Episode 74: A Rival of the Fittest

A montage of events at Professor Pine's Astro Camp is shown. Everyone takes their turn at a centrifuge g-force simulator. Ash and Braydon stubbornly butt heads over who can last longer, but they both end up throwing up as soon as they get off. This leads Pikachu, Elgyem, and Protostar to laugh at them.

At a trivia night, James, still disguised as Jim, completely dominates, answering every single question before anyone else can. Jessie and Meowth watch him through a window, seemingly making fun of him.

Brenda and Michelle start off working together at an obstacle course designed to look like the interior of a space station, but they quickly begin arguing with each other over something or other, allowing another team to pass and beat them.

At some time between events, Michelle and Cleffa do some training together.

There is also a presentation by a woman who was an astronaut. Brock seems a little too interested in the presentation, as he spends the entire time drooling over her, at least until Meteorfight appears to knock him to his senses with a mighty uppercut.

Professor Pine's Astro Camp continues to be a source of excitement and fun for our heroes. However, the time has nearly come for the program's end. But not before one last exciting event, of course!

Everyone has gathered back where Professor Pine made his initial welcome speech, and it seems he is ready to make another. He announces, "And here we are, ready to begin the final event of Astro Camp! I've really enjoyed the past few days, and really hope you all have, too. We may have had some complications along the way, but that only helped to make this year one of the most exciting sessions of Astro Camp that I have ever hosted! Thank you all so much for being a part of it!" The campers all clap. "And now, I am happy to announce the final event, one which is many people's favorite. It's time for the yearly Astro Camp Battle Competition! You'll all be arranged and assigned to an opponent, and battle it out to see who can be the best. There will be two separate pools of trainers from which your opponent can come from, one for official Pokémon trainers, and one for those who are too young and/or don't have their first Pokémon yet. The participants in both groups will be battling alongside their space Pokémon partner, while official trainers will be allowed to use one additional Pokémon of their own."

Ash asks Braydon, "Hey, you hear that? We get to battle next, this should be great."

Braydon nods in agreement. "I can't wait to beat you."

Ash smiles and counters, "Too bad, because you'll have to wait quite a while, seeing as I plan on winning."

"Oh, you are on."

Pine continues, "It is through this event, combined with my observations over the past several days, that I will judge how well you have all bonded with your space partners, and from there I will be able to announce the winner of this year's Astro Camp Trophy." Muttnik walks up onto the platform and drops something at Pine's feet. Pine picks it up and displays it to everyone. It's a golden trophy shaped like a rocket.

Jessie and Meowth are hiding behind a bush. Jessie says with joy, "Wow, what a trophy! A girl could use something that shiny. Let's steal it."

Meowth adds, "The trophy's not all we should take."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. All of those 'space partner' Pokémon are rare extraterrestrial Pokémon, any one of which would fetch us quite a lump sum of cash. Seeing as they'll all be out battling, this could be the perfect opportunity to snag them all."

Jessie nods. "Alright, but I get to keep the trophy."

"If we can get the Pokémon, the trophy is all yours." They both smile devilishly.

Back with the professor, he announces, "So without any further ado, let's organize the matchups!"

Muttnik adds an excited, "Mutt!"

The first match-up is Brock versus James. Everyone has gathered around the battlefield to watch, and Professor Pine stands in the position as a referee. He reminds them, "Alright, remember that you can each use one of your own Pokémon in addition to your space partner. The order you use them in is up to you. The winner is the one who can knock both of their opponent's Pokémon first. Battle begin!"

James turns to the Cosmet at his side and says, "Let's start things off strong, Cosmet!"

Cosmet agrees, "Cos!" It floats out in front of him."

Brock, meanwhile, says to Staryu, "I'm going to save you for last, Staryu." Staryu blinks in response. Brock then pulls out a Pokéball and throws it. "Go, Meteorfight!"

"Meteor!"

Pine observes with interest, "So it seems that Brock has chosen a space Pokémon of his own to begin the battle with. How interesting."

Brock starts things off by ordering, "Use Meteor Mash!" Meteorfight leaps into the air and its fist begins to glow silver. It then plummets down towards Cosmet.

James declares, "Counter with Frost Breath!" Cosmet releases a current of super-chilled air from its mouth, forcing Meteorfight to abort its attack. It lands on the ground a few feet away. "Now follow it up with Fiery Impact!" The flames surrounding Cosmet flare up even brighter and the Pokémon charges at and rams into Meteorfight.

