Author's Note:
Here it is, the third gym battle of the Hoenn region. I've tried to make this one a little more difficult for our young trainer. Not much else happens to be honest but what do you expect from a gym battle chapter? A little heads up, the next few chapters will be Brock and Max focused, at least until we get to the next contest so there's that to look forward too. I will say Wattson I've tried to give a bolder personality, since we only have this one chapter with him, whereas both Roxanne and Brawly got a little intro before their battle. His team, or rather at least one member is a Pokémon I feel suits his inventor side. Oh, and we get a little more info on Electrike's back story. I will say that this contains one of the times I give a Pokémon a move they don't technically learn but I only do this with moves which seem to make sense for them to learn so don't expect a Growlithe using hydro pump any time soon. Don't forget to vote in the poll and with that, let's begin.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ash verses Wattson: Vivacity
Ash sighed as he leaned against the far wall of the Pokémon centre. His eyes wondered over to May, who was currently on the phone with her parents, checking in on Clamperl. She also had Minun and Skitty out, probably introducing them all.
"You feeling ready?" an angelic voice asked.
He turned to the source and found his girlfriend stood with her arms crossed. His eyes travelled up and down her body, even if it's the same golden-crop top outfit and green shorts, he couldn't help but smile. Stepping towards her, he embraced her in a big hug. Resting his head on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her back and his hands rested on her hips. With his nose pressed into her neck, the fresh scent of razz berries filling his senses.
"With you by my side, I'm ready for anything," he whispered, "I love you."
"What's ever gotten into you, tell what so I can get you this affection whenever," she whispered, her hands ekansing their way around his back.
Pulling his head back, he couldn't help but stare into her blue sapphires. Leaning his forehead against her's, he puckered his lips and pecked her a few times, each one longer than the last. On the fourth one, he felt her push forward and deepen the kiss as her arms moved up, wrapping around his neck. Tightening his grip around her, leaned in further... never losing the constant eye contact as they both refused to blink.
"Put her down Ash," Brock's voice drew his attention. Parting their lips, he turned to see the breeder waiting... with both May and Max.
His eyes burst open, and he instantly dropped her. Standing straight, he faced them completely, feeling his cheeks heat up.
"Smooth," Serena stretched out. Glancing to the side, he found her with some lip gloss in her hand. She applied it, seemingly unaffected.
Rolling his lips inside, his eyes
"Well, we thought you'd be more excited for a gym battle after so long," Brock smirked, "but-"
"Oh, he's definitely not lacking in the excitement department," Serena added, "trust me."
"Erm," he gasped, struggling to let breath in.
Seeing his friends laugh at his expense did help loosen the noose around his neck. With his hand being enveloped by Serena's, she dragged him along as they went exploring the city. Brock led the way as they saw more of the construction sites littered around. As they got closer to the gym, he was able to shake away his feelings of nervousness and focus on the challenge ahead. He knew they were just teasing him.
The building was modern, couldn't be more than a couple years old with the striking design. A pair of automatic glass doors stood in front of them, but windows lined the walls around them, allowing the look inside. He could make out a typical waiting area you might expect from a doctor's office or business.
"I challenge you!" Ash shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. He waited a few seconds before dropping his arms, although he couldn't wipe the wide smile on his face, "man. It feels good to do that again."
"You sure seem pumped for this, Ash," May smiled.
"It's been a good few weeks since I faced Brawly remember," he shrugged, "and it'll be Kirlia's gym debut. Why wouldn't I be excited."
"Well, we won't get anywhere by just standing around here," Max commented, "we should make our way inside."
With no argument, he led the group up to the glass door. He couldn't help but wonder what sort of leader he'd encounter. From what he read; it was a joyous old man called Wattson. Along with specialising in electric types, he apparently is the master electrician behind Mauville's remodel. Thinking back to the other older gym leaders he's faced, like Blaine and Pryce, he's expecting a very traditional, disciplined, and smart man... sure to be a big challenge in battle.
Stepping within the building, a cool aircon hit them. Refreshing breath on his sun-struck skin. A faint humming from some sort of machine filled the room but it hardly distracted them. Looking around, it felt a little weird to see something so new, unattended. A light patter of feet drew their attention.
Turning towards a pair of double doors, a Pokémon burst through and landed right in front of them. It appeared to be a sort of canine Pokémon, which stood on all four legs. Most of their body was blue with a spiky, yellow mane on the head and yellow tufts of fur on the haunches and around the front feet. The mane sticks straight up and had three points. With the jaw hanging slightly, he saw the upper part being jagged. Red eyes stared them down narrowing slightly, and they had holes on either side of the head that seemed to be the ears. Each of the paws had three claws. With a blue, spike-like tail, bent at an angle waving behind. His hand dropped to his belt as he watched the Pokémon, ready in case it decided to attack.
"Manectric!" a loud voice boomed, "where did ya'll run off too?!"
"Here!" the Pokémon barked in response.
Glancing down the double doors that Manectric burst through, he saw two figures walking towards them, one being a large round man with a bushy white beard, with a small spike of white hair sticking up over his bolding head. A wide smile on his face, as he was dressed in a yellow electrician-jump suit and some sort of camouflage Alolan-shirt which had lightning bolts within the design. Whilst a taller, younger, lanky man stood behind him.
"Hahaha, it seems we've got guests!" he laughed, "tell me kids, are any of you here for a gym battle?"
"Yes sir," he stepped forward. Seeing the canine relax, he moved his own hand away from his belt, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet town."
"Ah, so you're the experienced trainer I've heard about!" he boomed, "I'm Wattson and you've already met Manectric. And this is my assistant, Watt!"
"Nice to meet you," Ash smiled, "and these are Serena, Brock, May and Max! Oh, and Pikachu of course!"
"Saving the best till last," his starter quipped.
"Ah, a Pikachu! That takes me back!" Wattson smiled, stepping forward, placing a hand on his face, turning the head to examine him, "tough and vibrant cheeks, strong tail! He's clearly been raised well!"
"Hehehe, thank you," he chuckled mareepishly.
The pure electric type by the joyous man's leg stepped forward, sniffing the ground. He made his way up to Brock, sniffing his legs before stopping by his belt, barking something else which he couldn't quite make out.
"Sorry lad," Wattson apologised, "but do you happen to have an electric type on ya? I'm guessing that's what's got Manectric's attention."
"Yeah," he replied, pulling out a Pokéball. He released his three-legged electric type into his arms. Swirling around in the cradle, he rubbed his head into Brock's chest, like a small baby might, "say hello Electrike. Manectric wanted to meet you."
