"Wow, that sounds so cool!"

Ash couldn't help but chuckle as he continued to tell his best friend about his most recent battle.

"Yeah, Riolu was really awesome," he said as he patted the fighting type on the head.

"Rio! Riolu!" the emanation Pokemon replied happily.

"She's the best!" said Cody. "I'd love to have a Pokemon like her on my team when I start my journey."

"I'm sure you will," said Ash. "I mean, I had no idea I was going to end up with Riolu or Meowth before my journey started. But it's been really awesome so far!"

"Yeah," said Meowth. "We've been having so much fun!"

"Cool," said Cody. "So, did Riolu beat any more of Misty's Pokemon?

"Well, not quite," said Ash. "Misty's second Pokemon was a lot stronger than we thought, and it was immune to electric attacks, so Riolu ended up getting knocked out."

"Oh, that sucks," said Cody. "Gym Leaders are really tough, aren't they?"

"Yeah," said Ash. "Misty really gave us a challenge."

"Still, Ash did a pretty good job," said Meowth. "We totally would have won if Team Rocket hadn't attacked Misty's ship."

"She deserved it, though."

The rest of the group turned to look at Mikaela, who was glaring at no one in particular. Eevee and Shinx were patting her on the back, trying to help her feel better about her experience with the pirate captain Gym Leader.

"What's up with Mikaela?" Cody asked.

"Misty stole her TM," said Sam.

"Oh," said Cody. "That's not nice."

"No it's not," Mikaela said spitefully.

Ash and the others chuckled nervously while Mikaela's Pokemon did their best to comfort her.

"Anyway," said Meowth, "we ended up helping Misty take care of Team Rocket, so she gave us the badge for helping her."

"Neat," said Cody. "You made it through the second inning!"

"I guess," said Ash. "And that's not the only thing I got!"

"Really?" said Cody. "What else did she give you?"

"Not Misty," Ash explained as he pulled out the tickets. "One of her crew members gave me some baseball season passes."

For a moment, the purple haired boy was silent.

"Um, aren't the Electabuzz playing this year?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Ash. "I mean, I dunno if your mom and dad would be okay with you-"

Anything Ash would have said next was cut off by his friend's excited squealing.

The next day, the group set out towards Vermilion city.

"So, the next gym leader is an electric type user, right?" said Meowth. "Because half of our team is flying types, and those ain't good with electricity."

"Don't worry," Ash said with a confident smile. "We can always catch some new partners on the way there!"

"That sounds like a good plan," said Sam. "The best case would be a ground type, though I don't know if there are any good ground type Pokemon in the immediate vicinity."

"Chuu…" Pikachu said, clearly displeased by the idea of a ground type near him.

"Maybe a grass type could work too," Maria suggested. "They can usually handle electric type moves."

"Ooh! Maybe you could get a dragon type," said Mikaela. "They're super strong against pretty much everything!"

"Eevee! Veevee!"

"Mikaela, there aren't any dragon type Pokemon in this area," Sam pointed out.

"Huh, I guess you're right," Mikaela said as she scratched her head. "Well, maybe we can find a Sandshrew or something."

"Did you say Sandshrew?"

The gang turned around and saw a youngster looking at them.

"We were just talking about how to beat the next Gym Leader," said Ash. "Apparently he uses electric types, so a ground type like Sandshrew would be pretty great."

"Oh, okay," the boy replied. "I just thought you were going to challenge AJ."

"Who?"

"Oh, he's some guy with crazy strong Pokemon," the boy explained. "He made his own gym so people can try and challenge him."

"Really?" said Ash. "That sounds so cool! I'm going to challenge him!"

"You'd better be careful," the youngster warned. "He's got a reputation for training savage Pokemon!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Mikaela said with a frown. "Pokemon aren't savage. Only trainers are."

"Vee!"

"That sounds a bit sus, if I'm being honest," said Sam. "We should probably check it out."

"Pika."

"Yeah," said Maria. "If people think this guy's Pokemon are savage, maybe it's because of something he's doing."

"Ratta, Ratta!"

"Or maybe he's just really strong and people are freaked out when they can't win," said Mikaela. "That tends to happen when trainers get a big head, you know."

