Written by me and Cloud4012
Started: September 18th
Finished: September 23rd
Beta Reader: cherrybombees
Chapter 7: The Path to the Pokemon League
After leaving Cerulean City, our heroes hiked across on Route 5 towards their next destination. "Vermilion City?" Ash turned to Misty, who was discussing something. "What's there?"
"There's a beautiful cruise liner there called the S.S. Anne I just gotta see." Misty gushed. Her eyes twinkled with delight as she fantasized about the cruise ship.
"Misty, I don't think a cruise voyage is in our budget," Brock points out.
"Aw man," Misty groans, feeling the sad sting of reality.
"But there are some other highlights there." Brock said. "One, I heard there's gonna be a Breeder Competition held there."
"I still can't believe you're gonna be doing this. And here I thought you weren't the competitive type." Ash said.
"Neither did I, but when I saw it in Cerulean City I was impressed." Brock admitted.
"You think you'll be ready for it?" Misty asks.
"I hope so. This is a big opportunity for me." Brock said.
"Man, I wish Vermilion City had something for me. You two are really excited to get there." Ash said.
"Actually Ash, you're in luck. I heard there's a really great Gym in Vermilion," Brock informed, getting Ash's attention.
"Really?! Alright! I'm gonna get my third badge there!" Ash yelled with excitement as the decision was made. "Let's go!" Ash said while running in a hurry. His friends blinked at Ash's rushed sentence and saw him take off like a rocket.
"Hey! Ash! You better be careful around here! There are a lot of tough trainers around here!" Misty called to her scarred friend with concern.
"Bring'em on, I'll be ready for each of them!" Ash calls out with confidence.
Misty sighed, watching him go. "Just when you think he is mature he goes and does something like that," she stated, looking annoyed.
"Well he is still a kid and a boy, Misty. They have their moments." Brock said with a grin. "I remember being like that at his age."
"Still if he starts getting arrogant he's in for a world of hurt." Misty threatened as she curled her hand into a tight fist.
"You have nothing to worry about, I'm sure Ash knows what he's doing." Brock assured her with a firm pat to the shoulder.
As it turns out Misty was right; on the path towards Vermillion City, countless trainers showed up to challenge Ash to a battle.
And we find Ash in one right now.
Another trainer, a boy with blue hair and a green hoodie, yelled as he pointed in the air.
"Rattata, use Bite!"
"Ko-rat!" The rodent yipped and sprinted across the battlefield.
Ash snapped his fingers and shouted. "Talon, fly above and use Aerial Ace!"
Talon cawed as he shot right into the sky. The Spearow reached for the sky and flew downwards and smacked Rattata in the face, who rolled across the grass like a tumbleweed.
"Now Peck!"
"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Rolling out of the way Rattata charges in and leaps out at Talon.
"Cancel it out with a Fury Attack!" Ash said.
Doing a series of quick pecks Talon nails Rattata multiple times before Quick Attack could hit.
"Spear!" With one last wing strike, Talon smacked Rattata away, sending it to the ground with swirly eyes.
"Rattata!" The trainer gasped.
Ash cheered, "Alright! Way to go, Talon!" Ash cheered as the bird perched on his shoulder. "That's your tenth victory!"
"Spearow-spear!" Talon cheered, flapping his wings as Ash reached up to scratch under his chin.
After the other trainer returned his Rattata, he and Ash met in the middle and shook hands.
"Not bad, you guys were pretty good." Ash said.
"Thanks, you're a pretty strong trainer." The boy said, acknowledging Ash's strength.
"Well I'm trying my best, but I still have a long way to go." Ash admits with a sheepish smile as he reached up to pet Talon on the head.
Brock nudged Misty with his elbow, grinning the entire time. "Told you he was humble."
"Okay okay, don't you start getting a big head too." Misty muttered under her breath.
"You know, you should try taking on the 'Beast Tamer'," the other boy advised.
"Beast Tamer?" Ash asks, never hearing him before.
"He's a really powerful trainer who trains his Pokémon so fierce, they're savages," the boy explained as he pointed in the opposite direction. "He runs a gym down that way, but I gotta warn you, he hasn't lost a single battle up till now."
"Never lost a battle? Now I gotta see." Ash said interested. "I'll go find it, thanks!"
