Crossroads Chapter 3: Rivalry Renewed!

Previously on Crossroads, Ash and Gary had a much-needed talk about what Ash needed to do to become a better trainer, and now they will have a battle.


Professor Oak's Laboratory – Kanto Region

Once the pair returned to Professor Oak's lab, they went inside to alert the Professor of their upcoming showdown.

"Hey, Gramps! Ashy-boy and I are going to have a battle. Would you mind being the referee?" Asked Gary once he and Ash made it to his office.

"Why sure, Gary! Since Tracy is away on a research project, I would be happy to take a break for a little while to be the referee for your battle!" Said Professor Oak, as cheerful as ever.

"Great! Ash and I will be in the back deciding which Pokémon we want to use," said Gary, motioning to the backyard with his right hand.

"Alright, boys, I'll be out in a minute." said the Professor. With that, the pair walked out to the backyard only to await the stampede of Pokémon that hurtled themselves toward Ash.

"Muk!" "Bay Bay!" Yelled Ash's two most physically loveable Pokémon as Muk and Bayleef pounced upon Ash once he entered the backyard.

"Hey, hey! It's good to see you guys too! Haha!" Said Ash cheerfully. He then continued to greet all of the other Pokémon, welcoming him home.

"Alright, so which Pokémon are you going to pick, Ash? I already know which Pokémon I'm going to use," asked Gary.

"Hmm… that's a good question? When I think about it, I have no idea who I should use," said a puzzled Ash. Who should he pick?

"Here, I have an idea! Why not use some of the Pokémon that you haven't battled with in a while?" Suggested Professor Oak, who just came through the back door.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Exclaimed Ash. "Even so, I'm still unsure who I should use."

Ash's question was quickly answered as both of the Pokémon that jumped on Ash earlier began to exclaim how much they wanted to battle by tackling Ash again.

Ash laughed at the situation and said, "Alright! Well, I have to go with Muk and Bayleef now!"

"Which is the last Pokémon you will select, Ash?" Asked Gary curiously.

"TORKOAL!" Cried the coal Pokémon as he came running through the crowd of Pokémon and hurled itself at Ash.

"Whoa! Hmm, I wonder why Torkoal wants to battle so bad?" Asked Ash.

"I think it's because Torkoal wants to redeem itself for what happened in the Sinnoh League," said Professor Oak wisely.

"Is that true, Torkoal?" Asked Ash.

"TORKOAL!" It cried even louder than before as the group couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"Well, there you go, Gary. It looks like I'm ready to go!"

"Very well, Ash. Let's get this battle started!" And with that, they moved to the open spot in the backyard where all the battles at the laboratory were held.

Ash and Gary stood opposite ends of the plains field, with Professor Oak in the middle.

The aged Professor raised his hands and said, "This battle will be a three-on-three battle with no time limit and no substitutions. The winner will be the first trainer to knock out three of the other person's Pokemon. Now, if both of you are ready, begin the battle!"

"Alright, Bayleef. I choose you!" Yelled Ash and pointed his finger towards the field, and Bayleef ran out eagerly.

"Bay Bay!" She cried as Bayleef got herself ready to battle.

"Alright, Ash, you might be expecting this one. But regardless, let's go, Umbreon!" Yelled Gary as he released the dark type eeveelution from its Pokeball.

"Umbri…" it called softly while analyzing its opponent.

Professor Oak looked at both Pokémon and decided to begin the battle by announcing Umbreon VS Bayleef, begin!"

"Alright, Ash, you have the first move," called Gary.

Ash responded by yelling, "With pleasure Gary! Now Bayleef, start it off with Razor Leaf!"

With that, the battle began as Bayleef immediately jumped into the air and swerved its head downwards, shooting a barrage of sharp leaves toward Umbreon.

"Umbreon, blow right through those leaves with your Dark Pulse!" On command, Umbreon created a dark ball of energy in its mouth and fired it as a beam of rings into the incoming razor leaves, which burned them to a crisp. The attack continued its path straight towards Bayleef, where the attack directly hit.

"Bayleef, stabilize yourself and use vine whip!" Roared Ash. As Bayleef was falling to the ground, she could stabilize itself in mid-air and fire a pair of vines from its neck, which hooked themselves onto Umbreon.

"Good! Now throw Umbreon!"

"Umbreon, don't let it throw you!" commanded Gary. He didn't want Ash to gain the upper hand.