"Oh, it's this guy," Wattson smiled, "it's nice to see you again. Do you remember me, Electrike?"
"You know Electrike?" Brock asked.
"Partly," he explained, "a few weeks ago. There was a disturbance at Mauville's electrical grid, or New Mauville as I like to call it. So, I was called to go and see what was going on. It was a rare occurrence."
"How come?" Max asked.
"In Hoenn, we live in balance with Pokémon in all aspects of life," he replied, "new Mauville is no exception. Being a complete automated systems means we can leave it by itself without worry. And due to the high charges, a lot of electric types are drawn to the area."
"It was the same with the old power plant back in Kanto," Serena explained.
"So, I went over there to see what happened. It's usually something small like a battle between two wild Pokémon blew a fuse or something like that," he continued, "but not this time. A Pokémon hunter had attacked the electrical grid to take a lot of the Pokémon."
"Oh my..." May gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.
"She trapped Electrike against the main generator and had her Pokémon try to restrain it," he continued, "during the commotion, she damaged the generator and it exploded... that's how Electrike lost his leg, being caught in the explosion. She escaped with most of the wild Pokémon, but she wasn't interested in a small Electrike which was missing a leg... I tried to help him, but he charged off into the forest. Following the blood trail, it stopped by the water, and I assumed he fell in. It was sad but I had no-way too search the lake and had to work on fixing up New Mauville."
Ash clenched his fist, already having an image in his head of who this poacher was... It didn't take a genius, after all.
"My Lotad and Mudkip were playing in the water," Brock explained, "I'm guessing they found him at the edge of the water and brought him over to me."
"I'm just glad he's safe and has a good trainer to look after him," Wattson smiled, "now enough with this sappy stuff. You wanted a gym battle, right Ash?"
"Yes," he nodded, slightly narrowing his eyes.
"Then let's make our way to the field!" Wattson gestured down through the corridor they arrived through, "no time like the present!"
Following the large man down the corridor, he couldn't help but notice how dark it was, with bright colourful lights flashing around. As he looked around, it was like some sort of night club, just not as crowded. Pushing through another pair of double doors, they stepped into a large arena.
The field wasn't like one he had seen before. It was jet black tiles with fresh white lines across the shimmering floor. Bright lights reflected off them, with a circle of seats, just like one of the stadium fields the leagues use. Ash made his way across the field towards the far trainer's box, as Wattson took up his spot in the closer one. His friends walked up to the seating area, sitting within the first couple rows.
"Hahahaha, this is already gonna be a fun one, I can tell," Wattson laughed, "so what're we waiting for Watt? Let's get this current moving!"
"R-right away boss," he stuttered, stepping up on the ref's box, "this will be a three-on-three gym battle between the Mauville gym leader, Wattson Tessen and the challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet town! Now-"
"I know you got a bit of experience under that cap of yours," Wattson cut his assistant off, "so to make things interesting, I'm using a five-badge team for ya but with an eight-badge strategy! Sound alright with you, kiddo? I wanna see how well you do thinking outside the box!"
"Fine with me, Wattson," Ash smiled, tightening his hand into a fist.
"You could've let me finish explaining the rules," Watt muttered under his breath. Sighing, he held both arms out, "there is no time limit, only the challenger may substitute Pokémon and in between rounds. As the gym leader, Wattson shall also reveal his Pokémon first!"
"Then out you come, Rotom!" Wattson laughed, tossing his Pokéball into the air.
In a flash of light, an orange box appeared floating in front of the joyous old man. It had two solid blue eyes with white rings and black lines surrounding the oval shapes. A sort of pipe shaped tail held in one hand and the centre was a bright blue circle with a black outer ring. A blue aura light surrounded the floating Pokémon as a teeth smile appeared right under the two eyes. Ash pulled out his Pokédex:
Rotom, The Plasma Pokémon. Water variant. It was once believed to be a legendary due to it's rarity but more and more have been showing up in recent years, proving this theory wrong. This form of Rotom enjoys coming up with water-based pranks. Be careful with it if you don't want your room flooded.
"Rotom was one of the weird Pokémon that magma girl had!" Max called out, "but it looked different."
"I don't know much about what you're on about kid but if Rotom looked different, it was likely a different variant!" Wattson laughed, "my buddy here prefers the water variant or wash form, as I like to call it! He's also pretty partial to his ice variant but there are several different variants based on what machine they decide to animate! You never quite know what ya'll gonna get when a Rotom's on your team!"
"Rotom sure sounds interesting, for sure!" Ash smiled, his hand falling to the side. He didn't need to think hard about his decision, after all, he's facing a water type. With a toss high into the air, he released his own first Pokémon, "I choose you, Grovyle!"
His twig chewing grass type materialised on the field. Adjusting his footing, he moved to the side with one of his arms in front. With a slight backwards glance, he saw a burning flame within the wood gecko's eyes. The single twig swirling around in his mouth as his eyes shot forward, narrowing every slightly more.
"Hahaha, a strong will just like his trainer!" Wattson laughed, "but be warned, Rotom here is what you might call my ace! We won't be easily defeated!"
"All the better!" Ash replied, narrowing his own eyes. A small part of his mind, however, became flustered with confusion. Why would Wattson start off with his strongest Pokémon and make that known before the actual battle? Shaking his head, he could worry about when it comes up in battle.
"Rotom verses Grovyle," Watt declared, "let the battle begin!"
Wattson verses Ash: Round One
He smirked as his wood gecko Pokémon shot out a swift barrage of yellow seeds. It quickly flew across the field, like bullets from some sort of machine gun. A massive jet of water blasted back through them, going straight through the bullet seed.
Jumping out of the way, Grovyle went running along the edge. Easily keeping ahead of the blast as their opponent floated around counter to his grass type.
Turning on a heel, he crossed his arms over his chest. A giant X shaped formed in front of him.
A widespread bolt of electricity shot out, striking the pure grass type. Grunting from the impact, he continued onward. Rotom dipped down, under the x-scissor attack as the wood gecko landing on one knee. Floating up behind him, a cheeky laugh could be heard from their opponent.
Spinning around, the leaf on top of his head whacked their opponent to the side. Leaping forward, his arms glew with bug type energy.
Delivering a swift series of fury cutters, he knocked the plasma Pokémon onto the floor. Looming over the genderless Pokémon, he continued with his assault.
