Advance shipper: Thanks, glad you like it. The dance idea was just something that came to me when I was working on the chapter so I figured why not? The new pokemon really is nice and it's interesting to see what Galar is all about. It'd be great if they have Ash reunite with some of his old friends. And I totally agree that gen 7's design of Ash is just plain lousy, the previous generations are so much better. They really just made Ash like a big kid, which like you said is pretty disappointing after the Kalos season. I tried watching the Alola season at first but besides some select episodes, it just wound up being disappointing for me so I gave up.
My favorite generations from the anime would have to be gen 6, then gen 4 and gen 3. Gen 8 is looking pretty good so far. To be honest, the games sort of influenced my choice too. For instance, I might not have started this story if I hadn't played Alpha Sapphire after all, it was fun.
Doc oc 102: Thanks a lot! It might be a bit late but I hope you're having a happy new year.
After the group sto[[ed for a short break, Wally went to the river to refill their water supply with his pokemon. Ralts held most of the bottles with his psychic powers as they came to a pause.
''Ash's already excited for the next gym...though I guess we are getting closer and closer to Lavaridge town.'' Wally remarked. Ralts looked just as amused as he felt about this but Electrike rolled his eyes. The boy picked up the last of the bottles once they were full. ''Anyway, are...''
Both pokemon looked back at him, curious at the sudden pause, noticing that Wally was staring up ahead. It made them see that the boy was staring on in surprise at an unconscious Feebas lying near the river not too far away from them. The three quickly hurried over and Wally picked the pokemon up, frowning as he noted how bad off it was. He quickly took up some of the medicine he had in his bag and began applying them.
He exhaled after a short while ''...That should do it. Wonder what happened...?''
After a moment of thought, Wally decided to take Feebas along with them so Brock could check up on it. But he didn't get far as the water type wound up awakening a short while later, its eyes widening as if in panic almost at once.
''H-hey, slow down-it's okay, no one's going to hurt you!'' Wally said quickly.
Feebas glanced back at him, the wariness in its eyes clear even as Ralts and Electrike tried to offer similar reassurances. But it was quickly proven no good as the pokemon tackled Wally and jumped to the river, evading Ralts and Electrike before swimming away.
The duo glanced at their trainer, at a loss of what to do. Wally bit his lip ''Well...I guess things would be okay now. If Feebas refuses to stay, there's not much we can do about it. Let's go back.''
He couldn't help but wonder though, just what on earth happened to that pokemon?
When they found their friends, the first thing to note was that Ash was apparently battling a trainer with Max watching nearby. The boy had a Swellow out on the field while Ash used Corphish. The match seemed even at first but it quickly become apparent that Swellow had the upper hand, thanks in a good part to speed. In the end, Corphish was knocked out and Ash sent out Pikachu.
Max saw the three walking over ''Oh, you're back! Ash just up and decided to battle this guy. He's really good, his Electrode sure gave Ash a hard time.''
Sure enough, Pikachu managed to take down Swellow, leading the flying type's trainer to return it and send out an Alakazam. That was when the match really got heated and it became clear that Alakazam was stronger than both Swellow and Electrode. Both pokemon were strong and experienced, Ash tried to find a work around for Alakazam's psychic abilities that kept getting in their way as his opponent made full use of them in a number of ways. Examples included teleporting and diverting Pikachu's Thunderbolt and making him freeze in mid-air before he could land an Iron Tail and throwing him down. In the end, it was Alakazam who won.
Ash took the loss well enough, thanking Pikachu for all the hard work before he walked up to his opponent. The boy who had introduced himself as Vito Winstrate earlier looked at him and smiled ''You're really good, I haven't had a match like this in a while.''
''Thanks, so are you. Alakazam was pretty impressive.'' Ash remarked, the pokemon nodded in thanks with a grunt as the others joined them. ''You guys looked like you work well together.''
''Well, I should hope so. He was my first pokemon.'' Vito admitted. ''When first set out, my dream was to win the Hoenn League. But man looking back, it feels like it's been a long time now.''
''Really? How long have you been a trainer?'' Max wanted to know.
''Almost two years now.'' The boy returned.
''Cool! So are you going for the Hoenn League?''
''Ah...'' Vito's expression faltered. ''...I was, but...''
He was distracted by a growling sound that made him, Wally and Max look for the source until they noticed a sheepish Ash laying a hand on his stomach.
Max rolled his eyes ''Oh, brother...''
Ash laughed weakly ''How about we go see if Brock's done with lunch? You should come with us, Vito!''
