Battle Frontier Part 9
Ash and his friends have arrived on the getaway destination Chrysanthemum Island for May's next Pokémon Contest. Outside the Contest Hall, the registered Coordinators are preparing their prized Pokémon. Just then, they see Drew there.
"Oh, it's you guys." Drew says.
"Drew? You are here for the contest as well?" Ash asks.
"No, I just came here to rest up." Drew says. May takes out the letter and says, "Drew, are you the one that wrote me the letter back in Wisteria Town?"
Drew is surprised and he quickly turns around. "I don't know what you are saying."
Ash and Lillie notice the change of behavior, but they didn't say anything. Drew then walks away as May begins to work on Munchlax and Blaziben's skills.
Munchlax quickly lunges towards Blaziben with a Focus Punch, but misses and continues on to nearly hit a bystander and crash into the soft sand. As everyone tries to remove Munchlax from the sand, May goes to apologize for its actions.
"Hold on, are you May?" The girl introduces herself as Brianna and May is her idol. But then she sees Ash as well as Drew, she is much more excited. After a few quick words, the two shake hands and Drew wishes Brianna luck in the Contest.
"I am going to win their respect, which means I am going to defeat you." Brianna says to May as she is surprised.
In the contest, the Appeals Round begins and the first contestant is Jessie with her Mime Jr. dressed in Hawaiian attire. When Mime Jr. is sent out from its Poké Ball, it rotates on its upper head while Jessie performs a small hula dance. The crowd roars for Jessie's performance.
Next, May and her Munchlax take to the stage. May quickly directs Munchlax to unleash its Solar Beam, filling the stadium with a magnificent blend of lights and colors. Munchlax's next move is Metronome, so it begins moving its hands in synchronization. However, the move backfires and Munchlax is put to sleep, having used the move Rest. After a few moments of hesitation, May throws a Pokéblock into the air. Munchlax instantly awakens and devours the Pokéblock in mid-air while rotating. On its descent, Munchlax comes down with a Focus Punch, gracefully landing on the stadium platform.
The third contestant is Brianna, with her Surskit. Surskit uses Ice Beam on the stage, allowing it to gracefully pirouette like an ice skater across the now frozen performance stage. It finishes the performance with a high-velocity spin. The crowd cheers for Surskit's performance as the Contest Judges give approval of Brianna's performance.
The other contestants include Hoothoot, Hypno, Blastoise, and Castform. With the first round of competition ending, the results are revealed and among the contestants are May, Brianna, and Jessie. The match-ups are then announced, with May to face Jessie in the first round of the tournament.
The stage is set with May and her Blaziken facing off against Jessie and her Mime Jr. Blaziken begins the battle with a Fire Spin, but Mime Jr. easily dodges and uses Mimic, sending an identical Fire Spin to Blaziken. The tricky move deducts more points than usual from May's score. Blaziken recomposes itself and rushes toward Mime Jr with Quick Attack, and they both clash. Mime Jr. maneuvers itself in mid-air to begin "tickling" Blaziken, reducing a substantial amount of points from May. Mime Jr. follows up with another Mimicked Fire Spin, but as the flames engulf Blaziken, it recovers and gains power. Blaziken leaps through the ongoing Fire Spin and strikes Mime Jr. with a Sky Uppercut. Mime Jr. crashes to the ground defeated and May is declared the winner.
After clearing through their other battles, May and Brianna find themselves against one another in the finals. The crowd cheers as the final battle is started. May calls upon her Blaziken while Brianna releases her Vibrava. As Blaziken moves in for the attack, Vibrava uses its Screech attack, causing Blaziken to cover its ears. As Vibrava continues with its Screech attack, Blaziken launches a Fire spin for a direct hit. Vibrava retaliates with its Dragon Breath attack, nullifying the Fire Spin. Vibrava then uses its Sand Tomb attack to entrap Blaziken's legs in a mound of sand. Blaziken struggles, but is unable to remove itself from the tomb. Suddenly, Blaziken's feathers begin to glow a faint blue. After a moment, Blaziken bursts from the Sand Tomb using its new move, Mega Kick. Vibrava doesn't let up, unleashing another Dragon Breath attack and hitting Blaziken for great damage, reducing May's points further.
