"You know that Yamask mask over there is a real, right?" Ash asked Hawes slowly, pointing at the Yamask mask in the Secret Artifact Exhibition of the Nacrene City's Museum. We had come to the the museum after hearing that it was also the city's gym and Lenora and her husband, Hawes, are the co-curators of the place. What we were met with is a superstitious Hawes thelling us that the place was hunted. As if that is too big of a deal! We deal with Legendaries and this world is filled with Ghost-type pokemon! Tell us something we do not know! "I'm pretty sure it is the Yamask owner is the one hunting this place, everyone would be angry if you take someone from them."
"What?!" Hawes was startled, as the Yamask appeared and glared at the curator. "I thought he was a fake! I wouldn't have taken him otherwise! I am so sorry!" This kept on going for a while, Yamask glaring at the babbling Hawes who kept bowing at the pokemon guilty. Once Yamask got her fill and her mask back, she smiled and exited the museum happily. "How did you know it was real?"
"Aura," Ash, Riley, Riolu, and Lucario, answered at the same time, nonchally.
"Show off," I scoffed in good humor.
Lenora then entered the museum with a smile on her face. "HI! How are you? Wait... is that you Ash? Goodness! So, you are finally in Unova!"
"Hi Lenora, how are you?" Ash answered with a smile. "How's Tauros doing?"
"Oh, he is a gem!" Lenora exclaimed with a perky smile, before envolving Ash with a warm hug. "I am fine too, are you here for a gym battle?"
"Yes, my aprentice too, he is Gym Leader Norman's son," Ash introduced them both.
"Hi, it's an honor to meet another Normal Master," Max bowed at the Gym Leader.
"So, you are Norman's son! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Lenora beamed. "He never stops bragging about both of you, your sister and you, ever since your sister became a Top Coordinator he has become even worse!"
"Wait, you guys know each other?!" Iris exclaimed in shock. "How many Gym Leaders in Unova do you know Ash?!"
"Only two, Cilan and Lenora... well, I also know Cheren, who is Lenora's nephew and a new Gym Leader in Aspertia City. By the way, I thought you were retiring?" Ash turned to Lenora quizquily.
"I am, I'm just waiting for Cheren to get used to his new position as a Gym Leader and to his duties as such," Lenora answered with a more serene smile, but one as warm as the one before. "I am one of the 13 Pillars of Unova, Cheren's transition to that position won't be easy, it will take time. Until, then I will continue doing my duty... though my workload is better now that there are two Normal-type gyms in Unova." Lenora turned to Cilan. "It's nice to see you again Cilan, how are your brother?"
"They are doing well," Cilan answered politely. "May I ask how the two of you got to know each other? Especially, since I know this is the first time Ash has been in Unova."
"We met through Professor Oak, he contacted me after Ash took the decision to trade his Tauros, he had like 30 of them back in Kanto," Lenora laughed, as she lead us through the museum to an area restricted to normal guests and into an office. I looked at Ash and sighed when he smiled when his Tauros trade was mention, instead of crying. It seems that he has finally made his peace with it. "I've always wanted one, so I jumped at the oportunity! I even got one for my nephew Cheren! Ash has kepts tabs on all of his Tauros even after they were traded, he made friends all over the world!" Everyone turned to look at Ash surprised, after one trades his pokemon they do not tend to keep tabs. But why were they this surprise? Once you are Ash's pokemon, you will always be Ash's pokemon, no matter where you are in the world. "So, are you ready for your gym battle?"
"We are!" Max exclaimed excitedly.
"Is the battleground that way?" Riley inquired amusedly, pointing at the bookcase.
"I love aura!" Lenora laughed, pulling on a book, causing the bookcase to move and reveal a hidden staircase, which lead to a basement.
"So cool!" Max and Iris were in awe of the secret passage.
"Let's get going for our next battle," I whispered to Ash, who laughed in return.
"So, I am only using newly caught and trained pokemon, I literaly got this pokemon around a couple of months ago," Ash warned Lenora, as he took his position as the challenger.