As it just so happened, the breeder had just about finished by the time the boys found him and May. Thus, Vito was invited to join them and they all sat down to eat and talk among themselves.
''So hey, you were going to say something about the league before...'' Ash recalled.
''Oh yeah...'' Vito acknowledged. ''...I was actually in the last Hoenn League. I made it to the top 8. But after I lost, I decided to take some time to reflect and train.''
''You made it that far? That's great!''
The boy just laughed a bit ''We just did our best. The time I spent training wound up helping a whole lot, now I know for sure things can't stay this way...'' Seeing the confusion this drew, he quickly added. ''...I've just been thinking a lot of things over.''
Thinking the mood was beginning to turn awkward, May decided to change the subject ''I've been meaning to ask, I heard about this area back in the pokemon center. It looked like a bunch of people come here. Vito, do you know anything about it?''
Vito looked puzzled ''Well, I used to live around here but I can't say...'' He paused as a thought occurred to him. ''...wait, what exactly did you hear, May?''
The girl tried to think back ''Not much, really...something about a well-known family.''
He sighed ''I should've known...''
''So you figured what May's talking about?'' Brock clarified.
''Yeah, that's probably my family. See, for years we've trained to be proficient in pokemon battles. I'm not sure how it started but my family gets challenged by trainers who pass through here regularly.''
Ash looked intrigued ''Can you take us there? I want to try it out.''
''Figures.'' Max muttered.
May nodded ''Typical Ash...'' The girl raised an eye upon noticing Vito's hesitant expression. ''...don't you want to go?''
''Ah, yeah...I guess...I've been procrastinating...''
''Why? Don't you get along with them?''
''No, no-they're great people...It's just that something happened over the time we were training and it made things...change. I don't know how they'd take it.'' The boy said after a moment.
Max blinked ''How come?''
''Well...'' Vito exhaled, deciding to explain. ''...see, after the league, I was pretty lost and disappointed in myself. After a while, before I knew it, I was getting cocky. I mean, we'd been training for so long...I didn't know if it was because I couldn't win or something but the league just didn't seem as important after a while. I continued traveling...around then I heard of a bunch of trainers and pokemon who were trapped in a boat during this big storm. No one knew what to do and I wanted to help-people told me it was too dangerous and looking at that storm...'' He shook his head. ''...but there was this one guy, he didn't care what anyone said and just went for it. It was amazing, even with things that hard he didn't let it stop him so I decided to help. It was hard but we made it and got everyone through safely. The pokemon even pulled through together in the end.''
''It all sounds amazing.'' Brock remarked.
''It really was...pretty inspiring...but none of it would have happened if he hadn't been there.'' Vito mused. ''So I went to talk to him, turns out he's actually a pokemon ranger. I asked him what it was like and...well, we wound up talking about a bunch of things. He actually gave me some pretty good advice in the end. I've been thinking a lot...it wasn't a decision I reached easily but...I really want to be a pokemon ranger, much more than I wanted to be a trainer.''
''That's great...'' Wally tilted his head. ''...why do you think your family won't take your decision well though?''
''Yeah, I mean there's nothing wrong with it. Rangers are pretty cool.'' Max added.
''Maybe it's just my nerves getting the better of me...I'm just worried about how they'll take it.'' Vito admitted.
''I get it. That's a big deal to you and you want them to accept that.'' May nodded.
Brock crossed his arms ''I understand your concerns but I think you need to talk to them. Whether they accept it or not, your family deserves to know the truth. This is still a big decision, Vito. I think they would understand if they see how important it is to you.''
Vito sighed but he knew the breeder was right ''I can only hope...''
''It'll be okay.'' Wally offered.
May nodded with a reassuring smile ''We can help, worse comes to worse, we'll try to convince them with you.''
''Yeah, we've got your back.'' Ash added.
Vito couldn't help but smile ''...Thanks.''
As they were approaching the Winstrate family home, Wally noted the river flowing not too far away from their path. This had him remembering Feebas. He wondered if the pokemon really was okay...
''Wally?''
He blinked and looked back at May ''Something wrong?''
''Ah, well...'' After a moment of thought, he explained about the encounter with the water type, leaving the listeners surprised and curious.
''And Feebas just left?'' Vito clarified, seeing Wally nod. ''No wonder you're worried...it does sound like something happened to cause that kind of reaction.''
''But it was really nice of you to help, at least you made sure things would be okay.'' May offered.
Ash nodded ''You did the right thing, Wally. Hey, you never know, we might run into Feebas sometime.''
