This is a very long chapter, and everyone, including Team Rocket, gets some development. It's an important chapter, and the development is crucial to the story.
Chapter 11: Oldale Town Emergency!
"That was a short walk," Goh remarked as he stood outside of the Pokémon Center. They had been walking for half an hour, and they reached their destination. "I never knew that Oldale Town was this close to Petalburg City," he continued speaking as he and his friends stepped into the center. Ash, Goh, and Chloe were currently in Oldale, and they were planning to rest in the local Pokémon Center for the afternoon before continuing their long journey to the Sky Pillar.
Once they were inside, Ash rushed to the Nurse Joy behind the counter with his Pokéballs in his hands, while Goh pulled out his Rotom Phone to learn more about their next destination.
"The next place to go is Slateport City. If we continue this pace, we should be able to make it before the tournament begins," he spoke, observing the map of Hoenn on the phone's screen.
Chloe responded while she was holding her Eevee in her arms, "Really? That sounds great. What Pokémon will you use?"
"I'll use my current team!" Goh exclaimed as he raised his left fist in the air. "Cinderace, Sobble, and Aerodactyl! I wonder what Pokémon Ash will use. He'll probably use Pikachu."
"Actually, I won't," Ash chimed in as he walked toward his companions with a sly grin on his face. "I want to give my other Pokémon a chance to battle more."
"Who will you use?" Goh asked as the trio walked into a nearby room to order their lunch.
Ash scratched his nose and chuckled at Goh's question. "I thought about this for a while, but I decided to use Gengar, Farfetch'd, and Lucario for the tournament. It'll be a perfect opportunity for them to battle more! I hope there'll be strong opponents in the tournament!" he replied while they sat down at a table. "Anyway, I'm starving! Let's eat!"
While the three were busy consuming their lunch, another group of three were staring at them, drooling at the sight of food, outside of the Pokémon Center. They hadn't eaten in days, and their stomach rumbled as they watched Ash drank a bowl of hot tomato soup. They could even smell it.
"So hungry!" James moaned, licking his lips. After the twerps blasted them off, they wandered for days in the wildness before finally locating them in Route 102. They quietly followed them, and they were now standing outside of the center.
"Ugh!" Meowth sighed as he placed his hand on his empty stomach. "The twerps are mocking us! Look how happy they are! What did we do to deserve this? We just wanted to catch Pokémon for the boss!"
Jessie was hungry as well, but she was more furious. "At least you don't have to worry about Morpeko! Before we left for Hoenn, I caught it, and I'm afraid of releasing it!" Jessie yelled at her partners. She couldn't stand their complaints, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before Morpeko released itself from its Pokéball.
Instantly, James and Meowth stopped their behavior and sweatdropped. Morpeko was a sweet Pokémon when it was full, but once it became hungry, it was highly aggressive and violent. They began to think of the horrible times they experienced when Morpeko was hungry. Even thought it was not properly caught, they still feared the Two-Sided Pokémon.
"We need to get food!" Meowth panicked as he jerked his head sideways. "If Morpeko comes out, we'll be sent blasting all the way back to Kanto!"
"Wobb! Wobbuffet!" Wobbufeet suddenly exclaimed as he left Jessie's Pokéball. Even he was terrified of Morpeko and its vicious demeanor.
"Let's sneak into the kitchen and snatch some food," James whispered to his accomplices while Jessie recalled Wobbufeet back into his Pokéball. "We need to make sure that we have enough for Morpeko and for us."
"But once it'll see the food, it'll eat all of it!" Meowth anxiously yelled while his stomach continued to rumble. "We'll never be able to eat ever again with it!"
"Quiet!" Jessie harshly said, glaring at Meowth for being so loud. "We'll eat the food first. Then, we'll release it to eat the leftovers."
James nodded at Jessie's suggestion, and Meowth had a slight frown on his face. "Sounds like a plan! Let's go in while the twerps are still eating!" James spoke as he began to crawl on the ground.
Meowth rolled his eyes and muttered, "I don't know. None of our plans ever succeeded before." But Meowth followed James, and Jessie quickly trailed behind them. While they were sneaking into the Pokémon Center, they failed to notice a Pokémon hiding near the same spot they were in.
"Cottonee!" it happily exclaimed. It finally caught up with the group.
"I'm stuffed!" Ash exclaimed as he leaned backwards on his chair and rubbed his belly with his hand. Goh and Chloe finished eating before him, and they were patiently waiting for him to be done.
"Eevee!" Eevee squealed, stretching her limbs. It was time to go, and she was looking forward to going outside and to breathe the fresh air.
"Finally!" Chloe sighed as she grabbed her backpack. "Let's grab your Pokémon, and we can continue our journey." Just as she said that, the lights went out, and people began to murmur in confusion. It was the middle of the day, and there appeared to be no disturbance that could have caused the electricity to go off.
Goh stood up and looked around, using the light from his phone as a flashlight. The Pokémon Center was covered in darkness, and thick curtains prevented the sunlight from reaching inside the center. "That's strange," Goh muttered as he attempted to yank the curtains open. "It's not budging at all! What's going on here?"
"Everyone! Please remain calm!" a voice rang out that quenched all of the murmurs. It was Nurse Joy, and she had a worried but stern expression on her face. "A maintenance crew was here earlier today, and they said that this might happen. They are already here, and they are trying to fix the issue." The panic in the room was gone, and the people returned to their seats as they waited for the power to return.
"Something's not right," Goh whispered to Ash and Chloe. It was hard to make out the appearance of Goh's face, but the light from the Rotom Phone illuminated part of his face. "What sort of maintenance crew knows that there is a problem and just leaves it? Not only that, Nurse Joy said that they were already here. How did they come here so fast?"
"It is suspicious," Chloe nervously shuddered while she was tightly hugging Eevee. "I hope that nothing bad will happen." Unfortunately, smoke began to fill the room, and people started coughing.
