Last time, on "Pokemon: The Heart of the Cards"...
As Ash and the others awaken to a new day, they soon discover that Maya has not come to wake them...Ash suspects a problem, and sets out to find Maya.
Maya's problem is romantic in origin: how can she tell Michael, a friend that she has always admired and respected, that she loves him?
However, thanks to Brock and his superb songwriting talents, Maya's swansong strikes a chord with Michael, allowing the relationship to bloom.
Now, our heroes make a brief stopover in the arena, but Ash is about to face his most heartpounding challenge yet!
What is this mysterious challenge? Can Ash triumph? Find out!
The Heart of the Cards, part 24: And Rival Makes Three...
"Good morning..." Maya called as she walked in the room.
"Morning..." Ash replied as he poured some orange juice for himself and sat down before a steaming platter of bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. "What's the plan for today?" he asked, pausing to sip his drink.
"Well...you do have a challenge..." Maya began. "from someone named Gary."
"PHHHHHHHBBBBBTTT!!!!" Ash was so surprised by the name of his opponent, he spat out his drink, spraying Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi in the process. "Gary wants to challenge me AGAIN????" he sputtered as he wiped the giant juice stain off his shirt.
"What I wanna know is...does Gary ever know when to quit?" Misty grumbled as she wiped up the table.
Maya was puzzled. "What's the matter?"
"Gary and I go way back..." Ash explained as he walked over to the closet and put on a clean shirt. "Ever since I've left on my journey to become a Pokemon Master, he always following me with his personal pep squad, taunting me that he can be bigger, stronger, faster, and all out better than me."
"But time and again, you've shown him that the biggest, strongest, and fastest don't always win..." Misty started.
"Well, he apparently must think he's the best, with all the times he's shown up..." Ash grumbled as he grabbed his tin from the table and started for the door.
"What are we waiting for?" Brock cried. "Let's go down to the arena and kick Gary clear into the stratosphere...maybe then he won't bother you for a while."
"Are you sure we have a shoe big enough to kick him that far?" Ash asked quizzically as the group walked down the hall.
"It's only an expression!" Misty grumbled, annoyed.
---------
Gary smirked as Ash and the others entered the arena. "I bet I can win hands down if I only put down two prizes instead of four, then watch Ash cry when I take'em both!" he thought. He snickered to himself, pleased with his plot.
"Got everything?" Misty asked as Ash checked his deck one last time.
"Yeah! I got a few cards from May..." Ash explained as he flashed a few cards before the others. "I'm sure they'll help!"
"Well, good luck." Misty smiled as Ash stepped up to the Sapphire platform.
"Okay!" the ref called, silencing the crowd. "Ruby has requested that both sides select two prizes for the duel instead of four; and the use of only two Pokemon!"
"Huh?" Ash was confused.
"We're gonna duel by speed!" Gary explained. "The fastest one will take both prizes. As as we both know, I am naturally the fastest duelist." He gestured to his stats, RUBY 5 1 2 53 100
"Gary, Gary, run, run, run! Rising higher than the sun!" cheered Gary's cheerleaders.
"Oh yeah?" Ash retorted, turning his cap back as he arranged his cards. "I bet I'm faster than you are!" At this, his stats blipped on the scoreboard: SAPPHIRE 5 1 2 53 90
"Okay then, prove it, Pokedrivel!" Gary sneered, blowing a wisp of hair from his face as the coin went up.
"Sapphire plays first!" the ref called. "And begin!"
"Swablu! I choose you!" Ash announced as a Swablu soared into the arena.
"Go! Growlithe!" Gary called as he flipped up his active card. A Growlithe romped into the arena and barked at the crowd.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Swablu, sing a Lullaby to the Growlithe!" Ash commanded. The Swablu flew up over the Growlithe and began to sing a calm and relaxing melody, causing the Growlithe to slump to the floor, asleep. Gary's HP went down by 20.
"Ruby's turn!"
"Sure, that was pretty, but listen to this..." Gary taunted as he placed a Pokewhistle card down in his play area, making a small metal instrument half the size of a Pokeflute appear in his play area.
----------
"Pokewhistle? What's that?" Misty asked.
"A Pokewhistle is a small instrument half the size of a Pokeflute, making its range an octave higher." Michael explained.
"In fact, Pokewhistles are what most kids that learn to play the Pokeflute start on before they move to the full sized instrument." Brock added.
"Hmm..." Misty was interested.
"The Pokewhistle card, unlike the Pokeflute, only awakens a Pokemon, nothing more." Michael continued. At that second, Gary began a rousing dance tune, causing the audience to clap along in time to the music.