"Got it, I'll use my rookie pokemon as well then," Lenora laughedd, throwing her Poke Ball into the air. "Lillipup, you are up!"
"Let's go, Dratini!" Ash threw his own Poke Ball. Both pokemon appeared on the battlefield, Dratini was ready to evolve- all he needs is a little push. "Twister!" An orb of wind appears in front of the end of Dratini's tail and a powerful tornado is released from the orb and its sent towards Lillipup. However, once the tornado disperse, Lillipup is nowhere to be seen and there's a hole where the Normal-type pokemon was supposed to be. "Now! Wrap!" Dratini jumped in the air as soon as Lillipup appears from underneath the dragon and wraps around the puppy pokemon. "Paralyze him with, Thunder Wave!" Of course, Dratini would be able to do it on one go, after being mentored by moi. "Now, Slam!" I winced as Dratini slammed Lillipup roughly on the ground, that must have hurt! "Finish the battle with Dragon Tail!" I winced once again as Lillipup crashed on the wall behind Lenora and fell on the ground knocked out.
"Lillipup is unable to battle!" Hawes announced, from his position as the referee. "Dratini and Ash are the winners of this battle! Gym Leader Lenora, please release your second and last pokemon!"
"Only two months of training?" Lenora inquired amusedly, as she returned her Lillipup and took out her second Poke Ball. "You are as good as they say, Dratini is on the verge of evolving! I'll have to be more careful, Watchog come out!"
"Let's strike first! Dratini, use Agility and Slam!" Ash commanded, but this time around, Lenora was ready.
"Detect! And follow it with Low Kick!" Lenora ordered and Watchog followed. The Normal-type pokemon easily evaded Dratini's attack and kicked him on the gut, throwing him back. I winced as Dratini slammed on the ground and rolled all the way to Ash's feet. That was one powerful kick!
"Come on Dratini! Dragon Tail!" Ash pleaded with the Dragon-type pokemon, who roared in frustration and threw himself back to the fight. However, Watchog blinded him with a Sand Attack and then followed with a barricade of Focus Blasts and Low Kicks. "That's it! Dratini, Counter Shield!"
"What?!" Lenora and Hawes exclaimed in confusion, while I smirked in satisfaction- we've got them now!
Just as Watchog was coming down for one last final Low Kick, Dratini spun on his back while using Aqua Tail to create water whips in order to protect himself from the opponent's attacks. Watchog was whipped by the water whips and sent crashhing on the ground. Dratini then used Thunder Wave to paralyze Watchog and finished the battle with two quick Dragon Tails. It left Dratini panting and bruised, but that seem to be what he needed to finally evolve. A blinding light enveloped Dratini as he took his new form. Dragonair was as beautiful as he was majestic, emitting a gentle aura that gives him a mystical appearance.
"You look amazing Dragonair!" Ash praised, gently hugging his dragon, while I patted the newly evolved pokemon on the head.
"What was that?" Lenora was stunned by what had just happened.
"Counter Shield is a technique I developed while training under Gym Leader Fantina in Sinnoh," Ash answered the Gym Leader. "It's normally used against Ghost-types, when I do not possess a ghost on my team, or a pokemon with type-advantage. It's both a defensive and offensive technique."
"Well, that was wonderful!" Lenora beamed, as she returned her pokemon. "Thank you for teaching me something new! I hope you do not mind me using it during my gym battles!"
"Not at all!" Ash smiled, receiving his Basic Badge. "Max! Get down here! You are next!"
"Ok!" Max skipped down and hugged both Dragonair, before the dragon was recalled, and Ash, he did pat me on the head. "Ralts, you are up!"
"A Ralts... quite an interesting pokemon," Lenora hummed thoughtfully, as Ash and I took our seats on the bleachers. "Deerling, I choose you!"
"A Deerling and a Ralts, eh," Cilan commented with a smile. "This will be a match made in heaven!"
"Deerling, Take Down!" Lenora commanded.
