Chapter 7: The Pewter City Tournament!
Saying that the room was dark would be an understatement.
There was practically no light in it whatsoever, except for a small lamp that was located in the middle of a small wooden table. It gave off a little bit of light that allowed the 7 people present in the room to just barely see each other. However, the room was still terribly dark, giving it an ominous feel.
All seven of the people that were present could hardly be seen, and as such it was hard to say exactly how they looked like.
However, there was one thing that was almost certain regarding these mysterious individuals.
There was a man at the the end of the table, and everyone else feared him. He was very clearly dangerous.
"You FAILED?!" the man angrily asked as he slammed his hands down onto the table, startling the six other people that were present even further then they already were. However, only one of them was able to quickly regain their composure. "Osborn, I gave you some of my best men, my most powerful Pokemon, my most high-tech gadgets, yet you failed your mission because of a teenager in tights?!"
The table was pretty small, and everyone was standing around it.
"It's not like that," the man who stood at the other side of the table, who just so happened to be none other then Norman Osborn, replied, attempting to remain clam. "If you could give me another chance, sir, I could possibly-"
"And not only that, you also have the audacity to not only show your face off at the World Science Expo right after your failure, but get attacked THERE too!" the man angrily continued, cutting off the orange-haired businessman. "Were you trying to get yourself killed to escape my wrath?!"
Suddenly, Norman slammed his hands onto the table, shocking everyone present. He was standing up to the man that they all feared, after all. "If I wanted to 'escape your wrath' I'd leave the Region! I may be an Admin of Team Rocket, but I'm also a billionaire! I'm responsible for almost all of the funding that Team Rocket receives!"
This little outburst by the man who was secretly The Green Goblin caused everyone else to gulp, fearing what the 'Leader' of the group would do to him. Hell, even Norman himself was a bit afraid because of what he had done.
However, the man standing next to Norman continued to remain silent the entire time, completely unfazed by the whole situation.
"W-Wait, sir, I can explain-" the president of Oscorp started, but was once again cut off by his boss.
"Hm...This is silly, isn't it?" the dangerous man asked Norman, his rough demeanor seemingly being replaced by a more sophisticated one. "Two men with such high ranks yelling at each other like children..."
"Y-Yes...Yes I suppose it is, Sir..." Norman replied as he stood up straight and fixed his tie, a single drop of sweat trickling down his forehead. He was wearing a pretty formal business suit. "I'm loyal to this organization, and I most likely will remain so all my life, but the boss, well, he scares me, and that's saying something..."
"Although it is true that you are one of the main reasons Team Rocket has all the money that it currently has, Osborn, you must remember that everyone who works under Team Rocket is the same to me. You're all my underlings," the dangerous man continued. "And although you have done quite a bit of good work, many of our underlings are...Not very big fans of how you command them in battle."
This came as quite a surprise to Norman Osborn, who had thought of himself to be a pretty decent leader. "Hm? What are you saying, sir?"
"I'm saying that you're terrible at being a leader," the dangerous man bluntly replied. "Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes, I do, but I'm asking-"
"That's why I've decided to give you a partner!" Norman's boss continued. It was very obvious that he did not care about what his underling had to say.
"A-A partner?!" Norman Osborn replied in surprise, shocked by the idea. "You and I both know well that I work best alone! I'm a great leader, and-"
"Tell that to Jessie, James, and Meowth. Those morons have completely lost it and are even wearing different colored uniforms just so that they can say that they're not being bossed around by you," the dangerous man stated, rolling his eyes. However, he followed this statement by shaking his head. "But back to the topic at hand. A partner would be great because not only would you have some assistance commanding your grunts, but it'd increase your odds of defeating that Spider-Man if he ever appears again! After all, he's the only superhero in all of Kanto currently, since every single other superhero in the world is operating in all of those richer, fancier Regions. His very existence could put the business that we've been practicing for years now at risk!"
Norman growled. He didn't like the idea of having a partner, however, his boss WAS right. Prior to the rumors about Spider-Man's existence, there were literally no superheroes in the Kanto Region whatsoever. That was the reason why such a powerful organization like Team Rocket managed to stay in business for so long. "Alright, fine... Who exactly is my partner, though?"
All of a sudden, the man who had kept his cool the entire time began to speak.
"I have discussed it with the boss, and it was decided that I be your partner," the man quickly explained, an intense look in his eyes. "I shall lead you to victory, Osborn!"
This came as quite a surprise to the man who was secretly The Green Goblin.
"Gr-Great! Just what I need! A ninja!" Norman angrily thought to himself as he glared at his new 'Partner' with disgust. "What's he going to do? Use his 'Ninja Skills' to beat our foes up? Stupid moron..."
"I truly believe that the two of you will be a good duo, and that the two of you will be able to accomplish many great things together. Because of this, I am giving you a mission," the dangerous man stated with one hand in his pocket. "Tonight, I want you to steal the brand new 'Black Ooze' that is currently being kept at the Museum of Science in Pewter City. I want you both to successfully bring it back to me TOGETHER. Understood?"
"Yes, Master," Norman Osborn's brand new partner quickly responded, giving a quick bow to his leader.
"Whatever you say, Sir!" the orange-haired businessman exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I won't need this guy. After the mission is over, the Boss will be able to see that..."
After an intense confrontation with a young con artist named Green, who Ash had promptly made his rival since she also wanted to become the Champion of the Kanto Region, Ash Ketchum, the wannabe Pokemon Master, and his friends, Peter and Lillie, were continuing their journey across the Kanto Region. A few days had passed since the incident with Green, and he, along with his friends, were still in the deep, dark, Viridian Forest. However, that was about to change very, very soon..
As Ash took one step forwards, a grin spread across his face. He was standing on a large rock and was admiring the view in front of him.
He and his friends were on a hill, and down below them was a beautiful view of the gang's next stop: Pewter City!
"It's Pewter City!" Lillie exclaimed as she put one hand to her hat to make sure it didn't fly away, since there was quite a strong breeze on the hill that they were standing on. "I read in a few books that this place is famous for its rich variety of rocks, as well as its world-famous Museum of Science, which holds a multitude of different scientific artifacts from the past, and even some more recent things like the recently discovered-"
"Yup! The Museum of Science!" Peter exclaimed excitedly, cutting his friend off with a twinkle in his eye that Ash was all too familiar with, due to having gone to the World Science Expo with him. "Man, I can't wait to check out all of the science-related stuff there! They have fossils of ancient Pokemon! Can you believe it?! Ancient Pokemon! And not only that, but they've discovered a brand new substance called the Black Ooze! I don't know what it does, but..."
