Chapter 3: A Rookie Trainer! Batter Up!
"Wow... You're pretty lucky, big bro! You've got a real Cyndaquil by your side!" Ash commented, as he smiled at his big brother, who smiled back at him.
After the group left New Bark Town and the forest from where Lorcan was born, the five Trainers were now heading for Violet City, where Ash, Luna, and Isamu's first Johto Gym Battle would take place.
"That's because the little tough guy chose to come with me after our battle with Silver. Isn't that right, little guy?" Isamu asked, as he turned to the little Fire Type, who was riding onto his left shoulder.
"Cynda! Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil cried happily while Eevee smiled at her new friend as she rode on Isamu's right shoulder.
Lorcan remained silent as he turned to see others chatting with each other before he frowned. He looked down at Vulpix, who was walking besides him on his right while his Eevee was walking on his left.
"Vul?"
"Vee?" The two questioned the Vulpix boy if he was alright or not.
"Mm... Me okay, you two... Don't worry." Lorcan assured softly as he didn't notice Luna glancing at him in worry before she turned back to the others.
"Still... I can't believe that poor Totodile is in the hands of that jerk..." Misty said sadly, causing Isamu to narrow his eyes, before he recalled as to what Silver had told him before he made his escape.
Flashback
"So... this is what it's like to face someone who defeated my father in battle..." The boy growled inaudibly, before he snapped at the elder brother, making a promise that he would try to accomplish with everything that he had in him.
"Hear me now, Isamu Ketchum! You may have won this pointless battle, but I will triumph against you the next time we meet! My name is Silver, and I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokémon Trainer." Silver declared.
Flashback End
"What did he mean by me defeating his father...? I don't seem to recall defeating anyone that seems related to him... Yet... I can't shake the feeling that's he related to someone I know... Someone who could be similar to him... but who?" Isamu thought.
Just as he was thinking, Brock brought him out of his thoughts by recalling that the Johto Grass Type starter wasn't around for them to see when they were in the Elm Laboratory.
"Too bad we didn't get to see a Chikorita." Brock stated, causing Lorcan to look up at him in confusion.
"What's a Chikorita?" Lorcan asked, causing the others to turn to him in surprise.
"You mean, you don't know, Lorcan? I thought you lived with the wild Pokémon during your whole life..." Misty asked, causing the Vulpix boy to shake his head.
"Me lived with Mom and Dad, along with Vulpix and Eevee... But me never see a Pokémon called Chikorita before in me life..." Lorcan explained, causing Isamu and Luna to sweat drop as they sheepishly smiled.
"Well, I guess that makes sense..." Luna giggled sheepishly as the elder Ketchum brother scratched the back of his head.
"Looks like someone needs to have a speaking lesson... especially with the way he talks. People are going to stare at him later if he keeps talking like that." Isamu thought before Eevee sniffed while Pikachu's ears perked up!
"Pi? Pika?"
"Vee? Eevee!" The two starters called out, causing the six Trainers to stop and look to where the two starters were looking.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash started to ask before the group turned to see a very familiar Pokémon up ahead with a girl, who seemed to look like she was a baseball player or a baseball fan.
"We're gonna train hard, hit hard, and knock everybody outta the box! We're in the big leagues and we're playing hardball!" The girl called out loud, as the group watched to see her doing something.
"What's that girl doing?" Misty asked, causing her to receive silence as the answer as she and the others continued to watch.
The girl seemed to be encouraging her Pokémon to do something to keep its fighting spirit up as she made loud orders for her Pokémon to hear.
"One... two... three strikes and they're out! The side is retired and Chikorita wins the game!" The girl called out loud as the Grass Type starter swung its leaf around, as if it was using it to swing at something!
"Is that the Chikorita?" Lorcan asked, causing the others to blink before they all realized that they were still standing by staring.
"Cynda! Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil cried out happily, as he recognized the Grass Type that was with the human girl.
[Pokémon: OK! Opening (English Subbed)]
OK!
(The opening title appears)
OK! Let's move on
(Ash and Isamu appear together and run together)
OK! If we're together, we'll be all right
(Pikachu and Eevee joins the two brothers)
OK! The winds are changing
(Misty and Luna appear together and joins)
OK! But that dream won't!
(Brock and Lorcan appear together and joins)
(Ho-Oh and Lugia clash with each other in the sky)
We'll go through it all for that thrill
And through we won't notice
(The group runs together, passing through many wild Pokémon)
The key to the door to the new world is
Getting something unknown
(The group jumps over rocks to get past the river, while seeing many Water Types!)
