Ch.9: Double Electric Showdown
The gang finally reached Vermillion City and there were two things on Ash's mind – reuniting with Serena and his third Gym Battle.
"So, Ash, are you excited to reunite with your girlfriend," asked Leaf.
"You bet I am," said Ash, excitedly and then looked at Greninja. "I guess you're excited to see Delphox, huh?"
"No one knows me as well as you do," said Greninja as he turned red just by thinking about Delphox, and the group continued on their way to the Pokémon Center.
Earlier that day, Ash had called Serena and agreed to meet at the Pokémon Center.
After a few more minutes, the group entered the Pokémon Center and Ash and Greninja immediately saw Serena and Delphox sitting on a table and ran at them.
"SERENA," shouted Ash, bringing her attention to him, and Serena and Delphox ran at Ash and Greninja without wasting a second.
"ASH," shouted Serena and she and Delphox hugged their respective boyfriends, but there was something wrong. The two were so excited to see Ash and Greninja that they didn't see where they were going, which caused Serena to hug Greninja and Delphox to hug Ash.
"Um, Serena," called Ash.
"Yes, Ash," asked Serena as she pulled out from the hug and opened her eyes, but instead of seeing Ash in front of her, she saw Greninja.
"Can you let go of me now," asked Greninja, feeling a little uncomfortable and Serena looked at her Pokémon, who was still hugging Ash.
"Delphox, let go of my boyfriend," said Serena as Delphox finally opened her eyes and saw Ash in her arms, who looked a little uncomfortable.
"I think Greninja is the one you want to hug," said Ash as he gestured at the water/dark–type.
"I'm sorry, Ash," said Delphox as she let go of Ash.
"That's ok," replied Ash.
"We're just so happy to see you," said Serena as she gave Ash a hug, which he returned.
"Greninja and I are happy to see you, too," said Ash.
"I knew you two loved each other, but not that much," said a voice and Ash turned around and saw Leaf, Brock and Misty approaching.
"I guess we got a little carried away," said Ash sheepishly.
"That's ok. We understand," said Brock.
"Serena, these are my friends Brock and Misty, and my practical little sister Leaf," said Ash, introducing his friends to Serena.
"It's nice to meet you all," said Serena, shaking hands with Leaf, Brock and Misty.
"It's very nice to finally meet my big brother's girlfriend," said Leaf excitedly.
"Thank you, Leaf," said Serena.
Just then, a boy with an injured Nidorino came rushing through the door and went straight to Nurse Joy.
"Nurse Joy! You've gotta help my Nidorino," said the boy in panic.
"What's wrong," asked Nurse Joy.
"We challenged the Gym Leader to a battle, but his Pokémon were pretty brutal," answered the boy.
"I told him not to do this," said Nurse Joy and turned to the boy. "Don't worry. I'll take care of your Nidorino."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," said the boy.
"Did you hear that," asked Greninja.
"You mean the state that Pokémon was? Could the gym leader really be that cruel," asked Pikachu.
"I don't know guys. But someone needs to stop him being so cruel," said Ash. "So why don't we show him just how strong we are?"
"I'm with you, Ash," said Leaf.
"Maybe you two should have your Pokémon healed up first," suggested Brock.
"I guess we forgot about that," said Ash and he and Leaf went up to Nurse Joy to heal up their Pokémon.
After healing up their Pokémon, the gang made their way to the gym.
"Leaf, do you want to go first," Ash asked his sister.
"Actually, I was wondering if you could go first. The state that Nidorino was in kinda scared me," said Leaf.
"OK, then I'll go first," said Ash.
"I'm sure you'll do great, Ash. But I've got to agree with Leaf, that Nidorino looked pretty bad," said Serena.
"I talked to that boy and he said that the Gym Leader specializes in electric–types, so a ground–type would be the best choice," said Brock.
"That means Greninja will be at a disadvantage, and Ash and Greninja won't be able to use Ash–Greninja," said Leaf.
"You know about their special form," asked Serena.
"Yeah, they used it to battle a pretty tough Dragonite a few days ago," answered Misty and Serena looked at Ash with a slight panic.
"You used Ash–Greninja to battle a Dragonite," asked Serena.
"Yeah, but we had to transform as it knew pretty strong moves, like Focus Punch and Dragon Rush," said Ash, trying to defend himself.
"For the record, it was almost as powerful as Diantha's Gardevior," said Greninja, but only Ash, Pikachu and Delphox understood him.
"You know, you're gonna give me a heart attack one day with those reckless thing you do from time to time," said Serena.
"Serena, there's no need to worry. If Greninja and I can almost beat Diantha's Mega–Gardevior, then we can handle a Dragonite as well," said Ash, reassuring his girlfriend and put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, Greninja and I use it in extremely tough situations. Don't worry about us, okay?"
"Ash, you're my boyfriend so I have any right to worry about you. I really care about you," said Serena softly. "I love you."
"And I love you, too," said Ash as he then kissed Serena on the cheek, and then Brock ran up to them and looked Ash straight in the eyes.