"Lillie, never mention anything related to science in front of Peter," Ash whispered to his blonde-haired friend as Peter began to go on and on about some sort of strange, black ooze that was being kept at the Museum of Science.
"Yeah, point taken..." Lillie whispered in response.
"Scor-Bun..." Ash's partner Pokemon sighed, rolling its eyes at Peter's behavior.
Thankfully, Professor Oak's assistant was stopped by a strange, gruff voice that was directed towards Ash, much to the confusion of the raven-haired Pokemon Trainer.
"Hey kid. Can you get off my merchandise?"
"Huh?" Ash, Peter, and Lillie all asked in unison as they looked around, trying to find the source of the voice.
"Down here."
The gang then looked down, and saw the source of the voice.
Just a few inches below them was a seemingly old man. He had tan skin and brown hair that was covered up by a red beanie. However, his hair wasn't the only thing that the beanie was covering up, as it was also covering his eyes. He was wearing a yellow T-Shirt, dark teal cargo pants, and a pair of black shoes. He also had a dark-brown beard.
He was sitting with his legs and arms crossed, and was seated under the ledge that the rock that Ash was standing on was located. Although he was just staring out at the city, it was almost as if he could see the group.
"Merchandise? What are you talking about?" Ash asked the stranger, who simply grunted in response, not even moving his head to look at the boy.
"Pewter City's famous for its rocks. We've even got an entire museum dedicated to preserving 'em," the man stated monotonously. "People come from far and wide just to check out our rocks, and you're stepping on one of the best rocks from our city."
Ash blinked twice before immediately taking a step back. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Ah, my bad..."
Ignoring the raven-haired boy's apology, the man got up and turned around, looking at Ash and his friends. "You three just got out of Viridian Forest, right? You and your Pokemon must be exhausted. Come with me, I'll show you to the Pokemon Center."
"Really? Thanks!" Peter cheerfully responded as he, Lillie, and Ash all jumped off of the short ledge to stand next to the man, who began to speak.
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Yeah? What is it?" Ash asked with a grin, excited to head to the Pokemon Center to heal up his team of Pokemon.
"You technically owe me some money for standing on my merchandise," the man quickly replied, a serious look in his hidden eyes. "Those things may be rocks, but they're valuable, and I can't have you just stepping on them."
This statement caused Ash, Lillie, Peter, and Scorbunny to all comedically fall over.
"I-It doesn't exactly help that I had all of my money stolen by Green just a few days ago..." the wannabe Pokemon Master, Ash, sighed.
"Here you go, you guys," the man told the group.
They were now standing in front of a large Pokemon Center, which looked extremely similar to the one located in Viridian City. People and Pokemon were coming in and heading out, as expected of a building that gave out free medical services to Pokemon.
"Thank you, sir," Lillie thanked the man as she gave him a respectful bow.
"Don't mention it," the man stated before turning around. "Now, I've gotta get to my merchandise. I don't want it to get stolen or, even worse, get trampled on by other stupid kids."
Ash frowned as he scratched his head. "Stupid kids? What do you mean by tha-"
"I mean nothing. Bye!" the man exclaimed before jogging away.
Ash, Lillie, Peter, and Scorbunny all nodded and spoke in unison. "Right, thank you!"
As the man left, Lillie smiled at her friends. "We didn't get that man's name, did we?"
"No, I suppose we didn't..." Peter replied, rubbing his chin for a moment before grinning. "But he seemed like a pretty nice person!"
"Yeah! Whoever that guy was, he sure did help us out a ton!" Ash exclaimed before slumping his shoulders with a disappointed sigh. "Too bad I'm technically now in debt to him..."
Peter, Lillie, and Scorbunny all laughed, and Ash soon joined in. It WAS pretty funny.
"Well, we should head inside and get our Pokemon healed up," Peter stated as he pointed to the entrance with his thumb. Scorbunny seemed particularly excited about the idea, since it had done quite a bit of battling in Viridian Forest.
"Yeah, alright," Ash replied with a smile. "Let's."
The group of friends entered the building, and the place looked pretty similar to the Pokemon Center that was located in Viridian City, much to Ash's confusion. It had the same decorations, same window sizes, and even the same placement of benches!
The group walked over to the front desk and, much to his surprise, it seemed that the place was much more similar to the Viridian City Pokemon Center then Ash had thought because, standing behind the desk, was Nurse Joy!
"N-Nurse Joy?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? This isn't the Viridian City Pokemon Center, this is the Pewter City Pokemon Center!"
"Why, I'm well aware of that, young man," the woman stated warmly. "I work here, after all!"
"B-But...But I saw you at the Viridian City Pokemon Center!" Ash continued. "How do you not recognize me? You and I were some of the few people who stayed inside the Pokemon Center for the entirety of the Team Rocket Invasion!"
"Sc-Scor Bun!" Ash's partner added in surprise.
The pink-haired Pokemon nurse giggled at the duo's surprised behavior. "Hehe, I think you might be confusing me for my younger sister! Her name is also Nurse Joy, and she works at the Pewter City Pokemon Center! We've been told that we look like each other quite a bit!"
Ash blinked twice, confused by the response. "Uh...Okay..."
Peter clamped his hand onto the wannabe Pokemon Master's shoulder and grinned at him.
"Trust me, Ash, you'll get used to this kind of stuff," Professor Oak's assistant told his friend with a grin. "There are hundreds of Nurse Joys, as well as Officer Jenny's, located all across the globe!"
"H-Hundreds?!" Ash exclaimed, his eyes widening. "You'd think their parents would give them different names or something..."
A Chansey walked in from the back room and stood at Nurse Joy's side, holding a Pokeball tray in its hands. "Chansey! Chansey!"
"Thank you, Chansey!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she took the tray from her partner's short, stubby hands. She then faced Ash and his friends. "If you would be so kind, please place the Pokemon you'd like healed in this tray."
Ash nodded and looked down at Scorbunny. "Alright, buddy, time to get into your Pokeball!"
"Scor-Bun!" Ash's partner exclaimed.
Ash took out his Pokeball and pointed it at his partner. The Pokemon was transformed into energy and collected into the Pokemon-capturing device. The raven-haired boy then turned to Nurse Joy. "Hold up, I've got another one..."