Ash covered his nose with a napkin and panted out loud, "Goh's right! This seems fishy! We need to open the windows, or we'll suffocate!" He tried to pull the curtains open, but no matter how hard he tried, the curtains remained stationary.
Exhausted from the effort, Ash stumbled backward, and his breathes became heavy. "We can't pull the curtains! It's a trap!" he yelled, hoping for other people to listen. But most of the people were too busy coughing, and some of them have already collapsed onto the ground in an unconscious state.
"Eev!" Eevee muttered as she closed her eyes. She was becoming dizzy, and she was having trouble staying awake. Chloe was also having trouble standing up as the effects of the smoke got to her.
"We need to use our Pokémon!" Ash proclaimed as he reached for his waist, but he didn't feel any of his Pokéballs. Realizing this, Ash turned to Goh and spoke, "You'll need to use your Pokémon. Mine are still with Nurse Joy!"
Goh grabbed his Pokéball and tossed it into the air. "Cinderace! Use Double Kick on the curtain!" Goh ordered as he pressed a cloth onto his face.
Understanding what Goh wanted, Cinderace jumped backwards and prepared to charge toward the curtain, but he was stopped by a male's voice:
"Shuckle! Sludge Bomb!"
Before Cinderace could react, a series of mud balls hit him, and he tumbled backward from the impact.
"What's going on!?" Goh gasped with shock while he squinted his eyes into the smoke. He saw two figures approaching him, and both of them were wearing masks. It was impossible to see their faces, but their hair was the most distinctive feature. One of them had short green hair, while the other had long yellow hair in the shape of a V.
"Prepare for trouble!" the one with the yellow hair exclaimed. Judging from the voice, the figure was a girl.
"And make it double!" the other figure with a deep voice spoke. It was the voice of a boy, and he was the one who ordered the attack on Cinderace.
Then, both of them sinisterly yelled, "Here's our mission, so you better listen!"
"To infect the world with devastation!" the girl said as she struck a pose.
"To blight all people in every nation!" the boy proclaimed with a pose as well.
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"And Butch, of course!"
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"
"Team Rocket!" Ash shouted with a muffled voice as he pressed the napkin harder on his face. "It's you two again. Biff and Cassidy!"
"Why does everyone get my name wrong!?" Butch accused as he glared at Ash through his mask. "It's Butch! Butch! Not Biff! Not Bill! Not Bilge! Not Buzz!"
"Doesn't matter what your name is!" Goh burst with anger, looking at the two Rocket grunts. "Cinderace, Double Kick once more!"
Cinderace jumped backwards and prepared to kick the curtains with its hind feet. Once again, Butch commanded Shuckle to use Sludge Bomb, but Cinderace dodged the attack and slammed into the curtain. The curtain broke, and the window behind it was shattered. Even the wall had cracks from the impact.
"We need to take the wall down!" Goh cautioned as he started to cough. "Quick Attack!"
Cinderace quickly charged toward the wall, and the wall began to break from Cinderace's force. Soon, the trio was stumbling outside, gasping for fresh air, and other people began to follow as well.
"You really are annoying!" Cassidy commented as she stepped outside and took off her mask, glaring at Goh and Cinderace. "But I still have the Pokéballs and your little rodent! Show them, Biff!"
Butch angrily muttered, "It's Butch!" to himself, but he held up a small transparent glass cage with Pikachu inside. He also took off his mask and did his best to smile.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he watched his best friend try to break out of the cage with a Thunderbolt.
"Chuuu!" Pikachu strained as he shot bolts of electricity, but it was no use. He was trapped, and Cassidy and Butch laughed at his attempt to break out.
Cassidy pointed at Goh with an evil smile plastered on her face, "If you truly care about Pikachu, hand over your Pokéballs to us and tell your friend to give us her Eevee as well!"
"What was that?" Meowth asked as he shoved food down his throat. "I thought I heard something back at the Center." The Rocket trio successfully stole the food from the kitchen, and they were lucky enough to have the darkness as their cover. They also escaped from the center when the smoke began to engulf it.
Jessie who was chewing loudly responded, "It doesn't matter! Let's eat as much as we can before Morpeko comes out and ruins everything!" Bits of food were coming out of her mouth as she spoke, and James was unfortunate enough to be standing near her.
After swallowing his portion, James spoke as he wiped the crumbs off his face, "Don't speak with your mouth full, and I think I hear shouting. Maybe the twerps are up to something?" The trio quietly took a peek out of their hiding place and glanced over at the center. They saw the twerps, but they also saw two other people.
"It can't be!" Jessie yelled as she suddenly got up. She recognized that horrid hair style anywhere.
James spit the food out of his mouth and shouted, "I can't believe it! It's them!"
"Outrageous!" Meowth hissed, jumping up in the air to get a better view. "We were in the center, and they took all the Pokémon! It should have been us!"
"Let's give them a piece of our mind!" Jessie barked as she started to walk toward their old rivals. It was a long time since they saw them, but the Rocket trio still despised their competitors. They were going to show how much better they were than them. But James and Meowth stopped her.
"They're fighting the twerps! Let's wait until they're weak! Then, we can crush their spirits by taking all of their hard work!" Meowth exclaimed, pulling Jessie back into their hiding place.
"Fine," Jessie snapped back as she angrily glared at Cassidy. "Let's hope the twerps destroy them!"
"You're out of your mind!" Goh seethed as he and Cinderace both glared at the Rocket duo. "We'll battle Pikachu for you! Cinderace, prepare yourself!"
"Weezing! Come out and help us!" Butch hollered towards the Pokémon Center. A figure emerged from the smoke, and it muttered, "Weezing!"
"What Weezing is that!?" Chloe questioned, looking at the strange variant of Weezing. This Weezing was different than the Weezing she learned at school. She pulled out her pink Rotom Phone to scan it:
"Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. A Poison and Fairy type. This Pokémon consumes particles that contaminate the air. Instead of leaving droppings, it expels clean air. This is the Galarian Form of Weezing."
