A/N: To readers, don't hesitate to leave reviews on this fic, as long as they're respectful. And to frequent guest reviewer Debra, the Legendaries will make cameos throughout the fic and will come into play in bigger roles later. So please be patient.
It was mid-morning on Densetsu Isle, and outside of Ash's villa, Alan, Flynn, Megan, Erald, and Leo were waiting for him, Pikachu, and the Landors sisters April and Kensi to come out and meet them. Waiting with them were Alan's Shinx, Leo's Bulbasaur, and Megan's newly acquired Eevee.
"What is taking them so long?," Alan asked impatiently.
"Relax, they should be out soon," Erald assured him.
Today, our heroes are waiting to start a new day of new pre-tournament challenges. Now if only the rest of them would hurry up and get going already…
Finally, the front door opened and Ash, Pikachu, April and Kensi emerged, with Mimey looking on behind them.
"Take care of the place, Mimey, okay?," Ash called to his mother's Pokemon.
"Mr. Mime Mime Mime Mime!," Mimey replied as it closed the door.
"About time, Ketchum," Flynn snarked. "What took you guys so long?"
Ash frowned and glanced at April as he said dully, "Somebody had bed-head trouble again this morning."
"Pi Pika," Pikachu agreed in the same dull tone.
"Well, excuse me for caring about how I look, Ash Ketchum!," April snapped annoyed. "Unlike you."
"Okay, that's enough, guys," Kensi said.
"By the way, um, where's your mom and the Professor?," Megan asked curiously.
"Oh, they headed over to the Pokémon Center to get Fennekin a follow-up checkup," Ash replied.
"That's a good thing," Leo remarked. "Especially considering what it went through."
"Well, I was thinking before we do anything, we take all of our Pokémon to the Center for checkups as well."
"Good idea," Erald said. "We should make sure our Pokémon are all in good health before we start training or do anything else."
"Of course, since they are the key to our success," April added.
"So then, to the Pokémon Center it is!," Ash declared eagerly.
"Pi Pikachu!," Pikachu agreed as he, Ash, and the rest of the trainers and Pokémon started walking to make their way to the center.
But unknown to them, a certain trio of crooks was watching them from behind some bushes again in disguise.
"So da twerps are heading out to the Pokémon Center for a little welfare check on their Pokémon pals," Meowth sneered.
"It is what any decent trainer would do after all," James remarked, before realizing, "Say, when was the last time we had our Pokémon checked out by the infallible Nurse Joy?"
"I'd say… not in a long time!," Jessie said in realization. Just then, Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. exited their Poké Balls.
"Wobb-buffet!," said the former.
"Mime Mime!," added the latter.
"Maybe we should pay a visit ourselves in cognito," Meowth suggested. Jessie and James became elated at the idea.
"Right, our Pokémon's welfare is important to us, I mean, we care our fair foul-fellowed friends too," said the latter.
"And it'll give us a chance to find out what the twerps are up to and plan to snatch Pikachu!," Jessie sneered smugly.
"In all the glory of the Isle Densetsu!," the three ne'er-do-wells cheered.
Cooking Up A Hurricane!: Part 1
Later on, Ash and his friends were at the Pokémon Center as their Pokémon were all being examined by Nurse Joy and Chansey. Ash, Alan, April, Flynn, Megan and Leo sat together waiting patiently for their Pokémon. They noticed Delia and Oak chatting with several other adults, and Delia was holding Fennekin (which had come back from it's checkup with a clean bill of health) in her arms. Elsewhere, they saw Erald and Kensi talking to Raynard and Ellie, who were also in the center.
"So, anyhow, once we get our Pokémon, you guys up for some training?," Ash asked.
"Sure, I'm up for it," Flynn said stoically.
"Um, actually, I was hoping we could take a break from training today," Alan said, confusing Ash and Flynn.
"Yeah, me too," April agreed. Ash and Flynn were even more confused. "I figure we could take this opportunity to participate in one of the Isle events."
"That's a great idea, April," Leo exclaimed.
"But the tournament, we still have to prepare," Ash said, uncertain about that.
"Come on, it's still a little less than three weeks away," Alan reminded the two.
"Even so, we'll be going up against the best of the best, so we need to be ready for anything!," Flynn responded. Megan could only sigh at this.
