The following morning saw Hilda and Ash meet up, and Ash asked: "So, are you taking on Clay this morning?"
"Yep" Hilda responded, smiling. Ash nodded, then added "Good luck, he's tough, especially that Excadrill. I'm off for some training, good luck"
"Thanks, Ash" Hilda replied. As Ash departed, she called out her Pokémon
"Alright guys, this is it. Our sixth Gym Battle, and probably our toughest. You've heard the legend of Clay's Excadrill, but his other Pokémon are no pushovers either. But, we will win, because we have the strength, bond, teamwork and determination to do it" Hilda said, and her Pokémon cheered in response. Hilda smiled, nodded, then added "Now, let's give it our all, alright?", to which her Pokémon cheered again. Hilda returned them to their Poké Balls, then headed for the Gym.
Soon, Hilda reached the entrance to the Gym, where the worker standing out the front asked "Are you ready to take on the Driftveil City Gym Hilda?", to which she nodded, and said "Yes, I am"
"Good. Then follow me" the worker replied, and he headed inside, Hilda following.
Soon, Hilda reaches the arena, and takes her spot on one side, while the worker takes the referee spot.
"There you are Hilda, you're ready to challenge me I see," Clay said as he approached and took his spot on the other side. Just as the battle was about to start, Ash arrived in the stands, along with Nate, Rosa and Hugh.
"So, others are here too, good. Now let's get this show on the road" Clay said.
"The battle between Hilda of Nuvema Town and the Driftveil City Gym Leader Clay will now begin. This will be a three-on-three battle, only the challenger can make Substitutions, and the first trainer to have all of their Pokémon KO'ed loses" the worker said. Clay then responded "Aright Krokorok, let's get to work" and Krokorok materialised.
"Simisear, let's show them what we can do" Hilda called, and Simisear materialised.
In the stands, Nate asked "Why is Hilda using a Fire-type Simisear against a Ground-type Krokorok?", to which Ash replied "Not sure, I'm guessing she's going to try and compensate for that type disadvantage, Simisear is speedy after all"
"I hope she knows what she's doing" Rosa responded, to which Hgh nodded, but Ash thought to himself "She does"
Battle: Krokorok, Palpitoad and Excadrill VS Simisear, Herdier and Dewott.
Krokorok's Intimidate ability cut Simisear's Attack.
"Krokorok, use Bulldoze" Clay called, and Krokorok jumped, then shot a shaking, light-brown shockwave across the ground.
"Simisear, dodge it and use Brick Break" Hilda called, and Simisear leapt over the wave and charged at Krokorok with a glowing orange fist, but Clay had a plan.
"Stop that Brick Break Krokorok, use Crunch" Clay commanded, and Krokorok's teeth glowed in anti-positive energy, and it snapped on Simisear's hand, dispersing the Brick Break and did Significant damage.
"Simisear, break free with Fire Punch" Hilda called, and Simisear cloaked his fist with flames and punched Krokorok, forcing it to let him go and dealing Significant damage.
"Finish this Simisear, use Brick Break" Hilda called, but Krokorok fell back and Clay called "Krokorok, Sandstorm" and Krokork shot a storm of sand at Simisear, knocking him back.
The Sandstorm then did slight damage to Simisear.
"Krokorok, end this with Rock Slide" Clay called, and Krokorok summoned rocks to fall on Simisear, but Hilda was ready.
"Simisear, Brick Break the rocks and Krokorok" she commanded, and Simisear's hands glowed orange, then shot through, and though he took Considerable damage from the Rock Slide, his Brick Break was able to KO Krokorok.
"Krokorok is unable to battle, Simisear wins," the referee said as Clay withdrew Krokorok and both Simisear and Hilda cheered.
In the stands, Ash, Nate, Rosa and Hugh all cheered too.
Back in the arena, Clay said "You did well Krokorok, now rest up, you did well. Now, Palpitoad, let's get to work", and Palpitoad materialised.
"Simisear, return," Hilda said as she withdrew Simisear. She then added "Now, Herdier, let's show them what we can do" and Herdier materialised.
Herdier's Intimidate cuts Palpitoad's Attack.
"Herdier, use Retaliate" Hilda called, and Herdier cloaked itself in white energy and charged at Palpitoad, and Clay called "Quick Palpitoad, use Bulldoze" and Palpitoad jumped, then shot a shaking, light-brown shockwave across the ground. Though this did minor damage to Herdier and lowered its Speed, Herdier managed to strike and deal Considerable damage.