The wannabe Pokemon Master took Mankey's Pokeball from his waist and placed the two Pokeballs into the tray.
"Alright, thank you very much, young man," Nurse Joy smiled before turning to look at Peter and Lillie. "Do you two have any Pokemon that you would like to have healed as well?"
"O-Oh, I don't," Lillie smiled at the Pokemon Nurse. "I'm not a Pokemon Trainer..."
"PEW!" Nebby shouted from within Lillie's bag, causing Lillie's cheeks to turn red in embarrassment, and also for the bag to start shaking.
"B-Be quiet, Nebby!" Lillie exclaimed as she silenced the gaseous Pokemon that she was caring for by shaking the bag with a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and fear for the Pokemon's safety.
"Right, okay..." Nurse Joy muttered, amused to see the strange situation between Lillie and Nebby.
"Well, Lillie might not have a Pokemon to heal, but I sure do!" Peter exclaimed as he grabbed his Bulbasaur's Pokeball from his waist and placed it onto the tray. "Take good care of him, Nurse Joy!"
"Hehe, will do!" the Pokemon Nurse replied before turning around and walking into the back room with her Chansey. "Come on, Chansey..."
The trio of friends smiled. They had no doubt in their minds that Nurse Joy would be able to give their Pokemon the best care that she could possibly give to them.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Ash exclaimed as he punched the air, pretending to be a boxer. "It's time for my first Gym Battle!"
"Scor...Scor...BUN!" Ash's partner exclaimed as it sent out kick after kick, imitating its trainer by also pretending to be a boxer.
It was now the afternoon, and Ash and Peter's Pokemon were all healed up. The group was now standing in front of a large building that was seemingly made of rocks. It looked like it was from the prehistoric era due to how primitive the rocks made the building look! Fortunately, the structure was supported by some wooden planks. The words 'PEWTER CITY GYM' were engraved on the building, specifically the upper-part of the front. There was also a Pokemon League Logo, which was pretty much just the image of a Pokeball.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man! I can't wait to get started!" the raven-haired boy continued. "Then after this I'll go the next Gym, then the next, then the next, then the next, then the-"
"Wait just a moment, Ash," Peter interjected, causing the raven-haired boy, along with Lillie, to look at him. "We're going to go the Museum of Science later, right?"
The secret superhero's friends both stared at him with a look that asked 'Seriously?'
"W-We're going to the Museum of Science later, right?" the brown-haired boy repeated himself, a little bit worried.
Ash and Lillie didn't really want to go, especially with Peter of all people due to his obsession with science, but at the same time they didn't really want to hurt their friend's feelings.
"Um, well, you see...Uh..." Ash stammered, trying to explain how he didn't want to go to the Museum of Science.
Thankfully, Lillie was much smarter then Ash, and was able to actually respond to Peter.
"We'll think about it afterwards, Peter," the blonde-haired girl calmly told her friend, who smiled and nodded.
"Cool!" the secret superhero replied with a smile. "I know you guys will say yes, though! Everyone loves science!"
"Yeah, every nerd maybe..." Ash muttered before looking at the door. "Anyways, here we go!"
Before the group was a pair of two large doors. Ash pushed against one door with one hand, and Scorbunny pushed against the other. Immediately, it opened up to reveal a large reception area that was oddly empty, with the exception of a lady behind the receptionist's desk. She was sitting in a chair and typing on a computer. Ash immediately dashed towards her desk and asked her about battling the Gym Leader.
"Um, excuse me Miss!" Ash exclaimed, catching the attention of the woman, who boredly looked up at him. "I'd like to-"
"Hello and welcome to the Pewter City Gym," the woman replied monotonously as she looked up from her computer screen to look into Ash's eyes before looking down at her computer. "Tournament-watching tickets are 10 dollars for children, and 15 for an adult. The tickets allow you to watch the matches that take place here at the Gym during the Pewter City Tournament. How many would you like to buy?"
"Oh, uh, I don't want to watch any matches," the wannabe Pokemon Master replied to the woman after blinking twice, causing her to glance at him with a raised eyebrow. He then balled up his hand into a fist and grinned from ear to ear at her. "My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I wanna battle the Gym Leader!"
"Scor-Bun!" Ash's partner happily added as it jumped extra high by his side so that it could be seen by the receptionist. The Pokemon was as excited as its trainer to battle in the Gym.
…
"Oh. I see," the woman once again replied in a monotonous tone before proceeding to type on her computer a bit more. "Please wait just a minute."
Peter and Lillie finally caught up with Ash, and the raven-haired boy filled them in on what was happening.
After a bit of waiting, the woman handed over a paper to Ash. "This is your Battle-Ticket, Ash Ketchum. Using it, you will be able to participate in the Pewter City Tournament. Once you win that, the Gym Leader, Brock, will battle you, giving you the opportunity to earn Pewter City's Gym Badge. Do you accept these rules?"
"Huh? Well, sure, I guess..." Ash replied as he scratched the back of his neck with one arm while holding the Battle-Ticket with the other. "But I thought we were just going to fight him immediately..."
"In the Region where I'm from, we don't have a Gym Challenge so I might be wrong about this, but..." Lillie started, catching the attention of Ash. "I read in a book once that every single Gym has their own unique challenge that a Trainer and their Pokemon must complete. These could range from anything like a simple quiz to a Pokemon Tournament like the one you're about to partake in! Once challengers have successfully completed their challenge, THEN they can fight the Gym Leader!"
"You could've just asked me that, but whatever, your friend's right," the receptionist told Ash with shrug before typing on her computer again. "Just enter the door to the left to enter the area where the Pewter City Tournament will take place. It's a special Tournament where Trainers bring only one of their Pokemon to battle it out with other powerful trainers. There are a few other rules, but the referee will tell you them, so I don't really care."
Ash grinned and stuffed the Battle-Ticket into his pocket, ignoring the woman's nasty attitude. "Alright, thanks!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever..."
Ash and Scorbunny walked towards the large doors that led to the arena where the Pewter City Tournament was going to take place. Lillie and Peter walked behind him, hoping to follow their friend and support him during the Tournament.
However...
"Only trainers who are taking part in the tournament are permitted to enter the Tournament Area," the receptionist told Peter and Lillie, who stopped to look at the woman, who didn't even look up from her computer. "If you want to cheer on your friend, you're going to have to enter through the other door and watch from the stands."
