After a good night's rest in the Lighthouse, and an early morning breakfast, the group bade farewell to Bill. By the early afternoon, they finally arrived at the gates of Vermillion City, bring everybody's spirits up.
The city was the most well known seaport in all of Kanto, featuring many trade ships and luxury cruise liners. The city had far more to offer than that though. It was also home to the region's Pokemon Fan Club, was connected to the famous Diglet Cave, and was of course home to the Vermillion City Gym. Ash was particularly interested in the latter of course. To that end, the group made their way to the Pokemon Center for a final check up before his big match. Ash also wanted Nurse Joy to assess the health of his Eevee Egg, which he currently had stored in his backpack.
Soon enough, Ash, Brock, and Misty found themselves walking into the local Pokemon Center. The inside was a flurry of activity with trainers, Chanseys and stretchers, and Nurse Joy running back and forth. "What do you guys think is going on here?" wondered Ash.
Brock and Misty had no answers, but a trainer sitting in the waiting area that overheard Ash did.
"Hey you three," called out the trainer.
Ash, Brock and Misty turned towards the voice. It was a young boy, around Ash's age, with spiky hair and a blue and yellow hat. His shirt and pants were green with a yellow trim and he was sitting alone at the moment.
"Hi," responded Ash as the group walked over to join him. "Do you know what's going on here?"
"Sadly I do," said the boy as he gestured for Ash and his friends to take a seat. "You see, all these people suffered brutal defeats from the local Gym Leader," said the mystery boy.
"Really?" questioned Brock.
"Yup. The Gym Leader is named Lt. Surge and he is ex-military. Guess his time in the armed forces hardened him," muttered the boy.
"Wow. He must be pretty tough to cause all this in such a short time span," observed Ash.
"Oh he is. I experienced that first hand when his Raichu completely destroyed Sparky," said the boy with his head hung low.
"Sparky?" questioned Misty.
"Oh right. Sparky is a nickname for my Pikachu, like the one you have on your shoulder," replied the boy with a smile as he gestured to Ash. "I guess I haven't really introduced myself either. My name is Ritchie."
"Nice to meet you Ritchie. My name is Ash. This is Brock and Misty," Ash said referring to his companions. "I'm here to challenge Lt. Surge for a badge too. Guess I will have to think hard on the strategy though."
"Well it's nice to meet you all too," smiled back the boy. "If there is one piece of advice I can give, it is this. Lt. Surge may be powerful, but his Pokemon seem to lack speed. I think that is what i'm going to focus on for my rematch anyway," admitted the boy.
The group continued to interact with one another, exchanging pleasantries. Eventually, Ritchie was called up to the counter though to pick up his Pokemon.
"Guess this is goodbye for now. Going to do some special training before a rematch. Best of luck Ash!" said Ritchie offering his hand to Ash.
"You too Ritchie," Ash said giving the offered hand a shake. Ritchie picked up his Pokemon and soon departed.
Meanwhile, the gang bided their time until things seemed to calm down in the Pokemon Center.
"Nurse Joy. I was hoping you could take a look at my Pokemon and my Pokemon egg when you have a chance," Ash requested as he walked up to the counter.
"That won't be a problem, but I am afraid you will not be getting your Pokemon back until tomorrow morning," warned the nurse.
"TOMORROW MORNING? I mean... Sorry, but I was hoping to battle Lt. Surge today, muttered Ash."
"Listen young man, I understand your frustration but thanks to that Gym Leader, I have more patients than I can handle so tomorrow morning it is!" responded a clearly stressed out Nurse Joy.
"FOR SHAME ASH! TO MAKE DEMANDS OF SUCH A BEAUTIFUL CHARMING LADY IS A CRIME AGAINST NATURE! NURSE JOY, ALLOW ME TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU OVER A ROMANTIC NIGHT OF DANCING AND PIZZA!" Brock proclaimed in his creepy, er romantic, voice on one knee.
Nurse Joy simply ignored him, far too busy to deal with it, and she walked away with everyone's Pokemon. Ash sighed, having seen this before. Misty on the other hand, was not pleased at all. Grabbing Brock by the ear, she dragged him off for a well deserved lecture, leaving Ash all alone.
"Well guess there is nothing I can do about it. Might as well call Professor Oak to ask about Krabby," Ash said out loud to himself. Walking over to a video phone station, Ash went ahead and dialed the Professor, who soon showed up on screen.
"Hello there Ash. Calling me two days in a row, now that is far from the norm," chuckled the Professor.
"Sorry Professor Oak, but you hung up on me before I could ask you about my Krabby," replied Ash.
"No need to apologize. Yes, I did receive Krabby yesterday with no issue. That must mean you are up to seven Pokemon now Ash," smiled the professor.