(The group slides down on a grassy hill, with each of them riding on a leaf)
(Gary appears with his Eevee jumping onto his shoulder)
Golden sun & silver moon
The lady sun and the lord moon
(The group are sitting together, getting ready for lunch together along with their Pokémon)
Are always changing faces
And protecting everyone
(Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile gets close to Ash as he smiles)
(Delia, Mr. Mime, Prof. Oak, Yellow, Tracey, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny appear altogether)
(Mewtwo floats with Mew floating playfully)
And, then, so...
(A shadow of Suicune stands in a forest near the river)
OK! Let's swallow our fear!
(A red-headed Trainer appears with a Pokéball and a smirk)
OK! A prideful move, "Bravado"
(Eevee, Pikachu, and Togepi all ride on Hoothoot, Heracross, and Ledyba)
OK! Though I don't know their names or voices
(Ash prepares a Pokéball and faces Isamu in battle, who gets ready in return)
They are waiting for me!
I want to meet them!
(Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil all launch their attacks separately)
(Ash and Isamu command Pikachu and Eevee to use Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball)
OK!
(The group runs and stops at a cliff together with many Kanto and Johto Pokémon)
[Opening Ends]
The group walks over to the young girl with her Chikorita as she continues her rant about her starter winning some sort of baseball game in her own imagination, as the Grass Type starter follows along with a determined look.
"Chikorita... the Pokémon Champion pulls out another amazing ninth inning victory and the fans are going wild!" The girl called out as Chikorita continued to swing her leaf around.
"Lorcan's right. There's a Chikorita over there. So that girl must be the Trainer that took Chikorita as her starter Pokémon in New Bark Town..." Luna pointed out, with Brock and Misty smiling in agreement.
"That's cool." Brock commented as Ash took out his Johto Pokédex to scan the Grass Type.
"Let's check out what the Pokédex says..." Ash spoke as he scanned Chikorita with Lorcan watching what the younger Ketchum brother was doing.
"Chikorita, the Leaf Pokémon. Chikorita releases a sweet, relaxing fragrance from the leaves on its head." Ash's Pokédex explained as Misty took notice of the little headband the Leaf Pokémon was wearing.
"That little headband makes Chikorita look really sporty, doesn't it?" Misty asked, causing Lorcan to look up at her with a confused look, followed by his two sibling figure Pokémon.
"Sporty?" Lorcan repeated in confusion, causing Brock to explain for the wild boy.
"She means that it's looking ready to battle or to train hard." Brock explained, allowing Lorcan to blink before he nodded a little in understanding.
"Let's see what kind of attacks it uses..." Ash suggested, causing the group to agree as they watched to see a wild Rattata coming out of the bushes to face the girl and her Chikorita!
"Now taking the field for the visitors is Rattata, and on the mound for the home team is the vegetation sensation, the Grass Type that'll mow the competition down... The one! The only! Chikorita! It's game time!" The girl shouted out.
The elder Ketchum brother sweat dropped at the comments that the girl was doing in the middle of a battle against a wild Pokémon.
"Does she think this is some sort of a ball game...?" Isamu asked, causing Luna to smile sheepishly.
"I think so... Look. Even that Chikorita seems to be into it." Luna pointed out as the group took notice of the Leaf Pokémon nodding to her Trainer before the girl called out the first attack.
"Play ball! Tackle attack, now!" The girl called out.
With the command said, the Leaf Pokémon charged to land her Tackle attack onto the Normal Type! But panicking at the sight of its opponent charging at it, the wild Rattata quickly got out of the way!
With the move missing, the Grass Type slid on the ground. But despite the fact that it missed, the girl didn't seem fazed as she continued to comment on the battle like it was some sort of a game.
"And the first one's low and in the dirt, but Chikorita's just warming up! This next one's coming straight down the plate! GO!" The girl commented, before ordering her Leaf Pokémon to make its attack.
Without having the need to be told twice, the Grass Type starter bashed into the wild Rattata! The poor Normal Type wasn't able to dodge this time as it landed on its back, defeated with a single blow!
"That was good! Now all she has to do is throw her Pokéball!" Luna commented as Lorcan watched with mild curiosity. The same went for Vulpix and Eevee as the girl grinned at the successful win against the wild Rattata.
"Perfect strike! Chikorita's smoking Tackle attack knocked Rattata right outta the box! This game is over!" The girl exclaimed as she threw her Pokéball to where the unconscious wild Pokémon was!
The ball opened, sucking Rattata inside. With the group and the girl watching, the ball shook several times before a click was heard! Both the girl and her Grass Type starter grinned as they both cheered for the win.
Raising the Pokéball high up, the girl grinned at her victory.
"Another Team Casey win!" The girl, now known as Casey cried out as Isamu raised an eyebrow.
"So this girl's name is Casey, huh..." Isamu thought before the baseball girl high-fived Chikorita with her hand on the Grass Type's leaf, before the baseball girl looked like she was going to boast... in a way.