"Oh, I see..." Peter replied before looking back at Ash. "Well Ash, you heard her. We'll be in the stands if you need us!"
"Right," the wannabe Pokemon Master replied with a firm nod.
"Good luck, Ash!" Lillie excitedly told her friend. "Do your best!"
The raven-haired boy smiled and nodded at her as well. "Right! Thanks, guys!"
Then, while Peter and Lillie headed to the stands, Ash looked down at his partner. "You ready to go, Scorbunny?"
"Scor-Bun!" the Pokemon exclaimed excitedly in response, jumping up and down.
"Alright, then. Let's do this!" the wannabe Pokemon Master stated as he opened the door with his hand. It was a push door, so it easily swung open, allowing them to go to the next area.
They were met with a dimly-lit arena. There were multiple stands that contained many people and Pokemon, and they were all cheering for...Something. Ash couldn't quite see it yet.
However, as he moved forwards, the main attraction slowly came into view.
It was a boxing ring!
"Wow, Scorbunny, do you think that's where we're going to be battling?" Ash asked, looking down at his partner. "I really hope we can win this! We need to defeat the Gym Leader, after all! If we want to do that, we're gonna have to become victorious here first!"
Scorbunny excitedly nodded in response. "Scor-Scor!"
Standing in the ring were a group of many, MANY people. One of them was obviously the referee, since he was wearing a referee's outfit and all. However the other people were a bit of a mystery to Ash since they all seemed to be trainers that he did not recognize. Perhaps they were taking part too?
Ash walked towards the ring with his Pokemon in tow when the referee suddenly stopped him. "May I see your Battle-Ticket, please?"
"The paper that woman gave me? Uh, sure..." Ash replied under his breath as he pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the Battle-Ticket. He handed it over to the referee, who inspected it very closely before nodding and smiling at the wannabe Pokemon Master.
"Alright, then! Welcome aboard, Ash Ketchum!" the man exclaimed as he gestured behind himself. telling Ash to stand alongside the other competitors.
The raven-haired boy nodded and stood next to the other competitors. He didn't recognize any of them...
…Except one.
"Hey, you're that guy!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "The guy who sells rocks!"
It was indeed the man who was selling rock-related merchandise. He had his arms crossed, and silently glanced at Ash and Scorbunny.
"Hmph, I didn't think that you would be taking part in this tournament," the man stated roughly. "Especially considering how your partner's a fire-type. Those are weak to rock-types, which are primarily used here at this Gym. It wouldn't be a bad idea to use another Pokemon..."
Ash simply grinned in response. "That may be the case, but me and Scorbunny will rise to any challenge! Isn't that right, buddy?"
"Scor-Bun!" the Pokemon exclaimed with a determined expression, confident in its abilities like always.
"Hmph...Whatever," the man stated as he looked away. "Name's Flint, by the way."
"Oh, cool! But... You could've told us that earlier," Ash jeered at Flint, who simply rolled his eyes in response. However, Ash continued. "Er, not to be rude or anything, Flint, but don't you think you're a bit too...Old to be participating in the Gym Challenge? Of course, there's nothing wrong with being old and participating, I'm just saying that-"
"I have no intention of participating in the league or anything like that," Flint coldly stated, cutting Ash off. "This is one of the first Gym that I am challenging, and is most likely going to be the last. After all, I don't want to be the very best, I just want to meet the Gym Leader, Brock."
"Huh? But why do you want to meet the Gym Leader, Flint?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
This question seemed to agitate the older man, who grunted in response.
"You don't need to stick your nose into other people's business, kid," Flint bluntly stated. "Besides, I hardly know you. Starting from now, we're opposing forces who both want to win the Pewter City Tournament for the chance to meet and fight the Gym Leader. I can't get too cozy with an opponent like you, can I?"
"No, I suppose you can't," Ash replied, his face turning serious. The two stared at each before Ash ended up cracking a grin. "If we end up fighting in this tournament, though, let's give it our all!"
"Hmph. You're underestimating the trainers of Pewter City, kid," Flint stated as he turned around, a smirk present on his face. "I'd be surprised if you could beat your first opponent!"
Ash frowned at this and looked down at his partner Pokemon, who looked up at him with a determined expression on its face.
"Let's win this, Scorbunny!" Ash exclaimed, to which Scorbunny grinned and nodded.
Soon, the announcer arrived. He was wearing a tuxedo, a pair of shades, and had slicked back blonde hair.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! I welcome you to the Pewter City Tournament!" the announcer shouted. He was holding a microphone in his hand, and grinned as the audience began to cheer. "I'm the announcer, and will act as your host through this tournament! Now, before we meet the contestants, let's go through the rules!"
The audience applauded, and the announcer continued.
"Trainers are permitted to use only one Pokemon for the entire Tournament! This way it'll be fair for every single Trainer, as their opponents won't be able to pull out any powerful and surprising Pokemon from their teams!" the announcer explained. "The second rule is, well, fight! The Tournament will go on like any normal tournament would, and to eliminate your opponent's Pokemon you'll have to either knock them out unconscious, or knock them out of the ring! Is that clear?"
In unison, everyone in the entire stadium, whether they were in the stands or in the ring, shouted: 'YES!'
The announcer grinned from ear to ear upon hearing this. "Well, in that case, it's time to introduce the competitors!"
Peter and Lillie were sitting in the stands, watching the proceedings go on. Nebby had managed to get out of Lillie's bag, but it was currently sitting its caretaker's lap, much to Lillie's annoyance. The blonde-haired girl was worried that some nasty people would see Nebby. However, thankfully, the entire stadium was pretty dark so it was A-Okay as nobody could really see the gaseous Pokemon, or anything for that matter.
"I wonder if Ash and his Pokemon will do well..." Lillie thought to herself under hear breath. "But...I just don't get how so many people enjoy watching Pokemon battles...You're basically just watching the Pokemon hurt each other..."
"I will admit that it can be a pretty nasty thing if you think about it like that," Peter told his friend with a grin, catching her attention. "However, if you instead think of it like a Trainer and their Pokemon working together to overcome any challenge that comes their way, then it becomes a pretty nice thing to think about, right?"
"W-Well...I...I guess?" Lillie replied as she looked back at the arena, silence overcoming her. "L-Let's just watch the tournament."
Obviously, Lillie didn't like Pokemon battles.
"Alright people! Let's get this battle underway!" the announcer exclaimed, shouting to the audience with his microphone. "We're having our first match, now! In this corner, from Pallet Town, please give a warm welcome to Ash Ketchum!"
