Chapter 38: Cure the Poison! Save Sharpedo!
Last time on "Pokémon Hoenn Journey", the group continues their ocean route to Dewford Island after being offered to ride on Mr. Briney's boat, as thanks for helping him save Peeko from the Team Aqua Grunt that wanted to reunite with his crew.
But as the group were making their way to Dewford Island, they decided to take a small break by having a little swim, only for their little fun swim to be ruined when they were suddenly attacked by a school of Sharpedo, led by a scarred one!
Thankfully, the group were able to escape, but they found themselves trapped in the isolated island filled with Sharpedo, which would mean they would have to plan a way to distract the school while challenging the leader to a battle.
But as they were all willing to go along with the plan, Minato starts to believe that the Sharpedo school aren't the ones to blame, as he recalled the incident of when his home was attacked by Team Aqua...
"The Pokémon isn't to blame..." Minato whispered, catching Korra's attention.
"What was that, Minato?" Korra asked, only to get a shaking head from the boy.
"It's nothing..." responded Minato, leaving the girl to be curious and puzzled, yet she didn't question her friend to bother him.
The next day...
With everyone in their swimming outfits, the plan was set in motion as they prepared to clash against the leader of the Sharpedo school while luring away the minions.
"That should work...! Hey, everything's ready at my end! How's it going over there?" Ash called out, as he turned to where his friends were.
At the other side from where he was standing, May, Max, Korra, and Mr. Briney was ready to close the trap that they formed altogether last night.
"Everything is good to go!" Mr. Briney called out.
Minato and Brock on the other hand, chose to stick to the side where Ash was on, as the Kanto Trainer was ready to have Peeko, Taillow, and Swablu pull him around to lure the minions.
"Great! Okay, you three! Time to go!" Ash called, causing the three to fly up and pull him with the ropes that were wrapped around each of one of their legs.
The operation began as soon as Ash began to move around on the water with the help of the three Flying Types, as he smirked at the Sharpedo school that were watching him go.
"Hey, Sharpedo! Look over here! Can't catch me!" Ash taunted the school, with Pikachu making a taunting cry. As the boy continued to zip around with the Flying Types pulling, the leader wasn't fooled.
"What are you waiting for!?" Ash called out again.
But before the leader could inform his comrades about the possible trap that the human boy was doing, the rest of the school began to make chase after the Kanto Trainer and his Pokémon friends!
"Over here! Come on!" Ash taunted the school as they began to make chase after him!
The others watched them all go while the leader chose to remain put, as he narrowed his eyes for the trap that his comrades had fallen, which left him all alone to be dealt with.
"Hey! Ash got the Sharpedo to follow him!" Max pointed out.
"This might really work!" May smiled as Korra turned to the leader that stayed put.
"Now the only problem to deal with is the leader..." She hummed.
"Okay, time to pull the ropes now!" Brock called out, causing the other side to understand hold onto the ropes that held the man-made gate.
But as soon as the door was about to close the sea area of where Sharpedo was about to be trapped in, the leader widened his eyes and let out an irritated snarl before tackling onto the gate!
The sudden force from the tackle startled the group that was pulling on the ropes! But before they could recover in the time, the second brute force of the tackling knocked May and Korra into the water!
"EEK!"
"AH!"
The two fell into the water while Max and Mr. Briney were forced to let go of the rope to prevent themselves from falling in as well.
"What the...!? Get out of there, you two!" Minato yelled as the girls surfaced to see the angry Pokémon quickly closing in on them with its large mouth open!
"Oh no!" Max gasped as the girls hugged each other in fright, afraid of what was about to happen until...
"Go, Lotad!"
"Treecko, come on out!"
The reinforcements from the other side had arrived as Lotad appeared while Treecko landed on top of the Water-Grass Type Pokémon's large head!
The sudden appearance of the two Pokémon startled the leader as it skidded to a stop, right in front of where Treecko and Lotad were! And while the leader had stopped in its tracks...
"Grab the rope, May! Korra!" Max called out as he and the old sailor grabbed on the ropes to pull on the gate and help the girls get back onto the land.
