Me: I don't own Pokemon, nor do I own "The Game" from one of the many Pokemon CD's out there!
Ash: I'd think you would at least own a game. What do you do for fun around here?
Me: (sighs) Besides my never-ending collection of stories-not much else, except watch movies, yadda, yadda, yadda…wait, why am I telling you all this anyway?!
Chikorita: Chiko, chiko chikori chiko, chiko. ('Cause if you try to hurt Ash, I'll fire a number of Razor Leaf attacks at your head!)
Me: Oh, yeah…right. (groans) I've gotta find a new line of work.
Pokemon: The Power of Two
Chapter VI-The Power of Sunny Day
"Well, my Charizard isn't a quitter, and neither am I!" –Ash Ketchum, Fighting Flyer with Fire
Last time, Ash was finally discharged from the hospital and, with Misty, Brock and Pikachu, were on their way to search for Entei, the Legendary Pokemon of Fire, unaware that Giovanni had now teamed up with Gary Oak in order to claim the Legendary types for himself. Now, Ash's adventure has once again taken him past Azalea Town for now and has brought him back to the Charicific Valley.
(Theme song; Fanfare starts as Ash says the name of the episode)
Ash: The Power of Sunny Day!
"I can't believe we're almost back here already!" Ash groaned, hanging onto Charizard's back tightly next to Pikachu.
"Pika…"
"Liza did say she would send Charla out to pick us up." Misty said, offering Ash a smile.
"Yeah, for you guys! I have to ride Charizard!" Ash ranted heatedly.
"Just be happy you've gotten the chance to ride Charizard, Ash. Your lucky I even let him leave at all." Liza said from Charla's back.
"What are you talking about?" Ash asked, his anger replaced with confusion.
"The day I let Charizard leave was a few weeks before your big Johto League Championships. He had learned a lot, grown a lot and gained a lot of experience. But nothing would make Charizard content until he defeated Charla in a one-on-one battle…"
Flashback: Before the Johto League
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Ash's Charizard roared proudly, issuing a challenge to Liza's prize Pokemon, Charla. Liza exited the cave with Charla by her side.
"Are you sure you're ready to battle with Charla? The first time I let you, she sent you down to the fountain. The second time you said you were ready, you were wounded, and you couldn't fly for three days! So, I'll ask you again: are you sure you're ready?"
The Fire/Flying type nodded in agreement, determined in his choice. Charizard imagined his old trainer, Ash was there too, offering his words of encouragement.
("You mean Charizard thought I was there with him?" Ash asked, interrupting momentarily.
"Mm-hmm. That's how most Charizard give themselves a power boost, or try to give themselves confidence-they think that the one person they respect the most is right by their side, showing that they'll never give up." Liza explained.)
"Okay, but the old saying 'third time's a charm' might not work here. Fly, Charla!"
Instantly, Charla flew through the air, aiming straight for Ash's Charizard. He timed it right, then shot upward in the air as fast as possible!
"Use your Flamethrower, Charizard!" Imagining Ash saying that to him, Charizard took aim, then fired a blast of fire at his opponent.
"Dodge it, Charla!" Charizard glared at Charla as she avoided his attack.
"Show him your new attack-Sunny Day!" Immediately, the flame on the tip of Charla's tail burst to the same height a Rage attack would take. Charizard narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge the strength of the new attack. Growling, Charla fired a powerful blast of flame that Charizard couldn't avoid, and he spiraled to the ground in pain!
"Charizard, are you all right?" Once again seeing the concern in Ash's eyes, Charizard struggled to get to his feet, ignoring the pain he felt in his body.
"Time to finish him off for good, Charla-Wing Attack!" Liza demanded. Charla dive-bombed Charizard with her wings stretched out as far as possible.
"Try a Fly attack, Charizard!" This time, Charizard was able to take to the sky, his wing not injured like it had been against Falkner. He skillfully dodged Charla's Wing Attack with ease.