With a light wave of electricity stopping Grovyle in his tracks, his pure grass type grunted. Whilst their opponent floated up over him.
A mysterious purple gas surrounded the electric water type. Two giant red eyes formed within the gas, shooting two beams down onto the wood gecko.
"Hex is far more effective thanks to thunder wave," he thought to himself, tightening his hand into a fist, "but that combo is hardly fitting for an eight badge."
His wood gecko Pokémon landed on his back right in front of him. Seeing the lights swirling over him, he could only imagine how disorientating it would be in that situation. With static jumping off his body, he weakly stood back up.
"We need to be careful, Grovyle, with your movements limited we need to make every hit count," he called out, "no more small hits."
"Hahaha, the ability to remain calm under pressure!" Wattson laughed, "I knew today would be a good day! Let's step it up Rotom!"
Closing his eyes, the pure grass type controlled his breathing. Straightening his back, the static ever-present over his body. Holding the pipe tail in front of them, Rotom shot out a swift beam of condensed electricity. It flew across the field like a bolt of lightning.
Inches before impact, Grovyle dodged to the side. Despite limited movements, he easily avoided charge beam. Entering a run forward.
Adjusting the pipe tail, a second charge beam was launched. It flew straight past his head once more as his wood gecko spun to the side seconds before.
The blades on his arms glew bright green, extending with energy with taking a sword shape. Using one of them, he cut the third charge beam before contact.
Leaping up, the leaf blade barely scratched as the tip knocked Rotom away. With a deep breath, he shot out a barrage of bullet seeds down.
With the plasma Pokémon down on the ground, he spun and fell. A series of glowing leaves surrounded him as he crashed down on top of their opponent.
Watching closely, he saw Grovyle down on one knee, breathing heavily with narrowed eyes. The water electric type slowly raising up, looking pretty beat up in place. Static jumping over the pure grass types body although he hardly seemed concerned.
"Well, this has been fun but it's time we revealed the true challenge to young Ashton, Rotom," Wattson boomed, "use Mean-Volt!"
Two red beams shot out of Rotom's eyes with a ball of electricity surrounding his body. Shooting forward, he smashed into the wood gecko with a separate red beam consuming his body. Disappearing back into his Pokéball, the two original red beams struck Grovyle.
A bright flash appeared in front of him and Manectric materialised on the field. Dumbfounded, Grovyle blinked, shivering, as he stared at the new opponent.
"Wh-what?" was all he could manage to say, "what was that move?"
"It's a combination we've been working on," Wattson explained, "a combination of mean look and volt switch."
Realising what both of those moves do, he instinctively reached for his belt. Holding the Pokéball out, he attempted to recall the pure grass type but to no use.
"You see, mean look is only effective on the target the Pokémon see's directly after being hit," Wattson explained, "so we've worked hard to ensure Rotom is quick enough to switch after using mean look before it takes effect. This is the challenge we agreed upon before!"
"It's certainly a new one for me, Wattson," Ash smiled, "I've faced mean look before and I'm sure volt switch too! But combining them is a whole different matter! Good thing is the harder the challenge the more we enjoy it!"
"Mean Volt is a cool name," Pikachu added from beside his feet, "maybe he has some idea about a name for our tail combination!"
Shaking his head, he put Grovyle's Pokéball back onto his belt. He could worry about that later on. Obviously, this opponent has some secret better equipped to handle a grass opponent. Grabbing his Pokédex, he pulled it out to scan the new opponent:
Manectric, The Discharge Pokémon. The final evolved form of Electrike. Manectric discharges strong electricity from its mane. The mane is used for collecting electricity in the atmosphere. This Pokémon creates thunderclouds above its head
Putting the device away, he refocused his gaze across the field. Manectric was flaring his fanged teeth, whilst scraping his claws acrossed the tiled field with sparks flaring off his fur. Far from the friendly demeanour he had when they entered this gym.
"Manectric verses Grovyle," Watt declared, "battle resumed!"
His eyes burst open, and the pure grass type took off once more. Launching out a quick barrage of bullet seeds, they smashed into Manectric face.
Using the pause of their opponent, he spun up a leafage tornado. Surrounded by the glowing leaves, he charged into the pure electric type.
Smashing into the side, Manectric lashed out and bite down hard on his arm. Static surrounded the grass type as he froze in place. With a spin of the head, he sent the wood gecko flying over the field. Scrapping across the floor, he landed flat on his stomach.
Pushing himself up, Ash could only see anger within his grass types eyes, "calm down Grovyle. If you let the anger, take over, you won't be able to focus."
"Well done, Ash, your Grovyle's determination is something to be admired but Rotom wasn't just toying ya know," Wattson informed, "so finish it, Manectric!"
With a mighty howl, a burning hot stream of flames shot out of the discharge Pokémon's mouth. He could feel the intense heat from over half a field away.
Rolling to the side, Grovyle narrowly avoided the flames. Small embers singing his head leaf as he spun around to face the electric type.
Leaping forward, he set up another leafage armor around his body. The flames quickly changed direction and struck him.
The leafage dispersed, acting as a shield as Grovyle closed in. Bringing his arm down, a leaf blade quickly formed and smashed into Manectric's side. Knocking him sideways, he crossed his arms. With an x shape of bug type energy in front of him, he dived into their opponent.
It became too close for him to properly make out as his partner unleash a swift assault of different attacks. Electricity surrounded both, freezing Grovyle.
A strong flamethrower shot out once more. Striking his pure grass type and sending him backwards. He landed flat on his back, covered in burn marks as a red light surrounding him broke. He laid still right in front of him, the twig weakly inside his hand... apparently, he put it there before the blast for safety.
"Grovyle is unable to continue," Watt declared, "making the winners for this round Wattson and Manectric!"
He held out the Pokéball and recalled his fallen wood gecko Pokémon. As he disappeared in a red light, he focused in on the pure electric type. The tail wagged back and forth with a smile on his face. Far cry from the ferocity just shown in battle.
"I hope you're not planning on giving up already kid!" Wattson boomed, "we're just getting started!"
"We don't give up until it's over!" Ash shouted back.
"Hahaha, you've got some real vivacity," Wattson laughed, "I like that! With that sort of passion, you should be able to overcome any well laid plans!"
"Heh, gym leaders are usually trying to tell me the opposite," Ash chuckled, turning his gaze downward towards the device in his hand, "thank you, Grovyle, you did great against both Rotom and Manectric. Now get a good rest."