It wasn't long before the girls got to safety. And as they did, Ash stopped his little bait chasing game and joined in with the group that pulled onto the man-made gates.
"May! Korra! Are you two all right?" Ash called to his two friends.
"We're fine... Thanks for asking." Korra nodded sheepishly with May giving a nod of agreement.
Once it was settled that the girls were alright, it was time for the next phase of the plan: defeat the leader of the Sharpedo school! And that task was up to both Minato and Brock, with the help of their Pokémon.
"Time to get to the battle part. Let's just hope that those two are more than enough..." Minato hummed, as he knew how strong a Sharpedo can be when the opponents aren't careful enough.
"We should be fine at this situation. Lotad, Water Gun!" Brock called out.
"Treecko, use Absorb!" Minato shouted out.
Treecko jumped into the air and began to sap some of Sharpedo's energy to add to his own! But for the Lotad, the Water Weed Pokémon remained floating in the water, allowing Sharpedo to see him as an easy target to defeat!
The clueless Pokémon had no time to react as Sharpedo bit onto him, causing him to take some damage!
"What's he doing!?" Minato snapped, as he was bewildered by the fact that Lotad did nothing to attack or defend!
The Kanto Breeder expressed his bewilderment as well before calling to his Pokémon.
"Lotad, use your Water Gun!" Brock called out, causing Lotad to be hesitant and unsure. Seeing this, the Kanto Breeder made one more attempt to get Lotad to counterattack.
"Come on now! What are you waiting for? Water Gun!" Brock shouted out.
This time, despite being caught in Sharpedo's jaws, the Water Weed Pokémon shot forth a powerful Water Type attack, knocking the Brutal Pokémon away!
Treecko landed on Lotad's head, feeling a bit of relief that the clueless Pokémon seemed alright even after taking a large bite from the enemy.
"...That Lotad of yours has a mind of his own." Minato commented dryly.
"Finally...! Guess that Lotad just likes to keep us in suspense!" Ash agreed with a sheepish smile.
"...Anyways, it's time for the next attack. Treecko, use Quick Attack!" Minato called as Treecko jumped up before speeding forward in midair to land the next attack! But as he was about to make the strike, Treecko widened his eyes and stopped the attack.
The Wood Gecko Pokémon landed on the water, before swimming over to see Sharpedo making no attempt to dodge or even counterattack. Minato noticed this too and narrowed his eyes.
"Huh? What's going on?" Minato blinked.
And his answer was revealed as Sharpedo groaned before falling in defeat while going upside down in the water, bewildering the group as they did not expect the Brutal Pokémon to be defeated... just like that.
"What?" Brock spoke in disbelief.
"Just from a few attacks like Absorb and Water Gun?" Ash questioned as Max shook his head in denial.
"No way... impossible. It's supposed to take a lot more attacks to beat it than just those two attacks!" Max spoke as the Kanto Breeder frowned before he began to take a look at the leader.
The others watched while Minato stayed by the Kanto Breeder to see if he could care for the Brutal Pokémon as well. Brock on the other hand, looked at his book to see if he could find the reason why Sharpedo fell so easily.
"Brock, is that Sharpedo gonna be okay?" Ash asked.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu wondered as well, as Brock hummed before coming up with what he had discovered, based on what his book said.
"Hmm... I think it was poisoned somehow." Brock hypothesized.
"Poisoned? You mean from an attack?" Minato asked.
"But Treecko and Lotad doesn't know any moves that are related to causing a poison status..." Korra pointed out as Brock nodded.
"Right. I think that it took some sort of poison attack from another Pokémon." Brock guessed, causing Max to come up with an educated guess as well, as Sharpedo came from the ocean.
"Maybe one that lives in the ocean? It could be that it had a battle with a Tentacruel." Max guessed as Minato rose a brow.
"Funny... I don't remember seeing any Tentacool or Tentacruel on the way here..." Minato said as he looked around to find any signs. But there were no signs of any other Water Pokémon around at the moment.
