Chapter 13

It would only be a couple of days before they reached Saffron City.

Ash wiped some sweat from his brow and gurgled some water from his canteen. It had gotten really hot all of a sudden, and he'd taken refuge under the shade of a large tree a few feet from the main path. After the Pokemon Tower fiasco, he'd taken some time to rest and train a little for a few days.

He hadn't told his mom that he was involved in what happened at Lavender Town, and luckily for him, she didn't ask. Ash didn't want to worry his mother more than he should. She didn't deserve that kind of stress.

While the media had shown up to cover the cause of the gaping hole in Pokemon Tower's side, Ash had already fled to avoid being caught on camera. He didn't want any attention from anyone, although he was pretty sure the Rocket admins had a good idea of what his face looked like. Still, it always helped to be discreet.

The people who were interviewed were mainly bystanders, aside from Officer Jenny and Harvey, both of whom had chosen to keep his name hidden from the public.

While the rest of the time spent in Lavender Town had been fairly productive, he hadn't gotten a chance to train with Cubone at all, especially because of how rattled it was of what happened.

It outright refused to be close to any other human besides Ash, and let out a loud wail when it was handled by Nurse Joy for a check-up. Eventually Ash had to come behind the counter to reassure Cubone that everything was fine.

It also refused to eat the Pokemon food Ash had bought, and after trying for twenty minutes one night, Ash had asked his mother how to handle the situation. She proposed that Ash should eat Cubone's food first, so that he would mimic the behavior. It tasted disgusting, but it worked, and the Lonely Pokemon began to eat.

Cubone also didn't let anyone touch its skull or its bone club. When Ash tried to clean its skull, which was still stained red, the Lonely Pokemon swatted his hand away from him with his club.

To sum it up, Cubone was pretty hard to deal with. Still, Ash put up with it. Team Rocket caused this, and it was up to him to pick up the pieces of Cubone's life and put them back together.

Speaking of which…

He pressed the release button on Cubone's PokeBall, allowing the little reptile to come out. It laid its eyes on its Trainer and hugged its leg happily.

Ash chuckled. "Great to see you too, Cubone." he said. "Listen, I just want you to try out a couple of your moves. I'll tell you which one to use, and your job is to use them as best as you can! Got it?"

The Lonely Pokemon nodded, awaiting a command. Ash peered down at his Pokedex, looking through his moveset. "Hm… let's see… how about you try Bonemerang on that tree over there?"

He pointed toward a tree not too far from where they were standing. Cubone nodded, and he reared his arm back, before throwing its bone. It spun through the air, hitting the tree with a loud thunk, before flying back into the Ground-type's hand.

Suddenly a squeal was heard and Ash saw Mankey fall out of the tree, landing on its head. The Mankey got up, shooting a death glare at Ash and Cubone, angry chittering coming from its mouth.

"Hey! Calm down!" Ash said, holding his hands up. "We didn't mean to knock you out of your tree."

The Fighting-type regarded them for another moment before it mumurmed angrily to itself and scurried back up the tree. Ash let out a sigh of relief before turning to Cubone.

"Let's find a different tree to hit, yeah?" he said. "How about using Headbutt on that one?" He pointed to another tree, much thicker than the first one. Cubone ran up to it, before slamming its head into the trunk, startling some Pidgey resting on it and causing some leaves to fall.

Ash nodded with approval, and thanked Cubone for his efforts. Despite its moves having some power, the Lonely Pokemon was still far behind the rest of his team. He probably wouldn't be able to use it in his battle against Sabrina. Still, it was to be expected when dealing with such a young Pokemon. He already had a few ideas on how to expand its movepool a bit anyways.

He recalled Cubone back into its ball, and unclipped Petal. The Gloom touched down, looking up expectantly at his Trainer for instructions.

"Okay Petal, I want you to try working on Razor Leaf. Let's try to get this down by the time we reach Saffron City" he said. Petal needed some sort of ranged attack that was powerful and could hit easily. He couldn't learn Energy Ball without a TM, nor Solar Beam, so Razor Leaf was his next best option. While Razor Leaf was technically a technique that was inherited, it wasn't impossible for a Pokemon to still learn the move.

However, it was by no means easy.

Ash replayed the video of a Venusaur using the move in his Pokedex. The leaves all seemed to congregate at one particular spot, instead of being thrown haphazardly at the opponent's general direction.

"Try to concentrate on one spot." Ash ordered. "Just summon the leaves and fire them at your target."

Petal nodded and looked toward a particular spot, a nearby rock, and concentrated hard, trying to muster the power to form a barrage of leaves. The Gloom stood still for about ten seconds, before he collapsed.

Ash sighed. Guess he couldn't expect to get it right the first time. He'd mainly been focusing on improving Petal's other moves, and an energy-based attack wasn't something Petal was used to. The entire Oddish species as a whole mainly relied on disruption to dispose of their foes.

"Try again," he said. "Don't think about it too hard. It should just come naturally. Just focus."

Petal nodded and tried yet again to focus on his target. However, Petal didn't manage to summon any leaves yet again.

They spent about half an hour trying to get some progress on the move, and Ash was starting to think getting the move mastered by Saffron City might've been a tall order. While it annoyed him that he couldn't make any progress, he didn't get angry. Moves would only get more advanced from here, and being impatient would do him no good, especially when dealing with a Pokemon as sensitive as Petal.

Still, with no luck, Ash recalled Petal back into his PokeBall, thanking him for trying, before continuing his journey.

Several hours later, Ash set up camp not too far from the main path. The Pokemon he'd seen that day weren't too interesting, mainly Pidgey, Rattata, and Meowth, with the occasional Sandshrew or Growlithe.

Soon Ash started a fire with the help of Kit, and put out everyone's food bowls. He was a little worried he would have to eat Cubone's food again, but luckily it seemed comfortable enough to eat without Ash's assistance.

As the sky grew darker, Ash stared into the fire, deep in thought. It had been a while since he'd heard from Nate and Angelina. He knew they were alive and safe, but what had happened since then? Had they caught any new Pokemon? Any new badges? Did they even remember him?