"I sure am! I also got a Pokemon egg, which will make eight when it hatches," Ash beamed in pride.
"Very good! Very Good! Of course, Gary has already caught 45 Pokemon," Oak said offhandedly.
"FOURTY-FIVE!" a horrified Ash yelled back. "Fine. Not like I care anyway. In any case, I would like to switch out a Pokemon for Krabby Professor," said Ash as he calmed down.
"That's fine Ash. If I might make a request, would you mind sending me Clefairy?"
"I don't have a problem with it, but why Clefairy?" asked a confused Ash.
"Come now Ash. You of all people should now how rare that Pokemon is. I have hardly had a chance to study Clefairy in the past, especially up close," lectured the professor.
Ash supposed this made sense. "Ok Professor, but I am going to send Butterfree your way as well to open up a slot for when my Pokemon egg hatches," said Ash.
"No problem at all. Send them over and I will transport Krabby to you."
"Ok I will," said Ash as he reached for his belt only to find it empty. "Oops. I kinda forgot that I left them with Nurse Joy," Ash laughed.
"Not to worry. I will simply page Nurse Joy and have her make the switch when your Pokemon are discharged," Oak replied.
"Thanks professor!" Ash grinned as the phone call came to an end.
After the call, and calling his mother, Ash reconnected with Brock and Misty. The latter had decided she was going to spend the day shopping in Vermillion City and taking in the sights. The former elected to resupply, which Ash decided to join in on. Better than shopping with Misty anyway, though Ash as he internally shuddered.
While making their way to the Poke Mart, Ash decided to strike up a conversation with Brock regarding the upcoming Gym Battle.
Hey Brock, do you mind if I talk through some strategy with you about tomorrow's Gym Battle?"
"Sure Ash. Lay it on me," smiled the older teenager.
"Great! Well the first thing I was thinking about was which Pokemon I should use tomorrow. From what I have read and heard, Vermillion City Gym Battles are usually 1 on 1," Ash said, which Brock confirmed with a nod and a motion to continue.
"At first, I thought I might use Bulbasaur, because it is naturally resistant to electric types. Then I saw a few grass types on the stretchers at the Pokemon Center and it didn't seem to help them. Pidgeotto and Butterfree are obviously out thanks to their disadvantage. Krabby is out for the same reason and I haven't even had a chance to give him any training yet. Charmeleon might be a good option, but that would turn the battle into a power vs power fight. I'm not sure I could beat an experienced Gym Leader like Surge at his own game at this stage," admitted Ash.
"Then that leaves you with Clefairy and Pikachu," noted Brock.
"Clefairy is getting stronger, but i'm not sure it is ready for a Gym Battle just yet. Plus, I already promised Professor Oak I would send her over as soon as Nurse Joy finished checking up my Pokemon," responded Ash.
"Then Pikachu?" questioned Brock.
"Yeah I think so. Ritchie gave some pretty good advice about speed being a possible way to defeat Surge, and Pikachu has that in spades. What do you think Brock?" asked the boy tentatively.
"I think you've thought about this carefully. I can find no fault in your reasoning Ash," smiled the older boy as he clapped him on the back.
The rest of the trip they talked about other things not related to the battle. Later on, they met back up with Misty at the Pokemon Center, who had her hands full from all the shopping she had done. The group enjoyed a quick dinner in the cafeteria and then headed off to bed.
Next Day at the Vermillion City Gym
Ash, Brock and Misty approached the giant green building that had several metal lightning bolt structures protruding from it. Earlier that morning, Nurse Joy had given Ash's Pokemon a clean bill of health and had already switched out Ash's Clefairy and Butterfree for Krabby, as Professor Oak had mentioned yesterday.
"Are you sure you don't want to back out Ash?" teased Misty.
"Keep laughing Misty. I'll let my battle speak for itself," retorted Ash.
With nothing else to say, the group moved forward, pushing the doors open. Ash walked in followed by Brock and Misty. Inside, he immediately saw two figures blocking his path. One was a man who looked to be a wannabe bike gang member, while the other was a woman who looked like she just came from an exercise gym.
"My name is Ash Red Ketchum from Pallet Town and i'm here to challenge the Gym Leader for the Thunder Badge!" Ash said with confidence.
"Hey boss, looks like another victim for the emergency room," japed the male.
A figure chuckled from behind the two goons and then stood up and walked into the light. He was a towering adult male with big bulging muscles. The man wore a green military vest that was open along with green pants. Finally, he had spiky yellow hair. "Welcome to Vermillion City Gym! I'm Lt. Surge."