Brock thinks fast, and while the ramming is occurring, shouts, "Comet Punch!" Meteorfight, as its being forced backwards, unleashes a flurry of rapid punches, all of them directly striking Cosmet. Both Pokémon then fly back in opposite directions.

James thinks, There's one combination that Frostbite was famous for that I've always wanted to try out. Let's see Big Twerp get his way out of this one. He shouts, "Cosmet, use Mist!"

"Cosmet!" Cosmet heats up its body and a cloud of mist spreads from it, enveloping the field.

"Now use Fiery Impact!"

Brock quickly warns, "Meteorfight, you'll be able to tell where it's coming from by the light of its attack! Just look for the fiery glow!"

Meteorfight nods in understanding and looks carefully around it. When it notices a redish light ahead of it, it quickly leaps to the side. However, Cosmet then comes from a completely different direction and rams into the unsuspecting meteor Pokémon.

Brock shouts, "What just happened!?"

James grins smugly. "The mist created by Cosmet is full of tiny ice crystals that reflect and refract light. What your Meteorfight just dodged was a phantom image created by them."

Brock nods as he realizes his mistake. "Well played. But we can do better! Meteorfight, get up as high as you can, and then use a Meteor Slam straight down!" Meteorfight instantly realizes what Brock is suggesting. It pulls its arms and legs into its body, and then flings itself up into the sky and allows itself to fall back to ground in freefall. When it hits the ground, it generates a large shockwave that blows away the mist, revealing Cosmet is floating right next to where it landed.

Brock quickly orders, "Meteor Mash!" With a glowing fist, Meteorfight punches Cosmet with extreme force. Cosmet is knocked to the ground. Brock grins, "Now let's finish this off with another Meteor Slam!" Meteorfight performs its signature attack once more.

James quickly realizes that there's no way Cosmet could dodge or withstand the attack. He pulls out a Pokéball and shouts, "Cosmet, return!" just before Meteorfight's attack hits. He looks to the Pokéball and says to it, "I'm sorry to pull you out early my friend, but I couldn't stand to see you hurt."

Professor observes this act and nods, pleased by James' concern for his partner.

James then pulls out another Pokéball. "We have some ground to make up for, Ivine!" He throws his Pokéball and releases Ivine. Ivine immediately lunges towards James' face for a hug, but James expertly blocks it and declares, "No, we need to be serious here. No time for hugs."

Ivine lands on the ground and nods with understanding. "Ivy."

"Now Ivine, use Ivy Whip!" Ivine untangles one of its vines and lashes it at Meteorfight.

Brock shouts, "Try to dodge it!" But it's too late for Meteorfight, and the vine whips it. It then retracts and whips again, and continues to do so.

"Keep it up, Ivine!" Ivine continues to lash Meteorfight.

Brock, determined not to let this continue, orders, "Grab it by the vine, Meteorfight!" Meteorfight struggles to move its hand and grabs a hold of the vine as soon as its about to make contact again, stopping the attack. "Great, now give it a spin and throw it!" Meteorfight begins to spin the vine around, sending Ivine flying around in circles, at least until Meteorfight lets go, sending it flying.

This aggravates James. "Ivine, rebound off that tree and use Mega Drain!" Ivine manages to push off the tree it was thrown at, and now flies right at Meteorfight. As it does so, green tendrils of energy stretch from it to Meteorfight, sapping Brock's Pokémon's energy. Before Brock can give it any further orders, it has been drained completely and falls to the floor.

Brock nods and pulls back out Meteorfight's Pokéball. "Meteorfight, return." He says to the ball, "You did a great job out there. Make sure you get a good rest." He looks down to the Staryu at his side and says, "Alright, you're up, Staryu!"

Staryu leaps forward onto the field. Its core blinks to indicate its readiness.

Brock then orders, "Use Swift!" Staryu leaps up into the air and begins to rotate rapidly as it attacks with a barrage of stars made of light.

Ivine quickly leaps out of the way as James orders, "Fight back with Wring Out!" Several vines untangle from Ivine and then whip at Staryu, wrapping around it and ensnaring it. Staryu's core begins to blink rapidly in distress.

