Chapter 21! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
"And what did you do, Ash Ketchum?" Delia asked, with a facade of sweetness.
Ash gulped, as did Pikachu from his shoulder, and the tiny mouse wasn't even the focus of Delia's attention. "I, fought him?" Ash offered hesitantly.
"So, you decided that you, a trainer that is barely months into his journey, is prepared to take on an executive of a powerful, evil organization." Delia summarized. Ash nodded.
Then, Delia exploded. Ash was the victim of Delia's verbal fury for multiple minutes. After getting the anger out of the system, she sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
Ash nodded. "I won't."
Delia smiled sorrowfully. "You can't promise that, Ash. Please don't." Then, she cut the call. Ash was replaying the conversation on his way outside the Saffron Pokémon center. Was Delia right? Ash would keep getting in dangerous situations. It came as part of being a trainer. If his mom found out about Ash's previous encounters with Team Rocket, he would probably be grounded to the house for the rest of his life. Ash pushed the doors open to see Eevee playfully tussling with Deino. The blind dragon was surprisingly adept and strong for not being trained very much, and could nearly keep up with Eevee. Nearly.
Ash looked at his newer team member fondly. He couldn't fathom that Deino would evolve into a Hydregion. Like Proton's. No, not like Proton's. Ash would raise Deino so that it would be a friend, not a slave to its trainer. But there was no denying that Proton's Hydregion, like all Hydregion, were strong.
Ash had only a rough idea of how he wanted Deino to be trained. Deino's evolution was out of the question, at least for now. Ash would consider himself lucky if Deino evolved into its second form, Zwelious, by the time the Indigo League came around. But, if Deino ever evolved into Hydregion, everyone Ash battled would tremble in fear.
This was Hydregion's pokedex entry. Hydregion, the Brutal Pokémon. This brutal Pokémon travels the skies on its six wings. Anything that moves seems like a foe to it, triggering it to attack.
That was the thing with Hydregion. It could be argued that Hydregion wasn't aggressive, just extremely careful. But, the truth to Ash was, Hydregion was a dangerous and powerful Pokémon. Hydregion was born to battle. Zwelious, Hydregion's previous form and the evolution of Deino, had two heads. There were two separate minds inside the body of Zwelious. But not for Hydregion. Ash wasn't sure exactly what happens during a Zwelious's evolution into Hydregion, but it involved a third entity coming into the play. All three of those minds would fight, somehow, and two of the minds would be destroyed. The strongest mind would take control of all three of the heads of Hydregion. When a Zwelious became a Hydregion, it would become truly aggressive and dangerous.
The problem Ash was having with deciding on Deino's training was the stats of its evolutionary line. Hydregion was a jack-of-all type of Pokémon. It was fast, but not extraordinarily so. It could take hits, but not too many. It was a strong physical attacker, but not the best. Where Hyydregion excelled was its special attack. Hydregion could overpower any other pseudo-legendary in a competition of their special attack. But, Deino wasn't like that. As a Deino, the dragon couldn't efficiently harness the energy that was required for ranged attacks, so it preferred to use physical attacks. Also, Ash had to keep one vital thing in mind. Deino couldn't battle flying type opponents. Without being able to see, Deino stood no chance against all but the most measly of flying Pokémon.
Next, Ash had the TM vouchers to spend. Three, in fact. He hadn't thought about which TM's to get. Ash didn't want a TM for Charizard. The dragon needed to work on its flying. Charizard could hover perfectly well, but stumbled often during flying. Ash had felt that first-hand when he rode on Charizard away from the St. Anne. Deino was definitely going to get a TM, but Ash wasn't sure which one. Deino's current moveset was pretty limited. After musing for a bit, Ash thought he might go for Dragon Claw. It would be a stronger move than Dual Chop for Sceptile and Gabite. Also, Ash could teach the move to Charizard later. Other than Dragon Claw, Ash planned to get Hyper Voice. It was a sound-based move that both Deino and Eevee could learn. It would give Deino an option for ranged battles, and just a bit more diversity for Eevee.