Blaziken ascends into the air for a Sky Uppercut, but misses its target as Vibrava goes for another Sand Tomb attack. Blaziken disperses the sand once more and descends down with a hard Mega Kick on Vibrava. The two Pokémon crash into the ground, and Vibrava is declared unable to battle. With this victory over Brianna, the Chrysanthemum Contest draws to a close and Mr. Contesta presents May with the Chrysanthemum Ribbon; her third overall.
Drew comes to them after the contest, which makes Brianna to blush and hide behind May.
"You guys do a great job. I wish you good luck next time." He says to Brianna, who then faints.
That night, Ash goes to meet him at the beach, he asks, "So you are the one that sends the letter aren't you? Why did you deny?"
"Well…Fine. I admit that I have feelings for her."
Ash smiles, "That is good, so when are you going to tell her?"
Drew turns around and says, "Shut up. I will tell her when I am ready." It is obvious that his face is red.
Ash smiles, "I am looking forward to it." He says as he walks back to others, leaving Drew in thoughts.
The next day, Drew talks to May that she has two ribbons left and bid farewell to them. May also starts to blush after he gives a wink.
"So what did Drew talk to you last night?" Max asks.
"Oh, nothing important. Let's go or we can't get to the Battle Palace." He says as he runs.
"Hey, wait for us!" Lillie calls out to him as the others run.
They get to Metallica Island, where the Battle Palace is. Meganium and Sceptile are separated due to the Beedrill colony, Ash goes to chase them, they find the two of them surrounded by Beedrill, Ash says, "Pikachu, Sylveon, Absol, Persian, help them out."
As the four Pokemon attack the Beedrill, driving off the group, the other one appears to take their place. There are far too many for them to deal with, so Ash turns to Sceptile and Meganium. "We have to go now."
The group tries to flee, with the Beedrill in pursuit, but they find themselves cornered on the edge of a cliff. There is a raging river in front of them, and an angry swarm of Beedrill behind them. As the Beedrill approach, Sceptile and Meganium step in front of Ash. They both cringes as they take a barrage of attacks.
"Meganium, Sceptile, return." Ash says, but before he can recall them,the Beedrill knock them back into Ash, causing him to drop the Poké Balls, and causing the 7 of them to fall into the river.
Ash grabs hold of a rock in the river, he yells, "Everyone!" But only Sceptile and Meganium are carried towards him, and the river carried the other four Pokemon out. Ash cries out to it, swearing to find it as soon as he can.
Back at the Pokémon Center, May, Max, and Lillie are worried because Ash and the Poekmon still haven't returned.
"There you are." Scott says as he appears behind them. "Where is Ash?"
May tells Scott what happened, and this alarms him. "Oh no, this is the time when the local Kakuna normally evolve into Beedrill, and there are a lot of them in the area."
"Oh no, they may be in danger." Lillie says as she rushes out to look for them with others following suit.
Presently, Ash, Meganium and Sceptile are walking along, with Ash supporting both Meganium and Sceptile.
"We have to get back to the Pokemon Center to get you some help..." Ash mutters, but then Sceptile falters, and falls to its knees in pain.
"Sceptile!" Meganium says in worry and Ash says, "Meganium, can you try help him using your powers?"
Meganium tries doing so, and then they manage to keep moving on.
Scott is now leading the others into the woods in search of their missing friends. He shows the others the Repel he brought along to keep the Beedrill away.
"Guys, look." Max says as he found two Pokeballs on the ground. Lillie says, "That's Meganium and Sceptile's Pokeball."
The group looks down at the raging river below and fears the worst. Scott says they should follow the river, so they hurry off. Ahead, Ash has put together a meal for himself ,Meganium and Sceptile using some Berries from the area. Sceptile now lies down to go to sleep with Meganium by his side.
"I am sorry, it would have been comfortable in your Poke Ball, but this is all the best we can do." Ash says.
Ash then looks up at the moon and thinks about Pikachu, Sylveon, Absol and Persian, hoping they ars okay. Somewhere downriver, the four Pokemon struggle ashore and Pikachu collapses, lacking even the strength to remain standing.