"Galarian Weezing?" Goh said to himself as he watched the Pokémon. He had never battled a Weezing before, but he knew that he had to try. Before he could issue a command to Cinderace, Butch ordered, "Toxic!"
"Weez!" Weezing yelled as it shot out a stream of purple liquid at Cinderace. The liquid slammed the Striker Pokémon onto the ground, and Cinderace was moaning from the impact. His face began to turn purple, and he was struggling to get up.
"Cinderace!" Goh yelled with worry as he watched his Pokémon cough. Cinderace was badly poisoned, and he needed medical care as soon as possible.
"It's over for you, child!" Butch laughed, pointing at Goh's poisoned Cinderace. "Weezing! Finish this with Sludge!"
Weezing shout out a stream of brown sludge towards Cinderace, and Goh could only watch as it came closer and closer to the Pokémon. But suddenly one of his Pokéballs opened and a stream of water collided with the Sludge.
"What?" Butch asked in confusion as he turned to face Goh. It was Sobble, and he had a determined expression on his face.
"Sobble!" Sobble scolded with his most intimidating voice. Cinderace always took care of him, and it was now his turn to take care of Cinderace.
Butch and Cassidy carefully observed Sobble and then suddenly laughed. "Sob?" Sobble inquired as he watched the Rocket members laugh at him.
"You really think that thing can stop us!" Butch exclaimed, wiping tears from his eyes. "That little baby doesn't even stand a chance against us!"
Cassiday was rolling on the floor, laughing as well and slamming her fist on the ground. "What sort of joke is this!? We're Team Rocket! Weezing, show them what you got!"
"Weezing!" Weezing uttered as it prepared to attack Sobble with a Sludge. It looked much scarier than before, and Cassidy and Butch's crude laughs made Sobble feel even worse.
"Sobble," Sobble nervously said as he began to step backward. Myabe Team Rocket was right. He was weak, and he was a fool for trying to protect Cinderace.
"Sobble!" Goh firmly spoke, looking at the Water Lizard Pokémon. "Don't listen to them! I trust you, and Cinderace does too. Remember what you did back at the Glittering Caves? We believe in you!"
Sobble nodded when he heard his trainer's reassuring words. He could do this, and he was strong. He turned to face Weezing, and he carefully listened for Goh's command. Weezing shot out a stream of mud, but he didn't flee. Goh and Cinderace were counting on him.
"Sobble! Shoot Water Gun upwards and hide yourself!" Goh ordered as he pointed to the sky.
Butch was still laughing, and he laughed even harder when he heard Goh's command. "It's going to attack itself for us!" he chuckled, watching Sobble shoot the water in the air. However, his smile turned to a frown once he watched Sobble disappear from sight. The Sludge attacked missed Sobble, and Sobble was nowhere to be seen.
"Where did it go?" Cassidy asked with a slightly worried expression on her face. "It was just here a minute ago!"
"Now's your chance, Goh!" Ash cheered as he watched his friend battle.
Goh gave a thumbs up to Ash and commanded as he swung his right arm, "Use Pound on Weezing!" Sobble suddenly appeared behind Weezing and slammed into Weezing, causing it to tumble onto the ground.
"Weez!" Weezing moaned from the unexpected attack. It turned back to face Sobble, but Sobble was already invisible.
"Ugh! This is a waste of our time!" Cassidy growled, grabbing a Pokéball and tossing it. "Eiscue! Deal with it!"
A penguin like Pokémon appeared out onto the field. It had an unusually large head in the shape of an ice cube. "What Pokémon is that?" Goh asked, pulling out his Rotom phone.
"Eiscue, the Penguin Pokémon. An Ice type. The hair on its head connects to the surface of its brain. When this Pokémon has something on its mind, its hair chills the air around it."
"Cinderace and Sobble! Be careful!" Goh warned as he watched the two Pokémon. Cinderace finally got up, and he was panting hardly. Sobble looked at Cinderace with a worried expression. They had a disadvantage against their opponents.
"Shuckle!" Butch said as he gestured toward the field. "Join them as well!" Shuckle hopped off Butch's shoulder and stood near Weezing and Eiscue.
"This isn't good!" Ash mumbled, watching the Pokémon face each other. It was a 3 vs 2 battle, and Cinderace was already injured. He should be out there helping, but he was useless without his Pokémon. He then turned to watch Chloe and saw her clutching Eevee with worry on her face.
"Chloe," Ash said, glancing at Eevee. "You need to get out there and help! Eevee can battle for you!"
"Eev," Eevee moaned. Her head was still spinning from the smoke, and she shook her head at Ash's idea. She wasn't feeling well, and she couldn't battle now.
Sensing this, Chloe responded with a sad face, "I don't think Eevee can battle, and I don't have any other Pokémon. Maybe Goh could bring out Aerodactyl?"
"I don't think Goh can fight with three Pokémon at the same time. It's a difficult task," Ash responded with a frown. He remembered how hard it was fighting in a Triple Battle. His first official Triple Battle was in Unova, and he had struggled.
"Cottonee!" a voice suddenly squeaked, and Chloe was shocked to see a Cottonee leaning on her with a happy expression.
"Cottonee?" Chloe puzzledly asked. This was the same Cottonee she temporarily met back at Petalburg Woods. She remembered feeding it while she and Ash were waiting for Goh to finish catching Pokémon.
"It followed you here! It must like you!" Ash exclaimed, watching how close Cottonee was to Chloe. "Chloe! You can battle with it!"
"I can?" Chloe hesitantly said as she glanced at Cottonee. Cottonee smiled at Chloe and nodded. It was willing to battle for her. After she saw the expression on Cottonee's face, she sighed and made her way to the field with Cottonee trailing behind her. As she rushed toward Goh, everyone began to issue their orders to the Pokémon.
"Cinderace! Pyro Ball! Sobble, hide yourself with Water Gun! Wait for an opportunity and use Pound!"