Umbreon dug its claws into the ground but could not keep himself there as Bayleef's powerful vines launched Umbreon into the sky.

"Yes! Now hit it with Energy Ball while it can't move!" Yelled Ash trying to seize the opportunity.

Bayleef, upon command, created a large green ball of pure energy in its mouth and fired it toward the now falling Umbreon.

"Alright, Umbreon, now stabilize yourself and use double team while in mid-air!" Called Gary with a smirk on his face.

"What! There should be no way Umbreon can use any kinds of moves while falling!" Yelled Ash, shocked.

"Well, sorry, Ashy-boy, but this isn't just your average Umbreon. Alright, do it now!"

As the Energy Ball was about to hit Umbreon, Umbreon stabilized itself in mid-air, and a spectator could see Umbreon's body illuminate itself a bit. As a result, the attack flew straight through the Umbreon clone that took the original's place.

"Good! Now hit Bayleef from behind with your Shadow Claw!" Yelled Gary as he pumped his fist, eager for his plan to work.

As he said that, the real Umbreon appeared behind Bayleef, ready to strike it down. However, Ash wasn't done just quite yet.

"Quick, Bayleef, use your Vine Whip to jump before it hits you!" Roared Ash desperately in an attempt to get Bayleef out of harm's way.

As a result, Bayleef could escape with only a light slash on its side from Umbreon's Shadow Claw before it propelled itself into the air using its robust vines.

"Nice, Bayleef! Now pin it down with Body Slam!" Yelled Ash seeing that the momentum was back on his side.

Knowing there was no way out of this situation, Gary yelled quickly, "Umbreon, shoot your Dark Pulse straight up into Bayleef!"

"Sorry Gary, not going to work! Bayleef, Body Slam full power!"

As Bayleef was heading down towards Umbreon, Umbreon quickly lifted its head and shot the powerful black beam into Bayleef. However, it hardly slowed Bayleef as it came down on Umbreon hard, creating an explosion from hitting the base of Umbreon's Dark Pulse.

As the smoke cleared somehow, someway, it showed an exhausted Umbreon standing atop an out cold Bayleef with swirls in its eyes.

"Bayleef is unable to battle; the winner is Umbreon!" Called Professor Oak.

"Bayleef hit Umbreon full force with Body Slam! How didn't that work?!" Complained Ash as he had no idea what happened.

"Well, you see, Ash, the damage compiled from the Dark Pulse at the beginning, plus being half hit by Shadow Claw, then hitting the base of Umbreon's Dark Pulse at the end, was just too much for Bayleef to take. You must better assess how much damage your Pokémon has taken throughout the match. Although if that were me in your position, I probably would have just gone with using the body slam, too," explained Gary, trying to help his rival.

Ash was about to respond, but Professor Oak cut in and said, "You know Ash, Gary is right about needing to know how much damage your Pokémon has taken throughout the battle. As a trainer, you should try to master all the different aspects of battling."

Now understanding what happened, Ash recalled Bayleef to her Pokeball and said, "Yes, I know, Professor, but it's still only the first battle. I'm not done yet, Gary, and I'm going to show you right now! Torkoal, I choose you!"

On command, Torkoal ran out to the center of the field from where he was standing on the sideline.

"TOR-KOAL!" The Coal Pokémon cried as it released a large amount of steam from its nose.

Professor Oak looked at both Pokémon and called, "Umbreon VS Torkoal, begin!"

"Torkoal, Flamethrower! Yelled Ash as Torkoal released a torrent of flames from its mouth towards Umbreon.

"Umbreon, counter it with Dark Pulse!" Called Gary and Umbreon fired the familiar black beam toward the incoming Flamethrower.

As the two attacks hit each other, a battle for early dominance ensued. However, as time wore on, Torkoal would not let the attack that overpowered him in the Sinnoh League best him today. In response, he released an extra burst of heat from his mouth and, as such, was able to overpower the Dark Pulse.

After Umbreon was pushed back from the Flamethrower, Gary quickly responded by yelling, "Umbreon, push Torkoal back with Shadow Claw!"

Ash, however, was ready for Gary's attack as he called out in response, "Torkoal, Iron Defense!"

Torkoal, seeing that Umbreon was coming with Night Slash, quickly hid inside its armor-like shell, glowing brightly for a second before dimming. Umbreon's came down as hard as it could on Torkoal's outer shell, but the effects of the attack were next to nothing as it seemed no external damage had been done.