Heading down the path, the three of them look to see a huge wooden fence surrounding a building and above them was a giant scoreboard that read AJ's Gym.
"So this is the Gym huh?" Ash said to himself. "That guy said it wasn't authorized by the Pokémon League."
"Which explains why none of us heard about it up until now," Brock said.
"Ninety-eight wins in a row, huh? Geez, whoever this Beast Tamer guy is, they must be crazy strong." Misty said looking at the scoreboard in disbelief, wondering if Ash can take this guy.
"Are one of you referring to me?" A new voice beside them.
A teenage boy approached the group, his appearance feeling faintly familiar. With wild dark green hair and sharp eyebrows, he carried himself like he was the next coming of Arceus. For some odd reason, he had similar facial markings to Ash.
"You must be the Beast Tamer we've been hearing about?" Ash assumed.
"Well you heard right," the Tamer said with a grin on his face. "A.J.'s the name, and beating chumps like you is my game."
Ash furiously glared as he pointed right at his face, "Well I'm no chump, but I did come here to have a battle with you."
"Well in that case, come right on in." A.J. says, snapping his fingers, making the two large doors of the gate open revealing a huge arena set up in front of a large tent.
Misty said mildly impressed at the interior design. Just then, a Butterfree flew over to them and in front of A.J. It landed on his backpack and picked it up.
"What's in the bag?" Ash asks.
"All the wild Pokémon I just caught." A.J. said. "And that's just a small portion of it. There's a whole lot of them inside the tent."
"Really?" Ash said as curiosity got the best of him again. "Hey, can I see them after the match?"
"Sure, if you want." A.J. said climbing up onto the field. "So which Pokémon are you gonna be using for my ninety-ninth win?" He asked, ready to get this underway.
"I've got a decent team lined up." Ash said, gesturing to his belt.
"To you maybe but you'll find I'm different than the trainers you've battled before." A.J. cracks his whip making Ash flinch. "As soon as I win a hundred battles in a row, I'll start competing for badges."
"That means he's only two wins away." Misty realized.
"Isn't that a little much? If you lose even once, who knows how long it will take you to get that score back up?" Ash asks.
"Cuz I trust my abilities and my Pokémon won't let me down. That's how I always know I don't fear losing even one battle." A.J. declared looking back to the tent.
"Wow, that's confidence. You better watch yourself Ash." Brock advises.
With a nod, Ash hurried onto his side, ready to rumble. "So how many Pokémon you wanna have?"
"I'm only using one. How many you want to use is your own business." A.J. declares.
"Hmm..you know what? One-on-one's fine with me too." Ash said agreeing to it as they both pulled out Pokeballs on each side
"Then let's get started! Sandshrew, go!" A.J threw his.
"Quake, I Choose You!" Ash said, throwing his as each ball opened up, revealing a Sandshrew on both sides.
"They both chose Sandshrew?" Misty gasped in surprise.
"Well this is a pleasant surprise." A.J. said.
"Guess we'll be seeing which Sandshrew is better." Ash said.
"That's not a contest at all. Prepared to be schooled in the abilities of Sandshrew." A.J. cracks his whip. "Charge, Sandshrew!"
"Go Quake!" Ash said as both Sandshrew both curled into balls and met in the middle in a big collision.
As both Pokemon pushed, Quake tried to gain the upper hand but AJ's Sandshrew was pushing him back.
"Quake! Switch into a Swift attack!" Ash said as Quake spun, a stream of glowing stars shot out from his body.
"Child's play, Sandshrew!" With a crack of A.J.'s whip, his Sandshrew rolled right into Swift with ease.
"Now jump!" Ash said as Quake stopped his spinning and leaped right over Sandshrew, avoiding collision.
"Sandshrew, Rollout!" Spinning like a wheel, Sandshrew made a U-Turn and raced after Quake.
"Quake, Dig!" Ash said. Quake jumped into the air before diving underground.
"Stand your ground." A.J. snaps his whip.
Taking a stance, Sandshrew braced itself for the impending attack.
That's when Sandshrew felt movement underneath where it's tail was. Leaping up into the air it dodges the attack just as Quake bursts out of the ground.
"Almost.." Ash clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Almost isn't good enough! Sandshrew dive!" Diving down Sanshrew rams into Quake sending him tumbling back.