"And you will be ready, big brother. All of you will," she told him. "But like Mom used to say, you need to stop and smell the roses every once in a while."
Ash thought for a moment before he said, "Maybe they have a point. Maybe one of these events could be fun."
Flynn after some thought, decided, "I guess we could use a break."
Just then, the checkup chime sounded, and the ER doors opened, and Pikachu, Shinx, Bulbasaur, and Eevee ran up to Ash, Alan, Leo, and Megan who picked them all up. They were then followed by Nurse Joy and Chansey, who wheeled out all their Poké Balls on a cart.
"Well, I can say to all of you, that your Pokémon are all in top health," Nurse Joy told the group.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," the group said as Ash, Alan, Flynn, and April collected their Poké Balls. Nurse joy then looked around and noticed…
"Um, if I'm right, there's supposed to be two more of you guys here."
Realizing what she meant, April pointed to where Kensi and Erald were still chatting with Raynard and Ellie and said, "Oh, they're over there."
"Oh thank you. Chansey, would you care to take care of that for me?," Nurse Joy said as she returned to the front desk and Chansey pushed the Poké Ball cart over to Kensi and Erald.
"Anyhow, what events are happening today anyways, April?," Ash asked.
"Um, well Kensi has the schedule of the events. Let me go ask her," April replied. But before she could go over to her sister, she and everyone else heard obnoxious laughing from another area of the Pokémon Center.
The group glanced over and saw a group of members of the Power Players, including the members that they'd battled several days earlier and Fennekin and Eevee's former trainers. Also with them was Seamus and an older man with short, spiky hair, a red shirt with a black stripe wrapped around the middle, red-and-black cargo pants, and black boots.
"The Power Players," Alan gasped, stunned to see them.
"What are they doing here?," Ash asked with slight anger in his voice wondering.
"Pika Pika!," Pikachu wondered.
"And what's Seamus doing with them?," Leo asked with curiousity. "And who's that man?"
"Bulba," Bulbasaur wondered.
They decided to listen in on the conversation as the Power Players continued boasting and talking loudly so much that other.
"I just can't believe we're facing to our primo founder in the flesh right as we speak!," Hatcher said.
"It's a historic day for us Power Players, past, present, and future," Dibson added.
"And it's glad to know how much my old gang has grown over the years," said the man with a smug smile. Ash, his friends, and their Pokémon gasped at this realization.
"Their primo founder?," Leo asked.
"He must be that rival Mayor Stone, his wife, and Mr. Burke mentioned," Ash said, recalling their previous conversations with the three.
"What's he doing back here?," Alan asked. They then heard them talking again.
"And Seamus, I heard you passed your initiation the other day," the man said.
"You bet. I whooped the pants off this weakling trainer. You should've seen it, Dad," Seamus replied with a cocky laugh.
"DAD?!," Ash and his friends exclaimed. That man, the founder of the Power Players, was Seamus's father?!
"I do wish I could've been there's no place for weak trainers or Pokémon on this isle, or even in this world!," sneered Seamus's father. Ash and his friends were morbid at this.
"Well, guess now we know where Seamus gets his philosophy and personality from," April noted.
Back with the Power Players, Seamus's father asked, "I heard that my son isn't the only new recruit in the Players?"
"No sir," Lavernia said proudly. "We have two more right here. Ethan, Mitch, stand up."
Two boys, one with brown neck-length hair tied into a ponytail and one with black hair in a mohawk and both wearing the same red-and-blue uniform as the others, stood up proudly. Ash, Pikachu, Alan, Shinx, Flynn, and Megan all gasped as they recognized the two. Eevee, however, cowered in fear at recognizing the boys, as did Fennekin, who was also watching along with Delia and Oak.
April, Kensi, Leo, and Bulbasaur took notice of this, and the former asked, "You guys know those two?"
"Do I ever," Ash said with anger in his voice. "They're the trainers who brutally abandoned Fennekin and Eevee."
"Pika Pikachu!," Pikachu agreed, just as angry as Ash.
"Whoa, are you sure?," Kensi asked surprised.
"It's them all right," Alan said venomously. "I'll never forget their faces or what they did."
"Shinx!," Shinx venomously agreed.