''Maybe...'' Wally returned, smiling a little before they continued on their way.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination, then seeing a girl around Max's age with a Shroomish tending to the garden. The latter happened to notice the group first. The grass type's face lit up once it spotted Vito before quickly skipping over to the boy.
''Shroomish, what're you...?'' The girl's expression turned into one of surprise for a moment before she smiled brightly. ''Big brother!''
Vito smiled as the girl hugged him ''Hey, Vivi.''
Max couldn't help but watch the girl, a part of him wouldn't admit but at the moment he couldn't help but think that she was really cute. He tried to keep his expression neutral to avoid any unneeded attention as Vivi hurried inside, presumably to tell the rest of the family about Vito.
And indeed, they were soon greeted by the siblings' grandmother, Vicky Winstrate. She was just as pleased to see Vito back, proceeding to invite everyone inside.
The group was introduce to Vito and Vivi's parents, Victor and Victoria Winstrate, who had welcomed them as well. Vito took the chance to catch up with his family and Vivi was all too happy to tell him about how Vicky was training her, so now she was stronger than both their parents, to his amusement.
''Wow, you sure know a lot about pokemon!'' Vivi said, looking amazed as Max told her much of what he knew about Shroomish.
The boy laughed sheepishly, blushing a little ''A-ah, it's nothing, really...''
''Big brother was the one who gave me Shroomish.'' Vivi smiled as she picked up the pokemon. ''I've been training all my pokemon with Grandma and we're a lot stronger now-pretty soon we'll be stronger than Mom and Dad.''
Vito began to smile as their mother smiled ''Why stop there, kiddo? I bet you'll surpass us all some day.''
''Really? Yay!''
Victor chuckled, then deciding to bring up something he came to notice ''By the way, son, you certainly seem different.'' The boy gave him a curious look at this, clearly wondering how that was. ''I have this feeling that you're more mature since the last time we spoke. What've you been up to?''
''Well...''
''Ah, I thought you seemed familiar!'' Vicky's exclamation made them look over at the old woman, who was talking to Ash and the others. ''I watched the last Johto league. You did well, Ash.''
''Thanks, Ma'am. Me and my pokemon just gave it our best shot.''
''No need to thank me for saying the truth. So now the two of you are aiming for the Hoenn League?'' She asked, looking from him to Wally as they both confirmed. ''Well, best of luck to the both of you. If you keep doing your best, you're sure to do well in all your goals.''
''Thanks.'' They replied.
''Vito told us that you're a well-known family of trainers. It sounds like you get a whole bunch of challengers.'' Max remarked.
''Yes, we've come to learn and grow much over time.'' Vicky stated, she began to smile. ''Would you care to experience our prowess first hand?''
This lead to the Winstrates taking the group over to their battlefield, which was not too far from the house right beside a meadow. It was decided that Brock would battle Victor, May would face Victoria then it would be Max and Vivi's turn. And last would be Vicky, using two pokemon to battle Ash and Wally in turns. Ash offered to loan Max one of his pokemon to participate and the boy decided to choose Corphish.
''Are you sure you don't want participate, Vito?'' Vicky wanted to know.
''Yeah, I'm good. You guys have this all figured out anyway.'' The boy stated. ''Anyway, Grandma there's...something I've been meaning to talk to you all about. Something that happened during my travels.''
''Oh?'' She raised an eye.
''What's up?'' Vivi added.
''It can wait until this is over.'' Vito stated.
''Fair enough.'' Vicky nodded.
Soon, it was time to begin...
Brock went with Mudkip while Victor chose a Zigzagoon and the battle went off with a flurry. Zigzagoon proved to be a fast opponent, knowing moves like Double Team and Protect but Brock and Mudkip were doing well.
''Double Team and then Fury Swipes!'' Victor called.
''Mudkip, jump and use Water Gun on all of them!'' Brock countered.
The idea worked without a hitch and Zigzagoon was sent reeling at the unexpected counter.
Vicky smiled ''Not bad at all.''
''Yeah, way to go Brock!'' Ash called, Pikachu cheering along with him.
''I'm not done yet, Take Down!'' Victor pressed on.
Brock was ready though ''Use Protect!''
Mudkip created a green shield around him and the collision raised a cloud of dust that obscured both pokemon. When they could see again, Zigzagoon's head was poking out of one of the holes it had created earlier by using Dig.
''Good job, Zigzagoon. Use Thunderbolt and follow it up with Take Down!''
Brock froze in surprise at the call but before he knew it, Mudkip was hit with a powerful blast that left him stunned and vulnerable to Zigzagoon's consequent strike, ending the battle then and there.