"Shake it off Quake! Fury Cutter!" Ash yelled.
With a glowing claw, Quake slashes Sandhsrew knocking it off him.
"Now Swift again!" Ash said as Quake spun once again as the stream of stars successfully pelted Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, Defense Curl!" Snapping his whip, Sandshrew rolled into a ball and raised his defense.
"That A.J.'s really a tough nut to crack." Brock said. "He's good on attack and defense, blocking Ash's every advantage."
"No wonder he's won ninety-eight battles in a row." Misty said, impressed.
"Ash is good, but what he and Quake are lacking unlike A.J. and his Sandshrew is obviously the experience." Brock said.
"Quake use Rollout!" Spinning into a ball, Quake rams into Sandshrew, but thanks to Defense Curl it is weakened.
"Sandshrew, put your Agility into work!!" A.J yells.
Still into a ball, Sandshrew spun away from Quake and rolled all around the field, making Quake stop and just stare in awe at the speed its own kind was doing. Not even he could do that kind of pacing, and he's only been on the team for a couple of days.
"I can't keep up..where is he gonna stop?" Ash said, turning his head around, trying to see where Sandshrew would strike.
A.J. cracks his whip one last time and shouts, "Finish it!!"
Sandshrew leapt high into the air, blocking the sun out of Quake's view, dove down before landing a devastating kick to his temple. "Sand!!"
"Shrew!!" Quake cried out, being knocked back in front of Ash.
"Quake!" Ash gasped.
"Had enough?" A.J. taunts.
Cringing, Ash didn't know what to do. He's battled before, but he's never been so far on the losing end before.
"Shrew.." Quake growled, struggling up to his feet.
"Finish it, Sandshrew!" A.J. said as Sandshrew rolled in like a race car wheel.
"Wait!" Ash yells, causing Sandshrew to stop. "Y-You guys are just...too strong." Ash struggles. "I..I.."
"Do you surrender?" A.J. asks again.
Everyone looked to Ash who had his head down as he said, "...yes."
This marked Ash's first official loss as a trainer.
While this was happening, none of them were aware of Team Rocket spying on them from afar with their binoculars.
They sat in a tree watching the kids. "Did you see that? That kid's Sandshrew wiped the floor with the twerps," Jessie said amazed while keeping her focus on A.J's Sandshrew.
"If it can beat the twerp and his Pokémon, then it's definitely Team Rocket material." James said with a grin on his face. "I say we grab it."
"Hmm.. Looks fat. You two should carry it." Meowth retorted.
The Rocket members then started to talk about AJ's fashion sense. "Although the outfit that trainer is wearing is absolutely horrendous." Jessie said, insulting A.J's clothing.
"That shirt looks like it was made a century or two ago." James agreed.
"At least he doesn't look like he's trick-or treating like you do." Meowth sneered, mocking his teammates.
James looked enraged at this and brought his fist down on Meowth's head. "Me-owth!" Who fell out of the tree and hit the ground in pain then groaned.
The scoreboard above the gym changed numbers.
Wins-99
Ties-0
Losses-0
"And that makes Victory #99." A.J. declares as the scoreboard changed.
Looking up at the scoreboard and the Sandshrew that has overwhelmed himself, Quake frowned in defeat near Ash. "Shrew." Quake apologizes.
"No, I'm sorry Quake. I didn't realize we were way out of our league." Ash said.
Brock and Misty walked up beside them. "Hey you guys did your best." Brock said, trying to cheer them up.
"Yeah, you can't win them all." Misty says. "Some trainers are just a lot tougher."
"You could say that again.." Ash mutters.
"Well if it's any consolation.." Ash turned to see A.J. walking up to him. "You at least did the right thing of sparing your Pokémon from a losing battle." He's had Sandshrew sent back into the tent on
"If winning a battle meant seeing my Pokémon really hurt, then I'd have no right to be a trainer." Ash admits, in which A.J. nods, respecting that.
"Still that was amazing. How did you and Sandshrew get so strong?" Brock asks, curious to know.
"That's self-explanatory. I make Sandshrew trained all the way past his limits from sweat to ingenuity." A.J. answered.
"Does that include all of the Pokémon you catch and have on you now?" Misty asked.
