Author's Note:
Here it is, the first gym battle of Hoenn and a continuation from the Devon corp standoff. It's also the end of our Rustboro arc and the part where May reveals her choice. A lot has been built up to so far so let's get started. I hope you liked what I've got planned for the gym battle as well, it's been a while since the one against Claire. I will say a lot of people have mentioned not liking Max so far and that's sort of the point. He needs room to grow as a character so I'm setting him up for growth. For the second month in a row I was able to do five chapters, and I don't know how long that trend will continue but I'll try my best. Don't forget to vote in the new poll, this time it's a simple question about two Pokémon and which you prefer. Does it have a bigger meaning? Probably, but you'll need to wait and see. With that, let's begin...
Chapter eleven: Ash VS Roxanne: Diligence
Ash sat down at the table in the lobby, next to Serena. Brock was against the wall, with May and Max opposite them. The young boy was fiddling with a yellow device that he received from the Mr Devon after the whole fiasco. Something for the group to say thank you. With them agreeing that it should go to Max, after all, everything it can do they can do through their Pokegear's, so it only seemed fair.
"So, you was a part of a siege?" May asked.
"It was more like a big battle," Ash shrugged, "a free-for-all. It wasn't like a typical assault."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"They didn't bring anything," Serena explained, "I mean to cause damage. Other than their Pokémon. No weapons or anything for a long stay. If they wanted to hurt anyone, then they went the wrong way about it."
"That would suit what I've read about them," Brock interjected, "apparently, Team Aqua are one of two groups active in Hoenn. They seem to be environmentalist's; whose cause is ocean pollution. They've had protests and the like but nothing like this."
"If they felt their message was being ignored then this could be a more forceful way to get the point across," Serena shrugged, "I'm just glad no-one got hurt."
"I just hope we don't get caught up with them again," May shook her head, "by the way, I wanna speak to you about something."
"What's that?" Max asked, looking up from his device.
"Nothing for you," she scoffed, crossing her arms.
Ash looked between Serena and Brock, realising that what she wanted to talk about was pretty personal, he turned his attention to Max. Grabbing his attention, they pointed out the time and sent him off to bed. They watched as Max made his way down the corridor, disappearing into the first room. It was nice that Brock was given that room, meant it was easy to see him off. Once he was out of sight, they turned towards the brown-haired girl, who was sat opposite them.
"So, what did you want to talk about, May?" Serena asked. Her head resting on his shoulder, arms wrapped neatly around his arm.
"Well..." she took a deep breath, clearly trying to relax herself. Hands fiddling together, "I wanted to talk to you about the gym challenge."
"If you're unsure if your team can beat Roxanne then-" he tried to comfort but she cut him off.
"No, it's that I don't want them to beat her," she interjected, "look, all my life I've been in the shadow of my father. Max was a big part of that. That alone has put me off the idea of gym battles... then Max joined and-"
"And he made this all the more difficult for you," Brock guessed.
"Yes," she nodded, "you see, the truth is... for a long time, I didn't even like Pokémon. I never really got to see them or spend much time, so I thought... I assumed they were mindless creatures to look after. But since meeting Silcoon and the others, I can see I was wrong."
"Whoa," Ash muttered, "May, we-"
"But that's not all," she shook her head, cutting him off, "like I said, I had no interest in taking on the league. But neither Max or my dad would've understood that, especially since I didn't know what I wanted to do."
"But you do know what you want to do now?" Serena asked, "you know, I had trouble knowing what I wanted to do. I still do from time to time."
"Yeah, I think I do," she took a deep breath, "because I haven't been going to a cafe like I told you before. I've been going to the trainer's school to get a better idea of the different options and... now I think I've found the perfect one. For me, I mean."
"So, what do you want to do?" Brock asked.
"I want to have a go at contests," she replied, "being a coordinator. I knew I'd liked something that was more than just plain battling but after seeing the showcase... I know that's too far in the opposite direction. No offence Serena."
"None taken, everyone is different," she smiled, "but I took part in contests back in Johto. I could help you, if you'd like."
"That would be nice," she smiled, "but for now I want to get some sleep... Thank you, all, for understanding."
She quickly made her way upstairs after a series of goodnights. The couple watched Brock head off to the room which he shares with Max before heading off to their own room on the second floor. Walking up the stairs, Ash chuckled to himself as his girlfriend swirled around his arm, pulling him along. It didn't take them long to reach the room, where he struggled to open the door because of her tugging on his arm.
As they made the way into the room, he was pulled in and over to the bed as she shut the door behind. She held her hands behind her back as she slowly stepped towards him. Instinctively, he sat down on the bed as she closed in. Kneeling over him, her legs placed either side of him as her hands were placed on his cheeks, pulling him up into a kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but they were complete bliss.
"After a day like today, I needed that," she sighed, relaxing her entire body. Falling against him and they fell back onto the bed. Her joyous giggle in his ear.
"S-shouldn't we get ready for bed?" he stuttered.
"Slow down, take your time," she cooed, her hand fiddling at the bottom of his shirt. Slowly touching his lower stomach, "let's just relax... cuddle."
His eyes widened and he scooted to the side. Quickly jumping to his feet, he looked down at her, rolling around on top of the covers with a pout. Despite looking adorable, he couldn't bring himself to do anything other than squat down next to the bed.
"What's the matter?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Her adorable rosy cheeks making his heart flutter, "you've been off, all day. Since this morning."
"I-it's just..." he stuttered, "never mind. You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," she raised an eyebrow, "you know, it's really hard not taking your actions personally."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"You practically just jumped out of my embrace, when I'm trying to be affectionate," she explained, "not to mention you got up real early this morning."
"It's not you," he sighed, reaching a handout and stroked her cheek. His eyes quickly widened, and he shook his head, "no. I didn't mean to say that. I mean... I'm really bad at this, but... when I'm ready to tell you, I will. Promise."
"I know you will," she smiled. Leaning forward and pecking his lips, "but you know, I could always use my esp to poke around and find out what happened."
"I know you could... but I know you won't," he offered a small smile. Grabbing her hand and holding it tight, kissing the knuckle, "but I do have something I want to talk to you about. Now you've brought up your esp, I mean."
"Which is?" she asked.
"I think we should tell May about our abilities now," he sighed, "I know you said no before, because you felt she was hiding something. Well, her little announcement kinda confirmed that. I mean, she had the courage to tell us, and I kinda think she had a good reason to hide it."
"I know you just want to do right by them... it's one of the things, I love about you," she smiled, "I'm not saying yes but... I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask," he smiled, leaning forward to peck her lips, "now I'm gonna get ready for bed. I suggest you do the same. You want the bathroom or this one?"
"You can take the bathroom," she smiled. He stood up and collected his nightwear out of the wardrobe, disappearing into the other room.
