Chapter 9
Ash smiled with glee as he walked out of the Vermillion Gym, Thunder Badge in hand. He hadn't gotten a badge case for any of his badges, and had opted for just sticking them inside his jacket. It was easier for him to look at them and admire the hard work and dedication went into them.
He had some time to kill before leaving the port city, so he decided to check out the Pokemon Fan Club. If there was an entire club dedicated to Pokemon, he was definitely visiting it. He loved Pokemon too, so what was the harm? It wasn't like he could do anything else. Angelina and Nate were still training to battle against Lt. Surge, and Gary already left Vermillion, so he couldn't ask for a battle (not that he really wanted to).
He had let Petal ride on his head, to soak up some sun and get outside a bit. The Gloom loved the vantage point, as it allowed him to look for new friends.
He was holding Kit in his arms as she slumbered. The Eevee had insisted on staying outside of her PokeBall to soak up sun with Petal. Ash had questions about the behavior at first, but dismissed them. At least they were bonding over something.
He approached the small building and walked inside. The entire building just consisted of one large room, with a table in the middle, where people were gathering around, talking amiably with one another.
As he was about to approach them, he was grabbed from behind. Kit's eyes snapped open and she peeked out from behind Ash's shoulder, growling at his assailant from behind it. The man let go and raised his hands to try to calm the Eevee.
"Sorry about that! I didn't mean to startle ya!" the man said. Ash noticed he was quite short, and wore a black suit and fedora, with a long white beard hanging from his face.
"It's not often young Trainers come into our clubhouse!" he said. "Welcome to the Pokemon Fan Club, young man! How may I assist you?"
"What exactly do you do here?" Ash asked.
"Well, at the Pokemon Fan Club, we talk about our favorite Pokemon and share our experiences with each other." the man said. "It's a good way to get closer to people like you, and introduce your Pokemon to some new friends."
Petal perked up at the mention of "new friends".
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself." the man continued. "Trent Vanderbilt, a pleasure."
"Ash Ketchum." the boy introduced himself.
"I see you have a very healthy looking Gloom and Eevee." Trent observed. "You must be very close to them if they're willing to be in such close proximity to you."
"We've been through a lot together." Ash simply stated.
Trent nodded. "Say, have you considered deciding what Pokemon they're going to evolve into?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Gloom has two evolutions. Using a Leaf Stone will allow it to evolve into Vileplume. However, if you use a Sun Stone, Gloom will evolve into Bellossom. Both evolutions have their own strengths and weaknesses, Vileplume having stronger offensive power, whereas Bellossom possesses greater endurance and healing abilities."
Ash raised an eyebrow. Questions swirled around Ash's mind. Which one would he pick? The concept of a Grass/Poison powerhouse sounded great. But a Pokemon with healing powers would be extremely helpful. In the end, it was Petal's decision. He didn't want to force it to evolve into something it didn't want to.
Petal seemed to be in the same sort of dilemma. Both evolutions sounded so cool. But what would his Trainer think? Would he like what he turned into?
The short man chuckled. "I see you're having quite the hard time deciding!" he said. "Fear not, however. Unlike a lot of other Pokemon, you can choose when and where you want to evolve Gloom. Until you decide, you can hold off on evolving it. As for your Eevee however…"
Kit raised its large brown ears and looked intently at the man with interest.
"Your Eevee has many more options to choose from, each with their own pros and cons. Jolteon has amazing speed and offensive power. Vaporeon can completely dissolve in a pool of water. Flareon has an extremely high body temperature and even hotter flames. Leafeon can blend in with the forest and use photosynthesis. Glaceon can freeze its fur and the air around it. Espeon can predict its opponents' next move with its psychic powers. Umbreon can blend into the darkness and ambush its foes. And Sylveon can use its ribbonlike feelers in a variety of ways! …. Oh dear… I've made your head hurt haven't I?"
Unbeknownst to him, Ash was locked in a mental battle, different voices screaming for him to choose one option over the other, whereas others chastised him for choosing one evolution over another one.
"N-no I'm fine." Ash stammered, breaking out of his mind prison. "Thanks for telling me though. I have a lot to think about."
"No problem, young man!" Trent said happily. "Like I said, there's plenty of time for you to decide. No need to stress about it."
"Right."
"Well come on then! Let me show you around!"
After a while, Ash exited the building. He had met a few people there, but none of them were actually taking the Gym Challenge, neither were they registered in the league. They were just regular people who liked Pokemon a lot.
However, it did make him realize something. The coordinators, breeders, doctors, and other people he met there, they had it easy. There wasn't any competition for those titles, at least not as much as becoming Champion. Becoming a Pokemon Master would be extremely hard if he couldn't keep up with other Trainers. There was lots more competition for that title, heck, society as he knew it was centered around Pokemon battling!
A loud ship's horn caught Ash's attention, and he looked over at the port and saw a huge cruise ship being docked. Large fancy lettering spelled out "S.S Anne'' on the side. His eyes widened. They'd be leaving tomorrow on THAT thing!? Lt. Surge really must have been battling hard if he wanted to keep people from getting those tickets.
Ash made his way back to the Pokemon Center to give him and his Pokemon a rest. They deserve it after the hard Gym battle they had to go through. Training was important, but rest was just as crucial.
Before going up to his room though, he stopped by the videophone to call his mother. She'd probably be worried if he left on a cruise and didn't tell her, so he decided to dial in her number to say goodbye.
The cheery face of his mother appeared on-screen, and she waved at her son.
"Ash!" his mother exclaimed. "It's great to see you sweetie! Have you been doing well?"
"Yep!" Ash said with a grin. "Dexter and Petal both evolved. I got a new partner too. Her name's Kit."
"Congrats, Ash!" his mother said. "You're being safe, right? Not getting into more trouble?"
"No Mom…" Ash sighed. "I'm going on the S.S. Anne tomorrow, so I just wanted to talk to you before I leave Vermillion City."
His mother nodded. "Well, have a fun trip!" Delia said. "Remember to shower, be safe, and wash your under-"
"I know Mom…" Ash groaned.
"Alright sweetie." she giggled. "Call me when you get off that ship. I miss you a lot."
"Miss you too." Ash said with a smile. Mother and son both waved goodbye at each other and Ash disconnected the call before heading up to his room to relax. After opening the door he sat down on his bed with a sigh and released his three Pokemon so they could relax with him.
Kit curled up on his bed while Dexter looked out the window, and Gloom sat by the window as well, basking in the sun.
Just as he was about to read a magazine about the Johto region, he heard the door being kicked open, and through it came an energetic Nate, pumping his fist in the air.
"Guess who beat Lt. Surge?" he shouted as he pointed his thumbs at himself. "This guy!"
"Nate, don't kick down our door." Angelina said. "I don't want an angry Nurse Joy to come up here asking what all the ruckus is about."
"You're no fun." Nate whined. "Why aren't you happy about your win?"
"I am." Angelina said. "But I don't kick down doors and yell about it so the whole world can hear. I mean, who does that?"