The audience cheered as Ash went onto the stage confidently, grinning at all the people who were cheering him on. The other trainers who were taking part were standing around the ring, waiting for their turns. He glanced at his partner who was standing at his feet. "Let's do our best, Scorbunny! After all, I'm going to be using you for the Tournament!"
"Scor-Bun!" the Pokemon replied with a similar, excited attitude.
"And in this corner, hailing from Viridian City, we have a boy named..." the announcer continued, but then stopped to narrow his eyes at the boy. "...Uh, Samurai? That's a weird name..."
"Be quiet, referee!" Ash's opponent exclaimed to the announcer as he walked onto the stage. He then looked at Ash. "My name is Samurai, and I am a master of Bug-type Pokemon! I hope that you and I can have a fair and square battle against each other!"
Ash grinned in response to Samurai's words. "Yeah, me too!"
Samurai was a young boy who was a bit shorter then Ash. He was comedically dressed up in a set of samurai armor, and he even tried acting like one too! Heck, he even had a real sword to go along with his samurai outfit!
"Well, now that we've introduced our contestants, I think it's time we get the battle underway!" the referee exclaimed as he took a step back. "This will be a one on one match! On the count of three, I want you to both send out your Pokemon at the exact same time, understood?"
"Right!" Ash and his opponent exclaimed in unison.
"One!..."
Ash glanced down at his partner and grinned. Scorbunny looked up at him with a similar expression. Whispering, Ash said "Let's do this, partner!"
The fire-type nodded in response. "Scor!"
"Two!..."
Samurai took out a Pokeball and got ready to throw it. "Me and my Pokemon suffered three consecutive losses against some powerful trainers back in Viridian Forest, and because of that we've been training extremely hard! Get ready to see our power!"
"One!..." the announcer completed, a grin quickly forming on his face. "And...Zero! Let the battle begin!"
"Scorbunny, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed as he pointed in front of himself, prompting the Pokemon by his side to hop in front of its trainer.
"Scor-Bun!"
"Hmph! I've never seen a Pokemon like that before, but it matters not! Me and my partner will win this!" Samurai shouted as he threw out his Pokeball, attempting to speak in an honorable way like a real samurai would. "Go, Pinsir!"
A brown, bug-looking Pokemon with giant pincers on its head materialized in front of Samurai. The Pokemon's mouth had long, flat teeth that were arranged horizontally. It had thick legs, short arms, and triangular eyes.
"Woah, he's got a Pinsir! I know about that Pokemon! It's pretty strong!" Ash exclaimed as he took out his Rotom-Phone and scanned the creature. "Might as well get some information on it before the battle begins!..."
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokemon, a bug type! It scoops up prey in the giant pair of pincers that are located at the top of its head! These pincers are so powerful that any person or Pokemon that is unfortunate enough to be caught in their grasp will be immediately torn in half! Bzzt! Bzzt!"
Ash stuffed the device back into his pocket and smirked. "Don't even want to know how they find that out...But Scorbunny! You ready for this?"
"Scor-Bun!" Ash's partner happily exclaimed in excitement.
"Alright, then! Let's begin the match on our own terms!" Ash exclaimed before shouting out a command to his partner. "Scorbunny, use Ember!"
Scorbunny immediately blew in, inhaling some air.
"Scor..."
Then, it spat out a rapid-fire amount of fireballs at the foe, who brought its short stubby arms in front of its body to try and block the attack.
"...BUNNY!"
Unfortunately for Samurai's partner, however, it still did a bit of damage.
"And Ash is starting out this battle with a Super-Effective attack!" the announcer exclaimed into his microphone, attempting to hype up the crowd. "How are Samurai and his Pinsir going to respond to this?!"
"A true warrior never backs down!" Ash's opponent cried. "Pinsir, use Tackle!"
The giant Pokemon charged at its opponent, Scorbunny, at a pretty predictable speed for a Pokemon of its body size, which was pretty slow.
"Aha! Scorbunny, dodge it!" Ash cried.
The fire-type jumped out of the way just in time, as, although Pinsir was charging at it, the bug-type Pokemon was also slowly leaning down to try and catch Scorbunny in its pincers. Thankfully, the fire-type was able to dodge the incoming attack.
"Alright, Scorbunny! Now's your chance!" Ash exclaimed with a grin, seeing an opening. "Use Double Kick!"
Ash's partner smirked as a brown aura surrounded its body. "Scor...BUNNY!"
The bunny Pokemon rushed at Pinsir, who just barely managed to turn around to face the little Pokemon. Immediately, Scorbunny jumped up and delivered a devastating kick to the bug-type Pokemon's stomach, knocking the wind out of it. As Pinsir staggered back a bit, Scorbunny landed onto the ground again. However, it only stayed there for a second before jumping at Pinsir again, sending out yet another kick at its foe.
This one was much stronger, and was packed with much more power, too!
"Bun-Bun!"
Pinsir was immediately sent flying out of the ring, and crashed onto the ground.
"M-My Pinsir!" Samurai exclaimed as he jumped out of the boxing ring to help his partner. He crouched down to its large body. "Are you okay, comrade?"
"Pinsir Pins..." the Pokemon muttered dejectedly, surprised by how easily it lost to a Pokemon that was less then half its height.
The announcer was also there and was grinning from ear to ear. Addressing the crowd, he shouted "Pinsir has fallen out of the ring! As such, Ash and his Scorbunny are the winners of the first match!"
The audience immediately burst into cheers for the Trainer-Pokemon duo, who both grinned at each other.
"Great work, Scorbunny! You were awesome in that battle!" Ash excitedly told his partner. "If all the battles will be this easy, then we're going to be able to get to Brock easily!"
"Scor-Bun!" the bunny Pokemon replied while rubbing its nose, reverting back to the fire-type.
The two of them were confident that they were going to be the winners of this Tournament.
"Wow! Ash won his first battle so easily!" Lillie exclaimed before looking down at Nebby, who was watching the match in her lap. "Let's hope he can keep it up, Nebby."
"Pew!" the gaseous Pokemon happily exclaimed. It was most likely going to start shouting 'Pew!' again and again, like it usually did, but luckily Lillie was able to shush the excited little Pokemon in time.
"Be quiet Nebby..." Lillie whispered, noticing that she was getting a few awkward looks from some strangers.