Remaining as calm as ever, Brock suggests, "Try freeing yourself with Gyro Ball!" Staryu begins to rotate on its axis at a rapid speed. Due to Ivine's firm grip on it, this flings Ivine into the air and forces it to rotate around Staryu for several revolutions, until its grip gives up and Ivine is flung away. Taking advantage of the momentum, Brock declares, "Great job, now stop spinning and use Laser Vision!" Staryu halts its Gyro Ball and then attacks with a red laser from its core. The laser strikes Ivine as it still flies through the air.

Ivine lands with a thud to the ground. James declares passionately, "This is our battle to win, Ivine! We are the space camp pros, and we're going to win this one no matter what! Get back up and use Poison Jab!" These words inspire Ivine enough for it to quickly get back up and charge straight at Staryu, readying its arm for a Poison Jab.

Brock orders, "Laser Vision, once more!" Staryu attacks with another laser beam, but Ivine is ready this time. It leaps to the side and keeps on running. Before Staryu can readjust its aim, Ivine lands its attack, jabbing it with a poisonous arm.

James declares enthusiastically, "And now use Mega Drain while it's down!" Ivine wastes no time in executing its energy sapping attack, trapping Staryu with green tendrils of energy and stealing its health.

Brock encourages, "You can escape Staryu, just use your Dazzling Gleam to free yourself!" Staryu begins to gather energy for the attack and begins to glow, but suddenly stops. Its core begins to blink; it's been knocked out.

Professor Pine declares, "Staryu is unable to battle! That means that Jim is the winner!"

Realizing what has happened, James leaps up into the and cheers, "Yeah, we did it! Great job, Ivine!" Ivine happily dances around. James lets Cosmet back out of its Pokéball. "And let's not forget you, you helped us win as well.

Cosmet smiles. "Cosmet!"

Brock recalls Staryu to its Pokéball. "You did a great job. Thank you, Staryu."

Who's that Pokémon!?

This Pokémon brandishes its gaping mouth in a display of fearsome strength. It raises vast quantities of sand while attacking.

A few battles later, it is now Brenda and Michelle's turn to battle. Michelle looks towards Brenda with determination and thinks, Cleffa and I have been training together during every bit of free time we've gotten. There's no way that Little Miss I-never-train will be able to beat us this time.

Brenda returns a similar look of determination. She thinks, Michelle's been acting really strange and distant the past couple of days. Let's see if a good old battle between friends can get things back to normal.

Pine declares, "Chose your Pokémon!"

Both coordinators throw their Pokéballs at the same. Brenda shouts, "Frostcicle, center stage!"

While Michelle declares, "Eevee, come on out!" Both Pokémon appear on the field.

Sounding impressed, Brenda says, "Wow, Michelle got an Eevee?" She pulls out her Pokédex.

"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon and a Normal-Type. Eevee is the most adaptable Pokémon there is. Different external influences can change its form to match nearly any environment. Evolves into at least nine different Pokémon through various means."

"Wow Michelle, that's such a rare Pokémon! That's so cool!"

Michelle smiles arrogantly. "It is, isn't it? It'll be even cooler when it beats you."

Taking her words as a challenge, now Brenda smiles arrogantly. "Oh, we'll see about that."

Pine declares, "Battle begin!"

Michelle immediately leaps into action and orders, "Eevee, use Swift, just like we practiced!" Eevee jumps up into the air and flings a cascade of glowing stars at Frostcicle.

Brenda quickly counters, "Icy Wind!" Frostcicle attacks back with a gust of chilled air. The two attacks collide and cancel. Brenda immediately follows up with, "Float upwards and then use Aurora Beam downwards!" Frostcicle quickly rises into the air and then attacks from its new vantage point.

Michelle orders, "Protect yourself with Echoed Voice!"

Eevee shouts, "Eevee!" which creates a shockwave of sound that disrupts Frostcicle's attack, causing it to dissipate into shimmering sparkles.

Brock comments, "This may not be a contest, but those two certainly are treating it like one."

Ash says back, "It's in their nature, what else would you expect them to do?"

Michelle then declares, "Swift, again!" This time the attack comes too fast for Frostcicle to stop, so it makes contact and knocks the icicle Pokémon from the air.

Brenda shouts, "Get back up, Frostcicle! Get up and use Crystal Beam!" Frostcicle manages to get back up and begins to charge for its attack.

