Day 5
Ash decided to go a different route today. He was currently having mock battles with all of his Pokémon except Pikachu right now.
Crawdaunt gained an indigo outline on his pincers and rushed towards Kingler. The Pincer Pokémon generated a metal coated claw that blocked the Night Slash. Both met at a stalemate before backing up. The crab like Pokémon fired a boiling hot glob of water at the lobster like Pokémon. Trying one of his new attacks out, Crawdaunt began to summon a wave of brown water around himself. Muddy Water seemingly absorbed Scald and was sent towards the Water type who conjured a green shield, Protecting him from the attack.
Glalie charged with a sliver aura at his opponent: a large bull Pokémon with three tails. The leader Tauros came in, with glowing white horns, signaling Horn Attack. Iron Head met the Normal type attack, causing dust to kick up. Both were pushed back, the Wild Bull Pokémon snorting aggressively before going in for a Take Down. Coming in close, Glalie generated his chilling energy fangs and bit into Tauros' hide. The Normal type back began to freeze over, but in a surprise, Tauros' three tails turned to metal and whacked the Face Pokémon, prompting him to release the bull.
In the skies, Swellow surveyed his surroundings searching for his fellow aerial opponent. In a flash, Swellow was struck with by a glowing blue "meteor." Righting himself, the Swallow Pokémon scanned his surroundings again just as the same 'meteor' struck him. The third time, Swellow flapped his wings in rapid succession before sending blades of blue energy at the 'meteor.' The blades struck true and revealed the meteor to be Noctowl using Zen Headbutt. The two bird Pokémon hovered a bit before Swellow glowed purple and rushed the shiny Owl Pokemon.
And lastly, Pikachu cleaved a rock with a glowing white paw. The Mouse Pokemon now had another answer to Rock types other than Iron Tail with Brick Break becoming a success. The Electric type began to concentrate a fired a pink beam at another rock, blasting it apart. Signal Beam was down. Pikachu was getting more pumped to show his opponents what for with these new moves.
With Ash today was Brock and Max. May was currently at a spa in the hotel, for some relaxation. As usual, Max was bombarding Brock with questions about Ash's older Pokémon.
Ash meanwhile was reading up on some his Pokémon's new moves. Crawdaunt had learned some Dark type moves, which Ash was on board with, Glalie learned some more Ice type moves which was great since he lacked those moves, and Swellow was excelling in his aerial combat and maneuvers. His older Pokémon were also doing great as well. He didn't want to overshadow his older Pokémon with the newer Pokémon but at same time he wanted to have all of his Pokémon to have a chance to shine.
When the afternoon came, Ash and his friends ate lunch that Brock had whipped up. As they were enjoying lunch, they soon overheard a crowed beginning to form. "Hm? What's that all about?" Ash questioned. "I say we go and check it out," Brock suggested. The three nodded and Ash returned his Pokémon.
The crowd seemed to be watching a Pokémon battle. "Hey guys!" May called over, getting the boys attention. "May, do you know what's going on?" Ash asked. "No clue. All I heard was this trainer challenging someone," the coordinator responded before gesturing to the current battle.
One trainer had brown hair, black eyes, a maroon shirt with a teal collared jacket, with tan pants and blue sneakers. Beside him was a Meowth with a hat and boots. The trainer was commanding a teal metallic four legged Pokémon.
The other trainer was commanding a Machamp.
"Machamp, use Cross Chop!" His trainer said. Machamp charged his opponent with glowing hands.
"Iron Head!" the brown haired trainer called. Metagross shimmered with silver energy and charged at an insane speed that smashed through the Superpower Pokémon.
"No way!" Max shouted. Ash, May, and Brock were as shocked to see this Steel/Psychic type just smash through the Fighting type's move.
"Now let's finish it off! Use Psychic!" The brunette said. His Metagross complied as the eyes of the Iron Leg Pokemon glowed blue. Machamp soon was outlined in blue and sent flying to the ground. Kicking up dust, it was revealed Machamp to be knocked out.
The brown haired trainer called back his Metagross before coming over to his foe. "Great battle," he said as he shook hands with his opponent.
"Woah, he sure is strong," Ash let out. He pulled out his Pokédex to see what Pokémon that was.
[Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon and the evolved form of Metang. Because the magnetic powers of these Pokémon get stronger in freezing temperatures, Metagross living on snowy mountains are full of energy.]
Ash whistled at that. Reading some more, Ash found out this Pokémon is one of the two Hoenn Pseudo legendaries. No doubt that this trainer is competing in the league.
"Alright! Anyone else want a go?" The brown haired trainer called out. The crowd was silent as they were in awe of his strength.
"I'll give you a battle!" Ash said and readied himself from the challenging trainer. The brunette trainer smiled and readied himself next. "So, what's your name?"
"Ash," the Pallet Town trainer introduced. "I'm Tyson," the brown haired trainer said, "How about a three-on-three?"
"Fine by me," Ash grinned, excited to challenge a new potential rival.