---------
"Thank you..." Gary acknowledged his applause as his Growlithe slammed into the Swablu, making Ash's HP go down by 20. "How's that?"
"Oh yeah?" and Ash laid down Altaria lv. 45 over the Swablu, making an Altaria appear in its place, and boosting his HP to 140.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Altaria! Dragon Dance!" Ash commanded.
"Ria-ria-ri-ri-riiiiiiia!" sang the Altaria as it hopped about the arena floor, summoning images of Dragonites flying. A green arrow appeared next to Ash's attack stat.
"Sapphire's attack is up! All Pokemon receive an attack boost for 3 turns!" the ref announced. "Ruby's turn!"
"Growlithe! Body Slam!" Gary commanded. The Growlithe slammed into the Altaria hard enough to send it flying to the floor, dazed.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Altaria! Dragon Song!" Ash commanded, smiling with pride...
'Alta-alta-ria-ria-alta-riiiiiiiaaaaa!!!!" sang the Altaria, causing various dragon Pokemon to bombard Gary's bench with elemental blasts. The combined force of the attack was so great, it caused Gary's HP to drop to zero!
The others gasped as the ref announced "Game Set! Sapphire wins!" Ash, meanwhile, waved to the crowd as he stepped down from his platform...
---------
"How---how did you manage to defeat me so quickly?" Gary asked, surprised by his loss.
"Simple..." Ash explained. "Dragon Song, when coupled with Dragon Dance, will do 60 damage to all of the opponent's Pokemon."
"So, that's your little secret..." Gary grumbled as he stepped down from the Ruby platform. "But remember, you still have four Crests left to earn, and I've already got five...so I'll ultimately get the Legendary Cards! So, until we meet again...Smell ya later!" and with that, he disappeared into the crowd...
---------
"Way to go, Ash!" Maya smiled as the group walked out into the hallway.
"You sure strutted your stuff and showed Gary that no matter how good he thinks he is, you're actually better than him!" Misty agreed.
"Thanks, you guys..." Ash smiled.
Brock just put a shoulder on Ash. "Hang onto that Altaria...she might come in handy in the rounds ahead!
"You know I will!" Ash smiled, playfully elbowing Brock. The others laughed as they walked out into the sunshine...
What lies ahead for the Pokepals? Stay tuned!
As Ash and the others awaken to a new day, they soon discover that Maya has not come to wake them...Ash suspects a problem, and sets out to find Maya.
Maya's problem is romantic in origin: how can she tell Michael, a friend that she has always admired and respected, that she loves him?
However, thanks to Brock and his superb songwriting talents, Maya's swansong strikes a chord with Michael, allowing the relationship to bloom.
Now, our heroes make a brief stopover in the arena, but Ash is about to face his most heartpounding challenge yet!
What is this mysterious challenge? Can Ash triumph? Find out!
The Heart of the Cards, part 24: And Rival Makes Three...
"Good morning..." Maya called as she walked in the room.
"Morning..." Ash replied as he poured some orange juice for himself and sat down before a steaming platter of bacon, eggs, toast, and fruit. "What's the plan for today?" he asked, pausing to sip his drink.
"Well...you do have a challenge..." Maya began. "from someone named Gary."
"PHHHHHHHBBBBBTTT!!!!" Ash was so surprised by the name of his opponent, he spat out his drink, spraying Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi in the process. "Gary wants to challenge me AGAIN????" he sputtered as he wiped the giant juice stain off his shirt.
"What I wanna know is...does Gary ever know when to quit?" Misty grumbled as she wiped up the table.
Maya was puzzled. "What's the matter?"
"Gary and I go way back..." Ash explained as he walked over to the closet and put on a clean shirt. "Ever since I've left on my journey to become a Pokemon Master, he always following me with his personal pep squad, taunting me that he can be bigger, stronger, faster, and all out better than me."
"But time and again, you've shown him that the biggest, strongest, and fastest don't always win..." Misty started.
"Well, he apparently must think he's the best, with all the times he's shown up..." Ash grumbled as he grabbed his tin from the table and started for the door.
"What are we waiting for?" Brock cried. "Let's go down to the arena and kick Gary clear into the stratosphere...maybe then he won't bother you for a while."
"Are you sure we have a shoe big enough to kick him that far?" Ash asked quizzically as the group walked down the hall.
"It's only an expression!" Misty grumbled, annoyed.
---------
Gary smirked as Ash and the others entered the arena. "I bet I can win hands down if I only put down two prizes instead of four, then watch Ash cry when I take'em both!" he thought. He snickered to himself, pleased with his plot.
