Episode 11: The Path of the Pokemon League

Hana and her friends continue on their journey. Hana and her Pokemon already claim a badge from the Pewter City Gym and the Cerulean City. Now, they are heading to their next destination.

"So where are we going now?" Hana asks.

"We're going to Gardenia City for my Pokemon Contest. Then to Vermilion Gym for your Gym Battle," Diana says.

"I heard Vermillion City has luxury cruise lines," Chase says.

"Pika Pika," (I wanna see a real ship.) Alistair says.

Akira laughs and says, "Gardenia City first, Vermillion City after."

"Pikachu," (Okay daddy.) Alistair says.

Hana giggles, "It's cute. You two are really like father and son."

"Thanks," Akira says.

"Let's go. I'm excited for my contest and I actually heard it's going to be a double performance this time around," Diana says.

"And the sooner we get to Gardenia City, the sooner I can train for my next gym battle," Hana says.

The group continues to travel to Gardenia City. In that amount of time, Diana and Hana are having a battle with two trainers with their Wurmples. A boy who has a Ratata and a girl that has a Pidgey.

Hana calls out, "Alright Wurmple, use Bugbite!"

Hana's Wurmple jumps on Ratata's head and munches on it.

"Use String Shot, Wurmple!" Diana calls out.

Diana's Wurmple sprays String Shot and hits Pidgey that it falls next to Ratata. Hana's Wumrple hops off and joins Diana's.

Then both the girls call out, "Double tackle!"

They both speed to the two Pokemon and ram them both. Soon, Ratata and Pidgey are knocked out.

The boy worriedly says, "Oh! Rattata!"

"Pidgey," The girl replies sadly.

Chase announces, "Rattata and Pidgey unable to battle! The Wurmples win! Hana and Diana are the victors!"

"Alright, you both did great Wurmple," Hana says.

"You both battle hard," Diana says.

Suddenly, both Wurmple begins to glow causing the group to gasp in surprise and are amazed.

"Our Wurmple…" Diana replies.

"They're evolving," Hana says, surprised.

Both of the Pokemon glow and changes their shape. Diana's Wurmple changes into a cocoon-like Pokémon that uses silk to attach itself to tree branches. It is almost completely covered in white silk with only two small holes. A pair of red eyes can be seen through the holes, but they are partially hidden by a rough fringe of silk. While Hana's Wurmple changes into a round, cocoon-like Pokémon. It is covered in purple silk, except for two holes where its red eyes are visible.

Diana says, "Mine evolved into a Silcoon."

"And mine is a Cascoon," Hana adds.

Soon, both girls take out their Pokedex.

Diana's Pokedex analyzes, "Silcoon, the Cocoon Pokémon and the evolved form of Wurmple. Silcoon is the evolved form of Wurmple. Using its thread to attach itself to a tree branch, it waits to evolve to its next stage. When it grows thirsty, it drinks the dew that collects on its string."

Hana's Pokedex reads, "Cascoon the Cocoon Pokemon and the evolved form of Wurmple. If it is attacked, Cascoon remains motionless however badly it may be hurt. It does so because if it were to move, its body would be weak upon evolution. This Pokémon will also not forget the pain it endured."

"That's great. You both did a great job Cascoon," Hana says.

"You too, Silcoon," Diana replies.

A bit after the battle, Hana and Diana and the two trainers thank each other for a great battle.

You're both really great Pokemon trainers," The boy says.

"Thanks. You both are too," Hana says.

"We had a great battle," Diana says.

"We did too," The boy says.

The girl says, "I bet you could even beat A.J.!"

"A.J.?" The girls reply, confused.

The boy answers, "Yeah! He lives over there! A.J. trains savage Pokemon, he owns his own gym. He's never lost a single match."

"That sounds pretty cool. I like to meet him and have a battle," Hana says.

"Hmm, I like to see it for myself," Akira says.

"Me too," Diana says.

"Sure. We can make a quick stop," Chase says.

Not long, they are able to find the gym easily. It has a big tent with a semi circle roof with yellow and pink stripes and behind a wooden.

Hana reads, "A.J.'s Gym Undefeated! Note: Gym not Sanctioned by Pokemon League. Wins: 98. Lose: 0."

"It sure lives up to his name," Diana says.

"I wonder what kind of person A.J. is. He must be a skilled trainer," Akira says.