"Shuckle, use Rollout! Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
"Eiscue! Wait for an attack! Then, use Freeze-Dry!"
"Goh!" Chloe yelled as she stopped near her friend. She could see Goh sweating and watched how the attacks were executed. Weezing's Smokescreen made it impossible for Cinderace to hit anything, and Shuckle's Rollout successfully slammed into him. Sobble headed toward Eiscue and delivered a sneaky Pound attack, but the attack only broke the ice cube on Eiscue's head. Before Sobble could escape, Eiscue used Freeze-Dry, and Sobble was thrown backward from the attack.
Goh was losing, and there was worry on his face. Cinderace could barely battle, and Sobble couldn't take on three Pokémon. He was shocked to see Chloe and Cottonee near him. "Chloe," he spoke, looking at the Cottonee. "That's the same one I saw back at Petalburg!"
Chloe nodded, and Cottonee drifted forward next to Cinderace and Sobble. "We'll battle with you!" Chloe said as she pointed her finger at Weezing. "Cottonee, use Razor Leaf!"
Cottonee shot out a stream of green leaves at Weezing, and the attack landed on Weezing's body. "Weezing!" Weezing muttered as it stumbled backward from the attack. The attack didn't seem to do much damage.
"Grass types are weak against Poison types," Goh explained after seeing Chloe's confused expression. "They are also weak against Ice types, so attacking Eiscue is not an option. You'll take care of Shuckle, and I'll deal with Weezing and Shuckle."
While the battle was taking place, Ash was crawling on the ground. He was slowly itching closer and closer to the sack behind Cassidy and Butch. "Don't worry, Pikachu!" Ash thought as he placed his hand inside the sack. "I'll coming!" He took a peek and saw Pikachu and his Pokéballs. He only managed to grab one before Butch yelled:
"Hey! Don't steal what we have rightfully stolen!"
Ash stumbled backward and tossed the Pokéball in the air. Dracovish emerged from it and yelled, "Dracovish!"
Butch glared at Ash, but he was also staring at Dracovish. He had never seen such a strange Pokémon before. Its head and its body appeared to be incompatible with each other. It was a miracle that the Pokémon could properly move. Ignoring his curiosity, Butch shouted, "Shuckle! Over here! Cassidy, you command Weezing and take care of the boy and girl."
"Dracovish! Prepare yourself! Use Bite!" Ash ordered as he pointed at Shuckle. Dracovish charged forward with surprising speed and landed a powerful Bite attack on Shuckle before Bucth could order a command.
"It's fast," Butch noted to himself as he saw Shuckle groan from the attack. "Shuckle! Use Stone Edge!" Shuckle slammed its arms onto the ground, and bright blue pillars emerged, heading toward Dracovish.
"Dodge it and use Stomp!" Ash ordered. Dracovish swiftly dodged the Stone Edge and charged near Shuckle. It raised its legs and prepared to stomp on the Mold Pokémon.
Butch saw this and shouted, "Get in your shell!" Shuckle entered its shell just before Dracovish's legs landed on it. Dracovish tried to deal damage on Shuckle, but the shell protected it.
"Gyro Ball!" Butch ordered with a sneer. Shuckle began to spin, and Dracovish was sent tumbling backward from the powerful spin attack.
"Draco!" Dracovish voiced as it got up from the ground. This was its first battle, and it didn't want to disappoint its trainer.
"Weezing! Sludge!" Cassidy commanded while twirling her hair. "Eiscue, use Hail!"
"Sobble! Pound on Eiscue!" Goh said as he thrust his fist forward.
"Cottonee! Use Fairy Wind!" Chloe yelled nervously. Pokémon battles were a lot harder than she thought, and she had to win, or else Team Rocket would take their Pokémon.
The weather began to change from Eiscue's Hail, and it started to snow. The snow was dealing damage to every Pokémon except Eiscue whose ice cube was reforming on its head.
"This is bad!" Goh exclaimed as he glanced at Eiscue. The ice cube protected Eiscue from attacks, and he knew that the hailstorm would last a while. They were losing this battle, and he saw that Ash and Butch were still fighting. Sobble and Cottonee were tired, and Cinderace was getting weaker and weaker from the poison. To make things even worse, the snow was collecting on Sobble's body, making it visible once more.
The Fairy Wind slammed into Weezing, but it didn't deal too much damage. Eiscue successfully dodged Sobble's Pound, and Sobble was now panicking about being seen. Looking at Cinderace's conditions and the ill weather, Goh shouted as he pulled out a Pokéball, "Return, Cinderace. I'll be sure to send you to a center after this is over."
"Giving up already?" Cassidy cruelly laughed as the hailstorm raged on. "Weezing, use Assurance. Eiscue, use Aurora Veil."
"Quick, Sobble! Pound on Eiscue!" Goh shouted, hoping to land a hit on Eiscue before it could cover itself. Sobble rushed over and used Pound on the Penguin Pokémon, but he merely broke the ice cube, and a rainbow-colored aura began to surround Eiscue. "Aurora Veil reduces damage from physical and special moves!" Goh thought as he clenched his fist. "It can only be used in a hailstorm. This Eiscue is stronger than it looks." The snow continued to fall, and the ice cube reformed.
On the other hand, Chloe was also struggling to deal with Weezing. After Cottonee used Stun Spore, Weezing slammed into it, dealing a lot of damage. However, the spores were stuck onto Weezing's body, and there was now a chance that it would be paralyzed. The hailstorm was continued to deal damage on Cottonee, but Weezing was getting injured from it as well.
Goh looked at Eiscue, and he knew that Sobble didn't stand a chance along. "This isn't an official battle," he started to say, grabbing another Pokéball. "So, I can use another one! Aerodactyl, go!"
"Aero!" Aerodactyl roared. The hailstorm was cold, and it was slightly hard to see, but Aerodactyl was ready to battle.
