The Raging Wave, Nessa!
Hulbury was a vast and thriving seaport. Passenger boats and shipping boats were docked at the port, delivering all sorts of cargo and transporting people and Pokemon to and from or even across the region! There were even several marketplace stalls lined up within view as Ash and his friends departed the train station, selling all sorts of trinkets and souvenirs for tourists while some were even selling delicacies from other regions like Casteliacones and Lava Cookies amongst various other region's specialty. The Gym Stadium stuck out like a sore thumb as it was the biggest structure other than the local lighthouse which had an Ampharos currently resting at the top until he was needed. There was also a rather fancy restaurant.
"Hulbury at last, I can't wait to earn my second badge!" Though he was still rather nervous about the crowd Zach had done his best on pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he'd also had a bit of practice battling in front of small gatherings while the group had traversed through the Hoenn region.
"Car!"
"Scor!" His Pokemon cried out in a similar state of excitement while the Pokeballs containing the others shook showing that they were ready while the rest showed their support for the ones who he had chosen to compete that day.
"We'll be rooting for ya so don't screw this up!" Marnie gave Zach a teasing smirk as she gave his arm a light punch.
"Be sure to give it your all, a battle is way more exciting when both trainers go all out!" Ash shouted, his hands clenched with excitement as he looked forward to potentially seeing some Water type Pokemon that he never saw before!
"Pika!" Pikachu flicked his tail as he agreed with his trainer, a smirk across the Electric type's face.
"Tox." The younger Electric type was resting on Ash's other shoulder, Ash had decided to let Toxel remain outside of his Pokeball for a bit due to his recent hatching. He wanted to give the newborn time to grow adjusted to his life along with the group and Pikachu, his best friend seemed to be okay with Toxel at the current moment.
"And I'll be watching and waiting in the locker room for ya in case you have another anxiety attack!" Sonia added on with a supportive tone as her hand grabbed ahold of Zach's while giving him a warm smile. Zach returned the smile with an appreciative look before turning back to the others.
"Thanks everyone, your support means a lot." Hearing his friends' words of support helped put his mind at ease as any sense of worry or anxiety temporarily left his mind.
"Well well well, if it isn't our future champion! Feels like it's been forever since I last saw ya!"
"Nessa?!" Zach jumped up as he heard her behind him, quickly turning around and noticing her standing there with a large smile across her face. The Gym Leader gave him a wave before she continuing to speak.
"Of course, ya thought I'd forget about our promise?" Nessa gave him a light smirk. "Before you left for Mustard's dojo you promised that Riolu and Drednaw would be the finale of our battle to showcase our true power to one another!"
"I never forgot, Lucario's part of the team I set up to take you on with!" Zach excitedly exclaimed as Lucario stepped forward and nodded his head eagerly while emitting a light growl.
Nessa's eyes lit up as she finally took notice of Lucario. "Ah so you're not the only one whose grown since I last saw ya, hello Lucario it's great to see you again!" She began stroking the jackal's chin as she spoke.
"Car!" Lucario cooed out while Scorbunny puffed her cheeks with a jealous look.
"Scor!"
"Aw!" Nessa suddenly squealed before quickly bending over and grabbing the Fire starter, Scorbunny's eyes went wide as she was pulled into a tight hug. "She's so cute! I'm gonna be honest I expected you to be more of a Sobble guy but Scorbunny suits you just as well!"
"Scor!" Scorbunny grunted out while trying to break free of her grasp. Zach chucked lightly as he reached out to take Scorbunny back from her.
"Yeah she's one of my most reliable team members, I honestly can't imagine my journey without her!" Scorbunny gave Zach an adoring smile as he pulled her back into his arms, leaning her head up against his chest while letting out a content sigh. "I never go anywhere without her and Lucario, I've only actually sent them to their Pokeballs like once since starting my adventure. They prefer sticking by my side as much as I like having them with me!"
"Well it's obvious that they care a great deal about you." Nessa remarked as she looked them over before turning her attention to the others. She recognized Marnie but the other two were new. "So these are your friends? Hello there, I'm Nessa!"
"I'm Ash Ketchum and this is my buddy Pikachu!" Ash proudly exclaimed as Pikachu smirked and flicked his tail in response.