Michelle urges, "Quickly, while it's still charging, use Swift again!" Eevee tries its best to get in another attack before Frostcicle can fully charge, but the charge is completed faster than Michelle predicted. The powerful orange beam of Crystal Beam tears right through the stars of Swift, and then hits Eevee dead on, leaving it looking weak.

Brenda cheers, "One more attack will do it! Use Aurora Beam again!"

Realizing that Brenda's right, Michelle desperately shouts, "You have to dodge the attack, Eevee!" Eevee attempts to jump out of the way, but Frostcicle still manages to land a glancing hit. Eevee falls to the ground. "Eevee!"

Brenda cheers, "Yeah, we did it! That's one down, two to go!"

Michelle clenches her fist angrily and thinks, No. I will not lose to her again. I refuse. She wordlessly recalls Eevee and then looks down to the Cleffa at her feet. With false cheer, she asks, "Cleffa dear, are you ready to battle?"

Cleffa nods excitedly. "Cleffa cleff!"

"Okay then, go out there and do exactly like we practiced." Cleffa happily runs on to the field.

Brenda also recalls her Pokéball. "How about we make this space Pokémon on space Pokémon. You're up, Minior."

Minior cheerfully floats forward. "Mini!"

This time Brenda makes the first move. She orders, "Minior, use Take Down!" Minior hurls itself towards Cleffa, but does so in a sluggish manor.

Michelle has enough time to order, "Out of the way, then use Magical Leaf!" Cleffa gracefully dodges to the side, and then attacks with a barrage of glowing, rainbow-colored leaves, all of which hit Minior.

Brenda encourages, "Come on Minior, let's try something else! Use Power Gem!" There is a flash of light from the gems on each of Minior's points, and then a beam of red energy fires from each one.

"Dodge it again, and then use Hidden Power!" Cleffa leaps up into the air to avoid the beam, and then attacks with several orbs of blue energy.

Brenda shouts, "Dodge it, Minior!" Minior attempts to float to the side, but it's too slow, and the attack lands.

Not willing to give up her momentum, Michelle then orders, "Magical Leaf again, continuously!" Cleffa begins to create a continuous stream of rainbow leaves, all of which begin to pelt Minior's rocky exterior.

Minior is unable to do anything in response. It shouts, "Mini!" in distress.

Brenda begins to panic. "Oh no, this isn't good." Then a crack appears on Minior's shell. Brenda shouts, "Oh no! Minior's breaking!" Then the entire shell suddenly cracks and falls away, revealing Minior's pink Core Form. With its shell shed, Minior is able to easily maneuver itself out of the way of the attack. Brenda asks with surprise, "What's this!?"

Michelle groans. "Come on! Are you telling me that you've been working with Minior for all this time, and you didn't even know that it could shed its shell? How naïve can you be?"

Brenda smiles. "Really?" She takes a good look at Minior. "Wow, it's even cuter now!"

Ash asks Brock, "So what was that?"

Brock explains, "Minior create a rocky shell around their body to protect themselves, but if they take enough damage, that shell will break away. The disadvantage is that they are no longer protected, but the advantage is that they are faster and powerful with their attacks."

Ash nods. "Okay, I get it."

Brenda declares, "Let's try out this new form, then! Use Take Down!" Minior attempts to ram itself into Cleffa once more.

Michelle orders, "Dodge it!"

Unlike before, Minior moves with extremely high speed and rams into Cleffa before it can dodge out of the way. Brenda then orders excitedly, "Now use Power Gem!" Before Cleffa even hits the ground, Minior has already unleashed its Power Gem attack and hit it back up into the air.

Realizing where this is going, Michelle asserts, "Don't let it get another attack in! Use Hidden Power!" Cleffa attacks while flying backwards.

"Dodge it, and then use Gyro Ball!" With a burst of speed that would have been impossible before, Minior dodges to the side, and then begins to spin rapidly and slams into Cleffa, knocking it back down to the ground, and knocking it out.

Pine declares, "That's it! Cleffa is unable to continue! That means that Brenda is winner!"

"We did it! We did it! Great job, Minior you cutie!"

"Mini!"

Michelle is frozen with shock and disbelief. "But…how…?"

Brenda walks across the field to Michelle and offers her a handshake. "That was a great battle, Michelle. I really thought you and Cleffa were going to win there for a bit. I guess I must have just gotten lucky with Minior losing its shell."