"I sure love to challenge him to a match," Hana says.

"Pika," (Me too!) Pikachu says.

Suddenly, a boy's voice sternly asks, "Are you my next victim?"

The group turns their heads to see a boy that has spiky green, black and white shiny hair. He wears a black and red short, blue shorts, orange shoes, and is holding black backpack.

Hana replies, "You must be the wild Pokemon trainer."

"Humph! That's my job. But beatin' chumps like you is my hobby. Ready to lose?" A.J. says.

Just then, the gate to the gym opens to reveal the large tent, and in front of the tent is a battlefield.

"Wow!" Hana says, amazed.

"Now THIS is not too shabby at all," Diana says.

A.J. then removes his backpack and places it on the ground. Then a Butterfree comes out and takes the backpack away.

"What's in the backpack?" Chase asks.

"The wild Pokemon that I just caught. There's a whole bunch more in the tent, and then some," A.J. says.

Hana asks, excited, "Hey! Can I see them after the match?"

"If you want," A.J. answers, walking onto the battlefield.

He turns around and asks, "So, which Pokemon are you gonna choose for my ninety-ninth win?"

"Ninety-ninth win, huh? We'll see about that," Hana replies.

Hana steps on to the battlefield on one side while A.J. stands on the other side.

"I'm going to give it my all A.J," Hana says.

"You got guts, kid. But you're not playing in the Pokemon Little League anymore!" A.J. says.

He then cracks a whip close to Hana causing her to jump in surprise.

"After I win one-hundred matches, I'll start competing for badges!" A.J. says.

"That means he's only two wins away," Chase says.

"And he'll be extra psyched to win!" Diana replies.

"Yeah," Akira says.

"You may not have badges yet, but I can tell at first glance you're a tough and skilled trainer. I'm going to have a blast battling you," Hana says.

"Hope the same can be said about you. Let's get started then!" A.J. says.

He then throws his Pokeball, "Sandshrew, go!"

Coming out of the Pokeball is the Ground type Mouse Pokemon, Sandshrew

"That Sandshrew looks tough," Akira says.

He then uses his Phone and Pokedex app.

Dexter says, "Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokemon. It burrows deep underground in arid locations far from water and only emerges to hunt for food. When it gets cold at night, its hide is said to become coated with a fine dew."

"A Sandshrew, huh? This should be interesting," Hana says.

"Let's be careful now, Ash," Akira says.

"Remember, Sandshrew's a ground type, so Pikachu's electricity is no good against it," Diana says.

"Yeah. Just like with Brock," Chase says.

"That's true. Gloom, go!" Hana calls out throwing her Pokeball.

Then Gloom comes out of its Pokeball.

"Interesting choice," Akira says.

"Yeah," Chase replies.

A.J. cracks the whip again and says, "Sandshrew, go!"

Sandshrew then begins the battle.

"Gloom, use Petal dance!" Hana calls out.

Gloom begins to use Petal Dance and spins to Sandshrew. Suddenly, Sandshrew rolls to the Petal dance and spins around to make the Petals blow away from it. Then strikes Gloom. Then Gloom falls to the ground.

"Gloom!" Hana says, surprised.

"Finish it," A.J. says.

"Uh oh! Pidgeotto, return!" Hana says, returning Gloom to its Pokeball.

"Little Brother, I choose you!" Hana calls out and throws her Pokeball.

Then Little Brother comes out of his Pokeball.

"Let's give it to your all, little brother. Maybe your psychic can stop it," Hana says.

"That's what you think, kid! Now watch and weep!" A.J. says.

"Little brother, use psybeam!" Hana calls out.

A. his whip and Sandshrew digs into the ground. Hana and Little Brother are surprised to see it.

"That Sandshrew is pretty well trained," Akira says.

"He controls it with the crack of his whip, like a Pokemon tamer than trainer," Diana says.

"Talk about a little fighter," Chase says.

"Pika," (Yeah.) Pikachu and Alistair reply.

Suddenly, Sandshrew bursts out of the ground and rolls into a ball. Then slams Little Brother to the ground. Then it's knocked out.

"Little brother!" Hana exclaims.

Chase says, "Ralts is unable to battle, Sandshrew wins."

Hana calmly smiles and holds out her Pokeball, "You did a good job, Little Brother."