"Now quick Palpitoad, use Muddy Water" Clay commanded, and Palpitoad summoned a muddy wave of water around it, hitting Herdier, dealing a third of Herdier's health in damage and blinding him.
"Grr, Herdier, return: Hilda called, and Herdier was withdrawn. She then added "Now, Dewott, let's show them what we can do" and Dewott materialised.
"I see. Well then, Palpitoad, use Round" Clay commanded, and Palpitoad emitted a harsh green note at Dewott.
"Dewott, quick, counter with Hidden Power" Hilda called, and Dewott generated orbs of ice that were shot at the note, destroying it and going on to deal Moderate damage to Palpitoad.
"Palpitoad, use Muddy Water again" Clay called, and Palpitoad surged a wave of mud and water at Dewott.
"I saw what that did to Herdier, so, Dewott, shield your eyes, then combine Retaliate with Water Pulse, just in case" Hilda called, and though Dewott was partially blinded by the Muddy Water, also taking a quarter of its health in damage. However, Hilda's plan worked, and Dewott, after creating a small wave by throwing the ball of water into the ground, then cloaking itself in white energy and charging into it, Dewott's eyes were cleared, allowing it to strike Palpitoad and deal Considerable damage, then KO Palpitoad with Retaliate.
"Palpitoad is unable to battle the victor is Dewott," the worker said as Hilda and Dewott cheered.
In the stands, Ash called "Well done Hilda, that's thinking on your feet".
Back in the arena, Hilda was hearted by that statement from Ash. Clay withdrew Palpitoad and said "You did well Palpitoad. Now rest up". He then added "Now, let's see how you handle my strongest Pokémon. Go, Excadrill' and Excadrill materialised.
"Dewott, use Water Pulse" Hilda called, and Clay responded "Excadrill, destroy that with Drill Run" and Excadrill became a drill coated in brown energy, and shot at Dewott, destroying it's Water Pulse while taking, seemingly, no damage.
"Quick, dodge it Dewott" Hilda called, and Dewott barely avoided the Drill Run.
"Dewott, get back" Hilda called, and Dewott was withdrawn. Then, Hilda added "Herdier, let's show them what we can do" and Herdier materialised.
Herdier's Intimidate cuts Excadrill's Attack.
"Herdier, use Reversal" Hilda called, and Herdier glowed orange of moderate-intensity and shot at Excadrill.
"Stop it with a Bulldoze Excadrill" Clay called and Excadrill unleashed a light brown shockwave at Herdier.
"Herdier, dodge it, then keep with Reversal" Hilda called, and Herdier did avoid it, and struck, dealing Minor damage.
"Bury it in a Rock Slide Excadrill" Clay commanded, and Excadrill summoned rocks to fall down on Herdier, dealing Moderate damage and causing Herdier to Flinch.
"Now end this Excadrill use Bulldoze" Clay called, and this time, the light brown shockwave hit, and KO'ed Herdier.
"Herdier is unable to battle, the winner is Excadrill," the worker said as Hilda withdrew Herdier, and said, "You did well Herdier, now take a long rest". She then said to herself "Damn this is a tough Excadrill, Ash was right. This isn't going to be easy". She then grabbed another ball, and added "Simisear, let's show them what we can do" and Simisear materialised.
"Simisear, use Fire Punch" Hilda commanded, while Clay also commanded, "Excadrill, use Drill Run" and Simisear cloaked his fist with flames, while Excadrill turned into a drill, cloaked himself with light brown energy, and they charged at each other. On contact, they KO'ed each other.
"Both Excadrill and Simisear are unable to battle, this battle is a draw. However, as Hilda has one Pokémon remaining to Clay's zero, the victor is Hilda from Nuvema Town" the worker said as they both withdrew their Pokémon.
"You did well Excadrill, now rest up," Clay said, while Hilda said, "You did a great job Simisear, now take a long rest". Clay smiled, then added "Well, you've got all the tools you need to be a successful trainer Hilda, you really showed that today. Here you go, the Quake Badge" and he gave the badge to her.
"Wow, thanks, Clay. That's six Gym Badges now" Hilda said, smiling as she added it to her badge case.
"Also, here's the TM for Bulldoze. It may not be the most powerful move in the world, but it lowers the Speed stat of everyone it hits" Clay added, giving the Technical Machine to Hilda.
