"Hello over there." A loud voice called out, as they were returning to the Pokemon Center from the Festival. The group turned around to see a very large man wearing a coat and blue wrestling pants waving at them, there was a mask on his face too. He seemed familiar but I couldn't put his finger on it.
"You must be the gym leader of Pastoria city. Crasher Wake right?" Ash asked.
"The very same." Wake answered.
"I'm sorry, have we met before?" Ash asked.
"I suppose you wouldn't remember me, you were under a year old last time I saw you." Wake responded sadly before perking up. He reached into one of his coat pockets and took out a photo he handed Ash.
I recall this photo, and by the look of it so did Ash. I had seen it back home in Delia's room. In the picture was Delia holding Ash as a baby, next to her there was a man that was a fair bit smaller than the man in front of us but still large. However, they had the same eyes.
Wake looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Your father was my brother." Wake said.
"Wait… What? Your Uncle Wake?" Ash asked.
Wake then led Ash, Riley, Lucario, Dawn, Piplup, and me to his Gym. Next to it, there was a decently sized house nearby. Wake led us all in. "Make yourselves at home." Wake said as everyone set their stuff down and took a seat.
"So, how is Delia?" Wake asked.
"She is doing great," Ash answered. I could see that he was at a loss for words, yet there were still so many questions.
"Hey Wake, is there any place we can go to get supplies?" Riley suddenly asked.
"Yes, there is a mart nearby." Wake replied.
"In that case, Dawn and I will go there while you catch up," Riley said, as he grabbed his and Dawn's things.
"Wait for wha…" Dawn stopped by Riley's look. One that clearly was saying: "I think they need some time alone." Ash and I picked up on that too and looked at them thankfully. "Oh… OH! Right, I need to pick up a few things myself." Dawn said.
"So, I know there is a lot to talk about. Let me start by apologizing for not being able to contact you. Every time I called Delia you were busy with something. even as a kid. And I couldn't contact you much because I am both a wrestler and a Gym Leader." Wake began.
"I understand. You tried your best to be there when you could." Ash responded.
"Thanks that means a lot to me to hear from you." Wake smiled. "Now I know you must have lots of questions."
"Yes. Like what were my paternal grandparents like? I asked my mom but she said she never met them." Ash asked surprising Wake.
"Uh… Well… That is not something I like discussing, but you should know." Wake started. I frowned not liking how nervous he was getting.
"Oh, are they not around anymore?" Ash asked
"Truth is I don't know. Your father and I cut them out of our lives for being… what's the word… Toxic people." Wake answered.
"Toxic? How?" Ash asked.
"Your father and I were raised in Sinnoh or more specifically in Sanjem town. The whole thing about me being from overseas is just for show. Anyway, when your father was old enough he started a pokemon journey in Kanto because he wanted to learn from Professor Oak first. It was then he met your mother. One thing lead to another and after he became a ranger your mother ended up pregnant with you very young. Instead of helping and supporting him, our parents disowned him as he was an embarrassment for getting pregnant so young. This was not long after I got disowned for coming out as gay to them." Wake explained.
"My grandparents were those kinds of people?" Ash mused, I nuzzled our cheeks together knowing that Ash was taking this hard. But it did not matter, we now had a big family. "Thank you for telling me that last part," Ash added.
"You mean that I am gay?" Wake replied.
"Yeah that. It is comforting, as I feel the same way." Ash responded, I smiled encouragingly at my trainer.
"Really? Small world huh." Wake commented. "I made sure people were aware of the fact once I put on my mask for the first time. I knew that I had to be an example for others, that being yourself is ok." He smiled at Ash. "You, my dear nephew, would be quite the catch with anyone, regardless of gender. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you have regarding this." Wake offered.
"I currently have 2 questions. What is your type?" Ash asked.
"I tend to gravitate towards large men like myself." Wake responded blushing a little.
"I see. And are you dating or anything like that?" Ash asked.
"No, but I do have other gay or bisexual friends that I like to hang out with within this region other regions. You probably know them as a couple are Gym Leaders. Lt. Surge for example is bisexual." Wake explained.
"I would never guess that about the Lieutenant," Ash said.
"But those are stories for another day." Wake said.
"Why didn't you try to contact me when I entered the region?" Ash asked.
