staring in shock at what they just saw. Brawly showed a confident smile before proceeding to make his next move. "Now use Meditate!" Meditite sat down on the floor and placed his legs together in a yoga position before closing his eyes. Once he was all set, a white outline surrounded him as he appeared to be increasing his attacking strength.
Ash didn't look ready to let that setback stop him as he looked up at Taillow. "All right, let's try fighting with speed. Taillow, Quick Attack!" Taillow proceeded to charge forward at Meditite with his wings lowered to either side of his body to increase his speed. As Taillow was getting closer towards Meditite, Brawly then spoke.
"Go, Meditite! Force Palm!" Meditite opened his eyes and immediately stood up, ready to make his move. Once Taillow got close enough, Meditite raised his hand and slammed it against Taillow, sending him flying backwards with immense force. At the sight of the new move, Ash let out a gasp of alarm.
"No way!" From their seats, May, Brock and Misty were all looking on in shock, feeling the exact same way as he was.
"Did you guys see that?" May asked, turning her glance to Brock and Misty to make sure they were seeing this correctly as well.
"I haven't seen that move before; it must be a new one that Brawly taught his team." Brock commented, with Misty nodding in agreement since she was thinking the same thing as him.
After a few moments, Taillow stopped flying backwards and he shook his head rapidly as he was still in the air, but suddenly he felt electric waves surrounding him, stunning him and keeping him from remaining in the air. As he dropped down onto the floor, Ash was staring in shock. "Oh no! Taillow!"
Brawly showed a confident smile upon seeing that things were going in his direction. "All right! Didn't seeing that one coming, huh? Now, Meditite, Focus Punch!" Placing himself in position, Meditite clenched one of his fists as it began to glow white before he charged towards Taillow. Before Taillow could have a chance to react, Meditite slammed his fist against him, sending him flying backwards and slamming onto the floor, knocked out.
"Taillow is unable to battle! Meditite is the winner!" The referee stated, raising his left arm with the red flag in hand, pointing towards Brawly and Meditite while May, Brock and Misty were watching on in surprise at what they had just seen.
"Woah… I can't believe Meditite took Taillow out so easily." May commented, her eyes wide in disbelief. Misty was watching silently as well before turning her head to May. "That's what we meant when we said that Gym Leaders using Fighting types take advantage of their strength with their strategies."
May blinked in surprise, finding that hard to believe despite having just seen it for herself. "I always figured that because of the type name, they rely on brute force and nothing else."
"It seems that way, but it's not always that simple." Brock replied, looking over at May while he was explaining this. "Any Gym Leader knows how to make full use of what the types they specialize in, and that's especially true for Gym Leaders who use Fighting types."
"Wow… really?" May asked. She then lowered her head, seemingly thinking over what Brock had just said. 'I guess I'll need to keep that in mind if I get a Fighting Type Pokemon myself…'
At the same time, Ash had just returned Taillow into his Pokeball while Brawly was watching with a smile of intrigue. "Well, it looks like we're on equal grounds now, Ash. I'd say this battle's starting to get interesting!"
"Oh, believe me, Brawly, my team's far from done. Treecko, I choose you!" Ash replied, grabbing out his second Pokeball and throwing it into the arena, allowing it to open and release Treecko, who landed safely on the arena and placed his twig in his mouth once he was out. With Treecko in the arena, Ash was ready to make his first move. "Okay, Treecko, use Quick Attack!" Treecko bent down on all four and began to charge towards Meditite head-on.
"Dodge, Meditite!" Brawly called, prepared to not take Treecko have the upper hand right away. With this, Meditite leapt out of the way as Treecko rushed right past him. "Now, Force Palm!" Meditite then slammed his palm against Treecko, sending him flying backwards and tumbling against the battle arena. After a few moments, Treecko managed to come to a stop on all fours, recovering from the sudden pushback. Fortunately, it seemed that this time, Meditite's attack didn't cause the same paralysing effect that it had on Taillow. As Treecko slowly got back up on his feet, Ash turned his focus to him.
"Let's try it again, Treecko! Quick Attack!" Down on all fours, Treecko charged towards Meditite again, preparing to make another strike. However, it seemed that Brawly was prepared for Ash's move.
"Meditite, use Detect!" Brawly called. Meditite's eyes began to glow green and he simply moved out of the way as Treecko ran past him, prompting the gecko Pokemon to come to a stop and turn around as Meditite was ready to make another move, with Brawly showing a confident smile. "Focus Punch! Let's go!"
Meditite clenched one of his fists as it began to glow white before he charged towards Treecko, but he was met with a shock as Treecko grabbed his fist tightly in his palm, stopping the attack in its tracks. The two seemed to tense up tightly as they were wrestling each other for the advantage. However, after a few moments passed, Treecko's body began to glow green slightly as he seemed to be draining Meditite's energy a bit before he let go and jumped back, leaving Meditite standing, though a bit shaky this time. While this was happening, Ash and Brawly were both staring in shock. "Woah… what was that?" Brawly asked, trying to make sense of what just happened.
Figuring it best to find out for himself, Ash grabbed out his Pokedex to find out what the move Treecko just learned was, and after a few moments, a smile of amazement came to his face. "Wow, Absorb!" He then went to put his Pokedex away and turned his attention back to Treecko with a smile of excitement. "Way to go, Treecko! You just learned your first Grass type move!" Treecko turned to Ash and nodded, feeling just as thrilled by this as his trainer.
Brawly wasn't ready to give up, though, as he looked up at Ash with a confident smile. "I've got to say, Ash, that was pretty cool. But I'm not about to let you stop us so easily. Meditite, High Jump Kick!" Meditite shook his head rapidly to regain his bearings and he leapt up into the air before he began to plummet back down towards the arena, with his foot outstretched to strike Treecko directly.
"Dodge, Treecko!" Ash called. With no hesitance, Treecko rushed out of the way, allowing Meditite to crash down onto the arena without a target. Seeing that Meditite was nearly down, Ash showed a confident smile, prepared to finish this off. "Now, Treecko, use Pound!" Rushing towards Meditite, Treecko spun around before slamming his tail into Meditite, sending him onto the floor, knocked out from the combined force of Treecko's attack and the recoil damage from his failed move.
"Meditite is unable to battle! Treecko is the winner!" The referee stated, raising his right arm with the green flag in hand.
"All right! I think we've got this, Treecko!" Ash cheered, him and Treecko showing matching smiles of delight at their victory, with Treecko crossing his arms confidently.
As the others were watching from the bench, May turned to Brock and Misty with a smile of excitement. "You hear that, guys? Brawly has one Pokemon left. I think Ash has a chance of winning this!"
Brock didn't seem to be look too certain as he was keeping his attention on the battle. "Yeah, but I think we know who that last Pokemon is going to be. I don't know if Ash's strategy will work twice at this rate." May and Misty looked over at him in surprise wondering what he meant before they understood; they had a feeling they knew who Brawly's last Pokemon was too.
As Brawly returned Meditite into his Pokeball, he looked up at Ash with a bright smile as he had been looking forward to this. "Well, well… I've been waiting for this to happen. Get yourself ready, cause you're gonna see what our final wave is made of!" He then grabbed out his last Pokeball and threw it into the arena. "Makuhita, take off!" The Pokeball then opened and released Makuhita. Once he was in the arena, Makuhita slammed his feet against the floor, ready for battle.
However, Ash appeared to be more than ready. "Oh yeah? Well, I think your wave's about to come crashing down. Treecko, let's finish this off with Pound!" Treecko rushed towards Makuhita before throwing his tail forward to slam into him, but Makuhita seemed to effortlessly roll out of the way. "All right, let's try this again! Treecko, use Pound!" Ash called, not willing to let Brawly beat him. Treecko prepared to slam his tail against his opponent, but Makuhita rolled out of the way of every attempted strike he made.