"Eev-eev!"

Ash and Meowth stared at Mikaela for a moment, then looked at the rest of the group. They then looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, let's go check it out then!"

It wasn't too long before they reached the gym. Although calling it a "gym" was perhaps a tad generous, as it was basically a large pink and yellow tent surrounded by a fence.

"Well," said Meowth as he looked at the entrance, "it sure is… something."

"Yeah," said Ash. "I wonder what this AJ guy has to show us."

The group then looked up at the scoreboard that was placed at the entrance.

"Huh, he's got 99 wins in a row," said Maria. "It sure looks like he's doing something right."

"Rattata, Rat."

"It sure does," said Sam. "What I want to know is if he's doing something wrong."

"Chu."

"Who's doing something wrong?"

Surprised by the voice, they turned to see a figure standing at the entrance. It was an older boy with dark green hair, a red and black shirt, blue shorts, and a confident grin.

"Are you AJ?" Ash asked.

"Sure am!" the boy replied. "So, which one of you is gonna challenge me today?"

Ash looked at AJ. He certainly looked… aggressive. Though he wasn't sure if it was to the point that he'd be doing anything bad to his Pokemon. He'd actually have to see them in battle.

With that thought in mind, the raven haired boy stepped up.

"I challenge you to a battle, AJ!"

The older trainer grinned as he looked down at Ash.

"Is that so?" he said. "Well good for you. You'll be my final victory!"

"Well, that's not very optimistic," said Mikaela. "I'm sure you'll have more victories after today. You shouldn't think that this will be the last one you'll ever have."

"Eeveevee!"

"What? No!" said AJ. "That's not what I meant! I mean that I'm trying for a 100-win streak, and this guy is the last one I need to complete it!"

Ash raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He then followed AJ as he led them into the fenced area. As they walked in, they noted the battlefield that had been set up right outside the tent.

"Right then," said AJ. "Yo, Giselle! We got a challenger!"

"Coming!" a voice called out from inside the tent. A moment later, an older girl with long brown hair emerged.

"Hey sweetie," she said. "So, who's gonna challenge you today?"

"This guy," AJ replied as he pointed at Ash. "He sure looks like an interesting trainer, but I'm pretty sure I can take him down."

"Well, whatever happens, I'll be cheering for you!" Giselle declared with a wink.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about me," AJ said confidently. "After all, I'm as strong as you are beautiful."

This caused the brown haired girl to giggle, while Ash and the others began to sweat nervously.

"Well," said Maria, "they sure are… close."

"Yeah…" said Sam. "Wonder how they got together like that."

"I just hope he can still focus on our battle," said Ash.

Fortunately, AJ quickly shifted his attention back to Ash and Meowth.

"Right then," he said as he grabbed a Pokeball, "what do you say to a one-on-one battle?"

"I guess that sounds good to me," said Ash. "What do you say, Meowth?"

"I'm game for that!"

AJ and Giselle blinked as they looked at Meowth.

"Did that Meowth just talk?" said Giselle.

"He does that," said Ash.

AJ stared for a moment, then shrugged.

"Whatever. Just because you can talk doesn't mean you can beat me easily!"

He then tossed out his Pokeball, releasing a Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew! Let's get our next victory!"

"Shrew!"

Meowth grinned as he jumped out onto the battlefield.

"Alright! Let's see what you got, you stupid yellow rat!"

"Pika, pika," Pikachu said in what was probably an annoyed voice. Then again, Pikachu always looked annoyed, so it was hard to tell.

AJ grinned, no doubt excited to gain the last win he needed. He looked over at Giselle, who winked and gave him a thumbs up.

"Well then, let's do this!" AJ declared. "Sandslash, use Rollout!"

"Dodge it!" yelled Ash.

"Sand!" Sandshrew cried as it rolled into a ball and rushed towards Meowth. The scratch cat Pokemon jumped out of the way, but was then caught off guard when his opponent quickly turned around and spun towards him.

"Whoa!" Meowth said just before he was slammed by the charging yellow ball. He then groaned as he got back to his feet, only to see Sandshrew approaching once more.

"Block it with Iron Tail!"