"Use your Fire Spin, Charla!" Charizard cried out as the powerful fire attack struck and caused him damage, critical damage!
"We should stop the battle now, before you get too hurt to continue." Liza suggested. Charizard growled under his breath as he focused his attention toward Charla's trainer.
"This is ending pretty much the same way that it ended before-you on the ground, not taking advantage during some situations and still not recognizing your own limitations and just showing that you haven't gained much experience while you've been here." Charizard saw Ash one last time, fighting on his side, giving him the confidence needed to continue. "I've said this before, and I'll say it again-my Charizard isn't a quitter, and neither am I! You can do it, buddy-you've taken on a Poliwrath and won by using a Fighting attack. You almost took out a Dragonite during the Orange League and were able to use teamwork to your advantage against Alakazam and Marowak-I know you can do it now, too!" Charizard roared confidently as he used his Take Down attack on Charla!
"I knew you could do it!" Charizard smiled as Charla hit the ground and noticed that the battle had attracted the other Charizard in the valley.
"Finish him off with Sunny Day!" Liza yelled.
"Dodge it and finish Charla off with a Seismic Toss!" Growling, Charizard grappled with Charla and pulled her into a bear hug, spinning around in the air, the picture of the Earth in the background. WHAM! Charizard dropped Charla back on the ground once more, landing with patience. Charla got up and steadied herself before trying to launch her Sunny Day attack. Charizard didn't give her the chance, shooting a quick Flamethrower at her face, which effectively knocked her out and ended the battle.
"Congratulations, Charizard!"
"Pika!"
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Charizard fired one last Flamethrower into the skies in success before turning to Liza, who was smiling herself.
"I should've guessed that you would have a Fighting attack like Seismic Toss as part of your arsenal. I can see why Ash didn't have you use it before. Well, you've defeated Charla in battle with a great strategy. Did you give yourself confidence by thinking about Ash?" The Fire Pokemon nodded.
"Then go and find him. You've learned all you need to learn here, and if you ever want to come back, you can." Liza said. Roaring excitedly, Charizard flew off, taking notice that all the other Charizard were also growling as well. Finally, he was going home…to stay.
End flashback
Finally landing at the Charicific Valley, Ash looked at Charizard before hugging him tightly, showing his tears.
"That was great…" Misty had to wipe away her tears since Ash wasn't there to do it.
"So, how much has Charizard learned while being back with you, Ash?"
"Well, he took down a Typhlosion during the Johto League, and an Arcanine. If you mean attack-wise, I haven't taught him anything else. What I'm curious about is this Sunny Day attack." Ash wiped his tears off before pulling out Dexter. A picture of Charizard appeared on the screen.
"Sunny Day-this extremely powerful Fire attack increases the firepower of normal fire abilities such as Flamethrower or Fire Spin, occasionally even Fire Blast."
"I don't see why Fire Blast needs to be enhanced. That attack's pretty powerful even without Sunny Day." Brock said.
"Have you ever battled with a Blastoise using a Charizard before?" Liza retorted.
"No, but I see your point. Now that we're on land again, how about you and I go and observe how these Charizard have been doing without Ash's pal around, huh?" Before Liza could even think about answering, Misty yanked Brock away, by his ear, holding Togepi.
"We came here to see how the Charizard were doing, not see you babble on and on, Brock!"
"Toge-toge-prrrrrri!"
"So, Ash, have you ever had Charizard use Sunny Day?" Liza asked. Ash grimaced, unsure of what to tell her.
"Truthfully, I've never heard about-"
Before Ash could finish his explanation, a burst of fire was shot in the air a second later, and it wasn't because of Charizard, or Charla either! Everyone looked up to see Entei, the Pokemon of Fire appear before them.
"Entei: The Legendary Pokemon. Details about this extremely rare type are unknown."
"Why do I even bother?" Ash sighed, looking back up at Entei once again.