Brawly showed a smile of delight seeing that things were going his way. "That's it, Makuhita! Just like riding on a surfboard, just let the attacks roll away from you."
Ash could only stare in shock before a firm expression came to his face. "No way! I'm not going to let some surfer who thinks he's a Gym Leader beat me. Treecko, try Quick Attack!" On all fours, Treecko began to charge towards Makuhita, but the strain of the energy he had used chasing after Meditite was beginning to catch up with him, causing him to stop in his tracks from exhaustion.
"It looks like your momentum is running out. Makuhita, Vital Throw!" Brawly called. Once Treecko got close to him, Makuhita grabbed the gecko Pokemon around his arm and slammed him hard into the ground, much to Ash and the others' horror.
"Oh no! Treecko!" Ash gasped, realising things weren't going well. However, to Brawly, things were going in his favour at this point.
"I think it's about time I made the first move. Makuhita, Arm Thrust!" With this, Makuhita began to slam his fists against Treecko rapidly, leaving him lying on the ground badly hurt. However, Treecko began to slowly climb back on his feet, ready for more even with his pain. "I think it's about time we finish this off. Makuhita, Seismic Toss!" Brawly stated. Makuhita went to brag Treecko and grasp him rightly in his arms before leaping into the air and then come dropping back down, spinning rapidly in a circle while he did so.
"Wait, Seismic Toss?" Ash asked. The others immediately gasped, realising where this was going. Sure enough, Makuhita slammed down onto the arena floor, leaving Treecko lying there, knocked out.
"Treecko is unable to battle! Makuhita is the winner!" The referee stated, raising his left arm with the red flag in hand.
Brawly showed a smile of delight knowing that he had taken out another one of Ash's Pokemon before looking over at the raven-haired Trainer as he was returning Treecko into his Pokeball. "Well, it looks like it's just one-on-one now, Ash. It looks to me that your wave is just about ready to plunge into the rocks."
Ash shook his head as he grabbed his final Pokemon, the last Pokemon he had available and the one he had been entrusted with. "I don't think so, Brawly. I've still got one more Pokemon that's about to put your and Makuhita in your place. This is all on you, Ralts! Let's go!" With this, Ash threw out the Pokeball, allowing it to open and release Ralts as she landed in the arena.
As she was watching, May smiled excitedly and stood up from the bench with one arm up. "Come on, Ralts! If anyone can win this battle, it's you!" she called, with Riolu happily cheering along with her. Ralts turned her head to look at the two and nodded in agreement with a smile; she planned on winning this battle.
Before either Pokemon could make a move, the group were met with a shock as Makuhita began to glow white all over. Ralts nearly jumped in alarm at what she was seeing while everyone was staring in surprise. "Uh oh… I don't think that looks good…" May nervously commented, showing an expression of worry while she spoke.
"Is Makuhita… evolving?" Ash asked, watching on in surprise. Brawly was looking on in stunned silence for a few moments before he showed a smile of excitement; this was something he had been looking forward to for a while, and now it had come at the best time. As Makuhita continued glowing, his entire body seemed to grow in size immensely before the glow faded to reveal a large bulky Pokemon with narrow eyes and rounded ears, a short triangular crest on his head, dark blue hair growing along the top of his eyes, around the head crest and extending down the back on his head to form a long ponytail, yellow extension encircling his waist resembling a skirt, a small orange half-circle marking in the centre of his torso just above his skirt and the top half of his body was cream-coloured while the bottom half was dark blue; Makuhita had evolved into Hariyama.
"Wow, what is that?" May asked, grabbing her Pokedex to find out.
"Hariyama, the Arm Thrust Pokemon and the evolved form of Makuhita. When tensing its body, its muscles become hard as stone." The Pokedex explained. May stared at the entry in worry before looking back up at the battle; now she really hoped that Ash knew what he was doing with Ralts.
With Hariyama seemingly looming over her, Ralts was beginning to shiver in worry as she was wondering if she actually had a chance against this huge Pokemon. However, Ash didn't seem to be fazed as he showed a confident smile. "Don't let Hariyama scare you, Ralts. It may be bigger than you, but you've got a better chance of taking it down. Let's start with Confusion!"
With a firm look coming to her face as she was ready for battle, Ralts let out a stream of light purple psychic energy towards Hariyama. However, Hariyama simply raised one of his enlarged hands, seemingly taking the attack like it was nothing. At the sight of this, Ash and Ralts could only stare in shock. "What?! How's that possible?" Ash gasped.
"I guess it doesn't look like your attacks are doing any good against Hariyama's extra bulk. Now it's my turn! Hariyama, Vital Throw!" Brawly stated. With this, Hariyama grabbed Ralts in his arm before slamming her onto the arena. As Ralts slowly got back up on her feet, Brawly was already preparing his next move. "Now use Arm Thrust!" Hariyama proceeded to slam his fists against Ralts rapidly, with his extra power making his moves harder for the Emotion Pokemon to withstand.
On the bench, the others were watching on worriedly. "Oh no… it looks like Ralts is taking some pretty heavy damage." Misty commented. As May was watching, she turned to her friends in disbelief wondering what Misty meant.
"What do you mean? Doesn't Ralts have a double advantage over Fighting types?" she asked.
"That's true, but…" Brock turned his head to May with an uncertain look while he was explaining this. "When Pokemon evolve, they become a lot stronger and they're able to take a lot more damage than in their first stages. Plus, Psychic types may be strong, but they don't do well against physical attacks."
"And with the amount of energy that Hariyama's been storing in its body before evolving, I'll bet that its damage output is a lot higher than it usually would be." Misty added. May let out a silent gasp of horror at this; if what they were saying was true, that meant things were going to end terribly for Ralts.
Brock seemed to realise this as well as he stood up from the bench. "Ash! The odds don't look like they're in Ralts's favour, so I think it's best if you give up."
"Brock's right, you know. From the looks of things, you're just going to get Ralts badly hurt if you keep battling." Misty agreed. May then stood up from the bench and clasped her hands together with a desperate look in her eyes; if Ash wasn't going to listen to Misty or Brock, she hoped that he would at least listen to her. "Please listen, Ash… get Ralts out of there!"
Unfortunately, it seemed Ash's stubbornness had reached a new level by this point. "Forget it, guys! There's no way I'm giving up yet!"
"Ash, don't be crazy!" Brock gasped. "Have you lost your mind?!" Misty yelled. May could only stare in horror with her hands covering her mouth.
Back on the battle arena, Ralts was getting back on her feet, even thought she appeared to be badly hurt. "(I'm… still going to win this battle… for my teammates. I'm… not letting… May down… when she believes in me… so much…)"
While Ralts was speaking, May was watching her in silence before she silently gasped in amazement; it was like she could hear everything Ralts was saying. Even in her badly injured state, Ralts was still willing to battle for her friends and her trainer. With this realization dawning on her, May placed one hand over her heart with a touched smile. "Oh, Ralts…"
Seeing that Ralts was willing to battle, Ash turned his focus on Hariyama to make a move. "Let's go, Ralts! Disarming Voice!" Ralts opened her mouth and shot out a beam of bright pink hearts, aiming towards Hariyama.
"Dodge, Hariyama!" Brawly called. Hariyama then moved out of the way as the beam of hearts flew by him before looking back at Ralts. "Now Knock Off! Let's go!" Hariyama raised his arm with his hand in the form of a karate chop gesture before slamming it directly into Ralts, sending her tumbling across the Gym room and slamming into the wall before she collapsed on the floor, knocked out.
"Ralts!" Ash gasped, turning around to notice that she was knocked out. The referee seemed to take notice of this as well.