"Oh no, Pikachu..." Sylveon says.
"What should we do now?" Absol asks.
Just then, heavy approaching footsteps can be heard. They turn out to be coming from a Venusaur, with an old man riding on it.
Elsewhere, Scott's group is still following the river when they see a column of smoke in the distance, presumably from a campfire. At this fire, the old man sits next to his Venusaur, mixing something in a bowl.
"Now all four of you, drink it." The man says, and then they don't like the taste as it is really bitter.
"Ah, there you are, Spencer." Scott and the others approach and then Pikachu, Sylveon, Absol and Persian see Lillie and hug her.
"Thank goodness you guys are safe." Lillie smiles.
"They would soon be fine, I assume that they are your Pokemon? Lady?" Spencer asks.
"Not exactly..." Lillie says, Scott then introduces them to one of the Frontier Brains, Palace Maven Spenser. Ash's friends are surprised to learn of his identity, and explain that these Pokemon belong to both Lillie and their friend Ash, who is still missing.
At first, they want to keep looking, but then May and Max's stomachs both growl, and they all realize how late it is and that it has been a while since they have eaten. Venusaur then extends a vine and offers them some fruit, and Spenser says, "It would be better to eat first before continuing the search."
Farther ahead, Ash is now talking in his sleep. Lying opposite him, Meganium and Sceptile are still awake, watching him. Content that Ash is okay, the two Pokemon smile at each other and go to sleep.
Back at the campsite, May, Max, and Lillie are now finished with their food, and thank Spenser. Spenser tells them a bit about himself and the healing medicines he makes. Pikachu, who had been asleep, now wakes up, and is fully healed. Lillie, May, and Max are of course happy to see this, and this shows that Spenser's medicines do work. The old man stands up now, and says that since they have eaten and rested, they should now resume searching, as dawn begins to break over the land.
Meanwhile, Ash, Meganium and Sceptile are now walking again, they go to the river to find the four missing Pokemon, only to fall flat and hurt his knee.
"Ash, are you okay?" Sceptile asks.
"I am fine." Ash says as he gets up and continues to walk, determined to get to the Pokémon Center and get them all healed. Before long, they come across a group of Kakuna that may be about to evolve.
"We have to be quiet so that they won't try to attack us." Ash says.
They proceed forward, but suddenly, a swam of Beedrill catches up to them. Ash, Meganium and Sceptile increase their pace, but they come across a dead end.
Ash turns around and grabs something on the ground, it turns out to be a Pokeball and then one of the Beedrill is captured, much to his surprise. He quickly sends it out and says, "Beedrill, please help us."
Beedrill notices that he is captured by the human and then Ash means no harm as he sees how Meganium and Sceptile are determined to help him, he nods and then he tries to communicate. The other Beedrills are going to turn their target at the Beedrill, but suddenly, Pikachu intervenes with a Thunderbolt, having been closely followed by May, Max, Absol, Sylveon, Persian and Lillie.
"Guys!" Ash says with excitement, but then, the Beedrill quickly turn on the new arrivals. A powder suddenly calms them down; it turns out to be Venusaur's Sweet Scent, as Venusaur, Spenser, and Scott have now arrived.
"Ash Ketchum, don't you ever do this again!" Lillie tackles Ash and yells at him, causing him to be shamed. Then they tell him who Spencer is.
"Thank you for saving my Pokemon." Ash says. But suddenly, two claws grab Meganium and Sceptile.
"Who are you guys?" Spencer demands as Team Rocket goes into their motto.
Ash calls for a Thunderbolt, but it doesn't work. They gloat that since Pikachu's attacks will not work, and neither does Fairy, Dark, Normal and Grass Types, there is nothing Ash can do. Giving chase, Ash spots a dead tree, climbs it, and prepares to jump. He cringes from the pressure on his injured knee, but ignores it and jumps, managing to grab the arm that holds Sceptile, much to Team Rocket's surprise.
Meowth works the controls, trying to shake Ash off, but he hangs on. Infuriated, Jessie sends out Dustox, who attacks Ash with Poison Sting. Ash yells in pain, Lillie says, "Ash..."
"I am not going to let you away with this!" Ash yells.