Together, wherever we go
In battle, we learn and we grow…
"Stand back, Ash. This Pokemon could be dangerous, and Charla can handle this with just one attack-Sunny Day!" Before the flame on Charla's tail could grow, Entei growled and fired a quick blast of flame at her, instantly knocking her out!
"Guess it's up to you and me, Charizard. You ready?" The Fire/Flying type nodded, waiting for Ash and Pikachu to get on his back before taking off, ignoring Liza's warnings to wait.
"Since we've battled with Entei before, we know what to expect, right?" Ash asked. Pikachu and Charizard agreed with him, wondering what they could do.
"Charizard, use your Flamethrower!"
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!" Charizard shot a burst of fire at Entei, who retaliated instantly. The two beams of fire collided and exploded almost immediately!
"We have to win-if not for the world, then to prove that I can be one of the best, and so is Charizard! With Pikachu, Misty, Brock, Chikorita and Charizard by my side, we can't lose!" Ash thought to himself, wondering how Entei had been able to find them all the way out here.
With courage when we're put to the test, desire to be the very best
And good friends to share in the magic journey
WHAM! Entei slammed into Charizard's belly, sending the three of them back to the ground hard!
"Ash, are you okay? Say something!" Misty pleaded, running up to him and helping him and Pikachu up.
"I'll live-I think." Charizard growled in a low voice, feeling the trickle of blood running down his face and seeing blood flowing from Ash's lips.
"Entei must be at an extremely advanced level if he can defeat Charla! Does Charizard stand a chance?" Liza spoke up. Ash turned to her with a glint in his eyes.
"Unlike Charla, Charizard and I have taken on this Pokemon before. We lost, but he gained experience. I think Charizard's ready to use Sunny Day now! Let's give it our all!" Ash insisted confidently. Charizard roared in response, waiting for Ash to get on his back.
As Ash climbed on, Misty quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it and just gazing at him.
"Remember what happened last time-don't you dare leave me again." Misty whispered.
"I won't-not this time." Ash wiped the blood off his lips before kissing her on the cheek and taking off to face Entei once more.
With power when we need to be strong, and comfort when the struggle is long, we hold on to all that we know is true!
It's always only what we make it
We see our chance and then we take it
The road is long, so don't delay it
To be a Pokemon Master-we train!
"Just see this battle like a game, or a Pokemon match." Ash suggested. Charizard quickly eyed his friend with a look that said, "Are you nuts?"
"Follow me on this. Just do what you did against Charla-dodge Entei's fire attacks and we should wear him out. Unlike you, he can't fly, so that's the advantage we have over him!" Charizard snorted, agreeing with Ash and looking back ahead toward Entei.
The Fire-type, like Raikou, was tired of prolonging the fight, so he fired a burst of fire. Charizard and Ash avoided it with ease, but it came close!
"Ash, be careful!" Misty cried out.
"Pika-pi!"
"If anyone can take on Entei and win after losing, it's gotta be Ash!" Brock said calmly.
Chorus: Forever and everywhere we go, we offer the best of what we know
While hand in hand we walk as one, from battles lost to battles won with the Pokemon we claim in the spirit of the game
The spirit of the game!
"Nice work, Charizard! It looks like we're wearing Entei out." Ash complimented his Pokemon while circling Entei high in the sky. A second after he said that, the Fire-type opened his mouth wide and a ball of fire appeared. Ash held in his breath as he pulled out Dexter.
"While information about Entei is limited, one of the attacks he has in his arsenal is Sunny Day."
"Oh…boy. DIVE, CHARIZARD! NOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard tried to dive, but Entei's Sunny Day attack powered up his Flamethrower, striking Ash and Charizard and causing them a lot of damage!
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"CHARRRRRRRRR!!!!!"
"Ash!"
"Pika-pi!"
The challenge is everywhere for you and me if we only dare to hold on to all that we know is true!