"Ralts is unable to battle! Hariyama is the winner! The victor of this battle is Gym Leader Brawly!" The referee stated, raising his left arm with the red flag in hand to show Brawly's victory.
As the rest of the group were watching from the bench, May stood up with an expression of worry. "Ralts!" she cried before running over to check on her Pokemon with Riolu following behind her. Ash and Brawly turned their heads in surprise to notice her rushing over.
"Wait… was that one of her Pokemon?" Brawly asked, looking over at Ash and pointing to May while he spoke. Ash silently nodded in confirmation, feeling unable to say a word at the moment with what was going on.
At the same time, May bent down to Ralts and picked her up in her arms, both her and Riolu looking down at her in immense worry. "Ralts, are you okay?" May asked, looking down at her injured Pokemon with near teary eyes. After a few moments, Ralts slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to see May looking down at her in concern.
"(May… I'm sorry….)" Ralts quietly said, struggling to speak with the pain from her sustained injuries. May stared at her in surprise before shaking her head with a reassuring smile.
"It's all right, Ralts. You did great." May softly replied. Riolu nodded in agreement as he looked on at Ralts with a warm smile. "(I agree. For your first Gym battle, you did a wonderful job, Ralts. I don't think me and May could be more proud of you.)"
Ralts looked down at her partner in amazement with her smile growing in joy at his praise. "(Thanks, Riolu…)"
"You just get some rest, Ralts." May softly suggested. As Ralts made herself comfortable in May's arms, Ash was slowly making his way over to where May was kneeling with a worried expression.
"May?" he quietly asked. May turned her head briefly to Ash upon realising that he was standing behind her and she lowered her glance away from him with her eyes closed before turning her attention back to Ralts. Ash took a step backwards in alarm upon realising how upset she looked before he raised one arm up and reached towards her. "May… I… I didn't mean to do this, I just…"
Not wanting to say a word to Ash, May simply got up on her feet and began to slowly walk over to the Gym door, while Brock and Misty stood up from the bench, taking notice of her sudden shift in mood.
"May? Are you alright?" Misty asked, showing a look of concern for her friend after suddenly seeing her looking like this.
May stopped in her tracks at the sound of Misty's voice and she stood silently for a few moments before she finally spoke, her voice quiet yet filled with broken sadness as she held Ralts tightly in her arms. "I need to get Ralts to the Pokemon Centre." She then opened the door and stepped out of the gym without another word, the rest of the group watching in worry.
As Ash in particular was staring in shock seeing his girlfriend in this state, he was broken out of his stupor as Brawly spoke up. "You might want to do the same for Taillow and Treecko. I can't say I blame her for how she feels after what happened to her Pokemon." He then turned to leave with Hariyama following beside him. As Ash watched Brawly leave, he could only lower his head with a tense expression; things had not gone how he planned them to at all.
As evening arrived over Dewford Island, Ash and the others had arrived back at the Pokemon Centre to get Taillow, Treecko and Ralts in for treatment. On the way there, May had her focus entirely on Ralts, barely saying a word to Ash or even looking at him. At the moment, the group of four were in the hospitalization room with Nurse Joy checking on Taillow, Treecko and Ralts's condition while May was bent down keeping a close eye on Ralts, which Brock and Misty took notice of as they were looking on at her in concern, seeing just how worried she was about her Pokemon, while Ash stood on the opposite side of the bed and was looking down at Taillow and Treecko, with Pikachu, Riolu and Torchic standing at the foot of the bed in front of their teammates. After a few seconds of silence passed, Ash turned his head to Nurse Joy. "Nurse Joy, are Treecko, Taillow and Ralts going to be okay?" he quietly asked, showing an expression of worry as he was beginning to fear that their injuries were severe. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be the case as Nurse Joy looked over at him and nodded in confirmation.
"Physically, they're okay." The brief moment of relief that Ash was experiencing at this news quickly faded as Nurse Joy continued with a firm expression on her face. "But forcing Pokemon to battle so hard like this… I don't like it at all. I could never imagine why anyone would do that to their Pokemon." Ash wordlessly lowered his head since he knew exactly why, with the silent treatment May gave him before walking out of the Gym with Ralts in her arms only further reminding him just how recklessly he had behaved. Taking notice of his silence, Nurse Joy turned her glance to him with a gentle smile. "They just need some rest and they'll be feeling better in no time." She then turned to make her way out of the room while Ash, Brock and Misty watched her leave, with May still keeping her focus on Ralts. Once she was gone, Brock and Misty looked back at Ash.
"You know, Nurse Joy's right, Ash. You just got a bit carried away out there." Brock commented, showing a reassuring smile while he spoke. Misty nodded in agreement as she held Togepi in her arms the whole while. "That's true. And that's what happens when you rush into a battle like that recklessly."
Ash had his head lowered as he was keeping his glance down from the others and hearing what Brock and Misty were saying wasn't helping matters much either; as if he needed to be reminded of his behaviour. With an expression of anger coming to his face, Ash finally lifted his glance up to the others. "Yeah?! What do you guys know about it?!" Brock and Misty let out gasps of shock in unison at Ash's outburst while May lifted her head up to him with her eyes going wide in alarm once she realised what she was hearing from him. Seemingly ignoring their reactions altogether, Ash clenched a fist tightly as he continued. "We were so close to winning, so close!" He then lowered his glance as one of his eyebrows was starting to twitch; it was clear that his frustration over the outcome of the battle was beginning to get to him. "And then we… ended up losing to some Gym Leader who'd rather be surfing than training…"
"Come on, Ash, knock it off!" Brock gasped, with him and Misty in disbelief over what they were hearing from him. "This is getting out of hand, even for you. And I was starting to think you'd know better than this!" Misty agreed, with Pikachu watching on in concern.
The first of the group outside of the two to respond to Ash's skewed priorities was Torchic as a frown slowly came to her face before she started jumping up and down in frustration. "(I don't believe this!)" The rest of the group looked over at Torchic as they were all caught off guard by what had gotten into her. "(How can you be worried about a battle when our friends are badly hurt?!)"
Riolu turned his glance to Torchic while she spoke before nodding in agreement. "(Exactly. I thought you'd be able to realise that.)"
"They're right, you know." As Ash had his focus on the two, he was met with a shock when he turned his glance to May and found that she was glaring at him firmly as she was standing up now, while Misty and Brock were watching her in surprise seeing how upset she was. "I know you're upset about losing, but I thought you of all people would realise that there are more important things to worry about!"
"Who are you to lecture me about losing, May?!" Ash snapped, the angered expression he was showing seemingly only getting worse at the fact that even she was giving him a hard time over this. "You've never been there! You don't know what it feels like to work hard for something you've been dreaming of, only to have it taken away from you! Well, I've been there! More times than I'd care to count! If you had been in my place, you'd know that. But you haven't, not once!"
May could only stare in shock at what she was hearing: here they were with three injured Pokemon, one of which happened to be hers, and all Ash could think about was the battle. He didn't seem to care about the condition that Taillow, Treecko and Ralts were in in the slightest. This was something that she hoped he'd never do, and yet, somehow, that hope had been dashed right in front of her eyes. "I can't believe this…" Ash looked down in surprise to find that May had her fists clenched tightly on either side of her and her glance was lowered away from him and he could see that tears were starting to fall from her face. "I can't believe what I'm hearing you say, Ash… I can't believe you're more worried about a battle than your Pokemon's safety…" After a few seconds passed, May raised her head again to show the distraught expression on her face along with the tears building up in her eyes. "I can't believe you'd be so selfish!"
Ash's eyes widened in shock at that last statement; that was something he never wanted to be, but he still did it anyway. With the room falling completely silent, Ash shut his eyes tightly before he proceeded to rush out of the room with the others watching in surprise. "(Ash!)" Pikachu called, hopping off the bed to catch up with him.