"Ash, you've got to tell me your secret," said Brock.
"Secret about what," asked Ash, confused.
"How did you get yourself a girlfriend? What do I need to do to–," started Brock, but stopped as he felt pain in the back. "– not… feel pain?" And then Brock fell on his face on the ground.
Ash looked at the attacker, revealing to be Greninja, who appeared to have hit Brock with Aerial Ace.
"He really needs to calm down," said Greninja.
"Is Brock always like this," asked Serena, gesturing at Brock.
"Yeah. Brock has pretty much flirted with every girl we saw since he started to travel with us," said Leaf as they continued on their way to the gym with Greninja pulling Brock behind him.
"I guess this is the gym," said Misty as they arrived at tall building which had two lightning bolts on the two sides of the door and a sign that said 'GYM'.
"The sign says it is," said Brock.
"Well, let's get inside," said Ash as he opened the door and went inside the gym, followed by Greninja, Serena, Leaf, Brock and Misty.
When they went inside, they saw a muscular man with blonde hair. He was wearing a dark green sweatshirt and black pants. He was standing under a spotlight in the dark room.
"Hello, challengers and welcome to the Vermilion Gym. My name is Surge and which one will be crushed first," asked the man, now known as Surge, and the lights in the Gym were turned on.
"My name's Ash and I challenge you to a Gym Battle," said Ash and Surge started to laugh.
"Don't make me laugh, kid. I don't take challenges from babies," laughed Surge.
"Babies!? We're not babies," argued Leaf.
"Then why do I see a Pikachu on your shoulder," Surge asked Ash.
"He doesn't like going inside his PokéBall and I don't mind him being on my shoulder," answered Ash.
"Very well said," said Surge and looked at the rest of group. "Does anyone else want to challenge me?"
"I do," said Leaf and Surge nodded.
"Okay, you know what, how about we make it more interesting. I'll battle both of you at the same time. The two of you will use one Pokémon each while I'll use two of mine. How does that sound," asked Surge.
"Both of us at the same time," repeated Ash and turned to Leaf. "What do you say, Leaf? Let's show him just how strong our Pokémon are!"
"Let's do it," nodded Leaf with a smile.
"Excellent! Get ready, 'cause I won't go down that easy," said Surge.
"Neither will we," said Ash. "Pikachu, I choose you!"
"Ivysaur, I choose you," said Leaf.
"These are some interesting choices. But here is my strongest Pokémon. Raichu, let's go," said Surge as he brought out his electric–type.
"So that's a Raichu," said Leaf and she brought out her PokéDex to scan it.
Raichu, 'the Mouse Pokémon', and the evolved form of Pikachu. When its electricity builds, its muscles are stimulated, and it becomes more aggressive than usual. Type(s): Electric. Gender: Male.
"Sounds tough," muttered Leaf.
"Don't worry. We'll manage to beat him," Ash assured her.
"My next Pokémon may not be the toughest as I caught it a few weeks ago, but I'll still it. Galvantula, let's go," said Surge as he brought out the Unova electric/bug–type out.
"He has a Galvantula," asked Ash shocked and scanned it with his PokéDex.
Galvantula, 'the EleSpider Pokémon' and the evolved form of Joltik. They employ an electrically charged web to trap their prey. While it is immobilized by shock, they leisurely consume it. Type(s): Electric/Bug. Gender: Male.
"Okay, he took us completely off guard," said Leaf.
"Before we begin, I'd like to ask your friends to go sit on the bench," said Surge and the others went to sit after Serena gave Ash a kiss on the lips for good luck.
"Let's begin, shall we," asked Surge.
"Of course," said Ash.
"Ivysaur, use Venoshock on Galvantula," said Leaf.
"Pikachu, use Focus Punch on Raichu," said Ash.
"Dodge them," said Surge. Galvantula and Raichu got out of the way, avoiding Venoshock and Focus Punch, respectively. Unfortunately, Galvantula landed near Misty, causing her to freak out.
"GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU NASTY BUG," screamed Misty and without even realizing it, she made a one huge mistake. "Starmie, use Water Pulse on that bug!"
Starmie fired its Water Pulse, which struck Galvantula, much to everyone's shock.
"Hey, what's the meaning of this," asked Surge in anger and turned to Ash and Leaf. "I'm sorry, but outside interference counts as a disqualification, which means that the victory goes to me! Better luck next time."
He returned his Pokémon to their respective PokéBalls and walked away. Ash, Leaf, Serena, Brock and the Pokémon glared at Misty, who just sighed in relief.
"That should teach that bug a lesson," said Misty and looked confused at the glares everyone was giving her. "What?"
Ash sighed and signaled for Pikachu to get on his shoulder while Leaf returned Ivysaur to his PokéBall, and the three of them exited the Gym, followed quickly by Serena, leaving only Brock and Misty in the Gym.
"What did I do," asked Misty, still oblivious of what she had done.
"You know, Misty. During my time at the Pewter Gym, I've met all kinds of trainers and all of them were pretty tough. And until now, I've never met a human made me feel what I feel right now. And that's disappointment," said Brock as he stood up and walked out of the Gym.