As for gym battles, Ash wasn't planning on one for the time being. He wanted to train for a while. Proton's humiliation of his team had really shown Ash that they needed to get stronger. Ash had heard of a place called the Fighting Dojo, and planned to put his skills to the test there. But first, he would get the TM's he wanted and have his Pokémon test them out. Before getting the TM's, Ash wanted to assess Deino's proficiency with its current moves. Ash pulled Deino's poke ball off its belt and opened it. Deino appeared on the training field. "Dei?" The dragon grunted in confusion.
"Deino, I want to see how well you do with your moves." Ash told the dragon. Deino nodded. "Let's try Dragon Breath first. Aim for that rock." Dragon Breath had been the only move that Ash had ever seen Deino use, so he figured that it was the best place to start. Deino breathed a gust of light purple air that pushed the boulder back several feet, and formed shallow cracks across the rock. "Good. Now, Bite on the tree." Ash said. It would be awkward for Deino to try biting the boulder, considering that the boulder was bigger than the dragon itself. Deino bumbled around for a few seconds, trying to find the tree. The little dragon immediately bit the tree the moment it had found it. The bite cut clean into the wood effortlessly. Deino recoiled at the strange taste of the tree and spat out the bark. Deino's Bite hadn't gone very far in, but had done significant damage to what it had reached.
"Nice!" Ash congratulated the dragon. Deino puffed up at the praise. "Try Assurance back on the boulder." Deino seemed to remember where the rock was, and moved towards it accordingly. Ash wasn't sure what to expect from Assurance. He had never seen the move in person. All Ash knew was that if the user of the move used Assurance after taking damage, Assurance would be stronger. What Ash did not expect was Deino to rear up on its hind legs and slam its front legs deep into the boulder. After Deino pulled its legs out, Ash examined the damage. Even without the extra boost, Deino's legs had gone almost a foot into the boulder.
Ash grinned at Deino. "Awesome! Okay, that's the last one." Ash informed Deino. The little dragon looked at Ash in confusion. It had more moves than just those. Ash wasn't going to bother with Tackle, Roar, Head Smash, and Headbutt. Tackle was a basic move that he probably wouldn't use. Roar was a move that could only be tested in a battle. For Headbutt, well, Deino used Headbutt on a daily basis. Ash was sure that Deino had mastered the move. Head Smash was a dangerous move. The pokedex described it as a life-endangering head butt at full power, and that the user receives terrible damage. Ash didn't want Deino to get hurt in training. Ash rubbed the little dragon's head, and Deino nuzzled Ash's leg in return. Ash's Deino was surprisingly affectionate, almost concerning for one of its kind. "You want to come get some TM's with me?" Ash asked. Deino nodded.
"So, how are you feeling about your new TM's?" Ash asked the five Pokémon in front of him. Ash had gone to the store in Saffron to get the new TM's he had wanted. It was almost funny to see people stray away from Deino. Some people said they had forgotten their wallet. Others just shuffled away. Only a few people let the little dragon exist in peace. Back in the present, Charizard was soaring above them, trying to work on the dragon's turning and agility midair. Pikachu grunted unhappily. "Oh, right! Pikachu, you didn't get any TM's. How about you work on Thunderbolt. I know using the move tires you out." Pikachu glared at Ash, but knew that Ash was right. Using Thunderbolt did slightly drain Pikachu's energy. The mouse scurried off to a nearby rock, cheek pouches sparking.
"Cool. You four see the trees over there?" Ash pointed to the trees on the left of the training field. All of his Pokémon nodded. "I want you to use your new attacks on those trees." Sceptile glared at Ash, seemingly affronted at attacking a tree. His other Pokémon didn't seem to mind. Ash sighed. "Okay, Sceptile. You can use Dragon Claw on the rock. "Sceptile was content. "Gabite, how about you go first."