"Hmph. I'm impressed. That kid's got some serious potential! I just might have to watch out for him..." Flint mentally thought to himself as he watched the ring very closely while leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. "But whatever. I've been training for years now, and I need to meet up with Brock, the Gym Leader! And besides, my match is next..."
Ash was standing amongst the crowd of competitors who were patiently waiting for their turns to battle, and his partner was sitting on top of his head. Although he didn't really like it, he decided to just let Scorbunny sit there.
"Alright, Scorbunny! The next match will be Flint's! Let's see what he can do!" Ash exclaimed to his partner, who cried excitedly in response.
"Folks, we're coming up to our second match! We have our two competitors, Flint and Joey!" the announcer exclaimed as both the trainers went onto the stage confidently. "Let's see if which one will move to the next round!"
"Please don't cry if you lose, kid," Flint coldly told his foe, who was much younger then him. "It's just a Tournament."
"Hah! The only one who'll be crying is you, Flint! My top-percentage Rattata will defeat you!" Joey exclaimed as he sent out his Pokemon. "Go, Rattata!"
The normal-type Pokemon immediately materialized in front of its trainer.
"Rattata! Ra-Tat!" the Pokemon exclaimed.
"Ah, Joey has chosen to battle with his Rattata! Wonderful pick!" the announcer shouted before turning his head to look at Flint. "I wonder what Flint will be picking!"
"Nice rat. Try fighting against my rock-monster!" Flint exclaimed as he sent out his own Pokemon. "Go, GOLEM!"
The man threw his Pokeball out in front of him, and a strange Pokemon materialized in front of him. It was spherical in shape, and seemed to be a rock-type creature.
"Golem Gol!" the Pokemon shouted.
"Wow! I've never seen that Pokemon before!" Ash exclaimed as he took out his Rotom-Phone and scanned the creature. "Golem...Let's get some information on it..."
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Golem, the Megaton Pokemon, and the evolved form of Graveler! It's rock-hard shell is indestructible, and not even dynamite can destroy it! In fact, Golems' shells are so incredibly durable that scientists are currently trying to find a way to bond it with human skin to make people stronger! When Golem sees the opportunity, it will automatically zoom towards its opponent to use its favorite move, Rollout! Bzzt! Bzzt!"
"Huh, Rollout? That sounds like a pretty cool move. Tell me about it, Rotom-Phone," Ash commanded his smart-device.
"Bzzt! Bzzt! Rollout is a Rock-Type move! While using it, the user rolls into its foe, dealing massive amounts of damage! The only downside to this attack is that it is difficult for the user to control, and the user might accidentally use the move more then once! It is recommended that this move is used to finish an opponent off, Bzzt! Bzzt!"
"Scor-Bun..." Ash's partner muttered as it heard the Pokedex entry.
"Yeah, it DOES seem strong! Both the move AND the Pokemon!" Ash stated as he put his Rotom-Phone away and turned his attention back to the fight. "But let's see how it does during a fight..."
"And Flint sends out his Golem! Let's see how this goes!" the announcer exclaimed. "One of these Pokemon is definitely more powerful then the other, though..."
"Haha, you may all think that, but there's a reason why my Rattata is in the top-percentage!" Joey laughed. "Use Quick Attack, buddy!"
Immediately Rattata zoomed at its powerful foe. "Rat! Rat! Rat...RATTATA!"
Rattata crashed into Golem's rock-hard shell, attempting to damage its foe. However, as it jumped back, the purple rat realized that its pathetic Quick Attack had done absolutely no damage whatsoever!
"Rattata?!" the Pokemon cried in disbelief.
"Hmph. Pathetic. When me and my partner see an opportunity like this, where we just know that we're going to win, we always like to use our most powerful move move, which just so happens to be our favorite one too!" Flint exclaimed with a grin. "Golem, use ROLLOUT!"
Golem immediately withdrew its arms, legs, and head into its shell and began rolling in its place.
"Go-Lem! Go-Lem! Go..."
Suddenly, the Pokemon zoomed towards its foe at an extremely fast speed!
"...LEM!"
Golem crashed into its foe and hurled the tinier Pokemon out of the ring.
"Wow, folks! That was amazing!" the announcer shouted. "Golem has defeated its foe with literally just one attack! It must have been trained very well! I'm certain we're going to see many more impressive battles like this one!..."
"Wow, Scorbunny! Flint sure is tough!" Ash exclaimed, looking up at his partner who looked down at him. "Think we can handle him if we end up fighting him?"
"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny confidently responded, causing Ash to smirk.
"Yeah, you're right, buddy," the raven-haired boy replied to his Pokemon's remark with a grin as he turned his attention back to the ring. "We're definitely going to win this! For now, though...It's time for the Tournament to continue!"
And so, the Pewter City Tournament continued, with Ash and Scorbunny winning a multitude of battles...
"Use Double Kick, Scorbunny!"
"Show off your speed! Use Quick Attack!"
"Finish it off with an Ember!"
Ash and his partner Scorbunny were able to easily overcome the challengers that came their way during the Pewter City Tournament. They beat trainer after trainer in succession, never backing down, never even taking a break in-between, until...
"And here we are, folks!" the announcer shouted into his microphone extremely loudly as the audience cheered even louder. "The finals of the Pewter City Tournament! The challengers here have battled with everything they had, but in the end, its these two powerful trainers that have made it to the finals!"
The announcer gestured to his right. "In this corner, having defeated all of his opponents with his powerful fire-type Pokemon Scorbunny, give it up for Ash Ketchum!"
Cheers could be heard from the crowd as the raven-haired boy walked onto the stage confidently, his partner Pokemon by his side. They were ready to win this once and for all!
"You can do this, Ash!" Lillie and Peter shouted in unison from the stands.
"PEW!" Nebby added.
The announcer then proceeded to gesture to his left. "And in this corner, the mysterious man who sells rocks to travelers who enter the city, we have Flint!"
Ash grinned as the mysterious man walked onto the stage. He glared at Ash, a serious expression present on his face. He had his fists clutched as he walked on to the stage.
Of course, the audience being the audience, just clapped and cheered as he went on stage.
"Let's make this a good match, Flint!" Ash excitedly exclaimed towards the mysterious man, who simply grunted in response.
"Hmph. I don't need a kid to tell me what to do..." Flint muttered, rolling his eyes.