"By the time I knew you were in the region was just before you apprehended hunter J. I was going to contact you but then your popularity blew up. I was worried you wouldn't believe me if I called. I didn't want this information to blow up either, it would not be good for you or me if people found out you are my nephew." Wake answered.
"That makes sense," Ash responded.
They talked a bit more about each other and Ash's Journey until Dawn and Riley came back. Then we all went back to the Pokemon Center. We were extra careful as Paul was already asleep. I laid on my trainer's chest and gave him all the comfort I could. Even after telling Wake that he was ok with it, I knew it still hurt that the Gym Leader didn't try harder to get in touch. I knew Ash was thinking how his journey would have been different if he had had the guidance of a Gym Leader early on. No matter, how good Misty and Brock are right now, back then they were not that much better than him, By the time morning came, we were the last ones to wake up. The emotional stress is too much. It left us quite tired. We told Paul about what happened last night, but he simply scoffed and said: "Of course, he is related to a Gym Leader."
When we got to the gym it was packed as usual. Wake is a popular figure, as a famous pro wrestler, so his gym battles are usually full, but this was on a whole other level. I could see that from Wake's expression. A gym assistant had to set down a bench for Dawn, Paul, Lucario, and Riley behind Ash because people were arguing over seats and sitting on each other. Officer Jenny had to come and bring the order.
"I am so sorry about this, this never happens." Wake apologized embarrassed about this.
"It's fine. It happens all the time around me." Ash responded also embarrassed.
I fell off of Ash's shoulder laughing at the exchange.
Paul sighed annoyed. "What has my life become at this point? They aren't even my fans and I am overwhelmed."
"Welcome to our lives." Dawn and Riley replied at the same time, already used to this, causing Paul to scream in annoyance. This in turn made me laugh harder. His cool facade was slowly fading, the more time he spends with Ash. Welcome to madness Paul!
Once things finally settled down, half an hour later, the ref began the formalities: "The gym battle between Ash, the challenger, and Crasher Wake, the Gym Leader, will begin. Four pokemon each and the battle will be over when either side is out of usable pokemon. Furthermore, it was agreed that no substitutions would be made during battle and whoever won the battle will be switched out and would be used again later once the winners of each battle are decided. On top of that, both gym leader and challenger choose their pokemon at the same time."
"I hope you are ready Ash? Because I am!" Wake called out.
Ash smiled back. "You bet I am Crasher!" Ash called back, with me cheering alongside them. Before the gym battle, it was agreed that they would keep the fact they were related a secret. Ash does not need any more publicity than he already has.
"Let's go!" Wake and Ash both threw a Poke Ball at the same time.
From Wake's ball, Gyarados emerged, and from Ash's cam his Squirtle.
"That tiny thing is going against that?" Paul asked shocked.
Dawn said one word. "Bulbasaur." That shut him up.
Hell yeah! Squirtle Rocks! I thought before shouting: "You better win this for us turtle!"
"What your mouth you Rat!" He called back.
"What did you say?! I am a mouse Arceusdamit!" I yelled at him.
"Battle begin!" The ref called out, both pokemon rapidly submerged themselves in the water.
"Waterfall." "Skull bash" Gyarados and Squirtle swam towards each other and head-butted each other using the respective moves.
"Squirtle use Dragon Pulse," Ash called out with a wicked smirk.
"Oh yeah!" I called out with giddiness.
"Wait what?" Wake said in shock
Squirtle launched a beam of dragon energy from close range sending Gyarados back.
"Of course, his Squirtle has Dragon Pulse. Because why not?" Paul groaned, making me smile. I love messing up with Paul. He is so alike Gary, but with a key fact difference. Gary has known Ash since childhood and has gotten used to Ash's brand of madness. Paul is fresh meat... just wait, we've only just begun.
"Start swimming around Squirtle and use Whirlpool" Gyarados began to swim in circles around Squirtle. A whirlpool formed around Squirtle.
"Squirtle hang in there!" Ash called out as the Squirtle continued spinning around.
"Dark Pulse." At Wake's command, Gyarados launched the Dark-type move that merged with the whirlpool causing Squirtle to be barraged from all sides by the Dark Pulse.
