Saffron City Pokemon Center

"Hello Ash! I see that you are calling me from Saffron City. How did your Gym Battle go?" asked Professor Oak.

Ash gave a wide smile in return and opened up his jacket, pointing to the newly pinned Marsh Badge. "As you can see, it went great professor!"

"Well done Ash! You'll be proud to know that you are the only Pallet Town trainer who has defeated Sabrina," added the professor.

"Really?"

"Yes. As boastful as my own grandson can be, he thought it wise to avoid the Saffron City Gym, due to the leader's reputation. The other trainer... Well, i'm sad to say that they have given up and returned to Pallet Town," sighed Professor Oak.

Ash felt pride at doing something his rival hadn't even dared to attempt, and a touch of curiosity regarding the other trainer, but he had other fish to fry, so he moved on from the subject. "Anyway, I want to swap out some Pokemon now that the match is over."

"All right then. Which Pokemon would you like to send over?" asked Oak with curiosity.

"I'm going to be sending you Haunter and Butterfree. I know I just got Butterfree back, but there isn't much I can think of right now for additional training. As for Haunter, after that intense Gym Battle he just had, I figure he could use a break," reasoned Ash.

"No need to justify your reasoning Ash," laughed the professor. "Do you know which Pokemon you would like back in return?"

Ash frowned at this. "That's the thing professor. I kinda want all three, but that would put me at seven..."

"That shouldn't be a problem Ash. You are authorized to carry seven Pokemon," said Oak.

"But... What? When did that happen?" asked a thoroughly confused Ash.

"Did I not tell you? Oh dear. I'm sorry for the mix up, but Champion Lance himself authorized you an additional slot after your actions aboard the S.S. Anne. I could have sworn I had already told you my boy, but it must have slipped my mind," admitted the embarrassed professor.

"Really?" Ash asked with excitement.

"Yes Ash! As I am done studying Clefairy for now, I have no issues sending her, Pidgeotto, and your Ivysaur back to you," smiled Professor Oak. Pikachu flinched hearing Clefairy's name, remembering her previous unwanted advances.

"Great! Let's make the exchange then," cheered Ash.

Soon enough, Ash had has three Pokemon back in rotation, while Haunter and Butterfree arrived safely back at Oak's Lab.

"Thanks for the Pokemon professor!"

"Anytime Ash. Keep up the good work out there," Oak concluded, before ending the call.

With his Pokemon exchanged, Ash headed to the cafeteria, along with Pikachu and Eevee of course, to meet his friends for breakfast. Seeing they already had a table, Ash grabbed some food for him and his Pokemon, and joined them.

"Morning guys!" smiled the boy.

"Hey Mr. Gym Battle winner!" Misty commended, making Ash flush in embarrassment.

"Good Morning Ash. How are your Pokemon?" added Brock.

"They're good. Nurse Joy gave them a clean bill of health. Anyway, I know we agreed to stay in Saffron City for one more day, so what are you guys going to do?" asked Ash.

"I'm going to check out the Pokemon Trainer Fan Club to see if I can pick up any new tips on Water Pokemon," explained Misty.

"Silph Co. is offering a tour of their company premises today, which looks pretty interesting. I think I'll head there and then restock at the Poke Mart," said Brock.

"Sounds good. As for me, I'm going to check out that Fighting Dojo Gym for some more training!" Ash said fired up.

The gang continued conversing throughout breakfast, before they finished up to go their own respective ways for the day. Ash and Brock were headed in the same general north direction for a while, while Misty headed south. Ash decided to take this opportunity to bring up something he had been thinking about for a while.

"Hey Brock, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," started Ash.

"Sure Ash. What's up?" questioned the older teen, while the two continued to walk.

"I have a Haunter and you have a Graveler now. Can you see where i'm going with this?" asked Ash.

Brock chuckled, indeed realizing what he was getting at. "You're thinking we trade our Pokemon back and forth so they can evolve into Gengar and Golem."

"Yeah, you got it in one Brock-O," said the boy with relief. Brock always seemed to pick up on these things easily, which was nice.

"I'm not opposed to it," admitted Brock. "However, i'm also not sure we should make the trade anytime soon."

"Why not Brock?" frowned Ash.

"Think back to your battle with Lt. Surge. What did you notice about his Raichu?" prodded Brock.

Ash thought back to the battle and concentrated on what he could remember for a few minutes. "Well, Raichu had a lot of power, but at the same time, it was way slower than Pikachu."