"Pika pika!"
"Tox!" Toxel chimed in with his own cry.
"And I'm Chloe,"
"Eevoi!" Eevee cried out after her trainer introduced herself.
"Such a colorful group," Nessa's eyes wandered over them before giving Marnie a light wave. "You sure picked your friends well."
"How'd you know I was even coming?" Zach suddenly asked.
"Oh that's easy, I called her!" Sonia chimed in with a large smile. "I thought it'd be nice if the three of us hung out with one another before the two of you battle, just like old times!"
"That sounds great to me!" Nessa was quick to the draw. "We could go eat at the local restaurant, my treat!" She was rich after all due to her modeling career, she knew her friends weren't as well off.
"Sure but what about my friends?" Zach glanced towards Ash and the others only for Nessa to wave her hand.
"I'll pay for them too, I'd like for it to just be the three of us at our table though!"
"The Captain's Table? Place always seemed too classy for my taste but I suppose I'll go." Marnie shrugged.
Ash's stomach rumbled loudly as a bit of sweat appeared across his face. "Who am I to turn down a free meal?"
"Sure why not, I don't mind trying new things!" Chloe piped in.
A large grin spread across Nessa's face as she beckoned them to follow with a wave of her hand before leading them across the town and towards the restaurant. As they approached it a familiar face appeared as Bede stepped out with his shiny Eevee right on his heals and looking depressed as the Pokemon's body also looked like it had gone under some vigorous training in an attempt at winning back his favor. Bede shared a passing glance with Zach but said nothing, Eevee lingered back and looked up at him for a moment before Bede called out causing Eevee to quickly catch up.
"Poor thing, it didn't even get past a single one of my Pokemon. I don't normally like talking about challengers but if it wasn't for how much he cares for his Gardevoir and Hattrem I'd honestly think he was abusing him. His Pokeball sure seemed cracked as if it was under a lot of pressure." Nessa commented.
"Oh yeah, that's Bede. He and I used to be friends back when he stayed at the dojo." Zach explained to her.
"You and Bede used to be friends? How was that even possible you're like polar opposites!" Marnie shouted.
"Well..."
A little over two years ago Zach stood next to Mustard as he addressed the new students, one by one his former partners left the dojo. Due to his fanboy-esque view of Mustard blinding him at the time of just how ridiculous some of the training was, Zach blamed himself for his inability at keeping friends. Thinking that they all ran off because of him.
"Bede, you and Eevee will partner up with Zach and Riolu. I trust that you two will get along well." Mustard directed before turning his attention to a younger Klara and a male trainer with long blonde hair.
"Of course sensei," Zach bowed before turning to Bede. "Let's go." He led Bede down the dojo's hall and towards his dorm before opening up the door for the newcomer. Bede took a step inside before taking a look around.
"No pictures of family..." Bede noted.
"Oh... about that, they're sorta dead. I was raised by a friend of theirs."
"Really? That makes you an orphan then." Bede's tone made Zach tense up, he had no intention on attempting to make friends this time but he wasn't trying to make an enemy! A light smile crossed Bede's face as he held out his hand. "I guess we'll make a good team. Friends?"
Zach stared at Bede's hand for a moment before eventually reaching out and taking it, realizing that Bede was in the same boat as him and probably didn't have many friends either. "Sure!"
"Rio!"
"Evoi!" Eevee and Riolu touched paws with one another.
Time went on and the two went through many tasks with one another, growing closer as a team. Bede even stuck up for him against his former bully Avery. The blonde trainer had gotten jealous of all the attention the two had gotten and decided to use his psychic gift to pry their minds for something that he can use. His eyes then lit up as he picked on something, a sinister smirk crossed his face before shouting out.
"Hey everyone, Zach's autistic! How lame is that? Hahaha-OW!" Bede punched Avery right in the nose, the blonde trainer let out a pitiful scream.
"Oh no, my beautiful face... it's been tainted!" Avery ran off.
"That was a bit harsh..." Zach commented.
"Yeah, guy's a prick."
"He's not so bad." Klara spoke up.
"Shut it, figures his girlfriend would stick up for the prick!" Bede growled, Klara narrowed her eyes and huffed before storming off.