Gabite's muscles were twitching even before Ash gave the command. Gabite leapt at the tree and its right claw started to glow a bright purple. Gabite slashed through the tree in the blink of an eye, like the tree was a paper. The tree stayed suspended for a second, making Ash wonder if Gabite even touched the tree. Then the tree came tumbling down. It slammed against the ground with a loud thump. "Good job!" Ash applauded Gabite. The dragon seemed to smirk at the praise.
"Sceptile, you next." Sceptile sprinted at the large rock and its hand started to glow in a similar fashion to Gabite's. Sceptile's hand crashed against the boulder, sending small shards flying. Thankfully, none neared Ash or his team. The devastation caused by the attack was truly impressive. The boulder had been split in two jagged halves. It wouldn't have the same effect on a Pokémon, but still.
"Great! Now, Deino. Can you use Hyper Voice? Everyone, cover your ears." Ash said. Hyper Voice, if executed properly, could severely damage a human's eardrums. It wouldn't be as harmful to a Pokémon, but it was still a powerful move. Ash covered his ears tightly and nodded to Deino. Then, the dragon screamed. Even with his ears covered, Ash could hear Deino as if the dragon was yelling right next to him. The many trees in the vicinity all trembled, and some of the closest ones rocked back and forth at such speeds that they were torn straight out.
"Stop!" Ash yelled. Deino's mouth shut, and the trees slowly came to a stop. "That was great, Deino! But, hopefully we won't have to use that move too much. Eevee, you want to give it a go?" The little fox nodded and stepped up to where Deino was. The tiny dragon stepped back. "Same procedure." Ash looked at his team. Sceptile and Gabite nodded. As for Deino, Ash wasn't even sure where the tiny dragon's ears were, but Deino nodded just like Sceptile and Gabite. "Go!" Eevee shrieked, making Ash's ear drums vibrate even through the covering of his hands. The move had a bigger effect than when Deino had used it, and multiple trees crashed into the ground, having been uprooted.
"Nice, Eevee!" The tiny fox purred at the praise. "Okay. I want Sceptile to practice Solar Beam, and Gabite to practice Dragon Claw. Eevee, you work on Swift. Deino, you work on Dragon Breath. I don't want you two to use Hyper Voice since everyone in Saffron will hate me." Ash said. Ash's Pokémon nodded and broke away to separate corners of the field. Ash walked over to Pikachu, who was firing repeated Thunderbolts on boulders, easily breaking them.
"This isn't working. These rocks aren't tough enough to stand up to Thunderbolt." Ash commented. Pikachu nodded in agreement. If Thunderbolt was already shattering the rocks into smoking rubble, the task was too easy.
Suddenly, Charizard swooped down and clumsily landed. The dragon skidded to a stop, and looked at Ash pointedly. "What?" Ash asked the dragon.
Charizard snorted and pointed a sharp claw at Pikachu. "What about Pikachu?" Ash questioned. Charizard sighed and pointed at the rubble. "Oh! You want to help Pikachu practice Thunderbolt. But how?" Charizard groaned. "No, wait. I know. You want to get hit by Thunderbolt, right?" Charizard nodded. "Is it because you were hurt so badly by Magnezone's Zap Cannon?" Ash asked. Again, the dragon nodded.
Ash chewed his lip thoughtfully. He didn't want to see Charizard get hurt by Pikachu, but Charizard had a point. Being able to fly came with its own problems. "Okay. But, Charizard, if you feel too hurt to continue, stop. Don't let your pride get you permanently injured." Charizard nodded seriously. Then, Ash turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, put all your power in. Don't hold back because Charizard's your teammate." Pikachu slightly smirked, but nodded like Charizard. "Go!"