"Got it!" Meowth yelled as his tail hardened and glowed. He then swung it forwards, hitting Sandshrew with great force and causing it to uncurl.

"Great," said Ash, "now use Fury Swipes!"

"Sandshrew!" AJ called. "Dig down where he can't get you!"

"Saaand!" Sandshrew cried as it dug underground. Meowth stopped right in front of the hole with his claws extended and looked down the hole.

"Watch out!" said Ash. "Sandshrew could be anywhere!"

"I know!" said Meowth. "I'm working on that!"

The normal type narrowed his eyes as he touched the ground. While he couldn't see Sandshrew, he could just barely feel some movement underneath his feet.

"Come on… where are you?"

As if to answer his question, the mouse Pokemon burst out of the ground and slammed into him.

"Gah!" Meowth cried out. In spite of his pain, however, he was able to bring his claws downward and slash his opponent's face.

"Sandshrew!" AJ yelled. "Fight back with Poison Sting!"

"Knock it away with Iron Tail!

Sandshrew began to roll into a ball and fire a number of poisonous needles at Meowth. The normal type swung his metallic tail at the needles, smashing them before they could affect him. He then swung his tail into the yellow ground type, causing it to wince in pain.

"Great, Sandshrew! Now grab it!"

"What?!" said Ash, but he was unable to react before the mouse Pokemon grabbed his starter by the tail. Meowth had just enough time to realize what was happening before he was tossed towards the sky screaming.

"Meeeeeooooowwwwwth!"

"Hang on, Meowth!" Ash yelled.

"Time to finish this!" said AJ. "Sandshrew! Use Rollout!"

"Sandshrew!" the ground type yelled as it curled up and rolled forwards as Meowth fell back towards the ground. Meowth hadn't even hit the ground before the attack hit him, and he cried out in pain as he was slammed into the ground.

"Meowth!" Ash cried. "Are you okay?"

Meowth groaned as he tried to get back to his feet, only to collapse, whimpering as he lay on the ground.

"Meowth is unable to battle," said Giselle, "so this match goes to AJ!"

"Aw yeah!" said AJ. "That's 100 wins in a row!"

"Sandshrew, Sand!" his partner said as he rolled up to him.

"Yeah!" Giselle said as she jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around him. "I knew you could do it!"

"It was no problem, babe," AJ said with a confident smirk. "It just goes to show you that I'm destined to be the next league champion!"

"Sandshrew!" Sandshrew said in agreement as he pumped his arms.

Ash and his friends watched nervously as the young couple celebrated AJ's victory.

"Well," said Mikaela, "at least they're happy."

"Maybe a bit too much," said Sam as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Ash didn't answer; instead, he rushed over to his starter, who was still lying on the ground motionlessly.

"Meowth?" he said as he carefully picked the normal type up. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Meowth turned his head upwards to look at Ash.

"Hey…" Meowth groaned as he shook his head. "Did we win?"

Ash sighed in relief.

"Well," he replied, "you got knocked out, so no."

"Aw, that sucks," said Meowth. "But I bet we can win next time, right?"

Ash chuckled a bit, then grinned in excitement.

"Yeah we will," he said with determination. "Next time we're gonna win for sure!"

"Well, you're gonna need a lot of training if you want to beat me!"

Ash and Meowth looked up to see AJ walking up to them alongside Sandshrew.

"Don't get me wrong," AJ continued, "you're not bad, but you've got a ways to go before you can reach my level."

"I guess," said Ash. "That Sandshrew of yours is really strong!"

"He sure is," said AJ as he patted the mouse Pokemon. "Of course, he's done some pretty intense training to get there, you know."

Ash and Meowth looked at the two in curiosity.

"What kind of training?"

A few minutes later, AJ and Giselle had brought Ash and his friends into the gym. The group was amazed by AJ's facilities, which included several exercise machines, pools, and fighting areas. There were several Pokemon, such as Butterfree, Beedrill, and Rattata, wearing strange harnesses while lifting weights or sparring with each other.

"Whoa," said Ash. "How did you get all this stuff?"

"Oh, that was easy," said AJ. "Most of it is old stuff that I got from Pokemon Tech."

"Pokemon Tech?" said Sam. "Isn't that the school that rich people send their kids to so they can skip the gym circuit and go straight to the league?"