"Awesome, thanks" Hilda replied. After shaking hands with Clay, Hilda departed, closely followed by the others.
It took about forty minutes by foot to reach the Pokémon World Tournament site, but when they arrived, everyone's jaws hit the floor.
The place had numerous stadiums in it, all for different modes of battle. There were a massive number of tents, including multiple that seem to have Move Tutors, Deleters and Relearners.
"So this is the Pokémon World Tournament," Ash said, surprised. Hilda added "Hilbert never told me about this"
"Heh, well, the Pokémon World Tournament facility only opened a couple of months ago. Our next Pokémon Regional Tournament will start in a couple of months, and it will take place here, instead of at the Pokémon League" Clay said. Hugh nodded, then asked, "So, where do we sign up for the Driftveil Cup?"
"Follow me, I'll show you," Clay said, and he headed for one of the smaller ones.
As they approach, Colress approached as well.
"It's Colress, what is he doing here?" Ash asked, to
which Colress replied "I'm here to enter the Driftveil Cup of course. How else am I going to investigate how best to bring out the strength of Pokémon"
"Oh, alright" Ash replied, but Colress and Clay eyes each other suspiciously for a moment before Colress entered.
"Are you alright Mr. Clay?" Hilda asked a little nervously, to which Clay replied: "I'm suspicious about that guy, something's off about him". He then shook his head, and said "Now follow me in", and the group headed inside.
When they enter, Clay turned to face them.
"Welcome to the Pokémon World Tournament laddies. This building is where the Driftveil Cup will take place. Eight trainers battling in a single-elimination format. The winner gets automatic entry into one of the Regional Tournaments. Follow so far?" Clay asked, to which everyone replied "Yes" before Ash added, "What are the rules and limitation of this Tournament?"
"Well, the battles will be like your typical Gym battle. Three Pokémon, both sides can Substitute, the first trainer to have all three Pokémon KO'ed loses. One additional rule though. For fairness, all Pokémon will be balanced to Level thirty-three" Clay replied, and the group nodded.
"Well, I recommend you sign up. I'll help you with the application process. This will be televised, mainly because people love up-and-coming trainers, so we recommend showing off what you can do" Clay continued, then he headed for the registration stand.
When they arrived, the receptionist asked "Do all of you want to enter the Driftveil Cup?", to which Ash, who was first, replied "Yes"
"Cool. The five of you will fill up the final five places of the eight-person tournament. Good Luck" the receptionist replied as they took it in turns handing their enrolment forms in.
"Um, one question Ash," the receptionist said, to which Ash asked "Oh? You're wondering about Pikachu?" to which the receptionist nodded. Ash then got out his Pokédex and, when Pikachu leapt down from Ash's shoulder and onto the desk, Ash scanned him.
"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning as it raises it to check its surroundings." Ash's Pokédex said. The receptionist nodded, then said "Pikachu is Level sixty-five though"
"The stadium will lower his level to thirty-three as required, don't worry" Clay replied, to which the receptionist nodded, then said "Alright, no more questions, thank you for your co-operation"
"No worries miss" Ash replied, and he and Pikachu scooted out of the way as the others enrolled.
Once done, they head out, and Clay takes them on a tour.
"So, that's the Stadium where the small Tournaments will take place," Clay said, to which Hilda asked "Small tournaments?"
"The Driftveil Cup is an example of a Small tournament" Clay replied, and Hilda nodded, while Ash added, "That's nice to hear".
As they walk around the facility, Clay said "The stadiums are larger, to accommodate larger crowds. We figure the regional Tournaments would attract bigger crowds than the small tournaments, hence why this stadium is larger", to which Ash responded "I'm originally from Kanto, will all future Tournaments in Kanto be moved here?", to which Clay replied "The Tournaments that'll be here are for the Gym Leaders and trainers who rank high in the major Regional Tournaments, as well as other powerful trainers"
"Cool. To be honest, expect to see this face around these parts regularly" Ash replied, to which Clay chuckled, then said, "We'll see, you definitely have the spirit, skill and experience to pop up".
Soon, they reached the largest arena.
"And, here we go. At this stadium, the Pokémon World Tournament will be moved here from Sinnoh. At least that's what we hope. This stadium can hold up to One Hundred Thousand people, and we hope to attract all the best trainers around the world, raising everyone's skill, as well as the profile of both Driftveil City, and the wider Unova region"
"That's quite the brag, but we hope that it will come to pass" Ash replied. Clay nodded, then said "That's not all, we have two more areas to show" and at this, he leads them towards a group of stalls.