You're for me and I'm for you-loyal always, through and through
We know now what we all must do
To be a Pokemon Master-we train!
"Charizard, are you okay?" Ash gasped out, feeling some blood running down his arm.
"Great-it's broken, no doubt!" Truthfully, Ash just had a gash on his shoulder and he was steadily losing blood. Charizard was okay, but he wasn't happy that Ash had gotten so deeply hurt, and just for him! The flame on the tip of his tail burst beyond his limitations! A ball of fire appeared in his mouth, and Charizard took careful aim at Entei.
Chorus: Forever and everywhere we go we offer the best of what we know
While hand in hand, we walk as one from battles lost to battles won with the Pokemon we claim in the spirit of the game
The spirit of the game!
We try, we aim high, and we reach for the sky-sky high!
Together, wherever we go-in battle we learn and we grow!
"Misty, look!" Brock yelled. Misty was near tears when Ash had gotten up and revealed the gash on his arm, but Liza said it was nothing to worry about. Ash would be back up and running before long. Misty tore her attention away from Ash and saw what everyone else did-Charizard had finally learned to use Sunny Day! Knowing it was probably foolish of him, Ash used his good arm and pulled out Dexter again.
"Even though Charizard learns Sunny Day at a very high level, if one of them is very angry, he could learn it in the heat of battle."
Ash had to grin, pulling out one of the two Heavy Balls Whitney had given him and Misty in Goldenrod. "Go for it, Charizard-use that Sunny Day attack and power up your Flamethrower!"
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!" The Sunny Day move had powered up Charizard's Flamethrower so much, a gigantic blast of flame shot out and hit Entei, instantly knocking him out! Ash knew if he was to capture Entei, it would have to be now.
"Heavy Ball, GO!" Ash yelled, tossing it with his left arm. It struck Entei and sucked him in. Ash and Charizard waited with patience as the ball shook and rattled. After a moment or so, it pinged and stopped shaking. Ash hobbled over to the Heavy Ball and picked it up.
"WE DID IT, CHARIZARD! WE GOT ENTEI!"
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!"
"Pi, pikachu!"
Chorus: Forever and everywhere we go, we offer the best of what we know
While hand in hand we walk as one from battles lost to battles won with the Pokemon we claim in the spirit of the game! (continue until end)
"Congratulations, Ash!" Misty cried happily, running up to him and hugging him.
"Ahh! We won the match, but I'm still hurt, Mist." Ash insisted.
"Like I told Misty-you'll be back on your feet in a few days, just as soon as I get that wound wrapped up." Liza said calmly. "Your Charizard did a fantastic job! He finally learned Sunny Day and his flame went even higher than Charla's did. I wonder if you'd want to take up that offer I gave you when you left to find Ash?"
Charizard eyed Ash, then thought of everything he'd gone through since being with him…when he'd taken on Entei the first time, defeating Typhlosion and Arcanine during the Johto League, battling Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos and even Lugia…learning to work with Chikorita against Raikou, and learning how much one young, aspiring Pokemon trainer truly cared about him. The Fire Pokemon shook his head and declined the offer.
"Then it's our loss, because you've got a Pokemon with truly great potential, Ash. Don't ever give him up to anybody-not even me!" Liza said. "Sure he can train with us every now and then, but he's always your Fire Pokemon, not mine."
"Thanks, Liza. Come on, Charizard-let's go."
"Not before she wraps up your arm, Ash!" Misty retorted, pulling him off Charizard's back carefully.
"But, can't a doctor do that too?"
"You think Charizard's able to carry you after what you guys both went through? We all need to rest!"
Everyone else laughed at the sight of Ash and Misty, Misty dragging Ash away, Ash struggling in vain to get free.
And so, thanks to Charizard finally learning how to use Sunny Day, Ash was able to capture Entei and claim him as one of his own! What's in store for our heroes in the next adventure, since Team Rocket didn't show up in this one? That means they could be planning something dastardly!