"Ash, where are you going?" Brock asked. He was met with no answer as the raven-haired Trainer was already out of the room and making his way towards the entrance of the Pokemon Centre. The remaining three were left watching in silence, with Brock and Misty turning their heads to each other in concern.
Down on the coast, things seem to have died down as everyone had gone home for the night to relax after enjoying themselves. Inside the café, Jessie, James and Meowth were busy at work with cleaning up with Jessie stacking the chairs on the tables, James was occupied with sweeping and Meowth was cleaning up in the kitchen. As the trio were occupied with their respective duties, Meowth stepped out of the kitchen as he had just finished up with his duties. "And we're all done! Everything in the kitchen is back exactly where we left it." Meowth stated, letting out a relieved sigh where he spoke. Jessie and James turned their heads to notice him walking over and showed matching bright smiles.
"That's great, Meowth. We should almost be finished up here too." James commented, with one of the brooms supplied in his hands. As Jessie was finished with stacking the tall chairs on top of the front of the bar, she let out a happy sigh as she turned to face her comrades.
"Ah… our first day of honest work was a success. Hopefully we'll get proper earnings for all our hard work. I know I can't wait to start enjoying the finer things that Dewford Island has in store!"
James and Meowth showed matching smiles of excitement as they were listening to what Jessie was saying; they were looking forward to that as well. "I know! How exciting is that?" James agreed. "The easy life is looking even better for us now!" Meowth happily cheered, with Wobbuffet popping out alongside the group and saluting, blurting "Wobbuffet!" while he did so.
"Wow… looks like everything is back how it was when the day started." At the sound of that voice beside him, the trio turned their heads to find that the manager was walking over with an impressed smile. "I've got to say, you three did a great job for your first day. We don't usually get employees who make such a good first impression, but it looks like you're all just the ones we've been looking for. And with that said… I have something special for the three of you." She then raised a hand to show a small rectangle-shaped piece of paper; it appeared to be the trio's first pay check. The three immediately showed matching smiles of excitement at what they were seeing before they immediately cheered in unison.
"Yay! We've got our first pay!" The three happily exclaimed, with Wobbuffet cheering along with them. Jessie showed no hesitance in grabbing the paper from the manager's hand, with the latter watching in surprise, and the three gathered together to have a look at how much they had earned… only for their smiles to drop instantly. There was silence for a few moments from the three, with the manager taking notice as she showed an expression of concern.
"Um… is something wrong?" Her question was quickly answered as Jessie immediately showed the check to her with an expression of irritation; it seemed that the amount that they were getting didn't look right to her.
"Yes, there just happens to be something wrong! How is this fair compensation for our efforts?!"
The manager had a look at the amount on the pay check for a few moments before she looked back at the three with a smile. "Well, since it was your first day, I figured it would only make sense for you to start off small. But if you keep up the hard work, I'm sure the amount you get will go up in no time." As the trio were left staring in stunned silence, the manager let out a chuckle before she turned to start heading off for the night. "I'll look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow. Have a good evening!" She then started to make her way out of the café with the trio left standing in complete shock.
A few moments later, the three stepped out of the café, having made sure to lock up on the way out. As they were stepping down onto the coast, Jessie was looking down at the pay check in dismay. "I can't believe we have to start off with this small amount. Is this trying to say that we spent the whole day here for nothing?"
James turned his glance to her upon noticing her dismay over the situation and showed a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't call it a total loss, Jessie. We got to see what our first day of honest work feels like, and if I'm being honest, I'd say it feels really rewarding! Not only did we get to serve every customer we had, but we got to serve our former adversaries without trying anything! Doing something like that for them has to be one step closer to getting on their good side, don't you think?"
Jessie felt an expression of surprise come to her face as she was listening to what James had to say and then she looked down again to think about it. "Well… I guess that is true…" After a few seconds passed, a confident smile came to her face and she looked back up at James before nodding in agreement. "You're right! If we keep up with our efforts, not only will we be able to make funds worth spending, but we'll also get to prove that our turnaround means something this time." As the two happily giggled with matching smiles of delight, Meowth happened to spot something up ahead.
"Hey, look at that!" Meowth stated, pointing in front of him. Jessie and James had a look with him to find that just ahead from where they were standing, Ash was slowly walking down the coast with Pikachu following close behind him. "It's our pal and Pikachu! What are they doing out here all by themselves?"
"I'm guessing they're probably back from their Gym battle." James commented. Jessie then turned her glance to the two as she was now having an idea. "What say we head down there and find out how they went for ourselves?" James and Meowth both nodded in agreement and without a moment to spare, the three began to pick up their speed so they could catch up with Ash and Pikachu.
With the two, Ash was slowly walking down the coast as Pikachu followed closely behind him in concern; he was still thinking about what happened at the Pokemon Centre, how Brock and Misty knew that he was going too far yet he refused to listen to them, how Torchic and Riolu got upset at him for being more worried about the battle than their friends and worst of all… how upset May was that he had placed Ralts in serious danger and completely disregarded her safety for the sake of trying to win. Thinking about all of that was leaving Ash with immense guilt as he was realising just how carried away he really got. "Pikachu… I really shouldn't have done that to Taillow, Treecko and Ralts." While he spoke, Ash lowered his head with an expression of shame. "I guess… I was so focused on wanting to win that I didn't think about what would happen to them."
"(Ash…)" Pikachu worriedly said, clearly taking notice of how upset Ash was over how the battle had turned out.
"Yoo-hoo! Hello there, you two!" Ash and Pikachu turned their heads in surprise to find that Jessie, James and Meowth were on their way over, apparently having finished up their work at the café with Jessie having been the one to call out to them. A small smile crossed Ash's face as the three made their way over to him.
"Hey, you guys. All finished up from your first day on the job?" Pikachu then showed a bright smile as he seemed to remember that they were busy at work down here and walked up to Meowth. "(How'd it all go?)"
Meowth showed a knowing smile before crossing his arms, evidently satisfied with how he and his comrades did today. "I'd say we did pretty well for our first day. But just try telling that to Jessie: she don't think our payout covers how much we did today." Pikachu raised a paw over his mouth as he was trying not to start giggling at that while Jessie looked down at Meowth in annoyance.
"I heard that, you know!" Meowth then raised his paws with an innocent smile while Jessie let out a sigh before turning her attention back to Ash with a bright smile. "Well, with that out of the way, how'd your battle at the Gym go? Knowing you, I'm sure it was no trouble for you."
The smile Ash had been showing quickly faded and he looked down in dismay much to the trio's surprise. "Actually… it didn't go very well. Taillow, Treecko and Ralts are all at the Pokemon Centre. They got badly hurt…"
Jessie, James and Meowth all stared in alarm at what they were hearing; they didn't want to imagine how things had gone if that was the case. As the three were all staring in silence, Meowth was the first to speak. "Wow… sounds like you messed up bad."
Ash simply nodded in agreement. "You have no idea. I was too focused on winning and I didn't stop to consider just how much danger I was putting my team in because of that." He then let out a quiet sigh before he continued. "I guess I can't really call myself a Trainer after this, huh?"
The trio looked over at each other wondering what they could do to help Ash after finding this out; they weren't exactly the most experienced when it came to this kind of thing unlike most things they usually did. After a few seconds passed, Meowth began to step forward. "Hey, try not to get yourself so down about it. We all have our off-days from time to time." Jessie and James looked down at him in surprise, wondering where he was going with this while Ash and Pikachu looked down at him to listen to what he had to say. "And sometimes those days tend to be worse than others and don't go the way we want them to. But every day's just another chance to do better if you end up hitting rock bottom. You just gotta pick yourself up and start all over. After all, failing is how you start making your way towards success."