Michelle suddenly snaps into anger. She smacks Brenda's hand away and shouts, "Yeah! You got lucky! That's it! Just like you always do! You put in none of the work, and get all the luck! I train more in one week than you ever have in your life, and yet you always manage to win by some fluke or another! I've had enough of it! I'm done with you, Brenda!" She turns around and stomps off angrily. She thrusts Cleffa's Pokéball into Professor Pine's hands and says, "I'm sorry Professor, but I have to go now. Thanks for the experience." She storms away.

Brenda is hurt and shocked. "Michelle…?"

Pine watches and shakes his head with sorrow.

It's Hippowdon!

Professor Pine announces, "Alright, and now it's time for our final match! The participants will be Ash and Braydon!"

The two look to each other. Ash says, "Looks like we're finally going to get the battle you challenged me to back when we met."

Braydon nods. "You bet. You think you have a shot at beating me?"

Ash grins with determination. "I think the better question is, do you have a shot at beating me?" They stare with looks of challenge for a moment more and then take their positions on the battlefield.

Both pull out Pokéballs, but before either one can do anything more, a cloud of smoke suddenly covers the area, obscuring everything. Braydon coughs on the smoke and demands, "What is this!?"

Jessie is heard cackling, and she proclaims, "Prepare for trouble, we're cutting this camp short!"

Meowth fills in for James again and continues, "Make it double, you'd better abort!" The smoke clears to reveal Jessie and Meowth standing atop a giant mechanical Solem.

"To acquire a trophy of shimmering gold!"

"To steal your Pokémon, we're so bold!"

"To deeply gaze into my own reflection!"

"To take our pick of the available selection!"

"Jessie!"

"Meowth!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender to Meowth or prepare to fight!"

"Wobb wobbuffet!"

Jessie declares, "Alright, hand over that golden trophy. After all, the beautiful and valuable must belong to the beautiful and valuable."

Meowth adds, "And while you're at it, hand over all your space Pokémon. They'll be our space partners now!"

Ash shouts, "Get out of here, Team Rocket! We're busy!"

Meowth scoffs, "Do you think we care!?"

Braydon asks, "What's going on here exactly?"

Ash explains, "This Team Rocket, they do nothing but try to steal other's Pokémon and belongings."

James seems to be trying to hide away behind someone else. Brock suddenly shouts, "James!"

James freezes up, thinking he's been discovered. He nervously asks, "What…did you say…?"

Brock elaborates, "Team Rocket normally has a third member, a guy with blue hair," he pauses and adds, "just like yours, actually. He doesn't seem to be here for some reason."

James forces a chuckle. "Huh, how strange."

Meowth declares, "Now I suggest you hand over everything right away, or you'll be feeling the wrath of our Solem Golem!" The robot raises its fists into the air menacingly.

A voice cries out in defiance, "No!"

Jessie demands, "Who said that!? Show yourself!"

James steps forward from the crowd. "I said it!" This stuns both Jessie and Meowth. "Space camp is a sacred rite of passage! How dare you two try to defile it!?"

Jessie begins to say angrily, "Why you no good, double-crossing, traitorous…"

James shouts, "We don't have to be afraid of them! If we all fight them together, we can win!" He looks to Cosmet and asks, "Are you ready for another fight, Cosmet?"

Cosmet nods. "Cosmet."

"Good, then use Fiery Impact!" Cosmet hurls itself at the mech, but causes no noticeable damage, causing Jessie and Meowth to break out laughing. The mech then swats the comet Pokémon away.

Then Braydon steps forward and orders, "Protostar, use Heatwave!" Protostar's fire attack hits the armored exterior of the mech, but also does little.

Meowth antagonizes, "There's nothing you can do to stop our Solem Golem, it's indestructible! Now, if you're not going to hand over your Pokémon, we'll take them!" Jessie and Meowth hop down into the cockpit and begin to control the mech. It reaches down and grabs a handful of several space Pokémon away from their partners. The children all cry out in terror.

James thinks for a moment and suddenly realizes, Wait a second, I know this mech design! And I know its only weakness, too! He shouts, "Everyone, aim for the joints that connect the legs to the body! They're its weakest points!"

Everybody listens, and an assault of attacks of all the various space Pokémon is aimed right at the two leg joints. Within moments, the robot collapses from its own weight. And the entire structure splits in half.

Ash steps forward and declares, "We'll handle the rest. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leaps up and attacks. "Pikaaaaa, chuuuuuuuuuu!"

