Chapter 11: Trouble follows Dawn and Max's Gym Battle
Smiling at her friend's victory for the Oreburgh City's gym - May threw confetti over Dawn and did one more last cheer for her. "This is just great - Dawn! Now what should we do?" May asked. "Since Max's battle isn't until tomorrow?"
"I want to check out the museum" Dawn said smiling to them. "It'd be a great way to learn more about Pokemon Fossils too!"
Max looked at May. "I'm going to train Treecko and Ralts a bit more - I would use Azumarill, however, like Dawn, I'd need a few badges to use her - but she can watch me battle to learn what my skills are like" Max announced.
"I'll help you with training, Max. I did promise you I'd train with you when you're able to have Pokemon" Ash said smiling to him.
"Really? Thank you, Ash!" Max said.
"I'll go with you then, Dawn" May said.
"I'll stay behind and help Max train too; I need to train Bonsly a lot more after what happened with Team Shadow" Brock announced recalling the humiliating defeat.
The five friends made their way to the Pokemon Center to let Dawn heal Piplup then they split up from there. Ash, Max and Brock went to the battlefield they had set up while Dawn and May changed back into their regular clothes and went to the museum.
"How are we going to look for the twerps here, Cassidy?" Butch asked looking dumbfounded as the duo were left in the Battle Park. He and Cassidy looked around only to see strong looking trainers with their Pokemon.
Cassidy was just as confused as Butch was. "We would have no idea how to find them here. We'd have to try and give it our best to ensure we don't mention we're not with Team Rocket and ensure we can find out who could be the twerps" Cassidy suggested. "We'd have to blend in so we'd better train our Pokemon too!"
"But what if they're not even here?" Butch asked.
"If they're not - we'd be stuck here since I have no idea if they have a boat or ship that can go here" Cassidy said with a groan. "Though if you think of it that way, it's a nice place to live for a while!"
"You know - on the bright side, we could steal the strong Pokemon for Giovanni!" Butch suggested.
"You're a genius, Brick!" Cassidy said, smiling to Butch.
"It's BUTCH! Why can't everyone get my name right?!" Butch snapped at her. "And thanks - I knew that. We'd better start exploring and finding our way around and book a place to stay!" he told her, Cassidy nodded in agreement.
James looked at Jessie. "Jess, do you think it's a good idea to ring up all the Pokemon Centers to see if they know where Ash and the others are? It'd be the only way we can get their help before we tell Jenny" He asked. He and Jessie were sitting together on their bed - trying to figure what to do next, Meowth was fast asleep at the end of it. Jessie was wearing a red night dress while James wore blue pyjama shorts and a shirt - they had spent most of their day in the room.
"I think that's a great idea, James. Nurse Joy should be able to tell us where they are. When Meowth wakes up from his nap, we'll go and call them, in the meantime - we have to figure out a lot of things like what Pokemon I'll be using in the contests, and we'd also have to train our Pokemon properly to help you with your gym battles" Jessie answered then kissed his cheek.
"Are you sure you don't want to join gym battles, Jess? You'd be epic - but as you said - we need to train. I'll join contests with you if you join gym battles with me?" James said, smiling to his girlfriend.
"I guess it won't hurt to try something new, James. We'd need to figure out how to earn money too" Jessie said. "Wonder if Meowth would be interested in entering the contest as himself - imagine the audience being so speechless to hear him talk!" she looked at their Pokemon who was sleeping at the end of their bed. "He's really cute! Just like you, James" she gushed, resting her head on James's shoulder.
"Jessie, sweetheart, I'm lucky to have you!" James said, putting his right hand on her cheek, he then pressed his lips against hers, pulling them into another kiss.
Dawn and May arrived at the Oreburgh City Museum and were happy to know that entrance was free. The two girls stayed together and took a brochure to learn what the museum had to offer and where. Not too far away from them was Paul who had been looking at the fossils, he glanced at the girls, Dawn noticed him and smiled.
"Hi Paul! I thought you would've left Oreburgh City by now" Dawn said as she and May walked over to him.
"Obviously you're wrong. Do I know you?!" Paul asked putting his hands in his pockets.
"Why you're so rude!" Dawn snapped as she walked up to him. "You met us earlier and were..." at that point - May grabbed hold of her arms, noticing that she was about to lose it with him. Dawn flailed her arms as May held her back.