"Hey, what does that mean," asked Misty as she followed Brock.
Brock and Misty arrived at the Pokémon Center and saw Ash, Serena and Leaf sitting on a nearby table.
"I still don't know what I did. Why are you guys acting this way when I chased that Galvantula away," asked Misty as Brock sat next to Leaf as Ash and Serena were sitting next to each other. The question caused Ash to look at Misty with narrowed eyes.
"Do you know what you did," asked Ash and Misty shook her head. "You caused us our Gym Battle! Leaf and I would've won if you hadn't interfered!"
"Don't blame me. It's Galvantula's fault for coming near me," said Misty, trying to defend herself.
Ash's body glowed blue and he knew that he was about to lose control over his aura at what Misty said and quickly tried to calm down, in which he succeeded.
"I need to calm down. I'm going for a walk," said Ash as he stood up and looked at Pikachu. "Pikachu, you stay here with Greninja and Serena. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Ash, can I come with you," asked Leaf and Ash nodded, and they left the Pokémon Center.
"You think they'll be okay," Serena asked Brock.
"Yeah, they just need some time alone," answered Brock.
"I can't believe it! From all the things she has done, this is the worst," yelled Leaf.
"Tell me about it. I just want to pay her bike back so she could leave us alone," sighed Ash.
"Yeah, but we don't have enough money. The only other possible way to get her a bike is if we get a bike coupon, but I don't know where to find one," said Leaf and Ash got an idea, and smiled.
"I think I know where we can get one. Follow me," said Ash as he ran down the road with Leaf following him.
"Where could have they gone," Serena asked worried for her boyfriend and Leaf.
"I'm sure they're fine," said Brock.
"Yeah, they can take care of themselves," added Misty, but received glares from Serena and Brock, which confused her.
A few seconds later, the door of the Pokémon Center opened and Ash and Leaf entered, with Ash holding something in his hands, and joined the group.
"Ash, you're back," exclaimed Serena as she stood up and gave Ash a tight hug, which he returned, while Leaf looked at Misty with narrowed eyes.
"Misty, we need to talk," said Leaf.
"Okay, about what," asked Misty.
"Outside," said Ash as he separated from the hug with Serena, and he and Leaf dragged Misty outside, followed by Serena, Greninja, Delphox, Pikachu and Brock.
"Can you let go of me now? You guys have some strong grips and I need blood to flow through my arms," said Misty.
"Misty, there's something important we need to tell you," said Ash in a serious tone as he and Leaf let go of her arms.
"Which is," asked Misty.
"I hate to say it, but I'm afraid you can't travel with us anymore," said Leaf.
"What!? Why," asked Misty, shocked.
"Let's see, you cost us our gym battle, you follow us for some stupid bike, you freak out every time you see a bug–type, you screamed every time we got lost from Cerulean City to here," said Ash.
"That is true," Brock whispered to Serena.
"Me, Yanmega, Butterfree and Leaf's Beedrill tried helping you get over your fear, but you refuse to listen to what I say," said Ash.
"Then tell those bugs to stay away from me," replied Misty.
"Okay, we get it! You hate bug–types, but that doesn't give you the right to scream every ten minutes. Who knows how many times we'll get lost in a forest or a cave and we don't need you damaging our hearing," said Leaf harshly.
"You do realize you still need to pay me for my bike that you fried," asked Misty.
"Next time don't go fishing near a Gyarados nest," said Ash. "Seriously, it's like you value your bike more than your life."
"My brother's right. And speaking of paying up your bike, we have the solution," said Leaf.
"What are you talking about," asked Misty.
"We want to give you this," said Ash as he gave Misty a bike coupon.
"Is that a bike coupon? Where'd you get it," asked Misty.
"Remember that I wasn't watching your gym battles as I had something important to do," asked Brock.
"Yeah, so," asked Misty.
"The thing is, I looked for a bike shop in Cerulean City and found one. The bikes were pretty expensive, but the seller told me that if you give him a bike coupon, he'll give you a bike for free and he told me where I can find one, so I told Ash and Leaf what I learnt," explained Brock.
"I don't believe it," muttered Misty.
"Misty, you're a nice girl, but if keep up with that behavior, I'm afraid this is where we go our separate ways," said Ash.
"Yeah, nice try, guys, but you're not gonna get rid of me that easily," said Misty with a smirk.
"Oh, dear Arceus! What else do you want," asked Leaf, frustrated.
"Him," said Misty as she pointed at Greninja.
"There's no way I'm giving you Greninja," exclaimed Ash angrily.
"And why not? He's pretty tough. I bet he and I can activate that special form of his. He'll be a very good addition to my team," said Misty.
"Give me a one good reason why I shouldn't cut you to pieces," asked Greninja angrily as he formed two dark blades in his hands.
"Greninja, why don't we show her just how powerful you are," suggested Ash as he looked at Misty. "Let's have a battle. I'll use only Greninja and you can use all of your water–types. If we win, you leave us alone and go back to Cerulean City."