"Will the fans please rise and salute Casey and Chikorita by singing their victory song!?" Casey called out as she began to sing with Chikorita joining her song.
"We all love Electabuzz...
No other team's the same...
The players charge the field and Electrify the game.
They pitch and catch and run so quick.
Their baseball bats are thunder sticks.
Their power hitters the trick.
Electabuzz, our favorite pick!
We love their yellow color and their black stripes are the best.
Electabuzz... They're better than the rest!"
The group watched with bewildered expressions while Lorcan and his two Pokémon watched in confusion, as they didn't seem to understand on what point the baseball girl was trying to make her with her little song.
"Electabuzz, huh... She must be talking about Team Electabuzz... one of the baseball teams that play in a game..." Isamu whispered silently, causing the younger brother to frown at hearing that.
"You mean the team that always loses...? How come she's cheering for them?" Ash asked, only to get a shrug from the others as they continued to watch and see Casey take a deep breath before she called her starter back.
"Chikorita, return!" Casey called out as the Leaf Pokémon was called back.
Once that was done, the baseball girl glanced over to see that the six Trainers were staring at her! Widening her eyes, she quickly narrowed them into an angry frown as she glared at the group.
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Luna all flinched at her nasty glare while the elder Ketchum brother narrowed his eyes with Lorcan glaring back. With the glare she was giving to him and the others, it didn't seem to be nice at all.
When suddenly...
"YAAAAHHH!"
Her sudden scream took the group by surprise as she began to charge at the group with high speed, much to Ash's shock and Luna's concern.
"Hey, no!"
"What are you doing!?" The two gasped until Lorcan took quick action!
"HAAAAH!"
WHAM!
"UGH!"
Ash, Misty, Isamu, Luna, and Brock all gaped in shock to see Lorcan tackling the girl away, causing her to gasp in pain before she tumbled onto the ground, wincing in pain from the hit she took on the stomach.
"Ow..." Casey groaned as Lorcan growled at the baseball girl.
"Why you trying to attack me friends!?" Lorcan snapped as Vulpix and Eevee growled at the baseball girl as well. Of course, what she said next startled her and the others as she protested to his accusation.
"I'm not... trying to attack... you or... your friends! That Pikachu... amazed me... that's all!" Casey groaned while holding onto her stomach.
Blinking in surprise, the Vulpix boy sweat dropped at the mistake he made by making the wrong assumption. The group did as well as they ran over to check up on the baseball girl.
"Oh no... Are you alright? We're so sorry!" Luna apologized quickly.
"R-Right... When you let out a loud yell and charged towards us, we all thought you were going to do something extreme..." Isamu admitted as well, while the Vulpix boy whimpered at his mistake.
"Me sorry..." Lorcan whimpered, while Eevee and Vulpix lost their aggressive expressions, as they replaced them with apologetic expressions.
At the apologies, Casey grinned weakly before she managed to get back up while dusting herself off.
"No biggie! But still..." Casey assured before she turned to Ash's Pikachu, who was on top of his right shoulder! This startled the younger brother as the baseball girl stared at his Electric Type partner with a bright grin.
"I don't believe it! An honest to goodness Pikachu! Yay! Yay!" Casey cheered, much to both Ash and Pikachu's concern. The group was confused by this as well as Isamu was the one to ask.
"You like Pikachu...? For what...? Because of his yellow color? You did mention that while you were chanting your victory song." Isamu guessed, causing the baseball girl to give a small giggle.
"Ha ha! You got me there! It's not just that, though! I just love those powerful pin stripes and that shocking yellow coat!" Casey giggled as Lorcan watched while cocking his head in curiosity.
Nevertheless, the baseball girl continued on while hugging the Mouse Pokémon tightly!
"Your Pikachu's a grand slam!" Casey complimented, only for Ash to realize what Pikachu could do if the baseball girl went on like this. He walked over, trying to warn her of what danger she could be in.
"Hey... easy! That's a high voltage Pikachu!" Ash warned, only to get a grin from the baseball girl.
"You think it'd really shock me? What a blast! I always wondered what that's like! Come on, Pikachu! Turn on the juice! Gimme a taste!" Casey requested, causing the group to be bewildered on what she was saying.
"She wants to get shocked...!?" Luna gasped, as Isamu sighed.
"This is going to get a little ugly..." Isamu sighed as Pikachu's cheeks started to spark with electricity, showing that he was about to grant Casey's wish to get shocked! The younger brother didn't like it as he tried to stop his Electric Type partner.
"No, Pikachu! She doesn't know what she's saying!" Ash exclaimed, only for Casey to push Pikachu down with more pressure as she made a menacing glare to the Mouse Pokémon!
"Come on, ya little rat! Gimme a jolt!" Casey snapped, startling Pikachu enough to make him do what the baseball girl wishes! Immediately, the younger brother grabbed his partner to try and stop him.