"Either way, I guess the poison is just now starting to take effect." Brock stated as the Kanto Trainer frowned in concern.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ash asked.
"I'm doing everything I can to keep its strength up and make sure it's comfortable, but we don't have many supplies here on this island." Brock frowned before he fed Sharpedo some of his Pokémon food.
Once that was done, he could only feel bad for not being able to properly help Sharpedo deal with the poison that weakened him.
"Sorry... I'm not a Pokémon Doctor, so I can't give you any proper medicine." Brock apologized.
"If only there were some Pecha Berries on this island, but I don't believe I saw any left... In fact, I don't think I've seen any berries when we landed here..." Korra frowned.
"That's because this is an isolated island in the middle of the sea. It's hardly unlikely that the berries would grow in a place like this... even with the trees and shrubs grown well." Minato explained.
"Brock, you're doing a terrific job. And I'm sure that Sharpedo appreciates whatever you can do for it." Mr. Briney assured, bringing a small smile to the Kanto Breeder's face.
"Thanks, Mr. Briney." Brock smiled.
"Lotad!"
"Tree! Treecko Tree!" The two cried out as Minato rose a brow before a smile appeared on his face.
"I guess you're right. The only thing we can do now is do the best that we can and make sure Sharpedo feels better to lead his school again." Minato said softly.
Brock agreed with that before he rubbed the Brutal Pokémon's head, comforting it softly.
"You hang in there, Sharpedo." Brock said as the Brutal Pokémon could only groan in pain from the poison that was inflicting pain onto him from inside.
The former lonely boy watched as he rubbed his arm with a sigh.
The fact that the Brutal Pokémon was left like this after a battle made him feel a little bad for him. Even if the leader and his school attacked him and his companions first, it still didn't feel right to leave Sharpedo with the way that he was now.
"I wonder if Mom and Dad would've done the same even if the Pokémon that they first met attacked them..." He thought before he looked back at the unconscious Pokémon.
That night...
It was supper time as Ash, Max, May, and Korra were having their stew again with Mr. Briney. Pikachu, Torchic, and Peeko were eating the Pokémon food given to them from Brock.
But as for Minato and Brock, they were still tending to the poisoned Water-Dark Type with Treecko an Lotad watching them from the water, and with Treecko sitting on top of Lotad's head.
"Those two are gonna wear themselves out taking care of that Sharpedo." May spoke she turned to see the two still doing their work together.
"You're right..." Max frowned
"But that's them... Brock is a Pokémon Breeder, so that's his way of wanting to help a poor Pokémon like Sharpedo out. As for Minato, he may not look like much... but he actually cares." Korra smiled.
"You're right, young lady. And as I said before, I'm sure Sharpedo appreciates the care that they're giving it." Mr. Briney agreed.
They turned back to where the two were still trying to make Sharpedo comfortable as they continued to rub on the Brutal Pokémon's head, even with the risk of getting a little scratch on their hands from the Rough Skin ability.
"You know, I'm sure a little bit of poison is nothing to a big, powerful Pokémon like you, Sharpedo." Brock said softly.
"He's right... I mean, the day before yesterday... you were leading the school to attack us when we came across your school. You lead your friends like the leader you are, even with the risk of getting hurt." Minato agreed.
"So... you're going to have to stay strong. After all, the school can't do well without their leader. It's your role as their leader to be strong for them so they can't get hurt like you were." Minato continued on.
"Tree... Treecko Tree!" Treecko smiled before nodding in agreement.
"Yeah... I know that it hurts, Sharpedo. But you can't let this poison beat you. Sharpedo." Brock said softly as the tending went on...
This went on and on in the night as the two continued to try and make the Brutal Pokémon feel better from the poison he was suffering under...
At midnight...
It wasn't long before the group were all asleep. Brock had fallen asleep also as he needed some rest from the healing and comforting he tried to do for the poor Brutal Pokémon.
But for Minato, the former lonely boy remained awake alone. He continued to rub Sharpedo's head to make the Brutal Pokémon comfortable, as he felt it was wrong to just leave him suffering while he slept.