Charizard squealed like a baby as it was electrocuted yet again. Ash was impressed by the dragon's determination in the matter. The pair of Charizard and Pikachu had been going at it for over an hour. Charizard had taken breaks in between, but Ash would have been concerned if Charizard didn't. Sceptile had only slightly improved with the charging up of Solar Beam. Without a Sunny Day, the move wasn't viable for a real battle, yet. Gabite's Dragon Claw was purely deadly. Gabite could execute the move quickly, and it did more than a fair amount of damage. Eevee's Swift was coming along nicely as well. Deino had received a bit of help from Gabite on concentrating the draconic energy required to use Dragon Breath. The whole team has made good progress. "Pikachu, stop." Ash called to the mouse.
Pikachu stopped charging the electricity for a thunderbolt and relaxed. "Let's get the both of you guys rested at the Pokémon center. The others and I are going to look around Saffron while you're healing." Ash said. Neither Charizard or Pikachu seemed to mind missing out on Saffron. Ash took both of the Pokémon back into their poke balls and looked at his other team members. "You guys stay here. Don't get into too much trouble." Ash told the other members of his team. They all nodded. Then, Ash walked inside the Pokémon center.
Nurse Joy smiled at Ash. "Both of your Pokémon will be ready to go in about two hours. "the nurse informed Ash.
"Okay. That gives me plenty of time. Is it okay if I leave for a while? "Ash questioned. Nurse Joy nodded. After hearing that, Ash walked out the door. He had one place in mind; the Saffron Dojo.
There was quite a bit of history behind the Saffron Fighting Dojo, going off from what Ash had read off a brochure he had nabbed. Apparently, the dojo had been in the running to become the official gym of Saffron. There was only one other competitor, what has now come to be known as the Saffron City Gym. The two groups had fought for the right to become the official Gym, but the Saffron Dojo was easily defeated. Part of it was due to the natural advantage psychic-types held over fighting-types, but many people said the Fighting Dojo didn't stand a chance even if they used dark-types. Apparently, Sabrina absolutely shredded through the ranks of the Fighting Dojo with absolute ease.
Ash didn't know about that, but he knew the dojo had to be at least somewhat strong if they were considered for becoming Saffron City's official gym. It took only a few minutes to find the dojo. It was a simple, wooden, rather old building. The doors were huge, multiple feet taller than Ash. Ash slowly pushed the doors open, which creaked loudly on their hinges. There were five people in the room. All of them wore karate gear, and all of them were apparently black belts.
"This is the Saffron Fighting Dojo! Do you intend to challenge the four of us?" yelled the man the furthest away from Ash.
"Yeah!" Ash yelled back.
"I see. If you manage to defeat all four of us, you will earn a fabulous reward! First, you will face Hideki in a one vs one." One of the karate members stepped onto the field, and the other four black belts stepped to the sides. Ash stepped up to the other side of the field.
"Wait! There are five of you, not four." Ash said.
The leader dismissed Ash's question with the wave of a hand. "He is a trainee, not a full member. This will be a one vs one battle between the challenger and black belt Hideki!" Clearly, these men took great pride in their black belts. Ash pulled Deino's poke ball off his belt. He wanted to see how well the dragon would do in battle.
"Deino!" Ash sent out the tiny dragon, who grunted inquisitively upon its release. "We're in a battle." At that, Deino squared its shoulders and got into what Ash assumed was its battle position.
"Go, Machop!" The familiar grey Pokémon grinned upon release, and got into some sort of karate position. "Use Karate Chop!" Machop started to run at Deino, and prepared a hand to hit the dragon.
"Dragon Breath straight ahead!" Ash yelled. He wasn't sure if it was required to give Deino directions, but he figured it couldn't hurt. Deino let loose a blast of draconic energy that encased Machop completely. The tiny bodybuilder flew back, but managed to stay on its feet.
"Now, Headbutt!" Before Machop could react, Deino had rammed its head into Machop's gut, sending the Pokémon flying into a wall. Apparently Deino didn't need directions. Ash wasn't sure how it worked, but Deino seemed to know perfectly well where Machop was.