"DON'T DO IT, PIKAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Ash started before he screamed, as both he and Casey got a taste of the Mouse Pokémon's Thunderbolt attack!
Both Luna and Misty winced while Brock and Lorcan watched with frowns on their faces. The elder brother face palmed for what his little brother got into, due to the baseball girl wanting a shock.
Once the Thunderbolt was done, both Casey and Ash were smoking from the shock they had taken from the Electric Type attack
"Bad idea..." Casey groaned weakly, as Ash groaned in pain.
"I tried to tell ya..." Ash groaned back, causing Casey to groan again weakly.
"Thanks a lot..." Casey groaned, with Ash twitching in response.
"Don't mention it..."
With those words, both Ash and Casey slumped down to the ground, both feeling the shock still in them as Luna and Lorcan watched in concern. Misty and Brock just sighed while Isamu frowned at the sight his brother was in now.
"I think he's grounded..." Misty sighed while Lorcan frowned.
"Why Pikachu shock Ash and girl like that?" Lorcan questioned, causing Luna to give a sheepish answer.
"Well... I think it's because Casey wanted to be shocked... That's all... I think." Luna explained sheepishly, causing the Vulpix boy to cock his head in confusion, still not understanding.
"Me don't understand..." Lorcan spoke out in confusion.
Later...
After recovering from the shock she and Ash had taken from the Thunderbolt attack, the baseball girl introduced herself to the group with a big smile on her face.
"My name's Casey! I'm a HUGE baseball fan and I just became a Pokémon Trainer!" Casey explained, with Brock making a compliment of her starter Pokémon.
"We really like your Chikorita! Did you get it from Prof. Elm?" Brock asked, earning a nod from the baseball girl.
"Sure did!" was all Casey needed to say to make the group smile.
"See? I told you." Brock chuckled, causing Ash to grin while Luna just gave a small smile. The younger Ketchum brother pointed to himself and his elder brother, explaining of where they came from.
"My big bro and I come from Pallet Town! My name's Ash Ketchum!" Ash explained by introducing himself.
"My name's Isamu Ketchum. Pleasure to meet you, Casey." Isamu spoke calmly, as the others began introducing themselves, too.
"And my name is Brock!"
"Everybody calls me Misty!"
"I'm Luna. It's so nice to meet you."
That's when the introduction went towards Lorcan, who blinked before he introduced himself timidly, unsure of how to say it properly.
"Me name is... Lorcan. Nice... to meet you, Casey." Lorcan spoke timidly, which Casey took no notice of. Taking her cap off, the baseball girl greeted the six Trainers politely with a smile on her face.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance." Casey said, before Pikachu, Cyndaquil, and Eevee cried out happily together. The same went for Lorcan's Vulpix and Eevee. For the baseball girl, she paid more attention to Ash's Electric Type partner!
"Oh, I'm just crazy about yellow Pokémon, especially with stripes! That's why I think your Pikachu's so adorable, but the Pokémon I want more than anything in the world is Electabuzz!" Casey explained, causing Isamu to raise an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me... is it because it's the Pokémon that has the name of the baseball team you're rooting for?" Isamu asked, earning a grin from the baseball girl.
"That's right! And maybe someday... I might even have a whole team of beautiful yellow Pokémon and all of them with stripes!" Casey sighed happily, causing Ash to question her of why she liked those types.
"How come you like yellow and striped Pokémon so much, Casey?" Ash asked, causing Luna to answer for the younger brother.
"Because it's like Isamu said... It's for Team Electabuzz, right? You seemed to be chanting about it when you were singing that victory song with Chikorita by your side." Luna answered.
That caused the baseball girl to smile sheepishly, as she remembered on how she didn't notice the group standing near her when she had caught the wild Rattata.
"You're right...! My family's been rooting for the Electabuzz for three generations!" Casey explained, causing the younger brother to raise an eyebrow a little.
He had heard his elder brother and Luna say this before, but... now this made him a bit curious.
"You mean the Electabuzz baseball team?" Ash questioned, earning a nod from the baseball girl.
"That's right." Casey said, as the younger brother imagined on what the Electabuzz team was like. Brock smiled in understanding, realizing on why the baseball girl was so energized before.
"An Electabuzz fan, huh? No wonder you're so full of energy!" Brock commented as Lorcan frowned. He tapped on Luna's shoulder to get her attention, before he whispered his question to her ear.
"What's a baseball team...?" Lorcan asked, causing Luna to blink before she smiled sheepishly.
"Well, it's a game where one team faces the other team. And well... Ugh... Sorry, Lorcan... It's kind of complicated for me to explain, especially when there are so many rules and plays in a baseball game." Luna explained sheepishly.