"Yeah, and just look at poor Eevee," Megan pointed out to Eevee, who was trembling all over in fear as it remembered it's previous brutal release. Leo then glanced over at Fennekin in Delia's arms.
"And Fennekin too," he said as he pointed to Fennekin, who was also trembling uncontrollably while recalling it's brutal release. Meanwhile, with the Power Players…
"So, what did you two do for your initiations?," asked Seamus's father.
"We both got rid of our weakest Pokémon," replied Ethan proudly. "Mine was a Fennekin."
"And mine was an Eevee," Mitch added, just as proudly. Ash, his friends (the teenagers included), their Pokémon, Delia, and Oak could only look on in disgust.
"That puny Fennekin was so weak, it kept losing battle after battle, and no matter how hard I battled and trained it, it just wouldn't evolve into Braixen."
"And that Eevee was even more pathetic. I couldn't get it to evolve at all! No matter how hard I battled with or trained it, it wouldn't evolve into Umbreon, Espeon, or Sylveon. It always knocked away my Evolution Stones when I tried to evolve it into Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon. And when I tried to take it to an Ice or Moss Rock to evolve in into Glaceon or Leafon, it would always break free and run away. I mean, what kind of Pokémon doesn't want to evolve?!"
"The sensible kind, that's who!," April growled, boiling with anger.
"Evolution is a great moment for both a Pokémon and its trainer, but they should be allowed to evolve at their own pace, not because they're forced to," Ash pointed out. "And some Pokémon prefer to stay as they are, right, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu!," Pikachu replied.
"So we released them, but those two puny losers couldn't take a hint," Mitch added. "So we decided to knock some sense into them."
"And all was going good to until these two goody-goody trainers with a Pikachu and Shinx decided to interfere," Ethan added.
"So everyone ganged up on them, and we had them on the ropes until this other trainer with a bunch of Dark Types came along and kicked us around, and forced us to retreat," added Hatcher.
April, Kensi, and Leo became astonished at this.
"Guys, is that true?," Kensi asked.
"Yep," Ash, Alan, and Megan replied. Flynn simply nodded 'yes'.
"Pika!/Shinx!," added Pikachu and Shinx.
"Wait, you said two trainers with a Pikachu and Shinx?," Seamus asked.
"Yeah," Ethan confirmed.
"And this guy with the Dark Types, did he have long hair, dress in all black and act really moody? And did he have a little girl with him?"
"All of the above," Dibson confirmed as well.
"Funny. I met those trainers just the other day. Those guys are so pathetic, and that little girl had an Eevee with her. I think that Eevee was yours," Seamus sneered.
"Not anymore it ain't, right Mitchy-boy," laughed Seamus's father.
"You bet. And that kid who has it now, she must have walnuts for brains if she thinks she's ever gonna make it as a trainer with that weakling. She's just as pathetic as it is."
Ash and his friends became irate at this, especially Megan.
"Who does that jerk think he is?! He doesn't know me!," she exclaimed.
"Don't let him get to you, Megan," Ash said, trying to reassure her.
"Yeah, you'll be a great trainer someday," April added.
"The best," Leo finished. Megan blushed at this statement.
"Thank you, guys," she said in gratitude as she looked down at Eevee who was trembling less, but was feeling hurt over its former Trainer's cruel comments. "Don't worry, Eevee. I won't let that jerk ever hurt you again."
"Ee-vee," Eevee replied sadly. At that moment, Flynn got up from his seat and headed over to where the Power Players were, which everyone noticed.
"Flynn?," Ash asked puzzled.
"Where are you going?," Leo asked, worried about what Flynn was about to do.
"I smell trouble coming, guys," Alan said. He and the others and their Pokémon then got up and started to follow Flynn. The Power Players, meanwhile, continued boasting and laughing about their misdeeds, much to the disgust of everyone else.
"And whoever has that Fennekin is just as dumb as that girl with the Eevee," Seamus's father sneered.
"Yeah, how could any moron want useless Pokémon that with them," Seamus added with a laugh.
"Yeah, getting rid of those those two was the best thing we ever did," Ethan cackled.
"Totally," Mitch agreed. The two then laughed arrogantly, until suddenly, someone yanked the back of their chairs so hard that they both fell to the ground. As the two looked up, they saw Flynn, looking very irate, standing over them.