"Perfect, Torkoal! Now, release from your shell, use Heat Wave, and follow it up with Body Slam!"

Upon command, Torkoal came out from its shell and fired a scorching wave of fire toward Umbreon. Umbreon happened to be very close to Torkoal, pushing it back several feet. Once Umbreon was driven back, Torkoal used its legs to jump into the air and land directly on the exhausted Umbreon.

Gary, who could do nothing to stop Torkoal's powerful string of attacks, could merely look on as Torkoal removed itself from Umbreon to reveal it out cold with swirls in its eyes.

"Umbreon is unable to battle, which makes Torkoal the winner!" Announced Professor Oak.

"Yes! That's the way to do it, Torkoal!" Yelled Ash with a thumbs up.

"TORKOAL!" It cried, flooding the area around it in tears.

Gary recalled Umbreon to her Pokeball, praised her, and said, "I'll admit Ash that, that was pretty good. However, I know you have always had a problem with my next Pokémon, so here he is! Scizor, let's go!" As he finished speaking, he released Pincer Pokémon from its Pokeball.

"Scizor…" said Scizor calmly upon being released as it got itself ready to battle.

Ash knew he had a hard time against Gary's Scizor in the Silver Conference, but it didn't make sense why he would use it against a Pokémon that did even more damage against it than usual?

"Why are you using Scizor against my Torkoal? You know fire types do a lot of damage against Bug/Steel types, right?" Asked Ash.

"Of course, I know that Ashy-boy. Why would I use a Pokémon like Scizor if I didn't have a plan in the first place? I guess you will just have to find out."

With that said, Professor Oak decided to begin the next match by saying, "Torkoal VS Scizor begin!"

"Torkoal, Flamethrower! Yelled Ash. He wanted to start this battle off right. Torkoal followed Ash's commands by firing a stream of flames right toward Scizor.

"Scizor, evade it with Agility, and then go in with Metal Claw!"

Upon Gary's command, Scizor rushed forward while evading all the incoming flames streams while Torkoal kept trying to lock on to the speedy Scizor. However, Scizor had too much speed from being fresh out of his Pokeball. Seconds later, he struck Torkoal right in the face, which sent the coal Pokémon skidding across the ground several feet.

"Torkoal, shake it off and use Heat Wave!" Yelled Ash. Torkoal then quickly lifted its head and fired a wave of scorching fire toward Scizor.

"Scizor, evade that by jumping high in the air!" Called Gary. Scizor complied by jumping and using its bug-like wings to get high into the air to avoid the incoming Heat Wave.

"Perfect, I knew you would do that! Now Torkoal, Overheat!" Roared Ash while pointing his finger to exactly where Scizor would pop up over the Heat Wave.

Torkoal leaned its head back before pushing it forward and launching a tremendously big whitish-red beam from its mouth, which had incredible heat radiating off it, toward Scizor, who had just revealed itself over the Heat Wave.

"SCIZOR, get away NOW!" Roared Gary. He knew it would be all over if Scizor got hit with a direct hit from that Overheat.

Scizor, using its incredible speed, managed to get away from most of the beam. However, the Overheat came at such a fast velocity that Scizor could not dodge the entire attack, and it grazed its right side.

"Alright, Torkoal, you got him!"

"I wouldn't cheer just yet if I were you, Ash! Scizor Flash Cannon while he's distracted!" Yelled Gary, trying to seize the opportunity.

Ash, though, wasn't as distracted as he led on and quickly retaliated by saying, "Torkoal, counter with Flamethrower!"

On command, the two Pokémon fired their elemental beam toward each other. However, because Torkoal was weakened by using Overheat, Scizor's Flash Cannon quickly overcame Torkoal's fire attack.

"Torkoal, no! Are you alright?" Asked Ash after Torkoal skidded backward closer to its trainer.

"Tor…KOAL!" It cried proudly as it blew more steam from its nose.

"Alright, then, Torkoal, here we go! It's time for a new strategy! Now use Body Slam to get close to Scizor!" Called Ash proudly.

Torkoal obliged by launching itself like a bullet towards Scizor and turning its back towards it so he could hit Scizor with his shell.

"Scizor, punch it with Crush Claw!" In response, Scizor powered up its left claw as it illuminated with a bright white glow.