"Okay, but if I win, I'll still leave, but with Greninja," said Misty.
"Ash, don't do it," said Serena, fearfully.
"Don't worry, Serena, We'll show Misty exactly why Greninja is the best water–type," said Ash and Greninja nodded.
Delphox went up to her boyfriend and gave Greninja and kiss for good luck.
"We're ready when you are," said Ash as Greninja took a battle stance.
"Then get ready to lose," said Misty.
"I'll be the referee," said Brock.
"You can do it, Ash," cheered Serena.
"Show her just how strong you and Greninja are," shouted Leaf.
"This will be a Pokémon battle between water–types," said Brock. "Misty will use all her water–types while Ash will use only Greninja. The battle will be over when either Greninja or Misty's water–types are defeated. Now, let the battle begin!"
"Starmie, come on out," said Misty as she brought out her water/psychic–type.
"This'll be easy," said Greninja, confidently.
"Starmie, use Rapid Spin," said Misty.
"Greninja, counter it with Aerial Ace and then use Night Slash," said Ash.
Starmie started spinning at Greninja only for the water/dark–type to overpower it with Aerial Ace and then striking with a super–effective Night Slash to knock it out.
"Starmie is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner," announced Brock.
"Yes! And Greninja didn't even take damage," said Leaf happily.
"One down, four to go," said Greninja calmly.
"If this keeps up, the battle will be over in no time," said Serena.
"Starmie, return. Goldeen, let's go," said Misty, bringing out her second Pokémon.
"Piece of cake," said Ash.
"We'll see about that. Goldeen, use Horn Attack," said Misty.
"Greninja, dodge it with Double Team and then use Ice Beam, followed by Water Shuriken," said Ash.
Goldeen charged at Greninja with Horn Attack, but the 'Ninja Pokémon' avoided it with Double Team, froze Goldeen with Ice Beam, and knocked it out with Water Shuriken.
"Goldeen is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner," announced Brock.
"Sereiously? She wants to be the best water–type trainer," said Greninja, pretending to be shocked.
"Another easy win," cheered Leaf.
"Go get them, dear," cheered Delphox.
"Goldeen, return. Staryu, let's go," said Misty, bringing out her third water–type.
"OK, why does she think Staryu has a chance of winning," asked Greninja, confused.
"I have no idea, but let's keep it up. Greninja, use Ice Beam and then Night Slash," said Ash.
"Staryu, get out of the way," shouted Misty, but it was too late as Greninja froze Staryu with Ice Beam and knocked it out with Night Slash.
"Staryu is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner, just like before," sighed Brock. "You know, I was expecting a more interesting battle."
"Yeah, so far Greninja's been dominating," said Leaf.
"That's because Greninja is Ash's strongest Pokémon," stated Serena.
"Stronger than those dragons if his," asked Brock, which earned a nod from Serena.
"Staryu, return. Horsea, let's go," said Misty, frustrated.
"She looks angry," said Greninja with a slight chuckle.
"Horsea, use Dragon Breath," said Misty.
"Greninja, dodge it and use Night Slash," said Ash.
Horsea fired its Dragon Breath, but Greninja dodged the attack and once again knocks out his opponent with a single attack.
"Horsea is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner," announced Brock.
"Just one more win," said Serena happily.
"Yeah, and if Greninja can beat a Dragonite, than they surely can beat a Mega–Gyarados," said Leaf.
"Horsea, return," said Misty, returning her fourth defeated Pokémon, and looked at Ash and Greninja. "I wasn't expecting for Greninja to be this strong, but it all ends now. Gyarados, let's go!"
"She has a Gyarados," asked Serena, surprised.
"Yeah, but don't worry. If Ash's Lucario can beat it in a Mega–Evolution battle then I'm sure Greninja can beat it, too," said Leaf.
"Um, guys, I don't mean to interrupt your chat, but am I the only one, who notices the crowd that's watching the battle," asked Brock, bringing everyone's attention to him.
Serena and Leaf looked around and there was indeed a huge crowd watching the battle between Ash and Misty, but what they failed to notice was that Gary has also been watching from afar. There were even reporters.
"It looks like we're on TV," said Ash with a chuckle.
"Perfect! That way I'll show everyone that I'm the best water–type in the world," said Misty with a smirk.
"Are we watching the same battle, 'cause so far Greninja has beaten 4 of her Pokémon without a problem," said Leaf.
"Hmmm, it seems that she's a bit full of herself," said Brock.
"It's time to get serious. Gyarados, it's time to Mega–Evolve," said Misty as she Mega–Evolved her Gyarados.
"Greninja, let's take it to the next level," said Ash as he and Greninja mimicked their moves and were engulfed in a water veil, which exploded and a giant shuriken was formed on Greninja's back, finishing their transformation into Ash–Greninja. Everyone in the crowd, including Gary, was shocked by the transformation.
"Go, Ash–Greninja," cheered Leaf and Serena.
"You can have the first move," said Ash.