Cassiday sneered as she glanced at the Aerodactyl. "I can't wait to capture it after our battle ends," she said, pointing at the Fossil Pokémon. "Weather Ball, Eiscue!"
"Iron Head!" Goh ordered, watching the ball charge toward Aerodactyl. "Sobble! Pound as well!"
Aerodactyl's Iron Head was super effective against the Ice-type Weather Ball, and he slammed into Eiscue. Once again, the ice cube broke, and Eiscue didn't fell any damage. But Goh was prepared this time. Sobble charged toward Eiscue and landed a Pound attack before the ice cube could reform. Eiscue stumbled backwards from the attack, but the damage still wasn't enough.
"Weez!" Weezing groaned. The Stun Spore was starting to take effect, and it was now paralyzed. Chloe, who saw the opportunity, yelled, "Cottonee! Fairy Wind again!" However, this time Eevee leaped forward and placed her hand onto Cottonee's body. A multicolored aura surrounded Cottonee as Cottonee executed the attack. The Fairy Wind collided with Weezing, and it was more effective than before.
"What move was that?" Chloe asked as she pulled out her pink Rotom Phone.
"Helping Hand assists an ally by boosting the power of that ally's attack," the phone stated in response.
"You learned Helping Hand, Eevee!" Chloe gasped with a smile on her face. Weezing appeared to be more tired than before, and they might actually win this battle!
"Water Gun!" Ash commanded, thrusting his hand forward. Dracovish opened its mouth and released a stream of powerful water at Shuckle.
"Enter your shell!" Butch ordered, and Shuckle hid in its shell as the water blasted it. Once the attack was over, it emerged, almost unscathed. Some of the water entered the shell's holes, but most of the damage was absorbed by the shell.
Ash grimaced, observing the shell. Shuckle's defense was hard to beat, and he remembered facing off a Shuckle in the Sinnoh League against Conway. He defeated it with his Gible who liked to chew things with his mouth.
"Wait a minute," Ash pondered as he looked at Dracovish. "Dracovish also has the habit of chewing things! I can use the same strategy as before!"
"Alright! Dracovish, let's win this!" Ash exclaimed with a smile. "Use Stomp!"
"This again," Butch scoffed at Ash's order. "When will you learn? Enter your shell once more."
Dracovish rushed over to stomp on Shuckle's shell, but before it could prepare the attack, Ash yelled, "Bite it!"
"What?" Butch asked, observing how Dracovish scoped the shell into its mouth and bit it.
"Now's your chance! Water Gun!" Ash commanded, and he heard a gasp come out of Butch.
Butch began to panic as he watched the water slowly build up in Dracovish's mouth before it was released. The Water Gun blasted close-range at Shuckle, and Shuckled moaned in pain as its body was being hit. Dracovish released Shuckle, and Shuckle was laying on the floor with its eyes in swirls.
"Shuckle!" Butch trembled, rushing forward to his fallen Pokémon. Before he could pull out another Pokéball, Dracovish was standing right next to him, and it bit the top of his head.
"Ouch!" Butch screamed, while Ash freed Pikachu and collected the rest of his Pokéballs.
"Dracovish! I'm so proud of you! We won our first battle together!" Ash congratulated as Dracovish playfully bit Ash's hat and his head.
"Dracovish!" it happily yelled.
Butch was already sprinting toward Cassidy, and he spoke, "Cassidy! The plan is being undone! We need to get out of here!"
"Quiet, fool! I'm trying to battle!" Cassidy responded as she scowled intently at Sobble and Aerodactyl. She completely forgot about Weezing, and Butch's shrieks made her turn to see that the Poison Gas Pokémon was being attacked by Cottonee and Eevee. Eevee was shooting a stream of mud with her Copycat Move, and Cottonee was using Fairy Wind.
"Weezing!" Weezing gasped one final breath before it laid completely still on the ground. It was knocked out, and Chloe was celebrating with Cottonee and Eevee.
"Weezing! No!" Butch howled as he recalled his Pokémon. "Look at what you did!"
"This wouldn't have happened if you didn't interrupt me!" Cassidy shot back as she turned to face Butch. While the two were bickering with each other, Goh saw this as a chance.
"Sobble! Use Pound! Aerodactyl, finish this with Hyper Beam!" he ordered before Cassidy could realize what was going on.
Eiscue's ice cube was broken by Sobble's Pound, and Aerodactyl's Hyper Beam slammed into it. "Eiscue!" Eiscue yelped as it tumbled onto the ground. The hailstorm dissipated, and Eiscue was now panting.
"Goh! Chloe!" Ash yelled as he rushed over with Pikachu on his shoulder. The tables had turned, and Butch and Cassidy were now the ones who were losing. "Oh dear!" Cassidy spoke as she watched the trio and their Pokémon. They were outnumbered, and Eiscue could barely continue.
"Pikachu!" Ash started to say, stepping forward to face Eiscue. "Let's finish this! Use—"
But a net shot out of the side, and Pikachu dodged it just in time before it was about to hit capture him.
"What's going on?" Ash hastily spoke as he glanced at the empty net near Pikachu. He turned toward the direction of the net's origin and saw four figures. The four figures laughed at Ash's question and answered:
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"And James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare for a fight!"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"Team Rocket!" Ash, Goh, and Chloe shouted as they watched the James hold Pikachu's net with his right arm.
"Well!" Cassidy snickered as she looked at Jessie. "It's been a while, Jessie. Last I heard, you were still stuck being the worst Team Rocket agents. Stealing our capture just proved my point!"
"How dare you!" Jessie accused as she pointed at Cassidy. "For your information, we got promoted by the boss, and he even gave us a secret weapon!"
"That's right!" James stated, glancing at Butch and Cassidy. "The boss is proud of us!"
"What a joke, James!" Butch responded with a sly grin. "Or should I say John? You haven't changed a bit! What makes you think that you two are better than us?"
"Hey! What about me?" Meowth cried out as he stepped forward toward the duo. "Don't forget me!"