"Remember me, you disgraceful punks?!," he snarled with venom in his voice. Ethan and Mitch both quickly got up as the rest of the Power Players jumped up, and Ash and the others came to Flynn's sides. Everyone else in the Center watched this with awe.
"You?! Again?!," Hatcher yelled in dismay.
"If you came here looking for trouble, you've got it, pal!," Dibson growled.
"If anyone's in trouble here, it's you guys!," April yelled angrily.
"That's right," Ash snapped in agreement. "You think what you did to Eevee and Fennekin is funny?"
"Of course they do. Because they're nothing but a gang of self-serving morons who only use Pokémon as machines to battle!," Flynn said.
"So, you're still all stuck on that worn out philosophy, huh?," Seamus asked as he turned to the other Power Players. "I'm guessing these were the trainers who interfered with the initiation?"
"Yep. Him, him, him, and her," Lavernia replied as she pointed out Ash, Alan, Flynn, and Megan.
"And a good thing we interfered too, otherwise, those Pokémon might not still be here right now," Alan put in.
"If you ask me, you little twerps were fools to interfere and take those two weaklings in," Seamus's dad added. "If a Pokémon can't meet its trainer's expectations of strength in battle, then it has no business having any trainer at all!"
"That's awful! Pokémon and trainers are supposed to work together as one, not have one dominate the other!," April exclaimed in slight horror.
"And there's more to training and battling than just strength and power!," Flynn added in. Seamus's father simply chuckled at this.
"Oh, yeah? I'll have you know, I won the tournament on pure power with my team! It's how I started the Power Players! And now my boy is gonna follow in my footsteps!," he snickered.
"You got that right!," Seamus said confidently.
"Not if I can help it!," Ash.
"Or I!," added Flynn.
"Or I!," added Alan.
"Or I!," added April.
"Oh, please. Like you dimwits could beat me with your weakling teams!," Seamus sneered.
"You're the dimwit here!," Megan suddenly snapped. She then turned to Ethan and Mitch. "And you, you jerks apologize to Eevee right now!"
"What'd you say, you little squirt?!," Mitch snarled. Leo, however, jumped to Megan's defense.
"You heard what she said!," he quipped, angrily.
"And you all call yourselves Pokémon trainers?," Ash growled at the gang.
"You're all digusting!," April added with venom.
"Despicable," Alan snarled.
"Absolute disgraces, all of you!," Flynn finished, even angrier than ever.
"Pika Pika!/Shinx!/Bulba!," Pikachu, Shinx, and Bulbasaur all said, all of them being just as furious as their trainers/caregivers were. The Power Players, however, were furious at the insults.
"Oh yeah, well how about we show you how disgraceful we really are?!," Hatcher said as he and the other Power Players, and Seamus all drew Poké Balls.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Seamus added.
"So you wanna fight, huh?!," Flynn noted as he, Ash, Alan, and April drew their own Poké Balls, and Pikachu, Shinx, and Bulbasaur postioned themselves for battle. Eevee, still upset, remained in Megan's arms.
"Then let's go!," Ash quipped in. Seeing the fight about to break out, Erald, Kensi, Raynard, and Ellie rushed in to try to interfere.
"Whoa, whoa, take it easy everyone," Erald interjected.
"There's no need for violence!," Raynard added.
"Right, these guys aren't worth it," Kensi threw in.
"So don't give them the satisfaction," Ellie finished. Dibson, however, snickered.
"Please, we'll have plenty of satisfaction when we clobber you punks into next week!," he sneered.
"Well, bring it on!," Ash declared.
"Your move, creeps!" April added.
The two sides stood at ends, Pokémon and Poké Balls ready. But before anyone on either side could make a move…
"Okay, break it up, all of you!," Nurse Joy interjected as she and Chansey stepped in.
"Chansey!," Chansey added sternly.
"That's right, enough of this," Professor Oak said as he and Delia, who still had Fennekin with her, ran up to the scene standing next to. Everyone then turned around and noticed them.
"Professor Oak! Mom!," Ash exclaimed, surprised to see them step up.
"Now see here! A Pokémon Center is a place of neutrality, so there will be no battles in here!," Oak declared.