"This will be the final battle for today, folks, and the winner will be eligible to challenge the Pewter City Gym Leader to a Pokemon Battle as many times as they want!" the announcer shouted into his microphone as the audience cheered from the stands. "But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, folks, as we still have to see how this battle plays out! Who will win? The young Ash Ketchum, or the mysterious Flint?! Let's find out...NOW!"
"Alright, Scorbunny, let's do this!" Ash told his partner, who nodded in response.
"Scor-Bun!"
The fire-type rushed in front of its trainer and into the ring, grinning confidently at Flint, who simply glared at the Pokemon-Trainer duo.
"Hmph. What a waste of time," the mysterious man muttered as he took out his Pokeball. "I'm certain you've seen the power of my Golem, correct?"
"Haha, yup!" Ash responded with a grin. "It seems pretty strong, but I think me and Scorbunny can defeat it!"
"Hmph. You THINK. Thinking isn't good enough!" Flint shouted as he threw out his Pokeball. "You have to KNOW that you can win! You have to be certain! And how can you be certain of defeating my Pokemon...WHEN YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN ITS TRUE POWER?!"
"GOLEM!" the rock and ground-type Pokemon roared as it materialized on stage.
Ash and Scorbunny simply rubbed their noses in response, with Ash giving a cocky response. "Me and Scorbunny have easily won all of our battles in this tournament so far, and we're definitely going to win this one! Just watch!"
"Hmph, I wouldn't be so confident if I were you," Flint replied, a smirk forming on his face. "After all, I've been training with this guy for years! Together...We won't lose!"
"We'll see about that! Let's do this, Scorbunny!" Ash shouted in response, raising his fist.
"Scor-Bun!"
The announcer looked at both the trainers and their Pokemon, before grinning and shouting into his microphone once more. "Alright, then...LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
"Golem, use Rock Throw!" Flint immediately shouted to his partner just as the battle began, surprising Ash and Scorbunny by his quickness.
"Go..."
Immediately, strange blue rocks began to form around Golem's body, all circular in shape. They began to circle around the rock-type's body, and Ash and Scorbunny foolishly watched on, curious as to what would happen next.
"...LEM!"
Immediately, these rocks were sent hurling towards Golem's small opponent, who was bombarded with these giant rocks.
"Scor Bun Bun!" the Pokemon exclaimed as it was sent flying back because of the attack, crashing into the ropes that surrounded the boxing-ring-like arena that the Pokemon were battling in.
"Oh, and it's a super-effective hit from the start!" the announcer exclaimed. "Flint and his powerful Golem are NOT pulling any punches here! They're going in for the win immediately!"
"Agh, Scorbunny!" Ash exclaimed worriedly, fearful of the possibility that the attack could have defeated his Pokemon in one-shot. "Are you alright, buddy? Can you still battle?"
"Scor...Bunny..." the Pokemon replied as it used the ropes around the ring to pick itself up. It wiped its mouth and smirked. This was certainly going to be a fun match. "Scorbunny!"
Ash grinned at his partner and let out a sigh of relief before looking at Flint and his Golem with a serious expression. "Those two are strong, Scorbunny, but together, we're stronger! Let's take them down!"
"Scor-Bun!"
"Hmph. This isn't an anime, kid, you can't win with the power of friendship or some crap," Flint told his opponent as he simply rolled his eyes. Quickly, he commanded his Pokemon to use it's next attack. "Golem, use Double Edge!"
Golem's body became engulfed with an orangish flame and it charged at Scorbunny at full-speed, attempting to use a powerful normal-type attack on Scorbunny.
"We're not going to let you do that!" Ash exclaimed, clutching his fist and waving it in front of his face. "Scorbunny, use Quick Attack!"
Ash's partner nodded, not looking at its trainer, before zooming from left to right as it made its way to clash with Golem. A white aura briefly lit up around Scorbunny's body, signifying its change to the normal-type.
"Scorbun...NY!"
The two Pokemon clashed against each other, both of them staring into each other's eyes angrily.
Scorbunny and Golem both jumped back, continuing to glare at each other intensely, until...
…Scorbunny comedically grabbed its arm and began shaking it in pain.
"Scor! Scor! Scor!..."
Lillie facepalmed as she saw what was going on, and was pretty disappointed by what Ash had just done. "I'm not a trainer, but even I know that Normal-type attacks won't do very well against Rock-types..."
Peter, who was sitting next to her, had his arms crossed and chuckled as he watched the battle unfold. "Yeah, Ash still has quite a bit to learn..."
After comedically hopping around in a circle while clutching its injured arm, leaving a trail of flames in the area where it had hopped, Scorbunny shook its head and got back into a fighting position.
"Scor...Bun..." the Pokemon panted angrily, wondering how it would ever defeat its opponent.
Ash too, was thinking of a plan. "Dang it! The Pokedex said that it's outer shell was indestructible...How am I supposed to beat it like this?...It seems so powerful..."
Suddenly, however, an idea sprung into the wannabe Pokemon Master's mind. "Th-That's! I've got it! I know how to beat Golem!"
Scorbunny looked back at its trainer, realizing that he had a plan.
"Scorbunny! I've got an idea, buddy!" Ash shouted to his partner, who decided to straighten its back after hearing that its trainer had a plan. "Do you trust me?"
"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny shouted in response, eager to find out what Ash's plan was.
"Hmph. Even if you had a secret plan, you'll never be able to defeat me and my partner!" Flint laughed with his arms crossed. "Show us your plan, Ash, Scorbunny! Show it to us so that we can crush it to dust!"
"Alright, then! You're the boss, Flint!" Ash exclaimed as he raised his fist into the air. "Scorbunny, use Ember!"
Although Scorbunny knew that Ember was a pretty foolish move to use against Golem, considering how it would not only transform him into a type that Golem was strong against, but also because it would be not very effective, Ash's partner decided to use the attack anyways.
Ash's plan was sure to work...Right?
Scorbunny inhaled some air before immediately exhaling, its body becoming outlined by a red aura for a brief second. Fire-Balls were sent hurling at its rocky opponent, who hardly felt them due to its large, powerful skin, and also due to the fact that it was a Rock-type.
"Golem Golem Go!" the rock and ground-type Pokemon cackled in delight.
Scorbunny winced. The fire-type Pokemon knew that it was a bad idea to use the attack, but Scorbunny had faith that Ash had the entire situation under control.
"Hehe, that was your plan? A not very effective attack? You have a lot to learn!" Flint told Ash with a grin. He then extended his arm, confident that this next attack would be the finishing blow. "Golem! Let's end this with your favorite attack! Use ROLLOUT!"