Ash could only stare in amazement at what he was hearing from Meowth, and Jessie and James seemed to feel the same as they were silent for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "Meowth's right, you know." Ash then turned his glance over to James as he was now having a say in the matter. "Just take it from us; we've been in that place so often that you'd think it was the only thing we can do. But now things are starting to look up for us and it's only going to keep getting better from here. I don't see how this is any different."
Ash remained silent for a few moments as he was starting to think about what the three were saying; he may have messed up badly in his Gym battle, but there was always a chance for him to do better, just like every other time where things didn't go well for him. There was just the matter of figuring out how he was going to get there. With this in mind, he looked up at the three with a grateful smile. "Thanks, you guys. I guess I've been acting too stubbornly today."
Jessie, James and Meowth showed matching smiles of amusement at Ash's last comment. "Hey, if it helps ya feel better, we're pretty bad at that too." Meowth cheekily remarked. Ash let out a giggle at this remark; that was certainly true when it came to the trio.
"Ha-ha, awesome! Now, Hariyama, again!" Suddenly, a voice caught the group's attention, and it seemed to be coming from the coast just up ahead. As Ash and the trio turned their heads to each other, they began to make their way over to find out who that was and they could see that it was Brawly and Hariyama once again surfing, with Ash letting out a gasp as he was watching them.
"Now who could that be? Do you suppose he's the Gym Leader?" Jessie asked, showing an expression of surprise as she was watching. Ash simply nodded in agreement; that was indeed him.
With Brawly and Hariyama, Brawly was keeping his eye on his Pokemon with a smile of excitement. "That's the way to do it!" As Hariyama was occupied with trying to stay on his surfboard, he suddenly began to lose his balance as he was starting to flail his arms frantically before falling off the board and dropping into the ocean. Brawly watched on in alarm before stopping as the wave they were riding began to die down, showing a reassuring smile as Hariyama was climbing back up onto his board. "You must have gotten a lot heavier with all the muscle you've gained after evolving. Try to focus! Use the power of the waves to help your legs stay balanced." Hariyama nodded in understanding, clearly having gotten it now. As another wave started to pick up, Brawly and Hariyama climbed up onto their boards again and began to ride it, with Hariyama seemingly having no problems this time. "You did manage to beat Treecko and Ralts, but if Ash had been battling with a level head, I'll bet things would have turned out a lot differently. So we've got to keep up with the training, right?" Brawly commented, with his glance turned to Hariyama the whole while, with his Pokemon nodding.
As Ash, Jessie, James and Meowth were watching on, James was the first to speak with a smile of fascination. "So, he's figured out how to use surfing as a method of training his Pokemon?" He then clasped his hands together in delight as he continued. "Maybe I could learn a few things from him!"
Jessie turned his glance to him in confusion before crossing her arms. "Why would anyone think of something that absurd?" Meowth gave a shrug in reply since he couldn't seem to figure it that out.
Ash had his focus on Brawly the whole time and as he was watching what he and Hariyama were doing and listening to what Brawly was saying, his eyes slowly began to widen; suddenly everything made sense now. 'Now I get it… that's why he turned down my challenge earlier. He was busy with training for him and his Pokemon so they could be prepared for their next challenger. Meanwhile, I was trying to jump into it right away and wasn't ready for it at all.' After a few seconds passed, Ash gave a nod of confirmation and began to make his way over while Pikachu followed close behind him.
With Brawly and Hariyama, they were making their way back onto the coast, having just finished up with their training for the evening. "Let's take a break now, okay?" Brawly suggested. Hariyama nodded in agreement since that sounded good to him.
"Hey, Brawly!" Just then, the sound of a voice caught their attention and they could see that Ash was running over to them, with Jessie, James and Meowth not very far behind him. Brawly showed a bright smile upon seeing Ash as the raven-haired trainer stopped just in front of him.
"Oh, hey there, Ash! Wasn't expecting to see you again so soon." As Jessie, James and Meowth were arriving just beside him, Brawly leaned over to notice them before turning back to Ash. "Who are your friends?"
Ash looked over at the trio upon realising they were here too before he figured it best to introduce them. "Oh, they're with us. Brawly, this is Jessie, James and Meowth."
"Hello there." Jessie greeted, giving a small wave with a modest smile. "Nice to meet you!" James cheerfully added.
Brawly gave a friendly smile before nodding. "Yeah, it's great to meet you too!" He then showed an expression of concern as he was remembering that Ash had to take Treecko, Taillow and Ralts to the Pokemon Centre after their battle. "How are your Pokemon doing?"
"They're all gonna be just fine." Ash quietly replied. Brawly showed a smile of relief at the good news.
"Well, that's good! I've got to say, I was really impressed by Treecko and Ralts's determination. Hariyama and I are going to be heading back to do some more training. See ya!" Brawly gave a peace salute while he spoke, but as he was about to turn and leave, Ash stopped him.
"Brawly, wait! There's something I want to say." Brawly turned his head to Ash in surprise, wondering what he needed to say. Ash was silent for a few moments before he spoke, showing a look of shame. "I was wrong when I thought that surfing was just goofing off."
Brawly showed a bright smile as he was more than happy to explain. "Surfing is a great way for a heavy Pokemon to build up leg strength while gaining an awesome sense of balance at the same time, and having a great time while doing it too!" As the small group were listening to what Brawly was saying, James showed a smile of delight.
"Ooh! I always figured that surfing had more than one purpose, but I didn't think one of them would actually be training. When you say it like that, it actually makes a lot of sense!" Brawly's smile widened once he heard James and he happily nodded in agreement. "Yeah! It's great to know that you have that figured out too."
While Jessie was staring in bewilderment, trying to wrap her head around what she was hearing, Meowth turned his glance up to her with a knowing smile. "Hmm… I'm thinking Seviper and Wobbuffet could use that kind of training in their regime, Jess. You never know, it might pay off for your next contest."
Jessie looked down at him in surprise before crossing her arms with a scoff. "Please! Like I'm going to be wasting the time I have getting myself ready on something like that." Meowth let out a sigh as he shrugged his shoulders. "Guess ya can't really get through to everyone…"
Ash seemed to be getting it, though, as everything was beginning to make sense to him. "I guess I understand that now…" He then lowered his head as he continued. "And I just thought you weren't taking training seriously like you were supposed to."
Brawly let out a laugh as he began to rub the back on his head with a reassuring smile. "Hey, it may look it's all fun, but it still works too."
While this was going on, Misty and Brock had arrived down on the coast as they were searching for Ash, and the sound of Brawly laughing caught their attention. As they were looking around, wondering where it was coming from, Misty spotted something up ahead. "Hey, Brock, look at that!" With Brock looking over at her in surprise, the two made their way over to find that Brawly was in the middle of his conversation with Ash, with Jessie, James and Meowth listening too.
"This island is filled with nature everywhere you look: the ocean, the mountains and the forests… Seems to me like playing with nature becomes a decent form of training, don't you think?"
"Playing with nature… becomes training…?" Ash quietly asked to himself; it seemed that he was starting to think carefully about what Brawly was trying to tell him. From the sounds of it, it seemed like what he was hearing was that there was more than one way of training, he just had to start looking deeper than he would think to do so otherwise. As he was occupied with that, Brawly turned his head to Hariyama.
"Come on, Hariyama. Let's go play some more!" With this, the two began to make their way back towards the ocean to resume their surfing while Ash, Pikachu, Jessie, James and Meowth watched on. After a few seconds passed, Jessie showed an expression of irritation.
"Can someone please explain anything he just said in a way that makes sense?!" Jessie snapped, clearly unable to make sense of anything Brawly had been trying to say. As the others looked over at her, noticing how frustrated she was getting, Meowth crossed his arms with a confident smile and his eyes closed.