"Bulk Up and then use Mega Punch!" yelled Hideki. Bulk Up was as simple as a move could be for a fighting-type. All it was doing was pumping muscle-inducing hormones into said fighting-type's body. Machop grinned like a completely new Pokémon and leapt at Deino, muscles bulging.
"Bite the Mega Punch and Dragon Breath!" Ash yelled to Deino. The little dragon stood ready, and sank its teeth into Machop's hand as the other Pokémon tried to ram its fist into Deino's head. Machop squealed like a little girl, and the raging Dragon Breath that engulfed the Pokémon did no favors either.
"Scary Face!" Hideki stammered. The black belt had no idea what to do in the situation, as judging by the move he used. Machop pulled its arm away from Deino and its mouth twisted into a menacing growl. Deino didn't even notice, since it couldn't see. "Metronome!" Yeah, Ash's opponent was definitely panicking if he used Metronome. Machop closed its eyes and waggled a singular finger. On the field, water started to appear from nowhere. Machop had used Whirlpool. The storm of water picked up, and Deino dug its feet into the ground to avoid being sucked in by the water.
"Deino, Headbutt through the Whirlpool! Hit it at its center!" Ash commanded. The watching black belts gasped in surprise. What was Ash thinking? Deino, however, didn't falter. It ran at walls headfirst on a daily basis. Running at water was child's play. Deino picked up speed as it lowered its head, charging at the center of the whirlpool. The little dragon gained even more speed thanks to the whirlpool pulling Deino in. The idea was that, if Ash could dispel the water from the center, the water wouldn't be able to rotate and would fall to the ground. Deino collided with the whirlpool, and ran straight through. Just as Ash had hoped, the water soaked into the ground, leaving the ground a little soggy and mushy, but not dangerous. Machop was completely exposed, unprepared for Deino to stop the Whirlpool so easily.
Ash didn't even have to give Deino a command as the dragon ruthlessly sank its teeth into Machop's shoulder, and tossed the Machop across the room. Machop thudded against the wall and sank into the floor.
"Machop is unable to battle! The challenger has won! Next, the challenger will battle Black Belt Hitoshi!" yelled the leader of the dojo. Hideki returned Machop and praised the Pokémon for its hard work. Then, he walked off the field, giving space to Hitoshi.
"This will be a one-vs-one battle between Hitoshi and the challenger. Go!" yelled the leader of the dojo.
"Deino, you want to stay in?" Ash asked. The little dragon nodded confidently.
"Go, Primeape!" yelled Hitoshi. The ape-like Pokémon bounced around the field, already showing signs of its hyper activeness.
"Rage!" Hitoshi commanded. Primeape ran at Deino, swinging its arms like a madman. Primeape closed onto Deino in a matter of mere seconds and sent the little dragon flying. "Fury Swipes!" Primeape leapt at Deino and relentlessly battered at Deino with its paws before the dragon could react. Ash had never thought of Primeape as an especially fast Pokémon, but that hyper attitude did wonders. Just how fast was it? Finally, Primeape jumped away and stood in a battle stance, but Ash could see Primeape's muscles uncontrollably twitch.
"Dragon Breath! Push Primeape away!" Ash cried. Deino quickly fired off a blast of air infused with draconic energy, and pushed Primeape back several feet.
"Again!" Ash said. Deino fired a Dragon Breath in Primeape's direction, but the speedy ape leapt to the side. Dirt was kicked up as Primeape dug its feet into the mushy ground, trying to get a grip. Suddenly, Ash smiled. A grip! "Deino, Dragon Breath again! Keep it up!" Deino fired another Dragon Breath, this one lighter than the first. The slippery ground helped as Primeape slipped back. Primeape couldn't bound around with its usual energy since it had to be careful of slipping and falling over. If Ash could just knock Primeape over, it would be easy to knock out.