He decided to distract himself and pulled out his Pokedex, starting to pass the time by scrolling through information about his team members. It really helped to know the limitations of what he was working with, and how to take advantage of Ash came to the page with information about Slowpoke and started to read.

He opened up a page of information about Gloom, hoping for at least a morsel of information to help with learning Razor Leaf. The page was complete with pictures of Gloom in the wild, as well as charts and diagrams.

"Gloom can be dangerous foes to go up against, mainly because of the noxious odor coming from their flower, which helps distract their opponents. While a select few people seem to enjoy the smell, some people have reported memory loss after catching a whiff. Not only that, they are adept in subduing and weakening their foes with powder and acidic attacks, choosing to focus more on disruption than offense."

Ash frowned. "Thanks, Pokedex. You're real supportive." he thought to himself. How was he going to get Petal to learn Razor Leaf now?

Slowpoke's snuffles snapped him out of his thoughts, and he saw the Dopey Pokemon sniffing his hand, probably for more food. He reached into his bag and poured some more Pokechow into his bowl, and Slowpoke sat there, contently eating it. He didn't want to make Slowpoke more fat and lazy than he already was, but he deserved some sort of reward for battling hard at Pokemon Tower. He'd been a real trooper that day.

The Dopey Pokemon had yet to master Psychic, and had made decent headway with the technique. For a team member who had been with them for almost a month, it was pretty strong in battle.

He then opened up a page of information regarding the Slowpoke species, and read to himself.

"Slowpoke are dopey and lazy Pokemon…" He rolled his eyes and smiled in thought. As if he didn't know that already. "...often found at the edge of a body of water, using their tail as a lure to attract fish Pokemon. They are popular around coastal towns, since they require little to no maintenance. Shellder are often attracted to Slowpoke, and will take any chance they get to latch onto a Slowpoke's tail, evolving it into a Slowbro and giving it a lifetime food source.

"Scientists have also discovered a second evolution of Slowpoke, in which a Slowpoke that wears a King's Rock, a special stone said to be the sign of a great leader, will evolve if a Shellder makes contact with the King's Rock on its head. The resulting evolution gives the Slowpoke intelligence surpassing most humans, unlike Slowbro. This new evolution is called Slowking."

"A King's Rock…?" Ash muttered to himself. He'd have to ask Professor Oak about it when he reached Saffron City. He couldn't deny that added intelligence sounded nice. It would be easier for Slowpoke to process complex commands with that kind of power.

He glanced at Slowpoke, who had finished his food and was out cold, sleeping in the grass. He hadn't even thought about evolving it, since it was still relatively new compared to his other team members.

He brushed the thoughts out of his head. By now everyone was starting to settle down. Petal had already fallen asleep next to him, drool pooling by his mouth. Dexter settled down next to its Trainer, settling down on the ground and closing its eyes. Kit settled down next to Ash as well, providing him heat to keep him warm during the cold nights.

That just left Cubone, who laid by Ash's side and closed its eyes. The boy smiled, before closing his eyes too and drifting off.

Ash looked in awe at Saffron City from a distance, unable to look away from the tall buildings and bright lights. Just gazing at it gave him energy. It was starting to get dark, and Ash was exhausted, but he continued onward, fueled by the prospect of having a proper meal and sleeping in a real bed.

Fifteen minutes later, Ash found himself walking through the streets of Saffron. It couldn't hurt to spend some time looking at the scenery, right? Kit, who walked beside him, looked especially intrigued.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Mom said I could have it! Besides, you already had one!"

"But it's mine! Give it to me!"

Ash turned to see two kids bickering with each other, a girl and her younger brother. The girl was holding a rice ball in her hand, and thanks to her height, she was able to keep the boy from plucking it out of her hands.

"Sweetie, you've had enough rice balls." the mother, who came up from behind them, said softly. "Let your sister have one."

The little boy pouted, and the girl stuffed the rice ball in her mouth, but not before blowing a raspberry at her little brother. Ash chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time he had to share something. The perks of being an only child, he supposed. Apart from having to share things with Gary when they were younger, he never had anyone to share things with. Which was fine with him, since it meant he could enjoy more of his mom's great cooking without having to give up his precious food.

As he looked around for any sign of the Pokemon Center, he couldn't help but notice how different it was compared to Pallet Town. His hometown only had a few shops, which mainly sold produce and supplies. As he gazed upon the many stores Saffron had to offer, he noticed how outclassed Pallet Town was. Boutiques, spas (for humans and Pokemon), restaurants, and antique shops were just a few of the places he observed.

Another thing he noticed was the fact that there were hundreds of people walking down the street, each person vastly different from the next. This was the same with their Pokemon, and Ash could identify a few Pokemon he'd never seen in his life, such as a large purple blob with squiggly whisker-like protrusions on its face.

However, a large building caught his eye, and he moved closer to get a better look. It was a wide, circular building with a dome-like roof, which stood out among the skyscrapers of the city. Shrubbery was laid out in front of the building, and a sign read "Saffron Gym" on the front. Ash walked toward, anticipation running through his blood. He wanted to get a reservation as soon as possible.

As he walked in he noticed a small reception area, as well as a long hall with multiple rooms leading into it. He walked toward the receptionist, who looked quite gloomy.

"Could I reserve a battle with Sabrina in five days?" he asked the receptionist. He almost missed a slight nod from her, as she extended her hand. He placed his Pokedex into the palm of her hand and waited. The atmosphere of the gym was making him a little uncomfortable. It was like tiny fingers were prodding at his brain every second.

"How many Pokemon am I allowed to use? I have four badges." Ash asked the receptionist. She simply raised three fingers and handed his Pokedex back to him, and turned her attention elsewhere.

Usually the amount of Pokemon differed depending on the amount of Gym badges a challenger had. While Trainers getting their first Gym badge didn't have restrictions on the amount of Pokemon they could use, anything after one badge had at least some sort of restriction. He could see why Nate had caught three Pokemon to take advantage of this.