Ash took a deep breath as he stood on the outside battlefield behind the Pokémon centre. His team of Phanpy, Duskull, Taillow and Treecko stood in a row with his Pikachu and Meganium stood beside him. They already went through the plan and had a secondary check-up after siege yesterday.
"Hey Ash," a familiar voice called out. He turned to the side to see Sawyer approaching with his Corphish and Treecko by his side. Each of them were carrying a bowl of Pokémon food. Reaching them, he set down his own bowl and released his Slakoth, with the three of them digging into breakfast, "sorry but we couldn't have carried any more bowls."
"It's alright," he smiled, "we already ate. We're just taking part in our morning prep. It's something I like to do before the actual battle. As the most experienced ones, it's nice to have both Meganium and Pikachu as backups. They can give tips from battle even I wouldn't have thought about."
"So where are the others?" he asked.
"Serena was just waking up as I left the room," he explained, "by now I'd suspect she's getting breakfast with Brock, May and Max."
"Cool," he smiled, taking out a notebook and pen, "so when will it be battle time? I can't wait to see your style up close and personal."
"Not until later this afternoon, unfortunately," he replied, "but if once they've finished eating, we can set up some training here. I just don't want to tire out the team for later on."
"That would be great!" he exclaimed, a wide smile on his face, "thank you, Ash."
Just as planned, they spent the morning preparing and training. Despite Ash's insistence that the team for tonight didn't take part because of tiring out, certain members such as Taillow and Treecko were not ready to comply. Near one in the afternoon, he sent them back for one final check-up before setting off towards the Rustboro city gym, with all his friends in tow.
They arrive at the gym and took in the sight of the Rustboro gym. A large stone tablet gave off that impression, along with information about it being a museum for fossilised Pokémon. Across the street was the trainers school, the loud bell rung, and parents were leaving with their kids. It didn't take long for a women in her twenties, her hair was long and brown, big bunches on top with twin pigtails dangling behind and a pink bow holding it all together. Ruby red eyes contrasted with her friendly expression, as she held herself up in a respectable manner. Dressed in a black skirt dress with white undershirt and long pink tights, with black shoes and a pink tie around her neck to match her ribbon. He instantly recognised her from when he booked the battle.
"Ah, my half three challenger," she smiled, "correct me if I'm wrong but it's Ash, right?"
"Yeah," he smiled, "and we're ready for our first Hoenn region badge."
"It won't be that easy," she smirked, "but if you'd like to follow me, we have sufficient seating for your friends."
"Don't forget that you need to have your battle too, May," Max called out, "of course, neither your Torchic or Silcoon stand much of a chance. I just hope you've been training your Poochyena. He's your best chance at not completely losing."
"Max, was it?" Roxanne spoke up, "here's a tip, don't give out battle advice unless you've actually battled. I'm guessing you'll see it when we battle later but it's a lot more complicated than just type match up."
"But I've read all the books," he complained.
"I can tell, you made a good textbook call based on your sisters team but there's a lot more to battling than just what's written down," she explained, "a lot of the best battlers never write their strategies or methods down. So, the textbooks are what those that don't battle can determine from watching. Now instead of just standing out here talking, why don't we make our way inside. We can still talk, of course, I like to get to know my challengers."
With everyone nodding in agreement, they followed her into the building. The starting room was a simple reception area.
"Hey Roxanne, I do have a question," Sawyer spoke up, "why is your gym made out of glass? It doesn't seem very rock-themed."
"No, but it does match the rest of the city," she smiled, "and with the school just across the road, I like it's metaphor to remain with our students."
"What metaphor is that?" Serena asked.
"Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones," she replied, not so subtly glancing down to Max who blushed and sunk closer to the back of the group, "you see, we don't tolerate bullying of any kind in the school. Don't worry, the battle room is concealed in metal, so you won't be damaging the exterior."
"How certain are you?" Brock asked, "some Pokémon can have a lot of power."
"I had my six hardest hitters, a Tyranitar, Aggron, Rampardos, Tyrantrum, Aerodactyl and Carrocoasta all use their strongest attacks at the same time," she explained, "if all of them combined doesn't do it, then I doubt any two other Pokémon would."
"I've not heard of most of those," Ash admitted.
"I'm not surprised, most are fossilized Pokémon," she explained, "they are kind of a second speciality of mine. But I don't only use fossil Pokémon, of course."
"Will we be seeing any of them today?" Sawyer asked.
"Unfortunately not, I've already arranged the team for today's battle after speaking with Ash and coming up with a solution to the unique opportunity," she replied, opening the door to a kitchen room with a round table in the middle, "now why don't we take a seat in here for a few minutes."
"But we still have the battle!" Max complained.
"And we'll get to it soon enough," she replied, casting a glance around at everyone else other than the young boy, "but I think we have something to talk about first. Right guys?"
Realising what she was getting at, they all nodded in agreement. Walking into the room, Max pulled up a single chair as May took one opposite them. Himself, Sawyer, and Brock stood behind her as Serena took a seat to her side. While Roxanne squatted between them, eye level with both.
"Max... I think your sister has something to tell you. I know this might not be easy to hear but please hear her out," she requested.
"What do you know?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow up.
"Because she's been spending a lot of time at my trainer's school," she replied, "so hear her out, please."
"You said that you had been going to a cafe," he grunted, turning towards May.
"I did, Max, but I wasn't there," she sighed, "I was spending my time at the school because I wasn't sure what to do."
"You hate studying," he interjected.
"Correct again, but when you have no-where else to turn," she sighed, taking a deep breath, "anyway, the point is I spent my time at the trainer's school."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because... I didn't know," she sighed, "I didn't know what I wanted to do. You've made it perfectly clear my team wasn't ready for the Rustboro gym. And I didn't care-"
"How couldn't you care?" he cried out.
"Because I realised, a long time ago, actually, that I didn't care about being a trainer and competing in a league," she sighed, "but I knew if I told anyone that, then I'd be asked what I wanted to do instead and I didn't know."
"Which is where my trainer's school came in," Roxanne explained, "we offer trial classes to look in on the different choices."
"So, I took a look around and after doing so, I think I've found what I want to do," she took a deep breath, "I'm going to become a coordinator. I'll compete in contests and-"
"How could you betray dad like this!" he cried out, jumping to his feet.
"Calm down, son," Brock stepped forward, holding a wide hand out to stop him.
"Your sister isn't betraying anyone," Roxanne stood up, "your father made his own career. He would want the same for both of you, whatever you both want to do. This is a big decision she came to, and a grown up one at that. You should support her."
"huh," he scoffed, turning towards the side, and crossing his arms, "it's not going to be very easy, ya know. Being a coordinator."
"I don't expect it to be easy," she replied, "but as you've pointed out constantly, being a league trainer wouldn't be, either. And it's actually something I want to do. But it would be a lot easier with your support."