Nate flopped on his bed and took off his shoes. "Well can you blame me?" Nate said. "Now I have three badges, and I get to go on a luxury cruise!"
"Yeah… I don't think they'll take kindly to someone like you," Angelina said with a smirk. "I'm going downstairs to eat dinner early. The ship's leaving at nine tomorrow so we should wake up early if we want to make it on time." She waved at the two boys before stepping out the room and closing the door.
"Ugh." Nate groaned. "Maybe I can finally get my own room on that ship and be away from her for once."
"Didn't you say you hated the ocean?" Ash asked. Nate nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, but as long as I'm not in the water, I'm fine coming with you guys." Nate said. "Besides, think of all the good food on that ship. We'll live like kings! Sure beats the Trainer meals we've been living off of."
Ash supposed he couldn't argue with that. They usually ate Trainer meals while they were on routes, since they were supposed to last long and have tons of nutrients to help you journey through the longer routes. Still, that didn't mean they tasted the best. Ash would give anything to have his mom's cooking instead.
After sitting for a few minutes in silence and listening to the soft breaths of his sleeping Eevee and the hum of the air conditioner, Ash put down his magazine and looked over at Nate.
"We should probably go downstairs soon and eat dinner with Angelina." Ash said.
Nate frowned. "I'm not hungry." he responded. "I can wait a few more minutes." Suddenly a low grumble interrupted the silence, and Ash looked over at Nate with one eyebrow raised and a smile. He sighed.
"Fine…"
The next day, after a filling dinner and a good night's sleep, the three tweens were at the port, waiting to board the ship. When it was their turn, the sailor who was letting passengers in asked to see their tickets.
Ash handed the man his ticket, and his friends did the same. The sailor looked over Nate and Angelina's, and raised his eyebrows as he looked over Ash's, before giving their respective tickets back to them.
They walked up the wooden platform to board the ship and gasped in awe at the interior. It was huge! Spiral staircases decorated the large area, leading passengers up to the higher levels of the ship. The walls and floor were made of polished marble, and a fountain with a statue of a Poliwhirl on it stood in the middle. Ash could only imagine what the rest of the ship looked like.
Most of the people that walked around the ship were dressed in expensive clothing, and were probably quite wealthy. Their eyes lingered on the three Trainers, who stood out with their dirty wrinkled Trainer's outfits.
"Where are you guys staying?" Nate asked. "My room is #178"
"My ticket says #228." Angelina responded. "What about you, Ash?"
Ash just stared at his ticket before he was spanned back to reality. "Oh. Uh… n-nothing." he stammered.
Nate raised an eyebrow. "Ash, what's on that ticket?" he asked.
"Nothing! I swear!" he exclaimed. Suddenly Nate pulled the ticket from his hand and gawked at it. "FIRST CLASS!?" he yelled at the top of his lungs, catching the attention of some passerby. Ash snatched the ticket back from him.
"Yeah now can you keep your voice down?" he hissed. "I'm just as surprised as you!"
"But that's not fair!" Nate whined. "How come Lt. Surge gave you a first class ticket? We all beat him!"
"Come on, Nate," Angelina said as she took Nate's arm. "Stop bothering him. Let's meet at the cafeteria at twelve PM." With that, she dragged a struggling Nate in the opposite direction, and Ash chuckled at the sight before going to find his room.
After a bit of searching, the boy found a door labeled #069, his room number.
(A/N: LMAOOOO GOT 'EM)
Ash wasn't sure why Surge had given him a first class ticket out of all people. Was it a mistake? It was too late for him to give it back though. Maybe Surge thought of him as special? He did seem happy that Ash knew about the Great War and had the decency to pull Kit out of battle.
He brushed his thoughts away and walked inside. Ash gasped at the size of the room. A large king bed laid off to the side, with a TV facing it and a cupboard next to the bed. A perch was stationed by the window for bird Pokemon, as well as numerous potted plants and a large tank for Water-types. A mini-fridge sat next to the bed, and Ash peered into it and saw loads of food and drinks, for both humans and Pokemon. A door was next to the TV, and Ash opened it to see a huge bathroom with a giant shower that took up about half of the space in the bathroom.
Ash was pretty sure he could fit six Rhyperiors in this room and still have plenty of space. Heck, it was probably bigger than the entire first floor of his house.
He let out his three Pokemon, who looked around the room and had the same reaction as him. Ash clapped his hands together to get their attention.
"Listen up, everyone!" he said. "We're on the S.S. Anne. I expect all of you to behave yourselves while you're here. I'll be letting you out of your PokeBalls for the majority of our time here, so behave yourselves. And remember to have fun!"
The three Pokemon cheered and started to explore the room, while Ash sat on the bed and turned on the TV. He scrolled through the channels and after seeing that nothing good was on, opted instead to leaf through a magazine, relaxing with his Pokemon until it was lunchtime.
Finally, Ash and his Pokemon became hungry, and he decided to go to the cafeteria in search of a meal, and to meet up with his two friends.
It took him a while to find it, and he had to ask a couple of employees for directions, but he finally made his way to the large eating area. After surveying through his options, he just decided on a burger and some fries. He also got some Grass-type and Normal-type Pokemon food for Petal and Kit respectively.
Ash spotted his two friends chatting at a nearby table, and set his tray down along with his Pokemon's food, and they dug in happily.
By now, Nate had forgotten about the fact that Ash had gotten a first class room and they didn't, and was happily munching on his burrito. Angelina had instead opted for a simple salad, and was chewing on it in small bites.
"Man, dish food ish delishoush." Nate said with his mouth full. Ash nodded his head in agreement. It definitely couldn't match up to his Mom's cooking, but it did still taste really good.
"Hello passengers of the S.S. Anne!" a voice announced. The three of them turned to see a lady on top of a stage with a microphone off to the side, speaking to all of the people in the cafeteria.
"My name is Jessica! I hope you all are having a wonderful time aboard the S.S. Anne!" the lady continued. "Anyways, I just want to let you all know that we are hosting a tournament tomorrow, starting at 3 PM! Be sure to be there, the prizes are certainly worth fighting for!"
This caught Ash's attention. The boy smiled to himself as he imagined himself taking down an opponent with Dexter and being awarded a medal of some sort. He'd never been in a tournament before, besides the ones held at school with borrowed Pokemon, which were mainly for practice. He'd watched plenty of them on TV though, and he knew that the bigger ones offered plenty of money and prizes. Heck, you'd probably be set for life if you placed high in a conference, since they were the biggest tournaments in Indigo.
Other passengers had similar reactions, their minds set on winning. He'd have to outperform all of them. Ash looked down at his Pokemon, who were still digging into their food, unaware of what was happening. He didn't want them to start training immediately after their grueling battle with Lt. Surge.
Ash pushed the thoughts of the tournament out of his mind for now. Tomorrow they'd do some training. Today he just wanted to relax with his friends and partners. They deserved it.