Jessie and Meowth watch in horror as the attack comes at them, and then sends them flying into the air. Jessie demands, "How dare James betray us!? He owes me a golden trophy now!"

Meowth adds, "Not to mention the money we would have made by selling all those Pokémon."

"But more importantly, the trophy."

Meowth groans. "Sure, if you want to fixate on that, fixate on that."

They then both shout, "We're blasting off again!"

Back on the ground, everyone happily congratulates each other. Brock asks James, "Wow Jim, how did you know that robot's weak point?"

James quickly does his best to come up with an excuse. "Oh…well…um…just a lucky guess…I guess…"

Brock smiles. "Well we all got lucky then."

Ash declares, "And now that that's over, we have a battle to get to."

Braydon agrees, "Let's get to it." They both retake their positions. Braydon throws his Pokéball first. "Go, Kappaquarius!" The Pokémon that appears is very similar to Kappaqua and Kappaqueous, obviously, an evolution of them. It is very tall, skinny, and lanky in its build, with extremely long and skinny arms and legs. A large dorsal fin runs from the top of its head down to the bottom of its back. In addition, several other fin-like flaps protrude from various parts of its body, including either side of its face.

Ash immediately pulls out his Pokédex. "Kappaquarius, the Psychic Kappa Pokémon and a Water and Psychic Combo-Type. This Pokémon can swim through water at incredible velocities by using its psychic powers to increase its hydrodynamics as well as to propel itself. While in a body of water, the liquid around it becomes an extension of its own body. Evolves from Kappaqueous at level 36."

Brock nudges Brenda. "Hey Brenda, that's what Kappaqueous will eventually evolve into."

Brenda seems distant into thought, and doesn't immediately acknowledge Brock. After a second she says, "Yeah…um…that's great," without sounding like she actually heard what he said.

Ash now throws his Pokéball. "Dashilisk, I chose you!" Dashilisk appears and dances around a bit. Ash leans down towards Elgyem and tells it, "I know you've never been in a battle before, so I want you to watch Dashilisk closely, alright?"

Elgyem nods. "Elgyem."

Pine declares, "Begin the battle!"

Ash immediately orders, "Dashilisk, use Aqua Jet!" Dashilisk cloaks itself in water and propels itself towards Kappaquarius.

Braydon doesn't seem worried one bit. "Stop it with Hydromancy." The kappa Pokémon raises its arms and spins its hand around in a circular motion. Just before Dashilisk hits its mark, it's forced to stop in midair. "Now throw it." Kappaquarius makes a flinging motion to the side, and Dashilisk is flung in the same direction.

Ash asks, "What was that?"

Braydon rebukes, "Didn't you hear what your Pokédex said? Kappaquarius can control water with its mind. Maybe it wasn't the best idea for you to use an attack that covers yourself with water."

Ash grunts as he realizes his mistake. "Alright then, we'll do this without water. Get in close and use Dragon Claw!" Dashilisk hops up and runs in towards the opposing Pokémon, ready to slash at it with glowing green claws.

Braydon commands, "Block it with Protect!" Kappaquarius raises a barrier around itself, and no matter how hard Dashilisk claws at it, nothing happens. "Now use Hydro Cannon!" The Pokémon consecutively lowers its shield and then launches a large orb of water at Dashilisk, which explodes upon impact, sending Dashilisk flying backwards.

Ash shouts, "Now's our chance, Dashilisk! It can't move after using Hydro Cannon! Run at it with Extreme Speed, and then use Dragon Claw again!" Dashilisk, as resilient as ever, hops back onto its feet and dashes at its opponent with extremely high speeds. It then slashes down at Kappaquarius, landing a perfect hit. "Now leap back and use Scald from a distance!" It does exactly what it's told.

Braydon commands, "Counter with Ice Beam!" The two ranged attacks collide in a battle of heat and cold.

Ash encourages, "Come on Dashilisk, you can do it! Overpower Kappaquarius!"

Meanwhile, Elgyem is completely fixated on the battle. It looks at Dashilisk with awe, admiring its ability to fight with such proficiency. "Elgyem…"

Hit suddenly by inspiration, Ash shouts, "Dashilisk, use Aqua Jet again!" Dashilisk is confused for a moment, but being the carefree Pokémon it is, it trusts Ash. It stops its Scald and flies up into the air with the Aqua Jet before the Ice Beam can make hit its mark. It then directs itself at Kappaquarius.