He spun on his heel and left, anxious to get out there as soon as possible. It became more uncomfortable the longer he was there.

He finally made it to the Pokemon Center, and wiped the sweat off his brow. Unlike Lavender Town, the Pokemon Center seemed to be much more populated, with Trainers of all kinds.

After reserving a room, Ash went out to the training area behind the Pokemon Center. It was expansive, just like in Vermillion. He was able to find an empty spot and let all of his team members out their PokeBalls.

"Alright, everyone." he announced, getting their attention. "We're going to be facing off against a Gym Leader soon. I've been told it's a three-on-three battle, so I'll be picking three of you to battle with me. Our gym battle's not for a few days, so I want all of you to work extra hard, even if you're not chosen."

Everyone looked intently at Ash, silently hoping to be chosen. They hadn't had a Gym battle for several weeks, not since the battle with Blaine. Cubone didn't even know what his Trainer was talking about, but seeing as it got everyone so excited, it must be important.

Ash had already picked out which team members to use against Sabrina. While he didn't exactly know which Pokemon the Gym Leader possessed, he knew that they were most likely ranged attackers, so Dexter was an obvious choice, since it possessed powerful ranged attacks of its own.

Kit was also an obvious choice. Her speed was unmatched by anyone else on his team, and would be really useful against some of the more dangerous attacks, like Psybeam and Confuse Ray.

He put some more thought into his final team member however. Petal was a no-go, unfortunately. While his spores could easily turn the tides of battle if used correctly, they could easily be dodged or teleported away from before they made contact with an opponent. Having a type disadvantage didn't exactly help either.

So that just left Slowpoke and Cubone. While he was confident Cubone was a good battler, he didn't want to throw a Pokemon who was pretty much a toddler into a high stakes battle such as this. Slowpoke was much more adept with its techniques and battling under pressure, although that was mostly because of how dull it was.

"My choice will be Slowpoke, Dexter, and Kit." he finally announced. Kit and Dexter brightened after hearing this, happy to be participating in yet another battle. Cubone was also happy, although he was unsure of what to make of the situation.

Petal looked downcast, unhappy that it had been excluded from a Gym battle yet again. Winning a Gym battle for his Trainer made him feel so alive. He'd been curb stomped by Lieutenant Surge, sure, but he wasn't useless!

Right?

Ash noticed the Gloom's sadness and knelt down to its level. "Petal, I'm sorry I haven't been including you much in past battles. You're just not ready to face these kinds of opponents yet."

The Gloom still didn't look convinced.

"Tell you what." Ash continued. "I promise, no matter what, I will include you in the next Gym battle. You just need some time to get stronger. Do we have a deal?"

Petal immediately brightened at this and nodded. Better late than never!

Ash grinned and stood up. "Alright everyone. Let's get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us, so I want everyone to be energized."

Cries of delight and affirmation followed, and Ash pumped his fist in the air. He'd win his fifth Gym badge. He just knew it.

"Ah, Ash!" the wizened voice of Professor Oak spoke. "I was wondering when the next time you'd call would be. I see you've caught a Cubone, quite a rare find indeed, my boy!"

Ash nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Professor Oak," he replied. "We've been working really hard lately." He didn't want to let anything slip out about what happened in Lavender Town. While he really did like Professor Oak, he couldn't trust that he wouldn't tell his mother. So he was simply vague about what happened.

"How are you holding up, Ash?" the Professor asked, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Eating correctly, I'd hope. You don't have any major injuries from the S.S. Anne, right?"

The boy frowned. He'd forgotten about the S.S. Anne entirely, ever since his self-imposed mission in Pokemon Tower took place. It had always been in the back of his mind, even if he didn't want it there. He didn't want to remember the screams of the passengers, the panic on Nate and Angelina's faces, the terror he and his Pokemon felt, the-

"Ash? Are you there, Ash?" the Professor asked, snapping him out of his daze. "I hope my screen hasn't frozen."

"I-I'm here Professor." Ash said sheepishly. "Sorry, I got a little distracted. I'm fine though." The Professor didn't seem too convinced, but luckily for him, he didn't pry.

"Now, may I ask why you're calling?" Oak questioned him.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what a King's Rock is." Ash told him. "I saw it in my Pokedex, and it said something about how it can evolve my Slowpoke into something besides a Slowbro."

"Ah, thinking of evolving your Slowpoke?" the Professor asked. He nodded, and the older man continued. "Well, to answer your question, a King's Rock is usually found hidden underwater, sometimes around streams or lakes, but mostly deep in the ocean. Scientists aren't aware of what caused it to be so similar to a crown, or what it's even made out of, but it seems to have connections to the Poliwag line, as well as the Slowpoke line. People have found some Poliwhirl or Slowpoke carrying one, but it needs some sort of trigger to activate. Something like-"

"Another Pokemon?" Ash finished. Oak brightened.

"Exactly!" he responded. "In your case, you need a Shellder, which can usually be found around lakes and coastal areas. If it clamps down on the King's Rock while it's on Slowpoke's head, your Slowpoke will use the resulting energy to evolve into a much more intelligent evolution than Slowbro. A Slowking!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Does anything happen to the Shellder?"

The Professor shook its head. "It merely mutates and turns into a vessel for Slowking to focus its psychic energy into, giving it energy and stimulating Slowking's brain. It's your choice as to which evolution you want to choose."

Ash nodded and thought deeply. He had a lot to think about over the coming weeks. He knew there was no rush to evolve Slowpoke, it was still plenty strong without it, but it was always useful to decide instead of letting fate choose.

"Thanks, Professor." Ash said. "If you don't mind me asking, where's Gary?" He hoped he could get some info on his rivals' whereabouts.

"He just called me yesterday and said he was leaving Celadon City. He has five badges." the Professor responded. "You're in Saffron City, correct? Celadon should be a few days from there."

Ash nodded and thanked the Professor, before ending the call and letting the next person in line use the videophone. If he was to catch up with Gary, he needed to train hard and get closer to reaching the Indigo League. And that started with training for his battle against Sabrina.

"Both of you, I want ten laps around this entire battlefield."