Scizor then released its raw power, punching Torkoal as it made contact. It stopped the coal Pokémon in its tracks and created a shockwave from the sheer impact.

"Alright now, Torkoal, use Heat Wave to launch yourself into the air!" Torkoal emerged from its shell with its head faced towards the ground. It then fired its Heat Wave onto the ground in front of Scizor, propelling it into the air.

"Arggh, what are you up to, Ash?! Ugh, never mind; Scizor, fire your Flash Cannon at it."

Ignoring Gary's commands, Ash roared as loud as he could, "Torkoal, use Overheat and give it everything you got!"

Despite Scizor's Flash Cannon, which was already heading Torkoal's way, Torkoal managed to ready itself mid-air and fired its powerful flame-like beam towards the incoming Flash Cannon. The power of the attack was like a knife cutting through butter as it sliced through the Flash Cannon and engulfed Scizor.

"Scizor, NO!" Yelled Gary. He could do nothing but watch as the most potent fire-type attack engulfed Scizor.

Once the flames diminished, it was apparent Scizor was beaten as it released a puff of smoke from its mouth and crumbled to the ground in a charred hunk with swirls in its eyes.

"Scizor is unable to battle, which means Torkoal wins again!" Announced Professor Oak.

"Alright, Torkoal! That's two in a row!" Cheered Ash loudly. All the while, you could only hear Torkoal crying as loud as ever from its second consecutive victory.

"Wow, who would have thought that Torkoal could have won two in a row? That's remarkable if you ask me," said Professor Oak with a smile.

"Yeah! You were right about Torkoal wanting to redeem itself after the Sinnoh League," said Ash agreeing with the Professor. This just made Torkoal cry even louder if it was even possible.

While Ash was talking to Professor Oak, Gary had already recalled Scizor and said, "Well, I gotta say, Ash, you're impressing me so far, but I'm afraid it's time for me to turn up the heat myself!"

"Alright! Bring it on, Gary!"

"You're going to wish you never said that, Ashy-boy. Now Magmortar let's go!" He called as he released the mighty Blast Pokémon onto the field.

"Mag-MORTAR!" Roared the Blast Pokémon as it looked more than ready to go a couple of rounds.

"Ah, well, I wasn't aware that Magmar evolved, Gary?" Asked Professor Oak curiously.

Gary laughed and said, "I evolved it in Sinnoh when I was digging through Mt. Coronet, but that's a story for another time."

"Alright, Gary, if you say so. Anyway, though, Magmortar VS Torkoal, Begin!"

"Torkoal has gotta be low on energy, so I gotta try and finish this fast," thought Ash to himself and then announced, "Torkoal, Overheat quick!"

"Come on, Ash, you know better than that; Magmortar, Flamethrower!"

Torkoal shot out another fire-like beam from its mouth. However, anyone could tell it was much weaker than before. The fresh Magmortar had no problem breaking through as its Flamethrower cut right through Torkoal's Overheat like how Torkoal's broke through Scizor's Flash Cannon in the previous round.

"Good! Now finish it with Hyper Beam!" Called Gary with a smirk.

Magmortar created a ball of colorful energy in its cannon-like arms, which glowed brighter and brighter every second until Magmortar pushed the ball forward. It then fired like a beam right towards Torkoal.

"Torkoal, try to defend yourself with Iron Defense!" But it was too late as the powerful beam already completely engulfed Torkoal, sending the turtle flying back behind Ash and into a tree. After the beam dissipated, Torkoal was left in a slouched heap with swirls in its eyes.

"Torkoal is unable to battle, and Magmortar is the winner!" Exclaimed Professor Oak.

Ash recalled Torkoal and ensured he knew what a fabulous job it did today.

"Now that is one powerful Magmortar. It's probably just as strong as Paul's, if not stronger," said Ash, recalling Paul's Magmortar's strength.

"Well, I wouldn't doubt it; I've had Magmar now Magmortar since about halfway through my first journey, and it's been six years since then, so it's no surprise, really," said Gary cockily.

"Oh really? How about I bring out one of the Pokémon I've had since my first journey? Muk, let's go; I choose you! Yelled Ash while once again pointing out onto the field.

"Muk… MUK!" Cried Muk as it slid its way onto the field.

"Alright, well, if you're both ready to begin the final battle for today, then let's do it! Muk VS Magmortar, Begin!

"Muk, Sludge Bomb!" Called Ash quickly, trying to gain the early edge. However, Gary was going to have no part in that.