"That's right. Not a single one has shown any sign of slack." A.J. nods with confidence.
That's when Ash remembered what he asked A.J. earlier before the match. "Oh wait a minute. You said after the battle, you would show me your Pokémon."
"I did promise that huh? Alright, a deal is a deal." A.J. said keeping his end of the bargain. "You're the first ones to see what real Pokémon training is like." He said, leading them to the tents.
Once they entered A.J's gym, the trio friends were surprised at the sight of it. There were Pokémon everywhere training.
Butterfree and Beedrill vigorously sparred in the air, some Ratatta jumping through flaming hoops, etc.
"What the heck? Is this training or boot camp?" Misty asks.
Looking around, Ash noticed Sandshrew climbing to the top of a high dive over a pool of water.
"Is he gonna?" Ash gasped as Sandshrew answered his question by hopping off of the diveboard and jumping into the pool.
Spinning out of the water, AJ stood up and said, "Get back in the water!" He shouted, whipping his whip on the ground.
"What the heck are you doing?!" Ash said running to him.
"What does it look like? I'm training my Pokémon," A.J. said, apathetically.
"You call this training? Sandshrew are weak to water!" Ash said.
"It doesn't take a genius to know that; Sandshrew comes out fine all of the time when he does it." A.J. states.
"All of the time?" Ash asked at unease. Has A.J. been training his Sandshrew like this all the time? That's when he noticed Sandshrew wearing some weird body armor. "What is that, a straight jacket?"
"That ain't no straight jacket; it's a Strength Intensifier." A.J. said, correcting him.
"Where did you get something like that?" Brock asks.
"I didn't buy it. I made it myself. It's my own special gear to help boost a Pokémon's power." AJ explains.
Sandshrew climbed back up on the diving board. "Sandshrew! Dive!" Hearing the command, Sandhsrew dove back into the water and spun out of it, unharmed.
"The water doesn't hurt your Sandshrew?" Brock asked, surprised.
A.J. grinned proudly. "You're looking at the only Sandshrew in the world that's strong enough to withstand water. Sandshrew, rolling exercises!"
"Sandshrew!" Curling into a ball, Sandshrew rolls neared some Rattata as they passed him around.
"You're really tough on your Sandshrew." Ash points out.
"I never ask my Pokémon for more than I know they can handle." AJ clarifies.
"But you aren't as tough on any of your other Pokémon." Ash said.
"That's because Sandshrew was the very first Pokémon I've ever caught." A.J. smiles as he recalled his first day ever having Sandshrew. "I'll never forget that moment. We promised to do whatever it took to be the greatest Pokémon and Trainer of all time. Nothing was going to stop us from achieving our dreams; no matter how difficult the path was gonna be. Enduring fierce storms, trekking through the raging winds, we'd sacrificed everything to get where we are today and soon the world is gonna see what an unbeatable team we are!"
Ash stood there, stunned by A.J. determination and declaration. "Woah.."
"It's clear all your Pokemon look very healthy. What kind of Pokémon food do you give them?" Brock asks.
"My own special recipe. I'll show you." AJ said, leading him to a cabinet full of different types. "I've had to go through quite a few Breeder books in order to find out exactly what each Pokemon needs."
"You don't say? I may be able to help you with that. I'm learning to be a good breeder myself and not toot my own horn, I make my own homemade recipe as well." Brock said.
"Really now? Mind giving me a few tips then?" A.J. asked
"Not at all." Brock said as the two discussed Pokémon dietary.
We find Quake walking up to A.J.'s Sandshrew lifting weights.
"Sandshrew? Sand." Quake asks.
"Sand." Offering a barbell to him, Quake tried to take it but it was too heavy for him.
Dropping it, Quake panted for air. Dropping his dumbbells, Sandshrew told Quake to follow him as the two went towards the pool. "Shrew?" Sandshrew asks if Quake could swim.
"Shrew." Quake shook his head, saying he was afraid of drowning.
"Sand..." Sandshrew pauses before getting an idea. "Sandshrew Sand." He said pointing to his Strength Intensifier.
"Shrew?" Quake asked surprised. Was it really OK?
"Sandshrew." Sandshrew insisted.
Slowly putting it on Quake struggled just to keep himself from rolling up into a ball.
"Sand..." Quake cringed.