Then returns him to his Pokeball. Diana and the others are disappointed that Hana lost against A.J. and surprised to see how tough Sandshrew is. While the match is over, Team Rocket is spying on them and sees how tough Sandshrew is. They're secretly hiding in the trees with binoculars.

"That Sandshrew is very tempting," Jessie says.

"We should grab it," James says.

"Hm. Looks fat. You two gotta carry it," Meowth says.

"The outfit that trainer is wearing is positively hideous!" Jessie says.

Then James says, "That shirt looks like its from a century or two ago. He'd fit right in perfectly at a museum."

"At least he doesn't look like he's trick-or-treating like you do," Meowth says.

James bonks Meowth on the head and sends him falling from the tree.

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOWTH!" Meowth screams before he hits the ground.

Back at the battlefield, A.J. announces, "And that makes victory number ninety-nine!"

"You're pretty tough A.J. Sandshrew too," Hana says.

"Glad you think so," A.J. says.

"But still, how were Sandshrew able to counteract Petal Dance? It should have done more damage," Diana asks.

. "Tough training," A.J. says.

"Really? I like to see how you train your Pokemon?" Hana asks as Pikachu hops on her shoulder

"We like to see, too," Chase says.

"Well then, come on in," A.J. says.

Everyone walks inside the tent and are surprised to see the gym is like a large fitness center. It has weights, large balls that some Ratata are rolling on. There's even ramps along with a pole with a flaming pole loop. There's even a pool with a high dive. What catches their attention is to see all of A.J's Pokemon are wearing a strange harvest on their body.

"Woah! This place is huge," Hana says.

"It's like a real gym to train Pokemon," Akira says.

The group turns their heads to see that A.J's Sandshrew is now wearing the same harness and is climbing the ladder on the dive board.

"Uh, what's Sandshrew?" Hana asks.

Sandshrew dives off the diving board and splashes in the water. Then flies out of the water and spins itself dry.

"Sandshrew is amazing," Diana says.

"Hey A.J, what's that Sandshrew and your Pokemon wearing?" Hana asks.

"It looks like a straightjacket," Akira says.

"That's no straightjacket. It's a strength intensifier," A.J. says.

"Who invented it?" Chase asks.

"I did. It's my own secret weapon for unleashing a Pokemon's powers," A.J. says.

Then turns to Sandshrew, "Sandshrew, back in the pool!"

Sandshrew then hurries to the diving board.

"Is it really okay to let it give it into the pool?" Hana asks.

"Just watch," A.J. says.

Then calls out, "Sandshrew, dive!"

Sandshrew then dives to the pool in a spectacular fashion. Impresses, Hana and the others clap their hands.

"Nice dive!" Diana says.

"Even Misty would be impressed," Hana says.

Sandshrew comes out of the pool and spins into a ball. Then stands on its two feet.

"Good work!" A.J. says.

"The water doesn't weaken your Sandshrew?" Akira asks.

"You're looking at the only Sandshrew in the world strong enough to withstand water!" A.J. says.

Then tells Sandshrew, "Sandshrew! Pick up your pacing!"

Sandshrew rolls into the ball and three Ratata are passing Sandshrew to one another.

"Interesting," Akira says.

"Yeah. Your training style is very different," Diana says.

"Why are you so tough on Sandshrew?" Chase asks.

"I have to be tough, but I ask no more of Sandshrew then I do of myself. The very best," A.J. says.

"But you aren't nearly as tough on any of your other Pokemon," Hana replies.

A.J. says, "That's because Sandshrew is the very first Pokemon I ever caught. I will never forget that morning. We promised to do whatever it took to become the best Pokemon and trainer of all time. Nothing would stop us from reaching our dream. No matter how difficult our path. Enduring fierce storms and raging winds. We sacrificed everything to achieve our dream and it was worth it. We're an unbeatable team!"

"While I don't really approve of the way you train your Pokemon. I always love to make friends with Pokemon and help them get stronger," Hana says.

"Then again, trainers have their own way to train Pokemon, but as long as a trainer and Pokemon are one, they can become a strong team," Akira says.

"That's true," Diana replies.

Chase then asks, "You know A.J., your Pokemon are all in great shape. What kind of Pokemon food do you give them?"

"My own recipe. Come on, I'll show you!" A.J. says.

A.J. opens a cabinet to reveal different jars of Pokemon food. Each one has a picture of a Pokemon.