"No, I mean... what he did wasn't cool but there wasn't a need to hit the guy! Violence isn't always the answer." Zach spoke.
"Well it should be! I've been weak and pushed around my whole life, I'm tired of it! I want to grow strong so da-Chairman Rose can finally notice me and give me the attention I deserve! I won't be bullied by the likes of him and nor should you!" Bede growled.
A few more weeks went by and Bede began catching and expanding his team. Eevee started falling behind while Ralts and Hatenna were proving themselves to be capable Pokemon, even outpacing Riolu! Bede even started ignoring Eevee altogether as he primed his focus on Ralts and Hatenna. Eevee sat on the sidelines with a depressed expression, ears flattened against his head. Zach hated to judge other people but he also hated watching Pokemon being depressed so he finally spoke up one day.
"Bede, why aren't you giving Eevee a fair shot? If you keep ignoring him like that then he'll never catch up to Ralts and Hatenna." He tried explaining it the best he could without sounding like he was reprimanding Bede but his friend turned and glared at him.
"You're one to talk only keeping Riolu, maybe if you caught something else I'd have a better teammate!" Bede snapped.
"Bede..."
Bede let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap, it's just that... fath-Rose is giving this newcomer a whole lot of attention yet he won't even give me the time of day!" Bede punched the wall angrily. "I'm like his son, he shouldn't treat me this way! It feels like I'll never get his attention no matter what I do or how hard I try!"
Zach reached out and placed his hand on Bede's shoulder. "Don't talk like that, somebody I'll be the champion and if you're my best bud then we're sure to get Rose's attention!"
Bede forced a small smile as he agreed. Though after some months he and Zach came face to face with a poacher who was attempting to cut off Galarian Slowpoke tails to sell for a boat load of cash in the Johto region.
"A bunch of kids is no match for the mighty Pokemon Hunter A!" The Pokemon poacher laughed as he released a Hitmontop!
Riolu and Eevee quickly fell but Ralts managed to evolve and push back the threat just enough until Mustard caught wind and was able to save the day with his trusty Mienshao making quick work of the Hitmontop. That seemed to be the boiling point for Bede, nearly a year spent under Mustard and he got defeated so easily by a poacher!
"Some good you are!" Bede glared at the defeated Eevee before turning his attention to Mustard. "And as for you, what kind of clown thinks fetching mushroom and tree branches is training?! I wasted a good year of my life here when I could have been studying under somebody else, like that old apprentice of yours!"
"He fed Charizard steroids, Bede. Didn't you watch the news? He's been doing time the past few weeks and will remain there for quite some time." Mustard calmly replied. "Why don't you come back and play some videogames with me? I've got the new Super Smash Bros, I know that Zach loves tha-"
"I'm not wasting time playing videogames!" Bede hissed out, pushing Mustard and knocking him over due to the man's age. Zach quickly caught Mustard's back before he could fall while Bede seemed to process what he just did, looking down at his hands before looking at Mustard with an apologetic look. "I-I'm out of this foolish place, only an idiot could get strong here! Zach you coming?" Bede looked back before walking away.
"No Bede, I can't-I have gotten stronger and I gave Mustard my word I'd finish. I can't break that."
Bede narrowed his eyes before growling. "Klara was right, you are an idiot! I was a fool for thinking orphans would stick together!"
"You may have been orphans but Zach grew up in a loving home while you obviously show signs of neglect and desperation for love. Why don't you stay here with me full time? I'll be happy to have you as part of my family." Mustard offered with a friendly tone, showing no ill will towards Bede. Bede paused for the slightest second before starting to walk away.
"Our friendship is over from now on we're rivals and nothing more!" Bede spoke up as he left causing Zach to lower his head as he lost another friend. Bede flashed a light glance back at him before walking off.
"And that was it until Ash came along a few months later." Zach finished.
"Chairman Rose feels like a really awful person if Bede ended up that way cause of neglect." Chloe felt sorry for Bede.
"Yeah something always felt off about him." Nessa spoke before quickly growing quiet as she noticed Chairman Rose sitting in a nearby booth. The man looked up and appeared to have spotted them as he waved his hand.