Kit and Cubone nodded, and the Flareon sped off, eager to get some exercise, while Cubone stumbled after her with his little legs. Ash then turned to Petal, who was across from Dexter.

"Petal, I want you to hit Dexter as hard as you can. Give it your best Acid!" Ash encouraged it. He wanted Dexter to try using Recover during moments it was under pressure.

However, Petal didn't look too pleased at the prospect of attacking one of his teammates at full force, and stepped back.

"Don't worry," he said to the Gloom. "We're right next to the Pokemon Center. If anything goes wrong, Nurse Joy can help Dexter."

Petal seemed more comfortable after that and turned to face Dexter once more. He spat a large glob of poisonous goo at Dexter. The attack hit its mark, causing searing burns on Dexter's body, the Gloom backing away as he saw his teammate close its eyes in pain.

"Dexter, use Recover." Ash ordered. The Porygon2's body started to shine, and almost instantaneously, the pain was relieved from its body, and the burn marks healed. Ash noticed the technique was still a little unrefined, the light in Dexter's body flickering as it healed, but other than that, he was satisfied. Another day and Dexter would be able to shrug off injuries that would normally cost it the match.

"Great job, both of you." he congratulated his first two partners. "I know that was hard for both of you to go through, but don't worry, this will be the last time you'll have to do this. Since you guys have been working so hard, I got you all some Poffins. Dexter, I would've gotten you one, but, well… you can't eat. I'll make it up to you somehow though!"

The Virtual Pokemon nodded, completely understanding its Trainer's predicament. Kit bounded over to her Trainer and snatched the Poffin clean out his hand with her mouth, and Cubone stumbled toward his Trainer, exhausted from doing laps. Both him and Petal took their Poffins, which just left Slowpoke, who was snoozing in the corner.

Ash shook Slowpoke, trying to get it to wake up and eat the Poffin. However, Slowpoke wouldn't budge, so Ash just decided to place the Poffin in front of its face. A second later, it was engulfed into the Dopey Pokemon's mouth, yet the Water/Psychic still remained asleep as it chewed. Ash had heard of sleepwalking, but sleep eating was a whole new level of weird.

He turned around and saw Cubone and Kit fighting over a poffin. Cubone had finished his already and was trying to grab the Flareon's poffin out of her mouth. Kit growled, although didn't gather fire in her mouth, for fear of turning her hard earned treat into ashes.

"Hey!" Ash snapped, getting their attention. "Cubone, let go of your older sister's poffin. You already had yours." The Ground-type whined, but released the treat from his grip. Kit downed it in one gulp, before blowing a raspberry at the Lonely Pokemon.

Ash chuckled at the human-like gesture, briefly remembering the two siblings fighting over the rice ball. He ruffled Kit's fur before cupping his hands over his mouth.

"Alright everyone! Let's take a five-minute break and get back to training!"

They trained all day, and Ash switched between all five of his Pokemon, giving input as they perfected the techniques they'd need to learn. Sometimes they worked on basic exercises, such as speed, endurance, and aim for his ranged attackers. Other times, they worked on learning new moves, to get as much of an edge as they could against Sabrina.

"Great job, Kit! Try spreading out the Smog as much as possible. We want to obscure as much of the battlefield as we can."

"Petal, just concentrate. It's frustrating now, but I guarantee you'll be able to learn Razor Leaf eventually. Let's try again."

"Slowpoke, focus. You need to be perfectly calm and collected if you want to get a read on your opponent's mind."

After hours and hours of training, Ash walked back into the Pokemon Center, wiping sweat from his brow. He handed over his PokeBalls to Nurse Joy and sat in the waiting area quietly.

Suddenly there was a commotion by the entrance, and turned to see a blue-haired kid, who looked to be a few years older than him push past some Trainers, along with three other boys who seemed to be flanking him. Some other Trainers started to glare at him and his entourage, but didn't confront him.

"Out of the way, losers!" one of the boys next to him snarled. "Damian needs to heal his Pokemon!" the other yelled. The blue-haired boy handed his PokeBalls to Nurse Joy, not even bothering to look at her as though she was some kind of servant. She sighed, but took them anyway.

He took a closer look at the boy, who seemed to be the leader of the group. He had black sunglasses on his head, and wore a brown vest and a pink dress shirt, as well as black jeans. Damian pointed to one of the Trainers waiting in the lobby, a chubby girl holding a Metapod in her arms, and said something to the other boys, who all started laughing loudly.

He wrinkled his nose. Just who did the kid think he was? However, he held his tongue. He didn't want to start a scene, especially not with someone who just wasn't worth his time. Ash took a deep breath and kept waiting. A few minutes later, a bell chimed.

"Ash Ketchum, your Pokemon are fully healed!" Nurse Joy said in a cheery voice. As he was walking up to the counter, the three boys snickered.

"Ash Ketchum?" the blue-haired boy, Damian, laughed. He seemed to have some sort of accent, probably from one of the islands surrounding the Kanto region. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Heh. The kid only has five Pokemon." one of the other boys said, eyeing the tray holding his PokeBalls. He had brownish hair and wore a white headband, and mirrored the smirk Damian had on his face. "What a joke."

Ash whipped around to face them. He wasn't about to let them insult his name and his Pokemon. "Shut up." he seethed. "I'd easily beat you guys in a battle."

Damian then stepped forward. "Oh really, pipsqueak?" he said, chuckling. "I doubt you even have a single badge!"

"For your information, I have four badges." Ash said. "And I challenge you to a battle. One-on-one. In ten minutes. Outside the Pokemon Center."

For a moment, there was silence, and some nearby Trainers started to gaze at the group of boys, interested in how this would turn out. Then Damian and his cronies burst out laughing, the sound of their chuckling filling the hallway. Once he stopped laughing, Damian turned toward Ash.

"Fine, you little squirt. I'll battle you." he said, jutting a thumb toward his chest. "But don't come crying back to your mommy once you lose. Cause I'll be the one to beat you into the ground."

Ash's eyes narrowed. "We'll see."