"Chu, Pika."

"You can do that?" Ash said in surprise.

"Surprisingly, yes," said Sam. "The Kanto Pokemon League has a deal with Pokemon Tech and a few other schools that allows them to grant their students entry to the league upon graduation, provided that they can demonstrate extended knowledge of Pokemon and an ability to battle effectively."

"Well that sounds unfair," said Mikaela.

"It kind of is," Giselle admitted. "Though if it makes you feel better, very few alumni do well in the actual league. They tend to be overconfident due to their high grades, but since they lack any real experience with battles outside of other students they are unable to adapt to the reality of league battles."

"Huh," said Mikaela. "That school kind of sucks."

"Vee!"

Giselle couldn't help but chuckle at Mikaela's comment.

"That's a bit harsh, but you're not wrong. I mean, I used to think I was going to make it really far in the league just because I was one of their top students."

"You studied at that school?" said Maria.

"Ratta?"

"Oh yeah," said Giselle. "And looking back, I definitely needed to be knocked down a peg or two. I mean, I flaunted my grades and my skills around and mocked all of the less advanced students at any opportunity."

"That's not really nice," said Meowth.

"Yeah, it wasn't," Giselle replied with a nervous chuckle. "Eventually, though, my arrogance got the best of me when this one girl came to the school. She told me that I had no clue of what it meant to be a real trainer, and that my grades would never get me far in the Pokemon league. And I got really angry and demanded that she apologize, so she told me that if I could beat her in a Pokemon battle, she would take back what she'd said."

"Somehow I doubt you won," said Sam.

At this, Giselle sighed as her gaze fell downwards.

"Oh, you have no idea. She destroyed my entire team with an Eevee."

"Aw yeah!" Mikaela exclaimed, catching everyone's attention. "Eevee for the win, baby!"

"Vee! Vee!" Eevee cheered.

Giselle glared at the pair, then sighed.

"Anyway, after that defeat I realized that I needed to rethink my career as a Pokemon trainer. So I decided to drop out and go on a journey of my own. I decided to start by going to AJ's gym because I thought it would be a great chance to learn more about how trainers outside the school trained their Pokemon."

"Well, it sure looks like that worked out well," said Meowth.

"It definitely did," said Giselle. "I've learned so much about training Pokemon! Not to mention that AJ is so cool! And handsome, and smart, and…"

As the brown haired girl gushed over her boyfriend, Ash felt a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Well, she's learned a lot more than just Pokemon stuff," Sam muttered.

Ash and Meowth watched in fascination as AJ strapped one of the harnesses onto Sandshrew.

"So what is that thing supposed to be?" Meowth asked.

"This is my custom made Macho Brace," said AJ. "It's designed to restrict a Pokemon's movement."

"Why would you want to restrict a Pokemon's movement?" said Ash.

Before AJ could respond, Mikaela piped up.

"Because that way Pokemon have to use more of their strength to move and attack. And therefore Pokemon gain more experience from their training, which enables them to become stronger faster."

AJ looked at Mikaela with a surprised look.

"You sure know a lot about training," he said.

"I want to be a Pokemon breeder," said Mikaela. "I have to know this stuff."

Ash and Meowth looked at their friend, then turned towards Sandshrew.

"That thing looks really tight," said Meowth. "And heavy. Do you really like wearing the thing?"

"It helps make me strong," Sandshrew replied. "If you're too much of a wuss to wear it, that's fine by me."

Meowth's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. He then shook his head as he glared at the ground type.

"Who are you calling a wuss?!" he yelled. "I'll show you!"

He then looked up at his trainer.

"Ash! Get me one of those Macho Brace thingies!"

"Wait, really?" said Ash. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah I'm sure!" said Meowth. "I'm gonna show Sandshrew a thing or two!"

Ash looked unsure, but he sighed and looked back to AJ.

"Hey AJ? Do you have any more of those Macho Braces?"

The green haired trainer grinned.

"Why, I'm glad you asked!"

Meowth winced as AJ attached the device to his body. It was harder to move his paws now, and he felt like he was about to pull himself into a ball like Sandshrew.