''Zigzagoon actually knows Thunderbolt? Whoa...'' May blinked.
''Yeah, I don't think Brock saw it coming either.'' Max nodded. ''Still, it's just like with Dad and his pokemon. Normal type pokemon can get a wide variety of attacks with the right training.''
To his credit, Brock took the loss well, readily shaking hands with Victor as he thanked him for the battle. The man chuckled ''That's my line-you two almost had us there.''
''Ah, thanks-I never expected that Zigzagoon would know Thunderbolt.'' Brock admitted.
''It does tend to catch people off guard so I make the most of it.'' Victor returned.
May and Victoria approached them as the second spoke ''Well done, dear. It's our turn now.''
''Beautifly, take the stage!''
''Roselia, come on out!''
May stiffened a little at the sight of her opponent's pokemon, remembering the last time she faced a Roselia. Incidentally, she had also used Beautifly in that match. That line of thought naturally went to that other Roselia's trainer, Drew. Just remembering got her upset, for the boy had been condescending ever since they met. He mocked May for being a newbie at contests-sure, she messed up a bunch but that didn't mean it was all right. He must have been a newbie himself at one point, after all.
Her fists clenched, well the matchup might have been similar but she would make sure the end result would be different.
Victoria called for a Petal Dance but May had Beautifly soar out of the attack's range. When the first tried to slow the pokemon down with Stun Spore, May quickly had Beautifly keep it away by using Gust.
''May seems kind of worked up...'' Wally trailed off.
''Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen her get so...intense in a battle.'' Ash nodded, looking bewildered. They were glad to see she was doing well but this was still odd.
Similarly, Max and Brock could only wonder what happened.
''Magical Leaf, go!'' Victoria ordered.
May's eyes narrowed ''Silver Wind!''
The former gasped as Beautifly's counter easily pushed her attack away but May wasn't done.
''Beautifly, use Gust!''
Roselia was pushed back by the force of the attack. May kept up the offense by having Beautifly strike hard with a Silver Wind which knocked the pokemon out.
Victoria returned Roselia with a thanks before approaching May ''That was quite a battle, you're pretty strong.''
The girl laughed ''Thanks, I might have found a little motivation...even if I did kind of go overboard.''
''Well, I wouldn't want you holding back on me. It wouldn't be a real battle then.''
''True, true...''
Vivi looked at Max and smiled ''Well, let's have a fun battle!''
''Y-yeah...'' He returned, still flustered as both went to stand on opposite sides of the field. Vivi sent out a Numel while he had Corphish go out in return.
Now while Max would have normally felt good about having such a type advantage, for some reason he just couldn't here. After thinking it over, he knew he was worried about winning in case it would make Vivi sad or even, worse hate him. This had him whispering to Corphish ''Look, it's...uh, complicated but can you take it easy on them?''
Corphish blinked back at him but didn't seem to offer any denial, which the boy took as a good sign.
Vivi started the battle ''All right Numel, use Magnitude!''
Numel jumped up high and landed hard a moment later, creating a strong tremor that almost threw Corphish off. Max knew he had to do something ''Corphish, Bubblebeam!''
''Get out of the way with Flame Charge!''
Vivi's counter left him surprised, especially since he knew about Flame Charge's side effect of increasing the user's speed. He concluded that this was exactly what Vivi was going for when she had her pokemon use the move again to strike Corphish, who jumped out of the way. Corphish was knocked down though once Numel caught up to him.
''Oh, so she's raising Numel's speed even if the attack doesn't hit.'' May said once Brock told her about Flame Charge. ''That's handy.''
''Mmhm, it's a useful idea too. Vivi really is skilled for her age.''
''She's gotten a lot better.'' Vito noted.
''Of course, it's just like she told you before. That's the result of our training. You've been a big inspiration to her,'' Vicky informed, to his surprise.
Max knew that for all his concerns, he had really underestimated Vivi. It was something he was paying for as she dominated the match with relative ease. Corphish and Numel used Bubblebeam and Flamethrower respectively, both sent reeling from the resulting backlash.
''Use Bubblebeam again!''
''Get out of there!'' Vivi called. Numel made to do so, the increased speed coming to help it in the process.
But then, to general surprise, Corphish dashed after Numel and hit hard and true with Crabhammer. The water type followed it up with another round of the attack before blasting Numel with a Bubblebeam, finally ending the battle.
''Numel, no!'' Vivi cried.
''Hey, why did you...?'' Max's words died in his throat as he saw the upset Vivi return her pokemon before her restraint broke and she began to sob.