"May," Roxanne stood up, "why don't you go and use the phone to call your parents. It's just in the next room along. And we can have a grown-up conversation with Max here. Maybe he'll understand better without you here."
Ash smiled as he took in the sight of the battlefield. The actual field was nothing special, the same as every other rock field, mountain terrain and rock pillars sticking up out of the field. What truly caught his attention was the room in which the battle would be taking place in.
The room was a large hall with a large seating area similar to some sort of theatre. With the field positioned where the stage would be. It had to be one of the largest arena's he'd seen for a gym. A man dressed in the traditional green outfit for a referee was stood at the side of the field with a camera on a tripod, as he appeared to be working on the recording device. Stepping through the hall, he turned towards the gym leader.
"I hope you don't mind; I like to record gym battles to use as examples for the students," she explained, "are you fine with the battle being recorded?"
"Of course," he smiled, "I'd be happy to show your students have to win a badge in your gym."
"Confidence, I like it," she smirked, "but to win a badge from me, you'll need a lot more. Not just talk."
"Oh, we've got plenty more," he replied, "don't you worry about it."
"Then I'll just emphasis the team I'll be using for your benefit," she explained, "since your already a well-established league competitor, going with a set badge team wouldn't really work. I've picked three Pokémon, one from my two-badge team, one from four and one from six. None are the aces of those particular teams but since you said all your Pokémon will be one's caught since arriving in Hoenn, I felt it was appropriate."
"Well two of them are," he replied, "the third one, I met in Johto, but I hatched him from an egg. So, he didn't have some prior experience in the wild."
"Oh yeah, you did say," she shook her head, "either way, it's good enough for me. If your happy with these terms, we'll start."
Nodding in agreement, he watched as she walked across the field to the far side. Turning towards his friends, Sawyer, May, and Max wished him luck before walking over towards the seats, sitting a few rows back. Brock wished him luck with a solid handshake and went to join them, while Serena gave him a quick hug and peck on the lips. Smiling at her show of affection, he took out a couple Pokéballs and released both Meganium and Duskull, who followed her up to the seating area, along with Pikachu. Seeing everyone else ready, he made his way into the opposite trainers box, staring down his next opponent.
"This will be a three on three gym battle between the gym leader, Roxanne Tsutsuji and the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet town," the ref declared, "due to the challenge being a multi-league competitor, they've agreed on an unorthodox team to test his abilities. While there is no time limit, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon and in between rounds."
"I hope you don't mind on that change, Ash," Roxanne called out, "whilst normally you'd be able to exchange as you wished. I felt this would be more difficult."
"It's fine with me," he smirked, "never really been one to turn down a challenge."
"With both sides ready, we'll begin shortly," the ref continued, "as customary, the gym leader shall reveal her Pokémon first."
"Then I guess that's my cue," Roxanne smiled, enlarging a Pokéball in her hand, "this one is part of the two-badge team. Go Solrock!"
In a flash of light, her first Pokémon appeared. It was a primarily orange, spherical Pokémon. It had eight yellow, rocky spines extending from the sides of its body; and multiple small, yellow stony bumps running vertically along it's centre. As it spun around, floating into a starting position, he saw dual rocky mounds on its back, situated to the sides of the mid-line. It's large eyes consisted of thick, semi-circular yellow eyelids through which black sclerae and red pupils could be seen. A black ring with six extensions surrounded each eye. He smiled as he pulled out his Pokedex to scan the new Pokémon:
Solrock, The Meteorite Pokémon. Sunlight is the source of Solrock's power. It is said to possess the ability to read the emotions of others. This Pokémon gives off intense heat while rotating its body. Some believe this Pokémon has arrived from space and not native to this planet.
"I caught Solrock just north of here at Meteor falls when taking a class on a field trip," she explained, "whilst not very experienced in combat, it's psychic typing has proven too much for brand new trainers. I hope we'll suffice as a starting challenge for your first Hoenn gym badge."
"I'm sure it'll be just fine," Ash smirked, putting his device away and switching it for a Pokéball, "I choose you, Taillow!"
His normal flying type circled around in the air, letting out a loud cry. Clearly getting a feel for the entire field, she swooped down and landed in front of him, facing away from her opponent. A smirk on her face as locked eyes with him.
"Glad to see you made the right choice," she answered, "but I heard only three Pokémon. Couldn't you have pushed her to six. Let me stretch my wings."
"We're gonna give everyone a chance to battle," Ash told her, "both of the others want to battle as well."
"Fine," she rolled her eyes, hopping around, "just don't expect me to always clean up after them."
"You don't have a high opinion of... anyone," Ash sighed, "do you Taillow?"
"If they gave me a reason to have a high opinion, I would," she replied, glancing back, "Treecko... he's alright, I guess. Too much of a hero complex but when push comes to shove, he can fight. As for the others, Phanpy, Granbull, Duskull... spark plug. They are to playful and jokey. Makes 'em sloppy."
"Oh, so what about Meganium?" he asked.
She discretely glanced over to the large grass type within the stands. A smirk resting on her beak, "she's alright. Not really my type but she's tough. If all of 'em at that lab you mentioned are like her, I would like to visit. See what I've really got to work with."
"Sorry to interrupt but are you two ready?" Roxanne asked, "I've seen trainers, usually new ones, talk strategy beforehand but this is... different."
"Yeah, hehehe," he chuckled nervously, "we can be a little weird like that. But we're ready to battle, right Taillow."
Taillow let out a loud battle cry and flapped her wings. Despite being tiny in comparison to her opponent, she clearly wasn't intimidated. It was almost funny how she was acting like the larger, imposing figure. She truly is a one-of-a-kind character.
"Solrock verses Taillow!" the ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Roxanne verses Ash: Round one
His normal flying type leaped off the ground. Soaring straight ahead she smashed into her opponent with glowing wings and continued behind.
Solrock was knocked sideways but the wing attack clearly didn't hurt much. Slow to react, it regained some sense of balance and tried to turn to face her.
Taillow wasn't one to sit still, however, as soon as they were facing the same direction, she made a complete u-turn and smashed into it once more. The rock psychic type was sent spiralling through the air as she looped around.
"When you want me to switch to the secret move, we've been working on, let me know," she called out.
"You can do it anytime," he replied, "just remember you have trouble keeping it up so-"
"Giggidy!" he assumed Duskull shouted from the crowd.
"So, make sure you make the moment count," he continued, ignoring the interjection, "but use Focus energy first. It could give you the boost ya need."
She circled around in the air, a series of light flowing off her body, "if you let Duskull burn me beforehand then that's all the boost I'd need!"
"Just focus!" he cried out.
Taillow turned around her wings glowing once more. Closing in, they shimmered in metal for a split second as they slammed into the levitating Pokémon. Once again, it was knocked sideways as she soared behind it and over her trainer.