The group was a bit in awe at his stature, but Ash soon snapped out of it. "Lt. Surge, I challenge you to a battle!"
"Okay baby," laughed the man as he ruffled Ash's hat and hair with his gargantuan hand.
"I'm not a baby. My name is Ash!" retorted the angry boy as he swiped the hand away.
Surge simply laughed more as he led them to the battlefield. "I call everyone who loses to me baby."
"I guess that will make you the baby when I win them!" Ash said.
Soon enough, the group arrived to the battlefield and both participants took their places, with the wanna be bike gang member officiating.
"The Pokemon battle will now begin. Only one Pokemon may be used. The battle will end when either trainer's Pokemon is unable to battle," said the judge.
"Ok baby, get a load of this! Go Raichu!" Pikachu's evolution appeared on the battlefield. It was an orange Pokemon with a white belly, yellow cheeks, and a long yellow tail.
"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash calmly called as he Pikachu jumped off the boy's shoulder and onto the battlefield. The Pokemon looked at Raichu with intensity as sparks left its cheeks.
"A Pikachu? Raichu eats Pikachus for breakfast. We just trounced another kid with a Pikachu yesterday," laughed the Gym Leader as his Pokemon smirked at Pikachu.
"Pika! Pika!" Pikachu angrily responded, wanting to charge in now.
"Pikachu focus! We will defeat Raichu and Surge, but we have to be smart about it," Ash warned, making his Pokemon calm down.
"Let the match begin!" yelled the side judge.
"Ok Raichu, let's end this in one attack! Thundershock!" smirked Surge.
"RAICHUUUU!" A stream of lightning instantly emerged from Raichu, heading straight for the smaller mouse Pokemon in the room.
"Pikachu, dodge with Double team," Ash responded. One Pikachu instantly turned into a dozen, surrounding Raichu, as the Thundershock struck a copy that faded. "Follow up with Agility into Iron Tail," yelled Ash. Immediately, the eleven remaining images of Pikachu charged at full speed towards Raichu from all sides.
Surge was unfazed. "Not good enough baby. Discharge Raichu!" This time, lightning came out of Raichu from all sides, destroying the copies and knocking the real Pikachu back towards Ash. The one saving grace was that the attack had to split its power into multiple lightning streams, meaning Pikachu didn't take nearly as much damage as it could.
This isn't good. Raichu can get around Pikachu's speed and knock us back with Discharge, thought Ash.
"Keep up the pressure Raichu! Give it another Thundershock!" yelled Surge.
"Dodge it again with Double Team Pikachu!" Ash cried out, desperately trying to buy some more time.
Once again, Pikachu successfully multiplied himself and was able to avoid the hit.
"We've played this game before baby, and you know what comes next," chuckled Surge.
Ash did, but now he had to think and think fast. Time slowed down as he analyzed the current battle. If I use Agility into Iron Tail, Surge will simply have Raichu use Discharge again. Even with the non-effectiveness of the attacks, they are still packing quite the punch. Not even Pikachu can't absorb all that lightning forever... Or can he, thought Ash. The boy recalled the day he met Pikachu and a plan began to form in his head. Time seemed to speed back up as he was now ready to go.
"So you think Surge. Agility into Iron Tail once more Pikachu!" commanded Ash. Pikachu obeyed, sprinting towards Raichu with a glowing tail.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Put that Pikachu in his place with another Discharge Raichu!" Just like before, lightning instantly left Raichu's body in all directions.
"STOP AND PLANT THAT IRON TAIL INTO THE GROUND PIKACHU!" yelled Ash. The yellow mouse, and his copies, planted their feet at once, with tails sinking into the ground just before Discharge connected. The attack landed, instantly destroying the copies, but as Ash planned, the lightning flowed through Pikachu, into the Iron Tail, and into the ground. Just like with Charmander's Metal Claw, thought Ash with a small grin on his face.
"Using Iron Tail to conduct electricity was pretty smart baby, but with Pikachu stuck in the ground, you left yourself wide open. MEGA KICK RAICHU!" The evolved Pokemon started its own dash towards Pikachu, albeit far slower, and leaped with its foot extended towards its intended victim.
There's no way to dodge with Pikachu stuck and Thundershock will do no good against Raichu... But it may do good elsewhere, Ash thought. "Thundershock full power into the ground Pikachu!" Ash quickly called out.
Pikachu obeyed and the full powered Thundershock created a great amount of energy beneath the mouse Pokemon, propelling it into the air and out of harms way, as Raichu's foot struck the ground.
"No way," marveled Surge at the unique dodge.