Gary fired back, "Magmortar, counter it with Rock Tomb!"

As the dozens of sludge pellets made their way towards Magmortar, Magmortar shot four purple orbs from its cannon-like arms towards the ground, which expanded into huge rock formations. The rock formations turned out to be more than a match for the Sludge Bomb as it was able to ward away the incoming attack.

"Alright, if Sludge Bomb is no good, then we'll just have to get in close with Shadow Punch!"

Muk then created a big fist from its poison body which glowed with a dark black aura. Muk then made a punching motion which fired a 'Shadow Punch' towards Magmortar, taking the hit as the attack was unavoidable.

"Alright, Magmortar, let him have his fun. Shake it off and use Sunny Day," Called Gary, which made Ash cringe because that would give all fire-type moves a significant power boost.

Magmortar raised one of its cannon-like arms towards the sky and fired a red orb like a missile which instantly caused the field to feel much hotter than the beach.

"Alright, now that you're all fired up, use Flare Blitz!" Called Gary with a smirk as Magmortar engulfed itself in a red hot fire that turned a light blue from being so hot after a few seconds. Magmortar then began to charge toward Muk.

"Muk, hold it off with Acid Armor!" Yelled Ash hoping the defense increase would be enough to hold Magmortar off. Muk then began glowing an icy aurora color that engulfed its entire body, increasing its defense power substantially.

Magmortar crashed into Muk, but the Acid Armor held firm, and it soon became a power struggle of who would give in first. Bit by bit, however, Magmortar began pushing Muk further and further back. Ash decided that was enough and ordered, "Muk, use Sludge Bomb since Magmortar is right in front of you!"

For Muk to use Sludge Bomb, Muk had to give up some of the strength it was using to hold off Magmortar. However, as soon as Muk opened its mouth, a torrent of sludge pellets fired from it. This caused Magmortar to be bombarded by a heavy barrage of sludge bombs.

Regardless of the attack, Magmortar could now push Muk further back. Soon, Magmortar could push Muk to the ground, stopping the Sludge Bomb attack causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were still standing but breathing heavily.

"I'm not letting you win this battle, Ash! Magmortar, Overheat!"

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that! I'm the one that's going to win this battle, Gary! Muk, Hyper Beam!" Bellowed Ash.

Both Pokémon charged up their respective attacks as Magmortar flung its cannon-like arms forward and fired out the same flame-like beam that Torkoal emitted but probably even stronger than his.

On the other hand, Muk created two poison-like hands and, along with its wide mouth, produced the same color ball as before but fired it as a beam right towards the incoming Overheat.

The two powerful elemental beams met at the center of the field, and upon contact, the two beams began to fight for control. Several times, it looked like either side was going to break, but when the overall power became too much, the beams overloaded and exploded. It sent a shockwave that could be felt from anywhere in Pallet Town. After a few moments, the smoke cleared, and both Pokemon were lying on their backs with swirls in their eyes.

"Both Muk and Magmortar are unable to battle, which means that this match is a draw! Great work to both of you. That was a fantastic battle!" Announced Professor Oak. True to his word, both Magmortar and Muk were on the ground with swirls in their eyes.

Both trainers returned their Pokémon to their Pokeballs, and after giving them praise on a great battle, Ash said, "Aww man, I just wanted to beat you straight up this time."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Ash. I'm sure we will have another battle sooner than you think," said Gary, who had come over for a handshake.

Ash accepted the handshake and asked, "What do you mean by that, Gary?"

Before Gary answered, he looked at Professor Oak, who nodded his head, affirming the silent question Gary asked. Gary turned back to face Ash and said, "Well, I mean that I ran into somebody I would say you are pretty familiar with."

"Somebody that I'm familiar with? Like who?" Asked Ash, as curious as ever.

"You know, Scott?"

"Do I know a Scott….." Ash pondered, searching his memory. Suddenly, Ash's eyes grew as wide as ever as the realization dawned on him.

"Wait... You mean Scott from the Battle Frontier?!"


Author's Note:

Alright, so I have decided to cut it there for today as I believe that is a good time to cut it—Torkoal for the dub, folks.

If you can leave a review, favorite, or follow this story, it all does mean a lot, so if you could drop me a review on your thoughts on the story, that would be awesome!

As always, here is the next chapter!

Crossroads Chapter 4: The Choice!
Cyclone20