"To get the results I want, I have to carefully monitor the Pokemon diets. Of course, the recipe is secret," A.J. says.

"Of course. You know, I mix my own food, too." Hana says.

"Me too. For Sandshrew…" Chase says.

Soon, Hana, Chase, and A.J. are talking about the Pokemon diet and food to feed the Pokemon. Diana and Akira turn to see Sandshrew lifting two dumbbells. Pikachu and little Alistair are simply watching it work out.

"That Sandshrew is gonna be a powerhouse when it steps into a Pokemon gym!" Akira says.

"I know," Diana replies.

Pikachu and Alistair decide to lift the weights themselves. Pikachu is able to lift the dumbbell up, but can't raise it. Alistair is unable to lift the dumbbells at all. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is outside of the tent with another Pika-napping attempt.

Jessie turns to James, "Insulated gloves?"

"Check," James says, holding the pink rubber gloves.

"Big rubber ball?" Jessie asks.

"Check. Check. Check-a-roonie!" Meowth says, rolling the ball over.

"Team Rocket will do what it has to do," Jessie announces.

Then James says, "To snatch that little Pikachu."

But also says, "Maybe we should go back to our old motto. This one doesn't feel right."

Meowth hops on the ball and suggests, "Hey! How about a theme-Meowth-song? And I can even do a little dance solo. Everyone loves music."

Meowth then begins to roll on the ball. As for Jessie and James, they have other opinions about Meowth's idea.

"A song's no good," Jessie says.

"A dance won't work," James adds.

Meowth continues to roll on the ball, even doing a handstand on it. They soon turn to Meowth who is purring and rubbing his face against his paw.

"Here's a line you'll like," Jessie says.

"And what's that?" James asks.

Then Jessie says, "How about choreography killed the cat?"

Back in the gym, a timer counts down to zero. Then the bell rings loud.

A.J. shouts, "Okay, you wimps get a fifteen minute break!"

Hana and the others look to see the Pokemon are panting and collapsed on the ground.

"They look very tired," Hana says.

"Your intense training has worn them out," Akira says,

"You better believe it. In this gym, we live by the rules, no pain, no gain," A.J. says.

"I guess everyone has their own rules to play in," Chase says.

"Yeah. It's way different from Pokemon Contests," Diana says.

"Everybody's different. That's just how it makes battling more interesting," Hana says.

"You better believe it," A.J. says.

As the trainers talk, Pikachu and Alistair tap on the strength intensifiers. Suddenly, they fly on to the two Pikachu and cause them to roll into a ball. Sandshrew simply laughs and does the same.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is rolling in a circle and is feeling dizzy.

"I'm getting dizzy!" Meowth panics.

"Stop complaining! Look for Pikachu!" James says.

The reason why they're rolling is because they're inside of a red ball that has a hole on it.

"Roll over there!" Jessie days.

They roll the ball over and see Sandshrew through the hole.

"What's that?" James asks.

"Could it be Pikachu?" Jessie asks.

"Yeah, that's it! Now hurry! All that rolling made me nauseous!" Meowth says.

Team Rocket then snatches Sandshrew thinking it was Pikachu and puts it in a bag.

"Got it!" James says.

Then they stand up with their feet out of the ball.

"Let's go!" Jessie says.

They scurry out as Meowth says, "Hurry, I feel sick!"

The group hurries outside of the gym and the rubber ball falls off of them.

"My leg fell asleep!" Meowth says.

"I wish your mouth would!" James says.

Team Rocket runs off into the distance taking Shadow with them. Back in the gym, A.J. and the others continue talking until the bell rings.

A.J. calls out, "Time's up! Back to work, all of you!"

With that, the Pokemon begin to carry out their training.

A.J. looks around and asks, "Hey, where's Sandshrew?

Suddenly, A.J. notices, "That's weird. What's your Pikachus doing?"

A.J. walks to the two Pikachus to see them rolled up into a pair of balls.

Hana hurries to her partner's side, "Pikachu!"

Akira does the same, "Alistair, are you alright?"

Hana and Akira try to pull them back to their normal shake, but to no avail.

"It's no use!" Akira says.

"They're stuck!" Hana replies.

Here. Give them to me," A.J. says.

A.J. unbuckles the strength intensifier and both of the Pikachu are back to their normal shapes.

Alistair turns to A.J. and says, "Pikachu," (Thank you.)