"Dawn - relax - he's not worth it" May told her, Dawn stopped and huffed.
"You're right, May" Dawn replied and calmed down.
"Heh - pathetic. What happened to the others? Not like I care anyway" Paul asked noticing that Ash, Max and Brock weren't with them.
"They're training for the gym battle" May told him, annoyed with his attitude.
"What about the Aerodactyl? Did you let it go?" Paul asked remembering seeing that on the news.
Dawn and May looked at one another. "That's something you'll never be able to find out. We don't want Aerodactyl to get into the wrong hands" Dawn answered, earning a glare from Paul.
"Pathetic! See you losers later then" Paul simply walked out afterwards.
"Why that rotten brat, someone aughta!" Dawn snapped after Paul left - May looked at her in surprise.
"Dawn - calm, down. Like I said earlier, Paul's not worth it. Besides, we've got other things to check out - let's look at other parts of the museum" May said smiling to her as she placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder.
Dawn sighed. "You're right May" Dawn said as she looked back at Paul. "I wonder why he's like that?!"
May shrugged. "Not sure - some guys are different - let's go and have a look at the fossils" she suggested - unaware that trouble was lurking around the corner for both her and Dawn.
Paul stayed in the museum and for some reason - his instincts told him to stay close to Dawn and May. He had a feeling that something bad was going to happen to them and since Ash and the others weren't there, he had to stay close to them to ensure they'd be safe.
"Is that the bluenette?" Paul heard someone say - he looked around and noticed two men dressed in the Team Shadow uniform - how they slipped past security had him puzzled.
"Yeah - that's her with the brunette. She's got Aerodactyl I bet since she won't disclose its whereabouts. We need Aerodactyl to go with our plans - the ones we have isn't going to be enough" the second Team Shadow grunt said.
"How are we going to catch her to steal Aerodactyl from her, Eric?" The Team Shadow Grunt asked - Paul stayed and listened to him.
'She might think I'm mean - but I want to ensure she and that brunette are out of harm's way, and I don't want her to get hurt' Paul thought with a frown as he stayed close to Team Shadow while pretending to look at different things in the museum.
"We'll have to do it a way people aren't looking - since Pokemon aren't allowed to be used in this museum - we'll resort to plan two, Marcus" Eric answered. Eric had long black hair and brown eyes, he was rather tall and wore sunglasses. He and Marcus wore a black backpack with the Team Shadow logo on it.
Marcus had short spikey red hair and hazel eyes - like Eric he too wore sunglasses. "Right - got it!" Marcus took off his backpack and unzipped it. Paul watched and glanced at May and Dawn who were busy looking at fossils and chatting to museum staff.
'How do they know if she has Aerodactyl anyway? She said the location is disclosed and she won't reveal it' Paul thought as he watched Marcus get something out of his backpack - it was a small box - which made Paul curious and concerned. He watched as Marcus nodded to Eric and gave the box to him, Eric then started to walk over to Dawn, and May who be now alone chatting away excitedly about the fossils they had seen.
"*ahem* I'm Daniel from the Shadow Research Company and we've chosen you to be one of the test subjects of our new project we're working on" Eric said catching Dawn's attention - this is where Paul began to worry.
Paul made his way over to the girls, ready to protect them if needed.
"Oh, hi Daniel, I'm Dawn and it's nice to meet you - this is my best friend, May. What is the subject you're working on?" Dawn asked - not noticing he was a member of Team Shadow, May didn't take notice either.
Eric smiled now he knew the bluenette's name. "It allows us to conduct further research on Aerodactyl - rumour has it you know where one is. We want to do more research on how it was living in the past - to do that - we need you to hold this box which will show a holographic image display of what you need to learn about the study" Eric told them as he was about to pass the box to Dawn.
Paul's eyes widened when he saw Eric smirk as he was about to give the box to Dawn - it was that time, Paul quickly tackled Eric to the ground. "It's a trap - don't touch the box!" Paul warned the girls.
"What's in it?" May asked - deciding to listen to him for a change.
"Why not touch it and find out?" Eric asked as he attempted to push Paul off him, however, Paul wasn't having it - he pinned the Team Shadow member to the ground.