Great, just great. It was looking more and more like his misgivings could be proven true.
Vivi ran to her family, her mother and grandmother tried to comfort her. It seemed to help as she was calming down somewhat.
Vito exhaled ''Sis, I get that losing's upsetting but you can't act like this. It can happen to anyone, what's important is that you learn from this and get better. You did pretty good back there, especially since Numel was at such a disadvantage, you can be happy with that. No need to cry, all right?''
''O-okay...'' She sniffed, admittedly the praise made her feel a little better and more importantly, she knew Vito was right. She couldn't act like this every time she lost.
Max walked back to the others with Corphish in tow, frowning at the pokemon ''Thanks a lot...I told you to play along, why did you ignore me?''
The Ruffian pokemon merely frowned and turned his head, Ash raised an eye. He could think of one reason behind the boy's behavior. ''What, did you want to hold back on her or something?''
''W-well, that's...'' Max stuttered, clearly caught out and they figured Ash's guess was right.
''It's not like you to be that nice...'' May began to smirk. ''...then again, you were really acting different around Vivi. You were so flustered, it was kinda cute. What, you got a crush on her?''
''Wh-what?! Of course not! No way! Don't be ridiculous!''
''Me thinks the boy protests too much.'' The girl chirped, not buying it for a second.
Ash snickered while Wally and Brock appeared amused as the boy said ''That was a little over the top, Max.''
''Oh, just stop it!''
''Not to worry, little guy. I'll be happy to give you some advice so as to help you with those feelings!'' Brock declared, somewhat playfully. Really, he just wanted to see Max's reaction. ''It's nothing to be embarrassed about, far from it! You can't stop trying to earn her affection. It'll really pay off in the end, trust me.''
Max blinked, not expecting that ''...You think so?''
''Ah, so you are interested!'' The breeder exclaimed, making the boy cringe as he figured he might have said too much. ''Just follow my lead, Max. You'll be fine, look at me, I never let failure stop me from pressing onwards. Perseverance is key!''
The boy looked annoyed ''Knock it off, I don't like her like that, okay?! And besides, you shouldn't be proud of that anyway. That's just why I wouldn't go asking you of all people for advice in the first place.''
Brock sighed ''...I walked right into that one, didn't I?''
May and the others laughed as she patted his shoulder ''Afraid so.''
It was time for the last battle, with Vicky's decision to face both Ash and Wally, she and the latter met at the field. She chose her Pelipper to battle while Wally went with Ralts. Things started out evenly at first but Pelipper was proving to be a tricky opponent, especially since it could fly out of Ralts' range of attack.
''Now use Water Gun!''
Wally was about to call for a Teleport but he had a thought, Pelipper didn't have much trouble simply shifting targets when they tried that before. Perhaps it was time to try a different approach...this gave him an idea.
Well, he'd seen Joanie do something similar in a way before so why not give it a try?
''Use Confusion on the water that's on the ground!''
Everyone was thrown for a loop when Ralts lifted the remnant water from Pelipper's previous attacks, creating a sphere-like shape before him.
''Good, now spread it out in front of you.'' Wally continued. The result was a makeshift shield that easily kept the Water Gun from Ralts.
''Wow!'' Vivi exclaimed.
''That's a pretty good trick.'' Vito added.
Ralts smiled, truth be told he was rather puzzled with the odd commands but decided to trust Wally and he knew it would pay off.
Wally was thinking fast, he knew another way to make use of this ''Now fire it back!''
The sphere was sent back at quite a speed, Pelipper tried to fly off but it created a sort of wave when it hit the ground, making that fail. Still, neither Pelipper nor Vicky were fazed.
''I'll have to commend you for that idea, it was great. But something like that isn't going to affect Pelipper much.'' Vicky stated.
''That's not what this is about.'' Wally returned, surprising her. ''Ralts, use Shock Wave!''
Her eyes widened in alarm as Ralts fired the attack, she quickly told Pelipper to get away but to no avail as her pokemon was struck hard and almost knocked down as a result.
''That was brilliant!'' Max smiled while Pikachu cheered.
''I'll say, water conducts electricity so he basically set them up to make sure Pelipper would get hit.'' Victoria looked on in awe. ''That's some really smart thinking there.''
''Keep it going, you guys!'' Ash called.
Vicky recovered from her shock, seeing Pelipper regain its balance ''Clever boy...I'm officially impressed. But we're not done yet!''