When they arrive at the stalls, Clay said "Well, here we have everything a strong trainer needs. You can use Battle Points won during Tournaments to buy Technical Machines, Held Items and Effort Value drinks. We also have the Move Reminder, Move Deleter, and all of the Move Tutors, so every Tutor move can be learned"
"Wow, that's amazing" everyone replied at about the same time. Clay chuckled, then said "Thanks, guys. Now for the last bit", and they headed towards the South-West.
And here, a cave branched off.
"This is the entrance to part of the Relic Passage, a sprawling maze that spreads across, at the moment, most of Central Unova. But, we have reason to believe it spreads much further than that, and the exits are currently missing" Clay said, to which Ash replied "This is such an amazing facility. How long did it take to build?"
"Five years, but the project is finally done. I'm so proud" Clay said, smiling. He then turned to Hilda and added "Send a message to your brother about this, I'm sure he'd love to battle here"
"I agree, I'll be sure to send him a message" Hilda replied. Clay nodded, then said "Now, the Driftveil Cup will start tomorrow, so you'd better get ready. Good luck" and at that, he departed, waving.
"We'd better get ready to take on Clay guys," Nate said, to which both Rosa and Hugh nodded, and they departed. Ash turned to Hilda, and asked: "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to go shopping, get some supplies. How about you?" Hilda responded. Ash nodded, then replied "Gonna get Pikachu back into the game. It's been a while since he's had a battle, so he can get his eye back in, so to speak"
"Sounds good" Hilda replied, and they head out.
When they got back to the Pokémon Centre, however, Clay catches up with them.
"Hey, while your Pokémon are resting, how about I show you the location of the Driftveil Cup?" Clay asked, to which the group replied "Sure, lead the way"
"Alright" Clay replied, and he departed, heading south, with the crew following behind.
After being shown around the Pokémon World Tournament, Ash and Hilda decided to make some preparations for said Tournament. Ash did this by training his Pikachu on the wild Pokémon of Route 6.
"I know it's been a while since you had an actual battle Pikachu, but the Pokémon World Tournament will reduce your level to even up to the other challengers, so you're going to need to be at the top of your game to win," Ash said to which Pikachu, who responded by nodding and responding with a determined look and a "Pika Pikachu".
"That's the spirit buddy," Ash said, petting his Pikachu.
Even though Pikachu was winning every battle in one turn, he decided to go second, let his opponent attack so he can get back into quickly avoiding their attacks, and striking back hard. It wasn't long before not only had Pikachu knocked the rust off, but Ash and Pikachu were back in perfect sync as if they had never stopped battling together.
Meanwhile with Team Rocket
After a long trek, an exhausted Team Rocket make it back to Driftveil City, James has made a new friend in a Swoobat, who was currently flapping close behind him.
"We'd better find somewhere to stay, we don't know when Neo Team Plasma will launch any planned attacks," Jessie said, to which James replied "Yeah. On the upside, we do have escape routes to use as last resort"
"True, but I just wanna kick as many of those Neo Plasma's as I can" Jessie responded, getting fired up. Meowth quickly "Be quiet Jessie, we're not meant to be out this late"
"Oh, right, sorry" Jessie replied.
Soon, they found a hotel to stay near the outskirts of the City.
"And now, we rest, for tomorrow, we get action. I hope you didn't enrol in that Cup James" Jessie said, to which James replied "There we no places left when I tried"
"Ah well, gives us more freedom to fight outside the Tournament, right?" Meowth asked, to which Jessie replied "Right"
"Good Night" Meowth then said as he rolled over, to which both Jessie and James replied "Good Night".
After an hour, Ash and Pikachu returned to the Pokémon Centre.
"How did everything go, are you ready for tomorrow?" Hilda asked, to which Ash replied "Yep, we're ready to go", and Pikachu confirmed.
"Good. Now we'd better get a good night sleep, so we can all be at the top of our game" Hilda responded. Ash nodded, Pikachu joined Nurse Joy, who patted Pikachu gently as she took him to the rest centres, then Ash and Hilda ascended the stairs to their rooms.
A/N: So, are some of the battles in this story getting a bit short, seemingly? If they are, I can take steps to make them a bit longer.