"Some of us can multitask," she smirked.
"Your Taillow is impressive, Ash, if your casual conversation is a little unorthodox," Roxanne admitted, "but now it's time we set it up. Solrock, set up a psychic shield around yourself!"
His normal flying type turned and shot back, wings glowing once more. Before getting close, however, some semi-invisible force knocked her back.
"Use quick attack to pierce your way through!" he shouted.
She spun around the top of the ceiling and dived straight down. In the blink of an eye she disappeared, reappeared at the faint blue psychic field. Spinning on her axis, she shot through and her entire body glew. Smashing into their opponent, Solrock was sent crashing into the ground as she looped back around.
"Facade would've finished it off had Duskull of burned me," she called out.
"You can't know that!" Ash cried out. While he's happy to use an ability when it's randomly activated, he'd never force it especially when to do so involves hurting his own friend.
Solrock slowly raised up from the ground, it's expression difficult to read. A series of small-pointed rocks raising up with it out of the ground.
They shot out and circled around after Taillow. She performed a series of ducks and raises. Narrowly avoiding the stone edge, not to different to Paul's Torterra back in in Silver conference. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened.
Surprisingly, Taillow wasn't nearly as fazed. Diving straight down, picking up speed, she turned a moment before impact and shot across the ground.
The rocks never failed to match her path, move for move. Making a direct u-turn up behind Solrock, her wings glew bright white.
Shooting behind the rock psychic type, her glowing wings shimmered in metal. Smashing into one of the spiky pillars shooting out its body, the meteorite Pokémon was knocked sideways.
Taillow came to a stop right in front of Ash, a smirk plastered on her beak as the stone edge's smashed into her Solrock sized shield. He was about to congrat-
"Look out!" he cried.
She shot up just in time to avoid Solrock, who had charged forward whilst covered in flames. Circling around her eyes locked with his.
"If you can make him collide with something, the recoil might give us the opening we need," he explained, the glint in her eye making him regret it instantly.
"Good plan," she replied.
Diving straight down, her entire body glew white. Smashing straight into the centre of their opponent, flames engulfed them both.
Solrock was sent spiralling backwards, the flames dissipating from its body and recoil damage causing a wince. While Taillow remained still in the air, fire dancing around her body, with wings spread out and a vigorous cry echoing in the hall. It almost looked like a mini Ho-Oh being reborn in flames.
"I didn't mean you!" he cried out.
"You really should've been more clear then," she smirked, "at least now I can fully perform at my full power."
Shooting upwards out of the flames, she spiralled around. A red outline surrounding her body as light embers trickled off in her tailwind.
Attempting to regain its sense of balance, Solrock's eye's glew blue. Several balls of psychic type energy formed around it.
Shooting them straight out, his normal flying type seemed to effortlessly manuvers through them and continued down her direct path. Reaching her opponent, she smashed her glowing body straight into the meteorite Pokémon and the powerful facade knocked it back with a grimace of pain written over its face.
She quickly raised both wings up and brought them down on it's top. Shimmering in metal, they smashed Solrock straight into the rock field.
Landing on a nearby rock pillar, flames seeping out of her feathers, she let out a mighty cry. As Solrock laid helplessly on the ground, swirls replacing its eyes.
"Solrock is unable to continue," the ref declared, "making the winners of this round, Ash and his Taillow."
Sawyer felt his hand cramp up as he dropped the pencil on the floor. Just focusing on Taillow alone, he covered four sides on his notebook. The way she moved and dodged, completely controlling Solrock's attention was something to admire.
"Well done, Solrock, you did well," the gym leader smiled as she recalled her fallen meteorite Pokémon, "I must say, Ash, I'm impressed. That was by far the best performance I've seen a Taillow perform in my gym, regardless of who I was using."
"Thanks Roxanne," he smiled, "she was the most enthusiastic about facing you in battle."
"I can tell," she smiled, "although her steel wing could use a little work. I've seen it before; she can only keep it up for a couple seconds at a time."
"I made a deal with her, if she could learn a move good against rock types then I'd agree to her participating. So, she kinda rushed it," Ash explained, taking out a Pokéball and held it out, "now return and rest up, Taillow. Good job, but we'll be talking later about your stubbornness."
"If it works, it works," Taillow smirked, disappearing in a red light.
"That was amazing!" Max exclaimed, "I never knew a Taillow could be a Solrock or another rock type!"
"It's like we've been telling you, Max, there is a lot more to battling than just type match up," Brock explained, "it's a whole lot more complicated."
"Ash sure didn't make it look complicated," Sawyer noted, "he's like a professional out there."
"He's good at trusting his Pokémon and knowing what they are capable off," Serena added, "Taillow's been very independent since we met her, and she even lead her own flock. He knew that she had experience and her own style, so he let her go with it. Only chiming in when he felt she needed help, or he noticed something she could've missed. Had the Pokémon been less experienced, then he'd probably help them more."
"Since the challenger was victor last round, the leader shall reveal her Pokémon first again," the ref declared.
"Next up we have Nosepass," she announced, tossing a Pokéball into the air, "he's a part of my four-badge team."
In a flash of light, a blue, angular, hard bipedal Pokémon slammed onto the floor. He had a bright red, triangular nose, which was highly magnetic and slightly resembled a three-dimensional arrow. He had small, stone like, arms and legs without any visible joints and small, circular holes on the underside. As he studied them closer, the arms resembled compass needles. He had similar circular holes on the side of his head. His eyes, covered by dark, somewhat mask-like markings. Sawyer reached into his back pocket and pulled out his Pokedex to scan the new Pokémon, as he saw Ash do the same:
Nosepass, The Compass Pokémon. Nosepass's magnetic nose is always pointed to the north. If two of these Pokémon meet, they cannot turn their faces to each other when they are close because their magnetic noses repel one another. When lost on a mountain, these Pokémon are useful in finding a way home?
"hmm, a pure rock type," he heard Ash muse. Sawyer guessed that he started with Taillow because of her disadvantage but both of his remaining Pokémon we're pretty even, as far as he knows. He couldn't even begin to try and go over Ash's thought process, "I choose you, Treecko!"
Ash's pure grass type landed on the rocky field with a bent knee. Staring straight ahead, he appeared to be examining the pure rock type. Standing up he turned to face his trainer, took the twig out of his mouth and he planted it next to Ash's foot in the trainer's box. He also noticed the wood gecko Pokémon not very discretely glance over towards the stand... or more importantly, the fully evolved grass type, who was stood next to him.
"You ready for this?" Ash asked, drawing his Treecko's attention.
"Tree," he replied, "Treecko!"
"Don't worry about that, I know you'd protect others over anything else," Ash replied, "but no one needs protecting now. Just follow my lead and we can win this. You ready?"