And indeed. For even though Ralts had scored a hard hit that affected Pelipper badly, the pokemon still kept fighting. Pelipper's Water Gun collided with Ralts' Psybeam, to little avail. Both pokemon were getting worn down and Vicky decided that she had to be fast or else they would lose.
''Use Ice beam, make sure to spread it!''
She wasn't surprised when Wally had Ralts Teleport, it was something she would've done if the roles were reversed. But it wouldn't change things now, she thought as she eyed the wall of ice Pelipper created which inadvertantly managed to trap Ralts.
''Now Supersonic!'' Vicky followed up, as she expected Ralts was unable to avoid the attack. She had a sinking suspicion that Pelipper could not keep going much longer. They would make sure to seize on this opportunity.
''Oh, man...'' May grimaced.
''Yeah...Pelipper's always tricky to deal with.'' Vivi remarked, recalling the last time she herself was caught up in such a situation.
Wally tried to get Ralts to snap out of it but it was no good. The feeling pokemon couldn't even get an attack to aim anywhere near Pelipper in the first place. Things only went worse from there, and the match was ended when Pelipper forced Ralts to stop in his tracks with Ice beam before using Wing Attack.
Vicky let out a breath and returned her pokemon to its pokeball ''Thank you, my friend. You really came through.''
Wally picked Ralts up, seeing him look up with a troubled look ''Hey, don't feel bad. You were great. Don't let this get you down. You gave it your all, that's what counts.''
''That's right.'' Vicky walked over. ''Even a loss can teach you something. You almost had us there, we probably would've lost if it hadn't been for that Supersonic. You make for quite a team, I can just tell Ralts put his faith in Wally the entire time. Isn't that right?'' Ralts perked up and nodded. ''That's the way to go. Why, looking at you two, I can tell you're just going to get better from here.''
Vito was impressed with the boy all the more, watching the exchange as Wally and Ralts thanked Vicky ''He's making sure to keep his pokemon's feelings in mind. That's really good.''
''Sure is, Wally's just that kind of guy.'' Brock stated.
Vicky gave Wally a Sitrus berry which he handed to Ralts before he headed back to the seats. The woman smiled as Ash stepped up with Pikachu ''Well, I have to say this is just getting more and more exciting. You and your friends are proving to be quite a talented group. Are you ready?''
''You bet!''
Vicky tossed a pokeball, it opened, releasing a Camerupt. The pokemon grunted and stomped fiercely, looking all set to go.
May raised an eye and held up her pokedex to scan the pokemon. It buzzed ''Camerupt, the Eruption pokemon and the evolved form of Numel. Camerupt has a volcano inside its body. Magma of 18000 degrees Fahrenheit courses through its body. Occasionally, the humps on this pokemon's back erupt, spewing the superheated magma.''
Victor was puzzled upon seeing Ash's choice of pokemon ''Hold on, Pikachu? But that's...''
Vito felt the same as his father ''I wonder what he has in mind.''
''Pikachu, Thunderbolt!''
Ash was a little confused when Vicky issued no command in response and the attack hit. But it made sense once it became clear that Camerupt was hardly even affected. ''Wha-? But how?''
''Ash, Camerupt's a fire and ground type!'' Max called.
''That's right!'' Vicky chimed. ''Use Flamethrower!''
Ash recovered fast ''Quick Attack!''
Pikachu was able to dodge the move in time, hitting Camerupt in a moment. But the pokemon was easily able to shake this off. Vicky had it strike back by knocking Pikachu to the ground with one of its feet, before calling for Camerupt to use Earth Power.
Glowing cracks appeared around Pikachu as the earth trembled, leaving the mouse pokemon to cry out in pain. Ash grit his teeth ''Quick Attack, hurry!''
Pikachu pulled himself up and dashed, managing to get around Camerupt then.
''Good, now use Iron Tail!''
The oncoming strike nailed Camerupt on the back, now plenty more effective with the added momentum of Quick Attack.
Wally perked up ''That was good thinking.''
''Yeah, go Ash!'' May cheered along with Ralts.
''Not bad.'' Vicky acknowledged. ''Camerupt, use Sandstorm!''
Camerupt let out a battle cry, gathering power and in seconds, the field was almost obscured by the swirling winds and sand. They could see Camerupt thanks to its size but Pikachu was soon covered from view.
Given that the battle field didn't exactly leave them much room to avoid the worst of this technique, Vito sent out Alakazam to help divert the storm away from himself and the rest of the observers.
Vicky called for another Earth Power and Ash immediately had Pikachu get out of the way. With some trouble, he could make out his partner in the middle of the Sandstorm trying to do just that.