"I learnt a long time ago that even in the hardest rain, a rainbow can shine through," he explained, "any man who denies the power of positivity, is fighting a losing battle... every time. Now what are we waiting for? The emerald conference would've been and gone at this rate."
"I'm guessing the emerald conference is the same as the Hoenn league," Ash smiled, taking out a second Pokéball.
"Right you are," he smiled, "just as the indigo conference is Kanto's league or silver conference is the Johto league."
"Well, we better get a move on then," he smiled, "I choose you, Donphan!"
In a flash of light, his pure ground type landed on the field with a heavy thud. Waving his trunk up and down, he let out a loud battle cry. When the fully evolved armor Pokémon glanced back, he saw a flame of determination in his eyes.
Smiling, he glanced forward. Manectric's face fell back into a serious scowl. Tensing his body, his clawed paws scratched the tiled floor.
"I like that look your Donphan has," Wattson smiled, "you seem to share it! A sign of a good trainer!"
"Thanks," he smiled, "I raised him from an egg. It's hard to believe sometimes he's still the same Phanpy that hatched way back."
"Time gets to all of us!" Wattson replied, "but a strong bond like that is one best experienced first-hand! What are ya waiting for Watt?"
"Manectric verses Donphan," the ref declared, "let the battle begin!"
Wattson verses Ash: Round Two
He watched his pure ground type curl up into a ball. A shimmering light quickly covered his body as he sped forward across the ground. He could practically feel the momentum as he trembled over the tiled field.
Zooming straight towards the opponent, he narrowed his eyes. Manectric made a jump to the side, narrowly avoiding his rolling partner.
"Bulldoze!" he shouted.
Continuing forward, the armor Pokémon bashed straight into the wall. Exiting his roll at the right moment, he went flying into the air.
Spinning through the air, he smashed down onto the field. A powerful shock wave travelled across the field. The pure electric type landed and stumbled back and forth, wincing at the seismic attack.
Charging forward, he leaped at his fastest pace. A power barrier formed around him as he tackled into the opponent with a powerful take down.
Manectric flew through the air and landed on his side. Growling in anger, his ground type stopped in place, scrapping his foot against the floor.
"Let's box 'em in!" Wattson instructed.
Pushing himself up, he shouts out a stream of flames. It hit the field around the ground type between himself and Donphan.
"There trying to split us up, Donphan," he called out, covering his face from the intense heat, "don't panic! We can fight the flames with earth!"
Peeking through the flames he saw a balloon of sand erupt from within the flames. Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt the powerful wind blow past with thousand bits of sand hitting his skin. The intense heat no-longer affecting him.
"Hahaha, now the real battle can get going!" Wattson laughed, "you know the drill Manectric!"
It was difficult to make out anything through the sandstorm although the sounds did a good enough. Riding on the gust of sandy winds, the cries from both respective Pokémon echoed out. As he tried to pierce through the storm, he saw the blurs of both Pokémon in close quarters.
A sizzling of electricity expanded out through the sandstorm. Sparks of electricity sizzled between the grains of sand.
Feeling the static shocks, he fell on his behind, trying to cover himself. As he looked ahead, a yellow tint filled the arena. He pulled out his Pokédex:
Electric Terrain: A unique condition which envelopes the field in an electrical current. Powering up electric moves, it also prevents sleep.
"We have a way to handle any counter weather effects!" the gym leader boomed, "you'll need to do a lot better than that, kid!"
The two Pokémon were close together and trading blows. Donphan's tusks were glowing bright white, extended outward as he jabbed and stabbed.
Whilst Manectric's fangs with seething with flames. Bouncing around the onslaught of horn attacks, he would attempt to bite down on the armor Pokémon.
Waving his trunk up, he slapped the pure electric type in the face. Paused, the flames died within his mouth. Using the moment, he charged forward and stuck his tusks into the front paws. With a mighty tug, he launched their opponent high into the air.
"Let's finish it with Rollout!" he hollered.
Running straight ahead and away from where the discharge Pokémon landed, he leaped and curled up. Storming forward, he smashed into the wall, rebounding back towards their opponent at a monstrous speed.
Manectric attempted to push himself up from the ground. His front paws wobbled, and he stumbled forward, unable to support himself.
Continuing forward, his pure ground type smashed straight into Wattson's canine. Sending him flying, he knocked Ash over. Landing on his back, his heavy armor Pokémon stood on top of his, waving his trunk up and down, a wide smile on his face.
"Manectric is unable to battle," Watt declared, "making the winners of this round Ash and Donphan!"
Groaning in pain he struggled to get the heavy Pokémon off him, as he turned to the side. Seeing the gym leader kneeled down beside his discharge Pokémon whilst checking on him. A sad smile on his face as the electric canine disappeared in a red light.
"Will Manectric be alright?" Ash asked.
"Ah, he just got a little roughed up," Wattson laughed, "a trip to Nurse Joy and he'll be as good as new."
"I'm glad," he smiled, kneeling down to scratch his ground type under the chin, "you really pack more of a punch now you've evolved buddy."
"A bond from the egg is beautiful indeed. But now it's time for a familiar face," Wattson laughed, "out you come Rotom!"
The water electric type reappeared floating over the field. Closing his eyes, the electric terrain seemed to vibrate around the plasma Pokémon. Glancing down to the side, he closed his eyes. Obviously, his ground type wouldn't work great in this match up... Wattson's really controlling who he can use in any moment.
"Rest up for now, Donphan," he held the device out. In a red light, the armor Pokémon disappeared off the field.
"He did a good job regardless of the type match up," he called out, "but his move set seemed lacking. After all, other than rock, ground and normal moves-"
"We're working on, but we wanted to build a strong fighting style first," he replied, "but why bring it up?"
"Because an electrian doesn't go wiring a house before laying out the blueprints," he smiled, "I wanted to see what, as a trainer, you gave priority too."
"So... you think my strategy is right?" he asked.
"Right or wrong, it's yours," he shook his head, "I cannot judge your own style if it works. Now I believe we still have a battle to be getting on with."
"You're really not like any gym leader I've met before, Wattson!" Ash smiled, shaking his head, "it's kinda refreshing, actually."
"Well, I'm glad!" he laughed, "I like you too, kid, so tell me. Who'll be your last Pokémon for today's battle?"
"I choose you, Kirlia!" Ash shouted.
In a flash of light, his psychic fairy type appeared right in front of him. She gave a small twirl before curtsying towards their opponent. Narrowing her eyes, he felt confident in her ability but... with that combination from before, he could very easily end up in a very bad situation... but how does he prevent it?