"Primeape, Dig!" Hitoshi yelled. Well, there went Ash's plan. Primeape burrowed its way underground, and Ash had no idea where the ape had gone. Wait! Actually, he did.
"Deino, use a full-power Dragon Breath down the hole!" Ash commanded. Deino knew where the hole was since the little dragon felt the vibrations from the ground as Primeape had burrowed. Deino had better senses of smell and touch since it was unable to see. Deino fired a burst of draconic energy down the whole. Ash heard Primeape shriek in agony as it was engulfed. Primeape burst out of the field, the Dragon Breath not far behind.
"Deino, Hyper Voice!" Ash yelled. Everyone covered their ears in preparation of what was to come. Primeape fell to its knees and hunched over, but refused to give in. "End it! Dragon Breath!"
"Primeape, Protect!" Hitoshi cried. A barrier flared up in front of Primeape just as the Dragon Breath reached. "Ice Punch!" Primeape's hand was coated in a layer of ice and frost, and the monkey leapt high into the air.
"Take it and finish it with Bite!" Ash told Deino. There was no chance the tiny dragon would be able to dodge the attack. It just wasn't fast enough. Deino fell to its side as Primeape rammed a fist into the little dragon's head, but bit Primeape's exposed arm, felling the opponent.
"Primeape is unable to battle. The challenger wins!" announced the leader of the dojo. "Next, you will battle Mike!" Hitoshi walked off the field, leaving way to Mike.
"Deino, take a rest." Ash said. The little dragon had been severely injured by Primeape. Ash didn't want Deino to get demolished in the battle. Deino didn't protest as Ash returned the dragon to its poke ball.
"Gabite, let's go!" The larger dragon appeared on the field, eyes gleaming and hungry for battle.
"Hitmontop, serve me well!" cried Mike. Hitmontop landed on the field, spinning like a top, hence its name. Hitmontop was an interesting Pokémon. Tyrouge, its pre-evolution, had three different forms, those being Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and Hitmonchan. The thing was, Hitmontop were far more common in Kanto, while Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were common in Kanto. Why? In Kanto, it had been common knowledge that Tyrouge were baby Pokémon. In Johto, the majority of the community hadn't realized. Many dojos, similar to this one, had taken in Tyrouge in Kanto because they were fighting types. There, they would train the Tyrouge so it could adapt to its preferred offensive or defensive. Due to its offensive or defensive style, it would evolve into either Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee. In Johto, things were different. Many Tyrouge grew up in the wild. Having to fight many different species of Pokémon, Tyrouge never had a specialty. That's why it evolved into the third evolution, Hitmontop.
"Gabite, Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled. Ash wasn't hesitant at the idea of using a new move in battle, because Gabite had been an absolute natural at Dragon Claw. Gabite didn't disappoint as it flew at Hitmontop, claw glowing.
"Hitmontop, Triple Kick!" countered Mike. Hitmontop started to pick up speed and moved its legs and tail outward. As Gabite closed in, Hitmontop's tail lashed out, knocking Gabite's arm away. The other legs came in and slapped Gabite in the face, sending the dragon reeling.
Ash stopped to think for a second. Hitmontop's legs made it near impossible for a close-up attack, unless Hitmontop came to them. It was safer to just use a long-ranged attack. "Dragon Breath!" Gabite fired a burst of draconic energy at Hitmontop.
"Spin!" was all Mike said. Hitmontop picked up speed, and it was moving so fast that the Dragon Breath was dispelled into thin air upon contact. So, most long-range attacks wouldn't work. But, a few would.
"Sand Tomb!" Ash yelled, excitement filling his voice. Suddenly, the ground under Hitmontop started to fall away. Hitmontop wasn't quick enough to respond, and slowly sunk into the tomb. Now, Hitmontop was nothing more than prey. Gabite instinctively dived into the tomb, and the two Pokémon met in a mash of claws, arms, and heads. The scuffle was taking its toll on both Pokémon, but the tomb of sand did no favors for Hitmontop.