"Ash, join me for a meal? I've got something that I'd like to discuss!" Ash felt a shiver going through his body at Rose's request. He could feel the others watching him so he turned and waved them on before taking a seat next to Rose, only then noticing that a blonde girl with a creepy stare sat next to the man, most likely his assistant as she was jotting away at a notepad. "Mr. Ketchum I've got a business proposition for you-"
"Stuff it Rose, I want nothing to do with you. You supported a trainer using steroids, you neglected Bede all his life and left him starving for your attention that he threw away possibly the only friend he'll ever have, I want nothing to do with you!" Ash waved his hand with a growl before standing up.
"Oh but you'll love this." Rose smirked, pulling Ash down against the table before looking into his eyes with a sinister look. "You're gonna do precisely what I ask ya to do or I'll boot Zach out of the Galar League and strip your girlfriend's brother's title of gym leader away too!" Ash's eyes widened with shock before growling out as he knew Rose could do precisely that, choosing to sit back down as Rose pat his shoulder.
"Good boy, now... I'd like permission to use your likeness to sell merchandise!"
"Why me?" Ash asked with a quizzical expression. All this was for merchandise?
"Because you're a star, I've seen your matches and I know that you'll come out on top! People are already clamoring for action figures worldwide so why not give the public what they want?" Rose smirked. "Of course you could refuse but... your friend will likely die of depression and your girlfriend will hate your guts twice over for ruining her best friend's and her brother's careers!"
Ash narrowed his eyes before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine but you better give my cut to charity as I want nothing to do with this!" He signed the papers before standing up and leaving the table. "And she's not my girlfriend!"
"Not yet!" Rose sang out in a flamboyant fashion before handing the paper to his assistant. "Oleanna, everything's going perfectly according to plan. With the new merchandise having Dynamax Crystals hidden within them, Darkest Day will be world wide!"
"Was it really necessary doing that? Couldn't you just place them in the next Rotom Phone instead? It isn't wise to upset one of the world's strongest trainers, he could be a liability to your plans."
"Oh please, we know his weakness. It's his friends, the goth girl in particular. If it turns out that he'll be a problem we'll simply kidnap her as leverage!" Rose dismissed with a wave of his hand. "The other trainer won't be a problem, he'll likely quit after losing to Kabu. Most newbie trainers do."
Oleanna looked down at her papers to hide her doubtful expression. Ever since the Chairman returned from an ancient Galarian ruin he felt... different, cold and almost as if he were driven by some unseen force!
"Oh wow, look at all those Pokemon! Aw lucky, you caught a Piplup!" Nessa cried out in a jealous tone as she looked at Zach's Rotom Phone.
"Prinplup actually," Zach corrected her. He already knew what to expect from Nessa so he didn't feel any harm in showing off his Pokedex to her, she wouldn't catch on to his plan just from looking.
"Still I'm jealous, Piplup are adorable and Empoleon are quite strong and noble Pokemon. You definitely have a friend for life there!"
"Well he did save my life-"
"Wait what?!" Sonia's eyes widened from shock as she heard that. She was fully aware of the events with Moltres but he almost died again? Just how much did he throw himself into harm's way?
"It was back when I caught Raichu, he was wanting to surf these absolutely massive wave for some reason so I took Piplup out to try and stop him but ended up wiping out and Piplup evolved to rescue me!"
"Ah so you're still the hero you've always been, eh? I remember that time you got stung by Beedrill trying to rescue a Rookidee that had clipped it's wing back when we were kids. Good to know that being a Gym Challenger hasn't changed you!" Nessa pat his back with a smile before taking note of Sonia's expression as the orange haired girl looked at Zach with concern.
'He keeps throwing himself into danger, though it's always a noble act it's also reckless. Should we even be together if I'm going to act like this every time I hear he was in danger?' Sonia questioned herself. She did care for Zach greatly but perhaps it'd be better if he found a girl who shared his adventurous spirit and could afford to keep an eye on him. She didn't dare say how she felt now though not wanting to screw up Zach's upcoming match with Nessa. Forcing a smile as she noticed Zach giving her a concerned look.
"So what did Chairman Rose want from you?" Marnie asked Ash with a quizzical expression. She couldn't hear but Ash sure looked upset from what she had witnessed.
"Oh it's... it's nothing really." Marnie narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she could tell he was hiding something but wasn't going to question it at the current moment. Whatever it was she doubt that it was too important.