A small crowd had gathered where the two boys were battling, and Ash glared at Damian, who returned it with one equally as intense. The spectators started to murmur to each other, anxious to see what would happen.

"You think that Ash kid's gonna win?"

"Nah, Damian's really strong. That kid doesn't stand a chance."

"I heard from one of his buddies that some other kid took his Charmander."

Ash ignored their side conversation and watched as one of Damian's cronies pushed their way to the front of the crowd. "This battle will be a one-on-one match. It'll end when one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. A coin flip will decide who sends out their Pokemon first."

"I pick tails!" Damian said with a smirk. Ash rolled his eyes. Heads it was then.

The boy took a coin out of his pocket, and flipped it. It spun in the air, before landing on the ground. A picture depicted Arceus faced up, and Ash grinned. Damian released what had happened and his eyes widened.

"W-wait! I pick heads! Redo!" he stammered out. Ash frowned, and the other bystanders started to boo and jeer at Damian.

"You can't change it!"

"What kind of Trainer are you!?"

The blue-haired boy scowled, and returned to his side of the field, his face red from anger. He unlatched a PokeBall from his belt. "Fine! I can still beat you into the ground!" he growled. "Electabuzz, show this loser some real power!"

A vaguely humanoid yellow Pokemon with short antennae, fangs, and black stripes lining its body appeared on the battlefield, whirring angrily and pounding its fists together. Sparks danced off its fur from its movements, and people started to murmur. Electabuzz were pretty rare, only appearing in areas with a lot of electricity, such as strong thunderstorms or power plants. Damian was probably pretty rich if he was able to get his hands on one, or just really lucky.

Ash's hands reached for the PokeBalls on his belt, feeling each of them. Damian's Electabuzz looked powerful, and while he had confidence that his Pokemon could handle it well, there was one specific Pokemon he wanted to use to test its limits.

Cubone touched down on the ground, brandishing its bone club. As soon as Damian laid eyes on it, he and his entourage started to guffaw.

"Hah! You think you can beat me with a wimpy little baby like that!?" he laughed. "This'll be even easier than I thought! Electabuzz, Mega Punch!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Dodge!"

The Electric-type whirred, its fist glowing, before swinging it toward Cubone. The Ground-type jumped out of the way, causing the fist to smash into the ground, sending dirt and chunks of rock flying.

"Headbutt!" Ash called. Cubone cried, before slamming its head into the Electabuzz's stomach, sending it reeling back. It whirred angrily, and Damian growled.

"Screech!" he ordered. The Electric Pokemon let out a horrible shriek, causing Cubone to shut its eyes in pain and the audience to plug their ears.

"Now! Ice Punch!" Electabuzz coated its fist in ice, before punching Cubone in the jaw, causing it to cry out in pain. Ash gritted its teeth. This was its first high stakes battle and it was already going badly. It didn't have the experience his other Pokemon had, nor did it know how to battle without the protection of its mother.

"Hang in there, Cubone! Use Bone Club!" Ash commanded. Cubone whacked its opponent across the face with its club, momentarily stunning the Electabuzz, before it slammed it into its gut, causing it to stagger back.

"Keep up the pressure! Headbutt!" Ash shouted.

"Ice Punch! Take it down!" Damian growled.

Electabuzz whirred furiously, smashing its fist into the bottom of Cubone's jaw, sending it flying back to Ash. It landed painfully with a thump, struggling to get up. Ash felt a pang of fear in his chest. Would he lose?

"Finish it with Swift!" Damian yelled. Electabuzz stuck out its hands, star-like projectiles shooting out of them. Ash's eyes widened, and he blurted out a command.

"Protect!"

The stars dissipated as soon as they came in contact with Cubone's barrier, preventing it from receiving a hit that could've possibly ended the battle. Damian looked annoyed that the battle hadn't ended yet, allowing Ash to issue another order.

"Bonemerang!" he shouted. Cubone reared back its arm and threw its bone club. It spun through the air, narrowly missing Electabuzz's head.

"Hah! You missed!" Damian taunted. "Now Electabuzz, Ice Pu-"

*SLAM*

The bone club circled back, clocking Electabuzz on the back of its head and causing it to whirr furiously in pain. Cubone's bone landed in its hand, and it brandished it, showing it was still able to fight.

Damian growled. "ENOUGH! Electabuzz, Swift!" he shouted. Stars flew out Electabuzz's hands, prompting Ash to order Cubone to use another Protect. The move prevented any of the stars from hitting, but as the smoke cleared, Ash's eyes widened. His opponent's Pokemon had leapt toward Cubone, and Damian smirked.

"Ice Punch!" he shouted. Electabuzz reared back its fist, slamming it into Cubone's gut. Ash noticed its grin get wider as it did this, probably revenge for what Cubone had done. The

Lonely Pokemon howled in pain, and was sent tumbling back to his Trainer, his movements kicking dust.

"Cubone!" Ash cried, holding his head in his hands. Damian merely laughed.

"Just as I planned!" he jeered. "That was too easy! Challenge me again once you get some real skill!"

Suddenly, a shirek pierced through the air, and Cubone rushed out of the dust cloud with breakneck speed, a red aura surrounding its entire body. It jumped and slammed its bone club into Electabuzz's jaw, causing it to almost roar in agony. Ash's eyes widened, and his smile got wider.

"Oh come on! Won't you just stay down!?" Damian seethed. "Ice Punch! Make sure it doesn't get up!" Electabuzz whirred once more, striking Cubone with its frozen fist. However, this only made Cubone angrier, and it got up almost instantly, whacking Electabuzz consecutively with its club.

Ash took out his Pokedex and scanned the move Cubone was using. The red aura was unfamiliar to him, unlike any moves that Dexter or Slowpoke knew.

"Rage." the Pokedex spoke. "The user, empowered by feelings of great anger, attacks its target. Every hit it takes only makes it stronger and more enraged. This move tends to leave the user exhausted however."

Ash merely watched in awe as Cubone proceeded to bludgeon Electabuzz multiple times, each strike hitting harder and harder. One more powerful slam to the face, and Electabuzz soared through the air, crashing into the hard ground with swirls in its eyes.