Gesturing to look at him, Sandshrew told Quake to suck in his gut.
Following his instructions, neither noticed a large red ball sneaking in.
"Which Sandshrew is the one we grab?" James whispers.
"Easy, the one that actually won the match." Meowth said.
"Great idea genius, only problem is they look the same!" Jessie whispered.
"Then just pick one." James said.
As both Sandshrew rolled into balls, Team Rocket made their move.
Not sure which one to grab, Team Rocket ended up grabbing AJ's Sandshrew and made their escape.
Back inside...
Inside the tent the sound of a timer went off. AJ looked at the clock and turned to the training Pokémon , "Alright you wimps, time for a fifteen minute break!" After hearing that all the Pokémon fell to the floor, panting.
"Don't you worry you might be pushing them a little too hard? They look like they're about to pass out." Ash said.
"If you're not willing to push your Pokemon to their limits how can you honestly say you're giving it your all when it's time to battle?" AJ counters.
Ash was about to open his mouth but stopped realizing he had a good point.
Was he training his Pokémon the wrong way all this time?
"I know my methods may seem extreme, but my Pokémon and I want to win the Pokémon League and in order to do that we'll push ourselves as much as it takes to make our dream come true." AJ said.
There it is again. Another similarity.
As the bell rang, AJ turned to his Pokemon.
"Time's up, back to training!" AJ said as all of them sprang back into action almost instantly. "Hey wait, where's Sandshrew?"
Looking around Misty spotted one rolled up. "There it is. Or is that Ash's?" Misty asks.
"Quake?" Ash asks, walking up to it.
Examining it, AJ saw the Strength Intensifier clipped onto it.
"Hold still." Unclipping it, Quake was able to move freely again.
"Sand." Quake sighs in relief.
"You OK, buddy?" Ash asks as Quake squeaked with a nod of conformation.
"Quake, have you seen my Sandshrew?" A.J. asks as Quake shakes his head, making A.J. frown. "You haven't?" He then called out to him, "Sandshrew! Where are you?!"
"It couldn't have gotten far, maybe it's just taking a nap somewhere or something." Ash said.
"Sandshrew doesn't sleep on the job." AJ said before cracking his whip. "Everyone fall in!"
Almost immediately all his Pokémon gathered around.
"Look for Sandshrew!" AJ orders.
All nodding, all of the Pokémon ran out of the tent.
"They sure respect him," Misty commented.
"Even after all that harsh training. That's quite a bond they all share." Brock nods.
Ash stayed silent as he looked at A.J. 's face. Concerning what has happened to his partner made Ash see a new light in the older boy. Eye sharpening, Ash made up his mind. "Quake. I want you to sniff for any trace of Sandshrew." He ordered.
"Sandshrew." Bending down, Quake sniffed around for any clues.
"What are you doing?" A.J. turned.
"What does it look like? I'm helping you find Sandshrew." Ash answers.
"Really? After all that's happened today, I thought you'd hated me just because of the way you question my Pokémon training." A.J. said.
Ash shook his head. "Well yeah it's true, it sure shocked me with your way of training...but despite all of that, you really do care for your Pokémon and they all have as much respect for you too." He explained. "I was completely wrong about you. You're a real good guy and I know now Sandshrew would never leave you."
Hearing this, A.J smiles. "Thanks Ash. I bet that must have been a little difficult for you but I'm glad you said it."
Nodding now on good terms with A.J., Ash promised to help him find Sandshrew and fast.
Meanwhile just outside the tent Team Rocket had stopped for a breather as James was carrying a large back holding Sandshrew.
"I'm tired. Jessie, it's your turn to carry." James said.
"But a real gentleman always carries the bag." Jessie retorted with a harmless gesture.
James narrowed his eyes at this. "Is that so! Well as you know. I'm no gentleman, I'm a villain!" He shouted holding the moving bag and handing it to Jessie.
They fought for a second and the bag opened; out came a flying Sandshrew.
It fell downwards and onto Meowth. "Me-owth!" He shouted after being smashed by Sandshrew. Meowth then bit down onto Sandshrew's tail, unconsciously. Sandshrew squealed in pain and dug a hole in the ground frantically.
Back in the tent everyone was searching for Sandshrew.
"Maybe he went outside." Misty suggests.