"Pikachu!" (Thanks!) Pikachu says, shaking his head.

"Glad to see you two are alright," Alistair says.

A.J. asks Hana's Pikachu, "Pikachu, have you seen Sandshrew?"

"Pika. (No.) Pikachu answers, shaking his head.

"You haven't?" A.J. asks, worried.

Then calls out, "Sandshrew!" Where are you!?"

"Sandshrew has to be here somewhere," Diana says.

"Don't worry A.J. We'll help you look for Sandshrew," Hana says.

"Hana, Alistair, Pikachu and I will look outside, the rest search here," Akira says.

While they search for Sandshrew, Team Rocket is in the woods and feeling tired.

"Those clowns will never catch up with us!" Jessie says.

"I'm exhausted! You take the bag, now!" James says to Jessie.

But Jessie says, "But a real gentleman always carries the bag."

"Is that so?! Well, as you know, I'm no gentleman!" James angrily says, passing the bag to Jessie.

Suddenly, Sandshrew bursts free from the ground and ends up getting its tail bit by Meowth. Sandshrew panics and digs into the ground. Back at the gym, everyone searches for Sandshrew and calls out it's name. So far, they haven't been able to find it. However, Akira and Hana are able to find something.

"What?! There were unknown footprints outside my gym?!" A.J. asks, shocked.

"Yeah. And I found this rubber ball with two holes on it. I think someone was spying on us," Hana says.

"But what could that mean?" Diana asks.

"It's possible that someone had kidnapped Shadshrew," Hana suspects.

"What?! When I get my hands on whoever did it!" A.J. angrily says.

"Calm down. They couldn't have gotten far. We can send our Pokemon to help search," Chase says.

Hana then senses, "Uh, do you feel that?"

"Pika pi?" (What is it?) Alistair asks.

Suddenly, the ground bursts open and Sandshrew flies out with Meowth holding its tail with his mouth. Soon, Meowth falls out and Sandshrew lands in A.J.'s arms.

A.J. hugs his Pokemon with glee, "Sandshrew."

All of A.J.'s Pokemon gather and are glad to see Sandshrew is back.

"A.J. and all his Pokemon sure are happy that Sandshrew's back," Diana says.

Chase says, "A.J. is tough, but I can see, he cares deeply for his Pokemon."

"He really does care about Shadshrew a lot. And Sandshrew feels the same way about him," Hana happily says.

They see Sandshrew licks A.J.'s cheek as he laughs with a smile on his face.

Alistair is pulling on Meowth's charm as Pikachu watches.

Pikachu taps on Hana's leg, "Pika pi, "(Hana, it's Meowth.)

"It's who?" Hana asks, turning her head.

Seeing the Pokemon, she says in shock, "Meowth!"

"So, then it must've been Team Rocket that kidnapped Sandshrew!" Chase says.

"I should have known it was those crooks," Akira angrily says.

Hana calls out, "Hey Meowth! Wake up!"

Alistair then hits Meowth on it's tail causing it to wake up and stand on his feet.

Meowth looks around, "Hey! Where am I? What's going on here?"

Soon, Hana and her friends along with A.J. and his Pokemon surround him.

"How do I get out of this mess?" Meowth asks.

Jessie:

Prepare for trouble!

James:

Make that double!

"Meowth?" Meowth replies and turns his head.

Everyone looks to see Team Rocket standing at the entrance.

"Team Rocket," Hana angrily says.

"Use the old motto!" Meowth says.

Jessie:

To protect the world from devastation.

James:

To unite all peoples within our nation.

Jessie and James:

To denounce the evils of truth and love. To extend our reach to the stars above.

Jessie:

Jessie.

James:

James.

Jessie:

Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light.

James:

Surrender now, or prepare to fight.

Meowth:

Meowth! That's right!

Soon Jessie and James shed tears.

"That felt great! We don't need a theme song!" Jessie says.

"It's a classic," James says.

A.J. angrily asks, "So these are the creeps who kidnapped my Sandshrew?"

Jessie wags her fingers, "That was an unfortunate mix-up."

"We have no interest in your second rate Sandshrew," James says.

"Second rate!?" A.J. angrily says.

Jessie says, "The only Pokemon we want is Pikachu."

"You can keep all those other wimps," James says.

"Wimps, are they?!" A.J. angrily questions with a glare.

"You have no right to…" Hana angrily says.