For a moment, there was silence, the only sound being Cubone's heavy breathing. It had sustained many injuries throughout the fight, and it was a miracle it was even standing after the toll Rage had taken on its body.

Then the crowd erupted into wild cheers, and Damian dropped to his knees, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The referee didn't even bother to announce the result, instead fleeing the scene to save himself the embarrassment. The result was obvious.

Cubone had won his first battle.

He returned it to his PokeBall and held it in front of his face. "Thanks a lot, Cubone," he said. "You did amazing. Take a nice rest." He attached it to his belt and left the field with a smile on his face.

Just a couple of days later, he found himself standing in front of the Saffron Gym once again. Its very presence intimidated him, but Ash took a deep breath and stepped inside.

He walked into the Gym, and saw that the lobby was relatively unoccupied, save for a few Trainers. Ash went to the receptionist's desk and cleared his throat. The lady running the counter looked up, her glasses sliding down her nose.

"Hi." he said with a wave. "I reserved a Gym battle a few days ago." The receptionist nodded, clicking on her computer before pointing a finger down a long hallway. Ash shrugged, thanking the woman, before strolling aimlessly in that direction.

Finally he reached a set of double doors, and pushed them open, revealing a large battlefield. Large stone columns with torches attached to them surrounded the battlefield. On the other side stood a tall woman with long green hair. Her expression was blank, but she seemed to acknowledge Ash's presence.

"Excuse me?" Ash spoke. "I'm here to challenge you for the Marsh Badge. I'm-"

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. 4''6. You've been on your journey for more than four months and have acquired four badges." she spoke. Ash stepped back, feeling a mixture of awe and horror strike him.

"Y-yeah. That's right." Ash said, much softer this time. "I challenge you to a battle. You're Sabrina, right?"

"Yes." she said with a nod. "I foresaw your arrival days before you set foot into Saffron City. This will be a three-on-three battle. Substitutions are only allowed on the challenger's side. The battle will end once one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. Are you ready?"

Ash nodded, and a PokeBall floated from behind Sabrina and opened by itself, revealing a Mr. Mime. It bounced around happily, waving its hands around haphazardly.

He'd been around Mimey enough to know that their battle style relied on fast, disorienting attacks as well as blocking most hits with psychic barriers. They were tricky opponents that were frustrating to beat.

Dexter would probably be his best bet.

The Porygon2 floated in front of Ash, sizing up its opponent and looking for any sort of weak spot. A referee and his Drowzee took their place by the battlefield, and the yellow Psychic-type waved its hands around, creating a psychic barrier to protect each Trainer from stray attacks. Ash gulped. It was clear things were going to get nasty.

"The battle between Gym Leader Sabrina and Ash Ketchum will now commence." the referee announced. Both Trainers turned their attention to the battlefield, looking for any way to end the battle in a decisive win.

"Begin!"

"Dexter, start things off with Conversion!" Ash called. Dexter nodded, its body glowing yellow and sparkling as it changed into the Electric typing. Mr. Mime however, immediately took its chance to attack, and launched a powerful Psybeam, blowing Dexter back.

Ugh. Of course. Sabrina was a psychic. She could give commands to her Pokemon without saying them out loud. This made things complicated.

"Thunderbolt!" he ordered. A powerful lance of electricity was blasted toward Mr. Mime, who simply erected a Light Screen to block it easily. Ash gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Thunderbolt once more!"

This time, Mr. Mime blocked the attack with one hand, before waving around its other one to produce another Psybeam that struck Dexter dead-on. It warbled in discomfort, moving back to its original position, and Ash knew he had to change battle tactics.

"Rapid Fire!" he shouted. Barrages of elemental attacks battered the Mr. Mime, leaving it unable to produce a shield to block the onslaught of projectiles. When Dexter was done with its assault however, the Barrier Pokemon immediately rushed toward it, forming a large blue orb in its hands. It leapt into the air, sending the Focus Blast careening down toward Dexter. Ash's eyes widened.

"Protect!" he yelled. The Porygon2 manifested the shield just in time to block the attack. It exploded when it made contact with the barrier, kicking up dust as a result. He gritted his teeth. This wasn't working.

"Dexter, return!" he called to it, holding out its PokeBall. It was sent back into the spherical device in a flash of blue light, and Ash unlatched another PokeBall from his belt. He really hoped this would work. Sabrina and Mr. Mime looked toward Ash patiently,

"Slowpoke, it's your turn!" he called. The Dopey Pokemon appeared on the battlefield, blinking a few times and yawning, seemingly uninterested in what was happening.

"Start this off with Curse!" he shouted. Purple energy rippled through its body, and Slowpoke closed its eyes, concentrating its power.

Mr. Mime suddenly shot a blackish, concentrated orb of energy toward Slowpoke, exploding in its face. It grunted, but still held strong, finishing its Curse to soften the blow. Ash raised an eyebrow, taking out his Pokedex to scan the move his opponent had used.

"Hidden Power." the Pokedex droned. "A move that varies in type and power depending on the Pokemon. Not much is known about the move, other than its connection with the rare and mysterious Pokemon, Unown."

Ash squinted. Hidden Power seemed pretty mysterious, seeing as it could change in type and power because of elements outside of the Trainer's control. It seemed as though Sabrina's Mr. Mime possessed a Dark-type version of the move.

"Slowpoke, use Surf!" he called. A titanic wave rose up from behind Slowpoke, crashing into Mr. Mime as its eyes widened. Its body was slammed into the psychic barriers, and it almost faltered when standing up. It's eyes narrowed, and it waved its hands around.

"Protect!" Ash shouted, anticipating an attack. Slowpoke braced itself, putting up a barrier to prevent any harm done to it. However, Mr. Mime didn't go for an attack, instead closing its eyes and using Calm Mind, its body radiating with gleaming white energy.

"Now. Shadow Ball." Sabrina ordered, her first words uttered since their battle started. An orb of ghostly energy was immediately formed in Mr. Mime's hands, and was launched toward Slowpoke, who was pushed back by the resulting blast.