Vicky was ready though ''Strength!''
Camerupt rammed Pikachu, throwing him to the ground and its trainer had it follow up with a Flamethrower. Pikachu was able to recover with Ash's urging and thus avoid the worst of the blast. When Vicky had her pokemon adjust the Flamethrower towards the electric type, Ash countered by having Pikachu jump in good time, avoiding it.
''Iron Tail, once more!'' Ash called.
Then, Pikachu descended and slammed his opponent with the hardened tail, knocking it back as it was hit on the face.
''All right!'' Max cheered.
Vivi couldn't help but wince, having a bad feeling about this...
Camerupt pulled itself up aftew a few moments, its face now red as it glowered at Pikachu. Vivi facepalmed, knowing very well what that look meant. Similarly, Vito groaned and Alakazam shook its head in exasperation, also familiar with what was about to happen.
''Uh, what's going on?'' Max asked, they couldn't help but note something very different about Camerupt. Why was the pokemon much more fierce now?
Everyone sans the Winstrates were taken aback to see how Camerupt attacked with renewed vigor, only to be hampered by Pikachu's speed once again.
''...What's going on?'' Brock wondered.
Vito looked at Victoria ''I thought you took care of this already.''
She sighed ''We tried-you know what your grandmother's like. She was absolutely insistent on taking care it all by herself no matter how much we tried to help. I know they've been working on it but that's all. Last time I checked, she said she handled the problem.''
''Camerupt, Eruption!'' Vicky ordered.
Camerupt growled, releasing the explosive blast a second, blowing Pikachu back. In fact, it was so strong that the force of it even affected the observers.
''That's overkill!'' May cried.
''Yeah, handling it is supposed to mean that the problem's solved!'' Max added as they all got back quickly.
Ash used Camerupt's distracted state to have Pikachu nail another succesful Iron Tail. He didn't know just what was going on with their opponent but it didn't matter now, he would stay just as focused as Vicky was.
But then something strange happened when Vicky told Camerupt to attack again, the irate pokemon let out a loud cry before rushing off towards the meadow. The Eruption pokemon's flames naturally set off the meadow, threatening to trap anyone in the vicinity in a fierce fire.
''No!'' Vivi cried, her grandmother stiffening in shock at the sight. Most of the wild pokemon nearby hurried away, with few trying to help those stuck in the fire.
''Alakazam, use Rain Dance!'' Vito ordered.
The psychic type conjured a blue sphere pf energy before launching it into the air. Within seconds, clouds appeared in the sky before it began to rain. Thankfully, this was plenty good to put out the fire, much to general relief. It also seemed to calm Camerupt down to an extent as the pokemon came to a complete halt.
Victor sighed ''What a relief, thanks, you two.''
It was then that they noted the present wild pokemon eyeing them with varying amounts of wariness. They were obviously upset, which was hardly a surprise as Camerupt had not just damaged the meadow but put them all in danger.
''Hey, we don't mean any harm. This was an accident!'' Ash said quickly.
''Yeah, sorry for the trouble. Camerupt just gets carried in battle. We never would have expected something like this though.'' Vito added, Camerupt lowered its head with a grunt.
''No one's going to hurt you.'' Wally put in. ''If there's anything we can do to help make up for this, please let us know.'' The two boys beside him nodded to this. Pikachu and Ralts voiced their support as well, trying to reassure the group before them as well.
The wild pokemon seemed a little mollified at this, if not somewhat wary but it seemed they could send their sincerity. One of the Wingull on a tree branch gestured to another Wingull next to it, it didn't take them long to spot that pokemon injured wing. The first Wingull then gestured to a Lombre nearby, which had a burn on its arm.
Brock was relieved, glad that the boys got through to them. If the pokemon wanted some help, it was more than fine in his book. ''This won't be a problem.''
He and Wally proceeded to tend to the two pokemon. Within minutes, both were doing much better. This served to alleviate any remaining misgivings the wild pokemon had as Wingull and Lombre nodded in thanks before Vicky stepped up.
''I really am sorry, this was all my fault. I promise to do whatever I can to make up for it.''
The wild pokemon took her words in stride, seeming to accept the promise before retreating. Vicky looked back at the others, her eyes eventually settling on her grandson and his new friends ''You three really are impressive, I'd hate to think what would happen if you all weren't here. I'll have to make it up to them. And Ash, you're the winner of the match.''
''Wait, what?'' The Kanto trainer blurted, not expecting that at all. Pikachu looked similarly takenaback.