"Aw - cute, you want to protect your bluenette girlfriend, don't you? You must've overheard our plans! Don't worry, Dawn, your boyfriend will be in safe hands with us!" Marcus said then took out a smoke bomb from his pocket.
Paul blushed slightly at the thought of being Dawn's boyfriend. "I won't let you hurt her!" he snapped at Eric and Marcus. "RUN!" He told Dawn and May.
"Paul!" Dawn called out in concern after spotting Marcus holding a ball.
Eric kneed Paul hard in the stomach, as he did, Marcus threw the smoke bomb onto the ground, which caused smoke to come out - covering the whole museum with it.
"PAUL!" Dawn cried out - worried about him after she had seen Eric kneeing him in the stomach. May too was worried but she knew she couldn't do a thing until the smoke cleared - which it took a while for it to do so.
When the smoke was gone - Team Shadow were too. However, Paul was still there, he had been kneeling down on the ground, attempting to ignore the pain he got form being kneed in the stomach. Dawn ran to him, relieved to see he was still there.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked in concern as she placed a hand on his shoulder. May ran to him as well, wondering the same thing.
Paul got up, placing his hands on his stomach - which hurt. "This is nothing. I don't trust them though - I think they're after Aerodactyl - one of them said you know the location" he added.
"What would they want with Aerodactyl?" May asked worried what would happen in an event of Aerodactyl getting in the wrong hands.
"To cause chaos - duh! Whatever their plans is; you'd better tell the others and stay close with them!" Paul told them and made his way out of the museum, holding his stomach as he did.
"Wait, before you leave, thank you for protecting us, Paul" Dawn said, May nodded in agreement, though she was overwhelmed of what happened.
Paul simply shrugged and walked out without another word; he was in pain so he couldn't exactly say much at that point. His plan was to go back to the Pokemon Center - rest a bit and find out more information about Team Shadow.
"Should we go and tell Ash? I don't feel comfortable at the museum after what happened" May asked, looking worried. "Since we're not allowed to use Pokemon here, its best to return to the others."
Dawn nodded, though all she could think about was the events that happened - what would've happened if Paul wasn't there to protect them and spoil Team Shadow's plans? Would she and May have been captured by them? She worried about him too and hoped he'd recover.
Dawn stayed quiet on their journey back to Ash, Brock and Max.
"You're back early!" Ash commented expecting the two friends to stay most of the day at the museum.
"A lot happened at the museum, and we ended up coming back, but I'm really worried about Paul though" Dawn said in concern. That caught Ash's attention.
"What happened and why would you be worried about him? He wasn't really nice to us back in the mines and isn't nice to his Pokemon" Ash asked. Max and Brock stopped battling and turned their attention to the girls.
Dawn told them what had happened with a concerned face expression as she did.
"What?! They must be after your Aerodactyl then, Dawn. We'd better stick together to protect them and you. I don't know what their plans are but Team Shadow sound worse than Team Rocket!" Ash said in concern. Brock and Max nodded in agreement.
"We'll need to train hard so we can defend ourselves against them - they're smarter than Team Rocket when it comes to battles from my experience. They knocked Bonsly out in one swipe" Brock said. "I'll catch some more Pokemon too!" he added.
For the rest of the afternoon, the five friends trained their Pokemon, Dawn wished she could let Aerodactyl watch them, however, knew they wouldn't be safe if they did. "Do you think it's possible for Team Shadow to disguise themselves?" she asked, unaware that Paul had been watching them train to keep an eye out on Team Shadow too after he had returned from doing research.
"Duh. That's what they'd do; I've done some research on them and found a few interesting things while you were training" Paul announced, his hands still over his stomach, Dawn sympathized him, after all, he did protect her and May.
"Paul? What did you find out and how are you feeling?" Dawn asked.
"I've been through worse. As to the research - Team Shadow have been planning to make an army of Aerodactyl to cause chaos and destruction around Sinnoh - they want one for each place in Sinnoh. So far, they've managed to get about eight from what I've seen; don't let them know where the other one is. Their plan is to rebuild a better Sinnoh" Paul explained, holding onto his stomach, the pain was still there, but he did his best to put a straight face expression on.
"A better Sinnoh? What's wrong with Sinnoh the way it is now? Why use Aerodactyl?" Ash asked.