"Especially not grudge battles!," Nurse Joy threw in with a stern tone of voice.
"Chansey!," Chansey added sternly.
"They're right, you know, guys," said Erald, with Ellie, Kensi, and Raynard.
"Oh, come on, you all heard everything that they said, didn't you?," Alan exclaimed.
"Indeed we did. Everyone in here heard it," Delia replied as she turned to the Power Players with anger in her eyes. "And you, you all should be ashamed of yourselves!"
She then pointed at Seamus's father and said, "Especially you, mister! You should be setting a good example for your son and these young men and women, not teaching and encouraging them how to be selfish bullies!"
"Well, first off, the name is Finley, Finley McGavin," Seamus's father, now known as Finley, replied. "Second off, it's my business how I run my gang and raise my kid. And third, I must say sweetheart, your pretty feisty for a brunette. I kinda like it."
"Oh, cut the flattery, Finn," a voice said. Everyone turned to see Mayor Stone, Chief of Staff Burke, Connie, and Officer Jenny approaching them.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my old buddies, Tommy and Hanny!," Finley sneered with a chuckle.
"That's Mayor Stone and Chief of Staff Burke to you, Finny-boy!," Burke snapped.
"Everyone, I see you've met the old rival of me, Violet, and Hanson's that I mentioned before," Mayor Stone said.
"Unfortunately," Flynn remarked.
"Last I heard about you, Finn, you were happily married and running a training dojo in Viridian City," Mayor Stone said.
"First, I'm happily divorced now. Second, it's now a chain of training dojos. The McGavin Power Training Dojo to be exact. And third, my boy's in the tournament, so I'm back. And checking in on my old gang too."
"And causing trouble again, just like you did back in the day," Burke added with a hint of sarcasm.
"Well, from what I heard, the trainers who brutally abandoned the Fennekin and Eevee a couple of days ago are here with you now," Officer Jenny said.
"That's them right there," Megan said as she pointed out Ethan and Mitch. The two boys then froze up in fright.
"Well, boys, you and me need to have some words down at the station."
The boys looked around trying to figure a way out of the situation, but Officer Jenny quickly noticed this.
"And don't even think about running!"
Realizing they had no other choice, the boys surrendered to Officer Jenny, who took them away and out of the center as everyone watched.
"Don't you boys worry, I'll have you both out in no time," Finley called to them. As Jenny left the Center with the boys, Burke and Mayor Stone turned to him.
"And I'd hoped that you'd grown up at least a little, since you left the Isle," Mayor Stone told him.
"And I'd hoped you two would stop being such a wet blanket and second fiddle," Finley responded. "But I guess some things never change."
"You got that right," Burke replied. "Well, as Professor Oak said, the Pokémon Center is a place for trainers to come, heal their Pokémon and make friends. This is no place for guys like you, your son, and your thugs to boast about your misdeeds."
"Now you just-"
"GET OUT!"
Realizing it was pointless to continue the argument, Finley motioned to his son and the other Power Players.
"Fine, let's go everyone," he said, as he, Seamus, and the other Power Players left the Pokémon Center.
Once they were gone, though, Ash, his friends and their Pokemon, as well as Delia and Oak were all still very upset.
"I wish we could've taken them on," Flynn grumbled.
"Yeah, and taught them a lesson," April added.
"One they'd never forget!," Ash finished.
"Pika Pika!," Pikachu growled as well.
"But at what cost to yourselves?," Kensi asked, causing Ash and his friends to turn to the teenagers.
"What do you mean, sis?," April inquired.
"She means, would it be worth betraying your own values?," remarked Raynard.
"As both trainers and people overall," added Ellie.
"Indeed, those Power Players are some of the worst kind of trainers out there," Oak said, catching everyone's attention. "But, as despicable and disgraceful as their actions are, getting into a grudge match with them would make all of you just as bad as they are. Pokémon are not meant to be used that way."
"That's right, it's disrespectful to both Pokémon and trainers alike," Nurse Joy added in agreement.
"And of all people, Ash, Professor Oak and I expected you to know better," Delia scolded her son. Ash and the others realized that their peers were right about this and calmed themselves down.
"You're right, Mom. You're all right," Ash said to his mother, Oak, and the teens.