"We'll check the arena next." AJ said when Sandshrew burst out of the ground and landed in front of him.
"Sandshrew!" A.J. looked on with happiness as he walked over and pulled Sandshrew out. He hugged him and his swarm of Pokémon came over to greet Sandshrew.
Ash and the gang smiled on the sidelines. "You were right Ash, they all do care about A.J," Brock said.
Ash smiled gently seeing AJ being licked by Sandshrew, "That's a sign of true friendship." Ash said, closing his eyes with a smile. "I knew he wouldn't run away."
"So that means he was taken, if so by who?" Misty asks as suddenly Quake squeaked, getting their attention. Looking over they saw an unconscious Meowth, sprawled on the ground.
"I might have an idea." Ash glares.
Groaning, Meowth slowly opened his eyes to see he was surrounded.
"Whaa?! What am I doing here?!" Meowth said, crawling back in fear.
"Good question. What ARE you doing here?" Ash asks as the glare on his face, thanks to his scarred eye, made Meowth even more nervous.
"He's here to cause some trouble!" A familiar voice calls out.
"Which is why we got here on the double!"
Looking to the entrance, we see Jessie and James at the front of the tent. "Team Rocket.." Ash snarled.
"Use the old motto!" Meowth said, running up to them.
"To protect the world from devastation.."
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love.."
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!"
Then to their surprise, the Rockets began to cry to themselves with a look of happiness. "That felt great, we don't need a theme song." Jessie weeped as James agreed.
"It's a classic." He sniffed.
Ash sweatdropped at this and questioned.'Do I even want to know? Nah. I don't think so.'Ash shook those thoughts away and went back to glaring at the Rocket members.
"You guys again?" Brock glares.
"What? You got tired of trying to steal from us?" Misty glares.
"Don't flatter yourself. We steal from everyone." Jessie brags.
"So these are the creeps who kidnapped my Sandshrew?!" AJ yelled, looking really pissed off at the sight of these clowns.
Jessie smirked and waved her finger in smugness, "Mmm. He seemed like the best Pokémon but we think now that it's just a second rate Pokémon."
AJ narrowed his eyes at that, "What?! Second rate!?" He glared at the Rocket members who laughed.
"The only Pokémon we want are really strong types like the twerps." Ash in response, narrowed his eyes as then. James smirked and retorted, "You can keep all those other wimps behind you." James stated closing his eyes in a pretty boy demeanor.
"Wimps are they?!" A.J. growled.
"That's it. You guys are going down." Ash said having enough and was about to move in when AJ stopped him.
"They're mine. No one insults or steals my Pokemon and gets away with it. Let's step outside." AJ said.
From the tone of his voice, Ash could tell that A.J. planned to bring on the pain.
Everyone was outside waiting for the match to get underway.
Team Rocket on one side, while A.J. and Sandshrew on the other. A.J. whipped the ground in anger, "Team Rocket has insulted our gym! It's time we show them what happens when you mess with the Beast Tamer!"
"You really think you can beat the both of us by yourself?" Jessie asks.
"Yes I do, because I'll finally win one-hundred battles!" A.J. declares.
"Kick their sorry butts, A.J! Make them wish they've never met you!!" Ash yelled, throwing a fist pump.
A.J turns with a grin and a nod. "Consider it done."
"Your small talk will cost you big time! Ekans go!" Jessie yelled holding her Pokéball and releasing the rattlesnake.
"Your turn! Koffing!" James shouted, releasing his gas Pokémon.
"Sandshrew, Rollout!" A.J. orders as Sandshrew rolls into a ball and spins towards them.
"Ekans, Wrap!" Wrapping its body around Sandshrew, Ekans attempts to trap it but Sandshrew escapes by tying it in a knot.
Sandshrew struck it in the face with its foot, knocking it to the floor.
"Shrew." Quake said, amazed.
"It looks even stronger than from our battle." Ash said impressed as Misty and Brock agreed.
"Koffing, Sludge attack!" The Gas Pokémon released a ball of slime. Then Sandshrew curled up into a ball, and the sludge rebounded off without a trace.
"Sandshrew, Gyro Ball!" A.J shouts.
Spinning in a different direction, Sandshrew flew in like a frisbee and rams into Koffing.