"Cko," he uttered, turning back around. Walking a short distance out onto the field and entering a battle stance.
Sawyer looked as both Pokémon entered a battle stance. Grabbing his notebook and pencil, he prepared to write down everything he saw. It was one thing to watch Taillow work, but this time Ash is using a Pokémon he has himself. A quick idea flashed in his head and he reached for a Pokéball, quickly releasing his own grass starter. He climbed up onto his shoulder and looked out towards the field.
"I want you to pay close attention to how Treecko moves," he told his starter, "his movements could make some valuable insight on how to improve our own battling."
"Nosepass verses Treecko," The ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Roxanne verses Ash: Round Two
He watched his grass type starter shoot off across the ground. Not fast enough for a quick attack but still with great pace. Reaching the pure rock type, he leaped up and spun, swinging his tail down. It struck their opponent's nose as he followed through and landed behind their opponent.
"Urg," he cried out. Static appearing over his body.
"Very foolish of you to charge straight in," Roxanne pointed out, "you may be faster, but we've got a way to handle that. As you can see."
"Get on the back!" Ash shouted.
Struggling through the static, he leaped back and landed straight on Nosepass. The pure rock type raised up, slightly off the ground, spinning around.
Slowly walking over, him, Treecko absorbed energy off the compass Pokémon. While their opponent spun around, clearly trying to through him off.
"Discharge," she instructed.
A field of electricity expanded out of the rock type. Treecko cried out in pain as he clutched the top of their opponent. Despite not being very effective, it was clearly just trying to shoot him off. His current position doesn't give him much chance to properly attack him.
"Just keep absorbing energy and stay put," Ash instructed.
More balls of energy shot out of Nosepass, straight into Treecko. The pure rock type continued to float around as he attempted to knock the wood gecko off.
Like a rocket, Nosepass shot up towards the ceiling of field. Ash's took a deep breath, ready to call out a command and when Treecko rolled off the top.
"Bullet Seed!" he shouted.
Spinning as he fell down, the pure grass type launched a barrage of yellow seed-like bullets. It struck the compass Pokémon, as he slammed into the ceiling.
He smashed onto the ground as Nosepass came flying back down. Rolling out of the way, he barely avoided the impact. Pushing himself up, Treecko growled in anger as pushed himself up onto one knee. Nosepass slowly got up, recoil damage spread over his body.
"Get back onto him!" Ash shouted.
Struggling to his feet, his wood gecko Pokémon launched another barrage of Bullet Seeds. It struck Nosepass head-on as he shot off, disappearing from sight.
Nosepass, slowly backed up with white orbs forming in front of him. They shot out in all directions.
The pure grass type reappeared, leaping on over the first power gem. He made a dive and his hands landed on the next one. Performing a summersault, he flipped over, closing in on the pure rock type. Static overtook his body, bringing him to a halt as another power gem struck his bottom half.
Knock sideways, he landed on top of the compass Pokémon, grunting in pain. He used a hand to stick on top of rock type, swinging over the back.
Roxanne's Pokémon smashed into the far wall, crushing Treecko, who cried out in pain. As he floated back across the field, Ash's grass type couldn't be seen.
"Where did he go?!" Roxanne cried out, "that should've finished him off."
"I would've thought you'd know better than to rely on power tactics," Ash called out, "we knew you'd likely bring someone big and tough. None of my Pokémon are exactly brawlers so we came up with a tactic for that. Now if you wouldn't mind Treecko finish this already!"
A small cry came out from under Nosepass, as he was knocked backwards. Treecko reappeared, stuck to his underside.
Following through with glowing fists, a hint of orange could be seen within them. He delivered one punch after another, knocking him around. With one last cry, he spun his large tail around and it struck the big red nose. Knocking Nosepass sideways across the ground, smashing through a rock pillar and stopping.
"Nosepass is unable to battle," the ref declared, "making the winners of this round Ash and his Treecko!"
Ash smiled as he watched Treecko walk back towards him. A confident smirk on his face, as he gave a small, serious nod. Despite the static still present over his body, he turned around and entered another battle stance. Just in time to see Nosepass disappear in a red light.
"That was impress, Ash, how did you manage that power difference?" Roxanne asked.
"Treecko was hitting constant leer's throughout the battle, making Nosepass as vulnerable as possible," he explained, "along with using absorb to keep himself healthy whilst Nosepass was tiring himself out, just trying to separate them."
"And neither of us could've noticed because absorb doesn't attack him physically," she concluded, "after how your Taillow battled, I figured you'd be more the offensive straight forward type. I guess this strategy blind-sided me."
"It really does depend on my Pokémon, Taillow is pretty clear about her plan being to hit something," he shrugged, "and if that fails, she'll hit it harder."
"So, you deliberately fooled me into predicting your strategy," Roxanne replied.
"We knew that you was a teacher, so you'd know every move in the book. Travelling with Max, well he's helped me remember what that book looks like," he smiled, "so we knew that to counter that, we'd need a move not in the book. Switching up our strategy without any major red flags, like going from a Pikachu to a Snorlax, that's just the sort of thing."
"What are you talking about, Ash?!" Max cried from the stands.
"I get it!" Sawyer shot up, "if a trainer were switching up styles, a massive change in Pokémon, like going from a Pikachu into a Snorlax would be a clear indicator but both Treecko and Taillow are both small, fast, fighters. It'll be easy to assume they'd stick to that strategy when it worked the first round."
"Well that was pretty smart, Ash, and I'll remember not to assume anything against you from now on," she smiled, taking out another Pokéball, "but my last partner will be the toughest one yet. Even if you can fool me again, he's been around a lot longer. Go Armaldo!"
In a flash of light, a bipedal, amphibious Pokémon that held a vague resemblance to Kabutops, now that he took in his full appearance. It was covered with thick, greyish-blue plates. There were accents of yellow, black, white, and red throughout his body. His oblong eyes protrude from the sides of his head. A black pattern with two red, teardrop-shaped spots covered the centre of his head and a yellow lower jaw. Three pairs of wing-like appendages extend from the sides of his long, thick neck. A plate of armour on his back had four short spikes and two triangular, yellow-rimmed wings extending from underneath. His scaled chest and belly are rimmed with yellow lines as well, and there were two large yellow plates in the centre of his chest. His segmented arms extend from holes in these plates, each with a large, black claw. The legs were also segmented, with black knees. A pair of black fins tips topped the end of his pointed, long blue tail. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the tall Pokémon:
Armaldo, The Plate Pokémon. The final evolved form of Anorith. Armaldo's tough armour makes all attacks bounce off. This Pokémon's two enormous claws can be freely extended or contracted. They have the power to punch right through a steel slab.
"Armaldo here was a gift from Mr Devon a few years back," she explained, "unless I'm mistaken, you have a prehistoric Pokémon of your own, correct."