"Rapid Spin," Ash called out and Squirtle tucked into his shell, eventually he began spinning in the opposite direction of the whirlpool canceling it and freeing Squirtle. Alright! "Keep using Rapid Spin but add Bubble Beam to the combo." Squirtle started releasing bubbles from within his shell, obscuring Gyarados's view.
"That isn't going to work. Power Whip," Gyarados's tail glowed green as he swung his tail through the bubbles, only to see that Squirtle had disappeared. "Where did… Gyarados above you!" Gyarados looked up to see Squirtle had launched himself above him.
"Rockslide!" Squirtle summoned boulders and launched them at Gyarados. Gyarados couldn't dodge them in time and took the attack head-on. A few moments later Squirtle resurfaced and Gyarados floated up unconscious.
"Gyarados is unable to battle. Squirtle wins." The crowd cheered.
"Gyarados return. You were amazing." Wake said as he recalled his water type. "That is one tough tiny turtle. But considering who he belongs to, I shouldn't be surprised. Even so, I think I underestimated him," Wake commented.
"Thanks, Uuh Wake." Ash almost said, uncle. Thankfully no one picked up on it in the crowd. "They always do." That's true. Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and I are always underestimated. Tough luck for everyone else. I chuckled internally. We are tough little guys. "I will need you later Squirtle," Ash recalled my friend.
"Ready for our next battle?" Wake asked as both prepared the next pokemon.
"Let's make this two for two." Ash nodded and they both threw their ball at the same time.
Out of Wake's came to Ludicolo and out of Ash's came Crawdaunt. The battle was a tough one. Crawdaunt got in a few good moves and a super-effective X-Scissor but eventually lost to Ludicolo's grass-type moves. The next battle was a surprise, but it did not end any better for our team. Wake decided to use Floatzle in the third round, against Ash's Kingler. Kingler got in a couple of hits before being defeated by Floatzle raw power and wrestling moves. Who would have thought Wake would have taught his pokemon how to wrestle. Luckily, we were able to turn the tables around, during the fourth battle. As Buizle managed to beat Quagsire without getting hit once by using his speed.
As always speed is in the essence! I cheered in my head. Nothing is better than to hit hard and dodge fast.
"This is starting to get to the wire." Wake commented as they both recalled their pokemon.
"I will be honest, it is refreshing to have a battle where I can cut loose. Those seem to be getting rarer and rarer." Ash admitted, and I agreed with him. I was pouting slightly, as I was missing such a good battle. Then again, I did recently fight a Legendary so I should not whine about it.
"I am honored that you say that. I am all about keeping the battles I have fun, No matter if I win or lose." Wake said as they both drew their next pokemon.
"Squirtle/ Ludicolo!" Both trainers called their pokemon. On Ash's side, there is Squirtle who still looked a little tired from the fight against Gyarados, and Ludicolo who managed to defeat Crawdaunt.
"Battle Begin!" The ref called.
"Brick Break!" Wake ordered Ludicolo.
"Meet it with Aqua Tail." Squirtle tail started shooting out water as he met Ludicolo in the middle, neutralizing each other's attack.
"Headbutt!" This time the two locked heads before distancing themselves.
"Squirtle Rapid Spin," Ash ordered, as my friend tucked into his shell and started spinning towards Ludicolo. Squirtle managed to hit Ludicolo in the face before spinning away.
"Don't let him get away. Seed Bomb!" Ludicolo's super-effective move hit Squirtle, causing him to be pushed back.
"Squirtle," Ash yelled in concern. I winced, that must have hurt like a bitch. Sill, Squirtle managed to get back up... but it was clear that he could not take another attack.
"Skull Bash." Squirtle's body glowed as he charged at Ludicolo.
"Use Zen Headbutt!" Wake called out, making both pokemon lock into another battle of wills.
The explosion from the energy being released by both pokemon took us all by surprise. Who had won?! "The battle is a draw! Both pokemon are unable to continue fighting!" The referee called out once the smoke cleared out and both fainted pokemon were found floating on the water. The crowd cheered as the trainers recalled their pokemon. This has come to the wire. This fight will be the one that decides who is the winner once and for all. The next and final battle was Buizle against Floatzle.
"Floatzle, on the water!" Wake called for his ace. Buizle tensed as he can feel how strong Floatzle is.