"Agility!" Mike cried. Hitmontop gave Gabite a shove, and suddenly started to move its legs rapidly, almost insanely fast. Even with the sand slipping under Hitmontop's feet, it barely managed to escape. Gabite was quick to follow, easily navigating through the quicksand. After all, it was known as the land shark Pokémon.
"Gabite, don't let Hitmontop escape!" Ash yelled. Gabite was right on Hitmontop's tail, and frequently desperately lunged. "Dragon Rage!" Ash commanded.
"Close Combat straight through! "Ash's jaw fell wide down in astonishment as Hitmontop's fists smashed their way through the Dragon Rage, cutting through the draconic energy like it was paper. Hitmontop's fists flew in a mad frenzy, smashing into Gabite and ruthlessly beating up the dragon. Gabite was tossed into a wall, Hitmontop close behind. "Keep it up!" Mike roared. Ash chewed his lip, unsure what to do. There wasn't much time.
Suddenly, Ash grinned. "Sandstorm!" It wasn't a tough move to use, and Gabite could probably use it even considering the brutal beating it was taking. Ash was proved right as particles of sand picked up, flying around the field. Gabite's intrepid ability, Sand Veil, did the rest. Ash knew Gabite snuck away when he heard the relentless pounding stop. "Now, Dragon Claw!" Hitmontop stood no chance at winning unless it somehow stopped the sandstorm. Ash could hear Hitmontop tossed around like a rag doll, completely at Gabite's mercy.
"Triple Kick!" cried Mike. Suddenly, Hitmontop started to spin, and Ash heard Gabite fly back.
"How?" Ash asked. He was genuinely confused on how Mike had known where Gabite was.
"We are black belts. We will not fall prey to your underhanded tactics!" Mike declared.
Ash felt affronted at Mike calling Sandstorm an underhanded tactic, but didn't act on it. He had a battle to focus on. "Gabite, Slash!" Ash hoped that, by using Slash, Gabite would be harder to notice since a simple Slash didn't glow like Dragon Claw did. Ash grinned as his tactic worked and Hitmontop was struck. Gabite quickly ended the battle with a few more slashes, just in time for the sandstorm to fade away.
"Hitmontop is unable to battle. The challenger wins! Next, you shall battle I, the leader of the dojo, in a double battle!" the dojo leader declared. Mike walked off the field and returned his Hitmontop. The leader of the dojo walked up, standing in what Ash believed was a karate position.
Ash returned Gabite to its poke ball and pulled two more poke balls off his belt. Eevee's and Sceptile's, to be exact. He had no other Pokémon at his disposal, except for Deino, who was already tired.
The dojo leader tossed two poke balls out onto the field. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. The former threw some light punches into the air, while the latter stretched a leg multiple feet out.
"Eevee! Sceptile! Ash cried. He sent out Eevee and Sceptile. The former looked at Ash angrily, annoyed that it had stepped out onto mushy ground. Its coat was already splattered in mud. Ash looked at Eevee pleadingly. "Please? Just this once?" Ash asked. Eevee snorted, but looked back at Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, ready to battle.
"Eevee, Swift!" Eevee was surrounded by a group of stars, that suddenly flew towards either Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, punch them out of the air. Hitmonlee, kick them out of the air." Commanded the leader of the dojo. Hitmonchan almost effortlessly boxed the stars into oblivion. Hitmonlee's over-flexible leg flew around, knocking the stars away.
"Sceptile, Leaf Blade on Hitmonlee!" Sceptile suddenly lunged at Hitmonlee, and brought a glowing green blade down on Hitmonlee. Unexpectedly, without a command from its trainer, Hitmonlee's leg caught fire and it kicked Sceptile straight in the gut, sending the gecko reeling. Ash chewed his lip nervously. Clearly, he had underestimated the leader of the dojo.