Brock nodded. "That's right, but Raichu did not have to be slower than Pikachu. Can you think of why Raichu was?" he pushed further.

The wires in Ash's head connected immediately. "Surge must have evolved his Pikachu right away with a Thunderstone, preventing Raichu from gaining speed and learning any speed boosting moves as a Pikachu!"

"Nicely done Ash. For similar reasons, I don't think we should trade our Pokemon quite yet. As an example, Graveler has the potential to learn Heavy Slam, while Golem does not. While I can't think of anything off the top of my head for Haunter and Gengar, your Pokemon would still likely benefit from time spent training in his current evolutionary stage," concluded Brock.

"I guess that makes sense. Truth be told, i've held off on giving Clefairy the Moonstone I got from Mt. Moon for similar reasons. When did you think we should make the trade then?" wondered Ash.

"Tell you what. Let's keep on training for now, and when you have won your 7th Gym Badge, we will make the swap," Brock said with an offered hand.

"You got yourself a deal Brock!" Ash agreed with a handshake.

Saffron City Fighting Dojo

Walking into the Fighting Dojo with Pikachu and Eevee on his shoulders, Ash immediately noticed several people training. Men, women, and Fighting-type Pokemon were sparring with one another. The humans all wore a white gi, with different colored belts around each uniform. An older man with grey hair and a black belt kneeled on a mat at the back of the room, with his eyes closed in a meditative state. Figuring the old guy was probably in charge, Ash approached him.

"Excuse me sir?" Ash said, trying to get his attention.

"Have you come to learn the sacred arts of this dojo?" asked the "Master" without looking up.

"No sir. I'm here to battle!" exclaimed the boy.

At this, the man looked up and opened his eyes, showing steel. "This Dojo accepts your challenge young man. TO YOUR POSITIONS STUDENTS! WE HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED!" yelled out the seasoned warrior.

All the people and Pokemon scrambled, forming lines by rank. Four blackbelts and their Pokemon stood between Ash and the old man, while the others sat at the sides with their legs crossed.

"In order to claim victory over this Dojo, you must defeat my four most promising students in 1 on 1 battles. If you manage this feat, I will taste your metal myself. Defeating me will yield a prize. Do you accept these conditions?" asked the Master, eyeing Ash.

"You bet!" Ash yelled, clearly pumped up. Ash and his first opponent, a muscular man with a bowl haircut, moved to the battlefield at the center.

"I am known as Lee. I am a student of this glorious Dojo. I shall not dishonor my Sensei with defeat! Go Machop!" yelled out the man. A short blue-gray skinned Pokemon with muscles three ridges on its head walked from Lee's side onto the battlefield.

Time to break out the rust. I hope you were training hard at Oak's Ranch, thought Ash. "Go Clefairy!" called out the aspiring Pokemon Master.

Ash's pink Pokemon materialized with its same beaming grin.

"Clefairy!" cried out the Pokemon, turning to give a quick wink to Pikachu, who pulled an Eevee and buried his face into Ash's shoulder.

"Focus Clefairy! It's time for battle," scolded Ash, prompting the Pokemon to pay attention.

Another student stood at the center, acting as the referee. "Machop vs. Clefairy. Let the match begin!"

"Show me your youth Machop with a Karate Chop Attack!" ordered Lee. Machop began a dead sprint towards Clefairy, pumping its arms to increase its momentum.

"Hold steady Clefairy and wait for it to get closer," Ash said calmly. The pink Pokemon obeyed, maintaining her smile and looking straight at Machop with innocence.

Seeing Machop a few feet away, Ash implemented his strategy. "Disarming Voice!" Clefairy's mouth opened wide and intense pink sound-waves left her mouth, striking the nearby Machop dead on. The supper-effective move sent the Fighting Pokemon back to where he came from, landing hard on his back.

"MACHOP!" Lee cried with worry.

"Chop... Chop..." weakly muttered the fighting-type, as it struggled to its feet, only to see Clefairy right in front of it, again with the same irritating smile.

"Doubleslap," called Ash. Clefairy's smile turned into a a vicious grin as it pummeled Machop with slaps. One! Two! Three! Four! Five!

The poor blue-grey Pokemon stood no chance, and to everyone's surprise, actually flew back into the wall and created a significant dent, before falling to the ground out for the count.

Ash looked at his little pink Pokemon in disbelief as she happily pranced back to his side like nothing happened.