After lunch, the three kids had agreed to go to the pool. None of them had bathing suits, but luckily there was a store that sold clothing on the ship, and they each picked out their own clothing. Angelina settled with a one-piece, and Nate and Ash just bought a pair of swim trunks. They went off to their own rooms to change, and after a bit of searching, finally found the large pool at the front of the ship.
They all sent out their Pokemon, who looked in awe at the size of the area they were in.
"Alright, everyone." Angelina announced. "We're at the pool. Go ahead and have some fun! You deserve it!"
Their Pokemon let out a chorus of calls in excitement, and they all split up, eager to spend some time relaxing and having a blast. Nate jumped high into the air and landed in the pool with a large splash, and Ash and Angelina soon followed suit, entering the water.
Ash looked around and saw many of his friends' Pokemon enjoying what the S.S. Anne had to offer. Nate and Angelina's two Eevees swam in the water with them, paddling loyally alongside their Trainers.
Kit and Charmeleon found two chairs next to each other and just sat there, enjoying the sun shining down on them. Ivysaur and Petal stood by the edge of the ship, soaking up some sun as well.
Pikachu and Nidorino chased after each other around the poolside, weaving through people and Pokemon, startling some passengers with their game of tag.
Jigglypuff started drawing on anyone who fell asleep in their chairs with her marker, unbeknownst to Angelina. Dexter just stared at its reflection in the water and cocked its head, seemingly interested in looking at its reflection all day.
"Think fast, Ash!" Nate yelled as he sent a wave of water toward Ash, soaking his upper body.
"That was a cheap move, Nate!" Ash shouted, unable to suppress the grin forming on his face.
"That's what happens when you don't pay atten-" Nate started before being cut off by a splash, this time from Angelina.
"Not fair! Get back here!" he said as he chased Angelina through the water, intent on getting back at her.
The three tweens spent the remainder of the afternoon, having fun with them and their Pokemon, without a care in the world.
After their afternoon of fun, Ash, Nate, and Angelina went back to their rooms to change back into their trainer outfits and prepare for dinner. After changing back into his regular clothes, Ash had gone up to the cafeteria, but not before stopping by the battling area to scope out his competition.
He saw tons of Trainers sparring with each other, or even going off on their own to train their Pokemon. Some of them were using strategies that involved chaining multiple moves together, or even improvising a single move.
He saw a crowd gathering around something, and moved closer to see what it was. Ash pushed through a few people and saw two people battling against each other. One of them was a man wearing circular glasses, a top hat, and a black suit, who was commanding his Raticate. On the other side, he saw someone he didn't expect to be here, commanding his Butterfree, with a familiar Pikachu by his side.
"Use Jump Kick, Raticate!" the man ordered. Raticate jumped high in the air, preparing to send Butterfree out of the way using its foot.
"Counter with Tackle!" Satoshi ordered. Butterfree rammed its body into the Raticate, interrupting its Jump Kick and sending it sprawling ten feet away.
"Now, Raticate! Hyper Fang!" the man yelled. Raticate's large teeth grew bright white, and it charged at Butterfree once more.
"Stun Spore!" Satoshi commanded. Butterfree sprinkled the paralyzing powder onto Raticate, causing it to convulse in pain from the paralysis.
"Now Butterfree, finish this with-"
"That's enough," the man said as he withdrew his Raticate. "Let's just call this a tie." He proceeded to walk away as people in the crowd booed at him for not finishing the battle. Ash could clearly see the look of frustration on Satoshi's face, also knowing he had just been robbed of a win.
The boy walked up to him, and Satoshi brightened after seeing Ash.
"Hey, Satoshi." Ash said. "Don't worry, I knew you were going to win that. Did you get your Thunder Badge yet?"
"Yup!" Satoshi said. "Took me a couple of tries though. Surge used his Raichu against my Pikachu, and we lost. But we did some training like you said and we were able to beat him!"
Ash grinned. "Good for you," he said. "By the way, what Pokemon do you have?"
Satoshi smiled, eager to talk about his Pokemon with someone. "Oh they're all great!" he said. "I have Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Squirtle, Charmander, and a Bulbasaur! I also have a Krabby, but he's back at Viridian City."
The other boy nodded. It was rare for someone to find all three Kantonian starters in the wild, and the boy was impressed. He was a bit jealous that he had a Squirtle though.
Then Satoshi's stomach started to grumble, and Ash couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"Mind if I come with you to dinner?" the other boy asked. "I'm soooo hungry…"
Ash nodded and the two of them walked to the cafeteria, chatting with each other amiably without a care in the world.
Executive Proton didn't hear from the boss often. But when he did, he was usually tasked with something important. So imagine his surprise when he was given
the mission of taking down one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, the same ship housing the three pests that took down his operation and almost cost him his position.
He'd been tracking those three kids for weeks, looking for the perfect time to strike and get his revenge. Once he had received his mission, he cackled with glee.
"Sir." one of the grunts said. "The submarines are ready."
"Good." Proton replied. "Gather the men."
The grunt nodded and rushed off to inform his fellow Rocket members. Proton stared out at the ocean, his goal of getting revenge clear in his mind. The plan was simple. Break into the ship, steal everyone's Pokemon and possibly get rid of those meddling kids while they were at it, escape, and leave the ship to sink. The boss would be pleased.
"Ah, Proton! The man of the hour!" a voice behind him said. "I trust you are doing well."
Proton's eyes narrowed as he turned around to see Petrel looking at him with a grin. The boss had insisted on another executive accompanying on his mission, since he couldn't handle keeping things in Mt. Moon under control. He visibly seethed with anger. He did not need a teammate for this. But he didn't dare question it. If there was one rule to live by in Team Rocket, it was to never question your superiors.
"Just stay out of my way." he said coldly. Petrel just shrugged.
"Whatever you say, chum," he replied with a hint of enthusiasm. "I'll be right behind you if anything goes wrong."
"Nothing will go wrong." Proton hissed. He would make those kids pay for what they did. Because no one messes with Team Rocket and expects to get away with it.
The following day, Ash had signed up for the tournament, eager to get first place. He was confident that he could at least get top eight, as long as his training was able to pay off. Currently he was in the battling area of the ship, accompanied by Nate and Angelina. They were seated around a large dirt battlefield that was separate from the training area, with bleachers on both sides, as well as cameras hanging on the walls to project matches to other parts of the ship.
During training, Ash had realized that not once had he ever come up with any sort of strategy for a battle. He usually just winged it, hoping for the best, and made things up on the fly. He began to realize he needed to actually be creative with his tactics. This tournament definitely had many advanced Trainers, and he needed to get ahead of the competition somehow.
Part of the reason why he hadn't tried to improvise moves was because of the limited moveset his Pokemon had. However, now that they were a bit more experienced, he was able to come up with a couple of new commands for them to use in the upcoming tournament earlier that morning. Unfortunately he wasn't able to practice any new moves since he only had a few hours, so he mainly just focused on endurance and speed training.