That caught the baseball girl's attention as she turned to the Vulpix boy.
"Oh... You don't know what a baseball team is? Well, that's new." Casey commented before she carefully explained to Lorcan in the simplest way she can about what a baseball team is, and how it's played.
With the explanation Casey was giving out, the Vulpix boy was starting to understand a little, though in his mind, he was still a little bit confused. But now wanting to hurt a new friend's feelings, Lorcan gave a small smile.
"Okay... Me understand now." Lorcan said, causing Casey to nod back to him. That was when Ash started to point out the fact on what happens to the team that Casey's family favors in.
"But hang on... Don't the Electabuzz team always finish in last place?" Ash asked, causing Casey to whip around and make a determined glare.
"This season's gonna be different! This season, they're gonna win the series!" Casey declared, only for Ash to laugh at that declaration.
"Ha! No way! The Electabuzz will get creamed by teams like the Magikarp and the Starmie!" Ash chuckled, only to get a glare from the baseball girl as she snapped at the younger brother for his blunt insults.
"You quit saying bad things about the Electabuzz! They're gonna beat everybody!" Casey snapped, only for Ash to sweat drop.
"The Electabuzz couldn't beat an egg..." Ash spoke back, as Isamu tried to calm the situation down.
"Ash, just stop... This is getting nowhere and it's a little rude to be looking down on the team just because they had an unlucky streak..." Isamu reminded, only for Ash to pout with a frown.
"But big bro... It's the truth!" Ash pouted, until Casey leered at the younger brother.
"It is not! What about the all the great hitters that are on the Electabuzz...?" Casey asked, causing the younger brother to respond back even more bluntly!
"Those guys aren't hitters... I've seen better swings on a playground!" Ash commented, much to Casey's shock and anger as she glared at the younger Ketchum brother, having more determination firing up inside her.
"That's the last straw...!" Casey growled, much to Ash's surprise.
It was her challenge that made the younger brother even more surprised.
"We're gonna settle this argument with a Pokémon battle! Nobody gets away with insulting my favorite team!" Casey declared angrily, much to Ash's shock as the others watched with widened eyes.
"Is she serious about this...?" Luna thought in concern as Ash tried to reject the challenge.
"But you don't stand a chance against me... I'm an experienced Trainer!" Ash tried to object, only for Casey to press onto the younger brother even further.
"I don't care how experienced you are! Nobody makes fun of the team my family roots for, especially a little wimp who knows zero about baseball and even less about Pokémon!" Casey snapped angrily.
That caused Isamu to twitch his eyes a little, as he realized that the baseball girl had insulted his little brother. Ash looked insulted as well as he began to shake angrily to retort back to her. But before anyone could erupt...
"Would you mind if me battle with you first?" Lorcan asked. That immediate question caught everyone off guard, causing Ash and Casey to almost immediately forget about their argument.
"Huh? Why do you want to battle me, Lorcan?" Casey asked curiously, causing the Vulpix boy to smile sheepishly.
"This will be me first battle in a long time ever since I left me home... since you're a beginning Trainer like me, me thought that you would want to battle me first." Lorcan explained.
The way the Vulpix boy talked caused the baseball girl to sweat drop a little before she smiled sheepishly. Realizing the truth in the boy's words, the baseball girl smirked, accepting Lorcan's challenge.
"All right... I can see your point. Fine then! I'll accept your challenge first!" Casey declared, much to Ash's bewilderment.
"Hey, wait a minute! What about our battle?" Ash asked, only to get silenced by the baseball girl.
"Silence, little wimp! I'm going to battle against your friend first, so butt out!" Casey snapped, causing the Ketchum brothers to twitch their eyes in annoyance. The others smiled sheepishly at the awkward situation this has gotten to.
"Well, it looks like we finally found somebody as stubborn and hotheaded as Ash..." Misty sighed, while Brock folded his arms. Togepi just gave a cute cry, unaware of what was going on at the moment.
"Let's have a two on two Pokémon battle, Lorcan!" Casey challenged, with Lorcan grinning.
"Of course, Casey!" Lorcan agreed as the group and Casey headed over to where there was a big field, which would allow them to have their battle. The two Trainers faced each other as Casey took out a Pokéball.
"Get ready, get set! Casey's ready to deliver the pitch... I choose you!" Casey called out as she threw her first Pokéball, sending out... a Rattata!
"That's the same one she just caught earlier, right?" Luna asked, as Isamu watched.
"Yeah... I just wonder who Lorcan is going to send out..." Isamu said as he turned to where the Vulpix boy was.
Lorcan remained silent, but looked down to see Vulpix making excited and determined cries to go out and fight!
"Vul! Vulpix Vul!" Vulpix cried out, earning a toothy grin from the Vulpix boy.