"Uh... Good job Clefairy," said Ash, patting her on the head.

Clearing his throat, the referee regained everyone's attention. "Machop is unable to battle. Therefore, the winner of the match is Clefairy and the challenger!

"Oh Machop..." Lee said, kneeling down to his little Pokemon and stirring it from its fainted state. "You fought with valor friend."

"Chop," disagreed the Pokemon

"Nonsense! You displayed a great amount of skill and youth!" assured his trainer.

"Machop!" the cheered up Pokemon replied.

"Yes! We shall run 100 laps around the Dojo in penance for this loss and to improve our endurance!" Lee said with fire.

"CHOP!" cried the Pokemon, hugging his trainer and sobbing.

"MACHOP!" cried his equally sobbing trainer, who hugged the Pokemon back.

This went on for a good few minutes and Ash was positive he could see a sunset and waves crashing behind the odd duo. Maybe Machop knew a weird Sunny Day? Whatever it was, he was glad they hadn't used it in battle. He wasn't sure anything could counter that. Eventually, the pair stood up, bowed to Ash, and sped off.

"Please excuse Lee... He is a very exuberant young man," explained the embarrassed Master.

Ash waved it off and the battles resumed. He and his Pokemon faced a Mankey, Machoke, and Poliwhirl. Every single one fell before him and his team's experience and skill. Ash's final victory prompted the Master to finally stand.

"You have done well to defeat my students and prove your skill in battle. However, your true test begins now! I am Dojo Master Koichi and I will not lose!" yelled the old man with passion. "This will be a 2 on 2 battle. No substitutions will be allowed," added the man as he got to his side of the battlefield.

"Hitmonlee, show me your power!" called Koichi. A Pokemon with a brown body, hands, and feet appeared. Its arms and legs appeared to be a lighter shade, close to cream, and the legs seemed long and powerful.

"Pidgeotto, Go!" responded Ash. His bird Pokemon appeared in an instant, ready for battle.

"Agility into Wing Attack," started Ash, wanting to get in some early damaged. Pidgeotto disappeared in a blur, speeding towards Hitmonlee.

"Use Mind Reader Hitmonlee," Koichi said with poise. The Kicking-Fiend focused in on the oncoming Pidgeotto, analyzing its movements.

At the next moment, Pidgeotto flew into Hitmonlee, inflicting a blow with a glowing wing, dealing super-effective damage. Hitmonlee slid back several feet, but remained standing and kept its gaze on the Flying Pokemon.

"Revenge," said Koichi with a knowing smile. Hitmonlee jumped into the air after Pidgeotto, glowing an angry red.

"Dodge with Agility!" cried Ash. Pidgeotto flew away at a high speed, but it didn't matter. Hitmonlee followed The Pokemon's movements with its eyes and rammed into the flying type hard, sending it crashing down near Ash.

Pidgeotto is naturally faster than Hitmonlee and it raised its speed twice already in battle. How did Hitmonlee move so fast? Unless... Mind Reader! That attack ensured Hitmonlee's next attack wouldn't miss. Combining it with a Revenge after taking damage was clever. I'm going to have to step it up with the strategy, thought Ash, before turning his attention to Pidgeotto.

The Flying Type Pokemon shook off the powerful revenge attack, gliding back into the air, glaring at Hitmonlee.

"Impressive," admitted the Master. "Your Pokemon must be well trained to withstand a Revenge from Hitmonlee."

"We're just getting started!" countered Ash. "Fire a Gust barrage Pidgeotto!" Ash's Pokemon flapped its wings rapidly, sending several miniature tornadoes towards Hitmonlee.

"Endure," replied the Master with ease. Hitmonlee braced itself and again made no effort to dodge. The Fighting Pokemon took countless supper-effective blasts, which would have easily knocked it out had it not used Endure. Hitmonlee was standing on its last legs, but all was going according to Koichi's plan.

"Good work my friend. Now use Mind Reader and follow with Reversal!" yelled Hitmonlee's trainer.

Ash's eyes widened as he realized what was coming. If I allow that combo to land, Pidgeotto is done. It might be a stalling tactic, but I have an idea that should work for now, Ash thought.

"STOP HITMONLEE WITH WHIRLWIND PIDGEOTTO!" Ash urgently ordered. Pidgeotto give a cry and a might wave of his wings. A huge gale of wind sailed through the air, interrupting Hitmonlee's analysis and sending the Pokemon back into its Pokeball. This had the added effect of calling out Koichi's other Pokemon.