"Are you really sure about this, Meowth?" said Ash. "That looks pretty tight."

"I told you, I'm fine!" Meowth insisted. "If that sand rat can do this, I can too!"

Sandshrew huffed, but didn't say anything. At the same time, AJ finished attaching the brace, and took a step back.

"There we go!" he said. "Perfect fit!"

Meowth grimaced as he tried to move. The Macho Brace certainly did its job well, as he could barely move his body anymore.

"Wow," he said as he stretched his left arm out. "This sure is harder than before."

He then extended his claws and tried to use his Fury Swipes. Unfortunately, this caused the brace to shrink back pulling his arms into his body.

"Waaaah!" the normal type cried as his body was pulled inwards, causing him to curl up into a ball just like Sandshrew.

"Meowth!" Ash said in alarm. "Are you okay?!"

A few muffled cries came out of the curled up ball of normal type fur. Sandshrew walked up to him and scoffed.

"Wuss."

Eventually, with some help from both Ash and AJ, Meowth was able to free himself.

"Aw, that was awful," Meowth groaned. "It's like I was in one of those little red balls all over again!"

"Sorry about that," AJ said in embarrassment. "I forgot that I designed that one for Sandshrew, and since he can curl up into a ball…"

"Yeah, I get it," said Mikaela. "Customizing items can greatly increase the efficiency of their usage for the Pokemon they're designed for, but it can also screw up any Pokemon who aren't of the same species."

"Exactly," said AJ. "I try to have different Macho Braces for different Pokemon, but sometimes it can be hard to keep track of which one is which."

He then walked up to a box full of braces, and bent over to rummage through it. After a minute or so, he pulled out one that looked slightly different from the one he'd put on Meowth.

"Here, try this one."

Ash walked up to him and took the brace. He then bent down and looked at his partner.

"Are you still sure about this?"

"Don't worry, Ash," said Meowth. "I can take this!"

Ash shrugged, then got to work attaching the new brace to Meowth.

Meowth and Sandshrew both stood in front of a race track, with AJ standing next to them. The rest of the group watched in fascination.

"Alright!" the green haired trainer said. "I want to see you complete five laps around the track!"

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out an air horn. He then honked it, causing Meowth to jump in surprise. On the other hand, Sandshrew immediately rushed off, leaving the scratch cat Pokemon in the dust.

"Gah!" Meowth said as he regained his footing. "Wait up!"

As he rushed to try to catch up to the ground type, he winced as his paws were held back by the Macho Brace. However, he grit his teeth and did his best to run as fast as he could. All the while Ash and his friends watched with a combination of fascination and worry.

"This is… pretty intense," said Ash. "You guys think Meowth is gonna be okay?"

"Don't worry," Giselle reassured him. "AJ pushes Pokemon hard, but he takes care to keep it within their limits."

"Are you sure about that?" said Sam. "Meowth looks like he's going to collapse."

They then looked over at the racetrack, where Meowth was gasping for breath. On the other hand, Sandshrew was running along the track without any issues whatsoever.

"Well, Sandshrew seems fine," Mikaela pointed out. "He's probably had more time to get used to this kind of training."

"Vee!"

"You really don't think there's anything wrong with training like this?" said Maria. "I mean, it does seem kind of brutal."

"I mean, it is way more intense than what most trainers would do," said Mikaela. "But Sandshrew seems to be really well taken care of. And it's clearly a lot stronger than others of it's species."

"You sure know a lot about this," Giselle noted. "You'll make a pretty good Pokemon breeder one day."

"Thanks!"

They then watched as Meowth collapsed on the race track, with Sandshrew stopping briefly to blow its tongue at him.

"You know," said Ash, "you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Meowth groaned as he tried to lift a pair of weights.

"If Sandshrew… can do it… I can too!"

Finally, he lifted the weights over his head. Unfortunately for him, the weight of the two objects pulled his paws backwards, causing him to fall backwards.

"Ack!" the scratch cat Pokemon cried as he landed on his back.

"Meowth!" said Ash.

Sandshrew rolled its eyes as it watched the two.

Ash watched as his starter lay on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Maybe we should call it quits for now," said Ash. "I know you want to get strong, but I don't want you to get hurt."