"Interesting choice, a grass type, I get. A ground type, I get," he smiled, "but a psychic fairy type... things just got interesting."
"Rotom verses Kirlia," Watt declared, "let the battle begin!"
Wattson verses Ash: Round Three
He watched their opponent raise high above the field. With electricity sparking around the plasma Pokémon, a ball of electricity enveloped the electric water type. A ring of electricity shot out, spreading wide across the field straight towards his emotion Pokémon.
"Use Magical leaf followed up by psybeam!" Ash shouted.
Spinning in place, she shot out several leaves with a multicoloured outline. Flying forward, they intercepted the discharge and stopped it straight away.
Stopping her spin, she held her hands out. A beam of rainbow colours shot out and smashed through the electric wall. Travelling straight ahead, it crashed into the plasma Pokémon. With it falling down to the field as both the discharge faded as the leaves burnt out.
Charging forward, his female Pokémon took a deep breath. As she closed in, she shot out a soundwave with a pink tint of fairy type energy.
Taking the blow head on, Rotom was sent flying back into the wall. Diving after their opponent, they rolled over the ground ending with Kirlia on top.
As she punched down with all her might, Rotom became semi-transparent and floated up. It seemed to travel straight through Kirlia, who froze in place with eyes wide. Flying out of her back, she started shivering as she stood up. Taking in Rotom's appearance, Ash pulled out his Pokédex:
Pain Split: The user matches the condition with the opponent, evening the battle
"That's why Rotom looks in so much better a condition after his bout with Grovyle," he frowned.
"That sort of brutality from Kirlia, I can safely say I wasn't expecting," Wattson admitted, "not sure how effective it turned out to be."
He clenched his fist, realising she had learnt from Taillow a little too much. It made sense, both being strong female battlers, but the difference is, Taillow is perfectly suited for such a style. Narrowing his eyes, he knew he'd need to help out a lot more to ensure she wasn't caught off guard again.
Floating in the air, the yellow tinted electric terrain slowly faded, revealing the night-club field once more. Small sparks of electricity jumped off the opponent.
"Get back to this side of the field and use confusion to defend yourself!" Ash shouted.
Jumping back to her feet, Kirlia took off as fast as her little legs would carry her. Her eyes glew bright blue and a wave of ESP expanded out from her.
Smashing into the oncoming thunder wave, the two attacks fizzled out against each other. She stopped right in front of him, looking up with a flame burning.
"Well now, I think we should close the gap this time," Wattson smiled, "what do you say, Rotom!"
The water electric type nodded and dove down from above the field. Hardly moving fast, but it was quicker than Kirlia at least.
"Magical leaf and wait for my call," Ash instructed.
She spun around, sending out an onslaught of multicoloured leaves. They flew across the field, striking the plasma Pokémon as it flew through the air. Despite trying several aerial manuvers, the grass type move couldn't be avoided although it had slowed down the rate at which their opponent approached.
"Rotom's going wide and will come from the left," Ash instructed as Kirlia continued to launch out her attack. He watched Wattson's Pokémon closely as it found an opening despite being chased by the homing move. He waited until their opponent was about to smash into her, "hypnosis!"
Stopping her spin, Kirlia ended up facing Rotom eye to eye. A blue wave of ESP shot out of her pupils and struck the water electric type.
Crashing into the ground, Rotom skidded to a stop a little bit away. With a light snore, a sleep bubble formed from his mouth.
Taking a seat next to their snoozing opponent, she closed her eyes in a meditative state. Balls of energy flew out of the electric water type and into his psychic fairy type, who glew with a mystic healing colour.
Smirking, he felt confident at the turn of events. Seeing the dream eater combination, they've been working on come into effect, felt fulfilling.
His eyes glanced up and his brow fell with a slight frown over his lips, his lips pursed together enough that it could be made out behind his beard. Following his gaze, he found him looking at the Rotom... the snooze bubble popped, and his eyes widened. Breath sticking in his voice.
"Mean-Volt!" Wattson shouted.
Two red beams shot out of Rotom's eyes with a ball of electricity surrounding the body. Shooting forward, it smashed into his emotion Pokémon with a separate red beam consuming Rotom's body. Disappearing back into the Pokéball, the two original red beams struck Kirlia.
A bright flash appeared in front of him, and a familiar Pokémon materialised on the field, hovering just off the ground.
Dumbfounded, Grovyle blinked, shivering, as he stared at the new opponent. The Pokémon had a body which was wide and circular, similar to a disc or saucer, with a thin edge circling the diameter of its body. At the front of its face, if it can be called that, was a large red eye. With two smaller eyes positioned on either side of its body. On top of its body was some sort of small thin metal rod. Behind the two smaller eyes appeared to be some sort of screw and finally it had three fairly large magnets. One under each of its two side eyes respectively and one on its back, hanging down and facing the other direction. He Remembered facing one when he took on Jasmine's gym in Olivine. Frowning he pulled out his Pokédex for a quick reminder:
Magnezone, The Magnet Area Pokémon. The final evolved form of Magnamite. As it zooms through the sky, this Pokémon seems to be receiving signals of unknown origin, while transmitting signals of unknown purpose. It uses electromagnetic waves to hover above the ground
"Kirlia... I can't just switch you out," he explained, "and as a steel type, Magnezone has a massive type advantage. This is gonna be a tough battle for us."
"I didn't sign up for an easy one," she replied, "and my mother is the ace of a champions team. Taking on tough opponents is in my blood."
"Hahaha, I guess your entire team is filled with vivacity kid!" Wattson laughed, "so what are we waiting for Watt?!"
"Magnezone verses Kirlia," the assistant declared, "let the battle resume!"
He could only watch as Kirlia started her assault. Twirl around, he held her arms out, shooting a multicoloured psybeam out.
It struck the electric steel type and knocked them back. Shaking from the blow, the magnets spun, and eyes blinked. Sparks jumped off the antenna, with a wave of electricity expanding out across the field.
Spinning on the spot, she sent out a swirling storm of magical leaves. The two attacks collided and powered against each other.
"Magnezone, it's time we set up the electric terrain again," Wattson called, "we wouldn't want to hand them an easy victory with that hypnosis, dream eater."
Raising up above the field, a ball of electricity surrounded the magnet area Pokémon. Lighting up the room like a giant disco ball.
"We need to stop it!" he shouted.
Taking a deep breath, she spun once more. Shooting out a second psybeam, she also launched a disarming voice. The two moves collided against the electric ball and exploded against each other. A bright light blinded the raven-haired boy, with an electric current filling the room once more.