"Pika," said Pikachu somberly.
"Yeah, what were we thinking?," Alan added.
"Shinx," Shinx also said somberly.
"I guess we just got so upset with those guys…," April started.
"That we just wanted to teach them a lesson by any means necessary," Flynn finished.
"I know. I almost got into a grudge match with Eevee. And I call myself a future Pokémon trainer," Megan said, despondent about what she nearly was a part of.
"Yeah, me too. How could I almost do that with Bulbasaur?," Leo agreed, also upset about nearly taking part in a grudge match. Bulbasaur and Eevee quick took notice of how upset their caretakers were over their near-actions.
"Bulbasaur/Eevee," the two Pokémon said as they nuzzled their respective caretakers in comfort.
"But the important thing is you didn't in the end," Delia put in, trying to cheer up the two aspiring trainers, at which she slightly succeed upon seeing them slightly smile.
"Um, sirs," Connie whispered to Mayor Stone and Burke. "Maybe this is a good time to tell them about the event."
The two men glanced at each other as they realized that she had a point.
"Right," Mayor Burke said as he turned back towards the kids. "Well, enough about those troublemakers. I think you kids will be glad to know that the first pre-tournament event is this afternoon."
The kids looked up to at the mayor as Ash asked, "For real?"
"Right, the Densetsu Isle Cooking Contest," Burke said. "It's where trainers and their Pokémon work together in teams through rounds to make three courses: appetizer, main course, and dessert. And the team that has the best dishes in all three rounds wins."
Ash and his friends became astonished at the news of this competition.
"Now that sounds like my kind of contest!," Alan exclaimed.
"Shinx!," Shinx agreed.
"Yeah, I could go for it too," Ellie added.
"Me and Pikachu can go for it as well, right buddy?," Ash proclaimed.
"Pikachu!," Pikachu replied with a smile.
"I'm in, too," Erald declared.
"Me too," Leo added.
"Well, I'm out," Flynn said, puzzling everyone. "Cooking is not my forté."
"Same here, count me out too," agreed April.
"And me," Raynard added in. "I usually have people to cook for me."
"Come on you guys, it'll be fun," Ash pleaded.
"Plus, it could help us all get our minds off of those Power Players," Megan threw in. Flynn, April, and Raynard all thought for a while before the former said, "When you put it that way… I guess I could give it a shot."
"Me too," April agreed.
"And me, I suppose," Raynard added. Ash and the others were all happy at this.
"Okay, so where do we sign up?," Ash asked.
"Why, here at the Pokémon Center, along with all the other events," Mayor Stone said. "You kids can compete either solo or in pairs of two. But in either case, your Pokémon must assist you in the meal preparation."
"If you'll just step up to the front desk I can sign you all up however, you wish," Nurse Joy explained.
"Well, you heard her, let's do it," Ash and the group said as they all rushed to sign up. But little did any of them know was that Team Rocket, who was in the Center in disguise, had being spying on them all along.
"A Pokémon & trainer culinary contest? I say we enter as well," James suggested to his comrades.
"Hmm, sounds like it could be a delicious plan," Meowth said as he licked his chops.
"And a scrumptous way to steal Pikachu and any other Pokémon we can get our hands on," Jessie finished with a devious smile. "So let's wait until the twerps head out and then sign up!"
"Right!," agreed James and Meowth.
"Wobba/Mime!," replied Wobbuffet and Mime Jr.
A couple of hours later, in an area outside near the beach, a bunch of trainers and spectators had gathered together for the Cooking Contest. Mayor Stone, his wife Violet, and Burke were also there as the judges. All competitors stood at stations that had culinary tools and appliances, including an oven/stove for cooking.
As for Ash and his friends, Ash and April had opted to team up, while Erald and Flynn decided to stick with Leo and Megan, respectively. Raynard had partnered up with another young trainer named Billy, and Alan, Kensi, and Ellie had all opted to compete alone. Delia and Oak were in the audience with Fennekin and Mimey, the latter of whom they'd invited to watch the contest with them. Team Rocket was also there, incognito with their Pokémon.
"Welcome everyone, to the Densetsu Isle Cooking Contest," announced Nurse Joy, to the applause of the spectators.