"Hello everyone!" the announcer from the previous day yelled into the microphone. "I hope you are having a wonderful day! Today we're having some strong winds and some rain later, so the pool will be closed."
A few passengers frowned at this. "But…" the announcer continued. "Our tournament is starting right now! Be sure to bring your A-game, as we have a special prize for anyone who makes it to first place!"
This caught the passengers' attention, and their frowns disappeared. "Here are the rules!" she continued. "Every round will be a 1-on-1 match until the quarter finals, in which it will be three-on-three with no switching! Whoever sends out their Pokemon first will be decided with a coin flip! The top four competitors will receive a prize! Are you ready, Trainers?"
A chorus of cheers and cries were heard from people and Pokemon alike. "That's what I'm talking about!" she said. "Without further ado, let's look at the matches!"
The lady walked off the stage and disappeared from the room. A monitor attached to a wall displayed the bracket, and Ash could make out a picture of his face, as well as Nate and Angelina's. It looked like there were over sixty Trainers participating in the tournament.
"Our first match will be between…" the woman started as she pulled two cards out of a basket… Nate and Wayne! Please take your positions on the battlefield!"
Nate grinned and got up from his seat, walking through the aisle to get to his position. A light-skinned man with short brown hair, and a shirt with flower patterns stood opposite of him.
"Let the battle… begin!"
It took quite a while before Ash's name was drawn. During the time that he waited, he was able to see quite a few battles, and saw a few unfamiliar Pokemon as well. An example was a furry, yellow Pokemon with black streaks on its body and some antennae called an Electabuzz, or a seahorse-like Pokemon with spines on its back called a Seadra.
Nate was able to progress through his match with relative ease, roasting Wayne's Fearow with Charmeleon. Other Trainers caught his eye, such as a Trainer with an especially powerful Magneton and another with a humongous Rhydon. Ash was genuinely surprised that the giant Rock-type didn't topple the ship over with its Earthquake attacks.
Finally, the announcer called Ash's name, as well as another Trainer named Zane to the field. The other Trainer had blonde hair parted to the side and wore a black jacket. He had a cocky grin plastered on his face, clearly confident that he could win this.
"You ready to lose, boy?" he taunted from across the battlefield. Ash just ignored him and looked over at the referee, who had flicked the coin in the air and caught it, before motioning his hand to Zane's side.
"Hitmonchan, end this!" the other Trainer said before throwing the PokeBall. A human-like Pokemon wearing large red boxing gloves moved from side to side, awaiting his opponent.
"Ready up, Petal." Ash said as he released the Gloom from its PokeBall. Petal stood by Ash, releasing his noxious scent into the air.
"Knock that thing out with Fire Punch!" Zane shouted. Hitmonchan rushed toward Petal, its fist becoming coated in flames. Ash watched and waited. This was where his new tactics could finally come into play.
"Spore Gas!" Ash shouted. Petal nodded and a combination of an especially powerful Sweet Scent and Stun Spore was released from Petal's flower. As soon as Hitmonchan came close, its senses were numbed by the smell of the sweet scent. The Stun Spore soon came in contact with the Fighting-type's body, and it grunted in pain as the paralysis took effect.
"Snap out of it, Hitmonchan!" Zane growled. "Bullet Punch! Don't let up!"
Even with the paralysis, Hitmonchan still managed to zoom forward and unleash a flurry of punches on Petal, each hit battering it and knocking it back. A final uppercut sent Petal flying in the air, where it landed about twenty feet away from the Fighting-type. The Weed Pokemon still managed to get up, with a few bruises lining its body.
"Petal, use Acid!" Ash shouted. Petal quickly recovered from the hits taken and spat a large glob of goo at Hitmonchan, hitting it directly in the face. The crowd gasped and a few people winced as the Fighting-type frantically tried to wipe the poisonous substance off of itself.
"Get your head in the game!" Zane barked. "Fire Punch, now!"
Hitmonchan rubbed the last of the Acid off of its face, and charged up another Fire Punch, intent on making this one hit. It's face was contorted in anger as it charged toward Petal, but grunted in pain as the paralysis took effect right as the attack was about to hit.
"Now! Giga Drain!" Ash ordered. Hitmonchan's energy was quickly sapped away from it as the move patched up the bruises sustained from the Bullet Punch, and it dropped to the ground, out cold.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Which means Ash and his Gloom are the winners of this match."
The crowd started to cheer for Ash, and he recalled Petal back into his PokeBall, thanking him for his hard work. Zane just scoffed and exited the battlefield without a word.
Right after Ash's match with Zane, he handed Petal's PokeBall to Nurse Joy, who took it away to be healed as he waited for his next battle.
Ash's next match was against a girl with red hair styled into pigtails, wearing a white sundress, whose name was Rachel. He saw her use a Nidorina in the first round,
and judging from the way both Pokemon and Trainer coordinated in battle, he could tell the Poison-type was trained well.
Both Trainers took their places on opposite sides of the battlefield, staring each other down. Then Rachel smiled.
"Good luck!" she called. "Your Gloom looked really strong last round!"
Ash grinned. "Thanks!" he said back. "Same with your Nidorina!"
The referee motioned for Ash to choose his Pokemon, and he unclipped Kit's PokeBall from his belt. The Eevee emerged from its PokeBall and tensed as it waited for its opponent to be chosen.
"Let's do this, Poliwhirl!" Rachel said as she threw the PokeBall. A blue, bipedal Pokemon with short legs, small eyes, and a swirl pattern on its belly appeared.
"I'll take the first move!" Rachel called. "Bubble Beam!" Poliwhirl reared its head back and shot a concentrated stream of bubbles towards Kit, whose eyes widened. The last thing she wanted was to get wet.
"Use Swift!" Ash commanded. A stream of stars appeared as Kit flicked her tail, meeting the Bubble Beam in mid-air and producing a loud explosion, followed by some smoke.
When the smoke cleared, Rachel decided to take the initiative once more. "Mud Shot!" she ordered.
"Dodge and use Quick Tail!" Ash yelled. Poliwhirl reared its head back again, this time firing balls of mud toward Kit in rapid succession. The Eevee used Quick Attack to zip around the projectiles, then while the temporary speed boost was still active, rushed toward Poliwhirl and leapt into the air, slamming an Iron Tail on its head.
"No, Poliwhirl!" Rachel cried. Poliwhirl gurgled in pain as it clutched the spot where the Iron Tail made contact, a sizable bruise on its head. Ash winced. He made a note in his head to never piss off Kit. He would not want to be on the receiving end of that.
"You can do this Poliwhirl!" Rachel cheered, trying to lift its spirits. "Use Mud Shot again!"
Poliwhirl shot more balls of mud at the Eevee, who made sure to dodge as many as she could. One of them nailed Kit in the face, and Poliwhirl was able to capitalize by launching her back with a powerful Pound attack.
Kit landed on her feat, albeit a bit unsteady as she stared down her opponent. Both Pokemon had taken big hits during the course of the match. It was only a matter of time before one would fall.
"Now, Poliwhirl! Bub-"
"Quick Attack!"