"I'm thinking you just ain't listening carefully." Meowth then opened one eye as he continued. "He's trying to say that you can find some kind of training in anything you do, even if it involves something that you wouldn't associate with training."
As Jessie was staring down at Meowth in disbelief, James happily nodded in agreement. "That's right! And I know that I'm completely on board with that mindset. Me and Cacnea are going to be making the most of the time we spend on this island, that's for sure!"
Jessie could only stare at her teammates in stunned silence; how was it possible that they were understanding this better than she did? While they were occupied with that, Brock and Misty were making their way over, having just watched Brawly and Hariyama take off. "You see, Ash? Brawly wasn't goofing off after all." Brock stated.
Misty nodded in agreement. "Well, we're Gym Leaders too. We should have figured that out as well." Ash turned his head to notice that Brock and Misty had arrived as well and turned to face them with an apologetic expression on his face.
"Hey, guys. I'm really sorry about everything that happened today." Brock and Misty showed matching expressions of surprise, with the ex-Rocket Trio looking over at him as well, with the whole group wondering what idea he had in mind this time. "You know… I'm thinking of sticking around on Dewford Island to do some training." He then looked up at the others to hear what they had to say. "That is, if you guys are okay with staying here as well."
Fortunately, that idea seemed to work well for Brock and Misty as they both nodded in agreement with matching bright smiles. "I think that sounds like a great idea, Ash." Brock commented. "That works well for me." Misty agreed, with Togepi happily chirping in her arms.
"You can count us in too!" James happily stated. "We've got a whole island resort to explore and you can bet we'll be making the most of it!" Meowth added, nodding in delight while he spoke.
Jessie simply showed an expression of dismay as she was still trying to make sense of it. "I still don't see how any of this could be worthwhile…"
"Oh, I bet you'll be surprised." Ash commented, winking with a knowing smile while Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder. "(That's true, you know.)" Pikachu agreed.
The smile Ash was showing quickly dropped the moment he realised that one member of their group was unaccounted for. "Wait a second… where's May?"
Brock and Misty showed matching expressions of concern as Brock was the first to explain. "She's still at the Pokemon Centre. I'm guessing she's still worried about Ralts." Misty turned her glance to him and nodded in agreement before looking back at Ash. "When we told her we were going to find you, she didn't want to go anywhere."
Ash let out a silent gasp upon hearing how bad things with May were and he looked down to think for a few moments before he nodded, seemingly having an idea. "I'll go see if I can talk to her." Without a moment to spare, Ash began to make his way back to the Pokemon Centre with the others watching in silence before looking over at each other, with Brock and Misty feeling worried about how this would turn out.
Inside the Pokemon Centre, May was still sitting in the hospitalization room with Torchic and Riolu beside her and she had her focus remaining on Ralts with an expression of immense worry. After a few seconds passed, Nurse Joy came over upon having noticed that the brunette was still there and bent down to her. "I'll keep an eye on your Ralts. You should go and get some rest."
May turned her glance to Nurse Joy and shook her head in reply. "I don't want to leave Ralts. I'm supposed to be here for her; I'm her Trainer, and she needs me with her! What if something happens?"
Nurse Joy showed a reassuring smile as if to say that May didn't need to worry. "It's okay; me and Chansey will be here keeping an eye on Ralts during the night, so we'll make sure nothing happens."
May was silent for a few moments before she nodded in understanding with a small smile. "Okay. Thank you, Nurse Joy." She then turned her head to Torchic and Riolu as they were still keeping an eye on their teammates. "Come on, Torchic, Riolu. Nurse Joy will make sure that everyone's okay." May stood up properly and began to make her way over to the door to show herself out with Torchic and Riolu following close behind her, with Nurse Joy watching with a gentle smile, clearly seeing just how worried May was about Ralts. As May closed the door to the hospitalization room once she, Torchic and Riolu had stepped out, she was starting to make her way towards the room she and the others shared, but she was met with a surprise when she spotted Ash walking down the hallway. "Ash?"
With Ash, he was looking around for May and he blinked twice in surprise when he saw her standing in the hallway and a smile of relief came to his face now that he knew where she was. "May, there you are!" He then picked up his pace to catch up with her before stopping in front of her, unaware of the brunette looking at him in silence. "Brock and Misty told me that you were still here, so I thought I'd come see if you were okay." May's eyes widened in surprise at Ash's comment and she lowered her glance from him, something that the raven-haired trainer took notice of as he showed an expression of concern. "May? What's wrong?" he gently asked.
"You're asking me that, of all questions? You should know perfectly what's wrong, Ash Ketchum!" May snapped in response, lifting her head back up to Ash with an angered glare, to which Ash took a step back in alarm at how upset at him she still was, not that it wasn't unwarranted. "One of my Pokemon has been badly injured because you were too stubborn to realise when you were going too far! I trusted you with Ralts and asked you to be careful, but you refused to do that. I told you to get Ralts out of that battle when she was in danger, but you refused to listen to me! What have you got to say for yourself after what you did?!"
Ash could only stare in complete silence after May's outburst and he could only lower his glance in shame as he knew that she was right; he did promise that he would be careful with Ralts, and he succeeded in breaking that promise without even realising it. After a few seconds of silence, Ash let out a quiet sigh. "Yeah… I know."
"What?" May asked, her glare remaining but her voice now calm.
"You were right, May… I was being selfish." The glare May was showing faded in an instant as she was left blindsided by what she was hearing. Ash lowered his glance from her as he continued, his voice quiet while he spoke. "I was more worried about the battle than I was about my Pokemon, and especially about Ralts. I pushed her too hard and I got her seriously hurt, and I had promised you that I wouldn't let anything happen to her, and I ended up doing the opposite of what I promised you. And… I know I was upset about how it turned out, but that gave me no excuse to take it out on you, and especially no reason to say any of the things I said to you. Not only was I a lousy trainer today… I was a lousy boyfriend too. I get if you don't want to forgive me right away…" He then raised his head to show a small sincere smile. "But I hope you know that I love you, May, and I'd never do anything to intentionally hurt you."
May could only stare in amazement at what she was hearing; while she wanted to remain mad at Ash for what he did, seeing him like this and hearing everything he said to say, and saying it as sincerely as he was, any walls she planned on building inside her broke in an instant. "Ash…" An expression of awe came to her face and she slowly started to walk over to Ash. Ash turned his head away from her, clearly prepared for anything she wanted to do, but he was met with a shock as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and he looked down at her to find that she was starting to shake slightly as she hugged him, to which he proceeded to reciprocate her hug. "I'm sorry too. You were only upset at that moment, and I just made things worse for you. I know I was worried about Ralts, but that doesn't mean I should have said any of the things I said to you. I shouldn't have called you selfish… I know that's not the kind of person you are…"
Ash shook his head with a small smile of understanding. "You don't need to apologize, May. You had every right to be upset with me. I'm the one who was getting carried away." May lifted her head up to him to show a small smile, clearly relieved that he wasn't upset at her for snapping at him. After a few seconds passed, a smile of amusement began to show on Ash's face. "You know what I just realised?"
"What?" May asked, showing an expression of surprise.
"This was actually our first argument." May felt her eyes widen in surprise at his reply and she immediately let go of him as the sudden realization was beginning to sink in for her.
"Wow… really?" With Ash simply nodding in confirmation, May could only stare in stunned silence for a few moments before she started to rub one of her arms, having had a few moments to realise this. "Now that you mention it… you're right. I know it was bound to happen, but I didn't think it'd be this early. I always thought it would end up happening later down the road…"
Ash let out a chuckle at what May was saying and he raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "Yeah… I know what you mean. But if I'm being honest… I'm glad it happened so early." May looked up at him in surprise silently wondering what he meant by that, and her answer came as Ash continued. "It means that things won't be as easy as we thought it would. We'll have a lot of good times, but there'll also be times where we don't always see eye to eye."