"Now here are the rules: there are three rounds: the Appeitizer round, the Main Course round, and the Dessert round. Before the start of each round, every individual and pair will have five minutes to gather the ingredients for what they wish to make for their chosen dish from the storeroom behind me."
Nurse Joy gestured towards the open storeroom, which was stocked with all kinds of food, additives, and ingredients.
"After that, they will be giving a set amount of time to prepare their dishes. Each individual or team may use the help of two of their Pokémon help in preparing the dish. However, the Pokémon may not attack other competitors or their Pokémon or steal food from them. Doing so will result in immediate disqualification. For each dish, you will be judged on appearance, effort, and taste. There are 32 individuals and teams in all. At the end Appeitizer round, the top 16 teams will advance to the Main Course round. From there, the top 4 teams will advance to the Desert round, from which a winner will be selected. That winner or winners will receive both a special custom-made plaque and a complete collection of Evolution Stones."
Nurse Joy then showed the plaque and stone collection to the competitiors and spectators, all of whom were in awe over the latter. Team Rocket was especially in awe of it.
"Look at all them stones!," Meowth exclaimed.
"We've got to make them ours," Jessie declared with confidence.
"Then let's get cooking!," James put in.
"So everyone get ready," Nurse Joy announced. "On your marks, get set… GO!"
At that, all the competitors charged into the storeroom, gathering the ingredients needed for their appetizers. The competitive spirit was really in the air as some of the competitors started to fight over the ingredients in the storeroom, including Team Rocket. Ash and his friends, however, managed to collect what they needed and return to their stations rather quickly.
Once all competitors were back at their stations, Nurse Joy then said, "Now everyone, choose your Pokémon that will help you for this round. Remember, each individual and team may only use two Pokémon per round."
Ash decided to use Pikachu, while April summoned her Purrloin to help out. Flynn let out his Weavile, while Megan asked her Eevee to help out. Erald opted to bring out his Machamp, while Leo kept his Bulbasaur in. Raynard called forth his Lucario for round while Billy decided to use his Elekid. Alan opted to go with his Shinx and Dewott, Ellie used her Loudred and Gardevior, and Kensi sent out her Delcatty and Toxicroak. Team Rocket had decided to use Meowth and Wobbuffet, which left Mime Jr. feeling left out.
"Now, everyone will have exactly 30 minutes to prepare their appetizers," Nurse Joy announced. "Now, get ready, and you're off!"
With that, everyone started working with their Pokémon to prepare their dishes as the audience watched.
The competition was fierce, as each trainer or pair of trainers worked with their Pokémon in prepping the appetizers. For some, they worked greatly in sync April's Purrloin used Fury Swipes to chop up some vegetables and Pikachu used his tail to sweep them into a bowl, while Ash and April used the stove to fry some ham and toast some bread. And while Alan rolled up some thin dough into the shapes of little chip bowls and fried them, Shinx and Dewott worked together to chop up cheese, beans, veggies and beef so that Alan could stir fry them.
Others, however, had a little more of struggle. Raynard and his partner Billy had a great idea for appetizers but Lucario and Elekid kept fighting over how to do it. And Team Rocket was struggling to make their planned appetizer because…
"Gah! We're missing some Pecha Berries!," James remarked. "We can't make our appetizer without them!"
"Well, can't we just hit the storeroom again?," Jessie asked.
"No can do, the rules say that the storeroom is off-limits during the competition."
Meowth then noticed the station behind them, which had two girls, a Meowstic, and a Slurpuff, had a pile of Pecha Berries. He then turned Jessie and James's attention to the station.
"Then we'll have to improvise," he told them. Getting the idea, the two smirked, but James realized…
"But how do we get them without being seen?," he asked. The three thought for a while before Wobbuffet pointed out Mime Jr. who had been very upset about being left out. They then realized what to do.
"Oh, Mime Jr.," Jessie asked as sweetly as she possibly could, getting Mime Jr.'s attention. "Could you be a dear and swipe some of those Pecha Berries for us?"
"But make sure nobody sees you," James added. With a devious grin, Mime Jr. nodded and then crept over to the station. It patiently waited for the best opportunity to distracted for both the girls and their Pokémon to be distracted.