"Hehehe, yeah," he chuckled nervously, "Aerodactyl... He's quite something. Really helps with training the guys that are back home."
"Having a Pokémon from a different time can be very... difficult, that's for sure," she explained, "some were young enough when they became fossils that the effect didn't affect them. But some left entire families behind and-"
"I know," he nodded, "he's never shown it, but I know Aerodactyl misses what was left in the past. No matter how close we got, we couldn't replace them."
"And I doubt that either of you would want that," she replied, "being able to adapt to such a Pokémon is a true testament to your skills as a trainer."
"Thanks Roxanne," he smiled, turning towards his pure grass type, "hey Treecko, you okay to keep going?"
"Uh huh," he replied, not moving from his battle stance as static continued to spark over his over body.
Roxanne's rock bug Pokémon stepped forward and growled threateningly as the two scythe-like arms extended out and crossed each other. Despite only barely being taller than Roxanne herself, the plate Pokémon seemed far more intimidating than much larger opponents. Maybe it's just the size difference between himself and Treecko, though.
Narrowing his eyes, Ash took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He already knew this would be tougher than the rest of her team put together. Not only is he a part of a high-badge number team but from the way she spoke, he was an experienced restored fossil... just like Aerodactyl.
"Armaldo verses Treecko," the ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Roxanne verses Ash: Round Three
His eyes flickered across the field. Since the referee made his call, not a single sound had been uttered. Even the audience was eerily silent. Watching both their opposing Pokémon and gym leader, he knew they were waiting to see how they'd react.
Treecko took a deep breath. With a mighty cry, he launched out a barrage of yellow seed-like bullets.
Armaldo quickly launched out a spew of sludgy brown mud. It shot straight through the bullets effortlessly and drove straight down on the grass type.
In the blink of an eye, Ash's wood gecko shot away in the blink of an eye. He reappeared running underneath the spewing mud shot.
Static appeared over his body and brought him to a halt right at the plate Pokémon's feet. Grunting in pain, he was unable to move at all.
Roxanne's rock bug type cried out and spun around. His long-pointed tail was coated in metal as it sent him flying across the field.
Spinning around, he landed on all fours on one of the rock pillars. Looking up, a glint appeared in his eye. Launching out another barrage of bullets, it was once again counted by a mud shot.
Diving forward, he barely avoided the attack. It struck the rock and blasted straight through it. He rolled as he landed and entered another run.
Swinging his tail around, his large green appendage struck the plated leg. His fists tightened, glew white with a hint of orange. Delivering a one-two punch.
"Even if you got as many leers off as you did against Nosepass, it won't help," Roxanne explained, "Armaldo is far more defensive and powerful."
Crying out in anger, swiped his claw underneath and launched Treecko into the air. Holding both scythes out, they each glew white with a hint of darkish green energy glowing within them. He slashed them over the pure grass type as he came down. An X shape forming and forcing him away.
"Treecko!" Ash cried out.
His pure grass type went flying across the ground. Smashing through another rock pillar and landing on his stomach. Swirls replacing his eyes.
"Treecko is unable to battle," the ref declared, "making the winners of this round, Roxanne and her Armaldo."
Max felt his bottom lip tremble as he sunk back into his seat. Treecko was meant to be the one with the best advantage over rock types, so how could he be the first to fall. Not to mention he seemed to even do worse than Taillow did. This battle makes no sense!
"It's pretty interesting, right Max?" Brock asked, a friendly smile on his face, "how does it feel, getting to watch a gym battle?"
"Oh yeah, your father didn't let you watch his gym challenges, did he?" Serena asked.
He bite his lower lip as his eyes slyly slide across to the cerulean-eyed girl who just spoke. Despite wanting to answer, his voice was unwilling to help in that matter. Instead his fingers just fiddled against each other as he sunk further into his seat. He turned back towards Brock, who seemed to look over at Serena with some sort of coy smile. Although he didn't want to raise suspicion, he couldn't bring himself to answer in any sort of way.
"Nope," May responded, "he said that he didn't want us to distract his opponent. Making it fair for everyone he faced."
"I knew how tough the normal type could be, so I decided to leave the Petalburg gym until later," Sawyer spoke up, "I know Treecko had a good advantage against rock types, so we came here first. Had I got Torchic then I probably would've gone Dewford first or to Larvaridge if I got a Mudkip."
"You know all about the eight Hoenn gyms and their type speciality's?" Brock asked, to which the dark green-haired boy nodded, "that's impressive."
"Of course, I know where all the gyms are and what their individual type specialities are," he replied, "how could I come up with a visible plan, if I didn't?"
"You sure are a smart trainer, Sawyer," Brock smiled, "you almost remind me of Ash's brother."
"Ash... has a brother?" May asked.
"Yeah, a twin brother actually," Serena answered, "he's travelling around Unova right now. Maybe you'll get to meet him some time."
His mind briefly flashed with the image of a boy from last year's Silver conference. He held a strong resemblance to Ash but with short, military styled hair and a darker selection of clothing. He didn't pay much attention to him during the competition because he lost in the group stages.
Turning towards the field, he saw Ash had already recalled his fallen grass type and was switching his Pokéball around. Armaldo stood still on the same position that he first appeared. Not looking tired in the slightest as his eyes glared down on Ash, who was smirking in response.
"So, Ash, I have to ask," she called out, "are you ready to overcome this obstacle or not?"
"We're ready alright!" he declared, pulling out a Pokéball, "I choose you, Phanpy!"
In a flash of light, his pure ground type burst out onto the field, with a wide smile on his face. Despite looking up to the large rock bug type, both his floppy ears and long nose raised up and down in sync as he let out a playful cry.
"You've done alright so far, Ash but we won't go down that easily," she replied.
"Roxanne," he seemed to sigh, "the tougher the opponent. The harder we fight. Right Phanpy?"
"Phan Phanpy!" the ground type cried in a joyful tone.
Scrapping his small paw over the rocky terrain, Phanpy seemed to narrow his eyes as he tensed up. Taking a few steps forward, Armaldo let out a low, threatening growl and extended both scythes in a threatening manner.
"Armaldo verses Phanpy," the ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Roxanne verses Ash: Round Four
Ash took a deep breath. Once again everyone was silent, waiting for who would make the first move. He knew that his ground type wouldn't have the patients to wait like Treecko did. As his eyes flickered over him, he could tell Phanpy was already about to bolt.
"Defence Curl!"
"Mud Shot!"
He made a small leap and curled up into a ball. A spew of wet mud struck him and sent Phanpy flying backwards.
"Use it and build up momentum!" Ash shouted, "Rollout!"
The long nose Pokémon shot off from the mud shot, rolling across the floor with an ever-increasing speed. Taking a wide breadth, he avoided the muddy puddle left in the middle of the field. Shooting across the field, he slammed into one of Armaldo's legs.