But A.J. stops Hana and says, "I'll take care of this, no one insults my Pokemon and gets away with it! Let's step outside!"

"Uh oh," Hana replies.

Everyone steps outside of the gym and is on the battlefield. A.J. and Sandshrew on one side with Team Rocket on the other.

A.J. cracks his whip, "Team Rocket has insulted my gym! Let's answer them with my one-hundredth win!

"One-hundredth?" Ash asks.

A.J. turns to Hana, "That's right! As Sandshrew and I vowed."

Hana smiles and says, "Good luck!"

"Get 'em, A.J." Akira says.

Jessie holds out her Pokeball, "Your small talk will cost you big time! Ekans, go!"

"Your turn, Koffing!" James says, doing the same.

They throw their Pokeballs and Ekans and Koffing comes out.

"Sandshrew, go!" A.J. says.

Koffing and Ekan drive to Team Rocket as they do the same. Sandshrew is able to dodge the attack.

Jessie calls out, "Ekans, bind it now!"

Ekans binds Sandshrew with its body, but Shadshrew pops out. That causes Ekans' body to be tied into a knot. Then Sandshrew kicks Ekans in the face.

"It's so strong," Hana says.

Chase says, "Good work!"

"Excellent!" Akira says.

Diana cheers, "Go Sandshrew!"

James then calls out, "Koffing, Sludge attack!"

Koffing spits out sludge, but Shadshrew curls up into a ball and performs a spin. The Sludge attack ends up with no effect.

James says, "Meowth, don't just stand there!"

Meowth gets into the battlefield and rolls Shadshrew like a ball.

"Stop pussyfooting around!" Jessie demands.

"Just biting my time!" Meowth says.

Meowth bites down on Sandshrew, but his teeth break.

Meowth screams, "Ow! The moment of tooth!"

A.J. cracks his whip and calls out, "Finish it! Sandshrew, Fissure strike!"

Sandshrew then jumps in the air and spreads its body. Everyone is shocked to see Sandshrew's attack. Then Sandshrew has his body head down and his finger at front. Then it sounds around like it's a drill.

A.J. calls out, "Go, Sandshrew! Drill into the ground till it splits!"

Then Sandshrew lands directly on the ground in the center of the gym. Just then, the ground begins to crack and it splits open. Jessie and James move out. Meowth, Ekans, and Koffing fall into the crack. Hana and the others quickly move out of the way in shock. Soon, the moving ground comes to a stop.

Meowth feels a lot of pain and climbs up the hole. "Ooogh...

He then runs away as he screams, "THAT'S IT, I FORFEIT THE MATCH!"

Ekans and Koffing agree and hurry behind him. Jessie and James hurry after them.

Jessie shouts, "Come back here!"

"Meowth, where are you going?!" James adds.

Meowth screams. "To write us a theme song!"

"Not that again!" Jessie and James say, annoyed.

It's official that A.J. and Sandshrew win the match. Hana and her friends cheer for them.

"We did it Sandshrew! We finally reached victory number one-hundred!" A.J. cheers.

Soon, the monitor at front changes to one hundred.

A.J. says in tears, "Today, all our sacrifices and hard work have finally paid off!"

Then hugs Sandshrew, "Now we can start winning our badges!"

After the victory, Hana and her friends are at front with A.J.

"When I return here, I'm gonna be, the number one Pokemon master!" A.J. says

"Why don't you come along with us?" Hana asks.

"Thanks, but, Sandshrew and I have our own path that we must follow," A.J. says.

Hana and A.J. shake their hands in respect.

"Someday we'll meet again at the big Pokemon League competition," Hana says.

"Okay, but next time, you better be in shape, cause I only wanna beat expert trainers," A.J. says.

"That's a deal!" Hana says.

"So long!" A.J. says.

Then he and Sandshrew begin on their journey.

"He's tough, but pretty cool," Diana says.

"Yeah, looks like you've found another rival," Akira says.

Hana calls out, "A.J., I won't lose to you next time!"

"I'll train hard to become a great Pokemon trainer, following my own path," Hana says with a smile.

Hana and the others leave A.J.'S gym after saying goodbye to him and Sandshrew. Hana discovers there are many different paths of becoming a Pokemon trainer, and is beginning to discover her own. What lies on the path is unknown, and hope that someday she will see A.J. at the Pokemon league. As the journey continues.