"Surf!" Ash commanded. Another wave crept its way closer to the Barrier Pokemon. Its eyes flashed a faint pink, and with one hand it brought up a Protect to shield itself.

Ash huffed. "Confusion!" he called. Mr. Mime was suddenly lifted into the air, its arms flailing around, before it was slammed into the psychic barriers hard. The boy pumped a fist upward, hoping the Barrier Pokemon was finally taken down.

However, once it was dropped, it slowly got up, a Reflect in one hand that it had used to block the worst of the blow. Ash groaned out loud, but then realized something. Why did Mr. Mime's eyes flash earlier?

His eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock as the Future Sight appeared instantly before his eyes, striking Slowpoke with explosive force before he had time to shout a command. When the dust cleared, the lovable Dopey Pokemon was unconscious.

"Slowpoke is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Mr. Mime is the winner! Challenger, please send out your next Pokemon."

Ash sighed, withdrawing his fallen friend and reaching for Dexter's PokeBall once again. The Virtual Pokemon popped out, and the boy could see the obvious bruises it had sustained during the fight. While he wanted to use Kit, he needed to save her for last. Gym Leaders usually sent out their strongest Pokemon last, and if it was any more powerful than Sabrina's Mr. Mime, Ash knew he had to be careful

"Recover!" he yelled, hoping to help keep Dexter in battle. The Normal-type's body shone, some of the marks on its body starting to heal and fade. However, he could see Sabrina taking the opportunity to order yet another Calm Mind, and he tightened his fists.

"Thunderbolt!" he ordered. The lance of electricity shocked Mr. Mime, and while it didn't take too much damage thanks to Calm Mind, increasing its tolerance for special attacks, Ash noticed shocks running down the Barrier Pokemon's body as it winced in pain. Ash grinned. It was paralyzed. He silently thanked Arceus for the stroke of luck.

However, he couldn't relish in relief for too much longer, as Mr. Mime lifted its hand to blast yet another Psybeam towards his starter. The blast sent it reeling, and Mr. Mime prepared another Focus Blast to send its way.

"Protect!" Ash called. The blue orb of energy exploded as it made contact with the shield, and the Barrier Pokemon narrowed its eyes, waving its hands. Dexter was surrounded by a pink glow, and it winced. Ash gritted his teeth. Disable. He clearly remembered when Angelina had cleanly taken Petal out of their battle aboard the S.S. Anne with her Jigglypuff.

Suddenly another Focus Blast slammed into Dexter's side, sending it flying into the psychic barriers. It hit them with a bang, and it closed one of its eyes, trying to brave through the pain. Ash looked on helplessly. He had to end this quickly.

"Hyper Beam!" he shouted. A bright orange orb started to grow in size on the Porygon2's beak, as it charged up its most powerful attack. Mr. Mime could only watch as the orb grew bigger and bigger, and it raised its hands, preparing to block it with its barriers.

But as the attack was launched, Mr. Mime faltered. Sparks danced off its body and it winced in pain, before the attack slammed into the Barrier Pokemon, battering it and sending it flying into the psychic barriers. Once the onslaught was over, Dexter collapsed, along with Mr. Mime, both too exhausted to keep battling.

"Mr. Mime and the challenger's Pokemon are both unable to battle! The battle has ended in a tie!" the referee called out. "Trainers, send out your next Pokemon."

Ash recalled Dexter, thanking it for its hard work. While it couldn't stay in battle for long, taking out one of Sabrina's Pokemon was good enough. He just had to hope Kit could pull through and win.

Another PokeBall opened up, and out came a lanky yellow creature, holding two spoons in its hands. It looked vaguely humanoid, with a long mustache on its face. Ash took out his Pokedex again to scan it.

"Alakazam. The Psi Pokemon, and the final stage of Abra's evolution line." the Pokedex droned. "It wields potent psychic powers that it uses to make the spoons it holds. These enhance its power, and it is said that anything you eat with one of them will be delicious. Alakazam won't let another living soul near its spoons unless it deeply trusts them."

"Potent psychic powers.". Yikes. This would be tough. He watched as it levitated slightly off the ground, twirling its spoons in the air.

He pressed the release button on Kit's PokeBall, allowing the Flareon to come out. Flames gathered in her maw as it stared down her opponent. She grinned. A challenge. "Fire a weak Ember." Ash said, loud enough for only Kit to hear. Her sensitive ears picked up on the command, and Ash continued. "When Alakazam dodges, go in for a Quick Attack."

Kit nodded, shooting a barrage of fire balls toward Alakazam. As expected, the psychic-type teleported ten feet to the left, and was immediately slammed into by Kit's Quick Attack.

"Keep up the pressure!" Ash called. "Use Iron Tail!"

Kit jumped in the air and encased her tail in steel, getting ready to slam her opponent with as much force as possible. Just then, Alakazam let loose a powerful Shock Wave, electrocuted Kit. It cried out in pain before falling to the ground with a thump. It got up, although Ash could see scorch marks all over her fur.

Of course. Steel conducts electricity. That's why the Shock Wave had hurt so much when Kit was in the process of using Iron Tail. He needed to tread carefully. There was no telling what other tricks Sabrina had up her sleeve.

"Smog!" he shouted. Kit covered the battlefield in a thick, poisonous gas, obscuring the vision of both Trainers. Ash grinned. This should give him the cover to use Iron Tail now.

"Quick Tail!" he commanded. He couldn't see what was happening, so he hoped Kit had been able to process the command. He then heard a loud explosion rock through the battlefield, and Kit's body flew out of the gas cloud, bruised and battered. She slammed into the psychic barriers and slumped onto the floor.

"KIT!" he shouted. As the gas cleared, he could see Sabrina's Alakazam, unharmed, its spoons glowing pink. His Flareon got up once again, although much slower this time, closing one eye in order to brave through the pain.