"Alright folks we're back from our lunch break and eager to bring you some more action!" The announcer shouted out over his mic. "Today Challenger 64 also known as Zach makes his second appearance in the Gym Challenge as he aims to bring home his second badge. The trainer already has a fairly small fanbase but will that grow after today's match? And what surprising Pokemon will he show off for us today?! We'll soon find out!"
"Good luck!" Sonia reached out and hugged Zach before he left the locker room, he returned the hug with a warm smile before waving at her as he rushed out onto the field with the crowd letting out a roar as he appeared! Zach's eyes looked onto the massive pool that stood in the middle of the field, marking the location of the gym's trial and battlefield as two platforms floated in the middle for Pokemon to safely stand upon during the battle.
"Zach will need to have his team dive down and collect several items scattered throughout the pool. A Water Stone, a Lure Ball, and a Pearl! Once his team has gathered the items they will be ready to face off against Nessa! Now reminder that the Pokemon have to go in and grab the items, he must stay and direct them on what to find amongst the items in the pool!"
"Dratini, Prinplup let's go!" Zach threw the Pokeballs containing the two Pokemon forward with them soon bursting out before looking up at him with attentive looks. "Alright Dratini, you're gonna go for the easiest item. The pearl! It should be a shiny circular object, probably not hard to miss." He tasked the younger member with the easiest item before looking towards Prinplup. "And you, pretty sure you can grab the Water Stone and Lure Ball at the same time?" Prinplup was all too familiar with a Lure Ball given his trainer collected all sorts of Pokeballs. And the Water Stone, Prinplup had seen Chloe's Eevee interacting with one several times and still failing to evolve so he was familiar with that as well! Prinplup saluted his trainer before diving deep into the water with Dratini following. The Pokemon surfaced before long with the correct items in their mouth and flippers in Prinplup's case as the crowd cheered!
"Incredible, the two gathered the items in record time! It'll take more than that to beat Nessa though and this will surely be an interesting fight as the two are actually friends!"
Zach returned Prinplup and Dratini to their Pokeballs as he thanked them for their help before looking up as Nessa appeared on the other side of the pool, she smiled and gave him a wave before grabbing hold of one of her own Pokeballs.
"Good luck Zach, you're gonna need it!"
"We'll see about that!" Zach smirked lightly while keeping his attention focused on her and the battlefield.
"And unlike Milo, this battle will be a three on three instead of a two on two as per requested by Nessa herself!"
"Thought that'd make things more interesting, I'm interested in seeing your skills as a trainer for myself!" Nessa grinned before throwing forward the ball she had been holding. "Go Arrokuda!"
A small brown and tan barracuda Pokemon burst out of the ball and began swimming at the top of the pool, Ash's mind was immediately wiped clean of any thoughts he'd still been holding about Rose as he was welcomed with the sight of a Pokemon that he'd never seen before!
"Arrokuda the Rush Pokemon, if it sees any movement around it, this Pokemon charges for it straightaway, leading with its sharply pointed jaw!" His Rotom Phone read out upon him scanning the creature.
Zach didn't reach for a Pokeball, instead he turned his head to Scorbunny and nodded with the Fire starter smirking before leaping off of his shoulder and right onto the platform with an eager expression as the crowd gasped heavily upon seeing his choice in Pokemon! Nessa's eyes widened from shock at his choice as she thought he'd lead off with Prinplup or Raichu and have Scorbunny sit this one out. Marnie facepalmed upon seeing Scorbunny while muttering out how idiotic that was as Scorbunny had nowhere to go! Ash was one of the few that didn't look surprised or worried instead he looked more interested then before, clearly Zach had taken notes from some of Ash's less famous Championship matches where Pokemon with disadvantages still managed to overcome their opponent much as his Goodra had defeated another trainer's Wigglytuff!
"Electro Ball!" Zach shouted out. Scorbunny flashed a smirk as the electrical sphere of energy formed between her paws before dropping it and giving it a swift kick! The sphere flew through the air and nailed Arrokuda directly! The water began sparking and became electrified as a result of the shock delivered to the Water type, delivering an even more powerful shock to it's systems as the barracude Pokemon let out a pained cry before turning to it's side and floating atop the water with swirls in his eyes. The crowd let out a surprised gasp while Scorbunny placed her hands on her hips and flashed a cocky smile before flexing.