"Typical. Don't you get it? They want THEIR own version of Sinnoh - they want to destroy it and create their own world and somehow ensure that we follow their lead" Paul replied.
"That's horrible - we've gotta stop them. But how? We don't know how many members there are in the team and what they all look like aside from the ones we've seen, but even then, they can probably change experience" Dawn said.
"They have hide-outs all over Sinnoh, in places you'd least expect them to be according to what I've read and duh they'll change their appearance" Paul told them.
"Wouldn't they be after you, since you protected Dawn - thank you for saving her and May by the way" Ash said, wishing he was with them. "If they'd be after you - why don't you join us?"
Paul slightly blushed at the idea of travelling with Dawn and looked away, he didn't want to show the others him blushing. "I travel alone" he answered, rejecting the offer. He then began walking away to return back to the Pokemon Center. Dawn looked concerned when he walked away.
"Now what?" Max asked.
"We still train our Pokemon - we need to watch out for Team Shadow as Paul mentioned and stay together no matter what" Ash answered. "And of course - have fun!" he added smiling to his friends.
After training their Pokemon for a while longer - the group of friends returned to the Pokemon Center, Ash and May returned the Pokemon they borrowed temporarily to help Dawn out. Ash told Misty the latest about what Paul said about Team Shadow - he planned to tell his parents when they return home.
The next day, the five woke early, changed into their usual clothes and had breakfast before heading down to the gym for Max's battle - May and Dawn decided to dress in their cheerleading outfits to cheer Max on for his first battle. Ash was getting pretty excited for his too.
"Hello Max, are you ready for your gym battle?" Roark asked greeting the excited trainer.
"You bet! I'm just so thrilled. I can't use Azumarill since she's too strong for me at the moment, so I have two Pokemon to use. My Treecko - as you can see and another Pokemon" Max said - not wanting to give Ralts away just yet. He hoped the strategy he worked on could help him win the battle. "I'll let Azumarill watch though" He said smiling to Roark.
Roark nodded. "That's fine for me - Max. Let's go in and get the battle started - were you all at the Pokemon Performance last night by any chance?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah - we heard the explosion that came from the mines, turned out Team Shadow are up to no good" Max answered. May, Ash, Brock and Dawn sat on the seats at the gym with their Pokemon out watching the battle - Max gave Azumarill to Ash to look after.
"I heard that and about the Aerodactyl too - wonder where it could be - I hope they don't get their hands on the Pokemon" Roark said in concern for the Pokemon.
"I'm sure Aerodactyl will be fine wherever they are!" Max said with a grin - he wasn't going to tell Roark they had Aerodactyl especially if someone could be listening.
"Wherever it is, it won't distract me from the gym battle!" Roark said as he went to his end of the gym while Max stood at the challenger end with Treecko by his side.
"The gym battle between Max and Roark will now begin!" the gym keeper announced, waving the flag down to signal the battle.
"Come on out - Steelix!" Roark said - catching Max off guard. He was certain Roark would've sent Cranidos out first like he did with Dawn.
"Treecko - stay put. Ralts, it's your turn to battle!" Max took out his Pokeball and called out his Physic Pokemon.
"I can't wait to watch Max's first gym battle!" May gushed - feeling proud of her little brother.
"Me too - I know he'd be great!" Ash agreed, Dawn and Brock nodded.
"I'm interested to see how your first move goes, Max" Roark said.
'If everything goes according to plan - I should be able to win against Steelix using Ralts!' Max thought with a smug look on his face. "Ralts - use Hypnosis" he ordered. In the background, he could hear May and Dawn cheer him on.
Ralts obeyed and used Hypnosis - causing Steelix to curl up into a ball and fall asleep.
"Oh no!" Roark said in concern, wondering if he should switch or rely on luck. He decided the later.
""Steelix -wake up!" Roark cried - however, Steelix was still sleeping.
Max grinned. "Ralts - use Confusion." Ralts obeyed and used Confusion which did little damage to Steelix, however, made him confused in effect, though Steelix managed to sleep though that move too.
"Steelix - wake up!" Roark repeated his request for his Pokemon to budge - however, Steelix was now confused and sleeping.
"Max really knows what he's doing" Dawn said in admiration, May nodded. She didn't expect her brother to have a unique combination of attacks.