May slowly nodded in agreement since she knew that was true. "Yeah… I guess that makes sense." She then showed a bright smile as she continued. "But I guess that's just part of a relationship: staying by each other's side even when things get tough. After all, my parents taught me quite a bit about all of this when I was growing up, but actually going through it is something completely different."
Ash's smile grew while he was listening to May and he happily nodded. "I was thinking the same. I know there's still a lot for me to figure out what it comes to this whole being in a relationship…" He then reached over to take May's hands in his. "But I'm glad I'm learning all the important things early."
May let out a giggle since she knew it was the same for her. "Me too. There is a lot to this whole thing, but that's okay. We'll figure it all out together." She then felt a shy smile cross her face. "That is… if you're okay with that."
Ash stared at her in surprise for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "You bet, May."
May showed a smile of delight at his reply, feeling glad to hear that Ash felt the same way. As the two stared silently at each other, Ash looked down to find that Torchic and Riolu were watching them and he bent down to them, seemingly realising that he owed them an apology as well. "Hey, you two… I'm really sorry for what I did. I'm sure you're probably still mad at me for getting Treecko and Ralts seriously hurt, but I hope you know I hate it as much as you do."
Fortunately, it seemed that Riolu appeared to disagree, having listened to everything Ash had said to May and realised how guilty he felt over what happened. "(It's all right. We already know.)" Riolu replied, giving a reassuring smile that he wasn't upset with Ash. He then looked over at Torchic to hear what she had to say. "(Right, Torchic?)"
Torchic showed an expression of surprise before she looked down in uncertainty. "(I don't know, honestly…)" Ash and May watched her in surprise, with May having figured out what the problem was, and she bent down to her little Pokemon with a gentle smile.
"Hey, Torchic?" Torchic looked up at her Trainer to hear what she had to say. "I know you're worried about Treecko and that you're still upset with Ash over what happened, but I'm sure you can see how bad he feels over it."
Torchic stared at May silently before she looked up at Ash, taking notice of the small smile he was showing her; it was clear to tell from the look on his face that he was just as upset over the ordeal as she was. After a few seconds, Torchic walked over to him and began nuzzling her leg, just like she did on the day she met May. The small action basically said it all: that she held no animosity against him. Ash's smile grew upon seeing this and he bent down to pick her up. "Thanks, Torchic. I'm glad you're not angry with me."
Torchic gave a nod in agreement, and she jumped out of Ash's hands and rushed back over to May so she could return Torchic back into her Pokeball while Ash did the same for Riolu. Once that was taken care of, Ash turned his head to May. "What do you say we go meet up with the others? I'm sure they're probably waiting for us."
May nodded in agreement with a bright smile. "That sounds good to me."
With this in mind, the two began to make their way down the hallway towards the entrance of the Pokemon Centre so they could meet up with the others. As they were walking, May turned her glance to Ash before wrapped her arms around his arm, with Ash looking over at her in surprise before showing a bright smile. It was clear to tell that they were glad to overcome this first hurdle, and while there was no doubt that there would be more waiting for them, they would be sure to face them together.
Sometime later, Ash and May had met back up with the others and since night time was drawing near, the group were staying at a small lodge on the coast. At the moment, the others had just finished with filling May in on their plans for the time being. "Really? We're gonna be staying here for a while?" May asked, her eyes wide in surprise as she was trying to make sense of what she just heard the others say.
"Yeah, that's right." Ash replied, nodding in confirmation with a smile of amusement since he had already suspected that May would react like this. "And while we're busy training, it'll give us a chance to see everything there is to see on Dewford Island. Sounds pretty great, huh?"
While May was still staring in surprise at what she had just heard Ash say, Misty nodded in agreement before turning her glance to May. "Yeah! And I bet it would probably give you a good chance to get you and your team prepared for the next contest, May." As Togepi let out a cheerful chirp as she was sitting in Misty's arms, Brock turned his head to May as there was something he just thought of concerning their plan.
"Speaking of which, May, have you checked where the next Contest is taking place? It would be probably be best to make sure so you have enough time to get ready."
May lowered her glance to think for a few moments once she realised that Brock was right. "Hmmm… that's a good question. Let's see…" With this in mind, she went to grab her guidebook out of her bag and opened it up to check the cities where Contests were taking place. Once she found the section she was looking for, she looked through the page before looking up at the others with a smile. "From what I can tell, the next contest is taking place in Slateport City. That means me and Jessie will have plenty of time for training!"
Since she wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, Jessie turned her glance to the brunette in confusion as she was wondering what was going on. "Huh? What was that I just heard?"
May turned her head to Jessie with a smile of amusement, figuring that she wouldn't have any idea where the next Contest was. "I just checked and the next Contest is being held in Slateport City. So we'll have plenty of time to do some training and get ourselves ready! What do you think? Are you excited for that?"
As Jessie was listening to what May was saying, a smile of delight immediately came to her face at the fact that she knew where their next destination and let out a squeal of delight. "Of course! After my first attempt at getting back into the limelight didn't go well, I'll be more than ready for a second opportunity to show everyone what I'm made of." She then stood up from her seat while the others stared at her in surprise as she showed a determined smile. "Look out, Contest wannabes! There's a new star rising and her name is Jessie!"
Silence filled the air as the rest of the group stared at her in silence, unsure what to say, before May was the one to break it with an uncertain look. "Um… that's great to hear, but… you do realise we'll need to train before we enter the contest, right?"
Jessie looked at May in surprise before she nodded as she sat back in her seat with her arms crossed. "Well, of course! I do know these things. I'm not a newbie like you are."
May didn't seem to take this remark very well, as an expression of annoyance came to her face before giving her reply. "If I'm such a newbie, how was I able to win my first Ribbon while the 'expert' gets flung out of the Contest Hall?"
Unfortunately, being reminded of her appeal failure didn't seem to sit well with Jessie as she shot a fierce glare in May's direction. "Hey, that was just a fluke! I'll show you what I've got when we get to that Contest and then you'll really be sorry you underestimated me!"
"Yeah?! Well, I'd like to see you try!" May retorted.
As the two were busy with their argument, the rest of the group were watching on silently, with Ash, Misty and Brock staring in silence while James and Meowth were looking concerned. "Wow… they got fired up really quickly." Ash silently commented, with Pikachu nodding in agreement.
"Yeah… I think May just made her first rival." Brock remarked, not seeming as fazed as everyone else. Misty was silent for a few moments before showing a nervous smile. "And it looks like she might have her work cut out for her at this rate."
"Oh boy… somehow I don't think this is going to end well." James commented, with him and Meowth looking on in concern as they were wondering how Jessie was going to fare with her goal. Meowth then let out a sigh of dismay as he spoke. "When does anything we do ever end well?"
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet then called out, having been standing behind them watching this scene on the whole while.
Later that night, the group had made themselves comfortable in their rooms to enjoy a goodnight's sleep after the eventful day they had. However, it was soon clear that not everyone was in the same state of mind; May had noticed that Ash still hadn't joined everyone else and went out onto the small decking to look for him. "Ash? Ash, are you here?" May asked, turning her head back and forth towards the coast for any sign of her raven-haired boyfriend. After a few moments, she spotted him sitting on the coast watching the small waves shifting back and forth on the beach shore. "What could he be doing out there by himself?" May quietly asked herself, watching him in surprise. Figuring it best to find out for herself, May walked over to the small staircase at the front of the lodge before heading down to make her way over to the coast.
With Ash, he was sitting on the shore looking up at the night sky while the small waves were washing up before retreating back towards the ocean. He was silent for a few moments before letting out a quiet sigh; it was clear that this day hadn't gone how he was expecting.