"Meowth, don't just stand there. Get in there!" James orders.
Meowth hopped on the arena and hissed. It giddily chased the rodent ball around for a while.
"Quit pussyfooting around and fight!" Jessie snapped in annoyance.
"Just biting my time." Meowth jokes before biting down on Sandshrew and immediately breaking his teeth. "Aaaah! The moment of tooth!"
A.J. whipped the ground and narrowed his eyes, "Finish it Sandshrew! Hit Em with Fissure!!"
Sandshrew jumped into the air as sparkling energy surged through him and spiraled down to the ground.
"Go Sandshrew! Drill it into the ground until it splits!" A.J. shouted and punched the air in response. Sandshrew hit the ground and all was silent.
Suddenly giant cracks formed in the ground as the attack split the entire arena making it break under Team Rocket and all their Pokemon. Ash and the gang jumped out of the way when the crack formed almost took them out too.
Meowth came crawling out of the huge crack and groaned, "That's it! I forfeit the match!" The cat Pokémon shrieked and took off. Koffing and Ekans said their agreements too and followed Meowth soon after.
"Come back here!" Jessie yelled running after their Pokémon.
"Meowth! Where are you going?!" James shouted trying to keep up with them.
"To write us a theme song!" Meowth shouted.
"Not that again! Ugh!" Jessie and James groaned annoyed as they ran in the distance. The others didn't know what they were talking about, and honestly they didn't care, but what they DID care though..
"We did it, Sandshrew! We finally reached our hundredth win!" A.J. cheered as Sandshrew gave a happy squeak.
The scoreboard now showed:
Wins- 100
Ties-0
Losses-0
"Today all our sacrifices and hard work have finally paid off! Now we can start winning our badges!" A.J. cried and kneeled down to hug his Sandshrew in happiness.
"Sand?" Quake asks, wondering if he can ever get that strong.
As Ash looked at AJ and his Sandshrew he realized the reason they had gotten so strong was because they had pushed themselves past their limits.
He nodded with a smile, "We sure will buddy. One day." He said promising to his own ground type.
With everything said and done Ash, Ash and crew were in front of A.J's fenced gates.
He had his travel pack and trusty Sandshrew beside him. He smiled and looked towards his own gym, "When I return here, I'm gonna be the number one Pokémon master."
"Then why don't you come along with us?" Ash asked, offering a spot in the group.
"Thanks, but me and Sandshrew have our own road to follow," A.J. politely declined.
Ash nodded in acknowledgement. "Then here's hoping both of us earn our badges and meet again at the Pokémon League."
"I look forward to that rematch, Ash. And here I got something for you." Reaching into his bag AJ pulls out a Strength Intensifier.
"A Strength Intensifier? For me?" Ash gasped.
"In case you and your Pokémon are ready for the hardcore stuff." AJ said.
Taking it, Ash smiled. "Thanks A.J. I'll be sure to use this when we're better than now."
"You better. I want some competition when we reach the Pokémon League." A.J. smirks.
"Right back at ya." Ash said as they shook hands.
Quake and Sandshrew also shook paws in respect, hoping to face off with each other again.
"So long." A.J. said as he and Sandshrew departed on the opposite path.
"He's tough, but pretty cool." Misty said with a smile.
"Yeah. Looks like to me you've found another rival." Brock said to Ash.
"You're going to have to step it up if you want to beat him." Misty adds.
"I'll be ready." Ash nods.
After seeing A.J'.s intense training style and determination, Ash can now use this knowledge to hopefully surpass his own limits.
Party Data:
Ash: Spearow (Talon), Magikarp (Mystic), Meowth (Bastet), Ekans (Naga), Beedrill (Videl), Sandshrew(Quake)
Sent to his mother: Pidgeotto and Clefable
Misty: Staryu, Goldeen, Starmie and Seel
Brock: Geodude, Onix and Zubat
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And I hoped you guys had a great Thanksgiving.
This took awhile to finish and how should it play out in this version rather than the original episode and original chapter.
I found it stupid that A.J. only appeared once and was never seen or mentioned, except for that one cameo in the season 2 OP.
So yeah, A.J. is going to become Ash's rival this time around.
Also RIP to Kevin Conroy (Batman/Bruce Wayne) and Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver/the original Green and White Rangers)