"Hariyama, you're up!" Tyson said, sending out the Fighting type.
"Tauros, I choose you!" Ash called as he sent out his Normal type.
"Hari!/Moo!"
"Hariyama, Arm Thrust!" Tyson shouted and the Arm Thrust Pokemon rushed with his opened palm strikes. "Tauros, use Hidden Power!" Ash called out. The Wild Bull Pokemon glowed, creating green orbs and fired them away at the Fighting type. Hariyama cringed through the pain, still charging through the attack. Eventually, the Arm Thrust Pokemon made it over and slammed his glowing palms into the Wild Bull Pokemon, who mooed and was shoved back a reasonable distance.
"Flamethrower!" Tauros took a deep breath and sent a torrent of flames towards his opponent. Hariyama endured the pain before shaking it off.
"How did Hariyama withstand Flamethrower?" May asked. "Hariyama must have the ability Thick Fat, an ability that reduces Fire and Ice attacks," Brock deduced. "So, Ash will need to stay clear of Fire and Ice attacks to do damage," Max put together.
"Hariyama, Focus Blast!" The Fighting type cupped his hands together before generating a yellow orb which was flung at Tauros. "Iron Tail to bat it back!" The Normal type turned his three tails to metal and swung them around, smacking the Focus Blast away. "Now Zen Headbutt!" Tauros let out a moo and charged with blue Psychic energy towards Hariyama.
"Meet it with Heavy Slam!" Hariyama charged as well, covered in silver energy before leaping and falling towards Tauros, who redirected his Zen Headbutt towards the falling Fighting type. The two moves collided and caused an explosion. Both Pokemon were blown back and it seemed like they were on their last legs.
"Hariyama, finish them Brine!" "Tauros, use Thunderbolt!" Both Pokemon either fired or charged then fired their moves, Hariyama shooting water from his palms and Tauros with a lightning bolt respectively. Both moves hit their intended targets, causing another explosion. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were down and out.
"Awesome work out there, Tauros/Nice work, Hariyama," both trainers said as they called back their Pokemon before drawing their new Pokeballs.
"Go Donphan/Swellow!" The Armor Pokemon let out a trumpet as the Swallow Pokemon chirped in the air.
"Donphan, start off with Sandstorm!" Tyson said. The Ground type trumpeted and generated a sandstorm that obscured the battlefield, much to the dismay of the onlookers.
"Swellow," Ash cried through the weather effect, "Use Work Up!" The Hoenn Normal/Flying type gained a red aura around himself. "Now, go for Ominous Wind!" The bird Pokemon flapped his wings, creating a purple gust of wind. Donphan dodged the Ghost type attack in a fast pace. Swellow then buffed in the Sandstorm attack, causing his flight pattern to falter a bit.
"It seems Donphan has the Sand Veil ability!" Brock noticed.
Ash gritted his teeth with that information. If he can recall, Sand Veil boosts the Pokémon speed. And Swellow was one of his fastest Pokemon. Then he got an idea.
"Swellow, blow away the sandstorm with Hurricane!" The Normal/Flying Pokemon cawed and began to flap in a rapid pace. The winds eventually blew away the Sandstorm allow Swellow to see...
an incoming form of Donphan curled up.
The Rollout struck Swellow causing his flight to falter again but regained his altitude. "Donphan, Rollout again!" The Armor Pokemon continued to bash the Swallow Pokemon nonstop with the Rock type attack. Each attack was growing stronger nonstop as the Swallow Pokemon began to take more and more damage. Eventually Swellow fell to the ground, on his back.
"Alright, Donphan! One more Rollout!" Tyson commanded and the Armor Pokemon charged forward.
Ash grit his teeth at the incoming Ground type. The onlookers and his friends watched as the Normal/Flying Pokémon was doomed to get hit. Until Ash had an idea.
"Swellow, grab Donphan's ears!" The Swallow Pokémon heard and complied, causing the Armor Pokemon to come to a halt, much to everyone's surprise. "Now time to fly!" Ash shouted. His Hoenn bird Pokemon cawed and began to lift Donphan off the ground.
"Woah!" Tyson said as he watched his Pokemon get lifted from the ground. Swellow reached a sensible altitude before dropping his Ground type cargo to the ground, causing dust to kick up. When the dust cleared it revealed Donphan to be unable to battle.
"Great going, Donphan," Tyson praised, "Gotta say Ash, color me impressed! Never had I meant someone who shouted such a command!"
"Thanks for the compliment," Ash replied as he returned Swellow. "But now for the finale! Meowth, let's go!" Tyson said as his dressed up Scratch Cat Pokémon entered the field, tipping his hat as he did.
"Pikachu, let's go," Ash told his faithful starter. "Pika!" the Mouse Pokemon cried and ran onto the battlefield. Tyson's Meowth meowed and readied his claws for battle.
"Start off with Fury Swipes!" Meowth's claws grew and turned white as the costume Pokémon attacked by swiping claws nonstop against his opponent. Pikachu was scratched nonstop until Meowth leapt back.