Roxanne's rock bug type seemed unfazed by the impact and Phanpy bounced off. Continuing his rollout, he moved away, picking up more momentum.
"We can't let him build up any more momentum, Armaldo," Roxanne informed, "as you know, small packages can deliver big punches."
Looking towards his pure ground type, he found Phanpy already going in for a second hit. It was too late to call out a counter.
Armaldo swung his large tail around, a metal coating shimmering over it. The playful Pokémon was struck head on and sent soaring over the field, as he exited his curled-up state. With a mighty cry, he launched out another mud shot with struck Phanpy and shot him high into the air.
Smashing into the ceiling, the attack seized. He fell down from the ceiling and landed flat on his stomach, a weak grunt of pain coming from him.
"Phanpy!" he cried out, "are you alright?"
"Y-yeah," he stuttered, struggling to his feet, legs wobbling, "big brother told me how to take some tough hits."
"Then let's try something else," he instructed, "you Magnitude and charge in!"
Phanpy let out a small, meek cry and rose up onto his hind legs. Slamming them down, the entire field began violently shaking as he took off across the field, running with a power barrier forming around him. He smashed into Armaldo's leg and tried to push him down.
He didn't even step back as a scythe swiped upwards. Grabbing Phanpy from the ground, he lifted him to an eye level as the shaking ended.
"You might've used a different move, but it was the same concept of running headfirst," she informed, "your gonna need to do better than that, Ash."
"You mean like getting in close and letting you get him in even closer?" Ash asked, "now Flail, Phanpy!"
Glowing with a white outline, Phanpy began thrashing around in a chaotic manner. Smashing into Armaldo's head, the plate Pokémon stumbled back.
He landed on all fours as his opponent tried to regain a sense of balance. Swiping his long nose against the ground, he sent a pile of mud up and into their opponents face. Armaldo cried out in anger as he tried to shaking the blinding attack off.
A blue ball of water formed at his mouth and with a swing of the head, he struck it down. Washing Phanpy away in one powerful blast.
The pure ground type came to a stop halfway across the field, covered in water and mud. Lying on his side, swirls replaced his eyes.
"Phanpy is unable to continue," the ref declared, "making the winners of this round Roxanne and her Armaldo!"
Ash inwardly sighed and held the device out. A beam of red light struck his fallen ground type and quickly returned him into the device. Looking down on at the Pokéball containing his youngest Pokémon, he closed his eyes and shook his head.
"Thank you, Phanpy, you did great for your first gym battle," he offered a small smile, "and we won't let your hard work go to waste. I promise."
"I must say, I respect you, Ash," she called out, "both Taillow and Treecko showed great diligence in their respective battles. And Phanpy, he did as well but was heavily out powered by Armaldo. I hate to be the barer of bad news, but I doubt you could make much of a difference now. I was a good try."
"Roxanne," he smiled, shaking his head, "you really think I'm gonna call it here and just give up?"
"Your very impressive Ash but all you have left is just a Taillow," Roxanne replied, "you don't stand a chance now."
"Hmm, there's nothing just about Taillow," he smirked, enlarging a Pokéball in hand, "I choose you!"
In a flash of light, his normal flying type appeared on the field. She glanced back towards him with a confident smirk on her beak. Turning forward, her eyes narrowed as she examined their opponent. Armaldo let out a cry as he stepped forward, letting out a loud battle cry.
"This is the one the guys couldn't handle?" she asked, "a bug."
"Giant, armoured, re-animated fossil Pokémon?" he replied.
"It's still just a bug," she shrugged. Turning back to watch the anger spread across the plate Pokémon.
"Well I've got a plan, Taillow," Ash informed her, "do you trust me?"
"Not really," she deadpanned, "but I'm willing to try anything once. Especially since my guts activated."
"We're still going to have a talk about that when we're done," Ash informed.
"Sure, we will," she shrugged, "are we gonna start this or what?"
She flapped her wings and took off, circling overhead as Armaldo entered his own battle stance. His eyes flickered across the gym leader, who seemed bemused. He inwardly smirked at her amusement... hopefully this plan of his can be pulled off.
"Armaldo verses Taillow," the ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Roxanne verses Ash: Round Five
Ash watched as his normal flying type soared around. Armaldo extended both scythes and held them out. One by one, a rock formed between them before launching up into the air. She effortlessly avoided them, but her expression showed one of displeasure.
"Even start sharing about this plan of yours," she called out, "or am I'm going with my original plan."
"And what is that plan?" he asked.
"Hit it till it falls," she growled, her wings glowing white.
"And when that doesn't work?" he asked.
She over down and smashed her wings into his head. Shimmering with a metal coating a split-second before.
"I'll hit it harder," she growled.
"Well other than that, just do this," he suggested, "move in close but don't attack and don't get hit either."
"I already hate this plan," she spat.
She soared down and her wings glew white. Stopping right in front of their opponent, she raised her wings as Armaldo brought down his scythes, knocking them to the side, she flew around them and avoided the crush claw completely.
Keeping well within the reach of the plate Pokémon, she extended both wings which glew. As the scythes came down, they coated in metal and deflected.
She was knocked down but not completely. Having her wings return to normal, she swooped between his legs and up his back. Avoiding an iron tail as she looped over his head diving back down on the scythes. Delivering a powerful Facade to knock away the scythes once more.
Halting right in front of him, she made a taunt that Ash knew he shouldn't repeat. A series of lights flickered around her as the scythes came back.
Each of them glew and came back down. She effortlessly dodged each attempt but kept well within striking range.
"That Mud Slap is still affecting your accuracy, and they're playing you," she called out, "aim a water Pulse straight up."
The rock bug type looked straight up and formed a ball of water right his mouth. With a mighty cry, he launched it straight up above his head.
"Thank you, Roxanne," he smirked, "quick attack straight through it, Taillow!"
His normal flying type shot off in the blink of an eye. Moments later she reappeared, smashing through the water ball which imploded around her. A light spatter sprinkled down around Armaldo but not nearly enough to clear his eyes from the mud.
"You really don't want his eyes washed," she smirked, "your trying to tire him out."
"Maybe, maybe not," he smirked, "now Taillow, do what you do best and aim for his head."
She smirked down on him as her wings glew white. Making a direct u-turn, she drove straight down on the plate Pokémon.
Her wings shimmered in metal a split second as they smashed through his crossed scythes and into his head. Stumbling backwards, she used the opening and extended her beak, quickly pecking one of his eyes, causing a cry of pain.
Glowing white, she smashed her two wings into the side of his head. Puffing her entire body forward, the facade attack knocked him down onto the floor.
"You realise it'll take forever for Taillow to deal enough damage to take him down," Roxanne informed.