''Well, Camerupt was pushed to that point after you two did so well even with the disadvantage.'' She reasoned. ''But mostly importantly, this mess is the result of my mistakes a trainer. I was too cocky, thinking I could handle the problem when things worked out well enough during our previous battles. You all could have been hurt terribly because of this, I should have known better. I certainly can't consider this a win when I was faced by the better trainer.''
''Ah, thanks...if you're sure...''
''I'm sure.'' Vicky nodded. ''Besides, you three definitely get the credit for what happened here. It's the least I can do.''
''Why don't you all come have dinner with us?'' Victoria suggested. ''After this day, I think we could all take some to relax.''
''That sounds great, Mom, would you all come?'' Vivi asked with a bright smile.
May smiled back ''Sounds good.''
Everyone headed back to the Winstrate family home, happily talking among themselves.
Though, if they had stayed a little longer, they might have noticed a certain pokemon observing the scene from the river.
Feebas had managed to remain hidden well enough, feeling curious about Wally. Despite what happened earlier, Feebas could tell that the boy meant well and seeing all this was effective in proving as much. The water type couldn't quite shake the apprehension though, given what happened to it before.
Biting its lip, Feebas dove in the water and swam away.
The family proceeded to invite the group to spend the night, an offer they took up gratefully. Max found to his relief that Vivi had no problem with him. In fact, they got along swimmingly. The girl was interested to hear about their travels and no one had any problem obliging her curiosity. The youngest pair's interactions though earned Max a bit of teasing from his sister and Brock, much to his annoyance.
At the same time, Vito spoke at length to Ash and Wally, the three sharing tales of their respective experiences. It was a nice time over all with both groups getting to know each other.
Then, having made his intentions clear earlier, Vito told his family about the day he met the pokemon ranger. He was a little unnerved when silence reigned after he finished the retelling but he figured his family needed time to absorb all this.
Finally, Victor cleared his throat and smiled at his eldest ''We really owe that man our gratitude then.'' He chuckled at Vito's clear surprise and added. ''Well, I can certainly see why you were inspired by someone like that.''
''Yeah, I knew pokemon rangers were cool but this guy sounds amazing!'' Vivi beamed.
Victoria gave a reassuring smile ''Vito, if you believe this is the path for you then you certainly have our support.''
Vito was very relieved by this, as the boy was about to thank them, Vivi frowned a bit ''Wait, Big brother, were you expecting everyone to give you some kind of trouble over this?''
''Actually, yeah...'' He admitted ruefully. ''...given how everyone's so big on pokemon training and all...looks like I was worried for nothing.''
''Of course you were.'' Vicky stated. ''This certainly came as a surprise but even if we all feel so strongly about training, we aren't about to begrudge someone for having a different dream. Least of all a member of our own family. I saw the way you talked back there-this dream of yours clearly put a fire in your eyes that I haven't seen in a long time. It's certainly a sight for sore eyes. You don't have a thing to worry about, we're behind you, ever step of you the way.''
''Thanks...thanks a lot!'' Even as he said it, Vito didn't think it was enough. Words couldn't express how grateful he was towards his family. It was such a relief to know that his concerns were all false and they were all so understanding. Their support was heartening. He felt more ready than ever to take the first step towards his new dream.
The others looked on in pleasant surprise, feeling happy for Vito. They knew by now that the Winstrates were a close-knit family. Vito clearly cared about them a great deal and it made his apprehension earlier all the more understandable. He was concerned about having anything come between them. But watching their interactions now as they thanked Vito for telling them and encouraging him to go forward with this decision was sweet.
''Now that's what a family should be like.'' Brock stated.
''Yeah, good for Vito.'' Max grinned.
''Watching this makes me miss my family, I want to talk to them.'' Wally admitted.
''What do you know, I was thinking the same thing.'' May smiled.
Ash chuckled as he thought of his family, understanding where they were coming from. For this moment was a reminder of what a family really was all about.
And let's stop here.
Well, I hope this was good. I kept rethinking this chapter a bunch of times-nothing felt right, not until I came up with this. I remember they say in canon that Vito's an accomplished trainer but he doesn't even show up anymore after that one episode and I remember we get to battle him in the games. I thought I could use his character in a different way.
I intended on introducing Feebas in a different way but this idea just occured to me when I was working on this chapter and it felt much better. There's a good reason Feebas wound up this way and it's going to be revealed soon as I intend for Feebas to appear again soon. Wally caught its attention and you'll see what comes of that in due time.
Well, thanks for reading and I hope you keep it up. Till next time!