"You aren't important! Now step aside and stop bothering us!" Cassidy arrogantly said as she turned her back toward the trio. This only angered the three more.
"That's it! We challenge you to a Pokémon Double Battle!" Jessie yelled with rage in her eyes. "If we win, you'll admit that the boss likes us better than you!"
"Fine!" Cassidy retorted. "And if we win, you'll have to admit that we are better than you for the rest of your lives!"
"No fair!" James exclaimed when he heard the terms. "The deal's off!"
"Coward," Butch replied as he shrugged his shoulders. "Real Rocket agents would accept!"
"Are you calling us fake?" Cause we're not!" Meowth growled as he showed his claws. "We accept, and we're going to win!"
"What's happening?" Chloe asked as she watched the trio face Butch and Cassidy. Goh was confused as well, and Ash wasn't the only one who was shocked by their hostility toward each other.
"They have a rivalry," Ash responded, recalling their previous encounters. "I wonder who will win."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu spoke as he looked at the trio. He didn't like them very much, but he hoped that they would win.
"Cottonee?" Cottonee asked as it looked at the Team Rocket trio. It was even more confused than the others.
Butch tossed a Pokéball in the air, and another Weezing came out. Unlike the last Weezing, it was a Kantonian one. "We'll use Weezing and Eiscue," Cassidy haughtily spoke. "Bring out your Pokémon."
The trio had a huge grin on their face, and they raised their arms into the sky. "Rocket Prize Master! Come on down!" they enthusiastically yelled. A Pelipper appeared, and it opened its mouth to drop a device. The device landed with a thud, and Butch and Cassidy were curious. They never seen a machine like that, and they carefully watched as they thrust Meowth's coin into the machine and turn the dial. One Pokéball dropped out of the machine, and the trio was surprised.
"Why one?" James asked as he peered inside the machine. "It usually gives us two!"
"Is your secret weapon broken?" Butch taunted with a grin. "We can call off this battle if you want. Of course, if you do that, we technically win."
"Forget it!" Jessie barked back in response. "I'll use Morpeko. James, you'll take the Pokéball."
"Okay," James said as he released the Pokéball. A strip of paper came out, and he read it while looking at his Pokémon:
"Chewtle, the Snapping Pokémon."
"Wait a minute!" Meowth exclaimed. "It's the same Chewtle we met back in Galar! Nice to see you again, old friend!"
"Chewtle!" Chewtle happily said as it looked at the trio. It liked them, and it was happy to battle for them again.
"Alright! Morpeko! Come out!" Jessie yelled nervously. As expected, Morpeko was angry, and its body was purple. Its eyes were red, and it was very vicious. "Morpeko!" Morpeko growled as it sniffed the air. It hadn't eaten in days, and it was really furious at its trainer for not feeding it.
"That's your Pokémon?" Butch chuckled as he saw how small they were. "You really don't stand a chance. I almost feel sorry for you. Weezing, use Sludge Bomb , on Chewtle."
"Eiscue! Freeze-Dry on that rodent," Cassidy ordered with a slight yawn.
"Chewtle! Be careful! Use Water Gun!" James commanded, pointing toward Weezing.
"Morpeko!" Jessie hesitantly spoke as she kneeled down to face her Pokémon. "If we win this battle, you can eat anything you want to!"
"Morp?" Morpeko asked. It was really hungry and angry. It turned to face Eiscue and roared as it began to run. A strip of energy in the shape of a hamster wheel surrounded it, and it charged toward the Penguin Pokémon. It dodged the Freeze-Dry and landed a direct attack on Eiscue. However, Eiscue was unfazed, and the ice cube merely broke.
Meanwhile, Chewtle and Weezing were locked in a stalemate. Both of them were attempting to overpower the other with their attacks. Weezing kept shooting streams of brown mud, and Chewtle continued to blast water from its mouth. James and Meowth were cheering for Chewtle, while Butch was making rude remarks at the Rocket trio.
"Morpeko!" Morpeko angrily exclaimed, and it charged toward Eiscue once more with a Quick Attack.
"Headbutt!" Cassidy shouted as she pointed toward Morpeko. Morpeko had a very bad temper, and it ruined her of Jessie. "They're perfect for each other," she mused to herself.
Eiscue and Morpeko both collided with each other and strained. Eiscue was larger and heavier, but Morpeko was more desperate to win. Soon, Morpeko pushed Eiscue back and used an Aura Wheel to topple it onto the ground. "Eiscue!" Eiscue wailed as it hit the ground.
Chewtle also managed to overpower Wheezing, and a powerful stream of water collided at Wheezing's face. "Wheezing!" Wheezing moaned as it was covered by water.
"Cheaters!" Butch accused as he glared at them. "We'll make you pay!"
"How are we cheating!?" Jessie yelled back, sticking her tongue out.
"Simple," Cassidy responded as she nodded toward Butch. "Chewtle isn't your Pokémon, and you didn't even command Morpeko once! I'm sorry, Jessie and James, but I'm not interested in a battle like this. Challenge us when you have real Pokémon!"
"Smokscreen!" Butch ordered, and Weezing released a bunch of smoke onto the battlefield, making it impossible to see anything.
"What's going on?" Meowth asked. The Smokescreen was powerful, and he couldn't see anyone except for Jessie and James.
"Tackle!" Butch ordered, and Weezing slammed into the Rocket trio and their Pokémon. This caused the trio to hit the Prize Master machine, and they were flying in the air from the impact.
"That's cheating!" Jessie yelled back as they were flying away. "I can't believe they did that!"
James sighed and shook his head. "They must have gotten impatient, but they do have a point, Jessie," he spoke with his arms crossed.
"Yeah! We should catch and train our own Pokémon," Meowth suggested. "We can't rely on the Prize Master all of the time!"
"Morpeko! Morpeko!" Morpeko angrily roared. It didn't win, and that meant it couldn't eat anything it wanted.
"We're blasting off again!" the trio wailed as they disappeared into the endless sky.