"If there was only a way to make things better... I just wish I could do more... I mean... Sharpedo... He reminds me of... of THEM... but he's not with them. He's independent... He's a leader to his school..." Minato thought as he continued to rub on his head.
He sighed, before stopping the rubbing as he looked at his hands.
The continuous rubbing gave his hands quite a bit of scratches due to Sharpedo's Rough Skin ability, but he didn't care. All that was left to see how much Sharpedo has recovered in the morning.
"Should I take a breather and sleep for a bit...? No... I mean... with the gates gone, there's no telling of what will happen. Anything can come and attack Sharpedo while he's vulnerable. If it really was a Tentacruel that did this, then..."
The former lonely boy stopped his thinking and looked up at the night sky, where the moon was shining brightly in the high skies above.
He continued to look up at the sky... And as he did, something peculiar happened as he narrowed his eyes to see two things flying together.
"What the..."
He couldn't make it out from the distance that he was in, but he knew that his eyes weren't tricking him. Up in the night sky, there were two Pokémon flying together in the night, but with the night making things difficult to see, it was hard to know on what the identities of the two Pokémon were.
"Flying Types... or maybe Dragon Types as well?" Minato hummed to himself before he looked back at the Sharpedo.
"At least those two are flying freely in the sky while this one is in pain..." He hummed before he placed his hand on the Brutal Pokémon's body.
"...If only I was able to do more... like be able to heal him more effectively... like Heal Pulse?" He spoke up. But the moment he said the move of what he wished to use to help, something even more peculiar happened.
As soon as he spoke, the Brutal Pokémon began to glow a little on and off with pink light! That startled the former lonely boy as he watched Sharpedo slowly getting better and looking more comfortable while it slept.
As soon as the pink glowing stopped, Sharpedo looked comfortable as the former lonely boy watched while looking stumped on his face.
"What just... How did...? That couldn't have come from me... right?" Minato breathed out in shock. He looked at his hands, before seeing that the little marks and scratches on his palms and fingers were no longer there.
It's as if they were never there from the beginning.
The former lonely boy frowned before he looked up at the sky to see that the two flying Pokémon were no longer in his sight. Again, it's as if they were never there from the beginning and that his eyes were simply playing tricks on him.
"...Am I hallucinating? Because it's late. No... I definitely don't feel tired other than from comforting Sharpedo, but now... I just..."
He stopped speaking to himself before he clenched his hands a little into a fist. But it wasn't from anger or bitterness. Rather, it was the curiosity from what had happened just now. Was it real? A hallucination?
Why are all these mysterious things happening around him? First, he had to go through tragedy which involved his parents' death along with their Pokémon friends.
Secondly, ever since he won the Rustboro Ribbon from Rustboro Hall and the Stone Badge from the Rustboro Gym, he had been having unwanted visions about two Pokémon that seemed to know who he was while in the air.
And now... he was seeing things that could've been or couldn't been real.
"Why me...?" He whispered before he sighed and shook his head.
It was no use to him. He couldn't think about it now as the answers to his newly formed questions won't come to him immediately. He can only assure to himself that the answer will come when the time is right during his journey.
With that in mind, just as Brock was leaning against Sharpedo while resting... the former lonely boy did the same as he leaned against the Brutal Pokémon for some rest.
"Maybe a little bit of sleep will do me just fine... Maybe then I can just try to forget about what's happened... even if it really did happen." Minato thought before his eyes closed, allowing sleep to take over his mind and body.
But as he slept, he had never realized that what he had seen at the sky wasn't fake... it was the real deal.
At the sky, two Pokémon looked down on the small island of where Minato and his companions were.
"Brother... do you think that was...?"
"Mm. There was no doubt about it. He's taking tiny steps closer to figuring out the truth and what he really is."
"...I see. Then, do we-"
"No. Now's not the right time. You remember, right? We show up to him when he accomplishes his fifth obstacle in his journey. Let's just hope that the newly forming heart of his doesn't turn for the worst, like it did before..."
"...I understand."