Now, that's speed! I thought impressed, the Deerling moved with such a speed- let's hope she can keep it once she evolves.
"Double Team!" Max ordered, and the attack missed, hitting a clone. Copies of Ralts surrounded the Deerling, she was caught. "Swift!" Every single copy sent a ray of stars straight to the unsuspected Normal-type pokemon. "All right!"
"That must have hurt!" Iris winced as Deerling cried in pain.
"Sand Attack!" Lenora shouted, and Deerling commanded the sand to disperse the copies of Ratls. Just when the attack was about to hit Ralts, this one evaded it using Teleport. "Now! Use Jump Kick!"
Just as Ralts appeared from the teleportation, he was hit by Deerling's Jump Kick!
"How did they know where Ralts would land?!" Iris was shocked.
"Once you train pokemon's senses and to know their surroundings like the palm of their hands or paws or hooves, it is easy," Riley commented. "It's next level... she is not going easy on Max."
Dragonair and Gabite, learned that during the month we spent in the Orange Islands. As always it is the first thing pokemon in Ash's team learn. To see beyond the use of our eyes, that those only limit us. To open our ears and to become more attuned with the scents surrounding us. To feel the vibrations on the ground and the wind around us. To allow nature to guide us and to use it to our advantage during battles. They are now on the next stage of training, terrain manipulation. Ever since he got to Unova, he has been teaching that to Max and his pokemon, also the pokemon Ash caught in Unova.
"It seems that Max forgot that other trainers teach that to their pokemon," I commented in disapproval.
"I'll talk to him, when his battle is over," Ash replied. "But at least, he has the upper hand again," Ash pointed at the battlefield, where Ralts had used Psybeam to send Deerling flying back and then used Life Dew to heal himself. Ralts then finished the battle with another Swift attack. "Look at that, two evolutions in one day!" Ash laughed as a blinding light enveloped Ralts, leaving behind a proud Kirlia. "Luckily, I've already acquired the Dawn Stone for Max's birthday."
"Come back Kirlia, thank you!" Max returned his newly evolved pokemon.
"Wait! Why did he return Kirlia? He is now more powerful!" Iris exclaimed confused, even when Lenora smiled proudly at Max's choice.
"Because the first thing Ash teaches the trainers he mentors is that when one of your pokemon evolve, the first thing you need to do is allow them to get used to their new size and power. To leave time for them to heal and recover from their evolution," Riley answered her patiently, as we watched Lenora release Tauros and Max call out Mightyena.
"Lugia, no, that's Ash's Tauros!" Max moaned in despair.
"Tauros!" Ash shouted, jumping on his feet and waving his hands happily. Tauros smiled and greeted him back, the only thing keeping him from launching himself towards Ash in greeting was that he was in the middle of a battle. "I am so happy that you are looking healthy and happy! Are you having a good time!"
"I am!" Tauros answered.
"Let's catch up after the battle!" Ash told him.
"Ok!" Tauros replied, before getting serious and turning towards Max's Mightyena.
"Oh, poor Max, he is so done," I shook my head in pity.
"Ash's Normal-type pokemon are the more versatile ones, and we are talking about Ash's pokemon!" Riley commented. "That's saying something!"
As, expected Max lost the battle. No matter how good Mightyena was, she did not have the move selection to go against Tauros. With Tauros Fisure, Suft, Thunderbolt, and Solar Beam, not to mention all the other effect-inducing moves... Max and Mightyena were done. As there was no way Max would call out Kirlia again, not after only just evolving, Max lost the Gym Battle. Which got him pouting, but he was not very sad about it. After all, his starter did evolve!
Ash and I were not bothered about staying in Necrene City for longer, it was a good way to relax and do some sightseeing. Not to mention, it gives us time to help Dragonair and Kirlia get used to their evolutions in peace. We also get to see tauross daily! Which had Ash skipping in happiness all the way to the Pokemon Center.
It's been a while since I've seen Ash so carefree, I am so happy!