"That wasn't exciting," Chloe noted as she watched the trio vanish, but the smoke still lingered around her. Ash and Goh were also on high alert, peering through the smoke. Cassidy and Butch had lost interest in teasing Jessie and James, and they were going to make their move on them.
"Sludge Bomb!" Butch suddenly yelled.
"Pikachu, counter it with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, knowing that Steel was super effective against Poison.
"Freeze-Dry!" Cassidy chuckled from somewhere inside the smoke.
"Sobble! Disappear with Water Gun and use Pound!" Goh exclaimed as he waited for Eiscue to appear, but Eiscue never appeared. Another net shout out of the smoke, and it landed onto Sobble before he could use his Water Gun to hide. The net reeled Sobble away, and Goh and Aerodactyl chased it, but the smoke made things hard to see.
"Aerodactyl! Fly up and find Sobble!" Goh commanded as Aerodactyl swooped up in the air.
"Toxic!" Butch suddenly commanded, and purple liquid blasted onto Aerodactyl's side. Aerodactyl cried out in pain as the poison started to take effect, and he crashed onto the ground, groaning in pain.
"Aerodactyl!" Goh bemoaned as he recalled him. Aerodactyl and Cinderace were both badly poisoned, and he needed to find Sobble before he could treat them. "Hang in there," he pondered as he rushed toward the sound of Butch's voice.
"Where did Goh go?" Chloe said as she and Ash wandered throughout the thick smoke. Pikachu, Eevee, and Cottonee were also helping them look for their friend. It was difficult to see things properly, but they need that Aerodactyl was in trouble.
"This is no good," Ash spoke with a frown as he reached for a Pokéball. "Dragonite! Clear away the smoke with Hurricane!"
Dragonite emerged and gave a roar before flapping its wings to clear away the smoke. Once the smoke was gone, Ash and Chloe saw Goh chasing Butch and Cassidy who were in a balloon with a giant R on its side.
"Sobble!" Goh yelled as he ran, but the balloon was getting farther and farther away.
"Sob!" Sobble said as he was about to cry. Tears were flowing out of him, and Butch and Cassidy began to cry as well.
"What's happening?" Cassidy asked as tears flowed down her face. "Why am I crying!?"
Butch sniffed his nose and continued to sob. "I don't know!" he wailed in response. "I can't stop crying!"
"Sobble!" Goh shouted one last time. He couldn't run any farther, and Team Rocket was getting away with him. He was about to lose all hope, until he heard someone say, "Snipe Shot."
A Pokémon appeared in front of Goh and aimed a finger at the Rocket balloon. A jet of water was launched from its fingertip, and the water precisely hit at the very edge of the balloon. The balloon began to slowly lose air, and Butch and Cassidy began to panic as their balloon landed onto the ground nearby.
Goh quickly lunged toward the fallen balloon, and he saw Butch and Cassidy exiting it with Sobble's net in one of their arms. "Stop crying!" Cassidy wept as she repeatedly shook the net. "This is getting annoying!"
"We got company!" Butch exclaimed as he wiped the tears off his face. "Weezing! Come out and use Smokescreen!"
"Weez!" Weezing spoke as it left the Pokéball, but it soon started to cry as well. Before it could execute the command, another jet of water came and blasted Weezing in the face. Weezing tumbled backward, and it was knocked out by the move.
"Goh!" Ash thundered as he and Chloe ran toward his friend. Goh turned around to see the Pokémon he had seen earlier as well as a strange man. The man was wearing a brown coat with a pink tie, and his hair was black and well-groomed. "Inteleon," the man spoke as he glared at Butch and Cassidy. "Please retrieve this young boy's Sobble."
Inteleon instantly vanished, and it reminded Goh of Sobble. He pulled out his Rotom Phone and typed Inteleon's name into the Pokédex:
"Inteleon, the Secret Agent Pokémon and the final evolved from of Sobble. A Water type. It has many hidden capabilities, such as fingertips that can shoot water and a membrane on its back that it can use to glide through the air."
"It's the final evolved form of Sobble," Goh remarked as he watched Inteleon deal with Butch and Cassidy. Cassidy's Eiscue was no match against the man's Inteleon, and it was easily defeated in a couple of hits.
Butch dropped Sobble's net and slowly walked backwards. "Let's get out of here!" he spoke as he dragged Cassidy. "Forget Sobble!" They were about to run, but the man released another Pokémon that stopped them. The Pokémon was orange, and it had a black pointed mustache and black fur around its eyes that closed resembled a mask. Goh scanned the other Pokémon as well:
"Thievul, the Fox Pokémon. A Dark type. It secretly marks potential targets with a scent. By following the scent, it stalks its targets and steals from them when they least expect it."
"Hold it right there," the main sternly spoke as he stepped forward. "My name is Looker, and I am with the International Police. You will come with me, Team Rocket, for your crimes in the Hoenn region."
Butch and Cassidy were taken away by Officer Jenny, and the trio were back at the Pokémon Center where their Pokémon were currently being healed. Sobble and Eevee were released early, and Sobble was currently admiring Looker's Inteleon.
"Sobble!" Sobble gasped with sparkles in his eye. Inteleon was his hero, and he thought it was a super cool Pokémon.
"Inteleon," Inteleon smiled as it showed Sobble a gesture of Snipe Shot. Sobble enthusiastically copied the move and grinned. Being near Inteleon made him more confident, and he hoped that he will be as strong as it one day.
"Your Pokémon are all better now! We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy happily exclaimed as she handed Ash and Goh their Pokéballs.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Goh spoke with a grin. He was glad that Cinderace and Aerodactyl were all better now. Poison type moves were dangerous, and he would have to be careful in the future.
"Cottonee!" Cottonee uttered as it trialed behind Nurse Joy. It floated toward Chloe and played around with Eevee.
Ash chuckled as he watched Cottonee's interaction with Eevee. "I think it likes you and Eevee, Chloe," Ash said. "Why don't you catch it?"