Lowering back down towards the ground, Magnezone appeared unharmed despite being at the heart of the explosion. Several metal balls formed around it.
The magnet bombs went flying out in random directions. Ducking and diving, his psychic fairy type avoided the first round but ended up on her knees.
"Set up a confusion to help deflect them!" he shouted.
With eyes glowing blue, a wave of ESP pushed out. It deflected two of the metal balls away as she pushed herself up. Running around the field, she continued to try and avoid the onslaught of attacks but seeing her staggered movements a realisation came to him... they couldn't win.
None of Kirlia's attacks seemed to affect the defence tank. The only thing which might've worked was the hypnosis and dream eater combo.
Her cries of pain drew him back to the battle. She went flying in one direction as a magnet bomb smashed into the side. A second quickly followed up.
Landing on her side, she quickly tried to push herself back up. With a couple more balls striking her, preventing this recovery.
The electric steel type floated up to her and loomed above. Using one arm to proper herself up, she attempted to blow it away with a psybeam and despite being blown back a couple feet, it hardly seemed to hurt the metal titan.
Brunting the attack, a bright ball formed in front of the magnet area Pokémon. A silverish-grey beam shot out.
"Deflect with Confusion!" he shouted, "try to hit Magnezone with their own attack!"
A shield of blue psychic energy surrounded her. Being blown back by the flash canon, she landed on one knee, scrapping against the ground.
Pushing her arms out, the wave followed suit. It blasted against the flash canon as Magnezone re-aimed it towards her.
Slightly adjusting the angle, it blew just over head and Ash had to dive to avoid being hit himself. Feeling the power radiate off the beam above, he turned towards his psychic fairy type. Her face was strained with eyes squeezed shut. The beam slowly pieced the psychic shield she created.
The beam struck her and blew her back. Bracing himself for the impact, he grabbed Kirlia as the flash canon faded.
His back hit the far wall and he slumped down. Cradling his newest team member in his arms, he found swirls replacing her eyes. The red outline breaking.
"Kirlia is unable to battle," Watt declared, "making the winners Wattson and Magnezone!"
He slowly pushed himself up. An aching pain through his back but no-where near as bad as expected. Feeling his power surge through his veins, he sighed in relief. He almost forgot that he wasn't fighting the urge anymore. Not needing to worry about the injuries was a little refreshing.
Pushing himself up, he carefully held fallen emotion Pokémon. Looking down at her in his arms, he rolled her up into a hug.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. She laid unmoving in his arms. He knew that her attitude was nothing more than an act, trying to match up with Taillow, who is definitely the alpha of his Hoenn group. Reaching for his belt, he pulled off the Pokéball and recalled her. As he walked back to the trainers box, he switched the device with another.
"Hope we didn't hurt ya, lad," Wattson smiled, "Magnezone can be a little overzealous at times."
"I'm fine," he replied. Kneeling down, he held the Pokéball out and released Donphan right in front of him. The ground type had a wide smile on his face and waved his trunk up. Feeling him sniff around his cheek in a show-off affection, he laughed lightly at the ticklish feeling. Placing a hand on the appendage, he silently encouraged the ground type to settle down, "listen buddy, we're in a tough situation."
"I know," he smiled, "we're having a gym battle."
"It's more than that," he explained, pausing with a sigh, "both Grovyle and Kirlia are down. You're my only option left. And we've still got two Pokémon to go through to win. Magnezone and Rotom. I believe you could take on either of them but if you don't want to handle two battles back-to-back, I understand. You should also be aware. Rotom is part water type... so it won't be easy."
"I knew a gym battle wouldn't be easy," he replied, "but big brother wouldn't give up. So, I can't either. Even if we lose, we might learn something for the rematch."
"Thanks buddy," he smiled, "I'm sure Togetic would be proud to hear that... and if it gets too much, you can always change your mind."
Smiling, he narrowed his eyes. With a deep breath, he stepped forward across the field. Their opponent hovered overhead, looming over him. Despite the clear size difference, his ground type stomped his foot down in defiance. Scrapping it across the ground, raring to charge.
"Magnezone verses Donphan," Wattson declared, "let the battle begin!"
Wattson verses Ash: Round Four
His ground type stepped backwards. Metal balls came flying towards him, orbiting around as he froze in place.
"Defence curl!" he shouted.
Curling up into to a ball, a bright light shimmered over his body. The magnet bombs struck into him, sending him rolling across the ground.
"Now get rolling and we can work something out!" he added.
Picking up speed as he sped across the field, the magnet bombs followed suit. As he rolled around, the projectiles attempted to knock him off balance. Despite being able to knock him sideways but as he changed direction, he just followed through, constantly picking up speed.
Clipping the bottom of the magnet area Pokémon, it went spinning sideways. With Donphan continuing forward, the remaining magnet bombs crashing into the original launcher. As he continued to roll around, picking up speed as he went around the otter edge of the field.
"Time to lock on and get a hold of this, Magnezone!" Wattson hollered, a joyous laughter in his voice.
A red mark formed on the outer rim of his ground type. Turning towards his opponent, he saw Magnezone forming a ball of white pure energy in between the magnets. The first one launched, with a second one quickly forming in place. With the original crashing into Donphan, his ground type ended up skidding on his stomach with a cloud of electrified smoke surrounding him. The second white ball followed suit, with an ice cloud and a final ball erupted with flames.
"You've got guts, kid but I think this is time to end it," Wattson laughed... stopping in his tracks, with a mighty cry.
Donphan pushed himself up, grinding his teeth. With a slap of his trunk, a wave of sand went flying, landing directly in Magnezone's eyes.
Charging forward, he entered a quick roll. uncurling seconds later, he went flying upwards. Spinning around, he uncurled completely above Magnezone.
Throwing his weight down, he smashed into the top of the electric steel type. With both crashing into the ground, the ground shook violently. It lasted for a good while as both Ash and Wattson fell to the ground. Looking up he saw his ground slide off and walk over the field towards him.
"Magnezone is unable to battle," Watt declared, "making the winners of this round Ash and his Donphan!"
He sat up and smiled as his ground type made his way over. With his trunk tickling his face, he laughed and gave the armor Pokémon a semi-awkward hug as the two embraced each other. A joyous laughter escaped his lips as the nose sniffed all around him, blowing cool air on his skin.
Even if they end up losing against Rotom, it won't take away what he's already achieved. Taking out two of Wattson's Pokémon is massive for the young one.