"Hey, Ash?" At the sound of a voice behind him, Ash turned his head to find that May was standing there, seemingly having noticed that he wasn't with the others and came out to look for him. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" May then asked, making her way over to sit down beside him.
Ash gave a small smile as he watched May come over to sit with him before he finally gave his reply. "Oh… hey, May. I just thought I'd come out here for some time to myself before I went inside."
May nodded in understanding as that made sense to her; after all, with the day they had been through, she figured she'd want to do the same thing as well. As the two turned their attention to the view of the ocean stretching out in front of them, May raised her head up to look at the night sky and a smile of awe showed on her face. "Wow… it's so beautiful out here."
"Yeah… it's amazing how clearly you can see the stars in places like this." Ash commented, nodding in agreement as he looked up with her. There was silence between the two before Ash broke it as he let out a quiet sigh before turning to May with an expression of dismay. "I know today hasn't exactly been great, and this wasn't really the welcome to Dewford Island you were hoping for."
May looked over at him in surprise before giving a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. Even if today was a bit rough, I still had a great time. Well, Gym battle not withstanding…" The smile briefly dropped from her face at the mention of the battle, with Ash slowly nodding in agreement; it was clear that event was still on her mind, just like it was on his. Silence once again filled before May continued with her smile returning. "But other than that, it's been fun. I got to do different kinds of training that I didn't even know about. I just hope I'll be able to make the most out of it in the Slateport Contest."
Ash gave a confident smile since he figured she would have that on her mind straight away. "Don't worry, May. I'm sure you will. With the time you'll spend getting ready for that contest, I bet you'll be able to win it easily, just like you did in the Rustboro Contest!"
May could only stare in amazement hearing how certain Ash sounded in her ability to win. "Wow… you really think so?" Ash simply nodded in agreement, the smile on his face making it clear how much faith he had in her. With this, May couldn't help herself smiling back. "Thanks." However, the smile faded much to Ash's concern as he was beginning to wonder what was wrong. "I just… I was really hoping we could get to spend time together having fun. But I guess we'll be busy with our own things from the looks of it." She then let out a quiet sigh as she placed her hands under her chin. "I didn't think being a Coordinator was going to be this tough…"
"Hey… every kind of Trainer has to deal with a lot when they're on a journey." Ash softly replied, showing a reassuring smile while May looked up at him in surprise while he spoke. "But that doesn't have to make said journey any less fun for you. It's really a case of how you want to make the most out of it. I want for Hoenn to be a fresh start for me and that's just how I'm going to make the most of everything this adventure throws me with. Even if I hit a setback, I'm not going to let that stop me. It just means there's a chance for me to learn something new and do better, and our time here on Dewford Island is going to be the perfect chance to do just that."
May could only stare in amazement while she was listening to Ash speak, hearing how positive he was about what was to come for him and how he would make the most out of everything he experienced on this journey; there was no doubt in her mind that this had to be what he had been doing from the start of his adventure, and it seemed that it would be no different for her. After a few moments of silence passed, May finally spoke up. "You're really certain of what you're talking about, huh?"
Ash looked back at her and nodded in agreement. "You bet. When you've been travelling for as long as I have, chances are that you'll learn a few things along the way."
May let out a giggle to herself before nodding. "I can tell." She then lowered her head to think about everything he had just said before she seemed to come to a decision, and she looked back at him. "Well… if that's what you're doing, then I'll be sure to do the same. We can both support each other and even help each other with our respective training if we can. I know Contest battles are a bit different from what you're familiar with, but I hope you're okay with helping me out whenever you can."
Ash's smile simply grew in size at her idea and he scooted over to sit closer beside May and wrap one arm around her to hold her close. "Of course, May. You can count on me to give you every bit of help you need."
Fortunately, this offer sat well with May as she snuggled up against Ash with a wide smile of joy. "Thanks, Ash." The two sat close to each other for a few minutes, enjoying the view in front of them, before May was the first to stand up. "I don't know about you, but I could use a goodnight's sleep after today."
"Yeah, me too." Ash agreed, nodding in agreement with her. He then stood up as well before they began to make their way back to the lodge to enjoy some much-needed rest with everyone else, eagerly awaiting what was to come the next day.
Meanwhile in Kanto, it seemed that something was going on at Team Rocket Headquarters. After receiving the message that Giovanni has requested them to see him, Butch and Cassidy were on their way to his office to find out what his request was for. The two were dressed like Team Rocket uniforms much like Jessie and James were, but the difference was clear in that their colour schemes were opposite, with the bulk of their outfits being black while their gloves and boots were white, with Cassidy's boots having heels. As the two were walking down the hallway, Cassidy was the one to speak. "I wonder what that special assignment Giovanni wants to give us is. I could use something that we can actually be successful at."
Butch turned his head to his partner and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it. Especially after our last two missions to go after Professor Oak's research lab were a failure." He then let out a sigh of dismay as he could remember their attempt to steal all the Pokeballs in the research lab as well as their attempt to capture Professor Oak to find out what Pokerus was. "Man, those were going so well for us too…"
Cassidy groaned in annoyance as she understood what he was saying. "Ugh, I know… I wasn't expecting that old man and his assistant to put up such a fight. And having all those Pokemon with them really didn't help either. And that kid with the Pikachu too; we would have succeeded if it weren't for them!"
"Yeah… at this point, I'll gladly take anything over going back there." Butch groaned. While the two were busy with their conversation, they had approached the door leading into Giovanni's office. Seeing that they were here, Cassidy turned her head to her partner.
"Leave everything to me. I'll handle things." Cassidy said. Feeling certain that they were prepared for this, Cassidy stepped forward to open the door allowing her and Butch to step into the office where Giovanni was seating at his desk, clearly awaiting them. "Boss, we received your message. What do you need from us?" Cassidy asked, her and Butch saluting while she spoke.
Giovanni showed a smile seeing that the two were ready for what he wanted them to do. "I can tell that you both are more than capable of handling this, even with a few unfortunate mistakes on your part." Cassidy and Butch both glanced at each other nervously, realising he was fully aware of their failures at Professor Oak's lab. Regardless, Giovanni didn't seem to be fazed as he continued. "I presume you are both aware that I tasked Jessie and James with establishing a base of operations in the Hoenn region?"
"Yes. I do remember that they arrived in Hoenn just a couple of weeks ago." Cassidy replied, nodding as she crossed her arms. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're somewhere lost in one of the first towns they got to." Butch cheekily remarked, trying not to laugh as he could only imagine how hopeless the three were when left to their own devices; it was clear to them that the Rocket Trio had a habit of giving the crime organisation a bad name.
"Well, a few days ago, I received a call from them in Rustboro City and they informed me that they've cut ties with our organisation." Giovanni stated. This news seemed to catch Cassidy and Butch by surprise as they were both staring in stunned silence, struggling to register what they just heard.
"Wait. Those three… actually left?" Cassidy asked, blinking in disbelief at this sudden news.
"Wow. I was starting to think that they were too stubborn to leave." Butch commented. He then showed a smile of amusement as he placed his hands against his hips. "Sounds to me like they're not as stubborn as they made themselves out to be."
Giovanni nodded in confirmation taking notice of their reactions. "Yes, the news came as a shock to all of us. Since they weren't able to follow through on their assignment, I'm entrusting their responsibilities to you two. I know that you will both be successful in expanding our branch beyond Kanto. Inform me when you've arrived in Hoenn.
Cassidy and Butch both nodded in agreement, clearly looking more than ready to do their part in this operation. "We will!" Without a moment to spare, the two turned to head out of the office and make their way towards their helicopter so they could start making their way towards Hoenn. It seemed that Team Magma and Team Aqua weren't going to be the only crime organisations to watch out for.