"Gladly. Gyarados, use Rain Dance," said Misty. Gyarados roared as clouds started to appear and began raining. "Now use Hydro Pump… on Delphox!"
"Greninja, block it with Night Slash," said Ash in a hurry. Gyarados fired at its Hydro Pump at Serena's Delphox, much to everyone's shock, but Greninja stepped in front of her and managed to stop the attack with Night Slash. Greninja then looked at Delphox in concern.
"Are you okay," asked the water/dark–type.
"Yeah, thanks for the safe," said Delphox and kissed Greninja on the cheek, causing him to blush.
"Anytime," said Greninja.
"Greninja, we have a battle to finish," called Ash, snapping Greninja out of his thoughts.
"Right, sorry," said Greninja, sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, and Ash turned to Misty.
"That was a dirty trick! Why would you attack Delphox," asked Ash angrily as Greninja took a battle stance.
"I'd do anything to win," answered Misty without regret.
"We won't let you harm those we care about! Greninja, use Aerial Ace," said Ash.
"Gyarados, counter with Hydro Pump," said Misty. Greninja's feet glowed white and charged with Aerial Ace, but Gyarados managed to stop him with Hydro Pump. "Now use Hurricane!"
"Greninja, don't panic. In rain, Hurricane is sure to hit, so there's no way for you dodge it. I want you to listen to my voice," instructed Ash and Greninja nodded. Gyarados summoned a huge typhoon, and struck Greninja with Hurricane, but because of their bond, Ash also felt Greninja's pain. "Greninja, we need to stop that spinning so use Ice Beam to freeze it."
Ash–Greninja opened his eyes and fired his Ice Beam, which froze the Hurricane, but ended up trapped inside the block of ice.
"That's our moment to attack. Gyarados, use Hydro Pump," ordered Misty.
"Greninja, use full power Night Slash," said Ash and much to everyone's shock, Greninja broke free from the ice with Night Slash and was now dozens of feet in the air. "Use Aerial Ace!"
Greninja shot down like a bullet and began to rapidly punch and kick Gyarados, who landed on its back after Greninja kicked it under the jaw.
"Let's finish this, Greninja. Use Double Team," said Ash and Greninja created multiple copies of himself. "And now Water Shuriken!"
Greninja grabbed the shuriken on his back and the copies were absorbed into it, making it bigger.
"We won't go down that easily! Gyarados, use Hydro Pump," ordered Misty.
"Spin the shuriken to block it," said Ash. Gyrados fired its Hydro Pump, which was blocked by Water Shuriken, and much to Misty's surprise, the shuriken began getting bigger, like it was absorbing Hydro Pump.
"Gyarodos, stop the attack," said Misty in panic. Gyarados stopped its attack, but that time, Greninja was holding the much bigger spinning Water Shuriken above his head.
"Greninja, let them have it," said Ash as he and Greninja mimicked their moves and Greninja threw the massive Water Shuriken, which struck Gyarados hard. The impact was so strong that it formed a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Gyarados reverted back to normal, knocked out.
"Gyarados is unable to battle. Greninja is the winner, which means the victory goes to Ash from Vaniville Town," announced Brock and it stopped raining.
"Way to go, Greninja! You were amazing," said Ash as he ran up to Greninja, who turned back to normal, and gave him a hug. "You proved them that you're the strongest water–type."
"Yeah, and I've got to admit, I really wanted to battle Misty's water–types," said Greninja, which made Ash chuckle.
"They did it! They really did it," cheered Leaf.
"I've never seen such a Water Shuriken," said Brock.
The happy moment didn't last long as Misty returned her Gyarados and glared at the group.
"Silence! I refuse for things to end like this," said Misty angrily. "You're gonna pay for humiliating me!"
Then, much to everyone's surprise, she brought out a small knife and threw it at Serena.
"Serena, look out," shouted Ash as he jumped in front of Serena and his body glowed blue and formed an Aura Sphere in his hands, and threw the Aura Sphere at the incoming knife, destroying it when the attack struck it.
Needless to say, Greninja and Pikachu were angry, and the 'Ninja Pokémon' fired his Ice Beam and froze Misty's legs while Pikachu fired his Thunderbolt, shocking her in place.
Ash panted as he grabbed his knees and looked at Serena in concern.
"Serena, are you okay," asked Ash.
"Yeah, thanks to you," said Serena and hugged Ash tightly.
"Ash, what was that just now," asked Leaf.
"I don't know. I guess it is part of my aura. I'll have to talk to Lucario about it," said Ash.
"Can someone tell me what is going on here," asked Officer Jenny as she approached the group.
"Well, you see, Misty challenged me to a battle, which I won. But then, she brought out a knife and threw at my girlfriend," explained Ash.
"And what was that blue glow I saw," asked Misty.
"My best guess was from my aura," answered Ash. "And Greninja and Pikachu fired their attacks to stop Misty from hurting anybody else."
"I see. Very well, I'll take it from here," said Officer Jenny as she approached Misty, who began to come into conscious and managed to sit up, only to see Officer Jenny looking down at her. "Misty Waterflower, you're under arrest for attempted murder! You have the right to remain silent!"