"Well done, Donphan," he laughed, "I can even begin to tell you how proud I am off you."
"A trainer and his Pokémon, it's a beautiful sight!" Wattson boomed, "in all my years, I can honestly say nothing compares. Doesn't even come close!"
Turning towards the source, he found the gym leader stood with a smile spread across his face. He had already returned Magnezone, but a large creator sat on his half of the field where his electric steel type crashed. Tiles destroyed only crumbles of gravel attempted to fill the gap. With his Rotom hovering above.
"Well, what do you say, Donphan?" Ash asked, turning back to his armor Pokémon, "wanna go three for three?"
Seeing the ground types eyes widen and the large grin spread on his lips brought a smile to his own face. Narrowing his eyes, he gave a small nod. Standing back up, he watched his young Pokémon walk back across the field... no hesitation in his walk. Stopping in front of the creator, he looked up towards their opponent with narrowed eyes. Taking a deep breath, he let out a loud cry with his trunk waving in the air.
Glancing towards the stands, he inwardly smirked at the reactions. Max was leaning against the rail, Aron on his head with wide eyes. Brock sat with Electrike in his arms, seemingly cradling the electric type as he slept. While both May and Serena sat on the other side of the young boy. His eyes locked with the honey-blonde who sent a smirk down to him and a small nod.
Feeling encouraged by her support he turned back towards the field. Eyes locking with Wattson, the joyous man narrowed his own eyes. A deafening silence echoed around them. The tension surrounding them could be cut with a knife.
"This will be our last battle today, kid," Wattson shouted, "so let's make it a good one!"
"Wouldn't want anything less!" he replied, clenching his fist as the knuckle turned white.
"Rotom verses Donphan," Watt declared, "let the battle begin!"
Wattson verses Ash: Round Five
His eyes widened seeing the plasma Pokémon aim the pipe-tail, knowing what move was to follow he took a deep breath, "Rapid spin!"
Curling up into a ball, his pure ground type fell on his side. Spinning in place, a dust cloud formed seconds before impact. The jet of water smashed into him and sent him flying. Making a turn around the edge of the field, Donphan picked up speed as his new rollout powered on.
He smirked as his eyes travelled over to the creator Magnezone left. Unlike before, they now have a reliable way to get him airborne whilst rolling.
"Not so fast, kid," Wattson's voice boomed, "like I said. The team might be for a five-badge challenge, but the strategy will be full force!"
The water electric type quick readjusted the pipe-tail. Pointing it straight down, another hydro pump shot into the hole. Creating a pool in the creator.
"Alright Donphan, you know what to do!" he called out, clenching his fist tight, "try to knock Rotom down!"
Making a jarring turn, he smashed into the wall once more. Rebounding off whilst uncurling, he went flying once more, directly towards their opponent.
As he recurled, spinning around to add to his flight. Whilst Rotom shot straight up, avoiding the planned impact.
Glowing with a purple outline, two red beams shot out of the plasma Pokémon. Striking his ground type mid-air, he went crashing down, splashing in the pool.
"Donphan!" he cried out.
"You got Magnezone as they're big and hardly mobile, an easy target," Wattson informed, "but Rotom's smaller and faster. Don't expect it to be that easy."
Watching the pool closely, he saw his ground type slowly walk out, shivering. His hand fell to his belt, brushing the Pokéball with his fingers.
"Donphan... do you want to keep going?" he asked.
"Y-yeah," he stuttered, "big brother would."
"Well then... use rollout to try and dry off but no more flying," he explained.
Watching his round type enter a slow roll, leaving a trail of water behind, made him frown. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his Pokédex.
"You can't win by playing defensive!" Wattson boomed, "at least not this late in the battle!"
Drowning out his opponents voice, he scrolled through the device. His eyes flickering up top to check out the battle every couple seconds.
Rotom became semi-transparent and tried to chase down his ground type. Quickening his search, he realised what their current plan was. He just hoped this idea he had would work. Soon he stopped when he found the thing he was looking for.
As he glanced up, he noticed the electric terrain fizzle out around them. Smirking, he took a deep breath.
"Donphan! Remember what we've been working on for the last few days!" he called out.
Smashing into the wall, he bounced off at an angle. Rolling back almost the way he came, Rotom disappeared into the wall.
"Well, it's time we got it perfected," he explained, "go straight through the pool! Water is the closest thing we have!"
"What are you up to, kid?" Wattson asked.
Ignoring him, he narrowed his eyes on the pool. Donphan disappeared in a splash of water, throwing most of it out. He stopped right inside the pool, able to stand in the water as he uncurled from his rollout. While he hated having his Pokémon do this, it was the best chance of mastering his plan.
"Listen to my voice," he called out, seeing the armor Pokémon close his eyes, "focus on the water around you. Remove all the heat, however much is there!"
As the ground type tensed up, his horns glew white. Extending outward, a bright flash shone with a white ball of energy forming between them.
"Keep focused on the energy! Drain out all the heat!" he continued, "use the water to help with it!"
"Quick Rotom!" Wattson shouted, "whilst he's a sitting Psyduck!"
"Don't worry about them!" Ash added, seeing the plasma Pokémon reappear out of the wall, "I'll tell you when they're close but just keep concentrating!"
The ball began to take shape, a semi-transparent icy skin formed around it. Rotom continued to fly, launching out another hex.
"Fire it now!" he shouted.
Spinning his head around, he sent the ice shard flying. It quickly covered the field and smashed into the ghost type attack.
A cloud of smoke covered his armor Pokémon from sight. From the smoke, came the pure ground type rolling straight into Rotom. The two Pokémon came flying onto his side of the field with Donphan landing on top of his. His horns glew white and extended, using horn attack to send the plasma Pokémon up.
"Ice shard again!" he shouted.
Between his two horns, a second ball began to form, quicker than before. With a swift flick of his head, the ball went flying.
Smashing into the electric water type, Rotom fell down on the ground in front of Wattson. He narrowed his eyes as he waited to see what was next. A subtle glance to the side showed Watt's stepping closer to inspect their opponent.
"Rotom is unable to battle," he declared, "making the winners of this round, and the dynamo badge, Ash and Donphan!"
Frozen... he blinked once, twice. His breath stuck in his throat as he tried to take in the sight before him.
Feeling a massive weight hit his stomach, he landed flat on his back as the ticklish trunk resumed rubbing against his cheek. Blinking, his eyes finally registrared the young ground type currently crushing his stomach. As his eyes flickered once more and his lips curled up into a smile.