Sure enough, Meowstic used Psychic to help the girls chop up some fruit. Using Mimic, Mime Jr. copied the move, and caused several dishes to clatter all over the ground, causing the girls and their Pokémon to turn their attention to the mess. Seizing the chance, Mime Jr. quickly grabbed a bunch of the Pecha Berries and ran back to Team Rocket. Unknown to it, it had also grabbed something else: a charm bracelet belonging to one of the girls, who had removed it to avoid ruining or losing it during the competition.
"Excellect work, Mime Jr.," Meowth complemented as Jessie and James took the Pecha Berries.
"You see there is a purpose for you here after all," James assured his Pokemon.
"Mime Mime Mime!," Mime Jr. replied. It then noticed the charm bracelet and began playing with it.
Eventually, everyone finished prepping and serving their appetizers just before an alarm sounded as the time expired.
"Okay, utensils down, hands up!," Nurse Joy said, as all competitors and their Pokémon raised their hands in the air. "Now, the judges will come around and sample each of your appetizers."
With that, Mayor Stone, Violet, and Burke all got up and walked around, and started tasting the appetizers, many of which came out great or decent, and others… not so much. With each tasting, they rated the appetizers on appearance, effort, and flavor.
Amongst the appetizers that they tasted were Ash and April's (mini toasted ham sandwiches), Alan's (beef and cheese stir fry inminature edible bowls), the Black siblings' (various berries stuffed with flavors of yogurt) the Konai cousins' (cocktail weenies with special spices) Raynard and Billy (fried radishes stuffed with salsa), Kensi's (potato salad sandwiches), and Ellie's (Oran Berries stuffed with mashed bananas).
Finally, they came to Team Rocket's appetizer, Pecha Berries roasted and covered in whipped cream. Tasting it, the judges seemed to like it. But as they were writing down their evaluation, one of the girls on the table behind them noticed Mime Jr. playing with her charm bracelet.
"Hey, that's my bracelet!," she shouted. Team Rocket turned and noticed Mime Jr. with the bracelet as well.
"I apologize for my Mime Jr., he can get sort of grabby with things!," James said as Jessie tried to take the bracelet away from Mime Jr.
"YOU LITTLE WORM, I TOLD YOU SWIPE BERRIES, NOT CHEAP JEWELRY!," Jessie snapped, not realizing what she'd just said out loud until it was too late. Everyone gasped at this.
"So that's why we had less Pecha Berries than we took," the other girl exclaimed in realization as her partner grabbed her bracelet back.
"Um, uh, there's a… perfectly good explanation for this!," James stammered.
"Yeah, it just, uh, hasn't been come up with yet!," Jessie said sheepishly. The three judges and Nurse Joy all glared at Team Rocket sternly.
"Stealing from fellow competitors is a rule violation," Mayor Burke declared. "You're disqualified!"
Team Rocket became stunned, before Jessie became angry and bellowed, "NOW SEE HERE YOU POMPOUS OVERBEARING STIFF! WE HAD NO IDEA OUR POKEMON–"
"SECURITY!," Burke called. And before Team Rocket knew it, they and their Pokémon had been dragged out and thrown out of the competition area by security.
"Of all the nerve!," Jessie snarled.
"So now what do we do?," asked Meowth.
"If we want that plaque and stones collection, we'll just have to take them the old fashioned Team Rocket way: by force!"
Back with the competition, the judges finished sampling the appetizers and had made their decisions, and Nurse Joy stepped up to make an announcement.
"Okay, the judges have decided, so turn your attention to the big screen for who will be moving on to the next round."
Everyone directed their attention to the big television screen in the area, and slowly but surely, the faces of each individual or pair selected popped up that on screen. Among them was Alan, Ellie, Flynn and Megan, Erald and Leo, and the very last selection was… Ash and April!
Delia gasped as she exclaimed, "Ash made it the next round!"
"Indeed he did!," Oak agreed.
"Fenne!," Fennekin added. Unfortunately, this meant Raynard and Billy, and Kensi were among those eliminated from the tournament, though neither seemed too upset about it.
"So everyone take a 30-minute break and the top 16 will reconvene here for the next round," Nurse Joy said.
Who's That Pokémon?: This Pokémon uses dual scallop swordsman ship in battle!