With nothing more to say, the two flew off together away from the island as they seemed to have plans for the former lonely boy the more he progressed in his journey.
The next morning...
The sun had started to rise and everyone was still sleeping. Minato and Brock continued to lay on Sharpedo, who twitched for a bit and opened his eyes. As he did, he glanced around, feeling all better from the rest he just had yesterday.
Curious of what was going on, the Brutal Pokémon glanced around before spotting both Lotad and Treecko. The two were fast asleep and near him, causing Sharpedo to narrow his eyes in suspicion of why they were even near him.
From what he remembered, they were having a battle after the humans have trapped him in. But because of the poison that was in his body, the battle was cancelled, causing him to rest from the pain that the poison had inflicted on him.
But right now, the Brutal Pokémon felt no such pain. It's as if the sleep had gotten rid of the pain that he had suffered under. But who helped him?
The question in his mind was answered when he glanced to see the two humans that comforted him... One was a large boy that seemed a little older than the other boy who had weird golden marks on his cheeks.
Upon seeing them sleep on him, that was when Sharpedo remembered...
After he had lost the battle from yesterday, he remembered the soothing words that he didn't know of. And the fact that those two humans were sleeping on him despite of him being the Brutal Pokémon... he knew...
The two humans were responsible for why he was feeling better.
He widened his eyes for a moment before he narrowed them into a softened look. Gratitude filled his eyes and mind as he put one of his large fin over the two to make them comfortable... as repayment for the comfort they gave him.
As soon as he did that, both Lotad and Treecko had woken up to see the beautiful sight.
"Lo... Lotad!" Lotad said happily while Treecko blinked in surprise.
"Treecko... Treecko Tree!" Treecko smiled, as he was content to see that the wild and brutal Pokémon was feeling all better now.
But just when relief kicked in, something broke through the gates and surfaced from the water! The commotion woke the group up as they turned to see nets thrown towards them!
One net caught both Pikachu and Torchic, much to their surprise!
"Pikachu!"
"Torchic!" Both Ash and Minato widened their eyes before Sharpedo saw the second net coming. At seeing it come, he pushed the two humans out of the way before the second net snagged him!
"Sharpedo!" Brock gasped while Minato watched in horror.
The two nets were brought up, causing them to be taken away, much to the group's shock until they all heard familiar voices.
"What a catch!" A familiar duo exclaimed as the others rushed over to the scene.
"What's going on!?" Mr. Briney demanded until...
"Prepare for trouble, or you'll walk the plank."
"Make it double, or your boat will sink."
"That doesn't rhyme..."
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
"We came, we saw, and we conquered!" Jessie smirked.
"Team Rocket! Give back Pikachu and Sharpedo!" Ash demanded, only to get a smug look from the Team Rocket member.
"I don't want to." She said smugly.
"That Sharpedo's been poisoned, and it's very weak and sick!" Brock protested, causing the evil trio to blink before a smug smile appeared on Jessie's face, as she seemed to have recognized the leader.
"Huh? Well... if it isn't that same Sharpedo. Looks like Seviper's Poison Tail is working beautifully." Jessie sneered, bringing shock to the group.
"Wait, it was you!? You're responsible for why Sharpedo was suffering all this time!?" Minato growled, only to get dirty glares from the evil trio.
"You've got a problem with that!?" Jessie snapped.
"Perhaps you could send that sympathy our way! We were the ones brutally attacked!" James added angrily.
"They were mean!" Meowth added.
"That's probably because you morons deserved it..." Minato grunted bitterly as he turned to see the three captive Pokémon struggling in their binds.
Biting his lips, the former lonely boy began to ponder on what to do until Brock had an idea first upon seeing Lotad surface from the water with Treecko on his head again.
Minato noticed this as well before he and Brock turned to each other.
"Brock?"
"Yeah."
"Treecko, use Quick Attack!"
"Lotad, Razor Leaf attack!"
Treecko dashed forward first at the ropes holding the net, as each strike weakened the hold onto the nets. Then, with the sharp Razor Leaf attack from Lotad, it did the trick as it freed the captive Pokémon!