"What? No, I did nothing wrong," shouted Misty as she struggled against Officer Jenny's grip, but was no use, and was handcuffed.
"Let's get going," said Jenny as she led Misty towards the police car.
"Glad that's over," Leaf sighed in relief.
"That was impressive," said a familiar voice and everyone turned and saw Lt. Surge walking towards them. "I'm impressed by your Greninja's strength. I don't say this often, but I underestimated you."
"Thanks, I guess," said Ash.
"I'll allow you and Leaf challenge me again when you heal up your Greninja," said Lt. Surge.
"Thank you so much, Surge," said Ash.
"Yeah, but get ready, 'cause we won't back down," said Leaf.
"That's what I like to hear," laughed Lt. Surge before starting to walk away. "I'll be waiting for you at the Gym."
Later that day, at the gym, Ash and Leaf stood at one side of the battlefield and Lt. Surge on the other. Serena, Brock, Greninja and Delphox were sitting on the bench.
"Are you two, ready," asked Lt. Surge.
"You bet we are. Pikachu, I choose you," said Ash and Pikachu jumped on the battlefield, ready for battle.
"Ivysaur, I choose you," said Leaf as she brought out her starter Pokémon.
"So you're using the same Pokémon as before," said Surge with a chuckle before bringing out Raichu and Galvantula.
"You can do it, guys," cheered Serena.
"Show them how it's done," shouted Greninja.
"I really wanted to see you battle," said Delphox quietly.
"Don't worry, Del. Ash promised that he'll let me battle in at least on gym," said Greninja comfortingly, and Delphox smiled at the nickname.
"Let's get started," said Surge and looked at Ash and Leaf. "You two ay have the first move."
"You got it," said Ash. "Pikachu, start up with Quick Attack on Raichu!"
"Ivysaur, use Take Down on Galvantula," said Leaf.
Pikachu and Ivysaur charged at their respective targets when Surge suddenly smirked.
"Gottcha. Galvantula, use Electroweb to trap them! Raichu, you use Mega Punch," said Lt. Surge.
When they got close enough, Galvantula fired an Electroweb and trapped both Pikachu and Ivysaur, leaving them open for Raichu to hit them with Mega Punch.
"Pikachu," exclaimed Ash in worry. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," said Pikachu as he stood up.
"We can win this, Ivysaur," said Leaf. "Use Poison Powder on Raichu, and then use Leech Seed on Galvantula!"
"Watch out for those attacks," shouted Surge.
"Pikachu, don't let them escape," said Ash. "Use Thunderbolt while spinning!"
Pikachu started to spin around and launched his electric attack at Raichu and Galvantula, causing them to become distracted as they got hit by Poison Powder and Leech Seed.
"Now we've got them," said Ash and Leaf nodded. "Pikachu, use Focus Punch on Raichu!"
"Ivysaur, use Take Down on Galvantula," said Leaf.
"Galvantula, stop them with String Shot," said Lt. Surge.
Pikachu and Ivysaur once again charged at their targets, but got wrapped into Galvantula's String Shot.
"Raichu, jump and use Double Team followed by Focus Blast," said Lt. Surge.
Raichu jumped and made copies of itself, and all clones launched a Focus Blast, which struck Pikachu and Ivysaur, sending them flying backwards, dealing major damage.
"Hang in there, Pikachu," said Ash as Pikachu was barely trying to stand up.
"Come on, Ivysaur. We can win this," said Leaf as Ivysaur slowly stood up and a green aura was formed around him. "What's happening?"
"That's Overgrow. It activates when Ivysaur has taken a lot of damage and all of his grass–type attacks will be super charged," explained Ash.
"That's amazing," said Leaf, not noticing the bulb on Ivysaur's back starting to glow.
"I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid you two won't be leaving with a badge," said Surge. "Raichu, finish them with Hyper Beam!"
"Pikachu, you've got to get out of there," said Ash, worried about the electric–type.
"Ivysaur, you've got to get up," said Leaf.
"It's over," said Surge quietly and Raichu fired its Hyper Beam.
Ash and Leaf looked in panic, but Ivysaur miraculously stood up and fired a bright beam from his bulb and managed to counter the Hyper Beam, much to everyone's shock.
"What was that," asked Leaf.
"That was Solar Beam! One of the most powerful grass–type attacks," said Ash.
"I knew that Solar Beam was strong, but not this much," said Leaf.
"Don't forget Ivysaur's ability. With Overgrow activated, Solar Beam was more powerful than usual," explained Ash. "And since Raichu used Hyper Beam, it leaves it wide open for an attack, but we need to take care of Galvantula somehow."
"I have an idea," said Leaf with a smile. "Ivysaur, use Sleep Powder on Galvantula and then use Venoshock on Raichu!"
Ivysaur sprayed out his Sleep Powder over Galvantula, who didn't have time to dodge it because it was still suffering the effect from Leech Seed. The grass/poison–type then fired his Venoshock at Raichu, who got hit by the poison–type move, but because it was hit by Poison Powder, it got hit with doubled power.