In the blink of an eye, Kit closed the distance between her and Poliwhirl, not giving her opponent a chance to cancel its own attack and retaliate. The Eevee rammed into Poliwhirl, knocking back the Water-type a few inches before it's legs started to wobble and it collapsed.
"Poliwhirl is unable to battle!" the referee announced again. "Which means the winner of this battle is Ash and his Eevee!"
Ash pumped his fist in the air as the crowd cheered once more for his win. Rachel sighed as she recalled her Poliwhirl, thanking it for trying its best. She beamed at Ash, and he smiled back. He withdrew Kit back into her PokeBall and took his place in the stands once more.
The competition had been narrowed down to the top 16. Ash and Angelina had both made it through, although Nate was unfortunately knocked out of the competition by the Trainer with the Rhydon. He sulked as he watched the other matches, and Ash gave him a sympathetic smile.
Finally it was Ash's turn once again, and this time he was against a boy named Eric who he'd seen with a Beedrill, which he seemed to use quite well against his opponents, utilizing its physical attack power and speed. Ash had to stay clear of those stingers, they were the most dangerous weapons the species had at their disposal.
The two Trainers took their positions on the battlefield, and after a coin flip, the referee gestured for Ash to send his Pokemon out. From here he could see his opponent better, a boy maybe a few years older than him with a straw hat, a tank top, and blue shorts. Ash also noticed a large scar on his arm, about seven inches long.
"Let's do this, Dexter!" Ash shouted as he threw the PokeBall. The Porygon2 levitated in place, and Ash could hear a few murmurs from the crowd, probably regarding the strange Pokemon.
"Barb, show them what you're made of." the boy said softly. The familiar form of a Beedrill emerged, and it loudly buzzed, eager for a challenge.
Ash decided to make the first move. "Ice Beam!" he shouted. Dexter shot a powerful blast of icy energy at the Beedrill, who dissipated it with a Sludge Bomb.
"Poison Jab." Purple energy gathered in Beedrill's stingers, and it rushed toward Dexter with its stingers raised.
"Conversion 2!" Ash ordered. Dexter's body glowed red, blue, and then gray, right before the Poison Jab hit. The attack made contact with Dexter's body, before bouncing off harmlessly.
"Now, Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered. Dexter shot a lance of electricity at the Beedrill, who was too close to dodge, and its body was zapped. It flew back to the other side of the battlefield, its exoskeleton lined with scorch marks.
"Focus Energy." Eric ordered. Beedrill buzzed loudly, its body radiating a bright yellow energy. "Now, Twineedle."
"Ice Beam!" Ash ordered, trying to stop Beedrill's assault.
"Agility."
Beedrill's body glowed a faint purple, and it moved around the Ice Beam with ease, creating afterimages as it flew. It struck Dexter on the head two times with its razor sharp stingers, leaving a large gash on its forehead. Dexter flew back a few feet, unsteady for the huge amount of damage it just took.
"Hang in there Dexter!" Ash called. "Remember what we practiced! Rapid Fire!"
Dexter nodded, rearing its head back, before shooting out a fast Thunderbolt at Beedrill. The attack nailed it in the head, and immediately after, a weak Ice Beam and Psybeam followed. The process repeated, and each hit, while not as strong as their original attacks, more concentrated attacks, didn't allow Beedrill to recover as it was battered by more and more attacks. One Ice Beam caught its wing, freezing it.
"End this with Fury Attack." Eric spoke. Beedrill charged forward, rage in its eyes, stingers glowing as it prepared to spear Dexter. However, it was much slower than before thanks to the injured wing, which gave Ash the chance to order a Psybeam, blasting the Beedrill out of the air, causing it to crash-land on the ground out cold.
"Beedrill is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Which means the winner of this match goes to Ash and his Pokemon!"
Ash breathed a sigh of relief and recalled Dexter, thanking it for the great battle. The other Trainer did the same, muttering into the ball before he left the battlefield.
The quarter finals were next.
Luckily, the time between both matches was short, since there were less competitors. Ash's stomach started to grumble and he checked the time on his Pokedex. 7:43. Hopefully he'd be able to get dinner soon.
After the match with Eric, Ash had handed his three Pokemon to Nurse Joy, who placed them in a machine and healed them within a few minutes. Luckily the injuries his team had sustained weren't serious, so they were ready to battle their next opponent quickly.
"And our next battle is between Ash and Angelina!" Jessica announced. "Please take your positions on the battlefield!"
Ash raised his eyebrows, mirroring Angelina's surprised expression. This would be an all out battle between both of them. One mistake could cost him his win. He needed to be on guard at all times.
"I won't be going easy on you Ash!" Angelina called from across the battlefield. "My team and I are going to win this!"
"I wouldn't be so sure." Ash responded. The referee gestured for Ash to release his Pokemon. He wanted to save Dexter for Ivysaur and Petal for Jigglypuff, so Kit was his only other option.
Kit was released onto the battlefield, its eyes narrowed into a determined expression.
"Your Eevee, huh?" Angelina said. "Well I guess I should use mine then! Go, Speedy!"
Angelina's Eevee emerged from the PokeBall, its tail excitedly waving like a flag. Kit's eyes narrowed. She wouldn't lose, especially not against her sibling. She growled threateningly at Speedy, who seemed to take the hint, and got into a battling position.
"Quick Tail!" Ash shouted. Kit's body glowed and she charged toward Speedy, her tail shining.
"Use Quick Attack to dodge!" Angelina ordered. Speedy zipped away at the last second, right before the Iron Tail slammed into the ground where the Eevee was. Ash gritted his teeth. Both Eevees were evenly matched. He needed to find a way to catch his opponent off guard.
His hesitation however, cost him. "Now Speedy!" Angelina commanded. "Use Bite!" The Eevee raced toward Kit, his fangs bared and glowing white. It chomped on Kit's tail, eliciting a howl of pain from her.
"Use Iron Tail to get him off!" Ash shouted. Kit nodded through the pain and encased her tail in steel, loosening Speedy's jaws. She waved her tail around vigorously until Speedy flew off, landing a few feet away.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Ash called. Kit slammed into Speedy, knocking it back even farther and doing a good amount of damage.
"Use Swift!" Angelina ordered.
"Counter with your own Swift!"
The two attacks met, creating an explosion in the air. Both Eevees were in a stalemate, neither one wanting to falter or back down. Angelina decided to go on the offensive this time.
"Use Bite!" Angelina ordered.
Speedy charged in for another Bite attack, this time intent on making it hit. Kit tensed, awaiting her Trainer's orders. Ash just waited until it got close and then…
"Now! Jump and use Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. Kit nodded and leapt high into the air, her opponent jumped after her, his fangs bared. Suddenly she slammed her tail down on Speedy, sending him spiraling toward the ground. He landed with a crash, kicking up dust.
"Speedy!" Angelina cried. When the dust cleared, Ash could clearly see the other Eevee was unconscious. It appeared the sibling simply couldn't match up against the battle hungry Kit.