As Pikachu and Torchic fell into the water, Sharpedo fell in as well before surfacing and helping the two little ones get back to the shore.
"Come back!" James gasped as he and his comrades watched their captured prizes swim off to the shore.
The two starters rejoined with their Trainers as the boys got ready to send their enemies blasting off into the sky again before...
"Pikachu...! Thunder- Hm?"
"Fire Spin, Torchic- Huh?"
The boys and their partners blinked before they smiled, knowing that it wasn't their time to take action right now, as they decided to pull back for now.
"...Guess we should let them handle this mess." Minato suggested.
"Yeah." Ash agreed, much to the evil trio's confusion.
"Huh? How come we ain't blasting off?" Meowth asked, only for Ash to give the answer by pointing towards of what was behind the evil trio.
"Team Rocket! Look behind you!" He called out.
Confused, the evil trio did so before they all screamed in horror! Right behind them... was the school of Sharpedo!
"Is it possible they're all smiling at us?" James asked while he shook with fear.
"Well, if they are smiling, it's probably because they're looking at the next meal they're gonna devour!" Meowth shrieked, giving more fear into his two comrades.
"What are you talking about?" Jessie shuddered.
"Does the term 'lunch meat' mean anything to you?" James added in his confusion.
The evil trio was completely surrounded. On one side, they have the heroes and their Pokémon friends to deal with... And on the other side were the school of Sharpedo that threatened to tear them and their submarine apart!
"Meowth, should we...?"
"Do something...?" Jessie and James asked, as they were still quivering in fear from the situation that they got themselves into by taking part in the battle they couldn't win right now.
"Dang the Sharpedo!" Meowth groaned as the school all charged with multiple Headbutt attacks!
"We're blasting off again!"
"Wobbuffet!"
The trio and Wobbuffet exclaimed in fear before the Headbutt attacks made contact with their submarine. And as all the attacks made contact, an explosion occurred, sending the evil trio flying into the air!
"AT LEAST WE SAW THEM COMING THIS TIME!"
And with those words, the evil trio disappeared into the blue sky and out of the group's sight.
"All right!" The group exclaimed altogether before Minato turned to see the leader approaching with Lotad and Treecko on top of his head.
"Sharpedo!" Minato exclaimed as he and Brock rushed over to meet up with their brutal friend.
"Looks like you're feeling better now, huh, Sharpedo?" Brock asked.
Minato smiled softly, feeling the relief in his heart until he felt something nudging him from behind. Curious, he turned to see-
"Huh- AHHH! ONE AT A TIME!" Minato screeched in surprise as Brock turned in surprise to see both Minato and himself surrounded by the Sharpedo school, as they seemed to be thankful for their help in their leader's recovery.
"Not the Rough Skin, please!" Brock yelled as he flailed around with the former lonely boy, only for their flailing to stop as they didn't feel any sort of pain.
"Um... why doesn't it hurt?" Minato asked as as Mr. Briney knew what the reason was.
"Sharpedo's Rough Skin isn't going to work on you anymore." Mr. Briney explained.
"Huh? But why not?" Max asked in surprise.
"Because you all made friends with it. And did you know there are certain Pokémon traits that will stop working on people once the Pokémon have grown to like them?" Mr. Briney asked.
"Oh right...! I would know since I helped out many Pokémon once when I was still helping Katrina out at the preserve!" Korra smiled softly.
That left May and Max curious as they rubbed on two of the Sharpedo's body with their hands to see whether it was the truth or not, and indeed it was.
"Whoa... it's true! Doesn't hurt at all!" Max said with a smile.
"Yeah, it's weird but cool..." May agreed with a soft smile.
Ash and Korra did the same, as they felt the same way too, having to feel no pain from the Sharpedo's Rough Skin ability.
"Learning stuff like this makes me love Pokémon even more!" Ash smiled.
"I couldn't agree more..." Korra giggled as she continued to rub on the Brutal Pokémon's skin that felt smooth rather than rough.
"...So... if they like us, then... does that make them our new friends?" Minato asked as he approached the leader, with Brock giving a soft smile.