"Got everything?" Misty asked as Ash checked his deck one last time.
"Yeah! I got a few cards from May..." Ash explained as he flashed a few cards before the others. "I'm sure they'll help!"
"Well, good luck." Misty smiled as Ash stepped up to the Sapphire platform.
"Okay!" the ref called, silencing the crowd. "Ruby has requested that both sides select two prizes for the duel instead of four; and the use of only two Pokemon!"
"Huh?" Ash was confused.
"We're gonna duel by speed!" Gary explained. "The fastest one will take both prizes. As as we both know, I am naturally the fastest duelist." He gestured to his stats, RUBY 5 1 2 53 100
"Gary, Gary, run, run, run! Rising higher than the sun!" cheered Gary's cheerleaders.
"Oh yeah?" Ash retorted, turning his cap back as he arranged his cards. "I bet I'm faster than you are!" At this, his stats blipped on the scoreboard: SAPPHIRE 5 1 2 53 90
"Okay then, prove it, Pokedrivel!" Gary sneered, blowing a wisp of hair from his face as the coin went up.
"Sapphire plays first!" the ref called. "And begin!"
"Swablu! I choose you!" Ash announced as a Swablu soared into the arena.
"Go! Growlithe!" Gary called as he flipped up his active card. A Growlithe romped into the arena and barked at the crowd.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Swablu, sing a Lullaby to the Growlithe!" Ash commanded. The Swablu flew up over the Growlithe and began to sing a calm and relaxing melody, causing the Growlithe to slump to the floor, asleep. Gary's HP went down by 20.
"Ruby's turn!"
"Sure, that was pretty, but listen to this..." Gary taunted as he placed a Pokewhistle card down in his play area, making a small metal instrument half the size of a Pokeflute appear in his play area.
----------
"Pokewhistle? What's that?" Misty asked.
"A Pokewhistle is a small instrument half the size of a Pokeflute, making its range an octave higher." Michael explained.
"In fact, Pokewhistles are what most kids that learn to play the Pokeflute start on before they move to the full sized instrument." Brock added.
"Hmm..." Misty was interested.
"The Pokewhistle card, unlike the Pokeflute, only awakens a Pokemon, nothing more." Michael continued. At that second, Gary began a rousing dance tune, causing the audience to clap along in time to the music.
---------
"Thank you..." Gary acknowledged his applause as his Growlithe slammed into the Swablu, making Ash's HP go down by 20. "How's that?"
"Oh yeah?" and Ash laid down Altaria lv. 45 over the Swablu, making an Altaria appear in its place, and boosting his HP to 140.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Altaria! Dragon Dance!" Ash commanded.
"Ria-ria-ri-ri-riiiiiiia!" sang the Altaria as it hopped about the arena floor, summoning images of Dragonites flying. A green arrow appeared next to Ash's attack stat.
"Sapphire's attack is up! All Pokemon receive an attack boost for 3 turns!" the ref announced. "Ruby's turn!"
"Growlithe! Body Slam!" Gary commanded. The Growlithe slammed into the Altaria hard enough to send it flying to the floor, dazed.
"Sapphire's turn!"
"Altaria! Dragon Song!" Ash commanded, smiling with pride...
'Alta-alta-ria-ria-alta-riiiiiiiaaaaa!!!!" sang the Altaria, causing various dragon Pokemon to bombard Gary's bench with elemental blasts. The combined force of the attack was so great, it caused Gary's HP to drop to zero!
The others gasped as the ref announced "Game Set! Sapphire wins!" Ash, meanwhile, waved to the crowd as he stepped down from his platform...
---------
"How---how did you manage to defeat me so quickly?" Gary asked, surprised by his loss.
"Simple..." Ash explained. "Dragon Song, when coupled with Dragon Dance, will do 60 damage to all of the opponent's Pokemon."
"So, that's your little secret..." Gary grumbled as he stepped down from the Ruby platform. "But remember, you still have four Crests left to earn, and I've already got five...so I'll ultimately get the Legendary Cards! So, until we meet again...Smell ya later!" and with that, he disappeared into the crowd...
---------
"Way to go, Ash!" Maya smiled as the group walked out into the hallway.
"You sure strutted your stuff and showed Gary that no matter how good he thinks he is, you're actually better than him!" Misty agreed.
"Thanks, you guys..." Ash smiled.
Brock just put a shoulder on Ash. "Hang onto that Altaria...she might come in handy in the rounds ahead!
"You know I will!" Ash smiled, playfully elbowing Brock. The others laughed as they walked out into the sunshine...
What lies ahead for the Pokepals? Stay tuned!