"Signal Beam!" Ash said and his only Electric type fired a pink beam of energy at the cat. "Use Thunderbolt!" Meowth charged up and fired a lightning bolt at Bug type move. Both fought for dominance until they were was an explosion.
"Quick Attack!" Pikachu ran forward with a white trail and bashed Meowth in the chest. "Iron Tail!" Both trainers said and the two Pokémon turned their tails to steel and whacked each other at close range.
"Hyper Voice!" Meowth let out an echoing shout that caused Pikachu to be blown back. Pikachu skidded to his side of the battle before standing up and growling. Meowth merely flashed a grin, possibly to the irritate the Mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu, use Skull Bash!" Pikachu tucked his head in and leapt forward with his head in front. Skull Bash connected and Meowth was pushed back. It was Pikachu's turn to smirk as Meowth got back up.
"Go in for Night Slash!"
"Use Brick Break!"
Meowth's claws took a dark hue and the cat slashed at Pikachu who had a glowing paw. The Mouse Pokémon swung down just as the Scratch Cat Pokémon slashed across Pikachu's chest. There was a brief flash from Night Slash which caused Pikachu to roll back.
Both Pokémon were panting, each attack having put a toil on them.
"Say Ash," Tyson addressed his opponent, "It's been quite the battle, but it's time to wrap this up!"
"Couldn't agree more!" Ash replied.
"Pikachu!/Meowth!" Both trainers said. "Use Thunderbolt!"
Both cat and mouse unleashed their separate bolts of lightning. They met at a stalemate, both Normal and Electric type pouring energy to win at the end. In the end...
Meowth's Thunderbolt pushed through and shocked Pikachu. The Thunderbolt caused an explosion to kick up and Pikachu was out of the battle.
Ash ran onto the field and cradled his starter. "It's okay, Pikachu. You did your best," Ketchum reassured to the defeated Pokémon.
"Nice battle, Ash," Tyson complimented as he made his way over to his opponent, "Any chance you are competing in the Hoenn League?"
"You bet!" Ash replied. "Great! Hope we can face each other again there," Tyson promised before before returning Meowth and heading over to the Pokémon Center, no doubt to treat his Pokémon. Ash watched his retreating figure as his traveling companions came up to him.
"He's a strong trainer," Max commented. "No doubt, you just made a new rival," Brock added.
Ash couldn't help but nod. He sure did. And now he would even work harder to beat Tyson.
"Ash Ketchum, you have a call."
Ash made his way over to the PC and booted up the camera. To his surprise, it was Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader.
"Hello again, Ash," Sabrina greeted with a smile. "Hi, Sabrina!" Ash greeted back, "I'm surprised that you called me."
"Yes, I sensed your surprise feelings. I am contacting you regrading a teammate of yours."
Ash was confused at that statement. Teammate? He couldn't recall having a teammate that he gave to the Kanto Psychic type Gym Leader. "What teammate?"
"You left you-" Sabrina started before a smoke bomb went off in her face. The smoke dispersed and revealed soot covering the Gym Leader. A purple floating mass behind her was laughing at her. "Haunter," she finished with a smile, unbothered by the prank.
Ash then remembered Haunter...
and how he never really caught him or remembered him till now. In his defense, he only had him for a while, at least longer than Primeape.
"Actually, when I think about it," Ash admitted, "I never really captured Haunter in the first place..."
"Huh," Sabrina said, "Well, nonetheless, Haunter has watched your battles. He wants to battle alongside you!"
"R-really?" Ash wondered aloud. Another Pokémon he had forgotten about had watched him battle!
"Yep. I sensed Haunter's wanting to battle alongside his trainer, so I thought of calling Professor Oak, who informed me that you were competing in the Hoenn League," the psychic informed.
Ash mauled the idea over. He would have his first Ghost type Pokémon. They were known for being crafty, specializing in mostly range and status moves. Plus this could help with any future Ghost types he might capture in the future and aid in Noctowl's training since Noctowl's were known for tricks as well.
"Alright! I would be glad to have Haunter on my team," Ash said excitedly.
"Well said," Sabrina added before telekinetically lifting a Pokeball and captured Haunter. She then sent the Gas Pokémon via transport and to Ash.
"Now, since Haunter is on your team, you could potentially get a Gengar," Sabrina mentioned.
"A Gengar? How?" Ash asked, curious in how to get the evolved form. "It's simple, all you have to do is trade," the Saffron Gym Leader informed, "like a mock trade or using a trade machine."
"Hmmm... Interesting," Ketchum said, thinking about the idea. "Thanks for the advice!"
"No problem," Sabrina said, "I wish you good luck in the Hoenn League," before hanging up.
Ash held the Pokeball in his hand, contemplating the decision of evolving his recently 'recapture.' This decision would have to wait till morning.
A/N: Sorry if I made Ash and Tyson's battle short.
To the guest reviewer: I like the idea of Ash re-challenging the Kanto Gym Leaders, but I would rather make that a separate story since this is mostly based on his leagues and Battle Frontier.