"Looks like it. Isn't that right, Sharpedo?" Brock asked the leader, causing the Brutal Pokémon to nod to affirm that it was true.
With the comfort that he received from the two humans yesterday, the leader has decided that the humans that he and his school have met are to be their friends, except for the evil trio.
That evening...
After the events of dealing with Team Rocket and befriending the Sharpedo school, Mr. Briney was finally able to take the group to their destination.
"This here is Dewford Town on Dewford Island!" Mr. Briney announced, causing the group to feel grateful for the old sailor's assistance in taking them to their next stop.
"Thanks so much, Mr. Briney." Ash said with a smile.
"I'll be heading on over to Slateport City so I can prepare for my cruise. I hope to see you kids again someday." Mr. Briney explained.
"Gull! Wingull!" Peeko chirped in agreement.
"Yeah!" The five Trainers and Max agreed together.
"I'll have a new swimsuit by then!" May assured with a giggle.
"And we'll have more Pokémon friends by our side as well." Korra added.
"Sharpedo!"
The leader's cry caught the group's attention as they all turned to see the leader making his call in leading his group away from the island, causing the group to wave goodbye to them.
"You guys all take care, too!" Brock called out.
"Pika! Pika!"
"Torchic Tor!" Pikachu and Torchic called out their goodbyes as well. As the group did so, the school waved their dorsal fins at the group, as if they were waving goodbye back to their new friends as well.
It wasn't long before they were soon far into the ocean where the group were barely able to see them. And with Mr. Briney taking his leave, that left the group to prepare for one thing.
"Yeah... Tomorrow, we'll finally have our battle at the Dewford Gym. Are you ready, Pikachu?" Ash asked his Electric Type partner.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu smiled with a determined look.
"You're not the only ones challenging the Gym Leader, you know." Minato reminded the two with a raised brow.
"Torchic Tor!" Torchic chirped in agreement, having the same determined look on his face as Pikachu did.
"Boys, boys... Calm down. You'll both get the chance to battle the Gym Leader tomorrow, so save your battling spirits until then." Korra smiled.
"We know." The two said in unison as the time for tomorrow's Gym Battle was all that the boys could think about at the moment.
For Ash, it would take him one step closer to the Hoenn League if he were to win. But for Minato, it would be a possibility for him to see another vision of the two Pokémon that knew about him...
And that was enough to why he needed to win... to solve the answers to the questions in his mind.
"I won't lose. For the sake of figuring out the truths of my mysterious visions, I'll keep pushing on as far as I can. That's what I can do... for my team... and for myself."
To be continued...
Minato's Team:
Torchic: (M): (Fire Spin, Peck, Focus Energy, Quick Attack)
Poochyena: (M): (Bite, Tackle, Howl, Dig)
Zigzagoon: (M): (Iron Tail, Hidden Power, Sand-Attack, Headbutt)
Treecko: (M): (Dig, Quick Attack, Absorb, Pound)
Swablu: (F): (Peck, Sing, Safeguard, Fury Attack)
Next Chapters:
Chapter 39: Ride the Waves, Dude! The Dewford Gym!
Chapter 40: A Meeting Between Two New Friends
Chapter 41: The Hole Trouble in Granite Cave!
Chapter 42: Steven Stone Appears in the Cave!
Chapter 43: The Unknown Figure Strikes Us Hard!
Next chapter preview:
Ash: I can't wait to have my second Gym Battle! And... huh? Fighting the big wave? What's that supposed to mean?
Brawly: Hey there, dude. Probably not the best place to take a nap. You need any help with something?
Ash: Yeah, I'm kinda looking for the Gym Leader of the Dewford Gym?
Brawly: No way, I'm him! The name's Brawly, the Gym Leader of the Dewford Gym!
Minato: So, would it be alright if we challenge you to a Gym Battle right now, Brawly?
Brawly: Sorry dudes. No can do. I've gotta catch some gnarly waves that I want to test out and ride on!
Events that occurred:
- The group arrives at Dewford Island