Angelina sighed as she recalled Speedy. "Thanks." she muttered into the PokeBall. "You did great."
She turned to her opponent. "Well Ash, I didn't expect Eevee to be so strong," Angelina said. "But we're not giving up."
"Neither are we."
Angelina threw a PokeBall and her Jigglypuff emerged in a flash of light. He decided to stick with Kit, since she had plenty of energy left, and Iron Tail would do loads of damage.
"Start off with Quick Tail!" Ash shouted.
"Defense Curl!"
Kit rushed toward Jigglypuff just as it was curling up its body, its fur glowing a light blue. The Iron Tail bounced off Jigglypuff's body, only leaving a small mark and significantly reducing the damage taken.
"Now counter with Pound!" Angelina ordered. Jigglypuff's fist started to glow white and she slammed into Kit, sending her soaring through the air back to Ash. The Eevee landed with a crash, and got up a bit unsteady.
"Use Swift!" Ash shouted.
"Counter with Echoed Voice!"
Jigglypuff let loose a loud cry, the soundwaves dissipating the Swift attack easily. "Now finish this with a Body Slam!" her Trainer ordered.
The Balloon Pokemon jumped high into the air, bringing all of her body mass down onto the poor Eevee and landing with a crash.
"Kit!" Ash yelled, hoping that she could somehow survive the attack. Jigglypuff pushed herself off of her opponent, and Ash could see the form of an unconscious Eevee with swirls in her eyes. He sighed and recalled his fallen partner. She'd done well, going toe-to-toe with her own sibling and coming out on top. Now it was time for her team members to take her place.
"Let's show 'em, Petal." Ash said as he threw the Gloom's PokeBall. The Weed Pokemon emerged from its PokeBall and locked eyes with Jigglypuff, releasing his stench.
"Start off with Body Slam!" Angelina ordered.
"Powder Gas! Keep it at bay!" Ash shouted. "Then use Growth!"
Jigglypuff lunged toward Petal before being hit in the face with a potent combination of Poison Powder and Sweet Scent, disorienting it. This gave Petal the opportunity to use its Growth, surrounding it with a green aura and boosting its offensive power.
"Now, Petal!" Ash said, punching through the air for added effect. "Use Acid!"
"Jigglypuff, snap out of it and dodge!"
Jigglypuff managed to reorient itself, but was unable to dodge the Poison-type attack and was knocked back a few feet.
"Use Disable!" Angelina called. Jigglypuff nodded and surrounded Petal with a thin layer of pink energy. Ash scowled. Things just got a lot more difficult. Disable was a tricky move that prevented a Pokemon from using a certain attack for a set amount of time. Inexperienced Pokemon could usually only hold it for about five minutes, but stronger Pokemon, mostly Psychic-types, could retain the effect for almost twenty. It was a move that could render a strategy useless pretty easily.
He could see Jigglypuff still contorting its face in pain from the poison damage, but he knew he had to end this quickly before she disabled more of Petal's moves or put him to sleep.
"Giga Drain!" Ash shouted. Vines erupted from the ground, trapping Jigglypuff in place as they started to take away her energy.
"No!" Angelina yelled. Finally the plants released their grip, and the Fairy-type fell into unconsciousness. She sighed and recalled Jigglypuff. Angelina was down one Pokemon, and Petal hadn't taken any damage. The good thing was that Disable was still active, which meant Ivysaur could come in safely.
"Let's do this, Ivysaur!" Angelina called as she threw her starter's PokeBall. The Grass/Poison-type emerged and tensed, knowing his Trainer's win would be up to him.
Ash was in a dilemma. He couldn't switch Petal out, and Ivysaur couldn't be poisoned, paralyzed, or put to sleep with the options he had. Giga Drain would do no damage, and Disable was still active for another three minutes. He was out of luck. He had to admit, Angelina made a smart choice.
"I forfeit my Gloom." he announced to the referee. The man nodded. "Ash Ketchum has forfeited his Gloom, which means he now only has one Pokemon left! Please send out your last Pokemon!"
Petal looked back at his Trainer in confusion, and Ash gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry Petal." he said. "You can't fight against Ivysaur, not while Disable is still active."
The Gloom lowered his head a bit, but nodded and walked over to Ash's side to watch the rest of the battle. It would be up to Dexter this time.
The Porygon2 appeared as Ash pressed the release button and readied itself for a battle, its eyes flashing yellow. No ranged attack boost this time, which meant Ash had to increase its damage some other way. Still, he was at a clear advantage here thanks to Dexter's natural bulk and moveset. If he could play his cards right, he'd be moving on to the top 4.
"Start off with Growth!" Angelina ordered.
"Conversion!"
Both Pokemon set up their moves to increase damage output, Dexter's body glowing a faint pink while Ivysaur glowed green.
"Now, use Razor Leaf!"
"Counter with Thunder Shock!"
Ivysaur let loose a barrage of leaves as sharp as needles as Dexter tried to zap each one with weak Thunder Shocks. A few leaves made it through and scraped Dexter's body, and the Porygon2 wasn't prepared for the Take Down that followed soon after.
"Hang in there, Dexter!" Ash called. "Use Psybeam!"
"Dodge!"
Ivysaur frantically started dashing around the battlefield to avoid taking damage from the super effective attack, while Dexter tried to hit it. The ranged attack finally met its mark, and Ivysaur was sent flying through the air and landed with a crash on the dirt floor, getting up a bit unsteady on its four legs a few seconds later.
"Leech Seed!" Ivysaur pointed its bulb at Dexter and shot a small seed, hitting the Porygon2 in the head. In a matter of seconds, vines erupted from the seed, draining Dexter's energy little by little with an unnatural red glow as it started to warble from the discomfort. With hands or claws to break through the vines, the Virtual Pokemon was helpless.
Ash gritted his teeth. He had to end this fast.
"Rapid Fire!" he commanded. Dexter shot a barrage of elemental attacks toward Ivysaur, who didn't have time to dodge as it was blasted back by the attacks and fell on its back.
"You can do this, Ivysaur!" Angelina called to it. "Vine Whip! Slam it!"
Ivysaur flipped itself back onto its feet and extended its two tendrils toward its opponent, who was too preoccupied by the Leech Seed to notice. Dexter felt itself being lifted high into the air, and it struggled to break free from Ivysaur's grasp.
"Dexter, no!" Ash yelled. Ivysaur then rammed Dexter into the ground, creating a large dust cloud. Ash inhaled a bit of the dust and gagged, trying to wave it away and see if his starter was okay.
When the dust cleared, Ash sighed in relief when he saw Dexter was still standing… er… levitating, with a noticeable bruise on its underside. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Freeze the bulb!" Ash ordered.
"Wait… WHAT!?"
The Porygon2 shot an Ice Beam with laser precision at Ivysaur, coating the flower on its back with a thick layer of ice. Ivysaur's legs started to wobble as it felt itself lose its strength from the lack of exposure.
"Now, Psybeam!"