Jessie now tells Dustox to knock Ash away with Tackle, and it does, causing Ash to fall. Sceptile screams, as it arms glow and then breaks the arm. Max says, "That's Dual Chop, a Dragon Move!"
He also saves Meganium and then they catch Ash with the Vine Whip. Meganium sets Ash down, and then he thanks them. Sceptile then falters, as it is overcome by its injuries. Spenser now steps in, and sends out a Chansey, who uses Heal Bell. This heals Sceptile, who promptly reaches into a bush and picks out a new twig. Ash and friends are elated to see that Sceptile is finally all right.
However, Team Rocket refuse to give up that easily. They land their balloon and prepare for battle. Spenser interrupts and says that they should almost be thanked, since it was their interference that allowed Sceptile to regain its confidence. Jessie angrily cuts him off and calls for a Tackle from Dustox, as James calls for a Needle Arm. Ash calls for a Leaf Blade, and one strike is enough to send Cacnea and Dustox reeling, much to Jessie and James' surprise. Ash now calls for Bullet Seed, which sends them blasting off.
"Now that's done." Ash says, just then, the Beedrill group are back as the others are worried. Spencer tries to interfere again, but Ash says, "Wait."
Then much to their surprise, the Beedrill apologizes to Ash and the others and then they give Ash a Mega Stone, the Beedrillite. Ash takes it and then he thanks the group, before the Beedrill flies away. Ash says, "Now let's see what the Dex has to say.
Kanto Dex Entry No.13 Weedle: The Hairy Bug Pokemon: Bug and Poison Type. Beware of the sharp stinger on its head. It hides in grass and bushes where it eats leaves.
Kanto Dex Entry No.14 Kakuna: The Cocoon Pokemon: Bug and Poison Type. Evolved from Weedle at LV:7. Able to move only slightly. When endangered, it may stick out its stinger and poison its enemy.
Kanto Dex Entry No.15 Beedrill: The Poison Bee Pokemon: Bug and Poison Type. Evolved from Kakuna at LV:10. It has three poisonous stingers on its forelegs and its tail. They are used to jab its enemy repeatedly.
Later, Scott tells Ash about the Battle Palace, and Ash officially challenges Spenser, who accepts.
The next day, Ash comes to the Palace with his friends, he tells them that before he can battle him, he should let his Pokemon battle alone for 7 rounds.
"Battle alone? You mean no commands and letting them think of their own?"
"Yes. The facility is seeking the spirit of your Pokemon and yours. You should believe in your Pokemon."
Ash nods and sends out Sceptile, Beedrill and Pidgeot for battle, they all wait until they beat 21 Pokemon. Ash and the others are riding the hot air balloon as they watch their Pokemon battle.
"Wow, Ash's Pokemon are so strong…" Max says.
"Yeah. With the training, they all know what to do, even the Beedrill who just caught yesterday." Mark says.
Then Spenser and Ash goes off the balloon as they face each other.
"So you have defeat all 21 Pokemon. Very well. I will battle you with true spirit."
"Sure, Beedrill, Pidgeot, return for now." Ash says as he recalls his two Pokemon.
The referee abruptly states the rules for Ash's Battle Palace match. Spenser calls out his first Pokémon, Shiftry. The referee waves its flags and the match begins. Sceptile starts out with a blistering Bullet Seed but Shiftry is very fast and manages to dodge it. Shiftry and Sceptile run off down the side of the hill, closely followed by Ash, Pikachu, Absol and Spenser. Sceptile and Shiftry are speeding through the forest running side by side, eyes locked onto one another, Ash orders a Leaf Blade from Sceptile, but Shiftry counters it with a Quick Attack. The two continue running along the grass in the jungle as we pan out to see Sylveon, Persian, Lillie, May, Max and Scott watching on. As Shiftry bounces through the jungle closely followed by Sceptile, Spenser compliments Ash on his Sceptile's Speed not long before he orders his Shiftry to use Double Team.