Suddenly, Ash heard Eevee squeal out as Hitmonchan slammed it with a lightning-quick punch. Eevee skidded through the mud, coating its fur with dark brown mud. As the little fox stood up, it glared murderously at Hitmonchan. Eevee leapt at Hitmonchan and brought down an Iron Tail on Hitmonchan's head. Hitmonchan fell to one knee, but wasn't out.
"Eevee, Bite! Sceptile, Fury Cutter!" Ash yelled. Sceptile lunged at Hitmonlee, and this time, was fast enough to land a hit on Hitmonlee, sending the Pokémon flying. Eevee sank its tiny teeth into Hitmonchan's arm, but Hitmonchan responded with a punch to Eevee's underside, sending the little fox into the air. Eevee landed on its feet, and bared its teeth at Hitmonchan.
Just as Ash was issuing another command to his Pokémon, the dojo leader yelled, "Stop!"
Ash looked at the leader of the dojo curiously. "Why?" Ash asked.
"You have proven your worth. You may choose one of the two Pokémon we have to offer you due to you proving your worth in our dojo. "said the dojo leader. "Follow me."
Ash returned his Pokémon to their poke balls and followed the dojo leader into a small room that he hadn't even noticed existed. "These are the two Pokémon, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee."
Ash's mind was completely scrambled. Just a few minutes ago, he had been in a battle. Now, he was being offered a Pokémon? Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee were both powerful Pokémon in their own right. Both of them excelled in physical attack, like the majority of fighting types. Hitmonlee was a tad bit faster, but was a bit squishier than Hitmonchan. Ash struggled to choose. In the end, he didn't choose. "Sceptile, who do you think we should choose?" Ash asked. He had brought out the gecko to choose for him. Sceptile didn't hesitate to point a hand at Hitmonlee's poke ball.
Ash looked at the dojo leader. "I'll take Hitmonlee." Ash informed the leader.
The dojo leader nodded and bowed to Ash. "An excellent choice. You may now take your leave." Ash took that as a cue to leave, and left the dojo with one more Pokémon than he had come in with.
Ash sat next to the bathtub, Eevee floating in the water. Ash scrubbed the tiny fox's legs rapidly with soap, much to Eevee's delight. Ash had sent Hitmonlee's poke ball to Professor Oak so he could get it registered to his name. As soon as Eevee had come out of its poke ball after being healed at the Pokémon center, the tiny fox had raucously insisted on a cleaning. Eevee had been furious that its fur had been stained with mud during the battle with Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. To be honest, Ash had expected Eevee to want a grooming. As Ash rubbed the tiny fox's stomach, he realized something: Eevee was ticklish. Ash grinned as he scrubbed the tiny fox's stomach as Eevee tried to squirm away. Suddenly, Eevee flicked water into Ash's face, and he sputtered it out.
"Okay, girl. No more tickling, I promise." Ash told Eevee. The tiny fox calmed down and relaxed as Ash scrubbed the grime off her coat. In a few minutes, they were done. Ash grabbed a warm towel and wrapped Eevee in the towel. Eevee nuzzled up into the towel, and Ash couldn't suppress a smile. Ash let the tiny fox curl up onto the bed. As Ash laid down next to the bed in the hotel, Pikachu leapt to his shoulder and Charizard's long neck draped across Ash's lap like a blanket. Gabite laid against Charizard, and Sceptile slumped on the bed, next to Ash. Deino climbed up Charizard and found a resting spot between its wings. Ash grinned widely. Most people would think it was for no reason at all, but there was definitely a reason in Ash's mind. His only regret was that Exeggutor could be with them.
Chapter 21 is finished! Sorry that this took longer to get out than most chapters, but there was some stuff going on. So, Ash challenged the Saffron Dojo in this chapter. I have no idea why, but in almost every story I've read, I feel like Ash never goes there. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!