Braydon asks mockingly, "Come on Ash, do you have trouble remembering what just happened? Hydromancy!" Kappaquarius once again gathers its focus.

Ash then shouts, "Drop now!" Dashilisk drops itself out of the water from the Aqua Jet just before it's caught in Kappaquarius' psychic field. It begins to fall straight down towards the kappa Pokémon, while it's still focusing on the water. Ash orders, "Now for another Dragon Claw!"

Braydon quickly realizes what has happened and orders with urgency, "Drop the water! Use Hydro Cannon straight upwards!"

Ash then shouts, "Attack the Hydro Cannon!" As Dashilisk falls towards the incoming attack, it slashes at it with its glowing green claws, cutting the attack in half and causing it to explode. Both Pokémon are caught in the explosion.

A cloud of water vapor now obscures the field. Everyone tries to get a better look at what happened. Whispers pass through the audience. Then the vapor clears. Both Dashilisk and Kappaquarius have been rendered unable to battle.

Braydon nods, looking impressed. "Kappaquarius was my first Pokémon, and you managed to tie with it. I am very impressed, Ash." He recalls his Pokémon.

Ash does the same and grins. "You haven't seen the half of it yet."

"I can't wait." He turns to Protostar. "Are you ready, Protostar?" Protostar nods and floats forward onto the field.

Ash then looks to Elgyem. "Alright Elgyem, it's your time to shine. Are you ready?"

Filled with inspiration from watching Dashilisk battle, Elgyem nods. "Elgyem!" It eagerly teleports itself onto the field.

Seeing this makes Pine smile. He thinks, The goal of the space partner activity was to have the camper learn something from the Pokémon, but I think in this instance, Elgyem seems to have learned something from Ash. That boy really is something else. And now he's battling against Braydon. This next part of the fight should be very interesting.

Braydon says to Ash, "I've watched you and Elgyem develop your partnership, and I'm ready to put it to the test."

Ash grins with resolve. "And we're ready to be tested. Come on Elgyem, let's start things off! Use Strobe!" Elgyem points an arm at Protostar and begins to rapidly flash its lights.

Braydon thinks fast and orders, "Don't look into the lights, they'll confuse you!" Protostar quickly closes its eyes.

Ash takes advantage of this and orders, "Switch to Psybeam!" Elgyem then attacks with a beam psychic energy from its lights.

Braydon was expecting this, though. "Dodge to the left! Then use Sunny Day!" Protostar jumps to the side, and opens its eyes again as it does so. Once it is confident it has dodged the attack, it creates a beam of light that is sent straight up towards the Sun. Instantly the ambient daylight grows brighter and harsher. "And now that we have a brighter Sun, use Solar Force!"

Protostar gathers a veil of light around it, and then attacks with a massive orb of golden light. "Proooootostar!"

Ash urgently commands, "Use Teleport to dodge!" Elgyem attempts to teleport out of the way, but the attack is too fast. It hits and Elgyem sustains massive damage.

Brock comments, "Solar Force is a move that has its power doubled under harsh sunlight like this. Add to that the fact that it's a Light-Type move, which is super-effective against Psychic-Types like Elgyem, and that attack just did some major damage to it." He waits for a response from Brenda, but when he gets none, he looks over to her to see her still deep in her own mind. He sighs, not sure what to say to cheer her up.

Ash asks, "Are you alright, Elgyem? Can you keep on fighting?"

Elgyem gets back up and nods. "Elgyem."

"Good, then let's fight back with Zen Headbutt!" A purple light surrounds Elgyem's forehead, and the Pokémon flings itself at Protostar.

Braydon simply orders, "Dodge." Protostar floats to the side fast enough that Elgyem flies past it.

Ash smiles and chuckles.

Braydon demands, "What's so funny? Do you find it amusing that you missed?"

Ash shakes his head. "No, I find it amusing that you fell for our trick."

"Your trick!?" Before he can do anything about, he realizes what has happened. Elgyem uses Teleport while still in mid-headbutt, reappearing behind Protostar, facing towards it. It's momentum carries it right into the star Pokémon and the attack lands, knocking Protostar against a nearby tree.

"Great job, Elgyem! I knew that one work!"

Elgyem celebrates, "Elgyem!"