Sceptile is surrounded by many Shiftry, and before Ash can reply, a powerful Shadow Ball from Shiftry knocks Sceptile into a nearby pool. Then, as ordered by Spenser, Shiftry uses Rock Smash on the ground by the lake, which sends off a barrage of rocks from the nearby water's edge and fills the pool. Ash is worried that Sceptile has been crushed as they see Sceptile's head just duck underwater as the rocks hit the pond, he is sure that Sceptile has been knocked out. Suddenly, Sceptile appears from atop the waterfall, jumps out and crashes a powerful Pound attack on Shiftry. This, along with a Leaf Blade, knocks Shiftry out, giving Sceptile the victory.
"I see your Sceptile is strong, I won't be holding back in the next battle."
He swiftly sending out his Venusaur. Ash recalls his Sceptile and sends out Beedrill.
"A good choice, Beedrill is a bug type, it should be effective against Grass types." Lillie says.
"I think you shouldn't underestimate Venusaur, it is a powerful one."
"Really?" May asks, then they see the mega evolution. "Oh."
Ash quickly orders Beedrill to attack with a Twineedle, which Spenser tries to counter with a Razor Leaf; however, Beedrill manages to knock all of the leaves out of the sky with its stings and then strike a direct hit onto Venusaur. Beedrill continues to attack with Fury Attack until a powerful Vine Whip knocks Beedrill back.
Beedrill lands on its feet and is ready to retaliate; both Beedrill and Venusaur go for a Tackle attack, meeting eyes locked in the middle. Ash orders Beedrill to use Poison Sting, which hits Venusaur hard, knocking it back. It slides directly into a tree knocking from it a Nanab Berry, which Spenser catches. Spenser orders a Solar Beam from Venusaur, and Ash uses the delay from the move to his advantage attacking again with a Fury Attack. It hits directly onto Venusaur, but this time, Venusaur responds with a Solar Beam, which knocks Beedrill out.
"Wow, what power…" May says.
"Yeah, and Beedrill isn't trained well enough…" Max says.
Ash calls back his Beedrill and sends out his Pidgeot, giving him the type advantage once more. Pidgeot flies down, but as Ash orders it to attack, Spenser stops the battle for a rest and a quick snack. After the rest, May sees Pidgeot flying far out into the jungle and is unsure about what Ash is up to. Minami spots the ocean and realizes where Ash is headed. Spenser and Venusaur follow Pidgeot. Ash orders Pidgeot to speed up, which Spenser tries to counter with multiple Vine Whips, but Pidgeot manages to avoid them. Pidgeot bursts out onto the beach, closely followed by Ash, Sylveon and Pikachu, then Spenser and his Venusaur, where the battle commences.
Venusaur uses Razor Leaf, which is only just dodged by a last-minute Double Team. Venusaur panics, unsure of which Pidgeot is the real one. Ash orders a Quick Attack, while Venusaur counters with a Vine Whip. The real Pidgeot is found, but it manages to avoid the vine and directly hit Venusaur, knocking it back.
"Looks like Venusaur is tired." Persian says.
"Yeah, his battle with Beedrill makes him lose a lot of health." Lillie remarks.
Spenser orders a final Solar Beam, causing Ash to panic. However, the clouds cover the sun, which stops the Solar Beam from charging, giving Pidgeot the advantage; it finishes off Venusaur with an Aerial Ace.
"Alright, Ash wins!" Lillie cheers.
"Well, don't be happy just yet, his last Pokemon is also a tough one."
At that exact moment, Spenser sends out his Claydol. Ash orders a Quick Attack, but Claydol dodges it with Teleport, which leads into a Rapid Spin attack that hits Pidgeot hard from behind. Pidgeot regains its flight, only to be fazed by another Rapid Spin attack sending up a cloud of dust and sand, catching Pidgeot off-guard. Combining this with an almighty Hyper Beam, Claydol knocks Pidgeot out.
"Pidgeot, you did a good job." Ash says as he recalls her.
"Sceptile! I choose you!" Ash sends out his last Pokemon, and then also mega evolve into X form.