Max repeated the move set counting Physic until Steelix fainted.
"That was an intense battle, Max. Thank you - Steelix you did a great job - return. I think you know who is next - Rampardos let's go!" Roark called out his second Pokemon.
"I had a feeling that one was next" Max said. "Ralts - return! Treecko, you're up" Max said. "Azumarill, this is how we'll be battling in the future"
"Wow - Rampardos?" Dawn stared at the Pokemon in surprise - when she battled she remembered him being a Cranidos. She took out her Pokedex and scanned the details for the Pokemon. "Let me see: Rampardos: The Rock type Pokemon: Its powerful headbutt has enough power to shatter even the most durable things upon impact! Becareful, Max - Rampardos sounds powerful!" Dawn warned him.
"Thank you, Dawn for the heads up. Treecko - let's start this with Leech Seed" Max ordered - determined to beat Rampardos knowing how tough the Pokemon was as a Cranidos.
'This gives me an idea on what I'll be up against tomorrow' Ash thought as he watched Max's battle.
"Rampardos - Headbutt" Roark ordered - he was testing Max though had a plan up his sleeve.
"Dodge that and use Bullet Seed" Max ordered, however, it was too late, Rampardos used his powerful Headbutt against Treecko, sending Treecko flying a bit, however, Treecko managed to turn that around by jumping on one of the boulders and used Bullet Seed then on the spot, aiming for his head.
"Rampardos - use Flamethrower!" Roark said - determined to defeat Max in the battle.
"Treecko - quick, use Detect" Max ordered, smiling as he heard his sister and Dawn cheer him on.
"You can do this, Max!" Dawn called out - May nodded and waved her pom poms around as did Dawn.
Fortunately, Flamethrower didn't work for Treecko and Rampardos felt the effects of Leech Seed working.
"I was saving this move - Treecko, use Mega Drain!" Max ordered. Treecko jumped onto a nearby rock again then used Mega Drain on Rampardos, draining most of it's energy, Rampardos started panting.
"Oh no, Rampardos! Use Endaevor" Roark called out - hoping that would work for Treecko too. Now both Treecko and Rampardos had the similar amount of energy left, leaving both Pokemon exhausted.
Max knew he had to act fast. "Use Mega Drain again!" he ordered hoping that Treecko had enough energy to do just that - which he did much to Max's relief.
Rampardos's energy was drained, causing him to faint.
"Rampardos is unable to battle, Treecko is the winner!" the gym keeper announced.
Treecko returned to Max's side, Max smiled and hugged him.
"You are doing a great job, Treecko. You can have a rest now, Ralts should have enough energy for the last one. Come on out, Ralts" Max said.
"Graveler, your up!" Roark said. "I must say, Max. If you keep this up - you'll be the Pokemon League Champion in no time!"
"Ralts - use Hypnosis on Graveler and thank you, Roark!" Max ordered.
Ralts used Hypnosis on Graveler, sending the Pokemon to sleep.
"Graveler - wake up and use Roll Out!" Roark ordered - however, like Steelix, Graveler was sound asleep.
Max used the similar move set again on Graveler until Graveler was unable to battle.
"Graveler is unable to battle - Ralts wins the match! Congratulations, Max - that was really intense" the gym keeper announced.
"Alright, Ralts! We did it, Treecko. Azumarill, that's how we will be battling in the future" Max said, hugging both his Ralts and Treecko.
"I didn't expect to see someone defeat me with a Ralts. Your battle style is unique, Max. Congratulations on your victory - I'm proud to present you your Coal Badge!" Roark announced smiling as he gave the badge to Max.
"Oh wow, I really did it! I won my very first gym battle! I can't believe it - with the help of my Pokemon, I think we'll be unstoppable! Thank you, again for your battle, Roark, you're up next tomorrow, Ash!" Max said in excitement.
Azumarill jumped from Ash's lap and ran up to Max excitedly. "Azu-mar-ill! Great work, Max!)" Azumarill told him, and hugged him. Max smiled and hugged her back.
"Thank you, Azumarill. One more badge and you should be able to join in a battle" Max promised her.
"Azu-mar-ill! (I can't wait!)" Azumarill said as he hugged her. Ash, Max, May and Dawn congratulated him.