"Okay," Meowth gasped. "Maybe later…"

He then turned his gaze towards the gym's swimming pool.

"Hey… maybe I'm just really tired and seeing things, but is Sandshrew swimming?"

The group looked in the same direction as Meowth, and we're surprised by the sight.

"Whoa!" said Ash. "It really is swimming!"

"Aren't Sandshrew weak against water type moves, though?" said Sam.

"Oh yeah," said AJ. "It's part of our training. By spending lots of time in the water, Sandshrew is able to overcome it's weakness to it!"

"Huh," said Ash. "I guess that kind of makes sense."

He then looked down at Meowth.

"Maybe you should train with Riolu, since she's a fighting type, and that's one of your weaknesses."

"Please no," said Meowth.

Afterwards the gang made their way out of the gym along with AJ and Giselle.

"Well," said Ash, "that was… interesting."

"Sure was!" said AJ. "I had a lot of fun teaching you and Meowth how to train better!"

"I don't know if I'd call that "better," said Sam. "But I guess it works."

"It does!" said AJ. "In fact, it works so well I'll beat the league and become the new Indigo League champion!"

"Yeah!" Giselle said in agreement. "I can't wait for you to challenge that girl with the Eevee! She's never going to stand a chance!"

"We did it!"

"Piplup!"

Verity beamed with pride as she held up the Boulder Badge for her sister to see.

"Well done, Riri," Cynthia said as she admired the brown haired girl's newest achievement. "I know that was really hard, but you still managed to pull it off. I'm really… proud of…"

At that moment, Cynthia covered her face as she sneezed loudly.

"Bless you, Tita," said Verity.

"Thanks," said Cynthia as she wiped her nose. She then frowned and scratched her left ear.

"That's weird."

"What?"

"My ear feels really hot for some reason."

"Anyways," said AJ, "We'll be leaving now. Since I have that 100 win streak I wanted, I can finally get on the road to challenge the league!"

"Sounds great," said Ash. "I'll be waiting for you!"

"You bet!" said AJ. "And make sure that Meowth keeps training!"

"Well there's no way I'm losing to that rat again," said Meowth. "You'll see!"

Sandshrew gave Meowth a dubious look, then climbed up onto AJ's shoulder.

"Aw, he likes to do that too!" said Mikaela.

"Eevee!" Eevee said in approval.

AJ smiled as he gave his partner a surprisingly affectionate pat.

"Alright!" he said. "The sooner we get out of here, the quicker we can get all the badges we need!"

"Well, good luck then!" said Ash.

"Yeah," said Meowth, "hope to see you soon!"

"Have fun!" said Sam.

"Keep training hard!" said Mikaela.

"But not too hard!" said Maria. "Make sure your Pokemon have time to rest too!"

"Eevee!"

"Rattata!"

"...Pika."

"You got it!" said AJ. "See ya later!"

"Bye!"

With that, AJ and Giselle walked away holding each other's hands. As the group watched the two leave, Sam turned to Mikaela.

"I gotta say, I'm kind of surprised that you were right," he said. "I mean, most people would be pretty worried if they heard about someone with 'savage' pokemon."

"Well, it could be hard to tell sometimes," said Mikaela. "But that kid was really young, and at that age kids tend to be much more prone to exaggeration. And if there had been genuine Pokemon abuse going on, Sandshrew wouldn't have been as strong or as healthy as it was."

"You are… a lot smarter than I thought you were," said Maria.

"Ratttata."

"Oh yeah!" said Mikaela. "I want to be a great breeder one day, so I got to know a lot about Pokemon!"

She then reached into her backpack and pulled out a large black pot.

"It's a shame I didn't get the chance to teach them about my best cooking secrets. How about you guys, though? Do you want-"

"NO!"

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while since I posted the last chapter, hasn't it?

Well, I apologize for taking so long. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do for this chapter. And I really don't like dealing with filler. Eventually I decided to place Giselle in this chapter just so I can skip the school episode. That way we can get to the starters quicker, and I'm really excited about those!

Also, tomorrow's my birthday, so in a way, this is my gift from me to me! ...and also to you.

Anyway, in hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I'll try to get the next one out quickly!