"Scor!"
"Whoa that was quite the sight folks, Scorbunny managed to beat Nessa's Arrokuda with just one shot! Though it looked like a silly unthought of plan at first clearly the two had been planning on this!"
"Scor Scor Scor!" Scorbunny began chanting out happily from all the praise and cheers she was receiving before her body became engulfed in a bright blue light. Zach and Lucario's eyes shined with excitement at the sight as the moment the three had all been anticipating had finally arrived! Scorbunny doubled in height while the color of her lower half started changing from a pure snow white into a black fur coat while her upper half began changing into a red coating, her fur had even grown to cover her face slightly making it look as if she was wearing a balaclava. She looked back at her trainer and Lucario, flashing them a smirk before giving them a thumbs up as Zach's Rotom Phone alerted him to Raboot's entry into his Pokedex!
"Raboot the Rabbit Pokemon, it's thick and fluffy fur protects it from the cold and enables it to use hotter fire moves!"
"That's awesome, Scor-er Raboot! You finally evolved!" Zach shouted out with an excited expression.
"Car!" Lucario chimed in while Raboot blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.
"You sure you want to keep going? This was as much your decision to battle as it was mine after all." Zach offered Raboot an out as he knew Nessa was likely going to go harder on them after what had just occurred. He didn't want to force Raboot to fight if she didn't want to. Raboot shook her head and smirked before turning towards Nessa.
Nessa let out a laugh. "I should have expected something like that coming from you, you sure caught me off guard but the result would likely have been the same regardless if it was Raichu or not." She reached out for a dive ball and tossed it forward, revealing a Gyarados who roared loudly as the ball burst open! "Go Gyarados!"
"Ra..." Raboot looked up at Gyarados and started sweating nervously before resuming her cocky expression.
"Hyper Beam!" Gyarados opened his mouth and fired off the orange-yellow energy beam at the rivaling platform, blasting it out of the water and sending Raboot flying upwards into the air before she came crashing down into the water with a large splash! The Fire type didn't surface and bubbles began rising upwards causing Zach to quickly dive into the pool in order to fetch his faithful Fire type. The crowd gasped once more as they saw the love he clearly had for his Pokemon while Sonia watched on with a worrisome expression as she knew he wouldn't be able to stop that behavior even if she asked, it came to him by instinct! Zach soon surfaced with a cough and gasp for breath as an unconscious Raboot laid in his arms, Lucario walked to the edge and held out his paws to help his trainer with Raboot before pulling her onto dry land with Zach climbing out seconds after.
"Need a moment?" Nessa asked with a tilt of her head as Zach's breath had slowed a bit but the trainer merely shook his head, a determination shined brightly in his eyes as he reached for a Pokeball.
"N-No way, the battle will warm me up! Raichu let's go!"
"Rai rai!" The Alolan Raichu appeared, floating above the water as he surfed the air atop his tail. The crowd let out an excited murmuring as they were welcomed with an unusual presence!
"Interesting, it appears that Zach may have visited the Alola region between his previous challenge and now. Does Raichu have what it takes to handle Gyarados though?!"
Zach saw no sense in showing off to his friend, he didn't want it public knowledge that Raichu knew Surf until he battled Kabu! "Alright Raichu, let's go! Thunderbolt!"
"Rai!" Raichu's cheeks began to spark as electricity surged through his body before unleashing a powerful shock upon Gyarados, the water serpent let an enraged shout out upon being struck, turning to face Raichu with a ticked off expression!
"Let's use Hyper Beam!" Nessa shouted while extending her arm.
Gyarados opened his mouth and began charging up the orange-yellow beam of energy while Raichu looked on until his trainer ordered out.
"Use Psychic on the attack and redirect it!" Raichu's eyes began glowing blue with a similar blue surrounding the beam and holding it in place. Raichu gritted his teeth as he struggled with performing the maneuver, managing to redirect half the blast before losing his grip as the rest struck him! Raichu landed on his back before springing back up and letting out a cry!
"That's right, we've got time before it can attack again!" It needed time to recharge after all. "Thunderbolt one more time!"