"Mm! Go get her, brother..." Lorcan spoke out, earning a nod from the Fox Pokémon before he ran over to face off against Rattata.
Casey: Rattata + 1 VS Lorcan: Vulpix + Eevee
"So Lorcan is sending out Vulpix..." Misty pointed out as Casey took a look at the little Fire Type before she got ready to begin the battle.
"A Fire Type... This might be hot, but we can handle it! Alright, Rattata! Use Tackle! Take the first base with a big hit!" Casey shouted out, allowing the Normal Type to charge where the Fox Pokémon was!
"Quick Attack!"
The simple order allowed Vulpix to charge for Rattata with a Quick Attack! As the two Pokémon ran in head-to-head with one another, the Fox Pokémon overpowered the Normal Type, knocking it away!
Rattata yelped in pain while rolling back before the Vulpix boy called for another attack!
"Now, Flamethrower!"
That was all Vulpix needed to hear before he blasted Rattata high in the air with the Fire Type attack!
"Ah! Rattata!" Casey gasped before she watched to see her first Pokémon tumble on the ground before falling in defeat.
Casey: 1 Pokémon
Quickly calling Rattata back, the baseball girl got ready to throw another Pokémon out to the game.
"Alright... You got lucky with that round, Lorcan! But see how you like this!? Here comes the last hope for the team... Chikorita!" Casey called out, allowing the Leaf Pokémon to appear on the field!
"Chikorita... Does Casey even know that Grass Types like Chikorita has a disadvantage against a Fire Type like Vulpix?" Isamu asked, causing the group to sweat drop before Misty frowned.
"I don't think she does..." Misty commented as Casey began the battle again.
"All right, Chikorita! Let it rip! Use Vine Whip!" Casey exclaimed, as the Leaf Pokémon binds the Fox Pokémon with her vines! The Fire Type yelped in surprise before he was lifted up high in the air before slammed back to the ground!
"Oh no!" Lorcan gasped as he watched his Fire Type brother get hurt by being slammed down to the ground several times by the Vine Whip attack. Eevee watched in concern to see Vulpix getting hurt.
"Flamethrower, Vulpix! Flamethrower!" Lorcan shouted out.
The shout was enough to bring Vulpix back into reality as he managed to shoot a Flamethrower! The flames knocked Chikorita away, causing the Leaf Pokémon to groan in defeat.
"Oh no... No way...!" Casey gasped as she ran over to hold her defeated Grass Type.
Winner: Lorcan
"So the winner of this match is Lorcan, huh...? That was pretty good for his first battle." Isamu commented, with Luna making a guess of how much strength he could have in him with his Pokémon.
"Remember... he was raised in the forest with his Ninetales family... So that must've been the time when he and his two Pokémon were training together... Hard enough to be able to become strong in this battle, even when this was his first." Luna reminded.
"That's a good point, actually..." Brock agreed as Lorcan walked over to where Casey stood.
"That was a fun battle, Casey! You were good!" Lorcan complimented, much to the baseball girl's surprise.
"I was...? But I lost..." Casey frowned before she called her defeated Leaf Pokémon back.
"Lorcan's right... It's not easy winning a battle for the first time, especially when it's a Trainer battle." Isamu agreed as he walked over with the others. Casey blinked, before she frowned a little.
Shaking her head in realization, she then turned to the younger brother, demanding a battle with him!
"That's right... I still have a grudge I need to settle with you for making fun of the Electabuzz team! I may have lost against Lorcan in my first battle, but second time's the charm! Get ready to lose, Ash!" Casey declared.
"Wait, right away...!? But your Pokémon needs to recover from their battle against Lorcan's Vulpix..." Ash tried to protest, until Casey shoved a Pokéball right at his face with a glare.
"If I'm ready, then my Pokémon are ready! Get ready to battle, Ash! Right here and right now!" Casey demanded angrily as Isamu folded his arms with a frown.
"She's going to regret this for sure... especially with how strong Ash is..." Isamu breathed out with Luna frowning in understanding. Nevertheless, the next battle was about to begin as Ash faced Casey this time.
"Let's have a three on three Pokémon battle this time!" Casey declared with Ash making a confident smirk.
"I won't have to use all of my three!" Ash declared as the others watched on the sidelines with Lorcan joining them.
"She's new at this like Lorcan is, Ash! Don't be too tough on her!" Brock advised, with Misty adding in a reminder of what they were supposed to do after this.
"But hurry up, we gotta get to Violet City!" Misty added, causing Luna to frown at the two.
"So what you guys are saying is that Ash should go easy on her but try to wrap the battle up quick...? Just what exactly are you trying to tell him to do...?" Luna asked, confused with their choice of words.
The two sweat dropped at her question as Ash was assured that he will win the match easy as pie.