"Ivysaur, DODGE! Quickly!"
But the Seed Pokemon didn't find the strength to obey, and was blasted by the powerful Psychic attack, rendering it unconcious.
"Ivysaur is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Which means Ash Ketchum is the winner of this match!"
The crowd roared after seeing such a great battle, and Ash ran up to Dexter with Petal and took out a pocket knife to set it free.
"Thanks a lot." Ash said with a grin. "You did great."
He withdrew Dexter and back into their PokeBalls and handed them to Nurse Joy, and took his place next to Nate.
"Wow, Ash," Nate said in awe. "That was awesome."
"Yeah, well played Ash," Angelina congratulated him as she took her seat. "I thought I had you cornered there!"
"What can I say?" Ash said with a smirk. "I guess I'm just that good."
Nate snickered while Angelina put on her best unamused face, although Ash could slowly see the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile. No hard feelings, just what he wanted.
After his match with Angelina, Ash was up again, this time against the Trainer with the Rhydon, whose name was Jake. Ash had picked up his PokeBalls from Nurse Joy and engaged in battle against him.
Unfortunately though, he was easily swept by the enormous Rhydon, and had only managed to land a few good hits with Petal and Kit before it used Rock Polish and steamrolled him with Stone Edge and Earthquake.
After that, Ash was put against the other semi-finalist who lost, a girl named Emily. He had just barely lost against her team of Clefable, Sandslash, and Doduo, which meant he was in fourth place. In all honesty, Ash was satisfied with his standing. Even though it wasn't first place, he had still done well, plus he was still eligible to receive a prize.
"I'd like to thank everyone for participating in this year's tournament!" Jessica announced. "Without further ado, let's give these four talented Trainers their prizes shall we?"
The winner of the tournament, Jake, had received fifty thousand Pokedollars, ten TMs, and a rare Pokemon from another region called a Bidoof.
(A/N: Our lord and savior.)
The second place Trainer, a boy who looked about nineteen with a Magneton by his side, received thirty five thousand Pokedollars, seven TMs, and five Ultra Balls.
Then in third place, Emily received twenty thousand Pokedollars, five TMs, and two Ultra Balls.
Finally, Ash had received a modest ten thousand Pokedollars and three TMs, complete with their own TM case. He'd have to look at them later, but hopefully they'd be useful for his team. He needed to add some variety in their movesets anyways.
Nate and Angelina were waiting for him by the door, and the three tweens headed off to dinner.
Ash wolfed down his spaghetti like a Snorlax. He hadn't eaten since before the tournament started, and was famished. His friends and Pokemon had similar thoughts as they chowed down on their food too.
When he finished eating, he looked down at his Pokemon. Petal and Dexter were socializing, while Kit sat off to the side eating her pellets. Hopefully he could expand his little family sooner or later. He liked having his Pokemon by his side.
Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the ship, causing Ash to fall out of his chair. Nate and Angelina frantically looked around to see what might have caused it, and other passengers were giving each other worried looks.
Then the loudspeaker turned on. "Hello passengers of the S.S. Anne!" a voice said. Nate gritted his teeth. He knew that voice all too well. "I'm sorry to disturb your meal, but Team Rocket has hijacked your ride! Hand over your Pokemon or prepare to face the consequences. And to the three little brats who ruined my operation, you can't hide from me. Prepare to meet your doom."
Nate, Ash, and Angelina all looked at each other, fear in their eyes. Team Rocket was here and whoever was in charge was not happy.
A few seconds later, Rocket grunts flooded into the cafeteria as panicked screams echoed throughout the room. Many of them started to attack the passengers, taking PokeBalls from their hands.
"We have to run!" Nate yelled.
Ash and Angelina were all too happy to agree, and they ran out of the cafeteria and through the hallways, hoping to find a way out. Their Pokemon trailed behind them, they too knew the danger they were in.
"Stop right there!" a voice yelled. The three of them stopped as they saw a Rocket Grunt standing in front of them, a malicious smirk on his face. "Hand over your Pokemon!"
"Not a chance!" Nate countered. "Pikachu, Thunder Wave!"
"GAH!" the Rocket Grunt yelled out as his body convulsed in pain from the paralysis. The three tweens looked on for a few more seconds before heading past him.
They made it a large room, separating into three pathways. "Which one do we take?" Nate asked nervously.
"I'm not sure!" Angelina said. "Look!"
About twenty more grunts closed in on their position, all of them wearing the same uniforms as each other. All of them released their Pokemon at once, and Ash could see it was mainly made up of Poison and Psychic-type Pokemon. Kit growled as she moved closer to Ash, and Petal released his stench from his flower.
"You little pests are going down!" one of them said. "There's no way you'll be able to defeat all of us! Best for you to surrender and-"
"Hitmonchan, Fire Punch!"
"Poliwhirl, Bubble Beam!"
"Beedrill, Twineedle."
Suddenly three Pokemon jumped into the fray, launching their attacks at the unsuspecting Pokemon. Ash could see three more figures closing in, and felt an enormous wave of relief when he realized that Zane, Rachel, and Eric had come to save them.
"You guys have to get out of here!" Rachel yelled. "We'll hold them off!"
"But what about you!?" Nate said frantically, fear still coursing through him. "We can't just leave you here!"
"We're not the ones they're looking for." Zane said. "If you're smart you would have already left by now."
"Go." Eric said as he took out another PokeBall. A Golduck emerged from it and assisted Beedrill in taking down the Rockets. Zane and Rahcel did the same, releasing their Machoke and Nidorina respectively to help with the battle.
"Come on, guys!" Angelina said as she pointed up a set of stairs. "There's a staircase right here! We can use it to get to the main deck!"
Nate sighed in defeat and ran toward Angelina. Ash was about to do the same, but looked back at the three Trainers, who were commanding their Pokemon to take down as many Rockets as possible..
"Thank you." he said softly before running to his friends.
The three of them raced up the stairs and Nate slammed open the door to the main deck. Lightning flashed in the night sky and thunder boomed as well in the dark night sky. It was as though Zapdos itself had come to destroy the ship. The waves crashed into the large cruise, battering it each time. It was pouring outside, and the boat was rocking a lot, but that was the least of Ash's rain soaked into their hair as they ran across the deck, and Nate recalled his Charmeleon to keep its tail flame from going out.
"Dexter, send out a distress call to Professor Oak!" Ash said to his starter. Dexter nodded and his eyes started to glow red. The boy knew the professor wouldn't be able to get here in time, there were teleportation blocks placed on the ship to prevent people from sneaking in, but it would at least tell him that they were in trouble.
"Well, well, well!" a voice said. "It's the twerps who messed with my operation!"
Ash and his friends turned to see a man dressed in a similar uniform as the grunts, with white gloves and boots instead of the usual black. Short turquoise hair was showing under his hat, and a malicious grin was on his face.
Another man was with him, wearing the same outfit, but looked about twenty years older with purple hair and a beard.
"Who are you?" Angelina asked.