Meanwhile, Ash saw Pikachu hits its peak, high in the air above Raichu, and knew this was his big chance. USE YOUR DOWNWARD MOMENTUM AND GIVE IT ONE FINAL IRON TAIL AT FULL POWER PIKACHU!" yelled Ash with conviction. Pikachu obeyed and began to descend at a great speed, spinning its body and charging up his tail.
Lt. Surge knew his Pokemon would be to slow to dodge, so he did what he did best, and called for an attack. "STOP IT WITH YOUR MEGA PUNCH RAICHU!"
Raichu's arm began to glow and he swung it towards the oncoming Pikachu... but it was already too late. Pikachu's speed and multiple Agilities already used made a difference. Iron Tail had passed the glowing fist of Raichu before it could fully form and connected with the Orange mouse directly into the face, slamming the Pokemon into the ground with a loud boom, and creating a massive amount of dust.
When the dust settled, Pikachu stood proud above a crater with Raichu inside and clearly knocked out.
"UNBELEIVABLE!" Surge exclaimed in shock at Raichu getting taken down.
"WE DID IT PIKACHU!" Ash joyously whooped, picking up his yellow friend and giving him a big hug.
"Do you think he plans it, or makes it up as he goes?" Misty asked Brock, very impressed at the strategy Ash utilized.
"Give him some credit Misty. Ash may be dense in some areas, but when it comes to Pokemon and battling, I haven't met another trainer like him," Brock smiled with familiar pride.
A short while later, Ash and Co. were outside the Gym with Lt. Surge standing in front of him.
"Congratulations Ash and Pikachu," smiled a cheerful Surge as he shook Ash's hand. "You two make a pretty good team. As proof of your victory here today, I award you the Thunder Badge."
Taking the badge from Surge, Ash and Pikachu instantly entered what was becoming a regular pose. "WE GOT, THE THUNDER BADGE!"
"PI! PIKACHU!"
After saying their goodbyes, the group walked away from the Gym and headed back towards the Pokemon Center for a good night's rest, before continuing their journey. Not 10 minutes into their walk, the group was accosted by a normal looking man in a business suit.
"Excuse me young man, but I couldn't help but notice that you just won a Thunder Badge," said the man.
"I sure did!" Ash said with pride. "But, how did you know that sir?"
The man simply smiled. "We have contacts all over the place, including the Gym, and are constantly kept up to date regarding promising trainers. As for who we is, I represent the luxury cruise liner, The S.S. Anne. Tomorrow, the ship is hosting a gathering for talented trainers to mingle, battle, trade, and so on as the ship sails around the waters of Vermillion for 24 hours. We still have a few spots to fill and I think you all would make excellent candidates. If you are interested that is?" offered the man.
"A whole day aboard the luxurious S.S. Anne!" Misty exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes.
"I bet there will be loads of trainers to battle and lots of cool Pokemon too!" added Ash excitedly.
"Are you sure there is no catch?" Brock asked skeptically.
"None whatsoever young man. I have three tickets right here for you, free of charge. You might also be interested to know that the ship will come with its own Nurse Joy to look after any injured Pokemon, added the man.
"NURSE JOY? I'M IN!" exclaimed Brock with glee.
"You kids be at the harbor tomorrow at 10:00 AM sharp, and have fun," said the man as he handed over the tickets.
The gang departed to the Pokemon Center in even higher spirits, excited about the adventures to come.
The man had left in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, he stepped into an abandoned alleyway. Looking around to make sure he was alone, he pulled out a cell phone and made a call. Hearing the answer on the other line, the man spoke in a voice that was far different from earlier.
"This is Executive Petrol. The last spots on the ship have been filled with trainers. Everything is ready to go boss."
Malevolent laughter could be heard coming from the other end of the line...
END CHAPTER
There you have it folks! Ash meets Ritchie far earlier than in cannon, we get a fun action-packed Gym Battle, and the stage has been set for the events aboard the S.S. Anne.
Next time - The group boards the ship, has some fun, and Team Rocket springs a trap!
Plebston323 - Thanks for the review! I am glad you like the concept. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter.
Coolguy001 - Thanks for the review! As I said in the PM, I have already decided the Pokemon that Eevee will evolve into. It is my favorite evolution of the line, but I will say nothing more for now ;)
DragonEmperor999 - Thanks for the review! Looks like you caught what I was hinting at a few chapters ago when I talked about unpopular decisions. You may have noticed that we skipped the Squirtle Squad episode. That was intentional. As of now, I have no plans on Ash obtaining a Squirtle. I would like it to be unique to Gary in this story. As for Ash, he is going to be using Krabby far earlier to give it some training, which I think is more realistic than it making its first appearance at the Pokemon League and winning in a sweep...
Remember to read and review with your thoughts/critique :)
Smell ya later!