"Catch it?" Chloe questioned, looking at Cottonee. It did like her, and it followed her all the way from Petalburg Woods. Deciding that Ash was right, she pulled out a spare Pokéball that Goh gave her in the past for safekeeping. "Cottonee," she gently spoke as she showed the Pokémon the Pokéball. "Do you want to join Eevee and me?"
"Cottonee!" Cottonee nodded, doing a backflip in midair. It was happy to join Chloe, and it wondered what adventures it'll have. Chloe leaned the Pokéball closer, and Cottonee touched the button. It entered the Pokéball, and the ball shook, until Chloe's Rotom Phone rang:
"Cottonee's data will be added to the Pokédex!"
"I caught Cottonee!" Chloe proclaimed, lifting the Pokéball into the air.
"Eevee!" Eevee excitedly jumped in the air. She had a new friend, and she was looking forward to bond with Cottonee.
"Congrats, Chloe," Goh spoke to his childhood friend. "I'm sure your father would want to learn about Cottonee soon."
Chloe smiled and rushed over to a nearby computer to talk to her father, while Goh turned to see Ash and Looker deep in a conversation. They were friendly toward each other, and it was clear that they met before.
"Ash? Do you know Looker?" he asked with a curious expression on his face. He knew that Ash was mysterious, and he was always eager to learn more about his friend's past.
"Yeah!" Ash responded, scratching his nose. "I met him back in Sinnoh, and we saw each other again in Unova. It's been a long time since I've seen Looker. He just told me that he was in Hoenn to investigate Team Aqua and Team Rocket's presence."
Looker nodded at Ash's words. "There are a lot of evil teams throughout the world, and it is the responsibility of the International Police to bring justice," he stated as he watched Inteleon and Sobble talk to each other. "That Sobble of yours has potential. It reminds me of when I first met Inteleon. It was just a Sobble back then, but it grew a lot through our journey together."
"Really!?" Goh eagerly asked. "Do you have any advice on how to improve my Sobble's batting?"
"By nature, Sobble are very timid, so the only thing I can suggest is to bond with it and to listen to it," Looker responded before he drank a cup of warm milk. "It was nice meeting you Goh, but I'll have to get going. I need to be in Slateport City soon."
"Slateport City?" Ash addressed. "We plan on going there too! It's a long way from here, and it'll take a while to walk."
Looker considered Ash's predicament and smiled. "I have a car. I could drive you three to the city," he suggested. "It's really no trouble."
"Awesome!" Ash enthusiastically exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "We can get to the city before the tournament and spend some time there! Thank you so much, Looker! Let's go and tell Chloe!"
"I can't believe that we got blasted off again in Hoenn," Jessie muttered while she was removing some twigs in her hair. "Not only that, it was Biff and Cassidy who did that!"
James sighed, wiping the mud off his face. "But they do have a point," he acknowledged with a frown. "We haven't caught any Pokémon except for Morpeko, and we haven't bonded with them. Perhaps it'll be better if we do. That way we could stand a chance against them, and it'll be better. Think about it. The Pokémon in the Prize Master were trained by the boss and the admins. It'll be more rewarding if we beat them with our own Pokémon."
Meowth nodded at James's idea. "He's got a point," he stated seriously. "We need to catch more Pokémon."
"That's a fine idea, but catching one isn't an easy task. The other twerp makes it look so easy though!" Jessie sighed. But then she suddenly screamed.
Chewtle was biting her hair again, and she was running around in circles, begging Chewtle to let her go. Eventually, Chewtle did, and it spoke to Meowth.
"Interesting," Meowth said as he listened to Chewtle. "I think it's a splendid idea!"
"What is it, Meowth?" James asked. "What is Chewtle's idea?"
"Our pal Chewtle here likes us, and he's willing to be caught by Jessie rather than being stuck in the Prize Master machine." Meowth explained while Chewtle nodded along.
"Really?" Jessie asked as she grabbed an empty Pokéball. "Do you want to join us?"
"Chewtle!" Chewtle confirmed as it touched the Pokéball's button. It entered the Pokéball, and the Pokéball dinged.
"I guess that means I caught Chewtle," Jessie spoke as she looked at the Pokéball. "Welcome to the team, but please don't bite my lovely hair again."
Here's a list of developments in this chapter:
* Dracovish wins its first battle, and Ash finally uses it.
* Sobble receives some development, and it will receive even more in the following chapter.
* Chloe catches Cottonee, and Eevee learned a new move.
* Jessie caught Morpeko before they left for Hoenn, and she now has a Chewtle as well. The Rocket trio will now depend less on the Prize Master and try to form proper bonds with Pokémon.
Will any of Ash old companions be in the PWC?
Yes, but most of them will not.
Since Ash already has Melmetal, will he catch other Mythical Pokémon, like Meloetta and Genesect?
I don't have plans for Ash to catch more Mythical Pokémon, but I'll consider the idea.
Hey, have you considered giving some new Pokémon to any and all returning characters?
Yes, I do. Some Pokémon of the old characters will also evolve.
Also, if you plan on returning Colress (Whom of which you should give his Gen 7 appearance to), you should maybe have Hunter J capturing Pokémon for him to conduct his experiments with!
I already have plans for Colress to work together with Hunter J. He will play a big role in the final villain arc, and Hunter J will be extremely valuable to Team Galactic and Team Plasma.
Oh, and, if you plan on introducing any OCs, why not someone based off of Black-2/Blake from the Adventures Manga? You know, young, right around Ash & Goh's age, a high-ranking International Police Member, and keeping is true serious self hidden at certain times?
I don't think I'll introduce any OCs, and Looker will most likely be the one figuring out all of the evil teams' plans. I might change my mind and give Looker an assistant, but I don't think there would be any kids in the International Police.
Will Goh's Sobble gonna learn U-Turn too in this story?
Yes. Sobble will learn U-Turn, and I'll try my best to adapt JN054 to the story.