Claydol uses Psybeam, which Sceptile manages to dodge. Sceptile then unleashes a Bullet Seed at Claydol, but Claydol dodges it with Teleport, which sends it out above the water, where it uses Rapid Spin to send a jet of water at Sceptile. Sceptile now jumps up onto the side of a cliff, as the sun behind Sceptile beams onto the yellow patches on its back, which start to glow. However, this is cut short due to a cloudy sky, followed by rain. A Rapid Spin from Claydol starts up a sand twister; Sceptile tries its best to avoid but is caught in the twister. Using this to his advantage, Spenser orders Claydol to use Psybeam at the twister, doing serious damage to Sceptile. Sceptile is sent flying and struggles to gain its feet again, slipping as it tries to stand.
The clouds start to part and Ash notices the yellow patches on Sceptile's back are absorbing the sunlight. Spenser explains that that phenomenon is called a squall. Later, the clouds depart, and Spenser orders a Hyper Beam from Claydol. However, Sceptile manages to avoid this by jumping out of the way, and Ash orders Solar Beam from Sceptile. Claydol is hit with a super-effective Solar Beam, which defeats it and gives Ash the win.
"Way to go! Sceptile!" Ash hugs Sceptile, which he tries to regain his coolness.
"Congratulations, Ash. You surely show your spirits. Here is your symbol." Spencer gives him the Palace Symbol, he thanks him and grabs it.
"Okay, Ash. The next one will be tougher, I hope to see you win." Scott says as he goes off. And Ash and his friends also leaves the island.
Here is a new chapter, and this time Ash gets his fifth Symbol. Now what will happen next? Please find out in the next chapter.
Ash and Lillie's Current Pokemon:
Butterfree x2, Beedrill, Pikachu, Wigglytuff, Persian, Arcanine, Lapras x2, Mewtwo, Mew, Meganium, Crobat, Espeon, Steelix, Piloswine, Donphan, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Sceptile, Gardevoir, Vigoroth, Milotic, Tropius, Absol, Metang, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Latias, Latios, Lucario, Electivire, Magmortar, Gallade, Sylveon
In Home:
Venusaur, Blastoise, Pidgeot, Raticate, Fearow, Arbok, Raichu, Sandslash, Nidoqueen, Nidoking, Clefable, Vileplume, Venomoth, Dugtrio, Golduck, Primeape, Poliwrath, Alakazam, Machamp, Victreebel, Tentacruel, Golem, Rapidash, Slowbro, Magneton, Farfetch'd, Dodrio, Muk, Cloyster, Gengar, Hypno, Kingler, Electrode, Exeggutor, Marowak, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Weezing, Kangaskhan, Seaking, Starmie, Mr. Mime, Jynx, Pinsir, Tauros, Gyarados, Ditto, Omastar, Kabutops, Aerodactyl, Snorlax, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Dragonite, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Furret, Noctowl, Ledian, Ariados, Lanturn, Xatu, Ampharos, Bellossom, Azumarill, Sudowoodo, Politoed, Jumpluff, Sunflora, Umbreon, Slowking, Unown x28, Wobbuffet, Girafarig, Forretress, Granbull, Scizor, Shuckle, Heracross, Ursaring, Magcargo, Corsola, Octillery, Delibird, Mantine, Skarmory, Houndoom, Kingdra, Stantler, Smeargle, Hitmontop, Miltank, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Larvitar, Tyranitar, Lugia, Blaziken, Swampert, Mightyena, Linoone, Beautifly, Dustox, Ludicolo, Shiftry, Swellow, Pelipper, Masquerain, Breloom, Ninjask, Shedinja, Exploud, Hariyama, Nosepass, Delcatty, Sableye, Mawile, Aggron, Medicham, Manectric, Plusle, Minun, Volbeat, Illumise, Swalot, Shapedo, Wailord, Camerrput, Torkoal, Spinda, Flygon, Cacturne, Altaria, Zangoose, Seviper, Lunatone, Solrock, Whiscash, Crawdaunt, Claydol, Cradily, Armaldo, Castform, Banette, Chimecho, Glalie, Walrein, Huntail, Gorebyss, Relicanth, Luvdisc, Salamence, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Honchkrow, Weavile, Lickilicky, Rhyperior, Yanmega, Porygon-Z,
In training: Charizard, Charla
May's Current Pokemon:
Blaziken, Beautifly, Delcatty, Venusaur, Munchlax, Wartortle, Eevee