Proton frowned. "Ah, I forgot only one of you has met me." he said as his eyes lingered on Nate. "I'm Proton, the Rocket Executive in charge of this mission! This here is my associate Petrel." He gestured to the other man, who nodded.
"A pleasure. I must say I was impressed with all of your performances in the tournament." Petrel said, stroking his beard. "Team Rocket could use Trainers like you. If you join, you will be spared of course, and can aid in Team Rocket's conquest to take over Indigo! What do you kids say?"
"NEVER!" they all yelled.
Proton scoffed. "I told you." he muttered to Petrel. "But enough chit-chat! Today is the day you'll pay for what you did in Mt. Moon! You three almost lost me my Executive position, and that's the last time I will be embarrassed like that! I'll make sure of it."
The executive threw two PokeBalls into the air, the capsules opening to reveal a large Crobat and a smaller Pokemon with black fur, a red crest, and large white claws.
Petrel shrugged. "Well I guess this is my problem now." he said as he threw two more PokeBalls, which opened to reveal a Raticate and a Weezing.
Ash took a step back. There was no way out of this. They had to fight.
"Everyone, ATTACK!" they all yelled. An all out brawl ensued, in which both sides tried to overpower the other. Dexter was continuously launching Ice Beams and Psybeams toward Crobat in hopes of hitting. The bat dodged easily, and went in for a Poison Fang, but was stopped by a Thunderbolt from Pikachu.
Ivysaur was struggling to dodge the clawed Pokemon's attacks, as it kept swiping its sharp claws at the dinosaur. It was knocked back by a Pound from Jigglypuff, but charged forward with a Night Slash.
Kit and Speedy were double teaming the Raticate, who couldn't keep up with the siblings' superior speed. Kit focused on slamming it with Iron Tails, whilst Speedy used Bite on its tail, causing the rat to squeal in pain.
Petal, Nidorino, and Nate's Eevee were facing off against Weezing, who seemed to shrug off their attacks effortlessly and tried to take them down with Sludge Bomb and Flamethrower.
Suddenly, Proton issued a command. "Weavile, slit that pest's throat!" he said as pointed to Ash. The boy's eyes widened as he saw Weavile charge toward him, claws glowing in the form of a Slash attack. Just as his face was about to get sliced, he saw a brown blur slam into Weavile and bash its head with an Iron Tail, her face showing nothing but rage. The Weavile was sent crashing through the floor, falling into the rooms below as a pain hiss escaped its mouth.
Yep. Never piss off Kit.
A yellow blur whizzed past Ash, and he saw the unconscious form of Pikachu on the ground after being taken out by Crobat's Cross Poison.
He looked around and could already see that Jigglypuff, Ivysaur, Petal, and Speedy were all unconscious. Proton and Petrel had only lost one Pokemon, and he could see the rest of his team members being picked off one by one as his friends withdrew their Pokemon from battle.
Dexter slammed into the ground beside him, out cold. Proton grinned dangerously at the trio. They were out of options. The three of them backed away toward the railing of the deck as the executives and their Pokemon started getting closer and closer.
"Looks like you three are out of luck." Petrel said. "Such a shame really. I would have liked to have you on the team."
"But now it looks like you kids are going to die." Proton cackled. Ash's eyes widened in fear. No. He couldn't die. Not yet. He looked down toward the ocean and saw the waves crashing in the boat. He could feel the explosions rocking the large cruise. It wouldn't be large before the boat capsized.
"We have to jump." Ash said.
Angelina and Nate looked at him like he had grown a second head. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Nate yelled. He did NOT want to go into the ocean.
"We have to try!" Ash yelled as he pushed himself over the railing, and let go. Angelina and Nate looked at each other with mirrored expressions of fear, before nodding and going after Ash.
"Oh no you don't!" Proton yelled. "Crobat! Go after the brat with the cap!"
The Bat Pokemon nodded an affirmative and raced after Ash, who was rapidly falling toward the ocean. Ash's eyes widened as he saw the Poison/Flying-type racing after him, and his eyes narrowed. He wouldn't die, not today.
As Crobat was charging up an attack, the boy reared his fist back and slammed it into the four-winged flyer, interrupting its attack and causing it to screech in pain. Ash closed his eyes, took a breath, and plunged into the depths of the ocean. The last thing he saw was a giant lightning bolt crashing into the ship, before he went under.
Proton looked on as the three tweens fell into the water with a splash, one by one.
"Should we go after them?" Petrel asked. Proton just held up his hand and shook his head as his Crobat returned to his position and perched itself on his shoulder.
"No need." he responded. "Even if they do survive, there's no way those punks will mess with Team Rocket after this."
End of Chapter 9
Will Ash and his friends survive? Will Proton finally get his revenge? Who knows? Also it's like 1 AM as I finish writing this. Yay sleep deprivation!
So this chapter we got to see some new strategies employed by Ash, and a lot of battles. I haven't had a chance to really insert that element in, but luckily I was able to come with a few cool moves for Ash and his team.
If any of you guys get the reference to Speedy's name, I applaud you. If you get the reference, you'll also know which Eeveelution he'll evolve into.
I'm going to be taking some time off from this story to edit and flesh it out some more. I've been thinking a lot about what direction I want to take this story, and I want to make it as good as I can. I also want to try to finish off the school year as well, before committing more of my time to this story. So don't expect to see the next chapter for at least a month. I'm really committed to this story, so I want to make it the best it can be. Reviews help with that you know! Oh yeah, plus I'm getting a new computer as well, this one's kinda buggy.
Don't worry though, I promise the next chapter will come soon enough. Oh, and a new Pokemon for Ash! Hype! Speaking of new Pokemon though, I've already decided Ash's first eight Pokemon. After I'm done inserting them into the story, I have a few other options in mind that I can't decide on. So I'll be doing some polls so that you guys can decide! Also hype!
Anyways, here are the review reponses.
Reader: Maybe...
Dig wasn't added since it is a TM, and I was planning on sacking off Kit anyway. She's been destroying lately, and Dexter deserves the spotlight for once.
Ashpool: Not going to be bringing Ash to the other regions until he finishes the eight gyms in Kanto. If anything, he might go to Sinnoh or Kalos after. But don't worry, I'm balancing out his team to have three primarily physical attackers and three special attackers.
Yes, Satoshi is self-sufficient. And yes, he will act similarly to Sawyer.
Naofumi Uzumaki: Sorry, but none of those will be on Ash's team. I've already decided on his first eight mons.
Guest: Lol k don't care. This is my fanfiction and I can do what I want. Ash is not guilt-tripping his Pokemon to evolve, it never said that in my story. Just because I'm having his Pokemon evolve does not mean I'm a "hater" like you say. I plan to have one of Ash's Pokemon stop their evolution, but they'll still evolve sooner or later. If you don't like my story, leave.
And yes, Dexter will evolve into Porygon-Z. Why? Because it's frickin' awesome.
Anyways, here my responses! I hope to see you guys soon when I release my next chapter!