"Don't worry, Misty! It won't take me very long to win this one! Choose your first Pokémon, Casey!" Ash assured before he demanded that his opponent should bring her Pokémon out first.
"My first one's the last one I'm gonna need! Casey's ready to deliver the pitch... I choose... YOU!" Casey shouted out as her third Pokémon was revealed to be none other than Pidgey!
"It's a Pidgey... Well that's a coincidence..." Isamu commented in surprise, before he smiled a little at the sight of it.
"It's because Pidgey was the very first Pokémon you caught, right? He's a Pidgeot right now." Luna guessed, earning a nod from the elder Ketchum brother as Eevee smiled at the memory, too.
Ash seemed to have remembered his day in the past when he tried to capture a Pidgey.
"A Pidgey... Boy, that takes me back. I remember when I first started catching and training-" Ash started to reminisce, until Casey rudely interrupted him to start bringing out his Pokémon!
"COME ON! QUIT BABBLING AND START BATTLING, WILL YA!?" Casey yelled, causing Ash to stop before he took out his Pokéball.
"Okay... But just remember that you were the one that asked for it! I choose you, Charizard!" Ash shouted out, as he sent his Fire-Flying Type out to face the rookie! The choice shocked the others while Casey frowned and Lorcan grew awed.
"Whoa..." Lorcan breathed out as his eyes sparkled like stars. The same went for Vulpix and Eevee, as they were awed with how big and powerful Charizard looked right in front of them.
Even Cyndaquil looked like he was awed from how powerful Charizard looked, especially with how big and strong the Fire-Flying Type seemed to be in the Fire Mouse Pokémon's sight.
"Ash is gonna battle her with Charizard!?" Brock exclaimed in disbelief.
"I think this game is a shutout!" Misty commented in disbelief as well. Luna just sweat dropped while the elder Ketchum brother gave a sheepish smile for the quick battle it might be.
"I figured... You guys did ask for him to hurry it up..." Isamu chuckled sheepishly.
Casey: Pidgey + 2 VS Ash: Charizard + 2
"That sagging dragon of yours doesn't scare us, Ash Ketchum! Pidgey, Quick Attack now!" Casey shouted out.
With the order, the Tiny Bird Pokémon charged headfirst into Charizard! But one Quick Attack didn't seem to do a thing as Charizard just scoffed before blowing Pidgey away with a snort of his nose!
The blow somehow seemed to have knocked Pidgey out as it chirped in defeat, unconscious from the blow.
Casey: 2 Pokémon
Casey gasped at this before she quickly called Pidgey back to bring out another Pokémon to take the field.
"Pidgey, return!" Casey called out as she took out her second Pokéball.
"I'll use my pinch hitter... I choose... Rattata!" Casey called out, as her Normal Type came out, all ready for battle!
"Look at that... It recovered so fast..." Isamu pointed out, causing Luna to blink as well, realizing that the elder Ketchum brother was right. Eevee and Pikachu were a bit surprised as well as Casey made the first move.
"All right, Rattata! Keep your eye out on the Charizard and tag it out with a Tackle attack!" Casey shouted out.
Just like with Pidgey, Rattata charged to hit Charizard, but with how little and inexperienced the Normal Type was in battling, Charizard easily deflected the attack by bouncing him off with his stomach!
That impact alone was enough to make Rattata faint already, much to Casey's shock and to the others' chagrin, except for Lorcan.
Casey: 1 Pokémon
"Rattata struck out...!" Casey gasped as Ash smirked, reminding of the state that the battle was in now.
"That's two down, one to go!" Ash reminded, as Casey glared before she called her defeated Normal Type back.
"Oh yeah!? Rattata, return!" Casey called out as Ash put a hand on his side, advising the beginning Trainer to forfeit for her own sake.
"Casey, maybe you better quit." Ash advised, only to get a retort from the baseball girl.
"My grandpa say, 'It ain't over till it's over' and this match is a long way from over!" Casey retorted before she brought out her last Pokéball to send out her starter!
"And now... stepping up to the plate... here's Chikorita!" Casey called out as she sent her Leaf Pokémon out to face Charizard! Isamu raised an eyebrow, understanding of how easily the battle will go.
"A Grass Type against a Fire and Flying Type... That's never good for a Grass Type..." Isamu sighed as Casey was ready to fight, no matter what the battle was like.
"C'mon, Chikorita! It's the bottom of the ninth! It's Vine Whip time!" Casey called out.
The Leaf Pokémon shot vines to wrap it around Charizard's neck! At the attack looking like it worked, the baseball girl smirked confidently.
"Don't choke!" Casey taunted until Ash smiled, knowing how this was going to go with just one attack.
"Charizard, use your Flamethrower. But try to go easy on it." Ash called out. The evolved Fire-Flying Type did so, spitting out a fireball that narrowly hit only Chikorita's leaf head! At feeling the heat, the Leaf Pokémon quickly panicked!