A Pokemon with a purple torso and feet, red boxing gloves, and a similar shade of brown to Hitmonlee covering everything else, appeared on the battlefield.

"Well thought out young man," praised the Master. "However, Hitmonlee will be back, and for now you must deal with Hitmonchan."

Ash ignored him and got started right away. "Use Agility into Wing Attack once more!" Pidgeotto gained even more speed, and would strike Hitmonchan in almost not time at all. Of course, Koichi had yet another counter.

"Mach Punch and follow that with Thunder Punch!" quickly responded the man. Pidgeotto may have been a blur, but Hitmonchan's fist was faster. The fist struck the flying type in mid-air, stunning it and interrupting the attack. Before Ash could do anything, the other fist, coated with electrify, hit its mark as well, sending Pidgeotto flying back and to the ground.

"PIDGEOTTO!" cried out Ash in concern. It was no good though. The Flying Pokemon was clearly knocked out. "Return Pidgeotto. Thanks for fighting hard today," sighed Ash as he called back his Pokemon.

"Which Pokemon will you send out next?" questioned the Dojo Master.

Ash didn't exactly know himself. Time slowed down as he carefully thought the process through. Clefairy did most of the battling against the other trainers, which means I can't rely on her for this battle. Eevee is still a baby and has no experience, so she is also out. If Hitmonchan knew Thunder Punch, it probably knows Fire and Ice Punch as well. Krabby and Ivysaur are also out then. I trust Pikachu as much as any of my other Pokemon, but the Dojo Master has proved that our speed is not going to win this battle. I got it!

Time sped back up and Ash made his choice. Let's do it Charmeleon!" called Ash, sending out his starter Pokemon. The Fire Pokemon materialized on the field of battle. Looking at his opponent, Charmeleon smirked, very happy to be up against such a strong foe.

"Charmeleon eh? An interesting choice. I think I will take the first move this time. Vacuum Wave!" ordered Koichi. Hitmonchan Punched its fist forward hard, and a wave of energy flowed from it, straight at Charmeleon.

"Counter with Flamethrower!" retorted Ash. This was an attack the Fire Pokemon had finally mastered on the road to Saffron City, during another one of Ash's intense training regimes.

"Charmeleon!" Flames spewed from Charmeleon's mouth, meeting the wave of energy head on and causing an explosion in the middle of the battlefield.

"Follow that up with another Flamethrower Charmeleon!" Ash quickly called. The Fire Pokemon obliged and a line of fire shot through the smoke, in Hitmonchan's direction.

"Detect," calmly replied Koichi. The Fighting Pokemon's eyes glowed green and it easily dodged the fire, before taking off towards Charmeleon. "Thunder Punch!"

Got him, thought Ash. "Meet that attack head on with Metal Claw!"

Charmeleon's paw glowed and slashed into the oncoming punch. Thanks to its conductive properties, Metal Claw easily overpowered the attack and made contact with Hitmonchan's face, sending the Pokemon sliding back.

"Agility and Bullet Punch!" yelled Koichi, who was slightly annoyed by his previous attack's failure. Hitmonchan instantly started moving faster and its hand prepared to send a barrage of fists towards Charmeleon.

Time to take a page out of his playbook, thought Ash. "Accept the attack and brace yourself Charmeleon!" This order made the experienced Dojo Master narrow his eyes in suspicion, but he decided not to call off the attack.

Charmeleon stood his ground and then the punches came. Speedy fists hammered into Charmeleon's body, and Ash made his winning move.

"GRAB HITMONCHAN'S ARMS AND USE FIRE SPIN!" screamed Ash. Charmeleon grabbed the blurring arms of Hitmonchan, stopping the attack and shocking the Dojo Master, and then let loose a vortex of flames around himself and Charmeleon.

The intense heat and flames licked Hitmonchan's body dealing massive damage.

"GET OUT OF THERE HITMONCHAN!" yelled Koichi, who had lost his composure. The Pokemon tried, but Charmeleon was far too stubborn to let that happen.

"Good work Charmeleon. Finish up with a point blank Flamethrower!" smirked Ash. For the final time of this battle, Chameleon unleashed a line of fire. With Hitmonchan locked in its grasp, the Fighting Pokemon had no chance of avoiding the attack. Hitmonchan was hit dead on and violently flew back to his trainer, thoroughly scorched and out for the count. The flames died down around Charmeleon, revealing a panting Pokemon, but one that had more than enough fight left in him.