"Rai!" Raichu's cheeks began sparking once more as he delivered an electrical blow to Gyarados only to receive a surprise as Gyarados' tail became covered in swirling waves of water and struck the Electric mouse aside his head! Gyarados then collapsed into the pool with a loud splash as the electricity had finally ran it's course, his head landed on the land to reveal his unconscious state while Raichu toppled onto his backside moments afterwards, swirls in his own eyes as the announcer called it out.
"It's a tie, both Raichu and Gyarados are unable to battle! What an unexpected outcome!"
"How?!" Zach questioned as he looked towards Nessa with the Gym Leader smirking in response.
"Gyarados and I practiced hard to shorten the recharge time necessary, when your only counter against Electric types has a recharge it's quite crucial to work on it!" She pointed out while returning Gyarados to his ball as Zach returned Raichu to his own ball. "Anyways now it's time for what we've promised each other! Drednaw, let's go!"
Nessa threw forward the ball containing her faithful partner Pokemon while Zach pointed at the rivaling platform with a smirk.
"Lucario let's go, let's show her and everyone else just how strong you've become!"
"Car!" Lucario leaped forward and landed on his platform before taking a battling stance.
"Aura Sphere!" Lucario clamped his paws together with a blue ball of energy forming between them as he locked focus onto Drednaw before firing off with precision as the attack began to strike!
"Protect!" A protective barrier rose around Drednaw's body as Nessa flashed her friend a smirk before extending her arm once more. "Hydro Pump!"
Drednaw opened his mouth before firing off a powerful jet of water, striking Lucario and the force pushing the jackal towards the platform's edge but thankfully the jackal got a tight grip and dug his feet into it with a light growl.
"Aura Sphere once more!" Lucario clamped his paws together and fired off another blue ball of aura at Drednaw, this time striking the snapping turtle head on as it let out a pained cry. Tears forming in it's eyes from the pain while Nessa kept a calm expression before activating her Dynamax Band with Zach following in her example as both Pokemon were returned to their Pokeballs as the balls started to enlarge and glow a bright pink coloring! Drednaw soon reappeared now standing on his back feet and towering over the stadium in his Gigantamax form while Lucario stood across from him, the two staring each other down as they towered over the others like a pair of kaiju!
"Max Rockfall!" Nessa shouted out as Drednaw slammed it's foot down, causing a giant rock to burst from the ground before being lifted up and thrown at Lucario! Lucario stumbled backwards and almost tripped onto his back, catching his balance just in time before looking at Drednaw with a light growl while also looking a bit tuckered out.
"Max Knuckle!" Lucario let out a cry as he pulled back his fist before striking Gigantamax Drednaw directly in the stomach! Drednaw let out a pained cry as the pink light began surrounding his body, shrinking him back to normal as he soon collapsed into an unconscious state. The same light covered up Lucario as the jackal returned to normal now that the battle was over!
"Drednaw is unable to battle thus the winner is Zach and his Lucario! They will receive the Water Badge and the right to face off against Kabu! Will he and his partners have what it takes to beat Kabu or will they fail like so many others before them? Nonetheless today was an exciting match and we look forward to the next!"
"You did great Lucario," Zach praised the jackal, the duo hugged one another before Lucario turned and gave Raboot a hug as well, embracing the rabbit as a dark blush formed across her face.
"Ra..."
Nessa walked across the field and extended her hand with a smile as she held out the badge to him. "Don't think this is over, I'll be waiting for you at the Galar League and you better be there for our rematch! We're not just friends anymore, we're also rivals!"
"Of course, my Pokemon and I worked too hard to give up or fail. We'll be there!" Zach exclaimed before shaking Nessa's hand as he took the badge. Nessa then pulled her friend into a quick hug.
"Good luck on your adventure,"
"Thanks, and good luck with your modeling!" Zach waved at her before turning to walk off the field with his Pokemon. He was looking forward to ditching the gym uniform as it was still drenched from his rescuing of Raboot. However the look on Sonia's face caused him to lose sight of his current state of mind, noticing that she seemed worried and also anxious. "Sonia, you okay?"