"I know you don't need me saying this, but be on your guard," Ash said as Buizle nodded.
"Water Gun/Hydro Pump." Both pokemon let out a stream of water, though Floatzle easily overpowered Buizle and sent him back.
"You ok Buizle?" Ash asked as Buizle got up again.
"Aqua Jet." Both Buizle and Floatzle charged at each other with the water type move. Floatzle easily pushed back Buizle causing him to land hard on the ground. The cycle continued. Every time Buizle tried an attack, Floatzle always came out on top. Swift was countered by Focus Blast, Water Gun was overpowered by Hydro Pump. Just about every move Buizle had, Floatzle was able to either overpower or neutralize. This cycle lasted for a while until Buizle was knocked down.
Ash had ordered Buizel to attack Floatlze with another Aqua Jet, but unlike the previous time Wake simply waited for him and at the last minute ordered: "Use your floatation sacks." Floatzle did not waste any second and blew up his floatation sacks and Buizel landed harmlessly on the sacs surprising us all. "Grab Buizel and make sure he can't escape." Floatzle grabbed Buizel and held him in a headlock, this prevented Buizel from escaping. "Now Aqua Jet." Floatzle surrounded himself and Buizel with water as he jetted upwards. "Now Suplex!"
"What?!/What?!" Ash and I exclaimed.
Floatzle then flipped and was jetting head first to the ground with Buizel. Floatzle then repositioned Buizel over his head and landed with Buizel's head on the floor. Floatzle managed to avoid contact by canceling the move and rolling away.
"Buizle!" Ash called out. Buizle struggled to get back up again. stumbling a few times. Buizle managed to get on his feet again.
"I gotta hand it to the little guy, he is not going down easily." Wake commented. "That said, I don't know if he can keep it up." Wake commented.
Who would have thought this would be our first real loss in Sinnoh... I thought surprised.
"Buizle…" Just before Ash was about to reach for Buizle's ball, Buizle gave him a look. It was a look Ash and I understood. This was not over yet! "If that is what you want Buizle, we won't give up just yet!" Ash said. Buizle smiled to himself, thankful to Ash, for everything he has done so far, and started to glow. I smirked, we have this in the bag now! When the light died down a Floatzle stood where Buizle once stood.
"He evolved… in the middle of a battle… that happened a second time." Paul was once again astonished while clearly remembering Frogadier.
"Now Ash has a chance," Dawn added.
"Alright Floatzle, let's show them what we got," Ash said as Floatzle nodded. Ash's Floatzle shot out boiling water that landed on Wake's surprised Floatzle. Then all of a sudden Wake's Floatzle lit on fire.
"WHAT?!" Dawn and Paul exclaimed, clearly trying to process why water lit a pokemon on fire and making Riley chuckle.
"Scald is a move in which the user launches boiling water onto a target. That's why it burns." Riley explained, but I barely paid him any attention. My focus was on the battle! You can do it, Bui... Floatzle!
"Brick Break!" Ash's Floatzle charged at Wake's Floatzle with a glowing fist.
"Catch him." Wake's Floatzle inflated his sacs causing the Brick Break to fail. Wake's Floatzle caught on fire for a second again before going behind Ash's Floatzle and restraining him.
"We aren't falling for the same trick twice. Aqua Jet!" Ash's Floatzle surrounded itself with water and got out of Wake's Floatzle's grip. Ash's Floatzle circled and charged at Floatzle.
"Inflate quickly!" Wake called out and his Floatzle blocked Ash's Floatzle's Aqua Jet.
"I thought that's what you would do. Brick Break!" Wake realized what Ash meant. Floatzles sacs can defend it from the front, except for the head. Ash's Floatzle flipped around and landed the fighting-type move on Wake's Floatzle's head knocking him out.
"Crasher Wake's Floatzle is unable to battle, Ash's Floatzle wins! Which means the winner of the gym battle is Ash Ketchum, the challenger!" The referee announced, causing the crowd to go wild.
Our Floatzle couldn't hold himself up anymore and collapsed, after flashing a grin to our trainer. Ash rapidly recalled him and hugged me to his chest, wide smile shinning with pride. "We won Pikachu!"
"Did you expect anything else?!" I replied with a cheeky smirk. "Five down, three to go!"