"Great job, Leaf," said Ash and turned to Pikachu, who managed to get up. "Pikachu, hit Galvantula with your strongest Iron Tail!"
Pikachu charged in and hit Galvantula hard with Iron Tail, lowering its defense.
"Leaf, let's end this," said Ash and then noticed Pikachu's body sparkling with electricity. "Is that what I think it is?" Ash then saw Pikachu slowly nodding at him and smirked. "Well, I couldn't have asked for a better time for Pikachu to learn this move."
"I'm with you, bro," said Leaf. "Ivysaur, use Take Down on Galvantula!"
"Pikachu, time to use your newest move. Use full power Volt Tackle on Raichu," said Ash.
"What'd you say," asked Lt. Surge in panic.
Ivysaur charged at Galvantula, and struck Galvantula with Take Down, sending it crashing into the wall behid Surge, and fell to the ground with swirly eyes.
Pikachu also charged at Raichu with his body covered in yellow electricity, ad struck Raichu, who was still recovering from Venoshock, with Volt Tackle, also sending it crashing into the wall behind Surge, and fell to the ground, next to Galvantula, with swirly eyes, as Pikachu suffered a little recoil damage.
"I lost," muttered Lt. Surge in disbelieve.
"We did it," exclaimed Ash and Leaf as they hugged each other.
"We won, bro," said Leaf, excitedly.
"Yeah, we make an one awesome team," said Ash.
"They won," cheered Serena, not at all bothered by the hug Ash and Leaf shared, as she knew they had a brotherly–sisterly relationship.
"I still can't believe that Pikachu and Ivysaur learnt Volt Tackle and Solar Beam," said Brock. "These are some the most powerful attacks in existence!"
"I've got admit that Pikachu sure showed a lot of determination," said Greninja.
"Remind me not to get on his bad side," chuckled Delphox.
Back on the field, Ash and Leaf were still celebrating with their Pokémon, but calmed down when Lt. Surge approached them.
"Well, you two sure proved to be strong," said Surge with a slight chuckle. "Now, as winners of our battle, it's y duty as a Gym Leader to give you these, two Thunder Badges."
"Thanks so much, Surge," said Ash as he and Leaf took the two badges.
"We've got the Thunder Badge," said both Ash and Leaf, and Pikachu and Ivysaur cheered.
"Ash," called a voice and everyone turned around and saw Serena and Brock running up to them, with Serena giving Ash a hug, which he happily returned. "You guys did it!"
"Yup, we sure did," said Ash.
"Ash, I've got to know, how'd you know that Pikachu was gonna learn Volt Tackle," asked Brock.
"Well, that actually happened the night after Leaf and I battled Misty at the Cerulean Gym. We decided to do a little training and that was the first time Pikachu actually tried to use it for the first time and we've been training every night since then to master it," said Ash.
"So that was the move you've been trying to master," said Leaf. "I knew thre was something familiar."
"Wait, how did you know we were practicing Volt Tackle," asked Ash.
"Well, one I followed you two one night to see what you've been up to. Are you mad at me that I followed you without telling you," asked Leaf.
"Of course I'm not mad, but you could've let us know that you were watching. We really needed some encouragement, you know," said Ash.
"I guess midnight training is the reason for you to wake up late," teased Brock, which caused Ash to chuckle.
"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, I'll make sure he wakes up early and not to sneak up in the middle of the night to train," said Serena.
"And how are gonna do that," asked Brock.
"I'll make sure he's busy with other things," said Serena with an innocent smile, which made Ash worry a little.
"If she's talking about what I think she's talking about, then I do NOT want to be there to see it," Greninja whispered to Pikachu and Ivysaur, but Delphox heard him as well.
"Hey, you didn't mind when I slept late while we were in Kalos when Greninja were training," said Ash and covered his mouth with his hand after what he just said, and Greninja paled a little.
"Wait, you've been sneaking out when we were little so you and Greninja could train," asked Serena as she and Delphox looked at the boys with a mocking glare.
"Well, you see. Greninja wanted to train," said Ash, much to Greninja's surprise.
"What!? Don't put it on me! You also wanted to train," said Greninja.
"Busted," laughed Leaf.
"Why do I not believe you," asked Serena as she and Delphox started to slowly advance on Ash and Greninja, making the boys nervous.
"Oh, look at that. I've got take Pikachu to the Pokémon Center. Talk to Greninja," said Ash quickly as he picked Pikachu up and ran as fast as possible for the exit.
"Hey, wait up. Don't leave me alone with these two," said Greninja as he quickly followed Ash.
"Delphox, I think our boyfriends are running away from us," said Serena and looked at her fire/psychic–type with a smirk. "They're not running away from us tonight."
Delphox nodded and they ran after their respective boyfriends, leaving a stunned Brock and a laughing Leaf.
"I think Ash is in trouble," said Brock.
"I just knew that he'd mess something up," said Leaf as she continued laughing.
"Should we see if he's okay," asked Brock.