"H-Huh? O-Oh yeah, I'm fine-Actually no, I'm not." Sonia let out a deep breath followed by a sigh. "Look Zach, I love you. I really do but I can't live like this... you keep throwing yourself into harm's way and endangering yourself. I'm not saying that you should stop being a hero, every time you do that you're protecting somebody that you love or care for. You've always been that way, sorta like a knight in shining armor. But I can't keep worrying that something might happen to you while you're gone, I-I think it best that we just go back to being close friends!"
Zach held onto his head as he stared getting visions of the shield wolf again, Sonia reached out and placed her arm on his shoulder. "I'm sure that you'll find somebody out there whose right for you, somebody who loves traveling as much as you and isn't shy about putting themselves into danger either!" Zach opened his eye and let out a sigh before hugging Sonia. He understood what she was saying and thought it only fair as he knew if given the choice he'd attempt to save Obstagoon and Raichu all over again. The two hugged for a moment before separating.
"I'll still watch your battles though and support you all the way, you're my best friend and nothing will change that!"
"Thanks Sonia..." Zach looked downwards shortly after she turned her back to him.
"I've got to go back to my grandma but good luck, hopefully I'll see you in Motostoke soon!"
"So Motostoke is our next destination right?" Chloe asked.
"Yep, we could go straight there by train but I don't think Zach and his team are quite ready to dive straight into another Gym Battle so soon. They need some time to relax and hone up their skills. Especially as Kabu is not to be taken lightly!" Marnie advised.
"So what now then?" Chloe asked.
Ash hummed as he saw Zach exiting the locker area, noticing that he looked a bit down and planned on questioning him before a Pelipper landed in front of him and let out a cry before opening it's beak to reveal a letter. Ash thanked the Pelipper before opening it with a quizzical expression while wondering who it was from and soon getting his answer as he saw a Munchlax sized bite missing from part of it.
"Ash the next Wallace Cup is being hosted in Fula City, Johto in about two week's time. Dawn and I are gonna be there, as will Serena, I know that you're challenging powerful opponents and seeing how Wallace will be there I thought you should know about that being former Hoenn Champion and all. And I remember hearing Chloe mention something about trying contests, maybe seeing them will help inspire her? I'm looking forward to seeing Za-you all again!"
"What's up?" Marnie asked before Ash showed her the letter. "Fula City? That's quite a distance..."
"It'll give Zach enough time to train against Kabu," Chloe pointed out. "I've always wanted to go there, I've heard it's quite beautiful."
"Well then it's settled, I'm interested in seeing just how strong exactly Wallace is!" Ash had never seen the former Champion in an actual battle before so this would be a fresh experience for him, he definitely needed to plan out a strong team though as it'd take a lot to take down a former Champion! Two weeks was definitely enough time for that though.
"What's going on?" Zach asked, perking up slightly as he caught a familiar scent from the letter.
"We're goin' ta Fula City in the Johto region!" Marnie exclaimed. "I can't wait ta catch myself a Sneasel and other Dark types that reside over there!"
"Hm?" Zach tilted his head before Ash showed him the letter. "May!" He gasped out as a smile quickly formed across his face once more. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all!
Professor Oak laid in bed fast asleep as it was well past midnight, snoring lightly before being disturbed as his videophone started ringing. Oak let out an annoyed grunt before climbing out of bed and slowly making his way towards the phone before picking it up and answering with a slightly annoyed tone. "Hello?"
"Professor Oak, I'm so glad that you could make it! There's been an incident on Mt. Silver, the Rocket Rogue Domino and an unknown assailant have been terrorizing the place and scaring off guests and wild life! They seem to be searching for something!" Professor Elm shouted in a panicked state.
"Then why call me? Surely the authorities can handle it." Oak muttered out with a yawn.
"Yes but there's more than that, it's that Pokemon Ash met years back. It's gone missing..."
"Larvitar..." Oak muttered. He pulled out his Rotom Phone before looking at Ash's number. He knew that Ash would want to hear about this and no doubt if Larvitar was found the two friends would be delighted to see one another once more!
Another Galar arc is done. I planned on squeezing in a certain canon Galar catch of Ash's but that got pushed to the next Galar arc, he wouldn't use it before that point anyways given what's coming.
But yeah, Larvitar is coming back! But is it a Larvitar still...? It's been years after all!