"You did great, Donphan!" he smiled, "you managed to beat all three of Wattson's Pokémon! I'm so proud of you!"
"I... do good?" he asked, sounding out of breath. Pushing himself up, he looked down at the armor Pokémon. His eyes were red raw with dark circles under them. Fighting to keep them open, he stumbled backwards.
His face rested with a small smile as he reached out, rubbing him on the head, "yeah bud. You did amazing. Now why don't you rest up."
After recalling him back into the device to rest, he stood back up. Finding the jolly man in front of him with an ever-present smirk under his beard and narrowed eyes, "nice job kid! Not many people are able to just power through when facing our mean-volt strategy. You got the stuff."
"If I could just borrow your mind for a few minutes, I'd like to discuss names for a personalised move," Pikachu pipped up, "namely one which has a tail-"
"Hahaha, yeah, Pikachu, they sure did!" Wattson laughed, reaching out to scratch his head, "too bad we didn't get a supercharged matched with you though."
"Or just totally ignore what I'm saying," Pikachu humped, "hey, a little translation wouldn't go a miss! Ash!"
Inwardly chuckling at his starter's annoyance, he shook his head and refocused on the gym leader. He held out his hand and against his palm laid a circular badge with two pointed ends pointing to the top-right and bottom-left. It was mostly a golden colour with a light blue on the top. Looking closer he saw ridged lines going around, creating the image of coiled wires.
"Well go on, take it!" Wattson encouraged, "you've earnt it, kid!"
"Thanks," he smiled, reaching out to grab it. Feeling a tingle throughout his body, he tightened his grip around the symbol of his achievement.
Maybe it was just because his team wasn't as prepared for this strategy or due to Wattson's vast experience but for a while he felt like this would be a gym, he'll need to rematch... he can't keep taking risks like this, it's the reason he lost to Paul in the Silver conference after all. For the next gym, he'll ensure his team is ready and he has just the way to do it.
"I look forward to seeing what you do in the Hoenn league, Ash," Wattson added, "it's not often I get a challenger that gets the old circuits running."
Reuniting with his friends, they bid goodbye to the Mauville gym leader and his assistant. Agreeing with his friends, they made plans to drop everyone off at the Pokémon centre to rest and spend the remainder of the day in the city before setting out tomorrow. After all, Donphan, Grovyle and Kirlia all deserve a goodnights rest. They all fought incredibly hard against Wattson.
The next morning, after breakfast, Ash sat down at the videophone. He had two Pokéballs on the desk as he watched the screen. Soon it connected and he was surprised to see the face on the other side of the screen, "well Ashy-boy, long time no see."
"Hey Gary," he smiled, "how's are things over there?!"
"Pretty good, same old, same old," he shrugged, "how's Hoenn?"
"Real good," he smiled, "I just earnt my third badge yesterday."
"Cool," he smirked, "so I guess you wanted something other than just a good ole chit chat?"
"Hehehe, yeah," he chuckled, "I wanted to make some rotations."
"I'm guessing you'll want Duskull back?" he asked.
"Sure do," he smiled, "and Houndoom too."
"Houndoom?" he quirked his eyebrow up.
"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "yesterday's gym battle wasn't as smooth as it could be. So, I wanna switch him in to help with getting everyone into shape. Plus, Taillow's been rubbing off on some of the others in a bad way so gonna send her to the ranch to chill out a bit."
"Taillow sounds like a real tough nut," he laughed, "just like her trainer-"
"Hey!"
"Relax Ashy-boy," he smirked, "and just so I know, who'll you be sending back with Tai?"
"Donphan and Taillow," he explained, "but be careful. Taillow has a habit of challenging anyone and everyone bigger and tougher than herself."
"Heh, well I'm sure Dragonite and Aerodactyl will enjoy it," Gary smirked, "after all. They tend to get food stuck between their teeth and could use a toothpick."
"I know your joking, but I'd be more surprised if she didn't challenge them," he chuckled, seeing his rival-turned-friend move out of sight of the screen. He smiled as the screen became filled with a familiar purple sludge, "hey Muk! How are you doing?"
"Hug, trainer!"
He smiled at the poison types friendly nature. He might not be the toughest or best battler, but he has a special style all his own. His thoughts were soon interrupted as the professor-in-training returned. The brown-haired boy shooed his sludge Pokémon out of the way, taking up the screen once more. They quickly switched the two Pokémon over and he took the devices, attaching them to his belt.
"Tell Serena and Brock I said hi, Ashy-boy," Gary smiled, "smell ya later."
Before he could properly bid him goodbye, the screen faded to black. Shaking his head, he stood up and turned to either side. He saw Serena, Brock, and Max over on the other side of the lobby. Brock's Rhyhorn was out, with the young boy on his back. Smiling as he remembered trying to ride Grace's many years back, he rubbed his right arm with his left. Clearly, that one has far more energy since Max wasn't being thrown around.
Turning to the other side, he noticed May at another video phone. Walking over to her, he stopped just behind as he took in the sight of the screen. It consisted of her Clamperl on one side, and her father on the other who glanced up to him.
"Oh, hello Ash," he greeted, "how are things?"
"I'm good, sir," he smiled, "I don't know if May told ya but yesterday I won my third Hoenn badge. Now we're gonna head north for a contest or showcase in Fallarbor and my fourth gym battle in Larvaridge."
"The last of the mainland gyms... except for mine, of course," he smiled, "so I take it you'll be challenging me sooner rather than later now."
"Yeah," he replied, "but wouldn't Foretree be the last one?"
"Technically no," Norman replied, "a small river runs down between Mauville and Foretree. It splits it off from the mainland and that's considered a separate island. Or at least a subsection to the main island, which is the one connected to mount chimney."
"Well either way, we'll be ready to challenge you!" he smirked.
"Good," he smirked, "because I've already got the challenge picked out for you."
"I look forward to it," he smiled, "but we might be a little longer. Max has a couple places he wants to visit whilst on the northern part of Hoenn."
"I can only imagine," he chuckled.
"Well, we should get going," May spoke up, "see you later, Clamperl."
"Bye May," Clamperl replied, not like she could understand.
"I know you'll be on the road but remember to call home whenever you get the chance," Norman smiled.
They bid each other goodbye once more and soon the screen faded to black. Standing up, he walked back to their friends with May by his side. Nothing else needed to be said as they turned towards the door... ready for the next leg of their journey.
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...