It ran around in circles, trying to get the flame off of its leaf head. But when it kept running, it quickly lost its stamina, resulting it in its defeat.
"Chikorita!" Casey gasped as Brock called the match.
"Chikorita is unable to battle! Ash wins the match!" Brock declared, as Casey fell to her knees. Lorcan frowned, feeling a bit sorry for the baseball girl. Luna felt a little bad herself while Isamu remained silent.
Sighing, the elder Ketchum brother sighed while scratching the back of his head.
"I knew this was going to come..." Isamu sighed as Casey returned her defeated Grass Type back.
"I can't believe it was a total shutout... Chikorita, return." Casey said sadly as the others came over to try and cheer the baseball girl up.
"Cheer up! You gave it your best shot, Casey." Brock assured as Misty added in her words for the baseball girl to hear.
"You played a great match, especially for a rookie." Misty agreed, as Luna tried to cheer her up as well.
"No one can be perfect in a battle... no matter how much they want to be. Remember, losing can be beneficial, as it allows you to understand the mistakes you've made during the battle..." Luna advised calmly.
"She's right. There's always next time that you can win a battle..." Isamu agreed as Casey frowned, unsure of what to say or think. Lorcan frowned, not sure on how he could cheer his new friend up.
For the younger Ketchum brother, he walked up and offered a hand for Casey to take.
"They're right... And now that it's over, let's shake hands and be friends!" Ash offered.
But the crushing defeat she received from Ash was too much for the baseball girl as she rejected him by running off, sobbing in an upset and angry tone.
"Just leave me alone!" Casey snapped as she ran off, much to the others' surprise.
"Casey!" Lorcan called out, until Luna placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head. At seeing the confused expression on the Vulpix boy's head, the Kanto girl explained of what Casey needed right now.
"Just leave her be... She probably needs to mull on this alone..." Luna advised, causing Lorcan to be worried as he looked back to where Casey was running to.
"Still... It must be hard for a tough kid like that to lose..." Brock commented, with Misty understanding on what he meant.
"It's hard for anybody!" Misty added while Ash just smiled while folding his arms.
"But that is what happens when you challenge a great Trainer!" Ash spoke out, causing Misty to give him a teasing expression while nudging him at the same time.
"Yeah, you should know about that, right?" Misty asked, causing the younger brother to put his hand on the back of his head, smiling sheepishly at the same time. Isamu raised an eyebrow in amusement while Luna just gave a little giggle.
For Lorcan, he frowned, still having concern for the defeated baseball girl. But he knew, that like Luna said, that anyone would need space after they had a big loss like that.
To be continued...
Isamu's Team:
Eevee (F): (Hidden Power, Double Team, Shadow Ball, Return)
Cyndaquil (M): (Tackle, Ember, Smokescreen, Quick Attack)
Ninetales (F): (Fire Spin, Dig, Safeguard, Flamethrower)
Gloom (F): (Moonlight, Acid, Petal Dance, Sleep Powder)
Dragonair (M): (Dragon Rage, Safeguard, Thunder Wave, Outrage)
Lapras (F): (Ice Beam, Mist, Rain Dance, Whirlpool)
With Prof. Oak:
Seadra (M): (Agility, Surf, Twister, Smokescreen)
Nidoking (M): (Mega Punch, Double Kick, Horn Attack, Poison Sting)
Aerodactyl (M): (Fly, Hyper Beam, Ancient Power, Scary Face)
Pidgeot (M): (Whirlwind, Mirror Move, Wing Attack, Sky Attack)
Sandslash (M): (Crush Claw, Dig, Slash, Double Team
Next chapters:
Chapter 4: A Grudge Match! You're Out!
Chapter 5: A Sappy Start! Heracross Appears!
Chapter 6: The Truth to the Sap Issue!
Chapter 7: A Hard Roll! Donphan Rolls Through!
Chapter 8: The Lost Ones Find the Amberite!
Next chapter preview:
Lorcan: Why she upset? You beat her fair and square, didn't you, Ash? She lost that battle, didn't she?
Luna: That's because Ash had Charizard to take down all three of her inexperienced Pokémon in battle, Lorcan...
Ash: I gotta admit, I guess it was pretty unfair for me to use Charizard against a beginning Trainer... I just wonder when...
Casey: Ash Ketchum! I demand here that you battle me again! That way, I can prove you're just a cheater in battle!
Ash: A cheater!? Hold on... I may have overdid it by sending out Charizard, but that wasn't cheating in a battle!
Isamu: Don't bother with her... She won't listen unless you beat her again... That is, if she can just calm herself down first...
Events that occurred:
- The group meets Casey and Chikorita
- Lorcan defeats Casey in his first Pokémon battle