Pine smiles again. Wow, Ash has turned Elgyem's escape mechanism into an offensive tactic. Stunning.

Braydon nods as he thinks about what just happened. "Cool trick, but it won't work a second time."

"We don't need it to work a second time. Use Psybeam, Elgyem!" Elgyem attacks with another beam of energy from its fingers.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Protostar, who has yet to get up off the ground, manages to attack with a breath of fire. The two attacks collide and cancel. Braydon quickly orders, "Now back up and use Solar Force again!" Protostar floats back up in the air and attacks again with a massive orb of light.

"You know the timing this time, Elgyem! Dodge!" This time Elgyem manages to teleport out of the way. "Great, now Zen Headbutt, one more time!"

"Dodge it Protostar!" Just like before, Protostar dodges to the side. Also, just like before, once it misses, Elgyem teleports itself mid-attack. Not wanting to be fooled twice, Braydon urgently orders, "Turn around and use Flamethrower straight backwards!" Protostar turns around and blindly attacks the area behind it with fire.

Ash declares, "Got you again!" Elgyem reappears behind Protostar, what would have been in front of it had it not turned around, and rams into it with Zen Headbutt.

Protostar falls to the ground. It's been knocked out. Pine declares, "Protostar is unable to battle! That makes Ash and Elgyem the winners!"

"Great job, Elgyem! We did it!"

"Elgyem, Elgyem!"

Braydon is completely shocked. "You knew I would cover my back, so you attacked my front!"

Ash nods. "Exactly. I knew you were too smart to fall for the same trick twice in a row, so we had two tricks up our sleeves."

Braydon shakes his head in disbelief. "Wow, you really are something else, Ash Ketchum. You're only the second person to ever beat me. Good job." He walks up to Ash and offers a handshake. Ash takes him up on it.

Professor Pine is back up on stage with Muttnik while everyone is gathered around. He announces, "And at long last, it is time reveal the winner of this year's Astro Camp Trophy. All of you here did a great and wonderful job, and don't forget, you all learned something from your space partners, making you all winners. But one particular duo stood out above all the rest. I am pleased to award this trophy to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his space partner Elgyem!"

Ash turns to Elgyem and asks excitedly, "Did you hear that, Elgyem? We won!"

"Elgyem!"

Ash and Pikachu run up to the stage while Elgyem teleports there. Pine hands Ash the trophy. "I never would have thought I would see Elgyem come out of its shell, and it's all thanks to you. You deserve this trophy, Ash."

Ash happily accepts it. "Thank you, Professor." He then displays the trophy triumphantly in the air and declares, "I just got the Astro Camp Trophy!"

Pikachu adds, "Pik pikachu!"

Elgyem joins in, "Elgyem!"

Ash, Brock, Brenda, and Braydon stand on the outskirts of Launch Town. Braydon asks, "So where are you three heading now?"

Ash answers, "The Crater Town Gym. Last time we were here, the passage there in the Crater Gate was blocked by a rockslide. It's clear now, though."

Braydon nods. "That's good. I remember my battle there. That gym leader, no matter what he may seem like, is no pushover, that's for sure."

"And what about you, Braydon? What's next for you?"

Braydon smiles. "Actually, you've inspired me. That speech you gave me about never giving up and always trying again, I took it to heart. I've decided that I'm go to have another try at the Tenno League."

Ash smiles. "That's great!"

"It also means that we're now rivals."

"I can't wait to battle you again."

Braydon nods in agreement. "Nor can I. I'd better be off now. Best of luck!"

Ash and Brock both wave goodbye to him, Brenda still seems depressed. Brock then says, "We'd better be off, too."

Ash nods. "Yeah. Crater Town, here we come."

Before they do go, though, Brock points back towards town. "Hey, look over there."

Ash looks over to see Elgyem standing next to Professor Pine and Muttnik. Elgyem and Pine wave goodbye. Elgyem shouts, "Elgyem, elgyem!"

Ash waves back and shouts, "Goodbye, Elgyem! We'll meet again, I promise!"

"Elgyem!"

They depart.

And so ends our heroes' adventures at Professor Pine's Astro Camp. It was a great learning experience for them, and they all grew in one way or another, and are better off for it. But with Brenda's fight with Michelle, and Ash's upcoming gym match at Crater Town, things are certain to stay interesting, so stay tuned!

To Be Continued…