"Yeah, I wanna see how Ash and Greninja will get themselves out of this situation," said Leaf when she stopped laughing and turned to Surge. "Thank you fr the battle, sir." With that, she ran towards the exit, followed Brock.
"Boy, Ash and his Greninja can take on a Gym Leader with anger issues and her Mega–Gyarados, but are scared by their girlfriends," muttered Surge as he started to laugh.
They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, and Ash, with Pikachu in his arms, and Greninja managed to get to the Pokémon Center, and went up to Nurse Joy.
"Nurse Joy, can you please take care of my Pikachu," panted Ash from the running.
"Of course I can," said Nurse Joy.
"And could I book a room for me and Greninja," asked Ash. "And if you see a girl with a long honey blonde hair and a Delphox, tell her you haven't seen us."
"Okay, but why–," said Nurse Joy, but stopped when Ash and Greninja started to back away.
"Great, thanks," said Ash, and he and Greninja went upstairs to their room to hide from Serena and Delphox, but unfortunately they had something missing – their room key.
Back downstairs, Serena and Delphox entered the Pokémon Center and looked around the lobby, but they couldn't find Ash and Greninja.
"Well, if they're not here, at least we can ask Nurse Joy if we can book a room," said Serena and Delphox nodded.
They went up to Nurse Joy and asked her if they could book a room to which Nurse Joy nodded and gave them the key for their room. However, this key was for room Ash and Greninja were in. When they got to their room, they heard two familiar voices.
"Those two sure are scary," said Greninja.
"Tell me about it. We save them from Misty and her Mega–Gyarados and this is the thanks we get? Man, that was embarrassing," groaned Ash. "How can we go toe–to–toe with Diantha's Mega–Gardevoir, defeat a Dragonite and four water–type Pokémon of a Gym Leader with anger issues, but can't stand up for ourselves in front of our girlfriends?"
"I have no idea," said Greninja.
"Let's hope they won't kill us, literally," said Ash.
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't mention that you and Leaf shared a tent one night when we were in Viridian Forest," said Greninja.
"Oh, if Serena learns that Leaf and I shared a tent when we were in Viridia Forest, she's gonna kill me for sure, literaly. But we shared a tent because Leaf had forgotton hers," said Ash.
Unknown to them, Serena and Delphox were standing on the other side of the door and heard everything they said, and felt for embarrassing their respective boyfriends.
"Did we really scared them that much," asked Serena and Delphox slowly nodded. "I guess we need to apologize." Delphox nodded again and Serena opened the door, much to Ash and Greninja's shock.
"Serena," said Ash, shocked.
"Hey, Ash," said Serena softly, much to the boys' confusion.
"Um, hi," said Ash, slowly approaching Serena. "How much did you heard?"
"Everything," said Serena and Ash began to pale. "Did Delphox and I scared you that much that you think I was going to literally kill you?"
"Uh, yeah," said Ash and Serena hugged him tightly.
"I'm so sorry," said Serena as she cried on his shoulder. "I didn't mean it. It's just, when you said you and Greninja were sneaking out, I got worried that you might've gotten hurt. Can you forgive me?"
"Serena, there's nothing to forgive. You got worried and I understand, but please don't scare us like that again," said Ash and Greninja nodded. "Seriously, we told Nurse Joy not to tell you guys where Greninja and I were."
"I'm really sorry, Ash," said Serena and then she pulled away from the hug and wiped her tears. "And for the record, I'm not mad that you and Leaf shared a tent."
"You heard that as well," asked Ash shocked.
"It was nice knowing you," said Greninja.
"Yeah, I heard it, and I understand that you had to share because she forgot hers. I'm not mad and I'm not going to kill you," said Serena with a smile.
"Oh, thank Arceus," thought Ash and smiled at Serena, and hugged her. "I love you, Serena."
"I love you, too, Ash," said Serena as she returned the hug, but was surprised when he kissed her on the lips, but she immediately kissed him back.
"Greninja, I want to apologize, too," said Delphox as she approached her boyfriend.
"That's okay, but don't scare us like that again. Got it, Del," asked Greninja and Delphox smiled at the nickname, and gave Greninja a hug, which he happily returned, but surprised her when he suddenly kissed her on the lips.
To be continued…
Hey, guys. Sorry about the long wait. I was away from home for nearly a month during the summer and when I came back, I had to study for some exams. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just want you guys to know that the group will consist of Ash, Serena, Leaf, Brock and their Pokémon. Sorry for those, who like Misty, but the next time she'll appear will be either at the beginning of the Indigo League or at the beginning of the Battle Frontier. And I just want to say that the Kanto, Orange Islands and Johto arcs will be rated K+, the Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova arcs will be rated T, and the Kalos and Alola arcs will most likely be rated M. Next time, Ash and the other will go on S.S Anne, and Ash and Gary will have another battle. The next chapter will be posted in either November or December. And before I forget, Serena has her XY&Z clothes, but still has her long hair. Anyway, that's all for now. Until next time, have a nice day. See ya.
R&R