"Return Hitmonchan," said Koichi, calling back his Pokemon, before looking at Charmeleon. "That is a powerful Pokemon you have right there. I had not met one capable of stopping Hitmonchan's fists before today," complimented the man. "This battle is not over yet though. Hitmonlee, we must finish this!"

Hitmonlee graced the field of battle once more, though it still maintained its dire condition. Knowing a single blow would knock out his Pokemon, the Dojo Master acted fast. "Mind Reader followed by High Jump Kick!" Hitmonlee analyzed Charmeleon, locking on his target, before jumping high into the air.

That might have worked before, but I never fall for the same trick twice. Unlike Pidgeotto, Charmeleon has a way to stop Hitmonlee's combination for good, Ash thought with a small smile.

As Hitmonlee began its descent with its leg stretched forward towards Charmeleon, Ash ordered the move that would, one way or the other, end the battle. "Smokescreen."

Charmeleon exhaled a heavy stream of smoke around itself and towards the oncoming Hitmonlee, completely blinding the Pokemon. This was followed by a massive crash and Hitmonlee's attack made contact with something.

Ash and Koichi tensed up, not knowing what had happened inside the smokey area. Time passed and the smoke slowly dissipated, revealing Charmeleon standing proudly above the downed Hitmonelee, whose attack hit the ground just in front of the Fire Pokemon. The backfire from the missed High Jump Kick took the rest of Hitmonlee's energy, knocking it out.

"WAY TO GO CHARMELEON!" Ash exclaimed in celebration. The fire type replied with a wink and a thumbs up, and Ash recalled his Pokemon for some rest.

Having already recalled his own fallen Pokemon, Koichi approached Ash. "Well done young man. You demonstrated the power of your Pokemon, but above that, you showed real cunning. Both are required to achieve mastery in battle, be it with your Pokemon or your fists."

"Thanks sir! You put up a pretty good fight as well," replied Ash with a smile.

"We are not an official Gym, so I do not have a badge to give you. However, I did promise a prize if you achieved victory. Sakaki, bring the item forward," ordered the Master.

A young man with green hair quickly moved to the back of the room and opened up a cupboard, pulling out a single Pokeball, which he brought back to his master, before going back to his previous place.

"Inside this Pokeball is a Pokemon with a fighting spirit and vast potential, which is something that I see in you as well. Take it and continue your journey together," smiled the old man, handing over the Pokeball to Ash.

The moment it came into Ash's possession it instantly disappeared off to Oak's lab, which led to some questions, but Ash handled them with ease. Thanking the Master for the gift and great battles, the young Pokemon Trainer left the Dojo, heading back to the Pokemon Center in high spirits.

He was so consumed with his good mood and thoughts on what that mysterious Pokemon could be, that he never noticed the girl watching him. The girl in question had messy purple hair and matching lavender eyes.

END CHAPTER

This one took a while to write due to writer's block, but we got there in the end. I couldn't resist the little cameo given to Lee, but I also included two others. One was a small unimportant reference to a video game character. The other is very important and will have implications down the line. Also, what could this mysterious Pokemon Ash won at the Dojo be?

Next Time - We find out the identity of the mysterious Pokemon and Ash does some training on the road to Celadon City.

DragonEmperor999 - Thanks for the review! Shiny Gyarados will appear as usual in Johto. As for Voltorb, sorry man. There will be plenty of other fun stuff happening in the mean time.

Plebston323 - Thanks for the review! Not sure what you mean by situation, but Sabrina will appear again. Look for an interesting cameo around the time of the Pokemon League ;)

Guest - Thanks for the review! I included Damien because he is a fun villain. Where Paul was the antithesis of Ash in a lot of ways in the anime, the same can also be said about Damien against Ash Red Ketchum. Damien is cruel, hates training Pokemon, does not have the best strategic mindset, and is cocky. Ash is kind, loves training hard, is smart, and is confident. We have not seen the last of Damien for sure. That said, I will likely keep him as a Kanto Villain if that makes you feel better.

Today I would like to recommend something a little bit different. It is still a Pokemon FanFic in a sense, but it appears on Youtube as a video. What if James never got engaged to Jessebelle by FiveToedSloth is an entertaining video Fanfic. Give it a watch if you have some time.

Remember to review with your thoughts/critique :)

Smell ya later!