She landed talons down on his nose, quickly pecking the second eye. Her wings shimmered in metal and slammed down on the top of his head.
"That might be true but right now Armaldo is harmless to her," he replied, "by focusing on his head, he's disorientated, and his vision is none-existent. He couldn't launch a comeback and even if he could, chances are it'll miss."
Raising both wings above her body, she glew with a red outline. Slamming down with multiple facades in a row, she seemed to laugh joyfully.
"True," she countered, "but she can't keep that momentum up forever. I'm willing to bet she'll tire out before Armaldo collapses. But why the water pulse?"
A burst of flames erupted around her but to no avail. She continued to beat down on the plate Pokémon with full force.
"That's why," he countered, "I knew a direct attack, if broken up by the burst, would've left her open. I needed a way to delay its effects, so she had a clear shot. And after how many thunderbolts she took from my Pikachu when I caught her, along with defeating most of our team in quick succession. I'm willing to bet she will last more than long enough."
Drops of blood splatted out as she continued to beat down on the head. A trail of blood leaked out of Armaldo's nose, along with weak grumbles of pain.
"Alright!" Roxanne cried out, "we concede."
Flapping her blood coated wings, Taillow took off and soared around, landing directly on Ash's shoulder. A proud smirk smeared across her beak.
"The gym leader has declared her Armaldo unable to continue," the ref declared, "making the winners of this round and the battle as a whole, the challenger, Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."
Ash smiled and scratched under her chin as she raised both wings giving a small shake. Coming to a stop, her eyes narrowed and looked towards him. He froze in place and carefully lowered his hand as a hard swallow struggled down his throat.
"Hehehe, sorry," he muttered, "but good job. On the battle, I mean."
"Why talk her into conceding?" she asked, "I could've lasted longer than that bug."
Turning towards the field, he saw Roxanne on her knees, cradling her rock bug type. Wiping the blood away and pouring water over his eyes, he slowly blinked them open but still looked dazed and confused. A small smile on her face as she thanked him and recalled to his Pokéball.
"I believe you could've," he nodded in agreement, "but damaging a head is far more dangerous than the other parts of a body. Plus, I didn't want to risk you damaging your wings."
"No pain, no gain," she growled, "but since this battle was cut short. Whichever gym we go to next, I want in."
"I don't know where we're going next," he shook his head, "or what type their gym might be."
"I still want in," she sneered, "make it an electric gym. Or ice... or maybe dragon, yeah. Dragon's good."
"Just... rest up for now," he sighed, recalling her to the Pokéball. He smiled down at the device in his hand. She may be tough to deal with, but her diligence is something else entirely, "thank you."
A series of footsteps drew his attention as his friends came running, or in Duskull's case, floating, down from the seating area. Pikachu was the first to reach him and scurried up his body. A wide smile spread across his face.
"I'll ask again," he stated, "are you sure that's not a Lugia, cosplaying as a Taillow."
"Wow Ash, that was amazing!" Sawyer exclaimed, "I learnt so much from watching your Treecko and Phanpy in action but Taillow... Man, that was something else. I even broke my pen and couldn't write everything down."
"Yep, that was pretty cool," Max added, "if you keep this up, you might get past my dad's Swellow in the rematch. But both you and Taillow have a long way to go before then."
"I wouldn't let Taillow here you say that, Max," Ash smirked, "remember how upset Torchic got when you kept comparing him to a Treecko?"
"Hehehe, well..." he chuckled nervously, "it was still a good battle."
"It truly was," Roxanne's voice drew his attention, "I must say, this battle didn't go how I imagined. Not in the slightest."
"You didn't think Ash would win?" May asked.
"Oh no, of that I had no-doubt," she shook her head, "I just didn't expect his lynch pin to be a Taillow of all Pokémon. But speaking of winning, it's my honour to present you with this, the stone badge, as proof of your victory here at the Rustboro gym."
Holding out her open hand, a small rectangular shaped badge was lying straight. Two of its corners were more emphasised than the others, making it appear like two arrows pointed in opposite directions. With a colour pattern of garnet red and sand yellow, with a brown centre."
"Thank you, Roxanne," he nodded in appreciation. Taking the badge in hand, he smiled as he stared down at it. Turning to the side, Pikachu already had the badge case out of his backpack. Accepting the case, he flipped it open and placed his first Hoenn region badge inside."
"It was no trouble at all," she smiled, "but I do have a five o'clock challenger and I need to get my team to Nurse Joy for a check-up. So, if you don't mind."
"Of course," Brock answered for the group.
"Feel free to stop by here or the trainer's school, if your ever in Rustboro," she smiled, as they set off down the corridor and out of the gym.
It didn't take them long to make it out of the gym and onto the main street of the city. Coming to a halt, he was able to see a mountain to the north and east while the forest was to the south. Ocean to the west. Sawyer drew all of their attentions in.
"Okay guys, this has been fun, and it was great watching your gym battle, Ash," Sawyer smiled, "but now it's time I set off."
"Which gym are you going to next?" Ash asked.
"Actually, I've decided to leave gym battles for a bit," he smiled, "your battle showed me how unprepared my team really is. So, I'm going north to the mountains and will loop around the north-side of the mainland. I want to build up a proper team and get more experience ."
"That's a very mature decision to make, Sawyer," Brock noted, "good luck."
"Thanks," he smiled, "I hope to see you all later when I've got a pretty good team backing me up. So where are you guys going?"
"Well I've been studying the map of the Hoenn region and noted where the gyms and contest halls are," Brock noted, "I believe our best route to take from here would head back to Petalburg and take a boat to Dewford. That gym is by far the furthest out. Then we can loop around to Slateport where another contest hall is. Of course, depending on what time we arrive, it could be holding a contest or showcase."
"Oh, Dewford island is beautiful!" May cooed, "you're going to love it!"
"So how will we get there?" Serena asked.
"We could ride with Mr Briney!" Max exclaimed.
"Whose Mr Briney?" Ash asked.
"He's this really nice man who runs a dock between Rustboro and Petalburg," she explained, "it's mostly shut down now, only for supplies to the island chain, but he still offers trainers and stuff rides between there, Dewford and Slateport. Our parent have taken us on beach days many times."
"I guess that settles that," he smiled, "we're going to Dewford next. Then onto Slateport."
"Nice, the Dewford gym leader is a fighting type specialist," Sawyer smiled, "with your Duskull and Taillow, you won't have any trouble. Type wise, at least."
"True but maybe we could explore Dewford a bit before that," he shrugged, looking towards the rest of the group.
"How come, Ash?" May asked.
"Well if our travels in the orange Archipelago taught us anything," Ash explained, "it's that islands are diverse and make great training places. Along with having a variety of Pokémon. It could be a good time for us to all build up our teams some more. Plus, it'll be weird going straight from one gym to another."
Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. Don't forget to vote in the polls. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...