Golem grinned from ear to ear and quickly withdrew its arms, legs, and head into its shell, leaving everyone with just a giant boulder to look at.
"It seems Flint and Golem are ready to end this battle once and for all and become the winners!" the announcer exclaimed. "Golem is about to use its most devastating attack, Rollout!"
Golem began to roll round and round in its location while Scorbunny angrily glared at its opponent, holding its arm in pain. The powerful rock and ground type Pokemon then launched itself at Scorbunny, ready to deal the finishing blow.
But that's when Ash's true plan came into action.
"Alright Scorbunny! We need to time this just right!" Ash shouted to his partner who grinned as it got into a fighting stance. "Wait for it..."
Flint's Pokemon zoomed closer and closer to Scorbunny, but Ash continued to wait.
"Wait for it..."
"Go...Lem! Go...Lem!"
At this point, Golem was about to touch Scorbunny and deal the finishing blow, but, finally, Ash called out the move that Scorbunny was required to use.
"Alright, buddy! Use DOUBLE KICK!" Ash commanded to his partner, who grinned as it realized what Ash's plan was. If they couldn't knock it out, they could at least win the match by getting a ring-out! It was a genius idea! After all, Golem wasn't going to stop using the attack for a while.
Scorbunny fell backwards and used it hands to keep itself up. It proceeded to extend its legs outwards, stopping Golem in its tracks. However, due to Scorbunny's small size, Golem, who was much, much larger, started pushing the fire-type bunny a bit.
"GOLEM!"
"Scor...Bun...Ny..."
"Hmph! So that was your plan all along?" Flint asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Haha, yup! It sure was!" Ash exclaimed, rubbing his nose confidently. "What'd you think? Pretty cool, right?"
"Although I will admit it was smart of you to trick me like that, it won't matter!" Flint stated, his voice slowly getting louder and louder as he continued to speak. "Your plan will be useless when me and Golem mow through your defenses!"
"IF you mow through our defenses!" Ash replied with a grin. "Use all of the power you've got, Scorbunny!"
Flint growled in response to Ash's command. "You too, Golem!"
Hearing their trainers' words of encouragement, both of the Pokemon began to put more and more effort into their attacks. Golem trying to push Scorbunny back and win the match, and Scorbunny trying to push Golem back so that it could follow up with a Double Kick.
Sure, the two of them wanted to please their trainers, but at the same time, they were doing this for themselves. This was the ultimate showdown before the first Gym Battle, after all!
Golem had the upper-hand, due to its previously mentioned speed, and it looked like Scorbunny was being pushed back!
"Golem Golem Lem!" Scorbunny's foe laughed.
However, the fire-type rabbit wasn't the kind to give up. Tapping into all of the strength it had, Scorbunny used its powerful legs to push Golem back, causing the circular Pokemon to skid back and crash into the ropes that surrounded the ring!
This was a shocking development to everyone present! How could Scorbunny have such power?!
"Scor...BUNNY!"
"Great work, buddy!" Ash exclaimed to his partner. "Now...Let's finish this! Use Double Kick!"
"Scor-Bun!" the wannabe Pokemon Master's Pokemon replied with a small nod, grinning from ear to ear as a brown outline briefly surrounded its entire body.
Golem, stunned by being pushed back by the attack, popped its arms, legs, and head out of its shell confusedly. However, the rock and ground type's eyes widened as it saw Scorbunny zoomed towards it at an extremely high speed!
And then, before Golem knew it, Scorbunny used Double Kick on it!
One!
Two!
Golem was sent flying backwards, ripping through the ropes surrounding the ring and crashing into Flint, causing both Pokemon and trainer to fall down.
"Agh! No! Golem!" Flint exclaimed as he fell onto the floor, his large Pokemon laying on top of him.
"Golem Gol..." the Pokemon sheepishly replied.
It was over, and Ash and Scorbunny had won.
"Wow! Ash won!" Lillie exclaimed as she clapped her hands together once. "It truly was spectacular!"
"Pew!" Nebby happily added.
"Yeah, Ash did good," Peter stated with a grin. "And so did Scorbunny... They BOTH did good, no, GREAT! Ash knew that Golem wouldn't be able to stop using Rollout for a while, so he seized the opportunity and told Scorbunny to use a Double Kick! Absolutely great!"
"And we finally have our winner!" the announcer exclaimed as he walked over to Ash and grabbed his arm, raising it into the sky. "Hailing from Pallet Town, it's ASH KETCHUM! From now on and forever, this young trainer is now allowed to battle against our Gym Leader, BROCK!"
The audience began cheering for the raven-haired boy from Pallet Town, and Ash simply scratched his cheek, slightly proud because of his victory, and a bit embarrassed because of all the cheering that he was receiving.
Noticing Scorbunny, the announcer continued. "However, Ash couldn't have made it this far without his partner: Scorbunny! This little fire-type deserves some praise too!"
Once again, cheers filled the stadium and Scorbunny proudly placed its hands on its hips. "Scor-Bun!"
"Haha, you really do like winning, don't you, Scorbunny?" Ash asked his partner, who eagerly nodded its head in response. The wannabe Pokemon Master smiled at his partner before looking at where Flint was standing. Sure, the two of them were competing against each other just a few seconds ago, but that didn't mean that Ash had to be a total jerk and not shake his hand! "Hey, Flint! You did really well, and-"
However, the mysterious man with a Golem was gone, as was his Pokemon. It was like they disappeared into thin air!
"Huh? That's weird...I wonder where they went..." Ash thought to himself as he looked around. However, he immediately shook his head and shrugged. "Well, I guess it's not that important. What IS important is that me and Scorbunny..."
The wannabe Pokemon Master looked down at his partner and grinned.
"...Are now allowed to fight Brock!"
Flint walked out of the Pokemon Gym with his hands in his pockets. He kicked a small rock as he walked out of the building, and sighed.
"I'm sorry, son. I won't be able to meet you again just yet," Flint dejectedly thought to himself. However, he quickly shook his head. "Anyways, I wonder if Ash can win against Brock, though? He's clearly gifted, but is he gifted ENOUGH?..."
Sorry this chapter took a while! I had to rewrite it multiple times, since I wasn't very proud of it. However, I think its acceptable now.
The next chapter won't involve the Gym battle, and will instead revolve around Norman Osborn and his mysterious new partner's attack on the Museum of Science.
Until next time!