"H-how did you hit her?" Ash asked Sabrina. "I used Smog specifically to-"

"Alakazam can easily lock onto your Flareon's mind and pinpoint her exact location." Sabrina responded. "A very useful tactic in dispatching opponents who use stealth. Not much can escape the watchful eyes of Psychic-types."

Ash nodded. Double Team and Smog wouldn't work. He needed to go on an all-out offensive if he wanted to win.

"Close the distance with Quick Attack, then use Bite." Ash called. Kit zipped forward, instantly going from a hundred feet away to just ten. She leapt into the air, sinking her fangs into Alakazam's arm. Its eyes widened as her jaws clamped around its arm, and it used one of its arms to throw her off using psychic power.

"Keep going! Use Swift!" Ash shouted. Star-like projectiles zoomed toward Kit's opponent, spinning through the air. Alakazam raised an arm, choosing to use the one not damaged by Kit's teeth. The stars immediately reversed their course, slamming into Kit and causing an explosion.

Ash's eyes widened as Kit was thrown back into the psychic barriers hard. She slumped once more, and yet, there was still a fire in her eyes that couldn't be put out. The Flareon slowly stood up, unwilling to be outdone.

A small grin crept its way onto the boy's face. She was a real fighter. "Kit, use-"

"I would advise against that, Ash Ketchum." Sabrina suddenly spoke. "Your Flareon has taken quite a beating over the last several minutes. Any attempt at continuing the battle will end in failure. It doesn't take a psychic to know that."

Ash was about to retort, but looked at Kit. Her breathing was heavy and ragged, and he could see bruises and scorch marks lining her body. They'd trained for hours and hours, day after day, preparing for this fight. Ash wanted to get as strong as possible, to make sure nothing, not even Team Rocket, could take his team down. And yet… was it really right to make Kit battle more?

"Kit, you've done a great job. But Sabrina's right. We… we lost." Ash said to her. "Return." He held out her PokeBall, sucking her into the capsule in a flash of white light. They had lost. The word was bitter and depressing to him. All that hard work they'd put in to learn new moves, and yet…

Victory couldn't be achieved.

He didn't even notice Sabrina walked toward him, returning her Alakazam instantly. "Tell me, Ash Ketchum." she said. "Do you know why you lost?"

"It's because I wasn't strong enough." Ash said bluntly. Sabrina merely shook her head, her face expressionless.

"You are plenty strong." she responded, a hint of amusement in her voice. "But you fail to understand the capabilities of the Psychic type. You must learn not only their strengths, but their weaknesses. All Gym Leaders must learn this if they are to succeed at a disadvantage."

"But how?" Ash asked, lifting his head. "It seemed as though everything I tried failed against your Pokemon! It took two of my strongest to take down your Mr. Mime!"

"You'll never know until you try, Ash Ketchum." she replied. "Everything has its weakness. You have a Psychic-type yourself, do you not? I'd suggest starting there."

Ash didn't respond, pondering the Gym Leader's words. He'd always run headfirst into a battle, using many different combos of moves and type advantages to win the match. But was that really how he was supposed to battle? He didn't have a type advantage against Surge, and he barely managed to scrape by. As frustrating as it was to lose, she did have a point.

"You're right." Ash finally said. "Me and my team will be back, and better than ever. And I'll finally get my hands on the Marsh Badge."

Although the Gym Leader's face remained mostly expressionless, the boy could see the corners of her mouth slightly turning upwards. "I shall be waiting for your return. Until then, I wish you the best of luck."

Ash gave her a short nod, before turning on his heel and walking out of the chamber. He had a lot to think about. It would be a while before he'd challenge the Saffron Gym again. But Ash had a feeling he and his team would make it.

Nothing would stop him.

And Chapter 13 is done! Man, it feels so good to finish this! This marks Ash's first loss to a Gym Leader in the series. Talk about unlucky thirteen, huh?

Thanks for the reviews! School has started, and I'm really not sure how frequently I'm going to update. I've been feeling pretty burned out, and have trouble finding motivation to work on the story at times. It does NOT mean I'm going to abandon it though. Probably just a side effect of quarantine.

I'm going to take some time to re-edit some of the previous chapters, add in more detail, grammar edits, etc. Mostly I'm going to be revamping Nate and Angelina, since they really just seem like generic side characters, so in the coming chapters you'll see elements of them you probably didn't see before. Will probably delay the next chapter, although the next one is going to be pretty short.

By the way, I have a rough idea of Ash's entire journey through Kanto. Hope you guys are excited!

Anyways, thanks so much for the support! Remember to review, any feedback is appreciated.

Reader: Yes, they are! I decided to reference them as a nod to the stories.

RedX3R0: Responded in PMs.

Werewolf36: Yeah I'm mainly focusing on game elements, with a little bit of anime stuff sprinkled in. Stuff like movesets and Pokemon encounters are game elements, whereas interactions and moves themselves are leaning towards how the anime portrays them. They really did Ash dirty in Pokemon Journeys, seeing as how they made him kind of dull. I mean, he's the Alola Champion and doesn't seem to understand basic stuff about Pokemon in the new series.

And as for your guess, you'll just have to wait and see! The encounter should be coming in several chapters though.

Alphabacon34: I'm glad you like the choice! Cubone in my opinion is pretty underrated, especially since it has a cool backstory, unlike most other Pokemon. I was thinking of doing Sandslash also, since it's awesome too, but I ultimately decided on Marowak. It's a really good chance to put in some character development as well.

Pokefan: Thanks for your reviews! Let me address some concerns that you have.

Nurse Joy knows Arceus simply because its name has been passed down in stories of legend. It's pretty much like God in our world.

Satoshi is there mainly for the contrast between my Ash and anime Ash, although he's competent enough to deal with Team Rocket himself and avoid dangerous encounters. I mean, you would think parents would give kids at least a morsel of information on how to deal with criminals. Plus, I like to poke fun at the flaws of anime Ash.

As for your concerns with Pokemon evolving too fast, don't worry. I'm delaying their final evolution anyways. Main reason why I delayed Dexter's evolution until Vermillion is because Porygon is still relatively powerful at that stage.

Guest: Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it.