"What should we do now?" Max asked.
"I vote we go to a cafe to celebrate your win!" May suggested smiling to her brother. "I'm proud of you, Max" she said.
"Aw, thank you, sis!" Max smiled and hugged her.
The five made their way to the cafe after bidding good bye to Roark - when they got there, they saw Paul with his Pokemon.
"Hi Paul!" Dawn said - noticing he quickly looked away, hiding a blush, pretending he didn't see them.
"Typical" Ash muttered.
"No wonder he doesn't have friends" Max muttered quietly.
"But he did save Dawn and I from Team Shadow... he's mysterious" May pointed out, wondering why Paul was that way.
"If I don't know any better... By the sounds of things and the way he acted - maybe he has a crush on you, Dawn?" Brock suggested, making her surprised.
"Me?!" Dawn blinked and shook her head. "I really doubt it, Brock!"
"Think of it - why else would he have protected you and May from Team Shadow?" Brock asked, that alone made Dawn blush.
"Aw - cute! I'll have to help set you two up!" May said smiling to Dawn as the group sat at a table not too far from Paul. Dawn looked at Ash then at May.
"You haven't even confessed to Ash yet!" Dawn whispered to May, causing her to blush.
"It's not the right time! Does this mean you like Paul?" May quickly replied in whisper, leaving the boys confused to why they were talking in whisper.
A waitress with green hair and blue eyes walked up to the table with a notepad and pen. She was wearing a black dress and a white apron and was around Brock's age, at once Brock quickly got up.
"Hi, your name must be Beautiful - because that's what you are! If you want to take my order - I'd love for us to go on a date someday! I'm Brock - your future boyfriend" Brock gushed at once.
Paul watched Brock with the waitress and simply rolled his eyes. 'Pathetic!' he thought.
"Uhm - I'm April and thank you, Brock, however, I've got a boyfriend! What would you like to order?" the waitress, named April replied to Brock's flirtation - leaving him crushed once again.
Max was going to grab his ear but decided to let this one play out for a change to see what happened.
"Anything to heal a broken heart?!" Brock whined sitting back in his seat.
Dawn, Ash, May and Max looked at one another and back at the waitress - they took their orders.
Dawn chose a Bluk Berry Smoothie, May wanted a Pecha Berry one, Ash and Max chose Magost Berry Smoothie and Brock went with a Salac Berry Smoothie. The waitress left then returned with their orders.
"What will we do after since it's still day time?" Dawn asked.
"I vote we check out the museum - I imagine you two didn't get to have a proper look earlier" Max suggested.
"No - we didn't and sure - there are a few things that caught my attention there" May said smiling to Max.
Paul overheard them talk about the museum which made him wonder if Team Shadow were still hanging around there. He got up and recalled his Pokemon then walked over to the group of friends. "Don't forget you can't use your Pokemon in the museum and there's still a high chance of Team Shadow being there" he warned them before making his way there.
"I think that's his way of looking out for you, Dawn" Brock suggested quietly after Paul had left, causing her to blush slightly.
"You mean Dawn likes Paul?" Ash stared at Brock in surprise.
"Other way around" Dawn said shyly, not sure what to think of it. "He's mean to his Pokemon though..." she muttered. "I wonder if... no I can't think of it that way! I need to think of my contest battles and gym battles!" she said smiling changing the subject.
"You wonder if what?" Ash asked curious to know what she was going to say.
"If I could change him..." Dawn replied. "But I don't feel anything towards him yet anyway. I know two of my friends who need to hurry up and confess though before I decide who to end up with!" she added, both Ash and May blushed at that realizing she was talking about them. "Back on topic at the museum - I think we should stay together in case Team Shadow are still there!" she added - the others agreed.
What will happen at the museum?
How will Ash's gym battle go?
What else will happen in the next chapter?
The questions will be answered in Chapter twelve...
To be continued...
Badges:
Dawn: 1
Ash: 0
Max: 1
-
Ribbons:
May: 0
Max: 0
Ash: 0
Dawn:0
Pokemon:
Ash: Pikachu, Noctowl, Turtwig and Charizard
May: Blaziken, Shinx, Beautifly and Glaceon
Dawn: Aeordactyl and Piplup
Max: Azumarill, Treecko and Ralts
Brock: Bonsly
